Cell Biology of Hyphal Growth.

Filamentous fungi are a large and ancient clade of microorganisms that occupy a broad range of ecological niches. The success of filamentous fungi is largely due to their elongate hypha, a chain of cells, separated from each other by septa. Hyphae grow by polarized exocytosis at the apex, which allows the fungus to overcome long distances and invade many substrates, including soils and host tissues.

Improved in vitro angiogenic behavior on anodized titanium dioxide nanotubes.

Background: Neovascularization over dental implants is an imperative requisite to achieve successful osseointegration onto implanted materials. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on in vitro angiogenesis of anodized 70 nm diameter TiO nanotubes (NTs) on Ti6Al4V alloy synthesized and disinfected by means of a novel, facile, antibacterial and cost-effective method using super oxidized water (SOW). We also evaluated the role of the surface roughness and chemical composition of materials of materials on angiogenesis.

Effect of silver nanoparticles on the metabolic rate, hematological response, and survival of juvenile white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is highly lethal and contagious in shrimps; its outbreaks causes an economic crisis for aquaculture. Several attempts have been made to treat this disease; however, to date, there is no effective cure. Because of their antimicrobial activities, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most studied nanomaterial.

A Tale of Two RNAs during Viral Infection: How Viruses Antagonize mRNAs and Small Non-Coding RNAs in The Host Cell.

Viral infection initiates an array of changes in host gene expression. Many viruses dampen host protein expression and attempt to evade the host anti-viral defense machinery. Host gene expression is suppressed at several stages of host messenger RNA (mRNA) formation including selective degradation of translationally competent messenger RNAs.

The sympathy of two pendulum clocks: beyond Huygens' observations.

This paper introduces a modern version of the classical Huygens' experiment on synchronization of pendulum clocks. The version presented here consists of two monumental pendulum clocks--ad hoc designed and fabricated--which are coupled through a wooden structure. It is demonstrated that the coupled clocks exhibit 'sympathetic' motion, i.

Consideration of Epstein-Barr Virus-Encoded Noncoding RNAs EBER1 and EBER2 as a Functional Backup of Viral Oncoprotein Latent Membrane Protein 1.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded noncoding RNAs EBER1 and EBER2 are highly abundant through all four latency stages of EBV infection (III-II-I-0) and have been associated with an oncogenic phenotype when expressed in cell lines cultured in vitro. In vivo, EBV-infected B cells derived from freshly isolated lymphocytes show that EBER1/2 deletion does not impair viral latency. Based on published quantitative proteomics data from BJAB cells expressing EBER1 and EBER2, we propose that the EBERs, through their activation of AKT in a B-cell-specific manner, are a functionally redundant backup of latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1)-an essential oncoprotein in EBV-associated malignancies, with a main role in AKT activation.

A heterotrimer model of the complete Microprocessor complex revealed by single-molecule subunit counting.

During microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis, the Microprocessor complex (MC), composed minimally of Drosha, an RNaseIII enzyme, and DGCR8, a double-stranded RNA-binding protein, cleaves the primary-miRNA (pri-miRNA) to release the pre-miRNA stem-loop structure. Size-exclusion chromatography of the MC, isolated from mammalian cells, suggested multiple copies of one or both proteins in the complex. However, the exact stoichiometry was unknown.

Characterization of a Novel Prevacuolar Compartment in Neurospora crassa.

Using confocal microscopy, we observed ring-like organelles, similar in size to nuclei, in the hyphal tip of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. These organelles contained a subset of vacuolar proteins. We hypothesize that they are novel prevacuolar compartments (PVCs).

Live imaging of β-1,3-glucan synthase FKS-1 in Neurospora crassa hyphae.

The subcellular localization and dynamics of FKS-1, the putative catalytic subunit of the β-1,3-glucan synthase complex, was analyzed in growing hyphae of Neurospora crassa by live confocal microscopy. GFP-tagged FKS-1 accumulated at the outer layer of the Spitzenkörper (Spk), and at the apical plasma membrane (PM). Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis revealed arrival of FKS-1-containing carriers first at the immediate surroundings of the core region of the Spk, and thereafter to the Spk most outer region.

Impact of seasonal changes on fungal diversity of a semi-arid ecosystem revealed by 454 pyrosequencing.

Fungi play fundamental ecological roles in terrestrial ecosystems. However, their distribution and diversity remain poorly described in natural communities, particularly in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. In order to identify environmental factors determining fungal community structure in these systems, we assessed their diversity in conjunction with soil physicochemical characteristics in a semi-arid ecosystem in Baja California, Mexico, endemic for Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever).

Dissecting the function of the different chitin synthases in vegetative growth and sexual development in Neurospora crassa.

Chitin, one of the most important carbohydrates of the fungal cell wall, is synthesized by chitin synthases (CHS). Seven sequences encoding CHSs have been identified in the genome of Neurospora crassa. Previously, CHS-1, -3 and -6 were found at the Spitzenkörper(Spk) core and developing septa.

Healthcare Engineering Defined: A White Paper.

Engineering has been playing an important role in serving and advancing healthcare. The term "Healthcare Engineering" has been used by professional societies, universities, scientific authors, and the healthcare industry for decades. However, the definition of "Healthcare Engineering" remains ambiguous.

Plant-derived anticancer agents: a promising treatment for bone metastasis.

Bone metastasis is a very frequent complication of advanced cancer, and it remains an incurable disease. Current therapies that have been approved for the treatment of bone metastases delay the occurrence of skeletal-related events and can extend the patient's lifespan by a few years. However, they will not cure or cause the regression of established bone metastases, and new side effects are emerging after prolonged treatment.

