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Lei Li

Publications and source records attributed to Lei Li.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Comparison of seven screening methods in the diagnosis of bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: We compared the validity (evaluated by sensitivity and specificity), reliability (evaluated by reproducibility) and yield (evaluated by predictive value, examining complexity and cost) of individual and combined tests for bladder tumour antigen stat (BTAstat), nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP22), hyaluronic acid (HA), survivin, CD44v6, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and voided urine cytology (VUC) in detecting bladder cancer. And at the same time we evaluated the clinical value of these seven detecting methods in the diagnosis of bladder cancer. METHODS: The six markers and VUC were detected in the urine of cancer group (151 patients with bladder cancer) and two control groups (50 patients with benign urological diseases and 50 healthy controls). The sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, reproducibility, examining complexity and checking cost of each marker and combined markers were calculated. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between bladder cancer group and the two control groups. The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value were as follows: VUC (36.4%, 100.0%, 100%), BTAstat (76.8%, 87.0%, 89.9%), NMP22 (77.5%, 81.0%, 86.0%), HA (82.8%, 83.0%, 88.0%), survivin (70.2%, 85.0%, 87.6%), CD44v6 (50.3%, 79.0%, 78.4%), and VEGF (68.2%, 93.0%, 93.6%). The highest sensitivities were 91.4% for NMP22 + BTAstat and HA + NMP22, whereas the combined marker with the lowest sensitivity (62.3%) was VUC + CD44v6. The highest specificity was 93.0% for the combined use of VUC + VEGF and HA + CD44v6 had the lowest specificity (73.0%). The most convenient examining method was the detection for BTAstat, the lowest cost was the detection for HA, and the best reproducibility were the detection for BTAstat and VUC. CONCLUSIONS: All the markers have obvious clinical value in diagnosis of bladder cancer. The use of BTAstat + HA or NMP22 + BTAstat are better examining methods in terms of validity, reliability, and yield.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Distinct reorganization of the genome transcription associates with organogenesis of somatic embryo, shoots, and roots in rice.

Most plant cells retain the capacity to differentiate into all the other cell and organ types that constitute a plant. However, genome-wide transcriptional activities underlying the process of cell differentiation are poorly understood, especially in monocot plants. Here we used a rice (Oryza sativa) cell culture system to generate somatic embryos, which were further induced into shoots and roots. The global transcriptional reorganization during the development of somatic embryos, shoots, and roots from cultured cells was studied using a rice whole genome microarray and verified by RNA blotting analysis of representative genes. Overall, only 1-3% of expressed genes were differentially regulated during each organogenesis process at the examined time point. Also metabolic pathways were minimally regulated. Thus the genes that dictating organ formation should be relatively small in number. Comparison of these three transcriptomes revealed little overlap during these three organogenesis processes. These results indicate that each organogenesis involves specific reorganization of genome expression.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed2006

Role of the S128, H186, and N187 triad in substrate binding and decarboxylation in the sheep liver 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase reaction.

Crystal structures of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH) from sheep liver indicate that S128 and N187 are within hydrogen-bonding distance of 6PG in the E:6PG binary complex and NADPH in the E:NADPH binary complex. In addition, H186 is also within hydrogen-bonding distance of NADPH in the E:NADPH binary complex, while in the E:6PG binary complex it is within hydrogen-bonding distance of S128 and close to N187. The structures suggest that this triad of residues may play a dual role during the catalytic reaction. Site-directed mutagenesis has been performed to mutate each of the three residues to alanine. All mutant enzymes exhibit a decrease in V/E(t) (the turnover number), ranging from 7- to 67-fold. An increase in the Km for 6PG (K(6PG)) was observed for S128A and H187A mutant enzymes, while for the H186A mutation, K(6PG) is decreased by a factor of 2. K(NADP) remains the same as the wild type enzyme for the S128A and H186A mutant enzyme, while it increases by 6-fold in the N187A mutant enzyme. An increased K(iNADPH) was measured for all of the mutant enzymes. The primary kinetic 13C-isotope effect is increased, while the primary deuterium kinetic isotope effect is decreased, indicating that the decarboxylation step has become more rate limiting under conditions where substrate is limiting. A quantitative analysis of the data suggests that the S128, H186, and N187 triad is multifunctional in the 6PGDH reaction and contributes as follows. The triad (1) participates in the precatalytic conformational change; (2) provides ground state binding affinity for 6PG and NADPH; and (3) affects the relative rates of reduction or decarboxylation of the 3-keto-6PG intermediate by anchoring the cofactor after hydride transfer, which is accompanied by the rotation of the nicotinamide ring around the N-glycosidic bond and displacement of C1 of 6PG, facilitating decarboxylation.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed2006

Increase in the permeability of tonoplast of garlic (Allium sativum) by monocarboxylic acids.

