The neural activities of the greater superficial petrosal nerve of the rat in response to chemical stimulation of the palate

A comparison of the integrated responses of the rat's greatersuperficial petrosal (GSP) and chorda tympani (CT) nerves toa number of taste stimuli was studied. The GSP nerve of therat was very responsive to the chemical stimulation of the oralcavity. Among the selected stimuli related to the four basictaste qualities, 0.5 M sucrose produced the greatest neuralresponse in the GSP nerve, whereas, 0.1 M NaCl produced thegreatest in the CT nerve. The GSP nerve integrated responseto 0.5 M sucrose solution was approximately three times as greatin magnitude as that to a 0.1 M NaCl solution. The neural responsemagnitude of the GSP and CT nerves were as follows: GSP nerve;0.5 M sucrose >0.02 M Na-saccharin >0.05 M citric acid>0.1 M NaCl > 0.01 M quinine-HCl. CT nerve; 0.1 M NaCl> 0.05 M citric acid > 0.02 M Na-saccharin > 0.01 Mquinine-HCl >0.5 M sucrose. The response magnitudes of theGSP nerve to 0.3 M chloride salt solutions were: LiCl > CaCl₂> NaCl > NH₄Cl > KCl, whereas the response magnitudesof the CT nerve to the above salts were: LiCl > NaCl >NH₄Cl > CaCl₂ > KCl. All 0.5 M solutions of the selectedsugars (sucrose, rhamnose, galactose, lactose, fructose, -methyl-D-glucoside,xylose, mannose, arabinose, maltose, sorbose and glucose) evokedneural responses in both GSP and CT nerves. The order of theresponse magnitudes of the GSP nerve to the selected sugarswas similar to that of the CT nerve but the absolute magnitudesof the GSP nerve were greater.     

A Cluster of Cuticle Protein Genes of Drosophila Melanogaster at 65a: Sequence, Structure and Evolution

A 36-kb genomic DNA segment of the Drosophila melanogaster genome containing 12 clustered cuticle genes has been mapped and partially sequenced. The cluster maps at 65A 5-6 on the left arm of the third chromosome, in agreement with the previously determined location of a putative cluster encompassing the genes for the third instar larval cuticle proteins LCP5, LCP6 and LCP8. This cluster is the largest cuticle gene cluster discovered to date and shows a number of surprising features that explain in part the genetic complexity of the LCP5, LCP6 and LCP8 loci. The genes encoding LCP5 and LCP8 are multiple copy genes and the presence of extensive similarity in their coding regions gives the first evidence for gene conversion in cuticle genes. In addition, five genes in the cluster are intronless. Four of these five have arisen by retroposition. The other genes in the cluster have a single intron located at an unusual location for insect cuticle genes.     

Presence of Quorum-Sensing-Mediated Gene Regulation in Pathogenic Ice-Nucleation-Active (INA) Bacteria

Nine out of a total of 20 pathogenic ice-nucleation-active bacteria, with different levels of inducible INA, were tested and found positive for their ability to synthesize quorum-sensing (QS) signals. The bacteria were isolated from willow plants and belonged to the genera Bacillus, Erwinia, Pseudomonas and Sphingomonas. As reporter bacteria, to detect the homoserine lactone (HSL) autoinducer, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Chromobacterium violaceum, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Aeromonas hydrophila and Vibrio fischeri strains were used. We thus provide evidence that pathogenic ice-nucleation bacteria with inducible INA produce QS signals that in other bacteria have been shown to be in the control of genes of importance for pathogenicity.     

Brain Insulin Dysregulation: Implication for Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Arduous efforts have been made in the last three decades to elucidate the role of insulin in the brain. A growing number of evidences show that insulin is involved in several physiological function of the brain such as food intake and weight control, reproduction, learning and memory, neuromodulation and neuroprotection. In addition, it is now clear that insulin and insulin disturbances particularly diabetes mellitus may contribute or in some cases play the main role in development and progression of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Focusing on the molecular mechanisms, this review summarizes the recent findings on the involvement of insulin dysfunction in neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease and also mental disorders like depression and psychosis sharing features of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.     

Molecular characterization of Plasmodium vivax clinical isolates in Pakistan and Iran using pvmsp-1, pvmsp-3α and pvcsp genes as molecular markers

In this study, the diversity of Plasmodium vivax populations circulating in Pakistan and Iran has been investigated by using circumsporozoite protein (csp) and merozoite surface proteins 1 and 3α (msp-1 and msp-3α) genes as genetic markers. Infected P. vivax blood samples were collected from Pakistan (n = 187) and Iran (n = 150) during April to October 2008, and were analyzed using nested-PCR/RFLP and sequencing methods. Genotyping pvmsp-1 (variable block 5) revealed the presence of type 1, type 2 and recombinant type 3 allelic variants, with type 1 predominant, in both study areas. The sequence analysis of 33 P. vivax isolates from Pakistan and 30 from Iran identified 16 distinct alleles each, with one allele (R-8) from Iran which was not reported previously. Genotyping pvcsp gene also showed that VK210 type is predominant in both countries. Moreover, based on the size of amplified fragment of pvmsp-3α, three major types: type A (1800 bp), type B (1500 bp) and type C (1200 bp), were distinguished among the examined isolates that type A was predominant among Pakistani (72.7%) and Iranian (77.3%) parasites. PCR/RFLP products of pvmsp-3α with HhaI and AluI have detected 40 and 39 distinct variants among Pakistani and Iranian examined isolates, respectively. Based on these three studied genes, the rate of combined multiple genotypes were 30% and 24.6% for Pakistani and Iranian P. vivax isolates, respectively. These results indicate an extensive diversity in the P. vivax populations in both studies.     

