BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are widely involved in the process of chronic heart failure (HF), which is characterized by reactivation of the fetal gene program. Here, we examined whether the serum expression levels of some HF-related miRNAs in adult HF patients would tend to revert to fetal levels. METHODS AND RESULTS: ...

Studies show a number of miRNAs are expressed in the placenta including miRNA-424, a hypoxia-regulated miRNA, suggesting miRNA-424 may have a potential regulatory role in fetal growth restriction (FGR). The levels of miRNA-424 and its target gene, mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MEK1), and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) were ...

Myostatin is a transforming growth factor-β family member that acts as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass. To identify possible myostatin inhibitors that may promote muscle growth, we used RNA interference mediated by a lentiviral vector to knockdown myostatin in goat fetal fibroblast cells. We also investigated the expression ...

Background: Previous reports showed that prenatal hypoxia delays the process of lung maturation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors were important for lung development. However, the role of VEGF and VEGF receptors in altered fetal lung development and maturation induced by prenatal hypoxia remains unknown. Objectives: To elucidate ...

Bisphenol-A (BPA), a ubiquitous environmental endocrine disrupting chemical, is a component of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Because of its estrogenic properties there is increasing concern relative to risks from exposures during critical periods of early organ differentiation. Prenatal BPA treatment in sheep results in low birth weight, hypergonadotropism, and ...

Riboswitches are mRNA elements that specifically bind cellular metabolites and control gene expression by modifying their structure. As riboswitches often control essential genes in pathogenic bacteria, riboswitches have been proposed as new targets for antibiotics. High-throughput screening provides a powerful approach to identify riboswitch ligand analogs that could act as ...

In blood, the transcription factor C/EBPa is essential for myeloid differentiation and has been implicated in regulating self-renewal of fetal liver haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). However, its function in adult HSCs has remained unknown. Here, using an inducible knockout model we found that C/EBPa-deficient adult HSCs underwent a pronounced increase ...

Recent reports have indicated a role of cell-to-cell interactions during gonadal development and functions. Numerous reports indicate that fetal hormonal disruption induces abnormalities in the developing reproductive system and, therefore, may interfere with reproductive functions later in adult life. Hence, this study investigated the effect of androgen deficiency during late ...

Androgen deficiency during prenatal development may affect the expression of genes involved in the folliculogenesis regulation. In order to study the effect of antiandrogen on fetal ovarian development, pregnant gilts were injected with flutamide (for 7 days, 50 mg/kg bodyweight per day) or corn oil (control groups) starting on gestation ...

Understanding the regulation of cardiomyocyte growth is crucial for the management of adverse ventricular remodeling and heart failure. MicroRNA-378 (miR-378) is a newly described member of the cardiac enriched miRNAs which is expressed only in cardiac myocytes and not in cardiac fibroblasts. We have previously shown that miR-378 regulates cardiac ...

INTRODUCTION: The beneficial effects of antenatal glucocorticoid therapy on fetal lung maturation require their passage across the placental glucocorticoid barrier, composed of glucocorticoid metabolising enzymes, such as 11 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11βHSD), and proteins that efflux glucocorticoids, such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp). We have shown that 11βHSD2 activity is responsive to ...

We previously reported elevated adipose leptin expression, plasma leptin concentrations and adrenocortical leptin receptor expression in the long term hypoxic (LTH) ovine fetus. This study addressed if leptin antagonist (LA) administration to LTH fetal sheep altered expression of key genes governing cortisol synthesis. Ewes were maintained at high altitude (3,820 ...

Shallow invasion could result in pathological processes of placenta leading to fetal growth restriction (FGR) in singletons and twins. Osteopontin (OPN) plays an important role in trophoblast invasion. So our study aims to investigate the expression level of OPN in placenta of discordant monochorionic (MC) twins. OPN expression was compared ...

Inflammation and antenatal glucocorticoids, the latter given to mothers at risk for preterm birth, affect lung development and may contribute to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The effects of the combined exposures on inflammation and antenatal glucocorticoids on transforming growth factor (TGF)β signaling are unknown. TGFβ and its downstream ...

Androgen deficiency during prenatal development may affect the expression of genes involved in the folliculogenesis regulation. In order to study the effect of antiandrogen on fetal ovarian development, pregnant gilts were injected with flutamide (for seven days, 50 mg kg-1 bw per day) or corn oil (control groups) starting on ...

Current therapies for preterm labour (PTL) focus on arresting myometrial contractions but are largely ineffective, thus alternative therapeutic targets need to be identified. Leukocytes infiltrate the uterus around the time of labour, and are in particularly abundant in decidua (maternal-fetal interface). Moreover, decidual inflammation precedes labour in rat pregnancies and ...

BACKGROUND: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is an important but poorly understood condition of pregnancy, which results in significant fetal, neonatal and long-term morbidity and mortality. Novel research has suggested that altered miRNA expression in the plasma and placenta is associated with adverse pregnancy. We hypothesized that aberrant expression of microRNA-141 ...

