Integrated Proteomics Identified Up-Regulated Focal Adhesion-Mediated Proteins in Human Squamous Cell Carcinoma in an Orthotopic Murine Model

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of oral carcinogenesis will yield important advances in diagnostics, prognostics, effective treatment, and outcome of oral cancer. Hence, in this study we have investigated the proteomic and peptidomic profiles by combining an orthotopic murine model of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), mass spectrometry-based proteomics and biological network analysis. Our results indicated the up-regulation of proteins involved in actin cytoskeleton organization and cell-cell junction assembly events and their expression was validated in human OSCC tissues. In addition, the functional relevance of talin-1 in OSCC adhesion, migration and invasion was demonstrated. Taken together, this study identified specific processes deregulated in oral cancer and provided novel refined OSCC-targeting molecules.     

Cultivable fungi present in deep-sea sediments of Antarctica: taxonomy,diversity, and bioprospecting of bioactive compounds

Extremophiles - We accessed the culturable mycobiota present in marine sediments at different depths in Antarctica Ocean. Acremonium fusidioides, Penicillium allii-sativi, Penicillium chrysogenum,...     

Structural analysis of ConBr reveals molecular correlation between the carbohydrate recognition domain and endothelial NO synthase activation

Diocleinae lectins are highly homologous in their primary structure which features metal binding sites and a carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD). Differences in the biological activity of legume lectins have been widely investigated using hemagglutination inhibition assays, isothermal titration microcalorimetry and co-crystallization with mono- and oligosaccharides. Here we report a new lectin crystal structure (ConBr) extracted from seeds of Canavalia brasiliensis, predict dimannoside binding by docking, identify the α-aminobutyric acid (Abu) binding pocket and compare the CRD of ConBr to that of homologous lectins. Based on the hypothesis that the carbohydrate affinity of lectins depends on CRD configuration, the relationship between tridimensional structure and endothelial NO synthase activation was used to clarify differences in biological activity. Our study established a correlation between the position of CRD amino acid side chains and the stimulation of NO release from endothelium.     

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in CAPN and leptin genes associated with meat color and tenderness in Nellore cattle

We analyzed single nucleotide polymorphisms in calpain, leptin, leptin receptor, and growth hormone receptor genes and their association with color, drip and cooking losses of longissimus muscle at 7, 14 and 21 days postmortem in 638 purebred Nellore bulls slaughtered between 22 and 26 months of age. Meat samples were vacuum-packed and aged at 4°C. The single nucleotide polymorphisms T945M, GHR2, E2FB, and CAPN4751 were evaluated. All genotypic classes were observed; however, the T/T genotype of T945M and E2FB was found at a low frequency. A significant association of E2FB with drip loss (a measure of water-holding capacity) was detected at seven days of meat aging. CAPN4751 had an additive effect on red and yellow color intensities. The T allele of CAPN4751 was found to be positively associated with improved meat color, but not with meat tenderness, differing from a previous report indicating that it is associated with meat tenderness. We conclude that the potential for use of CAPN4751 as a marker for these meat quality traits requires further research.     

Lipoxygenase activities of human platelets and their subcellular fractions: Comparison between lipoxygenase-deficient platelets and normal platelets

Lipoxygenase activities were estimated in washed platelets (intact platelets) and their subcellular fractions obtained from 7 patients with deficient platelet lipoxygenase activities and 9 normal subjects. From sonicated platelet preparations, 12,000 g supernatant (F-I), cytosol (F-II) and microsomal fractions (F-III) were prepared by differential centrifugation. When 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) produced by the incubation of arachidonic acid with intact platelets or each of their subcellular fractions from normal subjects was measured by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, the lipoxygenase activities of F-I, F-II and F-III were 87%, 31% and 17%, respectively, of the enzyme activity of intact platelets. One of the patients showed no detectable lipoxygenase activity in any preparation, while the other patients showed reduced enzyme activities in all preparations. The addition of CaCl2 significantly increased 12-HETE synthesis solely by F-I from these patients. In most of these patients, contrary to normal subjects, it appeared that the lipoxygenase activity was not fully expressed in intact platelets, since the F-I produced more 12-HETE than the intact platelets.     

Garden bird feeding predicts the structure of urban avian assemblages

Households across the developed world cumulatively spend many millions of dollars annually on feeding garden birds. While beneficial effects on avian assemblages are frequently claimed, the relationships between levels of garden bird feeding and local avian populations are unknown. Using data from a large UK city, we show that both avian species richness and abundance vary across different socioeconomic neighbourhood types. We examined whether patterns in bird feeding could explain this variation. The density of bird feeding stations across the urban environment was strongly positively related to avian abundance, after controlling for differences in habitat availability. This effect was almost exclusively driven by the abundance of those species known to utilize garden feeding stations frequently. In contrast, the density of feeding stations had no effect on avian species richness. We also examined variation in the proportion of households in different communities that provide food for birds, a factor that is not correlated with feeder density. The prevalence of bird feeding across different neighbourhoods declined as socioeconomic deprivation increased, and increased with avian species richness and abundance. Our results suggest that the provision of supplementary food for birds by multiple landowners across a city can impact the status of urban bird populations. The potential for harnessing these actions for conservation needs to be explored.     

Usefulness of autocidal gravid ovitraps for the surveillance and control of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in eastern Colombia

In the past decade, new strategies have been developed to control the Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquito vector, as well as a broad range of arboviral agents. Vector control surveillance programmes in Puerto Rico and Australia have implemented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention autocidal gravid ovitrap (AGO), which has had an impact on vector density and, consequently, the epidemiology of arboviral infections. Colombia intends to establish the AGO as a new tool for the surveillance and control of the A. aegypti vector. AGOs were evaluated in a hyperendemic area for dengue virus during an 8-week period in Villavicencio city, eastern Colombia. The results indicated that the AGOs detect a high density of A. aegypti, with positive results for these traps of over 80% and an average catch of six individuals per trap per week. Acceptance of AGOs in the community exceeded 95%, and adherence was around 89%. This study's results demonstrate, for the first time in Colombia, that traps are a useful tool for the surveillance of A. aegypti. Future studies must consider the implementation of AGOs in the region.