Levels of Amyloid Beta () Expression in the Neurons Influence the Onset and Severity of Neuronally Mediated Phenotypes.

A characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the formation of neuronal extracellular senile plaques composed of aggregates of fibrillar amyloid β () peptides, with the peptide being the most abundant species. These peptides have been proposed to contribute to the pathophysiology of the disease; however, there are few tools available to test this hypothesis directly. In particular, there are no data that establish a dose-response relationship between peptide expression level and disease.

SUMOylation does not affect cardiac troponin I stability but alters indirectly the development of force in response to Ca.

Post-translational modification of the myofilament protein troponin I by phosphorylation is known to trigger functional changes that support enhanced contraction and relaxation of the heart. We report for the first time that human troponin I can also be modified by SUMOylation at lysine 177. Functionally, TnI SUMOylation is not a factor in the development of passive and maximal force generation in response to calcium, however this modification seems to act indirectly by preventing SUMOylation of other myofilament proteins to alter calcium sensitivity and cooperativity of myofilaments.

A rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) that incorporates a C-labelled internal standard.

Background: Urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) is a first-line investigation for gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumours that secrete serotonin. It also has clinical utility for monitoring disease progression and therapeutic response.

Aim: To develop and validate a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid that incorporates a supported liquid extraction and C-labelled internal standard.

Failure of Parastrongyloides trichosuri daf-7 to complement a Caenorhabditis elegans daf-7 (e1372) mutant: implications for the evolution of parasitism.

DAF-7 is the ligand of the TGF-β pathway that, in conjunction with the insulin-like and guanylyl cyclase pathways, controls entry into dauer development in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proposed orthologues of Ce-daf-7 have been identified in several species of parasitic nematodes and demonstrate an expression pattern that is consistent between parasitic nematode genera but different to that of Ce-daf-7. This variation in expression pattern is consistent with the current paradigm in evolutionary developmental biology: that regulatory rather than functional change is the primary source of phenotypic diversity.

Heritable transgenesis of Parastrongyloides trichosuri: a nematode parasite of mammals.

Germline transformation of a parasitic nematode of mammals has proven to be an elusive goal. We report here the heritable germline transformation of Parastrongyloides trichosuri, a nematode parasite whose natural hosts are Australian possums of the genus Trichosurus. This parasite can undergo multiple free-living life cycles and these replicative cycles can be maintained indefinitely in the laboratory.