Germinal epimutation of Fragile Histidine Triad (FHIT) gene is associated with progression to acute and chronic adult T-cell leukemia diseases.

Background: Human T cell Leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-I) is etiologically linked to adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and an inflammatory neurodegenerative disease called HTLV-I-associated myelopathy or tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). The exact genetic or epigenetic events and/or environmental factors that influence the development of ATL, or HAM/TSP diseases are largely unknown. The tumor suppressor gene, Fragile Histidine Triad Diadenosine Triphosphatase (FHIT), is frequently lost in cancer through epigenetic modifications and/or deletion.

IL-6 deficiency attenuates p53 protein accumulation in aged male mouse hippocampus.

Our earlier studies demonstrated slower age-related memory decline in IL-6-deficient than in control mice. Therefore, in the present study we evaluated the effect of IL-6 deficiency and aging on expression of p53, connected with accumulation of age-related cellular damages, in hippocampus of 4- and 24-month-old IL-6-deficient C57BL/6J (IL-6KO) and wild type control (WT) mice. The accumulation of p53 protein in hippocampus of aged IL-6KO mice was significantly lower than in aged WT ones, while p53 mRNA level was significantly higher in IL-6-deficient mice, what indicates that the effect was independent on p53 transcription.

Significance of IL-6 Deficiency in Recognition Memory in Young Adult and Aged Mice.

Chronic peripheral elevation of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in humans is associated with cognitive deficits. 4- and 24-month-old IL-6-deficient C57BL/6J (IL-6KO) and reference wild-type (WT) mice were tested in an object recognition test. Discrimination ratios and recognition indexes were significantly lower in 4-month-old IL-6KO and in 24-month-old WT mice vs 4-month-old WT animals.

Expression of collagens type I and V in healing rat's tympanic membrane.

Objectives: Our preliminary study performed on perforated rat's tympanic membrane (TM) using Rat Wound Healing RT2 Profiler PCR Array showed significantly increased levels of mRNA for collagens type I and V. Enhanced expression of those genes does not assure that their protein products are indeed present, and in what quantity. Therefore, this study was undertaken to analyze the collagen type I and V content in the healing TM.

IL-6 deficiency alters spatial memory in 4- and 24-month-old mice.

Significance of interleukin 6 (IL-6) deficiency in cognitive processes was evaluated in 4- and 24-month-old C57BL/6J IL-6-deficient (IL-6 KO) and control (WT) mice in Morris water maze (MWM), holeboard test (HB) and elevated plus maze (EPM). During 3-day learning escape latency time (ELT) was longer in IL-6 KO than in WT mice, however their swimming was slower, floating longer, and path length did not differ. The comparison of ELT and the distance traveled between the first and the third learning day within each group revealed significant decrease of ELT in all groups with the highest difference in 4-month-old WT mice, and significant decrease of distance traveled only in both groups of WT mice.

Interleukin 6 Knockout Inhibits Aging-Related Accumulation of p53 in the Mouse Myocardium.

Interleukin 6 (IL6) and p53 are linked by mutual regulatory mechanisms and are both upregulated in aging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of aging and IL6 on expression of p53 in the mouse heart. Male C57BL6/J wild-type and IL6 knockout mice at the age of 4-5 months (young adult) and 24-30 months (old) were used.

Facilitatory Effect of IL-6 Deficiency on Long-Term Spatial Memory in Young Adult Mice.

The significance of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in long-term reference memory was tested in the Morris water maze (MWM) in 4-month-old C57BL/6J IL-6-deficient (IL-6 KO) and control mice. Three-day learning measured by escape latency time to find the hidden platform was comparable in both genotypes. In a single probe trial performed 7 days later, without the platform, latency to the platform site and path length to the target place were significantly shorter (p < 0.

Analyses of HTLV-1 sequences suggest interaction between ORF-I mutations and HAM/TSP outcome.

