Association between FABP2 Ala54Thr polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk: a HuGE Review and Meta‐Analysis

Many studies have examined the association between the FABP2 (rs1799883) Ala54Thr gene polymorphism and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk (T2DM) in various populations, but their results have been inconsistent. To assess this relationship more precisely, A HuGE review and meta‐analysis were performed. The PubMed and CNKI database was searched for case‐control studies published up to April 2014. Data were extracted and pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Ultimately, 13 studies, comprising 2020 T2DM cases and 2910 controls were included. Overall, for the Thr carriers (Ala/Thr and Thr/Thr) versus the wild‐type homozygotes (Ala/Ala), the pooled OR was 1.18 (95% CI = 1.04–1.34, P = 0.062 for heterogeneity), for Thr/Thr versus Ala/Ala the pooled OR was 1.17 (95% CI = 1.05–1.41 P = 0.087 for heterogeneity). In the stratified analysis by ethnicity, the significantly risks were found among Asians but not Caucasians. This meta‐analysis suggests that the FABP2 (rs1799883) Ala54Thr polymorphisms are associated with increased susceptibility to T2DM risk among Asians but not Caucasians.     

Involvement of the Lipopolysaccharides of Azospirilla in the Interaction with Wheat Seedling Roots

The present study was undertaken to comparatively investigate the attachment capacities of Azospirillum brasilenseSp245 and its lipopolysaccharide-defective Omegon-Km mutants KM018 and KM252, as well as their activities with respect to the alteration of the morphology of wheat seedling root hairs. The adsorption dynamics of the parent Sp245 and mutant KM252 strains of azospirilla on the seedling roots of the soft spring wheat cv. Saratovskaya 29 were similar; however, the attachment capacity of the mutant KM252 was lower than that of the parent strain throughout the incubation period (15 min to 48 h). The mutation led to a considerable decrease in the hydrophobicity of the Azospirillumcell surface. The lipopolysaccharides extracted from the outer membrane of A. brasilenseSp245 and mutant cells with hot phenol and purified by chromatographic methods were found to induce the deformation of the wheat seedling root hairs, the lipopolysaccharide of the parent strain being the most active in this respect. The role of the carbohydrate moiety of lipopolysaccharides in the interaction of Azospirillumcells with plants is discussed.     

Physical work capacity of athletes with different types of adaptation of the cardiorespiratory system

Indices of physical work capacity in athletes with different types of adaptation of the cardiorespiratory system that are engaged in various kinds of sports and have sports ranks from Master of Sports to Grade 2 have been studied. It has been shown that the highest physical work capacity is typical of athletes that have the inotropic type of adaptation, and the lowest, of athletes with the chronotropic type of adaptation. High indices of physical work capacity were recorded in athletes with the respiratory type of adaptation. Types of adaptation affect the indices of physical work capacity, and it is possible to forecast sports results on their basis.     

Profiling SARS-CoV-2 HLA-I peptidome reveals T cell epitopes from out-of-frame ORFs

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Comparison of whole-cell protein electrophoretic profiles of Haemophilus influenzae: implementation of a microcomputer mainframe linked system and description of a new similarity coefficient

A microcomputer mainframe linked system is described which allows video camera data capture and storage of one-dimensional whole-cell protein electrophoresis gel images, processing of normalized traces to produce a similarity matrix, and analysis of the matrix using the commercial cluster analysis program CLUSTAN. A new similarity coefficient is introduced which takes into account both band position and intensity. Forty-five strains of Haemophilus influenzae, including the eight biotypes and six serotypes, were analyzed using this system. Results demonstrated groupings which are consistent with known genetic relationships.     

Structure and expression of mouse alpha 1-acid glycoprotein gene-3 (AGP-3).

The genome of Mus domesticus has multiple genes of the alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP). Two cDNA clones were identified corresponding to AGP-1 and AGP-2. Moreover, two alleles of AGP-1 exist in inbred mice. The genomic DNA of the AGP-2 gene has been cloned and studied. Here we report the genomic organization of three M. domesticus AGP genes, the sequence analysis of the AGP-3 genomic DNA, and the expression of the AGP-3 gene. The major structural differences between AGP-2 and AGP-3 genes are located in introns 1 and 5. The low level of AGP-3 mRNA can be detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The molecular basis of the low level expression of AGP-3 and the possible classification of AGP-3 as a pseudogene are discussed.     

