Chromium Status and Glucose Tolerance in Saudi Men With and Without Coronary Artery Disease

Chromium deficiency is associated with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and dyslipidemia. Hence, the objective of the current study was to investigate chromium status among Saudi men with and without established cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its relationship to glucose tolerance, lipid profile and other established CVD risk factors. We measured serum and urine chromium concentrations, fasted lipid profile, plasma glucose, and serum lipid peroxide in 130 Saudi men with an established history of myocardial infarction and 130 age-matched controls without established CVD. Patients with established CVD had higher serum triglycerides (p < 0.05) and plasma glucose (p < 0.0001) and lower serum and urinary chromium concentrations (p < 0.0001) than controls. Serum chromium was inversely correlated with plasma glucose among cases and controls (r = −0.189, p < 0.05 and r = −0.354, p < 0.00001, respectively). Plasma glucose (OR 1.127, CI 1.0–1.269, p < 0.05), serum chromium (OR 0.99, CI 0.985–0.995, p < 0.0001), and urinary chromium (OR 0.988, CI 0.981–0.995, p < 0.001) were independently associated with the presence of established coronary disease applying this model. While chromium metabolism appears to be altered in individuals with CVD, it is unclear whether chromium supplementation would be effective in CVD prevention among patients with IGT. This would need to be tested in long-term outcome trials.     

Microalgal lipids biochemistry and biotechnological perspectives

In the last few years, there has been an intense interest in using microalgal lipids in food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries and cosmetology, while a noteworthy research has been performed focusing on all aspects of microalgal lipid production. This includes basic research on the pathways of solar energy conversion and on lipid biosynthesis and catabolism, and applied research dealing with the various biological and technical bottlenecks of the lipid production process. In here, we review the current knowledge in microalgal lipids with respect to their metabolism and various biotechnological applications, and we discuss potential future perspectives.     

Modulation of the K(v)4.3 channel by syntaxin 1A

The SNARE protein syntaxin 1A (Syn1A) is known to inhibit delayed rectifier K(+) channels of the K(v)1 and K(v)2 families with heterogeneous effects on their gating properties. In this study, we explored whether Syn1A could directly modulate K(v)4.3, a rapidly inactivating K(v) channel with important roles in neuroendocrine cells and cardiac myocytes. Immunoprecipitation studies in HEK293 cells coexpressing Syn1A and K(v)4.3 revealed a direct interaction with increased trafficking to the plasma membrane without a change in channel synthesis. Paradoxically, Syn1A inhibited K(v)4.3 current density. In particular, Syn1A produced a left-shift in steady-state inactivation of K(v)4.3 without affecting either voltage dependence of activation or gating kinetics, a pattern distinct from other K(v) channels. Combined with our previous reports, our results further verify the notion that the mechanisms involved in Syn1A-K(v) interactions vary significantly between K(v) channels, thus providing a wide scope for Syn1A modulation of exocytosis and membrane excitability.     

Structure of the heme/hemoglobin outer membrane receptor ShuA from Shigella dysenteriae: Heme binding by an induced fit mechanism

Shigella dysentriae and other Gram‐negative human pathogens are able to use iron from heme bound to hemoglobin for growing. We solved at 2.6 Å resolution the 3D structure of the TonB‐dependent heme/hemoglobin outer membrane receptor ShuA from S. dysenteriae. ShuA binds to hemoglobin and transports heme across the outer membrane. The structure consists of a C‐terminal domain that folds into a 22‐stranded transmembrane β‐barrel, which is filled by the N‐terminal plug domain. One distal histidine ligand of heme is located at the apex of the plug, exposed to the solvent. His86 is situated 9.86 Å apart from His420, the second histidine involved in the heme binding. His420 is in the extracellular loop L7. The heme coordination by His86 and His420 involves conformational changes. The comparisons with the hemophore receptor HasR of Serratia marcescens bound to HasA‐Heme suggest an extracellular induced fit mechanism for the heme binding. The loop L7 contains hydrophobic residues which could interact with the hydrophobic porphyring ring of heme. The energy required for the transport by ShuA is derived from the proton motive force after interactions between the periplasmic N‐terminal TonB‐box of ShuA and the inner membrane protein, TonB. In ShuA, the TonB‐box is buried and cannot interact with TonB. The structural comparisons with HasR suggest its conformational change upon the heme binding for interacting with TonB. The signaling of the heme binding could involve a hydrogen bond network going from His86 to the TonB‐box. Proteins 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Distribution of soluble epoxide hydrolase and of cytochrome P450 2C8, 2C9, and 2J2 in human tissues.

