Characterization of mealy substance secreted by the tuber crops pest mealy bug,Rhizoecus amoprhophalli

Rhizoecus amorphophalli is a polyphagous and very serious sucking insect pest on the root and tuber of plants. White powdery mealy substance associated with R. amorphophalli, gives protection to the insect. Mealy substance was isolated using a stereo zoom binocular microscope. Purity of the mealy substance was analysed using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Thin-layer chromatography. The structure of mealy substance was determined based on extensive spectroscopic analyses (FTIR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR). Based on the NMR data, the mealy substance was identified as a long-chained aliphatic hydrocarbon (ester) containing 30 carbon atoms.     

Application of simple fed-batch technique to high-level secretory production of insulin precursor using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis> with subsequent purification and conversion to human insulin

Background  

The prevalence of diabetes is predicted to rise significantly in the coming decades. A recent analysis projects that by the year 2030 there will be ~366 million diabetics around the world, leading to an increased demand for inexpensive insulin to make this life-saving drug also affordable for resource poor countries.     

Modification of immune response by glycine in animals

Glycine (50, 100 and 300 mg/kg), administered daily for 10 days in rabbits challenged with typhoid 'H' antigen and sheep erythrocyte antigen, caused dose- dependent reduction of antibody titre. Inhibition of antibody titre observed with 300 mg/kg was comparable to immunosuppression observed with 1 mg/kg betamethasone.     

Isolation and Characterization of a Barley Chitinase Genomic Clone—Expression in Powdery Mildew Infected Barley

Chitinases (E.C.3.2.1.14) are thought to play an important role in the defense of plants against fungal invasion. By screening a barley genomic library with a previously identified chitinase eDNA clone (clone 10), a genomic clone was isolated and characterized by DNA sequencing of the chitinase coding region and flanking sequences. This clone contains an open reading frame capable of coding for a 34 kD chitinase. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of the encoded protein with other barley chitinases suggests that the genomic clone encodes chitinase T, which has been characterized extensively by protein sequencing. Treatment of barley leaves and aleurone protoplasts with N-acetyl glucosamine oligomers which act as elicitors in other plants, did not lead to the elevation of the levels of the chitinases. However, infection of barley seedlings with the powdery mildew fungus, Erysiphe graminis, resulted in the induction of several isoforms of chitinase. The level and number of chitinase isozymes was correlated with the severity of infection. The infection-related chitinases found in barley leaves are different from those found in seeds.     

Impaired Epstein-Barr Virus-Specific Neutralizing Antibody Response during Acute Infectious Mononucleosis Is Coincident with Global B-Cell Dysfunction

Here we present evidence for previously unappreciated B-cell immune dysregulation during acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated infectious mononucleosis (IM). Longitudinal analyses revealed that patients with acute IM have undetectable EBV-specific neutralizing antibodies and gp350-specific B-cell responses, which were associated with a significant reduction in memory B cells and no evidence of circulating antibody-secreting cells. These observations correlate with dysregulation of tumor necrosis factor family members BAFF and APRIL and increased expression of FAS on circulating B cells.     

Simultaneous detection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 and Hepatitis B virus infections using a dual-label time-resolved fluorometric assay

A highly specific and novel dual-label time-resolved immunofluorometric assay was developed exploiting the unique emission wavelengths of the intrinsically fluorescent terbium (Tb³⁺) and europium (Eu³⁺) tracers for the simultaneous detection of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, respectively. HIV-1 infection was detected using a double antigen sandwich format wherein anti-HIV-1 antibodies were captured using an in vivo biotinylated version of a chimeric HIV-1 antigen and revealed using the same antigen labeled with Tb³⁺ chelate. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), which served as the marker of HBV infection, was detected in a double antibody sandwich using two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), one chemically biotinylated to capture, and the other labeled with Eu³⁺ nanoparticles, to reveal. The performance of the assay was evaluated using a collection (n = 60) of in-house and commercially available human sera panels. This evaluation showed the dual-label assay to possess high degrees of specificity and sensitivity, comparable to those of commercially available, single analyte-specific kits for the detection of HBsAg antigen and anti-HIV antibodies. This work demonstrates the feasibility of developing a potentially time- and resource-saving multiplex assay for screening serum samples for multiple infections in a blood bank setting.