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The lymphatic system plays a key role in tissue fluid homeostasis. Lymphatic dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of many human diseases, including lymphedema and tumor metastasis. However, the mechanisms regulating lymphangiogenesis remain largely unknown. Here, we show that COUP-TFII (also known as Nr2f2), an orphan member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, mediates both developmental and pathological lymphangiogenesis in mice. Conditional ablation of COUP-TFII at an early embryonic stage resulted in failed formation of pre-lymphatic ECs (pre-LECs) and lymphatic vessels. COUP-TFII deficiency at a late developmental stage resulted in loss of LEC identity, gain of blood EC fate, and impaired lymphatic vessel sprouting. siRNA-mediated downregulation of COUP-TFII in cultured primary human LECs demonstrated that the maintenance of lymphatic identity and VEGF-C-induced lymphangiogenic activity, including cell proliferation and migration, are COUP-TFII-dependent and cell-autonomous processes. COUP-TFII enhanced the pro-lymphangiogenic actions of VEGF-C, at least in part by directly stimulating expression of neuropilin-2, a coreceptor for VEGF-C. In addition, COUP-TFII inactivation in a mammary gland mouse tumor model resulted in inhibition of tumor lymphangiogenesis, suggesting that COUP-TFII also regulates neo-lymphangiogenesis in the adult. Thus, COUP-TFII is a critical factor that controls lymphangiogenesis in embryonic development and tumorigenesis in adults., Introduction The lymphatic system is comprised of a network of vessels, mediating tissue fluid homeostasis, immune surveillance, and dietary fat absorption in the intestine. The lymphatic fluid flows unidirectionally and [...]

Author(s): Li-Ru You [1]; Fu-Jung Lin [1, 3]; Christopher T. Lee [1, 3]; Francesco J. DeMayo [1, 2]; Ming-Jer Tsai (corresponding author) [1, 2]; Sophia Y. Tsai (corresponding author) [1, [...]

Oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and its component hydroxy fatty acids were shown to activate peroxisome proliferator-activating receptor [alpha] (PPAR[alpha]) and [gamma] (PPAR[gamma]). To test the hypothesis that lipid oxidation products in oxidized frying oil (OFO) can activate PPAR[alpha] and up-regulate its target genes, a feeding experiment and a transactivation experiment were conducted. Based on a 2 x 2 factorial design, four groups of Sprague-Dawley male weanling rats were fed diets containing either high (20 g/100 g, HO and HF) or low (5 g/100 g, LO and LF) levels of oxidized frying soybean oil (HO and LO) or fresh soybean oil (HF and LF) for 6 wk. The OFO sample was prepared by frying wheat dough sheets in soybean oil at 205 [+ or -] 5 [degrees] C for 24 h. OFO dose dependently and significantly increased (P < 0.05) mRNA of acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO) and cytochrome [P.sub.450] 4A1(CYP4A1) in liver of rats. Dietary OFO also dose dependently increased liver microsomal CYP4A protein (P < 0.05). The activity of hepatic ACO of the HO group was sixfold that of the HF group (P < 0.05). Plasma total lipids, liver triglycerides, cholesterol and total lipids were reduced in rats fed the LO and HO diets (P < 0.05). Through the ligand binding domain of PPAR[alpha], the hydrolyzed OFO enhanced the expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) reporter gene to a significantly greater extent (P < 0.05) than the hydrolyzed fresh soybean oil in a transactivation assay using a clone of CHO K1 cells stably expressing Gal4-PPAR[alpha] chimeric receptor and UA[S.sub.4]-ALP reporter. The results support our hypothesis that dietary OFO, by activating PPAR[alpha], up-regulates the expression of PPAR[alpha] downstream genes and alters lipid metabolism in rats. KEY WORDS: * oxidized frying oil * PPAR[alpha] * acyl-CoA oxidase * CYP4A1 * rats

