Vascular calcification is frequently found already in early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and is associated with high cardiovascular risk. The process of vascular calcification is not considered a passive phenomenon but involves, at least in part, phenotypical transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Following exposure to excessive extracellular phosphate concen...

BACKGROUND PiT1 (or SLC20a1) encodes a widely expressed plasma membrane protein functioning as a high-affinity Na(+)-phosphate (Pi) cotransporter. As such, PiT1 is often considered as a ubiquitous supplier of Pi for cellular needs regardless of the lack of experimental data. Although the importance of PiT1 in mineralizing processes have been demonstrated in vitro in osteoblasts, chondrocytes an...

Polish Red (PR) is the native Polish cattle breed included in the FAO National Rare Livestock Breeds Preservation Programme. The breed is characterized by high vitality and fertility, calving ease, resistance to diseases, and low requirements for feed. Milk yield is low, but fat and protein content of milk are high. The frequencies of alleles of commonly studied loci as well as the presence of ...

Mutations in Prophet of PIT1 (Prop1), one of several homeodomain transcription factors that are required for the development of the anterior pituitary gland, are the predominant cause of MPHD (multiple pituitary hormone deficiency) in humans. We show that deletion of Prop1 in mice causes severe pituitary hypoplasia with failure of the entire Pit1 lineage and delayed gonadotrope development. The...

Infection of a host cell by a retrovirus requires an initial interaction with a cellular receptor. For numerous gammaretroviruses, such as the gibbon ape leukemia virus, woolly monkey virus, feline leukemia virus subgroup B, feline leukemia virus subgroup T, and 10A1 murine leukemia virus, this receptor is the human type III sodium-dependent inorganic phosphate transporter, SLC20A1, formerly kn...

The formation of hydroxyapatite crystals and their insertion into collagen fibrils of the matrix are essential steps for bone mineralization. As phosphate is a main structural component of apatite crystals, its uptake by skeletal cells is critical and must be controlled by specialized membrane proteins. In mammals, in vitro studies have suggested that the high-affinity sodium-phosphate cotransp...

2/17 Clinical Features: Congenital hypothyroidism is a condition characterized by inadequate availability of active thyroid hormone to target tissues in the newborn period. It can be sporadic or inherited. In 80 to 85% of cases, congenital hypothyroidism is the consequence of thyroid dysgenesis due to absent (athyreosis), abnormally located (ectopic), or small (hypoplastic) thyroid gland (1). C...