Nucleotide sequence and expression of a cloned Thiobacillus ferrooxidans recA gene in Escherichia coli

The nucleotide sequence of the recA gene of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans has been determined. No SOS box characteristic of LexA-regulated promoters could be identified in the 196-bp region upstream from the coding region. The cloned T. ferrooxidans recA gene was expressed in Escherichia coli from both the lambda pR and lac promoters. It was not expressed from the 2.2-kb of T. ferrooxidans DNA preceding the gene. The T. ferrooxidans recA gene specifies a protein of 346 amino acids that has 66% and 69% homology to the RecA proteins of E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively. Most amino acids that have been identified as being of functional importance in the E. coli RecA protein are conserved in the T. ferrooxidans RecA protein. Although some amino acids that have been associated with proteolytic activity have been substituted, the cloned protein has retained protease activity towards the lambda and E. coli LexA repressors.     

Generation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vibrio anguillarum</Emphasis> Ghost by Coexpression of PhiX 174 Lysis <Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis> gene and Staphylococcal Nuclease <Emphasis Type="Italic">A</Emphasis> Gene

Vibrio anguillarum ghosts (VAG) were generated, for the first time, using a conjugation vector containing a ghost bacteria inducing cassette, pRK-λP_R-cI-Elysis, in which the expression of PhiX174 lysis gene E was controlled by the P _R /cI regulatory system of lambda phage. By scanning electron microscopy, holes ranging 80–200 nm in diameter were observed in the VAG. To avoid the presence of bacterial genomic DNA and an antibiotic resistance gene in the final VAG product, we constructed a new dual vector, pRK-λP_R-cI-E-SNA, containing the E-mediated lysis cassette and the staphylococcal nuclease A (SNA)-mediated DNA degradation cassette, and generated safety-enhanced VAG for use as a fish vaccine.     

Poly ethylene glycol mediated in vitro screening and physico-biochemical changes induced in mango callus due to moisture stress

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - A method for in vitro screening and selection of drought (moisture stress) tolerant mango calli was developed. Poly ethylene glycol (PEG) (Molecular...     

INPPO Actions and Recognition as a Driving Force for Progress in Plant Proteomics: Change of Guard,INPPO Update,and Upcoming Activities

The International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) is a non‐profit organization whose members are scientists involved or interested in plant proteomics. Since the publication of the first INPPO highlights in 2012, continued progress on many of the organization's mandates/goals has been achieved. Two major events are emphasized in this second INPPO highlights. First, the change of guard at the top, passing of the baton from Dominique Job, INPPO founding President to Ganesh Kumar Agrawal as the incoming President. Ganesh K. Agrawal, along with Dominique Job and Randeep Rakwal initiated the INPPO. Second, the most recent INPPO achievements and future targets, mainly the organization of first the INPPO World Congress in 2014, tentatively planned for Hamburg (Germany), are mentioned.     

IgE production in CD40/CD40L cross-talk of B and mast cells and mediator release via TGase 2 in mouse allergic asthma

