Nature medicine
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Glioblastoma multiforme is the most undifferentiated type of brain tumor, and its prognosis is extremely poor. Glioblastoma cells exhibit highly migratory and invasive behavior, which makes surgical intervention unsuccessful. ⋯ These findings indicate that Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA receptors have crucial roles in growth of glioblastoma. Blockage of these Ca(2+)-permeable receptors may be a useful therapeutic strategy for the prevention of glioblastoma invasion.
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Loss of cardiomyocytes through programmed cell death is a key event in the development of heart failure, but the inciting molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. We used microarray analysis to identify a genetic program for myocardial apoptosis in Gq-mediated and pressure-overload cardiac hypertrophy. A critical component of this apoptotic program was Nix/Bnip3L. ⋯ Forced in vivo myocardial expression of Nix resulted in apoptotic cardiomyopathy and rapid death. Conversely, sNix protected against apoptotic peripartum cardiomyopathy in G(alpha)q-overexpressors. Thus, Nix/Bnip3L is upregulated in myocardial hypertrophy, and is both necessary and sufficient for Gq-mediated apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and resulting hypertrophy decompensation.