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129 records returned

p53-based Anti-cancer Therapies: an Empty Promise?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Since its discovery in 1979, p53 has become the focus of intensive cancer-based research in laboratories around the world. The p53 protein mediates critical cellular functions including the response to genotoxic stress, differentiation, senescence, and apoptosis, and has been shown to be mutated in a large proportion of human cancers. These observations led many to speculate that targeting the p53 pathway would result in the development of successful anti-cancer treatments. In spite of this, 30 years later, p53 has yet to fulfill this promise. However, new insights into small molecule combination therapies, microRNA re...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - November 16, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Desilet N, Campbell TN, Choy FY Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Green Technologies for Room Temperature Nucleic Acid Storage.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we evaluated two novel products for room temperature DNA storage: Biomatrica's DNA SampleMatrix technology and GenVault's GenTegra DNA technology. We compared the integrity and quality of DNA stored using these products against DNA stored in a -20 C freezer by performing downstream testing with short range PCR, long range PCR, DNA sequencing, and SNP microarrays. In addition, we tested Biomatrica's RNAstable product for its ability to preserve RNA at room temperature for use in a quantitative reverse transcription PCR assay. PMID: 19801719 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology)
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - October 1, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Wan E, Akana M, Pons J, Chen J, Musone S, Kwok PY, Liao W Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

SPUD qPCR Assay Confirms PREXCEL-Q Softwares Ability to Avoid qPCR Inhibition.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction is subject to inhibition by substances that co-purify with nucleic acids during isolation and preparation of samples. Such materials alter the activity of reverse transcriptase (RT) and thermostable DNA polymerase enzymes on which the assay depends. When removal of inhibitory substances by column or reagent-based methods fails or is incomplete, the remaining option of appropriately, precisely and differentially diluting samples and standards to non-inhibitory concentrations is often avoided due to the logistic problem it poses. To address this, we invented the PREXCEL-Q ...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - September 21, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Gallup JM, Sow FB, Van Geelen A, Ackermann MR Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

The Prion Protein: Friend and Foe.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A conformational transition of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) into an aberrantly folded isoform designated scrapie prion protein (PrP(Sc)) is the hallmark of a variety of neurodegenerative disorders collectively called prion diseases. They include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Gerstmann-Staussler-Scheinker syndrome in humans, scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in free-ranging deer. In contrast to the deadly properties of misfolded PrP, PrP(C) seems to possess a neuroprotective activity. More-over, animal models indicated that the stress-protective a...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - September 17, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Tatzelt J Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Prion Neurotoxicity: Insights from Prion Protein Mutants.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The chemical nature of prions and the mechanism by which they propagate are now reasonably well understood. In contrast, much less is known about the identity of the toxic prion protein (PrP) species that are responsible for neuronal death, and the cellular pathways that these forms activate. In addition, the normal, physiological function of cellular PrP (PrP(C)) has remained mysterious, hampering efforts to determine whether loss or alteration of this function contributes to the disease phenotype. Considerable evidence now suggests that aggregation, toxicity, and infectivity are distinct properties of PrP that do no ...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - September 17, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Solomon IH, Schepker JA, Harris DA Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Prion Protein: Orchestrating Neurotrophic Activities.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PrP(C) is highly expressed in both the central and peripheral nervous systems from early stages of development and in adulthood. Its major conformational change and conversion into an abnormal form (PrP(Sc)) has been associated with the generation of prions, the infectious agent of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The massive neurodegeneration presented by individuals suffering from these diseases has been associated with the gain of neurotoxic activity of PrP(Sc). On the other hand, major neurodegeneration is also observed in transgenic mice expressing PrP(C) molecules deleted of specific domains, whi...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - September 17, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Martins VR, Beraldo FH, Hajj GN, Lopes MH, Lee KS, Prado MM, Linden R Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Autophagy, Prion Infection and their Mutual Interactions.