Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0038187 (starvation)
 24,951 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The marine slug Elysia chlorotica (Gould) forms an intracellular symbiosis with photosynthetically active chloroplasts from the chromophytic alga Vaucheria litorea (C. Agardh). This symbiotic association was characterized over a period of 8 months during which E. chlorotica was deprived of V. litorea but provided with light and CO2. The fine structure of the symbiotic chloroplasts remained intact in E. chlorotica even after 8 months of starvation as revealed by electron microscopy. Southern blot analysis of total DNA from E. chlorotica indicated that algal genes, i.e., rbcL, rbcS, psaB, psbA, and 16S rRNA are present in the animal. These genes are typically localized to the plastid genome in higher plants and algae except rbcS, which is nuclear-encoded in higher plants and green (chlorophyll a/b) algae. Our analysis suggests, however, that similar to the few other chromophytes (chlorophyll a/c) examined, rbcS is chloroplast encoded in V. litorea. Levels of psbA transcripts remained constant in E. chlorotica starved for 2 and 3 months and then gradually declined over the next 5 months corresponding with senescence of the animal in culture and in nature. The RNA synthesis inhibitor 6-methylpurine reduced the accumulation of psbA transcripts confirming active transcription. In contrast to psbA, levels of 16S rRNA transcripts remained constant throughout the starvation period. The levels of the photosystem II proteins, D1 and CP43, were high at 2 and 4 months of starvation and remained constant at a lower steady-state level after 6 months. In contrast, D2 protein levels, although high at 2 and 4 months, were very low at all other periods of starvation. At 8 months, de novo synthesis of several thylakoid membrane-enriched proteins, including D1, still occurred. To our knowledge, these results represent the first molecular evidence for active transcription and translation of algal chloroplast genes in an animal host and are discussed in relation to the endosymbiotic theory of eukaryote origins.
 ...
PMID:Chloroplast genes are expressed during intracellular symbiotic association of Vaucheria litorea plastids with the sea slug Elysia chlorotica. 890 81

During starvation, brain energy metabolism in humans changes toward oxidation of ketone bodies. To investigate if this shift is directly coupled to circulating blood concentrations of ketone bodies, we measured global cerebral blood flow (CBF) and global cerebral carbohydrate metabolism with the Kety-Schmidt technique before and during intravenous infusion with ketone bodies. During acute hyperketonemia (mean beta-hydroxybutyrate blood concentration 2.16 mM), cerebral uptake of ketones increased from 1.11 to 5.60 mumol.100 g-1.min-1, counterbalanced by an equivalent reduction of the cerebral glucose metabolism from 25.8 to 17.2 mumol.100 g-1.min-1, with the net result being an unchanged cerebral uptake of carbohydrates. In accordance with this, global cerebral oxygen metabolism was not significantly altered (144 vs. 135 mumol.100 g-1.min-1). The unchanged global cerebral metabolic activity was accompanied by a 39% increase in CBF from 51.0 to 70.9 ml.100 g-1.min-1. Regional analysis of the glucose metabolism by positron emission tomography-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose indicated that mesencephalon does not oxidize ketone bodies to the same extent as the rest of the brain. It was concluded that the immediate oxidation of ketone bodies induced a decrease in cerebral glucose uptake in spite of an adequate glucose supply to the brain. Furthermore, acute hyperketonemia caused a resetting of the coupling between CBF and metabolism that could not be explained by alterations in arterial CO2 tension or pH.
 ...
PMID:Changes in cerebral blood flow and carbohydrate metabolism during acute hyperketonemia. 896 61

Under nitrogen starvation, Rhizobium meliloti is able to induce nitrogen-fixing nodules on alfalfa roots. Certain alfalfa cultivars spontaneously develop pseudonodules in the absence of bacteria. A transcript, Msca1, expressed in spontaneous and R. meliloti-induced nodules, that codes for a carbonic anhydrase (CA), an enzyme catalyzing the hydration of CO2 has been identified. This is the first CA gene cloned from a non-photosynthetic tissue in plants. Msca1 was activated initially in all cells of the bacterium-induced nodule primordium and was also induced by cytokinin treatment of alfalfa roots. The presence of CA enzymatic activity in different nodule types was demonstrated. Thus, Msca1 is a new early nodulin gene with a function possibly related to the increased amyloplast deposition of the dividing cortical cells. Msca1 transcripts were subsequently found mainly in a peripheral envelope of cells in developing and mature nodules. This novel pattern of gene expression is controlled by the presence of the bacterium inside the nodule. Sucrose synthase and phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), other genes of the carbon fixation metabolism, were expressed in the same peripheral cells and even more strongly in the nitrogen-fixing region. Analysis of expression patterns of these genes indicated that early CA function may not be related to carbon fixation through PEPC. CA might be acting in pH regulation and/or CO2/HCO3-transport during nodule initiation. Thus, carbonic anhydrase may play different roles at several stages of nodule development and function.
 ...
PMID:A carbonic anhydrase gene is induced in the nodule primordium and its cell-specific expression is controlled by the presence of Rhizobium during development. 910 31

