Identification of the HSP70-II gene in Leishmania braziliensis HSP70 locus: genomic organization and UTRs characterization

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The heat stress suffered by <it>Leishmania sp </it>during its digenetic life-cycle is a key trigger for its stage differentiation. In <it>Leishmania </it>subgenera two classes of <it>HSP70 </it>genes differing in their 3' UTR were described. Although the presence of <it>HSP70</it>-<it>I </it>genes was previously suggested in <it>Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis</it>, <it>HSP70</it>-<it>II </it>genes had been reluctant to be uncovered.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we report the existence of two types of <it>HSP70 </it>genes in <it>L. braziliensis </it>and the genomic organization of the <it>HSP70 </it>locus. RT-PCR experiments were used to map the untranslated regions (UTR) of both types of genes. The 3' UTR-II has a low sequence identity (55-57%) when compared with this region in other <it>Leishmania </it>species. In contrast, the 5' UTR, common to both types of genes, and the 3' UTR-I were found to be highly conserved among all <it>Leishmania </it>species (77-81%). Southern blot assays suggested that <it>L. braziliensis </it><it>HSP70 </it>gene cluster may contain around 6 tandemly-repeated <it>HSP70</it>-<it>I </it>genes followed by one <it>HSP70</it>-<it>II </it>gene, located at chromosome 28. Northern blot analysis indicated that levels of both types of mRNAs are not affected by heat shock.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study has led to establishing the composition and structure of the HSP70 locus of <it>L. braziliensis</it>, complementing the information available in the GeneDB genome database for this species. <it>L. braziliensis </it><it>HSP70 </it>gene regulation does not seem to operate by mRNA stabilization as occurs in other <it>Leishmania </it>species.</p

La gestión en las empresas latinoamericanas: El maquinismo organizacional en la era cuántica

This article constitutes a reflexive type essay which analyzes modern concepts of Administrative Sciences in terms of the quantum school, as conceptual parameters to critically examine the reality of the Latin-American organizations. It is based on the supposition that these organizations presents an stiffen logic from the administrative point of view, nearer to the old Newtonian paradigm which is a dangerous burden to them, in front of the challenges of a more complex, chaotic and quantum environment. Finally it suggests an analytical model, in terms of complexity “ranking” to incentivize future empirical researches in this fascinating field of study.El presente artículo constituye un ensayo de tipo reflexivo por medio del cual se analizan algunos de los modernos conceptos de las Ciencias Administrativas ubicados en la llamada escuela quántica, como parámetros analíticos para examinar críticamente la realidad de las organizaciones latinoamericanas. Se parte del supuesto de que estas últimas presentan una lógica anquilosada desde el punto de vista administrativo, más cercana a los viejos paradigmas de corte newtoniano, lo cual significa un lastre peligroso para ellas, de cara a los retos que presenta un entorno cada vez más complejo, caótico y cuántico. Finalmente, se plantea un modelo analítico a manera de “ranking” de complejidad, con el fin de incentivar futuras investigaciones de corte empírico sobre este fascinante campo de investigación

DUALISMO BUROCRÁTICO PARLAMENTARIO Y PRODUCTIVIDAD LEGISLATIVA: ENTRE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN Y LA POLÍTICA

This article explores the relations between the political manage of legislative factions and the technical-administrative support of the Costa Rican parliament from the point of view of the bills procedures efficiency and effectiveness. In a constructivist way, with the participation of various parliament consultants and experts in front of quantitative data related to parliament efficiency, the study suspects that the relation between political and technical-administrative consultants of the parliament breaks the Administrative Science concept of team work. In that perspective, it minimizes the legislative productivity of the parliament which requires democracy.El artículo explora las relaciones entre la gestión política de las fracciones legislativas y el soporte técnico-administrativo del parlamento costarricense, desde la perspectiva de la eficacia y la eficiencia en el trámite de los proyectos de ley conocidos por ese órgano. En un enfoque constructivista, con el concurso de varios asesores y un experto, frente a datos cuantitativos relativos a la eficiencia parlamentaria, el estudio sospecha que la relación entre los asesores políticos y los técnico-administrativos del parlamento violenta el concepto de trabajo en equipo propio de la Ciencia Administrativa moderna y, con ello, minimizan la capacidad del parlamento respecto de su productividad legislativa que requiere la democracia

