Effects of allopurinol and febuxostat on uric acid transport and transporter expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Uric acid induces radical oxygen species formation, endothelial inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction which contributes to the progression of atherosclerosis. Febuxostat inhibits BCRP- and allopurinol stimulates MRP4-mediated uric acid efflux in human embryonic kidney cells. We hypothesized that endothelial cells express uric acid transporters that regulate intracellular uric acid concentration and that modulation of these transporters by febuxostat and allopurinol contributes to their different impact on cardiovascular mortality.

Exploring Thrips Preference and Resistance in Flowers, Leaves, and Whole Plants of Ten Accessions.

species grown for pepper production suffer severely from thrips damage, urging the identification of natural resistance. Resistance levels are commonly assessed on leaves. However, plants are flower-bearing during most of the production season, and thrips also feed on pollen and flower tissues.

Quercetin as a Precursor for the Synthesis of Novel Nanoscale Cu (II) Complex as a Catalyst for Alcohol Oxidation with High Antibacterial Activity.

Quercetin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) is one of the dietary flavonoids, distributed in medicinal plants, vegetables, and fruits. Quercetin has the ability to bind with several metal ions to increase its biological activities. In the last two decades, quercetin has attracted considerable attention due to the biological and pharmaceutical activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer.

Implementation of a Human Renal Proximal Tubule on a Chip for Nephrotoxicity and Drug Interaction Studies.

Proximal tubule epithelial cells (PTEC) are susceptible to drug-induced kidney injury (DIKI). Cell-based, two-dimensional (2D) in vitro PTEC models are often poor predictors of DIKI, probably due to the lack of physiological architecture and flow. Here, we assessed a high throughput, 3D microfluidic platform (Nephroscreen) for the detection of DIKI in pharmaceutical development.

High Concentrations of Very Long Chain Leaf Wax Alkanes of Thrips Susceptible Pepper Accessions (Capsicum spp).

The cuticular wax layer can be important for plant resistance to insects. Thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) damage was assessed on 11 pepper accessions of Capsicum annuum and C. chinense in leaf disc and whole plant assays.

Slug Feeding Triggers Dynamic Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Responses Leading to Induced Resistance in .

Induced plant responses to insect herbivores are well studied, but we know very little about responses to gastropod feeding. We aim to identify the temporal dynamics of signaling- and defense-related plant responses after slug feeding in relation to induced resistance. We exposed plants to feeding by the gray field slug (GFS; ) for different periods and tested disks of local and systemic leaves in preference assays.

Flow stimulates drug transport in a human kidney proximal tubule-on-a-chip independent of primary cilia.

Background: Kidney disease modeling and assessment of drug-induced kidney injury can be advanced using three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic models that recapitulate in vivo characteristics. Fluid shear stress (FSS) has been depicted as main modulator improving in vitro physiology in proximal tubule epithelial cells (PTECs). We aimed to elucidate the role of FSS and primary cilia on transport activity and morphology in PTECs.

Metabolomics of Thrips Resistance in Pepper (Capsicum spp.) Reveals Monomer and Dimer Acyclic Diterpene Glycosides as Potential Chemical Defenses.

The development of pesticide resistance in insects and recent bans on pesticides call for the identification of natural sources of resistance in crops. Here, we used natural variation in pepper (Capsicum spp.) resistance combined with an untargeted metabolomics approach to detect secondary metabolites related to thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) resistance.

Thrips Resistance Screening Is Coming of Age: Leaf Position and Ontogeny Are Important Determinants of Leaf-Based Resistance in Pepper.

is a genus containing important crop species, many of which severely suffer from thrips infestation. Thrips feeding damages leaves and fruits, and often results in virus infections. Only a few insecticides are still effective against thrips, underlining the importance of finding natural resistance in crops.

Gastropods and Insects Prefer Different Solanum dulcamara Chemotypes.

Solanum dulcamara (Bittersweet nightshade) shows significant intraspecific variation in glycoalkaloid (GA) composition and concentration. We previously showed that constitutive differences in overall GA levels are correlated with feeding preference of the grey field slug (GFS; Deroceras reticulatum). One particularly preferred accession, ZD11, contained low GA levels, but high levels of previously unknown structurally related uronic acid conjugated compounds (UACs).

Quantification of Thrips Damage Using Ilastik and ImageJ Fiji.

Quantification of insect damage is an essential measurement for identifying resistance in plants. In screening for host plant resistance against thrips, the total damaged leaf area is used as a criterion to determine resistance levels. Here we present an objective novel method for analyzing thrips damage on leaf disc using the freely available software programs Ilastik and ImageJ.

Expression of Organic Anion Transporter 1 or 3 in Human Kidney Proximal Tubule Cells Reduces Cisplatin Sensitivity.

Cisplatin is a cytostatic drug used for treatment of solid organ tumors. The main adverse effect is organic cation transporter 2 (OCT2)-mediated nephrotoxicity, observed in 30% of patients. The contribution of other renal drug transporters is elusive.

Glycoalkaloid composition explains variation in slug resistance in Solanum dulcamara.

