Epigenetic Regulation of Associates With Myocardial Infarction and Platelet Function.

Background: DNA hypomethylation at the (F2R like thrombin or trypsin receptor 3) locus has been associated with both smoking and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; whether these smoking-related associations form a pathway to disease is unknown. encodes protease-activated receptor 4, a potent thrombin receptor expressed on platelets. Given the role of thrombin in platelet activation and the role of thrombus formation in myocardial infarction, alterations to this biological pathway could be important for ischemic cardiovascular disease.

Cigarette smoke extract profoundly suppresses TNFα-mediated proinflammatory gene expression through upregulation of ATF3 in human coronary artery endothelial cells.

Endothelial dysfunction caused by the combined action of disturbed flow, inflammatory mediators and oxidants derived from cigarette smoke is known to promote coronary atherosclerosis and increase the likelihood of myocardial infarctions and strokes. Conversely, laminar flow protects against endothelial dysfunction, at least in the initial phases of atherogenesis. We studied the effects of TNFα and cigarette smoke extract on human coronary artery endothelial cells under oscillatory, normal laminar and elevated laminar shear stress for a period of 72 hours.

PI16 is a shear stress and inflammation-regulated inhibitor of MMP2.

Raised endothelial shear stress is protective against atherosclerosis but such protection may be lost at sites of inflammation. We found that four splice variants of the peptidase inhibitor 16 (PI16) mRNA are among the most highly shear stress regulated transcripts in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs), in vitro but that expression is reduced by inflammatory mediators TNFα and IL-1β. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that PI16 is expressed in human coronary endothelium and in a subset of neointimal cells and medial smooth muscle cells.

G protein-coupled receptors in the hypothalamic paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei--serpentine gateways to neuroendocrine homeostasis.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of transmembrane receptors in the mammalian genome. They are activated by a multitude of different ligands that elicit rapid intracellular responses to regulate cell function. Unsurprisingly, a large proportion of therapeutic agents target these receptors.

The transcriptome of the medullary area postrema: the thirsty rat, the hungry rat and the hypertensive rat.

The area postrema (AP) is a sensory circumventricular organ characterized by extensive fenestrated vasculature and neurons which are capable of detecting circulating signals of osmotic, cardiovascular, immune and metabolic status. The AP can communicate these messages via efferent projections to brainstem and hypothalamic structures that are able to orchestrate an appropriate response. We have used microarrays to profile the transcriptome of the AP in the Sprague-Dawley (SD) and Wistar-Kyoto rat and present here a comprehensive catalogue of gene expression, focusing specifically on the population of ion channels, receptors and G protein-coupled receptors expressed in this sensory tissue; of the G protein-coupled receptors expressed in the rat AP, we identified ∼36% that are orphans, having no established ligand.

Localisation of GPR30, a novel G protein-coupled oestrogen receptor, suggests multiple functions in rodent brain and peripheral tissues.

Recently, the G protein-coupled receptor GPR30 has been identified as a novel oestrogen receptor (ER). The distribution of the receptor has been thus far mapped only in the rat central nervous system. This study was undertaken to map the distribution of GPR30 in the mouse brain and rodent peripheral tissues.