Latest Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare PubMed Articles
Association between -251A>T polymorphism in the interleukin-8 gene and oral cancer risk: A meta-analysis.
Emerging evidence showed that the most common functional polymorphism (-251A>T, rs4073) in the promoter region of the interleukin-8 (IL-8) gene is involved in the regulation of the activities of interleukin-8, thus increasing an individual's susceptibility to oral cancer; but individually published results are inconclusive. The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the associations between...
Following the 'tracks': Tramtrack69 regulates epithelial tube expansion in the Drosophila ovary through Paxillin, Dynamin, and the homeobox protein Mirror.
Epithelial tubes are the infrastructure for organs and tissues, and tube morphogenesis requires precise orchestration of cell signaling, shape, migration, and adhesion. Follicle cells in the Drosophila ovary form a pair of epithelial tubes whose lumens act as molds for the eggshell respiratory filaments, or dorsal appendages (DAs). DA formation is a robust and accessible model for studying the pat...
Transcriptional regulation of the peripheral nervous system in Ciona intestinalis.
The formation of the sensory organs and cells that make up the peripheral nervous system (PNS) relies on the activity of transcription factors encoded by proneural genes (PNGs). Although PNGs have been identified in the nervous systems of both vertebrates and invertebrates, the complexity of their interactions has complicated efforts to understand their function in the context of their underlying...
Modelling nitrogen retention in floodplains with different degrees of degradation for three large rivers in Germany.
Floodplains perform a variety of ecosystem functions and services - more than many other ecosystems. One of these ecosystem services is the reduction in nitrogen (N) loads and a subsequent improvement to the water quality. Since diffuse and also point nitrogen sources continue to cause a variety of problems in rivers and floodplains, inundated floodplains could act as net sinks for N and are there...
PFKFB3 activation in cancer cells by the p38/MK2 pathway in response to stress stimuli.
PFK-2/FBPase-2 (6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase) catalyses the synthesis and degradation of Fru-2,6-P2 (fructose 2,6-bisphosphate), a key modulator of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. The PFKFB3 gene is involved in cell proliferation owing to its role in carbohydrate metabolism. In the present study we analysed the mechanism of regulation of PFKFB3 as an immediate early gene co...
Conformational investigation of antibiotic proximicin by X-ray structure analysis and quantum studies suggest a stretched conformation of this type of γ-peptide.
The proximicins A-C are naturally occurring cytotoxic γ-peptides that contain the unique 4-amino-furan-carboxylic acid. In contrast to the structurally related cytotoxic natural DNA binder netropsin and distamycin, both exhibiting as core building block N-methyl-4-amino-pyrrol-carboxylic acid, no DNA binding was observed for the procimicins. X-ray analysis of crystals of a protected 4-amino-furan...
Conformational stability of triazolyl functionalized collagen triple helices.
Functionalized collagen is attractive for the development of synthetic biomaterials. Herein we present the functionalization of azidoproline containing collagen model peptides with various alkynes using click chemistry. The influence on the stability of the collagen triple helix of the stereochemistry of the introduced triazolyl prolines (4R or 4S), the position of their incorporation (Xaa or Yaa)...
Bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells vs. mesenchymal stromal cells in experimental allergic asthma.
We compared the effects of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMMCs) and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) on airway inflammation and remodeling and lung mechanics in experimental allergic asthma. C57BL/6 mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA group). A control group received saline using the same protocol. Twenty-four hours after the last challenge, groups were further randomi...
Evaluation of reference genes for qRT-PCR gene expression studies in whole blood samples from healthy and leukemia-virus infected cattle.
Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is the method of choice to investigate the alterations in gene expression involved with BLV pathogenesis. However, the reliability of qRT-PCR data critically depends on proper normalization to a set of stably expressed reference genes. The aim of the study was to validate the expression stability of ten candidate reference genes in RNA iso...
Two Mx genes identified in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) respond differently to VNNV infection.
Mx proteins are key components of the antiviral state triggered by interferon type I in response to viral infections. In this study, two different Mx genes have been identified in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), and their sequences were cloned and characterized. MxA cDNA consists of 1881 bp coding for a putative 626 aminoacids protein, while MxB cDNA has 1920 bp and results in a protein...
Ex vivo expansion of canine cytotoxic large granular lymphocytes exhibiting characteristics of natural killer cells.
Canine NK cells still are not well-characterized due to the lack of information concerning specific NK cell markers and the fact that NK cells are not an abundant cell population. In this study, we selectively expanded the canine cytotoxic large granular lymphocytes (CLGLs) that exhibit morphologic, genetic, and functional characteristics of NK cells from normal donor PBMCs. The cultured CLGLs wer...
Practice patterns and outcomes in retransplantation among pediatric kidney transplant recipients.
More than 25% of pediatric kidney transplants are lost within 7 years, necessitating dialysis or retransplantation. Retransplantation practices and the outcomes of repeat transplantations, particularly among those with early graft loss, are not clear.
The Role of Hepcidin-25 in Kidney Transplantation.
BACKGROUND: Hepcidin-25 is a peptide hormone involved in iron absorption and homeostasis and found at increased serum levels in conditions involving systemic inflammation, renal dysfunction, and increased adiposity. Hepcidin may play a role in the pathogenesis of anemia, but its role in kidney transplantation is undefined. METHODS: This study enrolled 100 stable patients beyond 12 months after tra...
