Biochemical Techniques - Science topic

Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of lung and blood cancers worldwide. A higher risk of pulmonary injury is associated with elevated lung iron and ferritin levels. Erythroferrone (ERFE) is a newly discovered tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily member produced by erythroblasts during erythropoiesis. Eventually, it suppresses hepcidi...

Zymography is a commonly used biochemical technique for detecting and analyzing enzyme activity using gel electrophoresis and substrate staining. This review traces the chronological advancements in zymography, from its origins with the pioneering fibrin-plate methods in the 1940s to the recent innovations in multi-substrate applications. It unders...

IQGAP1 is a large, multi-domain scaffold that connects and modulates different signaling networks including the one initiated by epidermal growth factor (EGF)by localizing and concentrating pathway components to promote activation. In this study, we have used live cell fluorescence imaging methods along with other biochemical techniques to follow t...

Background As in most solid cancers, the emergence of cells with oncogenic mutations in the mammary epithelium alters the tissue homeostasis. Some soluble factors, such as TGFβ, potently modify the behavior of healthy stromal cells. A subpopulation of cancer-associated fibroblasts expressing a TGFβ target, the SNAIL1 transcription factor, display m...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest encounters for human health globally, which is associated with elevated morbidity and increased economic burdens. Colistin represents an important resort in treating severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant difficult-to-treat Gram-negative bacteria, including Escherichia coli. The study a...

The systemic illnesses associated with chronic lead exposure are partially explained by the interaction between lead and calcium metabolism. Lead exposure is posited to alter calcium levels either by altering calcium homeostasis markers or altering bone remodeling. The present study investigated the interaction between blood lead levels and calcium...

Background Current solutions for the analysis of Western Blot images lack either transparency and reproducibility or can be tedious to use if one has to ensure the reproducibility of the analysis. Results Here, we present an open-source gel image analysis program, IOCBIO Gel. It is designed to simplify image analysis and link the analysis results...

RNA-RNA interactions play a crucial role in regulating gene expression and various biological processes, but identifying these interactions on a transcriptomic scale remains a challenge. To address this, we have developed a new biochemical technique called pCp-biotin labelled RNA hybrid and ultraviolet crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (lhCLIP)...

Check for updates β-Glucocerebrosidase (GCase) mutations lead to glucosylceramide build-up in the lysosome, impacting α-synuclein aggregation and autop-hagy. Recently, Baden and colleagues found GCase in mitochondria, supporting mitochon-drial complex I function and energy metabolism. We believe the newly described role of GCase in the mitochondria...

Introduction: Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus species plays an important role in the epidemiology and pathogenesis of both community and healthcare-associated infections. Coinciding the emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a challenge for clinicians to prevent their spread. Mupirocin is a topical antimicrobial agent a...

Background & Objective Acinetobacter baumannii strains harboring Meallobetalactamases (MBL) pose a significant threat in the context of nosocomial infections. The present investigation was undertaken with the objective of devising a Multiplex PCR methodology for the concurrent detection of MBL genes within A. baumannii strains prevalent in Tehran C...

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to isolate K. pneumoniae from patients samples and find an association of the plasmid-mediated bla-OXA-1 gene with multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae. METHODOLOGY This cross-sectional study was conducted at Mardan Medical Complex and Khyber Medical University Peshawar. K. pneumoniae was isolated from pus, urine and blood...

Introduction: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common and burdensome diseases affecting outpatients and hospitalized patients, Escherichia coli being the most commonly implicated bacterium. UTIs have been treated empirically in locations where microbiological facilities are either non-existent or too expensive. This study was cond...

Defects in plasma membrane repair can lead to muscle and heart diseases in humans. Tripartite motif-containing protein (TRIM)72 (mitsugumin 53; MG53) has been determined to rapidly nucleate vesicles at the site of membrane damage, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we present the structure of Mus musculus TRIM72,...

Introduction and objective: Intensive poultry farming is usually associated with massive exposure to organic dust, which is largely composed of microbiological origin particulates. The aim of the study is to assess occupational and environmental exposures to airborne bacteria, fungi, and Marek's disease virus emitted by a poultry house. Material...

Noncanonical secondary structures formed by Guanine-rich DNA sequences fold into four-stranded structures called the G-quadruplexes (G4s). Targeting G-quadruplexes is considered an attractive approach toward drug intervention. Recently, we have identified and published G4 forming motifs in regulatory regions of different cancer stem cell markers (C...

