Can fossil fuel energy be recovered and used without any CO2 emissions to the atmosphere?

Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology - The world’s energy system is still dominated by fossil fuels. While there is a rapid reduction in the cost of renewable energy and the...     

Characterization of Changes due to pH Variations in Beta Peptide (25–35) Leading to Alzheimer’s Disease

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - The effect of various concentrations of amyloid beta peptide (ABP) in different pH (pH 2, 6, 7, 8, 10) in aging at different time...     

Design,Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of 2‐(2‐Bromo‐3‐nitrophenyl)‐5‐phenyl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole Derivatives as Possible Anti‐Breast Cancer Agents

Breast Cancer (BCa) is the most often diagnosed cancer among women who were in the late 1940’s. Breast cancer growth is largely dependent on the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptor. Breast cancer cells may have one, both, or none of these receptors. The treatment for breast cancer may involve surgery, hormonal therapy (Tamoxifen, an aromatase inhibitor, etc.) and oral chemotherapeutic drugs. The molecular docking technique reported the findings on the potential binding modes of the 2‐(2‐bromo‐3‐nitrophenyl)‐5‐phenyl‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives with the estrogen receptor (PDB ID: 3ERT). The 1,3,4‐oxadiazole derivatives 4a – 4j have been synthesized and described by spectroscopic method. 2‐(2‐Bromo‐6‐nitrophenyl)‐5‐(4‐bromophenyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole ( 4c ) was reconfirmed by single‐crystal XRD. All the compounds have been tested in combination with generic Imatinib pharmaceutical drug against breast cancer cell lines isolated from Caucasian woman MCF‐7, MDA‐MB‐453 and MCF‐10A non‐cancer cell lines. The compounds with the methoxy (in 4c ) and methyl (in 4j ) substitution were shown to have significant cytotoxicity, with 4c showing dose‐dependent activation and decreased cell viability. The mechanism of action was reported by induced apoptosis and tested by a DNA enzyme inhibitor experiment (ELISA) for Methyl Transferase. Molecular dynamics simulations were made for hit molecule 4c to study the stability and interaction of the protein?ligand complex. The toxicity properties of ADME were calculated for all the compounds. All these results provide essential information for further clinical trials.     

Accumulation of polyhydroxyalkanoates by halophilic archaea isolated from traditional solar salterns of India

Extremely halophilic archaeal isolates obtained from brine and sediment samples of solar salterns of Goa and Tamil Nadu, India were screened for accumulation of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). Seven polymer accumulating haloarchaeal strains (TN4, TN5, TN6, TN7, TN9, TN10 and BBK2) were selected based on their growth and intensity of fluorescence when grown on 20 % NaCl synthetic medium supplemented with 2 % glucose and incorporated with Nile red dye. The polymer was quantified by conversion of PHA to crotonic acid which gave a characteristic absorption maxima at 235 nm. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic characterization the cultures TN4, TN5, TN6, TN7, TN10 and BBK2 were grouped under genus Haloferax whereas isolate TN9 was grouped under the genus Halogeometricum. Growth kinetics and polymer accumulation studies revealed that the culture Halogeometricum borinquense strain TN9 accumulates PHA maximally at the mid-log phase, i.e. 5th day of growth (approx. 14 wt% PHA of CDW). Analysis of the polymer by IR, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR confirmed it to be a homopolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate.     

Vaccine-Induced Boosting of Influenza Virus-Specific CD4 T Cells in Younger and Aged Humans

Current yearly influenza virus vaccines induce strain-specific neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses providing protective immunity to closely matched viruses. However, these vaccines are often poorly effective in high-risk groups such as the elderly and challenges exist in predicting yearly or emerging pandemic influenza virus strains to include in the vaccines. Thus, there has been considerable emphasis on understanding broadly protective immunological mechanisms for influenza virus. Recent studies have implicated memory CD4 T cells in heterotypic immunity in animal models and in human challenge studies. Here we examined how influenza virus vaccination boosted CD4 T cell responses in younger versus aged humans. Our results demonstrate that while the magnitude of the vaccine-induced CD4 T cell response and number of subjects responding on day 7 did not differ between younger and aged subjects, fewer aged subjects had peak responses on day 14. While CD4 T cell responses were inefficiently boosted against NA, both HA and especially nucleocaspid protein- and matrix-(NP+M) specific responses were robustly boosted. Pre-existing CD4 T cell responses were associated with more robust responses to influenza virus NP+M, but not H1 or H3. Finally pre-existing strain-specific NAb decreased the boosting of CD4 T cell responses. Thus, accumulation of pre-existing influenza virus-specific immunity in the form of NAb and cross-reactive T cells to conserved virus proteins (e.g. NP and M) over a lifetime of exposure to infection and vaccination may influence vaccine-induced CD4 T cell responses in the aged.     

