Life Sciences Commons^™

Organisms Associated With Bacterial Vaginosis In Nigerian Women As Determined By Pcr-Dgge And 16s Rrna Gene Sequence, Kingsley Anukam, Gregor Reid

Kingsley C Anukam

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a condition with diverse etiology. This condition predisposes women to increased susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and preterm birth. The diagnostic methods currently adopted in the evaluation of patient samples for BV are arguably Amsel criteria, and Nugent score that require microscopy and expert interpretation. These two methods are still subjective. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the organisms present in the vagina of 34 HIV negative Nigerian women diagnosed as having bacterial vaginosis by using molecular techniques. Methods: The vaginal samples were subjected to DNA …

The Role Of Protein Glycosylation In The Virulence Of The Gastric Pathogens Helicobacter Pylori And Campylobacter Jejuni, Alexandra Merkx-Jacques, C. Creuzenet

Alexandra Merkx-Jacques

H. pylori and C. jejuni are Gram-negative gastro-intestinal pathogens whose virulence is highly affected by protein glycosylation. The former causes gastric ulcers and cancer, while the latter causes enteritis and neurological disorders. Due to emerging drug-resistant strains, new treatments are needed.

In both bacteria, the flagellins are essential virulence factors glycosylated by pseudaminic acid (PA). We have identified and disrupted genes required for PA synthesis in both bacteria, and shown that this affects flagellin production. Further analysis and glycoprotein staining revealed that in H. pylori, the PA pathway is necessary for the glycosylation of proteins other than flagellins and …

Genetics And Biochemistry Of Protein Glycosylation In Campylobacter Jejuni, Alexandra Merkx-Jacques, S. Vijayakumar, M. Demendi, D. Ratnayake, C. Dozois, C. Creuzenet

Alexandra Merkx-Jacques

BACKGROUND: C. jejuni produces numerous glycoproteins, including flagellins, which are important for virulence. The flagellins harbour pseudaminic acid (PA) whereas other glycoproteins harbour diacetamidobacillosamine (DAB). We are investigating the genetics and biochemistry of protein glycosylation in C. jejuni to identify the enzymes involved, and determine their activity and roles in virulence. We focused on two homologous pathways comprising each a putative dehydratase, aminotransferase and acetyltransferase, namely {Cj1293, Cj1294 and Cj1298} and {Cj1120c, Cj1121c and Cj1123c}.

METHODS: All enzymes were overexpressed and purified before monitoring their activity by capillary electrophoresis. The cj1121c and cj1294 genes were disrupted by a chloramphenicol resistance …

Runx2 Is Essential For Larval Hyobranchial Cartilage Formation In Xenopus Laevis, Ryan Kerney, Joshua Gross, James Hanken

Ryan Kerney

The vertebrate transcription factor protein Runx2 is regarded as a “master regulator” of bone formation due to the dramatic loss of the osseous skeleton in the mouse homozygous knockout. However, Runx2 mRNA also is expressed in the pre-hypertrophic cartilaginous skeleton of the mouse and chicken, where its developmental function is largely unknown. Several tiers of Runx2 regulation exist in the mouse, any of which may account for its seeming biological inactivity during early stages of skeletogenesis. Unlike mouse and chicken, zebrafish require Runx2 function in early cartilage differentiation. The present study reveals that the earlier functional role of Runx2 in …