Search results for "Knockout"
showing 10 items of 806 documents
Fatty Liver and Fibrosis in Glycine N-Methyltransferase Knockout Mice Is Prevented by Nicotinamide
2010
Deletion of glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT), the main gene involved in liver S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) catabolism, leads to the hepatic accumulation of this molecule and the development of fatty liver and fibrosis in mice. To demonstrate that the excess of hepatic SAM is the main agent contributing to liver disease in GNMT knockout (KO) mice, we treated 1.5-month-old GNMT-KO mice for 6 weeks with nicotinamide (NAM), a substrate of the enzyme NAM N-methyltransferase. NAM administration markedly reduced hepatic SAM content, prevented DNA hypermethylation, and normalized the expression of critical genes involved in fatty acid metabolism, oxidative stress, inflammation, cell proliferation, …
Deletion of organic cation transporter Oct3 promotes hepatic fibrosis via upregulation of TGFβ
2019
Organic cation transporters (OCT) are responsible for the intracellular uptake and detoxification of a broad spectrum of endogenous and exogenous substrates. OCTs are downregulated in cholestasis, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, but the underlying molecular mechanisms and downstream effects of OCT deletion are unknown. Oct3-knockout ( Oct3−/−; FVB.Slc22a3tm10pb) and wild-type (WT; FVB) mice were subject to escalating doses of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) or thioacetamide (TAA) for 6 wk to induce advanced parenchymal liver fibrosis. Secondary biliary fibrosis was generated by bile duct ligation. Liver fibrosis was assessed by hydroxyproline determination, quantitative Sirius red morp…
Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Limits Lipotoxicity by Promoting Hepatic Fatty Acid Activation in Mice on Methionine and Choline-Deficient Diets
2014
Background & Aims Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a common consequence of human and rodent obesity. Disruptions in lipid metabolism lead to accumulation of triglycerides and fatty acids, which can promote inflammation and fibrosis and lead to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Circulating levels of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)21 increase in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; therefore, we assessed the role of FGF21 in the progression of murine fatty liver disease, independent of obesity, caused by methionine and choline deficiency. Methods C57BL/6 wild-type and FGF21-knockout (FGF21-KO) mice were placed on methionine- and choline-deficient (MCD)…
Liver-specific Ldb1 deletion results in enhanced liver cancer development.
2009
Background & Aims LIM-domain-binding (Ldb) proteins have been demonstrated to be essential not only to key embryonic developmental processes but also to carcinogenesis. We have previously demonstrated Ldb1 to be of high biological and developmental relevance, as a targeted deletion of the Ldb1 gene in mice results in an embryonic lethal and pleiotropic phenotype. Methods We have now established a liver-specific Ldb1 knock out to investigate the role of Ldb1 in carcinogenesis, in particular in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development, in vivo . Results These mice demonstrated a significantly enhanced growth of liver cancer by means of tumor size and number, advocating for an essential role…
The expression mechanism of the residual LTP in the CA1 region of BDNF k.o. mice is insensitive to NO synthase inhibition
2011
Abstract BDNF and nitric oxide signaling both contribute to long-term potentiation (LTP) at glutamatergic synapses, but to date, few studies analyzed the interaction of both signaling cascades in the same synaptic pathway. Here we addressed the question whether the residual LTP in the CA1 region of hippocampal slices from heterozygous BDNF knockout mice (BDNF +/− ) is dependent on nitric oxide (NO) signaling. Extracellular recording of synaptic field potentials elicited by presynaptic Schaffer collateral stimulation was performed in the CA1 region of hippocampal slices of 4- to 6-week-old mice, and LTP was induced by a theta burst stimulation protocol. Application of the nitric oxide inhibi…
Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Calibrates Excitatory Synaptic Balance in the Mouse Hippocampus
2015
The endocannabinoid system negatively regulates the release of various neurotransmitters in an activity-dependent manner, thereby influencing the excitability of neuronal circuits. In the hippocampus, cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor is present on both GABAergic and glutamatergic axon terminals. CB1 receptor-deficient mice were previously shown to have increased hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). In this study, we have investigated the consequences of cell-type-specific deletion of the CB1 receptor on the induction of hippocampal LTP and on CA1 pyramidal cell morphology. Deletion of CB1 receptor in GABAergic neurons in GABA-CB1-KO mice leads to a significantly decreased hippocampal …
Induction of stress resistance and extension of lifespan in Chaenorhabditis elegans serotonin-receptor knockout strains by withanolide A
2021
Abstract Introduction Approximately 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression. The COVID-19 crisis may dramatically increase these numbers. Severe side effects and resistance development limit the use of standard antidepressants. The steroidal lactone withanolide A (WA) from Withania somnifera may be a promising alternative. Caenorhabditis elegans was used as model to explore WA's anti-depressive and anti-stress potential. Methods C. elegans wildtype (N2) and deficient strains (AQ866, DA1814, DA2100, DA2109 and MT9772) were used to assess oxidative, osmotic or heat stress as measured by generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), determination of lifespan, and mRNA expression of …
Gp91phox-containing NAD(P)H oxidase increases superoxide formation by doxorubicin and NADPH
2006
Doxorubicin is a highly effective antineoplastic drug associated with a dose-dependent cardiotoxicity that may result in irreversible cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Gene variants of the superoxide-generating enzyme NAD(P)H oxidase have recently been associated with this phenotype. We investigated the mechanism of this association using lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence, spectrophotometry, electrochemical sensor, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Superoxide production was measured in female wild-type and NAD(P)H oxidase-deficient (gp91phox knockout) mice. The magnitude of the increase in superoxide production on the addition of doxorubicin was much higher in hearts of w…
Targeted Repolarization of Tumor‐Associated Macrophages via Imidazoquinoline‐Linked Nanobodies
2021
Abstract Tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) promote the immune suppressive microenvironment inside tumors and are, therefore, considered as a promising target for the next generation of cancer immunotherapies. To repolarize their phenotype into a tumoricidal state, the Toll‐like receptor 7/8 agonist imidazoquinoline IMDQ is site‐specifically and quantitatively coupled to single chain antibody fragments, so‐called nanobodies, targeting the macrophage mannose receptor (MMR) on TAMs. Intravenous injection of these conjugates result in a tumor‐ and cell‐specific delivery of IMDQ into MMRhigh TAMs, causing a significant decline in tumor growth. This is accompanied by a repolarization of TAMs to…
Genetic dissection of the miR-17∼92 cluster of microRNAs in Myc-induced B-cell lymphomas
2009
The miR-17∼92 cluster is frequently amplified or overexpressed in human cancers and has emerged as the prototypical oncogenic polycistron microRNA (miRNA). miR-17∼92 is a direct transcriptional target of c-Myc, and experiments in a mouse model of B-cell lymphomas have shown cooperation between these two oncogenes. However, both the molecular mechanism underlying this cooperation and the individual miRNAs that are responsible for it are unknown. By using a conditional knockout allele of miR-17∼92, we show here that sustained expression of endogenous miR-17∼92 is required to suppress apoptosis in Myc-driven B-cell lymphomas. Furthermore, we show that among the six miRNAs that are encoded by m…