Tumor necrosis factor α induces endothelial galactosyl transferase activity and verocytotoxin receptors. Role of specific tumor necrosis factor receptors and protein kinase C

Infections with verocytotoxin (VT) producing Escherichia coil have been strongly implicated in the epidemic form of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Endothelial damage plays a central role in the pathogenesis of HUS. In vitro studies have shown that VT can damage endothelial cells after interaction with its cellular receptor...

Effects of consumption of Brussels sprouts on intestinal and lymphocytic glutathione S-transferases in humans

A high intake of glucosinolate-containing cruciferous vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleraceae), has been linked to a decreased cancer risk, but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. The aim of this study was to reveal possible modulating effects of consumption of Brussels sprouts on duodenal, rectal and lymphocytic (i)...

Cloning and characterization of the NADPH cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase gene from the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger

In this paper, we describe the cloning and molecular characterization of the Aspergillus niger cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) gene, cprA. Attempts to clone the cprA gene by heterologous hybridization techniques were unsuccessful. Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with degenerate primers based on conserved regions found in cpr genes from...

The influence of aging on the metabolism of simultaneously administered hexobarbital enantiomers and antipyrine before and after phenobarbital induction in male rats: A longitudinal study

The influence of aging on the metabolism of antipyrine (AP) and hexobarbital enantiomers (R-HB and S-HB) with and without phenobarbital (PB) induction was investigated in a longitudinal study in rats aged 6, 12, 24 and 30 months. The metabolic clearances of AP (Cl(m AP)), R-HB (Cl(m R-HB)) and S-HB (Cl(m S-HB)) were used as indicators for P450...

The effect of multiple copies of the upstream region of the Aspergillus niger glucoamylase-encoding gene on expression

The regulation of transcription of the glucoamylase-encoding gene (glaA) of Aspergillus niger was studied. To facilitate this study a reporter strain containing a fusion of the glaA promoter (P(glaA)) of A. niger to the β- glucuronidase-encoding gene (uidA) of Escherichia coli was constructed. To analyze whether regulatory proteins are involved...

Regulation of matrix metalloproteinase expression in human vein and microvascular endothelial cells: Effects of tumour necrosis factor α, interleukin 1 and phorbol ester

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a role in tissue remodelling and angiogenesis. We have investigated the expression and regulation of MMP-1 (interstitial collagenase), MMP-2 (gelatinase A), MMP-3 (stromelysin 1), MMP-7 (matrilysin), MMP-9 (gelatinase B) and their inhibitors TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in human umbilical vein, femoral vein and...

Biotransformation of 1,2 dihydronaphthalene and 1,2-dihydroanthracene by rat liver microsomes and purified cytochromes P-450. Formation of arene hydrates of naphthalene and anthracene

Both 1,2-dihydronaphthalene and 1,2-dihydroanthracene were hydroxylated at the benzylic (1-) or the allylic (2-) position by rat liver microsomes and purified cytochrome P-450 enzymes to yield "arene hydrates". Two other classes of metabolites were formed, the dehydrogenation products naphthalene and anthracene, and trans-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4...

Tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1 induce expression of the verocytotoxin receptor globotriaosylceramide on human endothelial cells: Implications for the pathogenesis of the hemolytic uremic syndrome

The epidemic form of the hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), beginning with an acute gastroenteritis, has been associated with a verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli infection. The endothelial cell is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of HUS. Endothelial cell damage by verocytotoxin-1 (VT-1) in vitro is potentiated by the...

The effect of age on inducibility of various types of rat liver cytochrome P-450

The content and specific activities of inducible cytochrome P-450 enzymes were determined in liver microscomes of rats of various ages after maximal induction with phenobarbital, isosafrole of 3-methylcholanthrene, and in untreated animals. With age an increase in liver weight was observed both in untreated rats and in maximally induced ones;...

Intracellular and extracellular production of proteins in Aspergillus under the control of expression signals of the highly expressed Aspergillus nidulans gpdA gene

The expression in Aspergillus is described of genes, coding for intracellular and extracellular proteins controlled by the promoter region of the constitutively and efficiently expressed glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene (gpdA) of Aspergillus nidulans. Both the homologous gpdA and the heterologous Escherichia coli β-galactosidase ...

Dexamethasone regulates bile acid synthesis in monolayer cultures of rat hepatocytes by induction of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase

To study the effect of steroid hormones on bile acid synthesis by cultured rat hepatocytes, cells were incubated with various amounts of these compounds during 72 h and conversion of [4-14C]cholesterol into bile acids was measured. Bile acid synthesis was stimulated in a dose-dependent way by glucocorticoids, but not by sex steroid hormones,...