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Hair Development (hair + development)
Selected AbstractsReceptors for calcitonin gene-related peptide and adrenomedullin: implications for skin cell biologyEXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 9 2004J. A. Fischer The specificity of a G-protein-coupled calcitonin receptor (CTR) and a CT receptor-like receptor (CLR) for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), adrenomedullin (AM) and amylin is defined by the heterodimeric non-covalent association with three receptor-activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs). Chemical cross-linking of proteins at the cell surface and immunoprecipitation have identified [125I]CGRP/CLR/RAMP1, [125I]AM/CLR/RAMP2 and -3 as well as [125I]CGRP/CTR/RAMP1, [125I]amylin/CTR/RAMP1 and -RAMP3 complexes. CLR/RAMP1 defines a CGRP receptor. CLR/RAMP2 and -3 correspond to AM1 and AM2 receptor isotypes, respectively. The AM1 receptor cross-reacts with CGRP at high and the AM2 receptor at low concentrations. With the N-terminal deletion of amino acids 14,20 of the mouse, CLR-selective inactivation of AM over CGRP receptor function was obtained. As a result, functional interaction with AM was no longer possible. Overexpression of the CLR in transgenic mice together with the endogenous RAMP2 results in thinning of the hairs during postnatal development (L. M. Ittner et al. conference poster). In conclusion, the extreme N-terminus of the CLR and the extracellular N-terminal domains of RAMP1 and -2 contain amino acid residues that provide AM- or CGRP-binding selectivity of the CLR/RAMP complexes. Hair development is attenuated, resulting in the thinning of the hairs and eventually alopecia during postnatal development. [source] Mixed lineage leukemia histone methylases play critical roles in estrogen-mediated regulation of HOXC13FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 24 2009Khairul I. Ansari HOXC13, a homeobox-containing gene, is involved in hair development and human leukemia. The regulatory mechanism that drives HOXC13 expression is mostly unknown. Our studies have demonstrated that HOXC13 is transcriptionally activated by the steroid hormone estrogen (17,-estradiol; E2). The HOXC13 promoter contains several estrogen-response elements (EREs), including ERE1 and ERE2, which are close to the transcription start site, and are associated with E2-mediated activation of HOXC13. Knockdown of the estrogen receptors (ERs) ER, and ER, suppressed E2-mediated activation of HOXC13. Similarly, knockdown of mixed lineage leukemia histone methylase (MLL)3 suppressed E2-induced activation of HOXC13. MLLs (MLL1,MLL4) were bound to the HOXC13 promoter in an E2-dependent manner. Knockdown of either ER, or ER, affected the E2-dependent binding of MLLs (MLL1,MLL4) into HOXC13 EREs, suggesting critical roles of ERs in recruiting MLLs in the HOXC13 promoter. Overall, our studies have demonstrated that HOXC13 is transcriptionally regulated by E2 and MLLs, which, in coordination with ER, and ER,, play critical roles in this process. Although MLLs are known to regulate HOX genes, the roles of MLLs in hormone-mediated regulation of HOX genes are unknown. Herein, we have demonstrated that MLLs are critical players in E2-dependent regulation of the HOX gene. [source] Evidence for dose-dependent effects on plant growth by Stenotrophomonas strains from different originsJOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2003I. Suckstorff Abstract Aims: To assess the influence of Stenotrophomonas on plants, the interaction of 16 Stenotrophomonas strains from clinical and environmental sources with strawberry plant seedlings was analysed. Methods and Results:In vitro, all Stenotrophomonas strains influenced plant growth when applied to seedlings. Whereas most of the Stenotrophomonas strains promoted root growth and hair development, a statistically significantly negative influence on the length of stem was found. Although strains from a clinical origin also showed statistically significant effects on plants, this was generally lower when compared with environmental strains. For three selected strains, a strong dose-dependent effect was observed for all parameters. In vitro, a correlation was found between plant growth promotion and production of a plant growth hormone, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Xanthomonas campestris, a phylogenetically very closely related species to Stenotrophomonas, was used as a phytopathogenic control. It too confirmed the reduction of plant growth in this in vitro system. Conclusions: Independent of their origin, Stenotrophomonas