Biochemical characterization of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase regulatory subunit-like protein from Trypanosoma equiperdum, detection of its inhibitory activity, and identification of potential interacting proteins.

An enriched fraction of an inhibitor of both the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) from pig heart and a Trypanosoma equiperdum PKA catalytic subunit-like protein (TeqC-like) was obtained from the soluble fraction of T. equiperdum parasites after three consecutive purification steps: sedimentation through a linear 5-20% sucrose gradient, diethylaminoethyl-Sepharose anion-exchange chromatography, and Bio-Sil Sec-400-S size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography. The inhibitor was identified as the T.

Incorporating Phage Therapy into WPI Dip Coatings for Applications on Fresh Whole and Cut Fruit and Vegetable Surfaces.

Unlabelled: There is a significant unmet need to develop antimicrobial solutions to reduce the risk of contamination in fresh produce. Bacteriophages have been proposed as a potential approach for controlling foodborne pathogens. This study evaluated the combination of edible dip coatings with T7 bacteriophages on whole and cut produce.

Browplasminin, a condensed tannin with anti-plasmin activity isolated from an aqueous extract of Brownea grandiceps Jacq. flowers.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Following Venezuelan traditional medicine, females with heavy menstrual blood loss (menorrhagia) drink Brownea grandiceps Jacq. flowers (BG) decoctions to reduce the bleeding. In a previous study, we demonstrated that BG aqueous extract (E) possesses a potent anti-fibrinolytic activity capable of inhibiting plasmin, the main serine-protease that degrades fibrin.

Protein content of the Hylesia metabus egg nest setae (Cramer [1775]) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) and its association with the parental investment for the reproductive success and lepidopterism.

Unlabelled: Hylesia metabus is a neotropical moth possessing toxic setae, which once in contact with the skin cause a severe dermatitis to humans known as lepidopterism. The only known function of the setae in the life cycle is to provide protection during the mating and egg-hatching stages. Approximately 65% of the protein content of the setae is a cluster of five proteases (28-45kDa) showing sequence homology to other S1A serine proteases.

High hydrostatic pressure as a method to preserve fresh-cut Hachiya persimmons: A structural approach.

The "Hachiya" persimmon is the most common astringent cultivar grown in California and it is rich in tannins and carotenoids. Changes in the microstructure and some physicochemical properties during high hydrostatic pressure processing (200-400 MPa, 3 min, 25 ℃) and subsequent refrigerated storage were analyzed in this study in order to evaluate the suitability of this non-thermal technology for preservation of fresh-cut Hachiya persimmons. The effects of high-hydrostatic pressure treatment on the integrity and location of carotenoids and tannins during storage were also analyzed.

Comparative proteomic analysis of growth hormone secretagogue A233 treatment of murine macrophage cells J774A.2 indicates it has a role in antiviral innate response.

Background: Growth hormone secretagogues (GHS), among other factors, regulate the release of GH. The biological activity of the secretagogue peptide A233 as a promoter of growth and innate immunity in teleost fish has previously been demonstrated, but its role in the immune system of mammals is not well understood.

Methods: The effect of the peptide was investigated in J774A.

Influence of Vacuum Cooling on Escherichia coli O157:H7 Infiltration in Fresh Leafy Greens via a Multiphoton-Imaging Approach.

Microbial pathogen infiltration in fresh leafy greens is a significant food safety risk factor. In various postharvest operations, vacuum cooling is a critical process for maintaining the quality of fresh produce. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the risk of vacuum cooling-induced infiltration of Escherichia coli O157:H7 into lettuce using multiphoton microscopy.

Capture and detection of T7 bacteriophages on a nanostructured interface.

A highly ordered array of T7 bacteriophages was created by the electrophoretic capture of phages onto a nanostructured array with wells that accommodated the phages. Electrophoresis of bacteriophages was achieved by applying a positive potential on an indium tin oxide electrode at the bottom of the nanowells. Nanoscale arrays of phages with different surface densities were obtained by changing the electric field applied to the bottom of the nanowells.

