Serological Survey of Pigs From a Slaughterhouse in Jakarta, Indonesia

Maksud dan tujuan dari survey ini ialah untuk mempelajari akan kemungkinannya he­wan-hewan babi memegang peranan sebagai reservoir ataupun amplifier dari penyakit-penyakit zoonotic di Pulau Jawa. Survey ini di­jalankan bersama-sama dengan Namru-2 di Jakarta. Sebagian besar specimens yang berupa darah, berasal dari babi babi yang akan dipotong dirumah pemotongan hewan babi di Jakarta Barat, babi-babi tersebut ada yang berasal dari Jawa Tengah, Jawa Barat, serta sebagian lagi berasal dari babi-babi milik rakyat di daerah Kapok. Pengambilan specimens dilakukan sehari sebelum babi-babi tadi dipotong. Setiap pagi lebih kurang 150 ekor babi dipotong, dimana umurnya berkisar antara enam hingga 24 bulan. Pada survey ini telah dikumpulkan 399 specimens, sebanyak 227 specimens berasal dari babi-babi betina, 159 specimens berasal dari babi-babi jantan, serta 13 specimens berasal dari babi-babi jantan kebiri. Hasil Pemeriksaan Laboratorium. Pemeriksaan terhadap Toxoplasma. Dari 166 sera yang berasal dari babi-babi Jawa Barat sebanyak 46 (28 percent) me-nunjukan hasil positif (titer 1 : 8 atau lebih j Sedangkan 235 sera berasal dari babi-babi Jawa Tengah , hany a sebanyak 17(7percent yang menunjukan hasil positif (titer 1 : 8). Titer yang lebih tinggi (1 : 1024) juga di­temukan pada babi-babi yang berasal dari Jawa Barat.Pemeriksaan terhadap Brucella suis. Titer 1 : 320 masih diketemukan pada semua group, akan tetapi sebagian besar serum me­nunjukan hasil negatip. Sebagian kecil sera yang berasal dari babi-babi tua dari Jawa-Barat menunjukan adanya anti­body yang lebih tinggi dari pada babi-babi muda.Pemeriksaan terhadap penyakit Japanese Encephalitis. Pada semua golongan umur dari geographical-group dari babi-babi menunjuk­an adanya anti-body terhadap J.E. Sera yang negatip lebih banyak berasal dari babi-babi Jawa Tengah.Pemeriksaan terhadap penyakit Influenza. Titer yang menyolok terhadap penyakit Influenza A2 Hongkong terdapat pada babi-babi golongan muda maupun tua baik yang berasal dari Jawa Tengah maupun yang ber­asal dari Jawa-Barat. Meskipun demikian, babi-babi dari Jawa Barat lebih banyak menunjukan hasil yang positip dari pada berasal dari Jawa Tengah.Pemeriksaan terhadap Leptospira. Kebanyakan serum menunjukan adanya anti-body terhadap L. sentot L. pomona dan L. bangkinang. Sebagian besar serum yang positip berasal dari babi-babi Jawa Tengah

Crystal Structure of UBA2ufd-Ubc9: Insights into E1-E2 Interactions in Sumo Pathways

Canonical ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) such as ubiquitin, Sumo, NEDD8, and ISG15 are ligated to targets by E1-E2-E3 multienzyme cascades. The Sumo cascade, conserved among all eukaryotes, regulates numerous biological processes including protein localization, transcription, DNA replication, and mitosis. Sumo conjugation is initiated by the heterodimeric Aos1-Uba2 E1 enzyme (in humans called Sae1-Uba2), which activates Sumo's C-terminus, binds the dedicated E2 enzyme Ubc9, and promotes Sumo C-terminal transfer between the Uba2 and Ubc9 catalytic cysteines. To gain insights into details of E1-E2 interactions in the Sumo pathway, we determined crystal structures of the C-terminal ubiquitin fold domain (ufd) from yeast Uba2 (Uba2ufd), alone and in complex with Ubc9. The overall structures of both yeast Uba2ufd and Ubc9 superimpose well on their individual human counterparts, suggesting conservation of fundamental features of Sumo conjugation. Docking the Uba2ufd-Ubc9 and prior full-length human Uba2 structures allows generation of models for steps in Sumo transfer from Uba2 to Ubc9, and supports the notion that Uba2 undergoes remarkable conformational changes during the reaction. Comparisons to previous structures from the NEDD8 cascade demonstrate that UBL cascades generally utilize some parallel E1-E2 interaction surfaces. In addition, the structure of the Uba2ufd-Ubc9 complex reveals interactions unique to Sumo E1 and E2. Comparison with a previous Ubc9-E3 complex structure demonstrates overlap between Uba2 and E3 binding sites on Ubc9, indicating that loading with Sumo and E3-catalyzed transfer to substrates are strictly separate steps. The results suggest mechanisms establishing specificity and order in Sumo conjugation cascades