We previously demonstrated that oxidized frying oil (OFO) activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and up-regulates hepatic acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO) and cytochrome P450 4A1 (CYP4A1) genes in male rats. As female rats were shown to be less responsive to some peroxisome proliferators (PP), this study compared the expression of a few PPARα target genes in male and female rats fed diets containing OFO. Male and female rats were fed a diet containing 20 g/100 g OFO (O diet) or fresh soybean oil (F diet) for 6 wk. Both male and female rats fed the O diet showed significantly higher liver weight, hepatic ACO and catalase activities, CYP4A protein, and expression of ACO and CYP4A1 mRNA ( P<0.05) compared with their control groups. The mRNA expression of two other PPARα target genes, FA-binding protein and HMG-CoA synthase, were marginally increased by dietary OFO ( P=0.0669 and 0,0521, respectively). Female rats fed the O diet had significantly lower CYP4A protein than male rats fed the same diet. The remaining OFO-induced effects were not significantly different between male and female rats fed the O diet. These results indicate that dietary OFO, unlike clofibrate or other PP, had minimal sexual dimorphic effect on the induction of hepatic PPARα target gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lymphatic system plays a key role in tissue fluid homeostasis. Lymphatic dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of many human diseases, including lymphedema and tumor metastasis. However, the mechanisms regulating lymphangiogenesis remain largely unknown. Here, we show that COUP-TFII (also known as Nr2f2), an orphan member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, mediates both developmental and pathological lymphangiogenesis in mice. Conditional ablation of COUP-TFII at an early embryonic stage resulted in failed formation of pre-lymphatic ECs (pre-LECs) and lymphatic vessels. COUP-TFII deficiency at a late developmental stage resulted in loss of LEC identity, gain of blood EC fate, and impaired lymphatic vessel sprouting. siRNA-mediated downregulation of COUP-TFII in cultured primary human LECs demonstrated that the maintenance of lymphatic identity and VEGF-C-induced lymphangiogenic activity, including cell proliferation and migration, are COUP-TFII-dependent and cell-autonomous processes. COUP-TFII enhanced the pro-lymphangiogenic actions of VEGF-C, at least in part by directly stimulating expression of neuropilin-2, a coreceptor for VEGF-C. In addition, COUP-TFII inactivation in a mammary gland mouse tumor model resulted in inhibition of tumor lymphangiogenesis, suggesting that COUP-TFII also regulates neo-lymphangiogenesis in the adult. Thus, COUP-TFII is a critical factor that controls lymphangiogenesis in embryonic development and tumorigenesis in adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2,5,7,8-Tetramethyl-2-(2'-carboxyethyl)-6-hydroxychroman (alpha-CEHC), the water-soluble metabolite of alpha-tocopherol (alpha-TOH) with a shortened side chain but an intact hydroxychroman structure, has been identified in human urine and are thought to be produced in significant amount at excess intake of alpha-TOH. In previous studies, CEHCs in biological specimens were measured by HPLC, GC-MS or LC-MS, preceded by a hydrolysis procedure using either enzyme or methanolic HCl. In an attempt to analyze alpha-CEHC in rat urine accordingly, we observed that enzyme hydrolysis was relatively inefficient in releasing alpha-CEHC compared to high concentrations of HCl. The HCl releasable alpha-CEHC conjugate was isolated and chemically identified as 6-O-sulfated alpha-CEHC (alpha-CEHC sulfate). Using the synthetic alpha-CEHC sulfate standard, it was found that sulfatase could not hydrolyze to a significant extent. On the other hand, pretreatment with HCl at 60 degrees C in the presence of ascorbate, followed by a one-step ether extraction, not only hydrolyzed the sulfate conjugate completely but also extracted alpha-CEHC with high recovery. The inclusion of ascorbate minimized the conversion of alpha-CEHC to alpha-tocopheronolactone in the HCl pretreatment. A complete procedure for the quantitative analysis of alpha-CEHC including HCl hydrolysis, ether extraction and reverse phase isocratic HPLC-ECD was thus established. In conclusion, alpha-CEHC sulfate was isolated and identified as the HCl-releasable conjugate of alpha-CEHC in rat urine. A rapid and sensitive method with high reproducibility for the determination of free, conjugated and total alpha-CEHC is then established.