Small and overlooked: Phylogeny of the genus Trigonodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae), with the first record of Trigonodactylus arabicus from Jordan

Geckos of the genus Trigonodactylus are widely distributed in the sand deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. Three species of this genus are currently recognized, with a fourth one, Stenodactylus pulcher, which placement within Trigonodactylus has been tentatively suggested, but not yet confirmed. We present a phylogenetic analysis of the genus Trigonodactylus with new specimens collected in central Saudi Arabia and southern Jordan. New genetic data has been generated from three mitochondrial markers to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of all species of the genus and to assess the putative generic assignment of S. pulcher. Our results confirm that S. pulcher indeed belongs within Trigonodactylus, branching as a sister lineage to all other species of the genus. The new samples cluster within Trigonodactylus arabicus, thus confirming the genetic homogeneity of the species across its large and seemingly inhospitable range. The new specimen collected in southern Jordan represents the first record for the country and a considerable range extension to the northwest from all previously reported localities. Our findings and discovery of a new species for Jordan highlight the need of more field surveys to be carried out in the underexplored parts of Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia, as these places still hold a potential for new discoveries and are crucial for understating the biogeography of the Arabian herpetofauna.     

Ribosome induces transdifferentiation of A549 and H-111-TC cancer cell lines

Previously we reported that, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can induce human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells to form multipotent cell clusters which are able to transdifferentiate into three germ layer derived cell lineages. Later on, we confirmed that ribosome is responsible for the LAB-induced transdifferentiation and ribosomes from diverse organisms can mimic the LAB effect on HDF cells. In our present study we have shown that, upon incorporation of ribosomes, non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549 and gastric tubular adenocarcinoma cell line H-111-TC are transformed into spheroid like morphology those can be transdifferentiated into adipocytes and osteoblast. Our qPCR analysis has revealed that, during the formation of ribosome induced cancer cell spheroids, the expression of the cancer cell associated markers and cell cycle/proliferation markers were altered at different time point. Through our investigation, here we report a novel and a non-invasive approach for cancer cell reprogramming by incorporating ribosomes.     

Gap junction blockers: a potential approach to attenuate morphine withdrawal symptoms

Background

The exact mechanisms of morphine-induced dependence and withdrawal symptoms remain unclear. In order to identify an agent that can prevent withdrawal syndrome, many studies have been performed. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of gap junction blockers; carbenoxolone (CBX) or mefloquine (MFQ); on morphine withdrawal symptoms in male rat.Adult male Wistar rats (225 – 275 g) were selected randomly and divided into 10 groups. All groups underwent stereotaxic surgery and in order to induce dependency, morphine was administered subcutaneously) Sc) at an interval of 12 hours for nine continuous days. On the ninth day of the experiment, animals received vehicle or CBX (100, 400, 600 μg/10 μl/rat, icv) or MFQ (50, 100 and 200 μg/10 μl/rat, icv) after the last saline or morphine (Sc) injection. Morphine withdrawal symptoms were precipitated by naloxone hydrochloride 10 min after the treatments. The withdrawal signs including: jumping, rearing, genital grooming, abdomen writhing, wet dog shake and stool weight, were recorded for 60 minutes.

Results

Results showed that CBX and MFQ decreased all withdrawal signs; and the analysis indicated that they could attenuate the total withdrawal scores significantly.

Conclusion

Taking together it is concluded that gap junction blockers prevented naloxone-precipitated withdrawal symptoms.     

Prediction of shape and internal structure of the proximal femur using a modified level set method for structural topology optimisation

A computational framework was developed to simulate the bone remodelling process as a structural topology optimisation problem. The mathematical formulation of the Level Set technique was extended and then implemented into a coronal plane model of the proximal femur to simulate the remodelling of internal structure and external geometry of bone into the optimal state. Results indicated that the proposed approach could reasonably mimic the major geometrical and material features of the natural bone. Simulation of the internal bone remodelling on the typical gross shape of the proximal femur, resulted in a density distribution pattern with good consistency with that of the natural bone. When both external and internal bone remodelling were simulated simultaneously, the initial rectangular design domain with a regularly distributed mass reduced gradually to an optimal state with external shape and internal structure similar to those of the natural proximal femur.     

The codon-optimization of cfaE gene and evaluating its high expression capacity and conserved immunogenicity in Escherichia coli

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the most common cause of children diarrhea in the world. Adhesion of ETEC to small intestine is an important virulence trait. One of the most prevalent colonization factors (CFs) in human is CFA/I fimbriae and CfaE which is the required binding factor for adhesion of ETEC to intestinal mucosa.We optimized cfaE gene codons according to codon bias of E. coli to achieve a high level of recombinant protein expression. The optimized gene was expressed in E. coli and rCFaE protein was used for mice immunization. Blocking activity of the obtained antibody was examined by microplate agglutination inhibition test. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that the optimized sequence of cfaE produces a suitable amount of rCFaE in comparison with native gene sequence. This optimized rCFaE protein could induces strong humoral response in mice and the antibody obtained against rCFaE inhibited the adhesion of ETEC to human group A erythrocytes. It is concluded that codon optimization is a useful approach for obtaining large quantities of recombinant rCFaE protein. With regard to the results of hemagglutination inhibition test, codon optimization and increased production of recombinant protein expressed in E. coli did not affect the immunogenicity potential of CFaE.     

How the Nucleus and Mitochondria Communicate in Energy Production During Stress: Nuclear MtATP6, an Early-Stress Responsive Gene, Regulates the Mitochondrial F1F0-ATP Synthase Complex

A small number of stress-responsive genes, such as those of the mitochondrial F₁F₀-ATP synthase complex, are encoded by both the nucleus and mitochondria. The regulatory mechanism of these joint products is mysterious. The expression of 6-kDa subunit (MtATP6), a relatively uncharacterized nucleus-encoded subunit of F₀ part, was measured during salinity stress in salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive cultivated wheat genotypes, as well as in the wild wheat genotypes, Triticum and Aegilops using qRT-PCR. The MtATP6 expression was suddenly induced 3 h after NaCl treatment in all genotypes, indicating an early inducible stress-responsive behavior. Promoter analysis showed that the MtATP6 promoter includes cis-acting elements such as ABRE, MYC, MYB, GTLs, and W-boxes, suggesting a role for this gene in abscisic acid-mediated signaling, energy metabolism, and stress response. It seems that 6-kDa subunit, as an early response gene and nuclear regulatory factor, translocates to mitochondria and completes the F₁F₀-ATP synthase complex to enhance ATP production and maintain ion homeostasis under stress conditions. These communications between nucleus and mitochondria are required for inducing mitochondrial responses to stress pathways. Dual targeting of 6-kDa subunit may comprise as a mean of inter-organelle communication and save energy for the cell. Interestingly, MtATP6 showed higher and longer expression in the salt-tolerant wheat and the wild genotypes compared to the salt-sensitive genotype. Apparently, salt-sensitive genotypes have lower ATP production efficiency and weaker energy management than wild genotypes; a stress tolerance mechanism that has not been transferred to cultivated genotypes.