The HIV-1 clade C promoter is particularly well adapted to replication in the gut in primary infection.

Objective: Coinfection of rhesus macaques with human/simian immunodeficiency virus chimeras harbouring the minimal core-promoter/enhancer elements from HIV-1 clade B, C and E viral prototypes (STR-B, STR-C and STR-E) revealed a remarkable dichotomy in terms of spatio-temporal viral replication. The clade C chimera (STR-C) predominated in primary infection. The present study was aimed at identifying the origin of STR-C plasma viraemia at this infection phase.

The role of the forkhead transcription factor, Foxc1, in the development of the mouse lacrimal gland.

The lacrimal gland produces secretions that lubricate and protect the cornea of the eye. Foxc1 encodes a forkhead/winged helix transcription factor required for the development of many embryonic organs. Autosomal dominant mutations in human FOXC1 cause eye disorders such as Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome and glaucoma iris hypoplasia, resulting from malformation of the anterior segment of the eye.

Immunohistochemical detection of dUTPase in intracranial tumors.

The nuclear isoform of deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase, OMIM *601266, EC 3.6.1.

A rare diagnosis: testicular dysgenesis with carcinoma in situ detected in a patient with ultrasonic microlithiasis.

A rare case is presented where a dysgenetic testis with microinvasive carcinoma in situ (CIS, also known as intratubular germ cell neoplasm of unclassified type [IGCNU] and testicular intraepithelial neoplasia [TIN]) with microinvasion to rete testis and the interstitial tissue was found in a 32-year-old man presenting with mild scrotal pain and ultrasonic testicular microlithiasis. Knowledge of the association of ultrasound and CIS is important to diagnose patients at the stage prior to development of an overt germ cell tumor. The patient had three of four disorders considered symptoms of the testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS): a dysgenetic left testicle with CIS, a mild left-sided cryptorchidism (high positioned scrotal hypotrophic testis) and a slightly reduced semen quality.

Secretion of Streptomyces tendae antifungal protein 1 by Lactococcus lactis.

Lactococcus lactis, the model lactic acid bacterium, is a good candidate for heterologous protein production in both foodstuffs and the digestive tract. We attempted to produce Streptomyces tendae antifungal protein 1 (Afp1) in L. lactis with the objective of constructing a strain able to limit fungal growth.

The Pro-regions of lysyl oxidase and lysyl oxidase-like 1 are required for deposition onto elastic fibers.

These studies were undertaken to determine how lysyl oxidase (LOX) and lysyl oxidase like-1 (LOXL) enzymes are targeted to their substrates in the extracellular matrix. Full-length LOX/LOXL and constructs containing just the pro-regions of each enzyme localized to elastic fibers when expressed in cultured cells. However, the LOXL catalytic domain without the pro-region was secreted into the medium but did not associate with matrix.

Extensive editing of both hepatitis B virus DNA strands by APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases in vitro and in vivo.

Because the replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) proceeds via an obligatory reverse transcription step in the viral capsid, cDNA is potentially vulnerable to editing by cytidine deaminases of the APOBEC3 family. To date only two edited HBV genomes, referred to as G --> A hypermutants, have been described in vivo. Recent work suggested that HBV replication was indeed restricted by APOBEC3G but by a mechanism other than editing.

Quality control of messenger ribonucleoprotein particles in the nucleus and at the pore.

The spatial separation of nuclear transcription and cytoplasmic translation in eukaryotic cells implies that mRNAs have to travel. On their journey, proteins involved in the various steps of transcript formation, processing and transport dynamically interact with mRNAs to form diverse messenger ribonucleoprotein complexes (mRNPs). Increasing evidence indicates that the protein complexes involved in distinct phases of manufacturing a bona fide mRNA in the nucleus are tightly coupled.

Lysyl oxidase deficiency: a new cause of human arterial dissection.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of myocardial ischaemia. The underlying mechanism is unknown but some dissections are associated with extracellular matrix disorganisation of genetic origin. A deficiency in extracellular matrix protein cross links has rarely been studied.

Inhibition of lysyl oxidase activity can delay phenotypic modulation of chondrocytes in two-dimensional culture.

Objective: Chondrocytes frequently de-differentiate in two-dimensional (2D) culture, especially in the presence of serum. To examine the role of lysyl oxidase (LOX) induced cross-linking in this phenomenon, the effect of the specific LOX inhibitor beta-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) was studied in 2D chondrocyte culture.

Design: Chick embryo sternal chondrocytes (both proliferative and hypertrophic, from caudal and cranial zones, respectively) were cultured in the presence and absence of BAPN.

HIV-1 clade promoters strongly influence spatial and temporal dynamics of viral replication in vivo.

Although the primary determinant of cell tropism is the interaction of viral envelope or capsid proteins with cellular receptors, other viral elements can strongly modulate viral replication. While the HIV-1 promoter is polymorphic for a variety of transcription factor binding sites, the impact of these polymorphisms on viral replication in vivo is not known. To address this issue, we engineered isogenic SIVmac239 chimeras harboring the core promoter/enhancer from HIV-1 clades B, C, and E.

Ini1/hSNF5 is dispensable for retrovirus-induced cytoplasmic accumulation of PML and does not interfere with integration.

Retroviral infection triggers the cytoplasmic translocation of two Crm1-dependent shuttle factors, namely the Ini1 (integrase interactor 1, hSNF5) and the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein. Blocking nuclear export of shuttle factors by leptomycin B increases the efficiency of retroviral integration, suggesting that some may mediate antiviral activity. While PML was shown to counteract proviral establishment, it remained unclear whether Ini1, a protein implicated in various processes during human immunodeficiency virus replication, has the same potential.

Anti-termination by SIV Tat requires flexibility of the nascent TAR structure.

