bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Regulation of Melatonin 1a Receptor Signaling and Trafficking by Asparagine-124
Authors: Nelson Cole S. , Ikeda Masayuki , Gompf Heinrich S. , Robinson Mindi L. , Fuchs Nadine K. , Yoshioka Tohru , Neve Kim A. , Allen Charles N. 
Published: January 2014

AbstractMelatonin is a pineal hormone that regulates seasonal reproduction and has been used to treat circadian rhythm disorders. The melatonin 1a receptor is a seven- transmembrane domain receptor that signals predominately via pertussis toxin-sensitive G-proteins. Point mutations were created at residue N124 in cytoplasmic domain II of the receptor and the mutant receptors were expressed in a neurohormonal cell line. The acidic N124D- and E-substituted receptors had high-affinity 125I-melatonin binding and a subcellular localization similar to the neutral N124N wild-type receptor. Melatonin efficacy for the inhibition of cAMP by N124D and E mutations was significantly decreased. N124D and E mutations strongly compromised melatonin efficacy and potency for inhibition of K+-induced intracellular Ca++ fluxes and eliminated control of spontaneous calcium fluxes. However, these substitutions did not appear to affect activation of Kir3 potassium channels. The hydrophobic N124L and N124A or basic N124K mutations failed to bind 125I-melatonin and appeared to aggregate or traffic improperly. N124A and N124K receptors were retained in the Golgi. Therefore, mutants at N124 separated into two sets: the first bound 125I-melatonin with high affinity and trafficked normally, but with reduced inhibitory coupling to adenylyl cyclase and Ca++ channels. The second set lacked melatonin binding and exhibited severe trafficking defects. In summary, asparagine-124 controls melatonin receptor function as evidenced by changes in melatonin binding, control of cAMP levels, and regulation of ion channel activity. Asparagine-124 also has a unique structural effect controlling receptor distribution within the cell.
Regulation of Phosphoinositide Metabolism, Akt Phosphorylation, and Glucose Transport by PTEN (Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog Deleted on Chromosome 10) in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes
Authors: Ono Hiraku , Katagiri Hideki , Funaki Makoto , Anai Motonobu , Inukai Kouichi , Fukushima Yasushi , Sakoda Hideyuki , Ogihara Takehide , Onishi Yukiko , Fujishiro Midori , Kikuchi Masatoshi , Oka Yoshitomo , Asano Tomoichiro 
Published: January 2014

AbstractTo investigate the roles of PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10) in the regulation of 3-position phosphorylated phosphoinositide metabolism as well as insulin-induced Akt phosphorylation and glucose metabolism, wild-type PTEN and its phosphatase-dead mutant (C124S) with or without an N-terminal myristoylation tag were overexpressed in Sf-9 cells and 3T3-L1 adipocytes using baculovirus and adenovirus systems, respectively. When expressed in Sf-9 cells together with the p110α catalytic subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, myristoylated PTEN markedly reduced the accumulations of both phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate induced by p110α. In contrast, overexpression of the C124S mutants apparently increased these accumulations.In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, insulin-induced accumulations of phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate were markedly suppressed by overexpression of wild-type PTEN with the N-terminal myristoylation tag, but not by that without the tag. On the contrary, the C124S mutants of PTEN enhanced insulin-induced accumulations of phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate. Interestingly, the phosphorylation level of Akt at Thr308 (Akt2 at Thr309), but not at Ser473 (Akt2 at Ser474), was revealed to correlate well with the accumulation of phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate modified by overexpression of these PTEN proteins. Finally, insulin-induced increases in glucose transport activity were significantly inhibited by the overexpression of myristoylated wild-type PTEN, but were not enhanced by expression of the C124S mutant of PTEN. Therefore, in conclusion, 1) PTEN dephosphorylates both phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate in vivo, and the C124S mutants interrupt endogenous PTEN activity in a dominant-negative manner. 2) The membrane targeting process of PTEN may be important for exerting its function. 3) Phosphorylations of Thr309 and Ser474 of Akt2 are regulated differently, and the former is regulated very sensitively by the function of PTEN. 4) The phosphorylation level of Ser474, but not that of Thr309, in Akt2 correlates well with insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. 5) The activity of endogenous PTEN may not play a major role in the regulation of glucose transport activity in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.
Degradation of RXRs Influences Sensitivity of Rat Osteosarcoma Cells to the Antiproliferative Effects of Calcitriol
Authors: Prüfer Kirsten , Schröder Claudia , Hegyi Krisztina , Barsony Julia 
Published: January 2014

