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Sample records for regulate xenobiotic metabolism

  1. Xenobiotic Metabolism and Gut Microbiomes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anubhav Das

    Full Text Available Humans are exposed to numerous xenobiotics, a majority of which are in the form of pharmaceuticals. Apart from human enzymes, recent studies have indicated the role of the gut bacterial community (microbiome in metabolizing xenobiotics. However, little is known about the contribution of the plethora of gut microbiome in xenobiotic metabolism. The present study reports the results of analyses on xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in various human gut microbiomes. A total of 397 available gut metagenomes from individuals of varying age groups from 8 nationalities were analyzed. Based on the diversities and abundances of the xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, various bacterial taxa were classified into three groups, namely, least versatile, intermediately versatile and highly versatile xenobiotic metabolizers. Most interestingly, specific relationships were observed between the overall drug consumption profile and the abundance and diversity of the xenobiotic metabolizing repertoire in various geographies. The obtained differential abundance patterns of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and bacterial genera harboring them, suggest their links to pharmacokinetic variations among individuals. Additional analyses of a few well studied classes of drug modifying enzymes (DMEs also indicate geographic as well as age specific trends.

  2. Metabolic and redox barriers in the skin exposed to drugs and xenobiotics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korkina, Liudmila

    2016-01-01

    Growing exposure of human skin to environmental and occupational hazards, to numerous skin care/beauty products, and to topical drugs led to a biomedical concern regarding sustainability of cutaneous chemical defence that is essential for protection against intoxication. Since skin is the largest extra-hepatic drug/xenobiotic metabolising organ where redox-dependent metabolic pathways prevail, in this review, publications on metabolic processes leading to redox imbalance (oxidative stress) and its autocrine/endocrine impact to cutaneous drug/xenobiotic metabolism were scrutinised. Chemical and photo-chemical skin barriers contain metabolic and redox compartments: their protective and homeostatic functions. The review will examine the striking similarity of adaptive responses to exogenous chemical/photo-chemical stressors and endogenous toxins in cutaneous metabolic and redox system; the role(s) of xenobiotics/drugs and phase II enzymes in the endogenous antioxidant defence and maintenance of redox balance; redox regulation of interactions between metabolic and inflammatory responses in skin cells; skin diseases sharing metabolic and redox problems (contact dermatitis, lupus erythematosus, and vitiligo) Due to exceptional the redox dependence of cutaneous metabolic pathways and interaction of redox active metabolites/exogenous antioxidants with drug/xenobiotic metabolism, metabolic tests of topical xenobiotics/drugs should be combined with appropriate redox analyses and performed on 3D human skin models.

  3. In silico prediction of xenobiotic metabolism in humans

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mu, Fangping [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2009-01-01

    Xenobiotic metabolism in humans is catalyzed by a few enzymes with broad substrate specificities, which provide the overall broad chemical specificity for nearly all xenobiotics that humans encounter. Xenobiotic metabolism are classified into functional group biotransformations. Based on bona fide reactions and negative examples for each reaction class, support vector machine (SVM) classifiers are built. The input to SVM is a set of atomic and molecular features to define the electrostatic, steric, energetic, geometrical and topological environment of the atoms in the reaction center under the molecule. Results show that the overall sensitivity and specificity of classifiers is around 87%.

  4. Xenobiotic metabolism in the fourth dimension: PARtners in time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Carla B; Takahashi, Joseph S

    2006-07-01

    A significant portion of the transcriptome in mammals, including the PAR bZIP transcription factors DBP, HLF, and TEF, is under circadian clock control. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Gachon and colleagues (Gachon et al., 2006) show that disruption of these three genes in mice alters gene expression patterns of many proteins involved in drug metabolism and in liver and kidney responses to xenobiotic agents. Triple mutant mice have severe physiological deficits, including increased hypersensitivity to xenobiotic agents and premature aging, highlighting the profound effect the circadian clock has on this important response system.

  5. Uses and limits of radiotracers in the study of drugs and xenobiotics metabolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, Y.

    1980-01-01

    This review deals with scientific papers issued in 1977-1978, on labelling of drugs and xenobiotics and their metabolism. It is divided in five parts: site of label; in vivo metabolism in animals and human beings; in vitro metabolism on tissue slices, cells culture, microsomes, membrane receptors; metabolism of xenobiotics: nutrients, food additives, detergents, plastics and fabrics; discussion. Metabolic studies, nowadays, associate radiotracers, stable isotopes with high performing procedures for analytical separation [fr

  6. Systemic responses to inhaled ozone in mice: cachexia and down-regulation of liver xenobiotic metabolizing genes

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    Last, Jerold A [Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Toxic Substances Program, 1131 Surge I, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8723 (United States); Gohil, Kishorchandra [Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Toxic Substances Program, 1131 Surge I, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8723 (United States); Mathrani, Vivek C [Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Toxic Substances Program, 1131 Surge I, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8723 (United States); Kenyon, Nicholas J [Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Toxic Substances Program, 1131 Surge I, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8723 (United States)

    2005-10-15

    Rats or mice acutely exposed to high concentrations of ozone show an immediate and significant weight loss, even when allowed free access to food and water. The mechanisms underlying this systemic response to ozone have not been previously elucidated. We have applied the technique of global gene expression analysis to the livers of C57BL mice acutely exposed to ozone. Mice lost up to 14% of their original body weight, with a 42% decrease in total food consumption. We previously had found significant up-regulation of genes encoding proliferative enzymes, proteins related to acute phase reactions and cytoskeletal functions, and other biomarkers of a cachexia-like inflammatory state in lungs of mice exposed to ozone. These results are consistent with a general up-regulation of different gene families responsive to NF-{kappa}B in the lungs of the exposed mice. In the present study, we observed significant down-regulation of different families of mRNAs in the livers of the exposed mice, including genes related to lipid and fatty acid metabolism, and to carbohydrate metabolism in this tissue, consistent with a systemic cachexic response. Several interferon-dependent genes were down-regulated in the liver, suggesting a possible role for interferon as a signaling molecule between lung and liver. In addition, transcription of several mRNAs encoding enzymes of xenobiotic metabolism in the livers of mice exposed to ozone was decreased, suggesting cytokine-mediated suppression of cytochrome P450 expression. This finding may explain a previously controversial report from other investigators more than 20 years ago of prolongation of pentobarbital sleeping time in mice exposed to ozone.

  7. Systemic responses to inhaled ozone in mice: cachexia and down-regulation of liver xenobiotic metabolizing genes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Last, Jerold A.; Gohil, Kishorchandra; Mathrani, Vivek C.; Kenyon, Nicholas J.

    2005-01-01

    Rats or mice acutely exposed to high concentrations of ozone show an immediate and significant weight loss, even when allowed free access to food and water. The mechanisms underlying this systemic response to ozone have not been previously elucidated. We have applied the technique of global gene expression analysis to the livers of C57BL mice acutely exposed to ozone. Mice lost up to 14% of their original body weight, with a 42% decrease in total food consumption. We previously had found significant up-regulation of genes encoding proliferative enzymes, proteins related to acute phase reactions and cytoskeletal functions, and other biomarkers of a cachexia-like inflammatory state in lungs of mice exposed to ozone. These results are consistent with a general up-regulation of different gene families responsive to NF-κB in the lungs of the exposed mice. In the present study, we observed significant down-regulation of different families of mRNAs in the livers of the exposed mice, including genes related to lipid and fatty acid metabolism, and to carbohydrate metabolism in this tissue, consistent with a systemic cachexic response. Several interferon-dependent genes were down-regulated in the liver, suggesting a possible role for interferon as a signaling molecule between lung and liver. In addition, transcription of several mRNAs encoding enzymes of xenobiotic metabolism in the livers of mice exposed to ozone was decreased, suggesting cytokine-mediated suppression of cytochrome P450 expression. This finding may explain a previously controversial report from other investigators more than 20 years ago of prolongation of pentobarbital sleeping time in mice exposed to ozone

  8. Hepatocyte-based flow analytical bioreactor for xenobiotics metabolism bioprediction

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    M Helvenstein

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The research for new in vitro screening tools for predictive metabolic profiling of drug candidates is of major interest in the pharmaceutical field. The main motivation is to avoid late rejection in drug development and to deliver safer drugs to the market. Thanks to the superparamagnetic properties of iron oxide nanoparticles, a flow bioreactor has been developed which is able to perform xenobiotic metabolism studies. The selected cell line (HepaRG maintained its metabolic competencies once iron oxide nanoparticles were internalized. Based on magnetically trapped cells in a homemade immobilization chamber, through which a flow of circulating phase was injected to transport nutrients and/or the studied xenobiotic, off-line and online (when coupled to a high-performance liquid chromatography chain metabolic assays were developed using diclofenac as a reference compound. The diclofenac demonstrated a similar metabolization profile chromatogram, both with the newly developed setup and with the control situation. Highly versatile, this pioneering and innovative instrumental design paves the way for a new approach in predictive metabolism studies.

  9. Coactivator PGC-1α regulates the fasting inducible xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme CYP2A5 in mouse primary hepatocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arpiainen, Satu; Jaervenpaeae, Sanna-Mari; Manninen, Aki; Viitala, Pirkko; Lang, Matti A.; Pelkonen, Olavi; Hakkola, Jukka

    2008-01-01

    The nutritional state of organisms and energy balance related diseases such as diabetes regulate the metabolism of xenobiotics such as drugs, toxins and carcinogens. However, the mechanisms behind this regulation are mostly unknown. The xenobiotic-metabolizing cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2A5 enzyme has been shown to be induced by fasting and by glucagon and cyclic AMP (cAMP), which mediate numerous fasting responses. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator (PGC)-1α triggers many of the important hepatic fasting effects in response to elevated cAMP levels. In the present study, we were able to show that cAMP causes a coordinated induction of PGC-1α and CYP2A5 mRNAs in murine primary hepatocytes. Furthermore, the elevation of the PGC-1α expression level by adenovirus mediated gene transfer increased CYP2A5 transcription. Co-transfection of Cyp2a5 5' promoter constructs with the PGC-1α expression vector demonstrated that PGC-1α is able to activate Cyp2a5 transcription through the hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-4α response element in the proximal promoter of the Cyp2a5 gene. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that PGC-1α binds, together with HNF-4α, to the same region at the Cyp2a5 proximal promoter. In conclusion, PGC-1α mediates the expression of CYP2A5 induced by cAMP in mouse hepatocytes through coactivation of transcription factor HNF-4α. This strongly suggests that PGC-1α is the major factor mediating the fasting response of CYP2A5

  10. Xenobiotics and the Glucocorticoid Receptor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gulliver, Linda S M

    2017-01-01

    Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR) is present in virtually every human cell type. Representing a nuclear receptor superfamily, GR has several different isoforms essentially acting as ligand-dependent transcription factors, regulating glucocorticoid-responsive gene expression in both a positive and a negative manner. Although the natural ligand of the Glucocorticoid Receptor, glucocorticoids (GC) represent only some of the multiple ligands for GR. Xenobiotics, ubiquitous in the environment, bind to GR and are also capable of activating or repressing GR gene expression, thereby modulating GR cell and tissue-specific downstream effects in a multitude of ways that include responses to inflammatory, allergic, metabolic, neoplastic and autoimmune processes. Many xenobiotics, if inadequately metabolized by xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and not wholly eliminated, could have deleterious toxic effects with potentially lethal consequences. This review examines GR, the genomic and non-genomic actions of natural and synthetic GC and the body's handling of xenobiotic compounds, before reviewing what is presently known about GR's interactions with many of the more commonly encountered and some of the less well known GR-associated xenobiotics. GR promiscuity and crosstalk with other signaling pathways is discussed, alongside novel roles for GR that include mood disorder and addiction. A knowledge of GR interactions with xenobiotics is increasingly relevant when considering aging populations and the related prevalence of neoplastic disease, together with growing concerns around human exposure to mixtures of chemicals in the environment. Furthermore, escalating rates of obesity, Type 2 diabetes; autoimmune, allergy, addiction and mood disorder-related pathologies, require novel targeted interventions and GR appears a promising pharmacological candidate. - Highlights: • Biological impact of xenobiotics acting through Glucocorticoid Receptor. • Promiscuity of Glucocorticoid

  11. Xenobiotics and the Glucocorticoid Receptor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gulliver, Linda S M, E-mail: linda.gulliver@otago.ac.nz

    2017-03-15

    Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR) is present in virtually every human cell type. Representing a nuclear receptor superfamily, GR has several different isoforms essentially acting as ligand-dependent transcription factors, regulating glucocorticoid-responsive gene expression in both a positive and a negative manner. Although the natural ligand of the Glucocorticoid Receptor, glucocorticoids (GC) represent only some of the multiple ligands for GR. Xenobiotics, ubiquitous in the environment, bind to GR and are also capable of activating or repressing GR gene expression, thereby modulating GR cell and tissue-specific downstream effects in a multitude of ways that include responses to inflammatory, allergic, metabolic, neoplastic and autoimmune processes. Many xenobiotics, if inadequately metabolized by xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and not wholly eliminated, could have deleterious toxic effects with potentially lethal consequences. This review examines GR, the genomic and non-genomic actions of natural and synthetic GC and the body's handling of xenobiotic compounds, before reviewing what is presently known about GR's interactions with many of the more commonly encountered and some of the less well known GR-associated xenobiotics. GR promiscuity and crosstalk with other signaling pathways is discussed, alongside novel roles for GR that include mood disorder and addiction. A knowledge of GR interactions with xenobiotics is increasingly relevant when considering aging populations and the related prevalence of neoplastic disease, together with growing concerns around human exposure to mixtures of chemicals in the environment. Furthermore, escalating rates of obesity, Type 2 diabetes; autoimmune, allergy, addiction and mood disorder-related pathologies, require novel targeted interventions and GR appears a promising pharmacological candidate. - Highlights: • Biological impact of xenobiotics acting through Glucocorticoid Receptor. • Promiscuity of Glucocorticoid

  12. PROXIMAL: a method for Prediction of Xenobiotic Metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yousofshahi, Mona; Manteiga, Sara; Wu, Charmian; Lee, Kyongbum; Hassoun, Soha

    2015-12-22

    Contamination of the environment with bioactive chemicals has emerged as a potential public health risk. These substances that may cause distress or disease in humans can be found in air, water and food supplies. An open question is whether these chemicals transform into potentially more active or toxic derivatives via xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes expressed in the body. We present a new prediction tool, which we call PROXIMAL (Prediction of Xenobiotic Metabolism) for identifying possible transformation products of xenobiotic chemicals in the liver. Using reaction data from DrugBank and KEGG, PROXIMAL builds look-up tables that catalog the sites and types of structural modifications performed by Phase I and Phase II enzymes. Given a compound of interest, PROXIMAL searches for substructures that match the sites cataloged in the look-up tables, applies the corresponding modifications to generate a panel of possible transformation products, and ranks the products based on the activity and abundance of the enzymes involved. PROXIMAL generates transformations that are specific for the chemical of interest by analyzing the chemical's substructures. We evaluate the accuracy of PROXIMAL's predictions through case studies on two environmental chemicals with suspected endocrine disrupting activity, bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-chlorobiphenyl (PCB3). Comparisons with published reports confirm 5 out of 7 and 17 out of 26 of the predicted derivatives for BPA and PCB3, respectively. We also compare biotransformation predictions generated by PROXIMAL with those generated by METEOR and Metaprint2D-react, two other prediction tools. PROXIMAL can predict transformations of chemicals that contain substructures recognizable by human liver enzymes. It also has the ability to rank the predicted metabolites based on the activity and abundance of enzymes involved in xenobiotic transformation.

  13. Short-term hepatic effects of depleted uranium on xenobiotic and bile acid metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes in the rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gueguen, Y.; Souidi, M.; Baudelin, C.; Dudoignon, N.; Grison, S.; Dublineau, I.; Marquette, C.; Voisin, P.; Gourmelon, P.; Aigueperse, J.

    2006-01-01

    The toxicity of uranium has been demonstrated in different organs, including the kidneys, skeleton, central nervous system, and liver. However, few works have investigated the biological effects of uranium contamination on important metabolic function in the liver. In vivo studies were conducted to evaluate its effects on cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes involved in the metabolism of cholesterol and xenobiotics in the rat liver. The effects of depleted uranium (DU) contamination on Sprague-Dawley were measured at 1 and 3 days after exposure. Biochemical indicators characterizing liver and kidney functions were measured in the plasma. The DU affected bile acid CYP activity: 7α-hydroxycholesterol plasma level decreased by 52% at day 3 whereas microsomal CYP7A1 activity in the liver did not change significantly and mitochondrial CYP27A1 activity quintupled at day 1. Gene expression of the nuclear receptors related to lipid metabolism (FXR and LXR) also changed, while PPARα mRNA levels did not. The increased mRNA levels of the xenobiotic-metabolizing CYP3A enzyme at day 3 may be caused by feedback up-regulation due to the decreased CYP3A activity at day 1. CAR mRNA levels, which tripled on day 1, may be involved in this up-regulation, while mRNA levels of PXR did not change. These results indicate that high levels of depleted uranium, acting through modulation of the CYP enzymes and some of their nuclear receptors, affect the hepatic metabolism of bile acids and xenobiotics. (orig.)

  14. Applications of NMR spectroscopy to xenobiotic metabolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, T.M.

    1989-01-01

    Recent years have seen high field NMR spectrometers become commonplace in research laboratories. At the same time, major advances in methodology for structural analysis have occurred, particularly notable among these being the development of two-dimensional spectroscopic techniques. Many applications have been made of NMR spectroscopy in the study of xenobiotic metabolic processes. This deals with two specific applications which have been made in the author's laboratory and involve mechanistic studies of the reactions of the carcinogens ethylene dibromide and aflatoxin with DNA

  15. Monocrotophos induces the expression and activity of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in pre-sensitized cultured human brain cells.

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    Vinay K Tripathi

    Full Text Available The expression and metabolic profile of cytochrome P450s (CYPs is largely missing in human brain due to non-availability of brain tissue. We attempted to address the issue by using human brain neuronal (SH-SY5Y and glial (U373-MG cells. The expression and activity of CYP1A1, 2B6 and 2E1 were carried out in the cells exposed to CYP inducers viz., 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC, cyclophosphamide (CPA, ethanol and known neurotoxicant- monocrotophos (MCP, a widely used organophosphorous pesticide. Both the cells show significant induction in the expression and CYP-specific activity against classical inducers and MCP. The induction level of CYPs was comparatively lower in MCP exposed cells than cells exposed to classical inducers. Pre-exposure (12 h of cells to classical inducers significantly added the MCP induced CYPs expression and activity. The findings were concurrent with protein ligand docking studies, which show a significant modulatory capacity of MCP by strong interaction with CYP regulators-CAR, PXR and AHR. Similarly, the known CYP inducers- 3-MC, CPA and ethanol have also shown significantly high docking scores with all the three studied CYP regulators. The expression of CYPs in neuronal and glial cells has suggested their possible association with the endogenous physiology of the brain. The findings also suggest the xenobiotic metabolizing capabilities of these cells against MCP, if received a pre-sensitization to trigger the xenobiotic metabolizing machinery. MCP induced CYP-specific activity in neuronal cells could help in explaining its effect on neurotransmission, as these CYPs are known to involve in the synthesis/transport of the neurotransmitters. The induction of CYPs in glial cells is also of significance as these cells are thought to be involved in protecting the neurons from environmental insults and safeguard them from toxicity. The data provide better understanding of the metabolizing capability of the human brain cells against

  16. Polychlorinated Biphenyl-Xenobiotic Nuclear Receptor Interactions Regulate Energy Metabolism, Behavior, and Inflammation in Non-alcoholic-Steatohepatitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wahlang, Banrida; Prough, Russell A; Falkner, K Cameron; Hardesty, Josiah E; Song, Ming; Clair, Heather B; Clark, Barbara J; States, J Christopher; Arteel, Gavin E; Cave, Matthew C

    2016-02-01

    Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental pollutants associated with non-alcoholic-steatohepatitis (NASH), diabetes, and obesity. We previously demonstrated that the PCB mixture, Aroclor 1260, induced steatohepatitis and activated nuclear receptors in a diet-induced obesity mouse model. This study aims to evaluate PCB interactions with the pregnane-xenobiotic receptor (Pxr: Nr1i2) and constitutive androstane receptor (Car: Nr1i3) in NASH. Wild type C57Bl/6 (WT), Pxr(-/-) and Car(-/-) mice were fed the high fat diet (42% milk fat) and exposed to a single dose of Aroclor 1260 (20 mg/kg) in this 12-week study. Metabolic phenotyping and analysis of serum, liver, and adipose was performed. Steatohepatitis was pathologically similar in all Aroclor-exposed groups, while Pxr(-/-) mice displayed higher basal pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. Pxr repressed Car expression as evident by increased basal Car/Cyp2b10 expression in Pxr(-/-) mice. Both Pxr(-/-) and Car(-/-) mice showed decreased basal respiratory exchange rate (RER) consistent with preferential lipid metabolism. Aroclor increased RER and carbohydrate metabolism, associated with increased light cycle activity in both knockouts, and decreased food consumption in the Car(-/-) mice. Aroclor exposure improved insulin sensitivity in WT mice but not glucose tolerance. The Aroclor-exposed, Pxr(-/-) mice displayed increased gluconeogenic gene expression. Lipid-oxidative gene expression was higher in WT and Pxr(-/-) mice although RER was not changed, suggesting PCB-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction. Therefore, Pxr and Car regulated inflammation, behavior, and energy metabolism in PCB-mediated NASH. Future studies should address the 'off-target' effects of PCBs in steatohepatitis. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology 2015. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

  17. Xenobiotic Receptor-Mediated Regulation of Intestinal Barrier Function and Innate Immunity

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    Harmit S. Ranhotra

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The molecular basis for the regulation of the intestinal barrier is a very fertile research area. A growing body of knowledge supports the targeting of various components of intestinal barrier function as means to treat a variety of diseases, including the inflammatory bowel diseases. Herein, we will summarize the current state of knowledge of key xenobiotic receptor regulators of barrier function, highlighting recent advances, such that the field and its future are succinctly reviewed. We posit that these receptors confer an additional dimension of host-microbe interaction in the gut, by sensing and responding to metabolites released from the symbiotic microbiota, in innate immunity and also in host drug metabolism. The scientific evidence for involvement of the receptors and its molecular basis for the control of barrier function and innate immunity regulation would serve as a rationale towards development of non-toxic probes and ligands as drugs.

  18. Xenobiotic metabolism in human skin and 3D human skin reconstructs: A review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gibbs, S.; Sandt, J.J.M. van de; Merk, H.F.; Lockley, D.J.; Pendlington, R.U.; Pease, C.K.

    2007-01-01

    In this review, we discuss and compare studies of xenobiotic metabolism in both human skin and 3D human skin reconstructs. In comparison to the liver, the skin is a less studied organ in terms of characterising metabolic capability. While the skin forms the major protective barrier to environmental

  19. Retrofit Strategies for Incorporating Xenobiotic Metabolism into High Throughput Screening Assays (EMGS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    The US EPA’s ToxCast program is designed to assess chemical perturbations of molecular and cellular endpoints using a variety of high-throughput screening (HTS) assays. However, existing HTS assays have limited or no xenobiotic metabolism which could lead to a mischaracterization...

  20. LC-MS-BASED METABOLOMICS OF XENOBIOTIC-INDUCED TOXICITIES

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    Chi Chen

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Xenobiotic exposure, especially high-dose or repeated exposure of xenobiotics, can elicit detrimental effects on biological systems through diverse mechanisms. Changes in metabolic systems, including formation of reactive metabolites and disruption of endogenous metabolism, are not only the common consequences of toxic xenobiotic exposure, but in many cases are the major causes behind development of xenobiotic-induced toxicities (XIT. Therefore, examining the metabolic events associated with XIT generates mechanistic insights into the initiation and progression of XIT, and provides guidance for prevention and treatment. Traditional bioanalytical platforms that target only a few suspected metabolites are capable of validating the expected outcomes of xenobiotic exposure. However, these approaches lack the capacity to define global changes and to identify unexpected events in the metabolic system. Recent developments in high-throughput metabolomics have dramatically expanded the scope and potential of metabolite analysis. Among all analytical techniques adopted for metabolomics, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS has been most widely used for metabolomic investigations of XIT due to its versatility and sensitivity in metabolite analysis. In this review, technical platform of LC-MS-based metabolomics, including experimental model, sample preparation, instrumentation, and data analysis, are discussed. Applications of LC-MS-based metabolomics in exploratory and hypothesis-driven investigations of XIT are illustrated by case studies of xenobiotic metabolism and endogenous metabolism associated with xenobiotic exposure.

  1. Elucidation of xenobiotic metabolism pathways in human skin and human skin models by proteomic profiling.

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    Sven van Eijl

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Human skin has the capacity to metabolise foreign chemicals (xenobiotics, but knowledge of the various enzymes involved is incomplete. A broad-based unbiased proteomics approach was used to describe the profile of xenobiotic metabolising enzymes present in human skin and hence indicate principal routes of metabolism of xenobiotic compounds. Several in vitro models of human skin have been developed for the purpose of safety assessment of chemicals. The suitability of these epidermal models for studies involving biotransformation was assessed by comparing their profiles of xenobiotic metabolising enzymes with those of human skin. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Label-free proteomic analysis of whole human skin (10 donors was applied and analysed using custom-built PROTSIFT software. The results showed the presence of enzymes with a capacity for the metabolism of alcohols through dehydrogenation, aldehydes through dehydrogenation and oxidation, amines through oxidation, carbonyls through reduction, epoxides and carboxylesters through hydrolysis and, of many compounds, by conjugation to glutathione. Whereas protein levels of these enzymes in skin were mostly just 4-10 fold lower than those in liver and sufficient to support metabolism, the levels of cytochrome P450 enzymes were at least 300-fold lower indicating they play no significant role. Four epidermal models of human skin had profiles very similar to one another and these overlapped substantially with that of whole skin. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The proteomics profiling approach was successful in producing a comprehensive analysis of the biotransformation characteristics of whole human skin and various in vitro skin models. The results show that skin contains a range of defined enzymes capable of metabolising different classes of chemicals. The degree of similarity of the profiles of the in vitro models indicates their suitability for epidermal toxicity testing. Overall, these

  2. Activities of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in rat placenta and liver in vitro

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fabian, Eric; Wang, Xinyi; Engel, Franziska; Li, Hequn; Landsiedel, Robert; Ravenzwaay, van Bennard

    2016-01-01

    In order to assess whether the placental metabolism of xenobiotic compounds should be taken into consideration for physiologically-based toxicokinetic (PBTK) modelling, the activities of seven phase I and phase II enzymes have been quantified in the 18-day placenta of untreated Wistar rats. To

  3. Expression profiles of genes involved in xenobiotic metabolism and disposition in human renal tissues and renal cell models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van der Hauwaert, Cynthia; Savary, Grégoire [EA4483, Université de Lille 2, Faculté de Médecine de Lille, Pôle Recherche, 59045 Lille (France); Buob, David [Institut de Pathologie, Centre de Biologie Pathologie Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille, 59037 Lille (France); Leroy, Xavier; Aubert, Sébastien [Institut de Pathologie, Centre de Biologie Pathologie Génétique, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille, 59037 Lille (France); Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, UMR837, Centre de Recherche Jean-Pierre Aubert, Equipe 5, 59045 Lille (France); Flamand, Vincent [Service d' Urologie, Hôpital Huriez, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille, 59037 Lille (France); Hennino, Marie-Flore [EA4483, Université de Lille 2, Faculté de Médecine de Lille, Pôle Recherche, 59045 Lille (France); Service de Néphrologie, Hôpital Huriez, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Lille, 59037 Lille (France); Perrais, Michaël [Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, UMR837, Centre de Recherche Jean-Pierre Aubert, Equipe 5, 59045 Lille (France); and others

    2014-09-15

    Numerous xenobiotics have been shown to be harmful for the kidney. Thus, to improve our knowledge of the cellular processing of these nephrotoxic compounds, we evaluated, by real-time PCR, the mRNA expression level of 377 genes encoding xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes (XMEs), transporters, as well as nuclear receptors and transcription factors that coordinate their expression in eight normal human renal cortical tissues. Additionally, since several renal in vitro models are commonly used in pharmacological and toxicological studies, we investigated their metabolic capacities and compared them with those of renal tissues. The same set of genes was thus investigated in HEK293 and HK2 immortalized cell lines in commercial primary cultures of epithelial renal cells and in proximal tubular cell primary cultures. Altogether, our data offers a comprehensive description of kidney ability to process xenobiotics. Moreover, by hierarchical clustering, we observed large variations in gene expression profiles between renal cell lines and renal tissues. Primary cultures of proximal tubular epithelial cells exhibited the highest similarities with renal tissue in terms of transcript profiling. Moreover, compared to other renal cell models, Tacrolimus dose dependent toxic effects were lower in proximal tubular cell primary cultures that display the highest metabolism and disposition capacity. Therefore, primary cultures appear to be the most relevant in vitro model for investigating the metabolism and bioactivation of nephrotoxic compounds and for toxicological and pharmacological studies. - Highlights: • Renal proximal tubular (PT) cells are highly sensitive to xenobiotics. • Expression of genes involved in xenobiotic disposition was measured. • PT cells exhibited the highest similarities with renal tissue.

  4. Microbial transformation of xenobiotics for environmental ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Microbial transformation of xenobiotics for environmental bioremediation. ... anaerobic and reductive biotransformation by co-metabolic processes and an overview of ... of xenobiotic compounds in context to the modern day biotechnology.

  5. Xenobiotic Metabolizing Gene Variants and Renal Cell Cancer: A Multicenter Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heck, Julia E.; Moore, Lee E.; Lee, Yuan-Chin A.; McKay, James D.; Hung, Rayjean J.; Karami, Sara; Gaborieau, Valérie; Szeszenia-Dabrowska, Neonila; Zaridze, David G.; Mukeriya, Anush; Mates, Dana; Foretova, Lenka; Janout, Vladimir; Kollárová, Helena; Bencko, Vladimir; Rothman, Nathaniel; Brennan, Paul; Chow, Wong-Ho; Boffetta, Paolo

    2012-01-01

    Background: The countries of Central and Eastern Europe have among the highest worldwide rates of renal cell cancer (RCC). Few studies have examined whether genetic variation in xenobiotic metabolic pathway genes may modify risk for this cancer. Methods: The Central and Eastern Europe Renal Cell Cancer study was a hospital-based case–control study conducted between 1998 and 2003 across seven centers in Central and Eastern Europe. Detailed data were collected from 874 cases and 2053 controls on demographics, work history, and occupational exposure to chemical agents. Genes [cytochrome P-450 family, N-acetyltransferases, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase I (NQO1), microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH), catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT)] were selected for the present analysis based on their putative role in xenobiotic metabolism. Haplotypes were calculated using fastPhase. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by unconditional logistic regression adjusted for country of residence, age, sex, smoking, alcohol intake, obesity, and hypertension. Results: We observed an increased risk of RCC with one SNP. After adjustment for multiple comparisons it did not remain significant. Neither NAT1 nor NAT2 slow acetylation was associated with disease. Conclusion: We observed no association between this pathway and renal cell cancer.

  6. Xenobiotic Metabolizing Gene Variants and Renal Cell Cancer: A Multicenter Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heck, Julia E. [International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon (France); Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Moore, Lee E. [Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (United States); Lee, Yuan-Chin A. [International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon (France); Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (United States); McKay, James D. [International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon (France); Hung, Rayjean J. [Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON (Canada); Karami, Sara [Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (United States); Gaborieau, Valérie [International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon (France); Szeszenia-Dabrowska, Neonila [Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz (Poland); Zaridze, David G. [Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Carcinogenesis, Moscow (Russian Federation); Mukeriya, Anush [Cancer Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology, Moscow (Russian Federation); Mates, Dana [Institute of Public Health, Bucharest (Romania); Foretova, Lenka [Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno (Czech Republic); Janout, Vladimir; Kollárová, Helena [Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Palacky University, Olomouc (Czech Republic); Bencko, Vladimir [First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic (Czech Republic); Rothman, Nathaniel [Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (United States); Brennan, Paul [International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon (France); Chow, Wong-Ho [Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD (United States); Boffetta, Paolo, E-mail: paolo.boffetta@mssm.edu [International Prevention Research Institute, Lyon (France); Tisch Cancer Institute, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY (United States)

    2012-02-20

    Background: The countries of Central and Eastern Europe have among the highest worldwide rates of renal cell cancer (RCC). Few studies have examined whether genetic variation in xenobiotic metabolic pathway genes may modify risk for this cancer. Methods: The Central and Eastern Europe Renal Cell Cancer study was a hospital-based case–control study conducted between 1998 and 2003 across seven centers in Central and Eastern Europe. Detailed data were collected from 874 cases and 2053 controls on demographics, work history, and occupational exposure to chemical agents. Genes [cytochrome P-450 family, N-acetyltransferases, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase I (NQO1), microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH), catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT)] were selected for the present analysis based on their putative role in xenobiotic metabolism. Haplotypes were calculated using fastPhase. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by unconditional logistic regression adjusted for country of residence, age, sex, smoking, alcohol intake, obesity, and hypertension. Results: We observed an increased risk of RCC with one SNP. After adjustment for multiple comparisons it did not remain significant. Neither NAT1 nor NAT2 slow acetylation was associated with disease. Conclusion: We observed no association between this pathway and renal cell cancer.

  7. Xenobiotic-contaminated diets affect hepatic lipid metabolism: Implications for liver steatosis in Sparus aurata juveniles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maradonna, F.; Nozzi, V. [Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona (Italy); Santangeli, S. [Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona (Italy); INBB Consorzio Interuniversitario di Biosistemi e Biostrutture, 00136 Roma (Italy); Traversi, I. [Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita, Università di Genova, 16132 Genova (Italy); Gallo, P. [INBB Consorzio Interuniversitario di Biosistemi e Biostrutture, 00136 Roma (Italy); Dipartimento di Chimica, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Napoli (Italy); Fattore, E. [Dipartimento Ambiente e Salute, IRCCS–Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, 20156 Milano (Italy); Mita, D.G. [INBB Consorzio Interuniversitario di Biosistemi e Biostrutture, 00136 Roma (Italy); Mandich, A. [INBB Consorzio Interuniversitario di Biosistemi e Biostrutture, 00136 Roma (Italy); Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita, Università di Genova, 16132 Genova (Italy); Carnevali, O., E-mail: o.carnevali@univpm.it [Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona (Italy); INBB Consorzio Interuniversitario di Biosistemi e Biostrutture, 00136 Roma (Italy)

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • Diets contaminated with NP, BPA, or t-OP affect lipid metabolism. • Xenobiotic-contaminated diets induce metabolic disorders. • Hepatic metabolic disorders may be related to environmental pollution. - Abstract: The metabolic effects induced by feed contaminated with a lower or a higher concentration of -nonylpnenol (NP), 4-tert-octylphenol (t-OP) or bisphenol A (BPA), three environmental endocrine disruptors, were assessed in juvenile sea bream liver. Histological analysis demonstrated that all these three xenobiotics induced hepatic lipid accumulation and steatosis. These findings prompted analysis of the expression of the major molecules involved in lipid metabolism: peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (which is encoded by ppars), fatty acid synthase (encoded by fas), lipoprotein lipase (encoded by lpl) and hormone-sensitive lipase (encoded by hsl). The enzymes encoded by ppars and fas are in fact responsible for lipid accumulation, whereas lpl- and hsl- encoded proteins play a pivotal role in fat mobilization. The three xenobiotics modulated ppar mRNA expression: pparα mRNA expression was induced by the higher dose of each contaminant; pparβ mRNA expression was upregulated by the lower doses and in BPA2 fish ppary mRNA overexpression was induced by all pollutants. These data agreed with the lipid accumulation profiles documented by histology. Fas mRNA levels were modulated by the two NP doses and the higher BPA concentration. Lpl mRNA was significantly upregulated in all experimental groups except for BPA1 fish while hsl mRNA was significantly downregulated in all groups except for t-OP2 and BPA1 fish. The plasma concentrations of cortisol, the primary stress biomarker, were correlated with the levels of pepck mRNA level. This gene encodes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase which is one of the key enzymes of gluconeogenesis. Pepck mRNA was significantly overexpressed in fish exposed to NP2 and both t-OP doses. Finally, the genes

  8. Xenobiotic-contaminated diets affect hepatic lipid metabolism: Implications for liver steatosis in Sparus aurata juveniles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maradonna, F.; Nozzi, V.; Santangeli, S.; Traversi, I.; Gallo, P.; Fattore, E.; Mita, D.G.; Mandich, A.; Carnevali, O.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Diets contaminated with NP, BPA, or t-OP affect lipid metabolism. • Xenobiotic-contaminated diets induce metabolic disorders. • Hepatic metabolic disorders may be related to environmental pollution. - Abstract: The metabolic effects induced by feed contaminated with a lower or a higher concentration of -nonylpnenol (NP), 4-tert-octylphenol (t-OP) or bisphenol A (BPA), three environmental endocrine disruptors, were assessed in juvenile sea bream liver. Histological analysis demonstrated that all these three xenobiotics induced hepatic lipid accumulation and steatosis. These findings prompted analysis of the expression of the major molecules involved in lipid metabolism: peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (which is encoded by ppars), fatty acid synthase (encoded by fas), lipoprotein lipase (encoded by lpl) and hormone-sensitive lipase (encoded by hsl). The enzymes encoded by ppars and fas are in fact responsible for lipid accumulation, whereas lpl- and hsl- encoded proteins play a pivotal role in fat mobilization. The three xenobiotics modulated ppar mRNA expression: pparα mRNA expression was induced by the higher dose of each contaminant; pparβ mRNA expression was upregulated by the lower doses and in BPA2 fish ppary mRNA overexpression was induced by all pollutants. These data agreed with the lipid accumulation profiles documented by histology. Fas mRNA levels were modulated by the two NP doses and the higher BPA concentration. Lpl mRNA was significantly upregulated in all experimental groups except for BPA1 fish while hsl mRNA was significantly downregulated in all groups except for t-OP2 and BPA1 fish. The plasma concentrations of cortisol, the primary stress biomarker, were correlated with the levels of pepck mRNA level. This gene encodes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase which is one of the key enzymes of gluconeogenesis. Pepck mRNA was significantly overexpressed in fish exposed to NP2 and both t-OP doses. Finally, the genes

  9. Rb and p53 Liver Functions Are Essential for Xenobiotic Metabolism and Tumor Suppression

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nantasanti, Sathidpak; Toussaint, Mathilda J. M.; Youssef, Sameh A.; Tooten, Peter C. J.; de Bruin, Alain

    2016-01-01

    The tumor suppressors Retinoblastoma (Rb) and p53 are frequently inactivated in liver diseases, such as hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) or infections with Hepatitis B or C viruses. Here, we discovered a novel role for Rb and p53 in xenobiotic metabolism, which represent a key function of the liver

  10. Comparison of xenobiotic-metabolising human, porcine, rodent, and piscine cytochrome P450

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burkina, Viktoriia; Rasmussen, Martin Krøyer; Pilipenko, Nadezhda; Zamaratskaia, Galia

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • The percent identity of porcine, murine and piscine CYPs was compared with human CYPs. • Main similarities and differences were reviewed. • Understanding of molecular mechanisms of CYP system will provide further insights into the CYP regulatory processes, and responses to different factors. - Abstract: Cytochrome P450 proteins (CYP450s) are present in most domains of life and play a critical role in the metabolism of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics. The effects of exposure to xenobiotics depend heavily on the expression and activity of drug-metabolizing CYP450s, which is determined by species, genetic background, age, gender, diet, and exposure to environmental pollutants. Numerous reports have investigated the role of different vertebrate CYP450s in xenobiotic metabolism. Model organisms provide powerful experimental tools to investigate Phase I metabolism. The aim of the present review is to compare the existing data on human CYP450 proteins (1–3 families) with those found in pigs, mice, and fish. We will highlight differences and similarities and identify research gaps which need to be addressed in order to use these species as models that mimic human traits. Moreover, we will discuss the roles of nuclear receptors in the cellular regulation of CYP450 expression in select organisms.

  11. Rb and p53 Liver Functions Are Essential for Xenobiotic Metabolism and Tumor Suppression.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sathidpak Nantasanti

    Full Text Available The tumor suppressors Retinoblastoma (Rb and p53 are frequently inactivated in liver diseases, such as hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC or infections with Hepatitis B or C viruses. Here, we discovered a novel role for Rb and p53 in xenobiotic metabolism, which represent a key function of the liver for metabolizing therapeutic drugs or toxins. We demonstrate that Rb and p53 cooperate to metabolize the xenobiotic 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC. DDC is metabolized mainly by cytochrome P450 (Cyp3a enzymes resulting in inhibition of heme synthesis and accumulation of protoporphyrin, an intermediate of heme pathway. Protoporphyrin accumulation causes bile injury and ductular reaction. We show that loss of Rb and p53 resulted in reduced Cyp3a expression decreased accumulation of protoporphyrin and consequently less ductular reaction in livers of mice fed with DDC for 3 weeks. These findings provide strong evidence that synergistic functions of Rb and p53 are essential for metabolism of DDC. Because Rb and p53 functions are frequently disabled in liver diseases, our results suggest that liver patients might have altered ability to remove toxins or properly metabolize therapeutic drugs. Strikingly the reduced biliary injury towards the oxidative stress inducer DCC was accompanied by enhanced hepatocellular injury and formation of HCCs in Rb and p53 deficient livers. The increase in hepatocellular injury might be related to reduce protoporphyrin accumulation, because protoporphrin is well known for its anti-oxidative activity. Furthermore our results indicate that Rb and p53 not only function as tumor suppressors in response to carcinogenic injury, but also in response to non-carcinogenic injury such as DDC.

  12. Triclocarban mediates induction of xenobiotic metabolism through activation of the constitutive androstane receptor and the estrogen receptor alpha.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mei-Fei Yueh

    Full Text Available Triclocarban (3,4,4'-trichlorocarbanilide, TCC is used as a broad-based antimicrobial agent that is commonly added to personal hygiene products. Because of its extensive use in the health care industry and resistance to degradation in sewage treatment processes, TCC has become a significant waste product that is found in numerous environmental compartments where humans and wildlife can be exposed. While TCC has been linked to a range of health and environmental effects, few studies have been conducted linking exposure to TCC and induction of xenobiotic metabolism through regulation by environmental sensors such as the nuclear xenobiotic receptors (XenoRs. To identify the ability of TCC to activate xenobiotic sensors, we monitored XenoR activities in response to TCC treatment using luciferase-based reporter assays. Among the XenoRs in the reporter screening assay, TCC promotes both constitutive androstane receptor (CAR and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα activities. TCC treatment to hUGT1 mice resulted in induction of the UGT1A genes in liver. This induction was dependent upon the constitutive active/androstane receptor (CAR because no induction occurred in hUGT1Car(-/- mice. Induction of the UGT1A genes by TCC corresponded with induction of Cyp2b10, another CAR target gene. TCC was demonstrated to be a phenobarbital-like activator of CAR in receptor-based assays. While it has been suggested that TCC be classified as an endocrine disruptor, it activates ERα leading to induction of Cyp1b1 in female ovaries as well as in promoter activity. Activation of ERα by TCC in receptor-based assays also promotes induction of human CYP2B6. These observations demonstrate that TCC activates nuclear xenobiotic receptors CAR and ERα both in vivo and in vitro and might have the potential to alter normal physiological homeostasis. Activation of these xenobiotic-sensing receptors amplifies gene expression profiles that might represent a mechanistic base for

  13. Transgenic plants for enhanced biodegradation and phytoremediation of organic xenobiotics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abhilash, P C; Jamil, Sarah; Singh, Nandita

    2009-01-01

    , PCBs etc. Another approach to enhancing phytoremediation ability is the construction of plants that secrete chemical degrading enzymes into the rhizosphere. Recent studies revealed that accelerated ethylene production in response to stress induced by contaminants is known to inhibit root growth and is considered as major limitation in improving phytoremediation efficiency. However, this can be overcome by the selective expression of bacterial ACC deaminase (which regulates ethylene levels in plants) in plants together with multiple genes for the different phases of xenobiotic degradation. This review examines the recent developments in use of transgenic-plants for the enhanced metabolism, degradation and phytoremediation of organic xenobiotics and its future directions.

  14. [Effects of berberine on the recovery of rat liver xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes after partial hepatectomy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zverinsky, I V; Zverinskaya, H G; Sutsko, I P; Telegin, P G; Shlyahtun, A G

    2015-01-01

    We have studied the effect of berberine on the recovery processes of liver xenobiotic-metabolizing function during its compensatory growth after 70% partial hepatectomy. It was found the hepatic ability to metabolize foreign substances are not restored up to day 8. Administration of berberine (10 mg/kg intraperitoneally) for 6 days led to normalization of both cytochrome P450-dependent and flavin-containing monooxygenases. It is suggested that in the biotransformation of berberine involved not only cytochrome P450, but also flavin-containing monooxygenases.

  15. Transposable elements are enriched within or in close proximity to xenobiotic-metabolizing cytochrome P450 genes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Xianchun

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Transposons, i.e. transposable elements (TEs, are the major internal spontaneous mutation agents for the variability of eukaryotic genomes. To address the general issue of whether transposons mediate genomic changes in environment-adaptation genes, we scanned two alleles per each of the six xenobiotic-metabolizing Helicoverpa zea cytochrome P450 loci, including CYP6B8, CYP6B27, CYP321A1, CYP321A2, CYP9A12v3 and CYP9A14, for the presence of transposon insertions by genome walking and sequence analysis. We also scanned thirteen Drosophila melanogaster P450s genes for TE insertions by in silico mapping and literature search. Results Twelve novel transposons, including LINEs (long interspersed nuclear elements, SINEs (short interspersed nuclear elements, MITEs (miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements, one full-length transib-like transposon, and one full-length Tcl-like DNA transpson, are identified from the alleles of the six H. zea P450 genes. The twelve transposons are inserted into the 5'flanking region, 3'flanking region, exon, or intron of the six environment-adaptation P450 genes. In D. melanogaster, seven out of the eight Drosophila P450s (CYP4E2, CYP6A2, CYP6A8, CYP6A9, CYP6G1, CYP6W1, CYP12A4, CYP12D1 implicated in insecticide resistance are associated with a variety of transposons. By contrast, all the five Drosophila P450s (CYP302A1, CYP306A1, CYP307A1, CYP314A1 and CYP315A1 involved in ecdysone biosynthesis and developmental regulation are free of TE insertions. Conclusion These results indicate that TEs are selectively retained within or in close proximity to xenobiotic-metabolizing P450 genes.

  16. Xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in plants and their role in uptake and biotransformation of veterinary drugs in the environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bártíková, Hana; Skálová, Lenka; Stuchlíková, Lucie; Vokřál, Ivan; Vaněk, Tomáš; Podlipná, Radka

    2015-08-01

    Many various xenobiotics permanently enter plants and represent potential danger for their organism. For that reason, plants have evolved extremely sophisticated detoxification systems including a battery of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes. Some of them are similar to those in humans and animals, but there are several plant-specific ones. This review briefly introduces xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in plants and summarizes present information about their action toward veterinary drugs. Veterinary drugs are used worldwide to treat diseases and protect animal health. However, veterinary drugs are also unwantedly introduced into environment mostly via animal excrements, they persist in the environment for a long time and may impact on the non-target organisms. Plants are able to uptake, transform the veterinary drugs to non- or less-toxic compounds and store them in the vacuoles and cell walls. This ability may protect not only plant themselves but also other organisms, predominantly invertebrates and wild herbivores. The aim of this review is to emphasize the importance of plants in detoxification of veterinary drugs in the environment. The results of studies, which dealt with transport and biotransformation of veterinary drugs in plants, are summarized and evaluated. In conclusion, the risks and consequences of veterinary drugs in the environment and the possibilities of phytoremediation technologies are considered and future perspectives are outlined.

  17. Phase I to II cross-induction of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes: A feedforward control mechanism for potential hormetic responses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Qiang; Pi Jingbo; Woods, Courtney G.; Andersen, Melvin E.

    2009-01-01

    Hormetic responses to xenobiotic exposure likely occur as a result of overcompensation by the homeostatic control systems operating in biological organisms. However, the mechanisms underlying overcompensation that leads to hormesis are still unclear. A well-known homeostatic circuit in the cell is the gene induction network comprising phase I, II and III metabolizing enzymes, which are responsible for xenobiotic detoxification, and in many cases, bioactivation. By formulating a differential equation-based computational model, we investigated in this study whether hormesis can arise from the operation of this gene/enzyme network. The model consists of two feedback and one feedforward controls. With the phase I negative feedback control, xenobiotic X activates nuclear receptors to induce cytochrome P450 enzyme, which bioactivates X into a reactive metabolite X'. With the phase II negative feedback control, X' activates transcription factor Nrf2 to induce phase II enzymes such as glutathione S-transferase and glutamate cysteine ligase, etc., which participate in a set of reactions that lead to the metabolism of X' into a less toxic conjugate X''. The feedforward control involves phase I to II cross-induction, in which the parent chemical X can also induce phase II enzymes directly through the nuclear receptor and indirectly through transcriptionally upregulating Nrf2. As a result of the active feedforward control, a steady-state hormetic relationship readily arises between the concentrations of the reactive metabolite X' and the extracellular parent chemical X to which the cell is exposed. The shape of dose-response evolves over time from initially monotonically increasing to J-shaped at the final steady state-a temporal sequence consistent with adaptation-mediated hormesis. The magnitude of the hormetic response is enhanced by increases in the feedforward gain, but attenuated by increases in the bioactivation or phase II feedback loop gains. Our study suggests a

  18. Phase I to II cross-induction of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes: a feedforward control mechanism for potential hormetic responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qiang; Pi, Jingbo; Woods, Courtney G; Andersen, Melvin E

    2009-06-15

    Hormetic responses to xenobiotic exposure likely occur as a result of overcompensation by the homeostatic control systems operating in biological organisms. However, the mechanisms underlying overcompensation that leads to hormesis are still unclear. A well-known homeostatic circuit in the cell is the gene induction network comprising phase I, II and III metabolizing enzymes, which are responsible for xenobiotic detoxification, and in many cases, bioactivation. By formulating a differential equation-based computational model, we investigated in this study whether hormesis can arise from the operation of this gene/enzyme network. The model consists of two feedback and one feedforward controls. With the phase I negative feedback control, xenobiotic X activates nuclear receptors to induce cytochrome P450 enzyme, which bioactivates X into a reactive metabolite X'. With the phase II negative feedback control, X' activates transcription factor Nrf2 to induce phase II enzymes such as glutathione S-transferase and glutamate cysteine ligase, etc., which participate in a set of reactions that lead to the metabolism of X' into a less toxic conjugate X''. The feedforward control involves phase I to II cross-induction, in which the parent chemical X can also induce phase II enzymes directly through the nuclear receptor and indirectly through transcriptionally upregulating Nrf2. As a result of the active feedforward control, a steady-state hormetic relationship readily arises between the concentrations of the reactive metabolite X' and the extracellular parent chemical X to which the cell is exposed. The shape of dose-response evolves over time from initially monotonically increasing to J-shaped at the final steady state-a temporal sequence consistent with adaptation-mediated hormesis. The magnitude of the hormetic response is enhanced by increases in the feedforward gain, but attenuated by increases in the bioactivation or phase II feedback loop gains. Our study suggests a

  19. High-throughput metagenomic analysis of petroleum-contaminated soil microbiome reveals the versatility in xenobiotic aromatics metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Yun-Juan; Xu, Zixiang; Li, Yang; Yao, Zhi; Sun, Jibin; Song, Hui

    2017-06-01

    The soil with petroleum contamination is one of the most studied soil ecosystems due to its rich microorganisms for hydrocarbon degradation and broad applications in bioremediation. However, our understanding of the genomic properties and functional traits of the soil microbiome is limited. In this study, we used high-throughput metagenomic sequencing to comprehensively study the microbial community from petroleum-contaminated soils near Tianjin Dagang oilfield in eastern China. The analysis reveals that the soil metagenome is characterized by high level of community diversity and metabolic versatility. The metageome community is predominated by γ-Proteobacteria and α-Proteobacteria, which are key players for petroleum hydrocarbon degradation. The functional study demonstrates over-represented enzyme groups and pathways involved in degradation of a broad set of xenobiotic aromatic compounds, including toluene, xylene, chlorobenzoate, aminobenzoate, DDT, methylnaphthalene, and bisphenol. A composite metabolic network is proposed for the identified pathways, thus consolidating our identification of the pathways. The overall data demonstrated the great potential of the studied soil microbiome in the xenobiotic aromatics degradation. The results not only establish a rich reservoir for novel enzyme discovery but also provide putative applications in bioremediation. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  20. Functioning of Microsomal Cytochrome P450s: Murburn Concept Explains the Metabolism of Xenobiotics in Hepatocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manoj, Kelath Murali; Parashar, Abhinav; Gade, Sudeep K; Venkatachalam, Avanthika

    2016-01-01

    Using oxygen and NADPH, the redox enzymes cytochrome P450 (CYP) and its reductase (CPR) work in tandem to carry out the phase I metabolism of a vast majority of drugs and xenobiotics. As per the erstwhile understanding of the catalytic cycle, binding of the substrate to CYP's heme distal pocket allows CPR to pump electrons through a CPR-CYP complex. In turn, this trigger (a thermodynamic push of electrons) leads to the activation of oxygen at CYP's heme-center, to give Compound I, a two-electron deficient enzyme reactive intermediate. The formation of diffusible radicals and reactive oxygen species (DROS, hitherto considered an undesired facet of the system) was attributed to the heme-center. Recently, we had challenged these perceptions and proposed the murburn ("mured burning" or "mild unrestricted burning") concept to explain heme enzymes' catalytic mechanism, electron-transfer phenomena and the regulation of redox equivalents' consumption. Murburn concept incorporates a one-electron paradigm, advocating obligatory roles for DROS. The new understanding does not call for high-affinity substrate-binding at the heme distal pocket of the CYP (the first and the most crucial step of the erstwhile paradigm) or CYP-CPR protein-protein complexations (the operational backbone of the erstwhile cycle). Herein, the dynamics of reduced nicotinamide nucleotides' consumption, peroxide formation and depletion, product(s) formation, etc. was investigated with various controls, by altering reaction variables, environments and through the incorporation of diverse molecular probes. In several CYP systems, control reactions lacking the specific substrate showed comparable or higher peroxide in milieu, thereby discrediting the foundations of the erstwhile hypothesis. The profiles obtained by altering CYP:CPR ratios and the profound inhibitions observed upon the incorporation of catalytic amounts of horseradish peroxidase confirm the obligatory roles of DROS in milieu, ratifying

  1. Effect of thiabendazole on some rat hepatic xenobiotic metabolising enzymes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Price, R.J.; Scott, M.P.; Walters, D.G.; Stierum, R.H.; Groten, J.P.; Meredith, C.; Lake, B.G.

    2004-01-01

    The effect of thiabendazole (TB) on some rat hepatic xenobiotic metabolising enzymes has been investigated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed control diet or diets containing 102-5188 ppm TB for 28 days. As a positive control for induction of hepatic xenobiotic metabolism, rats were also fed diets

  2. Drug and xenobiotic biotransformation in the blood-brain barrier: A neglected issue.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José A.G. Agúndez

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Drug biotransformation is a crucial mechanism for facilitating the elimination of chemicals from the organism and for decreasing their pharmacological activity. Published evidence suggests that brain drug metabolism may play a role in the development of adverse drug reactions and in the clinical response to drugs and xenobiotics. The blood-brain barrier (BBB has been regarded mainly as a physical barrier for drugs and xenobiotics, and little attention has been paid to BBB as a drug-metabolizing barrier. The presence of drug metabolizing enzymes in the BBB is likely to have functional implications because local metabolism may inactivate drugs or may modify the drug's ability to cross the BBB, thus modifying the drug response and the risk of developing adverse drug reactions. In this perspective paper, we discuss the expression of relevant xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in the brain and in the BBB, and we cover current advances and future directions on the potential role of these BBB drug-metabolizing enzymes as modifiers of drug response.

  3. Influence of frequently used industrial solvents and monomers of plastics on xenobiotic metabolism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gut, I. (Institut Hygieny a Epidemiologie, Prague (Czechoslovakia))

    1983-11-01

    In male Wistar rats, inhalation of benzene, toluene, or styrene induced a dose-dependent increase of the in vitro hepatic microsomal metabolism of benzene, but toluene metabolism and microsomal cytochrome P-450 level were little affected. In phenobarbital pretreated rats the solvents induced increased biotransformation of benzene metabolism toluene, but relatively less than in controls, and benzene and toluene inhalation actually caused an apparent destruction of cytochrome P-450. In vivo rates of metabolism of toluene and styrene were in good agreement with the in vitro hepatic microsomal biotransformation of benzene or toluene, but benzene metabolism not due to inhibition of benzene metabolism in vivo caused by benzene metabolites. In simultaneously administered two solvents, toluene, styrene or xylene markedly inhibited metabolism of benzene-/sup 14/C, but toluene-/sup 14/C metabolsim was little affected by coadministered benzene, styrene or xylene. Various industrial solvents inhibited metabolism of acrylonitrile along the oxidative pathway leading to thiocyanate, but actually increased the rate of the conjugative pathway beginning with cyanoethylation of glutathion and the final products. Various derivatives of benzene had low inhibiting effect on antipyrine metabolism and clinical significance of such effect is of little significance. Inhibition of benzene metabolism by toluene followed in significantly decreased myelotoxicity of benzene, but the modification of acrylonitrile metabolism and pharmacokinetics by organic solvents given at low doses markedly increased lethal effects of acrylonitrile. The prediction of in vivo rates of metabolism based on the in vitro rates of hepatic microsomal metabolism is therefore possible, provided the inhibiting potency of the xenobiotic and/or its metabolites, self-induction of their metabolism, as well as differences in their pharmacokinetics are considered.

  4. Systematic Analysis Reveals that Cancer Mutations Converge on Deregulated Metabolism of Arachidonate and Xenobiotics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco Gatto

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Mutations are the basis of the clonal evolution of most cancers. Nevertheless, a systematic analysis of whether mutations are selected in cancer because they lead to the deregulation of specific biological processes independent of the type of cancer is still lacking. In this study, we correlated the genome and transcriptome of 1,082 tumors. We found that nine commonly mutated genes correlated with substantial changes in gene expression, which primarily converged on metabolism. Further network analyses circumscribed the convergence to a network of reactions, termed AraX, that involves the glutathione- and oxygen-mediated metabolism of arachidonic acid and xenobiotics. In an independent cohort of 4,462 samples, all nine mutated genes were consistently correlated with the deregulation of AraX. Among all of the metabolic pathways, AraX deregulation represented the strongest predictor of patient survival. These findings suggest that oncogenic mutations drive a selection process that converges on the deregulation of the AraX network.

  5. The effects of multiply ionizing gamma irradiations on the xenobiotic metabolizing system in the liver of rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zavodnik, L.B.; Buko, V.U.

    2009-01-01

    The aim of the work was the studying the effect of multiply low doses of gamma-irradiation in a total doze 1 and 2 Gy on processes lipid peroxidation and xenobiotics metabolizing in rat liver. It was shown the multiply irradiation causes the expressed activation of lipid peroxidation, by increase of TBARS level and dien conjugates. The system of microsomal oxidations was broken at the same time. (authors)

  6. Xenobiotics and the Human Gut Microbiome: Metatranscriptomics Reveal the Active Players

    OpenAIRE

    Ursell, Luke K.; Knight, Rob

    2013-01-01

    The human gut microbiome plays an important role in the metabolism of xenobiotics. In a recent issue of Cell, Maurice et al. identify the active members of the gut microbiome and show how gene expression profiles change within the gut microbial community in response to antibiotics and host-targeted xenobiotics.

  7. In vitro approach to studying cutaneous metabolism and disposition of topically applied xenobiotics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kao, J.; Hall, J.; Shugart, L.R.; Holland, J.M.

    1984-01-01

    The extent to which cutaneous metabolism may be involved in the penetration and fate of topically applied xenobiotics was examined by metabolically viable and structurally intact mouse skin in organ culture. Evidence that skin penetration of certain chemicals is coupled to cutaneous metabolism was based upon observations utilizing [ 14 C]benzo[a]pyrene (BP). As judged by the recovery of radioactivity in the culture medium 24 hr after in vitro topical application of [ 14 C]BP to the skin from both control and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-induced C3H mice, skin penetration of BP was higher in the induced tissue. All classes of metabolites of BP were found in the culture medium; water-soluble metabolites predominated and negligible amounts of unmetabolized BP were found. As shown by enzymatic hydrolysis of the medium, TCDD induction resulted in shifting the cutaneous metabolism of BP toward the synthesis of more water-soluble conjugates. Differences in the degree of covalent binding of BP, via diol epoxide intermediates to epidermal DNA, from control and induced tissues were observed. These differences may reflect a change in the pathways of metabolism as a consequence of TCDD induction. These results indicated that topically applied BP is metabolized by the skin during its passage through the skin; and the degree of percutaneous penetration and disposition of BP was dependent upon the metabolic status of the tissue. This suggests that cutaneous metabolism may play an important role in the translocation and subsequent physiological disposition of topically applied BP. 33 references, 5 figures, 2 tables

  8. Modulation of Xenobiotic Metabolizing Enzyme and Transporter Gene Expression in Primary Cultures of Human Hepatocytes by ToxCast Chemicals

    Science.gov (United States)

    ToxCast chemicals were assessed for induction or suppression of xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme and transporter gene expression using primary human hepatocytes. The mRNA levels of 14 target and 2 control genes were measured: ABCB1, ABCB11, ABCG2, SLCO1B1, CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2B6, C...

  9. Hepatic xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme and transporter gene expression through the life stages of the mouse.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janice S Lee

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Differences in responses to environmental chemicals and drugs between life stages are likely due in part to differences in the expression of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and transporters (XMETs. No comprehensive analysis of the mRNA expression of XMETs has been carried out through life stages in any species. RESULTS: Using full-genome arrays, the mRNA expression of all XMETs and their regulatory proteins was examined during fetal (gestation day (GD 19, neonatal (postnatal day (PND 7, prepubescent (PND32, middle age (12 months, and old age (18 and 24 months in the C57BL/6J (C57 mouse liver and compared to adults. Fetal and neonatal life stages exhibited dramatic differences in XMET mRNA expression compared to the relatively minor effects of old age. The total number of XMET probe sets that differed from adults was 636, 500, 84, 5, 43, and 102 for GD19, PND7, PND32, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months, respectively. At all life stages except PND32, under-expressed genes outnumbered over-expressed genes. The altered XMETs included those in all of the major metabolic and transport phases including introduction of reactive or polar groups (Phase I, conjugation (Phase II and excretion (Phase III. In the fetus and neonate, parallel increases in expression were noted in the dioxin receptor, Nrf2 components and their regulated genes while nuclear receptors and regulated genes were generally down-regulated. Suppression of male-specific XMETs was observed at early (GD19, PND7 and to a lesser extent, later life stages (18 and 24 months. A number of female-specific XMETs exhibited a spike in expression centered at PND7. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis revealed dramatic differences in the expression of the XMETs, especially in the fetus and neonate that are partially dependent on gender-dependent factors. XMET expression can be used to predict life stage-specific responses to environmental chemicals and drugs.

  10. Current knowledge of detoxification mechanisms of xenobiotic in honey bees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Youhui; Diao, Qingyun

    2017-01-01

    The western honey bee Apis mellifera is the most important managed pollinator species in the world. Multiple factors have been implicated as potential causes or factors contributing to colony collapse disorder, including honey bee pathogens and nutritional deficiencies as well as exposure to pesticides. Honey bees' genome is characterized by a paucity of genes associated with detoxification, which makes them vulnerable to specific pesticides, especially to combinations of pesticides in real field environments. Many studies have investigated the mechanisms involved in detoxification of xenobiotics/pesticides in honey bees, from primal enzyme assays or toxicity bioassays to characterization of transcript gene expression and protein expression in response to xenobiotics/insecticides by using a global transcriptomic or proteomic approach, and even to functional characterizations. The global transcriptomic and proteomic approach allowed us to learn that detoxification mechanisms in honey bees involve multiple genes and pathways along with changes in energy metabolism and cellular stress response. P450 genes, is highly implicated in the direct detoxification of xenobiotics/insecticides in honey bees and their expression can be regulated by honey/pollen constitutes, resulting in the tolerance of honey bees to other xenobiotics or insecticides. P450s is also a key detoxification enzyme that mediate synergism interaction between acaricides/insecticides and fungicides through inhibition P450 activity by fungicides or competition for detoxification enzymes between acaricides. With the wide use of insecticides in agriculture, understanding the detoxification mechanism of insecticides in honey bees and how honeybees fight with the xenobiotis or insecticides to survive in the changing environment will finally benefit honeybees' management.

  11. Approaching Resonant Absorption of Environmental Xenobiotics Harmonic Oscillation by Linear Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cornelia A. Bulucea

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Over the last several decades, it has become increasingly accepted that the term xenobiotic relates to environmental impact, since environmental xenobiotics are understood to be substances foreign to a biological system, which did not exist in nature before their synthesis by humans. In this context, xenobiotics are persistent pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, as well as plastics and pesticides. Dangerous and unstable situations can result from the presence of environmental xenobiotics since their harmful effects on humans and ecosystems are often unpredictable. For instance, the immune system is extremely vulnerable and sensitive to modulation by environmental xenobitics. Various experimental assays could be performed to ascertain the immunotoxic potential of environmental xenobiotics, taking into account genetic factors, the route of xenobiotic penetration, and the amount and duration of exposure, as well as the wave shape of the xenobiotic. In this paper, we propose an approach for the analysis of xenobiotic metabolism using mathematical models and corresponding methods. This study focuses on a pattern depicting mathematically modeled processes of resonant absorption of a xenobiotic harmonic oscillation by an organism modulated as an absorbing oscillator structure. We represent the xenobiotic concentration degree through a spatial concentration vector, and we model and simulate the oscillating regime of environmental xenobiotic absorption. It is anticipated that the results could be used to facilitate the assessment of the processes of environmental xenobiotic absorption, distribution, biotransformation and removal within the framework of compartmental analysis, by establishing appropriate mathematical models and simulations.

  12. Cytotoxic effects and aromatase inhibition by xenobiotic endocrine disrupters alone and in combination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benachour, Nora; Moslemi, Safa; Sipahutar, Herbert; Seralini, Gilles-Eric

    2007-01-01

    Xenobiotics may cause long-term adverse effects in humans, especially at the embryonic level, raising questions about their levels of exposure, combined effects, and crucial endpoints. We are interested in the possible interactions between xenobiotic endocrine disrupters, cellular viability and androgen metabolism. Accordingly, we tested aroclor 1254 (A1254), atrazine (AZ), o,p'-DDT, vinclozolin (VZ), p,p'-DDE, bisphenol A (BPA), chlordecone (CD), nonylphenol (NP), tributylin oxide (TBTO), and diethylstilbestrol (DES) for cellular toxicity against human embryonic 293 cells, and activity against cellular aromatase, but also on placental microsomes and on the purified equine enzyme. Cellular viability was affected in 24 h by all the xenobiotics with a threshold at 50 μM (except for TBTO and DES, 10 μM threshold), and aromatase was inhibited at non-toxic doses. In combination synergism was observed reducing the threshold values of toxicity to 4-10 μM, and aromatase activity by 50% in some cases. In placental microsomes the most active xenobiotics rapidly inhibited microsomal aromatase in a manner independent of NADPH metabolism. Prolonged exposures to low doses in cells generally amplified by 50 times aromatase inhibition. These xenobiotics may act by inhibition of the active site or by allosteric effects on the enzyme. Bioaccumulation is a feature of some xenobiotics, especially chlordecone, DDT and DDE, and low level chronic exposures can also affect cell signaling mechanisms. This new information about the mechanism of action of these xenobiotics will assist in improved molecular design with a view to providing safer compounds for use in the (human) environment

  13. CHANGING METABOLIC FUNCTIONS IN EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS AFTER INTRODUCTION OF THE XENOBIOTIC, IMMUNOTROPIC DRUG AND PROBIOTIC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zvyagintseva O.V.

    2015-05-01

    Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The peripheral blood leukocytes were cultured according to the method of Hereford in medium 199 with the addition of fetal calf serum in the absence and in the presence of T-cell mitogen – phytohemagglutinin. Results and discussion. In all studied groups (introduction of the xenobiotic, "Fungidol", probiotic experimental animals revealed a significant increase in the concentrations of ceruloplasmin and haptoglobin on the average in 1,5 times in comparison with the control, indicating the development of the inflammatory process after the toxic action of copper sulphate. During administration of sulphate of copper, the experimental animals showed a reduction in the index of completion of phagocytosis, indicating a failure of the process of endocytosis of bacterial antigens and reduced stimulation index due to the low activity of NADPoxidase system of phagocytes. The introduction of xenobiotic animals was increased 1,2 times compared with the control (23,33±1,38 % the number of transformed cells in the background of mitogenic inducer of cell proliferation. The proliferative activity of hemolytic after the joint action of the xenobiotic and immunotropic drug in cell culture with the mitogen was the highest and exceeded 1,5 times control (23,33±1,38%. After the introduction of copper sulfate and probiotic proliferative activity of hemolytic was also significantly higher spontaneous. Introduction biologic response modifier substance to a greater extent than probiotics stimulate a protective immune processes aimed at combating the negative effect of the xenobiotic. Conclusion. Thus, the introduction of copper sulfate launches in animals a cascade of reactions aimed at the disruption of homeostasis. It is a violation of various physiological processes of digestion, respiration, cell differentiation, water-salt metabolism, metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, detoxification of exogenous substrates and metabolites, production of biologically active

  14. Design and Performance of a Xenobiotic Metabolism Database Manager for Building Metabolic Pathway Databases

    Science.gov (United States)

    A major challenge for scientists and regulators is accounting for the metabolic activation of chemicals that may lead to increased toxicity. Reliable forecasting of chemical metabolism is a critical factor in estimating a chemical’s toxic potential. Research is underway to develo...

  15. Altered carbohydrate, lipid, and xenobiotic metabolism by liver from rats flown on Cosmos 1887

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merrill, A. H. Jr; Hoel, M.; Wang, E.; Mullins, R. E.; Hargrove, J. L.; Jones, D. P.; Popova, I. A.; Merrill AH, J. r. (Principal Investigator)

    1990-01-01

    To determine the possible biochemical effects of prolonged weightlessness on liver function, samples of liver from rats that had flown aboard Cosmos 1887 were analyzed for protein, glycogen, and lipids as well as the activities of a number of key enzymes involved in metabolism of these compounds and xenobiotics. Among the parameters measured, the major differences were elevations in the glycogen content and hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase activities for the rats flown on Cosmos 1887 and decreases in the amount of microsomal cytochrome P-450 and the activities of aniline hydroxylase and ethylmorphine N-demethylase, cytochrome P-450-dependent enzymes. These results support the earlier finding of differences in these parameters and suggest that altered hepatic function could be important during spaceflight and/or the postflight recovery period.

  16. Relationship between intratumoral expression of genes coding for xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes and benefit from adjuvant tamoxifen in estrogen receptor alpha-positive postmenopausal breast carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bièche, Ivan; Girault, Igor; Urbain, Estelle; Tozlu, Sengül; Lidereau, Rosette

    2004-01-01

    Little is known of the function and clinical significance of intratumoral dysregulation of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme expression in breast cancer. One molecular mechanism proposed to explain tamoxifen resistance is altered tamoxifen metabolism and bioavailability. To test this hypothesis, we used real-time quantitative RT-PCR to quantify the mRNA expression of a large panel of genes coding for the major xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes (12 phase I enzymes, 12 phase II enzymes and three members of the ABC transporter family) in a small series of normal breast (and liver) tissues, and in estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-negative and ERα-positive breast tumors. Relevant genes were further investigated in a well-defined cohort of 97 ERα-positive postmenopausal breast cancer patients treated with primary surgery followed by adjuvant tamoxifen alone. Seven of the 27 genes showed very weak or undetectable expression in both normal and tumoral breast tissues. Among the 20 remaining genes, seven genes (CYP2A6, CYP2B6, FMO5, NAT1, SULT2B1, GSTM3 and ABCC11) showed significantly higher mRNA levels in ERα-positive breast tumors than in normal breast tissue, or showed higher mRNA levels in ERα-positive breast tumors than in ERα-negative breast tumors. In the 97 ERα-positive breast tumor series, most alterations of these seven genes corresponded to upregulations as compared with normal breast tissue, with an incidence ranging from 25% (CYP2A6) to 79% (NAT1). Downregulation was rare. CYP2A6, CYP2B6, FMO5 and NAT1 emerged as new putative ERα-responsive genes in human breast cancer. Relapse-free survival was longer among patients with FMO5-overexpressing tumors or NAT1-overexpressing tumors (P = 0.0066 and P = 0.000052, respectively), but only NAT1 status retained prognostic significance in Cox multivariate regression analysis (P = 0.0013). Taken together, these data point to a role of genes coding for xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in breast tumorigenesis, NAT1 being an

  17. Genomics and the prediction of xenobiotic toxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer, Urs-A.; Gut, Josef

    2002-01-01

    The systematic identification and functional analysis of human genes is revolutionizing the study of disease processes and the development and rational use of drugs. It increasingly enables medicine to make reliable assessments of the individual risk to acquire a particular disease, raises the number and specificity of drug targets and explains interindividual variation of the effectiveness and toxicity of drugs. Mutant alleles at a single gene locus for more than 20 drug metabolizing enzymes are some of the best studied individual risk factors for adverse drug reactions and xenobiotic toxicity. Increasingly, genetic polymorphisms of transporter and receptor systems are also recognized as causing interindividual variation in drug response and drug toxicity. However, pharmacogenetic and toxicogenetic factors rarely act alone; they produce a phenotype in concert with other variant genes and with environmental factors. Environmental factors may affect gene expression in many ways. For instance, numerous drugs induce their own and the metabolism of other xenobiotics by interacting with nuclear receptors such as AhR, PPAR, PXR and CAR. Genomics is providing the information and technology to analyze these complex situations to obtain individual genotypic and gene expression information to assess the risk of toxicity

  18. Phosphorylation of Isoflavones by Bacillus subtilis BCRC 80517 May Represent Xenobiotic Metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Chen; Wu, Bo-Yuan; Chang, Yu-Chuan; Chang, Chi-Fon; Chiou, Tai-Ying; Su, Nan-Wei

    2018-01-10

    The soy isoflavones daidzein (DAI) and genistein (GEN) have beneficial effects on human health. However, their oral bioavailability is hampered by their low aqueous solubility. Our previous study revealed two water-soluble phosphorylated conjugates of isoflavones, daidzein 7-O-phosphate and genistein 7-O-phosphate, generated via biotransformation by Bacillus subtilis BCRC80517 cultivated with isoflavones. In this study, two novel derivatives of isoflavones, daidzein 4'-O-phosphate and genistein 4'-O-phosphate, were identified by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS and 1 H, 13 C, and 31 P NMR, and their biotransformation roadmaps were proposed. Primarily, isoflavone glucosides were deglycosylated and then phosphorylated predominantly into 7-O-phosphate conjugates with traces of 4'-O-phosphate conjugates. Inevitably, trace quantities of glucosides were converted into 6″-O-succinyl glucosides. GEN was more efficiently phosphorylated than DAI. Nevertheless, the presence of GEN prolonged the time until the exponential phase of cell growth, whereas the other isoflavones showed little effect on cell growth. Our findings provide new insights into the novel microbial phosphorylation of isoflavones involved in xenobiotic metabolism.

  19. Estimation of aerial deposition and foliar uptake of xenobiotics: Assessment of current models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Link, S.O.; Fellows, R.J.; Cataldo, D.A.; Droppo, J.G.; Van Voris, P.

    1987-10-01

    This report reviews existing mathematical and/or computer simulation models that estimate xenobiotic deposition to and transport through (both curricular and stomatal) vegetative surfaces. The report evaluates the potential for coupling the best of those models to the existing Uptake, Translocation, Accumulation, and Biodegradation model to be used for future xenobiotic exposure assessments. Here xenobiotic compounds are defined as airborne contaminants, both organic and gaseous pollutants, that are introduced into the environment by man. Specifically this document provides a detailed review of the state-of-the-art models that addressed aerial deposition of particles and gases to foliage; foliar and cuticular transport, metabolism, and uptake of organic xenobiotics; and stomatal transport of gaseous and volatile organic xenobiotic pollutants. Where detailed information was available, parameters for each model are provided on a chemical by chemical as well as species by species basis. Sufficient detail is provided on each model to assess the potential for adapting or coupling the model to the existing UTAB plant exposure model. 126 refs., 6 figs., 10 tabs.

