Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lipoprotein requirements for secretion of ultraviolet-absorbing corticosteroids by guinea pig adrenocortical cells in vitro: inner versus outer cortices; zona glomerulosa versus zona fasciculata.

Most studies of lipoprotein requirements for steroid secretion by the adrenal have examined the mixed cell population of the whole gland; none have examined lipoprotein requirements of guinea pig adrenocortical cells. In this study the effect of exogenous lipoprotein on the ability of cells from each of the different regions of the guinea pig adrenal cortex to synthesize and secrete steroids has been analyzed in vitro, under baseline and ACTH-stimulated conditions. Most studies have assessed the effects of lipoprotein on one or a few selected steroids. In this study the effects of lipoprotein and ACTH were examined both by an assay for fluorogenic steroids and by HPLC analysis of the spectrum of UV-absorbing steroids. Guinea pig outer adrenocortices, containing zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata, maintained in vitro as fragments or as isolated cells, secreted at least 5 times more steroid than the inner cortex, predominantly zona reticularis, and were dependent upon lipoproteins for their secretion. Corticosterone (B) and cortisol (F) were the predominant products of both zones. Aldosterone (Aldo), 18-hydroxycorticosterone (18-OH B), deoxycorticosterone (DOC), 11 beta-hydroxyandrostenedione (11 beta-OH And), androstenedione (And), and deoxycortisol were less abundant products of the outer cortex, while the inner cortex secreted only very small amounts of these steroids. Each of the outer cortical cell types secreted a distinct spectrum of steroids. Aldo, 18-OH B, and DOC were characteristic of glomerulosa cells, but B was most prominent. Fasciculata cells secreted primarily F, with 11 beta-OH And as their next most prominent product. Low density lipoprotein (LDL) enhanced steroid secretion by glomerulosa cells to a greater extent than that by fasciculata cells, but the stimulation of LDL utilization by ACTH was greatest for fasciculata cells. LDL and ACTH also influenced the pattern of steroids secreted by each cell type. Addition of LDL to glomerulosa cells enhanced secretion of DOC and B, but not that of Aldo or 18-OH B. In fasciculata cell cultures, LDL enhanced secretion of both F and 11 beta-OH And. ACTH, particularly in the presence of LDL, stimulated secretion by glomerulosa cells of Aldo and 18-OH B, as well as that of F, And, and 11 beta-OH And. The combined presence of ACTH and LDL in fasciculata cell cultures preferentially stimulated secretion of F and B. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The effect of heterozygous inversions on primary nondisjunction in Drosophila melanogaster.

patroclinous, in phenotype for sex-linked characters. the an detecting nondisjunction of each exceptional use of tester males from a stock Y chromosomes. This stock was from translocations between the and Y chromosomes. The Y chromosome is in two parts. The shorter arm, Y”, is attached to the proximal part of the X chromosome. The longer arm, YL, remains free but contains the centromere for the Y chromosome segment. This free Y chromosome segment carries a small part of the X chromosome containing the of yellow with the wild-type allele of yellow. The X chromosome in these has and white apart from the attached short arm of the Y The P females to be tested of nondisjunction homozygous for With all of chromosomes containing the Y chromosome YL, individual not-yellow. Exceptional females can be Y as their not-yellow phenotype. recognized their retention of matroclinous phenotypes such
Fringe SVM Settings and Aggressive Feature Reduction

Statistical techniques for aggressive feature reduction are studied on data obtained in agene knock-out experiment. The essential part of the process is automatic assessment of the quality of various feature selection methods. This is done by comparison of the performance of discriminating models built on candidate subsets of features. Experiments show that typical settings of popular 2-class discriminators, support vector machines (SVM), cannot be used as they produce models of very poor quality. The proposed way around is to use “fringe classifiers” such as SVMs trained on positive class data only or class centroids. Additionally, we also use models generated by such algorithms directly for identification of most discriminating features. We recommend that such simple machine learning techniques should be included into arepertoire of discrimina tors used on such occasions. We show that such relatively superior performance of fringe SVMs can also be observed on regular textmining data bases, such as Reuters newswire benchmark, if only the less frequent features (words) are used.
Stem Reserve Mobilization and Sink Activity in Wheat under Drought Conditions

