Kenji Takeuchi

The majority of growth factor receptors are composed of extracellular, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase (TK) domains. Receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) activation regulates many key processes including cell growth and survival. However, dysregulation of RTK has been found in a wide range of cancers, and it has been shown to correlate with the development and progression of numerous cancers. Therefore, RTK has become an attractive therapeutic target. One way to effectively block signal

cDNA fragments of a 5'-terminal region of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome were isolated by the reverse polymerase chain reaction from RNA extracted from plasma samples of healthy Japanese carriers. Their nucleotide sequence was compared with that of the original isolate which had been passaged twice in chimpanzees. No deletions or insertions were observed between the two sequences in the regions examined. Both the 5' untranslated and putative nucleocapsid (core) protein regions were highly co

The role of ATP-binding cassette transporters in the urinary excretion of diuretics was investigated. Significant ATP-dependent uptake of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and furosemide was observed in membrane vesicles that expressed multidrug resistance-associated protein 4 (MRP4) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). Unlike taurocholate uptake, S-methylglutathione had no effect on the ATP-dependent uptake of both compounds by MRP4. The functional importance of MRP4 and BCRP in the urinary exc

The function of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is dysregulated in various types of malignancy as a result of gene amplification, mutations, or abnormally increased ligand production. Therefore, the tyrosine kinase activity of the EGFR is a promising therapeutic target. EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as gefitinib (Iressa), show evident anticancer effects in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The induction of apoptosis has been considered to be the major mechanism for th

Sendai virus (SeV) C protein is a multifunctional protein that plays important roles in regulating viral genome replication and transcription, antagonizing the host interferon system, suppressing virus-induced apoptosis, and facilitating virus assembly and budding. We here report a novel role of SeV C protein, the limitation of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) generation for maintaining the rate of protein synthesis in infected cells. It was found that the intracellular protein synthesis rate was mai

The C protein physically associates with Stat1. This suggests that SeV C protein directly targets Stat1 for inhibitory control on the transcriptional activation of IFN stimulated genes.

Our results suggest a protective effect of social participation on dental health. In particular, participation in sports groups, neighborhood community associations, or hobby clubs might be a strong predictor for retaining more teeth in later life.

A new strategy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases in chimeric resistant MRL/lpr mice is established. The strategy includes injection of cyclophosphamide (CY), fractionated irradiation (5 Gy x 2), bone grafts (to recruit stromal cells), and two transplantations of whole bone marrow cells (WBMCs) from allogeneic normal C57BL/6 mice (CY/2X/Bone/2BMT). MRL/lpr mice, thus treated, survived more than 40 weeks (1 mouse survived for >40 weeks, 7 for >50 weeks, and 4 for >60 weeks after these treat

Early detection and subsequent reduction of modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline is important for extending healthy life expectancy in the currently aging society. Although a recent increase in studies on the state or number of the teeth and cognitive function, few studies have focused on the association between posterior teeth occlusion necessary to maintain chewing function and cognitive function among older adults. This study examined the association between posterior teeth occlusion