Effect of lipid supplements on the production and glycosylation of recombinant interferon-γ expressed in CHO cells

The effects of lipids on the glycosylation of recombinant human interferon- expressed in a Chinese Hamster Ovary cell line were investigated in batch culture. Lipids form an essential part of the N-glycosylation pathway, and have been shown to improve cell viability. In control (serum-free) medium the proportion of fully-glycosylated interferon- deteriorated reproducibly with time in batch culture, but the lipoprotein supplement ExCyte was shown to minimise this trend. Partially substituting the bovine serum albumin content of the medium with a fatty-acid free preparation also improved interferon- glycosylation, possibly indicating that oxidised lipids carried on Cohn fraction V albumin may damage the glycosylation process.Abbreviations BSA bovine serum albumin - CHO chinese hamster ovary - DHFR dihydrofolate reductase - FCS foetal calf serum - IFN- human interferon-gamma - q _IFN specific interferon production rate - specific growth rate - 2N doubly-gycosylated - 1N singly-glycosylated - ON non-glycosylated     

Improved ethanol tolerance and production in strains of Clostridium thermocellum

Two Clostridium thermocellum strains were improved for ethanol tolerance, to 5% (v/v), by gradual adaptation and mutation. The best mutant gave an ethanol yield of 0.37 g/g substrate, with a growth yield 1.5 times more than its parent. Accumulation of acids and reducing sugars by the mutant strain with 5% (v/v) ethanol was lower than that of the parent strain with 1.5% (v/v) ethanol.     

Efficacy of Indolicidin,Cecropin A (1-7)-Melittin (CAMA) and Their Combination Against Biofilm-Forming Multidrug-Resistant Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli

The present study examined the anti-biofilm efficacy of two short-chain antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), namely, indolicidin and cecropin A (1-7)-melittin (CAMA) against biofilm-forming multidrug-resistant enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (MDR-EAEC) isolates. The typical EAEC isolates re-validated by PCR and confirmed using HEp-2 cell adherence assay was subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing to confirm its MDR status. The biofilm-forming ability of MDR-EAEC isolates was assessed by Congo red binding, microtitre plate assays and hydrophobicity index; broth microdilution technique was employed to determine minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum biofilm eradication concentrations (MBECs). The obtained MIC and MBEC values for both AMPs were evaluated alone and in combination against MDR-EAEC biofilms using crystal violet (CV) staining and confocal microscopy-based live/dead cell quantification methods. All the three MDR-EAEC strains revealed weak to strong biofilm-forming ability and were found to be electron-donating and weakly electron-accepting (hydrophobicity index). Also, highly significant (P < 0.001) time-dependent hydrodynamic growth of the three MDR-EAEC strains was observed at 48 h of incubation in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) containing 0.45% D-glucose. AMPs and their combination were able to inhibit the initial biofilm formation at 24 h and 48 h as evidenced by CV staining and confocal quantification. Further, the application of AMPs (individually and combination) against the preformed MDR-EAEC biofilms resulted in highly significant eradication (P < 0.001) at 24 h post treatment. However, significant differences were not observed between AMP treatments (individually or in combination). The AMPs seem to be an effective candidates for further investigations such as safety, stability and appropriate biofilm-forming MDR-EAEC animal models.

     

The signals of selective constraints on the mitochondrial non-coding control region: insights from comparative mitogenomics of Clupeoid fishes

Genetica - The vertebrate mitochondrial genome is characterized by an exceptional organization evolving towards a reduced size. However, the persistence of a non-coding and highly variable control...     

Design,synthesis, in vitro anticancer,antioxidant and antibacterial activity; DNA/BSA binding,photoleavage and docking studies of Cu(II) ternary metal complexes

Abstract

Three mononuclear, mixed ligand ternary Cu(II) complexes of 3-((Z)-1-(2-hydroxyphenylimino)ethyl)-4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one (HEHMP) viz; [Cu-(Phen) (HEHMP)] (1a), [Cu-(Bpy)(HEHMP)] (1?b) and [Cu-Bpy(NCS)(HEHMP)] (1c) were synthesized and characterized by data obtained from various spectral techniques. The binding affinities of these complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein were explored by absorption and fluorescence quenching titrations. The results indicated strong affinity of the title compounds to bind with both CT-DNA and BSA. The antioxidant properties of the synthesized compounds evaluated by free-radical scavenging method using spectrophotometric technique indicated their affirmative potential activity. Gel electrophoresis experiments revealed the efficacy of metal complexes in resulting the cleavage of pBR322 supercoiled DNA. In vitro cytotoxicity studies of these complexes evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay against HeLa and MCF-7 cancer cell lines indicated relatively high effectiveness of the complex 1c. Confocal microscopy signified the potential of the complexes to induce apoptosis in HeLa cell lines. In addition, the antibacterial activity of the compounds carried out by disc diffusion method revealed significantly enhanced antibacterial activity in Cu (II) ternary complexes compared to the activity of ligands in unbound form signifying the implicit role of metal ion in inducing lipophilic character.     

Meta-Modeling of Methylprednisolone Effects on Glucose Regulation in Rats

A retrospective meta-modeling analysis was performed to integrate previously reported data of glucocorticoid (GC) effects on glucose regulation following a single intramuscular dose (50 mg/kg), single intravenous doses (10, 50 mg/kg), and intravenous infusions (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 mg/kg/h) of methylprednisolone (MPL) in normal and adrenalectomized (ADX) male Wistar rats. A mechanistic pharmacodynamic (PD) model was developed based on the receptor/gene/protein-mediated GC effects on glucose regulation. Three major target organs (liver, white adipose tissue and skeletal muscle) together with some selected intermediate controlling factors were designated as important regulators involved in the pathogenesis of GC-induced glucose dysregulation. Assessed were dynamic changes of food intake and systemic factors (plasma glucose, insulin, free fatty acids (FFA) and leptin) and tissue-specific biomarkers (cAMP, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) mRNA and enzyme activity, leptin mRNA, interleukin 6 receptor type 1 (IL6R1) mRNA and Insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) mRNA) after acute and chronic dosing with MPL along with the GC receptor (GR) dynamics in each target organ. Upon binding to GR in liver, MPL dosing caused increased glucose production by stimulating hepatic cAMP and PEPCK activity. In adipose tissue, the rise in leptin mRNA and plasma leptin caused reduction of food intake, the exogenous source of glucose input. Down-regulation of IRS-1 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle inhibited the stimulatory effect of insulin on glucose utilization further contributing to hyperglycemia. The nuclear drug-receptor complex served as the driving force for stimulation or inhibition of downstream target gene expression within different tissues. Incorporating information such as receptor dynamics, as well as the gene and protein induction, allowed us to describe the receptor-mediated effects of MPL on glucose regulation in each important tissue. This advanced mechanistic model provides unique insights into the contributions of major tissues and quantitative hypotheses for the multi-factor control of a complex metabolic system.