The bulk of ATP consumed by various cellular processes is normally produced by five multimeric protein complexes embedded within the inner mitochondrial membrane in a process known as oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Mutations that impair the assembly, and therefore the funct ...
In recent decades, genetic, biochemical, immunological, and cell biological techniques have been applied not only for better understanding of pathogenesis of known mitochondrial encephalomyopathies but also for exploring the possibility of mitochondrial involvement in o ...
The mammalian mitochondrial genome contains 37 genes, 13 of which encode polypeptide subunits in the enzyme complexes of the oxidative phosphorylation system. The other genes encode the rRNAs and tRNAs necessary for their translation. The mitochondrial translation machinery is l ...
Mitochondrial functions are controlled by both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA. Hence, it is difficult to identify whether mitochondrial or nuclear genome is responsible for a particular mitochondrial defect. Cybrid is a useful tool to overcome this difficulty, where we can c ...
Pathogenic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are usually present in heteroplasmic forms that vary in concentration among different tissues. Manifestation of clinical phenotypes depends on the degree of mtDNA mutation heteroplasmy (mutation load) in affected tissues. It is t ...
After completion of Human Genome Project (HGP) in 2003, as well as the new technology development in genomic research, the most accurate genetics blueprint of human is available. Researchers started to dissect and understand the genetic map of the human species. As a consequence, analyses of no ...
Mitochondrial disorders are complex and heterogeneous diseases that may be caused by molecular defects in either the nuclear or mitochondrial genome. The biosynthesis and maintenance of the integrity of the mitochondrial genome is solely dependent on a number of nuclear proteins. De ...
Regulated secretion is a central issue for the specific function of many cells; for instance, mammalian sperm acrosomal exocytosis is essential for egg fertilization. Sphingosine 1-phosphate is a bioactive sphingolipid that regulates crucial physiological processes. We have r ...
The GPCR-coupled sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors regulate a number of important cell �functions, including proliferation, migration, and adhesion. Since these processes require dynamic regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, the ability to monitor S1P-dependent a ...
Intracellular Ca2+ mobilization is a useful readout to screen for agonists or antagonists of G-protein �coupled receptors (GPCRs). Here, we describe methods to conduct high-throughput screening of stably or transiently transfected HTC4 cells expressing the individual S1P1–5 re ...
Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid mediator involved in many biological actions, including vascular homeostasis and immune cell trafficking. S1P activity is mediated by specific G protein-coupled receptors, leading to multiple physiological responses in ...
Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and the enzyme primarily responsible for its production, sphingosine kinase-1 (SphK-1), are thought to be dysregulated in multiple human diseases including cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS), diabetes, neurological diseases, fibrosis, and certa ...
Cleanup technology and mass spectrometric determination of sphingosine-1-phosphate using a �phosphate capture molecule are shown. The protocol is rapid, requires neither thin-layer chromatography nor liquid chromatography, and is applicable to both blood and solid tissue s ...
Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry has evolved as the method of choice for the detection of sphingolipid metabolites due to its high sensitivity and superior specificity compared to other methodological approaches. Here, we describe a simple and robust method ...
Sphingosine kinases (SK) 1 and 2 are unique lipid kinases that phosphorylate sphingosine to form �sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). S1P is a bioactive molecule eliciting multiple effects both extracellularly via cell surface S1P receptors and intracellularly through a number of re ...
Sphingolipids (ceramide, sphingosine, and sphingosine-1-phosphate) are bioactive lipids with important biological functions in proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and inflammation. Herein, we describe easy and rapid biochemical methods with the use of radiolabe ...
In vitro models are useful for dissecting cell behavior under controlled conditions. Angiogenesis is a multistep process where endothelial cells (ECs) are activated by pro-angiogenic factors to degrade the basement membrane, migrate into the surrounding matrix, and form sprouti ...
Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and its receptors are important in nervous system development. Reliable in vitro human model systems are needed to further define specific roles for S1P signaling in neural development. We have recently reported that human embryonic stem cell-derived ...
Recent studies show that bioactive lipids are important regulators for stem cell survival and differentiation. The sphingolipid ceramide and its derivative, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), can act synergistically on embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation. We show here simp ...
Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent and capable of indefinite self-renewal in vitro. Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) have generally been cultivated on feeder layers of primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) in media supplemented with fetal calf serum (FCS). However, serum cont ...
