Search results for "ila"
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Chondroprotective effects of the combination chondroitin sulfate-glucosamine in a model of osteoarthritis induced by anterior cruciate ligament trans…
2016
[EN] Context: The efficacy of the combination chondroitin sulfate-glucosamine (CS-GlcN) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) has been suggested in recent clinical studies. In vitro reports have also suggested anti-inflammatory and anti-resorptive effects of this combination. Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of CS-GlcN on joint degradation in vivo including the assessment of inflammation and bone metabolism in a model of OA. Materials and methods: We have used the OA model induced by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) in ovariectomised rats. CS-GlcN was administered daily (oral gavage) from week 0 until week 12 after ovariectomy at the dose …
Specific interaction of IM30/Vipp1 with cyanobacterial and chloroplast membranes results in membrane remodeling and eventually in membrane fusion.
2016
The photosynthetic light reaction takes place within the thylakoid membrane system in cyanobacteria and chloroplasts. Besides its global importance, the biogenesis, maintenance and dynamics of this membrane system are still a mystery. In the last two decades, strong evidence supported the idea that these processes involve IM30, the inner membrane-associated protein of 30kDa, a protein also known as the vesicle-inducing protein in plastids 1 (Vipp1). Even though we just only begin to understand the precise physiological function of this protein, it is clear that interaction of IM30 with membranes is crucial for biogenesis of thylakoid membranes. Here we summarize and discuss forces guiding I…
The Drosophila Hox gene Ultrabithorax acts both in muscles and motoneurons to orchestrate formation of specific neuromuscular connections
2016
Hox genes are known to specify motoneuron pools in the developing vertebrate spinal cord and to control motoneuronal targeting in several species. However, the mechanisms controlling axial diversification of muscle innervation patterns are still largely unknown. We present data showing that the Drosophila Hox gene Ultrabithorax (Ubx) acts in the late embryo to establish target specificity of ventrally projecting RP motoneurons. In abdominal segments A2 to A7, RP motoneurons innervate the ventrolateral muscles VL1-4, with VL1 and VL2 being innervated in a Wnt4-dependent manner. In Ubx mutants, these motoneurons fail to make correct contacts with muscle VL1, a phenotype partially resembling t…
Cell-Autonomous and Non-cell-autonomous Function of Hox Genes Specify Segmental Neuroblast Identity in the Gnathal Region of the Embryonic CNS in Dro…
2016
During central nervous system (CNS) development neural stem cells (Neuroblasts, NBs) have to acquire an identity appropriate to their location. In thoracic and abdominal segments of Drosophila, the expression pattern of Bithorax-Complex Hox genes is known to specify the segmental identity of NBs prior to their delamination from the neuroectoderm. Compared to the thoracic, ground state segmental units in the head region are derived to different degrees, and the precise mechanism of segmental specification of NBs in this region is still unclear. We identified and characterized a set of serially homologous NB-lineages in the gnathal segments and used one of them (NB6-4 lineage) as a model to i…
Progressive derivation of serially homologous neuroblast lineages in the gnathal CNS of Drosophila
2018
Along the anterior-posterior axis the central nervous system is subdivided into segmental units (neuromeres) the composition of which is adapted to their region-specific functional requirements. In Drosophila melanogaster each neuromere is formed by a specific set of identified neural stem cells (neuroblasts, NBs). In the thoracic and anterior abdominal region of the embryonic ventral nerve cord segmental sets of NBs resemble the ground state (2nd thoracic segment, which does not require input of homeotic genes), and serial (segmental) homologs generate similar types of lineages. The three gnathal head segments form a transitional zone between the brain and the ventral nerve cord. It has be…
Gene expression profiles uncover individual identities of gnathal neuroblasts and serial homologies in the embryonic CNS of Drosophila.
2015
The numbers and types of progeny cells generated by neural stem cells in the developing CNS are adapted to its region-specific functional requirements. In Drosophila, segmental units of the CNS develop from well-defined patterns of neuroblasts. Here we constructed comprehensive neuroblast maps for the three gnathal head segments. Based on the spatiotemporal pattern of neuroblast formation and the expression profiles of 46 marker genes (41 transcription factors), each neuroblast can be uniquely identified. Compared with the thoracic ground state, neuroblast numbers are progressively reduced in labial, maxillary and mandibular segments due to smaller sizes of neuroectodermal anlagen and, part…
The Influence of Hydrogen Bonding on Sphingomyelin/Colipid Interactions in Bilayer Membranes
2016
The phospholipid acyl chain composition and order, the hydrogen bonding, and properties of the phospholipid headgroup all influence cholesterol/phospholipid interactions in hydrated bilayers. In this study, we examined the influence of hydrogen bonding on sphingomyelin (SM) colipid interactions in fluid uni- and multilamellar vesicles. We have compared the properties of oleoyl or palmitoyl SM with comparable dihydro-SMs, because the hydrogen bonding properties of SM and dihydro-SM differ. The association of cholestatrienol, a fluorescent cholesterol analog, with oleoyl sphingomyelin (OSM) was significantly stronger than its association with 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, …
A Drosophila model of GDAP1 function reveals the involvement of insulin signalling in the mitochondria-dependent neuromuscular degeneration
2017
[EN] Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is a rare peripheral neuropathy for which there is no specific treatment. Some forms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth are due to mutations in the GDAP1 gene. A striking feature of mutations in GDAP1 is that they have a variable clinical manifestation, according to disease onset and progression, histology and mode of inheritance. Studies in cellular and animal models have revealed a role of GDAP1 in mitochondrial morphology and distribution, calcium homeostasis and oxidative stress. To get a better understanding of the disease mechanism we have generated models of over-expression and RNA interference of the Drosophila Gdapl gene. In order to get an overview about the c…
Chemical Composition, In Vitro Antitumor and Pro-Oxidant Activities of Glandora rosmarinifolia (Boraginaceae) Essential Oil
2018
The biological properties of essential oils have been demonstrated in the treatment of several diseases and to enhance the bioavailability of other drugs. In natural habitats the essential oils compounds may play important roles in the protection of the plants as antibacterials, antivirals, antifungals, insecticides and also against herbivores by reducing their appetite for such plants or by repelling undesirable others. We analyzed by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry the chemical composition of the essential oil of aerial parts of Glandora rosmarinifolia (Ten.) D.C. Thomas obtained by hydrodistillation and verified some biological activities on a panel of hepatocellular carcinoma cell …
Amorphous polyphosphate, a smart bioinspired nano-/bio-material for bone and cartilage regeneration: towards a new paradigm in tissue engineering
2020
Recent developments in the field of biomaterials for tissue engineering open up new opportunities for regenerative therapy and prevention of progression of osteo-articular damage/impairment. A key advancement was the discovery of the regenerative activity of a group of physiologically occurring high-energy polymers, inorganic polyphosphates (polyP). These bio-polymers, in suitable bioinspired formulations, turned out to be capable of inducing proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteogenic or chondrogenic lineages through differential gene expression (morphogenetic activity). Unprecedented is the property of these biopolymers to deliver high-energy phosphate in t…