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

The synthesis of 2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate analogues with fluorescent residues of fluorescein and rhodamine nature at C5 of the uracil base was performed. Reverse transcriptase of avian myeloblastosis virus, DNA polymerase beta of rat liver, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase of calf thymus and E. coli DNA polymerase I, Klenow fragment, were shown to be capable to incorporate a nucleotide residue with fluorescent label into 3'-terminus of oligonucleotide. These fluorescent labeled oligonucleotides were used as primers for synthesis of (-)-chain of M13mp10 phage. Fluorescently labeling template-primer complexes were used for DNA sequencing.
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PMID:[Fluorescent analogs of nucleoside-5'-phosphates for the study of nucleic acids by nonradioactive methods]. 170 Dec 17

Oligodendrocytes in multiple sclerosis brain may be under a direct attack by proinflammatory cytokines, particularly tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) and interferon-gamma (IFNgamma). In this study, we have examined the in vitro cytotoxic effects of the two cytokines, individually and in combination, on oligodendrocyte lineage cells using morphological criteria, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide reduction assay (MTT), terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL), and agarose-gel electrophoretic analysis of fragmented DNA. IFNgamma exerted a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on cultured CG4 cells, an oligodendrocyte progenitor cell line, and in primary cultures of purified oligodendrocyte progenitors. TNFalpha, while by itself being only mildly toxic, greatly potentiated the cytotoxicity of IFNgamma. The cytokine effects were developmentally modified in that their cytotoxic and cooperative effects became less evident in more differentiated cells. A cell-permeable peptide inhibitor (i.e., z-VAD.fmk) of caspases partially suppressed apoptotic changes elicited by the cytokine combination in CG4 cells but not in primary oligodendrocytes. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of mRNA prepared from cytokine-treated cultures revealed an increased expression of the death receptor, Fas. The results suggest particular vulnerability of oligodendrocyte progenitors to a combination of TNFalpha and IFNgamma involving an activation of the cell death program.
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PMID:TNFalpha potentiates IFNgamma-induced cell death in oligodendrocyte progenitors. 984 48

Although fetal breathing movements are required for normal lung development, there is uncertainty concerning the specific effect of absent fetal breathing movements on pulmonary cell maturation. We set out to evaluate pulmonary development in a genetically defined mouse model, the myogenin null mouse, in which there is a lack of normal skeletal muscle fibers and thus skeletal muscle movements are absent in utero. Significant decreases were observed in lung:body weight ratio and lung total DNA at embryonic days (E)14, E17, and E20. Reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction, in situ immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy revealed early lung cell differentiation in both null and wild-type lungs as early as E14. However at E14, myogenin null lungs had decreased 5'-bromo-2-deoxyuridine incorporation compared with that of wild-type littermates, whereas at E17 and E20, increased Bax immunolabeling and terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling staining were detected in the myogenin null mice but not in the wild-type littermates. These observations highlight the importance of skeletal muscle contractile activity in utero for normal lung organogenesis. Null mice lacking the muscle-specific transcription factor myogenin exhibit a secondary effect on lung development such that decreased lung cell proliferation and increased programmed cell death are associated with lung hypoplasia.
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PMID:Pulmonary hypoplasia in the myogenin null mouse embryo. 1069 67

The objective of this study was to examine placentas after delivery from normal, healthy patients at term gestation. The placentas were from elective cesarean sections (n = 10, prior to the onset of labor) and spontaneous vaginal delivery (n = 10, after labor). We found that deoxyribonucleic acid laddering was present in all placentas and consistent with the pattern found in tissues that undergo apoptosis. Paraffin-embedded sections of placental villi stained by the in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated biotinylated dUTP nick end labeling method revealed positive apoptotic nuclei in the placental villi. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction demonstrated expression of messenger RNA for testosterone-repressed prostate message 2 and B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 in the placenta. Our data demonstrate that apoptosis occurs in human term placenta.
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PMID:Apoptosis in human term placenta. A morphological and gene expression study. 1096 89

