The TBX1 gene plays a critical role in the development of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS), a complex genetic disorder associated with various phenotypic manifestations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAflatoxins (AFs) represent one of the main mycotoxins produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, with the most prevalent and lethal subtypes being AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2. AFs are responsible for causing significant public health issues and economic concerns that affect consumers and farmers globally. Chronic exposure to AFs has been linked to liver cancer, oxidative stress, and fetal growth abnormalities among other health-related risks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVacuolar processing enzyme (VPE) is a cysteine protease responsible for vacuolar proteins' maturation and regulation of programmed cell death (PCD). Four isoforms of VPEs were identified previously, but only the functions of βVPE, γVPE, and δVPE were determined. The specific function of a gene is linked to the cis-acting elements in the promoter region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBanana (Musa acuminata) is an important fruit crop and source of income for various countries, including Malaysia. To date, current agrochemical practice has become a disputable issue due to its detrimental effect on the environment. λ-carrageenan, a natural polysaccharide extracted from edible red seaweed, has been claimed to be a potential plant growth stimulator.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiology (Basel)
November 2022
The Harvey rat sarcoma (HRAS) proto-oncogene belongs to the RAS family and is one of the pathogenic genes that cause cancer. Deleterious nsSNPs might have adverse consequences at the protein level. This study aimed to investigate deleterious nsSNPs in the HRAS gene in predicting structural alterations associated with mutants that disrupt normal protein-protein interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethicillin-resistant (MRSA) is an important cause of pneumonia in humans, and it is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates, especially in immunocompromised patients. Its high rate of multidrug resistance led to an exploration of novel antimicrobials. Metal nanoparticles have shown potent antibacterial activity, thus instigating their application in MRSA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIschemic heart disease (IHD) constitutes the leading global cause of mortality and morbidity. Although significant progress has been achieved in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of IHD, more robust diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic interventions are still needed to circumvent the increasing incidence of IHD. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are critical regulators of cardiovascular function and are involved in various facets of cardiovascular biology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNile tilapia () is one of the most important food fish in the world. However, the farming industry has encountered significant challenges, such as pathogen infections. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an essential role in the initiation of the innate immune system against pathogens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDysregulation of fibroblast growth factors is linked to the pathogenesis of bladder cancer. The role of FGF1 and FGF3 is evident in bladder cancer; however, the role of FGF4 is vague. Despite being reported that FGF4 interacts with FGF1 and FGF3 in MAPK pathways, its pathogenesis and mechanism of action are yet to be elucidated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death globally, with unhealthy lifestyles today greatly increasing the risk. Over the decades, scientific investigation has been carried out on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their resultant oxidative stress based on their changes made on biological targets such as lipids, proteins, and DNA. Since the existing clinical studies with antioxidants failed to provide relevant findings on CVD prediction, the focus has shifted towards recognition of oxidised targets as biomarkers to predict prognosis and response to accurate treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEssential oils (EOs) are intricate combinations of evaporative compounds produced by aromatic plants and extracted by distillation or expression. EOs are natural secondary metabolites derived from plants and have been found to be useful in food and nutraceutical manufacturing, perfumery and cosmetics; they have also been found to alleviate the phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in addition to functioning as antibacterial and antifungal agents, balancing menstrual cycles and being efficacious as an immune system booster. Several main aldehyde constituents can be found in different types of EOs, and thus, aldehydes and their derivatives will be the main focus of this study with regard to their antimicrobial, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite culturing the fastest-growing animal in animal husbandry, fish farmers are often adversely economically affected by pathogenic disease outbreaks across the world. Although there are available solutions such as the application of antibiotics to mitigate this phenomenon, the excessive and injudicious use of antibiotics has brought with it major concerns to the community at large, mainly due to the rapid development of resistant bacteria. At present, the use of natural compounds such as phytocompounds that can be an alternative to antibiotics is being explored to address the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe gastrointestinal immune system plays an important role in immune homeostasis regulation. It regulates the symbiotic host-microbiome interactions by training and developing the host's innate and adaptive immunity. This interaction plays a vital role in host defence mechanisms and at the same time, balancing the endogenous perturbations of the host immune homeostasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToll-like receptors (TLRs) are evolutionarily conserved proteins of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and play a crucial role in innate immune systems recognition of conserved pathogen-related molecular samples (PAMPs). We identified and characterized TLR18 from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), OnTLR18, to elucidate its role in tissue expression patterns, modulation of gene expression after microbial challenge and TLR ligands, subcellular localization in fish and human cells, and the possible effectors TLR18 induces in a melanomacrophage-like cell line (tilapia head kidney (THK) cells). OnTLR18 expression was detected in all tissues examined, with the highest levels in the intestine and the lowest in the liver.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMarine sponges are sessile invertebrates that can be found in temperate, polar and tropical regions. They are known to be major contributors of bioactive compounds, which are discovered in and extracted from the marine environment. The compounds extracted from these sponges are known to exhibit various bioactivities, such as antimicrobial, antitumor and general cytotoxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClimate warming and low pH environment are known to negatively impact all levels of aquatic organism from cellular to organism and population levels. For ammonotelic freshwater species, any abiotic factor fluctuation will cause disturbance to the fish, specifically at the gills which act as a multifunctional organ to support all biological processes. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effect of temperature (28 vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLignosulfonate (LS) is a commonly used to promote plant growth. However, the underlying growth promoting responses of LS in plant remain unknown. Therefore, this study was undertaken to elucidate the underlying growth promoting mechanisms of LS, specifically calcium lignosulfonate (CaLS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFish Shellfish Immunol
September 2020
The giant freshwater prawn/giant river prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii is one of the high market value crustaceans cultured worldwide. The intensified aquaculture of the species has led to the outbreak of infectious diseases, prominently, the white tail disease (WTD). It is caused by the infection of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV), which was classified in the family of Nodaviridae.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNatural products such as essential oils (EOs) are secondary metabolites that can be obtained from either plant or animal sources or produced by microorganisms. Much attention has been given to exploring the use of secondary metabolites as natural antibacterial agents. This study investigates the antibacterial activity and mechanism of β-caryophyllene, a compound that can be found in various EOs, against .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPredominance of beneficial bacteria helps to establish a healthy microbiota in fish gastrointestinal system and thus to reduce emerging pathogen. In this study, the colonization efficacy of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CF4MRS in Artemia franciscana and its potential as a probiotic in suppressing Edwardsiella sp.
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