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Myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) is the regulatory subunit of myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP). It plays a critical role in vasodilatation induced by cGMP-elevating agents such as nitric oxide (NO). The present study was performed to determine the role of MYPT1 in the development of tolerance of the pulmonary artery to NO. Incubation of isolated porcine pulmonary arteries for 24 or 48 h with DETA NONOate (DETA NO) significantly reduced protein levels of MYPT1 and the leucine zipper-positive (LZ+) isoform of MYPTI but not that of PPlcS. The extent of reduction in total MYPT1 protein level was comparable to that of MYPTI (LZ+). The decrease in MYPT1 protein caused by 48-h DETA NO incubation was prevented by ODQ, an inhibitor of guanylyl cyclase, and by inhibitors of proteasomes (MG-132 and lactacystin) but was not affected by the inhibitor of protein synthesis, cycloheximide. A reduction in MYPT1 protein was also obtained with 8-bromo-cGMP, but this was prevented by Rp-8bromo-PET-cGMP [inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG)]. Incubation for 48 h with DETA NO also reduced dephosphorylation of myosin light chain and relaxation of the artery in response to DETA NO, which was prevented by MG-132. These results suggest that the reduction in MYPT1 protein contributes to the development of tolerance of pulmonary arteries to NO. This may result from increased degradation of MYPT1 after prolonged PKG activation. myosin light chain phosphatase; guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-dependent protein kinase; vasodilatation doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00340.2009.

Length-biased sampling data are commonly observed in cross-sectional surveys and epidemiological cohort studies. Due to study design or accident, some components of the covariate vector are often missing. This article considers the statistical inference for the transformation models with length-biased sampling data and missing covariates. The reweighting estimating procedures are proposed for the unknown regression parameters when the selection probability is known, estimated non parametrically, or estimated parametrically. The large sample properties of the resulting estimators are studied. Simulation studies are presented to demonstrate the utility and efficiency of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold stress is a major environmental factor affecting plant growth and development. Although some plants have developed resistance to cold stress, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are poorly understood. Using genome-wide association mapping with 200 cotton accessions collected from different regions, we identified variations in the short chain alcohol dehydrogenase gene, GhSAD1 , that responds to cold stress. Virus-induced gene silencing and overexpression in Arabidopsis revealed that GhSAD1 fulfils important roles in cold stress responses. Ectopic expression of a haploid genotype of GhSAD1 (GhSAD1 HapB ) in Arabidopsis increased cold tolerance. Silencing of GhSAD1 HapB resulted in a decrease in abscisic acid (ABA) content. Conversely, overexpression of GhSAD1 HapB increased ABA content. GhSAD1 HapB regulates cold stress responses in cotton through modulation of C-repeat binding factor activity, which regulates ABA signalling. GhSAD1 HapB induces the expression of COLD - REGULATED (COR) genes and increases the amount of metabolites associated with cold stress tolerance. Overexpression of GhSAD1 HapB partially complements the phenotype of the Arabidopsis ABA2 mutant, aba2-1. Collectively, these findings increase our understanding of the mechanisms underlying GhSAD1 -mediated cold stress responses in cotton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have shown that the high incidence of type 2 diabetes in China is associated with low birth weight and excessive nutrition in adulthood, which occurred during the famine years of the 1950s and 1960s, though the specific molecular mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we proposed a severe maternal caloric restriction during late pregnancy, followed by a post weaning high-fat diet in mice. After weaning, normal and high-fat diets were provided to mice to simulate the dietary pattern of modern society. Methods: The pregnant mice were divided into two groups: normal birth weight (NBW) group and low birth weight (LBW) group. After 3 weeks for weaning, the male offspring mice in the NBW and LBW groups were then randomly divided into four subgroups: NC, NH, LC and LC groups. The offspring mice in the NC, NH, LC and LC groups were respectively fed with normal diet, normal diet, high-fat diet and high-fat diet for 18 weeks. After 18 weeks of dietary intervention, detailed analyses of mRNA and protein expression patterns, signaling pathway activities, and promoter methylation states were conducted for all relevant genes. Results: After dietary intervention for 18 weeks, the expressions of CD36, Fabp4, PPARγ, FAS, and ACC1 in the skeletal muscle tissue of the LH group were significantly increased compared with the LC and NH groups (P < 0.05). The level of p-AMPK/AMPK in the skeletal muscle tissue of the LH group was significantly decreased compared with the LC and NH groups (P < 0.05). CPT1 and PGC-1α protein expressions were up-regulated in the LH group (P < 0.05) compared to the LC group. Additionally, the DNA methylation levels of the PGC-1α and GLUT4 gene promoters in the skeletal muscle of the LH groups were higher than those of the LC and NH groups (P < 0.05). However, PPARγ DNA methylation level in the LH group was lower than those of the LC and NH groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions: LBW combined with high-fat diets may increase insulin resistance and diabetes through regulating the CD36-related Fabp4-PPARγ and AMPK/ACC signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orlistat is an FDA-approved over-the-counter drug to treat obesity through the inhibition of lipase activity. Macrophages, which express high levels of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), are important phagocytes in the innate immune system. Our previous studies indicated that environmentally relevant concentrations of arsenite (As+3) could inhibit the major immune functions of macrophages. As the down-regulation of LPL is known to increase the expression of ABCA1, the cholesterol exporter demonstrated to be related to the resistance of arsenic toxicity. We examined if orlistat could reverse the inhibitive effects of As+3 on macrophage functions. The results showed that 50 μM orlistat reversed As+3-induced suppressions on phagocytosis, NO production and cytokine secretion in THP-1 derived macrophages. The expression of ABCA1 was significantly increased by orlistat in As+3 co-treated macrophages, which was associated with decreased intracellular As+3 levels. Collectively, these results indicated that orlistat could reverse the suppressive effects induced by As+3 in macrophages through the increased expression of ABCA1, which has the potential to be developed as a therapeutic agent for arsenic-induced immunosuppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]