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Prion diseases are infectious and fatal neurodegenerative disorders of man and animals which are characterized by spongiform degeneration in the central nervous system. Prion propagation involves the endocytic pathway and endosomal and lysosomal compartments are implicated in trafficking and re-cycling as well as final degradation of prions. Shifting the equilibrium between propagation and lysosomal clearance to the latter impairs cellular prion load. This and earlier findings of autophagic vacuoles in correlation to prion infections both in in vitro and in vivo studies prompted us and others to analyze the role of aut...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - September 17, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Heiseke A, Aguib Y, Schatzl HM Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Prion Protein and Metal Interaction: Physiological and Pathological Implications.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Metal induced free radicals are important mediators of neurotoxicity in several neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease. Similar evidence is now emerging for prion diseases, a group of neurodegenerative disorders of humans and animals. The main pathogenic agent in all prion disorders is PrP-scrapie (PrP(Sc)), a beta-sheet rich isoform of a normal cell surface glycoprotein known as the prion protein (PrP(C)). Deposits of PrP(Sc) in the brain parenchyma are believed to induce neurotoxicity through poorly understood mechanisms. Recent reports suggest that imb...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - September 17, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Singh N, Das D, Singh A, Mohan ML Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Targeting of the Prion Protein to the Cytosol: Mechanisms and Consequences.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Prion diseases are characterized by the conformational transition of the cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) into an aberrant protein conformer, designated scrapie-prion protein (PrP(Sc)). A causal link between protein misfolding and neurodegeneration has been established for a variety of neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and polyglutamine diseases, but there is an ongoing debate about the nature of the neurotoxic species and how non-native conformers can damage neuronal populations. PrP is normally imported into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and targeted to the outer leaflet of t...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - September 17, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Miesbauer M, Rambold AS, Winklhofer KF, Tatzelt J Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

The Role of GPI-anchored PrP(C) in Mediating the Neurotoxic Effect of Scrapie Prions in Neurons.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
There are two central phenomena in prion disease: prion replication and prion neurotoxicity. Underlying them both is the conversion of a host-encoded ubiquitously expressed protein, prion protein (PrP(C)), into a partially-protease resistant isoform, PrP(Sc), which accumulates in the brain. PrP(Sc) is associated with both pathology and infectivity. In the absence of PrP(C), PrP(Sc) cannot be generated and PrP-null mice do not propagate infectivity or develop pathology on infection with scrapie. However, while PrP(C) expression is fundamental to both prion infectivity and neurodegeneration, the uncoupling of these proce...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - September 17, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Radford HE, Mallucci GR Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Identification and Isolation of an Azoreductase from Enterococcus faecium.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Azo dyes are commonly used in many commercial industries. Some of the azo dyes can produce carcinogenic compounds after being metabolized by azoreductase. Several human intestinal microbiota possess azoreductase activity which plays an important role in the toxicity and mutagenicity of these azo dye compounds. The acpD gene product (AzoEf1) responsible for the azoreductase activity of Enterococcus faecium, an intestinal bacterium, was heterologously expressed, purified and characterized. The protein sequence shares 67% identity with the azoreductase from Enterococcus faecalis, AzoA. Although AzoEf1 possesses many commo...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - September 9, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Macwana SR, Punj S, Cooper J, Schwenk E, John GH Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Bacterial Secretion Systems with an Emphasis on the Chlamydial Type III Secretion System.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Numerous bacterial proteins exert their function outside the prokaryotic cell. To this end, both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria have evolved specialized mechanisms to transport their proteins to the bacterial supernatant or host cell cytoplasm, so called secretion systems. These different strategies will be briefly discussed, followed by an in depth description of the Type III secretion system, an efficient molecular syringe assisting Gram-negative bacteria in entrance, growth and survival in eukaryotic host cells. Topics addressed include classification and role of multiple Type III secretion systems, the me...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 15, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Beeckman DS, Vanrompay DC Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

