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  1. Effects of colony composition and food type on nutrient distribution in colonies of Monomorium orientale (Hymenoptera: formicidae)
    Loke PY, Lee CY
    J Econ Entomol, 2006 Feb;99(1):129-33.
    PMID: 16573333
    Monomorium orientale Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is a common structure- and food-infesting ant in Asia. There is only limited information on the biology and habits of this species, especially on the preferred foods and distribution of nutrients in colonies. We conducted a laboratory study on the distribution of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, which were represented by respective food sources, in M. orientale colonies. Three colony conditions were applied: normal, with a balanced ratio of castes, queenless (only workers and brood), and broodless (only queens and workers). Food sources were stained to track the flow of the respective food in the colonies. Results revealed that carbohydrates had rapid distribution, with > 60% of the colony indicated in 24 h, in all colony conditions. Queens in all colonies did not feed on protein. Protein showed a more delayed distribution in the brood in all colony conditions; < 10% of the colony fed on protein by 24 h. Only queens in broodless colonies showed signs of feeding on lipid, with < 10% indicated in 24 h. Workers in all colonies fed on lipid as soon as it was delivered, whereas the brood only began to reveal feeding response after 24 h.
    Matched MeSH terms: Proteins/metabolism
  2. A Critical Review of the Concept of Transgenic Plants: Insights into Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Molecular Farming
    Abiri R, Valdiani A, Maziah M, Shaharuddin NA, Sahebi M, Yusof ZN, et al.
    Curr Issues Mol Biol, 2016;18:21-42.
    PMID: 25944541
    Using transgenic plants for the production of high-value recombinant proteins for industrial and clinical applications has become a promising alternative to using conventional bioproduction systems, such as bacteria, yeast, and cultured insect and animal cells. This novel system offers several advantages over conventional systems in terms of safety, scale, cost-effectiveness, and the ease of distribution and storage. Currently, plant systems are being utilised as recombinant bio-factories for the expression of various proteins, including potential vaccines and pharmaceuticals, through employing several adaptations of recombinant processes and utilizing the most suitable tools and strategies. The level of protein expression is a critical factor in plant molecular farming, and this level fluctuates according to the plant species and the organs involved. The production of recombinant native and engineered proteins is a complicated procedure that requires an inter- and multi-disciplinary effort involving a wide variety of scientific and technological disciplines, ranging from basic biotechnology, biochemistry, and cell biology to advanced production systems. This review considers important plant resources, affecting factors, and the recombinant-protein expression techniques relevant to the plant molecular farming process.
    Matched MeSH terms: Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis
  3. PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathways Inhibitors with Potential Prospects in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
    Alharbi KS, Shaikh MAJ, Almalki WH, Kazmi I, Al-Abbasi FA, Alzarea SI, et al.
    J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol, 2022;41(4):85-102.
    PMID: 36374963 DOI: 10.1615/JEnvironPatholToxicolOncol.2022042281
    Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality across the globe. The most prevalent pathological form of lung cancer is non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Elevated stimulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway causes a slew of cancer-related symptoms, making it a promising target for new anticancer drugs. The PI3K/Akt/mTOR path is involved extensively in carcinogenesis and disease advancement in NSCLC. Several new inhibitors targeting this pathway have been discovered in preclinical investigations and clinical trials. The etiology and epidemiology of NSCLC and biology of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR cascade and its role in NSCLC pathogenesis have all been discussed in this article. In this article, we've reviewed PI3K/Akt/mTOR cascade inhibitors that have been proven in vitro and in preclinical trials to be effective in NSCLC. Drugs targeting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR path in the treatment of NSCLC were also addressed. A better knowledge of the underlying molecular biology, including epigenetic changes, is also critical to detecting relevant biomarkers and guiding combination methods. Additionally, improved clinical trial designs will increase the capacity to test novel drugs and combinations for accounting for genomic variation and eventually improve patient outcomes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism
  4. Investigations on the interactions of proteins with nanocellulose produced via sulphuric acid hydrolysis
    Gunathilake TMSU, Ching YC, Uyama H, Nguyen DH, Chuah CH
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2021 Dec 15;193(Pt B):1522-1531.