In natural environments, plants have to deal with a wide range of different herbivores whose communities vary in time and space. It is believed that the chemical diversity within plant species has mainly arisen from selection pressures exerted by herbivores. So far, the effects of chemical diversity on plant resistance have mostly been assessed for arthropod herbivores.

The Arabidopsis thaliana F-box gene HAWAIIAN SKIRT is a new player in the microRNA pathway.

In Arabidopsis, the F-box HAWAIIAN SKIRT (HWS) protein is important for organ growth. Loss of function of HWS exhibits pleiotropic phenotypes including sepal fusion. To dissect the HWS role, we EMS-mutagenized hws-1 seeds and screened for mutations that suppress hws-1 associated phenotypes.

HAWAIIAN SKIRT controls size and floral organ number by modulating CUC1 and CUC2 expression.

The Arabidopsis thaliana F-box gene HAWAIIAN SKIRT (HWS) affects organ growth and the timing of floral organ abscission. The loss-of-function hws-1 mutant exhibits fused sepals and increased organ size. To understand the molecular mechanisms of HWS during plant development, we mutagenized hws-1 seeds with ethylmethylsulphonate (EMS) and screened for mutations suppressing hws-1 associated phenotypes.

Molecular, genetic and evolutionary analysis of a paracentric inversion in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Chromosomal inversions can provide windows onto the cytogenetic, molecular, evolutionary and demographic histories of a species. Here we investigate a paracentric 1.17-Mb inversion on chromosome 4 of Arabidopsis thaliana with nucleotide precision of its borders.

A Human Renal Proximal Tubule Cell Line with Stable Organic Anion Transporter 1 and 3 Expression Predictive for Antiviral-Induced Toxicity.

Drug-induced nephrotoxicity still hampers drug development, because current translation from in vitro or animal studies to human lacks high predictivity. Often, renal adverse effects are recognized only during clinical stages of drug development. The current study aimed to establish a robust and a more complete human cell model suitable for screening of drug-related interactions and nephrotoxicity.

Multi-Level Interactions Between Heat Shock Factors, Heat Shock Proteins, and the Redox System Regulate Acclimation to Heat.

High temperature has become a global concern because it seriously affects the growth and reproduction of plants. Exposure of plant cells to high temperatures result in cellular damage and can even lead to cell death. Part of the damage can be ascribed to the action of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which accumulate during abiotic stresses such as heat stress.

Modulating crossover positioning by introducing large structural changes in chromosomes.

Background: Crossing over assures the correct segregation of the homologous chromosomes to both poles of the dividing meiocyte. This exchange of DNA creates new allelic combinations thus increasing the genetic variation present in offspring. Crossovers are not uniformly distributed along chromosomes; rather there are preferred locations where they may take place.

Flooding and fragment size interact to determine survival and regrowth after fragmentation in two stoloniferous Trifolium species.

Clonal plants, which reproduce by means of stolons and rhizomes, are common in frequently flooded habitats. Resilience to disturbance is an important trait enabling plants to survive in such highly disturbed habitats. Resource storage is thought to enable clonal plants to resume growth after clonal fragmentation caused by disturbance.

Humoral signalling compounds in remote ischaemic preconditioning of the kidney, a role for the opioid receptor.

Background: Renal ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common clinical problem associated with significant mortality and morbidity. One strategy to reduce this damage is remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC), in which brief ischaemia of a limb protects the kidney against a prolonged ischaemic insult. The mechanism of renal RIPC has not yet been elucidated.

Subunit-specific incorporation efficiency and kinetics in mitochondrial complex I homeostasis.

Studies employing native PAGE suggest that most nDNA-encoded CI subunits form subassemblies before assembling into holo-CI. In addition, in vitro evidence suggests that some subunits can directly exchange in holo-CI. Presently, data on the kinetics of these two incorporation modes for individual CI subunits during CI maintenance are sparse.

Acute acetaminophen intoxication leads to hepatic iron loading by decreased hepcidin synthesis.

Acetaminophen (APAP), a major cause of acute liver injury in the Western world, is mediated by metabolism and oxidative stress. Recent studies have suggested a role for iron in potentiating APAP-induced liver injury although its regulatory mechanism is not completely understood. The current study was designed to unravel the iron-regulating pathways in mice after APAP-induced hepatotoxicity.

SLO2, a mitochondrial pentatricopeptide repeat protein affecting several RNA editing sites, is required for energy metabolism.

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins belong to a family of approximately 450 members in Arabidopsis, of which few have been characterized. We identified loss of function alleles of SLO2, defective in a PPR protein belonging to the E+ subclass of the P-L-S subfamily. slo2 mutants are characterized by retarded leaf emergence, restricted root growth, and late flowering.

Regulation of P-glycoprotein in renal proximal tubule epithelial cells by LPS and TNF-alpha.

During endotoxemia, the ATP-dependent drug efflux pump P-glycoprotein (Abcb1/P-gp) is upregulated in kidney proximal tubule epithelial cells. The signaling pathway through which lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) regulates P-gp expression and activity was investigated further in the present study. Exposure of rat kidney proximal tubule cells to TNF-alpha alone or TNF-alpha and LPS increased P-gp gene and protein expression levels and efflux activity, suggesting de novo P-gp synthesis.