Cloning, Characteristics, and Functional Analysis of Rabbit NADPH Oxidase 5

Background: Nox5 was the last member of the Nox enzyme family to be identified. Functionally distinct from the other Nox isoforms, our understanding of its physiological significance has been hampered by the absence of Nox5 in mouse and rat genomes. Nox5 is present in the genomes of other species such as the rabbit that have broad utility as models of cardiovascular disease. However, the mRNA sequence, characteristics, and functional analysis of rabbit Nox5 has not been fully defined and were the goals of the current study. Methods: Rabbit Nox5 was amplified from rabbit tissue, cloned, and sequenced. COS-7 cells were employed for expression and functional analysis via Western blotting and measurements of superoxide. We designed and synthesized miRNAs selectively targeting rabbit Nox5. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of rabbit Nox5 were aligned with those of putative rabbit isoforms (X1, X2, X3, and X4). A phylogenetic tree was generated based on the mRNA sequence for Nox5 from rabbit and other species. Results: Sequence alignment revealed that the identified rabbit Nox5 was highly conserved with the predicted sequence of rabbit Nox5. Cell based experiments reveal that rabbit Nox5 was robustly expressed and produced superoxide at rest and in a calcium and PMA-dependent manner that was susceptible to superoxide dismutase and the flavoprotein inhibitor, DPI. miRNA-1 was shown to be most effective in down-regulating the expression of rabbit Nox5. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship between rabbit and armadillo Nox5. Rabbit Nox5 was relatively closely related to human Nox5, but lies in a distinct cluster. Conclusion: Our study establishes the suitability of the rabbit as a model organism to further our understanding of the role of Nox5 in cardiovascular and other diseases and provides new information on the genetic relationship of Nox5 genes in different species

Boundary Conformal Field Theory and Ribbon Graphs: a tool for open/closed string dualities

We construct and fully characterize a scalar boundary conformal field theory on a triangulated Riemann surface. The results are analyzed from a string theory perspective as tools to deal with open/closed string dualities.Comment: 40 pages, 7 figures; typos correcte

Hsp90 Regulates NADPH Oxidase Activity and Is Necessary for Superoxide but Not Hydrogen Peroxide Production

The goal of this study was to identify whether heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90) regulates the production of superoxide and other reactive oxygen species from the NADPH oxidases (Nox). We found that pharmacological and genetic inhibition of Hsp90 directly reduced Nox5-derived superoxide without secondarily modifying signaling events. Coimmunoprecipitation and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer studies suggest that the C-terminus of Nox5 binds to Hsp90. Long-term Hsp90 inhibition reduced Nox5 expression and provides further evidence that Nox5 is an Hsp90 client protein. Inhibitors of Hsp90 also reduced superoxide from Nox1, Nox2 (neutrophils), and Nox3. However, Nox4, which emits only hydrogen peroxide, was unaffected by Hsp90 inhibitors. Hydrogen peroxide production from the other Nox enzymes was not affected by short-term inhibition of Hsp90, but long-term inhibition reduced production of all reactive oxygen species coincident with loss of enzyme expression. Expression of chimeric Nox enzymes consisting of N-terminal Nox1 or Nox3 and C-terminal Nox4 resulted in only hydrogen peroxide formation that was insensitive to Hsp90 inhibitors. We conclude that Hsp90 binds to the C-terminus of Noxes1–3 and 5 and is necessary for enzyme stability and superoxide production. Hsp90 does not bind to the C-terminus of Nox4 and is not required for hydrogen peroxide formation. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 14, 2107–2119

New Histories : The Manitoba Studio Series, 1989-1992

This survey of contemporary art practice in Manitoba provides individual essays on 18 Manitoba artists. 27 bibl. ref

Modification of Cardiac Progenitor Cell-Derived Exosomes by miR-322 Provides Protection against Myocardial Infarction through Nox2-Dependent Angiogenesis

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the primary cause of cardiovascular mortality, and therapeutic strategies to prevent or mitigate the consequences of MI are a high priority. Cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) have been used to treat cardiac injury post-MI, and despite poor engraftment, they have been shown to inhibit apoptosis and to promote angiogenesis through poorly understood paracrine effects. We previously reported that the direct injection of exosomes derived from CPCs (CPCexo) into mouse hearts provides protection against apoptosis in a model of acute ischemia/reperfusion injury. Moreover, we and others have reported that reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from NADPH oxidase (NOX) can enhance angiogenesis in endothelial cells (ECs). Here we examined whether bioengineered CPCexo transfected with a pro-angiogenic miR-322 (CPCexo-322) can improve therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of MI as compared to CPCexo. Systemic administration of CPCexo-322 in mice after ischemic injury provided greater protection post-MI than control CPCexo, in part, through enhanced angiogenesis in the border zones of infarcted hearts. Mechanistically, the treatment of cultured human ECs with CPCexo-322 resulted in a greater angiogenic response, as determined by increased EC migration and capillary tube formation via increased Nox2-derived ROS. Our study reveals that the engineering of CPCexo via microRNA (miR) programing can enhance angiogenesis, and this may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ischemic cardiovascular diseases