Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) confers cytoprotection against oxidative stress. A (GT)n dinucleotide repeat in the 5'-flanking region of human HO-1 gene shows length polymorphism, which was classified into S (< 27 GT), M (27-32 GT), and L alleles (>/= 33 GT). Polymorphism in the HO-1 gene promoter was shown to be associated with susceptibility to pulmonary emphysema and restenosis after angioplasty. H...

Zinc released from activated platelets binds fibrin(ogen) and attenuates fibrinolysis. Although zinc also affects clot formation, the mechanism and consequences are poorly understood. To address these gaps, the effect of zinc on clot formation and structure was examined in the absence or presence of factor (F) XIII. Zinc accelerated a) plasma clotting by 1.4-fold, b) fibrinogen clotting by 3.5-...

2015 Factor XIII (FXIII) is composed of two catalytic A subunits and two carrier B subunits. Following activation by thrombin FXIII becomes plasma transglutaminase, which crosslinks the γ-glutamyl-ɛ-lysine residues of fibrin chains stabilizing fibrin clot. Congenital deficiency of factor XIII results in a severe life-long hemorrhagic disorder, abnormal wound healing in about 30% of patients and...

The plasma transglutaminase, factor XIIIa (FXIIIa), circulates as a zymogen containing two proteins, A and B, arranged in a noncovalent tetrameric complex, A2B2. Biosynthesis of plasma FXIII has not previously been demonstrated. In the present study, direct evidence has been obtained that two human hepatoma cell lines, Hep G2 and PLC/PRF/5, synthesize and secrete FXIII B protein. Secretion of t...

PURPOSE Factor XIII (FXIII), a thrombin-activated plasma transglutaminase zymogen, is involved in cancer development and progression through a triggered coagulation pathway. The aim of this study was to examine whether FXIII activity levels differed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients according to histological types and TNM stage when compared with healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND M...

BACKGROUND There has been accumulating evidence that there are associations among γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) elevation and all-cause mortality, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the most common and potentially functional polymorphisms of antioxidant enzyme genes, i.e. su...

The role of factor XIII subunit A (FXIII-A) is not restricted to hemostasis. FXIII-A is also present intracellularly in several human cells and serves as a diagnostic marker in a wide range of dermatological diseases from inflammatory conditions to malignancies. In this review, we provide a guide on the still controversial interpretation of dermal cell types expressing FXIII-A and assess the pr...

INTRODUCTION Green tea(GT) is able to increase energy expenditure(EE) and fat oxidation(FATox) via inhibition of catechol-O-methyl transferase(COMT) by catechins. However, this does not always appear unanimously because of large inter-individual variability. This may be explained by different alleles of the functional COMT Val108/158Met polymorphism that are associated with COMT enzyme activity...

BACKGROUND MTHFD1 encodes C1-tetrahydrofolate synthase, which is a folate-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the formation and interconversion of folate-activated one-carbon groups for nucleotide biosynthesis and cellular methylation. A polymorphism in MTHFD1 (1958G→A) impairs enzymatic activity and is associated with increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, but the mechanisms are unknown. ...