A role for Rab5 in structuring the endoplasmic reticulum

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a contiguous network of interconnected membrane sheets and tubules. The ER is differentiated into distinct domains, including the peripheral ER and nuclear envelope. Inhibition of two ER proteins, Rtn4a and DP1/NogoA, was previously shown to inhibit the formation of ER tubules in vitro. We show that the formation of ER tubules in vitro also requires a Rab family GTPase. Characterization of the 29 Caenorhabditis elegans Rab GTPases reveals that depletion of RAB-5 phenocopies the defects in peripheral ER structure that result from depletion of RET-1 and YOP-1, the C. elegans homologues of Rtn4a and DP1/NogoA. Perturbation of endocytosis by other means did not affect ER structure; the role of RAB-5 in ER morphology is thus independent of its well-studied requirement for endocytosis. RAB-5 and YOP-1/RET-1 also control the kinetics of nuclear envelope disassembly, which suggests an important role for the morphology of the peripheral ER in this process.     

Differential response of etiolated pea seedlings to inoculation with rhizobacteria capable of utilizing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate or L-methionine

The majority of soil microorganisms can derive ethylene from L-methionine (L-MET), while some rhizobacteria can hydrolyze 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) due to their ACC-deaminase activity. In this study, three strains having either ACC-deaminase activity (Pseudomonas putida biotype A, A7), or the ability to produce ethylene from L-MET (Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, M9) or both (Pseudomonas fluorescens, AM3) were used for inoculation. The highly ethylene specific bioassay of a classical "triple" response in pea seedlings was used to investigate the effect of the inoculation with the rhizobacteria in the presence of 10 mM ACC or L-MET. The exogenous application of ACC had a concentration-dependent effect on the etiolated pea seedlings in creating the classical "triple" response. The inoculation with P. putida diluted the effect of ACC, which was most likely due to its ACC-deaminase activity. Similarly, the application of Co2+ reduced the ACC-imposed effect on etiolated pea seedlings. In contrast, the inoculation of A. calcoaceticus or P. fluorescens in the presence of L-MET caused a stronger classical "triple" response in etiolated pea seedlings; most likely by producing ethylene from L-MET. This is the first study, to our knowledge, reporting on the comparative effect of rhizobacteria capable of utilizing ACC vs L-MET on etiolated pea seedlings.     

Biodegradation of α- and β-endosulfan by soil bacteria

Extensive applications of persistent organochlorine pesticides like endosulfan on cotton have led to the contamination of soil and water environments at several sites in Pakistan. Microbial degradation offers an effective approach to remove such toxicants from the environment. This study reports the isolation of highly efficient endosulfan degrading bacterial strains from soil. A total of 29 bacterial strains were isolated through enrichment technique from 15 specific sites using endosulfan as sole sulfur source. The strains differed substantially in their potential to degrade endosulfan in vitro ranging from 40 to 93% of the spiked amount (100 mg l⁻¹). During the initial 3 days of incubation, there was very little degradation but it got accelerated as the incubation period proceeded. Biodegradation of endosulfan by these bacteria also resulted in substantial decrease in pH of the broth from 8.2 to 3.7 within 14 days of incubation. The utilization of endosulfan was accompanied by increased optical densities (OD₅₉₅) of the broth ranging from 0.511 to 0.890. High performance liquid chromatography analyses revealed that endosulfan diol and endosulfan ether were among the products of endosulfan metabolism by these bacterial strains while endosulfan sulfate, a persistent and toxic metabolite of endosulfan, was not detected in any case. The presence of endosulfan diol and endosulfan ether in the bacterial metabolites was further confirmed by GC-MS. Abiotic degradation contributed up to 21% of the spiked amount. The three bacterial strains, Pseudomonas spinosa, P. aeruginosa, and Burkholderia cepacia, were the most efficient degraders of both α- and β-endosulfan as they consumed more than 90% of the spiked amount (100 mg l⁻¹) in the broth within 14 days of incubation. Maximum biodegradation by these three selected efficient bacterial strains was observed at an initial pH of 8.0 and at an incubation temperature of 30°C. The results of this study may imply that these bacterial strains could be employed for bioremediation of endosulfan polluted soil and water environments.     

Anillin and the septins promote asymmetric ingression of the cytokinetic furrow

During cytokinesis, constriction of a cortical contractile ring generates a furrow that partitions one cell into two. The contractile ring contains three filament systems: actin, bipolar myosin II filaments, and septins, GTP-binding hetero-oligomers that polymerize to form a membrane-associated lattice. The contractile ring also contains a potential filament crosslinker, Anillin, that binds all three filament types. Here, we show that the contractile ring possesses an intrinsic symmetry-breaking mechanism that promotes asymmetric furrowing. Asymmetric ingression requires Anillin and the septins, which promote the coalescence of components on one side of the contractile ring, but is insensitive to a 10-fold reduction in myosin II levels. When asymmetry is disrupted, cytokinesis becomes sensitive to partial inhibition of contractility. Thus, asymmetric furrow ingression, a prevalent but previously unexplored feature of cell division in metazoans, is generated by the action of two conserved furrow components and serves a mechanical function that makes cytokinesis robust.     

Upregulation of CD271 transcriptome in breast cancer promotes cell survival via NFκB pathway

Molecular Biology Reports - Biological treatment of many cancers currently targets membrane bound receptors located on a cell surface. We are in a great to need identify novel membrane proteins...     

Length‐weight and length‐length relationships of two tropical fish Secutor megalolepis (Mochizuki & Hayashi, 1989) and Rhabdamia gracilis (Bleeker, 1856) from Sabah,Malaysia

Length‐weight relationships (LWRs) and length‐length relationships (LLRs) for two tropical fish species from Marudu Bay, Sabah were studied. Specimens were caught with the traditional ‘Bagan net’ fishing gear from October 2012 to September 2013, using the light trap method. The maximum total length for Rhabdamia gracilis (7.4 cm) reported in this study is a new record for this species. No information regarding length‐weight relationships was reported previously in FishBase for either Secutor megalolepis or Rhabdamia gracilis.     

Microwave induced pyrolysis of oil palm biomass

The purpose of this paper was to carry out microwave induced pyrolysis of oil palm biomass (shell and fibers) with the help of char as microwave absorber (MA). Rapid heating and yield of microwave pyrolysis products such as bio-oil, char, and gas was found to depend on the ratio of biomass to microwave absorber. Temperature profiles revealed the heating characteristics of the biomass materials which can rapidly heat-up to high temperature within seconds in presence of MA. Some characterization of pyrolysis products was also presented. The advantage of this technique includes substantial reduction in consumption of energy, time and cost in order to produce bio-oil from biomass materials. Large biomass particle size can be used directly in microwave heating, thus saving grinding as well as moisture removal cost. A synergistic effect was found in using MA with oil palm biomass.     

The spread of HIV in Pakistan: bridging of the epidemic between populations

In the last two decades, 'concentrated epidemics' of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have established in several high risk groups in Pakistan, including Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) and among men who have sex with men (MSM). To explore the transmission patterns of HIV infection in these major high-risk groups of Pakistan, 76 HIV samples were analyzed from MSM, their female spouses and children, along with 26 samples from a previously studied cohort of IDUs. Phylogenetic analysis of HIV gag gene sequences obtained from these samples indicated a substantial degree of intermixing between the IDU and MSM populations, suggesting a bridging of HIV infection from IDUs, via MSM, to the MSM spouses and children. HIV epidemic in Pakistan is now spreading to the female spouses and offspring of bisexual MSM. HIV control and awareness programs must be refocused to include IDUs, MSM, as well as bisexual MSM, and their spouses and children.