scholarly journals l-DOPA stimulates the dopaminergic phenotype in human retina

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bojana Radojevic ◽  
Margarita Mauro-Herrera ◽  
Lea D. Bennett

AbstractRetinal organoids derived from inducible pluripotent stem cells were used to gain insight into the role of l-DOPA during human retinal development. Dopaminergic gene expression was indicated by assessing two dopamine receptors (DRD1 and DRD2), DOPA decarboxylase (DDC), and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) via quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction at various developmental stages. TH transcript levels started to express around day (D) 42, reached maximal expression ∼D63 and then decreased thereafter. At D29, proliferating retinal progenitors expressed DRD1, DRD2, and DDC at various levels of mRNA throughout the day. In the presence of l-DOPA, D29 retinal organoids expressed DRD1 but DRD2 mRNA expression was suppressed. Additionally, l-DOPA upregulated TH mRNA prior to dopaminergic amacrine cell (DAC) development. After the appearance of DACs, l-DOPA phase shifted expression of DRD2 and synchronized mRNA expression of DDC, DRD2, and TH. The present results suggest unique mechanisms for DA signaling at different stages of development in the human retina.

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1263-1267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianmin Xiao ◽  
Guanyang Kang ◽  
Jing Wang ◽  
Tengyan Li ◽  
Jiuhao Chen ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundThe GDF3 gene plays a fundamental role in embryonic morphogenesis. Recent studies have indicated that GDF3 plays a previously unrecognised role in cardiovascular system development. Non-syndromic CHDs might be a clinically isolated manifestation of GDF3 mutations. The purpose of the present study was to identify potential pathological mutations in the GDF3 gene in Chinese children with non-syndromic CHDs, and to gain insight into the aetiology of non-syndromic CHDs.MethodsA total of 200 non-syndromic CHDs patients and 202 normal control patients were sampled. There were two exons of the human GDF3 gene amplified using polymerase chain reaction. The polymerase chain reaction products were purified and directly sequenced.ResultsOne missense mutation (c.C635T, p.Ser212 Leu, phenotype: isolated muscular ventricular septal defect) was found that has not been reported previously.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the role of the GDF3 gene in non-syndromic CHDs. Our results expand the spectrum of mutations associated with CHDs and first suggest the potentially disease-related GDF3 gene variant in the pathogenesis of CHDs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Weber ◽  
Ana Paula Santin Bertoni ◽  
Laura Walter Bessestil ◽  
Ilma Simoni Brum ◽  
Tania Weber Furlanetto

Goiter is more common in women, suggesting that estrogen could be involved in its physiopathology. The presence of classical estrogen receptors (ERαand ERβ) has been described in thyroid tissue, suggesting a direct effect of estrogen on the gland. A nonclassic estrogen receptor, the G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER1), has been described recently in several tissues. However, in goiter, the presence of this receptor has not been studied yet. We investigated GPER1 gene and protein expressions in normal thyroid and goiter using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot, respectively. In normal thyroid (n=16) and goiter (n=19), GPER1 gene was expressed in all samples, while GPER1 protein was expressed in all samples of normal thyroid (n=15) but in only 72% of goiter samples (n=13). When comparing GPER1 gene and protein levels in both conditions, gene expression and protein levels were higher in normal thyroid than in goiter, suggesting a role of this receptor in this condition. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of GPER1 in normal thyroid and goiter.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Liu ◽  
Zikun Xie ◽  
Guang Sun ◽  
Liujun Chen ◽  
Dake Qi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent form of arthritis and the major cause of disability and overall diminution of quality of life in the elderly population. Currently there is no cure for OA, partly due to the large gaps in our understanding of its underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a procytokine that mediates pleiotropic inflammatory effects in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). However, data on the role of MIF in OA is limited with conflicting results. We undertook this study to investigate the role of MIF in OA by examining MIF genotype, mRNA expression, and protein levels in the Newfoundland Osteoarthritis Study. Methods One hundred nineteen end-stage knee/hip OA patients, 16 RA patients, and 113 healthy controls were included in the study. Two polymorphisms in the MIF gene, rs755622, and -794 CATT5-8, were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and PCR followed by automated capillary electrophoresis, respectively. MIF mRNA levels in articular cartilage and subchondral bone were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Plasma concentrations of MIF, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results rs755622 and -794 CATT5-8 genotypes were not associated with MIF mRNA or protein levels or OA (all p ≥ 0.19). MIF mRNA level in cartilage was lower in OA patients than in controls (p = 0.028) and RA patients (p = 0.004), while the levels in bone were comparable between OA patients and controls (p = 0.165). MIF protein level in plasma was lower in OA patients than in controls (p = 3.01 × 10−10), while the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in plasma were all significantly higher in OA patients than in controls (all p ≤ 0.0007). Multivariable logistic regression showed lower MIF and higher IL-1β protein levels in plasma were independently associated with OA (OR per SD increase = 0.10 and 8.08; 95% CI = 0.04–0.19 and 4.42–16.82, respectively), but TNF-α and IL-6 became non-significant. Conclusions Reduced MIF mRNA and protein expression in OA patients suggested MIF might have a protective role in OA and could serve as a biomarker to differentiate OA from other joint disorders.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 205873921876729
Author(s):  
An Wan ◽  
Daodong Liu

