Previous studies demonstrated that overexpression of angiotensinogen (AGT) in adipose tissue increased blood pressure. However, the contribution of endogenous AGT in adipocytes to the systemic renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and blood pressure control is undefined. To define a role of adipocyte-derived AGT, mice with loxP sites flanking exon 2 of the AGT gene (Agt(fl/fl)) were bred to transgenic...

The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic and inflammatory abnormalities including obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis. The fatty acid binding proteins aP2 (fatty acid binding protein [FABP]-4) and mal1 (FABP5) are closely related and both are expressed in adipocytes. Previous studies in aP2-deficient mice have indicated a signifi...

Experimental and clinical studies strongly suggest that gelatinase A plays a central role in the evolution of glomerular injury and sclerosis. The sequences of the 5' flanking regions of the human and rat gelatinase A genes do not share similarities with other members of the matrix metalloproteinase gene family and are regulated in a distinctive manner. The human and rat gelatinase A genes incl...

Macrophages play a critical role in chronic inflammation and metabolic diseases. We identified a longer splice variant of ubiquitin specific protease (USP) 2-69 as a novel molecule that modulates pathways implicated in metabolic disorders. Expression levels of aP2/FABP4 and PAI-1/SERPINE1 genes were increased by 4- and 1.8-fold, respectively, after short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown (KD) of t...

The AP2/ERF proteins are plant-specific transcription factors involved in multiple regulatory pathways, from plant organ development to response to various environmental stresses. One of the mechanisms that regulates the AP2-like genes involves the microRNA miR172, which controls their activity at the post-transcriptional level. Extensive studies on AP2-like genes are available in many differen...

Cellulose biosynthesis is performed exclusively by plasma membrane-localized cellulose synthases (CESAs). Therefore, the trafficking of CESAs to and from the plasma membrane is an important mechanism for regulating cellulose biosynthesis. CESAs were recently identified as cargo proteins of the classic adaptor protein 2 (AP2) complex of the clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) pathway. The AP2 co...

The regulation of the number of gamma2-subunit-containing GABA(A) receptors (GABA(A)Rs) present at synapses is critical for correct synaptic inhibition and animal behavior. This regulation occurs, in part, by the controlled removal of receptors from the membrane in clathrin-coated vesicles, but it remains unclear how clathrin recruitment to surface gamma2-subunit-containing GABA(A)Rs is regulat...

Impaired coupling of adipose tissue expansion and vascularization is proposed to lead to adipocyte hypoxia and inflammation, which in turn contributes to systemic metabolic derangements. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a powerful antiangiogenic factor that is secreted by adipocytes, elevated in obesity, and implicated in the development of insulin resistance. We explored the angioge...

Long-chain fatty acids (FA) have been shown to regulate expression of the gene for the adipocyte FA-binding protein aP2. We examined whether this effect was exerted by FA themselves or by a FA metabolite. The alpha-bromo derivative of palmitate, an inhibitor of FA oxidation, was synthesized in the radioactive form, and its metabolism was investigated and correlated with its ability to induce aP...

Abstract Background Gossypium hirsutum L. ( cotton) is one of the most economically important crops in world due to its significant source fiber, feed, foodstuff, oil and biofuel products. However, utilization cottonseed was limited presence small darkly pigmented glands that contain large amounts gossypol, which toxic human beings non-ruminant animals. To date, some progress has been made pigm...