Parasitic fungi from the province of Manisa

This paper is a study of the parasitic fungi of Manisa. 32 species of parasitic fungi have been discovered of which 2 species are new for the Turkish parasitic fungal flora. Also, new hosts for 13 of these species are reported in Turkey for the first time.     

Control of cell volume in the J774 macrophage by microtubule disassembly and cyclic AMP

We have explored the possibilities that cell volume is regulated by the status of microtubule assembly and cyclic AMP metabolism and may be coordinated with shape change. Treatment of J774.2 mouse macrophages with colchicine caused rapid microtubule disassembly and was associated with a striking increase (from 15-20 to more than 90 percent) in the proportion of cells with a large protuberance at one pole. This provided a simple experimental system in which shape changes occurred in virtually an entire cell population in suspension. Parallel changes in cell volume could then be quantified by isotope dilution techniques. We found that the shape change caused by colchicine was accompanied by a decrease in cell volume of approximately 20 percent. Nocodozole, but not lumicolchicine, caused identical changes in both cell shape and cell volume. The volume loss was not due to cell lysis nor to inhibition of pinocytosis. The mechanism of volume loss was also examined. Colchicine induced a small but reproducible increase in activity of the ouabain-sensitive Na(+), K(+)-dependent ATPase. However, inhibition of this enzyme/transport system by ouabain did not change cell volume nor did it block the colchicines-induced decrease in volume. One the other hand, SITS (4’acetamido, 4-isothiocyano 2,2’ disulfonic acid stilbene), an inhibitor of anion transport, inhibited the effects of colchicines, thus suggesting a role for an anion transport system in cell volume regulation. Because colchicine is known to activate adenylate cyclase in several systems and because cell shape changes are often induced by hormones that elevate cyclic AMP, we also examined the effects of cyclic AMP on cell volume. Agents that act to increase syclic AMP (cholera toxin, which activates adenylate cyclase; IBMX, and inhibitor of phosphodiesterase; and dibutyryl cyclic AMP) all caused a volume decrease comparable to that of colchicine. To define the effective metabolic pathway, we studied two mutants of J774.2, one deficient in adenylate cyclase and the other exhibiting markedly reduced activity of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Cholera toxin did not produce a volume change in either mutant. Cyclic AMP produced a decrease in the cyclase-deficient line comparable to that in wild type, but did not cause a volume change in the kinase- deficient line. This analysis established separate roles for cyclic AMP and colchicine. The volume decrease induced by cyclic AMP requires the action of a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Colchicine, on the other hand, induced a comparable volume change in both mutants and wild type, and thus does not require the kinase.     

Cell surface component(s) involved in rat hepatocyte intercellular adhesion

Aggregation of rat hepatocytes was effectively inhibited by monovalent antibodies (Fab fragments) directed against hepatocyte plasma membranes, but monovalent antibodies against some distinct, known hepatocyte surface antigens had no effect. Surface antigens, which neutralized the Fab inhibiting effect on cell aggregation, could be solubilized from plasma membranes by limited proteolytic digestion. Thus, hepatocyte intercellular adhesion seems to involve specific cell surface components, which may be proteins or protein derivatives.     

The Ultrastructure of the Fungus Trichoderma viride and Investigation of its Growth on Cellulose

Changes in the ultrastructure of Trichoderma viride during growth in shake cultures on cellobiose and cellulose fibres were examined. Electron micrographs of thin sections of germinating conidia, septate hyphae with ascomycete pores and other cell organelles are presented. Extensive autolysis of hyphae was observed after growth for 20 h on cellobiose. The fungus grew in the lumina and within the walls of cellulose fibres. The hyphae followed the directions of the laminar structure but did not grow across them. The observations indicated that the hyphae penetrated the fibres by causing cracks and by dissolving enzymatically the cellulose.     

Biotization of Arabidopsis thaliana with Pseudomonas putida and assessment of its positive effect on in vitro growth

Determination of the optimal inoculation method and concentration to use for plant-bacteria interaction studies is important in many cases, such as the phytoremediation of heavy metals and other toxic compounds in contaminated areas. The aim of this study was to compare different concentrations and times of inoculation of Pseudomonas putida with various growth stages of Arabidopsis thaliana in 14-d in vitro cultures. A significant beneficial impact of the bacterium was detected in the shoot length and root weight of seedlings. The highest shoot length and root fresh and dry weights were detected in 14-d and 2 × 10³ cfu mL⁻¹ inoculated samples. In addition, the increase in root weight could be visualized with crystal violet staining, as relatively more root hair and lateral root formation occurred in seedlings inoculated with moderate concentrations of bacteria, possibly due to the ability of P. putida to produce indole-acetic acid. Moreover, the highest photosynthetic pigment accumulation was obtained with the highest bacterial inoculum (2 × 10⁶ cfu mL⁻¹), which was tested in 0- or 3-d-old seedlings. Rhizospheric bacterial colonization was also visualized with GFP-labeled bacteria by confocal microscopy. These results showed that biotization of A. thaliana with P. putida KT2440 did not cause severe oxidative stress in seedlings, because H₂O₂ accumulation levels together with CAT and POX activities were not significantly induced. Therefore, this strain could be used for several applications based on plant-bacteria interactions.

     

Identification of copy number variants in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a study from Turkey

Molecular Biology Reports - Copy number variants (CNVs) play a key role in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Therefore, recent guidelines recommend chromosomal microarrays (CMAs) as...     

Debio-0932, a second generation oral Hsp90 inhibitor,induces apoptosis in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines

Molecular Biology Reports - Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a key chaperone that is abnormally expressed in cancer cells, and therefore, designing novel compounds to inhibit chaperone activities...     

Determination of acid α-naphthyl acetate esterase enzyme activity in peripheral blood leukocytes of gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa)

We examined gazelle peripheral blood leucocytes using the α-Naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE) staining technique (pH 5.8). Our purpose was to determine the percentage of ANAE positive lymphocytes. The proportion of ANAE positive T-lymphocytes was 72%. T-lymphocytes showed an ANAE positive reaction, but eosinophilic granulocytes and monocytes also showed a positive reaction. By contrast, no reaction was detected in B-lymphocytes, neutrophil granulocytes or platelets. The reaction observed in T-lymphocytes was a red-brown coloration, usually 1–2 granules, but enough granules to fill the cytoplasm were detected rarely. As a result of ANAE enzyme staining, we concluded that the staining technique can be used as a cytochemical marker for gazelle T-lymphocytes.     

Effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on angiogenesis,apoptosis and oxidatıve stress ın various cancer cell lines

ABSTRACT

Cancer is a common cause of death worldwide. Approximately 80% of cancer patients use complementary or alternative medicines for treatment. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), the main active component of propolis, exhibits cytotoxic, antiproliferative and anti-cancer effects. Despite its anticancer effects CAPE exhibits no known harmful effects toward normal cells. We investigated the effects of CAPE on angiogenesis, apoptosis and oxidative stress using MDA MB-231, N2a and COLO 320 cell lines and CAPE treatments at 24 and 48 h. A two dimensional cell culture system was used and the findings were evaluated by an indirect immunohistochemical method and H-scores were calculated. CAPE was effective for all three cancer cell lines. After 24 and 48 h, we found a significant decrease in live cells and increased stress in the cells based on e-NOS and i-NOS levels.