A major finding in the visual plasticity literature is that visual deprivation is effective only during an early 'sensitive' period, which is lengthened by dark rearing. Unresolved is whether the visual cortex is in a normally plastic state prior to…
The gene encoding cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A), the rate-limiting enzyme in bile acid synthesis, is transcriptionally regulated by bile acids and hormones. Previously, we have identified two bile acid response elements (BARE) in the…
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…
Cardiovascular diseases are often considered to be a predominantly male health problem, and it has been suggested that testosterone exerts deleterious effects on cardiovascular function; however, few experimental studies support this suggestion.…
In this report we examined the effect of tamoxifen upon the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. Ovariectomized mice were subjected to one of the following treatments: two subcutaneous injections administered on successive days of the sesame oil…
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…
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…
Recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are of interest for cochlear gene therapy because of their ability to mediate the efficient transfer and long-term stable expression of therapeutic genes in a wide variety of postmitotic tissues with…
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…
This experiment explores the role of two forms of long-term potentiation (LTP) in behavioral memory. NMDA and/or voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs) were antagonized pharmacologically at levels that block nmdaLTP and vdccLTP, respectively, in…
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…
The presence of NADPH diaphorase staining was compared with the immunohistochemical localization of four NADPH-dependent enzymes - neuronal (type I), inducible (type LI), and endothelial (type III) nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cytochrome P450…
Mitochondrial sterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP27Al) catalyses sterol side-chain oxidation of bile acid synthesis front cholesterol, and the first reaction of the acidic bile acid biosynthetic pathway. Hydrophobic bile acids suppress human CYP27Al gene…
Prolactin (PRL) increased basal dopamine (DA) release and attenuated amphetamine (AMPH)-stimulated DA release in vitro from rat corpus striatum in a concentration-dependent manner with 10(-5) M PRL being the most effective. The effects of PRL on DA…
This study was undertaken to establish the presence and characteristics of receptors for [D-Trp(6)]LH-RH on the membranes of human ovarian cancer. Specific binding of [I-125, D-Trp(6)]LH-RH was found in 29 of 37 (78.4%) ovarian cancers and in 6 of 11…
Eight male rats previously trained to discriminate 2.0 mg/kg N-ethyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDE) from its vehicle in a two-lever, food motivated task were utilized to characterize the stimulus properties of MDE. The 5-HT receptor agonists…
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…
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…
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…
Two factors, the ETS transcription factor ER81 and skeletal muscle-derived neurotrophin-3 (NT3), are essential for the formation of muscle spindles and the function of spindle afferent-motoneuron synapses in the spinal cord. Spindles either…
The incidence of coated vesicles under sarcolemmal surfaces of equatorial, juxtaequatorial and polar regions in developing and adult spindles of the rat soleus muscle was examined by quantitative morphometry of transverse ultrathin sections. Coated…
Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) is a popular model in experimental stroke research and causes prominent ischemic damage in the forebrain. To characterize metabolic changes induced by MCAO, we have induced permanent MCAO in mice that were…
Sterol 12alpha-hydroxylase (CYP8B1) is an obligatory enzyme for the synthesis of cholic acid and regulation of liver bile acid synthesis and intestine cholesterol absorption. The present study evaluates the roles for sterol regulatory element binding…
In the present study we employed current source density analysis to study the major excitatory/inhibitory pathways in rat primary visual cortex in vivo and in vitro. A natural photic stimulus was used in vivo and served as a baseline for…
Adult female rats were ovariectomized and received a 21-day release pellet containing either (17)beta-estradiol (0.1 mg), tamoxifen (5.0 mg), a combination of estradiol and tamoxifen or no further treatment. At 14 days following ovariectomy +/-…
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…
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…
Whether muscle spindles can form in muscles innervated only by afferents was investigated by removing the lumbosacral segment of the spinal cord immediately after crushing the nerve to the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle in newborn rats, and…
The current study examines regulation of CYP7B1, a DHEA 7 alpha-hydroxylase, by sex hormones. Transfection with estrogen receptor alpha and treatment with 17 P-estradiol in human embryonic kidney 293 cells significantly increased CYP7B1 catalytic…
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…
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…
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…
The inferior colliculus processes nearly all ascending auditory information. Most collicular cells respond to sound, and for a majority of these cells, the responses can be modulated by acetylcholine (ACh). The cholinergic effects are varied and, for…
Breast cancer represents one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers and predominant causes of death in women worldwide. The value of preventive therapy to limit the devastating impact of breast cancer is well established. Various plant…
