Sublethal effects of textile dye stuff effluent on selected oxidative enzymes and tissue respiration of Cyprinus carpio (Linn.).

Toxic effects of sublethal concentration of dye stuff effluent on succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activities and tissue respiration were studied in C. carpio. While the sublethal exposure significantly reduced SDH activity and tissue respiration, LDH activity increased in gill, brain, liver, muscle and kidney. The maximum inhibition of SDH activity (74%) was recorded in gill and the minimum (38%) in liver. The percentage reduction of oxygen consumption in the tested tissues was in the order of gill greater than brain greater than liver greater than muscle greater than kidney. The muscle showed the highest level (96%) of increase in LDH activity whereas the kidney cells showed the minimum increase. Exposure to sublethal concentration suppressed the aerobic respiration and triggered the anaerobic respiration.     

Syringeal anatomy and allometry in murres (Alcidae: Uria)

Species and sexual differences in vocalizations and the vocal tract are widespread. We studied the vocal tract of Common (Uria aalge) and Thick-billed (U. lomvia) Murres. We predicted anatomical or allometric differences in adults between species and sexes due to vocal differences related to social behavior (Common Murres nest at higher densities; males are the more aggressive sex, etc.). The vocal tract was anatomically simple and similar between species and sexes. The trachea was mainly cartilage, but the posteriormost 4–6 tracheal rings were calcified and fused as the tympanum, as part of the syrinx. The syrinx included the (unfused) first bronchial semirings, which were enlarged and calcified beneath the insertion of M. tracheolateralis. Weak bilateral asymmetry (right side larger) occurred in widths of M. tracheolateralis and M. sternotrachealis. The trachea was ∼10% longer in Common Murres; the tympanum and M. sternotrachealis width were relatively larger in Thick-billed Murres. Vocal-tract morphology and size did not differ between the sexes in either species. In allometric analyses on adults, isometry characterized (1) tympanum size in relation to head + bill length, and to humerus length (respectively), in Thick-billed Murres, and (2) M. sternotrachealis width in relation to tarsometatarsal length in both species. Comparative field studies on species and sexes are needed to clarify the functional significance of our findings in relation to vocalization.     

Regulation of DNA glycosylases and their role in limiting disease

This review will present a current understanding of mechanisms for the initiation of base excision repair (BER) of oxidatively-induced DNA damage and the biological consequences of deficiencies in these enzymes in mouse model systems and human populations.     

Wired to the roots: Impact of root-beneficial microbe interactions on aboveground plant physiology and protection

Often, plant-pathogenic microbe interactions are discussed in a host-microbe two-component system, however very little is known about how the diversity of rhizospheric microbes that associate with plants affect host performance against pathogens. There are various studies, which specially direct the importance of induced systemic defense (ISR) response in plants interacting with beneficial rhizobacteria, yet we don’t know how rhizobacterial associations modulate plant physiology. In here, we highlight the many dimensions within which plant roots associate with beneficial microbes by regulating aboveground physiology. We review approaches to study the causes and consequences of plant root association with beneficial microbes on aboveground plant-pathogen interactions. The review provides the foundations for future investigations into the impact of the root beneficial microbial associations on plant performance and innate defense responses.     

Wound Healing Properties of Collagen from the Bone of Two Marine Fishes

Type I collagen was extracted from the bone of two marine fishes; Magalaspis cordyla and Otolithes ruber and its efficacy in wound healing was studied. The yields of acid soluble (30.5 and 27.6%) and pepsin soluble (45.1 and 48.6%) collagen were respectively as per their dry weight basis. Extracted protein was characterized as type I collagen basing on SDS PAGE, UV?CVis, FTIR spectrometer and amino acid composition. The characterized collagen was cross-linked with glutaraldehyde and found to possess three dimensional pores and acted efficiently in healing the excision wounds made on Wistar rats. Bone is generally considered as waste and discarded in many processing plant. But, the current study proved that it has excellent medicinal importance and reveals a possible way to convert this waste into a medicinally important source.     

Induction of brain natriuretic peptide and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 gene expression by oxidized low-density lipoprotein: relevance to ischemic heart failure

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) are biomarkers of heart failure (HF). The aim of the present study was to determine the role of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) in the induction of these biomarkers and the signaling pathways involved in vitro. Incubation of HL-1 cardiomyocytes and human myocytes with Ox-LDL induced the expression of BNP and MCP-1 genes, while native LDL had no effect. When peroxides associated with Ox-LDL were reduced to hydroxides, the ability to induce BNP and MCP-1 gene expression was abolished. Furthermore, exposure of HL-1 cells to ischemic conditions alone had no effect on BNP gene expression, while ischemia followed by reperfusion resulted in increased expression of BNP gene. Inhibitors of ERK and JNK inhibited the induction of BNP. Signaling array results suggested that the induction of both MAPK and NF-κB pathways is involved in the induction of BNP by Ox-LDL. These results suggest that Ox-LDL or peroxidized lipids formed in oxidatively stressed myocytes during ischemia-reperfusion injury may play a role in the induction of BNP and MCP-1.     

Potential roles of myoglobin autoxidation in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

The source(s) of reactive partially reduced oxygen species associated with myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury remain unclear and controversial. Myoglobin has not been viewed as a participant but is present in relatively high concentrations in heart muscle and, even under normal conditions, undergoes reactions that generate met (Fe3+) species and also superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and other oxidants, albeit slowly. The degree to which the decrease in pH and the freeing of copper ions, as well as the variations in pO2 associated with ischemia and reperfusion increase the rates of such myoglobin reactions has been investigated. Solutions of extensively purified myoglobin from bovine heart in 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer were examined at 37 degrees C. Sufficiently marked rate increases were observed to indicate that reactions of myoglobin can indeed contribute substantially to the oxidant stress associated with ischemia/reperfusion injury in myocardial tissues. These findings provide additional targets for therapeutic interventions.     

Crystal structure of malonyl CoA-Acyl carrier protein transacylase from Xanthomanous oryzae pv. oryzae and its proposed binding with ACP

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is a plant bacterial pathogen that causes bacterial blight (BB) disease, resulting in serious production losses of rice. The crystal structure of malonyl CoA-acyl carrier protein transacylase (XoMCAT), encoded by the gene fabD (Xoo0880) from Xoo, was determined at 2.3 Å resolution in complex with N-cyclohexyl-2-aminoethansulfonic acid. Malonyl CoA-acyl carrier protein transacylase transfers malonyl group from malonyl CoA to acyl carrier protein (ACP). The transacylation step is essential in fatty acid synthesis. Based on the rationale, XoMCAT has been considered as a target for antibacterial agents against BB. Protein-protein interaction between XoMCAT and ACP was also extensively investigated using computational docking, and the proposed model revealed that ACP bound to the cleft between two XoMCAT subdomains.     

Alternative splicing of SMADs in differentiation and tissue homeostasis

Tissue‐specific alternate splicing is an important means of regulating gene expression during development. The effector proteins for the transforming growth factor‐β signaling pathway, the SMADs, encode distinct isoforms generated via alternate splicing, which appear to have distinct tissue‐specific expression profiles and functions. Here, we discuss the roles of various SMAD isoforms, and the consequences of mis‐regulation of SMAD splicing in development and tissue homeostasis.