Variants in the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene are associated with obesity and body fat mass in genome wide association studies (GWAS). However, the mechanism by which FTO predisposes individuals to obesity is not clear so far. First mechanistic evidence was shown in Fto negative mice. These mice ...

It was previously shown that abnormal prohormone processing or inactive proconverting (PC) enzymes that are responsible for this processing cause profound obesity. Our laboratory demonstrated earlier that in the diet-induced obesity (DIO) state the appetite-suppressing neuropeptide α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is reduced yet the mRNA of its precursor protein POMC ...

Krüppel-like Factor 3 (KLF3) is a transcriptional regulator that we have shown to be involved in the regulation of adipogenesis in vitro. Here we report that KLF3 null mice are lean and protected from diet-induced obesity and glucose intolerance. On a chow diet, plasma levels of leptin are decreased, and ...

Brown adipose tissue helps to maintain body temperature in hibernators, rodents and neonatal mammals by converting lipids and glucose into heat, thereby increasing energy expenditure. In addition to classical brown adipocytes, adult rodents-like adult humans-harbour brown-like adipocytes in the predominantly white adipose tissue. The formation of these brite (brown-in-white) adipocytes ...

Objective:We hypothesized that genes within recently identified loci associated with waist-hip ratio (WHR) exhibit fat depot-specific mRNA expression, which correlates with obesity-related traits.Methods:Adipose tissue (AT) mRNA expression of 6 genes (TBX15/WARS2, STAB1, PIGC, ZNRF3 and GRB14) within these loci showing coincident cis-expression quantitative trait loci was measured in 222 paired ...

Obese heifers have been found to produce fewer excellent-grade embryos than lean and normal heifers due to unknown mechanisms. Oviducts synthesize granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMCSF) to promote embryogenesis, and GMCSF expression may be down-regulated in the oviducts of obese cows. The present study evaluated the relationship between the degree ...

Recent data suggest that ghrelin exerts its orexigenic action through regulation of hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, leading to a decline in malonyl-CoA levels and desinhibition of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A), which increases mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and ultimately enhances the expression of the orexigenic neuropeptides agouti-related protein (AgRP) ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Diet regulates gene expression profiles by several mechanisms. The objective of this study was to examine gene expression in relation with dietary patterns. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty four participants from the greater Quebec City metropolitan area were recruited. Two hundred and ten participants completed the study protocol. ...

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: While chronic low-grade inflammation is associated with obesity, acute inflammation reduces food intake and leads to negative energy balance. Although both types of inflammation activate nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signalling, it remains unclear how NF-κB activation results in opposite physiological responses in the two types of inflammation. The goal ...

Recently, it has been demonstrated that uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1)-expressing white adipocytes (brown-like adipocytes) are important for energy expenditure in white adipose tissue (WAT), in which energy expenditure decreases under obese condition. However, the relationship between the induction of brown-like adipocytes and the decrease in energy expenditure in obese WAT remains ...

Lipin-1 plays crucial roles in the regulation of lipid metabolism and cell differentiation in adipocytes. In obesity, adipose lipin-1 mRNA expression is decreased and positively correlated with systemic insulin sensitivity. Amelioration of the lipin-1 depletion might be improved dysmetabolism. Although some cytokines such as TNF-α and interleukin-1β reduces adipose lipin-1 ...

Ghrelin-system components [native ghrelin, In1-ghrelin, Ghrelin-O-acyltransferase enzyme (GOAT) and receptors (GHS-Rs)] are expressed in a wide variety of tissues, including the pancreas, where they exert different biological actions including regulation of neuroendocrine secretions, food intake and pancreatic function. The expression of ghrelin system is regulated by metabolic conditions (fasting/obesity) and ...

Leptin, a product of Ob gene from adipocytes regulates appetite, energy expenditure and body mass composition by decreasing orexigenic and increasing anorexigenic neuropeptide release from hypothalamus. Research over the past few years have suggested leptin/leptin receptor dysregulation to have a role in the development of a large variety of malignancies ...

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2), the vasopressin-regulated water channel of the renal collecting duct, is dysregulated in numerous disorders of water balance in people and animals, including those associated with polyuria (urinary tract obstruction, hypokalemia, inflammation, and lithium toxicity) and with dilutional hyponatremia (syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis, congestive heart failure, cirrhosis). Normal regulation ...

Estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) are important regulators of energy metabolism. Here we investigated the effect of ERRγ on differentiation and function of brown adipocytes. ERRγ was preferentially expressed in brown compared to white fat depots, and ERRγ was induced during cold-induced browning of subcutaneous white adipose tissue and brown adipogenesis. Overexpression ...

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) can inhibit and modify the growth of ice crystals. Two antifreeze protein genes, Apafp752 and Apafp914, were cloned from the desert beetle Anatolica polita (Coleoptera: Tenebriondae), and they shared 61.3 percent similarity at the amino acid level. Apafp752 also contained one variation in the most conserved TCT ...

