130 research outputs found
Up-regulation of adipogenin, an adipocyte plasma transmembrane protein, during adipogenesis
The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com.ArticleMOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY. 276(1-2): 133-141 (2005)journal articl
Factors associated with severe dry eye in primary SjögrenŽs syndrome diagnosed patients
Introduction Primary Sjögren?s syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disease, characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of exocrine glands and other organs, resulting in dry eye, dry mouth and extraglandular systemic findings. Objective To explore the association of severe or very severe dry eye with extraocular involvement in patients diagnosed with primary Sjögren?s syndrome. Methods SJOGRENSER registry is a multicenter cross-sectional study of pSS patients. For the construction of our main variable, severe/very severe dry eye, we used those variables that represented a degree 3?4 of severity according to the 2007 Dry Eye Workshop classification. First, bivariate logistic regression models were used to identify the effect of each independent variable on severe/very severe dry eye. Secondly, multivariate analysis using regression model was used to establish the independent effect of patient characteristics. Results Four hundred and thirty-seven patients were included in SJOGRENSER registry; 94% of the patients complained of dry eye and 16% developed corneal ulcer. Schirmer?s test was pathological in 92% of the patients; 378 patients presented severe/very severe dry eye. Inflammatory articular involvement was significantly more frequent in patients with severe/very severe dry eye than in those without severe/very severe dry eye (82.5 vs 69.5%, p = 0,028). Inflammatory joint involvement was associated with severe/very severe dry eye in the multivariate analysis, OR 2.079 (95% CI 1.096?3.941). Conclusion Severe or very severe dry eye is associated with the presence of inflammatory joint involvement in patients with pSS. These results suggest that a directed anamnesis including systemic comorbidities, such as the presence of inflammatory joint involvement or dry mouth in patients with dry eye, would be useful to suspect a pSS
Drosophila melanogaster as a Model Host for the Burkholderia cepacia Complex
Colonization with bacterial species from the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) is associated with fast health decline among individuals with cystic fibrosis. In order to investigate the virulence of the Bcc, several alternative infection models have been developed. To this end, the fruit fly is increasingly used as surrogate host, and its validity to enhance our understanding of host-pathogen relationships has been demonstrated with a variety of microorganisms. Moreover, its relevance as a suitable alternative to mammalian hosts has been confirmed with vertebrate organisms.The aim of this study was to establish Drosophila melanogaster as a surrogate host for species from the Bcc. While the feeding method proved unsuccessful at killing the flies, the pricking technique did generate mortality within the populations. Results obtained with the fruit fly model are comparable with results obtained using mammalian infection models. Furthermore, validity of the Drosophila infection model was confirmed with B. cenocepacia K56-2 mutants known to be less virulent in murine hosts or in other alternative models. Competitive index (CI) analyses were also performed using the fruit fly as host. Results of CI experiments agree with those obtained with mammalian models.We conclude that Drosophila is a useful alternative infection model for Bcc and that fly pricking assays and competition indices are two complementary methods for virulence testing. Moreover, CI results indicate that this method is more sensitive than mortality tests
Genomic Sequence Analysis of Granulovirus Isolated from the Tobacco Cutworm, Spodoptera litura
Background: Spodoptera litura is a noctuid moth that is considered an agricultural pest. The larvae feed on a wide range of plants and have been recorded on plants from 40 plant families (mostly dicotyledons). It is a major pest of many crops. To better understand Spodoptera litura granulovirus (SpliGV), the nucleotide sequence of the SpliGV DNA genome was determined and analyzed. Methodology/Principal Findings: The genome of the SpliGV was completely sequenced. The nucleotide sequence of the SpliGV genome was 124,121 bp long with 61.2 % A+T content and contained 133 putative open reading frames (ORFs) of 150 or more nucleotides. The 133 putative ORFs covered 86.3 % of the genome. Among these, 31 ORFs were conserved in most completely sequenced baculovirus genomes, 38 were granulovirus (GV)-specific, and 