| midgut-specific immune molecules are produced by the blood-sucking insect stomoxys calcitrans. | we have cloned and sequenced two defensins, smd1 and smd2, from anterior midgut tissue of the blood-sucking fly stomoxys calcitrans. the dna and n-terminal protein sequences suggest both are produced as prepropeptides. smd1 differs from the classic defensin pattern in having an unusual six-amino acid-long n-terminal sequence. both smd1 and smd2 have lower pi points and charge than insect defensins derived from fat body/hemocytes. northern analysis shows both of these defensin molecules are tissu ... | 1997 | 9326639 |
| anopheles gambiae pilot gene discovery project: identification of mosquito innate immunity genes from expressed sequence tags generated from immune-competent cell lines. | together with aids and tuberculosis, malaria is at the top of the list of devastating infectious diseases. however, molecular genetic studies of its major vector, anopheles gambiae, are still quite limited. we have conducted a pilot gene discovery project to accelerate progress in the molecular analysis of vector biology, with emphasis on the mosquito's antimalarial immune defense. a total of 5,925 expressed sequence tags were determined from normalized cdna libraries derived from immune-respons ... | 2000 | 10841561 |
| evolutionary relationships among parvoviruses: virus-host coevolution among autonomous primate parvoviruses and links between adeno-associated and avian parvoviruses. | the current classification of parvoviruses is based on virus host range and helper virus dependence, while little data on evolutionary relationships among viruses are available. we identified and analyzed 472 sequences of parvoviruses, among which there were (virtually) full-length genomes of all 41 viruses currently recognized as individual species within the family parvoviridae. our phylogenetic analysis of full-length genomes as well as open reading frames distinguished three evolutionary gro ... | 2001 | 11222696 |
| ross river virus transmission, infection, and disease: a cross-disciplinary review. | ross river virus (rrv) is a fascinating, important arbovirus that is endemic and enzootic in australia and papua new guinea and was epidemic in the south pacific in 1979 and 1980. infection with rrv may cause disease in humans, typically presenting as peripheral polyarthralgia or arthritis, sometimes with fever and rash. rrv disease notifications in australia average 5,000 per year. the first well-described outbreak occurred in 1928. during world war ii there were more outbreaks, and the name ep ... | 2001 | 11585790 |
| thioredoxin from brugia malayi: defining a 16-kilodalton class of thioredoxins from nematodes. | thioredoxins are a family of small redox proteins that undergo nadph-dependent reduction by thioredoxin reductase. this results in a supply of reducing equivalents that cells use in a wide variety of biological reactions, which include maintaining reduced forms of the enzymes important for protection against damage from high-energy oxygen radicals, the regulation of transcription factor activity, and the inhibition of apoptosis. here we report on a new member of the thioredoxin family of protein ... | 2003 | 12819103 |
| genetic structure and evolution of the vps25 family, a yeast escrt-ii component. | vps25p is the product of yeast gene vps25 and is found in an endosomal sorting complex required for transport (escrt)-ii, along with vps22p and vps36p. this complex is essential for sorting of ubiquitinated biosynthetic and endosomal cargoes into endosomes. | 2006 | 16889659 |
| kinase activity of overexpressed hipa is required for growth arrest and multidrug tolerance in escherichia coli. | overexpression of the hipa protein of the hipba toxin/antitoxin module leads to multidrug tolerance in escherichia coli. hipa is a "toxin" that causes reversible dormancy, whereas hipb is an antitoxin that binds hipa and acts as a transcriptional repressor of the hipba operon. comparative sequence analysis shows that hipa is a member of the phosphatidylinositol 3/4-kinase superfamily. the kinase activity of hipa was examined. hipa was autophosphorylated in the presence of atp in vitro, and the p ... | 2006 | 17041039 |
| synergy between repellents and non-pyrethroid insecticides strongly extends the efficacy of treated nets against anopheles gambiae. | to manage the kdr pyrethroid-resistance in anopheline malaria vectors, new compounds or new strategies are urgently needed. recently, mixing repellents (deet) and a non-pyrethroid insecticide (propoxur) was shown to be as effective as deltamethrin, a standard pyrethroid, under laboratory conditions, because of a strong synergy between the two compounds. in the present study, the interactions between two repellents (deet and kbr 3023) and a non-pyrethroid insecticide (pyrimiphos methyl or pm) on ... | 2007 | 17394646 |
| associations between two mosquito populations and west nile virus in harris county, texas, 2003-06. | associations between culex quinquefasciatus, aedes albopictus and west nile virus (wnv) activity, temperature, and rainfall in harris county, texas 2003-06 are discussed. human cases were highly correlated to cx. quinquefasciatus (r = 0.87) and ae. albopictus (r = 0.78) pools, blue jays (r = 0.83), and ae. albopictus collected (r = 0.71), but not cx. quinquefasciatus collected (r = 0.45). human cases were associated with temperature (r = 0.71), not rainfall (r = 0.29), whereas temperature correl ... | 2007 | 17939505 |
| automated eukaryotic gene structure annotation using evidencemodeler and the program to assemble spliced alignments. | evidencemodeler (evm) is presented as an automated eukaryotic gene structure annotation tool that reports eukaryotic gene structures as a weighted consensus of all available evidence. evm, when combined with the program to assemble spliced alignments (pasa), yields a comprehensive, configurable annotation system that predicts protein-coding genes and alternatively spliced isoforms. our experiments on both rice and human genome sequences demonstrate that evm produces automated gene structure anno ... | 2008 | 18190707 |
| evolutionary insights into the unique electromotility motor of mammalian outer hair cells. | prestin (slc26a5) is the molecular motor responsible for cochlear amplification by mammalian cochlea outer hair cells and has the unique combined properties of energy-independent motility, voltage sensitivity, and speed of cellular shape change. the ion transporter capability, typical of slc26a members, was exchanged for electromotility function and is a newly derived feature of the therian cochlea. a putative minimal essential motif for the electromotility motor (meem) was identified through th ... | 2008 | 18460092 |
