ABCC6 is a basolateral plasma membrane protein

RATIONALE:: ABCC6 plays a crucial role in ectopic calcification; mutations of the gene cause pseudoxanthoma elasticum and general arterial calcification of infancy. To elucidate the role of ABCC6 in cellular physiology and disease, it is crucial to establish the exact subcellular localization of the native ABCC6 protein. OBJECTIVE:: In a recent article in Circulation Research, ABCC6 was reported to localize to the mitochondria-associated membrane and not the plasma membrane. As the suggested mitochondrial localization is inconsistent with published data and the presumed role of ABCC6, we performed experiments to determine the cellular localization of ABCC6 in its physiological environment. METHODS AND RESULTS:: We performed immunofluorescent labeling of frozen mouse and human liver sections, as well as primary hepatocytes. We used several different antibodies recognizing human and mouse ABCC6. Our results unequivocally show that ABCC6 is in the basolateral membrane of hepatocytes and is not associated with the mitochondria, mitochondria-associated membrane, or the endoplasmic reticulum. CONCLUSIONS:: Our findings support the model that ABCC6 is in the basolateral membrane, mediating the sinusoidal efflux of a metabolite from the hepatocytes to systemic circulation. © 2013 American Heart Association, Inc

Regulation of human CYP2C9 expression by electrophilic stress involves AP-1 activation and DNA looping

CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 are important human enzymes that metabolize therapeutic drugs, environmental chemicals and physiologically important endogenous compounds. Initial studies using primary human hepatocytes showed induction of both the CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 genes by tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ). As a pro-oxidant, tBHQ regulates the expression of cytoprotective genes by activation of redox-sensing transcription factors, such as the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and members of the activator protein 1 (AP-1) family of proteins. The promoter region of CYP2C9 contains two putative AP-1 sites (TGAGTCA) at positions -2201 and -1930 which are also highly conserved in CYP2C19. The CYP2C9 promoter is activated by ectopic expression of cFos and JunD while Nrf2 had no effect. Using specific kinase inhibitors for MAPK, we showed that ERK and JNK are essential for tBHQ-induced expression of CYP2C9. EMSA assays demonstrate that cFos distinctly interacts with the distal AP-1 site and JunD with the proximal site. Because cFos regulates target genes as heterodimers with Jun proteins, we hypothesized that DNA looping might be required to bring the distal and proximal AP-1 sites together to activate the CYP2C9 promoter. Chromosome conformation capture (3C) analyses confirmed the formation of a DNA loop in the CYP2C9 promoter possibly allowing interaction between cFos at the distal site and JunD at the proximal site to activate CYP2C9 transcription in response to electrophiles. These results indicate that oxidative stress generated by exposure to electrophilic xenobiotics and metabolites induces the expression of CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 in human hepatocytes

Metabolic Drug Interactions with Immunosuppressants

Organ transplantation has become a routine clinical practice for patients with end-stage disease of liver, kidney, heart, or lung. Although improved immunosuppressant therapy substantially contributes to the success of transplantation, clinicians continue to face challenges because of wide interindividual variations in blood concentrations resulting in subtherapeutic or supratherapeutic levels. Many undesired side-effects or therapeutic failure of immunosuppressants as a consequence are the results of differences or changes in drug metabolism. Considering genetic and nongenetic factors, such as co-medication, can refine the immunosuppressant therapy, facilitating personalized treatments to individual recipients. This review provides an up-to-date summary of functional polymorphisms of enzymes involved in the metabolism of immunosuppressants with low molecular weight and of the clinical significance of metabolic drug interactions between immunosuppressive agents and other drugs in therapeutic regimens of transplant recipients

Optimization of clonazepam therapy adjusted to patient's CYP3A-status and NAT2 genotype.

BACKGROUND: The shortcomings of clonazepam therapy include tolerance, withdrawal symptoms and adverse effects, such as drowsiness, dizziness and confusion leading to increased risk of falls. Inter-individual variability in the incidence of adverse events in patients partly originates from the differences in clonazepam metabolism due to genetic and non-genetic factors. METHODS: Since the prominent role in clonazepam nitro-reduction and in acetylation of 7-amino-clonazepam is assigned to CYP3A and NAT2 enzymes, respectively, the association between the patients' CYP3A-status (CYP3A5 genotype, CYP3A4 expression) or NAT2 acetylator phenotype and clonazepam metabolism (plasma concentrations of clonazepam and 7-amino-clonazepam) was evaluated in 98 psychiatric patients suffering from schizophrenia or bipolar disorders. RESULTS: The patients' CYP3A4 expression was found to be the major determinant of clonazepam plasma concentrations normalized by the dose and the bodyweight (1263.5+/-482.9 and 558.5+/-202.4 ng/ml per mg/kg bw in low and normal expressers, respectively, P<0.0001). Consequently, the dose-requirement for the therapeutic concentration of clonazepam was substantially lower in low CYP3A4 expresser patients than in normal expressers (0.029+/-0.011 vs 0.058+/-0.024 mg/kg bw, P<0.0001). Furthermore, significantly higher (about 2-fold) plasma concentration ratio of 7-amino-clonazepam and clonazepam was observed in the patients displaying normal CYP3A4 expression and slow N-acetylation than all the others. CONCLUSION: Prospective assaying of CYP3A4 expression and NAT2 acetylator phenotype can better identify the patients with higher risk of adverse reactions and can facilitate the improvement of personalized clonazepam therapy and withdrawal regimen

An analysis of women’s empowerment through microfinance in Flores, Indonesia

Master thesis development management- University of Agder, 2015The potential of microfinance in poverty alleviation has long been recognized by development practitioners and academicians. However, many scholars are critical about the effectiveness of microcredit programs in women‟s empowerment. Empirical evidences show, that women are in many cases constrained by cultural traditions, and have only limited control over financial resources and money allocation. As there is a variety of cultural traditions in regard to women‟s position, culture can be regarded as an important factor influencing the outcome of microcredit programs. In patriarchal societies, it is the men who dominate in many areas, therefore it is imperative, that development agencies pay particular attention to women as a group and identify challenges they face