Displaying publications 2421 - 2440 of 8211 in total

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  1. Jensen KS, Adams R, Bennett RS, Bernbaum J, Jahrling PB, Holbrook MR
    PLoS One, 2018;13(6):e0199534.
    PMID: 29920552 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199534
    Nipah virus (NiV) is a highly pathogenic zoonotic paramyxovirus that can result in severe pulmonary disease and fatal encephalitis in humans and is responsible for outbreaks in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, India and possibly the Philippines. NiV has a negative-sense RNA genome that contains six genes and serves as a template for production of viral mRNA transcripts. NiV mRNA transcripts are subsequently translated into viral proteins. Traditionally, NiV quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays have relied on using primer sets that amplify a target (N that encodes the nucleocapsid) within the coding region of the viral gene that also amplifies viral mRNA. Here we describe a novel one-step qRT-PCR assay targeting the intergenic region separating the viral F and G proteins, thereby eliminating amplification of the viral mRNA. This assay is more accurate than the traditional qRT-PCR in quantifying concentrations of viral genomic RNA.
    Matched MeSH terms: RNA, Messenger/genetics; Viral Proteins/genetics; Nipah Virus/genetics*
  2. Lim SJ, Noor NDM, Sabri S, Ali MSM, Salleh AB, Oslan SN
    Microb Pathog, 2024 Aug;193:106773.
    PMID: 38960213 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2024.106773
    Meyerozyma guilliermondii (Candida guilliermondii) is one of the Candida species associated with invasive candidiasis. With the potential for expressing industrially important enzymes, M. guilliermondii strain SO possessed 99 % proteome similarity with the clinical ATCC 6260 isolate and showed pathogenicity towards zebrafish embryos. Recently, three secreted aspartyl proteinases (SAPs) were computationally identified as potential virulence factors in this strain without in vitro verification of SAP activity. The quantification of Candida SAPs activity in liquid broth were also scarcely reported. Thus, this study aimed to characterize M. guilliermondii strain SO's ability to produce SAPs (MgSAPs) in different conditions (morphology and medium) besides analyzing its growth profile. MgSAPs' capability to cleave bovine serum albumin (BSA) was also determined to propose that MgSAPs as the potential virulence factors compared to the avirulent Saccharomyces cerevisiae. M. guilliermondii strain SO produced more SAPs (higher activity) in yeast nitrogen base-BSA-dextrose broth compared to yeast extract-BSA-dextrose broth despite insignificantly different SAP activity in both planktonic and biofilm cells. FeCl3 supplementation significantly increased the specific protein activity (∼40 %). The BSA cleavage by MgSAPs at an acidic pH was proven through semi-quantitative SDS-PAGE, sharing similar profile with HIV-1 retropepsin. The presented work highlighted the MgSAPs on fungal cell wall and extracellular milieu during host infection could be corroborated to the quantitative production in different growth modes presented herein besides shedding lights on the potential usage of retropepsin's inhibitors in treating candidiasis. Molecular and expression analyses of MgSAPs and their deletion should be further explored to attribute their respective virulence effects.
    Matched MeSH terms: Candida/genetics; Saccharomycetales/genetics; Fungal Proteins/genetics
  3. Darst BF, Shen J, Madduri RK, Rodriguez AA, Xiao Y, Sheng X, et al.
    Am J Hum Genet, 2023 Jul 06;110(7):1200-1206.
