Diversity of fungal isolates from fungus-growing termite Macrotermes barneyi and characterization of bioactive compound from Xylaria escharoidea.

Owing to their potential applications, as well as their structural diversity, the discovery of novel secondary metabolites from insect-associated fungi has been of interest to researchers in recent years. The aim of this study was therefore to estimate the diversity of fungi associated with fungus-growing termites and bioprospecting these for potential secondary metabolites. In total, 18 fungal species were isolated and described from the gut and comb of Macrotermes barneyi based on 18S ribosomal DNA gene sequence analysis.

Rapamycin modulated brain-derived neurotrophic factor and B-cell lymphoma 2 to mitigate autism spectrum disorder in rats.

The number of children suffered from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing dramatically. However, the etiology of ASD is not well known. This study employed mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor rapamycin to explore its effect on ASD and provided new therapeutic strategies for ASD.

Dysgonomonas macrotermitis sp. nov., isolated from the hindgut of a fungus-growing termite.

A Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, non-motile and coccoid- to short-rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain Dys-CH1(T), was isolated from the hindgut of a fungus-growing termite Macrotermes barneyi. The optimal pH and cultivation temperature of strain Dys-CH1(T) were pH 7.2-7.

Knockouts of RecA-like proteins RadC1 and RadC2 have distinct responses to DNA damage agents in Sulfolobus islandicus.

RecA family recombinases play essential roles in maintaining genome integrity. A group of RecA-like proteins named RadC are present in all archaea, but their in vivo functions remain unclear. In this study, we performed phylogenetic and genetic analysis of two RadC proteins from Sulfolobus islandicus.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Macrotermes barneyi Light (Isoptera: Termitidae).

The complete nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial genome of Macrotermes barneyi Light (Isoptera: Termitidae) was determined. This mitochondrial genome is 15,940 bp with 37 typical animal mitochondrial genes and an A+T-rich region. Gene positions and directions are identical to that of the pupative ancestral arrangement of insects.

Sulfolobus tokodaii RadA paralog, stRadC2, is involved in DNA recombination via interaction with RadA and Hjc.

Rad51/RadA paralogs found in eukaryotes and euryarchaea play important roles during recombination and repair, and mutations in one of the human Rad51 paralogs, Rad51C, are associated with breast and ovarian cancers. The hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus tokodaii encodes four putative RadA paralogs and studies on these proteins may assist in understanding the functions of human Rad51 paralogs. Here, we report the biochemical characterization of stRadC2, a S.

Co-expression with RadA and the characterization of stRad55B, a RadA paralog from the hyperthermophilic crenarchaea Sulfolobus tokodaii.

ST0838 (designed stRad55B) is one of the four RadA paralogs (or Rad55 homologues) in the genome of the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus tokodaii. The gene is induced by UV irradiation, suggesting that it is involved in DNA recombinational repair in this organism. However, this protein could not be expressed normally in vitro.

[Cloning, expression and biochemical characterization of a novel diacetylchitobiose deacetylase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus horikoshii].

Chitin is the second most abundant organic compound in nature and the degradation of this biomass is an important process in the recycling of nutrients in the environments. Several biodegradation pathway of chitin have been classified in eukaryotes and bacteria, and a unique chitin degradation pathway was proposed according to recent studies on hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakaraensis. In the genome of Pyrococcus horikoshii, several ORFs show high homology to the chitin-degrading related genes from T.