Chagas disease (CD) affects 21 countries in the Americas and is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. A key molecule involved in CD is lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), which has been studied in various contexts: in ...Chagas disease (CD) affects 21 countries in the Americas and is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. A key molecule involved in CD is lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), which has been studied in various contexts: in the saliva of insect vectors, during the establishment of infection in the vertebrate host, and for the parasite itself. This lipid can be produced by the action of phospholipases A2 (PLA2), enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phospholipids releasing fatty acids and lysophospholipids, such as LPC. This study investigates LPC levels and PLA2 activities in the plasma of CD patients and compares these levels with those in healthy individuals and patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM). Plasma from 64 CD patients, 54 healthy individuals, and 16 IDCM patients were analyzed. LPC levels and the activity of two types of phospholipase A2: secreted (sPLA2) and lipoprotein-associated (Lp-PLA2) were measured. LPC levels and sPLA2 activity were similar between CD patients and the control groups. However, there were notable differences in LPC levels and sPLA2 activity between subgroups of CD patients and IDCM patients. This study is the first to identify LPC in patients with CD across various stages of the disease. It also offers new insights into the biochemical changes observed in the plasma of patients with IDCM.展开更多
Background OGR1 was found as a G-protein coupled receptor （GPCR） and proton sensor. Our previous studies have found that OGR1 has inhibitory effect on the metastasis of prostate cancer. In order to investigate the r...Background OGR1 was found as a G-protein coupled receptor （GPCR） and proton sensor. Our previous studies have found that OGR1 has inhibitory effect on the metastasis of prostate cancer. In order to investigate the roles of OGR1 gene in the biological activities of ovarian cancer, we studied the OGR1 effects on ovarian cancer cells, HEY cells.Methods OGR1 gene was transfected into HEY cell, in which endogenous expression is low. OGR1-overxepressed cells and vector-transfected cells were compared in different assays. Western blotting was employed to confirm the high expression level of OGR1. Cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay and cell doubling time assay. Cell migration assay （transwell assay） and cell adhesion assay were performed to determine the migration and adhesion potential of cells. Student＇s t test was employed for statistical analysis.Results Proliferation of OGR1-overexpressed cells was significantly reduced （P ＜0.01）; cell migration was significantly inhibited in the OGR1-transfected cells （P ＜0.01）; cell adhesion to extracellular matrix including fibronectin, vitronectin,collagen Ⅰ/Ⅳ was significantly increased （P ＜0.01）.Conclusions OGR1 expression in human ovarian cancer cells significantly inhibited the cell proliferation and migration,but significantly enhanced cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix. It indicated that OGR1 may be a tumor suppressor gene for ovarian cancer.展开更多
Schwann cells play a major role in helping heal injured nerves. They help clear debris, produce neurotrophins, upregulate neurotrophin receptors, and form bands of Büngner to guide the healing nerve. But nerves d...Schwann cells play a major role in helping heal injured nerves. They help clear debris, produce neurotrophins, upregulate neurotrophin receptors, and form bands of Büngner to guide the healing nerve. But nerves do not always produce enough neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors to repair themselves. Nerve growth factor（NGF） is an important neurotrophin for promoting nerve healing and lysophosphatidylcholine（LPC） has been shown to stimulate NGF receptors（NGFR）. This study tested the administration of a single intraneural injection of LPC（1 mg/mL for single LPC injection and 10 mg/mL for multiple LPC injections） at day 0 and one（day 7）, two（days 5 and 7）, or three（days 5, 7, and 9） injections of NGF（160 ng/mL for single injections and 80 ng/mL for multiple injections） to determine baseline effects on crush ed sciatic nerves in rats. The rats were randomly divided into four groups： control, crush, crush-NGF, and crush-LPC-NGF. The healing of the nerves was measured weekly by monitoring gait; electrophysiological parameters： compound muscle action potential（CMAP） amplitudes; and morphological parameters： total fascicle areas, myelinated fiber counts, fiber densities, fiber packing, and mean g-ratio values at weeks 3 and 6. The crush, crush-NGF, and crush-LPC-NGF groups statistically differed from the control group for all six weeks for the electrophysiological parameters but only differed from the control group at week 3 for the morphological parameters. The crush, crush-NGF, and crush-LPC-NGF groups did not differ from each other over the course of the study. Single injections of LPC and NGF one week apart or multiple treatments of NGF at 5, 7 and 9 days post-injury did not alter the healing rate of the sciatic nerves during weeks 1-6 of the study. These findings are important to define the baseline effects of NGF and LPC injections, as part of a larger effort to determine the minimal dose regimen of NGF to regenerate peripheral nerves.展开更多
文摘Chagas disease (CD) affects 21 countries in the Americas and is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. A key molecule involved in CD is lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), which has been studied in various contexts: in the saliva of insect vectors, during the establishment of infection in the vertebrate host, and for the parasite itself. This lipid can be produced by the action of phospholipases A2 (PLA2), enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phospholipids releasing fatty acids and lysophospholipids, such as LPC. This study investigates LPC levels and PLA2 activities in the plasma of CD patients and compares these levels with those in healthy individuals and patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM). Plasma from 64 CD patients, 54 healthy individuals, and 16 IDCM patients were analyzed. LPC levels and the activity of two types of phospholipase A2: secreted (sPLA2) and lipoprotein-associated (Lp-PLA2) were measured. LPC levels and sPLA2 activity were similar between CD patients and the control groups. However, there were notable differences in LPC levels and sPLA2 activity between subgroups of CD patients and IDCM patients. This study is the first to identify LPC in patients with CD across various stages of the disease. It also offers new insights into the biochemical changes observed in the plasma of patients with IDCM.