    PMID: 37311464 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2023.05.010
    Genome-wide polygenic risk scores (GW-PRSs) have been reported to have better predictive ability than PRSs based on genome-wide significance thresholds across numerous traits. We compared the predictive ability of several GW-PRS approaches to a recently developed PRS of 269 established prostate cancer-risk variants from multi-ancestry GWASs and fine-mapping studies (PRS269). GW-PRS models were trained with a large and diverse prostate cancer GWAS of 107,247 cases and 127,006 controls that we previously used to develop the multi-ancestry PRS269. Resulting models were independently tested in 1,586 cases and 1,047 controls of African ancestry from the California Uganda Study and 8,046 cases and 191,825 controls of European ancestry from the UK Biobank and further validated in 13,643 cases and 210,214 controls of European ancestry and 6,353 cases and 53,362 controls of African ancestry from the Million Veteran Program. In the testing data, the best performing GW-PRS approach had AUCs of 0.656 (95% CI = 0.635-0.677) in African and 0.844 (95% CI = 0.840-0.848) in European ancestry men and corresponding prostate cancer ORs of 1.83 (95% CI = 1.67-2.00) and 2.19 (95% CI = 2.14-2.25), respectively, for each SD unit increase in the GW-PRS. Compared to the GW-PRS, in African and European ancestry men, the PRS269 had larger or similar AUCs (AUC = 0.679, 95% CI = 0.659-0.700 and AUC = 0.845, 95% CI = 0.841-0.849, respectively) and comparable prostate cancer ORs (OR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.87-2.26 and OR = 2.21, 95% CI = 2.16-2.26, respectively). Findings were similar in the validation studies. This investigation suggests that current GW-PRS approaches may not improve the ability to predict prostate cancer risk compared to the PRS269 developed from multi-ancestry GWASs and fine-mapping.
    Matched MeSH terms: Multifactorial Inheritance/genetics; African Continental Ancestry Group/genetics; European Continental Ancestry Group/genetics
  4. Goh ZH, Tan SG, Bhassu S, Tan WS
    J Virol Methods, 2011 Jul;175(1):74-9.
    PMID: 21536072 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2011.04.021
    Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNv) infects giant freshwater prawns and causes white tail disease (WTD). The coding region of the capsid protein of MrNv was amplified with RT-PCR and cloned into the pTrcHis2-TOPO vector. The recombinant plasmid was introduced into Escherichia coli and protein expression was induced with IPTG. SDS-PAGE showed that the recombinant protein containing the His-tag and myc epitope has a molecular mass of about 46 kDa and it was detected by the anti-His antibody in Western blotting. The protein was purified using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) and transmission electron microscopic analysis revealed that the recombinant protein assembled into virus-like particles (VLPs) with a diameter of about 30±3 nm. The size of the particles was confirmed by dynamic light scattering. Nucleic acids were extracted from the VLPs and treatment with nucleases showed that they were mainly RNA molecules. This is the first report describing the production of MrNv capsid protein in bacteria and its assembly into VLPs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Recombinant Proteins/genetics; Nodaviridae/genetics; Capsid Proteins/genetics
  5. Divis PC, Lin LC, Rovie-Ryan JJ, Kadir KA, Anderios F, Hisam S, et al.
    Emerg Infect Dis, 2017 04;23(4):616-624.
    PMID: 28322705 DOI: 10.3201/eid2304.161738
    Multilocus microsatellite genotyping of Plasmodium knowlesi isolates previously indicated 2 divergent parasite subpopulations in humans on the island of Borneo, each associated with a different macaque reservoir host species. Geographic divergence was also apparent, and independent sequence data have indicated particularly deep divergence between parasites from mainland Southeast Asia and Borneo. To resolve the overall population structure, multilocus microsatellite genotyping was conducted on a new sample of 182 P. knowlesi infections (obtained from 134 humans and 48 wild macaques) from diverse areas of Malaysia, first analyzed separately and then in combination with previous data. All analyses confirmed 2 divergent clusters of human cases in Malaysian Borneo, associated with long-tailed macaques and pig-tailed macaques, and a third cluster in humans and most macaques in peninsular Malaysia. High levels of pairwise divergence between each of these sympatric and allopatric subpopulations have implications for the epidemiology and control of this zoonotic species.
    Matched MeSH terms: DNA, Protozoan/genetics; Plasmodium knowlesi/genetics*; Microsatellite Repeats/genetics
  6. Ch'ng LS, Lee WS, Kirkwood CD
    Emerg Infect Dis, 2011 May;17(5):948-50.
