Effect of Some Oligosaccharides on Functional Properties of Wheat Starch

Purpose: To investigate the effects of oligosaccharides on the functional properties of wheat starch.Methods: The blue value, retrogradation and pasting properties of wheat starch were determined. In addition, water activity (Aw), melting enthalpy and melting temperature of wheat starch paste were analyzed.Results: Fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) and xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS) inhibited the retrogradation of wheat starch. The peak viscosity of wheat starch with oligosaccharides increased from 3238 ± 8 to 3822 ± 10 cP, with the highest peak obtained for sucrose. The setback of wheat starch decreased (from 1158 ± 5 to 799 ± 6 cP), with the lowest setback for FOS. Aw of control sample changed significantly (falling from 0.978 ± 0.025 to 0.397 ± 0.013) when the drying time was from 6 to 12 hours, while the Aw of the samples to which different oligosaccharides were added only showed slight decrease (from 0.98 ± 0.019 to 0.854 ± 0.022). During storage, the Aw of all starch pastes decreased, and the Aw and melting enthalpy of the samples containing FOS and XOS were significantly lower than that of the control after 6 days storage at 4 and 30 °C.Conclusion: A certain level of oligosaccharides can improve the functional properties of wheat starch paste and thus broaden its application prospects in food and pharmaceutical industries.Keywords: Melting enthalpy, Oligosaccharides, Pasting properties, Water activity, Wheat starc

Differential regulation of cytokine-and phorbol ester-induced activation of nuclear factor kappa B by Pseudomonas aeruginosa pyocyanin in human airway epithelial cells

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Molecular characterizations of PCR-positive Mycoplasma pneumoniae specimen collected from Australia and China.

Mycoplasma pneumoniaeis an important cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). In this study,M. pneumoniae strains in PCR-positive specimens collected from patients in Sydney, Australia (30 samples), and Beijing, China (83 samples), were characterized using multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA), P1-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis, and sequencing of domain V of the 23S rRNA gene to compare genotype distribution and macrolide resistance rates between locations. Eighteen distinct MLVA types were identified in specimens from Sydney, of which 10 were known (types E, G, J, M, N, P, U, V, S, and X) and 8 previously unknown. Strains were equally distributed between P1-RFLP type 1 and type 2 variants. Among samples from Beijing, MLVA types E, G, J, P, U, X, and Z and four new types were identified. Most specimens belonged to P1-RFLP type 1. A nomenclature based on five VNTR loci is proposed to designate MLVA patterns. Macrolide resistance-associated mutations were identified in only 1 of 30 specimens (3.3%) from Sydney and 71 of 83 (85.5%) from Beijing (P<0.05). This study demonstrated that although multiple individualM. pneumoniaestrains were circulating in Beijing, the genotypes were less diverse than those in Sydney. However, the greatest regional difference was in the incidence of macrolide resistance, which may reflect differences in antibiotic use and/or measures in resistance controlthe Beijing Natural Science Foundation (7112019) and the Beijing City talent training project fund (20071 A0303200118

Rolling circle amplification for direct detection of rpoB gene mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis directly from clinical specimens

Rapid and accurate detection of multidrug resistance (MDR) inMycobacterium tuberculosisis essential to improve treatment outcomes and reduce global transmission but remains a challenge. Rifampin (RIF) resistance is a reliable marker of MDR tuberculosis (TB) since by far the majority of RIF-resistant strains are also isoniazid (INH) resistant. We have developed a rapid, sensitive, and specific method for detecting the most common mutations associated with RIF resistance, in the RIF resistance determining region (RRDR) ofrpoB, using a cocktail of six padlock probes and rolling circle amplification (RCA). We used this method to test 46 storedM. tuberculosisclinical isolates with known RIF susceptibility profiles (18 RIF resistant, 28 susceptible), a standard susceptible strain (H37Rv, ATCC 27294) and 78M. tuberculosisculture-positive clinical (sputum) samples, 59 of which grew RIF-resistant strains. All stored clinical isolates were correctly categorized, by the padlock probe/RCA method, as RIF susceptible or resistant; the sensitivity and specificity of the method, for direct detection of phenotypically RIF-resistantM. tuberculosisin clinical specimens, were 96.6 and 89.5%, respectively. This method is rapid, simple, and inexpensive and has the potential for high-throughput routine screening of clinical specimens for MDRM. tuberculosis, particularly in high prevalence settings with limited resources.a grant from The National S&T Major Special Project on Major New Drug Innovation (2012ZX09301002-005-003) from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Chin

