Is Visfatin an Adipokine or Myokine? Evidence for Greater Visfatin Expression in Skeletal Muscle than Visceral Fat in Chickens.
AuthorsKrzysik-Walker SM, Ocón-Grove OM, Maddineni SR, Hendricks Iii GL, Ramachandran R,
JournalEndocrinology
PubMed ID18096661
'Visfatin, an adipokine hormone produced primarily by visceral adipose tissue in mammals, has been implicated in the immune system, cellular aging, and glucose metabolism. Increased visceral adiposity and hyperglycemia have been correlated with elevated plasma visfatin levels in humans. The present study investigated visfatin cDNA and protein expressions, as well ... More
Artemisinin-resistant mutants of Toxoplasma gondii have altered calcium homeostasis.
AuthorsNagamune K, Moreno SN, Sibley LD,
JournalAntimicrob Agents Chemother
PubMed ID17698618
'Artemisinin is a plant sesquiterpene lactone that has become an important drug for combating malaria, especially in regions where resistance to other drugs is widespread. While the mechanism of action is debated, artemisinin has been reported to inhibit the sarcoplasmic endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase (SERCA) in the malaria parasite. Artemisinin ... More
IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha decrease serotonin transporter function and expression in Caco2 cells.
AuthorsFoley KF, Pantano C, Ciolino A, Mawe GM,
JournalAm J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol
PubMed ID17170025
Recent studies have shown that mucosal serotonin (5-HT) transporter (SERT) expression is decreased in animal models of colitis, as well as in the colonic mucosa of humans with ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Altered SERT function or expression may underlie the altered motility, secretion, and sensation seen in these ... More
Nesprin-1 and -2 are involved in the pathogenesis of Emery Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and are critical for nuclear envelope integrity.
AuthorsZhang Q, Bethmann C, Worth NF, Davies JD, Wasner C, Feuer A, Ragnauth CD, Yi Q, Mellad JA, Warren DT, Wheeler MA, Ellis JA, Skepper JN, Vorgerd M, Schlotter-Weigel B, Weissberg PL, Roberts RG, Wehnert M, Shanahan CM,
JournalHum Mol Genet
PubMed ID17761684
Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is a heterogeneous late-onset disease involving skeletal muscle wasting and heart defects caused, in a minority of cases, by mutations in either of two genes encoding the inner nuclear membrane (INM) proteins, emerin and lamins A/C. Nesprin-1 and -2 are multi-isomeric, spectrin-repeat proteins that bind both ... More