Lipids and their constituent fatty acids are, along with proteins, the major organic constituents of fish, and they play major roles as sources of metabolic energy for growth including reproduction and movement, including migration. Furthermore, the fatty acids of fish lipids are rich in ω3 long chain, highly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 HUFA) that have particularly important roles in animal nutrition, including fish and human nutrition, reflecting their roles in critical physiological processes. Indeed, fish are the most important food source of these vital nutrients for man. Thus, the longstanding interest in fish lipids stems from their abundance and their uniqueness. This review attempts to summarize our present state of knowledge of various aspects of the basic biochemistry, metabolism, and functions of fatty acids, and the lipids they constitute part of, in fish, seeking where possible to relate that understanding as much to fish in their natural environment as to farmed fish. In doing so, it highli...

/pdf/metabolism-and-functions-of-lipids-and-fatty-acids-in-566zpmr4m0.pdf

Metabolism and Functions of Lipids and Fatty Acids in Teleost Fish

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common condition with a high risk of death. The standard metrics used to define and monitor the progression of AKI, such as serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels, are insensitive, nonspecific, and change significantly only after significant kidney injury and then with a substantial time delay. This delay in diagnosis not only prevents timely patient management decisions, including administration of putative therapeutic agents, but also significantly affects the preclinical evaluation of toxicity thereby allowing potentially nephrotoxic drug candidates to pass the preclinical safety criteria only to be found to be clinically nephrotoxic with great human costs. Studies to establish effective therapies for AKI will be greatly facilitated by two factors: (a) development of sensitive, specific, and reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis/prognosis of AKI in preclinical and clinical studies, and (b) development and validation of high-throughput innovative technologies that allow rapid multiplexed detection of multiple markers at the bedside.

/pdf/biomarkers-of-acute-kidney-injury-4kn5zsqnfc.pdf

Biomarkers of Acute Kidney Injury

Opposing Effects of Retinoic Acid on Cell Growth Result from Alternate Activation of Two Different Nuclear Receptors

Cellular fatty acid-binding proteins: Their function and physiological significance

We review firstly the specificities of the different types of dentin present in mammalian teeth. The outer layers include the mantle dentin, the Tomes' granular and the hyaline Hopewell-Smith's layers. Circumpulpal dentin forming the bulk of the tooth, comprises intertubular and peritubular dentin. In addition to physiological primary and secondary dentin formation, reactionary dentin is produced in response to pathological events. Secondly, we evaluate the role of odontoblasts in dentin formation, their implication in the synthesis and secretion of type I collagen fibrils and non-collagenous molecules. Thirdly, we study the composition and functions of dentin extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules implicated in dentinogenesis. As structural proteins they are mineralization promoters or inhibitors. They are also signaling molecules. Three different forms of dentinogenesis are identified: i) matrix vesicles are implicated in early dentin formation, ii) collagen and some proteoglycans are involved in the formation of predentin, further transformed into intertubular dentin, iii) the distal secretion of some non-collagenous ECM molecules and some serum proteins contribute to the formation of peritubular dentin.

/pdf/dentin-structure-composition-and-mineralization-xjyavemgiq.pdf

Dentin: structure, composition and mineralization.

Structural and functional features of different types of cytoplasmic fatty acid-binding proteins

Cytoplasmic Fatty-Acid-Binding Proteins - Their Structure and Genes

The cDNAs of two types of fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) present in human kidney, previously described as types A and B, were isolated using reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) with human kidney mRNA and various sets of primers. The cDNA fragments were cloned and sequenced. Renal FABP type A and B cDNAs appeared to be completely identical to human liver- and heart-type FABP cDNAs respectively. In the second part of this study we demonstrated the presence of liver-type FABP in rat kidney by chromatography, e.l.i.s.a. and immunocytochemistry. The ratio and cellular distribution of the two FABP types varies markedly in human and rat kidney. Using RT-PCR we were also able to prepare and identify liver- and heart-type FABP cDNAs with mRNA from both male and female rat kidney.

Molecular identification of the liver- and the heart-type fatty acid-binding proteins in human and rat kidney. Use of the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction

Two types of fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) were isolated from human kidney by gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. Northern-blot analysis showed the presence of two FABP transcripts in total kidney RNA, hybridizing with cDNA of human liver and muscle FABP respectively. Characterisation based on molecular mass, isoelectric point, fluorescence with dansylaminoundecanoic acid and immunological cross-reactivity showed that one, type B, was fairly similar to human heart FABP. The other, type A, showed, like human liver FABP, a high fluorescence enhancement and a wavelength shift with dansylaminoundecanoic acid as well as the binding of a variety of ligands. Antibodies raised against FABP type A and against liver FABP markedly cross-reacted in e.l.i.s.a., in Western blotting and in indirect immunoperoxidase staining on kidney and liver sections. Differences in amino acid composition and isoelectric points, however, indicate that type A is a new kidney-specific FABP type. The FABP type A is more abundant in kidney than the B type and is predominantly localized in the cortex, especially in the cells of the proximal tubules. The FABP type B is mainly present in the cells of the distal tubules. In conclusion, this study shows the presence of two types of FABP in the kidney. One type seems to be related to heart FABP, while the other type resembles, but is not identical with, liver FABP. Both types have a characteristic cellular distribution along the nephron.

R.G.H.J. Maatman

Papers

Structural and functional features of different types of cytoplasmic fatty acid-binding proteins

Cytoplasmic Fatty-Acid-Binding Proteins - Their Structure and Genes

Molecular identification of the liver- and the heart-type fatty acid-binding proteins in human and rat kidney. Use of the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction

Two types of fatty acid-binding protein in human kidney. Isolation, characterization and localization.

Structural and functional aspects of cytosolic fatty acid-binding proteins