Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation with subsequent inducible NOS (iNOS), cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) activation is essential to statin inhibition of myocardial infarct size (IS). In the rat, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonist pioglitazone (Pio) limits IS, upregulates and activates cPLA2 and COX2, and increases myocar...

We tested whether comparative sequence analysis of the mitochondrion-encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit 2 gene (COX2) could be used to distinguish intraspecific variants of Candida glabrata. Mitochondrial genes are suitable for investigation of close phylogenetic relationships because they evolve much faster than nuclear genes, which in general exhibit very limited intraspecific variation. Fo...

The soluble domain of cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (COX2), located in the outer side of the inner mitochondrial membrane, contains a binuclear copper site (CuA) through which electrons flow from cytochrome c to the core of the oxidase where oxygen reduction takes place. Being COX2 encoded in the mitochondrial genome, newly synthesized protein undergoes maturation steps in which it is translo...

INTRODUCTION Previous studies have shown that the number of myoblastically differentiated fibroblasts known as myofibroblasts (MFs) is significantly increased in stiff joint capsules, indicating their crucial role in the pathogenesis of post-traumatic joint stiffness. Although the mode of MFs' function has been well defined for different diseases associated with tissue fibrosis, the underlying ...

Transgenic rats carrying human c-Ha-ras proto-oncogene (Hras128 rats) have been shown to be highly susceptible to induction of tumors. We have found an early induction of tongue tumors in Hras128 rats treated with 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO). 4NQO was administered to the Hras128 and wild-type Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats for 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. The experiment was terminated at 14 (Hras...

Signals mediated by CXCL12 (SDF1) and its receptor CXCR4 are centrally involved in cancer progression, both directly by activating cancer cells and indirectly by inducing angiogenesis plus recruiting T regulatory and plasmacytoid dendritic immune cells. Here, we show that in ascites isolated from ovarian cancer patients, both CXCL12 and CXCR4 are controlled by the tumor-associated inflammatory ...

Production of type I collagen declines during aging, leading to skin thinning and impaired function. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a pleiotropic lipid mediator that is synthesized from arachidonic acid by the sequential actions of cyclooxygenases (COX) and PGE synthases (PTGES). PGE2 inhibits collagen production by fibroblasts in vitro. We report that PTGES1 and COX2 progressively increase with ag...

The mitochondrial respiratory chain complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase) is a multi-subunit enzyme that transfers electrons from cytochrome c to molecular oxygen, yielding water. Its biogenesis requires concerted expression of mitochondria- and nuclear-encoded subunits and assembly factors. In this report, we describe a homozygous missense mutation in FAM36A from a patient who displays ataxia and ...