Gastrointestinal Parasites in Sheep from the Brazilian Pampa Biome: Prevalence and Associated Factors.

Parasitic infections are common in sheep farming worldwide. A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors among gastrointestinal parasites and sheep herds from the Brazilian Pampa biome, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Twenty-one farms were visited, where rectal faecal samples were individually collected from 309 animals.

Discovery of a radio emitting neutron star with an ultra-long spin period of 76 seconds.

The radio-emitting neutron star population encompasses objects with spin periods ranging from milliseconds to tens of seconds. As they age and spin more slowly, their radio emission is expected to cease. We present the discovery of an ultra-long period radio-emitting neutron star, PSR J0901-4046, with spin properties distinct from the known spin and magnetic-decay powered neutron stars.

Soil contamination by Ancylostoma spp. and Toxocara spp. eggs in elementary school playgrounds in the extreme south of Brazil.

Millions of people worldwide, and especially schoolchildren, may be infected by geohelminths due to their exposure to a contaminated environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate soil contamination by Ancylostoma spp. and Toxocara spp.

spp. in C Gmelin, 1789 (Columbiformes: Columbidae) free-living pigeons from urban areas in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

spp. are parasites with zoonotic potential that cause intestinal diseases, generally intense diarrheal, on their hosts, which tend to be immunocompromised. Large populations of pigeons in urban environments can lead to greater human exposure to spp.

The Landscape of Membrane-Associated Proteins.

Background: cell envelope-associated proteins play a relevant role in infection mechanisms. They can contribute to the antibiotic resistance of the bacterial cells and be involved in the interaction with host cells. Thus, studies contributing to elucidating these key molecular elements are of great importance to find alternative therapeutics.

Autonomous role of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome platelet deficiency in inducing autoimmunity and inflammation.

Background: Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked immunodeficiency characterized by eczema, infections, and susceptibility to autoimmunity and malignancies. Thrombocytopenia is a constant finding, but its pathogenesis remains elusive.

Objective: To dissect the basis of the WAS platelet defect, we used a novel conditional mouse model (CoWas) lacking Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) only in the megakaryocytic lineage in the presence of a normal immunologic environment, and in parallel we analyzed samples obtained from patients with WAS.

Misidentification of transthyretin and immunoglobulin variants by proteomics due to methyl lysine formation in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded amyloid tissue.

Proteomics is becoming the de facto gold standard for identifying amyloid proteins and is now used routinely in a number of centres. The technique is compound class independent and offers the added ability to identify variant and modified proteins. We re-examined proteomics results from a number of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded amyloid samples, which were positive for transthyretin (TTR) by immunohistochemistry and proteomics, using the UniProt human protein database modified to include TTR variants.

Cellulose production is coupled to sensing of the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway via c-di-GMP production by the DgcQ protein of Escherichia coli.

Production of cellulose, a stress response-mediated process in enterobacteria, is modulated in Escherichia coli by the activity of the two pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthetic pathways, namely, the de novo biosynthetic pathway and the salvage pathway, which relies on the environmental availability of pyrimidine nitrogenous bases. We had previously reported that prevalence of the salvage over the de novo pathway triggers cellulose production via synthesis of the second messenger c-di-GMP by the DgcQ (YedQ) diguanylate cyclase. In this work, we show that DgcQ enzymatic activity is enhanced by UTP, whilst being inhibited by N-carbamoyl-aspartate, an intermediate of the de novo pathway.

Combination of Metabolomic and Proteomic Analysis Revealed Different Features among Subspecies and Strains While Testing in the Model Organism Highlighted Probiotic Properties.

represents a technologically relevant member of lactic acid bacteria, since the two subspecies and are widely associated with fermented dairy products. In the present work, we report the characterization of two commercial strains belonging to subspecies , and a novel strain previously isolated from a traditional fermented fresh cheese. A phenomic approach was performed by combining metabolomic and proteomic analysis of the three strains, which were subsequently supplemented as food source to the model organism , with the final aim to evaluate their possible probiotic effects.

