Protein composition of liver cyst fluid from the BALB/c‐cpk/+ mouse model of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease

Cysts arising from hepatic bile ducts are a common extra‐renal pathology associated with polycystic kidney disease in humans. As an initial step in identifying active components that could contribute to disease progression, we have investigated the protein composition of hepatic cyst fluid in an orthologous animal model of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, heterozygous (BALB/c‐cpk/+) mice. Proteomic analysis of cyst fluid tryptic digests using LC‐MS/MS identified 303 proteins, many of which are consistent with enhanced inflammatory cell processes, cellular proliferation, and basal laminar fibrosis associated with the development of hepatic bile duct cysts. Protein identifications have been submitted to the PRIDE database ( http://www.ebi.ac.uk/pride ), accession number 9227.     

Treating the Onset of Diabetes Using Probiotics Along with Prebiotic from Pachyrhizus erosus in High-Fat Diet Fed Drosophila melanogaster

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - The increasing mortality due to hypertension and hypercholesterolemia is directly linked with type-2 diabetes. This shows the lethality of the disease....     

Ice Recrystallization Behavior of Corn Starch/Sucrose Solutions: Effects of Addition of Corn Starch and Antifreeze Protein III

Knowledge of the behavior of corn starch during frozen storage is necessary to understand more complex systems. In the present study, ice recrystallization in corn starch (0.3% and 3%, w/w)/sucrose (40%, w/w) solution was investigated at −10 °C based on the theory of Ostwald ripening. The addition of corn starch to the sucrose solution increased the ice recrystallization (IR) rate constant. To explore the mechanism causing higher IR rate constant, fluorescence microscopy was used to analyze the distribution of corn starch molecules. Fluorescence micrograph showed corn starch distributed homogenously in the freeze-concentrated phase. Ice crystal size distribution assessment showed that at the same average radius, the addition of corn starch increased the standard deviation of ice crystal size distribution. The findings revealed that the addition of corn starch widened the distribution of ice crystal size, which may be the mechanism causing higher IR rate constant. To inhibit the ice recrystallization process, antifreeze protein type III (AFP III) was added to sucrose solutions with and without corn starch. In the presence of corn starch, 0.01-mg/mL AFP III was enough to significantly reduce the IR rate. Conversely, the samples without corn starch did not show a significant reduction in IR rate constant at the same AFP III concentration. The outcomes revealed that corn starch enhanced the activity of AFP III. The results of this study showed that corn starch increased the IR rate constant, and AFP III supplemented with corn starch was synergistically more efficient in retarding IR rate constant.

     

Structures and interaction analyses of integrin αMβ2 cytoplasmic tails

Integrins are heterodimeric (α and β subunits) signal transducer proteins involved in cell adhesions and migrations. The cytosolic tails of integrins are essential for transmitting bidirectional signaling and also implicated in maintaining the resting states of the receptors. In addition, cytosolic tails of integrins often undergo post-translation modifications like phosphorylation. However, the consequences of phosphorylation on the structures and interactions are not clear. The leukocyte-specific integrin αMβ2 is essential for myeloid cell adhesion, phagocytosis, and degranulation. In this work, we determined solution structures of the myristoylated cytosolic tail of αM and a Ser phosphorylated variant in dodecylphosphocholine micelles by NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the interactions between non-phosphorylated and phosphorylated αM tails with β2 tail were investigated by NMR and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). The three-dimensional structures of the 24-residue cytosolic tail of αM or phosphorylated αM are characterized by an N-terminal amphipathic helix and a loop at the C terminus. The residues at the loop are involved in packing interactions with the hydrophobic face of the helix. 15N-1H heteronuclear single quantum coherence experiments identified residues of αM and β2 tails that may be involved in the formation of a tail-tail heterocomplex. We further examined interactions between myristoylated β2 tail in dodecylphosphocholine micelles with dansylated αM tail peptides by FRET. These studies revealed enhanced interactions between αM or phosphorylated αM tails with β2 tail with Kd values ～5.2±0.6 and ～4.4±0.7 μm, respectively. Docked structures of tail-tail complexes delineated that the αM/β2 interface at the cytosolic region could be sustained by a network of polar interactions, ionic interactions, and/or hydrogen bonds.     

