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)

Hsp47 (also termed "colligin") is a 47 kDa protein that is localized in the ER and cis-Golgi vesicles of fibrocytes, chondrocytes, and other collagen-secreting cells. Under stress conditions, Hsp47 expression is upregulated as part of the heat shock/stress response that mitigates cell damage from noxious stimuli such as elevated temperature, heavy metals, and oxidative stress. Under non-stress conditions, Hsp47 functions as a collagen-specific molecular chaperone that facilitates intracellular procollagen polypeptide synthesis, and triple helix assembly in connective tissues. Previously it has been shown that levels of collagen-specific gene expression are significantly altered in ligaments, menisci, and other connective tissues of the rabbit following surgically induced injuries (increased), and during pregnancy (decreased). The present study was undertaken to determine whether expression of mRNA for the Hsp47 collagen-binding stress protein was also influenced in these experimental models. Since no sequence information was available on the rabbit Hsp47 gene, a partial cDNA for rabbit Hsp47 was first isolated and cloned using reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) with degenerate oligonucleotide primers. Rabbit Hsp47 sequence-specific primers then designed enabled analysis of Hsp47 mRNA expression in rabbit connective tissues using semiquantitative RT-PCR. It was found that Hsp47 expression is affected in a complex, tissue-specific manner by injury and pregnancy. Hsp47 transcript levels were elevated in the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of the rabbit knee following surgical induction of a gap injury. Transection of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which leads to chronic progressive damage to menisci of the rabbit knee joint, was accompanied by an upregulation of Hsp47 expression in the medial and lateral menisci. Hsp47 mRNA levels were depressed during pregnancy in the kidney and ACL of primigravid adolescent rabbits, but were not altered in corneal tissue during pregnancy or in the ACL of skeletally mature multiparous females. The changes in Hsp47 transcript levels within these connective tissues following injury/pregnancy often, but not always, paralleled changes in collagen-specific gene expression.
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PMID:Expression of heat shock protein 47(Hsp47) mRNA levels in rabbit connective tissues during the response to injury and in pregnancy. 1101 91

The study of drug metabolism in cultured rat hepatocytes is hampered by the rapid loss of the expression of cytochrome P450 enzymes. Nevertheless, the activity of cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A), one of the most important isoenzymes for drug metabolism, can be elevated by chemical inducers. In the present study, we investigated in cultured rat hepatocytes the induction of all four currently identified CYP3A isoforms by dexamethasone, and compared the results obtained in vitro with the induction profile of dexamethasone in vivo. To this end, CYP3A mRNA levels were quantified with a novel, radioactive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, and CYP3A enzymatic activity was measured by a testosterone hydroxylation assay. In the RT-PCR assay, CYP3A isoforms were co-amplified with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) in the presence of radioactively labeled nucleotides. This resulted in an extremely sensitive and accurate determination of CYP3A expression levels, relative to those of GAPDH. Using this RT-PCR assay, it was found that the expression of all CYP3A isoforms in rat hepatocytes, cultured on a collagen matrix, was decreased by 80-90% within one day of cultivation. After addition of dexamethasone, at one day after isolation, CYP3A1 mRNA levels were elevated to levels comparable to those in freshly isolated hepatocytes within two days. In contrast, CYP3A2, CYP3A9, and CYP3A18 mRNA levels were not affected by dexamethasone treatment, and were hardly detectable after three days of cultivation. CYP3A enzymatic activity was also induced in cultured hepatocytes (approximately 6-fold) after addition of dexamethasone. In vivo, CYP3A1 mRNA levels increased 45-fold after dexamethasone administration. However, in contrast to the situation in cultured hepatocytes, CYP3A2 and CYP3A18 were also induced, albeit to a lesser extent (4- and 7-fold elevated mRNA levels, respectively). We conclude that the selective induction of CYP3A1 in dexamethasone-treated rat hepatocytes allows the study of biotransformation reactions by CYP3A1, without interference by any of the other CYP3A isoenzymes.
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PMID:Selective induction of cytochrome P450 3A1 by dexamethasone in cultured rat hepatocytes: analysis with a novel reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay section sign. 1102 Apr 54