    PMID: 34740692 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.10.215
    The investigation of protein-nanoparticle interactions contributes to the understanding of nanoparticle bio-reactivity and creates a database of nanoparticles for use in nanomedicine, nanodiagnosis, and nanotherapy. In this study, hen's egg white was used as the protein source to study the interaction of proteins with sulphuric acid hydrolysed nanocellulose (CNC). Several techniques such as FTIR, zeta potential measurement, UV-vis spectroscopy, compressive strength, TGA, contact angle and FESEM provide valuable information in the protein-CNC interaction study. The presence of a broader peak in the 1600-1050 cm-1 range of CNC/egg white protein FTIR spectrum compared to the 1600-1050 cm-1 range of CNC sample indicated the binding of egg white protein to CNC surface. The contact angle with the glass surface decreased with the addition of CNC to egg white protein. The FESEM EDX spectra showed a higher amount of N and Na on the surface of CNC. It indicates the density of protein molecules higher around CNC. The zeta potential of CNC changed from -26.7 ± 0.46 to -21.7 ± 0.2 with the introduction of egg white protein due to the hydrogen bonding, polar bonds and electrostatic interaction between surface CNC and protein. The compressive strength of the egg white protein films increased from 0.064 ± 0.01 to 0.36 ± 0.02 MPa with increasing the CNC concentration from 0 to 4.73% (w/v). The thermal decomposition temperature of CNC/egg white protein decreased compared to egg white protein thermal decomposition temperature. According to UV-Vis spectroscopy, the far-UV light (207-222nm) absorption peak slightly changed in the CNC/egg white protein spectrum compared to the egg white protein spectrum. Based on the results, the observations of protein nanoparticle interactions provide an additional understanding, besides the theoretical simulations from previous studies. Also, the results indicate to aim CNC for the application of nanomedicine and nanotherapy. A new insight given by us in this research assumes a reasonable solution to these crucial applications.
    Matched MeSH terms: Proteins/chemistry*
  5. TMDIM: an improved algorithm for the structure prediction of transmembrane domains of bitopic dimers
    Cao H, Ng MCK, Jusoh SA, Tai HK, Siu SWI
    J Comput Aided Mol Des, 2017 Sep;31(9):855-865.
    PMID: 28864946 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-017-0047-0
    [Formula: see text]-Helical transmembrane proteins are the most important drug targets in rational drug development. However, solving the experimental structures of these proteins remains difficult, therefore computational methods to accurately and efficiently predict the structures are in great demand. We present an improved structure prediction method TMDIM based on Park et al. (Proteins 57:577-585, 2004) for predicting bitopic transmembrane protein dimers. Three major algorithmic improvements are introduction of the packing type classification, the multiple-condition decoy filtering, and the cluster-based candidate selection. In a test of predicting nine known bitopic dimers, approximately 78% of our predictions achieved a successful fit (RMSD <2.0 Å) and 78% of the cases are better predicted than the two other methods compared. Our method provides an alternative for modeling TM bitopic dimers of unknown structures for further computational studies. TMDIM is freely available on the web at https://cbbio.cis.umac.mo/TMDIM . Website is implemented in PHP, MySQL and Apache, with all major browsers supported.
    Matched MeSH terms: Membrane Proteins/chemistry*
  6. Crystal structure of fuculose aldolase from the Antarctic psychrophilic yeast Glaciozyma antarctica PI12
    Jaafar NR, Littler D, Beddoe T, Rossjohn J, Illias RM, Mahadi NM, et al.
    Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun, 2016 11 01;72(Pt 11):831-839.
