Browsing by Author "Rajesh Kumar Jha"

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Integrin beta8 (ITGB8) activates VAV-RAC1 signaling via FAK in the acquisition of endometrial epithelial cell receptivity for blastocyst implantation
(Nature Publishing Group, 2017) Vijay Kumar; Upendra Kumar Soni; Vineet Kumar Maurya; Kiran Singh; Rajesh Kumar Jha
Integrin beta8 (ITGB8) is involved in the endometrial receptivity. The blastocyst first interacts with the luminal endometrial epithelial cells during its implantation; therefore, we have investigated the signaling of ITGB8 via FAK and VAV-RAC1 in the endometrial epithelial cells. Integrin beta8 was found elevated in epithelial cells at late-pre-receptive (day4, 1600 h) and receptive (day5, 0500 h) stages of endometrial receptivity period in the mouse. Integrins downstream molecule FAK has demonstrated an increased expression and phosphorylation (Y397) in the endometrium as well as in the isolated endometrial epithelial cells during receptive and post-receptive stages. Integrin beta8 can functionally interact with FAK, VAV and RAC1 as the levels of phosphorylated-FAK, and VAV along with the RAC-GTP form was reduced after ITGB8 knockdown in the endometrial epithelial cells and uterus. Further, VAV and RAC1 were seen poorly active in the absence of FAK activity, suggesting a crosstalk of ITGB8 and FAK for VAV and RAC1 activation in the endometrial epithelial cells. Silencing of ITGB8 expression and inhibition of FAK activity in the Ishikawa cells rendered poor attachment of JAr spheroids. In conclusion, ITGB8 activates VAV-RAC1 signaling axis via FAK to facilitate the endometrial epithelial cell receptivity for the attachment of blastocyst. © 2017 The Author(s).
Is MTHFR 677 C>T polymorphism clinically important in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)? A case-control study, meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis
(Public Library of Science, 2016) S. Justin Carlus; Saumya Sarkar; Sandeep Kumar Bansal; Vertika Singh; Kiran Singh; Rajesh Kumar Jha; Nirmala Sadasivam; Sri Revathy Sadasivam; P.S. Gireesha; Kumarasamy Thangaraj; Singh Rajender
Background: Optimum efficiency of the folate pathway is considered essential for adequate ovarian function. 677 C>T substitution in the 5, 10-methylene tertrahydrofolatereductase (MTHFR) gene compromises activity of the MTHFR enzyme by about 50%. The significance of correlation between 677C>T substitution and PCOS remains dubious due to the low power of published studies. Methods and Results: We analyzed MTHFR 677 C>T site in ethnically two different PCOS case-control groups (total 261 cases and 256 controls) from India. The data analysis revealed a lack of association between this polymorphism and PCOS [OR = 1.11 (95%CI = 0.71-1.72), P = 0.66]. Group-wise analysis on the basis of ethnicity also revealed no association in any of the ethnic groups [Indo-Europeans, P = 1; Dravidians, P = 0.70]. Homocysteine levels did not differ significantly between cases (15.51 μmol/L, SD = 2.89) and controls (15.89 μmol/L, SD = 2.23). We also undertook a meta-analysis on 960 cases and 1028 controls, which suggested a significant association of the substitution with PCOS in the dominant model of analysis (OR = 1.47 (95%CI = 1.04-2.09), P = 0.032]. Trial sequential analysis corroborated findings of the traditional meta-analysis. However, we found that the conclusions of meta-analysis were strongly influenced by studies that deviated from the Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. A careful investigation of each study and a trial sequential analysis suggested that 677 C>T substitution holds no clinical significance in PCOS in most of the populations. Conclusion: In conclusion, MTHFR 677 C>T polymorphism does not affect PCOS risk in India. The association seen in the meta-analysis is due to an outlier study and studies showing deviation from the Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. © 2016 Carlus et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.