7,12-Dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), a potent carcinogen, requires metabolic activation by cytochrome P450s (P450s) to electrophilic metabolites that result in DNA modification, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity. In this study, we used eight human…
The transcription of the cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase gene (CYP7A1) is greatly decreased in cholesterol-fed rabbits. To determine whether the molecular structure of the promoter is responsible for this downregulation, we cloned the rabbit CYP7A1…
An overlapping binding site in the CYP7A1 promoter allows activation of FXR to override the stimulation by LXR alpha. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 293: G817-G823, 2007. First published August 9, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00209.2007.-The aim…
As part of a broader effort to identify postreceptor signal regulators involved in specific diseases or organ adaptation, we used an expression cloning system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to screen cDNA libraries from rat ischemic myocardium, human…
Objectives. Because several experimental studies have demonstrated that cyclic adenosine monophosphate generation following beta-adrenoceptor activation can markedly stimulate alveolar fluid clearance, we determined whether the endogenous levels of…
Fusimotor neurons, group Ia afferents and muscle spindles are absent in mutant mice lacking the gene for neurotrophin-3 (NT3). To partition the effect of Ia afferent or spindle absence from that of NT3 deprivation on fusimotor neuron development, we…
There is significant diversity in growth plate behavior among sites within an individual skeleton and between skeletons of different species. This variation within wild-type animals is an underutilized resource for studying skeletal development. One…
The present study investigated whether infusion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) could ameliorate stress-induced impairments in spatial learning and memory as well as hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) of rats. Chronic immobilization…
It has been proposed that increased brain cytokines during repeated stressor exposure can contribute to neuropathological changes that lead to the onset of depression. Previous studies demonstrate that norepinephrine acting via beta-adrenergic…
We have previously shown that nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco products, alters the blood-brain barrier (BBB) Na+, K+, 2Cl(-) cotransporter (NKCC) during in vitro hypoxia-aglycemia exposure. Attenuation of abluminal NKCC suggests that…
The present study examines the feedback control governing human cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase mRNA expression in the human hepatoblastoma cell line, Hep G2. Glycochenodeoxycholate (GCDC) and glycodeoxycholate, hydrophobic bile salts, decreased…
Cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the bile acid synthesis pathway, is down-regulated by taurocholate by way of negative feedback control at the level of gene transcription. The molecular basis of regulation of cholesterol…
Background: VEGF-regulated genes in the cervices of pregnant and non-pregnant rodents (rats and mice) were delineated by DNA microarray and Real Time PCR, after locally altering levels of or action of VEGF using VEGF agents, namely siRNA, VEGF…
Shexiang Tongxin dropping pill (STDP) is a formulae of Chinese Medicine commonly used to treating angina pectoris in China. However, its mechanism of action is still yet unclear. This study investigated the roles of STDP on myocardial ischemia…
Perineuronal nets (PNs) are aggregates of extracellular matrix molecules that surround some neurons in the brain. While PNs occur widely across many cortical areas, subcortical PNs are especially associated with motor and auditory systems. The…
