Thyroid hormone dependent gene expression

The presented work is destined to review the advances that had been made to study the role of thyroid hormone and thyroid hormone nuclear receptors in regulating the gene expression. Triiodothyronine (T3) and tetraiodothyronine (thyroxine or T4) are most important thyroid hormones. The thyroid hormones bind to their specific nuclear hormone receptors, as ligand, and play important role in gene expression and transcriptional gene regulation in human and higher animals. Thyroid hormone receptors form heterodimers by making combination with retinoid X receptors. The capability of heterodimerization of thyroid hormones generates novel complexes which allow altered specificity and higher affinity for DNA-receptor binding. Thyroid hormone receptors work as ligand activated transcription factor and play with transcriptional gene expression process. The consensus structural features of thyroid hormone receptors are N-terminal regulatory domain that contains activation function, the domain for strong gene expression and the domain for binding to DNA. The structures for individual domains have been extensively and reviewed through several latest and successful techniques.

Association of High Prevalence of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci With Unsafe Waste Disposal Practices in Poultry Shops

Abstract: The occurrence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in human consumables like poultry is a major concern to be addressed. Fecal samples from broilers were analyzed for the presence of Vancomycin resistant Enterococci. A total of 100 broiler fecal samples obtained from different slaughterhouses of Lahore were spread on Kanamycin Aesculin Azide agar and incubated for overnight at 37ºC. The Vancomycin concentrations used during this study were 16µg/ml and 64µg/ml of the medium for enumeration of Vancomycin resistance and superbugs Enterococci, respectively. Chicken feces samples were contaminated with VRE and superbugs were 79% and 25%, respectively. It was observed that chicken feces collected from Dharampura, Islampura, Shadbagh, Garhi Shahu and Data Nagar had a heavy load of VRE. These congested and highly populated areas where there are inappropriate waste disposal systems and poor management practices contained high number of Vancomycin resistant Enterococci in chicken feces. Chicken feces samples collected from posh areas i.e., Lahore Cantt, Gulberg, Model Town, Samanabad, Walton Cantt and Allama Iqbal Town did not show any prevalence of Vancomycin resistant Enterococcus because of best hygienic practices. The prevalence of Vancomycin resistant Enterococci was high in all localities of northern division of Lahore as compared to other divisions. Results have confirmed that areas with unhygienic conditions and poor waste disposal practices promote the prevalence of Vancomycin resistant Enterococci. So, it is recommended to manage safe waste disposal practices in poultry shops to reduce the risk of food borne diseases

In vitro evaluation of mutagenicity and genotoxicity of sitagliptin alone and in combination with artificial sweeteners

Purpose: To determine the in vitro genotoxicity and mutagenicity of sitagliptin alone and in combination with three commonly used artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame and acesulfame-k).Methods: The in vitro genotoxicity and mutagenicity of Sitagliptin alone and in combination with three popular artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame and acesulfame-k) were evaluated by Comet and Ames assays, respectively.Results: Sitagliptin demonstrated mutagenic potential only to TA 98 with S9 mix at a concentration of 3040 μg/plate. The mutagenicity of sitagliptin was enhanced when tested in combination with the artificial sweeteners. Furthermore, sitagliptin also caused pronounced DNA fragmentation at higher doses compared with negative control.Conclusion: At higher doses, sitagliptin showed both mutagenicity and genotoxicity. Thus, long-term use of artificial sweeteners with sitagliptin may lead to increase in both mutagenicity and genotoxicity.Keywords: Sitagliptin, Artificial sweeteners, Comet assay, DNA damage, Ames assay, Genotoxicity, Mutagenicit

Genome-wide analysis, identification, evolution and genomic organization of dehydration responsive element-binding (DREB) gene family in Solanum tuberosum

