Polymorphisms in the human apolipoprotein E receptor 2 gene in Japanese sporadic Alzheimer's disease patients.

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) polymorphism is associated with onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We found seven polymorphisms in apoE receptor 2 (ApoER2), an apoE-binding receptor, in Japanese sporadic AD patients, but no association of ApoER2 polymorphisms with AD. We consider that the functions of ApoER2 in the brain may be compensated for by those of other apoE-binding receptors such as VLDL receptor.

The low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 10 is a negative regulator of the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.

Wnt signaling pathways play fundamental roles in the differentiation, proliferation and functions of many cells as well as developmental, growth, and homeostatic processes in animals. Low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)-related protein (LRP) 5 and LRP6 serve as coreceptors of Wnt proteins together with Frizzled receptors, triggering activation of canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. Here, we found that LRP10, a new member of the LDLR gene family, inhibits the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. The beta-catenin/T cell factor (TCF) transcriptional activity in HEK293 cells was activated by transfection with Wnt3a or LRP6, which was then inhibited by co-transfection with LRP10. Deletion of the extracellular domain of LRP10 negated its inhibitory effect. The inhibitory effect of LRP10 was consistently conserved in HEK293 cells even when GSK3beta phosphorylation was inhibited by incubation with lithium chloride and co-transfection with constitutively active S33Y-mutated beta-catenin. Nuclear beta-catenin accumulation was unaffected by LRP10. The present studies suggest that LRP10 may interfere with the formation of the beta-catenin/TCF complex and/or its binding to target DNA in the nucleus, and that the extracellular domain of LRP10 is critical for inhibition of the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.

Use of dietary supplements among preschool children in Japan.

This study was conducted to examine the characteristics and use of dietary supplements by preschool children in Japan. A survey was conducted among 2,125 parents of preschool children to discover the status of dietary supplement use and their attitudes towards supplement use by their children. Logistic regression models were used to determine which characteristics predict supplement use in this population. For detailed characterization, child supplement users were also categorized as either the users of vitamins and minerals only or the users of other supplement components. For parents of non-user children, the parent's knowledge and attitudes toward supplements for children were investigated. Fifteen percent of children had used dietary supplements. Two parent-related factors were especially important, the frequency with which they referred to nutritional labels and their own supplement use, which had a significant encouraging effect on their children's supplement use. The parents of child supplement users showed limited awareness of the government system concerning diet and food, placed safety over efficacy, selected products with natural ingredients, and did not seek consultations with professionals. These parents, especially those who were aware of the specially designed supplements for children, exhibited positive responses to supplement use by their children. It is likely that parents' knowledge and attitudes toward dietary supplements and nutrition have a striking effect on their children's use of supplements. Unfortunately, their knowledge at present was less than satisfactory. More accurate information on nutrition, dietary intake and dietary supplements must be disseminated.

Selective protection of curcumin against carbon tetrachloride-induced inactivation of hepatic cytochrome P450 isozymes in rats.

We investigated the effects of curcumin, a major antioxidant constituent of turmeric, on hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity in rats. Wistar rats received curcumin-containing diets (0.05, 0.5 and 5 g/kg diet) with or without injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)). The hepatic CYP content and activities of six CYP isozymes remained unchanged by curcumin treatment, except for the group treated with the extremely high dose (5 g/kg). This suggested that daily dose of curcumin does not cause CYP-mediated interaction with co-administered drugs. Chronic CCl(4) injection drastically decreased CYP activity, especially CYP2E1 activity, which is involved in the bioactivation of CCl(4), thereby producing reactive free radicals. Treatment with curcumin at 0.5 g/kg alleviated the CCl(4)-induced inactivation of CYPs 1A, 2B, 2C and 3A isozymes, except for CYP2E1. The lack of effect of curcumin on CYP2E1 damage might be related to suicidal radical production by CYP2E1 on the same enzyme. It is speculated that curcumin inhibited CCl(4)-induced secondary hepatic CYPs damage through its antioxidant properties. Our results demonstrated that CYP isozyme inactivation in rat liver caused by CCl(4) was inhibited by curcumin. Dietary intake of curcumin may protect against CCl(4)-induced hepatic CYP inactivation via its antioxidant properties, without inducing hepatic CYPs.

Assessing matrix assisted laser desorption/ ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry as a means of rapid embryo protein identification in rice.

Rice embryo proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). A total of 105 spots were digested with trypsin and the resultant peptides were analyzed by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Raw mass spectra were fully-automatically processed and searched with selected monoisotopic masses against SWISS-PROT/TrEMBL and NCBInr databases. High quality mass spectra were obtained from 53 spots, of which 36 spots were identified including 29 not registered in databases. Fifty percent of the rice embryo proteins resolved in 2-DE could not be identified, indicating more efficient sample preparation techniques need to be developed in the future. At least four to five matching peptides were found to be essential for unambiguous identification of rice embryo proteins; peptide matching of less than four lead to ambiguous results. The suitability of peptide mass fingerprinting method as a means of rapid embryo protein identification in rice was discussed.