AbstractSeveral cell lines, including ROS17/2.8 rat osteosarcoma (ROS) cells, contain functional VDRs and RXRs but are resistant to the antiproliferative effects of calcitriol and retinoids. We explored the role of receptor degradation in this hormone resistance. Results of transactivation assays indicated that ROS cells contain insufficient amounts of RXR to activate a DR-1 reporter, and Western blot analyses of cell extracts showed that the degradation of RXR is accelerated and produces an aberrant 45-kDa RXR. We stably expressed functional fluorescent chimeras of VDR and RXR [green fluorescent protein (GFP)-VDR; yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-RXR] to evaluate degradation mechanisms and the impact of excess receptor expression on antiproliferative effects. Microscopy showed a diminished expression of YFP-RXR in ROS cells compared with the expression in CV-1 cells. Treatment with inhibitors of proteasomal degradation (lactacystin and MG132) selectively enhanced GFP-VDR and YFP-RXR expression and also increased the endogenous levels of VDR and RXR. Expression of GFP-VDR had no effect on the sensitivity of ROS cells to calcitriol. Increases of RXR levels by YFP-RXR expression, drug treatments, or the combination of the two, however, restored the growth-inhibitory effects of calcitriol and 9-cis-RA and restored p21 induction by calcitriol. These studies revealed that an accelerated and aberrant RXR degradation could cause resistance to the antiproliferative effects of calcitriol and retinoids in ROS cells.
Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 4 Is a Target for the Zinc-Finger Transcription Factor Ikaros in the Pituitary
Authors: Yu ShunJiang , Asa Sylvia L. , Ezzat Shereen 
Published: January 2014

AbstractFibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) have been implicated in a multitude of endocrine cell hormonal and proliferative properties, and FGFR4 is differentially expressed in normal and neoplastic pituitary. We therefore examined the functionally important cis-DNA elements and multiprotein complexes implicated in the cooperative control of expression of the human FGFR4 gene in pituitary cells. Using deletional mapping, we defined a 214-bp (−115/+99) promoter that was functional in pituitary GH4 and PRL 235 cells. Overlapping 40- to 50-bp fragments of this minimal promoter were examined by EMSA. Interestingly, fragment C (−64/−26) included potential binding sites for the hematopoietic zinc finger-containing transcription factor Ikaros (Ik) flanked by binding sites for Sp and Ets-type factors. DNA binding by Ik, Sp, and Ets-like factors was confirmed by oligonucleotide competition and supershifting with specific antibodies. Transcriptional regulation of FGFR4 by Ik was demonstrated by cotransfection of Ik1 with or without Sp1 or Ets overexpression and by disruption of the Ik binding site. Although both Ets-1 and Sp1 overexpression stimulated promoter activity, mutation of the Ik-binding site completely eliminated the Ik1 effect. Specific Ik expression was identified by Western blotting of pituitary GH4 and PRL235 cells and localized in primary mouse hormone-producing anterior pituitary cells by immunocytochemistry. Our findings point to a new role for Ik outside the hematopoietic system and suggest a novel transcriptional contribution with Ets and Sp1 in regulation of FGFR4 in the pituitary.
Identification and In vitro Characterization of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) Receptor Variants Associated with Abnormal Ovarian Response to FSH
Authors: Gerasimova Tsilya , Thanasoula Maria N. , Zattas Dimitrios , Seli Emre , Sakkas Denny , Lalioti Maria D. 
Published: January 2014

ABSTRACT

Context
Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) mediates cyclic follicle growth and development and is widely used for controlled ovarian stimulation in women undergoing infertility treatment. The ovarian response of women to FSH is variable, ranging from poor response to ovarian hyperstimulation.

