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 macrophage scavenger receptor (SR) plays a leading role in atherogenesis, but little is known about the relevance of SR to atherosclerosis in uremia. In this study, the impact of uremic serum on SR expression and activity was examined in the human monocytic cell line U937. The cells were cultured with serum from ten healthy subjects, ten hemodialysis (HD) and ten continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. SR mRNA expression was examined using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction followed by Southern blot. SR protein amount was evaluated by ligand blot. SR activity was analyzed by cellular uptake of fluorescently labeled acetylated low-density lipoprotein using flow cytometry. Uremic serum dose-dependently enhanced SR activity primarily by increasing the amount of receptor protein. Heat-inactivated uremic serum had a stimulatory effect, but ultrafiltrate of uremic serum, which included molecules with a molecular weight less than ten kDa, had no effect. The serum levels of macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), an activator of SR, were fourfold higher in uremia and significantly correlated with SR activity in cells treated with uremic serum. Pre-treatment of uremic serum with a neutralizing antibody to M-CSF abolished the effect of uremic serum on SR activity. In conclusion, uremic serum contains a factor(s) that enhances SR expression and activity in U937 cells. Elevated M-CSF in uremic serum could be responsible for this enhancement.
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PMID:Uremic serum enhances scavenger receptor expression and activity in the human monocytic cell line U937. 906 11

Endothelial cell dysfunction (ECD) is a common feature of chronic renal failure (CRF). Defective nitric oxide (NO) generation due to decreased endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activity is a crucial parameter characterizing ECD. L-arginine is the sole precursor for NO biosynthesis. Among several transporters that mediate L-arginine uptake, cationic amino-acid transporter-1 (CAT-1) acts as the specific arginine transporter for eNOS. Our hypothesis implies that CAT-1 is a major determinant of eNOS activity in CRF. We studied glomerular and aortic arginine uptake, CAT-1, and CAT-2 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression, and CAT-1 protein in: (a) rats 6 weeks following 5/6 nephrectomy (CRF), (b) sham-operated animals, and (c) rats with CRF treated orally with either atorvastatin or arginine in drinking water (modalities which have been shown to enhance eNOS activity and improve endothelial function). Both glomerular and aortic arginine transport were significantly decreased in CRF. Treatment with either arginine or atorvastatin abolished the decrease in arginine uptake in CRF rats. Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Northern blotting, we found a significant increase in glomerular and aortic CAT-1 mRNA expression in CRF. Western blotting revealed that CAT-1 protein was decreased in CRF, but remained intact following arginine and atorvastatin administration. Renal and systemic arginine uptake is attenuated in CRF, through modulation of CAT-1 protein. These findings provide a possible novel mechanism to eNOS inactivation and endothelial dysfunction in uremia.
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PMID:Arginine uptake is attenuated through modulation of cationic amino-acid transporter-1, in uremic rats. 1640 19

The transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha plays an important role in lipid homeostasis. In this study, we examined whether the down-regulation of PPAR-alpha gene expression is associated with dyslipidemia in a rat model of chronic renal failure (CRF). Rats with laboratory-induced uremia by 5/6 nephrectomy were bled at 2 weeks and 10 weeks after the nephrectomy to produce conditions. For the sake of convenience, the rats observed at postoperative week 2 were defined as acute renal failure (ARF) and those observed at week 10 were defined as CRF. Lipids in lipoprotein fractions were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The abundance of PPAR-alpha messenger RNA (mRNA) in the liver was measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels rose with the progression of renal failure, but the total protein levels remained constant. Serum triglyceride in ARF rats remained unchanged from the level in sham-operated control rats, whereas that in CRF rats was 66% higher than the control level. Serum cholesterol was elevated 1.5-fold in ARF rats and 2-fold in CRF rats compared with the sham-operated counterparts. As with triglyceride, very low-density lipoprotein remained unchanged in ARF rats but rose substantially in CRF rats. All of the major lipoprotein fractions were elevated in CRF rats. These lipid and lipoprotein changes were significantly associated with creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels. The PPAR-alpha mRNA expression in the liver was unchanged in ARF rats but was 44% lower in CRF rats. The PPAR-alpha mRNA expression was inversely correlated with serum creatinine and lipids in the overall rats. Our results indicate that PPAR-alpha mRNA expression is down-regulated in the liver of CRF rats and that this down-regulation may play a crucial role in the development of dyslipidemia.
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PMID:Decreased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha gene expression is associated with dyslipidemia in a rat model of chronic renal failure. 1799 26