High levels of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with diabetic retinopathy are positively associated with ARHGAP22 expression.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are derived from bone marrow and are characterized by pathological retinal neovascularization. () is a DR susceptibility gene that interacts with its downstream regulatory protein ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1), to assist in endothelial cell angiogenesis and increasing capillary permeability.

Genetic structure of rice black-streaked dwarf virus populations in China.

Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) is a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus belonging to the genus Fijivirus in the family Reoviridae. The genome of RBSDV consists of ten dsRNA segments. Although RBSDV has caused significant economic losses to rice and maize production in the past few years in China, its molecular diversity and evolution remain largely unknown.

Molecular variability of Tobacco vein banding mosaic virus populations.

The incidence of Tobacco vein banding mosaic virus (TVBMV) on tobacco increases dramatically in China recently and it has caused great economic losses. To gain insights into the evolutionary mechanisms of TVBMV, a total of 40 TVBMV isolates were collected from different tobacco production regions in China and their genomic regions encoding helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro), the third protein (P3), the first 6K protein (6K1) and coat protein (CP) were sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that TVBMV isolates can be divided into two evolutionary divergent groups based on P3, the frame-shifting pipo and 6K1 genes, and three groups on HC-Pro and CP genes.

Candida yeast long chain fatty alcohol oxidase is a c-type haemoprotein and plays an important role in long chain fatty acid metabolism.

The industrial yeasts Candida tropicalis or Candida cloacae are able to grow on a variety of long chain alkanes and fatty acids as the sole carbon source. The complete oxidation of these substrates involves two sequential oxidative pathways: omega-oxidation, comprising the P450 alkane oxidase, a flavin-dependent membrane-bound long chain fatty alcohol oxidase [FAO] and a possible separate aldehyde oxidase [F.M.

Functional identification of AtFao3, a membrane bound long chain alcohol oxidase in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The Arabidopsis thalina genome database was searched for homologues of the Candida cloacae fao1 gene which encodes a membrane bound, flavin-containing, hydrogen peroxide generating, long chain alcohol oxidase. This gene has not been isolated from plants or animals. Four putative candidates were found in the database but their function has not been proven.