Multicellular organisms require carefully orchestrated communication between and within cell types and tissues, and many unicellular organisms also sense their context and environment, sometimes coordinating their responses. This review highlights contributions from chemical biology in discovering and probing mechanisms of cell–cell communication....

G-quadruplex (G4) DNA structures are prevalent secondary DNA structures implicated in fundamental cellular functions such as replication and transcription. Furthermore, G4 structures are directly correlated to human diseases such as cancer and have been highlighted as promising therapeutic targets for their ability to regulate disease-causing genes...

The present study investigates approaches to enhance bio-butanol production using lignocellulosic feedstock via supplements of metabolism perturbation. Traditionally, bio-butanol has been produced through chemical synthesis in a process known as acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation. Today, biochemical techniques involving bacterial strains ca...

The heterohexameric AAA-ATPase Pex1/Pex6 is essential for the formation and maintenance of peroxisomes. Pex1/Pex6, similar to other AAA-ATPases, uses the energy from ATP hydrolysis to mechanically thread substrate proteins through its central pore, thereby unfolding them. In related AAA-ATPase motors, substrates are recruited through binding to the...

Milk and foods made from milk is manufactured into more stable dairy products of worldwide value, such as butter, cheese, ice cream, and yoghurt. Consumption of contaminated milk or dairy products by pathogens causes human gastrointestinal infection, which leads to diarrheal disease in human and hospitalization or death in severe cases especially a...

The stereotypical progression of Tau pathology during Alzheimer disease has been attributed to trans-neuronal spreading of misfolded Tau proteins, followed by prion-like templated aggregation of Tau. The nature of Tau and the cellular mechanisms of Tau spreading are still under debate. We hypothesized that Tau’s propensity for aggregation would cor...

The litchi downy blight disease of litchi caused by Peronophythora litchii accounts for severe losses in the field and during storage. While ample quantitative studies have shown that 6-pentyl-2H-pyran-2-one (6PP) possesses antifungal activities against multiple plant pathogenic fungi, the regulatory mechanisms of 6PP-mediated inhibition of fungal...

The tendency for proteins to form aggregates is an inherent part of every proteome and arises from the self-assembly of short protein segments called aggregation-prone regions (APRs). While post-translational modifications (PTMs) have been implicated in modulating protein aggregation, their direct role in APRs remains poorly understood. In this stu...

Abstract Klebsiella pneumonia (K. pneumonia) is a major source of community-acquired and nosocomial infections, as well as a significant food-borne pathogen that can cause septicaemia, liver abscesses, and diarrhea in people. Several investigations have shown that meat products sold in grocery stores include various bacteria, including K. pneumonia...

This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility of diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) in patients seeking medical attention at Ashanti Regional and St. Michael' s Hospitals. A total of 502 people in all were included in the study. To collect the data, a structured questionnaire was used. Participants' stool samples were examined using a b...

Purpose Prebiotics, including fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), stimulate beneficial gut bacteria and may be helpful for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study aimed to compare the effects of FOS and GOS, alone or in combination, on AD mice and to identify their underlying mechanisms. Methods Six-month-o...

Over the past centuries, myology as a basic and clinical science has passed through three major stages of development: the classical period, the modern nosographic stage, and the molecular era. The classical period spans the sixteenth century up to the earlier parts of the twentieth century. During this time, several major muscle diseases were clin...

Plant-endophyte interaction is a promising area that needs to be researched for effective contaminant remediation. Aloe barbadensis Miller, also known as Aloe vera, was utilized to isolate, identify, and characterize bacterial endophytes using morphological, biochemical, and molecular techniques. From an A. barbadensis Miller root sample, six disti...

Introduction: There are genuine concerns that long-term use of anti-retroviral drugs may be associated with reproductive complications in females. This study aimed to ascertain the effect of highly active anti-retroviral drugs on the ovarian reserve and reproductive potential of female Wistar rats and by extension to HIV-positive human females. Met...

Complexity in host-pathogen interactions drives the need to develop sensitive and accurate biochemical techniques to elucidate host and pathogen protein expressions. Current proteomics techniques reveal information from the point of view of either the host or pathogen, but do not provide data on the corresponding partner. While dual-species transcr...

Purpose: Paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN) constitutes a refractory and progressive adverse consequence of paclitaxel treatment, causing pain and sensory anomalies in cancer survivors. Although the gut-brain axis is involved in multiple disorders including cancer, its impact on peripheral pain conditions remains elusive. Thus, we ass...

Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine, participating in innate and adaptive immune responses, that plays an important role in host defense, autoimmune diseases, tissue regeneration, metabolic regulation, and tumor progression. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are crucial for protein function, stability, cellular localization,...

The disadvantages and side effects of currently available breast cancer (BC) therapies have compelled researchers to seek new therapeutic strategies. This study was designed to investigate the effect of selenium nanoparticles biosynthesized with carvacrol (SeNPs-CV) on breast cancer (MCF-7) cell lines and to explore possible underlying pathways. Fl...

Numerous studies have reported extensive associations between plasma oxytocin (OXT) concentrations and various human physiological and neurobehavioral processes. Measurement of OXT is fraught with difficulty due to its low molecular weight and plasma concentrations, with no consensus as to the optimal conditions for pre-analytical sample extraction...

Introduction: World Health Organization (2019) has declared colorectal cancer (CRC) as the second most common cancer in females and third in males, where the incidence seems to rise year by year. One of the very few potential pathogens specifically associated with malignant colonic diseases is Streptococcus gallolyticus (Sg). Sg is a part of the in...

Background: One of the most prevalent bacterial infections in children is urinary tract infection (UTI), which has become a major concern with increasing resistance of the pathogens to the routinely used antimicrobial agents. The aim of the study is to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of pediatric UTI-causing pathogens, includin...

Proximity ligation assays (PLA) use specific antibodies to detect endogenous protein-protein interactions. PLA is a highly useful biochemical technique that allows two proteins within close proximity to be visualized with fluorescent probes amplified by PCR. While this technique has gained prominence, the use of PLA in mouse skeletal muscle (SkM) i...

Introduction: RNA carried by extracellular vesicles (EVs) has emerged as a novel mechanism for cell-to-cell communication and drives many physiological and pathological processes, including cancer. Previously, we identified the conserved endoplasmic reticulum membrane contact site (ER MCS) linker proteins VAP-A and the ceramide transfer protein CER...

Aim and objective: Microbial contamination of some fomites were screened for, in which over 100 samples were collected from table, mobile phone and biro pen from Holley Memorial Hospital Ochadamu, Kogi State, Nigeria. Methods: Using standard techniques, the samples were collected using a sterile swab stick dipped in normal saline and aseptically sw...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is a major public health problem. Therefore, this study was aimed to estimate the prevalence of MRSA in various food products. A total number of 204 food samples including raw milk (n = 30), cheese (n = 60), chicken (n = 25), beef (n = 24) and fish (n = 65) were collected from August to N...

Arsenic (As) is a metalloid prevalent mainly in soil and water. The presence of As above permissible levels becomes toxic and detrimental to living organisms, therefore, making it a significant global concern. Humans can absorb As through drinking polluted water and consuming As-contaminated food material grown in soil having As problems. Since hum...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen that can cause severe respiratory tract infections. Geraniol, a chemical component of essential oils, has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities, along with low toxicity. However, the effect and mechanism of geraniol against P. aeruginosa virulence factors are rarely studied. In...

Objectives: The main aim of this subject is to determine the oxidative status of Iraqi sickle cell anemic patients and then correlated with various biomarkers. Methods: In this study, blood samples from 100 sickle cell anemic subjects were analyzed, and then compared with control group which consisting of 50 individuals without sickle cell anemia w...

Background: Currency notes are exchangeable fomites handled by many persons daily and can potentially carry enteric pathogens on their surfaces. Infections caused by these pathogens have a global impact on public health. This study aimed to analyse the Nigerian currency notes Naira for the presence of enteric bacteria, particularly drug-resistant s...

The regional distribution of neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates is associated with the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Misfolded proteopathic tau recruits naïve tau and templates its misfolding and aggregation in a prion-like fashion, which is believed to be the molecular basis of propagation of tau pathology. A...

Mass spectrometry (MS) is now established as an analytical tool to interrogate the structure and dynamics of proteins and their assemblies. An array of MS-based technologies has been developed, with each providing unique information pertaining to protein structure, and forming the heart of integrative structural biology studies. This special issue...

Numerous years of cell line‑based studies have enhanced the current understanding of cancer and its treatment. However, limited success has been achieved in treating hormone receptor‑positive, HER2‑negative metastatic breast cancers that are refractory to treatment. The majority of cancer cell lines are unsuitable for use as pre‑clinical models tha...

