Thin films of functionalized carbon nanotubes support long-term maintenance and cardio-neuronal differentiation of canine induced pluripotent stem cells.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a promising cell source for regenerative medicine. However, their feeder-free maintenance in undifferentiated states remains challenging. In recent past extensive studies have been directed using pristine or functionalized carbon nanotube in tissue engineering.

Evaluation of the angiogenic properties of Brugia malayi asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase and its mutants: A study on the molecular target for antifilarial drug development.

Brugia malayi asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase (BmAsnRS) has been identified as an immunodominant antigen and a physiocrine that mimics Interleukin-8 (IL-8) to induce chemotaxis and angiogenesis in endothelial cells. Computational analyses have shown that the N-terminal region of BmAsnRS has a novel fold, a lysine rich β-hairpin α-helix, (FLIRTKKDGKQIWE) which is similar to that present in IL-8 chemokine, CXCR1. This novel fold is involved in tRNA binding and is integral for the manifestation of the disease, lymphatic filariasis (LF).

In vitro propagation and cardiac differentiation of canine induced pluripotent stem cells on carbon nanotube substrates.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have attracted an interest for personalized cell based therapy along with various other applications. There have been few studies that effective nanomaterial based scaffolds act as alternative to the commonly used feeder dependent in vitro maintenance of iPSCs. The present study provides the fundamental information on ex vivo behavior of canine iPSC (ciPSCs) maintained on carboxylic acid (COOH) functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (COOH-SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (COOH-MWCNTs) substrates.

Molecular evolution of single chain fragment variable (scFv) for diagnosis of lymphatic filariasis.

Endemic countries with lymphatic filariasis are striving towards the Global Program to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) by 2020. Efficient and cost-effective diagnostic tools to assess active filarial infection are critical to eradicate lymphatic filariasis. Detection of circulating filarial antigens in sera is one of the precise methods to identify this infection.

Immune Response to Asparaginyl-tRNA Synthetase in Balb/c Mice and Human Clinical Samples of Lymphatic Filariasis.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a global health problem, with a peculiar nature of parasite-specific immunosuppression that promotes long-term pathology and disability. Immune modulation in the host by parasitic antigens is an integral part of this disease. The current study attempts to dissect the immune responses of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARS) with emphasis on asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase (BmAsnRS), since it is one among the highly expressed excretory/secretory proteins expressed in all stages of the parasite life cycle, whereas its role in filarial pathology has not been elaborately studied.

Elucidation of immunological response and its regulatory network by P-TUFT-ALT-2: a promising fusion protein vaccine for human lymphatic filariasis.

Human lymphatic filariasis, a mosquito-borne neglected tropical parasitic disease, needs an early development of prophylactic agents such as a vaccine for its successful elimination. Our earlier study suggested the enhanced immunological response by fusion protein (P-TUFT-ALT-2) of Tuftsin and ALT-2 in a mice model. We cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and treated cells with -expressed ALT-2 (E-ALT-2) and P-TUFT-ALT-2.

Evaluation of rapid blood sample collection in the detection of circulating filarial antigens for epidemiological survey by rWbSXP-1 capture assay.

Background: Lymphatic filariasis is a neglected tropical disease leading to profound disfiguring causing socio economic burden in the tropics. Current diagnosis strategies available during field surveys and epidemics are based on traditional microscopic detections and a few antigen/antibody assays. We have compared different sampling methodologies and standardized the highly sensitive and reliable rWbSXP-1 antigen detection assay to our new sampling methodology.

Wuchereria bancrofti 20/22 a homologue of abundant larval transcript L3 stage filarial antigen: molecular and immunological characterization.

The chromadorea abundant larval transcript (ALT) family of proteins contains ALT one of the most studied putative vaccine candidate in experimental filariasis. This study reports the characterization of Wuchereria bancrofti 20/22 (Wb20/22) as a member of chromadorea, the ALT family of proteins from the L3 stage of W. bancrofti.

Molecular characterization and evaluation of Onchocerca volvulus-secreted larval acidic protein 1 (SLAP1) as a putative vaccine candidate on endemic population of lymphatic filariasis.

Filarial parasites infected nearly 160 million of the global population with onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis, and further, a billion of people are estimated to be at risk of infection, rendering them among the most prevalent infectious agents in the world today. Given the complexity of their life cycle and the immune evasion mechanisms of these organisms, development of a vaccine remains to be a long-term challenge. Though a number of immunodominant antigens have been characterized, the presence of homologous proteins in humans or the allelic variants are some of the major drawbacks.