Osteoporosis is a chronic multifactorial disease characterized by deterioration of bone mass and is vulnerable to bone fracture. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is an important molecule for maintenance of optimum bone mass. Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PAI-1 have been reported to alter PAI-1 expression and/or the translational level. In this report, we explored the possible role of common PAI-1 gene polymorphisms on predisposition to osteoporosis in a Chinese cohort. A total of 364 post-menopausal Chinese women diagnosed of having osteoporosis and 350 healthy females hailing from similar areas were enrolled in this study. Five common SNPs (−844G > A, −6754G/5G, +43G > A, +9785G > A and +11053T > G) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Relative expression of PAI-1 mRNA and plasma PAI-1 levels were quantified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Prevalence of homozygous mutant (5G/5G) and minor allele (5G) of PAI-1 (−675 4G/5G) polymorphism was significantly more frequent in patients than in healthy controls (5G/5G: P < 0.0001, odds ratio (OR) = 3.18; 5G: P < 0.0001, OR = 1.65). Both plasma PAI-1 and relative mRNA expression levels were significantly lower in patients compared to healthy controls. Interestingly, the quantity of plasma PAI-1 and mRNA expression was correlated with PAI-1 (−675 4G/5G) polymorphism: subjects with 4G/4G genotype had elevated PAI-1 in comparison to homozygous mutant, and displayed lower quantity of PAI-1 protein and mRNA values. PAI-1 (−675 4G/5G) mutant is associated with susceptibility to development of osteoporosis in post-menopausal Chinese women. Furthermore, this variant in the promoter region alters plasma protein levels and relative expression of PAI-1.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-Wen Lin ◽  
Yu-Lueng Shih ◽  
Gi-Shih Lien ◽  
Fat-Moon Suk ◽  
Chung-Bao Hsieh ◽  
...  

Oncogenic activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is common in human cancers. The secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) function as negative regulators of Wnt signaling and have important implications in carcinogenesis. Because there have been no reports about the role ofSFRP3in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we investigated the level of methylation and transcription ofSFRP3. Four HCC cell lines, 60 HCCs, 23 cirrhosis livers, 37 chronic hepatitis livers, and 30 control livers were prescreened forSFRP3promoter methylation by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR) and bisulfite sequencing.SFRP3promoter methylation was observed in 100%, 60%, 39.1%, 16.2%, and 0% in HCC cell lines, primary HCCs, cirrhosis livers, chronic hepatitis livers, and control livers, respectively. Demethylation treatment with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine in HCC cells restored or increased theSFRP3mRNA expression. We next used quantitative MS-PCR (QMSP) to analyze the methylation level ofSFRP3in 60 HCCs and their corresponding nontumor tissues. Methylation ofSFRP3promoter region in HCCs increased significantly compared with control tissues. There is a positive correlation between promoter hypermethylation andSFRP3mRNA downregulation. Our data suggest that promoter hypermethylation ofSFRP3is a common event in HCCs and plays an important role in regulation ofSFRP3mRNA expression.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 38-45
Author(s):  
D. A. Ryabchikov ◽  
I. K. Vorotnikov ◽  
T. P. Kazubskaya ◽  
S. S. Lukina ◽  
E. A. Filippova ◽  
...  

