Search results for "saccharide"
showing 10 items of 849 documents
The Mucus of Actinia equina (Anthozoa, Cnidaria): An Unexplored Resource for Potential Applicative Purposes
2015
The mucus produced by many marine organisms is a complex mixture of proteins and polysaccharides forming a weak watery gel. It is essential for vital processes including locomotion, navigation, structural support, heterotrophic feeding and defence against a multitude of environmental stresses, predators, parasites, and pathogens. In the present study we focused on mucus produced by a benthic cnidarian, the sea anemone Actinia equina (Linnaeus, 1758) for preventing burial by excess sedimentation and for protection. We investigated some of the physico-chemical properties of this matrix such as viscosity, osmolarity, electrical conductivity, protein, carbohydrate, and total lipid contents. Som…
Different adhesins for type IV collagen on Candida albicans: identification of a lectin-like adhesin recognizing the 7S(IV) domain
2001
Adherence of the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans to basement membrane (BM) proteins is considered a crucial step in the development of candidiasis. In this study the interactions of C. albicans yeast cells with the three main domains of type IV collagen, a major BM glycoprotein, were analysed. C. albicans adhered to the three immobilized domains by different mechanisms. Adhesion to the N-terminal cross-linking domain (7S) required the presence of divalent cations, whereas interaction with the central collagenous domain (CC) was cation-independent. Recognition of the C-terminal non-collagenous domain (NC1) was partially cation-dependent. Binding inhibition assays with the correspondi…
Ultrastructural and histochemical analysis reveals ethylene-induced responses underlying reduced peel collapse in detached citrus fruit
2010
Fruits from many citrus cultivars develop depressed areas in the flavedo (outer part of the peel) and albedo (inner part) following detachment. Although ultrastructural analysis may provide important information about multiple plant responses to stresses and external stimuli at the cell and tissue levels, and despite the proved efficacy of ethylene in reducing peel damage in citrus fruit, cytological responses of this horticultural crop to protective ethylene concentrations have not yet been reported. We show that applying high ethylene levels (2 mu L L(-1) for 14 days) causes sublethal stress as it favored the alteration of cuticle, vacuole, middle lamella and primary wall, especially in t…
Roflumilast N-oxide reverses corticosteroid resistance in neutrophils from patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
2013
Background Glucocorticoid functions are markedly impaired in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor roflumilast N-oxide (RNO) is the active metabolite of roflumilast approved as a treatment to reduce the risk of exacerbations in patients with severe COPD. Objective We sought to characterize the differential effects of RNO versus corticosteroids and their potential additive/synergistic effect in neutrophils from patients with COPD, thus providing scientific rationale for the combination of roflumilast with corticosteroids in the clinic. Methods Peripheral blood neutrophils were isolated from patients with COPD (n = 32), smokers (n = 7), …
Neuraminidase deficiency presenting as non-immune hydrops fetalis
1984
A newborn infant with oedema, ascites and hepatosplenomegaly is described. In ascites fluid foamy macrophages were found, in a liver biopsy cytoplasmic inclusions and membrane-bound vacuoles were seen. Furthermore the child excreted excessive amounts of sialic acid-rich oligosaccharides in the urine, and therefore a neurovisceral degenerative disorder was assumed. The diagnosis of sialidosis was confirmed by enzymatic assay in cultured fibroblasts, in which a complete deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme neuraminidase could be demonstrated. After recurrent septicaemias the child became dystrophic and died at the age of 6 months. Our case is compared with sialidosis observed by other authors, …
Dendritic cells trigger tumor cell death by a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism.
2007
Abstract Dendritic cells (DCs) are well known for their capacity to induce adaptive antitumor immune response through Ag presentation and tumor-specific T cell activation. Recent findings reveal that besides this role, DCs may display additional antitumor effects. In this study, we provide evidence that LPS- or IFN-γ-activated rat bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) display killing properties against tumor cells. These cytotoxic BMDCs exhibit a mature DC phenotype, produce high amounts of IL-12, IL-6, and TNF-α, and retain their phagocytic properties. BMDC-mediated tumor cell killing requires cell-cell contact and depends on NO production, but not on perforin/granzyme or on death re…
A real-time PCR assay for detection and quantification of 2-branched (1,3)-β-D–glucan producing lactic acid bacteria in cider
2010
28 p.-1 fig.-4 tab.
Identification of the mstE Gene Encoding a Glucose-inducible, Low Affinity Glucose Transporter in Aspergillus nidulans
2006
The mstE gene encoding a low affinity glucose transporter active during the germination of Aspergillus nidulans conidia on glucose medium has been identified. mstE expression also occurs in hyphae, is induced in the presence of other repressing carbon sources besides glucose, and is dependent on the function of the transcriptional repressor CreA. The expression of MstE and its subcellular distribution have been studied using a MstE-sGFP fusion protein. Concordant with data on mstE expression, MstE-sGFP is synthesized in the presence of repressing carbon sources, and fluorescence at the periphery of conidia and hyphae is consistent with MstE location in the plasma membrane. Deletion of mstE …
Polysaccharides from Pleurotus eryngii var. elaeoselini (Agaricomycetes), a New Potential Culinary-Medicinal Oyster Mushroom from Italy.
2020
Three water-soluble glucans (PELPS-A1, PELPS-A2, and PELPS-A3) purified from the hot water extract of the basidiomata of an edible mushroom Pleurotus eryngii var. elaeoselini by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose 32 and Sephadex G-100 column were found to consist of only D-glucose as monosaccharide constituent. Structural investigation was carried out by acid hydrolysis, periodate oxidation, and NMR experiments (1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, DQF-COSY, TOCSY, ROESY, HMQC, and HMBC). On the basis of these experiments, the structures of the repeating unit of the three isolated polysaccharides were established as follows: (1) PELPS-A1: {[→3)-α-D-Glcp-(1→]3→4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→2)-α-D-Glcp-(1→6)-α-D-Glcp-(1[→6)-β-D-…
Identification of Leguminosae gums and evaluation of carob-guar mixtures by capillary zone electrophoresis of protein extracts.
2002
A procedure for the extraction and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separation of proteins from carob, guar and tara gums in a background electrolyte (BGE) of pH 9 containing 0.1% polyvinyl alcohol is described. The CZE protein profiles exhibit characteristic peaks for each one of the Leguminosae gums, which can be used to construct models capable of identifying samples of carob, guar and tara gums, and predicting the guar content in binary carob-guar mixtures of different geographical origin and harvested in different years. The classification and prediction models are constructed by using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and multiple linear regression (MLR), respectively. An excelle…