Highlighting chromosome loops in DNA-picked chromatin (DPC).

"Growing evidence supports the concept that dynamic intra-and inter-chromosomal links between specific loci contribute to the creation of cell type-specific gene expression profiles. Therefore, analysis of the establishment of peculiar functional correlations between sites, also distant on linear DNA, that govern the transcriptional process appears to be of fundamental relevance. We propose here an experimental approach showing that 17 beta-estradiol-induced transcription associates to formation of loops between the promoter and termination regions of hormone-responsive genes. This strategy reveals as a tool to be also suitably used, in conjunction with automated techniques, for an extensive analysis of sites shared by multiple genes for induced expression.

Phenolic Composition and Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of the Extracts of Twelve Common Bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris

Beans are important dietary components with versatile health benefits. We analysed the extracts of twelve ecotypes of Phaseolus vulgaris in order to determine their phenolic profiles, antioxidant activity, and the in vitro antiproliferative activity. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (UPLC-DAD) admitted us to detect and quantify some known polyphenols, such as gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, myricetin, formononetin, caffeic acid, and kaempferol. The antioxidant activity (AA) ranged from 1.568 ± 0.041 to 66.572 ± 3.197 mg necessary to inhibit the activity of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical by 50% (EC50). The extracts, except those obtained from the nonpigmented samples, were capable of inhibiting the proliferation of the human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells, human breast cancer cells MCF-7, and A549 NSCLC cell line. Cultivars differed in composition and concentration of polyphenols including anthocyanins; cooking affected the antioxidant activity only marginally. Qualitative and quantitative differences in phenolic composition between the groups of beans influenced the biological activities; on the other hand, we did not find significant differences on the biological activities within the same variety, before and after cooking

Antimicrobial potential of LEGUMES extracts against foodborne pathogens: A review

[EN] Background: Alternative protein sources are being investigated in response to increasing consumer demand for innovative and healthy food products of vegetable origin to replace non-sustainable animal exploitation. The Leguminosae family includes a wide variety of plants and nutritious seeds, very rich in protein with a high biological value, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Not only the seeds but also the aerial parts, pods, hulls and roots have proved to be natural sources of antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial compounds. Scope and approach: The present article overviews the antimicrobial potential of the most popular legumes worldwide against foodborne pathogens. Key findings and conclusions: According to the literature reviewed, soybean and chickpea are the two consumed legumes with the highest antimicrobial activity. Long-chain soy peptides (IKAFKEATKVDKVVVLWTA) have a high antimicrobial potential against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria at a concentration level of 37.2 ¿M. Also, a wide spectrum of proteins and peptides in raw chickpeas and processed extracts have exerted antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens when applied in the range 8¿64 ¿g/ml. These results open a new research line with good prospects regarding the development of a new generation of natural preservative ingredients and extracts to be included in novel formulated products. However, critical aspects, such as (i) the stability of antimicrobial activity during the shelf-life of newly formulated food products, and (ii) the microbial inactivation kinetics generated in novel matrices, should be covered prior to exploitation of legumes as sources of novel technological ingredients with antimicrobial potential.The present research work has been supported by funds provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) as the HELICOFOOD project, with reference AGL2014-53875-R. The post-doctoral contract of M.C. Pina-Pérez as Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación granted by the MINECO is also acknowledged.Pina Pérez, MC.; Ferrús Pérez, MA. (2018). Antimicrobial potential of LEGUMES extracts against foodborne pathogens: A review. Trends in Food Science & Technology. 72:114-124. doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2017.12.007S1141247

Beta-Endorphin concentration in colostrums of Burkinabe and Sicilian women

Objective Endorphins (EPs) present in human colostrum may be relevant for immediate postnatal fetal adaptation because this compound is involved in stress response and adaptation mechanisms. Endorphin levels in human colostrum are two-fold greater than corresponding maternal plasma levels; however, the high endorphin levels in human milk decrease as lactation continues. The aim of this study was to determine the β-EP concentration in colostrums of women residing in Burkina Faso and Sicily. In addition, we investigated the source of potential differences in β-EP levels between these populations, especially ethnic sources of these deviations. Methods The concentration of β-EP was determined in the colostrum from the first 3 d subsequent to delivery by an enzyme immunoassay as immunoreactive material (IRM). Results The production of β-EP in the colostrum was significantly higher in Burkinabe mothers (0.83 ± 0.04 ng/mL) than in Sicilian mothers (0.31 ± 0.02 ng/mL) at 24 h after delivery. Colostrum levels of β-EP declined progressively during the first 3 d after delivery in both populations (0.64 ± 0.1 and 0.28 ± 0.015 ng/mL, respectively, at 72 h). The level of β-EP-IRM correlated significantly with pain and psychological involvement during and after delivery. In addition, the correlation between β-EP-IRM and length of stage II of labor was significant (< P < 0.0001) in the colostrums of Sicilian mothers who received ergot derivatives, episiorrhaphy, and child birth preparation. The correlation between β-EP-IRM and length of stage II was less significant (P < 0.001) in the colostrums of Burkinabe mothers who received neither ergot derivatives nor child birth preparation. Conclusion During the first 3 d after labor the β-EP-IRM concentration in the colostrums of Burkinabe mothers differs from that of Sicilians. In addition, because Burkinabe women produce a larger volume of colostrum, their newborns receive, during the first days of life, a larger absolute amount of β-EP-IRM, likely resulting in better postnatal fetal adaptation

Polyphenols, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Biofilm Inhibitory Activities of Peel and Pulp of Citrus medica L., Citrus bergamia, and Citrus medica cv. Salò Cultivated in Southern Italy

The aim of this paper was to study the polyphenols of peel and pulp of three Citrus taxa — Citrus medica, Citrus bergamia, and Citrus medica cv. Salò — cultivated in the Cosenza province, Southern Italy, and to evaluate their antioxidant and antibacterial activity, performed against Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pectobacterium carotovorum. Furthermore, we assessed the inhibitory effect of the extracts on bacterial capacity to form biofilm, and on the metabolic activity of the cells present therein. The results indicated that such extracts could find new potential applications in the field of natural antioxidant and anti-bacterial agents in pharmaceutics, agriculture, and food fields

Nuclear receptor-induced transcription is driven by spatially and timely restricted waves of ROS. The role of Akt, IKKα, and DNA damage repair enzymes

Gene expression is governed by chromatin mainly through posttranslational modifications at the N-terminal tails of nucleosomal histone proteins. According to the histone code theory, peculiar sets of such modifications (marks) give rise to reproducible final effects on transcription and, very recently, a further level of complexity has been highlighted in binary switches between specific marks at adjacent residues. In particular, disappearance of dimethyl-lysine 9 in histone H3 is faced by phosphorylation of the following serine during activation of gene expression. Demethylation of lysine 9 by the lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is a pre-requisite for addition of the phosphoryl mark to serine 10 and an essential step in the transcriptional control by estrogens. It generates a local burst of oxygen reactive species (ROS) that induce oxidation of nearby nucleotides and recruitment of repair enzymes with a consequent formation of single or double stranded nicks on DNA that modify chromatin flexibility in order to allow correct assembly of the transcriptional machinery. We describe here the molecular mechanism by which members of the family of nuclear receptors prevent the potential damage to DNA during transcription of target genes elicited by the use of ROS to shape chromatin. The mechanism is based on the presence of phosphorylated serine 10 in histone H3 to prevent unbalanced DNA oxidation waves. We also discuss the opportunities raised by the use of voluntary derangement of this servo system to induce selective death in hormone-responsive transformed cells

Retinoic acid impairs estrogen signaling in breast cancer cells by interfering with activation of LSD1 via PKA

More than 70% of breast cancers in women require estrogens for cell proliferation and survival. 17β-estradiol (E2) effect on mammary target cells is almost exclusively mediated by its binding to the estrogen receptor-α (ERα) that joins chromatin where it assembles active transcription complexes. The proliferative and pro-survival action of estrogens is antagonized in most cases by retinoic acid (RA), even though the cognate retinoic acid receptor-α (RARα) cooperates with ERα on promoters of estrogen-responsive genes. We have examined at the molecular level the crosstalk between these nuclear receptors from the point of view of their control of cell growth and show here that RA reverts estrogen-stimulated transcription of the pivotal anti-apoptotic bcl-2 gene by preventing demethylation of dimethyl lysine 9 in histone H3 (HeK9me2). As we previously reported, this is obtained by means of E2-triggered activation of the lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1), an enzyme that manages chromatin plasticity in order to allow specific movements of chromosomal regions within the nucleus. We find that E2 fuels LSD1 by inducing migration of the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PKA) into the nucleus, where it targets estrogen-responsive loci. RA rescues LSD1-dependent disappearance of H3K9me2 at bcl-2 regulatory regions upon the prevention of PKA assembly to the same sites

Isoflavone Extracts Enhance the Effect of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitors in NSCLC Cell Lines

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