Doubled haploidy (DH) methodology is used in many plant species to accelerate crop improvement and cultivar development; however not all species are amenable to the tissue culture technique. ...Experiments were undertaken to develop DH protocols for three perennial grasses crested wheatgrass (
Agropyron cristatum
(L.) Gaertn.), hybrid bromegrass (
Bromus riparius x B. inermis
), and meadow bromegrass (
Bromus riparius
Rehm.). The initial experiment screened these forage grass species to established wheat (
Triticum aestivum
L.) microspore culture protocols. Following the initial screen, several factors influencing microspore embryogenesis were evaluated. These included genotype, donor plant conditions, developmental stage of the microspore, pretreatments, media composition, and culture conditions. For regeneration of the embryos to plants, media composition and culture conditions were assessed. Microspore-derived embryos/calli as well as green haploid/doubled haploid plants were regenerated from all three forage grasses. Differences were observed between species and genotypes within species in terms of embryogenic response. Modifications to the initial wheat DH protocol included the donor plant conditions, developmental stage of the microspore to late uninucleate to early binucleate and media composition. Regenerated plants were grown in the greenhouse.
Key message
Doubled haploidy methodology was developed for the perennial forage grasses, crested wheatgrass, meadow bromegrass, and hybrid bromegrass. Microspore-derived embryos and green doubled haploid plants were produced.
Minimotif Miner (MnM available at http://minimotifminer.org or http://mnm.engr.uconn.edu) is an online database for identifying new minimotifs in protein queries. Minimotifs are short contiguous ...peptide sequences that have a known function in at least one protein. Here we report the third release of the MnM database which has now grown 60-fold to approximately 300 000 minimotifs. Since short minimotifs are by their nature not very complex we also summarize a new set of false-positive filters and linear regression scoring that vastly enhance minimotif prediction accuracy on a test data set. This online database can be used to predict new functions in proteins and causes of disease.
Abstract The evasion of anti-growth signaling is an important characteristic of cancer cells. In order to continue to proliferate, cancer cells must somehow uncouple themselves from the many signals ...that exist to slow down cell growth. Here, we define the anti-growth signaling process, and review several important pathways involved in growth signaling: p53, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), retinoblastoma protein (Rb), Hippo, growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), AT-rich interactive domain 1A (ARID1A), Notch, insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) pathways. Aberrations in these processes in cancer cells involve mutations and thus the suppression of genes that prevent growth, as well as mutation and activation of genes involved in driving cell growth. Using these pathways as examples, we prioritize molecular targets that might be leveraged to promote anti-growth signaling in cancer cells. Interestingly, naturally occurring phytochemicals found in human diets (either singly or as mixtures) may promote anti-growth signaling, and do so without the potentially adverse effects associated with synthetic chemicals. We review examples of naturally occurring phytochemicals that may be applied to prevent cancer by antagonizing growth signaling, and propose one phytochemical for each pathway. These are: epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) for the Rb pathway, luteolin for p53, curcumin for PTEN, porphyrins for Hippo, genistein for GDF15, resveratrol for ARID1A, withaferin A for Notch and diguelin for the IGF1-receptor pathway. The coordination of anti-growth signaling and natural compound studies will provide insight into the future application of these compounds in the clinical setting.
Background Stimulation of the immune system by gut microbes might prevent allergy development. Objective The present study examined the hypothesis that sensitization to food allergens and atopic ...eczema are influenced by the infantile intestinal colonization pattern. Methods Infants were recruited perinatally in Göteborg (n = 116), London (n = 108), and Rome (n = 100). Commensal bacteria were identified to the genus or species level in rectal (3 days) and quantitative stool cultures (7, 14, and 28 days and 2, 6, and 12 months of age). At 18 months of age, atopic eczema and total and food-specific IgE levels were assessed. These outcomes were modeled in relation to time to colonization with 11 bacterial groups and to ratios of strict anaerobic to facultative anaerobic bacteria and gram-positive to gram-negative bacteria at certain time points. Study center, mode of delivery, parity, and infant diet were included as covariates. Results Neither atopic eczema nor food-specific IgE by 18 months of age were associated with time of acquisition of any particular bacterial group. Cesarean section delayed colonization by Escherichia coli and Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium species, giving way to, for example, Clostridium species. Lack of older siblings was associated with earlier colonization by Clostridium species and lower strict anaerobic/facultative anaerobic ratio at 12 months. Conclusions This study does not support the hypothesis that sensitization to foods or atopic eczema in European infants in early life is associated with lack of any particular culturable intestinal commensal bacteria. Clinical implications The nature of the microbial stimulus required for protection from allergy remains to be identified.
Due to the circumstances in some forensic cases, very small amounts of DNA (<100
pg) may be obtained. This, in turn, may affect the reliability of the PCR process, and so it may be advisable to ...repeat the amplification process for confirmatory purposes. Gill et al. Forensic Sci. Int. 112 (2000) 17 proposed a method for the statistical evaluation of the PCR replicate information. In this paper we formalize the method proposed by Gill et al. Forensic Sci. Int. 112 (2000) 17, and extend it to allow for cases involving mixed stains and for population substructure.