One-step DNA Fragment Assembly and Circularization for Gene Cloning.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article describes a one-step procedure based on Taq polymerase for the precise assembly of DNA fragments into circular constructs as long as 6 kb. The only prior step needed was the amplification of the gene to be cloned and the linear vector backbone, and the whole process up to assembly and circularization lasted only 2 days, compared with the conventional method's 2 weeks. Furthermore, the final DNA construct was used to transform Escherichia coli directly without any further treatment. By circumventing the need for DNA ligase, our "Quick Assemble" method offers an improvement over the combination of long PCR and o...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - June 2, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Zuo P, Rabie BM Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Interplay Between Human Leukocyte Antigen Genes and the Microbial Colonization Process of the Newborn Intestine.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Coeliac disease (CD) development involves genetic (HLA-DQ2/DQ8) and environmental factors. Herein, the influence of the HLA-DQ genotype on the gut colonization process of breast-fed children was determined. A cohort of 20 newborns, with at least one first-degree relative with CD, were classified according to their HLA-DQ genotype into high, intermediate and low genetic risk groups, showing 24-28%, 7-8% and less than 1% probability to develop CD, respectively. Faecal microbiota was analysed at 7 days, 1 and 4 months of children's age by fluorescence in situ hybridization. When considering all data, Gram-negative bacteri...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - May 27, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: De Palma G, Capilla A, Nadal I, Nova E, Pozo T, Varea V, Polanco I, Castillejo G, López A, Garrote JA, Calvo C, García-Novo MD, Cilleruelo ML, Ribes-Koninckx C, Palau F, Sanz Y Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Molecular Markers Based Identification of Diversity for Drought Tolerance in Bread Wheat Varieties and Synthetic Hexaploids.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The complexity of the wheat genome has delayed the development and application of molecular markers to this species and wheat now lies behind barley, maize and rice in marker development. However, improvements in marker detection systems and in the techniques used to identify markers linked to useful traits has allowed considerable advances to be made in recent years. To evaluate the genetic diversity 53 genotypes of Richard's selection were studied at National Agriculture Reseach Center (NARC) Islamabad. The present study found that RAPD analysis is a valuable diagnostic tool. Different sets of RAPD primers were used ...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - May 10, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Shah ZH, Munir M, Kazi AM, Mujtaba T, Ahmed Z Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Genes and Pathways Induced in Early Response to Defoliation in Rice Seedlings.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
How plant gene expression responds to grazing defoliation is critical for plant re-growth, survival, and composition in the natural and dairy farming grassland environments. Rice, with genome sequence available, was used as a model plant to study grazing-induced pathway selections. When seedlings were 18 cm in height, the top 12 cm was removed by simulated grazing. The gene expression activities within 2 to 24 hours in the remaining aboveground tissues were profiled using the Affymetrix Rice GeneChips and RT-qPCR. The seedlings responded to grazing by immediately adjusting their global gene expression, e.g. enhancing a...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - April 13, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Chen S, Li XQ, Zhao A, Wang L, Li X, Shi Q, Chen M, Guo J, Zhang J, Qi D, Liu G Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Diet, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Cattle: A Review After 10 Years.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Escherichia coli are commensal bacteria that can account for up to 1% of the bacterial population of the gut. Ruminant animals are reservoirs of the pathogenic bacteria E. coli strain O157:H7, and approximately 30% of feedlot cattle shed E. coli O157:H7. Feedlot and high-producing dairy cattle are fed high grain rations in order to increase feed efficiency. When cattle are fed high grain rations, some starch escapes ruminal microbial degradation and passes to the hindgut where it undergoes fermentation. Ten years ago researchers demonstrated that populations of total E. coli were higher in grain-fed than in forage-fed ...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - April 8, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Callaway TR, Carr MA, Edrington TS, Anderson RC, Nisbet DJ Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

A High-Resolution Melting Approach for Analyzing Allelic Expression Dynamics.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study investigated whether the HRM analysis can distinguish alleles among potato (Solanum tuberosum) transcript abundances. Transcript properties of genes encoding seven carbohydrate metabolism enzymes/proteins in various tissues and cold storage durations were studied. The HRM assay measured differential expression of alleles between different organs, between different storage treatments and stages of tubers from the same variety, and between different varieties with the same treatment. The RT-PCR amplicons were directly sequenced to assist the interpretation of HRM data. The cDNA HRM curves correlated well with the ...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - February 2, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Yuan J, Haroon M, Lightfoot D, Pelletier Y, Liu Q, Li XQ Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Multigeneic QTL: The Laccase Encoded within the Soybean Rfs2/rhg1 Locus Inferred to Underlie Part of the Dual Resistance to Cyst Nematode and Sudden Death Syndrome.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Multigeneic QTL present significant problems to analysis. Resistance to soybean (Glycine max (L) Merr.) sudden death syndrome (SDS) caused by Fusarium virguliforme was partly underlain by QRfs2 that was clustered with, or pleiotropic to, the multigeneic rhg1 locus providing resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines). A group of five genes were found between the two markers that delimited the Rfs2/rhg1 locus. One of the five genes was predicted to encode an unusual diphenol oxidase (laccase; EC 1.10.3.2). The aim of this study was to characterize this member of the soybean laccase gene-family and exp...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - February 2, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Iqbal MJ, Ahsan R, Afzal AJ, Jamai A, Meksem K, El-Shemy HA, Lightfoot DA Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