64 were present in some nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs) and/or GVs. We proved that 9 of the ORFs were SpliGV specific. Conclusions/Significance: The genome of SpliGV is 124,121 bp in size. One hundred thirty-three ORFs that putatively encode proteins of 50 or more amino acid residues with minimal overlap were determined. No chitinase or cathepsin genes, which are involved in the liquefaction of the infected host, were found in the SpliGV genome, explaining why SpliGVinfected insects do not degrade in a typical manner. The DNA photolyase gene was first found in the genus Granulovirus. When phylogenic relationships were analyzed, the SpliGV was most closely related to Trichoplusia ni granulovirus (TnGV
PDZ domains and their binding partners: structure, specificity, and modification
PDZ domains are abundant protein interaction modules that often recognize short amino acid motifs at the C-termini of target proteins. They regulate multiple biological processes such as transport, ion channel signaling, and other signal transduction systems. This review discusses the structural characterization of PDZ domains and the use of recently emerging technologies such as proteomic arrays and peptide libraries to study the binding properties of PDZ-mediated interactions. Regulatory mechanisms responsible for PDZ-mediated interactions, such as phosphorylation in the PDZ ligands or PDZ domains, are also discussed. A better understanding of PDZ protein-protein interaction networks and regulatory mechanisms will improve our knowledge of many cellular and biological processes
Regulation of GSK-3 Activity as A Shared Mechanism in Psychiatric Disorders
Serin/Treonin kinaz ailesinin ĂŒyelerinden bir kinaz olarak ilk kez glikojen sentazâı inhibe ettiÄi keĆfedilen glikojen sentaz kinaz-3 (GSK-3), gĂŒnĂŒmĂŒzde bilinen 50âden fazla substratı ile birçok hĂŒcre içi dĂŒzenleyici mekanizmada görev alan geniĆ etki spektrumlu bir enzim olarak kabul edilmektedir. GSK-3âĂŒn memelilerde GSK-3α ve GSK-3ÎČ olmak ĂŒzere yapısal olarak yĂŒksek homoloji gösteren iki izoformu bulunmaktadır. Her iki izoform birçok dokuda yaygın daÄılım göstermekle beraber, en yĂŒksek oranda beyinde bulunmakta ve genellikle benzer fonksiyonlar göstermektedirler. DiÄer protein kinazların aksine GSK-3 uyarılmamÄ±Ć hĂŒcrede yapısal olarak aktif yani defosforile halde bulur. Protein kinaz A (PKA), protein kinaz B (PKB;AKT) ve protein kinaz C (PKC) gibi diÄer protein kinazlarla fosforilasyona uÄrayarak olarak inaktive edilir. GĂŒnĂŒmĂŒzde artmÄ±Ć GSK-3 aktivitesinin major depresyon, bipolar bozukluk, hiperaktivite bozuklukları gibi hastalıklar ve Ćizofreni oluĆumunda rol oynayabileceÄine iliĆkin önemli bulgular mevcuttur. Bu nedenle söz konusu psikiyatrik hastalıklarda arttıÄı gösterilen GSK-3 aktivitesinin azaltılmasının tedavide umut verici bir yaklaĆım olabileceÄi kabul edilebilir. Bu gözden geçirme çalıĆmasında yukarıda sözĂŒ edilen psikiyatrik hastalıkların oluĆmasında görev alan GSK-3 aracılı mekanizmalara kısaca deÄinilerek GSK-3âĂŒn aktivitesinin dĂŒzenlenmesinde rol oynadıÄı gösterilen klinikte kullanılan ilaçlara yer verilmiĆtir. Anahtar sözcĂŒkler: GSK-3, depresyon, bipolar bozukluk, Ćizofren
Relativistic Binaries in Globular Clusters
Galactic globular clusters are old, dense star systems typically containing
10\super{4}--10\super{7} stars. As an old population of stars, globular
clusters contain many collapsed and degenerate objects. As a dense population
of stars, globular clusters are the scene of many interesting close dynamical
interactions between stars. These dynamical interactions can alter the
evolution of individual stars and can produce tight binary systems containing
one or two compact objects. In this review, we discuss theoretical models of
globular cluster evolution and binary evolution, techniques for simulating this
evolution that leads to relativistic binaries, and current and possible future
observational evidence for this population. Our discussion of globular cluster
evolution will focus on the processes that boost the production of hard binary
systems and the subsequent interaction of these binaries that can alter the
properties of both bodies and can lead to exotic objects. Direct {\it N}-body
integrations and Fokker--Planck simulations of the evolution of globular
clusters that incorporate tidal interactions and lead to predictions of
relativistic binary populations are also discussed. We discuss the current
observational evidence for cataclysmic variables, millisecond pulsars, and
low-mass X-ray binaries as well as possible future detection of relativistic
binaries with gravitational radiation.Comment: 88 pages, 13 figures. Submitted update of Living Reviews articl
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