Sample records for factor mrna levels

  1. Developmental changes in the hypothalamic mRNA expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and serum leptin levels: Their responses to fasting in male and female rats.

    PubMed

    Iwasa, Takeshi; Matsuzaki, Toshiya; Yano, Kiyohito; Munkhzaya, Munkhsaikhan; Tungalagsuvd, Altankhuu; Yiliyasi, Maira; Kuwahara, Akira; Irahara, Minoru

    2016-11-01

    The actions and responses of hypothalamic appetite regulatory factors change markedly during the neonatal to pre-pubertal period in order to maintain appropriate metabolic and nutritional conditions. In this study, we examined the developmental changes in the hypothalamic mRNA levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a potent anorectic factor and the changes in the sensitivity of the hypothalamic expression of this factor to fasting during the neonatal to pre-pubertal period. Under fed conditions, hypothalamic BDNF mRNA expression decreased during development in both male and female rats. Similarly, the serum levels of leptin, which is a positive regulator of hypothalamic BDNF expression, also tended to fall during the developmental period. The serum leptin level and the hypothalamic BDNF mRNA level were found to be positively correlated in both sexes under the fed conditions. Hypothalamic BDNF mRNA expression was decreased by 24h fasting (separating the rats from their mothers) in the early neonatal period (postnatal day 10) in both males and females, but no such changes were seen at postnatal day 20. Twenty-four hours' fasting (food deprivation) did not affect hypothalamic BDNF mRNA expression in the pre-pubertal period (postnatal day 30). On the other hand, the rats' serum leptin levels were decreased by 24h fasting (separating the rats from their mothers at postnatal day 10 and 20, and food deprivation at postnatal day 30) throughout the early neonatal to pre-pubertal period. The correlation between serum leptin and hypothalamic BDNF mRNA levels was not significant under the fasted conditions. It can be speculated that leptin partially regulates hypothalamic BDNF mRNA levels, but only in fed conditions. Such changes in hypothalamic BDNF expression might play a role in maintaining appropriate metabolic and nutritional conditions and promoting normal physical development. In addition, because maternal separation induces a negative energy

  2. Identification of Relationships Between Interleukin 15 mRNA and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor II mRNA Levels With Formal Components of Temperament in Asthmatic Patients.

    PubMed

    Panek, Michał; Jonakowski, Mateusz; Zioło, Jan; Pietras, Tadeusz; Wieteska, Łukasz; Małachowska, Beata; Mokros, Łukasz; Szemraj, Janusz; Kuna, Piotr

    2017-04-01

    Asthma is a chronic inflammatory and heterogeneous disease developing mostly through allergic inflammation, which modifies the expression of various cytokines and neurotrophins. Previous studies suggest the involvement of interleukin (IL)-15 in the regulation of immune response in asthma. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) II plays an important role as a regulator of development and survival of neurons as well as maintenance of their physiological activity. Chronic stress associated with asthma and elevated IL-15 mRNA and BDNFII mRNA levels may affect the mood and a subjective sensation of dyspnoea-inducing anxiety. Psychopathological variables and numerous cytokine/neurotrophin interactions influence the formation of temperament and strategies of coping with stress. The aim of the study was to identify the role of IL-15 mRNA and BDNFII mRNA expressions and their effect on components of temperament and strategies of coping with stress in asthmatics. A total of 352 subjects (176 healthy volunteers and 176 asthmatic patients) participated in the study. The Formal Characteristic of Behaviour-Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI), Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Scale were applied in all the subjects. The expression of IL-15 and BDNFII gene was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Different levels of IL-15 and BDNFII expressions between healthy volunteers and patients were revealed in the study. IL-15 enhanced the BDNFII mRNA expression among patients with bronchial asthma. The depression level negatively correlated with the BDNFII mRNA expression. This neurotrophin modified the temperament variable. BDNFII significantly affected (proportional relationship) the level of briskness in asthmatic patients. BDNFII might influence the level and style of coping with stress (emotion-oriented style). This hypothesis

  3. Postnatal handling does not normalize hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor mRNA levels in animals prenatally exposed to ethanol.

    PubMed

    Gabriel, Kara I; Glavas, Maria M; Ellis, Linda; Weinberg, Joanne

    2005-06-09

    Postnatal handling has been shown to attenuate some of the deficits in developmental outcome observed following prenatal ethanol exposure (E) although it appears to be ineffective at ameliorating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) hyperresponsiveness to stressors that has been observed in adult E animals. However, the effects of postnatal handling on central regulation of HPA activity in E animals, particularly with regard to alterations in steady-state hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) activity, have not been examined. In the present study, offspring from E, pair-fed (PF), and ad-libitum-fed control (C) groups were exposed to daily handling during the first 2 weeks of life (H) or were left entirely undisturbed until weaning (NH). Basal CRF and arginine vasopressin (AVP) mRNA in the parvocellular portion of the paraventricular nucleus (pPVN) of the hypothalamus were assessed at 90-110 days of age. Prenatal ethanol exposure resulted in elevated basal pPVN CRF mRNA levels compared to those in ad-libitum-fed controls. Handling altered CRF mRNA levels in a sex-specific and prenatal treatment-specific manner. Females showed no significant effects of handling. In contrast, handling decreased CRF mRNA levels in PF and C but not E males compared to their NH counterparts. There were no effects of prenatal ethanol or postnatal handling on AVP mRNA levels. These findings indicate that prenatal ethanol exposure results in elevated basal CRF mRNA levels in adulthood and that handling appears to be ineffective in normalizing those elevations, supporting the suggestion that altered basal HPA regulation in E animals may, at least in part, underlie their HPA hyperresponsiveness to stressors.

  4. Pulsed low-level infrared laser alters mRNA levels from muscle repair genes dependent on power output in Wistar rats

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trajano, L. A. S. N.; Trajano, E. T. L.; Thomé, A. M. C.; Sergio, L. P. S.; Mencalha, A. L.; Stumbo, A. C.; Fonseca, A. S.

    2017-10-01

    Satellite cells are present in skeletal muscle functioning in the repair and regeneration of muscle injury. Activation of these cells depends on the expression of myogenic factor 5 (Myf5), myogenic determination factor 1(MyoD), myogenic regulatory factor 4 (MRF4), myogenin (MyoG), paired box transcription factors 3 (Pax3), and 7 (Pax7). Low-level laser irradiation accelerates the repair of muscle injuries. However, data from the expression of myogenic factors have been controversial. Furthermore, the effects of different laser beam powers on the repair of muscle injuries have been not evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of low-level infrared laser at different powers and in pulsed emission mode on the expression of myogenic regulatory factors and on Pax3 and Pax7 in injured skeletal muscle from Wistar rats. Animals that underwent cryoinjury were divided into three groups: injury, injury laser 25 Mw, and injury laser 75 mW. Low-level infrared laser irradiation (904 nm, 3 J cm-2, 5 kHz) was carried out at 25 and 75 mW. After euthanasia, skeletal muscle samples were withdrawn and the total RNA was extracted for the evaluation of mRNA levels from the MyoD, MyoG, MRF4, Myf5, Pax3, and Pax7 gene. Pax 7 mRNA levels did not alter, but Pax3 mRNA levels increased in the injured and laser-irradiated group at 25 mW. MyoD, MyoG, and MYf5 mRNA levels increased in the injured and laser-irradiated animals at both powers, and MRF4 mRNA levels decreased in the injured and laser-irradiated group at 75 mW. In conclusion, exposure to pulsed low-level infrared laser, by power-dependent effect, could accelerate the muscle repair process altering mRNA levels from paired box transcription factors and myogenic regulatory factors.

  5. mRNA expression levels of hypoxia-induced and stem cell-associated genes in human glioblastoma.

    PubMed

    Bache, Matthias; Rot, Swetlana; Keßler, Jacqueline; Güttler, Antje; Wichmann, Henri; Greither, Thomas; Wach, Sven; Taubert, Helge; Söling, Ariane; Bilkenroth, Udo; Kappler, Matthias; Vordermark, Dirk

    2015-06-01

    The roles of hypoxia-induced and stem cell-associated genes in the development of malignancy and tumour progression are well known. However, there are a limited number of studies analysing the impact of mRNA expression levels of hypoxia-induced and stem cell-associated genes in the tissues of brain tumours and glioblastoma patients. In this study, tumour tissues from patients with glioblastoma multiforme and tumour adjacent tissues were analysed. We investigated mRNA expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α), carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) and osteopontin (OPN), and stem cell-associated genes survivin, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), Nanog and octamer binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Our data revealed higher mRNA expression levels of hypoxia-induced and stem cell-associated genes in tumour tissue than levels in the tumour adjacent tissues in patients with glioblastoma multiforme. A strong positive correlation between the mRNA expression levels of HIF-2α, CA9, VEGF, GLUT-1 and OPN suggests a specific hypoxia-associated profile of mRNA expression in glioblastoma multiforme. Additionally, the results indicate the role of stem-cell-related genes in tumour hypoxia. Kaplan-Maier analysis revealed that high mRNA expression levels of hypoxia-induced markers showed a trend towards shorter overall survival in glioblastoma patients (P=0.061). Our data suggest that mRNA expression levels of hypoxia-induced genes are important tumour markers in patients with glioblastoma multiforme.

  6. [Transcription factors NF-kB, HIF-1, HIF-2, growth factor VEGF, VEGFR2 and carboanhydrase IX mRNA and protein level in the development of kidney cancer metastasis].

    PubMed

    Spirina, L V; Usynin, Y A; Yurmazov, Z A; Slonimskaya, E M; Kolegova, E S; Kondakova, I V

    2017-01-01

    Here, we have investigated the participation of nuclear factors NF-kB, HIF-1 and HIF-2, VEGF, VEGFR2, and carboanhydrase IX in clear-cell renal cancer. We have determined the expression and protein level of transcription factors, VEGF, VEGFR2, and carboanhydrase IX in tumor and normal tissues of 30 patients with kidney cancer. The Real-Time PCR and ELISA were used in the study. The low levels of HIF-1 mRNA expression associated with high levels of HIF-1 protein were also associated with metastasis. The expression levels of VEGF, VEGFR2, and their protein levels are increased in primary tumors of patients with disseminated kidney cancer compared to nonmetastatic cancer. No correlation was revealed between the content of mRNA and encoded proteins in the kidney cancer tissues. The changes in the ratios of mRNA levels and the respective proteins (HIF-1α, HIF-2, NF-kB, VEGF, VEGFR2, and carboanhydrase IX) may contribute to kidney-cancer metastasis.

  7. Low-level laser irradiation modulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA transcription through calcium-dependent activation of the ERK/CREB pathway.

    PubMed

    Yan, Xiaodong; Liu, Juanfang; Zhang, Zhengping; Li, Wenhao; Sun, Siguo; Zhao, Jian; Dong, Xin; Qian, Jixian; Sun, Honghui

    2017-01-01

    Low-level laser (LLL) irradiation has been reported to promote neuronal differentiation, but the mechanism remains unclear. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been confirmed to be one of the most important neurotrophic factors because it is critical for the differentiation and survival of neurons during development. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of LLL irradiation on Bdnf messenger RNA (mRNA) transcription and the molecular pathway involved in LLL-induced Bdnf mRNA transcription in cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRGNs) using Ca 2+ imaging, pharmacological detections, RNA interference, immunocytochemistry assay, Western blot, and qPCR analysis. We show here that LLL induced increases in the [Ca 2+ ] i level, Bdnf mRNA transcription, cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation, mediated by Ca 2+ release via inositol triphosphate receptor (IP3R)-sensitive calcium (Ca 2+ ) stores. Blockade of Ca 2+ increase suppressed Bdnf mRNA transcription, CREB phosphorylation, and ERK phosphorylation. Downregulation of phosphorylated (p)-CREB reduced Bdnf mRNA transcription triggered by LLL. Furthermore, blockade of ERK using PD98059 inhibitor reduced p-CREB and Bdnf mRNA transcription induced by LLL. Taken together, these findings establish the Ca 2+ -ERK-CREB cascade as a potential signaling pathway involved in LLL-induced Bdnf mRNA transcription. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the mechanisms of Ca 2+ -dependent Bdnf mRNA transcription triggered by LLL. These findings may help further explore the complex molecular signaling networks in LLL-triggered nerve regeneration in vivo and may also provide experimental evidence for the development of LLL for clinical applications.

  8. The Antagonistic Effect of Selenium on Cadmium-Induced Damage and mRNA Levels of Selenoprotein Genes and Inflammatory Factors in Chicken Kidney Tissue.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xinyue; Bao, Rongkun; Fu, Jing

    2018-02-01

    Selenium (Se) is a necessary trace mineral in the diet of humans and animals. Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that can damage animal organs, especially the kidneys. Antagonistic interactions between Se and Cd have been reported in previous studies. However, little is known about the effects of Se against Cd toxicity and on the mRNA levels of 25 selenoprotein genes and inflammatory factors in chicken kidneys. In the current study, we fed chickens with a Se-treated, Cd-treated, or Se/Cd treated diet for 90 days. We then analyzed the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors (including prostaglandin E synthase (PTGES), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)) and 25 selenoprotein genes (Gpx1, Gpx2, Gpx3, Gpx4, Txnrd1, Txnrd2, Txnrd3, Dio1, Dio2, Dio3, SPS2, Sepp1, SelPb, Sep15, Selh, Seli, Selm, Selo, Sels, Sepx1, Selu, Selk, Selw, Seln, Selt). The results demonstrated that Cd exposure increased the Cd content in the chicken kidneys, renal tubular epithelial cells underwent denaturation and necrosis, and the tubules became narrow or disappeared. However, Se supplementation reduced the Cd content in chicken kidneys and induced normal development of renal tubular epithelial cells. In addition, we also observed that Se alleviated the Cd-induced increase in the mRNA levels of inflammatory factors and ameliorated the Cd-induced downtrend in the mRNA levels of 25 selenoprotein genes in chicken kidneys.

  9. Regulation of Bovine Leukemia Virus tax and pol mRNA Levels by Interleukin-2 and -10

    PubMed Central

    Pyeon, Dohun; Splitter, Gary A.

    1999-01-01

    Recently, particular cytokines have been identified to affect progression of a variety of diseases and retrovirus infections. Previously, we demonstrated that interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-12, and gamma interferon increased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from animals with early disease and decreased in PBMCs from animals with late disease stages of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection. In contrast, IL-10 increased with disease progression. To examine the effects of these cytokines on BLV expression, BLV tax and pol mRNA and p24 protein were quantified by competitive PCR and immunoblotting, respectively. IL-10 inhibited BLV tax and pol mRNA levels in BLV-infected PBMCs; however, the inhibitory effect of IL-10 was prevented in PBMCs depleted of monocytes and/or macrophages (monocyte/macrophages). To determine whether these factors were secreted or monocyte/macrophage associated, monocyte/macrophage-depleted PBMCs were cultured with isolated monocyte/macrophages in transwells where contact between monocyte/macrophages and nonadherent PBMCs was blocked. BLV tax and pol mRNA levels increased in transwell cultures similar to cultures containing nonseparated cells, and IL-10 addition inhibited the increase of BLV tax and pol mRNA. These results suggest that monocyte/macrophages secrete soluble factor(s) that increases BLV mRNA levels and that secretion of these soluble factor(s) could be inhibited by IL-10. In contrast, IL-2 increased BLV tax and pol mRNA and p24 protein production. Thus, IL-10 production by BLV-infected animals with late stage disease may serve to control BLV mRNA levels, while IL-2 may increase BLV mRNA in the early disease stage. To determine a correlation between cell proliferation and BLV expression, the effect of IL-2 and IL-10 on PBMC proliferation was tested. As anticipated, IL-2 stimulated while IL-10 suppressed antigen-specific PBMC proliferation. The present study, combined with our previous findings, suggests that increased IL-10

  10. Macrophage colony-stimulating factor accelerates wound healing and upregulates TGF-beta1 mRNA levels through tissue macrophages.

    PubMed

    Wu, L; Yu, Y L; Galiano, R D; Roth, S I; Mustoe, T A

    1997-10-01

    Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is produced by many cell types involved in wound repair, yet it acts specifically on monocytes and macrophages. The monocyte-derived cell is thought to be important in wound healing, but the importance of the role of tissue macrophages in wound healing has not been well defined. Dermal ulcers were created in normal and ischemic ears of young rabbits. Either rhM-CSF (17 microg/wound) or buffer was applied to each wound. Wounds were bisected and analyzed histologically at Days 7 and 10 postwounding. The amounts of epithelial growth and granulation tissue deposition were measured in all wounds. The level of increase of TGF-beta1 mRNA level in M-CSF-treated wounds was examined using competitive RT-PCR. M-CSF increased new granulation tissue formation by 37% (N = 21, P < 0.01) and 50% (P < 0.01) after single and multiple treatments, respectively, in nonischemic wounds. TGF-beta1 mRNA levels in rhM-CSF-treated wounds increased 5.01-fold (N = 8) over vehicle-treated wounds under nonischemic conditions. In contrast, no effect could be detected in ischemic wounds treated with rhM-CSF, and these wounds only showed a 1.66-fold increase in TGF-beta1 mRNA levels when compared to ischemic wounds treated with vehicle alone. GAPDH, a housekeeping gene, showed no change. As mesenchymal cells lack receptors for M-CSF, the improved healing of wounds treated with topical rhM-CSF must reflect a generalized enhancement of activation and function of tissue macrophages, as demonstrated by upregulation of TGF-beta. The lack of effect under ischemic conditions suggests that either macrophage activity and/or response to M-CSF is adversely affected under those conditions; this may suggest the pathogenesis of impaired wound healing at the cellular level. Copyright 1997 Academic Press.

  11. Efficacy of Omega Fatty Acid Supplementation on mRNA Expression Level of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Patients with Gastric Adenocarcinoma.

    PubMed

    Hosseinzadeh, Asghar; Ardebili, Seyed Mojtaba Mohaddes

    2016-09-01

    Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), a multifunctional cytokine, is involved in apoptosis, cell proliferation, cell survival, and inflammation. It plays a dual role in cancer development and progression. It has been revealed that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) modulate the production and activity of TNF family cytokines. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of PUFAs on messenger RNA expression levels of TNF-α in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Thirty-four chemotherapy-naive patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma were randomly divided into two groups. The first group (17 individuals) received cisplatin without supplements and the second group (17 individuals) received cisplatin plus orally administered PUFA supplements for 3 weeks, based on treatment strategies. The gastric biopsy samples were obtained from all participants before and after treatment, and TNF-α mRNA expression levels were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR procedure. Our findings revealed that TNF-α mRNA expression is downregulated in group II, after receiving cisplatin and omega fatty acid supplement for 3 weeks. However, this difference is not statistically significant (p > 0.05). TNF-α mRNA expression did not show significant alteration in group I, after receiving cisplatin alone. Taken together, we concluded that omega fatty acids reduce TNF-α expression at the mRNA level in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. These data suggest that TNF-α may act as a potential target for the therapy of human gastric adenocarcinoma.

  12. Changes in mRNA levels for brain-derived neurotrophic factor after wheel running in rats selectively bred for high- and low-aerobic capacity

    PubMed Central

    Groves-Chapman, Jessica L.; Murray, Patrick S.; Stevens, Kristin L.; Monroe, Derek; Koch, Lauren G.; Britton, Steven L.; Holmes, Philip V.

    2012-01-01

    We evaluated levels of exercise-induced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) messenger RNA (mRNA) within the hippocampal formation in rats selectively bred for 1) high intrinsic (i.e., untrained) aerobic capacity (High Capacity Runners, HCR), 2) low intrinsic aerobic capacity (Low Capacity Runners, LCR), and 3) unselected Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with or without free access to running wheels for three weeks. The specific aim of the study was to determine whether a dose-response relationship exists between cumulative running distance and levels of BDNF mRNA. No additional treatments or behavioral manipulations were used. HCR, LCR, and SD rats were grouped by strain and randomly assigned to sedentary or activity (voluntary access to activity wheel) conditions. Animals were killed after 21 days of exposure to the assigned conditions. Daily running distances (mean ± standard deviation meters/d) during week three were: HCR (4726 ± 3220), SD (2293 ± 3461), LCR (672 ± 323). Regardless of strain, levels of BDNF mRNA in CA1 were elevated in wheel runners compared to sedentary rats and this difference persisted after adjustment for age (p=0.040). BDNF mRNA was not affected by intrinsic aerobic capacity and was not related to total running distance. The results support that BDNF mRNA expression is increased by unlimited access to activity wheel running for 3 weeks but is not dependent upon accumulated running distance. PMID:22024546

  13. Inhibition of pyrimidine synthesis reverses viral virulence factor-mediated block of mRNA nuclear export

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Liang; Das, Priyabrata; Schmolke, Mirco; Manicassamy, Balaji; Wang, Yaming; Deng, Xiaoyi; Cai, Ling; Tu, Benjamin P.; Forst, Christian V.; Roth, Michael G.; Levy, David E.; García-Sastre, Adolfo; de Brabander, Jef; Phillips, Margaret A.

    2012-01-01

    The NS1 protein of influenza virus is a major virulence factor essential for virus replication, as it redirects the host cell to promote viral protein expression. NS1 inhibits cellular messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) processing and export, down-regulating host gene expression and enhancing viral gene expression. We report in this paper the identification of a nontoxic quinoline carboxylic acid that reverts the inhibition of mRNA nuclear export by NS1, in the absence or presence of the virus. This quinoline carboxylic acid directly inhibited dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a host enzyme required for de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis, and partially reduced pyrimidine levels. This effect induced NXF1 expression, which promoted mRNA nuclear export in the presence of NS1. The release of NS1-mediated mRNA export block by DHODH inhibition also occurred in the presence of vesicular stomatitis virus M (matrix) protein, another viral inhibitor of mRNA export. This reversal of mRNA export block allowed expression of antiviral factors. Thus, pyrimidines play a necessary role in the inhibition of mRNA nuclear export by virulence factors. PMID:22312003

  14. Absolute Measurements of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor and Interleukin-1-β mRNA Levels Accurately Predict Treatment Response in Depressed Patients.

    PubMed

    Cattaneo, Annamaria; Ferrari, Clarissa; Uher, Rudolf; Bocchio-Chiavetto, Luisella; Riva, Marco Andrea; Pariante, Carmine M

    2016-10-01

    Increased levels of inflammation have been associated with a poorer response to antidepressants in several clinical samples, but these findings have had been limited by low reproducibility of biomarker assays across laboratories, difficulty in predicting response probability on an individual basis, and unclear molecular mechanisms. Here we measured absolute mRNA values (a reliable quantitation of number of molecules) of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor and interleukin-1β in a previously published sample from a randomized controlled trial comparing escitalopram vs nortriptyline (GENDEP) as well as in an independent, naturalistic replication sample. We then used linear discriminant analysis to calculate mRNA values cutoffs that best discriminated between responders and nonresponders after 12 weeks of antidepressants. As Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor and interleukin-1β might be involved in different pathways, we constructed a protein-protein interaction network by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins. We identified cutoff values for the absolute mRNA measures that accurately predicted response probability on an individual basis, with positive predictive values and specificity for nonresponders of 100% in both samples (negative predictive value=82% to 85%, sensitivity=52% to 61%). Using network analysis, we identified different clusters of targets for these 2 cytokines, with Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor interacting predominantly with pathways involved in neurogenesis, neuroplasticity, and cell proliferation, and interleukin-1β interacting predominantly with pathways involved in the inflammasome complex, oxidative stress, and neurodegeneration. We believe that these data provide a clinically suitable approach to the personalization of antidepressant therapy: patients who have absolute mRNA values above the suggested cutoffs could be directed toward earlier access to more assertive antidepressant strategies

  15. Fibroblast growth factor-21 and omentin-1 hepatic mRNA expression and serum levels in morbidly obese women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

    PubMed

    Waluga, M; Kukla, M; Zorniak, M; Kajor, M; Liszka, L; Dyaczynski, M; Kowalski, G; Zadlo, D; Waluga, E; Olczyk, P; Buldak, R J; Berdowska, A; Hartleb, M

    2017-06-01

    Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) and omentin-1 have been recognized as potent antidiabetic agents with potential hepatoprotective activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate hepatic FGF21 and omentin-1 mRNA expression as well as their serum levels as predictive markers of liver injury and insulin resistance in morbidly obese women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study included 56 severely obese women who underwent intraoperative wedge liver biopsy during the bariatric surgery. Hepatic FGF21 and omentin-1 mRNA were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR, while their serum concentrations were measured with commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The FGF21 serum level was significantly higher in patients with a greater extent of steatosis (grade 2 and 3) compared to those without or with mild steatosis (grade 0 and 1) (P = 0.049). Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis, however, showed poor discriminant power for the FGF21 serum levels in differentiating between more and less extensive steatosis with an AUC = 0.666. There was a tendency towards higher levels of hepatic FGF21 mRNA in patients with lobular inflammation and fibrosis and towards lower levels in the case of hepatocyte ballooning and steatosis. There was a positive mutual correlation between hepatic FGF21 and omentin-1 mRNA levels (r = 0.78; P < 0.001). Fibrosis stage was associated with serum glucose and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (P = 0.03 and P = 0.02, respectively). Serum omentin-1 was not associated with histopathological features. The hepatic omentin-1 mRNA levels showed a tendency to be lower in patients with advanced steatosis and hepatocyte ballooning. In conclusion, our study, which focused on hepatic FGF21 and omentin-1 mRNA expression, confirmed marked expression of both molecules in the liver of morbidly obese patients with NAFLD. More extensive steatosis was associated with evident changes in the serum FGF21

  16. Low-level lasers and mRNA levels of reference genes used in Escherichia coli

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teixeira, A. F.; Machado, Y. L. R. C.; Fonseca, A. S.; Mencalha, A. L.

    2016-11-01

    Low-level lasers are widely used for the treatment of diseases and antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. Reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is widely used to evaluate mRNA levels and output data from a target gene are commonly relative to a reference mRNA that cannot vary according to treatment. In this study, the level of reference genes from Escherichia coli exposed to red or infrared lasers at different fluences was evaluated. E. coli AB1157 cultures were exposed to red (660 nm) and infrared (808 nm) lasers, incubated (20 min, 37 °C), the total RNA was extracted, and cDNA synthesis was performed to evaluate mRNA levels from arcA, gyrA and rpoA genes by RT-qPCR. Melting curves and agarose gel electrophoresis were carried out to evaluate specific amplification. Data were analyzed by geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper. The melting curve and agarose gel electrophoresis showed specific amplification. Although mRNA levels from arcA, gyrA or rpoA genes presented no significant variations trough a traditional statistical analysis, Excel-based tools revealed that these reference genes are not suitable for E. coli cultures exposed to lasers. Our data showed that exposure to low-level red and infrared lasers at different fluences alter the mRNA levels from arcA, gyrA and rpoA in E. coli cells.

  17. High-level mRNA quantification of proliferation marker pKi-67 is correlated with favorable prognosis in colorectal carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Ihmann, Thomas; Liu, Jian; Schwabe, Wolfgang; Häusler, Peter; Behnke, Detlev; Bruch, Hans-Peter; Broll, Rainer; Windhövel, Ute; Duchrow, Michael

    2004-12-01

    The present study retrospectively examines the expression of pKi-67 mRNA and protein in colorectal carcinoma and their correlation to the outcome of patients. Immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR were used to analyze the expression of pKi-67 in 43 archival specimens of patients with curatively resected primary colorectal carcinoma, who were not treated with neo-adjuvant therapy. We determined a median pKi-67 (MIB-1) labeling index of 31.3% (range 10.3-66.4%), and a mean mRNA level of 0.1769 (DeltaC(T): range 0.01-0.69); indices and levels did not correlate. High pKi-67 mRNA DeltaC(T) values were associated with a significantly favorable prognosis, while pKi-67 labeling indices were not correlated to prognostic outcome. A multivariate analysis of clinical and biological factors indicated that tumor stage (UICC) and pKi-67 mRNA expression level were independent prognostic factors. Quantitatively determined pKi-67 mRNA can be a good and new prognostic indicator for primary resected colorectal carcinoma.

  18. Mucin gene mRNA levels in broilers challenged with eimeria and/or Clostridium perfringens.

    PubMed

    Kitessa, Soressa M; Nattrass, Gregory S; Forder, Rebecca E A; McGrice, Hayley A; Wu, Shu-Biao; Hughes, Robert J

    2014-09-01

    The effects of Eimeria (EM) and Clostridium perfringens (CP) challenges on the mRNA levels of genes involved in mucin (Muc) synthesis (Muc2, Muc5ac, Muc13, and trefoil family factor-2 [TFF2]), inflammation (tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha] and interleukin-18 [IL-18]), and metabolic processes (cluster of differentiation [CD]36) in the jejunum of broilers were investigated. Two parallel experiments involving 1) EM challenge and 2) EM and CP challenges were conducted. The first experiment was a 2 X 2 study with 12 birds per treatment (N = 48) involving fishmeal substitution (25%) in the diet (FM) and EM challenge. The treatments were: Control (FM-, EM-), Fishmeal (FM+, EM-), EM challenge (FM-, EM+), and fishmeal substitution and EM challenge (FM+, EM+). The second experiment was a 2 X 2 X 2 experiment with six birds per treatment (N = 48) involving fishmeal (FM-, FM+), Eimeria (EM-, EM+), and C perfringens (CP-, CP+). In both arms of the study, male broilers were given a starter diet for the whole period of 16 days, except those assigned to FM+, where 25% of the starter ration was replaced with fishmeal from days 8 to 14. EM inoculation was performed on day 9 and CP inoculation on days 14 and 15. The EM challenge birds were euthanatized for sampling on day 13; postmortem examination and sampling for the Eimeria plus C perfringens challenge arm of the study were on day 16. In the Eimeria challenge arm of the study, fishmeal supplementation significantly suppressed the mRNA levels of TNF-alpha, TFF2, and IL-18 pre-CP inoculation but simultaneously increased the levels of Muc13 and CD36 mRNAs. Birds challenged with Eimeria exhibited increased mRNA levels of Muc13, Muc5ac, TNF-alpha, and IL-18. In the Eimeria and C. perfringens challenge arm, birds exposed to EM challenge exhibited significantly lower mRNA levels of Muc2 and CD36. The mRNA levels of CD36 were also significantly suppressed by CP challenge. Our results showed that the transcription of mucin synthesis

  19. Impact of STAT/SOCS mRNA Expression Levels after Major Injury

    PubMed Central

    Brumann, M.; Matz, M.; Kusmenkov, T.; Stegmaier, J.; Biberthaler, P.; Kanz, K.-G.; Mutschler, W.; Bogner, V.

    2014-01-01

    Background. Fulminant changes in cytokine receptor signalling might provoke severe pathological alterations after multiple trauma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the posttraumatic imbalance of the innate immune system with a special focus on the STAT/SOCS family. Methods. 20 polytraumatized patients were included. Blood samples were drawn 0 h–72 h after trauma; mRNA expression profiles of IL-10, STAT 3, SOCS 1, and SOCS 3 were quantified by qPCR. Results. IL-10 mRNA expression increased significantly in the early posttraumatic period. STAT 3 mRNA expressions showed a significant maximum at 6 h after trauma. SOCS 1 levels significantly decreased 6 h–72 h after trauma. SOCS 3 levels were significantly higher in nonsurvivors 6 h after trauma. Conclusion. We present a serial, sequential investigation in human neutrophil granulocytes of major trauma patients evaluating mRNA expression profiles of IL-10, STAT 3, SOCS 1, and SOCS 3. Posttraumatically, immune disorder was accompanied by a significant increase of IL-10 and STAT 3 mRNA expression, whereas SOCS 1 mRNA levels decreased after injury. We could demonstrate that death after trauma was associated with higher SOCS 3 mRNA levels already at 6 h after trauma. To support our results, further investigations have to evaluate protein levels of STAT/SOCS family in terms of posttraumatic immune imbalance. PMID:24648661

  20. Double-Stranded RNA-Binding Protein Regulates Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor mRNA Stability, Translation, and Breast Cancer Angiogenesis▿

    PubMed Central

    Vumbaca, Frank; Phoenix, Kathryn N.; Rodriguez-Pinto, Daniel; Han, David K.; Claffey, Kevin P.

    2008-01-01

    Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key angiogenic factor expressed under restricted nutrient and oxygen conditions in most solid tumors. The expression of VEGF under hypoxic conditions requires transcription through activated hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), increased mRNA stability, and facilitated translation. This study identified double-stranded RNA-binding protein 76/NF90 (DRBP76/NF90), a specific isoform of the DRBP family, as a VEGF mRNA-binding protein which plays a key role in VEGF mRNA stability and protein synthesis under hypoxia. The DRBP76/NF90 protein binds to a human VEGF 3′ untranslated mRNA stability element. RNA interference targeting the DRBP76/NF90 isoform limited hypoxia-inducible VEGF mRNA and protein expression with no change in HIF-1-dependent transcriptional activity. Stable repression of DRBP76/NF90 in MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells demonstrated reduced polysome-associated VEGF mRNA levels under hypoxic conditions and reduced mRNA stability. Transient overexpression of the DRBP76/NF90 protein increased both VEGF mRNA and protein levels synthesized under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Cells with stable repression of the DRBP76/NF90 isoform showed reduced tumorigenic and angiogenic potential in an orthotopic breast tumor model. These data demonstrate that the DRBP76/NF90 isoform facilitates VEGF expression by promoting VEGF mRNA loading onto polysomes and translation under hypoxic conditions, thus promoting breast cancer growth and angiogenesis in vivo. PMID:18039850

  1. Changes in the mRNA levels of delayed rectifier potassium channels in human atrial fibrillation.

    PubMed

    Lai, L P; Su, M J; Lin, J L; Lin, F Y; Tsai, C H; Chen, Y S; Tseng, Y Z; Lien, W P; Huang, S K

    1999-01-01

    We measured mRNA levels of delayed rectifier potassium channels in human atrial tissue to investigate the mechanism of the shortening of the atrial effective refractory period and the loss of rate-adaptive shortening of the atrial effective refractory period in human atrial fibrillation. A total of 34 patients undergoing open heart surgery were included. Atrial tissue was obtained from the right atrial free wall, right atrial appendage, left atrial free wall and left atrial appendage, respectively. The mRNA amounts of KVLQT1 (IKs), minK (beta-subunit of IKs), HERG (IKr), and KV1.5 (IKur) were measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and normalized to the mRNA amount of GAPDH. We found that the mRNA levels of KV1.5, HERG and KVLQT1 were all significantly decreased in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation for more than 3 months. In contrast, the mRNA level of minK was significantly increased in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation for more than 3 months. We further showed that these changes were independent of the underlying cardiac disease, atrial filling pressure, gender and age. We also found that there was no spatial dispersion of mRNA levels among the four atrial sampling sites. Because the decrease in potassium currents results in a prolonged action potential, the shortening of the atrial effective refractory period in atrial fibrillation should be attributed to other factors. However, the decrease in IKs might contribute, at least in part, to the loss of rate-adaptive shortening of the atrial refractory period.

  2. Selenium Deficiency Affects the mRNA Expression of Inflammatory Factors and Selenoprotein Genes in the Kidneys of Broiler Chicks.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jiu-Li; Xu, Bo; Huang, Xiao-Dan; Gao, Yu-Hong; Chen, Yu; Shan, An-Shan

    2016-05-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of Se deficiency on the transcription of inflammatory factors and selenoprotein genes in the kidneys of broiler chicks. One hundred fifty 1-day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to two groups fed with either a low-Se diet (L group, 0.033 mg/kg Se) or an adequate Se diet (C group, 0.2 mg/kg Se). The levels of uric acid (UA) and creatinine (Cr) in the serum and the mRNA levels of 6 inflammatory factors and 25 selenoprotein genes in the kidneys were measured as the clinical signs of Se deficiency occurred at 20 days old. The results indicated that the contents of UA and Cr in the serum increased in L group (p < 0.05), and the mRNA levels of the inflammatory factors (NF-κB, iNOS, COX-2, and TNF-α) increased in L group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the mRNA levels of PTGEs and HO-1 were not changed. In addition, 25 selenoprotein transcripts displayed ubiquitous expression in the kidneys of the chicks. The mRNA levels of 14 selenoprotein genes (Dio1, Dio2, GPx3, Sepp1, SelH, SelI, SelK, Sepn1, SelO, SelW, Sep15, SelT, SelU, and SelS) decreased, and 9 selenoprotein genes (GPx1, GPx2, GPx4, SelPb, Txnrd1, Txnrd2, Txnrd3, SPS2, and SelM) increased in L group (p < 0.05), but the Dio3 and Sepx1 mRNA levels did not change. The results indicated that Se deficiency resulted in kidney dysfunction, activation of the NF-κB pathway, and a change in selenoprotein gene expression. The changes of inflammatory factor and selenoprotein gene expression levels were directly related to the abnormal renal functions induced by Se deficiency.

  3. Neurotrophins and their receptors in the rat pituitary gland: regulation of BDNF and trkB mRNA levels by adrenal hormones.

    PubMed

    Kononen, J; Soinila, S; Persson, H; Honkaniemi, J; Hökfelt, T; Pelto-Huikko, M

    1994-12-01

    We studied the expression of messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNAs) for neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors in the rat pituitary gland and examined the influence of adrenal hormones on their mRNA levels, using in situ hybridization and Northern blot analysis. The only neurotrophin present at detectable levels in the pituitary was brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which was observed in the anterior and intermediate lobes. Several transcripts of the putative receptor for BDNF, trkB, were present in the anterior and posterior lobes of the pituitary. A low amount of trkC mRNA was found in both the anterior and the intermediate lobe. Dexamethasone treatment decreased both BDNF and trkB mRNA levels in the anterior lobe of the pituitary. Adrenalectomy had no effect on trkB expression, but it decreased BDNF mRNA levels in comparison to the control animals. This effect could not be reversed by dexamethasone substitution, suggesting that BDNF, mRNA levels may be regulated not only by glucocorticoids but also by other adrenal hormones. These results demonstrate that BDNF, trkB and trkC are expressed in the pituitary gland and that glucocorticoids and possibly other adrenal hormones may modulate pituitary functions by regulating the expression of neurotrophic factors and their receptors. Whether BDNF acts as a secreted hormone, a trophic factor, or has autocrine/paracrine functions within the pituitary through its receptor, trkB, remains to be studied.

  4. Membrane-association of mRNA decapping factors is independent of stress in budding yeast

    PubMed Central

    Huch, Susanne; Gommlich, Jessie; Muppavarapu, Mridula; Beckham, Carla; Nissan, Tracy

    2016-01-01

    Recent evidence has suggested that the degradation of mRNA occurs on translating ribosomes or alternatively within RNA granules called P bodies, which are aggregates whose core constituents are mRNA decay proteins and RNA. In this study, we examined the mRNA decapping proteins, Dcp1, Dcp2, and Dhh1, using subcellular fractionation. We found that decapping factors co-sediment in the polysome fraction of a sucrose gradient and do not alter their behaviour with stress, inhibition of translation or inhibition of the P body formation. Importantly, their localisation to the polysome fraction is independent of the RNA, suggesting that these factors may be constitutively localised to the polysome. Conversely, polysomal and post-polysomal sedimentation of the decapping proteins was abolished with the addition of a detergent, which shifts the factors to the non-translating RNP fraction and is consistent with membrane association. Using a membrane flotation assay, we observed the mRNA decapping factors in the lower density fractions at the buoyant density of membrane-associated proteins. These observations provide further evidence that mRNA decapping factors interact with subcellular membranes, and we suggest a model in which the mRNA decapping factors interact with membranes to facilitate regulation of mRNA degradation. PMID:27146487

  5. Membrane-association of mRNA decapping factors is independent of stress in budding yeast.

    PubMed

    Huch, Susanne; Gommlich, Jessie; Muppavarapu, Mridula; Beckham, Carla; Nissan, Tracy

    2016-05-05

    Recent evidence has suggested that the degradation of mRNA occurs on translating ribosomes or alternatively within RNA granules called P bodies, which are aggregates whose core constituents are mRNA decay proteins and RNA. In this study, we examined the mRNA decapping proteins, Dcp1, Dcp2, and Dhh1, using subcellular fractionation. We found that decapping factors co-sediment in the polysome fraction of a sucrose gradient and do not alter their behaviour with stress, inhibition of translation or inhibition of the P body formation. Importantly, their localisation to the polysome fraction is independent of the RNA, suggesting that these factors may be constitutively localised to the polysome. Conversely, polysomal and post-polysomal sedimentation of the decapping proteins was abolished with the addition of a detergent, which shifts the factors to the non-translating RNP fraction and is consistent with membrane association. Using a membrane flotation assay, we observed the mRNA decapping factors in the lower density fractions at the buoyant density of membrane-associated proteins. These observations provide further evidence that mRNA decapping factors interact with subcellular membranes, and we suggest a model in which the mRNA decapping factors interact with membranes to facilitate regulation of mRNA degradation.

  6. Induction of the SHARP-2 mRNA level by insulin is mediated by multiple signaling pathways.

    PubMed

    Kanai, Yukiko; Asano, Kosuke; Komatsu, Yoshiko; Takagi, Katsuhiro; Ono, Moe; Tanaka, Takashi; Tomita, Koji; Haneishi, Ayumi; Tsukada, Akiko; Yamada, Kazuya

    2017-02-01

    The rat enhancer of split- and hairy-related protein-2 (SHARP-2) is an insulin-inducible transcription factor which represses transcription of the rat phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene. In this study, a regulatory mechanism of the SHARP-2 mRNA level by insulin was analyzed. Insulin rapidly induced the level of SHARP-2 mRNA. This induction was blocked by inhibitors for phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-K), protein kinase C (PKC), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), actinomycin D, and cycloheximide. Whereas an adenovirus infection expressing a dominant negative form of atypical PKC lambda (aPKCλ) blocked the insulin-induction of the SHARP-2 mRNA level, insulin rapidly activated the mTOR. Insulin did not enhance transcriptional activity from a 3.7 kb upstream region of the rat SHARP-2 gene. Thus, we conclude that insulin induces the expression of the rat SHARP-2 gene at the transcription level via both a PI 3-K/aPKCλ- and a PI 3-K/mTOR- pathways and that protein synthesis is required for this induction.

  7. Amyloid precursor protein mRNA levels in Alzheimer's disease brain.

    PubMed

    Preece, Paul; Virley, David J; Costandi, Moheb; Coombes, Robert; Moss, Stephen J; Mudge, Anne W; Jazin, Elena; Cairns, Nigel J

    2004-03-17

    Insoluble beta-amyloid deposits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain are proteolytically derived from the membrane bound amyloid precursor protein (APP). The APP gene is differentially spliced to produce isoforms that can be classified into those containing a Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor domain (K(+), APP(751), APP(770), APRP(365) and APRP(563)), and those without (K(-), APP(695) and APP(714)). Given the hypothesis that Abeta is a result of aberrant catabolism of APP, differential expression of mRNA isoforms containing protease inhibitors might play an active role in the pathology of AD. We took 513 cerebral cortex samples from 90 AD and 81 control brains and quantified the mRNA isoforms of APP with TaqMan real-time RT-PCR. After adjustment for age at death, brain pH and gender we found a change in the ratio of KPI(+) to KPI(-) mRNA isoforms of APP. Three separate probes, designed to recognise only KPI(+) mRNA species, gave increases of between 28% and 50% in AD brains relative to controls (p=0.002). There was no change in the mRNA levels of KPI-(APP 695) (p=0.898). Therefore, whilst KPI-mRNA levels remained stable the KPI(+) species increased specifically in the AD brains.

  8. Natural antisense transcript-targeted regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA levels.

    PubMed

    Yoshigai, Emi; Hara, Takafumi; Araki, Yoshiro; Tanaka, Yoshito; Oishi, Masaharu; Tokuhara, Katsuji; Kaibori, Masaki; Okumura, Tadayoshi; Kwon, A-Hon; Nishizawa, Mikio

    2013-04-01

    Natural antisense transcripts (asRNAs) are frequently transcribed from mammalian genes. Recently, we found that non-coding asRNAs are transcribed from the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the rat and mouse genes encoding inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which catalyzes the production of the inflammatory mediator nitric oxide. The iNOS asRNA stabilizes iNOS mRNA by interacting with the mRNA 3'UTR. Furthermore, single-stranded 'sense' oligonucleotides corresponding to the iNOS mRNA sequence were found to reduce iNOS mRNA levels by interfering with mRNA-asRNA interactions in rat hepatocytes. This method was named natural antisense transcript-targeted regulation (NATRE) technology. In this study, we detected human iNOS asRNA expressed in hepatocarcinoma and colon carcinoma tissues. The human iNOS asRNA harbored a sequence complementary to an evolutionarily conserved region of the iNOS mRNA 3'UTR. When introduced into hepatocytes, iNOS sense oligonucleotides that were modified by substitution with partial phosphorothioate bonds and locked nucleic acids or 2'-O-methyl nucleic acids greatly reduced levels of iNOS mRNA and iNOS protein. Moreover, sense oligonucleotides and short interfering RNAs decreased iNOS mRNA to comparable levels. These results suggest that NATRE technology using iNOS sense oligonucleotides could potentially be used to treat human inflammatory diseases and cancers by reducing iNOS mRNA levels. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Calpain expression in lymphoid cells. Increased mRNA and protein levels after cell activation.

    PubMed

    Deshpande, R V; Goust, J M; Chakrabarti, A K; Barbosa, E; Hogan, E L; Banik, N L

    1995-02-10

    Although calpain is ubiquitously present in human tissues and is thought to play a role in demyelination, its activity is very low in resting normal lymphocytes. To determine the nature of calpain expression at the mRNA and protein levels in human lymphoid cells, we studied human T lymphocytic, B lymphocytic, and monocytic lines as well as peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Stimulation of cells with the phorbol ester phorbol myristate acetate and the calcium ionophore A23187 resulted in increased calpain mRNA and protein expression. Calpain mRNA expression is also increased in human T cells stimulated with anti-CD3. A dissociation between the increases of RNA and protein suggested that calpain could be released from the cells; the subsequent experiments showed its presence in the extracellular environment. 5,6-Dichloro-1b-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole, a reversible inhibitor of mRNA synthesis, reduced calpain mRNA levels by 50-67% and protein levels by 72-91%. Its removal resulted in resumption of both calpain mRNA and protein synthesis. Cycloheximide, a translational inhibitor, reduced calpain protein levels by 77-81% and calpain mRNA levels by 96% in activated THP-1 cells. Interferon-gamma induced calpain mRNA and protein in U-937 and THP-1 cells. Dexamethasone increased mRNA expression in THP-1 cells. Our results indicate that activation of lymphoid cells results in de novo synthesis and secretion of calpain.

  10. Low-level lasers alter mRNA levels from traditional reference genes used in breast cancer cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teixeira, A. F.; Canuto, K. S.; Rodrigues, J. A.; Fonseca, A. S.; Mencalha, A. L.

    2017-07-01

    Cancer is among the leading causes of mortality worldwide, increasing the importance of treatment development. Low-level lasers are used in several diseases, but some concerns remains on cancers. Reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a technique used to understand cellular behavior through quantification of mRNA levels. Output data from target genes are commonly relative to a reference that cannot vary according to treatment. This study evaluated reference genes levels from MDA-MB-231 cells exposed to red or infrared lasers at different fluences. Cultures were exposed to red and infrared lasers, incubated (4 h, 37 °C), total RNA was extracted and cDNA synthesis was performed to evaluate mRNA levels from ACTB, GUSB and TRFC genes by RT-qPCR. Specific amplification was verified by melting curves and agarose gel electrophoresis. RefFinder enabled data analysis by geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper. Specific amplifications were obtained and, although mRNA levels from ACTB, GUSB or TRFC genes presented no significant variation through traditional statistical analysis, Excel-based tools revealed that the use of these reference genes are dependent of laser characteristics. Our data showed that exposure to low-level red and infrared lasers at different fluences alter the mRNA levels from ACTB, GUSB and TRFC in MDA-MB-231 cells.

  11. Selective probing of mRNA expression levels within a living cell.

    PubMed

    Nawarathna, D; Turan, T; Wickramasinghe, H Kumar

    2009-08-24

    We report on a selective and nondestructive measurement of mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) expression levels within a living cell. We first modify an atomic force microscope tip to create a tapered nanoscale coaxial cable. Application of an ac (alternating potential) between the inner and outer electrodes of this cable creates a dielectrophoretic force attracting mRNA molecules toward the tip-end which is pretreated with gene specific primers. We selectively extracted and analyzed both high ( approximately 2500) and extremely low (11 0) copy number mRNA from a living cell mRNA in less than 10 s.

  12. Selective probing of mRNA expression levels within a living cell

    PubMed Central

    Nawarathna, D.; Turan, T.; Wickramasinghe, H. Kumar

    2009-01-01

    We report on a selective and nondestructive measurement of mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) expression levels within a living cell. We first modify an atomic force microscope tip to create a tapered nanoscale coaxial cable. Application of an ac (alternating potential) between the inner and outer electrodes of this cable creates a dielectrophoretic force attracting mRNA molecules toward the tip-end which is pretreated with gene specific primers. We selectively extracted and analyzed both high (∼2500) and extremely low (11¯0) copy number mRNA from a living cell mRNA in less than 10 s. PMID:19777090

  13. BIOMARKERS OF ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION AT THE MRNA LEVEL

    EPA Science Inventory

    Denslow, Nancy D., Christopher J. Bowman, Gillian Robinson, H. Stephen Lee, Ronald J. Ferguson, Michael J. Hemmer and Leroy C. Folmar. 1999. Biomarkers of Endocrine Disruption at the mRNA Level. In: Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment: Standardization of Biomarkers for ...

  14. The cytoplasmic mRNA degradation factor Pat1 is required for rRNA processing

    PubMed Central

    Muppavarapu, Mridula; Huch, Susanne; Nissan, Tracy

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Pat1 is a key cytoplasmic mRNA degradation factor, the loss of which severely increases mRNA half-lives. Several recent studies have shown that Pat1 can enter the nucleus and can shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. As a result, many nuclear roles have been proposed for Pat1. In this study, we analyzed four previously suggested nuclear roles of Pat1 and show that Pat1 is not required for efficient pre-mRNA splicing or pre-mRNA decay in yeast. However, lack of Pat1 results in accumulation of pre-rRNA processing intermediates. Intriguingly, we identified a novel genetic relationship between Pat1 and the rRNA decay machinery, specifically the exosome and the TRAMP complex. While the pre-rRNA processing intermediates that accumulate in the pat1 deletion mutant are, at least to some extent, recognized as aberrant by the rRNA degradation machinery, it is unlikely that these accumulations are the cause of their synthetic sick relationship. Here, we show that the dysregulation of the levels of mRNAs related to ribosome biogenesis could be the cause of the accumulation of the pre-rRNA processing intermediates. Although our results support a role for Pat1 in transcription, they nevertheless suggest that the primary cause of the dysregulated mRNA levels is most likely due to Pat1's role in mRNA decapping and mRNA degradation. PMID:26918764

  15. The cytoplasmic mRNA degradation factor Pat1 is required for rRNA processing.

    PubMed

    Muppavarapu, Mridula; Huch, Susanne; Nissan, Tracy

    2016-01-01

    Pat1 is a key cytoplasmic mRNA degradation factor, the loss of which severely increases mRNA half-lives. Several recent studies have shown that Pat1 can enter the nucleus and can shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. As a result, many nuclear roles have been proposed for Pat1. In this study, we analyzed four previously suggested nuclear roles of Pat1 and show that Pat1 is not required for efficient pre-mRNA splicing or pre-mRNA decay in yeast. However, lack of Pat1 results in accumulation of pre-rRNA processing intermediates. Intriguingly, we identified a novel genetic relationship between Pat1 and the rRNA decay machinery, specifically the exosome and the TRAMP complex. While the pre-rRNA processing intermediates that accumulate in the pat1 deletion mutant are, at least to some extent, recognized as aberrant by the rRNA degradation machinery, it is unlikely that these accumulations are the cause of their synthetic sick relationship. Here, we show that the dysregulation of the levels of mRNAs related to ribosome biogenesis could be the cause of the accumulation of the pre-rRNA processing intermediates. Although our results support a role for Pat1 in transcription, they nevertheless suggest that the primary cause of the dysregulated mRNA levels is most likely due to Pat1's role in mRNA decapping and mRNA degradation.

  16. TS mRNA levels can predict pemetrexed and raltitrexed sensitivity in colorectal cancer.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Qun; Shen, Jie; Wang, Hao; Hu, Jing; Yu, Lixia; Xie, Li; Wei, Jia; Liu, Baorui; Guan, Wenxian; Qian, Xiaoping

    2014-02-01

    The purpose of the study is to analyze the relationship between tumor thymidylate synthase (TS) mRNA expression levels and raltitrexed/pemetrexed/5-FU sensitivity. We collected freshly removed colorectal tumor specimens from 50 patients. Chemosensitivities to anticancer drugs were evaluated by histoculture drug response assay. We adopted quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for TS mRNA detection and immunohistochemical staining for assessing TS expression in tumor tissues. There is a significant relationship between TS mRNA expression levels and in vitro chemosensitivity of freshly removed colorectal tumor specimens to pemetrexed (P < 0.001)/raltitrexed (P = 0.004)/5-FU (P = 0.007). TS mRNA expression levels can predict pemetrexed and raltitrexed sensitivity in colorectal cancer.

  17. Development, food intake, and ethinylestradiol influence hepatic triglyceride lipase and LDL-receptor mRNA levels in rats.

    PubMed

    Staels, B; Jansen, H; van Tol, A; Stahnke, G; Will, H; Verhoeven, G; Auwerx, J

    1990-07-01

    The influence of development and ethinylestradiol on low density lipoprotein (LDL)-receptor mRNA and hepatic triglyceride lipase (HTGL) activity and mRNA levels was studied in rat liver and intestine. Intestinal LDL-receptor mRNA levels are maximal in the perinatal period, whereas liver LDL-receptor and HTGL mRNA levels are highest after weaning in adult life. All mRNA levels reach a maximum between day 15 and 20 when rats still consume a lipid-rich diet, and increase twofold during weaning. Liver and intestinal LDL-receptor mRNA levels are not influenced by ovariectomy, but increase after ethinylestradiol treatment. Liver LDL-receptor mRNA shows a dose-dependent increase after ethinylestradiol and a sevenfold rise in liver LDL-receptor mRNA is attained with a dose of 2000 micrograms/day. Intestinal LDL-receptor mRNA increases slightly more than twofold after ethinylestradiol and this increase is not dose-dependent. Changes in LDL-receptor mRNA are independent of changes in food intake induced by ethinylestradiol treatment, since they are still observed after pair-feeding. The ethinylestradiol-induced increases in LDL-receptor mRNA levels are reflected by decreased serum apoB levels. HTGL mRNA levels increase after ovariectomy and show a dose-dependent decrease after ethinylestradiol. Pair-feeding abolishes the increase seen after ovariectomy, while the estrogen-mediated decrease is attenuated. These alterations in HTGL mRNA are reflected by similar changes in liver HTGL activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  18. Low-level lasers on microRNA and uncoupling protein 2 mRNA levels in human breast cancer cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Canuto, K. S.; Teixeira, A. F.; Rodrigues, J. A.; Paoli, F.; Nogueira, E. M.; Mencalha, A. L.; Fonseca, A. S.

    2017-06-01

    MicroRNA is short non-coding RNA and is a mediator of post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. In addition, uncoupling proteins (UCPs) regulate thermogenesis, metabolic and energy balance, and decrease reactive oxygen species production. Both microRNA and UCP2 expression can be altered in cancer cells. At low power, laser wavelength, frequency, fluence and emission mode deternube photobiological responses, which are the basis of low-level laser therapy. There are few studies on miRNA and UCP mRNA levels after low-level laser exposure on cancer cells. In this work, we evaluate the micrRNA (mir-106b and mir-15a) and UCP2 mRNA levels in human breast cancer cells exposed to low-level lasers. MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells were exposed to low-level red and infrared lasers, total RNA was extracted for cDNA synthesis and mRNA levels by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were evaluated. Data show that mir-106b and mir-15a relative levels are not altered, but UCP2 mRNA relative levels are increased in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells exposed to low-level red and infrared lasers at fluences used in therapeutic protocols.

  19. Altered Sex Hormone Concentrations and Gonadal mRNA Expression Levels of Activin Signaling Factors in Hatchling Alligators From a Contaminated Florida Lake

    PubMed Central

    MOORE, BRANDON C.; KOHNO, SATOMI; COOK, ROBERT W.; ALVERS, ASHLEY L.; HAMLIN, HEATHER J.; WOODRUFF, TERESA K.; GUILLETTE, LOUIS J.

    2014-01-01

    Activins and estrogens participate in regulating the breakdown of ovarian germ cell nests and follicle assembly in mammals. In 1994, our group reported elevated frequencies of abnormal, multioocytic ovarian follicles in 6 month old, environmental contaminant-exposed female alligators after gonadotropin challenge. Here, we investigated if maternal contribution of endocrine disrupting contaminants to the egg subsequently alters estrogen/inhibin/activin signaling in hatchling female offspring, putatively predisposing an increased frequency of multioocytic follicle formation. We quantified basal and exogenous gonadotropin-stimulated concentrations of circulating plasma steroid hormones and ovarian activin signaling factor mRNA abundance in hatchling alligators from the same contaminated (Lake Apopka) and reference (Lake Woodruff) Florida lakes, as examined in 1994. Basal circulating plasma estradiol and testosterone concentrations were greater in alligators from the contaminated environment, whereas activin/inhibin βA subunit and follistatin mRNA abundances were lower than values measured in ovaries from reference lake animals. Challenged, contaminant-exposed animals showed a more robust increase in plasma estradiol concentration following an acute follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) challenge compared with reference site alligators. Aromatase and follistatin mRNA levels increased in response to an extended FSH challenge in the reference site animals, but not in the contaminant-exposed animals. In hatchling alligators, ovarian follicles have not yet formed; therefore, these endocrine differences are likely to affect subsequent ovarian development, including ovarian follicle assembly. PMID:20166196

  20. A hairpin within YAP mRNA 3′UTR functions in regulation at post-transcription level

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gao, Yuen; Wang, Yuan; Feng, Jinyan

    2015-04-03

    The central dogma of gene expression is that DNA is transcribed into messenger RNAs, which in turn serve as the template for protein synthesis. Recently, it has been reported that mRNAs display regulatory roles that rely on their ability to compete for microRNA binding, independent of their protein-coding function. However, the regulatory mechanism of mRNAs remains poorly understood. Here, we report that a hairpin within YAP mRNA 3′untranslated region (3′UTR) functions in regulation at post-transcription level through generating endogenous siRNAs (esiRNAs). Bioinformatics analysis for secondary structure showed that YAP mRNA displayed a hairpin structure (termed standard hairpin, S-hairpin) within itsmore » 3′UTR. Surprisingly, we observed that the overexpression of S-hairpin derived from YAP 3′UTR (YAP-sh) increased the luciferase reporter activities of transcriptional factor NF-κB and AP-1 in 293T cells. Moreover, we identified that a fragment from YAP-sh, an esiRNA, was able to target mRNA 3′UTR of NF2 (a member of Hippo-signaling pathway) and YAP mRNA 3′UTR itself in hepatoma cells. Thus, we conclude that the YAP-sh within YAP mRNA 3′UTR may serve as a novel regulatory element, which functions in regulation at post-transcription level. Our finding provides new insights into the mechanism of mRNAs in regulatory function. - Highlights: • An S-hairpin within YAP mRNA 3′UTR possesses regulatory function. • YAP-sh acts as a regulatory element for YAP at post-transcription level. • YAP-sh-3p20, an esiRNA derived from YAP-sh, targets mRNAs of YAP and NF2. • YAP-sh-3p20 depresses the proliferation of HepG2 cells in vitro.« less

  1. Nerve Growth Factor Increases mRNA Levels for the Prion Protein and the β -amyloid Protein Precursor in Developing Hamster Brain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mobley, William C.; Neve, Rachael L.; Prusiner, Stanley B.; McKinley, Michael P.

    1988-12-01

    Deposition of amyloid filaments serves as a pathologic hallmark for some neurodegenerative disorders. The prion protein (PrP) is found in amyloid of animals with scrapie and humans with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; the β protein is present in amyloid deposits in Alzheimer disease and Down syndrome patients. These two proteins are derived from precursors that in the brain are expressed primarily in neurons and are membrane bound. We found that gene expression for PrP and the β -protein precursor (β -PP) is regulated in developing hamster brain. Specific brain regions showed distinct patterns of ontogenesis for PrP and β -PP mRNAs. The increases in PrP and β -PP mRNAs in developing basal forebrain coincided with an increase in choline acetyltransferase activity, raising the possibility that these markers might be coordinately controlled in cholinergic neurons and regulated by nerve growth factor (NGF). Injections of NGF into the brains of neonatal hamsters increased both PrP and β -PP mRNA levels. Increased PrP and β -PP mRNA levels induced by NGF were confined to regions that contain NGF-responsive cholinergic neurons and were accompanied by elevations in choline acetyltransferase. It remains to be established whether or not exogenous NGF acts to increase PrP and β -PP gene expression selectively in forebrain cholinergic neurons in the developing hamster and endogenous NGF regulates expression of these genes.

  2. High BIM mRNA levels are associated with longer survival in advanced gastric cancer.

    PubMed

    Wu, Nandie; Huang, Ying; Zou, Zhengyun; Gimenez-Capitan, Ana; Yu, Lixia; Hu, Wenjing; Zhu, Lijing; Sun, Xia; Sanchez, Jose Javier; Guan, Wenxian; Liu, Baorui; Rosell, Rafael; Wei, Jia

    2017-03-01

    Chemotherapy drugs, including 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin and docetaxel, are commonly used in the treatment of gastric cancer (GC). Apoptosis-relevant genes may be associated with drug resistance. In the present study, the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 interacting mediator of cell death (BIM), astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) and AXL receptor tyrosine kinase (AXL) were investigated in 131 advanced GC samples, and the expression levels of these genes were correlated with patients' overall survival (OS). All 131 patients received first-line FOLFOX combination chemotherapy with folinic acid and 5-FU, in which 56 patients were further treated with second-line docetaxel-based chemotherapy. A correlation between the mRNA expression levels of BIM and AEG-1 was observed ( r s =0.30; P=0.002). There was no association between the mRNA expression levels of any of the individual genes analyzed and OS in patients only receiving first-line FOLFOX chemotherapy. In a subgroup of patients receiving docetaxel-based second-line chemotherapy, those with high or intermediate levels of BIM exhibited a median OS of 18.2 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 12.8-23.6], compared with 9.6 months (95% CI, 8.9-10.3) in patients with low BIM levels (P=0.008). However, there was no correlation between the mRNA expression levels of AEG-1 or AXL and OS. The risk of mortality was higher in patients with low BIM mRNA levels than in those with high or intermediate BIM mRNA levels (hazard ratio, 2.61; 95% CI, 1.21-5.62; P=0.010). Therefore, BIM may be considered as a biomarker to identify whether patients could benefit from docetaxel-based second-line chemotherapy in GC.

  3. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) attenuates RhoA mRNA expression in the rat bronchi smooth muscle exposed to tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

    PubMed

    de Lima, Flávia Mafra; Bjordal, Jan M; Albertini, Regiane; Santos, Fábio V; Aimbire, Flavio

    2010-09-01

    Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been found to produce anti-inflammatory effects in a variety of disorders. Bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) hyperreactivity is associated with increased Ca+2 sensitivity and increased RhoA mRNA expression. In the current study, we investigated if LLLT could reduce BSM contraction force and RhoA mRNA expression in tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced BSM hyperreactivity. In the study, 112 male Wistar rats were divided randomly into 16 groups, and BSM was harvested and suspended in TNF-alpha baths for 6 and 24 h, respectively. Irradiation with LLLT was performed with a wavelength of 660 nm for 42 s with a dose of 1.3 J/cm2. This LLLT dose was administered once in the 6-h group and twice in the 24-h group. LLLT significantly decreased contraction force in BSM at 6 h (TNF-alpha + LLLT: 11.65+/-1.10 g/100 mg of tissue) (F=3115) and at 24 h (TNF-alpha+ LLLT: 14.15+/-1.1 g/100 mg of tissue) (F=3245, p<0.05) after TNF-alpha, respectively, when compared to vehicle-bathed groups (control). LLLT also significantly decreased the expression of RhoA mRNA in BSM segments at 6 h (1.22+/-0.20) (F=2820, p<0.05) and 24 h (2.13+/-0.20) (F=3324, p<0.05) when compared to BSM segments incubated with TNF-alpha without LLLT irradiation. We conclude that LLLT administered with this protocol, reduces RhoA mRNA expression and BSM contraction force in TNF-alpha-induced BSM hyperreactivity.

  4. Prognostic impact of mRNA levels of osteopontin splice variants in soft tissue sarcoma patients.

    PubMed

    Hahnel, Antje; Wichmann, Henri; Greither, Thomas; Kappler, Matthias; Würl, Peter; Kotzsch, Matthias; Taubert, Helge; Vordermark, Dirk; Bache, Matthias

    2012-04-02

    It is well known that osteopontin (OPN) plays an important role in tumor progression and that a high OPN expression level in several tumor entities correlates with poor prognosis in cancer patients. However, little is known about the prognostic relevance of the OPN mRNA splice variants. We analyzed the mRNA expression levels of different OPN splice variants in tumor tissue of 124 soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to analyze the mRNA expression level of three OPN splice variants (OPN-a, -b and -c). The multivariate Cox's proportional hazard regression model revealed that high mRNA expression levels of OPN splice variants are significantly associated with poor prognosis in STS patients (n = 124). Women (n = 68) with high mRNA expression levels of OPN-a and OPN-b have an especially elevated risk of tumor-related death (OPN-a: RR = 3.0, P = 0.01, CI = 1.3-6.8; OPN-b: RR = 3.4, P = 0.01, CI = 1.4-8.2). In particular, we found that high mRNA expression levels of OPN-b and OPN-c correlated with a high risk of tumor-related death in STS patients that received radiotherapy (n = 52; OPN-b: RR = 10.3, P < 0.01, CI = 2.0-53.7; OPN-c: RR = 11.4, P < 0.01, CI = 2.2-59.3). Our study shows that elevated mRNA expression levels of OPN splice variants are negative prognostic and predictive markers for STS patients. Further studies are needed to clarify the impact of the OPN splice variants on prognosis.

  5. Hamp1 mRNA and plasma hepcidin levels are influenced by sex and strain but do not predict tissue iron levels in inbred mice.

    PubMed

    McLachlan, Stela; Page, Kathryn E; Lee, Seung-Min; Loguinov, Alex; Valore, Erika; Hui, Simon T; Jung, Grace; Zhou, Jie; Lusis, Aldons J; Fuqua, Brie; Ganz, Tomas; Nemeth, Elizabeta; Vulpe, Chris D

    2017-11-01

    Iron homeostasis is tightly regulated, and the peptide hormone hepcidin is considered to be a principal regulator of iron metabolism. Previous studies in a limited number of mouse strains found equivocal sex- and strain-dependent differences in mRNA and serum levels of hepcidin and reported conflicting data on the relationship between hepcidin ( Hamp1 ) mRNA levels and iron status. Our aim was to clarify the relationships between strain, sex, and hepcidin expression by examining multiple tissues and the effects of different dietary conditions in multiple inbred strains. Two studies were done: first, Hamp1 mRNA, liver iron, and plasma diferric transferrin levels were measured in 14 inbred strains on a control diet; and second, Hamp1 mRNA and plasma hepcidin levels in both sexes and iron levels in the heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas, and spleen in males were measured in nine inbred/recombinant inbred strains raised on an iron-sufficient or high-iron diet. Both sex and strain have a significant effect on both hepcidin mRNA (primarily a sex effect) and plasma hepcidin levels (primarily a strain effect). However, liver iron and diferric transferrin levels are not predictors of Hamp1 mRNA levels in mice fed iron-sufficient or high-iron diets, nor are the Hamp1 mRNA and plasma hepcidin levels good predictors of tissue iron levels, at least in males. We also measured plasma erythroferrone, performed RNA-sequencing analysis of liver samples from six inbred strains fed the iron-sufficient, low-iron, or high-iron diets, and explored differences in gene expression between the strains with the highest and lowest hepcidin levels. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Both sex and strain have a significant effect on both hepcidin mRNA (primarily a sex effect) and plasma hepcidin levels (primarily a strain effect). Liver iron and diferric transferrin levels are not predictors of Hamp1 mRNA levels in mice, nor are the Hamp1 mRNA and plasma hepcidin levels good predictors of tissue iron levels, at least

  6. Coupled Evolution of Transcription and mRNA Degradation

    PubMed Central

    Dori-Bachash, Mally; Shema, Efrat; Tirosh, Itay

    2011-01-01

    mRNA levels are determined by the balance between transcription and mRNA degradation, and while transcription has been extensively studied, very little is known regarding the regulation of mRNA degradation and its coordination with transcription. Here we examine the evolution of mRNA degradation rates between two closely related yeast species. Surprisingly, we find that around half of the evolutionary changes in mRNA degradation were coupled to transcriptional changes that exert opposite effects on mRNA levels. Analysis of mRNA degradation rates in an interspecific hybrid further suggests that opposite evolutionary changes in transcription and in mRNA degradation are mechanistically coupled and were generated by the same individual mutations. Coupled changes are associated with divergence of two complexes that were previously implicated both in transcription and in mRNA degradation (Rpb4/7 and Ccr4-Not), as well as with sequence divergence of transcription factor binding motifs. These results suggest that an opposite coupling between the regulation of transcription and that of mRNA degradation has shaped the evolution of gene regulation in yeast. PMID:21811398

  7. Rapid regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA within eye-specific circuits during ocular dominance column formation.

    PubMed

    Lein, E S; Shatz, C J

    2000-02-15

    The neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has emerged as a candidate retrograde signaling molecule for geniculocortical axons during the formation of ocular dominance columns. Here we examined whether neuronal activity can regulate BDNF mRNA in eye-specific circuits in the developing cat visual system. Dark-rearing throughout the critical period for ocular dominance column formation decreases levels of BDNF mRNA within primary visual cortex, whereas short-term (2 d) binocular blockade of retinal activity with tetrodotoxin (TTX) downregulates BDNF mRNA within the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and visual cortical areas. Brief (6 hr to 2 d) monocular TTX blockade during the critical period and also in adulthood causes downregulation in appropriate eye-specific laminae in the LGN and ocular dominance columns within primary visual cortex. Monocular TTX blockade at postnatal day 23 also downregulates BDNF mRNA in a periodic fashion, consistent with recent observations that ocular dominance columns can be detected at these early ages by physiological methods. In contrast, 10 d monocular TTX during the critical period does not cause a lasting decrease in BDNF mRNA expression in columns pertaining to the treated eye, consistent with the nearly complete shift in physiological response properties of cortical neurons in favor of the unmanipulated eye known to result from long-term monocular deprivation. These observations demonstrate that BDNF mRNA levels can provide an accurate "molecular readout" of the activity levels of cortical neurons and are consistent with a highly local action of BDNF in strengthening and maintaining active synapses during ocular dominance column formation.

  8. Green tea polyphenols improve cardiac muscle mRNA and protein levels of signal pathways related to insulin and lipid metabolism and inflammation in insulin-resistant rats.

    PubMed

    Qin, Bolin; Polansky, Marilyn M; Harry, Dawson; Anderson, Richard A

    2010-05-01

    Epidemiological studies indicate that the consumption of green tea polyphenols (GTP) may reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. To explore the underlying mechanisms of action at the molecular level, we examined the effects of GTP on the cardiac mRNA and protein levels of genes involved in insulin and lipid metabolism and inflammation. In rats fed a high-fructose diet, supplementation with GTP (200 mg/kg BW daily dissolved in distilled water) for 6 wk, reduced systemic blood glucose, plasma insulin, retinol-binding protein 4, soluble CD36, cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids and LDL-C levels, as well as the pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-6. GTP did not affect food intake, bodyweight and heart weight. In the myocardium, GTP also increased the insulin receptor (Ir), insulin receptor substrate 1 and 2 (Irs1 and Irs2), phosphoinositide-3-kinase (Pi3k), v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (Akt1), glucose transporter 1 and 4 (Glut1 and Glut4) and glycogen synthase 1 (Gys1) expression but inhibited phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (Pten) expression and decreased glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (Gsk3beta) mRNA expression. The sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (Srebp1c) mRNA, microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (Mttp) mRNA and protein, Cd36 mRNA and cluster of differentiation 36 protein levels were decreased and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (Ppar)gamma mRNA levels were increased. GTP also decreased the inflammatory factors: Tnf, Il1b and Il6 mRNA levels, and enhanced the anti-inflammatory protein, zinc-finger protein, protein and mRNA expression. In summary, consumption of GTP ameliorated the detrimental effects of high-fructose diet on insulin signaling, lipid metabolism and inflammation in the cardiac muscle of rats.

  9. Hydrogen sulfide upregulated mRNA expressions of sodium bicarbonate cotransporter1, trefoil factor1 and trefoil factor2 in gastric mucosa in rats.

    PubMed

    Cheraghi, Parisa; Mard, Seyyed Ali; Nagi, Tahereh

    2016-01-01

    Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) has been shown to protect the gastric mucosa through several protective mechanisms but till now its effect on mRNA expression of sodium bicarbonate cotransporter 1 (NBC1), trefoil factor1 (TFF1) and trefoil factor2 (TFF2) was not investigated. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of H 2 S on mRNA expression of NBC1, TFF1 and TFF2 in rat gastric mucosa in response to gastric distention. Thirty two rats were randomly assigned into four equal groups. They were control (C), distention (D), propargylglycine (PAG)-, and NaHS-treated groups. To evaluate the effect of exogenous and endogenous H 2 S on gene expression of NBC1, TFF1 and TFF2, two groups of rats were received H 2 S donor, intra-peritoneal NaHS (80 µg Kg -1 ), and PAG (50 mg kg -1 ), accompanied to stimulate the gastric acid secretion, respectively. Under general anesthesia and laparotomy, a catheter was inserted into the stomach through duodenum for instillation of isotonic saline for gastric distention. Ninety min after beginning the experiment, animals were sacrificed and the gastric mucosa was collected to determine total acid content of gastric effluents and to quantify the mRNA expression of studied genes by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results showed that A) gastric distention increased the level of mRNA expressions of NBC1, TFF1 and TFF2; B) these levels in NaHS-treated rats were significantly higher than those in Distention group; and C) PAG decreased the expression levels of NBC1 and TFF1. The Findings showed H 2 S upregulated gene expression of NBC1, TFF1 and TFF2 in gastric mucosa.

  10. Transcriptional bursting explains the noise–versus–mean relationship in mRNA and protein levels

    DOE PAGES

    Dar, Roy; Shaffer, Sydney M.; Singh, Abhyudai; ...

    2016-07-28

    Recent analysis demonstrates that the HIV-1 Long Terminal Repeat (HIV LTR) promoter exhibits a range of possible transcriptional burst sizes and frequencies for any mean-expression level. However, these results have also been interpreted as demonstrating that cell-tocell expression variability (noise) and mean are uncorrelated, a significant deviation from previous results. Here, we re-examine the available mRNA and protein abundance data for the HIV LTR and find that noise in mRNA and protein expression scales inversely with the mean along analytically predicted transcriptional burst-size manifolds. We then experimentally perturb transcriptional activity to test a prediction of the multiple burst-size model: thatmore » increasing burst frequency will cause mRNA noise to decrease along given burst-size lines as mRNA levels increase. In conclusion, the data show that mRNA and protein noise decrease as mean expression increases, supporting the canonical inverse correlation between noise and mean.« less

  11. Macrophages from Behcet's Disease Patients Express Decreased Level of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) mRNA.

    PubMed

    Palizgir, Mohammad Taghi; Akhtari, Maryam; Mahmoudi, Mahdi; Mostafaei, Shayan; Rezaeimanesh, Alireza; Akhlaghi, Massoomeh; Shahram, Farhad

    2017-10-01

    Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor, connecting environmental stimulators with the immune system. M1 macrophages are a part of immune system that contribute to the inflammatory events in the pathogenesis of Behcet's disease (BD). The effect of AHR on the macrophages in BD patients is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the mRNA expression of AHR in the monocyte-derived and M1 macrophages in active BD patients in comparison to healthy controls. Isolated monocytes from 10 healthy controls and 10 active BD patients were differentiated to macrophages by macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) for 7 days. Cells were then polarized to M1 macrophages by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-γ (IFNγ) for 24h. Monocyte purity and macrophage markers expression were analyzed by flow cytometry. Analysis of AHR mRNA expression was performed by SYBR Green real-time PCR. Our results showed that AHR expression is significantly down-regulated in M1 macrophages compare to monocyte-derived macrophages. It was shown that both monocyte-derived macrophages and M1 macrophages from BD patients significantly express lower level of AHR mRNA compared to healthy individuals. Our results demonstrate an anti-inflammatory role for AHR in macrophages, which suggest that decreased AHR expression is associated with pro-inflammatory M1 macrophage and BD susceptibility.

  12. TP53 and ATM mRNA expression in skin and skeletal muscle after low-level laser exposure.

    PubMed

    Guedes de Almeida, Luciana; Sergio, Luiz Philippe da Silva; de Paoli, Flavia; Mencalha, Andre Luiz; da Fonseca, Adenilson de Souza

    2017-08-01

    Low-level lasers are widespread in regenerative medicine, but the molecular mechanisms involved in their biological effects are not fully understood, particularly those on DNA stability. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate mRNA expression of genes related to DNA genomic stability in skin and skeletal muscle tissue from Wistar rats exposed to low-level red and infrared lasers. For this, TP53 (Tumor Protein 53) and ATM (Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated gene) mRNA expressions were evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) technique 24 hours after low-level red and infrared laser exposure. Our data showed that relative TP53 mRNA expression was not significantly altered in both tissues exposed to lasers. For ATM, relative mRNA expression in skin tissue was not significantly altered, but in muscle tissue, laser exposure increased relative ATM mRNA expression. Low-level red and infrared laser radiations alter ATM mRNA expression related to DNA stability in skeletal muscle tissue.

  13. Reduced beta 2-microglobulin mRNA levels in transgenic mice expressing a designed hammerhead ribozyme.

    PubMed Central

    Larsson, S; Hotchkiss, G; Andäng, M; Nyholm, T; Inzunza, J; Jansson, I; Ahrlund-Richter, L

    1994-01-01

    We have generated three artificial hammerhead ribozymes, denoted 'Rz-b', 'Rz-c' and 'Rz-d', with different specificities for exon II of the mouse beta-2-microglobulin (beta 2M) mRNA. In this study we tested for ribozyme mediated reduction of beta 2M mRNA in a cell line and in transgenic mice. Transfections of either of the Rz-b, Rz-c or Rz-d plasmids into a mouse cell-line (NIH/3T3) revealed reductions of beta 2M mRNA substrate in each case. Ribozyme expression in individual transfected clones was accompanied with an up to 80% reduction of beta 2M mRNA levels. Rz-c was selected for a transgenic study. Seven Rz-c transgenic founder animals were identified from which three ribozyme expressing families were established and analysed. Expression of the ribozyme transgene was tested for and detected in lung, kidney and spleen. Expression was accompanied with reduction of the beta 2M mRNA levels of heterozygous (Rz+/-) animals compared to non-transgenic litter mates. The effect was most pronounced in lung with more than 90% beta 2M mRNA reduction in individual mice. In summary, expression of our ribozymes in a cell free system, in a cell-line and in transgenic mice were all accompanied with reductions of beta 2M mRNA levels. Images PMID:8036151

  14. Anabolic androgenic steroid nandrolone decanoate reduces hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin mRNA levels.

    PubMed

    Lindblom, Jonas; Kindlundh, Anna M S; Nyberg, Fred; Bergström, Lena; Wikberg, Jarl E S

    2003-10-03

    Supratherapeutical doses of anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) have dramatic effects on metabolism in humans, and also inhibit feeding and reduce the rate of body weight gain in rats. In order to test the hypothesis that the AAS metabolic syndrome is accompanied by alterations in the central melanocortin system, we evaluated body weight, food intake and hypothalamic agouti-related protein (AgRP) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA levels following administration of different doses of the anabolic androgenic steroid nandrolone decanoate. In order to distinguish changes induced by the steroid treatment per se from those resulting from the reduced food intake and growth rate, we also compared the effect of nandrolone decanoate on AgRP and POMC mRNA expression with both normally fed, and food restricted control groups. We here report that administration of nandrolone specifically reduces arcuate nucleus POMC mRNA levels while not affecting the expression level of AgRP. The effect on POMC expression was not observed in the food restricted controls, excluding the possibility that the observed effect was a mere response to the reduced food intake and body weight. These results raise the possibility that some of the metabolic and behavioural consequences of AAS abuse may be the result of alterations in the melanocortin system.

  15. Clinical significance of serum circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) mRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Karabulut, S; Duranyıldız, D; Tas, F; Gezer, U; Akyüz, F; Serilmez, M; Ozgür, E; Yasasever, C T; Vatansever, S; Aykan, N F

    2014-03-01

    The principal aim of our study was to investigate the usefulness of serum protein and circulating mRNA of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Fifty-four HCC patients and age- and sex-matched 20 healthy controls were enrolled into this study. Pretreatment serum IGF-1 and IGF-1 mRNA were determined by the solid-phase sandwich ELISA and quantitative RT-PCR method, respectively. The median age at diagnosis was 60 years, range 36-77 years; where majority of group were male (n = 48, 88.8%). All patients had cirrhotic history. Forty-six percent (n = 25) of patients had Child-Pugh score A, 30% (n = 16) had score B or C. All of the patients were treated with local therapies and none of them received sorafenib. The baseline serum IGF-1 mRNA levels were significantly higher in HCC patients than in the control group (p = 0.04), whereas no significant difference was observed for IGF-1 protein levels between the two group (p = 0.18). Patients with history of HBV infection, who were not treated, and who received multiple palliative treatment for HCC had higher serum IGF-1 mRNA levels (p = 0.03, 0.03, and 0.05, respectively). Poor performance status (p < 0.001), viral etiology of cirrhosis (p = 0.03), larger tumor size (p = 0.01), lower serum hemoglobin levels (p = 0.03), and not be treated for HCC (p = 0.001) related to worse survival. However, neither serum IGF-1 nor serum IGF-1 mRNA had significantly adverse effect on survival (p = 0.53 and 0.42, respectively).

  16. Increased IL18 mRNA levels in peripheral artery disease and its association with triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Deser, Serkan Burc; Bayoglu, Burcu; Besirli, Kazım; Cengiz, Mujgan; Arapi, Berk; Junusbekov, Yerik; Dirican, Ahmet; Arslan, Caner

    2016-06-01

    Peripheral artery disease (PAD) typically refers to lower limb vessel ischemia caused by atherosclerotic stenosis of lower extremity arteries. IL18 is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine reported to function as an inflammatory biomarker in cardiovascular diseases. IL18 activity is balanced by high-affinity naturally occurring IL18-binding protein (IL18BP). This study aimed to determine whether IL18, IL18 BP mRNA levels and -137 G/C (rs187238) polymorphism, which was previously associated with IL18 gene transcriptional activity, were associated with PAD etiology. IL18, IL18BP mRNA levels from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and -137 G/C (rs187238) polymorphism were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and RT-PCR, respectively, in 55 PAD patients (26 aorta-iliac, 29 femoro-popliteal) and 61 disease-free controls. IL18 mRNA levels were increased in PAD patients compared with healthy controls (p = 0.09); however, did not reach a statistical significant level, also did not significantly differ between aorta-iliac and femoro-popliteal occlusive PAD subgroups (p = 0.285). However, IL18BP mRNA levels were significantly lower in PAD group compared with controls (p < 0.001). Genotype frequencies of rs187238 polymorphism did not significantly differ between PAD patients and controls (p = 0.385). IL18 mRNA levels were significantly correlated with triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels in PAD patients (p = 0.003, p = 0.014, respectively). HDL cholesterol levels were negatively correlated with IL18 mRNA levels in controls (p = 0.05). This report is a preliminary study to show an association between IL18, IL18BP mRNA levels and PAD and suggests that the IL18 gene may have a significant relationship with triglyceride and LDL cholesterol levels in PAD patients.

  17. Lower glutamic acid decarboxylase 65kD mRNA and protein levels in the prefrontal cortex in schizoaffective disorder but not schizophrenia

    PubMed Central

    Glausier, JR; Kimoto, S; Fish, KN; Lewis, DA

    2014-01-01

    Background Altered GABA signaling in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been associated with cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. PFC levels of the GABA-synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase 67kD (GAD67) has been consistently reported to be lower in these disorders, but the status of the second GABA-synthesizing enzyme, GAD65, remains unclear. Methods GAD65 mRNA levels were quantified in PFC area 9 by quantitative polymerase chain reaction from 62 subjects with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 62 matched healthy comparison subjects. GAD65 relative protein levels were quantified in a subset of subject pairs by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. Results Mean GAD65 mRNA levels were 13.6% lower in schizoaffective disorder subjects, but did not differ in schizophrenia subjects, relative to their matched healthy comparison subjects. In the subjects with schizoaffective disorder, mean GAD65 protein levels were 19.4% lower and were correlated with GAD65 mRNA levels. Lower GAD65 mRNA and protein measures within schizoaffective disorder subjects was not attributable to factors commonly comorbid with the diagnosis. Conclusions In concert with previous studies, these findings suggest that schizoaffective disorder is associated with lower levels of both GAD65 and GAD67 mRNA and protein in the PFC, whereas subjects with schizophrenia have lower mean levels of only GAD67 mRNA and protein. Because cognitive function is generally better preserved in subjects with schizoaffective disorder relative to subjects with schizophrenia, these findings may support an interpretation that GAD65 down-regulation provides a homeostatic response complementary to GAD67 down-regulation expression that serves to reduce inhibition in the face of lower PFC network activity. PMID:24993056

  18. Transcription factor Brn-3α mRNA in cancers, relationship with AR, ER receptors and AKT/m-TOR pathway components

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spirina, L. V.; Gorbunov, A. K.; Chigevskaya, S. Y.; Usynin, Y. A.; Kondakova, I. V.; Slonimskaya, E. M.; Usynin, E. A.; Choinzonov, E. L.; Zaitseva, O. S.

    2017-09-01

    Transcription factors POU4F1 (neurogenic factor Brn-3α) play a pivotal role in cancers development. The aim of the study was to reveal the Brn-3α expression, AR, ER expression in cancers development, association with AKT/mTOR pathway activation. 30 patients with locally advanced prostate cancer, 20 patients with papillary thyroid cancer, T2-3N0-1M0 stages and 40 patients with renal cell cancer T2-3N0M0-1 were involved into the study. The expressions of Brn-3α, AR, ERα, components of AKT/m-TOR signaling pathway genes were performed by real-time PCR. The dependence of Brn-3α expression on mRNA levels of steroid hormone receptors and components of AKT/m-TOR signaling pathway in studied cancers were shown. High levels of mRNA of nuclear factor, steroid hormone receptors were found followed by the activation of this signaling pathway in prostate cancer tissue. The reduction of transcription factor Brn-3α was accompanied with tumor invasive growth with increasing rates of AR, ER and 4E-BP1 mRNA. Thyroid cancer development happened in a case of a Brn-3α and steroid hormone receptors decrease. The activation of AKT/m-TOR signaling pathway was established in the metastatic renal cancers, accompanied with the increase of ER mRNA. But there was no correlation between the steroid receptor and Brn-3α. One-direction changes of Brn-3α were observed in the development of prostate and thyroid cancer due to its effect on the steroid hormone receptors and the activation of AKT/m-TOR signaling pathway components. The influence of this factor on the development of the kidney cancer was mediated through m-TOR activity modifications, the key enzyme of oncogenesis.

  19. Reduced changes in protein compared to mRNA levels across non-proliferating tissues.

    PubMed

    Perl, Kobi; Ushakov, Kathy; Pozniak, Yair; Yizhar-Barnea, Ofer; Bhonker, Yoni; Shivatzki, Shaked; Geiger, Tamar; Avraham, Karen B; Shamir, Ron

    2017-04-18

    The quantitative relations between RNA and protein are fundamental to biology and are still not fully understood. Across taxa, it was demonstrated that the protein-to-mRNA ratio in steady state varies in a direction that lessens the change in protein levels as a result of changes in the transcript abundance. Evidence for this behavior in tissues is sparse. We tested this phenomenon in new data that we produced for the mouse auditory system, and in previously published tissue datasets. A joint analysis of the transcriptome and proteome was performed across four datasets: inner-ear mouse tissues, mouse organ tissues, lymphoblastoid primate samples and human cancer cell lines. We show that the protein levels are more conserved than the mRNA levels in all datasets, and that changes in transcription are associated with translational changes that exert opposite effects on the final protein level, in all tissues except cancer. Finally, we observe that some functions are enriched in the inner ear on the mRNA level but not in protein. We suggest that partial buffering between transcription and translation ensures that proteins can be made rapidly in response to a stimulus. Accounting for the buffering can improve the prediction of protein levels from mRNA levels.

  20. Stimulation by thyroid-stimulating hormone and Grave's immunoglobulin G of vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA expression in human thyroid follicles in vitro and flt mRNA expression in the rat thyroid in vivo.

    PubMed

    Sato, K; Yamazaki, K; Shizume, K; Kanaji, Y; Obara, T; Ohsumi, K; Demura, H; Yamaguchi, S; Shibuya, M

    1995-09-01

    To elucidate the pathogenesis of thyroid gland hypervascularity in patients with Graves' disease, we studied the expression of mRNAs for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor, Flt family, using human thyroid follicles in vitro and thiouracil-fed rats in vivo. Human thyroid follicles, cultured in the absence of endothelial cells, secreted de novo-synthesized thyroid hormone in response to thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and Graves' IgG. The thyroid follicles produced VEGF mRNA but not flt-1 mRNA. The expression of VEGF mRNA was enhanced by insulin, tumor-promoting phorbol ester, calcium ionophore, dibutyryl cAMP, TSH, and Graves' IgG. When rats were fed thiouracil for 4 wk, their serum levels of TSH were increased at day 3. VEGF mRNA was also increased on day 3, accompanied by an increase in flt family (flt-1 and KDR/ flk-1) mRNA expression. These in vitro and in vivo findings suggest that VEGF is produced by thyroid follicles in response to stimulators of TSH receptors, via the protein kinase A and C pathways. VEGF, a secretable angiogenesis factor, subsequently stimulates Flt receptors on endothelial cells in a paracrine manner, leading to their proliferation and producing hypervascularity of the thyroid gland, as seen in patients with Graves' disease.

  1. Enhanced levels of scrapie responsive gene mRNA in BSE-infected mouse brain.

    PubMed

    Dandoy-Dron, F; Benboudjema, L; Guillo, F; Jaegly, A; Jasmin, C; Dormont, D; Tovey, M G; Dron, M

    2000-03-10

    The expression of the mRNA of nine scrapie responsive genes was analyzed in the brains of FVB/N mice infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The RNA transcripts of eight genes were overexpressed to a comparable extent in both BSE-infected and scrapie-infected mice, indicating a common series of pathogenic events in the two transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). In contrast, the serine proteinase inhibitor spi 2, an analogue of the human alpha-1 antichymotrypsin gene, was overexpressed to a greater extent in the brains of scrapie-infected animals than in animals infected with BSE, reflecting either an agent specific or a mouse strain specific response. The levels of spi 2 mRNA were increased during the course of scrapie prior to the onset of clinical signs of the disease and the increase reached 11 to 45 fold relative to uninfected controls in terminally ill mice. Spi 2, in common with four of the other scrapie responsive genes studied, is known to be associated with pro-inflammatory processes. These observations underline the importance of cell reactivity in TSE. In addition, scrg2 mRNA the level of which is enhanced in TSE-infected mouse brain, was identified as a previously unrecognized long transcript of the murine aldolase C gene. However, the level of the principal aldolase C mRNA is unaffected in TSE. The increased representation of the longer transcript in the late stage of the disease may reflect changes in mRNA processing and/or stability in reactive astrocytes or in damaged Purkinje cells.

  2. The Effect of Simvastatin on mRNA Expression of Transforming Growth Factor-β1, Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Tooth Extraction Socket

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Chang; Wu, Zhe; Sun, Hong-chen

    2009-01-01

    Aim To determine the effect of local simvastatin application on the mRNA expression level of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the tooth sockets of rat. Methodology Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into experimental and control groups (n=24). Polylactic acid/polyglycolic acid copolymer carriers, with or without simvastatin, were implanted into extraction sockets of right mandibular incisors. The expression of TGF-β1, BMP-2 and VEGF mRNA was determined by in situ hybridization in the tooth extraction socket at five days, one week, two weeks and four weeks after implantation. Results The fusiform stroma cells in the tooth extraction socket began to express TGF-β1, BMP-2 and VEGF mRNA in both experimental and control groups from one week after tooth extraction until the end of experiment. The expression of TGF-β1 and BMP-2 mRNA in the experimental group was significantly up-regulated after one, two and four weeks, and expression of VEGF mRNA was significantly increased after one and two weeks compared with that in the control group. Conclusion The findings indicate that local administration of simvastatin can influence alveolar bone remodeling by regulating the expression of a school of growth factors which are crucial to osteogenesis in the tooth extraction socket. PMID:20687301

  3. Abnormal mRNA Expression Levels of Telomere-Binding Proteins Represent Biomarkers in Myelodysplastic Syndromes: A Case-Control Study.

    PubMed

    Liu, Baoshan; Yan, Rongdi; Zhang, Jie; Wang, Bin; Sun, Hu; Cui, Xing

    2017-08-02

    As evidence was shown that abnormal shortening of telomeres begins to accumulate in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients, this study was conducted to determine the relationship between the mRNA expression levels of telomere-binding proteins (TRF1/TRF2/TIN2/TPP1/POT1/RAP1) and the risk level in MDS. There were 40 patients with MDS and 40 normal controls in this study. Methods including telomere content assays and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were used to examine the mRNA levels of TRF1/TRF2/TIN2/TPP1/POT1/RAP1 in patients with MDS. Compared to the normal group used as a control, the mRNA expression levels of RAP1/POT1/TPP1 of the patients with MDS were decreased, whereas their levels of TRF1/TRF2 and TIN2 were increased. A positive correlation was found between the TRF1, TRF2, and TIN2 mRNA expression levels and the risk level of the International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) and the World Health Organization Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS) criteria; however, a negative correlation was found between RAP1/POT1/TPP1 mRNA expression levels and the risk levels of IPSS and WPSS criteria. Because the reduction of TRF1/TRF2/TIN2 mRNA expression and the increase of RAP1/POT1/TPP1 mRNA expression are closely related to the risk levels of the IPSS and WPSS criteria in MDS, it is thought that these telomere-binding proteins could lead to abnormal telomere length and function, which cause chromosomal abnormalities in MDS. With this evidence, we suggest that those proteins' mRNA expressions could be used as biomarkers for the assessment of the risk degree of MDS patients.

  4. Expression of insulin-like growth factor I receptors at mRNA and protein levels during metamorphosis of Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus).

