Publications by authors named "Kucerova D"

We tested the effects of galactoglucomannan oligosaccharides (GGMOs) and/or cadmium (Cd) on peroxidase activity and the proteome in maize (Zea mays L.) roots and leaves. Our previous work confirmed that GGMOs ameliorate the symptoms of Cd stress in seedlings.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Retroviruses integrate into host genomes to create proviruses for stable viral gene expression, but their transcription can be hindered by epigenetic silencing.
  • Gammaretroviruses (γRVs) tend to integrate into active promoter and enhancer regions, leading to higher transcriptional activity due to their preferential integration preference.
  • The study shows that while some γRV long terminal repeats (LTRs) are quickly silenced, others can sustain long-term expression even in less favorable chromatin environments, with alternative retroviruses like feline leukemia virus and koala retrovirus also contributing to stable, varied gene expression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Syncytin-1, a human fusogenic protein of retroviral origin, is crucial for placental syncytiotrophoblast formation. To mediate cell-to-cell fusion, Syncytin-1 requires specific interaction with its cognate receptor. Two trimeric transmembrane proteins, Alanine, Serine, Cysteine Transporters 1 and 2 (ASCT1 and ASCT2), were suggested and widely accepted as Syncytin-1 cellular receptors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Genetic editing of the germline using CRISPR/Cas9 technology has made it possible to alter livestock traits, including the creation of resistance to viral diseases. However, virus adaptability could present a major obstacle in this effort. Recently, chickens resistant to avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) were developed by deleting a single amino acid, W38, within the ALV-J receptor NHE1 using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Desmoglein-2 mutations are detected in 5-10% of patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). Endurance training accelerates the development of the ARVC phenotype, leading to earlier arrhythmic events. Homozygous mutant mice develop a severe ARVC-like phenotype.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Birds represent important hosts for numerous viruses, including zoonotic viruses and pathogens with the potential to cause major economic losses to the poultry industry. Viral replication and transmission can be inhibited or blocked by the action of antiviral restriction factors (RFs) encoded by the host. One well-characterized RF is tetherin, a protein that directly blocks the release of newly formed viral particles from infected cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We present a case of a pregnant woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who was diagnosed with asymptomatic complete heart block (CHB) during pregnancy. To evaluate possible risks and benefits of pacemaker (PM) implantation, a multidisciplinary counselling board was held. Its recommendation was to perform PM implantation to prevent intra-uterine growth restriction from insufficient cardiac output using a fluoroscopic protective shield.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Long-term treatment of cancer with chemotherapeutics leads to the development of resistant forms that reduce treatment options. The main associated mechanism is the overexpression of transport proteins, particularly P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1). In this study, we have tested the anticancer and multidrug resistance (MDR) modulation activity of 15 selenocompounds.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The chicken Tva cell surface protein, a member of the low-density lipoprotein receptor family, has been identified as an entry receptor for avian leukosis virus of classic subgroup A and newly emerging subgroup K. Because both viruses represent an important concern for the poultry industry, we introduced a frame-shifting deletion into the chicken locus with the aim of knocking-out Tva expression and creating a virus-resistant chicken line. The knock-out was prepared by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in chicken primordial germ cells and orthotopic transplantation of edited cells into the testes of sterilized recipient roosters.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The peumo () is a native fruit from central Chile that belongs to the Lauraceae family. To characterize the development and the potential health benefits of this edible fruit, quality and physiological parameters, along with antioxidant capacity, were evaluated during three clearly defined developmental stages of the fruit in two seasons. The most distinguishable attributes of ripe fruit were the change in size and color.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Auxins are plant hormones that affect plant growth, development, and improve a plant's tolerance to stress. In this study, we found that the application of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) had diverse effects on the growth of maize ( L.) roots treated without/with Cd.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study establishes a chicken cell system to evaluate human ASCT2 protein expression, which lacks the endogenous ASCT2 background common in mammalian cells.
  • The research successfully implemented a dual-fluorescence technique to examine mutant ASCT2 proteins and found that removing part of the protein, region C, reduced overall ASCT2 levels but didn't eliminate its interaction with Syncytin-1.
  • The findings indicate that while region C is important for ASCT2 amount, it is not essential for the ASCT2-Syncytin-1 interaction needed for cell fusion in placental development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Avian sarcoma and leukosis viruses (ASLVs) are important chicken pathogens. Some of the virus subgroups, including ASLV-A and K, utilize the Tva receptor for cell entrance. Though Tva was identified three decades ago, its physiological function remains unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cadmium-tolerant plants were studied for their possible usage in phytoremediation techniques. However, their response to cadmium cations at a cellular level has not been properly studied. Silicon is a beneficial element that seems to change the plant's response to the Cd presence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Silybin is considered to be the main biologically active component of silymarin. Its oxidized derivative 2,3-dehydrosilybin typically occurs in silymarin in small, but non-negligible amounts (up to 3%). Here, we investigated in detail complex biological activities of silybin and 2,3-dehydrosilybin optical isomers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) is an important concern for the poultry industry. Replication of ALV-J depends on a functional cellular receptor, the chicken Na/H exchanger type 1 (chNHE1). Tryptophan residue number 38 of chNHE1 (W38) in the extracellular portion of this molecule is a critical amino acid for virus entry.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