Proteomics-based network analysis characterizes biological processes and pathways activated by preconditioned mesenchymal stem cells in cardiac repair mechanisms.

Background: We have demonstrated that intramyocardial delivery of human mesenchymal stem cells preconditioned with a hyaluronan mixed ester of butyric and retinoic acid (MSCp) is more effective in preventing the decay of regional myocardial contractility in a swine model of myocardial infarction (MI). However, the understanding of the role of MSCp in proteomic remodeling of cardiac infarcted tissue is not complete. We therefore sought to perform a comprehensive analysis of the proteome of infarct remote (RZ) and border zone (BZ) of pigs treated with MSCp or unconditioned stem cells.

Azithromycin Attenuates -Induced Lung Inflammation by Targeting Bacterial Proteins Secreted in the Cultured Medium.

Background: airway infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Azithromycin improves the related clinical outcomes, but its mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that azithromycin downregulates -induced pro-inflammatory responses by modifying release of bacterial proteins.

Differential Proteomics Based on Multidimensional Protein Identification Technology to Understand the Biogenesis of Outer Membrane of Escherichia coli.

Cell envelope proteins in bacteria are typically difficult to characterize due to their low abundance, poor solubility, and the problematic isolation of pure surface fraction with only minimal contamination. Here we describe a method for cell membrane fractionation followed by mass spectrometry-based proteomics to analyze and determine protein abundance in bacterial membranes.

Interplay of the modified nucleotide phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) with global regulatory proteins in Escherichia coli: modulation of cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent gene expression and interaction with the HupA regulatory protein.

In the bacterium Escherichia coli, some intermediates of the sulfate assimilation and cysteine biosynthesis pathway can act as signal molecules and modulate gene expression. In addition to sensing and utilization of sulphur sources, these signaling mechanisms also impact more global cell processes, such as resistance to antimicrobial agents and biofilm formation. In a recent work, we have shown that inactivation of the cysH gene, encoding phosphoadenosine-phosphosulfate (PAPS) reductase, and the consequent increase in intracellular PAPS concentration, strongly affect production of several cell surface-associated structures, enhancing surface adhesion and cell aggregation.

Dissecting Escherichia coli outer membrane biogenesis using differential proteomics.

The cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria is a complex multi-layered structure comprising an inner cytoplasmic membrane and an additional asymmetric lipid bilayer, the outer membrane, which functions as a selective permeability barrier and is essential for viability. Lipopolysaccharide, an essential glycolipid located in the outer leaflet of the outer membrane, greatly contributes to the peculiar properties exhibited by the outer membrane. This complex molecule is transported to the cell surface by a molecular machine composed of seven essential proteins LptABCDEFG that form a transenvelope complex and function as a single device.

Sulfate assimilation pathway intermediate phosphoadenosine 59-phosphosulfate acts as a signal molecule affecting production of curli fibres in Escherichia coli.

The enterobacterium Escherichia coli can utilize a variety of molecules as sulfur sources, including cysteine, sulfate, thiosulfate and organosulfonates. An intermediate of the sulfate assimilation pathway, adenosine 59-phosphosulfate (APS), also acts as a signal molecule regulating the utilization of different sulfur sources. In this work, we show that inactivation of the cysH gene, leading to accumulation of phosphoadenosine 59-phosphosulfate (PAPS), also an intermediate of the sulfate assimilation pathway, results in increased surface adhesion and cell aggregation by activating the expression of the curli-encoding csgBAC operon.

Gene and protein expression in response to different growth temperatures and oxygen availability in Burkholderia thailandensis.

Burkholderia thailandensis, although normally avirulent for mammals, can infect macrophages in vitro and has occasionally been reported to cause pneumonia in humans. It is therefore used as a model organism for the human pathogen B. pseudomallei, to which it is closely related phylogenetically.