Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: DrugBank:EXPT01586 (G418)
 2,237 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neurturin (NTN), a potent neurotrophic factor acting specifically on dopaminergic neurons, is comprised of 102 amino acids as a mature protein. We artificially synthesized a gene for mature human NTN (hNTN) using codons preferred by the yeast Pichia pastoris. This synthesized gene, fused in frame with sequences encoding the alpha-factor signal peptide gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was cloned into P. pastoris expression vector pPIC9K. The recombinant plasmid pPIC9K-alpha-hNTN was then transformed into the yeast and stable multicopy recombinant P. pastoris strains were selected by G418 resistance. SDS-PAGE and Western blot assays of culture broth from a methanol-induced expression strain demonstrated that recombinant hNTN, a 16kDa glycosylated protein, was secreted into the culture medium. The recombinant protein was purified to greater than 95% using CM-Sepharose ion exchange and Superdex 75 size-exclusion chromatography steps. Bioactivity of the recombinant hNTN was confirmed by the ability of the protein to stimulate growth of nerve fibers from the dorsal root ganglia of chick embryos in vitro.
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PMID:Expression, purification, and characterization of recombinant human neurturin secreted from the yeast Pichia pastoris. 1282 16

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of transplanting mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), genetically modified to express glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), to the contused rat spinal cord, and to subsequently assess their neural differentiation potential. MSCs expressing green fluorescent protein were transduced with a retroviral vector to express the neurotrophin GDNF. The transduction protocol was optimized by using green fluorescent protein-expressing retroviral constructs; approximately 90% of MSCs were transduced successfully after G418 selection. GDNF-transduced MSCs expressed the transgene and secreted growth factor into the media (approximately 12 ng/500,000 cells secreted into the supernatant 2 weeks after transduction). Injuries were established using an impactor device, which applied a given, reproducible force to the exposed spinal cord. GDNF-expressing MSCs were transplanted rostral and caudal to the site of injury. Spinal cord sections were analyzed 2 and 6 weeks after transplantation. We demonstrate that GDNF-transduced MSCs engraft, survive, and express the therapeutic gene up to 6 weeks posttransplantation, while maintaining an undifferentiated phenotype. In conclusion, transplanted MSCs have limited capacity for the replacement of neural cells lost as a result of a spinal cord trauma. However, they provide excellent opportunities for local delivery of neurotrophic factors into the injured tissue. This study underlines the therapeutic benefits associated with cell transplantation and provides a good example of the use of MSCs for gene delivery.
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PMID:Neurotrophic factor-expressing mesenchymal stem cells survive transplantation into the contused spinal cord without differentiating into neural cells. 1933 61

Zebrafish female germline stem cell (FGSC) cultures were generated from a transgenic line of fish that expresses Neo and DsRed under the control of the germ cell specific promoter, ziwi [Tg(ziwi:neo);Tg(ziwi:DsRed)]. Homogeneous FGSC cultures were established by G418 selection and continued to express ziwi for more than 6 weeks along with the germ cell markers nanos3, dnd, dazl and vasa. A key component of the cell culture system was the use of a feeder cell line that was initiated from ovaries of a transgenic line of fish [Tg(gsdf:neo)] that expresses Neo controlled by the zebrafish gonadal soma derived factor (gsdf) promoter. The feeder cell line was selected in G418 and engineered to express zebrafish leukemia inhibitory factor (Lif), basic fibroblast growth factor (Fgf2) and glial-cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (Gdnf). These factors were shown to significantly enhance FGSC growth, survival and germline competency in culture. Results from cell transplantation experiments revealed that the cultured FGSCs were able to successfully colonize the gonad of sterile recipient fish and generate functional gametes. Up to 20% of surviving recipient fish that were injected with the cultured FGSCs were fertile and generated multiple batches of normal offspring for at least 6 months. The FGSC cultures will provide an in vitro system for studies of zebrafish germ cell growth and differentiation and their high frequency of germline transmission following transplantation could form the basis of a stem cell-mediated strategy for gene transfer and manipulation of the zebrafish genome.
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PMID:Production of zebrafish offspring from cultured female germline stem cells. 2367 20