Gold nanoparticles disturb nuclear chromatin decondensation in mouse sperm in vitro

The effect of gold nanoparticles on mouse epididymal sperm has been studied using the model system of nuclear chromatin decondensation in vitro. It is shown that the treatment of gametes, preliminary membrane-freed by sodium dodecyl sulfate, in the mediums containing gold nanoparticles (with diameter ∼2.5 nm) in concentrations 1.0 × 10¹⁵ or 0.5 × 10¹⁵ particles/ml and following incubation in dithiothreitol solution (DTT) resulted in failure of chromatin decondensation process and nucleus structure. We conclude that gold nanoparticles possess spermatotoxicity. The mechanism of cytotoxic effect of gold nanoparticles may be related with their interaction with molecules of double-helix DNA. The model system studied in this research is applicable for further investigations of cytotoxic effects of nanoparticles of different origin and made of different metals.     

Deadly liaisons: fatal attraction between CCN matricellular proteins and the tumor necrosis factor family of cytokines

Recent studies have revealed an unexpected synergism between two seemingly unrelated protein families: CCN matricellular proteins and the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family of cytokines. CCN proteins are dynamically expressed at sites of injury repair and inflammation, where TNF cytokines are also expressed. Although TNFα is an apoptotic inducer in some cancer cells, it activates NFκB to promote survival and proliferation in normal cells, and its cytotoxicity requires inhibition of de novo protein synthesis or NFκB signaling. The presence of CCN1, CCN2, or CCN3 overrides this requirement and unmasks the apoptotic potential of TNFα, thus converting TNFα from a proliferation-promoting protein into an apoptotic inducer. These CCN proteins also enhance the cytotoxicity of other TNF cytokines, including LTα, FasL, and TRAIL. Mechanistically, CCNs function through integrin α₆β₁ and the heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) syndecan-4 to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which is essential for apoptotic synergism. Mutant CCN1 proteins defective for binding α₆β₁-HSPGs are unable to induce ROS or apoptotic synergism with TNF cytokines. Further, knockin mice that express an α₆β₁-HSPG-binding defective CCN1 are blunted in TNFα- and Fas-mediated apoptosis, indicating that CCN1 is a physiologic regulator of these processes. These findings implicate CCN proteins as contextual regulators of the inflammatory response by dictating or enhancing the cytotoxicity of TNFα and related cytokines.     

Reversible hyperphosphorylation and reorganization of vimentin intermediate filaments by okadaic acid in 9L rat brain tumor cells.

Okadaic acid (OA), a protein phosphatase inhibitor, was found to induce hyperphosphorylation and reorganization of vimentin intermediate filaments in 9L rat brain tumor cells. The process was dose dependent. Vimentin phosphorylation was initially enhanced by 400 nM OA in 30 min and reached maximal level (about 26-fold) when cells were treated with 400 nM OA for 90 min. Upon removal of OA, dephosphorylation of the hyperphosphorylated vimentin was observed and the levels of phosphorylation returned to that of the controls after the cells recovered under normal growing conditions for 11 h. The phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of vimentin induced by OA concomitantly resulted in reversible reorganization of vimentin filaments and alteration of cell morphology. Cells rounded up as they were entering mitosis in the presence of OA and returned to normal appearance after 11 h of recovery. Immuno-staining with anti-vimentin antibody revealed that vimentin filaments were disassembled and clustered around the nucleus when the cells were treated with OA but subsequently returned to the filamentous states when OA was removed. Two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis further revealed that hyperphosphorylation of vimentin generated at least seven isoforms having different isoelectric points. Furthermore, the enhanced vimentin phosphorylation was accompanied by changes in the detergent-solubility of the protein. In untreated cells, the detergent-soluble and -insoluble vimentins were of equal amounts but the solubility could be increased when vimentins were hyperphosphorylated in the presence of OA. Taken together, the results indicated that OA could be involved in reversible hyperphosphorylation and reorganization of vimentin intermediate filaments, which may play an important role in the structure-function regulation of cytoskeleton in the cell.