Immersion of intact aged garlic (Allium sativum) cloves in a series of 5% weak organic monocarboxylate solutions (pH 2.0) resulted in green color formation. No color was formed upon treatment with other weak organic acids, such as citric and malic acids, and the inorganic hydrochloric acid under the same conditions. To understand the significance of monocarboxylic acids and their differing function from that of other acids, acetic acid was compared with organic acids citric and malic and the inorganic hydrochloric acid. The effects of these acids on the permeability of plasma and intracellular membrane of garlic cells were measured by conductivity, light microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Except for hydrochloric acid, treatment of garlic with all three organic acids greatly increased the relative conductivity of their respective pickling solutions, indicating that all tested organic acids increased the permeability of plasma membrane. Moreover, a pickling solution containing acetic acid exhibited 1.5-fold higher relative conductivity (approximately 90%) as compared to those (approximately 60%) of both citric and malic acids, implying that exposure of garlic cloves to acetic acid not only changed the permeability of the plasma membrane but also increased the permeability of intracellular membrane. Exposure of garlic to acetic acid led to the production of precipitate along the tonoplast, but no precipitate was formed by citric and malic acids. This indicates that the structure of the tonoplast was damaged by this treatment. Further support for this conclusion comes from results showing that the concentration of thiosulfinates [which are produced only by catalytic conversion of S-alk(en)yl-l-cysteine sulfoxides in cytosol by alliinase located in the vacuole] in the acetic acid pickling solution is 1.3 mg/mL, but almost no thiosulfinates were detected in the pickling solution of citric and malic acids. Thus, all present results suggest that damage of tonoplast by treatment with monocarboxylates such as acetic acid may be the main reason for the greening of garlic.

Acetic Acid↗
PubMed2006

Identification and expression of a novel class of glutathione-S-transferase from amphioxus Branchiostoma belcheri with implications to the origin of vertebrate liver.

Glutathione-S-transferases have been identified in all the living species examined so far, yet little is known to date about them in amphioxus, a model organism for insights into the origin and evolution of vertebrates. We have isolated a cDNA encoding an amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri) glutathione-S-transferase with a predicted molecular mass of approximately 26 kDa, from the gut cDNA library. The glutathione-S-transferase had 43.7-51.8% identity to most glutathione-S-transferases identified from aquatic organisms including fish and green alga, but it was much less identical (<27%) to other cytosolic glutathione-S-transferase classes. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the glutathione-S-transferase was grouped together with most piscine and algal glutathione-S-transferases, separating from other cytosolic glutathione-S-transferase classes. Moreover, the glutathione-S-transferase had an exon-intron organization typical of zebrafish putative GST, red sea bream GSTR1 and plaice GSTA1 genes. The recombinant glutathione-S-transferase has been successfully expressed and purified, which showed a relatively high catalytic activity (3.37+/-0.1 unit/mg) toward 1-chloro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene and a moderate activity toward ethacrynic acid (0.41+/-0.01 unit/mg), although it had no detectable activity toward 1, 2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene, 4-hydroxynonenal, 4-nitrobenzyl chloride and cumene hydroperoxide. In addition, we have revealed a tissue-specific expression pattern of the glutathione-S-transferase gene in B. belcheri, with the most abundant expression in the hepatic caecum. All these indicate that the amphioxus glutathione-S-transferase belongs to a novel rho-class of glutathione-S-transferases with a tissue-specific expression pattern. The relation between the glutathione-S-transferase expression in amphioxus hepatic caecum and the origin of vertebrate liver is also discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

NMPP: a user-customized NimbleGen microarray data processing pipeline.

