Abstract The mitochondrial DNA m.3243A > G mutation is well-known to cause a variety of clinical phenotypes, including diabetes, deafness, and osteoporosis. Here, we report isolation expansion urine-derived stem cells (USCs) from patients carrying the mutation, which demonstrate bimodal heteroplasmy. USCs with high levels displayed abnormal morphology function, as well elevated ATF5-dependen...

Nearly one in five adults in the United States experience mental illness during a year (NAMI). Neurobiological correlates of these diseases may provide treatment options if they are better understood. Research has provided evidence supporting p38’s role in many mental health disorders. P38 mitogen-activated protein kinases appear frequently in literature regarding cellular threats, such as UV i...

Raf kinase trapping to Golgi (RKTG) is a potential tumor suppressor gene due to its negative roles in regulating Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK (extracellular signal–regulated kinase) pathway and GPCR (G protein–coupled receptor) Gbg subunit signaling. Interestingly, RKTG-deficient mice are free of tumors, although they are prone to form skin cancer on carcinogen administration. On the other hand, p53 is a we...

The consequences of two-week hindlimb suspension (HS) on skeletal muscle atrophy were investigated in balanced diet-fed Fat-1 transgenic and C57BL/6 wild-type mice. Body composition and gastrocnemius fatty acid composition were measured. Skeletal muscle force, cross-sectional area (CSA), and signaling pathways associated with protein synthesis (protein kinase B, Akt; ribosomal protein S6, S6, e...

Background: Ursolic acid, a pentacyclic triterpenoid, is known to exert antitumor activity in breast, lung, liver and colon cancers. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism of ursolic acid in prostate cancer cells still remains unclear. To investigate the antitumor mechanism, the apoptotic mechanism of ursolic acid via Wnt/b-catenin signaling was examined in PC-3 prostate cancer cells. Methods: C...

BACKGROUND There are several indications that malfunctions of the circadian clock contribute to depression. To search for particular circadian gene polymorphisms associated with depression, diverse polymorphisms were genotyped in two samples covering a range of depressed volunteers and participants with normal mood. METHODS Depression mood self-ratings and DNA were collected independently fro...

OBJECTIVE This study was initiated to evaluate the effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery on renal gluconeogenesis in type 2 diabetic rats and its relationship with hormonal parameters. METHODS Diabetic rats were induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ; 35 mg/kg) combined with a high-fat diet. They were then randomly divided into three groups: diabetes model group (DM...

The hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology is an accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau, which are encoded by the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) genes, respectively. Less than 5% of all AD cases are familial in nature, i.e. caused by mutations in APP, PSEN1 or PSEN2. Almost all mutations found in them are related to an overpr...