We investigated the effect of a chronic exposure to high levels of free fatty acid (FFA; 2 mmol/L oleate/palmitate 2:1) or glucose (16.7 mmol/L) on islet cell apoptosis. Apoptosis was detected using 4 different methods: (1) cell staining with annexin-V fluorescien isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugate and propidium iodide (PI); (2) quantification of cytoplasmatic DNA fragments by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); (3) assay of caspase 3 activity; and (4) TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). Islet cells were also costained with an anti-insulin antibody to identify apoptotic beta cells. We also evaluated by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) the expression of bax, bcl-2, and caspas 3, genes involved in apoptosis. In islets cultured for 7 days in the presence of high FFA or for 3 days in the presence of high glucose levels, we observed: (1) a 2- to 3-fold increase of apoptotic cells conjugated with annexin-V FITC and PI; (2) a 4- to 6-fold increase of cytoplasmatic DNA fragments; (3) a 3- to 4-fold increase of caspase 3 activity; and (4) a significant increase of insulin positive apoptotic cells as detected with the TUNEL method. RT-PCR analysis indicated in islets exposed to high FFA or glucose levels an increase of bax (proapoptotic gene), a reduction of bcl-2 (antiapoptotic gene), and a slight (although not significant) increase in caspase 3 expression. Western blot analysis also showed an increase of Bax protein levels in islets exposed to high FFA or glucose. The simultaneous presence of both metabolic abnormalities did not further increase the amount of apoptotic cells, although the time-course of the cellular damage induced by FFA was accelerated by the contemporary presence of high glucose. To elucidate the mechanism by which FFA and glucose may induce pancreatic beta-cell damage, we examined whether nicotinamide prevents apoptosis in pancreatic islets cultured for 7 days with high FFA or for 3 days with high glucose. Nicotinamide was able to prevent beta-cell damage by significantly reducing apoptosis in both experimental conditions. Also, the increase of Bax protein level was prevented by nicotinamide. These data indicate that chronic exposure to elevated FFA or glucose levels increases apoptosis in rat pancreatic islets and these cytotoxic effects could be mediated by oxidative stress. This may contribute to the beta-cell failure that occurs in most in type 2 diabetic patients few years after clinical diabetes onset.
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PMID:Chronic exposure to free fatty acids or high glucose induces apoptosis in rat pancreatic islets: possible role of oxidative stress. 1237 Aug 56

Fluorescent nucleic acid hybridization probes traditionally have been generated by enzymatic incorporation of dye-labeled nucleotides, even though incorporation efficiency is low and variable from dye to dye. Alternatively, 5-(3-aminoallyl)-2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate (aa-dUTP) is enzymatically incorporated to generate amine-modified DNA, which is then chemically labeled with an amine-reactive fluorescent dye. We optimized this latter two-step approach for maximal hybridization signal brightness using DNA probes labeled to varying degrees with different fluorescent dyes. Reverse transcriptase and DNA polymerase 1 efficiently incorporated aa-dUTP into DNA, and adjusting the aa-dUTP:dTTP ratio controlled the degree of substitution. With cDNA probes hybridized to dot blots, probes having approximately eight dyes per 100 bases gave the best sensitivity, irrespective of the dye label. alpha-Satellite probes generated by nick translation and hybridized to human chromosome spreads also showed that probes having approximately eight dyes per 100 bases provided the brightest overall signals. These data demonstrate that this labeling method generates highly sensitive DNA probes that are difficult to obtain by conventional direct incorporation approaches. The technique is inherently consistent and versatile by virtue of the efficient incorporation of primary amines and the reliable chemical labeling reaction.
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PMID:Fluorescent DNA hybridization probe preparation using amine modification and reactive dye coupling. 1474 Apr 93

Morpholino phosphorodiamidate antisense oligonucleotides (MOs) and short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are commonly used platforms to study gene function by sequence-specific knockdown. Both technologies, however, can elicit undesirable off-target effects. We have used several model genes to study these effects in detail in the zebrafish, Danio rerio. Using the zebrafish embryo as a template, correct and mistargeting effects are readily discernible through direct comparison of MO-injected animals with well-studied mutants. We show here indistinguishable off-targeting effects for both maternal and zygotic mRNAs and for both translational and splice-site targeting MOs. The major off-targeting effect is mediated through p53 activation, as detected through the transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay, acridine orange, and p21 transcriptional activation assays. Concurrent knockdown of p53 specifically ameliorates the cell death induced by MO off-targeting. Importantly, reversal of p53-dependent cell death by p53 knockdown does not affect specific loss of gene function, such as the cell death caused by loss of function of chordin. Interestingly, quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR, microarrays and whole-mount in situ hybridization assays show that MO off-targeting effects are accompanied by diagnostic transcription of an N-terminal truncated p53 isoform that uses a recently recognized internal p53 promoter. We show here that MO off-targeting results in induction of a p53-dependent cell death pathway. p53 activation has also recently been shown to be an unspecified off-target effect of siRNAs. Both commonly used knockdown technologies can thus induce secondary but sequence-specific p53 activation. p53 inhibition could potentially be applicable to other systems to suppress off-target effects caused by other knockdown technologies.
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PMID:p53 activation by knockdown technologies. 1753 Sep 25

