Search results for "Genetics"

Evolutionary ecology of complex life cycle parasites : from genotypes to species assemblages

2012

The Brain Resting-State Functional Connectivity Underlying Violence Proneness: Is It a Reliable Marker for Neurocriminology? A Systematic Review

2019

Introduction: There is growing scientific interest in understanding the biological mechanisms affecting and/or underlying violent behaviors in order to develop effective treatment and prevention programs. In recent years, neuroscientific research has tried to demonstrate whether the intrinsic activity within the brain at rest in the absence of any external stimulation (resting-state functional connectivity; RSFC) could be employed as a reliable marker for several cognitive abilities and personality traits that are important in behavior regulation, particularly, proneness to violence. Aims: This review aims to highlight the association between the RSFC among specific brain structures and the…

Nitric oxide metabolism is impaired by type 1 diabetes and diabetic nephropathy

2020

Diabetes leads to reduced nitric oxide bioavailability, resulting in endothelial dysfunction. However, overproduction of nitric oxide due to hyperglycaemia is associated with oxidative stress and tissue damage. The objective of this study was to characterise nitric oxide production (NO) and added nitrite and nitrate (NO(2)(-)+NO(3)(-)) concentration in the blood and urine of patients with and without diabetic nephropathy. A total of 268 patients with type 1 diabetes and 69 healthy subjects were included. Diabetic nephropathy was defined as macroalbuminuria and/or estimated glomerular filtration rate below 60 ml/min/1.73 cm(2). NO(2)(-)+NO(3)(-) concentration was measured by Griess reaction.…

A non-canonical chemical feedback self-limits nitric oxide-cyclic GMP signaling in health and disease

2018

Endothelial nitric oxide (NO) stimulates the heme protein, soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) to form vasoprotective cyclic GMP (cGMP). In different disease states such as pulmonary hypertension, NO-cGMP signaling is pharmacologically augmented, yet the pathomechanisms leading to its dysregulation are incompletely understood. Here we show in pulmonary artery endothelial cells that endogenous NO or NO donor compounds acutely stimulate sGC activity, but chronically down-regulate both sGC protein and cGMP formation. Surprisingly, this endogenous feedback mechanism was independent of canonical cGMP signaling via cGMP-dependent protein kinase. It did not involve thiol-dependent modulation, a process…

Concentration of chromium and nickel in serum of patients with orthopedic implant: An analysis

2021

Introduction: Surgical corrections of fracture using fixation devices made from various alloys (stainless steel, cobalt-chromium alloys, and titanium) carry a risk of these alloys leaching into circulation, potentially causing undesired health effects. Hence, monitoring the levels of metal ions in the serum of postoperative patients with metal implants is mandated. Materials and Methods: Blood samples from seventy patients with orthopedic metal implants was collected after a minimum postoperative period of 1 year. The samples were subjected to triple acid digestion and serum levels of chromium and nickel were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Results: The concentr…

Mutation Analysis of LMX1B Gene in Nail-Patella Syndrome Patients

1998

SummaryNail-patella syndrome (NPS), a pleiotropic disorder exhibiting autosomal dominant inheritance, has been studied for >100 years. Recent evidence shows that NPS is the result of mutations in the LIM-homeodomain gene LMX1B. To determine whether specific LMX1B mutations are associated with different aspects of the NPS phenotype, we screened a cohort of 41 NPS families for LMX1B mutations. A total of 25 mutations were identified in 37 families. The nature of the mutations supports the hypothesis that NPS is the result of haploinsufficiency for LMX1B. There was no evidence of correlation between aspects of the NPS phenotype and specific mutations.

Iron Induces Proliferation and Morphogenesis in Primmorphs from the Marine SpongeSuberites domuncula

2002

Dissociated cells from marine demosponges retain their proliferation capacity if they are allowed to form special aggregates, the primmorphs. On the basis of incorporation studies and septin gene expression, we show that Fe3+ ions are required for the proliferation of cells in primmorphs from Suberites domuncula. In parallel, Fe3+ induced the expression of ferritin and strongly stimulated the synthesis of spicules. This result is supported by the finding that the enzymatic activity of silicatein, converting organosilicon to silicic acid, depends on Fe3+. Moreover, the expression of a scavenger receptor molecule, possibly involved in the morphology of spicules, depends on the presence of Fe3…

The fnr Gene of Bacillus licheniformis and the Cysteine Ligands of the C-Terminal FeS Cluster

1998

Many of the O2-responsive gene regulators of bacteria are members of the fumarate nitrate reductase-cyclic AMP receptor protein family of transcriptional regulators (12, 13, 15, 17) with predicted structures similar to those of the cyclic AMP receptor protein (11). The Fnr (stands for fumarate nitrate reductase regulator) protein from Escherichia coli (FnrEc) controls the expression of a variety of genes, mainly of anaerobic respiration and metabolism (5, 13). It contains a N-terminal cluster of three essential cysteine residues which are supposed to bind together with Cys122 a [4Fe 4S]2+ cluster which is required for O2 sensing (4, 7, 8, 10, 16). A wide variety of gram-negative bacteria co…

Truncated recombinant light harvesting complex II proteins are substrates for a protein kinase associated with photosystem II core complexes

1998

AbstractPrevious studies directed towards understanding phosphorylation of the chlorophyll a/b binding proteins comprising light harvesting complex II (LHC II) have concentrated on a single phosphorylation site located close to the N-terminus of the mature proteins. Here we show that a series of recombinant pea Lhcb1 proteins, each missing an N-terminal segment including this site, are nevertheless phosphorylated by a protein kinase associated with a photosystem II core complex preparation. An Lhcb1 protein missing the first 58 amino acid residues is not, however, phosphorylated. The results demonstrate that the LHC II proteins are phosphorylated at one or more sites, the implications of wh…

IP 3 signalling regulates exogenous RNA i in C aenorhabditis elegans

2015

RNA interference (RNAi) is a widespread and widely exploited phenomenon. Here, we show that changing inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) signalling alters RNAi sensitivity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Reducing IP3 signalling enhances sensitivity to RNAi in a broad range of genes and tissues. Conversely up-regulating IP3 signalling decreases sensitivity. Tissue-specific rescue experiments suggest IP3 functions in the intestine. We also exploit IP3 signalling mutants to further enhance the sensitivity of RNAi hypersensitive strains. These results demonstrate that conserved cell signalling pathways can modify RNAi responses, implying that RNAi responses may be influenced by an animal's physiology…