    PubMed

    Zhang, Junling; Shi, Zhiyi; Cheng, Qi; Chen, Xiaowu

    2011-08-01

    Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is an important regulator of fish growth and development, and its biological actions are initiated by binding to IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR). Our previous study has revealed that IGF-I could play an important role during metamorphosis of Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. The analysis of IGF-IR expression thus helps further elucidate the IGF-I regulation of metamorphic processes. In this study, the spatial-temporal expression of two distinct IGF-IR mRNAs was investigated by real-time RT-PCR. The spatial distribution of two IGF-IR mRNAs in adult tissues is largely overlapped, but they exhibit distinct temporal expression patterns during larval development. A remarkable decrease in IGF-IR-2 mRNA was detected during metamorphosis. In contrast, a significant increase in IGF-IR-1 mRNA was determined from pre-metamorphosis to metamorphic completion. These indicate that they may play different function roles during the flounder metamorphosis. The levels and localization of IGF-IR proteins during larval development were further studied by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Immunoreactive IGF-IRs were detected throughout larval development, and the IGF-IR proteins displayed a relatively abundant expression during metamorphosis. Moreover, the IGF-IR proteins appeared in key tissues, such as thickened skin beneath the migrating eye, developing intestine, gills and kidney during metamorphosis. These results further suggest that the IGF-I system may be involved in metamorphic development of Japanese flounder. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Effects of Age on Bone mRNA Levels of Sclerostin and Other Genes Relevant to Bone Metabolism in Humans

    PubMed Central

    Roforth, Matthew M.; Fujita, Koji; McGregor, Ulrike I.; Kirmani, Salman; McCready, Louise K.; Peterson, James M.; Drake, Matthew T.; Monroe, David G.; Khosla, Sundeep

    2013-01-01

    Although aging is associated with a decline in bone formation in humans, the molecular pathways contributing to this decline remain unclear. Several previous clinical studies have shown that circulating sclerostin levels increase with age, raising the possibility that increased production of sclerostin by osteocytes leads to the age-related impairment in bone formation. Thus, in the present study, we examined circulating sclerostin levels as well as bone mRNA levels of sclerostin using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) analyses in needle bone biopsies from young (mean age, 30.0 years) versus old (mean age, 72.9 years) women. In addition, we analyzed the expression of genes in a number of pathways known to be altered with skeletal aging, based largely on studies in mice. While serum sclerostin levels were 46% higher (p < 0.01) in the old as compared to the young women, bone sclerostin mRNA levels were no different between the two groups (p = 0.845). However, genes related to notch signaling were significantly upregulated (p = 0.003 when analyzed as a group) in the biopsies from the old women. In an additional analysis of 118 genes including those from genome-wide association studies related to bone density and/or fracture, BMP/TGFβ family genes, selected growth factors and nuclear receptors, and Wnt/Wnt-related genes, we found that mRNA levels of the Wnt inhibitor, SFRP1, were significantly increased (by 1.6-fold, p = 0.0004, false discovery rate [q] = 0.04) in the biopsies from the old as compared to the young women. Our findings thus indicate that despite increases in circulating sclerostin levels, bone sclerostin mRNA levels do not increase in elderly women. However, aging is associated with alterations in several key pathways and genes in humans that may contribute to the observed impairment in bone formation. These include notch signaling, which represents a potential therapeutic target for increasing bone formation in humans. Our studies further

  6. Reversible Ca2+-induced fast-to-slow transition in primary skeletal muscle culture cells at the mRNA level

    PubMed Central

    Meißner, Joachim D; Kubis, Hans-Peter; Scheibe, Renate J; Gros, Gerolf

    2000-01-01

    The adult fast character and a Ca2+-inducible reversible transition from a fast to a slow type of rabbit myotube in a primary culture were demonstrated at the mRNA level by Northern blot analysis with probes specific for different myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms and enzymes of energy metabolism. No non-adult MyHC isoform mRNA was detected after 22 days of culture. After 4 weeks of culture the fast MyHCIId mRNA was strongly expressed while MyHCI mRNA was virtually absent, indicating the fast adult character of the myotubes in the primary skeletal muscle culture. The data show that a fast-to-slow transition occurred in the myotubes at the level of MyHC isoform gene expression after treatment with the Ca2+ ionophore A23187. The effects of ionophore treatment were decreased levels of fast MyHCII mRNA and an augmented expression of the slow MyHCI gene. Changes in gene expression started very rapidly 1 day after the onset of ionophore treatment. Levels of citrate synthase mRNA increased and levels of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase mRNA decreased during ionophore treatment. This points to a shift from anaerobic to oxidative energy metabolism in the primary skeletal muscle culture cells at the level of gene expression. Withdrawal of the Ca2+ ionophore led to a return to increased levels of MyHCII mRNA and decreased levels of MyHCI mRNA, indicating a slow-to-fast transition in the myotubes and the reversibility of the effect of ionophore on MyHC isoform gene expression. PMID:10673542

  7. Photobiomodulation effects on mRNA levels from genomic and chromosome stabilization genes in injured muscle.

    PubMed

    da Silva Neto Trajano, Larissa Alexsandra; Trajano, Eduardo Tavares Lima; da Silva Sergio, Luiz Philippe; Teixeira, Adilson Fonseca; Mencalha, Andre Luiz; Stumbo, Ana Carolina; de Souza da Fonseca, Adenilson

    2018-04-26

    Muscle injuries are the most prevalent type of injury in sports. A great number of athletes have relapsed in muscle injuries not being treated properly. Photobiomodulation therapy is an inexpensive and safe technique with many benefits in muscle injury treatment. However, little has been explored about the infrared laser effects on DNA and telomeres in muscle injuries. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate photobiomodulation effects on mRNA relative levels from genes related to telomere and genomic stabilization in injured muscle. Wistar male rats were randomly divided into six groups: control, laser 25 mW, laser 75 mW, injury, injury laser 25 mW, and injury laser 75 mW. Photobiomodulation was performed with 904 nm, 3 J/cm 2 at 25 or 75 mW. Cryoinjury was induced by two applications of a metal probe cooled in liquid nitrogen directly on the tibialis anterior muscle. After euthanasia, skeletal muscle samples were withdrawn and total RNA extracted for evaluation of mRNA levels from genomic (ATM and p53) and chromosome stabilization (TRF1 and TRF2) genes by real-time quantitative polymerization chain reaction. Data show that photobiomodulation reduces the mRNA levels from ATM and p53, as well reduces mRNA levels from TRF1 and TRF2 at 25 and 75 mW in injured skeletal muscle. In conclusion, photobiomodulation alters mRNA relative levels from genes related to genomic and telomere stabilization in injured skeletal muscle.

  8. Effects of different dietary intake on mRNA levels of MSTN, IGF-I, and IGF-II in the skeletal muscle of Dorper and Hu sheep hybrid F1 rams.

    PubMed

    Xing, H J; Wang, Z Y; Zhong, B S; Ying, S J; Nie, H T; Zhou, Z R; Fan, Y X; Wang, F

    2014-07-24

    MSTN, IGF-І(insulin-like growth factor-І) and IGF-II (insulin-like growth factor-II) regulate skeletal muscle growth. This study investigated the effects of different dietary intake levels on skeletal muscles. Sheep was randomly assigned to 3 feeding groups: 1) the maintenance diet (M), 2) 1.4 x the maintenance diet (1.4M), and 3) 2.15 x the maintenance diet (2.15M). Before slaughtering the animals, blood samples were collected to measure plasma urea, growth hormone, and insulin concentrations. After slaughtering, the longissimus dorsi, semitendinosus, semimembranosus, gastrocnemius, soleus, and chest muscle were removed to record various parameters, including the mRNA expression levels of MSTN and IGFs, in addition to skeletal muscle fiber diameter and cross-sectional area. The result showed that as dietary intake improved, the mRNA expression levels of MSTN and IGF-II decreased, whereas IGF-Іexpression increased. The mRNA expression levels of MSTN and IGFs were significantly different in the same skeletal muscle under different dietary intake. The skeletal muscle fiber diameter and cross-sectional area increased with greater dietary intake, as observed for the mRNA expression of IGF-І; however, it contrasted to that observed for the mRNA expression of MSTN and IGF-II. In conclusion, dietary intake levels have a certain influence on MSTN and IGFs mRNA expression levels, in addition to skeletal muscle fiber diameter and cross-sectional area. This study contributes valuable information for enhancing the molecular-based breeding of sheep.

  9. GnRH mRNA levels in male three-spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, under different reproductive conditions.

    PubMed

    Shao, Yi Ta; Tseng, Yung Che; Chang, Chia-Hao; Yan, Hong Young; Hwang, Pung Pung; Borg, Bertil

    2015-02-01

    In vertebrates, reproduction is regulated by the brain-pituitary-gonad (BPG) axis, where the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is one of the key components. However, very little is known about the possible role of GnRH in the environmental and feedback control of fish reproduction. To investigate this, full-length gnrh2 (chicken GnRH II) and gnrh3 (salmon GnRH) sequences of male three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), which are clustered with the taxa of the same GnRH type as other Euteleostei, were cloned and annotated. gnrh1 is absent in this species. The mRNA levels of gnrh2 and gnrh3 in the sticklebacks' brain were measured under breeding and post-breeding conditions as well as in castrated and sham-operated breeding fish and castrated/sham-operated fish kept under long-day (LD 16:8) and short-day (LD 8:16) conditions. Fully breeding males had considerably higher mRNA levels of gnrh2 and gnrh3 in the thalamus (Th) and in the telencephalon and preoptic area (T+POA), respectively, than post-breeding males. Sham-operated breeding males have higher gnrh3 mRNA levels than the corresponding castrated males. Moreover, higher gnrh2 mRNA levels in the Th and higher gnrh3 mRNA levels in the T+POA and hypothalamus (HypTh) were also found in long-day sham-operated males than in sham-operated fish kept under an inhibitory short day photoperiod. Nevertheless, gnrh2 and gnrh3 mRNA levels were not up-regulated in castrated males kept under long-day photoperiod, which suggests that positive feedbacks on the brain-pituitary-gonad axis are necessary for this response. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Codon-Resolution Analysis Reveals a Direct and Context-Dependent Impact of Individual Synonymous Mutations on mRNA Level

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Siyu; Li, Ke; Cao, Wenqing; Wang, Jia; Zhao, Tong; Huan, Qing; Yang, Yu-Fei; Wu, Shaohuan; Qian, Wenfeng

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Codon usage bias (CUB) refers to the observation that synonymous codons are not used equally frequently in a genome. CUB is stronger in more highly expressed genes, a phenomenon commonly explained by stronger natural selection on translational accuracy and/or efficiency among these genes. Nevertheless, this phenomenon could also occur if CUB regulates gene expression at the mRNA level, a hypothesis that has not been tested until recently. Here, we attempt to quantify the impact of synonymous mutations on mRNA level in yeast using 3,556 synonymous variants of a heterologous gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) and 523 synonymous variants of an endogenous gene TDH3. We found that mRNA level was positively correlated with CUB among these synonymous variants, demonstrating a direct role of CUB in regulating transcript concentration, likely via regulating mRNA degradation rate, as our additional experiments suggested. More importantly, we quantified the effects of individual synonymous mutations on mRNA level and found them dependent on 1) CUB and 2) mRNA secondary structure, both in proximal sequence contexts. Our study reveals the pleiotropic effects of synonymous codon usage and provides an additional explanation for the well-known correlation between CUB and gene expression level. PMID:28961875

  11. Influence of chronic undernutrition and leptin on GOAT mRNA levels in rat stomach mucosa.

    PubMed

    González, C Ruth; Vázquez, María J; López, Miguel; Diéguez, Carlos

    2008-12-01

    The most unique feature of ghrelin is the acyl-modification of a hydroxyl group of the Ser3 in the N-terminus. The Ser3 is commonly modified by n-octanoic acid in vertebrates being needed for its biological effects, at least in terms of feeding. Therefore, a critical question regarding the role of ghrelin was to characterize the mechanism involved in its acylation. The acyltransferase that catalyzes ghrelin octanoylation has been recently identified and named ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT). The aim of this study was to clarify the physiological implications of GOAT in the regulation of energy balance, by assessing the effect of undernutrition, as well as fasting in adult male rats. We have determined GOAT mRNA expression levels by real time-PCR in the stomach mucosa. Our results show that chronic food restriction led to an increase in GOAT mRNA, particularly following long-term chronic malnutrition (21 days). Furthermore, following 48 h complete fasting, a situation with high-circulating ghrelin levels, we found similar mRNA expression of GOAT in fed and fasted rats; exogenous leptin administration markedly increase GOAT mRNA levels in the stomach mucosa of fasted rats. These findings suggest that increased GOAT mRNA levels may have a role in mediating the physiological responses to chronic undernutrition and could represent an adaptive response to prevent long-lasting alterations in energy balance and body weight homeostasis. Furthermore, our data also offer mechanistic insights into the reason why during fasting acylated ghrelin levels are not increased at a time when a marked increase in an orexigenic signal as important as acylated ghrelin will be expected.

  12. mRNA stability in mammalian cells.

    PubMed Central

    Ross, J

    1995-01-01

    This review concerns how cytoplasmic mRNA half-lives are regulated and how mRNA decay rates influence gene expression. mRNA stability influences gene expression in virtually all organisms, from bacteria to mammals, and the abundance of a particular mRNA can fluctuate manyfold following a change in the mRNA half-life, without any change in transcription. The processes that regulate mRNA half-lives can, in turn, affect how cells grow, differentiate, and respond to their environment. Three major questions are addressed. Which sequences in mRNAs determine their half-lives? Which enzymes degrade mRNAs? Which (trans-acting) factors regulate mRNA stability, and how do they function? The following specific topics are discussed: techniques for measuring eukaryotic mRNA stability and for calculating decay constants, mRNA decay pathways, mRNases, proteins that bind to sequences shared among many mRNAs [like poly(A)- and AU-rich-binding proteins] and proteins that bind to specific mRNAs (like the c-myc coding-region determinant-binding protein), how environmental factors like hormones and growth factors affect mRNA stability, and how translation and mRNA stability are linked. Some perspectives and predictions for future research directions are summarized at the end. PMID:7565413

  13. LC3-mediated fibronectin mRNA translation induces fibrosarcoma growth by increasing connective tissue growth factor

    PubMed Central

    Ying, Lihua; Lau, Agatha; Alvira, Cristina M.; West, Robert; Cann, Gordon M.; Zhou, Bin; Kinnear, Caroline; Jan, Eric; Sarnow, Peter; Van de Rijn, Matt; Rabinovitch, Marlene

    2009-01-01

    Summary Previously, we related fibronectin (Fn1) mRNA translation to an interaction between an AU-rich element in the Fn1 3′ UTR and light chain 3 (LC3) of microtubule-associated proteins 1A and 1B. Since human fibrosarcoma (HT1080) cells produce little fibronectin and LC3, we used these cells to investigate how LC3-mediated Fn1 mRNA translation might alter tumor growth. Transfection of HT1080 cells with LC3 enhanced fibronectin mRNA translation. Using polysome analysis and RNA-binding assays, we show that elevated levels of translation depend on an interaction between a triple arginine motif in LC3 and the AU-rich element in Fn1 mRNA. Wild-type but not mutant LC3 accelerated HT1080 cell growth in culture and when implanted in SCID mice. Comparison of WT LC3 with vector-transfected HT1080 cells revealed increased fibronectin-dependent proliferation, adhesion and invasion. Microarray analysis of genes differentially expressed in WT and vector-transfected control cells indicated enhanced expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). Using siRNA, we show that enhanced expression of CTGF is fibronectin dependent and that LC3-mediated adhesion, invasion and proliferation are CTGF dependent. Expression profiling of soft tissue tumors revealed increased expression of both LC3 and CTGF in some locally invasive tumor types. PMID:19366727

  14. The relative expression levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 and myostatin mRNA in the asynchronous development of skeletal muscle in ducks during early development.

    PubMed

    Hu, Yan; Liu, Hongxiang; Shan, Yanju; Ji, Gaige; Xu, Wenjuan; Shu, Jingting; Li, Huifang

    2015-08-10

    Genetic selection is a powerful tool for modifying poultry muscle yield. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and myostatin (MSTN) are important regulators of muscle growth, especially in the myogenesis stage. This study compared the developmental pattern of the pectoralis major (PM) and lateral gastrocnemius (LM) muscles, mRNA expression characterization of IGF-I and MSTN-A and their correlation between 14 days in ovo and 1 week post-hatch in two Chinese local duck breeds. During early development, the growth of duck PM and LM followed an asynchronous pattern. Variations in PM growth rate observed with development followed the relative variations of MSTN and IGF-I expression; however, the same behavior was not observed in LM. Moreover, the profile of IGF-I expression in duck skeletal muscles indicated that genetic selection for high meat-yield poultry has altered the temporal expression of IGF-I and affected cellular characteristics and mass by hatch in a PM-specific manner. The MSTN-A expression profile showed synchronization with the growth of skeletal muscle and peaks of myofiber proliferation. The expression patterns of IGF-I and MSTN suggest that duck pectoralis fibers are prioritized for proliferation in embryogenesis. The IGF-1/MSTN-A mRNA ratios in PM and LM presented very similar trends in the changes of myofiber characteristics, and differences in the IGF-1/MSTN-A mRNA ratio in PM between the two breeds corresponded to the timing of differences in PM mass between the varieties. Our results support the hypothesis that relative levels of IGF-I and MSTN mRNA may participate in ordering muscle growth rates with selected development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. A Point Mutation in the Exon Junction Complex Factor Y14 Disrupts Its Function in mRNA Cap Binding and Translation Enhancement*

    PubMed Central

    Chuang, Tzu-Wei; Lee, Kuo-Ming; Lou, Yuan-Chao; Lu, Chia-Chen; Tarn, Woan-Yuh

    2016-01-01

    Eukaryotic mRNA biogenesis involves a series of interconnected steps mediated by RNA-binding proteins. The exon junction complex core protein Y14 is required for nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) and promotes translation. Moreover, Y14 binds the cap structure of mRNAs and inhibits the activity of the decapping enzyme Dcp2. In this report, we show that an evolutionarily conserved tryptophan residue (Trp-73) of Y14 is critical for its binding to the mRNA cap structure. A Trp-73 mutant (W73V) bound weakly to mRNAs and failed to protect them from degradation. However, this mutant could still interact with the NMD and mRNA degradation factors and retained partial NMD activity. In addition, we found that the W73V mutant could not interact with translation initiation factors. Overexpression of W73V suppressed reporter mRNA translation in vitro and in vivo and reduced the level of a set of nascent proteins. These results reveal a residue of Y14 that confers cap-binding activity and is essential for Y14-mediated enhancement of translation. Finally, we demonstrated that Y14 may selectively and differentially modulate protein biosynthesis. PMID:26887951

  16. A Point Mutation in the Exon Junction Complex Factor Y14 Disrupts Its Function in mRNA Cap Binding and Translation Enhancement.

    PubMed

    Chuang, Tzu-Wei; Lee, Kuo-Ming; Lou, Yuan-Chao; Lu, Chia-Chen; Tarn, Woan-Yuh

    2016-04-15

    Eukaryotic mRNA biogenesis involves a series of interconnected steps mediated by RNA-binding proteins. The exon junction complex core protein Y14 is required for nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) and promotes translation. Moreover, Y14 binds the cap structure of mRNAs and inhibits the activity of the decapping enzyme Dcp2. In this report, we show that an evolutionarily conserved tryptophan residue (Trp-73) of Y14 is critical for its binding to the mRNA cap structure. A Trp-73 mutant (W73V) bound weakly to mRNAs and failed to protect them from degradation. However, this mutant could still interact with the NMD and mRNA degradation factors and retained partial NMD activity. In addition, we found that the W73V mutant could not interact with translation initiation factors. Overexpression of W73V suppressed reporter mRNA translation in vitro and in vivo and reduced the level of a set of nascent proteins. These results reveal a residue of Y14 that confers cap-binding activity and is essential for Y14-mediated enhancement of translation. Finally, we demonstrated that Y14 may selectively and differentially modulate protein biosynthesis. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  17. Impact of fasting followed by short-term exposure to interleukin-6 on cytochrome P450 mRNA in mice.

    PubMed

    Rasmussen, Martin Krøyer; Bertholdt, Lærke; Gudiksen, Anders; Pilegaard, Henriette; Knudsen, Jakob G

    2018-01-05

    The gene expression of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme family is regulated by numerous factors. Fasting has been shown to induce increased hepatic CYP mRNA in both humans and animals. However, the coordinated regulation of CYP, CYP-regulating transcription factors, and transcriptional co-factors in the liver linking energy metabolism to detoxification has never been investigated. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been suggested to be released during fasting and has been shown to regulate CYP expression. The present study investigated the hepatic mRNA content of selected CYP, AhR, CAR, PXR and PPARα in mice fasted for 18h and subsequently exposed to IL-6. Furthermore, the impact of fasting on PGC-1α, HNF-4α, SIRT1 and SIRT3 mRNA was examined. Fasting induced a marked increase in Cyp2b10, Cyp2e1 and Cyp4a10 mRNA, while CYP1a1, Cyp1a2, Cyp2a4 and Cyp3a11 mRNA levels remained unchanged. In accordance, the mRNA levels of CAR and PPARα were also increased with fasting. The PGC-1α, SIRT1 and SIRT3 mRNA levels were also increased after fasting, while the HNF-4α mRNA levels remained unchanged. In mice subjected to IL-6 injection, the fasting-induced PXR, PPARα and PGC-1α mRNA responses were lower than after saline injection. In conclusion, fasting was demonstrated to be a strong inducer of hepatic CYP mRNA as well as selected transcription factors controlling the expression of the investigated CYP. Moreover, the mRNA levels of transcriptional co-factors acting as energy sensors and co-factors for CYP regulation was also increased in the liver, suggesting crosstalk at the molecular level between regulation of energy metabolism and detoxification. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Differential restriction patterns of mRNA decay factor AUF1 during picornavirus infections.

    PubMed

    Cathcart, Andrea L; Semler, Bert L

    2014-07-01

    During infection by picornaviruses, the cellular environment is modified to favour virus replication. This includes the modification of specific host proteins, including the recently discovered viral proteinase cleavage of mRNA decay factor AU-rich binding factor 1 (AUF1). This cellular RNA-binding protein was shown previously to act as a restriction factor during poliovirus, rhinovirus and coxsackievirus infection. During infection by these viruses, AUF1 relocalizes to the cytoplasm and is cleaved by the viral 3C/3CD proteinase. In this study, we demonstrated that replication of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), a picornavirus belonging to the genus Cardiovirus, is AUF1 independent. During EMCV infection, AUF1 relocalized to the cytoplasm; however, unlike what is seen during enterovirus infections, AUF1 was not cleaved to detectable levels, even at late times after infection. This suggests that AUF1 does not act broadly as an inhibitor of picornavirus infections but may instead act as a selective restriction factor targeting members of the genus Enterovirus. © 2014 The Authors.

  19. Induction of human spermine oxidase SMO(PAOh1) is regulated at the levels of new mRNA synthesis, mRNA stabilization and newly synthesized protein

    PubMed Central

    2004-01-01

    The oxidation of polyamines induced by antitumour polyamine analogues has been associated with tumour response to specific agents. The human spermine oxidase, SMO(PAOh1), is one enzyme that may play a direct role in the cellular response to the antitumour polyamine analogues. In the present study, the induction of SMO(PAOh1) enzyme activity by CPENSpm [N1-ethyl-N11-(cyclopropyl)methyl-4,8,diazaundecane] is demonstrated to be a result of newly synthesized mRNA and protein. Inhibition of new RNA synthesis by actinomycin D inhibits both the appearance of SMO(PAOh1) mRNA and enzyme activity. Similarly, inhibition of newly synthesized protein with cycloheximide prevents analogue-induced enzyme activity. Half-life determinations indicate that stabilization of SMO(PAOh1) protein does not play a significant role in analogue-induced activity. However, half-life experiments using actinomycin D indicate that CPENSpm treatment not only increases mRNA expression, but also leads to a significant increase in mRNA half-life (17.1 and 8.8 h for CPENSpm-treated cells and control respectively). Using reporter constructs encompassing the SMO(PAOh1) promoter region, a 30–90% increase in transcription is observed after exposure to CPENSpm. The present results are consistent with the hypothesis that analogue-induced expression of SMO(PAOh1) is a result of increased transcription and stabilization of SMO(PAOh1) mRNA, leading to increased protein production and enzyme activity. These data indicate that the major level of control of SMO(PAOh1) expression in response to polyamine analogues exposure is at the level of mRNA. PMID:15496143

  20. Association between ERCC1 and TS mRNA levels and disease free survival in colorectal cancer patients receiving oxaliplatin and fluorouracil (5-FU) adjuvant chemotherapy.

    PubMed

    Li, Sheng; Zhu, Liangjun; Yao, Li; Xia, Lei; Pan, Liangxi

    2014-08-29

    Aim was to explore the association of ERCC1 and TS mRNA levels with the disease free survival (DFS) in Chinese colorectal cancer (CRC) patients receiving oxaliplatin and 5-FU based adjuvant chemotherapy. Total 112 Chinese stage II-III CRC patients were respectively treated by four different chemotherapy regimens after curative operation. The TS and ERCC1 mRNA levels in primary tumor were measured by real-time RT-PCR. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used for DFS analysis. The Cox proportional hazards model was used for prognostic analysis. In univariate analysis, the hazard ratio (HR) for the mRNA expression levels of TS and ERCC1 (logTS: HR = 0.820, 95% CI = 0.600 - 1.117, P = 0.210; logERCC1: HR = 1.054, 95% CI = 0.852 - 1.304, P = 0.638) indicated no significant association of DFS with the TS and ERCC1 mRNA levels. In multivariate analyses, tumor stage (IIIc: reference, P = 0.083; IIb: HR = 0.240, 95% CI = 0.080 - 0.724, P = 0.011; IIc: HR < 0.0001, P = 0.977; IIIa: HR = 0.179, 95% CI = 0.012 - 2.593, P = 0.207) was confirmed to be the independent prognostic factor for DFS. Moreover, the Kaplan-Meier DFS curves showed that TS and ERCC1 mRNA levels were not significantly associated with the DFS (TS: P = 0.264; ERCC1: P = 0.484). The mRNA expression of ERCC1 and TS were not applicable to predict the DFS of Chinese stage II-III CRC patients receiving 5-FU and oxaliplatin based adjuvant chemotherapy.

  1. Codon influence on protein expression in E. coli correlates with mRNA levels

    PubMed Central

    Boël, Grégory; Wong, Kam-Ho; Su, Min; Luff, Jon; Valecha, Mayank; Everett, John K.; Acton, Thomas B.; Xiao, Rong; Montelione, Gaetano T.; Aalberts, Daniel P.; Hunt, John F.

    2016-01-01

    Degeneracy in the genetic code, which enables a single protein to be encoded by a multitude of synonymous gene sequences, has an important role in regulating protein expression, but substantial uncertainty exists concerning the details of this phenomenon. Here we analyze the sequence features influencing protein expression levels in 6,348 experiments using bacteriophage T7 polymerase to synthesize messenger RNA in Escherichia coli. Logistic regression yields a new codon-influence metric that correlates only weakly with genomic codon-usage frequency, but strongly with global physiological protein concentrations and also mRNA concentrations and lifetimes in vivo. Overall, the codon content influences protein expression more strongly than mRNA-folding parameters, although the latter dominate in the initial ~16 codons. Genes redesigned based on our analyses are transcribed with unaltered efficiency but translated with higher efficiency in vitro. The less efficiently translated native sequences show greatly reduced mRNA levels in vivo. Our results suggest that codon content modulates a kinetic competition between protein elongation and mRNA degradation that is a central feature of the physiology and also possibly the regulation of translation in E. coli. PMID:26760206

  2. Single-Factor SOX2 Mediates Direct Neural Reprogramming of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells via Transfection of In Vitro Transcribed mRNA.

    PubMed

    Kim, Bo-Eun; Choi, Soon Won; Shin, Ji-Hee; Kim, Jae-Jun; Kang, Insung; Lee, Byung-Chul; Lee, Jin Young; Kook, Myoung Geun; Kang, Kyung-Sun

    2018-01-01

    Neural stem cells (NSCs) are a prominent cell source for understanding neural pathogenesis and for developing therapeutic applications to treat neurodegenerative disease because of their regenerative capacity and multipotency. Recently, a variety of cellular reprogramming technologies have been developed to facilitate in vitro generation of NSCs, called induced NSCs (iNSCs). However, the genetic safety aspects of established virus-based reprogramming methods have been considered, and non-integrating reprogramming methods have been developed. Reprogramming with in vitro transcribed (IVT) mRNA is one of the genetically safe reprogramming methods because exogenous mRNA temporally exists in the cell and is not integrated into the chromosome. Here, we successfully generated expandable iNSCs from human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCB-MSCs) via transfection with IVT mRNA encoding SOX2 (SOX2 mRNA) with properly optimized conditions. We confirmed that generated human UCB-MSC-derived iNSCs (UM-iNSCs) possess characteristics of NSCs, including multipotency and self-renewal capacity. Additionally, we transfected human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) with SOX2 mRNA. Compared with human embryonic stem cell-derived NSCs, HDFs transfected with SOX2 mRNA exhibited neural reprogramming with similar morphologies and NSC-enriched mRNA levels, but they showed limited proliferation ability. Our results demonstrated that human UCB-MSCs can be used for direct reprogramming into NSCs through transfection with IVT mRNA encoding a single factor, which provides an integration-free reprogramming tool for future therapeutic application.

  3. Tristetraprolin Inhibits Ras-dependent Tumor Vascularization by Inducing Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor mRNA Degradation

    PubMed Central

    Essafi-Benkhadir, Khadija; Onesto, Cercina; Stebe, Emmanuelle; Moroni, Christoph

    2007-01-01

    Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most important regulators of physiological and pathological angiogenesis. Constitutive activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway and overexpression of VEGF are common denominators of tumors from different origins. We have established a new link between these two fundamental observations converging on VEGF mRNA stability. In this complex phenomenon, tristetraprolin (TTP), an adenylate and uridylate-rich element-associated protein that binds to VEGF mRNA 3′-untranslated region, plays a key role by inducing VEGF mRNA degradation, thus maintaining basal VEGF mRNA amounts in normal cells. ERKs activation results in the accumulation of TTP mRNA. However, ERKs reduce the VEGF mRNA-destabilizing effect of TTP, leading to an increase in VEGF expression that favors the angiogenic switch. Moreover, TTP decreases RasVal12-dependent VEGF expression and development of vascularized tumors in nude mice. As a consequence, TTP might represent a novel antiangiogenic and antitumor agent acting through its destabilizing activity on VEGF mRNA. Determination of TTP and ERKs status would provide useful information for the evaluation of the angiogenic potential in human tumors. PMID:17855506

  4. Changes in period mRNA levels in the brain and division of labor in honey bee colonies

    PubMed Central

    Toma, Dan P.; Bloch, Guy; Moore, Darrell; Robinson, Gene E.

    2000-01-01

    Previous research showed that age-related division of labor in honey bees is associated with changes in activity rhythms; young adult bees perform hive tasks with no daily rhythms, whereas older bees forage with strong daily rhythms. We report that this division of labor is also associated with differences in both circadian rhythms and mRNA levels of period, a gene well known for its role in circadian rhythms. The level of period mRNA in the brain oscillated in bees of all ages, but was significantly higher at all times in foragers. Elevated period mRNA levels cannot be attributed exclusively to aging, because bees induced to forage precociously because of a change in social environment had levels similar to normal age foragers. These results extend the regulation of a “clock gene” to a social context and suggest that there are connections at the molecular level between division of labor and chronobiology in social insects. PMID:10841583

  5. Phospholipase C-{delta}{sub 1} regulates interleukin-1{beta} and tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} mRNA expression

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chung, Eric; Jakinovich, Paul; Bae, Aekyung

    Phospholipase C-{delta}{sub 1} (PLC{delta}{sub 1}) is a widely expressed highly active PLC isoform, modulated by Ca{sup 2+} that appears to operate downstream from receptor signaling and has been linked to regulation of cytokine production. Here we investigated whether PLC{delta}{sub 1} modulated expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1{beta} (IL-1{beta}), tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} (TNF-{alpha}) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in rat C6 glioma cells. Expression of PLC{delta}{sub 1} was specifically suppressed by small interfering RNA (siRNA) and the effects on cytokine mRNA expression, stimulated by the Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), were examined. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results showed that PLC{delta}{sub 1}more » knockdown enhanced expression IL-1{beta} and tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} (TNF-{alpha}) mRNA by at least 100 fold after 4 h of LPS stimulation compared to control siRNA treatment. PLC{delta}{sub 1} knock down caused persistently high Nf{kappa}b levels at 4 h of LPS stimulation compared to control siRNA-treated cells. PLC{delta}{sub 1} knockdown was also associated with elevated nuclear levels of c-Jun after 30 min of LPS stimulation, but did not affect LPS-stimulated p38 or p42/44 MAPK phosphorylation, normally associated with TLR activation of cytokine gene expression; rather, enhanced protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation of cellular proteins was observed in the absence of LPS stimulation. An inhibitor of PKC, bisindolylmaleimide II (BIM), reversed phosphorylation, prevented elevation of nuclear c-Jun levels, and inhibited LPS-induced increases of IL-1{beta} and TNF-{alpha} mRNA's induced by PLC{delta}{sub 1} knockdown. Our results show that loss of PLC{delta}{sub 1} enhances PKC/c-Jun signaling and up-modulates pro-inflammatory cytokine gene transcription in concert with the TLR-stimulated p38MAPK/Nf{kappa}b pathway. Our findings are consistent with the idea that PLC{delta}{sub 1} is

  6. Low BMI is correlated with increased TGF-β and IL-10 mRNA levels in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients.

    PubMed

    Liu, Chao; Wang, Qian; Sun, Bing; Meng, Xiangying; Li, Lan; Yang, Liuchun; Cong, Yang; Liu, Jiannan; Xuan, Liang; Huang, Yan; Wu, Shikai

    2018-03-01

    Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) have important roles in breast cancer development. Previous studies confirmed a correlation between these immune molecules and tumor characteristics, but their association with nutritional status in breast cancer is largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin, total protein, albumin, globulin (GLB), albumin/GLB ratio (AGR), pre-albumin, prognostic nutritional index, and TGF-β, IL-10, and Foxp3 mRNA expression in patients with breast cancer. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of TGF-β, IL-10, and Foxp3 in the peripheral blood of 107 patients with breast cancer and 21 healthy controls. We found that TGF-β mRNA levels were 2.6-fold, 3.2-fold, and 2.3-fold higher in patients with low BMI (<23), low AGR, and high GLB, respectively, than in their counterparts (P < 0.05). In addition, IL-10 mRNA expression levels in patients with normal BMI (<23) were 2.8-fold and 3.5-fold higher than in those who were overweight (23≤ BMI <25) and obese (BMI ≥ 25), respectively (P < 0.05). In addition, TGF-β, IL-10, and Foxp3 mRNA levels were significantly higher in patients with breast cancer than in healthy controls (P < 0.05). In summary, our results suggest that nutritional status, especially BMI, may strongly affect systematic immune function in patients with breast cancer. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 70(3):237-245, 2018. © 2018 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  7. Minimal alteration in the ratio of circulatory fetal DNA to fetal corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNA level in preeclampsia.

    PubMed

    Zhong, Xiao Yan; Holzgreve, Wolfgang; Gebhardt, Stefan; Hillermann, Renate; Tofa, Kashefa Carelse; Gupta, Anurag Kumar; Huppertz, Berthold; Hahn, Sinuhe

    2006-01-01

    We have recently observed that fetal DNA and fetal corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA are associated with in vitro generated syncytiotrophoblast-derived microparticles, and that the ratio of fetal DNA to mRNA (CRH) varied according to whether the particles were derived by predominantly apoptotic, apo-necrotic or necrotic pathways. Hence, we examined whether these ratios varied in maternal plasma samples taken from normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies in vivo. Maternal plasma samples were collected from 18 cases with preeclampsia and 29 normotensive term controls. Circulatory fetal CRH mRNA and DNA levels were quantified by real-time PCR and RT-PCR. Circulatory fetal mRNA and fetal DNA levels were significantly elevated in the preeclampsia study group when compared to normotensive controls. Alterations in the fetal mRNA to DNA ratio between the study and control groups were minimal, even when stratified into early (<34 weeks of gestation) and late (>34 weeks of gestation) onset preeclampsia. Our data suggest that although circulatory fetal DNA and mRNA levels are significantly elevated in preeclampsia, the ratios in maternal plasma are not dramatically altered. Copyright 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  8. Long-term treatment with haloperidol affects neuropeptide S and NPSR mRNA levels in the rat brain.

    PubMed

    Palasz, Artur; Rojczyk, Ewa; Golyszny, Milosz; Filipczyk, Lukasz; Worthington, John J; Wiaderkiewicz, Ryszard

    2016-04-01

    The brainstem-derived neuropeptide S (NPS) has a multidirectional regulatory activity, especially as a potent anxiolytic factor. Accumulating data suggests that neuroleptics affect peptidergic signalling in various brain structures. However, there is no information regarding the influence of haloperidol on NPS and NPS receptor (NPSR) expression. We assessed NPS and NPSR mRNA levels in brains of rats treated with haloperidol using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Chronic haloperidol treatment (4 weeks) led to a striking upregulation of NPS and NPSR expression in the rat brainstem. Conversely, the NPSR mRNA expression was decreased in the hippocampus and striatum. This stark increase of NPS in response to haloperidol treatment supports the hypothesis that this neuropeptide is involved in the dopamine-dependent anxiolytic actions of neuroleptics and possibly also in the pathophysiology of mental disorders. Furthermore, our findings underline the complex nature of potential interactions between dopamine receptors and brain peptidergic pathways, which has potential clinical applications.

  9. The mRNA level of MLH1 in peripheral blood is a biomarker for the diagnosis of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer.

    PubMed

    Yu, Hong; Li, Hui; Cui, Yongan; Xiao, Wei; Dai, Guihong; Huang, Junxing; Wang, Chaofu

    2016-01-01

    Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is caused by functional defects in mismatch repair (MMR) genes, including mutL homolog 1 (MLH1) and mutS homolog 2 (MSH2). This study aimed to assess whether the mRNA expression of MLH1 in peripheral blood could be used as a biomarkers for the diagnosis of HNPCC. The mRNA level of MLH1 was determined in 19 HNPCC families (46 members) using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The mRNA levels of MLH1 in HNPCC were significantly lower than controls (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed a high diagnostic value of the mRNA level of MLH1 for the diagnosis of HNPCC with the area under curve of 0.858. At an optimal cut-off value (0.511), the mRNA level of MLH1 had a sensitivity of 81.3% and a specificity of 86.7% for distinguishing HNPCC from controls. In conclusion, the mRNA expression of MLH1 in peripheral blood may serve as a biomarker for the diagnosis of HNPCC.

  10. Molar loss and powder diet leads to memory deficit and modifies the mRNA expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus of adult mice.

    PubMed

    Takeda, Yosuke; Oue, Hiroshi; Okada, Shinsuke; Kawano, Akira; Koretake, Katsunori; Michikawa, Makoto; Akagawa, Yasumasa; Tsuga, Kazuhiro

    2016-12-05

    It is known that tooth loss is known to be a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and soft diet feeding induces memory impairment. Recent studies have shown that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with tooth loss or soft diet in young animal model, and that BDNF expression is decreased in patients with Alzheimer's disease. However, single or combined effect of tooth loss and/or soft diet on brain function has not fully understood. Here we examined the effect of molar loss and powder diet on memory ability and the expression of BDNF mRNA in the hippocampus of adult C57BL/6J mice. Twenty eight-weeks-old C57BL/6J mice were divided into intact molar group and extracted molar group. They were randomly divided into the I/S group (Intact upper molar teeth/Solid diet feeding), the E/S group (Extracted upper molar teeth/Solid diet feeding), the I/P group (Intact upper molar teeth/Powder diet feeding), and the E/P group (Extracted upper molar teeth/Powder diet feeding). The observation periods were 4 and 16-week. To analyze the memory ability, the step-through passive avoidance test was conducted. BDNF-related mRNA in the hippocampus was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). At 4 weeks later, we performed memory test and isolated brains to analyze. There were no differences in memory function and BDNF mRNA level between these four groups. However, at 16 weeks later, E/S and E/P group showed memory impairment, and decreased level of BDNF mRNA. Whereas, the powder diet had no effect on memory function and BDNF mRNA level even at 16 weeks later. These results suggest that the effect of molar loss and powder diet on memory function and BDNF mRNA levels were different, molar loss may have a greater long-term effect on memory ability than powder diet does.

  11. Laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT) elevates mRNA expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) associated with reduced tumor growth of liver metastases compared to hepatic resection.

    PubMed

    Isbert, Christoph; Ritz, Jörg-Peter; Roggan, André; Schuppan, Detlef; Ajubi, Navid; Buhr, Heinz Johannes; Hohenberger, Werner; Germer, Christoph-Thomas

    2007-01-01

    Proliferation and synthesis of hepatocellular tissue after tissue damage are promoted by specific growth factors such as hepatic tissue growth factor (HGF) and connective growth factor (CTGF). Laser-induced thermotherapy (LITT) for the treatment of liver metastases is deemed to be a parenchyma-saving procedure compared to hepatic resection. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of LITT and hepatic resection on intrahepatic residual tumor tissue and expression levels of mRNA HGF/CTGF within liver and tumor tissue. Two independent adenocarcinomas (CC531) were implanted into 75 WAG rats, one in the right (untreated tumor) and one in the left liver lobe (treated tumor). The left lobe tumor was treated either by LITT or partial hepatectomy. The control tumor was submitted to in-situ hybridization of HGF and CTGF 24-96 hours and 14 days after intervention. Volumes of the untreated tumors prior to intervention were 38+/-8 mm(3) in group I (laser), 39 +/- 7 mm(3) in group II (resection), and 42 +/- 12 mm(3) in group III (control) and did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). Fourteen days after the intervention the mean tumor+/-SEM volume of untreated tumor in group I (laser) [223 +/- 36] was smaller than in group II (resection) [1233.28 +/- 181.52; P < 0.001], and in group III (control) [978.92 +/- 87.57; P < 0.003]. Forty-eight hours after the intervention intrahepatic mRNA expression level of HGF in group II (resection) was almost twofold higher than in group I (laser) [7.2 +/- 1.0 c/mf vs. 3.9 +/- 0.4 c/mf; P<0.01]. Fourteen days after the intervention intrahepatic mRNA expression level of CTGF in group I (laser) was higher than in group II (resection) [13.89 +/- 0.77 c/mf vs. 9.09 +/- 0.78 c/mf; P < 0.003]. LITT leads to a decrease of residual tumor growth in comparison to hepatic resection. Accelerated tumor growth after hepatic resection is associated with higher mRNA level of HGF and reduced tumor growth after LITT with higher mRNA level of CTGF. The

  12. [Effects of berberine on mRNA expression levels of PPARγ and adipocytokines in insulin-resistant adipocytes].

    PubMed

    Tu, Jun; Luo, Xin-Xin; Li, Bing-Tao; Li, Yu; Xu, Guo-Liang

    2016-06-01

    Adipocytokines are closely associated with insulin resistance (IR) in adipose tissues, and they are more and more seriously taken in the study of the development of diabetes. This experiment was mainly to study the effect of berberine on mRNA expression levels of PPARγ and adipocytokines in insulin resistant adipocytes, and investigate the molecular mechanism of berberine in enhancing insulin sensitization and application advantages of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). ddPCR absolute quantification analysis was taken in this experiment to simply and intuitively determine the appropriate reference genes. ddPCR and quantitative Real-time PCR (qPCR) were used to compare the effect of different doses of berberine (10, 20, 50, 100 μmol•L⁻¹) on mRNA expression levels of PPARγ, adiponectin, resistin and leptin in IR 3T3-L1adipocytes. Antagonist GW9662 was added to study the inherent correlation between PPARγ and adiponectin mRNA expression levels. ddPCR results showed that the expression level of β-actin in adipocytes was stable, and suitable as reference gene for normalization of quantitative PCR data. Both of ddPCR and qPCR results showed that, as compared with IR models, the mRNA expression levels of adiponectin were decreased in the treatment with berberine (10, 20, 50, 100 μmol•L⁻¹) in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.01); the expression of PPARγ was decreased by 20, 50, 100 μmol•L⁻¹ berberine in a dose-dependent manner in qPCR assay (P<0.01) and decreased only by 50 and 100 μmol•L⁻¹ berberine in ddPCR assay (P<0.05). PPARγ specific antagonist GW9662 intervention experiment showed that adiponectin gene expression was directly relevant with PPARγ (P<0.05). ddPCR probe assay showed that various doses of berberine could significantly reduce mRNA expression levels of resistin and leptin (P<0.01) in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, berberine enhanced insulin sensitization effect not by up-regulating adiponect in expression of transcriptional

  13. Immune-stimulatory effects of a bacteria-based probiotic on peripheral leukocyte subpopulations and cytokine mRNA expression levels in scouring holstein calves.

    PubMed

    Qadis, Abdul Qadir; Goya, Satoru; Yatsu, Minoru; Kimura, Atsushi; Ichijo, Toshihiro; Sato, Shigeru

    2014-05-01

    Subpopulations of peripheral leukocytes and cytokine mRNA expression levels were evaluated in scouring and healthy Holstein calves (age 10 ± 5 days; n=42) treated with a probiotic consisting of Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium and Clostridium butyricum. The calves were assigned to the scouring or healthy group and then subdivided into pathogen-positive treated (n=8), pathogen-positive control (n=8), pathogen-negative treated (n=6), pathogen-negative control (n=6), healthy treated (n=6) and healthy control (n=8) groups. A single dose of the probiotic (3.0 g/100 kg body weight) was given to each calf in the treatment groups for 5 days. Blood samples were collected on the first day of scour occurrence (day 0) and on day 7. In the scouring calves, smaller peripheral leukocyte subpopulations and cytokine mRNA expression levels were noted on day 0. The numbers of CD3(+) T cells; CD4(+), CD8(+) and WC1(+) γδ T cell subsets; and CD14(+), CD21(+) and CD282(+) (TLR2) cells were significantly increased in the scouring and healthy treated calves on day 7. Furthermore, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma mRNA expression was elevated in the peripheral leukocytes of the scouring and healthy treated calves on day 7. The scouring calves given the probiotic recovered on day 7. A significantly smaller number of peripheral leukocytes and lower cytokine mRNA expression level might be induced by scouring in calves. Repeated probiotic administration might stimulate cellular immunity and encourage recovery from scouring in pre-weaning Holstein calves.

  14. Estradiol In Females May Negate Skeletal Muscle Myostatin Mrna Expression And Serum Myostatin Propeptide Levels After Eccentric Muscle Contractions

    PubMed Central

    Willoughby, Darryn S.; Wilborn, Colin D.

    2006-01-01

    Eccentric contractions produce a significant degree of inflammation and muscle injury that may increase the expression of myostatin. Due to its anti- oxidant and anti-flammatory effects, circulating 17-β estradiol (E2) may attenuate myostatin expression. Eight males and eight females performed 7 sets of 10 reps of eccentric contractions of the knee extensors at 150% 1-RM. Each female performed the eccentric exercise bout on a day that fell within her mid-luteal phase (d 21-23 of her 28-d cycle). Blood and muscle samples were obtained before and 6 and 24 h after exercise, while additional blood samples were obtained at 48 and 72 h after exercise. Serum E2 and myostatin LAP/propeptide (LAP/pro) levels were determined with ELISA, and myostatin mRNA expression determined using RT-PCR. Data were analyzed with two-way ANOVA and bivariate correlations (p < 0.05). Females had greater levels of serum E2 throughout the 72- h sampling period (p < 0.05). While males had greater body mass and fat-free mass, neither was correlated to the pre-exercise levels of myostatin mRNA and LAP/pro for either gender (p > 0.05). Compared to pre-exercise, males had significant increases (p < 0.05) in LAP/propetide and mRNA of 78% and 28%, respectively, at 24 h post-exercise, whereas females underwent respective decreases of 10% and 21%. E2 and LAP/propeptide were correlated at 6 h (r = -0.804, p = 0.016) and 24 h post- exercise (r = -0.841, p = 0.009) in males, whereas in females E2 levels were correlated to myostatin mRNA at 6 h (r =0.739, p = 0.036) and 24 h (r = 0.813, p = 0.014) post-exercise and LAP/propeptide at 6 h (r = 0.713, p = 0.047) and 24 h (r = 0.735, p = 0.038). In females, myostatin mRNA expression and serum LAP/propeptide levels do not appear to be significantly up-regulated following eccentric exercise, and may be due to higher levels of circulating E2. Key Points The pre-exercise levels of myostatin mRNA and propeptide were not significantly different between genders, and

  15. Comparative Sigma Factor-mRNA Levels in Mycobacterium marinum under Stress Conditions and during Host Infection

    PubMed Central

    Pettersson, B. M. Fredrik; Das, Sarbashis; Behra, Phani Rama Krishna; Jordan, Heather R.; Ramesh, Malavika; Mallick, Amrita; Root, Kate M.; Cheramie, Martin N.; de la Cruz Melara, Irma; Small, Pamela L. C.; Dasgupta, Santanu; Ennis, Don G.; Kirsebom, Leif A.

    2015-01-01

    We have used RNASeq and qRT-PCR to study mRNA levels for all σ-factors in different Mycobacterium marinum strains under various growth and stress conditions. We also studied their levels in M. marinum from infected fish and mosquito larvae. The annotated σ-factors were expressed and transcripts varied in relation to growth and stress conditions. Some were highly abundant such as sigA, sigB, sigC, sigD, sigE and sigH while others were not. The σ-factor mRNA profiles were similar after heat stress, during infection of fish and mosquito larvae. The similarity also applies to some of the known heat shock genes such as the α-crystallin gene. Therefore, it seems probable that the physiological state of M. marinum is similar when exposed to these different conditions. Moreover, the mosquito larvae data suggest that this is the state that the fish encounter when infected, at least with respect to σ-factor mRNA levels. Comparative genomic analysis of σ-factor gene localizations in three M. marinum strains and Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv revealed chromosomal rearrangements that changed the localization of especially sigA, sigB, sigD, sigE, sigF and sigJ after the divergence of these two species. This may explain the variation in species-specific expression upon exposure to different growth conditions. PMID:26445268

  16. Serum vaspin levels and vaspin mRNA expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue in women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

    PubMed

    Mm, Wei Qian; Fan, Jianxia; Khor, Shuzin; Song, Mengfan; Hong, Wei; Dai, Xiaobei

    2014-11-01

    To compare serum vaspin level and mRNA and protein levels of vaspin in adipose tissue in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and normal glucose tolerance (NGR), along with the correlation between serum vaspin level with fasting insulin (FINS), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and birth-weight. Thirty-seven women with GDM and 36 with NGR were enrolled. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), FINS and vaspin levels were measured. The mRNA and protein levels were detected using RT-PCR and Western blot. Pearson correlation analysis (PCA) was performed to reveal the correlation between serum vaspin level and FINS, HOMA-IR. Spearman correlation analysis (SCA) was conducted to examine the association between serum vaspin level and birth-weight. HDL-C level in GDM was lower than NGR group (P<0.05), and there were no statistical differences in TC, TG, LDL-C, FPG, FINS and HOMA-IR between the two groups. Serum vaspin level, mRNA and protein expression levels of vaspin in GDM were higher than NGR group (P<0.05). Serum vaspin level was not significantly correlated with FINS and HOMA-IR, but had a positive correlation with birth-weight (P=0.023). Serum vaspin level cannot serve as an independent predictor of IR. The increased serum vaspin level and increased vaspin mRNA and protein expression in adipose tissues in GDM women indicate that vaspin may be involved in the pathogenesis of GDM, but its exact mechanism needs further study. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Abundance of mRNA of growth hormone receptor and insulin-like growth factors-1 and -2 in duodenal and colonic biopsies of dogs with chronic enteropathies*.

    PubMed

    Spichiger, A C; Allenspach, K; Ontsouka, E; Gaschen, F; Morel, C; Blum, J W; Sauter, S N

    2005-12-01

    Repair processes of the inflamed intestine are very important for dissolution of chronic enteropathies (CE). Therefore, we examined the mRNA abundance of growth hormone receptor (GHR), insulin-like growth factors (IGF)-1 and -2 in duodenal and colonic biopsies of dogs with CE such as food-responsive diarrhoea (FRD) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) before and after treatment as compared with each other and healthy dogs. A clinical score (Canine IBD Activity Index = CIBDAI) was applied to judge the severity of CE. Biopsies of duodenum and colon from client-owned dogs with CE were sampled before (FRD(bef), n = 5; IBD(bef), n = 5) and after treatment (FRD(aft), n = 5; IBD(aft), n = 5). Intestinal control samples were available from a homogenous control population (n = 15; C). Intestinal samples were homogenized, total RNA was extracted, reverse transcribed and analysed by real-time polymerase chain reaction to measure mRNA levels of GHR, IGF-1 and IGF-2. Results were normalized with glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase as housekeeping gene. The CIBDAI decreased during the treatment period in FRD and IBD (P < 0.01). In duodenum, GHR mRNA levels were higher in all groups than in C (P < 0.001). Duodenal IGF-1 mRNA levels in FRD(aft) and IBD(aft) tended to be higher than in C (P < 0.1). The IGF-2 mRNA abundance in FRD(aft) was higher than in C (P < 0.05) in duodenum. In colon, mRNA levels of IGF-1 in IBD(aft) were higher than in FRD(aft) (P < 0.05) and levels differed between IBD(aft) and C (P < 0.05). In conclusion, mRNA levels of GHR, IGF-1 and IGF-2 in the gastrointestinal tract were increased during CE when compared with gastrointestinally healthy dogs. The data suggest that GHR, IGF-1 and IGF-2 are involved in gastrointestinal repair processes.

  18. Cytoplasmic delivery of ribozymes leads to efficient reduction in alpha-lactalbumin mRNA levels in C127I mouse cells.

    PubMed Central

    L'Huillier, P J; Davis, S R; Bellamy, A R

    1992-01-01

    Ribozymes targeted to five sites along the alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-lac) mRNA were delivered to the cytoplasm of mouse C127I mammary cells using the T7-vaccinia virus delivery system and the amount of alpha-lac mRNA was monitored 24-48 h post-transfection. Three target sites were selected in the alpha-lac coding region (nucleotides 15, 145 and 361) and two were located in the 3' non-coding region (nucleotides 442 and 694). Acting in trans and at a target:ribozyme ratio of 1:1000, ribozymes targeting sites 361 and 694 reduced alpha-lac mRNA by > 80%; another two ribozymes (targeting nucleotides 442 and 145) reduced mRNA levels by 80 and 60% respectively; the fifth ribozyme (targeting nucleotide 15, near the AUG) was largely ineffective. The kinetic activity (kcat) of each ribozyme in vitro was somewhat predictive of the activity of the two ribozymes that targeted nucleotides 361 and 694, but was not predictive of the in vivo activity of the other three ribozymes. Down-regulation of the intracellular levels of alpha-lac paralleled the ribozyme-dependent reduction achieved for mRNA. For site 442, the reduction in both mRNA and protein was attributed to the catalytic activity of the ribozyme rather than to the antisense effects of the flanking arms, because delivery of an engineered (catalytically-inactive) variant had no effect on mRNA levels and a minimal effect on the level of alpha-lac present in the cell. Images PMID:1425576

  19. Spaceflight has compartment- and gene-specific effects on mRNA levels for bone matrix proteins in rat femur

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Evans, G. L.; Morey-Holton, E.; Turner, R. T.

    1998-01-01

    In the present study, we evaluated the possibility that the abnormal bone matrix produced during spaceflight may be associated with reduced expression of bone matrix protein genes. To test this possibility, we investigated the effects of a 14-day spaceflight (SLS-2 experiment) on steady-state mRNA levels for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), osteocalcin, osteonectin, and prepro-alpha(1) subunit of type I collagen in the major bone compartments of rat femur. There were pronounced site-specific differences in the steady-state levels of expression of the mRNAs for the three bone matrix proteins and GAPDH in normal weight-bearing rats, and these relationships were altered after spaceflight. Specifically, spaceflight resulted in decreases in mRNA levels for GAPDH (decreased in proximal metaphysis), osteocalcin (decreased in proximal metaphysis), osteonectin (decreased in proximal and distal metaphysis), and collagen (decreased in proximal and distal metaphysis) compared with ground controls. There were no changes in mRNA levels for matrix proteins or GAPDH in the shaft and distal epiphysis. These results demonstrate that spaceflight leads to site- and gene-specific decreases in mRNA levels for bone matrix proteins. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that spaceflight-induced decreases in bone formation are caused by concomitant decreases in expression of genes for bone matrix proteins.

  20. Differential mRNA expression of neuroinflammatory modulators in the spinal cord and thalamus of type 2 diabetic monkeys.

    PubMed

    Ding, Huiping; Kiguchi, Norikazu; Kishioka, Shiroh; Ma, Tao; Peters, Christopher M; Ko, Mei-Chuan

    2018-05-11

    Given that diabetes-associated complications are closely associated with neuroinflammation, it is imperative to study potential changes in neuroinflammatory modulators in the central nervous system of diabetic primates. The mRNA levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, toll-like receptors (TLRs), growth factors, and cannabinoid receptors were compared in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) and thalamus of naturally occurring type 2 diabetic monkeys and an age-matched control group using reverse transcription and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. In the SDH of diabetic monkeys, mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines (i.e. interleukin [IL]-1β and tumor necrosis factor [TNF] α), TLR1, and TLR2 were increased, whereas mRNA levels of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, were decreased. No changes were observed in the mRNA levels of growth factors and cannabinoid receptors. In line with the mRNA data, TNFα immunoreactivity was significantly increased in diabetic monkeys. Moreover, mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, TNFα, TLR1, and TLR2 in the SDH were positively correlated with plasma glucose concentrations in all monkeys. Several ligands and receptors involved in neuroinflammation are simultaneously dysregulated in the spinal cord of diabetic monkeys. This primate disease model will facilitate the design of novel treatment approaches to ameliorate neuroinflammation-driven adverse effects in diabetic patients. © 2018 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  1. Thymidylate synthase (TS) protein expression as a prognostic factor in advanced colorectal cancer: a comparison with TS mRNA expression.

    PubMed

    Nakagawa, Tateo; Shimada, Mitsuo; Kurita, Nobuhiro; Iwata, Takashi; Nishioka, Masanori; Yoshikawa, Kozo; Higashijima, Jun; Utsunomiya, Tohru

    2012-06-01

    The role of intratumoral thymidylate synthase (TS) mRNA or protein expression is still controversial and little has been reported regarding relation of them in colorectal cancer. Forty-six patients with advanced colorectal cancer who underwent surgical resection were included. TS mRNA expression was determined by the Danenberg tumor profile method based on laser-captured micro-dissection of the tumor cells. TS protein expression was evaluated using immunohistochemical staining. TS mRNA expression tended to relate TS protein expression. Statistical significance was not found in overall survival between the TS mRNA high group and low group regardless of performing adjuvant chemotherapy. The overall survival in the TS protein negative group was significantly higher than that in positive group in all and the patients without adjuvant chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis showed TS protein expression was as an independent prognostic factor. TS protein expression tends to be related TS mRNA expression and is an independent prognostic factor in advanced colorectal cancer.

  2. Alternative Polyadenylation and Nonsense-Mediated Decay Coordinately Regulate the Human HFE mRNA Levels

    PubMed Central

    Martins, Rute; Proença, Daniela; Silva, Bruno; Barbosa, Cristina; Silva, Ana Luísa; Faustino, Paula; Romão, Luísa

    2012-01-01

    Nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) is an mRNA surveillance pathway that selectively recognizes and degrades defective mRNAs carrying premature translation-termination codons. However, several studies have shown that NMD also targets physiological transcripts that encode full-length proteins, modulating their expression. Indeed, some features of physiological mRNAs can render them NMD-sensitive. Human HFE is a MHC class I protein mainly expressed in the liver that, when mutated, can cause hereditary hemochromatosis, a common genetic disorder of iron metabolism. The HFE gene structure comprises seven exons; although the sixth exon is 1056 base pairs (bp) long, only the first 41 bp encode for amino acids. Thus, the remaining downstream 1015 bp sequence corresponds to the HFE 3′ untranslated region (UTR), along with exon seven. Therefore, this 3′ UTR encompasses an exon/exon junction, a feature that can make the corresponding physiological transcript NMD-sensitive. Here, we demonstrate that in UPF1-depleted or in cycloheximide-treated HeLa and HepG2 cells the HFE transcripts are clearly upregulated, meaning that the physiological HFE mRNA is in fact an NMD-target. This role of NMD in controlling the HFE expression levels was further confirmed in HeLa cells transiently expressing the HFE human gene. Besides, we show, by 3′-RACE analysis in several human tissues that HFE mRNA expression results from alternative cleavage and polyadenylation at four different sites – two were previously described and two are novel polyadenylation sites: one located at exon six, which confers NMD-resistance to the corresponding transcripts, and another located at exon seven. In addition, we show that the amount of HFE mRNA isoforms resulting from cleavage and polyadenylation at exon seven, although present in both cell lines, is higher in HepG2 cells. These results reveal that NMD and alternative polyadenylation may act coordinately to control HFE mRNA levels, possibly varying its

  3. The association of the placental Hypoxia-inducible factor1-α polymorphisms and HIF1-α mRNA expression with preeclampsia.

    PubMed

    Harati-Sadegh, Mahdiyeh; Kohan, Leila; Teimoori, Batool; Mehrabani, Mehrnaz; Salimi, Saeedeh

    2018-07-01

    Evidence has confirmed that placental/fetal hypoxia plays a key role in both endothelial cell dysfunction and PE pathogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether maternal/placental hypoxia-inducible factor1-α (HIF1-α) C1772T (rs11549465) and/or G1790A (rs11549467) polymorphisms and HIF1-α mRNA expression are associated with PE development. The blood samples of 203 PE and 202 control women and the placenta of 86 PE and 84 control women were collected after delivery. The HIF1-α polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR- RFLP method. The mRNA expression levels were measured by Quantitative Real -Time PCR. The present study found no association between maternal HIF1-α rs11549465 and rs11549467 and placental rs11549467 polymorphisms and PE. However, the placental rs11549465 polymorphism was associated with PE in the dominant model. The CT/GG combined genotypes and TG haplotype of placental rs11549465 and rs11549467 polymorphisms were associated with higher risk of PE. The HIF1-α mRNA expression was 3-fold higher in the PE women. The rs11549465 TT genotype was associated with higher HIF1-α mRNA expression in PE women and in total population and rs11549467 GA genotype was associated with higher mRNA expression in total population. The relative mRNA expression of HIF1-α gene was higher in presence of CC/GA, TT/GG and TT/GA combined genotypes. This study found an association between placental but not maternal HIF1-α rs11549465 polymorphism and PE in the dominant model. The HIF1-α mRNA expression was higher in the placenta of PE women and was associated with rs11549465 and rs11549467 polymorphisms. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  4. Immune-Stimulatory Effects of a Bacteria-Based Probiotic on Peripheral Leukocyte Subpopulations and Cytokine mRNA Expression Levels in Scouring Holstein Calves

    PubMed Central

    QADIS, Abdul Qadir; GOYA, Satoru; YATSU, Minoru; KIMURA, Atsushi; ICHIJO, Toshihiro; SATO, Shigeru

    2014-01-01

    ABSTRACT Subpopulations of peripheral leukocytes and cytokine mRNA expression levels were evaluated in scouring and healthy Holstein calves (age 10 ± 5 days; n=42) treated with a probiotic consisting of Lactobacillus plantarum, Enterococcus faecium and Clostridium butyricum. The calves were assigned to the scouring or healthy group and then subdivided into pathogen-positive treated (n=8), pathogen-positive control (n=8), pathogen-negative treated (n=6), pathogen-negative control (n=6), healthy treated (n=6) and healthy control (n=8) groups. A single dose of the probiotic (3.0 g/100 kg body weight) was given to each calf in the treatment groups for 5 days. Blood samples were collected on the first day of scour occurrence (day 0) and on day 7. In the scouring calves, smaller peripheral leukocyte subpopulations and cytokine mRNA expression levels were noted on day 0. The numbers of CD3+ T cells; CD4+, CD8+ and WC1+ γδ T cell subsets; and CD14+, CD21+ and CD282+ (TLR2) cells were significantly increased in the scouring and healthy treated calves on day 7. Furthermore, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma mRNA expression was elevated in the peripheral leukocytes of the scouring and healthy treated calves on day 7. The scouring calves given the probiotic recovered on day 7. A significantly smaller number of peripheral leukocytes and lower cytokine mRNA expression level might be induced by scouring in calves. Repeated probiotic administration might stimulate cellular immunity and encourage recovery from scouring in pre-weaning Holstein calves. PMID:24451928

  5. Effect of human vascular endothelial growth factor gene transfer on endogenous vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA expression in a rat fibroblast and osteoblast culture model.

    PubMed

    Li, Ru; Li, Claire H; Nauth, Aaron; McKee, Michael D; Schemitsch, Emil H

    2010-09-01

    Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in promoting angiogenesis and osteogenesis during fracture repair. Our previous studies have shown that cell-based VEGF gene therapy enhances bone healing of a rabbit tibia segmental bone defect in vivo. The aim of this project was to examine the effect of exogenous human VEGF on the endogenous rat VEGF messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in a cell-based gene transfer model. Rat fibroblasts and osteoblasts were harvested from the dermal tissue and periosteum, respectively, of Fisher 344 rats. The cells were then cultured and transfected with pcDNA-human VEGF using Superfect reagent (Qiagen). Four experimental groups were created: 1) fibroblast-VEGF; 2) osteoblast-VEGF; 3) nontransfected fibroblast controls; and 4) nontransfected osteoblast controls. The cultured cells were harvested at 1, 3, and 7 days after the gene transfection. The total mRNA was extracted (Trizol; Invitrogen); both human VEGF and rat VEGF mRNA were measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and quantified by VisionWorksLS. The human VEGF165 mRNA was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction from transfected fibroblasts and osteoblasts at 1, 3, and 7 days after gene transfection. The human VEGF165 levels peaked at Day 1 and then gradually reduced expression in both transfected fibroblasts and osteoblasts. Two endogenous rat VEGF isoforms were detected in this cell culture model: rat VEGF120 and rat VEGF164. We compared the rat VEGF120 and rat VEGF164 expression level of the fibroblasts or osteoblasts that were transfected with human VEGF165, with nontransfected control cells. Both the transfected fibroblasts and osteoblasts showed greater expression of rat VEGF164 than nontransfected controls at Day 1 (peak level) and Day 3, but not at Day 7. The expression of rat VEGF120 was lower in transfected fibroblasts, but higher in transfected osteoblasts, than the relevant control groups at any time point

  6. Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay factor Upf2 exists in both the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm

    PubMed Central

    TATSUNO, TAKANORI; NAKAMURA, YUKA; MA, SHAOFU; TOMOSUGI, NAOHISA; ISHIGAKI, YASUHITO

    2016-01-01

    Upf2 protein predominantly localizes to the cytoplasmic fraction, and binds to the exon junction complex (EJC) on spliced mRNA. The present study aimed to determine the cellular site where the interaction between Upf2 and EJC occurs. First, the cell lysate was fractionated into the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm, and western blotting to detect levels of Upf2 protein was performed. Upf2 was clearly detected in the cytoplasm and in the nucleoplasm. Secondly, immunostaining was performed, and the majority of Upf2 was detected in the cytoplasmic perinuclear region; a small quantity of Upf2 was detected in the intranuclear region. RNase treatment of the cells reduced the Upf2 immunostained signal. The immune-purified fractions containing nuclear and cytoplasmic Upf2 also contained one of the EJC core factors, RBM8A. These results implied the existence of Upf2 in the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm, and it appeared to be involved in the construction of the mRNA complex. In order to verify the construction of Upf2-binding EJC in the nucleoplasm, an in situ proximity ligation assay was performed with anti-Upf2 and anti-RBM8A antibodies. These results demonstrated that their interaction occurred not only in the cytoplasmic region, but also in the intranuclear region. Taken together, these results suggested that Upf2 combines with EJC in both the cytoplasmic and the intranuclear fractions, and that it is involved in mRNA metabolism in human cells. PMID:27221324

  7. Effects of seawater acclimation on mRNA levels of corticosteroid receptor genes in osmoregulatory and immune systems in trout

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Yada, T.; Hyodo, S.; Schreck, C.B.

    2008-01-01

    Influence of environmental salinity on expression of distinct corticosteroid receptor (CR) genes, glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-1 and -2, and mineralcorticoid receptor (MR), was examined in osmoregulatory and hemopoietic organs and leucocytes of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). There was no significant difference in plasma cortisol levels between freshwater (FW)- or seawater (SW)-acclimated trout, whereas Na+, K+-ATPase was activated in gill of SW fish. Plasma lysozyme levels also showed a significant increase after acclimation to SW. In SW-acclimated fish, mRNA levels of GR-1, GR-2, and MR were significantly higher in gill and body kidney than those in FW. Head kidney and spleen showed no significant change in these CR mRNA levels after SW-acclimation. On the other hand, leucocytes isolated from head kidney and peripheral blood showed significant decreases in mRNA levels of CR in SW-acclimated fish. These results showed differential regulation of gene expression of CR between osmoregulatory and immune systems. ?? 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Role of the mRNA export factor Sus1 in oxidative stress tolerance in Candida albicans.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Chenpeng; Yu, Qilin; Zhang, Bing; Li, Jianrong; Zhang, Dan; Li, Mingchun

    2018-02-05

    In eukaryotes, the nuclear export of mRNAs is essential for gene expression. However, little is known about the role of mRNA nuclear export in the important fungal pathogen, Candida albicans. In this study, we identified C. albicans Sus1, a nucleus-localized protein that is required for mRNA export. Interestingly, the sus1Δ/Δ displayed hyper-sensitivity to extracellular oxidative stress, enhanced ROS accumulation and severe oxidative stress-related cell death. More strikingly, although the mutant exhibited normal activation of the expression of oxidative stress response (OSR) genes, it had attenuated activity of ROS scavenging system, which may be attributed to the defect in OSR mRNA export in this mutant. In addition, the virulence of the sus1Δ/Δ was seriously attenuated. Taken together, our findings provide evidence that the mRNA export factor Sus1 plays an important role in oxidative stress tolerance and pathogenesis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Correlation of mRNA and protein levels: Cell type-specific gene expression of cluster designation antigens in the prostate

    PubMed Central

    Pascal, Laura E; True, Lawrence D; Campbell, David S; Deutsch, Eric W; Risk, Michael; Coleman, Ilsa M; Eichner, Lillian J; Nelson, Peter S; Liu, Alvin Y

    2008-01-01

    Background: Expression levels of mRNA and protein by cell types exhibit a range of correlations for different genes. In this study, we compared levels of mRNA abundance for several cluster designation (CD) genes determined by gene arrays using magnetic sorted and laser-capture microdissected human prostate cells with levels of expression of the respective CD proteins determined by immunohistochemical staining in the major cell types of the prostate – basal epithelial, luminal epithelial, stromal fibromuscular, and endothelial – and for prostate precursor/stem cells and prostate carcinoma cells. Immunohistochemical stains of prostate tissues from more than 50 patients were scored for informative CD antigen expression and compared with cell-type specific transcriptomes. Results: Concordance between gene and protein expression findings based on 'present' vs. 'absent' calls ranged from 46 to 68%. Correlation of expression levels was poor to moderate (Pearson correlations ranged from 0 to 0.63). Divergence between the two data types was most frequently seen for genes whose array signals exceeded background (> 50) but lacked immunoreactivity by immunostaining. This could be due to multiple factors, e.g. low levels of protein expression, technological sensitivities, sample processing, probe set definition or anatomical origin of tissue and actual biological differences between transcript and protein abundance. Conclusion: Agreement between these two very different methodologies has great implications for their respective use in both molecular studies and clinical trials employing molecular biomarkers. PMID:18501003

  10. Vibrational force alters mRNA expression in osteoblasts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tjandrawinata, R. R.; Vincent, V. L.; Hughes-Fulford, M.

    1997-01-01

    Serum-deprived mouse osteoblastic (MC3T3E1) cells were subjected to a vibrational force modeled by NASA to simulate a space shuttle launch (7.83 G rms). The mRNA levels for eight genes were investigated to determine the effect of vibrational force on mRNA expression. The mRNA levels of two growth-related protooncogenes, c-fos and c-myc, were up-regulated significantly within 30 min after vibration, whereas those of osteocalcin as well as transforming growth factor-beta1 were decreased significantly within 3 h after vibration. No changes were detected in the levels of beta-actin, histone H4, or cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 after vibration. No basal levels of cyclooxygenase-2 expression were detected. In addition, the extracellular concentrations of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a potent autocrine/paracrine growth factor in bone, were not significantly altered after vibration most likely due to the serum deprivation state of the osteoblasts. In comparison with the gravitational launch profile, vibrational-induced changes in gene expression were greater both in magnitude and number of genes activated. Taken together, these data suggest that the changes in mRNA expression are due to a direct mechanical effect of the vibrational force on the osteoblast cells and not to changes in the local PGE2 concentrations. The finding that launch forces induce gene expression is of utmost importance since many of the biological experiments do not dampen vibrational loads on experimental samples. This lack of dampening of vibrational forces may partially explain why 1-G onboard controls sometimes do not reflect 1-G ground controls. These data may also suggest that scientists use extra ground controls that are exposed to launch forces, have these forces dampened on launched samples, or use facilities such as Biorack that provide an onboard 1-G centrufuge in order to control for space shuttle launch forces.

  11. Different Relationship between hsp70 mRNA and hsp70 Levels in the Heat Shock Response of Two Salmonids with Dissimilar Temperature Preference

    PubMed Central

    Lewis, Mario; Götting, Miriam; Anttila, Katja; Kanerva, Mirella; Prokkola, Jenni M.; Seppänen, Eila; Kolari, Irma; Nikinmaa, Mikko

    2016-01-01

    The heat shock response (HSR) refers to the rapid production of heat shock proteins (hsps) in response to a sudden increase in temperature. Its regulation by heat shock factors is a good example of how gene expression is transcriptionally regulated by environmental stresses. In contrast, little is known about post-transcriptional regulation of the response. The heat shock response is often used to characterize the temperature tolerance of species with the rationale that whenever the response sets on, a species is approaching its lethal temperature. It has commonly been considered that an increase in hsp mRNA gives an accurate indication that the same happens to the protein level, but this need not be the case. With climate change, understanding the effects of temperature on gene expression of especially polar organisms has become imperative to evaluate how both biodiversity and commercially important species respond, since temperature increases are expected to be largest in polar areas. Here we studied the HSR of two phylogenetically related Arctic species, which differ in their temperature tolerance with Arctic charr having lower maximally tolerated temperature than Atlantic salmon. Arctic charr acclimated to 15°C and exposed to 7°C temperature increase for 30 min showed both an increase in hsp70 mRNA and hsp70 whereas in salmon only hsp70 mRNA increased. Our results indicate that the temperature for transcriptional induction of hsp can be different from the one required for a measurable change in inducible hsp level. The species with lower temperature tolerance, Arctic charr, are experiencing temperature stress already at the higher acclimation temperature, 15°C, as their hsp70 mRNA and hsp70 levels were higher, and they grow less than fish at 8°C (whereas for salmon the opposite is true). Consequently, charr experience more drastic heat shock than salmon. Although further studies are needed to establish the temperature range and length of exposure where hsp

  12. Nucleolin Mediates MicroRNA-directed CSF-1 mRNA Deadenylation but Increases Translation of CSF-1 mRNA*

    PubMed Central

    Woo, Ho-Hyung; Baker, Terri; Laszlo, Csaba; Chambers, Setsuko K.

    2013-01-01

    CSF-1 mRNA 3′UTR contains multiple unique motifs, including a common microRNA (miRNA) target in close proximity to a noncanonical G-quadruplex and AU-rich elements (AREs). Using a luciferase reporter system fused to CSF-1 mRNA 3′UTR, disruption of the miRNA target region, G-quadruplex, and AREs together dramatically increased reporter RNA levels, suggesting important roles for these cis-acting regulatory elements in the down-regulation of CSF-1 mRNA. We find that nucleolin, which binds both G-quadruplex and AREs, enhances deadenylation of CSF-1 mRNA, promoting CSF-1 mRNA decay, while having the capacity to increase translation of CSF-1 mRNA. Through interaction with the CSF-1 3′UTR miRNA common target, we find that miR-130a and miR-301a inhibit CSF-1 expression by enhancing mRNA decay. Silencing of nucleolin prevents the miRNA-directed mRNA decay, indicating a requirement for nucleolin in miRNA activity on CSF-1 mRNA. Downstream effects followed by miR-130a and miR-301a inhibition of directed cellular motility of ovarian cancer cells were found to be dependent on nucleolin. The paradoxical effects of nucleolin on miRNA-directed CSF-1 mRNA deadenylation and on translational activation were explored further. The nucleolin protein contains four acidic stretches, four RNA recognition motifs (RRMs), and nine RGG repeats. All three domains in nucleolin regulate CSF-1 mRNA and protein levels. RRMs increase CSF-1 mRNA, whereas the acidic and RGG domains decrease CSF-1 protein levels. This suggests that nucleolin has the capacity to differentially regulate both CSF-1 RNA and protein levels. Our finding that nucleolin interacts with Ago2 indirectly via RNA and with poly(A)-binding protein C (PABPC) directly suggests a nucleolin-Ago2-PABPC complex formation on mRNA. This complex is in keeping with our suggestion that nucleolin may work with PABPC as a double-edged sword on both mRNA deadenylation and translational activation. Our findings underscore the complexity of

  13. Sequences within the 5' untranslated region regulate the levels of a kinetoplast DNA topoisomerase mRNA during the cell cycle.

    PubMed Central

    Pasion, S G; Hines, J C; Ou, X; Mahmood, R; Ray, D S

    1996-01-01

    Gene expression in trypanosomatids appears to be regulated largely at the posttranscriptional level and involves maturation of mRNA precursors by trans splicing of a 39-nucleotide miniexon sequence to the 5' end of the mRNA and cleavage and polyadenylation at the 3' end of the mRNA. To initiate the identification of sequences involved in the periodic expression of DNA replication genes in trypanosomatids, we have mapped splice acceptor sites in the 5' flanking region of the TOP2 gene, which encodes the kinetoplast DNA topoisomerase, and have carried out deletion analysis of this region on a plasmid-encoded TOP2 gene. Block deletions within the 5' untranslated region (UTR) identified two regions (-608 to -388 and -387 to -186) responsible for periodic accumulation of the mRNA. Deletion of one or the other of these sequences had no effect on periodic expression of the mRNA, while deletion of both regions resulted in constitutive expression of the mRNA throughout the cell cycle. Subcloning of these sequences into the 5' UTR of a construct lacking both regions of the TOP2 5' UTR has shown that an octamer consensus sequence present in the 5' UTR of the TOP2, RPA1, and DHFR-TS mRNAs is required for normal cycling of the TOP2 mRNA. Mutation of the consensus octamer sequence in the TOP2 5' UTR in a plasmid construct containing only a single consensus octamer and that shows normal cycling of the plasmid-encoded TOP2 mRNA resulted in substantial reduction of the cycling of the mRNA level. These results imply a negative regulation of TOP2 mRNA during the cell cycle by a mechanism involving redundant elements containing one or more copies of a conserved octamer sequence within the 5' UTR of TOP2 mRNA. PMID:8943327

  14. Sequences within the 5' untranslated region regulate the levels of a kinetoplast DNA topoisomerase mRNA during the cell cycle.

    PubMed

    Pasion, S G; Hines, J C; Ou, X; Mahmood, R; Ray, D S

    1996-12-01

    Gene expression in trypanosomatids appears to be regulated largely at the posttranscriptional level and involves maturation of mRNA precursors by trans splicing of a 39-nucleotide miniexon sequence to the 5' end of the mRNA and cleavage and polyadenylation at the 3' end of the mRNA. To initiate the identification of sequences involved in the periodic expression of DNA replication genes in trypanosomatids, we have mapped splice acceptor sites in the 5' flanking region of the TOP2 gene, which encodes the kinetoplast DNA topoisomerase, and have carried out deletion analysis of this region on a plasmid-encoded TOP2 gene. Block deletions within the 5' untranslated region (UTR) identified two regions (-608 to -388 and -387 to -186) responsible for periodic accumulation of the mRNA. Deletion of one or the other of these sequences had no effect on periodic expression of the mRNA, while deletion of both regions resulted in constitutive expression of the mRNA throughout the cell cycle. Subcloning of these sequences into the 5' UTR of a construct lacking both regions of the TOP2 5' UTR has shown that an octamer consensus sequence present in the 5' UTR of the TOP2, RPA1, and DHFR-TS mRNAs is required for normal cycling of the TOP2 mRNA. Mutation of the consensus octamer sequence in the TOP2 5' UTR in a plasmid construct containing only a single consensus octamer and that shows normal cycling of the plasmid-encoded TOP2 mRNA resulted in substantial reduction of the cycling of the mRNA level. These results imply a negative regulation of TOP2 mRNA during the cell cycle by a mechanism involving redundant elements containing one or more copies of a conserved octamer sequence within the 5' UTR of TOP2 mRNA.

  15. A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 mRNA and protein expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, as well as its clinicopathological factors and prognosis

    PubMed Central

    LIU, HONG-BIN; YANG, QI-CHANG; SHEN, YI; ZHU, YAN; ZHANG, XIAO-JUAN; CHEN, HAO

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to explore a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17) mRNA and protein expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and its association with clinicopathological factors and prognosis. Through semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, the ADAM17 mRNA expression in 50 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and corresponding normal esophageal mucosa were detected. Using streptavidin peroxidase conjugated immunohistochemistry, ADAM17 protein levels were detected in 80 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and corresponding normal esophageal mucosa. A log rank test and the Cox proportional hazards model were used for the esophageal cancer survival analysis. ADAM17 mRNA expression levels in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and corresponding normal esophageal mucosa were 0.937±0.241 and 0.225±0.077, respectively (P<0.01). ADAM17 mRNA expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was correlated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.01) and tumor, node and metastasis (TNM) staging (P<0.05), however, it was not correlated with gender, age or histological grade (P>0.05). ADAM17 protein expression rates in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and corresponding normal esophageal mucosa were 66.25 and 6.25% respectively, a difference that was statistically significant (P<0.01). In addition, ADAM17 protein expression in esophageal squamous cells was correlated with lymph node metastasis and TNM stage (P<0.05), while it was not correlated with gender, age or histological grade (P>0.05). ADAM17 protein expression and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) protein expression were positively correlated (P<0.01). Lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, ADAM17 and EGFR protein expression may be used as independent prognostic indicators of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (all P<0.05). ADAM17 mRNA and protein were highly expressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; they have important roles in invasion and

  16. Chronic periodontitis can affect the levels of potential oral cancer salivary mRNA biomarkers.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Y-S L; Jordan, L; Chen, H-S; Kang, D; Oxford, L; Plemons, J; Parks, H; Rees, T

    2017-06-01

    More than 100 salivary constituents have been found to show levels significantly different in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) from those found in healthy controls, and therefore have been suggested to be potential salivary biomarkers for OSCC detection. However, many of these potential OSCC salivary biomarkers are also involved in chronic inflammation, and whether the levels of these biomarkers could be affected by the presence of chronic periodontitis was not known. The objective of this pilot study was therefore to measure the levels of seven previously reported potential OSCC salivary mRNA biomarkers in patients with chronic periodontitis and compare them to levels found in patients with OSCC and healthy controls. The seven salivary mRNAs were interleukin (IL)-8, IL-1β, dual specificity phosphatase 1, H3 histone family 3A, ornithine decarboxylase antizyme 1, S100 calcium-binding protein P (S100P) and spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1. Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected from a total of 105 human subjects from the following four study groups: OSCC; CPNS (chronic periodontitis, moderate to severe degree, non-smokers); CPS (chronic periodontitis, moderate to severe degree, smokers); and healthy controls. Levels of each mRNA in patient groups (OSCC or chronic periodontitis) relative to the healthy controls were determined by a pre-amplification reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction approach with nested gene-specific primers. Results were recorded and analyzed by the Bio-Rad CFX96 Real-Time System. Mean fold changes between each pair of patient vs. control groups were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U-test with Bonferroni corrections. Only S100P showed significantly higher levels in patients with OSCC compared to both patients with CPNS (p = 0.003) and CPS (p = 0.007). The difference in S100P levels between patients with OSCC and healthy controls was also marginally significant (p = 0.009). There was no

  17. Nitric Oxide Increases the Decay of Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 mRNA by Inhibiting the Expression of mRNA-Stabilizing Factor HuR

    PubMed Central

    Akool, El-Sayed; Kleinert, Hartmut; Hamada, Farid M. A.; Abdelwahab, Mohamed H.; Förstermann, Ulrich; Pfeilschifter, Josef; Eberhardt, Wolfgang

    2003-01-01

    Dysregulation of extracellular matrix turnover is an important feature of many inflammatory processes. Rat renal mesangial cells express high levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in response to inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta. We demonstrate that NO does strongly destabilize MMP-9 mRNA, since different luciferase reporter gene constructs containing the MMP-9 3′ untranslated region (UTR) displayed significant reduced luciferase activity in response to the presence of NO. Moreover, by use of an in vitro degradation assay we found that the cytoplasmic fractions of NO-treated cells contained a higher capacity to degrade MMP-9 transcripts than those obtained from control cells. An RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that three of four putative AU-rich elements present in the 3′ UTR of MMP-9 were constitutively occupied by the mRNA-stabilizing factor HuR and that the RNA binding was strongly attenuated by the presence of NO. The addition of recombinant glutathione transferase-HuR prevented the rapid decay of MMP-9 mRNA, whereas the addition of a neutralizing anti-HuR antibody caused an acceleration of MMP-9 mRNA degradation. Furthermore, the expression of HuR mRNA and protein was significantly reduced by exogenously and endogenously produced NO. These inhibitory effects were mimicked by the cGMP analog 8-bromo-cGMP and reversed by LY-83583, an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase. These results demonstrate that NO acts in a cGMP-dependent mechanism to inhibit the expression level of HuR, thereby reducing the stability of MMP-9 mRNA. PMID:12832476

  18. Effect of electroacupuncture on brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression in mouse hippocampus following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jianxin; Xu, Huazhou; Tian, Yuanxiang; Hu, Manxiang; Xiao, Hongling

    2013-04-01

    This work aims to observe the effects of electroacupuncture on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression in mouse hippocampus following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. The models of mouse cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury were established. A total of 96 healthy mice were randomly assigned into 4 groups, namely, the sham surgery, model, model + electroacupuncture, and mode + hydergine groups. Mice in the model + electroacupuncture group were treated through electroacupuncture at the Shenshu (BL 23), Geshu (BL 17), and Baihui (GV 20) acupoints. Mice in the model+hydergine group were intragastrically administered with hydergine (0.77 mg/kg(-1) x day(-1)). The levels of BDNF mRNA expressions in the hippocampus were ana lyzed through a semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay on days 1 and 7 after the surgeries. BDNF mRNA expressions in the mouse hippocampus of the model group on days 1 and 7 after the surgery were higher than those of the sham surgery group (both P < 0.01). On days 1 and 7 of the electroacupuncture treatment, BDNF mRNA expression in the mouse hippocampus of the model + electroacupuncture group was significantly elevated compared with the model group (both P < 0.01) or the model + hydergine group (both P < 0.01). On days 1 and 7 of the hydergine treatment, BDNF mRNA expression in the mouse hippocampus of the model + hydergine group tended to increase compared with the model group; however, statistical significance was not achieved (both P > 0.05). Electroacupuncture treatment enhances endogenous BDNF expression, which may improve the survival environment for intracerebral neurons and inhibit the apoptosis of hippocampal cells.

  19. Comparison of mRNA levels of three ethylene receptors in senescing flowers of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.).

    PubMed

    Shibuya, Kenichi; Nagata, Masayasu; Tanikawa, Natsu; Yoshioka, Toshihito; Hashiba, Teruyoshi; Satoh, Shigeru

    2002-03-01

    Three ethylene receptor genes, DC-ERS1, DC-ERS2 and DC-ETR1, were previously identified in carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.). Here, the presence of mRNAs for respective genes in flower tissues and their changes during flower senescence are investigated by Northern blot analysis. DC-ERS2 and DC-ETR1 mRNAs were present in considerable amounts in petals, ovaries and styles of the flower at the full-opening stage. In the petals the level of DC-ERS2 mRNA showed a decreasing trend toward the late stage of flower senescence, whereas it increased slightly in ovaries and was unchanged in styles throughout the senescence period. However, DC-ETR1 mRNA showed no or little changes in any of the tissues during senescence. Exogenously applied ethylene did not affect the levels of DC-ERS2 and DC-ETR1 mRNAs in petals. Ethylene production in the flowers was blocked by treatment with 1,1-dimethyl-4-(phenylsulphonyl)semicarbazide (DPSS), but the mRNA levels for DC-ERS2 and DC-ETR1 decreased in the petals. DC-ERS1 mRNA was not detected in any cases. These results indicate that DC-ERS2 and DC-ETR1 are ethylene receptor genes responsible for ethylene perception and that their expression is regulated in a tissue-specific manner and independently of ethylene in carnation flowers during senescence.

  20. Wastewater treatment plant effluent alters pituitary gland gonadotropin mRNA levels in juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch).

    PubMed

    Harding, Louisa B; Schultz, Irvin R; da Silva, Denis A M; Ylitalo, Gina M; Ragsdale, Dave; Harris, Stephanie I; Bailey, Stephanie; Pepich, Barry V; Swanson, Penny

    2016-09-01

    It is well known that endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) present in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents interfere with reproduction in fish, including altered gonad development and induction of vitellogenin (Vtg), a female-specific egg yolk protein precursor produced in the liver. As a result, studies have focused on the effects of EDC exposure on the gonad and liver. However, impacts of environmental EDC exposure at higher levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad axis are less well understood. The pituitary gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (Fsh) and luteinizing hormone (Lh) are involved in all aspects of gonad development and are subject to feedback from gonadal steroids making them a likely target of endocrine disruption. In this study, the effects of WWTP effluent exposure on pituitary gonadotropin mRNA expression were investigated to assess the utility of Lh beta-subunit (lhb) as a biomarker of estrogen exposure in juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). First, a controlled 72-h exposure to 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) and 17β-trenbolone (TREN) was performed to evaluate the response of juvenile coho salmon to EDC exposure. Second, juvenile coho salmon were exposed to 0, 20 or 100% effluent from eight WWTPs from the Puget Sound, WA region for 72h. Juvenile coho salmon exposed to 2 and 10ng EE2L(-1) had 17-fold and 215-fold higher lhb mRNA levels relative to control fish. Hepatic vtg mRNA levels were dramatically increased 6670-fold, but only in response to 10ng EE2L(-1) and Fsh beta-subunit (fshb) mRNA levels were not altered by any of the treatments. In the WWTP effluent exposures, lhb mRNA levels were significantly elevated in fish exposed to five of the WWTP effluents. In contrast, transcript levels of vtg were not affected by any of the WWTP effluent exposures. Mean levels of natural and synthetic estrogens in fish bile were consistent with pituitary lhb expression, suggesting that the observed lhb induction may be due to

  1. Dietary fatty acids regulate hepatic low density lipoprotein (LDL) transport by altering LDL receptor protein and mRNA levels.

    PubMed Central

    Horton, J D; Cuthbert, J A; Spady, D K

    1993-01-01

    The concentration of LDL in plasma is strongly influenced by the amount and the type of lipid in the diet. Recent studies in the hamster have shown that dietary fatty acids differentially affect circulating LDL levels primarily by altering receptor-dependent LDL uptake in the liver. To investigate the mechanistic basis of this effect, rates of receptor-dependent LDL transport in the liver were correlated with LDL receptor protein and mRNA levels in hamsters fed safflower oil or coconut oil and varying amounts of cholesterol. Hepatic LDL receptor activity was significantly lower in animals fed coconut oil than in animals fed safflower oil at all levels of cholesterol intake (26, 53, and 61% lower at cholesterol intakes of 0, 0.06, and 0.12%, respectively). These fatty acid-induced changes in hepatic LDL receptor activity were accompanied by parallel changes in hepatic LDL receptor protein and mRNA levels, suggesting that dietary fatty acids regulate the LDL receptor pathway largely at the mRNA level. Images PMID:8349814

  2. Cytokine dysregulation in AIDS: in vivo overexpression of mRNA of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and its correlation with that of the inflammatory cytokine GRO.

    PubMed

    Dezube, B J; Pardee, A B; Beckett, L A; Ahlers, C M; Ecto, L; Allen-Ryan, J; Anisowicz, A; Sager, R; Crumpacker, C S

    1992-01-01

    The human immunodeficiency virus establishes an intimate interaction with the immune system. The virus can use cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 (Il-1), to regulate its own expression by modifying the normal immunoregulatory network. We demonstrate that mRNA of the cytokine TNF-alpha from peripheral blood mononuclear cells is overexpressed in virtually all patients with AIDS who do not have active opportunistic infections compared with uninfected volunteers (p < 0.0001). This overexpression correlates with elevated mRNA levels of the recently discovered GRO (p < 0.05), a cytokine involved in the inflammatory response.

  3. Maternal plasma levels of cell-free β-HCG mRNA as a prenatal diagnostic indicator of placenta accrete.

    PubMed

    Zhou, J; Li, J; Yan, P; Ye, Y H; Peng, W; Wang, S; Wang, X Tong

    2014-09-01

    Several biomarkers, including maternal serum creatinine kinase and α-fetoprotein, have been described as potential tools for the diagnosis of placental abnormalities. This study aimed to determine whether maternal plasma mRNA levels of the β subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) could predict placenta accreta prenatally. Sixty-eight singleton pregnant women with prior cesarean deliveries (CDs) were classified into three groups: normal placentation (35 women, control group); placenta previa alone (21 women, placenta previa group); and both placenta previa and placenta accreta (12 women, placenta previa/accreta group). Maternal plasma concentrations of cell-free β-HCG mRNA were measured by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and were expressed as multiples of the median (MoM). Cell-free β-HCG mRNA concentrations (MoM, range) were significantly higher in women with placenta accreta (3.65, 2.78-7.19) than in women with placenta previa (0.94, 0.00-2.97) or normal placentation (1.00, 0.00-2.69) (Steel-Dwass test, P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively). In the placenta previa/accreta group, the concentration of cell-free β-HCG mRNA was significantly higher among women who underwent CDs with hysterectomy (4.41, 3.49-7.19) than among women whose CDs did not result in hysterectomy (3.20, 2.78-3.70) (Mann-Whitney U test, P = 0.012). An increased level of cell-free β-HCG mRNA in the maternal plasma of women with placenta accreta may arise from direct uteroplacental transfer of cell-free placental mRNA molecules. The concentration of cell-free β-HCG mRNA in maternal plasma may be applicable to the prenatal diagnosis of placenta accreta, especially to identify women with placenta accreta likely to require hysterectomy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. TSHB mRNA is linked to cholesterol metabolism in adipose tissue.

