STK38 is a PPARγ-interacting protein promoting adipogenesis.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) is the master regulator of adipogenesis, but knowledge about how PPARγ is regulated at the protein level is very limited. We aimed to identify PPARγ-interacting proteins which modulate PPARγ's protein levels and transactivating activities in human adipocytes. We expressed Flag-tagged PPARγ in human preadipocytes as bait to capture PPARγ-associated proteins, followed by mass spectroscopy and proteomics analysis, which identified serine/threonine kinase 38 (STK38) as a major PPARγ-associated protein.

Recombinant Fc-Elabela fusion protein has extended plasma half-life andmitigates post-infarct heart dysfunction in rats.

Activation of the apelin receptor, or APJ, by apelin is considered a therapeutic avenue for cardiovascular disease, including heart failure. Recently, a novel endogenous ligand for APJ named Elabela (ELA) has been discovered and is known to possess anti-heart failure activity in animal models. However, the short in vivo half-life of ELA constrains its clinical potential.

Direct conversion of human myoblasts into brown-like adipocytes by engineered super-active PPARγ.

Objective: To determine whether super-activation of PPARγ can reprogram human myoblasts into brown-like adipocytes and to establish a new cell model for browning research.

Methods: To enhance the PPARγ signaling, M3, the transactivation domain of MyoD, was fused to PPARγ. PPARγ and M3-PPARγ-lentiviral vectors were used to convert human myoblasts into adipocytes.

Hepatic ALT isoenzymes are elevated in gluconeogenic conditions including diabetes and suppressed by insulin at the protein level.

Background: Alanine transaminase (ALT) plays an important role in gluconeogenesis by converting alanine into pyruvate for glucose production. Early studies have shown that ALT activities are upregulated in gluconeogenic conditions and may be implicated in the development of diabetes. ALT consists of two isoforms, ALT1 and ALT2, with distinctive subcellular and tissue distributions.

Elabela-apelin receptor signaling pathway is functional in mammalian systems.

Elabela (ELA) or Toddler is a recently discovered hormone which is required for normal development of heart and vasculature through activation of apelin receptor (APJ), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), in zebrafish. The present study explores whether the ELA-APJ signaling pathway is functional in the mammalian system. Using reverse-transcription PCR, we found that ELA is restrictedly expressed in human pluripotent stem cells and adult kidney whereas APJ is more widely expressed.

Niemann-Pick Disease Type C: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neuronal Cells for Modeling Neural Disease and Evaluating Drug Efficacy.

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by recessive mutations in the NPC1 or NPC2 gene that result in lysosomal accumulation of unesterified cholesterol in patient cells. Patient fibroblasts have been used for evaluation of compound efficacy, although neuronal degeneration is the hallmark of NPC disease. Here, we report the application of human NPC1 neural stem cells as a cell-based disease model to evaluate nine compounds that have been reported to be efficacious in the NPC1 fibroblasts and mouse models.

Correlation of circulating MMP-9 with white blood cell count in humans: effect of smoking.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is an emerging biomarker for several disease conditions, where white blood cell (WBC) count is also elevated. In this study, we examined the relationship between MMP-9 and WBC levels in apparently healthy smoking and non-smoking human subjects.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the relationship of serum MMP-9 with WBC in 383 men and 356 women.

Transmembrane emp24 protein transport domain 6 is selectively expressed in pancreatic islets and implicated in insulin secretion and diabetes.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to identify pancreatic islet-selective gene(s) that may play a functional role in islet biology and diabetes development.

Methods: Through bioinformatics, we identified and cloned a pancreas-enriched complementary DNA encoding transmembrane emp24 protein transport domain 6 (TMED6) and examined its mRNA and protein expression in tissues and islet cell lines by Northern analysis and immunofluorescence histochemistry. We also studied the role of TMED6 in insulin secretion using a knockdown approach and its gene expression changes during the development of diabetes in Goto-Kakizaki rats.

Mapping of loci from Solanum lycopersicoides conferring resistance or susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea in tomato.

Cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, syn. Lycopersicon esculentum) is susceptible to the necrotrophic ascomycete and causal agent of gray mold, Botrytis cinerea. Resistance to this fungal pathogen is elevated in wild relatives of tomato, including Solanum lycopersicoides.

Expression, purification, and initial characterization of human alanine aminotransferase (ALT) isoenzyme 1 and 2 in High-five insect cells.

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a key enzyme for gluconeogenesis as well as a widely used serum marker for liver injury. We have identified two ALT isoenzymes, ALT1 and ALT2, which are encoded by separate genes. In this study, we described the expression, purification and initial characterization of human ALT1 and ALT2 proteins in High-five insect cells.

Consequences of lipid droplet coat protein downregulation in liver cells: abnormal lipid droplet metabolism and induction of insulin resistance.

Objective: Accumulation of intracellular lipid droplets (LDs) in non-adipose tissues is recognized as a strong prognostic factor for the development of insulin resistance in obesity. LDs are coated with perilipin, adipose differentiation-related protein, tail interacting protein of 47 kd (PAT) proteins that are thought to regulate LD turnover by modulating lipolysis. Our hypothesis is that PAT proteins modulate LD metabolism and therefore insulin resistance.

Omentin plasma levels and gene expression are decreased in obesity.

Central obesity and the accumulation of visceral fat are risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Omentin is a protein expressed and secreted from visceral but not subcutaneous adipose tissue that increases insulin sensitivity in human adipocytes. To determine the impact of obesity-dependent insulin resistance on the regulation of two omentin isoforms, gene expression and plasma levels were measured in lean, overweight, and obese subjects.