PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Nimmagadda

Publications and source records attributed to S Nimmagadda.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Expression pattern of BMPs during chick limb development.

In vertebrates, BMPs (bone morphogenic proteins) play critical roles in establishing the basic embryonic body plan and are involved in the development of a large variety of organs and tissues. Here, we analyzed the expression pattern of various BMPs (2, 4, 5 and 7) by whole mount in situ hybridization during chick limb development. In limb, expression of BMPs suggests evolutionary conserved mechanisms of BMP-dependent differentiation between lower and higher vertebrates. During the early developmental stages, BMP-2 and BMP-7 are expressed in the posterior distal mesenchyme leaving a less prominent expression anteriorly. BMP-4 is initially expressed in the anterior mesenchyme and spreads later to the whole mesenchyme leaving a stronger expression at the anterior side. From HH-stage 25, expression of BMP-4 is observed in the anterior-posterior margins of the limb bud. The BMPs 2, 4 and 7 are expressed strongly in the AER, whereas BMP-5 is expressed as a weak signal in the distal mesoderm during the early stages of limb development. Later from HH-stage 25 onwards, BMP-5 is expressed in the dorsal and ventral muscular mass of the developing limb. As digits become identifiable, expression of BMPs are observed in the interdigital mesenchyme and can also be detected along the contours of the developing phalanges and at the distal tips of the digits. All these BMPs are found to be expressed in the developing feather buds from day 8 onwards.

Animals↗

Expression pattern of VEGFR-2 (Quek1) during quail development.

The growth and maintenance of the blood and lymphatic vascular systems is to a large extent controlled by members of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family via the tyrosine kinase receptors (VEGFRs) expressed in angioblastic cells. Here, we analyzed the Quek1 (VEGFR-2) expression pattern by whole mount in situ hybridization during quail development. During early embryogenesis, Quek1 expression was detected at the caudal end of the blastoderm and primitive streak and in the head paraxial mesoderm. In somites, expression was observed from HH-stage 9 onwards in the dorsolateral region of both the forming and recently formed somites. During somite maturation, expression persists in the lateral portion of the somitic compartments, the dermomyotome and the sclerotome. Additionally, a second expression domain in the maturing somite was observed in the medial part of the sclerotome adjacent to the neural tube. This expression domain extended medially and dorsally and surrounded the neural tube during later stages. In the notochord, expression was observed from HH-stage 23 onwards. In the limb bud, expression was initiated in the mesenchyme at HH-stage 17. During organogenesis, expression was detected in the pharyngeal arches and in the anlagen of the esophagus, trachea, stomach, lungs, liver, heart and gut. Expression was also seen in feather buds from day 7 onwards. Our results confirm the angiogenic potential of the mesoderm and suggest that VEGFR-2 expressing cells represent multiple pools of mesodermal precursors of the hematopoietic and angiopoietic lineages.

Animals↗

Effects of glucocorticoids on lymphocyte activation in patients with steroid-sensitive and steroid-resistant asthma.

BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoids are important medications used to control the airway inflammation associated with asthma. Synthetic glucocorticoids vary in their binding affinity for the glucocorticoid receptor (GCR). METHODS: We compared hydrocortisone, beclomethasone dipropionate, triamcinolone acetonide, flunisolide, and budesonide with regard to their capacity to inhibit phytohemagglutinin-induced peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation from six patients with steroid-sensitive asthma and seven patients with steroid-resistant asthma. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell GCR binding affinities for dexamethasone and budesonide were also determined for both patient groups by using a radioligand binding assay and Scatchard analysis. RESULTS: Dose-dependent inhibition was demonstrated for all glucocorticoids in both patient groups, with the steroid-resistant group requiring approximately 2 log-fold more glucocorticoids for an equivalent degree of inhibition. The mean concentrations necessary to cause 50% inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation (IC50s) for the steroid-sensitive group ranged from 2 x 10(-10) mol/L for budesonide to 7 x 10(-8) mol/L for hydrocortisone, whereas the mean IC50s for the steroid-resistant group ranged from approximately 2 x 10(-8) mol/L for budesonide to greater than 10(-6) mol/L for hydrocortisone. In addition, a significant correlation was noted between the degree of inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation (IC50) and the binding affinity of dexamethasone to the GCR. Patients with steroid-resistant asthma have been shown to have a reduced GCR binding affinity. The GCR binding affinity for budesonide was significantly higher in both groups (i.e., lower dissociation constant) than that obtained for dexamethasone. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that glucocorticoids such as budesonide, by virtue of their high GCR binding affinities and greater ability to suppress lymphocyte proliferation, may therefore be beneficial in the management of difficult-to-control asthma.

Adult↗

Reduced glucocorticoid binding affinity in asthma is related to ongoing allergic inflammation.

Recent studies indicate that chronic asthma is associated with a spectrum of glucocorticoid receptor (GCR) binding abnormalities that are cytokine-inducible. These GCR abnormalities may contribute to poor asthma control and failure to respond to glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. The purpose of this study was to determine whether GCR defects are associated with poorly controlled asthma, and whether diminished GCR binding is reversible following a course of GC therapy. We enrolled 12 patients with poorly controlled asthma characterized by nocturnal awakening with cough or wheezing, AM FEV1 < 70%, or FEV1 variability of > 25% requiring a short course of high dose GC therapy. GCR binding affinity was measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using a radioligand binding assay before and after the GC course. Spirometry, serum cortisol, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels were also performed before and after the GC course. At baseline, all subjects had airflow obstruction that significantly improved (median FEV1 increased from 65.0% to 89.5% of predicted, median FEV1/FVC ratio increased from 0.60 to 0.72) with therapy. A diminished GCR binding affinity at baseline was noted with an elevated median dissociation constant (Kd) of 29.0 nM (interquartile range at the 25th and 75th percentile [IQ] of 22.3 and 44.5 nM) compared with normal controls (Kd 8.0 nM [IQ 7.0, 9.2]). Following the GC course, a significant decrease in the Kd was seen. Serum ECP and sIL-2R levels at baseline were elevated, with serum ECP demonstrating a significant reduction following the GC course.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Administration, Oral↗