    PubMed

    Moreno-Navarrete, José María; Moreno, María; Ortega, Francisco; Xifra, Gemma; Hong, Shangyu; Asara, John M; Serrano, José C E; Jové, Mariona; Pissios, Pavlos; Blüher, Matthias; Ricart, Wifredo; Portero-Otin, Manuel; Fernández-Real, José Manuel

    2017-10-01

    Subclinical hypothyroidism is known to be associated with increased serum cholesterol. Since thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) exerts an inductor effect on cholesterol biosynthesis, we aimed to investigate the relationship between TSH mRNA and cholesterol metabolism in human adipose tissue (AT). Cross-sectionally, AT TSH-β ( TSHB ) mRNA was evaluated in 4 independent cohorts in association with serum total and LDL cholesterol, and AT lipidomics. Longitudinally, the effects of statins and of diet and exercise on AT TSHB mRNA were also examined. The bidirectional relationship between cholesterol and TSHB were studied in isolated human adipocytes. TSHB mRNA was consistently detected in AT from euthyroid subjects, and positively associated with serum total- and LDL-cholesterol, and with AT-specific cholesterol metabolism-associated lipids [arachidonoyl cholesteryl ester, C8-dihydroceramide, N -stearoyl-d-sphingosine, and GlcCer(18:0, 24:1)]. Reduction of cholesterol with statins and with diet and exercise interventions led to decreased TSHB mRNA in human AT, whereas excess cholesterol up-regulated TSHB mRNA in human adipocytes. In addition, recombinant human TSH α/β administration resulted in increased HMGCR mRNA levels in human adipocytes. In mice, subcutaneous AT Tshb expression levels correlated directly with circulating cholesterol levels. In summary, current results provide novel evidence of TSHB as a paracrine factor that is modulated in parallel with cholesterol metabolism in human AT.-Moreno-Navarrete, J. M., Moreno, M., Ortega, F., Xifra, G., Hong, S., Asara, J. M., Serrano, J. C. E., Jové, M., Pissios, P., Blüher, M., Ricart, W., Portero-Otin, M., Fernández-Real, J. M. TSHB mRNA is linked to cholesterol metabolism in adipose tissue. © FASEB.

  5. The decapping activator Edc3 and the Q/N-rich domain of Lsm4 function together to enhance mRNA stability and alter mRNA decay pathway dependence in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Huch, Susanne; Müller, Maren; Muppavarapu, Mridula; Gommlich, Jessie; Balagopal, Vidya; Nissan, Tracy

    2016-10-15

    The rate and regulation of mRNA decay are major elements in the proper control of gene expression. Edc3 and Lsm4 are two decapping activator proteins that have previously been shown to function in the assembly of RNA granules termed P bodies. Here, we show that deletion of edc3, when combined with a removal of the glutamine/asparagine rich region of Lsm4 (edc3Δ lsm4ΔC) reduces mRNA stability and alters pathways of mRNA degradation. Multiple tested mRNAs exhibited reduced stability in the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant. The destabilization was linked to an increased dependence on Ccr4-mediated deadenylation and mRNA decapping. Unlike characterized mutations in decapping factors that either are neutral or are able to stabilize mRNA, the combined edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant reduced mRNA stability. We characterized the growth and activity of the major mRNA decay systems and translation in double mutant and wild-type yeast. In the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant, we observed alterations in the levels of specific mRNA decay factors as well as nuclear accumulation of the catalytic subunit of the decapping enzyme Dcp2. Hence, we suggest that the effects on mRNA stability in the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant may originate from mRNA decay protein abundance or changes in mRNPs, or alternatively may imply a role for P bodies in mRNA stabilization. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  6. The decapping activator Edc3 and the Q/N-rich domain of Lsm4 function together to enhance mRNA stability and alter mRNA decay pathway dependence in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Huch, Susanne; Müller, Maren; Muppavarapu, Mridula; Gommlich, Jessie; Balagopal, Vidya; Nissan, Tracy

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT The rate and regulation of mRNA decay are major elements in the proper control of gene expression. Edc3 and Lsm4 are two decapping activator proteins that have previously been shown to function in the assembly of RNA granules termed P bodies. Here, we show that deletion of edc3, when combined with a removal of the glutamine/asparagine rich region of Lsm4 (edc3Δ lsm4ΔC) reduces mRNA stability and alters pathways of mRNA degradation. Multiple tested mRNAs exhibited reduced stability in the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant. The destabilization was linked to an increased dependence on Ccr4-mediated deadenylation and mRNA decapping. Unlike characterized mutations in decapping factors that either are neutral or are able to stabilize mRNA, the combined edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant reduced mRNA stability. We characterized the growth and activity of the major mRNA decay systems and translation in double mutant and wild-type yeast. In the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant, we observed alterations in the levels of specific mRNA decay factors as well as nuclear accumulation of the catalytic subunit of the decapping enzyme Dcp2. Hence, we suggest that the effects on mRNA stability in the edc3Δ lsm4ΔC mutant may originate from mRNA decay protein abundance or changes in mRNPs, or alternatively may imply a role for P bodies in mRNA stabilization. PMID:27543059

  7. Intake of branched-chain amino acids influences the levels of MAFbx mRNA and MuRF-1 total protein in resting and exercising human muscle.

    PubMed

    Borgenvik, Marcus; Apró, William; Blomstrand, Eva

    2012-03-01

    Resistance exercise and amino acids are two major factors that influence muscle protein turnover. Here, we examined the effects of resistance exercise and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), individually and in combination, on the expression of anabolic and catabolic genes in human skeletal muscle. Seven subjects performed two sessions of unilateral leg press exercise with randomized supplementation with BCAA or flavored water. Biopsies were collected from the vastus lateralis muscle of both the resting and exercising legs before and repeatedly after exercise to determine levels of mRNA, protein phosphorylation, and amino acid concentrations. Intake of BCAA reduced (P < 0.05) MAFbx mRNA by 30 and 50% in the resting and exercising legs, respectively. The level of MuRF-1 mRNA was elevated (P < 0.05) in the exercising leg two- and threefold under the placebo and BCAA conditions, respectively, whereas MuRF-1 total protein increased by 20% (P < 0.05) only in the placebo condition. Phosphorylation of p70(S6k) increased to a larger extent (∼2-fold; P < 0.05) in the early recovery period with BCAA supplementation, whereas the expression of genes regulating mTOR activity was not influenced by BCAA. Muscle levels of phenylalanine and tyrosine were reduced (13-17%) throughout recovery (P < 0.05) in the placebo condition and to a greater extent (32-43%; P < 0.05) following BCAA supplementation in both resting and exercising muscle. In conclusion, BCAA ingestion reduced MAFbx mRNA and prevented the exercise-induced increase in MuRF-1 total protein in both resting and exercising leg. Further-more, resistance exercise differently influenced MAFbx and MuRF-1 mRNA expression, suggesting both common and divergent regulation of these two ubiquitin ligases.

  8. Cell type-specific regulation of beta2-adrenoceptor mRNA by agonists.

    PubMed

    Danner, S; Lohse, M J

    1997-07-16

    Prolonged agonist stimulation of beta2-adrenoceptors results in receptor down-regulation which is often paralleled by a reduction of the corresponding mRNA. In this study, we investigated the agonist-dependent regulation of beta2-adrenoceptor mRNA in DDT1-MF2 smooth muscle cells and C6 glioma cells. In DDT1-MF2 cells the half-life of the mRNA was 12 h in monolayer compared to 2 h in suspension cultures. Under both conditions, the agonist isoproterenol reduced this half-life by a factor of 2. In contrast, in C6 glioma cells isoproterenol had no effect on the mRNA stability, even though it reduced mRNA levels by approximately 50%. Isoproterenol-induced downregulation of beta2-adrenoceptor mRNA was completely blocked in C6 cells by the presence of a protein synthesis inhibitor, while this was not so in DDT1-MF2-cells. These data show that beta2-adrenoceptor downregulation occurs via cell-type specific mechanisms.

  9. Changes in liver PPARalpha mRNA expression in response to two levels of high-safflower-oil diets correlate with changes in adiposity and serum leptin in rats and mice.

    PubMed

    Hsu, Shan-Ching; Huang, Ching-jang

    2007-02-01

    The ligand-dependent transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) is known to be activated by common fatty acids and to regulate the expression of genes of various lipid oxidation pathways and transport. High-fat diets provide more fatty acids, which presumably could enhance lipid catabolism through up-regulation of PPARalpha signaling. However, high intake of fat could also lead to obesity. To examine PPARalpha signaling in high-fat feeding and obesity, this study examined the hepatic mRNA expression of PPARalpha and some of its target genes in Wistar rats and C57BL/6J mice fed two levels (20% or 30% wt/wt) of high-safflower-oil (SFO; oleic-acid-rich) diets until animals showed significantly higher body weight (13 weeks for rats and 22 weeks for mice) than those of control groups fed a 5% SFO diet. At the end of these respective feeding periods, only the rats fed 30% SFO and the mice fed 20% SFO among the two groups fed high-fat diets showed significantly higher body weight, white adipose tissue weight, serum leptin and mRNA expression of PPARalpha (P<.05) compared to the respective control groups. Despite elevated acyl-CoA (a PPARalpha target gene) protein and activity in both groups fed high-fat diets, the mRNA expression level of most PPARalpha target genes examined correlated mainly to PPARalpha mRNA levels and not to fat intake or liver lipid levels. The observation that the liver PPARalpha mRNA expression in groups fed high-fat diets was significantly higher only in obese animals with elevated serum leptin implied that obesity and associated hyperleptinemia might have a stronger impact than dietary SFO intake per se on PPARalpha-regulated mRNA expression in the liver.

  10. Prolonged treatment with imatinib mesylate in patients with advanced chronic myeloid leukemia causes a reduction of bcr/abl mRNA levels independent of cytogenetic response.

    PubMed

    Cariani, E; Capucci, M; Micheletti, M; Spalenza, F; Zanella, I; Albertini, A; Rossi, G

    2003-06-01

    Bcr/abl mRNA levels were monitored in 13 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia receiving imatinib mesylate over a period of 78 weeks. During treatment median bcr/abl mRNA levels progressively declined from 77.2 normalized dose (nD) at baseline to 11.28 nD after 13 weeks ( P<0.05) and to 1.28 nD after 78 weeks ( P<0.05). After 13 weeks, bcr/abl mRNA levels were significantly lower in cytogenetic responders compared to nonresponders ( P<0.05), but subsequent decrease in the transcript levels caused the loss of any correlation to the cytogenetic status. These results suggest that bcr/abl mRNA levels may reflect cytogenetic response only during the early phases of imatinib therapy.

  11. Replenishment of RANTES mRNA expression in activated eosinophils fromatopic asthmatics

    PubMed Central

    Velazquez, J R; Lacy, P; Moqbel, R

    2000-01-01

    Eosinophils have been shown to express the gene encoding regulated upon activation, normal T‐cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), a potent eosinophilotactic chemokine. RANTES protein expression in eosinophils has previously been shown to be up‐regulated by a number of agonists, including complement‐dependent factors (C3b/iC3b) and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ). We hypothesized that gene expression of RANTES is regulated in these cells by eosinophil‐specific agonists. We analysed RANTES mRNA expression by reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) in human peripheral blood eosinophils obtained from mild atopic asthmatics following stimulation over time. In resting eosinophils, a low level of RANTES mRNA was found to be constitutively expressed in all the atopic donors tested in this study (n = 6). Following stimulation with C3b/iC3b (serum‐coated surfaces), eosinophils released measurable levels of RANTES, while sustained transcript expression was detected for up to 24 hr of stimulation. In contrast, IFN‐γ (5 ng/ml) transiently and significantly (P < 0·05, n = 3) depleted relative amounts of RANTES PCR product (compared with β2‐microglobulin) after 1–4 hr of stimulation. RANTES transcript was again detectable after 24 hr of IFN‐γ incubation, suggesting that the pool of RANTES mRNA had been replenished. Other eosinophil‐active cytokines, interleukin‐3 (IL‐3), IL‐4, IL‐5 and granulocyte–macrophage colony‐stimulating factor, did not appear to modulate RANTES mRNA expression after 1 hr of incubation. The effect of IFN‐γ on RANTES mRNA was reversed by cycloheximide, suggesting that IFN‐γ may act by increasing the rate of translation of RANTES mRNA. These findings indicate that IFN‐γ may induce a rapid and transient effect on the translation and replenishment of RANTES mRNA in eosinophils. This novel observation supports the notion that eosinophils have the potential to replenish their stored and released

  12. TNF-α messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

    PubMed

    Alaaeddine, Nada; Sidaoui, Joseph; Hilal, George; Serhal, Reem; Abedelrahman, Abir; Khoury, Salem

    2012-01-01

    tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). A few studies have confirmed high TNF-α plasma protein levels in patients with NASH compared to healthy volunteers. We herein aimed to revisit these findings using other molecular techniques. a cross-sectional evaluation of patients newly diagnosed with NASH. A quantitative assay for the measurement of TNF-α messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) was performed for NASH patients and controls using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). in 39 patients with NASH (mean age 38.6 ± 9.4 years, range 28-60 years; 79% males), the mean TNF-α mRNA level was significantly higher than that found for controls (137.6 ± 102.3 ng/mL versus 83.5 ± 43.8 ng/mL, respectively; P = 0.012). A TNF-α mRNA cut-off of 100 ng/mL predicted NASH most optimally (AUC 0.685 ± 0.066, P = 0.01; with 66.7% sensitivity and 74.1% specificity). Serum TNF-α and soluble TNF-α receptor II (sTNFRII) levels were significantly higher in patients compared to controls using ELISA. high TNF-α mRNA levels, determined by RT-PCR, characterize patients with NASH.

  13. Effects of environmental stress on mRNA expression levels of seven genes related to oxidative stress and growth in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. of farmed, hybrid and wild origin.

    PubMed

    Solberg, Monica F; Kvamme, Bjørn Olav; Nilsen, Frank; Glover, Kevin A

    2012-12-05

    Ten generations of domestication selection has caused farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. to deviate from wild salmon in a range of traits. Each year hundreds of thousands of farmed salmon escape into the wild. Thus, interbreeding between farmed escapees and wild conspecifics represents a significant threat to the genetic integrity of wild salmon populations. In a previous study we demonstrated how domestication has inadvertently selected for reduced responsiveness to stress in farmed salmon. To complement that study, we have evaluated the expression of seven stress-related genes in head kidney of salmon of farmed, hybrid and wild origin exposed to environmentally induced stress. In general, the crowding stressor used to induce environmental stress did not have a strong impact on mRNA expression levels of the seven genes, except for insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) that was downregulated in the stress treatment relative to the control treatment. mRNA expression levels of glutathione reductase (GR), Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD), Mn superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GP) and IGF-1 were affected by genetic origin, thus expressed significantly different between the salmon of farmed, hybrid or wild origin. A positive relationship was detected between body size of wild salmon and mRNA expression level of the IGF-1 gene, in both environments. No such relationship was observed for the hybrid or farmed salmon. Farmed salmon in this study displayed significantly elevated mRNA levels of the IGF-1 gene relative to the wild salmon, in both treatments, while hybrids displayed a non additive pattern of inheritance. As IGF-1 mRNA levels are positively correlated to growth rate, the observed positive relationship between body size and IGF-1 mRNA levels detected in the wild but neither in the farmed nor the hybrid salmon, could indicate that growth selection has increased IGF-1 levels in farmed salmon to the extent that they may not be limiting

  14. Effects of environmental stress on mRNA expression levels of seven genes related to oxidative stress and growth in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. of farmed, hybrid and wild origin

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Ten generations of domestication selection has caused farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. to deviate from wild salmon in a range of traits. Each year hundreds of thousands of farmed salmon escape into the wild. Thus, interbreeding between farmed escapees and wild conspecifics represents a significant threat to the genetic integrity of wild salmon populations. In a previous study we demonstrated how domestication has inadvertently selected for reduced responsiveness to stress in farmed salmon. To complement that study, we have evaluated the expression of seven stress-related genes in head kidney of salmon of farmed, hybrid and wild origin exposed to environmentally induced stress. Results In general, the crowding stressor used to induce environmental stress did not have a strong impact on mRNA expression levels of the seven genes, except for insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) that was downregulated in the stress treatment relative to the control treatment. mRNA expression levels of glutathione reductase (GR), Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD), Mn superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GP) and IGF-1 were affected by genetic origin, thus expressed significantly different between the salmon of farmed, hybrid or wild origin. A positive relationship was detected between body size of wild salmon and mRNA expression level of the IGF-1 gene, in both environments. No such relationship was observed for the hybrid or farmed salmon. Conclusion Farmed salmon in this study displayed significantly elevated mRNA levels of the IGF-1 gene relative to the wild salmon, in both treatments, while hybrids displayed a non additive pattern of inheritance. As IGF-1 mRNA levels are positively correlated to growth rate, the observed positive relationship between body size and IGF-1 mRNA levels detected in the wild but neither in the farmed nor the hybrid salmon, could indicate that growth selection has increased IGF-1 levels in farmed salmon to the extent

  15. RNase MRP cleaves the CLB2 mRNA to promote cell cycle progression: novel method of mRNA degradation.

    PubMed

    Gill, Tina; Cai, Ti; Aulds, Jason; Wierzbicki, Sara; Schmitt, Mark E

    2004-02-01

    RNase mitochondrial RNA processing (RNase MRP) mutants have been shown to have an exit-from-mitosis defect that is caused by an increase in CLB2 mRNA levels, leading to increased Clb2p (B-cyclin) levels and a resulting late anaphase delay. Here we describe the molecular defect behind this delay. CLB2 mRNA normally disappears rapidly as cells complete mitosis, but the level remains high in RNase MRP mutants. This is in direct contrast to other exit-from-mitosis mutants and is the result of an increase in CLB2 mRNA stability. We found that highly purified RNase MRP cleaved the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of the CLB2 mRNA in several places in an in vitro assay. In vivo, we identified RNase MRP-dependent cleavage products on the CLB2 mRNA that closely matched in vitro products. Disposal of these products was dependent on the 5'-->3' exoribonuclease Xrn1 and not the exosome. Our results demonstrate that the endoribonuclease RNase MRP specifically cleaves the CLB2 mRNA in its 5'-UTR to allow rapid 5' to 3' degradation by the Xrn1 nuclease. Degradation of the CLB2 mRNA by the RNase MRP endonuclease provides a novel way to regulate the cell cycle that complements the protein degradation machinery. In addition, these results denote a new mechanism of mRNA degradation not seen before in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

  16. Lysophosphatidic acid receptor mRNA levels in heart and white adipose tissue are associated with obesity in mice and humans.

    PubMed

    Brown, Amy; Hossain, Intekhab; Perez, Lester J; Nzirorera, Carine; Tozer, Kathleen; D'Souza, Kenneth; Trivedi, Purvi C; Aguiar, Christie; Yip, Alexandra M; Shea, Jennifer; Brunt, Keith R; Legare, Jean-Francois; Hassan, Ansar; Pulinilkunnil, Thomas; Kienesberger, Petra C

    2017-01-01

    Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor signaling has been implicated in cardiovascular and obesity-related metabolic disease. However, the distribution and regulation of LPA receptors in the myocardium and adipose tissue remain unclear. This study aimed to characterize the mRNA expression of LPA receptors (LPA1-6) in the murine and human myocardium and adipose tissue, and its regulation in response to obesity. LPA receptor mRNA levels were determined by qPCR in i) heart ventricles, isolated cardiomyocytes, and perigonadal adipose tissue from chow or high fat-high sucrose (HFHS)-fed male C57BL/6 mice, ii) 3T3-L1 adipocytes and HL-1 cardiomyocytes under conditions mimicking gluco/lipotoxicity, and iii) human atrial and subcutaneous adipose tissue from non-obese, pre-obese, and obese cardiac surgery patients. LPA1-6 were expressed in myocardium and white adipose tissue from mice and humans, except for LPA3, which was undetectable in murine adipocytes and human adipose tissue. Obesity was associated with increased LPA4, LPA5 and/or LPA6 levels in mice ventricles and cardiomyocytes, HL-1 cells exposed to high palmitate, and human atrial tissue. LPA4 and LPA5 mRNA levels in human atrial tissue correlated with measures of obesity. LPA5 mRNA levels were increased in HFHS-fed mice and insulin resistant adipocytes, yet were reduced in adipose tissue from obese patients. LPA4, LPA5, and LPA6 mRNA levels in human adipose tissue were negatively associated with measures of obesity and cardiac surgery outcomes. This study suggests that obesity leads to marked changes in LPA receptor expression in the murine and human heart and white adipose tissue that may alter LPA receptor signaling during obesity.

  17. Lysophosphatidic acid receptor mRNA levels in heart and white adipose tissue are associated with obesity in mice and humans

    PubMed Central

    Perez, Lester J.; Nzirorera, Carine; Tozer, Kathleen; D’Souza, Kenneth; Trivedi, Purvi C.; Aguiar, Christie; Yip, Alexandra M.; Shea, Jennifer; Brunt, Keith R.; Legare, Jean-Francois; Hassan, Ansar; Pulinilkunnil, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    Background Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor signaling has been implicated in cardiovascular and obesity-related metabolic disease. However, the distribution and regulation of LPA receptors in the myocardium and adipose tissue remain unclear. Objectives This study aimed to characterize the mRNA expression of LPA receptors (LPA1-6) in the murine and human myocardium and adipose tissue, and its regulation in response to obesity. Methods LPA receptor mRNA levels were determined by qPCR in i) heart ventricles, isolated cardiomyocytes, and perigonadal adipose tissue from chow or high fat-high sucrose (HFHS)-fed male C57BL/6 mice, ii) 3T3-L1 adipocytes and HL-1 cardiomyocytes under conditions mimicking gluco/lipotoxicity, and iii) human atrial and subcutaneous adipose tissue from non-obese, pre-obese, and obese cardiac surgery patients. Results LPA1-6 were expressed in myocardium and white adipose tissue from mice and humans, except for LPA3, which was undetectable in murine adipocytes and human adipose tissue. Obesity was associated with increased LPA4, LPA5 and/or LPA6 levels in mice ventricles and cardiomyocytes, HL-1 cells exposed to high palmitate, and human atrial tissue. LPA4 and LPA5 mRNA levels in human atrial tissue correlated with measures of obesity. LPA5 mRNA levels were increased in HFHS-fed mice and insulin resistant adipocytes, yet were reduced in adipose tissue from obese patients. LPA4, LPA5, and LPA6 mRNA levels in human adipose tissue were negatively associated with measures of obesity and cardiac surgery outcomes. This study suggests that obesity leads to marked changes in LPA receptor expression in the murine and human heart and white adipose tissue that may alter LPA receptor signaling during obesity. PMID:29236751

  18. New insights into the interplay between the translation machinery and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay factors.

    PubMed

    Raimondeau, Etienne; Bufton, Joshua C; Schaffitzel, Christiane

    2018-06-19

    Faulty mRNAs with a premature stop codon (PTC) are recognized and degraded by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). Recognition of a nonsense mRNA depends on translation and on the presence of NMD-enhancing or the absence of NMD-inhibiting factors in the 3'-untranslated region. Our review summarizes our current understanding of the molecular function of the conserved NMD factors UPF3B and UPF1, and of the anti-NMD factor Poly(A)-binding protein, and their interactions with ribosomes translating PTC-containing mRNAs. Our recent discovery that UPF3B interferes with human translation termination and enhances ribosome dissociation in vitro , whereas UPF1 is inactive in these assays, suggests a re-interpretation of previous experiments and modification of prevalent NMD models. Moreover, we discuss recent work suggesting new functions of the key NMD factor UPF1 in ribosome recycling, inhibition of translation re-initiation and nascent chain ubiquitylation. These new findings suggest that the interplay of UPF proteins with the translation machinery is more intricate than previously appreciated, and that this interplay quality-controls the efficiency of termination, ribosome recycling and translation re-initiation. © 2018 The Author(s).

  19. Interactions between the HIV-1 Unspliced mRNA and Host mRNA Decay Machineries

    PubMed Central

    Toro-Ascuy, Daniela; Rojas-Araya, Bárbara; Valiente-Echeverría, Fernando; Soto-Rifo, Ricardo

    2016-01-01

    The human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) unspliced transcript is used both as mRNA for the synthesis of structural proteins and as the packaged genome. Given the presence of retained introns and instability AU-rich sequences, this viral transcript is normally retained and degraded in the nucleus of host cells unless the viral protein REV is present. As such, the stability of the HIV-1 unspliced mRNA must be particularly controlled in the nucleus and the cytoplasm in order to ensure proper levels of this viral mRNA for translation and viral particle formation. During its journey, the HIV-1 unspliced mRNA assembles into highly specific messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNPs) containing many different host proteins, amongst which are well-known regulators of cytoplasmic mRNA decay pathways such as up-frameshift suppressor 1 homolog (UPF1), Staufen double-stranded RNA binding protein 1/2 (STAU1/2), or components of miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC) and processing bodies (PBs). More recently, the HIV-1 unspliced mRNA was shown to contain N6-methyladenosine (m6A), allowing the recruitment of YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA binding protein 2 (YTHDF2), an m6A reader host protein involved in mRNA decay. Interestingly, these host proteins involved in mRNA decay were shown to play positive roles in viral gene expression and viral particle assembly, suggesting that HIV-1 interacts with mRNA decay components to successfully accomplish viral replication. This review summarizes the state of the art in terms of the interactions between HIV-1 unspliced mRNA and components of different host mRNA decay machineries. PMID:27886048

  20. Creatine kinase and alpha-actin mRNA levels decrease in diabetic rat hearts

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Popovich, B.; Barrieux, A.; Dillmann, W.H.

    1987-05-01

    Diabetic cardiomyopathy is associated with cardiac atrophy and isoenzyme redistribution. To determine if tissue specific changes occur in mRNAs coding for ..cap alpha..-actin and creatine kinase (CK), they performed RNA blot analysis. Total ventricular RNA from control (C) and 4 wk old diabetic (D) rats were hybridized with /sup 32/P cDNA probes for ..cap alpha..-actin and CK. A tissue independent cDNA probe, CHOA was also used. Signal intensity was quantified by photodensitometry. D CK mRNA was 47 +/- 16% lower in D vs C. Insulin increases CK mRNA by 20% at 1.5 hs, and completely reverses the deficit after 4more » wks. D ..cap alpha..-actin mRNA is 66 +/- 18% lower in D vs C. Insulin normalized ..cap alpha..-actin mRNA by 5 hs. CHOA mRNA is unchanged in D vs C, but D + insulin CHOA mRNA is 30 +/- 2% lower than C. In rats with diabetic cardiomyopathy, muscle specific CK and ..cap alpha..-actin mRNAs are decreased. Insulin treatment reverses these changes.« less

  1. Effect of conventional and intensified milk replacer feeding programs on performance, vaccination response, and neutrophil mRNA levels of Holstein calves.

    PubMed

    Hengst, B A; Nemec, L M; Rastani, R R; Gressley, T F

    2012-09-01

    This study compared conventional and intensified milk replacer feeding regimens on growth, intake, respiratory and fecal scores, vaccination response, and neutrophil mRNA levels. Holstein calves were randomly assigned to a 10-wk study on d 2 of life. Treatments were conventional (CON; n=8) and intensified (INT; n=7) milk replacer feeding programs. Conventional calves were fed a 20.8% crude protein and 21.0% fat milk replacer at 1.25% of birth body weight (BW) from wk 1 to 6 of life and 0.625% of birth BW during wk 7. A 29.3% crude protein and 16.2% fat milk replacer was fed to INT calves at 1.5% of birth BW during wk 1, 2% of current BW from wk 2 to 6, and 1% of current BW during wk 7. All calves were given milk replacer twice daily during wk 1 to 6, once daily during wk 7, and were weaned completely during wk 8. Calf starter intake was measured daily through wk 8. Body weight and withers height were measured weekly. Fecal and respiratory scores were recorded twice daily at feeding. Calves were vaccinated against ovalbumin at the end of wk 1, 3, and 5. Blood samples were collected at the end of wk 1, 3, 5, and 8 for analysis of serum anti-ovalbumin IgG concentration and for isolation of neutrophils. Quantitative PCR was used to measure neutrophil mRNA levels of 7 functionality genes. Treatment did not affect total DMI or anti-ovalbumin IgG response. Intensified milk replacer feeding increased average daily gain, protein intake, fat intake, and feed efficiency compared with the CON feeding program. Compared with CON calves, INT calves had greater fecal scores, indicating looser feces and greater respiratory scores, indicating more respiratory problems. Calves assigned to the INT treatment had increased neutrophil mRNA levels of L-selectin, and at wk 8, neutrophil cytosolic factor 1 was increased and toll-like receptor 4 tended to be increased compared with CON calves. This suggests greater activation of neutrophils in INT calves postweaning, but differences were

  2. Expression of hypoxia-inducible factormRNA in hearts and lungs of broiler chickens with ascites syndrome induced by excess salt in drinking water.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jianjun; Feng, Xuejian; Zhao, Lihong; Wang, Wei; Gao, Mingyu; Wu, Boning; Qiao, Jian

    2013-08-01

    Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a ubiquitously expressed heterodimeric transcription factor that mediates adaptive responses to hypoxia in all nucleated cells of metazoan organisms. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α is involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension in humans and animals, but whether HIF-1α is associated with the development of pulmonary hypertension syndrome (also known as ascites syndrome, AS) in broiler chickens has not been determined. In the present paper we addressed this issue by measuring the expression of HIF-1α mRNA in hearts and lungs of broiler chickens with AS induced by excess salt in drinking water. We conducted 2 experiments. The first experiment was used to observe the effects of excess salt on AS incidence. The results indicated that total incidence (20%) of AS in excess salt group (receiving 0.3% NaCl in drinking water) was much higher compared with the control group (receiving tap water) over a 43-d time course (P < 0.05). In the second experiment, we determined mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP), ascites heart index (AHI), and expression of HIF-1α mRNA in lungs and hearts of broiler chickens after the excess salt treatment. Our results showed that excess salt induced pulmonary hypertension (indicated by higher mPAP) and right ventricular hypertrophy (greater ascites heart index) in broiler chickens. Meanwhile, the expression levels of HIF-1α mRNA in lungs and hearts were significantly increased at different time points in the excess salt group compared with the control group. Linear correlation analysis showed that the expression of HIF-1α mRNA in lungs was significantly positively correlated with mPAP (correlation coefficient = 0.79, P < 0.001), demonstrating that expression of HIF-1α mRNA was gradually increased in the excess salt group with the increase of pulmonary arterial pressure. In addition, the ascitic chickens showed significantly higher transcriptional levels of HIF-1α in hearts and lungs

  3. Modification of tissue-factor mRNA and protein response to thrombin and interleukin 1 by high glucose in cultured human endothelial cells.

    PubMed

    Boeri, D; Almus, F E; Maiello, M; Cagliero, E; Rao, L V; Lorenzi, M

    1989-02-01

    Because diabetic vascular disease is accompanied by a state of hypercoagulability, manifested by increased thrombin activity and foci of intravascular coagulation, we investigated whether a specific procoagulant property of the endothelium--production and surface expression of tissue factor--is modified by elevated glucose concentrations. In unperturbed human vascular endothelial cells, tissue factor mRNA and expression of the functional protein were undetectable and were not induced by 10-12 days of exposure to 30 mM glucose. In thrombin-stimulated cultures, tissue-factor expression was related inversely to cellular density, with confluent cultures producing (per 10(5) cells) half the amount of tissue factor measured in sparse cultures. Cells exposed to high glucose and studied when cell number and thymidine incorporation were identical to control cells manifested increased tissue-factor mRNA level and functional protein production in response to thrombin (P = .002). This effect was not attributable to hypertonicity and was not observed after short exposure to high glucose. In contrast, the tissue-factor response to interleukin 1, a modulator of endothelial function in the context of host defense, was decreased in cells cultured in high glucose (P = .04). These findings indicate that exposure to high glucose can alter tissue-factor gene expression in perturbed vascular endothelium. The reciprocal effects of high glucose on the tissue-factor response to thrombin and interleukin 1 points to different pathways of tissue-factor stimulation by the two agents and suggests functional consequences pertinent to the increased thrombin activity and compromised host-defense mechanisms observed in diabetes.

  4. [The expressions of HSP 70 mRNA and c-fos mRNA in the skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle of rabbits by electrocuted].

    PubMed

    Wang, Ye; Liu, Min; Cheng, Wei-bo; He, Gui-qiong; Li, Fan; Liao, Zhi-gang

    2008-08-01

    To study the changes of HSP 70 mRNA and c-fos mRNA expression and to find a method to differentiate antemortem from postmortem electrocution. Fifteen New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into three groups, the antemortem electrocution group, the postmortem electrocution group, and the control group. Each group consists of five rabbits. The levels of HSP 70 mRNA and c-fos mRNA in skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle were examined with quantitative fluorescent RT-PCR. The levels of HSP 70 mRNA and c-fos mRNA in the antemortem electrocution group increased significantly (P<0.05), compared with that of the postmortem electrocution group. The changes of HSP 70 mRNA and c-fos mRNA expression in skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle can be used as an indicator to distinguish antemortem from postmortem electrocution.

  5. [Influence of macrophages on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor mRNA, homeobox B2 mRNA, and integrin alpha nu beta3 in vascular endothelial strain].

    PubMed

    Liu, Liang; Liu, Chang; Zhang, Xiao-qi; Ming, Jia; Liu, Xu-sheng; Xu, Hui; Cheng, Tian-min

    2005-06-01

    To investigate the influence of macrophages on the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor (KDR) mRNA, homeobox B2 (HOXB2) mRNA, and integrin alpha nu beta3 in vitro in vascular endothelial strain. Human umbilical vein cells (ECV304) were cultured in vitro and divided into 4 groups, i.e. (1) ECV304 group, (2) ECV304 + conA group [with conA (25 microg/ml in culture) added to ECV304], (3) ECV304 + U937 group (with 1 x 10(5)/ml of U937 cells added to 1 x 10(5)/ml ECV 304), (4) ECV304 + U937 + conA group [with 1 x 10(5)/ml of U937 cells and conA (25 microg/ml in culture)] groups. Forty-eight hours after culturing, the expression of integrin receptor alpha nu beta3 and the changes in the expression of KDR mRNA and HOXB2 mRNA in each group were determined by immunofluorescent technique and RT-PCR, respectively. The expression of integrin receptor alpha nu beta3, KDR mRNA, and HOXB2 mRNA in ECV304 group were 6.7 +/- 1.5, 0.633 +/- 0.012, and 0.674 +/- 0.004, respectively, while those in ECV304 + U937 + conA group (10.2 +/- 1.7, 0.879 +/- 0.003, 0.947 +/- 0.003) were obviously more upregulated when compared with those in ECV304 group (P < 0.01). No difference in the above indices was found between ECV304 and ECV304 + conA, ECV304 + U937 groups (P > 0.05). Macrophages activated by ConA can accelerate the proliferation, migration and adhesion to the basement membrane matrix of vascular endothelial cells through the influence on the expression of KDR mRNA, HOXB2 mRNA and integrin alpha nu beta3, and through this pathway the angiogenesis is modulated.

  6. Sex hormone-binding globulin and corticosteroid-binding globulin mRNA levels in infertile women with luteal phase deficiency.

    PubMed

    Misao, R; Nakanishi, Y; Fujimoto, J; Tamaya, T

    1995-09-01

    This study was designed to investigate the biological significance in intracellular expression of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) mRNA in uterine endometrium with luteal phase deficiency (designated as out-of-phase endometrium or low serum progesterone level). The levels of such mRNAs were measured by the quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Under the normal serum 17 beta-estradiol and progesterone levels in the mid-luteal phase, the levels of SHBG and CBG mRNAs in the out-of-phase endometria were not significantly different from those in the normal endometria. On the other hand, SHBG and CBG mRNA levels in the endometria of low serum midluteal progesterone level were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced and raised, respectively, compared with normal levels. These findings suggest that the synthesis of endometrial steroid-binding proteins in the out-of-phase endometrium is conserved, as that in the in-phase endometrium, whereas the decreased progesterone level might up-regulate CBG expression with down-regulation of SHBG expression.

  7. Post-transcriptional regulation tends to attenuate the mRNA noise and to increase the mRNA gain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shi, Changhong; Wang, Shuqiang; Zhou, Tianshou; Jiang, Yiguo

    2015-10-01

    Post-transcriptional regulation is ubiquitous in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, but how it impacts gene expression remains to be fully explored. Here, we analyze a simple gene model in which we assume that mRNAs are produced in a constitutive manner but are regulated post-transcriptionally by a decapping enzyme that switches between the active state and the inactive state. We derive the analytical mRNA distribution governed by a chemical master equation, which can be well used to analyze the mechanism of how post-transcription regulation influences the mRNA expression level including the mRNA noise. We demonstrate that the mean mRNA level in the stochastic case is always higher than that in the deterministic case due to the stochastic effect of the enzyme, but the size of the increased part depends mainly on the switching rates between two enzyme states. More interesting is that we find that in contrast to transcriptional regulation, post-transcriptional regulation tends to attenuate noise in mRNA. Our results provide insight into the role of post-transcriptional regulation in controlling the transcriptional noise.

  8. Patterns of mRNA and protein expression during minus-lens compensation and recovery in tree shrew sclera.

    PubMed

    Gao, Hong; Frost, Michael R; Siegwart, John T; Norton, Thomas T

    2011-04-12

    To increase our understanding of the mechanisms that remodel the sclera during the development of lens-induced myopia, when the sclera responds to putative "go" signals of retinal origin, and during recovery from lens-induced myopia, when the sclera responds to retinally-derived "stop" signals. Seven groups of tree shrews were used to examine mRNA levels during minus lens compensation and recovery. Starting 24 days after eye opening (days of visual experience [VE]) lens compensation animals wore a monocular -5D lens for 1, 4, or 11 days. Recovery animals wore the -5D lens for 11 days, which was then removed for 1 or 4 days. Normal animals were examined at 24 and 38 days of VE. All groups contained 8 animals. Scleral mRNA levels were examined in the treated and contralateral control eyes with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for 27 genes divided into four categories: 1) signaling molecules, 2) matricellular proteins, 3) metalloproteinases (MPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), and 4) cell adhesion and other proteins. Four groups (n=5 per group) were used to examine protein levels. One group wore a -5D lens for 4 days. A second group recovered for 4 days after 11 days of -5D lens treatment. Two groups were used to examine age-matched normal protein levels at 28 and 39 days of VE. The levels of six scleral proteins that showed differential mRNA expression were examined with quantitative western blots. Nineteen of the genes showed differential (treated eye versus control eye) expression of mRNA levels in at least one group of animals. Which genes showed differential expression differed after 1 and 4 days of compensation and after 1 or 4 days of recovery. The mRNA level for one gene, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 1 (ADAMTS1), was upregulated in the treated eyes after 1 day of compensation. After 4 days, transforming growth factor beta receptor 3 (TGFBR3), transforming growth factor

  9. PAI-1 mRNA expression and plasma level in rheumatoid arthritis: relationship with 4G/5G PAI-1 polymorphism.

    PubMed

    Muñoz-Valle, José Francisco; Ruiz-Quezada, Sandra Luz; Oregón-Romero, Edith; Navarro-Hernández, Rosa Elena; Castañeda-Saucedo, Eduardo; De la Cruz-Mosso, Ulises; Illades-Aguiar, Berenice; Leyva-Vázquez, Marco Antonio; Castro-Alarcón, Natividad; Parra-Rojas, Isela

    2012-12-01

    Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the synovial membrane, cartilage and bone. PAI-1 is a key regulator of the fibrinolytic system through which plasminogen is converted to plasmin. The plasmin activates the matrix metalloproteinase system, which is closely related with the joint damage and bone destruction in RA. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between 4G/5G PAI-1 polymorphism with mRNA expression and PAI-1 plasma protein levels in RA patients. 113 RA patients and 123 healthy subjects (HS) were included in the study. The 4G/5G PAI-1 polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method; the PAI-1 mRNA expression was determined by real-time PCR; and the soluble PAI-1 (sPAI-1) levels were quantified using an ELISA kit. No significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of 4G/5G PAI-1 polymorphism were found between RA patients and HS. However, the 5G/5G genotype was the most frequent in both studied groups: RA (42%) and HS (44%). PAI-1 mRNA expression was slightly increased (0.67 fold) in RA patients with respect to HS (P = 0.0001). In addition, in RA patients, the 4G/4G genotype carriers showed increased PAI-1 mRNA expression (3.82 fold) versus 4G/5G and 5G/5G genotypes (P = 0.0001), whereas the sPAI-1 plasma levels did not show significant differences. Our results indicate that the 4G/5G PAI-1 polymorphism is not a marker of susceptibility in the Western Mexico. However, the 4G/4G genotype is associated with high PAI-1 mRNA expression but not with the sPAI-1 levels in RA patients.

  10. Induction of cysteine-rich motor neuron 1 mRNA expression in vascular endothelial cells.

    PubMed

    Nakashima, Yukiko; Takahashi, Satoru

    2014-08-22

    Cysteine-rich motor neuron 1 (CRIM1) is expressed in vascular endothelial cells and plays a crucial role in angiogenesis. In this study, we investigated the expression of CRIM1 mRNA in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). CRIM1 mRNA levels were not altered in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-stimulated monolayer HUVECs or in cells in collagen gels without VEGF. In contrast, the expression of CRIM1 mRNA was elevated in VEGF-stimulated cells in collagen gels. The increase in CRIM1 mRNA expression was observed even at 2h when HUVECs did not form tubular structures in collagen gels. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) 1/2, Akt and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) were activated by VEGF in HUVECs. The VEGF-induced expression of CRIM1 mRNA was significantly abrogated by PD98059 or PF562271, but was not affected by LY294002. These results demonstrate that CRIM1 is an early response gene in the presence of both angiogenic stimulation (VEGF) and environmental (extracellular matrix) factors, and Erk and FAK might be involved in the upregulation of CRIM1 mRNA expression in vascular endothelial cells. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Clinical values of AFP, GPC3 mRNA in peripheral blood for prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence following OLT: AFP, GPC3 mRNA for prediction of HCC.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yuliang; Shen, Zhongyang; Zhu, Zhijun; Han, Ruifa; Huai, Mingsheng

    2011-03-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Annually, about 200,000 patients died of HCC in China. Liver transplantation (LT) holds great theoretical appeal in treating HCC. However, the high recurrence rate after transplantation is the most important limiting factor for long-term survival. To assess the value of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) messenger RNA (mRNA), Glypican-3 (GPC3) mRNA-expressing cells in the peripheral blood (PB) for prediction of HCC recurrence following orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). 29 patients with HCC who underwent OLT with a minimum clinical follow-up of 12 months were included in this retrospective study. We detected AFP mRNA, GPC3 mRNA-expressing cells in the PB by TaqMan real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), pre-, intra- and post-operatively. The early recurrence of patients was evaluated. 8 (28%), 15 (52%), and 9 (31%) patients had AFP mRNA detected pre-, intra-, and post-operatively, respectively. With 12 months of follow-up, HCC recurred in 7 (24%) patients. Univariate analysis revealed that positive pre- and post-operative AFP mRNA, TNM stage as well as vascular invasion were significant predictors for the HCC recurrence. Multivariate analysis revealed that being positive for AFP mRNA pre-operatively remained a significant risk factor for HCC recurrence after OLT. GPC3 mRNA was expressed in all PB samples. There was no significant difference in the expression levels of GPC3 mRNA between the HCC and control groups. There were no significant differences in GPC3 mRNA expression values between those patients with and without tumor recurrence. The pre-operative detection of circulating AFP mRNA-expressing cells could be a useful predictor for HCC recurrence following OLT. GPC3 mRNA-expressing cells in PB seem to have no diagnostic value.

  12. mRNA Cap Methyltransferase, RNMT-RAM, Promotes RNA Pol II-Dependent Transcription.

    PubMed

    Varshney, Dhaval; Lombardi, Olivia; Schweikert, Gabriele; Dunn, Sianadh; Suska, Olga; Cowling, Victoria H

    2018-05-01

    mRNA cap addition occurs early during RNA Pol II-dependent transcription, facilitating pre-mRNA processing and translation. We report that the mammalian mRNA cap methyltransferase, RNMT-RAM, promotes RNA Pol II transcription independent of mRNA capping and translation. In cells, sublethal suppression of RNMT-RAM reduces RNA Pol II occupancy, net mRNA synthesis, and pre-mRNA levels. Conversely, expression of RNMT-RAM increases transcription independent of cap methyltransferase activity. In isolated nuclei, recombinant RNMT-RAM stimulates transcriptional output; this requires the RAM RNA binding domain. RNMT-RAM interacts with nascent transcripts along their entire length and with transcription-associated factors including the RNA Pol II subunits SPT4, SPT6, and PAFc. Suppression of RNMT-RAM inhibits transcriptional markers including histone H2BK120 ubiquitination, H3K4 and H3K36 methylation, RNA Pol II CTD S5 and S2 phosphorylation, and PAFc recruitment. These findings suggest that multiple interactions among RNMT-RAM, RNA Pol II factors, and RNA along the transcription unit stimulate transcription. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Hyperresponsive febrile reactions to interleukin (IL) 1α and IL-1β, and altered brain cytokine mRNA and serum cytokine levels, in IL-1β-deficient mice

    PubMed Central

    Alheim, Katarina; Chai, Zhen; Fantuzzi, Giamila; Hasanvan, Homa; Malinowsky, David; Di Santo, Elena; Ghezzi, Pietro; Dinarello, Charles A.; Bartfai, Tamas

    1997-01-01

    IL-1β is an endogenous pyrogen that is induced during systemic lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or IL-1-induced fever. We have examined the fever and cytokine responses following i.p. injection of IL-1 agonists, IL-1α and IL-1β, and compared these with response to LPS (i.p.) in wild-type and IL-1β-deficient mice. The IL-1β deficient mice appear to have elevated body temperature but exhibit a normal circadian temperature cycle. Exogenously injected IL-1β, IL-1α, or LPS induced hyperresponsive fevers in the IL-1β-deficient mice. We also observed phenotypic differences between wild-type and IL-1β-deficient mice in hypothalamic basal mRNA levels for IL-1α and IL-6, but not for IL-1β-converting enzyme or IL-1 receptor type I or type II. The IL-1α mRNA levels were down-regulated, whereas the IL-6 mRNA levels were up-regulated in the hypothalamus of IL-1β-deficient mice as compared with wild-type mice. The IL-1β-deficient mice also responded to LPS challenge with significantly higher serum corticosterone and with lower serum tumor necrosis factor type α levels than the wild-type mice. The data suggest that, in the redundant cascade of proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1β plays an important but not obligatory role in fever induction by LPS or IL-1α, as well as in the induction of serum tumor necrosis factor type α and corticosterone responses either by LPS or by IL-1α or IL-1β. PMID:9122256

  14. Quantification of Chitinase mRNA Levels in Human and Mouse Tissues by Real-Time PCR: Species-Specific Expression of Acidic Mammalian Chitinase in Stomach Tissues

    PubMed Central

    Ohno, Misa; Togashi, Yuto; Tsuda, Kyoko; Okawa, Kazuaki; Kamaya, Minori; Sakaguchi, Masayoshi; Sugahara, Yasusato; Oyama, Fumitaka

    2013-01-01

    Chitinase hydrolyzes chitin, which is an N-acetyl-D-glucosamine polymer that is present in a wide range of organisms, including insects, parasites and fungi. Although mammals do not contain any endogenous chitin, humans and mice express two active chitinases, chitotriosidase (Chit1) and acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase). Because the level of expression of these chitinases is increased in many inflammatory conditions, including Gaucher disease and mouse models of asthma, both chitinases may play important roles in the pathophysiologies of these and other diseases. We recently established a quantitative PCR system using a single standard DNA and showed that AMCase mRNA is synthesized at extraordinarily high levels in mouse stomach tissues. In this study, we applied this methodology to the quantification of chitinase mRNAs in human tissues and found that both chitinase mRNAs were widely expressed in normal human tissues. Chit1 mRNA was highly expressed in the human lung, whereas AMCase mRNA was not overexpressed in normal human stomach tissues. The levels of these mRNAs in human tissues were significantly lower than the levels of housekeeping genes. Because the AMCase expression levels were quite different between the human and mouse stomach tissues, we developed a quantitative PCR system to compare the mRNA levels between human and mouse tissues using a human-mouse hybrid standard DNA. Our analysis showed that Chit1 mRNA is expressed at similar levels in normal human and mouse lung. In contrast, the AMCase expression level in human stomach was significantly lower than that expression level observed in mouse stomach. These mRNA differences between human and mouse stomach tissues were reflecting differences in the chitinolytic activities and levels of protein expression. Thus, the expression level of the AMCase in the stomach is species-specific. PMID:23826286

  15. Human Cytomegalovirus Strategies to Maintain and Promote mRNA Translation

    PubMed Central

    Vincent, Heather A.; Ziehr, Benjamin; Moorman, Nathaniel J.

    2016-01-01

    mRNA translation requires the ordered assembly of translation initiation factors and ribosomal subunits on a transcript. Host signaling pathways regulate each step in this process to match levels of protein synthesis to environmental cues. In response to infection, cells activate multiple defenses that limit viral protein synthesis, which viruses must counteract to successfully replicate. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) inhibits host defenses that limit viral protein expression and manipulates host signaling pathways to promote the expression of both host and viral proteins necessary for virus replication. Here we review key regulatory steps in mRNA translation, and the strategies used by HCMV to maintain protein synthesis in infected cells. PMID:27089357

  16. Correlation of transforming growth factor-β messenger RNA (TGF-β mRNA) expression with cellular immunoassays in Triamcinolone-treated captive hybrid striped bass

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Harms, Craig A.; Ottinger, Christopher A.; Kennedy-Stoskopf, S.

    2000-01-01

    Assessing fish immune status with molecular markers has been hampered by a lack of specific reagents. A quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method (reverse transcription quantitative–competitive PCR, RT-qcPCR) for measuring transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) transcription from a broad range of teleost fish has recently been developed. The quantitative PCR now permits monitoring production of this important immunosuppressive cytokine in response to immunomodulating agents and conditions. We examined anterior kidney and spleen mononuclear cells from hybrid striped bass (female striped bass Morone saxatilis× male white bass M. chrysops) for production of TGF-β messenger RNA (mRNA) in response to administration of the synthetic glucocorticoid triamcinolone. We also compared TGF-β transcription with anterior kidney macrophage bactericidal activity and splenic lymphocyte blastogenesis. Anterior kidney mononuclear cell TGF-β mRNA levels decreased, whereas bactericidal activity increased. Spleen TGF-β mRNA levels did not change significantly, and splenic lymphocyte pokeweed mitogen stimulation index increased in triamcinolone-treated fish. Since triamcinolone is used therapeutically as a suppressive immunomodulator, the enhanced immune functions indicated by the cellular immunoassays were unexpected; however, the inverse response of TGF-β production and macrophage bactericidal activity was consistent with the known relationship between TGF-β and macrophage activation in mammals. Induced immunomodulation in hybrid striped bass was detectable by both traditional cellular immunoassays and the new RT-qcPCR for TGF-β.

  17. Mitotic inheritance of mRNA facilitates translational activation of the osteogenic-lineage commitment factor Runx2 in progeny of osteoblastic cells

    PubMed Central

    Varela, Nelson; Aranguiz, Alejandra; Lizama, Carlos; Sepulveda, Hugo; Antonelli, Marcelo; Thaler, Roman; Moreno, Ricardo D.; Montecino, Martin; Stein, Gary S.; van Wijnen, Andre J.; Galindo, Mario

    2017-01-01

    Epigenetic mechanisms mediate the acquisition of specialized cellular phenotypes during tissue development, maintenance and repair. When phenotype-committed cells transit through mitosis, chromosomal condensation counteracts epigenetic activation of gene expression. Subsequent post-mitotic re-activation of transcription depends on epigenetic DNA and histone modifications, as well as other architecturally bound proteins that ‘bookmark’ the genome. Osteogenic lineage commitment, differentiation and progenitor proliferation require the bone-related runt-related transcription factor Runx2. Here, we characterized a non-genomic mRNA mediated mechanism by which osteoblast precursors retain their phenotype during self-renewal. We show that osteoblasts produce maximal levels of Runx2 mRNA, but not protein, prior to mitotic cell division. Runx2 mRNA partitions symmetrically between daughter cells in a non-chromosomal tubulin-containing compartment. Subsequently, transcription-independent de novo synthesis of Runx2 protein in early G1 phase results in increased functional interactions of Runx2 with a representative osteoblast-specific target gene (osteocalcin/BGLAP2) in chromatin. Somatic transmission of Runx2 mRNAs in osteoblasts and osteosarcoma cells represents a versatile mechanism for translational rather than transcriptional induction of this principal gene regulator to maintain osteoblast phenotype identity after mitosis. PMID:26381402

  18. [The effects of methionine and choline on the expression levels of CaMKII and CREB mRNA and proteins in rats exposed to lead].

    PubMed

    Feng, Chang; Fan, Guang-qin; Wu, Feng-yun; Lin, Fen; Li, Yan-shu; Chen, Ying

    2012-07-01

    To study the effects of methionine and choline on the expression levels of CaMKII and CREB mRNA and proteins in hippocampus of rats exposed to lead. Male SD rats were divided into five groups. (1) control group, (2) group exposed to lead+2 by drinking water with 0.40 g/L lead acetate, (3) group exposed to methionine and choline (1:1, 400 mg/kg), (4) group exposed to 0.40 g/L lead acetate plus methionine and choline (1:1, 100 mg/kg), (5) group exposed to 0.40 g/L lead acetate plus methionine and choline (1:1, 400 mg/kg). In 8 weeks after exposure, all rats were killed. Then CREB mRNA and CaMK II mRNA expression levels in hippocampus were detected by real-time PCR, CREB and CaMK II protein expression levels in hippocampus were measured by western blot assay. The expression levels (0.743 ± 0.185 and 0.729 ± 0.199) of CaMKII mRNA and CREB mRNA in the hippocampus of lead group were significantly lower than those (0.950 ± 0.238 and 0.901 ± 0.232) of control group (P < 0.05), also the expression levels (0.271 ± 0.045 and 0.212 ± 0.058) of CREB protein and pCREB protein in the hippocampus of lead group were significantly lower than those (0.319 ± 0.058 and 0.506 ± 0.125) of control group (P < 0.05). The expression levels (1.014 ± 0.210 and 1.126 ± 0.379) of CaMKII mRNA and the expression levels (1.029 ± 0.335 and 0.932 ± 0.251) of CREB mRNA in the hippocampus of 2 groups exposed to lead acetate plus methionine and choline were significantly higher than those of lead group (P < 0.05). The expression levels (0.407 ± 0.951 and 0.563 ± 0.178) of CREB protein and pCREB protein in the hippocampus of group exposed to lead acetate plus 400 mg/kg methionine and choline were significantly higher than those of lead group (P < 0.05). Methionine and choline could decrease the inhibition effects of lead on the expression of CaMKII and CREB mRNA or CREB and pCREB proteins in the hippocampus of rats.

  19. Regulation of the steady state level of Fc gamma RI mRNA by IFN-gamma and dexamethasone in human monocytes, neutrophils, and U-937 cells.

    PubMed

    Pan, L Y; Mendel, D B; Zurlo, J; Guyre, P M

    1990-07-01

    The high affinity IgG FcR Fc gamma RI, CD64, plays important roles in the immune response. Fc gamma RI is predominantly expressed on monocytes and macrophages, and barely detectable on neutrophils. rIFN-gamma markedly increases the expression of Fc gamma RI on neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages and myeloid cell lines such as U-937, HL-60, and THP-1. Glucocorticoids inhibit the augmentation of Fc gamma RI expression by rIFN-gamma on neutrophils and myeloid cell lines, but enhance the augmentation of Fc gamma RI expression by rIFN-gamma on monocytes. In this study, we examined the effect of rIFN-gamma and dexamethasone (Dex) on the steady state level of Fc gamma RI mRNA in U-937 cells, neutrophils, and monocytes by hybridizing total RNA with the Fc gamma RI cDNA probe, p135. We found that the amount of Fc gamma RI mRNA increased within 1 h of treatment with rIFN-gamma in all three cell types. This initial induction of Fc gamma RI mRNA by rIFN-gamma was completely blocked by an inhibitor of RNA synthesis, actinomycin D, suggesting that the rIFN-gamma-mediated induction of Fc gamma RI mRNA is dependent on gene transcription. Dex, used in combination with rIFN-gamma, partially blocked the induction of Fc gamma RI mRNA by rIFN-gamma in U-937 cells and neutrophils, but caused a synergistic increase in Fc gamma RI mRNA levels in monocytes. The inhibitory effect of Dex on the steady state level of Fc gamma RI mRNA in U-937 cells was blocked by an inhibitor of protein synthesis, cycloheximide, suggesting that Dex-induced proteins were involved in the regulation of Fc gamma RI expression. This study indicates that the regulation of Fc gamma RI expression on U-937 cells, neutrophils, and monocytes by rIFN-gamma and Dex occurs, at least in part, at the mRNA level. rIFN-gamma increases the steady state level of Fc gamma RI mRNA through a common pathway among U-937 cells, neutrophils, and monocytes, whereas the effect of Dex on rIFN-gamma-induced Fc gamma RI mRNA is cell

  20. Polysome Fractionation to Analyze mRNA Distribution Profiles.

    PubMed

    Panda, Amaresh C; Martindale, Jennifer L; Gorospe, Myriam

    2017-02-05

    Eukaryotic cells adapt to changes in external or internal signals by precisely modulating the expression of specific gene products. The expression of protein-coding genes is controlled at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Among the latter steps, the regulation of translation is particularly important in cellular processes that require rapid changes in protein expression patterns. The translational efficiency of mRNAs is altered by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and noncoding (nc)RNAs such as microRNAs (Panda et al. , 2014a and 2014b; Abdelmohsen et al. , 2014). The impact of factors that regulate selective mRNA translation is a critical question in RNA biology. Polyribosome (polysome) fractionation analysis is a powerful method to assess the association of ribosomes with a given mRNA. It provides valuable information about the translational status of that mRNA, depending on the number of ribosomes with which they are associated, and identifies mRNAs that are not translated (Panda et al. , 2016). mRNAs associated with many ribosomes form large polysomes that are predicted to be actively translated, while mRNAs associated with few or no ribosomes are expected to be translated poorly if at all. In sum, polysome fractionation analysis allows the direct determination of translation efficiencies at the level of the whole transcriptome as well as individual mRNAs.

  1. The effects of running exercise on oxidative capacity and PGC-1α mRNA levels in the soleus muscle of rats with metabolic syndrome.

    PubMed

    Nagatomo, Fumiko; Fujino, Hidemi; Kondo, Hiroyo; Kouzaki, Motoki; Gu, Ning; Takeda, Isao; Tsuda, Kinsuke; Ishihara, Akihiko

    2012-03-01

    Skeletal muscles in animals with metabolic syndrome exhibit reduced oxidative capacity. We investigated the effects of running exercise on fiber characteristics, oxidative capacity, and mRNA levels in the soleus muscles of rats with metabolic syndrome [SHR/NDmcr-cp (cp/cp); CP]. We divided 5-week-old CP rats into non-exercise (CP) and exercise (CP-Ex) groups. Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were used as the control group. CP-Ex rats were permitted voluntary exercise on running wheels for 10 weeks. Triglyceride levels were higher and adiponectin levels lower in the CP and CP-Ex groups than in the WKY group. However, triglyceride levels were lower and adiponectin levels higher in the CP-Ex group than in the CP group. The soleus muscles in CP-Ex rats contained only high-oxidative type I fibers, whereas those in WKY and CP rats contained type I, IIA, and IIC fibers. Muscle succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity was higher in the CP-Ex group than in the CP group; there was no difference in SDH activity between the WKY and CP-Ex groups. Muscle proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) mRNA levels were higher in the CP-Ex group than in the CP group; there was no difference in PGC-1α mRNA levels between the WKY and CP-Ex groups. In CP-Ex rats, longer running distance was associated with increased muscle SDH activity and PGC-1α mRNA levels. We concluded that running exercise restored decreased muscle oxidative capacity and PGC-1α mRNA levels and improved hypertriglyceridemia in rats with metabolic syndrome.

  2. Effect of lipoic acid on paraoxonase-1 and paraoxonase-3 protein levels, mRNA expression and arylesterase activity in liver hepatoma cells.

    PubMed

    Ozgun, Eray; Sayilan Ozgun, Gulben; Tabakcioglu, Kiymet; Suer Gokmen, Selma; Sut, Necdet; Eskiocak, Sevgi

    2017-10-01

    Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) and PON3 (PON3) are anti-atherosclerotic enzymes, synthesized primarily in liver and bound to HDL in circulation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of therapeutic doses of lipoic acid on PON1 and PON3 protein levels, mRNA expression and arylesterase activity in liver. We treated HepG2 cells with 10, 40 and 200 μM lipoic acid for 72 h. Cell viability was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay. PON1 and PON3 protein levels were measured by Western blotting, their mRNA expression was measured by quantitative PCR and arylesterase activity was measured spectrophotometrically. 200 µM lipoic acid caused a significant increase on PON1 and PON3 protein levels and arylesterase activity as compared with control, 10 µM and 40 µM lipoic acid-treated cells. 200 µM lipoic acid also caused a significant decrease on PON1 mRNA expression whereas on a significant increase PON3 mRNA expression as compared with control, 10 µM and 40 µM lipoic acid-treated cells. Our study showed that although lipoic acid up-regulates PON3 but down-regulates PON1 mRNA expression, it increases both PON1 and PON3 protein levels and arylesterase activity in HepG2 cells. We can report that lipoic acid may be useful for preventing atherosclerosis at therapeutic doses.

  3. TREM-1 SNP rs2234246 regulates TREM-1 protein and mRNA levels and is associated with plasma levels of L-selectin

    PubMed Central

    Aldasoro Arguinano, Alex-Ander; Dadé, Sébastien; Stathopoulou, Maria; Derive, Marc; Coumba Ndiaye, Ndeye; Xie, Ting; Masson, Christine; Gibot, Sébastien

    2017-01-01

    High levels of TREM-1 are associated with cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases risks and the most recent studies have showed that TREM-1 deletion or blockade is associated with up to 60% reduction of the development of atherosclerosis. So far, it is unknown whether the levels of TREM-1 protein are genetically regulated. Moreover, TREM family receptors have been suggested to regulate the cellular adhesion process. The goal of this study was to investigate whether polymorphisms within TREM-1 are regulating the variants of serum TREM-1 levels and the expression levels of their mRNA. Furthermore, we aimed to point out associations between polymorphisms on TREM-1 and blood levels of selectins. Among the 10 SNPs studied, the minor allele T of rs2234246, was associated with increased sTREM-1 in the discovery population (p-value = 0.003), explaining 33% of its variance, and with increased levels of mRNA (p-value = 0.007). The same allele was associated with increased soluble L-selectin levels (p-value = 0.011). The higher levels of sTREM-1 and L-selectin were confirmed in the replication population (p-value = 0.0007 and p-value = 0.018 respectively). We demonstrated for the first time one SNP on TREM-1, affecting its expression levels. These novel results, support the hypothesis that TREM-1 affects monocytes extravasation and accumulation processes leading to atherogenesis and atherosclerotic plaque progression, possibly through increased inflammation and subsequent higher expression of sL-selectin. PMID:28771614

  4. Increase of CTGF mRNA expression by respiratory syncytial virus infection is abrogated by caffeine in lung epithelial cells.

    PubMed

    Kunzmann, Steffen; Krempl, Christine; Seidenspinner, Silvia; Glaser, Kirsten; Speer, Christian P; Fehrholz, Markus

    2018-04-16

    Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of severe lower respiratory tract infection in early childhood. Underlying pathomechanisms of elevated pulmonary morbidity in later infancy are largely unknown. We found that RSV-infected H441 cells showed increased mRNA expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a key factor in airway remodeling. Additional dexamethasone treatment led to further elevated mRNA levels, indicating additive effects. Caffeine treatment prevented RSV-mediated increase of CTGF mRNA. RSV may be involved in airway remodeling processes by increasing CTGF mRNA expression. Caffeine might abrogate these negative effects and thereby help to restore lung homeostasis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  5. β-glucuronidase use as a single internal control gene may confound analysis in FMR1 mRNA toxicity studies.

    PubMed

    Kraan, Claudine M; Cornish, Kim M; Bui, Quang M; Li, Xin; Slater, Howard R; Godler, David E

    2018-01-01

    Relationships between Fragile X Mental Retardation 1 (FMR1) mRNA levels in blood and intragenic FMR1 CGG triplet expansions support the pathogenic role of RNA gain of function toxicity in premutation (PM: 55-199 CGGs) related disorders. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) studies reporting these findings normalised FMR1 mRNA level to a single internal control gene called β-glucuronidase (GUS). This study evaluated FMR1 mRNA-CGG correlations in 33 PM and 33 age- and IQ-matched control females using three normalisation strategies in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs): (i) GUS as a single internal control; (ii) the mean of GUS, Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 4A2 (EIF4A2) and succinate dehydrogenase complex flavoprotein subunit A (SDHA); and (iii) the mean of EIF4A2 and SDHA (with no contribution from GUS). GUS mRNA levels normalised to the mean of EIF4A2 and SDHA mRNA levels and EIF4A2/SDHA ratio were also evaluated. FMR1mRNA level normalised to the mean of EIF4A2 and SDHA mRNA levels, with no contribution from GUS, showed the most significant correlation with CGG size and the greatest difference between PM and control groups (p = 10-11). Only 15% of FMR1 mRNA PM results exceeded the maximum control value when normalised to GUS, compared with over 42% when normalised to the mean of EIF4A2 and SDHA mRNA levels. Neither GUS mRNA level normalised to the mean RNA levels of EIF4A2 and SDHA, nor to the EIF4A2/SDHA ratio were correlated with CGG size. However, greater variability in GUS mRNA levels were observed for both PM and control females across the full range of CGG repeat as compared to the EIF4A2/SDHA ratio. In conclusion, normalisation with multiple control genes, excluding GUS, can improve assessment of the biological significance of FMR1 mRNA-CGG size relationships.

  6. Prolonged exposure of chromaffin cells to nitric oxide down-regulates the activity of soluble guanylyl cyclase and corresponding mRNA and protein levels

    PubMed Central

    Ferrero, Rut; Torres, Magdalena

    2002-01-01

    Background Soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) is the main receptor for nitric oxide (NO) when the latter is produced at low concentrations. This enzyme exists mainly as a heterodimer consisting of one α and one β subunit and converts GTP to the second intracellular messenger cGMP. In turn, cGMP plays a key role in regulating several physiological processes in the nervous system. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of a NO donor on sGC activity and its protein and subunit mRNA levels in a neural cell model. Results Continuous exposure of bovine adrenal chromaffin cells in culture to the nitric oxide donor, diethylenetriamine NONOate (DETA/NO), resulted in a lower capacity of the cells to synthesize cGMP in response to a subsequent NO stimulus. This effect was not prevented by an increase of intracellular reduced glutathione level. DETA/NO treatment decreased sGC subunit mRNA and β1 subunit protein levels. Both sGC activity and β1 subunit levels decreased more rapidly in chromaffin cells exposed to NO than in cells exposed to the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, suggesting that NO decreases β1 subunit stability. The presence of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) inhibitors effectively prevented the DETA/NO-induced down regulation of sGC subunit mRNA and partially inhibited the reduction in β1 subunits. Conclusions These results suggest that activation of PKG mediates the drop in sGC subunit mRNA levels, and that NO down-regulates sGC activity by decreasing subunit mRNA levels through a cGMP-dependent mechanism, and by reducing β1 subunit stability. PMID:12350235

  7. Principles of mRNA transport in yeast.

    PubMed

    Heym, Roland Gerhard; Niessing, Dierk

    2012-06-01

    mRNA localization and localized translation is a common mechanism by which cellular asymmetry is achieved. In higher eukaryotes the mRNA transport machinery is required for such diverse processes as stem cell division and neuronal plasticity. Because mRNA localization in metazoans is highly complex, studies at the molecular level have proven to be cumbersome. However, active mRNA transport has also been reported in fungi including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Ustilago maydis and Candida albicans, in which these events are less difficult to study. Amongst them, budding yeast S. cerevisiae has yielded mechanistic insights that exceed our understanding of other mRNA localization events to date. In contrast to most reviews, we refrain here from summarizing mRNA localization events from different organisms. Instead we give an in-depth account of ASH1 mRNA localization in budding yeast. This approach is particularly suited to providing a more holistic view of the interconnection between the individual steps of mRNA localization, from transcriptional events to cytoplasmic mRNA transport and localized translation. Because of our advanced mechanistic understanding of mRNA localization in yeast, the present review may also be informative for scientists working, for example, on mRNA localization in embryogenesis or in neurons.

  8. Comparative effects of low-level laser therapy pre- and post-injury on mRNA expression of MyoD, myogenin, and IL-6 during the skeletal muscle repair.

    PubMed

    Alves, Agnelo Neves; Ribeiro, Beatriz Guimarães; Fernandes, Kristianne Porta Santos; Souza, Nadhia Helena Costa; Rocha, Lília Alves; Nunes, Fabio Daumas; Bussadori, Sandra Kalil; Mesquita-Ferrari, Raquel Agnelli

    2016-05-01

    This study analyzed the effect of pre-injury and post-injury irradiation with low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on the mRNA expression of myogenic regulatory factors and interleukin 6 (IL-6) during the skeletal muscle repair. Male rats were divided into six groups: control group, sham group, LLLT group, injury group; pre-injury LLLT group, and post-injury LLLT group. LLLT was performed with a diode laser (wavelength 780 nm; output power 40 mW' and total energy 3.2 J). Cryoinjury was induced by two applications of a metal probe cooled in liquid nitrogen directly onto the belly of the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle. After euthanasia, the TA muscle was removed for the isolation of total RNA and analysis of MyoD, myogenin, and IL-6 using real-time quantitative PCR. Significant increases were found in the expression of MyoD mRNA at 3 and 7 days as well as the expression of myogenin mRNA at 14 days in the post-injury LLLT group in comparison to injury group. A significant reduction was found in the expression of IL-6 mRNA at 3 and 7 days in the pre-injury LLLT and post-injury LLLT groups. A significant increase in IL-6 mRNA was found at 14 days in the post-injury LLLT group in comparison to the injury group. LLLT administered following muscle injury modulates the mRNA expression of MyoD and myogenin. Moreover, the both forms of LLLT administration were able to modulate the mRNA expression of IL-6 during the muscle repair process.

  9. Effect of iron on accumulation of exotoxin A-specific mRNA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

    PubMed Central

    Lory, S

    1986-01-01

    A DNA probe from an internal fragment of the exotoxin A structural gene was used to study the effects of selected culture conditions on steady-state levels of exotoxin-specific mRNA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Cells grown under conditions of iron deprivation began to synthesize and excrete the exotoxin A polypeptide during the late exponential phase of growth and throughout the stationary phase of growth, concomitant with a sharp increase in exotoxin A mRNA pools in P. aeruginosa cells. The addition of iron to the medium resulted in the failure of these cells to synthesize exotoxin A mRNA, despite significantly enhanced growth. The inhibition of the production of exotoxin A and the accumulation of its mRNA by iron was dose dependent, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of FeSO4 of 5 to 10 microM. A blockade of the initiation of transcription by rifampin resulted in the decay of exotoxin A mRNA, with a half-life of approximately 8 to 10 min, depending on the media used for growth. The addition of iron to cells actively engaged in exotoxin A synthesis also resulted in a gradual decrease in the amount of this mRNA in bacteria. However, the rate of decline of mRNA induced by iron was relatively slow (half-life, 90 min), with a considerable lag time between the iron addition and the first detectable effect on mRNA. While iron clearly appears to influence the production of exotoxin A at the transcriptional level, the molecular basis of this effect may involve several interacting factors affecting the initiation of transcription and perhaps mRNA turnover. Images PMID:2430950

  10. Transcription factors Mix1 and VegT, relocalization of vegt mRNA, and conserved endoderm and dorsal specification in frogs

    PubMed Central

    Sudou, Norihiro; Garcés-Vásconez, Andrés; López-Latorre, María A.; Taira, Masanori

    2016-01-01

    Protein expression of the transcription factor genes mix1 and vegt characterized the presumptive endoderm in embryos of the frogs Engystomops randi, Epipedobates machalilla, Gastrotheca riobambae, and Eleutherodactylus coqui, as in Xenopus laevis embryos. Protein VegT was detected in the animal hemisphere of the early blastula in all frogs, and only the animal pole was VegT-negative. This finding stimulated a vegt mRNA analysis in X. laevis eggs and embryos. vegt mRNA was detected in the animal region of X. laevis eggs and early embryos, in agreement with the VegT localization observed in the analyzed frogs. Moreover, a dorso-animal relocalization of vegt mRNA occurred in the egg at fertilization. Thus, the comparative analysis indicated that vegt may participate in dorsal development besides its known roles in endoderm development, and germ-layer specification. Zygotic vegt (zvegt) mRNA was detected as a minor isoform besides the major maternal (mvegt) isoform of the X. laevis egg. In addition, α-amanitin–insensitive vegt transcripts were detected around vegetal nuclei of the blastula. Thus, accumulation of vegt mRNA around vegetal nuclei was caused by relocalization rather than new mRNA synthesis. The localization of vegt mRNA around vegetal nuclei may contribute to the identity of vegetal blastomeres. These and previously reportedly localization features of vegt mRNA and protein derive from the master role of vegt in the development of frogs. The comparative analysis indicated that the strategies for endoderm, and dorsal specification, involving vegt and mix1, have been evolutionary conserved in frogs. PMID:27140624

  11. The involvement of mRNA processing factors TIA-1, TIAR, and PABP-1 during mammalian hibernation.

    PubMed

    Tessier, Shannon N; Audas, Timothy E; Wu, Cheng-Wei; Lee, Stephen; Storey, Kenneth B

    2014-11-01

    Mammalian hibernators survive low body temperatures, ischemia-reperfusion, and restricted nutritional resources via global reductions in energy-expensive cellular processes and selective increases in stress pathways. Consequently, studies that analyze hibernation uncover mechanisms which balance metabolism and support survival by enhancing stress tolerance. We hypothesized processing factors that influence messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) maturation and translation may play significant roles in hibernation. We characterized the amino acid sequences of three RNA processing proteins (T cell intracellular antigen 1 (TIA-1), TIA1-related (TIAR), and poly(A)-binding proteins (PABP-1)) from thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus), which all displayed a high degree of sequence identity with other mammals. Alternate Tia-1 and TiaR gene variants were found in the liver with higher expression of isoform b versus a in both cases. The localization of RNA-binding proteins to subnuclear structures was assessed by immunohistochemistry and confirmed by subcellular fractionation; TIA-1 was identified as a major component of subnuclear structures with up to a sevenfold increase in relative protein levels in the nucleus during hibernation. By contrast, there was no significant difference in the relative protein levels of TIARa/TIARb in the nucleus, and a decrease was observed for TIAR isoforms in cytoplasmic fractions of torpid animals. Finally, we used solubility tests to analyze the formation of reversible aggregates that are associated with TIA-1/R function during stress; a shift towards the soluble fraction (TIA-1a, TIA-1b) was observed during hibernation suggesting enhanced protein aggregation was not present during torpor. The present study identifies novel posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms that may play a role in reducing translational rates and/or mRNA processing under unfavorable environmental conditions.

  12. Complex mutual regulation of facilitates chromatin transcription (FACT) subunits on both mRNA and protein levels in human cells.

    PubMed

    Safina, Alfiya; Garcia, Henry; Commane, Mairead; Guryanova, Olga; Degan, Seamus; Kolesnikova, Kateryna; Gurova, Katerina V

    2013-08-01

    Facilitates chromatin transcription (FACT) is a chromatin remodeling complex with two subunits: SSRP1 and SPT16. Mechanisms controlling FACT levels are of interest, since the complex is not expressed in most differentiated cells, but is frequently upregulated in cancer, particularly in poorly differentiated, aggressive tumors. Moreover, inhibition of FACT expression or function in tumor cells interferes with their survival. Here we demonstrate that SSRP1 and SPT16 protein levels decline upon induction of cellular differentiation or senescence in vitro and that similar declines in protein levels for both SSRP1 and SPT16 occur upon RNAi-mediated knockdown of either SSRP1 or SPT16. The interdependence of SSRP1 and SPT16 protein levels was found to be due to their association with SSRP1 and SPT16 mRNAs, which stabilizes the proteins. In particular, presence of SSRP1 mRNA is critical for SPT16 protein stability. In addition, binding of SSRP1 and SPT16 mRNAs to the FACT complex increases the stability and efficiency of translation of the mRNAs. These data support a model in which the FACT complex is stable when SSRP1 mRNA is present, but quickly degrades when SSRP1 mRNA levels drop. In the absence of FACT complex, SSRP1 and SPT16 mRNAs are unstable and inefficiently translated, making reactivation of FACT function unlikely in normal cells. Thus, we have described a complex and unusual mode of regulation controlling cellular FACT levels that results in amplified and stringent control of FACT activity. The FACT dependence of tumor cells suggests that mechanisms controlling FACT levels could be targeted for anticancer therapy.

  13. Amitriptyline induces brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression through ERK-dependent modulation of multiple BDNF mRNA variants in primary cultured rat cortical astrocytes and microglia.

    PubMed

    Hisaoka-Nakashima, Kazue; Kajitani, Naoto; Kaneko, Masahiro; Shigetou, Takahiro; Kasai, Miho; Matsumoto, Chie; Yokoe, Toshiki; Azuma, Honami; Takebayashi, Minoru; Morioka, Norimitsu; Nakata, Yoshihiro

    2016-03-01

    A significant role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been previously implicated in the therapeutic effect of antidepressants. To ascertain the contribution of specific cell types in the brain that produce BDNF following antidepressant treatment, the effects of the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline on rat primary neuronal, astrocytic and microglial cortical cultures were examined. Amitriptyline increased the expression of BDNF mRNA in astrocytic and microglial cultures but not neuronal cultures. Antidepressants with distinct mechanisms of action, such as clomipramine, duloxetine and fluvoxamine, also increased BDNF mRNA expression in astrocytic and microglial cultures. There are multiple BDNF mRNA variants (exon I, IIA, IV and VI) expressed in astrocytes and microglia and the variant induced by antidepressants has yet to be elaborated. Treatment with antidepressants increased the expression of exon I, IV and VI in astrocyte and microglia. Clomipramine alone significantly upregulated expression of exon IIA. The amitriptyline-induced expression of both total and individual BDNF mRNA variants (exon I, IV and VI) were blocked by MEK inhibitor U0126, indicating MEK/ERK signaling is required in the expression of BDNF. These findings indicate that non-neural cells are a significant target of antidepressants and further support the contention that glial production of BDNF is crucial role in the therapeutic effect of antidepressants. The current data suggest that targeting of glial function could lead to the development of antidepressants with a truly novel mechanism of action. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. UAP56 is a conserved crucial component of a divergent mRNA export pathway in Toxoplasma gondii.

    PubMed

    Serpeloni, Mariana; Jiménez-Ruiz, Elena; Vidal, Newton Medeiros; Kroeber, Constanze; Andenmatten, Nicole; Lemgruber, Leandro; Mörking, Patricia; Pall, Gurman S; Meissner, Markus; Ávila, Andréa R

    2016-11-01

    Nucleo-cytoplasmic RNA export is an essential post-transcriptional step to control gene expression in eukaryotic cells and is poorly understood in apicomplexan parasites. With the exception of UAP56, a component of TREX (Transcription Export) complex, other components of mRNA export machinery are not well conserved in divergent supergroups. Here, we use Toxoplasma gondii as a model system to functionally characterize TgUAP56 and its potential interaction factors. We demonstrate that TgUAP56 is crucial for mRNA export and that functional interference leads to significant accumulation of mRNA in the nucleus. It was necessary to employ bioinformatics and phylogenetic analysis to identify orthologs related to mRNA export, which show a remarkable low level of conservation in T. gondii. We adapted a conditional Cas9/CRISPR system to carry out a genetic screen to verify if these factors were involved in mRNA export in T. gondii. Only the disruption of TgRRM_1330 caused accumulation of mRNA in the nucleus as found with TgUAP56. This protein is potentially a divergent partner of TgUAP56, and provides insight into a divergent mRNA export pathway in apicomplexans. © 2016 The Authors. Molecular Microbiology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. UAP56 is a conserved crucial component of a divergent mRNA export pathway in Toxoplasma gondii

    PubMed Central

    Serpeloni, Mariana; Jiménez‐Ruiz, Elena; Vidal, Newton Medeiros; Kroeber, Constanze; Andenmatten, Nicole; Lemgruber, Leandro; Mörking, Patricia; Pall, Gurman S.

    2016-01-01

    Summary Nucleo‐cytoplasmic RNA export is an essential post‐transcriptional step to control gene expression in eukaryotic cells and is poorly understood in apicomplexan parasites. With the exception of UAP56, a component of TREX (Transcription Export) complex, other components of mRNA export machinery are not well conserved in divergent supergroups. Here, we use Toxoplasma gondii as a model system to functionally characterize TgUAP56 and its potential interaction factors. We demonstrate that TgUAP56 is crucial for mRNA export and that functional interference leads to significant accumulation of mRNA in the nucleus. It was necessary to employ bioinformatics and phylogenetic analysis to identify orthologs related to mRNA export, which show a remarkable low level of conservation in T. gondii. We adapted a conditional Cas9/CRISPR system to carry out a genetic screen to verify if these factors were involved in mRNA export in T. gondii. Only the disruption of TgRRM_1330 caused accumulation of mRNA in the nucleus as found with TgUAP56. This protein is potentially a divergent partner of TgUAP56, and provides insight into a divergent mRNA export pathway in apicomplexans. PMID:27542978

  16. Aiding and Abetting Cancer: mRNA export and the nuclear pore

    PubMed Central

    Culjkovic-Kraljacic, Biljana; Borden, Katherine L.B

    2013-01-01

    mRNA export is a critical step in gene expression. Export of transcripts can be modulated in response to cellular signaling or stress. Consistently, mRNA export is dysregulated in primary human specimens derived from many different forms of cancer. Aberrant expression of export factors can alter export of specific transcripts encoding proteins involved in proliferation, survival and oncogenesis. These specific factors, which are not used for bulk mRNA export, are obvious therapeutic targets. Indeed, given the emerging role of mRNA export in cancer, it is not surprising that efforts to target different aspects of this pathway have reached the clinical trial stage. Thus, like transcription and translation, mRNA export may also play a critical role in cancer genesis and maintenance. PMID:23582887

  17. Nucleotide sequence and regulatory studies of VGF, a nervous system-specific mRNA that is rapidly and relatively selectively induced by nerve growth factor.

    PubMed

    Salton, S R

    1991-09-01

    A nervous system-specific mRNA that is rapidly induced in PC12 cells to a greater extent by nerve growth factor (NGF) than by epidermal growth factor treatment has been cloned. The polypeptide deduced from the nucleic acid sequence of the NGF33.1 cDNA clone contains regions of amino acid sequence identity with that predicted by the cDNA clone VGF, and further analysis suggests that both NGF33.1 and VGF cDNA clones very likely correspond to the same mRNA (VGF). In this report both the nucleic acid sequence that corresponds to VGF mRNA and the polypeptide predicted by the NGF33.1 cDNA clone are presented. Genomic Southern analysis and database comparison did not detect additional sequences with high homology to the VGF gene. Induction of VGF mRNA by depolarization and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate treatment was greater than by serum stimulation or protein kinase A pathway activation. These studies suggest that VGF mRNA is induced to the greatest extent by NGF treatment and that VGF is one of the most rapidly regulated neuronal mRNAs identified in PC12 cells.

  18. Comparison of Tight Junction Protein-Related Gene mRNA Expression Levels between Male and Female Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Patients.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jin Joo; Kim, Nayoung; Park, Ji Hyun; Kim, Young Sun; Lee, Sun Min; Lee, Dong Ho; Jung, Hyun Chae

    2018-03-21

    Male predominance has been observed in the erosive reflux disease (ERD), but reverse finding in nonerosive reflux disease (NERD). This suggests sex-specific medicine approach is needed but its mechanism is remained to be elucidated. We aimed to compare clinical characteristics and mRNA expression levels of tight junction-related proteins between male and female gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients. Sixteen healthy controls, 45 ERD, and 14 NERD patients received upper endoscopies and completed questionnaires. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions (qPCR) of occludin (OCLN), zonal occludens (ZO) 1, claudin1 (CDLN1) and claudin4 (CDLN4), and neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) were performed in the distal esophageal mucosal specimen. These results were analyzed by sex. Female GERD patients were affected more by reflux symptoms than males. The impairment of overall QoL was more prominent in female patients with reflux symptoms than male patients (5.6±0.2 vs. 4.9±0.6, p=0.009). The levels of OCLN mRNA expression were significantly lower in the male ERD group. On the other hand, those of CLDN1, CLDN4, and NK1R except ZO-1 were significantly higher in the male ERD group. We demonstrated that female ERD/NERD patients were affected more by GERD and male ERD patients showed significant changes of tight junction protein mRNA expression levels.

  19. Up-regulated EMMPRIN/CD147 protein expression might play a role in colorectal carcinogenesis and its subsequent progression without an alteration of its glycosylation and mRNA level.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Hua-chuan; Wang, Wei; Xu, Xiao-yan; Xia, Pu; Yu, Miao; Sugiyama, Toshiro; Takano, Yasuo

    2011-04-01

    Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) was reported to involve in the invasion and metastasis of malignancies by regulating the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in stromal and cancer cells. The study aimed to clarify the role of EMMPRIN expression in tumorigenesis and progression of colorectal carcinomas (CRC). EMMPRIN expression was examined on tissue microarray containing colorectal carcinomas, adenoma and non-neoplastic mucosa (NNM) by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization (ISH). Colorectal carcinoma cell lines (DLD-1, HCT-15, SW480 and WiDr) and tissues were studied for EMMPRIN expression by Western blot or RT-PCR, followed by sequencing. All carcinoma cell lines showed EMMPRIN expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Two synonymous mutations were found in carcinoma cell lines at codon109 (GCT → GCC: Ala) or 179 (GAT → GAC: Asp). Frozen CRC tissues displayed higher EMMPRIN expression than paired NNM (P < 0.05). EMMPRIN expression was immunohistochemically stronger in colorectal high-grade adenoma, adenocarcinoma and metastatic carcinoma than non-neoplastic superficial epithelium and low-grade adenoma (P < 0.05). In contrast, its mRNA level was similar from colorectal NNM, adenoma to adenocarcinoma by ISH, in line with the findings of RT-PCR (P > 0.05). Immunohistochemically, EMMPRIN expression was positively correlated with tumor size, depth of invasion, vascular or lymphatic invasion, grade of infiltration (INF), ki-67 and VEGF expression of CRCs (P < 0.05). Among them, depth of invasion was an independent associated factor for EMMPRIN expression in CRCs (P < 0.05). Up-regulated EMMPRIN protein expression might contribute to colorectal carcinogenesis without the alteration of its glycosylation and mRNA level. Aberrant EMMPRIN protein expression might promote growth or invasion of CRCs possibly through increased ki-67 expression and inducible angiogenesis via up-regulating VEGF expression.

  20. Cloning of a long HIV-1 readthrough transcript and detection of an increased level of early growth response protein-1 (Egr-1) mRNA in chronically infected U937 cells.

    PubMed

    Dron, M; Hameau, L; Benboudjema, L; Guymarho, J; Cajean-Feroldi, C; Rizza, P; Godard, C; Jasmin, C; Tovey, M G; Lang, M C

    1999-01-01

    To identify the pathways involved in HIV-1 modification of cellular gene expression, chronically infected U937 cells were screened by mRNA differential display. A chimeric transcript consisting of the 3' end of the LTR of a HIV-1 provirus, followed by 3.7 kb of cellular RNA was identified suggesting that long readthrough transcription might be one of the mechanisms by which gene expression could be modified in individual infected cells. Such a phenomenon may also be the first step towards the potential transduction of cellular sequences. Furthermore, the mRNA encoding for the transcription factor Egr-1 was detected as an over-represented transcript in infected cells. Northern blot analysis confirmed the increase of Egr-1 mRNA content in both HIV-1 infected promonocytic U937 cells and T cell lines such as Jurkat and CEM. Interestingly a similar increase of Egr-1 mRNA has previously been reported to occur in HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infected T cell lines. Despite the consistent increase in the level of Egr-1 mRNA, the amount of the encoded protein did not appear to be modified in HIV-1 infected cells, suggesting an increased turn over of the protein in chronically infected cells.

  1. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 plays distinct roles at the mRNA entry and exit channels of the ribosomal preinitiation complex

    PubMed Central

    Aitken, Colin Echeverría; Beznosková, Petra; Vlčkova, Vladislava; Chiu, Wen-Ling; Zhou, Fujun; Valášek, Leoš Shivaya; Hinnebusch, Alan G; Lorsch, Jon R

    2016-01-01

    Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) is a central player in recruitment of the pre-initiation complex (PIC) to mRNA. We probed the effects on mRNA recruitment of a library of S. cerevisiae eIF3 functional variants spanning its 5 essential subunits using an in vitro-reconstituted system. Mutations throughout eIF3 disrupt its interaction with the PIC and diminish its ability to accelerate recruitment to a native yeast mRNA. Alterations to the eIF3a CTD and eIF3b/i/g significantly slow mRNA recruitment, and mutations within eIF3b/i/g destabilize eIF2•GTP•Met-tRNAi binding to the PIC. Using model mRNAs lacking contacts with the 40S entry or exit channels, we uncovered a critical role for eIF3 requiring the eIF3a NTD, in stabilizing mRNA interactions at the exit channel, and an ancillary role at the entry channel requiring residues of the eIF3a CTD. These functions are redundant: defects at each channel can be rescued by filling the other channel with mRNA. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.20934.001 PMID:27782884

  2. Cis-Regulatory Variants Affect CHRNA5 mRNA Expression in Populations of African and European Ancestry

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Jen-Chyong; Spiegel, Noah; Bertelsen, Sarah; Le, Nhung; McKenna, Nicholas; Budde, John P.; Harari, Oscar; Kapoor, Manav; Brooks, Andrew; Hancock, Dana; Tischfield, Jay; Foroud, Tatiana; Bierut, Laura J.; Steinbach, Joe Henry; Edenberg, Howard J.; Traynor, Bryan J.; Goate, Alison M.

    2013-01-01

    Variants within the gene cluster encoding α3, α5, and β4 nicotinic receptor subunits are major risk factors for substance dependence. The strongest impact on risk is associated with variation in the CHRNA5 gene, where at least two mechanisms are at work: amino acid variation and altered mRNA expression levels. The risk allele of the non-synonymous variant (rs16969968; D398N) primarily occurs on the haplotype containing the low mRNA expression allele. In populations of European ancestry, there are approximately 50 highly correlated variants in the CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 gene cluster and the adjacent PSMA4 gene region that are associated with CHRNA5 mRNA levels. It is not clear which of these variants contribute to the changes in CHRNA5 transcript level. Because populations of African ancestry have reduced linkage disequilibrium among variants spanning this gene cluster, eQTL mapping in subjects of African ancestry could potentially aid in defining the functional variants that affect CHRNA5 mRNA levels. We performed quantitative allele specific gene expression using frontal cortices derived from 49 subjects of African ancestry and 111 subjects of European ancestry. This method measures allele-specific transcript levels in the same individual, which eliminates other biological variation that occurs when comparing expression levels between different samples. This analysis confirmed that substance dependence associated variants have a direct cis-regulatory effect on CHRNA5 transcript levels in human frontal cortices of African and European ancestry and identified 10 highly correlated variants, located in a 9 kb region, that are potential functional variants modifying CHRNA5 mRNA expression levels. PMID:24303001

  3. Nuclear Imprisonment: Viral Strategies to Arrest Host mRNA Nuclear Export

    PubMed Central

    Kuss, Sharon K.; Mata, Miguel A.; Zhang, Liang; Fontoura, Beatriz M. A.

    2013-01-01

    Viruses possess many strategies to impair host cellular responses to infection. Nuclear export of host messenger RNAs (mRNA) that encode antiviral factors is critical for antiviral protein production and control of viral infections. Several viruses have evolved sophisticated strategies to inhibit nuclear export of host mRNAs, including targeting mRNA export factors and nucleoporins to compromise their roles in nucleo-cytoplasmic trafficking of cellular mRNA. Here, we present a review of research focused on suppression of host mRNA nuclear export by viruses, including influenza A virus and vesicular stomatitis virus, and the impact of this viral suppression on host antiviral responses. PMID:23872491

  4. High Intensity High Volume Interval Training Improves Endurance Performance and Induces a Nearly Complete Slow-to-Fast Fiber Transformation on the mRNA Level.

    PubMed

    Eigendorf, Julian; May, Marcus; Friedrich, Jan; Engeli, Stefan; Maassen, Norbert; Gros, Gerolf; Meissner, Joachim D

    2018-01-01

    We present here a longitudinal study determining the effects of two 3 week-periods of high intensity high volume interval training (HIHVT) (90 intervals of 6 s cycling at 250% maximum power, P max /24 s) on a cycle ergometer. HIHVT was evaluated by comparing performance tests before and after the entire training (baseline, BSL, and endpoint, END) and between the two training sets (intermediate, INT). The mRNA expression levels of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms and markers of energy metabolism were analyzed in M. vastus lateralis biopsies by quantitative real-time PCR. In incremental tests peak power (P peak ) was increased, whereas V ˙ O 2peak was unaltered. Prolonged time-to-exhaustion was found in endurance tests with 65 and 80% P max at INT and END. No changes in blood levels of lipid metabolites were detected. Training-induced decreases of hematocrit indicate hypervolemia. A shift from slow MHCI/β to fast MHCIIa mRNA expression occurred after the first and second training set. The mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), a master regulator of oxidative energy metabolism, decreased after the second training set. In agreement, a significant decrease was also found for citrate synthase mRNA after the second training set, indicating reduced oxidative capacity. However, mRNA expression levels of glycolytic marker enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase did not change after the first and second training set. HIHVT induced a nearly complete slow-to-fast fiber type transformation on the mRNA level, which, however, cannot account for the improvements of performance parameters. The latter might be explained by the well-known effects of hypervolemia on exercise performance.

  5. The Nucleotide Sequence and Spliced pol mRNA Levels of the Nonprimate Spumavirus Bovine Foamy Virus

    PubMed Central

    Holzschu, Donald L.; Delaney, Mari A.; Renshaw, Randall W.; Casey, James W.

    1998-01-01

    We have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of a replication-competent clone of bovine foamy virus (BFV) and have quantitated the amount of splice pol mRNA processed early in infection. The 544-amino-acid Gag protein precursor has little sequence similarity with its primate foamy virus homologs, but the putative nucleocapsid (NC) protein, like the primate NCs, contains the three glycine-arginine-rich regions that are postulated to bind genomic RNA during virion assembly. The BFV gag and pol open reading frames overlap, with pro and pol in the same translational frame. As with the human foamy virus (HFV) and feline foamy virus, we have detected a spliced pol mRNA by PCR. Quantitatively, this mRNA approximates the level of full-length genomic RNA early in infection. The integrase (IN) domain of reverse transcriptase does not contain the canonical HH-CC zinc finger motif present in all characterized retroviral INs, but it does contain a nearby histidine residue that could conceivably participate as a member of the zinc finger. The env gene encodes a protein that is over 40% identical in sequence to the HFV Env. By comparison, the Gag precursor of BFV is predicted to be only 28% identical to the HFV protein. PMID:9499074

  6. CYP3A5 mRNA degradation by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay.

    PubMed

    Busi, Florent; Cresteil, Thierry

    2005-09-01

    The total CYP3A5 mRNA level is significantly greater in carriers of the CYP3A5*1 allele than in CYP3A5*3 homozygotes. Most of the CYP3A5*3 mRNA includes an intronic sequence (exon 3B) containing premature termination codons (PTCs) between exons 3 and 4. Two models were used to investigate the degradation of CYP3A5 mRNA: a CYP3A5 minigene consisting of CYP3A5 exons and introns 3 to 6 transfected into MCF7 cells, and the endogenous CYP3A5 gene expressed in HepG2 cells. The 3'-untranslated region g.31611C>T mutation has no effect on CYP3A5 mRNA decay. Splice variants containing exon 3B were more unstable than wild-type (wt) CYP3A5 mRNA. Cycloheximide prevents the recognition of PTCs by ribosomes: in transfected MCF7 and HepG2 cells, cycloheximide slowed down the degradation of exon 3B-containing splice variants, suggesting the participation of nonsense-mediated decay (NMD). When PTCs were removed from pseudoexon 3B or when UPF1 small interfering RNA was used to impair the NMD mechanism, the decay of the splice variant was reduced, confirming the involvement of NMD in the degradation of CYP3A5 splice variants. Induction could represent a source of variability for CYP3A5 expression and could modify the proportion of splice variants. The extent of CYP3A5 induction was investigated after exposure to barbiturates or steroids: CYP3A4 was markedly induced in a pediatric population compared with untreated neonates. However, no effect could be detected in either the total CYP3A5 RNA, the proportion of splice variant RNA, or the protein level. Therefore, in these carriers, induction is unlikely to switch on the phenotypic CYP3A5 expression in carriers of CYP3A5*3/*3.

