Search results for "nerve"
showing 10 items of 1683 documents
Rho-mediated activation of PI(4)P5K and lipid second messengers is necessary for promotion of angiogenesis by Semaphorin 4D
2011
Phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase (PI(4)P5K) is a type I lipid kinase that generates the lipid second messenger phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) and functions downstream of RhoA in actin organization. It is known to play an essential role in neurite remodeling, yielding a phenotype identical to that seen in cells treated with Semaphorin 4D (Sema4D), a protein that regulates proliferation, adhesion and migration in many different cell types. Plexin-B1, the receptor for Sema4D, activates RhoA in order to generate a pro-angiogenic signal in endothelial cells. Therefore, we looked in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) to determine if Plexin-B1 e…
Phosphorylation of GAP-43 (growth-associated protein of 43 kDa) by conventional, novel and atypical isotypes of the protein kinase C gene family: dif…
1996
GAP-43 (growth-associated protein of 43 kDa; also known as neuromodulin, P-57, B-50 and F-1) is a neuronal calmodulin binding protein and a major protein kinase C (PKC) substrate in mammalian brain. Here we describe the phosphorylation by and the site specificity of different PKC isotypes. The conventional PKC beta 1 and the novel PKCs delta and epsilon effectively phosphorylated recombinant GAP-43 in vitro; atypical PKC zeta did not. The K(m) values (between 0.6 and 2.3 microM) were very low, demonstrating a high-affinity interaction between kinase and substrate. All PKC isotypes were shown to phosphorylate serine-41 in GAP-43. When using a 19-amino-acid oligopeptide based on the GAP-43 ph…
Efficacy of Selected Electrical Therapies on Chronic Low Back Pain: A Comparative Clinical Pilot Study
2017
Background: In the currently available research publications on electrical therapy of low back pain, generally no control groups or detailed randomization were used, and such studies were often conducted with relatively small groups of patients, based solely on subjective questionnaires and pain assessment scales (lacking measurement methods to objectify the therapeutic progress). The available literature also lacks a comprehensive and large-scale clinical study. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of treating low back pain using selected electrotherapy methods. The study assesses the influence of individual electrotherapeutic treatments on reduction of pain, improvement of …
Brain electrical source analysis of primary cortical components of the tibial nerve somatosensory evoked potential using regional sources.
1998
Tibial nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) show higher amplitudes ipsilateral to the side of stimulation, whereas subdural recordings revealed a source in the foot area of the contralateral hemisphere. We now investigated this paradoxical lateralization by performing a brain electrical source analysis in the P40 time window (34-46 ms). The tibial nerve was stimulated behind the ankle (8 subjects). On each side, 2048 stimuli were applied twice. SEPs were recorded using 32 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-verified electrode positions (bandpass 0.5-500 Hz). In each case, the P40 amplitude was higher ipsilaterally (0.45 +/- 0.14 microV) than contralaterally (-0.49 +/- 0.16 microV). The…
Na+ -dependent neutral amino acid transporters A, ASC, and N of the blood-brain barrier: mechanisms for neutral amino acid removal.
2004
Four Na+-dependent transporters of neutral amino acids (NAA) are known to exist in the abluminal membranes (brain side) of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This article describes the kinetic characteristics of systems A, ASC, and N that, together with the recently described Na+-dependent system for large NAA (Na+-LNAA), provide a basis for understanding the functional organization of the BBB. The data demonstrate that system A is voltage dependent (3 positive charges accompany each molecule of substrate). Systems ASC and N are not voltage dependent. Each NAA is a putative substrate for at least one system, and several NAA are transported by as many as three. System A transports Pro, Ala, His,…
What is the function of neuroglobin?
2009
SUMMARY For a long time, haemoglobin and myoglobin had been assumed to represent the only globin types of vertebrates. In 2000, however, we discovered a third globin type by mining the genome sequence data. Based on a preferential expression in the nervous system, this globin is referred to as neuroglobin. Despite nine years of research, its function is still uncertain and a number of hypotheses have been put forward. Neuroglobin enhances cell viability under hypoxia and under various types of oxidative stress in transgenic systems, but does not appear to be strongly upregulated in response to stress. A close phylogenetic relationship with invertebrate nerve globins and its positive correla…
Convergence of nociceptive and non-nociceptive inputs onto spinal reflex pathways to the tibialis anterior muscle in humans
1998
The interaction of low-threshold mechanoreceptive and nociceptive inputs onto spinal neurones probably plays a major role in the pathophysiology of the clinical sign of allodynia. This phenomenon was investigated by modulation of the early component of the flexor reflex (FR) in the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle, elicited by electrical stimulation of the medial plantar nerve at the sole of the foot, by homotopically applied painful heat in humans. This early reflex with an electrical threshold of 2.7-fold the detection threshold and a mean afferent conduction velocity of 49 m s-1 is a non-nociceptive FR. When applying conditioning painful heat (46 degrees C) to the sole of the foot this refl…
Homeobox genes and sea urchin development.
2000
We describe the expression of three Paracentrotus lividus homeobox-containing genes of the dispersed class during sea urchin embryogenesis and discuss their possible roles in the mechanisms of cell specification and embryo morphogenesis. PIHbox12 represents the first regulator identified in sea urchin that belongs to the zygotic class of transcription factors. Its early and transient expression and the localization of transcripts suggests that PIHbox12 is involved in cell fate specification of the oral or aboral ectodermal territories at the early cleavage stages. PIHbox9 is expressed just after the completion of gastrulation in a narrow stripe of cells at the ectoderm-endoderm boundary. It…
Plasmalogens in the retina: From occurrence in retinal cell membranes to potential involvement in pathophysiology of retinal diseases
2014
Plasmalogens (Pls) represent a specific subclass of glycerophospholipids characterized by the presence of a vinyl-ether bond at the sn-1 position of glycerol. Pls are quantitatively important in membranes of neuronal tissues, including the brain and the retina, where they can represent until almost two-third of ethanolamine glycerophospholipids. They are considered as reservoirs of polyunsaturated fatty acids as several studies have shown that arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids are preferentially esterified on Pls when compared to other glycerophospholipids. Reduced levels of Pls were observed in a number of neurodegenerative disorders such as glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindn…
The Innervation of Taste Buds in the Soft Palate of the Rat as Revealed by Methylene Blue Staining.
1996
Light microscopic data on the innervation of taste buds in the soft palate of the rat obtained by methylene blue (MB) supravital staining are presented here for the first time. The taste pore including subpopulations of taste bud cells and nerve fibers were stained. Intragemmal nerve fibers were detected ascending up to the taste pore; this suggests the possibility of additional paracellular pathways in taste transduction directly via nerve fibers. Moreover, relatively large bulbous or laminar enlargements of the intragemmal nerve fibers were found. The branches of these nerve fibers, showing minute spiny protuberances, appeared to anastomose. Some perigemmal nerve fibers were also seen in …