Bisindole‐oxadiazole hybrids,T3P®‐mediated synthesis,and appraisal of their apoptotic,antimetastatic, and computational Bcl‐2 binding potential

In the pursuit of novel anticancer leads, new bisindole‐oxadiazoles were synthesized using propyl phosphonic anhydride as a mild and efficient reagent. The molecule, 3‐[5‐(1H‐indol‐3‐ylmethyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazol‐2‐yl]‐1H‐indole ( 3a ) exhibited selective cytotoxicity to MCF‐7 cells with a cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase. The mechanism of cytotoxicity of 3a involved caspase‐2‐dependent apoptotic pathway with characteristic apoptotic morphological alterations as observed in acridine orange/ethidium bromide and Hoechst staining. The wound healing migratory assay exhibited an intense impairment in the motility of MCF‐7 cells on incubation with 3a . Docking simulations with anti‐apoptotic protein Bcl‐2, which is also involved in cancer metastasis displayed good affinity and high binding energy of 3a into the well characterized BH3 binding site. The positive correlation between the Bcl‐2 binding studies and the results of in vitro investigations exemplifies compound 3a as a lead molecule exhibiting MCF‐7 differential cytotoxicity via apoptotic mode of cell death in addition to its anti‐metastatic activity.     

Molecular phylogeny of the nasuta subgroup of Drosophila based on 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and CoI mitochondrial genes, RAPD and ISSR polymorphisms

The nasuta subgroup is a cluster of morphologically almost similar forms with a wide range of geographic distribution. During the last three decades nature of inter-relationship among the members has been investigated at different levels of organization. The phylogenetic relationships of the members of the nasuta subgroup of the immigrans species group of Drosophila was made by employing Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), Inter Simple Sequence Repeats-PCR (ISSR-PCR) polymorphisms, mitochondrial 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and Cytochrome C Oxidase subunit I (CoI) gene sequences. The phylogenetic tree generated by RAPD analysis is in nearly complete congruence with the classification based on morphophenotypic characters. The 12S and 16S rRNA genes were highly conserved across the nasuta subgroup and revealed only 3 and 4 variable sites respectively, of which only one site was informative. The CoI gene, on the other hand, revealed 57 variable sites of which 25 sites were informative. All the three species of orbital sheen complex were included in a major cluster in the phylogenetic trees derived from mitochondrial gene sequence data consistent with the morphophenotypic classification. The CoI analysis placed two species of frontal sheen complex, D. n. nasuta and D. n. albomicans in two different clades and this is inconsistent with morphological classification. The molecular clock suggested that divergence between the kohkoa complex and the albomicans complex occurred approximately 2.2 MYA, indicating recent evolution of the nasuta subgroup. The higher transition bias in the mitochondrial genes reported in the present study also suggested recent evolution of the nasuta subgroup.     

Flowering of strict photoperiodic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nicotiana</Emphasis> varieties in non-inductive conditions by transgenic approaches

The genus Nicotiana contains species and varieties that respond differently to photoperiod for flowering time control as day-neutral, short-day and long-day plants. In classical photoperiodism studies, these varieties have been widely used to analyse the physiological nature for floral induction by day length. Since key regulators for flowering time control by day length have been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana by molecular genetic studies, it was intriguing to analyse how closely related plants in the Nicotiana genus with opposite photoperiodic requirements respond to certain flowering time regulators. SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1) and FRUITFULL (FUL) are two MADS box genes that are involved in the regulation of flowering time in Arabidopsis. SOC1 is a central flowering time pathway integrator, whereas the exact role of FUL for floral induction has not been established yet. The putative Nicotiana orthologs of SOC1 and FUL, NtSOC1 and NtFUL, were studied in day-neutral tobacco Nicotiana tabacum cv Hicks, in short-day tobacco N. tabacum cv Hicks Maryland Mammoth (MM) and long-day N. sylvestris plants. Both genes were similarly expressed under short- and long-day conditions in day-neutral and short-day tobaccos, but showed a different expression pattern in N. sylvestris. Overexpression of NtSOC1 and NtFUL caused flowering either in strict short-day (NtSOC1) or long-day (NtFUL) Nicotiana varieties under non-inductive photoperiods, indicating that these genes might be limiting for floral induction under non-inductive conditions in different Nicotiana varieties.     