Serum superoxide dismutase levels correlate with disease activity markers in stable bronchiectasis

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A mechanism for the inhibition of DNA-PK-mediated DNA sensing by a virus

The innate immune system is critical in the response to infection by pathogens and it is activated by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) binding to pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). During viral infection, the direct recognition of the viral nucleic acids, such as the genomes of DNA viruses, is very important for activation of innate immunity. Recently, DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), a heterotrimeric complex consisting of the Ku70/Ku80 heterodimer and the catalytic subunit DNA-PKcs was identified as a cytoplasmic PRR for DNA that is important for the innate immune response to intracellular DNA and DNA virus infection. Here we show that vaccinia virus (VACV) has evolved to inhibit this function of DNA-PK by expression of a highly conserved protein called C16, which was known to contribute to virulence but by an unknown mechanism. Data presented show that C16 binds directly to the Ku heterodimer and thereby inhibits the innate immune response to DNA in fibroblasts, characterised by the decreased production of cytokines and chemokines. Mechanistically, C16 acts by blocking DNA-PK binding to DNA, which correlates with reduced DNA-PK-dependent DNA sensing. The C-terminal region of C16 is sufficient for binding Ku and this activity is conserved in the variola virus (VARV) orthologue of C16. In contrast, deletion of 5 amino acids in this domain is enough to knockout this function from the attenuated vaccine strain modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA). In vivo a VACV mutant lacking C16 induced higher levels of cytokines and chemokines early after infection compared to control viruses, confirming the role of this virulence factor in attenuating the innate immune response. Overall this study describes the inhibition of DNA-PK-dependent DNA sensing by a poxvirus protein, adding to the evidence that DNA-PK is a critical component of innate immunity to DNA viruses

Gene and protein expression of glucose transporter 1 and glucose transporter 3 in human laryngeal cancer—the relationship with regulatory hypoxia-inducible factor-1α expression, tumor invasiveness, and patient prognosis

Increased glucose uptake mediated by glucose transporters and reliance on glycolysis are common features of malignant cells. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α supports the adaptation of hypoxic cells by inducing genes related to glucose metabolism. The contribution of glucose transporter (GLUT) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) activity to tumor behavior and their prognostic value in head and neck cancers remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the predictive value of GLUT1, GLUT3, and HIF-1α messenger RNA (mRNA)/protein expression as markers of tumor aggressiveness and prognosis in laryngeal cancer. The level of hypoxia/metabolic marker genes was determined in 106 squamous cell laryngeal cancer (SCC) and 73 noncancerous matched mucosa (NCM) controls using quantitative realtime PCR. The related protein levels were analyzed by Western blot. Positive expression of SLC2A1, SLC2A3, and HIF-1α genes was noted in 83.9, 82.1, and 71.7 % of SCC specimens and in 34.4, 59.4, and 62.5 % of laryngeal cancer samples. Higher levels of mRNA/protein for GLUT1 and HIF-1α were noted in SCC compared to NCM (p<0.05). SLC2A1 was found to have a positive relationship with grade, tumor front grading (TFG) score, and depth and mode of invasion (p<0.05). SLC2A3 was related to grade and invasion type (p<0.05). There were also relationships of HIF-1α with pTNM, TFG scale, invasion depth and mode, tumor recurrences, and overall survival (p<0.05). In addition, more advanced tumors were found to be more likely to demonstrate positive expression of these proteins. In conclusion, the hypoxia/metabolic markers studied could be used as molecular markers of tumor invasiveness in laryngeal cancer.This work was supported, in part, by the statutory fund of the Department of Cytobiochemistry, University of Łódź, Poland (506/811), and by grant fromtheNational Science Council, Poland (N403 043 32/2326)