The Role of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in Transgenic Plants to Reduce Gene Silencing Phenomena.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The green fluorescent protein (GFP) of jellyfish (Aequorea victoria) has significant advantages over other reporter genes, because expression can be detected in living cells without any substrates. Recently, epigenetic phenomena are important to consider in plant biotechnology experiments for elucidate unknown mechanism. Therefore, soybean immature cotyledons were generated embryogenesis cells and engineered with two different gene constructs (pHV and pHVS) using gene gun method. Both constructs contain a gene conferring resistance to hygromycin (hpt) as a selective marker and a modified glycinin (11S globulin) gene (V...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - February 2, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: El-Shemy HA, Khalafalla MM, Ishimoto M Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Antisense Phenotypes Reveal a Functional Expression of OsARF1, an Auxin Response Factor, in Transgenic Rice.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
OsARF1 is the first full-length member of auxin response factor (ARF) gene family to be cloned from monocot plant. Using quantitative RT-PCR this study found that, the transcript abundance of OsARF1 was significantly higher in embryonic tissues than in vegetative tissues. To investigate the effect of OsARF1 on the phenotype of rice, a cDNA fragment of OsARF1 was inserted in inverse orientation to the 35S promoter in vector pBin438 to produce an antisense (AS) construction. The AS-OsARF1 construct was transferred into rice (Oryza sativa L. japonica) calli via Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Molecular ...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - February 2, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Attia KA, Abdelkhalik AF, Ammar MH, Wei C, Yang J, Lightfoot DA, El-Sayed WM, El-Shemy HA Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

An Account of Cloned Genes of Methyl-erythritol-4-phosphate Pathway of Isoprenoid Biosynthesis in Plants.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Isoprenoids, also known as terpenoids, are biosynthesized by the condensation of the two C5 unit isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and isomer dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). Generally, plants use two separate pathways plastidial Methyl-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) and cytosolic acetate-mevalonate (MVA) pathways for formation of IPP. The genes, enzymes and intermediates of the MEP pathway have been unravelled in plants over the past few years. Interestingly, MEP pathway enzymes are encoded by nuclear genes but they function in plastids to produce precursors for isoprenes, monoterpenes, carotenoids, abscisic acid, gibbere...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - February 2, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Ganjewala D, Kumar S, Luthra R Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Establishment of the Regeneration System for Vicia faba L.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In conclusion, a regeneration system was established suitable for both gene transformation and the isolation of somaclonal mutants. The regeneration system will be used in order to improve the nutritional value of faba bean. PMID: 19193964 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology)
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - February 2, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Bahgat S, Shabban OA, El-Shihy O, Lightfoot DA, El-Shemy HA Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Cloning of a Novel Antifungal Promoter from Phaseolus vulgaris and the Determination of its Activity in Stably Transformed Nicotiana tabacum Plants.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
To investigate the transcriptional regulation of gene expression, chimeric fusions, between the beta-glucuronidase reporter gene (GUS) and the isolated promoter regions of the pvPDF gene (pvPDF-PRO: GUS), were constructed and introduced into Nicotiana tabacum. Analysis of transgenic pvPDF-PRO:GUS tobacco plants indicated that GUS activity was observed with all the promoter constructs with the strongest being in leaf followed by stem and roots. These results clearly demonstrate that pvPDF-PRO is a strong inducible and near-constitutive promoter and emphasize the great application potential for plant genetic engineering ...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - February 2, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Mahmoud EA, El-Din SM, Aboul-Soud MA, Aboul-Enein AM, Sobhy GA, El-Shemy HA Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

