Skin deep: from dermal fibroblasts to pancreatic beta cells

Immunologic Research - Type I diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease caused by pancreatic β-cell destruction induced by autoantibodies and autoreactive T cells. After significant...     

Determinants of successful medical education of caregivers of children with congenital heart diseases

Objective

To assess the implementation and efficiency of medical education among the caregivers of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and to investigate its success factors.

Mitochondrial genome diversity at the Bering Strait area highlights prehistoric human migrations from Siberia to northern North America

The patterns of prehistoric migrations across the Bering Land Bridge are far from being completely understood: there still exists a significant gap in our knowledge of the population history of former Beringia. Here, through comprehensive survey of mitochondrial DNA genomes retained in ‘relic'' populations, the Maritime Chukchi, Siberian Eskimos, and Commander Aleuts, we explore genetic contribution of prehistoric Siberians/Asians to northwestern Native Americans. Overall, 201 complete mitochondrial sequences (52 new and 149 published) were selected in the reconstruction of trees encompassing mtDNA lineages that are restricted to Coastal Chukotka and Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, and the Aleutian chain. Phylogeography of the resulting mtDNA genomes (mitogenomes) considerably extends the range and intrinsic diversity of haplogroups (eg, A2a, A2b, D2a, and D4b1a2a1) that emerged and diversified in postglacial central Beringia, defining independent origins of Neo-Eskimos versus Paleo-Eskimos, Aleuts, and Tlingit (Na-Dene). Specifically, Neo-Eskimos, ancestral to modern Inuit, not only appear to be of the High Arctic origin but also to harbor Altai/Sayan-related ancestry. The occurrence of the haplogroup D2a1b haplotypes in Chukotka (Sireniki) introduces the possibility that the traces of Paleo-Eskimos have not been fully erased by spread of the Neo-Eskimos or their descendants. Our findings are consistent with the recurrent gene flow model of multiple streams of expansions to northern North America from northeastern Eurasia in late Pleistocene–early Holocene.     

GnRH action in rat anterior pituitary gland: regulation of protein, glycoprotein and LH synthesis.

The effect of synthetic GnRH on the synthesis of proteins and glycoproteins in the anterior pituitary and in vitro release of LH into the medium was studied. A maximal dose (25 ng/ml) of of synthetic GnRH caused optimum release of radioimmunoassayable LH into the medium after 2 h of incubation. A concomitant increase in cyclic AMP accumulation in the tissue and LH in the incubation medium was also observed under the influence of GnRH during different periods of incubation time. Incubation of the rat anterior pituitary with GnRH stimulated the incorporation of [3H] proline into acid precipitable proteins in a time- and dose-dependent manner, similar to radioimmunoassayable LH released into the medium. Similar results were obtained when pituitary was incubated with dibutyryl cyclic AMP. LH, in addition, enhanced the incorporation of [3H] glucosamine and [3H] amino acids mixture into acid-precipitable proteins suggesting that proteins including glycoproteins are synthesized by the rat anterior pituitary under the influence of GnRH. Approximately 10% of the radioactivity associated with proteins comigrated with radioimmunoassayable LH on the gels. GnRH also enhanced the incorporation of [3H] glucosamine and [3H] amino acid mixture into immunoprecipitable LH. The GnRH-induced incorporation of [3H] proline into anterior pituitary proteins was abolished by specific translation inhibitors.     

Characteristics of Unscheduled and Scheduled Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic Patients at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

Context

There is limited literature regarding outpatient palliative care and factors associated with unscheduled clinic visits.

Protein kinase C catalyzed phosphorylation of sterol carrier protein 2

The transport of cholesterol to the inner mitochondrial membrane, a key step in steroidogenesis, is subject to hormonal modulation that, at least in part, could be mediated by protein phosphorylation. This step is stimulated by sterol carrier protein 2 (SCP2) and Ca2+. To explore whether SCP2 itself is a potential control point for regulation by Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation we investigated whether highly purified SCP2 could serve as a substrate for major type Ca2+ and non-Ca2+-dependent protein kinases. Phosphorylation by calmodulin protein kinase II (CaM-PK II), myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), cAMP-dependent kinase (PKA) and protein kinase C (PKC) was monitored under optimal conditions for each enzyme. PKA, CaM-PK II and MLCK catalyzed the radiolabeling of histone 2A, synapsin I and myosin light chain (MLC), known substrates for these kinases, respectively, yet no phosphate transfer to SCP2 was observed. In contrast, PKC from two different sources (rat and calf brain) effectively catalyzed the phosphorylation of the highly purified SCP2. The phosphorylation of SCP2 depended on the addition of Ca2+ and phospholipids and was completely blocked by Polymyxin B, a PKC inhibitor. PKC catalyzed phosphorylation of SCP2 displayed a similar dependence on the concentration of ATP. Lineweaver Burk plots of the data indicate Km values for ATP of approximately 6 microM for the phosphorylation of SCP2. Our results, which have revealed for the first time that SCP2 is a substrate for PKC, are consistent with the possibilities that the control of steroidogenesis by tropic hormones and by PKC activation are mediated, at least in part, by the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of SCP2.