Microguards and micromessengers of the genome

The regulation of gene expression is of fundamental importance to maintain organismal function and integrity and requires a multifaceted and highly ordered sequence of events. The cyclic nature of gene expression is known as ‘transcription dynamics’. Disruption or perturbation of these dynamics can result in significant fitness costs arising from genome instability, accelerated ageing and disease. We review recent research that supports the idea that an important new role for small RNAs, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), is in protecting the genome against short-term transcriptional fluctuations, in a process we term ‘microguarding’. An additional emerging role for miRNAs is as ‘micromessengers’—through alteration of gene expression in target cells to which they are trafficked within microvesicles. We describe the scant but emerging evidence that miRNAs can be moved between different cells, individuals and even species, to exert biologically significant responses. With these two new roles, miRNAs have the potential to protect against deleterious gene expression variation from perturbation and to themselves perturb the expression of genes in target cells. These interactions between cells will frequently be subject to conflicts of interest when they occur between unrelated cells that lack a coincidence of fitness interests. Hence, there is the potential for miRNAs to represent both a means to resolve conflicts of interest, as well as instigate them. We conclude by exploring this conflict hypothesis, by describing some of the initial evidence consistent with it and proposing new ideas for future research into this exciting topic

Still a Host of Hosts for Wolbachia: Analysis of Recent Data Suggests That 40% of Terrestrial Arthropod Species Are Infected

Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that manipulate the reproduction of their arthropod hosts in remarkable ways. They are predominantly transmitted vertically from mother to offspring but also occasionally horizontally between species. In doing so, they infect a huge range of arthropod species worldwide. Recently, a statistical analysis estimated the infection frequency of Wolbachia among arthropod hosts to be 66%. At the same time, the authors of this analysis highlighted some weaknesses of the underlying data and concluded that in order to improve the estimate, a larger number of individuals per species should be assayed and species be chosen more randomly. Here we apply the statistical approach to a more appropriate data set from a recent survey that tested both a broad range of species and a sufficient number of individuals per species. Indeed, we find a substantially different infection frequency: We now estimate the proportion of Wolbachia-infected species to be around 40% which is lower than the previous estimate but still points to a surprisingly high number of arthropods harboring the bacteria. Notwithstanding this difference, we confirm the previous result that, within a given species, typically most or only a few individuals are infected. Moreover, we extend our analysis to include several reproductive parasites other than Wolbachia that were also screened for in the aforementioned empirical survey. For these symbionts we find a large variation in estimated infection frequencies and corroborate the finding that Wolbachia are the most abundant endosymbionts among arthropod species

Results based on 124 cases of breast cancer and 97 controls from Taiwan suggest that the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP309) in the MDM2 gene promoter is associated with earlier onset and increased risk of breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It has been suggested that the single nucleotide polymorphism 309 (SNP309, T -> G) in the promoter region of the MDM2 gene is important for tumor development; however, with regards to breast cancer, inconsistent associations have been reported worldwide. It is speculated that these conflicting results may have arisen due to different patient subgroups and ethnicities studied. For the first time, this study explores the effect of the MDM2 SNP309 genotype on Taiwanese breast cancer patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Genomic DNA was obtained from the whole blood of 124 breast cancer patients and 97 cancer-free healthy women living in Taiwan. MDM2 SNP309 genotyping was carried out by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay. The multivariate logistic regression and the Kaplan-Meier method were used for analyzing the risk association and significance of age at diagnosis among different MDM2 SNP309 genotypes, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared to the TT genotype, an increased risk association with breast cancer was apparent for the GG genotype (OR = 3.05, 95% CI = 1.04 to 8.95), and for the TG genotype (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 0.90 to 5.00) after adjusting for age, cardiovascular disease/diabetes, oral contraceptive usage, and body mass index, which exhibits significant difference between cases and controls. Furthermore, the average ages at diagnosis for breast cancer patients were 53.6, 52 and 47 years for those harboring TT, TG and GG genotypes, respectively. A significant difference in median age of onset for breast cancer between GG and TT+TG genotypes was obtained by the log-rank test (p = 0.0067).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Findings based on the current sample size suggest that the MDM2 SNP309 GG genotype may be associated with both the risk of breast cancer and an earlier age of onset in Taiwanese women.</p