The establishment of culture conditions suitable for inducing differentiation of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites into parasites resembling the latent bradyzoite form has opened this important developmental transition to experimental analysis. In order to develop a genetic marker suitable for positive and negative selection during parasite differentiation. the T. gondii HXGPRT gene was placed under control of 5' flanking sequences derived from two bradyzoite-specific genes: BAG1 and LDH2. Random transgene integration at undefined genomic loci resulted in modest regulation (approximately 5-6-fold induction) above relatively high background levels (approximately 4% of wild-type controls). Integration of transgenes at a defined genomic position was achieved by targeting the uracil phosphoribosyl transferase (UPRT) locus using flanking homologous sequences and fluorouracil selection. This strategy was found to provide the added advantage of enhancing bradyzoite induction frequencies under conditions of pyrimidine starvation (low CO2). Constructs integrated in the direction of normal UPRT transcription exhibited moderate levels of inducibility, but transgenes integrated in the opposite direction were dramatically induced under differentiation conditions: 50-100-fold above the very low levels observed in tachyzoites (< 1% control). Positive selection (using mycophenolic acid) was shown to inhibit tachyzoites but not bradyzoites, while negative selection (using 8-azahypoxanthine) inhibited bradyzoites only. Stage-specific regulation of the HXGPRT selectable marker should permit genetic selections for the identification of mutants in the bradyzoite differentiation process.
 ...
PMID:Stage-specific expression of a selectable marker in Toxoplasma gondii permits selective inhibition of either tachyzoites or bradyzoites. 927 73

The decline of atmospheric CO2 over the last 65 million years (Ma) resulted in the 'CO2-starvation' of terrestrial ecosystems and led to the widespread distribution of C4 plants, which are less sensitive to CO2 levels than are C3 plants. Global expansion of C4 biomass is recorded in the diets of mammals from Asia, Africa, North America, and South America during the interval from about 8 to 5 Ma. This was accompanied by the most significant Cenozoic faunal turnover on each of these continents, indicating that ecological changes at this time were an important factor in mammalian extinction. Further expansion of tropical C4 biomass in Africa also occurred during the last glacial interval confirming the link between atmospheric CO2 levels and C4 biomass response. Changes in fauna and flora at the end of the Miocene, and between the last glacial and interglacial, have previously been attributed to changes in aridity; however, an alternative explanation for a global expansion of C4 biomass is CO2 starvation of C3 plants when atmospheric CO2 levels dropped below a threshold significant to C3 plants. Aridity may also have been a factor in the expansion of C4 ecosystems but one that was secondary to, and perhaps because of, gradually decreasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. Mammalian evolution in the late Neogene, then, may be related to the CO2 starvation of C3 ecosystems.
 ...
PMID:Carbon dioxide starvation, the development of C4 ecosystems, and mammalian evolution. 950 62

Trehalose and glycogen accumulate in Saccharomyces cerevisiae when growth conditions deteriorate. It has been suggested that aside from functioning as storage factors and stress protectants, these carbohydrates may be required for cell cycle progression at low growth rates under carbon limitation. By using a mutant unable to synthesize trehalose and glycogen, we have investigated this requirement of trehalose and glycogen under carbon-limited conditions in continuous cultures. Trehalose and glycogen levels increased with decreasing growth rates in the wild-type strain, whereas no trehalose or glycogen was detected in the mutant. However, the mutant was still able to grow and divide at low growth rates with doubling times similar to those for the wild-type strain, indicating that trehalose and glycogen are not essential for cell cycle progression. Nevertheless, upon a slight increase of extracellular carbohydrates, the wild-type strain degraded its reserve carbohydrates and was able to enter a cell division cycle faster than the mutant. In addition, wild-type cells survived much longer than the mutant cells when extracellular carbon was exhausted. Thus, trehalose and glycogen have a dual role under these conditions, serving as storage factors during carbon starvation and providing quickly a higher carbon and ATP flux when conditions improve. Interestingly, the CO2 production rate and hence the ATP flux were higher in the mutant than in the wild-type strain at low growth rates. The possibility that the mutant strain requires this steady higher glycolytic flux at low growth rates for passage through Start is discussed.
 ...
PMID:Function of trehalose and glycogen in cell cycle progression and cell viability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 988 51

