<Emphasis Type="Italic">Teucrium polium</Emphasis> Complex with Molybdate Enhance Cultured Islets Secretory Function

Islet transplantation has become a promising treatment in the therapy of type 1 diabetes. Its function improvement, after isolation and before transplantation, is crucial because of their loss both in number and function of islets after isolation procedures. Trace elements sodium orthovanadate (SOV) and sodium molybdate (SM), as well as medicinal plant Teucrium polium L. (TP), showed and possessed high beneficial antioxidative potential and even hypoglycemic properties via their effect on islets. We evaluated the effect of these components in combination on cultured islet function in order to improve pancreatic islet transplantation. Rat pancreatic islets were cultured for 24 h then incubated with different concentrations of TP (0.01 and 0.1 mg/mL) alone and in combination with SOV (1 mM) or SM (1 mM). Insulin concentration in buffer media was measured as islet secretory function. Administration of TP (0.01 mg/mL), SM, and SOV alone or in combination with each other significantly increased insulin secretion at high glucose concentration (16.7 mM); insulin secretion was significantly greater in the group containing both TP and SM than other treated groups (p < 0.05). The combination of the mentioned trace elements especially molybdate with TP could improve islet cells function before transplantation.     

Leghemoglobin-like sequences in the DNA of four actinorhizal plants

Summary A cloned cDNA partial copy of a soybean leghemoglobin mRNA was used to probe genomic DNA of four species of actinorhizal plants. Southern blot hybridization revealed the presence of sequences with homology to the leghemoglobin probe in DNA from Alnus glutinosa, Casuarina glauca, Ceanothus americanus and Elaeagnus pungens. The hybridization patterns of the restriction fragments revealed some fragment size conservation between the DNA of soybean and the DNA of four actinorhizal plants which are taxonomically unrelated to soybean or to each other. The results presented here indicate that globin gene sequences are much more widely distributed in the plant kingdom than has previously been thought. Furthermore, if sequence conservation is actually as high as the restriction fragment patterns suggest, the evolution of the DNA surrounding the globin sequences has been highly constrained.     

Single‐nucleotide polymorphism c.474G>A in the SEPT12 gene is a predisposing factor in male infertility

SEPT12 is a testis‐specific gene involved in the terminal differentiation of male germ cells. SEPT12 protein is required for sperm head‐tail formation and acts as a fundamental constituent of sperm tail annulus. In this study, we screened genetic variations in exons 5, 6, 7 of the SEPT12 and assessed the annulus status in teratozoospermic, globozoospermic, and patients with immotile short tail sperm. DNA sequencing was performed for 90 teratozoospermic and 30 normozoospermic individuals. Immunocytochemistry, transmission electron microscopy and western blotting were conducted to evaluate annulus status and the expression level of SEPT12 in patients with a distinct exonic variation (c.474G>A), respectively. Five polymorphisms identified within the desired regions of the SEPT12, among them c.474G>A had the potential to induce aberrant splicing results in the expression of a truncated protein. The annulus was detected in most of the spermatozoa from teratozoospermic and normozoospermic men with c.474G>A. In contrast, in the patient with short tail sperm defect carrying c.474G>A, 99% of spermatozoa were devoid of the annulus. Based on our findings there would be no association between exons 5, 6, 7 polymorphisms of the SEPT12 gene and the occurrence of mentioned disease but c.474G>A would be a predisposing factor in male infertility.     

Atrial fibrillation: the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1-regulated cytokines

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia that has major morbidity and mortality. Hypoxia plays an important role in AF initiation and maintenance....     

ABA and BAP improve the accumulation of carbohydrates and alter carbon allocation in potato plants at elevated CO2

Elevated CO₂ interactions with other factors affects the plant performance. Regarding the differences between cultivars in response to CO₂ concentrations, identifying the cultivars that better respond to such conditions would maximize their potential benefits. Increasing the ability of plants to benefit more from elevated CO₂ levels alleviates the adverse effects of photoassimilate accumulation on photosynthesis and increases the productivity of plants. Despite its agronomic importance, there is no information about the interactive effects of elevated CO₂ concentration and plant growth regulators (PGRs) on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants. Hence, the physiological response and source-sink relationship of potato plants (cvs. Agria and Fontane) to combined application of CO₂ levels (400 vs. 800 µmol mol⁻¹) and plant growth regulators (PGR) [6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) + Abscisic acid (ABA)] were evaluated under a controlled environment. The results revealed a variation between the potato cultivars in response to a combination of PGRs and CO₂ levels. Cultivars were different in leaf chlorophyll content; Agria had higher chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll content by 23, 43, and 23%, respectively, compared with Fontane. The net photosynthetic rate was doubled at the elevated compared with the ambient CO₂. In Agria, the ratio of leaf intercellular to ambient air CO₂ concentrations [C_i:C_a] was declined in elevated-CO₂-grown plants, which indicated the stomata would become more conservative at higher CO₂ levels. On the other hand, the increased C_i:C_a in Fontane showed a stomatal acclimation to higher CO₂ concentration. The higher leaf dark respiration of the elevated CO₂-grown and BAP + ABA-treated plants was associated with a higher leaf soluble carbohydrates and starch content. Elevated CO₂ and BAP + ABA shifted the dry matter partitioning to the belowground more than the above-media organs. The lower leaf soluble carbohydrate content and greater tuber yield in Fontane might indicate a more efficient photoassimilate translocation than Agria. The results highlighted positive synergic effects of the combined BAP + ABA and elevated CO₂ on tuber yield and productivity of the potato plants.     

Dental stem cell banking: Techniques and protocols

Dental tissue-derived stem cells (DSCs) provide an easy, accessible, relatively noninvasive promising source of adult stem cells (ASCs), which brought encouraging prospective for their clinical applications. DSCs provide a perfect opportunity to apply for a patient's own ASC, which poses a low risk of immune rejection. However, problems associated with the long-term culture of stem cells, including loss of proliferation and differentiation capacities, senescence, genetic instability, and the possibility of microbial contamination, make cell banking necessary. With the rapid development of advanced cryopreservation technology, various international DSC banks have been established for both research and clinical applications around the world. However, few studies have been published that provide step-by-step guidance on DSCs isolation and banking methods. The purpose of this review is to present protocols and technical details for all steps of cryopreserved DSCs, from donor selection, isolation, cryopreservation, to characterization and quality control. Here, the emphasis is on presenting practical principles in accordance with the available valid guidelines.     

The codon-optimization of cfaE gene and evaluating its high expression capacity and conserved immunogenicity in Escherichia coli

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the most common cause of children diarrhea in the world. Adhesion of ETEC to small intestine is an important virulence trait. One of the most prevalent colonization factors (CFs) in human is CFA/I fimbriae and CfaE which is the required binding factor for adhesion of ETEC to intestinal mucosa.We optimized cfaE gene codons according to codon bias of E. coli to achieve a high level of recombinant protein expression. The optimized gene was expressed in E. coli and rCFaE protein was used for mice immunization. Blocking activity of the obtained antibody was examined by microplate agglutination inhibition test. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that the optimized sequence of cfaE produces a suitable amount of rCFaE in comparison with native gene sequence. This optimized rCFaE protein could induces strong humoral response in mice and the antibody obtained against rCFaE inhibited the adhesion of ETEC to human group A erythrocytes. It is concluded that codon optimization is a useful approach for obtaining large quantities of recombinant rCFaE protein. With regard to the results of hemagglutination inhibition test, codon optimization and increased production of recombinant protein expressed in E. coli did not affect the immunogenicity potential of CFaE.