Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.2.1.17 (lysozyme)
 21,489 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Estrogen is an essential requirement for the postpubertal trophic development and maintenance of the differentiated state of the oviduct, uterus, cervix, vagina and mammary glands of mammals. Estrogen, apparently functioning through its specific cytoplasmic receptor protein via a multistep interaction pathway induces gene expression of specific biochemical events leading to growth and differentiation of target tissues (Jensen et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci, 59:632, 1968; Gorski et al., Recent Prog Horm Res 24:45, 1968). One biochemical expression of the estrogen gene is the synthesis of specific mRNA transcripts for certain specific marker proteins, including ovalbumin, lysozyme and ovomucoid in the chick oviduct (O'Malley and McGuire, Proc Natl Acad Sci 60:1527, 1968; Palmiter and Schimke, J Biol Chem 248:1502, 1973), tubulin in the mammalian oviduct (Brenner and Anderson, Handbook of Physiology 7(2):123, 1973; Brenner et al., Endocrinology 95:1094, 1974) and peroxidase (EC 1,11.1.7) in the rodent uterus (Brockelmann and Fawcett, Biol Reprod 1:59, 1969; Churg and Anderson, J Cell Biol 62:449, 1974; Anderson et al., J Cell Biol 64:668, 1975).
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PMID:Reproductive tract peroxidases as endproducts of estrogen-specific gene expression. 51 22

Lysozyme activity of 403 strains of lactobacilli were investigated; of these 26 were from foreign sets and 377 were isolated from the contents of the stomach, feces and vaginal discharge of healthy adults. The species reference of lactobacillae was confirmed by the results of study of their physiologo-biochemical properties with the aid of 45 tests. A method of agar plates was adapted to determination of lysozyme: the autoclaved suspension of Micrococcus lysodeikticus (strain No. 2665) was added to the agar medium MPC-I, and lactobacilli were cultivated for 4 days in the CO2 atmosphere at 37 degrees C. There was revealed the capacity of L. fermenti and L. brevis to produce lysozyme; in L. fermenti the lysozyme activity was much more frequent (p less than 0.001); strains of the rest of the species of lactobacilli differentiated by the Rogosa and Sharpe's classification proved to be lysozyme-negative. It was shown that the lactobacilli of the L. fermenti species, included into the microflora of the intestine and the vagina of healthy adults as a rule possessed lysozyme activity. L. fermenti strain 90T-S4 used in the production of dry lactobacterin also produced lysozyme. All this favours an important role of L. fermenti in the protective function of the microflora.
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PMID:[Ability of lactobacilli in the human microflora to produce lysozyme]. 81 10

A case of pleomorphic adenoma of the vagina in a 44-year-old woman was described. The tumor was a submucosal mass measuring 3.5 X 2 X 2 cm and located in the left lateral wall 1.5 cm inside the introitus. Histologically, it was predominantly composed of sheets and strands of spindle-shaped or polygonal cells focally dispersed in the myxoid tissue to form pseudomicrocysts. Ultrastructure demonstrated the basal lamina, desmosomes, variable amounts of filaments of both intermediate and microfilament, and occasionally microvilli in these tumor cells indicating that dominant cells were myoepithelial in nature. With immunohistochemical studies, keratin and cytokeratin were positive, whereas, S-100 protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein, vimentin, secretory component, and lysozyme were negative. The previously published cases were reviewed and compared with the present case.
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PMID:Pleomorphic adenoma with a predominantly myoepithelial proliferation of the vagina. 303 95

The portal of entry for most pathogens is at the mucosal surface, and mucosal defences afford the host the earliest opportunity to ward off infection. The vagina is exposed to considerable trauma, and harbours a complex microflora, but only a small number of microorganisms are associated with disease. It seems likely that mucosal defenses are important in this process. Mucosal secretions contain mucus, lysozyme, lactoferrin, zinc, fibronectin, and complement, all of which afford non-specific protection. In addition, secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentration in these secretions increases in response to specific pathogens. Blood leukocytes migrate onto mucosal surfaces during infection with some microorganisms, and the interaction between phagocytic cells and genital pathogens has been the focus of intense investigation. Improved understanding of mucosal defences is crucial for prevention of infection.
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PMID:Host defences and the vaginal mucosa. A re-evaluation. 639 5