    PMID: 27827354
    Fuculose-1-phosphate aldolase (FucA) catalyses the reversible cleavage of L-fuculose 1-phosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and L-lactaldehyde. This enzyme from mesophiles and thermophiles has been extensively studied; however, there is no report on this enzyme from a psychrophile. In this study, the gene encoding FucA from Glaciozyma antarctica PI12 (GaFucA) was cloned and the enzyme was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. The tetrameric structure of GaFucA was determined to 1.34 Å resolution. The overall architecture of GaFucA and its catalytically essential histidine triad are highly conserved among other fuculose aldolases. Comparisons of structural features between GaFucA and its mesophilic and thermophilic homologues revealed that the enzyme has typical psychrophilic attributes, indicated by the presence of a high number of nonpolar residues at the surface and a lower number of arginine residues.
    Matched MeSH terms: Fungal Proteins/genetics; Fungal Proteins/metabolism; Fungal Proteins/chemistry*; Recombinant Proteins/genetics; Recombinant Proteins/metabolism; Recombinant Proteins/chemistry
  7. Fulltext Social Isolation Modulates CLOCK Protein and Beta-Catenin Expression Pattern in Gonadotropin-Inhibitory Hormone Neurons in Male Rats
    Teo CH, Soga T, Parhar IS
    Front Endocrinol (Lausanne), 2017;8:225.
    PMID: 28936198 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00225
    Postweaning social isolation reduces the amplitude of the daily variation of CLOCK protein in the brain and induces lower reproductive activity. Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) acts as an inhibitor in the reproductive system and has been linked to stress. Social isolation has been shown to lower neuronal activity of GnIH-expressing neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH). The exact mechanism by which social isolation may affect GnIH is still unclear. We investigated the impact of social isolation on regulatory cellular mechanisms in GnIH neurons. We examined via immunohistochemistry the expression of CLOCK protein at four different times throughout the day in GnIH cells tagged with enhanced fluorescent green protein (EGFP-GnIH) in 9-week-old adult male rats that have been raised for 6 weeks under postweaning social isolation and compared them with group-raised control rats of the same age. We also studied the expression of β-catenin-which has been shown to be affected by circadian proteins such as Bmal1-in EGFP-GnIH neurons to determine whether it could play a role in linking CLOCK in GnIH neurons. We found that social isolation modifies the pattern of CLOCK expression in GnIH neurons in the DMH. Socially isolated rats displayed greater CLOCK expression in the dark phase, while control rats displayed increased CLOCK expression in the light phase. Furthermore, β-catenin expression pattern in GnIH cells was disrupted by social isolation. This suggests that social isolation triggers changes in CLOCK and GnIH expression, which may be associated with an increase in nuclear β-catenin during the dark phase.
    Matched MeSH terms: Green Fluorescent Proteins; CLOCK Proteins
  8. Fulltext Evaluation of the functional properties of mung bean protein isolate for development of textured vegetable protein
    Brishti, F.H., Zarei, M., Muhammad, S.K.S., Ismail-Fitry, M.R., Shukri, R., Saari, N.
    International Food Research Journal, 2017;24(4):1595-1605.
    MyJurnal
    Mung bean is considered a ‘green pearl’ for its relatively high protein content; however, it has limited application as a raw material for industrial food products. As the potential use of mung beans relies on its protein behavior, this study characterized the functional properties of mung bean protein isolates and the results were compared with soy protein isolates. The protein isolates were prepared from mung bean and soy bean flours via extraction with 1 N NaOH, precipitated at pH 4, and subsequently freeze-dried. The amino acid profile as well as the hydrophilic and hydrophobic ratio of mung bean protein isolate, had been comparable with soy protein isolate. The water and oil absorption capacities as well as the denaturation temperature of mung bean protein isolate, were found to be similar with those of soy bean protein isolate. However, foaming capacity (89.66%) of mung bean protein isolate was higher than that of soy protein isolate (68.66%). Besides, least gelation concentration (LGC) of mung bean protein isolate (12%) was also close to LGC of soy protein isolate (14%), while the protein solubility was comparable between both the isolated proteins. The physical features of the textured mung bean were close to the commercial textured soy protein, which showed a heterogeneous and porous network like matrix when the mung bean flour was extruded to measure its potentiality to produce textured vegetable protein.all seaweed extracts. Results showed that extraction parameters had significant effect (p < 0.05) on the antioxidant compounds and antioxidant capacities of seaweed. Sargassum polycystum portrayed the most antioxidant compounds (37.41 ± 0.01 mg GAE/g DW and 4.54 ± 0.02 mg CE/g DW) and capacities (2.00 ± 0.01 μmol TEAC/g DW and 0.84 ± 0.01 μmol TEAC/g DW) amongst four species of seaweed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Vegetable Proteins; Soybean Proteins
  9. Fulltext Inducible T7 RNA Polymerase-mediated Multigene Expression System, pMGX
    Hassan MI, McSorley FR, Hotta K, Boddy CN
    J Vis Exp, 2017 06 27.
