The transcriptional activation mechanisms that regulate tissue-specific expression of cardiac muscle genes have been extensively investigated, but little is known of the regulatory events involved in repression of cardiac-specific genes in non-cardiac cells. We have previously reported that Nished, a ubiquitous transcription factor, interacts with a positive sequence element, the Intron Regulat...

The electron microscopic features of the striated skeletal muscle, the striated cardiac muscle, and the smooth muscle from a woman who had been suffering for many years from myotonia dystrophica with cardiac involvement are described. The skeletal muscle was studied at two different stages of the disease. In the first material the main changes consisted of centrally situated nuclei, disorganisa...

BACKGROUND There is increasing evidence to support a role for stem cells in the regeneration and repair of the human cardiovascular system. However, significant controversy still remains about the extent of chimerism present in blood vessels and myocytes of transplanted human hearts. METHODS AND RESULTS We investigated the contribution of infiltrating host cells to human cardiac allografts by...

The chicken gene encoding cardiac troponin T (cTNT) is expressed in both cardiac and skeletal muscle during early embryonic development, but is specifically repressed in skeletal muscle during fetal development. To determine if the cis-acting sequences governing transcription of a single gene in these two related cell types are the same, we have transfected promoter/upstream segments of the cTN...

osteonectin is a bone- associated protein involved in vascular calcification. adiponectin may protect against cardiovascular disease but possible effects on vascular calcification have been poorly studied. the aim of this study was to investigate the modulatory effect of adiponectin on oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxldl)- induced expression of osteonectin in human aorta vascular smooth mus...

In most animal cells, the microtubule-organizing centre (MTOC) and the Golgi apparatus (GA) are co-localized on one side of the nucleus, an arrangement that allows these cells to acquire a functional polarity. An exception has been reported in the skeletal muscle myotube, where the MTOC and GA exhibit a circumnuclear distribution. We wished to determine if this unusual distribution of the MTOC ...

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a protein, namely lectin, that binds to beta galactosides. Gal-3 has been shown be related the process of fibrosis, classification atherosclerosis, and cardiac remodeling. regulation known involved in atherogenesis. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) Oxidation increases expression vascular smooth muscle cells. also induces fibroblasts cells proliferate produce fibrosis-related ...

Potassium is an important ion capable to maintain intra-extracellular electric gradient. Hyperkalemia a common and potential life-threatening electrolyte disorder in patients presenting the emergency setting. Variations ionic flow may alter cells functions, skeletal smooth muscle contractility activity of myocardial cells. can be difficult diagnose clinically because symptoms vague. Patients as...

Cell transplantation could be a potential therapy for heart damage. Skeletal myoblasts have been expected to be a good cell source for autologous transplantation; however, the safety and efficacy of their transplantation are still controversial. Recent studies have revealed that skeletal muscle possesses the stem cell population that is distinct from myoblasts. To elucidate whether skeletal mus...