Allyl isothiocyanate attenuates oxidative stress and inflammation by modulating Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB pathways in traumatic brain injury in mice

Molecular Biology Reports - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in young adults and children in the industrialized countries; however, there are presently...     

Optimization of expression of hepatitis B surface antigen gene in yeasts

A series of recombinant plasmids has been constructed for expression of the hepatitis B viral surface antigen gene (HBsAg) under the control of the regulatory elements of the yeast acidic phosphatase gene (PHO5). The obtained plasmids possess the high mitotic and structural stability in the transformant yeast cells. The effect of different structural modifications of the vector on the level of HBsAg synthesis in yeasts has been studied. Optimal construction devoid of the bacterial DNA sequences and pre-S region has been selected.     

Cloning of segments of the Drosophila melanogaster genome using artificial chromosomes of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae]

A partial genomic library from the Batumi L stock of Drosophila melanogaster was constructed using yeast artificial chromosomes as vectors. The DNA was restricted by Not1 and large fragments were inserted into the YAC5 vector. The size of cloned DNA varied from 90 to 500 kb. 48 random clones were characterized by in situ hybridization to the Batumi L polytene salivary gland chromosome. Single euchromatic sites of hybridization were detected for 27 clones; 11 clones revealed the main euchromatic hybridization site and several additional sites scattered along the chromosomes; 8 clones carried repeats which hybridized to chromocenter and other chromosomal sites; clones with 500 and 90 kb inserts originated from the Y chromosomes and nucleolus, respectively. The library is enriched by the repeated sequences related to the b-heterochromatin.     

Novel member of the CD209 (DC-SIGN) gene family in primates

Two CD209 family genes identified in humans, CD209 (DC-SIGN) and CD209L (DC-SIGNR/L-SIGN), encode C-type lectins that serve as adhesion receptors for ICAM-2 and ICAM-3 and participate in the transmission of human and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV, respectively) to target cells in vitro. Here we characterize the CD209 gene family in nonhuman primates and show that recent evolutionary alterations have occurred in this family across primate species. All of the primate species tested, specifically, Old World monkeys (OWM) and apes, have orthologues of human CD209. In contrast, CD209L is missing in OWM but present in apes. A third family member, that we have named CD209L2, was cloned from rhesus monkey cDNA and subsequently identified in OWM and apes but not in humans. Rhesus CD209L2 mRNA was prominently expressed in the liver and axillary lymph nodes, although preliminary data suggest that levels of expression may vary among individuals. Despite a high level of sequence similarity to both human and rhesus CD209, rhesus CD209L2 was substantially less effective at binding ICAM-3 and poorly transmitted HIV type 1 and SIV to target cells relative to CD209. Our data suggest that the CD209 gene family has undergone recent evolutionary processes involving duplications and deletions, the latter of which may be tolerated because of potentially redundant functional activities of the molecules encoded by these genes.     

Parkinson's disease candidate gene prioritization based on expression profile of midbrain dopaminergic neurons

Background  

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. The pathological hallmark of the disease is degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Genetic association studies have linked 13 human chromosomal loci to Parkinson's disease. Identification of gene(s), as part of the etiology of Parkinson's disease, within the large number of genes residing in these loci can be achieved through several approaches, including screening methods, and considering appropriate criteria. Since several of the indentified Parkinson's disease genes are expressed in substantia nigra pars compact of the midbrain, expression within the neurons of this area could be a suitable criterion to limit the number of candidates and identify PD genes.     

Brain-Stimulation Induced Blindsight: Unconscious Vision or Response Bias?

A dissociation between visual awareness and visual discrimination is referred to as “blindsight”. Blindsight results from loss of function of the primary visual cortex (V1) which can occur due to cerebrovascular accidents (i.e. stroke-related lesions). There are also numerous reports of similar, though reversible, effects on vision induced by transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to early visual cortex. These effects point to V1 as the “gate” of visual awareness and have strong implications for understanding the neurological underpinnings of consciousness. It has been argued that evidence for the dissociation between awareness of, and responses to, visual stimuli can be a measurement artifact of the use of a high response criterion under yes-no measures of visual awareness when compared with the criterion free forced-choice responses. This difference between yes-no and forced-choice measures suggests that evidence for a dissociation may actually be normal near-threshold conscious vision. Here we describe three experiments that tested visual performance in normal subjects when their visual awareness was suppressed by applying TMS to the occipital pole. The nature of subjects’ performance whilst undergoing occipital TMS was then verified by use of a psychophysical measure (d'') that is independent of response criteria. This showed that there was no genuine dissociation in visual sensitivity measured by yes-no and forced-choice responses. These results highlight that evidence for visual sensitivity in the absence of awareness must be analysed using a bias-free psychophysical measure, such as d'', In order to confirm whether or not visual performance is truly unconscious.