Research Notes : U.S.S.R. : Subunit composition of glycinin from various samples of cultivated and wild soybean

The major storage protein of llS class of soybean seeds, glycinin, has a complex subunit structure. Each of the six subunits is composed of two pro-tein molecules (acidic and basic), linked via disulphide bonds (Badley et al., 1975). Depending on subunit, the acidic moiety molecular weight varies from 37,000 to 42,000, with one exception (m.w. 10,000)

CHANGES IN THE PARAMETERS OF BLOOD LIPIDS AND CYTOKINES IN PATIENTS WITH PRIMARY OSTEOARTHRITIS DURING TREATMENT WITH ARTHRA

Objective: to study the time course of changes in the cytokine profile, the parameters of lipid peroxidation (LPO), antioxidant defense, and lipid spectrum during Arthra therapy in patients with primary osteoarthritis (POA). Subjects and methods. The study was conducted in 26 POA patients (aged 39.5+5.4 years) with knee and hip joint lesions in the absence of synovitis. The efficiency of treatment was evaluated by pain intensity and WOMAC index. The levels of proinflammatory cytokines, lipids, LPO primary and intermediate products, and antioxidant defense were compared in patients with PAO prior to and 12 and 24 weeks after Arthra therapy. Results. Positive changes in articular manifestations were determined after 24 weeks of therapy, by using the WOMAC scale. The mean concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) was halved in the patients 24 weeks following the start of Arthra therapy. The blood levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, TNF-α decreased just after 12 weeks of therapy as compared to the baseline level and continued to decline by the end of the therapy. There were reductions in LPO primary and intermediate products in serum and red blood cells. There was activation of antiradical protection (increases in serum and red blood cell catalase activities and serum antioxidant activity and a decrease in the number of hemolyzed red blood cells). After a course of therapy, there were reduced blood concentrations of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in patients with POA. Conclusion. The POA patients treated with Arthra displayed improvements in LPO profile and antioxidant defense and lower blood concentrations of cholesterol and LDL cholesterol along with a decline in the levels of the blood cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, TNF-α, and CRP

Research Notes : U.S.S.R. : Subunit composition of glycinin from various samples of cultivated and wild soybean

The major storage protein of llS class of soybean seeds, glycinin, has a complex subunit structure. Each of the six subunits is composed of two pro-tein molecules (acidic and basic), linked via disulphide bonds (Badley et al., 1975). Depending on subunit, the acidic moiety molecular weight varies from 37,000 to 42,000, with one exception (m.w. 10,000).</p

Derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells from pig somatic cells

For reasons that are unclear the production of embryonic stem cells from ungulates has proved elusive. Here, we describe induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) derived from porcine fetal fibroblasts by lentiviral transduction of 4 human (h) genes, hOCT4, hSOX2, hKLF4, and hc-MYC, the combination commonly used to create iPSC in mouse and human. Cells were cultured on irradiated mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) and in medium supplemented with knockout serum replacement and FGF2. Compact colonies of alkaline phosphatase-positive cells emerged after ≈22 days, providing an overall reprogramming efficiency of ≈0.1%. The cells expressed porcine OCT4, NANOG, and SOX2 and had high telomerase activity, but also continued to express the 4 human transgenes. Unlike human ESC, the porcine iPSC (piPSC) were positive for SSEA-1, but negative for SSEA-3 and -4. Transcriptional profiling on Affymetrix (porcine) microarrays and real time RT-PCR supported the conclusion that reprogramming to pluripotency was complete. One cell line, ID6, had a normal karyotype, a cell doubling time of ≈17 h, and has been maintained through >220 doublings. The ID6 line formed embryoid bodies, expressing genes representing all 3 germ layers when cultured under differentiating conditions, and teratomas containing tissues of ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm origin in nude mice. We conclude that porcine somatic cells can be reprogrammed to form piPSC. Such cell lines derived from individual animals could provide a means for testing the safety and efficacy of stem cell-derived tissue grafts when returned to the same pigs at a later age