60 research outputs found

    Overproduction of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens extracellular glutamyl-endopeptidase as a result of ectopic multi-copy insertion of an efficiently-expressed mpr gene into the Bacillus subtilis chromosome

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plasmid-less, engineered <it>Bacillus </it>strains have several advantages over plasmid-carrier variants. Specifically, their stability and potential ecological safety make them of use in industrial applications. As a rule, however, it is necessary to incorporate many copies of a key gene into a chromosome to achieve strain performance that is comparable to that of cells carrying multiple copies of a recombinant plasmid.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A plasmid-less <it>B. subtilis </it>JE852-based strain secreting glutamyl-specific protease (GSP-the protein product of the <it>mpr </it>gene from <it>B. amyloliquefaciens</it>) was constructed that exhibits decreased levels of other extracellular proteases. Ten copies of an <it>mpr<sup>B.amy </sup></it>cassette in which the GSP gene was placed between the promoter of the <it>B. amyloliquefaciens rplU-rpmA </it>genes and the Rho-independent transcription terminator were ectopically inserted into designated (3 copies) and random (7 copies) points in the recipient chromosome. The resulting strain produced approximately 0.5 g/L of secreted GSP after bacterial cultivation in flasks with starch-containing media, and its performance was comparable to an analogous strain in which the <it>mpr<sup>B.amy </sup></it>cassette was carried on a multi-copy plasmid.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A novel strategy for ectopically integrating a cassette into multiple random locations in the <it>B. subtilis </it>chromosome was developed. This new method is based on the construction of DNA fragments in which the desired gene, marked by antibiotic resistance, is sandwiched between "front" and "back" portions of random chromosomal DNA restriction fragments. These fragments were subsequently inserted into the targeted sites of the chromosome using double-cross recombination. The construction of a marker-free strain was achieved by gene conversion between the integrated marked gene and a marker-less variant carried by plasmid DNA, which was later removed from the cells.</p

    Dynamics of heart rate variability in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes

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    Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) has a negative impact on all organs. This is due to insufficiency of blood supply and the disruption of the trophic function of the nervous system. One of the most serious complication of DM is diabetic foot caused be vascular and neurological reasons. Correction of vascular disorders is effectively treated by modern therapeutic approaches, but the damage of nervous system has been studied insufficiently. Aims: To investigate the dynamics of damage to the vegetative nervous system on the laboratory model of DM. Materials and methods: DM in rats was induced by injection of streptozotocin at a dose of 65 mg/kg in citrate buffer (DM group). The control group of rats received a citrate buffer equivalent (CB group). Rats with DM were given a maintenance therapy with insulin in a dose of 2 units/kg/day. On 42 days of experience, a round wound with a diameter of 2 cm on the back of the animals was observed. Before the DM simulation, then on the 42, 50, 58 and 66 days of its development, an electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded in the rats at a frequency of 2 kHz digitising in a state of calm wakefulness and after cold exposure. For 5 minutes ECG fragments, heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) in the temporal domain were calculated, characterising: 1) the total heart rate variability (tHRV) according to SDRR, SDHR, KVRR and KVHR; 2) the effect of the parasympathetic department of the autonomic nervous system (aANS) for RMSSD and pNN3; 3) the contribution of the sympathetic department of the ANS (sANS) by SDAvgRR, SDAvgHR. The spectral parameters were estimated in the frequency domain: the total power of the spectrum is TR (range: 0&ndash;2.5 Hz), the powers in the low and high frequency ranges are LF (range: 0.2&ndash;0.8 Hz) and HF (range: 0.8&ndash;2.5 Hz) LF/HF. Weekly, the tail withdrawal time was measured in a temperature pain test (55&deg;C). Results: During the development of diabetes, the level of glucose in the blood increased 4&ndash;7 times compared with the normal level. The reaction time of the pain test in rats with DM increased by 20%&ndash;30% at the end of the experiment. At 42 days, the development of bradycardia (267 beats/min) was observed in rats with DM. The indicators of tHRV decreased by a factor of 2 due to a decrease in the contribution of sANS. The reaction to CP in the SD group differs from the norm by the severity of the individual components of the HRV structure, which indicates functional denervation of the heart and the development of diabetic neuropathy. Conclusions: As the diabetes progressed, signs of neuropathy were observed. The overall HRV parameters decreased, the ratio of the contributions of sANS and pANS to the regulation of heart rate changed, and the temperature sensitivity decreased

    Determinants of GBP Recruitment to Toxoplasma gondii Vacuoles and the Parasitic Factors That Control It