    PMID: 21529427 DOI: 10.3201/eid1705.101652
    Matched MeSH terms: RNA, Viral/genetics; Rotavirus/genetics; Capsid Proteins/genetics
  7. Gaudino M, Aurine N, Dumont C, Fouret J, Ferren M, Mathieu C, et al.
    Emerg Infect Dis, 2020 01;26(1):104-113.
    PMID: 31855143 DOI: 10.3201/eid2601.191284
    We conducted an in-depth characterization of the Nipah virus (NiV) isolate previously obtained from a Pteropus lylei bat in Cambodia in 2003 (CSUR381). We performed full-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analyses and confirmed CSUR381 is part of the NiV-Malaysia genotype. In vitro studies revealed similar cell permissiveness and replication of CSUR381 (compared with 2 other NiV isolates) in both bat and human cell lines. Sequence alignments indicated conservation of the ephrin-B2 and ephrin-B3 receptor binding sites, the glycosylation site on the G attachment protein, as well as the editing site in phosphoprotein, suggesting production of nonstructural proteins V and W, known to counteract the host innate immunity. In the hamster animal model, CSUR381 induced lethal infections. Altogether, these data suggest that the Cambodia bat-derived NiV isolate has high pathogenic potential and, thus, provide insight for further studies and better risk assessment for future NiV outbreaks in Southeast Asia.
    Matched MeSH terms: RNA, Viral/genetics; Genome, Viral/genetics; Nipah Virus/genetics
  8. Ijabi J, Ijabi R, Roozehdar P, Kaminsky ZA, Moradi-Sardareh H, Tehranian N, et al.
    Microrna, 2024;13(2):140-154.
    PMID: 38243930 DOI: 10.2174/0122115366275856240101083442
    BACKGROUND: The COG complex is implicated in the tethering of retrograde intra-Golgi vesicles, which involves vesicular tethering and SNAREs. SNARE complexes mediate the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells through MMPs which activate growth factors for ECM fragments by binding to integrin receptors. Increasing MMPs is in line with YKL40 since YKL40 is linked to promoting angiogenesis through VEGF and can increase ovarian cancer (OC) resistance to chemotropic and cell migration.

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is an assessment of siRNA-COG3 on proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of OC cells. In addition, siRNA-COG3 may prevent the growth of OC cancer in mice with tumors.

    METHODS: Primary OC cell lines will be treated with siRNA-COG3 to assay YKL40 and identified angiogenesis by Tube-like structure formation in HOMECs. The Golgi morphology was analyzed using Immunofluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, the effects of siRNA-COG3 on the proliferation and apoptosis of cells were evaluated using MTT and TUNEL assays. Clones of the HOSEpiC OC cell line were subcutaneously implanted in FVB/N mice. Mice were treated after two weeks of injection of cells using siRNA-COG3. Tumor development suppression was detected by D-luciferin. RT-PCR and western blotting analyses were applied to determine COG3, MT1- MMP, SNAP23, and YKL40 expression to investigate the effects of COG3 gene knockdown.

    RESULTS: siRNA-COG3 exhibited a substantial effect in suppressing tumor growth in mice. It dramatically reduced OC cell proliferation and triggered apoptosis (all p < 0.01). Inhibition of COG3, YKL-40, and MT1-MPP led to suppression of angiogenesis and reduction of microvessel density through SNAP23 in OC cells.

    CONCLUSION: Overall, by knockdown of the COG3 gene, MT1-MMP and YKL40 were dropped, leading to suppressed angiogenesis along with decreasing migration and proliferation. SiRNACOG3 may be an ideal agent to consider for clinical trial assessment therapy for OC, especially when an antiangiogenic SNAR-pathway targeting drug.

    Matched MeSH terms: Cell Movement/genetics; Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport/genetics; Matrix Metalloproteinase 14/genetics
  9. Yanasegaran K, Ng JYE, Chua EW, Nawi AM, Ng PY, Abdul Manaf MR
    Sci Rep, 2024 Aug 29;14(1):20062.
