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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Molecular Cloning And Characterization Of The Porcine Fto Promoter And Coding Regions.Pdf, Jinming Huang, Yunzhou Yang, Gang Liu, Jibin Zhang, Xinxing Dong, Ying Bai, Meiying Fang Nov 2010

Molecular Cloning And Characterization Of The Porcine Fto Promoter And Coding Regions.Pdf, Jinming Huang, Yunzhou Yang, Gang Liu, Jibin Zhang, Xinxing Dong, Ying Bai, Meiying Fang

Jibin Zhang

The fat mass and obesity associated gene (FTO) has been widely reported to be associated with fat mass or fat deposition in different species. In the present study, we cloned both promoter and codingregions of the gene in pigs with over 5 Kb of sequence for the former region and 1,596 bp for the latter region. Comparative analysis of the promoter region among 20 species including pig revealed four conserved regions that harbor transcriptional factors involved in adipose differentiation. Using a pooled DNA sequencing approach, we discovered 39 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the pig FTO gene and four of them were …


Transcriptional Regulation Of Vegf-A By The Unfolded Protein Response Pathway, Rajarshi Ghosh, Kathryn L. Lipson, Karen E. Sargent, Arthur M. Mercurio, Joan S. Hunt, David Ron, Fumihiko Urano Nov 2010

Transcriptional Regulation Of Vegf-A By The Unfolded Protein Response Pathway, Rajarshi Ghosh, Kathryn L. Lipson, Karen E. Sargent, Arthur M. Mercurio, Joan S. Hunt, David Ron, Fumihiko Urano

Arthur M. Mercurio

BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis is crucial to many physiological and pathological processes including development and cancer cell survival. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGFA) is the predominant mediator of angiogenesis in the VEGF family. During development, adverse environmental conditions like nutrient deprivation, hypoxia and increased protein secretion occur. IRE1alpha, PERK, and ATF6alpha, master regulators of the unfolded protein response (UPR), are activated under these conditions and are proposed to have a role in mediating angiogenesis. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we show that IRE1alpha, PERK, and ATF6alpha powerfully regulate VEGFA mRNA expression under various stress conditions. In Ire1alpha(-/-) and Perk(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts and ATF6alpha-knockdown …


Little People: A Father Reflects On His Daughter's Dwarfism And What It Means To Be Different, Dan Kennedy Nov 2010

Little People: A Father Reflects On His Daughter's Dwarfism And What It Means To Be Different, Dan Kennedy

Dan Kennedy

No abstract provided.


Genomic Variation And Adaptation In Africa: Implications For Human Evolutionary History And Disease, Michael C. Campbell Oct 2010

Genomic Variation And Adaptation In Africa: Implications For Human Evolutionary History And Disease, Michael C. Campbell

Michael C. Campbell

Africa contains the greatest levels of human genetic variation and is the source of the worldwide range expansion of all modern humans. However, relatively little is known about genomic variation in ethnically diverse African populations.


Molecular Phylogenetics Of The Australian Elapid Snakes: (Serpentes: Elapidae, Hydrophiinae), Catherine J. Nock Oct 2010

Molecular Phylogenetics Of The Australian Elapid Snakes: (Serpentes: Elapidae, Hydrophiinae), Catherine J. Nock

Dr Catherine J Nock

Evolutionary relationships within the Elapidae have been examined using a wide range of morphological and molecular datasets. Historically, there has been little consensus regarding relationships within the largest of the elapid subfamilies, the Hydrophiinae (sensu Slowinski et al. 1997). This presumed monophyletic group includes the sea kraits (Laticauda), the viviparous sea snakes and the terrestrial Australasian elapida. To examine relationships within this subfamily, mitochondrial DNA (partial 12S rRNA) sequence data were obtained for 19 elapid genera including an African, an Asian, 14 terrestrial Australian, a sea krait (Laticauda) and 2 viviparous sea snake genera.


Mechanistic And Signaling Analysis Of Muc4-Erbb2 Signaling Module: New Insights Into The Mechanism Of Ligand-Independent Erbb2 Activity, Goldi Kozloski Sep 2010

Mechanistic And Signaling Analysis Of Muc4-Erbb2 Signaling Module: New Insights Into The Mechanism Of Ligand-Independent Erbb2 Activity, Goldi Kozloski

Goldi A Kozloski

The membrane mucin Muc4 is aberrantly expressed in numerous epithelial carcinomas and is currently used as a cancer diagnostic and prognostic tool. Muc4 can also potentiate signal transduction by modulating differential ErbB2 phosphorylation in the absence and in the presence of the ErbB3 soluble ligand heregulin (HRG-beta1). These features of Muc4 suggest that Muc4 is not merely a cancer marker, but an oncogenic factor with a unique-binding/activation relationship with the receptor ErbB2. In the present study, we examined the signaling mechanisms that are associated with the Muc4-ErbB2 module by analyzing ErbB2 differential signaling in response to Muc4 expression. Our study …


Molecular Probes For The Detection Of Cyanophage As-1 And Its Cyanobacterial Hosts., Tin-Chun Chu, Jonathan Jimenez, Lauren Strawn, Michelle Reed, Lauren Pohren, Lee Lee Jun 2010

Molecular Probes For The Detection Of Cyanophage As-1 And Its Cyanobacterial Hosts., Tin-Chun Chu, Jonathan Jimenez, Lauren Strawn, Michelle Reed, Lauren Pohren, Lee Lee

Tin-Chun Chu, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.