基金This research was supported by the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 30973175）, Scientific Research Foundation for Returning Scholars of Education Ministry of China （No. 0601-18920006）, Scientific and Technological Research Foundation of Shaanxi Province （No. 2007K09-09）, and the Clinical Research Fundation of First Hospital of Xi＇an Jiaotong University of China.
文摘Background OGR1 was found as a G-protein coupled receptor （GPCR） and proton sensor. Our previous studies have found that OGR1 has inhibitory effect on the metastasis of prostate cancer. In order to investigate the roles of OGR1 gene in the biological activities of ovarian cancer, we studied the OGR1 effects on ovarian cancer cells, HEY cells.Methods OGR1 gene was transfected into HEY cell, in which endogenous expression is low. OGR1-overxepressed cells and vector-transfected cells were compared in different assays. Western blotting was employed to confirm the high expression level of OGR1. Cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay and cell doubling time assay. Cell migration assay （transwell assay） and cell adhesion assay were performed to determine the migration and adhesion potential of cells. Student＇s t test was employed for statistical analysis.Results Proliferation of OGR1-overexpressed cells was significantly reduced （P ＜0.01）; cell migration was significantly inhibited in the OGR1-transfected cells （P ＜0.01）; cell adhesion to extracellular matrix including fibronectin, vitronectin,collagen Ⅰ/Ⅳ was significantly increased （P ＜0.01）.Conclusions OGR1 expression in human ovarian cancer cells significantly inhibited the cell proliferation and migration,but significantly enhanced cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix. It indicated that OGR1 may be a tumor suppressor gene for ovarian cancer.
基金Funding for animal care and supplies was provided by Brigham Young University,the Don B.Olsen Mentorship to RLWa Brigham Young University Office of Research and Creative Activities Student Mentored Research Grant to KSK
文摘Schwann cells play a major role in helping heal injured nerves. They help clear debris, produce neurotrophins, upregulate neurotrophin receptors, and form bands of Büngner to guide the healing nerve. But nerves do not always produce enough neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors to repair themselves. Nerve growth factor（NGF） is an important neurotrophin for promoting nerve healing and lysophosphatidylcholine（LPC） has been shown to stimulate NGF receptors（NGFR）. This study tested the administration of a single intraneural injection of LPC（1 mg/mL for single LPC injection and 10 mg/mL for multiple LPC injections） at day 0 and one（day 7）, two（days 5 and 7）, or three（days 5, 7, and 9） injections of NGF（160 ng/mL for single injections and 80 ng/mL for multiple injections） to determine baseline effects on crush ed sciatic nerves in rats. The rats were randomly divided into four groups： control, crush, crush-NGF, and crush-LPC-NGF. The healing of the nerves was measured weekly by monitoring gait; electrophysiological parameters： compound muscle action potential（CMAP） amplitudes; and morphological parameters： total fascicle areas, myelinated fiber counts, fiber densities, fiber packing, and mean g-ratio values at weeks 3 and 6. The crush, crush-NGF, and crush-LPC-NGF groups statistically differed from the control group for all six weeks for the electrophysiological parameters but only differed from the control group at week 3 for the morphological parameters. The crush, crush-NGF, and crush-LPC-NGF groups did not differ from each other over the course of the study. Single injections of LPC and NGF one week apart or multiple treatments of NGF at 5, 7 and 9 days post-injury did not alter the healing rate of the sciatic nerves during weeks 1-6 of the study. These findings are important to define the baseline effects of NGF and LPC injections, as part of a larger effort to determine the minimal dose regimen of NGF to regenerate peripheral nerves.