    PMID: 39209904 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70674-2
    Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could increase the susceptibility of individuals to develop obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Obesity and T2DM are closely related pathophysiologically, thus similar SNPs could mediate both these diseases, but this is rarely reported. Furthermore, limited studies have been performed to summarize SNP data in the Asian population compared to the Western population. In this study, we aimed to summarize SNPs that are associated with the development of obesity and T2DM among Asian populations. We searched six literature databases and Review Manager (RevMan) was used for meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were calculated with a random effects model for the heterogeneity among studies. The pooled analysis showed that rs9939609 (FTO gene) and rs17782313 and rs571312 (MC4R gene) are associated with obesity with an odd ratio (OR) of 1.37, 1.36 and 1.29 respectively. For T2DM, five SNPs, rs7903146 and rs12255372 (TCF7L2 gene), rs13266634 and rs11558471 (SLC30A8 gene) and rs2283228 (KCNQ1 gene) have also shown strong associations with T2DM at OR of 1.64, 1.61, 1.22, 1.29 and 1.60 respectively. This data could be used to develop a gene screening panel for assessing obesity and T2DM susceptibility.
    Matched MeSH terms: Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 4/genetics; Transcription Factor 7-Like 2 Protein/genetics; Alpha-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase FTO/genetics
  10. Chang CH, See Too WC, Lim BH, Few LL
    Acta Parasitol, 2024 Mar;69(1):426-438.
    PMID: 38172465 DOI: 10.1007/s11686-023-00763-1
    PURPOSE: Entamoeba histolytica is one of the death-causing parasites in the world. Study on its lipid composition revealed that it is predominated by phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Further study revealed that its phosphorylated metabolites might be produced by the Kennedy pathway. Here, we would like to report on the characterizations of enzymes from this pathway that would provide information for the design of novel inhibitors against these enzymes in future.

    METHODOLOGY: E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS genomic DNA was isolated and two putative choline/ethanolamine kinase genes (EhCK1 and EhCK2) were cloned and expressed from Escherichia coli BL21 strain. Enzymatic characterizations were further carried out on the purified enzymes.

    RESULTS: EhCK1 and EhCK2 were identified from E. histolytica genome. The deduced amino acid sequences were more identical to its homologues in human (35-48%) than other organisms. The proteins were clustered as ethanolamine kinase in the constructed phylogeny tree. Sequence analysis showed that they possessed all the conserved motifs in choline kinase family: ATP-binding loop, Brenner's phosphotransferase motif, and choline kinase motif. Here, the open reading frames were cloned, expressed, and purified to apparent homogeneity. EhCK1 showed activity with choline but not ethanolamine. The biochemical characterization showed that it had a Vmax of 1.9 ± 0.1 µmol/min/mg. Its Km for choline and ATP was 203 ± 26 µM and 3.1 ± 0.4 mM, respectively. In contrast, EhCK2 enzymatic activity was only detected when Mn2+ was used as the co-factor instead of Mg2+ like other choline/ethanolamine kinases. Highly sensitive and specific antibody against EhCK1 was developed and used to confirm the endogenous EhCK1 expression using immunoblotting.

    CONCLUSIONS: With the understanding of EhC/EK importance in phospholipid metabolism and their unique characteristic, EhC/EK could be a potential target for future anti-amoebiasis study.

    Matched MeSH terms: Escherichia coli/genetics; Protozoan Proteins/genetics; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor)/genetics
  11. Chia PP, Fan SH, Say YH
    Ethn Dis, 2015;25(4):383-90.
    PMID: 26673968 DOI: 10.18865/ed.25.4.383
    This study aimed to investigate the association of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) genes PPARα L162V, PPARγ2 C161T and PPARδ T294C single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with obesity and metabolic syndrome (Met-S) in a multi-ethnic population in Kampar, Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ethnic Groups/genetics*; Obesity/genetics*; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics*; Metabolic Syndrome X/genetics*; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics*; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors/genetics*
  12. Sumera A, Radhakrishnan A, Baba AA, George E
    Blood Cells Mol. Dis., 2015 Apr;54(4):348-52.
