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•Bioconjugation improves some of the features of Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes•The intrinsic properties of the complexes are not usually altered by the bioconjugation.•Peptides are ...among the most common biomolecules used in bioconjugation with Ru(II) complexes.•The bioconjugates were used for different purposes.
In the last decades, the number of articles describing the synthesis, characterization and applications of ruthenium polypyridyl complexes has significantly increased. One of the reasons is their tuneable, outstanding luminescent properties. However, ruthenium polypyridyl complexes usually have no intrinsic selectivity towards cancer cells, making them impractical, for example, in certain biological applications. To overcome this drawback, these complexes have been conjugated to biomolecules. In this review, we describe the different ruthenium polypyridyl complex-containing bioconjugates reported so far and their applications as, for example, anticancer drug candidates, sensors or biocatalysts. However, we are not reviewing ruthenium-containing nucleotides and DNA conjugates since these topics were recently reported. The multiple ways of attaching the biomolecules (i.e., peptides, antibodies, carbohydrates, lipids and vitamins) to the ruthenium core are also summarized.
Calcium is an important second messenger in plants. The activation of Ca2+ signalling cascades is critical in the activation of adaptive processes in response to environmental stimuli. Root ...colonization by the growth promoting endophyte Serendipita indica involves the increase of cytosolic Ca2+ levels in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we investigated transcriptional changes in Arabidopsis roots during symbiosis with S. indica. RNA‐seq profiling disclosed the induction of Calcineurin B‐like 7 (CBL7) during early and later phases of the interaction. Consistently, reverse genetic evidence highlighted the functional relevance of CBL7 and tested the involvement of a CBL7‐CBL‐interacting protein kinase 13 signalling pathway. The loss‐of‐function of CBL7 abolished the growth promoting effect and affected root colonization. The transcriptomics analysis of cbl7 revealed the involvement of this Ca2+ sensor in activating plant defense responses. Furthermore, we report on the contribution of CBL7 to potassium transport in Arabidopsis. We analysed K+ contents in wild‐type and cbl7 plants and observed a significant increase of K+ in roots of cbl7 plants, while shoot tissues demonstrated K+ depletion. Taken together, our work associates CBL7 with an important role in the mutual interaction between Arabidopsis and S. indica and links CBL7 to K+ transport.
In this paper, we explore the evolution of consumers' perceptions and concerns about the effects that intensification of production systems could have on the welfare of farm animals. Despite the ...differences in definitions of animal welfare that make perceptions about this complex subject extremely variable, there is a growing perception that farm animal welfare should be protected and improved. There is an increasing appreciation of animal welfare parameters over other quality attributes, and animal-friendly products are considered healthier, safer, tastier, more hygienic, authentic, environmentally friendly, and traditional by many consumers. The willingness to pay for the increases in price that higher levels of farm animal welfare could produce could be promoted by means of adequate information about management and housing conditions of the different farming species. Welfare-friendly products that are properly labeled with clear information provided by an internationally accepted, transparent, and traceable monitoring system will increase consumers' confidence in the food chain participants. Both consumers and citizens have the opportunity to improve the welfare of millions of farmed animals now and in the future, consumers by assuming their responsibility at the buying point, purchasing welfare-friendly products, and citizens by driving legislation to achieve some minimum standard of welfare conditions that could meet animals' needs.
Draft Endorsed by the FEEDAP Panel
*
18 May 2017
Submitted for public consultation
15 June 2017
End of public consultation
15 September 2017
Adopted by the FEEDAP Panel
21 February 2018
...Implementation date
1 September 2018
* Sections 3.1 and 3.2 were also endorsed by the EFSA Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF) and EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources Added to Food (ANS) on 18 May (GMO) and 7 June (CEF and ANS) 2017.
This guidance document is intended to assist the applicant in the preparation and the presentation of an application, as foreseen in Article 7.6 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, for the authorisation of additives for use in animal nutrition. It specifically covers the characterisation of microorganisms used as feed additives or as production organisms.
This publication is linked to the following EFSA Supporting Publications article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/sp.efsa.2018.EN-1389/full
Abstract
R-loops are RNA:DNA hybrids assembled during biological processes but are also linked to genetic instability when formed out of their natural context. Emerging evidence suggests that the ...repair of DNA double-strand breaks requires the formation of a transient R-loop, which eventually must be removed to guarantee a correct repair process. The multifaceted BRCA1 protein has been shown to be recruited at this specific break-induced R-loop, and it facilitates mechanisms in order to regulate R-loop removal. In this review, we discuss the different potential roles of BRCA1 in R-loop homeostasis during DNA repair and how these processes ensure faithful DSB repair.