TGase 2 is over-expressed in a variety of inflammatory diseases including allergic asthma. This study aimed to investigate the role of TGase 2 on IgE production and signaling pathways in mast cell activation related to OVA-induced allergic asthma. Bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) isolated from WT or TGase 2^?/? mice were activated with Ag/Ab (refer to act-WT-BMMCs and act-KO-BMMCs, respectively). B cells isolated from splenocytes were activated with anti-mouse IgM (act-B cells), and B cells were co-cultured with BMMCs. WT and TGase 2^?/? mice were sensitized and challenged with OVA adsorbed in alum hydroxide. Intracellular Ca^2 + ([Ca^2 +]_i) levels were determined by fluorescence intensity; IgE, mediators and TGase 2 activity by ELISA; the CD138 expression by FACS analyzer; cell surface markers and signal molecules by Western blot; NF-κB by EMSA; co-localization of mast cells and B cells by immunohistochemistry; Fcε RI-mediated mast cell activation by PCA test; expression of cytokines, MMPs, TIMPs, TLR2 and Fc?RI by RT-PCR. In vitro, act-KO-BMMCs reduced the [Ca^2 +]i levels, NF-κB activity, expression of CD40/CD40L, plasma cells, total IgE levels and TGase 2 activity in act-B cells co-cultured with act-BMMCs, expression of inflammatory cytokines and MMPs2/9, release of mediators (TNF-α, LTs and cytokines), and activities of signal molecules (PKCs, MAP kinases, I-κB and PLA2), which were all increased in act-WT-BMMCs. TGase 2 siRNA transfected/activated-BMMCs reduced all responses as same as those in act-KO-BMMCs. In allergic asthma model, TGase 2^?/? mice protected against PCA reaction, OVA-specific IgE production and AHR, and they reduced co-localization of mast cells and B cells or IgE in lung tissues, expression and co-localization of surface molecules in mast cells (c-kit and CD40L) and B cells (CD23 and CD40), inflammatory cells including mast cells, goblet cells, amounts of collagen and mediator release in BAL fluid and/or lung tissues, which were all increased in WT mice. TLR expression in TGase 2^?/? mice did not differ from those in WT mice. Our data suggest that TGase 2 expression and Ca^2 + influx required by bidirectional events in mast cell activation facilitate IgE production in B cells via up-regulating mast cell CD40L expression, and induce the expression of numerous signaling molecules associated with airway inflammation and remodeling in allergic asthma.     

An aptasensor for rapid and sensitive detection of estrogen receptor alpha in human breast cancer

The analysis of estrogen receptor (ER) expression in breast carcinomas plays a crucial role in determining the endocrine responsiveness of tumors for systemic adjuvant therapy. Conventionally, the ER levels in breast carcinomas had been detected using the dextran-coated charcoal assay and radioimmunoassay, which are now substituted with safer and economic antibody-based assays such as immunohistochemistry (IHC) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Despite a gold (Au) standard method, the IHC has been criticized for factors such as tissue fixation, antibody selection, and threshold staining for result interpretation that could falsify test accuracy and reproducibility. The quest for alternative methods of ER quantification in tissue samples paved the way for aptamer-based diagnostics. Previously, we have isolated a DNA aptamer against human ER alpha (ERα) using an in vitro evolution system. In this study, we developed an electrochemical sensor using the 76-nucleotide DNA ERα- aptamer for rapid, precise, and cost-effective detection of ERα expression in human breast cancer patients. The aptasensor was constructed by covalently immobilizing the thiolated ERα- aptamer onto a screen-printed Au electrode. Construction of aptasensors was confirmed through atomic force microscopy and differential pulse voltammetry measurements. A detection limit of 0.001 ng/ml was calculated for full-length ERα (66.2 kDa) in a detection time of 10 min. Analysis of the cancerous breast tissue samples using the ELISA and aptasensor methods enabled distinctive classification of samples into the categories of ER −ve, weak ER +ve, and strong ER +ve samples. The current change of this aptasensor lies within 5% after a storage of 60 days at 4°C. Further studies on a reasonably large sample size are required to realize the clinical potential of the sensor.     

Gene expression profiling demonstrates a novel role for foetal fibrocytes and the umbilical vessels in human fetoplacental development

