Mosaic triple X syndrome in a female with primary amenorrhea

BACKGROUND:

Turner''s syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality in females, affecting 1 in 2,500 live female births. It is a result of absence of an X chromosome or the presence of a structurally abnormal X chromosome. Its most consistent clinical features are short stature and ovarian failure.

AIM:

The aim of the study was to report a rare case of mosaic triple X syndrome in a female with primary amenorrhea.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

The chromosomal analysis using GTG banding was carried out, which revealed a mosaicism with 45,XO/47,XXX chromosomal constitution. Fluorescent in situ hybridization was also carried out to further confirm the observation made in the study.

CONCLUSION:

The physical features presented by the female could be due to the 45,XO/47,XXX mosaicism and the karyotype analysis was consistent with the diagnosis and clinical symptoms. Triple X mosaicism was confirmed with conventional and molecular cytogenetic analysis.     

Trans-scale Granular Modelling of Cytoskeleton: a Mini-Review

Living cells are the functional unit of organs that controls reactions to their exterior. However, the mechanics of living cells can be difficult to characterize due to the crypticity of their microscale structures and associated dynamic cellular processes. Fortunately, multiscale modelling provides a powerful simulation tool that can be used to study the mechanical properties of these soft hierarchical, biological systems. This paper reviews recent developments in hierarchical multiscale modeling technique that aimed at understanding cytoskeleton mechanics. Discussions are expanded with respects to cytoskeletal components including: intermediate filaments, microtubules and microfilament networks. The mechanical performance of difference cytoskeleton components are discussed with respect to their structural and material properties. Explicit granular simulation methods are adopted with different coarse-grained strategies for these cytoskeleton components and the simulation details are introduced in this review.     

Approaches towards the development of chimeric DPP4/ACE inhibitors for treating metabolic syndrome

Designing drug candidates exhibiting polypharmacology is one of the strategies adopted by medicinal chemists to address multifactorial diseases. Metabolic disease is one such multifactorial disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia, hypertension and dyslipidaemia among others. In this paper we report a new class of molecular framework combining the pharmacophoric features of DPP4 inhibitors with those of ACE inhibitors to afford potent dual inhibitors of DPP4 and ACE.     

Tnfrsf13c (Baffr) is mis-expressed in tumors with murine leukemia virus insertions at Lvis22

In susceptible strains of mice, leukemia is caused by the somatic integration of murine leukemia retroviruses into the host genome. Integration sites that are common to several tumors are likely to affect genes that are important in oncogenesis. Here we present the analysis of a common site of retroviral integration on mouse chromosome 15, which includes the genomic structure of three genes near the integration site. One of the genes misexpressed at the insertion site has recently been characterized as a B-cell receptor, Tnfrsf13c (formerly Baffr), indicating that this approach is useful in defining genes that function in lymphocyte development and tumor progression. Current genome databases provide powerful resources for the rapid identification of genes at common proviral insertion sites. The characterization of these genes in tumor samples will allow a function to be assigned to many novel loci identified by the genome sequencing projects.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of pyrazole linked benzothiazole-β-naphthol derivatives as topoisomerase I inhibitors with DNA binding ability

A series of new pyrazole linked benzothiazole-β-naphthol derivatives were designed and synthesized using a simple, efficient and ecofriendly route under catalyst-free conditions in good to excellent yields. These derivatives were evaluated for their cytotoxicity on selected human cancer cell lines. Among those, the derivatives 4j, 4k and 4l exhibited considerable cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ values ranging between 4.63 and 5.54?µM against human cervical cancer cells (HeLa). Structure activity relationship was elucidated by varying different substituents on benzothiazoles and pyrazoles. Further, flow cytometric analysis revealed that these derivatives induced cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase and spectroscopic studies such as UV–visible, fluorescence and circular dichroism studies showed that these derivatives exhibited good DNA binding affinity. Additionally, these derivatives can effectively inhibit the topoisomerase I activity. Viscosity studies and molecular docking studies demonstrated that the derivatives bind with the minor groove of the DNA.     

Synthesis of N6-substituted 9-[3-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl]adenine derivatives as possible antiviral agents

A number of N6-substituted 9-[3-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl]adenine derivatives having hydroxymethyl at C-1' position were prepared from the appropriate 6-chloroadenine derivative. The syntheses of the corresponding prodrugs of these compounds are also reported. These compounds showed poor activity against HCV in replicon assay.     

Differential response of PCNA and Cdk-A proteins and associated kinase activities to benzyladenine and abscisic acid during maize seed germination

The proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a protein factor required for processive DNA synthesis that is associated with G(1) cell cycle proteins. It has been demonstrated previously that, in germinating maize (Zea mays) embryonic axes, PCNA forms protein complexes with two Cdk-A proteins (32 and 36 kDa) and with a putative D-type cyclin. These complexes exhibit protein kinase activity on histone H1 and on the maize homologue of the pRB (retinoblastoma) protein. Flow cytometry has been used to study the influence of the phytohormones benzyladenine (BA) and abscisic acid (ABA) on cell cycle advancement during maize germination. It was found that, while BA accelerates the passage of cells from G(1) to G(2), ABA delays cell cycle events so that most cells seem to remain in G(1). The amounts of PCNA and Cdk-A proteins also vary according to the hormone treatment. In embryonic axes, PCNA increases rapidly during early germination in BA, compared with a gradual increase in water, while ABA treatment had only a marginal effect. However, of the two Cdk-A proteins, the 32 kDa protein is strongly reduced after 15 h of imbibition in water while this occurs later when axes are imbibed in BA or ABA. The PCNA-associated protein kinase activity in the BA and ABA treatments falls after 3 h of imbibition compared with activity in the control; however, while kinase activity in the BA treatment continues to decline during imbibition, it remains relatively constant until 24 h of imbibition in the ABA treatment. By contrast, a p13(Suc1)-associated Cdk-A kinase is activated after 15 h of imbibition under all treatments, particularly in ABA. These results suggest that, in maize, ABA delays the germination process by affecting cell cycle advancement, stopping cells mostly in a G(1) state.     

Mechanisms of group B streptococcal-induced apoptosis of murine macrophages

Apoptosis of murine and human macrophages induced by group B Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) is likely an important virulence mechanism that is used by the bacteria to suppress the host immune response and to persist at sites of infection. The mechanisms by which GBS induces apoptosis are, however, largely unknown. In this study, we report that in murine macrophages GBS induces unique changes in the regulation and localization of the apoptotic regulators Bad, 14-3-3, and Omi/high-temperature requirement A2 and leads to the release of cytochrome c and the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. Furthermore, inhibition of caspase-3 impaired GBS-induced apoptosis of macrophages. The ability to modulate the activity of effector caspases may therefore represent an unexploited avenue for therapeutic intervention in GBS infections.