A single-nucleotide mutation within the TBX3 enhancer increased body size in Chinese horses

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Potential effects and relevant lead compounds of Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper seeds against bacterial infection,helminthiasis, thrombosis and neuropharmacological disorders

Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, helminthiasis, thrombosis, anxiety and insomnia are some of the major global health concerns. Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper (VM) has been used traditionally to treat microbial infection, helminthic disorder, schizophrenia, memory loss, and blood circulatory problem. This research aims to discover antibacterial, anthelmintic, thrombolytic and neuropharmacological effects of the methanol extract of Vigna mungo seeds (MESVM), and also in-silico prediction of relevant lead compounds by molecular docking and ADME/T analysis. The crude extracts and subsequent fractions of MESVM were investigated for antibacterial activity by disc diffusion method, anthelmintic activity by paralysis and death test on earthworms, and thrombolytic activity by in vitro blood clot dissolution test. Open-field test and elevated plus maze test were performed for evaluating anxiolytic activity of the extracts. Using molecular docking, ligand poses of selected VM seeds’ phytoconstituents were predicted targeting tubulin, GlcN-6-P synthase, and human tissue plasminogen activator proteins for anthelmintic, antibacterial, and thrombolytic activity, respectively. In the antibacterial activity test, the MESVM at 10000 μg/mL concentration created highest and significant (P < 0.001) zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus (15.42 mm) and Escherichia coli (12 mm) compared with tetracycline. The MESVM exhibited remarkable anthelmintic activity at 50 mg/mL concentration with 35.4 min paralysis time, 75.2 min death time and were closer to the durations of standard drug albendazole. No test extract showed anxiolytic activity. In thrombolytic activity test, all concentrations of MESVM produced clot lytic activity with high significance (P < 0.001) in comparison with the blank. In docking, 2′-hydroxygenistein, cyclokievitone hydrate, and aureol displayed maximum affinity to the target proteins for anthelmintic, antibacterial, and thrombolytic activity, respectively. This research revealed that the MESVM demonstrated potential anthelmintic, antibacterial and thrombolytic effects that confirmed the folkloric uses of VM and the found relevant lead compounds might be further optimized in future drug development.     

Critical role of bioanalytical strategies in investigation of clinical PK observations,a Phase I case study

RG7652 is a human immunoglobulin 1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) and is designed for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. A target-binding enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to measure RG7652 levels in human serum in a Phase I study. Although target-binding assay formats are generally used to quantify free therapeutic, the actual therapeutic species being measured are affected by assay conditions, such as sample dilution and incubation time, and levels of soluble target in the samples. Therefore, in the presence of high concentrations of circulating target, the choice of reagents and assay conditions can have a significant effect on the observed pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles. Phase I RG7652 PK analysis using the ELISA data resulted in a nonlinear dose normalized exposure. An investigation was conducted to characterize the ELISA to determine whether the assay format and reagents may have contributed to the PK observation. In addition, to confirm the ELISA results, a second orthogonal method, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using a signature peptide as surrogate, was developed and implemented. A subset of PK samples, randomly selected from half of the subjects in the 6 single ascending dose (SAD) cohorts in the Phase I clinical study, was analyzed with the LC-MS/MS assay, and the data were found to be comparable to the ELISA data. This paper illustrates the importance of reagent characterization, as well as the benefits of using an orthogonal approach to eliminate bioanalytical contributions when encountering unexpected observations.     

Unconsidered factors affecting hydrogenase activity measurement

The effects of sample geometry and enzyme concentration on the H2-evolving activity of hydrogenase from Thiocapsa roseopersicina was measured. The specific activity increased linearly with increasing interface area between the liquid and the gas phase. Enzyme concentration was varied over four orders of magnitude and within this range the apparent specific activity depended on hydrogenase concentration. The experimental findings have been interpreted by a mathematical model involving competing H2 consumption reactions. The observed phenomena interfere with the widely used hydrogenase assay so that most of the previously published specific activity values are underestimated and should be corrected. The systematic error due to these hitherto unspecified parameters can easily exceed 10 000%; therefore, a thorough standardization of the assay procedure is necessary in order to make the data from various laboratories comparable.     

