下丘脑腹内侧核损毁对大鼠nesfatin-1/NUCB2表达的影响

目的:观察下丘脑腹内侧核(VMH)损毁对大鼠脂肪组织nesfatin-1/NUCB2表达的影响及其机制。方法:电损毁VMH,观察大鼠体重和脂肪组织变化,采用Western blot检测脂肪组织中nesfatin-1/NUCB2表达改变。腹腔注射6-羟多巴胺(50 mg/kg)以阻断交感神经;持续外周注射卡巴胆碱(180μg/kg)用以模拟VMH损毁,观察其对大鼠皮下脂肪nesfatin-1/NUCB2表达的影响。结果:与对照组和假手术组比较,VMH损毁后大鼠体重明显增加(P0.05),皮下脂肪(P0.05)和肠系膜脂肪(P0.05)也显著增多;Western blot分析结果显示,nesfatin-1/NUCB2在胰腺和肝脏中表达较多,但皮下、肠系膜脂肪和肩胛间棕色脂肪组织(i BAT)中表达较少,骨骼肌(腓肠肌)中鲜有表达;与对照组和假手术组比较,VMH损毁组大鼠nesfatin-1/NUCB2在肝脏、胰腺、骨骼肌和i BAT中表达无显著差异(P0.05),皮下脂肪(P0.05)和肠系膜脂肪(P0.05)nesfatin-1/NUCB2表达显著增多与对照组相比,6-羟多巴胺组nesfatin-1/NUCB2表达显著升高(t=3.43,P0.05),而卡巴胆碱组nesfatin-1/NUCB2表达无显著差异(t=0.37,P=0.72)。结论:VMH损毁后大鼠脂肪组织nesfatin-1/NUCB2表达改变可能通过抑制交感神经活动介导。     

Fish Oil Supplementation Alters the Plasma Lipidomic Profile and Increases Long-Chain PUFAs of Phospholipids and Triglycerides in Healthy Subjects

Background

While beneficial health effects of fish and fish oil consumption are well documented, the incorporation of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in plasma lipid classes is not completely understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fish oil supplementation on the plasma lipidomic profile in healthy subjects.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In a double-blinded randomized controlled parallel-group study, healthy subjects received capsules containing either 8 g/d of fish oil (FO) (1.6 g/d EPA+DHA) (n = 16) or 8 g/d of high oleic sunflower oil (HOSO) (n = 17) for seven weeks. During the first three weeks of intervention, the subjects completed a fully controlled diet period. BMI and total serum triglycerides, total-, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol were unchanged during the intervention period. Lipidomic analyses were performed using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) coupled to electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOFMS), where 568 lipids were detected and 260 identified. Both t-tests and Multi-Block Partial Least Square Regression (MBPLSR) analysis were performed for analysing differences between the intervention groups. The intervention groups were well separated by the lipidomic data after three weeks of intervention. Several lipid classes such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, lysophosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylglycerol, and triglycerides contributed strongly to this separation. Twenty-three lipids were significantly decreased (FDR<0.05) in the FO group after three weeks compared with the HOSO group, whereas fifty-one were increased including selected phospholipids and triglycerides of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. After seven weeks of intervention the two intervention groups showed similar grouping.

Conclusions/Significance

In healthy subjects, fish oil supplementation alters lipid metabolism and increases the proportion of phospholipids and triglycerides containing long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Whether the beneficial effects of fish oil supplementation may be explained by a remodeling of the plasma lipids into phospholipids and triglycerides of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids needs to be further investigated.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT01034423","term_id":"NCT01034423"}}NCT01034423     

A Disease-causing Mutation in the Active Site of Serine Palmitoyltransferase Causes Catalytic Promiscuity