N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a common food contaminant, is a potent liver carcinogen in rodents. A high presystemic intestinal metabolism has been shown for several nitrosamines including environmentally important compounds. We determined the metabolism of 1 micron [14C]-NDMA in isolated perfused mouse intestinal segments. We found NDMA to be equally distributed between the absorbed fluid and the perfusate. During a 2-h perfusion period, 0.13% of the radioactivity was converted to CO2. The formation of CO2 was decreased by pretreatment with diallylsulfide or addition of SKF 525A, and slightly increased by phenobarbital. Hydrophilic metabolites were found in the absorbate (0.9%) and perfusate (3.8%) of untreated mice. The amount of metabolites in the absorbate was increased by treatment with acetone or phenobarbital (8-fold), but not after starvation, with formaldehyde being present only in phenobarbital-treated animals. Treatment with diallylsulfide or addition of SKF 525A reduced the amount of metabolites in acetone-treated animals to control values. In conclusion, intestinal turnover does not significantly reduce the body burden of orally ingested NDMA and thus is not a first-line defense against this carcinogenic nitrosamine. NDMA metabolism has been attributed to the presence of cytochrome P450IIE1, which has not been detected in the intestine of untreated animals. The low turnover of NDMA, the induction by acetone and phenobarbital treatment, and the inhibition by diallylsulfide suggest the presence of low amounts of this or related cytochrome P450 isozyme(s) in mouse intestine.
 ...
PMID:Presystemic intestinal metabolism of N-nitrosodimethylamine in mouse intestine. 1010 91

In the mouse, gonadal sex differentiation starts around E12 and meiosis begins in the ovary shortly after E13. In the search for metabolic changes that might be correlated to gonadal sex differentiation and/or possibly the onset of meiosis, we investigated the metabolism of glucose and pyruvate in the developing mouse ovary before (E11.5-E12.5), during (E14.5-16.5), and after meiosis (E18.5), and in fetal testes without meiosis. Gonads were cultured with 14C-labeled glucose (0.02 and 5.58 mM) and 14C-pyruvate (0.17 mM). The oxidation expressed as 14CO2 production and the organification expressed as retention of 14C in the tissues were measured and correlated to the protein content of the gonads. Using 0.02 mM glucose, a decline in oxidation and organification was found in ovaries as well as in testes, which is probably related to starvation. Using 5.58 mM glucose, a continuous decline in oxidation was seen only in the testis. Organification of 0.17 mM pyruvate increased at E12.5 and E14.5 in the ovary but not in the testis. This was in despite of an exponential increase of protein content in the testes compared to only a moderate increase in the ovary. The CO2 production from 5.58 mM glucose was equal to that from 0.17 mM pyruvate in gonads of both sexes. In conclusion, an increased metabolism of 5.58 mM glucose and 0.17 mM pyruvate in the ovaries as compared to the testes is related to sex differences during gonadal formation and onset of meiosis in the ovaries. J. Exp. Zool. 288:130-138, 2001.
 ...
PMID:Glucose and pyruvate metabolism during mouse gonadal sex differentiation. 1116

Rates of plasma acetoacetate and total ketone-body production and oxidation to CO2 were determined by an isotope tracer technique in eight obese subjects undergoing progressive starvation. After a brief fast and under conditions of mild ketonemia and minimal ketonuria, rates of acetoacetate and total ketone-body production and oxidation were directly related to the increasing plasma concentration. After a longer fast and with severer ketonemia, acetoacetate and total ketone-body production and oxidation rates were higher but became constant and unrelated to the plasma concentrations. The maximum rates of total ketone-body production and oxidation were about 150 g/24 h and 129 g/24 h, respectively. Although an increased ketone-body production was the primary factor responsible for the hyperketonemia, an imbalance between production and removal of the ketone bodies cannot be excluded. Such an imbalance could account, at least in part, for the developing hyperketonemia and for the lack of relationship between production rates and plasma concentrations.
 ...
PMID:Ketone-body production and oxidation in fasting obese humans. 1134 64

The experiment was conducted to study the influence of starvation on the metabolism of parent Chinese mitten-handed crab (Eriocheir sinensis) with weights of 54.59 (+/- 2.37) g under 20 (+/- 0.5) degree C during Oct. to Dec., 1998. The results showed oxygen consumption, CO2 production and ammonia-N excretion of the parent crab being starved for 30 days were 50.0%, 63.4%, and 59.1% of those of the fed crab, respectively. The course of oxygen consumption reduction could be divided into four phases: 1) from the 1st day to the 6th day, the metabolic rate decreased remarkably; 2) from the 7th day to the 15th day, the metabolic rate kept relatively stable; 3) from the 16th day to the 25th day, the metabolic rate decreased markedly again; and 4) from 26th day to 30th day (the end time of the experiment), the metabolic rate decreased most dramatically. There were only three phases during the course of CO2 production and ammonia-N excretion reduction. Meanwhile, the standard metabolism of the starved crab reduced from 4.45 to 2.36 J.g-1.h-1, and lipid was used as the first energy source in the course of starvation.
 ...
PMID:[Starvation metabolism in parent Chinese mitten-handed crab (Eriocheir sinensis)]. 1262 3


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>