| sequence analysis of a non-classified, non-occluded dna virus that causes salivary gland hypertrophy of musca domestica, mdsghv. | the genome of the virus that causes salivary gland hypertrophy in musca domestica (mdsghv) was sequenced. this non-classified, enveloped, double stranded, circular dna virus had a 124,279bp genome. the g + c content was 43.5% with 108 putative methionine-initiated open reading frames (orfs). thirty orfs had homology to database proteins: eleven to proteins coded by both baculoviruses and nudiviruses (p74, pif-1, pif-2, pif-3, odv-e66, rr1, rr2, iap, dutpase, mmp, and ac81-like), seven to nudivir ... | 2008 | 18495197 |
| molecular evolution of cide family proteins: novel domain formation in early vertebrates and the subsequent divergence. | cide family proteins including cidea, cideb and cidec/fsp27, contain an n-terminal cide-n domain that shares sequence similarity to the n-terminal cad domain (ncd) of dna fragmentation factors dffa/dff45/icad and dffb/dff40/cad, and a unique c-terminal cide-c domain. we have previously shown that cide proteins are newly emerged regulators closely associated with the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and liver steatosis. they modulate many metabolic processes such as lip ... | 2008 | 18500987 |
| the resting sites and blood-meal sources of anopheles minimus in taiwan. | the who declared taiwan free from malaria in 1965, but in 2003 the reporting of two introduced cases in a rural area suggested a possible local transmission of this disease. therefore, understanding the resting sites and the blood sources of anopheles minimus is crucial in order to provide information for implementing vector control strategies. | 2008 | 18538036 |
| biogeography of the fauna of french polynesia: diversification within and between a series of hot spot archipelagos. | the islands of french polynesia cover an area the size of europe, though total land area is smaller than rhode island. each hot spot archipelago (societies, marquesas, australs) is chronologically arranged. with the advent of molecular techniques, relatively precise estimations of timing and source of colonization have become feasible. we compile data for the region, first examining colonization (some lineages dispersed from the west, others from the east). within archipelagos, blackflies (simul ... | 2008 | 18782725 |
| exploring the mialome of ticks: an annotated catalogue of midgut transcripts from the hard tick, dermacentor variabilis (acari: ixodidae). | ticks are obligate blood feeders. the midgut is the first major region of the body where blood and microbes ingested with the blood meal come in contact with the tick's internal tissues. little is known about protein expression in the digestive tract of ticks. in this study, for analysis of global gene expression during tick attachment and feeding, we generated and sequenced 1,679 random transcripts (ests) from cdna libraries from the midguts of female ticks at varying stages of feeding. | 2008 | 19021911 |
| knockdown of proteins involved in iron metabolism limits tick reproduction and development. | ticks are among the most important vectors of a wide range of human and animal diseases. during blood feeding, ticks are exposed to an enormous amount of free iron that must be appropriately used and detoxified. however, the mechanism of iron metabolism in ticks is poorly understood. here, we show that ticks possess a complex system that efficiently utilizes, stores and transports non-heme iron within the tick body. we have characterized a new secreted ferritin (fer2) and an iron regulatory prot ... | 2009 | 19171899 |
| the anopheles gambiae salivary protein gsg6: an anopheline-specific protein with a blood-feeding role. | the anopheles gambiae salivary gland protein 6 (gsg6) is a small protein specifically found in the salivary glands of adult female mosquitoes. we report here the expression of a recombinant form of the protein and we show that in vivo gsg6 is expressed in distal-lateral lobes and is secreted with the saliva while the female mosquito probes for feeding. injection of gsg6 dsrna into adult a. gambiae females results in decreased gsg6 protein levels, increased probing time and reduced blood feeding ... | 2009 | 19442731 |
| functional equivalency inferred from "authoritative sources" in networks of homologous proteins. | a one-on-one mapping of protein functionality across different species is a critical component of comparative analysis. this paper presents a heuristic algorithm for discovering the most likely functional counterparts (molfuncs) of a protein, based on simple concepts from network theory. a key feature of our algorithm is utilization of the user's knowledge to assign high confidence to selected functional identification. we show use of the algorithm to retrieve functional equivalents for 7 membra ... | 2009 | 19521530 |
| virus-host coevolution: common patterns of nucleotide motif usage in flaviviridae and their hosts. | virus-host biological interaction is a continuous coevolutionary process involving both host immune system and viral escape mechanisms. flaviviridae family is composed of fast evolving rna viruses that infects vertebrate (mammals and birds) and/or invertebrate (ticks and mosquitoes) organisms. these host groups are very distinct life forms separated by a long evolutionary time, so lineage-specific anti-viral mechanisms are likely to have evolved. flaviviridae viruses which infect a single host l ... | 2009 | 19617912 |
| immunogenic salivary proteins of triatoma infestans: development of a recombinant antigen for the detection of low-level infestation of triatomines. | triatomines are vectors of trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of chagas disease in latin america. the most effective vector, triatoma infestans, has been controlled successfully in much of latin america using insecticide spraying. though rarely undertaken, surveillance programs are necessary in order to identify new infestations and estimate the intensity of triatomine bug infestations in domestic and peridomestic habitats. since hosts exposed to triatomines develop immune responses to sal ... | 2009 | 19841746 |
| present and future arboviral threats. | arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are important causes of human disease nearly worldwide. all arboviruses circulate among wild animals, and many cause disease after spillover transmission to humans and agriculturally important domestic animals that are incidental or dead-end hosts. viruses such as dengue (denv) and chikungunya (chikv) that have lost the requirement for enzootic amplification now produce extensive epidemics in tropical urban centers. many arboviruses recently have increased i ... | 2010 | 19857523 |