The autosomal dominant peripheral sensory neuropathy HSAN1 results from mutations in the LCB1 subunit of serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT). Serum from patients and transgenic mice expressing a disease-causing mutation (C133W) contain elevated levels of 1-deoxysphinganine (1-deoxySa), which presumably arise from inappropriate condensation of alanine with palmitoyl-CoA. Mutant heterodimeric SPT is catalytically inactive. However, mutant heterotrimeric SPT has ∼10–20% of wild-type activity and supports growth of yeast cells lacking endogenous SPT. In addition, long chain base profiling revealed the synthesis of significantly more 1-deoxySa in yeast and mammalian cells expressing the heterotrimeric mutant enzyme than in cells expressing wild-type enzyme. Wild-type and mutant enzymes had similar affinities for serine. Surprisingly, the enzymes also had similar affinities for alanine, indicating that the major affect of the C133W mutation is to enhance activation of alanine for condensation with the acyl-CoA substrate. In vivo synthesis of 1-deoxySa by the mutant enzyme was proportional to the ratio of alanine to serine in the growth media, suggesting that this ratio can be used to modulate the relative synthesis of sphinganine and 1-deoxySa. By expressing SPT as a single-chain fusion protein to ensure stoichiometric expression of all three subunits, we showed that GADD153, a marker for endoplasmic reticulum stress, was significantly elevated in cells expressing mutant heterotrimers. GADD153 was also elevated in cells treated with 1-deoxySa. Taken together, these data indicate that the HSAN1 mutations perturb the active site of SPT resulting in a gain of function that is responsible for the HSAN1 phenotype.     

Increased Stathmin1 Expression in the Dentate Gyrus of Mice Causes Abnormal Axonal Arborizations

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is involved in multiple brain functions. To clarify the cause of abnormal behavior in PACAP deficient-mice, we attempted the identification of genes whose expression was altered in the dentate gyrus of PACAP-deficient mice using the differential display method. Expression of stathmin1 was up-regulated in the dentate gyrus at both the mRNA and protein levels. PACAP stimulation inhibited stathmin1 expression in PC12 cells, while increased stathmin1expression in neurons of the subgranular zone and in primary cultured hippocampal neurons induced abnormal arborization of axons. We also investigated the pathways involved in PACAP deficiency. Ascl1 binds to E10 box of the stathmin1 promoter and increases stathmin1 expression. Inhibitory bHLH proteins (Hes1 and Id3) were rapidly up-regulated by PACAP stimulation, and Hes1 could suppress Ascl1 expression and Id3 could inhibit Ascl1 signaling. We also detected an increase of stathmin1 expression in the brains of schizophrenic patients. These results suggest that up-regulation of stathmin1 in the dentate gyrus, secondary to PACAP deficiency, may create abnormal neuronal circuits that cause abnormal behavior.     

下丘脑腹内侧核Orexin-1及其受体对大鼠胃酸分泌的影响及其机制

目的:探讨下丘脑腹内侧核Orexin-1及其受体对大鼠胃酸分泌的影响及其机制。方法:大鼠麻醉后侧脑室及VMH置管,大鼠分组后分别VMH注射orexin-A、[Pro~(34)]-酪酪肽、[c PP1-7、NPY~(19-23)、Ala~(31)、Aib~(32)、Gln~(34)]胰多肽;腹腔注射SB-334867;皮下注射阿托品;侧脑室微量注射GR-231118、CGP-71683。给药结束后使用幽门结扎模型检测大鼠的胃酸分泌。结果:OXA能够促进胃酸分泌,且呈量效依赖关系。腹腔注射SB-334867能够抑制胃酸分泌,且呈量效依赖关系;SB-334867能够抑制orexin-A对胃酸分泌的促进作用;阿托品不但能够抑制胃酸分泌并且还能够完全阻断OXA的促胃酸分泌作用。侧脑室微量注射GR-231118或CGP-71683胃酸及胃液量减少,呈量效依赖关系,并且能够完全阻断OXA的促胃酸分泌作用。VMH内微量注射[cPP~(1-7),NPY~(19-23),Ala~(31),Aib~(32),Gln~(34)]胰多肽胃酸分泌增多,且呈量效依赖关系。结论:Orexin-A能够作用于下丘脑VMH促进胃酸分泌,orexin受体、Y1和Y5受体以及迷走神经系统均参与该过程。     

Lipopolysaccharide Stimulates Triglyceride Accumulation and Lipid Droplet Biogenesis in PC12 Cells: the Role of Carnitine Palmitoyltransferase 1 Down-Regulation and Suppression of Fatty Acid Oxidation

Journal of Evolutionary Biochemistry and Physiology - Inflammation and oxidative stress are well known to induce the biogenesis of lipid droplets (LDs) in various cell types, in which fatty acids...     

