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In Thailand, Scoparia dulcis is being used as a traditional medicine. The extract displays the best inhibitory effect against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 400 μg/mL followed by Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with MIC 500 μg/mL. The presence of the extract significantly protected Sf9 cells against H2O2- induced cell death. In addition, the extract also showed DNA damage inhibitory effect in a concentration-dependent manner (0.5- 4 mg/mL). However, at higher concentrations (7.5-30 mg/mL) it might induce damage to the DNA. The prevention of DNA damage differs in different parts of the plant. To support secondary metabolite synthesis in different parts of S. dulcis, we investigated the expression of the Calmodulin gene that is involved in secondary metabolite production. The Calmodulin gene showed the highest expression in the fruit. This finding justifies the use of S. dulcis in the treatment of diseases caused by bacteria and free radicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pm-fortilin is a recombinant protein of Penaeus monodon expressed in Escherichia coli. Activities regarding antioxidation and wound healing of the purified Pm-fortilin were investigated in vitro using normal fibroblast cell line L929. Relative viabilities of the cells were determined after exposure to either hydrogen peroxide (0.5 mmol/l for 4 h) or UV radiation (366 nm for 20 min). Significantly decreased viability was observed for the UV exposed cells compared with those incubated with the peroxide. Interestingly, proliferation of the stress-induced cells was improved by Pm-fortilin treatment. The protein's curing effect was dose dependent. The scratch method was used in the wound healing test on L929 cells. The injured cells distinctively migrated if pre-incubation with Pm-fortilin was carried out. However, such migration ability was compromised if the injured cells were continually in contact with Pm-fortilin. The transcriptions of sydecan-2, dkk1, β-catenin, lrp6, and bmi1 genes in MG63 and HOS cancerous cells were down-regulated following incubation with Pm-fortilin for 5 days compared to those transcribed by L929 cells. The results suggested that Pm-fortilin might be non-oncogenic and is premised for use as a protective or repair agent in topical pharmaceutical products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishmeal quality is of great importance for production of aquatic animals particularly shrimp; however it varies widely depending on raw materials and processing methods. A seven week feeding trial was conducted using five diets to examine effects of fishmeal quality on growth performance, protein digestibility and expression of gene regulating trypsin in Litopenaeus vannamei. Each test diet was fed four times daily to four groups of shrimp with an average initial weight of 2.2 g shrimp-1. The shrimp fed S1-premium grade fish meal (S1-PGFM) diet attained the highest weight gain, specific growth rate with the best feed conversion ratio (FCR) and protein utilization efficiency. Growth of shrimp fed S2-PGFM, grade 1 FM and grade 2 FM containing diets was inferior to those of S1-PGFM fed group. The imported FM diet fed group showed the slowest growth and feed utilization efficiency. FCR of shrimp fed grade 2 FM and imported FM was significantly the poorest (p<0.05). In-vitro protein digestibility using crude enzyme extract from shrimp fed reciprocal diet was not significantly different among treatments but in-vivo protein digestibility of the S1-PGFM fed group was the highest (92.06+0.42%) in concordance with the highest trypsin gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hevea brasiliensis was introduced to Thailand for the production of natural rubber. RRIT251 and RRIM600 are high yield varieties while PB350 produces a high yield of latex and resistance to diseases. The cultivar identity must be ascertained prior to plantation establishment because it is important to relate the genetic background with the production of certain secondary metabolites. In this study, the internal transcribed spacer region was used to evaluate the varieties among these 3 cultivars. Callus induction was initiated with 2 mg/L 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). Hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester and 9-octadecanoic acid (Z), methyl ester were detected in RRIM600 calli. 2-Furancarboxaldehyde-5-(hydroxymethyl) was dominant in the RRIT251 and PB350 calli. These secondary metabolites are relevant in various high performance commercial sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is a highly conserved protein found in various organisms and eukaryotes and is broadly expressed in several tissues. TCTP plays a key role in preventing apoptosis and promoting cell survival. The conserved tumor suppressor p53 is a transcription factor which responds to stress signals. p53 controls apoptosis through a series of quantitative and qualitative events which require several binding partners including TCTP. However, the exact coordination of these two molecules in the apoptosis pathway is not clearly understood. In this study, docking simulation successfully identified the binding sites of "human TCTP and human p53", "Crustacean, Penaeus monodon TCTP and human p53", and "plant, Elaeis guineensis TCTP and human p53" with binding energies of -843.10 Kcal/mol, -747.80Kcal/mol, and - 786.80 Kcal/mol, respectively. The results implied that non-human TCTPs have less binding activities with human p53 and they are not effective partners compared with human TCTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel cDNA of a SF21-like protein or NDR-like protein (EgNDL) from Elaeis guineensis Jacq. is 1,044 bp in length and encodes a putative protein with a 347-amino-acid open reading frame. The EgNDL showed 93% identity to the pollenspecific SF21-like protein of Phoenix dactylifera and also showed 79% identity to the NDL protein of Theobroma cacao. Expression analysis of the EgNDL gene in various tissues showed that EgNDL was expressed in the anthers, pistils, mesocarp and leaves. The high expression of EgNDL among three oil palm varieties was significantly expressed in Pisifera (P<0.05), which is commonly used as a male parent in crosses. Computational tools were used to predict the protein and concluded that EgNDL is a putative membrane protein that may function in a signal transduction pathway during pollen development. In this context, knowledge regarding EgNDL and its potential role in plant developmental processes will benefit oil palm breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]