    PMID: 25648458 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcmd.2015.01.008
    Thalassemia is known as a diverse single gene disorder, which is prevalent worldwide. The molecular chaperones are set of proteins that help in two important processes while protein synthesis and degradation include folding or unfolding and assembly or disassembly, thereby helping in cell homeostasis. This review recaps current knowledge regarding the role of molecular chaperones in thalassemia, with a focus on beta thalassemia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Blood Proteins/genetics*; Erythropoiesis/genetics; beta-Thalassemia/genetics; Molecular Chaperones/genetics*; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/genetics*; alpha-Globins/genetics*
  13. Ebrahimi R, Faseleh Jahromi M, Liang JB, Soleimani Farjam A, Shokryazdan P, Idrus Z
    Biomed Res Int, 2015;2015:149745.
    PMID: 25695048 DOI: 10.1155/2015/149745
    Lead- (Pb-) induced oxidative stress is known to suppress growth performance and feed efficiency in broiler chickens. In an attempt to describe the specific underlying mechanisms of such phenomenon we carried out the current study. Ninety-six one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 2 dietary treatment groups of 6 pen replicates, namely, (i) basal diet containing no lead supplement (control) and (ii) basal diet containing 200 mg lead acetate/kg of diet. Following 3 weeks of experimental period, jejunum samples were collected to examine the changes in gene expression of several nutrient transporters, antioxidant enzymes, and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) using quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed that addition of lead significantly decreased feed intake, body weight gain, and feed efficiency. Moreover, with the exception of GLUT5, the expression of all sugar, peptide, and amino acid transporters was significantly downregulated in the birds under Pb induced oxidative stress. Exposure to Pb also upregulated the antioxidant enzymes gene expression together with the downregulation of glutathione S-transferase and Hsp70. In conclusion, it appears that Pb-induced oxidative stress adversely suppresses feed efficiency and growth performance in chicken and the possible underlying mechanism for such phenomenon is downregulation of major nutrient transporter genes in small intestine.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chickens/genetics*; Gene Expression Regulation/genetics*; RNA, Messenger/genetics*; Weight Gain/genetics; Oxidative Stress/genetics; Membrane Transport Proteins/genetics*
  14. Tham HW, Balasubramaniam VR, Tejo BA, Ahmad H, Hassan SS
    Viruses, 2014 Dec;6(12):5028-46.
    PMID: 25521592 DOI: 10.3390/v6125028
    Aedes aegypti is a principal vector responsible for the transmission of dengue viruses (DENV). To date, vector control remains the key option for dengue disease management. To develop new vector control strategies, a more comprehensive understanding of the biological interactions between DENV and Ae. aegypti is required. In this study, a cDNA library derived from the midgut of female adult Ae. aegypti was used in yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screenings against DENV2 envelope (E) protein. Among the many interacting proteins identified, carboxypeptidase B1 (CPB1) was selected, and its biological interaction with E protein in Ae. aegypti primary midgut cells was further validated. Our double immunofluorescent assay showed that CPB1-E interaction occurred in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of the Ae. aegypti primary midgut cells. Overexpression of CPB1 in mosquito cells resulted in intracellular DENV2 genomic RNA or virus particle accumulation, with a lower amount of virus release. Therefore, we postulated that in Ae. aegypti midgut cells, CPB1 binds to the E protein deposited on the ER intraluminal membranes and inhibits DENV2 RNA encapsulation, thus inhibiting budding from the ER, and may interfere with immature virus transportation to the trans-Golgi network.
    Matched MeSH terms: Aedes/genetics; Dengue Virus/genetics; Insect Vectors/genetics; Viral Envelope Proteins/genetics; Insect Proteins/genetics; Carboxypeptidase B/genetics
  15. Azlin AH, Looi LM, Cheah PL
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(9):3959-63.