The Interactions of the Largest Subunit of RNA Polymerase II with Other Cellular Proteins: a Bioinformatic Approach.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The function of a protein is governed by its interaction with other proteins inside a cell. Therefore, it is important to identify the interacting partners of a particular protein to decipher its function. The protein interaction networks are generally determined by bioinformatic as well as experimental methodologies such as yeast two hybrid, mass spectrometry, immunoprecipitation, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer assays. Here, we have analyzed bioinformatically the interactions of Rpb1p (the largest subunit of RNA Polymerase II) with other proteins in yeast, using Cytoscape software and Biogrid/Biomart datab...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - February 2, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Shukla A, Natarajan A, Bhaumik S, El-Shemy HA, Lightfoot D Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Locus Interactions Underlie Seed Yield In Soybeans Resistant to Heterodera glycines.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The objective of this analysis was to identify linkats in genomic regions underlying seed yield and root SCN resistance QTL. Used were groups of cultivars selected from a single recombinant inbred (RIL) population derived from 'Essex' by 'Forrest' (ExF). The yield was measured at four locations. SCN resistance was determined in greenhouse assays. The mean seed yield was used to define 3 groups (each n = 30), high, medium and low. SCN resistance formed 2 groups (SCN resistant (n = 21) and SCN susceptible (n = 69)). Microsatellite markers (213) alleles were compared with seed yield and root SCN (Hetrodera glycines) resistanc...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - February 2, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Karangula UB, Kassem MA, Gupta L, El-Shemy HA, Lightfoot DA Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Different Responses of Two Genes Associated with Disease Resistance Loci in Maize (Zea mays L.) to 3-allyloxy-1,2-benzothiazole 1,1-dioxide.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The objectives of the current study here were to characterize the Zmnbslrr1 gene and to determine whether it and Zmgc1 respond to the inducer PBZ. The transcript abundance of Zmnbslrr1 expression was significantly reduced in corn seedlings of the Gibberella ear rot resistant genotype CO387 48 h after PBZ treatment. In contrast, the transcript abundance of the maize Zmgc1 gene increased more than 10-fold 8h after the treatment. Therefore, the two genes do not appear to be coordinately regulated by PBZ. PMID: 19193968 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology)
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - February 2, 2009 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Yuan J, Tedman J, Ali L, Liu J, Taylor J, Lightfoot D, Iwata M, Pauls KP Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Purification and Identification of an FMN-dependent NAD(P)H Azoreductase from Enterococcus faecalis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Azoreductases reduce the azo bond (N=N) in azo dyes to produce colorless amine products. Crude cell extracts from Enterococcus faecalis have been shown to utilize both NADH and NADPH as electron donors for azo dye reduction. An azoreductase was purified from E. faecalis by hydrophobic, anion exchange and affinity chromatography. The azoreductase activity of the purified preparation was tested on a polyacrylamide gel after electrophoresis under native conditions and the protein that decolorized the azo dye, Methyl Red, with both NADH and NADPH was identified by mass spectrometry to be AzoA. Previously, the heterologousl...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - September 12, 2008 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Punj S, John GH Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Saccharomyces boulardii effects on gastrointestinal diseases.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Health benefits attributed to probiotics have been described for decades. They include the treatment and the prevention of gastrointestinal diseases, vaginal and urinary infections and allergies. Saccharomyces boulardii, a species of yeast widely distributed, has been described as a biotherapeutic agent since several clinical trials displayed its beneficial effects in the prevention and the treatment of intestinal infections and in the maintenance of inflammatory bowel disease. All these diseases are characterized by acute diarrhoea. Administration of the yeast in combination or not with an antibiotherapy has shown to ...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - September 8, 2008 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Zanello G, Meurens F, Berri M, Salmon H Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Biosensor recognition elements.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 18525101 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology)
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 3, 2008 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Chambers JP, Arulanandam BP, Matta LL, Weis A, Valdes JJ Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Considerations in the development of live biotherapeutic products for clinical use.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Discussion of considerations in the early development of LBPs may aid in preparation of an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) that is designed to collect clinical data to support marketing approval of a LBP in the U.S. for a specific clinical use. Product information is an important component of an IND to support a proposed clinical study. PMID: 18525102 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology)
