We aimed to analyze the differential gene expression in various murine dental tissues, expecting to find novel factors that are involved in tooth formation. We here describe the identification of a novel ameloblast-specific gene, amelotin (AMTN), by differential display polymerase chain-reaction (DD-PCR) analysis of microdissected ameloblasts, odontoblasts, dental pulp, and alveolar bone cells of 10-day-old mouse incisors. The conceptually translated protein sequence was unique and showed significant homology only with its human orthologue. The amelotin genes from mouse and human displayed a similar exon-intron structure and were expressed from loci on chromosomes 5 and 4, respectively, which have been associated with various forms of amelogenesis imperfecta. Expression of amelotin mRNA was restricted to maturation-stage ameloblasts in developing murine molars and incisors. Amelotin protein was efficiently secreted from transfected cells in culture. Taken together, our findings suggest that amelotin is a novel factor produced by ameloblasts that plays a critical role in the formation of dental enamel.

The receptor tyrosine kinase Tie2 is highly expressed in endothelial cells and is crucial for angiogenesis and vascular maintenance. The ligands for Tie2 are the angiopoietins, of which angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2 have been the most studied. Angiopoietin-1 has been characterized as the primary activating ligand for Tie2 whereas the role of angiopoietin-2 remains controversial; activating Tie2 in some studies and inhibiting Tie2 in others. Our studies were aimed at understanding the regulation of Tie2 in endothelial cells by angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2 and revealed that both ligands activated Tie2 in a concentration-dependent manner. Angiopoietin-2 was considerably weaker at activating Tie2 compared with angiopoietin-1 suggesting that angiopoietin-2 may be a partial agonist. Activation of Tie2 by these ligands resulted in differential turnover of the receptor where binding of angiopoietin-1, and to a lesser extent angiopoietin-2, induced rapid internalization and degradation of Tie2. Furthermore, our binding studies demonstrate that both ligands are differentially released from the endothelial cell surface after receptor activation and accumulate in the surrounding medium. Altogether, these data begin our understanding of the regulation of Tie2 and the activity of the angiopoietins after engaging the endothelial cell surface.

Summary What is known and objective Optimal utilization of opioid analgesics is significantly limited by the central nervous system adverse effects and misuse/abuse potential of currently available drugs. It has been postulated that opioid‐associated adverse effects and abuse potential would be greatly reduced if opioids could be excluded from reaching the brain. We review the basic science and clinical evidence of one such approach – peripherally restricted kappa‐opioid receptor (KOR) agonists (pKORAs). Methods Published and unpublished literature, websites and other sources were searched for basic science and clinical information related to the potential benefits and development of peripherally restricted kappa‐opioid receptor agonists. Each source was summarized, reviewed and assessed. Results The historical development of pKORAs can be traced from the design of increasingly KOR‐selective agonists, elucidation of the pharmacologic attributes of such compounds and strategies to restrict passage across the blood–brain barrier. Novel compounds are under development and have progressed to clinical trials. What is new and conclusions The results from recent clinical trials suggest that peripherally restricted opioids can be successfully designed and that they can retain analgesic efficacy with a more favourable adverse effect profile.

We have previously identified amelotin (AMTN) as a novel protein expressed predominantly during the late stages of dental enamel formation, but its role during amelogenesis remains to be determined. In this study we generated transgenic mice that produce AMTN under the amelogenin (Amel) gene promoter to study the effect of AMTN overexpression on enamel formation in vivo. The specific overexpression of AMTN in secretory stage ameloblasts was confirmed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. The gross histological appearance of ameloblasts or supporting cellular structures as well as the expression of the enamel proteins amelogenin (AMEL) and ameloblastin (AMBN) was not altered by AMTN overexpression, suggesting that protein production, processing and secretion occurred normally in transgenic mice. The expression of Odontogenic, Ameloblast-Associated (ODAM) was slightly increased in secretory stage ameloblasts of transgenic animals. The enamel in AMTN-overexpressing mice was much thinner and displayed a highly irregular surface structure compared to wild type littermates. Teeth of transgenic animals underwent rapid attrition due to the brittleness of the enamel layer. The microstructure of enamel, normally a highly ordered arrangement of hydroxyapatite crystals, was completely disorganized. Tomes' process, the hallmark of secretory stage ameloblasts, did not form in transgenic mice. Collectively our data demonstrate that the overexpression of amelotin has a profound effect on enamel structure by disrupting the formation of Tomes' process and the orderly growth of enamel prisms.