The effect of water deficit on stem reserve mobilization and sink activity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, viz., C306 (drought tolerant) and PBW343 (drought sensitive) was studied. Drought was maintained in pot raised plants by withholding irrigation at 95 days after sowing (DAS), i.e. just five days before the initiation of anthesis. Drought induced a significant reduction in mean biomass of all the internodes of sensitive cultivar as compared to those of tolerant one. Mobilized dry matter and mobilization efficiency were observed to be higher in the internodes of tolerant cultivar, both under control and stress conditions, which resulted in enhanced translocation of stem reserves to the grains. Water soluble carbohydrates (WSC), which mainly occur as fructans, were observed to be higher in the internodes of tolerant cultivar than those of sensitive one. When drought was applied, fructans were mobilized more effectively from the internodes of tolerant cultivar. A significantly higher sucrose synthase activity in the grains of tolerant cultivar, under drought conditions, increased the sink strength by unloading the assimilates in the sink, thereby increasing further mobilization of assimilates to the grains. Grains of sensitive cultivar attained maturity much earlier as compared to the tolerant one, both under control and stress conditions. The longer duration of grain maturation in tolerant cultivar supported enhanced mobilization of stem reserves, thus restricting heavy decrease in grain yield, under stress conditions, as compared to the sensitive cultivar. It may, therefore, be concluded that certain characteristics viz., enhanced capability of fructan storage, higher mobilization efficiency, stronger sink activity and longer duration of grain maturation might help the drought tolerant cultivar in coping the stress conditions
Neuropilin-1-mediated Vascular Permeability Factor/Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-dependent Endothelial Cell Migration*

Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) has been found to be expressed by endothelial cells and tumor cells as an isoform-specific receptor for vascular permeability factor/vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Previous studies were mainly focused on the extracellular domain of NRP-1 that can bind to VEGF165 and, thus, enables NRP-1 to act as a co-receptor for VEGF165, which enhances its binding to VEGFR-2 and its bioactivity. However, the exact functional roles and related signaling mechanisms of NRP-1 in angiogenesis are not well understood. In this study we constructed a chimeric receptor, EGNP-1, by fusing the extracellular domain of epidermal growth factor receptor to the transmembrane and intracellular domains of NRP-1 and transduced it into HUVECs with a retroviral expression vector. We observed that NRP-1/EGNP-1 mediates ligand-stimulated migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) but not proliferation. Our results show that NRP-1 alone can mediate HUVEC migration through its intracellular domain, and its C-terminal three amino acids (SEA-COOH) are essential for the process. We demonstrate that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor Ly294002 and the p85 dominant negative mutant can block NRP-1-mediated HUVEC migration. NRP-1-mediated migration can be significantly reduced by overexpression of the dominant negative mutant of RhoA (RhoA-19N). In addition, Gq family proteins and Gβγ subunits are also required for NRP-1-mediated HUVEC migration. These results show for the first time that NRP-1 can independently promote cell signaling in endothelial cells and also demonstrate the importance of last three amino acids of NRP-1 for its function.
The refined 1.9 A crystal structure of human alpha‐thrombin: interaction with D‐Phe‐Pro‐Arg chloromethylketone and significance of the Tyr‐Pro‐Pro‐Trp insertion segment.

A stoichiometric complex formed between human alpha‐thrombin and D‐Phe‐Pro‐Arg chloromethylketone was crystallized in an orthorhombic crystal form. Orientation and position of a starting model derived from homologous modelling were determined by Patterson search methods. The thrombin model was completed in a cyclic modelling‐crystallographic refinement procedure to a final R‐value of 0.171 for X‐ray data to 1.92 A. The structure is in full agreement with published cDNA sequence data. The A‐chain, ordered only in its central part, is positioned along the molecular surface opposite to the active site. The B‐chain exhibits the characteristic polypeptide fold of trypsin‐like proteinases. Several extended insertions form, however, large protuberances; most important for interaction with macromolecular substrates is the characteristic thrombin loop around Tyr60A‐Pro60B‐Pro60C‐Trp60D (chymotrypsinogen numbering) and the enlarged loop around the unique Trp148. The former considerably restricts the active site cleft and seems likely to be responsible for poor binding of most natural proteinase inhibitors to thrombin. The exceptional specificity of D‐Phe‐Pro‐Arg chloromethylketone can be explained by a hydrophobic cage formed by Ile174, Trp215, Leu99, His57, Tyr60A and Trp60D. The narrow active site cleft, with a more polar base and hydrophobic rims, extends towards the arginine‐rich surface of loop Lys70‐Glu80 that probably represents part of the anionic binding region for hirudin and fibrinogen.
Association/Dissociation of the Nucleotide-binding Domains of the ATP-binding Cassette Protein MsbA Measured during Continuous Hydrolysis*

