Bodovanje jačine patoanatomskih promjena za procjenu virulencije i patogenosti indijskih terenskih izolata ptičjih vrsta roda Eimeria.

Chicken coccidiosis caused by the genus Eimeria is a major health impediment causing high morbidity and mortality in commercial poultry. Assessment of the virulence and pathogenicity of Eimeria species are the vital factors for formulating effective control strategies. The gross lesion score was used in this study for assessing the virulence and pathogenicity of indigenous six Eimeria sp. in a controlled experimental trial using six groups of one hundred and twenty chicks of three weeks of age, inoculated with 2 × 10 2 to 2 × 103 numbers of oocysts of six species of Eimeria. While an extended prepatent period (2 - 6 hrs) was confirmed in the majority of the species, the gross lesion scores were mostly within the low score of 1-2 compared to the international reference strains such as Houghton, so indicating possible natural attenuation of the field isolates. The gross lesion scores (GLS) were assessed ranging from a scale of 0 (no gross lesion) to 4 (most severe lesion). This study seems to be the first such attempt to standardize a lesion scoring technique for assessing the virulence and pathogenicity of indigenous isolates of Eimeria in the Indian sub-continent.Kokcidioza uzrokovana vrstama roda Eimeria jedna je od glavnih prijetnji za zdravlje pilića, jer može uzrokovati njihov veliki pobol i pomor. Procjena virulencije i patogenosti vrsta roda Eimeria od velike je važnosti za donošenje učinkovitih kontrolnih mjera. Bodovanje jačine patoanatomskih promjena rabljeno je za procjenu virulencije i patogenosti šest udomaćenih vrsta roda Eimeria u kontroliranim pokusima na šest skupina pilića. U svakoj skupini bilo je 120 pokusnih pilića u dobi od tri tjedna. Pilići su bili zaraženi s 2 ×102 do 2 ×103 oocista šest vrsta Eimeria. Potvrđen je produženi prepatentni period (2 - 6 sati) za većinu vrsta, a patoanatomske promjene procijenjene su većinom s malim brojem bodova i to 1 - 2 u usporedbi s međunarodnim referentnim sojevima poput soja Houghton. To upozorava na moguću prirodnu oslabljelost terenskih izolata. Patoanatomske promjene bile su procijenjene na skali od 0 (bez promjena) do 4 (jako teške promjene). Ovo je istraživanje prvi pokušaj standardizacije bodovanja jačine patoanatomskih promjena za procjenu virulencije i patogenosti izvornih izolata vrsta roda Eimeria na Indijskom potkontinentu

Symmetrical organization of proteins under docked synaptic vesicles

During calcium‐regulated exocytosis, the constitutive fusion machinery is ‘clamped’ in a partially assembled state until synchronously released by calcium. The protein machinery involved in this process is known, but the supra‐molecular architecture and underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we use cryo‐electron tomography analysis in nerve growth factor‐differentiated neuro‐endocrine (PC12) cells to delineate the organization of the release machinery under the docked vesicles. We find that exactly six exocytosis modules, each likely consisting of a single SNAREpin with its bound Synaptotagmins, Complexin, and Munc18 proteins, are symmetrically arranged at the vesicle–PM interface. Mutational analysis suggests that the symmetrical organization is templated by circular oligomers of Synaptotagmin. The observed arrangement, including its precise radial positioning, is in‐line with the recently proposed ‘buttressed ring hypothesis’

A novel crosstalk between calcium/calmodulin kinases II and IV regulates cell proliferation in myeloid leukemia cells

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Human RECQ1 helicase-driven DNA unwinding, annealing, and branch migration : insights from DNA complex structures