Anthocyanins are a group of colorful and bioactive natural pigments with important physiological and ecological functions in plants. We found an MYB transcription factor (PtrMYB119) from Populus trichocarpa that positively regulates anthocyanin production when expressed under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter in transgenic Arabidopsis Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that PtrMYB119 is highly homologous to Arabidopsis PAP1 (PRODUCTION OF ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENT1), a well-known transcriptional activator of anthocyanin biosynthesis. Independently produced transgenic poplars overexpressing PtrMYB119 or PtrMYB120 (a paralogous gene to PtrMYB119) (i.e., 35S::PtrMYB119 and 35S::PtrMYB120, respectively) showed elevated accumulation of anthocyanins in the whole plants, including leaf, stem and even root tissues. Using a reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, we confirmed that the majority of the accumulated anthocyanin in our transgenic poplar is cyanidin-3-O-glucoside. Gene expression analyses revealed that most of the genes involved in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway were highly upregulated in 35S::PtrMYB119 poplars compared with the nontransformed control poplar. Among these genes, expression of PtrCHS1 (Chalcone Synthase1) and PtrANS2 (Anthocyanin Synthase2), which catalyze the initial and last steps of anthocyanin biosynthesis, respectively, was upregulated by up to 350-fold. Subsequent transient activation assays confirmed that PtrMYB119 activated the transcription of both PtrCHS1 and PtrANS2 Interestingly, expression of MYB182, a repressor of both anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin (PA) biosynthesis, was largely suppressed in 35S::PtrMYB119 poplars, while expression of MYB134, an activator of PA biosynthesis, was not changed significantly. More interestingly, high-level accumulation of anthocyanins in 35S::PtrMYB119 poplars did not have an adverse effect on plant growth. Taken together, our results demonstrate that PtrMYB119 and PtrMYB120 function as transcriptional activators of anthocyanin accumulation in both Arabidopsis and poplar.

SUMMARYWhat is known and objective: The prevailing theory regarding Alzheimer disease (AD) is that insoluble amyloid b-peptide (Ab) plays a critical role in the cortical plaques characteristic of the disease. Because Ab is formed from the sequential splicing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) catalysed by 'secretase' enzymes (a, b and c), clinical trials of secretase inhibitors will either result in beneficial pharmacotherapy or, if negative, cast doubt on the role of Ab in AD. With recent clinical trial failures, is the Ab theory wrong? Methods: Literature searches were conducted on the topics of secretases and clinical trials, including PubMed searches, United States clinical trials directory, pharmaceutical company websites and news reports. The information was collected and evaluated for relevance and quality. Results and discussion: Several direct-acting (e.g. CTS-21166, LY2811376) and indirect-acting (e.g. ACI-91) b-secretase inhibitors and several c-secretase inhibitors (e.g. avagacestat, JNJ-40418677 and semagacestat) have not fared well in early clinical trials due to the lack of efficacy or concerns over possible serious side effects.

BackgroundIn vivo studies demonstrate that the Prox1 transcription factor plays a critical role in the development of the early lymphatic system. Upon Prox1 expression, early lymphatic endothelial cells differentiate from the cardinal vein and begin to express lymphatic markers such as VEGFR-3, LYVE-1 and Podoplanin. Subsequent in vitro studies have found that differentiated vascular endothelial cells can be reprogrammed by Prox1 to express a lymphatic gene profile, suggesting that Prox1 can initiate the expression of a unique gene signature during lymphangiogenesis. While the in vitro data suggest that gene reprogramming occurs upon Prox1 expression, it is not clear if this is a direct result of Prox1 in vascular endothelial cells in vivo.ResultsOverexpression of Prox1 in vascular endothelial cells during embryonic development results in the reprogramming of genes to that of a more lymphatic signature. Consequent to this overexpression, embryos suffer from gross edema that results in embryonic lethality at E13.5. Furthermore, hemorrhaging and anemia is apparent along with clear defects in lymph sac development. Alterations in junctional proteins resulting in an increase in vascular permeability upon Prox1 overexpression may contribute to the complications found during embryonic development.ConclusionWe present a novel mouse model that addresses the importance of Prox1 in early embryonic lymphangiogenesis. It is clear that there needs to be a measured pattern of expression of Prox1 during embryonic development. Furthermore, Prox1 reprograms vascular endothelial cells in vivo by creating a molecular signature to that of a lymphatic endothelial cell.

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