Influence of upwelling on the chaetognath community along the Southeastern Arabian Sea

Community structure and distribution of chaetognaths were investigated along the upwelled and non-upwelled waters of Southeastern Arabian Sea (SEAS) from the coastal, shelf and open ocean regions. With the onset of monsoon, intense upwelling along the southern part of SEAS (8° 28′ N) and a weak coastal upwelling along the northern counterpart (15° 30′ N) was evident. Zooplankton biomass was observed to be high in the upwelled waters with the dominance of copepods. Chaetognaths were also observed in significant numbers all along the SEAS, however maximum numerical abundance was observed in the southern upwelled waters. Chaetognaths belonging to 10 genera were identified of which genus Flaccisagitta (54%) made the most dominant group along the entire study area followed, in order of abundance, by Serratosagitta (20%), Mesosagitta (18.2%), Sagitta (12.3%), Ferosagitta (11%) and Krohnitta (6.4%). Flaccisagitta were observed to be abundant in the upwelled waters along with Pterosagitta, Serratosagitta, Sagitta, Krohnitta and Ferosagitta whereas genus Mesosagitta dominated the non-upwelled waters of northern transects.

     

Biotechnology of Microbial Xylanases: Enzymology,Molecular Biology,and Application

ABSTRACT:?

Xylanases are hydrolases depolymerizing the plant cell wall component xylan, the second most abundant polysaccharide. The molecular structure and hydrolytic pattern of xylanases have been reported extensively and the mechanism of hydrolysis has also been proposed. There are several models for the gene regulation of which this article could add to the wealth of knowledge. Future work on the application of these enzymes in the paper and pulp, food industry, in environmental science, that is, bio-fueling, effluent treatment, and agro-waste treatment, etc. require a complete understanding of the functional and genetic significance of the xylanases. However, the thrust area has been identified as the paper and pulp industry. The major problem in the field of paper bleaching is the removal of lignin and its derivatives, which are linked to cellulose and xylan. Xylanases are more suitable in the paper and pulp industry than lignin-degrading systems.     

Inhibition of Megakaryocyte Development in the Bone Marrow Underlies Dengue Virus-Induced Thrombocytopenia in Humanized Mice

A characteristic clinical feature of dengue virus infection is thrombocytopenia, though its underlying mechanism is not definitively determined. By adoptive transfer of human CD34⁺ fetal liver cells into immunodeficient mice, we have constructed humanized mice with significant levels of human platelets, monocytes/macrophages, and hepatocytes. Infection of these mice with both lab-adapted and clinical strains of dengue virus induces characteristic human hematological changes, including transient leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. We show that the specific depletion of human platelets is not mediated by antibodies in the periphery or reduced production of human thrombopoietin in the liver but reduction of human megakaryocytes and megakaryocyte progenitors in the bone marrow of the infected mice. These findings identify inhibition of platelet production in the bone marrow as a key mechanism underlying dengue-induced thrombocytopenia and suggest the utility of the improved humanized mouse model in studying dengue virus infection and pathogenesis in a human cell context.     

Asymmetric-flow field-flow fractionation of prions reveals a strain-specific continuum of quaternary structures with protease resistance developing at a hydrodynamic radius of 15 nm

