Exogenous miRNAs induce post-transcriptional gene silencing in plants.

Plants seem to take up exogenous RNA that was artificially designed to target specific genes, followed by activation of the RNA interference (RNAi) machinery. It is, however, not known whether plants use RNAs themselves as signalling molecules in plant-to-plant communication, other than evidence that an exchange of small RNAs occurs between parasitic plants and their hosts. Exogenous RNAs from the environment, if taken up by some living organisms, can indeed induce RNAi.

New cardiac expression of two adenosine-2A receptor isoforms in dysfunctioning minipigs.

Purpose: Eight AR variants are reported in humans while no AR isoforms in pigs. The aim of this study was to evaluate potential isoforms presence in cardiac pig tissue to better define possible involvement of AR in the cardiovascular pathophysiology.

Materials And Methods: In adult male minipigs (n = 4) left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) was induced by pacing at 200 bpm in the right ventricular (RV) apex.

Myocardial Expression Analysis of Osteopontin and Its Splice Variants in Patients Affected by End-Stage Idiopathic or Ischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Osteopontin (OPN) is a phosphoglycoprotein of cardiac extracellular matrix and it is still poorly defined whether its expression changes in failing heart of different origin. The full-length OPN-a and its isoforms (OPN-b, OPN-c) transcriptomic profile were evaluated in myocardium of patients with dilated or ischemic cardiomyopathy (DCM n = 8; LVEF% = 17.5±3; ICM n = 8; LVEF% = 19.

Adenosine receptor transcriptomic profile in cardiac tissue of a Zucker rat model.

To evaluate the possible variations of adenosine receptor (AR) profile together with TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA in cardiac tissue of obese Zucker rats (OZR) during fasting conditions (fc) and during the induction of acute hyperglycemia (AH). OZR (O, n=21) and age-matched lean control rats (CO, n=18) were studied during fc (COfc, n=8; Ofc, n=13) and during the induction of AH (COAH, n=10; OAH, n=8). The histopathologic analysis performed on O and CO heart samples did not show abnormalities of myocardial structure.

Adrenomedullin and intermedin gene transcription is increased in leukocytes of patients with chronic heart failure at different stages of the disease.

Adrenomedullin (ADM) is a vasodilatory peptide expressed in many tissues. Its levels are elevated in various diseases including chronic heart failure (CHF) and it has been suggested that the up-regulation of ADM in cardiac disease represents a protective mechanism. Similarly, intermedin (IMD), a novel member of the calcitonin/calcitonin gene-related peptide family, is considered a potential endogenous protector of the heart.

Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity studies of two free-radical generators (AAPH and SIN-1) in human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) and human peripheral lymphocytes.

Vascular endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, macrophages and other cell types in the arterial wall may develop oxidative/nitrosative damage by generation of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, which could alter endothelial cell function. These changes could play a key role in acute inflammatory processes, atherosclerosis and neurodegenerative pathogenesis. A human microvascular endothelial cell line (HMEC-1) and human peripheral lymphocytes were employed to investigate the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects induced by reactive peroxyl radicals and peroxynitrite generated from 2,2'-azo-bis-(2-amidinopropane)-dihydrochloride (AAPH) and 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1), respectively.