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Biologists identify the protein that makes tendon-muscle connections last a lifetime

Integrins are attached to one end of the protein talin, which connects it to the actin-myosin cytoskeleton. Actin is an integral part of the cytoskeleton that gives cells their structure and shape. "...

Study shows zinc protects blood-brain barrier from effects of aluminum

The researchers found that aluminum increased the permeability and changed the ultrastructure of the BBB, while decreasing the expression of both F-actin and occludin. ... "Our present studies suggest that aluminum increases the permeability of BBB by changing its ultrastructure and the expression of occludin and F-actin," the researchers wrote. "...

Betulinic acid found to demonstrate anti-hepatic fibrosis activity

. - The researchers explored how betulinic acid affects the expression of alpha smooth muscle actin and autophagy-related proteins. - They found that betulinic acid reduced pathological damage associated with liver fibrosis. - The compound also decreased serum platelet-derived growth factor and serum hydroxyproline levels. - In the livers of mice, betulinic acid downregulated the expression of alpha smooth muscle actin and type I collagen but upregulated the expression of microtubule-associated ...

Plant cells that enable photosynthesis found to also play a role in plant self defense

Stromules were shown to follow the length of the microtubules before anchoring themselves to the actin filaments on the surface of the nucleus. They didn’t necessarily need the actin filaments, but their stability was greatly improved if they enjoyed proper connection points. "...

Researchers identify betulinic acid as a promising new agent for treating hepatic fibrosis

They focused on the changes in the expression of alpha smooth muscle actin, a marker of fibrosis, and autophagy-related proteins. ... Meanwhile in vitro, betulinic acid also increased the expression of the autophagy marker, LC3II, but decreased the expression of alpha muscle actin in hepatic stellate cells. "...

Safflower yellow, an herbal medicine used in TCM, found to prevent the spread of breast cancer to the lungs, according to study

When cytoskeletal proteins like actin undergo mutations and are abnormally expressed, they can contribute to the drug resistance and metastatic ability of cancer cells . ... Invadopodia are actin-rich membrane protrusions that can degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM) and are involved in cell invasion. "...

Curcumin found to have protective effects against renal fibrosis

. - They also used immunocytochemistry, real-time PCR and Western blot to analyze the expression of E-cadherin, cytokeratin, vimentin, alpha-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA), fibroblast-specific protein 1 (FSP1) and key proteins of the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. - The researchers found that low-dose curcumin (3.125 and 25?"...

Study looks at the effects of poor man's ginseng on liver fibrosis

. - They found that alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) activity, deposition of collagen, hydroxyproline content, and expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and collagen type I (Col I) significantly decreased after treatment with GPs. - Treatment with 5M CCl4 significantly increased the expression of HPC markers, Sox9 and cytokeratin 19 (CK19). - Immunostaining showed that the number of Sox9 and alpha-SMA double-positive cells was higher in the 5M ...

TCM found to significantly reduce your risk of liver disease

. - The liver tissue of the rats also had a reduced hydroxyproline content and decreased alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and collagen type I (collagen I) expression. - LWWL also suppressed hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation by minimizing the expression of two profibrogenic factors: transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). "...