A reversible abnormal form of myelin: an X-ray scattering study of human sural and rat sciatic nerves.

A sural nerve dissected from a recently dead patient displayed an unusual X-ray diffraction pattern, suggesting that in situ and at the time of the patient's death the myelin sheaths were in a swollen state. Diffraction patterns of the swollen type were also recorded from: (1) a sural nerve from the corpse of a neurologically healthy person after soaking the nerve with Ringer solution at pH 5.5; (2) sciatic nerves dissected from rat cadavers at increasing time after death.

Malnutrition and myelin structure: an X-ray scattering study of rat sciatic and optic nerves.

Taking advantage of the fast and accurate X-ray scattering techniques recently developed in our laboratory, we tackled the study of the structural alterations induced in myelin by malnutrition. Our work was performed on sciatic and optic nerves dissected from rats fed with either a normal or a low-protein caloric diet, as a function of age (from birth to 60 days). By way of electrophysiological controls we also measured (on the sciatic nerves) the height and velocity of the compound action potential.

The action of local anesthetics on myelin structure and nerve conduction in toad sciatic nerve.

X-ray scattering and electrophysiological experiments were performed on toad sciatic nerves in the presence of local anesthetics. In vitro experiments were performed on dissected nerves superfused with Ringer's solutions containing procaine, lidocaine, tetracaine, or dibucaine. In vivo experiments were performed on nerves dissected from animals anesthesized by targeted injections of tetracaine-containing solutions.

Order-disorder phenomena in myelinated nerve sheaths. VI. The effects of quaking, jimpy and shiverer mutations: an X-ray scattering study of mouse sciatic and optic nerves.

We report the X-ray scattering study of sciatic and optic nerve myelin from shiverer, jimpy and quaking mice mutants and from the corresponding controls. These three mutations are known to affect dramatically central nervous system (CNS) myelin and to induce comparatively minor alterations in peripheral nervous system (PNS) myelin. Scattering experiments and data reduction were carried out using the techniques and algorithms developed in our laboratory and previously applied to several problems involving the structure of myelin.

Order-disorder phenomena in myelinated nerve sheaths: V. Effects of temperature on rat sciatic and optic nerves, and structural differences between the two types of nerve.

We describe in this work X-ray scattering and electron microscope studies of rat sciatic and optic nerves as a function of temperature. The scattering experiments were analyzed as described in the previous papers of this series: a variety of parameters were determined, some of which characterize the lattice disorder, others the structure of the motif. The main results are the following.

Order-disorder phenomena in myelinated nerve sheaths. III. The structure of myelin in rat optic nerves over the course of myelinogenesis.

An X-ray scattering study was performed on optic nerves dissected from rats aged from ten days to one year. The spectra were analysed using the procedure described in the previous papers of this series. Each experiment yields the values of a variety of parameters: the average D and the variance sigma D of the repeat distance, the average number mean value of N of motifs per crystallite, the fraction alpha loose of myelin that does not belong to the compact sheaths, the sets [idiff(h/D)] and [imotif(k/2D)] that suffice to define, respectively, the spurious scattering and the continuous intensity curve of the elementary membrane pair.

Order-disorder phenomena in myelinated nerve sheaths. II. The structure of myelin in native and swollen rat sciatic nerves and in the course of myelinogenesis.

The algorithm described in the accompanying paper was applied to X-ray scattering experiments performed with rat sciatic nerves, either as a function of the age of the animal (4 to 30 days), or with adult nerves swollen in non-isotonic media. The results were all consistent with the model of disorder used in the theoretical treatment. The algorithm leads, in one step, from the data to the numerical values of the parameters, avoiding all intermediate manipulation.

An X-ray diffraction study of changes in myelin structure during experimental allergic neuritis.

In order to determine whether the structure of the myelin membranes is modified during experimental allergic neuritis (EAN), we have performed X-ray diffraction studies of in vivo and of isolated sciatic nerves from Lewis rats exposed to different EAN-producing treatments. We have observed a decrease of the intensities in the X-ray reflections without changes in spatial resolution. The level of decrease correlated with the severity of the demyelinating lesions.