A Recurrent Mutation in CACNA1G Alters Cav3.1 T-Type Calcium-Channel Conduction and Causes Autosomal-Dominant Cerebellar Ataxia

Hereditary cerebellar ataxias (CAs) are neurodegenerative disorders clinically characterized by a cerebellar syndrome, often accompanied by other neurological or non-neurological signs. All transmission modes have been described. In autosomal-dominant CA (ADCA), mutations in more than 30 genes are implicated, but the molecular diagnosis remains unknown in about 40% of cases. Implication of ion channels has long been an ongoing topic in the genetics of CA, and mutations in several channel genes have been recently connected to ADCA. In a large family affected by ADCA and mild pyramidal signs, we searched for the causative variant by combining linkage analysis and whole-exome sequencing. In CACNA1G, we identified a c.5144G>A mutation, causing an arginine-to-histidine (p.Arg1715His) change in the voltage sensor S4 segment of the T-type channel protein Cav3.1. Two out of 479 index subjects screened subsequently harbored the same mutation. We performed electrophysiological experiments in HEK293T cells to compare the properties of the p.Arg1715His and wild-type Cav3.1 channels. The current-voltage and the steady-state activation curves of the p.Arg1715His channel were shifted positively, whereas the inactivation curve had a higher slope factor. Computer modeling in deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) neurons suggested that the mutation results in decreased neuronal excitability. Taken together, these data establish CACNA1G, which is highly expressed in the cerebellum, as a gene whose mutations can cause ADCA. This is consistent with the neuropathological examination, which showed severe Purkinje cell loss. Our study further extends our knowledge of the link between calcium channelopathies and CAs.     

A Role for Hypothalamic AMP-Activated Protein Kinase in the Mediation of Hyperphagia and Weight Gain Induced by Chronic Treatment with Olanzapine in Female Rats

Olanzapine is known to be advantageous with respect to outcome and drug compliance in patients with schizophrenia. However, olanzapine has adverse effects, including a higher incidence of weight gain and metabolic disturbances, when compared with those of other antipsychotic agents. The mechanisms underlying these adverse events remain obscure. Female rats were orally administered olanzapine (2 mg/kg) or vehicle once a day for 2 weeks to ascertain if hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) mediates olanzapine-induced weight gain and hyperphagia. Body weight and food intake in each rat were evaluated every day and every two days, respectively. After the termination of drug treatment, we measured the protein levels of AMPK and phosphorylated AMPK in the hypothalamus using western blot analyses. Olanzapine significantly increased body weight and food intake. The phosphorylation levels of AMPK were significantly elevated by olanzapine. These results suggest that activation of hypothalamic AMPK may mediate hyperphagia and weight gain induced by chronic treatment with olanzapine.     

Expression Profile of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 Enzymes in Colon and Bladder Tumors

Background

The cytochrome P450 CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 enzymes are involved in carcinogenesis via activation of pro-carcinogenic compounds to carcinogenic metabolites. CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 have shown elevated levels in human tumors as determined by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemical studies. However studies that have examined CYP1 expression by enzyme activity assays are limited.

Results

In the current study the expression of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 was investigated in a panel of human tumors of bladder and colorectal origin by qRT-PCR and enzyme activity assays. The results demonstrated that 35% (7/20) of bladder tumors and 35% (7/20) of colon tumors overexpressed active CYP1 enzymes. CYP1B1 mRNA was overexpressed in 65% and 60% of bladder and colon tumors respectively, whereas CYP1A1 was overexpressed in 65% and 80% of bladder and colon tumors. Mean mRNA levels of CYP1B1 and CYP1A1 along with mean CYP1 activity were higher in bladder and colon tumors compared to normal tissues (p<0.05). Statistical analysis revealed CYP1 expression levels to be independent of TNM status. Moreover, incubation of tumor microsomal protein in 4 bladder and 3 colon samples with a CYP1B1 specific antibody revealed a large reduction (72.5 ± 5.5 % for bladder and 71.8 ± 7.2% for colon) in catalytic activity, indicating that the activity was mainly attributed to CYP1B1 expression.