| ensembl's 10th year. | ensembl (http://www.ensembl.org) integrates genomic information for a comprehensive set of chordate genomes with a particular focus on resources for human, mouse, rat, zebrafish and other high-value sequenced genomes. we provide complete gene annotations for all supported species in addition to specific resources that target genome variation, function and evolution. ensembl data is accessible in a variety of formats including via our genome browser, api and biomart. this year marks the tenth ann ... | 2010 | 19906699 |
| report of an niaid workshop on dengue animal models. | dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease of humans that has re-emerged in many parts of the world and has become an important international public health threat. dengue incidence and geographical spread has dramatically increased in the last few decades and is now affecting most tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. despite extensive research efforts for several decades, no vaccines or therapeutics are currently available to prevent and treat dengue infections. one of the main obstacle ... | 2010 | 20434551 |
| effect of different hosts on feeding patterns and mortality of mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) and their implications on parasite transmission. | the host-response to hematophagus insects is still an important parameter in understanding disease transmission patterns. we investigated the feeding and mortality rates of three mosquito species, namely culex quinquefasciatus, aedes aegypti and anopheles arabiensis against three different hosts. | 2010 | 20606966 |
| bioenergetic cost of making an adenosine triphosphate molecule in animal mitochondria. | the catalytic domain of the f-atpase in mitochondria protrudes into the matrix of the organelle, and is attached to the membrane domain by central and peripheral stalks. energy for the synthesis of atp from adp and phosphate is provided by the transmembrane proton-motive-force across the inner membrane, generated by respiration. the proton-motive force is coupled mechanically to atp synthesis by the rotation at about 100 times per second of the central stalk and an attached ring of c-subunits in ... | 2010 | 20847295 |
| the calculation of information and organismal complexity. | it is difficult to measure precisely the phenotypic complexity of living organisms. here we propose a method to calculate the minimal amount of genomic information needed to construct organism (effective information) as a measure of organismal complexity, by using permutation and combination formulas and shannon's information concept. | 2010 | 20937149 |
| a cdna microarray, unishrimpchip, for identification of genes relevant to testicular development in the black tiger shrimp (penaeus monodon). | abstract: | 2011 | 21486443 |
| a dopa decarboxylase modulating the immune response of scallop chlamys farreri. | dopa decarboxylase (ddc) is a pyridoxal 5-phosphate (plp)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the decarboxylation of l-dopa to dopamine, and involved in complex neuroendocrine-immune regulatory network. the function for ddc in the immunomodulation remains unclear in invertebrate. | 2011 | 21533240 |
| identification of hammerhead ribozymes in all domains of life reveals novel structural variations. | hammerhead ribozymes are small self-cleaving rnas that promote strand scission by internal phosphoester transfer. comparative sequence analysis was used to identify numerous additional representatives of this ribozyme class than were previously known, including the first representatives in fungi and archaea. moreover, we have uncovered the first natural examples of "type ii" hammerheads, and our findings reveal that this permuted form occurs in bacteria as frequently as type i and iii architectu ... | 2011 | 21573207 |
| phylogenetic distribution of intron positions in alpha-amylase genes of bilateria suggests numerous gains and losses. | most eukaryotes have at least some genes interrupted by introns. while it is well accepted that introns were already present at moderate density in the last eukaryote common ancestor, the conspicuous diversity of intron density among genomes suggests a complex evolutionary history, with marked differences between phyla. the question of the rates of intron gains and loss in the course of evolution and factors influencing them remains controversial. we have investigated a single gene family, alpha ... | 2011 | 21611157 |
| isolation and characterization of genes functionally involved in ovarian development of the giant tiger shrimp penaeus monodon by suppression subtractive hybridization (ssh). | suppression subtractive hybridization (ssh) libraries between cdna in stages i (previtellogenic) and iii (cortical rod) ovaries of the giant tiger shrimp (penaeus monodon) were established. in all, 452 ests were unidirectionally sequenced. sequence assembly generated 28 contigs and 201 singletons, 109 of which (48.0%) corresponding to known sequences previously deposited in genbank. several reproduction-related transcripts were identified. the full-length cdna of anaphase promoting complex subun ... | 2010 | 21637577 |
| structure-function analysis of diacylglycerol acyltransferase sequences from 70 organisms. | abstract: background: diacylglycerol acyltransferase families (dgats) catalyze the final and rate-limiting step of triacylglycerol (tag) biosynthesis in eukaryotic organisms. understanding the roles of dgats will help to create transgenic plants with value-added properties and provide clues for therapeutic intervention for obesity and related diseases. the objective of this analysis was to identify conserved sequence motifs and amino acid residues for better understanding of the structure-functi ... | 2011 | 21777418 |
| new insights into the evolution of wolbachia infections in filarial nematodes inferred from a large range of screened species. | wolbachia are intriguing symbiotic endobacteria with a peculiar host range that includes arthropods and a single nematode family, the onchocercidae encompassing agents of filariases. this raises the question of the origin of infection in filariae. wolbachia infect the female germline and the hypodermis. some evidences lead to the theory that wolbachia act as mutualist and coevolved with filariae from one infection event: their removal sterilizes female filariae; all the specimens of a positive s ... | 2011 | 21731626 |
