Morphology and Molecular Phylogeny of a New Marine,Sand-dwelling Dinoflagellate Genus,Pachena (Dinophyceae), with Descriptions of Three New Species

Marine benthic dinoflagellates are interesting not only because some epiphytic genera can cause harmful algal blooms but also for understanding dinoflagellate evolution and diversification. Our understanding of their biodiversity is far from complete, and many thecate genera have unusual tabulation patterns that are difficult to relate to the diverse known phytoplankton taxa. A new sand-dwelling genus, Pachena gen. nov., is described based on morphological and DNA sequence data. Three species were discovered in distant locations and are circumscribed, namely, P. leibnizii sp. nov. from Canada, P. abriliae sp. nov. from Spain, and P. meriddae sp. nov. from Italy. All species are tiny (about 9–23 μm long) and heterotrophic. Species are characterized by their tabulation (APC 4′ 3a 6′′ 5c 5s 5′′′ 2′′′′), an apical hook covering the apical pore, an ascending cingulum, and a sulcus with central list. The first anterior intercalary plate is uniquely “sandwiched” between two plates. The species share these features and differ in the relative sizes and arrangements of their plates, especially on the epitheca. The ornamentation of thecal plates is species-specific. The new molecular phylogenies based on SSU and LSU rDNA sequences contribute to understanding the evolution of the planktonic relatives of Pachena, the Thoracosphaeraceae.     

MicroRNA signature in hepatocellular carcinoma patients: identification of potential markers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in liver pathologies and they are potential biomarkers for diagnosis of liver diseases progression. Changes in miRNA sera expression can be used as non-invasive biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the study was to identify the miRNome profiling of HCC and its diagnostic value in distinguishing HCC from healthy individuals. Expression profiles of miRNAs in serum samples of 20 HCC patients and 10 healthy controls were detected. Whole miRNome profiling was done using next generation sequencing. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic performance of the deregulated miRNAs for discriminating HCC cases from healthy controls. MiRNA 142 was highly expressed in HCC (P value?=?0.023) while miRNAs 191, 22, and 126 were higher in the controls (P value?=?0.005, 0.034, 0.010 respectively). We have identified 5 novel miRNAs and they were highly expressed in HCC than controls. Analysis of ROC curve demonstrated that these deregulated miRNAs can be used as a reliable biomarker for detection of HCC with high diagnostic accuracy (AUC?=?0.93). We have detected a panel of serum miRNAs that can be used as a reliable noninvasive screening biomarker of HCC. The study recommends further research to shed light on a possible role of the newly discovered novel miRNAs in HCC pathogenesis.

     

Chlorogenic acid prevents hepatotoxicity in arsenic-treated mice: role of oxidative stress and apoptosis

Molecular Biology Reports - Arsenic is a potent and toxic heavy metal found in the environment that causes health problems, including liver disease, in humans and animals. Chlorogenic acid (CA) is...     

Genetic variants of microRNA-146a gene: an indicator of systemic lupus erythematosus susceptibility,lupus nephritis,and disease activity

Genetic variations of microRNA encoding genes influence various sorts of diseases by modifying the expression or activity of microRNAs. MicroRNA 146a is an epigenetic regulator of immune response through controlling the type I interferon (IFN) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathways. Genetic variations of microRNA 146a impact the susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its clinical presentations. This study aimed to investigate the polymorphisms of microRNA-146a gene (rs2431697 and rs57095329) in patients with SLE and its association with disease activity. Sixty-five patients with SLE and 40 apparently healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Patients were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, and disease activity evaluation by SLEDAI score. The microRNA-146a variants were determined by allele discrimination real-time PCR method in all participants. We found a statistically significant association between rs2431697 T allele and SLE (P-value?<?0.05), but there was no significant association between rs57095329 and SLE. The T/T genotype of microRNA-146a rs2431697 was associated with lupus nephritis, higher disease activity, and autoantibodies production. The microRNA-146a rs2431697 T allele could be a potential risk factor that contributes to SLE susceptibility, development of lupus nephritis, and disease activity.

     

Effect of Kocide and Ridomil plus fungicides on the mycoflora of tomato plant in Upper Egypt

Kocide 101 (77% cupric hydroxide) and Ridomil plus (15% metalaxyl and 35% copper oxychloride) were used in the treatment of tomato plants in the field. Generally, the two fungicides exhibited an inhibitive effect on the total and individual counts of glucophilic fungi after different periods of treatment except in some cases, the counts were not affected or promoted compared with the control. Fungal genera and species associated with roots and shoots of tomato plants were isolated from untreated plants as control and then compared with those isolated from plants treated with different doses of fungicides. The most common fungal species recovered from soil and different parts of plants were Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. terreus, Cochliobolus spicifer, Emericella nidulans, E. nidulans var. lata, Fusarium oxysporum, Gibberella fujikuroi, Mycosphaerella tassiana, Nectria haematococca, Penicillium chrysogenum, P. funiculosum, P. oxalicum, Stachybotrys chartarum and Rhizopus stolonifer.     