    PMID: 24935581
    The tumour suppressor genes, p53 and pRb, are known to play important roles in neoplastic transformation. While molecular routes to the uncontrolled growth of hepatocytes, leading to primary liver cancer have generated considerable interest, the roles of p53 and pRb mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatoblastoma (HB) remain to be clarified. We examined the immunohistochemical expression of p53 and pRb gene products in 26 HCC and 9 HB, sampled into tissue microarray blocks. 10 (38%) of 26 HCC showed > 10% tumour nuclear staining for p53 protein, 3 of these also being HbsAg positive. Conversely, none of 9 HB expressed nuclear p53 immunopositivity. Some 24 (92%) HCC and 8 (89%) HB showed loss of pRb nuclear expression. Two of the 26 HCC and one of the 9 HB showed >10% tumour nuclear staining for pRb protein. Our results suggest that p53 does not have an important role in the development of HB but may contribute in HCC. There is also loss of pRb expression in the majority of HCC and HB, supporting loss of pRb gene function in the hepatocarcinogenesis pathway. However, a comparison of the staining profiles of p53 and pRb proteins in HCC and HB did not reveal a consistent pattern to differentiate between the two types of tumours immunohistochemically. Hence the use of p53 and pRB protein expression has no contribution in the situation where there is a diagnostic difficulty in deciding between HCC and HB.
    Matched MeSH terms: Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/genetics; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics*; Liver Neoplasms/genetics*; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/genetics*; Retinoblastoma Protein/genetics*; Hepatoblastoma/genetics*
  16. Ling KH, Hewitt CA, Tan KL, Cheah PS, Vidyadaran S, Lai MI, et al.
    BMC Genomics, 2014;15:624.
    PMID: 25052193 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-624
    The Ts1Cje mouse model of Down syndrome (DS) has partial triplication of mouse chromosome 16 (MMU16), which is partially homologous to human chromosome 21. These mice develop various neuropathological features identified in DS individuals. We analysed the effect of partial triplication of the MMU16 segment on global gene expression in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus of Ts1Cje mice at 4 time-points: postnatal day (P)1, P15, P30 and P84.
    Matched MeSH terms: Down Syndrome/genetics*; Interferons/genetics; Signal Transduction/genetics; STAT1 Transcription Factor/genetics; Janus Kinases/genetics; Receptor, Interferon alpha-beta/genetics
  17. Bakhtiar A, Sayyad M, Rosli R, Maruyama A, Chowdhury EH
    Curr Gene Ther, 2014;14(4):247-57.
    PMID: 25039616
    Conventional therapies for malignant cancer such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy are associated with poor survival rates owing to the development of cellular resistance to cancer drugs and the lack of targetability, resulting in unwanted adverse effects on healthy cells and necessitating the lowering of therapeutic dose with consequential lower efficacy of the treatment. Gene therapy employing different types of viral and non-viral carriers to transport gene(s) of interest and facilitating production of the desirable therapeutic protein(s) has tremendous prospects in cancer treatments due to the high-level of specificity in therapeutic action of the expressed protein(s) with diminished off-target effects, although cancer cell-specific delivery of transgene(s) still poses some challenges to be addressed. Depending on the potential therapeutic target genes, cancer gene therapy could be categorized into tumor suppressor gene replacement therapy, immune gene therapy and enzyme- or prodrug-based therapy. This review would shed light on the current progress of delivery of potentially therapeutic genes into various cancer cells in vitro and animal models utilizing a variety of viral and non-viral vectors.
    Matched MeSH terms: Interferons/genetics; Interleukins/genetics; Neoplasms/genetics; Thymidine Kinase/genetics; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21/genetics; TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/genetics
  18. Chin ST, Ignatius J, Suraiya S, Tye GJ, Sarmiento ME, Acosta A, et al.
    Immunology, 2015 Feb;144(2):302-11.
