Structural variation and phylogenetic analysis of the mating-type locus in the genus .

True morels ( spp.) are a group of edible fungi that are in high demand worldwide. However, this group of fungi remains poorly understood in terms of its genetic structure, life cycle, and mating system.

Usnic acid attenuates genomic instability in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells as well as chemical-induced preneoplastic lesions in rat colon.

Usnic acid (UA) is one of the pharmacologically most important compounds produced by several lichen species. To better understand the mechanism of action (MOA) of this important substance, this study examined the genotoxicity attributed to UA and its influence on mutagens with varying MOA using the micronucleus (MN) test in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO). Additional experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of UA on colon carcinogenesis in Wistar rats employing the aberrant crypt focus (ACF) assay.

Polychlorinated biphenyls promote cell survival through pyruvate kinase M2-dependent glycolysis in HeLa cells.

It is well known that polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are typical persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment. The present study investigated the effects of three PCBs including 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126), 2,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB118), and 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB153) on human cervical carcinoma HeLa cell survival and the possible underlying mechanisms. The results showed that PCB126, PCB118, or PCB153 exposure for 48 h significantly promoted HeLa cell survival.

Phytoremediation of petroleum-contaminated soil by : from activity to physiological and morphological communications.

Petroleum is one of the critical environmental pollutants. can grow in petroleum-contaminated soil. Therefore, the potential of two Iranian species, Akhani and Akhani, for phytoremediation of soils contaminated with 0.

Genetic Polymorphism and Bottleneck Analysis of Balkhi, Hashtnagri, and Michni Sheep Populations Using Microsatellite Markers.

Pakistan is rich in sheep genetic resources. Balkhi, Hashtnagri, and Michni are neighboring sheep populations found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. In this study, we analyzed the genetic structures and bottleneck incidents within these sheep populations using 31 microsatellite DNA markers.

Phytoremediation of Ni-contaminated soil by Salicornia iranica.

Although nickel (Ni) is useful and is used in various industries, it is one of the most usual and important sources of heavy metals pollutants in the world. In this study, Salicornia iranica was used in order to phytoremediate Ni-contaminated soil. Possible mechanisms of plant tolerance to Ni pollution and its detoxification were studied through using expression analysis of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and measurement of involved key physiological components.

Over-expression, characterization, and modification of highly active alkaline phosphatase from a Shewanella genus bacterium.

We isolated a Shewanella sp. T3-3 bacterium that yielded highly active alkaline phosphatase (APase). We then cloned the APase gene from Shewanella sp.

Dietary total antioxidant capacity is associated with plasmatic antioxidant capacity, nutrient intake and lipid and DNA damage in healthy women.

Dietary total antioxidant capacity (DTAC) seems to be associated with reducing risk of diseases. However, data about the influence of the DTAC on oxidative stress parameters are scarce. The aim of this study was to estimate the DTAC and its influence on plasma total antioxidant capacity (PTAC), and damage to lipids, proteins and DNA in healthy women.

Possible regulation of caveolar endocytosis and flattening by phosphorylation of F-BAR domain protein PACSIN2/Syndapin II.

Caveolae are flask-shaped invaginations of the plasma membrane. The BAR domain proteins form crescent-shaped dimers, and their oligomeric filaments are considered to form spirals at the necks of invaginations, such as clathrin-coated pits and caveolae. PACSIN2/Syndapin II is one of the BAR domain-containing proteins, and is localized at the necks of caveolae.

Degradation of sec-hexylbenzene and its metabolites by a biofilm-forming yeast Trichosporon asahii B1 isolated from oil-contaminated sediments in Quangninh coastal zone, Vietnam.

This article reports on the ability of yeast Trichosporon asahii B1 biofilm-associated cells, compared with that of planktonic cells, to transform sec-hexylbenzene and its metabolites. This B1 strain was isolated from a petroleum-polluted sediment collected in the QuangNinh coastal zones in Vietnam, and it can transform the branched aromatic hydrocarbons into a type of forming biofilm (pellicle) more efficiency than that the planktonic forms can. In the biofilm cultivation, seven metabolites, including acetophenone, benzoic acid, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, β-methylcinnamic acid, 2-phenylpropionic acid, 3-phenylbutyric acid, and 5-phenylhexanoic acid were extracted by ethyl acetate and analyzed by HPLC and GC-MS.

Evolutionarily conserved exon definition interactions with U11 snRNP mediate alternative splicing regulation on U11-48K and U11/U12-65K genes.

Many splicing regulators bind to their own pre-mRNAs to induce alternative splicing that leads to formation of unstable mRNA isoforms. This provides an autoregulatory feedback mechanism that regulates the cellular homeostasis of these factors. We have described such an autoregulatory mechanism for two core protein components, U11-48K and U11/U12-65K, of the U12-dependent spliceosome.

Automated in situ brain imaging for mapping the Drosophila connectome.

Mapping the connectome, a wiring diagram of the entire brain, requires large-scale imaging of numerous single neurons with diverse morphology. It is a formidable challenge to reassemble these neurons into a virtual brain and correlate their structural networks with neuronal activities, which are measured in different experiments to analyze the informational flow in the brain. Here, we report an in situ brain imaging technique called Fly Head Array Slice Tomography (FHAST), which permits the reconstruction of structural and functional data to generate an integrative connectome in Drosophila.