| structural insight of dopamine β-hydroxylase, a drug target for complex traits, and functional significance of exonic single nucleotide polymorphisms. | human dopamine β-hydroxylase (dbh) is an important therapeutic target for complex traits. several single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) have also been identified in dbh with potential adverse physiological effect. however, difficulty in obtaining diffractable crystals and lack of a suitable template for modeling the protein has ensured that neither crystallographic three-dimensional structure nor computational model for the enzyme is available to aid rational drug design, prediction of function ... | 2011 | 22028891 |
| annotation of protein domains reveals remarkable conservation in the functional make up of proteomes across superkingdoms. | the functional repertoire of a cell is largely embodied in its proteome, the collection of proteins encoded in the genome of an organism. the molecular functions of proteins are the direct consequence of their structure and structure can be inferred from sequence using hidden markov models of structural recognition. here we analyze the functional annotation of protein domain structures in almost a thousand sequenced genomes, exploring the functional and structural diversity of proteomes. we find ... | 2011 | 24710297 |
| prolyl oligopeptidase from the blood fluke schistosoma mansoni: from functional analysis to anti-schistosomal inhibitors. | blood flukes of the genus schistosoma cause schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease that infects over 240 million people worldwide, and for which there is a need to identify new targets for chemotherapeutic interventions. our research is focused on schistosoma mansoni prolyl oligopeptidase (smpop) from the serine peptidase family s9, which has not been investigated in detail in trematodes. | 2015 | 26039195 |
| a modern understanding of the traditional and nontraditional biological functions of angiotensin-converting enzyme. | angiotensin-converting enzyme (ace) is a zinc-dependent peptidase responsible for converting angiotensin i into the vasoconstrictor angiotensin ii. however, ace is a relatively nonspecific peptidase that is capable of cleaving a wide range of substrates. because of this, ace and its peptide substrates and products affect many physiologic processes, including blood pressure control, hematopoiesis, reproduction, renal development, renal function, and the immune response. the defining feature of ac ... | 2013 | 23257181 |
| cloning, expression, sequence analysis and homology modeling of the prolyl endoprotease from eurygaster integriceps puton. | eurygaster integriceps puton, commonly known as sunn pest, is a major pest of wheat in northern africa, the middle east and eastern europe. this insect injects a prolyl endoprotease into the wheat, destroying the gluten. the purpose of this study was to clone the full length cdna of the sunn pest prolyl endoprotease (sppep) for expression in e. coli and to compare the amino acid sequence of the enzyme to other known peps in both phylogeny and potential tertiary structure. sequence analysis shows ... | 2014 | 26462938 |
| variation in the ribosome interacting loop of the sec61α from giardia lamblia. | the interaction between the ribosome and the endoplasmic reticulum-located sec61 protein translocon is mediated through an arginine residue of sec61α, which is conserved in all prokaryotic and eukaryotic orthologues characterized to date. using in silico approaches we report that instead of arginine, this ribosome-interaction function is most likely discharged by a lysine residue in the protist giardia lamblia. this functional substitution of the r with a k in glsec61α may have taken place to ac ... | 2015 | 26424409 |
| analysis of the wild-type and mutant genes encoding the enzyme kynurenine monooxygenase of the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti. | kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (kmo) catalyses the hydroxylation of kynurenine to 3-hydroxykynurenine. kmo has a key role in tryptophan catabolism and synthesis of ommochrome pigments in mosquitoes. the gene encoding this enzyme in the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti, is called kynurenine hydroxylase (kh) and a mutant allele that produces white eyes has been designated khw. a number of cdna clones representative of wild-type and mutant genes were isolated. sequence analyses of the wild-type and ... | 2003 | 12974953 |
| evaluation of a field-portable dna microarray platform and nucleic acid amplification strategies for the detection of arboviruses, arthropods, and bloodmeals. | highly multiplexed assays, such as microarrays, can benefit arbovirus surveillance by allowing researchers to screen for hundreds of targets at once. we evaluated amplification strategies and the practicality of a portable dna microarray platform to analyze virus-infected mosquitoes. the prototype microarray design used here targeted the non-structural protein 5, ribosomal rna, and cytochrome b genes for the detection of flaviviruses, mosquitoes, and bloodmeals, respectively. we identified 13 of ... | 2012 | 23249687 |
| selective factors associated with the evolution of codon usage in natural populations of arboviruses. | arboviruses (arthropod borne viruses) have life cycles that include both vertebrate and invertebrate hosts with substantial differences in vector and host specificity between different viruses. most arboviruses utilize rna for their genetic material and are completely dependent on host trnas for their translation, suggesting that virus codon usage could be a target for selection. in the current study we analyzed the relative synonymous codon usage (rscu) patterns of 26 arboviruses together with ... | 2016 | 27455096 |
| spatial analysis of biomineralization associated gene expression from the mantle organ of the pearl oyster pinctada maxima. | biomineralization is a process encompassing all mineral containing tissues produced within an organism. one of the most dynamic examples of this process is the formation of the mollusk shell, comprising a variety of crystal phases and microstructures. the organic component incorporated within the shell is said to dictate this architecture. however general understanding of how this process is achieved remains ambiguous. the mantle is a conserved organ involved in shell formation throughout mollus ... | 2011 | 21936921 |
| immune gene discovery by expressed sequence tag (est) analysis of hemocytes in the ridgetail white prawn exopalaemon carinicauda. | the ridgetail white prawn exopalaemon carinicauda is one of the most important commercial species in eastern china. however, little information of immune genes in e. carinicauda has been reported. to identify distinctive genes associated with immunity, an expressed sequence tag (est) library was constructed from hemocytes of e. carinicauda. a total of 3411 clones were sequenced, yielding 2853 ests and the average sequence length is 436 bp. the cluster and assembly analysis yielded 1053 unique se ... | 2012 | 23092732 |