The region known as pX in the 3' end of the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) genome contains four overlapping open reading frames (ORF) that encode regulatory proteins. HTLV-1 ORF-I produces the protein p12 and its cleavage product p8. The functions of these proteins have been linked to immune evasion and viral infectivity and persistence.

Facilitatory effect of AM281 on recognition memory in rats.

Background: Our approach was to determine the influence of a single systemic administration of AM281, synthetic cannabinoid structurally similar to SR141716A, on recognition memory in rats.

Methods: To assess the influence of AM281 on acquisition of information the compound was given intraperitoneally once, at the doses of 0.1, 0.

Enhanced expression of hepatocyte growth factor in the healing of experimental acute tympanic membrane perforation.

Objectives: The present study was performed to investigate the expression of hepatocyte (HGF), epidermal (EGF) and vascular endothelial (VEGF) growth factors in the course of healing of experimental tympanic membrane (TM) perforations in rats. The goal was to explain the role of these growth factors in the healing process of TM and to assess the possibility of their future application as healing promoters.

Methods: Seventy rats were used, of which 10 served as controls and the others had their TM perforated.

Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of CCN genes in failing heart.

Background: CCN family of proteins has been implicated in various processes in cardiovascular physiology and pathology, including angiogenesis, regeneration and fibrosis. In this study we assessed long term changes of CCN1 and CCN2 gene products abundance in the failing ventricular myocardium.

Methods: Male, 12-14-weeks-old C57BL6/J and C57BL6/J (IL-6-/-) mice were used.

CP55,940 attenuates spatial memory retrieval in mice.

Background: Cannabinoids constitute a varied group of lipophilic substances able to infiltrate the blood-brain barrier and influence neuronal processes. Clinical observations supported by experimental data have revealed that these compounds exert a deleterious effect on cognitive processes. The present study was carried out to determine the influence of a single systemic administration of CP55,940, a potent synthetic agonist of cannabinoid receptors, on spatial memory retrieval assessed in a Morris water maze.

Co-dependence of HTLV-1 p12 and p8 functions in virus persistence.

HTLV-1 orf-I is linked to immune evasion, viral replication and persistence. Examining the orf-I sequence of 160 HTLV-1-infected individuals; we found polymorphism of orf-I that alters the relative amounts of p12 and its cleavage product p8. Three groups were identified on the basis of p12 and p8 expression: predominantly p12, predominantly p8 and balanced expression of p12 and p8.

Analysis of gene expression profiles in tympanic membrane following perforation using PCR Array in rats--preliminary investigation.

Objectives: The goal of this work was to identify genes, known to be involved in the skin wound healing, that express differentially in the healthy and injured tympanic membrane (TM), and designate the molecules potentially beneficial for treatment of TM perforation. The molecular mechanisms controlling the course of TM regeneration are far from being elucidated.

Methods: Twenty rats had their tympanic membranes perforated, while four served as a control.

CCN1 expression in interleukin-6 deficient mouse kidney in experimental model of heart failure.

Chronic heart failure often leads to worsening of the renal function. Mediators of this process include inflammatory and neuroendocrine factors. CCN1 (Cyr 61), a member of growth factor-inducible immediate early genes, which modulates inflammation and fibrogenesis, is excreted with urine in the early phase of acute renal injury and may be involved in the pathogenesis of the cardiorenal syndrome.

Humoral immune response to HTLV-1 basic leucine zipper factor (HBZ) in HTLV-1-infected individuals.

Background: Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection can lead to development of adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) or HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) in a subset of infected subjects. HTLV-1 basic leucine zipper factor (HBZ) gene has a critical role in HTLV-1 infectivity and the development of ATL and HAM/TSP. However, little is known about the immune response against HBZ in HTLV-1-infected individuals.

Vaccine induced antibodies to the first variable loop of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp120, mediate antibody-dependent virus inhibition in macaques.

The role of antibodies directed against the hyper variable envelope region V1 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), has not been thoroughly studied. We show that a vaccine able to elicit strain-specific non-neutralizing antibodies to this region of gp120 is associated with control of highly pathogenic chimeric SHIV(89.6P) replication in rhesus macaques.

