7 research outputs found
The Apoptosome: Emerging Insights and New Potential Targets for Drug Design
Apoptosis plays a crucial role in tissue homeostasis, development and many diseases. The relevance of Apaf1, the molecular core of apoptosome, has been underlined in mitochondria-dependent apoptosis, which according to a growing body of evidence, is involved in various pathologies where the equilibrium of life-and-death is dysregulated, such as heart attack, stroke, liver failure, cancer and autoimmune diseases. Consequently, great interest has emerged in devising therapeutic strategies for regulating the key molecules involved in the life-and-death decision. Here we review recent progress in apoptosis-based pharmacological therapies and, in particular, we point out a possible role of the apoptosome as an emerging and promising pharmacological target
Association of heat shock protein 70 gene polymorphisms with acute thermal tolerance, growth, and egg production traits of native chickens in Taiwan
Heat stress is among the most challenging environmental conditions
affecting commercial poultry. It severely affects growth and egg production,
particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. This study aimed to examine
physiological responses – including triiodothyronine (T<sub>3</sub>) levels,
enzymatic activity of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH),
respiratory rates, and cloacal temperature – to acute heat stress associated
with different genotypes of the <i>HSP70</i> gene and to evaluate the association of
these polymorphisms with growth and egg production. Genotyping was performed
by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis. The polymorphisms
identified were A258A, A258G, and G258G. Twenty 12-week old birds were
randomly selected from each genotype and exposed to 40 °C ambient
temperature for 1 h. Blood samples were collected at 0 and 1 h following
heat stress. Respiratory rate and cloacal temperature were measured
following 0, 30, and 60 min of exposure. After 1 h, the A258A genotype
exhibited lower levels of CK activity and plasma T<sub>3</sub>. Neither
respiratory rate nor cloacal temperature displayed a significant association
with the genotypes. Body weight gain differed among the genotypes for males
(<i>F</i> = 3.268, <i>P</i> = 0.041) and females (<i>F</i> = 14.029, <i>P</i> < 0.001),
and the A258A genotype exhibited the greatest weight gain at 0–16 weeks of
age for both genders. There were no significant differences among genotypes regarding egg weight
at first egg or the number of eggs laid until 40 weeks of age. The A258A genotype displayed higher heat tolerance with no negative
effects on growth performance and egg production