Evaluation of DNA extraction methods and detection of genetically modified organisms in processed foods derived from corn

Given the advances in biotechnology cultivation of genetically modified crops, for example, maize (Zea mays) plants increased considerably in recent years. Although such technology presents proven benefits in relation to increased productivity and durability of food, the population still fears to consume genetically modified products. The objective of this study was to compare two protocols based on the use of CTAB and evaluate which is best for extraction of DNA in processed food derived from maize. As well as identifying two of the most common transgenic residues in foodstuffs derived from maize: Cry1Ab and Cry1F. Para this, 14 samples derived from maize were evaluated using two different protocols for DNA extraction and detection of transgenic events conducted by qualitative PCR. Among the samples, 57% resulted positive for detection of both transgenic corn event evaluated

Micro-RNAs differentially expressed in comparative analysis of sperm samples with high and low efficiency in the in vitro production of bovine (Bos Taurus) embryos

Infertility or subfertility in bovine males may be related to spermatic microRNAs (miRNAs), whose function seems to be associated with the regulation of gene expression, degradation or storage of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for later translation into early embryonic development. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in semen samples from bulls (Bos taurus) with low and high efficiency in the in vitro embryo production (IVEP) and to evaluate if they can be used as markers of semen efficiency for IVEPs. In order to identify miRNA markers of semen efficiency in the in vitro embryo production, eight semen samples from each animal, one bull with high and two bulls with low efficiency in IVEPs were used to perform the RNAseq technique for miRNAs. Initially the samples were washed with PBS to remove the extender semen and subsequently were submitted to RNA extraction protocols performed according to procedures described by mirVanaâ„¢ miRNA Isolation Kit. Then, the amplification of the miRNAs was carried out, not to mention the preparation of the library (Ion Total RNA-Seq Kit v2), the PCR emulsion reaction, enrichment, as well as the injection of the sample on the chip by the Ion Chef equipment. The sequencing was done on Ion Proton equipment. The comparison between the samples was established using two methodologies for searching for targets to increase the robustness of the analytical procedure: the miRanda program using as cutoff minimum free energy of the hybridization -20 kcal/Mol, 100% of identity between nucleotides 2 and 8 of the miRNA, and the RNAhybrid program, using as cutoff minimum free energy of hybridization -20 kcal/mol. In sum, 1306 miRNAs were identified in the samples. The bta-miR-380-5p, bta-miR-155, bta-miR-30c and bta-miR-34a genes were identified by the Bioinformatics as being strongly differentially expressed between the groups, indicating that these genes may present themselves as possible efficiency markers. However, it has become clear that there is no single miRNA that marks different types and causes of fertility problems

Isolation and functional characterization of proinflammatory acidic phospholipase A2 from Bothrops leucurus snake venom

AbstractIn the present study, an acidic PLA2, designated Bl-PLA2, was isolated from Bothrops leucurus snake venom through two chromatographic steps: ion-exchange on CM-Sepharose and hydrophobic chromatography on Phenyl-Sepharose. Bl-PLA2 was homogeneous on SDS-PAGE and when submitted to 2D electrophoresis the molecular mass was 15,000Da and pI was 5.4. Its N-terminal sequence revealed a high homology with other Asp49 acidic PLA2s from snake venoms. Its specific activity was 159.9U/mg and the indirect hemolytic activity was also higher than that of the crude venom. Bl-PLA2 induced low myotoxic and edema activities as compared to those of the crude venom. Moreover, the enzyme was able to induce increments in IL-12p40, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels and no variation of IL-8 and IL-10 in human PBMC stimulated in vitro, suggesting that Bl-PLA2 induces proinflammatory cytokine production by human mononuclear cells. Bothrops leucurus venom is still not extensively explored and knowledge of its components will contribute for a better understanding of its action mechanism

15-Deoxy-Δ 12,14

The cyclopentenone prostaglandin 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) is a natural ligand of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) and a potential mediator of apoptosis in cancer cells. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of 15d-PGJ2 in human thyroid papillary carcinoma cells (TPC-1) using different doses of 15d-PGJ2 (0.6 to 20 μM) to determine IC50 (9.3 μM) via the MTT assay. The supernatant culture medium of the TPC-1 cells that was treated either with 15d-PGJ2 or with vehicle (control) for 24 hours was assessed for IL-6 secretion via CBA assay. RT-qPCR was used to evaluate mRNA expression of IL-6, SOCS1, SOCS3, and STAT3. TPC-1 cells treated with 15d-PGJ2 decreased the secretion and expression of IL-6 and STAT3, while it increased SOCS1 and SOCS3. Overall, we demonstrated that 15d-PGJ2 downregulated IL-6 signaling pathway and led TPC-1 cells into apoptosis. In conclusion, 15d-PGJ2 shows the potential to become a new therapeutic approach for thyroid tumors

Improved serological detection of rheumatoid arthritis: a highly antigenic mimotope of carbonic anhydrase III selected in a murine model by phage display