AM251, cannabinoids receptors ligand, improves recognition memory in rats.

High density of cannabinoid receptors type 1 (CB1) in the brain suggests that endocannabinoid system plays an important role in the functioning of the central nervous system. Natural and synthetic cannabinoids are known to attenuate learning and memory processes. The adverse effects of cannabinoids are reversed by SR141716A, at first reported to be a selective CB1 receptor antagonist, later shown to possess also inverse agonist properties.

Hijacking the T-cell communication network by the human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type 1 (HTLV-1) p12 and p8 proteins.

The non-structural proteins encoded by the orf-I, II, III, and IV genes of the human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type 1 (HTLV-1) genome, are critical for the modulation of cellular gene expression and T-cell proliferation, the escape from cytotoxic T-cells and natural killer cells, and virus expression. In here, we review the main functions of the HTLV-1 orf-I products. The 12kDa product from orf-I (p12) is proteolytically cleaved within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to generate the 8kDa protein (p8).

Requirement of the human T-cell leukemia virus p12 and p30 products for infectivity of human dendritic cells and macaques but not rabbits.

The identification of the genes necessary for human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-1) persistence in humans may provide targets for therapeutic approaches. We demonstrate that ablation of the HTLV-1 genes encoding p12, p30, or the HBZ protein, does not affect viral infectivity in rabbits and in this species, only the absence of HBZ is associated with a consistent reduction in virus levels. We observed reversion of the HTLV-1 mutants to the HTLV-1 wild-type genotype in none of the inoculated rabbits.

In vivo genetic mutations define predominant functions of the human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus p12I protein.

The human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma virus type 1 (HTLV-1) ORF-I encodes a 99-amino acid hydrophobic membrane protein, p12(I), that affects receptors in different cellular compartments. We report here that proteolytic cleavage dictates different cellular localization and functions of p12(I). The removal of a noncanonical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention/retrieval signal within the amino terminus of p12(I) is necessary for trafficking to the Golgi apparatus and generation of a completely cleaved 8-kDa protein.

Impairment of recognition memory in interleukin-6 knock-out mice.

We have used transgenic male mice not expressing interleukin-6 (IL-6) [C57BL/6J(IL-6/-tm Kopf)] in object recognition test to assess the role of endogenous IL-6 in recognition memory. Wild-type controls showed better memory than IL-6 knock-out mice. Results of our experiment suggest that endogenous IL-6 may play an important role in the process of recognition memory in mice.

Enhancement of photosynthetic O2 evolution in Chlorella vulgaris under high light and increased CO2 concentration as a sign of acclimation to phosphate deficiency.

The photosynthetic oxygen evolution of Chlorella vulgaris (Beijer.) cells taken from phosphate-deficient (-P) and control cultures was measured during 8 days of culture growth. Under inorganic carbon concentration (50 microM) in the measuring cell suspension and irradiance (150 micromol m(-2) s(-1)), the same as during culture growth, there were no marked differences in the photosynthetic O2 evolution rate between the -P cells and the controls.

Cannabinoids alter recognition memory in rats.

Cannabinoids are known to attenuate learning and memory in both humans and animals. In rodents, disruptive effect of cannabinoids on memory, reversed by SR 141716, a specific CB(1) receptor antagonist, was shown in behavioral tests based on conditioning. There are no data concerning the influence of cannabinoids on recognition memory.

An immunohistochemical study of the thyroid parafollicular (C) cells in rats treated with cannabinoids - preliminary investigations.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a single intraperitoneal injection of a stable analogue of endogenous cannabinoid anandamide - R-(+)-methanandamide (2.5 mg/kg) and CP 55,940 (0.25 mg/kg), an egzogenous CB1 receptor-agonist, on the calcitonin (CT) immunoreactivity of the thyroid parafollicular (C) cells.