UNLABELLED: NMPP package is a bundle of user-customized tools based on established algorithms and methods to process self-designed NimbleGen microarray data. It features a command-line-based integrative processing procedure that comprises five major functional components, namely the raw microarray data parsing and integrating module, the array spatial effect smoothing and visualization module, the probe-level multi-array normalization module, the gene expression intensity summarization module and the gene expression status inference module. AVAILABILITY: http://plantgenomics.biology.yale.edu/nmpp

Algorithms↗
PubMed2006

Outcome and complications of 540 microvascular free flaps: the Hamburg experience.

The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze surgical outcome and complications of 540 free flap procedures performed at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf during 1987-2005. A total of 532 patients were reconstructed with 540 flaps: 32% were latissimus dorsi flaps, 23% were radial forearm flaps, 21% were iliac crest flaps, 10% were fibula flaps, 6% were jejunal flaps, and 8% were other flaps. Thrombosis of one of the vessels and hematoma were the most frequent causes of failure in microvascular free tissue transfer. A total free flap failure occurred in 34 (6.2%) and a partial flap failure in 42 (7.7%) patients. The most reliable flap in regard to survival was the radial forearm flap. The present study confirms that free flaps are extremely reliable in achieving successful reconstruction of the head and neck.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Respiratory syncytial virus inhibits interferon-alpha-inducible signaling in macrophage-like U937 cells.

Monocytes become susceptible to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection when pretreated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The molecular mechanism underlying this observation is poorly understood, but may be related to inhibition of type I interferon (IFN) signaling by RSV in epithelial cells. Herein, we have investigated the putative role of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) in the IFN-inducible antiviral response in U937 cells. Upon RSV infection of macrophage-like U937 cells, the expression of SOCS1, SOCS3, and CIS mRNA was rapidly upregulated, and phosphorylation of the IFN-alpha-inducible signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT1 and STAT2) was suppressed. These results suggest that RSV can inhibit the phosphorylation of IFN-alpha-inducible STAT1 and STAT2 by inducing the expression of SOCS proteins in PMA-treated U937 cells.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

The 2'-phosphate of NADP is responsible for proper orientation of the nicotinamide ring in the oxidative decarboxylation reaction catalyzed by sheep liver 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase.

Sheep liver 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase shows a high specificity for NADP, with a much lower affinity for NAD. Discrimination between NADP and NAD suggests that the interactions between the 2'-phosphate and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase contribute most of the binding energy for NADP. There are three active site residues, Asn-32, Arg-33, and Thr-34, that hydrogen-bond to the 2'-phosphate of NADP according to the crystal structure of the E.Nbr(8)ADP complex. In this study alanine mutagenesis was used to probe the contribution of each of the three residues to binding the cofactor and to catalysis. All mutant enzymes exhibit no significant change in V/E(t) or K(6PG) but an increase in K(NADP) that ranges from 6- to 80-fold. All mutant enzymes also exhibit at least a 7-fold increase in the primary kinetic (13)C-isotope effect-1, indicating that the decarboxylation step has become more rate-limiting. Data are consistent with significant roles for Asn-32, Arg-33, and Thr-34 in providing binding energy for NADP, and more importantly, the 2'-phosphate of NADP is required for proper orientation of the cofactor to allow rotation about the N-glycosidic bond as it is reduced in the hydride transfer step.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Over-expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha increases the invasive potency of LNCaP cells in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) over-expression on the invasion-associated proteins in human prostate cancer cells, as HIF-1alpha is a transcriptional factor that could activate genes involved in the response to hypoxia, but might also enhance the invasive potency of prostate cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prostate cancer (LNCaP) cells were transfected with recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1(-)/HIF-1alpha and pcDNA3.1(-) control vector using a commercial system, designated as LNCaP/HIF-1alpha and LNCaP/pcDNA3.1, respectively. The positive clones were selected with G418 and confirmed by Western blot and indirect immunofluorescence labelling. A polycarbonate filter, coated with a matrix gel, was used to analyse the invasive potency. The expression of E-cadherin, vimentin, cathepsin D, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP2) and urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: The expression level of HIF-1alpha in LNCaP/HIF-1alpha was distinctly higher than that in LNCaP/pcDNA3.1 and LNCaP. Many more cells of LNCaP/HIF-1alpha penetrated through the polycarbonate filter than those of LNCaP/pcDNA3.1 and LNCaP. Compared with the LNCaP/pcDNA3.1 and LNCaP cells, the expression of vimentin, cathepsin D, MMP-2 and uPAR were up-regulated in LNCaP/HIF-1alpha, whereas the expression of E-cadherin was down-regulated. CONCLUSION: These results show that over-expression of HIF-1alpha directly stimulates the invasive potency of human prostate carcinoma LNCaP cells through the matrix gel. The expression of E-cadherin, vimentin, cathepsin D, MMP-2 and uPAR, which are proteins with established roles in the pathophysiology of invasion, could be regulated by HIF-1alpha in human prostate cancer cells.

