Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase regulates 9G8-mediated alternative splicing of tau exon 10

Alternative splicing of tau exon 10 generates tau isoforms with three or four microtubule-binding repeats, named 3R- or 4R-tau. Normal adult human brain expresses equal levels of them. Imbalance of 3R-tau and 4R-tau associates with several tauopathies. Splicing factor 9G8 suppresses tau exon 10 inclusion and its function is regulated by phosphorylation. Here, we found that cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) phosphorylated 9G8. The catalytic subunits α and β of PKA interacted with 9G8, and activation of PKA enhanced the interaction. Up-regulation of PKA activity prevented 9G8 from inhibition of tau exon 10 inclusion. These findings provide novel insights into the regulation of tau exon 10 splicing and further our understanding of neurodegeneration associated with dysregulation of tau exon 10 splicing.     

Molecular detection of Colletotrichum falcatum causing red rot disease of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) using a SCAR marker

Red rot disease of sugarcane caused by Colletotrichum falcatum is one of the most destructive diseases of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) worldwide. The pathogen spreads primarily through infected sugarcane setts and hence the use of disease‐free planting materials is essential for preventing disease development in the field. In the present study a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed for accurate and sensitive detection of C. falcatum in planting materials. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis identified a 566 bp PCR fragment that was specific to C. falcatum. The DNA sequence of this fragment was determined and used to design oligonucleotides amplifying a 442 bp sequence characterised amplified region (SCAR). The specificity of the SCAR primers was evaluated using purified DNA from C. falcatum and other Colletotrichum spp. as templates in PCR. The results indicated that the SCAR primers were highly specific to C. falcatum since the 442 bp fragment was amplified only from DNA of isolates and races of C. falcatum but not from any other Colletotrichum spp. tested. The detection sensitivity of C. falcatum was 0.1 ng for genomic DNA of C. falcatum and 5 ng for DNA extracted from infected sugarcane tissue. This new PCR‐based assay is a convenient tool for detection of this important pathogen in seed canes to ensure production of sugarcane.     

Clinical Picture Of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia / Cardiomyopathy Patients From Indian Origin

Objective

Among the inherited cardiomyopathies, Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy is unique with a peculiar pathology of fibro-fatty replacement. Studies have been carried out all over the world and several groups have reported clinical heterogeneity in manifestation of ARVD/C related symptoms. Present study is an attempt to identify the clinical profile of ARVD/C patients from Asian Indian origin.

Methods

31 patients in the span of three years were diagnosed with ARVD/C. Diagnosis was based on proposed task force criteria.

Results

The mean age at diagnosis was 32.9 ± 16.4 years with slight tilt in male to female ratio (1.46). About 80% cases had palpitations, syncope in 45.16% and dyspnea in 22.5%, whereas 16% of patients were asymptomatic. About 50% of patients revealed a family history of confirmed ARVD/C or sudden death of a family member without any known cause. ECG showed T-wave inversion in about 60% cases, prolongation of QRS was observed in 20% cases. RV dilatation was observed in 80% of patients and 66.7% showed systolic dysfunction. RV free wall motion abnormalities were found in 33% patients. Most of the early onset cases with less than 30 years of age showed family history indicative of ARVD/C. Familial study in three patients indicated early onset of condition in younger generations in two families.

Conclusions

ARVD/C in India shows relatively early age at onset when compared with other Asian populations with more than half of patients showing the disease below the age of 30 years. History in most of the early onset cases revealed family history indicating strong genetic influence.     

Population energy use scales positively with body size in natural aquatic microcosms

Aim  We test the 'energetic equivalence rule' (EER) – the idea that the amount of energy used by a population per unit area per unit time is independent of body mass – in meio-invertebrate communities from a series of natural, multitrophic aquatic 'rock pool' microcosms. Our study represents the first rigorous test of the EER at local scales of observation in a community of naturally coexisting species.
Location  Discovery Bay, Jamaica.
Method  We estimated population energy use (PEU) for every occurrence of every species of meio-invertebrate fauna found in each of 29 microcosms (233 observations of 31 species) using estimates of population density obtained in January 2005 in combination with published metabolism–mass relations for closely related taxa.
Results  In the rock pool system as a whole, population density decreased ( ancova : b  = –0.38 (–0.55 to –0.19), r ² = 0.19, P  < 0.001) and PEU increased with body mass ( ancova : b  = 0.55 (0.36–0.73), r ² = 0.28, P  < 0.001).
Main conclusions  The positive PEU–body mass relation found here suggests that larger organisms are energetically dominant and points to the importance of size-structured competition in these systems. Our results contrast those obtained in the few other previously published tests of the EER and challenge the idea that all species use similar amounts of energy regardless of their size.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of some new N(4)-substituted isatin-3-thiosemicarbazones

A new series of 12 N(4)-substituted isatin-3-thiosemicarbazones 2a-l has been synthesized, characterized and screened for in vitro cytotoxic, phytotoxic and urease inhibitory effects. All the compounds proved to be active in the brine shrimp bioassay; 2a, 2b, 2d, 2f and 2h-l exhibited a high degree of cytotoxic activity (LD(50) = 1.10 x 10(- 5) M-3.10 x 10(- 5) M). In urease-inhibition assay, compounds 2a, 2b, 2e, 2f, 2h-j and 2l proved to be potent inhibitors displaying relatively much greater inhibition of the enzyme with IC(50) values ranging from 20.6 microM to 50.6 microM. Amongst these, 2a and 2f were found to be the most potent ones exhibiting pronounced inhibition with IC(50) value 20.6 microM. All the synthetic compounds showed weak to moderate (10-40%) phytotoxicity at the highest tested concentration (500 microg/mL) indicating their usefulness as inhibitors of soil ureases.     

Metal based isatin-derived sulfonamides: their synthesis, characterization, coordination behavior and biological activity

Some isatin derived sulfonamides and their transition metal [Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II)] complexes have been synthesized and characterized. The structure of synthesized compounds and their nature of bonding have been inferred on the basis of their physical (magnetic susceptibility and conductivity measurements), analytical (elemental analyses) and spectral (IR, (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR) properties. An octahedral geometry has been suggested for Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) and square-planar for Cu(II) complexes. In order to assess the antibacterial and antifungal behavior, the ligands and their metal(II) complexes were screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity against four Gram-negative species, Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi and two Gram-positive species, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis and, for in vitro antifungal activity against Trichophyton longifusus, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, Microsporum canis, Fusarium solani and Candida glaberata. In vitro cytotoxic properties of all the compounds were also studied against Artemia salina by brine shrimp bioassay. The results of average antibacterial/antifungal activity showed that zinc(II) complexes were found to be the most active against one or more bacterial/fungal strains as compared to the other metal complexes.     

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci from Yellowcheek (Elopichthys bambusa)

Nine yellowcheek (Elopichthys bambusa) microsatellite loci were isolated using the fast isolation by AFLP of sequences containing repeats (FIASCO) protocol. Three to eight alleles per locus were detected in 29 samples collected from five populations of E. bambusa. The mean number of alleles was 5.6 ± 1.9 and the level of observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.415 to 0.843. These are the first microsatellite loci characterized from E. bambusa that can be used for estimating genetic diversity, population structure and parentage analysis.