Background It might be that early intestinal colonization by bacteria in westernized infants fails to give rise to sufficient immune stimulation to support maturation of regulatory immune mechanisms. ...Objective The purpose of the present study was to characterize the very early infantile microbiota by using a culture-independent approach and to relate the colonization pattern to development of atopic eczema in the first 18 months of life. Methods Fecal samples were collected from 35 infants at 1 week of age. Twenty infants were healthy, and 15 infants were given diagnoses of atopic eczema at the age of 18 months. The fecal microbiota of the infants was compared by means of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) analysis of amplified 16S rRNA genes. Results By means of T-RFLP analysis, the median number of peaks, Shannon-Wiener index, and Simpson index of diversity were significantly less for infants with atopic eczema than for infants remaining healthy in the whole group and for the Swedish infants when Alu I was used for digestion. The same was found when TTGE patterns were compared. In addition, TTGE analysis showed significantly less bands and lower diversity indices for the British atopic infants compared with those of the control subjects. Conclusion There is a reduced diversity in the early fecal microbiota of infants with atopic eczema during the first 18 months of life.
Consensus Guidelines: Treatment Planning and Options Argoff, Charles E.; Backonja, Misha-Miroslav; Belgrade, Miles J. ...
Mayo Clinic proceedings,
04/2006, Letnik:
81, Številka:
4
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Recenzirano
Despite the number of patients affected by diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP), little consensus exists about the pathophysiology, best diagnostic tools, and primary treatment choices. ...Theories about the causes of DPNP are inextricably linked with the causes of diabetic neuropathies, yet most patients with such neuropathies do not experience pain. The factors that differentiate patients with pain from those without remain unknown and are the subject of much research. When choosing treatment for patients with DPNP, physicians are confronted with a myriad of choices, none of which has been shown to be effective for all patients. This article reviews the evidence for these treatments and attempts to guide physicians in choosing those treatments based on evidence from well-designed clinical trials to support their use. Two agents, duloxetine and pregabalin, are formally approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of DPNP. In addition, several other agents, including the tricyclic class of antidepressants, have been effective in clinical trials. Ultimately, treatment choice must also include consideration of adverse effects, individual patient factors such as comorbidities, and often cost.
The production of sufficient quantities of protein is an essential prelude to a structure determination, but for many viral and human proteins this cannot be achieved using prokaryotic expression ...systems. Groups in the Structural Proteomics In Europe (SPINE) consortium have developed and implemented high‐throughput (HTP) methodologies for cloning, expression screening and protein production in eukaryotic systems. Studies focused on three systems: yeast (Pichia pastoris and Saccharomyces cerevisiae), baculovirus‐infected insect cells and transient expression in mammalian cells. Suitable vectors for HTP cloning are described and results from their use in expression screening and protein‐production pipelines are reported. Strategies for co‐expression, selenomethionine labelling (in all three eukaryotic systems) and control of glycosylation (for secreted proteins in mammalian cells) are assessed.
The recently described respiratory strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae KOY.TM6*P is, to our knowledge, the only reported strain of S. cerevisiae which completely redirects the flux of glucose from ...ethanol fermentation to respiration, even at high external glucose concentrations (27). In the KOY.TM6*P strain, portions of the genes encoding the predominant hexose transporter proteins, Hxt1 and Hxt7, were fused within the regions encoding transmembrane (TM) domain 6. The resulting chimeric gene, TM6*, encoded a chimera composed of the amino-terminal half of Hxt1 and the carboxy-terminal half of Hxt7. It was subsequently integrated into the genome of an hxt null strain. In this study, we have demonstrated the transferability of this respiratory phenotype to the V5 hxt1-7Delta strain, a derivative of a strain used in enology. We also show by using this mutant that it is not necessary to transform a complete hxt null strain with the TM6* construct to obtain a non-ethanol-producing phenotype. The resulting V5.TM6*P strain, obtained by transformation of the V5 hxt1-7Delta strain with the TM6* chimeric gene, produced only minor amounts of ethanol when cultured on external glucose concentrations as high as 5%. Despite the fact that glucose flux was reduced to 30% in the V5.TM6*P strain compared with that of its parental strain, the V5.TM6*P strain produced biomass at a specific rate as high as 85% that of the V5 wild-type strain. Even more relevant for the potential use of such a strain for the production of heterologous proteins and also of low-alcohol beverages is the observation that the biomass yield increased 50% with the mutant compared to its parental strain.
Purpose: Subjective evaluation of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and health status is recognized as an important tool in the assessment and treatment of visually impaired patients. The aims ...of this study are to describe the generic HRQoL and health status of visually impaired patients and to compare the HRQoL of visually impaired patients with that of both the general population of the Netherlands and patients with other chronic conditions. Methods: 128 persons attending a rehabilitation centre for visually impaired adults completed the EuroQol questionnaire (EQ-5D). These patients' EQ-5D scores were compared with EQ-5D norms of the Dutch population and of patients with other chronic conditions; both sets of data were taken from the literature. Results: The average EQ-5Dindex score of the total study population was 0.73 (SD 0.22). Visually impaired patients reported more problems on every dimension of the EQ-5D than the general Dutch population. Only stroke patients and patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and reported more problems on every dimension of the EQ-5D than visually impaired patients. Conclusions: Visual impairment has a substantial impact on the quality of life; compared with other chronic conditions, it seems to affect the HRQoL, spoiling the quality of life more than diabetes type II, coronary syndrome, and hearing impairments, but less than stroke, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, major depressive disorder, and severe mental illness.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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