Blotting, Western↗
PubMed2006

Targeted guanine oxidation by a dinuclear copper(II) complex at single stranded/double stranded DNA junctions.

A dinuclear copper(II) complex [Cu(II)2(PD'O-)(H2O)2](ClO4)3 (5) with terminal Cu(II)-H(2)O moieties and a Cu...Cu distance of 4.13 A (X-ray structure) has been synthesized and characterized by EPR spectroscopy (ferromagnetic coupling observed) and cyclic voltammetry. Dizinc(II) and mononuclear copper(II) analogues [Zn(II)2(PD'O-)(H2O)2]3+ (7) and [Cu(II)(mPD'OH)(H2O)]2+ (6), respectively, have also been synthesized and structurally characterized. Reacting 5/MPA/O(2) (MPA = 3-mercaptopropionic acid) with DNA leads to a highly specific oxidation of guanine (G) at a junction between single- and double-stranded DNA. Mass spectrometric analysis of the major products indicates a gain of +18 and +34 amu relative to initial DNA strands. The most efficient reaction requires G at the first and second unpaired positions of each strand extending from the junction. Less reaction is observed for analogous targets in which the G cluster is farther from the junction or contains less than four Gs. Consistent with our previous systems, the multinuclear copper center is required for selective reaction; mononuclear complex 6 is not effective. Hydrogen peroxide as a substitute for MPA/O2 also does not lead to activity. Structural analysis of a [Cu(II)2(PD'O-)(G)]3+ complex (8) and dizinc analogue [Zn(II)(2)(PD'O-)(G)](ClO4)3 (9) (G = guanosine) reveals coordination of the G O6 and N7 atoms with the two copper (or zinc) centers and suggests that copper-G coordination likely plays a role in recognition of the DNA target. The Cu2-O2 intermediate responsible for guanine oxidation appears to be different from that responsible for direct-strand scission induced by other multinuclear copper complexes; the likely course of reaction is discussed.

3-Mercaptopropionic Acid↗
PubMed2006

Reactivity study of a hydroperoxodicopper(II) complex: hydroxylation, dehydrogenation, and ligand cross-link reactions.

Employing a binucleating phenol-containing ligand PD'OH, a mu-phenoxo-mu-hydroperoxo dicopper(II) complex [Cu(II)2(PD'O-)(-OOH)(RCN)2](ClO4)2 (1, R = CH3, CH3CH2 or C6H5CH2; lambda(max) = 407 nm; nu(O-O) = 870 cm(-1); J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 15360) is generated by reacting a precursor dicopper(I) complex [Cu(I)2(PD'OH)(CH3CN)2](ClO4)2 (2) with O2 in nitrile solvents at -80 degrees C. Species 1 is unable to oxidize externally added substrates, for instance, PPh3, 2,4-tert-butylphenol, or 9,10-dihydroanthracene. However, upon thermal decay, it hydroxylates copper-bound organocyanides (e.g., benzylcyanide), leading to the corresponding aldehyde while releasing cyanide. This chemistry mimics that known for the copper enzyme dopamine-beta-monooxygenase. The thermal decay of 1 also leads to a product [Cu(II)3(L")2(Cl-)2](PF6)2 (6); its X-ray structure reveals that L" is a Schiff base-containing ligand which apparently derives from both oxidative N-dealkylation and then oxidative dehydrogenation of PD'OH; the chloride presumably derives from the CH2Cl2 solvent. With an excess of PPh3 added to 1, a binuclear Cu(I) complex [Cu(I)2(L')(PPh3)2](ClO4)2 (5) with a cross-linked PD'OH ligand L' has also been identified and crystallographically and chemically characterized. The newly formed C-O bond and an apparent k(H)/k(D) = 2.9 +/- 0.2 isotope effect in the benzylcyanide oxidation reaction suggest a common ligand-based radical forms during compound 1 thermal decay reactions. A di-mu-hydroxide-bridged tetranuclear copper(II) cluster compound [{Cu(II)2(PD'O-)(OH-)}2](ClO4)4 (8) has also been isolated following warming of 1. Its formation is consistent with the generation of [Cu(II)2(PD'O-)(OH-)]2+, with dimerization a reflection of the large Cu...Cu distance and thus the preference for not having a second bridging ligand atom (in addition to the phenolate O) for dicopper(II) ligation within the PD'O- ligand framework.

