Search results for "Gene expression."
showing 10 items of 4076 documents
Raloxifene promotes prostacyclin release in human endothelial cells through a mechanism that involves cyclooxygenase-1 and -2
2005
Objective To examine the effects of raloxifene on prostacyclin production by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and to shed light on the molecular details of that action. Design Cell culture for 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 hours. Setting University research laboratory. Patient(s) Source of HUVEC. Intervention(s) Measurement of prostacyclin production and of protein levels and mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and -2. Main Outcome Measure(s) Prostacyclin production was measured by enzyme immunoassay, the mRNA expression of COX-1 was measured by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction, and the protein levels of COX-1 and -2 were measured by immunoblotting. Result(s) Ralo…
Role of the M3 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subtype in Murine Ophthalmic Arteries After Endothelial Removal
2014
We tested the hypothesis that the M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtype mediates cholinergic responses in murine ophthalmic arteries after endothelial removal.Muscarinic receptor gene expression was determined in ophthalmic arteries with intact and with removed endothelium using real-time PCR. To examine the role of the M3 receptor in mediating vascular responses, ophthalmic arteries from M3 receptor-deficient mice (M3R(-/-)) and respective wild-type controls were studied in vitro. Functional studies were performed in nonpreconstricted arteries with either intact or removed endothelium using video microscopy.In endothelium-intact ophthalmic arteries, mRNA for all five muscarinic rece…
Prooxidative toxicity and selenoprotein suppression by cerivastatin in muscle cells
2012
Statins are the most widely used drugs for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. In spite of their overall favorable safety profile, they do possess serious myotoxic potential, whose molecular origin has remained equivocal. Here, we demonstrate in cultivated myoblasts and skeletal muscle cells that cerivastatin at nanomolar concentrations interferes with selenoprotein synthesis and evokes a heightened vulnerability of the cells toward oxidative stressors. A correspondingly increased vulnerability was found with atorvastatin, albeit at higher concentrations than with cerivastatin. In selenium-saturated cells, cerivastatin caused a largely indiscriminate suppression of selenoprotein biosynth…
Microbial technologies for the discovery of novel bioactive metabolites
2002
Soil microbes represent an important source of biologically active compounds. These molecules present original and unexpected structure and are selective inhibitors of their molecular targets. At Biosearch Italia, discovery of new bioactive molecules is mostly carried out through the exploitation of a proprietary strain collection of over 50000 strains, mostly unusual genera of actinomycetes and uncommon filamentous fungi. A critical element in a drug discovery based on microbial extracts is the isolation of unexploited groups of microorganisms that are at the same time good producers of secondary metabolites. Molecular genetics can assist in these efforts. We will review the development an…
Association between CCK-AR gene and schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations
2007
[Objective]: Previous studies on a possible association between CCK-AR polymorphisms and schizophrenia have been controversial. The aim of the present study was to assess a potential association between schizophrenic patients with auditory hallucinations and polymorphisms of the CCK-AR gene.
Microarray-based mutation analysis of 183 Spanish families with Usher syndrome.
2010
PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to test the ability of the genotyping microarray for Usher syndrome (USH) to identify the mutations responsible for the disease in a cohort of 183 patients with USH. METHODS. DNA from 183 patients with Usher syndrome from the Spanish population was analyzed using a genotyping microarray containing 429 previously identified disease-associated variants in eight USH genes. Mutations detected by the array were confirmed by direct sequencing. Haplotype analysis was also performed in families carrying common Spanish mutations. RESULTS. The genotyping microarray identified 43 different variants, divided into 32 disease causative and 11 probably non-pathologic…
Progressive Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Contributes to Hepatocarcinogenesis in Fatty Acyl-CoA Oxidase 1–Deficient Mice
2011
Fatty acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1 (ACOX1) knockout (ACOX1(-/-)) mice manifest hepatic metabolic derangements that lead to the development of steatohepatitis, hepatocellular regeneration, spontaneous peroxisome proliferation, and hepatocellular carcinomas. Deficiency of ACOX1 results in unmetabolized substrates of this enzyme that function as biological ligands for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) in liver. Here we demonstrate that sustained activation of PPARα in ACOX1(-/-) mouse liver by these ACOX1 substrates results in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Overexpression of transcriptional regulator p8 and its ER stress-related effectors such as the pseudokinase tribbles h…
Downregulation of alpha-galactosidase A upregulates CD77: functional impact for Fabry nephropathy.
2009
Anderson-Fabry disease, an inherited deficiency in the lysosomal enzyme alpha-galactosidase A, is characterized by the progressive accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), also known as CD77. We sought to clarify the pathogenesis of Fabry disease by establishing a cell model of this disorder. The expression of alpha-galactosidase A was transiently silenced by RNA interference in HK2 and primary human renal epithelial cells and stably silenced in HK2 cells by retroviral transfection with small hairpin RNA. All of the silenced cells had histological similarities to cells of patients with Fabry disease. The cells had reduced viability, significant accumulation of intracellular Gb3, and a m…
Distribution of osteonectin mRNA and protein during human embryonic and fetal development.
1992
We investigated the temporal and spatial distribution of osteonectin during human embryonic and fetal development, using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Osteonectin gene expression was generally found in cells exhibiting high rates of matrix production/proliferation. In mineralized tissue, a strong signal was obtained in osteoblasts, odontoblasts, and chondrocytes of the upper hypertrophic and proliferative zones. Chondrocytes of the mineralized zone showed no expression throughout the different stages of development. Strong osteonectin expression was found in odontoblasts of developing teeth. In addition, osteonectin mRNA and protein were detected in several non-mineralize…
Differential expression of two glucocorticoid receptors in seabass (teleost fish) head kidney after exogeneous cortisol inoculation
2009
Stressful conditions include a prompt release of corticosteroid hormones which can mediate gene expression through glucocorticoid receptors (GR). Since two seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) GRs have been cloned and sequenced from peritoneal cavity cells (DlGR1) and liver (DlGR2), a comparative amino acid sequence analysis that included Haplochromis burtoni HbGRs, was carried out and homologies disclosed. The DlGR1 and DlGR2 deduced aminoacid sequences showed 61% identity (I) and 70% similarity (S). Moreover, DlGR2 was similar to HbGR2b (69% I, 73% S), and the DlGR1 to HbGR1 (72% I, 78% S). In addition, we examined the expression of the DlGRs after exogeneous cortisol inoculation into the perit…