Search results for "Structural Biology."
showing 10 items of 822 documents
Bayesian model to detect phenotype-specific genes for copy number data
2012
Abstract Background An important question in genetic studies is to determine those genetic variants, in particular CNVs, that are specific to different groups of individuals. This could help in elucidating differences in disease predisposition and response to pharmaceutical treatments. We propose a Bayesian model designed to analyze thousands of copy number variants (CNVs) where only few of them are expected to be associated with a specific phenotype. Results The model is illustrated by analyzing three major human groups belonging to HapMap data. We also show how the model can be used to determine specific CNVs related to response to treatment in patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The …
Heterochromatin of the scarab beetle, Bubas bison (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) II. Evidence for AT-rich compartmentalization and a high amount of rDNA …
2005
An unexpected result arising from a previous characterization of the scarab beetle Bubas bison (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) heterochromatin was its unusual homogeneous reaction to different staining methods. In particular, silver stainability of heterochromatic ends of all chromosomes prevented identification of the number of rDNA transcriptionally active regions. Data formerly obtained using silver impregnation (Ag-NOR), C- G- and DAPI banding are here improved and completed by application of CMA(3) staining and rDNA FISH with the aim to investigate heterochromatin base composition and locate rDNA regions with respect to NOR-associated heterochromatin. Our results show that B. bison has a hi…
Bizarre alterations of the morphology of pineal synaptic bodies under constant light and an evaluation of suitable 3D-reconstruction software
2004
Three dimensional (3D) reconstruction and modelling software was evaluated to find a procedure suitable for visualization of small subcellular structures in transmission electron microscope images. The method applied in this study demonstrates bizarre alterations of the structure of synaptic bodies (SBs) in pinealocytes of the guinea-pig pineal gland caused by constant illumination. It can, in general, be used for any 3D reconstruction from serial sections. Pineal glands of five guinea-pigs (two kept under a LD cycle of 12:12 h; three kept in constant light, for 4 months) were investigated. SBs consist of an electron-dense centre with attached vesicles. Under normal lighting conditions most…
Analysis of synaptic bodies in the Sprague–Dawley rat pineal gland under extreme photoperiods
2007
Synaptic bodies (SBs) are small, prominent organelles in pinealocytes, most probably involved in signal transduction processes. To check the influence of the photoperiod on their shape plasticity and number we chose two extreme lighting conditions, i.e. 20 h of illumination followed by 4 h of darkness (LD 20:4) versus (LD 4:20). Pineal glands were assessed at 0, 4 and 13 h after dark onset. Under both conditions reconstructed SBs were plates or ribbons but never spheres and there were no obvious differences in morphology. Photoperiodic changes in SB profile size and number were investigated: application of the established method for SB quantification based on single section profile counts (…
Transcriptional induction of the fatty acid binding protein gene in mouse liver by bezafibrate
1993
AbstractThe mechanism by which hypolipidemic peroxisome proliferators of the fibrate family induce the liver fatty acid binding protein in liver of rodents is unknown. In order to delineate the level at which this protein is induced, the transcriptional activity of the specific gene encoding for liver fatty acid binding protein was measured in isolated hepatocyte nuclei obtained from male Swiss mice daily force-fed during 7 days with 400 mg/kg body weight bezafibrate. This treatment induced a 4-fold increase in the liver fatty acid binding protein transcription rate. Liver fatty acid binding protein mRNA level, measured by Northern blot analysis and cytosolic content of this protein, analyz…
ABCC transporters mediate insect resistance to multiple Bt toxins revealed by bulk segregant analysis
2014
[EN] Background: Relatively recent evidence indicates that ABCC2 transporters play a main role in the mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1A-type proteins. Mapping of major Cry1A resistance genes has linked resistance to the ABCC2 locus in Heliothis virescens, Plutella xylostella, Trichoplusia ni and Bombyx mori, and mutations in this gene have been found in three of these Bt-resistant strains. Results: We have used a colony of Spodoptera exigua (Xen-R) highly resistant to a Bt commercial bioinsecticide to identify regions in the S. exigua genome containing loci for major resistance genes by using bulk segregant analysis (BSA). Results reveal a region containing three genes fro…
Knee-clicks and visual traits indicate fighting ability in eland antelopes: multiple messages and back-up signals
2008
Abstract Background Given the costs of signalling, why do males often advertise their fighting ability to rivals using several signals rather than just one? Multiple signalling theories have developed largely in studies of sexual signals, and less is known about their applicability to intra-sexual communication. We here investigate the evolutionary basis for the intricate agonistic signalling system in eland antelopes, paying particular attention to the evolutionary phenomenon of loud knee-clicking. Results A principal components analysis separated seven male traits into three groups. The dominant frequency of the knee-clicking sound honestly indicated body size, a main determinant of fight…
A preliminary PET radiomics study of brain metastases using a fully automatic segmentation method
2020
AbstractBackgroundPositron Emission Tomography (PET) is increasingly utilized in radiomics studies for treatment evaluation purposes. Nevertheless, lesion volume identification in PET images is a critical and still challenging step in the process of radiomics, due to the low spatial resolution and high noise level of PET images. Currently, the biological target volume (BTV) is manually contoured by nuclear physicians, with a time expensive and operator-dependent procedure.This study aims to obtain BTVs from cerebral metastases in patients who underwent L-[11C]methionine (11C-MET) PET, using a fully automatic procedure and to use these BTVs to extract radiomics features to stratify between p…
Use of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies as structural and topographical probes for hepatic epoxide hydrolase
1983
AbstractMonoclonal antibodies have been prepared against rat liver epoxide hydrolase (EH), some of which gave precipitation lines on immunodiffusion against pure EH suggesting the presence of repetitive structural domains on the enzyme. Using ELISA, with polyclonal antibodies to rat and rabbit liver EH, reactivity and therefore structural similarities between EH of all species tested, including human, were observed. This was in contrast to immunodiffusion results demonstrating the limitations of the latter technique. Using monoclonal antibodies in ELISA, greatest structural similarity was between rat, mouse, and Syrian hamster EH and relatively little between rat and human. Two of the antib…
Mitochondrial alterations and tendency to apoptosis in peripheral blood cells from children with Down syndrome
2006
Different types of cells from subjects with Down syndrome (DS) have an increased susceptibility to cell death. We have studied apoptosis and mitochondrial (mt) membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from DS children and age-matched healthy donors after in vitro treatment with apoptogenic molecules, along with mtDNA content. We found that PBMC from DS and healthy controls had a similar tendency to undergo apoptosis and a similar amount of mtDNA. However, in cells from DS subjects, mitochondria showed a higher loss of DeltaPsi(m), underlying the presence of an increasing susceptibility of these organelles to damaging agents.