Objective
We investigated whether genetic alterations of the FSH receptor (FSHR) contribute to this variability.

Design and Patients
Our approach was to study women undergoing treatment with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) falling into the edges of the normal distribution of ovarian response to FSH, with respect to age.

Setting
Yale Fertility Clinic.

Methods
We extracted RNA from cumulus cells surrounding the oocytes of women undergoing IVF and analyzed the FSHR mRNA by RT-PCR and sequencing.

Results
We identified four abnormal FSHR splicing products (3 exon deletions and 1 intron insertion) in the FSHR mRNA in 37% (13/35) of women tested. All alterations affected the extracellular ligand-binding portion of the receptor without causing a frameshift. When transfected in HEK293T cells, all four splicing variants showed markedly decreased cAMP activation compared to controls. Untransfected cells showed no response to FSH, while all the cell lines showed normal cAMP activation when treated with Forskolin, a non-receptor mediated cAMP stimulant. None of the normal or mutant forms showed any response to luteinizing or thyroid stimulating hormones.

Conclusions
Our findings strongly indicate FSHR variants as being an intrinsic genetic cause of some forms of infertility and identify a need for functional characterization of these variants and the investigation of more individualized ovarian stimulation protocols.
Expression of Adrenomedullin in Human Oviduct, Its Regulation by the Hormonal Cycle and Contact with Spermatozoa, And Its Effect on Ciliary Beat Frequency of the Oviductal Epithelium
Authors: Li Hang Wu Raymond , Liao Subin , Chiu Philip Chi Ngong , Tam Winky W. , Ho James C. , Ng Ernest , Ho Pak Chung , Yeung William S. B. , Tang Fai , O Wai Sum 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Context: Adrenomedullin (ADM) has been found expressed in the mouse oviduct and might play a role in reproduction.
Objective: To demonstrate the expression of adrenomedullin (ADM) in the human oviduct, investigate its regulation by steroidal hormones and spermatozoa contact, and study its effect on ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in the human oviduct.
Design, Setting, Patients and Interventions: Oviducts from women undergoing hysterectomy for benign diseases in a university hospital were collected. The oviducts were treated with estradiol and/or progesterone to simulate different phases of the ovarian cycle. ADM expression was studied at the peptide and mRNA levels by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR respectively. CBF was measured after treatment with graded concentrations of ADM and its antagonists. Cells from OE-E6/E7, an immortalized oviductal cell line, as well as oviductal tissue were co-cultured with and without direct contact with capacitated human spermatozoa to compare oviductal cell ADM expression levels. CBF was also analyzed in oviductal tissue after spermatozoa-oviduct co-incubation.
Results: ADM expression was the highest in the isthmic region and in a hormonal environment simulating the early luteal phase. CBF was increased by ADM in a dose-dependent manner which was blocked by ADM and calcitonin-gene-related peptide receptor antagonists. Direct contact with spermatozoa in co-culture resulted in higher ADM expression in OE-E6/E7 cell line and oviductal tissue, and higher CBF in oviductal epithelium.
Conclusions: ADM expression in the human oviduct is hormone-dependent and is up-regulated by sperm contact. ADM stimulates ciliary motility of the human oviduct.
Ethylene/Ethane Separation through a SiO2–Poly(sodium acrylate)–Ag+ Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Membrane
Authors: Kuraoka Koji , Matsuura Shinji , Ueda Kosuke 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Highly ethylene-selective organic–inorganic hybrid membranes were prepared via sol–gel method and Ag+-exchange treatment. The ratio of the permeance, C2H4/C2H6 through the membrane was more than 90 at 373 K and showed a dependence on temperature. Increase in the measurement temperature promoted the decomplexation of C2H4 from sites. The membrane indicates C2H4 selectivity even at relatively high temperature and at 298 K using a mixture of 50% C2H4–50% C2H6 as feed gas.
Remarkable Enhancement of Stability and Helix-sense Excess of Oligo(phenylene ethynylene) Foldamers Assisted by Linking with Achiral (Metallo)salen Tethers and Their Application to Asymmetric Catalysis
Authors: Ousaka Naoki , Yamaguchi Tomoko , Yashima Eiji 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Two foldamer strands, which possess chiral amide pendants but imperfect helical handedness, were linked by an achiral (metallo)salen tether, leading to a remarkable enhancement of helical stability and helix-sense excess as a result of the intramolecular hydrogen-bond networks along the entire dimeric foldamer strand; the MnIII salen complexes catalyzed an asymmetric epoxidation reaction.
Simulation Education Approaches to Enhance Collaborative Healthcare: A Best Practices Review
Authors: Murdoch Natalie L. , Bottorff Joan L. , McCullough Deborah 
Published: January 2014