Structure and putative function of dark- and light-adapted as well as UV-exposed eyes of the food store pest Psyllipsocus ramburi Sélys-longchamps (Insecta: Psocoptera: Psyllipsocidae)

The psocopteran Psyllipsocus ramburi Sélys-Longchamps can render food stuffs unpalatable and may serve as an intermediate host for cestodes. Its two circular compound eyes consist of about 26 facets, capped by strongly convexly curved corneae of 10-18 microm in diameter. Corneal nipples or interommatidial hairs are not developed. Beneath each corneal lens a cluster of four cone cells, enveloped by two primary pigment cells, separates an ommatidial group of eight retinula cells from the inner corneal surface. Membrane specializations of the retinula cells, known as the microvilli, measure 60 nm in diameter, and collectively make up the rhabdom, which is columnar in shape and has a distal diameter of 4 or 5 microm, depending on whether it is day- or night-adapted. Cone cell lengths measure 4.5 microm during the day and 8.5 microm at night and retinula cell screening pigments closely approach the edge of the rhabdom during the day. A 1-h exposure to UV-A (lambda(max)=351 nm) of ca. 1200 lx causes an almost total destruction of the photoreceptive membranes of the rhabdom and bleached all retinula cell screening pigments, but not the pigment grains of the primary pigment cells. Calculations, based on the anatomical data, suggest that the eyes are adapted to function under dim light levels, but cannot produce sharp images since their best possible acceptance angles are 22 degrees and 28 degrees in light- and dark-adapted states, respectively. Destruction of vision, likely affecting biorhythm and reproduction, by exposing the insects to UV-A may offer an alternative to the use of chemicals in controlling these insects.     

High Prevalence and Significant Association of ESBL and QNR Genes in Pathogenic Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates of Patients from Kolkata, India

Pathogenic Klebsiella pneumoniae, resistant to beta-lactam and quinolone drugs, is widely recognized as important bacteria causing array of diseases. The resistance property is obtained by acquisition of plasmid encoded bla_TEM, bla_SHV, bla_CTX-M, QNRA, QNRB and QNRS genes. The aim of this study was to document the prevalence and association of these resistant genes in K. pneumoniae infecting patients in India. Approximately 97 and 76.7 % of the 73 K. pneumoniae isolates showed resistance towards beta-lactam and quinolone drugs respectively. Bla genes were detected in 74 % of K. pneumoniae isolates; with prevalence in the following order: bla_TEM > bla_SHV > bla_CTXM. QNR genes were detected in 67 % samples. Chi-square analysis revealed significant association between presence of bla and qnr genes in our study (P value = 0.000125). Sequence analysis of some bla_TEM, bla_SHV, bla_CTX-M and QNRB PCR products revealed presence of bla_TEM1 (GenBank accession: {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"JN193522","term_id":"343796760","term_text":"JN193522"}}JN193522), bla_TEM116 ({"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"JN193523","term_id":"343796762","term_text":"JN193523"}}JN193523 and {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"JN193524","term_id":"343796764","term_text":"JN193524"}}JN193524), bla_SHV11, bla_CTXM72 variants ({"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"JF523199","term_id":"329024835","term_text":"JF523199"}}JF523199) and QNRB1 ({"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"JN193526","term_id":"343796802","term_text":"JN193526"}}JN193526 and {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"JN193527","term_id":"343796804","term_text":"JN193527"}}JN193527) in our samples.     

α-Gal immunization positively impacts Trypanosoma cruzi colonization of heart tissue in a mouse model

Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is considered endemic in more than 20 countries but lacks both an approved vaccine and limited treatment for its chronic stage. Chronic infection is most harmful to human health because of long-term parasitic infection of the heart. Here we show that immunization with a virus-like particle vaccine displaying a high density of the immunogenic α-Gal trisaccharide (Qβ-αGal) induced several beneficial effects concerning acute and chronic T. cruzi infection in α1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout mice. Approximately 60% of these animals were protected from initial infection with high parasite loads. Vaccinated animals also produced high anti-αGal IgG antibody titers, improved IFN-γ and IL-12 cytokine production, and controlled parasitemia in the acute phase at 8 days post-infection (dpi) for the Y strain and 22 dpi for the Colombian strain. In the chronic stage of infection (36 and 190 dpi, respectively), all of the vaccinated group survived, showing significantly decreased heart inflammation and clearance of amastigote nests from the heart tissue.     

Ultrastructural variation tune wing coloration of a moth Asota caricae Fabricius, 1775

Butterflies and moths develop highly ordered coloration in their wing for signal transmission. We have investigated the ultrastructural arrangement of wing coloration of a moth Asota caricae, applying light, optical polarized, and scanning electron microscopy, and spectrophotometry. The forewing of the moth is brown in color with a white spot at the center. The hindwing is golden yellow in color with many black patches in it. The ventral part of the forewing and dorsal hindwing share the similar color pattern. The ventral part of the hindwing has dull coloration in comparison to the dorsal one although the pattern remains same. The spectrometry analysis reveals various patterns of absorbance and reflectance spectra for various colors. The peak observed for various colors remain same although the intensity of peak changes. Bright colors possess highly ordered structures whereas irregular structures are found in dull colored scales. The color variation observed due to dorsal and ventral part of the wing is due to the minute difference observed in terms of ultrastructural arrangement revealed by scanning electron microscope. The color pattern of A. caricae is due to variation of microstructures present within the scale.