Aim and Objective: In hospitals and community, morbidity and mortality are attributed to urinary tract infections (UTIs). This study investigated the prevalence of multi-drug resistant isolates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species from urine samples of patients visiting Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA), E...

This study assessed the antimicrobial activities of aqueous extracts of Capsicum annum (pepper) and Allium cepa (onion) of 30 isolates of urinary tract infections. Isolation and identification of the bacteria species were carried out using standard microbiological and biochemical techniques. Kirby Bauer disc diffusion technique was employed for the...

Pasteurella multocida is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) in buffaloes and cattle. The disease causes serious problems in Indonesian livestock and is classified as a serious transmissible animal disease. Previous research has determined the diversity of P. multocida using a serotyping method based on the antigenic p...

The aim of this study is to phenotypically characterize Klebsiella isolates from rats. A survey was conducted on 100 swaps samples obtained from captured house rats in University of Abuja main campus from May to August 2021. Isolation and identification of the Klebsiella species was done using conventional cultural and biochemical techniques. Of th...

The parotid gland is one of the major salivary glands producing a serous secretion, and it plays an essential role in the digestive and immune systems. Knowledge of peroxisomes in the human parotid gland is minimal; furthermore, the peroxisomal compartment and its enzyme composition in the different cell types of the human parotid gland have never...

The concept of chelation therapy as a valuable therapeutic approach in neurological disorders led us to develop multi-target, non-toxic, lipophilic, brain-permeable compounds with iron chelation and anti-apoptotic properties for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), age-related dementia and amyotrop...

Bacteria have special bio-mechanism to resist toxic heavy metals. This study investigated heavy metal tolerance potentials of bacterial isolates from solid waste dumping sites (Abaji, Bwari, Gosa, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali) in Abuja, Nigeria. Soil samples were randomly collected from each location using soil augers at depths of 0 – 15, 15 – 35 an...

Background: Claims from locals in Nigeria hold that Kunun zaki has some medicinal properties. The study was therefore carried out to investigate the inhibitory effect of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on multidrug resistant diarrheagenic bacteria in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients. Method: Twenty-five stool samples of seropositive HIV patie...

Numerous studies demonstrate that enzymes undergo multiple conformational changes during catalysis. The malleability of enzymes forms the basis for allosteric regulation: residues located far from the active site can exert long-range dynamical effects on the active site residues to modulate catalysis. The structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa d-argin...

Vascular endothelial cells synthesize and secrete perlecan, a large heparan sulfate proteoglycan that increases the anticoagulant activity of vascular endothelium by inducing antithrombin III and intensifying fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 activity to promote migration and proliferation in the repair process of damaged endothelium during the prog...

This study included isolation and purification of copepin hormone from heart disease patients serum using different biochemical techniques. The study showed two proteinous peak has been isolated by gel filtration (Sephadex G-50) from the precipitation by cold acetone, the results predicted that (peak B) has a high concentration of copepin . Further...

Aspects related to the growing pollution of the natural environment and depletion of conventional fossil fuels have become the motive for searching for ecofriendly, renewable, and sustainable alternative energy sources. Particular attention is paid to industrial waste, especially waste of biomass materials, which can be converted into biofuels and...

Genetic mutations, mRNA processing errors, and lack of availability of charged tRNAs sometimes slow down or completely stall translating ribosomes. Since an incomplete nascent chain derived from stalled ribosomes may function anomalously, such as by forming toxic aggregates, surveillance systems monitor every step of translation and dispose of such...

Dynamic regulation of myosin filaments is a crucial factor in the ability of airway smooth muscle (ASM) to adapt to a wide length range. Increased stability or robustness of myosin filaments may play a role in the pathophysiology of asthmatic airways. Biochemical techniques for the purification of myosin and associated regulatory proteins could hel...

The presence of multidrug-resistant organisms, often known as MDROs, is a significant risk to public health all over the world. Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates continue to be one of the most researched MDROs; nevertheless, there is a lack of information in Pakistan about the sensitivity of its animal and plant isolates to antipseudomonal d...

The self-assembly of bacterial microcompartments is the result of several genetic, biochemical, and physical stimuli orchestrating inside the bacterial cell. In this work, we use 1,2-propanediol utilization microcompartments as a paradigm to identify the factors that physically drive the self-assembly of MCP proteins in vitro using its major shell...