(Pro)Renin Receptor Antagonism Attenuates High-Fat-Diet–Induced Hepatic Steatosis

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) comprises a spectrum of liver damage directly related to diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. The (pro)renin receptor (PRR) has recently been demonstrated to play a role in glucose and lipid metabolism. Here, we test the hypothesis that the PRR regulates the development of diet-induced hepatic...

Anacetrapib reduces (V)LDL-cholesterol by inhibition of CETP activity and reduction of plasma PCSK9

Recently, we showed in APOE*3-Leiden.CETP mice that anacetrapib attenuated atherosclerosis development by reducing (V)LDL-C rather than by raising HDL-C. Here, we investigated the mechanism by which anacetrapib reduces (V)LDL-C and whether this effect was dependent on the inhibition of CETP. APOE*3-Leiden.CETP mice were fed a Western type diet...

Decidual vascularization and the expression of angiogenic growth factors and proteases in first trimester spontaneous abortions

BACKGROUND : Decidual vascular development is important for implantation. This study analysed decidual vascular adaptation to implantation in correlation with miscarriage in decidual secretory endometrium (DSE), decidua parietalis (DP) and decidua basalis (DB) of miscarriage patients and matched controls. METHODS : Decidua was obtained during...

Mixed-species genomic microarray analysis of fecal samples reveals differential transcriptional responses of bifidobacteria in breast- And formula-fed infants

Although their exact function remains enigmatic, bifidobacteria are among the first colonizers of the newborn infant gut and further develop into abundant communities, notably in response to diet. Therefore, the transcriptional responses of bifidobacteria in rapidly processed fecal samples from young infants that were fed either breast milk or a...

The effect of interleukin-10 knock-out and overexpression on neointima formation in hypercholesterolemic APOE*3-Leiden mice

Objective: Inflammatory factors are thought to play a regulatory role in restenosis. Interleukin-10 (IL10) is an important anti-inflammatory cytokine with anti-atherogenic potentials. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of IL10 modulation on cuff-induced neointima formation in hypercholesterolemic APOE*3-Leiden mice. Methods: The...

Quenching of microbial samples for increased reliability of microarray data

Messenger RNA levels change on a minutes scale due to both degradation and de novo transcription. Consequently, alterations in the transcript profiles that are not representative for the condition of interest are easily introduced during sample harvesting and work-up. In order to avoid these unwanted changes we have validated a - 45°C methanol...

Multivariate analysis of microarray data by principal component discriminant analysis: Prioritizing relevant transcripts linked to the degradation of different carbohydrates in Pseudomonas putida S12

The value of the multivariate data analysis tools principal component analysis (PCA) and principal component discriminant analysis (PCDA) for prioritizing leads generated by microarrays was evaluated. To this end, Pseudomonas putida S12 was grown in independent triplicate fermentations on four different carbon sources, i.e. fructose, glucose,...

Glucosamine decreases expression of anabolic and catabolic genes in human osteoarthritic cartilage explants

Objective: To investigate the effect of glucosamine (GlcN) in a human osteoarthritic explant model on expression of genes involved in anabolic and catabolic activities of chondrocytes. Methods: Human osteoarthritic explants, obtained during knee arthroplasty surgery, were pre-cultured (3 days) and treated with glucosamine-hydrochloride (GlcN-HCl...

Expression profiling of colon cancer cell lines and colon biopsies: Towards a screening system for potential cancer-preventive compounds

Interest in mechanisms of colon cancer prevention by food compounds is strong and research in this area is often performed with cultured colon cancer cells. In order to assess utility for screening of potential cancer-preventive (food) compounds, expression profiles of 14 human cell lines derived from colonic tissue were measured using cDNA...

Unravelling the multiple effects of lactic acid stress on Lactobacillus plantarum by transcription profiling

The organic acid lactate is the predominant fermentation product of Lactobacillus plantarum. The undissociated form of this organic acid is a strong growth inhibitor for the organism. Different theories have been postulated to explain the inhibitory effects of lactic acid: (i) toxicity arising from the dissipation of the membrane potential, (ii)...

Analysis of allelic expression patterns of IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, and IL-13 in human CD4+ T cell clones

The occurrence of monoallelic expression of cytokine genes in single cells has been convincingly demonstrated, but there have been few reports of this phenomenon in T cell clones. Here we describe studies on the expression of alleles of the human genes encoding IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, and IL-13 in human CD4+ T cell clones. In contrast to the results...