Monitoring activity of specific signaling pathways in vivo is challenging and requires highly sensitive methods to detect dynamic perturbations in whole organisms. In vivo gene delivery of a luciferase reporter followed by bioluminiscence imaging allows measuring NF-κB activity in mice liver and lungs. This protocol allows a direct measure of ...

In the clinical practice, many diseases such as glioblastoma, leukemia, diabetes, and prostates have multiple subtypes. Classifying subtypes accurately using genomic data will provide individualized treatments to target-specific disease subtypes. However, it is often difficult to obtain satisfactory classification accuracy using only one type of data, because the subtypes of ...

Aim: Rev-Erb β gene plays crucial roles in circadian rhythm, lipid and glucose metabolism, and several diseases. The molecular mechanisms of the transcriptional regulation of Rev-Erb β that generate and determine the phase of the circadian oscillation remain unclear.Methods: We analyzed the Rev-Erb β promoter by luciferase reporter assays, real-time ...

UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) catalyze phase II conjugation reactions and play an important role in the inactivation and elimination of several drugs. It is well known that the UGT activity in fetal livers is low compared to the UGT activity in adult livers. In this study the mRNA expression level of the ...

OBJECTIVE The single-nucleotide polymorphism rs1344706, located within an intron of the ZNF804A gene, exhibits genome-wide significant association with schizophrenia. Although genotype at rs1344706 is associated with altered functional brain connectivity, the molecular mechanisms mediating its association with schizophrenia have not been clearly defined. Given its location in noncoding sequence, the ...

Listeriosis is a deadly food-borne disease, and its incidence may be limited through the biotechnological exploitation of a number of anti-listerial biocontrol agents. The most widely used of these agents are bacteriocins and the Class II enterocins are characterized by their activity against Listeria. Enterocins are primarily produced by enterococci, ...

Two G-protein-coupled receptors, angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) and type 2 receptor (AT2R), mediate the majority of angiotensin II (Ang II) effects. It has long been believed that the AT2R is reduced to extremely low levels in adulthood but is abundantly expressed in the fetus. However, recent data from rats ...

Fetal fibronectin (fFN) in cervical and vaginal secretions has been used as a predictor of preterm delivery. Here, we clarified the pathological function of fFN on cell type-specific matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and prostaglandin synthesis in fetal membranes. Treatment of amnion mesenchymal cells with fFN resulted in dramatic increases in MMP-1 ...

The epicardium encapsulates the heart and functions as a source of multipotent progenitor cells and paracrine factors essential for cardiac development and repair. Injury of the adult heart results in reactivation of a developmental gene program in the epicardium, but the transcriptional basis of epicardial gene expression has not been ...

BACKGROUND: Retinoids play a key role in fetal lung development. It has been suggested that the maternal-fetal retinol transport is disrupted by trophoblastic apoptosis. The mechanism underlying nitrofen-induced apoptosis in placenta is not fully understood. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is expressed in the fetal part of the maternal-fetal interface. NGAL ...

The aim of this study was to conduct a search for microRNAs (miRNAs) that are significant in fetal lung develop-ment to lay a foundation for further studies in the relevant fields. In this study, histological observation was performed in rats by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining at three time points of ...

Fetal liver is the major embryonic hematopoietic organ and is extrinsically colonized by circulating hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Integrin beta-1 expression on HSCs is crucial for colonization, suggesting that interaction of Integrin beta-1 with extra-cellular matrix (ECM) factors promotes HSC adherence to fetal liver. However, little is known about how ...

PROBLEM: Preterm premature rupture of fetal membranes (pPROM) occurs in 30-40% of spontaneous preterm births (PTB) and is associated with intra-amniotic infection and inflammation. The membranes may sense and respond to microbes via Toll-like receptors (TLRs); however, little is known about their expression and regulation in this tissue. The objective ...

Chorioamnionitis and antenatal corticosteroids mature the fetal lung functionally but disrupt late-gestation lung development. Because Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling is a major pathway directing lung development, we hypothesized that chorioamnionitis and antenatal corticosteroids modulated Shh signaling, resulting in an altered fetal lung structure. Time-mated ewes with singleton ovine fetuses received ...

OBJECTIVE: Although the effects of tacrolimus on T cells are well-known, direct effects on rheumatoid synovial fibroblasts (RSF) remain unclear. We studied the effects of tacrolimus on RSF by a DNA microarray analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tacrolimus and interleukin (IL)-1β were added to cultured RSF. Total RNA was prepared from ...

Nuclear actin levels have recently been linked to different cellular fates, suggesting that actin could act as a switch between altered transcriptional states. Here we discuss our latest results on the mechanisms by which nuclear actin levels are regulated and their implications to the functional significance of nuclear actin.

UV-induced stress response involves expression change of a myriad of genes, which play critical roles in modulating cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, and cell survival. Alteration of microRNAs has been found in cells exposed to UV, yet their function in UV stress response remains elusive. Here, we show that UV ...