JACOB: An enterprise framework for computational chemistry.
Here, we present just a collection of beans (JACOB): an integrated batch-based framework designed for the rapid development of computational chemistry applications. The framework expedites developer productivity by handling the generic infrastructure tier, and can be easily extended by user-specific scientific code. Paradigms from enterprise software engineering were rigorously applied to create a...
An analysis of splicing, actin-binding properties, heterodimerization and molecular interactions of the non-muscle α-actinins.
The non-muscle α-actinin isoforms (actinin-1 and -4) are closely related dimeric actin filament cross-linking proteins. Despite high sequence similarity, unique properties have been ascribed to actinin-4 in particular. For example, actinin-4, but not actinin-1, is essential for normal glomerular function in the kidney, is overexpressed in several cancers and can translocate to the nucleus to reg...
Nonenzymatic assembly of branched polyubiquitin chains for structural and biochemical studies.
Polymeric chains of a small protein ubiquitin are involved in regulation of nearly all vital processes in eukaryotic cells. Elucidating the signaling properties of polyubiquitin requires the ability to make these chains in vitro. In recent years, chemical and chemical-biology tools have been developed that produce fully natural isopeptide-linked polyUb chains with no need for linkage-specific ubiq...
The role of ghrelin in energy balance regulation in fish.
Knowledge about the endocrine regulation of energy balance in fish is of interest for basic as well as aquaculture research. Ghrelin is a peptide hormone that was first identified in fish 10years ago and has important roles in the control of food intake and metabolism. Both ghrelin and its receptor, the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R), have been found in numerous fish species. Their t...
Updating beliefs and combining evidence in adaptive forest management under climate change: a case study of Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) in the Black Forest, Germany.
We study climate uncertainty and how managers' beliefs about climate change develop and influence their decisions. We develop an approach for updating knowledge and beliefs based on the observation of forest and climate variables and illustrate its application for the adaptive management of an even-aged Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) forest in the Black Forest, Germany. We simulated forest d...
Alcohol hangover: Type and time-extension of motor function impairments.
Alcohol hangover is defined as the unpleasant next-day state following an evening of excessive alcohol consumption. Hangover begins when ethanol is absent in plasma and is characterized by physical and psychological symptoms. During hangover cognitive functions and subjective capacities are affected along with inefficiency, reduced productivity, absenteeism, driving impairments, poor academic achi...
Effect of voluntary physical exercise and post-training epinephrine on acquisition of a spatial task in the barnes maze.
A number of experiments have shown that physical exercise improves acquisition and retention for a variety of learning tasks in rodents. Most of these works have been conducted with tasks associated with a considerable level of stress, physical effort and/or food deprivation that might interact with exercise, thus hindering the interpretation of the results. On the other hand, it is well establish...
Dichotomy in the anxiolytic versus antidepressant effect of C-terminal truncation of the GluN2A subunit of NMDA receptors.
The glutamate system is thought to play an important role in modulating mood and anxiety. Ionotropic NMDA receptors critically influence neuronal circuits regulating emotional behaviour. Their pharmacological blockade triggers fast antidepressant and anxiolytic effects. In line with this concept, ablation of the GluN2A subunit of NMDA receptors induces antidepressant and anxiolytic effects. Howeve...
Effect of subtype-selective adenosine receptor antagonists on basal or haloperidol-regulated striatal function: Studies of exploratory locomotion and c-Fos immunoreactivity in outbred and A2AR KO mice.
Behavioral activation is regulated by dopamine (DA) in striatal areas. At low doses, while typical antipsychotic drugs produce psychomotor slowing, psychostimulants promote exploration. Minor stimulants such as caffeine, which act as adenosine receptor antagonists, can also potentiate behavioral activation. Striatal areas are rich in adenosine and DA receptors, and adenosine A2A receptors are main...
p,p'-Methoxyl-diphenyl diselenide protects against amyloid-β induced cytotoxicity in vitro and improves memory deficits in vivo.
Behavioral evidence suggests that the organoselenium compound p,p'-methoxyl-diphenyl diselenide [(MeOPhSe)2] ameliorates memory and learning performance in rodents. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism of (MeOPhSe)2 neuroprotection in cortical neurons exposed to amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide as well as in Aβ-infused mice. For this purpose, primary cultures of rat cortical neurons were pre-inc...
Canine keratinocytes upregulate type I interferons and proinflammatory cytokines in response to poly(dA:dT) but not to canine papillomavirus.
Papillomaviruses (PV) are double stranded (ds) DNA viruses that infect epithelial cells within the skin or mucosa, most often causing benign neoplasms that spontaneously regress. The immune system plays a key role in the defense against PVs. Since these viruses infect keratinocytes, we wanted to investigate the role of the keratinocyte in initiating an immune response to canine papillomavirus-2 (C...
Pulmonary instillation of low doses of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in mice leads to particle retention and gene expression changes in the absence of inflammation.
We investigated gene expression, protein synthesis, and particle retention in mouse lungs following intratracheal instillation of varying doses of nano-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2). Female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to rutile nano-TiO2 via single intratracheal instillations of 18, 54, and 162μg/mouse. Mice were sampled 1, 3, and 28days post-exposure. The deposition of nano-TiO2 in the lungs...