Background: In ATP-binding cassette proteins, ATP binding produces association of the two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs), but the molecular mechanism is unknown. Results: The NBDs separate following ATP hydrolysis. Conclusion: NBD dimers dissociate during the hydrolysis cycle supporting monomer/dimer models of operation. Significance: Knowledge of the molecular mechanism of hydrolysis will help us understand how ATP-binding cassette proteins work. In ATP-binding cassette proteins, the two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) work as dimers to bind and hydrolyze ATP, but the molecular mechanism of nucleotide hydrolysis is controversial. It is still unresolved whether hydrolysis leads to dissociation of the ATP-induced dimers or partial opening of the dimers such that the NBDs remain in contact during the hydrolysis cycle. We studied the bacterial lipid flippase MsbA by luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET). The LRET signal between optical probes reacted with single-cysteine mutants was employed to follow NBD association/dissociation in real time. The intermonomer distances calculated from LRET data indicate that the NBDs separate completely following ATP hydrolysis, even in the presence of mm MgATP, and that the dissociation occurs following each hydrolysis cycle. The results support association/dissociation, as opposed to constant contact models, for the mode of operation of ATP-binding cassette proteins.
ENDOSOMAL RAB EFFECTOR WITH PX-DOMAIN, an Interacting Partner of RAB5 GTPases, Regulates Membrane Trafficking to Protein Storage Vacuoles in Arabidopsis

A newly identified effector of RAB5 GTPases helps these molecular switch-like proteins regulate endosomal trafficking events during early Arabidopsis development. RAB5 GTPases act as molecular switches that regulate various endosomal functions in animal cells, including homotypic fusion of early endosomes, endosomal motility, endosomal signaling, and subcompartmentalization of the endosomal membrane. RAB5 proteins fulfill these diverse functions through interactions with downstream effector molecules. Two canonical RAB5 members, ARA7 and RAB HOMOLOG1 (RHA1), are encoded in the Arabidopsis thaliana genome. ARA7 and RHA1 play crucial roles in endocytic and vacuolar trafficking pathways. Plant RAB5 GTPases function via interactions with effector molecules, whose identities and functions are currently unclear. In this study, we searched for canonical RAB5 effector molecules of Arabidopsis and identified a candidate, which we called ENDOSOMAL RAB EFFECTOR WITH PX-DOMAIN (EREX). The intimate genetic interaction between EREX and RAB5 members, the results from subcellular colocalization experiments, and the direct interaction observed in an in vitro pull-down assay strongly suggest that EREX is a genuine effector of canonical RAB5s in Arabidopsis. We further found that close homologs of EREX play partially redundant functions with EREX in the transport of seed storage proteins. Our results indicate that canonical plant RAB5s acquired distinct effector molecules from those of non-plant systems to fulfill their functions.
Early in‐hospital management of burn injuries in Australia

Background: The accurate initial assessment and management of burn injuries influences subsequent clinical outcome. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate, over a 12‐year period (1989−2001), changes in the practices of referring hospitals in terms of early management of patients with burn injuries prior to transfer to a burns unit.
A Study on the UV Photoresponse of Hydrothermally Grown Zinc Oxide Nanorods With Different Aspect Ratios

We report on the effect of the aspect ratio of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) prepared by the hydrothermal process. It was found that increasing the precursor molar amount resulted in the decrease of the aspect ratio of ZnO NRs. Furthermore, the aspect ratios showed a significant effect on the structural and optical properties of the prepared ZnO NRs. The ZnO NRs were fabricated into a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) UV photodetector. The performances of the prepared MSM ZnO NRs were also studied, and the high aspect ratio showed that the highest responsivity had a value of 33 A/W at a bias voltage of 5 V and a wavelength of 380 nm. The responsivity, rise time, and full time of the prepared ZnO NRs showed a trend of behavior as the molar amount of the precursor was varied.
Relating the sediment phase speciation of arsenic, cadmium, and chromium with their bioavailability for the deposit‐feeding polychaete Nereis succinea

