Caveolin-1 polymorphisms in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea

Objective: To investigate the associations of G14713A and T29107A polymorphic variants of Caveolin-1 with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Materials and methods: This study was performed on 86 severe OSA patients and 86 controls. Genotyping was performed to investigate the association of G14713A and T29107A polymorphisms of Caveolin-1 with severe OSA.

Results: The distribution of genotypes of T29107A was significantly different between controls and OSA patients with a higher proportion of TT carriers in the OSA group.

Conclusion: T29107A-specific genotype of Caveolin-1 may be linked with severe OSA pathogenesis.     

Synthesis of folate-functionalized RAFT polymers for targeted siRNA delivery

Receptor-mediated, cell-specific delivery of siRNA enables silencing of target genes in specific tissues, opening the door to powerful therapeutic options for a multitude of diseases. However, the development of delivery systems capable of targeted and effective siRNA delivery typically requires multiple steps and the use of sophisticated, orthogonal chemistries. Previously, we developed diblock copolymers consisting of dimethaminoethyl methacrylate-b-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate-co-butyl methacrylate-co-propylacrylic acid as potent siRNA delivery systems that protect siRNA from enzymatic degradation and enable its cytosolic delivery through pH-responsive, endosomolytic behavior. (1, 2) These architectures were polymerized using a living radical polymerization method, specifically reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, which employs a chain transfer agent (CTA) to modulate the rate of reaction, resulting in polymers with low polydispersity and telechelic chain ends reflecting the chemistry of the CTA. Here we describe the straightforward, facile synthesis of a folate receptor-targeted diblock copolymer siRNA delivery system because the folate receptor is an attractive target for tumor-selective therapies as a result of its overexpression in a number of cancers. Specifically, we detail the de novo synthesis of a folate-functionalized CTA, use the folate-CTA for controlled polymerizations of diblock copolymers, and demonstrate efficient, specific cellular folate receptor interaction and in vitro gene knockdown using the folate-functionalized polymer.     

Sunlight-induced anthocyanin pigmentation in maize vegetative tissues

Although, in maize, sunlight-regulated anthocyanin formation in vegetative tissues is observed only in the cultivars harbouring homozygous recessive pl loci, the identity of the photoreceptor mediating this process is not yet fully established. In this study the nature of photoreceptor(s) mediating this response was examined using an Indian hybrid maize cultivar (Kanchan-521). The etiolated maize seedlings of this cultivar on exposure to sunlight formed anthocyanin in all vegetative organs. Sunlight elicited photoinduction of anthocyanin with a slow increase between 4-16 h after the sunlight exposure, followed by a rapid increase between 16-24 h. The photoinduction of anthocyanin was primarily mediated by the UV-B component of sunlight and could be elicited by exposure to an artificial UV-B light source. The sunlight-mediated induction of anthocyanin was reduced if the sunlight exposure was terminated with a far-red pulse before transfer to darkness, indicating a coaction of phytochrome in this photoresponse. Exposure to sunlight also stimulated phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity in all organs with two temporally separated peaks. The first peak of PAL between 4-12 h was induced by phytochrome, and the second peak of PAL between 12-24 h was induced by UV-B light. These results indicate that the photoinduction of anthocyanin in maize is mediated by a coaction of UV-B light and phytochrome.     

Integrated thermophilic enzyme-immobilized reactor and high-rate biological reactors for treatment of palm oil-containing wastewater without sludge production

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Bacillus pumilus, the thermophilic microorganism, was used to biosynthesise lipase of specific activity 5173 U. The purified lipase was highly stable in the...     

Functional Analysis of Sesame Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase and Phospholipid: Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase Genes Using In Silico and In Vitro Approaches

Plant Molecular Biology Reporter - Sesamum indicum L. is one of the major oilseed crops of India. Sesame oil is stable with a good source of unsaturated fatty acids. To know the mechanism of oil...     

Familial frontotemporal dementia with neuronal intranuclear inclusions is not a polyglutamine expansion disease

Background  

Many cases of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are familial, often with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. Some are due to a mutation in the tau- encoding gene, on chromosome 17, and show an accumulation of abnormal tau in brain tissue (FTDP-17T). Most of the remaining familial cases do not exhibit tau pathology, but display neuropathology similar to patients with dementia and motor neuron disease, characterized by the presence of ubiquitin-immunoreactive (ub-ir), dystrophic neurites and neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions in the neocortex and hippocampus (FTLD-U). Recently, we described a subset of patients with familial FTD with autopsy-proven FTLD-U pathology and with the additional finding of ub-ir neuronal intranuclear inclusions (NII). NII are a characteristic feature of several other neurodegenerative conditions for which the genetic basis is abnormal expansion of a polyglutamine-encoding trinucleotide repeat region. The genetic basis of familial FTLD-U is currently not known, however the presence of NII suggests that a subset of cases may represent a polyglutamine expansion disease.