Background The dehydration responsive element-binding (DREB) gene family plays a crucial role as transcription regulators and enhances plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. Although the DREB gene family has been identified and characterized in many plants, knowledge about it in Solanum tuberosum (Potato) is limited. Results In the present study, StDREB gene family was comprehensively analyzed using bioinformatics approaches. We identified 66 StDREB genes through genome wide screening of the Potato genome based on the AP2 domain architecture and amino acid conservation analysis (Valine at position 14th). Phylogenetic analysis divided them into six distinct subgroups (A1–A6). The categorization of StDREB genes into six subgroups was further supported by gene structure and conserved motif analysis. Potato DREB genes were found to be distributed unevenly across 12 chromosomes. Gene duplication proved that StDREB genes experienced tandem and segmental duplication events which led to the expansion of the gene family. The Ka/Ks ratios of the orthologous pairs also demonstrated the StDREB genes were under strong purification selection in the course of evolution. Interspecies synteny analysis revealed 45 and 36 StDREB genes were orthologous to Arabidopsis and Solanum lycopersicum, respectively. Moreover, subcellular localization indicated that StDREB genes were predominantly located within the nucleus and the StDREB family’s major function was DNA binding according to gene ontology (GO) annotation. Conclusions This study provides a comprehensive and systematic understanding of precise molecular mechanism and functional characterization of StDREB genes in abiotic stress responses and will lead to improvement in Solanum tuberosum

Moving towards sustainable human capital development for Malaysian automotive industry

This paper presents the efforts taken to have sustainable human capital development for the automotive industry in Malaysia by Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI). The efforts must be driven by industry and it should consider the technology trends, market demand and government policy. MAI as a focal point for the automotive industry should create a platform for educators and industry players to come together to discuss the way forward in human capital development. Continual learning should be encouraged for the existing workers in the automotive industry to maintain their productivity and competitiveness

EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIAL OF TWO ENDANGERED PLANT SPECIES ATROPA BELLADONNA AND MATRICARIA CHAMOMILLA

Background: Plants are the natural source of antioxidants as well as antimicrobial compounds that has great potentials in pharmaceutical industry. In the present study, two medicinal plants Atropa belladonna and Matricaria chamomilla were collected from Northern areas of Pakistan. Materials and Methods: The extracts of the collected plants were obtained by microwave assisted extraction (MAE) with changing parameters, power level and time; methanol and ethanol were solvents used during extraction. The extracts of plants were tested against different bacterial strains. Results: It was observed that ethanolic extracts of Atropa belladonna has more significant antimicrobial activity against S.aureus than E.coli. In parallel, methanolic extract of Matricaria chamomilla showed greater significant antibacterial activity against S.aureus when compared with E.coli. In comparison, ethanolic extracts of Matricaria chamomilla has shown more significant results against S. aureus than E.coli (p≤0.05). Both plants had no antibacterial activity against S.typhi. The free radical scavenging activity observed by DPPH assay, indicate that both plants have antioxidant activity at all levels of concentrations in solvent tested during the present work. However, methanolic extracts had greater antioxidant activity when compared with ethanolic extracts. Conclusion: Present study is thus helpful in highlighting present potentials for antioxidant and antimicrobial properties in the selected plants

Expression Characterization of Flavonoid Biosynthetic Pathway Genes and Transcription Factors in Peanut Under Water Deficit Conditions

Drought is one of the hostile environmental stresses that limit the yield production of crop plants by modulating their growth and development. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) has a wide range of adaptations to arid and semi-arid climates, but its yield is prone to loss due to drought. Other than beneficial fatty acids and micronutrients, peanut harbors various bioactive compounds including flavonoids that hold a prominent position as antioxidants in plants and protect them from oxidative stress. In this study, understanding of the biosynthesis of flavonoids in peanut under water deficit conditions was developed through expression analysis and correlational analysis and determining the accumulation pattern of phenols, flavonols, and anthocyanins. Six peanut varieties (BARD479, BARI2011, BARI2000, GOLDEN, PG1102, and PG1265) having variable responses against drought stress have been selected. Higher water retention and flavonoid accumulation have been observed in BARI2011 but downregulation has been observed in the expression of genes and transcription factors (TFs) which indicated the maintenance of normal homeostasis. ANOVA revealed that the expression of flavonoid genes and TFs is highly dependent upon the genotype of peanut in a spatiotemporal manner. Correlation analysis between expression of flavonoid biosynthetic genes and TFs indicated the role of AhMYB111 and AhMYB7 as an inhibitor for AhF3H and AhFLS, respectively, and AhMYB7, AhTTG1, and AhCSU2 as a positive regulator for the expression of Ah4CL, AhCHS, and AhF3H, respectively. However, AhbHLH and AhGL3 revealed nil-to-little relation with the expression of flavonoid biosynthetic pathway genes. Correlational analysis between the expression of TFs related to the biosynthesis of flavonoids and the accumulation of phenolics, flavonols, and anthocyanins indicated coregulation of flavonoid synthesis by TFs under water deficit conditions in peanut. This study would provide insight into the role of flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in drought response in peanut and would aid to develop drought-tolerant varieties of peanut

Cadmium toxicity alleviation through exogenous application of gibberellic acid (GA3) in mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) czern.) and rapeseed (Brassica rapa L.)

