Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.1.27.4 (ribonuclease)
 6,621 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The nature and mechanism of the pancreatic exocrine dysfunction in diabetes mellitus were evaluated in vitro using isolated pancreatic acini prepared from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The content of amylase and ribonuclease in diabetic acini was approximately 0.5 and 50% of the normal content, respectively. Further, reduced amounts of both enzymes were secreted by diabetic acini in response to both cholecystokinin (CCK) and carbamylcholine. However, when enzyme secretion was normalized relative to initial acinar contents, both normal and diabetic acini released enzymes at a comparable maximal rate. The time course of the release of these enzymes, and newly synthesized protein were similar in both acini. In normal acini, the effect of CCK was maximal at a concentration of 100 pM; higher concentrations led to submaximal enzyme release. The dose-response curve in diabetic acini was similarly shaped, but shifted three-fold towards higher concentration. The mobilization of cellular Ca(2+) in response to CCK was also shifted. In contrast to these results with CCK, the dose-response curve to carbamylcholine was unaltered by diabetes. The observed effects were confirmed to be due to insulin deficiency and not due to direct toxic effect of streptozotocin on acinar cells or malnutrition. Streptozotocin had no acute effect on acini when measured 24 h after administration, and alloxan, another beta cell toxin, induced similar changes in acinar enzyme content and secretory response. Moreover, the administration of exogenous insulin to diabetic rats returned the content of pancreatic amylase and the secretory response to CCK towards normal. Starvation for 48 h, although inducing a significant weight loss, did not mimic the effects of diabetes. The present studies demonstrate two major abnormalities in pancreatic exocrine secretion in the diabetic rat: (a) the content of certain digestive enzymes is markedly altered, leading to an altered amount of zymogen secretion, (b) the sensitivity to CCK is selectively reduced, most likely related to a defect in receptor activated transmembrane signaling.
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PMID:Effect of diabetes mellitus on the regulation of enzyme secretion by isolated rat pancreatic acini. 617 17

Abnormalities of GH secretion and clearance are well-documented in poorly controlled insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), but the contribution of the receptor (GHR) and the GH-binding protein (GHBP) to these abnormalities has not been defined. We studied the expression of the GHR/GHBP gene in the livers, hearts and kidneys in streptozocin-induced diabetes (STZ-D) in the rat. GHR and GHBP mRNA levels were measured by Northern blot and ribonuclease protection assays. Whereas levels of GHR and GHBP mRNA were significantly decreased in liver and heart of STZ-D rats when compared with the control group (P < 0.01), GHR mRNA was significantly increased in the kidneys of STZ-D rats (P = 0.03). Six days of insulin treatment did not significantly alter the levels of GHR/GHBP mRNA in the liver or heart of STZ-D rats, but significantly decreased GHBP mRNA (P = 0.04) in the kidney. Circulating IGF-I was reduced, as was IGF-I mRNA in the liver and heart of STZ-D rats; only circulating IGF-I was restored by insulin treatment. Neither STZ-D nor insulin treatment affected IGF-I or IGF-I receptor mRNA concentrations in the kidney. We conclude that (1) STZ-D modulates the expression of the GHR/GHBP gene and (2) that these changes in GHR/GHBP mRNA concentrations are tissue-specific; STZ-D decreases GHR/GHBP mRNA in liver and heart tissue but increases GHR mRNA concentrations in the kidney. Our results indicate a role for decreased numbers of hepatic GHRs in the pathogenesis of resistance to GH's actions in terms of IGF-I generation and promotion of linear growth in IDDM. We postulate that increased GHR expression in the kidney may be involved in the renal complications of IDDM.
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PMID:Tissue-specific regulation of the growth hormone receptor gene in streptozocin-induced diabetes in the rat. 796 96

Reproductive dysfunction in the diabetic female rat is associated with impaired folliculogenesis, reduced corpus luteum progesterone output, and spontaneous abortion. The underlying mechanism for reduced steroid production remains unresolved. In this study we examined whether or not diabetes alters levels of P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc), 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 beta-HSD), or the cholesterol transport proteins, steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein and sterol carrier protein-2 (SCP2), leading to lower progesterone levels and pregnancy loss. Rats (Day 3 pregnant) received an injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 60 mg/kg; i.v.) to induce a diabetic state; P450scc, 3 beta-HSD, and SCP2 were examined by Western and Northern blot analysis in ovarian tissue 12 days after injection of STZ (diabetic rats, n = 12) or vehicle (nondiabetic rats, n = 12). Serum progesterone, triglyceride, and beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-HBA) levels were also examined. Results indicate that diabetic rats that aborted (diabetic-fetus [Ft], n = 6) had significantly lower progesterone levels (7.04 +/- 2.6 ng/ml; p < 0.004) than nondiabetic animals (108.6 +/- 5.15 ng/ml) and diabetic +Ft animals (74.3 +/- 8.9 ng/ml, n = 6). Western blot analysis of ovarian P450scc and 3 beta-HSD in the nondiabetic rats and the diabetic rats with fetuses indicated no significant difference. In contrast, ovaries from diabetic animals without fetuses had significantly lower SCP2 levels (p < 0.017) compared to controls. Concomitant with the reduction in SCP2, a 58-kDa SCP2-immunoreactive protein, referred to as sterol carrier protein-X (SCPx), increased significantly (p < 0.001). The C-terminal sequence of SCPx is identical to SCP2, while its N-terminal region is homologous with 3-oxoacyl coenzyme A thiolase, an enzyme involved in fatty acid metabolism. Increased SCPx expression coincided with increased serum triglyceride and beta-HBA levels, suggesting that the enhanced SCPx level may coincide with an ovarian shift to fatty acid metabolism. When SCPx steady-state mRNA levels were measured using an SCPx-specific riboprobe (280-bp protected fragment) in a ribonuclease protection assay, ovarian SCPx mRNA levels in the diabetic animals were increased 4.2-fold compared to control SCPx mRNA levels. Ovarian StAR mRNA levels were increased slightly in the diabetic animals, and ovarian P450scc and 3 beta-HSD mRNA levels were increased 3-fold in the diabetic animals that aborted relative to the nondiabetic animals and the +Ft diabetic animals. Results of this study confirm that SCPx mRNA levels are elevated following diabetes onset and that StAR, P450scc, and 3 beta-HSD mRNA levels do not correspond with the reduced steroid hormone profile associated with diabetes. These results are concordant with the possibility that reduced steroid levels in the diabetic animals reflect a loss of SCP2-mediated cholesterol transport capacity as SCPx/3-oxoacyl coenzyme A thiolase expression is enhanced.
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PMID:Altered ovarian sterol carrier protein expression in the pregnant streptozotocin-treated diabetic rat. 879 56