| molecular characterization of the carboxypeptidase b1 of anopheles stephensi and its evaluation as a target for transmission-blocking vaccines. | malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the world, and it has many economic and social impacts on populations, especially in poor countries. transmission-blocking vaccines (tbvs) are valuable tools for malaria eradication. a study on anopheles gambiae revealed that polyclonal antibodies to carboxypeptidase b1 of a. gambiae can block sexual parasite development in the mosquito midgut. hence, it was introduced as a tbv target in regions where a. gambiae is the main malaria vect ... | 2013 | 23569111 |
| parallel evolution of nitric oxide signaling: diversity of synthesis and memory pathways. | the origin of no signaling can be traceable back to the origin of life with the large scale of parallel evolution of no synthases (noss). inducible-like noss may be the most basal prototype of all noss and that neuronal-like nos might have evolved several times from this prototype. other enzymatic and non-enzymatic pathways for no synthesis have been discovered using reduction of nitrites, an alternative source of no. diverse synthetic mechanisms can co-exist within the same cell providing a com ... | 2011 | 21622160 |
| transcriptome analysis of loxosceles laeta (araneae, sicariidae) spider venomous gland using expressed sequence tags. | the bite of spiders belonging to the genus loxosceles can induce a variety of clinical symptoms, including dermonecrosis, thrombosis, vascular leakage, haemolysis, and persistent inflammation. in order to examine the transcripts expressed in venom gland of loxosceles laeta spider and to unveil the potential of its products on cellular structure and functional aspects, we generated 3,008 expressed sequence tags (ests) from a cdna library. | 2008 | 18547439 |
| metazseckb: the human and animal secretome and subcellular proteome knowledgebase. | the subcellular location of a protein is a key factor in determining the molecular function of the protein in an organism. metazseckb is a secretome and subcellular proteome knowledgebase specifically designed for metazoan, i.e. human and animals. the protein sequence data, consisting of over 4 million entries with 121 species having a complete proteome, were retrieved from uniprotkb. protein subcellular locations including secreted and 15 other subcellular locations were assigned based on eithe ... | 2015 | 26255309 |
| cloning and characterization of high mobility group box protein 1 (hmgb1) of wuchereria bancrofti and brugia malayi. | a human homologue of high mobility group box 1 (hmgb1) protein was cloned and characterized from the human filarial parasites wuchereria bancrofti and brugia malayi. sequence analysis showed that w. bancrofti hmgb1 (wbhmgb1) and b. malayi hmgb1 (bmhmgb1) proteins share 99 % sequence identity. filarial hmgb1 showed typical architectural sequence characteristics of hmgb family of proteins and consisted of only a single hmg box domain that had significant sequence similarity to the pro-inflammatory ... | 2012 | 22402610 |
| structural and rnai characterization of the german cockroach lipophorin receptor, and the evolutionary relationships of lipoprotein receptors. | lipophorin receptors (lprs) have been described in a number of insects, but functional studies have been reported only in locusts and mosquitoes. the aim of the present work was to characterize the lpr of the cockroach blattella germanica, not only molecularly but also functionally using rnai techniques, and to place lprs in a phylogenetical context among lipoprotein receptors. | 2007 | 17587448 |
| cdna cloning, characterization and expression analysis of peroxiredoxin 5 gene in the ridgetail white prawn exopalaemon carinicauda. | peroxiredoxin is a superfamily of antioxidative proteins that play important roles in protecting organisms against the toxicity of reactive oxygen species. in this study, a full-length of peroxiredoxin 5 (designated ecprx5) cdna was cloned from the ridgetail white prawn exopalaemon carinicauda by using rapid amplification of cdna ends (race) approaches. the full-length cdna of the ecprx5 was of 827 bp, containing a 5' untranslated region (utr) of 14 bp, a 3' utr of 228 bp with a poly (a) tail, a ... | 2013 | 24141991 |
| feminizing wolbachia: a transcriptomics approach with insights on the immune response genes in armadillidium vulgare. | wolbachia are vertically transmitted bacteria known to be the most widespread endosymbiont in arthropods. they induce various alterations of the reproduction of their host, including feminization of genetic males in isopod crustaceans. in the pill bug armadillidium vulgare, the presence of wolbachia is also associated with detrimental effects on host fertility and lifespan. deleterious effects have been demonstrated on hemocyte density, phenoloxidase activity, and natural hemolymph septicemia, s ... | 2012 | 22375708 |
| insights into the evolution of the erbb receptor family and their ligands from sequence analysis. | in the time since we presented the first molecular evolutionary study of the erbb family of receptors and the egf family of ligands, there has been a dramatic increase in genomic sequences available. we have utilized this greatly expanded data set in this study of the erbb family of receptors and their ligands. | 2006 | 17026767 |
| an exploratory study to assess the activity of the acarine growth inhibitor, fluazuron, against sarcoptes scabei infestation in pigs. | the most common treatments for scabies in human and veterinary settings are topical 5% permethrin or systemic treatment with ivermectin. however, these treatments have very little activity against arthropod eggs, and therefore repeated treatment is frequently required. in-vitro, biochemical and molecular studies have demonstrated that human mites are becoming increasingly resistant to both acaricides. to identify alternate acaricides, we undertook a pilot study of the in vivo activity of the ben ... | 2012 | 22336283 |
| organization of subunits in the membrane domain of the bovine f-atpase revealed by covalent cross-linking. | the f-atpase in bovine mitochondria is a membrane-bound complex of about 30 subunits of 18 different kinds. currently, ∼85% of its structure is known. the enzyme has a membrane extrinsic catalytic domain, and a membrane intrinsic domain where the turning of the enzyme's rotor is generated from the transmembrane proton-motive force. the domains are linked by central and peripheral stalks. the central stalk and a hydrophobic ring of c-subunits in the membrane domain constitute the enzyme's rotor. ... | 2015 | 25851905 |
