Sequential Assembly of Centromeric Proteins in Male Mouse Meiosis

The assembly of the mitotic centromere has been extensively studied in recent years, revealing the sequence and regulation of protein loading to this chromosome domain. However, few studies have analyzed centromere assembly during mammalian meiosis. This study specifically targets this approach on mouse spermatocytes. We have found that during prophase I, the proteins of the chromosomal passenger complex Borealin, INCENP, and Aurora-B load sequentially to the inner centromere before Shugoshin 2 and MCAK. The last proteins to be assembled are the outer kinetochore proteins BubR1 and CENP-E. All these proteins are not detected at the centromere during anaphase/telophase I and are then reloaded during interkinesis. The loading sequence of the analyzed proteins is similar during prophase I and interkinesis. These findings demonstrate that the interkinesis stage, regularly overlooked, is essential for centromere and kinetochore maturation and reorganization previous to the second meiotic division. We also demonstrate that Shugoshin 2 is necessary for the loading of MCAK at the inner centromere, but is dispensable for the loading of the outer kinetochore proteins BubR1 and CENP-E

Evaluation of antifungal efficacy of some medicinal plants on Candida spp. causing vulvovaginitis

297-301The opportunistic yeast pathogen Candida albicans and the non albicans Candida spp. cause life threatening infections in patients leading to increased mortality rate. High toxicity of synthetic drugs on host tissues and multidrug resistance of organisms aggravates the problem. Medicinal plants are rich source of secondary metabolites with potential therapeutic effects. In this study, we tested ethanolic extracts of four different plants, namely Terminalia chebula, Ventilago maderaspatana, Clerodendrum serratum and Curcuma longa for their antifungal activity against three different Candida spp. The MIC value of T. chebula was 25 μg/mL and that of C. serratum was 50 μg/mL, whereas C. longa and V. maderaspatana showed activity at 12.5 μg/mL against C. albicans. The MIC values against C. tropicalis were reported as 50 μg/mL for T. chebula and V. maderaspatana, 25 μg/mL for C. longa and 100 μg/mL for C. serratum. In a similar way antifungal activity for C. glabrata were reported as 25 μg/mL for C. longa and T. chebula and finally 50 μg/mL for C. serratum and V. maderaspatana