Microbial hydroxylation of progesterone with Acremonium strictum

Microbial hydroxylation of progesterone occurred in the culture of Acremonium strictum PTCC 5282 to produce two hydroxylated pregnene-like steroids. The metabolites were purified and characterized using spectroscopic methods and identified as 15alpha-hydroxyprogesterone and 15alpha-hydroxydeoxycorticosterone.     

BIODEGRADABILITY OF HYDROCARBONS BY CYANOBACTERIA1

Five cyanobacterial species (Phormidium sp., Nostoc sp., Anabaena sp. Aphanothece conferta, and Synechocystis aquatilis) isolated from the Suez Canal coast at the city of Ismailia (Egypt) were tested for biodegradation of four hydrocarbon (HC) compounds: two aliphatic compounds (n‐octadecane and pristine) and two aromatic compounds (phenanthrene and dibenzothiophene). High degradation efficiencies for the two aliphatic compounds were measured for A. conferta (64% for n‐octadecane and 78% for pristine) and S. aquatilis (85% for n‐octadecane and 90% for pristane). However, the other biodegradation percentages ranged between weak and moderate percentages.     

A Dermal Gel Made of Rutilus Kutum Skin Collagen-Chitosan for Deep Burn Healing

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Natural compounds extracted from marine organisms consisting of biological active materials like collagen provide a major source of...     

Phylogenetic Analysis of Clinically Relevant Fusarium Species in Iran

Mycopathologia - Fungi of the genus Fusarium are well known as major plant pathogens but also cause a broad spectrum of human infections. Sixty-three clinical isolates, collected during...     

Coarser taxonomic resolutions are informative in revealing fish community abundance trends for the world’s warmest coral reefs

Coral Reefs - The Arabian Gulf is a natural laboratory to examine how subtropical coral reef ecosystems might change in responding to recurring heating events because of uniquely high water...     

Dynamic Alterations to α-Actinin Accompanying Sarcomere Disassembly and Reassembly during Cardiomyocyte Mitosis

Although mammals are thought to lose their capacity to regenerate heart muscle shortly after birth, embryonic and neonatal cardiomyocytes in mammals are hyperplastic. During proliferation these cells need to selectively disassemble their myofibrils for successful cytokinesis. The mechanism of sarcomere disassembly is, however, not understood. To study this, we performed a series of immunofluorescence studies of multiple sarcomeric proteins in proliferating neonatal rat ventricular myocytes and correlated these observations with biochemical changes at different cell cycle stages. During myocyte mitosis, α-actinin and titin were disassembled as early as prometaphase. α-actinin (representing the sarcomeric Z-disk) disassembly precedes that of titin (M-line), suggesting that titin disassembly occurs secondary to the collapse of the Z-disk. Sarcomere disassembly was concurrent with the dissolution of the nuclear envelope. Inhibitors of several intracellular proteases could not block the disassembly of α-actinin or titin. There was a dramatic increase in both cytosolic (soluble) and sarcomeric α-actinin during mitosis, and cytosolic α-actinin exhibited decreased phosphorylation compared to sarcomeric α-actinin. Inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) induced the quick reassembly of the sarcomere. Sarcomere dis- and re-assembly in cardiomyocyte mitosis is CDK1-dependent and features dynamic differential post-translational modifications of sarcomeric and cytosolic α-actinin.