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Sleep apnea syndrome is characterized by recurrent episodes of oxygen desaturation and reoxygenation (intermittent hypoxia [IH]) and is a risk factor for insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes. However, the mechanisms linking IH stress and insulin resistance remain elusive. We exposed human hepatocytes (JHH5, JHH7, and HepG2) to experimental IH or normoxia for 24 h, measured mRNA levels by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and found that IH significantly increased the mRNA levels of selenoprotein P (SELENOP) — a hepatokine — and hepatocarcinoma-intestine-pancreas/pancreatitis-associated protein (HIP/PAP) — one of REG (Regenerating gene) family. We next investigated promoter activities of both genes and discovered that they were not increased by IH. On the other hand, a target mRNA search of micro RNA (miRNA) revealed that both mRNAs have a potential target sequence for miR-203. The miR-203 level of IH-treated cells was significantly lower than that of normoxia-treated cells. Thus, we introduced miR-203 inhibitor and a non-specific control RNA (miR-203 inhibitor NC) into HepG2 cells and measured the mRNA levels of SELENOP and HIP/PAP. The IH-induced expression of SELENOP and HIP/PAP was abolished by the introduction of miR-203 inhibitor but not by miR-203 inhibitor NC. These results demonstrate that IH stress up-regulates the levels of SELENOP in human hepatocytes to accelerate insulin resistance and up-regulates the levels of HIP/PAP mRNAs to proliferate such hepatocytes, via the miR-203 mediated mechanism.

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A novel boronic acid fluorophore 1/beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CyD) complex sensor for sugar recognition in water has been designed. The probe 1 bearing pyrene moiety as a fluorescent signal transducer exhibits no fluorescence emission, due to its aggregation in water containing 2% DMSO; however, the addition of beta-CyD to this solution largely changes UV-vis and fluorescence spectra of 1 by forming an inclusion complex with beta-CyD, and an efficient fluorescence emission response of 1/beta-CyD complex upon sugar binding is found to be obtained at pH 7.5. The pH-fluorescence profile of the 1/beta-CyD complex reveals that the boronate ester formation with fructose induces the apparent pKa shift from 7.95+/-0.03 in the absence of fructose to 6.06+/-0.03 in the presence of 30 mM fructose, resulting in the fluorescence emission response under the neutral condition. The spectral properties of 1 in 95% methanol:5% water (v/v), as well as the fluorescence quenching study of 1-methylpyrene with 4-methoxycarbonylphenyl-boronic acid 2, demonstrate that the response mechanism is based on the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from the pyrene donor to the acid form of phenylboronic acid acceptor in 1, and thus, the proton dissociation of phenylboronic acid induced by sugar binding inhibits the PET system while increasing the fluorescence intensity of the pyrene moiety. To evaluate the binding ability and selectivity of the 1/beta-CyD complex for monosaccharides in water, the response equilibria have been derived. The 1:1 binding constants of the 1/beta-CyD complex obtained from the equilibrium analysis are in the order: D-fructose (2515+/-134 M(-1)) >> L-arabinose (269 +/- 28 M(-1)) > D-galactose (197+/-28 M(-1)) > D-glucose (79+/-33 M(-1)), which is consistent with the binding selectivity of phenylboronic acid.