Effect in dogs of various portal vein shunts on response to insulin

Surgical alterations of portal drainage patterns were made in dogs in order to determine the effect of redistribution of endogenous and injected insulin. With an Eck fistula, progressive diminution of hypoglycemic response to insulin was noted. With a reverse Eck fistula, the fall in venous blood sugar was comparable whether injection was given via the portal system or systemically. With portacaval transposition, in which the pancreatic drainage is diverted from the liver, no alterations in general health, fasting blood sugars, or insulin response were noted. The results are discussed in relation to recent concepts in which insulin is thought to regulate or be regulated by the liver

Lipids induce expression of serum-responsive transmembrane kinase EhTMKB1-9 in an early branching eukaryote Entamoeba histolytica

Mechanisms underlying the initiation of proliferative response are known only for a few organisms, and are not understood for the medically important organisms including Entamoeba histolytica. The trans membrane kinase EhTMKB1-9 of E. histolytica is one of the early indicators of proliferation and its' expression is regulated by serum, one of the components necessary for cellular proliferation in vitro. In this study we show that bovine serum albumin (BSA) can induce EhTMKB1-9 expression in place of serum, and that both follow the same mechanism. Both serum and BSA use the same promoter element and the activation process is initiated through a PI3 kinase-mediated pathway. We further show that BSA activates EhTMKB1-9 due to the lipids associated with it and that unsaturated fatty acids are responsible for activation. These results suggest that lipid molecules are ligand(s) for initiation of a signaling system that stimulates EhTMKB1-9 expression