Up and Down Expression of Androgen Receptor, Estrogen Receptor beta and Platelet Derived Growth Factor beta by Testosterone in Aortic Vascular Smooth Muscle Tissues

Objectives To investigate the effects of testosterone enanthate (TE) on serum lip- ids and lipoproteins metabolism and the expression of androgen receptor (AR) , estrogen receptor beta ( ER - β) and platelet derived growth factor beta ( PDGFR - β) in aortic vascular smooth muscle tissues (VSMTs). Methods Forty aged male rats were ran- domly divided into 4 groups, group A (placebo group) , group B (2. 5 mg/kg intramuscular injection of TE once a week ) , group C (5.0 mg/kg intramuscular injection of TE once a week ) , group D ( 10. 0 mg/kg intramus- cular injection of TE once a week). All animals were fed freely during 16 - week treatment periods. The ex- pression of AR ,ER - βand PDGFR - β were studied by Western bolt. Results Average serum LDL - C was lower in group D than that in group A ( p < 0. 01 ). Compared with the other groups, average serum TC was also lower in group D (p <0. 05). AR expression in aortic vascular smooth muscle tissues could be regulated by TE: 99.50 ±21.74, 125.38 ±28.68 and 101.98 ± 15.42 for TE concentrations at 2.5 mg/kg, 5.0 mg/kg and 10.0 mg/kg, respectively , the expression of ER - β could be regulated by TE: 92. 34 ± 18. 68, 47. 72 ± 18.12, 82.13 ±23.50, and the expression of PDGFR - β could be regulated as well by TE: 219.70 ±45. 59, 50.16 ±9. 72, 125.36 ±15. 74(Data for AR ,ER-β and PDGFR - β protein band intensity were expressed with x ± s, with control group taken as 100 ).Conclusions This study indicates that androgens have significant effects on serum lipids and lipoprotein metabolism. Testosterone enanthate at 5. 0 mg/kg can stimulate the expression of AR, but inhibite the expres- sion of PDGFR. Testosterone enanthate at the concen- trations of 5. 0 mg/kg and 10. 0 mg/kg can inhibite the expression of ER - β.

Detection of p53 gene mutations in skeletal muscle cell of patients with chronic heart failure

Progressive deterioration of physical work capacity in congestive heart failure (CHF) is often attributed to ongoing skeletal muscle atrophy and abnormalities in muscle metabolism. The purpose of the present study was to investigate if mutations in the p53 gene thought to be a promotor of apoptosis are involved in intrinsic apoptotic abnormalities in skeletal muscle of patients (pts) with CHF. Percutaneous needle biopsy from the m. vastus lateralis were obtained from 19 pts with CHF (LV EF 25%±10%). Single strand confirmation polymorphism analysis of polymerase chain reation products (PCR SSCP analysis) was used for detection of mutations in exon 5 8 of the p53 gene in skeletal Heart Center, University Leipzig, Germany (Yu JT, Adams V, Fiehn E, Schuler G and Hambrecht R) Institut of Pathology, University Freiburg, Germany (Ye J and Riede U)muscle cells. Four of 19 muscle specimens (21%) showed mobility shifts. To characterize the nuleotide sequence alterations specimens were examined further by direct sequence analysis of PCR product. Two of four specimens showing a band shift in the SSCP analysis exhibited a mutated p53 sequence. Sequence analysis revealed that these alteratons were point mutation exon 8 (14482, G→A) and deletion in exon 5 (13143 13157). A high frequency of p53 mutations was detected in skeletal muscle cells of patients with chronic heart failure. These findings suggest a role for apoptosis in the progression of intrinsic skeletal muscle abnormalities and consequently of exercise intolerance in chronic heart failure.

Absent MicroRNAs in Different Tissues of Patients with Acquired Cardiomyopathy

MicroRNAs （miRNAs） can be found in a wide range of tissues and body fluids, and their specific signatures can be used to determine diseases or predict clinical courses. The miRNA profiles in biological samples （tissue, serum, peripheral blood mononuelear cells or other body fluids） differ significantly even in the same patient and therefore have their own specificity for the presented condition. Complex profiles of deregulated miRNAs are of high interest, whereas the importance of non-expressed miRNAs was ignored. Since miRNAs regulate gene expression rather negatively, absent miRNAs could indicate genes with unaltered expression that therefore are normally expressed in specific compartments or under specific disease situations. For the first time, non-detectable miRNAs in different tissues and body fluids from patients with different diseases （cardiomyopathies, Alzheimer＇s disease, bladder cancer, and ocular cancer） were analyzed and compared in this study, miRNA expression data were generated by microarray or TaqMan PCR-based platforms. Lists of absent miRNAs of primarily cardiac patients （myocardium, blood cells, and serum） were clustered and analyzed for potentially involved pathways using two prediction platforms, i.e., miRNA enrichment analysis and annotation tool （miEAA） and DIANA miRPath. Extensive search in biomedical publication databases for the relevance of non-expressed miRNAs in predicted pathways revealed no evidence for their involvement in heart-related pathways as indicated by software tools, confirming proposed approach.