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) hydrolyzes a wide variety of endogenous and exogenous epoxides. Many of these epoxides are believed to be formed by cytochrome P450 epoxygenases. Here we report the distribution of sEH and cytochrome P450 epoxygenases 2C8, 2C9, and 2J2 by immunohistochemistry. A large number of different tissues from different organs were evaluated using high-throughput tissue microarrays. sEH was found in the liver, kidney, and in many other organs, including adrenals, pancreatic islets, pituitary gland, lymphoid tissues, muscles, certain vascular smooth muscles, and epithelial cells in the skin, prostatic ducts, and the gastrointestinal tract. Immunolabeling for sEH was highly specific for particular tissues and individual cell types. CYP2C9 was also found in almost all of these organs and tissues, suggesting that 2C9 and sEH are very similar in their tissue-specific patterns of expression. CYP2C8 and 2J2 were also widely distributed in human tissues but were less frequently associated with sEH. The results suggest potentially distinct pathways of endogenous fatty acid epoxide production and hydrolysis in a variety of human tissues.     

Oxidative toxicity in diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease: mechanisms behind ROS/ RNS generation

Reactive oxidative species (ROS) toxicity remains an undisputed cause and link between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Patients with both AD and T2DM have damaged, oxidized DNA, RNA, protein and lipid products that can be used as possible disease progression markers. Although the oxidative stress has been anticipated as a main cause in promoting both AD and T2DM, multiple pathways could be involved in ROS production. The focus of this review is to summarize the mechanisms involved in ROS production and their possible association with AD and T2DM pathogenesis and progression. We have also highlighted the role of current treatments that can be linked with reduced oxidative stress and damage in AD and T2DM.     

A simple and rapid procedure for sequencing long (40-kb) DNA fragments

A simple procedure has been developed for sequencing long (40-kb) DNA fragments by the dideoxy method. The fragment is cloned in the sequencing cosmid pAA113X by in vitro packaging, and subdivided by a series of overlapping IS1-promoted deletions. The deletions are isolated by positive selection for galactose resistance. Plasmids from several thousand galactose-resistant colonies are fractionated on an agarose gel, and DNA from each fraction is restricted with enzymes (such as SphI and SalI) to shorten each deletion from the opposite end. As a result, a series of short overlapping segments, spread across the entire length of the fragment, are fused to IS1. The plasmids are extracted by a rapid method, arranged according to size, and used for supercoil sequencing with an IS1 primer. Sequences of IS1-promoted deletions contain extensive overlaps that are connected further by restriction enzyme-generated deletions to give the complete 40-kb sequence.     

Metagenomics analysis of the fecal microbiota in Ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) and Green pheasants (Phasianus versicolor) using next generation sequencing

Pheasant reintroduction and conservation efforts have been in place in Pakistan since the 1980 s, yet there is still a scarcity of data on pheasant microbiome and zoonosis. Instead of growing vast numbers of bacteria in the laboratory, to investigate the fecal microbiome, pheasants (green and ring neck pheasant) were analyzed using 16S rRNA metagenomics and using IonS5TMXL sequencing from two flocks more than 10 birds. Operational taxonomic unit (OTU) cluster analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis was performed using Mothur software against the SSUrRNA database of SILVA and the MUSCLE (Version 3.8.31) software. Results of the analysis showed that firmicutes were the most abundant phylum among the top ten phyla, in both pheasant species, followed by other phyla such as actinobacteria and proteobacteria in ring necked pheasant and bacteroidetes in green necked pheasant. Bacillus was the most relatively abundant genus in both pheasants followed by Oceanobacillus and Teribacillus for ring necked pheasant and Lactobacillus for green necked pheasant. Because of their well-known beneficial characteristics, these genus warrants special attention. Bird droppings comprise germs from the urinary system, gut, and reproductive sites, making it difficult to research each anatomical site at the same time. We conclude that metagenomic analysis and classification provides baseline information of the pheasant fecal microbiome that plays a role in disease and health.