Polyphenolic Compounds Activate SERCA1a and Attenuate Methylglyoxal- and Palmitate-Induced Impairment in Pancreatic INS-1E Beta Cells.

Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase (SERCA) is an important regulatory protein responsible for maintaining calcium homeostasis within cells. Impairment of SERCA associated with activity/expression decrease has been implicated in multiple chronic conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and skeletal muscle pathologies. Natural polyphenols have been recognized to interact with several target proteins involving SERCA.

Generation of Random luxCDABE Transcriptional Fusions in the Genome of Salmonella enterica.

The luxCDABE operon of Photorhabdus luminescens can be used as a bioluminescent reporter to measure gene transcription nondestructively. Here we describe protocols to (1) generate random transcriptional fusions of the lux operon to genes of the Salmonella genome, (2) screen for specific fusions with constitutive expression, Salmonella pathogenicity island 1-related expression, or Salmonella pathogenicity island 2-related expression, and (3) determine the site of luxCDABE integration.

Phenolic Compounds from Regulate Viability and Apoptosis of Pancreatic β-Cells Possibly via SERCA Activity.

The ability of phenolic compounds from to modulate sarco-endoplasmic Ca-ATPase (SERCA1) activity was analyzed. Enzyme activity decrease correlated with the binding energy of agents to SERCA1. Results from theoretical and experimental approaches were coherent in identifying binding sites to SERCA1.

Male fertility restored by transplanting primordial germ cells into testes: a new way towards efficient transgenesis in chicken.

The ongoing progress in primordial germ cell derivation and cultivation is opening new ways in reproductive biotechnology. This study tested whether functional sperm cells can be matured from genetically manipulated primordial germ cells after transplantation in adult testes and used to restore fertility. We show that spermatogenesis can be restored after mCherry-expressing or GFP-expressing primordial germ cells are transplantated into the testes of sterilized G roosters and that mCherry-positive or GFP-positive non-chimeric transgenic G offspring can be efficiently produced.

Cytokine response to the RSV antigen delivered by dendritic cell-directed vaccination in congenic chicken lines.

Systems of antigen delivery into antigen-presenting cells represent an important novel strategy in chicken vaccine development. In this study, we verified the ability of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) antigens fused with streptavidin to be targeted by specific biotinylated monoclonal antibody (anti-CD205) into dendritic cells and induce virus-specific protective immunity. The method was tested in four congenic lines of chickens that are either resistant or susceptible to the progressive growth of RSV-induced tumors.

Two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy can fully characterize the population transfer in molecular systems.

Excitation energy transfer in complex systems often proceeds through series of intermediate states. One of the goals of time-resolved spectroscopy is to identify the spectral signatures of all of them in the acquired experimental data and to characterize the energy transfer scheme between them. It is well known that in the case of transient absorption spectra such decomposition is ambiguous even if many simplifying considerations are taken.

Insight into the toxic effects of cis-dichloridoplatinum(II) complexes containing 7-azaindole halogeno derivatives in tumor cells.

The cisplatin analogues cis-[PtCl2(3ClHaza)2] (1) and cis-[PtCl2(3IHaza)2] (2) (3ClHaza and 3IHaza are 3-chloro-7-azaindole and 3-iodo-7-azaindole, respectively) are quite toxic to ovarian tumor cells, with moderately better IC50 values than for cisplatin in the cisplatin-sensitive cell line A2780. We investigated potential factors which might be involved in the mechanism underlying the cytotoxic effects of 1 and 2 and compared these factors with those involved in the mechanism underlying the effects of conventional cisplatin. Our data indicate that the higher cytotoxicity of 1 and 2 originates mainly from their efficient cellular accumulation, different effects at the level of cell cycle regulation, and reduced propensity for DNA adduct repair.