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 3, 2008 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Ross JJ, Boucher PE, Bhattacharyya SP, Kopecko DJ, Sutkowski EM, Rohan PJ, Chandler DK, Vaillancourt J Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Long-term stability of the human gut microbiota in two different rat strains.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study investigated the long-term stability of the bacterial community in such rats. Following the association of two strains of germ-free rats (12 male animals each) with fecal bacteria from a human donor the development of the microbiota was monitored for 12 months by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. During this time the Dice similarity coefficient (Cs) for the fecal microbial community of the rats associated with a human microbiota in comparison to the donor sample ranged between 73% +/- 8 and 74% +/- 3 for the Wistar and the Fischer 344 rats, respectively. After 12 months the similarity coefficients wer...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 3, 2008 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Alpert C, Sczesny S, Gruhl B, Blaut M Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Gene-environment interactions and epigenetic basis of human diseases.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Most human diseases are related in some way to the loss or gain in gene functions. Regulation of gene expression is a complex process. In addition to genetic mechanisms, epigenetic causes are gaining new perspectives in human diseases related to gene deregulation. Most eukaryotic genes are packed into chromatin structures, which lead to high condensations of the genes that require dynamic chromatin remodeling processes to facilitate their transcription. DNA methylation and histone modifications represent two of the major chromatin remodeling processes. They also serve to integrate environmental signals for the cells to...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 3, 2008 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Liu L, Li Y, Tollefsbol TO Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Immunomodulatory effects of probiotics in the intestinal tract.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The intestinal microbiota is the largest source of microbial stimulation that exerts both harmful and beneficial effects on human health. The interaction between probiotic and enterocytes is the initiating event in immunomodulation and merits particular attention. The effects of probiotic is strain dependent and for each new probiotic strain, profiles of cytokines secreted by lymphocytes, enterocytes or dendritic cells that come in contact with the strain should be systematically established. To evaluate the effects of probiotics on the immune system, models that mimic the mucosa, and thus the physiological reality, sh...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 3, 2008 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Delcenserie V, Martel D, Lamoureux M, Amiot J, Boutin Y, Roy D Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Gene amplification from cryopreserved Arabidopsis thaliana shoot tips.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Cryopreservation is a way to store elite quality plant germplasms. The exact mechanism of stress tolerance during cryopreservation is unknown. Unavavailability of a detailed protocol for understanding the molecular genetics of plant cryostress is a major obstacle in plant cryobiology research. This paper describes the methods of extraction of total RNA from cryogenically stored plant tissues accompanied by successful amplication of cDNAs by reverse transcriptase PCR. The whole process can be completed in two to three days. Through this protocol, several genes were identified which were differentially expressed during c...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 3, 2008 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Basu C Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

The Eph receptor/ephrin system: an emerging player in the invasion game.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Eph receptor tyrosine kinases (Ephs) and their membrane-anchored ligands (ephrins) form a vital cell communication system capable of bi-directional signaling. This Eph receptor/ephrin system has classically been demonstrated to play a role in development. However, emerging evidence has revealed differential expression of Ephs and ephrins in numerous cancers. Recent studies suggest that this system influences invasive behaviour, promoting a more aggressive and metastatic phenotype. Hence, this minireview summarizes the current understanding of the contribution of both Eph receptors and their ephrin ligands to invasivene...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 3, 2008 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Campbell TN, Robbins SM Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Are Molecular Tools Solving the Challenges Posed by Detection of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria and Viruses?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Plant pathogenic bacteria, phytoplasmas, viruses and viroids are difficult to control, and preventive measures are essential to minimize the losses they cause each year in different crops. In this context, rapid and accurate methods for detection and diagnosis of these plant pathogens are required to apply treatments, undertake agronomic measures or proceed with eradication practices, particularly for quarantine pathogens. In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in the number of protocols based on nucleic-acid tools being those based on PCR or RT-PCR now routinely applied worldwide. Nucleic acid extract...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - June 25, 2008 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: López MM, Llop P, Olmos A, Marco-Noales E, Cambra M, Bertolini E Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Cleavage of Mispaired Heteroduplex DNA Substrates by Numerous Restriction Enzymes.