Human adenoviruses (HAdV) belong to a small DNA tumor virus family that continues as valuable models in understanding the viral strategies of usurping cell growth regulation. A number of HAdV type 2/5 early viral gene products interact with a variety of cellular proteins to build a conducive environment that promotes viral replication. Here we show that HBO1 (Histone Acetyltransferase Binding to ORC1), a member of the MYST histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complex (also known as KAT7 and MYST2) that acetylates most of the histone H3 lysine 14, is essential for HAdV5 growth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhytochemicals derived from oats are reported to possess a beneficial effect on modulating dyslipidemia, specifically on lowering total and LDL cholesterol. However, deeper insights into its mechanism remain unclear. In this randomized controlled study, we assigned 210 mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects from three study centers across China (Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai) to consume 80 g of oats or rice daily for 45 days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHome confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by dramatic changes in lifestyle and dietary behaviors that can significantly influence health. We conducted an online cross-sectional survey to assess COVID-19 pandemic-induced dietary and lifestyle changes and their association with perceived health status and self-reported body weight changes among 1000 Indian adults in early 2021. Positive improvements in dietary habits, e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe current review examines the totality of the evidence to determine if there exists a relationship between β-glucan and body weight and adiposity and whether such a relationship is a consistent, causal and plausible one. Observational studies suggest an association between oat (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of oat supplementation on serum lipid in a population of adults with mild hypercholesterolemia and reveal the underlying mechanisms with serum untargeted metabolomics.
Methods And Results: In this placebo-controlled trial, 62 participants from Nanjing, China, with mild elevations in cholesterol are randomly assigned to receive 80 g oats (containing 3 g beta-glucan) or rice daily for 45 days. Fasting blood samples are collected at the beginning, middle, and end of the trial.
Phosphodiesterase 1C (PDE1C) is expressed in mammalian heart and regulates cardiac functions by controlling levels of second messenger cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP (cAMP and cGMP, respectively). However, molecular mechanisms of cardiac regulation are currently unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that treatment of wild type mice and H9c2 myoblasts with Wy-14,643, a potent ligand of nuclear receptor peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARα), leads to elevated cardiac mRNA and cardiac PDE1C protein, which correlate with reduced levels of cAMP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVitamin A regulates many essential mammalian biological processes, including embryonic development. β-carotene is the main source of vitamin A in the human diet. Once ingested, it is packaged into lipoproteins, predominantly low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and transported to different sites within the body, including the liver and developing tissues, where it can either be stored or metabolized to retinoids (vitamin A and its derivatives).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMediator, an evolutionarily conserved multi-protein complex consisting of about 30 subunits, is a key component of the polymerase II mediated gene transcription. Germline deletion of the Mediator subunit 1 (Med1) of the Mediator in mice results in mid-gestational embryonic lethality with developmental impairment of multiple organs including heart. Here we show that cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of Med1 in mice (csMed1-/-) during late gestational and early postnatal development by intercrossing Med1fl/fl mice to α-MyHC-Cre transgenic mice results in lethality within 10 days after weaning due to dilated cardiomyopathy-related ventricular dilation and heart failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The vitamin A precursor β-carotene (BC) promotes mammalian embryonic development by serving as a source of retinoids (vitamin A derivatives) to the developing tissues. In the Western world, increased consumption of dietary supplements, including vitamin A and BC, is common; however, the consequences of maternal high preformed vitamin A intake on embryonic uptake and metabolism of BC are poorly understood.
Objective: This study investigated vitamin A and BC metabolism in developing mouse tissues after a single BC administration to pregnant wild-type (WT) mice fed purified diets with different vitamin A concentrations.
The APOE4 allele of apolipoprotein E (apoE) is the greatest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to APOE2 and APOE3. Amyloid-β (Aβ), particularly in a soluble oligomeric form (oAβ), is considered a proximal cause of neurodegeneration in AD. Emerging data indicate that levels of soluble oAβ are increased with APOE4, providing a potential mechanism of APOE4-induced AD risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFβ-carotene is the most abundant provitamin A carotenoid in human diet and tissues. It exerts a number of beneficial functions in mammals, including humans, owing to its ability to generate vitamin A as well as to emerging crucial signaling functions of its metabolites. Even though β-carotene is generally considered a safer form of vitamin A due to its highly regulated intestinal absorption, detrimental effects have also been ascribed to its intake, at least under specific circumstances.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe human diet contains β-carotene as the most abundant precursor of vitamin A, an essential nutrient for embryogenesis. Our laboratory previously showed the importance of β-carotene metabolism via β-carotene-15,15'-oxygenase (CMOI) to support mouse embryonic development. However, the mechanisms regulating embryonic acquisition and utilization of β-carotene from the maternal circulation via placenta remain unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe requirement of the developing mammalian embryo for retinoic acid is well established. Retinoic acid, the active form of vitamin A, can be generated from retinol and retinyl ester obtained from food of animal origin, and from carotenoids, mainly β-carotene, from vegetables and fruits. The mammalian embryo relies on retinol, retinyl ester and β-carotene circulating in the maternal bloodstream for its supply of vitamin A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFShiga toxins (Stx1 and Stx2) are produced by E. coli O157:H7, which is a leading cause of foodborne illness. The A subunits of Stx1 (Stx1A) and Stx2 (Stx2A) are ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs) that inhibit translation by removing an adenine from the highly conserved α-sarcin ricin loop (SRL) of the large rRNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To evaluate whether serum RBP4 correlates with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a cohort of borderline obese (BMI>30) pregnant women.
Design And Methods: Serum RBP4 and retinol were measured in pregnant women with (n=12) and without (n=10) GDM.
Results: RBP4, retinol and RBP4:retinol molar ratio were not different between the groups and were not associated with markers of insulin resistance.