strains can produce IAA in vitro and subsequently, influence plant growth. The effect of Stenotrophomonas presence on plants was dose-dependent. Significance and Impact of the Study: The dose-dependent effect of Stenotrophomonas, a bacterium of both biotechnological and medical interest, is of great interest for biocontrol applications of plant-associated strains. This paper is the first report that clearly demonstrates the phytopathogenic capacity of Stenotrophomonas. [source] Is puberty starting earlier in urban South Africa?AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Laura L. Jones Age at the initation of pubertal development was estimated for 401 Black (212 boys) and 206 White (100 boys) urban South African adolescents born in Soweto-Johannesburg in 1990. Average age at the initation of puberty, assessed by age at the transition from Tanner Stage 1 to Tanner Stage 2 for breast/genitalia or pubic hair development ranged between 9.8 and 10.5 years. There were no statistically significant differences in age at initiation between genders or ethnic groups. Age at the initation of pubertal development has remained stable over the last 10 to 15 years, with the exception of pubic hair in boys which has declined on average 1.3 years over a decade. There is evidence to suggest that the tempo of pubertal maturation is increasing in girls born in the Soweto-Johannesburg area, however, the evidence is less clear for boys. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] N -acyl-L-homoserine lactones: a class of bacterial quorum-sensing signals alter post-embryonic root development in Arabidopsis thalianaPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 10 2008RANDY ORTÍZ-CASTRO ABSTRACT N -acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) belong to a class of bacterial quorum-sensing signals important for bacterial cell-to-cell communication. We evaluated Arabidopsis thaliana growth responses to a variety of AHLs ranging from 4 to 14 carbons in length, focusing on alterations in post-embryonic root development as a way to determine the biological activity of these signals. The compounds affected primary root growth, lateral root formation and root hair development, and in particular, N -decanoyl-HL (C10-HL) was found to be the most active AHL in altering root system architecture. Developmental changes elicited by C10-HL were related to altered expression of cell division and differentiation marker lines pPRZ1:uidA, CycB1:uidA and pAtEXP7:uidA in Arabidopsis roots. Although the effects of C10-HL were similar to those produced by auxins in modulating root system architecture, the primary and lateral root response to this compound was found to be independent of auxin signalling. Furthermore, we show that mutant and overexpressor lines for an Arabidopsis fatty acid amide hydrolase gene (AtFAAH) sustained altered growth response to C10-HL. All together, our results suggest that AHLs alter root development in Arabidopsis and that plants posses the enzymatic machinery to metabolize these compounds. [source] Establishment of cadherin-based intercellular junctions in the dermal papilla of the developing hair follicleTHE ANATOMICAL RECORD : ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2003Daisuke Nanba Abstract During hair follicle development, mesenchymal cells aggregate to form the dermal papilla with hair-inducing activity. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying the aggregative behavior of dermal papilla cells are less known. The present study demonstrates that cadherin-based intercellular junctions interconnect dermal papilla cells in developing hair follicles of mice. It is shown that as mesenchymal cells aggregate to be surrounded by epithelium in developing hair follicles, cadherin-11 comes to exhibit the dotted patterns of distribution. The appearance of the dot-like distribution of the molecule is concomitant with the formation of intercellular junctions in the mesenchymal aggregate, which make a tightly packed population of cells with little extracellular space. At later stages of the development, although extracellular space reappears in the dermal papilla, the cells remain interconnected by well-developed intercellular junctions, where cadherin-11 as well as ,-catenin is localized. Taking into consideration the normal hair development in cadherin-11 mutant mice, it might be that multiple cadherins are responsible for the establishment of intercellular junctions in the dermal papilla and serve to maintain the aggregative behavior of the cells. Anat Rec Part A 270A:97,102, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||