Search

Bacillus is a genus that contains both environmental and pathogenic species that can cause food poisoning in humans as a result of consuming foods containing toxins or bacteria. In this study, the 16S rRNA gene of the bacteria was sequenced to identify bacteria that were isolated from camel urine. Detected the Bacillus enterotoxins that encoding by three virulence genes; nonhemolytic enterotoxin (NHE) gene, cytotoxin K (CytK) gene and hemolytic enterotoxin (HBL) gene hblD. Bacillus sp isolates were examined for detection Bacillus enterotoxins (NheA,hblD, and CytK ) by PCR. NheA gene was detected in two of 78 examined samples 2.5% while, cytK gene was detected in 1.2 % of the examined samples. On the other hand, hblD gene failed to be detected.

Background: Antibiotic resistance has been identified as a major hazard to public health in recent years. Using bacteriophages to control bacterial infections seems to be a safer alternative. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Escherichia coli (E.coli) can cause a variety of infections, ranging in severity from fairly insignificant to potentially fatal. Camels' urine has been utilized for therapeutic purposes and anecdotally hailed as a treatment for a variety of ailments for millennia. Alternative eradication strategies must be taken into consideration because of their increased antibiotic resistance, which frequently causes therapeutic failures. Potential candidates to control MRSA &E.coli infections are bacteriophages and their lytic enzymes, lysins. The goal of the current study is to examine the existence of native bacteriophages in camel urine and determine whether they have any antibacterial properties against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli (E.coli). As well, as the impact of camel’s status on the presence of bacteriophages. Material and methods: In this study, we collected 80 camel urine samples from 6 different areas in the Taif region. The camel's urine was collected from healthy male and female (virgin, mother) camels aged 1–8 years, it has been divided into two groups with different natural feeding patterns G1:which grazes naturally on wild plants ( wild feeding)&G2: which grazes naturally on wild plants, fodder, and barley(mixed feeding). Bacteriophages were isolated by spot assay Results: The phages had good lytic activity against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (E.coli). When evaluated in vitro the greatest activity occurred 24 hours after phage infection. The highest activity of about 100% was achieved by virgin females out of eighty males and female samples. While the ratio represented in male and mother female, 70% 60% respectively. Conclusi

The current study aimed to investigate the potentiality of using avian β-defensin-1 peptide as a candidate agent against coccidiosis infection in broiler chicken.We employed an in-silico analysis to study the primary structure of β-defensin-1 peptide as well as its 3-D and molecular dynamic structures. This will also enable obtaining adequate information about the mode of action of these peptides and the intra-cellular transduction pathways. The results revealed no significant difference among groups of broiler chicken in terms of body weight before the

Recently, Natural pigments produced great interest within the market and made need to find eco-friendlier and less hazardous pigments than synthetic colorants, particularly microbial pigments. This work was undertaken with an aim of isolating pigment producing bacteria from air, then production and extraction pigment from isolated bacteria with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties against pathogenic microorganisms. Bacterium was identified by morphological characteristics and 16S rRNA sequencing as Kocuria flava SIF3, submitted to GenBank (accession number MN162713). Pigment production was carried out using nutrient broth medium (NB). Yellow pigment extracted by using methanol as solvent, showed maximum absorption spectrum (λmax) at 437 nm by UV-VIS spectroscopy and the degree of cell pigmentation was 0.472. Partial characterization of the extracted yellow pigment using UV- VIS spectroscopy and Fourier- Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis (FTIR) revealed it to be a carotenoid which has numerous applications. This novel extracted yellow pigment was screened for antimicrobial activity against pathogenic and antioxidant activity. This particular pigment showed inhibitory effect against all tested microbes so it could be chosen as a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent. The maximum zone of inhibition was (20 mm) against Penicillium sp. then Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12mm). The yellow pigment was discovered to have DPPH radical- scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 1.25mg / ml in vitro antioxidant assay. Present findings highlight the significance of yellow pigment extracted from Kocuria flava SIF3. Further purification of pigment will be useful in discovering a promising drug.

This study reports the high susceptibility of Propionibacterium acnes to four medicinal plants collected from western regions of Saudi Arabia. Plant extracts were obtained by using methanol and acetone. The susceptibility was tested by agar well diffusion method. Plants of interest, namely, Rhazya stricta, Azadirachta indica, Camellia sinensis and Ocimum basilicum, exhibited good antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 50 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL, 100 mg/mL and 100 mg/mL respectively. The maximum antibacterial effect was observed by A. indica followed by R. stricta. In addition, C. sinensis, and O. basilicum had moderate activities. The results show that these plants could be tested for use in skin care products to prevent or improve acne.

Rhazya stricta is an important medicinal plant used as native herbal drug to cure various diseases across Asia. Plant-microbe interactions represented by different environment abiotic stress factors that shows effects also on the host plants or on the associated microbial communities. Soil microorganism can be adapted to specific stress conditions and evolve tolerance to this stress. The adjustment of the plant microbiome can productively improve the yield production of essential crops. In the present study, metagenomics analysis of bacterial communities associated with five desert plants (Rhazya stricta, Enneapogon desvauxii, Citrullus colocynthis, Senna italica, and Zygophyllum simplex) was used to highlights the bacterial diversity in the communities of these desert plants, as they also have an importance as folkloric medicinal plants, in addition to their important roles in the ecological and agricultural applications. The results of the bacterial community’s taxonomy showed eleven phyla in each sample, and the most abundant were highlighted for further analysis as it was unassigned phyla. Results indicated that the most commonlyknownphylawere; Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, and Bacteroidetes. Further bioinformatics and functional analysis of bacteria are needed to investigate their effectiveness in promoting plant growth and understanding symbiotic relationships under drought-stress conditions, meanwhile, introducing the pinpointed ones in this study will help in achieving this task.

This study aimed to compare the fungal rhizosphere communities of Rhazya stricta, Enneapogon desvauxii, Citrullus colocynthis, Senna italica, and Zygophyllum simplex, and the gut mycobiota of Poekilocerus bufonius (Orthoptera, Pyrgomorphidae, "Usherhopper"). A total of 164,485 fungal reads were observed from the five plant rhizospheres and Usherhopper gut. The highest reads were in S. italica rhizosphere (29,883 reads). Species richness in the P. bufonius gut was the highest among the six samples. Ascomycota was dominant in all samples, with the highest reads in E. desvauxii (26,734 reads) rhizosphere. Sordariomycetes and Dothideomycetes were the dominant classes detected with the highest abundance in C. colocynthis and E. desvauxii rhizospheres. Aspergillus and Ceratobasidium were the most abundant genera in the R. stricta rhizosphere, Fusarium and Penicillium in the E. desvauxii rhizosphere and P. bufonius gut, Ceratobasidium and Myrothecium in the C. colocynthis rhizosphere, Aspergillus and Fusarium in the S. italica rhizosphere, and Cochliobolus in the Z. simplex rhizosphere. Aspergillus terreus was the most abundant species in the R. stricta and S. italica rhizospheres, Fusarium sp. in E. desvauxii rhizosphere, Ceratobasidium sp. in C. colocynthis rhizosphere, Cochliobolus sp. in Z. simplex rhizosphere, and Penicillium sp. in P. bufonius gut. The phylogenetic results revealed the unclassified species were related closely to Ascomycota and the species in E. desvauxii, S. italica and Z. simplex rhizospheres were closely related, where the species in the P. bufonius gut, were closely related to the species in the R. stricta, and C. colocynthis rhizospheres.

Obesity is a chronic disorder that is associated with body mass index (BMI) of greater or equal to 30 kg/m2. The prevalence of obesity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is increasing at an alarming rate and is expected to reach 41% in men and up to 78% in women by 2022. Since chemokines are associated with involuntary weight loss, the objective of this study was to elucidate their association with BMI among Saudis. A questionnaire was used to collect information about diet, health conditions, and demographics from 15 men and 16 women who participated in the study. BMI was calculated based on clinical measurements and participants were classified according to their BMI category as: normal, underweight, overweight, or obese. Serum samples were collected for a multiplex assay using the Human Chemokine Magnetic 30-plex panel. The serum concentration of either the monokine induced by gamma interferon (MIG) or the CXC-motif chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL-9) was significantly increased in obese men (P = 0.0194) and women (P = 0.043) as compared to underweight men and women, respectively. However, the serum levels of other chemokines were not significantly different among the groups. We found that MIG levels are differentially regulated in serum, based on individuals’ BMI. Keywords: Chemokines, Body mass index, Obesity, Saudi Arabia, Multiplex assay

Background Over the years, diphtheria was known as contagious fatal infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheria that affects upper respiratory system. The spread of diphtheria epidemic disease is best prevented by vaccination with diphtheria toxoid vaccine. Aluminum adjuvants were reported to stimulate the immune responses to killed and subunit vaccines. Objective Our study aimed to minimize adjuvant particles size, to gain insight of resulting immunity titer and impact on immune response antibody subtypes. Methods Aluminum salts and calcium phosphate adjuvants were prepared, followed by micro/nanoparticle adjuvants preparation. After formulation of diphtheria vaccine from diphtheria toxoid and developed adjuvants, we evaluated efficacy of these prepared vaccines based on their impact on immune response via measuring antibodies titer, antibodies isotyping and cytokines profile in immunized mice. Results A noteworthy increase in immunological parameters was observed; antibodies titer was higher in serum of mice injected with nanoparticle adjuvants-containing vaccine than mice injected with standard adjuvant-containing vaccine and commercial vaccine. Aluminum compounds adjuvants (nanoparticles and microparticles formulation) and microparticles calcium phosphate adjuvant induce TH2 response, while nanoparticles calcium phosphate and microparticles aluminum compounds adjuvants stimulate TH1 response. Conclusions Different treatments to our adjuvant preparations (nanoparticles and microparticles formulation) had a considerable impact on vaccine immunogenicity.