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the interferon-α (IFN-α), IFN-β, and proinflammatory responses induced by Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from obese subjects and their association with suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (SOCS1) and SOCS3 expression. METHODS: The IFN responses were measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain ...

Small Hfq-dependent noncoding regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) that alter mRNA stability and expression by pairing with target mRNAs have increasingly been shown to be important in influencing the behavior of bacteria. In Escherichia coli, flhD and flhC, which encode the master regulator of flagellar synthesis, are co-transcribed from a promoter that ...

The Nile tilapia represents an excellent model for osmoregulation study. Osmotic stress transcription factor 1 (OSTF1) identified in tilapia gill epithelium is a critical element of osmosensory signal transduction by means of transcriptional regulation. Thus, tight regulation of OSTF1 level is necessary for tilapia osmotic adaptation. microRNAs (miRNAs), have emerged ...

The operculum is a novel structure in gastropod molluscs. Because the operculum shows notable similarities to the shell plate, we asked whether there were an evolutionary link between these two secretory organs. We found that some of the genes involved in shell-field development are expressed in the operculum, such as ...

Feed intake control is vital to ensuring optimal nutrition and achieving full potential for growth and development in poultry. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of L-leucine, L-glutamate, L-tryptophan and L-arginine on feed intake and the mRNA expression levels of hypothalamic Neuropeptide involved in feed ...

DNA CpG methylation is carried out by DNA methyltransferases and induces chromatin remodeling and gene silencing through a transcription repressor complex comprising the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) and a subset of histone deacetylases. Recently, we have found that MeCP2 activity had a crucial role in the pattern of gene expression ...

VNN1 gene expression levels and the G-137T polymorphism have been associated with high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in Mexican American adults. We aim to evaluate the contribution of VNN1 gene expression and the G-137T variant to HDL-C levels and other metabolic traits in Mexican prepubertal children. VNN1 mRNA expression ...

Expression profile of the toll like receptors (TLRs) on PBMCs is central to the regulation of proinflammatory markers. An imbalance in the TLRs expression may lead to several types of inflammatory disorders. Furthermore, the dynamic regulation of inflammatory activity and associated impaired production of cytokines by peripheral blood mononuclear ...

Fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) is the first gene associated with body mass index (BMI) and risk for diabetes. FTO is highly expressed in the brain and pancreas, and is involved in regulating dietary intake and energy expenditure. To investigate the transcriptional regulation of FTO expression, we created ...

Lower jaw development is a complex process in which multiple signaling cascades establish a proximal-distal organization. These cascades are regulated both spatially and temporally and are constantly refined through both induction of normal signals and inhibition of inappropriate signals. The connective tissue of the tongue arises from cranial neural crest ...

The role of the intranuclear movement of chromatin in gene expression is not well-understood. Herpes simplex virus forms replication compartments (RCs) in infected cell nuclei as sites of viral DNA replication and late gene transcription. These structures develop from small compartments that grow in size, move, and coalesce. Quantitative analysis ...

Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), a side-effect of bisphosphonate therapy, is characterized by exposed bone that fails to heal within eight weeks. Healing time of oral epithelial wounds is decreased in the presence of amino-bisphosphonates; however, the mechanism remains unknown. We examined human tissue from individuals with ONJ and non-bisphosphonate-treated ...

The ATP6V1C1 gene encodes the C1 subunit of the vacuolar-ATPase (V-ATPase) proton pump. This gene is over-expressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) as determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The aim of our study was to perform an immunohistochemical study of the distribution of the C1 subunit in ...

We examined the localization and boundary lubricating function of superficial zone protein (SZP) on the surface of mandibular condylar cartilage. Chondrocytes were separated from the surface layer of mandibular condylar cartilage of 6- to 9-month-old female pigs. A cyclic tensile strain of 7% or 21% cell elongation was applied to ...

Tooth eruption at the early postnatal period is strictly controlled by the molecules secreted mainly from follicular tissues, which recruit monocytes for osteoclast formation. In this study, it was hypothesized that different molecules can be expressed according to the stages of tooth eruption. Rat molar germs together with follicles were ...

Relaxin (Rln) is an ovarian hormone that stimulates osteoclastic and osteoblastic activities and connective tissue turnover. To investigate the expression of Rln during orthodontic tooth movement, rats were implanted with orthodontic appliances that connected a spring from the upper incisors to the first molar with a 70 cN force. Rats ...

Mammalian tooth development depends on activation of odontogenic potential in the presumptive dental mesenchyme by the Msx1 and Pax9 transcription factors. We recently reported that the zinc finger transcription factor Osr2 was expressed in a lingual-to-buccal gradient pattern surrounding the developing mouse molar tooth germs and mice lacking Osr2 developed ...

