An infection of any part of female reproductive tract can severely interfere with fertility and reproduction. The fluids and epithelium from the lumen of the female reproductive tract (uterus, oviduct and ovarian follicle) are a known source of antimicrobial action in several species. In this study, we compared the antimicrobial properties of fluids from the reproductive tract of a cow. After removal of small molecules, we demonstrated that there is an antimicrobial activity connected with a fraction of compounds with a molecular mass range between 3500 and 30,000. The most probable candidates responsible for the observed antimicrobial effect were subsequently identified by mass spectroscopy as histones H2A type 2-C, H2B type 1-K, H3.3, and H4. The antimicrobial role of histone H2B was further confirmed by using an antibody against this histone.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.12.077 | DOI Listing |
Mar Pollut Bull
January 2025
Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, Karnataka, India; Dakshin Foundation, CQAL Layout, Bengaluru 560092, Karnataka, India.
Pollutants such as microplastics (MPs) are detrimental to the health of humans, animals and reduce the quality of the environment. These particles can be ingested and accumulate in marine biota through the food chain leading to adverse effects on various physiological processes. Sharks, which typically occupy higher trophic levels in the marine food chain, may exhibit the highest accumulation of MPs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Microbiol
January 2025
Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, NHC Key Lab of Reproduction Regulation, Shanghai Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Shanghai, 200237, China.
Background: Recurrent vaginitis in conjunction with urinary tract infection (RV/UTI) in perimenopausal women is a common clinical condition that impacts both doctors and patients. Its pathogenesis is not completely known, but the urogenital microbiota is thought to be involved. We compared the urogenital and gut microbiotas of perimenopausal women experiencing RV/UTI with those of age-matched controls to provide a new microbiological perspective and scheme for solving clinical problems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAndrology
January 2025
Institute for Advanced Biosciences, INSERM U 1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Team "Physiopathology and Pathophysiology of Sperm Cells", Grenoble, France.
Background: In mammals, sperm fertilization potential relies on efficient progression within the female genital tract to reach and fertilize the oocyte. This fundamental property is supported by the flagellum, an evolutionarily conserved organelle, which contains dynein motor proteins that provide the mechanical force for sperm propulsion and motility. Primary motility of the sperm cells is acquired during their transit through the epididymis and hyperactivated motility is acquired throughout the journey in the female genital tract by a process called capacitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Endocrinol Invest
January 2025
Regional Reference Center for Gender Incongruence (CRRIG) of the Veneto Region, University Hospital of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Purpose: Previous studies show that transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals, especially those assigned male at birth (AMAB), often have low bone mineral density (BMD) before beginning gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT). The reasons for this are not fully understood, and the potential role of androgen receptor (AR) polymorphisms - known to affect bone density in the general population - has not been explored. This study aims to assess the impact of AR polymorphisms on bone health in the TGD population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNature
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Reproduction, development and homeostasis depend on motile cilia, whose rhythmic beating is powered by a microtubule-based molecular machine called the axoneme. Although an atomic model of the axoneme is available for the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, structures of mammalian axonemes are incomplete. Furthermore, we do not fully understand how molecular structures of axonemes vary across motile-ciliated cell types in the body.
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