Background. Epigenetic changes of TSG are supposed as the most fine and active genes regulation mechanism in particular breast cancer (BC) genes pathway development. The most valuable results are awaited for methylation role of genes located on the short arm of chromosome 3 with also MGMT gene (10q26) in BC pathogenesis because of their ambiguous data for methylation status in tumors. Objective: to illustrate the specific methylation role of the RASSF1A, SEMA3B, RARß2, RHOA, GPX1, USP4, DAG1, NKIRAS1 and MGMT genes promoter regions in BC pathogenesis. Materials and methods. Sample set of 174 BC patients consists of tumor and surrounding histologically normal tissue that were collected and clinically characterized in the N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology. Two substantive methods were used to evaluate DNA methylation status. To analyse RASSF1A, SEMA3B, RARß2 and MGMT genes methylation we used polymerase chain reaction specific for the methylated allele. Whereas for analyses RHOA, GPX1, USP4, DAG1, NKIRAS1 promoter regions genes methylation status was used methyl sensitive restriction analyses with 2 methyl sensitive endonuclaeses HpaII and HhaI with subsequent polymerase chain reaction. Results. A statistically significant high frequency of RASSF1A, SEMA3B, RARß2, and MGMT genes methylation in epithelial breast tumors compared with histologically normal tissue from the same patients was shown. Significant correlation of RARß2 and MGMT genes methylation frequency considering the different clinical and morphological characteristics of the malignant process was revealed. The statistically significant relationship between methylation of RASSF1A, RARß2 and MGMT genes and patient survival is shown for the first time. Conclusion. The findings of epigenetic changes in the luminal BC supplement the “molecular picture” of this cancer and contribute to an understanding of its pathogenesis. The revealed features of investigated genes methylation can find clinical application for the development of modern approaches to prognosis, prevention and choice of tactics for treatment of BC in females of the Moscow region.


Author(s):  
Sima SHAHROKHZADEH ◽  
Azam SOLEIMANI ◽  
Dor-Mohammad KORDI-TAMANDANI ◽  
Mohammad Hossein SANGTARASH ◽  
Omid NEJATI ◽  
...  

Background: Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) disease is the most common type of urinary tract anomalies in children. Genetic risk factors may be associated with the etiology of VUR. The role of the Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) as multifunctional enzymes is cellular oxidative stress handling. This is the first study aimed at evaluating the relative risk of GSTP1, GSTM1, and GSTT1 polymorphisms in VUR susceptibility in children and provides new important insights into the genetics of affected children. Methods: The study was done in 2013 in Sistan and Baluchestan University, eastern Iran. Genotyping of three GSTP1, GSTM1, and GSTT1 genes were determined using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay in 216 reactions for 72 VUR children and 312 reactions for 104 healthy controls. Results: The presence of GSTT1 deletion was associated with high risk of VUR in children, whereas GSTP1 and GSTM1 genotypes did not show the same effect. Furthermore, the combination of GSTT1/GSTM1 and GSTT1/ GSTP1 genotypes showed a significant influence on lower risk of VUR in children. Conclusion: Deletion of GSTT1 functional gene is a genetic risk factor causing VUR in children. Interestingly, the combination of GSTM1 and GSTP1 null genotypes with GSTT1 has shown a protective role against risk of GSTT1 deletion.


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