ProADD: A database on Protein Aggregation Diseases

ProADD, a database for protein aggregation diseases, is developed to organize the data under a single platform to facilitate easy access for researchers. Diseases caused due to protein aggregation and the proteins involved in each of these diseases are integrated. The database helps in classification of proteins involved in the protein aggregation diseases based on sequence and structural analysis. Analysis of proteins can be done to mine patterns prevailing among the aggregating proteins.

Availability

http://bicmku.in/ProADD     

Salivary alpha amylase and salivary cortisol response to fluid consumption in exercising athletes

The objective of the study was to examine salivary biomarker response to fluid consumption in exercising athletes. Exercise induces stress on the body and salivary alpha amylase (sAA) and salivary cortisol are useful biomarkers for activity in the sympathoadrenal medullary system and the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis which are involved in the stress response. Fifteen college students were given 150 ml and 500 ml of water on different days and blinded to fluid condition. The exercise protocol was identical for both fluid conditions using absolute exercise intensities ranging from moderate to high. Saliva was collected prior to exercise, post moderate and post high intensities and analyzed by Salimetrics assays. Exercise was significant for sAA with values different between pre-exercise (85 ± 10 U · ml⁻¹) and high intensity (284 ± 30 U · ml⁻¹) as well as between moderate intensity (204 ± 32 U · ml⁻¹) and high intensity. There was no difference in sAA values between fluid conditions at either intensity. Exercise intensity and fluid condition were each significant for cortisol. Cortisol values were different between pre-exercise (0.30 ± 0.03 ug · dL⁻¹) and high intensity (0.45 ± 0.05 ug · dL⁻¹) as well as between moderate intensity (0.33 ± 0.04 ug · dL⁻¹) and high intensity. Moderate exercise intensity cortisol was lower in the 500 ml condition (0.33 ± 0.03 ug · dL⁻¹) compared with the 150 ml condition (0.38 ± 0.03 ug · dL⁻¹). This altered physiological response due to fluid consumption could influence sport performance and should be considered. In addition, future sport and exercise studies should control for fluid consumption.     

Reduction of liver macrophage transduction by pseudotyping lentiviral vectors with a fusion envelope from Autographa californica GP64 and Sendai virus F2 domain

Background  

Lentiviral vectors are well suited for gene therapy because they can mediate long-term expression in both dividing and nondividing cells. However, lentiviral vectors seem less suitable for liver gene therapy because systemically administered lentiviral vectors are preferentially sequestered by liver macrophages. This results in a reduction of available virus and might also increase the immune response to the vector and vector products.     

CD134 as target for specific drug delivery to auto-aggressive CD4<Superscript>+</Superscript>T cells in adjuvant arthritis

T cells have an important role during the development of autoimmune diseases. In adjuvant arthritis, a model for rheumatoid arthritis, we found that the percentage of CD4⁺ T cells expressing the activation marker CD134 (OX40 antigen) was elevated before disease onset. Moreover, these CD134⁺ T cells showed a specific proliferative response to the disease-associated epitope of mycobacterial heat shock protein 60, indicating that this subset contains auto-aggressive T cells. We studied the usefulness of CD134 as a molecular target for immune intervention in arthritis by using liposomes coated with a CD134-directed monoclonal antibody as a drug targeting system. Injection of anti-CD134 liposomes subcutaneously in the hind paws of pre-arthritic rats resulted in targeting of the majority of CD4⁺CD134⁺ T cells in the popliteal lymph nodes. Furthermore, we showed that anti-CD134 liposomes bound to activated T cells were not internalized. However, drug delivery by these liposomes could be established by loading anti-CD134 liposomes with the dipalmitate-derivatized cytostatic agent 5'-fluorodeoxyuridine. These liposomes specifically inhibited the proliferation of activated CD134⁺ T cells in vitro, and treatment with anti-CD134 liposomes containing 5'-fluorodeoxyuridine resulted in the amelioration of adjuvant arthritis. Thus, CD134 can be used as a marker for auto-aggressive CD4⁺ T cells early in arthritis, and specific liposomal targeting of drugs to these cells via CD134 can be employed to downregulate disease development.     

Amplification and chromosomal dispersion of human endogenous retroviral sequences.

Endogenous retroviral sequences in humans have undergone amplification events involving both viral and flanking cellular sequences. We cloned members of an amplified family of full-length endogenous retroviral sequences. Genomic blotting, employing a flanking cellular DNA probe derived from a member of this family, revealed a similar array of reactive bands in both humans and chimpanzees, indicating that an amplification event involving retroviral and associated cellular DNA sequences occurred before the evolutionary separation of these two primates. Southern analyses of restricted somatic cell hybrid DNA preparations suggested that endogenous retroviral segments are widely dispersed in the human genome and that amplification and dispersion events may be linked.     

Integrated R2 sequence in mitochondria of fertile B37N maize encodes and expresses a 130 kD polypeptide similar to that encoded by the S2 episome of S-type male sterile plants.

Expression of a 130 kDa protein from open reading frame 1 of the integrated form of the R2 mitochondrial plasmid in normal mitochondria of B37 and other inbred lines is described. The protein appears identical to that synthesized by the closely related S2 episome found in cytoplasmic male sterile maize of the S type. Protein was detected using antisera raised against a beta-galactosidase:ORF1 fusion product containing the most antigenic region of the ORF1 product. Detection of this protein is in contrast to previous reports that mitochondria of normal, male-fertile lines either do not contain this protein, or that there are 11 in-frame stop codons in the reading frame. The integrated R2 of B37N was cloned and this region sequenced, confirming that a continuous open reading frame existed. These results are discussed in relation to the possible role of the S-type episomes in causing cytoplasmic male sterility.     

The human chromogranin A gene: chromosome assignment and RFLP analysis.

Chromogranin A/secretory protein I (CgA) is a glycoprotein that is stored and released along with peptide hormones and neurotransmitters from several tissues, although its exact function is not known. A cDNA (gene symbol CHGA) clone was used as a probe in Southern blot analyses of human-rodent somatic cell hybrid DNAs. Discordancy analysis allowed confirmation of the assignment of the gene to chromosome 14. These results were extended using in situ chromosome hybridization, and a signal was found at 14q32. BglII digestion of genomic DNA from 28 unrelated Caucasian individuals probed with CHGA detected a two-allele RFLP with allelic frequencies of .34 and .66.     

RNA binding proteins of the large subunit of bovine mitochondrial ribosomes.

RNA binding properties of proteins from the large subunit of bovine mitochondrial ribosomes were studied using four different approaches: binding of radiolabeled RNA to western blotted proteins; disassembly of the intact 39 S ribosomal subunits with urea; binding of ribosomal proteins to RNA in the presence of urea; and binding of proteins extracted with lithium chloride to RNA. Results from these four approaches allowed us to identify a set of six proteins (L7, L13, L14, L21, L26, and L44) which appear to be strong RNA binding proteins. Seven additional proteins (L8, L11, L28, L35, L40, L49, and L50) were identified as secondary RNA binding proteins. RNA binding properties of the proteins in both of these sets were compared with the topographic disposition and susceptibility towards lithium chloride extraction of the individual proteins. Proteins from the first set are good candidates for early assembly proteins since they have a high affinity for RNA, are generally found in 4M lithium chloride core particles, and are among the most buried proteins in the 39 S subunit.