An experiment was carried out by considering adverse impact of heavy metals on human health through consumption of crops. To alleviate the adverse effects of cadmium (Cd) toxicity through foliar application of gibberellic acid (GA3), two varieties of Brassica including Indian mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.) commonly known as ‘Raya’ and rapeseed (Brassica rapa L.) as ‘Toria’ were studied. The Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was used with eight treatments including control in four replicates. Treatments were as following, T0 (control), T1 (150 μM CdCl2), T2 (50 mg/L GA3), T3 (75 mg/L GA3), T4 (100 mg/L GA3), T5 (150 μM CdCl2 + 50 mg/L GA3), T6 (150 μM CdCl2 + 75 mg/L GA3), and T7 (150 μM CdCl2 + 100 mg/L GA3). Gibberellic acid (GA3), a plant growth regulator applied exogenously. The concentration of cadmium (150 μM CdCl2) resulted in Cd toxicity affected adversely the morphological and biochemical parameters. Foliar application of GA3 (50 mg, 75 mg and 100 mg) positively influenced the various growth parameters as root length (30 cm), shoot length (129.75 cm), number of leaves (14.5), pods per plant (88) and biochemical parameters like total chlorophyll (0.19 mg/g), protein content (0.70 mg/mL), carbohydrates (0.37 mg/mL) and CAT (0.56 units/mg). Outcome indicated that GA3 reduces the harmful effects of Cd stress in both varieties. It was concluded that all growth and yield parameters of variety ‘Raya’ were better as compared to variety ‘Toria’, hence Raya recommended for large scale cultivation with GA3 under Cd stress

Single Step Synthesis and Functionalization of Nano Titania for Development of Multifunctional Cotton Fabrics

Synthesis and modification of nanoparticles to make them suitable to functionalise a substrate for various application fields involves many steps, which are complex, time-consuming, and sometimes require special equipment. This is a major drawback to meet rapid technological requirements. In this work, a procedure has been developed to modify TiO2 nanoparticles by the sol-gel method at their synthesis stage using titanium tetraisopropoxide and modifying agents including ODS and GPTMS. The prepared nanoparticle finish can be used as it is without any further processing, thus eliminating the need for extra steps required to decorate them on some substrate. The nanoparticles were characterised by SEM, EDX, FTIR, XRD, and zeta potential. The adhesion of the obtained nanoparticles was tested by applying them to a cellulosic substrate. The obtained substrate was subjected to mechanical action and adhesion efficiency was estimated on the basis of UV transmittance and antibacterial properties that showed excellent results. The hydrophobic properties of the obtained nanoparticles were assessed by measuring water contact angles, which reached 157.9°, indicating their superhydrophobic nature. The developed procedure is facile and will be suitable for the engineering of multiple surfaces

Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube/Fe-Doped ZnO-Based Sensors for Droplet Electrochemical Detection and Degradation Monitoring of Brilliant Green

The present research work aims to contribute toward the sustainable development goal of water cleanliness by monitoring and removing toxic effluents from wastewater. Herein, we present an electrochemical sensing platform made of a glassy carbon electrode modified with Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for the detection of brilliant green (BG) using a smart droplet analysis approach. The Fe–ZnO NPs were synthesized via a hydrothermal method and characterized by various analytical techniques such as UV–visible spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, EDX, and FTIR spectroscopy. Fe–ZnO NPs were found to act as a mediator between the transducer and BG for efficient electron transport, while MWCNTs led to the enhanced current response of BG at the electrode surface owing to their conductive and adsorptive characteristics. Under optimized conditions of pH 6, 0.1 V deposition potential, and 40 s deposition time, a 0.40 nM limit of detection was achieved at the designed nanosensor. Photocatalytic degradation of the dye with NPs was also investigated in different pH media using UV–visible spectroscopy. The dye was found to photocatalytically degrade up to 99% in just 30 min, following first-order kinetics with a rate constant of 0.14 min–1. The photocatalytic degradation was also monitored electrochemically at the designed sensing platform, and the findings were found to be in good agreement with the results of UV–visible spectroscopy. The developed electrochemical droplet analysis approach is not only economical but also efficient, ultra-sensitive, and environmentally friendly