Shoot regeneration from tissue-cultured leaves of the American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)

A method for shoot regeneration from leaf explants in two cultivars of cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) is described. Modified Anderson's medium supplemented with combinations of thidiazuron (TDZ) with or without 1 M NAA (-naphthaleneacetic acid) was used to optimize shoot regeneration. The effect of light or dark incubation was also determined. Maximum regeneration was obtained in the light in the presence of 10 M TDZ and 1 M NAA. While this medium was suitable for leaf explants obtained from shoot cultures, regeneration did not occur from leaves collected from greenhouse-grown plants. Elongation of the regenerated shoot tips did not occur until explants were transferred to growth regulator-free medium at which time only a minority of shoots elongated. Elongated shoots could be dissected away from leaf tissue, rooted easily, and acclimitized to ambient conditions.Abbreviations NAA -naphthaleneacetic acid - TDZ 1-phenyl-3-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl) urea     

The EBNA-2 arginine-glycine domain is critical but not essential for B-lymphocyte growth transformation; the rest of region 3 lacks essential interactive domains.

Since deletion of region 3 (amino acids [aa] 333 to 425) of Epstein-Barr virus nuclear protein 2 (EBNA-2) results in EBV recombinants which cannot transform primary B lymphocytes (J. I. Cohen, F. Wang, and E. Kieff, J. Virol. 65:2545-2554, 1991), the role of domains of region 3 was investigated. Deletion of the Arg-Gly repeat domain, R-337GQSRGRGRGRGRGRGKG354, results in EBV recombinants that transform primary B lymphocytes with modestly decreased activity. The transformed cells grow slowly and are difficult to expand. EBNA-2 deleted for the Arg-Gly domain does not associate with the nuclear chromatin fraction. The Arg-Gly repeat has an intrinsic ability to bind to histone H1, to other proteins, including EBNA-1, and to nucleic acids, especially poly(G). Two independent deletions of each part of the rest of region 3 (aa 359 to 383 and 385 to 430) have little effect on transformation, while deletion of the rest of region 3 (aa 361 to 425) as a single segment substantially reduces transformation efficiency. EBNA-2 deleted for all of region 3 can still transactivate the LMP1 promoter in transient expression assays but is less active than EBNA-2 in transactivating the BamHI-C promoter. EBNA-2 deleted for the Arg-Gly domain is better than EBNA-2 at transactivating the LMP1 promoter and is as active as EBNA-2 in transactivating the BamHI-C promoter. These data are most compatible with a model in which the Arg-Gly domain of region 3 is a modulator of EBNA-2 interactions and activities, while the rest of region 3 is important in positioning the region 2 J kappa binding domain relative to the region 4 acidic transactivating domain. Despite the null phenotype of the region 3 deletion, region 3 is unlikely to mediate essential interactions with other proteins.     

Radiation-induced changes in oral carcinoma cells – a multiparametric evaluation

The aim of this study was to see whether serial cytological evaluation of various cellular abnormalities in tumours from patients receiving fractionated radiotherapy can predict radio-response in oral carcinoma. Cytological assessment was carried out in scrape smears collected prior to and during the course of radiotherapy in 68 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity planned for radical radiotherapy with accelerated fraction schedule. Smears were evaluated for a set of 15 radiation-induced cellular abnormalities. The relationship between the cellular alterations and the cumulative radiation dose was analysed by Kruskal-Wallis one-way anova. The results showed that among the various quantifiable changes that occur in irradiated cancer cells, karyolysis, karyorrhexis, pyknosis, cytolysis, multinucleation, micronucleation and nuclear budding show significant increase depending on the dose of radiation. The radio-resistant group of patients exhibited a lesser degree of change compared with the radio-sensitive group. This suggests that radio-resistance may be due to the defective induction of cell damage and that these cytological features may have potential use as predictive markers of radio-sensitivity in oral carcinoma.     

Association of age with class VI composite restoration

Dental caries is the major oral health problem in most of the countries, affecting 60-90% of school children and a vast majority of adults. Therefore, it is of interest to evaluate the association of age with Class VI defects restored with composite restorations. We used 102 cases with data regarding Class VI composite restorations in a datasheet of 86,000 records at Saveetha Dental College, India for this study. Data shows that Class VI restorations were commonly seen in upper anterior teeth in the age group of 51 and above. The cavities prepared to receive Class VI restoration followed a conservative design of caries removal and used direct restoration techniques for reconstruction of the lost tooth structure.     

The role of Neuropilin-1 in COVID-19

Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1), a member of a family of signaling proteins, was shown to serve as an entry factor and potentiate SARS Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infectivity in vitro. This cell surface receptor with its disseminated expression is important in angiogenesis, tumor progression, viral entry, axonal guidance, and immune function. NRP-1 is implicated in several aspects of a SARS-CoV-2 infection including possible spread through the olfactory bulb and into the central nervous system and increased NRP-1 RNA expression in lungs of severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Up-regulation of NRP-1 protein in diabetic kidney cells hint at its importance in a population at risk of severe COVID-19. Involvement of NRP-1 in immune function is compelling, given the role of an exaggerated immune response in disease severity and deaths due to COVID-19. NRP-1 has been suggested to be an immune checkpoint of T cell memory. It is unknown whether involvement and up-regulation of NRP-1 in COVID-19 may translate into disease outcome and long-term consequences, including possible immune dysfunction. It is prudent to further research NRP-1 and its possibility of serving as a therapeutic target in SARS-CoV-2 infections. We anticipate that widespread expression, abundance in the respiratory and olfactory epithelium, and the functionalities of NRP-1 factor into the multiple systemic effects of COVID-19 and challenges we face in management of disease and potential long-term sequelae.     

Development of indole/indazole-aminopyrimidines as inhibitors of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK): Optimization for JNK potency and physicochemical properties

A novel series of indole/indazole-aminopyrimidines was designed and synthesized with an aim to achieve optimal potency and selectivity for the c-Jun kinase family or JNKs. Structure guided design was used to optimize the series resulting in a significant potency improvement. The best compound (17) has IC₅₀ of 3 nM for JNK1 and 20 nM for JNK2, with greater than 40-fold selectivity against other kinases with good physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties.