Role of β-adrenergic receptors in the anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects of zinc-α2-glycoprotien (ZAG)

Objectives: The goal of the current study is to determine whether the ß-adrenoreceptor (ß-AR) plays a role in the anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects of zinc-a2-glycoprotein (ZAG). Material and methods: This has been investigated in CHO-K1 cells transfected with the human ß1-, ß2-, ß3-AR and in ob/ob mice. Cyclic AMP assays were carried out along with binding studies. Ob/ob mice were treated with ZAG and glucose transportation and insulin were examined in the presence or absence of propranolol. Results: ZAG bound to the ß3-AR with higher affinity (Kd 46±1nM) than the ß2-AR (Kd 71±3nM) while there was no binding to the ß1-AR, and this correlated with the increases in cyclic AMP in CHO-K1 cells transfected with the various ß-AR and treated with ZAG. Treatment of ob/ob mice with ZAG increased protein expression of ß3-AR in gastrocnemius muscle, and in white and brown adipose tissues, but had no effect on expression of ß1- and ß2-AR. A reduction of body weight was seen and urinary glucose excretion, increase in body temperature, reduction in maximal plasma glucose and insulin levels in the oral glucose tolerance test, and stimulation of glucose transport into skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, were completely attenuated by the non-specific ß-AR antagonist propranolol. Conclusion: The results suggest that the effects of ZAG on body weight and insulin sensitivity in ob/ob mice are manifested through a ß-3AR, or possibly a ß2-AR

Sensor Calibration Systems and Methods for Infrared Cameras

Systems and methods directed to calibration techniques for infrared cameras are disclosed for some embodiments. For example, a method of determining infrared sensor calibration information, in accordance with an embodiment, includes performing a calibration operation on an infrared sensor to obtain calibration information, wherein the infrared sensor is not within an infrared camera core, and storing the calibration information

Role of β3-adrenergic receptors in the action of a tumour lipid mobilizing factor

Induction of lipolysis in murine white adipocytes, and stimulation of adenylate cyclase in adipocyte plasma membranes, by a tumour-produced lipid mobilizing factor, was attenuated by low concentrations (10−7–10−5 M) of the specific β3-adrenoceptor antagonist SR59230A. Lipid mobilizing factor (250 nM) produced comparable increases in intracellular cyclic AMP in CHOK1 cells transfected with the human β3-adrenoceptor to that obtained with isoprenaline (1 nM). In both cases cyclic AMP production was attenuated by SR59230A confirming that the effect is mediated through a β3-adrenoceptor. A non-linear regression analysis of binding of lipid mobilizing factor to the β3-adrenoceptor showed a high affinity binding site with a Kd value 78±45 nM and a Bmax value (282±1 fmole mg protein−1) comparable with that of other β3-adrenoceptor agonists. These results suggest that lipid mobilizing factor induces lipolysis through binding to a β3-adrenoceptor

Phylogenetic Distribution and Evolutionary History of Bacterial DEAD-Box Proteins

DEAD-box proteins are found in all domains of life and participate in almost all cellular processes that involve RNA. The presence of DEAD and Helicase_C conserved domains distinguish these proteins. DEAD-box proteins exhibit RNA-dependent ATPase activity in vitro, and several also show RNA helicase activity. In this study, we analyzed the distribution and architecture of DEAD-box proteins among bacterial genomes to gain insight into the evolutionary pathways that have shaped their history. We identified 1,848 unique DEAD-box proteins from 563 bacterial genomes. Bacterial genomes can possess a single copy DEAD-box gene, or up to 12 copies of the gene, such as in Shewanella. The alignment of 1,208 sequences allowed us to perform a robust analysis of the hallmark motifs of DEAD-box proteins and determine the residues that occur at high frequency, some of which were previously overlooked. Bacterial DEAD-box proteins do not generally contain a conserved C-terminal domain, with the exception of some members that possess a DbpA RNA-binding domain (RBD). Phylogenetic analysis showed a separation of DbpA-RBD-containing and DbpA-RBD-lacking sequences and revealed a group of DEAD-box protein genes that expanded mainly in the Proteobacteria. Analysis of DEAD-box proteins from Firmicutes and γ-Proteobacteria, was used to deduce orthologous relationships of the well-studied DEAD-box proteins from Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. These analyses suggest that DbpA-RBD is an ancestral domain that most likely emerged as a specialized domain of the RNA-dependent ATPases. Moreover, these data revealed numerous events of gene family expansion and reduction following speciation

Loss of the yeast SR protein Npl3 alters gene expression due to transcription readthrough

Yeast Npl3 is a highly abundant, nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling, RNA-binding protein, related to metazoan SR proteins. Reported functions of Npl3 include transcription elongation, splicing and RNA 3' end processing. We used UV crosslinking and analysis of cDNA (CRAC) to map precise RNA binding sites, and strand-specific tiling arrays to look at the effects of loss of Npl3 on all transcripts across the genome. We found that Npl3 binds diverse RNA species, both coding and non-coding, at sites indicative of roles in both early pre-mRNA processing and 3' end formation. Tiling arrays and RNAPII mapping data revealed 3' extended RNAPII-transcribed RNAs in the absence of Npl3, suggesting that defects in pre-mRNA packaging events result in termination readthrough. Transcription readthrough was widespread and frequently resulted in down-regulation of neighboring genes. We conclude that the absence of Npl3 results in widespread 3' extension of transcripts with pervasive effects on gene expression

Calibration Systems and Methods for Infrared Cameras

Systems and methods directed to calibration techniques for infrared cameras are disclosed. For example, a method of obtaining calibration information for an infrared device includes providing a calibration target adapted to provide a low-emissivity scene; performing a calibration operation on the infrared device to obtain the calibration information; and storing the calibration information