Production of Soluble and Functional Anti-TNF-α Fab' Fragment in Cytoplasm of E. coli: Investigating the Effect of Process Conditions on Cellular Biomass and Protein Yield Using Response Surface Methodology

The Protein Journal - With the increasing dominance of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in the biopharmaceutical industry and smaller antibody fragments bringing notable advantages over full-length...     

A newly identified c.1824_1828dupATACG mutation in exon 13 of the GAA gene in infantile-onset glycogen storage disease type II (Pompe disease)

Pompe disease or glycogen storage disease type II is a glycogen storage disorder associated with malfunction of the acid α-glucosidase enzyme (GAA; EC.3.2.1.3) leading to intracellular aggregations of glycogenin muscles. The infantile-onset type is the most life-threatening form of this disease, in which most of patients suffer from cardiomyopathy and hypotonia in early infancy. In this study, a typical case of Pompe disease was reported in an Iranian patient using molecular analysis of the GAA gene. Our results revealed a new c.1824_1828dupATACG mutation in exon 13 of the GAA gene. In conclusion, with the finding of this novel mutation, the genotypic spectrum of Iranian patients with Pompe disease has been extended, facilitating the definition of disease-related mutations.     

Lower Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status Associated with Reduced Diversity of the Colonic Microbiota in Healthy Adults

In the United States, there are persistent and widening socioeconomic gaps in morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases. Although most disparities research focuses on person-level socioeconomic-status, mounting evidence suggest that chronic diseases also pattern by the demographic characteristics of neighborhoods. Yet the biological mechanisms underlying these associations are poorly understood. There is increasing recognition that chronic diseases share common pathogenic features, some of which involve alterations in the composition, diversity, and functioning of the gut microbiota. This study examined whether socioeconomic-status was associated with alpha-diversity of the colonic microbiota. Forty-four healthy adults underwent un-prepped sigmoidoscopy, during which mucosal biopsies and fecal samples were collected. Subjects’ zip codes were geocoded, and census data was used to form a composite indicator of neighborhood socioeconomic-status, reflecting household income, educational attainment, employment status, and home value. In unadjusted analyses, neighborhood socioeconomic-status explained 12–18 percent of the variability in alpha-diversity of colonic microbiota. The direction of these associations was positive, meaning that as neighborhood socioeconomic-status increased, so did alpha-diversity of both the colonic sigmoid mucosa and fecal microbiota. The strength of these associations persisted when models were expanded to include covariates reflecting potential demographic (age, gender, race/ethnicity) and lifestyle (adiposity, alcohol use, smoking) confounds. In these models neighborhood socioeconomic-status continued to explain 11–22 percent of the variability in diversity indicators. Further analyses suggested these patterns reflected socioeconomic variations in evenness, but not richness, of microbial communities residing in the sigmoid. We also found indications that residence in neighborhoods of higher socioeconomic-status was associated with a greater abundance of Bacteroides and a lower abundance of Prevotella, suggesting that diet potentially underlies differences in microbiota composition. These findings suggest the presence of socioeconomic variations in colonic microbiota diversity. Future research should explore whether these variations contribute to disparities in chronic disease outcomes.     

Field observations of the effect of Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum on the saxaul locust,Dericorys albidula Serville (Orthoptera: Dericorythidae)

Dericorys albidula Serville (Orthoptera: Dericorythidae) is a major pest of Haloxylon ammodendron and other saxaul plant species in the Qom province, Iran. Using fungal insecticides can be an alternative method for chemical insecticides. Effect of insecticide fungi, Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum, on the various nymphs of D. albidula was studied in the field through 2005 and 2006. Fixed concentrations of fungi (10⁶, 10⁷, 10⁸, 10⁹, 10¹⁰ and 10¹³ spore mL^?1) were prepared as gasoline formulation and were sprayed on the locusts on H. ammodendron trees, and mortality percentage was recorded 15 days after treatment. The results showed that various concentrations significantly affected on the second, third, fourth and fifth nymphal instars of D. albidula compared to control in 2006, although this effect was lower in 2005 on nymphs. Mortality of the highest concentration (10¹³ spore mL^?1) was higher (17.6–24%) than other concentrations in all tests, but these values were not notable. The results of this study showed that using M. anisopliae var. acridum diluted in gasoline can be effective on nymphal instars of locust, D. albidula, in two continuous years.     

Luteolin confers renoprotection against ischemia–reperfusion injury via involving Nrf2 pathway and regulating miR320

Molecular Biology Reports - This work aims to evaluate the renoprotective effect of luteolin on expression of Nrf2 and miR320 in ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. Thirty rats were...