Purpose: Substantive evidence supports a role of chronic stress in the development, maintenance, and even enhancement of functional bladder disorders such as interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). Increased urinary frequency and bladder hyperalgesia have been reported in rodents exposed to a chronic stress paradigm. Here, we utilized a water avoidance stress (WAS) model in rodents to investigate the effect of chronic stress on vascular perfusion and angiogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The primary site of damage during AKI, proximal tubular epithelial cells, are highly metabolically active, relying on fatty acids to meet their energy demands. These cells are rich in mitochondria and peroxisomes, the two organelles that mediate fatty acid oxidation. Emerging evidence shows that both fatty acid pathways are regulated by reversible posttranslational modifications, particularly by lysine acylation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRab GTPases are essential regulators of many cellular processes and play an important role in downstream signaling vital to proper cell function. We sought to elucidate the role of novel GTPase RabS. Cell lines over-expressing DdRabS and expressing DdRabS N137I (dominant negative (DN)) proteins were generated, and it was determined that DdRabS localized to endosomes, ER-Golgi membranes, and the contractile vacuole system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Physiol Renal Physiol
September 2017
Unlabelled: Kidneys are highly vascularized and contain many distinct vascular beds. However, the origins of renal endothelial cells and roles of the developing endothelia in the formation of the kidney are unclear. We have shown that the Foxd1-positive renal stroma gives rise to endothelial marker-expressing progenitors that are incorporated within a subset of peritubular capillaries; however, the significance of these cells is unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSIRT5 is a lysine desuccinylase known to regulate mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and the urea cycle. Here, SIRT5 was observed to bind to cardiolipin via an amphipathic helix on its N terminus. , succinyl-CoA was used to succinylate liver mitochondrial membrane proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall-molecular-weight GTPase Rab2 has been shown to be a resident of pre-Golgi intermediates and is required for protein transport from the ER to the Golgi complex; however, Rab2 has yet to be characterized in Dictyostelium discoideum. DdRabS is a Dictyostelium Rab that is 80 percent homologous to DdRab1 which is required for protein transport between the ER and Golgi. Expression of GFP-tagged DdRab2 and DdRabS proteins showed localization to Golgi membranes and to the contractile vacuole system (CV) in Dictyostelium.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPediatr Nephrol
August 2016
Pediatric acute kidney injury (AKI) represents a complex disease process for clinicians as it is multifactorial in cause and only limited treatment or preventatives are available. The renal microvasculature has recently been implicated in AKI as a strong therapeutic candidate involved in both injury and recovery. Significant progress has been made in the ability to study the renal microvasculature following ischemic AKI and its role in repair.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Acanthamoeba castellanii forms a resistant cyst that protects the parasite against the host's immune response. Acanthamoeba Type-I metacaspase (Acmcp) is a caspase-like protein that has been found to be expressed during the encystations. Dictyostelium discoideum is an organism closely related to Acanthamoeba useful for studying the molecular function of this protozoan caspase-like protein.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall molecular weight GTPase Rab2 has been shown to be a resident of pre-Golgi intermediates and required for protein transport from the ER to the Golgi complex, however, the function of Rab2 in Dictyostelium has yet to be fully characterized. Using cell lines that over-express DdRab2, as well as cell lines over-expressing constitutively active (CA), and dominant negative (DN) forms of the GTPase, we report a functional role in vesicular transport specifically phagocytosis, and endocytosis. Furthermore, Rab2 like other GTPases cycles between an active GTP-bound and an inactive GDP-bound state.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDictyostelium discoideum possesses only one caspase family member, paracaspase (pcp). Two separate mutant cell lines were first analysed: one cell line was an over-expressed GFP-tagged Pcp (GFP-Pcp), while the other cell line was a pcp-null (pcp-). Microscopic analysis of cells expressing GFP-Pcp revealed that Pcp was associated with the contractile vacuole membrane consisting of bladder-like vacuoles.
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