The N-terminal domain of RfaH plays an active role in protein fold-switching

The bacterial elongation factor RfaH promotes the expression of virulence factors by specifically binding to RNA polymerases (RNAP) paused at a DNA signal. This behavior is unlike that of its paralog NusG, the major representative of the protein family to which RfaH belongs. Both proteins have an N-terminal domain (NTD) bearing an RNAP binding site, yet NusG C-terminal domain (CTD) is folded as a β-barrel while RfaH CTD is forming an α-hairpin blocking such site. Upon recognition of the specific DNA exposed by RNAP, RfaH is activated via interdomain dissociation and complete CTD structural rearrangement into a β-barrel structurally identical to NusG CTD. Although RfaH transformation has been extensively characterized computationally, little attention has been given to the role of the NTD in the fold-switching process, as its structure remains unchanged. Here, we used Associative Water-mediated Structure and Energy Model (AWSEM) molecular dynamics to characterize the transformation of RfaH, spotlighting the sequence-dependent effects of NTD on CTD fold stabilization. Umbrella sampling simulations guided by native contacts recapitulate the thermodynamic equilibrium experimentally observed for RfaH and its isolated CTD. Temperature refolding simulations of full-length RfaH show a high success towards α-folded CTD, whereas the NTD interferes with βCTD folding, becoming trapped in a β-barrel intermediate. Meanwhile, NusG CTD refolding is unaffected by the presence of RfaH NTD, showing that these NTD-CTD interactions are encoded in RfaH sequence. Altogether, these results suggest that the NTD of RfaH favors the α-folded RfaH by specifically orienting the αCTD upon interdomain binding and by favoring β-barrel rupture into an intermediate from which fold-switching proceeds.Fil: Galaz Davison, Pablo. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Chile. Universidad Católica de Chile; ChileFil: Roman, Ernesto Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Ramírez Sarmiento, César A.. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Chile. Universidad Católica de Chile; Chil

Automotive Control Catalyzer to Synthetize CaCO3 from Residual Co2 Embedded Control System

La contaminación generada por el sector automotriz es un problema de medio ambiente por el que sectores gubernamentales y privados han tomado acciones para contrarrestarla. Uno de esos esfuerzos procura de proveer una solución para la emisión de gases de producidos de diferentes sistemas de combustión. El objetivo del presente proyecto es diseñar un sistema de alta calidad y confiable, capaz de transformar una cantidad considerable de los gases emitidos en nuevo combustible antes de ser liberados de vuelta al entorno. El módulo de control fue desarrollado considerando los requerimientos demandados por la industria automotriz. El controlador fue basado sobre la arquitectura AUTOSAR, este también incluyó el protocolo de comunicación estándar CAN 2.0 desempeñado con el microcontrolador validado como grado 2 por el Consejo de Electrónica Automotriz, y el sensor SHT11 usado fue certificado contra RoHS. La arquitectura de software cumple con la complejidad inherente de las especificaciones de AUTOSAR, por consiguiente, diferentes técnicas fueron requeridas para su solución, incluyendo la definición, diagramas de límites, especificación de requerimientos, interfaces de software e interacción de módulos. Una vez que los requerimientos fueron conocidos, el código fue implementado. Como resultado, este módulo puede ser categorizado como un producto de grado automotriz que puede ser introducido en el mercado automotriz.The pollution generated by the automotive sector has been an environmental issue in the latest years, and nowadays, different governmental and private sectors have taken actions on this matter. One of these efforts tries to provide a solution for contaminating gas emissions produced from different fuel combustion systems. The aim of the present project is to design a reliable and high-quality system that senses the environmental temperature, relative humidity, and calculates the dew point to control a catalyzer capable of transforming a considerable amount of exhaust gases into a new fuel component before they are released back into the environment. The control module was developed considering the requirements demanded by the automotive industry. The controller was based on an AUTOSAR architecture, it also included the standard CAN 2.0 communication protocol performed within the microcontroller validated as grade 2 by the Automotive Electronics Council, and the SHT11 sensor used was certified against RoHS. Equally important, the software architecture complied with the complexity inherent in AUTOSAR specifications. Therefore, different techniques were required for its solution, including, boundary diagram, requirement specifications, software interface, and module interaction definitions. Once these requirements where met, the code was implemented. As a result, this module could be categorized as an automotive-grade product that can be introduced in the automotive market.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologí

Methylation inhibition for coping with epigenetic-based heterogeneity of CHO cell subclones and improving recombinant MAB production

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Expanded Monomeric Intermediate upon Cold and Heat Unfolding of Phosphofructokinase-2 from Escherichia coli

AbstractFolding studies have been focused mainly on small, single-domain proteins or isolated single domains of larger proteins. However, most of the proteins present in biological systems are composed of multiple domains, and to date, the principles that underlie its folding remain elusive. The unfolding of Pfk-2 induced by GdnHCl has been described by highly cooperative three-state equilibrium (N2↔2I↔2U). This is characterized by a strong coupling between the subunits’ tertiary structure and the integrity of the dimer interface because “I” represents an unstructured and expanded monomeric intermediate. Here we report that cold and heat unfolding of Pfk-2 resembles the N2↔2I step of chemically induced unfolding. Moreover, cold unfolding appears to be as cooperative as that induced chemically and even more so than its heat-unfolding counterpart. Because Pfk-2 is a large homodimer of 66 kDa with a complex topology consisting of well-defined domains, these results are somewhat unexpected considering that cold unfolding has been described as a special kind of perturbation that decouples the cooperative unfolding of several proteins

