Rapamycin induces binding activity to the terminal oligopyrimidine tract of ribosomal protein mRNA in rats

Cathepsin G, elastase, and proteinase 3 are serine proteinases released by activated neutrophils. Cathepsin G can cleave angiotensinogen to release angiotensin II, but this activity has not been previously reported for elastase or proteinase 3. In this study we show that elastase and proteinase 3 can release angiotensin I from angiotensinogen and release angiotensin II from angiotensin I and angiotensinogen. The relative order of potency in releasing angiotensin II by the three proteinases at equivalent concentrations is cathepsin G > elastase > proteinase 3. When all three proteinases are used together, the release of angiotensin II is greater than the sum of the release when each proteinase is used individually. Cathepsin G and elastase can also degrade angiotensin II, reactions which might be important in regulating the activity of angiotensin II. The release and degradation of angiotensin II by the neutrophil proteinases are reactions which could play a role in the local inflammatory response and wound healing.     

Control of angiotensinogen production by H4 rat hepatoma cells in serum-free culture

Summary A serum-free, hormone and attachment factor supplemented culture for rat H4 hepatoma cells was established. In the defined medium (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's +Ham's F12+insulin, transferrin, fibronectin liver cell growth factor, and sodium selenite), H4 cells grew equally well as in 10% fetal bovine serum supplemented medium. H4 cells in either defined or serum-containing culture conditions produce transferrin but not albumin or alpha-fetoprotein. In this paper we have studied the effect of various hormones and pressor peptides on the production of angiotensinogen by H4 cells cultured in defined conditions. Only glucocorticoid hormone had a significant effect on the production of angiotensinogen, whereas other hormones previously reported to exert their effect on angiotensinogen production had little or no effect. This work was supported by grant P01 CA37589 from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.     

AP-1在AngⅡ正反馈调节其前体基因表达中的作用

血管紧张素Ⅱ(AngⅡ)可诱导其前体基因在血管平滑肌细胞(vascularsmoothmusclecells,VSMC)中进行表达,其作用机制与促进转录激活蛋白-1(activatingprotein-1,AP-1)的基因调控区中存在的AP-1位点结合有关.为进一步明确AngⅡ调节AP-1结合活性的分子机制,用放线菌酮(cycloheximide,CHX)作为c-Jun磷酸化抑制剂,经DNA-蛋白质相互作用和蛋白质印迹实验,探讨AngⅡ对AP-1结合活性的影响并探讨其分子机制.结果表明,受AngⅡ刺激的VSMC,其核蛋白中AP-1的组成亚基之一c-Jun水平明显升高.免疫细胞化学染色显示,在被AngⅡ处理的细胞中,c-Jun主要定位于细胞核,胞浆中几乎检测不出该转录激活蛋白的存在.用丝氨酸磷酸化抗体检测证实,AngⅡ可诱导c-Jun磷酸化.电泳迁移率改变分析(electrophoreticmobilityshiftassay,EMSA)显示,c-Jun的磷酸化水平与AP-1结合血管紧张素原基因顺式元件的活性,和对该基因的转录激活作用呈正相关关系,CHX通过阻断c-Jun磷酸化抑制AngⅡ诱导的AP-1结合活性,但是不影响c-Jun的表达水平.上述结果提示,AP-1的磷酸化活化是AngⅡ正反馈调节其前体基因表达的重要机制之一,首次发现CHX是c-Jun磷酸化的抑制剂.     

AGT基因SNPs与哈萨克族高血压左室肥厚关系的研究

目的探讨血管紧张素原基因（angiotensinogen gene,AGT）-6A／G,-20A／C,M235T和T174M 4个单核苷酸多态性（single nucleotide polymorphisms,SNPs）与新疆哈萨克族高血压患者左室肥厚的关系。方法采用低渗溶血法破裂血细胞、蛋白酶K消化、饱和酚／氯仿抽提法提取白细胞基因组DNA。采用聚合酶链反应-限制性片断长度多态性（polymerase chain reaction—restriction fragment length polymorphism,PCR-RFLP）技术进行个体基因型分型。结果①在不考虑年龄、高血压病史时间、性别及收缩压、舒张压对左室肥厚的影响的前提下,未发现-6A／G、-20A／C与哈萨克族高血压左室肥厚的相关关系。②在以性别作为亚变量的分析结果中,我们发现-6A／G和-20A／C分别与哈萨克族女性和男性高血压左室肥厚相关。③不同SNPs间的配对连锁不平衡分析结果显示,除M235T与T174M之间外,其他各位点间存在有统计学意义的连锁不平衡关系。④单体型分析结果发现,研究人群AGT基因-6A／G、-20A／C、M235T和T174M4个SNPs构成了11种主要的单体型,其中H2（A—G—M—T）、H5（C—A—M—M）、H6（C—A-T—T）、H9（C-A—T—M）的频率在左室肥厚、非左室肥厚两组的分布存在差异,且具有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。结论AGT基因-6A／G、-20A／C、M235T和T174M变异可能与新疆哈萨克族高血压左室肥厚有关。     