| genetic analysis of loop sequences in the let-7 gene family reveal a relationship between loop evolution and multiple isomirs. | while mature mirnas have been widely studied, the terminal loop sequences are rarely examined despite regulating both primary and mature mirna functions. herein, we attempted to understand the evolutionary pattern of loop sequences by analyzing loops in the let-7 gene family. compared to the stable mirna length distributions seen in most metazoans, higher metazoan species exhibit a longer length distribution. examination of these loop sequence length distributions, in addition to phylogenetic tr ... | 2014 | 25397967 |
| a respiratory chain controlled signal transduction cascade in the mitochondrial intermembrane space mediates hydrogen peroxide signaling. | reactive oxygen species (ros) such as hydrogen peroxide (h2o2) govern cellular homeostasis by inducing signaling. h2o2 modulates the activity of phosphatases and many other signaling molecules through oxidation of critical cysteine residues, which led to the notion that initiation of ros signaling is broad and nonspecific, and thus fundamentally distinct from other signaling pathways. here, we report that h2o2 signaling bears hallmarks of a regular signal transduction cascade. it is controlled b ... | 2015 | 26438848 |
| positive evolutionary selection of an hd motif on alzheimer precursor protein orthologues suggests a functional role. | hd amino acid duplex has been found in the active center of many different enzymes. the dyad plays remarkably different roles in their catalytic processes that usually involve metal coordination. an hd motif is positioned directly on the amyloid beta fragment (aβ) and on the carboxy-terminal region of the extracellular domain (caed) of the human amyloid precursor protein (app) and a taxonomically well defined group of app orthologues (appos). in human aβ hd is part of a presumed, rgd-like integr ... | 2012 | 22319430 |
| evolutionary history of the vertebrate mitogen activated protein kinases family. | the mitogen activated protein kinases (mapk) family pathway is implicated in diverse cellular processes and pathways essential to most organisms. its evolution is conserved throughout the eukaryotic kingdoms. however, the detailed evolutionary history of the vertebrate mapk family is largely unclear. | 2011 | 22046431 |
| transcriptome analysis and discovery of genes involved in immune pathways from hepatopancreas of microbial challenged mitten crab eriocheir sinensis. | the chinese mitten crab eriocheir sinensis is an important economic crustacean and has been seriously attacked by various diseases, which requires more and more information for immune relevant genes on genome background. recently, high-throughput rna sequencing (rna-seq) technology provides a powerful and efficient method for transcript analysis and immune gene discovery. | 2013 | 23874555 |
| systematic analysis and evolution of 5s ribosomal dna in metazoans. | several studies on 5s ribosomal dna (5s rdna) have been focused on a subset of the following features in mostly one organism: number of copies, pseudogenes, secondary structure, promoter and terminator characteristics, genomic arrangements, types of non-transcribed spacers and evolution. in this work, we systematically analyzed 5s rdna sequence diversity in available metazoan genomes, and showed organism-specific and evolutionary-conserved features. putatively functional sequences (12,766) from ... | 2013 | 23838690 |
| planarians as a model to assess in vivo the role of matrix metalloproteinase genes during homeostasis and regeneration. | matrix metalloproteinases (mmps) are major executors of extracellular matrix remodeling and, consequently, play key roles in the response of cells to their microenvironment. the experimentally accessible stem cell population and the robust regenerative capabilities of planarians offer an ideal model to study how modulation of the proteolytic system in the extracellular environment affects cell behavior in vivo. genome-wide identification of schmidtea mediterranea mmps reveals that planarians pos ... | 2013 | 23405188 |
| outlining eicosanoid biosynthesis in the crustacean daphnia. | eicosanoids are biologically active, oxygenated metabolites of three c20 polyunsaturated fatty acids. they act as signalling molecules within the autocrine or paracrine system in both vertebrates and invertebrates mainly functioning as important mediators in reproduction, the immune system and ion transport. the biosynthesis of eicosanoids has been intensively studied in mammals and it is known that they are synthesised from the fatty acid, arachidonic acid, through either the cyclooxygenase (co ... | 2008 | 18625039 |
| can plant viruses cross the kingdom border and be pathogenic to humans? | phytoviruses are highly prevalent in plants worldwide, including vegetables and fruits. humans, and more generally animals, are exposed daily to these viruses, among which several are extremely stable. it is currently accepted that a strict separation exists between plant and vertebrate viruses regarding their host range and pathogenicity, and plant viruses are believed to infect only plants. accordingly, plant viruses are not considered to present potential pathogenicity to humans and other ver ... | 2015 | 25903834 |
| mechanism of ammonia excretion in the freshwater leech nephelopsis obscura: characterization of a primitive rh protein and effects of high environmental ammonia. | remarkably little is known about nitrogenous excretion in freshwater invertebrates. in the current study, the nitrogen excretion mechanism in the carnivorous ribbon leech, nephelopsis obscura, was investigated. excretion experiments showed that the ribbon leech is ammonotelic, excreting 166.0 ± 8.6 nmol·grams fresh weight (gfw)(-1)·h(-1) ammonia and 14.7 ± 1.9 nmol·gfw(-1)·h(-1) urea. exposure to high and low ph hampered and enhanced, respectively, ammonia excretion rates, indicating an acid-lin ... | 2015 | 26180186 |
| activity and transcriptional responses of hepatopancreatic biotransformation and antioxidant enzymes in the oriental river prawn macrobrachium nipponense exposed to microcystin-lr. | microcystins (mcs) are a major group of cyanotoxins with side effects in many organisms; thus, compounds in this group are recognized as potent stressors and health hazards in aquatic ecosystems. in order to assess the toxicity of mcs and detoxification mechanism of freshwater shrimp macrobrachium nipponense, the full-length cdnas of the glutathione s-transferase (gst) and catalase (cat) genes were isolated from the hepatopancreas. the transcription level and activity changes in the biotransform ... | 2015 | 26457718 |
