Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

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Query: EC:2.7.7.49 (reverse transcriptase)
31,746 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The recent development and application of the techniques of recombinant DNA and molecular biology ignited an explosion in biomedical research, which has been embraced by medicine. However, cardiology as a subspecialty has been slower in adopting these techniques, in part because the heart is a nonproliferating organ and in part because it was not easily accessible until recently. The techniques of recombinant DNA were not possible until the 1970s. In that decade four major discoveries occurred that launched molecular biology into the 21st century. These seminal contributions were 1) the discovery and application of specific restriction endonucleases, 2) the discovery of reverse transcriptase, 3) the development of the cloning technique, and 4) the ability to rapidly sequence nucleic acids. The techniques of recombinant DNA offer several unique advantages over existing scientific disciplines, such as the abilities: 1) to perform in vivo structure-function analysis, 2) to genetically engineer drugs, 3) to perform diagnostic in situ hybridization, 4) to isolate genes responsible for hereditary disorders, and 5) to understand the genetic regulation of cardiac growth. These techniques are discussed in their application to cardiac disorders, including the development of new recombinant molecules for the treatment of coronary thrombosis and the potential to modulate the cardiac growth response to various forms of injury such as myocardial infarction and hypertension.
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PMID:Impact for molecular biology in cardiology. 192 57

In the present study we quantified angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) mRNA and localized ACE mRNA and protein in the infarcted rat heart. Wistar rats underwent ligation of the left descending coronary artery, resulting in myocardial infarction (MI) or a sham operation. At different times (1-90 days) after surgery (n = 3 each), the heart was removed and divided into the right ventricle (RV), septum (Se) and left ventricle (LV). ACE mRNA was quantified by competitive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). At 4 and 7 days after MI, we found a 2.8-fold increase of ACE mRNA (n = 3; P < or = 0.05) in the infarcted LV compared with the LV of the sham group. No increases of ACE mRNA were found in the noninfarcted hypertrophied compartments. ACE activity increased 2.6- and 3.6-fold in the infarcted LV at 7 and 90 days after MI, respectively. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry showed increased ACE mRNA and protein density in the border zone of the infarcted area, predominantly in the endothelial cells lining capillaries. In the noninfarcted myocardium ACE mRNA and protein were confined to endothelial cells of the larger vessels. From these data we conclude that the intracardiac RAS is involved in the healing of the scar after MI in the rat, possibly giving rise to neovascularization. Furthermore, the data suggest that the intracardiac ACE is not necessarily associated with hypertrophy in the rat heart after MI.
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PMID:Activation of angiotensin-converting enzyme expression in infarct zone following myocardial infarction. 748 57

While the role of cytokines in mediating injury during hind limb skeletal muscle ischemia followed by reperfusion has recently been described, the role of cytokines in myocardial infarction and ischemia/reperfusion have remained relatively unexplored. We hypothesize that cytokines play an important role in the regulation of postischemic myocardial inflammation. This study reports the temporal sequence of proinflammatory cytokine gene expression in postischemic/reperfused myocardium and localizes interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-protein by immunostaining. Rats were subjected to either permanent left anterior descending (LAD) occlusion or to 35 minutes of LAD occlusion followed by reperfusion and sacrificed up to 7 days later. Rat-specific oligonucleotide probes were used to semiquantitatively assess the relative expression of mRNA for TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-6, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) utilizing the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction amplification technique. Increased cardiac mRNA levels for all cytokines except IL-6 and IFN-gamma were measurable within 15 to 30 minutes of LAD occlusion and increased levels were generally sustained for 3 hours. During early reperfusion, mRNA levels for IL-6 and TGF-beta 1 were significantly reduced compared with permanent LAD occlusion. In both groups, cytokine mRNA levels all returned to baseline levels at 24 hours, while IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, and TGF-beta 1 mRNA levels again rose significantly at 7 days only in animals with permanent LAD occlusion. Immunostaining for IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha protein revealed two patterns of reactivity: 1) microvascular staining for both IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha protein only in postischemic reperfused myocardium in early post-reperfusion time points; and 2) staining of infiltrating macrophages in healing infarct zones which was most prominent at 7 days after permanent LAD occlusion. These results provide evidence for local expression of cytokine mRNA in postischemic myocardium and suggest that regulation of local cytokine release is altered during the postischemic period.
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PMID:Cytokine mRNA expression in postischemic/reperfused myocardium. 785 52

