Bec1

Apobec-1 complementation factor (A1CF) functions as an RNA-binding cofactor for APO-BEC1-mediated C-to-U conversion during RNA editing and as a hepatocyte-specific regulator in the alternative pre-mRNA splicing of metabolic enzymes. Its role in RNA editing has not been clearly established. Western blot, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), immunofluorescence (IF), methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT), and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays were used to examine the role of A1CF beyond RNA editing in renal carcinoma cells...

The corpus luteum is primarily responsible for the production and secretion of progesterone. Melatonin has been established to regulate autophagy and induce progesterone secretion in luteal cell. However, whether melatonin affects progesterone secretion by interfering with autophagy is yet to be reported. In the present study, the expression levels of melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2), autophagy-related protein Beclin1 (Bec1), microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 B (LC3B), progesterone and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), and cytochrome P450scc (CYP11A1) were analyzed in the corpus luteum of sheep at different stages (early, middle, and late); specifically, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, immunohistochemical staining, and western blotting were utilized for this expression analysis...

Schizophrenia is a major psychiatric disorder associated with positive and negative symptoms and cognitive impairments. In this study, we used animal models of behavior to evaluate the antipsychotic activity of ASP2905, a potent and selective inhibitor of the potassium channel Kv12.2 encoded by the Kcnh3/BEC1 gene. ASP2905 inhibited hyperlocomotion induced by methamphetamine and by phencyclidine. In contrast, ASP2905 did not affect spontaneous locomotion, suggesting that ASP2905 selectively inhibits abnormal behaviors induced by stimulants...

Methotrexate (MTX) is commonly used as a standard chemotherapy for many cancers, however its usage required high doses thereby leading to severe adverse effects. In a trial to find a suitable neoadjuvant therapy to decrease MTX dosage without lowering its chemotherapeutic efficacy, we investigated the antitumor effect of trehalose (TRE) on mice bearing Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) and checked whether TRE can enhance the antitumor potential of MTX. Treatment with TRE induced anti-tumor effects against EAC as reveled by a remarkable decrease in body weight, tumor volume, count of viable tumor cells, expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2 as well as by a significant increase in mean survival time, life span and expression of the apoptotic gene caspase-3...

KCNH3 (BEC1) is a member of the ether-à-go-go (KCNH) family of voltage-gated K+ channels. The aim of this study was to determine the pharmacological profiles in vitro and in vivo of a KCNH3 inhibitor N-(4-fluorophenyl)-N'-phenyl-N''-(pyrimidin-2-ylmethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine (ASP2905). We analyzed the effects of ASP2905 on channel activity in vitro and its neuropharmacological properties in young and aged rats as well as in mice. ASP2905 potently inhibited potassium currents in CHO cells expressing KCNH3 (IC50 = 9...

A peptide-conjugated poly(β-amino ester) that self-assembles into micelle-like nanoparticles is prepared by a convenient and modular supramolecular approach. The polymer-beclin-1 (P-Bec1) nanoparticles display enhanced cytotoxicity to breast cancer cells through induction of autophagy. This approach overcomes two major limitations of the haploinsufficient tumor suppressor Bec1 compared to small-molecule drugs: poor delivery to tumors owing to enzymatic degradation, and unstable, non-specific bio-distribution and targeting in the tumor tissues...

AIM: To investigate a classification of endocytoscopy (ECS) images in Barrett's esophagus (BE) and evaluate its diagnostic performance and interobserver variability. METHODS: ECS was applied to surveillance endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) specimens of BE ex-vivo. The mucosal surface of specimen was stained with 1% methylene blue and surveyed with a catheter-type endocytoscope. We selected still images that were most representative of the endoscopically suspect lesion and matched with the final histopathological diagnosis to accomplish accurate correlation...

Filamentous phytopathogens, such as fungi and oomycetes, secrete effector proteins to establish successful interactions with their plant hosts. In contrast with oomycetes, little is known about effector functions in true fungi. We used a bioinformatics pipeline to identify Blumeria effector candidates (BECs) from the obligate biotrophic barley powdery mildew pathogen, Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei (Bgh). BEC1-BEC5 are expressed at different time points during barley infection. BEC1, BEC2 and BEC4 have orthologues in the Arabidopsis thaliana-infecting powdery mildew fungus Golovinomyces orontii...

