The expression of Terpenoid Indole Alkaloid (TIAs) pathway genes in Catharanthus roseus in response to salicylic acid treatment

Molecular Biology Reports - Vinblastine and vincristine are two important anti-cancer drugs that are synthesized by the Terpenoid Indole Alkaloids (TIAs) pathway in periwinkle (Catharanthus...     

Longtail tuna,Thunnus tonggol (Bleeker, 1851): a global review of population dynamics,ecology, fisheries,and considerations for future conservation and management

Longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol) is a neritic species that supports commercial, artisanal and recreational fisheries throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Historically receiving little attention by commercial fisheries, the global annual catch of longtail tuna has steadily risen from around 30,000 t in the early 1980s to exceeding 200,000 t since 2004, reaching a peak of 291,264 t in 2007, and was 281,613 t in 2017. Catches of longtail tuna in the Indian Ocean now exceed catches of principal commercial target species, such as albacore and bigeye tunas. A sequence of stock assessments undertaken throughout the species’ range since the late 1980s persistently indicated that at least three of the four stocks defined in this paper are likely to have been, and most likely are currently, subject to overfishing and overfished as a result of excess fishing effort on this relatively slow-growing and long-lived tuna species. As the spawning biomass of principal tuna target species continue to decline in both the Indian and western and central Pacific Oceans, the increasing catches of longtail tuna, other neritic tunas, and seerfishes is worrisome. Few conservation and management measures (CMMs) are currently in place specifically for longtail tuna, although in recent years some coastal States, Regional Fishery Bodies, and tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisations have begun to develop initiatives to improve the catch and biological data quality for longtail tuna and sympatric species of neritic tunas and tuna-like species. This paper provides a global review of biological, ecological and fishery information to provide researchers, fishery managers and policy makers with the most current information from which to begin to guide future stock assessment and the development of CMMs for longtail tuna.

     

Crystal structure of a Vip3B family insecticidal protein reveals a new fold and a unique tetrameric assembly

Vegetatively expressed insecticidal proteins (VIPs) produced by Bacillus thuringiensis fall into several classes of which the third, VIP3, is known for their activity against several key Lepidopteran pests of commercial broad acre crops and because their mode of action does not overlap with that of crystalline insecticidal proteins. The details of the VIP3 structure and mode of action have remained obscure for the quarter century that has passed since their discovery. In the present article, we report the first crystal structure of a full‐length VIP3 protein. Crystallization of this target required multiple rounds of construct optimization and screening—over 200 individual sequences were expressed and tested. This protein adopts a novel global fold that combines domains with hitherto unreported topology and containing elements seemingly borrowed from carbohydrate‐binding domains, lectins, or from other insecticidal proteins.     

Structural conservation of the myoviridae phage tail sheath protein fold

Bacteriophage phiKZ is a giant phage that infects Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a human pathogen. The phiKZ virion consists of a 1450?? diameter icosahedral head and a 2000??-long contractile tail. The structure of the whole virus was previously reported, showing that its tail organization in the extended state is similar to the well-studied Myovirus bacteriophage T4 tail. The crystal structure of a tail sheath protein fragment of phiKZ was determined to 2.4?? resolution. Furthermore, crystal structures of two prophage tail sheath proteins were determined to 1.9 and 3.3?? resolution. Despite low sequence identity between these proteins, all of these structures have a similar fold. The crystal structure of the phiKZ tail sheath protein has been fitted into cryo-electron-microscopy reconstructions of the extended tail sheath and of a polysheath. The structural rearrangement of the phiKZ tail sheath contraction was found to be similar to that of phage T4.     

The structural basis of cyclic diguanylate signal transduction by PilZ domains

The second messenger cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) controls the transition between motile and sessile growth in eubacteria, but little is known about the proteins that sense its concentration. Bioinformatics analyses suggested that PilZ domains bind c-di-GMP and allosterically modulate effector pathways. We have determined a 1.9 A crystal structure of c-di-GMP bound to VCA0042/PlzD, a PilZ domain-containing protein from Vibrio cholerae. Either this protein or another specific PilZ domain-containing protein is required for V. cholerae to efficiently infect mice. VCA0042/PlzD comprises a C-terminal PilZ domain plus an N-terminal domain with a similar beta-barrel fold. C-di-GMP contacts seven of the nine strongly conserved residues in the PilZ domain, including three in a seven-residue long N-terminal loop that undergoes a conformational switch as it wraps around c-di-GMP. This switch brings the PilZ domain into close apposition with the N-terminal domain, forming a new allosteric interaction surface that spans these domains and the c-di-GMP at their interface. The very small size of the N-terminal conformational switch is likely to explain the facile evolutionary diversification of the PilZ domain.     