Rna Processing Of Nitrogenase Transcripts In The Cyanobacterium Anabaena Variabilis, Justin L. Ungerer, Brenda S. Pratte, Teresa Thiel Jun 2010

Rna Processing Of Nitrogenase Transcripts In The Cyanobacterium Anabaena Variabilis, Justin L. Ungerer, Brenda S. Pratte, Teresa Thiel

Teresa Thiel

Little is known about the regulation of nitrogenase genes in cyanobacteria. Transcription of the nifH1 and vnfH genes, encoding dinitrogenase reductases for the heterocyst-specific Mo-nitrogenase and the alternative V-nitrogenase, respectively, was studied by using a lacZ reporter. Despite evidence for a transcription start site just upstream of nifH1 and vnfH, promoter fragments that included these start sites did not drive the transcription of lacZ and, for nifH1, did not drive the expression of nifHDK1. Further analysis using larger regions upstream of nifH1 indicated that a promoter within nifU1 and a promoter upstream of nifB1 both contributed to expression of nifHDK1, …


Elevated Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Production Concomitant To Elevated Prostaglandin E2 Production By Trauma Patients' Monocytes, Thomas Takayama, Carol Miller-Graziano, Gyongyi Szabo Apr 2010

Elevated Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Production Concomitant To Elevated Prostaglandin E2 Production By Trauma Patients' Monocytes, Thomas Takayama, Carol Miller-Graziano, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

The level of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), a monokine implicated in mediating septic shock, is elevated in the blood of some patients with sepsis. Monocytes from 11 trauma patients and 11 burn patients were suboptimally stimulated with interferon gamma and muramyl dipeptide, an analogue of bacterial wall products. The patients with sepsis showed significantly greater total TNF alpha levels (secreted in combination with cell-associated) 3 days before septic episodes, as compared with normal controls (32.38 to 2231.76 ng/10(6) monocytes per milliliter, median = 121.03 ng/10(6) monocytes per milliliter; normal control: 0.00 to 18.20 ng/10(6) monocytes per milliliter, median …


Hepatitis C Core And Nonstructural 3 Proteins Trigger Toll-Like Receptor 2-Mediated Pathways And Inflammatory Activation, Angela Dolganiuc, Shilpa Oak, Karen Kodys, Douglas Golenbock, Robert Finberg, Evelyn Kurt-Jones, Gyongyi Szabo Apr 2010

Hepatitis C Core And Nonstructural 3 Proteins Trigger Toll-Like Receptor 2-Mediated Pathways And Inflammatory Activation, Angela Dolganiuc, Shilpa Oak, Karen Kodys, Douglas Golenbock, Robert Finberg, Evelyn Kurt-Jones, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Recent evidence suggests that toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognize certain viruses. We reported that hepatitis C virus (HCV) core and nonstructural 3 (NS3) proteins activate inflammatory pathways in monocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TLRs in innate immune cell activation by core and NS3 proteins. METHODS: Human monocytes, human embryonic kidney cells transfected with TLR2, and peritoneal macrophages from TLR2, MyD88 knockout, and wild-type mice were studied to determine intracellular signaling and proinflammatory cytokine induction by HCV proteins. RESULTS: HCV core and NS3 proteins triggered inflammatory cell activation via the pattern recognition …


Genetic Variation In Past And Current Landscapes: Conservation Implications Based On Six Endemic Florida Scrub Plants, Eric S. Menges, Rebecca W. Dolan, Robert Pickert, Rebecca Yahr, Doria R. Gordon Mar 2010

Genetic Variation In Past And Current Landscapes: Conservation Implications Based On Six Endemic Florida Scrub Plants, Eric S. Menges, Rebecca W. Dolan, Robert Pickert, Rebecca Yahr, Doria R. Gordon

Rebecca W. Dolan

If genetic variation is often positively correlated with population sizes and the presence of nearby populations and suitable habitats, landscape proxies could inform conservation decisions without genetic analyses. For six Florida scrub endemic plants (Dicerandra frutescens, Eryngium cuneifolium, Hypericum cumulicola, Liatris ohlingerae, Nolina brittoniana, and Warea carteri), we relate two measures of genetic variation, expected heterozygosity and alleles per polymorphic locus (APL), to population size and landscape variables. Presettlement areas were estimated based on soil preferences and GIS soils maps. Four species showed no genetic patterns related to population or landscape factors. The other two species showed significant but inconsistent …


A Law-Policy Proposal To Promote The Public Nature Of Science In An Era Of Academia-Industry Integration, Michael J. Malinowski Feb 2010

A Law-Policy Proposal To Promote The Public Nature Of Science In An Era Of Academia-Industry Integration, Michael J. Malinowski

Michael J. Malinowski

This article addresses the impact of integration of academia, industry, and government on the public nature of research. The article concludes that, while the integration has benefited science immensely, regulatory measures should be taken to restore the public nature of research in an age of integration.