Copper↗
PubMed2006

[Therapeutic experience of fulminant acute pancreatitis in acute response stage].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate therapeutic strategy of fulminant acute pancreatitis (FAP) in acute response stage. METHODS: Sixty-four patients were divided into Death group (27 patients) and Survival group (37 patients). The time course of shock and recovery of enteral function, parameters of fluid resuscitation, PaO(2)/FiO(2) and AaDO(2) at 24 hours prior to mechanical ventilation, rate of continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS), severity of the disease in the acute response stage were investigated. And the effect of surgical manner and time on the prognosis was also analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with Survival group, the time course of shock and recovery of enteral function in Death group were prolonged significantly (P < 0.05). Between the groups, there was no difference in the amount of crystal fluid infused from admission to 72 hours after, but the amount of colloid fluid infused and ratio of amount of colloid and crystal fluid in Survival group were higher (P < 0.05). The amount of fluid retention in third space from admission to 72 hours after in Death group was higher than that of Survival group significantly (P < 0.05). The fluid infusing rate in Survival group in the first day of admission was faster than Death group (P < 0.05). PaO(2)/FiO(2) and AaDO(2) in 24 hours prior to mechanical ventilation in Death group were negatively changed significantly. Within 72 hours after the onset of the disease, the rate of CVVH in Survival group was higher than Death group. Incidence rate of ACS and the APACHEII scores within 72 hours after admission in Death group were higher than in Survival group. The cure rate of the patients operated in the day 7 to day 14 after admission was higher than that of patients operated prior and post this period. Time for the first operation in operated patients was earlier than patients received minimally invasive drainage (MID) and its cure rate was lower than that of MID Group. CONCLUSIONS: It is the key point to shorten the time course of ischemia, to control persistent systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and to adopt reasonable surgical intervention in acute response stage for FAP.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2006

[Over-expression of Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha increases invasive potency of LNCaP cells in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF1alpha) over-expression on the invasive potency of human prostate cancer cell. METHODS: Human prostate cancer cells of the line LNCaP were cultured and transfected by the recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1(-)-HIF-1alpha containing the gene HIF1alpha with Lipofectamine 2000 system. The positive clone cells were selected by G418 and confirmed by Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining (LNCaP/HIF1alpha cells). Transwell chambers with polycarbonate filter were coated by 100 microl Matrigel at 1:20 dilution in serum-free medium. LNCaP cell suspension and LNCaP/HIF1alpha cell suspension were inoculated into the Transwell chambers respectively for 24 hours to analyze the invasive potency. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of E-cadherin, vimentin, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), cathepsin D, and urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR). RESULTS: The expression level of HIF1alpha in the LNCaP/HIF1alpha cells was distinctly higher than that in the LNCaP cells. The numbers of LNCaP-HIF1alpha cells penetrating through the Transwell polycarbonate filter was 4.6 +/- 0.4 x 10(4), significantly higher than that of the LNCaP cells (3.2 +/- 0.3 x 10(4), P < 0.01). The expressions of vimentin, MMP-2, cathepsin D, and uPAR were all up-regulated in LNCaP-HIF1alpha cells than those of the LNCaP cells. Whereas, the expression of E-cadherin was down-regulated in the LNCaP-HIF1alpha cells. CONCLUSION: Over-expression of HIF-1alpha stimulates the invasion potency of human prostate carcinoma cell. The expression of E-cadherin, vimentin, MMP-2, cathepsin D, and uPAR, all playing an established role in the invasion of tumor, can be regulated by HIF-1 in human prostate cancer cell.

