Activation and inactivation of thyroid hormone by deiodinases: Local action with general consequences

The thyroid hormone plays a fundamental role in the development, growth, and metabolic homeostasis in all vertebrates by affecting the expression of different sets of genes. A group of thioredoxin fold-containing selenoproteins known as deiodinases control thyroid hormone action by activating or inactivating the precursor molecule thyroxine that is secreted by the thyroid gland. These pathways ensure regulation of the availability of the biologically active molecule T3, which occurs in a time-and tissue-specific fashion. In addition, because cells and plasma are in equilibrium and deiodination affects central thyroid hormone regulation, these local deiodinase-mediated events can also affect systemic thyroid hormone economy, such as in the case of non-thyroidal illness. Heightened interest in the field has been generated following the discovery that the deiodinases can be a component in both the Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway and the TGR-5 signaling cascade, a G-protein-coupled receptor for bile acids. These new mechanisms involved in deiodinase regulation indicate that local thyroid hormone activation and inactivation play a much broader role than previously thought. Received 29 August 2007; received after revision 11 October 2007; accepted 16 October 2007     

青岛文昌鱼hedgehog基因表达图式的研究

Ｈｅｄｇｅｈｏｇ（ｈｈ）家族基因编码一类分泌性信号分子,在果蝇的体节和成虫盘等的图式形成和脊椎动物脊索、神经管、体节和肢等的发育中起着关键作用．探讨原索动物文昌鱼ｈｈ基因的功能,对于研究脊椎动物发育机制的进化具有重要意义．本文报道了用整体原位杂交方法,研究不同发育时期文昌鱼胚胎和幼体ｈｈ基因表达图式的结果,并对文昌鱼ｈｈ基因的功能和ｈｈ家族同源基因功能的演化进行了讨论．文昌鱼ｈｈ基因在脊索和神经管中的表达图式与脊椎动物Ｓｈｈ基因相似,其功能可能是介导脊索的诱导．     

青岛文昌鱼发育信号传导相关基因hedgehog的克隆

hedgehog家族基因在动物胚胎多种发育过程的信号传导中起着关键作用.采用简并引物、套式PCR和RT-PCR方法获得青岛文昌鱼hedgehog基因片段,并对其所推测的氨基酸序列与hh基因家族成员小鼠Shh、Ihh、Dhh,鸡、爪蟾和斑马鱼Shh及果蝇hh等的相应片段进行同源性分析.它们的同源性分别为56％,53％,50％,53％,53％,53％和45％.研究结果支持文昌鱼具有1个,可能也仅有1个hedgehog家族基因.     

Pleiotropic effects of sonic hedgehog on muscle satellite cells

Muscle satellite cells are believed to form a stable, self-renewing pool of stem cells in adult muscle where they function in tissue growth and repair. A regulatory disruption of growth and differentiation of these cells is assumed to result in tumor formation. Here we provide for the first time evidence that sonic hedgehog (Shh) regulates the cell fate of adult muscle satellite cells in mammals. Shh promotes cell division of satellite cells (and of the related model C2C12 cells) and prevents their differentiation into multinucleated myotubes. In addition, Shh inhibits caspase-3 activation and apoptosis induced by serum deprivation. These effects of Shh are reversed by simultaneous administration of cyclopamine, a specific inhibitor of the Shh pathway. Taken together, Shh acts as a proliferation and survival factor of satellite cells in the adult muscle. Our results support the hypothesis of the rhabdomyosarcoma origin from satellite cells and suggest a role for Shh in this process.Received 23 February 2005; received after revision 2 May 2005; accepted 9 June 2005     

青岛文昌鱼hedgehog及两个hedgehog-like片段的克隆

采用RT-PCR方法获得了青岛文昌鱼2497bp长的hedgehog基因片段,其所编码的氨基酸序列与多种生物hh基因家族成员的相应片段显示了较高的同源性.同时获得2个含有部分hedgehog基因片段的序列hedgehog-like-1和hedgehog-like-2,提示文昌鱼中发生hedgehog基因倍增过程和有多拷贝hh基因存在的可能性.为研究hh基因的分子进化提供了线索.     

Sonic hedgehog调控T细胞分化和功能的研究

T细胞是体内重要的免疫细胞,T细胞介导的细胞免疫应答参与了肿瘤、自身免疫性疾病等疾病的病理生理过程.研究T细胞分化和功能调控机制将有助于阐明相关疾病的发病机制,并为疾病防治提供思路.近来有国外研究显示,早期胚胎发育过程中的关键成形素(mophorgen)--Sonic hedgehog(SHH)不仅调控T细胞发育的各个...     

Colorectal carcinoma: from tumorigenesis to treatment

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is a complicated and often fatal genetic disease. Fortunately, owing to rapid expansion of knowledge and technology development in oncology, much progress has been made regarding the diagnosis, understanding of the molecular genetics and malignant progression, as well as the novel regimens of CRC. In this review, we summarize the staging system, the most critical genetic and epigenetic alterations, the pleiotropic effects of MMP-7, the controversial roles of Hedgehog signaling, the intriguing involvement of thymosin β-4, and the possible contribution of the putative colon (cancer) stem cells in CRC tumorigenesis. Current treatments as well as several potentially applicable therapeutic strategies for CRC are also discussed. Received 15 September 2005; received after revision 3 November 2005; accepted 25 November 2005     

大耳猬的年龄鉴定

用胴体重数据作次数分配，参考繁殖及其它生长发育指标，将大耳猬（Ｈｅｍｉｅｃｈｉｎｕｓａｕｒｉｔｕｓ）区分为幼年组、亚成年组、成年Ⅰ组和成年Ⅱ四个不同年龄组．统计表明，各年龄组间胴体重重叠较小，均值差异极显著，可作为划分大耳猬年龄组的依据．依胴体重为主要指标确定的年龄组，分析了体重、耳长、晶体重、颅基长、颧宽、眶间宽、鼻骨长与年龄的关系．结果表明，耳长、晶体重、颅基长和颧宽的计量值可作为区别幼年猬、亚成年猬和成年１组猬的年龄指标，而体重、眶间宽和鼻骨长只能区别出幼年组和亚成年组．