Search results for "NR"

Taxonomic Classification for Living Organisms Using Convolutional Neural Networks

2017

Taxonomic classification has a wide-range of applications such as finding out more about evolutionary history. Compared to the estimated number of organisms that nature harbors, humanity does not have a thorough comprehension of to which specific classes they belong. The classification of living organisms can be done in many machine learning techniques. However, in this study, this is performed using convolutional neural networks. Moreover, a DNA encoding technique is incorporated in the algorithm to increase performance and avoid misclassifications. The algorithm proposed outperformed the state of the art algorithms in terms of accuracy and sensitivity, which illustrates a high potential f…

The Role of Next-Generation Sequencing in the Diagnosis of Lysosomal Storage Disorders

2016

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels are used widely in clinical diagnostics to identify genetic causes of various monogenic disease groups including neurometabolic disorders and, more recently, lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs). Many new challenges have been introduced through these new technologies, both at the laboratory level and at the bioinformatics level, with consequences including new requirements for interpretation of results, and for genetic counseling. We review some recent examples of the application of NGS technologies, with purely diagnostic and with both diagnostic and research aims, for establishing a rapid genetic diagnosis in LSDs. Given that NGS can be applied in a w…

Long Non-coding Antisense RNA TNRC6C-AS1 Is Activated in Papillary Thyroid Cancer and Promotes Cancer Progression by Suppressing TNRC6C Expression

2018

Context: Evidences have shown the important role of long non-coding antisense RNAs in regulating its cognate sense gene in cancer biology. Objective: Investigate the regulatory role of a long non-coding antisense RNA TNRC6C-AS1 on its sense partner TNRC6C, and their effects on the aggressiveness and iodine-uptake ability of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Design: TNRC6C-AS1 was identified as the target long non-coding RNA in PTC by using microarray analysis and computational analysis. In vitro gain/loss-of-function experiments were performed to investigate the effects of TNRC6C-AS1 and TNRC6C on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion and iodine-uptake ability of TPC1 cells. Expressio…

The Anti-Cancer Effect of Mangifera indica L. Peel Extract is Associated to γH2AX-mediated Apoptosis in Colon Cancer Cells

2019

Ethanolic extracts from Mangifera indica L. have been proved to possess anti-tumor properties in many cancer systems. However, although most effects have been demonstrated with fruit pulp extract, the underlying molecular mechanisms of mango peel are still unclear. This study was designed to explore the effects of mango peel extract (MPE) on colon cancer cell lines. MPE affected cell viability and inhibited the colony formation trend of tumor cells, while no effects were observed in human dermal fibroblasts used as a non-cancerous cell line model. These events were a consequence of the induction of apoptosis associated to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, activation of players of th…

The swinholide biosynthesis gene cluster from a terrestrial cyanobacterium, Nostoc sp. strain UHCC 0450

2017

ABSTRACT Swinholides are 42-carbon ring polyketides with a 2-fold axis of symmetry. They are potent cytotoxins that disrupt the actin cytoskeleton. Swinholides were discovered from the marine sponge Theonella sp. and were long suspected to be produced by symbiotic bacteria. Misakinolide, a structural variant of swinholide, was recently demonstrated to be the product of a symbiotic heterotrophic proteobacterium. Here, we report the production of swinholide A by an axenic strain of the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. strain UHCC 0450. We located the 85-kb trans -AT polyketide synthase (PKS) swinholide biosynthesis gene cluster from a draft genome of Nostoc sp. UHCC 0450. The swinholide …

Methionine transsulfuration pathway is upregulated in long-lived humans.

2020

Available evidences point to methionine metabolism as a key target to study the molecular adaptive mechanisms underlying differences in longevity. The plasma methionine metabolic profile was determined using a LC-MS/MS platform to systematically define specific phenotypic patterns associated with genotypes of human extreme longevity (centenarians). Our findings demonstrate the presence of a specific plasma profile associated with human longevity characterized by an enhanced transsulfuration pathway and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, as well as a reduced content of specific amino acids. Furthermore, our work reveals that centenarians maintain a strongly correlated methionine m…

2020

Abstract Objective Cancer cachexia and muscle loss are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In preclinical animal models, blocking activin receptor (ACVR) ligands has improved survival and prevented muscle wasting in cancer cachexia without an effect on tumour growth. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This study aimed to identify cancer cachexia and soluble ACVR (sACVR) administration-evoked changes in muscle proteome. Methods Healthy and C26 tumour-bearing (TB) mice were treated with recombinant sACVR. The sACVR or PBS control were administered either prior to the tumour formation or by continued administration before and after tumour formation. Muscle…

Music style not only modulates the auditory cortex, but also motor related areas

2021

The neuroscience of music has recently attracted significant attention, but the effect of music style on the activation of auditory-motor regions has not been explored. The aim of the present study is to analyze the differences in brain activity during passive listening to non-vocal excerpts of four different music genres (classical, reggaeton, electronic and folk). A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment was performed. Twenty-eight participants with no musical training were included in the study. They had to passively listen to music excerpts of the above genres during fMRI acquisition. Imaging analysis was performed at the whole-brain-level and in auditory-motor regions …

TSH/IGF-1 Receptor Cross-Talk Rapidly Activates Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinases in Multiple Cell Types

2017

We previously showed that thyrotropin (TSH)/insulinlike growth factor (IGF)-1 receptor cross-talk appears to be involved in Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) pathogenesis and upregulation of thyroid-specific genes in human thyrocytes. In orbital fibroblasts from GO patients, coadministration of TSH and IGF-1 induces synergistic increases in hyaluronan secretion. In human thyrocytes, TSH plus IGF-1 synergistically increased expression of the sodium-iodide symporter that appeared to involve ERK1/2 activation. However, the details of ERK1/2 activation were not known, nor was whether ERK1/2 was involved in this synergism in other cell types. Using primary cultures of GO fibroblasts (GOFs) and human thyr…

Assessing the Contribution of Relative Macrophage Frequencies to Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue

2021

Background: Macrophages play an important role in regulating adipose tissue function, while their frequencies in adipose tissue vary between individuals. Adipose tissue infiltration by high frequencies of macrophages has been linked to changes in adipokine levels and low-grade inflammation, frequently associated with the progression of obesity. The objective of this project was to assess the contribution of relative macrophage frequencies to the overall subcutaneous adipose tissue gene expression using publicly available datasets.Methods: Seven publicly available microarray gene expression datasets from human subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies (n = 519) were used together with TissueDecod…