Search results for "complement"

Epistemic and didactic values of the demonstrative process in different cultures: a case study in Geometry with Chinese and Italian students

2011

A G468-T AMPD1 mutant allele contributes to the high incidence of myoadenylate deaminase deficiency in the Caucasian population.

2002

Myoadenylate deaminase deficiency is the most common metabolic disorder of skeletal muscle in the Caucasian population, affecting approximately 2% of all individuals. Although most deficient subjects are asymptomatic, some suffer from exercise-induced myalgia suggesting a causal relationship between a lack of enzyme activity and muscle function. In addition, carriers of this derangement in purine nucleotide catabolism may have an adaptive advantage related to clinical outcome in heart disease. The molecular basis of myoadenylate deaminase deficiency in Caucasians has been attributed to a single mutant allele characterized by double C to T transitions at nucleotides +34 and +143 in mRNA enco…

Fluorescence Properties of the Chromophore-Binding Domain of Bacteriophytochrome from Deinococcus radiodurans

2013

Fluorescent proteins are versatile tools for molecular imaging. In this study, we report a detailed analysis of the absorption and fluorescence properties of the chromophore-binding domain from Deinococcus radiodurans and its D207H mutant. Using single photon counting and transient absorption techniques, the average excited state lifetime of both studied systems was about 370 ps. The D207H mutation slightly changed the excited state decay profile but did not have a considerable effect on the average decay time of the system or the shape of the absorption and emission spectra of the biliverdin chromophore. We confirmed that the fluorescence properties of both samples are very similar in vivo…

Prunella vulgaris L. Upregulates eNOS Expression in Human Endothelial Cells

2010

The purported effects of "circulation-improving" herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) show striking similarities with the vascular actions of nitric oxide (NO) produced by the endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). We have previously reported that Salviae miltiorrhizae radix and Zizyphi spinosae semen upregulate eNOS expression. In the present study, we studied the effect on eNOS gene expression of 15 Chinese herbs with potential effects on the vasculature, and identified Prunella vulgaris L. (PVL) (flowering spike) as a potent eNOS-upregulating agent. In EA.hy 926 cells, a cell line derived from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), an aqueous extract of PVL increased eNOS …

Role of tir and intimin in the virulence of rabbit enteropathogenic Escherichia coli serotype O103:H2.

2000

ABSTRACT Attaching and effacing (A/E) rabbit enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (REPEC) strains belonging to serogroup O103 are an important cause of diarrhea in weaned rabbits. Like human EPEC strains, they possess the locus of enterocyte effacement clustering the genes involved in the formation of the A/E lesions. In addition, pathogenic REPEC O103 strains produce an Esp-dependent but Eae (intimin)-independent alteration of the host cell cytoskeleton characterized by the formation of focal adhesion complexes and the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton into bundles of stress fibers. To investigate the role of intimin and its translocated coreceptor (Tir) in the pathogenicity of REPEC, …

Tourist choice, competitive tourism markets and the effect of a tourist tax on producers revenues

2022

We propose a model for the tourism sector assuming basically two markets, one for tourist services and the other for accommodation. These sub-markets are considered as separate but interrelated. The nature of the feedback is determined by a vertical complementarity between tourist services and lodging. We obtain the optimal solution of the tourist choice problem, the primary demand for tourist services and the derived demand for overnight stays. Then, we focus on the equilibrium outcomes assuming perfectly competitive tourism markets. We do not address the externalities caused by tourism activities. Consequently, we move away from efficiency by introducing a tax on overnight stays and insp…

Utilisation of natural carotenoids from Momordica cochinchinensis (gac) as health compounds : extraction and bioactvity depending on the origin and o…

2014

The aril of Momordica cochinchinensis (gac), plant from the Cucurbitaceae family, is the richest source of lycopene and β-carotene, which are a strong antioxidant and a pro-vitamin A, respectively, interesting for health-complements. First, a process of soft extraction-fractionation was developed for extracting effectively the natural carotenoids from gac without loss of their original quality. Then, the lycopene and β-carotene extracted from gac were analyzed and characterized. At least 95% of the extracts were composed of the all-trans isomer. They were not degraded during the heat-treatment mimicking formulation processing. Their thermal stereo-mutation was evaluated. Lycopene is more an…

Cloning and expression of a type IX-like collagen in tissues of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis

2002

Collagens are highly preserved proteins in invertebrates and vertebrates. To identify the collagens in urochordates, the total RNA extracted from the pharynx of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis was hybridized with a heterologous probe specific for the echinoderm Paracentrotus lividus fibrillar type I-like larval collagen. Using this probe, two main bands (i.e. 6 and 2.8 kb mRNA) were observed on Northern blot hybridization. The cDNA library prepared from poly(A)+RNA extracted from pharyngeal tissue was screened and a cDNA that specifies a type IX-like collagen was identified. This molecule presents a conceptual open reading frame for a protein containing 734 amino acids. In particular, we sh…

Transcription of different exons 1 of the human neuronal nitric oxide synthase gene is dynamically regulated in a cell- and stimulus-specific manner.

2003

An extensive screening of the human neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) mRNAs in various human tissues and cell lines unraveled an extreme complexity in the transcription of this gene. Using 5'rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5'-RACE), ten different exons 1 (named 1a-1l) were identified. They were spliced in a cell-specific manner to a common exon 2, which bears the translational start site. Three first exons (1 d, 1g and 1f) were used predominantly for the transcription of the nNOS gene (146 out of 197 5'-RACE clones contained these exons). Exon 1 k was found alone, but in many instances was interposed between exons 1 b, 1d, 1g, 1 i or 1j and the common exon 2. In addition to the cell-s…

A major cysteine proteinase, EPB, in germinating barley seeds: structure of two intronless genes and regulation of expression

1996

The barley cysteine proteinase B (EPB) is the main protease responsible for the degradation of endosperm storage proteins providing nitrogenous nutrients to support the growth of young seedlings. The expression of this enzyme is induced in the germinating seeds by the phytohormone, gibberellin, and suppressed by another phytohormone, abscisic acid. In situ hybridization experiments indicate that EPB is expressed in the scutellar epithelium within 24 h of seed germination, but the aleurone tissue surrounding the starchy endosperm eventually becomes the main tissue expressing this enzyme. The EPB gene family of barley consists of two very similar genes, EPB1 and EPB2, both of which have been …