MeRy-B: a web knowledgebase for the storage, visualization, analysis and annotation of plant NMR metabolomic profiles.

Background: Improvements in the techniques for metabolomics analyses and growing interest in metabolomic approaches are resulting in the generation of increasing numbers of metabolomic profiles. Platforms are required for profile management, as a function of experimental design, and for metabolite identification, to facilitate the mining of the corresponding data. Various databases have been created, including organism-specific knowledgebases and analytical technique-specific spectral databases.

The proteome of maritime pine wood forming tissue.

Wood is one of our most important natural resources. Surprisingly, we know hardly anything about the details of the process of wood formation. The aim of this work was to describe the main proteins expressed in wood forming tissue of a conifer species (Pinus pinaster Ait.

PROTICdb: a web-based application to store, track, query, and compare plant proteome data.

PROTICdb is a web-based application, mainly designed to store and analyze plant proteome data obtained by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) and mass spectrometry (MS). The purposes of PROTICdb are (i) to store, track, and query information related to proteomic experiments, i.e.

Genome evolution in yeasts.

Identifying the mechanisms of eukaryotic genome evolution by comparative genomics is often complicated by the multiplicity of events that have taken place throughout the history of individual lineages, leaving only distorted and superimposed traces in the genome of each living organism. The hemiascomycete yeasts, with their compact genomes, similar lifestyle and distinct sexual and physiological properties, provide a unique opportunity to explore such mechanisms. We present here the complete, assembled genome sequences of four yeast species, selected to represent a broad evolutionary range within a single eukaryotic phylum, that after analysis proved to be molecularly as diverse as the entire phylum of chordates.

Long-acting beta2-adrenergic formoterol and salmeterol induce the apoptosis of B-chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells.

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) is a neoplastic disorder characterized by defective apoptosis, cell accumulation in G0/G1, and high expression of BCL2 oncogene. Intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation increases the chemosensitivity of B-CLL cells in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, we investigated the effects of beta2-adrenergic compounds, well known cAMP-inducing drugs, on the in vitro survival of leukaemia cells.

Resveratrol inhibits the growth and induces the apoptosis of both normal and leukemic hematopoietic cells.

It is often postulated that trans-3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene (resveratrol, RES) exhibits cell growth regulatory and chemopreventive activities. However, mechanisms by which this polyphenol inhibits tumor cell growth, and its therapeutic potential are poorly understood. Using various human leukemia cells, we have first defined the anti-tumoral doses of this compound.

Analysis of resveratrol-induced apoptosis in human B-cell chronic leukaemia.

Trans-resveratrol was analysed for its apoptotic and growth inhibitory activity in human B-cell lines derived from chronic B-cell malignancies (WSU-CLL and ESKOL), and in leukaemic lymphocytes from patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL). Resveratrol displayed antiproliferative activity on both B-cell lines, as estimated by the decrease in cell recovery and inhibition of thymidine uptake. Furthermore, resveratrol induced apoptosis in the two cell lines as well as in B-CLL patients' cells, as evidenced by the increase in annexin V binding, caspase activation, DNA fragmentation and decrease of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential DeltaPsim.