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The utility of restriction endonucleases as a tool in molecular biology is in large part due to the high degree of specificity with which they cleave well-characterized DNA recognition sequences. The specificity of restriction endonucleases is not absolute, yet many commonly used assays of biological phenomena and contemporary molecular biology techniques rely on the premise that restriction enzymes will cleave only perfect cognate recognition sites. In vitro, mispaired heteroduplex DNAs are commonly formed, especially subsequent to polymerase chain reaction amplification. We investigated a panel of restriction endonuc...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - May 19, 2008 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Langhans MT, Palladino MJ Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Assembly of a functional HCV glycoprotein heterodimer.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The two HCV envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 are released from HCV polyprotein by signal peptidase cleavages. These glycoproteins are type I transmembrane proteins with a highly glycosylated N-terminal ectodomain and a C-terminal hydrophobic anchor. After their synthesis, HCV glycoproteins E1 and E2 associate as a noncovalent heterodimer. The transmembrane domains of HCV envelope glycoproteins play a major role in E1E2 heterodimer assembly and subcellular localization. The envelope glycoprotein complex E1E2 has been proposed to be essential for HCV entry. However, for a long time, HCV entry studies have remained limite...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 1, 2007 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Lavie M, Goffard A, Dubuisson J Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Molecular diagnosis of medical viruses.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The diagnosis of infectious diseases has been revolutionized by the development of molecular techniques, foremost with the applications of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The achievable high sensitivity and ease with which the method can be used to detect any known genetic sequence have led to its wide application in the life sciences. More recently, real-time PCR assays have provided additional major contributions, with the inclusion of an additional fluorescent probe detection system resulting in an increase in sensitivity over conventional PCR, the ability to confirm the amplification product and to quantitate ...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 1, 2007 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Ratcliff RM, Chang G, Kok T, Sloots TP Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

The enigma of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) associated with mushroom virus X (MVX).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
New variants of pathogenic fungal viruses are emerging and they are enigmatic in revealing their molecular identity and of their origin. Double-stranded RNAs, some in non-encapsidated forms are increasingly becoming causal agents for sporadic diseases and are consistently associated with a complex profile of dsRNAs, presumably of (multiple) viral origin present in the host while the same are conspicuously absent in healthy (looking) counterparts. The emergence of an unusual Agaricus bisporus mushroom 'patch disease' first reported in 1996, later termed as 'mushroom virus X' (MVX), exhibited a wide range of symptoms (e....
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 1, 2007 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Rao JR, Nelson DW, McClean S Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Game and players: mitochondrial apoptosis and the therapeutic potential of ursodeoxycholic acid.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Apoptosis represents a universal and exquisitely efficient cellular suicide pathway essential for a variety of normal biological processes ranging from embryonic development to ageing. In fact, tissue homeostasis is dependent on the perfect balance between positive and negative signals that determines the decision between life and death. Therefore, any imbalance can result in a wide range of pathologic disorders associated with unwanted apoptosis or cell growth. During the apoptotic process, the molecular players interact closely with each other in ways relevant to accelerate or interrupt the cellular death process. In...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 1, 2007 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Solá S, Aranha MM, Steer CJ, Rodrigues CM Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

The hepatitis C virus NS3 protein: a model RNA helicase and potential drug target.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The C-terminal portion of hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) forms a three domain polypeptide that possesses the ability to travel along RNA or single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) in a 3' to 5' direction. Fueled byATP hydrolysis, this movement allows the protein to displace complementary strands of DNA or RNA and proteins bound to the nucleic acid. HCV helicase shares two domains common to other motor proteins, one of which appears to rotate upon ATP binding. Several models have been proposed to explain how this conformational change leads to protein movement and RNA unwinding, but no model presently explain...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - January 1, 2007 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Frick DN Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Molecular diagnostics of medically important bacterial infections.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Infectious diseases are common diseases all over the world. A recent World Health Organization report indicated that infectious diseases are now the world's biggest killer of children and young adults. Infectious diseases in non-industrialized countries caused 45% in all and 63% of death in early childhood. In developed countries, the emergence of new, rare or already-forgotten infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, Lyme disease and tuberculosis, has stimulated public interest and inspired commitments to surveillance and control. Recently, it is reported that infectious diseases are responsible for more than 17 million...