The Rab GTPase YPT-1 associates with Golgi cisternae and Spitzenkörper microvesicles in Neurospora crassa.

Vesicle traffic involves budding, transport, tethering and fusion of vesicles with acceptor membranes. GTP-bound small Rab GTPases interact with the membrane of vesicles, promoting their association with other factors before their subsequent fusion. Filamentous fungi contain at their hyphal apex the Spitzenkörper (Spk), a multivesicular structure to which vesicles concentrate before being redirected to specific cell sites.

Effects of communication media choice on the quality and efficacy of emergency calls assisted by a mobile nursing protocol tool.

The transition from paper to electronic-based records in the healthcare industry has posed several challenges to conventional medical practices. The introduction of technology in day-to-day medical and nursing practices deserves careful consideration. In this work, we report the results of a controlled experiment to compare nurses' consultation in emergency calls in six different conditions.

Reliable multihop broadcast protocol with a low-overhead link quality assessment for ITS based on VANETs in highway scenarios.

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have been identified as a key technology to enable intelligent transport systems (ITS), which are aimed to radically improve the safety, comfort, and greenness of the vehicles in the road. However, in order to fully exploit VANETs potential, several issues must be addressed. Because of the high dynamic of VANETs and the impairments in the wireless channel, one key issue arising when working with VANETs is the multihop dissemination of broadcast packets for safety and infotainment applications.

The Spitzenkörper: a choreographer of fungal growth and morphogenesis.

The Spitzenkörper (SPK) is a multicomponent pleomorphic structure found at hyphal apices. It is necessary to maintain hyphal growth and morphogenesis in numerous fungal species, including plant and human pathogens. At the turn of the 21st century extraordinary advances in protein tagging technology and live microscopy allowed uncovering the main molecular constituents of the SPK.

Proper actin ring formation and septum constriction requires coordinated regulation of SIN and MOR pathways through the germinal centre kinase MST-1.

Nuclear DBF2p-related (NDR) kinases constitute a functionally conserved protein family of eukaryotic regulators that control cell division and polarity. In fungi, they function as effector kinases of the morphogenesis (MOR) and septation initiation (SIN) networks and are activated by pathway-specific germinal centre (GC) kinases. We characterized a third GC kinase, MST-1, that connects both kinase cascades.

Detection of coccidioidal antibodies in serum of a small rodent community in Baja California, Mexico.

Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) represents a serious threat to inhabitants of endemic areas of North America. Despite successful clinical isolations of the fungal etiological agent, Coccidioides spp., the screening of environmental samples has had low effectiveness, mainly because of the poor characterization of Coccidioides ecological niche.

The Neurospora crassa exocyst complex tethers Spitzenkörper vesicles to the apical plasma membrane during polarized growth.

Fungal hyphae are among the most highly polarized cells. Hyphal polarized growth is supported by tip-directed transport of secretory vesicles, which accumulate temporarily in a stratified manner in an apical vesicle cluster, the Spitzenkörper. The exocyst complex is required for tethering of secretory vesicles to the apical plasma membrane.

The plasma membrane proton pump PMA-1 is incorporated into distal parts of the hyphae independently of the Spitzenkörper in Neurospora crassa.

Most models for fungal growth have proposed a directional traffic of secretory vesicles to the hyphal apex, where they temporarily aggregate at the Spitzenkörper before they fuse with the plasma membrane (PM). The PM H(+)-translocating ATPase (PMA-1) is delivered via the classical secretory pathway (endoplasmic reticulum [ER] to Golgi) to the cell surface, where it pumps H(+) out of the cell, generating a large electrochemical gradient that supplies energy to H(+)-coupled nutrient uptake systems. To characterize the traffic and delivery of PMA-1 during hyphal elongation, we have analyzed by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) strains of Neurospora crassa expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged versions of the protein.

Nurse home visits with or without alert buttons versus usual care in the frail elderly: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To assess whether an intervention based on nurse home visits including alert buttons (NV+AB) is effective in reducing frailty compared to nurse home visits alone (NV-only) and usual care (control group) for older adults.

Design: Unblinded, randomized, controlled trial.

Setting: Insured population covered by the Mexican Social Security Institute living in the city of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

DNA fingerprinting intron-sizing method to accomplish a specific, rapid, and sensitive identification of carotenogenic Dunaliella species.

Dunaliella salina has become the most important microorganism for the production of β-carotene around the world. Natural carotenoids are a source of active metabolites utilized in different areas of food nutrition and pharmaceuticals, both in humans and also in animals. Identification of Dunaliella species from natural environments or certified culture collections is not precise and it is time consuming.

Pathways of carotenoid biosynthesis in bacteria and microalgae.

The carotenoids, a subfamily of the isoprenoids, are among the most widespread, ancient, diverse, and rich class of all natural products and biomolecules. Microorganisms, as well as microalgae and bacteria synthesize isoprenoids from isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and its isomer dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP). For long time, mevalonic acid was assumed to be the only natural precursor for IPP and DMAPP in the cytosolic acetate/mevalonate pathway for the biosynthesis of sterols, sesquiterpenes, triterpenoids, and carotenoids.

Production of platinum nanoparticles and nanoaggregates using Neurospora crassa.

Fungal biomass and fungal extract of the nonpathogenic fungus Neurospora crassa were successfully used as reducing agents for the biosynthesis of platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs). The experiment was carried out by exposing the fungal biomass or the fungal extract to a 0.001 M precursor solution of hexachloroplatinic(IV) acid (H2PtCl6).