Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS

Decidualization is a critical event for the blastocyst implantation, placental development and fetal growth and the normal term. In mice, the embryo implantation to the uterine epithelial would trigger the endometrial stromal cells to diffe…

CD4 T-helper (Th) cells secret a variety of inflammatory cytokines and play critical roles in host defense against invading foreign pathogens. On the other hand, uncontrolled inflammatory responses mediated by Th cells may result in tissue …

Although the pathogenesis of endometriosis is not fully understood, it is often considered to be an inflammatory disease. An increasing number of studies suggest that differential expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., interleukin…

Embryo implantation is one of the pivotal steps during mammalian pregnancy, since the quality of embryo implantation determines the outcome of ongoing pregnancy and fetal development. A large number of factors, including transcription facto…

miR-424(322)/-503 are mammal-specific members of the extended miR-15/107 microRNA family. They form a co-expression network with the imprinted lncRNA H19 in tetrapods. miR-424(322)/-503 regulate fundamental cellular processes including cell…

Nuclear receptors are ligand-activated transcription factors that partake in several biological processes including development, reproduction and metabolism. Over the last decade, evidence has accumulated that group 2, 3 and 4 LIM domain pr…

Mucin 1 (MUC1 [CD227]) is a high-molecular weight (>400 kDa), type I membrane-tethered glycoprotein that is expressed on epithelial cells and extends far above the glycocalyx. MUC1 is overexpressed and aberrantly glycosylated in adenocarcin…

The vast diversity of S100 proteins has demonstrated a multitude of biological correlations with cell growth, cell differentiation and cell survival in numerous physiological and pathological conditions in all cells of the body. This review…

The CCN family of proteins consists of six high homologous matricellular proteins which act predominantly by binding to heparin sulphate proteoglycan and a variety of integrins. Interestingly, CCN proteins are regulated by ovarian steroid h…

From 5 to 12 FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs) are encoded in the genomes of disparate marine organisms, which appeared at the dawn of evolutionary events giving rise to primordial multicellular organisms with elaborated internal body plan. Fi…

The mammalian genome is transcribed in a developmentally regulated manner, generating RNA strands ranging from long to short non-coding RNA (ncRNAs). NcRNAs generated by intergenic sequences and protein-coding loci, represent up to 98 % of …

CCN1 (CYR61) is a dynamically expressed, multifunctional matricellular protein that plays essential roles in cardiovascular development during embryogenesis, and regulates inflammation, wound healing and fibrogenesis in the adult. Aberrant …

NFE2L3 [Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 3] or NRF3, a member of the Cap'n'Collar (CNC) family, is a basic-region leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor that was first identified over 10 years ago. Contrary to its extensively s…

Research involving estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR) have greatly contributed to our understanding of cell signaling and transcriptional regulation. In addition to the classical ER and PR nuclear actions, new signaling pathway…

Together with the estrogen receptor (ER) alpha, estrogen receptor beta (ER beta ) mediates many of the physiological effects of estrogens. As ER beta is crucially involved in a variety of important physiological processes, its activity shou…

The genomes of vertebrates contain sequences that are similar to present-day exogenous retroviruses. Such sequences, called endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), have resulted from ancestral germ line infections by exogenous retroviruses which ha…

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) most likely are remnants of ancient retroviral infections. ERVs preserve functions of exogenous retroviruses to a varying extent, and can be parasites, symbionts or more or less neutral genetic 'junk'.Their ev…

Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7, matrilysin- 1) modulates crucial biological events by processing many epithelial cell surface-associated effectors. We addressed MMP-7 interaction with human epithelial cells and its resulting activity. In…

Numerous cellular processes require the concerted action of multiple proteins that assemble in functional complexes. Protein-protein interaction domains allow specific proteins to combine with certain partners. Specificity of protein-protei…

The relationship between hormones and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been intensely researched. While the majority of this work has focused on the sex steroids, estrogens, and more recently androgens, a serendipitous patient encounter led one…

The present review provides a critical appraisal of the most important areas in cancer drug research and, ultimately, in clinical oncology and therapy, with emphasis on the elucidation of possible predictive designs for the development of n…

Enolase, a key glycolytic enzyme, belongs to a novel class of surface proteins which do not possess classical machinery for surface transport, yet through an unknown mechanism are transported on the cell surface. Enolase is a multifunctiona…

Chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factors (COUP-TFs) are orphan members of the steroid/thyroid hormone receptor superfamily. They have been shown to negatively regulate the activation function of vitamin D, thyroid hormone, …

Generation of the serine proteinase plasmin from the extracellular zymogen plasminogen can be catalyzed by either of two other serine proteinases, the urokinase- and tissue-type plasminogen activators (uPA and tPA). The plasminogen activati…