Beta-1 integrin plays a major role in cell attachment and is believed to be involved in mediating the interactions of chondrocytes with their environment. We previously reported that articular chondrocytes propagated in microcarrier spinner culture proliferated and reexpressed their chondrocytic protein. The goal of the present study was to investigate the expression of beta-1 integrin by chondrocytes growing on the surface of microcarriers. Nasal chondrocytes (4 x 10(3)/cm(2)) were seeded on microcarriers and incubated at 37 degrees C, 5% CO(2), 60 rpm. Expression of chondrocyte markers and beta-1 integrin was determined using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemical analyses. De novo synthesis of sulfate-containing proteoglycans was studied using 35SO(4) incorporation techniques. Like articular chondrocytes propagated in microcarrier spinner culture, nasal chondrocytes expressed high levels of collagen type II mRNA, whereas collagen type I mRNA levels were low. Aggrecan mRNA was detectable and levels of de novo 35SO(4) incorporation were high. Chondrocytes immunostained intensely for collagen type II and keratan sulfate but did not stain for collagen type I. beta-1 integrin mRNA levels were high, and the protein was immunolocalized to regions of cell-to-cell or cell-to-microcarrier contact. The fact the chondrocytes expressed high levels of beta-1 integrin raises the possibility that this integrin molecule has a role in the maintenance of the chondrocytic phenotype.
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PMID:Beta-1 integrin expression by human nasal chondrocytes in microcarrier spinner culture. 1103 55

There is a growing body of evidence that implicates matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) as major players in numerous diseased conditions. The articular cartilage degradation that is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is believed to be mediated by the collagenase subfamily of matrix metalloproteinases. The preference of collagenase-3 (CL-3) for collagen type II makes it a likely candidate in the turnover of articular cartilage and a potential target for drug development. In this study, RA synovial membrane tissue was shown to express CL-3 mRNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and protein by immunohistochemistry. Fibroblasts isolated and cultured from RA synovial membrane tissue were induced to express CL-3 mRNA. CL-3 mRNA was detected after PMA treatment in 16 of the 18 RA synovial membrane fibroblast cell lines established for this study. These fibroblasts also expressed mRNA for collagenase-1 (CL-1, MMP-1), membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase, gelatinase A, gelatinase B, stromelysin-1, stromelysin-2, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2. They were further shown to express CL-1 mRNA constitutively and CL-3 mRNA only after stimulation with PMA, IL-1, TGF-beta1, TNF-alpha, or IL-6 with IL-6sR. These fibroblasts also expressed after induction both CL-1 and CL-3 at the protein level as determined by Western blot analyses and immunofluorescence.
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PMID:Induction of collagenase-3 (MMP-13) in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts. 1104 Apr 55

Microbial infection can impact on the course of autoimmune disease, both in disease-inducing and disease-protecting capacities. Here we investigated if infection with Trypanosoma brucei brucei (Tbb), the protozoan causative agent of African Sleeping Sickness, could ameliorate the course of CIA in the Dark Agouti rat, an experimental model which shares many features with human rheumatoid arthritis. Infection of animals with living, but not inoculation with dead Tbb resulted in complete or significant reduction of clinical arthritic symptoms. Infection prior to collagen immunization was more effective than a later treatment, and this effect was related to the level of parasitaemia. Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction we detected an increase in interferon-gamma mRNA in the draining lymph nodes of Tbb-treated animals relative to controls at day 28 after disease induction. Transforming growth factor-beta could be detected in the lymph nodes in four out of six animals that had received Tbb. In the joints, immunohistochemistry revealed reduced production of tumour necrosis factor-alpha in Tbb-treated animals relative to controls. The most striking difference between Tbb-infected and control groups, as measured by ELISA, was the down-regulation of anti-collagen II IgG antibody responses in parasite-infected animals. We conclude that live parasites can exert an immunomodulatory and protective effect in CIA in which several mechanisms may work in parallel, although the almost complete down-regulation of the anti-collagen antibody response may alone explain the protective effect in CIA. The described model may be useful in further attempts to use the mechanisms involved in parasite immune defence to prevent and treat certain autoimmune conditions.
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PMID:Parasite-mediated down-regulation of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in DA rats. 1112 58