  7. HER-2 gene amplification, HER-2 and epidermal growth factor receptor mRNA and protein expression, and lapatinib efficacy in women with metastatic breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Press, Michael F; Finn, Richard S; Cameron, David; Di Leo, Angelo; Geyer, Charles E; Villalobos, Ivonne E; Santiago, Angela; Guzman, Roberta; Gasparyan, Armen; Ma, Yanling; Danenberg, Kathy; Martin, Anne Marie; Williams, Lisa; Oliva, Cristina; Stein, Steven; Gagnon, Robert; Arbushites, Michael; Koehler, Maria T

    2008-12-01

    Biomarkers from two randomized phase III trials were analyzed to optimize selection of patients for lapatinib therapy. In available breast cancer tissue from EGF30001 (paclitaxel +/- lapatinib in HER-2-negative/unknown metastatic breast cancer, n = 579) and EGF100151 (capecitabine +/- lapatinib in HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer, n = 399), HER-2 gene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), HER-2 mRNA by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), HER-2 protein expression by HercepTest immunohistochemistry (IHC), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mRNA level by RT-PCR, and EGFR protein by IHC were analyzed and compared with clinical outcome. HER-2 was determined by FISH in an academic reference/research laboratory and in a large, high-volume commercial reference laboratory. The HER-2 gene was amplified in 47% (344 of 733) and IHC was 3+ in 35% (279 of 798), with significant correlation (P < 0.01) between FISH and IHC. Positive EGFR immunostaining (IHC 1+, 2+, or 3+) in 28% (213 of 761) correlated with EGFR mRNA levels by RT-PCR (r = 0.59; P < 0.01). HER-2 gene amplification/overexpression was associated with improved clinical outcomes (progression-free survival; P < 0.001) in both trials. A significant improvement in outcome was seen in FISH-positive and IHC 0, 1+, or 2+ patients. HER-2 mRNA expression correlated with HER-2 FISH (r = 0.83) and IHC status (r = 0.72; n = 138). No correlation was found between EGFR expression (IHC or mRNA) and responsiveness to lapatinib regardless of HER-2 status. Although a significant correlation with lapatinib responsiveness was observed among "HER-2-negative" breast cancer patients in the large, high-volume commercial reference laboratory, this was not confirmed in the academic reference/research laboratory. Women with HER-2-positive metastatic breast cancer benefit from lapatinib, whereas women with HER-2-negative metastatic breast cancer derive no incremental benefit from lapatinib.

  8. Effect of Alpha-Hederin, the active constituent of Nigella sativa, on miRNA-126, IL-13 mRNA levels and inflammation of lungs in ovalbumin-sensitized male rats

    PubMed Central

    Fallahi, Maryam; Keyhanmanesh, Rana; Khamaneh, Amir Mahdi; Ebrahimi Saadatlou, Mohammad Ali; Saadat, Saeideh; Ebrahimi, Hadi

    2016-01-01

    Objective: In previous studies the therapeutic effects of Nigella sativa have been demonstrated on asthmatic animals. In the present study, the preventive effect of single dose of alpha-hederin, its active constituent, has been evaluated on lung inflammation and some inflammatory mediators in lungs of ovalbumin sensitized rat in order to elicit its mechanism. Materials and Methods: Forty rats were randomly grouped in 4 groups; control (C), sensitized (S), sensitized pretreated groups with thymoquinone (3 mg/kg i.p., S+TQ) and alpha-hederin (0.02 mg/kg i.p., S+AH). Levels of IL-13 mRNA and miRNA-126 in lung tissue and its pathological changes in each group were assessed. Results: Elevated levels of miRNA-126, IL-13 mRNA and pathological changes were observed in the sensitized group compared to the control group (p<0.001 to p<0.05). All of these factors were significantly reduced in S+TQ and S+AH groups in comparison to S group (p<0.001 to p<0.05). Although alpha-hederin decreased the levels of miRNA-126, IL-13 mRNA and pathological changes in comparison with thymoquinone, the results were statistically not significant. Conclusion: The results suggested that alpha-hederin had preventive effect on sensitized rats like thymoquinone. It may intervene in miRNA-126 expression, which consequently could interfere with IL-13 secretion pathway leading to a reduction in inflammatory responses. PMID:27247924

  9. Gravitational loading of a simulated launch alters mRNA expression in osteoblasts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fitzgerald, J.; Hughes-Fulford, M.

    1996-01-01

    Serum-deprived mouse osteoblastic cells (MC3T3-E1a) were centrifuged under a regime designed to simulate a space shuttle launch (maximum of 3g). Messenger RNA levels for eight genes involved in bone growth and maintenance were determined using RT-PCR. Following 30 min of centrifugation, mRNA level for early response gene c-fos was significantly increased 89% (P < 0.05). The c-fos induction was transient and returned to control levels after 3 h. The mRNA level for the mineralization marker gene osteocalcin was significantly decreased to 44% of control level (P < 0.005) 3 h after centrifugation. No changes in mRNA levels were detected for c-myc, TGFbeta1, TGFbeta2, cyclophilin A, or actin. No basal mRNA level for TGFbeta3 was detected. In addition, no change in the steady-state synthesis of prostaglandin E2 was detected, possibly due to lack of lipid substrates in serum-deprived cells, suggesting that the increase in c-fos mRNA in response to gravitational loading is a result of mechanical stimulation. These results indicate that a small magnitude mechanical loading, such as that experienced during a shuttle launch, can alter mRNA levels in quiescent osteoblastic cells.

  10. Primary induction of vitellogenin mRNA in the rooster by 17beta-estradiol.

    PubMed Central

    Burns, A T; Deeley, R G; Gordon, J I; Udell, D S; Mullinix, K P; Goldberger, R F

    1978-01-01

    We have studied the kinetics of vitellogenin mRNA accumulation in rooster liver after a primary injection of 17beta-estradiol. The levels of vitellogenin mRNA have been determined both by hybridization of total cellular RNA to vitellogenin cDNA and by translation of vitellogenin mRNA in a wheat germ cell-free system. The results obtained by both methods of analysis are in good agreement and indicate that vitellogenin mRNA is present in the liver of normal roosters at a level of 0-5 molecules per liver cell and increases in amount during the 3 days following injection of estrogen, reaching a level of almost 6000 molecules per cell at the peak of the response. The level of vitellogenin mRNA declined exponentially during the next 14 days with a half-life of 29 hr, reaching a level of less than 10 molecules per cell at 17 days after injection of the hormone. The levels of vitellogenin mRNA after stimulation with estrogen have been correlated with the in vivo rate of synthesis of the vitellogenin polypeptide. The results indicate that the rate of vitellogenin synthesis is closely correlated with the level of vitellogenin mRNA. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that vitellogenin mRNA does not exist in the liver in an untranslated form after withdrawal from estrogen. PMID:273910

  11. Combinatorial programming of human neuronal progenitors using magnetically-guided stoichiometric mRNA delivery.

    PubMed

    Azimi, Sayyed M; Sheridan, Steven D; Ghannad-Rezaie, Mostafa; Eimon, Peter M; Yanik, Mehmet Fatih

    2018-05-01

    Identification of optimal transcription-factor expression patterns to direct cellular differentiation along a desired pathway presents significant challenges. We demonstrate massively combinatorial screening of temporally-varying mRNA transcription factors to direct differentiation of neural progenitor cells using a dynamically-reconfigurable magnetically-guided spotting technology for localizing mRNA, enabling experiments on millimetre size spots. In addition, we present a time-interleaved delivery method that dramatically reduces fluctuations in the delivered transcription-factor copy-numbers per cell. We screened combinatorial and temporal delivery of a pool of midbrain-specific transcription factors to augment the generation of dopaminergic neurons. We show that the combinatorial delivery of LMX1A, FOXA2 and PITX3 is highly effective in generating dopaminergic neurons from midbrain progenitors. We show that LMX1A significantly increases TH -expression levels when delivered to neural progenitor cells either during proliferation or after induction of neural differentiation, while FOXA2 and PITX3 increase expression only when delivered prior to induction, demonstrating temporal dependence of factor addition. © 2018, Azimi et al.

  12. Chaperone Hsp27 Modulates AUF1 Proteolysis and AU-Rich Element-Mediated mRNA Degradation▿

    PubMed Central

    Knapinska, Anna M.; Gratacós, Frances M.; Krause, Christopher D.; Hernandez, Kristina; Jensen, Amber G.; Bradley, Jacquelyn J.; Wu, Xiangyue; Pestka, Sidney; Brewer, Gary

    2011-01-01

    AUF1 is an AU-rich element (ARE)-binding protein that recruits translation initiation factors, molecular chaperones, and mRNA degradation enzymes to the ARE for mRNA destruction. We recently found chaperone Hsp27 to be an AUF1-associated ARE-binding protein required for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) mRNA degradation in monocytes. Hsp27 is a multifunctional protein that participates in ubiquitination of proteins for their degradation by proteasomes. A variety of extracellular stimuli promote Hsp27 phosphorylation on three serine residues—Ser15, Ser78, and Ser82—by a number of kinases, including the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) pathway kinases p38 and MK2. Activating either kinase stabilizes ARE mRNAs. Likewise, ectopic expression of phosphomimetic mutant forms of Hsp27 stabilizes reporter ARE mRNAs. Here, we continued to examine the contributions of Hsp27 to mRNA degradation. As AUF1 is ubiquitinated and degraded by proteasomes, we addressed the hypothesis that Hsp27 phosphorylation controls AUF1 levels to modulate ARE mRNA degradation. Indeed, selected phosphomimetic mutants of Hsp27 promote proteolysis of AUF1 in a proteasome-dependent fashion and render ARE mRNAs more stable. Our results suggest that the p38 MAP kinase (MAPK)-MK2–Hsp27 signaling axis may target AUF1 destruction by proteasomes, thereby promoting ARE mRNA stabilization. PMID:21245386

  13. mRNA expression of corticotropin-releasing factor and urocortin 1 after restraint and foot shock together with alprazolam administration.

    PubMed

    Cespedes, Isabel C; de Oliveira, Amanda R; da Silva, Joelcimar M; da Silva, André V; Sita, Luciane V; Bittencourt, Jackson C

    2010-12-01

    Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is expressed in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), and act centrally to provoke stress-like autonomic and behavioral responses. Urocortins 1-3 are additional ligands to the CRF receptors 1 and 2. Ucn 1 neurons are primarily concentrated in the Edinger-Westphal (EW) nucleus and also have been associated with stress responses. It is also known that UCN 1 respond in different ways depending on the stressor presented. Benzodiazepines can act via the CRF peptidergic system and chronic administration of alprazolam does not interfere with CRF mRNA expression in the PVN, but significantly increase Ucn 1 mRNA expression in the EW. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between different stressor stimuli, foot shock (FS) and restraint (R), and the mRNA expression of CRF and Ucn 1 in the PVN and EW using alprazolam (A). We employed fos activation and in situ hybridization. Restraint group presented increased fos-ir and CRF mRNA expression in the PVN compared to FS group. The stress responses of R group were prevented by A. In the EW, fos-ir was higher in the FS group than in the R group, whereas Ucn 1 mRNA expression was higher in the R group than in the FS group. Alprazolam significantly increased fos-ir and Ucn 1 mRNA expression in both groups. Our results show that PVN and EW respond in different ways to the same stressors. Furthermore, EW of stressed animals replies in a complementary way comparing to PVN with the use of Alprazolam. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. RNA/DNA ratio and LPL and MyoD mRNA expressions in muscle of Oreochromis niloticus fed with elevated levels of palm oil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ayisi, Christian Larbi; Zhao, Jinliang

    2016-02-01

    Palm oil is of great potential as one of the sustainable alternatives to fish oil (FO) in aquafeeds. In this present study, five isonitrogenous diets (32% crude protein) with elevated palm oil levels of 0%, 2%, 4%, 6% and 8% were used during an 8-week feeding trial to evaluate its effects on RNA/DNA ratio and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and MyoD mRNA expressions in muscle of Oreochromis niloticus. The results showed that RNA, DNA content as well as ratio of RNA to DNA were significantly affected ( P < 0.05), in each case the highest was recorded in fish group subjected to 6% palm oil level. There was a strong positive correlation between nucleic acid concentration (RNA concentration and RNA: DNA ratio) and specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), while a negative correlation existed between nucleic acid concentration (RNA concentration and RNA: DNA ratio) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The mRNA expressions of LPL and MyoD in muscle were not significantly affected by the different palm oil levels, although the highest expression was observed in fish fed with 6% palm oil level. There also existed a strong positive correlation between the mRNA expression of LPL, MyoD and SGR, PER, while their correlation with FCR was negative. In conclusion, elevated palm oil affected the RNA, DNA concentration as well as RNA/DNA ratio significantly, although the mRNA expression of LPL and MyoD were not affected significantly by elevated palm oil levels.

  15. Expression of beta 3-adrenoceptor mRNA in rat tissues.

    PubMed

    Evans, B A; Papaioannou, M; Bonazzi, V R; Summers, R J

    1996-01-01

    1. This study examines the expression of beta 3-adrenoceptor messenger RNA (beta 3-AR mRNA) in rat tissues to allow comparison with atypical beta-adrenoceptors determined by functional and radioligand binding techniques. 2. A reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction protocol has been developed for determining the relative amounts of beta 3-AR mRNA in rat tissues. 3. Measurement of adipsin and uncoupling protein (UCP) mRNA was used to examine all tissues for the presence of white and brown adipose tissue which may contribute beta 3-AR mRNA. 4. The beta 3-AR mRNA is expressed at high levels in brown and white adipose tissue, stomach fundus, the longitudinal/circular smooth muscle of both colon and ileum, and colon submucosa. There was substantial expression of adipsin in colon submucosa and moderate expression in fundus, suggesting that in these regions at least some of the beta 3-AR signal may be contributed by fat. Pylorus and colon mucosa showed moderate levels of beta 3-AR mRNA with lower levels of adipsin. Ileum mucosa and submucosa showed low but readily detectable levels of beta 3-AR. 5. Expression of adipsin in rat skeletal muscles coupled to very low levels of beta 3-AR mRNA indicates that the observed beta 3-AR may be due to the presence of intrinsic fat. beta 3-AR mRNA was virtually undetectable in heart, lung and liver. These results raise the possibility that the atypical beta-AR demonstrated by functional and/or binding studies in muscle and in heart is not the beta 3-AR. 6. By use of two different sets of primers for amplification of beta 3-AR cDNA, no evidence was found for differential splicing of the mRNA in any of the tissues examined. 7. The detection of beta 3-AR mRNA in the gut mucosa and submucosa suggests that in addition to its established roles in lipolysis, thermogenesis and regulation of gut motility beta 3-AR may subserve other functions in the gastrointestinal tract. The absence of beta 3-AR mRNA in rat heart or its presence with

  16. An mRNA decapping mutant deficient in P body assembly limits mRNA stabilization in response to osmotic stress.

    PubMed

    Huch, Susanne; Nissan, Tracy

    2017-03-14

    Yeast is exposed to changing environmental conditions and must adapt its genetic program to provide a homeostatic intracellular environment. An important stress for yeast in the wild is high osmolarity. A key response to this stress is increased mRNA stability primarily by the inhibition of deadenylation. We previously demonstrated that mutations in decapping activators (edc3∆ lsm4∆C), which result in defects in P body assembly, can destabilize mRNA under unstressed conditions. We wished to examine whether mRNA would be destabilized in the edc3∆ lsm4∆C mutant as compared to the wild-type in response to osmotic stress, when P bodies are intense and numerous. Our results show that the edc3∆ lsm4∆C mutant limits the mRNA stability in response to osmotic stress, while the magnitude of stabilization was similar as compared to the wild-type. The reduced mRNA stability in the edc3∆ lsm4∆C mutant was correlated with a shorter PGK1 poly(A) tail. Similarly, the MFA2 mRNA was more rapidly deadenylated as well as significantly stabilized in the ccr4∆ deadenylation mutant in the edc3∆ lsm4∆C background. These results suggest a role for these decapping factors in stabilizing mRNA and may implicate P bodies as sites of reduced mRNA degradation.

  17. Identification of factors required for m6 A mRNA methylation in Arabidopsis reveals a role for the conserved E3 ubiquitin ligase HAKAI.

    PubMed

    Růžička, Kamil; Zhang, Mi; Campilho, Ana; Bodi, Zsuzsanna; Kashif, Muhammad; Saleh, Mária; Eeckhout, Dominique; El-Showk, Sedeer; Li, Hongying; Zhong, Silin; De Jaeger, Geert; Mongan, Nigel P; Hejátko, Jan; Helariutta, Ykä; Fray, Rupert G

    2017-07-01

    N6-adenosine methylation (m 6 A) of mRNA is an essential process in most eukaryotes, but its role and the status of factors accompanying this modification are still poorly understood. Using combined methods of genetics, proteomics and RNA biochemistry, we identified a core set of mRNA m 6 A writer proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana. The components required for m 6 A in Arabidopsis included MTA, MTB, FIP37, VIRILIZER and the E3 ubiquitin ligase HAKAI. Downregulation of these proteins led to reduced relative m 6 A levels and shared pleiotropic phenotypes, which included aberrant vascular formation in the root, indicating that correct m 6 A methylation plays a role in developmental decisions during pattern formation. The conservation of these proteins amongst eukaryotes and the demonstration of a role in writing m 6 A for the E3 ubiquitin ligase HAKAI is likely to be of considerable relevance beyond the plant sciences. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

  18. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor as an incriminating agent in vitiligo.

    PubMed

    Farag, Azza Gaber Antar; Hammam, Mostafa Ahmed; Habib, Mona SalahEldeen; Elnaidany, Nada Farag; Kamh, Mona Eaid

    2018-03-01

    Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disorder in which the loss of melanocytes is mainly attributed to defective autoimmune mechanisms and, lately, there has been more emphasis on autoinflammatory mediators. Among these is the macrophage migration inhibitory factor, which is involved in many autoimmune skin diseases. However, little is known about the contribution of this factor to vitiligo vulgaris. To determine the hypothesized role of migration inhibitory factor in vitiligo via estimation of serum migration inhibitory factor levels and migration inhibitory factor mRNA concentrations in patients with vitiligo compared with healthy controls. We also aimed to assess whether there is a relationship between the values of serum migration inhibitory factor and/or migration inhibitory factor mRNA with disease duration, clinical type and severity in vitiligo patients. Evaluation of migration inhibitory factor serum level and migration inhibitory factor mRNA expression by ELISA and real-time PCR, respectively, were performed for 50 patients with different degrees of vitiligo severity and compared to 15 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers as controls. There was a highly significant increase in serum migration inhibitory factor and migration inhibitory factor mRNA levels in vitiligo cases when compared to controls (p<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between both serum migration inhibitory factor and migration inhibitory factor mRNA concentrations in vitiligo patients, and each of them with duration and severity of vitiligo. In addition, patients with generalized vitiligo have significantly elevated serum migration inhibitory factor and mRNA levels than control subjects. Small number of investigated subjects. Migration inhibitory factor may have an active role in the development of vitiligo, and it may also be a useful index of disease severity. Consequently, migration inhibitory factor may be a new treatment target for vitiligo patients.

  19. Correlation of Cyfra 21-1 levels in saliva and serum with CK19 mRNA expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Malhotra, Rewa; Urs, Aadithya B; Chakravarti, Anita; Kumar, Suman; Gupta, V K; Mahajan, Bhawna

    2016-07-01

    Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for 90 % of malignant lesions of oral cavity. The study assessed the potential of Cyfra 21-1 as a tumor marker in OSCC. The study included 50 patients of OSCC to evaluate levels of Cyfra 21-1 in serum and saliva by electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (ECLIA) and CK19 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in tissue by florescent quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) along with healthy individuals as control. The salivary and serum Cyfra 21-1 levels in patients of OSCC were significantly higher compared to controls (p value < 0.01). There was a 2.75-fold increase in CK19 mRNA expression in OSCC cases compared to controls. A significant positive correlation was found between serum and salivary Cyfra 21-1, serum Cyfra 21-1, and CK19 mRNA expression and between salivary Cyfra 21-1 and CK19 mRNA expression. Among these, correlation between serum and salivary Cyfra 21-1 was highly significant. Salivary and serum Cyfra 21-1 showed significantly elevated levels in grade II OSCC compared to grade I histopathologically. Elevated levels of salivary Cyfra 21-1 were associated with recurrence in OSCC patients. Reverse operating curve constructed using 3 ng/ml as a cutoff for serum Cyfra 21-1 revealed the sensitivity and specificity to be 88 and 78.2 %, respectively. Using a cutoff value of 8.5 ng/ml for salivary Cyfra 21-1, the sensitivity was found to be 93.8 % and specificity 84.3 %. We advocate salivary Cyfra 21-1 as a better diagnostic marker over serum Cyfra 21-1 as well as a potential marker in the prognosis of OSCC.

  20. Gestational Protein Restriction Increases Cardiac Connexin 43 mRNA levels in male adult rat offspring

    PubMed Central

    Rossini, Kamila Fernanda; de Oliveira, Camila Andrea; Rebelato, Hércules Jonas; Esquisatto, Marcelo Augusto Marreto; Catisti, Rosana

    2017-01-01

    Background The dietary limitation during pregnancy influences the growth and development of the fetus and offspring and their health into adult life. The mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of gestational protein restriction (GPR) in the development of the offspring hearts are not well understood. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of GPR on cardiac structure in male rat offspring at day 60 after birth (d60). Methods Pregnant Wistar rats were fed a normal-protein (NP, 17% casein) or low-protein (LP, 6% casein) diet. Blood pressure (BP) values from 60-day-old male offspring were measured by an indirect tail-cuff method using an electro sphygmomanometer. Hearts (d60) were collected for assessment of connexin 43 (Cx43) mRNA expression and morphological and morphometric analysis. Results LP offspring showed no difference in body weight, although they were born lighter than NP offspring. BP levels were significantly higher in the LP group. We observed a significant increase in the area occupied by collagen fibers, a decrease in the number of cardiomyocytes by 104 µm2, and an increase in cardiomyocyte area associated with an increased Cx43 expression. Conclusion GPR changes myocardial levels of Cx43 mRNA in male young adult rats, suggesting that this mechanism aims to compensate the fibrotic process by the accumulation of collagen fibers in the heart interstitium. PMID:28678925

  1. Thyroid hormone deiodinase type 2 mRNA levels in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) are regulated during metamorphosis and in response to a thyroid challenge.

    PubMed

    Stilborn, S Salina M; Manzon, Lori A; Schauenberg, Jennifer D; Manzon, Richard G

    2013-03-01

    Thyroid hormones (THs) are crucial for normal vertebrate development and are the one obligate morphogen that drives amphibian metamorphosis. However, contrary to other metamorphosing vertebrates, lampreys exhibit a sharp drop in serum TH early in metamorphosis, and anti-thyroid agents such as potassium perchlorate (KClO(4)) induce metamorphosis. The type 2 deiodinase (D2) enzyme is a key regulator of TH availability during amphibian metamorphosis. We set out to determine how D2 may be involved in the regulation of lamprey metamorphosis and thyroid homeostasis. We cloned a 1.8Kb Petromyzon marinus D2 cDNA that includes the entire protein coding region and a selenocysteine (Sec) codon. Northern blotting indicated that the lamprey D2 mRNA is the longest reported to date (>9Kb). Using real-time PCR, we showed that intestinal and hepatic D2 mRNA levels were elevated prior to and during the early stages of metamorphosis and then declined dramatically to low levels that were sustained for the remainder of metamorphosis. These data are consistent with previously reported changes in serum TH levels and deiodinase activity. Treatment of larvae with either TH or KClO(4) significantly affected D2 mRNA levels in the intestine and liver. These D2 mRNA levels during metamorphosis and in response to thyroid challenges suggest that D2 may function in the regulation of TH levels during lamprey metamorphosis and the maintenance of TH homeostasis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Lymphotoxin β receptor activation promotes mRNA expression of RelA and pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-1β in bladder cancer cells.

    PubMed

    Shen, Mo; Zhou, Lianlian; Zhou, Ping; Zhou, Wu; Lin, Xiangyang

    2017-07-01

    The role of inflammation in tumorigenesis and development is currently well established. Lymphotoxin β receptor (LTβR) activation induces canonical and noncanonical nuclear factor (NF)‑κB signaling pathways, which are linked to inflammation‑induced carcinogenesis. In the present study, 5,637 bladder cancer cells were cultured and the activation of LTβR was induced by functional ligand, lymphotoxin (LT) α1β2, and silencing with shRNA. Reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction was utilized to detect the mRNA expression levels of NF‑κB family members RelA and RelB, cytokines including LTα, LTβ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α, TNF superfamily member 14, interleukin (IL)‑6 and IL‑1β, and proliferation‑related genes including CyclinD1 and Survivin. The expression of phospho‑p65 was determined by western blotting. Activation of LTβR on bladder cancer 5,637 cells was demonstrated to upregulate the mRNA expression levels of the RELA proto‑oncogene, RelA, by 2.5‑fold compared with unstimulated cells, while no significant change was observed in the RELB proto‑oncogene NF‑κB member mRNA levels. Expression of pro‑inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α and interleukin (IL)‑1β mRNA levels were significantly increased nearly 5‑fold and 1.5‑fold, respectively, following LTβR activation compared with unstimulated cells. The LTβR‑induced upregulation of RelA, TNFα and IL‑1β was decreased by ~33, 27, and 26% respectively when LTβR was silenced via short hairpin RNA. Activation of LTβR had no effect on 5,637 cell growth, despite CyclinD1 and Survivin mRNA levels increasing by ~2.7 and 1.3‑fold, respectively, compared with unstimulated cells. In conclusion, activation of LTβR induced the expression of RelA mRNA levels. LTβR activation might be an important mediator in promoting an inflammatory microenvironment in bladder cancer, via the upregulation of TNFα and IL‑1β mRNA levels. LTβR may

  3. MHC2TA mRNA levels and human herpesvirus 6 in multiple sclerosis patients treated with interferon beta along two-year follow-up

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background In previous studies we found that MHC2TA +1614 genotype frequency was very different when MS patients with and without human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) in serum samples were compared; a different clinical behavior was also described. The purpose of the study was: 1. To evaluate if MHC2TA expression in MS patients was influenced by interferon beta (IFN-beta) treatment. 2. To study MHC2TA expression in MS patients with and without minor allele C. 3. To analyze the relation between MHC2TA mRNA levels and HHV-6 active infection in MS patients. Methods Blood and serum samples of 154 MS patients were collected in five programmed visits: basal (prior to beginning IFN-beta treatment), six, twelve, eighteen and twenty-four months later. HHV-6 in serum and MHC2TA mRNA levels were evaluated by PCR and RT-PCR, respectively. Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against IFN-beta were analyzed by the cytopathic effect assay. Results We found that MHC2TA mRNA levels were significantly lower among MS patients with HHV-6 active infection at the basal visit (without treatment) than in those MS patients without HHV-6 active infection at the basal visit (p = 0.012); in all the positive samples we only found variant A. Furthermore, 58/99 (58.6%) MS patients without HHV-6 along the five programmed visits and an increase of MHC2TA expression after two-years of IFN-beta treatment were clinical responders vs. 5/21 (23.8%) among those MS patients with HHV-6 and a decrease of MHC2TA mRNA levels along the two-years with IFN-beta treatment (p = 0.004); no differences were found between patients with and without NAbs. Conclusions MHC2TA mRNA levels could be decreased by the active replication of HHV-6; the absence of HHV-6 in serum and the increase of MHC2TA expression could be further studied as markers of good clinical response to IFN-beta treatment. PMID:23009575

  4. PKA- and PKC-dependent regulation of angiopoietin 2 mRNA in human granulosa lutein cells.

    PubMed

    Witt, P S; Pietrowski, D; Keck, C

    2004-02-01

    New blood vessels develop from preexisting vessels in response to growth factors or hypoxic conditions. Recent studies have shown that angiopoietin 2 (ANGPT-2) plays an important role in the modulation of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in humans and mice. The signaling pathways that lead to the regulation of ANGPT-2 are largely unclear. Here, we report that protein kinase C and protein kinase A activators (ADMB, 8-Cl-cAMP) increased the mRNA levels of ANGPT-2 in human Granulosa cells, whereas PKC and PKA Inhibitors (Rp-cAMP, GO 6983) decreased markedly the level of ANGPT-2 mRNA. Due to varying specificity of the modulators for certain protein kinases subunits, we conclude that the conventional PKCs, but not PKC alpha and beta1, the atypical PKCs and the PKA I, are involved in the regulation of ANGPT-2. These findings may help to explain the role of both PKA and PKC dependent signaling cascades in the regulation of ANGPT-2 mRNA.

  5. The mRNA expression levels of uncoupling proteins 1 and 2 in mononuclear cells from patients with metabolic disorders: obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    PubMed

    Margaryan, Sona; Witkowicz, Agata; Partyka, Anna; Yepiskoposyan, Levon; Manukyan, Gayane; Karabon, Lidia

    2017-10-19

    Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity are metabolic disorders whose major hallmark is insulin resistance. Impaired mitochondrial activity, such as reduced ratio of energy production to respiration, has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance. Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are proton carriers, expressed in the mitochondrial inner membrane, that uncouple oxygen consumption by the respiratory chain from ATP synthesis. The aim of the study was to determine transcriptional levels of UCP1 and UCP2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with metabolic disorders: T2DM, obesity and from healthy individuals. The mRNA levels of UCP1, UCP2 were determined by Real-Time PCR method using Applied Biosystems assays. The UCP1 mRNA expression level was not detectable in the majority of studied samples, while very low expression was found in PBMCs from 3 obese persons. UCP2 mRNA expression level was detectable in all samples. The median mRNA expression of UCP2 was lower in all patients with metabolic disorders as compared to the controls (0.20+0.14 vs. 0.010+0.009, p=0.05). When compared separately, the differences of medians UCP2 mRNA expression level between the obese individuals and the controls as well as between the T2DM patients and the controls did not reach statistical significance. Decreased UCP2 gene expression in mononuclear cells from obese and diabetic patients might contribute to the immunological abnormalities in these metabolic disorders and suggests its role as a candidate gene in future studies of obesity and diabetes.

  6. Conceptual Modeling in Systems Biology Fosters Empirical Findings: The mRNA Lifecycle

    PubMed Central

    Dori, Dov; Choder, Mordechai

    2007-01-01

    One of the main obstacles to understanding complex biological systems is the extent and rapid evolution of information, way beyond the capacity individuals to manage and comprehend. Current modeling approaches and tools lack adequate capacity to model concurrently structure and behavior of biological systems. Here we propose Object-Process Methodology (OPM), a holistic conceptual modeling paradigm, as a means to model both diagrammatically and textually biological systems formally and intuitively at any desired number of levels of detail. OPM combines objects, e.g., proteins, and processes, e.g., transcription, in a way that is simple and easily comprehensible to researchers and scholars. As a case in point, we modeled the yeast mRNA lifecycle. The mRNA lifecycle involves mRNA synthesis in the nucleus, mRNA transport to the cytoplasm, and its subsequent translation and degradation therein. Recent studies have identified specific cytoplasmic foci, termed processing bodies that contain large complexes of mRNAs and decay factors. Our OPM model of this cellular subsystem, presented here, led to the discovery of a new constituent of these complexes, the translation termination factor eRF3. Association of eRF3 with processing bodies is observed after a long-term starvation period. We suggest that OPM can eventually serve as a comprehensive evolvable model of the entire living cell system. The model would serve as a research and communication platform, highlighting unknown and uncertain aspects that can be addressed empirically and updated consequently while maintaining consistency. PMID:17849002

  7. APP mRNA splicing is upregulated in the brain of biglycan transgenic mice.

    PubMed

    Bjelik, Annamária; Pákáski, Magdolna; Bereczki, Erika; Gonda, Szilvia; Juhász, Anna; Rimanóczy, Agnes; Zana, Marianna; Janka, Zoltán; Sántha, Miklós; Kálmán, János

    2007-01-01

    Many of the risk factors for cerebrovascular disease and atherosclerosis also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, characterized by the cerebral deposition of beta-amyloid plaques resulting from the abnormal processing of the transmembrane amyloid precursor protein (APP). The initiating event of cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis is the retention and accumulation of atherogenic apolipoprotein B (apoB) together with low-density lipoproteins in the vascular intima. Biglycan, a member of the small leucine-rich protein family, was suspected of contributing to this process. The individual and combined overexpressions of biglycan and apoB-100 were therefore examined on the cortical APP mRNA levels of transgenic mice by means of semiquantitative PCR. As compared with the control littermates, transgenic biglycan mice had significantly increased cortical APP695 (122%) and APP770 (157%) mRNA levels, while the double transgenic (apoB(+/-)xbiglycan(+/-)) mice did not exhibit any changes. These results provide the first experimental evidence that the atherogenic risk factor biglycan alters APP splicing and may participate in the pathogenesis of both Alzheimer and vascular dementias.

  8. Combinations of ERK and p38 MAPK inhibitors ablate tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha ) mRNA induction. Evidence for selective destabilization of TNF-alpha transcripts.

    PubMed

    Rutault, K; Hazzalin, C A; Mahadevan, L C

    2001-03-02

    Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a potent proinflammatory cytokine whose synthesis and secretion are implicated in diverse pathologies. Hence, inhibition of TNF-alpha transcription or translation and neutralization of its protein product represent major pharmaceutical strategies to control inflammation. We have studied the role of ERK and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in controlling TNF-alpha mRNA levels in differentiated THP-1 cells and in freshly purified human monocytes. We show here that it is possible to produce virtually complete inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated TNF-alpha mRNA accumulation by using a combination of ERK and p38 MAP kinase inhibitors. Furthermore, substantial inhibition is achievable using combinations of 1 microm of each inhibitor, whereas inhibitors used individually are incapable of producing complete inhibition even at high concentrations. Finally, addressing mechanisms involved, we show that inhibition of p38 MAP kinase selectively destabilizes TNF-alpha transcripts but does not affect degradation of c-jun transcripts. These results impinge on the controversy in the literature surrounding the mode of action of MAP kinase inhibitors on TNF-alpha mRNA and suggest the use of combinations of MAP kinase inhibitors as an effective anti-inflammatory strategy.

  9. Heat Shock Response in Yeast Involves Changes in Both Transcription Rates and mRNA Stabilities

    PubMed Central

    Castells-Roca, Laia; García-Martínez, José; Moreno, Joaquín; Herrero, Enrique; Bellí, Gemma; Pérez-Ortín, José E.

    2011-01-01

    We have analyzed the heat stress response in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by determining mRNA levels and transcription rates for the whole transcriptome after a shift from 25°C to 37°C. Using an established mathematical algorithm, theoretical mRNA decay rates have also been calculated from the experimental data. We have verified the mathematical predictions for selected genes by determining their mRNA decay rates at different times during heat stress response using the regulatable tetO promoter. This study indicates that the yeast response to heat shock is not only due to changes in transcription rates, but also to changes in the mRNA stabilities. mRNA stability is affected in 62% of the yeast genes and it is particularly important in shaping the mRNA profile of the genes belonging to the environmental stress response. In most cases, changes in transcription rates and mRNA stabilities are homodirectional for both parameters, although some interesting cases of antagonist behavior are found. The statistical analysis of gene targets and sequence motifs within the clusters of genes with similar behaviors shows that both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulons apparently contribute to the general heat stress response by means of transcriptional factors and RNA binding proteins. PMID:21364882

  10. Influence of developmental stage and genotype on liver mRNA levels among wild, domesticated, and hybrid rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

    PubMed

    White, Samantha L; Sakhrani, Dionne; Danzmann, Roy G; Devlin, Robert H

    2013-10-02

    Release of domesticated strains of fish into nature may pose a threat to wild populations with respect to their evolved genetic structure and fitness. Understanding alterations that have occurred in both physiology and genetics as a consequence of domestication can assist in evaluating the risks posed by introgression of domesticated genomes into wild genetic backgrounds, however the molecular causes of these consequences are currently poorly defined. The present study has examined levels of mRNA in fast-growing pure domesticated (D), slow-growing age-matched pure wild (Wa), slow-growing size-matched pure wild (Ws), and first generation hybrid cross (W/D) rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to investigate the influence of genotype (domesticated vs. wild, and their interactions in hybrids) and developmental stage (age- or size-matched animals) on genetic responses (i.e. dominant vs. recessive) and specific physiological pathways. Highly significant differences in mRNA levels were found between domesticated and wild-type rainbow trout genotypes (321 mRNAs), with many mRNAs in the wild-domesticated hybrid progeny showing intermediate levels. Differences were also found between age-matched and size-matched wild-type trout groups (64 mRNAs), with unique mRNA differences for each of the wild-type groups when compared to domesticated trout (Wa: 114 mRNAs, Ws: 88 mRNAs), illustrating an influence of fish developmental stage affecting findings when used as comparator groups to other genotypes. Analysis of differentially expressed mRNAs (found for both wild-type trout to domesticated comparisons) among the genotypes indicates that 34.8% are regulated consistent with an additive genetic model, whereas 39.1% and 26.1% show a recessive or dominant mode of regulation, respectively. These molecular data are largely consistent with phenotypic data (growth and behavioural assessments) assessed in domesticated and wild trout strains. The present molecular data are concordant with

  11. Predictors of Variation in CYP2A6 mRNA, Protein, and Enzyme Activity in a Human Liver Bank: Influence of Genetic and Nongenetic Factors.

    PubMed

    Tanner, Julie-Anne; Prasad, Bhagwat; Claw, Katrina G; Stapleton, Patricia; Chaudhry, Amarjit; Schuetz, Erin G; Thummel, Kenneth E; Tyndale, Rachel F

    2017-01-01

    Cytochrome P450 2A6 CYP2A6: metabolizes several clinically relevant substrates, including nicotine, the primary psychoactive component in cigarette smoke. Smokers vary widely in their rate of inactivation and clearance of nicotine, altering numerous smoking phenotypes. We aimed to characterize independent and shared impact of genetic and nongenetic sources of variation in CYP2A6 mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity in a human liver bank (n = 360). For the assessment of genetic factors, we quantified levels of CYP2A6, cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR), and aldo-keto reductase 1D1 (AKR1D1) mRNA, and CYP2A6 and POR proteins. CYP2A6 enzyme activity was determined through measurement of cotinine formation from nicotine and 7-hydroxycoumarin formation from coumarin. Donor DNA was genotyped for CYP2A6, POR, and AKR1D1 genetic variants. Nongenetic factors assessed included gender, age, and liver disease. CYP2A6 phenotype measures were positively correlated to each other (r values ranging from 0.47-0.88, P < 0.001). Female donors exhibited higher CYP2A6 mRNA expression relative to males (P < 0.05). Donor age was weakly positively correlated with CYP2A6 protein (r = 0.12, P < 0.05) and activity (r = 0.20, P < 0.001). CYP2A6 reduced-function genotypes, but not POR or AKR1D1 genotypes, were associated with lower CYP2A6 protein (P < 0.001) and activity (P < 0.01). AKR1D1 mRNA was correlated with CYP2A6 mRNA (r = 0.57, P < 0.001), protein (r = 0.30, P < 0.001), and activity (r = 0.34, P < 0.001). POR protein was correlated with CYP2A6 activity (r = 0.45, P < 0.001). Through regression analyses, we accounted for 17% (P < 0.001), 37% (P < 0.001), and 77% (P < 0.001) of the variation in CYP2A6 mRNA, protein, and activity, respectively. Overall, several independent and shared sources of variation in CYP2A6 activity in vitro have been identified, which could translate to variable hepatic clearance of nicotine. Copyright © 2016 by The American Society for Pharmacology and

  12. Characterization of an in vitro system for the synthesis of mRNA from human parainfluenza virus type 3.

    PubMed

    De, B P; Galinski, M S; Banerjee, A K

    1990-03-01

    A cell extract derived from human parainfluenza virus type 3-infected human lung carcinoma (HLC) cells synthesized mRNA in vitro. Under optimal conditions, the extract was able to support transcription of all virus-encoded genes as determined by hybridization analyses. The RNA products contained full-length poly(A)-containing mRNA species similar to those observed in acutely infected cells. Further purification of the viral nucleocapsids from the infected HLC cell extract resulted in total loss of the capacity of the extract to synthesize mRNA in vitro. However, the addition of cytoplasmic extracts from uninfected HLC cells to the nucleocapsid preparations restored transcription to levels observed in the infected cell lysates, indicating requirement of a host factor(s) in the human parainfluenza virus type 3 transcription process. In distinction to the abundant transcription observed in the cell extract from HLC cells, cell extract prepared from CV-1 cells failed to support transcription in vitro. High levels of RNase activity in the cell extract from CV-1 cells appears to be the principal reason for this difference.

  13. [Effects of lipopolysaccharides extracted from Porphyromonas endodontalis on the expression of IL-1beta mRNA and IL-6 mRNA in osteoblasts].

    PubMed

    Yang, Di; Li, Ren; Qiu, Li-Hong; Li, Chen

    2009-04-01

    To quantify the IL-1 beta mRNA and IL-6 mRNA expression induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS)extracted from Porphyromonas endodontalis(P.e) in osteoblasts, and to relate P.e-LPS to bone absorption pathogenesis in lesions of chronical apical periodontitis. MG63 was treated with different concentrations of P.e-LPS(0-50 microg/mL) for different hours(0-24h). The expression of IL-1 beta mRNA and IL-6 mRNA was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Statistical analysis was performed using one- way ANOVA and Dunnett t test with SPSS11.0 software package. The level of IL-1 beta mRNA and IL-6 mRNA increased significantly after treatment with P.e-LPS at more than 5 microg/mL (P<0.01)and for more than 1 hour (P<0.01), which indicated that P.e-LPS induced osteoblasts to express IL-1 beta mRNA and IL-6 mRNA in dose and time dependent manners. P.e-LPS may promote bone resorption in lesions of chronical apical periodontitis by inducing IL-1 beta mRNA and IL-6 mRNA expression in osteoblasts.

  14. Effect of sulfide, osmotic, and thermal stresses on taurine transporter mRNA levels in the gills of the hydrothermal vent-specific mussel Bathymodiolus septemdierum.

    PubMed

    Nakamura-Kusakabe, Ikumi; Nagasaki, Toshihiro; Kinjo, Azusa; Sassa, Mieko; Koito, Tomoko; Okamura, Kei; Yamagami, Shosei; Yamanaka, Toshiro; Tsuchida, Shinji; Inoue, Koji

    2016-01-01

    Hydrothermal vent environmental conditions are characterized by high sulfide concentrations, fluctuating osmolality, and irregular temperature elevations caused by vent effluents. These parameters represent potential stressors for organisms that inhabit the area around hydrothermal vents. Here, we aimed to obtain a better understanding of the adaptation mechanisms of marine species to hydrothermal vent environments. Specifically, we examined the effect of sulfide, osmolality, and thermal stress on the expression of taurine transporter (TAUT) mRNA in the gill of the deep-sea mussel Bathymodiolus septemdierum, which is a dominant species around hydrothermal vent sites. We analyzed TAUT mRNA levels by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the gill of mussels exposed to sulfide (0.1 or 1mg/L Na2S·9H2O), hyper- (115% seawater) and hypo- (97.5%, 95.5%, and 85% seawater) osmotic conditions, and thermal stresses (12°C and 20°C) for 24 and 48h. The results showed that mussels exposed to relatively low levels of sulfide (0.1mg/L) and moderate heat stress (12°C) exhibited higher TAUT mRNA levels than the control. Although hyper- and hypo-osmotic stress did not significantly change TAUT mRNA levels, slight induction was observed in mussels exposed to low osmolality. Our results indicate that TAUT is involved in the coping mechanism of mussels to various hydrothermal vent stresses. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Low levels of PRB3 mRNA are associated with dopamine-agonist resistance and tumor recurrence in prolactinomas.

    PubMed

    Wang, Fei; Gao, Hua; Li, Chuzhong; Bai, Jiwei; Lu, Runchun; Cao, Lei; Wu, Yongtu; Hong, Lichuan; Wu, Yonggang; Lan, Xiaolei; Zhang, Yazhuo

    2014-01-01

    Prolactinomas, or prolactin-secreting adenomas, constitute the most common type of hyperfunctioning pituitary adenoma. Dopamine agonists are used as first-line medication for prolactinomas, but the tumors are resistant to the therapy in 5-18 % of patients. To explore potential mechanisms of resistance to bromocriptine (a dopamine agonist), we analyzed six responsive prolactinomas and six resistant prolactinomas by whole-exome sequencing. We identified ten genes with sequence variants that were differentially found in the two groups of tumors. The expression of these genes was then quantified by real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) in the 12 prolactinomas and in six normal pituitary glands. The mRNA levels of one of the genes, PRB3, were about fourfold lower in resistant prolactinomas than in the responsive tumors (p = 0.02). Furthermore, low PRB3 expression was also associated with tumor recurrence. Our results suggest that low levels of PRB3 mRNA may have a role in dopamine-agonist resistance and tumor recurrence of prolactinomas.

  16. Light-regulated protein and mRNA synthesis in root caps of maize

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Feldman, L. J.; Piechulla, B.; Sun, P. S.

    1988-01-01

    Illumination of maize roots initiates changes in mRNA levels and in the activities of proteins within the root cap. Using Northern analysis we showed a 5-6 fold increase in the levels of three specific mRNAs and a 14-fold increase in plastid mRNA. This increase is rapid, occurring within 30 minutes of illumination. With prolonged periods of darkness following illumination, messages return to levels observed in dark, control caps. For two species of mRNA illumination results in a reduction in message levels. Light-stimulated increases in the levels of specific mRNAs are proportionally greater than are increases in the activities of corresponding proteins. We suggest that the light-stimulated increase in protein activity in root caps may be preceded by and occur as a consequence of enhanced levels of mRNA. Our work suggests that photomorphogenesis in roots could involve changes in the levels of a wide variety of mRNAs within the root cap.

  17. Activation of Tyrosine Hydroxylase mRNA Translation by cAMP in Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Xiqun; Xu, Lu; Radcliffe, Pheona; Sun, Baoyong; Tank, A. William

    2009-01-01

    During prolonged stress or chronic treatment with neurotoxins, robust compensatory mechanisms occur which maintain sufficient levels of catecholamine neurotransmitters in terminal regions. One of these mechanisms is the up-regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the enzyme that controls catecholamine biosynthesis. In neurons of the periphery and locus coeruleus, this up-regulation is associated with an initial induction of TH mRNA. In contrast, this induction either does not occur or is nominal in mesencephalic dopamine neurons. The reasons for this lack of compensatory TH mRNA induction remain obscure, because so little is known about the regulation of TH expression in these neurons. In this report we test whether activation of the cAMP signaling pathway regulates TH gene expression in two rodent models of midbrain dopamine neurons, ventral midbrain organotypic slice cultures and MN9D cells. Our results demonstrate that elevation of cAMP leads to induction of TH protein and TH activity in both model systems; however, TH mRNA levels are not up-regulated by cAMP. The induction of TH protein is the result of a novel post-transcriptional mechanism that activates TH mRNA translation. This translational activation is mediated by sequences within the 3′UTR of TH mRNA. Our results support a model in which cAMP induces or activates trans-factors that interact with the TH mRNA 3′UTR to increase TH protein synthesis. An understanding of this novel regulatory mechanism may help to explain the control of TH gene expression and consequently dopamine biosynthesis in midbrain neurons under different physiological and pathological conditions. PMID:18349104

  18. Global miRNA expression and correlation with mRNA levels in primary human bone cells

    PubMed Central

    Laxman, Navya; Rubin, Carl-Johan; Mallmin, Hans; Nilsson, Olle; Pastinen, Tomi; Grundberg, Elin; Kindmark, Andreas

    2015-01-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important post-transcriptional regulators that have recently introduced an additional level of intricacy to our understanding of gene regulation. The aim of this study was to investigate miRNA–mRNA interactions that may be relevant for bone metabolism by assessing correlations and interindividual variability in miRNA levels as well as global correlations between miRNA and mRNA levels in a large cohort of primary human osteoblasts (HOBs) obtained during orthopedic surgery in otherwise healthy individuals. We identified differential expression (DE) of 24 miRNAs, and found 9 miRNAs exhibiting DE between males and females. We identified hsa-miR-29b, hsa-miR-30c2, and hsa-miR-125b and their target genes as important modulators of bone metabolism. Further, we used an integrated analysis of global miRNA–mRNA correlations, mRNA-expression profiling, DE, bioinformatics analysis, and functional studies to identify novel target genes for miRNAs with the potential to regulate osteoblast differentiation and extracellular matrix production. Functional studies by overexpression and knockdown of miRNAs showed that, the differentially expressed miRNAs hsa-miR-29b, hsa-miR-30c2, and hsa-miR-125b target genes highly relevant to bone metabolism, e.g., collagen, type I, α1 (COL1A1), osteonectin (SPARC), Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), osteocalcin (BGLAP), and frizzled-related protein (FRZB). These miRNAs orchestrate the activities of key regulators of osteoblast differentiation and extracellular matrix proteins by their convergent action on target genes and pathways to control the skeletal gene expression. PMID:26078267

  19. Regulation of bone sialoprotein mRNA by steroid hormones

    PubMed Central

    1989-01-01

    In this report we demonstrate an increase in the steady-state level of bone sialoprotein (BSP) mRNA in rat calvaria and a rat osteosarcoma cell line (ROS 17/2.8) after treatment with the synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone. In contrast, 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 reduced the amount of BSP mRNA in calvaria and inhibited the dexamethasone induction in ROS 17/2.8 cells. The increase in BSP mRNA is most likely due to an increase in the transcriptional rate. The stability of mRNA was unchanged after dexamethasone treatment with a half-life of approximately 5 h. Nuclear transcription experiments with nuclei isolated from ROS 17/2.8 cells showed an increased BSP mRNA synthesis in cells treated with dexamethasone. PMID:2592421

  20. Conjunctival mucin mRNA expression in contact lens wear.

    PubMed

    Corrales, Rosa M; Galarreta, David; Herreras, Jose M; Saez, Victoria; Arranz, Isabel; González, Maria J; Mayo, Agustin; Calonge, Margarita; Chaves, Felipe J

    2009-09-01

    To investigate the influence of the water content in non-ionic hydrogel contact lenses (HCL) on the mRNA levels of human conjunctival mucin genes (MUCs). Sixteen healthy subjects with no history of contact lenses wear were selected and randomized into two equal groups. Group 1 subjects wore low water content (38%, Soflens 38) non-ionic HCLs. Group 2 wore high water content (66%, Soflens 66) non-ionic HCLs. Conjunctival impression cytology was applied to the superior bulbar conjunctiva of both eyes before, 6 months, and 1 year after HCL fitting, and 15 days after discontinuation of wearing. Total RNA was isolated, retrotranscribed, and amplified by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by quantitative real time PCR to study the mRNA levels of MUCs and to analyze variations during the study period. Time- and HCL-dependent variations in mRNA expression were analyzed using Student's test. From the known MUCs, transcripts from MUC1, MUC2, MUC4, MUC5AC, MUC7, MUC13, MUC15, MUC16, and MUC17 genes were detected in all subjects before HCL fitting. Except for MUC2, the expression of some MUC genes significantly increased whereas others significantly decreased at either the 6- and 12-month period. Statistically significant differences between both HCL groups (p < 0.001) were found in the MUC4, MUC13, and MUC15 mRNA expression after 1 year of wear and after the 15 days without HCL wear. However, these differences were not clearly related to the water content of the lenses. Low and high water content non-ionic HCLs induced different changes in the mRNA levels of several MUCs, but the water content was not related to the changes. Recovery to basal levels of conjunctival MUC mRNA expression after wearing HCL lenses for a year takes longer than 15 days for some MUCs.

  1. Fine-tuning of ULK1 mRNA and protein levels is required for autophagy oscillation

    PubMed Central

    Ciccosanti, Fabiola

    2016-01-01

    Autophagy is an intracellular degradation pathway whose levels are tightly controlled to secure cell homeostasis. Unc-51–like kinase 1 (ULK1) is a conserved serine–threonine kinase that plays a central role in the initiation of autophagy. Here, we report that upon autophagy progression, ULK1 protein levels are specifically down-regulated by the E3 ligase NEDD4L, which ubiquitylates ULK1 for degradation by the proteasome. However, whereas ULK1 protein is degraded, ULK1 mRNA is actively transcribed. Upon reactivation of mTOR-dependent protein synthesis, basal levels of ULK1 are promptly restored, but the activity of newly synthesized ULK1 is inhibited by mTOR. This prepares the cell for a new possible round of autophagy stimulation. Our results thus place NEDD4L and ULK1 in a key position to control oscillatory activation of autophagy during prolonged stress to keep the levels of this process under a safe and physiological threshold. PMID:27932573

  2. Salt Stress Increases the Level of Translatable mRNA for Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum1

    PubMed Central

    Ostrem, James A.; Olson, Steve W.; Schmitt, Jürgen M.; Bohnert, Hans J.

    1987-01-01

    Mesembryanthemum crystallinum responds to salt stress by switching from C3 photosynthesis to Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). During this transition the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase) increases in soluble protein extracts from leaf tissue. We monitored CAM induction in plants irrigated with 0.5 molar NaCl for 5 days during the fourth, fifth, and sixth week after germination. Our results indicate that the age of the plant influenced the response to salt stress. There was no increase in PEPCase protein or PEPCase enzyme activity when plants were irrigated with 0.5 molar NaCl during the fourth and fifth week after germination. However, PEPCase activity increased within 2 to 3 days when plants were salt stressed during the sixth week after germination. Immunoblot analysis with anti-PEPCase antibodies showed that PEPCase synthesis was induced in both expanded leaves and in newly developing axillary shoot tissue. The increase in PEPCase protein was paralleled by an increase in PEPCase mRNA as assayed by immunoprecipitation of PEPCase from the in vitro translation products of RNA from salt-stressed plants. These results demonstrate that salinity increased the level of PEPCase in leaf and shoot tissue via a stress-induced increase in the steady-state level of translatable mRNA for this enzyme. Images Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 PMID:16665596

  3. c-fms mRNA is regulated posttranscriptionally by 1,25(OH)2D3 in HL-60 cells.

    PubMed

    Biskobing, D M; Fan, D; Rubin, J

    1997-09-01

    Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (MCSF) is required for normal osteoclast and macrophage development. The receptor for MCSF (c-fms) is expressed on the pluripotent precursor and mature osteoclasts and macrophages. We have previously shown in myelomonocytic HL-60 cells that phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) upregulates c-fms mRNA expression. This induction of c-fms is inhibited by 1,25(OH)2D3. The major regulatory control of c-fms mRNA levels by PMA has been identified as posttranscriptional. However, a role of transcript elongation in controlling levels of c-fms mRNA has also been suggested. To better understand the 1,25(OH)2D3 regulation of c-fms mRNA expression we studied nuclear run on, mRNA stability, and transcript elongation in HL-60 cells treated with 10 ng/ml phorbol myristate acetate, 10 nM 1,25(OH)2D3 alone or combined. We demonstrated by nuclear run on that c-fms was constitutively transcribed in 1,25(OH)2D3 as well as control and PMA-treated cells. Transcript elongation was evaluated by RT-PCR for exon 2 or exon 3. Both exons were minimally expressed in control and 1,25(OH)2D3-treated cells, and increased in PMA-treated cells; this increased expression was inhibited by the addition of 1,25(OH)2D3. These results fail to show differential transcript elongation. Measurement of mRNA stability demonstrated decreased mRNA half-life to 5 hours in cells treated with PMA and 1,25(OH)2D3 compared with a half-life of 8 hours in cells treated with PMA alone. Our findings demonstrate that c-fms is regulated by 1,25(OH)2D3 at the posttranscriptional level by changes in mRNA stability. This gives the cell the ability to respond to local signals with rapid changes in c-fms levels altering the ability of the cell to respond to MCSF.

  4. Differential utilization of decapping enzymes in mammalian mRNA decay pathways

    PubMed Central

    Li, You; Song, Mangen; Kiledjian, Megerditch

    2011-01-01

    mRNA decapping is a crucial step in the regulation of mRNA stability and gene expression. Dcp2 is an mRNA decapping enzyme that has been widely studied. We recently reported the presence of a second mammalian cytoplasmic decapping enzyme, Nudt16. Here we address the differential utilization of the two decapping enzymes in specified mRNA decay processes. Using mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cell lines derived from a hypomorphic knockout of the Dcp2 gene with undetectable levels of Dcp2 or MEF cell lines harboring a Nudt16-directed shRNA to generate reduced levels of Nudt16, we demonstrate the distinct roles for Dcp2 and Nudt16 in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), decay of ARE-containing mRNA and miRNA-mediated silencing. Our results indicated that NMD preferentially utilizes Dcp2 rather than Nudt16; Dcp2 and Nudt16 are redundant in miRNA-mediated silencing; and Dcp2 and Nudt16 are differentially utilized for ARE-mRNA decay. These data demonstrate that the two distinct decapping enzymes can uniquely function in specific mRNA decay processes in mammalian cells. PMID:21224379

  5. Structure of the gene encoding VGF, a nervous system-specific mRNA that is rapidly and selectively induced by nerve growth factor in PC12 cells.

    PubMed

    Salton, S R; Fischberg, D J; Dong, K W

    1991-05-01

    Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays a critical role in the development and survival of neurons in the peripheral nervous system. Following treatment with NGF but not epidermal growth factor, rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells undergo neural differentiation. We have cloned a nervous system-specific mRNA, NGF33.1, that is rapidly and relatively selectively induced by treatment of PC12 cells with NGF and basic fibroblast growth factor in comparison with epidermal growth factor. Analysis of the nucleic acid and predicted amino acid sequences of the NGF33.1 cDNA clone suggested that this clone corresponded to the NGF-inducible mRNA called VGF (A. Levi, J. D. Eldridge, and B. M. Paterson, Science 229:393-395, 1985; R. Possenti, J. D. Eldridge, B. M. Paterson, A. Grasso, and A. Levi, EMBO J. 8:2217-2223, 1989). We have used the NGF33.1 cDNA clone to isolate and characterize the VGF gene, and in this paper we report the complete sequence of the VGF gene, including 853 bases of 5' flank revealed TATAA and CCAAT elements, several GC boxes, and a consensus cyclic AMP response element-binding protein binding site. The VGF promoter contains sequences homologous to other NGF-inducible, neuronal promoters. We further show that VGF mRNA is induced in PC12 cells to a greater extent by depolarization and by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate treatment than by 8-bromo-cyclic AMP treatment. By Northern (RNA) and RNase protection analysis, VGF mRNA is detectable in embryonic and postnatal central and peripheral nervous tissues but not in a number of nonneural tissues. In the cascade of events which ultimately leads to the neural differentiation of NGF-treated PC12 cells, the VGF gene encodes the most rapidly and selectively regulated, nervous-system specific mRNA yet identified.

  6. Effectiveness of memantine on depression-like behavior, memory deficits and brain mRNA levels of BDNF and TrkB in rats subjected to repeated unpredictable stress.

    PubMed

    Amidfar, Meysam; Kim, Yong-Ku; Wiborg, Ove

    2018-06-01

    Previous clinical and preclinical studies have indicated that the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, memantine, has neuroprotective properties as well as antidepressant effects. The present study was designed to examine behavioral and molecular effects of memantine administration in rats subjected to the repeated unpredictable stress (RUS) paradigm. Rats were split into four groups at random including control+saline, control+memantine, stressed+saline and stressed+memantine. After 10days of exposure to the RUS paradigm, rats were administered memantine (20mg/kg) intraperitoneally (ip) for 14days. Depression-like behavior and memory performance were assessed by measuring immobility time in the forced swim test and passive avoidance test, respectively. The mRNA levels of BDNF and TrkB in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus were measured by real-time quantitative PCR. Our results demonstrated that the RUS paradigm caused depression-like behavior and impairment of memory retrieval in rats. We did not find significant changes in BDNF or TrkB mRNA levels in hippocampus, but mRNA levels of TrkB in the prefrontal cortex showed a significant downregulation. Administration of memantine reversed depression-like behavior and memory impairment and significantly increased BDNF and TrkB mRNA levels in both prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of stress exposed rats. Our study supports the hypothesis that drugs with antagonistic properties on the NMDA receptor, such as memantine, might be efficient in treatment of major depression. Our results also suggest that upregulated mRNA levels of BDNF and TrkB in the brain might be essential for antidepressant-like activity of memantine in stress exposed rats. Copyright © 2017 Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. IGF-1R mRNA expression is increased in obese children.

    PubMed

    Ricco, Rafaela Cristina; Ricco, Rubens Garcia; Queluz, Mariangela Carletti; de Paula, Mariana Teresa Sarti; Atique, Patricia Volpon; Custódio, Rodrigo José; Tourinho Filho, Hugo; Del Roio Liberatori, Raphael; Martinelli, Carlos Eduardo

    2018-04-01

    Obese children are often taller than age-matched subjects. Reports on GH and IGF-I levels in obese individuals are controversial, with normal and reduced GH-IGF-I levels having been reported in this group of patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyse insulin-like growth factor type 1 receptor (IGF-IR) mRNA expression in obese children. Forty-seven pre-pubertal children were included in this study: 29 were obese and taller than their target height, and 18 were normal eutrophic controls. Fasting blood samples were collected for IGF-IR mRNA expression in isolated lymphocytes and serum IGF-I, ALS, IGFBP-3, and IGFBP-1 concentration analysis. Relative IGF-IR gene expression (2 -ΔΔCT ) was significantly (P=0.025) higher in obese children (median 1.87) than in controls (1.15). Fourteen of the 29 obese subjects showed 2 -ΔΔCT values greater than or equal to 2, while only 2 individuals in the control group showed values above 2 (P=0.01). Obese children showed significantly (P=0.01) higher IGF-I concentrations than the control group (237ng/ml and 144ng/ml, respectively). Among obese patients, 65.5% had IGF-I values above the 75 percentile of the control group (P=0.02). ALS concentration was significantly (P=0.04) higher in the obese group, while IGFBP-3 levels were similar in obese and control children. IGFBP-1 concentration was lower in obese children, while insulin levels and HOMA-IR index were higher than in controls. The higher IGF-IR mRNA expression observed in obese children, associated with the higher IGF-I and ALS and the lower IGFBP-1 levels, suggest that the higher stature observed in these children may be due to increased IGF-I bioactivity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Effect of acute and chronic eccentric exercise on FOXO1 mRNA expression as fiber type transition factor in rat skeletal muscles.

    PubMed

    Azad, Milad; Khaledi, Neda; Hedayati, Mehdi

    2016-06-15

    Skeletal muscle is a highly elastic tissue which can respond to various functional demands by altering fiber-type composition. Exercise affects muscle fiber phenotype. One of the transcription factors that induce fiber-type transition is forkhead box O1 (FOXO1). Since eccentric contraction considered an essential part of exercise, so we are interested to see the effects of eccentric exercise (acute/chronic) on FOXO1 as an important factor of fiber-type transition in rat skeletal muscles. Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats (190-235g) were divided to 3 groups of 8 rats: 1) chronic eccentric exercise (CEE), 2) acute eccentric exercise (AEE), and 3) control (C). The exercise groups underwent downhill running protocol. CEE was running on treadmill in 3 days of week for 9 weeks, that slope and duration gradually managed from -4° to -16° and 15 to 90 min, respectively. AEE group was running with 16 m/min on -16° slope for 3 consecutive days that included 18 sets of 5 min with rest interval of 2 min in between. Soleus and super vastus lateralis (SVL) muscles mRNA were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. SVL FOXO1 mRNA levels increased by 3.92-fold in the AEE and decreased 0.56-fold in the CEE group and were not significant in soleus muscle. In soleus muscle, myosin heavy chain (MHC) IIa, IIx, and IIb decreased in the AEE group and MHC IIa and IIx decreased in the CEE group. In SVL muscle, MHC I, IIa, and IIx increased in the AEE group and MHC IIa and IIX increased in the CEE group. In summary, both acute and chronic eccentric exercise could lead to change in FOXO1 mRNA only in fast SVL muscle of rat and so could induce fiber-type transition in both muscles regardless of changes in expression of FOXO1. So, oxidative stress can play important role in change of FOXO1. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Adipocyte resistin mRNA levels are down-regulated by laparoscopic ovarian electrocautery in both obese and lean women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

    PubMed

    Seow, Kok-Min; Juan, Chi-Chang; Ho, Low-Tone; Hsu, Yung-Pei; Lin, Yu-Hung; Huang, Lee-Wen; Hwang, Jiann-Loung

    2007-04-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate serum and adipocyte mRNA expression of resistin in lean and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) before and 3 months after laparoscopic ovarian electrocauterization (LOE). Adipose tissue obtained from 12 women with PCOS (six obese and six lean, body mass index > 27 kg m(-1) as threshold point) before and after LOE was analysed. Gene expression of resistin was measured by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Ten lean, age-matched healthy women served as controls. Both lean and obese women with PCOS had significantly higher fasting and 2 h insulin and homeostasis model insulin resistance index (HOMA(IR)) values and lower fasting glucose-to-insulin ratios (G(0)/I(0)) than did the controls. The serum levels of glucose and insulin and HOMA(IR) were significantly decreased, and the G(0)/I(0) ratio was significantly increased 3 months after LOE. No difference was found in serum resistin levels between controls and either obese or lean women with PCOS before LOE, nor between PCOS patients before and after LOE. However, resistin mRNA expression levels in both lean and obese women with PCOS before LOE were significantly higher than that in controls and were decreased significantly after LOE back to control levels. Local resistin activity may be actively involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS. LOE reduces insulin resistance and down-regulates resistin mRNA expression in lean and obese women with PCOS.

  10. Insulin-like growth factor and fibroblast growth factor expression profiles in growth-restricted fetal sheep pancreas.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xiaochuan; Rozance, Paul J; Hay, William W; Limesand, Sean W

    2012-05-01

    Placental insufficiency results in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), impaired fetal insulin secretion and less fetal pancreatic β-cell mass, partly due to lower β-cell proliferation rates. Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) regulate fetal β-cell proliferation and pancreas development, along with transcription factors, such as pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (PDX-1). We determined expression levels for these growth factors, their receptors and IGF binding proteins in ovine fetal pancreas and isolated islets. In the IUGR pancreas, relative mRNA expression levels of IGF-I, PDX-1, FGF7 and FGFR2IIIb were 64% (P < 0.01), 76% (P < 0.05), 76% (P < 0.05) and 52% (P < 0.01) lower, respectively, compared with control fetuses. Conversely, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2) mRNA and protein concentrations were 2.25- and 1.2-fold greater (P < 0.05) in the IUGR pancreas compared with controls. In isolated islets from IUGR fetuses, IGF-II and IGFBP-2 mRNA concentrations were 1.5- and 3.7-fold greater (P < 0.05), and insulin mRNA was 56% less (P < 0.05) than control islets. The growth factor expression profiles for IGF and FGF signaling pathways indicate that declines in β-cell mass are due to decreased growth factor signals for both pancreatic progenitor epithelial cell and mature β-cell replication.

  11. Coordinated modulation of albumin synthesis and mRNA levels in cultured hepatoma cells by hydrocortisone and cyclic AMP analogs

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brown, P.C.; Papaconstantinou, J.

    The treatment of Hepa-2 cells, a permanent mouse hepatoma cell line, for 72 h with hydrocortisone (10/sup -6/ M), N/sup 6/,O/sup 2/-dibutyryl cyclic AMP (10/sup -3/ M), or 8-bromo cyclic AMP(10/sup -3/ M) results in a 2-, 3-, or 4-fold increase, respectively, in rates of synthesis and secretion of mouse serum albumin. Simultaneous treatment with hydrocortisone and N/sup 6/,O/sup 2/-dibutyryl cyclic AMP results in a 10-fold stimulation in these parameters, an effect that is significantly more than additive for the two compounds tested. The number of albumin mRNA sequences, determined by hybridization of total cell RNA to albumin complementary DNA,more » was increased in direct proportion to the increases in albumin synthesis in all experiments. The relative rate of albumin synthesis approaches in vivo levels in cells treated simultaneously with hydrocortisone and N/sup 6/,O/sup 2/-dibutyryl cyclic AMP. We propose that these factors may be necessary to maintain the maximal level of differentiated function in the continuous culture of Hepa-2 cells.« less

  12. Modulation of DNA repair capacity and mRNA expression levels of XRCC1, hOGG1 and XPC genes in styrene-exposed workers.

    PubMed

    Hanova, Monika; Stetina, Rudolf; Vodickova, Ludmila; Vaclavikova, Radka; Hlavac, Pavel; Smerhovsky, Zdenek; Naccarati, Alessio; Polakova, Veronika; Soucek, Pavel; Kuricova, Miroslava; Manini, Paola; Kumar, Rajiv; Hemminki, Kari; Vodicka, Pavel

    2010-11-01

    Decreased levels of single-strand breaks in DNA (SSBs), reflecting DNA damage, have previously been observed with increased styrene exposure in contrast to a dose-dependent increase in the base-excision repair capacity. To clarify further the above aspects, we have investigated the associations between SSBs, micronuclei, DNA repair capacity and mRNA expression in XRCC1, hOGG1 and XPC genes on 71 styrene-exposed and 51 control individuals. Styrene concentrations at workplace and in blood characterized occupational exposure. The workers were divided into low (below 50 mg/m³) and high (above 50 mg/m³)) styrene exposure groups. DNA damage and DNA repair capacity were analyzed in peripheral blood lymphocytes by Comet assay. The mRNA expression levels were determined by qPCR. A significant negative correlation was observed between SSBs and styrene concentration at workplace (R=-0.38, p=0.001); SSBs were also significantly higher in men (p=0.001). The capacity to repair irradiation-induced DNA damage was the highest in the low exposure group (1.34±1.00 SSB/10⁹ Da), followed by high exposure group (0.72±0.81 SSB/10⁹ Da) and controls (0.65±0.82 SSB/10⁹ Da). The mRNA expression levels of XRCC1, hOGG1 and XPC negatively correlated with styrene concentrations in blood and at workplace (p<0.001) and positively with SSBs (p<0.001). Micronuclei were not affected by styrene exposure, but were higher in older persons and in women (p<0.001). In this study, we did not confirm previous findings on an increased DNA repair response to styrene-induced genotoxicity. However, negative correlations of SSBs and mRNA expression levels of XRCC1, hOGG1 and XPC with styrene exposure warrant further highly-targeted study. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Chitinase mRNA Levels Determined by QPCR in Crab-Eating Monkey (Macaca fascicularis) Tissues: Species-Specific Expression of Acidic Mammalian Chitinase and Chitotriosidase.

    PubMed

    Uehara, Maiko; Tabata, Eri; Ishii, Kazuhiro; Sawa, Akira; Ohno, Misa; Sakaguchi, Masayoshi; Matoska, Vaclav; Bauer, Peter O; Oyama, Fumitaka

    2018-05-09

    Mice and humans express two active chitinases: acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) and chitotriosidase (CHIT1). Both chitinases are thought to play important roles in specific pathophysiological conditions. The crab-eating monkey ( Macaca fascicularis ) is one of the most frequently used nonhuman primate models in basic and applied biomedical research. Here, we performed gene expression analysis of two chitinases in normal crab-eating monkey tissues by way of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using a single standard DNA molecule. Levels of AMCase and CHIT1 messenger RNAs (mRNAs) were highest in the stomach and the lung, respectively, when compared to other tissues. Comparative gene expression analysis of mouse, monkey, and human using monkey⁻mouse⁻human hybrid standard DNA showed that the AMCase mRNA levels were exceptionally high in mouse and monkey stomachs while very low in the human stomach. As for the CHIT1 mRNA, we detected higher levels in the monkey lung when compared with those of mouse and human. The differences of mRNA expression between the species in the stomach tissues were basically reflecting the levels of the chitinolytic activities. These results indicate that gene expression of AMCase and CHIT1 differs between mammalian species and requiring special attention in handling data in chitinase-related studies in particular organisms.

  14. Staufen-mediated mRNA decay.

    PubMed

    Park, Eonyoung; Maquat, Lynne E

    2013-01-01

    Staufen1 (STAU1)-mediated mRNA decay (SMD) is an mRNA degradation process in mammalian cells that is mediated by the binding of STAU1 to a STAU1-binding site (SBS) within the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of target mRNAs. During SMD, STAU1, a double-stranded (ds) RNA-binding protein, recognizes dsRNA structures formed either by intramolecular base pairing of 3'-UTR sequences or by intermolecular base pairing of 3'-UTR sequences with a long-noncoding RNA (lncRNA) via partially complementary Alu elements. Recently, STAU2, a paralog of STAU1, has also been reported to mediate SMD. Both STAU1 and STAU2 interact directly with the ATP-dependent RNA helicase UPF1, a key SMD factor, enhancing its helicase activity to promote effective SMD. Moreover, STAU1 and STAU2 form homodimeric and heterodimeric interactions via domain-swapping. Because both SMD and the mechanistically related nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) employ UPF1; SMD and NMD are competitive pathways. Competition contributes to cellular differentiation processes, such as myogenesis and adipogenesis, placing SMD at the heart of various physiologically important mechanisms. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Staufen-mediated mRNA decay

    PubMed Central

    Park, Eonyoung; Maquat, Lynne E.

    2013-01-01

    Staufen1 (STAU1)-mediated mRNA decay (SMD) is an mRNA degradation process in mammalian cells that is mediated by the binding of STAU1 to a STAU1-binding site (SBS) within the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of target mRNAs. During SMD, STAU1, a double-stranded (ds) RNA-binding protein, recognizes dsRNA structures formed either by intramolecular base-pairing of 3'UTR sequences or by intermolecular base-pairing of 3'UTR sequences with a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) via partially complementary Alu elements. Recently, STAU2, a paralog of STAU1, has also been reported to mediate SMD. Both STAU1 and STAU2 interact directly with the ATP-dependent RNA helicase UPF1, a key SMD factor, enhancing its helicase activity to promote effective SMD. Moreover, STAU1 and STAU2 form homodimeric and heterodimeric interactions via domain-swapping. Since both SMD and the mechanistically related nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) employ UPF1, SMD and NMD are competitive pathways. Competition contributes to cellular differentiation processes, such as myogenesis and adipogenesis, placing SMD at the heart of various physiologically important mechanisms. PMID:23681777

  16. Gene expression in scrapie. Cloning of a new scrapie-responsive gene and the identification of increased levels of seven other mRNA transcripts.

    PubMed

    Dandoy-Dron, F; Guillo, F; Benboudjema, L; Deslys, J P; Lasmézas, C; Dormont, D; Tovey, M G; Dron, M

    1998-03-27

    To define genes associated with or responsible for the neurodegenerative changes observed in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, we analyzed gene expression in scrapie-infected mouse brain using "mRNA differential display." The RNA transcripts of eight genes were increased 3-8-fold in the brains of scrapie-infected animals. Five of these genes have not previously been reported to exhibit increased expression in this disease: cathepsin S, the C1q B-chain of complement, apolipoprotein D, and two previously unidentified genes denominated scrapie-responsive gene (ScRG)-1 and ScRG-2, which are preferentially expressed in brain tissue. Increased expression of the three remaining genes, beta2 microglobulin, F4/80, and metallothionein II, has previously been reported to occur in experimental scrapie. Kinetic analysis revealed a concomitant increase in the levels of ScRG-1, cathepsin S, the C1q B-chain of complement, and beta2 microglobulin mRNA as well as glial fibrillary acidic protein and F4/80 transcripts, markers of astrocytosis and microglial activation, respectively. In contrast, the level of ScRG-2, apolipoprotein D, and metallothionein II mRNA was only increased at the terminal stage of the disease. ScRG-1 mRNA was found to be preferentially expressed in glial cells and to code for a short protein of 47 amino acids with a strong hydrophobic N-terminal region.

  17. Urinary podocyte-associated mRNA levels correlate with proximal tubule dysfunction in early diabetic nephropathy of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    PubMed

    Petrica, Ligia; Ursoniu, Sorin; Gadalean, Florica; Vlad, Adrian; Gluhovschi, Gheorghe; Dumitrascu, Victor; Vlad, Daliborca; Gluhovschi, Cristina; Velciov, Silvia; Bob, Flaviu; Matusz, Petru; Milas, Oana; Secara, Alina; Simulescu, Anca; Popescu, Roxana

    2017-01-01

    The study assessed mRNA expression of podocyte-associated molecules in urinary sediments of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in relation to urinary podocytes, biomarkers of podocyte injury and of proximal tubule (PT) dysfunction. A total of 76 patients with type 2 DM and 20 healthy subjects were enrolled in a cross-sectional study, and assessed concerning urinary podocytes, urinary mRNA of podocyte-associated genes, urinary biomarkers of podocyte damage and of PT dysfunction. We found significant differences between urinary mRNA of podocyte-associated molecules in relation with albuminuria stage. In multivariable regression analysis, urinary mRNA of nephrin, podocin, alpha-actinin-4, CD2-associated protein, glomerular epithelial protein 1 (GLEPP1), ADAM 10, and NFκB correlated directly with urinary podocytes, albuminuria, urinary alpha 1 -microglobulin, urinary kidney-injury molecule-1, nephrinuria, urinary vascular endothelial growth factor, urinary advanced glycation end-products (AGE), and indirectly with eGFR (p < 0.0001, R 2  = 0.808; p < 0.0001, R 2  = 0.825; p < 0.0001, R 2  = 0.805; p < 0.0001, R 2  = 0.663; p < 0.0001, R 2  = 0.726; p < 0.0001, R 2  = 0.720; p < 0.0001, R 2  = 0.724). In patients with type 2 DM there is an association between urinary mRNA of podocyte-associated molecules, biomarkers of podocyte damage, and of PT dysfunction. GLEPP1, ADAM10, and NFκB may be considered additional candidate molecules indicative of early diabetic nephropathy. AGE could be involved in this association.

  18. Increased duodenal DMT-1 expression and unchanged HFE mRNA levels in HFE-associated hereditary hemochromatosis and iron deficiency.

    PubMed

    Byrnes, V; Barrett, S; Ryan, E; Kelleher, T; O'Keane, C; Coughlan, B; Crowe, J

    2002-01-01

    HFE-associated hereditary hemochromatosis is characterized by imbalances of iron homeostasis and alterations in intestinal iron absorption. The identification of the HFE gene and the apical iron transporter divalent metal transporter-1, DMT-1, provide a direct method to address the mechanisms of iron overload in this disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the regulation of duodenal HFE and DMT-1 gene expression in HFE-associated hereditary hemochromatosis. Small bowel biopsies and serum iron indices were obtained from a total of 33 patients. The study population comprised 13 patients with hereditary hemochromatosis (C282Y homozygous), 10 patients with iron deficiency anemia, and 10 apparently healthy controls, all of whom were genotyped for the two common mutations in the HFE gene (C282Y and H63D). Total RNA was isolated from tissue and amplified via RT-PCR for HFE, DMT-1, and the internal control GAPDH. DMT-1 protein expression was additionally assessed by immunohistochemistry. Levels of HFE mRNA did not differ significantly between patient groups (P = 0.09), specifically between C282Y homozygotes and iron deficiency anemic patients, when compared to controls (P = 0.09, P = 0.9, respectively). In contrast, DMT-1 mRNA levels were at least twofold greater in patients with hereditary hemochromatosis and iron deficiency anemia when compared to controls (P = 0.02, P = 0.01, respectively). Heightened DMT-1 protein expression correlated with mRNA levels in all patients. Loss of HFE function in hereditary hemochromatosis is not derived from inhibition of its gene expression. DMT-1 expression in C282Y homozygote subjects is consistent with the hypothesis of a "paradoxical" duodenal iron deficiency in hereditary hemochromatosis. The observed twofold upregulation of the DMT-1 is consistent with the slow but steady increase in body iron stores observed in those presenting with clinical features of hereditary hemochromatosis.

  19. Multiparametric in situ mRNA hybridization analysis to predict disease recurrence in patients with colon carcinoma.

    PubMed Central

    Kitadai, Y.; Ellis, L. M.; Tucker, S. L.; Greene, G. F.; Bucana, C. D.; Cleary, K. R.; Takahashi, Y.; Tahara, E.; Fidler, I. J.

    1996-01-01

    We examined the expression level of several genes that regulate different steps of metastasis in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival specimens of primary human colon carcinomas from patients with at least 5 years of follow-up. The expression of epidermal growth factor receptor, basic fibroblast growth factor, type IV collagenase, E-cadherin, and multidrug resistance (mdr-1) was examined by a colorimetric in situ mRNA hybridization technique concentrating on reactivity at the periphery of the neoplasms. The in situ hybridization technique revealed inter- and intratumor heterogeneity for expression of the metastasis-related genes. The expression of basic fibroblast growth factor, collagenase type IV, epidermal growth factor receptor, and mdr-1 mRNA was higher in Dukes's stage D than in Dukes' stage B tumors. Among the 22 Dukes' stage B neoplasms, 5 specimens exhibited a high expression level of epidermal growth factor receptor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and collagenase type IV. Clinical outcome data (5-year follow-up) revealed that all 5 patients with Dukes' stage B tumors developed distant metastasis (recurrent disease), whereas the other 17 patients with Dukes' stage B tumors expressing low levels of the metastasis-related genes were disease-free. Multivariate analysis identified high levels of expression of collagenase type IV and low levels of expression of E-cadherin as independent factors significantly associated with metastasis or recurrent disease. More specifically, metastatic or recurrent disease was associated with a high ratio (> 1.35) of expression of collagenase type IV to E-cadherin (specificity of 95%). Collectively, the data show that multiparametric in situ hybridization analysis for several metastasis-related genes may predict the metastatic potential, and hence the clinical outcome, of individual lymph-node-negative human colon cancers. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 PMID:8909244

  20. Low levels of the AhR in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-derived lung cells increases COX-2 protein by altering mRNA stability

    PubMed Central

    Zago, Michela; Sheridan, Jared A.; Traboulsi, Hussein; Hecht, Emelia; Zhang, Yelu; Guerrina, Necola; Matthews, Jason; Nair, Parameswaran; Eidelman, David H.; Hamid, Qutayba

    2017-01-01

    Heightened inflammation, including expression of COX-2, is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathogenesis. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that is reduced in COPD-derived lung fibroblasts. The AhR also suppresses COX-2 in response to cigarette smoke, the main risk factor for COPD, by destabilizing the Cox-2 transcript by mechanisms that may involve the regulation of microRNA (miRNA). Whether reduced AhR expression is responsible for heightened COX-2 in COPD is not known. Here, we investigated the expression of COX-2 as well as the expression of miR-146a, a miRNA known to regulate COX-2 levels, in primary lung fibroblasts derived from non-smokers (Normal) and smokers (At Risk) with and without COPD. To confirm the involvement of the AhR, AhR knock-down via siRNA in Normal lung fibroblasts and MLE-12 cells was employed as were A549-AhRko cells. Basal expression of COX-2 protein was higher in COPD lung fibroblasts compared to Normal or Smoker fibroblasts but there was no difference in Cox-2 mRNA. Knockdown of AhR in lung structural cells increased COX-2 protein by stabilizing the Cox-2 transcript. There was less induction of miR-146a in COPD-derived lung fibroblasts but this was not due to the AhR. Instead, we found that RelB, an NF-κB protein, was required for transcriptional induction of both Cox-2 and miR-146a. Therefore, we conclude that the AhR controls COX-2 protein via mRNA stability by a mechanism independent of miR-146a. Low levels of the AhR may therefore contribute to the heightened inflammation common in COPD patients. PMID:28749959

  1. Low levels of the AhR in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-derived lung cells increases COX-2 protein by altering mRNA stability.

    PubMed

    Zago, Michela; Sheridan, Jared A; Traboulsi, Hussein; Hecht, Emelia; Zhang, Yelu; Guerrina, Necola; Matthews, Jason; Nair, Parameswaran; Eidelman, David H; Hamid, Qutayba; Baglole, Carolyn J

    2017-01-01

    Heightened inflammation, including expression of COX-2, is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathogenesis. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that is reduced in COPD-derived lung fibroblasts. The AhR also suppresses COX-2 in response to cigarette smoke, the main risk factor for COPD, by destabilizing the Cox-2 transcript by mechanisms that may involve the regulation of microRNA (miRNA). Whether reduced AhR expression is responsible for heightened COX-2 in COPD is not known. Here, we investigated the expression of COX-2 as well as the expression of miR-146a, a miRNA known to regulate COX-2 levels, in primary lung fibroblasts derived from non-smokers (Normal) and smokers (At Risk) with and without COPD. To confirm the involvement of the AhR, AhR knock-down via siRNA in Normal lung fibroblasts and MLE-12 cells was employed as were A549-AhRko cells. Basal expression of COX-2 protein was higher in COPD lung fibroblasts compared to Normal or Smoker fibroblasts but there was no difference in Cox-2 mRNA. Knockdown of AhR in lung structural cells increased COX-2 protein by stabilizing the Cox-2 transcript. There was less induction of miR-146a in COPD-derived lung fibroblasts but this was not due to the AhR. Instead, we found that RelB, an NF-κB protein, was required for transcriptional induction of both Cox-2 and miR-146a. Therefore, we conclude that the AhR controls COX-2 protein via mRNA stability by a mechanism independent of miR-146a. Low levels of the AhR may therefore contribute to the heightened inflammation common in COPD patients.

  2. Global survey of mRNA levels and decay rates of Chlamydia trachomatis trachoma and lymphogranuloma venereum biovars.

    PubMed

    Ferreira, Rita; Borges, Vítor; Borrego, Maria José; Gomes, João Paulo

    2017-07-01

    Interpreting the intricate bacterial transcriptomics implies understanding the dynamic relationship established between de novo transcription and the degradation of transcripts. Here, we performed a comparative overview of gene expression levels and mRNA decay rates for different-biovar (trachoma and lymphogranuloma venereum) strains of the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis . By using RNA-sequencing to measure gene expression levels at mid developmental stage and mRNA decay rates upon rifampicin-based transcription blockage, we observed that: i ) 60-70% of the top-50 expressed genes encode proteins with unknown function and proteins involved in "Translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis" for all strains; ii ) the expression ranking by genes' functional categories was in general concordant among different-biovar strains; iii ) the median of the half-life time (t 1/2 ) values of transcripts were 15-17 min, indicating that the degree of transcripts' stability seems to correlate with the bacterial intracellular life-style, as these values are considerably higher than the ones observed in other studies for facultative intracellular and free-living bacteria; iv ) transcript decay rates were highly heterogeneous within each C. trachomatis strain and did not correlate with steady-state expression levels; v ) only at very few instances (essentially at gene functional category level) was possible to unveil dissimilarities potentially underlying phenotypic differences between biovars. In summary, the unveiled transcriptomic scenario, marked by a general lack of correlation between transcript production and degradation and a huge inter-transcript heterogeneity in decay rates, likely reflects the challenges underlying the unique biphasic developmental cycle of C. trachomatis and its intricate interactions with the human host, which probably exacerbate the complexity of the bacterial transcription regulation.

  3. Post-burn hypertrophic scars are characterized by high levels of IL-1β mRNA and protein and TNF-α type I receptors.

    PubMed

    Salgado, Rosa M; Alcántara, Luz; Mendoza-Rodríguez, C Adriana; Cerbón, Marco; Hidalgo-González, Christian; Mercadillo, Patricia; Moreno, Luis M; Alvarez-Jiménez, Ricardo; Krötzsch, Edgar

    2012-08-01

    Post-burn hypertrophic scars are characterized by increased collagen synthesis and hyperplasia, and may be associated with erythema, pain, dysesthesia, pruritus, and skin border elevation. Although the etiopathogenesis of hypertrophic scarring remains unclear, proinflammatory and profibrogenic cytokines are known to play an important role in general skin dysfunction. This study assessed mRNA expression, proteins, and type I receptors of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 1-beta (IL-1β) in normal skin, normotrophic and post-burn hypertrophic scars. Skin biopsies were obtained from 10 hypertrophic and 9 normotrophic scars, and 4 normal skin sites. Only post-burn scars covering more than 10% of the body were included. Ex vivo histopathological analysis evaluated scar maturity, in situ hybridization assessed mRNA expression, and cytokine protein and cytokine/cell colocalization were performed using single- and double-label immunohistochemistry, respectively. IL-1β is overexpressed in hypertrophic scars at the post-transcriptional level, associated primarily with keratinocytes and CD1a(+) cells. Type I receptors for TNF-α are overexpressed in blood vessels of hypertrophic scars. The coordinated overexpression of IL-1β and TNF-α type I receptor may maintain the fibrogenic phenotypes of hypertrophic scars, even those in "remission". Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

  4. Expression of CD30 mRNA, CD30L mRNA and a variant form of CD30 mRNA in restimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with helminthic infections resembling a Th2 disease

    PubMed Central

    Kilwinski, J; Berger, T; Mpalaskas, J; Reuter, S; Flick, W; Kern, P

    1999-01-01

    It has been proposed that CD30, a member of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily, is preferentially up-regulated on Th2-type human T cells. In order to investigate a correlation between infection with Echinococcus multilocularis and CD30 expression, we analysed regulation of CD30 mRNA, a variant form of CD30 mRNA (CD30v) and CD30 ligand (CD30L) mRNA expression on PBMC from patients with alveolar echinococcosis (AE) using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In PBMC of patients with AE as well as healthy donors, spontaneous expression of CD30L mRNA and the CD30v mRNA could be detected. However, the intact form of CD30 mRNA could be detected neither in freshly isolated PBMC of patients nor in PBMC of healthy individuals. Expression of CD30L mRNA and the variant form of CD30 mRNA was frequently detected at individual time points during 72 h of culture of PBMC stimulated with crude Echinococcus antigen. In contrast to CD30v or CD30L mRNA expression, induction of CD30 mRNA expression was detected only in three out of six (50%) healthy donors and in 10 out of 21 (48%) patients with alveolar echinococcosis after 72 h of incubation. As a control, mitogenic stimulation of PBMC of both healthy individuals and infected patients led to expression of intact CD30 mRNA within 24 h of culture. These data demonstrate the different expression of two different forms of CD30 mRNA in PBMC of human individuals. The specific induction of CD30 expression is correlated only in rare cases with the clinical status of patients with AE, indicating the lack of a general induction of CD30 mRNA in this Th2-type-dominated helminthic disease. The data provide further evidence that the CD30 receptor is not an exclusive marker for a Th2-type response. PMID:9933429

  5. Conservation of mRNA secondary structures may filter out mutations in Escherichia coli evolution

    PubMed Central

    Chursov, Andrey; Frishman, Dmitrij; Shneider, Alexander

    2013-01-01

    Recent reports indicate that mutations in viral genomes tend to preserve RNA secondary structure, and those mutations that disrupt secondary structural elements may reduce gene expression levels, thereby serving as a functional knockout. In this article, we explore the conservation of secondary structures of mRNA coding regions, a previously unknown factor in bacterial evolution, by comparing the structural consequences of mutations in essential and nonessential Escherichia coli genes accumulated over 40 000 generations in the course of the ‘long-term evolution experiment’. We monitored the extent to which mutations influence minimum free energy (MFE) values, assuming that a substantial change in MFE is indicative of structural perturbation. Our principal finding is that purifying selection tends to eliminate those mutations in essential genes that lead to greater changes of MFE values and, therefore, may be more disruptive for the corresponding mRNA secondary structures. This effect implies that synonymous mutations disrupting mRNA secondary structures may directly affect the fitness of the organism. These results demonstrate that the need to maintain intact mRNA structures imposes additional evolutionary constraints on bacterial genomes, which go beyond preservation of structure and function of the encoded proteins. PMID:23783573

  6. mRNA levels of enzymes and receptors implicated in arachidonic acid metabolism in gliomas.

    PubMed

    De Armas, Rafael; Durand, Karine; Guillaudeau, Angélique; Weinbreck, Nicolas; Robert, Sandrine; Moreau, Jean-Jacques; Caire, François; Acosta, Gisela; Pebet, Matias; Chaunavel, Alain; Marin, Benoît; Labrousse, François; Denizot, Yves

    2010-07-01

    Gliomas are tumors of the central nervous system derived from glial cells. They show cellular heterogeneity and lack specific diagnostic markers. Although a possible role for the eicosanoid cascade has been suggested in glioma tumorigenesis, the relationship between enzymes and receptors implicated in arachidonic acid metabolism, with histological tumor type has not yet been determined. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure and compare transcript levels of enzymes and receptors implicated in both lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase pathways between oligodendrogliomas, astrocytomas, glioblastomas and mixed oligoastrocytomas. Arachidonic acid metabolism-related enzymes and receptor transcripts (i) were underexpressed in classical oligodendrogliomas compared to astrocytomas and/or glioblastomas, (ii) differed between astrocytomas and glioblastomas and (iii) had an intermediate expression in mixed oligoastrocytomas. mRNA levels of enzymes and receptors implicated both in lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase pathways differed significantly in gliomas according to the histological type. Copyright 2010 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Multiple Transcript Properties Related to Translation Affect mRNA Degradation Rates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    PubMed Central

    Neymotin, Benjamin; Ettorre, Victoria; Gresham, David

    2016-01-01

    Degradation of mRNA contributes to variation in transcript abundance. Studies of individual mRNAs have shown that both cis and trans factors affect mRNA degradation rates. However, the factors underlying transcriptome-wide variation in mRNA degradation rates are poorly understood. We investigated the contribution of different transcript properties to transcriptome-wide degradation rate variation in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, using multiple regression analysis. We find that multiple transcript properties are significantly associated with variation in mRNA degradation rates, and that a model incorporating these properties explains ∼50% of the genome-wide variance. Predictors of mRNA degradation rates include transcript length, ribosome density, biased codon usage, and GC content of the third position in codons. To experimentally validate these factors, we studied individual transcripts expressed from identical promoters. We find that decreasing ribosome density by mutating the first translational start site of a transcript increases its degradation rate. Using coding sequence variants of green fluorescent protein (GFP) that differ only at synonymous sites, we show that increased GC content of the third position of codons results in decreased rates of mRNA degradation. Thus, in steady-state conditions, a large fraction of genome-wide variation in mRNA degradation rates is determined by inherent properties of transcripts, many of which are related to translation, rather than specific regulatory mechanisms. PMID:27633789

  8. Preprotachykinin A mRNA expression in the rat brain during development.

    PubMed

    Brené, S; Lindefors, N; Friedman, W J; Persson, H

    1990-12-15

    Expression of preprotachykinin A (PPT-A) mRNA was analyzed by northern blots using mRNA prepared from rat brain at 12 different developmental stages ranging from embryonic day 15 (E15) to adult. A single PPT-A mRNA of 1.3 kb was detected throughout development. PPT-A mRNA was detected as early as E15 and an approximately 3-fold increase occurred at birth. This amount remained until 3 weeks of age when the level increased, reaching a peak at 5 weeks of age. Adult amounts were approximately 3-fold higher than the levels at birth. The distribution of PPT-A mRNA-expressing cells in rat brain was studied by in situ hybridization on sections from embryonic day 20, postnatal days 4 and 7 as well as adult. Cells expressing PPT-A mRNA were detected in the forebrain at all 4 ages analyzed. However, the hybridization pattern and the labeling intensity varied in different brain regions during development. In cingulate cortex, intense labeling was seen in numerous cells at embryonic day 20 and postnatal days 4 and 7, whereas in the adult cingulate cortex only a few scattered labeled cells were observed. In frontoparietal cortex labeled cells were found from postnatal day 4 to adult, with the highest density of labeled cells at P7. Developmental differences in both the distribution of PPT-A mRNA-expressing cells and the level of PPT-A mRNA expression were also found in caudate-putamen, lateral hypothalamus and amygdala. Thus, our results show several changes in PPT-A mRNA expression during ontogeny, indicating a region and time-specific regulation of PPT-A mRNA expression during brain maturation.