Cranial neural crest (CNC) is a multipotent migratory cell population that gives rise to most of the craniofacial bones. An intricate network mediates CNC formation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, migration along distinct paths, and differentiation. Errors in these processes lead to craniofacial abnormalities, including cleft lip and palate. Clefts are the most ...

Normal patterning and morphogenesis of the complex skeletal structures of the skull requires an exquisite, reciprocal cross-talk between the embryonic cephalic epithelia and mesenchyme. The mesenchyme associated with the jaws and the optic and olfactory capsules is derived from a Hox-negative cranial neural crest (CNC) population that acts much as ...

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of forced mouth opening on murine mandibular condylar head remodeling. We hypothesized that forced mouth opening would cause an anabolic response in the mandibular condylar cartilage. Six-week-old female C57BL/6 mice were divided into 3 groups: (1) control, (2) 0.25 N, ...

We previously performed cDNA subtraction between the mouse mandibles on embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5) in the pre-initiation stage of the odontogenesis and E12.0 in the late initiation stage to identify genes expressed at its beginning. Adenosine triphosphate synthase subunit a (Atpase6) is one of the highly expressed genes in the ...

DUSP6/MKP-3 is a cytoplasmic dual-specificity phosphatase specific for the MAP kinases ERK1/2. Previous data have shown that the MEK/ERK axis exerts a retro-control on its own signaling through transcriptional and post-translational regulation of DUSP6. We first confirm the key role of MEK/ERK in maintaining the levels of dusp6 mRNA, while ...

Periosteal growth at human mandibular ramus is characterized by bone apposition at the posterior border and resorption at the anterior border. Molecular control of this regional variation is unclear. This study examined the expression of several molecules involved in bone apposition/resorption at these regions in vivo and in vitro. By ...

Transcriptional interference is the in cis suppression of one transcriptional process by another. Mathematical modeling shows that promoter occlusion by elongating RNA polymerases cannot produce strong interference. Interference may instead be generated by (1) dislodgement of slow-to-assemble pre-initiation complexes and transcription factors and (2) prolonged occlusion by paused RNA polymerases.

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) Background:  Heat shock protein 47 (HSP47) is a product of CBP2 gene located at chromosome 11q13.5, a region frequently amplified in human cancers. Areca quid chewing is a major risk factor of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of this study was to compare ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study is to investigate the involvement of immunocompetent cells, pro-inflammatory cytokines and HSP, to evaluate a change of periodontal ligament during the initial stage of orthodontic tooth movement. DESIGN: In the present study, we investigated the distributional density of immunocompetent cells, the localisation of ...

Cleft palate, including submucous cleft palate, is among the most common birth defects in humans. While overt cleft palate results from defects in growth or fusion of the developing palatal shelves, submucous cleft palate is characterized by defects in palatal bones. In this report, we show that the Bmpr1a gene, ...

Periostin plays multiple functions during development. Our previous work showed a critical role of this disulfide-linked cell adhesion protein in maintenance of periodontium integrity in response to occlusal load. In this study, we attempted to address whether this mechanical response molecule played a direct role in postnatal tooth development. Our ...

Wnt activity is critical in craniofacial morphogenesis. Dysregulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling results in significant alterations in the facial form, and has been implicated in cleft palate phenotypes in mouse and man. In zebrafish, we show that wnt9a is expressed in the pharyngeal arch, oropharyngeal epithelium that circumscribes the ethmoid plate, ...

Periosteal growth at human mandibular ramus is characterized by bone apposition at the posterior border and resorption at the anterior border. Molecular control of this regional variation is unclear. This study examined the expression of several molecules involved in bone apposition/resorption at these regions in vivo and in vitro. By ...

With most of the important players identified, the process of decapping is thought, for the most part, to be well understood. In this issue of Molecular Cell, Song et al. (2010) challenge this notion with the identification of a previously uncharacterized mRNA decapping enzyme.

Regulation of RNA degradation plays an important role in the control of gene expression. One mechanism of eukaryotic mRNA decay proceeds through an initial deadenylation followed by 5' end decapping and exonucleolytic decay. Dcp2 is currently believed to be the only cytoplasmic decapping enzyme responsible for decapping of all mRNAs. ...

The abundant class of bacterial Hfq-associated small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) parallels animal microRNAs in their ability to control multiple genes at the posttranscriptional level by short and imperfect base pairing. In contrast to the universal length and seed pairing mechanism of microRNAs, the sRNAs are heterogeneous in size and structure, ...

Tissue factor has been recognized as a regulator of tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. The tissue factor gene is selectively expressed in highly invasive breast cancer cells, and the mechanisms regulating tissue factor expression in these cells remain unclear. This study demonstrates that microRNA-19 (miR-19) regulates tissue factor expression in breast ...