Methods for evaluating the morphological and immunohistochemical properties of human tumor colonies grown in soft agar

Summary Clonogenic assays have been widely adopted for the investigation of hematopoietic and human tumor stem cell biology. Inasmuch as specific, whole colonies need to be analyzed morphologically, we used various methods for fixing and embedding individual colonies in situ that allowed macroscopic, light microscopic (LM), immunofluorescence, and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) evaluation of the intact colony. Melanoma colonies stained with Masson’s Trichrome, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), periodic acid-Schiff, Best’s carmine, Page-Green method for inclusion bodies, and Snook’s reticulum revealed cellular and extracellular components by LM. Ultrastructural studies revealed specific cellular organelles and extracellular components. Immunofluorescence studies demonstrated cell-surface fibronectin, a high molecular weight, adhesive glycoprotein. Myeloma colonies contained a heterogeneous cell population and produced amyloid fibers that were observed by TEM. Fixation and embedding the colonies in agar for TEM has several advantages over centrifugation methods and other conventional techniques for collecting cells in that (a) an entire specific colony can be studied, (b) there is excellent preservation of the cell and its spatial orientation in the colony, and (c) the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the colony is preserved for immunohistochemical analysis. This work was supported by Grant T32 CA09213, a National Research Service Award from the National Cancer Institute to B. P., by Grants PDT-205 (M. J. C. H.) and PDT-184 (F. M.) from the American Cancer Society, and from the National Cancer Institute (CA-17904).     

Power analysis of statistical methods for comparing treatment differences from limiting dilution assays

Summary Six different statistical methods for comparing limiting dilution assays were evaluated, using both real data and a power analysis of simulated data. Simulated data consisted of a series of 12 dilutions for two treatment groups with 24 cultures per dilution and 1,000 independent replications of each experiment. Data within each replication were generated by Monte Carlo simulation, based on a probability model of the experiment. Analyses of the simulated data revealed that the type I error rates for the six methods differed substantially, with only likelihood ratio and Taswell's weighted mean methods approximating the nominal 5% significance level. Of the six methods, likelihood ratio and Taswell's minimum Chi-square exhibited the best power (least probability of type II errors). Taswell's weighted mean test yielded acceptable type I and type II error rates, whereas the regression method was judged unacceptable for scientific work.     

Actin depolymerization in the cyclic AMP-stimulated toad bladder epithelial cell, determined by the DNAse method

Previous studies with the rhodamine phalloidin binding assay have shown that antidiuretic hormone and 8-Br-cAMP rapidly depolymerize F-actin in toad bladder epithelial cells. We have extended these studies with DNAse inhibition assay and have found that in isolated epithelial cell suspensions, G-actin increases from 37 to 56% of total actin following 8-br-cAMP stimulation. The G-actin concentration in the epithelial cell greatly exceeds its critical concentration, indicating the requirement for a G-actin sequestering protein or proteins in this system.     

Targeted and passive environmental DNA approaches outperform established methods for detection of quagga mussels,Dreissena rostriformis bugensis in flowing water

1. The early detection of invasive non‐native species (INNS) is important for informing management actions. Established monitoring methods require the collection or observation of specimens, which is unlikely at the beginning of an invasion when densities are likely to be low. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is a highly promising technique for the detection of INNS—particularly during the early stages of an invasion.
2. Here, we compared the use of traditional kick‐net sampling with two eDNA approaches (targeted detection using both conventional and quantitative PCR and passive detection via metabarcoding with conserved primers) for detection of quagga mussel, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis, a high priority INNS, along a density gradient on the River Wraysbury, UK.
3. All three molecular tools outperformed traditional sampling in terms of detection. Conventional PCR and qPCR both had 100% detection rate in all samples and outperformed metabarcoding when the target species was at low densities. Additionally, quagga mussel DNA copy number (qPCR) and relative read count (metabarcoding) were significantly influenced by both mussel density and distance from source population, with distance being the most significant predictor.
4. Synthesis and application. All three molecular approaches were more sensitive than traditional kick‐net sampling for the detection of the quagga mussel in flowing water, and both qPCR and metabarcoding enabled estimates of relative abundance. Targeted approaches were more sensitive than metabarcoding, but metabarcoding has the advantage of providing information on the wider community and consequently the impacts of INNS.

     

Identification of compound heterozygous DNAH11 variants in a Han-Chinese family with primary ciliary dyskinesia

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a group of genetically and clinically heterogeneous disorders with motile cilia dysfunction. It is clinically characterized by oto-sino-pulmonary diseases and subfertility, and half of the patients have situs inversus (Kartagener syndrome). To identify the genetic cause in a Han-Chinese pedigree, whole-exome sequencing was conducted in the 37-year-old proband, and then, Sanger sequencing was performed on available family members. Minigene splicing assay was applied to verify the impact of the splice-site variant. Compound heterozygous variants including a splice-site variant (c.1974-1G>C, rs1359107415) and a missense variant (c.7787G>A, p.(Arg2596Gln), rs780492669), in the dynein axonemal heavy chain 11 gene (DNAH11) were identified and confirmed as the disease-associated variants of this lineage. The minigene expression in vitro revealed that the c.1974-1G>C variant could cause skipping over exon 12, predicted to result in a truncated protein. This discovery may enlarge the DNAH11 variant spectrum of PCD, promote accurate genetic counselling and contribute to PCD diagnosis.