A new anti-inflammatory β-carboline alkaloid from the hairy-root cultures of Eurycoma longifolia.

One new β-carboline alkaloid 7-methoxy-(9H-β-carbolin-1-il)-(E)-1-propenoic acid (1) together with 9-methoxycanthin-6-one (2) and 9-hydroxycanthin-6-one (3) were isolated from the hairy-root cultures of Eurycoma longifolia. The effects of these compounds on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cells were investigated.

A role for homologous recombination proteins in cell cycle regulation.

Eukaryotic cells respond to DNA breaks, especially double-stranded breaks (DSBs), by activating the DNA damage response (DDR), which encompasses DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoint signaling. The DNA damage signal is transmitted to the checkpoint machinery by a network of specialized DNA damage-recognizing and signal-transducing molecules. However, recent evidence suggests that DNA repair proteins themselves may also directly contribute to the checkpoint control.

Characterization of a thermostable glucose dehydrogenase with strict substrate specificity from a hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermoproteus sp. GDH-1.

A hyperthermophilic archaeon was isolated from a terrestrial hot spring on Kodakara Island, Japan and designated as Thermoproteus sp. glucose dehydrogenase (GDH-1). Cell extracts from cells grown in medium supplemented with glucose exhibited NAD(P)-dependent glucose dehydrogenase activity.

Regulation of gene expression through inefficient splicing of U12-type introns.

U12-type introns are a rare class of nuclear introns that are removed by a dedicated U12-dependent spliceosome and are thought to regulate the expression of their target genes owing through their slower splicing reaction. Recent genome-wide studies on the splicing of U12-type introns are now providing new insights on the biological significance of this parallel splicing machinery. The new studies cover multiple different organisms and experimental systems, including human patient cells with mutations in the components of the minor spliceosome, zebrafish with similar mutations and various experimentally manipulated human cells and Arabidopsis plants.

KSHV viral cyclin interferes with T-cell development and induces lymphoma through Cdk6 and Notch activation in vivo.

Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV)-encoded v-cyclin, a homolog of cellular cyclin D2, activates cellular CDK6, promotes G1-S transition of the cell cycle, induces DNA damage, apoptosis, autophagy and is reported to have oncogenic potential. Here we show that in vivo expression of v-cyclin in the B- and T-cell lymphocyte compartments results in a markedly low survival due to high penetrance of early-onset T-cell lymphoma and pancarditis. The v-cyclin transgenic mice have smaller pre-tumorigenic lymphoid organs, showing decreased cellularity, and increased proliferation and apoptosis.

Transformation of iso-pentylbenzene by a biofilm-forming strain of Candida viswanathii TH1 isolated from oil-polluted sediments collected in coastal zones in Vietnam.

This work is aimed to assess the aerobic biotransformation of a branched side chain alkylbenzene, iso-pentylbenzene, by Candida viswanathii TH1. The yeast Candida viswanathii TH1 isolated from oil-polluted sediments collected in coastal zones in Vietnam exhibited as a strain that could better transform branched aromatic hydrocarbons in biofilm (pellicle) than in planktonic form. During incubation of TH1 as biofilm with iso-pentylbenzene, the seven intermediates produced were benzoic acid, phenylacetic acid, 2-methyl-4-phenyl-butan-1-ol, 2-hydroxy-phenylacetic acid, 2-methyl-4-phenylbutyric acid, succinic acid and iso-valerophenone as revealed by gas chromatography/mass spectra and high-performance liquid chromatography analyses.

Immobilization of Piromyces rhizinflata β-glucanase on poly(dimethylsiloxane) and Si wafer and prediction of optimum reaction for enzyme activity.

EglA, a β-1,4-glucanase isolated from the ruminal fungus Piromyces rhizinflata, shows promise in a wide range of industrial applications because of its broad substrate specificity. In this study, EglA was immobilized on different supporting materials including poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), Si wafer, textured Si wafer, and indium tin oxide-coated (ITO-coated) glass. The binding abilities of PDMS and Si wafer toward EglA were significantly higher than those of the other supporting materials.

Two new neoclerodane diterpenoids from Scutellaria barbata D. Don growing in Vietnam.

Various chromatographic separations of the aerial parts of Scutellaria barbata afforded two new neoclerodane diterpenoids, scutebatas S and T (1 and 2), along with scutebata D (3). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, 1D and 2D NMR and comparison with the literature values. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activities against HL-60 (promyeloblast) human cancer cells.

A novel and other bioactive secondary metabolites from a marine fungus Penicillium oxalicum 0312F1.

A new compound 2-(4-hydroxybenzoyl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one (1) and four known compounds were isolated from a marine fungus Penicillium oxalicum 0312F1. The structure of the new compound 1 was elucidated based on the spectroscopic analysis. Bioactivity assays showed that 2-(4-hydroxybenzyl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one (2) and methyl 4-hydroxyphenylacetate (5) had potent inhibitory activity against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), and the new compound 1 had moderate inhibitory activity against TMV and human gastric cancer cell SGC-7901.