    PMID: 25158076 DOI: 10.1111/imm.12372
    The acquired immune response against tuberculosis is commonly associated with T-cell responses with little known about the role of B cells or antibodies. There have been suggestions that B cells and humoral immunity can modulate the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, the mechanisms involving B-cell responses in M. tuberculosis are not fully understood, in particular the antibody gene preferences. We hypothesized that a preferential use of V genes can be seen associated with resistance to infection mainly in the IgA isotype, which is of prominent importance for infection by pathogens via the mucosal route. We studied healthy individuals with long-term exposure to tuberculosis, infected (TST(+) ) and uninfected TST(-) ) with M. tuberculosis. From a total of 22 V genes analysed, the TST(-) population preferred the VH 3-23 and Vκ1 genes. The VH 3-23 genes were subsequently subjected to 454 amplicon sequencing. The TST(-) population showed a higher frequency of the D3-10 segment compared with the D3-22 segment for the TST(+) population. The J segment usage pattern was similar for both populations with J4 segment being used the most. A preferential pairing of J4 segments to D3-3 was seen for the TST(-) population. The antibodyome difference between both populations suggests a preference for antibodies with VH 3-23, D3-3, JH 4 gene usage by the TST(-) population that could be associated with resistance to infection with M. tuberculosis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Immunoglobulin A/genetics*; Immunoglobulin Joining Region/genetics; Immunoglobulin delta-Chains/genetics*; Immunoglobulin J-Chains/genetics*; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/genetics*; Antigens, CD19/genetics
  19. Ahmad A, Dada AC, Usup G, Heng LY
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2014 May 15;82(1-2):26-38.
    PMID: 24725825 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.03.028
    Median enterococci counts of beach water samples gradually increased at statistically significant levels (χ2: 26.53, df: 4; p<0.0001) with increasing proximity to river influx. The difference in proportion of antibiotic resistant enterococci in beach water and river water samples was statistically significant (p<0.05) for the tested antibiotics with river isolates generally presenting higher resistance frequencies. Virulence genes cyl, esp, gelE and asa were detected at varying frequencies (7.32%, 21.95%, 100% and 63.41% respectively) among river isolates. On the other hand, the prevalence of these genes was lower (0%, 20%, 67.27% and 41.82% respectively) among beach water isolates. Multi-Locus-Sequence-Typing analysis of Enterococcus faecalis presented four sequence types (ST) one of which shared six out of seven tested loci with ST6, a member of the clonal complex of multi-drug resistant strains associated with hospital outbreaks.
    Matched MeSH terms: Bacterial Proteins/genetics*; DNA, Bacterial/genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics; Superoxide Dismutase/genetics; Enterococcus/genetics*; Virulence Factors/genetics*
  20. Mohamad Ashari ZS, Sulong S, Hassan R, Husin A, Sim GA, Abdul Wahid SF
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(4):1863-9.
    PMID: 24641422
    The amplification of telomerase component (TERC) gene could play an important role in generation and treatment of haematological malignancies. This present study was aimed to investigate copy number amplification status of TERC gene in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients who were being treated with imatinib mesylate (IM). Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of CML-IM Resistant (n=63), CML-IM Respond (n=63) and healthy individuals (n=30). TERC gene copy number predicted (CNP) and copy number calculated (CNC) were determined based on Taqman® Copy Number Assay. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was performed to confirm the normal signal pattern in C4 (calibrator) for TERC gene. Nine of CML patients showed TERC gene amplification (CNP=3), others had 2 CNP. A total of 17 CML patients expressed CNC>2.31 and the rest had 2.31>CNC>1.5. TERC gene CNP value in healthy individuals was 2 and their CNC value showed in range 1.59-2.31. The average CNC TERC gene copy number was 2.07, 1.99 and 1.94 in CML- IM Resistant patients, CML-IM Respond and healthy groups, respectively. No significant difference of TERC gene amplification observed between CML-IM Resistant and CML-IM Respond patients. Low levels of TERC gene amplification might not have a huge impact in haematological disorders especially in terms of resistance towards IM treatment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Gene Amplification/genetics*; RNA/genetics*; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/genetics*; Gene Dosage/genetics*; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics; Telomerase/genetics*
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