Expression profile and down-regulation of argininosuccinate synthetase in hepatocellular carcinoma in a transgenic mouse model.

Background: Argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) participates in urea and nitric oxide production and is a rate-limiting enzyme in arginine biosynthesis. Regulation of ASS expression appears complex and dynamic. In addition to transcriptional regulation, a novel post-transcriptional regulation affecting nuclear precursor RNA stability has been reported.

Effects of video game playing on cerebral blood flow in young adults: a SPECT study.

To study the impact of video game playing on the human brain, the effects of two video games playing on cerebral blood flow (CBF) in young adults were determined. Thirty healthy subjects comprising 18 males and 12 females who were familiar with video game playing were recruited. Each subject underwent three sessions of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with a bolus injection of 20 mCi (99m)Tc ECD IV to measure their CBF.

Aggression in bipolar II disorder and its relation to the serotonin transporter.

Background: Aggression is frequently observed in patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD). Previous studies found a negative association between aggression and serotoninergic function in patients with BD, as well as in healthy subjects. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is an association between aggression and the availability of the serotonin transporter (SERT) in euthymic BD II patients.

ATAC and Mediator coactivators form a stable complex and regulate a set of non-coding RNA genes.

The Ada-Two-A-containing (ATAC) histone acetyltransferase and Mediator coactivator complexes regulate independent and distinct steps during transcription initiation and elongation. Here, we report the identification of a new stable molecular assembly formed between the ATAC and Mediator complexes in mouse embryonic stem cells. Moreover, we identify leucine zipper motif-containing protein 1 as a subunit of this meta-coactivator complex (MECO).

Enhancing effects of morphine on methamphetamine-induced reinforcing behavior and its association with dopamine release and metabolism in mice.

Polydrug abuse has become a significant problem worldwide, and the combined use of methamphetamine (MA) and morphine (M) is now highly prevalent among addicts. In the present study, we investigated the neurobehavioral effects of repeated treatment regimens of these drugs (i.p.

LUZP deficiency affects neural tube closure during brain development.

LUZP is a leucine zipper-containing protein predominantly expressed in the brain. The functional significance of LUZP remains unknown. To explore the role of LUZP in brain development, a knockout mouse strain with a lacZ knock-in (Luzp-KO/lacZ-KI) has been established.

Characterization of the regulatory region of Adra2c, the gene encoding the murine alpha2C adrenoceptor subtype.

The 5' flanking sequence (3,227 base pairs, bp) of the mouse Adra2c subtype gene was determined and characterized. The transcription start site was mapped to nucleotide 'A' of two initiator motifs in tandem array, i.e.

Regulated expression of alpha2B adrenoceptor during development.

There are three subtypes of alpha2 adrenoceptor, i.e., alpha2A, alpha2B, and alpha2C, mediating the specific effect of epinephrine and norepinephrine in various tissues by means of G protein-coupled signal transduction pathways.

Transient expression of Ym1, a heparin-binding lectin, during developmental hematopoiesis and inflammation.

Ym1, a secretory protein transiently produced by activated peritoneal macrophages elicited by parasitic infections, has been identified as a novel heparin-binding lectin. X-ray crystallography study revealed that Ym1 has a beta/alpha barrel structure with a carbohydrate-binding cleft similar to that of triose-phosphate isomerases. To further delineate the physiological significance of Ym1, we examined its expression patterns during mouse embryonic development and inflammation states elicited by agents other than parasitic infections in the peritoneal cavity and brain.