TFIIS is required for reproductive development and thermal adaptation in barley.

Barley reproductive fitness and efficient heat stress adaptation requires the activity of TFIIS, the elongation cofactor of RNAPII. Regulation of transcriptional machinery and its adaptive role under different stress conditions are studied extensively in the dicot model plant Arabidopsis, but our knowledge on monocot species remains elusive. TFIIS is an RNA polymerase II-associated transcription elongation cofactor.

Non-classical circulating monocytes expressing high levels of microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 tag an aberrant IFN-response in systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex disease that affects the connective tissue, causing fibrosis. SSc patients show altered immune cell composition and activation in the peripheral blood (PB). PB monocytes (Mos) are recruited into tissues where they differentiate into macrophages, which are directly involved in fibrosis.

Coding and noncoding transcriptomes of NODULIN HOMEOBOX (NDX)-deficient Arabidopsis inflorescence.

Arabidopsis NODULIN HOMEOBOX (NDX) is a plant-specific transcriptional regulator whose role in small RNA biogenesis and heterochromatin homeostasis has recently been described. Here we extend our previous transcriptomic analysis to the flowering stage of development. We performed mRNA-seq and small RNA-seq measurements on inflorescence samples of wild-type and ndx1-4 mutant (WiscDsLox344A04) Arabidopsis plants.

Metabolite profiling of tubers of an early- and a late-maturing potato line and their grafts.

Introduction: Earliness of tuberisation and the quality of potato tubers are important traits in potato breeding. The qualitative traits rely on the metabolite profile of tubers, which are storage organs and net importers of assimilates. Thus, the quality of tubers largely depends on the metabolites transported from leaves to developing tubers.

NODULIN HOMEOBOX is required for heterochromatin homeostasis in Arabidopsis.

Arabidopsis NODULIN HOMEOBOX (NDX) is a nuclear protein described as a regulator of specific euchromatic genes within transcriptionally active chromosome arms. Here we show that NDX is primarily a heterochromatin regulator that functions in pericentromeric regions to control siRNA production and non-CG methylation. Most NDX binding sites coincide with pericentromeric het-siRNA loci that mediate transposon silencing, and are antagonistic with R-loop structures that are prevalent in euchromatic chromosomal arms.

Effects of the repression of GIGANTEA gene StGI.04 on the potato leaf transcriptome and the anthocyanin content of tuber skin.

Background: GIGANTEA (GI) is a plant-specific, circadian clock-regulated, nuclear protein with pleiotropic functions found in many plant species. This protein is involved in flowering, circadian clock control, chloroplast biogenesis, carbohydrate metabolism, stress responses, and volatile compound synthesis. In potato (Solanum tuberosum L.

Sox9 Is Required for Nail-Bed Differentiation and Digit-Tip Regeneration.

The nail organ is a specialized appendage in which several ectodermal tissues coordinately function to sustain nail growth, a process that is coupled to digit regeneration. In this study, we show that the transcription factor Sox9 is expressed in several cell populations in the mouse digit tip. We found a SOX9 cell population in the nail bed, and genetic lineage tracing showed that this is a transient cell population differentiated from matrix nail stem cells.

Elongation factor TFIIS is essential for heat stress adaptation in plants.

Elongation factor TFIIS (transcription factor IIS) is structurally and biochemically probably the best characterized elongation cofactor of RNA polymerase II. However, little is known about TFIIS regulation or its roles during stress responses. Here, we show that, although TFIIS seems unnecessary under optimal conditions in Arabidopsis, its absence renders plants supersensitive to heat; tfIIs mutants die even when exposed to sublethal high temperature.

Genetic characterization of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in Escherichia coli isolates of pigs from a Portuguese intensive swine farm.

There is a great concern by the emergence and the wide dissemination of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) among animal Escherichia coli isolates. We intended to determinate the carriage level and type of ESBLs in E. coli obtained from fecal samples from pigs raised on an intensive pig farm in Portugal; further to characterize other associated resistance genes and their plasmid content, the phylogenetic groups, and the clonal relationship of ESBL-positive isolates.

Positive selection of mutants defective in transcriptional repression of riboflavin synthesis by iron in the flavinogenic yeast Pichia guilliermondii.

It is known for many years that iron represses synthesis of riboflavin (RF) and most of RF-synthesizing enzymes in several yeast species, known as flavinogenic yeasts. However, the mechanism of such repression is not known. We have found that iron represses transcription of RIB1 and RIB7 genes coding for the first and the last enzymes of RF biosynthesis in the model flavinogenic organism Pichia guilliermondii.

Competitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for quantifying pre-mRNA and mRNA of major acute phase proteins.

Competitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is an increasingly used method for quantifying RNA. The technique involves co-amplification from test RNA with an internal standard using common primers in a single reaction. The standard competes for primers and enzyme and it is therefore referred to as a competitor.

Down-regulation of the major circulating precursors of proteins deposited in secondary amyloidosis by a recombinant mouse interleukin-1 receptor antagonist.

An inflammatory response was induced in C57BL/6 mice using silver nitrate. Co-administration of a recombinant mouse interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (rmIL-1ra) significantly reduced the magnitude of hepatic induction of the mRNA specifying the serum amyloid A (A-SAA) isoforms A-SAA1 and A-SAA2 for up to 24 h. In relative terms, the amount by which the induction of serum A-SAA protein levels could be countered by the antagonist was less, probably reflecting extrahepatic A-SAA synthesis that is regulated independently of IL-1.

