miR-615-5p is restrictedly expressed in cirrhotic and cancerous liver tissues and its overexpression alleviates the tumorigenic effects in hepatocellular carcinoma

microRNAs aberrant behavior in heptocellular carcinoma (HCC) plays a major role in HCC pathogenesis. miR-615-5p expression has never been evaluated in HCC. We showed that miR-615-5p was preferentially expressed in HCC, cirrhotic liver tissues and HCC cell lines, but undetected in normal livers. Forced miR-615-5p expression in HCC cell lines led to significant decrease in cell growth and migration. In-silico predication revealed insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) as a potential downstream target for miR-615-5p. Forcing the expression of miR-615-5p showed downregulation of IGF-II mRNA, as well as inhibition of the luciferase activity in a luciferase reporter vector harboring the IGF-II-3′UTR target sequence. miR-615-5p acts as tumor-suppressor in HCC through targeting IGF-II.     

Detection of the free-living forms of sulfide-oxidizing gill endosymbionts in the lucinid habitat (Thalassia testudinum environment)

Target DNA from the uncultivable Codakia orbicularis endosymbiont was PCR amplified from sea-grass sediment. To confirm that such amplifications originated from intact bacterial cells rather than free DNA, whole-cell hybridization (fluorescence in situ hybridization technique) with the specific probe Symco2 was performed along with experimental infection of aposymbiotic juveniles placed in contact with the same sediment. Taken together, the data demonstrate that the sulfide-oxidizing gill endosymbiont of Codakia orbicularis is present in the environment as a free-living uncultivable form.     

Purification of recombinant non-phosphorylating NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Streptococcus pyogenes expressed in E. coli

Streptococcus pyogenes gapN was cloned and expressed by functional complementation of the Escherichia gap mutant W3CG. The IPTG-induced NADP non-phosphorylating GAPDH (GAPN) has been purified about 75.4 fold from E. coli cells, using a procedure involving conventional ammonium sulfate fractionation, anion-exchange chromatography, hydrophobic chromatography and hydroxyapatite chromatography. The purified protein was characterised: it's an homotetrameric structure with a native molecular mass of 224 kDa, have an acid pI of 4.9 and optimum pH of 8.5. Studies on the effect of assay temperature on enzyme activity revealed an optimal value of about 60°C with activation energy of 51 KJ mole^–. The apparent K_m values for NADP and D-G3P or DL-G3P were estimated to be 0.385 ± 0.05 and 0.666 ± 0.1 mM, respectively and the V_max of the purified protein was estimated to be 162.5 U mg^–1. The S. pyogenes GAPN was markedly inhibited by sulfydryl-modifying reagent iodoacetamide, these results suggest the participation of essential sulfydryl groups in the catalytic activity.     

Production of protease by Bacillus subtilis grown on sardinelle heads and viscera flour

Fish flours from Sardinelle (Sardinella aurita) were prepared and tested for protease production by Bacillus subtilis. Protease synthesis was strongly induced when cells were grown in media containing only a combined head and viscera preparation. Sardinelle heads and viscera flour enhanced protease production up to 100% more than commercial peptones. The enhancement could have been due to a high lipid content, which might have contained nutritional factors acting as inducers, since defatting fish meal led to a decrease in protease production.     

Effect of dehydration on nitric oxide, corticotropic and vasopressinergic axis in rat

Effect of dehydration on nitric oxide, corticotropic and vasopressinergic axis in rat. The purpose of our work is to study, in the male 'Wistar' rat, the effects of a chronic dehydration, by deprivation of water for three days out of four, during four repeated cycles, on the evolution of certain blood variables, on the activities of both corticotropic and vasopressinergic axis and on the synthesis of nitric oxide. The chronic dehydration causes a considerable reduction of the body weight, an activation of the vasopressinergic axis and an increase in the circulating rates of the nitrates/nitrites, which represent the final metabolites of the reaction of oxidation of nitric oxide. The pituitary-adrenal axis is not statistically affected by the chronic dehydration. This seems to be in favour of a possible adaptation of corticotropic axis to chronic water deprivation. The activation of synthesis of nitric oxide shows its implication in the regulation of the water balance and its buffer effect on vasoconstriction and hypertension induced by water stress.     

Isolation and Characterization of Bacterial Strains with Inulinase Activity

Thirty-two bacterial strains growing on inulin as the sole carbon and energy source were isolated from soil samples by enrichment culture on a mineral medium. Twenty of the strains were identified as Flavobacterium multivorum. All the bacteria contained a β-fructosidase that was active on both inulin and sucrose. The enzyme activity was cell bound and was produced at the end of the growth phase. These enzymes have potential uses in the preparation of fructose syrups from inulin and invert sugar from sucrose.     