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) expression in the brain tissue is induced by infusion of nerve growth factor into the mouse cisterna magnum: an in vivo study

In many cell types translation can be regulated by an expression of the translation initiation factor. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E, which binds to the 5′ cap structure of mRNA, plays an important role in translation regulation and it has been suggested that it is implicated in increased protein synthesis promoted by growth factors. In this study the effects of nerve growth factor (NGF) infusion into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on eIF4E expression and phosphorylation in mouse brain tissue have been investigated. We investigated NGF as it is one of the most important growth factors and it is an important factor in cerebral cortical development, stimulating neuronal precursor proliferation. eIF4E level is also increased in response to infusion of NGF into the CSF. The present study shows that eIF4E is phosphorylated in the brain tissues treated with NGF. It is concluded that NGF regulates protein synthesis in the nervous tissue by enhancing expression and phosphorylation of eIF4E.     

Oxysterol-induced osteoblastic differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells is mediated through a PKC- and PKA-dependent pathway

Oxysterols form a large family of oxygenated derivatives of cholesterol that are present in circulation, and in human and animal tissues. The discovery of osteoinductive molecules that can induce the lineage-specific differentiation of cells into osteoblastic cells and therefore enhance bone formation is crucial for better management of bone fractures and osteoporosis. We previously reported that specific oxysterols have potent osteoinductive properties and induce the osteoblastic differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells. In the present report we demonstrate that the induction of osteoblastic differentiation by oxysterols is mediated through a protein kinase C (PKC)- and protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent mechanism(s). Furthermore, oxysterol-induced-osteoblastic differentiation is marked by the prolonged DNA-binding activity of Runx2 in M2-10B4 bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) and C3H10T1/2 embryonic fibroblastic cells. This increased activity of Runx2 is almost completely inhibited by PKC inhibitors Bisindolylmaleimide and Rottlerin, and only minimally inhibited by PKA inihibitor H-89. PKC- and PKA-dependent mechanisms appear to also regulate other markers of osteoblastic differentiation including alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and osteocalcin mRNA expression in response to oxysterols. Finally, osteogenic oxysterols induce osteoblastic differentiation with BMP7 and BMP14 in a synergistic manner as demonstrated by the enhanced Runx2 DNA-binding activity, ALP activity, and osteocalcin mRNA expression. Since Runx2 is an indispensable factor that regulates the differentiation of osteoblastic cells and bone formation in vitro and in vivo, its increased activity in oxysterol-treated cells further validates the potential role of oxysterols in lineage-specific differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells and their potential therapeutic use as bone anabolic factors.     

Apolipoprotein B signal peptide polymorphism: distribution and influence on lipid parameters in Tunisian population

Apolipoprotein B (apo B) is the major protein component of LDL, VLDL and chylomicrons. Numerous polymorphisms of the apolipoprotein B gene have been described. Particularly, the insertion/deletion polymorphism located in the coding part of the signal peptide of apo B, associated with modification of lipid concentrations and the risk of cardiovascular disease, has been reported in the general population. No such study in the Tunisian population has been performed. The aim of our study was to assess the effect of insertion/deletion polymorphism of the apolipoprotein B gene on lipid levels in a sample of the Tunisian population. A total of 458 unrelated subjects (321 men and 137 women) were included. The insertion/deletion polymorphism was determined by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels after PCR amplification. The relative frequencies of the Ins and Del alleles were 0.74 and 0.26, respectively. These frequencies were similar to those found in other Caucasian populations. There was no significant difference in serum TC, TG, and HDL-C levels due to the influence of the genotypes. However, significant variation among the three genotypes was seen for LDL-cholesterol (p<0.001) and apo B (p<0.001) levels. Individuals homozygous for the Del allele had higher levels than individuals homozygous for the Ins allele, while individuals heterozygous for both alleles exhibited intermediate levels. When the data were analyzed in men and women separately, a similar effect was seen in both groups. Our results show that distribution of apo B insertion/deletion polymorphism in Tunisians is similar to other Caucasian population and confirm the reported association with serum LDL-cholesterol and apo B concentrations.     

The bending rod prosthesis: an experimental approach to metaphyseal hip arthroplasty]

The aim of our study was to develop a femoral component for total hip arthroplasty that would exclusively anchor in the metaphysis of the femoral neck. To forego trochanteric fixation, the load needs to be transferred to the metaphysis at as many points as possible. A computer simulation model suggested that an implant with a central cylinder and 16 rods aligned along a thread would be the preferable solution. To evaluate primary implantation stability, 14 fresh frozen cadaver femora were used. A special instrument set was developed to allow for centered implantation of the prosthesis without the need to dissect the greater trochanter. For our tests, we used two prototype implants: one made from titanium and the other from a CoCrMo alloy. For the measurement of micromotions at the medial proximal femur, sinusoid dynamic loading with a force between 300 N and 1700 N and a frequency of 1 Hz was employed. In a neutral position of 16 degrees adduction and 9 degrees antetorsion, the average micromotions measured were 119 microm. Despite these convincing in vitro results with regards to primary stability, circular cut-out of the implant, followed by aseptic osteonecrosis, loosening might still occur in a clinical situation. Animal experiments are therefore required to further evaluate this new implant design.