Many studies in different biological systems have revealed that 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25(OH)2D3) modulates signaling pathways triggered at the plasma membrane by agents such as Wnt, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, epidermal growth factor (EGF), and others. In addition, 1α,25(OH)2D3 may affect gene expression by paracrine mechanisms that involve the regulation of cytokine or growth f...

BACKGROUND Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ co-activator-1α (PGC-1α) is a member of the transcriptional coactivator family that plays a central role in the regulation of cellular energy metabolism under various physiological stimuli. During fasting, PGC-1α is induced in the liver and together with estrogen-related receptor a and γ (ERRα and ERRγ, orphan nuclear receptors with no kno...

There are three isoforms of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) mRNA, which promotes mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscles. Compared with PGC-1α-a mRNA, PGC-1α-b or PGC-1α-c mRNA is transcribed by a different exon 1 of the PGC-1α gene. In this study, effects of exercise intensity and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1β-d-ribofuranoside (AICAR) on isoform-sp...

This study investigated the impact of uteroplacental insufficiency and growth restriction on the expression of genes related to mitochondrial biogenesis, glucose transport, and antioxidant defenses in cardiac tissue at embryonic day 20 (E20) and postnatal days 1, 7, and 35 in male and female Wistar rats (8-10 per group). Bilateral uterine vessel ligation to induce growth restriction (Restricted...

The recent discovery of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in regenerating muscle raises the question regarding the action of vitamin D3 on skeletal muscle regeneration. To investigate the action of vitamin D3 on this process, the tibialis anterior muscle of male C57BL/6 mice (10 wk of age) was injected with 1.2% BaCl2 to induce extensive muscle injury. The bioactive form of vitamin D3 [1α,25(OH)2D3]...

Background Despite enormous progress in the understanding of human reproductive physiology, the underlying cause of male infertility remains undefined in about 50.0% of cases, which are referred to as idiopathic infertility and already affects about 5.0-7.0% of the general male population. Interlukin- 1 is a regulator that plays an important role in maintaining a safe environment for testes and...

Metastasis is the major cause of death among gastric cancer (GC) patients, and altered expression of Ras-related protein RAP1B is associated with cancer development. The present study assessed RAP1B expression ex vivo and the effect of hypoxia‑induced RAP1B overexpression on the promotion of the metastatic potential of GC cells in vitro. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of...

The present study investigated the effects of acute and chronic eccentric exercise on the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α activation response and the concomitant modulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression in rat skeletal muscle. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to three experimental groups: rested control ...

Adenoviruses are used extensively to deliver genes into mammalian cells, particularly where there is a requirement for high-level expression of transgene products in cultured cells, or for use as recombinant viral vaccines or in gene therapy. In spite of their usefulness, the construction of adenoviral vectors (AdV) is a cumbersome and lengthy process that is not readily amenable to the generat...