  20. Modulation of expression and activity of intestinal multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 by xenobiotics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tocchetti, Guillermo Nicolás [Instituto de Fisiología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, CONICET, Suipacha 570, 2000 Rosario (Argentina); Rigalli, Juan Pablo [Instituto de Fisiología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, CONICET, Suipacha 570, 2000 Rosario (Argentina); Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacoepidemiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Arana, Maite Rocío; Villanueva, Silvina Stella Maris [Instituto de Fisiología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, CONICET, Suipacha 570, 2000 Rosario (Argentina); Mottino, Aldo Domingo, E-mail: amottino@unr.edu.ar [Instituto de Fisiología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, CONICET, Suipacha 570, 2000 Rosario (Argentina)

    2016-07-15

    The multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2/ABCC2) is a transporter that belongs to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily. In the intestine, it is localized to the apical membrane of the enterocyte and plays a key role in limiting the absorption of xenobiotics incorporated orally. MRP2 may also play a role in systemic clearance of xenobiotics available from the serosal side of the intestine. MRP2 transports a wide range of substrates, mainly organic anions conjugated with glucuronic acid, glutathione and sulfate and its expression can be modulated by xenobiotics at transcriptional- and post-transcriptional levels. Transcriptional regulation is usually mediated by a group of nuclear receptors. The pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a major member of this group. Relevant drugs described to up-regulate intestinal MRP2 via PXR are rifampicin, spironolactone and carbamazepine, among others. The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR, NR1I3) was also reported to modulate MRP2 expression, phenobarbital being a typical activator. Dietary compounds, including micronutrients and other natural products, are also capable of regulating intestinal MRP2 expression transcriptionally. We have given them particular attention since the composition of the food ingested daily is not necessarily supervised and may result in interactions with therapeutic drugs. Post-transcriptional regulation of MRP2 activity by xenobiotics, e.g. as a consequence of inhibitory actions, is also described in this review. Unfortunately, only few studies report on drug-drug or nutrient-drug interactions as a consequence of modulation of intestinal MRP2 activity by xenobiotics. Future clinical studies are expected to identify additional interactions resulting in changes in efficacy or safety of therapeutic drugs. - Highlights: • Intestinal MRP2 (ABCC2) expression and activity can be regulated by xenobiotics. • PXR and CAR are major MRP2 modulators through a transcriptional mechanism. • Rifampicin

  1. Xenobiotic/medium chain fatty acid: CoA ligase - a critical review on its role in fatty acid metabolism and the detoxification of benzoic acid and aspirin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Sluis, Rencia; Erasmus, Elardus

    2016-10-01

    Activation of fatty acids by the acyl-CoA synthetases (ACSs) is the vital first step in fatty acid metabolism. The enzymatic and physiological characterization of the human xenobiotic/medium chain fatty acid: CoA ligases (ACSMs) has been severely neglected even though xenobiotics, such as benzoate and salicylate, are detoxified through this pathway. This review will focus on the nomenclature and substrate specificity of the human ACSM ligases; the biochemical and enzymatic characterization of ACSM1 and ACSM2B; the high sequence homology of the ACSM2 genes (ACSM2A and ACSM2B) as well as what is currently known regarding disease association studies. Several discrepancies exist in the current literature that should be taken note of. For example, the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) reported to be associated with aspirin metabolism and multiple risk factors of metabolic syndrome are incorrect. Kinetic data on the substrate specificity of the human ACSM ligases are non-existent and currently no data exist on the influence of SNPs on the enzyme activity of these ligases. One of the biggest obstacles currently in the field is that glycine conjugation is continuously studied as a one-step process, which means that key regulatory factors of the two individual steps remain unknown.

  2. Impact of environmental exposures on ovarian function and role of xenobiotic metabolism during ovotoxicity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bhattacharya, Poulomi; Keating, Aileen F., E-mail: akeating@iastate.edu

    2012-06-15

    The mammalian ovary is a heterogeneous organ and contains oocyte-containing follicles at varying stages of development. The most immature follicular stage, the primordial follicle, comprises the ovarian reserve and is a finite number, defined at the time of birth. Depletion of all follicles within the ovary leads to reproductive senescence, known as menopause. A number of chemical classes can destroy follicles, thus hastening entry into the menopausal state. The ovarian response to chemical exposure can determine the extent of ovotoxicity that occurs. Enzymes capable of bioactivating as well as detoxifying xenobiotics are expressed in the ovary and their impact on ovotoxicity has been partially characterized for trichloroethylene, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, and 4-vinylcyclohexene. This review will discuss those studies, as well as illustrate where knowledge gaps remain for chemicals that have also been established as ovotoxicants. -- Highlights: ► Summary of ovotoxicant action during ovotoxicity. ► Discussion of impact of biotransformation on chemical toxicity. ► Identification of knowledge gaps in chemical metabolism.

  3. Impact of environmental exposures on ovarian function and role of xenobiotic metabolism during ovotoxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhattacharya, Poulomi; Keating, Aileen F.

    2012-01-01

    The mammalian ovary is a heterogeneous organ and contains oocyte-containing follicles at varying stages of development. The most immature follicular stage, the primordial follicle, comprises the ovarian reserve and is a finite number, defined at the time of birth. Depletion of all follicles within the ovary leads to reproductive senescence, known as menopause. A number of chemical classes can destroy follicles, thus hastening entry into the menopausal state. The ovarian response to chemical exposure can determine the extent of ovotoxicity that occurs. Enzymes capable of bioactivating as well as detoxifying xenobiotics are expressed in the ovary and their impact on ovotoxicity has been partially characterized for trichloroethylene, 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, and 4-vinylcyclohexene. This review will discuss those studies, as well as illustrate where knowledge gaps remain for chemicals that have also been established as ovotoxicants. -- Highlights: ► Summary of ovotoxicant action during ovotoxicity. ► Discussion of impact of biotransformation on chemical toxicity. ► Identification of knowledge gaps in chemical metabolism.

  4. Acetaminophen induces xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in rat: Impact of a uranium chronic exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rouas, Caroline; Souidi, Maâmar; Grandcolas, Line; Grison, Stephane; Baudelin, Cedric; Gourmelon, Patrick; Pallardy, Marc; Gueguen, Yann

    2009-11-01

    The extensive use of uranium in civilian and military applications increases the risk of human chronic exposure. Uranium is a slightly radioactive heavy metal with a predominantly chemical toxicity, especially in kidney but also in liver. Few studies have previously shown some effects of uranium on xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes (XME) that might disturb drug pharmacokinetic. The aim of this study was to determine whether a chronic (9 months) non-nephrotoxic low dose exposure to depleted uranium (DU, 1mg/rat/day) could modify the liver XME, using a single non-hepatotoxic acetaminophen (APAP) treatment (50mg/kg). Most of XME analysed were induced by APAP treatment at the gene expression level but at the protein level only CYP3A2 was significantly increased 3h after APAP treatment in DU-exposed rats whereas it remained at a basal level in unexposed rats. In conclusion, these results showed that a chronic non-nephrotoxic DU exposure specially modify CYP3A2 after a single therapeutic APAP treatment. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Intrinsic Xenobiotic Metabolizing Enzyme Activities in Early Life Stages of Zebrafish (Danio rerio).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otte, Jens C; Schultz, Bernadette; Fruth, Daniela; Fabian, Eric; van Ravenzwaay, Bennard; Hidding, Björn; Salinas, Edward R

    2017-09-01

    Early life stages of zebrafish (Danio rerio, zf) are gaining attention as an alternative invivo test system for drug discovery, early developmental toxicity screenings and chemical testing in ecotoxicological and toxicological testing strategies. Previous studies have demonstrated transcriptional evidence for xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (XME) during early zf development. However, elaborate experiments on XME activities during development are incomplete. In this work, the intrinsic activities of representative phase I and II XME were monitored by transformation of putative zf model substrates analyzed using photometry and high pressure liquid chromatography techniques. Six different defined stages of zf development (between 2.5 h postfertilization (hpf) to 120 hpf) were investigated by preparing a subcellular fraction from whole organism homogenates. We demonstrated that zf embryos as early as 2.5 hpf possess intrinsic metabolic activities for esterase, Aldh, Gst, and Cyp1a above the methodological detection limit. The activities of the enzymes Cyp3a and Nat were measurable during later stages in development. Activities represent dynamic patterns during development. The role of XME activities revealed in this work is relevant for the assessing toxicity in this test system and therefore contributes to a valuable characterization of zf embryos as an alternative testing organism in toxicology. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. Effect of CAR activation on selected metabolic pathways in normal and hyperlipidemic mouse livers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rezen, Tadeja; Tamasi, Viola; Lövgren-Sandblom, Anita; Björkhem, Ingemar; Meyer, Urs A; Rozman, Damjana

    2009-08-19

    Detoxification in the liver involves activation of nuclear receptors, such as the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), which regulate downstream genes of xenobiotic metabolism. Frequently, the metabolism of endobiotics is also modulated, resulting in potentially harmful effects. We therefore used 1,4-Bis [2-(3,5-dichloropyridyloxy)] benzene (TCPOBOP) to study the effect of CAR activation on mouse hepatic transcriptome and lipid metabolome under conditions of diet-induced hyperlipidemia. Using gene expression profiling with a dedicated microarray, we show that xenobiotic metabolism, PPARalpha and adipocytokine signaling, and steroid synthesis are the pathways most affected by TCPOBOP in normal and hyperlipidemic mice. TCPOBOP-induced CAR activation prevented the increased hepatic and serum cholesterol caused by feeding mice a diet containing 1% cholesterol. We show that this is due to increased bile acid metabolism and up-regulated removal of LDL, even though TCPOBOP increased cholesterol synthesis under conditions of hyperlipidemia. Up-regulation of cholesterol synthesis was not accompanied by an increase in mature SREBP2 protein. As determined by studies in CAR -/- mice, up-regulation of cholesterol synthesis is however CAR-dependent; and no obvious CAR binding sites were detected in promoters of cholesterogenic genes. TCPOBOP also affected serum glucose and triglyceride levels and other metabolic processes in the liver, irrespective of the diet. Our data show that CAR activation modulates hepatic metabolism by lowering cholesterol and glucose levels, through effects on PPARalpha and adiponectin signaling pathways, and by compromising liver adaptations to hyperlipidemia.

  7. The time point of β-catenin knockout in hepatocytes determines their response to xenobiotic activation of the constitutive androstane receptor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ganzenberg, Katrin; Singh, Yasmin; Braeuning, Albert

    2013-01-01

    The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) controls the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes and regulates hepatocyte proliferation. Studies with transgenic mice with an early postnatal conditional hepatocyte-specific knockout of the β-catenin gene Ctnnb1 revealed that β-catenin deficiency decreases the magnitude of induction of drug-metabolizing enzymes by CAR activators, abrogates zonal differences in the hepatocytes’ susceptibility to these compounds, and impacts on hepatocyte proliferation. These data, however, do not allow distinguishing between effects caused by β-catenin deficiency during postnatal liver development and acute effects of β-catenin deficiency in the adult animal at the time point of CAR activation. Therefore, CAR activation was now studied in a different mouse model allowing for the hepatocyte-specific knockout of β-catenin in adult mice. Treatment of these mice with 3 mg/kg body weight of the model CAR activator 1,4-bis-[2-(3,5-dichloropyridyloxy)]benzene (TCPOBOP) confirmed previous findings related to the coordinate regulation of drug metabolism by β-catenin and CAR. More importantly, the present study clarified that the impact of β-catenin signaling on CAR-mediated enzyme induction in the liver is not merely due to developmental defects caused by a postnatal lack of β-catenin, but depends on the presence of β-catenin at the time point of xenobiotic treatment. The study also revealed interesting differences between the two mouse models: hepatic zonation of TCPOBOP-dependent induction of drug-metabolizing enzymes was restored in mice with late knockout of β-catenin, and the strong proliferative response of female mice was exclusively abolished when using animals with a late β-catenin knockout. This suggests a β-catenin-dependent postnatal priming of hepatocytes during postnatal liver development, later affecting the proliferative response of adult animals to CAR-activating xenobiotics

  8. Bile Acid Metabolism and Signaling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiang, John Y. L.

    2015-01-01

    Bile acids are important physiological agents for intestinal nutrient absorption and biliary secretion of lipids, toxic metabolites, and xenobiotics. Bile acids also are signaling molecules and metabolic regulators that activate nuclear receptors and G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling to regulate hepatic lipid, glucose, and energy homeostasis and maintain metabolic homeostasis. Conversion of cholesterol to bile acids is critical for maintaining cholesterol homeostasis and preventing accumulation of cholesterol, triglycerides, and toxic metabolites, and injury in the liver and other organs. Enterohepatic circulation of bile acids from the liver to intestine and back to the liver plays a central role in nutrient absorption and distribution, and metabolic regulation and homeostasis. This physiological process is regulated by a complex membrane transport system in the liver and intestine regulated by nuclear receptors. Toxic bile acids may cause inflammation, apoptosis, and cell death. On the other hand, bile acid-activated nuclear and GPCR signaling protects against inflammation in liver, intestine, and macrophages. Disorders in bile acid metabolism cause cholestatic liver diseases, dyslipidemia, fatty liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. Bile acids, bile acid derivatives, and bile acid sequestrants are therapeutic agents for treating chronic liver diseases, obesity, and diabetes in humans. PMID:23897684

  9. Phase 0 and phase III transport in various organs: combined concept of phases in xenobiotic transport and metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Döring, Barbara; Petzinger, Ernst

    2014-08-01

    The historical phasing concept of drug metabolism and elimination was introduced to comprise the two phases of metabolism: phase I metabolism for oxidations, reductions and hydrolyses, and phase II metabolism for synthesis. With this concept, biological membrane barriers obstructing the accessibility of metabolism sites in the cells for drugs were not considered. The concept of two phases was extended to a concept of four phases when drug transporters were detected that guided drugs and drug metabolites in and out of the cells. In particular, water soluble or charged drugs are virtually not able to overcome the phospholipid membrane barrier. Drug transporters belong to two main clusters of transporter families: the solute carrier (SLC) families and the ATP binding cassette (ABC) carriers. The ABC transporters comprise seven families with about 20 carriers involved in drug transport. All of them operate as pumps at the expense of ATP splitting. Embedded in the former phase concept, the term "phase III" was introduced by Ishikawa in 1992 for drug export by ABC efflux pumps. SLC comprise 52 families, from which many carriers are drug uptake transporters. Later on, this uptake process was referred to as the "phase 0 transport" of drugs. Transporters for xenobiotics in man and animal are most expressed in liver, but they are also present in extra-hepatic tissues such as in the kidney, the adrenal gland and lung. This review deals with the function of drug carriers in various organs and their impact on drug metabolism and elimination.

  10. Transcriptional expression analysis of ABC efflux transporters and xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in the Chinese rare minnow.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Lilai; Lv, Biping; Zha, Jinmiao; Wang, Zijian

    2014-05-01

    In the present study, the cDNA fragments of five ABC transporter genes (ABCB1, ABCB11, ABCC1, ABCC2, and ABCG2) in the rare minnow were cloned, and their tissue-specific expression patterns were evaluated across eight rare minnow tissues (liver, gill, intestine, kidney, spleen, brain, skin, and muscle). Furthermore, the transcriptional effects on these ABC transporter genes and five xenobiotic-metabolizing enzyme genes (CYP1A, GSTm, GSTp1, GCLC, and UGT1a) were determined in the rare minnow liver after 12 days of pyrene exposure. Basal expression analysis showed that the tissues with high expression of the ABC transporters included the liver, kidney, and intestine. Moreover, the most highly expressed of the ABC genes were ABCB1 and ABCC2 in all eight of the tissues tested. The ABCB11 gene was almost exclusively expressed in the liver of the rare minnow, whereas ABCC1 and ABCG2 showed weak expression in all eight tissues compared to ABCB1 and ABCC2. Our results provide the first thorough examination of the expression patterns of toxicologically relevant ABC transporters in the rare minnow and serve as a necessary basis for further studies of these ABC transporters in fish. Furthermore, synergistic up-regulation of CYP1A, GSTp1, GCLC, UGT1a, and ABCC2 was observed in the rare minnow liver following pyrene exposure, while GSTm, ABCB1, ABCB11, ABCC1, and ABCG2 were not significantly affected (p ABC transporters by pyrene suggests a possible involvement and cooperation of these genes in the detoxification process in rare minnows. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Involvement of hepatic xenobiotic related genes in bromadiolone resistance in wild Norway rats, Rattus norvegicus (Berk.)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Markussen, Mette Drude; Heiberg, Ann-Charlotte; Alsbo, Carsten

    2007-01-01

    To examine the role of xenobiotic relevant genes in bromadiolone resistance in wild Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) we compared the constitutive liver gene expression and expression upon bromadiolone administration in bromadiolone resistant and anticoagulant susceptible female rats using a LNA...... expressed in resistant than susceptible rats upon bromadiolone exposure. To establish how bromadiolone affected xenobiotic gene expression in the two strains we compared bromadiolone expression profiles to saline profiles of both strains. Bromadiolone mediated significant up-regulation of Cyp2e1 and Cyp3a3...... expression in the resistant rats whereas the rodenticide conferred down-regulation of Cyp2e1, Cyp3a3 and Gpox1 and induction of Cyp2c12 expression in susceptible rats. Cyp2c13 and Cyp3a2 expression were markedly suppressed in both strains upon treatment. This suggests that xenobiotic relevant enzymes play...

  12. Understanding Regulation of Metabolism through Feasibility Analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nikerel, I.E.; Berkhout, J.; Hu, F.; Teusink, B.; Reinders, M.J.T.; De Ridder, D.

    2012-01-01

    Understanding cellular regulation of metabolism is a major challenge in systems biology. Thus far, the main assumption was that enzyme levels are key regulators in metabolic networks. However, regulation analysis recently showed that metabolism is rarely controlled via enzyme levels only, but

  13. Bile acid metabolism and signaling in cholestasis, inflammation and cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apte, Udayan

    2015-01-01

    Bile acids are synthesized from cholesterol in the liver. Some cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes play key roles in bile acid synthesis. Bile acids are physiological detergent molecules, so are highly cytotoxic. They undergo enterohepatic circulation and play important roles in generating bile flow and facilitating biliary secretion of endogenous metabolites and xenobiotics and intestinal absorption of dietary fats and lipid soluble vitamins. Bile acid synthesis, transport and pool size are therefore tightly regulated under physiological conditions. In cholestasis, impaired bile flow leads to accumulation of bile acids in the liver, causing hepatocyte and biliary injury and inflammation. Chronic cholestasis is associated with fibrosis, cirrhosis and eventually liver failure. Chronic cholestasis also increases the risk of developing hepatocellular or cholangiocellular carcinomas. Extensive research in the last two decades has shown that bile acids act as signaling molecules that regulate various cellular processes. The bile acid-activated nuclear receptors are ligand-activated transcriptional factors that play critical roles in the regulation of bile acid, drug and xenobiotic metabolism. In cholestasis, these bile acid-activated receptors regulate a network of genes involved in bile acid synthesis, conjugation, transport and metabolism to alleviate bile acid-induced inflammation and injury. Additionally, bile acids are known to regulate cell growth and proliferation, and altered bile acid levels in diseased conditions have been implicated in liver injury/regeneration and tumorigenesis. We will cover the mechanisms that regulate bile acid homeostasis and detoxification during cholestasis, and the roles of bile acids in the initiation and regulation of hepatic inflammation, regeneration and carcinogenesis. PMID:26233910

  14. Prediction of bacterial growth on xenobiotics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brock, Andreas Libonati; Kästner, Matthias; Trapp, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    to attain predictions closer to the experimentally observed yields [3]. However, this knowledge is seldom known for xenobiotics in the environment but is needed to assess the turnover leading to biomass production, i.e. for sludge production or biogenic residues. The objectives of the present study were...... method, we evaluated it with both simple substrates (e.g. acetate, methanol, and glyoxylate) and xenobiotics (e.g 2,4-D, linuron, carbofuran, carbon tetrachloride, and toluene). Experimental data for the simple substrates were taken from [4], for xenobiotics from [6] and own experimental data. For simple...... substrates, our approach predicts yields close to experimental values and also for xenobiotics the yield predictions for most of the compounds are close to the experimentally obtained values.Overall, with our method we were able to obtain yield predictions close to experimental values with a minimum of input...

  15. Xenobiotic metabolism capacities of human skin in comparison with a 3D-epidermis model and keratinocyte-based cell culture as in vitro alternatives for chemical testing: phase II enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Götz, Christine; Pfeiffer, Roland; Tigges, Julia; Ruwiedel, Karsten; Hübenthal, Ulrike; Merk, Hans F; Krutmann, Jean; Edwards, Robert J; Abel, Josef; Pease, Camilla; Goebel, Carsten; Hewitt, Nicola; Fritsche, Ellen

    2012-05-01

    The 7th Amendment to the EU Cosmetics Directive prohibits the use of animals in cosmetic testing for certain endpoints, such as genotoxicity. Therefore, skin in vitro models have to replace chemical testing in vivo. However, the metabolic competence neither of human skin nor of alternative in vitro models has so far been fully characterized, although skin is the first-pass organ for accidentally or purposely (cosmetics and pharmaceuticals) applied chemicals. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand the xenobiotic-metabolizing capacities of human skin and to compare these activities to models developed to replace animal testing. We have measured the activity of the phase II enzymes glutathione S-transferase, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase and N-acetyltransferase in ex vivo human skin, the 3D epidermal model EpiDerm 200 (EPI-200), immortalized keratinocyte-based cell lines (HaCaT and NCTC 2544) and primary normal human epidermal keratinocytes. We show that all three phase II enzymes are present and highly active in skin as compared to phase I. Human skin, therefore, represents a more detoxifying than activating organ. This work systematically compares the activities of three important phase II enzymes in four different in vitro models directly to human skin. We conclude from our studies that 3D epidermal models, like the EPI-200 employed here, are superior over monolayer cultures in mimicking human skin xenobiotic metabolism and thus better suited for dermatotoxicity testing. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  16. Xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in the skin of rat, mouse, pig, guinea pig, man, and in human skin models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oesch, F; Fabian, E; Guth, K; Landsiedel, R

    2014-12-01

    The exposure of the skin to medical drugs, skin care products, cosmetics, and other chemicals renders information on xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes (XME) in the skin highly interesting. Since the use of freshly excised human skin for experimental investigations meets with ethical and practical limitations, information on XME in models comes in the focus including non-human mammalian species and in vitro skin models. This review attempts to summarize the information available in the open scientific literature on XME in the skin of human, rat, mouse, guinea pig, and pig as well as human primary skin cells, human cell lines, and reconstructed human skin models. The most salient outcome is that much more research on cutaneous XME is needed for solid metabolism-dependent efficacy and safety predictions, and the cutaneous metabolism comparisons have to be viewed with caution. Keeping this fully in mind at least with respect to some cutaneous XME, some models may tentatively be considered to approximate reasonable closeness to human skin. For dermal absorption and for skin irritation among many contributing XME, esterase activity is of special importance, which in pig skin, some human cell lines, and reconstructed skin models appears reasonably close to human skin. With respect to genotoxicity and sensitization, activating XME are not yet judgeable, but reactive metabolite-reducing XME in primary human keratinocytes and several reconstructed human skin models appear reasonably close to human skin. For a more detailed delineation and discussion of the severe limitations see the "Overview and Conclusions" section in the end of this review.

  17. The liver in regulation of iron homeostasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rishi, Gautam; Subramaniam, V Nathan

    2017-09-01

    The liver is one of the largest and most functionally diverse organs in the human body. In addition to roles in detoxification of xenobiotics, digestion, synthesis of important plasma proteins, gluconeogenesis, lipid metabolism, and storage, the liver also plays a significant role in iron homeostasis. Apart from being the storage site for excess body iron, it also plays a vital role in regulating the amount of iron released into the blood by enterocytes and macrophages. Since iron is essential for many important physiological and molecular processes, it increases the importance of liver in the proper functioning of the body's metabolism. This hepatic iron-regulatory function can be attributed to the expression of many liver-specific or liver-enriched proteins, all of which play an important role in the regulation of iron homeostasis. This review focuses on these proteins and their known roles in the regulation of body iron metabolism. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  18. Cadmium, cobalt and lead cause stress response, cell cycle deregulation and increased steroid as well as xenobiotic metabolism in primary normal human bronchial epithelial cells which is coordinated by at least nine transcription factors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glahn, Felix; Wiese, Jan; Foth, Heidi [Martin-Luther-University, Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Environmental Toxicology, Halle/Saale (Germany); Schmidt-Heck, Wolfgang; Guthke, Reinhard [Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knoell Institute, Jena (Germany); Zellmer, Sebastian; Gebhardt, Rolf [University of Leipzig, Institute of Biochemistry, Medical Faculty, Leipzig (Germany); Golka, Klaus; Degen, Gisela H.; Hermes, Matthias; Schormann, Wiebke; Brulport, Marc; Bauer, Alexander; Bedawy, Essam [IfADo, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund (Germany); Hergenroeder, Roland [ISAS, Institute for Analytical Sciences, Dortmund (Germany); Lehmann, Thomas [Translational Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Leipzig (Germany); Hengstler, Jan G. [IfADo, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund (Germany)

    2008-08-15

    Workers occupationally exposed to cadmium, cobalt and lead have been reported to have increased levels of DNA damage. To analyze whether in vivo relevant concentrations of heavy metals cause systematic alterations in RNA expression patterns, we performed a gene array study using primary normal human bronchial epithelial cells. Cells were incubated with 15{mu}g/l Cd(II), 25{mu}g/l Co(II) and 550{mu}g/l Pb(II) either with individual substances or in combination. Differentially expressed genes were filtered out and used to identify enriched GO categories as well as KEGG pathways and to identify transcription factors whose binding sites are enriched in a given set of promoters. Interestingly, combined exposure to Cd(II), Co(II) and Pb(II) caused a coordinated response of at least seven stress response-related transcription factors, namely Oct-1, HIC1, TGIF, CREB, ATF4, SRF and YY1. A stress response was further corroborated by up regulation of genes involved in glutathione metabolism. A second major response to heavy metal exposure was deregulation of the cell cycle as evidenced by down regulation of the transcription factors ELK-1 and the Ets transcription factor GABP, as well as deregulation of genes involved in purine and pyrimidine metabolism. A third and surprising response was up regulation of genes involved in steroid metabolism, whereby promoter analysis identified up regulation of SRY that is known to play a role in sex determination. A forth response was up regulation of xenobiotic metabolising enzymes, particularly of dihydrodiol dehydrogenases 1 and 2 (AKR1C1, AKR1C2). Incubations with individual heavy metals showed that the response of AKR1C1 and AKR1C2 was predominantly caused by lead. In conclusion, we have shown that in vivo relevant concentrations of Cd(II), Co(II) and Pb(II) cause a complex and coordinated response in normal human bronchial epithelial cells. This study gives an overview of the most responsive genes. (orig.)

  19. [Aging and metabolism: changes and regulation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz, Genaro Gabriel; Arias-Merino, Elva D; Velázquez-Brizuela, Irma E; Pacheco-Moisés, Fermín P; Flores-Alvarado, Luis J; Torres-Sánchez, Erandis D; Cortés-Enríquez, Fernando; González-Renovato, Erika D; Ortiz-Velázquez, Irma G

    2012-09-01

    Studies about the effects of aging in the physiology and metabolism are increasingly, one of its objectives is to help implement programs to improve the quality of life and prevent disability in elderly. It is relevant to mention that, during aging, there is a natural metabolic deceleration, a series of changes in the regulation of energy are produced, which contributes to loss of weight and fat; the changes in the regulation of caloric intake contribute to increase the susceptibility to energy imbalance both positive and negative, which is associated with a deterioration in health. However, to grow old, is not a death sentence for metabolism, on the other hand, it can be controlled by maintaining an active lifestyle, coupled with this, research has shown that the metabolism'can be regulated by a synchronized clock (circadian rhythms), which is mediated by regulatory proteins, this relationship ensures the proper functioning of the cells and therefore good health. The aim of this review is to provide updated information on the energy- metabolism-regulation and its relationship with the great variety of components involved in energy expenditure that accompany aging, to analyze the regulation of this system to improve the quality of life and maintenance of health in old age.

  20. [Study of enzymes of xenobiotic metabolism in the evaluation of quality of protein-containing wheat germ flakes and wallpaper flour].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinchuk, A N; E En Gyn; Safronova, A M; Peskova, E V

    1991-01-01

    Intake of wheat upholstery meal by growing rats was attended by a sharp decrease in the content and activity of xenobiotic metabolism enzymes in the hepatic microsomes, that was caused by the low biological value of the meal proteins. Hepatic microsomes of the rats that were fed with wheat germ flakes showed increased specific content of cytochromes P-450 and b5, but the total blood protein content per 100 g of body mass was lower than during casein consumption. No significant changes were detected in hydroxylation rate of benz(a)pyrene, aniline and ethylmorphine. During consumption of wheat germ flakes induction of UDP-glucuronide-transferase was detected in hepatic microsomes. Wheat germ flakes induced a 5-fold increase of Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity. Wheat germ flakes produced no significant effect on glutathione-S-aryltransferase and glutathione reductase activity.

  1. Molecular, cellular, and tissue impact of depleted uranium on xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gueguen, Yann; Rouas, Caroline; Monin, Audrey; Manens, Line; Stefani, Johanna; Delissen, Olivia; Grison, Stéphane; Dublineau, Isabelle

    2014-02-01

    Enzymes that metabolize xenobiotics (XME) are well recognized in experimental models as representative indicators of organ detoxification functions and of exposure to toxicants. As several in vivo studies have shown, uranium can alter XME in the rat liver or kidneys after either acute or chronic exposure. To determine how length or level of exposure affects these changes in XME, we continued our investigation of chronic rat exposure to depleted uranium (DU, uranyl nitrate). The first study examined the effect of duration (1-18 months) of chronic exposure to DU, the second evaluated dose dependence, from a level close to that found in the environment near mining sites (0.2 mg/L) to a supra-environmental dose (120 mg/L, 10 times the highest level naturally found in the environment), and the third was an in vitro assessment of whether DU exposure directly affects XME and, in particular, CYP3A. The experimental in vivo models used here demonstrated that CYP3A is the enzyme modified to the greatest extent: high gene expression changed after 6 and 9 months. The most substantial effects were observed in the liver of rats after 9 months of exposure to 120 mg/L of DU: CYP3A gene and protein expression and enzyme activity all decreased by more than 40 %. Nonetheless, no direct effect of DU by itself was observed after in vitro exposure of rat microsomal preparations, HepG2 cells, or human primary hepatocytes. Overall, these results probably indicate the occurrence of regulatory or adaptive mechanisms that could explain the indirect effect observed in vivo after chronic exposure.

  2. Multiple resistance to carcinogens and xenobiotics: P-glycoproteins as universal detoxifiers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Efferth, Thomas; Volm, Manfred

    2017-07-01

    The detoxification of toxic substances is of general relevance in all biological systems. The plethora of exogenous xenobiotic compounds and endogenous toxic metabolic products explains the evolutionary pressure of all organisms to develop molecular mechanisms to detoxify and excrete harmful substances from the body. P-glycoprotein and other members of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family extrude innumerous chemical compounds out of cells. Their specific expression in diverse biological contexts cause different phenotypes: (1) multidrug resistance (MDR) and thus failure of cancer chemotherapy, (2) avoidance of accumulation of carcinogens and prevention of carcinogenesis in healthy tissues, (3) absorption, distribution, metabolization and excretion (ADME) of pharmacological drugs in human patients, (4) protection from environmental toxins in aquatic organisms (multi-xenobiotic resistance, MXR). Hence ABC-transporters may have opposing effects for organismic health reaching from harmful in MDR of tumors to beneficial for maintenance of health in MXR. While their inhibition by specific inhibitors may improve treatment success in oncology and avoid carcinogenesis, blocking of ABC-transporter-driven efflux by environmental pollutants leads to ecotoxicological consequences in marine biotopes. Poisoned seafood may enter the food-chain and cause intoxications in human beings. As exemplified with ABC-transporters, joining forces in interdisciplinary research may, therefore, be a wise strategy to fight problems in human medicine and environmental sciences.

  3. Functional proteomic analysis of corticosteroid pharmacodynamics in rat liver: Relationship to hepatic stress, signaling, energy regulation, and drug metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayyar, Vivaswath S; Almon, Richard R; DuBois, Debra C; Sukumaran, Siddharth; Qu, Jun; Jusko, William J

    2017-05-08

    Corticosteroids (CS) are anti-inflammatory agents that cause extensive pharmacogenomic and proteomic changes in multiple tissues. An understanding of the proteome-wide effects of CS in liver and its relationships to altered hepatic and systemic physiology remains incomplete. Here, we report the application of a functional pharmacoproteomic approach to gain integrated insight into the complex nature of CS responses in liver in vivo. An in-depth functional analysis was performed using rich pharmacodynamic (temporal-based) proteomic data measured over 66h in rat liver following a single dose of methylprednisolone (MPL). Data mining identified 451 differentially regulated proteins. These proteins were analyzed on the basis of temporal regulation, cellular localization, and literature-mined functional information. Of the 451 proteins, 378 were clustered into six functional groups based on major clinically-relevant effects of CS in liver. MPL-responsive proteins were highly localized in the mitochondria (20%) and cytosol (24%). Interestingly, several proteins were related to hepatic stress and signaling processes, which appear to be involved in secondary signaling cascades and in protecting the liver from CS-induced oxidative damage. Consistent with known adverse metabolic effects of CS, several rate-controlling enzymes involved in amino acid metabolism, gluconeogenesis, and fatty-acid metabolism were altered by MPL. In addition, proteins involved in the metabolism of endogenous compounds, xenobiotics, and therapeutic drugs including cytochrome P450 and Phase-II enzymes were differentially regulated. Proteins related to the inflammatory acute-phase response were up-regulated in response to MPL. Functionally-similar proteins showed large diversity in their temporal profiles, indicating complex mechanisms of regulation by CS. Clinical use of corticosteroid (CS) therapy is frequent and chronic. However, current knowledge on the proteome-level effects of CS in liver and

  4. Metabolic-flux dependent regulation of microbial physiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Litsios, Athanasios; Ortega, Álvaro D; Wit, Ernst C; Heinemann, Matthias

    2018-04-01

    According to the most prevalent notion, changes in cellular physiology primarily occur in response to altered environmental conditions. Yet, recent studies have shown that changes in metabolic fluxes can also trigger phenotypic changes even when environmental conditions are unchanged. This suggests that cells have mechanisms in place to assess the magnitude of metabolic fluxes, that is, the rate of metabolic reactions, and use this information to regulate their physiology. In this review, we describe recent evidence for metabolic flux-sensing and flux-dependent regulation. Furthermore, we discuss how such sensing and regulation can be mechanistically achieved and present a set of new candidates for flux-signaling metabolites. Similar to metabolic-flux sensing, we argue that cells can also sense protein translation flux. Finally, we elaborate on the advantages that flux-based regulation can confer to cells. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  5. Understanding Regulation of Metabolism through Feasibility Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikerel, Emrah; Berkhout, Jan; Hu, Fengyuan; Teusink, Bas; Reinders, Marcel J. T.; de Ridder, Dick

    2012-01-01

    Understanding cellular regulation of metabolism is a major challenge in systems biology. Thus far, the main assumption was that enzyme levels are key regulators in metabolic networks. However, regulation analysis recently showed that metabolism is rarely controlled via enzyme levels only, but through non-obvious combinations of hierarchical (gene and enzyme levels) and metabolic regulation (mass action and allosteric interaction). Quantitative analyses relating changes in metabolic fluxes to changes in transcript or protein levels have revealed a remarkable lack of understanding of the regulation of these networks. We study metabolic regulation via feasibility analysis (FA). Inspired by the constraint-based approach of Flux Balance Analysis, FA incorporates a model describing kinetic interactions between molecules. We enlarge the portfolio of objectives for the cell by defining three main physiologically relevant objectives for the cell: function, robustness and temporal responsiveness. We postulate that the cell assumes one or a combination of these objectives and search for enzyme levels necessary to achieve this. We call the subspace of feasible enzyme levels the feasible enzyme space. Once this space is constructed, we can study how different objectives may (if possible) be combined, or evaluate the conditions at which the cells are faced with a trade-off among those. We apply FA to the experimental scenario of long-term carbon limited chemostat cultivation of yeast cells, studying how metabolism evolves optimally. Cells employ a mixed strategy composed of increasing enzyme levels for glucose uptake and hexokinase and decreasing levels of the remaining enzymes. This trade-off renders the cells specialized in this low-carbon flux state to compete for the available glucose and get rid of over-overcapacity. Overall, we show that FA is a powerful tool for systems biologists to study regulation of metabolism, interpret experimental data and evaluate hypotheses. PMID

  6. Differences in the expression of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes between islets derived from the ventral and dorsal anlage of the pancreas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Standop, Jens; Ulrich, Alexis B; Schneider, Matthias B; Büchler, Markus W; Pour, Parviz M

    2002-01-01

    Chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer have been linked to the exposure of environmental chemicals (xenobiotics), which generally require metabolic activation to highly reactive toxic or carcinogenic intermediates. The primary enzyme system involved is made up of numerous cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenases (CYP). Glutathione S-transferases (GST) belong to the enzyme systems that catalyze the conjugation of the reactive intermediates produced by CYPs to less toxic or readily excretable metabolites. Because the majority of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancers develop in the organ's head, we compared the expression of selected CYP and GST enzymes between the tissues deriving from the ventral anlage (head) and dorsal anlage (corpus, tail). A total of 20 normal pancreatic tissue specimen from organ donors and early autopsy cases were processed immunohistochemically by using antibodies to CYP 1A1, 1A2, 2B6, 2C8/9/19, 2D6, 2E1, 3A1, 3A2 and 3A4, GST-alpha, GST-mu and GST-pi, and the NADPH cytochrome P450 oxido-reductase (NA-OR), the specificity of which has been verified in our previous study by Western blot and RT-PCR analyses. In all pancreatic regions, most of the enzymes were expressed in islet cells. However, more islets in the head region expressed CYP 2B6, 2C8/9/19, 2E1 and the NA-OR, than those in the body and tail. Moreover, the expression of CYP 2B6 and 2E1 was restricted to the pancreatic polypeptide (PP) cells, and the concentration of CYP 3A1 and 3A4 was stronger in PP cells than in other islet cells. On the other hand, GST-mu and GST-pi were expressed primarily in islet cells of the body and tail. The greater content of xenobiotic-metabolizing and carcinogen-activating CYP enzymes and a lower expression of detoxifying GST enzymes in the head of the pancreas could be one reason for the greater susceptibility of this region for inflammatory and malignant diseases. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel and IAP

  7. Role of Free Radicals, Oxidative Stress and Xenobiotics in Carcinogenesis by Environmental Pollutants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dibyajyoti Saha

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Carcinogenesis by many small molecular weight chemicals involves either a direct action of the chemical on cellular DNA or metabolism of the parent chemical to an active or ultimate form, which can than react with cellular DNA to produce a permanent chemical change in a DNA structure. A free radical is an atom or molecule that has one or more unpaired electron(s. These are highly reactive species capable of wide spread, indiscriminate oxidation and per oxidation of proteins, lipids and DNA which can lead to significant cellular damage and even tissue and/or organ failure. . Oxidative stress is a leading cause to damage cells by oxidation. The rate at which oxidative damage is induced (input and the rate at which it is efficiently repaired and removed (output. Xenobiotics are a compound that is foreign to the body. Xenobiotics can produce a variety of biological effects, including pharmacologic responses, toxicity, genes, immunologic reactions and cancer. Oxidative stress is a leading cause to damage cells by oxidation. The rate at which oxidative damage is induced (input and the rate at which it is efficiently repaired and removed (output. This communication highlights the role of carcinogens as environmental pollutants with the possible mechanism of free radicals, oxidative stress and xenobiotics.

  8. Phase I and phase II reductive metabolism simulation of nitro aromatic xenobiotics with electrochemistry coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bussy, Ugo; Chung-Davidson, Yu-Wen; Li, Ke; Li, Weiming

    2014-11-01

    Electrochemistry combined with (liquid chromatography) high resolution mass spectrometry was used to simulate the general reductive metabolism of three biologically important nitro aromatic molecules: 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), niclosamide, and nilutamide. TFM is a pesticide used in the Laurential Great Lakes while niclosamide and nilutamide are used in cancer therapy. At first, a flow-through electrochemical cell was directly connected to a high resolution mass spectrometer to evaluate the ability of electrochemistry to produce the main reduction metabolites of nitro aromatic, nitroso, hydroxylamine, and amine functional groups. Electrochemical experiments were then carried out at a constant potential of -2.5 V before analysis of the reduction products by LC-HRMS, which confirmed the presence of the nitroso, hydroxylamine, and amine species as well as dimers. Dimer identification illustrates the reactivity of the nitroso species with amine and hydroxylamine species. To investigate xenobiotic metabolism, the reactivity of nitroso species to biomolecules was also examined. Binding of the nitroso metabolite to glutathione was demonstrated by the observation of adducts by LC-ESI(+)-HRMS and the characteristics of their MSMS fragmentation. In conclusion, electrochemistry produces the main reductive metabolites of nitro aromatics and supports the observation of nitroso reactivity through dimer or glutathione adduct formation.

  9. Metabolic Regulation of a Bacterial Cell System with Emphasis on Escherichia coli Metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimizu, Kazuyuki

    2013-01-01

    It is quite important to understand the overall metabolic regulation mechanism of bacterial cells such as Escherichia coli from both science (such as biochemistry) and engineering (such as metabolic engineering) points of view. Here, an attempt was made to clarify the overall metabolic regulation mechanism by focusing on the roles of global regulators which detect the culture or growth condition and manipulate a set of metabolic pathways by modulating the related gene expressions. For this, it was considered how the cell responds to a variety of culture environments such as carbon (catabolite regulation), nitrogen, and phosphate limitations, as well as the effects of oxygen level, pH (acid shock), temperature (heat shock), and nutrient starvation. PMID:25937963

  10. Regulation of metabolic networks by small molecule metabolites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kanehisa Minoru

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The ability to regulate metabolism is a fundamental process in living systems. We present an analysis of one of the mechanisms by which metabolic regulation occurs: enzyme inhibition and activation by small molecules. We look at the network properties of this regulatory system and the relationship between the chemical properties of regulatory molecules. Results We find that many features of the regulatory network, such as the degree and clustering coefficient, closely match those of the underlying metabolic network. While these global features are conserved across several organisms, we do find local differences between regulation in E. coli and H. sapiens which reflect their different lifestyles. Chemical structure appears to play an important role in determining a compounds suitability for use in regulation. Chemical structure also often determines how groups of similar compounds can regulate sets of enzymes. These groups of compounds and the enzymes they regulate form modules that mirror the modules and pathways of the underlying metabolic network. We also show how knowledge of chemical structure and regulation could be used to predict regulatory interactions for drugs. Conclusion The metabolic regulatory network shares many of the global properties of the metabolic network, but often varies at the level of individual compounds. Chemical structure is a key determinant in deciding how a compound is used in regulation and for defining modules within the regulatory system.

  11. Polymorphisms in xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and diet influence colorectal adenoma risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Northwood, Emma L; Elliott, Faye; Forman, David; Barrett, Jennifer H; Wilkie, Murray J V; Carey, Francis A; Steele, Robert J C; Wolf, Roland; Bishop, Timothy; Smith, Gillian

    2010-05-01

    We have earlier shown that diet and xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme genotypes influence colorectal cancer risk, and now investigate whether similar associations are seen in patients with premalignant colorectal adenomas (CRA), recruited during the pilot phase of the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme. Nineteen polymorphisms in 13 genes [cytochrome P450 (P450), glutathione S-transferase (GST), N-acetyl transferase, quinone reductase (NQ01) and microsomal epoxide hydrolase (EPHX1) genes] were genotyped using multiplex PCR or Taqman-based allelic discrimination assays and analyzed in conjunction with diet, assessed by food frequency questionnaire, in a case-control study [317 CRA cases (308 cases genotyped), 296 controls]. Findings significant at a nominal 5% level are reported. CRA risk was inversely associated with fruit (P=0.02, test for trend) and vegetable (P=0.001, test for trend) consumption. P450 CYP2C9*3 heterozygotes had reduced CRA risk compared with homozygotes for the reference allele [odds ratio (OR): 0.60; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.36-0.99], whereas CYP2D6*4 homozygotes (OR: 2.72; 95% CI: 1.18-6.27) and GSTM1 'null' individuals (OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.04-1.98) were at increased risk. The protective effect of fruit consumption was confined to GSTP1 (Ala114Val) reference allele homozygotes (OR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.34-0.71, P=0.03 for interaction). CRA risk was not associated with meat consumption, although a significant interaction between red meat consumption and EPHX1 (His139Arg) genotype was noted (P=0.02 for interaction). We report the novel associations between P450 genotype and CRA risk, and highlight the risk association with GSTM1 genotype, common to our CRA and cancer case-control series. In addition, we report a novel modifying influence of GSTP1 genotype on dietary chemoprevention. These novel findings require independent confirmation.

  12. Metabolism and interactions of pesticides in human and animal in vitro hepatic models

    OpenAIRE

    Abass, K. M. (Khaled M.)

    2010-01-01

    Abstract Risk assessment of chemicals needs reliable scientific information and one source of information is the characterization of the metabolic fate and toxicokinetics of a chemical. Metabolism is often the most important factor contributing to toxicokinetics. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are a superfamily of microsomal proteins playing a pivotal role in xenobiotic metabolism. In the present study, pesticides were used as representative xenobiotics since exposure to pesticides is ...

  13. Identification of the Consistently Altered Metabolic Targets in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nwosu, Zeribe Chike; Megger, Dominik Andre; Hammad, Seddik; Sitek, Barbara; Roessler, Stephanie; Ebert, Matthias Philip; Meyer, Christoph; Dooley, Steven

    2017-09-01

    Cancer cells rely on metabolic alterations to enhance proliferation and survival. Metabolic gene alterations that repeatedly occur in liver cancer are largely unknown. We aimed to identify metabolic genes that are consistently deregulated, and are of potential clinical significance in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We studied the expression of 2,761 metabolic genes in 8 microarray datasets comprising 521 human HCC tissues. Genes exclusively up-regulated or down-regulated in 6 or more datasets were defined as consistently deregulated. The consistent genes that correlated with tumor progression markers ( ECM2 and MMP9) (Pearson correlation P < .05) were used for Kaplan-Meier overall survival analysis in a patient cohort. We further compared proteomic expression of metabolic genes in 19 tumors vs adjacent normal liver tissues. We identified 634 consistent metabolic genes, ∼60% of which are not yet described in HCC. The down-regulated genes (n = 350) are mostly involved in physiologic hepatocyte metabolic functions (eg, xenobiotic, fatty acid, and amino acid metabolism). In contrast, among consistently up-regulated metabolic genes (n = 284) are those involved in glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, nucleotide biosynthesis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, proton transport, membrane lipid, and glycan metabolism. Several metabolic genes (n = 434) correlated with progression markers, and of these, 201 predicted overall survival outcome in the patient cohort analyzed. Over 90% of the metabolic targets significantly altered at the protein level were similarly up- or down-regulated as in genomic profile. We provide the first exposition of the consistently altered metabolic genes in HCC and show that these genes are potentially relevant targets for onward studies in preclinical and clinical contexts.

  14. Extent of cutaneous metabolism during percutaneous absorption of xenobiotics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bronaugh, R L; Stewart, R F; Storm, J E

    1989-07-01

    In vitro percutaneous absorption studies generally do not determine whether biotransformation occurs during passage of a substance through the skin. Since it has recently been demonstrated that several chemicals are metabolized during skin permeation, we investigated the metabolism of five additional compounds (14C-labeled) after application to fuzzy rat skin: caffeine, p,p'-DDT, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), salicylic acid, and acetyl ethyl tetramethyltetralin (AETT). The viability of skin was maintained with a tissue culture medium. Radioactivity of each substrate and any metabolites in skin and receptor fluid was measured so that the absorption and metabolism of water-insoluble compounds would be accurately determined. Percutaneous absorption ranged from a low of 13% of the applied dose for BHT to a high of 49% for DDT. BHT was metabolized in skin to 4-hydroxy-BHT and an unknown metabolite. Of the absorbed radioisotope, 6.6% was isolated in biotransformed products found mainly in the receptor fluid. AETT was also metabolized during absorption, with 1.9% of the absorbed radioisotope found in two unknown peaks. Caffeine, DDT, and salicylic acid were not metabolized during skin permeation. Skin and liver microsomal metabolism was measured for all compounds except DDT. Metabolism in skin was observed only for the compounds also biotransformed in the diffusion cell; BHT and AETT were metabolized at 113 and 2.5 pmol/min/mg protein, respectively. In this study, as in others, skin metabolism was substantially less than the corresponding metabolism in liver. Therefore, a low rate of liver metabolism such as that found for caffeine, salicylic acid, and DDT might often be predictive of the absence of measurable metabolism during skin permeation. It seems likely that for many compounds, the biotransformations in skin will be small in terms of the percentage of absorbed material that is metabolized. Nevertheless, with potent compounds, even small quantities of a metabolite

  15. Metabolic rate regulates L1 longevity in C. elegans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Inhwan Lee

    Full Text Available Animals have to cope with starvation. The molecular mechanisms by which animals survive long-term starvation, however, are not clearly understood. When they hatch without food, C. elegans arrests development at the first larval stage (L1 and survives more than two weeks. Here we show that the survival span of arrested L1s, which we call L1 longevity, is a starvation response regulated by metabolic rate during starvation. A high rate of metabolism shortens the L1 survival span, whereas a low rate of metabolism lengthens it. The longer worms are starved, the slower they grow once they are fed, suggesting that L1 arrest has metabolic costs. Furthermore, mutants of genes that regulate metabolism show altered L1 longevity. Among them, we found that AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK, as a key energy sensor, regulates L1 longevity by regulating this metabolic arrest. Our results suggest that L1 longevity is determined by metabolic rate and that AMPK as a master regulator of metabolism controls this arrest so that the animals survive long-term starvation.

  16. Antioxidant response elements: Discovery, classes, regulation and potential applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raghunath, Azhwar; Sundarraj, Kiruthika; Nagarajan, Raju; Arfuso, Frank; Bian, Jinsong; Kumar, Alan P; Sethi, Gautam; Perumal, Ekambaram

    2018-07-01

    Exposure to antioxidants and xenobiotics triggers the expression of a myriad of genes encoding antioxidant proteins, detoxifying enzymes, and xenobiotic transporters to offer protection against oxidative stress. This articulated universal mechanism is regulated through the cis-acting elements in an array of Nrf2 target genes called antioxidant response elements (AREs), which play a critical role in redox homeostasis. Though the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE system involves many players, AREs hold the key in transcriptional regulation of cytoprotective genes. ARE-mediated reporter constructs have been widely used, including xenobiotics profiling and Nrf2 activator screening. The complexity of AREs is brought by the presence of other regulatory elements within the AREs. The diversity in the ARE sequences not only bring regulatory selectivity of diverse transcription factors, but also confer functional complexity in the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway. The different transcription factors either homodimerize or heterodimerize to bind the AREs. Depending on the nature of partners, they may activate or suppress the transcription. Attention is required for deeper mechanistic understanding of ARE-mediated gene regulation. The computational methods of identification and analysis of AREs are still in their infancy. Investigations are required to know whether epigenetics mechanism plays a role in the regulation of genes mediated through AREs. The polymorphisms in the AREs leading to oxidative stress related diseases are warranted. A thorough understanding of AREs will pave the way for the development of therapeutic agents against cancer, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, metabolic and other diseases with oxidative stress. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. PERM Hypothesis: The Fundamental Machinery Able to Elucidate the Role of Xenobiotics and Hormesis in Cell Survival and Homeostasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salvatore Chirumbolo

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In this article the Proteasome, Endoplasmic Reticulum and Mitochondria (PERM hypothesis is discussed. The complex machinery made by three homeostatic mechanisms involving the proteasome (P, endoplasmic reticulum (ER and mitochondria (M is addressed in order to elucidate the beneficial role of many xenobiotics, either trace metals or phytochemicals, which are spread in the human environment and in dietary habits, exerting their actions on the mechanisms underlying cell survival (apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, DNA repair and turnover, autophagy and stress response. The “PERM hypothesis” suggests that xenobiotics can modulate this central signaling and the regulatory engine made fundamentally by the ER, mitochondria and proteasome, together with other ancillary components such as peroxisomes, by acting on the energetic balance, redox system and macromolecule turnover. In this context, reactive species and stressors are fundamentally signalling molecules that could act as negative-modulating signals if PERM-mediated control is offline, impaired or dysregulated, as occurs in metabolic syndrome, degenerative disorders, chronic inflammation and cancer. Calcium is an important oscillatory input of this regulation and, in this hypothesis, it might play a role in maintaining the correct rhythm of this PERM modulation, probably chaotic in its nature, and guiding cells to a more drastic decision, such as apoptosis. The commonest effort sustained by cells is to maintain their survival balance and the proterome has the fundamental task of supporting this mechanism. Mild stress is probably the main stimulus in this sense. Hormesis is therefore re-interpreted in the light of this hypothetical model and that experimental evidence arising from flavonoid and hormesis reasearch.

  18. Bile Acid Signaling in Metabolic Disease and Drug Therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Tiangang

    2014-01-01

    Bile acids are the end products of cholesterol catabolism. Hepatic bile acid synthesis accounts for a major fraction of daily cholesterol turnover in humans. Biliary secretion of bile acids generates bile flow and facilitates hepatobiliary secretion of lipids, lipophilic metabolites, and xenobiotics. In the intestine, bile acids are essential for the absorption, transport, and metabolism of dietary fats and lipid-soluble vitamins. Extensive research in the last 2 decades has unveiled new functions of bile acids as signaling molecules and metabolic integrators. The bile acid–activated nuclear receptors farnesoid X receptor, pregnane X receptor, constitutive androstane receptor, vitamin D receptor, and G protein–coupled bile acid receptor play critical roles in the regulation of lipid, glucose, and energy metabolism, inflammation, and drug metabolism and detoxification. Bile acid synthesis exhibits a strong diurnal rhythm, which is entrained by fasting and refeeding as well as nutrient status and plays an important role for maintaining metabolic homeostasis. Recent research revealed an interaction of liver bile acids and gut microbiota in the regulation of liver metabolism. Circadian disturbance and altered gut microbiota contribute to the pathogenesis of liver diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, and obesity. Bile acids and their derivatives are potential therapeutic agents for treating metabolic diseases of the liver. PMID:25073467

  19. Metabolic regulation of yeast

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiechter, A.

    1982-12-01

    Metabolic regulation which is based on endogeneous and exogeneous process variables which may act constantly or time dependently on the living cell is discussed. The observed phenomena of the regulation are the result of physical, chemical, and biological parameters. These parameters are identified. Ethanol is accumulated as an intermediate product and the synthesis of biomass is reduced. This regulatory effect of glucose is used for the aerobic production of ethanol. Very high production rates are thereby obtained. Understanding of the regulation mechanism of the glucose effect has improved. In addition to catabolite repression, several other mechanisms of enzyme regulation have been described, that are mostly governed by exogeneous factors. Glucose also affects the control of respiration in a third class of yeasts which are unable to make use of ethanol as a substrate for growth. This is due to the lack of any anaplerotic activity. As a consequence, diauxic growth behavior is reduced to a one-stage growth with a drastically reduced cell yield. The pulse chemostat technique, a systematic approach for medium design is developed and medium supplements that are essential for metabolic control are identified.

  20. NAD(P)H-dependent quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CYP450OR) differentially regulate menadione-mediated alterations in redox status, survival and metabolism in pancreatic β-cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Joshua P; Karandrea, Shpetim; Burgos, Delaine Zayasbazan; Jaiswal, Anil A; Heart, Emma A

    2016-11-16

    NQO1 (NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase 1) reduces quinones and xenobiotics to less-reactive compounds via 2-electron reduction, one feature responsible for the role of NQO1 in antioxidant defense in several tissues. In contrast, NADPH cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CYP450OR), catalyzes the 1-electron reduction of quinones and xenobiotics, resulting in enhanced superoxide formation. However, to date, the roles of NQO1 and CYP450OR in pancreatic β-cell metabolism under basal conditions and oxidant challenge have not been characterized. Using NQO1 inhibition, over-expression and knock out, we have demonstrated that, in addition to protection of β-cells from toxic concentrations of the redox cycling quinone menadione, NQO1 also regulates the basal level of reduced-to-oxidized nucleotides, suggesting other role(s) beside that of an antioxidant enzyme. In contrast, over-expression of NADPH cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CYP450OR) resulted in enhanced redox cycling activity and decreased cellular viability, consistent with the enhanced generation of superoxide and H 2 O 2 . Basal expression of NQO1 and CYP450OR was comparable in isolated islets and liver. However, NQO1, but not CYP450OR, was strongly induced in β-cells exposed to menadione. NQO1 and CYP450OR exhibited a reciprocal preference for reducing equivalents in β-cells: while CYP450OR preferentially utilized NADPH, NQO1 primarily utilized NADH. Together, these results demonstrate that NQO1 and CYP450OR reciprocally regulate oxidant metabolism in pancreatic β-cells. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Potential for anaerobic conversion of xenobiotics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mogensen, Anders Skibsted; Dolfing, J.; Haagensen, Frank

    2003-01-01

    This review covers the latest research on the anaerobic biodegradation of aromatic xenobiotic compounds, with emphasis on surfactants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalate esters, polychlorinated biphenyls, halogenated phenols, and pesticides. The versatility of anaerobic reactor systems...... regarding the treatment of xenobiotics is shown with the focus on the UASB reactor, but the applicability of other reactor designs for treatment of hazardous waste is also included. Bioaugmentation has proved to be a viable technique to enhance a specific activity in anaerobic reactors and recent research...

  2. Med1 subunit of the mediator complex in nuclear receptor-regulated energy metabolism, liver regeneration, and hepatocarcinogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Yuzhi; Viswakarma, Navin; Reddy, Janardan K

    2014-01-01

    Several nuclear receptors regulate diverse metabolic functions that impact on critical biological processes, such as development, differentiation, cellular regeneration, and neoplastic conversion. In the liver, some members of the nuclear receptor family, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), farnesoid X receptor (FXR), liver X receptor (LXR), pregnane X receptor (PXR), glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and others, regulate energy homeostasis, the formation and excretion of bile acids, and detoxification of xenobiotics. Excess energy burning resulting from increases in fatty acid oxidation systems in liver generates reactive oxygen species, and the resulting oxidative damage influences liver regeneration and liver tumor development. These nuclear receptors are important sensors of exogenous activators as well as receptor-specific endogenous ligands. In this regard, gene knockout mouse models revealed that some lipid-metabolizing enzymes generate PPARα-activating ligands, while others such as ACOX1 (fatty acyl-CoA oxidase1) inactivate these endogenous PPARα activators. In the absence of ACOX1, the unmetabolized ACOX1 substrates cause sustained activation of PPARα, and the resulting increase in energy burning leads to hepatocarcinogenesis. Ligand-activated nuclear receptors recruit the multisubunit Mediator complex for RNA polymerase II-dependent gene transcription. Evidence indicates that the Med1 subunit of the Mediator is essential for PPARα, PPARγ, CAR, and GR signaling in liver. Med1 null hepatocytes fail to respond to PPARα activators in that these cells do not show induction of peroxisome proliferation and increases in fatty acid oxidation enzymes. Med1-deficient hepatocytes show no increase in cell proliferation and do not give rise to liver tumors. Identification of nuclear receptor-specific coactivators and Mediator subunits should further our understanding of the complexities of metabolic

  3. Investigation of the role of the enzymes of xenobiotic metabolism in the resistance of insects to insecticides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leonova, I.N.; Nedel'kina, S.V.; Naumova, N.B.; Salganik, R.I.

    1986-01-01

    The activity of three enzyme systems of xenobiotic metabolism: cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases, nonspecific esterases, and glutathione S-transferases, was investigated on a sensitive strain (S) of the housefly M. domestica L. and strains resistant to tetrametrin (R/sub tetr/), permetrin (R/sub perm/), mecarbenyl (R/sub mec/), and chlorophos (R/sub chlor/). In the strains R/sub tetr/ and R/sub mec/, in comparison with strain S, an increase of 2.7 and 2.3-fold, respectively, in the activity of microsomal monooxygenases was observed. The position of the maxima of the CO-differential spectra of cytochrome P-450 in all the investigated resistant strains, with the exception of R/sub chlor/, is shifted by 1-2 nm in the shortwave direction. The activity of glutathione S-transferases in the strain R/sub tetr/ proved elevated in comparison with the strain S. The data of an investigation of the total esterase activity and the data of starch gel electrophoresis are evidence of quantitative and qualitative differences between the strains. For all the resistant strains except for R/sub mec/, supplementary zones of esterase activity appear. The data obtained are discussed in connection with the resistance of the insects to insecticides

  4. Opposing regulation of cytochrome P450 expression by CAR and PXR in hypothyroid mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Young Joo; Lee, Eun Kyung; Lee, Yoon Kwang; Park, Do Joon; Jang, Hak Chul; Moore, David D.

    2012-01-01

    Clinical hypothyroidism affects various metabolic processes including drug metabolism. CYP2B and CYP3A are important cytochrome P450 drug metabolizing enzymes that are regulated by the xenobiotic receptors constitutive androstane receptor (CAR, NR1I3) and pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2). We evaluated the regulation of the hepatic expression of CYPs by CAR and PXR in the hypothyroid state induced by a low-iodine diet containing 0.15% propylthiouracil. Expression of Cyp3a11 was suppressed in hypothyroid C57BL/6 wild type (WT) mice and a further decrement was observed in hypothyroid CAR −/− mice, but not in hypothyroid PXR −/− mice. In contrast, expression of Cyp2b10 was induced in both WT and PXR −/− hypothyroid mice, and this induction was abolished in CAR −/− mice and in and CAR −/− PXR −/− double knockouts. CAR mRNA expression was increased by hypothyroidism, while PXR expression remained unchanged. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a commonly used antiepileptic that is metabolized by CYP3A isoforms. After CBZ treatment of normal chow fed mice, serum CBZ levels were highest in CAR −/− mice and lowest in WT and PXR −/− mice. Hypothyroid WT or PXR −/− mice survived chronic CBZ treatment, but all hypothyroid CAR −/− and CAR −/− PXR −/− mice died, with CAR −/− PXR −/− mice surviving longer than CAR −/− mice (12.3 ± 3.3 days vs. 6.3 ± 2.1 days, p = 0.04). All these findings suggest that hypothyroid status affects xenobiotic metabolism, with opposing responses of CAR and PXR and their CYP targets that can cancel each other out, decreasing serious metabolic derangement in response to a xenobiotic challenge. -- Highlights: ► Hypothyroid status activates CAR in mice and induces Cyp2b10 expression. ► Hypothyroid status suppresses PXR activity in mice and represses Cyp3a11 expression. ► These responses balance each other out in normal mice. ► Hypothyroidism sensitizes CAR null mice to toxic effects of carbamazepine.

  5. Opposing regulation of cytochrome P450 expression by CAR and PXR in hypothyroid mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Young Joo [Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Eun Kyung [Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Yoon Kwang [Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030 (United States); Park, Do Joon; Jang, Hak Chul [Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine (Korea, Republic of); Moore, David D., E-mail: moore@bcm.edu [Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030 (United States)

    2012-09-01

    Clinical hypothyroidism affects various metabolic processes including drug metabolism. CYP2B and CYP3A are important cytochrome P450 drug metabolizing enzymes that are regulated by the xenobiotic receptors constitutive androstane receptor (CAR, NR1I3) and pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2). We evaluated the regulation of the hepatic expression of CYPs by CAR and PXR in the hypothyroid state induced by a low-iodine diet containing 0.15% propylthiouracil. Expression of Cyp3a11 was suppressed in hypothyroid C57BL/6 wild type (WT) mice and a further decrement was observed in hypothyroid CAR{sup −/−} mice, but not in hypothyroid PXR{sup −/−} mice. In contrast, expression of Cyp2b10 was induced in both WT and PXR{sup −/−} hypothyroid mice, and this induction was abolished in CAR{sup −/−} mice and in and CAR{sup −/−} PXR{sup −/−} double knockouts. CAR mRNA expression was increased by hypothyroidism, while PXR expression remained unchanged. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a commonly used antiepileptic that is metabolized by CYP3A isoforms. After CBZ treatment of normal chow fed mice, serum CBZ levels were highest in CAR{sup −/−} mice and lowest in WT and PXR{sup −/−} mice. Hypothyroid WT or PXR{sup −/−} mice survived chronic CBZ treatment, but all hypothyroid CAR{sup −/−} and CAR{sup −/−} PXR{sup −/−} mice died, with CAR{sup −/−}PXR{sup −/−} mice surviving longer than CAR{sup −/−} mice (12.3 ± 3.3 days vs. 6.3 ± 2.1 days, p = 0.04). All these findings suggest that hypothyroid status affects xenobiotic metabolism, with opposing responses of CAR and PXR and their CYP targets that can cancel each other out, decreasing serious metabolic derangement in response to a xenobiotic challenge. -- Highlights: ► Hypothyroid status activates CAR in mice and induces Cyp2b10 expression. ► Hypothyroid status suppresses PXR activity in mice and represses Cyp3a11 expression. ► These responses balance each other out in normal mice.

  6. Identification of the Consistently Altered Metabolic Targets in Human Hepatocellular CarcinomaSummary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeribe Chike Nwosu

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Background & Aims: Cancer cells rely on metabolic alterations to enhance proliferation and survival. Metabolic gene alterations that repeatedly occur in liver cancer are largely unknown. We aimed to identify metabolic genes that are consistently deregulated, and are of potential clinical significance in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. Methods: We studied the expression of 2,761 metabolic genes in 8 microarray datasets comprising 521 human HCC tissues. Genes exclusively up-regulated or down-regulated in 6 or more datasets were defined as consistently deregulated. The consistent genes that correlated with tumor progression markers (ECM2 and MMP9 (Pearson correlation P < .05 were used for Kaplan-Meier overall survival analysis in a patient cohort. We further compared proteomic expression of metabolic genes in 19 tumors vs adjacent normal liver tissues. Results: We identified 634 consistent metabolic genes, ∼60% of which are not yet described in HCC. The down-regulated genes (n = 350 are mostly involved in physiologic hepatocyte metabolic functions (eg, xenobiotic, fatty acid, and amino acid metabolism. In contrast, among consistently up-regulated metabolic genes (n = 284 are those involved in glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, nucleotide biosynthesis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, proton transport, membrane lipid, and glycan metabolism. Several metabolic genes (n = 434 correlated with progression markers, and of these, 201 predicted overall survival outcome in the patient cohort analyzed. Over 90% of the metabolic targets significantly altered at the protein level were similarly up- or down-regulated as in genomic profile. Conclusions: We provide the first exposition of the consistently altered metabolic genes in HCC and show that these genes are potentially relevant targets for onward studies in preclinical and clinical contexts. Keywords: Liver Cancer, HCC, Tumor Metabolism

  7. Antioxidant response elements: Discovery, classes, regulation and potential applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azhwar Raghunath

    2018-07-01

    Full Text Available Exposure to antioxidants and xenobiotics triggers the expression of a myriad of genes encoding antioxidant proteins, detoxifying enzymes, and xenobiotic transporters to offer protection against oxidative stress. This articulated universal mechanism is regulated through the cis-acting elements in an array of Nrf2 target genes called antioxidant response elements (AREs, which play a critical role in redox homeostasis. Though the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE system involves many players, AREs hold the key in transcriptional regulation of cytoprotective genes. ARE-mediated reporter constructs have been widely used, including xenobiotics profiling and Nrf2 activator screening. The complexity of AREs is brought by the presence of other regulatory elements within the AREs. The diversity in the ARE sequences not only bring regulatory selectivity of diverse transcription factors, but also confer functional complexity in the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway. The different transcription factors either homodimerize or heterodimerize to bind the AREs. Depending on the nature of partners, they may activate or suppress the transcription. Attention is required for deeper mechanistic understanding of ARE-mediated gene regulation. The computational methods of identification and analysis of AREs are still in their infancy. Investigations are required to know whether epigenetics mechanism plays a role in the regulation of genes mediated through AREs. The polymorphisms in the AREs leading to oxidative stress related diseases are warranted. A thorough understanding of AREs will pave the way for the development of therapeutic agents against cancer, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, metabolic and other diseases with oxidative stress. Keywords: Antioxidant response elements, Antioxidant genes, ARE-reporter constructs, ARE SNPs, Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway, Oxidative stress

  8. Modeling antibiotic and cytotoxic effects of the dimeric isoquinoline IQ-143 on metabolism and its regulation in Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and human cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background Xenobiotics represent an environmental stress and as such are a source for antibiotics, including the isoquinoline (IQ) compound IQ-143. Here, we demonstrate the utility of complementary analysis of both host and pathogen datasets in assessing bacterial adaptation to IQ-143, a synthetic analog of the novel type N,C-coupled naphthyl-isoquinoline alkaloid ancisheynine. Results Metabolite measurements, gene expression data and functional assays were combined with metabolic modeling to assess the effects of IQ-143 on Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and human cell lines, as a potential paradigm for novel antibiotics. Genome annotation and PCR validation identified novel enzymes in the primary metabolism of staphylococci. Gene expression response analysis and metabolic modeling demonstrated the adaptation of enzymes to IQ-143, including those not affected by significant gene expression changes. At lower concentrations, IQ-143 was bacteriostatic, and at higher concentrations bactericidal, while the analysis suggested that the mode of action was a direct interference in nucleotide and energy metabolism. Experiments in human cell lines supported the conclusions from pathway modeling and found that IQ-143 had low cytotoxicity. Conclusions The data suggest that IQ-143 is a promising lead compound for antibiotic therapy against staphylococci. The combination of gene expression and metabolite analyses with in silico modeling of metabolite pathways allowed us to study metabolic adaptations in detail and can be used for the evaluation of metabolic effects of other xenobiotics. PMID:21418624

  9. Lowbush wild blueberries have the potential to modify gut microbiota and xenobiotic metabolism in the rat colon.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alison Lacombe

    Full Text Available The gastrointestinal tract is populated by an array of microbial species that play an important role in metabolic and immune functions. The composition of microorganisms is influenced by the components of the host's diet and can impact health. In the present study, dietary enrichment of lowbush wild blueberries (LWB was examined to determine their effect on colon microbial composition and their potential in promoting gut health. The microbial composition and functional potential of the colon microbiota from Sprague Dawley rats fed control diets (AIN93 and LWB-enriched diets (AIN93+8% LWB powder substituting for dextrose for 6 weeks were assessed using Illumina shotgun sequencing and bioinformatics tools. Our analysis revealed an alteration in the relative abundance of 3 phyla and 22 genera as representing approximately 14 and 8% of all phyla and genera identified, respectively. The LWB-enriched diet resulted in a significant reduction in the relative abundance of the genera Lactobacillus and Enterococcus. In addition, hierarchal analysis revealed a significant increase in the relative abundance of the phylum Actinobacteria, the order Actinomycetales, and several novel genera under the family Bifidobacteriaceae and Coriobacteriaceae, in the LWB group. Functional annotation of the shotgun sequences suggested that approximately 9% of the 4709 Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG hits identified were impacted by the LWB-diet. Open Reading Frames (ORFs assigned to KEGG category xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism were significantly greater in the LWB-enriched diet compared to the control and included the pathway for benzoate degradation [PATH:ko00362] and glycosaminoglycan degradation [PATH:ko00531]. Moreover, the number of ORFs assigned to the bacterial invasion of epithelial cells [PATH:ko05100] pathway was approximately 8 fold lower in the LWB group compared to controls. This study demonstrated that LWBs have the potential to promote

  10. The effect of selected metals on the central metabolic pathways in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    compounds, interfere with xenobiotic metabolic pathways, and may also affect glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, protein amino acid metabolism as well as carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Therefore, in this review, we discuss the two phases of the central metabolic pathways, as well as how metals ...

  11. (Systemic) phototoxicity of drugs and other xenobiotics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beijersbergen van Henegouwen, G M

    1991-08-01

    Xenobiotics extensively used in drugs, cosmetics, food and agricultural chemicals can produce adverse biological effects. These toxic effects are separated into classes, e.g. hepatotoxicity, genotoxicity and neurotoxicity. Skin allergy, part of immunotoxicity, is also a subdivision of toxicology. When light is an essential condition for toxicity, the xenobiotic is called phototoxic. Thus it fits into the logic of toxicology that photoallergic compounds are a subdivision of phototoxic compounds. Phototoxicons as a group do not differ from the group of phototherapeutics with regard to their eventual biological effects. The primary photoreactions, secondary molecular processes, biomolecules involved and cellular and tissue damage are similar. The difference between the two groups is in the appreciation of the photobiological effects: adverse vs. desired. The aim of research is to determine the part of the molecular structure which makes a given compound phototoxic. With that knowledge the structure of the phototoxicon can be changed. This can result in a derivative which still has the desired properties of the parent compound, but is no longer phototoxic. This aim can be reached by combining data from both in vitro and in vivo research. The variety and number of phototoxic compounds is large. This, together with the limited research effort devoted to this subject so far, means that for most phototoxic xenobiotics a relationship between structure and in vivo photoreactivity is not available. In this review, emphasis is placed on xenobiotics whose in vitro and in vivo photochemistry have been studied. Furthermore, possible phototoxic effects which do not concern the skin but involve inner organs (systemic effects) are considered. References in this review mostly concern investigations over the last 10 years. For older literature or for additional information, references to other reviews are given. Important groups of phototoxic xenobiotics not dealt with in this article

  12. Improved xenobiotic metabolism and reduced susceptibility to cancer in gluten-sensitive macaques upon introduction of a gluten-free diet.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karol Sestak

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available A non-human primate (NHP model of gluten sensitivity was employed to study the gene perturbations associated with dietary gluten changes in small intestinal tissues from gluten-sensitive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta.Stages of remission and relapse were accomplished in gluten-sensitive animals by administration of gluten-free (GFD and gluten-containing (GD diets, as described previously. Pin-head-sized biopsies, obtained non-invasively by pediatric endoscope from duodenum while on GFD or GD, were used for preparation of total RNA and gene profiling, using the commercial Rhesus Macaque Microarray (Agilent Technologies,targeting expression of over 20,000 genes.When compared with normal healthy control, gluten-sensitive macaques showed differential gene expressions induced by GD. While observed gene perturbations were classified into one of 12 overlapping categories--cancer, metabolism, digestive tract function, immune response, cell growth, signal transduction, autoimmunity, detoxification of xenobiotics, apoptosis, actin-collagen deposition, neuronal and unknown function--this study focused on cancer-related gene networks such as cytochrome P450 family (detoxification function and actin-collagen-matrix metalloproteinases (MMP genes.A loss of detoxification function paralleled with necessity to metabolize carcinogens was revealed in gluten-sensitive animals while on GD. An increase in cancer-promoting factors and a simultaneous decrease in cancer-preventing factors associated with altered expression of actin-collagen-MMP gene network were noted. In addition, gluten-sensitive macaques showed reduced number of differentially expressed genes including the cancer-associated ones upon withdrawal of dietary gluten. Taken together, these findings indicate potentially expanded utility of gluten-sensitive rhesus macaques in cancer research.

  13. Host genes related to paneth cells and xenobiotic metabolism are associated with shifts in human ileum-associated microbial composition.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tianyi Zhang

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to integrate human clinical, genotype, mRNA microarray and 16 S rRNA sequence data collected on 84 subjects with ileal Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis or control patients without inflammatory bowel diseases in order to interrogate how host-microbial interactions are perturbed in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD. Ex-vivo ileal mucosal biopsies were collected from the disease unaffected proximal margin of the ileum resected from patients who were undergoing initial intestinal surgery. Both RNA and DNA were extracted from the mucosal biopsy samples. Patients were genotyped for the three major NOD2 variants (Leufs1007, R702W, and G908R and the ATG16L1T300A variant. Whole human genome mRNA expression profiles were generated using Agilent microarrays. Microbial composition profiles were determined by 454 pyrosequencing of the V3-V5 hypervariable region of the bacterial 16 S rRNA gene. The results of permutation based multivariate analysis of variance and covariance (MANCOVA support the hypothesis that host mucosal Paneth cell and xenobiotic metabolism genes play an important role in host microbial interactions.

  14. Addressing the Impact of Environmental Xenobiotics in Coal-Fired Flue Gas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cornelia A. Bulucea

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Dangerous and unstable situations can result from the presence of environmental xenobiotics since their harmful effects on humans and ecosystems are often unpredictable, and building awareness of the environmental risk should be a main concern of humankind. The environmental xenobiotics in the flue gas from a fossil fuel-fired electrical generating station, such as particulate matter (PM, sulfur dioxide (SO2, nitrogen oxides (NOx, and carbon dioxide (CO2, are analyzed in this study, since these xenobiotics are persistent pollutants. Mathematical models of the environmental pollutant vector, estimating the emission factors specific to fossil fuel combustion, are applied to the operation of thermal units in the Turceni electrical generating station, each of which produces a net electrical power of 330 MW. For each stack gas component in the pollutant vector, emission factors and pollutant concentrations are determined. A pattern is also examined depicting the mathematically modelled processes of resonant absorption of an environmental xenobiotic harmonic oscillation by an organism modulated as an absorbing oscillator structure. The xenobiotic concentration degree is represented through a spatial concentration vector, which allows further modelling and simulation of the oscillating regime of environmental xenobiotic absorption.

