AIMS Oxidative stress and apoptosis are among the earliest lesions of diabetic retinopathy. This study sought to examine the anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic effects of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) in early diabetic retinas and to explore the underlying mechanisms in retinal vascular endothelial cells. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intravenously with streptozocin to i...

BACKGROUND α-Mangostin (α-MG) is a main constituent of the fruit hull of the mangosteen. Previous studies have shown that α-MG has pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral effects. This study aims to investigate the anti-inflammatory molecular action of α-MG on gene expression profiles. METHODS U937 and...

Thalassemias are hereditary anemia syndromes occurring due to erroneous producing of globin chain of hemoglobin. Thalassemia syndromes are named according to the type of the affected globin chain. The most common types of thalassemia are alpha thalassemia and beta thalassemia. In α-thalassemia, α-globin chain production is either by decreased or completely disappeared. The gene encoding the α-g...

Herpes simplex virus type 1 encodes three sets of genes, α, β, and γ, whose expression is sequentially ordered in a cascade fashion. The transactivators of α genes comprise virion protein 16 (VP16) and the cellular proteins octamer binding protein 1 (Oct1) and host factor 1 (HCF1). Efficient transition from α to β gene expression requires the α protein ICP0 (infected cell protein 0). Earlier st...

α(1)-Adrenoceptors are involved in numerous physiological functions, including micturition. However, the pharmacological profile of the α(1)-adrenoceptor subtypes remains controversial. Here, we review the literature regarding α(1)-adrenoceptors in the lower urinary tract from the standpoint of α(1L) phenotype pharmacology. Among three α(1)-adrenoceptor subtypes (α(1A), α(1B) and α(1D)), α(1a)-...

Many studies suggest significant genetic variation in the resistance of cattle and humans to infection with Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), the causative agent of zoonotic tuberculosis. TNF-α promotes inflammation and induces apoptosis in response to mycobacterial infection. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms of the TNF-α gene on bov...

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene has been universally and successfully utilized as a barcoding gene, mainly because it can be amplified easily, applied across a wide range of taxa, and results can be obtained cheaply and quickly. However, in rare cases, the gene can fail to distinguish between species, particularly when exposed to highly sensitive methods of data an...

In the present study, we investigated whether apigenin significantly affects tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced production and gene expression of MUC5AC mucin in airway epithelial cells. Confluent NCI-H292 cells were pretreated with apigenin for 30 min and then stimulated with TNF-α for 24 h or the indicated periods. The MUC5AC mucin gene expression and mucin protein production were measur...

for gene transfer research and studies of cell differentiation and regulation of gene expression. Identification of the genomic structure of fish genes provides valuable sequence information and adds to understanding of their molecular evolution. We aimed at cloning rainbow trout regulatory sequences that direct expression of genes in skeletal muscle. To address this task, we chose α-actin, myo...

Although inhibin was first identified as a hormone regulating pituitary FSH secretion, it was later recognized to act as a tumor suppressor in the gonad and adrenal glands. Recently, the alpha subunit of this dimeric hormone (inhibin‑α) was reported to be involved in prostate tumorigenesis. To identify additional roles outside the reproductive axis, we investigated inhibin‑α gene activity and s...