    PMID: 28715370 DOI: 10.3791/55187
    Co-expression of multiple proteins is increasingly essential for synthetic biology, studying protein-protein complexes, and characterizing and harnessing biosynthetic pathways. In this manuscript, the use of a highly effective system for the construction of multigene synthetic operons under the control of an inducible T7 RNA polymerase is described. This system allows many genes to be expressed simultaneously from one plasmid. Here, a set of four related vectors, pMGX-A, pMGX-hisA, pMGX-K, and pMGX-hisK, with either the ampicillin or kanamycin resistance selectable marker (A and K) and either possessing or lacking an N-terminal hexahistidine tag (his) are disclosed. Detailed protocols for the construction of synthetic operons using this vector system are provided along with the corresponding data, showing that a pMGX-based system containing five genes can be readily constructed and used to produce all five encoded proteins in Escherichia coli. This system and protocol enables researchers to routinely express complex multi-component modules and pathways in E. coli.
    Matched MeSH terms: Viral Proteins/genetics*
  10. Fulltext Effectiveness of chemotherapy counselling on self-esteem and psychological affects among cancer patients in Malaysia: Randomized controlled trial
    Mohd-Sidik S, Akhtari-Zavare M, Periasamy U, Rampal L, Fadhilah SI, Mahmud R
    Patient Educ Couns, 2018 05;101(5):862-871.
    PMID: 29336859 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2018.01.004
    OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate the outcomes of chemotherapy counselling based on the "Managing Patients on Chemotherapy" module on self-esteem and psychological affect (anxiety, depression) of cancer patients by pharmacists in ten selected government hospitals in Peninsular Malaysia.

    METHODS: A randomized control trial was conducted among 2120 cancer patients from April 2016 to January 2017 in ten selected government hospitals in Peninsular Malaysia. Cancer patients were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received chemotherapy counselling by pharmacists based on the "Managing Patients on Chemotherapy" module. The outcomes were assessed at baseline, 1st, 2nd and 3rd follow-ups after counselling. In the course of data analysis; independent sample t-test, chi-square and two-way repeated measures ANOVA were conducted.

    RESULTS: Mean scores of self-esteem in the intervention group had significant difference in comparison with those of the control group in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd follow-ups after counselling (P 

    Matched MeSH terms: Nerve Tissue Proteins; RNA-Binding Proteins
  11. A comprehensive review on edible bird nests and swiftlet farming
    Chua LS, Zukefli SN
    J Integr Med, 2016 11;14(6):415-428.
    PMID: 27854193 DOI: 10.1016/S2095-4964(16)60282-0
    Edible bird's nest (EBN) is currently widely consumed by the Chinese community as tonic food and functional food, which is believed to have many medicinal benefits. Some studies have reported the biochemical compositions of EBN, graded on the basis of colour, nitrate and nitrite contents. Other studies have shown significant biological effects, while ongoing research is in progress to explore potential pharmacological applications. The high demand for EBNs in the global market has forced the local regulatory bodies to monitor swiftlet farming activities, including the EBN cleaning process. Furthermore, numerous techniques have been developed to authenticate EBN; proteomics is likely to be the most promising of these methods. However, there are limited numbers of relevant protein sequences deposited at the database. More research is needed at the molecular level to explore the mechanisms behind the biological functions, such as bone strength improvement, skin rejuvenation, epidermal growth factor activity and cell proliferation.The current and future prospects of EBN and swiftlet farming are critically reviewed in this article.