We produced an immortalized colonic epithelial cell line, MCE301, using fetal mice transgenic for the temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 large T-antigen gene. MCE301 cells showed epithelial-like morphology and maintained tight connections with neighboring cells. The cells grew at a permissive temperature (33 degrees C), but the growth of the cells was significantly prevented at the nonpermissive temperature (39 degrees C). The cells expressed large T-antigen at 33 degrees C but not at 39 degrees C. MCE301 cells were not transformed, as judged by the absence of anchorage-independent growth in soft agar gel and lack of tumor formation in nude mice. Electron microscopic studies showed that the cells formed microvilli-like structures on the cell surface and junctional complexes such as tight junctions and desmosomes between the cells. The cells expressed cytosketal (acidic cytokeratins and actin), basement membrane (laminin and collagen type IV) and junctional complex proteins (ZO-1 and desmoplakin I + II), as judged by specific antibodies. Fetal bovine serum, epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor and insulin significantly increased the cell growth at 33 degrees C. Moreover, MCE301 cells expressed colonic mucin Muc2 mRNA as demonstrated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, indicating that the cells originate from mucus-secreting cells. Alkaline phosphatase, a brush border-associated enzyme, was detected in the cells. Sodium butyrate (2 mM), an inducer of cellular differentiation, markedly elevated alkaline phosphatase activity. Thus, the present mouse colonic epithelial cell line MCE301 possessing these unique characteristics should provide a useful in vitro model of colonic epithelium.
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PMID:Establishment and characterization of a colonic epithelial cell line MCE301 from transgenic mice harboring temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 large T-antigen gene. 1123 98

Interleukin-13 (IL-13) inhibits cell proliferation and stimulates interleukin-6 (IL-6) formation in isolated human osteoblasts (hOBs). Because the related cytokine, interleukin-4 (IL-4), is known to exert effects similar to IL-13 in other tissues, and because IL-4 has been implicated as a regulator of bone metabolism, we compared the effects of IL-13 and IL-4 on cell proliferation, IL-6 synthesis, the expression of osteoblastic phenotypic markers in hOB cultures. Also, the receptor proteins mediating these effects in hOBs have been partly characterized. IL-4 and IL-13 dose-dependently inhibited [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation into the DNA of human osteoblasts and stimulated secretion of IL-6 into culture supernatants. IL-13 and IL-4 also increased the mRNA levels of IL-6, as measured by RNAse protection assay. Furthermore, IL-13 and IL-4 dose-dependently enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, but did not affect osteocalcin or collagen type I synthesis. IL-4 was tenfold more potent than IL-13 in inducing both ALP activity and IL-6 secretion, whereas the cytokines were equipotent as inhibitors of cell proliferation. The expression of mRNA for receptor subunits previously implicated in IL-4 and IL-13 signaling was investigated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. IL-13R, IL-13Ralpha, and IL-4Ralpha mRNA were repeatedly detected in hOBs, whereas mRNA for IL-2Rgamma(C) was not detected. Receptor-blocking antibodies to IL-4Ralpha inhibited the induction of IL-6 formation by both IL-4 and IL-13, indicating that both cytokines utilize this receptor subunit in signaling. However, the antibodies did not affect the IL-4/-13-induced inhibition of [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation or the stimulation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), suggesting that IL-4Ralpha does not mediate these effects of IL-4/-13 in hOBs. We conclude that the cytokines IL-13 and IL-4, through sharing of receptor components, induce similar effects on hOBs, causing inhibition of cell proliferation, stimulation of IL-6, and enhanced ALP activity.
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PMID:Interleukin (IL)-13 and IL-4 inhibit proliferation and stimulate IL-6 formation in human osteoblasts: evidence for involvement of receptor subunits IL-13R, IL-13Ralpha, and IL-4Ralpha. 1124 56

