Mitochondria-targeted antioxidant mito-TEMPO alleviate oxidative stress induced by antimycin A in human mesenchymal stem cells

The cell therapy of damaged tissue, which is linked to hypoxia condition might fail, in large part due to the emergence of oxidative stress (OS) and/or mitochondrial dysfunctions. Thus, the invigoration of stem cells against oxidative stress could be a reliable strategy to improve the cell therapy outcome. Of various antioxidants, mito-Tempo (mito-T) is one of the potent antioxidants that could target and neutralize the mitochondrial oxidative stress. In this study, for the induction of hypoxia and oxidative stress in mitochondria of the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from human adipose tissue, antimycin A (AMA) was used and then several parameters were analyzed, including cell viability and cell cycle arrest of MSCs exposed to AMA, mito-T, antioxidant potential, redox homeostasis, and signaling pathways in MSCs under oxidative stress. Based on our findings, the treated MSCs were found to impose a high resistance to the OS-induced apoptosis, which correlated with the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway required to manage OS. Upon exposure of the MSCs to high oxidative stress conditions using AMA, the cells failed to scavenge. The use of mito-T was found to alleviate the damage induced by oxidative stress through both direct functions of the free radical scavenging and the interplay in terms of cell signaling pathways including the upregulation of the Nrf2 pathway. These findings may pave the way in the stem cell therapy for the hypoxia-mediated tissue damage.     

Melatonin,a calpain inhibitor in the central nervous system: Current status and future perspectives

Dysregulation of neuronal Ca²⁺ and oxidative stress plays an important role in the activation of cysteine proteases including calpains and caspases that contribute to neuronal death. In neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and neuropathic pain calpain activities are markedly increased. Melatonin is a beneficial supplement in the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant and works as a free-radical scavenger to regulate a large number of molecular pathways, including oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and cell death under different pathological conditions. However, limited studies have evaluated the inhibitory effect of melatonin on calpains. This review summarizes the current knowledge related to the effects of melatonin on calpains in some of the common CNS disorders.     

Protein regulation mechanism of cold tolerance in Haemaphysalis longicornis

Ticks are external parasitic arthropods that can transmit a variety of pathogens by sucking blood. Low-temperature tolerance is essential for ticks to survive during the cold winter. Exploring the protein regulation mechanism of low-temperature tolerance of Haemaphysalis longicornis could help to explain how ticks survive in winter. In this study, the quantitative proteomics of several tissues of H. longicornis exposed to low temperature were studied by data independent acquisition technology. Totals of 3 699, 3 422, and 1 958 proteins were identified in the salivary gland, midgut, and ovary, respectively. The proteins involved in energy metabolism, cell signal transduction, protein synthesis and repair, and cytoskeleton synthesis changed under low-temperature stress. The comprehensive analysis of the protein regulation of multiple tissues of female ticks exposed to low temperature showed that maintaining cell homeostasis, maintaining cell viability, and enhancing cell tolerance were the most important means for ticks to maintain vital signs under low temperature. The expression of proteins involved in and regulating the above cell activities was the key to the survival of ticks under low temperatures. Through the analysis of a large amount of data, we found that the expression levels of arylamine N-acetyltransferase, inositol polyphosphate multikinase, and dual-specificity phosphatase were up-regulated under low temperature. We speculated that they might have important significance in low-temperature tolerance. Then, we performed RNA interference on the mRNA of these 3 proteins, and the results showed that the ability of female ticks to tolerate low temperatures decreased significantly.     

Growth Performance,Hemato-Immunological Responses,and Digestive Enzyme Activities in Silvery-Black Porgy (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sparidentex hasta</Emphasis>) Fed Dietary Bovine Lactoferrin

An 8-week study was conducted to evaluate three different diets supplemented with bovine lactoferrin (LF) at 0 (control), 800, and 1200 mg LF kg^?1 diet on somatic growth, hemato-immunological parameters, antioxidant status, and digestive enzyme activities in silvery-black porgy (Sparidentex hasta) juveniles. Fish fed the 800 mg LF kg^?1 diet had higher growth performance and feed utilization parameters than the other groups. Hematological and liver antioxidant parameters were not affected by dietary LF supplementation. Fish fed the 800 mg LF kg^?1 diet had higher plasma lysozyme activity values than the other groups. Total protease activity was higher in fish fed LF-supplemented diets than the control group. Results indicated that diet supplemented with 800 mg kg^?1 for 8 weeks enhanced somatic growth performance, lysozyme activity, and proteolytic digestive enzyme activities in S. hasta, as well as improving feed efficiency parameters like the protein efficiency and feed conversion ratios.     