    Matched MeSH terms: Dietary Proteins/pharmacology
  12. Fulltext Analysis of viral diversity for vaccine target discovery
    Khan AM, Hu Y, Miotto O, Thevasagayam NM, Sukumaran R, Abd Raman HS, et al.
    BMC Med Genomics, 2017 12 21;10(Suppl 4):78.
    PMID: 29322922 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-017-0301-2
    BACKGROUND: Viral vaccine target discovery requires understanding the diversity of both the virus and the human immune system. The readily available and rapidly growing pool of viral sequence data in the public domain enable the identification and characterization of immune targets relevant to adaptive immunity. A systematic bioinformatics approach is necessary to facilitate the analysis of such large datasets for selection of potential candidate vaccine targets.

    RESULTS: This work describes a computational methodology to achieve this analysis, with data of dengue, West Nile, hepatitis A, HIV-1, and influenza A viruses as examples. Our methodology has been implemented as an analytical pipeline that brings significant advancement to the field of reverse vaccinology, enabling systematic screening of known sequence data in nature for identification of vaccine targets. This includes key steps (i) comprehensive and extensive collection of sequence data of viral proteomes (the virome), (ii) data cleaning, (iii) large-scale sequence alignments, (iv) peptide entropy analysis, (v) intra- and inter-species variation analysis of conserved sequences, including human homology analysis, and (vi) functional and immunological relevance analysis.

    CONCLUSION: These steps are combined into the pipeline ensuring that a more refined process, as compared to a simple evolutionary conservation analysis, will facilitate a better selection of vaccine targets and their prioritization for subsequent experimental validation.

    Matched MeSH terms: Viral Proteins/chemistry
  13. Fulltext Geographical distribution and genetic diversity of Plasmodium vivax reticulocyte binding protein 1a correlates with patient antigenicity
    Park JH, Kim MH, Sutanto E, Na SW, Kim MJ, Yeom JS, et al.
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2022 Jun;16(6):e0010492.
    PMID: 35737709 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010492
    Plasmodium vivax is the most widespread cause of human malaria. Recent reports of drug resistant vivax malaria and the challenge of eradicating the dormant liver forms increase the importance of vaccine development against this relapsing disease. P. vivax reticulocyte binding protein 1a (PvRBP1a) is a potential vaccine candidate, which is involved in red cell tropism, a crucial step in the merozoite invasion of host reticulocytes. As part of the initial evaluation of the PvRBP1a vaccine candidate, we investigated its genetic diversity and antigenicity using geographically diverse clinical isolates. We analysed pvrbp1a genetic polymorphisms using 202 vivax clinical isolates from six countries. Pvrbp1a was separated into six regions based on specific domain features, sequence conserved/polymorphic regions, and the reticulocyte binding like (RBL) domains. In the fragmented gene sequence analysis, PvRBP1a region II (RII) and RIII (head and tail structure homolog, 152-625 aa.) showed extensive polymorphism caused by random point mutations. The haplotype network of these polymorphic regions was classified into three clusters that converged to independent populations. Antigenicity screening was performed using recombinant proteins PvRBP1a-N (157-560 aa.) and PvRBP1a-C (606-962 aa.), which contained head and tail structure region and sequence conserved region, respectively. Sensitivity against PvRBP1a-N (46.7%) was higher than PvRBP1a-C (17.8%). PvRBP1a-N was reported as a reticulocyte binding domain and this study identified a linear epitope with moderate antigenicity, thus an attractive domain for merozoite invasion-blocking vaccine development. However, our study highlights that a global PvRBP1a-based vaccine design needs to overcome several difficulties due to three distinct genotypes and low antigenicity levels.
    Matched MeSH terms: Protozoan Proteins/metabolism
  14. Fulltext Genetic Spectrum of Familial Hypercholesterolaemia in the Malaysian Community: Identification of Pathogenic Gene Variants Using Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing
    Razman AZ, Chua YA, Mohd Kasim NA, Al-Khateeb A, Sheikh Abdul Kadir SH, Jusoh SA, et al.