Conclusions

The study reveals active CYP1 overexpression in human tumors and uncovers the potential use of CYP1 enzymes and mainly CYP1B1 as targets for cancer therapy.     

Postnatal Overfeeding Causes Early Shifts in Gene Expression in the Heart and Long-Term Alterations in Cardiometabolic and Oxidative Parameters

Background

Postnatal overfeeding (OF) in rodents induces a permanent moderate increase in body weight in adulthood. However, the repercussions of postnatal OF on cardiac gene expression, cardiac metabolism and nitro-oxidative stress are less well known.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Immediately after birth, litters of C57BL/6 mice were either maintained at 10 (normal-fed group, NF), or reduced to 3 in order to induce OF. At weaning, mice of both groups received a standard diet. The cardiac gene expression profile was determined at weaning and cardiac metabolism and oxidative stress were assessed at 7 months. The cardiac expression of several genes, including members of the extracellular matrix and apelin pathway, was modified in juvenile OF mice. In adult mice, OF led to an increase in body weight (+30%) and to significant increases in plasma cholesterol, insulin and leptin levels. Myocardial oxidative stress, SOD and catalase activity and mRNA expression were increased in OF mice. In vivo, diastolic and systolic blood pressures were significantly higher and LV shortening and ejection fraction were decreased in OF mice. Ex vivo, after 30 min of ischemia, hearts isolated from OF mice showed lower functional recovery and larger infarct size (31% vs. 54%, p<0.05). Increases in collagen deposition and expression/activity of matrix-metalloproteinase-2 were observed in adult OF mouse hearts. Moreover, an increase in the expression of SOCS-3 and a decrease in STAT-3 phosphorylation were observed in ventricular tissues from OF mice.

Conclusions/Significance

Our study emphasizes that over-nutrition during the immediate postnatal period in mice leads to early changes in cardiac gene expression, which may permanently modify the heart’s structural organization and metabolism and could contribute to a greater susceptibility to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.     

Estrogenic Regulation of Histamine Receptor Subtype H1 Expression in the Ventromedial Nucleus of the Hypothalamus in Female Rats

Female sexual behavior is controlled by central estrogenic action in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN). This region plays a pivotal role in facilitating sex-related behavior in response to estrogen stimulation via neural activation by several neurotransmitters, including histamine, which participates in this mechanism through its strong neural potentiating action. However, the mechanism through which estrogen signaling is linked to the histamine system in the VMN is unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between estrogen and histamine receptor subtype H1 (H1R), which is a potent subtype among histamine receptors in the brain. We show localization of H1R exclusively in the ventrolateral subregion of the female VMN (vl VMN), and not in the dorsomedial subregion. In the vl VMN, abundantly expressed H1R were mostly colocalized with estrogen receptor α. Intriguingly, H1R mRNA levels in the vl VMN were significantly elevated in ovariectomized female rats treated with estrogen benzoate. These data suggest that estrogen can amplify histamine signaling by enhancing H1R expression in the vl VMN. This enhancement of histamine signaling might be functionally important for allowing neural excitation in response to estrogen stimulation of the neural circuit and may serve as an accelerator of female sexual arousal.     

Increased Expression of a Phloem Membrane Protein Encoded by NHL26 Alters Phloem Export and Sugar Partitioning in Arabidopsis

The complex process of phloem sugar transport involves symplasmic and apoplasmic events. We characterized Arabidopsis thaliana lines ectopically expressing a phloem-specific gene encoding NDR1/HIN1-like26 (NHL26), a putative membrane protein. NHL26 overexpressor plants grew more slowly than wild-type plants, accumulated high levels of carbohydrates in mature leaves, and had a higher shoot biomass, contrasting with slower root growth and a lower seed yield. Similar effects were observed when NHL26 was overexpressed in companion cells, under the control of a companion cell–specific promoter. The soluble sugar content of the phloem sap and sink organs was lower than that in the wild type, providing evidence of a sugar export defect. This was confirmed in a phloem-export assay with the symplastic tracer carboxyfluorescein diacetate. Leaf sugar accumulation was accompanied by higher organic acid, amino acid, and protein contents, whereas analysis of the metabolite profile of phloem sap exudate revealed no change in amino acid or organic acid content, indicating a specific effect on sugar export. NHL26 was found to be located in the phloem plasmodesmata and the endoplasmic reticulum. These findings reveal that NHL26 accumulation affects either the permeability of plasmodesmata or sugar signaling in companion cells, with a specific effect on sugar export.     

