Synthesis and Application of Photocaged Isopropyl β-D-1-Thiogalactopyranoside for Light-Mediated Control of Bacterial Gene Expression.

Photocaged compounds are chemical conjugates that are designed to release an active molecule upon exposure to light of a specific wavelength. In recent years, photocaged inducer molecules such as caged isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (cIPTG) have been increasingly used as a powerful tool for light-driven gene expression in bacteria, allowing researchers to precisely and noninvasively tune the expression of specific target genes. In this chapter, we present a guideline for the synthesis of 6-nitropiperonyl photocaged IPTG (NP-cIPTG) as well as its in vivo application as an optochemical on-switch of gene transcription in Escherichia coli and other bacteria.

Epicardial adipose tissue and muscle distribution affect outcomes in very old patients after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Aims: To analyse the relevance of body composition and blood markers for long-term outcomes in very old patients after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Methods And Results: A total of 403 very old patients were characterized with regard to subcutaneous, visceral, and epicardial fat, psoas muscle area, plasma growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), and leptin. Cohorts grouped by body mass index (BMI) were analysed for long-term outcomes.

A common gene signature of the right ventricle in failing rat and human hearts.

The molecular mechanisms of progressive right heart failure are incompletely understood. In this study, we systematically examined transcriptomic changes occurring over months in isolated cardiomyocytes or whole heart tissues from failing right and left ventricles in rat models of pulmonary artery banding (PAB) or aortic banding (AOB). Detailed bioinformatics analyses resulted in the identification of gene signature, protein and transcription factor networks specific to ventricles and compensated or decompensated disease states.

Comparison of the stage-dependent mitochondrial changes in response to pressure overload between the diseased right and left ventricle in the rat.

The right ventricle (RV) differs developmentally, anatomically and functionally from the left ventricle (LV). Therefore, characteristics of LV adaptation to chronic pressure overload cannot easily be extrapolated to the RV. Mitochondrial abnormalities are considered a crucial contributor in heart failure (HF), but have never been compared directly between RV and LV tissues and cardiomyocytes.