Regulator of G-Protein Signaling 14 (RGS14) Is a Selective H-Ras Effector

Background: Regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins have been well-described as accelerators of Ga-mediated GTP hydrolysis (‘‘GTPase-accelerating proteins’’ or GAPs). However, RGS proteins with complex domain architectures are now known to regulate much more than Ga GTPase activity. RGS14 contains tandem Ras-binding domains that have been reported to bind to Rap- but not Ras GTPases in vitro, leading to the suggestion that RGS14 is a Rap-specific effector. However, more recent data from mammals and Drosophila imply that, in vivo, RGS14 may instead be an effector of Ras.Methodology/Principal Findings: Full-length and truncated forms of purified RGS14 protein were found to bind indiscriminately in vitro to both Rap- and Ras-family GTPases, consistent with prior literature reports. In stark contrast, however, we found that in a cellular context RGS14 selectively binds to activated H-Ras and not to Rap isoforms. Co- transfection / co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated the ability of full-length RGS14 to assemble a multiprotein complex with components of the ERK MAPK pathway in a manner dependent on activated H-Ras. Small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of RGS14 inhibited both nerve growth factor- and basic fibrobast growth factor- mediated neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells, a process which is known to be dependent on Ras-ERK signaling.Conclusions/Significance: In cells, RGS14 facilitates the formation of a selective Ras?GTP-Raf-MEK-ERK multiprotein complex to promote sustained ERK activation and regulate H-Ras-dependent neuritogenesis. This cellular function for RGS14 is similar but distinct from that recently described for its closely-related paralogue, RGS12, which shares the tandem Ras- binding domain architecture with RGS14

The disruption of proteostasis in neurodegenerative diseases

Cells count on surveillance systems to monitor and protect the cellular proteome which, besides being highly heterogeneous, is constantly being challenged by intrinsic and environmental factors. In this context, the proteostasis network (PN) is essential to achieve a stable and functional proteome. Disruption of the PN is associated with aging and can lead to and/or potentiate the occurrence of many neurodegenerative diseases (ND). This not only emphasizes the importance of the PN in health span and aging but also how its modulation can be a potential target for intervention and treatment of human diseases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