  15. Conservation and divergence of chemical defense system in the tunicate Oikopleura dioica revealed by genome wide response to two xenobiotics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yadetie Fekadu

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Animals have developed extensive mechanisms of response to xenobiotic chemical attacks. Although recent genome surveys have suggested a broad conservation of the chemical defensome across metazoans, global gene expression responses to xenobiotics have not been well investigated in most invertebrates. Here, we performed genome survey for key defensome genes in Oikopleura dioica genome, and explored genome-wide gene expression using high density tiling arrays with over 2 million probes, in response to two model xenobiotic chemicals - the carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon benzo[a]pyrene (BaP the pharmaceutical compound Clofibrate (Clo. Results Oikopleura genome surveys for key genes of the chemical defensome suggested a reduced repertoire. Not more than 23 cytochrome P450 (CYP genes could be identified, and neither CYP1 family genes nor their transcriptional activator AhR was detected. These two genes were present in deuterostome ancestors. As in vertebrates, the genotoxic compound BaP induced xenobiotic biotransformation and oxidative stress responsive genes. Notable exceptions were genes of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR signaling pathway. Clo also affected the expression of many biotransformation genes and markedly repressed genes involved in energy metabolism and muscle contraction pathways. Conclusions Oikopleura has the smallest number of CYP genes among sequenced animal genomes and lacks the AhR signaling pathway. However it appears to have basic xenobiotic inducible biotransformation genes such as a conserved genotoxic stress response gene set. Our genome survey and expression study does not support a role of AhR signaling pathway in the chemical defense of metazoans prior to the emergence of vertebrates.

  16. Two Horizontally Transferred Xenobiotic Resistance Gene Clusters Associated with Detoxification of Benzoxazolinones by Fusarium Species

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glenn, Anthony E.; Davis, C. Britton; Gao, Minglu; Gold, Scott E.; Mitchell, Trevor R.; Proctor, Robert H.; Stewart, Jane E.; Snook, Maurice E.

    2016-01-01

    Microbes encounter a broad spectrum of antimicrobial compounds in their environments and often possess metabolic strategies to detoxify such xenobiotics. We have previously shown that Fusarium verticillioides, a fungal pathogen of maize known for its production of fumonisin mycotoxins, possesses two unlinked loci, FDB1 and FDB2, necessary for detoxification of antimicrobial compounds produced by maize, including the γ-lactam 2-benzoxazolinone (BOA). In support of these earlier studies, microarray analysis of F. verticillioides exposed to BOA identified the induction of multiple genes at FDB1 and FDB2, indicating the loci consist of gene clusters. One of the FDB1 cluster genes encoded a protein having domain homology to the metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) superfamily. Deletion of this gene (MBL1) rendered F. verticillioides incapable of metabolizing BOA and thus unable to grow on BOA-amended media. Deletion of other FDB1 cluster genes, in particular AMD1 and DLH1, did not affect BOA degradation. Phylogenetic analyses and topology testing of the FDB1 and FDB2 cluster genes suggested two horizontal transfer events among fungi, one being transfer of FDB1 from Fusarium to Colletotrichum, and the second being transfer of the FDB2 cluster from Fusarium to Aspergillus. Together, the results suggest that plant-derived xenobiotics have exerted evolutionary pressure on these fungi, leading to horizontal transfer of genes that enhance fitness or virulence. PMID:26808652

  17. Regulation of trehalose metabolism in Saccharomyces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panek, A.D.; Costa-Carvalho, V.L.A.; Ortiz, C.H.D.; Dellamora-Ortiz, G.M.; Paschoalin, V.M.F.; Panek, A.C.

    1984-01-01

    The regulation of trehalose metabolism in Saccharomyces is studied by construction of mutants with specific lesions, cloning of genes involved in the regulation of trehalose synthase and of trehalase, as well as, isolation and purification of enzymes from the various mutants constructed. (M.A.C.) [pt

  18. Effects of tin-protoporphyrin administration on hepatic xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in the juvenile rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stout, D.L.; Becker, F.F.

    1988-01-01

    The heme analogue tin-protoporphyrin IX (SnP) is a potent inhibitor of microsomal heme oxygenase. Administration of SnP to neonatal rats can prevent hyperbilirubinemia by blocking the postnatal increase of heme oxygenase activity. Apparently innocuous at therapeutic doses, it is of potential clinical value for chemoprevention of neonatal jaundice. We found that when 50-g male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated daily with 50 mumol of SnP/kg sc for 6 days, hepatic microsomal cytochromes b5 and P-450 were significantly diminished. Cytochrome P-450 reductase, two P-450-dependent monooxygenases, aminopyrine demethylase and benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase, and catalase, a peroxisomal hemoprotein, were also significantly diminished. These results suggested that SnP might significantly affect the metabolism of other xenobiotics. This possibility was confirmed by the finding that hexobarbital-induced sleep lasted 4 times longer in SnP-treated rats than in controls. Inhibition of protein synthesis by SnP was ruled out as the cause of hemoprotein loss when administration of [ 3 H]leucine to SnP-treated and control rats demonstrated that proteins of the microsomal, cytosolic, and plasma membrane fractions of the livers from both groups incorporated similar levels of leucine. When 55 FeCl 3 and [2- 14 C]glycine were administered to measure heme synthesis, heme extract from the livers of SnP-treated rats contained 4 times more label from iron and glycine than did heme from control livers. Despite the apparent increased rate of heme synthesis in SnP-treated rats, each of the three cell fractions demonstrated a significant loss of heme but contained sizable amounts of SnP. These findings suggest that SnP causes a decrease of functional hemoprotein and partial loss of enzymic activity by displacing intracellular heme

  19. Regulation of Specialized Metabolism by WRKY Transcription Factors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schluttenhofer, Craig; Yuan, Ling

    2015-01-01

    WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are well known for regulating plant abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. However, much less is known about how WRKY TFs affect plant-specialized metabolism. Analysis of WRKY TFs regulating the production of specialized metabolites emphasizes the values of the family outside of traditionally accepted roles in stress tolerance. WRKYs with conserved roles across plant species seem to be essential in regulating specialized metabolism. Overall, the WRKY family plays an essential role in regulating the biosynthesis of important pharmaceutical, aromatherapy, biofuel, and industrial components, warranting considerable attention in the forthcoming years. PMID:25501946

  20. Oxidation and adduct formation of xenobiotics in a microfluidic electrochemical cell with boron doped diamond electrodes and an integrated passive gradient rotation mixer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Brink, Floris Teunis Gerardus; Wigger, Tina; Ma, Liwei; Odijk, Mathieu; Olthuis, Wouter; Karst, U.; van den Berg, Albert

    2016-01-01

    Reactive xenobiotic metabolites and their adduct formation with biomolecules such as proteins are important to study as they can be detrimental to human health. Here, we present a microfluidic electrochemical cell with integrated micromixer to study phase I and phase II metabolism as well as protein

  1. Endocrine disruptors induce cytochrome P450 by affecting transcriptional regulation via pregnane X receptor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mikamo, Eriko; Harada, Shingo; Nishikawa, Jun-ichi; Nishihara, Tsutomu

    2003-01-01

    Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a nuclear receptor that regulates the expression of genes for cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A), multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1), and organic anion-transporting peptide 2 (OATP2). These genes control the metabolism (CYP3A subfamily) and aspects of the pharmacokinetics (MDR1 and OATP2) of both endogenous and xenobiotic compounds. Since PXR is important in understanding the actions of endocrine disruptors (EDs), we determined the ability of suspected EDs to interact with PXR. In our study, 7 of 54 xenobiotics compounds interacted with PXR, including methoxychlor and benzophenone. All of the chemicals activated PXR in vitro and induced CYP3A mRNA in the male rat liver. In addition, CYP2C11 was also induced by some PXR agonists and converted methoxychlor into xenoestrogen. These findings suggest that some EDs affect sex hormone receptor indirectly by induction of metabolic enzyme via PXR, to produce rapidly higher concentrations of effective metabolites, leading to disturbance of the endocrine system

  2. Improved Xenobiotic Metabolism and Reduced Susceptibility to Cancer in Gluten-Sensitive Macaques upon Introduction of a Gluten-Free Diet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sestak, Karol; Conroy, Lauren; Aye, Pyone P.; Mehra, Smriti; Doxiadis, Gaby G.; Kaushal, Deepak

    2011-01-01

    Background A non-human primate (NHP) model of gluten sensitivity was employed to study the gene perturbations associated with dietary gluten changes in small intestinal tissues from gluten-sensitive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Methodology Stages of remission and relapse were accomplished in gluten-sensitive animals by administration of gluten-free (GFD) and gluten-containing (GD) diets, as described previously. Pin-head-sized biopsies, obtained non-invasively by pediatric endoscope from duodenum while on GFD or GD, were used for preparation of total RNA and gene profiling, using the commercial Rhesus Macaque Microarray (Agilent Technologies),targeting expression of over 20,000 genes. Principal Findings When compared with normal healthy control, gluten-sensitive macaques showed differential gene expressions induced by GD. While observed gene perturbations were classified into one of 12 overlapping categories - cancer, metabolism, digestive tract function, immune response, cell growth, signal transduction, autoimmunity, detoxification of xenobiotics, apoptosis, actin-collagen deposition, neuronal and unknown function - this study focused on cancer-related gene networks such as cytochrome P450 family (detoxification function) and actin-collagen-matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) genes. Conclusions/Significance A loss of detoxification function paralleled with necessity to metabolize carcinogens was revealed in gluten-sensitive animals while on GD. An increase in cancer-promoting factors and a simultaneous decrease in cancer-preventing factors associated with altered expression of actin-collagen-MMP gene network were noted. In addition, gluten-sensitive macaques showed reduced number of differentially expressed genes including the cancer-associated ones upon withdrawal of dietary gluten. Taken together, these findings indicate potentially expanded utility of gluten-sensitive rhesus macaques in cancer research. PMID:21533263

  3. A Liver-Centric Multiscale Modeling Framework for Xenobiotics.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James P Sluka

    Full Text Available We describe a multi-scale, liver-centric in silico modeling framework for acetaminophen pharmacology and metabolism. We focus on a computational model to characterize whole body uptake and clearance, liver transport and phase I and phase II metabolism. We do this by incorporating sub-models that span three scales; Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK modeling of acetaminophen uptake and distribution at the whole body level, cell and blood flow modeling at the tissue/organ level and metabolism at the sub-cellular level. We have used standard modeling modalities at each of the three scales. In particular, we have used the Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML to create both the whole-body and sub-cellular scales. Our modeling approach allows us to run the individual sub-models separately and allows us to easily exchange models at a particular scale without the need to extensively rework the sub-models at other scales. In addition, the use of SBML greatly facilitates the inclusion of biological annotations directly in the model code. The model was calibrated using human in vivo data for acetaminophen and its sulfate and glucuronate metabolites. We then carried out extensive parameter sensitivity studies including the pairwise interaction of parameters. We also simulated population variation of exposure and sensitivity to acetaminophen. Our modeling framework can be extended to the prediction of liver toxicity following acetaminophen overdose, or used as a general purpose pharmacokinetic model for xenobiotics.

  4. Pigs in Toxicology: Breed Differences in Metabolism and Background Findings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helke, Kristi L; Nelson, Keith N; Sargeant, Aaron M; Jacob, Binod; McKeag, Sean; Haruna, Julius; Vemireddi, Vimala; Greeley, Melanie; Brocksmith, Derek; Navratil, Nicole; Stricker-Krongrad, Alain; Hollinger, Charlotte

    2016-06-01

    Both a rodent and a nonrodent species are required for evaluation in nonclinical safety studies conducted to support human clinical trials. Historically, dogs and nonhuman primates have been the nonrodent species of choice. Swine, especially the miniature swine or minipigs, are increasingly being used in preclinical safety as an alternate nonrodent species. The pig is an appropriate option for these toxicology studies based on metabolic pathways utilized in xenobiotic biotransformation. Both similarities and differences exist in phase I and phase II biotransformation pathways between humans and pigs. There are numerous breeds of pigs, yet only a few of these breeds are characterized with regard to both xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes and background pathology findings. Some specific differences in these enzymes based on breed and sex are known. Although swine have been used extensively in biomedical research, there is also a paucity of information in the current literature detailing the incidence of background lesions and differences between commonly used breeds. Here, the xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes are compared between humans and pigs, and minipig background pathology changes are reviewed with emphasis on breed differences. © The Author(s) 2016.

  5. Pheromone-sensing neurons regulate peripheral lipid metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussey, Rosalind; Stieglitz, Jon; Mesgarzadeh, Jaleh; Locke, Tiffany T; Zhang, Ying K; Schroeder, Frank C; Srinivasan, Supriya

    2017-05-01

    It is now established that the central nervous system plays an important role in regulating whole body metabolism and energy balance. However, the extent to which sensory systems relay environmental information to modulate metabolic events in peripheral tissues has remained poorly understood. In addition, it has been challenging to map the molecular mechanisms underlying discrete sensory modalities with respect to their role in lipid metabolism. In previous work our lab has identified instructive roles for serotonin signaling as a surrogate for food availability, as well as oxygen sensing, in the control of whole body metabolism. In this study, we now identify a role for a pair of pheromone-sensing neurons in regulating fat metabolism in C. elegans, which has emerged as a tractable and highly informative model to study the neurobiology of metabolism. A genetic screen revealed that GPA-3, a member of the Gα family of G proteins, regulates body fat content in the intestine, the major metabolic organ for C. elegans. Genetic and reconstitution studies revealed that the potent body fat phenotype of gpa-3 null mutants is controlled from a pair of neurons called ADL(L/R). We show that cAMP functions as the second messenger in the ADL neurons, and regulates body fat stores via the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, from downstream neurons. We find that the pheromone ascr#3, which is detected by the ADL neurons, regulates body fat stores in a GPA-3-dependent manner. We define here a third sensory modality, pheromone sensing, as a major regulator of body fat metabolism. The pheromone ascr#3 is an indicator of population density, thus we hypothesize that pheromone sensing provides a salient 'denominator' to evaluate the amount of food available within a population and to accordingly adjust metabolic rate and body fat levels.

  6. [THE INCONSISTENCIES OF REGULATION OF METABOLISM IN PHYLOGENESIS AT THREE LEVELS OF "RELATIVE BIOLOGICAL PERFECTION": ETIOLOGY OF METABOLIC PANDEMICS].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Titov, V N

    2015-11-01

    The regulation of metabolism in vivo can be comprehended by considering stages of becoming inphylogenesis of humoral, hormonal, vegetative regulators separately: at the level of cells; in paracrin-regulated cenosises of cells; organs and systems under open blood circulation and closed system of blood flow. The levels of regulations formed at different stages of phylogenesis. Their completion occurred at achievement of "relative biological perfection". Only this way need of cells in functional, structural interaction and forming of multicellular developed. The development of organs and systems of organs also completed at the level of "relative biological perfection". From the same level the third stage of becoming of regulation of metabolism at the level of organism started. When three conditions of "relative biological perfection" achieved consequently at level in vivo are considered in species Homo sapiens using system approach it is detected that "relative biological perfection" in vivo is accompanied by different inconsistencies of regulation of metabolism. They are etiologic factors of "metabolic pandemics ". The inconsistencies (etiological factors) are consider as exemplified by local (at the level of paracrin-regulated cenosises of cells) and system (at the level of organism) regulation of biological reaction metabolism-microcirculation that results in dysfunction of target organs and development of pathogenesis of essential metabolic arterial hypertension. The article describes phylogenetic difference between visceral fatty cells and adpocytes, regulation of metabolism by phylogenetically late insulin, reaction of albumin at increasing of content of unesterified fatty acids in blood plasma, difference of function of resident macrophage and monocytes-macrophages in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, obesity, under diabetes mellitus and essential metabolic arterial hypertension.

  7. Fibroblast Growth Factor Signaling in Metabolic Regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nies, Vera J M; Sancar, Gencer; Liu, Weilin; van Zutphen, Tim; Struik, Dicky; Yu, Ruth T; Atkins, Annette R; Evans, Ronald M; Jonker, Johan W; Downes, Michael Robert

    2015-01-01

    The prevalence of obesity is a growing health problem. Obesity is strongly associated with several comorbidities, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, certain cancers, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes, which all reduce life expectancy and life quality. Several drugs have been put forward in order to treat these diseases, but many of them have detrimental side effects. The unexpected role of the family of fibroblast growth factors in the regulation of energy metabolism provides new approaches to the treatment of metabolic diseases and offers a valuable tool to gain more insight into metabolic regulation. The known beneficial effects of FGF19 and FGF21 on metabolism, together with recently discovered similar effects of FGF1 suggest that FGFs and their derivatives carry great potential as novel therapeutics to treat metabolic conditions. To facilitate the development of new therapies with improved targeting and minimal side effects, a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of action of FGFs is needed. In this review, we will discuss what is currently known about the physiological roles of FGF signaling in tissues important for metabolic homeostasis. In addition, we will discuss current concepts regarding their pharmacological properties and effector tissues in the context of metabolic disease. Also, the recent progress in the development of FGF variants will be reviewed. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current concepts and consensuses regarding FGF signaling in metabolic health and disease and to provide starting points for the development of FGF-based therapies against metabolic conditions.

  8. Fibroblast growth factor signaling in metabolic regulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vera eNies

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The prevalence of obesity is a growing health problem. Obesity is strongly associated with several comorbidities, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, certain cancers, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, which all reduce life expectancy and life quality. Several drugs have been put forward in order to treat these diseases, but many of them have detrimental side effects. The unexpected role of the family of fibroblast growth factors in the regulation of energy metabolism provides new approaches to the treatment of metabolic diseases, and offers a valuable tool to gain more insight into metabolic regulation. The known beneficial effects of FGF19 and FGF21 on metabolism, together with recently discovered similar effects of FGF1 suggest that FGFs and their derivatives carry great potential as novel therapeutics to treat metabolic conditions. To facilitate the development of new therapies with improved targeting and minimal side effects, a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of action of FGFs is needed.In this review we will discuss what is currently known about the physiological roles of FGF signaling in tissues important for metabolic homeostasis. In addition, we will discuss current concepts regarding their pharmacological properties and effector tissues in the context of metabolic disease. Also the recent progress in the development of FGF variants will be reviewed. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current concepts and consensuses regarding FGF signaling in metabolic health and disease, and to provide starting points for the development of FGF-based therapies against metabolic conditions.

  9. Polymorphisms of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in bladder cancer patients of the Semmelweis University Budapest, Hungary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebbinghaus, Dörte; Bánfi, Gergely; Selinski, Silvia; Blaszkewicz, Meinolf; Bürger, Hannah; Hengstler, Jan G; Nyirády, Péter; Golka, Klaus

    2017-01-01

    Polymorphic xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes such as N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) or glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) are known to modulate bladder cancer risk. As no apparent data were available from Hungary, a former member of the eastern European economic organization, a study was performed in Budapest. In total, 182 bladder cancer cases and 78 cancer-free controls were investigated by questionnaire. Genotypes of NAT2, GSTM1, GSTT1, rs1058396 and rs17674580 were determined by standard methods. Current smokers' crude odds ratio (OR) (3.43) and former smokers crude OR (2.36) displayed a significantly increased bladder cancer risk. The risk rose by a factor of 1.56 per 10 pack years. Exposure to fumes was associated with an elevated bladder cancer risk (23% cases, 13% controls). Sixty-four % of the cases and 59% of controls were slow NAT2 acetylators. It was not possible to establish a particular impact of NAT2*6A and *7B genotypes (15 cases, 8%, 5 controls, 7%). GSTT1 exerted no marked influence on bladder cancer (negative 21% cases vs. 22% controls). The portion of GSTM1 negative bladder cancer patients was increased (63% cases vs. 54% controls). The SLC14A1 SNPs rs1058396[AG/GG] and the nearby rs17674580[CT/TT] occurred more frequently in cases (79% and 68%) than controls (77% and 55%). The portion of GSTM1 negative bladder cancer patients is comparable with portions reported from other industrialized areas like Lutherstadt Wittenberg/Germany (58%), Dortmund/Germany (70%), Brescia/Italy (66%) or an occupational case-control series in Germany (56%). Data indicate that GSTM1 is a susceptibility factor for environmentally triggered bladder cancer rather than for smoking-mediated bladder cancer.

  10. NMR studies of metabolites and xenobiotics: From time-points to long-term metabolic regulation

    OpenAIRE

    Ehlers, Ina

    2015-01-01

    Chemical species carry information in two dimensions, in their concentrations and their isotopic signatures. The concentrations of metabolites or synthetic compounds describe the composition of a chemical or biological system, while isotopic signatures describe processes in the system by their reaction pathways, regulation, and responses to external stimuli. Stable isotopes are unique tracers of these processes because their natural abundances are modulated by isotope effects occurring in phy...

  11. Integration of Genome Scale Metabolic Networks and Gene Regulation of Metabolic Enzymes With Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maldonado, Elaina M; Leoncikas, Vytautas; Fisher, Ciarán P; Moore, J Bernadette; Plant, Nick J; Kierzek, Andrzej M

    2017-11-01

    The scope of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling can be expanded by assimilation of the mechanistic models of intracellular processes from systems biology field. The genome scale metabolic networks (GSMNs) represent a whole set of metabolic enzymes expressed in human tissues. Dynamic models of the gene regulation of key drug metabolism enzymes are available. Here, we introduce GSMNs and review ongoing work on integration of PBPK, GSMNs, and metabolic gene regulation. We demonstrate example models. © 2017 The Authors CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

  12. Sirtuins as regulators of the yeast metabolic network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus eRalser

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available There is growing evidence that the metabolic network is an integral regulator of cellularphysiology. Dynamic changes in metabolite concentrations, metabolic flux, or networktopology act as reporters of biological or environmental signals, and are required for the cellto trigger an appropriate biological reaction. Changes in the metabolic network are recognizedby specific sensory macromolecules and translated into a transcriptional or translationalresponse. The protein family of sirtuins, discovered more than 30 years ago as regulators ofsilent chromatin, seems to fulfill the role of a metabolic sensor during aging and conditions ofcaloric restriction. NAD+/NADH interconverting metabolic enzymes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and alcohol dehydrogenase, as well as enzymes involved inNAD(H, synthesis provide or deprive NAD+ in close proximity to Sir2. This influence sirtuinactivity, and facilitates a dynamic response of the metabolic network to changes inmetabolism with effects on physiology and aging. The molecular network downstream Sir2,however, is complex. In just two orders, Sir2’s metabolism-related interactions span half ofthe yeast proteome, and are connected with virtually every physiological process. Thus,although it is fundamental to analyze single molecular mechanisms, it is at the same timecrucial to consider this genome-scale complexity when correlating single molecular eventswith phenotypes such as aging, cell growth, or stress resistance.

  13. The Factor Inhibiting HIF Asparaginyl Hydroxylase Regulates Oxidative Metabolism and Accelerates Metabolic Adaptation to Hypoxia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sim, Jingwei; Cowburn, Andrew S; Palazon, Asis; Madhu, Basetti; Tyrakis, Petros A; Macías, David; Bargiela, David M; Pietsch, Sandra; Gralla, Michael; Evans, Colin E; Kittipassorn, Thaksaon; Chey, Yu C J; Branco, Cristina M; Rundqvist, Helene; Peet, Daniel J; Johnson, Randall S

    2018-04-03

    Animals require an immediate response to oxygen availability to allow rapid shifts between oxidative and glycolytic metabolism. These metabolic shifts are highly regulated by the HIF transcription factor. The factor inhibiting HIF (FIH) is an asparaginyl hydroxylase that controls HIF transcriptional activity in an oxygen-dependent manner. We show here that FIH loss increases oxidative metabolism, while also increasing glycolytic capacity, and that this gives rise to an increase in oxygen consumption. We further show that the loss of FIH acts to accelerate the cellular metabolic response to hypoxia. Skeletal muscle expresses 50-fold higher levels of FIH than other tissues: we analyzed skeletal muscle FIH mutants and found a decreased metabolic efficiency, correlated with an increased oxidative rate and an increased rate of hypoxic response. We find that FIH, through its regulation of oxidation, acts in concert with the PHD/vHL pathway to accelerate HIF-mediated metabolic responses to hypoxia. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Effects of brussels sprouts, indole 3-carbinol and phenobarbital on xenobiotic metabolism and in vivo DNA binding of aflatoxin B1 in the rat

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salbe, A.D.; Bjeldanes, L.F.

    1986-01-01

    Cruciferous vegetables have been shown to be potent inducers of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in the rat and this may offer protection against chemical carcinogenesis. Adult, male, SD rats were fed on purified diets supplemented with 25% freeze-dried Brussels sprouts or 250 ppm idole 3-carbinol (I3C) for 2 weeks, or given phenobarbital (PB, 1 mg/ml) in the drinking water for 7 days prior to killing. Brussels sprouts caused a 50% decrease (p 3 H] aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) to liver DNA, and increased intestinal and hepatic glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity. Hepatic monooxygenase activity was not altered in this group but greater than 2-fold increases in intestinal aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) and ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase (ECD) activities were found. I3C did not decrease AFB 1 binding, nor did it increase hepatic or intestinal GST activity. I3C did increase both intestinal AHH and ECD activities. PB treatment significantly decreased AFB 1 binding by 60%, and significantly elevated hepatic but not intestinal GST activity. Hepatic AHH and ECD activities were also elevated in this group, while intestinal AHH and ECD activities were decreased. These results emphasize the importance of GST activity in the detoxification of AFB 1 and suggest a less important role for intestinal monooxygenase activity in the metabolism of this hepatocarcinogen

  15. Do heavy metals and metalloids influence the detoxification of organic xenobiotics in plants?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schröder, Peter; Lyubenova, Lyudmila; Huber, Christian

    2009-11-01

    Mixed pollution with trace elements and organic industrial compounds is characteristic for many spill areas and dumping sites. The danger for the environment and human health from such sites is large, and sustainable remediation strategies are urgently needed. Phytoremediation seems to be a cheap and environmentally sound option for the removal of unwanted compounds, and the hyperaccumulation of trace elements and toxic metals is seemingly independent from the metabolism of organic xenobiotics. However, stress reactions, ROS formation and depletion of antioxidants will also cause alterations in xenobiotic detoxification. Here, we investigate the capability of plants to detoxify chlorophenols via glutathione conjugation in a mixed pollution situation. Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis plants for the present study were grown under greenhouse conditions in experimental ponds. A Picea abies L. suspension culture was grown in a growth chamber. Cadmium sulphate, sodium arsenate and lead chloride in concentrations from 10 to 500 microM were administered to plants. Enzymes of interest for the present study were: glutathione transferase (GST), glutathione reductase, ascorbate peroxidase and peroxidase. Measurements were performed according to published methods. GST spectrophotometric assays included the model substrates CDNB, DCNB, NBC, NBoC and the herbicide Fluorodifen. Heavy metals lead to visible stress symptoms in higher plants. Besides one long-term experiment of 72 days duration, the present study shows time and concentration-dependent plant alterations already after 24 and 72 h Cd incubation. P. abies spruce cell cultures react to CdSO(4) and Na(2)HAsO(4) with an oxidative burst, similar to that observed after pathogen attack or elicitor treatment. Cd application resulted in a reduction in GSH and GSSG contents. When a heavy metal mixture containing Na(2)HAsO(4), CdSO(4) and PbCl(2) was applied to cultures, both GSH and GSSG levels declined. Incubation with

  16. Investigation of runoff generation from anthropogenic sources with dissolved xenobiotics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krein, A.; Pailler, J.; Guignard, C.; Iffly, J.; Pfister, L.; Hoffmann, L.

    2009-04-01

    In the experimental Mess basin (35 km2, Luxembourg) dissolved xenobiotics in surface water are used to study the influences of anthropogenic sources like separated sewer systems on runoff generation. Emerging contaminants like pharmaceuticals are of growing interest because of their use in large quantities in human and veterinary medicine. The amounts reaching surface waters depend on rainfall patterns, hydraulic conditions, consumption, metabolism, degradation, and disposal. The behaviour of endocrine disruptors including pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment is widely unknown. The twelve molecules analyzed belong to three families: the estrogens, the antibiotics (sulfonamides, tetracyclines), and the painkillers (ibuprofen, diclofenac). Xenobiotics can be used as potential environmental tracers for untreated sewerage. Our results show that the concentrations are highly variable during flood events. The highest concentrations are reached in the first flush period, mainly during the rising limb of the flood hydrographs. As a result of the kinematic wave effect the concentration peak occurs in some cases a few hours after the discharge maximum. In floodwater (eleven floods, 66 samples) the highest concentrations were measured for ibuprofen (g/l range), estrone, and diclofenac (all ng/l range). From the tetracycline group, essentially tetracycline itself is of relevance, while the sulfonamides are mainly represented by sulfamethoxazole (all in ng/l range). In the Mess River the pharmaceuticals fluxes during flood events proved to be influenced by hydrological conditions. Different pharmaceuticals showed their concentration peaks during different times of a flood event. An example is the estrone peak that - during summer flash floods - often occurred one to two hours prior to the largest concentrations of the painkillers. This suggests for more sources than the sole storm drainage through the spillway of the single sewage water treatment plant, different

  17. Interactions between host metabolism, immune regulation, and the gut microbiota in diet-associated obesity and metabolic dysfunction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Daniel

    The increase in the prevalence of obesity and obesity-associated complications such as the metabolic syndrome is becoming a global challenge. Dietary habits and nutrient consumption modulates host homeostasis, which manifests in various diet-induced complications marked by changes in host...... metabolism and immune regulation, which are intricately linked. In addition, diet effectively shapes the gut microbiota composition and activity, which in turn interacts with the host to modulate host metabolism and immune regulation. In the three studies included in this PhD thesis, we have explored...... the impact of specific dietary components on host metabolic function, immune regulation and gut microbiota composition and activity. In the first study, we have characterized the effect of a combined high-fat and gliadin-rich diet, since dietary gliadin has been reported to be associated with intestinal...

  18. [Regulation of terpene metabolism]. [Mentha piperita, Mentha spicata

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Croteau, R.

    1989-01-01

    Progress in understanding of the metabolism of monoterpenes by peppermint and spearmint is recorded including the actions of two key enzymes, geranyl pyrophosphate:limonene cyclase and a UDP-glucose dependent glucosyl transferase; concerning the ultrastructure of oil gland senescence; enzyme subcellular localization; regulation of metabolism; and tissue culture systems.

  19. Central nervous system regulation of intestinal lipid and lipoprotein metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farr, Sarah; Taher, Jennifer; Adeli, Khosrow

    2016-02-01

    In response to nutrient availability, the small intestine and brain closely communicate to modulate energy homeostasis and metabolism. The gut-brain axis involves complex nutrient sensing mechanisms and an integration of neuronal and hormonal signaling. This review summarizes recent evidence implicating the gut-brain axis in regulating lipoprotein metabolism, with potential implications for the dyslipidemia of insulin resistant states. The intestine and brain possess distinct mechanisms for sensing lipid availability, which triggers subsequent regulation of feeding, glucose homeostasis, and adipose tissue metabolism. More recently, central receptors, neuropeptides, and gut hormones that communicate with the brain have been shown to modulate hepatic and intestinal lipoprotein metabolism via parasympathetic and sympathetic signaling. Gut-derived glucagon-like peptides appear to be particularly important in modulating the intestinal secretion of chylomicron particles via a novel brain-gut axis. Dysregulation of these pathways may contribute to postprandial diabetic dyslipidemia. Emerging evidence implicates the central and enteric nervous systems in controlling many aspects of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. Bidirectional communication between the gut and brain involving neuronal pathways and gut peptides is critical for regulating feeding and metabolism, and forms a neuroendocrine circuit to modulate dietary fat absorption and intestinal production of atherogenic chylomicron particles.

  20. D-Serine exposure resulted in gene expression changes indicative of activation of fibrogenic pathways and down-regulation of energy metabolism and oxidative stress response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soto, Armando; DelRaso, Nicholas J.; Schlager, John J.; Chan, Victor T.

    2008-01-01

    Renal toxicity can commonly occur after exposure to xenobiotics, pharmaceutical agents or environmental pollutants. Changes in the gene expression in kidney parenchymal cells that precede and/or accompany renal injury may be hallmark critical events in the onset of pathologic changes of renal functions. Over the last several years, transcriptomic analysis has evolved to enable simultaneous analysis of the expression profiles of tens of thousands of genes in response to various endogenous and exogenous stimuli. In this study, we investigated gene expression changes in the kidney after acute exposure to a nephrotoxin, D-serine, which targets the proximal tubule of the kidney. Male F-344 rats injected intraperitoneally with a single dose of D-serine (5, 20, 50, 200 or 500 mg/kg), and gene expression profiles in the kidney were determined using the Affymetrix RAE230A gene arrays at 96 h post-dosing. D-Serine treatment resulted in the up- and down-regulation of 1158 and 749 genes, respectively, over the entire dose range based on the intersection of the results of t-test, p < 0.01 over two consecutive doses, and ANOVA with Bonferonni correction for multiple testing. Interestingly, both the up-and down-regulated genes show a unified dose response pattern as revealed in the self-organized map clustering analysis using the expression profiles of the 1907 differentially expressed genes as input data. There appears to be minimal changes in the expression level of these genes in the dose range of 5-50 mg/kg, while the most prominent changes were observed at the highest doses tested, i.e. 200 and 500 mg/kg. Pathway analysis of the differentially expressed genes showed perturbation of a large number of biological processes/pathways after D-serine exposure. Among the up-regulated pathways are actin cytoskeleton biogenesis and organization, apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, chromatin assembly, excision repair of damaged DNA, DNA replication and packaging, protein biosynthesis

  1. Current knowledge of microRNA-mediated regulation of drug metabolism in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakano, Masataka; Nakajima, Miki

    2018-05-01

    Understanding the factors causing inter- and intra-individual differences in drug metabolism potencies is required for the practice of personalized or precision medicine, as well as for the promotion of efficient drug development. The expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes is controlled by transcriptional regulation by nuclear receptors and transcriptional factors, epigenetic regulation, such as DNA methylation and histone acetylation, and post-translational modification. In addition to such regulation mechanisms, recent studies revealed that microRNAs (miRNAs), endogenous ~22-nucleotide non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression through the translational repression and degradation of mRNAs, significantly contribute to post-transcriptional regulation of drug-metabolizing enzymes. Areas covered: This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding miRNAs-dependent regulation of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transcriptional factors and its physiological and clinical significance. We also describe recent advances in miRNA-dependent regulation research, showing that the presence of pseudogenes, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, and RNA editing affects miRNA targeting. Expert opinion: It is unwavering fact that miRNAs are critical factors causing inter- and intra-individual differences in the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes. Consideration of miRNA-dependent regulation would be a helpful tool for optimizing personalized and precision medicine.

  2. Studies on defense mechanism against xenobiotics in rats, using gold as a model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugawa-Katayama, Yohko; Kojima, Akiko; Nakano, Yukihiro.

    1994-01-01

    For self-protection, a living organism has a special mechanism to prevent xenobiotics from being absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract. This led to the present study on the defense mechanism of the gastrointestinal tract where foods are digested and absorbed. The results obtained from this study showed that 1) starvation caused an insufficiency of the defense mechanism against xenobiotics in jejunal absorptive cells and Kupffer cells, 2) after refeeding diets, a reparative process occurred at the damaged cell sites, resulting in recovery of the defense mechanism against xenobiotics, and 3) a 5% fat diet seemed to be the best fat level for recovery of the defense mechanism against xenobiotics. In the nutritional point of view, the 5% fat diet is equivalent to 0.11 in fat energy ratio (fat energy/total energy of the diet). These data suggest that a diet with a much lower fat energy (equivalent to 0.11) can give a good effect on recovery of the defense mechanism against xenobiotics in the gastrointestinal tract and the liver. (author)

  3. p73 regulates basal and starvation-induced liver metabolism in vivo

    OpenAIRE

    He, Zhaoyue; Agostini, Massimiliano; Liu, He; Melino, Gerry; Simon, Hans-Uwe

    2015-01-01

    As a member of the p53 gene family, p73 regulates cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, neurogenesis, immunity and inflammation. Recently, p73 has been shown to transcriptionally regulate selective metabolic enzymes, such as cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV isoform 1, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutaminase-2, resulting in significant effects on metabolism, including hepatocellular lipid metabolism, glutathione homeostasis and the pentose phosphate pathway. In order to further investigate th...

  4. Identification of cisplatin-regulated metabolic pathways in pluripotent stem cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Louise von Stechow

    Full Text Available The chemotherapeutic compound, cisplatin causes various kinds of DNA lesions but also triggers other pertubations, such as ER and oxidative stress. We and others have shown that treatment of pluripotent stem cells with cisplatin causes a plethora of transcriptional and post-translational alterations that, to a major extent, point to DNA damage response (DDR signaling. The orchestrated DDR signaling network is important to arrest the cell cycle and repair the lesions or, in case of damage beyond repair, eliminate affected cells. Failure to properly balance the various aspects of the DDR in stem cells contributes to ageing and cancer. Here, we performed metabolic profiling by mass spectrometry of embryonic stem (ES cells treated for different time periods with cisplatin. We then integrated metabolomics with transcriptomics analyses and connected cisplatin-regulated metabolites with regulated metabolic enzymes to identify enriched metabolic pathways. These included nucleotide metabolism, urea cycle and arginine and proline metabolism. Silencing of identified proline metabolic and catabolic enzymes indicated that altered proline metabolism serves as an adaptive, rather than a toxic response. A group of enriched metabolic pathways clustered around the metabolite S-adenosylmethionine, which is a hub for methylation and transsulfuration reactions and polyamine metabolism. Enzymes and metabolites with pro- or anti-oxidant functions were also enriched but enhanced levels of reactive oxygen species were not measured in cisplatin-treated ES cells. Lastly, a number of the differentially regulated metabolic enzymes were identified as target genes of the transcription factor p53, pointing to p53-mediated alterations in metabolism in response to genotoxic stress. Altogether, our findings reveal interconnecting metabolic pathways that are responsive to cisplatin and may serve as signaling modules in the DDR in pluripotent stem cells.

  5. Regulation of Metabolic Activity by p53

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessica Flöter

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells is controlled by the activation of multiple oncogenic signalling pathways in order to promote macromolecule biosynthesis during rapid proliferation. Cancer cells also need to adapt their metabolism to survive and multiply under the metabolically compromised conditions provided by the tumour microenvironment. The tumour suppressor p53 interacts with the metabolic network at multiple nodes, mostly to reduce anabolic metabolism and promote preservation of cellular energy under conditions of nutrient restriction. Inactivation of this tumour suppressor by deletion or mutation is a frequent event in human cancer. While loss of p53 function lifts an important barrier to cancer development by deleting cell cycle and apoptosis checkpoints, it also removes a crucial regulatory mechanism and can render cancer cells highly sensitive to metabolic perturbation. In this review, we will summarise the major concepts of metabolic regulation by p53 and explore how this knowledge can be used to selectively target p53 deficient cancer cells in the context of the tumour microenvironment.

  6. Integrated modelling of two xenobiotic organic compounds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindblom, Erik Ulfson; Gernaey, K.V.; Henze, Mogens

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents a dynamic mathematical model that describes the fate and transport of two selected xenobiotic organic compounds (XOCs) in a simplified representation. of an integrated urban wastewater system. A simulation study, where the xenobiotics bisphenol A and pyrene are used as reference...... compounds, is carried out. Sorption and specific biological degradation processes are integrated with standardised water process models to model the fate of both compounds. Simulated mass flows of the two compounds during one dry weather day and one wet weather day are compared for realistic influent flow...... rate and concentration profiles. The wet weather day induces resuspension of stored sediments, which increases the pollutant load on the downstream system. The potential of the model to elucidate important phenomena related to origin and fate of the model compounds is demonstrated....

  7. The biochemistry and molecular biology of xenobiotic polymer degradation by microorganisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawai, Fusako

    2010-01-01

    Research on microbial degradation of xenobiotic polymers has been underway for more than 40 years. It has exploited a new field not only in applied microbiology but also in environmental microbiology, and has greatly contributed to polymer science by initiating the design of biodegradable polymers. Owing to the development of analytical tools and technology, molecular biological and biochemical advances have made it possible to prospect for degrading microorganisms in the environment and to determine the mechanisms involved in biodegradation when xenobiotic polymers are introduced into the environment and are exposed to microbial attack. In this review, the molecular biological and biochemical aspects of the microbial degradation of xenobiotic polymers are summarized, and possible applications of potent microorganisms, enzymes, and genes in environmental biotechnology are suggested.

  8. Xenobiotics that affect oxidative phosphorylation alter differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells at concentrations that are found in human blood

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Llobet

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Adipogenesis is accompanied by differentiation of adipose tissue-derived stem cells to adipocytes. As part of this differentiation, biogenesis of the oxidative phosphorylation system occurs. Many chemical compounds used in medicine, agriculture or other human activities affect oxidative phosphorylation function. Therefore, these xenobiotics could alter adipogenesis. We have analyzed the effects on adipocyte differentiation of some xenobiotics that act on the oxidative phosphorylation system. The tested concentrations have been previously reported in human blood. Our results show that pharmaceutical drugs that decrease mitochondrial DNA replication, such as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or inhibitors of mitochondrial protein synthesis, such as ribosomal antibiotics, diminish adipocyte differentiation and leptin secretion. By contrast, the environmental chemical pollutant tributyltin chloride, which inhibits the ATP synthase of the oxidative phosphorylation system, can promote adipocyte differentiation and leptin secretion, leading to obesity and metabolic syndrome as postulated by the obesogen hypothesis.

  9. Thyroid hormone’s role in regulating brain glucose metabolism and potentially modulating hippocampal cognitive processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jahagirdar, V; McNay, EC

    2012-01-01

    Cognitive performance is dependent on adequate glucose supply to the brain. Insulin, which regulates systemic glucose metabolism, has been recently shown both to regulate hippocampal metabolism and to be a mandatory component of hippocampally-mediated cognitive performance. Thyroid hormones (TH) regulate systemic glucose metabolism and may also be involved in regulation of brain glucose metabolism. Here we review potential mechanisms for such regulation. Importantly, TH imbalance is often encountered in combination with metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, and may cause additional metabolic dysregulation and hence worsening of disease states. TH’s potential as a regulator of brain glucose metabolism is heightened by interactions with insulin signaling, but there have been relatively few studies on this topic or on the actions of TH in a mature brain. This review discusses evidence for mechanistic links between TH, insulin, cognitive function, and brain glucose metabolism, and suggests that TH is a good candidate to be a modulator of memory processes, likely at least in part by modulation of central insulin signaling and glucose metabolism. PMID:22437199

  10. IFPA meeting 2015 workshop report III: nanomedicine applications and exosome biology, xenobiotics and endocrine disruptors and pregnancy, and lipid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albrecht, C; Caniggia, I; Clifton, V; Göhner, C; Harris, L; Hemmings, D; Jawerbaum, A; Johnstone, E; Jones, H; Keelan, J; Lewis, R; Mitchell, M; Murthi, P; Powell, T; Saffery, R; Smith, R; Vaillancourt, C; Wadsack, C; Salomon, C

    2016-12-01

    Workshops are an important part of the IFPA annual meeting, as they allow for discussion of specialized topics. At the IFPA meeting 2015 there were twelve themed workshops, three of which are summarized in this report. These workshops were related to various aspects of placental biology but collectively covered areas of pregnancy pathologies and placental metabolism: 1) nanomedicine applications and exosome biology; 2) xenobiotics and endocrine disruptors and pregnancy; 3) lipid mediators and placental function. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Measurements of radioactive and xenobiotic substances in the biosphere in the Netherlands 1983

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-01-01

    In this annual report the results and conclusions are given of measurements of radioactive and xenobiotic substances in the biosphere of the Netherlands. The measurements are coordinated by the Coordinating Committee for the Monitoring of Radioactive and Xenobiotic Substances (CCRX)

  12. Metabolism Retrofit Strategies for ToxCast Assays (BOSC)

    Science.gov (United States)

    The EPA’s ToxCast program utilizes a wide variety of high-throughput screening assays (HTS) to assess chemical perturbations of molecular and cellular endpoints. A limitation of many HTS assays used for toxicity assessment is the lack of xenobiotic metabolism (XM) which precludes...

  13. Nutritional regulation of bile acid metabolism is associated with improved pathological characteristics of the metabolic syndrome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liaset, Bjørn; Hao, Qin; Jørgensen, Henry Johs. Høgh

    2011-01-01

    Bile acids (BAs) are powerful regulators of metabolism, and mice treated orally with cholic acid are protected from diet-induced obesity, hepatic lipid accumulation, and increased plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) and glucose levels. Here, we show that plasma BA concentration in rats was elevated by e...... metabolism can be modulated by diet and that such modulation may prevent/ameliorate the characteristic features of the metabolic syndrome.......Bile acids (BAs) are powerful regulators of metabolism, and mice treated orally with cholic acid are protected from diet-induced obesity, hepatic lipid accumulation, and increased plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) and glucose levels. Here, we show that plasma BA concentration in rats was elevated...... with induction of genes involved in energy metabolism and uncoupling, Dio2, Pgc-1a, and Ucp1, in interscapular brown adipose tissue. Interestingly, the same transcriptional pattern was found in white adipose tissue depots of both abdominal and subcutaneous origin. Accordingly, rats fed SPH-based diet exhibited...

  14. Computational Modelling of the Metabolic States Regulated by the Kinase Akt

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ettore eMosca

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Signal transduction pathways and gene regulation determine a major reorganization of metabolic activities in order to support cell proliferation. Protein Kinase B (PKB, also known as Akt, participates in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, a master regulator of aerobic glycolysis and cellular biosynthesis, two activities shown by both normal and cancer proliferating cells. Not surprisingly considering its relevance for cellular metabolism, Akt/PKB is often found hyperactive in cancer cells. In the last decade, many efforts have been made to improve the understanding of the control of glucose metabolism and the identification of a therapeutic window between proliferating cancer cells and proliferating normal cells. In this context, we have modelled the link between the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, glycolysis, lactic acid production and nucleotide biosynthesis. We used a computational model in order to compare two metabolic states generated by the specific variation of the metabolic fluxes regulated by the activity of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. One of the two states represented the metabolism of a growing cancer cell characterised by aerobic glycolysis and cellular biosynthesis, while the other state represented the same metabolic network with a reduced glycolytic rate and a higher mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism, as reported in literature in relation to the activity of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR. Some steps that link glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway revealed their importance for controlling the dynamics of cancer glucose metabolism.

  15. Changes in cytochrome P450 gene expression and enzyme activity induced by xenobiotics in rabbits in vivo and in vitro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Orsolya Palócz

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available As considerable inter-species differences exist in xenobiotic metabolism, developing new pharmaceutical therapies for use in different species is fraught with difficulties. For this reason, very few medicines have been registered for use in rabbits, despite their importance in inter alia meat and fur production. We have developed a rapid and sensitive screening system for drug safety in rabbits based on cytochrome P450 enzyme assays, specifically CYP1A1, CYP1A2 and CYP3A6, employing an adaptation of the luciferin-based clinical assay currently used in human drug screening. Short-term (4-h cultured rabbit primary hepatocytes were treated with a cytochrome inducer (phenobarbital and 2 inhibitors (alpha-naphthoflavone and ketoconazole. In parallel, and to provide verification, New Zealand white rabbits were dosed with 80 mg/kg phenobarbital or 40 mg/kg ketoconazole for 3 d. Ketoconazole significantly increased CYP3A6 gene expression and decreased CYP3A6 activity both in vitro and in vivo. CYP1A1 activity was decreased by ketoconazole in vitro and increased in vivo. This is the first report of the inducer effect of ketoconazole on rabbit cytochrome isoenzymes in vivo. Our data support the use of a luciferin-based assay in short-term primary hepatocytes as an appropriate tool for xenobiotic metabolism assays and short-term toxicity testing in rabbits.

  16. Prolyl hydroxylase domain enzymes: important regulators of cancer metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang M

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Ming Yang,1 Huizhong Su,1 Tomoyoshi Soga,2 Kamil R Kranc,3 Patrick J Pollard1 1Cancer Biology and Metabolism Group, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; 2Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Mizukami, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan; 3MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK Abstract: The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF prolyl hydroxylase domain enzymes (PHDs regulate the stability of HIF protein by post-translational hydroxylation of two conserved prolyl residues in its α subunit in an oxygen-dependent manner. Trans-4-prolyl hydroxylation of HIFα under normal oxygen (O2 availability enables its association with the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL tumor suppressor pVHL E3 ligase complex, leading to the degradation of HIFα via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Due to the obligatory requirement of molecular O2 as a co-substrate, the activity of PHDs is inhibited under hypoxic conditions, resulting in stabilized HIFα, which dimerizes with HIFβ and, together with transcriptional co-activators CBP/p300, activates the transcription of its target genes. As a key molecular regulator of adaptive response to hypoxia, HIF plays important roles in multiple cellular processes and its overexpression has been detected in various cancers. The HIF1α isoform in particular has a strong impact on cellular metabolism, most notably by promoting anaerobic, whilst inhibiting O2-dependent, metabolism of glucose. The PHD enzymes also seem to have HIF-independent functions and are subject to regulation by factors other than O2, such as by metabolic status, oxidative stress, and abnormal levels of endogenous metabolites (oncometabolites that have been observed in some types of cancers. In this review, we aim to summarize current understandings of the function and regulation of PHDs in cancer with an emphasis on their roles in metabolism. Keywords: prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD

  17. Symposium overview: alterations in cytokine receptors by xenobiotics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, M D; Schook, L B; Oppenheim, J J; Freed, B M; Rodgers, K E

    1999-04-01

    A symposium entitled Alterations in Cytokine Receptors by Xenobiotics was held at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) in Seattle, Washington. The symposium was sponsored by the Immunotoxicology Specialty Section of SOT and was designed to present information on the effect of several different classes of xenobiotics on various aspects of receptor function (i.e., post-receptor signal transduction of receptor expression), or the involvement of cytokine receptors in the action of the toxicant under consideration. This symposium brought together scientists in the area of receptor immunobiology whose expertise in receptor modulation encompassed those major signaling agents involved in the normal immune response, i.e., proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, interleukins, and interferons. The following is a summary of each of the individual presentations.

  18. Effect of Nine Diets on Xenobiotic Transporters in Livers of Mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Ying; Cui, Julia Yue; Lu, Hong; Klaassen, Curtis D.

    2017-01-01

    1. Lifestyle diseases are often caused by inappropriate nutrition habits and attempted to be treated by polypharmacotherapy. Therefore, it is important to determine whether differences in diet affect the disposition of drugs. Xenobiotic transporters in the liver are essential in drug disposition. 2. In the current study, mice were fed one of 9 diets for 3 weeks. The mRNAs of 23 known xenobiotic transporters in livers of mice were quantified by microarray analysis, and validated by branched DNA assay. The mRNAs of 15 transporters were altered by at least one diet. Diet-restriction (10) and the atherogenic diet (10) altered the expression of the most number of transporters, followed by western diet (8), high-fat diet (4), lab chow (2), high-fructose diet (2) and EFA-deficient diet (2), whereas the low n-3 FA diet had no effect on these transporters. Seven of the 11 xenobiotic transporters in the Slc family, three of 4 in the Abcb family, two of 4 in the Abcc family and all 3 in the Abcg family were changed significantly. 3. This first comprehensive study indicates that xenobiotic transporters are altered by diet, and suggests there are likely diet-drug interactions due to changes in the expression of drug transporters. PMID:25566878

  19. Cancer metabolism meets systems biology: Pyruvate kinase isoform PKM2 is a metabolic master regulator

    OpenAIRE

    Fabian V Filipp

    2013-01-01

    Pyruvate kinase activity is controlled by a tightly woven regulatory network. The oncofetal isoform of pyruvate kinase (PKM2) is a master regulator of cancer metabolism. PKM2 engages in parallel, feed-forward, positive and negative feedback control contributing to cancer progression. Besides its metabolic role, non-metabolic functions of PKM2 as protein kinase and transcriptional coactivator for c-MYC and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha are essential for epidermal growth factor receptor acti...

  20. Xenobiotics enhance laccase activity in alkali-tolerant γ-proteobacterium JB.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Gursharan; Batish, Mona; Sharma, Prince; Capalash, Neena

    2009-01-01

    Various genotoxic textile dyes, xenobiotics, substrates (10 µM) and agrochemicals (100 µg/ml) were tested for enhancement of alkalophilic laccase activity in γ-proteobacterium JB. Neutral Red, Indigo Carmine, Naphthol Base Bordears and Sulphast Ruby dyes increased the activity by 3.7, 2.7, 2.6 and 2.3 fold respectively. Xenobiotics/substrates like p-toluidine, 8-hydroxyquinoline and anthracine increased it by 3.4, 2.8 and 2.3 fold respectively. Atrazine and trycyclozole pesticides enhanced the activity by 1.95 and 1.5 fold respectively.

  1. An AICD-based functional screen to identify APP metabolism regulators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lee Jeremy C

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background A central event in Alzheimer's disease (AD is the regulated intramembraneous proteolysis of the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP, to generate the β-amyloid (Aβ peptide and the APP intracellular domain (AICD. Aβ is the major component of amyloid plaques and AICD displays transcriptional activation properties. We have taken advantage of AICD transactivation properties to develop a genetic screen to identify regulators of APP metabolism. This screen relies on an APP-Gal4 fusion protein, which upon normal proteolysis, produces AICD-Gal4. Production of AICD-Gal4 induces Gal4-UAS driven luciferase expression. Therefore, when regulators of APP metabolism are modulated, luciferase expression is altered. Results To validate this experimental approach we modulated α-, β-, and γ-secretase levels and activities. Changes in AICD-Gal4 levels as measured by Western blot analysis were strongly and significantly correlated to the observed changes in AICD-Gal4 mediated luciferase activity. To determine if a known regulator of APP trafficking/maturation and Presenilin1 endoproteolysis could be detected using the AICD-Gal4 mediated luciferase assay, we knocked-down Ubiquilin 1 and observed decreased luciferase activity. We confirmed that Ubiquilin 1 modulated AICD-Gal4 levels by Western blot analysis and also observed that Ubiquilin 1 modulated total APP levels, the ratio of mature to immature APP, as well as PS1 endoproteolysis. Conclusion Taken together, we have shown that this screen can identify known APP metabolism regulators that control proteolysis, intracellular trafficking, maturation and levels of APP and its proteolytic products. We demonstrate for the first time that Ubiquilin 1 regulates APP metabolism in the human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y.

  2. Regulation of NAD+ metabolism, signaling and compartmentalization in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kato, Michiko; Lin, Su-Ju

    2014-01-01

    Pyridine nucleotides are essential coenzymes in many cellular redox reactions in all living systems. In addition to functioning as a redox carrier, NAD+ is also a required co-substrate for the conserved sirtuin deacetylases. Sirtuins regulate transcription, genome maintenance and metabolism and function as molecular links between cells and their environment. Maintaining NAD+ homeostasis is essential for proper cellular function and aberrant NAD+ metabolism has been implicated in a number of metabolic- and age-associated diseases. Recently, NAD+ metabolism has been linked to the phosphate-responsive signaling pathway (PHO pathway) in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Activation of the PHO pathway is associated with the production and mobilization of the NAD+ metabolite nicotinamide riboside (NR), which is mediated in part by PHO-regulated nucleotidases. Cross-regulation between NAD+ metabolism and the PHO pathway has also been reported; however, detailed mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The PHO pathway also appears to modulate the activities of common downstream effectors of multiple nutrient-sensing pathways (Ras-PKA, TOR, Sch9/AKT). These signaling pathways were suggested to play a role in calorie restriction-mediated beneficial effects, which have also been linked to Sir2 function and NAD+ metabolism. Here, we discuss the interactions of these pathways and their potential roles in regulating NAD+ metabolism. In eukaryotic cells, intracellular compartmentalization facilitates the regulation of enzymatic functions and also concentrates or sequesters specific metabolites. Various NAD+-mediated cellular functions such as mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation are compartmentalized. Therefore, we also discuss several key players functioning in mitochondrial, cytosolic and vacuolar compartmentalization of NAD+ intermediates, and their potential roles in NAD+ homeostasis. To date, it remains unclear how NAD+ and NAD+ intermediates shuttle between different

  3. CREBH Regulates Systemic Glucose and Lipid Metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoshimi Nakagawa

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP-responsive element-binding protein H (CREBH, encoded by CREB3L3 is a membrane-bound transcriptional factor that primarily localizes in the liver and small intestine. CREBH governs triglyceride metabolism in the liver, which mediates the changes in gene expression governing fatty acid oxidation, ketogenesis, and apolipoproteins related to lipoprotein lipase (LPL activation. CREBH in the small intestine reduces cholesterol transporter gene Npc1l1 and suppresses cholesterol absorption from diet. A deficiency of CREBH in mice leads to severe hypertriglyceridemia, fatty liver, and atherosclerosis. CREBH, in synergy with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα, has a crucial role in upregulating Fgf21 expression, which is implicated in metabolic homeostasis including glucose and lipid metabolism. CREBH binds to and functions as a co-activator for both PPARα and liver X receptor alpha (LXRα in regulating gene expression of lipid metabolism. Therefore, CREBH has a crucial role in glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver and small intestine.

  4. Toxicity of xenobiotics during sulfate, iron, and nitrate reduction in primary sewage sludge suspensions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elsgaard, Lars

    2010-01-01

    The effect and persistence of six organic xenobiotics was tested under sulfate-, iron-, and nitrate-reducing conditions in primary sewage sludge suspensions. The xenobiotics tested were acenaphthene, phenanthrene, di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), linear alkylbenzene sulfonate...

  5. The dynamic regulation of NAD metabolism in mitochondria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Liana Roberts; Imai, Shin-ichiro

    2012-01-01

    Mitochondria are intracellular powerhouses that produce ATP and carry out diverse functions for cellular energy metabolism. While the maintenance of an optimal NAD/NADH ratio is essential for mitochondrial function, it has recently become apparent that the maintenance of the mitochondrial NAD pool also has critical importance. The biosynthesis, transport, and catabolism of NAD and its key intermediates play an important role in the regulation of NAD-consuming mediators, such as sirtuins, poly-ADP-ribose polymerases, and CD38/157 ectoenzymes, in intra- and extracellular compartments. Mitochondrial NAD biosynthesis is also modulated in response to nutritional and environmental stimuli. In this article, we discuss this dynamic regulation of NAD metabolism in mitochondria to shed light on the intimate connection between NAD and mitochondrial function. PMID:22819213

  6. Concentrations, patterns and metabolites of organochlorine pesticides in relation to xenobiotic phase I and II enzyme activities in ringed seals (Phoca hispida) from Svalbard and the Baltic Sea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Routti, Heli; Bavel, Bert van; Letcher, Robert J.; Arukwe, Augustine; Chu Shaogang; Gabrielsen, Geir W.

    2009-01-01

    The present study investigates the concentrations and patterns of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and their metabolites in liver and plasma of two ringed seal populations (Phoca hispida): lower contaminated Svalbard population and more contaminated Baltic Sea population. Among OCPs, p,p'-DDE and sum-chlordanes were the highest in concentration. With increasing hepatic contaminant concentrations and activities of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, the concentrations of 3-methylsulfonyl-p,p'-DDE and the concentration ratios of pentachlorophenol/hexachlorobenzene increased, and the toxaphene pattern shifted more towards persistent Parlar-26 and -50 and less towards more biodegradable Parlar-44. Relative concentrations of the chlordane metabolites, oxychlordane and -heptachlorepoxide, to sum-chlordanes were higher in the seals from Svalbard compared to the seals from the Baltic, while the trend was opposite for cis- and trans-nonachlor. The observed differences in the OCP patterns in the seals from the two populations are probably related to the catalytic activity of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, and also to differences in dietary exposure. - Contrasting patterns of organochlorine pesticides in two ringed seal populations.

  7. Concentrations, patterns and metabolites of organochlorine pesticides in relation to xenobiotic phase I and II enzyme activities in ringed seals (Phoca hispida) from Svalbard and the Baltic Sea

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Routti, Heli, E-mail: heli.routti@npolar.n [Norwegian Polar Institute, Polar Environmental Centre, 9296 Tromso (Norway); Centre of Excellence in Evolutionary Genetics and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku (Finland); Bavel, Bert van [MTM Research Centre, Orebro University, 70182 Orebro (Sweden); Letcher, Robert J. [Wildlife Toxicology and Disease Program, Wildlife and Landscape Science Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3 (Canada); Arukwe, Augustine [Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim (Norway); Chu Shaogang [Wildlife Toxicology and Disease Program, Wildlife and Landscape Science Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3 (Canada); Gabrielsen, Geir W. [Norwegian Polar Institute, Polar Environmental Centre, 9296 Tromso (Norway)

    2009-08-15

    The present study investigates the concentrations and patterns of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and their metabolites in liver and plasma of two ringed seal populations (Phoca hispida): lower contaminated Svalbard population and more contaminated Baltic Sea population. Among OCPs, p,p'-DDE and sum-chlordanes were the highest in concentration. With increasing hepatic contaminant concentrations and activities of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, the concentrations of 3-methylsulfonyl-p,p'-DDE and the concentration ratios of pentachlorophenol/hexachlorobenzene increased, and the toxaphene pattern shifted more towards persistent Parlar-26 and -50 and less towards more biodegradable Parlar-44. Relative concentrations of the chlordane metabolites, oxychlordane and -heptachlorepoxide, to sum-chlordanes were higher in the seals from Svalbard compared to the seals from the Baltic, while the trend was opposite for cis- and trans-nonachlor. The observed differences in the OCP patterns in the seals from the two populations are probably related to the catalytic activity of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, and also to differences in dietary exposure. - Contrasting patterns of organochlorine pesticides in two ringed seal populations.

  8. [Regulation of terpene metabolism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Croteau, R.

    1989-11-09

    Terpenoid oils, resins, and waxes from plants are important renewable resources. The objective of this project is to understand the regulation of terpenoid metabolism using the monoterpenes (C[sub 10]) as a model. The pathways of monoterpene biosynthesis and catabolism have been established, and the relevant enzymes characterized. Developmental studies relating enzyme levels to terpene accumulation within the oil gland sites of synthesis, and work with bioregulators, indicate that monoterpene production is controlled by terpene cyclases, the enzymes catalyzing the first step of the monoterpene pathway. As the leaf oil glands mature, cyclase levels decline and monoterpene biosynthesis ceases. Yield then decreases as the monoterpenes undergo catabolism by a process involving conversion to a glycoside and transport from the leaf glands to the root. At this site, the terpenoid is oxidatively degraded to acetate that is recycled into other lipid metabolites. During the transition from terpene biosynthesis to catabolism, the oil glands undergo dramatic ultrastructural modification. Degradation of the producing cells results in mixing of previously compartmentized monoterpenes with the catabolic enzymes, ultimately leading to yield decline. This regulatory model is being applied to the formation of other terpenoid classes (C[sub 15] C[sub 20], C[sub 30], C[sub 40]) within the oil glands. Preliminary investigations on the formation of sesquiterpenes (C[sub 15]) suggest that the corresponding cyclases may play a lesser role in determining yield of these products, but that compartmentation effects are important. From these studies, a comprehensive scheme for the regulation of terpene metabolism is being constructed. Results from this project wail have important consequences for the yield and composition of terpenoid natural products that can be made available for industrial exploitation.

  9. Obestatin as a regulator of adipocyte metabolism and adipogenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gurriarán-Rodríguez, Uxía; Al-Massadi, Omar; Roca-Rivada, Arturo; Crujeiras, Ana Belén; Gallego, Rosalía; Pardo, Maria; Seoane, Luisa Maria; Pazos, Yolanda; Casanueva, Felipe F; Camiña, Jesús P

    2011-01-01

    Abstract The role of obestatin, a 23-amino-acid peptide encoded by the ghrelin gene, on the control of the metabolism of pre-adipocyte and adipocytes as well as on adipogenesis was determined. For in vitro assays, pre-adipocyte and adipocyte 3T3-L1 cells were used to assess the obestatin effect on cell metabolism and adipogenesis based on the regulation of the key enzymatic nodes, Akt and AMPK and their downstream targets. For in vivo assays, white adipose tissue (WAT) was obtained from male rats under continuous subcutaneous infusion of obestatin. Obestatin activated Akt and its downstream targets, GSK3α/β, mTOR and S6K1, in 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells. Simultaneously, obestatin inactivated AMPK in this cell model. In keeping with this, ACC phosphorylation was also decreased. This fact was confirmed in vivo in white adipose tissue (omental, subcutaneous and gonadal) obtained from male rats under continuous sc infusion of obestatin (24 and 72 hrs). The relevance of obestatin as regulator of adipocyte metabolism was supported by AS160 phosphorylation, GLUT4 translocation and augment of glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells. In contrast, obestatin failed to modify translocation of fatty acid transporters, FATP1, FATP4 and FAT/CD36, to plasma membrane. Obestatin treatment in combination with IBMX and DEX showed to regulate the expression of C/EBPα, C/EBPβ, C/EBPδ and PPARγ promoting adipogenesis. Remarkable, preproghrelin expression, and thus obestatin expression, increased during adipogenesis being sustained throughout terminal differentiation. Neutralization of endogenous obestatin secreted by 3T3-L1 cells by anti-obestatin antibody decreased adipocyte differentiation. Furthermore, knockdown experiments by preproghrelin siRNA supported that obestatin contributes to adipogenesis. In summary, obestatin promotes adipogenesis in an autocrine/paracrine manner, being a regulator of adipocyte metabolism. These data point to a putative role in the pathogenesis of

  10. The Lin28/let-7 Axis Regulates Glucose Metabolism

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhu, Hao; Shyh-Chang, Ng; Segre, Ayellet V.; Shinoda, Gen; Shah, Samar P.; Einhorn, William S.; Takeuchi, Ayumu; Engreitz, Jesse M.; Hagan, John P.; Kharas, Michael G.; Urbach, Achia; Thornton, James E.; Triboulet, Robinson; Gregory, Richard I.; Altshuler, David; Daley, George Q.

    2011-01-01

    The let-7 tumor suppressor microRNAs are known for their regulation of oncogenes, while the RNA-binding proteins Lin28a/b promote malignancy by inhibiting let-7 biogenesis. We have uncovered unexpected roles for the Lin28/let-7 pathway in regulating-metabolism. When overexpressed in mice, both

  11. Controlled sumoylation of the mevalonate pathway enzyme HMGS-1 regulates metabolism during aging

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sapir, Amir; Tsur, Assaf; Koorman, Thijs; Ching, Kaitlin; Mishra, Prashant; Bardenheier, Annabelle; Podolsky, Lisa; Bening-Abu-Shach, Ulrike; Boxem, Mike; Chou, Tsui-Fen; Broday, Limor; Sternberg, Paul W

    2014-01-01

    Many metabolic pathways are critically regulated during development and aging but little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying this regulation. One key metabolic cascade in eukaryotes is the mevalonate pathway. It catalyzes the synthesis of sterol and nonsterol isoprenoids, such as

  12. An activated sludge modeling framework for xenobiotic trace chemicals (ASM-X): assessment of diclofenac and carbamazepine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plósz, Benedek Gy; Langford, Katherine H; Thomas, Kevin V

    2012-11-01

    Conventional models for predicting the fate of xenobiotic organic trace chemicals, identified, and calibrated using data obtained in batch experiments spiked with reference substances, can be limited in predicting xenobiotic removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). At stake is the level of model complexity required to adequately describe a general theory of xenobiotic removal in WWTPs. In this article, we assess the factors that influence the removal of diclofenac and carbamazepine in activated sludge, and evaluate the complexity required for the model to effectively predict their removal. The results are generalized to previously published cases. Batch experimental results, obtained under anoxic and aerobic conditions, were used to identify extensions to, and to estimate parameter values of the activated sludge modeling framework for Xenobiotic trace chemicals (ASM-X). Measurement and simulation results obtained in the batch experiments, spiked with the diclofenac and carbamazepine content of preclarified municipal wastewater shows comparably high biotransformation rates in the presence of growth substrates. Forward dynamic simulations were performed using full-scale data obtained from Bekkelaget WWTP (Oslo, Norway) to evaluate the model and to estimate the level of re-transformable xenobiotics present in the influent. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that xenobiotic loading conditions can significantly influence the removal capacity of WWTPs. We show that the trace chemical retransformation in upstream sewer pipes can introduce considerable error in assessing the removal efficiency of a WWTP, based only on parent compound concentration measurements. The combination of our data with those from the literature shows that solids retention time (SRT) can enhance the biotransformation of diclofenac, which was not the case for carbamazepine. Model approximation of the xenobiotic concentration, detected in the solid phase, suggest that between

  13. Interplay of drug metabolizing enzymes with cellular transporters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Böhmdorfer, Michaela; Maier-Salamon, Alexandra; Riha, Juliane; Brenner, Stefan; Höferl, Martina; Jäger, Walter

    2014-11-01

    Many endogenous and xenobiotic substances and their metabolites are substrates for drug metabolizing enzymes and cellular transporters. These proteins may not only contribute to bioavailability of molecules but also to uptake into organs and, consequently, to overall elimination. The coordinated action of uptake transporters, metabolizing enzymes, and efflux pumps, therefore, is a precondition for detoxification and elimination of drugs. As the understanding of the underlying mechanisms is important to predict alterations in drug disposal, adverse drug reactions and, finally, drug-drug interactions, this review illustrates the interplay between selected uptake/efflux transporters and phase I/II metabolizing enzymes.

  14. Regulation of NAD+ metabolism, signaling and compartmentalization in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kato, Michiko; Lin, Su-Ju

    2014-11-01

    Pyridine nucleotides are essential coenzymes in many cellular redox reactions in all living systems. In addition to functioning as a redox carrier, NAD(+) is also a required co-substrate for the conserved sirtuin deacetylases. Sirtuins regulate transcription, genome maintenance and metabolism and function as molecular links between cells and their environment. Maintaining NAD(+) homeostasis is essential for proper cellular function and aberrant NAD(+) metabolism has been implicated in a number of metabolic- and age-associated diseases. Recently, NAD(+) metabolism has been linked to the phosphate-responsive signaling pathway (PHO pathway) in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Activation of the PHO pathway is associated with the production and mobilization of the NAD(+) metabolite nicotinamide riboside (NR), which is mediated in part by PHO-regulated nucleotidases. Cross-regulation between NAD(+) metabolism and the PHO pathway has also been reported; however, detailed mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The PHO pathway also appears to modulate the activities of common downstream effectors of multiple nutrient-sensing pathways (Ras-PKA, TOR, Sch9/AKT). These signaling pathways were suggested to play a role in calorie restriction-mediated beneficial effects, which have also been linked to Sir2 function and NAD(+) metabolism. Here, we discuss the interactions of these pathways and their potential roles in regulating NAD(+) metabolism. In eukaryotic cells, intracellular compartmentalization facilitates the regulation of enzymatic functions and also concentrates or sequesters specific metabolites. Various NAD(+)-mediated cellular functions such as mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation are compartmentalized. Therefore, we also discuss several key players functioning in mitochondrial, cytosolic and vacuolar compartmentalization of NAD(+) intermediates, and their potential roles in NAD(+) homeostasis. To date, it remains unclear how NAD(+) and NAD(+) intermediates

  15. Metabolic regulation of carotenoid-enriched Golden rice line

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dipak Gayen

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Vitamin A deficiency (VAD is the leading cause of blindness among children and is associated with high risk of maternal mortality. In order to enhance the bioavailability of vitamin A, high carotenoid transgenic golden rice has been developed by manipulating enzymes, such as phytoene synthase (psy and phytoene desaturase (crtI. In this study, proteome and metabolite analyses were carried out to comprehend metabolic regulation and adaptation of transgenic golden rice after the manipulation of endosperm specific carotenoid pathways. The main alteration was observed in carbohydrate metabolism pathways of the transgenic seeds. The 2D based proteomic studies demonstrated that carbohydrate metabolism-related enzymes, such as pullulanase, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and glucose-1-phosphate adenylyl transferase, were primarily up-regulated in transgenic rice seeds. In addition, the enzyme PPDK was also elevated in transgenic seeds thus enhancing pyruvate biosynthesis, which is the precursor in the carotenoids biosynthetic pathway. GC-MS based metabolite profiling demonstrated an increase in the levels of glyceric acid, fructo-furanose, and galactose, while decrease in galactonic acid and gentiobiose in the transgenic rice compared to WT. It is noteworthy to mention that the carotenoid content, especially β-carotene level in transgenic rice (4.3 µg/g was significantly enhanced. The present study highlights the metabolic adaptation process of a transgenic golden rice line (homozygous T4 progeny of SKBR-244 after enhancing carotenoid biosynthesis. The presented information would be helpful in the development of crops enriched in carotenoids by expressing metabolic flux of pyruvate biosynthesis.

  16. Regulation of the cytochrome P450 2A genes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Su Ting; Ding Xinxin

    2004-01-01

    Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases of the CYP2A subfamily play important roles in xenobiotic disposition in the liver and in metabolic activation in extrahepatic tissues. Many of the CYP2A transcripts and enzymes are inducible by xenobiotic compounds, and the expression of at least some of the CYP2A genes is influenced by physiological status, such as circadian rhythm, and pathological conditions, such as inflammation, microbial infection, and tumorigenesis. Variability in the expression of the CYP2A genes, which differs by species, animal strain, gender, and organ, may alter the risks of chemical toxicity for numerous compounds that are CYP2A substrates. The mechanistic bases of these variabilities are generally not well understood. However, recent studies have yielded interesting findings in several areas, such as the role of nuclear factor 1 in the tissue-selective expression of CYP2A genes in the olfactory mucosa (OM); the roles of constitutive androstane receptor, pregnane X receptor (PXR), and possibly, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in transcriptional regulation of the Cyp2a5 gene; and the involvement of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 in pyrazole-induced stabilization of CYP2A5 mRNA. The aims of this minireview are to summarize current knowledge of the regulation of the CYP2A genes in rodents and humans, and to stimulate further mechanistic studies that will ultimately improve our ability to determine, and to understand, these variabilities in humans

  17. Metabolic Regulation of Histone Acetyltransferases by Endogenous Acyl-CoA Cofactors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montgomery, David C; Sorum, Alexander W; Guasch, Laura; Nicklaus, Marc C; Meier, Jordan L

    2015-08-20

    The finding that chromatin modifications are sensitive to changes in cellular cofactor levels potentially links altered tumor cell metabolism and gene expression. However, the specific enzymes and metabolites that connect these two processes remain obscure. Characterizing these metabolic-epigenetic axes is critical to understanding how metabolism supports signaling in cancer, and developing therapeutic strategies to disrupt this process. Here, we describe a chemical approach to define the metabolic regulation of lysine acetyltransferase (KAT) enzymes. Using a novel chemoproteomic probe, we identify a previously unreported interaction between palmitoyl coenzyme A (palmitoyl-CoA) and KAT enzymes. Further analysis reveals that palmitoyl-CoA is a potent inhibitor of KAT activity and that fatty acyl-CoA precursors reduce cellular histone acetylation levels. These studies implicate fatty acyl-CoAs as endogenous regulators of histone acetylation, and suggest novel strategies for the investigation and metabolic modulation of epigenetic signaling. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Molecular Basis of Microbial One-Carbon Metabolism 2008 Gordon Research Conference (July 20-25, 2008)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stephen W. Ragsdale

    2009-08-12

    One-carbon (C-1) compounds play a central role in microbial metabolism. C-1 compounds include methane, carbon monoxide, CO2, and methanol as well as coenzyme-bound one-carbon compounds (methyl-B12, CH3-H4folate, etc). Such compounds are of broad global importance because several C-1 compounds (e.g., CH4) are important energy sources, some (e.g., CO2 and CH4) are potent greenhouse gases, and others (e.g., CH2Cl2) are xenobiotics. They are central in pathways of energy metabolism and carbon fixation by microbes and many are of industrial interest. Research on the pathways of one-carbon metabolism has added greatly to our understanding of evolution, structural biology, enzyme mechanisms, gene regulation, ecology, and applied biology. The 2008 meeting will include recent important findings in the following areas: (a) genomics, metagenomics, and proteomic studies that have expanded our understanding of autotrophy and C-1 metabolism and the evolution of these pathways; (b) redox regulation of carbon cycles and the interrelationship between the carbon cycle and other biogeochemical cycles (sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen); (c) novel pathways for carbon assimilation; (d) biotechnology related to C-1 metabolism; (e) novel enzyme mechanisms including channeling of C-1 intermediates during metabolism; and (f) the relationship between metal homeostasis and the global carbon cycle. The conference has a diverse and gender-balanced slate of speakers and session leaders. The wide variety of disciplines brought to the study of C-1 metabolism make the field an excellent one in which to train young researchers.