AbstractInterprofessional simulation can provide health profession program educators with an effective means to prepare future practitioners to engage in meaningful collaboration. This systematic review was conducted to identify best practice recommendations to enhance collaborative healthcare using interprofessional simulation education innovations for learners in pre-licensure nursing programs. Using a systematic review methodology, 375 articles were reviewed and 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. Based on the methodological strength of the research and the impact of the simulation innovations, the following simulation techniques were recommended: high-fidelity human patient simulators, role play, and didactic lecture and audience response didactic lecture, both followed by role play with a standardized patient. Instructor modeling was related to achievement of interprofessional competencies when compared to no modeling. Future research is needed to identify optimal timing for implementing interprofessional education innovations, for development of appropriate evaluation tools, and to determine the effects of collaborative practice on patient care.
Individual differences in granularity of the affective responses to music
Authors: Kantor-Martynuska Joanna , Bigand Emmanuel 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
The main focus of the paper is the role of listeners’ emotion-relevant characteristics and musical expertise in the granularity of affective responses to music. Another objective of the study is to test the consistency of the granularity of affect that is perceived in music and/or experienced in response to it. In Experiment 1, 91 musicians and nonmusicians listened to musical excerpts and grouped them according to the similarity of the affects they experienced while listening. Finer grouping granularity was found in musicians and high rumination scorers. Male musicians with above-median scores in rumination produced a larger number of clusters than the other male participants. Experiment 2 that engaged 23 participants demonstrated moderate consistency with which listeners grouped affects that they perceived in music and affects they experienced while listening to music. The study suggests that affective responses to music are subject to individual differences in musical expertise and rumination. Affects perceived in music and felt in response to it seem to be categorized with reference to the common principles. However, the cues that are used in such instances of categorization seem to be different. The paper encourages further research on the importance of listeners’ personal characteristics for the affective responses to music.
Montesquieu hypothesis and football: players from hot countries are more expressive after scoring a goal
Authors: Sorokowski P. , Sorokowska A. , Onyishi I. E. , Szarota P. 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
Analysis of sportsmen behavior enabled the authors to conduct simultaneous analysis of emotional expression of people from many distinct countries and cultures. In the study, participants from Nigeria and Poland watched all the goals scored in group matches of the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups and assessed the emotions players expressed after scoring each goal on three scales (happiness, anger, and excitement). Based on the assessment of the participants, emotional expression of football players from 51 countries was analyzed. Basing on “Montesquieu hypothesis”, it was shown that players born in warmer climates (controlling for HDI of their country) express more excitement and happiness after scoring a goal. Further cross-cultural differences were also found. The results are discussed in context of previous cross-cultural studies regarding emotional expression
First International Conference of Confederations of Epidemiological Associations (ICRMSW 2013)
Authors: Banerjee Indrajit 
Published: January 2014

It gives me immense pleasure to witness and participate in the International Conference of research Methodology and Scientific Writing (ICRMSW-2013) organized by Mahatma Gandhi University and Confederation of Epidemiological Associations. It was the 1st Conference Confederation of Epidemiological Associations (CEA) being held at Kottayam, Kerala from December 20-22nd 2013. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nje.v3i4.9521
Nation and Nature Preservation in France and England in the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Mathis Charles François 
Published: January 2014

