Mitochondrial DNA Enrichment for Sensitive Next-Generation Sequencing.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes components essential for cellular respiration. Low levels of point mutations and deletions accumulate in mtDNA during normal aging. However, improper maintenance of mtDNA results in mitochondrial diseases, stemming from progressive loss of mitochondrial function through the accelerated formation of deletions and mutations in mtDNA.

Effects of Probiotic Supplement in Pregnant Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Previous studies showed that probiotics could improve glycemic control and attenuate some of the adverse effects of type 2 diabetes. However, whether the effects are generalizable to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) remains uncertain.

Objective: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of probiotic supplement in GDM.

A calcium/cAMP signaling loop at the ORAI1 mouth drives channel inactivation to shape NFAT induction.

ORAI1 constitutes the store-operated Ca release-activated Ca (CRAC) channel crucial for life. Whereas ORAI1 activation by Ca-sensing STIM proteins is known, still obscure is how ORAI1 is turned off through Ca-dependent inactivation (CDI), protecting against Ca toxicity. Here we identify a spatially-restricted Ca/cAMP signaling crosstalk critical for mediating CDI.

Adiponectin gene polymorphisms and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis.

Background: Adiponectin (ADIPOQ) is an important factor involved in the regulation of both carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Polymorphisms in the gene are known to influence an individual's predisposition to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Moreover, women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Scoring systems for prediction of mortality in decompensated liver cirrhosis: A meta-analysis of test accuracy.

Aim: To compare the accuracy of the scoring systems Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP), Model for End-stage Liver Disease score (MELD), MELD-Na, and MELD to Serum Sodium ratio (MESO) to predict the mortality in decompensated liver cirrhosis.

Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Ovid databases were systematically searched from inception to September 2018 for relevant articles, and we evaluated the quality of the included studies. The accuracy of scoring systems was analyzed with Stata 12 and MetaDiSc 1.

The functions of store-operated calcium channels.

Store-operated calcium channels provide calcium signals to the cytoplasm of a wide variety of cell types. The basic components of this signaling mechanism include a mechanism for discharging Ca stores (commonly but not exclusively phospholipase C and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate), a sensor in the endoplasmic reticulum that also serves as an activator of the plasma membrane channel (STIM1 and STIM2), and the store-operated channel (Orai1, 2 or 3). The advent of mice genetically altered to reduce store-operated calcium entry globally or in specific cell types has provided important tools to understand the functions of these widely encountered channels in specific and clinically important physiological systems.

Multiple types of calcium channels arising from alternative translation initiation of the Orai1 message.

In mammals exclusively, the pore-forming Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC) channel subunit Orai1 occurs in two forms because of alternative translation initiation. The longer, mammal-specific Orai1α contains an additional 63 amino acids upstream of the conserved start site for Orai1β, which occurs at methionine 64 in Orai1α. Orai1 participates in the generation of three distinct Ca(2+) currents, including two store-operated currents: Icrac, which involves activation of Orai1 channels by the Ca(2+)-sensing protein STIM1 (stromal interaction molecule 1), and Isoc, which involves an interaction among Orai1, the transient receptor potential (TRP) family member TRPC1 (TRP canonical 1), and STIM1.

Activation of PLC by an endogenous cytokine (GBP) in Drosophila S3 cells and its application as a model for studying inositol phosphate signalling through ITPK1.

Using immortalized [3H]inositol-labelled S3 cells, we demonstrated in the present study that various elements of the inositol phosphate signalling cascade are recruited by a Drosophila homologue from a cytokine family of so-called GBPs (growth-blocking peptides). HPLC analysis revealed that dGBP (Drosophila GBP) elevated Ins(1,4,5)P3 levels 9-fold. By using fluorescent Ca2+ probes, we determined that dGBP initially mobilized Ca2+ from intracellular pools; the ensuing depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores by dGBP subsequently activated a Ca2+ entry pathway.

Phosphoregulation of STIM1 leads to exclusion of the endoplasmic reticulum from the mitotic spindle.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) undergoes significant reorganization between interphase and mitosis, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) is an ER Ca(2+) sensor that activates store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) and also functions in ER morphogenesis through its interaction with the microtubule +TIP protein end binding 1 (EB1). We previously demonstrated that phosphorylation of STIM1 during mitosis suppresses SOCE.

Phosphorylation analysis of G protein-coupled receptor by mass spectrometry: identification of a phosphorylation site in V2 vasopressin receptor.

Phosphorylation plays vital roles in the regulation and function of the V2 vasopressin receptor (V2R), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that is responsible for maintaining water homeostasis in the kidney. Through a combination of immunoaffinity purification, immobilized metal affinity chromatography, and nanoflow liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, we identified a novel phosphorylation site (Ser(255)) in the third intracellular loop of human V2R. We showed that the third intracellular loop could be phosphorylated in vitro by protein kinase A, but not by Akt kinase, although sequence motif analysis predicated otherwise.

Characterization of a novel protein kinase D: Caenorhabditis elegans DKF-1 is activated by translocation-phosphorylation and regulates movement and growth in vivo.

Protein kinase D (PKD) isoforms are protein kinase C (PKC) effectors in diacylglycerol (DAG)-regulated signaling pathways. Key physiological processes are placed under DAG control by the distinctive substrate specificity and intracellular distribution of PKDs. Comprehension of the roles of PKDs in homeostasis and signal transduction requires further knowledge of regulatory interplay among PKD and PKC isoforms, analysis of PKC-independent PKD activation, and characterization of functions controlled by PKDs in vivo.

Characterization of ubiquilin 1, an mTOR-interacting protein.

The mTOR protein kinase is known to control cell cycle progression and cell growth through regulation of translation, transcription, membrane traffic and protein degradation. Known interactions of mTOR do not account for the multiple functions of this protein. Using a non-catalytic segment of mTOR (1-670) as bait in a yeast two-hybrid screen for interacting proteins, ubiquilin 1 (NM013438) was identified.