We studied the influence of sediment geochemistry on bioavailability of As, Cd, and Cr in deposit‐feeding polychaetes. Metal phase speciation in sediments was determined with a sequential extraction scheme, and assimilation efficiencies (AEs) of ingested metals were determined by pulse‐chase feeding experiments using γ‐emitting isotopes. Worms were fed sediments collected from geochemically diverse estuaries that were labeled by sorbing dissolved radiotracers or mixing with radiolabeled algae. Uptake of sediment‐bound metals was compared with that from labeled algae or goethite. Metal AEs showed a positive relationship with the exchangeable and carbonate sedimentary fractions, whereas metals in iron and manganese oxides and acid‐volatile sulfides, or in pyrite and other refractory material, were inversely correlated with AEs. Arsenic was most bioavailable from algae (72%), less from sediments mixed with algae (24–70%) and least from sediments labeled directly (1–12%). Arsenic AEs in sediments labeled directly showed a positive correlation with sedimentary Mn and Al and negative correlation with Fe. Cadmium AEs were positively correlated with salinity and negatively correlated with sedimentary organic C. The AEs of Cr from sediments or algae were less than 5%, but they were 34% from pure goethite. By quantifying the relationship of metal speciation in sediments with their bioavailability for deposit‐feeding polychaetes, the present study provides new insight into understanding metal bioaccumulation in benthic invertebrates. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:747–756. © 2011 SETAC
SUPPLEMENTING PIG DIET WITH 0 . 2 % SWEET CHESTNUT ( Castanea sativa Mill . ) WOOD EXTRACT HAD NO EFFECT ON GROWTH , CARCASS OR MEAT QUALITY

1 Univ. of Maribor, Fac. of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Pivola 10, 2311 Hoče, Slovenia, e-mail: maja.prevolnik@kis.si 2 Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Hacquetova ulica 17, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, e-mail: martin.skrlep@kis.si 3 Same address as 1, e-mail: maksimiljan.brus@uni-mb.si 4 Univ. of Florence, Dept. of Agric. and Biotechnol. , Via delle Cascine 5, 50144 Firenze, Italy, e-mail: carolina.pugliese@unifi.it 5 Same address as 2, e-mail: meta.candek-potokar@kis.si 6 Same address as 1, e-mail: dejan.skorjanc@uni-mb.si ABSTRACT The effect of tannin supplementation on growth performance, carcass and meat quality of pigs was studied. Natural extract of chestnut wood (Farmatan produced by Tanin Sevnica d.d., Sevnica, Slovenia) in the concentration of 2 g/kg of feeding mixture was added in the feed of experimental group of pigs (n = 15) from 30 kg to slaughter at app. 100 kg of live weight. During rearing growth performance i.e. daily gain in different periods was recorded. After the slaughter carcass traits such as carcass weight, muscle and fat thickness, carcass and ham leanness, muscle and fat area were recorded. Meat quality was assessed as colour (Minolta L*a*b*), pH value and water-holding capacity (tray drip loss). Based on spectral data the percentage of metmyoglobin and intramuscular fat content were also determined. The results showed no effect of adding tannins in pigs’ diet on any of the studied characteristics. A given concentration of chestnut wood extract of tannins is probably too low to cause any impact on growth, carcass or meat quality. Furthermore, no detrimental effect was either observed. Based on the presented results we cannot exclude possible beneficial or detrimental consequences of higher tannin concentration on growth, carcass or meat quality.
Entomophthoromycosis and mucormycosis as causes of pneumonia in Vietnamese potbellied pigs

Two Vietnamese potbellied pigs (Sus scrofa) had respiratory disease and, on autopsy, both pigs had large masses in the lungs and thoracic cavity. Microscopically, pulmonary and pleural masses contained large areas with hyphae surrounded by hypereosinophilic cellular debris rimmed by abundant eosinophils, lymphocytes, plasma cells, and histiocytes with occasional multinucleate giant cells. The hypereosinophilic debris usually formed tight cuffs, or “sleeves” around the hyphae, compatible with Splendore-Hoeppli–like material. The fungal organisms were determined by PCR to be Conidiobolus incongruus in one pig and Mucor circinelloides in the other. Entomophthoromycosis and mucormycosis should be included in the differential diagnoses for swine pneumonia, particularly when there is evidence of granulomatous pulmonary masses and pleural effusion with eosinophilic inflammation.
Expression of virulence genes in luminescent and nonluminescent isogenic vibrios and virulence towards gnotobiotic brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana)