    Int J Mol Sci, 2022 Nov 29;23(23).
    PMID: 36499307 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314971
    Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is caused by mutations in lipid metabolism genes, predominantly in low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), apolipoprotein B (APOB), proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin-type 9 (PCSK9) and LDL receptor adaptor protein 1 (LDLRAP1). The prevalence of genetically confirmed FH and the detection rate of pathogenic variants (PV) amongst clinically diagnosed patients is not well established. Targeted next-generation sequencing of LDLR, APOB, PCSK9 and LDLRAP1 was performed on 372 clinically diagnosed Malaysian FH subjects. Out of 361 variants identified, 40 of them were PV (18 = LDLR, 15 = APOB, 5 = PCSK9 and 2 = LDLRAP1). The majority of the PV were LDLR and APOB, where the frequency of both PV were almost similar. About 39% of clinically diagnosed FH have PV in PCSK9 alone and two novel variants of PCSK9 were identified in this study, which have not been described in Malaysia and globally. The prevalence of genetically confirmed potential FH in the community was 1:427, with a detection rate of PV at 0.2% (12/5130). About one-fourth of clinically diagnosed FH in the Malaysian community can be genetically confirmed. The detection rate of genetic confirmation is similar between potential and possible FH groups, suggesting a need for genetic confirmation in index cases from both groups. Clinical and genetic confirmation of FH index cases in the community may enhance the early detection of affected family members through family cascade screening.
    Matched MeSH terms: Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics
  15. Fulltext Drought Response in Rice: The miRNA Story
    Nadarajah K, Kumar IS
    Int J Mol Sci, 2019 Aug 01;20(15).
    PMID: 31374851 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20153766
    As a semi-aquatic plant, rice requires water for proper growth, development, and orientation of physiological processes. Stress is induced at the cellular and molecular level when rice is exposed to drought or periods of low water availability. Plants have existing defense mechanisms in planta that respond to stress. In this review we examine the role played by miRNAs in the regulation and control of drought stress in rice through a summary of molecular studies conducted on miRNAs with emphasis on their contribution to drought regulatory networks in comparison to other plant systems. The interaction between miRNAs, target genes, transcription factors and their respective roles in drought-induced stresses is elaborated. The cross talk involved in controlling drought stress responses through the up and down regulation of targets encoding regulatory and functional proteins is highlighted. The information contained herein can further be explored to identify targets for crop improvement in the future.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Proteins/genetics
  16. Fulltext Prenatal auditory stimulation induces physiological stress responses in developing embryos and newly hatched chicks
    Hanafi SA, Zulkifli I, Ramiah SK, Chung ELT, Kamil R, Awad EA
    Poult Sci, 2023 Feb;102(2):102390.
    PMID: 36608455 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2022.102390