SEROLOGICAL SURVEY OF PIGS FROM A SLAUGHTERHOUSE IN JAKARTA, INDONESIA

Maksud dan tujuan dari survey ini ialah untuk mempelajari akan kemungkinannya he­wan-hewan babi memegang peranan sebagai reservoir ataupun amplifier dari penyakit-penyakit zoonotic di Pulau Jawa. Survey ini di­jalankan bersama-sama dengan Namru-2 di Jakarta. Sebagian besar specimens yang berupa darah, berasal dari babi babi yang akan dipotong dirumah pemotongan hewan babi di Jakarta Barat, babi-babi tersebut ada yang berasal dari Jawa Tengah, Jawa Barat, serta sebagian lagi berasal dari babi-babi milik rakyat di daerah Kapok. Pengambilan specimens dilakukan sehari sebelum babi-babi tadi dipotong. Setiap pagi lebih kurang 150 ekor babi dipotong, dimana umurnya berkisar antara enam hingga 24 bulan. Pada survey ini telah dikumpulkan 399 specimens, sebanyak 227 specimens berasal dari babi-babi betina, 159 specimens berasal dari babi-babi jantan, serta 13 specimens berasal dari babi-babi jantan kebiri. Hasil Pemeriksaan Laboratorium. Pemeriksaan terhadap Toxoplasma. Dari 166 sera yang berasal dari babi-babi Jawa Barat sebanyak 46 (28 percent) me-nunjukan hasil positif (titer 1 : 8 atau lebih j Sedangkan 235 sera berasal dari babi-babi Jawa Tengah , hany a sebanyak 17(7percent yang menunjukan hasil positif (titer 1 : 8).  Titer yang lebih tinggi (1 : 1024) juga di­temukan pada babi-babi yang berasal dari Jawa Barat.Pemeriksaan terhadap Brucella suis. Titer 1 : 320 masih diketemukan pada semua group, akan tetapi sebagian besar serum me­nunjukan hasil negatip. Sebagian kecil sera yang berasal dari babi-babi tua dari Jawa-Barat menunjukan adanya anti­body yang lebih tinggi dari pada babi-babi muda.Pemeriksaan terhadap penyakit Japanese Encephalitis. Pada semua golongan umur dari geographical-group dari babi-babi menunjuk­an adanya anti-body terhadap J.E. Sera yang negatip lebih banyak berasal dari babi-babi Jawa Tengah.Pemeriksaan terhadap penyakit Influenza. Titer yang menyolok terhadap penyakit Influenza A2 Hongkong terdapat pada babi-babi golongan muda maupun tua baik yang berasal dari Jawa Tengah maupun yang ber­asal dari Jawa-Barat. Meskipun demikian, babi-babi dari Jawa Barat lebih banyak menunjukan hasil yang positip dari pada berasal dari Jawa Tengah.Pemeriksaan terhadap Leptospira. Kebanyakan   serum  menunjukan adanya anti-body terhadap L. sentot L. pomona dan L. bangkinang. Sebagian besar serum yang positip berasal dari babi-babi Jawa Tengah

A metazoan ortholog of SpoT hydrolyzes ppGpp and functions in starvation responses

In nutrient-starved bacteria, RelA and SpoT proteins have key roles in reducing cell growth and overcoming stresses. Here we identify functional SpoT orthologs in metazoa (named Mesh1, encoded by HDDC3 in human and Q9VAM9 in Drosophila melanogaster) and reveal their structures and functions. Like the bacterial enzyme, Mesh1 proteins contain an active site for ppGpp hydrolysis and a conserved His-Asp-box motif for Mn 2+ binding. Consistent with these structural data, Mesh1 efficiently catalyzes hydrolysis of guanosine 3???,5???-diphosphate (ppGpp) both in vitro and in vivo. Mesh1 also suppresses SpoT-deficient lethality and RelA-induced delayed cell growth in bacteria. Notably, deletion of Mesh1 (Q9VAM9) in Drosophila induces retarded body growth and impaired starvation resistance. Microarray analyses reveal that the amino acid-starved Mesh1 null mutant has highly downregulated DNA and protein synthesis-related genes and upregulated stress-responsible genes. These data suggest that metazoan SpoT orthologs have an evolutionarily conserved function in starvation responses.close161

Protein phosphatase 1α is a Ras-activated Bad phosphatase that regulates interleukin-2 deprivation-induced apoptosis

Growth factor deprivation is a physiological mechanism to regulate cell death. We utilize an interleukin-2 (IL-2)-dependent murine T-cell line to identify proteins that interact with Bad upon IL-2 stimulation or deprivation. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins and co-immunoprecipitation techniques, we found that Bad interacts with protein phosphatase 1α (PP1α). Serine phosphorylation of Bad is induced by IL-2 and its dephosphorylation correlates with appearance of apoptosis. IL-2 deprivation induces Bad dephosphorylation, suggesting the involvement of a serine phosphatase. A serine/threonine phosphatase activity, sensitive to the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid, was detected in Bad immunoprecipitates from IL-2-stimulated cells, increasing after IL-2 deprivation. This enzymatic activity also dephosphorylates in vivo (32)P-labeled Bad. Treatment of cells with okadaic acid blocks Bad dephosphorylation and prevents cell death. Finally, Ras activation controls the catalytic activity of PP1α. These results strongly suggest that Bad is an in vitro and in vivo substrate for PP1α phosphatase and that IL-2 deprivation-induced apoptosis may operate by regulating Bad phosphorylation through PP1α phosphatase, whose enzymatic activity is regulated by Ras