Brain-derived neurotrophic factor plays a role in the pathophysiology of suicidal behavior and its levels are decreased in the brain and plasma of suicide subjects. We evidenced BDNF promoter/exon IV is frequently hypermethylated in the Wernicke area of the postmortem brain of suicide subjects irrespective of genome-wide methylation levels, indicating that a gene-specific increase in DNA methylation could cause or contribute to the downregulation of BDNF expression in suicide subjects. The reported data reveal a novel link between epigenetic alteration in the brain and suicidal behavior.
COBISS.SI-ID: 26684633
Even if statins remain the major hypolipidemic drugs at present, an increasing number of patients are suffering from side effects or not responding well to the therapy. Since only a limited number of publications discuss the non-statin approaches for treatment of hyperlipidemias, this review represents a valuable up-to date summary, with a take-home message, that novel approaches deserve more attention in the future, irrespective of the success of statins.
COBISS.SI-ID: 26853081
Bile acids are required for proper absorption of dietary lipids, including fat-soluble vitamins. We have shown that the dietary vitamins A and D inhibit bile acid synthesis by repressing hepatic expression of the rate-limiting enzyme, CYP7A1. Study on signal transducing pathways revealed an unexpected link between the intake of fat-soluble vitamins A and D and bile acid metabolism, which may have evolved as a means for these dietary vitamins to regulate their own absorption.
COBISS.SI-ID: 26850777
Although members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family and their receptors have well-established roles in embryogenesis, their contributions to adult physiology remain relatively unexplored. We used real-time quantitative PCR and determined the mRNA expression patterns of all 22 FGFs, the seven principal FGF receptors (FGFRs), and the three members of the Klotho family of coreceptors in 39 different mouse tissues. This FGF atlas provides an important resource for guiding future studies to elucidate the physiological functions of FGFs in adult animals.
COBISS.SI-ID: 27306713
The rapidly evolving field of proteomics offers new approaches to understanding the pathogenesis of cancer and metastatic disease. We are presenting and discussing proteomic profiling approaches that have been used in our laboratory and worldwide in the study of protein profiles in complex systems, such as plasma, serum or tissues of cancer patients and are likely to become valuable for monitoring the response of patients during treatment or for detecting recurrence of the disease.
COBISS.SI-ID: 27242457