Reverse transcriptase (RT) plays an essential role in the HIV-1 replication process, which converts a single-strand RNA into a double-strand DNA via polymerase and RNase H activities. Therefore, inhibition of RT has been one of the primary therapeutic strategies for suppressing the replication of HIV-1. To facilitate the process of discovering the next generation of antiretroviral agents, this study presents a highly sensitive and nonradioactive RT polymerase assay that is based on electrochemiluminescence (ECL) technology, where a ruthenylated dUTP (Ru-dUTP) is employed as one of the dNTPs. The concentration of the RT enzymes required for the assay can be as low as 1 pM, enabling us to evaluate inhibitors with low picomolar potency. More importantly, the assay is capable of detecting endogenous RT activity in cell-free viruses. Therefore, the assay was applied to monitor the development of resistance mutation(s) by viruses under the treatment with a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) in cell culture. The magnitude of resistance of the resulting mutant viruses was assessed directly by the assay, eliminating the need for cloning, expressing, and purifying the RT mutants.
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PMID:Monitoring the development of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-associated resistant HIV-1 using an electrochemiluminescence-based reverse transcriptase polymerase assay. 1796 75

Preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that a free radical scavenger edaravone has neuroprotective effects on ischemic stroke but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The aim of this research is to explore the effect of edaravone on the apoptotic process involving the Fas/FasL signaling pathway. Transient focal ischemia in rats was induced for 2 hours by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). After reperfusion rats were treated i.v. with either edaravone or physiological saline. The expression of Fas-associated death domain protein (FADD), death-associated protein (Daxx) and caspase-8 was examined by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA levels for FADD and Daxx by reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and apoptosis was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL). Neurological scores and infarction volumes were also evaluated. Edaravone significantly improved the neurological outcome (p<0.05) and reduced the total infarct volumes (p<0.05), compared with saline control. In addition, edaravone-treatment significantly reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells (p<0.01), reduced expression levels of FADD, Daxx and caspase-8 immunoreactivity (p <0.05 approximately 0.01), and decreased mRNA levels of FADD and Daxx (p<0.05 approximately 0.01) within the peri-infarct area. We conclude that edaravone may protect ischemic neurons from apoptosis via suppressing the gene expression of the Fas/FasL signaling pathway.
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PMID:Edaravone neuroprotection effected by suppressing the gene expression of the Fas signal pathway following transient focal ischemia in rats. 1796 39

This study investigated whether progesterone administration modulates toll-like receptors (TLRs) and the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway in the injured rat brain following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Right parietal cortical contusion was made by a weight-dropping method. Male rats were given 0 or 16 mg/kg injections of progesterone at postinjury hr 1 and 6 and on days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Brain samples were extracted at 5 days after trauma. We measured mRNA expression of TLR2 and TLR4 by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), NF-kappaB binding activity by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), concentrations of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression by immunohistochemistry, and brain damage by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL). The results showed that TBI induces strong up-regulation of TLR2, TLR4, NF-kappaB, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and ICAM-1 in the pericontusional area. Administration of progesterone following TBI down-regulates the cortical levels of these agents related to the TLRs/NF-kappaB signaling pathway. After progesterone administration, apoptotic TUNEL-positive cells in the injured brain were significantly decreased. In summary, post-TBI progesterone administration attenuates the TLRs/NF-kappaB signaling pathway in injured rat brain, and this may be a mechanism whereby progesterone improves the outcome following TBI.
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PMID:Progesterone administration modulates TLRs/NF-kappaB signaling pathway in rat brain after cortical contusion. 1831 84


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