  19. Regulation of Ketone Body Metabolism and the Role of PPARα

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maja Grabacka

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Ketogenesis and ketolysis are central metabolic processes activated during the response to fasting. Ketogenesis is regulated in multiple stages, and a nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα is one of the key transcription factors taking part in this regulation. PPARα is an important element in the metabolic network, where it participates in signaling driven by the main nutrient sensors, such as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK, PPARγ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α, and mammalian (mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR and induces hormonal mediators, such as fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21. This work describes the regulation of ketogenesis and ketolysis in normal and malignant cells and briefly summarizes the positive effects of ketone bodies in various neuropathologic conditions.

  20. Proteolytic regulation of metabolic enzymes by E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes: lessons from yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakatsukasa, Kunio; Okumura, Fumihiko; Kamura, Takumi

    2015-01-01

    Eukaryotic organisms use diverse mechanisms to control metabolic rates in response to changes in the internal and/or external environment. Fine metabolic control is a highly responsive, energy-saving process that is mediated by allosteric inhibition/activation and/or reversible modification of preexisting metabolic enzymes. In contrast, coarse metabolic control is a relatively long-term and expensive process that involves modulating the level of metabolic enzymes. Coarse metabolic control can be achieved through the degradation of metabolic enzymes by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), in which substrates are specifically ubiquitinated by an E3 ubiquitin ligase and targeted for proteasomal degradation. Here, we review select multi-protein E3 ligase complexes that directly regulate metabolic enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The first part of the review focuses on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane-associated Hrd1 and Doa10 E3 ligase complexes. In addition to their primary roles in the ER-associated degradation pathway that eliminates misfolded proteins, recent quantitative proteomic analyses identified native substrates of Hrd1 and Doa10 in the sterol synthesis pathway. The second part focuses on the SCF (Skp1-Cul1-F-box protein) complex, an abundant prototypical multi-protein E3 ligase complex. While the best-known roles of the SCF complex are in the regulation of the cell cycle and transcription, accumulating evidence indicates that the SCF complex also modulates carbon metabolism pathways. The increasing number of metabolic enzymes whose stability is directly regulated by the UPS underscores the importance of the proteolytic regulation of metabolic processes for the acclimation of cells to environmental changes.

  1. Leucine metabolism in regulation of insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells

    OpenAIRE

    Yang, Jichun; Chi, Yujing; Burkhardt, Brant R.; Guan, Youfei; Wolf, Bryan A

    2010-01-01

    Leucine, a the branched-chain amino acids that must be supplied in daily diet, plays an important role in controlling protein synthesis and regulating cell metabolism in various cell types. In pancreatic β cells, leucine acutely stimulates insulin secretion by serving as both metabolic fuel and allosteric activator of glutamate dehydrogenase to enhance glutaminolysis. Leucine has also been shown to regulate gene transcription and protein synthesis in pancreatic islet β cells via both mTOR-dep...

  2. Generation Z: Adolescent Xenobiotic Abuse in the 21st Century.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eggleston, William; Stork, Christine

    2015-12-01

    NMDA receptor antagonists include the prescription medication ketamine, the illicit xenobiotics PCP, MXE, and other novel PCP analogs, and the OTC medication DXM. The NMDA receptor antagonist most commonly abused by adolescents in the United States is DXM. These xenobiotics cause dissociative effects by non-competitively inhibiting the action of glutamate at the NMDA receptor. Additionally, these agents modulate the actions of monoamine neurotransmitters, agonize opioid receptors, and inhibit nitric oxide synthase. Patients typically present with sympathomimetic and neuropsychiatric clinical manifestations after abuse of NMDA receptor antagonists. Treatment is generally symptomatic and supportive. Interventions include benzodiazepines, propofol, fluids, antiemetics, aggressive cooling, and respiratory support.

  3. DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE OF A XENOBIOTIC METABOLISM DATABASE MANAGER FOR METABOLIC SIMULATOR ENHANCEMENT AND CHEMICAL RISK ANALYSIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    A major uncertainty that has long been recognized in evaluating chemical toxicity is accounting for metabolic activation of chemicals resulting in increased toxicity. In silico approaches to predict chemical metabolism and to subsequently screen and prioritize chemicals for risk ...

  4. Transport, metabolism, and endosomal trafficking-dependent regulation of intestinal fructose absorption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Chirag; Douard, Veronique; Yu, Shiyan; Gao, Nan; Ferraris, Ronaldo P.

    2015-01-01

    Dietary fructose that is linked to metabolic abnormalities can up-regulate its own absorption, but the underlying regulatory mechanisms are not known. We hypothesized that glucose transporter (GLUT) protein, member 5 (GLUT5) is the primary fructose transporter and that fructose absorption via GLUT5, metabolism via ketohexokinase (KHK), as well as GLUT5 trafficking to the apical membrane via the Ras-related protein-in-brain 11 (Rab11)a-dependent endosomes are each required for regulation. Introducing fructose but not lysine and glucose solutions into the lumen increased by 2- to 10-fold the heterogeneous nuclear RNA, mRNA, protein, and activity levels of GLUT5 in adult wild-type mice consuming chow. Levels of GLUT5 were >100-fold that of candidate apical fructose transporters GLUTs 7, 8, and 12 whose expression, and that of GLUT 2 and the sodium-dependent glucose transporter protein 1 (SGLT1), was not regulated by luminal fructose. GLUT5-knockout (KO) mice exhibited no facilitative fructose transport and no compensatory increases in activity and expression of SGLT1 and other GLUTs. Fructose could not up-regulate GLUT5 in GLUT5-KO, KHK-KO, and intestinal epithelial cell-specific Rab11a-KO mice. The fructose-specific metabolite glyceraldehyde did not increase GLUT5 expression. GLUT5 is the primary transporter responsible for facilitative absorption of fructose, and its regulation specifically requires fructose uptake and metabolism and normal GLUT5 trafficking to the apical membrane.—Patel, C., Douard, V., Yu, S., Gao, N., Ferraris, R. P. Transport, metabolism, and endosomal trafficking-dependent regulation of intestinal fructose absorption. PMID:26071406

  5. Oxygen and xenobiotic reductase activities of cytochrome P450.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goeptar, A.R.; Scheerens, H.; Vermeulen, N.P.E.

    1995-01-01

    The oxygen reductase and xenobiotic reductase activities of cytochrome P450 (P450) are reviewed. During the oxygen reductase activity of P450, molecular oxygen is reduced to superoxide anion radicals (O

  6. Application of probiotics in the xenobiotic detoxification therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Urban, P L [Isotope Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Warsaw University, Warsaw (Poland); Kuthan, R T [2 Plant Pathogenesis Group, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw (Poland)

    2004-07-01

    Many applications of probiotics have been described up to date. In this paper, it is hypothesized that probiotic microorganisms can also be used to decrease the xenobiotics intake in humans. The use of probiotic bacteria (e.g. strains of Lactobacillus sp. and Bifidobacterium Sp.) and Yeasts (Saccharomyces sp.) gives the opportunity for detoxification of various elements and compounds, considered as contaminants, directly in the lumen of human intestine. Some of these microorganisms ar known to accumulate cesium, strontium and heavy metals to a great extent and also bind mycotoxins. Certainly, during the up-coming years, their native or genetically modified strains will be a part of treatment protocols in detoxication therapy. The utilization of probiotics, in the both therapy and nutrition of people living in the countries suffering from high food contamination, could result in the reduction of annual xenobiotic dose to be incorporated in their organisms. (author)

  7. Application of probiotics in the xenobiotic detoxification therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Urban, P.L.; Kuthan, R.T.

    2004-01-01

    Many applications of probiotics have been described up to date. In this paper, it is hypothesized that probiotic microorganisms can also be used to decrease the xenobiotics intake in humans. The use of probiotic bacteria (e.g. strains of Lactobacillus sp. and Bifidobacterium Sp.) and Yeasts (Saccharomyces sp.) gives the opportunity for detoxification of various elements and compounds, considered as contaminants, directly in the lumen of human intestine. Some of these microorganisms ar known to accumulate cesium, strontium and heavy metals to a great extent and also bind mycotoxins. Certainly, during the up-coming years, their native or genetically modified strains will be a part of treatment protocols in detoxication therapy. The utilization of probiotics, in the both therapy and nutrition of people living in the countries suffering from high food contamination, could result in the reduction of annual xenobiotic dose to be incorporated in their organisms. (author)

  8. Systems biology of adipose tissue metabolism: regulation of growth, signaling and inflammation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manteiga, Sara; Choi, Kyungoh; Jayaraman, Arul; Lee, Kyongbum

    2013-01-01

    Adipose tissue (AT) depots actively regulate whole body energy homeostasis by orchestrating complex communications with other physiological systems as well as within the tissue. Adipocytes readily respond to hormonal and nutritional inputs to store excess nutrients as intracellular lipids or mobilize the stored fat for utilization. Co-ordinated regulation of metabolic pathways balancing uptake, esterification, and hydrolysis of lipids is accomplished through positive and negative feedback interactions of regulatory hubs comprising several pleiotropic protein kinases and nuclear receptors. Metabolic regulation in adipocytes encompasses biogenesis and remodeling of uniquely large lipid droplets (LDs). The regulatory hubs also function as energy and nutrient sensors, and integrate metabolic regulation with intercellular signaling. Over-nutrition causes hypertrophic expansion of adipocytes, which, through incompletely understood mechanisms, initiates a cascade of metabolic and signaling events leading to tissue remodeling and immune cell recruitment. Macrophage activation and polarization toward a pro-inflammatory phenotype drives a self-reinforcing cycle of pro-inflammatory signals in the AT, establishing an inflammatory state. Sustained inflammation accelerates lipolysis and elevates free fatty acids in circulation, which robustly correlates with development of obesity-related diseases. The adipose regulatory network coupling metabolism, growth, and signaling of multiple cell types is exceedingly complex. While components of the regulatory network have been individually studied in exquisite detail, systems approaches have rarely been utilized to comprehensively assess the relative engagements of the components. Thus, need and opportunity exist to develop quantitative models of metabolic and signaling networks to achieve a more complete understanding of AT biology in both health and disease. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Regulation of metabolism by the Mediator complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Youn, Dou Yeon; Xiaoli, Alus M; Pessin, Jeffrey E; Yang, Fajun

    2016-01-01

    The Mediator complex was originally discovered in yeast, but it is conserved in all eukaryotes. Its best-known function is to regulate RNA polymerase II-dependent gene transcription. Although the mechanisms by which the Mediator complex regulates transcription are often complicated by the context-dependent regulation, this transcription cofactor complex plays a pivotal role in numerous biological pathways. Biochemical, molecular, and physiological studies using cancer cell lines or model organisms have established the current paradigm of the Mediator functions. However, the physiological roles of the mammalian Mediator complex remain poorly defined, but have attracted a great interest in recent years. In this short review, we will summarize some of the reported functions of selective Mediator subunits in the regulation of metabolism. These intriguing findings suggest that the Mediator complex may be an important player in nutrient sensing and energy balance in mammals.

  10. Review and evaluation of the effects of xenobiotic chemicals on microorganisms in soil. [139 references

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hicks, R.J.; Van Voris, P.

    1988-02-01

    The primary objective was to review and evaluate the relevance and quality of existing xenobiotic data bases and test methods for evaluating direct and indirect effects (both adverse and beneficial) of xenobiotics on the soil microbial community; direct and indirect effects of the soil microbial community on xenobiotics; and adequacy of test methods used to evaluate these effects and interactions. Xenobiotic chemicals are defined here as those compounds, both organic and inorganic, produced by man and introduced into the environment at concentrations that cause undesirable effects. Because soil serves as the main repository for many of these chemicals, it therefore has a major role in determining their ultimate fate. Once released, the distribution of xenobiotics between environmental compartments depends on the chemodynamic properties of the compounds, the physicochemical properties of the soils, and the transfer between soil-water and soil-air interfaces and across biological membranes. Abiotic and biotic processes can transform the chemical compound, thus altering its chemical state and, subsequently, its toxicity and reactivity. Ideally, the conversion is to carbon dioxide, water, and mineral elements, or at least, to some harmless substance. However, intermediate transformation products, which can become toxic pollutants in their own right, can sometimes be formed. 139 refs., 6 figs., 11 tabs.

  11. [Research advance in nitrogen metabolism of plant and its environmental regulation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Zhenzhu; Zhou, Guangsheng

    2004-03-01

    Nitrogen metabolism is not only one of the basic processes of plant physiology, but also one of the important parts of global chemical cycle. Plant nitrogen assimilation directly takes part in the synthesis and conversion of amino acid through the reduction of nitrate. During this stage, some key enzymes, e.g., nitrate reductase (NR), glutamine synthetase (GS), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), glutamine synthase (GOGAT), aspargine synthetase (AS), and asparate aminotransferase (AspAT) participate these processes. The protein is assimilated in plant cell through amino acid, and becomes a part of plant organism through modifying, classifying, transporting and storing processes, etc. The nitrogen metabolism is associated with carbonic metabolism through key enzyme regulations and the conversion of products, which consists of basic life process. Among these amino acids in plant cell, glutamic acid (Glu), glutamine (Gln), aspartic acid (Asp) and asparagines (Asn), etc., play a key role, which regulates their conversion each other and their contents in the plant cell through regulating formation and activity of those key enzymes. Environmental factors also affect the conversion and recycle of the key amino acids through regulating gene expression of the key enzymes and their activities. Nitrate and light intensity positively regulate the gene transcription of NR, but ammonium ions and Glu, Gln do the negative way. Water deficit is a very serious constraint on N2 fixation rate and soybean (Glycine max Merr.) grain yield, in which, ureide accumulation and degradation under water deficit appear to be the key issues of feedback mechanism on nitrogen fixation. Water stress decreases NR activity, but increases proteinase activity, and thus, they regulate plant nitrogen metabolism, although there are some different effects among species and cultivars. Water stress also decreases plant tissue protein content, ratio of protein and amino acid, and reduces the absorption of amino

  12. Triclosan affects the microbial community in simulated sewage-drain-field soil and slows down xenobiotic degradation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Svenningsen, Hanne [Department of Geochemistry, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Oster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K (Denmark); Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Solvgade 83H, DK-1307 Copenhagen K (Denmark); Henriksen, Trine [Department of Geochemistry, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Oster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K (Denmark); Prieme, Anders [Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Solvgade 83H, DK-1307 Copenhagen K (Denmark); Johnsen, Anders R., E-mail: arj@geus.dk [Department of Geochemistry, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Oster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K (Denmark)

    2011-06-15

    Effects of the common antibacterial agent triclosan on microbial communities and degradation of domestic xenobiotics were studied in simulated sewage-drain-field soil. Cultivable microbial populations decreased 22-fold in the presence of 4 mg kg{sup -1} of triclosan, and triclosan-resistant Pseudomonas strains were strongly enriched. Exposure to triclosan also changed the general metabolic profile (Ecoplate substrate profiling) and the general profile (T-RFLP) of the microbial community. Triclosan degradation was slow at all concentrations tested (0.33-81 mg kg{sup -1}) during 50-days of incubation. Mineralization experiments ({sup 14}C-tracers) and chemical analyses (LC-MS/MS) showed that the persistence of a linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and a common analgesic (ibuprofen) increased with increasing triclosan concentrations (0.16-100 mg kg{sup -1}). The largest effect was seen for LAS mineralization which was severely reduced by 0.16 mg kg{sup -1} of triclosan. Our findings indicate that environmentally realistic concentrations of triclosan may affect the efficiency of biodegradation in percolation systems. - Highlights: > Triclosan may enter the soil environment through sewage. > Triclosan impacts the microbial community in sewage-drain-field soil. > Triclosan-resistant pseudomonads are strongly enriched. > Degradation of co-occurring LAS and ibuprofen is reduced. - Environmentally realistic triclosan concentrations in percolation systems may reduce the biodegradation of other xenobiotics and select for triclosan-resistant bacteria.

  13. Triclosan affects the microbial community in simulated sewage-drain-field soil and slows down xenobiotic degradation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Svenningsen, Hanne; Henriksen, Trine; Prieme, Anders; Johnsen, Anders R.

    2011-01-01

    Effects of the common antibacterial agent triclosan on microbial communities and degradation of domestic xenobiotics were studied in simulated sewage-drain-field soil. Cultivable microbial populations decreased 22-fold in the presence of 4 mg kg -1 of triclosan, and triclosan-resistant Pseudomonas strains were strongly enriched. Exposure to triclosan also changed the general metabolic profile (Ecoplate substrate profiling) and the general profile (T-RFLP) of the microbial community. Triclosan degradation was slow at all concentrations tested (0.33-81 mg kg -1 ) during 50-days of incubation. Mineralization experiments ( 14 C-tracers) and chemical analyses (LC-MS/MS) showed that the persistence of a linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and a common analgesic (ibuprofen) increased with increasing triclosan concentrations (0.16-100 mg kg -1 ). The largest effect was seen for LAS mineralization which was severely reduced by 0.16 mg kg -1 of triclosan. Our findings indicate that environmentally realistic concentrations of triclosan may affect the efficiency of biodegradation in percolation systems. - Highlights: → Triclosan may enter the soil environment through sewage. → Triclosan impacts the microbial community in sewage-drain-field soil. → Triclosan-resistant pseudomonads are strongly enriched. → Degradation of co-occurring LAS and ibuprofen is reduced. - Environmentally realistic triclosan concentrations in percolation systems may reduce the biodegradation of other xenobiotics and select for triclosan-resistant bacteria.

  14. Apoptosis (programmed cell death) as an indicator of xenobiotic toxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bond, G.P.

    1989-01-01

    Xenobiotics alter the frequency and pattern of apoptosis (programmed cell death). Preliminary studies identified the mouse liver, with normally low levels of apoptosis, as a preferable test system to the chicken embryo limb, with normally high levels of apoptosis. The major purposes of these investigations, using the apoptogen and necrogen 1,1-dichloroethylene (DCE), were to determine if increases in apoptosis, (1) could be quantified as a direct result of treatment, (2) were dose- and time-dependent, (3) were independent of necrosis, (4) were associated with mitosis in the control of cell numbers and (5) were limited to specific areas of the liver. To these ends, food-deprived female, CF-1 mice were administered DCE ip under varying experimental conditions. Increased apoptosis occurred in a dose- and time-dependent manner after treatment with 12.5, 40, and 125 mg/kg for 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 hr. Peak effects were observed at 4 hr. Apoptosis occurred only in the midzonal/pericentral areas of the liver. At 12.5 mg/kg, there were no effects on biochemical (alanine transaminase) and morphological indices of necrosis, establishing apoptosis as a separate phenomenon from necrosis. Increased 3 H-thymidine incorporation (DNA synthesis), mitosis and the percentage of octaploid hepatocytes occurred from 24-48 hr after treatment with the apoptotic but non-necrotic dose of 40 mg/kg. Apoptosis only occurred in the midzonal/pericentral areas of the liver after multiple doses with DCE, indicating the zonal selectivity of the response. In conclusion, apoptosis, a normally occurring homeostatic process associated with mitosis in the control of cell numbers, is affected by selected xenobiotics in a dose-dependent manner. Xenobiotic-induced apoptosis in the liver occurs at low doses of xenobiotics which cause no other effects on tissue structure or function

  15. Life-stage-associated remodelling of lipid metabolism regulation in Atlantic salmon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillard, Gareth; Harvey, Thomas N; Gjuvsland, Arne; Jin, Yang; Thomassen, Magny; Lien, Sigbjørn; Leaver, Michael; Torgersen, Jacob S; Hvidsten, Torgeir R; Vik, Jon Olav; Sandve, Simen R

    2018-03-01

    Atlantic salmon migrates from rivers to sea to feed, grow and develop gonads before returning to spawn in freshwater. The transition to marine habitats is associated with dramatic changes in the environment, including water salinity, exposure to pathogens and shift in dietary lipid availability. Many changes in physiology and metabolism occur across this life-stage transition, but little is known about the molecular nature of these changes. Here, we use a long-term feeding experiment to study transcriptional regulation of lipid metabolism in Atlantic salmon gut and liver in both fresh- and saltwater. We find that lipid metabolism becomes significantly less plastic to differences in dietary lipid composition when salmon transitions to saltwater and experiences increased dietary lipid availability. Expression of genes in liver relating to lipogenesis and lipid transport decreases overall and becomes less responsive to diet, while genes for lipid uptake in gut become more highly expressed. Finally, analyses of evolutionary consequences of the salmonid-specific whole-genome duplication on lipid metabolism reveal several pathways with significantly different (p < .05) duplicate retention or duplicate regulatory conservation. We also find a limited number of cases where the whole-genome duplication has resulted in an increased gene dosage. In conclusion, we find variable and pathway-specific effects of the salmonid genome duplication on lipid metabolism genes. A clear life-stage-associated shift in lipid metabolism regulation is evident, and we hypothesize this to be, at least partly, driven by nondietary factors such as the preparatory remodelling of gene regulation and physiology prior to sea migration. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Comparative liver accumulation of dioxin-like compounds in sheep and cattle: Possible role of AhR-mediated xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Girolami, F; Spalenza, V; Benedetto, A; Manzini, L; Badino, P; Abete, M C; Nebbia, C

    2016-11-15

    PCDDs, PCDFs, and PCBs are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that accumulate in animal products and may pose serious health problems. Those able to bind the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), eliciting a plethora of toxic responses, are defined dioxin-like (DL) compounds, while the remainders are called non-DL (NDL). An EFSA opinion has highlighted the tendency of ovine liver to specifically accumulate DL-compounds to a greater extent than any other farmed ruminant species. To examine the possible role in such an accumulation of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (XME) involved in DL-compound biotransformation, liver samples were collected from ewes and cows reared in an area known for low dioxin contamination. A related paper reported that sheep livers had about 5-fold higher DL-compound concentrations than cattle livers, while the content of the six marker NDL-PCBs did not differ between species. Specimens from the same animals were subjected to gene expression analysis for AhR, AhR nuclear translocator (ARNT) and AhR-dependent oxidative and conjugative pathways; XME protein expression and activities were also investigated. Both AhR and ARNT mRNA levels were about 2-fold lower in ovine samples and the same occurred for CYP1A1 and CYP1A2, being approximately 3- and 9-fold less expressed in sheep compared to cattle, while CYP1B1 could be detectable in cattle only. The results of the immunoblotting and catalytic activity (most notably EROD) measurements of the CYP1A family enzymes were in line with the gene expression data. By contrast, phase II enzyme expression and activities in sheep were higher (UGT1A) or similar (GSTA1, NQO1) to those recorded in cattle. The overall low expression of CYP1 family enzymes in the sheep is in line with the observed liver accumulation of DL-compounds and is expected to affect the kinetics and the dynamics of other POPs such as many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as of toxins (e.g. aflatoxins) or drugs (e.g. benzimidazole

  17. Epidermal Overexpression of Xenobiotic Receptor PXR Impairs the Epidermal Barrier and Triggers Th2 Immune Response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elentner, Andreas; Schmuth, Matthias; Yannoutsos, Nikolaos; Eichmann, Thomas O; Gruber, Robert; Radner, Franz P W; Hermann, Martin; Del Frari, Barbara; Dubrac, Sandrine

    2018-01-01

    The skin is in daily contact with environmental pollutants, but the long-term effects of such exposure remain underinvestigated. Many of these toxins bind and activate the pregnane X receptor (PXR), a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates genes central to xenobiotic metabolism. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of constitutive activation of PXR in the basal layer of the skin to mimic repeated skin exposure to noxious molecules. We designed a transgenic mouse model that overexpresses the human PXR gene linked to the herpes simplex VP16 domain under the control of the keratin 14 promoter. We show that transgenic mice display increased transepidermal water loss and elevated skin pH, abnormal stratum corneum lipids, focal epidermal hyperplasia, activated keratinocytes expressing more thymic stromal lymphopoietin, a T helper type 2/T helper type 17 skin immune response, and increased serum IgE. Furthermore, the cutaneous barrier dysfunction precedes development of the T helper type 2/T helper type 17 inflammation in transgenic mice, thereby mirroring the time course of atopic dermatitis development in humans. Moreover, further experiments suggest increased PXR signaling in the skin of patients with atopic dermatitis when compared with healthy skin. Thus, PXR activation by environmental pollutants may compromise epidermal barrier function and favor an immune response resembling atopic dermatitis. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Development, regulation, metabolism and function of bone marrow adipose tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ziru; Hardij, Julie; Bagchi, Devika P; Scheller, Erica L; MacDougald, Ormond A

    2018-05-01

    Most adipocytes exist in discrete depots throughout the body, notably in well-defined white and brown adipose tissues. However, adipocytes also reside within specialized niches, of which the most abundant is within bone marrow. Whereas bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) shares many properties in common with white adipose tissue, the distinct functions of BMAT are reflected by its development, regulation, protein secretion, and lipid composition. In addition to its potential role as a local energy reservoir, BMAT also secretes proteins, including adiponectin, RANK ligand, dipeptidyl peptidase-4, and stem cell factor, which contribute to local marrow niche functions and which may also influence global metabolism. The characteristics of BMAT are also distinct depending on whether marrow adipocytes are contained within yellow or red marrow, as these can be thought of as 'constitutive' and 'regulated', respectively. The rBMAT for instance can be expanded or depleted by myriad factors, including age, nutrition, endocrine status and pharmaceuticals. Herein we review the site specificity, age-related development, regulation and metabolic characteristics of BMAT under various metabolic conditions, including the functional interactions with bone and hematopoietic cells. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Regulation of terpene metabolism. Final technical report, March 15, 1988--March 14, 1996

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Croteau, R.

    1996-12-31

    This research focuses on the following topics: the biosynthesis and catabolism of monoterpenes; the organization of monoterpene metabolism; the developmental regulation of monoterpene metabolism; the flux control of precursor supply; and the integration of monoterpene and higher terpenoid metabolism.

  20. Natural compounds regulate energy metabolism by the modulating the activity of lipid-sensing nuclear receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goto, Tsuyoshi; Kim, Young-Il; Takahashi, Nobuyuki; Kawada, Teruo

    2013-01-01

    Obesity causes excess fat accumulation in various tissues, most notoriously in the adipose tissue, along with other insulin-responsive organs such as skeletal muscle and the liver, which predisposes an individual to the development of metabolic abnormalities. The molecular mechanisms underlying obesity-induced metabolic abnormalities have not been completely elucidated; however, in recent years, the search for therapies to prevent the development of obesity and obesity-associated metabolic disorders has increased. It is known that several nuclear receptors, when activated by specific ligands, regulate carbohydrate and lipid metabolism at the transcriptional level. The expression of lipid metabolism-related enzymes is directly regulated by the activity of various nuclear receptors via their interaction with specific response elements in promoters of those genes. Many natural compounds act as ligands of nuclear receptors and regulate carbohydrate and lipid metabolism by regulating the activities of these nuclear receptors. In this review, we describe our current knowledge of obesity, the role of lipid-sensing nuclear receptors in energy metabolism, and several examples of food factors that act as agonists or antagonists of nuclear receptors, which may be useful for the management of obesity and the accompanying energy metabolism abnormalities. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Rev-erbα and the circadian transcriptional regulation of metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gerhart-Hines, Z.; Lazar, M. A.

    2015-01-01

    The circadian clock orchestrates the coordinated rhythmicity of numerous metabolic pathways to anticipate daily and seasonal changes in energy demand. This vital physiol. function is controlled by a set of individual clock components that are present in each cell of the body, and regulate each ot...... between circadian rhythm and tissue-specific biol. networks and its relevance to organismal physiology.......The circadian clock orchestrates the coordinated rhythmicity of numerous metabolic pathways to anticipate daily and seasonal changes in energy demand. This vital physiol. function is controlled by a set of individual clock components that are present in each cell of the body, and regulate each...

  2. Regulation of brown adipocyte metabolism by myostatin/follistatin signaling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rajan eSingh

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Obesity develops from perturbations of cellular bioenergetics, when energy uptake exceeds energy expenditure, and represents a major risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other conditions. Brown adipose tissue (BAT has long been known to dissipate energy as heat and contribute to energy expenditure, but its presence and physiological role in adult human physiology has been questioned for years. Recent demonstrations of metabolically active brown fat depots in adult humans have revolutionized current therapeutic approaches for obesity-related diseases. The balance between white adipose tissue (WAT and BAT affects the systemic energy balance and is widely believed to be the key determinant in the development of obesity and related metabolic diseases. Members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β superfamily play an important role in regulating overall energy homeostasis by modulation of brown adipocyte characteristics. Inactivation of TGF-β/Smad3/myostatin (Mst signaling promotes browning of white adipocytes, increases mitochondrial biogenesis and protects mice from diet-induced obesity, suggesting the need for development of a novel class of TGF-β/Mst antagonists for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases. We recently described an important role of follistatin (Fst, a soluble glycoprotein that is known to bind and antagonize Mst actions, during brown fat differentiation and the regulation of cellular metabolism. Here we highlight various investigations performed using different in vitro and in vivo models to support the contention that targeting TGF-β/Mst signaling enhances brown adipocyte functions and regulates energy balance, reducing insulin resistance and curbing the development of obesity and diabetes.

  3. Systems assessment of transcriptional regulation on central carbon metabolism by Cra and CRP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Donghyuk; Seo, Sang Woo; Gao, Ye; Nam, Hojung; Guzman, Gabriela I; Cho, Byung-Kwan; Palsson, Bernhard O

    2018-04-06

    Two major transcriptional regulators of carbon metabolism in bacteria are Cra and CRP. CRP is considered to be the main mediator of catabolite repression. Unlike for CRP, in vivo DNA binding information of Cra is scarce. Here we generate and integrate ChIP-exo and RNA-seq data to identify 39 binding sites for Cra and 97 regulon genes that are regulated by Cra in Escherichia coli. An integrated metabolic-regulatory network was formed by including experimentally-derived regulatory information and a genome-scale metabolic network reconstruction. Applying analysis methods of systems biology to this integrated network showed that Cra enables optimal bacterial growth on poor carbon sources by redirecting and repressing glycolysis flux, by activating the glyoxylate shunt pathway, and by activating the respiratory pathway. In these regulatory mechanisms, the overriding regulatory activity of Cra over CRP is fundamental. Thus, elucidation of interacting transcriptional regulation of core carbon metabolism in bacteria by two key transcription factors was possible by combining genome-wide experimental measurement and simulation with a genome-scale metabolic model.

  4. TIMP3 interplays with apelin to regulate cardiovascular metabolism in hypercholesterolemic mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Stöhr

    2015-10-01

    Conclusion: TIMP3 regulates lipid metabolism as well as oxidative stress response via apelin. These findings therefore suggest that TIMP3 maintains metabolic flexibility in the heart, particularly during episodes of increased cardiac stress.

  5. Cell signaling mechanisms and metabolic regulation of germination and dormancy in barley seeds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhenguo Ma

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available During germination of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. seeds, important morphological and physiological changes take place, including development of organs and tissues and activation of metabolic pathways. Germination and dormancy of seeds are regulated by abscisic acid, gibberellins, reactive oxygen species (ROS, reactive nitrogen species (RNS and several other factors. Activities of ascorbate–glutathione cycle enzymes, responsible for scavenging ROS, strongly increase. Catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, also scavenging ROS, decrease at the onset of seed germination and then increase. With the increase in aerobic metabolism after radicle protrusion, the activities of the fermentation enzymes lactate and alcohol dehydrogenase decline rapidly. The RNS-scavenging activity of S-nitrosoglutathione reductase decreases in the course of seed germination, in concert with elevation of nitric oxide production and protein nitrosylation. This activity supports the role of RNS in regulating seed germination. Transcription of various genes at different phases of seed germination exhibits phase-specific changes. During imbibition, genes involved in cell wall metabolism are highly expressed; in the middle phase of seed germination before radicle protrusion, genes involved in amino acid synthesis, protein synthesis, and transport and nucleic acid synthesis are upregulated significantly, and after radicle protrusion, genes involved in photosynthetic metabolism are induced. In summary, signal transduction and metabolic regulation of seed germination involve diverse reactions and complex regulation at different levels of metabolic organization. Keywords: Seed germination, Reactive oxygen species, Reactive nitrogen species, Signal transduction, Gene expression

  6. Linking metabolomics data to underlying metabolic regulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas eNägele

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The comprehensive experimental analysis of a metabolic constitution plays a central role in approaches of organismal systems biology.Quantifying the impact of a changing environment on the homeostasis of cellular metabolism has been the focus of numerous studies applying various metabolomics techniques. It has been proven that approaches which integrate different analytical techniques, e.g. LC-MS, GC-MS, CE-MS and H-NMR, can provide a comprehensive picture of a certain metabolic homeostasis. Identification of metabolic compounds and quantification of metabolite levels represent the groundwork for the analysis of regulatory strategies in cellular metabolism. This significantly promotes our current understanding of the molecular organization and regulation of cells, tissues and whole organisms.Nevertheless, it is demanding to elicit the pertinent information which is contained in metabolomics data sets.Based on the central dogma of molecular biology, metabolite levels and their fluctuations are the result of a directed flux of information from gene activation over transcription to translation and posttranslational modification.Hence, metabolomics data represent the summed output of a metabolic system comprising various levels of molecular organization.As a consequence, the inverse assignment of metabolomics data to underlying regulatory processes should yield information which-if deciphered correctly-provides comprehensive insight into a metabolic system.Yet, the deduction of regulatory principles is complex not only due to the high number of metabolic compounds, but also because of a high level of cellular compartmentalization and differentiation.Motivated by the question how metabolomics approaches can provide a representative view on regulatory biochemical processes, this article intends to present and discuss current metabolomics applications, strategies of data analysis and their limitations with respect to the interpretability in context of

  7. The role of gut microbiota in metabolic regulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ekaterina N. Kravchuk

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Obesity and metabolic syndrome are among the major problems of modern society. The increase in obesity is associated with a corresponding increase in type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. A huge amount of scientific research has been devoted to the development of methods to reduce obesity and its complications. In recent years, attention has shifted towards studying the intestinal microbiota not only as a possible component of the pathological process but also as a target of therapeutic intervention. Recent evidence, primarily from investigations in animal models, suggests that the intestinal microbiota affects nutrient acquisition and energy regulation. This review will discuss the role of the intestinal microbiota in metabolic processes as well as the latest developments on the improvement of disturbances specific to obesity and metabolic syndrome.

  8. Hypothalamic carnitine metabolism integrates nutrient and hormonal feedback to regulate energy homeostasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stark, Romana; Reichenbach, Alex; Andrews, Zane B

    2015-12-15

    The maintenance of energy homeostasis requires the hypothalamic integration of nutrient feedback cues, such as glucose, fatty acids, amino acids, and metabolic hormones such as insulin, leptin and ghrelin. Although hypothalamic neurons are critical to maintain energy homeostasis research efforts have focused on feedback mechanisms in isolation, such as glucose alone, fatty acids alone or single hormones. However this seems rather too simplistic considering the range of nutrient and endocrine changes associated with different metabolic states, such as starvation (negative energy balance) or diet-induced obesity (positive energy balance). In order to understand how neurons integrate multiple nutrient or hormonal signals, we need to identify and examine potential intracellular convergence points or common molecular targets that have the ability to sense glucose, fatty acids, amino acids and hormones. In this review, we focus on the role of carnitine metabolism in neurons regulating energy homeostasis. Hypothalamic carnitine metabolism represents a novel means for neurons to facilitate and control both nutrient and hormonal feedback. In terms of nutrient regulation, carnitine metabolism regulates hypothalamic fatty acid sensing through the actions of CPT1 and has an underappreciated role in glucose sensing since carnitine metabolism also buffers mitochondrial matrix levels of acetyl-CoA, an allosteric inhibitor of pyruvate dehydrogenase and hence glucose metabolism. Studies also show that hypothalamic CPT1 activity also controls hormonal feedback. We hypothesis that hypothalamic carnitine metabolism represents a key molecular target that can concurrently integrate nutrient and hormonal information, which is critical to maintain energy homeostasis. We also suggest this is relevant to broader neuroendocrine research as it predicts that hormonal signaling in the brain varies depending on current nutrient status. Indeed, the metabolic action of ghrelin, leptin or insulin

  9. Regulation of lipid metabolism by energy availability: a role for the central nervous system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nogueiras, R; López, M; Diéguez, C

    2010-03-01

    The central nervous system (CNS) is crucial in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Many neuroanatomical studies have shown that the white adipose tissue (WAT) is innervated by the sympathetic nervous system, which plays a critical role in adipocyte lipid metabolism. Therefore, there are currently numerous reports indicating that signals from the CNS control the amount of fat by modulating the storage or oxidation of fatty acids. Importantly, some CNS pathways regulate adipocyte metabolism independently of food intake, suggesting that some signals possess alternative mechanisms to regulate energy homeostasis. In this review, we mainly focus on how neuronal circuits within the hypothalamus, such as leptin- ghrelin-and resistin-responsive neurons, as well as melanocortins, neuropeptide Y, and the cannabinoid system exert their actions on lipid metabolism in peripheral tissues such as WAT, liver or muscle. Dissecting the complicated interactions between peripheral signals and neuronal circuits regulating lipid metabolism might open new avenues for the development of new therapies preventing and treating obesity and its associated cardiometabolic sequelae.

  10. Ornithine: the overlooked molecule in the regulation of polyamine metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajtilak Majumdar; Lin Shao; Rakesh Minocha; Stephanie Long; Subhash C. Minocha

    2013-01-01

    We overexpressed a mouse ornithine decarboxylase gene under the control of a constitutive and an estradiol-inducible promoter in Arabidopsis thaliana to increase our understanding of the regulation of polyamine metabolism. Of particular interest was the role of the substrate ornithine not only in the regulation of polyamine biosynthesis, but also in...

  11. Krüppel-like factor 15: Regulator of BCAA metabolism and circadian protein rhythmicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Liyan; Hsieh, Paishiun N; Sweet, David R; Jain, Mukesh K

    2018-04-01

    Regulation of nutrient intake, utilization, and storage exhibits a circadian rhythmicity that allows organisms to anticipate and adequately respond to changes in the environment across day/night cycles. The branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine, and valine are important modulators of metabolism and metabolic health - for example, their catabolism yields carbon substrates for gluconeogenesis during periods of fasting. Krüppel-like factor 15 (KLF15) has recently emerged as a critical transcriptional regulator of BCAA metabolism, and the absence of this transcription factor contributes to severe pathologies such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and heart failure. This review highlights KLF15's role as a central regulator of BCAA metabolism during periods of fasting, throughout day/night cycles, and in experimental models of muscle disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Growth hormone regulation of metabolic gene expression in muscle: a microarray study in hypopituitary men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sjögren, Klara; Leung, Kin-Chuen; Kaplan, Warren; Gardiner-Garden, Margaret; Gibney, James; Ho, Ken K Y

    2007-07-01

    Muscle is a target of growth hormone (GH) action and a major contributor to whole body metabolism. Little is known about how GH regulates metabolic processes in muscle or the extent to which muscle contributes to changes in whole body substrate metabolism during GH treatment. To identify GH-responsive genes that regulate substrate metabolism in muscle, we studied six hypopituitary men who underwent whole body metabolic measurement and skeletal muscle biopsies before and after 2 wk of GH treatment (0.5 mg/day). Transcript profiles of four subjects were analyzed using Affymetrix GeneChips. Serum insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and procollagens I and III were measured by RIA. GH increased serum IGF-I and procollagens I and III, enhanced whole body lipid oxidation, reduced carbohydrate oxidation, and stimulated protein synthesis. It induced gene expression of IGF-I and collagens in muscle. GH reduced expression of several enzymes regulating lipid oxidation and energy production. It reduced calpain 3, increased ribosomal protein L38 expression, and displayed mixed effects on genes encoding myofibrillar proteins. It increased expression of circadian gene CLOCK, and reduced that of PERIOD. In summary, GH exerted concordant effects on muscle expression and blood levels of IGF-I and collagens. It induced changes in genes regulating protein metabolism in parallel with a whole body anabolic effect. The discordance between muscle gene expression profiles and metabolic responses suggests that muscle is unlikely to contribute to GH-induced stimulation of whole body energy and lipid metabolism. GH may regulate circadian function in skeletal muscle by modulating circadian gene expression with possible metabolic consequences.

  13. A new research journal to understand the interactions of xenobiotics with living organisms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    François Gagné

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Since its creation in January 2011, the Journal of Xenobiotics (published by PAGEPress, Italy is devoted to the publication of novel research articles in the fields of the occurrence and biochemical effects of xenobiotics on all living organisms. Although xenobiotics are defined firstly as compounds that are foreign to life, compounds of natural origins occuring at concentrations that are not usually found, could also be considered as foreigners since their enhanced occurrence may affect non-target organisms. In this sense, products derived from natural products are well known to have either a beneficial (natural products used as food additives and many pharmaceuticals or detrimental (cyanotoxins impact on the health of an organism. The journal recognizes that these compounds could be either harmful or beneficial to organisms and the interplay between these two aspects is of particular interest...

  14. Regulation of Mammalian Metabolism by Facilitated Transport Across the Inner Mitochondrial Membrane

    OpenAIRE

    Vacanti, Nathaniel Martin

    2015-01-01

    The enzymes and reactions of the metabolic network provide cells with a means to utilize the energy stored in substrate chemical bonds and to rearrange those bonds to form biosynthetic building blocks. The chapters of this dissertation are all independent bodies of work exploring how the metabolic network influences and regulates cellular function or dysfunction. Chapter 1, titled "Exploring Metabolic Pathways that Contribute to the Stem Cell Phenotype", is a case study on how the metabolic n...

  15. Co-regulation of metabolic genes is better explained by flux coupling than by network distance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard A Notebaart

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available To what extent can modes of gene regulation be explained by systems-level properties of metabolic networks? Prior studies on co-regulation of metabolic genes have mainly focused on graph-theoretical features of metabolic networks and demonstrated a decreasing level of co-expression with increasing network distance, a naïve, but widely used, topological index. Others have suggested that static graph representations can poorly capture dynamic functional associations, e.g., in the form of dependence of metabolic fluxes across genes in the network. Here, we systematically tested the relative importance of metabolic flux coupling and network position on gene co-regulation, using a genome-scale metabolic model of Escherichia coli. After validating the computational method with empirical data on flux correlations, we confirm that genes coupled by their enzymatic fluxes not only show similar expression patterns, but also share transcriptional regulators and frequently reside in the same operon. In contrast, we demonstrate that network distance per se has relatively minor influence on gene co-regulation. Moreover, the type of flux coupling can explain refined properties of the regulatory network that are ignored by simple graph-theoretical indices. Our results underline the importance of studying functional states of cellular networks to define physiologically relevant associations between genes and should stimulate future developments of novel functional genomic tools.

  16. Xenobiotic effects on intestinal stem cell proliferation in adult honey bee (Apis mellifera L) workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forkpah, Cordelia; Dixon, Luke R; Fahrbach, Susan E; Rueppell, Olav

    2014-01-01

    The causes of the current global decline in honey bee health are unknown. One major group of hypotheses invokes the pesticides and other xenobiotics to which this important pollinator species is often exposed. Most studies have focused on mortality or behavioral deficiencies in exposed honey bees while neglecting other biological functions and target organs. The midgut epithelium of honey bees presents an important interface between the insect and its environment. It is maintained by proliferation of intestinal stem cells throughout the adult life of honey bees. We used caged honey bees to test multiple xenobiotics for effects on the replicative activity of the intestinal stem cells under laboratory conditions. Most of the tested compounds did not alter the replicative activity of intestinal stem cells. However, colchicine, methoxyfenozide, tetracycline, and a combination of coumaphos and tau-fluvalinate significantly affected proliferation rate. All substances except methoxyfenozide decreased proliferation rate. Thus, the results indicate that some xenobiotics frequently used in apiculture and known to accumulate in honey bee hives may have hitherto unknown physiological effects. The nutritional status and the susceptibility to pathogens of honey bees could be compromised by the impacts of xenobiotics on the maintenance of the midgut epithelium. This study contributes to a growing body of evidence that more comprehensive testing of xenobiotics may be required before novel or existing compounds can be considered safe for honey bees and other non-target species.

  17. In silico identification and construction of microbial gene clusters associated with biodegradation of xenobiotic compounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awasthi, Garima; Kumari, Anjani; Pant, Aditya Bhushan; Srivastava, Prachi

    2018-01-01

    Chemical substances not showing any importance in existence of biological systems and causing serious health hazards may be designated as Xenobiotic compound. Elimination or degradation of these unwanted substances is a major issue of concern for current time research. Process of biodegradation is a very important aspect of current research as discussed in current manuscript. Current study focuses on the detailed mining of data for the construction of microbial consortia for wide range of xenobiotics compounds. Intensive literature search was done for the construction of this library. Desired data was retrieved from NCBI in fasta format. Data was analysed through homology approaches by using BLAST. This homology based searched enriched with a great vision that not only bacterial population but many other cheap and potential sources are available for different xenobiotic degradation. Though it was focused that bacterial population covers a major part of biodegradation which is near about 90.6% but algae and fungi are also showing promising future in degradation of some important xenobiotic compounds. Analysis of data reveals that Pseudomonas putida has potential for degrading maximum compounds. Establishment of correlation through cluster analysis signifies that Pseudomonas putida, Aspergillus niger and Skeletonema costatum can have combined traits that can be used in finding out actual evolutionary relationship between these species. These findings may also givea new outcome in terms of much cheaper and eco-friendly source in the area of biodegradation of specified xenobiotic compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Metabolic profiling detects early effects of environmental and lifestyle exposure to cadmium in a human population

    OpenAIRE

    Ellis, James K; Athersuch, Toby J; Thomas, Laura DK; Teichert, Friederike; Pérez-Trujillo, Miriam; Svendsen, Claus; Spurgeon, David J; Singh, Rajinder; Järup, Lars; Bundy, Jacob G; Keun, Hector C

    2012-01-01

    Background: The ‘exposome’ represents the accumulation of all environmental exposures across a lifetime. Topdown strategies are required to assess something this comprehensive, and could transform our understanding of how environmental factors affect human health. Metabolic profiling (metabonomics/metabolomics) defines an individual’s metabolic phenotype, which is influenced by genotype, diet, lifestyle, health and xenobiotic exposure, and could also reveal intermediate biomarkers...

  19. Cytochrome P450s--Their expression, regulation, and role in insecticide resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Nannan; Li, Ming; Gong, Youhui; Liu, Feng; Li, Ting

    2015-05-01

    P450s are known to be critical for the detoxification and/or activation of xenobiotics such as drugs and pesticides and overexpression of P450 genes can significantly affect the disposition of xenobiotics in the tissues of organisms, altering their pharmacological/toxicological effects. In insects, P450s play an important role in detoxifying exogenous compounds such as insecticides and plant toxins and their overexpression can result in increased levels of P450 proteins and P450 activities. This has been associated with enhanced metabolic detoxification of insecticides and has been implicated in the development of insecticide resistance in insects. Multiple P450 genes have been found to be co-overexpressed in individual insect species via several constitutive overexpression and induction mechanisms, which in turn are co-responsible for high levels of insecticide resistance. Many studies have also demonstrated that the transcriptional overexpression of P450 genes in resistant insects is regulated by trans and/or cis regulatory genes/factors. Taken together, these earlier findings suggest not only that insecticide resistance is conferred via multi-resistance P450 genes, but also that it is mediated through the interaction of regulatory genes/factors and resistance genes. This chapter reviews our current understanding of how the molecular mechanisms of P450 interaction/gene regulation govern the development of insecticide resistance in insects and our progress along the road to a comprehensive characterization of P450 detoxification-mediated insecticide resistance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Chemical Screening for Bioactivated Electrophilic Metabolites Using Alginate Immobilization of Metabolic Enzymes (AIME) (SOT)

    Science.gov (United States)

    The US EPA's ToxCast program is designed to assess chemical perturbations of molecular and cellular endpoints using a variety of high-throughput screening (HTS) assays. However, existing HTS assays have limited or no xenobiotic metabolism which could lead to a mischaracterization...

  1. Metabolic regulation of manganese superoxide dismutase expression via essential amino acid deprivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aiken, Kimberly J; Bickford, Justin S; Kilberg, Michael S; Nick, Harry S

    2008-04-18

    Organisms respond to available nutrient levels by rapidly adjusting metabolic flux, in part through changes in gene expression. A consequence of adaptations in metabolic rate is the production of mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species. Therefore, we hypothesized that nutrient sensing could regulate the synthesis of the primary defense of the cell against superoxide radicals, manganese superoxide dismutase. Our data establish a novel nutrient-sensing pathway for manganese superoxide dismutase expression mediated through essential amino acid depletion concurrent with an increase in cellular viability. Most relevantly, our results are divergent from current mechanisms governing amino acid-dependent gene regulation. This pathway requires the presence of glutamine, signaling via the tricarboxylic acid cycle/electron transport chain, an intact mitochondrial membrane potential, and the activity of both the MEK/ERK and mammalian target of rapamycin kinases. Our results provide evidence for convergence of metabolic cues with nutrient control of antioxidant gene regulation, revealing a potential signaling strategy that impacts free radical-mediated mutations with implications in cancer and aging.

  2. Influence of xenobiotics on the microbiological and agrochemical parameters of soddy-podzolic soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vakkerov-Kouzova, N. D.

    2010-08-01

    We studied the influence of various chemical compounds, i.e., azobenzene (an insecticide and acaricide), nitrification inhibitors (DCD, dicyandiamide and DMPP, and 3,4-dimetylpyrazolphosphate), and inhibitors of urease activity (HQ-hydroquinone), on the agrochemical and microbiological parameters of a soddy-podzolic soil. It is proved that these xenobiotics are able to influence the agrochemical parameters (the pH and the content of NO{3/-} and NH{4/+}, the microbial activity (the basal respiration, the microbial mass carbon, and the microbial quotient), and the number of bacteria of different physiological groups in soddypodzolic soil. The influence of the xenobiotics was preserved for some time, which testified to their persistence in the soil. Upon cultivating the soil microorganisms in different media, the growth of the heterotrophic bacteria was inhibited, the radial growth velocity was slowed down, and the sporogenesis of the micromycetes was retarded. The toxic effect of the xenobiotics was higher with their increasing concentrations.

  3. Metabolic signals in sleep regulation: recent insights

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shukla C

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Charu Shukla, Radhika Basheer Department of Psychiatry, VA Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School, West Roxbury, MA, USA Abstract: Sleep and energy balance are essential for health. The two processes act in concert to regulate central and peripheral homeostasis. During sleep, energy is conserved due to suspended activity, movement, and sensory responses, and is redirected to restore and replenish proteins and their assemblies into cellular structures. During wakefulness, various energy-demanding activities lead to hunger. Thus, hunger promotes arousal, and subsequent feeding, followed by satiety that promotes sleep via changes in neuroendocrine or neuropeptide signals. These signals overlap with circuits of sleep-wakefulness, feeding, and energy expenditure. Here, we will briefly review the literature that describes the interplay between the circadian system, sleep-wake, and feeding-fasting cycles that are needed to maintain energy balance and a healthy metabolic profile. In doing so, we describe the neuroendocrine, hormonal/peptide signals that integrate sleep and feeding behavior with energy metabolism. Keywords: sleep, energy balance, hypothalamus, metabolism, homeostasis

  4. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of metabolic regulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sillerud, L.O.; Han, C.H.; Whaley, T.W.

    1983-01-01

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for the detection of the metabolic transformations of biological compounds labeled with stable isotopes, particularly carbon-13 have been explored. We have studied adipose tissue in the intact rat, the exteriorized epididymal fat pad, and the isolated adipocyte. Triacylglycerol metabolism in adipose tissue is regulated by lipogenic factors (insulin, corticosterone, thyroxine, and growth hormone) and lipolytic factors (glucagon and catecholamines). The synthesis of triglyceride from 5.5 mM glucose was stimulated by about 4-fold by 10 nM insulin. Triglyceride synthesis from glucose in the presence of insulin occurred at a rate of 330 nmol/hr/10 6 cells. Since the NMR signals from free and esterified fatty acids and glycerol are distinct, we could directly measure the rate of hormone-stimulated lipolysis. Epinephrine (10 μM) gave a lipolytic rate of 0.30 μmol/hr/10 6 cells as monitored by free-glycerol appearance in the medium. 13 C NMR provides a superior method for the measurement of triglyceride metabolism since it directly measures the changes in the substrates and products in situ

  5. Emerging role of the brain in the homeostatic regulation of energy and glucose metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roh, Eun; Song, Do Kyeong; Kim, Min-Seon

    2016-03-11

    Accumulated evidence from genetic animal models suggests that the brain, particularly the hypothalamus, has a key role in the homeostatic regulation of energy and glucose metabolism. The brain integrates multiple metabolic inputs from the periphery through nutrients, gut-derived satiety signals and adiposity-related hormones. The brain modulates various aspects of metabolism, such as food intake, energy expenditure, insulin secretion, hepatic glucose production and glucose/fatty acid metabolism in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. Highly coordinated interactions between the brain and peripheral metabolic organs are critical for the maintenance of energy and glucose homeostasis. Defective crosstalk between the brain and peripheral organs contributes to the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Here we comprehensively review the above topics, discussing the main findings related to the role of the brain in the homeostatic regulation of energy and glucose metabolism.

  6. A methodology for ranking and hazard identification of xenobiotic organic compounds in urban stormwater

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baun, Anders; Eriksson, Eva; Ledin, Anna

    2006-01-01

    The paper presents a novel methodology (RICH, Ranking and Identification of Chemical Hazards) for ranking and identification of xenobiotic organic compounds of environmental concern in stormwater discharged to surface water. The RICHmethod is illustrated as a funnel fitted with different filters...... in hazard/risk assessments, a justified list of stormwater priority pollutants which must be included in hazard/risk assessments, and a list of compounds which may be present in discharged stormwater, but cannot be evaluated due to lack of data. The procedure was applied to 233 xenobiotic organic chemicals...... with xenobiotic organic compounds (XOCs) found in urban stormwater, but it may be transferred to other environmental compartments and problems. Thus, the RICH procedure can be used as a stand-alone tool for selection of potential priority pollutants or it can be integrated in larger priority setting frameworks....

  7. Shaping the landscape: Metabolic regulation of S1P gradients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olivera, Ana; Allende, Maria Laura; Proia, Richard L.

    2012-01-01

    Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a lipid that functions as a metabolic intermediate and a cellular signaling molecule. These roles are integrated when compartments with differing extracellular S1P concentrations are formed that serve to regulate functions within the immune and vascular systems, as well as during pathologic conditions. Gradients of S1P concentration are achieved by the organization of cells with specialized expression of S1P metabolic pathways within tissues. S1P concentration gradients underpin the ability of S1P signaling to regulate in vivo physiology. This review will discuss the mechanisms that are necessary for the formation and maintenance of S1P gradients, with the aim of understanding how a simple lipid controls complex physiology. PMID:22735358

  8. Individualization of treatments with drugs metabolized by CES1: combining genetics and metabolomics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Henrik B.; Bjerre, Ditte; Linnet, Kristian

    2015-01-01

    CES1 is involved in the hydrolysis of ester group-containing xenobiotic and endobiotic compounds including several essential and commonly used drugs. The individual variation in the efficacy and tolerability of many drugs metabolized by CES1 is considerable. Hence, there is a large interest in in...

  9. translin Is Required for Metabolic Regulation of Sleep.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murakami, Kazuma; Yurgel, Maria E; Stahl, Bethany A; Masek, Pavel; Mehta, Aradhana; Heidker, Rebecca; Bollinger, Wesley; Gingras, Robert M; Kim, Young-Joon; Ja, William W; Suter, Beat; DiAngelo, Justin R; Keene, Alex C

    2016-04-04

    Dysregulation of sleep or feeding has enormous health consequences. In humans, acute sleep loss is associated with increased appetite and insulin insensitivity, while chronically sleep-deprived individuals are more likely to develop obesity, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Conversely, metabolic state potently modulates sleep and circadian behavior; yet, the molecular basis for sleep-metabolism interactions remains poorly understood. Here, we describe the identification of translin (trsn), a highly conserved RNA/DNA binding protein, as essential for starvation-induced sleep suppression. Strikingly, trsn does not appear to regulate energy stores, free glucose levels, or feeding behavior suggesting the sleep phenotype of trsn mutant flies is not a consequence of general metabolic dysfunction or blunted response to starvation. While broadly expressed in all neurons, trsn is transcriptionally upregulated in the heads of flies in response to starvation. Spatially restricted rescue or targeted knockdown localizes trsn function to neurons that produce the tachykinin family neuropeptide Leucokinin. Manipulation of neural activity in Leucokinin neurons revealed these neurons to be required for starvation-induced sleep suppression. Taken together, these findings establish trsn as an essential integrator of sleep and metabolic state, with implications for understanding the neural mechanism underlying sleep disruption in response to environmental perturbation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Effects and mechanisms of 3α,5α,-THP on emotion, motivation, and reward functions involving pregnane xenobiotic receptor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheryl A Frye

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Progestogens [progesterone (P4 and its products] play fundamental roles in the development and/or function of the central nervous system during pregnancy. We, and others, have investigated the role of pregnane neurosteroids for a plethora of functional effects beyond their pro-gestational processes. Emerging findings regarding the effects, mechanisms, and sources of neurosteroids have challenged traditional dogma about steroid action. How the P4 metabolite and neurosteroid, 3α-hydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one (3α,5α-THP, influences cellular functions and behavioral processes involved in emotion/affect, motivation, and reward, is the focus of the present review. To further understand these processes, we have utilized an animal model assessing the effects, mechanisms, and sources of 3α,5α-THP. In the ventral tegmental area (VTA, 3α,5α-THP has actions to facilitate affective, and motivated, social behaviors through non-traditional targets, such as GABA, glutamate, and dopamine receptors. 3α,5α-THP levels in the midbrain VTA both facilitate, and/or are enhanced by, affective and social behavior. The pregnane xenobiotic receptor (PXR mediates the production of, and/or metabolism to, various neurobiological factors. PXR is localized to the midbrain VTA of rats. The role of PXR to influence 3α,5α-THP production from central biosynthesis, and/or metabolism of peripheral P4, in the VTA, as well as its role to facilitate, or be increased by, affective/social behaviors is under investigation. Investigating novel behavioral functions of 3α,5α-THP extends our knowledge of the neurobiology of progestogens, relevant for affective/social behaviors, and their connections to systems that regulate affect and motivated processes, such as those important for stress regulation and neuropsychiatric disorders (anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, drug dependence. Thus, further understanding of 3α,5α-THP’s role and mechanisms to enhance affective and motivated

  11. Glucose metabolism regulates T cell activation, differentiation and functions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clovis Steve Palmer

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The adaptive immune system is equipped to eliminate both tumors and pathogenic microorganisms. It requires a series of complex and coordinated signals to drive the activation, proliferation and differentiation of appropriate T cell subsets. It is now established that changes in cellular activation are coupled to profound changes in cellular metabolism. In addition, emerging evidence now suggest that specific metabolic alterations associated with distinct T cell subsets may be ancillary to their differentiation and influential in their immune functions. The Warburg effect originally used to describe a phenomenon in which most cancer cells relied on aerobic glycolysis for their growth is a key process that sustain T cell activation and differentiation. Here we review how different aspects of metabolism in T cells influence their functions, focusing on the emerging role of key regulators of glucose metabolism such as HIF-1α. A thorough understanding of the role of metabolism in T cell function could provide insights into mechanisms involved in inflammatory-mediated conditions, with the potential for developing novel therapeutic approaches to treat these diseases.

  12. Scaffold Attachment Factor B1: A Novel Chromatin Regulator of Prostate Cancer Metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-14-1-0152 TITLE: Scaffold Attachment Factor B1: A Novel Chromatin Regulator of Prostate Cancer Metabolism PRINCIPAL...TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W81XWH-14-1-0152 Scaffold Attachment Factor B1: A Novel Chromatin Regulator of Prostate Cancer Metabolism... chromatin immunoprecipitation-next generation DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq) and integrative network modeling to identify the SAFB1 cistrome and the extent of

  13. Danqi Pill regulates lipid metabolism disorder induced by myocardial ischemia through FATP-CPTI pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yong; Li, Chun; Wang, Qiyan; Shi, Tianjiao; Wang, Jing; Chen, Hui; Wu, Yan; Han, Jing; Guo, Shuzhen; Wang, Yuanyuan; Wang, Wei

    2015-02-21

    Danqi Pill (DQP), which contains Chinese herbs Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge and Panax notoginseng, is widely used in the treatment of myocardial ischemia (MI) in China. Its regulatory effects on MI-associated lipid metabolism disorders haven't been comprehensively studied so far. We aimed to systematically investigate the regulatory mechanism of DQP on myocardial ischemia-induced lipid metabolism disorders. Myocardial ischemia rat model was induced by left anterior descending coronary artery ligation. The rat models were divided into three groups: model group with administration of normal saline, study group with administration of DanQi aqueous solution (1.5 mg/kg) and positive-control group with administration of pravastatin aqueous solution (1.2 mg/kg). In addition, another sham-operated group was set as negative control. At 28 days after treatment, cardiac function and degree of lipid metabolism disorders in rats of different groups were measured. Plasma lipid disorders were induced by myocardial ischemia, with manifestation of up-regulation of triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), Apolipoprotein B (Apo-B) and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR). DQP could down-regulate the levels of TG, LDL, Apo-B and HMGCR. The Lipid transport pathway, fatty acids transport protein (FATP) and Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPTI) were down-regulated in model group. DQP could improve plasma lipid metabolism by up-regulating this lipid transport pathway. The transcription factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs), which regulate lipid metabolism, were also up-regulated by DQP. Furthermore, DQP was able to improve heart function and up-regulate ejection fraction (EF) by increasing the cardiac diastolic volume. Our study reveals that DQP would be an ideal alternative drug for the treatment of dyslipidemia which is induced by myocardial ischemia.

  14. The Lin28/let-7 axis regulates glucose metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Hao; Shyh-Chang, Ng; Segrè, Ayellet V.; Shinoda, Gen; Shah, Samar P.; Einhorn, William S.; Takeuchi, Ayumu; Engreitz, Jesse M.; Hagan, John P.; Kharas, Michael G; Urbach, Achia; Thornton, James E.; Triboulet, Robinson; Gregory, Richard I.; Altshuler, David; Daley, George Q.

    2012-01-01

    SUMMARY The let-7 tumor suppressor microRNAs are known for their regulation of oncogenes, while the RNA-binding proteins Lin28a/b promote malignancy by blocking let-7 biogenesis. In studies of the Lin28/let-7 pathway, we discovered unexpected roles in regulating metabolism. When overexpressed in mice, both Lin28a and LIN28B promoted an insulin-sensitized state that resisted high fat diet-induced diabetes, whereas muscle-specific loss of Lin28a and overexpression of let-7 resulted in insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance. These phenomena occurred in part through let-7-mediated repression of multiple components of the insulin-PI3K-mTOR pathway, including IGF1R, INSR, and IRS2. The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin abrogated the enhanced glucose uptake and insulin-sensitivity conferred by Lin28a in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we found that let-7 targets were enriched for genes that contain SNPs associated with type 2 diabetes and fasting glucose in human genome-wide association studies. These data establish the Lin28/let-7 pathway as a central regulator of mammalian glucose metabolism. PMID:21962509

  15. Central regulation of metabolism by protein tyrosine phosphatases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryan eTsou

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs are important regulators of intracellular signaling pathways via the dephosphorylation of phosphotyrosyl residues on various receptor and non-receptor substrates. The phosphorylation state of central nervous system (CNS signaling components underlies the molecular mechanisms of a variety of physiological functions including the control of energy balance and glucose homeostasis. In this review, we summarize the current evidence implicating PTPs as central regulators of metabolism, specifically highlighting their interactions with the neuronal leptin and insulin signaling pathways. We discuss the role of a number of PTPs (PTP1B, SHP2, TCPTP, RPTPe, and PTEN, reviewing the findings from genetic mouse models and in vitro studies which highlight these phosphatases as key central regulators of energy homeostasis.

  16. Mitochondrial uncoupling proteins regulate angiotensin-converting enzyme expression: crosstalk between cellular and endocrine metabolic regulators suggested by RNA interference and genetic studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhamrait, Sukhbir S; Maubaret, Cecilia; Pedersen-Bjergaard, Ulrik; Brull, David J; Gohlke, Peter; Payne, John R; World, Michael; Thorsteinsson, Birger; Humphries, Steve E; Montgomery, Hugh E

    2016-07-01

    Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) regulate mitochondrial function, and thus cellular metabolism. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is the central component of endocrine and local tissue renin-angiotensin systems (RAS), which also regulate diverse aspects of whole-body metabolism and mitochondrial function (partly through altering mitochondrial UCP expression). We show that ACE expression also appears to be regulated by mitochondrial UCPs. In genetic analysis of two unrelated populations (healthy young UK men and Scandinavian diabetic patients) serum ACE (sACE) activity was significantly higher amongst UCP3-55C (rather than T) and UCP2 I (rather than D) allele carriers. RNA interference against UCP2 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells reduced UCP2 mRNA sixfold (P sACE suggests a novel means of crosstalk between (and mutual regulation of) cellular and endocrine metabolism. This might partly explain the reduced risk of developing diabetes and metabolic syndrome with RAS antagonists and offer insight into the origins of cardiovascular disease in which UCPs and ACE both play a role. © 2016 The Authors. BioEssays published by WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Mitochondrial uncoupling proteins regulate angiotensin‐converting enzyme expression: crosstalk between cellular and endocrine metabolic regulators suggested by RNA interference and genetic studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maubaret, Cecilia; Pedersen‐Bjergaard, Ulrik; Brull, David J.; Gohlke, Peter; Payne, John R.; World, Michael; Thorsteinsson, Birger; Humphries, Steve E.; Montgomery, Hugh E.

    2015-01-01

    Uncoupling proteins (UCPs) regulate mitochondrial function, and thus cellular metabolism. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) is the central component of endocrine and local tissue renin–angiotensin systems (RAS), which also regulate diverse aspects of whole‐body metabolism and mitochondrial function (partly through altering mitochondrial UCP expression). We show that ACE expression also appears to be regulated by mitochondrial UCPs. In genetic analysis of two unrelated populations (healthy young UK men and Scandinavian diabetic patients) serum ACE (sACE) activity was significantly higher amongst UCP3‐55C (rather than T) and UCP2 I (rather than D) allele carriers. RNA interference against UCP2 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells reduced UCP2 mRNA sixfold (P sACE suggests a novel means of crosstalk between (and mutual regulation of) cellular and endocrine metabolism. This might partly explain the reduced risk of developing diabetes and metabolic syndrome with RAS antagonists and offer insight into the origins of cardiovascular disease in which UCPs and ACE both play a role. PMID:27347560

  18. Metabolism and Regulation of Glycerolipids in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, Susan A.; Kohlwein, Sepp D.; Carman, George M.

    2012-01-01

    Due to its genetic tractability and increasing wealth of accessible data, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a model system of choice for the study of the genetics, biochemistry, and cell biology of eukaryotic lipid metabolism. Glycerolipids (e.g., phospholipids and triacylglycerol) and their precursors are synthesized and metabolized by enzymes associated with the cytosol and membranous organelles, including endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and lipid droplets. Genetic and biochemical analyses have revealed that glycerolipids play important roles in cell signaling, membrane trafficking, and anchoring of membrane proteins in addition to membrane structure. The expression of glycerolipid enzymes is controlled by a variety of conditions including growth stage and nutrient availability. Much of this regulation occurs at the transcriptional level and involves the Ino2–Ino4 activation complex and the Opi1 repressor, which interacts with Ino2 to attenuate transcriptional activation of UASINO-containing glycerolipid biosynthetic genes. Cellular levels of phosphatidic acid, precursor to all membrane phospholipids and the storage lipid triacylglycerol, regulates transcription of UASINO-containing genes by tethering Opi1 to the nuclear/endoplasmic reticulum membrane and controlling its translocation into the nucleus, a mechanism largely controlled by inositol availability. The transcriptional activator Zap1 controls the expression of some phospholipid synthesis genes in response to zinc availability. Regulatory mechanisms also include control of catalytic activity of glycerolipid enzymes by water-soluble precursors, products and lipids, and covalent modification of phosphorylation, while in vivo function of some enzymes is governed by their subcellular location. Genome-wide genetic analysis indicates coordinate regulation between glycerolipid metabolism and a broad spectrum of metabolic pathways. PMID:22345606

  19. Metabolic profiling of a mapping population exposes new insights in the regulation of seed metabolism and seed, fruit, and plant relations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Toubiana

    Full Text Available To investigate the regulation of seed metabolism and to estimate the degree of metabolic natural variability, metabolite profiling and network analysis were applied to a collection of 76 different homozygous tomato introgression lines (ILs grown in the field in two consecutive harvest seasons. Factorial ANOVA confirmed the presence of 30 metabolite quantitative trait loci (mQTL. Amino acid contents displayed a high degree of variability across the population, with similar patterns across the two seasons, while sugars exhibited significant seasonal fluctuations. Upon integration of data for tomato pericarp metabolite profiling, factorial ANOVA identified the main factor for metabolic polymorphism to be the genotypic background rather than the environment or the tissue. Analysis of the coefficient of variance indicated greater phenotypic plasticity in the ILs than in the M82 tomato cultivar. Broad-sense estimate of heritability suggested that the mode of inheritance of metabolite traits in the seed differed from that in the fruit. Correlation-based metabolic network analysis comparing metabolite data for the seed with that for the pericarp showed that the seed network displayed tighter interdependence of metabolic processes than the fruit. Amino acids in the seed metabolic network were shown to play a central hub-like role in the topology of the network, maintaining high interactions with other metabolite categories, i.e., sugars and organic acids. Network analysis identified six exceptionally highly co-regulated amino acids, Gly, Ser, Thr, Ile, Val, and Pro. The strong interdependence of this group was confirmed by the mQTL mapping. Taken together these results (i reflect the extensive redundancy of the regulation underlying seed metabolism, (ii demonstrate the tight co-ordination of seed metabolism with respect to fruit metabolism, and (iii emphasize the centrality of the amino acid module in the seed metabolic network. Finally, the study

  20. Metabolic regulation of hematopoietic and leukemic stem/progenitor cells under homeostatic and stress conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karigane, Daiki; Takubo, Keiyo

    2017-07-01

    Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) exhibit multilineage differentiation and self-renewal activities that maintain the entire hematopoietic system during an organism's lifetime. These abilities are sustained by intrinsic transcriptional programs and extrinsic cues from the microenvironment or niche. Recent studies using metabolomics technologies reveal that metabolic regulation plays an essential role in HSC maintenance. Metabolic pathways provide energy and building blocks for other factors functioning at steady state and in stress. Here we review recent advances in our understanding of metabolic regulation in HSCs relevant to cell cycle quiescence, symmetric/asymmetric division, and proliferation following stress and lineage commitment, and discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting metabolic factors or pathways to treat hematological malignancies.

  1. PPARγ isoforms differentially regulate metabolic networks to mediate mouse prostatic epithelial differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strand, D W; Jiang, M; Murphy, T A; Yi, Y; Konvinse, K C; Franco, O E; Wang, Y; Young, J D; Hayward, S W

    2012-08-09

    Recent observations indicate prostatic diseases are comorbidities of systemic metabolic dysfunction. These discoveries revealed fundamental questions regarding the nature of prostate metabolism. We previously showed that prostate-specific ablation of PPARγ in mice resulted in tumorigenesis and active autophagy. Here, we demonstrate control of overlapping and distinct aspects of prostate epithelial metabolism by ectopic expression of individual PPARγ isoforms in PPARγ knockout prostate epithelial cells. Expression and activation of either PPARγ 1 or 2 reduced de novo lipogenesis and oxidative stress and mediated a switch from glucose to fatty acid oxidation through regulation of genes including Pdk4, Fabp4, Lpl, Acot1 and Cd36. Differential effects of PPARγ isoforms included decreased basal cell differentiation, Scd1 expression and triglyceride fatty acid desaturation and increased tumorigenicity by PPARγ1. In contrast, PPARγ2 expression significantly increased basal cell differentiation, Scd1 expression and AR expression and responsiveness. Finally, in confirmation of in vitro data, a PPARγ agonist versus high-fat diet (HFD) regimen in vivo confirmed that PPARγ agonization increased prostatic differentiation markers, whereas HFD downregulated PPARγ-regulated genes and decreased prostate differentiation. These data provide a rationale for pursuing a fundamental metabolic understanding of changes to glucose and fatty acid metabolism in benign and malignant prostatic diseases associated with systemic metabolic stress.

  2. Metabolic reprogramming as a novel regulator of skeletal muscle development and regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryall, James G

    2013-09-01

    Adult skeletal muscle contains a resident population of stem cells, termed satellite cells, that exist in a quiescent state. In response to an activating signal (such as physical trauma), satellite cells enter the cell cycle and undergo multiple rounds of proliferation, followed by differentiation, fusion, and maturation. Over the last 10-15 years, our understanding of the transcriptional regulation of this stem cell population has greatly expanded, but there remains a dearth of knowledge with regard to the initiating signal leading to these changes in transcription. The recent renewed interest in the metabolic regulation of both cancer and stem cells, combined with previous findings indicating that satellite cells preferentially colocalize with blood vessels, suggests that satellite cell function may be regulated by changes in cellular metabolism. This review aims to describe what is currently known about satellite cell metabolism during changes in cell fate, as well as to describe some of the exciting findings in other cell types and how these might relate to satellite cells. © 2013 The Author Journal compilation © 2013 FEBS.

  3. Metabolic Regulation of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Expression via Essential Amino Acid Deprivation*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aiken, Kimberly J.; Bickford, Justin S.; Kilberg, Michael S.; Nick, Harry S.

    2008-01-01

    Organisms respond to available nutrient levels by rapidly adjusting metabolic flux, in part through changes in gene expression. A consequence of adaptations in metabolic rate is the production of mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species. Therefore, we hypothesized that nutrient sensing could regulate the synthesis of the primary defense of the cell against superoxide radicals, manganese superoxide dismutase. Our data establish a novel nutrient-sensing pathway for manganese superoxide dismutase expression mediated through essential amino acid depletion concurrent with an increase in cellular viability. Most relevantly, our results are divergent from current mechanisms governing amino acid-dependent gene regulation. This pathway requires the presence of glutamine, signaling via the tricarboxylic acid cycle/electron transport chain, an intact mitochondrial membrane potential, and the activity of both the MEK/ERK and mammalian target of rapamycin kinases. Our results provide evidence for convergence of metabolic cues with nutrient control of antioxidant gene regulation, revealing a potential signaling strategy that impacts free radical-mediated mutations with implications in cancer and aging. PMID:18187411

  4. Evidence for a Role of Proline and Hypothalamic Astrocytes in the Regulation of Glucose Metabolism in Rats

    OpenAIRE

    Arrieta-Cruz, Isabel; Su, Ya; Knight, Colette M.; Lam, Tony K.T.; Gutiérrez-Juárez, Roger

    2013-01-01

    The metabolism of lactate to pyruvate in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) regulates hepatic glucose production. Because astrocytes and neurons are functionally linked by metabolic coupling through lactate transfer via the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS), we reasoned that astrocytes might be involved in the hypothalamic regulation of glucose metabolism. To examine this possibility, we used the gluconeogenic amino acid proline, which is metabolized to pyruvate in astrocytes. Our result...

  5. Carbohydrate Metabolism in Archaea: Current Insights into Unusual Enzymes and Pathways and Their Regulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esser, Dominik; Rauch, Bernadette

    2014-01-01

    SUMMARY The metabolism of Archaea, the third domain of life, resembles in its complexity those of Bacteria and lower Eukarya. However, this metabolic complexity in Archaea is accompanied by the absence of many “classical” pathways, particularly in central carbohydrate metabolism. Instead, Archaea are characterized by the presence of unique, modified variants of classical pathways such as the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway and the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway. The pentose phosphate pathway is only partly present (if at all), and pentose degradation also significantly differs from that known for bacterial model organisms. These modifications are accompanied by the invention of “new,” unusual enzymes which cause fundamental consequences for the underlying regulatory principles, and classical allosteric regulation sites well established in Bacteria and Eukarya are lost. The aim of this review is to present the current understanding of central carbohydrate metabolic pathways and their regulation in Archaea. In order to give an overview of their complexity, pathway modifications are discussed with respect to unusual archaeal biocatalysts, their structural and mechanistic characteristics, and their regulatory properties in comparison to their classic counterparts from Bacteria and Eukarya. Furthermore, an overview focusing on hexose metabolic, i.e., glycolytic as well as gluconeogenic, pathways identified in archaeal model organisms is given. Their energy gain is discussed, and new insights into different levels of regulation that have been observed so far, including the transcript and protein levels (e.g., gene regulation, known transcription regulators, and posttranslational modification via reversible protein phosphorylation), are presented. PMID:24600042

  6. The logics of metabolic regulation in bacteria challenges biosensor-based metabolic engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthieu Jules

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Synthetic Biology (SB aims at the rational design and engineering of novel biological functions and systems. By facilitating the engineering of living organisms, SB promises to facilitate the development of many new applications for health, biomanufacturing, and the environment. Over the last decade, SB promoted the construction of libraries of components enabling the fine-tuning of genetic circuits expression and the development of novel genome engineering methodologies for many organisms of interest. SB thus opened new perspectives in the field of metabolic engineering, which was until then mainly limited to (overproducing naturally synthesized metabolic compounds. To engineer efficient cell factories, it is key to precisely reroute cellular resources from the central carbon metabolism (CCM to the synthetic circuitry. This task is however difficult as there is still significant lack of knowledge regarding both the function of several metabolic components and the regulation of the CCM fluxes for many industrially important bacteria. Pyruvate is a pivotal metabolite at the heart of the CCM and a key precursor for the synthesis of several commodity compounds and fine chemicals. Numerous bacterial species can also use it as a carbon source when present in the environment but bacterial, pyruvate-specific uptake systems were to be discovered. This is an issue for metabolic engineering as one can imagine to make use of pyruvate transport systems to replenish synthetic metabolic pathways towards the synthesis of chemicals of interest. Here we describe a recent study (MBio 8(5: e00976-17, which identified and characterized a pyruvate transport system in the Gram-positive (G+ve bacterium Bacillus subtilis, a well-established biotechnological workhorse for the production of enzymes, fine chemicals and antibiotics. This study also revealed that the activity of the two-component system (TCS responsible for its induction is retro-inhibited by the level of

  7. Carboxylesterases in lipid metabolism: from mouse to human

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jihong Lian

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Mammalian carboxylesterases hydrolyze a wide range of xenobiotic and endogenous compounds, including lipid esters. Physiological functions of carboxylesterases in lipid metabolism and energy homeostasis in vivo have been demonstrated by genetic manipulations and chemical inhibition in mice, and in vitro through (overexpression, knockdown of expression, and chemical inhibition in a variety of cells. Recent research advances have revealed the relevance of carboxylesterases to metabolic diseases such as obesity and fatty liver disease, suggesting these enzymes might be potential targets for treatment of metabolic disorders. In order to translate pre-clinical studies in cellular and mouse models to humans, differences and similarities of carboxylesterases between mice and human need to be elucidated. This review presents and discusses the research progress in structure and function of mouse and human carboxylesterases, and the role of these enzymes in lipid metabolism and metabolic disorders.