Expression of a biologically active recombinant mouse IL-1 receptor antagonist and its use in vivo to modulate aspects of the acute phase response.

Recombinant mouse IL-1receptor antagonist protein (rmIL-1ra) was expressed in Escherichia coli. In vivo administration of rmIL-1ra, in a casein-induced murine model of acute inflammation, completely abolished the hepatic induction of the mRNAs specifying serum amyloid A1 (A-SAA1) and A-SAA2 for up to 12 h, indicating that hepatic A-SAA mRNA synthesis is totally IL-1 driven. A-SAA protein, however, was present in the serum of rmIL-1ra-treated casein-stimulated mice (although at lower levels than in untreated casein-stimulated mice) at 12 h indicating that extrahepatic A-SAA synthesis is driven in part by factors acting independently of IL-1.

Use of the acute phase serum amyloid A2 (SAA2) gene promoter in the analysis of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators: differential kinetics of SAA2 promoter induction by IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha compared to IL-6.

A cytokine responsive construct, pGL2-SAA2pt, was generated by cloning the acute phase promoter of human serum amyloid A2 (SAA2) upstream of a luciferase reporter gene. The construct responds to the inflammatory mediators MoCM, IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 in a manner that closely mimics the response of the endogenous SAA2 gene to such stimuli: i.e.

Acute phase proteins in salmonids: evolutionary analyses and acute phase response.

Inflammation induces dramatic changes in the biosynthetic profile of the liver, leading to increased serum concentrations of positive acute phase (AP) proteins and decreased concentrations of negative AP proteins. Serum amyloid A (SAA) and the pentraxins C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid P component (SAP) are major AP proteins: their serum levels can rise by 1000-fold, indicating that they play a critical role in defense and/or the restoration of homeostasis. We have cloned SAA and a SAP-like pentraxin from salmonid fish species.

Wallaby serum amyloid A protein: cDNA cloning, sequence and evolutionary analysis.

A serum amyloid A (SAA) clone was isolated from a Tammar wallaby cDNA library, the most distantly related mammalian species for which an SAA has been described to date. The clone predicts a premolecule of 127 amino acids with good homology to other mammalian SAAs, and consists of an 18 residue leader peptide and a mature protein of 109 amino acids. Evolutionary analysis at both the protein and nucleotide level indicate that the wallaby SAA clone clusters with the acute phase SAAs.

Mapping of the mouse serum amyloid A gene cluster by long-range polymerase chain reaction.

The present study defines the organization of the mouse serum amyloid A (Saa) gene cluster on chromosome 7. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based strategy was used successfully to generate a complete map of the mouse Saa genes, defining a linkage group of 3'-Saa2-5'/5'-Saa1-3'/5'-Saa4-3'/5'-Saa5-3'/5'-+ ++Saa3-3', with a maximum size of 45 kilobases (kb). This contrasts with the 150 kb human SAA gene cluster, which has been previously defined.

Fine mapping of the human pentraxin gene region on chromosome 1q23.

The 1q21 to 25 region of human chromosome 1 contains genes which encode proteins with immune- and inflammation-associated functions. These include the pentraxin genes, for C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid P (SAP) protein (APCS),a nd a CRP pseudogene (CRPP1). The region of chromosome 1 containing this cluster is syntenic with distal mouse chromosome 1.

Ribozyme mediated cleavage of acute phase serum amyloid A (A-SAA) mRNA in vitro.

The 1000-fold induction of acute phase serum amyloid A (A-SAA) in the liver during inflammation indicates that this protein plays an important, though ill-defined, role in host defence. Paradoxically, prolonged overproduction of A-SAA is a causative factor in secondary amyloidosis and possibly other diseases such as atherosclerosis; the ability to down-regulate A-SAA synthesis is therefore of considerable clinical importance. We have successfully generated anti-SAA hammerhead ribozymes and we report that they are capable of cleaving A-SAA mRNA in vitro.

S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase from Xenopus laevis--identification, developmental expression and evolution.

S-Adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase (EC 3.3.1.

Evolution of the serum amyloid A (SAA) protein superfamily.

The serum amyloid A (SAA) superfamily comprises a number of genes and proteins characterized from a range of mammalian species. The majority of members described to date are dramatically induced during the acute-phase response, suggesting an important short-term beneficial role in the response to tissue injury and inflammation. However, important disease associations have also been proposed for certain SAAs during chronic inflammation.

The human serum amyloid A protein (SAA) superfamily gene cluster: mapping to chromosome 11p15.1 by physical and genetic linkage analysis.

The human serum amyloid A protein (SAA) family comprises a number of small, hepatically produced, differentially expressed apolipoproteins encoded by genes localized on the short arm of chromosome 11.SAA1 and SAA2 are highly related genes that together encode the acute-phase SAAs; SAA3 is a pseudogene; and SAA4 is a low-level constitutively expressed gene encoding constitutive SAA. We have used a combination of physical and genetic mapping techniques to provide evidence that the SAA gene superfamily comprises a cluster of closely linked genes localized to 11p15.