The Chitobiose Transporter, Chbc, Is Required For Chitin Utilization In Borrelia Burgdorferi, David Nelson Dec 2009

The Chitobiose Transporter, Chbc, Is Required For Chitin Utilization In Borrelia Burgdorferi, David Nelson

David R. Nelson

Background: The bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, is a limited-genome organism that must obtain many of its biochemical building blocks, including N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), from its tick or vertebrate host. GlcNAc can be imported into the cell as a monomer or dimer (chitobiose), and the annotation for several B. burgdorferi genes suggests that this organism may be able to degrade and utilize chitin, a polymer of GlcNAc. We investigated the ability of B. burgdorferi to utilize chitin in the absence of free GlcNAc, and we attempted to identify genes involved in the process. We also examined the …


Dispersal Of Stable Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) From Larval Developmental Sites., David B. Taylor, Roger D. Moon, John B. Campbell, Dennis R. Berkebile, Philip J. Scholl, Alberto B. Broce, Jerome A. Hogsette Dec 2009

Dispersal Of Stable Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) From Larval Developmental Sites., David B. Taylor, Roger D. Moon, John B. Campbell, Dennis R. Berkebile, Philip J. Scholl, Alberto B. Broce, Jerome A. Hogsette

David B. Taylor

Seven mark-recapture studies were conducted over 3 yr to assess dispersal of newly emerging adult stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans L., from larval development sites in a mixed agricultural environment in northeastern Nebraska. Infested hay debris piles were marked by dusting their surfaces with fluorescent pigments, adults were captured with surrounding grids of Alsynite sticky traps, and specimens were dissected to determine feeding histories and reproductive age. Distances and directions of 3,889 marked specimens indicated males and females dispersed equally and in all directions. Midguts of males and females were equally likely to contain blood-meal remnants. Percentage with blood remnants and …


3hsds1和17hsds7基因5'上游区转录活性研究.Pdf, Xinxing Dong, Yi Xin, Ying Bai, Yunzhou Yang, Jibin Zhang, Meiying Fang, Gang Chen Dec 2009

3hsds1和17hsds7基因5'上游区转录活性研究.Pdf, Xinxing Dong, Yi Xin, Ying Bai, Yunzhou Yang, Jibin Zhang, Meiying Fang, Gang Chen

Jibin Zhang

3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSDs) and 17βHSDs are pivotal enzymes involved in synthesis, activation and deactivation of steroid hormones. Therefore, they play an important role to maintain homeostasis of hormone and regulate the synthesis and metabolism of hormones, and they are also related to metabolism of androstenone which can cause boar taint in male pigs. Through ligation of different PCR fragments of these genes from Large White pigs to pGL3-basic plasmid and subsequent transient transfection of constructed vectors into HepG2 cell culture, we found that the fragment from -1038bp to 45bp in porcine 3βHSD gene and the fragment from -966bp to 39bp …


Semiparametric Analysis Of Recurrent Events: Artificial Censoring, Truncation, Pairwise Estimation And Inference, Debashis Ghosh Dec 2009

Semiparametric Analysis Of Recurrent Events: Artificial Censoring, Truncation, Pairwise Estimation And Inference, Debashis Ghosh

Debashis Ghosh

The analysis of recurrent failure time data from longitudinal studies can be complicated by the presence of dependent censoring. There has been a substantive literature that has developed based on an artificial censoring device. We explore in this article the connection between this class of methods with truncated data structures. In addition, a new procedure is developed for estimation and inference in a joint model for recurrent events and dependent censoring. Estimation proceeds using a mixed U-statistic based estimating function approach. New resampling-based methods for variance estimation and model checking are also described. The methods are illustrated by application to …


Polyphyly Of The Pikeminnows (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) Inferred Using Mitochondrial Dna Sequences, T. Heath Ogden Dec 2009

Polyphyly Of The Pikeminnows (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) Inferred Using Mitochondrial Dna Sequences, T. Heath Ogden

T. Heath Ogden

The phylogenetic relationships of the Colorado pikeminnow Ptychocheilus lucius, northern pikeminnow P. oregonensis, Sacramento pikeminnow P. grandis, Umpqua pikeminnow P. umpquae, and hardhead Mylopharodon conocephalus were examined by using molecular data to investigate monophyly of the genus Ptychocheilus. Phylogenies generated using DNA sequence data from the cytochrome b and 16S ribosomal DNA genes of the mitochondrial genome reveal that Ptychocheilus is a polyphyletic genus and suggest that the taxonomy of the group is in need of further revision. These data yield insights into the evolution of the pikeminnows and help place the significant evolutionary events in context with the geological …