Bacteriophage Typing of Salmonellae. II. New Bacteriophage Typing Scheme

A phage-typing technique for salmonellae is described. One battery of phages was used to type three serotypes of Salmonella, namely, S. typhimurium, S.typhimurium var. copenhagen, and S. heidelberg. In all, 443 S. heidelberg cultures were typed into 22 phage types, 185 S. typhimurium cultures into 35 phage type, and 92 S. typhimurium var. copenhagen cultures into 26 phage types. The stability of the phage types was established by retyping 168 cultures belonging to all three serotypes. The epidemiological significance of the phage types demonstrated was evaluated by comparing phage types obtained from the University of Minnesota and those from the National Animal Disease Laboratory. Further investigation of the S. heidelberg phage types has shown that the cultures represented repeated isolates from the same birds or from a group of birds in the same flock.     

Effect of mannosylated derivatives on HIV-1 infection of macrophages and lymphocytes

We previously demonstrated that gpl20/160 (Env) of HIV-1 interactin a carbohydrate-specific manner with mannosyI/N-acetylglucosaminylderivatives and that HTV-1_LAI infection of monocytic U937 andlymphoid CEM cells was inhibited by CD4-free Concanavalin A-reactiveglyco-peptides from U937 cells. We report here that the naturalglycoproteins bovine fetuin and asialofetuin, human oroso-mucoidand a-fetoprotein, and mannan, which all specifically interactwith Env, inhibited infection of primary mac-rophages by macrophage-tropicHIV-1 strains, whereas dextran had no such effect This activitywas conserved if fetuin, asialofetuin, or orosomucoid were heat-treated,which rules out the role of their three-dimensional structure.Orosomucoid and mannan partially inhibited Env binding to macrophagesbut not to U937 or CEM cells. This indicates that Env does notbind in the same manner to primary macrophages and to immortalizedCD4⁺ cells, and that orosomucoid and mannan act at CD4-independentstages of virus binding to macrophages. Mannan also inhibitedEnv binding to surface glycopeptides obtained after trypsintreatment of macrophages. Furthermore, orosomucoid and fetuininteracted with, and they inhibited the binding of a V3 loopB clade consensus peptide to several macrophage membrane proteins,including two 36 and 42 kDa proteins. These data indicate thatthese glycoproteins interfere with post-binding events duringHIV-1 infection of primary macrophages. In contrast, the compoundsdid not affect infection of U937 or CEM cells by T-cell tropicHIV-1_LAI nor infection of peripheral blood lymphocytes by HIV-1_LAIor HIV-1_BA-L. Thus, carbohydrate-specific inhibition of HIVinfection depends on the cell type more than on the viral strain,and differences in the glycan structure of cell-type-specificcofactors may be important for HIV entry into cells. HIV macrophage lymphocyte inhibition glycoprotein     

Mowat-Wilson syndrome in a Moroccan consanguineous family

Mowat-Wilson syndrome is a mental retardation-multiple congenital anomaly syndrome characterized by a typical facies, developmental delay, epilepsy, and variable congenital malformations, including Hirschsprung disease, urogenital anomalies, congenital heart disease, and agenesis of the corpus callosum. This disorder is sporadic and is caused by heterozygous mutations or deletions of the ZFHX1B gene located in the 2q22 region. We report here the first Moroccan patient, born to consanguineous parents, with Mowat-Wilson syndrome, due to a de novo, unreported mutation of the ZFHX1B gene.     

RNA interference of carboxyesterases causes nymph mortality in the Asian citrus psyllid,Diaphorina citri

Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), is an important pest of citrus. In addition, D. citri is the vector of Huanglongbing, a destructive disease in citrus, also known as citrus greening disease caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. Huanglongbing causes huge losses for citrus industries. Insecticide application for D. citri is the major strategy to prevent disease spread. The heavy use of insecticides causes development of insecticide resistance. We used RNA interference (RNAi) to silence genes implicated in pesticide resistance in order to increase the susceptibility. The activity of dsRNA to reduce the expression of carboxyesterases including esterases FE4 (EstFE4) and acetylcholinesterases (AChe) in D. citri was investigated. The dsRNA was applied topically to the fourth and fifth instars of nymphs. We targeted several EstFE4 and AChe genes using dsRNA against a consensus sequence for each of them. Five concentrations (25, 50, 75, 100, 125 ng/μl) from both dsRNAs were used. The treatments with the dsRNA caused concentration dependent nymph mortality. The highest gene expression levels of both AChe and EstFE4 were found in the fourth and fifth nymphal instars. Gene expression analysis showed that AChe genes were downregulated in emerged adults from dsRNA‐AChe‐treated nymphs compared to controls. However, EstFE4 genes were not affected. In the same manner, treatment with dsRNA‐EstFE4 reduced expression level of EstFE4 genes in emerged adults from treated nymphs, but did not affect the expression of AChe genes. In the era of environmentally friendly control strategies, RNAi is a new promising venue to reduce pesticide applications.