    Prenatal stress may evoke considerable physiological consequences on the developing poultry embryos and neonates. The present study aimed to determine prenatal auditory stimulation effects on serum levels of ceruloplasmin (CPN), alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), corticosterone (CORT), and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) regulations in developing chicken embryos and newly hatched chicks. Hatching eggs were subjected to the following auditory treatments; 1) control (no additional sound treatment other than the background sound of the incubator's compressors at 40 dB), 2) noise exposure (eggs were exposed to pre-recorded traffic noise at 90 dB) (NOISE), and 3) music exposure (eggs were exposed to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K 488 at 90 dB) (MUSIC). The NOISE and MUSIC treatments were for 20 min/h for 24 h (a total of 8 h/d), starting from embryonic days (ED) 12 to hatching. The MUSIC (1.37 ± 0.1 ng/mL) and NOISE (1.49 ± 0.2 ng/mL) treatments significantly elevated CPN at ED 15 compared to the Control (0.82 ± 0.04 ng/mL) group and post-hatch day 1 (Control, 1.86 ± 0.2 ng/mL; MUSIC, 2.84 ± 0.4 ng/mL; NOISE, 3.04 ± 0.3 ng/mL), AGP at ED 15 (Control, 39.1 ± 7.1 mg/mL; MUSIC, 85.5 ± 12.9 mg/mL; NOISE, 85.4 ± 15.1 mg/mL) and post-hatch day 1 (Control, 20.4 ± 2.2 mg/mL; MUSIC, 30.5 ± 4.7 mg/mL; NOISE, 30.3 ± 1.4 mg/mL). CORT significantly increased at ED 15 in both MUSIC (9.024 ± 1.4 ng/mL) and NOISE (12.15 ± 1.6 ng/mL) compared to the Control (4.39 ± 0.7 ng/mL) group. On the other hand, MUSIC exposed embryos had significantly higher Hsp70 expression than their Control and NOISE counterparts at ED 18 (Control, 12.9 ± 1.2 ng/mL; MUSIC, 129.6 ± 26.4 ng/mL; NOISE, 13.3 ± 2.3 ng/mL) and post-hatch day 1 (Control, 15.2 ± 1.7 ng/mL; MUSIC, 195.5 ± 68.5 ng/mL; NOISE, 13.2 ± 2.7 ng/mL). In conclusion, developing chicken embryos respond to auditory stimulation by altering CPN, AGP, CORT, and Hsp70. The alterations of these analytes could be important in developing embryos and newly hatched chicks to cope with stress attributed to auditory stimulation.
    Matched MeSH terms: HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/metabolism
  17. Characterisation of ESBL/AmpC-Producing Enterobacteriaceae isolated from poultry farms in Peninsular Malaysia
    Tan HS, Yan P, Agustie HA, Loh HS, Rayamajhi N, Fang CM
    Lett Appl Microbiol, 2023 Jan 23;76(1).
    PMID: 36688778 DOI: 10.1093/lambio/ovac044
    Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC beta-lactamases (AmpCs)-producing Enterobacteriaceae have been increasingly reported and imposing significant threat to public. Livestock production industry might be the important source for clinically important ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. This study aims to investigate the resistance profile, phenotypic ESBL production, beta-lactamase genes, virulence factors, and plasmid replicon types among 59 Enterobacteriaceae strains isolated from poultry faecal samples in Malaysia's commercial poultry farm. There were 38.7% and 32.3% of Escherichia coli resistant to cefotaxime and cefoxitin, respectively, while Klebsiellaspp. demonstrated resistance rate of 52.6% to both mentioned antimicrobials. Majority of the E. coli isolates carried blaTEM and blaCMY-2 group. blaSHV was the most prevalent gene detected in Klebsiellaspp., followed by blaDHA and blaTEM. Resistance to extended spectrum cephalosporin in our isolates was primarily mediated by plasmid mediated AmpC beta-lactamase such as CMY-2 group and DHA enzyme. The CTX-M genes were found in two ESBL-producing E. coli. IncF, IncI1, and IncN plasmids were most frequently detected in E. coli and Klebsiellaspp. The virulence factor, including EAST1 and pAA were identified at low frequency. This study highlights the poultry as a reservoir of resistance and virulence determinants and prevalence of plasmids in Enterobacteriaceae might drive their dissemination.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bacterial Proteins/genetics
  18. Insights into the Pathophysiology of Alzheimer's Disease and Potential Therapeutic Targets: A Current Perspective
    Rajah Kumaran K, Yunusa S, Perimal E, Wahab H, Müller CP, Hassan Z
    J Alzheimers Dis, 2023;91(2):507-530.