  9. The Arabidopsis THO/TREX component TEX1 functionally interacts with MOS11 and modulates mRNA export and alternative splicing events.

    PubMed

    Sørensen, Brian B; Ehrnsberger, Hans F; Esposito, Silvia; Pfab, Alexander; Bruckmann, Astrid; Hauptmann, Judith; Meister, Gunter; Merkl, Rainer; Schubert, Thomas; Längst, Gernot; Melzer, Michael; Grasser, Marion; Grasser, Klaus D

    2017-02-01

    We identify proteins that associate with the THO core complex, and show that the TEX1 and MOS11 components functionally interact, affecting mRNA export and splicing as well as plant development. TREX (TRanscription-EXport) is a multiprotein complex that plays a central role in the coordination of synthesis, processing and nuclear export of mRNAs. Using targeted proteomics, we identified proteins that associate with the THO core complex of Arabidopsis TREX. In addition to the RNA helicase UAP56 and the mRNA export factors ALY2-4 and MOS11 we detected interactions with the mRNA export complex TREX-2 and multiple spliceosomal components. Plants defective in the THO component TEX1 or in the mRNA export factor MOS11 (orthologue of human CIP29) are mildly affected. However, tex1 mos11 double-mutant plants show marked defects in vegetative and reproductive development. In tex1 plants, the levels of tasiRNAs are reduced, while miR173 levels are decreased in mos11 mutants. In nuclei of mos11 cells increased mRNA accumulation was observed, while no mRNA export defect was detected with tex1 cells. Nevertheless, in tex1 mos11 double-mutants, the mRNA export defect was clearly enhanced relative to mos11. The subnuclear distribution of TEX1 substantially overlaps with that of splicing-related SR proteins and in tex1 plants the ratio of certain alternative splicing events is altered. Our results demonstrate that Arabidopsis TEX1 and MOS11 are involved in distinct steps of the biogenesis of mRNAs and small RNAs, and that they interact regarding some aspects, but act independently in others.

  10. The expression of Apoc3 mRNA is regulated by HNF4α and COUP-TFII, but not acute retinoid treatments, in primary rat hepatocytes and hepatoma cells.

    PubMed

    Howell, Meredith; Li, Rui; Zhang, Rui; Li, Yang; Chen, Wei; Chen, Guoxun

    2014-02-01

    Vitamin A status regulates obesity development, hyperlipidemia, and hepatic lipogenic gene expression in Zucker fatty (ZF) rats. The development of hyperlipidemia in acne patients treated with retinoic acid (RA) has been attributed to the induction of apolipoprotein C-III expression. To understand the role of retinoids in the development of hyperlipidemia in ZF rats, the expression levels of several selected RA-responsive genes in the liver and isolated hepatocytes from Zucker lean (ZL) and ZF rats were compared using real-time PCR. The Rarb and Srebp-1c mRNA levels are higher in the liver and isolated hepatocytes from ZF than ZL rats. The Apoc3 mRNA level is only higher in the isolated hepatocytes from ZF than ZL rats. To determine whether dynamic RA production acutely regulates Apoc3 expression, its mRNA levels in response to retinoid treatments or adenovirus-mediated overexpression of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α) and chicken ovalbumin upstream-transcription factor II (COUP-TFII) were analyzed. Retinoid treatments for 2-6 h did not induce the expression of Apoc3 mRNA. The overexpression of HNF4α or COUP-TFII induced or inhibited Apoc3 expression, respectively. We conclude that short-term retinoid treatments could not induce Apoc3 mRNA expression, which is regulated by HNF4α and COUP-TFII in hepatocytes.

  11. A Nascent Peptide Signal Responsive to Endogenous Levels of Polyamines Acts to Stimulate Regulatory Frameshifting on Antizyme mRNA.

    PubMed

    Yordanova, Martina M; Wu, Cheng; Andreev, Dmitry E; Sachs, Matthew S; Atkins, John F

    2015-07-17

    The protein antizyme is a negative regulator of cellular polyamine concentrations from yeast to mammals. Synthesis of functional antizyme requires programmed +1 ribosomal frameshifting at the 3' end of the first of two partially overlapping ORFs. The frameshift is the sensor and effector in an autoregulatory circuit. Except for Saccharomyces cerevisiae antizyme mRNA, the frameshift site alone only supports low levels of frameshifting. The high levels usually observed depend on the presence of cis-acting stimulatory elements located 5' and 3' of the frameshift site. Antizyme genes from different evolutionary branches have evolved different stimulatory elements. Prior and new multiple alignments of fungal antizyme mRNA sequences from the Agaricomycetes class of Basidiomycota show a distinct pattern of conservation 5' of the frameshift site consistent with a function at the amino acid level. As shown here when tested in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and mammalian HEK293T cells, the 5' part of this conserved sequence acts at the nascent peptide level to stimulate the frameshifting, without involving stalling detectable by toe-printing. However, the peptide is only part of the signal. The 3' part of the stimulator functions largely independently and acts at least mostly at the nucleotide level. When polyamine levels were varied, the stimulatory effect was seen to be especially responsive in the endogenous polyamine concentration range, and this effect may be more general. A conserved RNA secondary structure 3' of the frameshift site has weaker stimulatory and polyamine sensitizing effects on frameshifting. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  12. Immediate-early gene response to repeated immobilization: Fos protein and arc mRNA levels appear to be less sensitive than c-fos mRNA to adaptation.

    PubMed

    Ons, Sheila; Rotllant, David; Marín-Blasco, Ignacio J; Armario, Antonio

    2010-06-01

    Stress exposure resulted in brain induction of immediate-early genes (IEGs), considered as markers of neuronal activation. Upon repeated exposure to the same stressor, reduction of IEG response (adaptation) has been often observed, but there are important discrepancies in literature that may be in part related to the particular IEG and methodology used. We studied the differential pattern of adaptation of the IEGs c-fos and arc (activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein) after repeated exposure to a severe stressor: immobilization on wooden boards (IMO). Rats repeatedly exposed to IMO showed reduced c-fos mRNA levels in response to acute IMO in most brain areas studied: the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), lateral septum (LS), medial amygdala (MeA), paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and locus coeruleus. In contrast, the number of neurons showing Fos-like immunoreactivity was only reduced in the MeA and the various subregions of the PVN. IMO-induced increases in arc gene expression were restricted to telencephalic regions and reduced by repeated IMO only in the mPFC. Double-labelling in the LS of IMO-exposed rats revealed that arc was expressed in only one-third of Fos+ neurons, suggesting two populations of Fos+ neurons. These data suggest that c-fos mRNA levels are more affected by repeated IMO than corresponding protein, and that arc gene expression does not reflect adaptation in most brain regions, which may be related to its constitutive expression. Therefore, the choice of a particular IEG and the method of measurement are important for proper interpretation of the impact of chronic repeated stress on brain activation.

  13. Stability of the Osmoregulated Promoter-Derived proP mRNA Is Posttranscriptionally Regulated by RNase III in Escherichia coli

    PubMed Central

    Lim, Boram

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT The enzymatic activity of Escherichia coli endo-RNase III determines the stability of a subgroup of mRNA species, including bdm, betT, and proU, whose protein products are associated with the cellular response to osmotic stress. Here, we report that the stability of proP mRNA, which encodes a transporter of osmoprotectants, is controlled by RNase III in response to osmotic stress. We observed that steady-state levels of proP mRNA and ProP protein are inversely correlated with cellular RNase III activity and, in turn, affect the proline uptake capacity of the cell. In vitro and in vivo analyses of proP mRNA revealed RNase III cleavage sites in a stem-loop within the 5′ untranslated region present only in proP mRNA species synthesized from the osmoregulated P1 promoter. Introduction of nucleotide substitutions in the cleavage site identified inhibited the ribonucleolytic activity of RNase III on proP mRNA, increasing the steady-state levels and half-life of the mRNA. In addition, decreased RNase III activity coincided with a significant increase in both the half-life and abundance of proP mRNA under hyperosmotic stress conditions. Analysis of the RNA bound to RNase III via in vivo cross-linking and immunoprecipitation indicated that this phenomenon is related to the decreased RNA binding capacity of RNase III. Our findings suggest the existence of an RNase III-mediated osmoregulatory network that rapidly balances the expression levels of factors associated with the cellular response to osmotic stress in E. coli. IMPORTANCE Our results demonstrate that RNase III activity on proP mRNA degradation is downregulated in Escherichia coli cells under osmotic stress. In addition, we show that the downregulation of RNase III activity is associated with decreased RNA binding capacity of RNase III under hyperosmotic conditions. In particular, our findings demonstrate a link between osmotic stress and RNase III activity, underscoring the growing importance of

  14. Genome level analysis of rice mRNA 3′-end processing signals and alternative polyadenylation

    PubMed Central

    Shen, Yingjia; Ji, Guoli; Haas, Brian J.; Wu, Xiaohui; Zheng, Jianti; Reese, Greg J.; Li, Qingshun Quinn

    2008-01-01

    The position of a poly(A) site of eukaryotic mRNA is determined by sequence signals in pre-mRNA and a group of polyadenylation factors. To reveal rice poly(A) signals at a genome level, we constructed a dataset of 55 742 authenticated poly(A) sites and characterized the poly(A) signals. This resulted in identifying the typical tripartite cis-elements, including FUE, NUE and CE, as previously observed in Arabidopsis. The average size of the 3′-UTR was 289 nucleotides. When mapped to the genome, however, 15% of these poly(A) sites were found to be located in the currently annotated intergenic regions. Moreover, an extensive alternative polyadenylation profile was evident where 50% of the genes analyzed had more than one unique poly(A) site (excluding microheterogeneity sites), and 13% had four or more poly(A) sites. About 4% of the analyzed genes possessed alternative poly(A) sites at their introns, 5′-UTRs, or protein coding regions. The authenticity of these alternative poly(A) sites was partially confirmed using MPSS data. Analysis of nucleotide profile and signal patterns indicated that there may be a different set of poly(A) signals for those poly(A) sites found in the coding regions. Based on the features of rice poly(A) signals, an updated algorithm termed PASS-Rice was designed to predict poly(A) sites. PMID:18411206

  15. Quantitative assessment of hTERT mRNA expression in dysplastic nodules of HBV-related hepatocarcinogenesis.

    PubMed

    Oh, Bong-Kyeong; Kim, Young-Joo; Park, Young Nyun; Choi, Jinsub; Kim, Kyung Sik; Park, Chanil

    2006-04-01

    Telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is the rate-limiting determinant of telomerase, which is critical for carcinogenesis. Dysplastic nodules (DNs) appear to be preneoplastic lesions of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). In this study, in order to characterize DNs, hTERT mRNA, hTERT gene dosage, and mRNA for c-myc, a transcriptional activator of hTERT were studied in human multi-step hepatocarcinogenesis. Fifty four hepatic nodules including 5 large regenerative nodules, 14 low-grade DNs, 7 high-grade DNs, 11 DNs with HCC foci and 17 HCCs, 23 livers with chronic hepatitis/cirrhosis, and 6 normal livers were examined. Transcript levels were measured by real-time quantitative RT-PCR and gene dosages by real-time PCR and Southern blotting. The hTERT mRNA levels increased with the progression of hepatocarcinogenesis, and a significant induction in the transition between low- and high-grade DNs was seen. Most high-grade DNs strongly expressed hTERT mRNA at levels similar to those of HCCs. Twenty-one percent of low-grade DNs had high levels of hTERT mRNA, up to those of high-grade DNs and there was no difference in the pathological features between low-grade DNs with and without increased hTERT mRNA levels. No correlation was found between hTERT mRNA levels, hTERT gene dosage, and c-myc mRNA levels. These results suggest that the induction of hTERT mRNA is an important early event and that its measurement by real-time quantitative RT-PCR is a useful tool to detect premalignant/malignant tendencies in hepatic nodules. However, hTERT gene dosage and c-myc expression are not the main mechanisms regulating hTERT expression in hepatocarcinogenesis.

  16. The rapid destabilization of p53 mRNA in immortal chicken embryo fibroblast cells.

    PubMed

    Kim, H; You, S; Foster, L K; Farris, J; Foster, D N

    2001-08-23

    The steady-state levels of p53 mRNA were dramatically lower in immortal chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cell lines compared to primary CEF cells. In the presence of cycloheximide (CHX), the steady-state levels of p53 mRNA markedly increased in immortal CEF cell lines, similar to levels found in primary cells. The de novo synthetic rates of p53 mRNA were relatively similar in primary and immortal cells grown in the presence or absence of CHX. Destabilization of p53 mRNA was observed in the nuclei of immortal, but not primary, CEF cells. The half-life of p53 mRNA in primary cells was found to be a relatively long 23 h compared to only 3 h in immortal cells. The expression of transfected p53 cDNA was inhibited in immortal cells, but restored upon CHX treatment. The 5'-region of the p53 mRNA was shown to be involved in the rapid p53 mRNA destabilization in immortal cells by expression analysis of 5'- and 3'-deleted p53 cDNAs as well as fusion mRNA constructs of N-terminal p53 and N-terminal deleted LacZ genes. Together, it is suggestive that the downregulation of p53 mRNA in immortal CEF cells occurs through a post-transcriptional destabilizing mechanism.

  17. [Polyadenylated RNA and mRNA export factors in extrachromosomal nuclear domains of vitellogenic oocytes of the insect Tenebrio molitor].

    PubMed

    Bogoliubov, D S; Kiselev, A M; Shabel'nikov, S V; Parfenov, V N

    2012-01-01

    The nucleus ofvitellogenic oocytes of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, contains a karyosphere that consists of the condensed chromatin embedded in an extrachromosomal fibrogranular material. Numerous nuclear bodies located freely in the nucleoplasm are also observed. Amongst these bodies, counterparts of nuclear speckles (= interchromatin granule clusters, IGCs) can be identified by the presence of the marker protein SC35. Microinjections of fluorescently tagged methyloligoribonucleotide probes 2'-O-Me(U)22, complementary to poly(A) tails of RNAs, revealed poly(A)+ RNA in the vast majority of IGCs. We found that all T. molitor oocyte IGCs contain heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) core protein Al that localizes to IGCs in an RNA-dependent manner. The extrachromosomal material of the karyosphere and a part of nucleoplasmic IGCs also contain the adapter protein Aly that is known to provide a link between pre-mRNA splicing and mRNA export. The essential mRNA export factor/receptor NXF1 was observed to colocalize with Aly. In nucleoplasmic IGCs, NXF1 was found to localize in an RNA-dependent manner whereas it is RNA-independently located in the extrachromosomal material of the karyosphere. We believe our data suggest on a role of the nucleoplasmic IGCs in mRNA biogenesis and retention in a road to nuclear export.

  18. Serum and synovial fluid levels of tumor necrosis factor-like ligand 1A and decoy receptor 3 in rheumatoid arthritis.

    PubMed

    Xiu, Zijuan; Shen, Hui; Tian, Ye; Xia, Liping; Lu, Jing

    2015-04-01

    To measure the levels of Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-like ligand 1A (TL1A) and decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) in serum and synovial fluid (SF) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To evaluate the effect of recombinant human (rh) TL1A on interleukin (IL)-17 production and IL-17mRNA expression. The serum and SF levels of TL1A and DcR3, and the production of IL-17 by rhTL1A-treated PBMC were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of IL-17 mRNA by rhTL1A-treated PBMC was measured by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We also tested the change of TL1A and DcR3 level following TNF-α blockade therapy. Serum TL1A and DcR3 levels were higher in RA patients. This increase was more significant in RF and anti-CCP positive patients. TL1A and DcR3 levels were higher in SF samples than in paired sera. TL1A and DcR3 decreased after anti-TNF treatment. rhTL1A increased the production of IL-17 protein and the expression of IL-17mRNA. TL1A and DcR3 may be of pathogenic and potentially of therapeutic importance in RA patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Variations in endothelin receptor B subtype 2 (EDNRB2) coding sequences and mRNA expression levels in 4 Muscovy duck plumage colour phenotypes.

    PubMed

    Wu, N; Qin, H; Wang, M; Bian, Y; Dong, B; Sun, G; Zhao, W; Chang, G; Xu, Q; Chen, G

    2017-04-01

    1. Endothelin receptor B subtype 2 (EDNRB2) is a paralog of EDNRB, which encodes a 7-transmembrane G-protein coupled receptor. Previous studies reported that EDNRB was essential for melanoblast migration in mammals and ducks. 2. Muscovy ducks have different plumage colour phenotypes. Variations in EDNRB2 coding sequences (CDSs) and mRNA expression levels were investigated in 4 different Muscovy duck plumage colour phenotypes, including black, black mutant, silver and white head. 3. The EDNRB2 gene from Muscovy duck was cloned; it had a length of 6435 bp and encoded 437 amino acids. The coding region was screened and potential single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified. Eight mutations were obtained, including one missense variant (c.64C > T) and 7 synonymous substitutions. The substitutions were associated with plumage colour phenotypes. 4. The EDNRB2 mRNA expression levels were compared between feather pulp from black birds and black mutant birds. The results indicated that EDNRB2 transcripts in feather pulp were significantly higher in black feathers than in white feathers. 5. The results determined the variation of EDNRB2 CDS and mRNA expression in Muscovy ducks of various plumage colours.

  20. hnRNP A2/B1 interacts with influenza A viral protein NS1 and inhibits virus replication potentially through suppressing NS1 RNA/protein levels and NS1 mRNA nuclear export

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wang, Yimeng; Zhou, Jianhong; Du, Yuchun, E-mail: ydu@uark.edu

    The NS1 protein of influenza viruses is a major virulence factor and exerts its function through interacting with viral/cellular RNAs and proteins. In this study, we identified heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2/B1 (hnRNP A2/B1) as an interacting partner of NS1 proteins by a proteomic method. Knockdown of hnRNP A2/B1 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) resulted in higher levels of NS vRNA, NS1 mRNA, and NS1 protein in the virus-infected cells. In addition, we demonstrated that hnRNP A2/B1 proteins are associated with NS1 and NS2 mRNAs and that knockdown of hnRNP A2/B1 promotes transport of NS1 mRNA from the nucleus to themore » cytoplasm in the infected cells. Lastly, we showed that knockdown of hnRNP A2/B1 leads to enhanced virus replication. Our results suggest that hnRNP A2/B1 plays an inhibitory role in the replication of influenza A virus in host cells potentially through suppressing NS1 RNA/protein levels and NS1 mRNA nucleocytoplasmic translocation. - Highlights: • Cellular protein hnRNP A2/B1 interacts with influenza viral protein NS1. • hnRNP A2/B1 suppresses the levels of NS1 protein, vRNA and mRNA in infected cells. • hnRNP A2/B1 protein is associated with NS1 and NS2 mRNAs. • hnRNP A2/B1 inhibits the nuclear export of NS1 mRNAs. • hnRNP A2/B1 inhibits influenza virus replication.« less

  1. MYC Mediates mRNA Cap Methylation of Canonical Wnt/β-catenin Signaling Transcripts by Recruiting CDK7 and RNA Methyltransferase

    PubMed Central

    Posternak, Valeriya; Ung, Matthew H.; Cheng, Chao; Cole, Michael D.

    2016-01-01

    MYC is a pleiotropic transcription factor that activates and represses a wide range of target genes and is frequently deregulated in human tumors. While much is known about the role of MYC in transcriptional activation and repression, MYC can also regulate mRNA cap methylation through a mechanism that has remained poorly understood. Here it is reported that MYC enhances mRNA cap methylation of transcripts globally, specifically increasing mRNA cap methylation of genes involved in Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Elevated mRNA cap methylation of Wnt signaling transcripts in response to MYC leads to augmented translational capacity, elevated protein levels, and enhanced Wnt signaling activity. Mechanistic evidence indicates that MYC promotes recruitment of RNA methyltransferase (RNMT) to Wnt signaling gene promoters by enhancing phosphorylation of serine 5 on the RNA Polymerase II Carboxy-Terminal Domain, mediated in part through an interaction between the TIP60 acetyltransferase complex and TFIIH. Implications MYC enhances mRNA cap methylation above and beyond transcriptional induction. PMID:27899423

  2. Selective regulation of YB-1 mRNA translation by the mTOR signaling pathway is not mediated by 4E-binding protein.

    PubMed

    Lyabin, D N; Ovchinnikov, L P

    2016-03-02

    The Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) is a key regulator of gene expression at the level of both translation and transcription. The mode of its action on cellular events depends on its subcellular distribution and the amount in the cell. So far, the regulatory mechanisms of YB-1 synthesis have not been adequately studied. Our previous finding was that selective inhibition of YB-1 mRNA translation was caused by suppression of activity of the mTOR signaling pathway. It was suggested that this event may be mediated by phosphorylation of the 4E-binding protein (4E-BP). Here, we report that 4E-BP alone can only slightly inhibit YB-1 synthesis both in the cell and in vitro, although it essentially decreases binding of the 4F-group translation initiation factors to mRNA. With inhibited mTOR kinase, the level of mRNA binding to the eIF4F-group factors was decreased, while that to 4E-BP1 was increased, as was observed for both mTOR kinase-sensitive mRNAs and those showing low sensitivity. This suggests that selective inhibition of translation of YB-1 mRNA, and probably some other mRNAs as well, by mTOR kinase inhibitors is not mediated by the action of the 4E-binding protein upon functions of the 4F-group translation initiation factors.

  3. Role of mRNA Methylation in Prostate Cancer

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-02-01

    position of adenosine (m6A) is a post-transcriptional modification of mRNA. However, little is known regarding the biological meanings of this epigenetic ...its level is altered in various cancer cell lines. FTO, the fat mass and obesity associated gene, was recently shown as an m6A demethylase. FTO gene...mRNA. However, little is known regarding the biological meanings of this epigenetic regulation of mRNA. Recent technological advances have made it

  4. Region specific regulation of glutamic acid decarboxylase mRNA expression by dopamine neurons in rat brain.

    PubMed

    Lindefors, N; Brene, S; Herrera-Marschitz, M; Persson, H

    1989-01-01

    In situ hybridization histochemistry and RNA blots were used to study the expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) mRNA in rats with or without a unilateral lesion of midbrain dopamine neurons. Two populations of GAD mRNA positive neurons were found in the intact caudate-putamen, substantia nigra and fronto-parietal cortex. In caudate-putamen, only one out of ten of the GAD mRNA positive neurons expressed high levels, while in substantia nigra every second of the positive neurons expressed high levels of GAD mRNA. Relatively few, but intensively labelled neurons were found in the intact fronto-parietal cerebral cortex. In addition, one out of six of the GAD mRNA positive neurons in the fronto-parietal cortex showed a low labeling. On the ipsilateral side, the forebrain dopamine deafferentation induced an increase in the number of neurons expressing high levels of GAD mRNA in caudate-putamen, and a decrease in fronto-parietal cortex. A smaller decrease was also seen in substantia nigra. However, the total number of GAD mRNA positive neurons were not significantly changed in any of these brain regions. The changes in the levels of GAD mRNA after the dopamine lesion were confirmed by RNA blot analysis. Hence, midbrain dopamine neurons appear to control neuronal expression of GAD mRNA by a tonic down-regulation in a fraction of GAD mRNA positive neurons in caudate-putamen, and a tonic up-regulation in a fraction of GAD mRNA positive neurons in fronto-parietal cortex and substantia nigra.

  5. Investigation of mRNA quadruplex formation in Escherichia coli.

    PubMed

    Wieland, Markus; Hartig, Jörg S

    2009-01-01

    The protocol presented here allows for the investigation of the formation of unusual nucleic acid structures in the 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of bacteria by correlating gene expression levels to the in vitro stability of the respective structure. In particular, we describe the introduction of G-quadruplex forming sequences close to the ribosome-binding site (RBS) on the mRNA of a reporter gene and the subsequent read-out of the expression levels. Insertion of a stable secondary structure results in the cloaking of RBS and eventually reduced gene expression levels. The structures and stability of the introduced sequences are further characterized by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and thermal melting experiments. The extent of inhibition is then correlated to the stability of the respective quadruplex structure, allowing judgement of whether factors other than thermodynamic stability affect the formation of a given quadruplex sequence in vivo. Measuring gene expression levels takes 2 d including cloning; CD experiments take 5 hours per experiment.

  6. [Effects of Guilin Watermelon Frost on the mRNA expressions of basic fibroblast growth factor in patients with uterine cervical columnar ectopy].

    PubMed

    Qiu-Yan, Jiang; Jin-Ling, Song; Hai-Xia, Mo

    2012-01-01

    To study the molecular biological effects of Guilin Watermelon Frost (GWF) on the mRNA expressions of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in patients with uterine uterine cervical columnar ectopy. One hundred and sixty patients with uterine cervical columnar ectopy were assigned to two groups by the random digit table. Patients in the treatment group were treated with local spray of GWF, while those in the control group were local applied with bFGF-collagen sponge. The mRNA expressions of bFGF of the uterine tissue were detected in the two groups before and after treatment using RT-PCR. Before treatment the mRNA expression of bFGF in the uterine cervical columnar ectopy was 0.55 +/- 0.10 in the treatment group and 0.58 +/- 0.13 in the control group, without insignificant difference (P > 0.05). After treatment it significantly increased in the two groups, being 0.82 +/- 0.17 and 0.78 +/- 0.15 respectively, showing statistical difference from before treatment (P < 0.01). But no statistical difference existed between the two groups after treatment (P > 0.05). GWF showed enhancement on the mRNA expressions of bFGF in patients with uterine cervical columnar ectopy.

  7. Factors of transforming growth factor beta signalling are co-regulated in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Longerich, Thomas; Breuhahn, Kai; Odenthal, Margarete; Petmecky, Katharina; Schirmacher, Peter

    2004-12-01

    Transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) is a central mitoinhibitory factor for epithelial cells, and alterations of TGFbeta signalling have been demonstrated in many different human cancers. We have analysed human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) for potential pro-tumourigenic alterations in regard to expression of Smad4 and mutations and expression changes of the pro-oncogenic transcriptional co-repressors Ski and SnoN, as well as mRNA levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2), which is transcriptionally regulated by TGFbeta. Smad4 mRNA was detected in all HCCs; while, using immunohistology, loss of Smad4 expression was found in 10% of HCCs. Neither mutations in the transformation-relevant sequences nor significant pro-tumourigenic expression changes of the Ski and SnoN genes were detected. In HCC cell lines, expression of both genes was regulated, potentially involving phosphorylation. Ski showed a distinct nuclear speckled pattern, indicating recruitment to active transcription complexes. MMP2 mRNA levels were increased in 19% of HCCs, whereas MMP2 mRNA was not detectable in HCC cell lines, suggesting that MMP2 was derived only from tumour stroma cells. Transcript levels of Smad4, Ski, SnoN and MMP2 correlated well. These data argue against a significant role of Ski and SnoN in human hepatocarcinogenesis and suggest that, in the majority of HCCs, the analysed factors are co-regulated by an upstream mechanism, potentially by TGFbeta itself.

  8. Quantitative studies of mRNA recruitment to the eukaryotic ribosome.

    PubMed

    Fraser, Christopher S

    2015-07-01

    The process of peptide bond synthesis by ribosomes is conserved between species, but the initiation step differs greatly between the three kingdoms of life. This is illustrated by the evolution of roughly an order of magnitude more initiation factor mass found in humans compared with bacteria. Eukaryotic initiation of translation is comprised of a number of sub-steps: (i) recruitment of an mRNA and initiator methionyl-tRNA to the 40S ribosomal subunit; (ii) migration of the 40S subunit along the 5' UTR to locate the initiation codon; and (iii) recruitment of the 60S subunit to form the 80S initiation complex. Although the mechanism and regulation of initiation has been studied for decades, many aspects of the pathway remain unclear. In this review, I will focus discussion on what is known about the mechanism of mRNA selection and its recruitment to the 40S subunit. I will summarize how the 43S preinitiation complex (PIC) is formed and stabilized by interactions between its components. I will discuss what is known about the mechanism of mRNA selection by the eukaryotic initiation factor 4F (eIF4F) complex and how the selected mRNA is recruited to the 43S PIC. The regulation of this process by secondary structure located in the 5' UTR of an mRNA will also be discussed. Finally, I present a possible kinetic model with which to explain the process of mRNA selection and recruitment to the eukaryotic ribosome. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and Société française de biochimie et biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

  9. KSRP Modulation of GAP-43 mRNA Stability Restricts Axonal Outgrowth in Embryonic Hippocampal Neurons

    PubMed Central

    Bird, Clark W.; Gardiner, Amy S.; Bolognani, Federico; Tanner, Daniel C.; Chen, Ching-Yi; Lin, Wei-Jye; Yoo, Soonmoon; Twiss, Jeffery L.; Perrone- Bizzozero, Nora

    2013-01-01

    The KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KSRP) promotes the decay of AU-rich element (ARE)-containing mRNAs. Although KSRP is expressed in the nervous system, very little is known about its role in neurons. In this study, we examined whether KSRP regulates the stability of the ARE-containing GAP-43 mRNA. We found that KSRP destabilizes this mRNA by binding to its ARE, a process that requires the presence of its fourth KH domain (KH4). Furthermore, KSRP competed with the stabilizing factor HuD for binding to these sequences. We also examined the functional consequences of KSRP overexpression and knockdown on the differentiation of primary hippocampal neurons in culture. Overexpression of full length KSRP or KSRP without its nuclear localization signal hindered axonal outgrowth in these cultures, while overexpression of a mutant protein without the KH4 domain that has less affinity for binding to GAP-43′s ARE had no effect. In contrast, depletion of KSRP led to a rise in GAP-43 mRNA levels and a dramatic increase in axonal length, both in KSRP shRNA transfected cells and neurons cultured from Ksrp+/− and Ksrp −/−embryos. Finally we found that overexpression of GAP-43 rescued the axonal outgrowth deficits seen with KSRP overexpression, but only when cells were transfected with GAP-43 constructs containing 3′ UTR sequences targeting the transport of this mRNA to axons. Together, our results suggest that KSRP is an important regulator of mRNA stability and axonal length that works in direct opposition to HuD to regulate the levels of GAP-43 and other ARE-containing neuronal mRNAs. PMID:24244461

  10. Selective decline of Nogo mRNA in the aging brain.

    PubMed

    Trifunovski, Alexandra; Josephson, Anna; Bickford, Paula C; Olson, Lars; Brené, Stefan

    2006-06-26

    The Nogo system has recently been implicated not only in regeneration but also in modulating plasticity. One reason for declining memory functions in aging may be altered plasticity in the aged hippocampus and cortex cerebri. Therefore, we have examined the levels of mRNA encoding Nogo, OMgp and MAG, as well as the receptor components NgR, Lingo-1 and Troy in cortex and hippocampus of young (4 months), middle aged (16 months) and old (24 months) Fisher 344 rats. No significant changes of receptor components or the ligands OMgp or MAG were observed. Nogo mRNA, however, was significantly decreased in hippocampal subregions of aged animals. The specific decrease of Nogo mRNA levels in hippocampus and possibly cortex cerebri may relate to age-dependent decline of brain plasticity.

  11. UCP2 mRNA expression is dependent on glucose metabolism in pancreatic islets

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dalgaard, Louise T., E-mail: ltd@ruc.dk; Department of Science, Systems and Models, Roskilde University

    2012-01-06

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer UCP2 mRNA levels are decreased in islets of Langerhans from glucokinase deficient mice. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer UCP2 mRNA up-regulation by glucose is dependent on glucokinase. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Absence of UCP2 increases GSIS of glucokinase heterozygous pancreatic islets. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This may protect glucokinase deficient mice from hyperglycemic damages. -- Abstract: Uncoupling Protein 2 (UCP2) is expressed in the pancreatic {beta}-cell, where it partially uncouples the mitochondrial proton gradient, decreasing both ATP-production and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Increased glucose levels up-regulate UCP2 mRNA and protein levels, but the mechanism for UCP2 up-regulation in response to increased glucose is unknown. The aim was tomore » examine the effects of glucokinase (GK) deficiency on UCP2 mRNA levels and to characterize the interaction between UCP2 and GK with regard to glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in pancreatic islets. UCP2 mRNA expression was reduced in GK+/- islets and GK heterozygosity prevented glucose-induced up-regulation of islet UCP2 mRNA. In contrast to UCP2 protein function UCP2 mRNA regulation was not dependent on superoxide generation, but rather on products of glucose metabolism, because MnTBAP, a superoxide dismutase mimetic, did not prevent the glucose-induced up-regulation of UCP2. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was increased in UCP2-/- and GK+/- islets compared with GK+/- islets and UCP2 deficiency improved glucose tolerance of GK+/- mice. Accordingly, UCP2 deficiency increased ATP-levels of GK+/- mice. Thus, the compensatory down-regulation of UCP2 is involved in preserving the insulin secretory capacity of GK mutant mice and might also be implicated in limiting disease progression in MODY2 patients.« less

  12. Induction of vitellogenin synthesis by estrogen in avian liver: relationship between level of vitellogenin mRNA and vitellogenin synthesis.

    PubMed Central

    Mullinix, K P; Wetekam, W; Deeley, R G; Gordon, J I; Meyers, M; Kent, K A; Goldberger, R F

    1976-01-01

    We have investigated the estrogen-mediated induction of vitellogenin synthesis in rooster liver. We compared the concentrations of vitellogenin messenger RNA (mRNA) in the liver with the concentrations of vitellogenin in the sera of roosters that had recieved various treatments with estrogen. We found no vitellogenin mRNA in the livers of the unstimulated roosters. An initial injection of estrogen was attended by de novo synthesis of vitellogenin mRNA in the liver and accumulation of vitellogenin in the serum. When vitellogenin was no longer present in the serum or liver (the "post-estrogen-serum-negative" state), the liver was found to contain appreciable amounts of vitellogenin mRNA. This mRNA was of the same size as that found in the liver of the rooster actively synthesizing vitellogenin in response to estrogen. Whereas vitellogenin mRNA was in large polysomes in the livers of the roosters actively synthesizing vitellogenin, the vitellogenin mRNA in the liver of the post-estrogen-serum-negative rooster was not associated with polysomes. The possible relevance of these findings to the fact that the rooster responds differently to a primary stimulation with estrogen than to subsequent stimulations is discussed. PMID:1064017

  13. mRNA Levels of Placental Iron and Zinc Transporter Genes Are Upregulated in Gambian Women with Low Iron and Zinc Status.

    PubMed

    Jobarteh, Modou Lamin; McArdle, Harry J; Holtrop, Grietje; Sise, Ebrima A; Prentice, Andrew M; Moore, Sophie E

    2017-07-01

    Background: The role of the placenta in regulating micronutrient transport in response to maternal status is poorly understood. Objective: We investigated the effect of prenatal nutritional supplementation on the regulation of placental iron and zinc transport. Methods: In a randomized trial in rural Gambia [ENID (Early Nutrition and Immune Development)], pregnant women were allocated to 1 of 4 nutritional intervention arms: 1 ) iron and folic acid (FeFol) tablets (FeFol group); 2 ) multiple micronutrient (MMN) tablets (MMN group); 3 ) protein energy (PE) as a lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS; PE group); and 4 ) PE and MMN (PE+MMN group) as LNS. All arms included iron (60 mg/d) and folic acid (400 μg/d). The MMN and PE+MMN arms included 30 mg supplemental Zn/d. In a subgroup of ∼300 mother-infant pairs, we measured maternal iron status, mRNA levels of genes encoding for placental iron and zinc transport proteins, and cord blood iron levels. Results: Maternal plasma iron concentration in late pregnancy was 45% and 78% lower in the PE and PE+MMN groups compared to the FeFol and MMN groups, respectively ( P < 0.001). The mRNA levels of the placental iron uptake protein transferrin receptor 1 were 30-49% higher in the PE and PE+MMN arms than in the FeFol arm ( P < 0.031), and also higher in the PE+MMN arm (29%; P = 0.042) than in the MMN arm. Ferritin in infant cord blood was 18-22% lower in the LNS groups ( P < 0.024). Zinc supplementation in the MMN arm was associated with higher maternal plasma zinc concentrations (10% increase; P < 0.001) than in other intervention arms. mRNA levels for intracellular zinc-uptake proteins, in this case zrt, irt-like protein (ZIP) 4 and ZIP8, were 96-205% lower in the PE+MMN arm than in the intervention arms without added zinc ( P < 0.025). Furthermore, mRNA expression of ZIP1 was 85% lower in the PE+MMN group than in the PE group ( P = 0.003). Conclusion: In conditions of low maternal iron and in the absence of supplemental

  14. Food restriction in young Japanese quails: effects on growth, metabolism, plasma thyroid hormones and mRNA species in the thyroid hormone signalling pathway.

    PubMed

    Rønning, Bernt; Mortensen, Anne S; Moe, Børge; Chastel, Olivier; Arukwe, Augustine; Bech, Claus

    2009-10-01

    Young birds, in their post-natal growth period, may reduce their growth and metabolism when facing a food shortage. To examine how such responses can be mediated by endocrine-related factors, we exposed Japanese quail chicks to food restriction for either 2 days (age 6-8 days) or 5 days (age 6-11 days). We then measured growth and resting metabolic rate (RMR), and circulating 3,3',5-triiodo-l-thyronine (T3) and 3,5,3',5'-tetraiodothyronine (T4) levels as well as expression patterns of genes involved in growth (insulin-like growth factor-I: IGF-I) and thyroid hormone signalling (thyroid-stimulating hormone-beta: TSHbeta, type II iodothyronine deiodinase: D2, thyroid hormone receptors isoforms: TRalpha and TRbeta). The food-restricted chicks receiving a weight-maintenance diet showed reductions in structural growth and RMR. Plasma levels of both T3 and T4 were reduced in the food-restricted birds, and within the 5 days food-restricted group there was a positive correlation between RMR and T3. IGF-I mRNA showed significantly higher abundance in the liver of ad libitum fed birds at day 8 compared with food-restricted birds. In the brain, TSHbeta mRNA level tended to be lower in food-restricted quails on day 8 compared with controls. Furthermore, TRalpha expression was lower in the brain of food-restricted birds at day 8 compared with birds fed ad libitum. Interestingly, brain D2 mRNA was negatively correlated with plasma T3 levels, tending to increase with the length of food restriction. Overall, our results show that food restriction produced significant effects on circulating thyroid hormones and differentially affected mRNA species in the thyroid hormone signalling pathway. Thus, we conclude that the effects of food restriction observed on growth and metabolism were partly mediated by changes in the endocrine-related factors investigated.

  15. Temporal and Spatial Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Zebrafish Tie1 mRNA by Long Noncoding RNA During Brain Vascular Assembly.

    PubMed

    Chowdhury, Tamjid A; Koceja, Chris; Eisa-Beygi, Shahram; Kleinstiver, Benjamin P; Kumar, Suresh N; Lin, Chien-Wei; Li, Keguo; Prabhudesai, Shubhangi; Joung, J Keith; Ramchandran, Ramani

    2018-05-03

    Tie1 (tyrosine kinase containing immunoglobulin and epidermal growth factor homology 1), an endothelial and hematopoietic cell-specific receptor tyrosine kinase, is an important regulator of angiogenesis and critical for maintaining vascular integrity. The post-transcriptional regulation of tie1 mRNA expression is not understood, but it might partly explain Tie1's differential expression pattern in endothelium. Following up on our previous work that identified natural antisense transcripts from the tie1 locus- tie1 antisense ( tie1AS ), which regulates tie1 mRNA levels in zebrafish-we attempted to identify the mechanism of this regulation. Through in vitro and in vivo ribonucleoprotein binding studies, we demonstrated that tie1AS long noncoding RNA interacts with an RNA binding protein-embryonic lethal and abnormal vision Drosophila-like 1 (Elavl1)-that regulates tie1 mRNA levels. When we disrupted the interaction between tie1AS and Elavl1 by using constitutively active antisense morpholino oligonucleotides or photoactivatable morpholino oligonucleotides, tie1 mRNA levels increased between 26 and 31 hours post-fertilization, particularly in the head. This increase correlated with dilation of primordial midbrain channels, smaller eyes, and reduced ventricular space. We also observed these phenotypes when we used CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-mediated CRISPRi (CRISPR-mediated interference) to knock down tie1AS . Treatment of the morpholino oligonucleotide-injected embryos with a small molecule that decreased tie1 mRNA levels rescued all 3 abnormal phenotypes. We identified a novel mode of temporal and spatial post-transcriptional regulation of tie1 mRNA. It involves long noncoding RNA, tie1AS, and Elavl1 (an interactor of tie1AS ). © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.

  16. Maintenance of CCL5 mRNA stores by post-effector and memory CD8 T cells is dependent on transcription and is coupled to increased mRNA stability.

    PubMed

    Marçais, Antoine; Tomkowiak, Martine; Walzer, Thierry; Coupet, Charles-Antoine; Ravel-Chapuis, Aymeric; Marvel, Jacqueline

    2006-10-01

    Immunological memory is associated with the display of improved effector functions by cells of the adaptive immune system. The storage of untranslated mRNA coding for the CCL5 chemokine by CD8 memory cells is a new process supporting the immediate display of an effector function. Here, we show that, after induction during the primary response, high CCL5 mRNA levels are specifically preserved in CD8 T cells. We have investigated the mechanisms involved in the long-term maintenance of CCL5 mRNA levels by memory CD8 T cells. We demonstrate that the CCL5 mRNA half-life is increased in memory CD8 T cells and that these cells constitutively transcribe ccl5 gene. By inhibiting ccl5 transcription using IL-4, we demonstrate the essential role of transcription in the maintenance of CCL5 mRNA stores. Finally, we show that these stores are spontaneously reconstituted when the inhibitory signal is removed, indicating that the transcription of ccl5 is a default feature of memory CD8 T cells imprinted in their genetic program.

  17. Role of interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha-dependent expression of cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA in thermal hyperalgesia induced by chronic inflammation in mice.

    PubMed

    Narita, M; Shimamura, M; Imai, S; Kubota, C; Yajima, Y; Takagi, T; Shiokawa, M; Inoue, T; Suzuki, M; Suzuki, T

    2008-03-18

    The present study investigated whether the endogenous pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)]-dependent expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA within the spinal cord could be involved in the development of chronic inflammatory pain-like behaviors in mice. We demonstrated that the expression of COX-2 mRNA on the ipsilateral side of the spinal cord was significantly increased 6 h and 3 days after intraplantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), compared with the expression in saline-treated mice. In addition, the chronic pain-like behaviors following CFA injection were markedly suppressed by repeated intrathecal (i.t.) pre-treatment with the COX-2 inhibitor etodolac, but not with the COX-1 inhibitor mofezolac. The cytosolic level of the activated form of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB), which is a major contributor to the induction of COX-2, on the ipsilateral side of the mouse spinal cord was also increased compared with that in the saline-treated mice. The key finding in the present study was that a single i.t. injection with either IL-1beta or TNF-alpha induced a marked increase in spinal COX-2 mRNA and persistent thermal hyperalgesia in mice. Furthermore, CFA-induced hypersensitivity to inflammatory pain was significantly reduced by repeated i.t. pre-injection of the recombinant Fc chimera of IL-1 receptor I or soluble TNF receptor I, which sequesters endogenous IL-1beta or TNF-alpha, respectively. In contrast, the expression of spinal COX-2 mRNA in CFA-treated mice was similar to that in saline-treated mice at 7 days after CFA injection. The present findings strongly indicate the early intrathecal use of the COX-2 inhibitor for the relief of chronic inflammatory pain. Furthermore, together with the result in a previous study that pro-inflammatory cytokines lead to stimulation of a NF-kappaB-dependent transcriptional pathway, these findings suggest that a spinal cytokine/NF-kappaB/COX-2

  18. L-DOPA decarboxylase mRNA levels provide high diagnostic accuracy and discrimination between clear cell and non-clear cell subtypes in renal cell carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Papadopoulos, Emmanuel I; Petraki, Constantina; Gregorakis, Alkiviadis; Chra, Eleni; Fragoulis, Emmanuel G; Scorilas, Andreas

    2015-06-01

    Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most frequent type of kidney cancer. RCC patients frequently present with arterial hypertension due to various causes, including intrarenal dopamine deficiency. L-DOPA decarboxylase (DDC) is the gene encoding the enzyme that catalyzes the biosynthesis of dopamine in humans. Several studies have shown that the expression levels of DDC are significantly deregulated in cancer. Thus, we herein sought to analyze the mRNA levels of DDC and evaluate their clinical significance in RCC. DDC levels were analyzed in 58 surgically resected RCC tumors and 44 adjacent non-cancerous renal tissue specimens via real-time PCR. Relative levels of DDC were estimated by applying the 2(-ΔΔC)T method, while their diagnostic accuracy and correlation with the clinicopathological features of RCC tumors were assessed by comprehensive statistical analysis. DDC mRNA levels were found to be dramatically downregulated (p<0.001) in RCC tumors, exhibiting remarkable diagnostic accuracy as assessed by ROC curve analysis (AUC: 0.910; p<0.001) and logistic regression (OR: 0.678; p=0.001). Likewise, DDC was found to be differentially expressed between clear cell RCC and the group of non-clear cell subtypes (p=0.001) consisted of papillary and chromophobe RCC specimens. Furthermore, a statistically significant inverse correlation was also observed when the mRNA levels of DDC were analyzed in relation to tumor grade (p=0.049). Our data showed that DDC constitutes a highly promising molecular marker for RCC, exhibiting remarkable diagnostic accuracy and potential to discriminate between clear cell and non-clear cell histological subtypes of RCC. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  19. mRNA Expression of Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor-{beta} and C-KIT: Correlation With Pathologic Response to Cetuximab-Based Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Rectal Cancer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Erben, Philipp; Horisberger, Karoline; Muessle, Benjamin

    2008-12-01

    Purpose: Deviant expression of platelet-derived growth factor receptor-{beta} (PDGFR{beta}) and c-kit was shown in patients with colorectal cancer. In the present study, mRNA expression of PDGFR{beta} and c-kit in 33 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer undergoing preoperative chemoradiotherapy with cetuximab/capecitabine/irinotecan in correlation with the tumor regression rate was investigated. Methods and Materials: Pretherapeutic biopsy cores and tumor material from the resected specimens were collected in parallel with normal rectal mucosa. The expression levels of PDGFR{beta} and c-kit were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Tumors were classified as good responders (tumor regression grade [TRG], 2-3) or poor responders (TRG,more » 0-1). Results: The TRG evaluation of the resected specimen was TRG 0-1 in 11 and TRG 2-3 in 22. The median normalized ratios in the pretreatment mucosa vs. tumor biopsy cores was as follows: PDGFR{beta} ratio of 15.2 vs. 49.5 (p <0.0001) and c-kit ratio of 0.94 vs. 0.67 (p = 0.014). The same tendency was observed for the median PDGFR{beta} ratios after chemoradiotherapy completion: 34.2 vs. 170.0 (p <0.0001). The PDGFR{beta} and c-kit mRNA expression values in the pretreatment tumor biopsy cores were lower than the values in the resected specimens: PDGFR{beta} ratio 49.5 vs. 170.0 (p = 0.0002) and c-kit ratio 0.67 vs. 1.1 (p = 0.0003). Nevertheless, no correlation was seen between the pretherapeutic PDGFR{beta} and c-kit mRNA expression and the pathologic regression rate. Conclusion: Cetuximab-based chemoradiotherapy increased PDGFR{beta} levels even further compared with the pretreatment samples and deserves further investigation.« less

  20. The Extent of mRNA Editing Is Limited in Chicken Liver and Adipose, but Impacted by Tissular Context, Genotype, Age, and Feeding as Exemplified with a Conserved Edited Site in COG3

    PubMed Central

    Roux, Pierre-François; Frésard, Laure; Boutin, Morgane; Leroux, Sophie; Klopp, Christophe; Djari, Anis; Esquerré, Diane; Martin, Pascal GP; Zerjal, Tatiana; Gourichon, David; Pitel, Frédérique; Lagarrigue, Sandrine

    2015-01-01

    RNA editing is a posttranscriptional process leading to differences between genomic DNA and transcript sequences, potentially enhancing transcriptome diversity. With recent advances in high-throughput sequencing, many efforts have been made to describe mRNA editing at the transcriptome scale, especially in mammals, yielding contradictory conclusions regarding the extent of this phenomenon. We show, by detailed description of the 25 studies focusing so far on mRNA editing at the whole-transcriptome scale, that systematic sequencing artifacts are considered in most studies whereas biological replication is often neglected and multi-alignment not properly evaluated, which ultimately impairs the legitimacy of results. We recently developed a rigorous strategy to identify mRNA editing using mRNA and genomic DNA sequencing, taking into account sequencing and mapping artifacts, and biological replicates. We applied this method to screen for mRNA editing in liver and white adipose tissue from eight chickens and confirm the small extent of mRNA recoding in this species. Among the 25 unique edited sites identified, three events were previously described in mammals, attesting that this phenomenon is conserved throughout evolution. Deeper investigations on five sites revealed the impact of tissular context, genotype, age, feeding conditions, and sex on mRNA editing levels. More specifically, this analysis highlighted that the editing level at the site located on COG3 was strongly regulated by four of these factors. By comprehensively characterizing the mRNA editing landscape in chickens, our results highlight how this phenomenon is limited and suggest regulation of editing levels by various genetic and environmental factors. PMID:26637431

  1. Biomaterials for mRNA Delivery

    PubMed Central

    Islam, Mohammad Ariful; Reesor, Emma K. G.; Xu, Yingjie; Zope, Harshal R.; Zetter, Bruce R.; Shi, Jinjun

    2015-01-01

    Messenger RNA (mRNA) has recently emerged with remarkable potential as an effective alternative to DNA-based therapies because of several unique advantages. mRNA does not require nuclear entry for transfection activity and has a negligible chance of integrating into the host genome which excludes the possibility of potentially detrimental genomic alternations. Chemical modification of mRNA has further enhanced its stability and decreased its activation of innate immune responses. Additionally, mRNA has been found to have rapid expression and predictable kinetics. Nevertheless, the ubiquitous application of mRNA remains challenging given its unfavorable attributes, such as large size, negative charge and susceptibility to enzymatic degradation. Further refinement of mRNA delivery modalities is therefore essential for its development as a therapeutic tool. This review provides an exclusive overview of current state-of-the-art biomaterials and nanotechnology platforms for mRNA delivery, and discusses future prospects to bring these exciting technologies into clinical practice. PMID:26280625

  2. Tau mRNA 3'UTR-to-CDS ratio is increased in Alzheimer disease.

    PubMed

    García-Escudero, Vega; Gargini, Ricardo; Martín-Maestro, Patricia; García, Esther; García-Escudero, Ramón; Avila, Jesús

    2017-08-10

    Neurons frequently show an imbalance in expression of the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) relative to the coding DNA sequence (CDS) region of mature messenger RNAs (mRNA). The ratio varies among different cells or parts of the brain. The Map2 protein levels per cell depend on the 3'UTR-to-CDS ratio rather than the total mRNA amount, which suggests powerful regulation of protein expression by 3'UTR sequences. Here we found that MAPT (the microtubule-associated protein tau gene) 3'UTR levels are particularly high with respect to other genes; indeed, the 3'UTR-to-CDS ratio of MAPT is balanced in healthy brain in mouse and human. The tau protein accumulates in Alzheimer diseased brain. We nonetheless observed that the levels of RNA encoding MAPT/tau were diminished in these patients' brains. To explain this apparently contradictory result, we studied MAPT mRNA stoichiometry in coding and non-coding regions, and found that the 3'UTR-to-CDS ratio was higher in the hippocampus of Alzheimer disease patients, with higher tau protein but lower total mRNA levels. Our data indicate that changes in the 3'UTR-to-CDS ratio have a regulatory role in the disease. Future research should thus consider not only mRNA levels, but also the ratios between coding and non-coding regions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Interconnections between mRNA degradation and RDR-dependent siRNA production in mRNA turnover in plants.

    PubMed

    Tsuzuki, Masayuki; Motomura, Kazuki; Kumakura, Naoyoshi; Takeda, Atsushi

    2017-03-01

    Accumulation of an mRNA species is determined by the balance between the synthesis and the degradation of the mRNA. Individual mRNA molecules are selectively and actively degraded through RNA degradation pathways, which include 5'-3' mRNA degradation pathway, 3'-5' mRNA degradation pathway, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase-mediated mRNA degradation pathway. Recent studies have revealed that these RNA degradation pathways compete with each other in mRNA turnover in plants and that plants have a hidden layer of non-coding small-interfering RNA production from a set of mRNAs. In this review, we summarize the current information about plant mRNA degradation pathways in mRNA turnover and discuss the potential roles of a novel class of the endogenous siRNAs derived from plant mRNAs.

  4. Relative mRNA expression of prostate-derived E-twenty-six factor and E-twenty-six variant 4 transcription factors, and of uridine phosphorylase-1 and thymidine phosphorylase enzymes, in benign and malignant prostatic tissue

    PubMed Central

    CAVAZZOLA, LUCIANE ROSTIROLA; CARVALHAL, GUSTAVO FRANCO; DEVES, CANDIDA; RENCK, DAIANA; ALMEIDA, RICARDO; SANTOS, DIóGENES SANTIAGO

    2015-01-01

    Prostate cancer is the most frequent urological tumor, and the second most common cancer diagnosed in men. Incidence and mortality are variable and appear to depend on behavioral factors and genetic predisposition. The prostate-derived E-twenty-six factor (PDEF) and E-twenty-six variant 4 (ETV4) transcription factors, and the thymidine phosphorylase (TP) and uridine phosphorylase-1 (UP-1) enzymes, are reported to be components of the pathways leading to tumorigenesis and/or metastasis in a number of tumors. The present study aimed to analyze the mRNA expression levels of these proteins in prostatic cancerous and benign tissue, and their association with clinical and pathological variables. Using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, the mRNA expression levels of PDEF, ETV4, TP and UP-1 were studied in 52 tissue samples (31 of benign prostatic hyperplasia and 21 of prostate adenocarcinomas) obtained from patients treated by transurethral resection of the prostate or by radical prostatectomy. Relative expression was assessed using the ∆-CT method. Data was analyzed using Spearman's tests for correlation. P<0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference. The results revealed that PDEF, ETV4, UP-1 and TP were expressed in 85.7, 90.5, 95.2 and 100% of the prostate cancer samples, and in 90.3, 96.8, 90.3 and 96.8% of the benign samples, respectively. PDEF and ETV4 exhibited a significantly higher relative expression level in the tumor samples compared with their benign counterparts. The relative expression of TP and UP-1 did not differ significantly between benign and cancerous prostate tissues. The relative expression of TP was moderately and significantly correlated with the expression of ETV4 in the benign tissues. The relative expression of UP-1 was significantly lower in T3 compared with T1 and T2 cancers. These findings indicate that PDEF, ETV4, TP and UP-1 are typically expressed in benign and malignant prostatic

  5. Gibberellin (GA3) enhances cell wall invertase activity and mRNA levels in elongating dwarf pea (Pisum sativum) shoots

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, L. L.; Mitchell, J. P.; Cohn, N. S.; Kaufman, P. B.

    1993-01-01

    The invertase (EC 3.2.1.26) purified from cell walls of dwarf pea stems to homogeneity has a molecular mass of 64 kilodaltons (kD). Poly(A)+RNA was isolated from shoots of dwarf pea plants, and a cDNA library was constructed using lambda gt11 as an expression vector. The expression cDNA library was screened with polyclonal antibodies against pea cell wall invertase. One invertase cDNA clone was characterized as a full-length cDNA with 1,863 base pairs. Compared with other known invertases, one homologous region in the amino acid sequence was found. The conserved motif, Asn-Asp-Pro-Asn-Gly, is located near the N-terminal end of invertase. Northern blot analysis showed that the amount of invertase mRNA (1.86 kb) was rapidly induced to a maximal level 4 h after GA3 treatment, then gradually decreased to the control level. The mRNA level at 4 h in GA3-treated peas was fivefold higher than that of the control group. The maximal increase in activity of pea cell wall invertase elicited by GA3 occcured at 8 h after GA3 treatment. This invertase isoform was shown immunocytochemically to be localized in the cell walls, where a 10-fold higher accumulation occurred in GA3-treated tissue compared with control tissue. This study indicates that the expression of the pea shoot cell-wall invertase gene could be regulated by GA3 at transcriptional and/or translational levels.

  6. Whole-genome analysis of mRNA decay in Plasmodium falciparum reveals a global lengthening of mRNA half-life during the intra-erythrocytic development cycle.

    PubMed

    Shock, Jennifer L; Fischer, Kael F; DeRisi, Joseph L

    2007-01-01

    The rate of mRNA decay is an essential element of post-transcriptional regulation in all organisms. Previously, studies in several organisms found that the specific half-life of each mRNA is precisely related to its physiologic role, and plays an important role in determining levels of gene expression. We used a genome-wide approach to characterize mRNA decay in Plasmodium falciparum. We found that, globally, rates of mRNA decay increase dramatically during the asexual intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle. During the ring stage of the cycle, the average mRNA half-life was 9.5 min, but this was extended to an average of 65 min during the late schizont stage of development. Thus, a major determinant of mRNA decay rate appears to be linked to the stage of intra-erythrocytic development. Furthermore, we found specific variations in decay patterns superimposed upon the dominant trend of progressive half-life lengthening. These variations in decay pattern were frequently enriched for genes with specific cellular functions or processes. Elucidation of Plasmodium mRNA decay rates provides a key element for deciphering mechanisms of genetic control in this parasite, by complementing and extending previous mRNA abundance studies. Our results indicate that progressive stage-dependent decreases in mRNA decay rate function are a major determinant of mRNA accumulation during the schizont stage of intra-erythrocytic development. This type of genome-wide change in mRNA decay rate has not been observed in any other organism to date, and indicates that post-transcriptional regulation may be the dominant mechanism of gene regulation in P. falciparum.

  7. Effect of 50 Hz electric field in diacylglycerol acyltransferase mRNA expression level and plasma concentration of triacylglycerol, free fatty acid, phospholipid and total cholesterol

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background The effects of exposure to a 50 Hz electric field (EF) on plasma level of triacylglycerol, free fatty acids, total cholesterol and phospholipid and mRNA expression level of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) 1 and 2 in liver and intestines from C57BL/6 J mice were studied. Methods The test was based on comparison between mice post treated with 50 Hz EF of 45 kV/m intensity for 30 min per day for 11 days or without EF. DGATs mRNA expression was analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results There was no difference in the gene expression level of DGAT1 in liver and intestines. The DGAT2 gene expression level in liver derived from mice treated with EF was significantly lower than those in the control (P < 0.001). Both plasma total cholesterol (P < 0.01) and phospholipid (P < 0.05) in the group exposed to EF were lower than those in the control, but there was no difference in triacylglycerol or free fatty acid levels. Conclusion Exposure to 50 Hz EF decrease the plasma levels of total cholesterol and phospholipids, and downregulated DGAT2 mRNA expression in liver. The mechanisms for the effects of EF on lipid metabolism are not well understand yet, but altered DGAT2 activity may be involved. PMID:22676350

  8. Promoter methylation, mRNA expression of goat tumor‑associated genes and mRNA expression of DNA methyltransferase in enzootic nasal tumors.

    PubMed

    Quan, Zifang; Ye, Ni; Hao, Zhongxiang; Wen, Caifang; Liao, Hong; Zhang, Manli; Luo, Lu; Cao, Sanjie; Wen, Xintian; Wu, Rui; Yan, Qigui

    2015-10-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate the promoter methylation status and mRNA expression of goat tumor‑associated genes, in addition to the mRNA expression of DNA methyltransferase genes in enzootic nasal tumors (ENT). Methylation‑specific polymerase chain reaction and SYBR Green reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the methylation status and the mRNA expression levels of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), O6‑methylguanine‑DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), the tumor suppressor genes P73, P53, GADD45G, CHFR and THBS1, the transcription factor CEBPA, the proto‑oncogenes KRAS, NRAS and C‑myc and EGFR in 24 nasal tumor tissue samples and 20 normal nasal epithelia tissue samples. The associations between promoter methylation and DNMT, and promoter methylation and mRNA expression of the genes were analyzed. The results indicated that the expression levels of DNMT1 increased by 56% compared with those in normal nasal epithelial tissues, while MGMT, DNMT3a and DNMT3b had similar expression levels in the two tissue types. The expression levels of P53 decreased by 36.8% and those of THBS1 by 43%, while C‑myc increased by 2.9‑fold and CEBPA by 2‑fold compared with that in normal nasal epithelial tissues. GADD45G, P73, CHFR and NRAS were observed to have similar expression levels in the two tissue types. However, no expression was observed for EGFR and KRAS. CHFR, GADD45G and THBS1 were identified to be methylated in tumor suppressor genes. The methylation expression rate of the CHFR gene was ~60% in the two tissue types and for THBS1 it was 100% in the nasal tumor tissues as opposed to 20% in the normal nasal epithelial tissues. The exhaustive methylation expression rate of GADD45G was 62.5% and the partial methylation expression rate was 37.5% in nasal tumor tissue, while no methylation was observed in normal nasal epithelial tissues. C‑myc was the only gene identified to be methylated amongst proto

  9. Oestradiol reduces Liver Receptor Homolog-1 mRNA transcript stability in breast cancer cell lines

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lazarus, Kyren A.; Environmental and Biotechnology Centre, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122; Zhao, Zhe

    2013-08-30

    Highlights: •LRH-1 is an orphan nuclear receptor that regulates tumor proliferation. •In breast cancer, high mRNA expression is associated with ER+ status. •In ER−ve cells, despite very low mRNA, we found abundant LRH-1 protein. •Our data show distinctly different LRH-1 protein isoforms in ER− and ER+ breast cancer cells. •This is due to differences in LRH-1 mRNA and protein stability rates. -- Abstract: The expression of orphan nuclear receptor Liver Receptor Homolog-1 (LRH-1) is elevated in breast cancer and promotes proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. LRH-1 expression is regulated by oestrogen (E{sub 2}), with LRH-1 mRNA transcript levels highermore » in oestrogen receptor α (ERα) positive (ER+) breast cancer cells compared to ER− cells. However, the presence of LRH-1 protein in ER− cells suggests discordance between mRNA transcript levels and protein expression. To understand this, we investigated the impact of mRNA and protein stability in determining LRH-1 protein levels in breast cancer cells. LRH-1 transcript levels were significantly higher in ER+ versus ER− breast cancer cells lines; however LRH-1 protein was expressed at similar levels. We found LRH-1 mRNA and protein was more stable in ER− compared to ER+ cell lines. The tumor-specific LRH-1 variant isoform, LRH-1v4, which is highly responsive to E{sub 2}, showed increased mRNA stability in ER− versus ER+ cells. In addition, in MCF-7 and T47-D cell lines, LRH-1 total mRNA stability was reduced with E{sub 2} treatment, this effect mediated by ERα. Our data demonstrates that in ER− cells, increased mRNA and protein stability contribute to the abundant protein expression levels. Expression and immunolocalisation of LRH-1 in ER− cells as well as ER− tumors suggests a possible role in the development of ER− tumors. The modulation of LRH-1 bioactivity may therefore be beneficial as a treatment option in both ER− and ER+ breast cancer.« less

  10. IL-4 mRNA Is Downregulated in the Liver of Pancreatic Cancer Patients Suffering from Cachexia.

    PubMed

    Prokopchuk, Olga; Steinacker, Jürgen M; Nitsche, Ulrich; Otto, Stephanie; Bachmann, Jeannine; Schubert, Elaine C; Friess, Helmut; Martignoni, Marc E

    2017-01-01

    Interleukin-4 (IL-4) together with interleukin-13 (IL-13) play an important role in inflammation and wound repair, and are known to be upregulated in human skeletal muscle after strenuous physical exercise. Additionally, these cytokines may act as autocrine growth factors in pancreatic cancer cells. We hypothesize that IL-4, IL-13, and their corresponding receptors are involved in mechanism of cancer cachexia. Tissue samples from human skeletal muscle, white fat, liver, healthy pancreas, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for mRNA expression levels of IL-4, IL-13, IL-4 receptor α, and IL-13 receptor α1. We demonstrate for the first time that liver IL-4 mRNA is downregulated in vivo in patients with pancreatic cancer and cachexia. Additionally, IL-4 mRNA in the liver inversely correlated with musculus psoas thickness. We speculate that suppression of IL-4 is involved in cancer cachexia, although the exact mechanisms have to be further elucidated.

  11. The Co-Induced Effects of Molybdenum and Cadmium on the Trace Elements and the mRNA Expression Levels of CP and MT in Duck Testicles.

    PubMed

    Xia, Bing; Chen, Hua; Hu, Guoliang; Wang, Liqi; Cao, Huabin; Zhang, Caiying

    2016-02-01

    To investigate the chronic toxicity of molybdenum (Mo) and cadmium (Cd) on the trace elements and the mRNA expression levels of ceruloplasmin (CP) and metallothionein (MT) in duck testicles, 120 healthy 11-day-old male ducks were randomly divided into six groups with 20 ducks in each group. Ducks were treated with the diet containing different dosages of Mo or Cd. The source of Mo and Cd was hexaammonium molybdate ([(NH4)6Mo7O24·4H2O]) and cadmium sulfate (3CdSO4·8H2O), respectively, in this study. After being treated for 60 and 120 days, ten male birds in each group were randomly selected and euthanized and then testicles were aseptically collected for determining the mRNA expression levels of MT and CP, antioxidant indexes, and contents of trace elements in the testicle. In addition, testicle tissues at 120 days were subjected to histopathological analysis with the optical microscope. The results showed that co-exposure to Mo and Cd resulted in an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level while decrease in xanthine oxidase (XOD) and catalase (CAT) activities. The mRNA expression level of MT gene was upregulated while CP was decreased in combination groups. Contents of Mo, copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) decreased in combined groups while Cd increased in Cd and combined groups at 120 days. Furthermore, severe congestion, low sperm count, and malformation were observed in low dietary of Mo combined with Cd group and high dietary of Mo combined with Cd group. Our results suggested that Mo and Cd might aggravate testicular degeneration synergistically through altering the mRNA expression levels of MT and CP, increasing lipid peroxidation through inhibiting related enzyme activities and disturbing homeostasis of trace elements in testicles. Interaction of Mo and Cd may have a synergistic effect on the testicular toxicity.

  12. Quantification of silkworm coactivator of MBF1 mRNA by SYBR Green I real-time RT-PCR reveals tissue- and stage-specific transcription levels.

    PubMed

    Li, Guang-li; Roy, Bhaskar; Li, Xing-hua; Yue, Wan-fu; Wu, Xiao-feng; Liu, Jian-mei; Zhang, Chuan-xi; Miao, Yun-gen

    2009-05-01

    Transcriptional coactivators play a crucial role in gene transcription and expression. Multiprotein bridging factor 1 (MBF1) is a transcriptional coactivator necessary for transcriptional activation caused by DNA-binding activators, such as FTZ-F1 and GCN4. Until now, very few studies have been reported in the silkworm. We selected the Bombyx mori because it is a model insect and acts as an economic animal for silk industry. In this study, we conducted the quantitative analysis of MBF1 mRNA in silkworm B. mori L. with actin (A3) as internal standard by means of SYBR Green I real-time RT-PCR method. The total RNA was extracted from the silk gland, epidermis, fat body, and midguts of the fifth instar B. mori larvae. The mRNA was reverse transcripted, and the cDNA fragments of MBF1 mRNA and actin gene were amplified by RT-PCR using specific primers. MBF1 mRNA expression in different tissues of silkworm B. mori L. was quantified using standardized SYBR Green I RT-PCR. The results suggested MBF1 gene was expressed in all investigated organs but highly expressed in the silk gland, showing its relation to biosynthesis of silk proteins.

  13. Single-cell mRNA cytometry via sequence-specific nanoparticle clustering and trapping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Labib, Mahmoud; Mohamadi, Reza M.; Poudineh, Mahla; Ahmed, Sharif U.; Ivanov, Ivaylo; Huang, Ching-Lung; Moosavi, Maral; Sargent, Edward H.; Kelley, Shana O.

    2018-05-01

    Cell-to-cell variation in gene expression creates a need for techniques that can characterize expression at the level of individual cells. This is particularly true for rare circulating tumour cells, in which subtyping and drug resistance are of intense interest. Here we describe a method for cell analysis—single-cell mRNA cytometry—that enables the isolation of rare cells from whole blood as a function of target mRNA sequences. This approach uses two classes of magnetic particles that are labelled to selectively hybridize with different regions of the target mRNA. Hybridization leads to the formation of large magnetic clusters that remain localized within the cells of interest, thereby enabling the cells to be magnetically separated. Targeting specific intracellular mRNAs enablescirculating tumour cells to be distinguished from normal haematopoietic cells. No polymerase chain reaction amplification is required to determine RNA expression levels and genotype at the single-cell level, and minimal cell manipulation is required. To demonstrate this approach we use single-cell mRNA cytometry to detect clinically important sequences in prostate cancer specimens.

  14. Learned helplessness is independent of levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus

    PubMed Central

    Greenwood, Benjamin N.; Strong, Paul V.; Foley, Teresa E.; Thompson, Robert; Fleshner, Monika

    2007-01-01

    Reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus have been implicated in human affective disorders and behavioral stress responses. The current studies examined the role of BDNF in the behavioral consequences of inescapable stress, or learned helplessness. Inescapable stress decreased BDNF mRNA and protein in the hippocampus of sedentary rats. Rats allowed voluntary access to running wheels for either 3 or 6 weeks prior to exposure to stress were protected against stress-induced reductions of hippocampal BDNF protein. The observed prevention of stress-induced deceases in BDNF, however, occurred in a time course inconsistent with the prevention of learned helplessness by wheel running, which is evident following 6 weeks, but not 3 weeks, of wheel running. BDNF suppression in physically active rats was produced by administering a single injection of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) just prior to stress. Despite reduced levels of hippocampal BDNF mRNA following stress, physically active rats given the combination of fluoxetine and stress remained resistant against learned helplessness. Sedentary rats given both fluoxetine and stress still demonstrated typical learned helplessness behaviors. Fluoxetine by itself reduced BDNF mRNA in sedentary rats only, but did not affect freezing or escape learning 24 hours later. Finally, bilateral injections of BDNF (1 μg) into the dentate gyrus prior to stress prevented stress-induced reductions of hippocampal BDNF but did not prevent learned helplessness in sedentary rats. These data indicate that learned helplessness behaviors are independent of the presence or absence of hippocampal BDNF because blocking inescapable stress-induced BDNF suppression does not always prevent learned helplessness, and learned helplessness does not always occur in the presence of reduced BDNF. Results also suggest that the prevention of stress-induced hippocampal BDNF suppression is not

  15. Learned helplessness is independent of levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus.

    PubMed

    Greenwood, B N; Strong, P V; Foley, T E; Thompson, R S; Fleshner, M

    2007-02-23

    Reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus have been implicated in human affective disorders and behavioral stress responses. The current studies examined the role of BDNF in the behavioral consequences of inescapable stress, or learned helplessness. Inescapable stress decreased BDNF mRNA and protein in the hippocampus of sedentary rats. Rats allowed voluntary access to running wheels for either 3 or 6 weeks prior to exposure to stress were protected against stress-induced reductions of hippocampal BDNF protein. The observed prevention of stress-induced deceases in BDNF, however, occurred in a time course inconsistent with the prevention of learned helplessness by wheel running, which is evident following 6 weeks, but not 3 weeks, of wheel running. BDNF suppression in physically active rats was produced by administering a single injection of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) just prior to stress. Despite reduced levels of hippocampal BDNF mRNA following stress, physically active rats given the combination of fluoxetine and stress remained resistant against learned helplessness. Sedentary rats given both fluoxetine and stress still demonstrated typical learned helplessness behaviors. Fluoxetine by itself reduced BDNF mRNA in sedentary rats only, but did not affect freezing or escape learning 24 h later. Finally, bilateral injections of BDNF (1 mug) into the dentate gyrus prior to stress prevented stress-induced reductions of hippocampal BDNF but did not prevent learned helplessness in sedentary rats. These data indicate that learned helplessness behaviors are independent of the presence or absence of hippocampal BDNF because blocking inescapable stress-induced BDNF suppression does not always prevent learned helplessness, and learned helplessness does not always occur in the presence of reduced BDNF. Results also suggest that the prevention of stress-induced hippocampal BDNF suppression is not

  16. Increased Levels of Cell-Free Human Placental Lactogen mRNA at 28-32 Gestational Weeks in Plasma of Pregnant Women With Placenta Previa and Invasive Placenta

    PubMed Central

    Sekizawa, Akihiko; Ventura, Walter; Koide, Keiko; Hori, Kyouko; Okai, Takashi; Masashi, Yoshida; Furuya, Kenichi; Mizumoto, Yoshifumi

    2014-01-01

    We compared the levels of cell-free human placental lactogen (hPL) messenger RNA (mRNA) in maternal plasma at 28 to 32 weeks of gestation between women with diagnosis of placenta previa or invasive placenta and women with an uneventful pregnancy. Sensitivity and specificity of hPL mRNA for the prediction of invasive placenta were further explored. Plasma hPL mRNA were quantified by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in women with placenta previa (n = 13), invasive placenta (n = 5), and normal pregnancies (n = 92). Median (range) hPL mRNA was significantly higher in women with placenta previa, 782 (10-2301) copies/mL of plasma, and in those with invasive placenta, 615 (522-2102) copies/mL of plasma, when compared to normal pregnancies, 90 (4-4407) copies/mL of plasma, P < .01 and P < .05, respectively. We found a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 61.5% for the prediction of invasive placenta among women with placenta previa. In conclusion, expression of hPL mRNA is increased in plasma of women with placenta previa and invasive placenta at 28 to 32 weeks of gestation. PMID:23744883

  17. Increased levels of cell-free human placental lactogen mRNA at 28-32 gestational weeks in plasma of pregnant women with placenta previa and invasive placenta.

    PubMed

    Kawashima, Akihiro; Sekizawa, Akihiko; Ventura, Walter; Koide, Keiko; Hori, Kyouko; Okai, Takashi; Masashi, Yoshida; Furuya, Kenichi; Mizumoto, Yoshifumi

    2014-02-01

    We compared the levels of cell-free human placental lactogen (hPL) messenger RNA (mRNA) in maternal plasma at 28 to 32 weeks of gestation between women with diagnosis of placenta previa or invasive placenta and women with an uneventful pregnancy. Sensitivity and specificity of hPL mRNA for the prediction of invasive placenta were further explored. Plasma hPL mRNA were quantified by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in women with placenta previa (n = 13), invasive placenta (n = 5), and normal pregnancies (n = 92). Median (range) hPL mRNA was significantly higher in women with placenta previa, 782 (10-2301) copies/mL of plasma, and in those with invasive placenta, 615 (522-2102) copies/mL of plasma, when compared to normal pregnancies, 90 (4-4407) copies/mL of plasma, P < .01 and P < .05, respectively. We found a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 61.5% for the prediction of invasive placenta among women with placenta previa. In conclusion, expression of hPL mRNA is increased in plasma of women with placenta previa and invasive placenta at 28 to 32 weeks of gestation.

  18. The Extent of mRNA Editing Is Limited in Chicken Liver and Adipose, but Impacted by Tissular Context, Genotype, Age, and Feeding as Exemplified with a Conserved Edited Site in COG3.

    PubMed

    Roux, Pierre-François; Frésard, Laure; Boutin, Morgane; Leroux, Sophie; Klopp, Christophe; Djari, Anis; Esquerré, Diane; Martin, Pascal G P; Zerjal, Tatiana; Gourichon, David; Pitel, Frédérique; Lagarrigue, Sandrine

    2015-12-04

    RNA editing is a posttranscriptional process leading to differences between genomic DNA and transcript sequences, potentially enhancing transcriptome diversity. With recent advances in high-throughput sequencing, many efforts have been made to describe mRNA editing at the transcriptome scale, especially in mammals, yielding contradictory conclusions regarding the extent of this phenomenon. We show, by detailed description of the 25 studies focusing so far on mRNA editing at the whole-transcriptome scale, that systematic sequencing artifacts are considered in most studies whereas biological replication is often neglected and multi-alignment not properly evaluated, which ultimately impairs the legitimacy of results. We recently developed a rigorous strategy to identify mRNA editing using mRNA and genomic DNA sequencing, taking into account sequencing and mapping artifacts, and biological replicates. We applied this method to screen for mRNA editing in liver and white adipose tissue from eight chickens and confirm the small extent of mRNA recoding in this species. Among the 25 unique edited sites identified, three events were previously described in mammals, attesting that this phenomenon is conserved throughout evolution. Deeper investigations on five sites revealed the impact of tissular context, genotype, age, feeding conditions, and sex on mRNA editing levels. More specifically, this analysis highlighted that the editing level at the site located on COG3 was strongly regulated by four of these factors. By comprehensively characterizing the mRNA editing landscape in chickens, our results highlight how this phenomenon is limited and suggest regulation of editing levels by various genetic and environmental factors. Copyright © 2016 Roux et al.

  19. PTB and TIAR binding to insulin mRNA 3'- and 5'UTRs; implications for insulin biosynthesis and messenger stability.

    PubMed

    Fred, Rikard G; Mehrabi, Syrina; Adams, Christopher M; Welsh, Nils

    2016-09-01

    Insulin expression is highly controlled on the posttranscriptional level. The RNA binding proteins (RBPs) responsible for this result are still largely unknown. To identify RBPs that bind to insulin mRNA we performed mass spectrometry analysis on proteins that bound synthetic oligonucloetides mimicing the 5'- and the 3'-untranslated regions (UTRs) of rat and human insulin mRNA in vitro . We observed that the RBPs heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) U, polypyrimidine tract binding protein (PTB), hnRNP L and T-cell restricted intracellular antigen 1-related protein (TIA-1-related protein; TIAR) bind to insulin mRNA sequences, and that the in vitro binding affinity of these RBPs changed when INS-1 cells were exposed to glucose, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) or nitric oxide. High glucose exposure resulted in a modest increase in PTB and TIAR binding to an insulin mRNA sequence. The inducer of nitrosative stress DETAnonoate increased markedly hnRNP U and TIAR mRNA binding. An increased PTB to TIAR binding ratio in vitro correlated with higher insulin mRNA levels and insulin biosynthesis rates in INS-1 cells. To further investigate the importance of RNA-binding proteins for insulin mRNA stability, we decreased INS-1 and EndoC-βH1 cell levels of PTB and TIAR by RNAi. In both cell lines, decreased levels of PTB resulted in lowered insulin mRNA levels while decreased levels of TIAR resulted in increased insulin mRNA levels. Thapsigargin-induced stress granule formation was associated with a redistribution of TIAR from the cytosol to stress granules. These experiments indicate that alterations in insulin mRNA stability and translation correlate with differential RBP binding. We propose that the balance between PTB on one hand and TIAR on the other participates in the control of insulin mRNA stability and utilization for insulin biosynthesis.

  20. Overexpression of nucleolin in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells induces stabilization of bcl2 mRNA

    PubMed Central

    Otake, Yoko; Soundararajan, Sridharan; Sengupta, Tapas K.; Kio, Ebenezer A.; Smith, James C.; Pineda-Roman, Mauricio; Stuart, Robert K.; Spicer, Eleanor K.

    2007-01-01

    B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by the accumulation of clonal B cells that are resistant to apoptosis as a result of bcl2 oncogene overexpression. Studies were done to determine the mechanism for the up-regulation of bcl-2 protein observed in CD19+ CLL cells compared with CD19+ B cells from healthy volunteers. The 11-fold higher level of bcl-2 protein in CLL cells was positively correlated with a 26-fold elevation in the cytosolic level of nucleolin, a bcl2 mRNA–stabilizing protein. Measurements of the bcl2 heterogeneous nuclear/bcl2 mRNA (hnRNA)/mRNA ratios and the rates of bcl2 mRNA decay in cell extracts indicated that the 3-fold higher steady-state level of bcl2 mRNA in CLL cells was the result of increased bcl2 mRNA stability. Nucleolin was present throughout the nucleus and cytoplasm of CLL cells, whereas in normal B cells nucleolin was only detected in the nucleus. The addition of recombinant human nucleolin to extracts of normal B cells markedly slowed the rate of bcl2 mRNA decay. SiRNA knockdown of nucleolin in MCF-7 cells resulted in decreased levels of bcl2 mRNA and protein but no change in β-actin. These results indicate that bcl-2 overexpression in CLL cells is related to stabilization of bcl2 mRNA by nucleolin. PMID:17179226

  1. Effects of long-term treatment with the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist Decapeptyl and the LHRH antagonist Cetrorelix on the levels of pituitary LHRH receptors and their mRNA expression in rats

    PubMed Central

    Horvath, Judit E.; Bajo, Ana M.; Schally, Andrew V.; Kovacs, Magdolna; Herbert, Francine; Groot, Kate

    2002-01-01

    The effects of depot formulations of the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist Decapeptyl (25 μg/day) for 30 days or LHRH antagonist Cetrorelix pamoate (100 μg/day) for 30 days and daily injections of 100 μg of Decapeptyl for 10 days on the expression of mRNA for pituitary LHRH receptor (LHRH-R) and the levels of LHRH-R protein were evaluated in rats. Serum sex steroid concentrations and the weights of the reproductive organs were greatly reduced in all groups treated with analogs, demonstrating an efficient blockade of the pituitary–gonadal axis. Decapeptyl microcapsules elevated serum LH in female rats, but decreased it in male rats. LHRH-R mRNA expression in female pituitaries was reduced to 41% and 56–65% on days 10 and 30, respectively, whereas LHRH-R protein was 64% of control on day 10 and returned to pretreatment levels on day 30. Decapeptyl microcapsules reduced LHRH-R mRNA expression in male pituitaries to 58% on day 30 but not LHRH-R protein. Daily injections of Decapeptyl caused a desensitization of LH responses in female rats, while raising LHRH-R mRNA expression in female rats by 23% and LHRH-R protein levels by 119%. Cetrorelix pamoate reduced serum LH in female rats and diminished LHRH-R mRNA to 30% and 26% and LHRH-R protein to 57% and 48% on days 10 and 30, respectively. Elevated LHRH-R protein levels of ovariectomized rats were reduced after 10-day treatment with Cetrorelix or 100 μg/day Decapeptyl. Thus, changes in the mRNA expression after treatment with Cetrorelix, but not always Decapeptyl, paralleled those of LHRH-R protein. The inhibitory effect of Cetrorelix on serum LH, pituitary LHRH-R mRNA, and LHRH-R protein was greater than that of Decapeptyl. PMID:12409615

  2. Phosphorylation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2 (NFE2L2) in mammary tissue of Holstein cows during the periparturient period is associated with mRNA abundance of antioxidant gene networks.

    PubMed

    Han, L Q; Zhou, Z; Ma, Y; Batistel, F; Osorio, J S; Loor, J J

    2018-04-18

    Changes in the production of reactive oxygen species in the mammary gland of dairy cows during the periparturient period could lead to oxidative stress and potentially impair mammary function. Phosphorylation of the transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2 (NFE2L2), also known as nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2, controls mRNA abundance of genes encoding antioxidant proteins and enzymes. The hypothesis was that NFE2L2 phosphorylation status and target gene mRNA abundance in the mammary gland of dairy cows is altered around parturition. Total NFE2L2 protein, phosphorylated protein (p-NFE2L2), and ratio of p-NFE2L2 to NFE2L2 along with mRNA abundance of 24 genes related to the NFE2L2 signaling pathway, apoptosis, and cell proliferation were measured in mammary tissue samples from Holstein cows at -30, 1, 15, and 30 d relative to parturition. Although total NFE2L2 protein abundance did not differ, p-NFE2L2 and p-NFE2L2-to-NFE2L2 ratio were greater after parturition. The upregulation of DNA damage inducible transcript 3 (DDIT3) postpartum indicated a localized oxidative stress state. Among genes evaluated, thioredoxin (TXN), glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1), and glutathione S-transferase mu 1 (GSTM1) had the highest (37.1, 15.1, and 4.8% of total mRNA measured, respectively) abundance. The mRNA abundance of various target genes with detoxifying enzymatic functions and free radical scavenging activities [glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC); glutathione reductase (GSR); ferrochelatase (FECH); TXN; thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1); and NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 (NQO1)] were consistently upregulated (linear effect of time) as parturition approached and lactation began. Among the transcription regulators, NFE2L2 had the highest mRNA abundance (7.3% of total mRNA measured). Abundance of NFE2L2 and other transcription factors [nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1 (NFKB1), retinoid X receptor α (RXRA), and mitogen-activated protein kinase 14

  3. Low Incidence along with Low mRNA Levels of EGFRvIII in Prostate and Colorectal Cancers Compared to Glioblastoma

    PubMed Central

    Peciak, Joanna; Stec, Wojciech J; Treda, Cezary; Ksiazkiewicz, Magdalena; Janik, Karolina; Popeda, Marta; Smolarz, Maciej; Rosiak, Kamila; Hulas-Bigoszewska, Krystyna; Och, Waldemar; Rieske, Piotr; Stoczynska-Fidelus, Ewelina

    2017-01-01

    Background: The presence as well as the potential role of EGFRvIII in tumors other than glioblastoma still remains a controversial subject with many contradictory data published. Previous analyses, however, did not consider the level of EGFRvIII mRNA expression in different tumor types. Methods: Appropriately designed protocol for Real-time quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (Real-time qRT-PCR) was applied to analyze EGFRvIII and EGFRWT mRNA expression in 155 tumor specimens. Additionally, Western Blot (WB) analysis was performed for selected samples. Stable cell lines showing EGFRvIII expression (CAS-1 and DK-MG) were analyzed by means of WB, immunocytochemistry (ICC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Results: Our analyses revealed EGFRvIII expression in 27.59% of glioblastomas (8/29), 8.11% of colorectal cancers (3/37), 6.52% of prostate cancers (3/46) and none of breast cancers (0/43). Despite the average relative expression of EGFRvIII varying greatly among tumors of different tissues (approximately 800-fold) or even within the same tissue group (up to 8000-fold for GB), even the marginal expression of EGFRvIII mRNA can be detrimental to cancer progression, as determined by the analysis of stable cell lines endogenously expressing the oncogene. Conclusion: EGFRvIII plays an unquestionable role in glioblastomas with high expression of this oncogene. Our data suggests that EGFRvIII importance should not be underestimated even in tumors with relatively low expression of this oncogene. PMID:28123609

  4. Depletion of mRNA export regulator DBP5/DDX19, GLE1 or IPPK that is a key enzyme for the production of IP6, resulting in differentially altered cytoplasmic mRNA expression and specific cell defect

    PubMed Central

    Okamura, Masumi; Yamanaka, Yasutaka; Shigemoto, Maki; Kitadani, Yuya; Kobayashi, Yuhko; Kambe, Taiho; Nagao, Masaya; Kobayashi, Issei; Okumura, Katsuzumi

    2018-01-01

    DBP5, also known as DDX19, GLE1 and inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6) function in messenger RNA (mRNA) export at the cytoplasmic surface of the nuclear pore complex in eukaryotic cells. DBP5 is a DEAD-box RNA helicase, and its activity is stimulated by interactions with GLE1 and IP6. In addition, these three factors also have unique role(s). To investigate how these factors influenced the cytoplasmic mRNA expression and cell phenotype change, we performed RNA microarray analysis to detect the effect and function of DBP5, GLE1 and IP6 on the cytoplasmic mRNA expression. The expression of some cytoplasmic mRNA subsets (e.g. cell cycle, DNA replication) was commonly suppressed by the knock-down of DBP5, GLE1 and IPPK (IP6 synthetic enzyme). The GLE1 knock-down selectively reduced the cytoplasmic mRNA expression required for mitotic progression, results in an abnormal spindle phenotype and caused the delay of mitotic process. Meanwhile, G1/S cell cycle arrest was observed in DBP5 and IPPK knock-down cells. Several factors that function in immune response were also down-regulated in DBP5 or IPPK knock-down cells. Thereby, IFNβ-1 mRNA transcription evoked by poly(I:C) treatment was suppressed. These results imply that DBP5, GLE1 and IP6 have a conserved and individual function in the cytoplasmic mRNA expression. Variations in phenotype are due to the difference in each function of DBP5, GLE1 and IPPK in intracellular mRNA metabolism. PMID:29746542

  5. Distribution of cholecystokinin mRNA and peptides in the human brain.

    PubMed

    Lindefors, N; Brené, S; Kopp, J; Lindén, A; Brodin, E; Sedvall, G; Persson, H

    1991-01-01

    Expression of preprocholecystokinin mRNA was studied in regions of post mortem human brain using RNA blot analysis (Northern blot) and in situ hybridization. Northern blot analysis using a cDNA probe showed high levels of an approximately 0.8 kb preprocholecystokinin mRNA in all regions of neocortex examined. Lower levels of preprocholecystokinin mRNA were detected in amygdaloid body and thalamus. In situ hybridization analysis using the same cDNA probe revealed numerous weakly labelled neurons in different areas of human neocortex and less numerous neurons in hippocampus and amygdaloid body. High-performance liquid-chromatography and gel-chromatography combined with radioimmunoassay of cholecystokinin-like immunoreactivity from human cerebral cortex and caudate nucleus revealed two major forms, one coeluting with sulphated cholecystokinin-8 and the other coeluting with sulphated cholecystokinin-58. Two minor components coeluting with cholecystokinin-4 and cholecystokinin-5 were also detected. The finding of cholecystokinin-like immunoreactivity corresponding to cholecystokinin-8 and cholecystokinin-58 in caudate nucleus where no preprocholecystokinin mRNA was found, indicates the presence of these peptides in afferent nerve terminals.

  6. Association of time-dependent changes in mu opioid receptor mRNA, but not BDNF, TrkB, or MeCP2 mRNA and protein expression in the rat nucleus accumbens with incubation of heroin craving.

    PubMed

    Theberge, Florence R M; Pickens, Charles L; Goldart, Evan; Fanous, Sanya; Hope, Bruce T; Liu, Qing-Rong; Shaham, Yavin

    2012-12-01

    Responding to heroin cues progressively increases after cessation of heroin self-administration (incubation of heroin craving). We investigated whether this incubation is associated with time-dependent changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) signaling and mu opioid receptor (MOR) expression in nucleus accumbens (NAc), dorsal striatum (DS), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We also investigated the effect of the preferential MOR antagonist naloxone on cue-induced heroin seeking during abstinence. We trained rats to self-administer heroin or saline for 9-10 days and then dissected the NAc, DS, and mPFC at different abstinence days and measured mRNA and protein levels of BDNF, TrkB, and MeCP2, as well as MOR mRNA (Oprm1). In other groups, we assessed cue-induced heroin seeking in extinction tests after 1, 11, and 30 abstinence days, and naloxone's (0-1.0 mg/kg) effect on extinction responding after 1 and 15 days. Cue-induced heroin seeking progressively increased or incubated during abstinence. This incubation was not associated with changes in BDNF, TrkB, or MeCP2 mRNA or protein levels in NAc, DS, or mPFC; additionally, no molecular changes were observed after extinction tests on day 11. In NAc, but not DS or mPFC, MOR mRNA decreased on abstinence day 1 and returned to basal levels over time. Naloxone significantly decreased cue-induced heroin seeking after 15 abstinence days but not 1 day. Results suggest a role of MOR in incubation of heroin craving. As previous studies implicated NAc BDNF in incubation of cocaine craving, our data suggest that different mechanisms contribute to incubation of heroin versus cocaine craving.

  7. Association of time-dependent changes in mu opioid receptor mRNA, but not BDNF, TrkB, or MeCP2 mRNA and protein expression in the rat nucleus accumbens with incubation of heroin craving

    PubMed Central

    Theberge, Florence R. M.; Pickens, Charles L.; Goldart, Evan; Fanous, Sanya; Hope, Bruce T.; Liu, Qing-Rong

    2013-01-01

    Rationale and objectives Responding to heroin cues progressively increases after cessation of heroin self-administration (incubation of heroin craving). We investigated whether this incubation is associated with time-dependent changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) signaling and mu opioid receptor (MOR) expression in nucleus accumbens (NAc), dorsal striatum (DS), and medial pre-frontal cortex (mPFC). We also investigated the effect of the preferential MOR antagonist naloxone on cue-induced heroin seeking during abstinence. Methods We trained rats to self-administer heroin or saline for 9–10 days and then dissected the NAc, DS, and mPFC at different abstinence days and measured mRNA and protein levels of BDNF, TrkB, and MeCP2, as well as MOR mRNA (Oprm1). In other groups, we assessed cue-induced heroin seeking in extinction tests after 1, 11, and 30 abstinence days, and naloxone’s (0–1.0 mg/kg) effect on extinction responding after 1 and 15 days. Results Cue-induced heroin seeking progressively increased or incubated during abstinence. This incubation was not associated with changes in BDNF, TrkB, or MeCP2 mRNA or protein levels in NAc, DS, or mPFC; additionally, no molecular changes were observed after extinction tests on day 11. In NAc, but not DS or mPFC, MOR mRNA decreased on abstinence day 1 and returned to basal levels over time. Naloxone significantly decreased cue-induced heroin seeking after 15 abstinence days but not 1 day. Conclusions Results suggest a role of MOR in incubation of heroin craving. As previous studies implicated NAc BDNF in incubation of cocaine craving, our data suggest that different mechanisms contribute to incubation of heroin versus cocaine craving. PMID:22790874

  8. 5-hydroxytryptamine level and 5-HT2A receptor mRNA expression in the guinea pigs eyes with spectacle lens-induced myopia

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Ji-Wen; Xu, Yan-Chun; Sun, Lin; Tian, Xiao-Dan

    2010-01-01

    AIM To investigate 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) function and 5-HT receptor 2A (5-HT2A) mRNA expression in the formation of lens-induced myopia (LIM). METHODS Lens-induced myopia construction method was applied to generate myopia on guinea pig right eye (LIM eye). RESULTS LIM eyes formed significant myopia with longer axial length. 5-HT level in retina, choroids and sclera from LIM eyes was significantly higher than that in control group. 5-HT2A mRNA expression was also significantly up-regulated. CONCLUSION Refraction lens could induce myopia in guinea pig and 5-HT may play an important role in the formation of myopia by binding with 5-HT2A receptor. PMID:22553578

  9. Chitosan nanoparticle carrying small interfering RNA to platelet-derived growth factor B mRNA inhibits proliferation of smooth muscle cells in rabbit injured arteries.

