Search results for " Function"
showing 10 items of 9395 documents
Whole-genome sequencing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a forensic transmission case.
2019
Abstract Molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic analyses are frequently used in the investigation of viral transmission cases in forensic contexts. Here, we present the methods and results of the analysis of a bacterial transmission episode in an alleged child abuse case using complete genome sequences obtained by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) methods. We obtained genomes of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from the victim, the suspect, and 29 unrelated controls. The analysis of the genomes revealed that the victim and suspect isolates had identical sequences in both the bacterial chromosome and the single plasmid present in them. One of the local controls was very similar (differing in only 2 SNP…
CENP-A Is Dispensable for Mitotic Centromere Function after Initial Centromere/Kinetochore Assembly
2016
SummaryHuman centromeres are defined by chromatin containing the histone H3 variant CENP-A assembled onto repetitive alphoid DNA sequences. By inducing rapid, complete degradation of endogenous CENP-A, we now demonstrate that once the first steps of centromere assembly have been completed in G1/S, continued CENP-A binding is not required for maintaining kinetochore attachment to centromeres or for centromere function in the next mitosis. Degradation of CENP-A prior to kinetochore assembly is found to block deposition of CENP-C and CENP-N, but not CENP-T, thereby producing defective kinetochores and failure of chromosome segregation. Without the continuing presence of CENP-A, CENP-B binding …
Expression and Signaling of β-Adrenoceptor Subtypes in the Diabetic Heart.
2020
Diabetes is a chronic, endocrine disorder that effects millions of people worldwide. Cardiovascular complications are the major cause of diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. Cardiac β1- and β2-adrenoceptor (AR) stimulation mediates positive inotropy and chronotropy, whereas β3-AR mediates negative inotropic effect. Changes in β-AR responsiveness are thought to be an important factor that contributes to the diabetic cardiac dysfunction. Diabetes related changes in β-AR expression, signaling, and β-AR mediated cardiac function have been studied by several investigators for many years. In the present review, we have screened PubMed database to obtain relevant articles on this topic. Our s…
On the continuous and discontinuous maximal operators
2018
Abstract In the first part of this paper we study the regularity properties of a wide class of maximal operators. These results are used to show that the spherical maximal operator is continuous W 1 , p ( R n ) ↦ W 1 , p ( R n ) , when p > n n − 1 . Other given applications include fractional maximal operators and maximal singular integrals. On the other hand, we show that the restricted Hardy–Littlewood maximal operator M λ , where the supremum is taken over the cubes with radii greater than λ > 0 , is bounded from L p ( R n ) to W 1 , p ( R n ) but discontinuous.
Effects of gaseous and solid constituents of air pollution on endothelial function
2018
Abstract Ambient air pollution is a leading cause of non-communicable disease globally. The largest proportion of deaths and morbidity due to air pollution is now known to be due to cardiovascular disorders. Several particulate and gaseous air pollutants can trigger acute events (e.g. myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure). While the mechanisms by which air pollutants cause cardiovascular events is undergoing continual refinement, the preponderant evidence support rapid effects of a diversity of pollutants including all particulate pollutants (e.g. course, fine, ultrafine particles) and gaseous pollutants such as ozone, on vascular function. Indeed alterations in endothelial function…
The joint evolution of the Myxozoa and their alternate hosts: A cnidarian recipe for success and vast biodiversity
2018
The relationships between parasites and their hosts are intimate, dynamic and complex; the evolution of one is inevitably linked to the other. Despite multiple origins of parasitism in the Cnidaria, only parasites belonging to the Myxozoa are characterized by a complex life cycle, alternating between fish and invertebrate hosts, as well as by high species diversity. This inspired us to examine the history of adaptive radiations in myxozoans and their hosts by determining the degree of congruence between their phylogenies and by timing the emergence of myxozoan lineages in relation to their hosts. Recent genomic analyses suggested a common origin of Polypodium hydriforme, a cnidarian parasit…
Transcriptome Analysis of PA Gain and Loss of Function Mutants
2017
Functional genomics has become a forefront methodology for plant science thanks to the widespread development of microarray technology. While technical difficulties associated with the process of obtaining raw expression data have been diminishing, allowing the appearance of tremendous amounts of transcriptome data in different databases, a common problem using "omic" technologies remains: the interpretation of these data and the inference of its biological meaning. In order to assist to this complex task, a wide variety of software tools have been developed. In this chapter we describe our current workflow of the application of some of these analyses. We have used it to compare the transcr…
The Binding Mechanism of Epolactaene to Hsp60 Unveiled by in Silico Modelling
2016
Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations and DFT/MM calculations were performed in order to rationalize available experimental results and to provide structural details on the binding mechanism of Epolactaene (EPO) to the 60 KDa Heat Shock Protein (Hsp60). The available crystal structure of Hsp60 represents the last step of the chaperone folding cycle, while the Hsp60-EPO complex was obtained by using a homology model of Hsp60, in order to simulate a state related to the beginning of the folding cycle (Rs1). The results of MD simulations point out that EPO shows the highest binding affinity for the empty ATP binding site. The presence of ATP opens a channel that allows the entrance of both EPO d…
Improving risk assessments in conservation ecology
2019
Conservation efforts and management decisions on the living environment of our planet often rely on the results from statistical models. Yet, these models are imperfect and quantification of risk associated with the estimate of management-relevant quantities becomes crucial in providing robust advice. Here we demonstrate that estimates of risk themselves could be substantially biased but by combining data fitting with an extensive simulation–estimation procedure, one can back-calculate the correct values. We apply the method to 627 time series of population abundance across four taxa using the Gompertz state-space model as an example. We find that the risk of large bias in population status…
Economic assessment based on scenario analysis for the production of a new functional pasta
2018
Abstract Nowadays functional foods are becoming more popular due to their capacity to prevent and/or reduce the risk of certain diseases. Functional foods improve health and give physiological benefits providing nutrients beyond the simple nutritional value. The market for functional foods is growing rapidly and the consumers are willing to pay a premium price for these products. In this context, the production of pasta comprising Opuntia may represent an opportunity to combine the widespread consumption of pasta in the traditional Mediterranean Diet and the beneficial characteristics of the Opuntia, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial and neuroprotective p…