Comparison of mammosphere formation from stem-like cells of normal breast, malignant primary breast tumors, and MCF-7 cell line.

Background: Mammosphere formation assay has become a versatile tool to quantify the activity of putative breast cancer stem cells in non-adherent in vitro cultures. However, optimizing the suspension culture system is crucial to establish mammosphere cultures from primary breast tumors.

Methods: This study aimed at determining the self-renewal and sphere-forming potential of breast cancer stem-like cells derived from human primary invasive ductal carcinoma and normal breast tissue samples, and MCF-7 breast cancer cell line using an optimal suspension culture system.

Antibacterial activity of soil bacteria isolated from Kochi, India and their molecular identification.

The present study, deal about the antibiosis activity of soil bacteria, isolated from 10 different locations of rhizosphere and diverse cultivation at Kochi, Kerala, India. The bacteria were isolated by standard serial dilution plate techniques. Morphological characterization of the isolate was done by Gram's staining and found that all of them gram positive.

Examining the Gm18 and m(1)G Modification Positions in tRNA Sequences.

The tRNA structure contains conserved modifications that are responsible for its stability and are involved in the initiation and accuracy of the translation process. tRNA modification enzymes are prevalent in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. tRNA Gm18 methyltransferase (TrmH) and tRNA m(1)G37 methyltransferase (TrmD) are prevalent and essential enzymes in bacterial populations.

Exploring GpG bases next to anticodon in tRNA subsets.

Transfer RNA (tRNA) structure, modifications and functions are evolutionary and established in bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes. Typically the tRNA modifications are indispensable for its stability and are required for decoding the mRNA into amino acids for protein synthesis. A conserved methylation has been located on the anticodon loop specifically at the 37(th) position and it is next to the anticodon bases.

Differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells derived from human bone marrow and subcutaneous adipose tissue into pancreatic islet-like clusters in vitro.

Although stem cells are present in various adult tissues and body fluids, bone marrow has been the most popular source of stem cells for treatment of a wide range of diseases. Recent results for stem cells from adipose tissue have put it in a position to compete for being the leading therapeutic source. The major advantage of these stem cells over their counterparts is their amazing proliferative and differentiation potency.

A novel in silico approach to identify potential therapeutic targets in human bacterial pathogens.

Unlabelled: In recent years, genome-sequencing projects of pathogens and humans have revolutionized microbial drug target identification. Of the several known genomic strategies, subtractive genomics has been successfully utilized for identifying microbial drug targets. The present work demonstrates a novel genomics approach in which codon adaptation index (CAI), a measure used to predict the translational efficiency of a gene based on synonymous codon usage, is coupled with subtractive genomics approach for mining potential drug targets.

Long-term culture optimization of human omentum fat-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Recent scientific explorations in search of novel sources for autologous transplantation transpired an alternative source of MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells) derived from omentum fat. The scarcity of experimental evidences probing into the biosafety concerns of omentum fat-derived MSC under prolonged culture conditions limits its applicability as an efficient tool in regenerative medicine. This study, thus, aims to optimize human omentum fat-derived MSC in four different media [DMEM (Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium) LG (low glucose), DMEM KO (knock out), α-MEM (α-minimal essential media) and DMEM F12] in the facets of phenotypic characterization, growth kinetics, differentiation and karyotyping under prolonged culture.

ACUA: a software tool for automated codon usage analysis.

Unlabelled: Currently available codon usage analysis tools lack intuitive graphical user interface and are limited to inbuilt calculations. ACUA (Automated Codon Usage Tool) has been developed to perform high throughput sequence analysis aiding statistical profiling of codon usage. The results of ACUA are presented in a spreadsheet with all perquisite codon usage data required for statistical analysis, displayed in a graphical interface.

Modeling of phosphomethyl pyrimidine kinase from Leptospira interrogans serovar lai strain 56601.

Many microorganisms, as well as plants and fungi, synthesize thiamin, but vertebrates do not produce it. Phosphomethyl pyrimidine kinase is an enzyme involved in an intermediary step of thiamin biosynthesis from purine molecules. This enzyme is absent in humans.