Pierce into the Native Structure of Ata,a Trimeric Autotransporter of Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 17978

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Acinetobacter baumannii is an important pathogen responsible for nosocomial infections worldwide. Trimeric autotransporters, the...     

The role of FOXP3 rs3761548 and rs2294021 polymorphisms in pediatrics acute lymphoblastic leukemia: association with risk and response to therapy

FOXP3 X-linked gene has crucial roles in the development and function of regulatory T cells. We investigated the association of FOXP3 rs3761548, rs3761549 and rs2294021 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) susceptibility and response to therapy. Genotyping was performed in 247 patients and 210 healthy subjects. We observed a higher frequency of rs3761548 A carriers and rs2294021 C carriers (p?<?0.04) in male patients, and lower frequencies of rs3761548 AC genotype (p?=?0.04) and rs2294021 CT genotype (p?=?0.01) in female patients compared to controls. ACC (p?=?0.04) and ATC haplotypes (p?=?0.002) were associated with susceptibility to ALL. There was a significant correlation between the genotypes of rs3761548 and rs2294021 SNPs with event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). The rs3761548 A genotype in male patients was associated with increased risk of relapse (p?<?0.0001), shorter EFS, increased death rate (p?=?0.002) and shorter OS compared to C genotype (p?=?0.001). Similar significant results were observed for the relation of rs2294021 C genotype with response to therapy in male patients. In females, patients with rs3761548 AC genotype had longer EFS (p?=?0.02) and those with rs2294021 CT had longer EFS and OS (p?<?0.005). According to haplotype analysis, patients carrying ACC or ATC haplotypes had the highest number of WBCs and shorter EFS or OS, and patients with CCT haplotype had the lowest number of WBCs and longer EFS or OS. These results provided evidence for the impact of these polymorphisms on susceptibility and response to therapy in children with ALL.

     

Response of Pseudomonas tolaasii,the causal agent of mushroom brown blotch disease to the volatile compounds produced by endofungal bacteria

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by bacteria have significant potential to control phytopathogens. In this study, the VOCs produced by endofungal bacteria Pseudomonas sp. Bi1, Bacillus sp. De3, Pantoea sp. Ma3 and Pseudomonas sp. De1 isolated from wild growing mushrooms were evaluated in vitro for their antagonistic activity against Pseudomonas tolaasii Pt18, the causal agent of mushroom brown blotch disease. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis revealed that strains Pseudomonas sp. Bi1, Pseudomonas sp. De1, Bacillus sp. De3 and Pantoea sp. Ma3 produced eight, sixteen, nine, and twelve VOCs, respectively. All antagonistic endofungal bacteria produced VOCs which significantly reduced brown blotch symptoms on mushroom caps and inhibited the growth of P. tolaasii Pt18 at the varying levels. Scanning electron microscopy revealed severe morphological changes in cells of P. tolaasii Pt18 following exposure to the VOCs of Pseudomonas sp. Bi1 and De1. Furthermore, The VOCs produced by endofungal bacteria significantly reduced swarming, swimming, twitching, chemotaxis motility and biofilm formation by P. tolaasii Pt18 cells, which are essential contributors to pathogenicity. This is to first report about the inhibition effects of VOCs produced by antagonistic bacteria on virulence traits of P. tolaasii. Our findings provide new insights regarding the potential of antibacterial VOCs as a safe fumigant to control mushroom brown blotch disease.

     

Aberrant expression of lncRNAs SNHG6, TRPM2-AS1, MIR4435-2HG,and hypomethylation of TRPM2-AS1 promoter in colorectal cancer

Accumulating evidence has indicated that deregulation of lncRNAs plays essential roles in colorectal cancer (CRC) carcinogenesis. The goal of this study was to analyze the expression of lncRNAs in colorectal cancer and their association with clinicopathological variables. Bioinformatics analysis of published CRC microarray data was performed to identify the important lncRNAs. The expression levels of candidate genes were assessed in the human colon cancer/normal cell lines, CRC, adenomatous colorectal polyps, and their marginal tissues by qRT-PCR. Moreover, the methylation status of the TRPM2-AS1 promoter was studied using qMSP assay. Furthermore, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of these lncRNAs in CRC progression using in silico analysis. Microarray analysis revealed that lncRNAs SNHG6, MIR4435-2HG, and TRPM2-AS1 were upregulated in CRC. These results were validated in colon cell lines. Moreover, qRT-PCR showed that the expression levels of SNHG6 and TRPM2-AS1 were upregulated in the colorectal tumor tissues compared with their paired tissues. Nonetheless, there was no significant increase in MIR4435-2HG expression in CRC samples. Furthermore, we observed a significant hypomethylation of TRPM2-AS1 promoter and its activation in CRC tissues. By in silico analysis, we found that the lncRNAs upregulation could promote proliferation and drug resistance of colorectal cancer cells via miRNAs sponging and modulation of their targets expression. In conclusion, based on our results upregulation of SNHG6 and TRPM2-AS1, and hypomethylation of TRPM2-AS1 promoter might be considered as potential diagnostic biomarkers for CRC initiation and development.