  8. A Natural Light/Dark Cycle Regulation of Carbon-Nitrogen Metabolism and Gene Expression in Rice Shoots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Haixing; Liang, Zhijun; Ding, Guangda; Shi, Lei; Xu, Fangsen; Cai, Hongmei

    2016-01-01

    Light and temperature are two particularly important environmental cues for plant survival. Carbon and nitrogen are two essential macronutrients required for plant growth and development, and cellular carbon and nitrogen metabolism must be tightly coordinated. In order to understand how the natural light/dark cycle regulates carbon and nitrogen metabolism in rice plants, we analyzed the photosynthesis, key carbon-nitrogen metabolites, and enzyme activities, and differentially expressed genes and miRNAs involved in the carbon and nitrogen metabolic pathway in rice shoots at the following times: 2:00, 6:00, 10:00, 14:00, 18:00, and 22:00. Our results indicated that more CO2 was fixed into carbohydrates by a high net photosynthetic rate, respiratory rate, and stomatal conductance in the daytime. Although high levels of the nitrate reductase activity, free ammonium and carbohydrates were exhibited in the daytime, the protein synthesis was not significantly facilitated by the light and temperature. In mRNA sequencing, the carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related differentially expressed genes were obtained, which could be divided into eight groups: photosynthesis, TCA cycle, sugar transport, sugar metabolism, nitrogen transport, nitrogen reduction, amino acid metabolism, and nitrogen regulation. Additionally, a total of 78,306 alternative splicing events have been identified, which primarily belong to alternative 5' donor sites, alternative 3' acceptor sites, intron retention, and exon skipping. In sRNA sequencing, four carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related miRNAs (osa-miR1440b, osa-miR2876-5p, osa-miR1877 and osa-miR5799) were determined to be regulated by natural light/dark cycle. The expression level analysis showed that the four carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related miRNAs negatively regulated their target genes. These results may provide a good strategy to study how natural light/dark cycle regulates carbon and nitrogen metabolism to ensure plant growth and

  9. A natural light/dark cycle regulation of carbon-nitrogen metabolism and gene expression in rice shoots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haixing Li

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Light and temperature are two particularly important environmental cues for plant survival. Carbon and nitrogen are two essential macronutrients required for plant growth and development, and cellular carbon and nitrogen metabolism must be tightly coordinated. In order to understand how the natural light/dark cycle regulates carbon and nitrogen metabolism in rice plants, we analyzed the photosynthesis, key carbon-nitrogen metabolites and enzyme activities, and differentially expressed genes and miRNAs involved in the carbon and nitrogen metabolic pathway in rice shoots at the following times: 2:00, 6:00, 10:00, 14:00, 18:00 and 22:00. Our results indicated that more CO2 was fixed into carbohydrates by a high net photosynthetic rate, respiratory rate and stomatal conductance in the daytime. Although high levels of the nitrate reductase activity, free ammonium and carbohydrates were exhibited in the daytime, the protein synthesis was not significantly facilitated by the light and temperature. In mRNA sequencing, the carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related differentially expressed genes were obtained, which could be divided into eight groups: photosynthesis, TCA cycle, sugar transport, sugar metabolism, nitrogen transport, nitrogen reduction, amino acid metabolism and nitrogen regulation. Additionally, a total of 78,306 alternative splicing events have been identified, which primarily belong to alternative 5' donor sites, alternative 3' acceptor sites, intron retention and exon skipping. In sRNA sequencing, four carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related miRNAs (osa-miR1440b, osa-miR2876-5p, osa-miR1877 and osa-miR5799 were determined to be regulated by natural light/dark cycle. The expression level analysis showed that the four carbon and nitrogen metabolism-related miRNAs negatively regulated their target genes. These results may provide a good strategy to study how natural light/dark cycle regulates carbon and nitrogen metabolism to ensure plant

  10. [Regulation of terpene metabolism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Croteau, R.

    1991-01-01

    During the last grant period, we have completed studies on the key pathways of monoterpene biosynthesis and catabolism in sage and peppermint, and have, by several lines of evidence, deciphered the rate-limiting step of each pathway. We have at least partially purified and characterized the relevant enzymes of each pathway. We have made a strong case, based on analytical, in vivo, and in vitro studies, that terpene accumulation depends upon the balance between biosynthesis and catabolism, and provided supporting evidence that these processes are developmentally-regulated and very closely associated with senescence of the oil glands. Oil gland ontogeny has been characterized at the ultrastructural level. We have exploited foliar-applied bioregulators to delay gland senescence, and have developed tissue explant and cell culture systems to study several elusive aspects of catabolism. We have isolated pure gland cell clusters and localized monoterpene biosynthesis and catabolism within these structures, and have used these preparations as starting materials for the purification to homogeneity of target regulatory'' enzymes. We have thus developed the necessary background knowledge, based on a firm understanding of enzymology, as well as the necessary experimental tools for studying the regulation of monoterpene metabolism at the molecular level. Furthermore, we are now in a position to extend our systematic approach to other terpenoid classes (C[sub 15]-C[sub 30]) produced by oil glands.

  11. Sox17 regulates liver lipid metabolism and adaptation to fasting.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samuel Rommelaere

    Full Text Available Liver is a major regulator of lipid metabolism and adaptation to fasting, a process involving PPARalpha activation. We recently showed that the Vnn1 gene is a PPARalpha target gene in liver and that release of the Vanin-1 pantetheinase in serum is a biomarker of PPARalpha activation. Here we set up a screen to identify new regulators of adaptation to fasting using the serum Vanin-1 as a marker of PPARalpha activation. Mutagenized mice were screened for low serum Vanin-1 expression. Functional interactions with PPARalpha were investigated by combining transcriptomic, biochemical and metabolic approaches. We characterized a new mutant mouse in which hepatic and serum expression of Vanin-1 is depressed. This mouse carries a mutation in the HMG domain of the Sox17 transcription factor. Mutant mice display a metabolic phenotype featuring lipid abnormalities and inefficient adaptation to fasting. Upon fasting, a fraction of the PPARα-driven transcriptional program is no longer induced and associated with impaired fatty acid oxidation. The transcriptional phenotype is partially observed in heterozygous Sox17+/- mice. In mutant mice, the fasting phenotype but not all transcriptomic signature is rescued by the administration of the PPARalpha agonist fenofibrate. These results identify a novel role for Sox17 in adult liver as a modulator of the metabolic adaptation to fasting.

  12. Nuclear receptors and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cave, Matthew C.; Clair, Heather B.; Hardesty, Josiah E.; Falkner, K. Cameron; Feng, Wenke; Clark, Barbara J.; Sidey, Jennifer; Shi, Hongxue; Aqel, Bashar A.; McClain, Craig J.; Prough, Russell A.

    2016-01-01

    Nuclear receptors are transcription factors which sense changing environmental or hormonal signals and effect transcriptional changes to regulate core life functions including growth, development, and reproduction. To support this function, following ligand-activation by xenobiotics, members of subfamily 1 nuclear receptors (NR1s) may heterodimerize with the retinoid X receptor (RXR) to regulate transcription of genes involved in energy and xenobiotic metabolism and inflammation. Several of these receptors including the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), the pregnane and xenobiotic receptor (PXR), the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), the liver X receptor (LXR) and the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) are key regulators of the gut:liver:adipose axis and serve to coordinate metabolic responses across organ systems between the fed and fasting states. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease and may progress to cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD is associated with inappropriate nuclear receptor function and perturbations along the gut:liver:adipose axis including obesity, increased intestinal permeability with systemic inflammation, abnormal hepatic lipid metabolism, and insulin resistance. Environmental chemicals may compound the problem by directly interacting with nuclear receptors leading to metabolic confusion and the inability to differentiate fed from fasting conditions. This review focuses on the impact of nuclear receptors in the pathogenesis and treatment of NAFLD. Clinical trials including PIVENS and FLINT demonstrate that nuclear receptor targeted therapies may lead to the paradoxical dissociation of steatosis, inflammation, fibrosis, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and obesity. Novel strategies currently under development (including tissue-specific ligands and dual receptor agonists) may be required to separate the beneficial effects of nuclear receptor activation from unwanted metabolic

  13. Metabolic regulation of inflammation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaber, Timo; Strehl, Cindy; Buttgereit, Frank

    2017-05-01

    Immune cells constantly patrol the body via the bloodstream and migrate into multiple tissues where they face variable and sometimes demanding environmental conditions. Nutrient and oxygen availability can vary during homeostasis, and especially during the course of an immune response, creating a demand for immune cells that are highly metabolically dynamic. As an evolutionary response, immune cells have developed different metabolic programmes to supply them with cellular energy and biomolecules, enabling them to cope with changing and challenging metabolic conditions. In the past 5 years, it has become clear that cellular metabolism affects immune cell function and differentiation, and that disease-specific metabolic configurations might provide an explanation for the dysfunctional immune responses seen in rheumatic diseases. This Review outlines the metabolic challenges faced by immune cells in states of homeostasis and inflammation, as well as the variety of metabolic configurations utilized by immune cells during differentiation and activation. Changes in cellular metabolism that contribute towards the dysfunctional immune responses seen in rheumatic diseases are also briefly discussed.

  14. Metabolic regulation of neuronal plasticity by the energy sensor AMPK.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wyatt B Potter

    Full Text Available Long Term Potentiation (LTP is a leading candidate mechanism for learning and memory and is also thought to play a role in the progression of seizures to intractable epilepsy. Maintenance of LTP requires RNA transcription, protein translation and signaling through the mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR pathway. In peripheral tissue, the energy sensor AMP-activated Protein Kinase (AMPK negatively regulates the mTOR cascade upon glycolytic inhibition and cellular energy stress. We recently demonstrated that the glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG alters plasticity to retard epileptogenesis in the kindling model of epilepsy. Reduced kindling progression was associated with increased recruitment of the nuclear metabolic sensor CtBP to NRSF at the BDNF promoter. Given that energy metabolism controls mTOR through AMPK in peripheral tissue and the role of mTOR in LTP in neurons, we asked whether energy metabolism and AMPK control LTP. Using a combination of biochemical approaches and field-recordings in mouse hippocampal slices, we show that the master regulator of energy homeostasis, AMPK couples energy metabolism to LTP expression. Administration of the glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG or the mitochondrial toxin and anti-Type II Diabetes drug, metformin, or AMP mimetic AICAR results in activation of AMPK, repression of the mTOR pathway and prevents maintenance of Late-Phase LTP (L-LTP. Inhibition of AMPK by either compound-C or the ATP mimetic ara-A rescues the suppression of L-LTP by energy stress. We also show that enhanced LTP via AMPK inhibition requires mTOR signaling. These results directly link energy metabolism to plasticity in the mammalian brain and demonstrate that AMPK is a modulator of LTP. Our work opens up the possibility of using modulators of energy metabolism to control neuronal plasticity in diseases and conditions of aberrant plasticity such as epilepsy.

  15. The metabolic regulator CodY links L. monocytogenes metabolism to virulence by directly activating the virulence regulatory gene, prfA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lobel, Lior; Sigal, Nadejda; Borovok, Ilya; Belitsky, Boris R.; Sonenshein, Abraham L.; Herskovits, Anat A.

    2015-01-01

    Summary Metabolic adaptations are critical to the ability of bacterial pathogens to grow within host cells and are normally preceded by sensing of host-specific metabolic signals, which in turn can influence the pathogen's virulence state. Previously, we reported that the intracellular bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes responds to low availability of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) within mammalian cells by up-regulating both BCAA biosynthesis and virulence genes. The induction of virulence genes required the BCAA-responsive transcription regulator, CodY, but the molecular mechanism governing this mode of regulation was unclear. In this report, we demonstrate that CodY directly binds the coding sequence of the L. monocytogenes master virulence activator gene, prfA, 15 nt downstream of its start codon, and that this binding results in up-regulation of prfA transcription specifically under low concentrations of BCAA. Mutating this site abolished CodY binding and reduced prfA transcription in macrophages, and attenuated bacterial virulence in mice. Notably, the mutated binding site did not alter prfA transcription or PrfA activity under other conditions that are known to activate PrfA, such as during growth in the presence of glucose-1-phosphate. This study highlights the tight crosstalk between L. monocytogenes metabolism and virulence' while revealing novel features of CodY-mediated regulation. PMID:25430920

  16. Linking high-resolution metabolic flux phenotypes and transcriptional regulation in yeast modulated by the global regulator Gcn4p

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Moxley, Joel F.; Jewett, Michael Christopher; Antoniewicz, Maciek R.

    2009-01-01

    . However, the potential of systems biology approaches is limited by difficulties in integrating metabolic measurements across the functional levels of the cell despite their being most closely linked to cellular phenotype. To address this limitation, we developed a model-based approach to correlate m......RNA and metabolic flux data that combines information from both interaction network models and flux determination models. We started by quantifying 5,764 mRNAs, 54 metabolites, and 83 experimental C-13-based reaction fluxes in continuous cultures of yeast under stress in the absence or presence of global regulator...... of metabolic flux (i.e., use of different reaction pathways) by transcriptional regulation and metabolite interaction density (i.e., level of pairwise metabolite-protein interactions) as a key biosynthetic control determinant. Furthermore, this model predicted flux rewiring in studies of follow...

  17. Neuroendocrine control by kisspeptins: role in metabolic regulation of fertility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navarro, Victor M; Tena-Sempere, Manuel

    2011-09-13

    The neurohormonal control of reproduction involves a hierarchical network of central and peripheral signals in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Development and function of this neuroendocrine system is the result of a lifelong delicate balance between endogenous regulators and environmental cues, including nutritional and metabolic factors. Kisspeptins are the peptide products of KISS1, which operate via the G-protein-coupled receptor GPR54 (also known as Kiss1R). These peptides have emerged as essential upstream regulators of neurons secreting gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), the major hypothalamic node for the stimulatory control of the HPG axis. They are potent elicitors of gonadotropin secretion in various species and physiological settings. Moreover, Kiss1 neurons in the hypothalamus participate in crucial features of reproductive maturation and function, such as brain-level sex differentiation, puberty onset and the neuroendocrine regulation of gonadotropin secretion and ovulation. Cotransmitters of Kiss1 neurons, such as neurokinin B, with roles in controlling the HPG axis have been identified by genetic, neuroanatomical and physiological studies. In addition, a putative role has been proposed for Kiss1 neurons in transmitting metabolic information to GnRH neurons, although the precise mechanisms are as yet unclear. In this Review, we present the major reproductive features of kisspeptins, especially their interplay with neurokinin B and potential roles in the metabolic control of puberty and fertility, and suggest new avenues for research.

  18. Glycogen metabolism and the homeostatic regulation of sleep

    KAUST Repository

    Petit, Jean-Marie

    2014-11-16

    In 1995 Benington and Heller formulated an energy hypothesis of sleep centered on a key role of glycogen. It was postulated that a major function of sleep is to replenish glycogen stores in the brain that have been depleted during wakefulness which is associated to an increased energy demand. Astrocytic glycogen depletion participates to an increase of extracellular adenosine release which influences sleep homeostasis. Here, we will review some evidence obtained by studies addressing the question of a key role played by glycogen metabolism in sleep regulation as proposed by this hypothesis or by an alternative hypothesis named “glycogenetic” hypothesis as well as the importance of the confounding effect of glucocorticoïds. Even though actual collected data argue in favor of a role of sleep in brain energy balance-homeostasis, they do not support a critical and direct involvement of glycogen metabolism on sleep regulation. For instance, glycogen levels during the sleep-wake cycle are driven by different physiological signals and therefore appear more as a marker-integrator of brain energy status than a direct regulator of sleep homeostasis. In support of this we provide evidence that blockade of glycogen mobilization does not induce more sleep episodes during the active period while locomotor activity is reduced. These observations do not invalidate the energy hypothesis of sleep but indicate that underlying cellular mechanisms are more complex than postulated by Benington and Heller.

  19. Regulation of Lipid and Glucose Metabolism by Phosphatidylcholine Transfer Protein

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Hye Won; Wei, Jie; Cohen, David E.

    2010-01-01

    Phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PC-TP, a.k.a. StARD2) binds phosphatidylcholines and catalyzes their intermembrane transfer and exchange in vitro. The structure of PC-TP comprises a hydrophobic pocket and a well-defined head-group binding site, and its gene expression is regulated by peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α. Recent studies have revealed key regulatory roles for PC-TP in lipid and glucose metabolism. Notably, Pctp−/− mice are sensitized to insulin action and exhibit more efficient brown fat-mediated thermogenesis. PC-TP appears to limit access of fatty acids to mitochondria by stimulating the activity of thioesterase superfamily member 2, a newly characterized long-chain fatty acyl-CoA thioesterase. Because PC-TP discriminates among phosphatidylcholines within lipid bilayers, it may function as a sensor that links metabolic regulation to membrane composition. PMID:20338778

  20. Metabolism of nasally instilled benzo(a)pyrene and dihydrosafrole in dogs and monkeys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petridou-Fischer, J.; Whaley, S.; Dahl, A.

    1987-01-01

    Cytochrome P-450 monooxygenases are found in the nasal cavities of a variety of species and could play an important role in the metabolism of inhaled airborne xenobiotics. The object of this study was to examine the metabolism of 14 C-benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and 3 H-dihydrosafrole (DHS) deposited at the ethmoid and maxillary turbinate regions in Beagle dogs and Cynomolgus monkeys. While the animals were anesthetized, either compound was instilled at 10 minute intervals for 2 hours through catheters positioned at each region. Cotton swab samples of mucus from the nasopharynx were collected at 30 minute intervals during instillation. Metabolites in mucus were identified using high pressure liquid chromatography. Results showed that both regions in both species were capable of metabolizing BaP and DHS. BaP metabolites identified in the mucus were dihydrodiols, quinones, phenols, and tetrols. DHS metabolites were 2-methoxy-4-propyl-phenol, 2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)benzene, and 3,4-methylenedioxy-1-(1-hydroxypropyl)benzene. Radioactivity was found in urine and feces of animals treated with either compound, and was detected in the blood of animals treated with DHS. No differences were noted for the nasal metabolism between the two species. This study indicated that not only the nasal tissues, but also the alimentary tract, may be exposed to metabolites of inhaled xenobiotics carried by the mucus

  1. Metagenomic analysis of an ecological wastewater treatment plant's microbial communities and their potential to metabolize pharmaceuticals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balcom, Ian N; Driscoll, Heather; Vincent, James; Leduc, Meagan

    2016-01-01

    Pharmaceuticals and other micropollutants have been detected in drinking water, groundwater, surface water, and soil around the world. Even in locations where wastewater treatment is required, they can be found in drinking water wells, municipal water supplies, and agricultural soils. It is clear conventional wastewater treatment technologies are not meeting the challenge of the mounting pressures on global freshwater supplies. Cost-effective ecological wastewater treatment technologies have been developed in response. To determine whether the removal of micropollutants in ecological wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is promoted by the plant-microbe interactions, as has been reported for other recalcitrant xenobiotics, biofilm microbial communities growing on the surfaces of plant roots were profiled by whole metagenome sequencing and compared to the microbial communities residing in the wastewater. In this study, the concentrations of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) were quantified in each treatment tank of the ecological WWTP treating human wastewater at a highway rest stop and visitor center in Vermont. The concentrations of detected PPCPs were substantially greater than values reported for conventional WWTPs likely due to onsite recirculation of wastewater. The greatest reductions in PPCPs concentrations were observed in the anoxic treatment tank where Bacilli dominated the biofilm community. Benzoate degradation was the most abundant xenobiotic metabolic category identified throughout the system. Collectively, the microbial communities residing in the wastewater were taxonomically and metabolically more diverse than the immersed plant root biofilm. However, greater heterogeneity and higher relative abundances of xenobiotic metabolism genes was observed for the root biofilm.

  2. Myogenin regulates exercise capacity and skeletal muscle metabolism in the adult mouse.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesse M Flynn

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Although skeletal muscle metabolism is a well-studied physiological process, little is known about how it is regulated at the transcriptional level. The myogenic transcription factor myogenin is required for skeletal muscle development during embryonic and fetal life, but myogenin's role in adult skeletal muscle is unclear. We sought to determine myogenin's function in adult muscle metabolism. A Myog conditional allele and Cre-ER transgene were used to delete Myog in adult mice. Mice were analyzed for exercise capacity by involuntary treadmill running. To assess oxidative and glycolytic metabolism, we performed indirect calorimetry, monitored blood glucose and lactate levels, and performed histochemical analyses on muscle fibers. Surprisingly, we found that Myog-deleted mice performed significantly better than controls in high- and low-intensity treadmill running. This enhanced exercise capacity was due to more efficient oxidative metabolism during low- and high-intensity exercise and more efficient glycolytic metabolism during high-intensity exercise. Furthermore, Myog-deleted mice had an enhanced response to long-term voluntary exercise training on running wheels. We identified several candidate genes whose expression was altered in exercise-stressed muscle of mice lacking myogenin. The results suggest that myogenin plays a critical role as a high-level transcriptional regulator to control the energy balance between aerobic and anaerobic metabolism in adult skeletal muscle.

  3. Integrated co-regulation of bacterial arsenic and phosphorus metabolisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Yoon-Suk; Heinemann, Joshua; Bothner, Brian; Rensing, Christopher; McDermott, Timothy R

    2012-12-01

    Arsenic ranks first on the US Environmental Protection Agency Superfund List of Hazardous Substances. Its mobility and toxicity depend upon chemical speciation, which is significantly driven by microbial redox transformations. Genome sequence-enabled surveys reveal that in many microorganisms genes essential to arsenite (AsIII) oxidation are located immediately adjacent to genes coding for functions associated with phosphorus (Pi) acquisition, implying some type of functional importance to the metabolism of As, Pi or both. We extensively document how expression of genes key to AsIII oxidation and the Pi stress response are intricately co-regulated in the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. These observations significantly expand our understanding of how environmental factors influence microbial AsIII metabolism and contribute to the current discussion of As and P metabolism in the microbial cell. © 2012 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  4. Increased fat oxidation and regulation of metabolic genes with ultraendurance exercise

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Helge, Jørn Wulff; Rehrer, N J; Pilegaard, H

    2007-01-01

    AIM: Regular endurance exercise stimulates muscle metabolic capacity, but effects of very prolonged endurance exercise are largely unknown. This study examined muscle substrate availability and utilization during prolonged endurance exercise, and associated metabolic genes. METHODS: Data were...... exercise markedly increases plasma fatty acid availability and fat utilization during exercise. Exercise-induced regulation of genes encoding proteins involved in fatty acid recruitment and oxidation may contribute to these changes....

  5. Chromatin-Bound MDM2 Regulates Serine Metabolism and Redox Homeostasis Independently of p53.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riscal, Romain; Schrepfer, Emilie; Arena, Giuseppe; Cissé, Madi Y; Bellvert, Floriant; Heuillet, Maud; Rambow, Florian; Bonneil, Eric; Sabourdy, Frédérique; Vincent, Charles; Ait-Arsa, Imade; Levade, Thierry; Thibaut, Pierre; Marine, Jean-Christophe; Portais, Jean-Charles; Sarry, Jean-Emmanuel; Le Cam, Laurent; Linares, Laetitia K

    2016-06-16

    The mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) oncoprotein is recognized as a major negative regulator of the p53 tumor suppressor, but growing evidence indicates that its oncogenic activities extend beyond p53. Here, we show that MDM2 is recruited to chromatin independently of p53 to regulate a transcriptional program implicated in amino acid metabolism and redox homeostasis. Identification of MDM2 target genes at the whole-genome level highlights an important role for ATF3/4 transcription factors in tethering MDM2 to chromatin. MDM2 recruitment to chromatin is a tightly regulated process that occurs during oxidative stress and serine/glycine deprivation and is modulated by the pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) metabolic enzyme. Depletion of endogenous MDM2 in p53-deficient cells impairs serine/glycine metabolism, the NAD(+)/NADH ratio, and glutathione (GSH) recycling, impacting their redox state and tumorigenic potential. Collectively, our data illustrate a previously unsuspected function of chromatin-bound MDM2 in cancer cell metabolism. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Comprehensive analysis of PPARa-dependent regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism by expression profiling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rakhshandehroo, Maryam; Sanderson-Kjellberg, L.M.; Matilainen, Merja; Stienstra, Rinke; Carlberg, Carsten; Groot, de Philip; Muller, Michael; Kersten, Sander

    2007-01-01

    PPARalpha is a ligand-activated transcription factor involved in the regulation of nutrient metabolism and inflammation. Although much is already known about the function of PPARalpha in hepatic lipid metabolism, many PPARalpha-dependent pathways and genes have yet to be discovered. In order to

  7. Citrus Flavonoids as Regulators of Lipoprotein Metabolism and Atherosclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulvihill, Erin E; Burke, Amy C; Huff, Murray W

    2016-07-17

    Citrus flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds with significant biological properties. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the ability of citrus flavonoids to modulate lipid metabolism, other metabolic parameters related to the metabolic syndrome, and atherosclerosis. Citrus flavonoids, including naringenin, hesperitin, nobiletin, and tangeretin, have emerged as potential therapeutics for the treatment of metabolic dysregulation. Epidemiological studies reveal an association between the intake of citrus flavonoid-containing foods and a decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease. Studies in cell culture and animal models, as well as a limited number of clinical studies, reveal the lipid-lowering, insulin-sensitizing, antihypertensive, and anti-inflammatory properties of citrus flavonoids. In animal models, supplementation of rodent diets with citrus flavonoids prevents hepatic steatosis, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance primarily through inhibition of hepatic fatty acid synthesis and increased fatty acid oxidation. Citrus flavonoids blunt the inflammatory response in metabolically important tissues including liver, adipose, kidney, and the aorta. The mechanisms underlying flavonoid-induced metabolic regulation have not been completely established, although several potential targets have been identified. In mouse models, citrus flavonoids show marked suppression of atherogenesis through improved metabolic parameters as well as through direct impact on the vessel wall. Recent studies support a role for citrus flavonoids in the treatment of dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, obesity, and atherosclerosis. Larger human studies examining dose, bioavailability, efficacy, and safety are required to promote the development of these promising therapeutic agents.

  8. DrugMetZ DB: an anthology of human drug metabolizing Chytochrome P450 enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antony, Tresa Remya Thomas; Nagarajan, Shanthi

    2006-11-14

    Understandings the basics of Cytochrome P450 (P450 or CYP) will help to discern drug metabolism. CYP, a super-family of heme-thiolate proteins, are found in almost all living organisms and is involved in the biotransformation of a diverse range of xenobiotics, therapeutic drugs and toxins. Here, we describe DrugMetZ DB, a database for CYP metabolizing drugs. The DB is implemented in MySQL, PHP and HTML. www.bicpu.edu.in/DrugMetZDB/

  9. [THE SYSTEM OF XENOBIOTICS BIOTRANSFORMATION OF HELMINTHS. RESEMBLANCE AND DIFFERENSES FROM SIMILAR HOST SYSTEMS (REWEW)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smirnov, L P; Borvinskaya, E V; Suhovskaya, I V

    2016-01-01

    The three phases system xenobiotic biotransformation in cells as prokaryotes as eukaryotes was formed during the process of evolution. Clear and managed function of all three links of this system guarantee the survival of living organisms at alteration of chemical component of environment. Oxidation, reduction or hydrolysis of xenobiotics realize in phase I by insertion or opening reactive and hydrophilic groups in structure of drug molecule. In phase II xenobiotics or their metabolites from phase I conjugate with endogenic compounds, main of there are glutathione, glucuronic acid, amino acids and sulphates. Active transport of substrata, metabolites and conjugates through cell lipid membranes special transport proteins carry out (phase III). The system of xenobiotics biotransformation of helminths has essential differences from the same of vertebrate hosts. In particular, parasites do not reveal the activity of prime oxidases of phase I, such as CYP or FMO, in spite of the genes of these enzymes in DNA. As this phenomenon displays mainly in adult helminths, living in guts of vertebrates, then the hypothesis was formulated that this effect is related with adaptation to conditions of strong deficiency of oxygen, arise in a process of evolution (Kotze et al., 2006). Literature data testify the existence in helminths of unique forms of enzymes of phase II, the investigation of which present doubtless interest in relation with possible role in adaptation to parasitic mode of life. Notwithstanding that many of helminths GST in greater or lesser degree similar with enzymes of M, P, S and О classes of other organisms, nevertheless they have essential structural differences as compared with enzymes of hosts that makes perspective the search of specific anthelminthics vaccines. Transport of xenobiotics is now considered phase III of biotransformation. It was shown that proteins of this phase (ATP binding cassette transporters (ABC ) of parasites) play a key role in efflux

  10. Role of AMPK in skeletal muscle metabolic regulation and adaptation in relation to exercise

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Sebastian Beck; Richter, Erik; Wojtaszewski, Jørgen

    2006-01-01

    The 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a potent regulator of skeletal muscle metabolism and gene expression. AMPK is activated both in response to in vivo exercise and ex vivo contraction. AMPK is therefore believed to be an important signalling molecule in regulating muscle metabolism...... during exercise as well as in adaptation of skeletal muscle to exercise training. The first part of this review is focused on different mechanisms regulating AMPK activity during muscle work such as alterations in nucleotide concentrations, availability of energy substrates and upstream AMPK kinases. We...... in relation to adaptation of skeletal muscle to exercise training....

  11. FGF21 as an Endocrine Regulator in Lipid Metabolism: From Molecular Evolution to Physiology and Pathophysiology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yusuke Murata

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The FGF family comprises twenty-two structurally related proteins with functions in development and metabolism. The Fgf21 gene was generated early in vertebrate evolution. FGF21 acts as an endocrine regulator in lipid metabolism. Hepatic Fgf21 expression is markedly induced in mice by fasting or a ketogenic diet. Experiments with Fgf21 transgenic mice and cultured cells indicate that FGF21 exerts pharmacological effects on glucose and lipid metabolism in hepatocytes and adipocytes via cell surface FGF receptors. However, experiments with Fgf21 knockout mice indicate that FGF21 inhibits lipolysis in adipocytes during fasting and attenuates torpor induced by a ketogenic diet but maybe not a physiological regulator for these hepatic functions. These findings suggest the pharmacological effects to be distinct from the physiological roles. Serum FGF21 levels are increased in patients with metabolic diseases having insulin resistance, indicating that FGF21 is a metabolic regulator and a biomarker for these diseases.

  12. Metabolic regulation of mycobacterial growth and antibiotic sensitivity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seung-Hun Baek

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Treatment of chronic bacterial infections, such as tuberculosis (TB, requires a remarkably long course of therapy, despite the availability of drugs that are rapidly bacteriocidal in vitro. This observation has long been attributed to the presence of bacterial populations in the host that are "drug-tolerant" because of their slow replication and low rate of metabolism. However, both the physiologic state of these hypothetical drug-tolerant populations and the bacterial pathways that regulate growth and metabolism in vivo remain obscure. Here we demonstrate that diverse growth-limiting stresses trigger a common signal transduction pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis that leads to the induction of triglyceride synthesis. This pathway plays a causal role in reducing growth and antibiotic efficacy by redirecting cellular carbon fluxes away from the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Mutants in which this metabolic switch is disrupted are unable to arrest their growth in response to stress and remain sensitive to antibiotics during infection. Thus, this regulatory pathway contributes to antibiotic tolerance in vivo, and its modulation may represent a novel strategy for accelerating TB treatment.

  13. SREBP-regulated lipid metabolism: convergent physiology - divergent pathophysiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimano, Hitoshi; Sato, Ryuichiro

    2017-12-01

    Cellular lipid metabolism and homeostasis are controlled by sterol regulatory-element binding proteins (SREBPs). In addition to performing canonical functions in the transcriptional regulation of genes involved in the biosynthesis and uptake of lipids, genome-wide system analyses have revealed that these versatile transcription factors act as important nodes of convergence and divergence within biological signalling networks. Thus, they are involved in myriad physiological and pathophysiological processes, highlighting the importance of lipid metabolism in biology. Changes in cell metabolism and growth are reciprocally linked through SREBPs. Anabolic and growth signalling pathways branch off and connect to multiple steps of SREBP activation and form complex regulatory networks. In addition, SREBPs are implicated in numerous pathogenic processes such as endoplasmic reticulum stress, inflammation, autophagy and apoptosis, and in this way, they contribute to obesity, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, chronic kidney disease, neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. This Review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of SREBPs in physiology and pathophysiology at the cell, organ and organism levels.

  14. FIH Regulates Cellular Metabolism through Hydroxylation of the Deubiquitinase OTUB1.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carsten C Scholz

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The asparagine hydroxylase, factor inhibiting HIF (FIH, confers oxygen-dependence upon the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF, a master regulator of the cellular adaptive response to hypoxia. Studies investigating whether asparagine hydroxylation is a general regulatory oxygen-dependent modification have identified multiple non-HIF targets for FIH. However, the functional consequences of this outside of the HIF pathway remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the deubiquitinase ovarian tumor domain containing ubiquitin aldehyde binding protein 1 (OTUB1 is a substrate for hydroxylation by FIH on N22. Mutation of N22 leads to a profound change in the interaction of OTUB1 with proteins important in cellular metabolism. Furthermore, in cultured cells, overexpression of N22A mutant OTUB1 impairs cellular metabolic processes when compared to wild type. Based on these data, we hypothesize that OTUB1 is a target for functional hydroxylation by FIH. Additionally, we propose that our results provide new insight into the regulation of cellular energy metabolism during hypoxic stress and the potential for targeting hydroxylases for therapeutic benefit.

  15. Impact of training state on fasting-induced regulation of adipose tissue metabolism in humans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertholdt, Lærke; Gudiksen, Anders; Stankiewicz, Tomasz

    2018-01-01

    Recruitment of fatty acids from adipose tissue is essential during fasting. However, the molecular mechanisms behind fasting-induced metabolic regulation in human adipose tissue and the potential impact of training state in this are unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investig......Recruitment of fatty acids from adipose tissue is essential during fasting. However, the molecular mechanisms behind fasting-induced metabolic regulation in human adipose tissue and the potential impact of training state in this are unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study...... was to investigate 1) fasting-induced regulation of lipolysis and glyceroneogenesis in human adipose tissue as well as 2) the impact of training state on basal oxidative capacity and fasting-induced metabolic regulation in human adipose tissue. Untrained (VO2max 55ml......RNA content were higher in trained subjects than untrained subjects. In addition, trained subjects had higher adipose tissue hormone sensitive lipase Ser660 phosphorylation and adipose triglyceride lipase protein content as well as higher plasma free fatty acids concentration than untrained subjects during...

  16. [Regulation of terpene metabolism]. Annual progress report, March 15, 1988--March 14, 1989

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Croteau, R.

    1989-12-31

    Progress in understanding of the metabolism of monoterpenes by peppermint and spearmint is recorded including the actions of two key enzymes, geranyl pyrophosphate:limonene cyclase and a UDP-glucose dependent glucosyl transferase; concerning the ultrastructure of oil gland senescence; enzyme subcellular localization; regulation of metabolism; and tissue culture systems.

  17. Tribbles-1: a novel regulator of hepatic lipid metabolism in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauer, Robert C; Yenilmez, Batuhan O; Rader, Daniel J

    2015-10-01

    The protein tribbles-1, encoded by the gene TRIB1, is increasingly recognized as a major regulator of multiple cellular and physiological processes in humans. Recent human genetic studies, as well as molecular biological approaches, have implicated this intriguing protein in the aetiology of multiple human diseases, including myeloid leukaemia, Crohn's disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), dyslipidaemia and coronary artery disease (CAD). Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have repeatedly identified variants at the genomic TRIB1 locus as being significantly associated with multiple plasma lipid traits and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in humans. The involvement of TRIB1 in hepatic lipid metabolism has been validated through viral-mediated hepatic overexpression of the gene in mice; increasing levels of TRIB1 decreased plasma lipids in a dose-dependent manner. Additional studies have implicated TRIB1 in the regulation of hepatic lipogenesis and NAFLD. The exact mechanisms of TRIB1 regulation of both plasma lipids and hepatic lipogenesis remain undetermined, although multiple signalling pathways and transcription factors have been implicated in tribbles-1 function. Recent reports have been aimed at developing TRIB1-based lipid therapeutics. In summary, tribbles-1 is an important modulator of human energy metabolism and metabolic syndromes and worthy of future studies aimed at investigating its potential as a therapeutic target. © 2015 Authors; published by Portland Press Limited.

  18. miRNA regulation of LDL-cholesterol metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goedeke, Leigh; Wagschal, Alexandre; Fernández-Hernando, Carlos; Näär, Anders M

    2016-12-01

    In the past decade, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key regulators of circulating levels of lipoproteins. Specifically, recent work has uncovered the role of miRNAs in controlling the levels of atherogenic low-density lipoprotein LDL (LDL)-cholesterol by post-transcriptionally regulating genes involved in very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion, cholesterol biosynthesis, and hepatic LDL receptor (LDLR) expression. Interestingly, several of these miRNAs are located in genomic loci associated with abnormal levels of circulating lipids in humans. These findings reinforce the interest of targeting this subset of non-coding RNAs as potential therapeutic avenues for regulating plasma cholesterol and triglyceride (TAG) levels. In this review, we will discuss how these new miRNAs represent potential pre-disposition factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and putative therapeutic targets in patients with cardiometabolic disorders. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: MicroRNAs and lipid/energy metabolism and related diseases edited by Carlos Fernández-Hernando and Yajaira Suárez. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Free fatty acid receptors and their role in regulation of energy metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hara, Takafumi; Kimura, Ikuo; Inoue, Daisuke; Ichimura, Atsuhiko; Hirasawa, Akira

    2013-01-01

    The free fatty acid receptor (FFAR) is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activated by free fatty acids (FFAs), which play important roles not only as essential nutritional components but also as signaling molecules in numerous physiological processes. In the last decade, FFARs have been identified by the GPCR deorphanization strategy derived from the human genome database. To date, several FFARs have been identified and characterized as critical components in various physiological processes. FFARs are categorized according to the chain length of FFA ligands that activate each FFAR; FFA2 and FFA3 are activated by short chain FFAs, GPR84 is activated by medium-chain FFAs, whereas FFA1 and GPR120 are activated by medium- or long-chain FFAs. FFARs appear to act as physiological sensors for food-derived FFAs and digestion products in the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, they are considered to be involved in the regulation of energy metabolism mediated by the secretion of insulin and incretin hormones and by the regulation of the sympathetic nerve systems, taste preferences, and inflammatory responses related to insulin resistance. Therefore, because FFARs can be considered to play important roles in physiological processes and various pathophysiological processes, FFARs have been targeted in therapeutic strategies for the treatment of metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. In this review, we present a summary of recent progress regarding the understanding of their physiological roles in the regulation of energy metabolism and their potential as therapeutic targets.

  20. Inflammation and ER Stress Regulate Branched-Chain Amino Acid Uptake and Metabolism in Adipocytes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burrill, Joel S.; Long, Eric K.; Reilly, Brian; Deng, Yingfeng; Armitage, Ian M.; Scherer, Philipp E.

    2015-01-01

    Inflammation plays a critical role in the pathology of obesity-linked insulin resistance and is mechanistically linked to the effects of macrophage-derived cytokines on adipocyte energy metabolism, particularly that of the mitochondrial branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) pathways. To address the role of inflammation on energy metabolism in adipocytes, we used high fat-fed C57BL/6J mice and lean controls and measured the down-regulation of genes linked to BCAA and TCA cycle metabolism selectively in visceral but not in subcutaneous adipose tissue, brown fat, liver, or muscle. Using 3T3-L1 cells, TNFα, and other proinflammatory cytokine treatments reduced the expression of the genes linked to BCAA transport and oxidation. Consistent with this, [14C]-leucine uptake and conversion to triglycerides was markedly attenuated in TNFα-treated adipocytes, whereas the conversion to protein was relatively unaffected. Because inflammatory cytokines lead to the induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress, we evaluated the effects of tunicamycin or thapsigargin treatment of 3T3-L1 cells and measured a similar down-regulation in the BCAA/TCA cycle pathway. Moreover, transgenic mice overexpressing X-box binding protein 1 in adipocytes similarly down-regulated genes of BCAA and TCA metabolism in vivo. These results indicate that inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum stress attenuate lipogenesis in visceral adipose depots by down-regulating the BCAA/TCA metabolism pathway and are consistent with a model whereby the accumulation of serum BCAA in the obese insulin-resistant state is linked to adipose inflammation. PMID:25635940

  1. Organ slices as an in vitro test system for drug metabolism in human liver, lung and kidney

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Olinga, Peter; de Jager, M.H; Meijer, D.K F; Groothuis, Geny; Merema, M.T.

    1999-01-01

    Metabolism of xenobiotics occurs mainly in the liver, but in addition, the lungs and kidneys may contribute considerably. The choice of the animal species during drug development as a predictive model for the human condition is often inadequate due to large interspecies differences. Therefore, a

  2. Study of AMPK-Regulated Metabolic Fluxes in Neurons Using the Seahorse XFe Analyzer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marinangeli, Claudia; Kluza, Jérome; Marchetti, Philippe; Buée, Luc; Vingtdeux, Valérie

    2018-01-01

    AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the intracellular master energy sensor and metabolic regulator. AMPK is involved in cell energy homeostasis through the regulation of glycolytic flux and mitochondrial biogenesis. Interestingly, metabolic dysfunctions and AMPK deregulations are observed in many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's. While these deregulations could play a key role in the development of these diseases, the study of metabolic fluxes has remained quite challenging and time-consuming. In this chapter, we describe the Seahorse XFe respirometry assay as a fundamental experimental tool to investigate the role of AMPK in controlling and modulating cell metabolic fluxes in living and intact differentiated primary neurons. The Seahorse XFe respirometry assay allows the real-time monitoring of glycolytic flux and mitochondrial respiration from different kind of cells, tissues, and isolated mitochondria. Here, we specify a protocol optimized for primary neuronal cells using several energy substrates such as glucose, pyruvate, lactate, glutamine, and ketone bodies. Nevertheless, this protocol can easily be adapted to monitor metabolic fluxes from other types of cells, tissues, or isolated mitochondria by taking into account the notes proposed for each key step of this assay.

  3. Effects of dietary components on testosterone metabolism via UDP‐glucuronosyltransferase (UGT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carl eJenkinson

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The potential interference in testosterone metabolism through ingested substances has ramifications for: i a range of pathologies such as prostate cancer, ii medication contra-indications, iii disruption to the endocrine system, and iv potential confounding effects on doping tests. Conjugation of anabolic steroids during phase II metabolism, mainly driven by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT 2B7, 2B15 and 2B17, has been shown to be impaired in vitro by a range of compounds including xenobiotics and pharmaceuticals. Following early reports on the effects of a range of xenobiotics on UGT activity in vitro, the work was extended to reveal similar effects with common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Notably, recent studies have evidenced inhibitory effects of the common foodstuffs green tea and red wine, along with their constituent flavonoids and catechins. This review amalgamates the existing evidence for the inhibitory effects of various pharmaceutical and dietary substances on the rate of UGT glucuronidation of testosterone; and evaluates the potential consequences for health linked to steroid levels, interaction with treatment drugs metabolised by the UGT enzyme and steroid abuse in sport.

  4. APP Metabolism Regulates Tau Proteostasis in Human Cerebral Cortex Neurons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven Moore

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Accumulation of Aβ peptide fragments of the APP protein and neurofibrillary tangles of the microtubule-associated protein tau are the cellular hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD. To investigate the relationship between APP metabolism and tau protein levels and phosphorylation, we studied human-stem-cell-derived forebrain neurons with genetic forms of AD, all of which increase the release of pathogenic Aβ peptides. We identified marked increases in intracellular tau in genetic forms of AD that either mutated APP or increased its dosage, suggesting that APP metabolism is coupled to changes in tau proteostasis. Manipulating APP metabolism by β-secretase and γ-secretase inhibition, as well as γ-secretase modulation, results in specific increases and decreases in tau protein levels. These data demonstrate that APP metabolism regulates tau proteostasis and suggest that the relationship between APP processing and tau is not mediated solely through extracellular Aβ signaling to neurons.

  5. APP metabolism regulates tau proteostasis in human cerebral cortex neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Steven; Evans, Lewis D B; Andersson, Therese; Portelius, Erik; Smith, James; Dias, Tatyana B; Saurat, Nathalie; McGlade, Amelia; Kirwan, Peter; Blennow, Kaj; Hardy, John; Zetterberg, Henrik; Livesey, Frederick J

    2015-05-05

    Accumulation of Aβ peptide fragments of the APP protein and neurofibrillary tangles of the microtubule-associated protein tau are the cellular hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To investigate the relationship between APP metabolism and tau protein levels and phosphorylation, we studied human-stem-cell-derived forebrain neurons with genetic forms of AD, all of which increase the release of pathogenic Aβ peptides. We identified marked increases in intracellular tau in genetic forms of AD that either mutated APP or increased its dosage, suggesting that APP metabolism is coupled to changes in tau proteostasis. Manipulating APP metabolism by β-secretase and γ-secretase inhibition, as well as γ-secretase modulation, results in specific increases and decreases in tau protein levels. These data demonstrate that APP metabolism regulates tau proteostasis and suggest that the relationship between APP processing and tau is not mediated solely through extracellular Aβ signaling to neurons. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Androgen metabolism in invertebrates and its modulation by xenoandrogens: a comparative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janer, G; Leblanc, G A; Porte, C

    2005-04-01

    Marisa cornuarietis (Mollusc), Hyalella azteca (Crustacean), and Paracentrotus lividus (Echinoderm) demonstrated the ability to metabolize androgens through different pathways catalyzed by 5alpha-reductases (5alpha-R), hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSD), hydroxylases, sulfotransferases (SULT), and fatty-acid acyl-CoA acyltransferases (ATAT). Interspecies differences and tissue-specific distribution of those enzymatic activities were observed. Xenobiotics, such as triphenyltin, tributyltin, and fenarimol, interfered with some of the pathways studied, namely, testosterone sulfation, testosterone esterification, and 5alpha-R activity. The work evidenced different sensitivity of those pathways to androgenic compounds, together with interphyla differences in androgen metabolism.

  7. Effect of metabolic regulation on renal leakiness to dextran molecules in short-term insulin-dependent diabetics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Parving, H H; Rutili, F; Granath, K

    1979-01-01

    Renal clearance of dextran of two ranges of molecular size and glomerular filtration rate (GFR, 51Cr-EDTA) were measured in seven short-term insulin-dependent diabetics (mean age 25 years). Measurements were carried out in the same patient during good and poor metabolic regulation (plasma glucose......, mean +/- SEM, 6.5 +/- 0.9 and 14.8 +/- 1.5 mmol/l, respectively). GFR was elevated in all patients during poor metabolic regulation (119 +/- 6 ml/min/1.73 m2, versus 99 +/- 2 ml/min/1.73 m2 during good control, p less than 0.01). The average renal clearance of dextran with molecular weights ranging...... from 25,000 to 35,000 and 35,000 to 45,000 increased during poor metabolic regulation from 14.8 +/- 0.8 to 19.8 +/- 1.8 ml/min/1.73 m2, and 5.2 +/- 0.3 to 6.8 +/- 0.6 ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively (p less than 0.05). The elevated GFR and renal dextran clearance found during poor metabolic regulation...

  8. Quantitative analysis of proteome and lipidome dynamics reveals functional regulation of global lipid metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Casanovas, Albert; Sprenger, Richard R; Tarasov, Kirill

    2015-01-01

    Elucidating how and to what extent lipid metabolism is remodeled under changing conditions is essential for understanding cellular physiology. Here, we analyzed proteome and lipidome dynamics to investigate how regulation of lipid metabolism at the global scale supports remodeling of cellular...

  9. 16th Carbonyl Metabolism Meeting: from enzymology to genomics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maser Edmund

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The 16th International Meeting on the Enzymology and Molecular Biology of Carbonyl Metabolism, Castle of Ploen (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, July 10–15, 2012, covered all aspects of NAD(P-dependent oxido-reductases that are involved in the general metabolism of xenobiotic and physiological carbonyl compounds. Starting 30 years ago with enzyme purification, structure elucidation and enzyme kinetics, the Carbonyl Society members have meanwhile established internationally recognized enzyme nomenclature systems and now consider aspects of enzyme genomics and enzyme evolution along with their roles in diseases. The 16th international meeting included lectures from international speakers from all over the world.

  10. Evidence of circadian rhythm, oxygen regulation capacity, metabolic repeatability and positive correlations between forced and spontaneous maximal metabolic rates in lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jon C Svendsen

    Full Text Available Animal metabolic rate is variable and may be affected by endogenous and exogenous factors, but such relationships remain poorly understood in many primitive fishes, including members of the family Acipenseridae (sturgeons. Using juvenile lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens, the objective of this study was to test four hypotheses: 1 A. fulvescens exhibits a circadian rhythm influencing metabolic rate and behaviour; 2 A. fulvescens has the capacity to regulate metabolic rate when exposed to environmental hypoxia; 3 measurements of forced maximum metabolic rate (MMR(F are repeatable in individual fish; and 4 MMR(F correlates positively with spontaneous maximum metabolic rate (MMR(S. Metabolic rates were measured using intermittent flow respirometry, and a standard chase protocol was employed to elicit MMR(F. Trials lasting 24 h were used to measure standard metabolic rate (SMR and MMR(S. Repeatability and correlations between MMR(F and MMR(S were analyzed using residual body mass corrected values. Results revealed that A. fulvescens exhibit a circadian rhythm in metabolic rate, with metabolism peaking at dawn. SMR was unaffected by hypoxia (30% air saturation (O(2sat, demonstrating oxygen regulation. In contrast, MMR(F was affected by hypoxia and decreased across the range from 100% O(2sat to 70% O(2sat. MMR(F was repeatable in individual fish, and MMR(F correlated positively with MMR(S, but the relationships between MMR(F and MMR(S were only revealed in fish exposed to hypoxia or 24 h constant light (i.e. environmental stressor. Our study provides evidence that the physiology of A. fulvescens is influenced by a circadian rhythm and suggests that A. fulvescens is an oxygen regulator, like most teleost fish. Finally, metabolic repeatability and positive correlations between MMR(F and MMR(S support the conjecture that MMR(F represents a measure of organism performance that could be a target of natural selection.

  11. Regulation of homocysteine metabolism and methylation in human and mouse tissues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Natalie C.; Yang, Fan; Capecci, Louis M.; Gu, Ziyu; Schafer, Andrew I.; Durante, William; Yang, Xiao-Feng; Wang, Hong

    2010-01-01

    Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism involves multiple enzymes; however, tissue Hcy metabolism and its relevance to methylation remain unknown. Here, we established gene expression profiles of 8 Hcy metabolic and 12 methylation enzymes in 20 human and 19 mouse tissues through bioinformatic analysis using expression sequence tag clone counts in tissue cDNA libraries. We analyzed correlations between gene expression, Hcy, S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) levels, and SAM/SAH ratios in mouse tissues. Hcy metabolic and methylation enzymes were classified into two types. The expression of Type 1 enzymes positively correlated with tissue Hcy and SAH levels. These include cystathionine β-synthase, cystathionine-γ-lyase, paraxonase 1, 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase, methionine adenosyltransferase, phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferases and glycine N-methyltransferase. Type 2 enzyme expressions correlate with neither tissue Hcy nor SAH levels. These include SAH hydrolase, methionyl-tRNA synthase, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate:Hcy methyltransferase, S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase, DNA methyltransferase 1/3a, isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferases, and histone-lysine N-methyltransferase. SAH is the only Hcy metabolite significantly correlated with Hcy levels and methylation enzyme expression. We established equations expressing combined effects of methylation enzymes on tissue SAH, SAM, and SAM/SAH ratios. Our study is the first to provide panoramic tissue gene expression profiles and mathematical models of tissue methylation regulation.—Chen, N. C., Yang, F., Capecci, L. M., Gu, Z., Schafer, A. I., Durante, W., Yang, X.-F., Wang, H. Regulation of homocysteine metabolism and methylation in human and mouse tissues. PMID:20305127

  12. NeuCode Proteomics Reveals Bap1 Regulation of Metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joshua M. Baughman

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available We introduce neutron-encoded (NeuCode amino acid labeling of mice as a strategy for multiplexed proteomic analysis in vivo. Using NeuCode, we characterize an inducible knockout mouse model of Bap1, a tumor suppressor and deubiquitinase whose in vivo roles outside of cancer are not well established. NeuCode proteomics revealed altered metabolic pathways following Bap1 deletion, including profound elevation of cholesterol biosynthetic machinery coincident with reduced expression of gluconeogenic and lipid homeostasis proteins in liver. Bap1 loss increased pancreatitis biomarkers and reduced expression of mitochondrial proteins. These alterations accompany a metabolic remodeling with hypoglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, hepatic lipid loss, and acinar cell degeneration. Liver-specific Bap1 null mice present with fully penetrant perinatal lethality, severe hypoglycemia, and hepatic lipid deficiency. This work reveals Bap1 as a metabolic regulator in liver and pancreas, and it establishes NeuCode as a reliable proteomic method for deciphering in vivo biology.

  13. Volatile profiling reveals intracellular metabolic changes in Aspergillus parasiticus: veA regulates branched chain amino acid and ethanol metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roze Ludmila V

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Filamentous fungi in the genus Aspergillus produce a variety of natural products, including aflatoxin, the most potent naturally occurring carcinogen known. Aflatoxin biosynthesis, one of the most highly characterized secondary metabolic pathways, offers a model system to study secondary metabolism in eukaryotes. To control or customize biosynthesis of natural products we must understand how secondary metabolism integrates into the overall cellular metabolic network. By applying a metabolomics approach we analyzed volatile compounds synthesized by Aspergillus parasiticus in an attempt to define the association of secondary metabolism with other metabolic and cellular processes. Results Volatile compounds were examined using solid phase microextraction - gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. In the wild type strain Aspergillus parasiticus SU-1, the largest group of volatiles included compounds derived from catabolism of branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine; we also identified alcohols, esters, aldehydes, and lipid-derived volatiles. The number and quantity of the volatiles produced depended on media composition, time of incubation, and light-dark status. A block in aflatoxin biosynthesis or disruption of the global regulator veA affected the volatile profile. In addition to its multiple functions in secondary metabolism and development, VeA negatively regulated catabolism of branched chain amino acids and synthesis of ethanol at the transcriptional level thus playing a role in controlling carbon flow within the cell. Finally, we demonstrated that volatiles generated by a veA disruption mutant are part of the complex regulatory machinery that mediates the effects of VeA on asexual conidiation and sclerotia formation. Conclusions 1 Volatile profiling provides a rapid, effective, and powerful approach to identify changes in intracellular metabolic networks in filamentous fungi. 2 VeA coordinates the

  14. Xenobiotic Modulation of Human Mammary Epithelial Cell Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication and Growth

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ruch, Randall

    1999-01-01

    .... These agents also inhibit gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC). This inhibition may contribute to the enhancement of breast epithelial growth and breast cancer formation by xenobiotics...

  15. Osteopontin regulates the cross-talk between phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol metabolism in mouse liver.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nuñez-Garcia, Maitane; Gomez-Santos, Beatriz; Buqué, Xabier; García-Rodriguez, Juan L; Romero, Marta R; Marin, Jose J G; Arteta, Beatriz; García-Monzón, Carmelo; Castaño, Luis; Syn, Wing-Kin; Fresnedo, Olatz; Aspichueta, Patricia

    2017-09-01

    Osteopontin (OPN) is involved in different liver pathologies in which metabolic dysregulation is a hallmark. Here, we investigated whether OPN could alter liver, and more specifically hepatocyte, lipid metabolism and the mechanism involved. In mice, lack of OPN enhanced cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) levels and promoted loss of phosphatidylcholine (PC) content in liver; in vivo treatment with recombinant (r)OPN caused opposite effects. rOPN directly decreased CYP7A1 levels through activation of focal adhesion kinase-AKT signaling in hepatocytes. PC content was also decreased in OPN-deficient (OPN-KO) hepatocytes in which de novo FA and PC synthesis was lower, whereas cholesterol (CHOL) synthesis was higher, than in WT hepatocytes. In vivo inhibition of cholesterogenesis normalized liver PC content in OPN-KO mice, demonstrating that OPN regulates the cross-talk between liver CHOL and PC metabolism. Matched liver and serum samples showed a positive correlation between serum OPN levels and liver PC and CHOL concentration in nonobese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver. In conclusion, OPN regulates CYP7A1 levels and the metabolic fate of liver acetyl-CoA as a result of CHOL and PC metabolism interplay. The results suggest that CYP7A1 is a main axis and that serum OPN could disrupt liver PC and CHOL metabolism, contributing to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease progression in nonobese patients.

  16. Magnetically-modified natural biogenic iron oxides for organic xenobiotics removal

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šafařík, Ivo; Filip, J.; Horská, Kateřina; Nowakova, M.; Tuček, J.; Šafaříková, Miroslava; Hashimoto, H.; Takada, J.; Zbořil, R.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 12, č. 2 (2015), s. 673-682 ISSN 1735-1472 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH11111; GA MŠk LH12190 Institutional support: RVO:67179843 Keywords : Biogenic iron oxides * Leptothrix ochracea * Magnetic fluid * Magnetic adsorbents * Xenobiotics Subject RIV: EI - Biotechnology ; Bionics Impact factor: 2.344, year: 2015

  17. CTRP3 attenuates diet-induced hepatic steatosis by regulating triglyceride metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Jonathan M; Seldin, Marcus M; Wei, Zhikui; Aja, Susan; Wong, G William

    2013-08-01

    CTRP3 is a secreted plasma protein of the C1q family that helps regulate hepatic gluconeogenesis and is downregulated in a diet-induced obese state. However, the role of CTRP3 in regulating lipid metabolism has not been established. Here, we used a transgenic mouse model to address the potential function of CTRP3 in ameliorating high-fat diet-induced metabolic stress. Both transgenic and wild-type mice fed a high-fat diet showed similar body weight gain, food intake, and energy expenditure. Despite similar adiposity to wild-type mice upon diet-induced obesity (DIO), CTRP3 transgenic mice were strikingly resistant to the development of hepatic steatosis, had reduced serum TNF-α levels, and demonstrated a modest improvement in systemic insulin sensitivity. Additionally, reduced hepatic triglyceride levels were due to decreased expression of enzymes (GPAT, AGPAT, and DGAT) involved in triglyceride synthesis. Importantly, short-term daily administration of recombinant CTRP3 to DIO mice for 5 days was sufficient to improve the fatty liver phenotype, evident as reduced hepatic triglyceride content and expression of triglyceride synthesis genes. Consistent with a direct effect on liver cells, recombinant CTRP3 treatment reduced fatty acid synthesis and neutral lipid accumulation in cultured rat H4IIE hepatocytes. Together, these results establish a novel role for CTRP3 hormone in regulating hepatic lipid metabolism and highlight its protective function and therapeutic potential in attenuating hepatic steatosis.

  18. Regulation of intestinal protein metabolism by amino acids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertrand, Julien; Goichon, Alexis; Déchelotte, Pierre; Coëffier, Moïse

    2013-09-01

    Gut homeostasis plays a major role in health and may be regulated by quantitative and qualitative food intake. In the intestinal mucosa, an intense renewal of proteins occurs, at approximately 50% per day in humans. In some pathophysiological conditions, protein turnover is altered and may contribute to intestinal or systemic diseases. Amino acids are key effectors of gut protein turnover, both as constituents of proteins and as regulatory molecules limiting intestinal injury and maintaining intestinal functions. Many studies have focused on two amino acids: glutamine, known as the preferential substrate of rapidly dividing cells, and arginine, another conditionally essential amino acid. The effects of glutamine and arginine on protein synthesis appear to be model and condition dependent, as are the involved signaling pathways. The regulation of gut protein degradation by amino acids has been minimally documented until now. This review will examine recent data, helping to better understand how amino acids regulate intestinal protein metabolism, and will explore perspectives for future studies.

  19. [Dry immersion effects on the mechanisms of metabolic-reflex regulation of hemodynamics during muscular work].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bravyĭ, Ia R; Bersenev, E Iu; Missina, S S; Borovik, A S; Sharova, A P; Vinogradova, O L

    2008-01-01

    Effects of 4-d dry immersion on metabolic-reflex regulation of hemodynamics were evaluated during local static work (30% of maximum voluntary effort) of the talocrural extensors. One group of immersed test-subjects received low-frequency electrostimulation of leg muscles to offset the immersion effect on EMG of working muscles. Metabolic-reflex regulation was evaluated through comparison of cardiovascular responses to physical tests with and w/o post-exercise vascular occlusion. Immersion vaguely increased heart rate and reduced systolic arterial pressure in resting subjects; however, it did not have a distinct effect on arterial pressure and HR during muscular work or metabolic-reflex potentiation of hemodynamic shifts.

  20. Thermodynamic analysis of regulation in metabolic networks using constraint-based modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahadevan Radhakrishnan

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Geobacter sulfurreducens is a member of the Geobacter species, which are capable of oxidation of organic waste coupled to the reduction of heavy metals and electrode with applications in bioremediation and bioenergy generation. While the metabolism of this organism has been studied through the development of a stoichiometry based genome-scale metabolic model, the associated regulatory network has not yet been well studied. In this manuscript, we report on the implementation of a thermodynamics based metabolic flux model for Geobacter sulfurreducens. We use this updated model to identify reactions that are subject to regulatory control in the metabolic network of G. sulfurreducens using thermodynamic variability analysis. Findings As a first step, we have validated the regulatory sites and bottleneck reactions predicted by the thermodynamic flux analysis in E. coli by evaluating the expression ranges of the corresponding genes. We then identified ten reactions in the metabolic network of G. sulfurreducens that are predicted to be candidates for regulation. We then compared the free energy ranges for these reactions with the corresponding gene expression fold changes under conditions of different environmental and genetic perturbations and show that the model predictions of regulation are consistent with data. In addition, we also identify reactions that operate close to equilibrium and show that the experimentally determined exchange coefficient (a measure of reversibility is significant for these reactions. Conclusions Application of the thermodynamic constraints resulted in identification of potential bottleneck reactions not only from the central metabolism but also from the nucleotide and amino acid subsystems, thereby showing the highly coupled nature of the thermodynamic constraints. In addition, thermodynamic variability analysis serves as a valuable tool in estimating the ranges of ΔrG' of every reaction in the model

  1. Comprehensive analysis of PPARα-dependent regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism by expression profiling - 5

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rakhshandehroo, Maryam; Sanderson-Kjellberg, L.M.; Matilainen, Merja; Stienstra, Rinke; Carlberg, Carsten; Groot, de Philip; Muller, Michael; Kersten, Sander

    2007-01-01

    PPARα is a ligand-activated transcription factor involved in the regulation of nutrient metabolism and inflammation. Although much is already known about the function of PPARα in hepatic lipid metabolism, many PPARα-dependent pathways and genes have yet to be discovered. In order to obtain an

  2. Methanol Metabolism in Yeasts : Regulation of the Synthesis of Catabolic Enzymes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Egli, Th.; Dijken, J.P. van; Veenhuis, M.; Harder, W.; Fiechter, A.

    1980-01-01

    The regulation of the synthesis of four dissimilatory enzymes involved in methanol metabolism, namely alcohol oxidase, formaldehyde dehydrogenase, formate dehydrogenase and catalase was investigated in the yeasts Hansenula polymorpha and Kloeckera sp. 2201. Enzyme profiles in cell-free extracts of

  3. Carotenoids in staple cereals: Metabolism, regulation, and genetic manipulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    shengnan zhai

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Carotenoids play a critical role in animal and human health. Animals and humans are unable to synthesize carotenoids de novo, and therefore rely upon diet as sources of these compounds. However, major staple cereals often contain only small amounts of carotenoids in their grain. Consequently, there is considerable interest in genetic manipulation of carotenoid content in cereal grain. In this review, we focus on carotenoid metabolism and regulation in non-green plant tissues, as well as genetic manipulation in staple cereals such as rice, maize, and wheat. Significant progress has been made in three aspects: (1 seven carotenogenes play vital roles in carotenoid regulation in non-green plant tissues, including DXS (1-deoxyxylulose-5-phosphate synthase influencing isoprenoid precursor supply, PSY (phytoene synthase, LCYB (β-cyclase and LCYE (ε-cyclase controlling biosynthesis, HYDB (1-hydroxy-2-methyl-2-(E-butenyl 4-diphosphate reductase and CCDs (carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases responsible for degradation, and OR (orange conditioning sequestration sink; (2 pro-vitamin A-biofortified crops, such as rice and maize, were developed by either metabolic engineering or marker-assisted breeding; (3 QTLs for carotenoid content on chromosomes 3B, 7A, and 7B were consistently identified, eight carotenogenes including 23 loci were detected, and ten gene-specific markers for carotenoid accumulation were developed and applied in wheat improvement. A comprehensive and deeper understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of carotenoid metabolism in crops will be benefitical in improving our precision in improving carotenoid contents. Genomic selection and gene editing are emerging as transformative technologies for vitamin A biofortification.

  4. Metabolic Regulation of CaMKII Protein and Caspases in Xenopus laevis Egg Extracts*

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCoy, Francis; Darbandi, Rashid; Chen, Si-Ing; Eckard, Laura; Dodd, Keela; Jones, Kelly; Baucum, Anthony J.; Gibbons, Jennifer A.; Lin, Sue-Hwa; Colbran, Roger J.; Nutt, Leta K.

    2013-01-01

    The metabolism of the Xenopus laevis egg provides a cell survival signal. We found previously that increased carbon flux from glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) through the pentose phosphate pathway in egg extracts maintains NADPH levels and calcium/calmodulin regulated protein kinase II (CaMKII) activity to phosphorylate caspase 2 and suppress cell death pathways. Here we show that the addition of G6P to oocyte extracts inhibits the dephosphorylation/inactivation of CaMKII bound to caspase 2 by protein phosphatase 1. Thus, G6P sustains the phosphorylation of caspase 2 by CaMKII at Ser-135, preventing the induction of caspase 2-mediated apoptotic pathways. These findings expand our understanding of oocyte biology and clarify mechanisms underlying the metabolic regulation of CaMKII and apoptosis. Furthermore, these findings suggest novel approaches to disrupt the suppressive effects of the abnormal metabolism on cell death pathways. PMID:23400775

  5. BAD-Dependent Regulation of Fuel Metabolism and KATP Channel Activity Confers Resistance to Epileptic Seizures

    OpenAIRE

    Giménez-Cassina, Alfredo; Martínez-François, Juan Ramón; Fisher, Jill K.; Szlyk, Benjamin; Polak, Klaudia; Wiwczar, Jessica; Tanner, Geoffrey R.; Lutas, Andrew; Yellen, Gary; Danial, Nika N.

    2012-01-01

    Neuronal excitation can be substantially modulated by alterations in metabolism, as evident from the anticonvulsant effect of diets that reduce glucose utilization and promote ketone body metabolism. We provide genetic evidence that BAD, a protein with dual functions in apoptosis and glucose metabolism, imparts reciprocal effects on metabolism of glucose and ketone bodies in brain cells. These effects involve phospho-regulation of BAD and are independent of its apoptotic function. BAD modific...

  6. Proteomic evidences for rex regulation of metabolism in toxin-producing Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabrina Laouami

    Full Text Available The facultative anaerobe, Bacillus cereus, causes diarrheal diseases in humans. Its ability to deal with oxygen availability is recognized to be critical for pathogenesis. The B. cereus genome comprises a gene encoding a protein with high similarities to the redox regulator, Rex, which is a central regulator of anaerobic metabolism in Bacillus subtilis and other Gram-positive bacteria. Here, we showed that B. cereus rex is monocistronic and down-regulated in the absence of oxygen. The protein encoded by rex is an authentic Rex transcriptional factor since its DNA binding activity depends on the NADH/NAD+ ratio. Rex deletion compromised the ability of B. cereus to cope with external oxidative stress under anaerobiosis while increasing B. cereus resistance against such stress under aerobiosis. The deletion of rex affects anaerobic fermentative and aerobic respiratory metabolism of B. cereus by decreasing and increasing, respectively, the carbon flux through the NADH-recycling lactate pathway. We compared both the cellular proteome and exoproteome of the wild-type and Δrex cells using a high throughput shotgun label-free quantitation approach and identified proteins that are under control of Rex-mediated regulation. Proteomics data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD000886. The data suggest that Rex regulates both the cross-talk between metabolic pathways that produce NADH and NADPH and toxinogenesis, especially in oxic conditions.

  7. Marine Invertebrate Xenobiotic-Activated Nuclear Receptors: Their Application as Sensor Elements in High-Throughput Bioassays for Marine Bioactive Compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ingrid Richter

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Developing high-throughput assays to screen marine extracts for bioactive compounds presents both conceptual and technical challenges. One major challenge is to develop assays that have well-grounded ecological and evolutionary rationales. In this review we propose that a specific group of ligand-activated transcription factors are particularly well-suited to act as sensors in such bioassays. More specifically, xenobiotic-activated nuclear receptors (XANRs regulate transcription of genes involved in xenobiotic detoxification. XANR ligand-binding domains (LBDs may adaptively evolve to bind those bioactive, and potentially toxic, compounds to which organisms are normally exposed to through their specific diets. A brief overview of the function and taxonomic distribution of both vertebrate and invertebrate XANRs is first provided. Proof-of-concept experiments are then described which confirm that a filter-feeding marine invertebrate XANR LBD is activated by marine bioactive compounds. We speculate that increasing access to marine invertebrate genome sequence data, in combination with the expression of functional recombinant marine invertebrate XANR LBDs, will facilitate the generation of high-throughput bioassays/biosensors of widely differing specificities, but all based on activation of XANR LBDs. Such assays may find application in screening marine extracts for bioactive compounds that could act as drug lead compounds.

  8. Nucleotide synthesis is regulated by cytoophidium formation during neurodevelopment and adaptive metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriel N. Aughey

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The essential metabolic enzyme CTP synthase (CTPsyn can be compartmentalised to form an evolutionarily-conserved intracellular structure termed the cytoophidium. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the enzymatic activity of CTPsyn is attenuated by incorporation into cytoophidia in bacteria and yeast cells. Here we demonstrate that CTPsyn is regulated in a similar manner in Drosophila tissues in vivo. We show that cytoophidium formation occurs during nutrient deprivation in cultured cells, as well as in quiescent and starved neuroblasts of the Drosophila larval central nervous system. We also show that cytoophidia formation is reversible during neurogenesis, indicating that filament formation regulates pyrimidine synthesis in a normal developmental context. Furthermore, our global metabolic profiling demonstrates that CTPsyn overexpression does not significantly alter CTPsyn-related enzymatic activity, suggesting that cytoophidium formation facilitates metabolic stabilisation. In addition, we show that overexpression of CTPsyn only results in moderate increase of CTP pool in human stable cell lines. Together, our study provides experimental evidence, and a mathematical model, for the hypothesis that inactive CTPsyn is incorporated into cytoophidia.

  9. Cyclin G Functions as a Positive Regulator of Growth and Metabolism in Drosophila.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrick Fischer

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available In multicellular organisms, growth and proliferation is adjusted to nutritional conditions by a complex signaling network. The Insulin receptor/target of rapamycin (InR/TOR signaling cascade plays a pivotal role in nutrient dependent growth regulation in Drosophila and mammals alike. Here we identify Cyclin G (CycG as a regulator of growth and metabolism in Drosophila. CycG mutants have a reduced body size and weight and show signs of starvation accompanied by a disturbed fat metabolism. InR/TOR signaling activity is impaired in cycG mutants, combined with a reduced phosphorylation status of the kinase Akt1 and the downstream factors S6-kinase and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein (4E-BP. Moreover, the expression and accumulation of Drosophila insulin like peptides (dILPs is disturbed in cycG mutant brains. Using a reporter assay, we show that the activity of one of the first effectors of InR signaling, Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K92E, is unaffected in cycG mutants. However, the metabolic defects and weight loss in cycG mutants were rescued by overexpression of Akt1 specifically in the fat body and by mutants in widerborst (wdb, the B'-subunit of the phosphatase PP2A, known to downregulate Akt1 by dephosphorylation. Together, our data suggest that CycG acts at the level of Akt1 to regulate growth and metabolism via PP2A in Drosophila.

  10. Biotransformation and induction: implications for toxicity, bioaccumulation and monitoring of environmental xenobiotics in fish

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kleinow, K.M.; Melancon, M.J.; Lech, J.J.

    1987-01-01

    Biotransformation of xenobiotics in fish occurs by many of the same reactions as in mammals. These reactions have been shown to affect the bioaccumulation, persistence, residue dynamics, and toxicity of select chemicals in fish. P-450-dependent monooxygenase activity of fish can be induced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, but phenobarbital-type agents induce poorly, if at all. Fish monooxygenase activity exhibits ideal temperature compensation and sex-related variation. Induction of monooxygenase activity by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can result in qualitative as well as quantitative changes in the metabolic profile of a chemical. Induction can also alter toxicity. In addition, multiple P-450 isozymes have been described for several fish species. The biotransformation productions of certain chemicals have been related to specific P-450 isozymes, and the formation of these products can be influenced by induction. Exposure of fish to low levels of certain environmental contaminants has resulted in induction of specific monooxygenase activities and monitoring of such activities has been suggested as a means of identifying areas of pollutant exposure in the wild

  11. Effect of antibiotics on gut microbiota, glucose metabolism and bodyweight regulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, Kristian Hallundbaek; Allin, Kristine Højgaard; Knop, Filip Krag

    2016-01-01

    Gut bacteria are involved in a number of host metabolic processes and have been implicated in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans. Use of antibiotics changes the composition of the gut microbiota and there is accumulating evidence from observational studies for an association...... between exposure to antibiotics and development of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Here we review human studies examining effects of antibiotics on bodyweight regulation and glucose metabolism and discuss whether the observed findings may relate to alterations in the composition and function of the gut...

  12. Nature and Nurture in the Early-Life Origins of Metabolic Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez-Bulnes, Antonio; Astiz, Susana; Ovilo, Cristina; Garcia-Contreras, Consolacion; Vazquez-Gomez, Marta

    The combination of genetic background together with food excess and lack of exercise has become the cornerstone of metabolic disorders associated to lifestyle. The scenario is furthermore reinforced by their interaction with other environmental factors (stress, sleeping patterns, education, culture, rural versus urban locations, and xenobiotics, among others) inducing epigenetic changes in the exposed individuals. The immediate consequence is the development of further alterations like obesity and metabolic syndrome, and other adverse health conditions (type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, reproductive, immune and neurological disorders). Thus, having in mind the impact of the metabolic syndrome on the worldwide public health, the present review affords the relative roles and the interrelationships of nature (genetic predisposition to metabolic syndrome) and nurture (lifestyle and environmental effects causing epigenetic changes), on the establishment of the metabolic disorders in women; disorders that may evolve to metabolic syndrome prior or during pregnancy and may be transmitted to their descendants.

  13. [Regulation of terpene metabolism]. Progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Croteau, R.