One of the major reasons why cadmium is toxic in plants is because it disturbs their nutrient balance. The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of cadmium (Cd) and/or silicon (Si) on the nutrient status of poplar callus cells after 3 and after 9 weeks of Cd exposure and to study its possible relationship with the changes in the fresh and dry mass, the plasma membrane integrity, and cadmium tolerance patterns. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to reveal the associations among the elements, and the variability between both treatments, and between the 3- and 9-week stages.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Avian leukosis virus subgroup K (ALV-K) is composed of newly emerging isolates, which, in sequence analyses, cluster separately from the well-characterized subgroups A, B, C, D, E, and J. However, it remains unclear whether ALV-K represents an independent ALV subgroup with regard to receptor usage, host range, and superinfection interference. In the present study, we examined the host range of the Chinese infectious isolate JS11C1, an ALV-K prototype, and we found substantial overlap of species that were either resistant or susceptible to ALV-A and JS11C1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Enterotoxigenic and Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (i.e., ETEC and STEC) are important causative agents of human and animal diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A combination of biochemical, biophysical and biological techniques was used to study calf thymus DNA interaction with newly synthesized 7-MEOTA-tacrine thiourea 12-17 and urea heterodimers 18-22, and to measure interference with type I and II topoisomerases. Their biological profile was also inspected in vitro on the HL-60 cell line using different flow cytometric techniques (cell cycle distribution, detection of mitochondrial membrane potential dissipation, and analysis of metabolic activity/viability). The compounds exhibited a profound inhibitory effect on topoisomerase activity (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: The aim of this study was to monitor characteristics of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) obtained from animals according to the serogroup they belonged to, Shiga toxin type and subtype and adhesion factor intimin. Then, based on the results, to evaluate the occurrence of Shiga toxin subtypes and their possible significance for humans.

Materials And Methods: The study included 131 STEC strains isolated from rectal swabs from cattle (80) and pigs (51) sampled on farms in the Czech Republic from 2000 to 2017.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Avian leukosis viruses (ALVs), which are pathogens of concern in domestic poultry, utilize specific receptor proteins for cell entry that are both necessary and sufficient for host susceptibility to a given ALV subgroup. This unequivocal relationship offers receptors as suitable targets of selection and biotechnological manipulation with the aim of obtaining virus-resistant poultry. This approach is further supported by the existence of natural knock-outs of receptor genes that segregate in inbred lines of chickens.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The extent of virus transmission among individuals and species is generally determined by the presence of specific membrane-embedded virus receptors required for virus entry. Interaction of the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env) with a specific cellular receptor is the first and crucial step in determining host specificity. Using a well-established retroviral model-avian Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)-we analyzed changes in an RSV variant that had repeatedly been able to infect rodents.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF