Long-term effects of dietary isoflavones on uterine gene expression profiles

Isoflavones (ISOs) are bioactive food ingredients of the traditional East Asian diet and currently discussed as alternatives to classical hormone replacement therapies and for reducing the prevalence of hormone-dependent cancers. Although there are many studies on ISOs, not much is known about their long-term effects.Therefore, we performed an animal experiment analyzing the effects of three different diets: a phytoestrogen-free diet, a diet supplemented with genistein (700 μg/g diet) and an ISO-high diet (232 μg daidzein and 240 μg genistein/g) at two distinct time points, juvenile (21 days) and adult (97 days). Exposure started prior to mating of the parents and throughout the life of the offspring.We observed a stronger increase of uterine wet weights in juvenile offspring with genistein exposure (1018 ± 350 mg/kg BW) than with ISO-high diet (497 ± 133 mg/kg BW). Whereas the expression of proliferation related genes (PCNA; Ki67; IGF-1; IGF-1R), analyzed by real-time-qPCR and Western blot, were significantly down-regulated in juvenile animals exposed to genistein. Additionally, genistein exposure led to estrogenic responses, observed upon increase of complement C3 and decrease of estrogen receptors gene expressions, while the exposure to ISO-high diet did not show these effects.In conclusion, both the time point on which phytoestrogen exposure starts together with the composition of the ingested phytoestrogen containing diet are of great importance for the biological response of the offspring.     

Cyclic GMP-dependent and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases,protein kinase modulators and phosphodieterases in arteries and veins of dogs Distribution and effects of arteriovenous fistula and arterial occlusion

Possible involvement of cyclic GMP-dependent and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases, protein kinase modulators and cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases in functions of vascular tissues were investigated in the dog. All of the above activities, localized in the smooth muscle-rich inner layer of the blood vessels, were found to be higher in the arteries than in the veins. The peripheral arteries were disproportionately richer in cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase (as indicated by high ratios of cyclic GMP-dependent to cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase) than were the veins, with the exception of the pulmonary artery, an atypical arterial tissue exposed to low blood pressure. Interestingly, the protein kinase ratio for the aorta, an artery with no significant role in blood pressure regulation, was not higher than that for the vena cava. Creation of femoral arteriovenous fistulae in the dogs led to preferential reductions in the cyclic GMP-dependent enzyme activity both in the proximal and distal arteries, whereas it was elevated in the stressed vein distal to the anastomotic site. The cyclic GMP-dependent enzyme was preferentially reduced in the saphenous artery distal to occlusion. Changes in the cyclic GMP-dependent enzyme activity appeared to precede gross atrophy or hypertrophy of the vessels. It is suggested that the vascular cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase may be closely related to peripheral resistance and its regulation.     

Human T cell responses to the Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1) as evaluated by synthetic peptides

A panel of synthetic peptides derived from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1 (EB-NA-1) was used to examine human T cell responses to this antigen. In six of seven normal persons with past EBV infection, T cell precursors specific for five peptides (P27, amino acid residues 83-101;P62, 148-166;E31, 353-367;E41, 368-381; and E11, 461-474) were detectable. The precursor frequencies were in the range of 1:20,000 to less than 1:100,000 peripheral blood mononuclear cells as determined by limiting dilution analyses. Only two of these peptides were predicted as alpha-helices; all peptides were glycine-rich. Four other peptides were not reactive in the seven individuals tested. T cell responses were not detectable in donors without prior EBV infection. Infectious mononucleosis patients investigated 4-6 weeks after diagnosis had likewise no detectable peptide-specific T cell precursors. Thus, it appears that T cells recognizing peptides from EBNA-1 arise and persist in people with past EBV infection.     

Oxidation of glycated proteins: age-dependent accumulation of N epsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine in lens proteins

N epsilon-(Carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) has been identified as a product of oxidation of fructoselysine (FL) in glycated (nonenzymatically glycosylated) proteins in vitro and has also been detected in human tissues and urine [Ahmed et al. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 4889-4894]. In this study, we compare the amounts of CML and FL in normal human lens proteins, aged 0-79 years, using specific and sensitive assays based on selected ion monitoring gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Our results indicate that the lens content of FL increases significantly between infancy and about age 5 but that there is only a slight, statistically insignificant increase in FL between age 5 and 80 (mean +/- SD = 1.4 +/- 0.4 mmol of FL/mol of Lys). In contrast, the lens content of the oxidation product, CML, increased linearly with age, ranging from trace levels at infancy up to 8 mmol of CML/mol of lysine at age 79. The ratio of CML to FL also increased linearly from 0.5 to 5 mol of CML/mol of FL between age 1 and 79, respectively. These results indicate that CML, rather than FL, is the major product of glycation detectable in adult human lens protein. The age-dependent accumulation of CML in lens protein indicates that products of both glycation and oxidation accumulate in the lens with age, while the constant rate of accumulation of CML in lens with age argues against an age-dependent decline in free radical defense mechanisms in this tissue.     

Differences in learning by foraging juvenile pumpkinseed and bluegill sunfish in a structured habitat

Synopsis We investigated the ability of two congeneric species of sunfish to learn to forage on a novel prey item in feeding arenas containing structured habitats. Eight bluegill sunfish and eight pumpkinseed sunfish were given the opportunity to forage on whiteworms daily for 10 days. Each day, several behavioural measures were recorded for each fish. Both species of sunfish learned to feed over the 10-day period but the bluegill sunfish learned to feed more quickly than the pumpkinseed sunfish. Pumpkinseeds, however, attained a higher level of foraging efficiency. The differences in learning and foraging efficiency were related to body morphology.