Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are able to both self-replicate and differentiate into a variety of cell types. Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) stimulates the growth of hMSCs in vitro, but its mechanisms have not been clarified yet. In this study, we investigated whether cellular senescence was involved in the stimulation of hMSCs growth by FGF-2 and the expression levels of transforming growth factor-beta1 and -beta2 (TGF-betas). Because hMSCs were induced cellular senescence due to long-term culture, FGF-2 decreased the percentage of senescent cells and suppressed G1 cell growth arrest through the suppression of p21(Cip1), p53, and p16(INK4a) mRNA expression levels. Furthermore, the levels of TGF-betas mRNA expression in hMSCs were increased by long-term culture, but FGF-2 suppressed the increase of TGF-beta2 mRNA expression due to long-term culture. These results suggest that FGF-2 suppresses the hMSCs cellular senescence dependent on the length of culture through down-regulation of TGF-beta2 expression.

Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is known to be involved in maintaining glucose homeostasis, and AVP-resistance is observed in poorly controlled non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus subjects, resulting in a lowered plasma volume. Recently we reported that V1a vasopressin receptor-deficient (V1aR ؊/؊ ) mice exhibited a decreased circulating blood volume and hypermetabolism of fat accompanied with impaired insulin-signaling. Here we further investigated the roles of the AVP/V1a receptor in regulating glucose homeostasis and plasma volume using V1aR؊/؊ mice. The plasma glucose levels at the baseline or during a glucose tolerance test were higher in V1aR ؊/؊ than wild-type (WT) mice. Moreover, a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp revealed that the glucose infusion rate was significantly lower in V1aR ؊/؊ mice than in WT mice and that hepatic glucose production was higher in V1aR ؊/؊ mice than WT mice. In contrast to the increased hepatic glucose production, the liver glycogen content was decreased in the mutant mice. These results indicated that the mutant mice had impaired glucose tolerance. Furthermore, feeding V1aR ؊/؊ mice a high-fat diet accompanied by increased calorie intake resulted in significantly overt obesity in comparison with WT mice. In addition, we found that the circulating plasma volume and aldosterone level were decreased in V1aR ؊/؊ mice, although the plasma AVP level was increased. These results suggested that the effect of AVP on water recruitment was disturbed in V1aR ؊/؊ mice. Thus, we demonstrated that one of the AVP-resistance conditions resulting from deficiency of the V1a receptor leads to decreased plasma volume as well as impaired glucose homeostasis, which can progress to obesity under conditions of increased calorie intake. (Endocrinology 148: 2075-2084, 2007)A RGININE-VASOPRESSIN (AVP) is a neuropeptide hormone that is involved in diverse functions, including the regulation of osmotic homeostasis, vasoconstriction, and ACTH release. These physiological effects are mediated by three types of AVP receptors, designated as V1a, V1b, and V2 (1-3). The V1a receptor is widely expressed, whereas the V1b and V2 receptors are predominantly expressed in the anterior pituitary and the kidney, respectively (1-4). The functional role of the V1a receptor is considered to mediate vascular contraction (5), cellular proliferation (6), platelet aggregation (7), and glycogenolysis (1, 8). The V1b receptor stimulates ACTH and insulin release (9, 10). Both V1a and V1b receptors bind to the Gq protein and act through phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis to mobilize intercellular Ca 2ϩ (11,12). The V2 receptor is coupled with the Gs protein and stimulates adenylate cyclase to increase cellular cAMP, which results in the induction of an antidiuretic effect in the kidney (13).There have been several reports indicating the involvement of AVP in regulating the plasma glucose homeostasis. The plasma AVP level was increased in patients with insulindependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or non-IDDM (NIDDM) (14, 15), and treati...