Abstract
The article proposes to compare the ways nature in France and England was considered, in the nineteenth century, as a patrimoine to be preserved. It analyses first how the disruption of the industrial revolution in England and the discovery of the English landscapes led to a vision of what was considered as the most typical English landscape. In France, on the contrary, no such singular landscape emerged: the article underlines that, following the French revolution, what mattered in this country was history, not nature - even natural places were protected for their historical associations. The consequences of these two different approaches can be seen in the founding battles for nature preservation in France and England: respectively those of Fontainebleau Forest and Thirlmere. While the latter strengthened the environmental movement in England, the preservation of Fontainebleau forest did not have such an impact on the national scale. The article concludes by trying to understand how, from these very different premises, French and English preservation movements related to a nature-patrimoine, finally converged at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Les crises financières sont-elles une fatalité ?
Authors: Waquet Isabelle , Thibault Nicolas 
Published: January 2014

Dès le milieu du XIX e siècle, l’essor des systèmes financiers provoque des crises financières récurrentes qui éclatent dans le secteur bancaire, sur le marché boursier, sur le marché des changes ou au niveau des dettes publiques. La crise marque le retournement du cycle financier : après une période ascendante (hausse du crédit ou du cours des valeurs mobilières par exemple) accentuée par des comportements spéculatifs, le mouvement s’inverse brutalement. La crise peut se transmettre au secteur réel et provoquer une rupture de la croissance économique : chute de la production, hausse du chômage, difficultés à renouer avec une croissance durable.
La finance comportementale,
Authors: Tadjeddine Yamina 
Published: January 2014

Le paradigme classique de la finance repose sur deux postulats : la rationalité de la décision et l’efficience des prix. Les observations faites sur les marchés et en laboratoire ont remis en cause ce cadre théorique ouvrant ainsi la voie à de nouvelles explications. La finance comportementale s’est ainsi constituée à partir du début des années quatre-vingt-dix, en formulant de nouvelles hypothèses plus réalistes pour appréhender les comportements financiers. Mobilisant la théorie des perspectives de Kahneman et Tversky et des résultats en psychologie cognitive, ce courant a permis d’expliquer nombre de faits considérés dans le paradigme classique comme des anomalies ou des irrationalités.
Les réformes de la régulation bancaire
Authors: Couppey-Soubeyran Jézabel 
Published: January 2014

La crise financière amorcée en 2007 s’est en quelques années muée en crise économique et sociale profonde. L’addition des millions d’emplois perdus en Europe et aux États-Unis, des points de croissance détruits, des aides et garanties mobilisées pour sauver les banques conduit à chiffrer le coût de cette crise en milliers de milliards de dollars. Il serait injuste de considérer que rien n’a été fait. D’épais projets de lois ont vu le jour de part et d’autre de l’Atlantique, dont le contenu ne modifiera guère cependant le fonctionnement du secteur bancaire et financier. La stabilité financière reste un horizon lointain.
La collégialité à l'épreuve
Authors: Hobeika Alexandre 
Published: January 2014

Comment la FNSEA, qui regroupe une grande diversité d’intérêts antagonistes, parvient-elle à maintenir sa cohésion interne ? Une enquête ethnographique dans la fédération départementale de l’Orne permet d’observer le travail quotidien de l’unité, à travers les nombreuses réunions auxquelles participent les syndicalistes, concernant notamment la gestion des moyens de production socialisés. L’évitement des arbitrages entre groupes d’intérêt internes au syndicat conduit à une gestion partiellement clientélaire du marché des terres. À l’inverse, le gouvernement des filières de production et les négociations collectives des prix entretiennent des débats internes à ces groupes d’intérêt, exprimés dans le registre de l’expertise économique, qui fonctionne comme un langage commun. Enfin, la cohésion symbolique se noue autour d’une identité collective de « bons agriculteurs », qui associe honorabilité locale traditionnelle et conformité professionnelle aux prescriptions dominantes.