Analysis of intergenic spacer region length polymorphisms to investigate the halophilic archaeal diversity of stromatolites and microbial mats

Hamelin Pool in Western Australia is one of the two major sites in the world with active marine stromatolite formation. Surrounded by living smooth and pustular mats, these ancient laminated structures are associated with cyanobacterial communities. Recent studies have identified a wide diversity of bacteria and archaea in this habitat. By understanding and evaluating the microbial diversity of this environment we can obtain insights into the formation of early life on Earth, as stromatolites have been dated in the geological record as far back as 3.5 billion years. Automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) patterns were shown to be a useful method to genetically discriminate halophilic archaea within this environment. Patterns of known halophilic archaea are consistent, by replicate analysis, and the halophilic strains isolated from stromatolites have novel intergenic spacer profiles. ARISA–PCR, performed directly on extracted DNA from different sample sites, provided significant insights into the extent of previous unknown diversity of halophilic archaea within this environment. Cloning and sequence analysis of the spacer regions obtained from stromatolites confirmed the novel and broad diversity of halophilic archaea in this environment.     

Synthesis and characterization of cationic micelles self-assembled from a biodegradable copolymer for gene delivery

We have recently reported biodegradable cationic micelles self-assembled from an amphiphilic copolymer, poly{(N-methyldietheneamine sebacate)-co-[(cholesteryl oxocarbonylamido ethyl)methyl bis(ethylene)ammonium bromide]sebacate} (P(MDS-co-CES)), which were utilized to deliver a drug and nucleic acid simultaneously, and a synergistic effect was achieved. In this paper, synthesis and characterization of the polymer is presented in details, focusing on micelle formation and DNA binding under various conditions, cytotoxicity, in-vitro degradation, and gene transfection in various cell lines. The polymer was degradable and formed micelles at very low concentrations even in an environment with high salt concentration. These micelles fabricated at pH 4.6 had an average size of less than 82 nm and zeta potential of up to 84 +/- 5 mV, displaying strong DNA binding ability. They induced high gene expression efficiency in various cell lines, which was significantly greater than poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) especially in 4T1 mouse and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines, but they were less cytotoxic. These cationic micelles may provide a promising nonviral vector for gene delivery.     

MicroRNAs in systemic rheumatic diseases

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs about 21 nucleotides in length. miRNAs have been shown to regulate gene expression and thus influence a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. Moreover, they are detected in a variety of sources, including tissues, serum, and other body fluids, such as saliva. The role of miRNAs is evident in various malignant and nonmalignant diseases, and there is accumulating evidence also for an important role of miRNAs in systemic rheumatic diseases. Abnormal expression of miRNAs has been reported in autoimmune diseases, mainly in systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. miRNAs can be aberrantly expressed even in the different stages of disease progression, allowing miRNAs to be important biomarkers, to help understand the pathogenesis of the disease, and to monitor disease activity and effects of treatment. Different groups have demonstrated a link between miRNA expression and disease activity, as in the case of renal flares in lupus patients. Moreover, miRNAs are emerging as potential targets for new therapeutic strategies of autoimmune disorders. Taken together, recent data demonstrate that miRNAs can influence mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis, relapse, and specific organ involvement of autoimmune diseases. The ultimate goal is the identification of a miRNA target or targets that could be manipulated through specific therapies, aiming at activation or inhibition of specific miRNAs responsible for the development of disease.     

Frequent coexistence of anti-topoisomerase I and anti-U1RNP autoantibodies in African American patients associated with mild skin involvement: a retrospective clinical study

Introduction  

The presence of anti-topoisomerase I (topo I) antibodies is a classic scleroderma (SSc) marker presumably associated with a unique clinical subset. Here the clinical association of anti-topo I was reevaluated in unselected patients seen in a rheumatology clinic setting.     

Genetic variation of growth and tree quality traits among 42 diverse genetic origins of Tectona grandis planted under humid tropical conditions in Sabah, East Malaysia

Forty-two different genetic origins of teak (Tectona grandis) comprising 26 open-pollinated families from a clonal seed orchard (CSO) were planted in a replicated trial under 2,500 mm of annual rainfall and no distinct dry season, in 1997, in Sabah, East Malaysia. The trees were measured or scored for various traits at 13, 35, 49, 61, 72, 85, 96, and 106 months after planting. Mortality rate, height (H), diameter at breast height (DBH), volume (V), and fork height (FH) varied strongly among populations and origins. The best population means after 106 months for growth H (21.1 m), DBH (21.1 cm), and V (278 dm³) were for the CSO families. Narrow sense heritabilities for the CSO families increased gradually with age but remained lower after 106 months for DBH (h ² = 0.24) and V (h ² = 0.34) than for H (h ² = 0.51) and FH (h ² = 0.56). Overall, the CSO families were also straighter, less forked, and grew more vertically than the native provenance and seed-derived sources. Such differences did not exist for flowering ability, and at 106 months, the great majority of the trees of the various origins had not yet entered the flowering stage. Overall, at 106 months, the phenotypic correlations between the various quantitative and qualitative traits were weak, except between straightness and bending with values higher than 0.50. These findings confirm the usefulness of CSO for teak improvement and demonstrate the beneficial influence of wet tropical conditions on traits of major economical importance for this species.     

A nonerythropoietic peptide that mimics the 3D structure of erythropoietin reduces organ injury/dysfunction and inflammation in experimental hemorrhagic shock

Recent studies have shown that erythropoietin, critical for the differentiation and survival of erythrocytes, has cytoprotective effects in a wide variety of tissues, including the kidney and lung. However, erythropoietin has been shown to have a serious side effect-an increase in thrombovascular effects. We investigated whether pyroglutamate helix B-surface peptide (pHBSP), a nonerythropoietic tissue-protective peptide mimicking the 3D structure of erythropoietin, protects against the organ injury/ dysfunction and inflammation in rats subjected to severe hemorrhagic shock (HS). Mean arterial blood pressure was reduced to 35 ± 5 mmHg for 90 min followed by resuscitation with 20 mL/kg Ringer Lactate for 10 min and 50% of the shed blood for 50 min. Rats were euthanized 4 h after the onset of resuscitation. pHBSP was administered 30 min or 60 min into resuscitation. HS resulted in significant organ injury/dysfunction (renal, hepatic, pancreas, neuromuscular, lung) and inflammation (lung). In rats subjected to HS, pHBSP significantly attenuated (i) organ injury/dysfunction (renal, hepatic, pancreas, neuromuscular, lung) and inflammation (lung), (ii) increased the phosphorylation of Akt, glycogen synthase kinase-3β and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, (iii) attenuated the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and (iv) attenuated the increase in p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 phosphorylation. pHBSP protects against multiple organ injury/dysfunction and inflammation caused by severe hemorrhagic shock by a mechanism that may involve activation of Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3β and NF-κB.