Eleven patients, 13 to 76 (mean, 40) years of age, had granulocytic sarcoma of the female genital tract (FGT) (ovary, seven cases; vagina, three cases; cervix, one case). In nine cases, the FGT involvement was the initial clinical presentation of the disease, and in the other two cases, the FGT involvement was discovered during a relapse of acute myeloid leukemia. The tumors ranged from 0.5 to 14 (mean, 7.5) cm in greatest dimension. Two ovarian tumors were bilateral, and three were green. Microscopic examination revealed a predominantly diffuse pattern of growth, but cords and pseudoacinar spaces were also present focally in several cases. Sclerosis was seen in five tumors and was prominent in one. Prominent myeloid differentiation was readily recognizable on routinely stained sections in three cases, whereas the neoplastic cells in the other cases were primitive with only rare eosinophilic myelocytes. All 11 tumors were positive for chloroacetate esterase, nine of nine were strongly and diffusely positive for lysozyme, eight of eight for myeloperoxidase, seven of seven for CD68, and six of six for CD43. Examination of bone marrow or peripheral blood performed after the diagnosis of FGT involvement revealed acute myeloid leukemia in three of five cases. Two of these patients died of disease, 1 and 16 months after the initial diagnosis, and the third, who received chemotherapy, is alive and free of disease 8 months after the initial diagnosis. One of the two patients with negative bone marrow had recurrent granulocytic sarcoma 30 months after diagnosis and died of sepsis 1 month later; no residual disease was noted at autopsy. The other patient is alive and free of disease 18 months after the diagnosis. One of the four remaining patients with primary FGT involvement who did not have a bone marrow biopsy died of leukemia 24 months later; no follow-up information is available for the other three patients. One of the two patients with a prior diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia was alive with disease 26 months later; follow-up is not available for the second patient. The diagnosis was often difficult in these cases, the most common problem being distinction from malignant lymphoma, but carcinoma, granulosa cell tumor, and, rarely, other tumors were considered. Immunohistochemical and enzyme histochemical staining were useful in establishing the diagnosis, although suspicion of the diagnosis on examination of routinely stained sections was of paramount importance.
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PMID:Granulocytic sarcoma of the female genital tract: a clinicopathologic study of 11 cases. 933 Dec 87

The physiological importance of cervical mucus is major and essential. Sterility is often due to some kind of disorder in this short genital tract, linking the vagina with the uterine cavity. The major factors facilitating the transport of spermatozoa into the uterine cavity are: 1) protection against the strong acid conditions of the vagina; 2) penetrability of the mucus only during the days in which impregnantion is possible; 3) asepsis of the uterine cavity and of the upper genital tract by means of lactoferrine, peroxidase and lysozyme; 4) selection of spermatozoa, favoring the strongest and most mobile ones; 5) selection of spermatozoa carrying the "Y" chromosome; 6) providing spermatozoa with the best possible milieu from which to draw energy; 7) protection of the male gametes against eventual phagocytosis from leucocytes; 8) creation of an intracervical reserve of spermatozoa. All these factors contribute to favor the meeting of the gametes at the best possible moment, in the best possible conditions.
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PMID:[The physiological importance of cervical secretion and its role in reproduction]. 1230 33

