The renin-angiotensin system (RAS), originally described as a circulating hormone system, is an enzymatic cascade in which the final vasoactive peptide angiotensin II (ANG) regulates cardiovascular, hydromineral, and metabolic functions. The RAS is also synthesized locally in a number of tissues including the brain, where it can act in a paracrine fashion...

The Youzhou dark goat is a natural mutant with dark skin over the whole body including the visible mucous membranes. In the present study, we characterized 100-day-old fetal skin at the histomorphological and transcriptomic levels in dark-skinned (Youzhou dark goat) and white-skinned (Yudong white goat) goats with deep RNA sequencing, quantitative PCR,...

Emerging evidence suggests that both systemic and white adipose tissue-renin-angiotensin system components influence body weight control. We previously demonstrated that higher angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene expression is associated with lower body adiposity in a rodent model. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a higher ACE gene...

Numerous studies implicate the cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) enzyme and COX2-derived prostanoids in various human diseases, and thus, much effort has been made to uncover the regulatory mechanisms of this enzyme. COX2 has been shown to be regulated at both the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels, leading to the development of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory...

Tissue-, sex-, and age-specific epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation are largely unknown. Changes in DNA methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) and imprinting control region (ICR) of IGF2 and H19 genes during the lifespan are particularly interesting since these genes are susceptible to epigenetic modifications by prenatal...

G protein-coupled receptor kinase-6 (GRK6) is a serine/threonine kinase that is important in inflammatory processes. In this study, we examined the role of GRK6 in Escherichia coli-induced lung infection and inflammation using GRK6 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice. Intratracheal instillation of E. coli significantly enhanced bacterial load in the...