    PubMed

    Xia, He; Jun, Ji; Wen-Ping, Ling; Yi-Feng, Pan; Xiao-Ling, Chen

    2013-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to elucidate the transfection of chitosan nanoparticle carrying small interfering RNA against platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF-B) to inhibit the expression of PDGF-B mRNA and proliferation of smooth muscle cells. A rabbit iliac artery injury model was constructed. A small interfering RNA (siRNA) against PDGF-B mRNA expression vector was constructed and packaged by chitosan nanoparticle to transfect into the vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) of balloon catheter-injured rabbit iliac artery wall, using a therapeutic ultrasound for the gene delivery. The experiment was divided into two groups: experimental group, denudation and nano-PDGF-B siRNA treated, and only single denudation as control. Effects of the siRNA on the expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and PDGF-B mRNA by vSMCs and the proliferation of vSMCs were observed with the methods of routine pathological, immunohistochemical staining, in situ hybridization and morphometry. The nano siRNA against PDGF-B was successfully transfected. The nano siRNA significantly inhibited the expressions of PCNA and PDGF-B mRNA in intimal vSMCs. The local intimal thickness and area were also reduced remarkably. In conclusion, transfection of chitosan nanoparticle carrying siRNA against PDGF-B mRNA could inhibit proliferation of vSMCs in the rabbit iliac artery injury model. © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  10. Exon 2-mediated c-myc mRNA decay in vivo is independent of its translation.

    PubMed Central

    Pistoi, S; Roland, J; Babinet, C; Morello, D

    1996-01-01

    We have previously shown that the steady-state level of c-myc mRNA in vivo is primarily controlled by posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms. To identify the sequences involved in this process, we constructed a series of H-2/myc transgenic lines in which various regions of the human c-MYC gene were placed under the control of the quasi-ubiquitous H-2K class I regulatory sequences. We demonstrated that the presence of one of the two coding exons, exon 2 or exon 3, is sufficient to confer a level of expression of transgene mRNA similar to that of endogenous c-myc in various adult tissues as well as after partial hepatectomy or after protein synthesis inhibition. We now focus on the molecular mechanisms involved in modulation of expression of mRNAs containing c-myc exon 2 sequences, with special emphasis on the coupling between translation and c-myc mRNA turnover. We have undertaken an analysis of expression, both at the mRNA level and at the protein level, of new transgenic constructs in which the translation is impaired either by disruption of the initiation codon or by addition of stop codons upstream of exon 2. Our results show that the translation of c-myc exon 2 is not required for regulated expression of the transgene in the different situations analyzed, and therefore they indicate that the mRNA destabilizing function of exon 2 is independent of translation by ribosomes. Our investigations also reveal that, in the thymus, some H-2/myc transgenes express high levels of mRNA but low levels of protein. Besides the fact that these results suggest the existence of tissue-specific mechanisms that control c-myc translatability in vivo, they also bring another indication of the uncoupling of c-myc mRNA translation and degradation. PMID:8756668

  11. Conserved Non-Coding Sequences are Associated with Rates of mRNA Decay in Arabidopsis.

    PubMed

    Spangler, Jacob B; Feltus, Frank Alex

    2013-01-01

    Steady-state mRNA levels are tightly regulated through a combination of transcriptional and post-transcriptional control mechanisms. The discovery of cis-acting DNA elements that encode these control mechanisms is of high importance. We have investigated the influence of conserved non-coding sequences (CNSs), DNA patterns retained after an ancient whole genome duplication event, on the breadth of gene expression and the rates of mRNA decay in Arabidopsis thaliana. The absence of CNSs near α duplicate genes was associated with a decrease in breadth of gene expression and slower mRNA decay rates while the presence CNSs near α duplicates was associated with an increase in breadth of gene expression and faster mRNA decay rates. The observed difference in mRNA decay rate was fastest in genes with CNSs in both non-transcribed and transcribed regions, albeit through an unknown mechanism. This study supports the notion that some Arabidopsis CNSs regulate the steady-state mRNA levels through post-transcriptional control mechanisms and that CNSs also play a role in controlling the breadth of gene expression.

  12. Conserved Non-Coding Sequences are Associated with Rates of mRNA Decay in Arabidopsis

    PubMed Central

    Spangler, Jacob B.; Feltus, Frank Alex

    2013-01-01

    Steady-state mRNA levels are tightly regulated through a combination of transcriptional and post-transcriptional control mechanisms. The discovery of cis-acting DNA elements that encode these control mechanisms is of high importance. We have investigated the influence of conserved non-coding sequences (CNSs), DNA patterns retained after an ancient whole genome duplication event, on the breadth of gene expression and the rates of mRNA decay in Arabidopsis thaliana. The absence of CNSs near α duplicate genes was associated with a decrease in breadth of gene expression and slower mRNA decay rates while the presence CNSs near α duplicates was associated with an increase in breadth of gene expression and faster mRNA decay rates. The observed difference in mRNA decay rate was fastest in genes with CNSs in both non-transcribed and transcribed regions, albeit through an unknown mechanism. This study supports the notion that some Arabidopsis CNSs regulate the steady-state mRNA levels through post-transcriptional control mechanisms and that CNSs also play a role in controlling the breadth of gene expression. PMID:23675377

  13. Genome wide assessment of mRNA in astrocyte protrusions by direct RNA sequencing reveals mRNA localization for the intermediate filament protein nestin.

    PubMed

    Thomsen, Rune; Pallesen, Jonatan; Daugaard, Tina F; Børglum, Anders D; Nielsen, Anders L

    2013-11-01

    Subcellular RNA localization plays an important role in development, cell differentiation, and cell migration. For a comprehensive description of the population of protrusion localized mRNAs in astrocytes we separated protrusions from cell bodies in a Boyden chamber and performed high-throughput direct RNA sequencing. The mRNAs with localization in astrocyte protrusions encode proteins belonging to a variety of functional groups indicating involvement of RNA localization for a palette of cellular functions. The mRNA encoding the intermediate filament protein Nestin was among the identified mRNAs. By RT-qPCR and RNA FISH analysis we confirmed Nestin mRNA localization in cell protrusions and also protrusion localization of Nestin protein. Nestin mRNA localization was dependent of Fragile X mental retardation syndrome proteins Fmrp and Fxr1, and the Nestin 3'-UTR was sufficient to mediate protrusion mRNA localization. The mRNAs for two other intermediate filament proteins in astrocytes, Gfap and Vimentin, have moderate and no protrusion localization, respectively, showing that individual intermediate filament components have different localization mechanisms. The correlated localization of Nestin mRNA with Nestin protein in cell protrusions indicates the presence of a regulatory mechanism at the mRNA localization level for the Nestin intermediate filament protein with potential importance for astrocyte functions during brain development and maintenance. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Protamine mRNA ratio in stallion spermatozoa correlates with mare fecundity.

    PubMed

    Paradowska-Dogan, A; Fernandez, A; Bergmann, M; Kretzer, K; Mallidis, C; Vieweg, M; Waliszewski, P; Zitzmann, M; Weidner, W; Steger, K; Kliesch, S

    2014-07-01

    Highly compacted sperm DNA in protamine toroids and a minor fraction of nucleohistones are prerequisites for the efficient transmission of the paternal genome into the oocyte at fertilization. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether protamines might serve as a prognostic factor for stallion fertility. In situ hybridization detected specific expression of P1 mRNA in the cytoplasm of stage I to VII spermatids, whereas comparable immunohistochemical stainings showed that protein expression was delayed till elongating spermatids in differentiation stages III to VIII. No staining was detectable in cryptorchid testis because of the lack of spermatids in the seminiferous tubules. Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, we identified mRNA transcripts of P1 and 2 variants of protamine- 2 (P2, P3) in ejaculated spermatozoa from 45 thoroughbred stallions. According to the mare fertility descriptor (i.e. the 'none-return-rate 28 percentage' or NRR28%), stallions were divided into three groups (i.e. high, reduced and low fertility). The P2/P1 mRNA ratio was found to be significantly reduced in the group with lower fertility (p = 0.016) and was slightly correlated with sperm concentration (correlation coefficient r = 0.263). Furthermore, morphologically abnormal sperm count negatively correlated with P2/P1 mRNA ratio, indicating that spermatozoa carrying head defects display a diminished protamine ratio (r = -0.348). Conversely, the P2/P1 ratio was positively correlated with mare fertility or NRR28% (r = 0.274). Interestingly, P3/P1 mRNA ratio remained unaltered in the investigated groups indicating that this variant plays a minor role in equine sperm chromatin compaction. Aberrant protamine transcripts content in equine spermatozoa was not associated with DNA defragmentation rate as measured by flow cytometric acridine orange test. On the basis of these results, we suggest that, similar to human, equine protamine expression constitutes a checkpoint

  15. Diagnostic performance of HPV E6/E7 mRNA assay for detection of cervical high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer among women with ASCUS Papanicolaou smears.

    PubMed

    Ren, Chenchen; Zhu, Yuanhang; Yang, Li; Zhang, Xiaoan; Liu, Ling; Ren, Chunying

    2018-02-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical performance of high risk (HR) HPV E6/E7 mRNA assay in detecting cervical high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer among women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) Papanicolaou (Pap) smears. A total of 160 patients with ASCUS who underwent HR-HPV DNA assay, HR-HPV E6/E7 mRNA assay and colposcopy biopsy at Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China, from December 2015 to March 2017, were enrolled. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between pathological results with clinical biologic factors. Univariate analysis showed that the qualitative results of HR-HPV DNA, qualitative results of HR-HPV E6/E7 mRNA and expression levels of HR-HPV E6/E7 mRNA were risk factors of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer (all P < 0.05). Multivariable analysis found that only the expression levels of HR-HPV E6/E7 mRNA was associated with high-grade CIN and cervical cancer (OR = 8.971, 95% CI = 2.572-31.289, P = 0.001). An optimal cut-off value of ≥ 558.26 copies/ml was determined using receiver operating characteristic curve, and specificity of cut-off value were higher than E6/E7 mRNA qualitative assay and DNA qualitative assay. HPV E6/E7 mRNA quantitative assay may be a valuable tool in triage of ASCUS pap smears. A high specificity of E6/E7 mRNA quantitative assay as a triage test in women with ASCUS can be translated into a low referral for colposcopy.

  16. Tudor-SN, a component of stress granules, regulates growth under salt stress by modulating GA20ox3 mRNA levels in Arabidopsis

    PubMed Central

    Yan, Chunxia; Yan, Zongyun; Wang, Yizheng; Yan, Xiaoyuan; Han, Yuzhen

    2014-01-01

    The Tudor-SN protein (TSN) is universally expressed and highly conserved in eukaryotes. In Arabidopsis, TSN is reportedly involved in stress adaptation, but the mechanism involved in this adaptation is not understood. Here, we provide evidence that TSN regulates the mRNA levels of GA20ox3, a key enzyme for gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis. The levels of GA20ox3 transcripts decreased in TSN1/TSN2 RNA interference (RNAi) transgenic lines and increased in TSN1 over-expression (OE) transgenic lines. The TSN1 OE lines displayed phenotypes that may be attributed to the overproduction of GA. No obvious defects were observed in the RNAi transgenic lines under normal conditions, but under salt stress conditions these lines displayed slower growth than wild-type (WT) plants. Two mutants of GA20ox3, ga20ox3-1 and -2, also showed slower growth under stress than WT plants. Moreover, a higher accumulation of GA20ox3 transcripts was observed under salt stress. The results of a western blot analysis indicated that higher levels of TSN1 accumulated after salt treatment than under normal conditions. Subcellular localization studies showed that TSN1 was uniformly distributed in the cytoplasm under normal conditions but accumulated in small granules and co-localized with RBP47, a marker protein for stress granules (SGs), in response to salt stress. The results of RNA immunoprecipitation experiments indicated that TSN1 bound GA20ox3 mRNA in vivo. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that TSN is a novel component of plant SGs that regulates growth under salt stress by modulating levels of GA20ox3 mRNA. PMID:25205572

  17. Peripheral mRNA expression of pluripotency markers in bipolar disorder and the effect of long-term lithium treatment.

    PubMed

    Ferensztajn-Rochowiak, Ewa; Tarnowski, Maciej; Samochowiec, Jerzy; Michalak, Michal; Ratajczak, Mariusz Z; Rybakowski, Janusz K

    2016-10-01

    The aim was to evaluate the peripheral mRNA expression of pluripotency master transcriptional factors such as octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4), sex-determining region Y-box 2 (Sox2) and homeobox protein Nanog, in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), and the effect of long-term lithium treatment. Fifteen BD patients (aged 53±7years) not treated with lithium, with duration of illness>10years, 15 BD patients (aged 55±6years) treated with lithium for 8-40 years (mean 16years) and 15 control subjects (aged 50±5years) were included. Assessment of the mRNA levels of pluripotency markers (Oct-4, Sox 2 and Nanog) was performed, using the Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RQ-PCR) procedure, and the number of CD34+ very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs) was measured by flow cytometric analysis. In those BD patients not treated with lithium the expression of all three pluripotency genes was significantly higher than that in the control subjects. Oct-4, Sox2 and Nanog also positively correlated with the number of CD34+ VSELs/[ul] in this group. In the lithium-treated patients the mRNA levels of Nanog were significantly higher than in the control individuals and correlated with the number and % of CD34+ VSELs. The overexpression of the pluripotency master transcriptional factors in patients with a long duration of BD not treated with lithium, may contribute to the pathogenesis of the illness and make them potential biological markers of BD. Long-term lithium treatment may attenuate these excessive regenerative processes, especially in relation to the transcription factors Oct-4 and Sox2. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o.

  18. Mechanism of Cytoplasmic mRNA Translation

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Protein synthesis is a fundamental process in gene expression that depends upon the abundance and accessibility of the mRNA transcript as well as the activity of many protein and RNA-protein complexes. Here we focus on the intricate mechanics of mRNA translation in the cytoplasm of higher plants. This chapter includes an inventory of the plant translational apparatus and a detailed review of the translational processes of initiation, elongation, and termination. The majority of mechanistic studies of cytoplasmic translation have been carried out in yeast and mammalian systems. The factors and mechanisms of translation are for the most part conserved across eukaryotes; however, some distinctions are known to exist in plants. A comprehensive understanding of the complex translational apparatus and its regulation in plants is warranted, as the modulation of protein production is critical to development, environmental plasticity and biomass yield in diverse ecosystems and agricultural settings. PMID:26019692

  19. Tris(2-butoxyethyl)phosphate and triethyl phosphate alter embryonic development, hepatic mRNA expression, thyroid hormone levels, and circulating bile acid concentrations in chicken embryos

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Egloff, Caroline; Crump, Doug, E-mail: doug.crump@ec.gc.ca; Porter, Emily

    The organophosphate flame retardants tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) and triethyl phosphate (TEP) are used in a wide range of applications to suppress or delay the ignition and spread of fire. Both compounds have been detected in the environment and TBOEP was recently measured in free-living avian species. In this study, TBOEP and TEP were injected into the air cell of chicken embryos at concentrations ranging from 0 to 45,400 ng/g and 0 to 241,500 ng/g egg, respectively. Pipping success, development, hepatic mRNA expression of 9 target genes, thyroid hormone levels, and circulating bile acid concentrations were determined. Exposure to the highestmore » doses of TBOEP and TEP resulted in negligible detection of the parent compounds in embryonic contents at pipping indicating their complete metabolic degradation. TBOEP exposure had limited effects on chicken embryos, with the exception of hepatic CYP3A37 mRNA induction. TEP exposure decreased pipping success to 68%, altered growth, increased liver somatic index (LSI) and plasma bile acids, and modulated genes associated with xenobiotic and lipid metabolism and the thyroid hormone pathway. Plasma thyroxine levels were decreased at all TEP doses, including an environmentally-relevant concentration (8 ng/g), and gallbladder hypotrophy was evident at ≥ 43,200 ng/g. Tarsus length and circulating thyroxine concentration emerged as potential phenotypic anchors for the modulation of transthyretin mRNA. The increase in plasma bile acids and LSI, gallbladder hypotrophy, and discoloration of liver tissue represented potential phenotypic outcomes associated with modulation of hepatic genes involved with xenobiotic and lipid metabolism. - Highlights: • TBOEP is not embryolethal to chicken embryos. • TEP affected embryonic viability, morphometric endpoints, and thyroid hormone levels. • TEP altered mRNA levels of xenobiotic and lipid metabolism genes. • TEP increased plasma bile acids and caused gallbladder

  20. Unmasking Upstream Gene Expression Regulators with miRNA-corrected mRNA Data

    PubMed Central

    Bollmann, Stephanie; Bu, Dengpan; Wang, Jiaqi; Bionaz, Massimo

    2015-01-01

    Expressed micro-RNA (miRNA) affects messenger RNA (mRNA) abundance, hindering the accuracy of upstream regulator analysis. Our objective was to provide an algorithm to correct such bias. Large mRNA and miRNA analyses were performed on RNA extracted from bovine liver and mammary tissue. Using four levels of target scores from TargetScan (all miRNA:mRNA target gene pairs or only the top 25%, 50%, or 75%). Using four levels of target scores from TargetScan (all miRNA:mRNA target gene pairs or only the top 25%, 50%, or 75%) and four levels of the magnitude of miRNA effect (ME) on mRNA expression (30%, 50%, 75%, and 83% mRNA reduction), we generated 17 different datasets (including the original dataset). For each dataset, we performed upstream regulator analysis using two bioinformatics tools. We detected an increased effect on the upstream regulator analysis with larger miRNA:mRNA pair bins and higher ME. The miRNA correction allowed identification of several upstream regulators not present in the analysis of the original dataset. Thus, the proposed algorithm improved the prediction of upstream regulators. PMID:27279737

  1. In utero and lactational exposure to low-dose genistein-vinclozolin mixture affects the development and growth factor mRNA expression of the submandibular salivary gland in immature female rats.

    PubMed

    Kouidhi, Wided; Desmetz, Catherine; Nahdi, Afef; Bergès, Raymond; Cravedi, Jean-Pierre; Auger, Jacques; El May, Michèle; Canivenc-Lavier, Marie Chantal

    2012-06-01

    It has been suggested that hormonally controlled submandibular salivary gland (SSG) development and secretions may be affected by endocrine disruptor compounds. We investigated the effects of oral gestation-lactation exposure to 1 mg/kg body weight daily dose of the estrogenic soy-isoflavone genistein and/or the anti-androgenic food contaminant vinclozolin in female rats. The SSGs of female offspring were collected at postnatal day 35 to study gland morphogenesis and mRNA expression of sex-hormone receptors and endocrine growth factors as sex-dependent biomarkers. Because of high expression in neonatal SSG, mRNA expression of transforming growth factor α was also studied. Exposure to genistein, vinclozolin, or a genistein+vinclozolin mixture resulted in significantly lower numbers of striated ducts linked to an increase in their area and lower acinar proliferation (Ki-67-positive nuclei). Exposure to the mixture had the highest significant effects, which were particularly associated with repression of epidermal growth factor, nerve growth factor, and transforming growth factor α expression. In conclusion, early exposure to low doses of genistein and vinclozolin can affect glandular structure and endocrine gene mRNA expression in prepubertal SSG in female rats, and the effects are potentialized by the genistein+vinclozolin mixture. Our study provides the first evidence that SSG are targeted by both estrogenic and anti-androgenic disrupting compounds and are more sensitive to mixtures.

  2. Elevated levels of serum-soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 in patients with IBD do not correlate with intestinal TREM-1 mRNA expression and endoscopic disease activity.

    PubMed

    Saurer, Leslie; Rihs, Silvia; Birrer, Michèle; Saxer-Seculic, Nikolina; Radsak, Markus; Mueller, Christoph

    2012-10-01

    Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) is a potent amplifier of pro-inflammatory responses. We have previously demonstrated a substantial increase in TREM-1-expressing macrophages in the inflamed intestinal mucosa of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). TREM-1 is also produced as a soluble receptor (sTREM-1). Here, we aimed to determine whether serum sTREM-1 could be used as a surrogate marker of disease activity in patients with IBD. Intestinal biopsies and concurrently collected sera from patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and Ulcerative colitis (UC) enrolled in the Swiss IBD cohort study were analyzed for intestinal TREM-1 mRNA and serum sTREM-1 expression. TREM-1 mRNA and sTREM-1 were correlated with the endoscopically determined disease activity. Serum sTREM-1 and TREM-1 mRNA expression levels were further determined in sera and colonic tissues collected at various time-points post disease induction in an experimental mouse model of colitis and correlated with disease activity. Expression of TREM-1 mRNA was upregulated in intestinal biopsies from patients with active disease but not in patients with quiescent disease. Serum sTREM-1 was elevated in IBD patients compared to normal controls. No substantial differences in sTREM-1 expression levels were found in patients with active versus quiescent disease. In colitic mice, colonic TREM-1 mRNA and serum sTREM-1 were also upregulated. While colonic TREM-1 mRNA expression levels correlated with disease activity, augmented serum sTREM-1 in fact associated with a milder course of disease. Analysis of sTREM-1 as a surrogate marker of disease activity in patients with IBD warrants caution. Copyright © 2012 European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Discovering mutated driver genes through a robust and sparse co-regularized matrix factorization framework with prior information from mRNA expression patterns and interaction network.

    PubMed

    Xi, Jianing; Wang, Minghui; Li, Ao

    2018-06-05

    Discovery of mutated driver genes is one of the primary objective for studying tumorigenesis. To discover some relatively low frequently mutated driver genes from somatic mutation data, many existing methods incorporate interaction network as prior information. However, the prior information of mRNA expression patterns are not exploited by these existing network-based methods, which is also proven to be highly informative of cancer progressions. To incorporate prior information from both interaction network and mRNA expressions, we propose a robust and sparse co-regularized nonnegative matrix factorization to discover driver genes from mutation data. Furthermore, our framework also conducts Frobenius norm regularization to overcome overfitting issue. Sparsity-inducing penalty is employed to obtain sparse scores in gene representations, of which the top scored genes are selected as driver candidates. Evaluation experiments by known benchmarking genes indicate that the performance of our method benefits from the two type of prior information. Our method also outperforms the existing network-based methods, and detect some driver genes that are not predicted by the competing methods. In summary, our proposed method can improve the performance of driver gene discovery by effectively incorporating prior information from interaction network and mRNA expression patterns into a robust and sparse co-regularized matrix factorization framework.

  4. The actin binding cytoskeletal protein Moesin is involved in nuclear mRNA export.

    PubMed

    Kristó, Ildikó; Bajusz, Csaba; Borsos, Barbara N; Pankotai, Tibor; Dopie, Joseph; Jankovics, Ferenc; Vartiainen, Maria K; Erdélyi, Miklós; Vilmos, Péter

    2017-10-01

    Current models imply that the evolutionarily conserved, actin-binding Ezrin-Radixin-Moesin (ERM) proteins perform their activities at the plasma membrane by anchoring membrane proteins to the cortical actin network. Here we show that beside its cytoplasmic functions, the single ERM protein of Drosophila, Moesin, has a novel role in the nucleus. The activation of transcription by heat shock or hormonal treatment increases the amount of nuclear Moesin, indicating biological function for the protein in the nucleus. The distribution of Moesin in the nucleus suggests a function in transcription and the depletion of mRNA export factors Nup98 or its interacting partner, Rae1, leads to the nuclear accumulation of Moesin, suggesting that the nuclear function of the protein is linked to mRNA export. Moesin localizes to mRNP particles through the interaction with the mRNA export factor PCID2 and knock down of Moesin leads to the accumulation of mRNA in the nucleus. Based on our results we propose that, beyond its well-known, manifold functions in the cytoplasm, the ERM protein of Drosophila is a new, functional component of the nucleus where it participates in mRNA export. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Reduced m6A mRNA methylation is correlated with the progression of human cervical cancer

    PubMed Central

    Kong, Beihua; Song, Chen; Cong, Jianglin; Hou, Jianqing; Wang, Shaoguang

    2017-01-01

    The m6A mRNA methylation involves in mRNA splicing, degradation and translation. Recent studies have revealed that reduced m6A mRNA methylation might promote cancer development. However, the role of m6A mRNA methylation in cervical cancer development remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the role of m6A methylation in cervical cancer in the current study. We first evaluated the m6A mRNA methylation level in 286 pairs of cervical cancer samples and their adjacent normal tissues by dot blot assay. Then the role of m6A on patient survival rates and cervical cancer progression were assessed. The m6A level was significantly reduced in the cervical cancer when comparing with the adjacent normal tissue. The m6A level reduction was significantly correlated with the FIGO stage, tumor size, differentiation, lymph invasion and cancer recurrence. It was also shown to be an independent prognostic indicator of disease-free survival and overall survival for patients with cervical cancer. Reducing m6A level via manipulating the m6A regulators expression promoted cervical cancer cell proliferation. And increasing m6A level significantly suppressed tumor development both in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that the reduced m6A level is tightly associated with cervical cancer development and m6A mRNA methylation might be a potential therapeutic target in cervical cancer. PMID:29228737

  6. Manganese exposure alters extracellular GABA, GABA receptor and transporter protein and mRNA levels in the developing rat brain

    PubMed Central

    Anderson, Joel G.; Fordahl, Steve C.; Cooney, Paula T.; Weaver, Tara L.; Colyer, Christa L.; Erikson, Keith M.

    2011-01-01

    Unlike other essential trace elements (e.g., zinc and iron) it is the toxicity of manganese (Mn) that is more common in human populations than its deficiency. Data suggest alterations in dopamine biology may drive the effects associated with Mn neurotoxicity, though recently γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been implicated. In addition, iron deficiency (ID), a common nutritional problem, may cause disturbances in neurochemistry by facilitating accumulation of Mn in the brain. Previous data from our lab have shown decreased brain tissue levels of GABA as well as decreased 3H-GABA uptake in synaptosomes as a result of Mn exposure and ID. These results indicate a possible increase in the concentration of extracellular GABA due to alterations in expression of GABA transport and receptor proteins. In this study weanling-male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly placed into one of four dietary treatment groups: control (CN; 35 mg Fe/kg diet), iron-deficient (ID; 6 mg Fe/kg diet), CN with Mn supplementation (via the drinking water; 1 g Mn/L) (CNMn), and ID with Mn supplementation (IDMn). Using in vivo microdialysis, an increase in extracellular GABA concentrations in the striatum was observed in response to Mn exposure and ID although correlational analysis reveals that extracellular GABA is related more to extracellular iron levels and not Mn. A diverse effect of Mn exposure and ID was observed in the regions examined via Western blot and RT-PCR analysis, with effects on mRNA and protein expression of GAT-1, GABAA, and GABAB differing between and within the regions examined. For example, Mn exposure reduced GAT-1 protein expression by approximately 50% in the substantia nigra, while increasing mRNA expression approximately four-fold, while in the caudate putamen mRNA expression was decreased with no effect on protein expression. These data suggest that Mn exposure results in an increase in extracellular GABA concentrations via altered expression of transport and receptor

  7. ADAM-17 and TIMP3 protein and mRNA expression in spinal cord white matter of rats with acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

    PubMed

    Plumb, Jonnie; Cross, Alison K; Surr, Jessica; Haddock, Gail; Smith, Terence; Bunning, Rowena A D; Woodroofe, M Nicola

    2005-07-01

    Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is a major immunomodulatory and proinflammatory cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and the animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). ADAM-17 cleaves membrane-bound TNF into its soluble form. The distribution and level of ADAM-17 expression within spinal cords of Lewis rats with EAE was investigated. ADAM-17 was associated with endothelial cells in the naïve and pre-disease spinal cords. In peak disease astrocytic and inflammatory cells expressed ADAM-17. Upregulation of ADAM-17 mRNA expression was coupled with a decrease in mRNA levels of its inhibitor TIMP3 suggesting a role for ADAM-17 in EAE pathogenesis.

  8. Effect of long term caffeine treatment on A1 and A2 adenosine receptor binding and on mRNA levels in rat brain.

    PubMed

    Johansson, B; Ahlberg, S; van der Ploeg, I; Brené, S; Lindefors, N; Persson, H; Fredholm, B B

    1993-04-01

    The effect of long-term oral treatment with caffeine on A1 and A2 receptors in the rat brain was studied. Caffeine was added to the drinking water and the animals were sacrificed after a 12 day treatment period. The plasma caffeine concentration was close to 100 microM. A1 receptors were studied using quantitative autoradiography with [3H]cyclohexyladenosine (CHA). Caffeine treatment increased the number of A1 receptors in the CA3 subfield of the hippocampus from 337 to 393 fmol/mg with no change in KD (0.692 vs. 0.675 nM). A1 mRNA was measured using Northern blots and quantitative in situ hybridization. There was no increase in A1 mRNA. A2a receptors, located in dopamine rich regions of the rat brain, were studied with quantitative autoradiography using [3H]CGS 21680 as the ligand, and the A2a mRNA was determined using quantitative in situ hybridization. Caffeine treatment produced no significant change in either receptor number or mRNA, even though the apparent Bmax tended to increase from 322 +/- 8 to 352 +/- 8 fmol/mg. The results show that treatment with caffeine in a dose that causes tolerance to several effects of caffeine and increases some effects of adenosine analogues increases the number of A1 receptors without any change in A1 mRNA, suggesting that the adaptive changes are at a post-translational level. There were no significant changes in A2 receptors indicating that the two types are regulated differently and/or that the amount of endogenous agonist is sufficient to regulate A1, but not A2 receptors.

  9. Relationship between subclinical rejection and genotype, renal messenger RNA, and plasma protein transforming growth factor-beta1 levels.

    PubMed

    Hueso, Miguel; Navarro, Estanis; Moreso, Francesc; Beltrán-Sastre, Violeta; Ventura, Francesc; Grinyó, Josep M; Serón, Daniel

    2006-05-27

    Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta(1) is increased in allograft rejection and its production is associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The contribution of SNPs at codons 10 and 25 of the TGF-beta(1) gene to renal allograft damage was assessed in 6-month protocol biopsies and their association with TGF-beta(1) production. TGF-beta(1) genotypes were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/restriction fragment length polymorphism. Intragraft TGF-beta(1) messenger RNA (mRNA) was measured by real-time PCR and TGF-beta(1) plasma levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Eighty consecutive patients were included. Allele T at codon 10 (risk ratio, 6.7; P = 0.02) and an episode of acute rejection before protocol biopsy (risk ratio, 6.2; P = 0.01) were independent predictors of subclinical rejection (SCR). TGF-beta(1) plasma levels, but not those of TGF-beta(1) mRNA, were increased in patients with SCR (2.59 ng/mL +/- 0.91 [n = 22] vs. 2.05 ng/mL +/- 0.76 [n = 43]; P = 0.01). There was no association between allele T and TGF-beta(1) plasma or intragraft levels. Allele T at codon 10 of the TGF-beta(1) gene is associated with a higher incidence of SCR.

  10. Evaluation of mRNA expression levels and electrophysiological function of neuron-like cells derived from canine bone marrow stromal cells.

    PubMed

    Nakano, Rei; Edamura, Kazuya; Sugiya, Hiroshi; Narita, Takanori; Okabayashi, Ken; Moritomo, Tadaaki; Teshima, Kenji; Asano, Kazushi; Nakayama, Tomohiro

    2013-10-01

    To investigate the in vitro differentiation of canine bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) into functional, mature neurons. Bone marrow from 6 adult dogs. BMSCs were isolated from bone marrow and chemically induced to develop into neurons. The morphology of the BMSCs during neuronal induction was monitored, and immunocytochemical analyses for neuron markers were performed after the induction. Real-time PCR methods were used to evaluate the mRNA expression levels of markers for neural stem or progenitor cells, neurons, and ion channels, and western blotting was used to assess the expression of neuronal proteins before and after neuronal induction. The electrophysiological properties of the neuron-like cells induced from canine BMSCs were evaluated with fluorescent dye to monitor Ca(2)+ influx. Canine BMSCs developed a neuron-like morphology after neuronal induction. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that these neuron-like cells were positive for neuron markers. After induction, the cells' mRNA expression levels of almost all neuron and ion channel markers increased, and the protein expression levels of nestin and neurofilament-L increased significantly. However, the neuron-like cells derived from canine BMSCs did not have the Ca(2)+ influx characteristic of spiking neurons. Although canine BMSCs had neuron-like morphological and biochemical properties after induction, they did not develop the electrophysiological characteristics of neurons. Thus, these results have suggested that canine BMSCs could have the capacity to differentiate into a neuronal lineage, but the differentiation protocol used may have been insufficient to induce development into functional neurons.

  11. Cytochrome P450IA mRNA expression in feral Hudson River tomcod

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kreamer, G.L.; Squibb, K.; Gioeli, D.

    1991-06-01

    The authors sought to determine if levels of cytochrome P450IA gene expression are environmentally induced in feral populations of Hudson River tomcod, a cancer prone fish, and whether laboratory exposure of tomcod to artificially spiked and naturally contaminated Hudson sediments can elicit a significant response. Using Northern blot analysis, they found levels of P450IA mRNA in tomcod collected from two Hudson River sites higher than those in tomcod from a river in Maine. Depuration of environmentally induced Hudson tomcod P450IA mRNA was rapid, with an initial detectable decline in P450 gene expression by 8 hr and basal levels reached bymore » 5 days. Intraperitoneal injection of {beta}-napthoflavone in depurated Hudson tomcod resulted in a 15-fold induction of P450 gene expression within 26 hr. Exposure of depurated Hudson tomcod to natural sediment spiked with two PAHs resulted in a 7-fold induction of P450 gene expression. Exposure of depurated tomcod to sediment from a contaminated Hudson site also resulted in a 7- to 15-fold induction of P450IA mRNA expression. Northern blot analysis revealed a second polymorphic cytochrome P450IA mRNA band in some tomcod which was also detected by Southern blot analysis. Induction of cytochrome P450IA mRNA in Atlantic tomcod may provide a sensitive biomarker of environmentally relevant concentrations of some pollutants in the Hudson and other northeastern tidal rivers.« less

  12. La-related Protein 1 (LARP1) Represses Terminal Oligopyrimidine (TOP) mRNA Translation Downstream of mTOR Complex 1 (mTORC1).

    PubMed

    Fonseca, Bruno D; Zakaria, Chadi; Jia, Jian-Jun; Graber, Tyson E; Svitkin, Yuri; Tahmasebi, Soroush; Healy, Danielle; Hoang, Huy-Dung; Jensen, Jacob M; Diao, Ilo T; Lussier, Alexandre; Dajadian, Christopher; Padmanabhan, Niranjan; Wang, Walter; Matta-Camacho, Edna; Hearnden, Jaclyn; Smith, Ewan M; Tsukumo, Yoshinori; Yanagiya, Akiko; Morita, Masahiro; Petroulakis, Emmanuel; González, Jose L; Hernández, Greco; Alain, Tommy; Damgaard, Christian K

    2015-06-26

    The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a critical regulator of protein synthesis. The best studied targets of mTORC1 in translation are the eukaryotic initiation factor-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) and ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1). In this study, we identify the La-related protein 1 (LARP1) as a key novel target of mTORC1 with a fundamental role in terminal oligopyrimidine (TOP) mRNA translation. Recent genome-wide studies indicate that TOP and TOP-like mRNAs compose a large portion of the mTORC1 translatome, but the mechanism by which mTORC1 controls TOP mRNA translation is incompletely understood. Here, we report that LARP1 functions as a key repressor of TOP mRNA translation downstream of mTORC1. Our data show the following: (i) LARP1 associates with mTORC1 via RAPTOR; (ii) LARP1 interacts with TOP mRNAs in an mTORC1-dependent manner; (iii) LARP1 binds the 5'TOP motif to repress TOP mRNA translation; and (iv) LARP1 competes with the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4G for TOP mRNA binding. Importantly, from a drug resistance standpoint, our data also show that reducing LARP1 protein levels by RNA interference attenuates the inhibitory effect of rapamycin, Torin1, and amino acid deprivation on TOP mRNA translation. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that LARP1 functions as an important repressor of TOP mRNA translation downstream of mTORC1. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  13. La-related Protein 1 (LARP1) Represses Terminal Oligopyrimidine (TOP) mRNA Translation Downstream of mTOR Complex 1 (mTORC1)*

    PubMed Central

    Fonseca, Bruno D.; Zakaria, Chadi; Jia, Jian-Jun; Graber, Tyson E.; Svitkin, Yuri; Tahmasebi, Soroush; Healy, Danielle; Hoang, Huy-Dung; Jensen, Jacob M.; Diao, Ilo T.; Lussier, Alexandre; Dajadian, Christopher; Padmanabhan, Niranjan; Wang, Walter; Matta-Camacho, Edna; Hearnden, Jaclyn; Smith, Ewan M.; Tsukumo, Yoshinori; Yanagiya, Akiko; Morita, Masahiro; Petroulakis, Emmanuel; González, Jose L.; Hernández, Greco; Alain, Tommy; Damgaard, Christian K.

    2015-01-01

    The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a critical regulator of protein synthesis. The best studied targets of mTORC1 in translation are the eukaryotic initiation factor-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) and ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1). In this study, we identify the La-related protein 1 (LARP1) as a key novel target of mTORC1 with a fundamental role in terminal oligopyrimidine (TOP) mRNA translation. Recent genome-wide studies indicate that TOP and TOP-like mRNAs compose a large portion of the mTORC1 translatome, but the mechanism by which mTORC1 controls TOP mRNA translation is incompletely understood. Here, we report that LARP1 functions as a key repressor of TOP mRNA translation downstream of mTORC1. Our data show the following: (i) LARP1 associates with mTORC1 via RAPTOR; (ii) LARP1 interacts with TOP mRNAs in an mTORC1-dependent manner; (iii) LARP1 binds the 5′TOP motif to repress TOP mRNA translation; and (iv) LARP1 competes with the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4G for TOP mRNA binding. Importantly, from a drug resistance standpoint, our data also show that reducing LARP1 protein levels by RNA interference attenuates the inhibitory effect of rapamycin, Torin1, and amino acid deprivation on TOP mRNA translation. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that LARP1 functions as an important repressor of TOP mRNA translation downstream of mTORC1. PMID:25940091

  14. Regulation of mRNA Trafficking by Nuclear Pore Complexes

    PubMed Central

    Bonnet, Amandine; Palancade, Benoit

    2014-01-01

    Over the last two decades, multiple studies have explored the mechanisms governing mRNA export out of the nucleus, a crucial step in eukaryotic gene expression. During transcription and processing, mRNAs are assembled into messenger ribonucleoparticles (mRNPs). mRNPs are then exported through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which are large multiprotein assemblies made of several copies of a limited number of nucleoporins. A considerable effort has been put into the dissection of mRNA export through NPCs at both cellular and molecular levels, revealing the conserved contributions of a subset of nucleoporins in this process, from yeast to vertebrates. Several reports have also demonstrated the ability of NPCs to sort out properly-processed mRNPs for entry into the nuclear export pathway. Importantly, changes in mRNA export have been associated with post-translational modifications of nucleoporins or changes in NPC composition, depending on cell cycle progression, development or exposure to stress. How NPC modifications also impact on cellular mRNA export in disease situations, notably upon viral infection, is discussed. PMID:25184662

  15. Emphysema induced by elastase alters the mRNA relative levels from DNA repair genes in acute lung injury in response to sepsis induced by lipopolysaccharide administration in Wistar rats.

    PubMed

    Sergio, Luiz Philippe S; Lucinda, Leda M F; Reboredo, Maycon M; de Paoli, Flavia; Fonseca, Lídia M C; Pinheiro, Bruno V; Mencalha, Andre L; Fonseca, Adenilson S

    2018-03-01

    Purpose/Aim of the study: Patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in association with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) present oxidative stress in lung cells, with production of free radicals and DNA lesions in pulmonary and adjacent cells. Once the DNA molecule is damaged, a set of enzymatic mechanisms are trigged to preserve genetic code integrity and cellular homeostasis. These enzymatic mechanisms include the base and the nucleotide excision repair pathways, as well as telomere regulation. Thus, the aim of this work was to evaluate the mRNA levels from APEX1, ERCC2, TP53, and TRF2 genes in lung tissue from Wistar rats affected by acute lung injury in response to sepsis and emphysema. Adult male Wistar rats were randomized into 4 groups (n = 6, for each group): control, emphysema, sepsis, and emphysema with sepsis. Pulmonary emphysema was induced by intratracheal instillation of elastase (12 IU/animal) and sepsis induced by intraperitoneal Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection (10 mg/kg). Lungs were removed, and samples were withdrawn for histological analysis and total RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, and mRNA level evaluation by real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Data show acute lung injury by LPS and emphysema by elastase and that APEX1, ERCC2, TP53, and TRF2 mRNA levels are increased significantly (p < 0.01) in emphysema with sepsis group. Our results suggest that alteration in mRNA levels from DNA repair and genomic stability could be part of cell response to acute lung injury in response to emphysema and sepsis.

  16. Increased GAD67 mRNA levels are correlated with in vivo GABA synthesis in the MPTP-treated catecholamine-depleted goldfish brain.

    PubMed

    Hibbert, Benjamin; Fung, Irene; McAuley, Rebecca; Larivière, Katherine; MacNeil, Brian; Bafi-Yeboa, Nana; Livesey, John; Trudeau, Vance

    2004-09-28

    The role of catecholamine neuronal input on GABAergic activity in the hypothalamus, telencephalon, optic tectum, and cerebellum was investigated in early recrudescent female goldfish (Carassius auratus). A new quantitative technique was developed and validated, permitting concomitant quantification and correlational analysis of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65), GAD67, and GAD3 mRNA levels and in vivo GABA synthesis. Catecholamine depletion was achieved by the administration of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP; 50 microg/g body weight) and dopamine (DA) depletion verified by HPLC. Endogenous GABA levels were increased by intraperitoneal administration of gamma-vinyl GABA (GVG; 300 microg/g body weight), an inhibitor of the GABA catabolic enzyme GABA transaminase. Treatment with MPTP resulted in a greater than twofold increase in GABA synthesis rate in the optic tectum and telencephalon. The increase in GABA synthesis rate was highly correlated with an increase in GAD67, but not GAD65 or GAD3 mRNA levels. These results suggest that catecholaminergic input exerts inhibitory effects on GABA synthesis rates through the modulation of GAD67 in the optic tectum and telencephalon. Together with previously published observations in rodents and primates, it is suggested that catecholaminergic control of GABA synthesis must have evolved more than 200 million years ago, before the emergence of the teleost fishes.

  17. Molecular Cloning and Ethylene Induction of mRNA Encoding a Phytoalexin Elicitor-Releasing Factor, beta-1,3-Endoglucanase, in Soybean.

    PubMed

    Takeuchi, Y; Yoshikawa, M; Takeba, G; Tanaka, K; Shibata, D; Horino, O

    1990-06-01

    Soybean (Glycine max) beta-1,3-endoglucanase (EC 3.2. 1.39) is involved in one of the earliest plant-pathogen interactions that may lead to active disease resistance by releasing elicitor-active carbohydrates from the cell walls of fungal pathogens. Ethylene induced beta-1,3-endoglucanase activity to 2- to 3-fold higher levels in cotyledons of soybean seedlings. A specific polyclonal antiserum raised against purified soybean beta-1,3-endoglucanase was used to immunoprecipitate in vitro translation products, demonstrating that ethylene induction increased translatable beta-1,3-endoglucanase mRNA. Several cDNA clones for the endoglucanase gene were obtained by antibody screening of a lambda-gt11 expression library prepared from soybean cotyledons. Hybrid-select translation experiments indicated that the cloned cDNA encoded a 36-kilodalton precursor protein product that was specifically immunoprecipitated with beta-1,3-endoglucanase antiserum. Escherichia coli cells expressing the cloned cDNA also synthesized an immunologically positive protein. Nucleotide sequence of three independent clones revealed a single uninterrupted open reading frame of 1041 nucleotides, corresponding to a polypeptide of 347 residue long. The primary amino acid sequence of beta-1,3-endoglucanase as deduced from the nucleotide sequence was confirmed by direct amino acid sequencing of trypsin digests of the glucanase. The soybean beta-1,3-endoglucanase exhibited 53% amino acid homology to a beta-1,3-glucanase cloned from cultured tobacco cells and 48% homology to a beta-(1,3-1,4)-glucanase from barley. Utilizing the largest cloned cDNA (pEG488) as a hybridization probe, it was found that the increase in translatable beta-1,3-endoglucanase mRNA seen upon ethylene treatment of soybean seedlings was due to 50- to 100-fold increase in steady state mRNA levels, indicating that ethylene regulates gene expression of this enzyme important in disease resistance at the level of gene transcription.

  18. Resveratrol induces antioxidant and heat shock protein mRNA expression in response to heat stress in black-boned chickens.

    PubMed

    Liu, L L; He, J H; Xie, H B; Yang, Y S; Li, J C; Zou, Y

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of dietary resveratrol at 0, 200, 400, or 600 mg/kg of diet on the performance, immune organ growth index, serum parameters, and expression levels of heat shock protein (Hsp) 27, Hsp70, and Hsp90 mRNA in the bursa of Fabricius, thymus, and spleen of 42-d-old female black-boned chickens exposed to heat stress at 37 ± 2°C for 15 d. The results showed that heat stress reduced daily feed intake and BW gain; decreased serum glutathione (GSH), growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels; and inhibited GSH peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities compared with birds subjected to thermo-neutral circumstances. Chickens that were fed diets supplemented with resveratrol exhibited a linear increase in feed intake and BW gain (P < 0.001); serum GSH, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels (P ≤ 0.01); and GSH-Px, SOD, and CAT activities (P < 0.001) compared with chickens that were fed diets without resveratrol during heat stress. In contrast, serum malonaldehyde concentrations were decreased (P < 0.001) in the chickens fed a resveratrol-supplemented diet. Heat stress also reduced (P < 0.05) the growth index of the bursa of Fabricus and spleen; however, it had no effect on the growth index of the thymus. The growth index of the bursa of Fabricius and spleen increased (P < 0.05) upon heat stress and coincided with an increase in supplemental resveratrol levels. The expression of Hsp27, Hsp70, and Hsp90 mRNA in the bursa of Fabricius and spleen were increased (P < 0.01), but those of Hsp27 and Hsp90 mRNA in thymus were decreased (P < 0.01) under heat stress compared with no heat stress. Resveratrol attenuated the heat stress-induced overexpression of Hsp27, Hsp70, and Hsp90 mRNA in the bursa of Fabricius and spleen and increased the low expression of Hsp27 and Hsp90 mRNA in thymus upon heat stress. The results suggest that supplemental resveratrol improves growth performance

  19. Constitutive mRNA expression and protein activity levels of nine ABC efflux transporters in seven permanent cell lines derived from different tissues of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

    PubMed

    Fischer, Stephan; Loncar, Jovica; Zaja, Roko; Schnell, Sabine; Schirmer, Kristin; Smital, Tvrtko; Luckenbach, Till

    2011-01-25

    Permanent fish cell lines have become common model systems for determining ecotoxicological effects of pollutants. For these cell lines little is known on the cellular active transport mechanisms that control the amount of a compound entering the cell, such as the MXR (multixenobiotic resistance) system mediated by ATP binding cassette (ABC) transport proteins. Therefore, for toxic evaluation of chemicals with those cells information on MXR is important. We here present data on constitutive mRNA expression and protein activity levels of a series of ABC efflux transporters in seven permanent cell lines derived from liver (RTL-W1; R1) and liver hepatoma (RTH-149), gill (RTgill-W1), gonad (RTG-2), gut (RTgutGC) and brain (RTbrain) of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In addition to known transporters abcb1 (designated here abcb1a), abcb11, abcc1-3, abcc5 and abcg2, we quantified expression levels of a newly identified abcb1 isoform (abcb1b) and abcc4, previously unknown in trout. Quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) indicated that mRNA of the examined ABC transporters was constitutively expressed in all cell lines. Transporter mRNA expression patterns were similar in all cell lines, with expression levels of abcc transporters being 80 to over 1000 fold higher than for abcg2, abcb1a/b and abcb11 (abcc1-5>abcg2>abcb1a/b, 11). Transporter activity in the cell lines was determined by measuring uptake of transporter type specific fluorescent substrates in the presence of activity inhibitors. The combination of the ABCB1 and ABCC transporter substrate calcein-AM with inhibitors cyclosporine A, PSC833 and MK571 resulted in a concentration-dependent fluorescence increase of up to 3-fold, whereas reversin 205 caused a slight, but not concentration-dependent fluorescence increase. Accumulation of the dyes Hoechst 33342 and 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate was basically unchanged in the presence of Ko134 and taurocholate, respectively, indicating low Abcg2 and Abcb11

  20. Running and cocaine both upregulate dynorphin mRNA in medial caudate putamen.

    PubMed

    Werme, M; Thorén, P; Olson, L; Brené, S

    2000-08-01

    Physical activities such as long-distance running can be habit forming and associated with a sense of well-being to a degree that justifies comparison with drug-induced addictive behaviours. To understand molecular similarities and dissimilarities controlling these behaviours in humans we compared the effects of running in running wheels to the effects of chronic cocaine or morphine administration on mRNA levels in brain reward pathways in the inbred Fischer and Lewis rat strains. These strains are both inbred from the Sprague-Dawley strain; Lewis rats display a higher preference towards addictive drugs and running than do Fischer rats. After chronic cocaine or running a similar increase of dynorphin mRNA in medial caudate putamen was found in the Lewis rat, suggesting common neuronal adaptations in this brain region to both cocaine and running. Fischer and Lewis rats both responded to cocaine with increased dynorphin mRNA levels in medial caudate putamen. However, only Lewis rats increased dynorphin mRNA after running, possibly reflecting the much higher degree of running by the Lewis strain as compared to the Fischer strain. Moreover, the running-induced upregulation of dynorphin mRNA was blocked by the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone. We suggest that running increases dynorphin mRNA by a mechanism that involves endogenous opioids. The voluntary wheel-running model in rats might be used to study natural reward and compulsive behaviours and possibly also to screen candidate drugs for treatment of compulsive disorders.

  1. Sodium fluoride affects zebrafish behaviour and alters mRNA expressions of biomarker genes in the brain: Role of Nrf2/Keap1.

    PubMed

    Mukhopadhyay, Debdip; Priya, Pooja; Chattopadhyay, Ansuman

    2015-09-01

    Sodium fluoride (NaF), used as pesticides and for industrial purposes are deposited in the water bodies and therefore affects its biota. Zebrafish exposed to NaF in laboratory condition showed hyperactivity and frequent surfacing activity, somersaulting and vertical swimming pattern as compared to the control group. Reactive oxygen species level was elevated and glutathione level was depleted along with increased malondialdehyde content in the brain. Levels of glutathione-s-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase were also elevated in the treatment groups. Expression of mRNA of nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its inhibitor Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) during stress condition were observed along with Gst, Cat, NADPH: quinone oxidoreductase 1(Nqo1) and p38. Except Keap1, all other genes exhibited elevated expression. Nrf2/Keap1 proteins had similar expression pattern as their corresponding mRNA. The findings in this study might help to understand the molecular mechanism of fluoride induced neurotoxicity in fish. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. mRNA Cancer Vaccines-Messages that Prevail.

    PubMed

    Grunwitz, Christian; Kranz, Lena M

    2017-01-01

    During the last decade, mRNA became increasingly recognized as a versatile tool for the development of new innovative therapeutics. Especially for vaccine development, mRNA is of outstanding interest and numerous clinical trials have been initiated. Strikingly, all of these studies have proven that large-scale GMP production of mRNA is feasible and concordantly report a favorable safety profile of mRNA vaccines. Induction of T-cell immunity is a multi-faceted process comprising antigen acquisition, antigen processing and presentation, as well as immune stimulation. The effectiveness of mRNA vaccines is critically dependent on making the antigen(s) of interest available to professional antigen-presenting cells, especially DCs. Efficient delivery of mRNA into DCs in vivo remains a major challenge in the mRNA vaccine field. This review summarizes the principles of mRNA vaccines and highlights the importance of in vivo mRNA delivery and recent advances in harnessing their therapeutic potential.

  3. mRNA transcripts as molecular biomarkers in medicine and nutrition

    PubMed Central

    Sunde, Roger A.

    2010-01-01

    In medicine, mRNA transcripts are being developed as molecular biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of a number of diseases. These biomarkers offer early and more accurate prediction and diagnosis of disease and disease progression, and ability to identify individuals at risk. Use of microarrays also offers opportunity to identify orthogonal (uncorrelated) biomarkers not known to be linked with conventional biomarkers. Investigators are increasingly using blood as a surrogate tissue for biopsy and analysis; total RNA isolated from whole blood is predominantly from erythroid cells, and whole blood mRNA share more than 80% of the transcriptome with major tissues. Thus blood mRNA biomarkers for individualized disease prediction and diagnosis are an exciting area in medicine; mRNA biomarkers in nutrition have potential application that parallel these opportunities. Assessment of selenium (Se) status and requirements is one area where tissue mRNA levels have been used successfully. Selenoprotein-H and selenoprotein-W as well as glutathione peroxidase-1 (Gpx1) mRNAs are highly down-regulated in Se deficiency in rat liver, and the minimum dietary Se requirement is 0.06–0.07 μg Se/g based on these biomarkers, similar to requirements determined using conventional biomarkers. Blood Gpx1 mRNA can also be used to determine Se requirements in rats, showing that blood mRNA has potential for assessment of nutrient status. Future research is needed to develop mRNA biomarker panels for all nutrients that will discriminate between deficient, marginal, adequate, and supernutritional individuals and populations, and differentiate between individuals that will benefit versus be adversely affected by nutrient supplementation. PMID:20303730

  4. Predictive value of PD-L1 based on mRNA level in the treatment of stage IV melanoma with ipilimumab.

    PubMed

    Brüggemann, C; Kirchberger, M C; Goldinger, S M; Weide, B; Konrad, A; Erdmann, M; Schadendorf, D; Croner, R S; Krähenbühl, L; Kähler, K C; Hafner, C; Leisgang, W; Kiesewetter, F; Dummer, R; Schuler, G; Stürzl, M; Heinzerling, L

    2017-10-01

    PD-L1 is established as a predictive marker for therapy of non-small cell lung cancer with pembrolizumab. Furthermore, PD-L1 positive melanoma has shown more favorable outcomes when treated with anti-PD1 antibodies and dacarbazine compared to PD-L1 negative melanoma. However, the role of PD-L1 expression with regard to response to checkpoint inhibition with anti-CTLA-4 is not clear, yet. In addition, the lack of standardization in the immunohistochemical assessment of PD-L1 makes the comparison of results difficult. In this study, we investigated the PD-L1 gene expression with a new fully automated technique via RT-PCR and correlated the findings with the response to the anti-CTLA-4 antibody ipilimumab. Within a retrospective multi-center trial, PD-L1 gene expression was evaluated in 78 melanoma patients in a total of 111 pre-treatment tumor samples from 6 skin cancer centers and analyzed with regard to response to ipilimumab. For meaningful statistical analysis, the cohort was enriched for responders with 30 responders and 48 non-responders. Gene expression was assessed by quantitative RT-PCR after extracting mRNA from formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tumor tissue and correlated with results from immunohistochemical (IHC) stainings. The evaluation of PD-L1 expression based on mRNA level is feasible. Correlation between PD-L1 expression as assessed by IHC and RT-PCR showed varying levels of concordance depending on the antibody employed. RT-PCR should be further investigated to measure PD-L1 expression, since it is a semi-quantitative method with observer-independent evaluation. With this approach, there was no statistical significant difference in the PD-L1 expression between responders and non-responders to the therapy with ipilimumab. The evaluation of PD-L1 expression based on mRNA level is feasible. Correlation between PD-L1 expression as assessed by IHC and RT-PCR showed varying levels of concordance depending on the antibody employed. RT-PCR should be

  5. Effect of Supplemental Trace Minerals on Hsp-70 mRNA Expression in Commercial Broiler Chicken.

    PubMed

    Rajkumar, U; Vinoth, A; Reddy, E Pradeep Kumar; Shanmugam, M; Rao, S V Rama

    2018-01-02

    The effects of supplementing the organic forms of selenium (Se), chromium (Cr), and zinc (Zn) on Hsp-70 mRNA expression and body weight in broiler chickens were evaluated. 200 chicks were equally distributed into stainless steel battery brooders at the rate of 5 birds per pen and reared under heat stress condition up to 42 nd day. The chicks were fed with three experimental diets supplemented with organic forms of Se (0.30 mg/kg), Cr (2 mg/kg), and Zn (40 mg/kg) during the starter and finisher phases and a control diet without any supplementation. On the 21st and 42nd day, 20 birds from each period were sacrificed and samples were collected for analysis. Organic Se, Cr, and Zn supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the expression of Hsp-70 mRNA levels. The Hsp-70 mRNA expression levels were significantly (P < 0.05) different between the tissues studied with spleen having the lowest expression level. Hsp-70 mRNA expression level was not affected by age of the birds. The study concluded that organic trace mineral (oTM) supplementation resulted in low Hsp-70 mRNA expression, indicating reduced heat stress in broilers.

  6. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA in non-small-cell lung carcinomas

    PubMed Central

    Fontanini, G; Boldrini, L; Chinè, S; Pisaturo, F; Basolo, F; Calcinai, A; Lucchi, M; Mussi, A; Angeletti, C A; Bevilacqua, G

    1999-01-01

    The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to be strictly related to vascular permeability and endothelial cell growth under physiological and pathological conditions. In tumour development and progression, VEGF plays a pivotal role in the development of the tumoral vascular network, and useful information in the progression of human cancer can be obtained by analysing the vascular endothelial growth factor expression of the tumours. In this study, we investigated the vascular endothelial growth factor transcript expression in non-small-cell lung carcinomas to evaluate the significance of this factor in a group of cancers in which the vascular pattern has been shown to significantly affect progression. Surgical samples of 42 patients with NSCLC were studied using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis and in situ hybridization. Thirty-three out of 42 cases (78.6%) showed VEGF transcript expression predominantly as transcripts for the secretory forms of VEGF (isoforms 121 and 165). In situ hybridization, performed on 24 out of 42 samples, showed that the VEGF transcript expression was in several cases present in the cytoplasm both of neoplastic and normal cells, even if the VEGF mRNA was less expressed in the corresponding non-tumoral part. The VEGF 121 expression was associated with hilar and/or mediastinal nodal involvement (P = 0.02), and, taken together, the VEGF isoforms were shown to significantly influence overall (P = 0.02) and disease-free survival (P = 0.03). As a regulator of tumour angiogenesis, VEGF may represent a useful indicator of progression and poor prognosis in non-small-cell lung carcinomas. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaign PMID:9888482

  7. Multihormonal induction of hepatic α2u-globulin mRNA as measured by hybridization to complementary DNA

    PubMed Central

    Kurtz, David T.; Feigelson, Philip

    1977-01-01

    A procedure is presented for the preparation of a 3H-labeled complementary DNA (cDNA) specific for the mRNA coding for α2u-globulin, a male rat liver protein under multihormonal control that represents approximately 1% of hepatic protein synthesis. Rat liver polysomes are incubated with monospecific rabbit antiserum to α2u-globulin, which binds to the nascent α2u-globulin chains on the polysomes. These antibody-polysome complexes are then adsorbed to goat antiserum to rabbit IgG that is covalently linked to p-aminobenzylcellulose. mRNA preparations are thus obtained that contain 30-40% α2u-globulin mRNA. A labeled cDNA is made to this α2u-globulin-enriched mRNA preparation by using RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase). To remove the non-α2u-globulin sequences, this cDNA preparation is hybridized to an RNA concentration × incubation time (R0t) of 1000 mol of ribonucleotide per liter × sec with female rat liver mRNA, which, though it shares the vast majority of mRNA sequences with male liver, contains no α2u-globulin mRNA sequences. The cDNA remaining single-stranded is isolated by hydroxylapatite chromatography and is shown to be specific for α2u-globulin mRNA by several criteria. Good correlation was found in all endocrine states studied between the hepatic level of α2u-globulin, the level of functional α2u-globulin mRNA as assayed in a wheat germ cell-free translational system, and the level of α2u-globulin mRNA sequences as measured by hybridization to the α2u-globulin cDNA. Thus, the hormonal control of hepatic α2u-globulin synthesis by sex steroids and thyroid hormone occurs through modulation of the cellular level of α2u-globulin mRNA sequences, presumably by hormonal control of transcriptive synthesis. PMID:73184

  8. Postage for the messenger: Designating routes for Nuclear mRNA Export

    PubMed Central

    Natalizio, Barbara J.; Wente, Susan R.

    2013-01-01

    Transcription of messenger(m) RNA occurs in the nucleus, making the translocation of mRNA across the nuclear envelope (NE) boundary a critical determinant of proper gene expression and cell survival. A major mRNA export route occurs via the NXF1-dependent pathway through the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) embedded in the NE. However, recent findings have discovered new evidence supporting the existence of multiple mechanisms for crossing the NE, including both NPC-mediated and NE budding-mediated pathways. An analysis of the trans-acting factors and cis components that define these pathways reveals shared elements as well as mechanistic differences. We review here the current understanding of the mechanisms that characterize each pathway and highlight the determinants that influence mRNA transport fate. PMID:23583578

  9. Impact of exogenous lipase supplementation on growth, intestinal function, mucosal immune and physical barrier, and related signaling molecules mRNA expression of young grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella).

    PubMed

    Liu, Sen; Feng, Lin; Jiang, Wei-Dan; Liu, Yang; Jiang, Jun; Wu, Pei; Zeng, Yun-Yun; Xu, Shu-De; Kuang, Sheng-Yao; Tang, Ling; Tang, Wu-Neng; Zhang, Yong-An; Zhou, Xiao-Qiu

    2016-08-01

    This study investigated the effects of exogenous lipase supplementation on the growth performance, intestinal growth and function, immune response and physical barrier function, and related signaling molecules mRNA expression of young grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). A total of 450 grass carp (255.02 ± 0.34 g) were fed five diets for 60 days. There were 5 dietary treatments that included a normal protein and lipid diet containing 30% crude protein (CP) with 5% ether extract (EE), and the low-protein and high-lipid diets (28% CP, 6% EE) supplemented with graded levels of exogenous lipase supplementation activity at 0, 1193, 2560 and 3730 U/kg diet. The results indicated that compared with a normal protein and lipid diet (30% CP, 5% EE), a low-protein and high-lipid diet (28% CP, 6% EE) (un-supplemented lipase) improved lysozyme activities and complement component 3 contents in the distal intestine (DI), interleukin 10 mRNA expression in the proximal intestine (PI), and glutathione S-transferases activity and glutathione content in the intestine of young grass carp. In addition, in low-protein and high-lipid diets, optimal exogenous lipase supplementation significantly increased acid phosphatase (ACP) activities and complement component 3 (C3) contents (P < 0.05), up-regulated the relative mRNA levels of antimicrobial peptides (liver expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 and hepcidin) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 10 and transforming growth factor β1) and signaling molecules inhibitor protein-κBα (IκBα) and target of rapamycin (TOR) (P < 0.05), down-regulated the mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 8, interferon γ2, and interleukin 1β), and signaling molecules (nuclear factor kappa B p65, IκB kinase β, IκB kinase γ) (P < 0.05) in the intestine of young grass carp. Moreover, optimal exogenous lipase supplementation significantly decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde

  10. Serum vascular endothelial growth factor A levels reflect itch severity in mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome.

    PubMed

    Sakamoto, Minami; Miyagaki, Tomomitsu; Kamijo, Hiroaki; Oka, Tomonori; Takahashi, Naomi; Suga, Hiraku; Yoshizaki, Ayumi; Asano, Yoshihide; Sugaya, Makoto; Sato, Shinichi

    2018-01-01

    Angiogenesis is an important step to support progression of malignancies, including mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome (SS). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, a key player in angiogenesis, is secreted by tumor cells of MF/SS and its expression levels in lesional skin correlated with disease severity. In this study, we examined serum VEGF-A levels in MF/SS patients. Serum VEGF-A levels were elevated in patients with erythrodermic MF/SS and the levels decreased after treatment. Importantly, serum VEGF-A levels positively correlated with markers for pruritus. We also found that VEGF-A upregulated mRNA expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin by keratinocytes. Taken together, our study suggests that VEGF-A can promote progression and pruritus in MF/SS. Inhibition of VEGF-A signaling can be a therapeutic strategy for patients with erythrodermic MF/SS. © 2017 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  11. Protopine and allocryptopine increase mRNA levels of cytochromes P450 1A in human hepatocytes and HepG2 cells independently of AhR.

    PubMed

    Vrba, Jiri; Vrublova, Eva; Modriansky, Martin; Ulrichova, Jitka

    2011-06-10

    The isoquinoline alkaloids protopine and allocryptopine are present in phytopreparations from medicinal plants, such as Fumaria officinalis. Since nothing is known about effects of the alkaloids on the expression of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, we examined whether protopine or allocryptopine affect the expression of cytochromes P450 (CYPs) 1A1 and 1A2 in primary cultures of human hepatocytes and human hepatoma HepG2 cells. In HepG2 cells, protopine and allocryptopine significantly increased CYP1A1 mRNA levels after 24h exposure at concentrations from 25 and 10 μM, respectively, as shown by real-time PCR. Both protopine and allocryptopine also dose-dependently increased CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 mRNA levels in human hepatocytes. However, the effects of the tested alkaloids on both cell models were much lower than the effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a prototypical CYP1A inducer. Using gene reporter assays performed in transiently transfected HepG2 cells, we demonstrated that the induction of CYP1A1 expression by either protopine or allocryptopine was associated with mild or negligible activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. In contrast to TCDD, CYP1A mRNA levels induced by protopine or allocryptopine in both HepG2 cells and human hepatocytes did not result in elevated CYP1A protein or activity levels as shown by western blotting and EROD assays, respectively. We conclude that the use of products containing protopine and/or allocryptopine may be considered safe in terms of possible induction of CYP1A enzymes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Effects of postprandial starvation on mRNA expression of endocrine-, amino acid and peptide transporter-, and metabolic enzyme-related genes in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

    PubMed

    Tian, Juan; He, Gen; Mai, Kangsen; Liu, Chengdong

    2015-06-01

    The goal of this study was to systematically evaluate the molecular activities of endocrine-, amino acid and peptide transporters-, and metabolic enzyme-related genes in 35-day-old mixed-sex zebrafish (Danio rerio) after feeding . Zebrafish with initial body weights ranging from 9 to 11 mg were fasted for 384 h in a controlled indoor environment. Fish were sampled at 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, 192, and 384 h after fed. Overall, the present study results show that the regulatory mechanism that insulin-like growth factor I negative feedback regulated growth hormone is conserved in zebrafish, as it is in mammals, but that regulation of growth hormone receptors is highly intricate. Leptin and cholecystokinin are time-dependent negative feedback signals, and neuropeptide Y may be an important positive neuropeptide for food intake in zebrafish. The amino acid/carnitine transporters B(0,+) (ATB(0,+)) and broad neutral (0) amino acid transporter 1(B(0)AT1) mRNA levels measured in our study suggest that protein may be utilized during 24-96 h of fasting in zebrafish. Glutamine synthetase mRNA levels were downregulated, and glutamate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, and trypsin mRNA levels were upregulated after longtime fasting in this study. The mRNA expression levels of fatty acid synthetase decreased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas those of lipoprotein lipase rapidly increased after 96 h of fasting. Fasting activated the expression of glucose synthesis genes when fasting for short periods of time; when fasting is prolonged, the mRNA levels of glucose breakdown enzymes and pentose phosphate shunt genes decreased.

  13. Regulation of Hippocampal α1d Adrenergic Receptor mRNA by Corticosterone in Adrenalectomized Rats

    PubMed Central

    Day, Heidi E.W.; Kryskow, Elisa M.; Watson, Stanley J.; Akil, Huda; Campeau, Serge

    2008-01-01

    The hippocampal formation receives extensive noradrenergic projections and expresses high levels of mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors. Considerable evidence suggests that the noradrenergic system influences hippocampal corticosteroid receptors. However, there is relatively little data describing the influence of glucocorticoids on noradrenergic receptors in the hippocampal formation. α1d adrenergic receptor (ADR) mRNA is expressed at high levels in the hippocampal formation, within cells that express MR or GR. In order to determine whether expression of α1d ADR mRNA is influenced by circulating glucocorticoids, male rats underwent bilateral adrenalectomy (ADX) or sham surgery, and were killed after 1, 3, 7 or 14 days. Levels of α1d ADR mRNA were profoundly decreased in hippocampal subfields CA1, CA2 and CA3 and the medial and lateral blades of the dentate gyrus, as early as 1 day after ADX, as determined by in situ hybridization. The effect was specific for the hippocampal formation, with levels of α1d mRNA unaltered by ADX in the lateral amygdala, reticular thalamic nucleus, retrosplenial cortex or primary somatosensory cortex. Additional rats underwent ADX or sham surgery and received a corticosterone pellet (10 or 50 mg) or placebo for 7 days. Corticosterone replacement prevented the ADX-induced decrease in hippocampal α1d ADR mRNA, with the magnitude of effect depending on corticosterone dose and hippocampal subregion. These data indicate that α1d ADR mRNA expression in the hippocampal formation is highly sensitive to circulating levels of corticosterone, and provides further evidence for a close interaction between glucocorticoids and the noradrenergic system in the hippocampus. PMID:18534559

  14. Consequences of metaphase II oocyte cryopreservation on mRNA content.

    PubMed

    Chamayou, S; Bonaventura, G; Alecci, C; Tibullo, D; Di Raimondo, F; Guglielmino, A; Barcellona, M L

    2011-04-01

    We studied the consequences of freezing/thawing processes on mRNA contents in MII oocytes after slow-freezing/rapid thawing (SF/RT) and vitrification/warming (V/W) protocols, and compared the results to fresh MII oocytes. We quantified the nuclear transcript mRNA responsible for the translation of proteins belonging either to trans-regulatory protein family or to functional structural proteins such as proteins involved in DNA structural organization (NAP1L1, TOP1, H1F0H1), chromosomal structure maintenance (SMC, SCC3, RAD21, SMC1A, SMC1B, STAG3, REC8), mitochondrial energetic pathways (ATP5GJ, SDHC), cell cycle regulation and processes (CLTA, MAPK6, CKS2) and staminal cell potency-development competence stage (DPPA3, OCT4, FOXJ2). Surplus MII oocytes were donated from patients in IVF cycles and divided in three groups of 15 oocytes. Group 1 was comprised of non-cryopreserved oocytes and Groups 2 and 3 underwent SF/RT and V/W procedures, respectively. There was an overall decrease of mRNA extracted from cryopreserved oocytes compared to control group. Only 39.4% of mRNA content were preserved after SF/RT while 63.3% of mRNA content were maintained after V/W. Oocyte cryopreservation is associated with molecular injury associated with the decrease of stored mRNA. However the V/W protocol is more conservative than SF/RT resulting in a level of mRNA sufficient to maintain biologic functions in the subsequent fertilized oocyte. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Midbrain dopamine neurons regulate preprotachykinin-A mRNA expression in the rat forebrain during development.

    PubMed

    Brené, S; Lindefors, N; Persson, H

    1992-06-01

    Intracerebroventricular 6-hydroxydopamine injections were performed at postnatal days 3 and 6 in animals pretreated with the norepinephrine uptakeblocker desimipramine in order to generate a selective lesion of dopamine neurons. In situ hybridization was then used to analyze preprotachykinin-A (PPT-A) mRNA expression in the lesioned as well as in saline-injected control animals. The midbrain dopaminergic lesion caused a 22-25% increase in the level of PPT-A mRNA in cingulate cortex and frontoparietal cortex when analysed at 2 weeks of age, compared to saline-injected control animals. In contrast, the lesion caused no change in PPT-A mRNA expression in the neonatal caudate-putamen. These results indicate that dopamine neurons downregulate the expression of PPT-A mRNA specifically in cingulate cortex and frontoparietal cortex during early postnatal brain development. In the adult rat forebrain, lesioned at P3 and P6, no change in the level of PPT-A mRNA was seen in cingulate cortex and frontoparietal cortex. However, a 29% decrease in PPT-A mRNA was seen in the lateral caudate-putamen with no significant change in neurons of medial caudate-putamen. Thus, dopamine neurons appears to exert a region specific influence on PPT-A mRNA expression during brain development.

  16. 2'-O-methylation in mRNA disrupts tRNA decoding during translation elongation.

    PubMed

    Choi, Junhong; Indrisiunaite, Gabriele; DeMirci, Hasan; Ieong, Ka-Weng; Wang, Jinfan; Petrov, Alexey; Prabhakar, Arjun; Rechavi, Gideon; Dominissini, Dan; He, Chuan; Ehrenberg, Måns; Puglisi, Joseph D

    2018-03-01

    Chemical modifications of mRNA may regulate many aspects of mRNA processing and protein synthesis. Recently, 2'-O-methylation of nucleotides was identified as a frequent modification in translated regions of human mRNA, showing enrichment in codons for certain amino acids. Here, using single-molecule, bulk kinetics and structural methods, we show that 2'-O-methylation within coding regions of mRNA disrupts key steps in codon reading during cognate tRNA selection. Our results suggest that 2'-O-methylation sterically perturbs interactions of ribosomal-monitoring bases (G530, A1492 and A1493) with cognate codon-anticodon helices, thereby inhibiting downstream GTP hydrolysis by elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) and A-site tRNA accommodation, leading to excessive rejection of cognate aminoacylated tRNAs in initial selection and proofreading. Our current and prior findings highlight how chemical modifications of mRNA tune the dynamics of protein synthesis at different steps of translation elongation.

  17. hnRNP L binds to CA repeats in the 3'UTR of bcl-2 mRNA

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lee, Dong-Hyoung; Lim, Mi-Hyun; Youn, Dong-Ye

    We previously reported that the CA-repeat sequence in the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of bcl-2 mRNA is involved in the decay of bcl-2 mRNA. However, the trans-acting factor for the CA element in bcl-2 mRNA remains unidentified. The heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L (hnRNP L), an intron splicing factor, has been reported to bind to CA repeats and CA clusters in the 3'UTR of several genes. We reported herein that the CA repeats of bcl-2 mRNA have the potential to form a distinct ribonuclear protein complex in cytoplasmic extracts of MCF-7 cells, as evidenced by RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assays (REMSA). Amore » super-shift assay using the hnRNP L antibody completely shifted the complex. Immunoprecipitation with the hnRNP L antibody and MCF-7 cells followed by RT-PCR revealed that hnRNP L interacts with endogenous bcl-2 mRNA in vivo. Furthermore, the suppression of hnRNP L in MCF-7 cells by the transfection of siRNA for hnRNP L resulted in a delay in the degradation of RNA transcripts including CA repeats of bcl-2 mRNA in vitro, suggesting that the interaction between hnRNPL and CA repeats of bcl-2 mRNA participates in destabilizing bcl-2 mRNA.« less

  18. THE M-RNA, EXPRESSION OF SERCA2 AND NCX1 IN THE PROCESS OF PHARMACOLOGICAL CELL PROTECTION IN EXPERIMENTAL ACUTE PANCREATITIS INDUCED BY TAUROCHOLATE.

    PubMed

    Vasques, Enio Rodrigues; Cunha, José Eduardo Monteiro; Kubrusly, Marcia Saldanha; Coelho, Ana Maria; Sanpietri, Sandra N; Nader, Helena B; Tersariol, Ivarne L S; Lima, Marcelo A; Chaib, Eleazar; D'Albuquerque, Luiz Augusto Carneiro

    2018-06-21

    Intracellular calcium overload is known to be a precipitating factor of pancreatic cell injury in acute pancreatitis (AP). Intracellular calcium homeostasis depends of Plasmatic Membrane Calcium ATPase (PMCA), Sarcoplasmic Endothelial Reticulum Calcium ATPase 2 (SERCA 2) and the Sodium Calcium Exchanger (NCX1). The antioxidant melatonin (Mel) and Trisulfate Disaccharide (TD) that accelerates NCX1 action could reduce the cell damage determined by the AP. To evaluate m-RNA expressions of SERCA2 and NCX1 in acute pancreatitis induced by sodium taurocholate in Wistar rats pre-treated with melatonin and/or TD. Wistar rats were divided in groups: 1) without AP; 2) AP without pre-treatment; 3) AP and Melatonin; 4) AP and TD; 5) AP and Melatonin associated to TD. Pancreatic tissue samples were collected for detection of SERCA2 and NCX1 m-R NA levels by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Increased m-RNA expression of SERCA2 in the melatonin treated group, without increase of m-RNA expression of the NCX1. The TD did not affect levels of SERCA2 and NCX1 m-RNA expressions. The combined melatonin and TD treatment reduced the m-RNA expression of SERCA2. The effect of melatonin is restricted to increased m-RNA expression of SERCA2. Although TD does not affect gene expression, its action in accelerating calcium exchanger function can explain the slightest expression of SERCA2 m-RNA when associated with Melatonin, perhaps by a joint action of drugs with different and but possibly complementary mechanisms.

  19. Association of suboptimal health status with psychosocial stress, plasma cortisol and mRNA expression of glucocorticoid receptor α/β in lymphocyte.

    PubMed

    Yan, Yu-Xiang; Dong, Jing; Liu, You-Qin; Zhang, Jie; Song, Man-Shu; He, Yan; Wang, Wei

    2015-01-01

    Suboptimal health status (SHS) has become a new public health challenge in China. This study investigated whether high SHS is associated with psychosocial stress, changes in cortisol level and/or glucocorticoid receptor (GR) isoform expression. Three-hundred eighty-six workers employed in three companies in Beijing were recruited. The SHS score was derived from data collection in the SHS questionnaire (SHSQ-25). The short standard version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) was used to assess job-related psychosocial stress. The mean value of the five scales of COPSOQ and distribution of plasma cortisol and mRNA expression of GRα/GRβ between the high level of SHS group and the low level of SHS group were compared using a general linear model procedure. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the effect of psychosocial stress on SHS. We identified three factors that were predictive of SHS, including "demands at work", "interpersonal relations and leadership" and "insecurity at work". Significantly higher levels of plasma cortisol and GRβ/GRα mRNA ratio were observed among the high SHS group. High level of SHS is associated with decreased mRNA expression of GRα. This study confirmed the association between chronic psychosocial stress and SHS, indicating that improving the psychosocial work environment may reduce SHS and then prevent chronic diseases effectively.

  20. Platelet-derived growth factor A mRNA in platelets is associated with the degree of hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.

    PubMed

    Tanikawa, Aline Aki; Grotto, Rejane Maria Tommasini; Silva, Giovanni Faria; Ferrasi, Adriana Camargo; Sarnighausen, Valéria Cristina Rodrigues; Pardini, Maria Inês de Moura Campos

    2017-01-01

    Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) are the main cytokines related to hepatic fibrogenesis. RNA isolated from the platelets and hepatic tissue of 43 HCV carriers was used for quantitative polymerase chain reaction to determine TGFB1, PDGFA, and PDGFB RNA expression. The mRNA expression of PDGFA in platelets was significantly lower in the group with advanced fibrosis than in the group with early-stage fibrosis. TGFB1 was more frequently expressed in platelets than in hepatic tissue, which was different from PDGFB. A pathway mediated by overexpression of TGFB1 via PDGFA in megakaryocytes could be involved in the development of fibrosis.

  1. Adverse early life experience and social stress during adulthood interact to increase serotonin transporter mRNA expression

    PubMed Central

    Gardner, Katherine L.; Hale, Matthew W.; Lightman, Stafford L.; Plotsky, Paul M.; Lowry, Christopher A.

    2009-01-01

    Anxiety disorders, depression and animal models of vulnerability to a depression-like syndrome have been associated with dysregulation of serotonergic systems in the brain. To evaluate the effects of early life experience, adverse experiences during adulthood, and potential interactions between these factors on serotonin transporter (slc6a4) mRNA expression, we investigated in rats the effects of maternal separation (180 min/day from days 2–14 of life; MS180), neonatal handing (15 min/day from days 2–14 of life; MS15), or normal animal facility rearing control conditions (AFR) with or without subsequent exposure to adult social defeat on slc6a4 mRNA expression in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR) and caudal linear nucleus. At the level of specific subdivisions of the DR, there were no differences in slc6a4 mRNA expression between MS15 and AFR rats. Among rats exposed to a novel cage control condition, increased slc6a4 mRNA expression was observed in the dorsal part of the DR in MS180 rats, relative to AFR control rats. In contrast, MS180 rats exposed to social defeat as adults had increased slc6a4 mRNA expression throughout the DR compared to both MS15 and AFR controls. Social defeat increased slc6a4 mRNA expression, but only in MS180 rats and only in the “lateral wings” of the DR. Overall these data demonstrate that early life experience and stressful experience during adulthood interact to determine slc6a4 mRNA expression. These data support the hypothesis that early life experience and major stressful life events contribute to dysregulation of serotonergic systems in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. PMID:19781533

  2. Regulation of mouse hepatic CYP2D9 mRNA expression by growth and adrenal hormones.

    PubMed

    Jarukamjorn, Kanokwan; Sakuma, Tsutomu; Jaruchotikamol, Atika; Oguro, Miki; Nemoto, Nobuo

    2006-02-01

    The constitutive expression of CYP2D9 is sexually dimorphic, namely, strong in males, but diminutive in females. Repetition of mimic growth hormone (GH) secretion pattern impressively returned the mRNA expression level to that in intact mice: the GH secretion pattern's regulation of CYP2D9 mRNA expression has been predominantly disrupted by exogenous GH-administration. The extensive decline of CYP2D9 mRNA expression becoming a sexually non-specific P450 in 9-week-old male mice exposed as neonates to monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) suggested that the male GH secretion pattern is a key to the regulation of male-specific CYP2D9 mRNA expression in adult mice. Dexamethasone (Dex) showed possibility to induce CYP2D9 mRNA expression in adult MSG-neonatally treated mice of either sex. However, the antagonism was observed by co-administration of Dex and GH in the males. Dex-administration in adrenalectomized mice significantly elevated CYP2D9 mRNA expression levels. These findings suggest that an adrenal hormone participates in the regulatory mechanism of CYP2D9 mRNA expression in association with GH.

  3. Advanced Running Performance by Genetic Predisposition in Male Dummerstorf Marathon Mice (DUhTP) Reveals Higher Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein (SREBP) Related mRNA Expression in the Liver and Higher Serum Levels of Progesterone

    PubMed Central

    Brenmoehl, Julia; Walz, Christina; Ponsuksili, Siriluck; Schwerin, Manfred; Fuellen, Georg; Hoeflich, Andreas

    2016-01-01

    Long-term-selected DUhTP mice represent a non-inbred model for inborn physical high-performance without previous training. Abundance of hepatic mRNA in 70-day male DUhTP and control mice was analyzed using the Affymetrix mouse array 430A 2.0. Differential expression analysis with PLIER corrected data was performed using AltAnalyze. Searching for over-representation in biochemical pathways revealed cholesterol metabolism being most prominently affected in DUhTP compared to unselected control mice. Furthermore, pathway analysis by AltAnalyze plus PathVisio indicated significant induction of glycolysis, fatty acid synthesis and cholesterol biosynthesis in the liver of DUhTP mice versus unselected control mice. In contrast, gluconeogenesis was partially inactivated as judged from the analysis of hepatic mRNA transcript abundance in DUhTP mice. Analysis of mRNA transcripts related to steroid hormone metabolism inferred elevated synthesis of progesterone and reduced levels of sex steroids. Abundance of steroid delta isomerase-5 mRNA (Hsd3b5, FC 4.97) was increased and steroid 17-alpha-monooxygenase mRNA (Cyp17a1, FC -11.6) was massively diminished in the liver of DUhTP mice. Assessment of steroid profiles by LC-MS revealed increased levels of progesterone and decreased levels of sex steroids in serum from DUhTP mice versus controls. Analysis of hepatic mRNA transcript abundance indicates that sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) may play a major role in metabolic pathway activation in the marathon mouse model DUhTP. Thus, results from bioinformatics modeling of hepatic mRNA transcript abundance correlated with direct steroid analysis by mass spectrometry and further indicated functions of SREBP-1 and steroid hormones for endurance performance in DUhTP mice. PMID:26799318

  4. Low-level laser irradiation alters mRNA expression from genes involved in DNA repair and genomic stabilization in myoblasts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trajano, L. A. S. N.; Sergio, L. P. S.; Silva, C. L.; Carvalho, L.; Mencalha, A. L.; Stumbo, A. C.; Fonseca, A. S.

    2016-07-01

    Low-level lasers are used for the treatment of diseases in soft and bone tissues, but few data are available regarding their effects on genomic stability. In this study, we investigated mRNA expression from genes involved in DNA repair and genomic stabilization in myoblasts exposed to low-level infrared laser. C2C12 myoblast cultures in different fetal bovine serum concentrations were exposed to low-level infrared laser (10, 35 and 70 J cm-2), and collected for the evaluation of DNA repair gene expression. Laser exposure increased gene expression related to base excision repair (8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase and apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1), nucleotide excision repair (excision repair cross-complementation group 1 and xeroderma pigmentosum C protein) and genomic stabilization (ATM serine/threonine kinase and tumor protein p53) in normal and low fetal bovine serum concentrations. Results suggest that genomic stability could be part of a biostimulation effect of low-level laser therapy in injured muscles.

  5. NMD3 regulates both mRNA and rRNA nuclear export in African trypanosomes via an XPOI-linked pathway

    PubMed Central

    Bühlmann, Melanie; Walrad, Pegine; Rico, Eva; Ivens, Alasdair; Capewell, Paul; Naguleswaran, Arunasalam; Roditi, Isabel; Matthews, Keith R.

    2015-01-01

    Trypanosomes mostly regulate gene expression through post-transcriptional mechanisms, particularly mRNA stability. However, much mRNA degradation is cytoplasmic such that mRNA nuclear export must represent an important level of regulation. Ribosomal RNAs must also be exported from the nucleus and the trypanosome orthologue of NMD3 has been confirmed to be involved in rRNA processing and export, matching its function in other organisms. Surprisingly, we found that TbNMD3 depletion also generates mRNA accumulation of procyclin-associated genes (PAGs), these being co-transcribed by RNA polymerase I with the procyclin surface antigen genes expressed on trypanosome insect forms. By whole transcriptome RNA-seq analysis of TbNMD3-depleted cells we confirm the regulation of the PAG transcripts by TbNMD3 and using reporter constructs reveal that PAG1 regulation is mediated by its 5′UTR. Dissection of the mechanism of regulation demonstrates that it is not dependent upon translational inhibition mediated by TbNMD3 depletion nor enhanced transcription. However, depletion of the nuclear export factors XPO1 or MEX67 recapitulates the effects of TbNMD3 depletion on PAG mRNAs and mRNAs accumulated in the nucleus of TbNMD3-depleted cells. These results invoke a novel RNA regulatory mechanism involving the NMD3-dependent nuclear export of mRNA cargos, suggesting a shared platform for mRNA and rRNA export. PMID:25873624

  6. Natural antioxidants exhibit chemopreventive characteristics through the regulation of CNC b-Zip transcription factors in estrogen-induced breast carcinogenesis.

    PubMed

    Chatterjee, Anwesha; Ronghe, Amruta; Singh, Bhupendra; Bhat, Nimee K; Chen, Jie; Bhat, Hari K

    2014-12-01

    The objective of the present study was to characterize the role of resveratrol (Res) and vitamin C (VC) in prevention of estrogen-induced breast cancer through regulation of cap "n"collar (CNC) b-zip transcription factors. Human breast epithelial cell line MCF-10A was treated with 17β-estradiol (E2) and VC or Res with or without E2. mRNA and protein expression levels of CNC b-zip transcription factors nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 1 (Nrf1), nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 3 (Nrf3), and Nrf2-regulated antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase 3 (SOD3) and quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) were quantified. The treatment with E2 suppressed, whereas VC and Res prevented E2-mediated decrease in the expression levels of SOD3, NQO1, Nrf2 mRNA, and protein in MCF-10A cells. The treatment with E2, Res, or VC significantly increased mRNA and protein expression levels of Nrf1. 17β-Estradiol treatment significantly increased but VC or Res decreased Nrf3 mRNA and protein expression levels. Our studies demonstrate that estrogen-induced breast cancer might be prevented through upregulation of antioxidant enzymes via Nrf-dependent pathways. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. The presence of HBV mRNA in the fertilized in vitro embryo of HBV patients confirms vertical transmission of HBV via the ovum.

    PubMed

    Ye, F; Jin, Y; Kong, Y; Shi, J Z; Qiu, H T; Zhang, X; Zhang, S L; Lin, S M

    2013-05-01

    This study aimed to confirm that vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) can occur via the infected ovum. Specimens studied were obtained from discarded test-tube embryos from mothers with chronic HBV infection who had received in vitro fertilization treatment. Single-cell reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect HBV mRNA in the embryos. HBV mRNA was detected in the cleavage embryos of patients with chronic HBV infection, with a detection rate of 13.2% (5/38). The level of serum HBV DNA was not related to the HBV mRNA positivity rates in embryos. In this study, HBV mRNA was detected in test-tube embryos from HBV-infected mothers who had received in vitro fertilization treatment. This confirms the theory of vertical transmission of HBV via the ovum, thereby providing an important theoretical basis for further study on the mechanism of HBV vertical transmission, influencing factors and blocking measures.

  8. Modulation of transferrin receptor mRNA by transferrin-gallium in human myeloid HL60 and lymphoid CCRF-CEM leukaemic cells.

    PubMed Central

    Ul-Haq, R; Chitambar, C R

    1993-01-01

    Gallium binds to the iron transport protein transferrin (Tf), is incorporated into cells through transferrin receptors (TfR) and inhibits iron-dependent DNA synthesis. Since cellular TfR expression is tightly regulated by the availability of iron, we investigated the effects of transferrin-gallium (Tf-Ga) on TfR mRNA levels in myeloid HL60 and lymphoid CCRF-CEM cells. In HL60 cells, Tf-Ga increased TfR mRNA levels in a dose-dependent fashion. This increase in TfR mRNA was blocked by Tf-Fe and by cycloheximide. Analysis of the rate of mRNA decay in the presence of actinomycin D revealed that the half-life of TfR mRNA was increased in HL60 cells incubated with Tf-Ga. The rate of transcription of TfR mRNA was not increased by Tf-Ga. In contrast with HL60 cells, CCRF-CEM cells displayed a decrease in the level of TfR mRNA after incubation with Tf-Ga. Tf-Ga inhibited iron uptake in both HL60 and CCRF-CEM cells but increased the level of TfR mRNA only in HL60 cells, suggesting that the Tf-Ga induction of TfR mRNA was not solely due to inhibition of cellular iron uptake. At growth-inhibitory concentrations, Tf-Ga increased the TfR mRNA level in HL60 cells but decreased it in CCRF-CEM cells. Our studies suggest that in HL60 cells, gallium regulates TfR expression at the post-transcriptional level by mechanisms which require de novo protein synthesis and involve interaction with iron. The divergent effects of Tf-Ga on TfR mRNA in myeloid HL60 and lymphoid CCRF-CEM cells suggest that differences exist in the regulation of TfR expression between these two cell types. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 PMID:8379943

  9. Elevation of D4 dopamine receptor mRNA in postmortem schizophrenic brain.

    PubMed

    Stefanis, N C; Bresnick, J N; Kerwin, R W; Schofield, W N; McAllister, G

    1998-01-01

    The D4 dopamine (DA) receptor has been proposed to be a target for the development of a novel antipsychotic drug based on its pharmacological and distribution profile. There is much interest in whether D4 DA receptor levels are altered in schizophrenia, but the lack of an available receptor subtype-specific radioligand made this difficult to quantitate. In this study, we examined whether D4 mRNA levels are altered in different brain regions of schizophrenics compared to controls. Ribonuclease protection assays were carried out on total RNA samples isolated postmortem from frontal cortex and caudate brain regions of schizophrenics and matched controls. 32P-labelled RNA probes to the D4 DA receptor and to the housekeeping gene, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH), were hybridised with the RNA samples, digested with ribonucleases to remove unhybridised probe, and separated on 6% sequencing gels. Densitometer analysis on the subsequent autoradiogams was used to calculate the relative optical density of D4 mRNA compared to G3PDH mRNA. Statistical analysis of the data revealed a 3-fold higher level (P<0.011) of D4 mRNA in the frontal cortex of schizophrenics compared to controls. No increase was seen in caudate. D4 receptors could play a role in mediating dopaminergic activity in frontal cortex, an activity which may be malfunctioning in schizophrenia.

  10. RNA-Binding Proteins Revisited - The Emerging Arabidopsis mRNA Interactome.

    PubMed

    Köster, Tino; Marondedze, Claudius; Meyer, Katja; Staiger, Dorothee

    2017-06-01

    RNA-protein interaction is an important checkpoint to tune gene expression at the RNA level. Global identification of proteins binding in vivo to mRNA has been possible through interactome capture - where proteins are fixed to target RNAs by UV crosslinking and purified through affinity capture of polyadenylated RNA. In Arabidopsis over 500 RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) enriched in UV-crosslinked samples have been identified. As in mammals and yeast, the mRNA interactomes came with a few surprises. For example, a plethora of the proteins caught on RNA had not previously been linked to RNA-mediated processes, for example proteins of intermediary metabolism. Thus, the studies provide unprecedented insights into the composition of the mRNA interactome, highlighting the complexity of RNA-mediated processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Detection of circulating Bmi-1 mRNA in plasma and its potential diagnostic and prognostic value for uterine cervical cancer.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xin; Wang, Chuanxin; Wang, Lili; Du, Lutao; Wang, Shun; Zheng, Guixi; Li, Wei; Zhuang, Xuewei; Zhang, Xuhua; Dong, Zhaogang

    2012-07-01

    Bmi-1 is overexpressed in uterine cervical cancer (UCC) and is found to be associated with adverse clinical characteristics and poor prognosis. However, little information is available on the status of circulating Bmi-1 mRNA in UCC. Because circulating cell-free nucleic acids have emerged as a novel class of markers for cancer detection, our research aims to address this question by detecting the circulating Bmi-1 mRNA and to assess its diagnostic and prognostic potential in UCC. Reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR method was established to detect the circulating Bmi-1 mRNA in plasma of 109 patients with UCC, 138 patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and 80 healthy volunteers, and found that it was significantly increased in UCC compared with CINs and healthy controls (all at p < 0.001). Moreover, its high level was significantly correlated with advanced clinical stage (p < 0.001) and positive lymph nodes metastasis (p = 0.002). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.881, and the optimal cut-off value was 0.057, providing a sensitivity of 69.7% and a specificity of 95.9%. The AUC for circulating Bmi-1 mRNA showed higher diagnosis capability than that for SCC-Ag (p = 0.035) or CA125 (p < 0.001) currently utilized. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a correlation between increased circulating Bmi-1 mRNA level and reduced disease-free survival (DFS) (p = 0.001) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.015). And, Cox analysis indicated that it was an independent prognostic factor for DFS and OS. We conclude that circulating Bmi-1 mRNA may be a potential noninvasive molecular marker for diagnosis and prognosis of UCC. Copyright © 2011 UICC.

  12. Developmental regulation of vascular endothelial growth/permeability factor messenger ribonucleic acid levels in and vascularization of the villous placenta during baboon pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Hildebrandt, V A; Babischkin, J S; Koos, R D; Pepe, G J; Albrecht, E D

    2001-05-01

    Vascular endothelial growth/permeability factor (VEG/PF) has an important role in angiogenesis; however, very little is known about the developmental regulation of VEG/PF and the vascular system within the placenta during human pregnancy. In the present study, therefore, a developmental approach was used in the baboon to determine the placental source of VEG/PF and its fms-like tyrosine kinase (flt-1) and kinase-insert domain containing (KDR/flk-1) receptors, and whether the rise in estrogen with advancing pregnancy was associated with a corresponding increase in placental VEG/PF expression and vascularization. VEG/PF messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were determined by competitive RT-PCR in villous cell fractions isolated by Percoll gradient centrifugation from placentas obtained on days 45 and 54 (very early), 60 (early), 100 (mid), and 165-170 (late) of baboon pregnancy (term = 184 days). Maternal peripheral serum estradiol increased from very low concentrations early in gestation (0.15-0.20 ng/ml) to an early surge of over 2.5 ng/ml on days 60-85, and peak levels of 4-6 ng/ml late in baboon pregnancy. VEG/PF mRNA was expressed in low level in the syncytiotrophoblast (<2,000 attomol/microgram total RNA), and values in this fraction did not change significantly with advancing gestation. VEG/PF mRNA expression was slightly greater in the inner villous core cell fraction; however, levels decreased (P < 0.05) between early and late gestation. Cytotrophoblasts were a major source of VEG/PF mRNA and levels increased (P < 0.01) from 3,631 +/- 844 attomol/microgram total RNA on day 45 to 25,807 +/- 5,873 attomol/microgram total RNA on day 170. VEG/PF protein expression determined by immunocytochemistry was abundant in cytotrophoblasts and lower in the syncytiotrophoblast and inner villous core cells. The flt-1 and KDR/flk-1 receptors were expressed in the vascular endothelial cells of the baboon villous placenta. The percentage of villous placenta occupied by blood vessels

  13. Enrichment of cardiac pacemaker-like cells: neuregulin-1 and cyclic AMP increase I(f)-current density and connexin 40 mRNA levels in fetal cardiomyocytes.

