Abnormalities in esophageal smooth muscle induced by mutations in collagen XIX.

Collagen XIX is a nonfibrillar collagen that localizes in restricted tissues at very low amounts. A previous study on Col19a1 null mice revealed that collagen XIX is involved in esophageal muscle physiology and morphogenesis. Here, we use histological analysis to show that mice with a Col19a1 mutant lacking the NC3 domain and seven collagen triplets display abnormal transition of smooth to striated muscle in the abdominal segment of esophagus, and a widened esophagus with age.

Thiazoline-related innate fear stimuli orchestrate hypothermia and anti-hypoxia via sensory TRPA1 activation.

Thiazoline-related innate fear-eliciting compounds (tFOs) orchestrate hypothermia, hypometabolism, and anti-hypoxia, which enable survival in lethal hypoxic conditions. Here, we show that most of these effects are severely attenuated in transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (Trpa1) knockout mice. TFO-induced hypothermia involves the Trpa1-mediated trigeminal/vagal pathways and non-Trpa1 olfactory pathway.

Commensal microbiota contributes to chronic endocarditis in TAX1BP1 deficient mice.

Tax1-binding protein 1 (Tax1bp1) negatively regulates NF-κB by editing the ubiquitylation of target molecules by its catalytic partner A20. Genetically engineered TAX1BP1-deficient (KO) mice develop age-dependent inflammatory constitutions in multiple organs manifested as valvulitis or dermatitis and succumb to premature death. Laser capture dissection and gene expression microarray analysis on the mitral valves of TAX1BP1-KO mice (8 and 16 week old) revealed 588 gene transcription alterations from the wild type.

Organic chemicals in diesel exhaust particles enhance picryl chloride-induced atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga mice.

Background: Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) have been reported to worsen allergic airway inflammation in mice. Recently, the organic chemical components of DEP (DEP-OC) were found to be important contributors to the aggravation of allergic airway inflammation in mice. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of DEP-OC on atopic dermatitis (AD)-like skin lesions induced by picryl chloride (PiCl) in NC/Nga mice.

Addition of a single N-glycan to street rabies virus glycoprotein enhances virus production.

Most street rabies virus G proteins have two N-glycosylation sites, i.e. Asn(37) and Asn(319), whereas additional sites are found in fixed (laboratory adapted) viruses.

Asian sand dust aggravates allergic rhinitis in guinea pigs induced by Japanese cedar pollen.

Asian sand dust (ASD) contains microbial materials, sulfate (SO(4)(2-)), and nitrate (NO(3)(-)), and is derived from air pollutants in East China. ASD reportedly causes adverse respiratory health effects; a case in point is aggravated allergen-associated experimental lung eosinophilia. Guinea pigs were administered normal saline (control), ASD (0.

Effects of asian sand dust, Arizona sand dust, amorphous silica and aluminum oxide on allergic inflammation in the murine lung.

The aggravating effects of Asian sand dust (SD) and related minerals on the allergic inflammation were examined in the murine lungs. The toxic materials adsorbed onto Asian SD, Arizona SD were inactivated by heat-treatment. ICR mice were administered mineral samples (0.

Rescue of mutant alpha-galactosidase A in the endoplasmic reticulum by 1-deoxygalactonojirimycin leads to trafficking to lysosomes.

Active-site-specific chaperone therapy for Fabry disease is a genotype-specific therapy using a competitive inhibitor, 1-deoxygalactonojirimycin (DGJ). To elucidate the mechanism of enhancing alpha-galactosidase A (alpha-Gal A) activity by DGJ-treatment, we studied the degradation of a mutant protein and the effect of DGJ in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We first established an in vitro translation and translocation system using rabbit reticulocyte lysates and canine pancreas microsomal vesicles for a study on the stability of mutant alpha-Gal A with an amino acid substitution (R301Q) in the ER.

Effects of gamma ray irradiation on energy metabolism in the rat brain: a 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

Object: Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) is performed to treat patients with functional neurological diseases, but the neurophysiological mechanisms of GKS's biological effects with subnecrotic doses remain largely undefined. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of gamma irradiation on energy metabolism in the rat brain by using 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-NMRS).

Methods: The whole brains of Wistar rats were irradiated with a subnecrotic (60-Gy) dose of radiation.

Enhancement of mite allergen-induced eosinophil infiltration in the murine airway and local cytokine/chemokine expression by Asian sand dust.

Data on the effects of sand dust toward allergic asthma produced by indoor allergens, such as house dust mites, are not currently available. This study was undertaken to clarify the role of Asian sand dust on mite allergen, Dermatophagoides farinae (D. farinae)-induced eosinophilic inflammation in the murine lung, using sand dusts from the Maowusu Desert (Inner Mongolia) (SD-1) and the Tengger Desert (China) (SD-2).

Cytoarchitecture and intercalated disks of the working myocardium and the conduction system in the mammalian heart.

Working and specialized cardiac myocytes and their intercalated disks (ID) in the mammalian heart were examined by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The NaOH/ultrasonication treatment of cardiac tissues resulted in the digestion of collagen fibers and separation of intercellular junctions. Auricular and ventricular myocytes were cylindrical in shape, bifurcated, and connected end-to-end at the ID.