Idea de naturaleza y dialéctica: una comprensión pedagógica

Nature as a tangible dimension can be treated with dialectics to facilitate its understanding; the same dialectical interpretation has sometimes been shown in it. To discover how the idea of ​​Nature has operated from the dialectical sense in Western philosophy, it should be said that it has had four different stages of development where various currents and thinkers staked their position, some even gave it importance in social aspects during the last four centuries. These range from physical naturalism to the understanding of social reality based on contextual needs and these in turn have forged the way of seeing sensitive Nature. Giving importance to man / nature integration in mental and concrete complementarity is an urgency especially for the global emergence of fatal consequences for planetary life. It is about displacing the dichotomy by the search for dialectical integrity that is comprehensible for today's society.La Naturaleza como dimensión tangible puede ser tratada con la dialéctica para facilitar su comprensión; en ocasiones se ha mostrado la misma interpretación dialéctica en ella. Para descubrir cómo ha operado la idea de Naturaleza desde el sentido dialéctico en la filosofía de corte occidental, cabe decir que ha tenido cuatro distintas etapas de desarrollo, donde varias corrientes y pensadores estacaron su postura, algunos incluso le dieron la importancia en aspectos sociales durante los últimos cuatro siglos. Estas van desde el naturalismo físico hasta la comprensión de la realidad social; parten de unas necesidades contextuales y estas a su vez han forjado la forma de ver a la Naturaleza sensible. Dar importancia a la integración hombre/Naturaleza en complementariedad mental y concreta, es una urgencia sobre todo para la emergencia global de consecuencias fatales para la vida planetaria. Se trata de desplazar la dicotomía por la búsqueda de la integridad dialéctica que sea aprehensible para la sociedad actual

Ecologia reprodutiva e história natural de Kinosternon herrerai (Testudines: Kinosternidae) no centro de sua distribuição

México alberga 10 especies endémicas de tortugas de barro del género Kinosternon, pero hace falta información de historia natural para la mayoría de ellas. Aquí describimos algunas generalidades de la ecología reproductiva e historia natural de una población de la tortuga Casquito de Herrera, endémica mexicana, K. herrerai en Hidalgo, México. Las hembras y los machos fueron similares en masa corporal y longitud del carapacho, además, las tortugas más grandes y pesadas se movieron más que aquellas más pequeñas y livianas. El tamaño de la puesta varió de uno a seis huevos, con un promedio de 3.4 ± 1.7, y la puesta de huevos ocurrió a temperaturas ambientales entre 15 and 21°C (x̅ = 18.6°C). El tiempo total de anidamiento (desde la selección del nido hasta la ovoposición) duró ca. 37 min y el periodo de incubación fue de 75 días in situ. Estos resultados mejoran nuestra comprensión de los aspectos de historia natural de las tortugas de barro Kinosternon, que son necesarios para llevar a cabo acciones de conservación para preservar todas sus poblaciones.Mexico harbors 10 endemic species of mud turtles of genus Kinosternon, but natural history information is lacking for most of them. Herein we describe some generalities of the reproductive ecology and natural history of one population of the Mexican endemic, Herrera’s mud turtle, K. herrerai from Hidalgo, Mexico. Females and males were similar in body mass and carapace length. Additionally, larger and heavier turtles moved more than smaller and lighter ones. Clutch size varied from one to six eggs, with an average of 3.4 ± 1.7, and egg laying occurred at environmental temperatures between 15 and 21°C (x̅ = 18.6°C). Total nesting time (from selection of nesting site to oviposition) lasted ca. 37 min, and the incubation period was 75 days in situ. These results enhance our understanding of natural history aspects of Kinosternon mud turtles, which are necessary to carry out conservation actions to preserve all of its populations.O México abriga 10 espécies endêmicas de tartarugas-de-lama do gênero Kinosternon, mas faltam informações sobre a história natural da maioria delas. Aqui, descrevemos algumas generalidades da ecologia reprodutiva e da história natural de uma população de Hidalgo da tartaruga-de-lama-de-herrera, K. herrerai, endêmica do México. As fêmeas e os machos eram semelhantes em termos de massa corporal e comprimento da carapaça. Além disso, as tartarugas maiores e mais pesadas se movimentavam mais do que as menores e mais leves. O tamanho da ninhada variou de um a seis ovos, com uma média de 3,4 ± 1,7, e a postura dos ovos ocorreu em temperaturas ambientais entre 15 e 21°C (x̅ = 18,6°C). O tempo total de nidificação (desde a seleção do local de nidificação até a ovipostura) durou cerca de 37 min, e o período de incubação foi de 75 dias in situ. Esses resultados aumentam nossa compreensão dos aspectos da história natural das espécies de Kinosternon, que são necessários para realizar ações de conservação para preservar todas as suas populações