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - January 1, 2007 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Millar BC, Xu J, Moore JE Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Biogenesis of microbial polyhydroxyalkanoate granules: a platform technology for the production of tailor-made bioparticles.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Biopolyester (PHAs = polyhydroxyalkanoates) composed of hydroxy fatty acids represent a rather complex class of storage polymers synthesized by various eubacteria and archaea and are deposited as water-insoluble cytoplasmic nano-sized inclusions. These spherical shell-core particles are composed of a polyester core surrounded by phospholipids and proteins. The key enzymes of polyester biosynthesis and polyester particle formation are the polyester synthases, which catalyze the enantio-selective polymerization of (R)-hydroxyacyl-CoA thioesters to polyesters. Various metabolic routes have been identified and established ...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - January 1, 2007 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Rehm BH Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

The hepatitis C virus NS2/3 protease.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The hepatitis C virus NS2/3 protein is a highly hydrophobic protease responsible for the cleavage of the viral polypeptide between non-structural proteins NS2 and NS3. However, many aspects of the NS2/3 protease's role in the viral life cycle and mechanism of action remain unknown. Based on the recently elucidated crystal structure of NS2, NS2/3 has been proposed to function as a cysteine protease despite its lack of sequence homology to proteases of known function. In addition, although shown to be required for HCV genome replication and persistent infection in a chimpanzee, the role of NS2/3 cleavage in the viral lif...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - January 1, 2007 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Welbourn S, Pause A Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

The Dictyostelium genome.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The 34 Mb genome of Dictyostelium discoideum is carried on 6 chromosomes and has been fully sequenced by an international consortium. The sequence was assembled on the classical and physical maps that had been built up over the years and refined by HAPPY mapping. Annotation of the sequence predicted about 12,000 genes for proteins of at least 50 amino acids in length. The total number of amino acids encoded (the proteome) is more than double that in yeast and rivals that of metazoans. The genome sequence shows all the proteins available to Dictyostelium as well as definitively showing which domains have been lost since...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 1, 2006 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Loomis WF Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Fundamentals of fungal molecular population genetic analyses.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The last two decades have seen tremendous growth in the development and application of molecular methods in the analyses of fungal species and populations. In this paper, I provide an overview of the molecular techniques and the basic analytical tools used to address various fundamental population and evolutionary genetic questions in fungi. With increasing availability and decreasing cost, DNA sequencing is becoming a mainstream data acquisition method in fungal evolutionary genetic studies. However, other methods, especially those based on the polymerase chain reaction, remain powerful in addressing specific question...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 1, 2006 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Xu J Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Perspectives in the coordinate regulation of cell cycle events in Synechococcus.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The concepts of cell theory and the notions of coordinate regulation of the cell cycle have been known for centuries but the conundrum of coordinate regulation of the cell cycle remains to be resolved. The unique characteristics of the cell division cycle of Synechococcus, a photosynthetic bacterium, suggest the existence of a complex network of light/dark responsive gene regulatory factors that coordinate its cell cycle events. Evaluation of the highly ordered cell cycle of Synechococcus led to the construction of workable models that coordinate the cell cycle events. A central issue in bacterial cell growth is the el...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 1, 2006 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Asato Y Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Extracting haplotypes from diploid organisms.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Each diploid organism has two alleles at every gene locus. In sexual organisms such as most plants, animals and fungi, the two alleles in an individual may be genetically very different from each other. DNA sequence data from individual alleles (called a haplotype) can provide powerful information to address a variety of biological questions and guide many practical applications. The advancement in molecular technology and computational tools in the last decade has made obtaining large-scale haplotypes feasible. This review summarizes the two basic approaches for obtaining haplotypes and discusses the associated techni...
Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology - July 1, 2006 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Xu J Tags: Curr Issues Mol Biol Source Type: journals