Search results for "Growth and development"
showing 10 items of 32 documents
Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 by UV irradiation is inhibited by wortmannin without affecting c-iun expression.
1999
Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs)/stress-activated protein kinases is an early response of cells upon exposure to DNA-damaging agents. JNK-mediated phosphorylation of c-Jun is currently understood to stimulate the transactivating potency of AP-1 (e.g., c-Jun/c-Fos; c-Jun/ATF-2), thereby increasing the expression of AP-1 target genes. Here we show that stimulation of JNK1 activity is not a general early response of cells exposed to genotoxic agents. Treatment of NIH 3T3 cells with UV light (UV-C) as well as with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) caused activation of JNK1 and an increase in c-Jun protein and AP-1 binding activity, whereas antineoplastic drugs such as mafosfamide, mito…
Towards a microbial thermoelectric cell.
2013
Microbial growth is an exothermic process. Biotechnological industries produce large amounts of heat, usually considered an undesirable by-product. In this work, we report the construction and characterization of the first microbial thermoelectric cell (MTC), in which the metabolic heat produced by a thermally insulated microbial culture is partially converted into electricity through a thermoelectric device optimized for low ΔT values. A temperature of 41°C and net electric voltage of around 250–600 mV was achieved with 1.7 L baker’s yeast culture. This is the first time microbial metabolic energy has been converted into electricity with an ad hoc thermoelectric device. These results might…
Crowdsourced analysis of fungal growth and branching on microfluidic platforms
2021
Fungal hyphal growth and branching are essential traits that allow fungi to spread and proliferate in many environments. This sustained growth is essential for a myriad of applications in health, agriculture, and industry. However, comparisons between different fungi are difficult in the absence of standardized metrics. Here, we used a microfluidic device featuring four different maze patterns to compare the growth velocity and branching frequency of fourteen filamentous fungi. These measurements result from the collective work of several labs in the form of a competition named the “Fungus Olympics.” The competing fungi included five ascomycete species (ten strains total), two basidiomycete…
Response to long-term NaHCO3-derived alkalinity in model Lotus japonicus Ecotypes Gifu B-129 and Miyakojima MG-20: transcriptomic profiling and physi…
2014
The current knowledge regarding transcriptomic changes induced by alkalinity on plants is scarce and limited to studieswhere plants were subjected to the alkaline salt for periods not longer than 48 h, so there is no information availableregarding the regulation of genes involved in the generation of a new homeostatic cellular condition after long-termalkaline stress.Lotus japonicusis a model legume broadly used to study many important physiological processes includingbiotic interactions and biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, we characterized phenotipically the response toalkaline stress of the most widely usedL. japonicusecotypes, Gifu B-129 and MG-20, and analyzed global t…
Transcriptome profiling of citrus fruit response to huanglongbing disease.
2010
Huanglongbing (HLB) or "citrus greening" is the most destructive citrus disease worldwide. In this work, we studied host responses of citrus to infection with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CaLas) using next-generation sequencing technologies. A deep mRNA profile was obtained from peel of healthy and HLB- affected fruit. It was followed by pathway and protein-protein network analysis and quantitative real time PCR analysis of highly regulated genes. We identified differentially regulated pathways and constructed networks that provide a deep insight into the metabolism of affected fruit. Data mining revealed that HLB enhanced transcription of genes involved in the light reactions of phot…
Growth and development of succulent mixtures for extensive green roofs in a Mediterranean climate.
2022
Green roof systems, aimed at reducing anthropic impact on the environment, are considered environmental mitigation technologies and adopted by many countries across the world to strengthen urban ecosystem services. This study evaluates two mixtures of succulent: one of Crassulaceae and the other of Aizoaceae, used in the creation of a continuous and homogenous plant groundcover in Mediterranean environments. To assess the species mixtures, the parameters plant height, growth index, cover percentage and flowering were observed. Hydrological observations were also carried out to evaluate the rainfall retained by the test system in any given month. All data were subjected to analysis of varian…
Cell Cycle Activation of the Swi6p Transcription Factor Is Linked to Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling
2003
The control of the subcellular localization of cell cycle regulators has emerged as a crucial mechanism in the regulation of cell division. In the present work, we have characterized the function of the karyopherin Msn5p in the control of the cell cycle of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Phenotypic analysis of the msn5 mutant revealed an increase in cell size and a functional interaction between Msn5p and the cell cycle transcription factor SBF (composed of the Swi4p and Swi6p proteins), indicating that Msn5p is involved in Start control. In fact, we have shown that the level of Cln2p protein is drastically reduced in an msn5 mutant. The effect on CLN2 expression is mediated at a transcriptional …
Integrin alpha 2 beta 1 promotes activation of protein phosphatase 2A and dephosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta.
2002
The integrins are a large family of heterodimeric transmembrane receptors composed of α and β subunits (22). In addition to mediating cell-matrix interactions, integrins have been shown to activate intracellular signaling pathways which, in collaboration with growth factor-induced signals, regulate cellular functions (46). Some integrin signaling cascades are activated via the β subunit cytoplasmic domain, and they are therefore triggered by several integrin heterodimers. These signals include the activation of protein tyrosine kinases of the Src and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) families (9, 47). More-recent studies have revealed signaling events that are activated specifically by an α subun…
Calcium-Dependent Assembly of Centrin-G-Protein Complex in Photoreceptor Cells
2002
Photoexcitation of rhodopsin activates a heterotrimeric G-protein cascade leading to cyclic GMP hydrolysis in vertebrate photoreceptors. Light-induced exchanges of the visual G-protein transducin between the outer and inner segment of rod photoreceptors occur through the narrow connecting cilium. Here we demonstrate that transducin colocalizes with the Ca(2+)-binding protein centrin 1 in a specific domain of this cilium. Coimmunoprecipitation, centrifugation, centrin overlay, size exclusion chromatography, and kinetic light-scattering experiments indicate that Ca(2+)-activated centrin 1 binds with high affinity and specificity to transducin. The assembly of centrin-G-protein complex is medi…
Aminopropyltransferases involved in polyamine biosynthesis localize preferentially in the nucleus of plant cells
2012
Plant aminopropyltransferases consist of a group of enzymes that transfer aminopropyl groups derived from decarboxylated S-adenosyl-methionine (dcAdoMet or dcSAM) to propylamine acceptors to produce polyamines, ubiquitous metabolites with positive charge at physiological pH. Spermidine synthase (SPDS) uses putrescine as amino acceptor to form spermidine, whereas spermine synthase (SPMS) and thermospermine synthase (TSPMS) use spermidine as acceptor to synthesize the isomers spermine and thermospermine respectively. In previous work it was shown that both SPDS1 and SPDS2 can physically interact with SPMS although no data concerning the subcellular localization was reported. Here we study the…