| gene expression and physiological changes of different populations of the long-lived bivalve arctica islandica under low oxygen conditions. | the bivalve arctica islandica is extremely long lived (>400 years) and can tolerate long periods of hypoxia and anoxia. european populations differ in maximum life spans (mlsp) from 40 years in the baltic to >400 years around iceland. characteristic behavior of a. islandica involves phases of metabolic rate depression (mrd) during which the animals burry into the sediment for several days. during these phases the shell water oxygen concentrations reaches hypoxic to anoxic levels, which possibly ... | 2012 | 23028566 |
| accurate discrimination of bhlh domains in plants, animals, and fungi using biologically meaningful sites. | the highly conserved bhlh (basic helix-loop-helix) domain, found in many transcription factors, has been well characterized separately in plants, animals, and fungi. while conserved, even functionally constrained sites have varied since the eukarya split. our research identifies those slightly variable sites that were highly characteristic of plants, animals, or fungi. | 2012 | 22920570 |
| community-wide convergent evolution in insect adaptation to toxic cardenolides by substitutions in the na,k-atpase. | the extent of convergent molecular evolution is largely unknown, yet is critical to understanding the genetics of adaptation. target site insensitivity to cardenolides is a prime candidate for studying molecular convergence because herbivores in six orders of insects have specialized on these plant poisons, which gain their toxicity by blocking an essential transmembrane carrier, the sodium pump (na,k-atpase). we investigated gene sequences of the na,k-atpase α-subunit in 18 insects feeding on c ... | 2012 | 22826239 |
| an integrin from shrimp litopenaeus vannamei mediated microbial agglutination and cell proliferation. | integrins are a family of adhesion receptors which regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, leukocyte migration, and complement receptor-dependent phagocytosis. in invertebrates, as a cell adhesion receptor, β integrins play an important role for the balanced activation of immune defense responses especially during the encounter of infections. the present study attempts to characterize the immune functions of shrimp integrin (lvintegrin) to have better understanding on the immune system and ... | 2012 | 22792387 |
| the potential role of as-sumo-1 in the embryonic diapause process and early embryo development of artemia sinica. | during embryonic development of artemia sinica, environmental stresses induce the embryo diapause phenomenon, required to resist apoptosis and regulate cell cycle activity. the small ubiquitin-related modifier-1 (sumo), a reversible post-translational protein modifier, plays an important role in embryo development. sumo regulates multiple cellular processes, including development and other biological processes. the molecular mechanism of diapause, diapause termination and the role of as-sumo-1 i ... | 2014 | 24404204 |
| emerging roles for intersectin (itsn) in regulating signaling and disease pathways. | intersectins (itsns) represent a family of multi-domain adaptor proteins that regulate endocytosis and cell signaling. itsn genes are highly conserved and present in all metazoan genomes examined thus far. lower eukaryotes have only one itsn gene, whereas higher eukaryotes have two itsn genes. itsn was first identified as an endocytic scaffold protein, and numerous studies reveal a conserved role for itsn in endocytosis. subsequently, itsns were found to regulate multiple signaling pathways incl ... | 2013 | 23574942 |
| functional insight into maelstrom in the germline pirna pathway: a unique domain homologous to the dnaq-h 3'-5' exonuclease, its lineage-specific expansion/loss and evolutionarily active site switch. | maelstrom (mael) plays a crucial role in a recently-discovered pirna pathway; however its specific function remains unknown. here a novel mael-specific domain characterized by a set of conserved residues (glu-his-his-cys-his-cys, ehhchc) was identified in a broad range of species including vertebrates, sea squirts, insects, nematodes, and protists. it exhibits ancient lineage-specific expansions in several species, however, appears to be lost in all examined teleost fish species. functional invo ... | 2008 | 19032786 |
| lps-induced genes in intestinal tissue of the sea cucumber holothuria glaberrima. | metazoan immunity is mainly associated with specialized cells that are directly involved with the immune response. nevertheless, both in vertebrates and invertebrates other organs might respond to immune activation and participate either directly or indirectly in the ongoing immune process. however, most of what is known about invertebrate immunity has been restricted to immune effector cells and little information is available on the immune responses of other tissues or organs. we now focus on ... | 2009 | 19584914 |
| phylogenetic analyses suggest multiple changes of substrate specificity within the glycosyl hydrolase 20 family. | beta-n-acetylhexosaminidases belonging to the glycosyl hydrolase 20 (gh20) family are involved in the removal of terminal beta-glycosidacally linked n-acetylhexosamine residues. these enzymes, widely distributed in microorganisms, animals and plants, are involved in many important physiological and pathological processes, such as cell structural integrity, energy storage, pathogen defence, viral penetration, cellular signalling, fertilization, development of carcinomas, inflammatory events and l ... | 2008 | 18647384 |
| the genetic architecture of susceptibility to parasites. | the antagonistic co-evolution of hosts and their parasites is considered to be a potential driving force in maintaining host genetic variation including sexual reproduction and recombination. the examination of this hypothesis calls for information about the genetic basis of host-parasite interactions - such as how many genes are involved, how big an effect these genes have and whether there is epistasis between loci. we here examine the genetic architecture of quantitative resistance in animal ... | 2008 | 18590517 |