Sortase A as a novel molecular "stapler" for sequence-specific protein conjugation

The Sortase family of transpeptidase enzymes catalyzes sequence-specific ligation of proteins to the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria. Here, we describe the application of recombinant Staphylococcus aureus Sortase A to attach a tagged model protein substrate (green fluorescent protein) to polystyrene beads chemically modified with either alkylamine or the in vivo Sortase A ligand, Gly-Gly-Gly, on their surfaces. Furthermore, we show that Sortase A can be used to sequence-specifically ligate eGFP to amino-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) and to generate protein oligomers and cyclized monomers using suitably tagged eGFP. We find that an alkylamine can substitute for the natural Gly3 substrate, which suggests the possibility of using the enzyme in materials applications. The highly specific and mild Sortase A-catalyzed reaction, based on small recognition tags unlikely to interfere with protein expression, thus represents a useful addition to the protein immobilization and modification tool kit.     

Efficient shape descriptors for feature extraction in 3D protein structures

Structural Genomics initiatives are generating an increasing number of protein structures with very limited biochemical characterization. Characterization of a protein's function and understanding the specific nature of a protein's binding is a critical part of both protein engineering and structure-based drug discovery. The accurate detection of binding site in these protein structures can be valuable in determining its function. As shape plays a crucial role in bimolecular recognition and function, the development of shape analysis techniques is important for understanding protein structure-function relationships. This paper describes the use of the continuous wavelet transforms (CWT) for characterizing shape features of 3D protein structures. The goal is to explore the CWT as a multiscale tool to generate rotation- and translation-invariant shape features.     

Model representation of the nonlinear step response in cardiac muscle

Motivated by the need for an analytical tool that can be used routinely to analyze data collected from isolated, detergent-skinned cardiac muscle fibers, we developed a mathematical model for representing the force response to step changes in muscle length (i.e., quick stretch and release). Our proposed model is reasonably simple, consisting of only five parameters representing: (1) the rate constant by which length change–induced distortion of elastic elements is dissipated; (2) the stiffness of the muscle fiber; (3) the amplitude of length-mediated recruitment of stiffness elements; (4) the rate constant by which this length-mediated recruitment takes place; and (5) the magnitude of the nonlinear interaction term by which distortion of elastic elements affects the number of recruited stiffness elements. Fitting this model to a family of force recordings representing responses to eight amplitudes of step length change (±2.0% baseline muscle length in 0.5% increments) enabled four things: (1) reproduction of all the identifiable features seen in a family of force responses to both positive and negative length changes; (2) close fitting of all records from the whole family of these responses with very little residual error; (3) estimation of all five model parameters with a great degree of certainty; and (4) importantly, ready discrimination between cardiac muscle fibers with different contractile regulatory proteins but showing only subtly different contractile function. We recommend this mathematical model as an analytic tool for routine use in studies of cardiac muscle fiber contractile function. Such model-based analysis gives novel insight to the contractile behavior of cardiac muscle fibers, and it is useful for characterizing the mechanistic effects that alterations of cardiac contractile proteins have on cardiac contractile function.     

Selective cell elimination during microsporogenesis in sedges

The underlying mechanisms responsible for elimination of three of the four meiotic products during microsporogenesis in sedges have remained obscure. Although programmed cell death (PCD) is known to be an integral part of plant development, several aspects, such as the enormous size difference between functional and eliminated cells, nuclear viability of the smaller cells targetted for elimination and the possible dangers of employing PCD-like mechanisms during gametophyte development point to a novel way of selective cell elimination associated with asymmetric division. This paper throws some light on the possible roles of cell plate dynamics and cell fate determinants in pseudomonad development. The rarity and significance of asymmetric division with morphogenetic consequences associated with meiosis are discussed in the context of generally prevalent, mitosis- associated asymmetric divisions during development. Received: 16 December 1999 / Revision accepted: 28 March 2000     

Harnessing the mesenchymal stem cell secretome for the treatment of cardiovascular disease

The broad repertoire of secreted trophic and immunomodulatory cytokines produced by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), generally referred to as the MSC secretome, has considerable potential for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, harnessing this MSC secretome for meaningful therapeutic outcomes is challenging due to the limited control of cytokine production following their transplantation. This review outlines the current understanding of the MSC secretome as a therapeutic for treatment of ischemic heart disease. We discuss ongoing investigative directions aimed at improving cellular activity and characterizing the secretome and its regulation in greater detail. Finally, we provide insights on and perspectives for future development of the MSC secretome as a therapeutic tool.