This guidance document is intended to assist the applicant in the preparation and the presentation of an application, as foreseen in Article 7.6 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, for the authorisation ...of additives for use in animal nutrition. It specifically covers the assessment of the efficacy of feed additives.
Draft Endorsed by the FEEDAP Panel
28 November 2018
Submitted for public consultation
4 December 2017
End of public consultation
28 January 2018
Adoption by the FEEDAP Panel
17 April 2018
Implementation date
1 September 2018
This publication is linked to the following EFSA Supporting Publications article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/sp.efsa.2018.EN-1411/full
Table: see text.
This guidance document is intended to assist the applicant in the preparation and the presentation of an application, as foreseen in Article 7.6 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, for ...the authorisation of additives for use in animal nutrition. It specifically covers the assessment of the safety for the target species.
This guidance document is intended to assist the applicant in the preparation and the presentation of an application, as foreseen in Article 7.6 of Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003, for the authorisation ...of additives used in animal nutrition. It specifically covers the assessment of the safety for the environment.
Draft endorsed by the FEEDAP Panel
2 October 2018
Submitted for public consultation
8 October 2018
End of public consultation
19 November 2018
Adoption by the FEEDAP Panel
27 February 2019
Implementation date
1 September 2019
This publication is linked to the following EFSA Supporting Publications article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/sp.efsa.2019.EN-1595/full
Purpose DNX-2401 (Delta-24-RGD; tasadenoturev) is a tumor-selective, replication-competent oncolytic adenovirus. Preclinical studies demonstrated antiglioma efficacy, but the effects and mechanisms ...of action have not been evaluated in patients. Methods A phase I, dose-escalation, biologic-end-point clinical trial of DNX-2401 was conducted in 37 patients with recurrent malignant glioma. Patients received a single intratumoral injection of DNX-2401 into biopsy-confirmed recurrent tumor to evaluate safety and response across eight dose levels (group A). To investigate the mechanism of action, a second group of patients (group B) underwent intratumoral injection through a permanently implanted catheter, followed 14 days later by en bloc resection to acquire post-treatment specimens. Results In group A (n = 25), 20% of patients survived > 3 years from treatment, and three patients had a ≥ 95% reduction in the enhancing tumor (12%), with all three of these dramatic responses resulting in > 3 years of progression-free survival from the time of treatment. Analyses of post-treatment surgical specimens (group B, n = 12) showed that DNX-2401 replicates and spreads within the tumor, documenting direct virus-induced oncolysis in patients. In addition to radiographic signs of inflammation, histopathologic examination of immune markers in post-treatment specimens showed tumor infiltration by CD8
and T-bet
cells, and transmembrane immunoglobulin mucin-3 downregulation after treatment. Analyses of patient-derived cell lines for damage-associated molecular patterns revealed induction of immunogenic cell death in tumor cells after DNX-2401 administration. Conclusion Treatment with DNX-2401 resulted in dramatic responses with long-term survival in recurrent high-grade gliomas that are probably due to direct oncolytic effects of the virus followed by elicitation of an immune-mediated antiglioma response.
Ensuring adequate copper supplementation in ruminants is a challenging task due to the complexity of copper metabolism in these animals. The three-way interaction between copper, molybdenum and ...sulphur (Cu-Mo-S) in the rumen makes ruminants, particularly cattle, very susceptible to suffering from secondary copper deficiency. Paradoxically, excessive copper storage in the liver to prevent deficiency becomes a hazard when ruminants are fed copper-supplemented diets even slightly above requirements. While cattle were traditionally thought to be relatively tolerant of copper accumulation, and reports of copper poisoning were until recently somewhat rare, in recent years an increased number of episodes/outbreaks of copper toxicity in cattle, particularly in dairy cattle, have been reported worldwide. The growing number of lethal cases reported seems to indicate that copper intoxication is spreading silently in dairy herds, urging the development of strategies to monitor herd copper status and improve farmers’ awareness of copper toxicity. In fact, monitoring studies carried out on numerous samples collected from culled animals in slaughterhouses and/or diagnostic laboratories have demonstrated that large numbers of animals have hepatic copper concentrations well above adequate levels in many different countries. These trends are undoubtedly due to copper supplementation aimed at preventing copper deficiency, as dietary copper intake from pasture alone is unlikely to cause such high levels of accumulation in liver tissue. The reasons behind the copper overfeeding in cattle are related both to a poor understanding of copper metabolism and the theory of “if adding a little produces a response, then adding a lot will produce a better response”. Contrary to most trace elements, copper in ruminants has narrow margins of safety, which must also be formulated considering the concentrations of copper antagonists in the diet. This review paper aims to provide nutritionists/veterinary practitioners with the key points about copper metabolism in cattle to guarantee an adequate copper supply while preventing excessive hepatic copper loading, which requires à la carte copper supplementation for each herd.
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