    PubMed

    Ruhparwar, Arjang; Er, Fikret; Martin, Ulrich; Radke, Kristin; Gruh, Ina; Niehaus, Michael; Karck, Matthias; Haverich, Axel; Hoppe, Uta C

    2007-02-01

    Generation of a large number of cells belonging to the cardiac pacemaker system would constitute an important step towards their utilization as a biological cardiac pacemaker system. The aim of the present study was to identify factors, which might induce transformation of a heterogenous population of fetal cardiomyocytes into cells with a pacemaker-like phenotype. Neuregulin-1 (alpha- and beta-isoform) or the cAMP was added to fresh cell cultures of murine embryonic cardiomyocytes. Quantitative northern blot analysis and flowcytometry were performed to detect the expression of connexins 40, 43 and 45. Patch clamp recordings in the whole cell configuration were performed to determine current density of I (f), a characteristic ion current of pacemaker cells. Fetal cardiomyocytes without supplement of neuregulin or cAMP served as control group. Neuregulin and cAMP significantly increased mRNA levels of connexin 40 (Cx-40), a marker of the early differentiating conduction system in mice. On the protein level, flowcytometry revealed no significant differences between treated and untreated groups with regard to the expression of connexins 40, 43 and 45. Treatment with cAMP (11.2 +/- 2.24 pA/pF; P < 0.001) and neuregulin-1-beta (6.23 +/- 1.07 pA/pF; P < 0.001) significantly increased the pacemaker current density compared to control cardiomyocytes (1.76 +/- 0.49 pA/pF). Our results indicate that neuregulin-1 and cAMP possess the capacity to cause significant transformation of a mixed population of fetal cardiomyocytes into cardiac pacemaker-like cells as shown by electrophysiology and increase of Cx-40 mRNA. This method may allow the development of a biological cardiac pacemaker system when applied to adult or embryonic stem cells.

  14. Expression kinetics of nucleoside-modified mRNA delivered in lipid nanoparticles to mice by various routes.

    PubMed

    Pardi, Norbert; Tuyishime, Steven; Muramatsu, Hiromi; Kariko, Katalin; Mui, Barbara L; Tam, Ying K; Madden, Thomas D; Hope, Michael J; Weissman, Drew

    2015-11-10

    In recent years, in vitro transcribed messenger RNA (mRNA) has emerged as a potential therapeutic platform. To fulfill its promise, effective delivery of mRNA to specific cell types and tissues needs to be achieved. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are efficient carriers for short-interfering RNAs and have entered clinical trials. However, little is known about the potential of LNPs to deliver mRNA. Here, we generated mRNA-LNPs by incorporating HPLC purified, 1-methylpseudouridine-containing mRNA comprising codon-optimized firefly luciferase into stable LNPs. Mice were injected with 0.005-0.250mg/kg doses of mRNA-LNPs by 6 different routes and high levels of protein translation could be measured using in vivo imaging. Subcutaneous, intramuscular and intradermal injection of the LNP-encapsulated mRNA translated locally at the site of injection for up to 10days. For several days, high levels of protein production could be achieved in the lung from the intratracheal administration of mRNA. Intravenous and intraperitoneal and to a lesser extent intramuscular and intratracheal deliveries led to trafficking of mRNA-LNPs systemically resulting in active translation of the mRNA in the liver for 1-4 days. Our results demonstrate that LNPs are appropriate carriers for mRNA in vivo and have the potential to become valuable tools for delivering mRNA encoding therapeutic proteins. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. VARIATION IN THE ABUNDANCE OF SYNECHOCOCCUS SP. CC9311 NARB MRNA RELATIVE TO CHANGES IN LIGHT, NITROGEN GROWTH CONDITIONS AND NITRATE ASSIMILATION(1).

    PubMed

    Paerl, Ryan W; Tozzi, Sasha; Kolber, Zbigniew S; Zehr, Jonathan P

    2012-08-01

    Synechococcus- and Prochlorococcus-specific narB genes that encode for an assimilatory nitrate reductase are found in coastal to open-ocean waters. However, it remains uncertain if these picocyanobacteria assimilate nitrate in situ. This unknown can potentially be addressed by examining narB mRNA from the environment, but this requires a better understanding of the influence of environmental factors on narB gene transcription. In laboratory experiments with Synechococcus sp. CC9311 cultures exposed to diel light fluctuations and grown on nitrate or ammonium, there was periodic change in narB transcript abundance. This periodicity was broken in cultures subjected to a doubling of irradiance (40-80 μmol photons · m(-2)  · s(-1) ) during the mid-light period. Therefore, the irradiance level, not circadian rhythm, was the dominant factor controlling narB transcription. In nitrate-grown cultures, diel change in narB transcript abundance and nitrate assimilation rate did not correlate; suggesting narB mRNA levels better indicate nitrate assimilation activity than assimilation rate. Growth history also affected narB transcription, as changes in narB mRNA levels in nitrogen-deprived CC9311 cultures following nitrate amendment were distinct from cultures grown solely on nitrate. Environmental sampling for narB transcripts should consider time, irradiance, and the growth status of cells to ecologically interpret narB transcript abundances. © 2012 Phycological Society of America.

  16. Lower FOXO3 mRNA expression in granulosa cells is involved in unexplained infertility.

    PubMed

    Yamamoto, Hikaru; Yamashita, Yoshiki; Saito, Natsuho; Hayashi, Atsushi; Hayashi, Masami; Terai, Yoshito; Ohmichi, Masahide

    2017-06-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate whether FOXO1 and FOXO3 mRNA expression in granulosa cells is the cause of unexplained infertility. Thirty-one patients aged <40 years (13 with unexplained infertility and 18 with male partner infertility as a control group) whose serum anti-Müllerian hormone level was >0.5 ng/μL were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent oocyte retrieval under a short protocol from June 2012 to October 2013. Real-time PCR was carried out using mRNA extracted from granulosa cells retrieved from mature follicles. We compared FOXO1 and FOXO3 mRNA expression ratios in granulosa cells between the unexplained infertility group and the male infertility group. The relation between FOXO1 and FOXO3 mRNA expression ratios in granulosa cells and assisted reproduction technology clinical outcome was also examined. FOXO3 mRNA expression ratio was significantly lower in the unexplained infertility group than in the male infertility group. Moreover, FOXO3 mRNA expression ratio showed a positive correlation with both the number of retrieved oocytes and serum anti-Müllerian hormone level. A positive correlation was also identified between FOXO1 mRNA expression and total dose of hMG. As well, the number of retrieved oocytes in the unexplained infertility group was statistically lower than that in the male infertility group. A lower FOXO3 mRNA expression in granulosa cells leads to poor oocyte development in patients with unexplained infertility undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer. © 2017 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  17. NONOates regulate KCl cotransporter-1 and -3 mRNA expression in vascular smooth muscle cells.

    PubMed

    Di Fulvio, Mauricio; Lauf, Peter K; Shah, Shalin; Adragna, Norma C

    2003-05-01

    Nitric oxide (NO) donors regulate KCl cotransport (KCC) activity and cotransporter-1 and -3 (KCC1 and KCC3) mRNA expression in sheep erythrocytes and in primary cultures of rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), respectively. In this study, we used NONOates as rapid and slow NO releasers to provide direct evidence implicating NO as a regulator of KCC3 gene expression at the mRNA level. In addition, we used the expression of KCC3 mRNA to further investigate the mechanism of action of these NO donors at the cellular level. Treatment of VSMCs with rapid NO releasers, like NOC-5 and NOC-9, as well as with the direct NO-independent soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) stimulator YC-1, acutely increased KCC3 mRNA expression in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The slow NO releaser NOC-18 had no effect on KCC3 gene expression. A specific NO scavenger completely prevented the NONOate-induced KCC3 mRNA expression. Inhibition of sGC with LY-83583 blocked the NONOate- and YC-1-induced KCC3 mRNA expression. This study shows that in primary cultures of rat VSMCs, the fast NO releasers NOC-9 and NOC-5, but not the slow NO releaser NOC-18, acutely upregulate KCC3 mRNA expression in a NO/sGC-dependent manner.

  18. Rapid changes in ovarian mRNA induced by brief photostimulation in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus)

    PubMed Central

    Shahed, Asha; McMichael, Carling F.; Young, Kelly A.

    2017-01-01

    This study sought to characterize the rapid intraovarian mRNA response of key folliculogenic factors that may contribute to the restoration of folliculogenesis during 2-10 days of photostimulation in Siberian hamsters. Adult hamsters were exposed to short photoperiod (8L:16D) for 14 weeks (SD). A subset were then transferred to long photoperiod (16L:8D) for 2(PT day-2), 4(PT day-4), or 10 days (PT day-10). Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure intraovarian mRNA expression of: gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle stimulating hormone β-subunit (FSHβ-subunit), luteinizing hormone β-subunit (LHβ-subunit), FSH and LH receptors, estrogen receptorsα and β (Esr1 and Esr2), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), inhibin-α subunit, fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Compared to SD, plasma FSH concentrations increased on PT day-4 and the number of antral follicles and corpora lutea increased on PT day-10. FSHR and inhibin-α mRNA expression also increased on PT day-4, whereas LHR and proliferation marker PCNA both increased on PT day-10 as compared to SD. Esr1 mRNA increased on PT day-2 and remained significantly increased as compared to SD, whereas Esr1 mRNA increased only on PT day-2, similar to FGF-2 and MMP-2 results. No differences were observed in mRNA expression in ovarian GnRH, FSHβ- and LHβ-subunits, AMH, and MMP-9 mRNA with 2-10 days of photostimulation. Rapid increases in intraovarian FSHR and inhibin-α mRNA and antral follicle/corpora lutea numbers suggest that the ovary is primed to react quickly to the FSH released in response to brief periods of photostimulation. PMID:26174001

  19. Differential regulation of preprotachykinin-A mRNA expression in striatum by excitation of hippocampal neurons.

    PubMed

    Brené, S; Lindefors, N; Herrera-Marschitz, M; Persson, H

    1993-07-01

    In this report we have studied the influence of hippocampal neurons on neuropeptide mRNA expression in both dorsal and ventral striatum in the rat. Intrahippocampal unilateral kainic acid injections were performed in control animals and in animals with a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine-induced dopamine deafferentation of the striatum. In situ hybridization combined with quantitative image analysis was used to study the expression of preprotachykinin A mRNA encoding the neuropeptides substance P and neurokinin A. The 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesion caused a decrease of preprotachykinin A mRNA levels in the ipsilateral dorsal striatum and in both sides of the ventral striatum. In normal rats, the intrahippocampal kainic acid injection caused a twofold increase in preprotachykinin A mRNA in the limbic parts of the striatum, which are innervated by the hippocampus. No effect of the kainic acid injection was seen in the lateral parts of the dorsal striatum, a region which does not appear to be innervated by the hippocampus. Animals with a 6-hydroxydopamine lesion showed a similar kainic acid-mediated increase in preprotachykinin A mRNA in parts of the ventral striatum. In the dopamine-lesioned dorsal striatum and ventral striatum the decreased preprotachykinin A mRNA levels were normalized by the intrahippocampal kainic acid injection. These results show that kainic acid-mediated excitation of hippocampal neurons causes a dopamine-independent induction of preprotachykinin A mRNA expression in parts of the ventral striatum, and reverses the dopamine deafferentation-induced decrease of preprotachykinin A mRNA in both dorsal and ventral striatum. Combined, our results suggest that hippocampal neurons can regulate preprotachykinin A mRNA expression in both the ventral and the dorsal striatum.

  20. Messenger RNA (mRNA) nanoparticle tumour vaccination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Phua, Kyle K. L.; Nair, Smita K.; Leong, Kam W.

    2014-06-01

    Use of mRNA-based vaccines for tumour immunotherapy has gained increasing attention in recent years. A growing number of studies applying nanomedicine concepts to mRNA tumour vaccination show that the mRNA delivered in nanoparticle format can generate a more robust immune response. Advances in the past decade have deepened our understanding of gene delivery barriers, mRNA's biological stability and immunological properties, and support the notion for engineering innovations tailored towards a more efficient mRNA nanoparticle vaccine delivery system. In this review we will first examine the suitability of mRNA for engineering manipulations, followed by discussion of a model framework that highlights the barriers to a robust anti-tumour immunity mediated by mRNA encapsulated in nanoparticles. Finally, by consolidating existing literature on mRNA nanoparticle tumour vaccination within the context of this framework, we aim to identify bottlenecks that can be addressed by future nanoengineering research.

  1. Exaptive origins of regulated mRNA decay in eukaryotes

    PubMed Central

    Hamid, Fursham M.

    2016-01-01

    Eukaryotic gene expression is extensively controlled at the level of mRNA stability and the mechanisms underlying this regulation are markedly different from their archaeal and bacterial counterparts. We propose that two such mechanisms, nonsense‐mediated decay (NMD) and motif‐specific transcript destabilization by CCCH‐type zinc finger RNA‐binding proteins, originated as a part of cellular defense against RNA pathogens. These branches of the mRNA turnover pathway might have been used by primeval eukaryotes alongside RNA interference to distinguish their own messages from those of RNA viruses and retrotransposable elements. We further hypothesize that the subsequent advent of “professional” innate and adaptive immunity systems allowed NMD and the motif‐triggered mechanisms to be efficiently repurposed for regulation of endogenous cellular transcripts. This scenario explains the rapid emergence of archetypical mRNA destabilization pathways in eukaryotes and argues that other aspects of post‐transcriptional gene regulation in this lineage might have been derived through a similar exaptation route. PMID:27438915

  2. Glucocorticoid-induced changes in glucocorticoid receptor mRNA and protein expression in the human placenta as a potential factor for altering fetal growth and development.

    PubMed

    Bivol, Svetlana; Owen, Suzzanne J; Rose'Meyer, Roselyn B

    2016-02-05

    Glucocorticoids (GCs) control essential metabolic processes in virtually every cell in the body and play a vital role in the development of fetal tissues and organ systems. The biological actions of GCs are mediated via glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), the cytoplasmic transcription factors that regulate the transcription of genes involved in placental and fetal growth and development. Several experimental studies have demonstrated that fetal exposure to high maternal GC levels early in gestation is associated with adverse fetal outcomes, including low birthweight, intrauterine growth restriction and anatomical and structural abnormalities that may increase the risk of cardiovascular, metabolic and neuroendocrine disorders in adulthood. The response of the fetus to GCs is dependent on gender, with female fetuses becoming hypersensitive to changes in GC levels whereas male fetuses develop GC resistance in the environment of high maternal GCs. In this paper we review GR function and the physiological and pathological effects of GCs on fetal development. We propose that GC-induced changes in the placental structure and function, including alterations in the expression of GR mRNA and protein levels, may play role in inhibiting in utero fetal growth.

  3. APOBEC3G levels predict rates of progression to AIDS.

    PubMed

    Jin, Xia; Wu, Hulin; Smith, Harold

    2007-03-20

    APOBEC3G (hA3G) is a newly discovered cellular factor of innate immunity that inhibits HIV replication in vitro. Whether hA3G confers protection against HIV in vivo is not known. To investigate the possible anti-HIV activity of hA3G in vivo, we examined hA3G mRNA abundance in primary human cells isolated from either HIV-infected or HIV-uninfected individuals, and found that hA3G mRNA levels follow a hierarchical order of long-term nonprogressors>HIV-uninfected>Progressors; and, hA3G mRNA abundance is correlated with surrogates of HIV disease progression: viral load and CD4 count. Another group later confirmed that HIV-infected subjects have lower hA3G mRNA levels than HIV-uninfected controls, but did not find correlations between hA3G mRNA levels and viral load or CD4 count. These conflicting results indicate that a more comprehensive, conclusive investigation of hA3G expression levels in various patient cohorts is urgently needed. For exploring whether hA3G abundance might influence HIV disease progression, we have formulated a hypothesis that includes two parts: a) in vivo, the basal hA3G mRNA expression level per PBMC is a constant--with minor physiologic fluctuations--determined by host genetic and epigenetic elements in a healthy individual; and that the basal hA3G mRNA expression levels in a population follow a Normal (or Gaussian) distribution; b) that although HIV infects randomly, it results in more rapid disease progression in those with lower hA3G mRNA levels, and slower disease progression in those with higher hA3G mRNA levels. This hypothesis could be tested by a straight forward set of experiments to compare the distribution of hA3G mRNA levels in HIV-uninfected healthy individuals and that in HIV-infected, antiretroviral therapy-naïve subjects who are at early and late stages of infection. Testing this hypothesis will have significant implications for biomedical research. a) It will link hA3G to the mechanisms underlying slower disease progression

  4. A Herpesvirus Protein Selectively Inhibits Cellular mRNA Nuclear Export.

    PubMed

    Gong, Danyang; Kim, Yong Hoon; Xiao, Yuchen; Du, Yushen; Xie, Yafang; Lee, Kevin K; Feng, Jun; Farhat, Nisar; Zhao, Dawei; Shu, Sara; Dai, Xinghong; Chanda, Sumit K; Rana, Tariq M; Krogan, Nevan J; Sun, Ren; Wu, Ting-Ting

    2016-11-09

    Nuclear mRNA export is highly regulated to ensure accurate cellular gene expression. Viral inhibition of cellular mRNA export can enhance viral access to the cellular translation machinery and prevent anti-viral protein production but is generally thought to be nonselective. We report that ORF10 of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), a nuclear DNA virus, inhibits mRNA export in a transcript-selective manner to control cellular gene expression. Nuclear export inhibition by ORF10 requires an interaction with an RNA export factor, Rae1. Genome-wide analysis reveals a subset of cellular mRNAs whose nuclear export is blocked by ORF10 with the 3' UTRs of ORF10-targeted transcripts conferring sensitivity to export inhibition. The ORF10-Rae1 interaction is important for the virus to express viral genes and produce infectious virions. These results suggest that a nuclear DNA virus can selectively interfere with RNA export to restrict host gene expression for optimal replication. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  5. Regulation of Egr-1, VIP, and Shh mRNA and Egr-1 protein in the mouse retina by light and image quality.

    PubMed

    Brand, Christine; Burkhardt, Eva; Schaeffel, Frank; Choi, Jeong Won; Feldkaemper, Marita Pauline

    2005-04-28

    To analyze mRNA expression changes of Egr-1, VIP, and Shh under different light and treatment conditions in mice. The mRNA expression levels of the three genes and additionally the Egr-1 protein expression were compared in form deprived eyes and eyes with normal vision. Moreover, the influence of dark to light and light to dark transitions and of changes in retinal illumination on mRNA levels was investigated. Form deprivation of mice was induced by fitting frosted diffusers over one eye and an attentuation matched neutral density (ND) filter over the other eye. To measure the effects of retinal illumination changes on mRNA expression, animals were bilaterally fitted with different ND filters. Semiquantitative real-time RT-PCR was used to measure the mRNA levels and immunohistochemistry was applied to localize and detect Egr-1 protein. The expression levels of both Egr-1 mRNA and protein were reduced in form deprived eyes compared to their fellow eyes after 30 min and 1 h, respectively. Egr-1 mRNA was strikingly upregulated both after dark to light and light to dark transitions, whereas minor changes in retinal illumination by covering the eyes with neutral density filters did not alter Egr-1 mRNA expression. In mice, the mRNA levels of VIP and Shh were not affected by form deprivation, but they were found to be regulated depending on the time of day. Both Egr-1 mRNA and protein expression levels were strongly regulated by light, especially by transitions between light and darkness. Image contrast may exert an additional influence on mRNA and protein expression of Egr-1, particularly in the cells in the ganglion cell layer and in bipolar cells.

  6. Subcellular mRNA localisation at a glance

    PubMed Central

    Parton, Richard M.; Davidson, Alexander; Davis, Ilan; Weil, Timothy T.

    2014-01-01

    ABSTRACT mRNA localisation coupled to translational regulation provides an important means of dictating when and where proteins function in a variety of model systems. This mechanism is particularly relevant in polarised or migrating cells. Although many of the models for how this is achieved were first proposed over 20 years ago, some of the molecular details are still poorly understood. Nevertheless, advanced imaging, biochemical and computational approaches have started to shed light on the cis-acting localisation signals and trans-acting factors that dictate the final destination of localised transcripts. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and accompanying poster, we provide an overview of mRNA localisation, from transcription to degradation, focusing on the microtubule-dependent active transport and anchoring mechanism, which we will use to explain the general paradigm. However, it is clear that there are diverse ways in which mRNAs become localised and target protein expression, and we highlight some of the similarities and differences between these mechanisms. PMID:24833669

  7. A snoRNA modulates mRNA 3′ end processing and regulates the expression of a subset of mRNAs

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Chunliu; Shi, Junjie; Guo, Yibin; Huang, Weijun; Huang, Shanshan; Ming, Siqi; Wu, Xingui; Zhang, Rui; Ding, Junjun; Zhao, Wei; Jia, Jie; Huang, Xi; Xiang, Andy Peng

    2017-01-01

    Abstract mRNA 3′ end processing is an essential step in gene expression. It is well established that canonical eukaryotic pre-mRNA 3′ processing is carried out within a macromolecular machinery consisting of dozens of trans-acting proteins. However, it is unknown whether RNAs play any role in this process. Unexpectedly, we found that a subset of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are associated with the mammalian mRNA 3′ processing complex. These snoRNAs primarily interact with Fip1, a component of cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF). We have functionally characterized one of these snoRNAs and our results demonstrated that the U/A-rich SNORD50A inhibits mRNA 3′ processing by blocking the Fip1-poly(A) site (PAS) interaction. Consistently, SNORD50A depletion altered the Fip1–RNA interaction landscape and changed the alternative polyadenylation (APA) profiles and/or transcript levels of a subset of genes. Taken together, our data revealed a novel function for snoRNAs and provided the first evidence that non-coding RNAs may play an important role in regulating mRNA 3′ processing. PMID:28911119

  8. Quantification of cytokine mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using branched DNA (bDNA) technology.

    PubMed

    Shen, L P; Sheridan, P; Cao, W W; Dailey, P J; Salazar-Gonzalez, J F; Breen, E C; Fahey, J L; Urdea, M S; Kolberg, J A

    1998-06-01

    Changes in the patterns of cytokine expression are thought to be of central importance in human infectious and inflammatory diseases. As such, there is a need for precise, reproducible assays for quantification of cytokine mRNA that are amenable to routine use in a clinical setting. In this report, we describe the design and performance of a branched DNA (bDNA) assay for the direct quantification of multiple cytokine mRNA levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Oligonucleotide target probe sets were designed for several human cytokines, including TNFalpha, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IFNgamma. The bDNA assay yielded highly reproducible quantification of cytokine mRNAs, exhibited a broad linear dynamic range of over 3-log10, and showed a sensitivity sufficient to measure at least 3000 molecules. The potential clinical utility of the bDNA assay was explored by measuring cytokine mRNA levels in PBMCs from healthy and immunocompromised individuals. Cytokine expression levels in PBMCs from healthy blood donors were found to remain relatively stable over a one-month period of time. Elevated levels of IFNgamma mRNA were detected in PBMCs from HIV-1 seropositive individuals, but no differences in mean levels of TNFalpha or IL-6 mRNA were detected between seropositive and seronegative individuals. By providing a reproducible method for quantification of low abundance transcripts in clinical specimens, the bDNA assay may be useful for studies addressing the role of cytokine expression in disease.

  9. Maternal nutrient restriction in mid-to-late gestation influences fetal mRNA expression in muscle tissues in beef cattle.

    PubMed

    Paradis, Francois; Wood, Katie M; Swanson, Kendall C; Miller, Stephen P; McBride, Brian W; Fitzsimmons, Carolyn

    2017-08-18

    Manipulating maternal nutrition during specific periods of gestation can result in re-programming of fetal and post-natal development. In this experiment we investigated how a feed restriction of 85% compared with 140% of total metabolizable energy requirements, fed to cows during mid-to-late gestation, influences phenotypic development of fetuses and mRNA expression of growth (Insulin-Like Growth Factor family and Insulin Receptor (INSR)), myogenic (Myogenic Differentiation 1 (MYOD1), Myogenin (MYOG), Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2A (MEF2A), Serum Response Factor (SRF)) and adipogenic (Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor Gamma (PPARG)) genes in fetal longissimus dorsi (LD) and semitendinosus (ST) muscle. DNA methylation of imprinted genes, Insulin Like Growth Factor 2 (IGF2) and Insulin Like Growth Factor 2 Receptor (IGF2R), and micro RNA (miRNA) expression, were also examined as potential consequences of poor maternal nutrition, but also potential regulators of altered gene expression patterns. While the nutrient restriction impacted dam body weight, no differences were observed in phenotypic fetal measurements (weight, crown-rump length, or thorax circumference). Interestingly, LD and ST muscles responded differently to the differential pre-natal nutrient levels. While LD muscle of restricted fetal calves had greater mRNA abundances for Insulin Like Growth Factor 1 and its receptor (IGF1 and IGF1R), IGF2R, INSR, MYOD1, MYOG, and PPARG, no significant differences were observed for gene expression in ST muscle. Similarly, feed restriction had a greater impact on the methylation level of IGF2 Differentially Methylated Region 2 (DMR2) in LD muscle as compared to ST muscle between treatment groups. A negative correlation existed between IGF2 mRNA expression and IGF2 DMR2 methylation level in both LD and ST muscles. Differential expression of miRNAs 1 and 133a were also detected in LD muscle. Our data suggests that a nutrient restriction of 85% as compared to 140

  10. Integrative comparison of mRNA expression patterns in breast cancers from Caucasian and Asian Americans with implications for precision medicine

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Jianan; He, Max M; Li, Liren; Zhang, Jinfeng

    2016-01-01

    Asian Americans (AS) have significantly lower incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer (BRCA) than Caucasian Americans (CA). While this racial disparity has been documented the underlying pathogenetic factors explaining it are obscure. We addressed this issue by an integrative genomics approach to compare mRNA expression between AS and CA cases of BRCA. RNA-seq data from the Cancer Genome Atlas showed that mRNA expression revealed significant differences at gene and pathway levels. Increased susceptibility and severity in CA patients were likely the result of synergistic environmental and genetic risk factors, with arachidonic acid metabolism and PPAR signaling pathways implicated in linking environmental and genetic factors. An analysis that also added eQTL data from the Genotype-Tissue Expression Project and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data from the 1000 Genomes Project identified several SNPs associated with differentially expressed genes. Overall, the associations we identified may enable a more focused study of genotypic differences that may help explain the disparity in BRCA incidence and mortality rates in CA and AS populations and inform precision medicine. PMID:28069798

  11. Regulation of cytoplasmic mRNA decay

    PubMed Central

    Schoenberg, Daniel R.; Maquat, Lynne E.

    2012-01-01

    Discoveries made over the past 20 years highlight the importance of mRNA decay as a means to modulate gene expression and thereby protein production. Up until recently, studies focused largely on identifying cis-acting sequences that serve as mRNA stability or instability elements, the proteins that bind these elements, how the process of translation influences mRNA decay, and the ribonucleases that catalyze decay. Now, current studies have begun to elucidate how the decay process is regulated. This review examines our current understanding of how mammalian-cell mRNA decay is controlled by different signaling pathways and lays out a framework for future research. PMID:22392217

  12. Purification of Growth Factor mRNA in Renal Tissues:bFGF-2, FGF-2, TGFα, and EGFR.

    PubMed

    Mydlo, J H

    2001-01-01

    Growth factors are polypeptides that induce cell mitogenicity, and thus play an important role in the etiology and progression of tumors (1). Fibroblast growth factors (FGF) constitute a family of structurally related polypeptides of 146 amino acids, which exhibit a wide spectrum of biologic activities, including angiogenesis or the formation of a vascular network. FGFs are mitogenic towards many mesodermal and ectodermal cell types, and can also induce and/or inhibit differentiation of cells (2). These heparin-binding factors are categorized as FGF-1 through FGF-10. Acidic FGF, or FGF-1, is found mostly in brain and other neural tissues. Basic FGF, or FGF- 2, a protein of 18 kDa mw, is one of the most ubiqitous growth factors. It is found in numerous benign and cancerous human and animal tissues, including kidney, prostate, and bladder (3-6). In some cases it has also been demonstrated to have potential as a tumor marker (7-11). One group reported greater recovery of both FGF-2 protein and FGF-2 mRNA from renal-cancer tissue compared to equal amounts of normal renal tissue (5). Furthermore, when purified FGF-2 from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is added exogenously to other established renal tumorcell lines and endothelial cell lines, it demonstrates significant mitogenic activity (6). Thus, renal tumors may use FGF-2 in an autocrine manner to sustain themselves.

  13. Novel RNA-binding activity of NQO1 promotes SERPINA1 mRNA translation.

    PubMed

    Di Francesco, Andrea; Di Germanio, Clara; Panda, Amaresh C; Huynh, Phu; Peaden, Robert; Navas-Enamorado, Ignacio; Bastian, Paul; Lehrmann, Elin; Diaz-Ruiz, Alberto; Ross, David; Siegel, David; Martindale, Jennifer L; Bernier, Michel; Gorospe, Myriam; Abdelmohsen, Kotb; de Cabo, Rafael

    2016-10-01

    NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) is essential for cell defense against reactive oxidative species, cancer, and metabolic stress. Recently, NQO1 was found in ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes, but NQO1-interacting mRNAs and the functional impact of such interactions are not known. Here, we used ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation (RIP) and microarray analysis to identify comprehensively the subset of NQO1 target mRNAs in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. One of its main targets, SERPINA1 mRNA, encodes the serine protease inhibitor α-1-antitrypsin, A1AT, which is associated with disorders including obesity-related metabolic inflammation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Biotin pulldown analysis indicated that NQO1 can bind the 3' untranslated region (UTR) and the coding region (CR) of SERPINA1 mRNA. NQO1 did not affect SERPINA1 mRNA levels; instead, it enhanced the translation of SERPINA1 mRNA, as NQO1 silencing decreased the size of polysomes forming on SERPINA1 mRNA and lowered the abundance of A1AT. Luciferase reporter analysis further indicated that NQO1 regulates SERPINA1 mRNA translation through the SERPINA1 3'UTR. Accordingly, NQO1-KO mice had reduced hepatic and serum levels of A1AT and increased activity of neutrophil elastase (NE), one of the main targets of A1AT. We propose that this novel mechanism of action of NQO1 as an RNA-binding protein may help to explain its pleiotropic biological effects. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  14. Modulation of insulin-like growth factor 1 levels in human osteoarthritic subchondral bone osteoblasts.

    PubMed

    Massicotte, Frédéric; Fernandes, Julio Cesar; Martel-Pelletier, Johanne; Pelletier, Jean-Pierre; Lajeunesse, Daniel

    2006-03-01

    Human osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by cartilage loss, bone sclerosis, osteophyte formation and inflammation of the synovial membrane. We previously reported that OA osteoblasts (Ob) show abnormal phenotypic characteristics possibly responsible for bone sclerosis and that two subgroups of OA patients can be identified by low or high endogenous production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by OA Ob. Here, we determined that the elevated PGE2 levels in the high OA subgroup were linked with enhanced cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein levels compared to normal and low OA Ob. A linear relationship was observed between endogenous PGE2 levels and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels in OA Ob. As parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PGE2 are known stimulators of IGF-1 production in Ob, we next evaluated their effect in OA Ob. Both subgroups increased their IGF-1 production similarly in response to PGE2, while the high OA subgroup showed a blunted response to PTH compared to the low OA group. Conversely, only the high OA group showed a significant inhibition of IGF-1 production when PGE2 synthesis was reduced with Naproxen, a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) that inhibits cyclooxygenases (COX). The PGE2-dependent stimulation of IGF-1 synthesis was due in part to the cAMP/protein kinase A pathway since both the direct inhibition of this pathway with H-89 and the inhibition of EP2 or EP4 receptors, linked to cAMP production, reduced IGF-1 synthesis. The production of the most abundant IGF-1 binding proteins (IGFBPs) in bone tissue, IGFBP-3, -4, and -5, was lower in OA compared to normal Ob independently of the OA group. Under basal condition, OA Ob expressed similar IGF-1 mRNA to normal Ob; however, PGE2 stimulated IGF-1 mRNA expression more in OA than normal Ob. These data suggest that increased IGF-1 levels correlate with elevated endogenous PGE2 levels in OA Ob and that higher IGF-1 levels in OA Ob could be important for bone sclerosis in OA.

  15. Expression and regulation of Icer mRNA in the Syrian hamster pineal gland.

    PubMed

    Diaz, Elena; Garidou, Marie-Laure; Dardente, Hugues; Salingre, Anthony; Pévet, Paul; Simonneaux, Valérie

    2003-04-10

    Inducible-cAMP early repressor (ICER) is a potent inhibitor of CRE (cAMP-related element)-driven gene transcription. In the rat pineal gland, it has been proposed to be part of the mechanisms involved in the shutting down of the transcription of the gene coding for arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT, the melatonin rhythm-generating enzyme). In this study, we report that ICER is expressed in the pineal gland of the photoperiodic rodent Syrian hamster although with some difference compared to the rat. In the Syrian hamster pineal, Icer mRNA levels, low at daytime, displayed a 20-fold increase during the night. Nighttime administration of a beta-adrenergic antagonist, propranolol, significantly reduced Icer mRNA levels although daytime administration of a beta-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, was unable to raise the low amount of Icer mRNA. These observations indicate that Icer mRNA expression is induced by the clock-driven norepinephrine release and further suggest that this stimulation is restricted to nighttime, as already observed for Aa-nat gene transcription. Furthermore, we found that the daily profile of Icer mRNA displayed photoperiodic variation with a lengthening of the nocturnal peak in short versus long photoperiod. These data indicate that ICER may be involved in both daily and seasonal regulation of melatonin synthesis in the Syrian hamster.

  16. Estrogenic environmental contaminants alter the mRNA abundance profiles of genes involved in gonadal differentiation of the American bullfrog

    PubMed Central

    Wolff, Stephanie E.; Veldhoen, Nik; Helbing, Caren C.; Ramirez, Claire A.; Malpas, Janae M.; Propper, Catherine R.

    2015-01-01

    Wildlife and human populations are exposed to anthropogenic mixtures of chemicals in the environment that may adversely influence normal reproductive function and development. We determined the effects of exposure to estrogenic chemicals and wastewater effluent (WWE) on developing gonads of the American bullfrog, Rana (Lithobates) catesbeiana, a species whose widespread distribution make it an ideal model for environmental monitoring for endocrine effects of chemical contaminants. Premetamorphic bullfrog tadpoles were exposed to treatment vehicle, 17β-estradiol (E2; 10−9 M) or 4-tert-octylphenol (OP; 10−9 M, 10−8 M, and 10−7 M). Additionally, gonadal differentiation was evaluated in bullfrog tadpoles from a WWE-containing site versus those from a reference location receiving no WWE. In both studies, phenotypic sex, steroidogenic factor-1 (nr5a1), and aromatase (cyp19a1) mRNA levels using quantitative real-time PCR were determined. Exposure to E2 or OP did not alter sex ratios. In controls, both nr5a1 and cyp19a1 transcript levels exhibited sexual dimorphism, with males demonstrating higher levels of nr5a1 and females greater abundance of cyp19a1. However, E2 exposure increased cyp19a1 mRNA abundance in testes and decreased levels in ovaries, eliminating the sexual dimorphism observed in controls. E2-exposed males exhibited increased nr5a1 transcript levels in the testes compared to controls, while females demonstrated no E2 effect. OP treatment had no effect on female cyp19a1 mRNA abundance, but exposure to 10−7 M OP increased testicular transcript levels. Treatment with 10−9 and 10−8 M OP, but not 10−7 M, resulted in decreased abundance of nr5a1 transcript in both ovaries and testes. Animals from the field had sexually dimorphic gonadal levels of cyp19a1, but both sexes from the WWE site exhibited elevated cyp19a1 transcript abundance compared to the reference location. Individual chemical compounds and anthropogenic wastewater effluent dispersed

  17. Leptin receptor mRNA in rat brain astrocytes

    PubMed Central

    Hsuchou, Hung; Pan, Weihong; Barnes, Maria J.; Kastin, Abba J.

    2009-01-01

    We recently reported that mouse astrocytes express leptin receptors (ObR), and that obesity induces upregulation of astrocytic ObR. To provide further evidence of the importance of astrocytic ObR expression, we performed double-labeling fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry in the rat hypothalamus. Laser confocal microscopic image analysis showed that ObR mRNA was present in glial fibrillary acidic protein (+) cells that show distinctive astrocytic morphology as well as in neurons. In addition to the presence of ObR mRNA, ObR protein was shown in both astrocytes and neurons in the rat hypothalamus by double-labeling immunohistochemistry. In cultured rat C6 astrocytoma cells treated with different doses of lipopolysaccharide for 6 h, the mRNA for ObRa or ObRb did not show significant changes, as measured by quantitative RT-PCR. However, the protein expression of both ObRa and ObRb, determined by western blotting, was increased after the C6 cells were treated with either lipopolysaccharide or tumor necrosis factor-α. The results indicate that astrocytic ObR expression is present in rats as well as mice, and that it probably plays a role in the neuroinflammatory response. PMID:19747514

  18. beta-catenin mediates insulin-like growth factor-I actions to promote cyclin D1 mRNA expression, cell proliferation and survival in oligodendroglial cultures.

    PubMed

    Ye, Ping; Hu, Qichen; Liu, Hedi; Yan, Yun; D'ercole, A Joseph

    2010-07-01

    By promoting cell proliferation, survival and maturation insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I is essential to the normal growth and development of the central nervous system. It is clear that IGF-I actions are primarily mediated by the type I IGF receptor (IGF1R), and that phosphoinositide 3 (PI3)-Akt kinases and MAP kinases signal many of IGF-I-IGF1R actions in neural cells, including oligodendrocyte lineage cells. The precise downstream targets of these signaling pathways, however, remain to be defined. We studied oligodendroglial cells to determine whether beta-catenin, a molecule that is a downstream target of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK3beta) and plays a key role in the Wnt canonical signaling pathway, mediates IGF-I actions. We found that IGF-I increases beta-catenin protein abundance within an hour after IGF-I-induced phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3beta. Inhibiting the PI3-Akt pathway suppressed IGF-I-induced increases in beta-catenin and cyclin D1 mRNA, while suppression of GSK3beta activity simulated IGF-I actions. Knocking-down beta-catenin mRNA by RNA interference suppressed IGF-I-stimulated increases in the abundance of cyclin D1 mRNA, cell proliferation, and cell survival. Our data suggest that beta-catenin is an important downstream molecule in the PI3-Akt-GSK3beta pathway, and as such it mediates IGF-I upregulation of cyclin D1 mRNA and promotion of cell proliferation and survival in oligodendroglial cells. Copyright 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  19. Detection of MMP-9 and TIMP-3 mRNA expression in the villi of patients undergoing early spontaneous abortion: A report of 30 cases.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Guangli; Qi, Yuxia

    2015-05-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor (TIMP)-3 expression with spontaneous abortion (SA) during early pregnancy. The villus tissues of 30 SA cases and 20 requested abortion cases were collected during surgery and constituted the SA and normal abortion (NA) groups, respectively. The total villous RNA was extracted and the expression levels of MMP -9 and TIMP-3 mRNA were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay to calculate the MMP-9/TIMP-3 mRNA ratio. The MMP-9 mRNA expression level and MMP-9/TIMP-3 mRNA ratio of the SA group were significantly higher than those of the NA group (P<0.01), while the TIMP-3 mRNA levels of the two groups were similar (P>0.05). The MMP-9 mRNA expression level of the SA group was higher than that of the NA group; thus, the MMP-9/TIMP-3 mRNA ratio was higher. These results suggest that the expression level of MMP-9 mRNA and the MMP-9/TIMP-3 mRNA ratio are associated with SA.

  20. The cellular growth rate controls overall mRNA turnover, and modulates either transcription or degradation rates of particular gene regulons.

    PubMed

    García-Martínez, José; Delgado-Ramos, Lidia; Ayala, Guillermo; Pelechano, Vicent; Medina, Daniel A; Carrasco, Fany; González, Ramón; Andrés-León, Eduardo; Steinmetz, Lars; Warringer, Jonas; Chávez, Sebastián; Pérez-Ortín, José E

    2016-05-05

    We analyzed 80 different genomic experiments, and found a positive correlation between both RNA polymerase II transcription and mRNA degradation with growth rates in yeast. Thus, in spite of the marked variation in mRNA turnover, the total mRNA concentration remained approximately constant. Some genes, however, regulated their mRNA concentration by uncoupling mRNA stability from the transcription rate. Ribosome-related genes modulated their transcription rates to increase mRNA levels under fast growth. In contrast, mitochondria-related and stress-induced genes lowered mRNA levels by reducing mRNA stability or the transcription rate, respectively. We also detected these regulations within the heterogeneity of a wild-type cell population growing in optimal conditions. The transcriptomic analysis of sorted microcolonies confirmed that the growth rate dictates alternative expression programs by modulating transcription and mRNA decay.The regulation of overall mRNA turnover keeps a constant ratio between mRNA decay and the dilution of [mRNA] caused by cellular growth. This regulation minimizes the indiscriminate transmission of mRNAs from mother to daughter cells, and favors the response capacity of the latter to physiological signals and environmental changes. We also conclude that, by uncoupling mRNA synthesis from decay, cells control the mRNA abundance of those gene regulons that characterize fast and slow growth. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  1. Promoter Variant-Dependent mRNA Expression of the MEF2A in Longissimus Dorsi Muscle in Cattle

    PubMed Central

    Starzyński, Rafał Radosław; Wicińska, Krystyna; Flisikowski, Krzysztof

    2012-01-01

    The myocyte enhancer factor 2A (MEF2A) gene encodes a member of the myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) protein family that is involved in vertebrate skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle development and differentiation during myogenesis. According to recent studies, MEF2 genes might be major regulators of postnatal skeletal muscle growth; thus, they are considered to be important, novel candidates for muscle development and body growth in farm animals. The aim of the present study was to search for polymorphisms in the bovine MEF2A gene and analyze their effect on the MEF2A mRNA expression level in the longissimus dorsi muscle of Polish Holstein-Fresian cattle. In total, 4094 bp of the whole coding sequence and the promoter region of MEF2A were re-sequenced in 30 animals, resulting in the detection of 6 novel variants as well as one previously reported SNP. Three linked mutations in the promoter region (-780T/G, g.-768T/G, and g.-222A/G) and only two genotypes were identified in two Polish breeds (TTA/TTA and TTA/GGG). Three SNPs in the coding region [g.1599G/A (421aa), g.1626G/A (429aa), and g.1641G/A (434aa)] appeared to be silent substitutions and segregated as two intragene haplotypes: GGG and AAA. Expression analysis showed that the mutations in the promoter region are highly associated with the MEF2A mRNA level in the longissimus dorsi muscle of bulls carrying two different genotypes. The higher MEF2A mRNA level was estimated in the muscle of bulls carrying the TTA/TTA (p<0.01) genotype as compared with those with TTA/GGG. The results obtained suggest that the nucleotide sequence mutation in MEF2A might be useful marker for body growth traits in cattle. PMID:22320864

  2. Alterations of type IV collagen alpha chains in patients with chronic acquired glomerulopathies: mRNA levels, protein expression and urinary loss.

    PubMed

    Sanna-Cherchi, Simone; Carnevali, Maria Luisa; Martorana, Davide; Cravedi, Paolo; Maggiore, Umberto; Alinovi, Rossella; Bovino, Achiropita; Mattei, Silvia; Orlandini, Guido; Gatti, Rita; Savi, Mario; Sado, Yoshikazu; Neri, Tauro M; Allegri, Landino

    2007-01-01

    Type IV collagen is a major structural component of the normal kidney glomerulus. However, its role in chronic acquired glomerulopathies has been only partially elucidated. Urinary levels of col(IV)alpha1, col(IV)alpha3 and col(IV)alpha5 collagen chains were analyzed in 107 patients with chronic acquired glomerulopathies. In a subgroup of 33 patients, tissue mRNA levels, protein expression and urinary excretion were evaluated for all col(IV)alpha chains, from col(IV)alpha1 to col(IV)alpha5. The renal specimens were examined to get a semiquantitative score of the acute and chronic activity of the histological lesions. Urines obtained from 13 healthy subjects and 10 normal renal tissue samples were used as controls. Urinary levels of col(IV)alpha1, col(IV)alpha3, col(IV)alpha5 chains were significantly higher in patients than in controls [p < 0.01 for all], while only col(IV)alpha1 and col(IV)alpha3 urinary excretion correlated with the degree of chronic histological damage [col(IV)alpha1 R = 0.44, p < 0.001; col(IV)alpha3: R = 0.47, p < 0.001]. Compared with controls, patients showed a renal expression of mRNA for col(IV)alpha5 chain significantly higher [p = 0.001], while having a significantly lower protein expression of col(IV)alpha3, col(IV)alpha4 and col(IV)alpha5 chains [p < 0.01 for all]. Patients with chronic acquired glomerulopathies show important alterations in the col(IV)alpha chain network mimicking some molecular features of the X-linked Alport's syndrome. Further studies are needed to show whether urinary levels of the col(IV)alpha chains may be used as markers for monitoring renal injury. Copyright 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  3. Role of miRNAs and alternative mRNA 3'-end cleavage and polyadenylation of their mRNA targets in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

    PubMed

    Soetanto, R; Hynes, C J; Patel, H R; Humphreys, D T; Evers, M; Duan, G; Parker, B J; Archer, S K; Clancy, J L; Graham, R M; Beilharz, T H; Smith, N J; Preiss, T

    2016-05-01

    miRNAs play critical roles in heart disease. In addition to differential miRNA expression, miRNA-mediated control is also affected by variable miRNA processing or alternative 3'-end cleavage and polyadenylation (APA) of their mRNA targets. To what extent these phenomena play a role in the heart remains unclear. We sought to explore miRNA processing and mRNA APA in cardiomyocytes, and whether these change during cardiac hypertrophy. Thoracic aortic constriction (TAC) was performed to induce hypertrophy in C57BL/6J mice. RNA extracted from cardiomyocytes of sham-treated, pre-hypertrophic (2 days post-TAC), and hypertrophic (7 days post-TAC) mice was subjected to small RNA- and poly(A)-test sequencing (PAT-Seq). Differential expression analysis matched expectations; nevertheless we identified ~400 mRNAs and hundreds of noncoding RNA loci as altered with hypertrophy for the first time. Although multiple processing variants were observed for many miRNAs, there was little change in their relative proportions during hypertrophy. PAT-Seq mapped ~48,000 mRNA 3'-ends, identifying novel 3' untranslated regions (3'UTRs) for over 7000 genes. Importantly, hypertrophy was associated with marked changes in APA with a net shift from distal to more proximal mRNA 3'-ends, which is predicted to decrease overall miRNA repression strength. We independently validated several examples of 3'UTR proportion change and showed that alternative 3'UTRs associate with differences in mRNA translation. Our work suggests that APA contributes to altered gene expression with the development of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and provides a rich resource for a systems-level understanding of miRNA-mediated regulation in physiological and pathological states of the heart. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Tethering of human Ago proteins to mRNA mimics the miRNA-mediated repression of protein synthesis.

    PubMed

    Pillai, Ramesh S; Artus, Caroline G; Filipowicz, Witold

    2004-10-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are approximately 21-nt-long RNAs involved in regulating development, differentiation, and other processes in eukaryotes. In metazoa, nearly all miRNAs control gene expression by imperfectly base-pairing with the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of target mRNAs and repressing protein synthesis by an unknown mechanism. It is also unknown whether miRNA-mRNA duplexes containing mismatches and bulges provide specific features that are recognized by factors mediating the repression. miRNAs form part of ribonucleoprotein complexes, miRNPs, that contain Argonaute (Ago) and other proteins. Here we demonstrate that effects of miRNAs on translation can be mimicked in human HeLa cells by the miRNA-independent tethering of Ago proteins to the 3'-UTR of a reporter mRNA. Inhibition of protein synthesis occurred without a change in the reporter mRNA level and was dependent on the number, but not the position, of the hairpins tethering hAgo2 to the 3'-UTR. These findings indicate that a primary function of miRNAs is to guide their associated proteins to the mRNA. Copyright 2004 RNA Society

  5. Down-regulation of L-type calcium channel and sarcoplasmic reticular Ca(2+)-ATPase mRNA in human atrial fibrillation without significant change in the mRNA of ryanodine receptor, calsequestrin and phospholamban: an insight into the mechanism of atrial electrical remodeling.

    PubMed

    Lai, L P; Su, M J; Lin, J L; Lin, F Y; Tsai, C H; Chen, Y S; Huang, S K; Tseng, Y Z; Lien, W P

    1999-04-01

    We investigated the gene expression of calcium-handling genes including L-type calcium channel, sarcoplasmic reticular calcium adenosine triphosphatase (Ca(2+)-ATPase), ryanodine receptor, calsequestrin and phospholamban in human atrial fibrillation. Recent studies have demonstrated that atrial electrical remodeling in atrial fibrillation is associated with intracellular calcium overload. However, the changes of calcium-handling proteins remain unclear. A total of 34 patients undergoing open heart surgery were included. Atrial tissue was obtained from the right atrial free wall, right atrial appendage, left atrial free wall and left atrial appendage, respectively. The messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) amount of the genes was measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and normalized to the mRNA levels of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The mRNA of L-type calcium channel and of Ca(2+)-ATPase was significantly decreased in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation for more than 3 months (0.36+/-0.26 vs. 0.90+/-0.88 for L-type calcium channel; 0.69+/-0.42 vs. 1.21+/-0.68 for Ca(2+)-ATPase; both p < 0.05, all data in arbitrary unit). We further demonstrated that there was no spatial dispersion of the gene expression among the four atrial tissue sampling sites. Age, gender and underlying cardiac disease had no significant effects on the gene expression. In contrast, the mRNA levels of ryanodine receptor, calsequestrin and phospholamban showed no significant change in atrial fibrillation. L-type calcium channel and the sarcoplasmic reticular Ca(2+)-ATPase gene were down-regulated in atrial fibrillation. These changes may be a consequence of, as well as a contributory factor for, atrial fibrillation.

  6. Self-amplifying mRNA vaccines.

    PubMed

    Brito, Luis A; Kommareddy, Sushma; Maione, Domenico; Uematsu, Yasushi; Giovani, Cinzia; Berlanda Scorza, Francesco; Otten, Gillis R; Yu, Dong; Mandl, Christian W; Mason, Peter W; Dormitzer, Philip R; Ulmer, Jeffrey B; Geall, Andrew J

    2015-01-01

    This chapter provides a brief introduction to nucleic acid-based vaccines and recent research in developing self-amplifying mRNA vaccines. These vaccines promise the flexibility of plasmid DNA vaccines with enhanced immunogenicity and safety. The key to realizing the full potential of these vaccines is efficient delivery of nucleic acid to the cytoplasm of a cell, where it can amplify and express the encoded antigenic protein. The hydrophilicity and strong net negative charge of RNA impedes cellular uptake. To overcome this limitation, electrostatic complexation with cationic lipids or polymers and physical delivery using electroporation or ballistic particles to improve cellular uptake has been evaluated. This chapter highlights the rapid progress made in using nonviral delivery systems for RNA-based vaccines. Initial preclinical testing of self-amplifying mRNA vaccines has shown nonviral delivery to be capable of producing potent and robust innate and adaptive immune responses in small animals and nonhuman primates. Historically, the prospect of developing mRNA vaccines was uncertain due to concerns of mRNA instability and the feasibility of large-scale manufacturing. Today, these issues are no longer perceived as barriers in the widespread implementation of the technology. Currently, nonamplifying mRNA vaccines are under investigation in human clinical trials and can be produced at a sufficient quantity and quality to meet regulatory requirements. If the encouraging preclinical data with self-amplifying mRNA vaccines are matched by equivalently positive immunogenicity, potency, and tolerability in human trials, this platform could establish nucleic acid vaccines as a versatile new tool for human immunization. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Growth Cone Localization of the mRNA Encoding the Chromatin Regulator HMGN5 Modulates Neurite Outgrowth

    PubMed Central

    Moretti, Francesca; Rolando, Chiara; Winker, Moritz; Ivanek, Robert; Rodriguez, Javier; Von Kriegsheim, Alex; Taylor, Verdon; Bustin, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Neurons exploit local mRNA translation and retrograde transport of transcription factors to regulate gene expression in response to signaling events at distal neuronal ends. Whether epigenetic factors could also be involved in such regulation is not known. We report that the mRNA encoding the high-mobility group N5 (HMGN5) chromatin binding protein localizes to growth cones of both neuron-like cells and of hippocampal neurons, where it has the potential to be translated, and that HMGN5 can be retrogradely transported into the nucleus along neurites. Loss of HMGN5 function induces transcriptional changes and impairs neurite outgrowth, while HMGN5 overexpression induces neurite outgrowth and chromatin decompaction; these effects are dependent on growth cone localization of Hmgn5 mRNA. We suggest that the localization and local translation of transcripts coding for epigenetic factors couple the dynamic neuronal outgrowth process with chromatin regulation in the nucleus. PMID:25825524

  8. Conditioned Fear Inhibits c-fos mRNA Expression in the Central Extended Amygdala

    PubMed Central

    Day, Heidi E.W.; Kryskow, Elisa M.; Nyhuis, Tara J.; Herlihy, Lauren; Campeau, Serge

    2008-01-01

    We have shown previously that unconditioned stressors inhibit neurons of the lateral/capsular division of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CEAl/c) and oval division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTov), which form part of the central extended amygdala. The current study investigated whether conditioned fear inhibits c-fos mRNA expression in these regions. Male rats were trained either to associate a visual stimulus (light) with footshock or were exposed to the light alone. After training, animals were replaced in the apparatus, and 2 hours later injected remotely, via a catheter, with amphetamine (2 mg/kg i.p.), to induce c-fos mRNA and allow inhibition of expression to be measured. The rats were then presented with 15 visual stimuli over a 30 minute period. As expected, fear conditioned animals that were not injected with amphetamine, had extremely low levels of c-fos mRNA in the central extended amygdala. In contrast, animals that were trained with the light alone (no fear conditioning) and were injected with amphetamine had high levels of c-fos mRNA in the CEAl/c and BSTov. Animals that underwent fear-conditioning, and were re-exposed to the conditioned stimulus after amphetamine injection had significantly reduced levels of c-fos mRNA in both the BSTov and CEAl/c, compared to the non-conditioned animals. These data suggest that conditioned fear can inhibit neurons of the central extended amygdala. Because these neurons are GABAergic, and project to the medial CEA (an amygdaloid output region), this may be a novel mechanism whereby conditioned fear potentiates amygdaloid output. PMID:18634767

  9. Effect of raclopride on dopamine D2 receptor mRNA expression in rat brain.

    PubMed

    Kopp, J; Lindefors, N; Brené, S; Hall, H; Persson, H; Sedvall, G

    1992-01-01

    Prolonged treatment with dopamine D2 receptor antagonists is known to elevate the density of dopamine D2 receptor binding sites in caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens in rat and human brain. In this study we used the dopamine D2 receptor antagonist raclopride (3 mumol/kg, s.c.) to determine if a single injection or daily administration of this drug for up to 18 days changed the expression of dopamine D2 receptor mRNA in rat caudate-putamen and accumbens as measured by in situ hybridization. A single injection of raclopride did not significantly change the numerical density of dopamine D2 receptor mRNA-expressing neurons in any of the regions examined. A daily administration of raclopride for 18 days resulted in a 31% increase in the number of cells expressing detectable amounts of dopamine D2 receptor mRNA in dorsolateral caudate-putamen and in a 20% increase in the area of silver grains over individual hybridization-positive neurons in this brain region measured on emulsion-dipped slides. The region-specific increase in the D2 receptor mRNA level in dorsolateral caudate-putamen was confirmed by measurement of the hybridization signal on X-ray film autoradiograms. The levels of D2 receptor mRNA remained unchanged in medial caudate-putamen and accumbens after 18 days' treatment. The region-selective increase in dopamine D2 receptor mRNA expression in dorsolateral caudate-putamen indicates a differential regulation of dopamine D2 receptor mRNA expression in a subpopulation of caudate-putamen neurons by this neuroleptic. We suggest that the increase in dopamine D2 receptor density in caudate-putamen known to follow prolonged dopamine D2 receptor blockade to some extent is regulated at the level of gene expression.

  10. Sex differences in spatiotemporal expression of AR, ERα, and ERβ mRNA in the perinatal mouse brain.

    PubMed

    Mogi, Kazutaka; Takanashi, Haruka; Nagasawa, Miho; Kikusui, Takefumi

    2015-01-01

    It has been shown that every masculinized function might be organized by a particular contribution of androgens vs. estrogens in a critical time window. Here, we aimed to investigate the sex differences in brain testosterone levels and in the spatiotemporal dynamics of steroid receptor mRNA expression in perinatal mice, by using enzyme immunoassay and real-time PCR, respectively. We found that testosterone levels in the forebrain transiently increased around birth in male mice. During the perinatal period, levels of androgen receptor mRNA in the hypothalamus (hypo) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) were higher in male mice than in female mice. Estrogen receptor α (ERα) mRNA levels in the hypo and hippocampus were higher in male mice than in female mice before birth. In contrast, ERβ mRNA expression in the PFC was higher in female mice immediately after birth. These spatiotemporal sex differences in steroid receptor expression might contribute to organizing sex differences of not only reproductive function, but also anxiety, stress responses, and cognition in mice. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Quantitative mRNA expression analysis of selected genes in patients with early-stage hypothyroidism induced by treatment with iodine-131.

    PubMed

    Guo, Kun; Gao, Rui; Yu, Yan; Zhang, Weixiao; Yang, Yuxuan; Yang, Aimin

    2015-11-01

    The present study aimed to investigate the molecular markers indicative of early-stage hypothyroidism induced by treatment with iodine-131, in order to assist in further investigations of radio iodine‑induced hypothyroidism. A total of 59 patients diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (male/female, 16/43; median age, 46.4 years) and 27 healthy subjects (male/female, 7/21; median age, 44.6 years) were included in the present study. All patients were treated with appropriate doses of iodine‑131 and, three months following treatment, the patients were subdivided into two groups: A group with early‑stage hypothyroidism symptoms, and a group with non‑early‑stage hypothyroidism, including euthyroid patients and patients remaining with hyperthyroidism. Tissue samples from the patients and healthy subjects were collected by fine needle biopsies, and the mRNA expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‑2), nuclear factor (NF)‑κB, Ku70, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), early growth response 1 (Egr‑1), TP53 and ataxia telangiectasia mutated were analyzed using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction prior to iodine‑131 treatment. The association of the variation of target genes with susceptibility to early‑stage hypothyroidism was analyzed. Compared with normal subjects, the mRNA expression levels of Ku70 (0.768, vs. 3.304, respectively; P<0.001) and EGFR (0.859, vs. 1.752, respectively; P<0.05) were significantly higher, whereas those of NF‑κB (0.884, vs. 0.578, respectively; P<0.05) and Bcl‑2 (1.235, vs. 0.834, respectively; P<0.05) were lower in the hyperthyroid patients. Following treatment with iodine‑131, 30 of the 59 (50.8%) patients with hyperthyroidism were diagnosed with early‑stage hypothyroidism, and in the early‑stage hypothyroidism group, the mRNA expression levels of Bcl‑2 were significantly decreased (P<0.05), whereas those of Egr‑1 (P<0.05) were significantly increased, compared with the non

  12. Neurotrophin-3 mRNA a putative target of miR21 following status epilepticus.

    PubMed

    Risbud, Rashmi M; Lee, Carolyn; Porter, Brenda E

    2011-11-18

    Status epilepticus induces a cascade of protein expression changes contributing to the subsequent development of epilepsy. By identifying the cascade of molecular changes that contribute to the development of epilepsy we hope to be able to design therapeutics for preventing epilepsy. MicroRNAs influence gene expression by altering mRNA stability and/or translation and have been implicated in the pathology of multiple diseases. MiR21 and its co-transcript miR21, microRNAs produced from either the 5' or 3' ends of the same precursor RNA strand, are increased in the hippocampus following status epilepticus. We have identified a miR21 binding site, in the 3' UTR of neurotrophin-3 that inhibits translation. Neurotrophin-3 mRNA levels decrease in the hippocampus following SE concurrent with the increase in miR21. MiR21 levels in cultured hippocampal neurons inversely correlate with neurotrophin-3 mRNA levels. Treatment of hippocampal neuronal cultures with excess K(+)Cl(-), a depolarizing agent mimicking the episode of status epilepticus, also results in an increase in miR21 and a decrease in neurotrophin-3 mRNA. MiR21 is a candidate for regulating neurotrophin-3 signaling in the hippocampus following status epilepticus. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Processing of the 5'-UTR and existence of protein factors that regulate translation of tobacco chloroplast psbN mRNA.

    PubMed

    Kuroda, Hiroshi; Sugiura, Masahiro

    2014-12-01

    The chloroplast psbB operon includes five genes encoding photosystem II and cytochrome b 6 /f complex components. The psbN gene is located on the opposite strand. PsbN is localized in the thylakoid and is present even in the dark, although its level increases upon illumination and then decreases. However, the translation mechanism of the psbN mRNA remains unclear. Using an in vitro translation system from tobacco chloroplasts and a green fluorescent protein as a reporter protein, we show that translation occurs from a tobacco primary psbN 5'-UTR of 47 nucleotides (nt). Unlike many other chloroplast 5'-UTRs, the psbN 5'-UTR has two processing sites, at -39 and -24 upstream from the initiation site. Processing at -39 enhanced the translation rate fivefold. In contrast, processing at -24 did not affect the translation rate. These observations suggest that the two distinct processing events regulate, at least in part, the level of PsbN during development. The psbN 5'-UTR has no Shine-Dalgarno (SD)-like sequence. In vitro translation assays with excess amounts of the psbN 5'-UTR or with deleted psbN 5'-UTR sequences demonstrated that protein factors are required for translation and that their binding site is an 18 nt sequence in the 5'-UTR. Mobility shift assays using 10 other chloroplast 5'-UTRs suggested that common or similar proteins are involved in translation of a set of mRNAs lacking SD-like sequences.

  14. A selective splicing variant of hepcidin mRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Toki, Yasumichi; Sasaki, Katsunori, E-mail: k-sasaki@asahikawa-med.ac.jp; Tanaka, Hiroki

    2016-08-05

    Hepcidin is a main regulator of iron metabolism, of which abnormal expression affects intestinal absorption and reticuloendothelial sequestration of iron by interacting with ferroportin. It is also noted that abnormal iron accumulation is one of the key factors to facilitate promotion and progression of cancer including hepatoma. By RT-PCR/agarose gel electrophoresis of hepcidin mRNA in a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HLF, a smaller mRNA band was shown in addition to the wild-type hepcidin mRNA. From sequencing analysis, this additional band was a selective splicing variant of hepcidin mRNA lacking exon 2 of HAMP gene, producing the transcript that encodes truncatedmore » peptide lacking 20 amino acids at the middle of preprohepcidin. In the present study, we used the digital PCR, because such a small amount of variant mRNA was difficult to quantitate by the conventional RT-PCR amplification. Among seven hepatoma-derived cell lines, six cell lines have significant copy numbers of this variant mRNA, but not in one cell line. In the transient transfection analysis of variant-type hepcidin cDNA, truncated preprohepcidin has a different character comparing with native preprohepcidin: its product is insensitive to digestion, and secreted into the medium as a whole preprohepcidin form without maturation. Loss or reduction of function of HAMP gene by aberrantly splicing may be a suitable phenomenon to obtain the proliferating advantage of hepatoma cells. - Highlights: • An aberrant splicing variant of hepcidin mRNA lacking exon 2 of HAMP gene. • Absolute quantification of hepcidin mRNA by digital PCR amplification. • Hepatoma-derived cell lines have significant copies of variant-type hepcidin mRNA. • Truncated preprohepcidin is secreted from cells without posttranslational cleavage.« less

  15. Paraoxonase-2 and paraoxonase-3: comparison of mRNA expressions in the placentae of unexplained intrauterine growth restricted and noncomplicated pregnancies.

    PubMed

    Dikbas, Levent; Yapca, Omer Erkan; Dikbas, Neslihan; Gundogdu, Cemal

    2017-05-01

    Recent evidence suggests that oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of many human diseases. It has been demonstrated that oxidative stress is associated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and the depletion of placental antioxidant systems has been suggested as a key factor in this disease. Our aims were to explore the possible role of antioxidant paraoxonase-2 (PON2) and paraoxonase-3 (PON3) in the pathophysiology of unexplained IUGR. We have studied the expression of mRNA for PON2, PON3 in placental tissues by using RT-qPCR. Two groups, consisting of normal (n = 18) and unexplained IUGR pregnancies (n = 20) were compared. Our results demonstrated that there were no significant differences in the mRNA expressions of PON2, PON3 between the two groups (p = 0.28, p = 0.90, respectively). PON2 and PON3 were down-regulated in IUGR. Antenatal steroid therapy had no effect on the expression mRNA in placentae of unexplained IUGR pregnancies compared to non-treated group. These results suggest that PON2, PON3 mRNA levels were not changed significantly in placentae of IUGR when compared to normal pregnant women.

  16. The Effect of Repeated Electroacupuncture Analgesia on Neurotrophic and Cytokine Factors in Neuropathic Pain Rats

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Junying; Duanmu, Chenlin; Feng, Xiumei; Yan, Yaxia

    2016-01-01

    Chronic pain is a common disability influencing quality of life. Results of previous studies showed that acupuncture has a cumulative analgesic effect, but the relationship with spinal cytokines neurotrophic factors released by astrocytes remains unknown. The present study was designed to observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) treatment on spinal cytokines neurotrophic factors in chronic neuropathic pain rats. The chronic neuropathic pain was established by chronic constrictive injury (CCI). EA treatment was applied at Zusanli (ST36) and Yanglingquan (GB34) (both bilateral) once a day, for 30 min. IL-1β mRNA, TNF-α mRNA, and IL-1 mRNA were detected by quantitative real-time PCR, and the proteins of BDNF, NGF, and NT3/4 were detected by Western blot. The expression levels of cytokines such as IL-1β mRNA, TNF-α mRNA, IL-6 mRNA, and neurotrophic factors such as BDNF, NGF, and NT3/4 in the spinal cord were increased significantly after CCI. The astrocytes released more IL-1β and BDNF after CCI. Repeated EA treatment could suppress the elevated expression of IL-1β mRNA, TNFα mRNA, and BDNF, NGF, and NT3/4 but had no effect on IL-6 mRNA. It is suggested that cytokines and neurotrophic factors which may be closely associated with astrocytes participated in the process of EA relieving chronic pain. PMID:27800006

  17. Fibroblast growth factor 8 is expressed at higher levels in lactating human breast and in breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Zammit, C; Coope, R; Gomm, J J; Shousha, S; Johnston, C L; Coombes, R C

    2002-04-08

    Fibroblast growth factor 8 can transform NIH3T3 cells and its expression has been found to be associated with breast and prostate cancer. Following our finding that fibroblast growth factor 8 mRNA expression is increased in breast cancer, we have undertaken an immunohistochemistry study of fibroblast growth factor 8 expression in a series of human breast tissues and other normal tissues. Our findings confirm increased expression of fibroblast growth factor 8 in malignant breast tissue but also show significant fibroblast growth factor 8 expression in non-malignant breast epithelial cells. No significant difference in fibroblast growth factor 8 expression was found between different grades of ductal carcinoma, lobular carcinoma and ductal carcinoma in-situ or cancer of different oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor or nodal status. The highest levels of fibroblast growth factor 8 expression were found in lactating breast tissues and fibroblast growth factor 8 was also detected in human milk. A survey of other normal tissues showed that fibroblast growth factor 8 is expressed in the proliferative cells of the dermis and epithelial cells in colon, ovary fallopian tube and uterus. Fibroblast growth factor 8 appears to be expressed in several organs in man and appears to have an importance in lactation.

  18. Vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor are potential angiogenic and metastatic factors in human breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Anan, K; Morisaki, T; Katano, M; Ikubo, A; Kitsuki, H; Uchiyama, A; Kuroki, S; Tanaka, M; Torisu, M

    1996-03-01

    Angiogenesis is a prerequisite for tumor growth and metastasis. Tumor angiogenesis may be mediated by several angiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor-alpha, and basic fibroblast growth factor. Differential mRNA expressions of VEGF, PDGF (A chain), transforming growth factor-alpha and basic fibroblast growth factor in 32 primary invasive breast tumors were examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. We analyzed relationships between mRNA expressions of these angiogenic factors and the degree of angiogenesis, tumor size, and metastasis. Quantification of angiogenesis was achieved by the immunohistochemical staining of endothelial cells with antibody to CD31. VEGF and PDGF-A mRNAs were expressed more frequently in breast tumors than in nontumor breast tissues, whereas no difference was found in expression frequency of either transforming growth factor-alpha or basic fibroblast growth factor mRNA. Vascular counts in tumors correlated with each expression frequency of VEGF and PDGF-A mRNA. PDGF-A mRNA was expressed more frequently in tumors with lymph node metastasis than in those without metastasis. Expression of VEGF and PDGF mRNAs detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in breast tumors correlates with tumor-related characteristics of angiogenesis and metastatic potential. Analysis of these mRNAs by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction may be useful for assessing the biologic behavior of a breast tumor before surgical treatment.

  19. The mTOR kinase inhibitor rapamycin decreases iNOS mRNA stability in astrocytes

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Reactive astrocytes are capable of producing a variety of pro-inflammatory mediators and potentially neurotoxic compounds, including nitric oxide (NO). High amounts of NO are synthesized following up-regulation of inducible NO synthase (iNOS). The expression of iNOS is tightly regulated by complex molecular mechanisms, involving both transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase modulates the activity of some proteins directly involved in post-transcriptional processes of mRNA degradation. mTOR is a serine-threonine kinase that plays an evolutionarily conserved role in the regulation of cell growth, proliferation, survival, and metabolism. It is also a key regulator of intracellular processes in glial cells. However, with respect to iNOS expression, both stimulatory and inhibitory actions involving the mTOR pathway have been described. In this study the effects of mTOR inhibition on iNOS regulation were evaluated in astrocytes. Methods Primary cultures of rat cortical astrocytes were activated with different proinflammatory stimuli, namely a mixture of cytokines (TNFα, IFNγ, and IL-1β) or by LPS plus IFNγ. Rapamycin was used at nM concentrations to block mTOR activity and under these conditions we measured its effects on the iNOS promoter, mRNA and protein levels. Functional experiments to evaluate iNOS activity were also included. Results In this experimental paradigm mTOR activation did not significantly affect astrocyte iNOS activity, but mTOR pathway was involved in the regulation of iNOS expression. Rapamycin did not display any significant effects under basal conditions, on either iNOS activity or its expression. However, the drug significantly increased iNOS mRNA levels after 4 h incubation in presence of pro-inflammatory stimuli. This stimulatory effect was transient, since no differences in either iNOS mRNA or protein levels were detected after 24 h. Interestingly, reduced levels of i

  20. Exaptive origins of regulated mRNA decay in eukaryotes.

    PubMed

    Hamid, Fursham M; Makeyev, Eugene V

    2016-09-01

    Eukaryotic gene expression is extensively controlled at the level of mRNA stability and the mechanisms underlying this regulation are markedly different from their archaeal and bacterial counterparts. We propose that two such mechanisms, nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) and motif-specific transcript destabilization by CCCH-type zinc finger RNA-binding proteins, originated as a part of cellular defense against RNA pathogens. These branches of the mRNA turnover pathway might have been used by primeval eukaryotes alongside RNA interference to distinguish their own messages from those of RNA viruses and retrotransposable elements. We further hypothesize that the subsequent advent of "professional" innate and adaptive immunity systems allowed NMD and the motif-triggered mechanisms to be efficiently repurposed for regulation of endogenous cellular transcripts. This scenario explains the rapid emergence of archetypical mRNA destabilization pathways in eukaryotes and argues that other aspects of post-transcriptional gene regulation in this lineage might have been derived through a similar exaptation route. © 2016 The Authors BioEssays Published by WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Circadian clock-dependent and -independent posttranscriptional regulation underlies temporal mRNA accumulation in mouse liver

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Jingkui; Yeung, Jake; Gobet, Cédric; Sobel, Jonathan; Lück, Sarah; Molina, Nacho; Naef, Felix

    2018-01-01

    The mammalian circadian clock coordinates physiology with environmental cycles through the regulation of daily oscillations of gene expression. Thousands of transcripts exhibit rhythmic accumulations across mouse tissues, as determined by the balance of their synthesis and degradation. While diurnally rhythmic transcription regulation is well studied and often thought to be the main factor generating rhythmic mRNA accumulation, the extent of rhythmic posttranscriptional regulation is debated, and the kinetic parameters (e.g., half-lives), as well as the underlying regulators (e.g., mRNA-binding proteins) are relatively unexplored. Here, we developed a quantitative model for cyclic accumulations of pre-mRNA and mRNA from total RNA-seq data, and applied it to mouse liver. This allowed us to identify that about 20% of mRNA rhythms were driven by rhythmic mRNA degradation, and another 15% of mRNAs regulated by both rhythmic transcription and mRNA degradation. The method could also estimate mRNA half-lives and processing times in intact mouse liver. We then showed that, depending on mRNA half-life, rhythmic mRNA degradation can either amplify or tune phases of mRNA rhythms. By comparing mRNA rhythms in wild-type and Bmal1−/− animals, we found that the rhythmic degradation of many transcripts did not depend on a functional BMAL1. Interestingly clock-dependent and -independent degradation rhythms peaked at distinct times of day. We further predicted mRNA-binding proteins (mRBPs) that were implicated in the posttranscriptional regulation of mRNAs, either through stabilizing or destabilizing activities. Together, our results demonstrate how posttranscriptional regulation temporally shapes rhythmic mRNA accumulation in mouse liver. PMID:29432155

  2. mRNA–mRNA duplexes that auto-elicit Staufen1-mediated mRNA decay

    PubMed Central

    Gong, Chenguang; Tang, Yalan; Maquat, Lynne E.

    2013-01-01

    We report a new mechanism by which human mRNAs crosstalk: an Alu element in the 3'-untranslated region (3' UTR) of one mRNA can base-pair with a partially complementary Alu element in the 3' UTR of a different mRNA thereby creating a Staufen1 (STAU1)-binding site (SBS). STAU1 binding to a 3' UTR SBS was previously shown to trigger STAU1-mediated mRNA decay (SMD) by directly recruiting the ATP-dependent RNA helicase UPF1, which is also a key factor in the mechanistically related nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway. In the case of a 3' UTR SBS created via mRNA–mRNA base-pairing, we show that SMD targets both mRNAs in the duplex provided that both mRNAs are translated. If only one mRNA is translated, then it alone is targeted for SMD. We demonstrate the importance of mRNA–mRNA-triggered SMD to the processes of cell migration and invasion. PMID:24056942

  3. Yak response to high-altitude hypoxic stress by altering mRNA expression and DNA methylation of hypoxia-inducible factors.

    PubMed

    Xiong, Xianrong; Fu, Mei; Lan, Daoliang; Li, Jian; Zi, Xiangdong; Zhong, Jincheng

    2015-01-01

    Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are oxygen-dependent transcriptional activators, which play crucial roles in tumor angiogenesis and mammalian development, and regulate the transcription of genes involved in oxygen homeostasis in response to hypoxia. However, information on HIF-1α and HIF-2α in yak (Bos grunniens) is scarce. The complete coding region of yak HIF-2α was cloned, its mRNA expression in several tissues were determined, and the expression levels were compared with those of closely related low-altitude cattle (Bos taurus), and the methylation status of promoter regions were analyzed to better understand the roles of HIF-1α and HIF-2α in domesticated yak. The yak HIF-2α cDNA was cloned and sequenced in the present work reveals the evolutionary conservation through multiple sequence alignment, although 15 bases changed, resulting in 8 amino acid substitutions in the translated proteins in cattle. The tissue-specific expression results showed that HIF-1α is ubiquitously expressed, whereas HIF-2α expression is limited to endothelial tissues (kidney, heart, lung, spleen, and liver) and blood in yak. Both HIF-1α and HIF-2α expressions were higher in yak tissues than in cattle. The HIF-1α expression level is much higher in yak than cattle in these organs, except for the lung (P < 0.05), but the HIF-2α gene is significantly different in the heart, spleen, and kidney (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the methylation levels in the 5' flanking regulatory regions of HIF-1α and HIF-2α in yak kidney were significantly decreased than cattle counterparts (P < 0.05). Identifying these genes and the comparison of different expressions facilitates the understanding of the biological high-altitude hypoxic stress response mechanism and may assist current medical research to understand hypoxia-related diseases.

  4. mRNA export: threading the needle

    PubMed Central

    Gaouar, Ouassila; Germain, Hugo

    2013-01-01

    After mRNA biogenesis, several proteins interact with the messenger to ensure its proper export to the cytoplasm. Some of these proteins will bind RNA early on, at the onset of transcription by RNA polymerase II holoenzyme, while others will join later for downstream processing steps, such as poly-adenylation or splicing, or may direct mRNA ribonucleoprotein particle migration to the nucleopore. We recently discovered that Arabidopsis plant knockout for the protein MOS11 (MODIFIER OF SNC1, 11) partially suppresses autoimmune responses observed in the TNL-type [TIR/NBS/LRR (Toll-interleukin-like receptor/nucleotide-binding site/C-terminal leucine-rich repeat)] R gene gain-of-function variant snc1 (suppressor of npr1-1, constitutive 1). This suppression of resistance to pathogens appears to be caused by a decrease in nuclear mRNA export in mos11-1 snc1 plants. In humans, the putative ortholog of MOS11, CIP29 (29-kDa cytokine-induced protein), interacts with three proteins that are also involved in mRNA export: DDX39 (DEAD-box RNA helicase), TAF15 of the FUS family (FUSED IN SARCOMA), and ALY (ALWAYS EARLY), a protein implicated in mRNA export in mammalian systems. These proteins have received very little attention in plants. Here, we will discuss their particularities and role in mRNA export and biotic stress. PMID:23526740

  5. Subchronic cadmium exposure upregulates the mRNA level of genes associated to hepatic lipid metabolism in adult female CD1 mice.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jun; Wang, Yan; Fu, Lin; Feng, Yu-Jie; Ji, Yan-Li; Wang, Hua; Xu, De-Xiang

    2018-07-01

    Cadmium (Cd) is a persistent environmental and occupational contaminant that accumulates in humans and shows adverse effects on health. Accumulating evidence reveals that environmental Cd exposure is associated with hepatic lipid accumulation and metabolic alterations in adult male mice. However, whether Cd exposure induces hepatic lipid accumulation and metabolic alterations in female mice remains poorly understood. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of Cd exposure on insulin resistance, hepatic lipid accumulation and associated metabolic pathways. Female CD1 mice were administrated with CdCl 2 (10 and 100 mg l -1 ) by drinking water. We found that Cd exposure did not induce obesity, insulin resistance and hepatic lipid accumulation. By contrary, mice in the Cd-100 mg l -1 group presented a significant reduction of the glucose area under the curve during the glucose tolerance test. However, there was a significant elevation in the mRNA level of Fasn and Scd-1, which were critical genes during hepatic fatty acid synthesis. Moreover, hepatic Fabp1 and Fabp4, two genes for hepatic fatty acid uptake were upregulated in Cd-treated mice. Of interest, Lpl, a key gene for hepatic lipoprotein lysis, was also upregulated in Cd-treated mice. Collectively, our results suggest that Cd exposure upregulated mRNA level of genes related to hepatic lipid metabolism although there was no insulin resistance and hepatic lipid accumulation shown in the present study. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Testosterone Regulates NUCB2 mRNA Expression in Male Mouse Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland

    PubMed Central

    Seon, Sojeong; Jeon, Daun; Kim, Heejeong; Chung, Yiwa; Choi, Narae; Yang, Hyunwon

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Nesfatin-1/NUCB2 is known to take part in the control of the appetite and energy metabolism. Recently, many reports have shown nesfatin-1/NUCB2 expression and function in various organs. We previously demonstrated that nesfatin-1/NUCB2 expression level is higher in the pituitary gland compared to other organs and its expression is regulated by 17β-estradiol and progesterone secreted from the ovary. However, currently no data exist on the expression of nesfatin-1/NUCB2 and its regulation mechanism in the pituitary of male mouse. Therefore, we examined whether nesfatin-1/NUCB2 is expressed in the male mouse pituitary and if its expression is regulated by testosterone. As a result of PCR and western blotting, we found that a large amount of nesfatin-1/NUCB2 was expressed in the pituitary and hypothalamus. The NUCB2 mRNA expression level in the pituitary was decreased after castration, but not in the hypothalamus. In addition, its mRNA expression level in the pituitary was increased after testosterone treatment in the castrated mice, whereas, the expression level in the hypothalamus was significantly decreased after the treatment with testosterone. The in vitro experiment to elucidate the direct effect of testosterone on NUCB2 mRNA expression showed that NUCB2 mRNA expression was significantly decreased with testosterone in cultured hypothalamus tissue, but increased with testosterone in cultured pituitary gland. The present study demonstrated that nesfatin-1/NUCB2 was highly expressed in the male mouse pituitary and was regulated by testosterone. This data suggests that reproductive-endocrine regulation through hypothalamus-pituitary-testis axis may contribute to NUCB2 mRNA expression in the mouse hypothalamus and pituitary gland. PMID:28484746

  7. Arsenic Induces Polyadenylation of Canonical Histone mRNA by Down-regulating Stem-Loop-binding Protein Gene Expression*

    PubMed Central

    Brocato, Jason; Fang, Lei; Chervona, Yana; Chen, Danqi; Kiok, Kathrin; Sun, Hong; Tseng, Hsiang-Chi; Xu, Dazhong; Shamy, Magdy; Jin, Chunyuan; Costa, Max

    2014-01-01

    The replication-dependent histone genes are the only metazoan genes whose messenger RNA (mRNA) does not terminate with a poly(A) tail at the 3′-end. Instead, the histone mRNAs display a stem-loop structure at their 3′-end. Stem-loop-binding protein (SLBP) binds the stem-loop and regulates canonical histone mRNA metabolism. Here we report that exposure to arsenic, a carcinogenic metal, decreased cellular levels of SLBP by inducing its proteasomal degradation and inhibiting SLBP transcription via epigenetic mechanisms. Notably, arsenic exposure dramatically increased polyadenylation of canonical histone H3.1 mRNA possibly through down-regulation of SLBP expression. The polyadenylated H3.1 mRNA induced by arsenic was not susceptible to normal degradation that occurs at the end of S phase, resulting in continued presence into mitosis, increased total H3.1 mRNA, and increased H3 protein levels. Excess expression of canonical histones have been shown to increase sensitivity to DNA damage as well as increase the frequency of missing chromosomes and induce genomic instability. Thus, polyadenylation of canonical histone mRNA following arsenic exposure may contribute to arsenic-induced carcinogenesis. PMID:25266719

  8. Insulin Signaling Augments eIF4E-Dependent Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay in Mammalian Cells.

    PubMed

    Park, Jungyun; Ahn, Seyoung; Jayabalan, Aravinth K; Ohn, Takbum; Koh, Hyun Chul; Hwang, Jungwook

    2016-07-01

    Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) modulates the level of mRNA harboring a premature termination codon (PTC) in a translation-dependent manner. Inhibition of translation is known to impair NMD; however, few studies have investigated the correlation between enhanced translation and increased NMD. Here, we demonstrate that insulin signaling events increase translation, leading to an increase in NMD of eIF4E-bound transcripts. We provide evidence that (i) insulin-mediated enhancement of translation augments NMD and rapamycin abrogates this enhancement; (ii) an increase in AKT phosphorylation due to inhibition of PTEN facilitates NMD; (iii) insulin stimulation increases the binding of up-frameshift factor 1 (UPF1), most likely to eIF4E-bound PTC-containing transcripts; and (iv) insulin stimulation induces the colocalization of UPF1 and eIF4E in processing bodies. These results illustrate how extracellular signaling promotes the removal of eIF4E-bound NMD targets. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Protein structure and the sequential structure of mRNA: alpha-helix and beta-sheet signals at the nucleotide level.

    PubMed

    Brunak, S; Engelbrecht, J

    1996-06-01

    A direct comparison of experimentally determined protein structures and their corresponding protein coding mRNA sequences has been performed. We examine whether real world data support the hypothesis that clusters of rare codons correlate with the location of structural units in the resulting protein. The degeneracy of the genetic code allows for a biased selection of codons which may control the translational rate of the ribosome, and may thus in vivo have a catalyzing effect on the folding of the polypeptide chain. A complete search for GenBank nucleotide sequences coding for structural entries in the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank produced 719 protein chains with matching mRNA sequence, amino acid sequence, and secondary structure assignment. By neural network analysis, we found strong signals in mRNA sequence regions surrounding helices and sheets. These signals do not originate from the clustering of rare codons, but from the similarity of codons coding for very abundant amino acid residues at the N- and C-termini of helices and sheets. No correlation between the positioning of rare codons and the location of structural units was found. The mRNA signals were also compared with conserved nucleotide features of 16S-like ribosomal RNA sequences and related to mechanisms for maintaining the correct reading frame by the ribosome.

  10. CELFish ways to modulate mRNA decay

    PubMed Central

    St. Louis, Irina Vlasova; Dickson, Alexa M.; Bohjanen, Paul R.; Wilusz, Carol J.

    2013-01-01

    The CELF family of RNA-binding proteins regulates many steps of mRNA metabolism. Although their best characterized function is in pre-mRNA splice site choice, CELF family members are also powerful modulators of mRNA decay. In this review we focus on the different modes of regulation that CELF proteins employ to mediate mRNA decay by binding to GU-rich elements. After starting with an overview of the importance of CELF proteins during development and disease pathogenesis, we then review the mRNA networks and cellular pathways these proteins regulate and the mechanisms by which they influence mRNA decay. Finally, we discuss how CELF protein activity is modulated during development and in response to cellular signals. We conclude by highlighting the priorities for new experiments in this field. PMID:23328451

  11. Gnrh mRNA expression in the brain of cooperatively breeding female Damaraland mole-rats.

    PubMed

    Voigt, Cornelia; Bennett, Nigel C

    2017-04-01

    The Damaraland mole-rat ( Fukomys damarensis ) is a eusocial, subterranean rodent, in which breeding is limited to a single reproductive pair within each colony. Non-reproductive females, while in the confines of the colony, exhibit socially induced infertility. Anovulation is thought to be caused by a disruption in the normal gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GNRH) secretion from the hypothalamus. To assess whether social suppression is associated with altered Gnrh mRNA expression in the brain, we investigated the distribution and gene expression levels by means of in situ hybridization in female breeders and non-breeders from field captured colonies of the Damaraland mole-rat. We found expression of Gnrh mRNA as a loose network in several forebrain areas of female Damaraland mole-rats with the majority of labelling in the preoptic and anterior hypothalamus. The distribution matched previous findings using immunocytochemistry in this and other social mole-rat species. Quantification of the hybridisation signal revealed no difference between breeding and non-breeding females in the average optical density of the hybridization signal and the size of the total area covered by Gnrh mRNA. However, analysis along the rostro-caudal axis revealed significantly elevated Gnrh mRNA expression in the rostral preoptic region of breeders compared to non-breeders, whereas the latter had increased Gnrh mRNA expression at the caudal level of the anterior hypothalamus. This study indicates that social suppression affects the expression of Gnrh mRNA in female Damaraland mole-rats. Furthermore, differential regulation occurs within different neuron subpopulations. © 2017 Society for Reproduction and Fertility.

  12. Sodium 4-phenylbutyrate downregulates HSC70 expression by facilitating mRNA degradation.

    PubMed

    Rubenstein, R C; Lyons, B M

    2001-07-01

    Intracellular trafficking of the DeltaF508 cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is repaired by sodium 4-phenylbutyrate (4PBA) by an undetermined mechanism. 4PBA downregulates protein and mRNA expression of the heat shock cognate protein HSC70 (the constitutively expressed member of the 70-kDa heat shock protein family) by approximately 40-50% and decreases formation of a HSC70-DeltaF508 CFTR complex that may be important in the intracellular degradation of DeltaF508 CFTR. We examined the potential mechanisms by which 4PBA decreases HSC70 mRNA and protein expression. In IB3-1 cells, 1 mM 4PBA did not alter the activity of the Chinese hamster ovary HSC70 promoter or of a human HSC70 promoter fragment in luciferase reporter assays nor did it alter HSC70 mRNA synthesis in nuclear runoff assays. In contrast, preincubation with 4PBA increased the rate of HSC70 mRNA degradation by approximately 40%. The initial rate of 35S-HSC70 protein synthesis in 4PBA-treated IB3-1 cells was reduced by approximately 40%, consistent with the steady-state mRNA level, whereas its rate of degradation was unaltered by 4PBA. 4PBA also reduced the steady-state accumulation of (35)S-HSC70 by approximately 40%. These data suggest that 4PBA decreases the expression of HSC70 mRNA and protein by inducing cellular adaptations that result in the decreased stability of HSC70 mRNA.

  13. RNA-binding Protein Immunoprecipitation (RIP) to Examine AUF1 Binding to Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP) Factor mRNA

    PubMed Central

    Alspach, Elise; Stewart, Sheila A.

    2016-01-01

    Immunoprecipitation and subsequent isolation of nucleic acids allows for the investigation of protein:nucleic acid interactions. RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) is used for the analysis of protein interactions with mRNA. Combining RIP with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) further enhances the RIP technique by allowing for the quantitative assessment of RNA-binding protein interactions with their target mRNAs, and how these interactions change in different cellular settings. Here, we describe the immunoprecipitation of the RNA-binding protein AUF1 with several different factors associated with the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) (Alspach and Stewart, 2013), specifically IL6 and IL8. This protocol was originally published in Alspach et al. (2014). PMID:27453911

  14. Changes in beta-actin mRNA expression in remodeling canine myocardium.

    PubMed

    Carlyle, W C; Toher, C A; Vandervelde, J R; McDonald, K M; Homans, D C; Cohn, J N

    1996-01-01

    Beta-actin, a cytoskeletal protein important in the maintenance of cytoarchitecture, has long been thought to be expressed constitutively in myocardial tissue. As such, beta-actin mRNA has been used as a control gene in a wide range of experiments. However, we have uncovered consistent changes in beta-actin mRNA expression in canine myocardium remodeling as a result of insult to the left ventricle. The experimental canine models used were either DC shock damage to the left ventricle or volume overload resulting from severe mitral regurgitation. The remodeling process in both canine models is characterized by an increase in left ventricular mass. PCR amplification using primers designed to selectively amplify the 3' end and a portion of the 3' untranslated region of beta-actin mRNA resulted in the generation of a 297 base pair product predominant only in normal canine myocardium and a 472 base pair product that became increasingly prominent from 1 to 30 days after DC shock damage to the left ventricle and from 10 to 90 days after creation of mitral regurgitation. Northern analysis showed a three-fold increase in beta-actin mRNA after either DC shock or creation of mitral regurgitation. Western analysis revealed an early increase in beta-actin protein followed by an apparent decrease to below baseline levels. These observations suggest that changes in beta-actin mRNA expression accompany the structural alterations that occur in response to myocardial damage. Whether or not the changes in beta-actin mRNA expression play a role in mediating these structural alterations remains to be determined.

  15. Determining if an mRNA is a Substrate of Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    PubMed

    Johansson, Marcus J O

    2017-01-01

    Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a conserved eukaryotic quality control mechanism which triggers decay of mRNAs harboring premature translation termination codons. In this chapter, I describe methods for monitoring the influence of NMD on mRNA abundance and decay rates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The descriptions include detailed methods for growing yeast cells, total RNA isolation, and Northern blotting. Although the chapter focuses on NMD, the methods can be easily adapted to assess the effect of other mRNA decay pathways.

  16. Cross-generational trans fat intake modifies BDNF mRNA in the hippocampus: Impact on memory loss in a mania animal model.

    PubMed

    Trevizol, Fabíola; Dias, Verônica T; Roversi, Katiane; Barcelos, Raquel C S; Kuhn, Fábio T; Roversi, Karine; Pase, Camila S; Golombieski, Ronaldo; Veit, Juliana C; Piccolo, Jaqueline; Emanuelli, Tatiana; Rocha, João B T; Bürger, Marilise E

    2015-05-01

    Recently, we have described the influence of dietary fatty acids (FA) on mania-like behavior of first generation animals. Here, two sequential generations of female rats were supplemented with soybean oil (SO, rich in n-6 FA, control group), fish oil (FO, rich in n-3 FA) and hydrogenated vegetable fat (HVF, rich in trans FA) from pregnancy and during lactation. In adulthood, half of each group was exposed to an amphetamine (AMPH)-induced mania animal model for behavioral, biochemical and molecular assessments. FO supplementation was associated with lower reactive species (RS) generation and protein carbonyl (PC) levels and increased dopamine transporter (DAT) levels, while HVF increased RS and PC levels, thus decreasing catalase (CAT) activity and DAT levels in hippocampus after AMPH treatment. AMPH impaired short- (1 h) and long- (24 h) term memory in the HVF group. AMPH exposure was able to reduce hippocampal BDNF- mRNA expression, which was increased in FO. While HVF was related to higher trans FA (TFA) incorporation in hippocampus, FO was associated with increased percentage of n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) together with lower n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio. Interestingly, our data showed a positive correlation between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA and short- and long-term memory (r(2)  = 0.53; P = 0.000/r(2)  = 0.32; P = 0.011, respectively), as well as a negative correlation between PC and DAT levels (r(2)  = 0.23; P = 0.015). Our findings confirm that provision of n-3 or TFA during development over two generations is able to change the neuronal membrane lipid composition, protecting or impairing the hippocampus, respectively, thus affecting neurothrophic factor expression such as BDNF mRNA. In this context, chronic consumption of trans fats over two generations can facilitate the development of mania-like behavior, so leading to memory impairment and emotionality, which are related to neuropsychiatric conditions. © 2014 Wiley

  17. p62/SQSTM1 enhances breast cancer stem-like properties by stabilizing MYC mRNA

    PubMed Central

    Xu, L-Z; Li, S-S; Zhou, W; Kang, Z-J; Zhang, Q-X; Kamran, M; Xu, J; Liang, D-P; Wang, C-L; Hou, Z-J; Wan, X-B; Wang, H-J; Lam, E W-F; Zhao, Z-W; Liu, Q

    2017-01-01

    Aberrant p62 overexpression has been implicated in breast cancer development. Here, we found that p62 expression was elevated in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), including CD44+CD24− fractions, mammospheres, ALDH1+ populations and side population cells. Indeed, short-hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown of p62 impaired breast cancer cells from self-renewing under anchorage-independent conditions, whereas ectopic overexpression of p62 enhanced the self-renewal ability of breast cancer cells in vitro. Genetic depletion of p62 robustly inhibited tumor-initiating frequencies, as well as growth rates of BCSC-derived tumor xenografts in immunodeficient mice. Consistently, immunohistochemical analysis of clinical breast tumor tissues showed that high p62 expression levels were linked to poorer clinical outcome. Further gene expression profiling analysis revealed that p62 was positively correlated with MYC expression level, which mediated the function of p62 in promoting breast cancer stem-like properties. MYC mRNA level was reduced upon p62 deletion by siRNA and increased with p62 overexpression in breast cancer cells, suggesting that p62 positively regulated MYC mRNA. Interestingly, p62 did not transactivate MYC promoter. Instead, p62 delayed the degradation of MYC mRNA by repressing the expression of let-7a and let-7b, thus promoting MYC mRNA stabilization at the post-transcriptional level. Consistently, let-7a and let-7b mimics attenuated p62-mediated MYC mRNA stabilization. Together, these findings unveiled a previously unappreciated role of p62 in the regulation of BCSCs, assigning p62 as a promising therapeutic target for breast cancer treatments. PMID:27345399

  18. Nitric oxide signaling pathway regulates potassium chloride cotransporter-1 mRNA expression in vascular smooth muscle cells.