Long-Term Nitrogen Amendment Alters the Diversity and Assemblage of Soil Bacterial Communities in Tallgrass Prairie

Anthropogenic changes are altering the environmental conditions and the biota of ecosystems worldwide. In many temperate grasslands, such as North American tallgrass prairie, these changes include alteration in historically important disturbance regimes (e.g., frequency of fires) and enhanced availability of potentially limiting nutrients, particularly nitrogen. Such anthropogenically-driven changes in the environment are known to elicit substantial changes in plant and consumer communities aboveground, but much less is known about their effects on soil microbial communities. Due to the high diversity of soil microbes and methodological challenges associated with assessing microbial community composition, relatively few studies have addressed specific taxonomic changes underlying microbial community-level responses to different fire regimes or nutrient amendments in tallgrass prairie. We used deep sequencing of the V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene to explore the effects of contrasting fire regimes and nutrient enrichment on soil bacterial communities in a long-term (20 yrs) experiment in native tallgrass prairie in the eastern Central Plains. We focused on responses to nutrient amendments coupled with two extreme fire regimes (annual prescribed spring burning and complete fire exclusion). The dominant bacterial phyla identified were Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Bacteriodetes, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria and made up 80% of all taxa quantified. Chronic nitrogen enrichment significantly impacted bacterial community diversity and community structure varied according to nitrogen treatment, but not phosphorus enrichment or fire regime. We also found significant responses of individual bacterial groups including Nitrospira and Gammaproteobacteria to long-term nitrogen enrichment. Our results show that soil nitrogen enrichment can significantly alter bacterial community diversity, structure, and individual taxa abundance, which have important implications for both managed and natural grassland ecosystems.     

人TNFAIP1 基因在常见细胞系中的表达

TNFAIP1蛋白是第一个被鉴定受肿瘤坏死因子α诱导的蛋白,TNFAIP1 蛋白可能参与DNA复制、合成、细胞凋亡以及人类各种疾病的发生等重要过程,但对该基因确切功能和作用机制研究不多.该文利用实时定量PCR的方法检测该基因在几种常见细胞系的表达情况,发现在COS7以及NIH3T3细胞系中高表达,而在HeLa、HepG2、SW480、PanC1、MCF7等癌细胞系中低表达.由此推测TNFAIP1可能在癌症的发生中起到一定的作用.如果把TNFAIP1 基因克隆到真核表达载体pCMV-Myc中,转染到HeLa细胞系中,发现过表达TNFAIP1 可促进HeLa细胞的凋亡.     

Long-Term Methionine Exposure Induces Memory Impairment on Inhibitory Avoidance Task and Alters Acetylcholinesterase Activity and Expression in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Hypermethioninemic patients exhibit a variable degree of neurological dysfunction. However, the mechanisms involved in these alterations have not been completely clarified. Cholinergic system has been implicated in many physiological processes, including cognitive performances, as learning, and memory. Parameters of cholinergic signaling have already been characterized in zebrafish brain. Since zebrafish is a small freshwater teleost which is a vertebrate model for modeling behavioral and functional parameters related to human pathogenesis and for clinical treatment screenings, in the present study we investigated the effects of short- and long-term methionine exposure on cognitive impairment, AChE activity and gene expression in zebrafish. For the studies, animals were exposed at two methionine concentrations (1.5 and 3.0 mM) during 1 h or 7 days (short- or long-term treatments, respectively). We observed a significant increase in AChE activity of zebrafish brain membranes after long-term methionine exposure at 3.0 mM. However, AChE gene expression decreased significantly in both concentrations tested after 7 days of treatment, suggesting that post-translational events are involved in the enhancement of AChE activity. Methionine treatment induces memory deficit in zebrafish after long-term exposure to this amino acid, which could be related, at least in part, with cognitive impairment observed in hypermethioninemia. Therefore, the results here presented raise a new perspective to use the zebrafish as a complementary vertebrate model for studying inborn errors of metabolism, which may help to better understand the pathophysiology of this disease.