A new role for PGRP-S (Tag7) in immune defense: lymphocyte migration is induced by a chemoattractant complex of Tag7 with Mts1

PGRP-S (Tag7) is an innate immunity protein involved in the antimicrobial defense systems, both in insects and in mammals. We have previously shown that Tag7 specifically interacts with several proteins, including Hsp70 and the calcium binding protein S100A4 (Mts1), providing a number of novel cellular functions. Here we show that Tag7–Mts1 complex causes chemotactic migration of lymphocytes, with NK cells being a preferred target. Cells of either innate immunity (neutrophils and monocytes) or acquired immunity (CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ lymphocytes) can produce this complex, which confirms the close connection between components of the 2 branches of immune response.     

Development of rat embryos after prolonged irradiation of ovocytes at the stage of immature follicles

It was shown that the prolonged low-dose irradiation (up to 0.6 Gy) of the immature ovocytes of young rats (21-28 days old) caused delay of development of preimplantation embryos after fertilization of ovicells.     

Peculiarities of the ovary structure in the rat offspring developing under conditions of the removed thyroid gland of female rat with the thyroxine replacement therapy and external radiation exposure in utero

The influence of a single external gamma-radiation at a dose of 1.0 Gy (dose rate 9.08 x 10(-4) Gy/sec) on the 15th day of gestation in case of the removed complex of thyroid and parathyroid glands (thyroidparathyroidectomy) on the first day of gestation, as well as introduction of thyroxin and CaC12 on the structure of offspring ovary in postnatal ontogenesis (30-day old animals) was studied. It has been shown that thyroidparathyroidectomy of a female mother rat with thyroxine replacement therapy and irradiation, as well as the combination of these factors disturb the structure of ovarian tissues of the offspring. A single external irradiation on the 15th day of embryogenesis causes death of a considerable part of primordial follicles in the offspring ovary and growth of follicular layers in the secondary follicles. Thyroidparathyroidectomy of female rat on the first day of gestation with thyroxine replacement therapy causes delay in the development of follicles in the ovary at the early stages of maturation of 30-day old animals. The radiosensitivity of the ovarian tissues of the offspring that has been developed under the combined effect of the factors studied increases and results in an almost full loss of pool cells in the ovary of infant rats.     

A histochemical analysis of the oxidative-reductive enzymes in the cardiomyocytes of mature and old rats following low-dose external gamma irradiation

The effect of gamma rays in low dose (0.5 Gy) on enzymes activity of glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, diaphorases in cardiomyocytes of adult and old albino rats at 3-, 10- and 30-day after irradiation was studied. It was established that the diaphorases activity decreased, the lactate dehydrogenase activity increased whereas that of other tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes underwent phase changes. In result discoordination of redox enzymes in cardiomyocytes of rats hypoxic state develops. The question of the age sensitivity of heart to irradiation in low dose is discussed.     

AmylPepPred: Amyloidogenic Peptide Prediction tool

We present an efficient computational architecture designed using supervised machine learning model to predict amyloid fibril forming protein segments, named AmylPepPred. The proposed prediction model is based on bio-physio-chemical properties of primary sequences and auto-correlation function of their amino acid indices. AmylPepPred provides a user friendly web interface for the researchers to easily observe the fibril forming and non-fibril forming hexmers in a given protein sequence. We expect that this stratagem will be highly encouraging in discovering fibril forming regions in proteins thereby benefit in finding therapeutic agents that specifically aim these sequences for the inhibition and cure of amyloid illnesses.

Availability

AmylPepPred is available freely for academic use at www.zoommicro.in/amylpeppred     

The cyclooxygenases

Cyclooxygenases (COXs) catalyze the rate-limiting step in the production of prostaglandins, bioactive compounds involved in processes such as fever and sensitivity to pain, and are the target of aspirin-like drugs. COX genes have been cloned from coral, tunicates and vertebrates, and in all the phyla where they are found, there are two genes encoding two COX isoenzymes; it is unclear whether these genes arose from an early single duplication event or from multiple independent duplications in evolution. The intron-exon arrangement of COX genes is completely conserved in vertebrates and mostly conserved in all species. Exon boundaries largely define the four functional domains of the encoded protein: the amino-terminal hydrophobic signal peptide, the dimerization domain, the membrane-binding domain, and the catalytic domain. The catalytic domain of each enzyme contains distinct peroxidase and cyclooxygenase active sites; COXs are classified as members of the myeloperoxidase family. All COXs are homodimers and monotopic membrane proteins (inserted into only one leaflet of the membrane), and they appear to be targeted to the lumenal membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum, where they are N-glycosylated. In mammals, the two COX genes encode a constitutive isoenzyme (COX-1) and an inducible isoenzyme (COX-2); both are of significant pharmacological importance.     

The role of initial state of adrenal cortex in external irradiation effects upon its structure, function and androgen-receptor interactions

We studied morphological-biochemical time-course reactions of adrenal cortex and hormonal function of testicles after combined or separate actions of external radiation exposure (1.0 Gy at 7.8 x 10(-4) Gy/sec) and prolonged (12-, 32 days) subcutaneous corticosterone injections (10 mg/kg/animal) in 2-3-month old male rats. Both variants with exogenous hormone depressed endogenous glucocorticoid production and evolved acute structure-functional adrenal gland cortex deficiency. Radiocensitivity of the gland at the experimental conditions was increased. Simultaneously the aggravation of adrenal cortex functional activity accompanied with hypogonadism and depressed reproductive potential of male rats, accessed by means of androgen status and androgenspecific (transporting and receptional) proteins characteristics as sensitive molecular markers of an animal possible fecundity.