Wistar-Kyoto rats underwent myocardial infarction (MI) or sham surgery. At different time points after surgery (1-90 days), hearts were removed and divided into infarcted left ventricle (LV), noninfarcted septum, and right ventricle. The tissues were used for total RNA isolation or Formalin fixation for in situ hybridization (ISH). Renin and angiotensinogen mRNA contents were quantified by the competitive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. We found a 4-, 14-, and 8-fold increase (P < 0.05, n = 6) in renin mRNA in the infarcted LV at 2, 4, and 7 days after MI, respectively. No differences were observed between angiotensinogen mRNA levels in sham and infarcted hearts. ISH at 4 days after surgery revealed a dense renin mRNA labeling around the infarcted area, whereas ISH of angiotensinogen displayed an overall low density in the myocardium with somewhat higher levels in the epicardium of sham and MI animals. Atrial natriuretic factor mRNA, a marker for cardiac hypertrophy, was approximately twofold higher in all compartments of the hearts after MI. The low amounts of renin and angiotensinogen mRNA in the noninfarcted hypertrophied myocardium indicate that the intracardiac synthesis of these components does not play a dominant role in the development of cardiac hypertrophy in the rat heart after MI. In addition, the increased renin mRNA expression in the border zone of the infarcted LV suggests a role for intracardiac angiotensin II in infarct healing.
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PMID:Expression and localization of renin and angiotensinogen in rat heart after myocardial infarction. 885 39

The efficacy of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors is well known to prevent the formation of angiotensin II (Ang II) by these agents. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the hemodynamic, biochemical, and morphological responses to Ang II receptor blockade with E-4177, 3-[(2'-carboxybiphenyl-4-yl) methyl]-2-cyclopropyl-7-methyl 3H-imidazol[4,5-b] pyridine, in rats with a healing myocardial infarction that had been induced by the surgical occlusion of the left main coronary artery. The left ventricular weight increased 8 and 12 weeks after infarction in comparison to that in sham-operated rats. Among the rats with experimental infarction, treatment with E-4177 significantly decreased the left ventricular weight. Although the infarct size was not affected by E-4177, its administration ameliorated the elevated end-diastolic pressure and reduced the systolic pressure. The effects of this agent on the levels of Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptor mRNA and ACe mRNA were evaluated in the non-infarcted myocardium by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and binding assays. Treatment with E-4177 reduced both the elevated AT1 mRNA and the number of Ang II receptors, but not the ACE mRNA or ACE activity. While the receptor affinity remained unchanged with this agent, the collagen concentration was decreased. On the other hand, the depressed Na+/Ca2+ exchange activity was restored in the non-infarcted myocardium at 8 and 12 weeks after injury to the level seen in the sham-operated rats. These findings suggest that the AT1 receptor antagonist, E-4177, has a beneficial effect on the hemodynamics in spite of the lack of any improvement in the infarct size. These observations may be partly attributed to the prevention of angiotensin II formation during the period of post-infarction healing.
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PMID:Regression of hypertrophy after myocardial infarction is produced by the chronic blockade of angiotensin type 1 receptor in rats. 901 34

Scar tissue found at the site of myocardial infarction (MI) contains phenotypically transformed fibroblast-like cells termed myofibroblasts (myoFb). In injured cardiac tissue, autoradiography and immunolabeling have localized high density angiotensin (Ang) converting enzyme (ACE) and Ang II receptor binding to these cells, suggesting that they may regulate local concentrations of Ang II and transduce signals at this site. Ang II is known to modulate type I collagen gene expression of fibroblasts and myoFb, and to promote fibrous tissue contraction, each of which may contribute to tissue repair. It is unknown whether myoFb themselves generate Ang peptides de novo via expression of angiotensinogen (Ao), an aspartyl protease needed to convert Ao to Ang I, and ACE. We therefore isolated and cultured myoFb from 4-week-old scar tissue of the adult rat left ventricle with transmural MI. In cultured myoFb we found: (a) immunoreactive membrane-bound ACE, cytosolic cathepsin D (Cat-D), and AT, receptors by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, (b) mRNA expression for Ao, ACE, and Cat-D, but not renin, by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, (c) production of Ang I and II in serum-free culture media; (d) absence of renin activity; (e) a time-dependent conversion of Ao to Ang I by myoFb cytosol, which was inhibited by pepstatin A, but not by renin inhibitor; and (f) significant increase in Ang II production (P < 0.05) by exogenous Ao and Ang I (10 nM), which was significantly blocked by lisinopril (0.1 microM: P < 0.05). Thus, cultured myoFb express requisite components and are able to generate Ang I and II de novo. In an autocrine and/or paracrine manner, Ang II may regulate myoFb collagen turnover and fibrous tissue contraction.
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PMID:Cultured myofibroblasts generate angiotensin peptides de novo. 920 23