Cell Line, Tumor↗
PubMed2006

Monitoring county-level vaccination coverage during the 2004-2005 influenza season.

BACKGROUND: During the 2004-2005 influenza season, the United States faced a sudden shortage of influenza vaccine. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended prioritizing vaccination for persons aged 65 and older and others at high risk. To monitor subsequent vaccination coverage, several questions about influenza vaccination were added to the ongoing Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This study provided real-time county-level estimates of influenza vaccination coverage from the BRFSS each month from October 2004 through January 2005. METHOD: The methods used a variation of small area estimation procedures suitable for situations in which most small areas have few or no survey respondents, and rapid assessment is essential. Both model-based methods and nonparametric spatial-smoothing methods were used in a three-step procedure. RESULTS: The highest vaccination rates during the 2004-2005 influenza season were seen in the upper Midwest and the Southeast. Areas with the lowest vaccination rates were the intermountain West, southern California, portions of Washington and Oregon, and various areas across the Eastern United States, often coinciding with urban areas. Intrastate variations were especially pronounced in the Eastern United States, particularly in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, and New York. These states all had areas with low immunization rates as well as areas with high rates. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that vaccination coverage varied significantly across states and substate regions. Our findings show that this methodology can provide estimates with reasonable reliability for planning during public health emergencies.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Expression and colocalization of NADPH-diaphorase and Fos in the subnuclei of the parabrachial nucleus in rats following visceral noxious stimulation.

To investigate whether neural nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the parabrachial nucleus (PB) is involved in processing visceral noxious stimulation, we mapped the distribution of histochemical staining for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d), a marker for nNOS, and immunohistochemical staining for Fos, a neuronal activity marker, in the subnuclei of the PB following 2% formalin injection into the stomach of rats. NADPH-d and noxious-stimuli induced Fos staining were also examined in tissue containing PB cells labeled by the retrograde transport of fluogold (FG) injected into the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). We found that the number of Fos immunoreactive (Fos-IR) neurons was significantly increased in the dorsal lateral (dl), external lateral (el) and Kölliker-Fuse (KF) subnuclei of the PB. We observed that intensely labeled (type 1) NADPH-d positive neurons were mainly located in the rostral part of the PB; they extended long processes adjacent Fos-IR neurons, but no Fos/type 1 NADPH-d double-labeled neurons were seen. In contrast, lightly labeled (type 2) NADPH-d positive neurons were principally localized in the dl of the PB, in which a few Fos/type 2 NADPH-d double-labeled neurons were detected. Additionally, a large number of FG/Fos double-labeled neurons were observed to be surrounded closely by the intensive NADPH-d staining in the el of the PB. These results suggest that neurons in the el of the PB that project to the CeA are activated by visceral noxious stimulation and could be indirectly influenced by nitric oxide in the PB.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2006

Differential expression of voltage-activated calcium currents in zebrafish retinal ganglion cells.

We report a study on the characterization of voltage-activated calcium currents (I(Ca)) in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and the topographic distribution of RGCs that express different types of I(Ca) in zebrafish retinas. In acutely isolated zebrafish RGCs, both high-voltage-activated (HVA; peak activation potential +7.4 +/- 1.1 mV) and low-voltage-activated (LVA; peak activation potential -33.0 +/- 1.2 mV) I(Ca) were recorded. HVA I(Ca) were recorded in all of the tested RGCs, whereas LVA I(Ca) were recorded in approximately one-third of the tested cells. In RGCs that expressed both HVA and LVA I(Ca), the two currents were readily separated by depolarizing the cell membrane to different voltages from different holding potentials. Among RGCs that expressed LVA I(Ca), some cells expressed large LVA I(Ca) (up to 130 pA), whereas others expressed small LVA I(Ca) (approximately 20 pA). RGCs that expressed large and small LVA I(Ca) were designated as class I and class II cells, respectively, and RGCs that expressed only HVA I(Ca) were designated as class III cells. The topographic distribution of cell classes was similar in various areas of the retina. In the nasal-ventral retina, for example, class III cells outnumbered class I and class II cells by 10.8- and 2.6-fold, respectively. In the temporal and dorsal retinas, the density of class III cells slightly decreased, whereas the density of class I and class II cells increased. The differential expression of I(Ca) in RGCs may correlate with the development and function of the retina.

Action Potentials↗