An R120G missense mutation in ␣-B-crystallin (CryAB), a small heat-shock protein (HSP), causes a desmin-related cardiomyopathy (DRM) that is characterized by the formation of aggregates containing CryAB and desmin. The mutant CryAB protein leads to the formation of inclusion bodies, which contain amyloid oligomer intermediates (amyloid oligomer) in the cardiomyocytes. To further address the underlying mechanism(s) of amyloid oligomer formation in DRM linked to the CryAB R120G, a recombinant CryAB R120G protein was generated. The purified CryAB R120G protein can form a toxic amyloid oligomer, whereas little immunoreactivity was observed in the wild-type CryAB protein. A native PAGE showed that the oligomerized form was present in the CryAB R120G protein, whereas only a high molecular mass was detected in the wildtype CryAB. The oligomerized CryAB R120G of around 240 -480 kDa showed strong positive immunoreactivity against an anti-oligomer antibody. The CryAB R120G amyloid oligomer was unstable and easily lost its conformation by ␤-mercaptoethanol and SDS. Recombinant HSP25 or HSP22 proteins can directly interrupt oligomer formation by the CryAB R120G protein, whereas the amyloid oligomer is still present in the mixture of the wild-type CryAB and CryAB R120G proteins. This interruption by HSP25 and HSP22 was confirmed in a cardiomyocyte-based study using an adenoviral transfection system. Blockade of amyloid oligomer formation by HSP25 and HSP22 recovered the ubiquitin proteosomal activity and cellular viability. Blockade of oligomer formation by small HSP may be a new therapeutic strategy for treating DRM as well as other types of amyloid-based degenerative diseases.Many systemic and neurodegenerative disorders whose etiologies are linked to misfolded or unfolded proteins are characterized by the accumulation of intracellular or extracellular protein deposits or aggregates (1). The pathologies of these diseases are complex, and the accumulation of misfolded and unfolded proteins in the cells can contribute to or be causal for at least some of these neurodegenerative and systemic diseases (2). However, the direct relationship between the protein deposition and the disease pathology is still controversial. Recent reports suggest that amyloid ␤ (A␤) 2 and other amyloidogenic proteins exert their cellular toxicity as soluble amyloid oligomeric intermediates (amyloid oligomer) but not as insoluble aggregates or fibrils (3-6). These soluble amyloid oligomer proteins generally appear to have ␤-sheet structures, whose formation is correlated with the appearance of a hydrophobic environment (6, 7). Several reports indicate that the soluble amyloid oligomer may be more important in pathogenesis than the insoluble fibrillar amyloid deposits (8 -11). An antibody that specifically recognizes the structure of the amyloid oligomer reacts with oligomers generated from all types of amyloidogenic proteins and peptides, such as A␤-(1-42), ␣-synuclein, polyglutamine, and prions (6). This result implies that the amyloid oligomer has ...

[Arg8]Vasopressin (AVP) has an antilipolytic action on adipocytes, but little is known about the mechanisms involved. Here, we examined the involvement of the V1a receptor in the antilipolytic effect of AVP using V1a receptor-deficient (V1aR-/-) mice. The levels of blood glycerol were increased in V1aR-/- mice. The levels of ketone bodies, such as acetoacetic acid and 3-hydroxybutyric acid, the products of the lipid metabolism, were increased in V1aR-/- mice under a fasting condition. Triacylglyceride and free fatty acid levels in blood were decreased in V1aR-/- mice. Furthermore, measurements with tandem mass spectrometry determined that carnitine and acylcarnitines in serum, the products of beta-oxidation, were increased in V1aR-/- mice. Most acylcarnitines were increased in V1aR-/- mice, especially in the case of 2-carbon (C2), C10:1, C10, C14:1, C16, C18:1, and hydroxy-18:1-carbon (OH-C18:1)-acylcarnitines under feeding rather than under fasting conditions. The analysis of tissue C2-acylcarnitine level showed that beta-oxidation was promoted in muscle under the feeding condition and in liver under the fasting condition. An in vitro assay using brown adipocytes showed that the cells of V1aR-/- mice were more sensitive to isoproterenol for lipolysis. These results suggest that the lipid metabolism is enhanced in V1aR-/- mice. The cAMP level was enhanced in V1aR-/- mice in response to isoproterenol. The phosphorylation of Akt by insulin stimulation was reduced in V1aR-/- mice. These results suggest that insulin signaling is suppressed in V1aR-/- mice. In addition, the total bile acid, taurine, and cholesterol levels in blood were increased, and an enlargement of the cholecyst was observed in V1aR-/- mice. These results indicated that the production of bile acid was enhanced by the increased level of cholesterol and taurine. Therefore, these results indicated that AVP could modulate the lipid metabolism by the antilipolytic action and the synthesis of bile acid via the V1a receptor.