Chemical Structure of Mating Pheromone Peptides, αsk1 and αsk3 Pheromones,Produced by Mating Type α Cells of Saccharomyces kluyveri

Three peptides, α^sk1, α^sk2 and α^sk3 pheromones, have been isolated as α-mating pheromones of Saccharomyces kluyveri, the primary structure of the main active component, α^sk2 pheromone, having already been determined. The unknown N-terminus of α^sk1 pheromone was elucidated to be 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid (β-CAR) by mass and NMR spectrometric analyses. Synthetic β-CAR-His-Trp-OH was identical with N-terminal tripeptide fragment obtained from α^sk1 pheromone, and the primary structure of α^sk1 pheromone was determined as β-CAR-His-Trp-Leu-Ser-Phe-Ser-Lys-Gly-Glu-Pro-Met(O)-Tyr-OH. The amino acid sequence of α^sk3 pheromone was determined as H-Trp-His-Trp-Leu-Ser-Phe-Ser-Lys-Gly-Glu-Pro-Met-OH by comparing the enzymatic fragments with those of α^sk2 pheromone.     

Genes involved in the regulation of vascular homeostasis determine renal survival rate in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis

Chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) is one of the most severe kidney diseases. Genes of vascular reactivity are thought to play an important role in development and progression of CGN. In this study, we analyzed association of genes of vascular homeostasis with hypertension and renal survival of CGN patients. The study sample included 238 patients with CGN and 304 healthy subjects of population control. Ten polymorphisms of ten genes of vascular homeostasis were genotyped through polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and TaqMan assays. Association of the genotypes with renal survival was analyzed by the Kaplan–Meier estimator. Genotypes 311SC and 311SS of the PON2 gene, (− 1166)AC and (− 1166)CC of the AGTR1 gene, (+ 46)AA of the ADRB2 gene, and 198KK and 198KN of the EDN1 gene were associated with decreased rate of renal survival of the patients. Polymorphisms S311C PON2, (− 1166)A/C AGTR1, (+ 46)G/A ADRB2, and K198N EDN1 were associated with the accelerated decline in kidney function in the CGN patients.     

Angiotensin II: Biosynthesis,molecular recognition,and signal transduction

Summary 1. Angiotensin II is a well-known vasopressive octapeptide that is the principal end-product of the renin-angiotensin system. In addition to its tonic effect on vascular smooth muscle cells, it also stimulates aldosterone secretion from the adrenals and promotes sodium reabsorption through renal tubular cells.2. These physiological functions have been appreciated for some time, but as details of the molecular and cell biology of the angiotensin response mechanism become understood, it is increasingly apparent that the hormone has a much broader repertoire. Its functional variability is made possible by (i) different enzymatic routes for its generation, (ii) different receptors distributed in different tissues, (iii) different mechanisms for receptor regulation, and (iv) different signal transduction pathways.3. This insight is the direct consequence of advances in pharmacology that led first to inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme and later to angiotensin II receptor antagonists. This review looks at the current status of angiotensin biochemistry and physiology and provides a basis for anticipation of future developments.     

AGT基因单倍型与原发性高血压

选取血管紧张素原（angiotensinogen, AGT）基因启动子区 -217, -152, -20, -6, 内含子1 的+31, 第二外显子T174M（3889）和 T235M（4072）共7个位点,对497例的样本（高血压患者298例,血压正常对照199例） 用PCR-RFLP、和最大期望值（expectation maximization,EM）算法为基础的最大似然法(maximum likelihood estimate,MLE)检测和估算,本群体AGT基因A-6G,C+31T,T235M三位点两两存在完全连锁不平衡(D^,=1);G-217A和G-152A位点,G-152A和3889T位点平衡传递。存在7种单倍型,单倍型H2(-217: A, -152: G, -20: A, -6: G, +31: T, 174: T, 235: M) 在正常血压个体中的频率高于高血压组。研究结果提示AGT基因中H2单倍型可能与控制血压的保护性因素连锁不平衡。此外,本研究结果支持基因剂量效应可能存在于单倍型中,而不与单个位点直接关联。     

Polymorphism of angiotensinogen gene M235T in myocardial infarction and brain infarction: a meta-analysis

The angiotensinogen (AGT) gene M235T polymorphism has been reported to be associated with myocardial infarction (MI) and brain infarction (BI), but the results remain inconclusive. This meta-analysis was designed to clarify these controversies. Electronic databases were systematically searched before February 2013. A total of 38 studies with 17304 subjects met our inclusion criteria. In East Asian group, significant association was found between AGT M235T polymorphism and risk of MI (for dominant model: OR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.04–3.06; for recessive model OR = 2.01; 95% CI = 1.21–3.36; for additive model OR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.14–2.86) as well as BI (for dominant model: OR = 1.66; 95% CI = 1.22–2.27; for recessive model OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.29–2.46; for additive model: OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.34–2.00), while the M235T polymorphism did not impact the risk of MI in total population and other ethnicity. In the subgroup analyses by gender and age, there was lack of evidence for the association. This meta-analysis suggested an association between the M235T polymorphism and MI as well as BI in East Asian population. Further studies with larger numbers of worldwide participants are needed to understand the genetic basis of MI and BI.