Effect of alkali cations on the interaction between detergents and erythrocyte membranes

Resumen Los distintos cationes alcalinos monovalentes (145 mM) y divalentes (100 mM) modifican marcadamente el grado de hemólisis de eritrocitos humanos provocado por Triton X-100 y por desoxicolato de Na (DOC). La serie de actividad con cationes monovalentes en hemólisis por Triton es K>Rb=Cs>NaLi, y por DOC es Li>Rb=Cs>K>Na. Por el contrario, el grado de solubilización de membranas eritrocitarias producido por Triton o DOC es independiente de los distintos cationes alcalinos.     

Platelets as crucial partners for tumor metastasis: from mechanistic aspects to pharmacological targeting

Platelets are anucleated cells that circulate in the blood as sentinels of tissue integrity. In fact, they are rich in a plethora of proteins and other factors stored in different granules which they selectively release upon stimulation. Moreover, platelets synthesize a vast number of lipids and release various types of vesicles, including exosomes which are rich in genetic material. Platelets possess a central function to interact with other cell types, including inflammatory cells and cancer cells. Recent findings have enlightened the capacity of platelets to induce changes in the phenotype of cancer cells which acquire invasiveness thus enhancing their metastatic potential. Thus, it has been hypothesized that targeting the platelet may represent a novel strategy to prevent the development and progression of cancer. This is supported by the efficacy of the antiplatelet agent low-dose aspirin. Studies are ongoing to verify whether other antiplatelet agents share the anticancer effectiveness of aspirin.     

A truncating mutation of HDAC2 in human cancers confers resistance to histone deacetylase inhibition

Disruption of histone acetylation patterns is a common feature of cancer cells, but very little is known about its genetic basis. We have identified truncating mutations in one of the primary human histone deacetylases, HDAC2, in sporadic carcinomas with microsatellite instability and in tumors arising in individuals with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome. The presence of the HDAC2 frameshift mutation causes a loss of HDAC2 protein expression and enzymatic activity and renders these cells more resistant to the usual antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of histone deacetylase inhibitors. As such drugs may serve as therapeutic agents for cancer, our findings support the use of HDAC2 mutational status in future pharmacogenetic treatment of these individuals.     

Artifacts from agar-protein interaction simulating a bacterial growth in the haemocultures

Summary Some morphological, histochemical and biochemical properties of the particles taking origin from the polysaccharide-proteins interaction in the presence of platelets and lymphocytes are described.