    1986-01-01

    Studies on the regulation of monoterpene metabolism in M. piperita were conducted. All of the steps from the acyclic precursor geranyl pyrophosphate to the various menthol isomers have been demonstrated. The first intermediate to accumulate in vivo is d-pulegone. The emphasis has been on the demonstration, partial purification and characterization of the relevant enzymes in the pathway. The studies on the isopiperitenol dehydrogenase and isopiperitenone isomerase have been completed. We are not studying the endocyclic double-bond reductase (NADPH-dependent) and, based on substrate specificity studies and the previously demonstrated isomerization of cis- isopulegone to pulegone, are now virtually convinced that the major pathway to menthol(s) in peppermint involves reduction of isopiperitenone to isopulegone and isomerication of isopulegone to pulegone. 16 refs., 1 fig

  14. Animal bioavailability of defined xenobiotic lignin metabolites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sandermann, H. Jr.; Arjmand, M.; Gennity, I.; Winkler, R.; Struble, C.B.; Aschbacher, P.W.

    1990-01-01

    Lignin has been recognized as a major component of bound pesticide residues in plants and is thought to be undigestible in animals. Two defined ring-U- 14 C-labeled chloroaniline/lignin metabolites have now been fed to rats, where a release of ∼66% of the bound xenobiotic occurred in the form of simple chloroaniline derivatives. The observed high degree of bioavailability indicates that bound pesticidal residues may possess ecotoxicological significance. In parallel studies, the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium was more efficient, and a soil system was much less efficient, in the degradation of the [ring-U- 14 C]chloroaniline/lignin metabolites

  15. The fetal/neonatal mouse liver exhibits transcriptional features of the adult pancreas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metabolic homeostasis of the organism is maintained by the liver’s ability to detoxify and eliminate xenobiotics through the expression of xenobiotic metabolism enxymes (XME). The fetus and neonate have been hypothesized to exhibit increased sensitivity to xenobiotic toxicity. T...

  16. PPARγ regulates the expression of cholesterol metabolism genes in alveolar macrophages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baker, Anna D.; Malur, Anagha; Barna, Barbara P.; Kavuru, Mani S.; Malur, Achut G.; Thomassen, Mary Jane

    2010-01-01

    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) is a nuclear transcription factor involved in lipid metabolism that is constitutively expressed in the alveolar macrophages of healthy individuals. PPARγ has recently been implicated in the catabolism of surfactant by alveolar macrophages, specifically the cholesterol component of surfactant while the mechanism remains unclear. Studies from other tissue macrophages have shown that PPARγ regulates cholesterol influx, efflux, and metabolism. PPARγ promotes cholesterol efflux through the liver X receptor-alpha (LXRα) and ATP-binding cassette G1 (ABCG1). We have recently shown that macrophage-specific PPARγ knockout (PPARγ KO) mice accumulate cholesterol-laden alveolar macrophages that exhibit decreased expression of LXRα and ABCG1 and reduced cholesterol efflux. We hypothesized that in addition to the dysregulation of these cholesterol efflux genes, the expression of genes involved in cholesterol synthesis and influx was also dysregulated and that replacement of PPARγ would restore regulation of these genes. To investigate this hypothesis, we have utilized a Lentivirus expression system (Lenti-PPARγ) to restore PPARγ expression in the alveolar macrophages of PPARγ KO mice. Our results show that the alveolar macrophages of PPARγ KO mice have decreased expression of key cholesterol synthesis genes and increased expression of cholesterol receptors CD36 and scavenger receptor A-I (SRA-I). The replacement of PPARγ (1) induced transcription of LXRα and ABCG1; (2) corrected suppressed expression of cholesterol synthesis genes; and (3) enhanced the expression of scavenger receptors CD36. These results suggest that PPARγ regulates cholesterol metabolism in alveolar macrophages.

  17. Metformin regulates global DNA methylation via mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuyàs, E; Fernández-Arroyo, S; Verdura, S; García, R Á-F; Stursa, J; Werner, L; Blanco-González, E; Montes-Bayón, M; Joven, J; Viollet, B; Neuzil, J; Menendez, J A

    2018-02-15

    The anti-diabetic biguanide metformin may exert health-promoting effects via metabolic regulation of the epigenome. Here we show that metformin promotes global DNA methylation in non-cancerous, cancer-prone and metastatic cancer cells by decreasing S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), a strong feedback inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)-dependent DNA methyltransferases, while promoting the accumulation of SAM, the universal methyl donor for cellular methylation. Using metformin and a mitochondria/complex I (mCI)-targeted analog of metformin (norMitoMet) in experimental pairs of wild-type and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-, serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2)- and mCI-null cells, we provide evidence that metformin increases the SAM:SAH ratio-related methylation capacity by targeting the coupling between serine mitochondrial one-carbon flux and CI activity. By increasing the contribution of one-carbon units to the SAM from folate stores while decreasing SAH in response to AMPK-sensed energetic crisis, metformin can operate as a metabolo-epigenetic regulator capable of reprogramming one of the key conduits linking cellular metabolism to the DNA methylation machinery.

  18. Prediction of cytochrome P450 mediated metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Lars; Oostenbrink, Chris; Jørgensen, Flemming Steen

    2015-01-01

    Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) form one of the most important enzyme families involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics. CYPs comprise many isoforms, which catalyze a wide variety of reactions, and potentially, a large number of different metabolites can be formed. However, it is often hard...... to rationalize what metabolites these enzymes generate. In recent years, many different in silico approaches have been developed to predict binding or regioselective product formation for the different CYP isoforms. These comprise ligand-based methods that are trained on experimental CYP data and structure...

  19. Live-cell Imaging Approaches for the Investigation of Xenobiotic-Induced Oxidant Stress

    Science.gov (United States)

    BACKGROUND: Oxidant stress is arguably a universal feature in toxicology. Research studies on the role of oxidant stress induced by xenobiotic exposures have typically relied on the identification of damaged biomolecules using a variety of conventional biochemical and molecular t...

  20. Genome-Wide RNAi Ionomics Screen Reveals New Genes and Regulation of Human Trace Element Metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malinouski, Mikalai; Hasan, Nesrin M.; Zhang, Yan; Seravalli, Javier; Lin, Jie; Avanesov, Andrei; Lutsenko, Svetlana; Gladyshev, Vadim N.

    2017-01-01

    Trace elements are essential for human metabolism and dysregulation of their homeostasis is associated with numerous disorders. Here we characterize mechanisms that regulate trace elements in human cells by designing and performing a genome-wide high-throughput siRNA/ionomics screen, and examining top hits in cellular and biochemical assays. The screen reveals high stability of the ionomes, especially the zinc ionome, and yields known regulators and novel candidates. We further uncover fundamental differences in the regulation of different trace elements. Specifically, selenium levels are controlled through the selenocysteine machinery and expression of abundant selenoproteins; copper balance is affected by lipid metabolism and requires machinery involved in protein trafficking and posttranslational modifications; and the iron levels are influenced by iron import and expression of the iron/heme-containing enzymes. Our approach can be applied to a variety of disease models and/or nutritional conditions, and the generated dataset opens new directions for studies of human trace element metabolism. PMID:24522796

  1. Acyl coenzyme A thioesterase 7 regulates neuronal fatty acid metabolism to prevent neurotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis, Jessica M; Wong, G William; Wolfgang, Michael J

    2013-05-01

    Numerous neurological diseases are associated with dysregulated lipid metabolism; however, the basic metabolic control of fatty acid metabolism in neurons remains enigmatic. Here we have shown that neurons have abundant expression and activity of the long-chain cytoplasmic acyl coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) thioesterase 7 (ACOT7) to regulate lipid retention and metabolism. Unbiased and targeted metabolomic analysis of fasted mice with a conditional knockout of ACOT7 in the nervous system, Acot7(N-/-), revealed increased fatty acid flux into multiple long-chain acyl-CoA-dependent pathways. The alterations in brain fatty acid metabolism were concomitant with a loss of lean mass, hypermetabolism, hepatic steatosis, dyslipidemia, and behavioral hyperexcitability in Acot7(N-/-) mice. These failures in adaptive energy metabolism are common in neurodegenerative diseases. In agreement, Acot7(N-/-) mice exhibit neurological dysfunction and neurodegeneration. These data show that ACOT7 counterregulates fatty acid metabolism in neurons and protects against neurotoxicity.

  2. Regulation of Porcine Hepatic Cytochrome P450 — Implication for Boar Taint

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Krøyer Rasmussen

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Cytochrome P450 (CYP450 is the major family of enzymes involved in the metabolism of several xenobiotic and endogenous compounds. Among substrates for CYP450 is the tryptophan metabolite skatole (3-methylindole, one of the major contributors to the off-odour associated with boar-tainted meat. The accumulation of skatole in pigs is highly dependent on the hepatic clearance by CYP450s. In recent years, the porcine CYP450 has attracted attention both in relation to meat quality and as a potential model for human CYP450. The molecular regulation of CYP450 mRNA expression is controlled by several nuclear receptors and transcription factors that are targets for numerous endogenously and exogenously produced agonists and antagonists. Moreover, CYP450 expression and activity are affected by factors such as age, gender and feeding. The regulation of porcine CYP450 has been suggested to have more similarities with human CYP450 than other animal models, including rodents. This article reviews the available data on porcine hepatic CYP450s and its implications for boar taint.

  3. Nrf2 the rescue: Effects of the antioxidative/electrophilic response on the liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klaassen, Curtis D.; Reisman, Scott A.

    2010-01-01

    Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that positively regulates the basal and inducible expression of a large battery of cytoprotective genes. These gene products include proteins that catalyze reduction reactions (NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1, Nqo1), conjugation reactions (glutathione-S-transferases, Gsts and UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, Ugts), as well as the efflux of potentially toxic xenobiotics and xenobiotic conjugates (multidrug resistance-associated proteins, Mrps). The significance of Nrf2 in the liver has been established, as livers of Nrf2-null mice are more susceptible to various oxidative/electrophilic stress-induced pathologies than wild-type mice. In contrast, both pharmacological and genetic models of hepatic Nrf2 activation are protective against oxidative/electrophilic stress. Furthermore, because certain Nrf2-target genes in the liver could affect the distribution, metabolism, and excretion of xenobiotics, the effects of Nrf2 on the kinetics of drugs and other xenobiotics should also be considered, with a special emphasis on metabolism and excretion. Therefore, this review highlights the research that has contributed to the understanding of the importance of Nrf2 in toxicodynamics and toxicokinetics, especially that which pertains to the liver.

  4. Overexpression of Jazf1 reduces body weight gain and regulates lipid metabolism in high fat diet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jang, Woo Young; Bae, Ki Beom; Kim, Sung Hyun; Yu, Dong Hun; Kim, Hei Jung; Ji, Young Rae; Park, Seo Jin; Park, Si Jun; Kang, Min-Cheol; Jeong, Ja In; Park, Sang-Joon; Lee, Sang Gyu; Lee, Inkyu; Kim, Myoung Ok; Yoon, Duhak; Ryoo, Zae Young

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The expression of Jazf1 in the liver suppressed lipid accumulation. • Jazf1 significantly increases transcription of fatty acid synthase. • Jazf1 plays a critical role in the regulation of energy and lipid homeostasis. • Jazf1 associates the development of metabolic disorder. • Jazf1 may provide a new therapeutic target in the management of metabolic disorder. - Abstract: Jazf1 is a 27 kDa nuclear protein containing three putative zinc finger motifs that is associated with diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer; however, little is known about the role that this gene plays in regulation of metabolism. Recent evidence indicates that Jazf1 transcription factors bind to the nuclear orphan receptor TR4. This receptor regulates PEPCK, the key enzyme involved in gluconeogenesis. To elucidate Jazf1’s role in metabolism, we fed a 60% fat diet for up to 15 weeks. In Jazf1 overexpression mice, weight gain was found to be significantly decreased. The expression of Jazf1 in the liver also suppressed lipid accumulation and decreased droplet size. These results suggest that Jazf1 plays a critical role in the regulation of lipid homeostasis. Finally, Jazf1 may provide a new therapeutic target in the management of obesity and diabetes

  5. Overexpression of Jazf1 reduces body weight gain and regulates lipid metabolism in high fat diet

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jang, Woo Young; Bae, Ki Beom; Kim, Sung Hyun; Yu, Dong Hun; Kim, Hei Jung; Ji, Young Rae; Park, Seo Jin; Park, Si Jun; Kang, Min-Cheol; Jeong, Ja In [School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, 1370 Sankyuk-dong, Buk-ku, Daegu 702-701 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Sang-Joon [College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 1370 Sankyuk-dong, Buk-ku, Daegu 702-701 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang Gyu [School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, 1370 Sankyuk-dong, Buk-ku, Daegu 702-701 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Inkyu [School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 700-842 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Myoung Ok [School of Animal BT Sciences, Sangju Campus, Kyungpook National University, 386 Gajang-dong, Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do 742-211 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Duhak, E-mail: dhyoon@knu.ac.kr [School of Animal BT Sciences, Sangju Campus, Kyungpook National University, 386 Gajang-dong, Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do 742-211 (Korea, Republic of); Ryoo, Zae Young, E-mail: jaewoong64@hanmail.net [School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, 1370 Sankyuk-dong, Buk-ku, Daegu 702-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-02-14

    Highlights: • The expression of Jazf1 in the liver suppressed lipid accumulation. • Jazf1 significantly increases transcription of fatty acid synthase. • Jazf1 plays a critical role in the regulation of energy and lipid homeostasis. • Jazf1 associates the development of metabolic disorder. • Jazf1 may provide a new therapeutic target in the management of metabolic disorder. - Abstract: Jazf1 is a 27 kDa nuclear protein containing three putative zinc finger motifs that is associated with diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer; however, little is known about the role that this gene plays in regulation of metabolism. Recent evidence indicates that Jazf1 transcription factors bind to the nuclear orphan receptor TR4. This receptor regulates PEPCK, the key enzyme involved in gluconeogenesis. To elucidate Jazf1’s role in metabolism, we fed a 60% fat diet for up to 15 weeks. In Jazf1 overexpression mice, weight gain was found to be significantly decreased. The expression of Jazf1 in the liver also suppressed lipid accumulation and decreased droplet size. These results suggest that Jazf1 plays a critical role in the regulation of lipid homeostasis. Finally, Jazf1 may provide a new therapeutic target in the management of obesity and diabetes.

  6. Brassinosteroid regulates cell elongation by modulating gibberellin metabolism in rice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Hongning; Xiao, Yunhua; Liu, Dapu; Gao, Shaopei; Liu, Linchuan; Yin, Yanhai; Jin, Yun; Qian, Qian; Chu, Chengcai

    2014-11-01

    Brassinosteroid (BR) and gibberellin (GA) are two predominant hormones regulating plant cell elongation. A defect in either of these leads to reduced plant growth and dwarfism. However, their relationship remains unknown in rice (Oryza sativa). Here, we demonstrated that BR regulates cell elongation by modulating GA metabolism in rice. Under physiological conditions, BR promotes GA accumulation by regulating the expression of GA metabolic genes to stimulate cell elongation. BR greatly induces the expression of D18/GA3ox-2, one of the GA biosynthetic genes, leading to increased GA1 levels, the bioactive GA in rice seedlings. Consequently, both d18 and loss-of-function GA-signaling mutants have decreased BR sensitivity. When excessive active BR is applied, the hormone mostly induces GA inactivation through upregulation of the GA inactivation gene GA2ox-3 and also represses BR biosynthesis, resulting in decreased hormone levels and growth inhibition. As a feedback mechanism, GA extensively inhibits BR biosynthesis and the BR response. GA treatment decreases the enlarged leaf angles in plants with enhanced BR biosynthesis or signaling. Our results revealed a previously unknown mechanism underlying BR and GA crosstalk depending on tissues and hormone levels, which greatly advances our understanding of hormone actions in crop plants and appears much different from that in Arabidopsis thaliana. © 2014 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

  7. The Mediator subunit MDT-15 confers metabolic adaptation to ingested material.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Taubert

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available In eukaryotes, RNA polymerase II (Pol(II dependent gene expression requires accessory factors termed transcriptional coregulators. One coregulator that universally contributes to Pol(II-dependent transcription is the Mediator, a multisubunit complex that is targeted by many transcriptional regulatory factors. For example, the Caenorhabditis elegans Mediator subunit MDT-15 confers the regulatory actions of the sterol response element binding protein SBP-1 and the nuclear hormone receptor NHR-49 on fatty acid metabolism. Here, we demonstrate that MDT-15 displays a broader spectrum of activities, and that it integrates metabolic responses to materials ingested by C. elegans. Depletion of MDT-15 protein or mutation of the mdt-15 gene abrogated induction of specific detoxification genes in response to certain xenobiotics or heavy metals, rendering these animals hypersensitive to toxin exposure. Intriguingly, MDT-15 appeared to selectively affect stress responses related to ingestion, as MDT-15 functional defects did not abrogate other stress responses, e.g., thermotolerance. Together with our previous finding that MDT-15:NHR-49 regulatory complexes coordinate a sector of the fasting response, we propose a model whereby MDT-15 integrates several transcriptional regulatory pathways to monitor both the availability and quality of ingested materials, including nutrients and xenobiotic compounds.

  8. Mitochondrial metabolism of pyruvate is essential for regulating glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patterson, Jessica N; Cousteils, Katelyn; Lou, Jennifer W; Manning Fox, Jocelyn E; MacDonald, Patrick E; Joseph, Jamie W

    2014-05-09

    It is well known that mitochondrial metabolism of pyruvate is critical for insulin secretion; however, we know little about how pyruvate is transported into mitochondria in β-cells. Part of the reason for this lack of knowledge is that the carrier gene was only discovered in 2012. In the current study, we assess the role of the recently identified carrier in the regulation of insulin secretion. Our studies show that β-cells express both mitochondrial pyruvate carriers (Mpc1 and Mpc2). Using both pharmacological inhibitors and siRNA-mediated knockdown of the MPCs we show that this carrier plays a key role in regulating insulin secretion in clonal 832/13 β-cells as well as rat and human islets. We also show that the MPC is an essential regulator of both the ATP-regulated potassium (KATP) channel-dependent and -independent pathways of insulin secretion. Inhibition of the MPC blocks the glucose-stimulated increase in two key signaling molecules involved in regulating insulin secretion, the ATP/ADP ratio and NADPH/NADP(+) ratio. The MPC also plays a role in in vivo glucose homeostasis as inhibition of MPC by the pharmacological inhibitor α-cyano-β-(1-phenylindol-3-yl)-acrylate (UK5099) resulted in impaired glucose tolerance. These studies clearly show that the newly identified mitochondrial pyruvate carrier sits at an important branching point in nutrient metabolism and that it is an essential regulator of insulin secretion.

  9. Metabolism of six CYP probe substrates in fetal hepatocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Naveed Shaik

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Cytochrome P-450 (CYP are the most common drug metabolizing enzymes and are abundantly expressed in liver apart from kidney, lungs, intestine, brain etc. Their expression levels change with physiological conditions and disease states. The expression of these CYPs is less in human foetus and neonates compared to adults, which results in lower clearance of xenobiotics in infants and neonates compared to adults. Hepatocytes are the cells which are largely used to study these CYPs. We have isolated hepatocytes from aborted foetus to study the metabolism of six probe substrates: phenacetin, diclofenac, S-mephenytoin, dextromethorphan, nifedipine and testosterone. The results obtained show the expression of various CYPs (CYP1A2, CYP2C19, CYP2C9, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4 in human foetus and their involvement in metabolism of CYP probe substrates.

  10. Dendrobium nobile Lindl. alkaloids regulate metabolism gene expression in livers of mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yun-Yan; Xu, Ya-Sha; Wang, Yuan; Wu, Qin; Lu, Yuan-Fu; Liu, Jie; Shi, Jing-Shan

    2017-10-01

    In our previous studies, Dendrobium nobile Lindl. alkaloids (DNLA) has been shown to have glucose-lowering and antihyperlipidaemia effects in diabetic rats, in rats fed with high-fat diets, and in mice challenged with adrenaline. This study aimed to examine the effects of DNLA on the expression of glucose and lipid metabolism genes in livers of mice. Mice were given DNLA at doses of 10-80 mg/kg, po for 8 days, and livers were removed for total RNA and protein isolation to perform real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Dendrobium nobile Lindl. alkaloids increased PGC1α at mRNA and protein levels and increased glucose metabolism gene Glut2 and FoxO1 expression. DNLA also increased the expression of fatty acid β-oxidation genes Acox1 and Cpt1a. The lipid synthesis regulator Srebp1 (sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1) was decreased, while the lipolysis gene ATGL was increased. Interestingly, DNLA increased the expression of antioxidant gene metallothionein-1 and NADPH quinone oxidoreductase-1 (Nqo1) in livers of mice. Western blot on selected proteins confirmed these changes including the increased expression of GLUT4 and PPARα. DNLA has beneficial effects on liver glucose and lipid metabolism gene expressions, and enhances the Nrf2-antioxidant pathway gene expressions, which could play integrated roles in regulating metabolic disorders. © 2017 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  11. Hydroxylamine derivatives for regulation of spermine and spermidine metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khomutov, M A; Weisell, J; Hyvönen, M; Keinänen, T A; Vepsäläinen, J; Alhonen, L; Khomutov, A R; Kochetkov, S N

    2013-12-01

    The biogenic polyamines spermine, spermidine, and their precursor putrescine are present in micro-to-millimolar concentrations in all cell types and are vitally important for their normal growth. High intracellular content of spermine and spermidine determines the multiplicity of the cellular functions of the polyamines. Many of these functions are not well characterized at the molecular level, ensuring the ongoing development of this field of biochemistry. Tumor cells have elevated polyamine level if compared with normal cells, and this greatly stimulates the search for new opportunities to deplete the intracellular pool of spermine and spermidine resulting in decrease in cell growth and even cell death. O-Substituted hydroxylamines occupy their own place among chemical regulators of the activity of the enzymes of polyamine metabolism. Varying the structure of the alkyl substituent made it possible to obtain within one class of chemical compounds highly effective inhibitors and regulators of the activity of all the enzymes of putrescine, spermine and spermidine metabolism (with the exception of FAD-dependent spermine oxidase and acetylpolyamine oxidase), effectors of the polyamine transport system, and even actively transported in cells "proinhibitor" of ornithine decarboxylase. Some principles for the design of specific inhibitors of these enzymes as well as the peculiarities of cellular effects of corresponding O-substituted hydroxylamines are discussed.

  12. PPAR-alpha dependent regulation of vanin-1 mediates hepatic lipid metabolism

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Diepen, van J.A.; Jansen, P.A.; Ballak, D.B.; Hijmans, A.; Hooiveld, G.J.E.J.; Rommelaere, S.; Kersten, A.H.; Stienstra, R.

    2014-01-01

    Background & Aims Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARa) is a key regulator of hepatic fat oxidation that serves as an energy source during starvation. Vanin-1 has been described as a putative PPARa target gene in liver, but its function in hepatic lipid metabolism is unknown.

  13. AMPK regulates metabolism and survival in response to ionizing radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zannella, Vanessa E.; Cojocari, Dan; Hilgendorf, Susan; Vellanki, Ravi N.; Chung, Stephen; Wouters, Bradly G.; Koritzinsky, Marianne

    2011-01-01

    Background and purpose: AMPK is a metabolic sensor and an upstream inhibitor of mTOR activity. AMPK is phosphorylated by ionizing radiation (IR) in an ATM dependent manner, but the cellular consequences of this phosphorylation event have remained unclear. The objective of this study was to assess whether AMPK plays a functional role in regulating cellular responses to IR. Methods: The importance of AMPK expression for radiation responses was investigated using both MEFs (mouse embryo fibroblasts) double knockout for AMPK α1/α2 subunits and human colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT 116) with AMPK α1/α2 shRNA mediated knockdown. Results: We demonstrate here that IR results in phosphorylation of both AMPK and its substrate, ACC. IR moderately stimulated mTOR activity, and this was substantially exacerbated in the absence of AMPK. AMPK was required for IR induced expression of the mTOR inhibitor REDD1, indicating that AMPK restrains mTOR activity through multiple mechanisms. Likewise, cellular metabolism was deregulated following irradiation in the absence of AMPK, as evidenced by a substantial increase in oxygen consumption rates and lactate production. AMPK deficient cells showed impairment of the G1/S cell cycle checkpoint, and were unable to support long-term proliferation during starvation following radiation. Lastly, we show that AMPK proficiency is important for clonogenic survival after radiation during starvation. Conclusions: These data reveal novel functional roles for AMPK in regulating mTOR signaling, cell cycle, survival and metabolic responses to IR.

  14. Depleted uranium: Metabolic disruptor?; Uranium appauvri: perturbateur metabolique?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Souidi, Maamar; Dublineau, Isabelle; Lestaevel, Philippe [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire - IRSN, Direction de la radioprotection de l' homme, Laboratoire de radiotoxicologie experimentale, Service de radiobiologie et d' epidemiologie, BP 17, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses cedex (France)

    2011-11-15

    The presence of uranium in the environment can lead to long-term contamination of the food chain and of water intended for human consumption and thus raises many questions about the scientific and societal consequences of this exposure on population health. Although the biological effects of chronic low-level exposure are poorly understood, results of various recent studies show that contamination by depleted uranium (DU) induces subtle but significant biological effects at the molecular level in organs including the brain, liver, kidneys and testicles. For the first time, it has been demonstrated that DU induces effects on several metabolic pathways, including those metabolizing vitamin D, cholesterol, steroid hormones, acetylcholine and xenobiotics. This evidence strongly suggests that DU might well interfere with many metabolic pathways. It might thus contribute, together with other man-made substances in the environment, to increased health risks in some regions. (authors)

  15. Avian species differences in the intestinal absorption of xenobiotics (PCB, dieldrin, Hg2+)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serafin, J.A.

    1984-01-01

    1. Intestinal absorption of a polychlorinated biphenyl, dieldrin, and mercury (from HgCl2) was measured in adult Northern bobwhites, Eastern screech owls, American kestrels, black-crowned night-herons and mallards in vivo by an in situ luminal perfusion technique.2. Bobwhites, screech owls and kestrels absorbed much more of each xenobiotic than black-crowned night-herons and mallards.3. Mallards absorbed less dieldrin and mercury than black-crowned night-herons.4. Mercury absorption by kestrels was more than twice that in screech owls and eight times that observed in mallards.5. Pronounced differences in xenobiotic absorption rates between bobwhites, screech owls and kestrels on the one hand, and black-crowned night-herons and mallards on the other, raise the possibility that absorptive ability may be associated with the phylogenetic classification of birds.

  16. Evidence for a role of proline and hypothalamic astrocytes in the regulation of glucose metabolism in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arrieta-Cruz, Isabel; Su, Ya; Knight, Colette M; Lam, Tony K T; Gutiérrez-Juárez, Roger

    2013-04-01

    The metabolism of lactate to pyruvate in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) regulates hepatic glucose production. Because astrocytes and neurons are functionally linked by metabolic coupling through lactate transfer via the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS), we reasoned that astrocytes might be involved in the hypothalamic regulation of glucose metabolism. To examine this possibility, we used the gluconeogenic amino acid proline, which is metabolized to pyruvate in astrocytes. Our results showed that increasing the availability of proline in rats either centrally (MBH) or systemically acutely lowered blood glucose. Pancreatic clamp studies revealed that this hypoglycemic effect was due to a decrease of hepatic glucose production secondary to an inhibition of glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis, and glucose-6-phosphatase flux. The effect of proline was mimicked by glutamate, an intermediary of proline metabolism. Interestingly, proline's action was markedly blunted by pharmacological inhibition of hypothalamic lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) suggesting that metabolic flux through LDH was required. Furthermore, short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of hypothalamic LDH-A, an astrocytic component of the ANLS, also blunted the glucoregulatory action of proline. Thus our studies suggest not only a new role for proline in the regulation of hepatic glucose production but also indicate that hypothalamic astrocytes are involved in the regulatory mechanism as well.

  17. Differential RNA-seq, Multi-Network Analysis and Metabolic Regulation Analysis of Kluyveromyces marxianus Reveals a Compartmentalised Response to Xylose.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Du Toit W P Schabort

    Full Text Available We investigated the transcriptomic response of a new strain of the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus, in glucose and xylose media using RNA-seq. The data were explored in a number of innovative ways using a variety of networks types, pathway maps, enrichment statistics, reporter metabolites and a flux simulation model, revealing different aspects of the genome-scale response in an integrative systems biology manner. The importance of the subcellular localisation in the transcriptomic response is emphasised here, revealing new insights. As was previously reported by others using a rich medium, we show that peroxisomal fatty acid catabolism was dramatically up-regulated in a defined xylose mineral medium without fatty acids, along with mechanisms to activate fatty acids and transfer products of β-oxidation to the mitochondria. Notably, we observed a strong up-regulation of the 2-methylcitrate pathway, supporting capacity for odd-chain fatty acid catabolism. Next we asked which pathways would respond to the additional requirement for NADPH for xylose utilisation, and rationalised the unexpected results using simulations with Flux Balance Analysis. On a fundamental level, we investigated the contribution of the hierarchical and metabolic regulation levels to the regulation of metabolic fluxes. Metabolic regulation analysis suggested that genetic level regulation plays a major role in regulating metabolic fluxes in adaptation to xylose, even for the high capacity reactions, which is unexpected. In addition, isozyme switching may play an important role in re-routing of metabolic fluxes in subcellular compartments in K. marxianus.

  18. Dynamic Metabolite Profiling in an Archaeon Connects Transcriptional Regulation to Metabolic Consequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todor, Horia; Gooding, Jessica; Ilkayeva, Olga R; Schmid, Amy K

    2015-01-01

    Previous work demonstrated that the TrmB transcription factor is responsible for regulating the expression of many enzyme-coding genes in the hypersaline-adapted archaeon Halobacterium salinarum via a direct interaction with a cis-regulatory sequence in their promoters. This interaction is abolished in the presence of glucose. Although much is known about the effects of TrmB at the transcriptional level, it remains unclear whether and to what extent changes in mRNA levels directly affect metabolite levels. In order to address this question, here we performed a high-resolution metabolite profiling time course during a change in nutrients using a combination of targeted and untargeted methods in wild-type and ΔtrmB strain backgrounds. We found that TrmB-mediated transcriptional changes resulted in widespread and significant changes to metabolite levels across the metabolic network. Additionally, the pattern of growth complementation using various purines suggests that the mis-regulation of gluconeogenesis in the ΔtrmB mutant strain in the absence of glucose results in low phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) levels. We confirmed these low PRPP levels using a quantitative mass spectrometric technique and found that they are associated with a metabolic block in de novo purine synthesis, which is partially responsible for the growth defect of the ΔtrmB mutant strain in the absence of glucose. In conclusion, we show how transcriptional regulation of metabolism affects metabolite levels and ultimately, phenotypes.

  19. Dynamic Metabolite Profiling in an Archaeon Connects Transcriptional Regulation to Metabolic Consequences.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Horia Todor

    Full Text Available Previous work demonstrated that the TrmB transcription factor is responsible for regulating the expression of many enzyme-coding genes in the hypersaline-adapted archaeon Halobacterium salinarum via a direct interaction with a cis-regulatory sequence in their promoters. This interaction is abolished in the presence of glucose. Although much is known about the effects of TrmB at the transcriptional level, it remains unclear whether and to what extent changes in mRNA levels directly affect metabolite levels. In order to address this question, here we performed a high-resolution metabolite profiling time course during a change in nutrients using a combination of targeted and untargeted methods in wild-type and ΔtrmB strain backgrounds. We found that TrmB-mediated transcriptional changes resulted in widespread and significant changes to metabolite levels across the metabolic network. Additionally, the pattern of growth complementation using various purines suggests that the mis-regulation of gluconeogenesis in the ΔtrmB mutant strain in the absence of glucose results in low phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP levels. We confirmed these low PRPP levels using a quantitative mass spectrometric technique and found that they are associated with a metabolic block in de novo purine synthesis, which is partially responsible for the growth defect of the ΔtrmB mutant strain in the absence of glucose. In conclusion, we show how transcriptional regulation of metabolism affects metabolite levels and ultimately, phenotypes.

  20. [Hypothetical link between endometriosis and xenobiotics-associated genetically modified food].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aris, A; Paris, K

    2010-12-01

    Endometriosis is an oestrogen-dependent inflammatory disease affecting 10 % of reproductive-aged women. Often accompanied by chronic pelvic pain and infertility, endometriosis rigorously interferes with women's quality of life. Although the pathophysiology of endometriosis remains unclear, a growing body of evidence points to the implication of environmental toxicants. Over the last decade, an increase in the incidence of endometriosis has been reported and coincides with the introduction of genetically modified foods in our diet. Even though assessments of genetically modified food risk have not indicated any hazard on human health, xenobiotics-associated genetically modified food, such as pesticides residues and xenoproteins, could be harmful in the long-term. The "low-dose hypothesis", accumulation and biotransformation of pesticides-associated genetically modified food and the multiplied toxicity of pesticides-formulation adjuvants support this hypothesis. This review summarizes toxic effects (in vitro and on animal models) of some xenobiotics-associated genetically modified food, such as glyphosate and Cry1Ab protein, and extrapolates on their potential role in the pathophysiology of endometriosis. Their roles as immune toxicants, pro-oxidants, endocrine disruptors and epigenetic modulators are discussed. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  1. Mass fluxes and spatial trends of xenobiotics in the waters of the city of Halle, Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reinstorf, F.; Strauch, G.; Schirmer, K.; Glaeser, H.-R.; Moeder, M.; Wennrich, R.; Osenbrueck, K.; Schirmer, M.

    2008-01-01

    The behaviour and the effects of xenobiotics including pharmaceuticals and fragrances in the environment are widely unknown. In order to improve our knowledge, field investigations and modelling approaches for the entire area of the city of Halle/Saale, Germany, were performed. The distribution of the concentration values and mass fluxes are exemplified using indicators such as Bisphenol A, t-Nonylphenol, Carbamacepine, Galaxolide, Tonalide, Gadolinium and isotopes. Concentrations at a magnitude of ng/L to μg/L were found ubiquitously in the ground and surface waters. Using the concentration values, the impact of the city concerning the indicators was not always evident. Only the assessment of the mass fluxes shows significant urban impacts along the city passage. The calculation of the mass fluxes shows increasing values for all investigated xenobiotics during the city passage; only Bisphenol A stagnates. A balance model of water and indicator mass fluxes was built up for the entire city area. - Xenobiotics are ubiquitous in the investigated urban aquatic system and are quantified by a large scale mass balance to find spatial trends

  2. SEEDSTICK is a master regulator of development and metabolism in the Arabidopsis seed coat.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chiara Mizzotti

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The role of secondary metabolites in the determination of cell identity has been an area of particular interest over recent years, and studies strongly indicate a connection between cell fate and the regulation of enzymes involved in secondary metabolism. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the maternally derived seed coat plays pivotal roles in both the protection of the developing embryo and the first steps of germination. In this regard, a characteristic feature of seed coat development is the accumulation of proanthocyanidins (PAs - a class of phenylpropanoid metabolites in the innermost layer of the seed coat. Our genome-wide transcriptomic analysis suggests that the ovule identity factor SEEDSTICK (STK is involved in the regulation of several metabolic processes, providing a strong basis for a connection between cell fate determination, development and metabolism. Using phenotypic, genetic, biochemical and transcriptomic approaches, we have focused specifically on the role of STK in PA biosynthesis. Our results indicate that STK exerts its effect by direct regulation of the gene encoding BANYULS/ANTHOCYANIDIN REDUCTASE (BAN/ANR, which converts anthocyanidins into their corresponding 2,3-cis-flavan-3-ols. Our study also demonstrates that the levels of H3K9ac chromatin modification directly correlate with the active state of BAN in an STK-dependent way. This is consistent with the idea that MADS-domain proteins control the expression of their target genes through the modification of chromatin states. STK might thus recruit or regulate histone modifying factors to control their activity. In addition, we show that STK is able to regulate other BAN regulators. Our study demonstrates for the first time how a floral homeotic gene controls tissue identity through the regulation of a wide range of processes including the accumulation of secondary metabolites.

  3. Xenobiotic Modulation of Human Mammary Epithelial Cell Gap junctional Intercellular Communication and Growth

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ruch, Randall

    1998-01-01

    ...), phthalate esters, and dioxin have been implicated in this increase. Many xenobiotics such as DDT and PCBs have weak estrogenic activity and may enhance breast cancer formation by an estrogenic effect on breast epithelial cell growth...

  4. Xenobiotic Modulation of Human Mammary Epithelial Cell Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication and Growth

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ruch, Randall

    1997-01-01

    ...), phthalate esters, and dioxin have been implicated in this increase. Many xenobiotics such as DDT and PCBs have weak estrogenic activity and may enhance breast cancer formation by an estrogenic effect on breast epithelial cell growth...

  5. Plasmatic concentration of organochlorine lindane acts as metabolic disruptors in HepG2 liver cell line by inducing mitochondrial disorder

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Benarbia, Mohammed el Amine [LUNAM Université, Angers (France); Inserm 1063, Angers (France); Macherel, David [LUNAM Université, Angers (France); UMR 1345 IRHS, Angers (France); Faure, Sébastien; Jacques, Caroline; Andriantsitohaina, Ramaroson [LUNAM Université, Angers (France); Inserm 1063, Angers (France); Malthièry, Yves, E-mail: yves.malthiery@univ-angers.fr [LUNAM Université, Angers (France); Inserm 1063, Angers (France)

    2013-10-15

    Lindane (LD) is a persistent environmental pollutant that has been the subject of several toxicological studies. However, concentrations used in most of the reported studies were relatively higher than those found in the blood of the contaminated area residents and effects of low concentrations remain poorly investigated. Moreover, effects on cell metabolism and mitochondrial function of exposure to LD have received little attention. This study was designed to explore the effects of low concentrations of LD on cellular metabolism and mitochondrial function, using the hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2. Cells were exposed to LD for 24, 48 and 72 h and different parameters linked with mitochondrial regulation and energy metabolism were analyzed. Despite having any impact on cellular viability, exposure to LD at plasmatic concentrations led to an increase of maximal respiratory capacity, complex I activity, intracellular ATP and NO release but decreased uncoupled respiration to ATP synthesis and medium lactate levels. In addition, LD exposure resulted in the upregulation of mitochondrial biogenesis genes. We suggest that, at plasmatic concentrations, LD acts as a metabolic disruptor through impaired mitochondrial function and regulation with an impact on cellular energetic metabolism. In addition, we propose that a cellular assay based on the analysis of mitochondria function, such as described here for LD, may be applicable for larger studies on the effects of low concentrations of xenobiotics, because of the exquisite sensitivity of this organelle. - Highlights: Our data clearly demonstrated in HepG2 cells that exposure at plasmatic low concentrations of LD were able to: • Impair mitochondrial function • Caused alteration on nucleo-mitochondrial cross-talk • Increase nitric oxide release and protein nitration • Impair cellular energetic metabolism and lipid accumulation.

  6. The Xenobiotic Transporter Mdr1 Enforces T Cell Homeostasis in the Presence of Intestinal Bile Acids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Wei; Kayama, Hisako; Chen, Mei Lan; Delmas, Amber; Sun, Amy; Kim, Sang Yong; Rangarajan, Erumbi S; McKevitt, Kelly; Beck, Amanda P; Jackson, Cody B; Crynen, Gogce; Oikonomopoulos, Angelos; Lacey, Precious N; Martinez, Gustavo J; Izard, Tina; Lorenz, Robin G; Rodriguez-Palacios, Alex; Cominelli, Fabio; Abreu, Maria T; Hommes, Daniel W; Koralov, Sergei B; Takeda, Kiyoshi; Sundrud, Mark S

    2017-12-19

    CD4 + T cells are tightly regulated by microbiota in the intestine, but whether intestinal T cells interface with host-derived metabolites is less clear. Here, we show that CD4 + T effector (Teff) cells upregulated the xenobiotic transporter, Mdr1, in the ileum to maintain homeostasis in the presence of bile acids. Whereas wild-type Teff cells upregulated Mdr1 in the ileum, those lacking Mdr1 displayed mucosal dysfunction and induced Crohn's disease-like ileitis following transfer into Rag1 -/- hosts. Mdr1 mitigated oxidative stress and enforced homeostasis in Teff cells exposed to conjugated bile acids (CBAs), a class of liver-derived emulsifying agents that actively circulate through the ileal mucosa. Blocking ileal CBA reabsorption in transferred Rag1 -/- mice restored Mdr1-deficient Teff cell homeostasis and attenuated ileitis. Further, a subset of ileal Crohn's disease patients displayed MDR1 loss of function. Together, these results suggest that coordinated interaction between mucosal Teff cells and CBAs in the ileum regulate intestinal immune homeostasis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Hepcidin: A Critical Regulator of Iron Metabolism during Hypoxia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Korry J. Hintze

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Iron status affects cognitive and physical performance in humans. Recent evidence indicates that iron balance is a tightly regulated process affected by a series of factors other than diet, to include hypoxia. Hypoxia has profound effects on iron absorption and results in increased iron acquisition and erythropoiesis when humans move from sea level to altitude. The effects of hypoxia on iron balance have been attributed to hepcidin, a central regulator of iron homeostasis. This paper will focus on the molecular mechanisms by which hypoxia affects hepcidin expression, to include a review of the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF/hypoxia response element (HRE system, as well as recent evidence indicating that localized adipose hypoxia due to obesity may affect hepcidin signaling and organismal iron metabolism.

  8. Sexually dimorphic regulation and induction of P450s by the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hernandez, J.P.; Mota, L.C.; Huang, W.; Moore, D.D.; Baldwin, W.S.

    2009-01-01

    The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) is a xenosensing nuclear receptor and regulator of cytochrome P450s (CYPs). However, the role of CAR as a basal regulator of CYP expression nor its role in sexually dimorphic responses have been thoroughly studied. We investigated basal regulation and sexually dimorphic regulation and induction by the potent CAR activator TCPOBOP and the moderate CAR activator Nonylphenol (NP). NP is an environmental estrogen and one of the most commonly found environmental toxicants in Europe and the United States. Previous studies have demonstrated that NP induces several CYPs in a sexually dimorphic manner, however the role of CAR in regulating NP-mediated sexually dimorphic P450 expression and induction has not been elucidated. Therefore, wild-type and CAR-null male and female mice were treated with honey as a carrier, NP, or TCPOBOP and CYP expression monitored by QPCR and Western blotting. CAR basally regulates the expression of Cyp2c29, Cyp2b13, and potentially Cyp2b10 as demonstrated by QPCR. Furthermore, we observed a shift in the testosterone 6α/15α-hydroxylase ratio in untreated CAR-null female mice to the male pattern, which indicates an alteration in androgen status and suggests a role for androgens as CAR inverse agonists. Xenobiotic-treatments with NP and TCPOBOP induced Cyp2b10, Cyp2c29, and Cyp3a11 in a CAR-mediated fashion; however NP only induced these CYPs in females and TCPOBOP induced these CYPs in both males and females. Interestingly, Cyp2a4, was only induced in wild-type male mice by TCPOBOP suggesting Cyp2a4 induction is not sensitive to CAR-mediated induction in females. Overall, TCPOBOP and NP show similar CYP induction profiles in females, but widely different profiles in males potentially related to lower sensitivity of males to either indirect or moderate CAR activators such as NP. In summary, CAR regulates the basal and chemically inducible expression of several sexually dimorphic xenobiotic metabolizing P

  9. Maintenance of drug metabolism and transport functions in human precision-cut liver slices during prolonged incubation for 5 days

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Starokozhko, Viktoriia; Vatakuti, Suresh; Schievink, Bauke; Merema, Marjolijn T.; Asplund, Annika; Synnergren, Jane; Aspegren, Anders; Groothuis, Geny M. M.

    Human precision-cut liver slices (hPCLS) are a valuable ex vivo model that can be used in acute toxicity studies. However, a rapid decline in metabolic enzyme activity limits their use in studies that require a prolonged xenobiotic exposure. The aim of the study was to extend the viability and

  10. Orphan Nuclear Receptor ERRα Controls Macrophage Metabolic Signaling and A20 Expression to Negatively Regulate TLR-Induced Inflammation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuk, Jae-Min; Kim, Tae Sung; Kim, Soo Yeon; Lee, Hye-Mi; Han, Jeongsu; Dufour, Catherine Rosa; Kim, Jin Kyung; Jin, Hyo Sun; Yang, Chul-Su; Park, Ki-Sun; Lee, Chul-Ho; Kim, Jin-Man; Kweon, Gi Ryang; Choi, Hueng-Sik; Vanacker, Jean-Marc; Moore, David D; Giguère, Vincent; Jo, Eun-Kyeong

    2015-07-21

    The orphan nuclear receptor estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα; NR3B1) is a key metabolic regulator, but its function in regulating inflammation remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that ERRα negatively regulates Toll-like receptor (TLR)-induced inflammation by promoting Tnfaip3 transcription and fine-tuning of metabolic reprogramming in macrophages. ERRα-deficient (Esrra(-/-)) mice showed increased susceptibility to endotoxin-induced septic shock, leading to more severe pro-inflammatory responses than control mice. ERRα regulated macrophage inflammatory responses by directly binding the promoter region of Tnfaip3, a deubiquitinating enzyme in TLR signaling. In addition, Esrra(-/-) macrophages showed an increased glycolysis, but impaired mitochondrial respiratory function and biogenesis. Further, ERRα was required for the regulation of NF-κB signaling by controlling p65 acetylation via maintenance of NAD(+) levels and sirtuin 1 activation. These findings unravel a previously unappreciated role for ERRα as a negative regulator of TLR-induced inflammatory responses through inducing Tnfaip3 transcription and controlling the metabolic reprogramming. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Occurrence of xenobiotics in gray water and removal in three biological treatment systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hernandez Leal, L.; Vieno, N.; Temmink, B.G.; Zeeman, G.; Buisman, C.J.N.

    2010-01-01

    Eighteen selected xenobiotics related to personal care and household chemicals (UV-filters, fragrances, preservatives, biocides, surfactants) were measured in gray water from 32 houses and in effluents of three different biological treatment systems (aerobic, anaerobic, and combined anaerobic +

  12. From the selfish gene to selfish metabolism: revisiting the central dogma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Lorenzo, Víctor

    2014-03-01

    The standard representation of the Central Dogma (CD) of Molecular Biology conspicuously ignores metabolism. However, both the metabolites and the biochemical fluxes behind any biological phenomenon are encrypted in the DNA sequence. Metabolism constrains and even changes the information flow when the DNA-encoded instructions conflict with the homeostasis of the biochemical network. Inspection of adaptive virulence programs and emergence of xenobiotic-biodegradation pathways in environmental bacteria suggest that their main evolutionary drive is the expansion of their metabolic networks towards new chemical landscapes rather than perpetuation and spreading of their DNA sequences. Faulty enzymatic reactions on suboptimal substrates often produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), a process that fosters DNA diversification and ultimately couples catabolism of the new chemicals to growth. All this calls for a revision of the CD in which metabolism (rather than DNA) has the leading role. © 2014 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Body weight regulation and obesity: dietary strategies to improve the metabolic profile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munsters, M J M; Saris, W H M

    2014-01-01

    This review discusses dietary strategies that may improve the metabolic profile and body weight regulation in obesity. Recent evidence demonstrated that long-term health effects seem to be more beneficial for low-glycemic index (GI) diets compared to high-protein diets. Still, these results need to be confirmed by other prospective cohort studies and long-term clinical trials, and the discrepancy between these study designs needs to be explored in more detail. Furthermore, the current literature is mixed with regard to the efficacy of increased meal frequency (or snacking) regimens in causing metabolic alterations, particularly in relation to body weight control. In conclusion, a growing body of evidence suggests that dietary strategies with the aim to reduce postprandial insulin response and increase fat oxidation, and that tend to restore metabolic flexibility, have a place in the prevention and treatment of obesity and associated metabolic disorders.

  14. More to NAD+ than meets the eye: A regulator of metabolic pools and gene expression in Arabidopsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gakière, Bertrand; Fernie, Alisdair R; Pétriacq, Pierre

    2018-01-05

    Since its discovery more than a century ago, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) is recognised as a fascinating cornerstone of cellular metabolism. This ubiquitous energy cofactor plays vital roles in metabolic pathways and regulatory processes, a fact emphasised by the essentiality of a balanced NAD + metabolism for normal plant growth and development. Research on the role of NAD in plants has been predominantly carried out in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) with emphasis on the redox properties and cellular signalling functions of the metabolite. This review examines the current state of knowledge concerning how NAD can regulate both metabolic pools and gene expression in Arabidopsis. Particular focus is placed on recent studies highlighting the complexity of metabolic regulations involving NAD, more particularly in the mitochondrial compartment, and of signalling roles with respect to interactions with environmental fluctuations most specifically those involving plant immunity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Metabolic regulation of trisporic acid on Blakeslea trispora revealed by a GC-MS-based metabolomic approach.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie Sun

    Full Text Available The zygomycete Blakeslea trispora is used commercially as natural source of â-carotene. Trisporic acid (TA is secreted from the mycelium of B. trispora during mating between heterothallic strains and is considered as a mediator of the regulation of mating processes and an enhancer of carotene biosynthesis. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and multivariate analysis were employed to investigate TA-associated intracellular biochemical changes in B. trispora. By principal component analysis, the differential metabolites discriminating the control groups from the TA-treated groups were found, which were also confirmed by the subsequent hierarchical cluster analysis. The results indicate that TA is a global regulator and its main effects at the metabolic level are reflected on the content changes in several fatty acids, carbohydrates, and amino acids. The carbon metabolism and fatty acids synthesis are sensitive to TA addition. Glycerol, glutamine, and ã-aminobutyrate might play important roles in the regulation of TA. Complemented by two-dimensional electrophoresis, the results indicate that the actions of TA at the metabolic level involve multiple metabolic processes, such as glycolysis and the bypass of the classical tricarboxylic acid cycle. These results reveal that the metabolomics strategy is a powerful tool to gain insight into the mechanism of a microorganism's cellular response to signal inducers at the metabolic level.

  16. Protein kinase N2 regulates AMP kinase signaling and insulin responsiveness of glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruby, Maxwell A; Riedl, Isabelle; Massart, Julie; Åhlin, Marcus; Zierath, Juleen R

    2017-10-01

    Insulin resistance is central to the development of type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders. Because skeletal muscle is responsible for the majority of whole body insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, regulation of glucose metabolism in this tissue is of particular importance. Although Rho GTPases and many of their affecters influence skeletal muscle metabolism, there is a paucity of information on the protein kinase N (PKN) family of serine/threonine protein kinases. We investigated the impact of PKN2 on insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in primary human skeletal muscle cells in vitro and mouse tibialis anterior muscle in vivo. PKN2 knockdown in vitro decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, incorporation into glycogen, and oxidation. PKN2 siRNA increased 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling while stimulating fatty acid oxidation and incorporation into triglycerides and decreasing protein synthesis. At the transcriptional level, PKN2 knockdown increased expression of PGC-1α and SREBP-1c and their target genes. In mature skeletal muscle, in vivo PKN2 knockdown decreased glucose uptake and increased AMPK phosphorylation. Thus, PKN2 alters key signaling pathways and transcriptional networks to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism. Identification of PKN2 as a novel regulator of insulin and AMPK signaling may provide an avenue for manipulation of skeletal muscle metabolism. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  17. Insulin action in brain regulates systemic metabolism and brain function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleinridders, André; Ferris, Heather A; Cai, Weikang; Kahn, C Ronald

    2014-07-01

    Insulin receptors, as well as IGF-1 receptors and their postreceptor signaling partners, are distributed throughout the brain. Insulin acts on these receptors to modulate peripheral metabolism, including regulation of appetite, reproductive function, body temperature, white fat mass, hepatic glucose output, and response to hypoglycemia. Insulin signaling also modulates neurotransmitter channel activity, brain cholesterol synthesis, and mitochondrial function. Disruption of insulin action in the brain leads to impairment of neuronal function and synaptogenesis. In addition, insulin signaling modulates phosphorylation of tau protein, an early component in the development of Alzheimer disease. Thus, alterations in insulin action in the brain can contribute to metabolic syndrome, and the development of mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. © 2014 by the American Diabetes Association.

  18. Basic mechanisms of iron metabolism regulation and their clinical significance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. M. Meshсheryakova

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This article is а composition of literature and experimental data of iron metabolism. There were studied the level of DMT-1, ferroportin, hepcidin at different stages of anemia and hemochromatosis. It is clear that the level of DMT-1 regulates by the hepcidin. Increaseing of the hepcidin concentration and decreasing DMT-1 level in patients with hemochromatosis explained good results of treatment.

  19. Basic mechanisms of iron metabolism regulation and their clinical significance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. M. Meshсheryakova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This article is а composition of literature and experimental data of iron metabolism. There were studied the level of DMT-1, ferroportin, hepcidin at different stages of anemia and hemochromatosis. It is clear that the level of DMT-1 regulates by the hepcidin. Increaseing of the hepcidin concentration and decreasing DMT-1 level in patients with hemochromatosis explained good results of treatment.

  20. Insulin Action in Brain Regulates Systemic Metabolism and Brain Function

    OpenAIRE

    Kleinridders, Andr?; Ferris, Heather A.; Cai, Weikang; Kahn, C. Ronald

    2014-01-01

    Insulin receptors, as well as IGF-1 receptors and their postreceptor signaling partners, are distributed throughout the brain. Insulin acts on these receptors to modulate peripheral metabolism, including regulation of appetite, reproductive function, body temperature, white fat mass, hepatic glucose output, and response to hypoglycemia. Insulin signaling also modulates neurotransmitter channel activity, brain cholesterol synthesis, and mitochondrial function. Disruption of insulin action in t...

  1. Genetic variation in genes for the xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes CYP1A1, EPHX1, GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1 and susceptibility to colorectal cancer in Lynch syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pande, Mala; Amos, Christopher I.; Osterwisch, Daniel R.; Chen, Jinyun; Lynch, Patrick M.; Broaddus, Russell; Frazier, Marsha L.

    2011-01-01

    Individuals with Lynch syndrome are predisposed to cancer due to an inherited DNA mismatch repair gene mutation. However, there is significant variability observed in disease expression, likely due to the influence of other environmental, lifestyle, or genetic factors. Polymorphisms in genes encoding xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes may modify cancer risk by influencing the metabolism and clearance of potential carcinogens from the body. In this retrospective analysis, we examined key candidate gene polymorphisms in CYP1A1, EPHX1, GSTT1, GSTM1, and GSTP1 as modifiers of age at onset of colorectal cancer among 257 individuals with Lynch syndrome. We found that subjects heterozygous for CYP1A1 I462V (c.1384A>G) developed colorectal cancer 4 years earlier than those with the homozygous wild-type genotype (median ages 39 and 43 years, respectively; log-rank test P = 0.018). Furthermore, being heterozygous for the CYP1A1 polymorphisms, I462V and Msp1 (g.6235T>C), was associated with an increased risk for developing colorectal cancer [adjusted hazard ratio for AG relative to AA = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.16–2.74, P = 0.008; and hazard ratio for TC relative to TT = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.06–2.22, P = 0.02]. Since homozygous variants for both CYP1A1 polymorphisms were rare, risk estimates were imprecise. None of the other gene polymorphisms examined were associated with an earlier onset age for colorectal cancer. Our results suggest that the I462V and Msp1 polymorphisms in CYP1A1 may be an additional susceptibility factor for disease expression in Lynch syndrome since they modify the age of colorectal cancer onset by up to 4 years. PMID:18768509

  2. Branched-chain amino acid metabolism in rat muscle: abnormal regulation in acidosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    May, R.C.; Hara, Y.; Kelly, R.A.; Block, K.P.; Buse, M.G.; Mitch, W.E.

    1987-01-01

    Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism is frequently abnormal in pathological conditions accompanied by chronic metabolic acidosis. To study how metabolic acidosis affects BCAA metabolism in muscle, rats were gavage fed a 14% protein diet with or without 4 mmol NH 4 Cl x 100 g body wt -1 x day -1 . Epitrochlearis muscles were incubated with L-[1- 14 C]-valine and L-[1- 14 C]leucine, and rates of decarboxylation, net transamination, and incorporation into muscle protein were measured. Plasma and muscle BCAA levels were lower in acidotic rats. Rates of valine and leucine decarboxylation and net transamination were higher in muscles from acidotic rats; these differences were associated with a 79% increase in the total activity of branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase and a 146% increase in the activated form of the enzyme. They conclude that acidosis affects the regulation of BCAA metabolism by enhancing flux through the transaminase and by directly stimulating oxidative catabolism through activation of branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase

  3. Branched-chain amino acid metabolism in rat muscle: abnormal regulation in acidosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    May, R.C.; Hara, Y.; Kelly, R.A.; Block, K.P.; Buse, M.G.; Mitch, W.E.

    1987-06-01

    Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism is frequently abnormal in pathological conditions accompanied by chronic metabolic acidosis. To study how metabolic acidosis affects BCAA metabolism in muscle, rats were gavage fed a 14% protein diet with or without 4 mmol NH/sub 4/Cl x 100 g body wt/sup -1/ x day/sup -1/. Epitrochlearis muscles were incubated with L-(1-/sup 14/C)-valine and L-(1-/sup 14/C)leucine, and rates of decarboxylation, net transamination, and incorporation into muscle protein were measured. Plasma and muscle BCAA levels were lower in acidotic rats. Rates of valine and leucine decarboxylation and net transamination were higher in muscles from acidotic rats; these differences were associated with a 79% increase in the total activity of branched-chain ..cap alpha..-keto acid dehydrogenase and a 146% increase in the activated form of the enzyme. They conclude that acidosis affects the regulation of BCAA metabolism by enhancing flux through the transaminase and by directly stimulating oxidative catabolism through activation of branched-chain ..cap alpha..-keto acid dehydrogenase.

  4. The disturbances of lipid metabolism regulation after the prenatal low-level irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rogov, Yu.I.; Danil'chik, V.S.; Spivak, L.V.; Rubchenya, I.N.

    2000-01-01

    The objective of this study was to assess the influence of low-level irradiation on lipid metabolism in rats after prenatal exposure. Pregnant rats were irradiated during the period of gestation with the whole final dose 0,5 Gy/rat. The blood lipid fractions were investigated in newborn rats and in 6-month age rats. In irradiated offspring the lipo synthesis processes exceeded lipolysis in comparison with that of the control. The negative consequences of embryo low-level irradiation in the lipid metabolism regulation are discussed in this report. (authors)

  5. Homocysteine regulates fatty acid and lipid metabolism in yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Visram, Myriam; Radulovic, Maja; Steiner, Sabine; Malanovic, Nermina; Eichmann, Thomas O; Wolinski, Heimo; Rechberger, Gerald N; Tehlivets, Oksana

    2018-04-13

    S -Adenosyl-l-homocysteine hydrolase (AdoHcy hydrolase; Sah1 in yeast/AHCY in mammals) degrades AdoHcy, a by-product and strong product inhibitor of S -adenosyl-l-methionine (AdoMet)-dependent methylation reactions, to adenosine and homocysteine (Hcy). This reaction is reversible, so any elevation of Hcy levels, such as in hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), drives the formation of AdoHcy, with detrimental consequences for cellular methylation reactions. HHcy, a pathological condition linked to cardiovascular and neurological disorders, as well as fatty liver among others, is associated with a deregulation of lipid metabolism. Here, we developed a yeast model of HHcy to identify mechanisms that dysregulate lipid metabolism. Hcy supplementation to wildtype cells up-regulated cellular fatty acid and triacylglycerol content and induced a shift in fatty acid composition, similar to changes observed in mutants lacking Sah1. Expression of the irreversible bacterial pathway for AdoHcy degradation in yeast allowed us to dissect the impact of AdoHcy accumulation on lipid metabolism from the impact of elevated Hcy. Expression of this pathway fully suppressed the growth deficit of sah1 mutants as well as the deregulation of lipid metabolism in both the sah1 mutant and Hcy-exposed wildtype, showing that AdoHcy accumulation mediates the deregulation of lipid metabolism in response to elevated Hcy in yeast. Furthermore, Hcy supplementation in yeast led to increased resistance to cerulenin, an inhibitor of fatty acid synthase, as well as to a concomitant decline of condensing enzymes involved in very long-chain fatty acid synthesis, in line with the observed shift in fatty acid content and composition. © 2018 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  6. Toxicokinetics of drugs of abuse: current knowledge of the isoenzymes involved in the human metabolism of tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine, heroin, morphine, and codeine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maurer, Hans H; Sauer, Christoph; Theobald, Denis S

    2006-06-01

    This review summarizes the major metabolic pathways of the drugs of abuse, tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine, heroin, morphine, and codeine, in humans including the involvement of isoenzymes. This knowledge may be important for predicting their possible interactions with other xenobiotics, understanding pharmaco-/toxicokinetic and pharmacogenetic variations, toxicological risk assessment, developing suitable toxicological analysis procedures, and finally for understanding certain pitfalls in drug testing. The detection times of these drugs and/or their metabolites in biological samples are summarized and the implications of the presented data on the possible interactions of drugs of abuse with other xenobiotics, ie, inhibition or induction of individual polymorphic and nonpolymorphic isoenzymes, discussed.

  7. Functional characterization of sucrose phosphorylase and scrR, a regulator of sucrose metabolism in Lactobacillus reuteri.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teixeira, Januana S; Abdi, Reihaneh; Su, Marcia Shu-Wei; Schwab, Clarissa; Gänzle, Michael G

    2013-12-01

    Lactobacillus reuteri harbours alternative enzymes for sucrose metabolism, sucrose phosphorylase, fructansucrases, and glucansucrases. Sucrose phosphorylase and fructansucrases additionally contribute to raffinose metabolism. Glucansucrases and fructansucrases produce exopolysaccharides as alternative to sucrose hydrolysis. L. reuteri LTH5448 expresses a levansucrase (ftfA) and sucrose phosphorylase (scrP), both are inducible by sucrose. This study determined the contribution of scrP to sucrose and raffinose metabolism in L. reuteri LTH5448, and elucidated the role of scrR in regulation sucrose metabolism. Disruption of scrP and scrR was achieved by double crossover mutagenesis. L. reuteri LTH5448, LTH5448ΔscrP and LTH5448ΔscrR were characterized with respect to growth and metabolite formation with glucose, sucrose, or raffinose as sole carbon source. Inactivation of scrR led to constitutive transcription of scrP and ftfA, demonstrating that scrR is negative regulator. L. reuteri LTH5448 and the LTH5448ΔscrP or LTH5448ΔscrR mutant strains did not differ with respect to glucose, sucrose or raffinose utilization. However, L. reuteri LTH5448ΔscrP produced more levan, indicating that the lack of sucrose phosphorylase is compensated by an increased metabolic flux through levansucrase. In conclusion, the presence of alternate pathways for sucrose and raffinose metabolism and their regulation indicate that these substrates, which are abundant in plants, are preferred carbohydrate sources for L. reuteri. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Uncovering transcriptional regulation of metabolism by using metabolic network topology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Patil, Kiran Raosaheb; Nielsen, Jens

    2005-01-01

    in the metabolic network that follow a common transcriptional response. Thus, the algorithm enables identification of so-called reporter metabolites (metabolites around which the most significant transcriptional changes occur) and a set of connected genes with significant and coordinated response to genetic......Cellular response to genetic and environmental perturbations is often reflected and/or mediated through changes in the metabolism, because the latter plays a key role in providing Gibbs free energy and precursors for biosynthesis. Such metabolic changes are often exerted through transcriptional...... therefore developed an algorithm that is based on hypothesis-driven data analysis to uncover the transcriptional regulatory architecture of metabolic networks. By using information on the metabolic network topology from genome-scale metabolic reconstruction, we show that it is possible to reveal patterns...

  9. New opportunities for the regulation of secondary metabolism in plants: focus on microRNAs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bulgakov, Victor P; Avramenko, Tatiana V

    2015-09-01

    Plant cell cultures are of particular interest in industrial applications as a source of biologically active substances. It is difficult, however, to achieve stable production of secondary metabolites for many plant cell cultures using classical techniques. Novel approaches should be developed for removal of the inhibitor blocks that prevent pathway activation and shift the regulatory balance to the activation of entire biosynthetic pathways. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs that play important regulatory roles in various biological processes. Only recently miRNAs have been demonstrated as active in secondary metabolism regulation. In this work, we summarize recent data on the emerging approaches based on regulation of secondary metabolism by miRNAs.

  10. XenoSite: accurately predicting CYP-mediated sites of metabolism with neural networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaretzki, Jed; Matlock, Matthew; Swamidass, S Joshua

    2013-12-23

    Understanding how xenobiotic molecules are metabolized is important because it influences the safety, efficacy, and dose of medicines and how they can be modified to improve these properties. The cytochrome P450s (CYPs) are proteins responsible for metabolizing 90% of drugs on the market, and many computational methods can predict which atomic sites of a molecule--sites of metabolism (SOMs)--are modified during CYP-mediated metabolism. This study improves on prior methods of predicting CYP-mediated SOMs by using new descriptors and machine learning based on neural networks. The new method, XenoSite, is faster to train and more accurate by as much as 4% or 5% for some isozymes. Furthermore, some "incorrect" predictions made by XenoSite were subsequently validated as correct predictions by revaluation of the source literature. Moreover, XenoSite output is interpretable as a probability, which reflects both the confidence of the model that a particular atom is metabolized and the statistical likelihood that its prediction for that atom is correct.

  11. Chemical carcinogenesis in feral fish: uptake, activation, and detoxication of organic xenobiotics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varanasi, U.; Stein, J.E.; Nishimoto, M.; Reichert, W.L.; Collier, T.K.

    1987-01-01

    The high prevalance of liver neoplasms in English sole (Parophrys vetulus) and substantially lower prevalence of neoplasms in a closely related species, starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus) captured from industrialized waterways, provide a unique opportunity to compare biochemical processes involved in chemical carcinogenesis in feral fish species. Because levels of aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs) in urban sediments are correlated with prevalences of liver neoplasms in English sole, the authors have initiated detailed studies to evaluate the effects of endogenous and exogenous factors on uptake, activation and detoxication of carcinogenic AHs, such as benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), using spectroscopic, chromatographic, and radiometric techniques. The results obtained thus far show that sole readily takes up AHs associated with sediment from urban areas and that the presence of other xenobiotics, such as PCBs, in sediment increases tissue concentrations of BaP metabolites. Extensive metabolism of BaP occurred whether sole was exposed to this AH via sediment, per os, or intraperitoneally. Substantial modification of hepatic DNA occurred and persisted for a period of 2-4 weeks after a single exposure to BaP. The level of covalent binding of BaP intermediates to hepatic DNA was 10-fold higher in juvenile than adult sole and 90-fold higher in juvenile sole than in Sprague-Dawley rat, a species which is resistant to BaP-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. These results, along with the authors findings that hepatic GST activity in flounder was two times higher than in sole, demonstrate that microsomal metabolism of BaP does not accurately reflect the differences in the ability of these fish to form BaP-DNA adducts in vivo and also suggest that detoxication of reactive intermediates is an important factor in determining the levels of DNA modification by AHs and resulting toxic effects in feral fish

  12. TRAP1 Regulation of Cancer Metabolism: Dual Role as Oncogene or Tumor Suppressor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danilo Swann Matassa

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Metabolic reprogramming is an important issue in tumor biology. An unexpected inter- and intra-tumor metabolic heterogeneity has been strictly correlated to tumor outcome. Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor-Associated Protein 1 (TRAP1 is a molecular chaperone involved in the regulation of energetic metabolism in cancer cells. This protein is highly expressed in several cancers, such as glioblastoma, colon, breast, prostate and lung cancers and is often associated with drug resistance. However, TRAP1 is also downregulated in specific tumors, such as ovarian, bladder and renal cancers, where its lower expression is correlated with the worst prognoses and chemoresistance. TRAP1 is the only mitochondrial member of the Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90 family that directly interacts with respiratory complexes, contributing to their stability and activity but it is still unclear if such interactions lead to reduced or increased respiratory capacity. The role of TRAP1 is to enhance or suppress oxidative phosphorylation; the effects of such regulation on tumor development and progression are controversial. These observations encourage the study of the mechanisms responsible for the dualist role of TRAP1 as an oncogene or oncosuppressor in specific tumor types. In this review, TRAP1 puzzling functions were recapitulated with a special focus on the correlation between metabolic reprogramming and tumor outcome. We wanted to investigate whether metabolism-targeting drugs can efficiently interfere with tumor progression and whether they might be combined with chemotherapeutics or molecular-targeted agents to counteract drug resistance and reduce therapeutic failure.

  13. The evolutionarily conserved mediator subunit MDT-15/MED15 links protective innate immune responses and xenobiotic detoxification.

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    Read Pukkila-Worley

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Metazoans protect themselves from environmental toxins and virulent pathogens through detoxification and immune responses. We previously identified a small molecule xenobiotic toxin that extends survival of Caenorhabditis elegans infected with human bacterial pathogens by activating the conserved p38 MAP kinase PMK-1 host defense pathway. Here we investigate the cellular mechanisms that couple activation of a detoxification response to innate immunity. From an RNAi screen of 1,420 genes expressed in the C. elegans intestine, we identified the conserved Mediator subunit MDT-15/MED15 and 28 other gene inactivations that abrogate the induction of PMK-1-dependent immune effectors by this small molecule. We demonstrate that MDT-15/MED15 is required for the xenobiotic-induced expression of p38 MAP kinase PMK-1-dependent immune genes and protection from Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. We also show that MDT-15 controls the induction of detoxification genes and functions to protect the host from bacteria-derived phenazine toxins. These data define a central role for MDT-15/MED15 in the coordination of xenobiotic detoxification and innate immune responses.

  14. The evolutionarily conserved mediator subunit MDT-15/MED15 links protective innate immune responses and xenobiotic detoxification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pukkila-Worley, Read; Feinbaum, Rhonda L; McEwan, Deborah L; Conery, Annie L; Ausubel, Frederick M

    2014-05-01

    Metazoans protect themselves from environmental toxins and virulent pathogens through detoxification and immune responses. We previously identified a small molecule xenobiotic toxin that extends survival of Caenorhabditis elegans infected with human bacterial pathogens by activating the conserved p38 MAP kinase PMK-1 host defense pathway. Here we investigate the cellular mechanisms that couple activation of a detoxification response to innate immunity. From an RNAi screen of 1,420 genes expressed in the C. elegans intestine, we identified the conserved Mediator subunit MDT-15/MED15 and 28 other gene inactivations that abrogate the induction of PMK-1-dependent immune effectors by this small molecule. We demonstrate that MDT-15/MED15 is required for the xenobiotic-induced expression of p38 MAP kinase PMK-1-dependent immune genes and protection from Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. We also show that MDT-15 controls the induction of detoxification genes and functions to protect the host from bacteria-derived phenazine toxins. These data define a central role for MDT-15/MED15 in the coordination of xenobiotic detoxification and innate immune responses.

  15. PamR, a new MarR-like regulator affecting prophages and metabolic genes expression in Bacillus subtilis.

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    Alba De San Eustaquio-Campillo

    Full Text Available B. subtilis adapts to changing environments by reprogramming its genetic expression through a variety of transcriptional regulators from the global transition state regulators that allow a complete resetting of the cell genetic expression, to stress specific regulators controlling only a limited number of key genes required for optimal adaptation. Among them, MarR-type transcriptional regulators are known to respond to a variety of stresses including antibiotics or oxidative stress, and to control catabolic or virulence gene expression. Here we report the characterization of the ydcFGH operon of B. subtilis, containing a putative MarR-type transcriptional regulator. Using a combination of molecular genetics and high-throughput approaches, we show that this regulator, renamed PamR, controls directly its own expression and influence the expression of large sets of prophage-related and metabolic genes. The extent of the regulon impacted by PamR suggests that this regulator reprograms the metabolic landscape of B. subtilis in response to a yet unknown signal.

  16. Practical approach for the study of metabolic regulation

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    D.V. Macedo

    2004-05-01

    Full Text Available First year students in Physical Education must understand metabolic regulation to comprehend thewhole integration of biochemical pathways in attempt to establish the relation with exercise. Thiswhole view is not easy to learn and the task becomes even harder with the lack of time at theend of course, when normally the students think about metabolic integration. Trying to get thestudents attention to this important issue, we developed practical works beginning in the middle ofthe course, in parallel with theory classes. Blood and urine were collected for metabolite analysis ineach practice. The students were divided in groups (10 students and they created the protocols in formthat they only have been guided and directed by the teacher and monitors. The practical activitiesand biochemical analysis were: six 30m sprints with dierent recovery times (blood lactate and meanvelocities, lactate removal from muscle to blood after high intensity exercise (blood lactate, anaerobicthreshold (blood lactate and heart rate, the eect of glycogen depletion after high and moderateintensity exercises (plasma glucose and urea concentrations and low carbohydrate diet vs. normaldiet (plasma glucose and urine ketone bodies. After data collection, discussion and interpretation, thestudents presented orally each work in the same order above. Each presentation had the focus on themetabolic pathways involved in each practice. Group 1: phosphocreatine utilization and resynthesis.Group 2: anaerobic glycolysis, lactate production and removal. Group 3: transition between anaerobicglycolysis and oxidative metabolism. In attempt to promote the integration between muscle and liver-Group 4: protein catabolism after high intensity exercise with low muscular glycogen concentration(transamination, Cori Cycle and gluconeogenesis. Group 5: liver ketogenesis in low carbohydratediet. This sequence was intended to promote the comprehension of integrated metabolism. As a nalactivity, the

  17. Human gut microbiota plays a role in the metabolism of drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jourova, Lenka; Anzenbacher, Pavel; Anzenbacherova, Eva

    2016-09-01

    The gut microbiome, an aggregate genome of trillions of microorganisms residing in the human gastrointestinal tract, is now known to play a critical role in human health and predisposition to disease. It is also involved in the biotransformation of xenobiotics and several recent studies have shown that the gut microbiota can affect the pharmacokinetics of orally taken drugs with implications for their oral bioavailability. Review of Pubmed, Web of Science and Science Direct databases for the years 1957-2016. Recent studies make it clear that the human gut microbiota can play a major role in the metabolism of xenobiotics and, the stability and oral bioavailability of drugs. Over the past 50 years, more than 30 drugs have been identified as a substrate for intestinal bacteria. Questions concerning the impact of the gut microbiota on drug metabolism, remain unanswered or only partially answered, namely (i) what are the molecular mechanisms and which bacterial species are involved? (ii) What is the impact of host genotype and environmental factors on the composition and function of the gut microbiota, (iii) To what extent is the composition of the intestinal microbiome stable, transmissible, and resilient to perturbation? (iv) Has past exposure to a given drug any impact on future microbial response, and, if so, for how long? Answering such questions should be an integral part of pharmaceutical research and personalised health care.

  18. Role of sleep duration in the regulation of glucose metabolism and appetite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morselli, Lisa; Leproult, Rachel; Balbo, Marcella; Spiegel, Karine

    2010-10-01

    Sleep curtailment has become a common behavior in modern society. This review summarizes the current laboratory evidence indicating that sleep loss may contribute to the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus and obesity. Experimentally induced sleep loss in healthy volunteers decreases insulin sensitivity without adequate compensation in beta-cell function, resulting in impaired glucose tolerance and increased diabetes risk. Lack of sleep also down-regulates the satiety hormone leptin, up-regulates the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin, and increases hunger and food intake. Taken together with the epidemiologic evidence for an association between short sleep and the prevalence or incidence of diabetes mellitus and/or obesity, these results support a role for reduced sleep duration in the current epidemic of these metabolic disorders. Screening for habitual sleep patterns in patients with "diabesity" is therefore of great importance. Studies are warranted to investigate the putative therapeutic impact of extending sleep in habitual short sleepers with metabolic disorders. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Kinetic analysis of zinc metabolism and its regulation in normal humans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wastney, M.E.; Aamodt, R.L.; Rumble, W.F.; Henkin, R.I.

