Designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) are chemogenetic tools for remotely controlling cellular signaling, neural activity, behavior, and physiology. Using a structure-guided approach, we provide a peripherally restricted Gi-DREADD, hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor DREADD (HCAD), whose native receptor is minimally expressed in the brain, and a chemical actuator that does not cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This was accomplished by combined mutagenesis, analog...
The androgens and androgen receptor (AR) play key roles in the prostate cancer (PCa) development and progression via epithelium-stroma cross talk. Prostate cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are dominant components in PCa stroma and are essential in the malignant progression by supporting tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, the AR roles in CAFs are still obscure. We isolated and immortalized the CAFs from human PCa tissues and found the CAFs are AR positive. We then knocked down their AR with siRNA and co-cultured the resultant CAFs with PCa cell line PC3. The MTT, invasion, and colony formation assays were performed to study the PC3 biological behavior. The results showed that the PCa epithelial growth, invasion, and colony formation abilities decreased when knocking down the CAFs AR. By using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we found the IGF1, FGF7, FGF10, SDF1, HGF, and TGFb2 expression levels decreased in the AR knocked down CAFs.
The CAFs and NPFs we...
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A search of the published medical literature revealed
1 study investigating the researchable question:
Structure-guided design of a peripherally restricted chemogenetic system?
Level of evidence
C - Multiple studies with limitations or conflicting results
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