Evaluation of the Possible Epileptogenic Activity of Ciprofloxacin: The Role of Nigella sativa on Amino Acids Neurotransmitters

The neuroprotective effect of Nigella sativa (NS) on amino acid neurotransmitters alteration in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) and ciprofloxacin (CFX) treated rats in different brain regions was examined. The oral administration of NS induced an elevation in aspartate and glutamate contents, whereas the levels of GABA and glycine were decreased. Furthermore, the treated groups with PTZ and CFX caused a decrease in aspartate, glutamate and total antioxidant capacity levels, while the concentrations of GABA and glycine were increased after 14 days. Moreover, the pre- and post-treatment with NS in PTZ and CFX treated rats return the levels of these parameters near control values. So, it could be concluded that the treatment with CFX induced imbalance between the excitatory and the inhibitory amino acids which may lead to the initiation of epileptic seizures and the treatment with NS was found to ameliorate these neurological defects which reflect its potent antiepileptic activity.     

Apolipoprotein E gene polymorphism and the risk of left ventricular dysfunction among Egyptian β-thalassemia major

In Egypt, β-thalassemia is the most common hereditary hemolytic anemia. Cardiac dysfunction, secondary to iron overload with formation of oxygen free radicals, is the most common cause of death in β-thalassemia patients. This study was designed to determine whether the allelic genotype of apolipoprotein E (Apo E), which exhibits antioxidant properties, could represent a genetic risk factor for the development of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in β-thalassemia major. Fifty Egyptian β-thalassemia major patients were subjected to echocardiography to assess LV function. Apo E genotyping by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was done for all patients in addition to 50 age and sex matched healthy control subjects. Patients were classified into three groups. Group I and II were clinically asymptomatic. Group II subjects had evidence of LV dilatation, while Group III patients had clinical and echocardiographic findings of LV failure. Apo E4 allele was significantly higher among Group II and III than in controls. In conclusion, Apo E4 allele can be considered as a genetic risk factor for LV dysfunctions in β-thalassemic patients. It could be used as predictive indicator for additional risk of LV failure, particularly in asymptomatic patients with LV dilatation, requiring a closer follow-up, to prevent further disease progression.     

Structural basis of calcineurin activation by calmodulin

Calcineurin is the only known calmodulin (CaM) activated protein phosphatase, which is involved in the regulation of numerous cellular and developmental processes and in calcium-dependent signal transduction. Although commonly assumed that CaM displaces the autoinhibitory domain (AID) blocking substrate access to its active site, the structural basis underlying activation remains elusive. We have created a fused ternary complex (CBA) by covalently linking three polypeptides: CaM, calcineurin regulatory B subunit (CnB) and calcineurin catalytic A subunit (CnA). CBA catalytic activity is comparable to that of fully activated native calcineurin in the presence of CaM. The crystal structure showed virtually no structural change in the active site and no evidence of CaM despite being covalently linked. The asymmetric unit contains four molecules; two parallel CBA pairs are packed in an antiparallel mode and the large cavities in crystal packing near the calcineurin active site would easily accommodate multiple positions of AID-bound CaM. Intriguingly, the conformation of the ordered segment of AID is not altered by CaM; thus, it is the disordered part of AID, which resumes a regular α-helical conformation upon binding to CaM, which is displaced by CaM for activation. We propose that the structural basis of calcineurin activation by CaM is through displacement of the disordered fragment of AID which otherwise impedes active site access.     

Recent advances in lactic acid production by microbial fermentation processes

Fermentative production of optically pure lactic acid has roused interest among researchers in recent years due to its high potential for applications in a wide range of fields. More specifically, the sharp increase in manufacturing of biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) materials, green alternatives to petroleum-derived plastics, has significantly increased the global interest in lactic acid production. However, higher production costs have hindered the large-scale application of PLA because of the high price of lactic acid. Therefore, reduction of lactic acid production cost through utilization of inexpensive substrates and improvement of lactic acid production and productivity has become an important goal. Various methods have been employed for enhanced lactic acid production, including several bioprocess techniques facilitated by wild-type and/or engineered microbes. In this review, we will discuss lactic acid producers with relation to their fermentation characteristics and metabolism. Inexpensive fermentative substrates, such as dairy products, food and agro-industrial wastes, glycerol, and algal biomass alternatives to costly pure sugars and food crops are introduced. The operational modes and fermentation methods that have been recently reported to improve lactic acid production in terms of concentrations, yields, and productivities are summarized and compared. High cell density fermentation through immobilization and cell-recycling techniques are also addressed. Finally, advances in recovery processes and concluding remarks on the future outlook of lactic acid production are presented.