Retrovirus replication critically depends on a dynamic interplay between retroviral and host proteins. We report on the binding of the surface subunit (glycoprotein 120 (gp120)) of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope protein (Env) to the cytoplasmic C-terminus of the voltage-gated potassium channel BEC1 (brain-specific ether-a-go-go-like channel 1), an interaction that can result in the repression of BEC's activity and the inhibition of HIV-1 particle-release. BEC1 protein was found to be expressed in T cells and macrophages, the major target cells of HIV-1...

Although the essential genes for autophagy (Atg) have been identified, the molecular mechanisms through which Atg proteins control 'self eating' in mammalian cells remain elusive. Beclin 1 (Bec1), the mammalian orthologue of yeast Atg6, is part of the class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) complex that induces autophagy. The first among an increasing number of Bec1-interacting proteins that has been identified is the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. The dissociation of Bec1 from Bcl-2 is essential for its autophagic activity, and Bcl-2 only inhibits autophagy when it is present in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)...

The K+ channel, one of the determinants for neuronal excitability, is genetically heterogeneous, and various K+ channel genes are expressed in the CNS. The therapeutic potential of K+ channel blockers for cognitive enhancement has been discussed, but the contribution each K+ channel gene makes to cognitive function remains obscure. BEC1 (KCNH3) is a member of the K+ channel superfamily that shows forebrain-preferential distribution. Here, we show the critical involvement of BEC1 in cognitive function. BEC1 knock-out mice performed behavioral tasks related to working memory, reference memory, and attention better than their wild-type littermates...

Twenty seven rhizobial strains associated with Acacia saligna grown in northern and southern Algeria were characterized, including generation time, host-range, the 16S rRNA gene and 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer restriction patterns, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and tolerance to salinity and drought. Cross inoculation tests indicated that 11 slow-growing isolates from northern nurseries were able to nodulate introduced Australian acacias exclusively, whereas 16 fast-growing isolates, mainly from southern nurseries, were capable of also nodulating native acacias...

BACKGROUND: Genetic variance in initial sensitivity to ethanol has been implicated as a risk factor for the development of alcoholism. Identification of the genes that confer differential initial sensitivity is an important goal for the development of new treatment strategies and for a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of ethanol's action. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping for initial sensitivity and other ethanol-related behavioral traits in model organisms has become an important first step for the ultimate identification of genes that contribute to variation in ethanol responses...

Kv1.3 channels regulate proliferation of normal lymphocytes, but the role of voltage-gated potassium channels in transformed hematopoietic cells is not known. We examined transcripts for Kv1.3, h-erg, h-eag, and BEC1 genes in primary lymphocytes and leukemias and in several hematopoietic cell lines. Surprisingly, BEC1, formerly thought to be brain-specific, was present in all the primary leukemias examined, in resting peripheral blood lymphocytes, and in proliferating activated tonsillar cells, lymphocytes from Sjögren's patients, and Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B-cells...

BACKGROUND: Several lines of evidence have suggested a role for cAMP (adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate) signaling in the acute and chronic effects of ethanol. This study investigated whether there is a genetic correlation between cAMP synthesis in the brain and the acute effects of ethanol [alcohol sensitivity or acute functional tolerance (AFT)]. METHODS: By using nine inbred strains of mice, we measured initial sensitivity and AFT to ethanol with a test of balance on a dowel...

A cDNA encoding a novel voltage-gated K(+) channel protein was isolated from human brain. This protein, termed BEC1, is 46% identical to rat elk in the ether-à-go-go K(+) channel family. The BEC1 gene maps to the 12q13 region of the human genome. Northern blot analysis indicates that BEC1 is exclusively expressed in human brain, where the expression is concentrated in the telencephalic areas such as the cerebral cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and striatum. By in situ hybridization, BEC1 is detected in the CA1-CA3 pyramidal cell layers and the dentate gyrus granule cell layers of the hippocampus...