    1986-01-01

    Zinc metabolism was studied in 32 normal volunteers after oral or intravenous administration of 65 Zn. Data were collected from the blood, urine, feces, whole body, and over the liver and thigh regions for 9 mo while the subjects consumed their regular diets (containing 10 mg Zn ion/day) and for an additional 9 mo while the subjects received an exogenous oral supplement of 100 mg Zn ion/day. Data from each subject were fitted by a compartmental model for zinc metabolism that was developed previously for patients with taste and smell dysfunction. These data from normal subjects were used to determine the absorption, distribution, and excretion of zinc and the mass of zinc in erythrocytes, liver, thigh, and whole body. By use of additional data obtained from the present study, the model was refined further such that a large compartment, which was previously determined to contain 90% of the body zinc, was subdivided into two compartments to represent zinc in muscle and bone. When oral zinc intake was increased 11-fold three new sites of regulation of zinc metabolism were identified in addition to the two sites previously defined in patients with taste and smell dysfunction (absorption of zinc from gut and excretion of zinc in urine). The three new sites are exchange of zinc with erythrocytes, release of zinc by muscle, and secretion of zinc into gut. Regulation at these five sites appears to maintain some tissue concentrations of zinc when dietary zinc increases

  20. Forkhead, a new cross regulator of metabolism and innate immunity downstream of TOR in Drosophila.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varma, Disha; Bülow, Margret H; Pesch, Yanina-Yasmin; Loch, Gerrit; Hoch, Michael

    2014-10-01

    Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are conserved cationic peptides which act both as defense molecules of the host immune system and as regulators of the commensal microbiome. Expression of AMPs is induced in response to infection by the Toll and Imd pathway. Under non-infected conditions, the transcription factor dFOXO directly regulates a set of AMP expression at low levels when nutrients are limited. Here we have analyzed whether target of rapamycin (TOR), another major regulator of growth and metabolism, also modulates AMP responses in Drosophila. We found that downregulation of TOR by feeding the drug rapamycin or by overexpressing the negative TOR regulators TSC1/TSC2, resulted in a specific induction of the AMPs Diptericin (Dpt) and Metchnikowin (Mtk). In contrast, overexpression of Rheb, which positively regulates TOR led to a repression of the two AMPs. Genetic and pharmacological experiments indicate that Dpt and Mtk activation is controlled by the transcription factor Forkhead (FKH), the founding member of the FoxO family. Shuttling of FKH from the cytoplasm to the nucleus is induced in the fat body and in the posterior midgut in response to TOR downregulation. The FKH-dependent induction of Dpt and Mtk can be triggered in dFOXO null mutants and in immune-compromised Toll and IMD pathway mutants indicating that FKH acts in parallel to these regulators. Together, we have discovered that FKH is the second conserved member of the FoxO family cross-regulating metabolism and innate immunity. dFOXO and FKH, which are activated upon downregulation of insulin or TOR activities, respectively, act in parallel to induce different sets of AMPs, thereby modulating the immune status of metabolic tissues such as the fat body or the gut in response to the oscillating energy status of the organism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. “Positive Regulation of RNA Metabolic Process” Ontology Group Highly Regulated in Porcine Oocytes Matured In Vitro: A Microarray Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piotr Celichowski

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs growth and development during folliculogenesis and oogenesis are accompanied by changes involving synthesis and accumulation of large amount of RNA and proteins. In this study, the transcriptomic profile of genes involved in “oocytes RNA synthesis” in relation to in vitro maturation in pigs was investigated for the first time. The RNA was isolated from oocytes before and after in vitro maturation (IVM. Interactions between differentially expressed genes/proteins belonging to “positive regulation of RNA metabolic process” ontology group were investigated by STRING10 software. Using microarray assays, we found expression of 12258 porcine transcripts. Genes with fold change higher than 2 and with corrected p value lower than 0.05 were considered as differentially expressed. The ontology group “positive regulation of RNA metabolic process” involved differential expression of AR, INHBA, WWTR1, FOS, MEF2C, VEGFA, IKZF2, IHH, RORA, MAP3K1, NFAT5, SMARCA1, EGR1, EGR2, MITF, SMAD4, APP, and NR5A1 transcripts. Since all of the presented genes were downregulated after IVM, we suggested that they might be significantly involved in regulation of RNA synthesis before reaching oocyte MII stage. Higher expression of “RNA metabolic process” related genes before IVM indicated that they might be recognized as important markers and specific “transcriptomic fingerprint” of RNA template accumulation and storage for further porcine embryos growth and development.

  2. Advances in drug metabolism and pharmacogenetics research in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mackenzie, Peter I; Somogyi, Andrew A; Miners, John O

    2017-02-01

    Metabolism facilitates the elimination, detoxification and excretion in urine or bile (as biotransformation products) of a myriad of structurally diverse drugs and other chemicals. The metabolism of drugs, non-drug xenobiotics and many endogenous compounds is catalyzed by families of drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs). These include the hemoprotein-containing cytochromes P450, which function predominantly as monooxygenases, and conjugation enzymes that transfer a sugar, sulfate, acetate or glutathione moiety to substrates containing a suitable acceptor functional group. Drug and chemical metabolism, especially the enzymes that catalyse these reactions, has been the research focus of several groups in Australia for over four decades. In this review, we highlight the role of recent and current drug metabolism research in Australia, including elucidation of the structure and function of enzymes from the various DME families, factors that modulate enzyme activity in humans (e.g. drug-drug interactions, gene expression and genetic polymorphism) and the application of in vitro approaches for the prediction of drug metabolism parameters in humans, along with the broader pharmacological/clinical pharmacological and toxicological significance of drug metabolism and DMEs and their relevance to drug discovery and development, and to clinical practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. The Emerging Role of Skeletal Muscle Metabolism as a Biological Target and Cellular Regulator of Cancer-Induced Muscle Wasting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carson, James A.; Hardee, Justin P.; VanderVeen, Brandon N.

    2015-01-01

    While skeletal muscle mass is an established primary outcome related to understanding cancer cachexia mechanisms, considerable gaps exist in our understanding of muscle biochemical and functional properties that have recognized roles in systemic health. Skeletal muscle quality is a classification beyond mass, and is aligned with muscle’s metabolic capacity and substrate utilization flexibility. This supplies an additional role for the mitochondria in cancer-induced muscle wasting. While the historical assessment of mitochondria content and function during cancer-induced muscle loss was closely aligned with energy flux and wasting susceptibility, this understanding has expanded to link mitochondria dysfunction to cellular processes regulating myofiber wasting. The primary objective of this article is to highlight muscle mitochondria and oxidative metabolism as a biological target of cancer cachexia and also as a cellular regulator of cancer-induced muscle wasting. Initially, we examine the role of muscle metabolic phenotype and mitochondria content in cancer-induced wasting susceptibility. We then assess the evidence for cancer-induced regulation of skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis, dynamics, mitophagy, and oxidative stress. In addition, we discuss environments associated with cancer cachexia that can impact the regulation of skeletal muscle oxidative metabolism. The article also examines the role of cytokine-mediated regulation of mitochondria function regulation, followed by the potential role of cancer-induced hypogonadism. Lastly, a role for decreased muscle use in cancer-induced mitochondrial dysfunction is reviewed. PMID:26593326

  4. A catalogue of polymorphisms related to xenobiotic metabolism and cancer susceptibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gemignani, Federica; Landi, Stefano; Vivant, Franck; Zienolddiny, Shanbeh; Brennan, Paul; Canzian, Federico

    2002-08-01

    High-throughput genotyping technology of multiple genes based on large samples of cases and controls are likely to be important in identifying common genes which have a moderate effect on the development of specific diseases. We present here a comprehensive list of 313 known experimentally confirmed polymorphisms in 54 genes which are particularly relevant for metabolism of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and other potential carcinogens. We have compiled a catalog with a standardized format that summarizes the genetic and biochemical properties of the selected polymorphisms. We have also confirmed or redesigned experimental conditions for simplex or multiplex PCR amplification of a subset of 168 SNPs of particular interest, which will provide the basis for the design of assays compatible with high-throughput genotyping.

  5. Studies on the mechanism of quinone action on hormonal regulation of metabolism in the rat liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, E.Y.

    1989-01-01

    The mechanism of quinone actions in liver cell metabolism had been investigated using menadione as a model compound. Previous reports suggested that quinones and free radicals could produce perturbations in cellular calcium homeostasis. Since calcium plays an important role in the regulation of cellular metabolic processes, then regulation of cytosolic calcium concentrations, and thus of cellular metabolism, by calcium-mobilizing hormones such as phenylephrine and vasopressin could possibly be modified by quinones such as menadione. Methods used to approach this hypothesis included the assay for activation of glycogen phosphorylase, an indirect index of calcium mobilization; the determination of calcium mobilization with 45 Ca efflux exchange and with fluorescent calcium indicator fura-2; and the measurement of phosphatidylinositides, an important link in the membrane-associated receptor-mediated signal transduction mechanism

  6. The Simplest Flowchart Stating the Mechanisms for Organic Xenobiotics-induced Toxicity: Can it Possibly be Accepted as a "Central Dogma" for Toxic Mechanisms?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Yeong-Chul; Lee, Sundong; Cho, Myung-Haing

    2014-09-01

    Xenobiotics causing a variety of toxicity in biological systems could be classified as two types, inorganic and organic chemicals. It is estimated that the organic xenobiotics are responsible for approximately 80~90% of chemical-induced toxicity in human population. In the class for toxicology, we have encountered some difficulties in explaining the mechanisms of toxicity caused especially by organic chemicals. Here, a simple flowchart was introduced for explaining the mechanism of toxicity caused by organic xenobiotics, as the central dogma of molecular biology. This flowchart, referred to as a central dogma, was described based on a view of various aspects as follows: direct-acting chemicals vs. indirect-acting chemicals, cytochrome P450-dependent vs. cytochrome P450-independent biotransformation, reactive intermediates, reactivation, toxicokinetics vs. toxicodynamics, and reversibility vs. irreversibility. Thus, the primary objective of this flowchart is to help better understanding of the organic xenobiotics-induced toxic mechanisms, providing a major pathway for toxicity occurring in biological systems.

  7. Metabolism of clofibric acid in zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio) as determined by liquid chromatography-high resolution-mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brox, Stephan; Seiwert, Bettina; Haase, Nora; Küster, Eberhard; Reemtsma, Thorsten

    2016-01-01

    The zebrafish embryo (ZFE) is increasingly used in ecotoxicology research but detailed knowledge of its metabolic potential is still limited. This study focuses on the xenobiotic metabolism of ZFE at different life-stages using the pharmaceutical compound clofibric acid as study compound. Liquid chromatography with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QToF-MS) is used to detect and to identify the transformation products (TPs). In screening experiments, a total of 18 TPs was detected and structure proposals were elaborated for 17 TPs, formed by phase I and phase II metabolism. Biotransformation of clofibric acid by the ZFE involves conjugation with sulfate or glucuronic acid, and, reported here for the first time, with carnitine, taurine, and aminomethanesulfonic acid. Further yet unknown cyclization products were identified using non-target screening that may represent a new detoxification pathway. Sulfate containing TPs occurred already after 3h of exposure (7hpf), and from 48h of exposure (52hpf) onwards, all TPs were detected. The detection of these TPs indicates the activity of phase I and phase II enzymes already at early life-stages. Additionally, the excretion of one TP into the exposure medium was observed. The results of this study outline the high metabolic potential of the ZFE with respect to the transformation of xenobiotics. Similarities but also differences to other test systems were observed. Biotransformation of test chemicals in toxicity testing with ZFE may therefore need further consideration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. PPAR{gamma} regulates the expression of cholesterol metabolism genes in alveolar macrophages

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baker, Anna D.; Malur, Anagha; Barna, Barbara P.; Kavuru, Mani S. [Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, East Carolina University (United States); Malur, Achut G. [Department of Microbiology and Immunology, East Carolina University (United States); Thomassen, Mary Jane, E-mail: thomassenm@ecu.edu [Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, East Carolina University (United States); Department of Microbiology and Immunology, East Carolina University (United States)

    2010-03-19

    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR{gamma}) is a nuclear transcription factor involved in lipid metabolism that is constitutively expressed in the alveolar macrophages of healthy individuals. PPAR{gamma} has recently been implicated in the catabolism of surfactant by alveolar macrophages, specifically the cholesterol component of surfactant while the mechanism remains unclear. Studies from other tissue macrophages have shown that PPAR{gamma} regulates cholesterol influx, efflux, and metabolism. PPAR{gamma} promotes cholesterol efflux through the liver X receptor-alpha (LXR{alpha}) and ATP-binding cassette G1 (ABCG1). We have recently shown that macrophage-specific PPAR{gamma} knockout (PPAR{gamma} KO) mice accumulate cholesterol-laden alveolar macrophages that exhibit decreased expression of LXR{alpha} and ABCG1 and reduced cholesterol efflux. We hypothesized that in addition to the dysregulation of these cholesterol efflux genes, the expression of genes involved in cholesterol synthesis and influx was also dysregulated and that replacement of PPAR{gamma} would restore regulation of these genes. To investigate this hypothesis, we have utilized a Lentivirus expression system (Lenti-PPAR{gamma}) to restore PPAR{gamma} expression in the alveolar macrophages of PPAR{gamma} KO mice. Our results show that the alveolar macrophages of PPAR{gamma} KO mice have decreased expression of key cholesterol synthesis genes and increased expression of cholesterol receptors CD36 and scavenger receptor A-I (SRA-I). The replacement of PPAR{gamma} (1) induced transcription of LXR{alpha} and ABCG1; (2) corrected suppressed expression of cholesterol synthesis genes; and (3) enhanced the expression of scavenger receptors CD36. These results suggest that PPAR{gamma} regulates cholesterol metabolism in alveolar macrophages.

  9. miR-182 Regulates Metabolic Homeostasis by Modulating Glucose Utilization in Muscle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duo Zhang

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the fiber-type specification and metabolic switch in skeletal muscle provides insights into energy metabolism in physiology and diseases. Here, we show that miR-182 is highly expressed in fast-twitch muscle and negatively correlates with blood glucose level. miR-182 knockout mice display muscle loss, fast-to-slow fiber-type switching, and impaired glucose metabolism. Mechanistic studies reveal that miR-182 modulates glucose utilization in muscle by targeting FoxO1 and PDK4, which control fuel selection via the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC. Short-term high-fat diet (HFD feeding reduces muscle miR-182 levels by tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα, which contributes to the upregulation of FoxO1/PDK4. Restoration of miR-182 expression in HFD-fed mice induces a faster muscle phenotype, decreases muscle FoxO1/PDK4 levels, and improves glucose metabolism. Together, our work establishes miR-182 as a critical regulator that confers robust and precise controls on fuel usage and glucose homeostasis. Our study suggests that a metabolic shift toward a faster and more glycolytic phenotype is beneficial for glucose control.

  10. Combinatorial function of velvet and AreA in transcriptional regulation of nitrate utilization and secondary metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Berges, Manuel S; Schäfer, Katja; Hera, Concepción; Di Pietro, Antonio

    2014-01-01

    Velvet is a conserved protein complex that functions as a regulator of fungal development and secondary metabolism. In the soil-inhabiting pathogen Fusarium oxysporum, velvet governs mycotoxin production and virulence on plant and mammalian hosts. Here we report a previously unrecognized role of the velvet complex in regulation of nitrate metabolism. F. oxysporum mutants lacking VeA or LaeA, two key components of the complex, were impaired in growth on the non-preferred nitrogen sources nitrate and nitrite. Both velvet and the general nitrogen response GATA factor AreA were required for transcriptional activation of nitrate (nit1) and nitrite (nii1) reductase genes under de-repressing conditions, as well as for the nitrate-triggered increase in chromatin accessibility at the nit1 locus. AreA also contributed to chromatin accessibility and expression of two velvet-regulated gene clusters, encoding biosynthesis of the mycotoxin beauvericin and of the siderophore ferricrocin. Thus, velvet and AreA coordinately orchestrate primary and secondary metabolism as well as virulence functions in F. oxysporum. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Nur77 coordinately regulates expression of genes linked to glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle

    OpenAIRE

    Chao, Lily C.; Zhang, Zidong; Pei, Liming; Saito, Tsugumichi; Tontonoz, Peter; Pilch, Paul F.

    2007-01-01

    Innervation is important for normal metabolism in skeletal muscle, including insulin-sensitive glucose uptake. However, the transcription factors that transduce signals from the neuromuscular junction to the nucleus and affect changes in metabolic gene expression are not well defined. We demonstrate here that the orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 is a regulator of gene expression linked to glucose utilization in muscle. In vivo, Nur77 is preferentially expressed in glycolytic compared to oxidativ...

  12. The skin function: a factor of anti-metabolic syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhou Shi-Sheng

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The body’s total antioxidant capacity represents a sum of the antioxidant capacity of various tissues/organs. A decrease in the body’s antioxidant capacity may induce oxidative stress and subsequent metabolic syndrome, a clustering of risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The skin, the largest organ of the body, is one of the major components of the body’s total antioxidant defense system, primarily through its xenobiotic/drug biotransformation system, reactive oxygen species-scavenging system, and sweat glands- and sebaceous glands-mediated excretion system. Notably, unlike other contributors, the skin contribution is variable, depending on lifestyles and ambient temperature or seasonal variations. Emerging evidence suggests that decreased skin’s antioxidant and excretory functions (e.g., due to sedentary lifestyles and low ambient temperature may increase the risk for metabolic syndrome. This review focuses on the relationship between the variability of skin-mediated detoxification and elimination of exogenous and endogenous toxic substances and the development of metabolic syndrome. The potential role of sebum secretion in lipid and cholesterol homeostasis and its impact on metabolic syndrome, and the association between skin disorders (acanthosis nigricans, acne, and burn and metabolic syndrome are also discussed.

  13. An enhanced in vivo stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) model for quantification of drug metabolism enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacLeod, A Kenneth; Fallon, Padraic G; Sharp, Sheila; Henderson, Colin J; Wolf, C Roland; Huang, Jeffrey T-J

    2015-03-01

    Many of the enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism are maintained at a low basal level and are only synthesized in response to activation of upstream sensor/effector proteins. This induction can have implications in a variety of contexts, particularly during the study of the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and drug-drug interaction profile of a candidate therapeutic compound. Previously, we combined in vivo SILAC material with a targeted high resolution single ion monitoring (tHR/SIM) LC-MS/MS approach for quantification of 197 peptide pairs, representing 51 drug metabolism enzymes (DME), in mouse liver. However, as important enzymes (for example, cytochromes P450 (Cyp) of the 1a and 2b subfamilies) are maintained at low or undetectable levels in the liver of unstimulated metabolically labeled mice, quantification of these proteins was unreliable. In the present study, we induced DME expression in labeled mice through synchronous ligand-mediated activation of multiple upstream nuclear receptors, thereby enhancing signals for proteins including Cyps 1a, 2a, 2b, 2c, and 3a. With this enhancement, 115 unique, lysine-containing, Cyp-derived peptides were detected in the liver of a single animal, as opposed to 56 in a pooled sample from three uninduced animals. A total of 386 peptide pairs were quantified by tHR/SIM, representing 68 Phase I, 30 Phase II, and eight control proteins. This method was employed to quantify changes in DME expression in the hepatic cytochrome P450 reductase null (HRN) mouse. We observed compensatory induction of several enzymes, including Cyps 2b10, 2c29, 2c37, 2c54, 2c55, 2e1, 3a11, and 3a13, carboxylesterase (Ces) 2a, and glutathione S-transferases (Gst) m2 and m3, along with down-regulation of hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (Hsd) 11b1 and 17b6. Using DME-enhanced in vivo SILAC material with tHR/SIM, therefore, permits the robust analysis of multiple DME of importance to xenobiotic metabolism, with improved utility for the study of

  14. Assessment of the impact of xenobiotic pollutants on the marine organisms: Molecular biomarker approach

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Sarkar, A.

    of the organisms to xenobiotic compounds being transformed into reactive oxygen species. Most importantly, the occurrence of DNA strand breaks in marine organisms leading to the loss of DNA integrity is a significant biomarker of marine pollution. The measurement...

  15. Study of collagen metabolism and regulation after β radiation injury

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Yinghui; Xu Lan; Wu Shiliang; Qiu Hao; Jiang Zhi; Tu Youbin; Zhang Xueguang

    2001-01-01

    The animal model of β radiation injury was established by the β radiation produced by the linear accelerator; and irradiated NIH 3T3 cells were studied. In the experiment the contents of total collagen, collagen type I and type III were measured. The activity of MMPs-1 were tested. The contents of TGF-β 1 , IL-6 were also detected. The results showed that after exposure to β radiation, little change was found in the content of total collagen, but the content of collagen I decreased and the content of collagen III, MMPs-1 activity increased; the expression of TGF-β 1 , IL-6 increased. The results suggest that changes in the metabolism of collagen play an important role in the irradiated injury of the skin; TGF-β 1 , IL-6 may be essential in the regulation of the collagen metabolism

  16. Endocrine regulation of carbohydrate metabolism in hypometabolic animals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Musacchia, X. J.

    1988-01-01

    Experimental hypothermia and natural hibernation are two forms of hypometabolism with recognized physiological changes, including depression of endocrine and metabolic functions. To better understand functional changes, helox (i.e., helium and oxygen (80:20) mixtures) and low ambient temperatures have been used to induce hypothermia in hamsters and rats. Both clinical and biological survival, i.e., survival without recovery and survival with recovery from hypothermia, respectively, are related to depth and length of hypothermia. In the rat, body temperatures of 15 degrees C for periods greater than 6-10 h greatly restrict biological survival. The role of glucocorticoids in enhancing thermogenic capacity of rats was assessed using triamcinolone [correction of triamcinalone] acetonide. In the hamster, treatment with cortisone acetate prolonged both clinical and biological survival. Hypothermic hamsters continue utilizing circulating glucose until they become hypoglycemic and die. Hypothermic rats do not utilize glucose and respond with a significant hypoinsulinema. The role of endocrines in the regulation of carbohydrate homeostasis and metabolism differs in hibernation and hypothermia. Glucocorticoids influence the hypothermic response in both species, specifically by prolonging induction of hypothermia in rats and by prolonging survival in hypothermic hamsters.

  17. Regulation of abscisic acid metabolism in relation to the dormancy and germination of cereal grains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justyna Fidler

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Seed dormancy is of particular importance in the cultivation of cereals, as it directly affects the quality of crop yield. If the dormancy period is too short, this may lead to pre-harvest sprouting, whereas a dormancy period that is too long may cause uneven germination; both of these scenarios are associated with economic losses. Most enzymes engaged in the metabolism of abscisic acid (ABA have been identified, and significant progress has been made in understanding the role of this phytohormone in the induction and maintenance of dormancy, mainly as a result of research conducted in Arabidopsis. Much less is known about the metabolism and function of ABA in cereal grains, especially in relation to dormancy and germination. This review focuses on the regulation of ABA metabolism in dormant and non-dormant cereal grains, in both the dry state and upon imbibition. Moreover, this review describes the influence of factors such as after-ripening, light, temperature, nitric oxide, and reactive oxygen species (ROS on the dormancy and germination of cereal grains. These factors, with the exception of ROS, appear to affect the level of dormancy and germination of grains through regulation of ABA metabolism.

  18. Regulation of MRP2-mediated transport in shark rectal salt gland tubules.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Miller, D.S.; Masereeuw, R.; Karnaky Jr, K.J.

    2002-01-01

    We examined endothelin-1 (ET-1) regulation of the xenobiotic efflux pump, multidrug resistance-associated protein isoform 2 (MRP2), in intact dogfish shark rectal salt gland tubules using a fluorescent substrate sulforhodamine 101 and confocal microscopy. Subnanomolar to nanomolar concentrations of

  19. The adverse effect of 4-tert-octylphenol on fat metabolism in pregnant rats via regulation of lipogenic proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jun; Kang, Eun-Jin; Park, Mee-Na; Kim, Ji-Eun; Kim, Seung-Chul; Jeung, Eui-Bae; Lee, Geun-Shik; Hwang, Dae-Youn; An, Beum-Soo

    2015-07-01

    Alkylphenols such as 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), nonylphenol, and bisphenol A are classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Digestion and metabolism of food are controlled by many endocrine factors, including insulin, glucagon, and estrogen. These factors are differentially regulated during pregnancy. The alteration of nutritional intake and fat metabolism may affect the maintenance of pregnancy and supplementation of nutrients to the fetus, and therefore can cause severe metabolic diseases such as ketosis, marasmus and diabetes mellitus in pregnant individuals. In this study, we examined the effects of OP on fat metabolism in pregnant rats. Ethinyl estradiol (EE) was also administered as an estrogenic positive control. In our results, rats treated with OP showed significantly reduced body weights compared to the control group. In addition, histological analysis showed that the amount of fat deposited in adipocytes was reduced by OP treatment. To study the mechanism of action of OP in fat metabolism, we examined the expression levels of fat metabolism-associated genes in rat adipose tissue and liver by real-time PCR. OP and EE negatively regulated the expression of lipogenic enzymes, including FAS (fatty acid synthase), ACC-1 (acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1), and SCD-1 (stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1). The levels of lipogenic enzyme-associated transcription factors such as C/EBP-α (CAAT enhancer binding protein alpha) and SREBP-1c (sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c) were also reduced in both liver and adipose tissue. In summary, these findings suggest that OP has adverse effects on fat metabolism in pregnant rats and inhibits fat deposition via regulating lipogenic genes in the liver and adipose tissue. The altered fat metabolism by OP may affect the nutrition balance during pregnancy and can cause metabolism-related diseases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. The Importance of the Circadian Clock in Regulating Plant Metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin A Kim

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Carbohydrates are the primary energy source for plant development. Plants synthesize sucrose in source organs and transport them to sink organs during plant growth. This metabolism is sensitive to environmental changes in light quantity, quality, and photoperiod. In the daytime, the synthesis of sucrose and starch accumulates, and starch is degraded at nighttime. The circadian clock genes provide plants with information on the daily environmental changes and directly control many developmental processes, which are related to the path of primary metabolites throughout the life cycle. The circadian clock mechanism and processes of metabolism controlled by the circadian rhythm were studied in the model plant Arabidopsis and in the crops potato and rice. However, the translation of molecular mechanisms obtained from studies of model plants to crop plants is still difficult. Crop plants have specific organs such as edible seed and tuber that increase the size or accumulate valuable metabolites by harvestable metabolic components. Human consumers are interested in the regulation and promotion of these agriculturally significant crops. Circadian clock manipulation may suggest various strategies for the increased productivity of food crops through using environmental signal or overcoming environmental stress.

  1. Gene expression of transporters and phase I/II metabolic enzymes in murine small intestine during fasting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    van der Meijde Jolanda

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Fasting has dramatic effects on small intestinal transport function. However, little is known on expression of intestinal transport and phase I/II metabolism genes during fasting and the role the fatty acid-activated transcription factor PPARα may play herein. We therefore investigated the effects of fasting on expression of these genes using Affymetrix GeneChip MOE430A arrays and quantitative RT-PCR. Results After 24 hours of fasting, expression levels of 33 of the 253 analyzed transporter and phase I/II metabolism genes were changed. Upregulated genes were involved in transport of energy-yielding molecules in processes such as glycogenolysis (G6pt1 and mitochondrial and peroxisomal oxidation of fatty acids (Cact, Mrs3/4, Fatp2, Cyp4a10, Cyp4b1. Other induced genes were responsible for the inactivation of the neurotransmitter serotonin (Sert, Sult1d1, Dtd, Papst2, formation of eicosanoids (Cyp2j6, Cyp4a10, Cyp4b1, or for secretion of cholesterol (Abca1 and Abcg8. Cyp3a11, typically known because of its drug metabolizing capacity, was also increased. Fasting had no pronounced effect on expression of phase II metabolic enzymes, except for glutathione S-transferases which were down-regulated. Time course studies revealed that some genes were acutely regulated, whereas expression of other genes was only affected after prolonged fasting. Finally, we identified 8 genes that were PPARα-dependently upregulated upon fasting. Conclusion We have characterized the response to fasting on expression of transporters and phase I/II metabolic enzymes in murine small intestine. Differentially expressed genes are involved in a variety of processes, which functionally can be summarized as a increased oxidation of fat and xenobiotics, b increased cholesterol secretion, c increased susceptibility to electrophilic stressors, and d reduced intestinal motility. This knowledge increases our understanding of gut physiology, and may be of relevance

  2. Regulation of the yeast metabolic cycle by transcription factors with periodic activities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pellegrini Matteo

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background When growing budding yeast under continuous, nutrient-limited conditions, over half of yeast genes exhibit periodic expression patterns. Periodicity can also be observed in respiration, in the timing of cell division, as well as in various metabolite levels. Knowing the transcription factors involved in the yeast metabolic cycle is helpful for determining the cascade of regulatory events that cause these patterns. Results Transcription factor activities were estimated by linear regression using time series and genome-wide transcription factor binding data. Time-translation matrices were estimated using least squares and were used to model the interactions between the most significant transcription factors. The top transcription factors have functions involving respiration, cell cycle events, amino acid metabolism and glycolysis. Key regulators of transitions between phases of the yeast metabolic cycle appear to be Hap1, Hap4, Gcn4, Msn4, Swi6 and Adr1. Conclusions Analysis of the phases at which transcription factor activities peak supports previous findings suggesting that the various cellular functions occur during specific phases of the yeast metabolic cycle.

  3. Aerobic glycolysis during brain activation: adrenergic regulation and influence of norepinephrine on astrocytic metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dienel, Gerald A; Cruz, Nancy F

    2016-07-01

    Aerobic glycolysis occurs during brain activation and is characterized by preferential up-regulation of glucose utilization compared with oxygen consumption even though oxygen level and delivery are adequate. Aerobic glycolysis is a widespread phenomenon that underlies energetics of diverse brain activities, such as alerting, sensory processing, cognition, memory, and pathophysiological conditions, but specific cellular functions fulfilled by aerobic glycolysis are poorly understood. Evaluation of evidence derived from different disciplines reveals that aerobic glycolysis is a complex, regulated phenomenon that is prevented by propranolol, a non-specific β-adrenoceptor antagonist. The metabolic pathways that contribute to excess utilization of glucose compared with oxygen include glycolysis, the pentose phosphate shunt pathway, the malate-aspartate shuttle, and astrocytic glycogen turnover. Increased lactate production by unidentified cells, and lactate dispersal from activated cells and lactate release from the brain, both facilitated by astrocytes, are major factors underlying aerobic glycolysis in subjects with low blood lactate levels. Astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttling with local oxidation is minor. Blockade of aerobic glycolysis by propranolol implicates adrenergic regulatory processes including adrenal release of epinephrine, signaling to brain via the vagus nerve, and increased norepinephrine release from the locus coeruleus. Norepinephrine has a powerful influence on astrocytic metabolism and glycogen turnover that can stimulate carbohydrate utilization more than oxygen consumption, whereas β-receptor blockade 're-balances' the stoichiometry of oxygen-glucose or -carbohydrate metabolism by suppressing glucose and glycogen utilization more than oxygen consumption. This conceptual framework may be helpful for design of future studies to elucidate functional roles of preferential non-oxidative glucose utilization and glycogen turnover during brain

  4. Influence of non-hydrophobic factors on the sorption of ionizable xenobiotics to solids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lützhøft, Hans-Christian Holten; Franco, Antonio; Trapp, Stefan

    2011-01-01

    It is well known that xenobiotics sorp to solid phases like soil and sediment, depending on their inherent properties and environmental conditions. Traditionally it was accepted, that the hydrophobicity of the chemical, i.e. the log KOW, as well as the solid’s content of organic carbon (OC) were...

  5. GlnR-mediated regulation of nitrogen metabolism in the actinomycete Saccharopolyspora erythraea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Li-Li; Liao, Cheng-Heng; Huang, Gang; Zhou, Ying; Rigali, Sebastien; Zhang, Buchang; Ye, Bang-Ce

    2014-09-01

    Nitrogen source sensing, uptake, and assimilation are central for growth and development of microorganisms which requires the participation of a global control of nitrogen metabolism-associated genes at the transcriptional level. In soil-dwelling antibiotic-producing actinomycetes, this role is played by GlnR, an OmpR family regulator. In this work, we demonstrate that SACE_7101 is the ortholog of actinomycetes' GlnR global regulators in the erythromycin producer Saccharopolyspora erythraea. Indeed, the chromosomal deletion of SACE_7101 severely affects the viability of S. erythraea when inoculated in minimal media supplemented with NaNO3, NaNO2, NH4Cl, glutamine, or glutamate as sole nitrogen source. Combination of in silico prediction of cis-acting elements, subsequent in vitro (through gel shift assays) and in vivo (real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) validations of the predicted target genes revealed a very large GlnR regulon aimed at adapting the nitrogen metabolism of S. erythraea. Indeed, enzymes/proteins involved in (i) uptake and assimilation of ammonium, (ii) transport and utilization of urea, (iii) nitrite/nitrate, (iv) glutamate/glutamine, (v) arginine metabolism, (vi) nitric oxide biosynthesis, and (vii) signal transduction associated with the nitrogen source supplied have at least one paralog gene which expression is controlled by GlnR. Our work highlights a GlnR-binding site consensus sequence (t/gna/cAC-n6-GaAAc) which is similar although not identical to the consensus sequences proposed for other actinomycetes. Finally, we discuss the distinct and common features of the GlnR-mediated transcriptional control of nitrogen metabolism between S. erythraea and the model organism Streptomyces coelicolor.

  6. Altered gene regulation and potential association with metabolic resistance development to imidacloprid in the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yu Cheng; Luttrell, Randall

    2015-01-01

    Chemical spray on cotton is almost an exclusive method for controlling tarnished plant bug (TPB), Lygus lineolaris. Frequent use of imidacloprid is a concern for neonicotinoid resistance in this key pest. Information of how and why TPB becomes less susceptible to imidacloprid is essential for effective monitoring and managing resistance. Microarray analysis of 6688 genes in imidacloprid-selected TPB (Im1500FF) revealed 955 upregulated and 1277 downregulated (≥twofold) genes in Im1500FF, with 369 and 485 of them annotated. Five P450 and nine esterase genes were significantly upregulated, and only one esterase gene and no P450 genes were downregulated. Other upregulated genes include helicases, phosphodiesterases, ATPases and kinases. Pathway analyses identified 65 upregulated cDNAs that encode 51 different enzymes involved in 62 different pathways, including P450 and esterase genes for drug and xenobiotic metabolisms. Sixty-four downregulated cDNAs code only 17 enzymes that are associated with only 23 pathways mostly related to food digestion. This study demonstrated a significant change in gene expression related to metabolic processes in imidacloprid-selected TPB, resulting in overexpression of P450 and esterase genes for potential excess detoxification and cross/multiple resistance development. The identification of these and other enzyme genes establishes a foundation to explore the complicity of potential imidacloprid resistance in TPB. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  7. Modeling the role of negative cooperativity in metabolic regulation and homeostasis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eliot C Bush

    Full Text Available A significant proportion of enzymes display cooperativity in binding ligand molecules, and such effects have an important impact on metabolic regulation. This is easiest to understand in the case of positive cooperativity. Sharp responses to changes in metabolite concentrations can allow organisms to better respond to environmental changes and maintain metabolic homeostasis. However, despite the fact that negative cooperativity is almost as common as positive, it has been harder to imagine what advantages it provides. Here we use computational models to explore the utility of negative cooperativity in one particular context: that of an inhibitor binding to an enzyme. We identify several factors which may contribute, and show that acting together they can make negative cooperativity advantageous.

  8. The Simplest Flowchart Stating the Mechanisms for Organic Xenobiotics-induced Toxicity: Can it Possibly be Accepted as a “Central Dogma” for Toxic Mechanisms?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sundong; Cho, Myung-Haing

    2014-01-01

    Xenobiotics causing a variety of toxicity in biological systems could be classified as two types, inorganic and organic chemicals. It is estimated that the organic xenobiotics are responsible for approximately 80~90% of chemical-induced toxicity in human population. In the class for toxicology, we have encountered some difficulties in explaining the mechanisms of toxicity caused especially by organic chemicals. Here, a simple flowchart was introduced for explaining the mechanism of toxicity caused by organic xenobiotics, as the central dogma of molecular biology. This flowchart, referred to as a central dogma, was described based on a view of various aspects as follows: direct-acting chemicals vs. indirect-acting chemicals, cytochrome P450-dependent vs. cytochrome P450-independent biotransformation, reactive intermediates, reactivation, toxicokinetics vs. toxicodynamics, and reversibility vs. irreversibility. Thus, the primary objective of this flowchart is to help better understanding of the organic xenobiotics-induced toxic mechanisms, providing a major pathway for toxicity occurring in biological systems. PMID:25343011

  9. Effect of Diet, Insulin and Exercise on the Regulation of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Health and Type 1 Diabetes

    OpenAIRE

    Chokkalingam, Kamalakkannan

    2007-01-01

    The objective of this thesis was to further the understanding of the effect of diet, insulin and exercise on the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism in health and type 1 diabetes. Three studies were undertaken in both non-diabetic healthy volunteers and patients with type 1 diabetes. The first study determined the influence of high fat diet on biochemical and molecular regulators of whole body and muscle metabolism in healthy volunteers. The second study examined the influence of insulin on...

  10. Glucose regulates hypothalamic long-chain fatty acid metabolism via AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) in neurons and astrocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taïb, Bouchra; Bouyakdan, Khalil; Hryhorczuk, Cécile; Rodaros, Demetra; Fulton, Stephanie; Alquier, Thierry

    2013-12-27

    Hypothalamic controls of energy balance rely on the detection of circulating nutrients such as glucose and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) by the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH). LCFA metabolism in the MBH plays a key role in the control of food intake and glucose homeostasis, yet it is not known if glucose regulates LCFA oxidation and esterification in the MBH and, if so, which hypothalamic cell type(s) and intracellular signaling mechanisms are involved. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of glucose on LCFA metabolism, assess the role of AMP-activated Kinase (AMPK), and to establish if changes in LCFA metabolism and its regulation by glucose vary as a function of the kind of LCFA, cell type, and brain region. We show that glucose inhibits palmitate oxidation via AMPK in hypothalamic neuronal cell lines, primary hypothalamic astrocyte cultures, and MBH slices ex vivo but not in cortical astrocytes and slice preparations. In contrast, oleate oxidation was not affected by glucose or AMPK inhibition in MBH slices. In addition, our results show that glucose increases palmitate, but not oleate, esterification into neutral lipids in neurons and MBH slices but not in hypothalamic astrocytes. These findings reveal for the first time the metabolic fate of different LCFA in the MBH, demonstrate AMPK-dependent glucose regulation of LCFA oxidation in both astrocytes and neurons, and establish metabolic coupling of glucose and LCFA as a distinguishing feature of hypothalamic nuclei critical for the control of energy balance.

  11. Hydrological pulse regulating the bacterial heterotrophic metabolism between Amazonian mainstems and floodplain lakes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciana Oliveira Vidal

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available We evaluated in situ rates of bacterial carbon processing in Amazonian floodplain lakes and mainstems, during both high and low water phases (p < 0.05. Our results showed that Bacterial Production (BP was lower and more variable than Bacterial Respiration (BR, determined as total respiration. Bacterial Carbon Demand (BCD was mostly accounted by BR and presented the same pattern that BR in both water phases. Bacterial growth efficiency showed a wide range (0.2–23% and low mean value of 3 and 6 %, (in high and low water respectively suggesting that dissolved organic carbon (DOC was mostly allocated to catabolic metabolism. However, BGE was regulated by BP in low water phase. Consequently, changes in BGE showed the same pattern that BP. In addition, the hydrological pulse effects on mainstems and floodplains lakes connectivity were found for BP and BGE in low water. Multiple correlation analyses revealed that indexes of organic matter quality (chlorophyll-a, N stable isotopes and C/N ratios were the strongest seasonal drivers of bacterial carbon metabolism. Our work indicated that: (1 the bacterial metabolism was mostly driven by respiration in Amazonian aquatic ecosystems resulting in low BGE in either high and low water phase; (2 the hydrological pulse regulated

  12. Resistin Regulates Pituitary Lipid Metabolism and Inflammation In Vivo and In Vitro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Rodriguez-Pacheco

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The adipokine resistin is an insulin-antagonizing factor that also plays a regulatory role in inflammation, immunity, food intake, and gonadal function and also regulates growth hormone (GH secretion in rat adenopituitary cells cultures with the adipokine. Although adipose tissue is the primary source of resistin, it is also expressed in other tissues, including the pituitary. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible action of resistin on the lipid metabolism in the pituitary gland in vivo (rats in two different nutritional status, fed and fast, treated with resistin on acute and a chronic way and in vitro (adenopituitary cell cultures treated with the adipokine. Here, by a combination of in vivo and in vitro experimental models, we demonstrated that central acute and chronic administration of resistin enhance mRNA levels of the lipid metabolic enzymes which participated on lipolysis and moreover inhibiting mRNA levels of the lipid metabolic enzymes involved in lipogenesis. Taken together, our results demonstrate for the first time that resistin has a regulatory role on lipid metabolism in the pituitary gland providing a novel insight in relation to the mechanism by which this adipokine can participate in the integrated control of lipid metabolism.

  13. Resistin Regulates Pituitary Lipid Metabolism and Inflammation In Vivo and In Vitro

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez-Pacheco, F.; Novelle, M. G.; Vazquez, M. J.; Garcia-Escobar, E.; Soriguer, F.; Rojo-Martinez, G.; García-Fuentes, E.; Malagon, M. M.; Dieguez, C.

    2013-01-01

    The adipokine resistin is an insulin-antagonizing factor that also plays a regulatory role in inflammation, immunity, food intake, and gonadal function and also regulates growth hormone (GH) secretion in rat adenopituitary cells cultures with the adipokine. Although adipose tissue is the primary source of resistin, it is also expressed in other tissues, including the pituitary. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible action of resistin on the lipid metabolism in the pituitary gland in vivo (rats in two different nutritional status, fed and fast, treated with resistin on acute and a chronic way) and in vitro (adenopituitary cell cultures treated with the adipokine). Here, by a combination of in vivo and in vitro experimental models, we demonstrated that central acute and chronic administration of resistin enhance mRNA levels of the lipid metabolic enzymes which participated on lipolysis and moreover inhibiting mRNA levels of the lipid metabolic enzymes involved in lipogenesis. Taken together, our results demonstrate for the first time that resistin has a regulatory role on lipid metabolism in the pituitary gland providing a novel insight in relation to the mechanism by which this adipokine can participate in the integrated control of lipid metabolism. PMID:23710116

  14. Irradiation of protoporphyric mice induces down-regulation of epidermal eicosanoid metabolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, D.; Lim, H.W.

    1991-01-01

    This study investigated the effect of radiation on clinical and histologic changes, and on cutaneous eicosanoid metabolism, in Skh:HR-1 hairless albino mice rendered protoporphyric by the administration of collidine. At 0.1-18 h after exposure to 12 kJ/m2 of 396-406 nm irradiation, thicknesses of back skin and ears were measured, and histologic changes were evaluated by using hematoxylin and eosin (H-E) and Giemsa's stains. Activities of eicosanoid-metabolizing enzymes in epidermal and dermal homogenates were assessed by incubating the tissue homogenates with 3H-AA, followed by quantitation of the eicosanoids generated by radio-TLC. In irradiated protoporphyric mice, an increase of back-skin thickness was noted at 0.1 h, reaching a peak at 18 h, whereas maximal increase in ear thickness was observed at 12 h. Histologic changes included dermal edema, increased mast cell degranulation, and mononuclear cells in the dermis. In these irradiated protoporphyric animals, generations of 6 keto-PGF1a, PGF2a, PGE2, PGD2, and HETE by epidermal eicosanoid-metabolizing enzymes were markedly suppressed at all the timepoints studied. Dermal eicosanoid-metabolizing enzymes of irradiated protoporphyric mice generated increased amounts of PGE2 and HETE at 18 h, probably reflecting the presence of dermal cellular infiltrates. The suppression of the activities of epidermal eicosanoid-metabolizing enzymes was prevented by intraperitoneal injection of WR-2721, a sulfhydryl group generator, prior to irradiation, suggesting that the suppression was secondary to photo-oxidative damage of the enzymes during the in vivo phototoxic response. These results suggest that the effect of protoporphyrin and radiation on cutaneous eicosanoid metabolism in this animal model in vivo is that of a down regulation of the activities of epidermal eicosanoid-metabolizing enzymes

  15. Inferring transcriptional gene regulation network of starch metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves using graphical Gaussian model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ingkasuwan Papapit

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Starch serves as a temporal storage of carbohydrates in plant leaves during day/night cycles. To study transcriptional regulatory modules of this dynamic metabolic process, we conducted gene regulation network analysis based on small-sample inference of graphical Gaussian model (GGM. Results Time-series significant analysis was applied for Arabidopsis leaf transcriptome data to obtain a set of genes that are highly regulated under a diurnal cycle. A total of 1,480 diurnally regulated genes included 21 starch metabolic enzymes, 6 clock-associated genes, and 106 transcription factors (TF. A starch-clock-TF gene regulation network comprising 117 nodes and 266 edges was constructed by GGM from these 133 significant genes that are potentially related to the diurnal control of starch metabolism. From this network, we found that β-amylase 3 (b-amy3: At4g17090, which participates in starch degradation in chloroplast, is the most frequently connected gene (a hub gene. The robustness of gene-to-gene regulatory network was further analyzed by TF binding site prediction and by evaluating global co-expression of TFs and target starch metabolic enzymes. As a result, two TFs, indeterminate domain 5 (AtIDD5: At2g02070 and constans-like (COL: At2g21320, were identified as positive regulators of starch synthase 4 (SS4: At4g18240. The inference model of AtIDD5-dependent positive regulation of SS4 gene expression was experimentally supported by decreased SS4 mRNA accumulation in Atidd5 mutant plants during the light period of both short and long day conditions. COL was also shown to positively control SS4 mRNA accumulation. Furthermore, the knockout of AtIDD5 and COL led to deformation of chloroplast and its contained starch granules. This deformity also affected the number of starch granules per chloroplast, which increased significantly in both knockout mutant lines. Conclusions In this study, we utilized a systematic approach of microarray

  16. Study of collagen metabolism and regulation after {beta} radiation injury

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yinghui, Zhou; Lan, Xu; Shiliang, Wu; Hao, Qiu; Zhi, Jiang; Youbin, Tu; Xueguang, Zhang [Suzhou Medical College (China)

    2001-04-01

    The animal model of {beta} radiation injury was established by the {beta} radiation produced by the linear accelerator; and irradiated NIH 3T3 cells were studied. In the experiment the contents of total collagen, collagen type I and type III were measured. The activity of MMPs-1 were tested. The contents of TGF-{beta}{sub 1}, IL-6 were also detected. The results showed that after exposure to {beta} radiation, little change was found in the content of total collagen, but the content of collagen I decreased and the content of collagen III, MMPs-1 activity increased; the expression of TGF-{beta}{sub 1}, IL-6 increased. The results suggest that changes in the metabolism of collagen play an important role in the irradiated injury of the skin; TGF-{beta}{sub 1}, IL-6 may be essential in the regulation of the collagen metabolism.

  17. Regulation of amino-acid metabolism controls flux to lipid accumulation in Yarrowia lipolytica

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kerkhoven, Eduard J.; Pomraning, Kyle R.; Baker, Scott E.

    2016-01-01

    Yarrowia lipolytica is a promising microbial cell factory for the production of lipids to be used as fuels and chemicals, but there are few studies on regulation of its metabolism. Here we performed the first integrated data analysis of Y. lipolytica grown in carbon and nitrogen limited chemostat...... is similar to the overflow metabolism observed in many other microorganisms, e.g. ethanol production by Sacchromyces cerevisiae at nitrogen limitation....

  18. Novel Interactions between Gut Microbiome and Host Drug-Processing Genes Modify the Hepatic Metabolism of the Environmental Chemicals Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Cindy Yanfei; Lee, Soowan; Cade, Sara; Kuo, Li-Jung; Schultz, Irvin R.; Bhatt, Deepak K.; Prasad, Bhagwat; Bammler, Theo K.; Cui, Julia Yue

    2017-09-01

    The gut microbiome is a novel frontier in xenobiotic metabolism. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), especially BDE-47 and BDE-99, are among the most abundant and persistent environmental contaminants that produce a variety of toxicities. Little is known about how the gut microbiome affects the hepatic metabolism of PBDEs and the PBDE-mediated regulation of drug-processing genes (DPGs) in vivo. The goal of this study was to determine the role of gut microbiome in modulating the hepatic biotransformation of PBDEs. Nine-week-old male C57BL/6J conventional (CV) or germ free (GF) mice were treated with vehicle, BDE-47 or BDE-99 (100 μmol/kg) for four days. Following BDE-47 treatment, GF mice had higher level of 5-OH-BDE-47 but lower levels of 4 other metabolites in liver than CV mice; whereas following BDE-99 treatment, GF mice had lower levels of 4 minor metabolites in liver than CV mice. RNA- Seq demonstrated that the hepatic expression of DPGs was regulated by both PBDEs and enterotypes. Under basal condition, the lack of gut microbiome up-regulated the Cyp2c subfamily but down-regulated the Cyp3a subfamily. Following PBDE exposure, certain DPGs were differentially regulated by PBDEs in a gut microbiome-dependent manner. Interestingly, the lack of gut microbiome augmented PBDE-mediated up- regulation of many DPGs, such as Cyp1a2 and Cyp3a11 in mouse liver, which was further confirmed by targeted metabolomics. The lack of gut microbiome also augmented the Cyp3a enzyme activity in liver. In conclusion, our study has unveiled a novel interaction between gut microbiome and the hepatic biotransformation of PBDEs.

  19. Carcinogen-induced mdr overexpression is associated with xenobiotic resistance in rat preneoplastic liver nodules and hepatocellular carcinomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fairchild, C R; Ivy, S P; Rushmore, T; Lee, G; Koo, P; Goldsmith, M E; Myers, C E; Farber, E; Cowan, K H

    1987-11-01

    We have previously reported the isolation of a human breast cancer cell line resistant to doxorubicin (adriamycin; AdrR MCF-7 cells) that has also developed the phenotype of multidrug resistance (MDR). MDR in this cell line is associated with increased expression of mdr (P glycoprotein) gene sequences. The development of MDR in AdrR MCF-7 cells is also associated with changes in the expression of several phase I and phase II drug-detoxifying enzymes. These changes are remarkably similar to those associated with development of xenobiotic resistance in rat hyperplastic liver nodules, a well-studied model system of chemical carcinogenesis. Using an mdr-encoded cDNA sequence isolated from AdrR MCF-7 cells, we have examined the expression of mdr sequences in rat livers under a variety of experimental conditions. The expression of mdr increased 3-fold in regenerating liver. It was also elevated (3- to 12-fold) in several different samples of rat hyperplastic nodules and in four of five hepatomas that developed in this system. This suggests that overexpression of mdr, a gene previously associated with resistance to antineoplastic agents, may also be involved in the development of resistance to xenobiotics in rat hyperplastic nodules. In addition, although the acute administration of 2-acetylaminofluorene induced an 8-fold increase in hepatic mdr-encoded RNA, performance of a partial hepatectomy either before or after administration of 2-acetylaminofluorene resulted in a greater than 80-fold increase in mdr gene expression over that in normal untreated livers. This represents an important in vivo model system in which to study the acute regulation of this drug resistance gene.

  20. Calcium Regulation and Bone Mineral Metabolism in Elderly Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vickram Tejwani

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The elderly chronic kidney disease (CKD population is growing. Both aging and CKD can disrupt calcium (Ca2+ homeostasis and cause alterations of multiple Ca2+-regulatory mechanisms, including parathyroid hormone, vitamin D, fibroblast growth factor-23/Klotho, calcium-sensing receptor and Ca2+-phosphate product. These alterations can be deleterious to bone mineral metabolism and soft tissue health, leading to metabolic bone disease and vascular calcification and aging, termed CKD-mineral and bone disorder (MBD. CKD-MBD is associated with morbid clinical outcomes, including fracture, cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality. In this paper, we comprehensively review Ca2+ regulation and bone mineral metabolism, with a special emphasis on elderly CKD patients. We also present the current treatment-guidelines and management options for CKD-MBD.

  1. Systems genomics study reveals expression quantitative trait loci, regulator genes and pathways associated with boar taint in pigs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Drag, Markus; Hansen, Mathias B.; Kadarmideen, Haja N.

    2018-01-01

    Boar taint is an offensive odour and/or taste from a proportion of non-castrated male pigs caused by skatole and androstenone accumulation during sexual maturity. Castration is widely used to avoid boar taint but is currently under debate because of animal welfare concerns. This study aimed...... to identify expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) with potential effects on boar taint compounds to improve breeding possibilities for reduced boar taint. Danish Landrace male boars with low, medium and high genetic merit for skatole and human nose score (HNS) were slaughtered at similar to 100 kg. Gene...... and SSC14. Functional characterisation of eQTLs revealed functions within regulation of androgen and the intracellular steroid hormone receptor signalling pathway and of xenobiotic metabolism by cytochrome P450 system and cellular response to oestradiol. A QTL enrichment test revealed 89 QTL traits...

  2. Bile acids are important direct and indirect regulators of the secretion of appetite- and metabolism-regulating hormones from the gut and pancreas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kuhre, Rune Ehrenreich; Albrechtsen, Nicolai Jacob Wewer; Larsen, Olav

    2018-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Bile acids (BAs) facilitate fat absorption and may play a role in glucose and metabolism regulation, stimulating the secretion of gut hormones. The relative importance and mechanisms involved in BA-stimulated secretion of appetite and metabolism regulating hormones from the gut...... and pancreas is not well described and was the purpose of this study. METHODS: The effects of bile acids on the secretion of gut and pancreatic hormones was studied in rats and compared to the most well described nutritional secretagogue: glucose. The molecular mechanisms that underlie the secretion...... was studied by isolated perfused rat and mouse small intestine and pancreas preparations and supported by immunohistochemistry, expression analysis, and pharmacological studies. RESULTS: Bile acids robustly stimulate secretion of not only the incretin hormones, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP...

  3. MicroRNA-211 Regulates Oxidative Phosphorylation and Energy Metabolism in Human Vitiligo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahoo, Anupama; Lee, Bongyong; Boniface, Katia; Seneschal, Julien; Sahoo, Sanjaya K; Seki, Tatsuya; Wang, Chunyan; Das, Soumen; Han, Xianlin; Steppie, Michael; Seal, Sudipta; Taieb, Alain; Perera, Ranjan J

    2017-09-01

    Vitiligo is a common chronic skin disorder characterized by loss of epidermal melanocytes and progressive depigmentation. Vitiligo has complex immune, genetic, environmental, and biochemical causes, but the exact molecular mechanisms of vitiligo development and progression, particularly those related to metabolic control, are poorly understood. In this study we characterized the human vitiligo cell line PIG3V and the normal human melanocyte line HEM-l by RNA sequencing, targeted metabolomics, and shotgun lipidomics. Melanocyte-enriched microRNA-211, a known metabolic switch in nonpigmented melanoma cells, was severely down-regulated in vitiligo cell line PIG3V and skin biopsy samples from vitiligo patients, whereas its predicted targets PPARGC1A, RRM2, and TAOK1 were reciprocally up-regulated. microRNA-211 binds to PGC1-α 3' untranslated region locus and represses it. Although mitochondrial numbers were constant, mitochondrial complexes I, II, and IV and respiratory responses were defective in vitiligo cells. Nanoparticle-coated microRNA-211 partially augmented the oxygen consumption rate in PIG3V cells. The lower oxygen consumption rate, changes in lipid and metabolite profiles, and increased reactive oxygen species production observed in vitiligo cells appear to be partly due to abnormal regulation of microRNA-211 and its target genes. These genes represent potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in human vitiligo. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Vineet K Sharma | Speakers | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    ... inputs from the host such as diet and xenobiotics into metabolites which can affect ... of many metabolic and immune-related disorders such as obesity, diabetes, ... flora involved in the metabolism of different food substrates and xenobiotics.

  5. Ras signaling in aging and metabolic regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slack, Cathy

    2017-12-07

    Aberrant signal transduction downstream of the Ras GTPase has a well-established role in tumorigenesis. Mutations that result in hyperactivation of Ras are responsible for a third of all human cancers. Hence, small molecule inhibitors of the Ras signal transduction cascade have been under intense focus as potential cancer treatments. In both invertebrate and mammalian models, emerging evidence has also implicated components of the Ras signaling pathway in aging and metabolic regulation. Here, I review the current evidence for Ras signaling in these newly discovered roles highlighting the interactions between the Ras pathway and other longevity assurance mechanisms. Defining the role of Ras signaling in maintaining age-related health may have important implications for the development of interventions that could not only increase lifespan but also delay the onset and/or progression of age-related functional decline.

  6. Toxicological implications of polymorphisms in receptors for xenobiotic chemicals: The case of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okey, Allan B.; Franc, Monique A.; Moffat, Ivy D.; Tijet, Nathalie; Boutros, Paul C.; Korkalainen, Merja; Tuomisto, Jouko; Pohjanvirta, Raimo

    2005-01-01

    Mechanistic toxicology has predominantly been focused on adverse effects that are caused by reactive metabolites or by reactive oxygen species. However, many important xenobiotics exert their toxicity, not by generating reactive products, but rather by altering expression of specific genes. In particular, some environmental contaminants target nuclear receptors that function as regulators of transcription. For example, binding of xenobiotic chemicals to steroid receptors is a principle mechanism of endocrine disruption. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) mediates toxicity of dioxin-like compounds. In mice, a polymorphism in the AHR ligand-binding domain reduces binding affinity by about 10-fold in the DBA/2 strain compared with the C57BL/6 strain; consequently, dose-response curves for numerous biochemical and toxic effects are shifted about one log to the right in DBA/2 mice. In the Han/Wistar (Kuopio) (H/W) rat strain, a polymorphism causes a deletion of 38 or 43 amino acids from the AHR transactivation domain. This deletion is associated with a greater than 1000-fold resistance to lethality from 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Genes in the conventional AH gene battery (e.g. CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP1B1, ALDH3A1, NQO1 and UGT1A1) remain responsive to TCDD in H/W rats despite the large deletion. However, the deletion may selectively alter the receptor's ability to dysregulate specific genes that are key to dioxin toxicity. We are identifying these genes using an expression array approach in dioxin-sensitive vs. dioxin-resistant rat strains and lines. Polymorphisms exist in the human AH receptor, but thus far they have not been shown to have any substantial effect on human responses to AHR-ligands

  7. Review: Efficacy of alginate supplementation in relation to appetite regulation and metabolic risk factors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Morten Georg; Pedersen, C; Kristensen, Mette Bredal

    2013-01-01

    This review provides a critical update on human and animal studies investigating the effect of alginate supplementation on appetite regulation, glycaemic and insulinemic responses, and lipid metabolism with discussion of the evidence on potential mechanisms, efficacy and tolerability. Dependent...

  8. Absolute Configuration of (-)-2-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid: Stereochemistry of Soy Isoflavone Metabolism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Mihyang; Han, Jaehong [Chung-Ang Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-06-15

    We have elucidated stereochemistry of (-)-2-HPPA. Determination of (R)-2-HPPA stereochemistry also provided stereochemical information of genistein metabolism. Considering the stereochemistry of 2-HPPA, the precursor of (R)-2-HPPA should be (R)-6'-hydroxy-O-DMA. Besides, it is clear that only (S)-dihydrogenistein is the possible precursor of (R)-6'-hydroxy-O-DMA. Therefore, genistein metabolism is suggested to follow the same stereochemical pathway like daidzein. Biotransformation of natural products by human intestinal bacteria has recently drawn a significant interest, due to the emerging strong correlation between gut microbiota and human health. Microbial metabolism of natural products by intestinal bacteria in small intestine and colon proceeds the phase I and II xenobiotic metabolisms in the liver. The metabolites were found to exhibit different biological activities, and affect human etiology. For example, many beneficial effects of dietary polyphenols in human health are attributed to the microbial metabolites produced by intestinal bacteria and the modulation of gut microbiota composition.

  9. Absolute Configuration of (-)-2-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid: Stereochemistry of Soy Isoflavone Metabolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Mihyang; Han, Jaehong

    2014-01-01

    We have elucidated stereochemistry of (-)-2-HPPA. Determination of (R)-2-HPPA stereochemistry also provided stereochemical information of genistein metabolism. Considering the stereochemistry of 2-HPPA, the precursor of (R)-2-HPPA should be (R)-6'-hydroxy-O-DMA. Besides, it is clear that only (S)-dihydrogenistein is the possible precursor of (R)-6'-hydroxy-O-DMA. Therefore, genistein metabolism is suggested to follow the same stereochemical pathway like daidzein. Biotransformation of natural products by human intestinal bacteria has recently drawn a significant interest, due to the emerging strong correlation between gut microbiota and human health. Microbial metabolism of natural products by intestinal bacteria in small intestine and colon proceeds the phase I and II xenobiotic metabolisms in the liver. The metabolites were found to exhibit different biological activities, and affect human etiology. For example, many beneficial effects of dietary polyphenols in human health are attributed to the microbial metabolites produced by intestinal bacteria and the modulation of gut microbiota composition

  10. Xenobiotic-induced apoptosis: significance and potential application as a general biomarker of response

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sweet, Leonard I.; Passino-Reader, Dora R.; Meier, Peter G.; Omann, Geneva M.

    1999-01-01

    The process of apoptosis, often coined programmed cell death, involves cell injury induced by a variety of stimuli including xenobiotics and is morphologically, biochemically, and physiologically distinct from necrosis. Apoptotic death is characterized by cellular changes such as cytoplasm shrinkage, chromatin condensation, and plasma membrane asymmetry. This form of cell suicide is appealing as a general biomarker of response in that it is expressed in multiple cell systems (e.g. immune, neuronal, hepatal, intestinal, dermal, reproductive), is conserved phylogenetically (e.g. fish, rodents, birds, sheep, amphibians, roundworms, plants, humans), is modulated by environmentally relevant levels of chemical contaminants, and indicates a state of stress of the organism. Further, apoptosis is useful as a biomarker as it serves as a molecular control point and hence may provide mechanistic information on xenobiotic stress. Studies reviewed here suggest that apoptosis is a sensitive and early indicator of acute and chronic chemical stress, loss of cellular function and structure, and organismal health. Examples are provided of the application of this methodology in studies of health of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in the Laurentian Great Lakes.

  11. Food Components and Supplements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Parlesak, Alexandr

    2012-01-01

    The major part of food consists of chemical compounds that can be used for energy production, biological synthesis, or maintenance of metabolic processes by the host. These components are defined as nutrients, and can be categorized into macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, triglycerides......, and alcohol), minerals, and micronutrients. The latter category comprises 13 vitamins and a hand full of trace elements. Many micronutrients are used as food supplements and are ingested at doses exceeding the amounts that can be consumed along with food by a factor of 10–100. Both macro- and micronutrients...... can interact with enzyme systems related to xenobiotic metabolism either by regulation of their expression or direct interference with their enzymatic activity. During food consumption, we consume a wide range of xenobiotics along with the consumable food, either as an original part of the food (e...

  12. A comparative study on androgen metabolism in three invertebrate species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janer, G; LeBlanc, G A; Porte, C

    2005-09-15

    A comparative approach was taken in this study to evaluate androgen (androstenedione and testosterone) metabolism in three invertebrate species: the gastropod Marisa cornuarietis, the amphipod Hyalella azteca, and the echinoderm Paracentrotus lividus. The existence of 17beta/3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) and 5alpha-reductase catalyzed reactions was demonstrated in all three species. Androstenedione was primarily converted to 5alpha-androstanedione in M. cornuarietis, while it was primarily metabolized to testosterone in P. lividus and H. azteca. In addition, and consistent with vertebrate findings, tissue specific pathways and sexual dimorphism in androgen metabolism were observed. Namely, testosterone was metabolized to dihydrotestosterone in P. lividus gonads (via 5alpha-reductase), and metabolized to 4-androstene-3beta,17beta-diol in the digestive tube (via 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase). Furthermore, the synthesis of 17beta-reduced metabolites of androstenedione (testosterone and dihydrotestosterone) was 3- to 4-fold higher in males of M. cornuarietis than in females. Organotin compounds, which have been shown to interfere with some aspects of androgen metabolism, had no major effect on testosterone metabolism in any of the three species. Fenarimol enhanced 5alpha-reductase-mediated catalysis in gonads of P. lividus. Overall, results demonstrate the ubiquity of some androgen biotransformation processes in invertebrates and reveals interphyla differences in androgen metabolic pathways, and different sensitivity of these pathways to some xenobiotics.

  13. Glucose Regulates Hypothalamic Long-chain Fatty Acid Metabolism via AMP-activated Kinase (AMPK) in Neurons and Astrocytes*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taïb, Bouchra; Bouyakdan, Khalil; Hryhorczuk, Cécile; Rodaros, Demetra; Fulton, Stephanie; Alquier, Thierry

    2013-01-01

    Hypothalamic controls of energy balance rely on the detection of circulating nutrients such as glucose and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) by the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH). LCFA metabolism in the MBH plays a key role in the control of food intake and glucose homeostasis, yet it is not known if glucose regulates LCFA oxidation and esterification in the MBH and, if so, which hypothalamic cell type(s) and intracellular signaling mechanisms are involved. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of glucose on LCFA metabolism, assess the role of AMP-activated Kinase (AMPK), and to establish if changes in LCFA metabolism and its regulation by glucose vary as a function of the kind of LCFA, cell type, and brain region. We show that glucose inhibits palmitate oxidation via AMPK in hypothalamic neuronal cell lines, primary hypothalamic astrocyte cultures, and MBH slices ex vivo but not in cortical astrocytes and slice preparations. In contrast, oleate oxidation was not affected by glucose or AMPK inhibition in MBH slices. In addition, our results show that glucose increases palmitate, but not oleate, esterification into neutral lipids in neurons and MBH slices but not in hypothalamic astrocytes. These findings reveal for the first time the metabolic fate of different LCFA in the MBH, demonstrate AMPK-dependent glucose regulation of LCFA oxidation in both astrocytes and neurons, and establish metabolic coupling of glucose and LCFA as a distinguishing feature of hypothalamic nuclei critical for the control of energy balance. PMID:24240094

  14. JAZF1 can regulate the expression of lipid metabolic genes and inhibit lipid accumulation in adipocytes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ming, Guang-feng [Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Central South University, Changsha 410078, Hunan (China); Department of Critical Care Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan (China); Xiao, Di; Gong, Wei-jing [Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Central South University, Changsha 410078, Hunan (China); Liu, Hui-xia; Liu, Jun [Department of Geriatrics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan (China); Zhou, Hong-hao [Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Central South University, Changsha 410078, Hunan (China); Liu, Zhao-qian, E-mail: liuzhaoqian63@126.com [Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Central South University, Changsha 410078, Hunan (China)

    2014-03-14

    Highlights: • JAZF1 was significantly upregulated during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. • JAZF1 overexpression inhibited lipid accumulation in differentiated mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes. • JAZF1 overexpression inhibited the expression of SREBP1, ACC, and FAS. • JAZF1 overexpression upregulated the expression of HSL and ATGL. • SREBP1 and JAZF1 could regulate each other in adipocytes. - Abstract: JAZF1 is a newly identified gene with unknown functions. A recent genome-wide association study showed that JAZF1 is associated with type 2 diabetes and is highly expressed in liver and adipose tissue. Studies have demonstrated that JAZF1 is the co-repressor for nuclear orphan receptor TAK1, whereas most nuclear orphan receptor family members are involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism. Therefore, JAZF1 could be closely related to glycolipid metabolism. In this study, JAZF1 was significantly upregulated during the induced differentiation process of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The overexpression of JAZF1 inhibited lipid accumulation in differentiated mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes and significantly inhibited the expression of SREBPl, ACC, and FAS, which were important in lipid synthesis, while upregulating the expression of key enzyme hormone-sensitive lipase in lipoclasis. Moreover, SREBPl exhibited an inhibitory function on the expression of JAZF1. SREBP1 reversed the inhibitory action on lipid accumulation of JAZF1. SREBP1 and JAZF1 were observed to regulate each other in adipocytes. Therefore, JAZF1 could regulate the expression of particular genes related to lipid metabolism and inhibit lipid accumulation in adipocytes. This result suggests that JAZF1 may be a potential target for the treatment of diseases, such as obesity and lipid metabolism disorders.

  15. JAZF1 can regulate the expression of lipid metabolic genes and inhibit lipid accumulation in adipocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ming, Guang-feng; Xiao, Di; Gong, Wei-jing; Liu, Hui-xia; Liu, Jun; Zhou, Hong-hao; Liu, Zhao-qian

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • JAZF1 was significantly upregulated during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. • JAZF1 overexpression inhibited lipid accumulation in differentiated mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes. • JAZF1 overexpression inhibited the expression of SREBP1, ACC, and FAS. • JAZF1 overexpression upregulated the expression of HSL and ATGL. • SREBP1 and JAZF1 could regulate each other in adipocytes. - Abstract: JAZF1 is a newly identified gene with unknown functions. A recent genome-wide association study showed that JAZF1 is associated with type 2 diabetes and is highly expressed in liver and adipose tissue. Studies have demonstrated that JAZF1 is the co-repressor for nuclear orphan receptor TAK1, whereas most nuclear orphan receptor family members are involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism. Therefore, JAZF1 could be closely related to glycolipid metabolism. In this study, JAZF1 was significantly upregulated during the induced differentiation process of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The overexpression of JAZF1 inhibited lipid accumulation in differentiated mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes and significantly inhibited the expression of SREBPl, ACC, and FAS, which were important in lipid synthesis, while upregulating the expression of key enzyme hormone-sensitive lipase in lipoclasis. Moreover, SREBPl exhibited an inhibitory function on the expression of JAZF1. SREBP1 reversed the inhibitory action on lipid accumulation of JAZF1. SREBP1 and JAZF1 were observed to regulate each other in adipocytes. Therefore, JAZF1 could regulate the expression of particular genes related to lipid metabolism and inhibit lipid accumulation in adipocytes. This result suggests that JAZF1 may be a potential target for the treatment of diseases, such as obesity and lipid metabolism disorders

  16. Effect of diet composition and mixture of selected food additives on the erythrocytic system and iron metabolism in peripheral blood of male rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadowska, Joanna; Kuchlewska, Magdalena

    2011-01-01

    Metabolic processes of food additives which are "exogenous xenobiotics" are catalysed, primarily, by enzymes located in microsomes of hepatocytes affiliated to P-450 cytochrome superfamily, containing iron. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of diet composition and selected food additives on the erythrocyte system and iron metabolism in peripheral blood of male rats. The experiment was carried out on 30 male rats sorted into three equinumerous groups. For drinking animals received pure, settled tap water, animals from group III were receiving additionally an aqueous solution of sodium (nitrate), potassium nitrite, benzoic acid, sorbic acid and monosodium glutamate. Ascertained a significant effect of changes in diet composition on the increase in hematocrit marker value and the count of red blood cells in blood of animals examined. Used food additives diminished hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit value and red blood cell count, diminishing also iron concentration in serum, the total iron binding capacity and transferrin saturation with iron. Analysis of the results allowed ascertain adverse changes in values of the erythrocytic system markers, occurring under the influence of the applied mixture of food additives. Used food additives change the iron metabolism, most likely from the necessity of applied xenobiotics biotransformation by heme-containing monoxygenases of P-450 cytochrome.

  17. Cuticular uptake of xenobiotics into living plants. Part 2: influence of the xenobiotic dose on the uptake of bentazone, epoxiconazole and pyraclostrobin, applied in the presence of various surfactants, into Chenopodium album, Sinapis alba and Triticum aestivum leaves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forster, W Alison; Zabkiewicz, Jerzy A; Liu, Zhiqian

    2006-07-01

    This study has determined the uptake of three pesticides, applied as commercial or model formulations in the presence of a wide range of surfactants, into the leaves of three plant species (bentazone into Chenopodium album L. and Sinapis alba L., epoxiconazole and pyraclostrobin into Triticum aestivum L.). The results have confirmed previous findings that the initial dose (nmol mm(-2)) of xenobiotic applied to plant foliage is a strong, positive determinant of uptake. This held true for all the pesticide formulations studied, although surfactant concentration was found to have an effect. The lower surfactant concentrations studied showed an inferior relationship between the amount of xenobiotic applied and uptake. High molecular mass surfactants also produced much lower uptake than expected from the dose uptake equations in specific situations.

  18. Bile acids are important direct and indirect regulators of the secretion of appetite- and metabolism-regulating hormones from the gut and pancreas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kuhre, Rune Ehrenreich; Albrechtsen, Nicolai Jacob Wewer; Larsen, Olav

    2018-01-01

    ), and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), but also glucagon and insulin in vivo, to levels comparable to those resulting from glucose stimulation. The mechanisms of GLP-1, neurotensin, and peptide YY (PYY) secretion was secondary to intestinal absorption and depended on activation of basolateral membrane Takeda G......OBJECTIVE: Bile acids (BAs) facilitate fat absorption and may play a role in glucose and metabolism regulation, stimulating the secretion of gut hormones. The relative importance and mechanisms involved in BA-stimulated secretion of appetite and metabolism regulating hormones from the gut...... and pancreas is not well described and was the purpose of this study. METHODS: The effects of bile acids on the secretion of gut and pancreatic hormones was studied in rats and compared to the most well described nutritional secretagogue: glucose. The molecular mechanisms that underlie the secretion...

  19. Effects of chlorinated drinking water on the xenobiotic metabolism in Cyprinus carpio treated with samples from two Italian municipal networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cirillo, Silvia; Canistro, Donatella; Vivarelli, Fabio; Paolini, Moreno

    2016-09-01

    Drinking water (DW) disinfection represents a milestone of the past century, thanks to its efficacy in the reduction of risks of epidemic forms by water micro-organisms. Nevertheless, such process generates disinfection by-products (DBPs), some of which are genotoxic both in animals and in humans and carcinogenic in animals. At present, chlorination is one of the most employed strategies but the toxicological effects of several classes of DBPs are unknown. In this investigation, a multidisciplinary approach foreseeing the chemical analysis of chlorinated DW samples and the study of its effects on mixed function oxidases (MFOs) belonging to the superfamily of cytochrome P450-linked monooxygenases of Cyprinus carpio hepatopancreas, was employed. The experimental samples derived from aquifers of two Italian towns (plant 1, river water and plant 2, spring water) were obtained immediately after the disinfection (A) and along the network (R1). Animals treated with plant 1 DW-processed fractions showed a general CYP-associated MFO induction. By contrast, in plant 2, a complex modulation pattern was achieved, with a general up-regulation for the point A and a marked MFO inactivation in the R1 group, particularly for the testosterone metabolism. Together, the toxicity and co-carcinogenicity (i.e. unremitting over-generation of free radicals and increased bioactivation capability) of DW linked to the recorded metabolic manipulation, suggests that a prolonged exposure to chlorine-derived disinfectants may produce adverse health effects.

  20. The Identification of Xenobiotics in the New UK Context of Drinking Water Safety Planning and Related Environmental Legislation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayes, C. R.; Keirle, R. S.; Lobley, A.

    2008-01-01

    Recent European environmental legislation (the Water Framework Directive, the Environmental Liability Directive, and the REACH Regulation) should provide better protection of terrestrial water bodies but their focus is on the more conspicuous pollutants, as opposed to the large number of xenobiotic micro-pollutants that are increasingly being detected in the urban water cycle. The development of Drinking Water Safety Plans (DWSPs), as promoted by the World Health Organization, utilises a proactive risk assessment-risk management approach that necessarily should include micro-pollutants, although currently in the UK micro-pollutants have largely been ignored. The generic assessment of the risks posed by micro-pollutants is proposed and will require a consensus on analytical screening methods, sampling points and frequencies, and a method for prioritising concern, and would enable DWSPs to take fuller account of the risks posed

  1. Regulation of sucrose metabolism in higher plants: localization and regulation of activity of key enzymes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winter, H.; Huber, S. C.; Brown, C. S. (Principal Investigator)

    2000-01-01

    Sucrose (Suc) plays a central role in plant growth and development. It is a major end product of photosynthesis and functions as a primary transport sugar and in some cases as a direct or indirect regulator of gene expression. Research during the last 2 decades has identified the pathways involved and which enzymes contribute to the control of flux. Availability of metabolites for Suc synthesis and 'demand' for products of sucrose degradation are important factors, but this review specifically focuses on the biosynthetic enzyme sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS), and the degradative enzymes, sucrose synthase (SuSy), and the invertases. Recent progress has included the cloning of genes encoding these enzymes and the elucidation of posttranslational regulatory mechanisms. Protein phosphorylation is emerging as an important mechanism controlling SPS activity in response to various environmental and endogenous signals. In terms of Suc degradation, invertase-catalyzed hydrolysis generally has been associated with cell expansion, whereas SuSy-catalyzed metabolism has been linked with biosynthetic processes (e.g., cell wall or storage products). Recent results indicate that SuSy may be localized in multiple cellular compartments: (1) as a soluble enzyme in the cytosol (as traditionally assumed); (2) associated with the plasma membrane; and (3) associated with the actin cytoskeleton. Phosphorylation of SuSy has been shown to occur and may be one of the factors controlling localization of the enzyme. The purpose of this review is to summarize some of the recent developments relating to regulation of activity and localization of key enzymes involved in sucrose metabolism in plants.

  2. MiR130b-Regulation of PPARγ Coactivator- 1α Suppresses Fat Metabolism in Goat Mammary Epithelial Cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhi Chen

    Full Text Available Fat metabolism is a complicated process regulated by a series of factors. microRNAs (miRNAs are a class of negative regulator of proteins and play crucial roles in many biological processes; including fat metabolism. Although there have been some researches indicating that miRNAs could influence the milk fat metabolism through targeting some factors, little is known about the effect of miRNAs on goat milk fat metabolism. Here we utilized an improved miRNA detection assay, S-Poly-(T, to profile the expression of miRNAs in the goat mammary gland in different periods, and found that miR-130b was abundantly and differentially expressed in goat mammary gland. Additionally, overexpressing miR-130b impaired adipogenesis while inhibiting miR-130b enhanced adipogenesis in goat mammary epithelial cells. Utilizing 3'-UTR assay and Western Blot analusis, the protein peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor coactivator-1α (PGC1α, a major regulator of fat metabolism, was demonstrated to be a potential target of miR-130b. Interestingly, miR-130b potently repressed PGC1α expression by targeting both the PGC1α mRNA coding and 3' untranslated regions. These findings have some insight of miR-130b in mediating adipocyte differentiation by repressing PGC1α expression and this contributes to further understanding about the functional significance of miRNAs in milk fat synthesis.

