The differentiation of brown adipocytes during late fetal development or in cell culture is associated with enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis and increased gene expression for components of the respiratory chain/oxidative phosphorylation system. We have shown that this is due to a rise in mitochondrial DNA abundance and the corresponding increase in mitochondrial genome transcripts and gene pro...

background: elongation factor-1, a conserved nuclear protein coding gene was used to identify iranian sandfly species. the phlebotomine sandfies are the vectors of the parasitic protozoan leishmania, the causative agents of leishmaniasis, in iran. methods: seven sets of primers were tried. pcr amplification of elongation factor-1 was successfully achieved for all 14 species of iranian sandfli...

Chronic contractile activity produces mitochondrial biogenesis in muscle. This adaptation results in a significant shift in adenine nucleotide metabolism, with attendant improvements in fatigue resistance. The vast majority of mitochondrial proteins are derived from the nuclear genome, necessitating the transcription of genes, the translation of mRNA into protein, the targeting of the protein t...

Tributyltin (TBT), which has been widely used as an antifouling agent in paints, is a common environmental pollutant. Although the toxicity of high-dose TBT has been extensively reported, the effects of low concentrations of TBT are relatively less well studied. We have previously reported that low-concentration TBT decreases α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA)-type glut...

Thyroid transcription factor-1 (TITF-1) is a homeodomain containing transcription factor that binds to and selectively activates the expression of genes in thyroid and pulmonary epithelial cells. TITF-1 plays a critical role in gene expression and in organogenesis of lung and thyroid. In the present work, epitope-tagged TITF-1 proteins were used to identify the regions of the TITF-1 polypeptide...

Folates are essential vitamins that play a key role as one-carbon donors in a spectrum of biosynthetic pathways including RNA and DNA synthesis. The proton-coupled folate transporter (PCFT/SLC46A1) mediates obligatory intestinal folate absorption. Loss-of-function mutations in PCFT result in hereditary folate malabsorption, an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by very low folate levels...