BACKGROUND Individuals with periodontitis have elevated serum levels of IL-6 and C-reactive protein and have been reported to have a significantly increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The transcription factor early growth response factor 1 (Egr-1) has been shown to play an important role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. However, it is not known whether peri...

Atherosclerotic lesions may progress due to a "failure to die" by vascular repair cells. Egr-1, a zinc finger transcription factor, is elevated more than 5-fold in human carotid lesions relative to the adjacent tunica media. Lesion cells in vitro also express 2-3-fold higher Egr-1 mRNA and protein levels but express much lower levels of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) Type II rec...

It is well known that insulin can activate both PI3K/Akt pathway, which is responsible for glucose uptake, and MAPK pathway, which is crucial for insulin resistance formation. But, it is unclear exactly how the two pathways coordinate to regulate insulin sensitivity upon hyperinsulinism stress of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Here, we show that an early response transcription factor Egr-1 co...

This study investigates how high levels of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) combined with certain fuel injection strategies and energy recovery systems affect diesel engine emissions and fuel economy. The key test apparatus was a John Deere 4.5L diesel engine which was modeled using the computer-based engine simulation tool GT-Power. The conclusion was made that utilization of high EGR levels (3...

The early growth response transcription factor Egr-1 controls cell specific responses to proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Expression of Egr-1 and downstream transcription is closely controlled and cell specific upregulation induced by processes such as hypoxia and ischemia has been previously linked to multiple aspects of cardiovascular injury. In this study, we showed constitutive...

BACKGROUND Ras associated with diabetes (Rad) inhibits vascular lesion formation by reducing the attachment and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). However, the transcriptional regulation of Rad in VSMCs is unclear. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We found that Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF)induced Rad expression in a time- and dose-dependent manner in rat aortic smoo...

The primary response gene egr-1 encodes a sequence-specific transcription factor whose expression is necessary for antigen receptor-stimulated activation of B lymphocytes. The molecular processes involved in linking egr-1 induction to antigen receptor signaling have not been defined. The present study demonstrates that expression of an activated form of p21ras results in egr-1 induction similar...

DARPP-32 (dopamine and adenosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, 32 kDa) is a striatal-enriched protein that mediates signaling by dopamine and other first messengers in the medium spiny neurons. The transcriptional mechanisms that regulate striatal DARPP-32 expression remain enigmatic and are a subject of much interest in the efforts to induce a striatal phenotype in...

We recently reported the use of a gene-trapping approach to isolate cell clones in which a reporter gene had integrated into genes modulated by T-cell activation. We have now tested a panel of clones from that report and identified the one that responds to a variety of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR). The beta-lactamase tagged EGR-3 Jurkat cell was used to dissect specific GPCR signaling in ...

Background and Purpose—Unstable atherosclerotic plaques are characterized by increased macrophages and reduced smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and collagen content. Endoglin, an accessory transforming growth factor(TGF ) receptor, is a modulator of TGF signaling recently found to be expressed on SMCs in atherosclerotic plaques. Its function in plaque SMCs and plaque development is unknown. Early gro...