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the expression levels of virulence gene regulators (luxR and toxR) and virulence factors (serine protease, metalloprotease and haemolysin) in luminescent and nonluminescent isogenic Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio campbellii.
Structural Basis for Ribosome Recruitment and Manipulation by a Viral IRES RNA

Canonical cap-dependent translation initiation requires a large number of protein factors that act in a stepwise assembly process. In contrast, internal ribosomal entry sites (IRESs) are cis-acting RNAs that in some cases completely supplant these factors by recruiting and activating the ribosome using a single structured RNA. Here we present the crystal structures of the ribosome-binding domain from a Dicistroviridae intergenic region IRES at 3.1 angstrom resolution, providing a view of the prefolded architecture of an all-RNA translation initiation apparatus. Docking of the structure into cryo–electron microscopy reconstructions of an IRES-ribosome complex suggests a model for ribosome manipulation by a dynamic IRES RNA.
On the determination of atmospheric minor gases by the method of vanishing partial derivatives with application to CO2

We present a general method for the determination of minor gases in the troposphere from high spectral resolution observations. In this method, we make use of a general property of the total differential of multi‐variable functions to separate the contributions of each individual minor gas. We have applied this method to derive the mixing ratio of carbon dioxide in the mid‐troposphere using data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) currently flying on the NASA Aqua Mission. We compare our results to the aircraft flask CO2 measurements obtained by H. Matsueda et al. over the western Pacific and demonstrate skill in tracking the measured 5 ppmv seasonal variation with an accuracy of 0.43 ± 1.20 ppmv.
The PEA3 Subfamily of Ets Transcription Factors Synergizes with β-Catenin–LEF-1 To Activate Matrilysin Transcription in Intestinal Tumors

ABSTRACT The matrix metalloproteinase matrilysin (MMP-7) is expressed in the tumor cells of a majority of mouse intestinal and human colonic adenomas. We showed previously that matrilysin is a target gene of β-catenin–Tcf, the transcription factor complex whose activity is thought to play a crucial role in the initiation of intestinal tumorigenesis. Here we report that overexpression of a stable mutant form of β-catenin alone was not sufficient to effect expression of luciferase from a matrilysin promoter-luciferase reporter plasmid. However, cotransfection of the reporter with an expression vector encoding the PEA3 Ets transcription factor, or its close relatives ER81 and ERM, increased luciferase expression and rendered the promoter responsive to β-catenin–LEF-1 as well as to the AP-1 protein c-Jun. Other Ets proteins could not substitute for the PEA3 subfamily. Luciferase activity was induced up to 250-fold when PEA3, c-Jun, β-catenin, and LEF-1 were coexpressed. This combination of transcription factors was also sufficient to induce expression of the endogenous matrilysin gene. Furthermore, all matrilysin-expressing benign intestinal tumors of the Min mouse expressed a member of the PEA3 subfamily, as did all human colon tumor cell lines examined. These data suggest that the expression of members of the PEA3 subfamily, in conjunction with the accumulation of β-catenin in these tumors, leads to coordinate upregulation of matrilysin gene transcription, contributing to gastrointestinal tumorigenesis.
The endolysin from the Enterococcus faecalis bacteriophage VD13 and conditions stimulating its lytic activity.

Bacteriophage produce endolysins (peptidoglycan hydrolases) to lyse the host cell from within and release nascent bacteriophage particles. Recombinant endolysins can lyse Gram-positive bacteria when added exogenously. As a potential alternative antimicrobial, we cloned and expressed the enterococcal VD13 bacteriophage endolysin. VD13 endolysin has a CHAP catalytic domain with 92% identity with the bacteriophage IME-EF1 endolysin. The predicted size of VD13 endolysin is ∼27 kDa as verified by SDS-PAGE. The VD13 endolysin lyses Enterococcus faecalis strains, but not Enterococcus faecium or other non-enterococci. VD13 endolysin has activity from pH 4 to pH 8, with peak activity at pH 5, and exhibits greater activity in the presence of calcium. Optimum activity at pH 5 occurs in the absence of NaCl. VD13 endolysin, in ammonium acetate (C2H3O2NH4) calcium chloride (CaCl2) buffer pH 5, is stimulated to higher activity upon heating at temperatures up to 65°C for 30 minutes, whereas activity is lost upon heating to 42°C, in pH 7 buffer.