| comparative transcriptome analysis of the accessory sex gland and testis from the chinese mitten crab (eriocheir sinensis). | the accessory sex gland (asg) is an important component of the male reproductive system, which functions to enhance the fertility of spermatozoa during male reproduction. certain proteins secreted by the asg are known to bind to the spermatozoa membrane and affect its function. the asg gene expression profile in chinese mitten crab (eriocheir sinensis) has not been extensively studied, and limited genetic research has been conducted on this species. the advent of high-throughput sequencing techn ... | 2013 | 23342039 |
| molecular characterization of an adiponectin receptor homolog in the white leg shrimp, litopenaeus vannamei. | adiponectin (adipoq) and its receptors (adipors) are strongly related to growth and development of skeletal muscle, as well as glucose and lipid metabolism in vertebrates. herein we report the identification of the first full-length cdna encoding an adipor homolog (liv-adipor) from the decapod crustacean litopenaeus vannamei using a combination of next generation sequencing (ngs) technology and bioinformatics analysis. the full-length liv-adipor (1,245 bp) encoded a protein that exhibited the ca ... | 2016 | 27478708 |
| involvement of antizyme characterized from the small abalone haliotis diversicolor in gonadal development. | the small abalone haliotis diversicolor is an economically important mollusk that is widely cultivated in southern china. gonad precocity may affect the aquaculture of small abalone. polyamines, which are small cationic molecules essential for cellular proliferation, may affect gonadal development. ornithine decarboxylase (odc) and antizyme (az) are essential elements of a feedback circuit that regulates cellular polyamines. this paper presents the molecular cloning and characterization of az fr ... | 2015 | 26313647 |
| the dengue vector aedes aegypti contains a functional high mobility group box 1 (hmgb1) protein with a unique regulatory c-terminus. | the mosquito aedes aegypti can spread the dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever viruses. thus, the search for key molecules involved in the mosquito survival represents today a promising vector control strategy. high mobility group box (hmgb) proteins are essential nuclear factors that maintain the high-order structure of chromatin, keeping eukaryotic cells viable. outside the nucleus, secreted hmgb proteins could alert the innate immune system to foreign antigens and trigger the initiation of ho ... | 2012 | 22802955 |
| the origin and evolution of g protein-coupled receptor kinases. | g protein-coupled receptor (gpcr) kinases (grks) play key role in homologous desensitization of gpcrs. grks phosphorylate activated receptors, promoting high affinity binding of arrestins, which precludes g protein coupling. direct binding to active gpcrs activates grks, so that they selectively phosphorylate only the activated form of the receptor regardless of the accessibility of the substrate peptides within it and their ser/thr-containing sequence. mammalian grks were classified into three ... | 2012 | 22442725 |
| a novel g protein-coupled receptor of schistosoma mansoni (smgpr-3) is activated by dopamine and is widely expressed in the nervous system. | schistosomes have a well developed nervous system that coordinates virtually every activity of the parasite and therefore is considered to be a promising target for chemotherapeutic intervention. neurotransmitter receptors, in particular those involved in neuromuscular control, are proven drug targets in other helminths but very few of these receptors have been identified in schistosomes and little is known about their roles in the biology of the worm. here we describe a novel schistosoma manson ... | 2012 | 22389736 |
| computational analysis reveals a successive adaptation of multiple inositol polyphosphate phosphatase 1 in higher organisms through evolution. | multiple inositol polyphosphate phosphatase 1 (minpp1) in higher organisms dephosphorylates insp6, the most abundant inositol phosphate. it also dephosphorylates less phosphorylated insp5 and insp4 and more phosphorylated insp7 or insp8. minpp1 is classified as a member of the histidine acid phosphatase super family of proteins with functional resemblance to phytases found in lower organisms. this study took a bioinformatics approach to explore the extent of evolutionary diversification in minpp ... | 2014 | 25574123 |
| proteomic analysis of pig (sus scrofa) olfactory soluble proteome reveals o-linked-n-acetylglucosaminylation of secreted odorant-binding proteins. | the diversity of olfactory binding proteins (obps) is a key point to understand their role in molecular olfaction. since only few different sequences were characterized in each mammalian species, they have been considered as passive carriers of odors and pheromones. we have explored the soluble proteome of pig nasal mucus, taking benefit of the powerful tools of proteomics. combining two-dimensional electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and western-blot with specific antibodies, our analyses revea ... | 2014 | 25538681 |
| genomic signal processing methods for computation of alignment-free distances from dna sequences. | genomic signal processing (gsp) refers to the use of digital signal processing (dsp) tools for analyzing genomic data such as dna sequences. a possible application of gsp that has not been fully explored is the computation of the distance between a pair of sequences. in this work we present gafd, a novel gsp alignment-free distance computation method. we introduce a dna sequence-to-signal mapping function based on the employment of doublet values, which increases the number of possible amplitude ... | 2014 | 25393409 |
| advances in genome editing technology and its promising application in evolutionary and ecological studies. | genetic modification has long provided an approach for "reverse genetics", analyzing gene function and linking dna sequence to phenotype. however, traditional genome editing technologies have not kept pace with the soaring progress of the genome sequencing era, as a result of their inefficiency, time-consuming and labor-intensive methods. recently, invented genome modification technologies, such as zfn (zinc finger nuclease), talen (transcription activator-like effector nuclease), and crispr/cas ... | 2014 | 25414792 |
| molecular evolution of cyclin proteins in animals and fungi. | the passage through the cell cycle is controlled by complexes of cyclins, the regulatory units, with cyclin-dependent kinases, the catalytic units. it is also known that cyclins form several families, which differ considerably in primary structure from one eukaryotic organism to another. despite these lines of evidence, the relationship between the evolution of cyclins and their function is an open issue. here we present the results of our study on the molecular evolution of a-, b-, d-, e-type c ... | 2011 | 21798004 |