  3. Dissecting adipose tissue lipolysis: molecular regulation and implications for metabolic disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Thomas Svava; Jessen, Niels; Jørgensen, Jens Otto Lunde

    2014-01-01

    is tightly regulated by hormonal and nutritional factors. Under conditions of negative energy balance such as fasting and exercise, stimulation of lipolysis results in a profound increase in FFA release from adipose tissue. This response is crucial in order to provide the organism with a sufficient supply......Lipolysis is the process by which triglycerides are hydrolyzed to free fatty acids (FFA) and glycerol. In adipocytes, this is achieved by the sequential action of Adipose Triglyceride Lipase (ATGL), Hormone Sensitive Lipase (HSL) and Monoglyceride Lipase (MGL). The activity in the lipolytic pathway...... of substrate for oxidative metabolism. However, failure to efficiently suppress lipolysis when FFA demands are low can have serious metabolic consequences and is believed to be a key mechanism in the development of type 2 diabetes in obesity. Since the discovery of ATGL in 2004, substantial progress has been...

  4. Classification and modelling of non-extractable residue (NER) formation of xenobiotics in soil - a synthesis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kästner, M.; Nowak, K. M.; Miltner, A.

    2014-01-01

    This review provides a comprehensive overview about NER formation and attempts to classify the various types. Xenobiotic NER derived from parent pesticides (or other environmental contaminants) and primary metabolites sorbed or entrapped within the soil organic matter (type I) or covalently bound...

  5. New avenues for regulation of lipid metabolism by thyroid hormones and analogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senese, Rosalba; Lasala, Pasquale; Leanza, Cristina; de Lange, Pieter

    2014-01-01

    Weight loss due to negative energy balance is a goal in counteracting obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The thyroid is known to be an important regulator of energy metabolism through the action of thyroid hormones (THs). The classic, active TH, 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) acts predominantly by binding to nuclear receptors termed TH receptors (TRs), that recognize TH response elements (TREs) on the DNA, and so regulate transcription. T3 also acts through "non-genomic" pathways that do not necessarily involve TRs. Lipid-lowering therapies have been suggested to have potential benefits, however, the establishment of comprehensive therapeutic strategies is still awaited. One drawback of using T3 in counteracting obesity has been the occurrence of heart rhythm disturbances. These are mediated through one TR, termed TRα. The end of the previous century saw the exploration of TH mimetics that specifically bind to TR beta in order to prevent cardiac disturbances, and TH derivatives such as 3,5-diiodo-L-thyronine (T2), that possess interesting biological activities. Several TH derivatives and functional analogs have low affinity for the TRs, and are suggested to act predominantly through non-genomic pathways. All this has opened new perspectives in thyroid physiology and TH derivative usage as anti-obesity therapies. This review addresses the pros and cons of these compounds, in light of their effects on energy balance regulation and on lipid/cholesterol metabolism.

  6. New Avenues for Regulation of Lipid Metabolism by Thyroid Hormones and Analogs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosalba eSenese

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Weight loss due to negative energy balance is a goal in counteracting obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The thyroid is known to be an important regulator of energy metabolism through the action of thyroid hormones (THs. The classic, active TH, 3,5,3’-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3 acts predominantly by binding to nuclear receptors termed TH receptors (TRs, that recognize TH response elements (TREs on the DNA, and so regulate transcription. T3 also acts through non-genomic pathways that do not necessarily involve TRs. Lipid-lowering therapies have been suggested to have potential benefits, however, the establishment of comprehensive therapeutic strategies is still awaited. One drawback of using T3 in counteracting obesity has been the occurrence of heart rhythm disturbances. These are mediated through one TR, termed TR alpha. The end of the previous century saw the exploration of TH mimetics that specifically bind to TR beta in order to prevent cardiac disturbances, and TH derivatives such as 3,5-diiodo-L-thyronine (T2, that possess interesting biological activities. Several TH derivatives and functional analogs have low affinity for the TRs, and are suggested to act predominantly through non-genomic pathways. All this has opened new perspectives in thyroid physiology and TH derivative usage as anti-obesity therapies. This review addresses the pros and cons of these compounds, in light of their effects on energy balance regulation and on lipid/cholesterol metabolism.

  7. Concurrent and robust regulation of feeding behaviors and metabolism by orexin neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inutsuka, Ayumu; Inui, Azusa; Tabuchi, Sawako; Tsunematsu, Tomomi; Lazarus, Michael; Yamanaka, Akihiro

    2014-10-01

    Orexin neurons in the hypothalamus regulate energy homeostasis by coordinating various physiological responses. Past studies have shown the role of the orexin peptide itself; however, orexin neurons contain not only orexin but also other neurotransmitters such as glutamate and dynorphin. In this study, we examined the physiological role of orexin neurons in feeding behavior and metabolism by pharmacogenetic activation and chronic ablation. We generated novel orexin-Cre mice and utilized Cre-dependent adeno-associated virus vectors to express Gq-coupled modified GPCR, hM3Dq or diphtheria toxin fragment A in orexin neurons. By intraperitoneal injection of clozapine-N oxide in orexin-Cre mice expressing hM3Dq in orexin neurons, we could selectively manipulate the activity of orexin neurons. Pharmacogenetic stimulation of orexin neurons simultaneously increased locomotive activity, food intake, water intake and the respiratory exchange ratio (RER). Elevation of blood glucose levels and RER persisted even after locomotion and feeding behaviors returned to basal levels. Accordantly, 83% ablation of orexin neurons resulted in decreased food and water intake, while 70% ablation had almost no effect on these parameters. Our results indicate that orexin neurons play an integral role in regulation of both feeding behavior and metabolism. This regulation is so robust that greater than 80% of orexin neurons were ablated before significant changes in feeding behavior emerged. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  8. The relative importance of kinetic mechanisms and variable enzyme abundances for the regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism--insights from mathematical modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bulik, Sascha; Holzhütter, Hermann-Georg; Berndt, Nikolaus

    2016-03-02

    Adaptation of the cellular metabolism to varying external conditions is brought about by regulated changes in the activity of enzymes and transporters. Hormone-dependent reversible enzyme phosphorylation and concentration changes of reactants and allosteric effectors are the major types of rapid kinetic enzyme regulation, whereas on longer time scales changes in protein abundance may also become operative. Here, we used a comprehensive mathematical model of the hepatic glucose metabolism of rat hepatocytes to decipher the relative importance of different regulatory modes and their mutual interdependencies in the hepatic control of plasma glucose homeostasis. Model simulations reveal significant differences in the capability of liver metabolism to counteract variations of plasma glucose in different physiological settings (starvation, ad libitum nutrient supply, diabetes). Changes in enzyme abundances adjust the metabolic output to the anticipated physiological demand but may turn into a regulatory disadvantage if sudden unexpected changes of the external conditions occur. Allosteric and hormonal control of enzyme activities allow the liver to assume a broad range of metabolic states and may even fully reverse flux changes resulting from changes of enzyme abundances alone. Metabolic control analysis reveals that control of the hepatic glucose metabolism is mainly exerted by enzymes alone, which are differently controlled by alterations in enzyme abundance, reversible phosphorylation, and allosteric effects. In hepatic glucose metabolism, regulation of enzyme activities by changes of reactants, allosteric effects, and reversible phosphorylation is equally important as changes in protein abundance of key regulatory enzymes.

  9. Transcriptional Regulation and the Diversification of Metabolism in Wine Yeast Strains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossouw, Debra; Jacobson, Dan; Bauer, Florian F.

    2012-01-01

    Transcription factors and their binding sites have been proposed as primary targets of evolutionary adaptation because changes to single transcription factors can lead to far-reaching changes in gene expression patterns. Nevertheless, there is very little concrete evidence for such evolutionary changes. Industrial wine yeast strains, of the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are a geno- and phenotypically diverse group of organisms that have adapted to the ecological niches of industrial winemaking environments and have been selected to produce specific styles of wine. Variation in transcriptional regulation among wine yeast strains may be responsible for many of the observed differences and specific adaptations to different fermentative conditions in the context of commercial winemaking. We analyzed gene expression profiles of wine yeast strains to assess the impact of transcription factor expression on metabolic networks. The data provide new insights into the molecular basis of variations in gene expression in industrial strains and their consequent effects on metabolic networks important to wine fermentation. We show that the metabolic phenotype of a strain can be shifted in a relatively predictable manner by changing expression levels of individual transcription factors, opening opportunities to modify transcription networks to achieve desirable outcomes. PMID:22042577

  10. Regulation of neurotrophic factors and energy metabolism by antidepressants in astrocytes

    KAUST Repository

    Martin, Jean Luc; Magistretti, Pierre J.; Allaman, Igor

    2013-01-01

    There is growing evidence that astrocytes are involved in the neuropathology of major depression. In particular, decreases in glial cell density observed in the cerebral cortex of individuals with major depressive disorder are accompanied by a reduction of several astrocytic markers suggesting that astrocyte dysfunction may contribute to the pathophysiology of major depression. In rodents, glial loss in the prefrontal cortex is sufficient to induce depressive-like behaviors and antidepressant treatment prevents the stress-induced reduction of astrocyte number in the hippocampus. Collectively, these data support the existence of a link between astrocyte loss or dysfunction, depressive-like behavior and antidepressant treatment. Astrocytes are increasingly recognized to play important roles in neuronal development, neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity and maintenance of brain homeostasis. It is also well established that astrocytes provide trophic, structural, and metabolic support to neurons. In this article, we review evidence that antidepressants regulate energy metabolism and neurotrophic factor expression with particular emphasis on studies in astrocytes. These observations support a role for astrocytes as new targets for antidepressants. The contribution of changes in astrocyte glucose metabolism and neurotrophic factor expression to the therapeutic effects of antidepressants remains to be established. © 2013 Bentham Science Publishers.

  11. Regulation of neurotrophic factors and energy metabolism by antidepressants in astrocytes

    KAUST Repository

    Martin, Jean Luc

    2013-09-01

    There is growing evidence that astrocytes are involved in the neuropathology of major depression. In particular, decreases in glial cell density observed in the cerebral cortex of individuals with major depressive disorder are accompanied by a reduction of several astrocytic markers suggesting that astrocyte dysfunction may contribute to the pathophysiology of major depression. In rodents, glial loss in the prefrontal cortex is sufficient to induce depressive-like behaviors and antidepressant treatment prevents the stress-induced reduction of astrocyte number in the hippocampus. Collectively, these data support the existence of a link between astrocyte loss or dysfunction, depressive-like behavior and antidepressant treatment. Astrocytes are increasingly recognized to play important roles in neuronal development, neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity and maintenance of brain homeostasis. It is also well established that astrocytes provide trophic, structural, and metabolic support to neurons. In this article, we review evidence that antidepressants regulate energy metabolism and neurotrophic factor expression with particular emphasis on studies in astrocytes. These observations support a role for astrocytes as new targets for antidepressants. The contribution of changes in astrocyte glucose metabolism and neurotrophic factor expression to the therapeutic effects of antidepressants remains to be established. © 2013 Bentham Science Publishers.

  12. Metabolic learning and memory formation by the brain influence systemic metabolic homeostasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yumin; Liu, Gang; Yan, Jingqi; Zhang, Yalin; Li, Bo; Cai, Dongsheng

    2015-01-01

    Metabolic homeostasis is regulated by the brain, whether this regulation involves learning and memory of metabolic information remains unexplored. Here we use a calorie-based, taste-independent learning/memory paradigm to show that Drosophila form metabolic memories that help balancing food choice with caloric intake; however, this metabolic learning or memory is lost under chronic high-calorie feeding. We show that loss of individual learning/memory-regulating genes causes a metabolic learning defect, leading to elevated trehalose and lipids levels. Importantly, this function of metabolic learning requires not only the mushroom body but the hypothalamus-like pars intercerebralis, while NF-κB activation in the pars intercerebralis mimics chronic overnutrition in that it causes metabolic learning impairment and disorders. Finally, we evaluate this concept of metabolic learning/memory in mice, suggesting the hypothalamus is involved in a form of nutritional learning and memory, which is critical for determining resistance or susceptibility to obesity. In conclusion, our data indicate the brain, and potentially the hypothalamus, direct metabolic learning and the formation of memories, which contribute to the control of systemic metabolic homeostasis. PMID:25848677

  13. Metabolism and pharmacokinetic of cyclo-peptides and peptides. Use of radioelement and stable isotopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aninat, C.

    2003-10-01

    More and more peptides and proteins are used in therapeutic. Three mainly techniques are used for pharmacokinetic and metabolism studies: immunoassay, radioactively labeled molecules and mass spectrometry. In the first part of this work, we have used uniformly labelled peptides (C-peptide and insulin) with stables ( 13 C, 15 N, and 13 C/ 15 N) or radioactive ( 14 C) isotopes to investigated these kind of studies. These works are based on isotope dilution mass spectrometry assay. In a second time we have investigated the metabolism of a particular cyclo-peptides families composed of two amino acids: the diketo-piperazine. These compounds are found in mammals and in microorganisms. There are not recognized by proteolytic enzymes. We have estimated if the main enzymes implicated in the metabolism of xenobiotics, the P450 cytochrome mono-oxygenases, were able to recognized them

  14. Matrix rigidity regulates cancer cell growth by modulating cellular metabolism and protein synthesis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert W Tilghman

    Full Text Available Tumor cells in vivo encounter diverse types of microenvironments both at the site of the primary tumor and at sites of distant metastases. Understanding how the various mechanical properties of these microenvironments affect the biology of tumor cells during disease progression is critical in identifying molecular targets for cancer therapy.This study uses flexible polyacrylamide gels as substrates for cell growth in conjunction with a novel proteomic approach to identify the properties of rigidity-dependent cancer cell lines that contribute to their differential growth on soft and rigid substrates. Compared to cells growing on more rigid/stiff substrates (>10,000 Pa, cells on soft substrates (150-300 Pa exhibited a longer cell cycle, due predominantly to an extension of the G1 phase of the cell cycle, and were metabolically less active, showing decreased levels of intracellular ATP and a marked reduction in protein synthesis. Using stable isotope labeling of amino acids in culture (SILAC and mass spectrometry, we measured the rates of protein synthesis of over 1200 cellular proteins under growth conditions on soft and rigid/stiff substrates. We identified cellular proteins whose syntheses were either preferentially inhibited or preserved on soft matrices. The former category included proteins that regulate cytoskeletal structures (e.g., tubulins and glycolysis (e.g., phosphofructokinase-1, whereas the latter category included proteins that regulate key metabolic pathways required for survival, e.g., nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, a regulator of the NAD salvage pathway.The cellular properties of rigidity-dependent cancer cells growing on soft matrices are reminiscent of the properties of dormant cancer cells, e.g., slow growth rate and reduced metabolism. We suggest that the use of relatively soft gels as cell culture substrates would allow molecular pathways to be studied under conditions that reflect the different mechanical

  15. A new fluorescence-based method identifies protein phosphatases regulating lipid droplet metabolism.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno L Bozaquel-Morais

    Full Text Available In virtually every cell, neutral lipids are stored in cytoplasmic structures called lipid droplets (LDs and also referred to as lipid bodies or lipid particles. We developed a rapid high-throughput assay based on the recovery of quenched BODIPY-fluorescence that allows to quantify lipid droplets. The method was validated by monitoring lipid droplet turnover during growth of a yeast culture and by screening a group of strains deleted in genes known to be involved in lipid metabolism. In both tests, the fluorimetric assay showed high sensitivity and good agreement with previously reported data using microscopy. We used this method for high-throughput identification of protein phosphatases involved in lipid droplet metabolism. From 65 yeast knockout strains encoding protein phosphatases and its regulatory subunits, 13 strains revealed to have abnormal levels of lipid droplets, 10 of them having high lipid droplet content. Strains deleted for type I protein phosphatases and related regulators (ppz2, gac1, bni4, type 2A phosphatase and its related regulator (pph21 and sap185, type 2C protein phosphatases (ptc1, ptc4, ptc7 and dual phosphatases (pps1, msg5 were catalogued as high-lipid droplet content strains. Only reg1, a targeting subunit of the type 1 phosphatase Glc7p, and members of the nutrient-sensitive TOR pathway (sit4 and the regulatory subunit sap190 were catalogued as low-lipid droplet content strains, which were studied further. We show that Snf1, the homologue of the mammalian AMP-activated kinase, is constitutively phosphorylated (hyperactive in sit4 and sap190 strains leading to a reduction of acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity. In conclusion, our fast and highly sensitive method permitted us to catalogue protein phosphatases involved in the regulation of LD metabolism and present evidence indicating that the TOR pathway and the SNF1/AMPK pathway are connected through the Sit4p-Sap190p pair in the control of lipid droplet biogenesis.

  16. Altered drug metabolism during pregnancy: hormonal regulation of drug-metabolizing enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, Hyunyoung

    2010-06-01

    Medication use during pregnancy is prevalent, but pharmacokinetic information of most drugs used during pregnancy is lacking in spite of known effects of pregnancy on drug disposition. Accurate pharmacokinetic information is essential for optimal drug therapy in mother and fetus. Thus, understanding how pregnancy influences drug disposition is important for better prediction of pharmacokinetic changes of drugs in pregnant women. Pregnancy is known to affect hepatic drug metabolism, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Physiological changes accompanying pregnancy are probably responsible for the reported alteration in drug metabolism during pregnancy. These include elevated concentrations of various hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, placental growth hormones and prolactin. This review covers how these hormones influence expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs), thus potentially responsible for altered drug metabolism during pregnancy. The reader will gain a greater understanding of the altered drug metabolism in pregnant women and the regulatory effects of pregnancy hormones on expression of DMEs. In-depth studies in hormonal regulatory mechanisms as well as confirmatory studies in pregnant women are warranted for systematic understanding and prediction of the changes in hepatic drug metabolism during pregnancy.

  17. Schisandra chinensis regulates drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters via activation of Nrf2-mediated signaling pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    He JL

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Jin-Lian He,1 Zhi-Wei Zhou,2,3 Juan-Juan Yin,2 Chang-Qiang He,1 Shu-Feng Zhou,2,3 Yang Yu1 1College of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA; 3Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Research Center and Sino-US Joint Laboratory for Medical Sciences, Guiyang Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs and drug transporters are regulated via epigenetic, transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and translational and posttranslational modifications. Phase I and II DMEs and drug transporters play an important role in the disposition and detoxification of a large number of endogenous and exogenous compounds. The nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (Nrf2 is a critical regulator of a variety of important cytoprotective genes that are involved in disposition and detoxification of xenobiotics. Schisandra chinensis (SC is a commonly used traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been primarily used to protect the liver because of its potent antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. SC can modulate some DMEs and drug transporters, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of Nrf2 in the regulatory effect of SC extract (SCE on selected DMEs and drug transporters in human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2 cells. The results showed that SCE, schisandrin A, and schisandrin B significantly increased the expression of NAD(PH: Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate-oxidase or:quinone oxidoreductase 1, heme oxygenase-1, glutamate–cysteine ligase, and glutathione S-transferase A4 at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Incubation of HepG2 cells with SCE resulted in a significant

  18. KDM4A Coactivates E2F1 to Regulate the PDK-Dependent Metabolic Switch between Mitochondrial Oxidation and Glycolysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ling-Yu Wang

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The histone lysine demethylase KDM4A/JMJD2A has been implicated in prostate carcinogenesis through its role in transcriptional regulation. Here, we describe KDM4A as a E2F1 coactivator and demonstrate a functional role for the E2F1-KDM4A complex in the control of tumor metabolism. KDM4A associates with E2F1 on target gene promoters and enhances E2F1 chromatin binding and transcriptional activity, thereby modulating the transcriptional profile essential for cancer cell proliferation and survival. The pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDKs PDK1 and PDK3 are direct targets of KDM4A and E2F1 and modulate the switch between glycolytic metabolism and mitochondrial oxidation. Downregulation of KDM4A leads to elevated activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase and mitochondrial oxidation, resulting in excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species. The altered metabolic phenotypes can be partially rescued by ectopic expression of PDK1 and PDK3, indicating a KDM4A-dependent tumor metabolic regulation via PDK. Our results suggest that KDM4A is a key regulator of tumor metabolism and a potential therapeutic target for prostate cancer.

  19. Classical NF-κB Metabolically Reprograms Sarcoma Cells Through Regulation of Hexokinase 2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priya Londhe

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundMetabolic reprogramming has emerged as a cancer hallmark, and one of the well-known cancer-associated metabolic alterations is the increase in the rate of glycolysis. Recent reports have shown that both the classical and alternative signaling pathways of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB play important roles in controlling the metabolic profiles of normal cells and cancer cells. However, how these signaling pathways affect the metabolism of sarcomas, specifically rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS and osteosarcoma (OS, has not been characterized.MethodsClassical NF-κB activity was inhibited through overexpression of the IκBα super repressor of NF-κB in RMS and OS cells. Global gene expression analysis was performed using Affymetrix GeneChip Human Transcriptome Array 2.0, and data were interpreted using gene set enrichment analysis. Seahorse Bioscience XFe24 was used to analyze oxygen consumption rate as a measure of aerobic respiration.ResultsInhibition of classical NF-κB activity in sarcoma cell lines restored alternative signaling as well as an increased oxidative respiratory metabolic phenotype in vitro. In addition, microarray analysis indicated that inhibition of NF-κB in sarcoma cells reduced glycolysis. We showed that a glycolytic gene, hexokinase (HK 2, is a direct NF-κB transcriptional target. Knockdown of HK2 shifted the metabolic profile in sarcoma cells away from aerobic glycolysis, and re-expression of HK2 rescued the metabolic shift induced by inhibition of NF-κB activity in OS cells.ConclusionThese findings suggest that classical signaling of NF-κB plays a crucial role in the metabolic profile of pediatric sarcomas potentially through the regulation of HK2.

  20. Regulation of Neuron-Astrocyte Metabolic Coupling across the Sleep-Wake Cycle

    KAUST Repository

    Petit, Jean-Marie

    2015-12-17

    Over the last thirty years, a growing number of studies showed that astrocytes play a pivotal role in the energy support to synapses. More precisely, astrocytes adjust the energy production to the neuronal energy needs through different mechanisms grouped under the term “neurometabolic coupling” (NMC). In this review we describe these mechanisms of coupling and how they involve astrocytes. From a physiological point of view, these mechanisms of coupling are particularly important to ensure normal synaptic functioning when neurons undergo rapid and repetitive changes in firing rate such as during the sleep/wake transitions. Investigations on brain energy metabolism during the sleep/wake cycle have been mainly focused on glucose consumption and on glycogen metabolism. However, the recent development of substrate-specific biosensors allowed measurements of the variation in extracellular levels of glutamate, glucose and lactate with a time resolution compatible with sleep stage duration. Together with gene expression data these experiments allowed to better define the variations of energy metabolites regulation across the sleep/wake cycle. The aim of this review is to bring into perspective the role of astrocytes and neurometabolic coupling in the regulation of the sleep/wake cycle. The data reviewed also suggest an important role of the astrocytic network. In addition, the role of astrocytes in NMC mechanisms is consistent with the “local and use dependent” sleep hypothesis.

  1. Concentrating carbohydrates before sleep improves feeding regulation and metabolic and inflammatory parameters in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sofer, Sigal; Eliraz, Abraham; Madar, Zecharia; Froy, Oren

    2015-10-15

    New evidance highlights the importance of food timing. Recently, we showed that a low-calorie diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner changed diurnal hormone secretion and led to greater weight loss and improved metabolic status in obese people. Herein, we set out to test whether concentrated-carbohydrates diet (CCD), in which carbohydrates are fed only before sleep, leads to an improved metabolic status in mouse hypothalamus and peripheral tissues. Diet-induced obese mice were given concentrated or distributed carbohydrate diet for 6 weeks. Obese mice fed CCD ate 8.3% less, were 9.3% leaner and had 39.7% less fat mass. Leptin, ghrelin and adiponectin displayed altered secretion. In addition, these mice exhibited an improved biochemical and inflammatory status. In the hypothalamus, anorexigenic signals were up-regulated and orexigenic signals were down-regulated. In peripheral tissues, CCD promoted adiponectin signaling, repressed gluconeogenesis, enhanced lipid oxidation and lowered inflammation, thus ameliorating the major risk factors of obesity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Ablation of TRIP-Br2, a novel regulator of fat lipolysis, thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism, prevents diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liew, Chong Wee; Boucher, Jeremie; Cheong, Jit Kong; Vernochet, Cecile; Koh, Ho-Jin; Mallol, Cristina; Townsend, Kristy; Langin, Dominique; Kawamori, Dan; Hu, Jiang; Tseng, Yu-Hua; Hellerstein, Marc K; Farmer, Stephen R; Goodyear, Laurie; Doria, Alessandro; Blüher, Matthias; Hsu, Stephen I-Hong; Kulkarni, Rohit N

    2012-01-01

    SUMMARY Obesity develops due to altered energy homeostasis favoring fat storage. Here we describe a novel transcription co-regulator for adiposity and energy metabolism, TRIP-Br2 (also called SERTAD2). TRIP-Br2 null mice are resistant to obesity and obesity-related insulin resistance. Adipocytes of the knockout (KO) mice exhibited greater stimulated lipolysis secondary to enhanced expression of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) and β3-adrenergic (Adrb3) receptors. The KOs also exhibit higher energy expenditure due to increased adipocyte thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism by up-regulating key enzymes in respective processes. Our data show for the first time that a cell cycle transcriptional co-regulator, TRIP-Br2, modulates fat storage through simultaneous regulation of lipolysis, thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism. These data together with the observation that TRIP-BR2 expression is selectively elevated in visceral fat in obese humans suggests that this transcriptional co-regulator is a novel therapeutic target for counteracting the development of obesity, insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia. PMID:23291629

  3. Dynamics and regulation of glycolysis-tricarboxylic acid metabolism in the midgut of Spodoptera litura during metamorphosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, D; Luo, W; Fan, L F; Liu, F L; Gu, J; Deng, H M; Zhang, C; Huang, L H; Feng, Q L

    2016-04-01

    Significant changes usually take place in the internal metabolism of insects during metamorphosis. The glycolysis-tricarboxylic acid (glycolysis-TCA) pathway is important for energy metabolism. To elucidate its dynamics, the mRNA levels of genes involved in this pathway were examined in the midgut of Spodoptera litura during metamorphosis, and the pyruvate content was quantified. The expression patterns of these genes in response to starvation were examined, and the interaction between protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) and phosphofructokinase (PFK) was studied. The results revealed that the expression or activities of most glycolytic enzymes was down-regulated in prepupae and then recovered in some degree in pupae, and all TCA-related genes were remarkably suppressed in both the prepupae and pupae. Pyruvate was enriched in the pupal midgut. Taken together, these results suggest that insects decrease both glycolysis and TCA in prepupae to save energy and then up-regulate glycolysis but down-regulate TCA in pupae to increase the supply of intermediates for construction of new organs. The expression of all these genes were down-regulated by starvation, indicating that non-feeding during metamorphosis may be a regulator of glycolysis-TCA pathway in the midgut. Importantly, interaction between PP1 and PFK was identified and is suggested to be involved in the regulation of glycolysis. © 2015 The Royal Entomological Society.

  4. NAD(+) metabolism: A therapeutic target for age-related metabolic disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mouchiroud, Laurent; Houtkooper, Riekelt H.; Auwerx, Johan

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a central metabolic cofactor by virtue of its redox capacity, and as such regulates a wealth of metabolic transformations. However, the identification of the longevity protein silent regulator 2 (Sir2), the founding member of the sirtuin protein

  5. microRNAs and lipid metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aryal, Binod; Singh, Abhishek K.; Rotllan, Noemi; Price, Nathan; Fernández-Hernando, Carlos

    2017-01-01

    Purpose of review Work over the last decade has identified the important role of microRNAs (miRNAS) in regulating lipoprotein metabolism and associated disorders including metabolic syndrome, obesity and atherosclerosis. This review summarizes the most recent findings in the field, highlighting the contribution of miRNAs in controlling low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism. Recent findings A number of miRNAs have emerged as important regulators of lipid metabolism, including miR-122 and miR-33. Work over the last two years has identified additional functions of miR-33 including the regulation of macrophage activation and mitochondrial metabolism. Moreover, it has recently been shown that miR-33 regulates vascular homeostasis and cardiac adaptation in response to pressure overload. In addition to miR-33 and miR-122, recent GWAS have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the proximity of miRNAs genes associated with abnormal levels of circulating lipids in humans. Several of these miRNA, such as miR-148a and miR-128-1, target important proteins that regulate cellular cholesterol metabolism, including the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and the ATP-binding cassette A1 (ABCA1). Summary microRNAs have emerged as critical regulators of cholesterol metabolism and promising therapeutic targets for treating cardiometabolic disorders including atherosclerosis. Here, we discuss the recent findings in the field highlighting the novel mechanisms by which miR-33 controls lipid metabolism and atherogenesis and the identification of novel miRNAs that regulate LDL metabolism. Finally, we summarize the recent findings that identified miR-33 as an important non-coding RNA that controls cardiovascular homeostasis independent of its role in regulating lipid metabolism. PMID:28333713

  6. Comparative proteomic analyses reveal that the regulators of G-protein signaling proteins regulate amino acid metabolism of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Haifeng; Ma, Hongyu; Xie, Xin; Ji, Jun; Dong, Yanhan; Du, Yan; Tang, Wei; Zheng, Xiaobo; Wang, Ping; Zhang, Zhengguang

    2014-11-01

    The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae encodes eight regulators of G-protein (GTP-binding protein) signaling (RGS) proteins MoRgs1-MoRgs8 that orchestrate the growth, asexual/sexual production, appressorium differentiation, and pathogenicity. To address the mechanisms by which MoRgs proteins function, we conducted a 2DE proteome study and identified 82 differentially expressed proteins by comparing five ∆Morgs mutants with wild-type Guy11 strain. We found that the abundances of eight amino acid (AA) biosynthesis or degradation associated proteins were markedly altered in five ∆Morgs mutants, indicating one of the main collective roles for the MoRgs proteins is to influence AA metabolism. We showed that MoRgs proteins have distinct roles in AA metabolism and nutrient responses from growth assays. In addition, we characterized MoLys20 (Lys is lysine), a homocitrate synthase, whose abundance was significantly decreased in the ∆Morgs mutants. The ∆Molys20 mutant is auxotrophic for lys and exogenous lys could partially rescue its auxotrophic defects. Deletion of MoLYS20 resulted in defects in conidiation and infection, as well as pathogenicity on rice. Overall, our results indicate that one of the critical roles for MoRgs proteins is to regulate AA metabolism, and that MoLys20 may be directly or indirectly regulated by MoRgs and participated in lys biosynthesis, thereby affecting fungal development and pathogenicity. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Fumarate hydratase is a critical metabolic regulator of hematopoietic stem cell functions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guitart, Amelie V; Panagopoulou, Theano I; Villacreces, Arnaud; Vukovic, Milica; Sepulveda, Catarina; Allen, Lewis; Carter, Roderick N; van de Lagemaat, Louie N; Morgan, Marcos; Giles, Peter; Sas, Zuzanna; Gonzalez, Marta Vila; Lawson, Hannah; Paris, Jasmin; Edwards-Hicks, Joy; Schaak, Katrin; Subramani, Chithra; Gezer, Deniz; Armesilla-Diaz, Alejandro; Wills, Jimi; Easterbrook, Aaron; Coman, David; So, Chi Wai Eric; O'Carroll, Donal; Vernimmen, Douglas; Rodrigues, Neil P; Pollard, Patrick J; Morton, Nicholas M; Finch, Andrew; Kranc, Kamil R

    2017-03-06

    Strict regulation of stem cell metabolism is essential for tissue functions and tumor suppression. In this study, we investigated the role of fumarate hydratase (Fh1), a key component of the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and cytosolic fumarate metabolism, in normal and leukemic hematopoiesis. Hematopoiesis-specific Fh1 deletion (resulting in endogenous fumarate accumulation and a genetic TCA cycle block reflected by decreased maximal mitochondrial respiration) caused lethal fetal liver hematopoietic defects and hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) failure. Reexpression of extramitochondrial Fh1 (which normalized fumarate levels but not maximal mitochondrial respiration) rescued these phenotypes, indicating the causal role of cellular fumarate accumulation. However, HSCs lacking mitochondrial Fh1 (which had normal fumarate levels but defective maximal mitochondrial respiration) failed to self-renew and displayed lymphoid differentiation defects. In contrast, leukemia-initiating cells lacking mitochondrial Fh1 efficiently propagated Meis1 / Hoxa9 -driven leukemia. Thus, we identify novel roles for fumarate metabolism in HSC maintenance and hematopoietic differentiation and reveal a differential requirement for mitochondrial Fh1 in normal hematopoiesis and leukemia propagation. © 2017 Guitart et al.

  8. Brassinosteroid Regulates Cell Elongation by Modulating Gibberellin Metabolism in Rice[C][W][OPEN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Hongning; Xiao, Yunhua; Liu, Dapu; Gao, Shaopei; Liu, Linchuan; Yin, Yanhai; Jin, Yun; Qian, Qian; Chu, Chengcai

    2014-01-01

    Brassinosteroid (BR) and gibberellin (GA) are two predominant hormones regulating plant cell elongation. A defect in either of these leads to reduced plant growth and dwarfism. However, their relationship remains unknown in rice (Oryza sativa). Here, we demonstrated that BR regulates cell elongation by modulating GA metabolism in rice. Under physiological conditions, BR promotes GA accumulation by regulating the expression of GA metabolic genes to stimulate cell elongation. BR greatly induces the expression of D18/GA3ox-2, one of the GA biosynthetic genes, leading to increased GA1 levels, the bioactive GA in rice seedlings. Consequently, both d18 and loss-of-function GA-signaling mutants have decreased BR sensitivity. When excessive active BR is applied, the hormone mostly induces GA inactivation through upregulation of the GA inactivation gene GA2ox-3 and also represses BR biosynthesis, resulting in decreased hormone levels and growth inhibition. As a feedback mechanism, GA extensively inhibits BR biosynthesis and the BR response. GA treatment decreases the enlarged leaf angles in plants with enhanced BR biosynthesis or signaling. Our results revealed a previously unknown mechanism underlying BR and GA crosstalk depending on tissues and hormone levels, which greatly advances our understanding of hormone actions in crop plants and appears much different from that in Arabidopsis thaliana. PMID:25371548

  9. Nasal metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene and dihydrosafrole in Beagle dogs and nonhuman primates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fischer, J.P.; Whaley, S.L.; Dahl, A.R.

    1986-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of nasal metabolism of 3 H-dihydrosafrole and 14 C-benzo[a]pyrene ( 14 C-BaP) by Beagle dogs and cynomolgus monkeys in two regions of the nasal cavity, the ethmoid (olfactory), and maxillary (respiratory) turbinates. Clearance of these two compounds from the nose was studied by collection of nasopharyngeal mucus, blood, urine, and feces during nasal instillation and up to 48 h afterwards. Analysis of the nasopharyngeal mucus showed that either turbinate region in both species metabolized 14 C-Bap to dihydrodiols, quinones, phenols, and tetrols. 3 H-Dihydrosafrole instilled in either turbinate region was extensively metabolized to 2-methyoxy-4-propylphenol. Other major metabolites were 2-methoxy-4-[2-propenyl]-phenol, and 3,4-methylenedioxy-1-(1-hydroxypropyl)benzene. The present study demonstrated a relatively noninvasive technique for studying regional nasal metabolic capabilities in xenobiotic in vivo. The results show that nasal cavities of dogs and monkeys are capable of metabolizing BaP into biologically significant compounds after instillation at both ethmoid and maxillary turbinates. 6 references, 4 tables

  10. Ablation of TRIP-Br2, a regulator of fat lipolysis, thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism, prevents diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liew, Chong Wee; Boucher, Jeremie; Cheong, Jit Kong; Vernochet, Cecile; Koh, Ho-Jin; Mallol, Cristina; Townsend, Kristy; Langin, Dominique; Kawamori, Dan; Hu, Jiang; Tseng, Yu-Hua; Hellerstein, Marc K; Farmer, Stephen R; Goodyear, Laurie; Doria, Alessandro; Blüher, Matthias; Hsu, Stephen I-Hong; Kulkarni, Rohit N

    2013-02-01

    Obesity develops as a result of altered energy homeostasis favoring fat storage. Here we describe a new transcription co-regulator for adiposity and energy metabolism, SERTA domain containing 2 (TRIP-Br2, also called SERTAD2). TRIP-Br2-null mice are resistant to obesity and obesity-related insulin resistance. Adipocytes of these knockout mice showed greater stimulated lipolysis secondary to enhanced expression of hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) and β3-adrenergic (Adrb3) receptors. The knockout mice also have higher energy expenditure because of increased adipocyte thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism caused by upregulating key enzymes in their respective processes. Our data show that a cell-cycle transcriptional co-regulator, TRIP-Br2, modulates fat storage through simultaneous regulation of lipolysis, thermogenesis and oxidative metabolism. These data, together with the observation that TRIP-Br2 expression is selectively elevated in visceral fat in obese humans, suggests that this transcriptional co-regulator is a new therapeutic target for counteracting the development of obesity, insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia.

  11. Regulation of Mitochondrial Function and Cellular Energy Metabolism by Protein Kinase C-λ/ι: A Novel Mode of Balancing Pluripotency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahato, Biraj; Home, Pratik; Rajendran, Ganeshkumar; Paul, Arindam; Saha, Biswarup; Ganguly, Avishek; Ray, Soma; Roy, Nairita; Swerdlow, Russell H.; Paul, Soumen

    2014-01-01

    Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) contain functionally immature mitochondria and rely upon high rates of glycolysis for their energy requirements. Thus, altered mitochondrial function and promotion of aerobic glycolysis is key to maintain and induce pluripotency. However, signaling mechanisms that regulate mitochondrial function and reprogram metabolic preferences in self-renewing vs. differentiated PSC populations are poorly understood. Here, using murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) as a model system, we demonstrate that atypical protein kinase C isoform, PKC lambda/iota (PKCλ/ι), is a key regulator of mitochondrial function in ESCs. Depletion of PKCλ/ι in ESCs maintains their pluripotent state as evident from germline offsprings. Interestingly, loss of PKCλ/ι in ESCs leads to impairment in mitochondrial maturation, organization and a metabolic shift toward glycolysis under differentiating condition. Our mechanistic analyses indicate that a PKCλ/ι-HIF1α-PGC1α axis regulates mitochondrial respiration and balances pluripotency in ESCs. We propose that PKCλ/ι could be a crucial regulator of mitochondrial function and energy metabolism in stem cells and other cellular contexts. PMID:25142417

  12. Is there a relationship between insect metabolic rate and mortality of mealworms Tenebrio molitor L. after insecticide exposure?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Justyna MALISZEWSKA

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Pesticides are known to affect insects metabolic rate and CO2 release patterns. In the presented paper metabolic rate and mortality of mealworms Tenebrio molitor L. exposed to four different insecticides was evaluated, to find out whether there is a relationship between mealworms sensitivity to pesticides and their metabolic rate. Tenebrio molitor mortality was determined after intoxication with pyrethroid, oxadiazine, neonicotinoid and organophosphate. Metabolic rate before and after intoxication with insecticides was also determined. The highest CO2 production and mortality rate was observed after mealworms exposition to neonicotinoid insecticide. The results suggest that high CO2 release after intoxication is adequate to the intensity of the non-specific action of the xenobiotic (e.g. hyperactivity of neuromuscular system, rather than the intensity of detoxification processes, and it is correlated with mealworms mortality.

  13. Vitreous humor analysis for the detection of xenobiotics in forensic toxicology: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bévalot, Fabien; Cartiser, Nathalie; Bottinelli, Charline; Fanton, Laurent; Guitton, Jérôme

    2016-01-01

    Vitreous humor (VH) is a gelatinous substance contained in the posterior chamber of the eye, playing a mechanical role in the eyeball. It has been the subject of numerous studies in various forensic applications, primarily for the assessment of postmortem interval and for postmortem chemical analysis. Since most of the xenobiotics present in the bloodstream are detected in VH after crossing the selective blood-retinal barrier, VH is an alternative matrix useful for forensic toxicology. VH analysis offers particular advantages over other biological matrices: it is less prone to postmortem redistribution, is easy to collect, has relatively few interfering compounds for the analytical process, and shows sample stability over time after death. The present study is an overview of VH physiology, drug transport and elimination. Collection, storage, analytical techniques and interpretation of results from qualitative and quantitative points of view are dealt with. The distribution of xenobiotics in VH samples is thus discussed and illustrated by a table reporting the concentrations of 106 drugs from more than 300 case reports. For this purpose, a survey was conducted of publications found in the MEDLINE database from 1969 through April 30, 2015.

  14. Effects of excess dietary tyrosine or certain xenobiotics on the cholesterogenesis in rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagaoka, S.; Masaki, H.; Aoyama, Y.; Yoshida, A.

    1986-01-01

    Comparison of the effects of excess dietary tyrosine, DDT, chlorobutanol (Chloretone) or butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) on serum cholesterol, hepatic activities of the rate-limiting enzyme of cholesterol synthesis,3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase and in vivo rates of the hepatic cholesterol synthesis measured by 3 H 2 O incorporation were investigated in rats. Serum cholesterol concentration was significantly higher in rats fed the DDT, chlorobutanol, BHA or excess tyrosine diets than in rats fed the control diet for 7 days. Serum cholesterol concentration remained higher compared to control rats when excess tyrosine was fed for 21 d. When rats were fed a basal diet after feeding a tyrosine excess diet for 2 wk, liver weight and serum cholesterol level returned to normal within 7 d. The incorporation of 3 H 2 O into liver cholesterol and the activity of liver 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase were greater in rats fed excess tyrosine or certain xenobiotics than in control rats. Present results suggested that the increase in serum cholesterol concentration due to excess dietary tyrosine or certain xenobiotics is mainly attributable to the stimulation of liver cholesterol synthesis

  15. Capturing the response of Clostridium acetobutylicum to chemical stressors using a regulated genome-scale metabolic model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dash, Satyakam; Mueller, Thomas J.; Venkataramanan, Keerthi P.; Papoutsakis, Eleftherios T.; Maranas, Costas D.

    2014-01-01

    Clostridia are anaerobic Gram-positive Firmicutes containing broad and flexible systems for substrate utilization, which have been used successfully to produce a range of industrial compounds. Clostridium acetobutylicum has been used to produce butanol on an industrial scale through acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation. A genome-scale metabolic (GSM) model is a powerful tool for understanding the metabolic capacities of an organism and developing metabolic engineering strategies for strain development. The integration of stress related specific transcriptomics information with the GSM model provides opportunities for elucidating the focal points of regulation

  16. Genome-Wide RNAi Ionomics Screen Reveals New Genes and Regulation of Human Trace Element Metabolism

    OpenAIRE

    Malinouski, Mikalai; Hasan, Nesrin M.; Zhang, Yan; Seravalli, Javier; Lin, Jie; Avanesov, Andrei; Lutsenko, Svetlana; Gladyshev, Vadim N.

    2017-01-01

    Trace elements are essential for human metabolism and dysregulation of their homeostasis is associated with numerous disorders. Here we characterize mechanisms that regulate trace elements in human cells by designing and performing a genome-wide high-throughput siRNA/ionomics screen, and examining top hits in cellular and biochemical assays. The screen reveals high stability of the ionomes, especially the zinc ionome, and yields known regulators and novel candidates. We further uncover fundam...

  17. Effects of physical characteristics of carbon black on metabolic regulation in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chuang, Hsiao-Chi; Hsiao, Ta-Chih; Lee, Chii-Hong; Chun-Te Lin, Justin; Chuang, Kai-Jen; Feng, Po-Hao; Cheng, Tsun-Jen

    2018-01-01

    Potential adverse effects of human exposure to carbon black (CB) have been reported, but limited knowledge regarding CB-regulated metabolism is currently available. To evaluate how physical parameters of CB influence metabolism, we investigated CB and diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) and attempted to relate various physical parameters, including the hydrodynamic diameter, zeta potential, and particle number concentrations, to lung energy metabolism in female BALB/c mice. A body weight increase was arrested by 3 months of exposure to CB of smaller-size fractions, which was negatively correlated with pyruvate in plasma. There were no significant differences in cytotoxic lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) or total protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) after 3 months of CB exposure. However, we observed alterations in acetyl CoA and the NADP/NADPH ratio in lung tissues with CB exposure. Additionally, the NADP/NADPH ratio was associated with the zeta potential of CB. Mild peribronchiovascular and interstitial inflammation and multinucleated giant cells (macrophages) with a transparent and rhomboid appearance and containing foreign bodies were observed in lung sections. We suggest that physical characteristics of CB, such as the zeta potential, may disrupt metabolism after pulmonary exposure. These results, therefore, provide the first evidence of a link between pulmonary exposure to CB and metabolism. - Highlights: • We evaluated how physical parameters of CB influence metabolism in mice lungs. • Body weight was arrested by exposure to CB in mice. • CB-induced peribronchiovascular and interstitial inflammation in the lungs. • Disruption in functions of acetyl CoA and NADP/NADPH was observed in lungs. • NADP/NADPH ratio was associated with the zeta potentials of CB.

  18. Metabolic learning and memory formation by the brain influence systemic metabolic homeostasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yumin; Liu, Gang; Yan, Jingqi; Zhang, Yalin; Li, Bo; Cai, Dongsheng

    2015-04-07

    Metabolic homeostasis is regulated by the brain, but whether this regulation involves learning and memory of metabolic information remains unexplored. Here we use a calorie-based, taste-independent learning/memory paradigm to show that Drosophila form metabolic memories that help in balancing food choice with caloric intake; however, this metabolic learning or memory is lost under chronic high-calorie feeding. We show that loss of individual learning/memory-regulating genes causes a metabolic learning defect, leading to elevated trehalose and lipid levels. Importantly, this function of metabolic learning requires not only the mushroom body but also the hypothalamus-like pars intercerebralis, while NF-κB activation in the pars intercerebralis mimics chronic overnutrition in that it causes metabolic learning impairment and disorders. Finally, we evaluate this concept of metabolic learning/memory in mice, suggesting that the hypothalamus is involved in a form of nutritional learning and memory, which is critical for determining resistance or susceptibility to obesity. In conclusion, our data indicate that the brain, and potentially the hypothalamus, direct metabolic learning and the formation of memories, which contribute to the control of systemic metabolic homeostasis.

  19. Circadian clock genes Per1 and Per2 regulate the response of metabolism-associated transcripts to sleep disruption.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jana Husse

    Full Text Available Human and animal studies demonstrate that short sleep or poor sleep quality, e.g. in night shift workers, promote the development of obesity and diabetes. Effects of sleep disruption on glucose homeostasis and liver physiology are well documented. However, changes in adipokine levels after sleep disruption suggest that adipocytes might be another important peripheral target of sleep. Circadian clocks regulate metabolic homeostasis and clock disruption can result in obesity and the metabolic syndrome. The finding that sleep and clock disruption have very similar metabolic effects prompted us to ask whether the circadian clock machinery may mediate the metabolic consequences of sleep disruption. To test this we analyzed energy homeostasis and adipocyte transcriptome regulation in a mouse model of shift work, in which we prevented mice from sleeping during the first six hours of their normal inactive phase for five consecutive days (timed sleep restriction--TSR. We compared the effects of TSR between wild-type and Per1/2 double mutant mice with the prediction that the absence of a circadian clock in Per1/2 mutants would result in a blunted metabolic response to TSR. In wild-types, TSR induces significant transcriptional reprogramming of white adipose tissue, suggestive of increased lipogenesis, together with increased secretion of the adipokine leptin and increased food intake, hallmarks of obesity and associated leptin resistance. Some of these changes persist for at least one week after the end of TSR, indicating that even short episodes of sleep disruption can induce prolonged physiological impairments. In contrast, Per1/2 deficient mice show blunted effects of TSR on food intake, leptin levels and adipose transcription. We conclude that the absence of a functional clock in Per1/2 double mutants protects these mice from TSR-induced metabolic reprogramming, suggesting a role of the circadian timing system in regulating the physiological effects

  20. Analysis of clock-regulated genes in Neurospora reveals widespread posttranscriptional control of metabolic potential

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurley, Jennifer M.; Dasgupta, Arko; Emerson, Jillian M.; Zhou, Xiaoying; Ringelberg, Carol S.; Knabe, Nicole; Lipzen, Anna M.; Lindquist, Erika A.; Daum, Christopher G.; Barry, Kerrie W.; Grigoriev, Igor V.; Smith, Kristina M.; Galagan, James E.; Bell-Pedersen, Deborah; Freitag, Michael; Cheng, Chao; Loros, Jennifer J.; Dunlap, Jay C.

    2014-01-01

    Neurospora crassa has been for decades a principal model for filamentous fungal genetics and physiology as well as for understanding the mechanism of circadian clocks. Eukaryotic fungal and animal clocks comprise transcription-translation–based feedback loops that control rhythmic transcription of a substantial fraction of these transcriptomes, yielding the changes in protein abundance that mediate circadian regulation of physiology and metabolism: Understanding circadian control of gene expression is key to understanding eukaryotic, including fungal, physiology. Indeed, the isolation of clock-controlled genes (ccgs) was pioneered in Neurospora where circadian output begins with binding of the core circadian transcription factor WCC to a subset of ccg promoters, including those of many transcription factors. High temporal resolution (2-h) sampling over 48 h using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) identified circadianly expressed genes in Neurospora, revealing that from ∼10% to as much 40% of the transcriptome can be expressed under circadian control. Functional classifications of these genes revealed strong enrichment in pathways involving metabolism, protein synthesis, and stress responses; in broad terms, daytime metabolic potential favors catabolism, energy production, and precursor assembly, whereas night activities favor biosynthesis of cellular components and growth. Discriminative regular expression motif elicitation (DREME) identified key promoter motifs highly correlated with the temporal regulation of ccgs. Correlations between ccg abundance from RNA-Seq, the degree of ccg-promoter activation as reported by ccg-promoter–luciferase fusions, and binding of WCC as measured by ChIP-Seq, are not strong. Therefore, although circadian activation is critical to ccg rhythmicity, posttranscriptional regulation plays a major role in determining rhythmicity at the mRNA level. PMID:25362047

  1. Implication of Xenobiotic Metabolizing Enzyme gene (CYP2E1, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, mEH and NAT2 Polymorphisms in Breast Carcinoma

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    Gabbouj Sallouha

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Xenobiotic Metabolizing Enzymes (XMEs contribute to the detoxification of numerous cancer therapy-induced products. This study investigated the susceptibility and prognostic implications of the CYP2E1, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, mEH and NAT2 gene polymorphisms in breast carcinoma patients. Methods The authors used polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme digestion to characterize the variation of the CYP2E1, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, mEH and NAT2 gene in a total of 560 unrelated subjects (246 controls and 314 patients. Results The mEH (C/C mutant and the NAT2 slow acetylator genotypes were significantly associated with breast carcinoma risk (p = 0.02; p = 0.01, respectively. For NAT2 the association was more pronounced among postmenopausal patients (p = 0.006. A significant association was found between CYP2D6 (G/G wild type and breast carcinoma risk only in postmenopausal patients (p = 0.04. Association studies of genetic markers with the rates of breast carcinoma specific overall survival (OVS and the disease-free survival (DFS revealed among all breast carcinoma patients no association to DFS but significant differences in OVS only with the mEH gene polymorphisms (p = 0.02. In addition, the mEH wild genotype showed a significant association with decreased OVS in patients with axillary lymph node-negative patients (p = 0.03 and with decreasesd DFS in patients with axillary lymph node-positive patients (p = 0.001. However, the NAT2 intermediate acetylator genotype was associated with decreased DFS in axillary lymph node-negative patients. Conclusion The present study may prove that polymorphisms of some XME genes may predict the onset of breast carcinoma as well as survival after treatment.

  2. Glucose metabolic alterations in hippocampus of diabetes mellitus rats and the regulation of aerobic exercise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jingjing; Liu, Beibei; Cai, Ming; Lin, Xiaojing; Lou, Shujie

    2017-11-04

    Diabetes could negatively affect the structures and functions of the brain, especially could cause the hippocampal dysfunction, however, the potential metabolic mechanism is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of glucose metabolism in hippocampus of diabetes mellitus rats and the regulation of aerobic exercise, and to analyze the possible mechanisms. A rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus was established by high-fat diet feeding in combination with STZ intraperitoneal injection, then 4 weeks of aerobic exercise was conducted. The glucose metabolites and key enzymes involved in glucose metabolism in hippocampus were respectively detected by GC/MS based metabolomics and western blot. Metabolomics results showed that compared with control rats, the level of citric acid was significantly decreased, while the levels of lactic acid, ribose 5-phosphate, xylulose 5-phosphate and glucitol were significantly increased in the diabetic rat. Compared with diabetic rats, the level of citric acid was significantly increased, while the lactic acid, ribose 5-phosphate and xylulose 5-phosphate were significantly decreased in the diabetic exercise rats. Western blot results showed that lower level of citrate synthase and oxoglutarate dehydrogenase, higher level of aldose reductase and glucose 6-phosphatedehydrogenase were found in the diabetic rats when compared to control rats. After 4 weeks of aerobic exercise, citrate synthase was upregulated and glucose 6-phosphatedehydrogenase was downregulated in the diabetic rats. These results suggest that diabetes could cause abnormal glucose metabolism, and aerobic exercise plays an important role in regulating diabetes-induced disorder of glucose metabolism in the hippocampus. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Regulation of metabolic products and gene expression in Fusarium asiaticum by agmatine addition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Tadahiro; Kim, Young-Kyung; Yoshioka, Hifumi; Iwahashi, Yumiko

    2013-05-01

    The metabolic products resulting from the cultivation of F. asiaticum in agmatine were identified using capillary electrophoresis-time of flight mass spectrometry. Glyoxylic acid was detected from fungal cultures grown in agmatine, while it was absent in control cells. The abundance of other metabolic products of the glycolytic pathway also increased because of agmatine; however, there was no increase in the amounts of pyruvic acid or metabolites from the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Moreover, gene expression levels within Fusarium asiaticum exposed to agmatine were analyzed by DNA microarray. Changes in gene expression levels directed the changes in metabolic products. Our results suggest that acetyl coenzyme A, which is a starting substrate for the biosynthesis of deoxynivalenol (DON), was simultaneously produced by activated β-oxidation. Furthermore, the content of 4-aminobutyrate (GABA) was increased in the agmatine addition culture medium. GABA can be synthesized from agmatine through putrescine and might influence the regulation of DON-related genes.

  4. SirT1 regulates energy metabolism and response to caloric restriction in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gino Boily

    Full Text Available The yeast sir2 gene and its orthologues in Drosophila and C. elegans have well-established roles in lifespan determination and response to caloric restriction. We have studied mice carrying two null alleles for SirT1, the mammalian orthologue of sir2, and found that these animals inefficiently utilize ingested food. These mice are hypermetabolic, contain inefficient liver mitochondria, and have elevated rates of lipid oxidation. When challenged with a 40% reduction in caloric intake, normal mice maintained their metabolic rate and increased their physical activity while the metabolic rate of SirT1-null mice dropped and their activity did not increase. Moreover, CR did not extend lifespan of SirT1-null mice. Thus, SirT1 is an important regulator of energy metabolism and, like its orthologues from simpler eukaryotes, the SirT1 protein appears to be required for a normal response to caloric restriction.

  5. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF FLUX REGULATION THROUGH HIERARCHICAL REGULATION ANALYSIS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Eunen, Karen; Rossell, Sergio; Bouwman, Jildau; Westerhoff, Hans V.; Bakker, Barbara M.; Jameson, D; Verma, M; Westerhoff, HV

    2011-01-01

    Regulation analysis is a methodology that quantifies to what extent a change in the flux through a metabolic pathway is regulated by either gene expression or metabolism. Two extensions to regulation analysis were developed over the past years: (i) the regulation of V(max) can be dissected into the

  6. Quantitative analysis of flux regulation through hierarchical regulation analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eunen, K. van; Rossell, S.; Bouwman, J.; Westerhoff, H.V.; Bakker, B.M.

    2011-01-01

    Regulation analysis is a methodology that quantifies to what extent a change in the flux through a metabolic pathway is regulated by either gene expression or metabolism. Two extensions to regulation analysis were developed over the past years: (i) the regulation of Vmax can be dissected into the

  7. Induction of the metabolic regulator Txnip in fasting-induced and natural torpor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hand, Laura E; Saer, Ben R C; Hui, Simon T; Jinnah, Hyder A; Steinlechner, Stephan; Loudon, Andrew S I; Bechtold, David A

    2013-06-01

    Torpor is a physiological state characterized by controlled lowering of metabolic rate and core body temperature, allowing substantial energy savings during periods of reduced food availability or harsh environmental conditions. The hypothalamus coordinates energy homeostasis and thermoregulation and plays a key role in directing torpor. We recently showed that mice lacking the orphan G protein-coupled receptor Gpr50 readily enter torpor in response to fasting and have now used these mice to conduct a microarray analysis of hypothalamic gene expression changes related to the torpor state. This revealed a strong induction of thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip) in the hypothalamus of torpid mice, which was confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analyses. In situ hybridization identified the ependyma lining the third ventricle as the principal site of torpor-related expression of Txnip. To characterize further the relationship between Txnip and torpor, we profiled Txnip expression in mice during prolonged fasting, cold exposure, and 2-deoxyglucose-induced hypometabolism, as well as in naturally occurring torpor bouts in the Siberian hamster. Strikingly, pronounced up-regulation of Txnip expression was only observed in wild-type mice when driven into torpor and during torpor in the Siberian hamster. Increase of Txnip was not limited to the hypothalamus, with exaggerated expression in white adipose tissue, brown adipose tissue, and liver also demonstrated in torpid mice. Given the recent identification of Txnip as a molecular nutrient sensor important in the regulation of energy metabolism, our data suggest that elevated Txnip expression is critical to regulating energy expenditure and fuel use during the extreme hypometabolic state of torpor.

  8. A free radical-generating system regulates AβPP metabolism/processing: involvement of the ubiquitin/proteasome and autophagy/lysosome pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Recuero, María; Munive, Victor A; Sastre, Isabel; Aldudo, Jesús; Valdivieso, Fernando; Bullido, María J

    2013-01-01

    Oxidative stress is an early event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We previously reported that, in SK-N-MC cells, the xanthine/xanthine oxidase (X-XOD) free radical generating system regulates the metabolism/processing of the amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP). Oxidative stress alters the two main cellular proteolytic machineries, the ubiquitin/proteasome (UPS) and the autophagy/lysosome systems, and recent studies have established connections between the malfunctioning of these and the pathogenesis of AD. The aim of the present work was to examine the involvement of these proteolytic systems in the regulation of AβPP metabolism by X-XOD. The proteasome inhibitor MG132 was found to accelerate the metabolism/processing of AβPP promoted by X-XOD because it significantly enhances the secretion of α-secretase-cleaved soluble AβPP and also the levels of both carboxy-terminal fragments (CTFs) produced by α- and β-secretase. Further, MG132 modulated the intracellular accumulation of holo-AβPP and/or AβPP CTFs. This indicates that the X-XOD modulation of AβPP metabolism/processing involves the UPS pathway. With respect to the autophagy/lysosome pathway, the AβPP processing and intracellular location patterns induced by X-XOD treatment closely resembled those produced by the lysosome inhibitor ammonium chloride. The present results suggest that the regulation of AβPP metabolism/processing by mild oxidative stress requires UPS activity with a simultaneous reduction in that of the autophagy/lysosome system.

  9. Transcriptome analysis of temporal regulation of carbon metabolism by CcpA in Bacillus subtilis reveals additional target genes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lulko, Andrzej T.; Buist, Girbe; Kok, Jan; Kuipers, Oscar P.

    2007-01-01

    The pleiotropic regulator of carbon metabolism in Grampositive bacteria, CcpA, regulates gene expression by binding to so-called cre elements, which are located either upstream or in promoter regions, or in open-reading frames. In this study we compared the transcriptomes of Bacillus subtilis 168

  10. Time course of gene expression profiling in the liver of experimental mice infected with Echinococcus multilocularis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renyong Lin

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Alveolar echinococcosis (AE is a severe chronic parasitic disease which behaves like a slow-growing liver cancer. Clinical observations suggest that the parasite, Echinococcus multilocularis (E. multilocularis influences liver homeostasis and hepatic cell metabolism. However, this has never been analyzed during the time course of infection in the common model of secondary echinococcosis in experimental mice. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Gene expression profiles were assessed using DNA microarray analysis, 1, 2, 3 and 6 months after injection of E. multilocularis metacestode in the liver of susceptible mice. Data were collected at different time points to monitor the dynamic behavior of gene expression. 557 differentially expressed genes were identified at one or more time points, including 351 up-regulated and 228 down-regulated genes. Time-course analysis indicated, at the initial stage of E. multilocularis infection (month 1-2, that most of up-regulated pathways were related to immune processes and cell trafficking such as chemokine-, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK signaling, and down-regulated pathways were related to xenobiotic metabolism; at the middle stage (month 3, MAPK signaling pathway was maintained and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR signaling pathway emerged; at the late stage (month 6, most of up-regulated pathways were related to PPAR signaling pathway, complement and coagulation cascades, while down-regulated pathways were related to metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of a random selection of 19 genes confirmed the reliability of the microarray data. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA was increased in the liver of E. multilocularis infected mice from 2 months to 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: E. multilocularis metacestode definitely exerts a deep influence on liver homeostasis, by modifying a number of gene

  11. Modules of co-regulated metabolites in turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome suggest the existence of biosynthetic modules in plant specialized metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Zhengzhi; Ma, Xiaoqiang; Gang, David R

    2009-01-01

    Turmeric is an excellent example of a plant that produces large numbers of metabolites from diverse metabolic pathways or networks. It is hypothesized that these metabolic pathways or networks contain biosynthetic modules, which lead to the formation of metabolite modules-groups of metabolites whose production is co-regulated and biosynthetically linked. To test whether such co-regulated metabolite modules do exist in this plant, metabolic profiling analysis was performed on turmeric rhizome samples that were collected from 16 different growth and development treatments, which had significant impacts on the levels of 249 volatile and non-volatile metabolites that were detected. Importantly, one of the many co-regulated metabolite modules that were indeed readily detected in this analysis contained the three major curcuminoids, whereas many other structurally related diarylheptanoids belonged to separate metabolite modules, as did groups of terpenoids. The existence of these co-regulated metabolite modules supported the hypothesis that the 3-methoxyl groups on the aromatic rings of the curcuminoids are formed before the formation of the heptanoid backbone during the biosynthesis of curcumin and also suggested the involvement of multiple polyketide synthases with different substrate selectivities in the formation of the array of diarylheptanoids detected in turmeric. Similar conclusions about terpenoid biosynthesis could also be made. Thus, discovery and analysis of metabolite modules can be a powerful predictive tool in efforts to understand metabolism in plants.

  12. Regulation of Nitrogen Metabolism by GATA Zinc Finger Transcription Factors in Yarrowia lipolytica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pomraning, Kyle R.; Bredeweg, Erin L.; Baker, Scott E.

    2017-02-15

    ABSTRACT

    Fungi accumulate lipids in a manner dependent on the quantity and quality of the nitrogen source on which they are growing. In the oleaginous yeastYarrowia lipolytica, growth on a complex source of nitrogen enables rapid growth and limited accumulation of neutral lipids, while growth on a simple nitrogen source promotes lipid accumulation in large lipid droplets. Here we examined the roles of nitrogen catabolite repression and its regulation by GATA zinc finger transcription factors on lipid metabolism inY. lipolytica. Deletion of the GATA transcription factor genesgzf3andgzf2resulted in nitrogen source-specific growth defects and greater accumulation of lipids when the cells were growing on a simple nitrogen source. Deletion ofgzf1, which is most similar to activators of genes repressed by nitrogen catabolite repression in filamentous ascomycetes, did not affect growth on the nitrogen sources tested. We examined gene expression of wild-type and GATA transcription factor mutants on simple and complex nitrogen sources and found that expression of enzymes involved in malate metabolism, beta-oxidation, and ammonia utilization are strongly upregulated on a simple nitrogen source. Deletion ofgzf3results in overexpression of genes with GATAA sites in their promoters, suggesting that it acts as a repressor, whilegzf2is required for expression of ammonia utilization genes but does not grossly affect the transcription level of genes predicted to be controlled by nitrogen catabolite repression. Both GATA transcription factor mutants exhibit decreased expression of genes controlled by carbon catabolite repression via the repressormig1, including genes for beta-oxidation, highlighting the complex interplay between regulation of carbon, nitrogen, and lipid metabolism.

    IMPORTANCENitrogen source is

  13. Selected regulation of gastrointestinal acid-base secretion and tissue metabolism for the diamondback water snake and Burmese python.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Secor, Stephen M; Taylor, Josi R; Grosell, Martin

    2012-01-01

    Snakes exhibit an apparent dichotomy in the regulation of gastrointestinal (GI) performance with feeding and fasting; frequently feeding species modestly regulate intestinal function whereas infrequently feeding species rapidly upregulate and downregulate intestinal function with the start and completion of each meal, respectively. The downregulatory response with fasting for infrequently feeding snakes is hypothesized to be a selective attribute that reduces energy expenditure between meals. To ascertain the links between feeding habit, whole-animal metabolism, and GI function and metabolism, we measured preprandial and postprandial metabolic rates and gastric and intestinal acid-base secretion, epithelial conductance and oxygen consumption for the frequently feeding diamondback water snake (Nerodia rhombifer) and the infrequently feeding Burmese python (Python molurus). Independent of body mass, Burmese pythons possess a significantly lower standard metabolic rate and respond to feeding with a much larger metabolic response compared with water snakes. While fasting, pythons cease gastric acid and intestinal base secretion, both of which are stimulated with feeding. In contrast, fasted water snakes secreted gastric acid and intestinal base at rates similar to those of digesting snakes. We observed no difference between fasted and fed individuals for either species in gastric or intestinal transepithelial potential and conductance, with the exception of a significantly greater gastric transepithelial potential for fed pythons at the start of titration. Water snakes experienced no significant change in gastric or intestinal metabolism with feeding. Fed pythons, in contrast, experienced a near-doubling of gastric metabolism and a tripling of intestinal metabolic rate. For fasted individuals, the metabolic rate of the stomach and small intestine was significantly lower for pythons than for water snakes. The fasting downregulation of digestive function for pythons is

  14. Heat stress induced changes in metabolic regulators of donkeys from arid tracts in India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kataria N.

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available To find out heat stress induced changes in metabolic regulators of donkeys from arid tracts in India, blood samples were collected to harvest the serum during moderate and extreme hot ambiences. The metabolic enzymes determined were sorbitol dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, ornithine carbamoyl transferase, gammaglutamayl transferase, 5’nucleotidase, glucose-6-phosphatase, arginase, and aldolase. The mean values of all the serum enzymes increased significantly (p≤0.05 during hot ambience as compared to respective values during moderate ambience. It was concluded that increased activity of all the enzymes in the serum was due to modulation of metabolic reactions to combat the effect of hot ambience on the animals. Activation of gluconeogenesis along with hexose monophosphate shunt and urea cycle probably helped the animals to combat the heat stress.

  15. ER-tethered Transcription Factor CREBH Regulates Hepatic Lipogenesis, Fatty Acid Oxidation, and Lipolysis upon Metabolic Stress

    OpenAIRE

    Zhang, Chunbin; Wang, Guohui; Zheng, Ze; Maddipati, Krishna Rao; Zhang, Xuebao; Dyson, Gregory; Williams, Paul; Duncan, Stephen A.; Kaufman, Randal J.; Zhang, Kezhong

    2012-01-01

    CREBH is a liver-specific transcription factor that is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. Our previous work demonstrated that CREBH is activated by ER stress or inflammatory stimuli to induce an acute-phase hepatic inflammation. Here we demonstrate that CREBH is a key metabolic regulator of hepatic lipogenesis, fatty acid (FA) oxidation, and lipolysis under metabolic stress. Saturated FA, insulin signals, or an atherogenic high-fat diet can induce CREBH activation in the li...

  16. Humanizing π-class glutathione S-transferase regulation in a mouse model alters liver toxicity in response to acetaminophen overdose.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew P Vaughn

    Full Text Available Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs metabolize drugs and xenobiotics. Yet despite high protein sequence homology, expression of π-class GSTs, the most abundant of the enzymes, varies significantly between species. In mouse liver, hepatocytes exhibit high mGstp expression, while in human liver, hepatocytes contain little or no hGSTP1 mRNA or hGSTP1 protein. π-class GSTs are known to be critical determinants of liver responses to drugs and toxins: when treated with high doses of acetaminophen, mGstp1/2+/+ mice suffer marked liver damage, while mGstp1/2-/- mice escape liver injury.To more faithfully model the contribution of π-class GSTs to human liver toxicology, we introduced hGSTP1, with its exons, introns, and flanking sequences, into the germline of mice carrying disrupted mGstp genes. In the resultant hGSTP1+mGstp1/2-/- strain, π-class GSTs were regulated differently than in wild-type mice. In the liver, enzyme expression was restricted to bile duct cells, Kupffer cells, macrophages, and endothelial cells, reminiscent of human liver, while in the prostate, enzyme production was limited to basal epithelial cells, reminiscent of human prostate. The human patterns of hGSTP1 transgene regulation were accompanied by human patterns of DNA methylation, with bisulfite genomic sequencing revealing establishment of an unmethylated CpG island sequence encompassing the gene promoter. Unlike wild-type or mGstp1/2-/- mice, when hGSTP1+mGstp1/2-/- mice were overdosed with acetaminophen, liver tissues showed limited centrilobular necrosis, suggesting that π-class GSTs may be critical determinants of toxin-induced hepatocyte injury even when not expressed by hepatocytes.By recapitulating human π-class GST expression, hGSTP1+mGstp1/2-/- mice may better model human drug and xenobiotic toxicology.

  17. Regulation of glycogen metabolism by the CRE-1, RCO-1 and RCM-1 proteins in Neurospora crassa. The role of CRE-1 as the central transcriptional regulator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cupertino, Fernanda Barbosa; Virgilio, Stela; Freitas, Fernanda Zanolli; Candido, Thiago de Souza; Bertolini, Maria Célia

    2015-04-01

    The transcription factor CreA/Mig1/CRE-1 is a repressor protein that regulates the use of alternative carbon sources via a mechanism known as Carbon Catabolite Repression (CCR). In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Mig1 recruits the complex Ssn6-Tup1, the Neurospora crassa RCM-1 and RCO-1 orthologous proteins, respectively, to bind to promoters of glucose-repressible genes. We have been studying the regulation of glycogen metabolism in N. crassa and the identification of the RCO-1 corepressor as a regulator led us to investigate the regulatory role of CRE-1 in this process. Glycogen content is misregulated in the rco-1(KO), rcm-1(RIP) and cre-1(KO) strains, and the glycogen synthase phosphorylation is decreased in all strains, showing that CRE-1, RCO-1 and RCM-1 proteins are involved in glycogen accumulation and in the regulation of GSN activity by phosphorylation. We also confirmed the regulatory role of CRE-1 in CCR and its nuclear localization under repressing condition in N. crassa. The expression of all glycogenic genes is misregulated in the cre-1(KO) strain, suggesting that CRE-1 also controls glycogen metabolism by regulating gene expression. The existence of a high number of the Aspergillus nidulans CreA motif (5'-SYGGRG-3') in the glycogenic gene promoters led us to analyze the binding of CRE-1 to some DNA motifs both in vitro by DNA gel shift and in vivo by ChIP-qPCR analysis. CRE-1 bound in vivo to all motifs analyzed demonstrating that it down-regulates glycogen metabolism by controlling gene expression and GSN phosphorylation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. The use of cultured hepatocytes to investigate the metabolism of drugs and mechanisms of drug hepatotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez-Lechón, M J; Ponsoda, X; Bort, R; Castell, J V

    2001-01-01

    Hepatotoxins can be classified as intrinsic when they exert their effects on all individuals in a dose-dependent manner, and as idiosyncratic when their effects are the consequence of an abnormal metabolism of the drug by susceptible individuals (metabolic idiosyncrasy) or of an immune-mediated injury to hepatocytes (allergic hepatitis). Some xenobiotics are electrophilic, and others are biotransformed by the liver into highly reactive metabolites that are usually more toxic than the parent compound. This activation process is the key to many hepatotoxic phenomena. Mitochondria are a frequent target of hepatotoxic drugs, and the alteration of their function has immediate effects on the energy balance of cells (depletion of ATP). Lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress, alteration of Ca(2+) homeostasis, and covalent binding to cell macromolecules are the molecular mechanisms that are frequently involved in the toxicity of xenobiotics. Against these potential hazards, cells have their own defence mechanisms (for example, glutathione, DNA repair, suicide inactivation). Ultimately, toxicity is the balance between bioactivation and detoxification, which determines whether a reactive metabolite elicits a toxic effect. The ultimate goal of in vitro experiments is to generate the type of scientific information needed to identify compounds that are potentially toxic to man. For this purpose, both the design of the experiments and the interpretation of the results are critical.

  19. mRNA expression of genes regulating lipid metabolism in ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from differently polluted areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castelli, Martina Galatea; Rusten, Marte; Goksøyr, Anders; Routti, Heli

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: •Genes regulating lipid metabolism were studied in ringed seals. •We compared highly contaminated Baltic seals and less contaminated Svalbard seals. •mRNA expression of hepatic PPARγ was higher in the Baltic seals. •mRNA expression of adipose PPARγ target genes was higher in the Baltic seals. •Contaminant exposure may affect lipid metabolism in the Baltic ringed seals. -- Abstract: There is a growing concern about the ability of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to influence lipid metabolism. Although POPs are found at high concentrations in some populations of marine mammals, for example in the ringed seal (Pusa hispida) from the Baltic Sea, little is known about the effects of POPs on their lipid metabolism. An optimal regulation of lipid metabolism is crucial for ringed seals during the fasting/molting season. This is a physiologically stressful period, during which they rely on the energy stored in their fat reserves. The mRNA expression levels for seven genes involved in lipid metabolism were analyzed in liver and/or blubber tissue from molting ringed seals from the polluted Baltic Sea and a less polluted reference location, Svalbard (Norway). mRNA expression of genes encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) α and γ and their target genes acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1 (ACOX1) and cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) were analyzed in liver. mRNA expression level of genes encoding PPARβ, PPARγ and their target genes encoding fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) and adiponectin (ADIPOQ) were measured in inner and middle blubber layers. In addition, we evaluated the influence of molting status on hepatic mRNA expression of genes encoding PPARs and their target genes in ringed seals from Svalbard. Our results show higher mRNA expression of genes encoding hepatic PPARγ and adipose PPARβ, FABP4, and ADIPOQ in the Baltic seals compared to the Svalbard seals. A positive relationship between mRNA expressions of genes

  20. mRNA expression of genes regulating lipid metabolism in ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from differently polluted areas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Castelli, Martina Galatea [Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø (Norway); University of Bergen, Department of Biology, 5020 Bergen (Norway); Rusten, Marte; Goksøyr, Anders [University of Bergen, Department of Biology, 5020 Bergen (Norway); Routti, Heli, E-mail: heli.routti@npolar.no [Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø (Norway)

    2014-01-15

    Highlights: •Genes regulating lipid metabolism were studied in ringed seals. •We compared highly contaminated Baltic seals and less contaminated Svalbard seals. •mRNA expression of hepatic PPARγ was higher in the Baltic seals. •mRNA expression of adipose PPARγ target genes was higher in the Baltic seals. •Contaminant exposure may affect lipid metabolism in the Baltic ringed seals. -- Abstract: There is a growing concern about the ability of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to influence lipid metabolism. Although POPs are found at high concentrations in some populations of marine mammals, for example in the ringed seal (Pusa hispida) from the Baltic Sea, little is known about the effects of POPs on their lipid metabolism. An optimal regulation of lipid metabolism is crucial for ringed seals during the fasting/molting season. This is a physiologically stressful period, during which they rely on the energy stored in their fat reserves. The mRNA expression levels for seven genes involved in lipid metabolism were analyzed in liver and/or blubber tissue from molting ringed seals from the polluted Baltic Sea and a less polluted reference location, Svalbard (Norway). mRNA expression of genes encoding peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) α and γ and their target genes acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1 (ACOX1) and cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) were analyzed in liver. mRNA expression level of genes encoding PPARβ, PPARγ and their target genes encoding fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) and adiponectin (ADIPOQ) were measured in inner and middle blubber layers. In addition, we evaluated the influence of molting status on hepatic mRNA expression of genes encoding PPARs and their target genes in ringed seals from Svalbard. Our results show higher mRNA expression of genes encoding hepatic PPARγ and adipose PPARβ, FABP4, and ADIPOQ in the Baltic seals compared to the Svalbard seals. A positive relationship between mRNA expressions of genes