Substitution of the SIVmac239 promoter/enhancer by the strong EF1alpha promoter results in a severe replication defect due to a failure to respond to Tat. Revertant viruses with minimal promoter sequences (two Sp1 sites and a TATA box) were obtained that had fully restored their replicative potential. Comparison of the different LTRs indicated that structural alterations in the TAR stem due to a 31bp exon of the EF1alpha promoter rather than the mere presence of transcription factor binding sites within U3 were responsible for the attenuation.

The effect of decreasing oxygen feed rates on growth and metabolism of Torulaspora delbrueckii.

The effect of decreasing oxygen feed rates on the growth and metabolism of Torulaspora delbrueckii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in chemostat cultures was investigated. The biosynthetic oxygen requirement, i.e.

The propeptide domain of lysyl oxidase induces phenotypic reversion of ras-transformed cells.

Lysyl oxidase is an extracellular enzyme critical for the normal biosynthesis of collagens and elastin. In addition, lysyl oxidase reverts ras-mediated transformation, and lysyl oxidase expression is down-regulated in human cancers. Since suramin inhibits growth factor signaling pathways and induces lysyl oxidase in ras-transformed NIH3T3 cells (RS485 cells), we sought to investigate the effects of suramin on the phenotype of transformed cells and the role of lysyl oxidase in mediating these effects.

APOBEC3G is a single-stranded DNA cytidine deaminase and functions independently of HIV reverse transcriptase.

In the absence of the viral vif gene, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may be restricted by the APOBEC3G gene on chromosome 22. The role of the HIV Vif protein is to exclude host cell APOBEC3G from the budding virion. As APOBEC3G shows sequence homology to cytidine deaminases, it is presumed that in the absence of Vif, cytidine residues in the cDNA are deaminated yielding uracil.

Lysyl oxidase-like and lysyl oxidase are present in the dermis and epidermis of a skin equivalent and in human skin and are associated to elastic fibers.

Elastic fiber formation involves the secretion of tropoelastin which is converted to insoluble elastin by cross-linking, initiated by the oxidative deamination of lysine residues by lysyl oxidase. Five lysyl oxidase genes have been discovered. This study deals with the expression of two isoforms, LOX and LOX-like (LOXL), in human foreskin and in a human skin-equivalent (SE) model that allows the formation of elastic fibers.

Potential for using thermophilic anaerobic bacteria for bioethanol production from hemicellulose.

A limited number of bacteria, yeast and fungi can convert hemicellulose or its monomers (xylose, arabinose, mannose and galactose) into ethanol with a satisfactory yield and productivity. In the present study we tested a number of thermophilic enrichment cultures, and new isolates of thermophilic anaerobic bacterial strains growing optimally at 70-80 degrees C for their ethanol production from D-xylose. The new isolates came from different natural and man-made systems such as hot springs, paper pulp mills and brewery waste water.

Comparative genomics of two Leptospira interrogans serovars reveals novel insights into physiology and pathogenesis.

Leptospira species colonize a significant proportion of rodent populations worldwide and produce life-threatening infections in accidental hosts, including humans. Complete genome sequencing of Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni and comparative analysis with the available Leptospira interrogans serovar Lai genome reveal that despite overall genetic similarity there are significant structural differences, including a large chromosomal inversion and extensive variation in the number and distribution of insertion sequence elements. Genome sequence analysis elucidates many of the novel aspects of leptospiral physiology relating to energy metabolism, oxygen tolerance, two-component signal transduction systems, and mechanisms of pathogenesis.

Death and the retrovirus.

A flurry of new papers has shown that HIV reverse transcription is vulnerable to G-->A hypermutation. Apparently, cytidine bases in nascent DNA synthesis are lethally edited by the host cell molecule apolipoprotein B editing complex protein (APOBEC) 3G. This death mechanism is circumvented by the HIV viral infectivity factor protein, which prevents APOBEC3G from entering the virion.

Tumour necrosis factor alpha and nuclear factor kappaB inhibit transcription of human TFF3 encoding a gastrointestinal healing peptide.

Background: and aims: Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) induction of nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) activation plays a major role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Trefoil factor family peptides TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3 exert protective, curative, and tumour suppressive functions in the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we investigated effects of the TNF-alpha/NFkappaB regulatory pathway by TNF-alpha on expression of TFFs.

Purification of bioethanol effluent in an UASB reactor system with simultaneous biogas formation.

In this study, the prospect of using an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor for detoxification of process water derived from bioethanol production has been investigated. The bioethanol effluent (BEE) originated from wet oxidized wheat straw fermented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Thermoanaerobacter mathranii A3M4 to produce ethanol from glucose and xylose, respectively. In batch experiments the methane potential of BEE was determined to 529 mL-CH(4)/g-VS.

Autocrine growth factor regulation of lysyl oxidase expression in transformed fibroblasts.

Lysyl oxidase catalyzes oxidative deamination of peptidyl-lysine and hydroxylysine residues in collagens and lysine residues in elastin to form peptidyl aldehydes that are required for the formation of covalent cross-links in normal extracellular matrix biosynthesis. Lysyl oxidase in addition has tumor suppressor activity, and phenotypic reversion of transformed cell lines is accompanied by increased lysyl oxidase expression. The mechanism of low expression of lysyl oxidase in tumor cells is unknown.

Expression analysis of recombinant lysyl oxidase (LOX) in myofibroblastlike cells.

Lysyl oxidase (LOX), originally known as the enzyme required for initiation of covalent cross-linking in collagens and elastin, is now known to be a member of a family of genetically related proteins. LOX, or a related protein, has also been localized intracellularly, both in association with the cytoskeleton and in the cell nucleus. To determine the structural requirements for secretion, maturation, and nuclear location of LOX in a cellular context, we have devised an homologous cell model for expression of the recombinant protein.