Characterization and regulation of essential murine cytomegalovirus genes m142 and m143.

US22 gene family members m142 and m143 are essential for replication of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). Their transcripts are produced with immediate-early kinetics, but little else is known about these viral genes. Unlike their transcripts, the m142 and m143 gene products (pm142, pm143) were not expressed until early times post-infection, with levels increasing over the course of infection.

Relative roles of the thyroid hormones and noradrenaline on the thermogenic activity of brown adipose tissue in the rat.

We have assessed the relative contribution of the thyroid hormones and noradrenaline (NA) on the calorigenic function of brown adipose tissue (BAT) as indicated by GDP binding and O2 consumption of BAT mitochondria. Male Wistar rats of 200 g body weight were made hypothyroid with 131I. Groups of animals were injected s.

Epidermal growth factor stimulates thyrotropin secretion in the rat.

The present work studied the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the release of thyrotropin (TSH) and prolactin (PRL) from perifused pituitary glands of 200-gram male Wistar rats. Each pituitary gland, cut into halves, was placed in a chamber of a perifusion system connected to a peristaltic pump which conveyed the perifusion medium (Medium 199, pH 7.3, Gibco, USA) from a reservoir to a chamber at a flow rate of 100 microliters/min.

Diphenylhydantoin stimulates the intrapituitary conversion of thyroxine to triiodothyronine in the rat.

Treatment of normal rats with diphenylhydantoin (DPH) decreases serum thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) levels without the anticipated rise in serum thyrotropin (TSH). The present work has studied the intrapituitary conversion of T4 to T3 in male Wistar rats, 200-250 g body weight (BW), treated with DPH 5 mg/100 g BW/day for 8 days. A tracer dose of 3',5'-[125I]T4 (150 microCi) was injected intravenously, and 2 h later hypophyses were removed and homogenized individually at 4 degrees C in ice-cold PBS buffer (pH 7.

Effects of thyroid hormones on mitochondrial oxygen consumption in brown adipose tissue and heart from cold-exposed hypothyroid rats.

The present work measured brown adipose tissue and heart mitochondrial oxygen consumption in hypothyroid rats treated with replacement doses of T3, T4 or T4 plus iopanoic acid and kept at 4 degrees C for 24 h. Heart oxygen consumption in normal, untreated hypothyroid and T4-treated hypothyroid rats was unaffected by cold exposure. In rats treated with T4 plus iopanoic acid, rates of oxygen consumption were normal in those maintained at 4 degrees C as well as in those kept at room temperature, despite serum T3 concentration being significantly decreased.