Clinical studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumption may decrease the risk for coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction. This effect may be attributed, in part, to the alcohol-mediated increase in endothelial cell (EC)-mediated fibrinolytic activity mediated by the increase in synthesis and/or activity of tissue-type plasminogen activators (t-PAs) and/or urokinase-type PA (u-PAs). To determine whether low alcohol levels (0.01 to 0.1%, v/v) induced the expression of these proteins, cultured human saphenous vein ECs (HSVECs) were preincubated in the absence/presence of ethanol for 5 to 120 min at 37 degrees C, washed, refed, and further incubated for 8 and 24 hr without alcohol. PA mRNA (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) and secreted antigen (ELISA) levels were analyzed after incubation for 8 and 24 hr and the net expression of (sustained) endogenous PA-mediated surface-localized HSVEC fibrinolytic activity (plasmin generation) quantitated by activation of 125I-Glu-plasminogen after incubation for 24 hr. A brief 5 to 30 min preincubation (induction) of both t-PA and u-PA antigen increased approximately 3-fold (t-PA control, 14.2 +/- 1.7, plus alcohol, 25.4 +/- 5 ng/ml; u-PA control, 15 +/- 0.8, plus alcohol, 46.4 +/- 1.3 ng/ml) and mRNA levels approximately 2-fold, as compared with controls. Increased PA expression was associated with a significant concomitant approximately 2-fold increase in surface-localized fibrinolytic activity (control, 96 +/- 2.8, plus alcohol, 255 +/- 42 fmol/ well). These combined results indicate that a brief exposure (<30 min) to low levels of alcohol can induce synthesis of EC-produced t-PA and u-PA resulting in an increased expression of HSVEC surface-localized fibrinolytic activity and may account, in part, for the apparent cardioprotective benefit associated with moderate alcohol consumption.
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PMID:Alcohol-induced upregulation of plasminogen activators and fibrinolytic activity in cultured human endothelial cells. 958 43

The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) is a multifunctional cell-surface receptor that binds and mediates the endocytosis of several structurally and functionally distinct ligands. Involved in a variety of biological processes, including the regulation of the coagulation-fibrinolysis balance, the lipoprotein metabolism, cellular migration, proliferative processes and degenerative diseases, it has very recently become an interesting candidate for functional studies of the development of atherosclerosis. We investigated the individual cellular LRP gene expressions in 100 patients with angiographically confirmed severe coronary obstructions (myocardial infarction, patients with coronary angioplasty and patients with coronary bypass). Using a competitive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis we measured the specific LRP mRNA levels in monocytes from venous blood. In comparison with 110 unselected controls (122.1 ag/cell) the patient group demonstrated significantly higher LRP message levels (171.92 ag/cell). We found the most evident increase in the coronary angioplasty group (+43.5%). Investigating the intraindividual range of expression in healthy controls over a period of 4 weeks, we found nearly constant individual levels. Our results demonstrate a significant correlation of increased LRP mRNA levels with atherosclerotic processes (P<0.001), suggest an important implication of the LRP in atherosclerotic vascular processes, and emphasize the inclusion of LRP investigations in risk constellation studies.
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PMID:Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein in atherosclerosis development: up-regulation of gene expression in patients with coronary obstruction. 969 30

In human heart, we detected mRNAs and proteins for C1q, C1r, C1s, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, and C9 with the use of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemical techniques. We found an upregulation of both mRNAs and proteins in areas of recent and old myocardial infarctions. In both situations, the classical complement pathway was activated, with C4d, C3d, and the membrane attack complex (C5b-9) being deposited on damaged cardiac myocytes. These activated complement components were also identified on Western blots of infarcted tissue. Complement mRNAs in infarcted heart tissue were higher than those in liver, and liver complement mRNAs were not upregulated in cases with infarcted hearts. Our results establish that (1) complement proteins are endogenously produced by human heart; (2) the classical complement pathway is fully activated after myocardial infarction; (3) complement activation is directly involved in myocardial damage after ischemic insults; and (4) damage from complement activation may be chronically sustained. These data suggest that inhibition of the complement system should be effective in treating myocardial infarction.
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PMID:Human heart generates complement proteins that are upregulated and activated after myocardial infarction. 977 33

Proteins characteristic of activated complement are associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) lesions. The classical complement pathway can be activated only when the influence of such endogenous regulators as C1-inhibitor (C1-inh) and CD59 are overcome. We used the techniques of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting to assess the mRNA and protein levels of C1-inh and CD59 in AD and control brains in comparison with levels of the complement components with which they interact. The inhibitors were only slightly upregulated and then only in heavily affected areas of AD brain such as the entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, midtemporal gyrus and midfrontal gyrus. The ratio of AD to control mRNAs in these four areas was 1.17 for C1-inh and 1.12 for CD59, compared to 3.06 for C1r, 2.67 for C1s, 2.35 for C5, 2.56 for C6, 2.42 for C7, 5. 08 for C8 and 16.3 for C9. Peripheral organ expression of C1-inh and CD59 mRNAs was no different in AD than controls but was slightly upregulated in infarcted heart tissue. Again, the increase was small compared with that of the competitive complement components. These data indicate that the forces which upregulate and activate complement in AD and myocardial infarction are not effectively suppressed by the endogenous regulators, C1-inh and CD59.
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PMID:Complement regulators C1 inhibitor and CD59 do not significantly inhibit complement activation in Alzheimer disease. 1037 8


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