Fluoxetine (Prozac) is one of the most widely prescribed pharmaceuticals, yet important aspects of its mechanism of action remain unknown. We previously reported that fluoxetine and related antidepressants induce nose muscle contraction of C. elegans. We also reported the identification and initial characterization of mutations in seven C. elegans genes that cause defects in this response (Nrf,...

FMR1 encodes an RNA-binding protein whose absence results in fragile X mental retardation. In most patients, the FMR1 gene is cytosine-methylated and transcriptionally inactive. NRF-1 and Sp1 are known to bind and stimulate the active, but not the methylated/silenced, FMR1 promoter. Prior analysis has implicated a CRE site in regulation of FMR1 in neural cells but the role of this site is contr...

The ubiquitous transcription factor NRF (NF-kappaB repressing factor) is a constitutive transcriptional silencer of the multifunctional cytokine interferon-beta. NRF mRNA contains a long 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) predicted to fold into a strong secondary structure. The presence of stable hairpins is known to be incompatible with efficient translation by ribosomal scanning. Using dicistroni...

Fragile X syndrome is due to mutation of the FMR1 gene. The most common mutation is an expansion of a CGG repeat in the 50 UTR that triggers dense DNA methylation and formation of a heterochromatin-like structure which lead to transcriptional silencing. In vitro experiments have identified several transcription factors, including Sp1, Nrf-1 and USF1/2, as potential regulators of normal FMR1 pro...

We used expression and reporter gene analysis to understand how changes in transcription factors impinge on mitochondrial gene expression during myogenesis of cultured murine myoblasts (C2C12 and Sol8). The mRNA levels for nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1) and NRF-2alpha increased 60% by the third day of myogenesis, whereas NRF-1 and NRF-2 reporter gene activity increased by fivefold over th...

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an active neurotrophin abundantly expressed throughout the nervous system. It plays an important role in synaptic transmission, plasticity, neuronal proliferation, differentiation, survival, and death. The Bdnf gene in rodents has eight non-coding exons and only a single coding exon (IX). Despite its recognized regulation by neuronal activity, relativ...

Not really finished (nrf), a larval-lethal mutation in zebrafish generated by retroviral insertion, causes specific retinal defects. Analysis of mutant retinae reveals an extensive loss of photoreceptors and their precursors around the onset of visual function. These neurons undergo apoptosis during differentiation, affecting all classes of photoreceptors, suggesting an essential function of nr...

Bremer K, Monk CT, Gurd BJ, Moyes CD. Transcriptional regulation of temperature-induced remodeling of muscle bioenergetics in goldfish. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 303: R150 –R158, 2012. First published May 23, 2012; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00603.2011.—Central to mammalian mitochondrial biogenesis is the transcriptional master regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)co...

NF-kappaB repressing factor (NRF), a nuclear inhibitor of NF-kappaB, is constitutively expressed and is implicated in the basal silencing of specific NF-kappaB targeting genes, including IFN-beta, IL-8/CXCL8, and iNOS. Little is known about the regulation of NRF and its role in response to stimuli. Airway smooth muscle (ASM) is a rich source of inflammatory mediators that may regulate the devel...

vapor-liquid equilibrium in nh3-co2-h2o system at high pressures has been studied. the uniquac-nrf model for this system was extended by using the goppert 4 maurer reported datas. since the system contains molecules and ionic species the binary interaction parameters considered, where those are of molecule-molecule, molecule-ion and ion-ion types. these interaction parameters are taken as const...