Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.7.48 (transcriptase)
 9,479 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This study examines endothelin-induced modulation of extracellular matrix synthesis and remodeling by fibroblasts, and its potential role in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). Endothelin-1 promoted fibroblast synthesis of collagen types I and III, but not fibronectin, by a mechanism dependent upon both ETA and ETB receptors. Conversely, endothelin-1 inhibited both protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase 1 and zymographic activity exclusively via ETA receptors. A dual regulatory role for endothelin-1 in transcriptional regulation was suggested by the ability of endothelin-1 to enhance steady-state levels of collagen mRNA and activate the proalpha2(I) collagen (Col1a2) promoter, but in contrast to reduce matrix metalloproteinase 1 transcript expression and suppress transcription of a human matrix metalloproteinase 1 promoter reporter construct in transient transfection assays. Although endothelin-1 significantly enhanced remodeling of three-dimensional collagen lattices populated by normal fibroblasts, this was not observed for lattices populated by systemic sclerosis fibroblasts. Promotion of matrix remodeling was dependent upon ETA receptor expression and was blocked by specific inhibitors of tyrosine kinases or protein kinase C. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, S1 nuclease, and functional cell surface binding studies showed that normal and systemic sclerosis fibroblasts express both ETA and ETB receptors (predominantly ETA), but that ETA receptor mRNA levels and ETA binding sites on fibroblasts cultured from systemic sclerosis skin biopsies are reduced by almost 50%. Endothelin-1 is thus able to induce a fibrogenic phenotype in normal fibroblasts that is similar to that of lesional systemic sclerosis fibroblasts. Moreover, reduced responsiveness to exogenous endothelin-1 in systemic sclerosis suggests that downstream pathways may have already been activated in vivo. These data further implicate dysregulated endothelin-receptor pathways in fibroblasts in the pathogenesis of connective tissue fibrosis.
 ...
PMID:Fibroblast matrix gene expression and connective tissue remodeling: role of endothelin-1. 1123 16

A new virus species of the genus Phytoreovirus was isolated from glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), Homalodisca vitripennis Germar (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), in California and designated here as Homalodisca vitripennis reovirus (HoVRV). Extraction of nucleic acid from GWSS adults collected from three Californian populations revealed an array of double-stranded (ds) RNA species that was soluble in 2 M LiCl and resistant to degradation upon exposure to S1 nuclease and DNase. Analysis of nucleic acid samples from single GWSS adults indicated that HoVRV dsRNA accumulated to high titer in individual insects. Double-shelled isometric virus particles purified from GWSS adults resembled those observed in thin sections of GWSS salivary glands by transmission electron microscopy. Purified HoVRV virions contained 12 dsRNA segments that, based on complete nucleotide sequences, ranged in size from 4475 to 1040 bp. Sequence comparisons indicated that the HoVRV dsRNA segments were most closely related (58.5 to 43.7% nt sequence identity) to the corresponding genome segments of Rice dwarf virus (RDV). Each HoVRV dsRNA segment encoded a single open reading frame (>300 nts) except for segment 11, which appears to be dicistronic. Terminal nucleotide sequences of HoVRV positive-sense RNAs were similar to other phytoreoviruses (GGCG or GGCA at the 5'-end and UGAU or CGAU at the 3'-end) with adjacent imperfect inverted repeats potentially able to base pair. Phylogenetic analyses of the RNA-directed RNA polymerase (encoded by segment 1) and the outer capsid protein (encoded by segment 8) confirmed placement of HoVRV as a species of the genus Phytoreovirus sharing a most recent common ancestor with RDV. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assays revealed that HoVRV infection of GWSS in California was common and that the virus also occurred in GWSS populations from the Carolinas and Texas.
 ...
PMID:A new Phytoreovirus infecting the glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis). 1923 72

Small plus-stranded RNA viruses do not code for RNA helicases that would facilitate the proper folding of viral RNAs during replication. Instead, these viruses might use RNA chaperones as shown here for the essential p33 replication protein of Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV). In vitro experiments demonstrate that the purified recombinant p33 promotes strand separation of a DNA/RNA duplex. In addition, p33 renders dsRNA templates sensitive to single-strand specific S1 nuclease, suggesting that p33 can destabilize highly structured RNAs. We also demonstrate that the RNA chaperone activity of p33 facilitates self-cleavage by a ribozyme in vitro. In addition, purified p33 facilitates in vitro RNA synthesis on double-stranded (ds)RNA templates up to 5-fold by a viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. We propose that the RNA chaperone activity of p33 facilitates the initiation of plus-strand synthesis as well as affects RNA recombination. Altogether, the TBSV RNA chaperone might perform similar biological functions to the helicases of other RNA viruses with much larger coding capacity.
 ...
PMID:RNA chaperone activity of the tombusviral p33 replication protein facilitates initiation of RNA synthesis by the viral RdRp in vitro. 2107 Oct 52


<< Previous 1 2