We studied four affected individuals from a family of three generations with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome II. Type V collagen transcripts of affected individuals were screened by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Amplification of the exon 9-28 region of alpha1(V) yielded normal and larger products from the proband. Sequencing of cDNA revealed a 100-base pair insertion from the 3'-end of intron 13 between exons 13 and 14 in one allele. The genomic defect was identified as an A(-2)--> G substitution at the exon 14 splice acceptor site. A cryptic acceptor site -100 nucleotide within intron 13 is used instead of the mutant splice site. The insertion shifts the reading frame +1 and results in a stop codon within exon 17. The mutant transcript was much less abundant than normal allele product in untreated cultured fibroblasts but was approximately equimolar in cycloheximide-treated cells, suggesting that the mutation causes nonsense-mediated decay of mRNA. By RNase protection experiments, the level of mutant transcript was determined to be 8% that of the normal transcript in untreated proband fibroblasts. Relative to type I collagen, proband fibroblasts secreted only 65% of the amount of type V collagen secreted by normal controls. Selective salt precipitation of proband secreted collagen provided supportive evidence that the alpha chain composition of type V collagen remains alpha1(V)(2)alpha2(V) even in the context of alpha1(V) haploinsufficiency. Type V collagen incorporates into type I collagen fibrils in the extracellular matrix and is thought to regulate fibril diameter. Transmission electron micrographs of type I collagen fibrils in a proband dermal biopsy showed greater heterogeneity in fibril diameter than in a matched control. The proband had a greater proportion of both larger and smaller fibrils and occasional fibrils with a cauliflower configuration. Unlike the genotype/phenotype relationship seen for type I collagen defects and osteogenesis imperfecta, the null allele in this family appears to cause clinical features similar to those seen in cases with structural alterations in type V collagen.
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PMID:COL5A1 exon 14 splice acceptor mutation causes a functional null allele, haploinsufficiency of alpha 1(V) and abnormal heterotypic interstitial fibrils in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome II. 1127 77

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are responsible for type I collagen deposition in liver fibrosis that leads to cirrhosis. The purpose of this study was to examine potential molecular signals that lead to increased alpha(2)(I) collagen gene expression by acetaldehyde, the primary metabolite of alcohol and malondialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxidation product known to be associated with chronic liver injury. MDA and the combination of MDA and acetaldehyde were employed to determine the effect on alpha(2)(I) collagen gene expression as assessed by transient transfection analysis and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Immunoblot and subsequent immunoprecipitation analysis examined stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) activity. Cotransfection with a dominant negative mutant for c-jun nuclear kinase (dnJNK1) was also employed with the alpha(2)(I) collagen promoter. MDA increased alpha(2)(I) collagen gene expression nearly 2.5- to 3-fold, however there was no synergistic effect of the combination of acetaldehyde and MDA on alpha(2)(I) collagen gene activation and expression. Acetaldehyde, MDA, or both significantly increased JNK activity when compared to untreated stellate cells. The dnJNK1 expression vector abrogated alpha(2)(I) collagen transgene activity. In conclusion, JNK activation appears to be critical in the signaling cascade of oxidative metabolites of chronic alcohol-related liver injury and collagen gene activation.
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PMID:Aldehydes potentiate alpha(2)(I) collagen gene activity by JNK in hepatic stellate cells. 1129 27

Considerable progress has been made in the transfer of foreign genes into salivary glands in vivo using adenovirus vectors in rats. In an attempt to avoid the transient expression inherent, when using these vectors, retroviral vectors and human cell lines where used here in attempt to develop an in vitro model of HIV-associated salivary gland disease. The HIV-1-tat protein is increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of the AIDS through altering the expression of strategic cellular genes. The purpose of this study was to transfect human salivary gland (HSG) cell lines in vitro, with the pHIV-1/LTR-tat plasmid, and examine the effect of tat on expression of matrix and basement membrane genes known to be important in the pathogenesis of salivary gland disease. HSG cells were transfected with HIV-1-tat plasmid by the lipofection method. Transfection was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blot, which verified that tat-specific DNA was present. Tat-mRNA was analysed by Northern blotting and quantified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to demonstrate its expression. Numerous clones were found to contain integrated tat DNA sequences and analysis of mRNA showed stable expression of tat-specific RNA. Further analysis of mRNA expression for various marker proteins important in HIV pathogenesis showed that the HSG cell line transfected with HIV-1-tat, was associated with significant induction of mRNA expression for extracellular matrix protein. Tat-amplified transcription of the major basement membrane protein laminin, as well as of fibronectin, collagen I and III, and c-myc oncogene was demonstrated. Conversely, expression of p53 suppressor gene mRNA was reduced. Post-transfection expression of collagen IV was erratic and inconclusive. It was concluded that the presence of HIV-tat in this in vitro model of salivary ductal epithelial cell model alters the mRNA expression of several matrix, basement membrane and oncoproteins known to be involved in HIV pathogenesis. These cell lines provide a useful system for studying the role of tat in the immunopathogenesis of HIV-associated salivary gland disease.
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PMID:Amplification of extracellular matrix and oncogenes in tat-transfected human salivary gland cell lines with expression of laminin, fibronectin, collagens I, III, IV, c-myc and p53. 1131 Dec 2


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