Prion diseases are transmissible neurodegenerative disorders that affect mammals, including humans. The central molecular event is the conversion of cellular prion glycoprotein, PrP^C, into a plethora of assemblies, PrP^Sc, associated with disease. Distinct phenotypes of disease led to the concept of prion strains, which are associated with distinct PrP^Sc structures. However, the degree to which intra- and inter-strain PrP^Sc heterogeneity contributes to disease pathogenesis remains unclear. Addressing this question requires the precise isolation and characterization of all PrP^Sc subpopulations from the prion-infected brains. Until now, this has been challenging. We used asymmetric-flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) to isolate all PrP^Sc subpopulations from brains of hamsters infected with three prion strains: Hyper (HY) and 263K, which produce almost identical phenotypes, and Drowsy (DY), a strain with a distinct presentation. In-line dynamic and multi-angle light scattering (DLS/MALS) data provided accurate measurements of particle sizes and estimation of the shape and number of PrP^Sc particles. We found that each strain had a continuum of PrP^Sc assemblies, with strong correlation between PrP^Sc quaternary structure and phenotype. HY and 263K were enriched with large, protease-resistant PrP^Sc aggregates, whereas DY consisted primarily of smaller, more protease-sensitive aggregates. For all strains, a transition from protease-sensitive to protease-resistant PrP^Sc took place at a hydrodynamic radius (R_h) of 15 nm and was accompanied by a change in glycosylation and seeding activity. Our results show that the combination of AF4 with in-line MALS/DLS is a powerful tool for analyzing PrP^Sc subpopulations and demonstrate that while PrP^Sc quaternary structure is a major contributor to PrP^Sc structural heterogeneity, a fundamental change, likely in secondary/tertiary structure, prevents PrP^Sc particles from maintaining proteinase K resistance below an R_h of 15 nm, regardless of strain. This results in two biochemically distinctive subpopulations, the proportion, seeding activity, and stability of which correlate with prion strain phenotype.     

Protective effect of curcumin on pulmonary and cardiovascular effects induced by repeated exposure to diesel exhaust particles in mice

Particulate air pollution has been associated with increased risk of cardiopulmonary diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We have previously demonstrated that single dose exposure to diesel exhaust particle (DEP) causes lung inflammation and peripheral thrombotic events. Here, we exposed mice with repeated doses of DEP (15 μg/animal) every 2(nd) day for 6 days (a total of 4 exposures), and measured several cardiopulmonary endpoints 48 h after the end of the treatments. Moreover, the potential protective effect of curcumin (the yellow pigment isolated from turmeric) on DEP-induced cardiopulmonary toxicity was assessed. DEP exposure increased macrophage and neutrophil numbers, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF α) in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and enhanced airway resistance to methacoline measured invasively using Flexivent. DEP also significantly increased plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and TNF α concentrations, systolic blood pressure (SBP) as well as the pial arteriolar thrombosis. It also significantly enhanced the plasma D-dimer and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). Pretreatment with curcumin by oral gavage (45 mg/kg) 1 h before exposure to DEP significantly prevented the influx of inflammatory cells and the increase of TNF α in BAL, and the increased airway resistance caused by DEP. Likewise, curcumin prevented the increase of SBP, CRP, TNF α, D-dimer and PAI-1. The thrombosis was partially but significantly mitigated. In conclusion, repeated exposure to DEP induced lung and systemic inflammation characterized by TNFα release, increased SBP, and accelerated coagulation. Our findings indicate that curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory agent that prevents the release of TNFα and protects against the pulmonary and cardiovascular effects of DEP.     

Fabrication of nanofiber coated with l-arginine via electrospinning technique: a novel nanomatrix to counter oxidative stress under crosstalk of co-cultured fibroblasts and satellite cells

The objective of this study was to synthesize and characterize novel polyurethane (PU)-nanofiber coated with l-arginine by electrospinning technique. This study determined whether l-arginine conjugated with PU-nanofiber could stimulate cell proliferation and prevent H₂O₂-induced cell death in satellite cells co-cultured with fibroblasts isolated from Hanwoo (Korean native cattle). Our results showed that l-arginine conjugated with PU nanofiber could reduce cytotoxicity of co-cultured satellite cells. Protein expression levels of bcl-2 were significantly upregulated whereas those of caspase-3 and caspase-7 were significantly downregulated in co-culture of satellite cells compared to those of monoculture cells after treatment with PU-nanofiber coated with l-arginine and which confirmed by Confocal microscope. These results suggest that co-culture of satellite cells with fibroblasts might be able to counter oxidative stress through translocation/penetration of antioxidant, collagen, and molecules secreted to satellite cells. Therefore, this nanofiber might be useful as a wound dressing in animals to counter oxidative stresses.