Egg production in oviparous vertebrates is assumed to be costly but the physiological basis of any costs remains unknown. The avian oviduct is a highly differentiated linear organ, with five functionally specific regions. Here we show that the oviduct regresses rapidly "from the top down" as soon as the more proximal regions have completed their function but while the distal regions still retain an oviductal egg. In zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata, oviduct mass did not differ between early laying birds at the 1-egg stage compared with late-laying birds (with one remaining yolky follicle; dry mass, 151-167 mg). However, in birds with no remaining yolky follicles but with an oviductal egg, oviduct mass decreased to 94 mg (44%). Regression occurred unequally among different regions of the oviduct, with significant decreases in the proximal infundibulum/magnum and isthmus regions (59% and 40%, respectively), but no change in distal shell gland/vagina mass. The shell gland did not regress until after the last oviposition. Thus, the avian oviduct has a highly regulated size-function relationship consistent with a high maintenance energy cost for this organ. We suggest that oviduct function is a significant contributor to the physiological costs of egg production and might mediate individual variation in maternal effects associated with non-yolk components of egg quality (e.g. immunoglobulins, lysozyme).
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PMID:Top-down regression of the avian oviduct during late oviposition in a small passerine bird. 1466 10

Cervico-vaginal mucus (CVM), the product of epithelial cells lining the uterus, cervix and vagina, is secreted to facilitate uterine lubrication and microbial clearance. Predominantly composed of water and mucins, CVM also contains high levels of immuno-active proteins such as immunoglobulin A (IgA), lactoferrin and lysozyme which protect against infection by blocking adhesion and mediating microbial killing. The repertoire of cytokines, chemokines and antimicrobial peptides is predominantly generated by the secretions of endometrial epithelial cells into the uterine lumen and concentrated in the CVM. The quantity and relative proportions of these inflammatory biomarkers are affected by diverse factors including the estrus cycle and health status of the animal and therefore potentially provide important diagnostic and prognostic indicators. We propose that measuring molecular signatures in bovine CVM could be a useful approach to identifying and monitoring genital tract pathologies in beef and dairy cows.
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PMID:Cervico-vaginal mucus (CVM) - an accessible source of immunologically informative biomolecules. 3011 40

The vaginal microbiota of healthy women is dominated by lactobacilli, which exerts important health-promoting effects to the host. In the present study, 261 lactobacilli isolated from vagina of healthy women were screened for their potential probiotic characteristics. Safety features (haemolytic activity, antibiotic susceptibility, bile salt hydrolase activity) and functional properties (resistance to low pH and bile salts, lysozyme tolerance, gastrointestinal survival, antagonistic activity against pathogens, hydrophobicity, auto-aggregation, and co-aggregation abilities, hydrogen peroxide production, biofilm formation, exopolysaccharide production, adhesion capacity to both normal human vagina epithelial cells and Caco-2 epithelial cells, and lactic acid production) were in depth evaluated. Seven strains, identified as Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus salivarius fulfilled the criteria described above. Therefore, the vaginal ecosystem represents a suitable source of probiotic candidates that could be used in new functional formulates for both gastrointestinal and vaginal eubiosis.
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PMID:Detection of vaginal lactobacilli as probiotic candidates. 3083 31

Some antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are produced in the vaginal innate immune system and play an important role in protecting this organ against pathogenic agents. Moreover, sexually transmitted diseases have become a major problem in human societies and are rapidly spreading. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant microbes (superbugs) can pose a major threat to human societies and cause rapid spread of these diseases. Finding new antimicrobial compounds to fight superbugs is therefore essential. It has been shown that AMPs have good potential to become new antibiotics. The most important AMPs in the vaginal innate immune system are defensins, secretory leucocyte protease inhibitors, calprotectin, lysozyme, lactoferrin and elafin, which play an important role in host defence against sexually transmitted infections, modulation of immune responses and anticancer activities. Some AMPs, such as LL-37, magainin 2 and nisin, show both spermicidal and antimicrobial effects in the vagina. In this summary, we will discuss vaginal AMPs and continue to address some of the challenges of using peptides to control pathogens that are effective in sexually transmitted diseases.
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PMID:Antimicrobial peptides of the vaginal innate immunity and their role in the fight against sexually transmitted diseases. 3199 4


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