    PMID: 36502321 DOI: 10.3233/JAD-220666
    The aging population increases steadily because of a healthy lifestyle and medical advancements in healthcare. However, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is becoming more common and problematic among older adults. AD-related cases show an increasing trend annually, and the younger age population may also be at risk of developing this disorder. AD constitutes a primary form of dementia, an irreversible and progressive brain disorder that steadily damages cognitive functions and the ability to perform daily tasks. Later in life, AD leads to death as a result of the degeneration of specific brain areas. Currently, the cause of AD is poorly understood, and there is no safe and effective therapeutic agent to cure or slow down its progression. The condition is entirely preventable, and no study has yet demonstrated encouraging findings in terms of treatment. Identifying this disease's pathophysiology can help researchers develop safe and efficient therapeutic strategies to treat this ailment. This review outlines and discusses the pathophysiology that resulted in the development of AD including amyloid-β plaques, tau neurofibrillary tangles, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, cholinergic dysfunction, glutamate excitotoxicity, and changes in neurotrophins level may sound better based on the literature search from Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Potential therapeutic strategies are discussed to provide more insights into AD mechanisms by developing some possible pharmacological agents for its treatment.
    Matched MeSH terms: tau Proteins/metabolism
  19. Mutations in Genes Encoding 23S rRNA and FadD32 May be Associated with Linezolid Resistance in Mycobacteroides abscessus
    Ng HF, Ngeow YF
    Microb Drug Resist, 2023 Feb;29(2):41-46.
    PMID: 36802272 DOI: 10.1089/mdr.2022.0068
    Linezolid is one of the antibiotics used to treat the Mycobacteroides abscessus infection. However, linezolid-resistance mechanisms of this organism are not well understood. The objective of this study was to identify possible linezolid-resistance determinants in M. abscessus through characterization of step-wise mutants selected from a linezolid-susceptible strain, M61 (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC]: 0.25 mg/L). Whole-genome sequencing and subsequent PCR verification of the resistant second-step mutant, A2a(1) (MIC: >256 mg/L), revealed three mutations in its genome, two of which were found in the 23S rDNA (g2244t and g2788t) and another one was found in a gene encoding the fatty-acid-CoA ligase FadD32 (c880t→H294Y). The 23S rRNA is the molecular target of linezolid and mutations in this gene are likely to contribute to resistance. Furthermore, PCR analysis revealed that the c880t mutation in the fadD32 gene first appeared in the first-step mutant, A2 (MIC: 1 mg/L). Complementation of the wild-type M61 with the pMV261 plasmid carrying the mutant fadD32 gene caused the previously sensitive M61 to develop a reduced susceptibility to linezolid (MIC: 1 mg/L). The findings of this study uncovered hitherto undescribed mechanisms of linezolid resistance in M. abscessus that may be useful for the development of novel anti-infective agents against this multidrug-resistant pathogen.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bacterial Proteins/genetics
  20. Intensification of Inclusion Body Processing via Temperature-Based Refolding
    Wong RS, Alias NNM, Ong EBB, Liew MWO
    Methods Mol Biol, 2023;2617:189-200.
    PMID: 36656525 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2930-7_13
    Inclusion bodies (IB) are dense insoluble aggregates of mostly misfolded polypeptides that usually result from recombinant protein overexpression. IB formation has been observed in protein expression systems such as E. coli, yeast, and higher eukaryotes. To recover soluble recombinant proteins in their native state, IB are commonly first solubilized with a high concentration of denaturant. This is followed by concurrent denaturant removal or reduction and a transition into a refolding-favorable chemical environment to facilitate the refolding of solubilized protein to its native state. Due to the high concentration of denaturant used, conventional refolding approaches can result in dilute products and are buffer inefficient. To circumvent the limitations of conventional refolding approaches, a temperature-based refolding approach which combines a low concentration of denaturant (0.5 M guanidine hydrochloride, GdnHCl) with a high temperature (95 °C) during solubilization was proposed. In this chapter, we describe a temperature-based refolding approach for the recovery of core streptavidin (cSAV) from IB. Through the temperature-based approach, intensification was achieved through the elimination of a concentration step which would be required by a dilution approach and through a reduction in buffer volumes required for dilution or denaturant removal. High-temperature treatment during solubilization may have also resulted in the denaturation and aggregation of undesired host-cell proteins, which could then be removed through a centrifugation step resulting in refolded cSAV of high purity without the need for column purification. Refolded cSAV was characterized by biotin-binding assay and SDS-PAGE, while purity was determined by RP-HPLC.
    Matched MeSH terms: Recombinant Proteins/chemistry
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