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Tuna is one of the most widely consumed fish on the European market, being available in various consumable options. Among them, Thunnus albacares, also called yellowfin tuna, is a delicacy and is consumed by millions of people around the world. Due to its comparatively high cost and demand, it is more vulnerable to fraud, where low-cost tuna or other fish varieties might be replaced for economic gain. In this study, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed and validated for targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene for fast and direct detection of Thunnus albacares, which is a valuable tuna species. The analytical specificity was confirmed using 18 target samples (Thunnus albacares) and 18 samples of non-target fish species. The analytical sensitivity of the LAMP assay was 540 fg DNA per reaction. In addition, a simple and direct swab method without time-consuming nucleic acid extraction procedures and the necessity for cost-intensive laboratory equipment was performed that allowed LAMP detection of Thunnus albacares samples within 13 minutes. Due to its high specificity and sensitivity, the LAMP assay can be used as a rapid and on-site screening method for identifying Thunnus albacares, potentially providing a valuable monitoring tool for food authenticity control by the authorities., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Apoptosis is a highly conserved biochemical mechanism which is tightly controlled in cells. It contributes to maintenance of tissue homeostasis and normally eliminates highly proliferative cells with malignant properties. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have recently been described with significant functional and morphological similarities to embryonic stem cells. Human iPSCs are of great hope for regenerative medicine due to their broad potential to differentiate into specialized cell types in culture. They may be useful for exploring disease mechanisms and may provide the basis for future cell-based replacement therapies. However, there is only poor insight into iPSCs cell signaling as the regulation of apoptosis. In this study, we focused our attention on the apoptotic response of Alzheimer fibroblast-derived iPSCs and two other Alzheimer free iPSCs to five biologically relevant kinase inhibitors as well as to the death ligand TRAIL. To our knowledge, we are the first to report that the relatively high basal apoptotic rate of iPSCs is strongly suppressed by the pancaspase inhibitor QVD-Oph, thus underlining the dependency on proapoptotic caspase cascades. Furthermore, wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphoinositid-3 kinase / Akt signaling (PI3K-AKT), dramatically and rapidly induced apoptosis in iPSCs. In contrast, parental fibroblasts as well as iPSC-derived neuronal cells were not responsive. The resulting condensation and fragmentation of DNA and decrease of the membrane potential are typical features of apoptosis. Comparable effects were observed with an AKT inhibitor (MK-2206). Wortmannin resulted in disappearance of phosphorylated AKT and activation of the main effector caspase-3 in iPSCs. These results clearly demonstrate for the first time that PI3K-AKT represents a highly essential survival signaling pathway in iPSCs. The findings provide improved understanding on the underlying mechanisms of apoptosis regulation in iPSCs.

The BH3 domain of Bcl-2 proteins was regarded as indispensable for apoptosis induction and for mutual regulation of family members. We recently described Bcl-x(AK), a proapoptotic splice product of the bcl-x gene, which lacks BH3 but encloses BH2, BH4 and a transmembrane domain. It remained however unclear, how Bcl-x(AK) may trigger apoptosis.For efficient overexpression, Bcl-x(AK) was subcloned in an adenoviral vector under Tet-OFF control. The construct resulted in significant apoptosis induction in melanoma and nonmelanoma cell lines with up to 50% apoptotic cells as well as decreased cell proliferation and survival. Disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, and cytochrome c release clearly indicated activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathways. Both Bax and Bak were activated as shown by clustering and conformation analysis. Mitochondrial translocation of Bcl-x(AK) appeared as an essential and initial step. Bcl-x(AK) was critically dependent on either Bax or Bak, and apoptosis was abrogated in Bax/Bak double knockout conditions as well by overexpression of Bcl-2 or Bcl-x(L). A direct interaction with Bcl-2, Bax, Bad, Noxa or Puma was however not seen by immunoprecipitation. Thus besides BH3-mediated interactions, there exists an additional way for mutual regulation of Bcl-2 proteins, which is independent of the BH3. This pathway appears to play a supplementary role also for other proapoptotic family members, and its unraveling may help to overcome therapy resistance in cancer.