Protease-Activated Receptor 2 Deficiency Reduces Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) signaling enhances inflammation in different diseases. The effect of PAR-2 deficiency in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is unknown. We investigated the effect of PAR-2 deficiency on I/R injury-induced infarct size, inflammation, heart remodeling and cardiac function

Enterococcus faecalis Gelatinase Mediates Intestinal Permeability via Protease-Activated Receptor 2

Microbial protease-mediated disruption of the intestinal epithelium is a potential mechanism whereby a dysbiotic enteric microbiota can lead to disease. This mechanism was investigated using the colitogenic, protease-secreting enteric microbe Enterococcus faecalis . Caco-2 and T-84 epithelial cell monolayers and the mouse colonic epithelium were exposed to concentrated conditioned media (CCM) from E. faecalis V583 and E. faecalis lacking the gelatinase gene ( gelE ). The flux of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled dextran across monolayers or the mouse epithelium following exposure to CCM from parental or mutant E. faecalis strains indicated paracellular permeability. A protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) antagonist and PAR2-deficient (PAR2 −/− ) mice were used to investigate the role of this receptor in E. faecalis -induced permeability. Gelatinase (GelE) purified from E. faecalis V583 was used to confirm the ability of this protease to induce epithelial cell permeability and activate PAR2. The protease-mediated permeability of colonic epithelia from wild-type (WT) and PAR2 −/− mice by fecal supernatants from ulcerative colitis patients was assessed. Secreted E. faecalis proteins induced permeability in epithelial cell monolayers, which was reduced in the absence of gelE or by blocking PAR2 activity. Secreted E. faecalis proteins induced permeability in the colonic epithelia of WT mice that was absent in tissues from PAR2 −/− mice. Purified GelE confirmed the ability of this protease to induce epithelial cell permeability via PAR2 activation. Fecal supernatants from ulcerative colitis patients induced permeability in the colonic epithelia of WT mice that was reduced in tissues from PAR2 −/− mice. Our investigations demonstrate that GelE from E. faecalis can regulate enteric epithelial permeability via PAR2

Pregnancy-associated glycoproteins as a new diagnostic tool in cattle reproduction

Pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs) are powerful pregnancy markers in domestic cattle. These proteins are expressed in mono- and binucleate trophoblast cells from the first days of gestation until calving. Different molecules were identified as being expressed at various stages of pregnancy. However, up to date, their functions and activities during pregnancy were not yet established. Specific RIA tests were developed (classic and alternative RIA) and used to measure the concentration of these glycoproteins in blood during gestation and the postpartum period in cattle. In maternal blood, PAGs rise to detectable levels from days 24 to 28 after fertilization. A recent study indicated that PAGs can also be detected in milk samples. However, concentrations in milk are much lower when compared to those of plasma

Role of cardiac myocyte tissue factor in heart hemostasis

BACKGROUND: The tissue-specific pattern of tissue factor (TF) expression suggests that it plays a major role in the hemostatic protection of specific organs, such as the heart and lung. In support of this notion, we found that mice expressing very low levels of TF exhibit hemostatic defects in the heart and lung. Hemosiderosis and fibrosis are observed in the hearts of all low TF mice as early as 3 months of age. In contrast, TF(+/-) mice expressing approximately 50% of wild-type levels of TF had no detectable hemostatic defects. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: The objective of this study was to determine the threshold of TF that is required to maintain hemostasis under normal and pathologic conditions, and to investigate the specific role of cardiac myocyte TF in heart hemostasis using mice with altered levels of TF expression in cardiac myocytes. RESULTS: First, we found that mice with 20% of wild-type levels of TF activity in their hearts had hemosiderosis and fibrosis by 6 months of age. Secondly, mice with a selective deletion of the TF gene in cardiac myocytes had a mild hemostatic defect under normal conditions but exhibited a significant increase in hemosiderosis and fibrosis after challenge with isoproterenol. Finally, we showed that cardiac myocyte-specific overexpression of TF abolished hemosiderin deposition and fibrosis in the hearts of low TF mice. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results indicate that TF expression by cardiac myocytes is important to maintain heart hemostasis under normal and pathologic conditions.status: publishe

Concentration of bovine pregnancy associated glycoprotein in plasma and milk: its application for pregnancy diagnosis in cows

Pregnancy diagnosis is an important part in reproduction management of ruminants. The aim of the study was to use a new method for evaluating the bPAG and cPAG in milk and blood bPAG and compare this results with the other method for pregnancy diagnosis in the cows. The study was carried out in 220 Holstein Frisian cows. Heparinised blood samples were taken from the jugular vein and stored at -20 degrees C until PAG assay by RIA. For bPAG and cPAG, RIA test, milk samples were homogenized. Pure bPAG was used as a standard tracer described by Zoli et al. (1992). The cows were diagnosed as pregnant by means of USG (Aloka SSD 210) and by rectal palpation. bPAG and cPAG concentration in milk increased after 28 day of pregnancy and showed the rapid increase near the parturition. The same results of bPAG concentration we obtained in the blood samples. The decline of bPAG concentration was faster in the milk than in the blood. The data showed that the RIA method is precise enough to measure PAG concentrations in the maternal blood and milk of cows. The data indicate that milk samples can be used for pregnancy diagnosis in cows. The sensitivity and specificity of RIA measurement of PAG are very high

Urine pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAG) in embryonic loss diagnosis in dairy cattle

editorial reviewe

Comparison of accuracy of sonography, rectal palpation, and pregnancy-associated glycoproteins tests for pregnancy diagnosis in cows

peer reviewe