Search results for "ta1184"
showing 10 items of 70 documents
Antipredatory function of head shape for vipers and their mimics.
2011
Most research into the adaptive significance of warning signals has focused on the colouration and patterns of prey animals. However, behaviour, odour and body shape can also have signal functions and thereby reduce predators' willingness to attack defended prey. European vipers all have a distinctive triangular head shape; and they are all venomous. Several non-venomous snakes, including the subfamily Natricinae, commonly flatten their heads (also known as head triangulation) when disturbed. The adaptive significance of this potential behavioural mimicry has never been investigated. We experimentally tested if the triangular head shape typical of vipers offers protection against predation.…
Aging and systemic hormonal status affects the circulating miR-21, miR-146a and FasL levels
2015
MicroRNAs are small molecules, found in all cell types and body fluids, which most commonly affect negatively to gene expressions by translational repression. Their role in various physiological conditions and diseases has been emphasized during the last twenty years. In our recent studies with postmenopausal monozygotic twin sisters (n=11), we have investigated how different systemic hormonal status affects the levels of specific circulating microRNAs and other molecules related to inflammation and apoptosis, both processes associated with aging. Our results have shown that the systemic levels of miR-21, miR-146a and Fas ligand are lower within the postmenopausal women who are using estrog…
Physical activity responsive miRNAs – Potential mediators of training responses in human skeletal muscle?
2013
1. The basics of miRNA-mediated regulation The plasticity of skeletal muscle is of utmost importance for responding to and coping with environmental demands that emerge from changes in physical activity patterns, nourishment, hormonal status, and health. As is well known, a sedentary lifestyle, aging, immobilization, and chronic diseases are associated with reduced muscle mass and function, while regular exercise improves muscle function and reduces the rate of decrement throughout life. 1 However, we do not have a complete understanding of the molecular factors controlling skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise stimuli. Recently identified microRNA molecules (miRNAs) have rapidly gained at…
Muscle Free Fatty-Acid Uptake Associates to Mechanical Efficiency During Exercise in Humans
2018
Intrinsic factors related to muscle metabolism may explain the differences in mechanical efficiency (ME) during exercise. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between muscle metabolism and ME. Totally 17 healthy recreationally active male participants were recruited and divided into efficient (EF; n = 8) and inefficient (IE; n = 9) groups, which were matched for age (mean ± SD 24 ± 2 vs. 23 ± 2 years), BMI (23 ± 1 vs. 23 ± 2 kg m−2), physical activity levels (3.4 ± 1.0 vs. 4.1 ± 1.0 sessions/week), and V˙O2peak (53 ± 3 vs. 52 ± 3 mL kg−1 min−1), respectively, but differed for ME at 45% of V˙O2peak intensity during submaximal bicycle ergometer test (EF 20.5 ± 3.5 vs. I…
Endothelial Bmx tyrosine kinase activity is essential for myocardial hypertrophy and remodeling
2015
Cardiac hypertrophy accompanies many forms of heart disease, including ischemic disease, hypertension, heart failure, and valvular disease, and it is a strong predictor of increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Deletion of bone marrow kinase in chromosome X (Bmx), an arterial nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, has been shown to inhibit cardiac hypertrophy in mice. This finding raised the possibility of therapeutic use of Bmx tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which we have addressed here by analyzing cardiac hypertrophy in gene-targeted mice deficient in Bmx tyrosine kinase activity. We found that angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiac hypertrophy is significantly reduced in mice deficient i…
Hormone Replacement Therapy Associated White Blood Cell DNA Methylation and Gene Expression are Associated With Within-Pair Differences of Body Adipo…
2015
The loss of estrogen during menopause causes changes in the female body, with wide-ranging effects on health. Estrogen-containing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) leads to a relief of typical menopausal symptoms, benefits bone and muscle health, and is associated with tissue-specific gene expression profiles. As gene expression is controlled by epigenetic factors (including DNA methylation), many of which are environmentally sensitive, it is plausible that at least part of the HRT-associated gene expression is due to changes in DNA methylation profile. We investigated genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression patterns of white blood cells (WBCs) and their associations with body compo…
Selective breeding for endurance running capacity affects cognitive but not motor learning in rats
2012
The ability to utilize oxygen has been shown to affect a wide variety of physiological factors often considered beneficial for survival. As the ability to learn can be seen as one of the core factors of survival in mammals, we studied whether selective breeding for endurance running, an indication of aerobic capacity, also has an effect on learning. Rats selectively bred over 23 generations for their ability to perform forced treadmill running were trained in an appetitively motivated discrimination-reversal classical conditioning task, an alternating T-maze task followed by a rule change (from a shift-win to stay-win rule) and motor learning task. In the discrimination-reversal and T-maze …
Photosensitive Alternative Splicing of the Circadian Clock Gene timeless Is Population Specific in a Cold-Adapted Fly, Drosophila montana
2018
Genome size evolution in macroparasites.
2014
Reduction in genome size has been associated not only with a parasitic lifestyle in intracellular microparasites but also in some macroparasitic insects and nematodes. We collected the available data on genome size for flatworms, annelids, nematodes and arthropods, compared those with available data for the phylogenetically closest free-living taxa and found evidence of smaller genome sizes for parasites in six of nine comparisons. Our results suggest that despite great differences in evolutionary history and life cycles, parasitism as a lifestyle promotes convergent genome size reduction in macroparasites. We discuss factors that could be associated with small genome size in parasites whic…