There is a difference in the susceptibility to inflammation between the umbilical vein (UV) and the umbilical arteries (UAs). This led us to hypothesize that there is an intrinsic difference in the pro-inflammatory response between UA and UV. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR and microarray analysis revealed higher expression of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-8 mRNA in the UV and differential expression of 567 genes between the UA and UV associated with distinct biological processes, including the immune response. Differential expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRA mRNA between the UA and UV was due to unexpected HLA-DR⁺ cells migrating via the umbilical vessels into Wharton's jelly, more frequently in the UV. A significant proportion of these cells co-expressed CD45 and type I pro-collagen, and acquired CD163 or α-smooth muscle actin immunoreactivity in Wharton's jelly. Migrating cells were also found in the chorionic and stem villous vessels. Furthermore, the extent of migration increased with progression of gestation, but diminished in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). The observations herein strongly suggest that circulating foetal fibrocytes, routing via umbilical and placental vessels, are a reservoir for key cellular subsets in the placenta. This study reports fibrocytes in the human umbilical cord and placenta for the first time, and a novel role for both circulating foetal cells and the umbilical vessels in placental development, which is deranged in IUGR.     

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1-deficient mice are protected from angiotensin II-induced cardiac hypertrophy

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP), a chromatin-bound enzyme, is activated by cell oxidative stress. Because oxidative stress is also considered a main component of angiotensin II-mediated cell signaling, it was postulated that PARP could be a downstream target of angiotensin II-induced signaling leading to cardiac hypertrophy. To determine a role of PARP in angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy, we infused angiotensin II into wild-type (PARP(+/+)) and PARP-deficient mice. Angiotensin II infusion significantly increased heart weight-to-tibia length ratio, myocyte cross-sectional area, and interstitial fibrosis in PARP(+/+) but not in PARP(-/-) mice. To confirm these results, we analyzed the effect of angiotensin II in primary cultures of cardiomyocytes. When compared with PARP(-/-) cardiomyocytes, angiotensin II (1 microM) treatment significantly increased protein synthesis in PARP(+/+) myocytes, as measured by (3)H-leucine incorporation into total cell protein. Angiotensin II-mediated hypertrophy of myocytes was accompanied with increased poly-ADP-ribosylation of nuclear proteins and depletion of cellular NAD content. When cells were treated with cell death-inducing doses of angiotensin II (10-20 microM), robust myocyte cell death was observed in PARP(+/+) but not in PARP(-/-) myocytes. This type of cell death was blocked by repletion of cellular NAD levels as well as by activation of the longevity factor Sir2alpha deacetylase, indicating that PARP induction and subsequent depletion of NAD levels are the sequence of events causing angiotensin II-mediated cardiomyocyte cell death. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that PARP is a nuclear integrator of angiotensin II-mediated cell signaling contributing to cardiac hypertrophy and suggest that this could be a novel therapeutic target for the management of heart failure.     

The Limitations of an Exclusively Colloidal View of Protein Solution Hydrodynamics and Rheology

Proteins are complex macromolecules with dynamic conformations. They are charged like colloids, but unlike colloids, charge is heterogeneously distributed on their surfaces. Here we overturn entrenched doctrine that uncritically treats bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a colloidal hard sphere by elucidating the complex pH and surface hydration-dependence of solution viscosity. We measure the infinite shear viscosity of buffered BSA solutions in a parameter space chosen to tune competing long-range repulsions and short-range attractions (2 mg/mL ≤ [BSA] ≤ 500 mg/mL and 3.0 ≤ pH ≤ 7.4). We account for surface hydration through partial specific volume to define volume fraction and determine that the pH-dependent BSA intrinsic viscosity never equals the classical hard sphere result (2.5). We attempt to fit our data to the colloidal rheology models of Russel, Saville, and Schowalter (RSS) and Krieger-Dougherty (KD), which are each routinely and successfully applied to uniformly charged suspensions and to hard-sphere suspensions, respectively. We discover that the RSS model accurately describes our data at pH 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0, but fails at pH 6.0 and 7.4, due to steeply rising solution viscosity at high concentration. When we implement the KD model with the maximum packing volume fraction as the sole floating parameter while holding the intrinsic viscosity constant, we conclude that the model only succeeds at pH 6.0 and 7.4. These findings lead us to define a minimal framework for models of crowded protein solution viscosity wherein critical protein-specific attributes (namely, conformation, surface hydration, and surface charge distribution) are addressed.