Arterial calcification (AC) is generally regarded as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Matrix Gla protein (MGP) is a potent inhibitor of AC, and its activity depends on vitamin K (VK). In rats, inactivation of MGP by treatment with the vitamin K antagonist warfarin leads to rapid calcification of the arteries. Here, we investigated whether preformed AC can b...

Magnesium protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase (ChlM), catalyses the methylation of magnesium protoporphyrin IX (MgP) at the C(6) propionate side chain to form magnesium protoporphyrin IX monomethylester (MgPME). Threading methods biased by sequence similarity and predicted secondary structure have been used to assign this enzyme to a particular class of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM)-binding pro...

Glucose is an important stimulus for glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) secretion, but the mechanisms of secretion have not been investigated in integrated physiological models. We studied glucose-stimulated GLP-1 secretion from isolated perfused rat small intestine. Luminal glucose (5% and 20% w/v) stimulated the secretion dose dependently, but vascular glucose was without significant effect at 5...

Vitamin K, discovered in the 1930s, functions as cofactor for the posttranslational carboxylation of glutamate residues. Gammacarboxy glutamic acid (Gla)-residues were first identified in prothrombin and coagulation factors in the 1970s; subsequently, extra-hepatic Gla proteins were described, including osteocalcin and matrix Gla protein (MGP). Impairment of the function of osteocalcin and MGP ...

A bench scale experimental system was developed for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation by mixed microbial cultures in PAH contaminated Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) soils and on sand. The reactor system was chosen in order to provide a fundamental protocol capable for evaluating the performance of specific mixed microbial cultures on specific soil systems by elucid...

H. Tajfel's (1970) minimal group paradigm (MGP) research suggests that social categorization is a sufficient antecedent of ingroup-favoring discrimination. Two experiments examined whether discrimination in the MGP arises from categorization or processes of outcome dependence, that is, ingroup reciprocity and outgroup fear. Experiment 1 unconfounded categorization from outcome dependence. Categ...

We are surrounded by numerous multi-generation product (MGP) lines, ranging from Gillette’s razor products to BMW’s 3series sedans. Due to a rapidly changing and technology-intense market environment, the use of an MGP strategy has become a popular management tool for companies; numerous academic and industrial testaments exist pointing to its success. When using this strategy, a company begins...

Matrix Gla protein (MGP) is involved in calcium trafficking and arterial calcification. The aim of study was to investigate the role of three polymorphisms within the MGP gene promoter region on reporter gene (luciferase) expression level. The fragments containing rs1800799 (C/T), rs1800802 (T/C), and rs1800801 (G/A) sites were constructed and transferred into human G292 osteoblast cells using ...