RecQ helicases are a widely conserved family of ATP-dependent motors with diverse roles in nearly every aspect of bacterial and eukaryotic genome maintenance. However, the physical mechanisms by which RecQ helicases recognize and process specific DNA replication and repair intermediates are largely unknown. Here, we solved crystal structures of the human RECQ1 helicase in complexes with tailed-duplex DNA and ssDNA. The structures map the interactions of the ssDNA tail and the branch point along the helicase and Zn-binding domains, which, together with reported structures of other helicases, define the catalytic stages of helicase action. We also identify a strand-separating pin, which (uniquely in RECQ1) is buttressed by the protein dimer interface. A duplex DNA-binding surface on the C-terminal domain is shown to play a role in DNA unwinding, strand annealing, and Holliday junction (HJ) branch migration. We have combined EM and analytical ultracentrifugation approaches to show that RECQ1 can form what appears to be a flat, homotetrameric complex and propose that RECQ1 tetramers are involved in HJ recognition. This tetrameric arrangement suggests a platform for coordinated activity at the advancing and receding duplexes of an HJ during branch migration

Identification of a potent herbal molecule for the treatment of breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Breast cancer (BCa)-related mortality still remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Patients with BCa have increasingly shown resistance and high toxicity to current chemotherapeutic drugs for which identification of novel targeted therapies are required.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To determine the effect of PDBD on BCa cells, estrogen-receptor positive (ER⁺)-MCF-7 and estrogen-receptor negative (ER^-)-MDA 231 cells were treated with PDBD and the cell viability, apoptotic, cell cycle, Western blot and Promoter assays were performed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>PDBD inhibits cell viability of ER⁺and ER^-BCa cells by inducing apoptosis without causing significant toxicity in normal breast epithelial cells. While dissecting the mechanism of action of PDBD on BCa, we found that PDBD inhibits Akt signaling and its downstream targets such as NF-κB activation, IAP proteins and Bcl-2 expression. On the other hand, activation of JNK/p38 MAPK-mediated pro-apoptotic signaling was observed in both ER⁺and ER^-BCa cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings suggest that PDBD may have wide therapeutic application in the treatment of BCa.</p

Chickpea

The narrow genetic base of cultivated chickpea warrants systematic collection, documentation and evaluation of chickpea germplasm and particularly wild Cicer species for effective and efficient use in chickpea breeding programmes. Limiting factors to crop production, possible solutions and ways to overcome them, importance of wild relatives and barriers to alien gene introgression and strategies to overcome them and traits for base broadening have been discussed. It has been clearly demonstrated that resistance to major biotic and abiotic stresses can be successfully introgressed from the primary gene pool comprising progenitor species. However, many desirable traits including high degree of resistance to multiple stresses that are present in the species belonging to secondary and tertiary gene pools can also be introgressed by using special techniques to overcome pre- and post-fertilization barriers. Besides resistance to various biotic and abiotic stresses, the yield QTLs have also been introgressed from wild Cicer species to cultivated varieties. Status and importance of molecular markers, genome mapping and genomic tools for chickpea improvement are elaborated. Because of major genes for various biotic and abiotic stresses, the transfer of agronomically important traits into elite cultivars has been made easy and practical through marker-assisted selection and marker-assisted backcross. The usefulness of molecular markers such as SSR and SNP for the construction of high-density genetic maps of chickpea and for the identification of genes/QTLs for stress resistance, quality and yield contributing traits has also been discussed

A comparative analysis on serum antibody levels of sheep immunized with crude and thiol-purified excretory/secretory antigen of Haemonchus contortus

In vitro culture of live adult worms were made in RPMI 1640 medium at a concentration of approximately 50 worms / ml in a culture flask at 370 C for 24 hours and the culture supernatant was used as antigen. The E/S antigen was purified by thiol &amp;#150;sepharose affinity chromatography. On western blot analysis, it was demonstrated that the crude E/S antigen showed five reactive bands at 24, 29, 46, 66 and 93 kDa and the Thiol &amp;#150; purified antigen showed a single reactive band at 66 kDa. In immunization trial, sheep were immunized with 500 &amp;#956;g of crude and thiol &amp;#150; purified E/S antigen along with montanide as adjuvant on day 0,30 and 60 intramuscularly. Further, the assessment of serum antibody levels in immunized sheep was made at weekly intervals by enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA). It was observed that the mean absorbance values were significantly (P&lt;0.01) higher up to 20 weeks post immunization in Group-I (purified antigen) than Group-II (crude antigen) compared to unimmunized control group. [Vet. World 2012; 5(5.000): 279-284