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    IFN-γ is a major cytokine that mediates resistance against the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii. The p65 guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs) are strongly induced by IFN-γ. We studied the behavior of murine GBP1 (mGBP1) upon infection with T. gondii in vitro and confirmed that IFN-γ-dependent re-localization of mGBP1 to the parasitophorous vacuole (PV) correlates with the virulence type of the parasite. We identified three parasitic factors, ROP16, ROP18, and GRA15 that determine strain-specific accumulation of mGBP1 on the PV. These highly polymorphic proteins are held responsible for a large part of the strain-specific differences in virulence. Therefore, our data suggest that virulence of T. gondii in animals may rely in part on recognition by GBPs. However, phagosomes or vacuoles containing Trypanosoma cruzi did not recruit mGBP1. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed mGBP2, mGBP4, and mGBP5 as binding partners of mGBP1. Indeed, mGBP2 and mGBP5 co-localize with mGBP1 in T. gondii-infected cells. T. gondii thus elicits a cell-autonomous immune response in mice with GBPs involved. Three parasitic virulence factors and unknown IFN-γ-dependent host factors regulate this complex process. Depending on the virulence of the strains involved, numerous GBPs are brought to the PV as part of a large, multimeric structure to combat T. gondii.National Institutes of Health (U.S.)Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (New Investigator Award)National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U.S.) (Pre-Doctoral Grant in the Biological Sciences (5-T32-GM007287-33))Studienstiftung des deutschen VolkesCancer Research Institute (New York, N.Y.)Cleo and Paul Schimmel FoundationBayer HealthcareHuman Frontier Science Program (Strasbourg, France

    Genome-Wide Profile of Pleural Mesothelioma versus Parietal and Visceral Pleura: The Emerging Gene Portrait of the Mesothelioma Phenotype

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    Malignant pleural mesothelioma is considered an almost incurable tumour with increasing incidence worldwide. It usually develops in the parietal pleura, from mesothelial lining or submesothelial cells, subsequently invading the visceral pleura. Chromosomal and genomic aberrations of mesothelioma are diverse and heterogenous. Genome-wide profiling of mesothelioma versus parietal and visceral normal pleural tissue could thus reveal novel genes and pathways explaining its aggressive phenotype.Well-characterised tissue from five mesothelioma patients and normal parietal and visceral pleural samples from six non-cancer patients were profiled by Affymetrix oligoarray of 38 500 genes. The lists of differentially expressed genes tested for overrepresentation in KEGG PATHWAYS (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) and GO (gene ontology) terms revealed large differences of expression between visceral and parietal pleura, and both tissues differed from mesothelioma. Cell growth and intrinsic resistance in tumour versus parietal pleura was reflected in highly overexpressed cell cycle, mitosis, replication, DNA repair and anti-apoptosis genes. Several genes of the “salvage pathway” that recycle nucleobases were overexpressed, among them TYMS, encoding thymidylate synthase, the main target of the antifolate drug pemetrexed that is active in mesothelioma. Circadian rhythm genes were expressed in favour of tumour growth. The local invasive, non-metastatic phenotype of mesothelioma, could partly be due to overexpression of the known metastasis suppressors NME1 and NME2. Down-regulation of several tumour suppressor genes could contribute to mesothelioma progression. Genes involved in cell communication were down-regulated, indicating that mesothelioma may shield itself from the immune system. Similarly, in non-cancer parietal versus visceral pleura signal transduction, soluble transporter and adhesion genes were down-regulated. This could represent a genetical platform of the parietal pleura propensity to develop mesothelioma.Genome-wide microarray approach using complex human tissue samples revealed novel expression patterns, reflecting some important features of mesothelioma biology that should be further explored

    Synthesis of Saturated Heterocycles via Metal-Catalyzed Formal Cycloaddition Reactions That Generate a C–N or C–O Bond

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    Restricted Growth of Ent(-) and tonB Mutants of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhi in Human Mono Mac 6 Monocytic Cells

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    Monocytes and macrophages are an important host defense in humans infected with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. Bacterial ability to survive in these cells is therefore a crucial virulence characteristic of this pathogen. In this study, we demonstrate that growth of a Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi enterochelin synthesis mutant and a tonB mutant in the human monocyte cell line Mono Mac 6 is restricted compared to that of the parental wild-type Ty2 strain. These results suggest that enterochelin- and TonB-mediated iron uptake plays a role in S. enterica serovar Typhi pathogenesis, and also suggest that mutations in iron uptake may attenuate S. enterica serovar Typhi strains for human beings

    Early aging and age-related pathologies in mice deficient in BMAL1, the core componentof the circadian clock

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    Mice deficient in the circadian transcription factor BMAL1 (brain and muscle ARNT-like protein) have impaired circadian behavior and demonstrate loss of rhythmicity in the expression of target genes. Here we report that Bmal1(−/−) mice have reduced lifespans and display various symptoms of premature aging including sarcopenia, cataracts, less subcutaneous fat, organ shrinkage, and others. The early aging phenotype correlates with increased levels of reactive oxygen species in some tissues of the Bmal1(−/− )animals. These findings, together with data on CLOCK/BMAL1-dependent control of stress responses, may provide a mechanistic explanation for the early onset of age-related pathologies in the absence of BMAL1
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