    PubMed

    Di Fulvio, M; Lauf, P K; Adragna, N C

    2001-11-30

    Rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) express at least two mRNAs for K-Cl cotransporters (KCC): KCC1 and KCC3. cGMP-dependent protein kinase I regulates KCC3 mRNA expression in these cells. Here, we show evidence implicating the nitric oxide (NO)/cGMP signaling pathway in the expression of KCC1 mRNA, considered to be the major cell volume regulator. VSMCs, expressing soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) and PKG-I isoforms showed a time- and concentration-dependent increase in KCC1 mRNA levels after treatment with sodium nitroprusside as demonstrated by semiquantitative RT-PCR. sGC-dependent regulation of KCC1 mRNA expression was confirmed using YC-1, a NO-independent sGC stimulator. The sGC inhibitor LY83583 blocked the effects of sodium nitroprusside and YC-1. Moreover, 8-Br-cGMP increased KCC1 mRNA expression in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion. The 8-Br-cGMP effect was partially blocked by KT5823 but not by actinomycin D. However, actinomycin D and cycloheximide increased basal KCC1 mRNA in an additive manner, suggesting different mechanisms of action for both drugs. These findings suggest that in VSMCs, the NO/cGMP-signaling pathway participates in KCC1 mRNA regulation at the post-transcriptional level.

  19. Cykotine mRNA expression in mouse retina after laser injury by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schuschereba, Steven T.; Bowman, Phillip D.; Ujimore, Veronica; Hoxie, Stephen W.; Pizarro, Jose M.; Cross, Michael E.; Lund, David J.

    1996-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify cytokines produced by the retina after laser injury. With the aid of a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO), right eyes of mice received lesions from a continuous wave argon laser. Left eyes served as unirradiated controls. At 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hr after laser irradiation groups of 3 mice were euthanized and retinas fixed for histology or isolated for RNA. Messenger RNA (mRNA) was reverse-transcribed into complementary DNA (cDNA) and subjected to polymerase chain reaction for the following cytokines: tumor necrosis factor-(alpha) (TNF-(alpha) ), interleukin-1(alpha) /(Beta) (IL- 1(alpha) /(Beta) ), interleukin-6 (IL-6), transforming growth factor-(Beta) 1 (TGF- (Beta) 1), macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH). Histologically, lesions were confined to the photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium, and choroid. In laser-injured retinas, mRNA levels were elevated for IL-1(alpha) , TGF-(Beta) 1, iNOS, and G3PDH, but not TNF-(alpha) , IL-1(Beta) , or IL-6. It appears that the retina, in response to laser injury, upregulates a select number of cytokines in a time-course dependent fashion.

  20. Expression of the genes for insulin-like growth factors and their receptors in bone during skeletal growth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bikle, D. D.; Harris, J.; Halloran, B. P.; Roberts, C. T.; Leroith, D.; Morey-Holton, E.

    1994-01-01

    Insulin-like growth factors (IGF) are important regulators of skeletal growth. To determine whether the capacity to produce and respond to these growth factors changes during skeletal development, we measured the protein and mRNA levels for IGF-I, IGF-II, and their receptors (IGF-IR and IGF-IIR, respectively) in the tibia and femur of rats before and up to 28 mo after birth. The mRNA levels remained high during fetal development but fell after birth, reaching a nadir by 3-6 wk. This fall was most pronounced for IGF-II and IGF-IIR mRNA and least pronounced for IGF-I mRNA. However, after 6 wk, both IGF-I and IGF-IR mRNA levels recovered toward the levels observed at birth. In the prenatal bones, the signals for the mRNAs of IGF-II and IGF-IIR were stronger than the signals for the mRNAs of IGF-I and IGF-IR, although the content of IGF-I was three- to fivefold greater than that of IGF-II. IGF-II levels fell postnatally, whereas the IGF-I content rose after birth such that the ratio IGF-I/IGF-II continued to increase with age. We conclude that, during development, rat bone changes its capacity to produce and respond to IGFs with a progressive trend toward the dominance of IGF-I.

  1. Associations of ACE Gene Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism, ACE Activity, and ACE mRNA Expression with Hypertension in a Chinese Population

    PubMed Central

    He, Qingfang; Fan, Chunhong; Yu, Min; Wallar, Gina; Zhang, Zuo-Feng; Wang, Lixin; Zhang, Xinwei; Hu, Ruying

    2013-01-01

    Background The present study was designed to explore the association of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D, rs4646994) polymorphism, plasma ACE activity, and circulating ACE mRNA expression with essential hypertension (EH) in a Chinese population. In addition, a new detection method for circulating ACE mRNA expression was explored. Methods The research was approved by the ethics committee of Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control. Written informed consent was obtained prior to the investigation. 221 hypertensives (cases) and 221 normotensives (controls) were interviewed, subjected to a physical examination, and provided blood for biochemical and genetic tests. The ACE mRNA expression was analyzed by real time fluorescent quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (FQ-RT-PCR). We performed logistic regression to assess associations of ACE I/D genotypes, ACE activity, and ACE mRNA expression levels with hypertension. Results The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the additive model (ID, DD versus II) of the ACE genotype revealed an association with hypertension with adjusted OR of 1.43(95% CI: 1.04-1.97), and ACE ID genotype with adjusted OR of 1.72(95% CI: 1.01-2.92), DD genotype with adjusted OR of 1.94(95% CI: 1.01-3.73), respectively. In addition, our data also indicate that plasma ACE activity (adjusted OR was 1.13(95% CI: 1.08-1.18)) was significantly related to hypertension. However, the plasma ACE mRNA expressions were not different between the cases and controls. Conclusion ACE I/D polymorphism and ACE activity revealed significant influence on hypertension, while circulating ACE mRNA expression was not important factors associated with hypertension in this Chinese population. The detection of circulating ACE mRNA expression by FQ-RT-PCR might be a useful method for early screening and monitoring of EH. PMID:24098401

  2. [Houttuynia Cordata induces expression of human beta-defensin-2 mRNA in pulmonary epithelial cells in vitro].

    PubMed

    Luo, Li; Dong, Bi-rong; Teng, Li-hua

    2008-07-01

    To explore the effects of Houttuynia Cordata on expression of human beta-defensin-2 (HBD-2) in pulmonary epithelial cells (SPC-A-1) in vitro; and to observe the correlationship between the level of HBD-2 mRNA and the concentrations or treatment times of Houttuynia Cordata. The SPC-A-1 cells were cultured with different concentrations of Houttuynia Cordata in vitro, including 0, 12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 200 microg/ml. And then, the SPC-A-1 cells were cultured with the optimal concentration of Houttuynia Cordata in different lengths of time, including 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 24 hours. After the treatment, the mRNA level of HBD-2 in pulmonary epithelial cells was detected by means of semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). After being cultured with Houttuynia Cordata, the expression of HBD-2 mRNA had positive correlation with the stimulus concentrations (rs=0.829, P=0.042) and stimulus time (rs=0.914, P=0.003). The highest expression of HBD-2 mRNA was induced by 100 microg/ml Houttuynia Cordata after 8-hour treatment. In comparison with the normal control group and the interleukin-1beta group, 100 microg/ml Houttuynia Cordata could significantly up-regulate the expression of HBD-2 mRNA in SPC-A-1 cells after 8-hour treatment (P<0.01). Houttuynia Cordata can up-regulate expression of HBD-2 mRNA in SPC-A-1 cells, and the highest expression level of HBD-2 mRNA can be obtained by culture with 100 microg/ml Houttuynia Cordata for 8 hours.

  3. Regulation of adeno-associated virus gene expression in 293 cells: control of mRNA abundance and translation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Trempe, J.P.; Carter, B.J.

    1988-01-01

    The authors studied the effects of the adeno-associated virus (AAV) rep gene on the control of gene expression from the AAV p/sub 40/ promoter in 293 cells in the absence of an adenovirus coinfection. AAV vectors containing the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) gene were used to measure the levels of cat expression and steady-state mRNA from p/sub 40/. When the rep gene was present in cis or in trans, cat expression from p/sub 40/ was decreased 3- to 10-fold, but there was a 2- to 10-fold increase in the level of p/sub 40/ mRNA. Conversely, cat expression increased and the p/submore » 40/ mRNA level decreased in the absence of the rep gene. Both wild-type and carboxyl-terminal truncated Rep proteins were capable of eliciting both effects. These data suggest two roles for the pleiotropic AAV rep gene: as a translational inhibitor and as a positive regulator of p/sub 40/ mRNA levels. They also provide additional evidence for a cis-acting negative regulatory region which decreases RNA from the AAV p/sub 5/ promoter in a fashion independent of rep.« less

  4. Expression of klotho mRNA and protein in rat brain parenchyma from early postnatal development into adulthood

    PubMed Central

    Clinton, Sarah M.; Glover, Matthew E.; Maltare, Astha; Laszczyk, Ann M.; Mehi, Stephen J.; Simmons, Rebecca K.; King, Gwendalyn D.

    2013-01-01

    Without the age-regulating protein klotho, mouse lifespan is shortened and the rapid onset of age-related disorders occurs. Conversely, overexpression of klotho extends mouse lifespan. Klotho is most abundant in kidney and expressed in a limited number of other organs, including the brain, where klotho levels are highest in choroid plexus. Reports vary on where klotho is expressed within the brain parenchyma, and no data is available as to whether klotho levels change across postnatal development. We used in situ hybridization to map klotho mRNA expression in the developing and adult rat brain and report moderate, widespread expression across grey matter regions. mRNA expression levels in cortex, hippocampus, caudate putamen, and amygdala decreased during the second week of life and then gradually rose to adult levels by postnatal day 21. Immunohistochemistry revealed a protein expression pattern similar to the mRNA results, with klotho protein expressed widely throughout the brain. Klotho protein co-localized with both the neuronal marker NeuN, as well as, oligodendrocyte marker olig2. These results provide the first anatomical localization of klotho mRNA and protein in rat brain parenchyma and demonstrate that klotho levels vary during early postnatal development. PMID:23838326

  5. Relationship between Sustained Reductions in Plasma Lipid and Lipoprotein Concentrations with Apheresis and Plasma Levels and mRNA Expression of PTX3 and Plasma Levels of hsCRP in Patients with HyperLp(a)lipoproteinemia

    PubMed Central

    Stefanutti, Claudia; Mazza, Fabio; Steiner, Michael; Watts, Gerald F.; De Nève, Joel; Pasqualetti, Daniela; Paal, Juergen

    2016-01-01

    The effect of lipoprotein apheresis (Direct Adsorption of Lipids, DALI) (LA) on plasma levels of pentraxin 3 (PTX3), an inflammatory marker that reflects coronary plaque vulnerability, and expression of PTX3 mRNA was evaluated in patients with hyperLp(a)lipoproteinemia and angiographically defined atherosclerosis/coronary artery disease. Eleven patients, aged 55 ± 9.3 years (mean ± SD), were enrolled in the study. PTX3 soluble protein levels in plasma were unchanged by 2 sessions of LA; however, a downregulation of mRNA expression for PTX3 was observed, starting with the first session of LA (p < 0.001). The observed reduction was progressively increased in the interval between the first and second LA sessions to achieve a maximum decrease by the end of the second session. A statistically significantly greater treatment-effect correlation was observed in patients undergoing weekly treatments, compared with those undergoing treatment every 15 days. A progressive reduction in plasma levels of C-reactive protein was also seen from the first session of LA, with a statistically significant linear correlation for treatment-effect in the change in plasma levels of this established inflammatory marker (R 2 = 0.99; p < 0.001). Our findings suggest that LA has anti-inflammatory and endothelium protective effects beyond its well-established efficacy in lowering apoB100-containing lipoproteins. PMID:26903710

  6. Evidence for a Complex Class of Nonadenylated mRNA in Drosophila

    PubMed Central

    Zimmerman, J. Lynn; Fouts, David L.; Manning, Jerry E.

    1980-01-01

    The amount, by mass, of poly(A+) mRNA present in the polyribosomes of third-instar larvae of Drosophila melanogaster, and the relative contribution of the poly(A+) mRNA to the sequence complexity of total polysomal RNA, has been determined. Selective removal of poly(A+) mRNA from total polysomal RNA by use of either oligo-dT-cellulose, or poly(U)-sepharose affinity chromatography, revealed that only 0.15% of the mass of the polysomal RNA was present as poly(A+) mRNA. The present study shows that this RNA hybridized at saturation with 3.3% of the single-copy DNA in the Drosophila genome. After correction for asymmetric transcription and reactability of the DNA, 7.4% of the single-copy DNA in the Drosophila genome is represented in larval poly(A+) mRNA. This corresponds to 6.73 x 106 nucleotides of mRNA coding sequences, or approximately 5,384 diverse RNA sequences of average size 1,250 nucleotides. However, total polysomal RNA hybridizes at saturation to 10.9% of the single-copy DNA sequences. After correcting this value for asymmetric transcription and tracer DNA reactability, 24% of the single-copy DNA in Drosophila is represented in total polysomal RNA. This corresponds to 2.18 x 107 nucleotides of RNA coding sequences or 17,440 diverse RNA molecules of size 1,250 nucleotides. This value is 3.2 times greater than that observed for poly(A+) mRNA, and indicates that ≃69% of the polysomal RNA sequence complexity is contributed by nonadenylated RNA. Furthermore, if the number of different structural genes represented in total polysomal RNA is ≃1.7 x 104, then the number of genes expressed in third-instar larvae exceeds the number of chromomeres in Drosophila by about a factor of three. This numerology indicates that the number of chromomeres observed in polytene chromosomes does not reflect the number of structural gene sequences in the Drosophila genome. PMID:6777246

  7. Vaspin plasma concentrations and mRNA expressions in patients with stable and unstable angina pectoris.

    PubMed

    Li, Hai Ling; Peng, Wen Hui; Cui, Shi Tao; Lei, Hou; Wei, Yi Dong; Li, Wei Ming; Xu, Ya Wei

    2011-09-01

    Vaspin was a recently identified adipokine, playing a protective role in many metabolic diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the association between vaspin plasma level and stable angina pectoris (SAP) and unstable angina pectoris (UAP). A total of 88 patients with angiographically-proved coronary artery disease (CAD) (SAP 47, UAP 41) and 103 control subjects without cardiovascular diseases were enrolled in this study. Circulating vaspin, mRNA expression of vaspin in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), clinical parameters, lipid profile and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were assayed. The severity of CAD was also assessed according to the number of vessels diseased. There are significant differences in circulating vaspin levels and mRNA levels of PBMC between SAP and UAP groups (SAP 0.91±0.95 ng/mL and UAP 0.43±0.38 ng/mL, p<0.01 in circulating vaspin level; SAP 1.19±0.85 and UAP 0.82±0.56, p<0.05 in mRNA level of PBMC). An inverse correlation between the number of diseased vessels and plasma vaspin concentration was observed (r=-0.350, p<0.01) in the CAD group. Construction of receiver operating characteristic curves confirmed that vaspin plasma concentrations significantly differentiated CAD patients (area under the curve=0.684, p<0.001), as well as UAP (area under the curve=0.640, p<0.05). Decreased vaspin plasma levels and mRNA levels in PBMC were observed in patients with UAP. Low vaspin concentrations correlate with CAD severity. The findings suggested that vaspin could serve as a novel biomarker of CAD as well as UAP.

  8. Promotion of mouse fibroblast collagen gene expression by mast cells stimulated via the Fc epsilon RI. Role for mast cell-derived transforming growth factor beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha

    PubMed Central

    1994-01-01

    Chronic allergic diseases and other disorders associated with mast cell activation can also be associated with tissue fibrosis, but a direct link between mast cell mediator release and fibroblast collagen gene expression has not been established. Using in situ hybridization, we show that the elicitation of an IgE-dependent passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction in mice results in a transient, but marked augmentation of steady state levels of type alpha-1 (I) collagen mRNA in the dermis. While peak levels of collagen mRNA expression in the skin are observed 16-24 h after mast cell activation, substantial numbers of dermal cells are strongly positive for collagen mRNA at 1 and 2 h after antigen challenge, before circulating inflammatory cells are recruited into the tissues. Furthermore, experiments in mast cell- reconstituted or genetically mast cell-deficient WBB6F1-W/Wv mice demonstrate that the increased expression of collagen mRNA at sites of PCA reactions is entirely mast cell dependent. In vitro studies show that the supernatants of mouse serosal mast cells activated via the Fc epsilon RI markedly increase type alpha-1 (I) collagen mRNA levels in mouse embryonic skin fibroblasts, and also upregulate collagen secretion by these cells. The ability of mast cell supernatants to induce increased steady state levels of collagen mRNA in mouse skin fibroblasts is markedly diminished by absorption with antibodies specific for either of two mast cell-derived cytokines, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta 1) or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- alpha), and is eliminated entirely by absorption with antibodies against both cytokines. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that IgE-dependent mouse mast cell activation can induce a transient and marked increase in steady state levels of type alpha-1 (I) collagen mRNA in dermal fibroblasts and that mast cell-derived TGF-beta 1 and TNF-alpha importantly contribute to this effect. PMID:7964480

  9. Decreased TIM-3 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from nephropathy patients.

    PubMed

    Cai, X Z; Liu, N; Qiao, Y; Du, S Y; Chen, Y; Chen, D; Yu, S; Jiang, Y

    2015-06-12

    Increasing evidence shows that TIM-1 and TIM-3 in-fluence chronic autoimmune diseases, and their expression levels in immune cells from nephritic patients are still unknown. Real-time transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to deter-mine expression levels of TIM-1 and TIM-3 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 36 patients with minimal change glo-merulopathy (MCG), 65 patients with lupus nephritis (LN), 78 patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), 55 patients with membranous nephropa-thy (MN), 22 patients with crescentic glomerulonephritis (CGN), 26 patients with anaphylactoid purpura nephritis (APN), and 63 healthy controls. TIM-3 mRNA expression significantly decreased in PBMCs from nephritic patients (LN, P < 0.0001; MCG, P < 0.0001; MN, P = 0.0031; CGN, P = 0.0464; IgAN, P = 0.0002; APN, P = 0.0392) com-pared with healthy controls. In contrast, there was no significant differ-ence in TIM-1 mRNA expression between the patients and the healthy controls. Our results suggest that insufficient expression of TIM-3 mRNA may be involved in the pathogenesis of nephropathy.

  10. Osteoblast fibronectin mRNA, protein synthesis, and matrix are unchanged after exposure to microgravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hughes-Fulford, M.; Gilbertson, V.

    1999-01-01

    The well-defined osteoblast line, MC3T3-E1 was used to examine fibronectin (FN) mRNA levels, protein synthesis, and extracellular FN matrix accumulation after growth activation in spaceflight. These osteoblasts produce FN extracellular matrix (ECM) known to regulate adhesion, differentiation, and function in adherent cells. Changes in bone ECM and osteoblast cell shape occur in spaceflight. To determine whether altered FN matrix is a factor in causing these changes in spaceflight, quiescent osteoblasts were launched into microgravity and were then sera activated with and without a 1-gravity field. Synthesis of FN mRNA, protein, and matrix were measured after activation in microgravity. FN mRNA synthesis is significantly reduced in microgravity (0-G) when compared to ground (GR) osteoblasts flown in a centrifuge simulating earth's gravity (1-G) field 2.5 h after activation. However, 27.5 h after activation there were no significant differences in mRNA synthesis. A small but significant reduction of FN protein was found in the 0-G samples 2.5 h after activation. Total FN protein 27.5 h after activation showed no significant difference between any of the gravity conditions, however, there was a fourfold increase in absolute amount of protein synthesized during the incubation. Using immunofluorescence, we found no significant differences in the amount or in the orientation of the FN matrix after 27.5 h in microgravity. These results demonstrate that FN is made by sera-activated osteoblasts even during exposure to microgravity. These data also suggest that after a total period of 43 h of spaceflight FN transcription, translation, or altered matrix assembly is not responsible for the altered cell shape or altered matrix formation of osteoblasts.

  11. Disruption of the Axonal Trafficking of Tyrosine Hydroxylase mRNA Impairs Catecholamine Biosynthesis in the Axons of Sympathetic Neurons.

    PubMed

    Aschrafi, Armaz; Gioio, Anthony E; Dong, Lijin; Kaplan, Barry B

    2017-01-01

    Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the enzyme that catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of the catecholamine neurotransmitters. In a previous communication, evidence was provided that TH mRNA is trafficked to the axon, where it is locally translated. In addition, a 50-bp sequence element in the 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) of TH mRNA was identified that directs TH mRNA to distal axons (i.e., zip-code). In the present study, the hypothesis was tested that local translation of TH plays an important role in the biosynthesis of the catecholamine neurotransmitters in the axon and/or presynaptic nerve terminal. Toward this end, a targeted deletion of the axonal transport sequence element was developed, using the lentiviral delivery of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, and two guide RNA (gRNA) sequences flanking the 50-bp cis- acting regulatory element in rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons. Deletion of the axonal transport element reduced TH mRNA levels in the distal axons and reduced the axonal protein levels of TH and TH activity as measured by phosphorylation of SER40 in SCG neurons. Moreover, deletion of the zip-code diminished the axonal levels of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE). Conversely, the local translation of exogenous TH mRNA in the distal axon enhanced TH levels and activity, and elevated axonal NE levels. Taken together, these results provide direct evidence to support the hypothesis that TH mRNA trafficking and local synthesis of TH play an important role in the synthesis of catecholamines in the axon and presynaptic terminal.

  12. Neutrophil elastase increases MUC5AC mRNA and protein expression in respiratory epithelial cells.

    PubMed

    Voynow, J A; Young, L R; Wang, Y; Horger, T; Rose, M C; Fischer, B M

    1999-05-01

    Chronic neutrophil-predominant inflammation and hypersecretion of mucus are common pathophysiological features of cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, and viral- or pollution-triggered asthma. Neutrophils release elastase, a serine protease, that causes increased mucin production and secretion. The molecular mechanisms of elastase-induced mucin production are unknown. We hypothesized that as part of this mechanism, elastase upregulates expression of a major respiratory mucin gene, MUC5AC. A549, a human lung carcinoma cell line that expresses MUC5AC mRNA and protein, and normal human bronchial epithelial cells in an air-liquid interface culture were stimulated with neutrophil elastase. Neutrophil elastase increased MUC5AC mRNA levels in a time-dependent manner in both cell culture systems. Neutrophil elastase treatment also increased MUC5AC protein levels in A549 cells. The mechanism of MUC5AC gene regulation by elastase was determined in A549 cells. The induction of MUC5AC gene expression required serine protease activity; other classes of proteases had no effect on MUC5AC gene expression. Neutrophil elastase increased MUC5AC mRNA levels by enhancing mRNA stability. This is the first report of mucin gene regulation by this mechanism.

  13. Amicoumacin A inhibits translation by stabilizing mRNA interaction with the ribosome

    PubMed Central

    Polikanov, Yury S.; Osterman, Ilya A.; Szal, Teresa; Tashlitsky, Vadim N.; Serebryakova, Marina V.; Kusochek, Pavel; Bulkley, David; Malanicheva, Irina A.; Efimenko, Tatyana A.; Efremenkova, Olga V.; Konevega, Andrey L.; Shaw, Karen J.; Bogdanov, Alexey A.; Rodnina, Marina V.; Dontsova, Olga A.; Mankin, Alexander S.; Steitz, Thomas A.; Sergiev, Petr V.

    2014-01-01

    SUMMARY We demonstrate that the antibiotic amicoumacin A (AMI) whose cellular target was unknown, is a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis. Resistance mutations in helix 24 of the 16S rRNA mapped the AMI binding site to the small ribosomal subunit. The crystal structure of bacterial ribosome in complex with AMI solved at 2.4 Å resolution revealed that the antibiotic makes contacts with universally conserved nucleotides of 16S rRNA in the E site and the mRNA backbone. Simultaneous interactions of AMI with 16S rRNA and mRNA and the in vivo experimental evidence suggest that it may inhibit the progression of the ribosome along mRNA. Consistent with this proposal, binding of AMI interferes with translocation in vitro. The inhibitory action of AMI can be partly compensated by mutations in the translation elongation factor G. PMID:25306919

  14. Bioinspired Nanocomplex for Spatiotemporal Imaging of Sequential mRNA Expression in Differentiating Neural Stem Cells

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Messenger RNA plays a pivotal role in regulating cellular activities. The expression dynamics of specific mRNA contains substantial information on the intracellular milieu. Unlike the imaging of stationary mRNAs, real-time intracellular imaging of the dynamics of mRNA expression is of great value for investigating mRNA biology and exploring specific cellular cascades. In addition to advanced imaging methods, timely extracellular stimulation is another key factor in regulating the mRNA expression repertoire. The integration of effective stimulation and imaging into a single robust system would significantly improve stimulation efficiency and imaging accuracy, producing fewer unwanted artifacts. In this study, we developed a multifunctional nanocomplex to enable self-activating and spatiotemporal imaging of the dynamics of mRNA sequential expression during the neural stem cell differentiation process. This nanocomplex showed improved enzymatic stability, fast recognition kinetics, and high specificity. With a mechanism regulated by endogenous cell machinery, this nanocomplex realized the successive stimulating motif release and the dynamic imaging of chronological mRNA expression during neural stem cell differentiation without the use of transgenetic manipulation. The dynamic imaging montage of mRNA expression ultimately facilitated genetic heterogeneity analysis. In vivo lateral ventricle injection of this nanocomplex enabled endogenous neural stem cell activation and labeling at their specific differentiation stages. This nanocomplex is highly amenable as an alternative tool to explore the dynamics of intricate mRNA activities in various physiological and pathological conditions. PMID:25494492

  15. Bioinspired nanocomplex for spatiotemporal imaging of sequential mRNA expression in differentiating neural stem cells.

    PubMed

    Wang, Zhe; Zhang, Ruili; Wang, Zhongliang; Wang, He-Fang; Wang, Yu; Zhao, Jun; Wang, Fu; Li, Weitao; Niu, Gang; Kiesewetter, Dale O; Chen, Xiaoyuan

    2014-12-23

    Messenger RNA plays a pivotal role in regulating cellular activities. The expression dynamics of specific mRNA contains substantial information on the intracellular milieu. Unlike the imaging of stationary mRNAs, real-time intracellular imaging of the dynamics of mRNA expression is of great value for investigating mRNA biology and exploring specific cellular cascades. In addition to advanced imaging methods, timely extracellular stimulation is another key factor in regulating the mRNA expression repertoire. The integration of effective stimulation and imaging into a single robust system would significantly improve stimulation efficiency and imaging accuracy, producing fewer unwanted artifacts. In this study, we developed a multifunctional nanocomplex to enable self-activating and spatiotemporal imaging of the dynamics of mRNA sequential expression during the neural stem cell differentiation process. This nanocomplex showed improved enzymatic stability, fast recognition kinetics, and high specificity. With a mechanism regulated by endogenous cell machinery, this nanocomplex realized the successive stimulating motif release and the dynamic imaging of chronological mRNA expression during neural stem cell differentiation without the use of transgenetic manipulation. The dynamic imaging montage of mRNA expression ultimately facilitated genetic heterogeneity analysis. In vivo lateral ventricle injection of this nanocomplex enabled endogenous neural stem cell activation and labeling at their specific differentiation stages. This nanocomplex is highly amenable as an alternative tool to explore the dynamics of intricate mRNA activities in various physiological and pathological conditions.

  16. Intestinal immune responses of Jian carp against Aeromonas hydrophila depressed by choline deficiency: Varied change patterns of mRNA levels of cytokines, tight junction proteins and related signaling molecules among three intestinal segments.

    PubMed

    Wu, Pei; Liu, Yang; Jiang, Wei-Dan; Jiang, Jun; Zhang, Yong-An; Zhou, Xiao-Qiu; Feng, Lin

    2017-06-01

    This study aimed to investigate the effects of choline deficiency on intestinal inflammation of fish after Aeromonas hydrophila infection and the potential molecular mechanisms. Juvenile Jian carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Jian) were fed two diets containing choline at 165 (deficient group) and 607 mg/kg diet respectively for 65 days. Choline deficiency decreased intestinal lysozyme activity, C3 and IgM contents, increased acid phosphatase activity, downregulated mRNA levels of antimicrobial peptides [liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide (LEAP) 2A, LEAP-2B, hepcidin and defensin], cytokines [interleukin (IL) 6a, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interferon γ2b (IFN-γ2b), IL-6b and transforming growth factor β2 (TGF-β2) only in proximal intestine, IL-10 in mid and distal intestine], immune-related signaling molecules [Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB), Janus kinase 3 (JAK3), and signal transducers and activators of transcription 5 (STAT5)], tight junction proteins (claudin 3b, claudin 3c, claudin 11 and occludin), and mitogen-activated protein kinases p38 (p38 MAPK ) in proximal and distal intestine of juvenile Jian carp after A. hydrophila challenge. In contrast, choline deficiency upregulated mRNA levels of antimicrobial peptides (LEAP-2A, LEAP-2B, hepcidin and defensin), cytokines (IL-6b, IFN-γ2b and TGF-β2), immune-related signaling molecules (TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB, IκB, JAK3, STAT4 in three intestinal segments, and STAT6), claudin 11, and p38 MAPK in mid intestine of fish. This study provides new finding that choline deficiency-induced immune responses against A. hydrophila infection were varied among three intestinal segments in fish. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Sequence-engineered mRNA Without Chemical Nucleoside Modifications Enables an Effective Protein Therapy in Large Animals

    PubMed Central

    Thess, Andreas; Grund, Stefanie; Mui, Barbara L; Hope, Michael J; Baumhof, Patrick; Fotin-Mleczek, Mariola; Schlake, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Being a transient carrier of genetic information, mRNA could be a versatile, flexible, and safe means for protein therapies. While recent findings highlight the enormous therapeutic potential of mRNA, evidence that mRNA-based protein therapies are feasible beyond small animals such as mice is still lacking. Previous studies imply that mRNA therapeutics require chemical nucleoside modifications to obtain sufficient protein expression and avoid activation of the innate immune system. Here we show that chemically unmodified mRNA can achieve those goals as well by applying sequence-engineered molecules. Using erythropoietin (EPO) driven production of red blood cells as the biological model, engineered Epo mRNA elicited meaningful physiological responses from mice to nonhuman primates. Even in pigs of about 20 kg in weight, a single adequate dose of engineered mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) induced high systemic Epo levels and strong physiological effects. Our results demonstrate that sequence-engineered mRNA has the potential to revolutionize human protein therapies. PMID:26050989

  18. Effects of nitrite stress on mRNA expression of antioxidant enzymes, immune-related genes and apoptosis-related proteins in Marsupenaeus japonicus.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Jinbin; Mao, Yong; Su, Yongquan; Wang, Jun

    2016-11-01

    Nitrite accumulation in aquaculture systems is a potential risk factor that may trigger stress responses in aquatic organisms. However, the mechanisms regulating the responses of shrimp to nitrite stress remain unclear. In this study, full-length cDNA sequences of two apoptosis-related genes, caspase-3 and defender against apoptotic death (DAD-1), were cloned from Marsupenaeus japonicus for the first time, and their expression levels and tissue distribution were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The full lengths of Mjcaspase-3 and MjDAD-1 were 1203 bp and 640 bp respectively, with deduced amino acid (AA) sequences of 321 and 114 AA. Mjcaspase-3 was predominantly expressed in haemocytes and weakly expressed in the seven other tissues tested. MjDAD-1 was mainly expressed in the defense and digestive tissues, especially in the hepatopancreas and hemocytes. To explore the influence of nitrite stress on the genetic response of antioxidant enzymes, immune-related genes and apoptosis-related proteins, the mRNA expression profiles of MjCAT, MjMnSOD, Mj-ilys, Mj-sty, Mjcaspase-3 and MjDAD-1 in response to nitrite stress were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The mRNA levels of MjCAT, MjMnSOD, Mj-ilys, Mj-sty, Mjcaspase-3 and MjDAD-1 show both time- and dose-dependent changes in response to nitrite stress. The mRNA expression levels of MjCAT and MjSOD peaked at 6 h for all nitrite concentrations tested (p < 0.05) and the up-regulated of MjCAT and MjSOD exhibited a positive correlation with the nitrite concentration. The mRNA expression levels of Mj-ilys and Mj-sty gradually decreased during the experiment period. Mjcaspase-3 mRNA level reached a maximum at 6 h (p < 0.05), and MjDAD-1 reached its peak at 12 h and 48 h in 10 mg/L and 20 mg/L nitrite, respectively. In addition, CAT and SOD activity showed changes in response to nitrite stress that mirrored the induced expression of MjCAT and MjMnSOD, and prolonged nitrite exposure reduced the activity of CAT. This

  19. The induced RNA-binding protein, HuR, targets 3'-UTR region of IL-6 mRNA and enhances its stabilization in periodontitis.

    PubMed

    Ouhara, K; Munenaga, S; Kajiya, M; Takeda, K; Matsuda, S; Sato, Y; Hamamoto, Y; Iwata, T; Yamasaki, S; Akutagawa, K; Mizuno, N; Fujita, T; Sugiyama, E; Kurihara, H

    2018-06-01

    RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate mRNA stability by binding to the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) region of mRNA. Human antigen-R (HuR), one of the RBPs, is involved in the progression of diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus and some inflammatory diseases. Interleukin (IL)-6 is a major inflammatory cytokine regulated by HuR binding to mRNA. Periodontal disease (PD) is also an inflammatory disease caused by elevations in IL-6 following an infection by periodontopathogenic bacteria. The involvement of HuR in the progression of PD was assessed using in-vitro and in-vivo experiments. Immunohistochemistry of inflamed periodontal tissue showed strong staining of HuR in the epithelium and connective tissue. HuR mRNA and protein level was increased following stimulation with Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), one of the periodontopathogenic bacteria, lipopolysacchride (LPS)-derived from Pg (PgLPS) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α in OBA-9, an immortalized human gingival epithelial cell. The luciferase activity of 3'-UTR of IL-6 mRNA was increased by TNF-α, Pg and PgLPS in OBA-9. Luciferase activity was also increased in HuR-over-expressing OBA-9 following a bacterial stimulation. Down-regulation of HuR by siRNA resulted in a decrease in mRNA expression and production of IL-6. In contrast, the over-expression of HuR increased IL-6 mRNA expression and production in OBA-9. The HuR inhibitor, quercetin, suppressed Pg-induced HuR mRNA expression and IL-6 production in OBA-9. An oral inoculation with quercetin also inhibited bone resorption in ligature-induced periodontitis model mice as a result of down-regulation of IL-6. These results show that HuR modulates inflammatory responses by regulating IL-6. © 2018 British Society for Immunology.

  20. Translational efficiency of poliovirus mRNA: mapping inhibitory cis-acting elements within the 5' noncoding region.

    PubMed Central

    Pelletier, J; Kaplan, G; Racaniello, V R; Sonenberg, N

    1988-01-01

    Poliovirus mRNA contains a long 5' noncoding region of about 750 nucleotides (the exact number varies among the three virus serotypes), which contains several AUG codons upstream of the major initiator AUG. Unlike most eucaryotic mRNAs, poliovirus does not contain a m7GpppX (where X is any nucleotide) cap structure at its 5' end and is translated by a cap-independent mechanism. To study the manner by which poliovirus mRNA is expressed, we examined the translational efficiencies of a series of deletion mutants within the 5' noncoding region of the mRNA. In this paper we report striking translation system-specific differences in the ability of the altered mRNAs to be translated. The results suggest the existence of an inhibitory cis-acting element(s) within the 5' noncoding region of poliovirus (between nucleotides 70 and 381) which restricts mRNA translation in reticulocyte lysate, wheat germ extract, and Xenopus oocytes, but not in HeLa cell extracts. In addition, we show that HeLa cell extracts contain a trans-acting factor(s) that overcomes this restriction. Images PMID:2836606

  1. Intraovarian expression of GnRH-1 and gonadotropin mRNA and protein levels in Siberian hamsters during the estrus cycle and photoperiod induced regression/recrudescence

    PubMed Central

    Shahed, Asha; Young, Kelly A.

    2010-01-01

    The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is the key reproductive regulator in vertebrates. While gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle stimulating (FSH), and luteinizing (LH) hormones are primarily produced in the hypothalamus and pituitary, they can be synthesized in the gonads, suggesting an intraovarian GnRH-gonadotropin axis. Because these hormones are critical for follicle maturation and steroidogenesis, we hypothesized that this intraovarian axis may be important in photoperiod-induced ovarian regression/recrudescence in seasonal breeders. Thus, we investigated GnRH-1 and gonadotropin mRNA and protein expression in Siberian hamster ovaries during (1) the estrous cycle; where ovaries from cycling long day hamsters (LD;16L:8D) were collected at proestrus, estrus, diestrus I, and diestrus II and (2) during photoperiod induced regression/ recrudescence; where ovaries were collected from hamsters exposed to 14wks of LD, short days (SD;8L:16D), or 8wks post-transfer to LD after 14wks SD (PT). GnRH-1, LHβ, FSHβ, and common α subunit mRNA expression was observed in cycling ovaries. GnRH-1 expression peaked at diestrus I compared to other stages (p<0.05). FSHβ and LHβ mRNA levels peaked at proestrus and diestrus I (p<0.05), with no change in the α subunit across the cycle (p>0.05). SD exposure decreased ovarian mass and plasma estradiol concentrations (p<0.05) and increased GnRH-1, LHβ, FSHβ, and α subunit mRNA expression as compared to LD and, except for LH, compared to PT (p<0.05). GnRH and gonadotropin protein was also dynamically expressed across the estrous cycle and photoperiod exposure. The presence of cycling intraovarian GnRH-1 and gonadotropin mRNA suggests that these hormones may be locally involved in ovarian maintenance during SD regression and/or could potentially serve to prime ovaries for rapid recrudescence. PMID:20955709

  2. Arc mRNA induction in striatal efferent neurons associated with response learning.

    PubMed

    Daberkow, D P; Riedy, M D; Kesner, R P; Keefe, K A

    2007-07-01

    The dorsal striatum is involved in motor-response learning, but the extent to which distinct populations of striatal efferent neurons are differentially involved in such learning is unknown. Activity-regulated, cytoskeleton-associated (Arc) protein is an effector immediate-early gene implicated in synaptic plasticity. We examined arc mRNA expression in striatopallidal vs. striatonigral efferent neurons in dorsomedial and dorsolateral striatum of rats engaged in reversal learning on a T-maze motor-response task. Male Sprague-Dawley rats learned to turn right or left for 3 days. Half of the rats then underwent reversal training. The remaining rats were yoked to rats undergoing reversal training, such that they ran the same number of trials but ran them as continued-acquisition trials. Brains were removed and processed using double-label fluorescent in situ hybridization for arc and preproenkephalin (PPE) mRNA. In the reversal, but not the continued-acquisition, group there was a significant relation between the overall arc mRNA signal in dorsomedial striatum and the number of trials run, with rats reaching criterion in fewer trials having higher levels of arc mRNA expression. A similar relation was seen between the numbers of PPE(+) and PPE(-) neurons in dorsomedial striatum with cytoplasmic arc mRNA expression. Interestingly, in behaviourally activated animals significantly more PPE(-) neurons had cytoplasmic arc mRNA expression. These data suggest that Arc in both striatonigral and striatopallidal efferent neurons is involved in striatal synaptic plasticity mediating motor-response learning in the T-maze and that there is differential processing of arc mRNA in distinct subpopulations of striatal efferent neurons.

  3. Cytokine mRNA expression in normal skin of various age populations before and after engraftment onto nude mice.

    PubMed

    Gilhar, A; Ullmann, Y; Shalagino, R; Weisinger, G

    1998-01-01

    Whether the impact of skin biological age on cytokine expression is a result of this tissue's proliferation potential or not is an important issue in dermatology. We investigated these questions by monitoring cytokine marker mRNA expression from human skin samples from healthy groups of individuals. The skin samples studied represented three age groups: fetal (17-21 weeks), young (18-35 years) and aged (76-88 years). Furthermore, upon skin transplantation of tissue from different age groups onto nude mice, we investigated whether cytokine marker RNA levels would change or normalize. Interestingly, both TNF-alpha and P53 mRNA showed a similar pattern of expression. Both were significantly higher in fetal skin (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.05, respectively), and no difference was noted between aged versus young skin. In contrast to this, IL1-alpha mRNA was expressed at its lowest and highest levels in fetal and young skin, respectively. Following skin transplantation, cytokines and P53 mRNA expression were normalized to similar levels in all age groups. This study implies that when cytokine expression was determined directly at the mRNA level, post-natal expression was not significantly different at either age group. Furthermore, it seems that the environmental conditions surrounding the grafted human skin found on nude mice encouraged normalization of donor cytokine expression.

  4. Time-dependent effects of intermittent hydrostatic pressure on articular chondrocyte type II collagen and aggrecan mRNA expression.

    PubMed

    Smith, R L; Lin, J; Trindade, M C; Shida, J; Kajiyama, G; Vu, T; Hoffman, A R; van der Meulen, M C; Goodman, S B; Schurman, D J; Carter, D R

    2000-01-01

    The normal loading of joints during daily activities causes the articular cartilage to be exposed to high levels of intermittent hydrostatic pressure. This study quantified effects of intermittent hydrostatic pressure on expression of mRNA for important extracellular matrix constituents. Normal adult bovine articular chondrocytes were isolated and tested in primary culture, either as high-density monolayers or formed aggregates. Loaded cells were exposed to 10 MPa of intermittent hydrostatic pressure at a frequency of 1 Hz for periods of 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hrs. Other cells were intermittently loaded for a period of 4 hrs per day for 4 days. Semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays were used to assess mRNA signal levels for collagen types II and I and aggrecan. The results showed that type II collagen mRNA signal levels exhibited a biphasic pattern, with an initial increase of approximately five-fold at 4 and 8 hrs that subsequently decreased by 24 hrs. In contrast, aggrecan mRNA signal increased progressively up to three-fold throughout the loading period. Changing the loading profile to 4 hrs per day for 4 days increased the mRNA signal levels for type II collagen nine-fold and for aggrecan twenty-fold when compared to unloaded cultures. These data suggest that specific mechanical loading protocols may be required to optimally promote repair and regeneration of diseased joints.

  5. Simulated microgravity reduces mRNA levels of multidrug resistance genes 4 and 5 in non-metastatic human melanoma cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eiermann, Peter; Tsiockas, Wasiliki; Hauslage, Jens; Hemmersbach, Ruth; Gerzer, Rupert; Ivanova, Krassimira

    mRNA levels of sGC α and β were down-regulated by about 31% and 22%, respectively. Thus, the reduced expression of MRP4/5 could be related to the decrease in mRNA levels for the sGC subunits. In addition, the long-term exposure to simulated microgravity did not alter cellular morphology. Taken together, the results of our studies indicate that the expression of MRP4/5 in non-metastatic melanoma cells is inversely regulated by hypergravity and simulated microgravity. Finally, a reduced expression of MRP4 and MRP5 may increase the availability of drugs in cells and influence astronaut medication.

  6. [Coagulation factor VII levels in uremic patients and theirs influence factors].

    PubMed

    Fang, Jun; Xia, Ling-Hui; Wei, Wen-Ning; Song, Shan-Jun

    2004-12-01

    This study was aimed to investigate coagulation factor VII level in uremic patients with chronic renal failure and to explore theirs influence factors. The plasma levels of coagulation factor VII were detected in 30 uremic patients with chronic renal failure before and after hemodialysis for 1 month, the factor VII activity (FVII:C) was determined by one-stage coagulation method, while activated factor VII (FVIIa) was measured by one-stage coagulation method using recombinant soluble tissue factor, and factor VII antigen was detected by ELISA. The results showed that: (1) The FVIIa, FVII:C and FVIIAg levels in chronic uremic patients before hemodialysis were 4.00 +/- 0.86 microg/L, (148.5 +/- 40.4)% and (99.8 +/- 21.1)% respectively, which were significantly increased, as compared with healthy controls [2.77 +/- 1.02 microg/L, (113.1 +/- 33.0)% and (73.7 +/- 18.3)% respectively, P < 0.05]. (2) After hemodialysis the FVIIa, FVII:C and FVIIAg levels in uremic patients significantly enhanced to 5.56 +/- 1.45 microg/L, (200.8 +/- 68.7)% and (124.1 +/- 19.3)% respectively (P < 0.05). (3) The abnormal increase of coagulation factor VII was positively correlated with levels of blood uria nitrogen and serum creatinine before hemodialysis but not after hemodialysis. It is concluded that the enhanced levels of coagulation factor VII in chronic uremic patients suggested abnormal activated state, herperactivity and elevated production of factor VII which correlated with renal functional injury. The abnormality of factor VII in uremia may be aggravated by hemodialysis. Coagulation factor (FVII) may be a risk factor for cardiovascular events in uremic patients who especially had been accepted long-term hemodialysis.

  7. Maternally inherited npm2 mRNA is crucial for egg developmental competence in zebrafish.

    PubMed

    Bouleau, Aurélien; Desvignes, Thomas; Traverso, Juan Martin; Nguyen, Thaovi; Chesnel, Franck; Fauvel, Christian; Bobe, Julien

    2014-08-01

    The molecular mechanisms underlying and determining egg developmental competence remain poorly understood in vertebrates. Nucleoplasmin (Npm2) is one of the few known maternal effect genes in mammals, but this maternal effect has never been demonstrated in nonmammalian species. A link between developmental competence and the abundance of npm2 maternal mRNA in the egg was previously established using a teleost fish model for egg quality. The importance of maternal npm2 mRNA for egg developmental competence remains unknown in any vertebrate species. In the present study, we aimed to characterize the contribution of npm2 maternal mRNA to early developmental success in zebrafish using a knockdown strategy. We report here the oocyte-specific expression of npm2 and maternal inheritance of npm2 mRNA in zebrafish eggs. The knockdown of the protein translated from this maternal mRNA results in developmental arrest before the onset of epiboly and subsequent embryonic death, a phenotype also observed in embryos lacking zygotic transcription. Npm2 knockdown also results in impaired transcription of the first-wave zygotic genes. Our results show that npm2 is also a maternal effect gene in a nonmammalian vertebrate species and that maternally inherited npm2 mRNA is crucial for egg developmental competence. We also show that de novo protein synthesis from npm2 maternal mRNA is critical for developmental success beyond the blastula stage and required for zygotic genome activation. Finally, our results suggest that npm2 maternal mRNA is an important molecular factor of egg quality in fish and possibly in all vertebrates. © 2014 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.

  8. Measurement of funny current (I(f)) channel mRNA in human atrial tissue: correlation with left atrial filling pressure and atrial fibrillation.

    PubMed

    Lai, L P; Su, M J; Lin, J L; Tsai, C H; Lin, F Y; Chen, Y S; Hwang, J J; Huang, S K; Tseng, Y Z; Lien, W P

    1999-07-01

    The funny current (I(f)) contributes to phase IV spontaneous depolarization in cardiac pacemaker tissue. Enhanced I(f) activity in myocardial tissue may lead to increased automaticity and therefore tachyarrhythmia. We measured the amount of I(f) activity in the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in human atrial tissue and correlated the mRNA amount to left atrial filling pressure and atrial fibrillation (AF). A total of 34 patients undergoing open heart surgery were included (15 men and 19 women, aged 55+/-10 years). Atrial tissue was obtained from the right atrial free wall, the right atrial appendage, the left atrial free wall, and the left atrial appendage, respectively. The mRNA amount of the I(f) channel was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and was normalized to the mRNA levels of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. We found that the I(f) channel mRNA was present at all the atrial sampling sites. A higher left atrial filling pressure, an indicator of congestive heart failure, was associated with a higher I(f) mRNA level (r2 = 0.446, P < 0.01 by linear regression). We also found that the mRNA amount was significantly higher in patients with AF than in patients without AF (1.68+/-0.49 vs 1.27+/-0.43; P < 0.05). Age, sex, right atrial filling pressure, left atrial dimension, and left ventricular ejection fraction had no significant effect on the mRNA level. The mRNA of the I(f) channel is present in the free-wall area and appendage area from both atria. Increased left atrial filling pressure and clinical AF are associated with increased I(f) mRNA level.

  9. Group II intron inhibits conjugative relaxase expression in bacteria by mRNA targeting

    PubMed Central

    Piazza, Carol Lyn; Smith, Dorie

    2018-01-01

    Group II introns are mobile ribozymes that are rare in bacterial genomes, often cohabiting with various mobile elements, and seldom interrupting housekeeping genes. What accounts for this distribution has not been well understood. Here, we demonstrate that Ll.LtrB, the group II intron residing in a relaxase gene on a conjugative plasmid from Lactococcus lactis, inhibits its host gene expression and restrains the naturally cohabiting mobile element from conjugative horizontal transfer. We show that reduction in gene expression is mainly at the mRNA level, and results from the interaction between exon-binding sequences (EBSs) in the intron and intron-binding sequences (IBSs) in the mRNA. The spliced intron targets the relaxase mRNA and reopens ligated exons, causing major mRNA loss. Taken together, this study provides an explanation for the distribution and paucity of group II introns in bacteria, and suggests a potential force for those introns to evolve into spliceosomal introns. PMID:29905149

  10. Group II intron inhibits conjugative relaxase expression in bacteria by mRNA targeting.

    PubMed

    Qu, Guosheng; Piazza, Carol Lyn; Smith, Dorie; Belfort, Marlene

    2018-06-15

    Group II introns are mobile ribozymes that are rare in bacterial genomes, often cohabiting with various mobile elements, and seldom interrupting housekeeping genes. What accounts for this distribution has not been well understood. Here, we demonstrate that Ll.LtrB, the group II intron residing in a relaxase gene on a conjugative plasmid from Lactococcus lactis , inhibits its host gene expression and restrains the naturally cohabiting mobile element from conjugative horizontal transfer. We show that reduction in gene expression is mainly at the mRNA level, and results from the interaction between exon-binding sequences (EBSs) in the intron and intron-binding sequences (IBSs) in the mRNA. The spliced intron targets the relaxase mRNA and reopens ligated exons, causing major mRNA loss. Taken together, this study provides an explanation for the distribution and paucity of group II introns in bacteria, and suggests a potential force for those introns to evolve into spliceosomal introns. © 2018, Qu et al.

  11. Seasonal Relationship between Gonadotropin, Growth Hormone, and Estrogen Receptor mRNA Expression in the Pituitary Gland of Largemouth Bass

    PubMed Central

    Martyniuk, Christopher J; Kroll, Kevin J.; Porak, Wesley F.; Steward, Cheree; Grier, Harry J.; Denslow, Nancy D.

    2011-01-01

    The objectives of this study were to investigate the seasonal changes in pituitary gonadotropins, growth hormone (GH), and estrogen receptor (ER) isoform mRNA in wild female and male largemouth bass (LMB) (Micropterus salmoides) from an unpolluted habitat to better understand reproductive physiology in this ecologically important species. Female pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH) β subunit and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) β subunit mRNA showed significant seasonal variation with levels peaking from January to April and were lowest from May through August. Male LMB showed more variation in gonadotropin subunit expression from month to month. Females had approximately 2–3 times higher gonadotropin mRNA levels in the pituitary when compared to males. All three gonadotropin mRNAs in females were positively correlated to gonadosomatic index (GSI), but only LHβ mRNA was correlated to GSI in males. Gonadotropin mRNA expression also increased with increasing oocyte and sperm maturation. Gonadotropin β subunit mRNA expression was positively correlated to GH mRNA in both sexes. The expression of all three ER isoforms was significantly correlated to each other in both sexes. The concurrent increase in all three ER mRNA isoforms with increasing gonadotropin mRNA in females and males suggests a prominent role for E2 feedback on pituitary gonadotropin synthesis in both sexes and that each of the three ER isoforms are likely to play a role in the pituitary during teleost reproduction. PMID:19416730

  12. Seasonal relationship between gonadotropin, growth hormone, and estrogen receptor mRNA expression in the pituitary gland of largemouth bass.

    PubMed

    Martyniuk, Christopher J; Kroll, Kevin J; Porak, Wesley F; Steward, Cheree; Grier, Harry J; Denslow, Nancy D

    2009-09-15

    The objectives of this study were to investigate the seasonal changes in pituitary gonadotropins, growth hormone (GH), and estrogen receptor (ER) isoform mRNA in wild female and male largemouth bass (LMB) (Micropterus salmoides) from an unpolluted habitat to better understand reproductive physiology in this ecologically important species. Female pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH) beta subunit and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) beta subunit mRNA showed significant seasonal variation with levels peaking from January to April and were lowest from May to August. Male LMB showed more variation in gonadotropin subunit expression from month to month. Females had approximately 2-3 times higher gonadotropin mRNA levels in the pituitary when compared to males. All three gonadotropin mRNAs in females were positively correlated to gonadosomatic index (GSI), but only LHbeta mRNA was correlated to GSI in males. Gonadotropin mRNA expression also increased with increasing oocyte and sperm maturation. Gonadotropin beta subunit mRNA expression was positively correlated to GH mRNA in both sexes. The expression of all three ER isoforms was significantly correlated to each other in both sexes. The concurrent increase in all three ER mRNA isoforms with increasing gonadotropin mRNA in females and males suggests a prominent role for E2 feedback on pituitary gonadotropin synthesis in both sexes and that each of the three ER isoforms are likely to play a role in the pituitary during teleost reproduction.

  13. Sequential expression of cyclooxygenase-2, glutamate receptor-2, and platelet activating factor receptor in rat hippocampal neurons after fluid percussion injury

    PubMed Central

    Li, Zhiqiang; Shu, Qingming; Li, Lingzhi; Ge, Maolin; Zhang, Yongliang

    2014-01-01

    Traumatic brain injury causes gene expression changes in different brain regions. Occurrence and development of traumatic brain injury are closely related, involving expression of three factors, namely cyclooxygenase-2, glutamate receptor-2, and platelet activating factor receptor. However, little is known about the correlation of these three factors and brain neuronal injury. In this study, primary cultured rat hippocampal neurons were subjected to fluid percussion injury according to Scott's method, with some modifications. RT-PCR and semi-quantitative immunocytochemical staining was used to measure the expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2, glutamate receptor-2, and platelet activating factor receptor. Our results found that cyclooxygenase-2 expression were firstly increased post-injury, and then decreased. Both mRNA and protein expression levels reached peaks at 8 and 12 hours post-injury, respectively. Similar sequential changes in glutamate receptor 2 were observed, with highest levels mRNA and protein expression at 8 and 12 hours post-injury respectively. On the contrary, the expressions of platelet activating factor receptor were firstly decreased post-injury, and then increased. Both mRNA and protein expression levels reached the lowest levels at 8 and 12 hours post-injury, respectively. Totally, our findings suggest that these three factors are involved in occurrence and development of hippocampal neuronal injury. PMID:25206921

  14. Genome Analysis Reveals Interplay between 5′UTR Introns and Nuclear mRNA Export for Secretory and Mitochondrial Genes

    PubMed Central

    Cenik, Can; Chua, Hon Nian; Zhang, Hui; Tarnawsky, Stefan P.; Akef, Abdalla; Derti, Adnan; Tasan, Murat; Moore, Melissa J.; Palazzo, Alexander F.; Roth, Frederick P.

    2011-01-01

    In higher eukaryotes, messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are exported from the nucleus to the cytoplasm via factors deposited near the 5′ end of the transcript during splicing. The signal sequence coding region (SSCR) can support an alternative mRNA export (ALREX) pathway that does not require splicing. However, most SSCR–containing genes also have introns, so the interplay between these export mechanisms remains unclear. Here we support a model in which the furthest upstream element in a given transcript, be it an intron or an ALREX–promoting SSCR, dictates the mRNA export pathway used. We also experimentally demonstrate that nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes can use the ALREX pathway. Thus, ALREX can also be supported by nucleotide signals within mitochondrial-targeting sequence coding regions (MSCRs). Finally, we identified and experimentally verified novel motifs associated with the ALREX pathway that are shared by both SSCRs and MSCRs. Our results show strong correlation between 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) intron presence/absence and sequence features at the beginning of the coding region. They also suggest that genes encoding secretory and mitochondrial proteins share a common regulatory mechanism at the level of mRNA export. PMID:21533221

  15. Are we missing a mineralocorticoid in teleost fish? Effects of cortisol, deoxycorticosterone and aldosterone on osmoregulation, gill Na+,K+-ATPase activity and isoform mRNA levels in Atlantic salmon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McCormick, S.D.; Regish, A.; O'Dea, M. F.; Shrimpton, J.M.

    2008-01-01

    It has long been held that cortisol, acting through a single receptor, carries out both glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid actions in teleost fish. The recent finding that fish express a gene with high sequence similarity to the mammalian mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) suggests the possibility that a hormone other than cortisol carries out some mineralocorticoid functions in fish. To test for this possibility, we examined the effect of in vivo cortisol, 11-deoxycorticosterone (DOC) and aldosterone on salinity tolerance, gill Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA) activity and mRNA levels of NKA α1a and α1b in Atlantic salmon. Cortisol treatment for 6–14 days resulted in increased, physiological levels of cortisol, increased gill NKA activity and improved salinity tolerance (lower plasma chloride after a 24 h seawater challenge), whereas DOC and aldosterone had no effect on either NKA activity or salinity tolerance. NKA α1a and α1b mRNA levels, which increase in response to fresh water and seawater acclimation, respectively, were both upregulated by cortisol, whereas DOC and aldosterone were without effect. Cortisol, DOC and aldosterone had no effect on gill glucocorticoid receptor GR1, GR2 and MR mRNA levels, although there was some indication of possible upregulation of GR1 by cortisol (p = 0.07). The putative GR blocker RU486 inhibited cortisol-induced increases in salinity tolerance, NKA activity and NKA α1a and α1b transcription, whereas the putative MR blocker spironolactone had no effect. The results provide support that cortisol, and not DOC or aldosterone, is involved in regulating the mineralocorticoid functions of ion uptake and salt secretion in teleost fish.

  16. Alternative polyadenylation of mRNA precursors

    PubMed Central

    Tian, Bin; Manley, James L.

    2017-01-01

    Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is an RNA-processing mechanism that generates distinct 3′ termini on mRNAs and other RNA polymerase II transcripts. It is widespread across all eukaryotic species and is recognized as a major mechanism of gene regulation. APA exhibits tissue specificity and is important for cell proliferation and differentiation. In this Review, we discuss the roles of APA in diverse cellular processes, including mRNA metabolism, protein diversification and protein localization, and more generally in gene regulation. We also discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying APA, such as variation in the concentration of core processing factors and RNA-binding proteins, as well as transcription-based regulation. PMID:27677860

  17. A selection of reference genes and early-warning mRNA biomarkers for environmental monitoring using Mytilus spp. as sentinel species.

    PubMed

    Lacroix, C; Coquillé, V; Guyomarch, J; Auffret, M; Moraga, D

    2014-09-15

    mRNA biomarkers are promising tools for environmental health assessment and reference genes are needed to perform relevant qPCR analyses in tissue samples of sentinel species. In the present study, potential reference genes and mRNA biomarkers were tested in the gills and digestive glands of native and caged mussels (Mytilus spp.) exposed to harbor pollution. Results highlighted the difficulty to find stable reference genes in wild, non-model species and suggested the use of normalization indices instead of single genes as they exhibit a higher stability. Several target genes were found differentially expressed between mussel groups, especially in gills where cyp32, π-gst and CuZn-sod mRNA levels could be biomarker candidates. Multivariate analyses confirmed the ability of mRNA levels to highlight site-effects and suggested the use of several combined markers instead of individual ones. These findings support the use of qPCR technology and mRNA levels as early-warning biomarkers in marine monitoring programs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Sensitivity of mRNA Translation

    PubMed Central

    Poker, Gilad; Margaliot, Michael; Tuller, Tamir

    2015-01-01

    Using the dynamic mean-field approximation of the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP), we investigate the effect of small changes in the initiation, elongation, and termination rates along the mRNA strand on the steady-state protein translation rate. We show that the sensitivity of mRNA translation is equal to the sensitivity of the maximal eigenvalue of a symmetric, nonnegative, tridiagonal, and irreducible matrix. This leads to new analytical results as well as efficient numerical schemes that are applicable for large-scale models. Our results show that in the usual endogenous case, when initiation is more rate-limiting than elongation, the sensitivity of the translation rate to small mutations rapidly increases towards the 5′ end of the ORF. When the initiation rate is high, as may be the case for highly expressed and/or heterologous optimized genes, the maximal sensitivity is with respect to the elongation rates at the middle of the mRNA strand. We also show that the maximal possible effect of a small increase/decrease in any of the rates along the mRNA is an increase/decrease of the same magnitude in the translation rate. These results are in agreement with previous molecular evolutionary and synthetic biology experimental studies. PMID:26238363

  19. Disruption of the Axonal Trafficking of Tyrosine Hydroxylase mRNA Impairs Catecholamine Biosynthesis in the Axons of Sympathetic Neurons

    PubMed Central

    Gioio, Anthony E.

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the enzyme that catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of the catecholamine neurotransmitters. In a previous communication, evidence was provided that TH mRNA is trafficked to the axon, where it is locally translated. In addition, a 50-bp sequence element in the 3′untranslated region (3’UTR) of TH mRNA was identified that directs TH mRNA to distal axons (i.e., zip-code). In the present study, the hypothesis was tested that local translation of TH plays an important role in the biosynthesis of the catecholamine neurotransmitters in the axon and/or presynaptic nerve terminal. Toward this end, a targeted deletion of the axonal transport sequence element was developed, using the lentiviral delivery of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, and two guide RNA (gRNA) sequences flanking the 50-bp cis-acting regulatory element in rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons. Deletion of the axonal transport element reduced TH mRNA levels in the distal axons and reduced the axonal protein levels of TH and TH activity as measured by phosphorylation of SER40 in SCG neurons. Moreover, deletion of the zip-code diminished the axonal levels of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE). Conversely, the local translation of exogenous TH mRNA in the distal axon enhanced TH levels and activity, and elevated axonal NE levels. Taken together, these results provide direct evidence to support the hypothesis that TH mRNA trafficking and local synthesis of TH play an important role in the synthesis of catecholamines in the axon and presynaptic terminal. PMID:28630892

  20. Effects of RNAi-Mediated Knockdown of Histone Methyltransferases on the Sex-Specific mRNA Expression of Imp in the Silkworm Bombyx mori

    PubMed Central

    Suzuki, Masataka G.; Ito, Haruka; Aoki, Fugaku

    2014-01-01

    Sexual differentiation in Bombyx mori is controlled by sex-specific splicing of Bmdsx, which results in the omission of exons 3 and 4 in a male-specific manner. In B. mori, insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding protein (Imp) is a male-specific factor involved in male-specific splicing of Bmdsx. Male-specific Imp mRNA results from the male-specific inclusion of exon 8. To verify the link between histone methylation and alternative RNA processing in Imp, we examined the effects of RNAi-mediated knockdown of several histone methyltransferases on the sex-specific mRNA expression of Imp. As a result, male-specific expression of Imp mRNA was completely abolished when expression of the H3K79 methyltransferase DOT1L was repressed to <10% of that in control males. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative PCR analysis revealed a higher distribution of H3K79me2 in normal males than in normal females across Imp. RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) processivity assays indicated that RNAi knockdown of DOT1L in males caused a twofold decrease in RNAP II processivity compared to that in control males, with almost equivalent levels to those observed in normal females. Inhibition of RNAP II-mediated elongation in male cells repressed the male-specific splicing of Imp. Our data suggest the possibility that H3K79me2 accumulation along Imp is associated with the male-specific alternative processing of Imp mRNA that results from increased RNAP II processivity. PMID:24758924

  1. Orotate phosphoribosyl transferase mRNA expression and the response of cholangiocarcinoma to 5-fluorouracil

    PubMed Central

    Hahnvajanawong, Chariya; Chaiyagool, Jariya; Seubwai, Wunchana; Bhudhisawasdi, Vajarabhongsa; Namwat, Nisana; Khuntikeo, Narong; Sripa, Banchob; Pugkhem, Ake; Tassaneeyakul, Wichittra

    2012-01-01

    AIM: To determine whether expression of certain enzymes related to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) metabolism predicts 5-FU chemosensitivity in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). METHODS: The histoculture drug response assay (HDRA) was performed using surgically resected CCA tissues. Tumor cell viability was determined morphologically with hematoxylin and eosin- and terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling-stained tissues. The mRNA expression of thymidine phosphorylase (TP), orotate phosphoribosyl transferase (OPRT), thymidylate synthase (TS), and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) was determined with real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The levels of gene expression and the sensitivity to 5-FU were evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-three CCA tissues were obtained from patients who had been diagnosed with intrahepatic CCA and who underwent surgical resection at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University from 2007 to 2009. HDRA was used to determine the response of these CCA tissues to 5-FU. Based on the dose-response curve, 200 μg/mL 5-FU was selected as the test concentration. The percentage of inhibition index at the median point was selected as the cut-off point to differentiate the responding and non-responding tumors to 5-FU. When the relationship between TP, OPRT, TS and DPD mRNA expression levels and the sensitivity of CCA tissues to 5-FU was examined, only OPRT mRNA expression was significantly correlated with the response to 5-FU. The mean expression level of OPRT was significantly higher in the responder group compared to the non-responder group (0.41 ± 0.25 vs 0.22 ± 0.12, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: OPRT mRNA expression may be a useful predictor of 5-FU chemosensitivity of CCA. Whether OPRT mRNA could be used to predict the success of 5-FU chemotherapy in CCA patients requires confirmation in patients. PMID:22912546

  2. Multiple cis-acting signals, some weak by necessity, collectively direct robust transport of oskar mRNA to the oocyte.

    PubMed

    Ryu, Young Hee; Kenny, Andrew; Gim, Youme; Snee, Mark; Macdonald, Paul M

    2017-09-15

    Localization of mRNAs can involve multiple steps, each with its own cis -acting localization signals and transport factors. How is the transition between different steps orchestrated? We show that the initial step in localization of Drosophila oskar mRNA - transport from nurse cells to the oocyte - relies on multiple cis -acting signals. Some of these are binding sites for the translational control factor Bruno, suggesting that Bruno plays an additional role in mRNA transport. Although transport of oskar mRNA is essential and robust, the localization activity of individual transport signals is weak. Notably, increasing the strength of individual transport signals, or adding a strong transport signal, disrupts the later stages of oskar mRNA localization. We propose that the oskar transport signals are weak by necessity; their weakness facilitates transfer of the oskar mRNA from the oocyte transport machinery to the machinery for posterior localization. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  3. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Secretion by Nonmyocytes Modulates Connexin-43 Levels in Cardiac Organoids

    PubMed Central

    Iyer, Rohin K.; Odedra, Devang; Chiu, Loraine L.Y.; Vunjak-Novakovic, Gordana

    2012-01-01

    We previously showed that the sequential, but not simultaneous, culture of endothelial cells (ECs), fibroblasts (FBs), and cardiomyocytes (CMs) resulted in elongated, beating cardiac organoids. We hypothesized that the expression of Cx43 and contractile function are mediated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) released by nonmyocytes during the preculture period. Cardiac organoids (∼200 μm diameter) were cultivated in microchannels to enable rapid screening. Three experimental groups were formed: (i) Simultaneous Preculture (ECs+FBs for 48 h, followed by CMs), (ii) Sequential Preculture (ECs for 24 h, FBs for 24 h, followed by CMs), and (iii) Simultaneous Triculture (ECs+FBs+CMs). Controls included CMs only, FBs only, and ECs only groups, and preculture with ECs only or FBs only. The highest VEGF levels were found in the Preculture groups [Simultaneous Preculture, 8.9±2.7 ng/(mL·h−1); Sequential Preculture, 16.6±3.4 ng/(mL·h−1)], as compared with Simultaneous Triculture where VEGF was not detectable, as shown by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Analytical flow cytometry showed that VEGFR2 was expressed by ECs (86%±2 VEGFR2+), FBs (44%±1 VEGFR2+), and CMs (49%±2 VEGFR2+), showing that all three cell types were capable of responding to changes in VEGF. Addition of anti-VEGF neutralizing IgG (0.4 μg/mL) to Simultaneous Preculture resulted in 3-fold decrease in Cx43 mRNA and 1.5-fold decrease in Cx43 protein, while Simultaneous Triculture supplemented with VEGF ligand (30 ng/mL) had a threefold increase in Cx43 mRNA and a twofold increase in Cx43 protein. Addition of a small molecule inhibitor of the VEGFR2 receptor (19.4 nM) to Sequential Preculture caused a 1.4-fold decrease in Cx43 mRNA and a 4.1-fold decrease in Cx43 protein. Cx43 was localized within CMs, and not within FBs or ECs. Enriched CM organoids and Sequential Preculture organoids grown in the presence of VEGFR2 inhibitor displayed low levels of Cx43 and poor

  4. Increase of prolactin mRNA in the rat hypothalamus after intracerebroventricular injection of VIP or PACAP.

    PubMed

    Bredow, S; Kacsóh, B; Obál, F; Fang, J; Krueger, J M

    1994-10-17

    Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), the structurally homologous pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) and the pituitary hormone, prolactin (PRL) enhance rapid eye movement sleep (REMS). VIP and PACAP are both inducers of PRL gene expression and release in the pituitary gland. Little is known about PRL regulation in the brain although it is hypothesized that the REMS-promoting activity of i.c.v. administered VIP may be mediated via the activation of cerebral PRL. To test whether VIP or PACAP in fact increase intracerebral mRNA, the peptides (VIP: 30 or 300 pmol; PACAP: 220 pmol) were injected i.c.v. into rats at dark onset. 1 h later, cDNA was synthesized from purified hypothalamic mRNA. Standardized amounts were analysed for PRL using the polymerase chain reaction followed by Southern blotting and hybridization. Compared with beta-actin mRNA levels, both VIP and PACAP increased PRL mRNA levels in a dose-dependent fashion though VIP was more effective on a molar basis. The previously reported alternatively spliced PRL mRNA (lacking exon 4) was not detected. The data support the hypothesis that the REMS-promoting activity of central VIP and PACAP might be mediated by cerebral PRL.

  5. Testicular Lumicrine Factors Regulate ERK, STAT, and NFKB Pathways in the Initial Segment of the Rat Epididymis to Prevent Apoptosis1

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Bingfang; Abdel-Fattah, Rana; Yang, Ling; Crenshaw, Sallie A.; Black, Michael B.; Hinton, Barry T.

    2011-01-01

    The initial segment of the epididymis is vital for male fertility; therefore, it is important to understand the mechanisms that regulate this important region. Deprival of testicular luminal fluid factors/lumicrine factors from the epididymis results in a wave of apoptosis in the initial segment. In this study, a combination of protein array and microarray analyses was used to examine the early changes in downstream signal transduction pathways following loss of lumicrine factors. We discovered the following cascade of events leading to the loss of protection and eventual apoptosis: in the first 6 h after loss of lumicrine factors, down-regulation of the ERK pathway components was observed at the mRNA expression and protein activity levels. Microarray analysis revealed that mRNA levels of several key components of the ERK pathway, Dusp6, Dusp5, and Etv5, decreased sharply, while the analysis from the protein array revealed a decline in the activities of MAP2K1/2 and MAPK1. Immunostaining of phospho-MAPK3/1 indicated that down-regulation of the ERK pathway was specific to the epithelial cells of the initial segment. Subsequently, after 12 h of loss of lumicrine factors, levels of mRNA expression of STAT and NFKB pathway components increased, mRNA levels of several genes encoding cell cycle inhibitors increased, and levels of protein expression of several proapoptotic phosphatases increased. Finally, after 18 h of loss of protection from lumicrine factors, apoptosis was observed. In conclusion, testicular lumicrine factors protect the cells of the initial segment by activating the ERK pathway, repressing STAT and NFKB pathways, and thereby preventing apoptosis. PMID:21311037

  6. In vivo fluctuation of Tax, Foxp3, CTLA-4, and GITR mRNA expression in CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells of patients with human T-lymphotropic virus type 1-associated myelopathy.

    PubMed

    Ramirez, E; Cartier, L; Rodriguez, L; Alberti, C; Valenzuela, M A

    2010-11-01

    HTLV-1 Tax expression exerts an inhibitory effect on the Foxp3 transcription factor in CD4(+)CD25(+) T-regulatory cells (Treg). For a better understanding of the role of Tax mRNA in the gene expression of cellular markers we measured Tax, Foxp3, CTLA-4, GITR, TGF-β, and IL-10 mRNA in Treg cells of 50 patients with human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP; 27 women and 23 men; mean age: 56.7 years). The control group consisted of 23 non-infected subjects (12 women and 11 men) with a mean age of 51.3 years. Real-time PCR was used to measure mRNA of Tax proteins and several cellular markers of Treg function. Determinations revealed a high level of Tax mRNA in HAM/TSP (124.35 copies/100 CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells). Foxp3, GITR, and CTLA-4 mRNA levels were lower in HAM/TSP patients (mean ± SD, 22.07 ± 0.78, 9.63 ± 0.36, and 4.54 ± 0.39, respectively) than in non-infected controls (47.15 ± 12.94, 22.14 ± 1.91, and 21.07 ± 2.31). Both groups had similar levels of TGF-β and IL-10. An inverse relationship was found between Tax levels and Foxp3, CTLA-4, and GITR levels. Conversely, there was a direct correlation between levels of Foxp3, GITR, and CTLA-4. Disease severity and evolution time did not correlate with Tax or Foxp3 levels. The present results suggest that Tax and Foxp3 mRNA vary with the same degree of disease severity in HAM/TSP patients. Tax fluctuations may affect CTLA-4 and GITR expression via the Foxp3 pathway, causing virus-induced dysfunction of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells in HAM/TSP patients.

  7. Structural and Functional Analysis of an mRNP Complex That Mediates the High Stability of Human β-Globin mRNA

    PubMed Central

    Yu, Jia; Russell, J. Eric

    2001-01-01

    Human globins are encoded by mRNAs exhibiting high stabilities in transcriptionally silenced erythrocyte progenitors. Unlike α-globin mRNA, whose stability is enhanced by assembly of a specific messenger RNP (mRNP) α complex on its 3′ untranslated region (UTR), neither the structure(s) nor the mechanism(s) that effects the high-level stability of human β-globin mRNA has been identified. The present work describes an mRNP complex assembling on the 3′ UTR of the β-globin mRNA that exhibits many of the properties of the stability-enhancing α complex. The β-globin mRNP complex is shown to contain one or more factors homologous to αCP, a 39-kDa RNA-binding protein that is integral to α-complex assembly. Sequence analysis implicates a specific 14-nucleotide pyrimidine-rich track within its 3′ UTR as the site of β-globin mRNP assembly. The importance of this track to mRNA stability is subsequently verified in vivo using mice expressing human β-globin transgenes that contain informative mutations in this region. In combination, the in vitro and in vivo analyses indicate that the high stabilities of the α- and β-globin mRNAs are maintained through related mRNP complexes that may share a common regulatory pathway. PMID:11486027

  8. Impairment of FOS mRNA stabilization following translation arrest in granulocytes from myelodysplastic syndrome patients.

    PubMed

    Feng, Xiaomin; Shikama, Yayoi; Shichishima, Tsutomu; Noji, Hideyoshi; Ikeda, Kazuhiko; Ogawa, Kazuei; Kimura, Hideo; Takeishi, Yasuchika; Kimura, Junko

    2013-01-01

    Although quantitative and qualitative granulocyte defects have been described in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), the underlying molecular basis of granulocyte dysfunction in MDS is largely unknown. We recently found that FOS mRNA elevation under translation-inhibiting stimuli was significantly smaller in granulocytes from MDS patients than in healthy individuals. The aim of this study is to clarify the cause of the impaired FOS induction in MDS. We first examined the mechanisms of FOS mRNA elevation using granulocytes from healthy donors cultured with the translation inhibitor emetine. Emetine increased both transcription and mRNA stability of FOS. p38 MAPK inhibition abolished the emetine-induced increase of FOS transcription but did not affect FOS mRNA stabilization. The binding of an AU-rich element (ARE)-binding protein HuR to FOS mRNA containing an ARE in 3'UTR was increased by emetine, and the knockdown of HuR reduced the FOS mRNA stabilizing effect of emetine. We next compared the emetine-induced transcription and mRNA stabilization of FOS between MDS patients and healthy controls. Increased rates of FOS transcription by emetine were similar in MDS and controls. In the absence of emetine, FOS mRNA decayed to nearly 17% of initial levels in 45 min in both groups. In the presence of emetine, however, 76.7±19.8% of FOS mRNA remained after 45 min in healthy controls, versus 37.9±25.5% in MDS (P<0.01). To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating attenuation of stress-induced FOS mRNA stabilization in MDS granulocytes.

  9. Quantifying Temporal Autocorrelations for the Expression of Geobacter species mRNA Gene Transcripts at Variable Ammonium Levels during in situ U(VI) Bioremediation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mouser, P. J.

    2010-12-01

    In order to develop decision-making tools for the prediction and optimization of subsurface bioremediation strategies, we must be able to link the molecular-scale activity of microorganisms involved in remediation processes with biogeochemical processes observed at the field-scale. This requires the ability to quantify changes in the in situ metabolic condition of dominant microbes and associate these changes to fluctuations in nutrient levels throughout the bioremediation process. It also necessitates a need to understand the spatiotemporal variability of the molecular-scale information to develop meaningful parameters and constraint ranges in complex bio-physio-chemical models. The expression of three Geobacter species genes (ammonium transporter (amtB), nitrogen fixation (nifD), and a housekeeping gene (recA)) were tracked at two monitoring locations that differed significantly in ammonium (NH4+) concentrations during a field-scale experiment where acetate was injected into the subsurface to simulate Geobacteraceae in a uranium-contaminated aquifer. Analysis of amtB and nifD mRNA transcript levels indicated that NH4+ was the primary form of fixed nitrogen during bioremediation. Overall expression levels of amtB were on average 8-fold higher at NH4+ concentrations of 300 μM or more than at lower NH4+ levels (average 60 μM). The degree of temporal correlation in Geobacter species mRNA expression levels was calculated at both locations using autocorrelation methods that describe the relationship between sample semi-variance and time lag. At the monitoring location with lower NH4+, a temporal correlation lag of 8 days was observed for both amtB and nifD transcript patterns. At the location where higher NH4+ levels were observed, no discernable temporal correlation lag above the sampling frequency (approximately every 2 days) was observed for amtB or nifD transcript fluctuations. Autocorrelation trends in recA expression levels at both locations indicated that

  10. Generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells using non-synthetic mRNA.

    PubMed

    Rohani, L; Fabian, C; Holland, H; Naaldijk, Y; Dressel, R; Löffler-Wirth, H; Binder, H; Arnold, A; Stolzing, A

    2016-05-01

    Here we describe some of the crucial steps to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using mRNA transfection. Our approach uses a V. virus-derived capping enzyme instead of a cap-analog, ensuring 100% proper cap orientation for in vitro transcribed mRNA. V. virus' 2'-O-Methyltransferase enzyme creates a cap1 structure found in higher eukaryotes and has higher translation efficiency compared to other methods. Use of the polymeric transfection reagent polyethylenimine proved superior to other transfection methods. The mRNA created via this method did not trigger an intracellular immune response via human IFN-gamma (hIFN-γ) or alpha (hIFN-α) release, thus circumventing the use of suppressors. Resulting mRNA and protein were expressed at high levels for over 48h, thus obviating daily transfections. Using this method, we demonstrated swift activation of pluripotency associated genes in human fibroblasts. Low oxygen conditions further facilitated colony formation. Differentiation into different germ layers was confirmed via teratoma assay. Reprogramming with non-synthetic mRNA holds great promise for safe generation of iPSCs of human origin. Using the protocols described herein we hope to make this method more accessible to other groups as a fast, inexpensive, and non-viral reprogramming approach. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Ammonia exposure affects the mRNA and protein expression levels of certain Rhesus glycoproteins in the gills of climbing perch.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xiu L; Zhang, Biyan; Chng, You R; Ong, Jasmine L Y; Chew, Shit F; Wong, Wai P; Lam, Siew H; Nakada, Tsutomu; Ip, Yuen K

    2017-08-15

    The freshwater climbing perch, Anabas testudineus , is an obligate air-breathing and euryhaline teleost capable of active ammonia excretion and tolerant of high concentrations of environmental ammonia. As Rhesus glycoproteins (RhGP/Rhgp) are known to transport ammonia, this study aimed to obtain the complete cDNA coding sequences of various rhgp isoforms from the gills of A. testudineus , and to determine their mRNA and protein expression levels during 6 days of exposure to 100 mmol l -1 NH 4 Cl. The subcellular localization of Rhgp isoforms in the branchial epithelium was also examined in order to elucidate the type of ionocyte involved in active ammonia excretion. Four rhgp ( rhag , rhbg , rhcg1 and rhcg2 ) had been identified from the gills of A. testudineus They had conserved amino acid residues for NH 4 + binding, NH 4 + deprotonation, channel gating and lining of the vestibules. Despite inwardly directed NH 3 and NH 4 + gradients, there were significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of the four branchial rhgp in A. testudineus at certain time points during 6 days of ammonia exposure, with significant increases in the protein abundances of Rhag and Rhcg2 on day 6. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed a type of ammonia-inducible Na + /K + -ATPase α1c-immunoreactive ionocyte with apical Rhag and basolateral Rhcg2 in the gills of fish exposed to ammonia for 6 days. Hence, active ammonia excretion may involve NH 4 + entering the ionocyte through the basolateral Rhcg2 and being excreted through the apical Rhag, driven by a transapical membrane electrical potential generated by the apical cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl - channel, as suggested previously. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  12. Increased Expression of Interleukin-18 mRNA is Associated with Carotid Artery Stenosis

    PubMed

    Arapi, Berk; Bayoğlu, Burcu; Cengiz, Müjgan; Dirican, Ahmet; Deser, Serkan Burç; Junusbekov, Yerik; Arslan, Caner

    2018-05-29

    Carotid artery stenosis is the atherosclerotic narrowing of the proximal internal carotid artery and one of the primary causes of stroke. Elevated expression of the pleiotropic proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-18 has been demonstrated in human atherosclerotic plaques. To investigate whether the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-18 and interleukin-18-binding protein and interleukin-18 −137 G/C (rs187238) variants are associated with carotid artery stenosis development. Case-control study. The mRNA expression levels of interleukin-18 and interleukin-18-binding protein and interleukin-18 rs187238 variants were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively, in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 70 patients with carotid artery stenosis (36 symptomatic, 34 asymptomatic) and 75 healthy controls. Interleukin-18 mRNA expression was significantly increased in carotid artery stenosis patients compared to that in healthy controls (p=0.01). However, no significant difference was observed between interleukin-18-binding protein mRNA expression levels in patients with carotid artery stenosis and those in controls (p=0.101). Internal carotid artery stenosis severity was significantly higher in symptomatic patients than that in asymptomatic patients (p<0.001). A significant relationship was identified between interleukin-18 expression and internal carotid artery stenosis severity in patients with carotid artery stenosis (p=0.051). Interleukin-18 rs187238 polymorphism genotype frequencies did not significantly differ between patients with carotid artery stenosis and controls (p=0.246). A significant difference was identified between interleukin-18-binding protein gene expression and symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (p=0.026), but there was no difference in interleukin-18 expression between the symptomatic and asymptomatic subgroups (p=0.397). Interleukin-18 mRNA expression may affect carotid

  13. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1) promotes IL-2 mRNA expression through the up-regulation of NF-kappaB, AP-1 and NF-AT in EL4 cells.

    PubMed

    Han, S H; Yea, S S; Jeon, Y J; Yang, K H; Kaminski, N E

    1998-12-01

    Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) has been previously shown to modulate interleukin 2 (IL-2) secretion by activated T-cells. In the present studies, we determined that TGF-beta1 induced IL-2 mRNA expression in the murine T-cell line EL4, in the absence of other stimuli. IL-2 mRNA expression was significantly induced by TGF-beta1 (0.1-1 ng/ml) over a relatively narrow concentration range, which led to the induction of IL-2 secretion. Under identical condition, we examined the effect of TGF-beta1 on the activity of nuclear factor AT (NF-AT), nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB), activator protein-1 (AP-1) and octamer, all of which contribute to the regulation of IL-2 gene expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that TGF-beta1 markedly increased NF-AT, NF-kappaB and AP-1 binding to their respective cognate DNA binding sites, whereas octamer binding remained constant, as compared with untreated cells. Employing a reporter gene expression system with p(NF-kappaB)3-CAT, p(NF-AT)3-CAT and p(AP-1)3-CAT, TGF-beta1 treatment of transfected EL4 cells induced a dose-related increase in chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity that correlated well with the DNA binding profile found in the electrophoretic mobility shift assay studies. These results show that TGF-beta1, in the absence of any additional stimuli, up-regulates the activity of key transcription factors involved in IL-2 gene expression, including NF-AT, NF-kappaB and AP-1, to help promote IL-2 mRNA expression by EL4 cells.

  14. Changes in mRNA expression for gluconeogenic enzymes in liver of dairy cattle during the transition to lactation.

    PubMed

    Greenfield, R B; Cecava, M J; Donkin, S S

    2000-06-01

    The objective of this study was to profile phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and pyruvate carboxylase (PC) mRNA expression in the liver of dairy cattle during the peripartum transition and determine changes in abundance of these mRNA in response to protein fed during the prepartum period. Thirty-eight multiparous Holstein cows were fed diets containing either 12% crude protein (CP) and 26% rumen undegradable protein (RUP), 16% CP and 26% RUP, 16% CP and 33% RUP, or 16% CP and 40% RUP on a dry-matter basis beginning 28 d before expected calving. After calving, all cows were fed a common diet through 56 d in milk (DIM). Northern analysis of RNA from liver biopsy samples obtained on days -28, -14, +1, +28, and +56 relative to calving indicated that PC and PEPCK mRNA expression were responsive to onset of lactation but not to prepartum protein or RUP concentration. Abundance of PEPCK mRNA was similar at -28, -14, and +1 DIM but was elevated by +28 and +56 DIM relative to precalving levels. Liver PC mRNA abundance was elevated on +1 DIM, remained elevated through 28 DIM, and declined to precalving levels by 56 DIM. The activity of PC enzyme was correlated (r2 = 0.89) with PC mRNA abundance. The data demonstrate increased abundance of PC mRNA during the early transition period followed by increased abundance of PEPCK mRNA during the postpartum period and suggest increased potential metabolism of lactate, pyruvate, and amino acids that contribute to the liver pyruvate pool.

  15. Time- and dose-dependent differential regulation of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase and manganese superoxide dismutase enzymatic activity and mRNA level by vitamin E in rat blood cells.

    PubMed

    Hajiani, Maliheh; Razi, Farideh; Golestani, Aboualfazl; Frouzandeh, Mehdi; Owji, Ali Akbar; Khaghani, Shahnaz; Ghannadian, Naghmeh; Shariftabrizi, Ahmad; Pasalar, Parvin

    2012-01-01

    Vitamin E is the most important lipid-soluble antioxidant. Recently, it has been proposed as a gene regulator, and its gene modulation effects have been observed at different levels of gene expression and cell signaling. This study was performed to investigate the effects of vitamin E on the activity and expression of the most important endogenous antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD), in rat plasma. Twenty-eight male Sprauge-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: control group and three dosing groups. The control group received the vehicle (liquid paraffin), and the dosing groups received twice-weekly intraperitoneal injections of 10, 30, and 100 mg/kg of vitamin E ((±)-α-Tocopherol) for 6 weeks. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme assays were used to assess the levels of Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD mRNA and enzyme activity levels in blood cells at 0, 2, 4, and 6 weeks following vitamin E administration. Catalase enzyme activity and total antioxidant capacity were also assessed in plasma at the same time intervals. Mn-SOD activity was significantly increased in the 100 and 30 mg/kg dosing groups after 4 and 6 weeks, with corresponding significant increase in their mRNA levels. Cu/Zn-SOD activity was not significantly changed in response to vitamin E administration at any time points, whereas Cu/Zn-SOD mRNA levels were significantly increased after longer time points with high doses (30 and 100 mg/kg) of vitamin E. Catalase enzyme activity was transiently but significantly increased after 4 weeks of vitamin E treatment in 30 and 100 mg/kg dosing groups. Total antioxidant status was significantly increased after 4 and 6 weeks in the 100 mg/kg dosing group. Only the chronic administration of higher doses of alpha-tocopherol is associated with the increased activity and expression of Mn-SOD in rats. Cu/Zn-SOD activity and expression does not dramatically change in response to vitamin E.

  16. Induced expression of mRNA for IL-5, IL-6, TNF-alpha, MIP-2 and IFN-gamma in immunologically activated rat peritoneal mast cells: inhibition by dexamethasone and cyclosporin A.

    PubMed

    Williams, C M; Coleman, J W

    1995-10-01

    We examined the capacity of purified rat peritoneal connective tissue-type mast cells (PMC) to express mRNA for several cytokines. Stimulation of PMC with anti-IgE for 4 hr induced the expression of mRNA encoding interleukin-5 (IL-5), IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). Unstimulated PMC expressed detectable mRNA for TNF-alpha but not for the other four cytokines. Incubation of PMC with cyclosporin A (CsA) or dexamethasone (DEX), each at 10(-6) M for 24 hr, significantly inhibited the induced expression of mRNA for each of the five cytokines, and also inhibited release of biologically active TNF-alpha. Throughout these experiments mRNA levels of the housekeeping gene G3PDH were not altered by stimulation with anti-IgE or incubation with CsA or DEX. We conclude that immunological activation of rat PMC induces gene expression of several cytokines and that expression of these genes can be inhibited by immunosuppressive drugs.

  17. Induced expression of mRNA for IL-5, IL-6, TNF-alpha, MIP-2 and IFN-gamma in immunologically activated rat peritoneal mast cells: inhibition by dexamethasone and cyclosporin A.

    PubMed Central

    Williams, C M; Coleman, J W

    1995-01-01

    We examined the capacity of purified rat peritoneal connective tissue-type mast cells (PMC) to express mRNA for several cytokines. Stimulation of PMC with anti-IgE for 4 hr induced the expression of mRNA encoding interleukin-5 (IL-5), IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). Unstimulated PMC expressed detectable mRNA for TNF-alpha but not for the other four cytokines. Incubation of PMC with cyclosporin A (CsA) or dexamethasone (DEX), each at 10(-6) M for 24 hr, significantly inhibited the induced expression of mRNA for each of the five cytokines, and also inhibited release of biologically active TNF-alpha. Throughout these experiments mRNA levels of the housekeeping gene G3PDH were not altered by stimulation with anti-IgE or incubation with CsA or DEX. We conclude that immunological activation of rat PMC induces gene expression of several cytokines and that expression of these genes can be inhibited by immunosuppressive drugs. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 PMID:7490125

  18. Tissue- and case-specific retention of intron 40 in mature dystrophin mRNA.

    PubMed

    Nishida, Atsushi; Minegishi, Maki; Takeuchi, Atsuko; Niba, Emma Tabe Eko; Awano, Hiroyuki; Lee, Tomoko; Iijima, Kazumoto; Takeshima, Yasuhiro; Matsuo, Masafumi

    2015-06-01

    The dystrophin gene, which is mutated in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), comprises 79 exons that show multiple alternative splicing events. Intron retention, a type of alternative splicing, may control gene expression. We examined intron retention in dystrophin introns by reverse-transcription PCR from skeletal muscle, focusing on the nine shortest (all <1000 bp), because these are more likely to be retained. Only one, intron 40, was retained in mRNA; sequencing revealed insertion of a complete intron 40 (851 nt) between exons 40 and 41. The intron 40 retention product accounted for 1.2% of the total product but had a premature stop codon at the fifth intronic codon. Intron 40 retention was most strongly observed in the kidney (36.6%) and was not obtained from the fetal liver, lung, spleen or placenta. This indicated that intron retention is a tissue-specific event whose level varies among tissues. In two DMD patients, intron 40 retention was observed in one patient but not in the other. Examination of splicing regulatory factors revealed that intron 40 had the highest guanine-cytosine content of all examined introns in a 30-nt segment at its 3' end. Further studies are needed to clarify the biological role of intron 40-retained dystrophin mRNA.

  19. Learning-induced expression of meningeal ependymin mRNA and demonstration of ependymin in neurons and glial cells.

    PubMed

    Rother, S; Schmidt, R; Brysch, W; Schlingensiepen, K H

    1995-10-01

    The turnover of a CNS-specific cell adhesion glycoprotein, ependymin, has earlier been found to increase during periods of neuronal plasticity. Here, ependymin mRNA expression was analyzed by semiquantitative in situ hybridization in goldfish. Learning of an active avoidance response resulted in a significant increase in ependymin mRNA expression 20 min to 4 h after acquisition of the task. In contrast, yoked control animals that were exposed to the same numbers of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli in a random, unpaired manner exhibited a strong down-regulation of ependymin mRNA. Hybridization signals were also increased by injection of anti-ependymin antiserum into brain ventricles. Ependymin mRNA was exclusively localized to reticular-shaped fibroblasts of the inner endomeningeal cell layer. Immunoelectron microscopic investigation, however, revealed ependymin also in distinct neuronal and glial cell populations in which no ependymin mRNA had been detected. Uptake of meningeal protein factors into glial and neuronal cells may therefore be of functional importance for plastic adaptations of the CNS.

  20. Characterization of rat calcitonin mRNA.

    PubMed Central

    Amara, S G; David, D N; Rosenfeld, M G; Roos, B A; Evans, R M

    1980-01-01

    A chimeric plasmic containing cDNA complementary to rat calcitonin mRNA has been constructed. Partial sequence analysis shows that the insert contains a nucleotide sequence encoding the complete amino acid sequence of calcitonin. Two basic amino acids precede and three basic amino acids follow the hormone sequence, suggesting that calcitonin is generated by the proteolytic cleavage of a larger precursor in a manner analogous to that of other small polypeptide hormones. The COOH-terminal proline, known to be amidated in the secreted hormone, is followed by a glycine in the precursor. The cloned calcitonin DNA was used to characterize the expression of calcitonin mRNA. Cytoplasmic mRNAs from calcitonin-producing rat medullary thyroid carcinoma lines and from normal rat thyroid glands contain a single species, 1050 nucleotides long, whch hybridizes to the cloned calcitonin cDNA. The concentration of calcitonin mRNA sequences is greater in those tumors that produce larger amounts of immunoreactive calcitonin. RNAs from other endocrine tissues, including anterior and neurointermediate lobes of rat pituitary, contain no detectable calcitonin mRNA. Images PMID:6933496