Search results for "Ligo"
showing 10 items of 1427 documents
Sonic hedgehog promotes the migration and proliferation of optic nerve oligodendrocyte precursors.
2007
Optic nerve (ON) oligodendrocyte precursors (OPCs) are generated under the influence of the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) in the preoptic area from where they migrate to colonise the entire nerve. The molecular events that control this migration are still poorly understood. Recent studies suggested that Shh is often used by the same cell population to control different processes, including cell proliferation and migration, raising the possibility that Shh could contribute to these aspects of OPC development. In support of this idea, we show here that Shh induces the proliferation of OPCs derived from embryonic mouse ON explants and acts as a chemoattractant for their migration. In ovo injections of …
Production of cecropin A in transgenic rice plants has an impact on host gene expression.
2008
Summary Expression of the cecropin A gene in rice confers resistance to the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. In this study, a polymerase chain reaction-based suppression subtractive hybridization approach was used to generate a cDNA macroarray from the elite japonica rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar ‘Senia’. Gene expression studies revealed that the expression of components of the protein secretory and vesicular transport machinery is co-ordinately activated at the pre-invasive stage of infection of rice by the blast fungus. Comparisons of gene expression between wild-type and cecropin A plants revealed the over-expression of genes involved in protection against oxidative stress in tran…
A proctolin-like peptide is regulated after baculovirus infection and mediates in caterpillar locomotion and digestion
2022
Baculoviruses constitute a large group of invertebrate DNA viruses, predominantly infecting larvae of the insect order Lepidoptera. During a baculovirus infection, the virus spreads throughout the insect body producing a systemic infection in multiple larval tissues, included the central nervous system (CNS). As a main component of the CNS, neuropeptides are small protein-like molecules functioning as neurohormones, neurotransmitters, or neuromodulators. These peptides are involved in regulating animal physiology and behavior and could be altered after baculovirus infection. In this study, we have investigated the effect of Spodoptera exigua multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) infection …
Role of Alkyl Substituent and Solvent on the Structural, Thermal, and Magnetic Properties of Binary Radical Salts of 1,2,3,5-Dithia- or Diselenadiazo…
2022
The synthesis, structural, thermal, and magnetic properties of a series of simple binary organic salts based on the radical anion of 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and 4-(N-alkylpyridinium-3-yl)-1,2,3,5-dithiadiazolyl (DTDA), 1R (R = Et, Pr, Bu), radical cations and their heavier selenium analogues (DSDA), 2R, are described. Single-crystal X-ray structural analyses reveal that short alkyl substituents on the pyridinium moiety of DTDA/DSDA cations lead to crystallization of isostructural acetonitrile (MeCN) solvates 1Et·MeCN, 1Pr·MeCN, 2Et·MeCN, and 2Pr·MeCN with trans-cofacial DTDA radical cation and eclipsed-cofacial TCNQ radical anion dimers. A slight increase in the substituent …
Smad7 controls resistance of colitogenic T cells to regulatory T cell-mediated suppression.
2008
Background & Aims Foxp3-expressing regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a key role in the maintenance of the gut immune homeostasis, and an intact transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling is required for their function. In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the TGF-β signaling is impaired because of high expression of the inhibitory molecule Smad7. Although no intrinsic defects in Tregs function have been shown in IBD, it is still unknown whether colitogenic T cells are susceptible to Treg-mediated suppression. In this study, we have investigated whether IBD mucosal CD4+ T cells are resistant to Tregs and whether Smad7 is involved in this process. Methods IBD lamina propria mononuclear cells …
Allele-specific silencing as therapy for familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by the p.G376D TARDBP mutation
2022
Abstract Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration of motor neurons. There is no treatment for this disease that affects the ability to move, eat, speak and finally breathe, causing death. In an Italian family, a heterozygous pathogenic missense variant has been previously discovered in Exon 6 of the gene TARDBP encoding the TAR DNA-binding protein 43 protein. Here, we developed a potential therapeutic tool based on allele-specific small interfering RNAs for familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with the heterozygous missense mutation c.1127G>A. We designed a small interfering RNA that was able to diminish specifically the express…
Preclinical characterization of antagomiR-218 as a potential treatment for myotonic dystrophy
2021
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a rare neuromuscular disease caused by expansion of unstable CTG repeats in a non-coding region of the DMPK gene. CUG expansions in mutant DMPK transcripts sequester MBNL1 proteins in ribonuclear foci. Depletion of this protein is a primary contributor to disease symptoms such as muscle weakness and atrophy and myotonia, yet upregulation of endogenous MBNL1 levels may compensate for this sequestration. Having previously demonstrated that antisense oligonucleotides against miR-218 boost MBNL1 expression and rescue phenotypes in disease models, here we provide preclinical characterization of an antagomiR-218 molecule using the HSALR mouse model and patient-d…
Extracellular membrane vesicles can mediate intercellular transfer of molecules
2012
Many eukaryotic cell types, including neural cells, release into the extracellular environment vesicles of different sizes and composition. Neurons and astrocytes shed extracellular vesicles which contain FGF2 and VEGF and could be involved in interaction with endothelial cells, to form the blood-brain barrier. Also brain tumor cells, such as glioblastomas, release vesicles in the extracellular space. Microvesicles (MVs) shed from G26/24 oligodendro¬glioma cells were previously reported to contain FAS-L and to cause a reproducible, dose-dependent, inhibitory effect on neurite outgrowth, and neuronal apoptosis, when added to primary cultures of rat cortical neurons. More recently, they were …
Clinical and MRI measures to identify non-acute MOG-antibody disease in adults
2022
Abstract MRI and clinical features of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-antibody disease may overlap with those of other inflammatory demyelinating conditions posing diagnostic challenges, especially in non-acute phases and when serologic testing for MOG antibodies is unavailable or shows uncertain results. We aimed to identify MRI and clinical markers that differentiate non-acute MOG-antibody disease from aquaporin 4 (AQP4)-antibody neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, guiding in the identification of patients with MOG-antibody disease in clinical practice. In this cross-sectional retrospective study, data from 16 MAGNIMS centres were i…
Solid state conformational behavior and interactions of a series of aromatic oligoamide foldamers
2016
The topic of this thesis is aromatic oligoamide foldamers. The literary review of the thesis discusses the general features of foldamers and their design and then focuses on the specific examples of aromatic oligoamide foldamers. The experimental part of the thesis discusses the design and preparation of a family of aromatic oligoamide foldamers that can adopt a helical conformation. The folding is directed by intramolecular hydrogen bonding and stabilized by intramolecular aromatic interactions. The focus of the thesis is the analysis of the solid state conformations of ten foldamer analogues. The analysis is based on forty different crystal structures which are determined using single cry…