© 2015 Araujo et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that affects around 1% of the human population worldwide. RA diagnosis can be difficult as there is no definitive test for its detection. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify biomarkers that could be used for RA diagnosis. Methods: Sera from a collagen-induced arthritis mouse model were used to select potential biomarkers for RA diagnosis by phage display technology. In silico and in vitro analyses were performed to characterize and validate the selected peptides. Samples were classified into three groups: RA; two other immune-mediated rheumatic diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS)); and healthy controls (HC). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out to determine antibody levels, and diagnostic parameters were determined by constructing receiver operating characteristic curves. Mass spectrometry and Western blot were performed to identify the putative autoantigen that was mimicked by a highly reactive mimotope. Results: After three rounds of selection, 14 clones were obtained and tested for immunoreactivity analysis against sera from RA and HC groups. The phage-fused peptide with the highest immunoreactivity (M12) was synthesized, and was able to efficiently discriminate RA patients from SLE, AS and HCs (p < 0.0001) by ELISA. The specificity and sensitivity of anti-M12 antibodies for RA diagnosis were 91 % and 84.3 %, respectively. The M12 peptide was identified as one that mimics a predicted antigenic site of the carbonic anhydrase III (CAIII) protein, a ubiquitous biomarker that has been identified in patients with other diseases. Conclusion: M12 is the first peptide associated with the CAIII protein that may be used as an antigen for antibody detection to aid in RA diagnosis with high sensitivity and specificity.This study was supported by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil (CSF SDW-2027/13-5) and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efeitos do hormônio juvenil III na expressão gênica de Melipona scutellaris (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini)

CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorCNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoFAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas GeraisTrabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação)O objetivo desse trabalho foi detectar, pela técnica de Differential Display Reverse Transcriptase - Polymerase Chain Reaction (DDRT-PCR), os efeitos do Hormônio Juvenil (JH) III na expressão gênica, quando aplicado no estágio tardio de larva 3 (L3) de Melipona scutellaris

Expressão de genes das vias de biossíntese e degradação do hormônio juvenil e caracterização de peptídeos ligantes ao cérebro de Melipona scutellaris (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini)

Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas GeraisDoutor em Genética e BioquímicaAbelhas do gênero Melipona têm importante papel na polinização de plantas no Brasil, e por apresentar mecanismo peculiar de determinação de casta genético alimentar pode ser considerada um laboratório vivo para pesquisas de natureza molecular. O Hormônio Juvenil (HJ) é o principal hormônio que regula a diferenciação de casta e o polietismo etário em abelhas, eventos que depende de genes que estão relacionados com o controle da biossíntese e degradação do HJ. Para o entendimento do mecanismo molecular envolvido no desenvolvimento e diferenciação em abelhas foi realizado estudo sobre a expressão de enzimas que participam das vias de biossíntese e de degradação do HJ e isolamento de peptídeos ligantes ao cérebro de Melipona scutellaris. Foi isolado, clonado e seqüenciado um fragmento do gene o-metiltransferase do ácido farnesóico de M. scutellaris (MsFAMeT) que participa da via de biossíntese do HJ, que apresenta splicing alternativo de um micro-éxon de 27 nucleotídeos. O transcrito maior apresenta expressão diferencial nas castas, porém, aparentemente, não funciona como conversor do ácido farnesóico a metilfarnesoato. A diminuição nos níveis de expressão do transcrito menor nos estágios iniciais de pupas de rainhas que comparado aos mesmos estágios em operárias e sua inibição em larvas tratadas com HJ III indicam que esse mRNA está associado à via de biossíntese de HJ e confirma sua relação com a cascata regulatória de diferenciação das castas em M. scutellaris. O perfil de expressão dos genes que codificam para as enzimas Esterase do HJ (EHJ) e Epóxide Hidrolase do HJ (EHHJ) mostrou que essas enzimas estão expressas durante todo o desenvolvimento ontogenético pósembrionário de M. scutellaris. Em Apis mellifera, essas enzimas não são expressas nos estágios de pupa e sua expressão em M. scutellaris pode indicar presença de HJ circulante nessas fases, o qual seria utilizado em processos fisiológicos diferentes daqueles que ocorrem em Apis. Foi verificado o aumento da expressão dos genes das enzimas EHJ e EHHJ após aplicação tópica de HJ III, indicando que esses genes são regulados por esse hormônio, enquanto que, a injeção de ecdisona não mostrou influência na expressão deles. Quando comparamos os títulos de HJ em larva pré-defecante (LPD) com a expressão do gene das enzimas da via de degradação do HJ, foi possível observar 2 agrupamento de indivíduos com baixos títulos de HJ devido a ação dela, confirmando o papel na via de degradação do HJ. Na fase de L3-3 ficaram agrupados dois indivíduos com altos títulos de HJ, que podem ser rainhas. Esse estágio mostrou ser o melhor para identificação de rainhas no estágio larval. O cérebro é o principal órgão que controla a biossíntese do HJ pelos corpora allata (CA) por meio de neuropeptídeos e aminas biogênicas, além de controlar a aprendizagem e memória. Por isso, utilizamos a técnica de Phage Display para isolar, in vivo, peptídeos ligantes ao cérebro de M. scutellaris. Após quatro ciclos de seleção, clones foram escolhidos para sequenciamento e a análise de bioinformática revelou que são similares a seqüências expressas em cérebro de outros insetos. Foram utilizados dois tipos de bibliotecas apresentadas na superfície de fagos, uma de heptapeptídeos linear e outra de heptapeptídeos constrita, sendo que em nossas análises não encontramos nenhum representante da biblioteca constrita, provavelmente em função da formação de loop no peptídeo que, dificulta a interação com proteínas do cérebro. A análise de expressão das proteínas do cérebro ligantes de peptídeos (fagos) mostrou que alguns clones similares a transportadores de glutamato e lipoforina se expressam somente em cérebro de adultos, enquanto que os ligantes de outros clones expressam-se durante os estágios de pupa e adultos. Pelo mapeamento da região do cérebro de ligação dos peptídeos foi possível mostrar que alguns fagos ligam-se a todo o cérebro, enquanto outros têm ligação sítio-específica. O perfil de expressão de esterases em campeiras que receberam injeção do clone similar a alatostatina, foi alterado, indicando o caráter funcional do peptídeo. A técnica de phage display in vivo foi eficiente para a caracterização de peptídeos ligante no cérebro de Melipona