Studies on the H-Y antigen in rats

The H-Y antigen has been studied under a variety of experimental conditions in BN and Lewis rats. The results indicate that 1. graft size is crucially important in determining the fate of male skin isografts on females; 2. H-Y incompatible ear skin grafts survive significantly better than those of trunk origin; 3. prior exposure of females to male lymphoid cells greatly increases their capacity to reject male skin isografts; 4. neonatal castration has no influence on the expression of H-Y; 5. multiparity can induce unresponsiveness to H-Y; and 6. although BN females respond better than do Lewis females to H-Y, the antigen is stronger in Lewis males. These findings are compared with the results of similar experiments conducted with mice.Submitted in memory of Dr. Joy Palm, member of the Wistar Institute, who pioneered the genetic analysis of histocompatibility in rats.     

Capacity of adult steel (SI/SId) and dominant spotting (W/Wv) mouse skin to support melanogenesis.

Utilizing skin grafting techniques, melanocytes were incorporated into adult steel ($\text{Sl}\text{Sl}{}^{\mathrm{d}}$) and dominant spotting ($\text{W}\text{W}{}^{\mathrm{v}}$) hair follicles, where they survived and pigmented a number of hair generations. Previous investigations have indicated that the steel alleles act on the embryonic skin to prevent the survival of melanocytes. The present study suggests that this gene action mechanism may be temporary and does not continue into adult life. In addition, the study demonstrates that some hair bulb melanocytes can pigment more than one hair generation.     

High-level expression of the Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase F2 gene in E.coli: one step purification to homogeneity

The Endo F2gene was overexpressed in E.coli as a fusion protein joined to the maltose-binding protein. MBP-Endo F2was found in a highly enriched state as insoluble, inactive inclusion bodies. Extraction of the inclusion bodies with 20% acetic acid followed by exhaustive dialysis rendered the fusion protein active and soluble. MBP-Endo F2was digested with Factor Xaand purified on Q-Sepharose. The enzyme was homogeneous by SDS-PAGE, and appeared as a single symmetrical peak on HPLC. Analysis of the amino-terminus demonstrated conclusively that recombinant Endo F2was homogeneous and identical to the native enzyme.      

Evolution of the ATP-binding-cassette transmembrane transporters of vertebrates

The ATP-binding-cassette transmembrane transporters (ABC transporters) known from vertebrates belong to four major subfamilies: (1) the P- glycoproteins (Pgp); (2) the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulators (CFTR); (3) the Tap proteins encoded with the major histocompatibility complex of mammals; and (4) the peroxisomal membrane proteins. Both Pgp and CFTR have a structure suggesting a past internal gene duplication; a phylogenetic analysis indicated that these duplications occurred independently, while an independent tandem gene duplication occurred in the case of the Tap family. Both the Pgp and Tap proteins show evidence of relationship to bacterial ABC transporters lacking internal duplication, and both are significantly more closely related to the HlyB and MsbA families of transporters from purple bacteria than they are to ABC transporters from nonpurple bacteria. The simplest hypothesis to explain this observation is that eukaryotic Pgp and Tap genes are descended from a mitochondrial gene or genes that were subsequently translocated to the nuclear genome. The Pgp genes of eukaryotes are characterized by a remarkable degree of convergent evolution between the ATP-binding cassettes of their N- terminal and C-terminal halves, whereas no such convergence is seen between the two halves of CFTR genes or between the duplicated Tap genes. Exon 13 of the CFTR gene, which encodes a putative regulatory domain not found in other ABC transporters apart from CFTR, showed high levels of both synonymous and nonsynonymous difference in comparisons among different mammalian species, suggesting that this region is a mutational hot spot.      

Three-Dimensional Trabecular Alignment Model

The Shear-slip Mesh Update Method (SSMUM) is being used in flow simulations involving large but regular displacements of one or more boundaries of the computational domain. We follow up the earlier discussion of the method with notes on practical implementation aspects. In order to establish a benchmark problem for this class of flow problems, we define and report results from a two-dimensional viscous flow around a rotating stirrer in a square chamber. The application potential of the method is demonstrated in the context of biomedical design problem, as we perform an analysis of blood flow in a centrifugal left ventricular assist device, or blood pump, which involves a rotating impeller in a non-axisymmetric housing.     

Targeting CoV-2 spike RBD and ACE-2 interaction with flavonoids of Anatolian propolis by in silico and in vitro studies in terms of possible COVID-19 therapeutics

Propolis is a multi-functional bee product rich in polyphenols. In this study, the inhibitory effect of Anatolian propolis against SARS-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was investigated in vitro and in silico. Raw and commercial propolis samples were used, and both samples were found to be rich in caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, t-cinnamic acid, hesperetin, chrysin, pinocembrin, and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) at HPLC-UV analysis. Ethanolic propolis extracts (EPE) were used in the ELISA screening test against the spike S1 protein (SARS-CoV-2): ACE-2 interaction for in vitro study. The binding energy values of these polyphenols to the SARS-CoV-2 spike and ACE-2 protein were calculated separately with a molecular docking study using the AutoDock 4.2.6 program. In addition, the pharmacokinetics and drug-likeness properties of these eight polyphenols were calculated according to the SwissADME tool. The binding energy value of pinocembrin was highest in both receptors, followed by chrysin, CAPE, and hesperetin. Based on the in silico modeling and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) behaviors of the eight polyphenols, the compounds exhibited the potential ability to act effectively as novel drugs. The findings of both studies showed that propolis has a high inhibitory potential against the Covid-19 virus. However, further studies are now needed.     

Skeletal muscle protein and amino acid metabolism in hereditary mouse muscular dystrophy. Accelerated protein turnover and increased alanine and glutamine formation and release

Interactins between skeletal muscle protein and amino acid metabolism were investigated using C57BL and 129ReJ mice with hereditary muscular dystrophy. On incubation, hind limb muscle preparations from dystrophic mice released large quantities of amino acids, particularly alanine and glutamine which were increased 70% and 40% compared to muscles from carrier or control mice. The increased alanine release did not result from altered alanine oxidation to CO2 or reincorporation into protein. Alanine and glutamine formation from added amino acids were equal with dystrophic and control muscles. Incorporation in vitro of leucine, alanine, and glutamate into proteins of dystrophic muscle was 3- to 7-fold greater than control muscle, and the incorporation in vivo of [3H]- or [14C]arginine into muscle proteins was greater in extent and earlier in time with dystrophic as compared to control muscle. Proteins were also labeled in vivo using [guanido-14C]arginine. On incubation of these muscles in vitro, a 100% greater loss of label from protein was observed with dystrophic as compared to control preparations, and the appearance of label in the media was correspondingly increased. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis of dystrophic skeletal muscle showed numerous protein bands to be reduced in density, but autoradiographic studies demonstrated that these same bands were more highly labeled in vitro by [35S]methionine in dystrophic than in control muscle. Although insulin stimulation of glucose uptake was markedly blunted in dystrophic muscle, insulin inhibited alanine and glutamine release equally from both control and dystrophic muscle. These data indicate that alanine and glutamine formation and release are increased in hereditary mouse muscular dystrophy. An accelerated degradation and an increased resynthesis of many muscle proteins were also observed in dystrophic compared to control animals. This increased proteolysis may account for the increased alanine and glutamine formation in dystrophic muscle.