Role of Opioid Receptors on Food Choice and Macronutrient Selection in Meat-Type Chick

The present study was designed to examine the role of opioid receptors on food choice and macronutrient selection in neonatal chicks. In this study, 13 experiments designed, experiments 1–3 for effect of specific opioid receptors on appetite and experiments 4–13 on effect of opioid receptors on food choice and macronutrient selection in meat-type chick. In experiment 1, chicken intracerebroventricular (ICV) injected with 125, 250 and 500 pmol of DAMGO (µ-opioid receptor agonist). Experiment 2 was conducted to investigate the effect of DPDPE (δ-opioid receptor agonist) at doses of 20, 40 and 80 nmol. In experiment 3 ICV injection of the U-50488H (κ-opioid receptor agonist, of 10, 20 and 40 nmol) was done. In experiment 4, birds injected with saline and different diets: standard diet without fat, diet containing nutrient energy 20 % higher than standard, diet containing nutrient energy 20 % lower than standard and standard diet containing fat were offered to them to investigate desire of chicken to diets. Experiments 5–7 were similar to experiment 4, except, birds ICV injected with 125, 250 and 500 pmol of DAMGO. In experiments 8–10 chicken received ICV injection of DPDPE (20, 40 and 80 nmol). The experiments 11–13 was similar to previous experiments which birds injected with different doses of U-50488H (10, 20 and 40 nmol), respectively. Then the cumulative food intake measured until 180-min post injection. According to the results, ICV injection of DAMGO diminished food intake while DPDPE and U-50488H increased appetite (P < 0.05). Despite anorexigenic effect, ICV injection of DAMGO increased birds desire to eat fat containing standard diet compared to the standard diet without fat (P < 0.05). These findings suggest endogenous opioids governing preferences for fat rich foods.     

Exceptional ancient DNA preservation and fibre remains of a Sasanian saltmine sheep mummy in Chehrābād,Iran

Mummified remains have long attracted interest as a potential source of ancient DNA. However, mummification is a rare process that requires an anhydrous environment to rapidly dehydrate and preserve tissue before complete decomposition occurs. We present the whole-genome sequences (3.94 X) of an approximately 1600-year-old naturally mummified sheep recovered from Chehrābād, a salt mine in northwestern Iran. Comparative analyses of published ancient sequences revealed the remarkable DNA integrity of this mummy. Hallmarks of postmortem damage, fragmentation and hydrolytic deamination are substantially reduced, likely owing to the high salinity of this taphonomic environment. Metagenomic analyses reflect the profound influence of high-salt content on decomposition; its microbial profile is predominated by halophilic archaea and bacteria, possibly contributing to the remarkable preservation of the sample. Applying population genomic analyses, we find clustering of this sheep with Southwest Asian modern breeds, suggesting ancestry continuity. Genotyping of a locus influencing the woolly phenotype showed the presence of an ancestral ‘hairy’ allele, consistent with hair fibre imaging. This, along with derived alleles associated with the fat-tail phenotype, provides genetic evidence that Sasanian-period Iranians maintained specialized sheep flocks for different uses, with the ‘hairy’, ‘fat-tailed’-genotyped sheep likely kept by the rural community of Chehrābād''s miners.     

The effects of bicuculline and muscimol on glutamate-induced feeding behavior in broiler cockerels

This study was designed to examine the effects of intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of bicuculline (GABA_A receptor antagonist) and muscimol (GABA_A receptor agonist) on glutamate-induced eating response in 24-h food-deprived (FD24) broiler cockerels. At first, guide cannula was surgically implanted in the right lateral ventricle of chickens. In experiment 1, birds were ICV injected with different doses of glutamate. In experiment 2, birds were administered with effective dose of glutamate after bicuculline. In experiment 3, chickens received muscimol prior to the injection of glutamate, and cumulative food intake was determined at 3-h postinjection. The results of this study showed that glutamate decreases food consumption in FD24 broiler cockerels (P ≤ 0.05), and this reduction occurs in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of glutamate on food intake was significantly increased with bicuculline pretreatment, and this effect was attenuated with muscimol (P ≤ 0.05). These results suggest that there is an interaction between glutamatergic and GABAergic systems (through GABA_A receptor) on food intake in broiler cockerels.     

A robust universal method for extraction of genomic DNA from bacterial species

The intactness of DNA is the keystone of genome-based clinical investigations, where rapid molecular detection of life-threatening bacteria is largely dependent on the isolation of high-quality DNA. Various protocols have been so far developed for genomic DNA isolation from bacteria, most of which have been claimed to be reproducible with relatively good yields of high-quality DNA. Nonetheless, they are not fully applicable to various types of bacteria, their processing cost is relatively high, and some toxic reagents are used. The routine protocols for DNA extraction appear to be sensitive to species diversity, and may fail to produce high-quality DNA from different species. Such protocols remain time-consuming and tedious, thus to resolve some of these impediments, we report development of a very simple, rapid, and high-throughput protocol for extracting of high-quality DNA from different bacterial species. Based upon our protocol, interfering phenolic compounds were removed from extraction using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and RNA contamination was precipitated using LiCl. The UV spectrophotometry and gel electrophoresis analysis resulted in high A ₂₆₀/A ₂₈₀ ratio (>1.8) with high intactness of DNA. Subsequent evaluations were performed using some quality-dependent techniques (e.g., RAPD marker and restriction digestions). The isolated DNA from 9 different bacterial species confirmed the accuracy of this protocol which requires no enzymatic processing and accordingly its low-cost making it an appropriate method for large-scale DNA isolation from various bacterial species.