IL-33 is a member of the IL-1 family and has been implicated in Th2 driven allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and asthma. The principal Th2 cytokine IL-4, found highly expressed in acute allergic eczema, is known to downregulate human beta defensin 2 (hBD2) expression in human keratinocytes and this ...

Two types of exposures were performed to assess the effects of zinc released from sacrificial anode degradation: a chronic exposure, in which oysters were exposed to 0.53±0.04mgZnL(-1) for 10weeks, and an acute exposure, where oysters were exposed to 10.2±1.2mgZnL(-1) for 1week. At the end of the acute exposure experiment, 81.8% ...

Ciliogenesis requires the removal of CP110 from the mother centriole; actin dynamics also influence ciliation, at least partly by affecting the centrosomal accumulation of ciliogenic membrane vesicles. How these distinct processes are properly regulated remains unknown. Here we show that miR-129-3p, a microRNA conserved in vertebrates, controlled cilia biogenesis in ...

J Oral Pathol Med (2012) Background:  The role of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) has been elucidated in many human infectious, autoimmune and neoplastic diseases. Previously, TLR2 and TLR4 expression in oral lichen planus (OLP) was described. The aim of our study was to examine expression patterns of TLR4 and TLR9 in ...

BACKGROUND: Topical indigo naturalis ointment is clinically proved to be an effective therapy for plaque-type psoriasis. Indirubin, as the active component of indigo naturalis, inhibits cell proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes. However, the detailed underlying mechanism is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: To further investigate the anti-proliferating effects of indigo naturalis and ...

Oral cancer is commonly preceded by premalignant lesions and conditions. The clinician's ability to identify lesions at an increased risk of cancer development is critical for its control. The purpose of this study was to compare the expression of tumor suppressor gene p53, proliferation marker Ki-67, and oncogene c-erbB2 and ...

Oral Diseases (2012) Objective:  Heat-shock protein 27 (hsp27) has been implicated in several biological events. In this experimental study, we aimed at analysing, for the first time, the expression of hsp27 in the diverse stages of oral lichen planus (OLP) lesions. Materials and methods:  Thirty-six biopsy specimens of patients with ...

The C-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) subunit undergoes dynamic phosphorylation to support transcription-associated events and drive the transcription cycle. In mammalian cells, it comprises 52 repeats of the heptapeptide sequence Tyr(1)–Ser(2)–Pro(3)–Thr(4)–Ser(5)–Pro(6)–Ser(7). While important functions for Ser(2)-, Ser(5)-, and Ser(7)-phosphorylation have previously been described, a new ...

Background. MicroRNAs are short, endogenous RNA molecules that can bind to parts of target mRNAs, thus inhibiting their translation and causing accelerated turnover or degradation of transcripts, thereby regulating gene expression. Several microRNAs have been found to be upregulated in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, indicating a role in inflammatory skin ...

Actin dynamics are implicated in various cellular processes, not only through the regulation of cytoskeletal organization, but also via the control of gene expression. Here we show that the Src family kinase substrate p130Cas influences actin remodeling and concomitant muscle-specific gene expression, thereby regulating myogenic differentiation. In C2C12 myoblasts, silencing ...

Pruritus is a common symptom of psoriasis, which affects quality of life. This symptom accompanies the hyper-innervation of sensory C-fibres in psoriatic lesions. Two extracellular molecules, nerve growth factor (NGF) and semaphorin-3A, regulate C-fibre extension. In this study, the expression levels of these 2 molecules in biopsy specimens from psoriatic ...

To gain a better understanding of the protective function of the trichome in Arabidopsis against UV-B radiation, we performed a study using several Arabidopsis trichome mutants (gl1, gis, gis2, zfp8, try82, and gl3), overexpressing trichome positive regulator lines (35S:GIS and 35S:GIS2), and wild-types (WT) under simulated enhanced UV-B radiation conditions. ...

Background: The regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) production in psoriatic lesions may amplify the inflammation in these lesions. Narrow band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB), a therapeutic modality for psoriasis, affects the expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Objective: Our aim was to evaluate RANTES mRNA expression ...

Glycyrrhizic acid (GA), a triterpenoid saponin glycoside from the roots and rhizomes of licorice is used in traditional and modern medicine for the treatment of numerous medical conditions including skin diseases and beauty care product. In the present study, we investigated the effect of GA against ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation-induced ...

Previously we showed that spatial and developmental modulation of ARNT (HIF1β) expression in mouse epidermis is essential for maintenance of keratinocyte differentiation, proper formation of the barrier and normal desquamation.Here, using lentiviral suppression or induction of ARNT in TERT-immortalized (N-TERT) and HaCaT cells we assessed the nature and mechanisms of ...

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation on microRNA (miRNA) expression in normal human keratinocytes. Global miRNA expression profiles of primary cultures of normal human keratinocytes 4 and 24 h postirradiation were studied using miRNA microarray with further confirmation by real-time PCR. We ...