Cell wounding activates phospholipase D in primary mouse keratinocytes

Plasma membrane disruptions occur in mechanically active tissues such as the epidermis and can lead to cell death if the damage remains unrepaired. Repair occurs through fusion of vesicle patches to the damaged membrane region. The enzyme phospholipase D (PLD) is involved in membrane traffickiing; therefore, the role of PLD in membrane repair was investigated. Generation of membrane disruptions by lifting epidermal keratinocytes from the substratum induced PLD activation, whereas removal of cells from the substratum via trypsinization had no effect. Pretreatment with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃, previously shown to increase PLD1 expression and activity, had no effect on, and a PLD2-selective (but not a PLD1-selective) inhibitor decreased, cell lifting-induced PLD activation, suggesting PLD2 as the isoform activated. PLD2 interacts functionally with the glycerol channel aquaporin-3 (AQP3) to produce phosphatidylglycerol (PG); however, wounding resulted in decreased PG production, suggesting a potential PG deficiency in wounded cells. Cell lifting-induced PLD activation was transient, consistent with a possible role in membrane repair, and PLD inhibitors inhibited membrane resealing upon laser injury. In an in vivo full-thickness mouse skin wound model, PG accelerated wound healing. These results suggest that PLD and the PLD2/AQP3 signaling module may be involved in membrane repair and wound healing.     

Increase in Serum Ca2+/Mg2+ Ratio Promotes Proliferation of Prostate Cancer Cells by Activating TRPM7 Channels

TRPM7 is a novel magnesium-nucleotide-regulated metal current (MagNuM) channel that is regulated by serum Mg²⁺ concentrations. Changes in Mg²⁺ concentration have been shown to alter cell proliferation in various cells; however, the mechanism and the ion channel(s) involved have not yet been identified. Here we demonstrate that TRPM7 is expressed in control and prostate cancer cells. Supplementation of intracellular Mg-ATP or addition of external 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate inhibited MagNuM currents. Furthermore, silencing of TRPM7 inhibited whereas overexpression of TRPM7 increased endogenous MagNuM currents, suggesting that these currents are dependent on TRPM7. Importantly, although an increase in the serum Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ ratio facilitated Ca²⁺ influx in both control and prostate cancer cells, a significantly higher Ca²⁺ influx was observed in prostate cancer cells. TRPM7 expression was also increased in cancer cells, but its expression was not dependent on the Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ ratio per se. Additionally, an increase in the extracellular Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ ratio led to a significant increase in cell proliferation of prostate cancer cells when compared with control cells. Consistent with these results, age-matched prostate cancer patients also showed a subsequent increase in the Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ ratio and TRPM7 expression. Altogether, we provide evidence that the TRPM7 channel has an important role in prostate cancer and have identified that the Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ ratio could be essential for the initiation/progression of prostate cancer.     

Phylogeny and physiology of candidate phylum ‘Atribacteria' (OP9/JS1) inferred from cultivation-independent genomics

The ‘Atribacteria'' is a candidate phylum in the Bacteria recently proposed to include members of the OP9 and JS1 lineages. OP9 and JS1 are globally distributed, and in some cases abundant, in anaerobic marine sediments, geothermal environments, anaerobic digesters and reactors and petroleum reservoirs. However, the monophyly of OP9 and JS1 has been questioned and their physiology and ecology remain largely enigmatic due to a lack of cultivated representatives. Here cultivation-independent genomic approaches were used to provide a first comprehensive view of the phylogeny, conserved genomic features and metabolic potential of members of this ubiquitous candidate phylum. Previously available and heretofore unpublished OP9 and JS1 single-cell genomic data sets were used as recruitment platforms for the reconstruction of atribacterial metagenome bins from a terephthalate-degrading reactor biofilm and from the monimolimnion of meromictic Sakinaw Lake. The single-cell genomes and metagenome bins together comprise six species- to genus-level groups that represent most major lineages within OP9 and JS1. Phylogenomic analyses of these combined data sets confirmed the monophyly of the ‘Atribacteria'' inclusive of OP9 and JS1. Additional conserved features within the ‘Atribacteria'' were identified, including a gene cluster encoding putative bacterial microcompartments that may be involved in aldehyde and sugar metabolism, energy conservation and carbon storage. Comparative analysis of the metabolic potential inferred from these data sets revealed that members of the ‘Atribacteria'' are likely to be heterotrophic anaerobes that lack respiratory capacity, with some lineages predicted to specialize in either primary fermentation of carbohydrates or secondary fermentation of organic acids, such as propionate.