For the first time, this study was carried out to investigate and evaluate the relative antibacterial activity of three different Nk-lysin peptides from human, chicken, and bovine activity compared to Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as antiviral activity against rotavirus (strain SA-11) and finally mechanisms of action optionality. This report is the first of its kind that investigates the increased antimicrobial ability of (Nk-lysin + AgNPs) and (Nk-lysin + human IL-2) combinations against S. typhi activity by carrying out direct comparison under similar experimental settings. Our results showed that gram-negative and gram-positive microorganisms, including Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus mutans, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella oxytoca, Shigella sonnei, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhimurium, are susceptible to NK-lysin treatment. It was shown in our findings that there was equal potentiality in mixture (Nk-lysin + AgNPs) and (Nk-lysin + human IL-2) for preventing the growth of S. typhi, however, when added together, there was minor increase in the level of action. In our study, the TOHO-1 gene was absent in treated bacteria. Following treatment with Nk-lysin peptides, the beta-lactamases genes (CTX-M-1, M-8, and M-9) were not found in any bacterial strains. The examination did not find any of the plasmid mediated quinolone resistance genes in the bacterial strains as a response to NK-lysin treatment. Nonetheless, no study has been carried out in the past that characterized the antiviral activity of bovine, human and chicken Nk-lysin peptides. Hence, this is the foremost study on the enhanced antimicrobial activity of human, bovine and chicken Nk-lysin peptides against Rotavirus (strain SA-11). The findings of the study demonstrated that the powerful antiviral activities were exhibited by Nk-lysin peptides against Rotavirus (strain SA-11). Based on the comparison between these peptides, it can be concluded that there is an evident potent antiviral activity of bovine Nk-lysin against Rotavirus (strain SA-11) as it restrains infection by up to 90%. However, growth was restricted by 80% by chicken Nk-lysin and by 50% by the human peptide.

International audience; The gut microbiota is often affected by the dietary and lifestyle habits of the host, resulting in a better efficacy that favors energy harvesting from the consumed food. Our objective was to characterize the composition of gut microbiota in adult Saudis and investigate possible association with lifestyle and dietary practices. Feces from 104 Saudi volunteers (48% males) were tested for microbiota by sequencing the V3-V4 region of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA). For all participants, data were collected related to their lifestyle habits and dietary practices. The relative abundance (RA) of Fusobacteria was significantly higher in normal weight Saudis (P = 0.005, false discovery rate-FDR = 0.014). Individuals who consumed more coffee presented marginally significant more RA of Fusobacteria (P = 0.02, FDR = 0.20) in their gut microbiota compared to those reporting low or no coffee intake, but the RA of Fusobacteria was significantly higher in smokers compared to nonsmokers (P = 0.009, FDR = 0.027). The RA of Fusobacteria was also significantly higher in those reporting daily consumption of bread (P = 0.005, FDR = 0.015). At the species level, the gut microbiota of people who consumed coffee was dominated by Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron followed by Phascolarctobacterium faecium and Eubacterium rectale. Similarly, the gut microbiota of smokers was also enriched by B. thetaiotaomicron and Lactobacillus amylovorus. Smoking cessation, bread and coffee consumption induce changes in the intestinal microbial composition of Saudis. This indicates the significance of diet and lifestyle practices in the determination of the composition of the gut microbiota, which could possibly lead later to changes in metabolic profile and weight.

Traditional herbal medicines have been part of human healthcare systems since ancient times. The studies on herbal medicines have mainly focused on their beneficial aspects and hence their harmful effects have been usually overlooked. Throughout Middle East and South Asia, Rhazya stricta Decne. and Thymus vulgaris L. are used as traditional medicines for various diseases. We evaluated R. stricta and T. vulgaris aqueous extracts for their genotoxicity and mutagenicity through comet assay and Ames Salmonella mutagenicity test respectively. An overall treatment effect (p

Numerous dietary products are supplemented with probiotics that may be beneficial for human health. Recently, bifidobacteria have received increasing attention as a genus of probiotic bacteria with high efficiency and few side effects. To examine potential effects of different bifidobacteria concentrations on the mucosal immune response, we fed mice with (a) 108 colony-forming units (CFU) of bifidobacteria (group 108B), and (b) with 1012 CFU of bifidobacteria (group 1012B) over 42 days and assessed gene expression in intestinal mucosa and immune marker concentrations in serum samples; ten untreated female mice were used as a control. Continuous exposure to 108 CFU of bifidobacteria activated both macrophages and Treg immune cells through significantly increasing the expression of mucosal TLR2 and IL10-mRNA genes, but inhibited Th1 and Th2 cells via significant downregulation of IL4 and IFNγ gene expression, compared to untreated mice. Interestingly, group 1012B showed down-regulated expression of TLR2, IL10, and IL4 genes but up-regulated expression of IFNγ, compared to group 108B and to the control. Also, polyclonal immunoglobulins IgG, IgM, and IgA showed a significant increase in all treated mice compared to the control. We conclude that high concentrations of bifidobacteria reduced innate immune functions. Furthermore, adaptive immunity seemed to be enhanced by increasing stimulation of T and B lymphocytes, suggesting aberration of the immune system following intestinal inflammation due to constant exposure to high concentrations of bifidobacteria. Both experimental bifidobacteria concentrations increased the total levels of circulating Igs, particularly of IgA., Microbiology; IL4; Probiotics; Mucosal immunity; Bifidobacteria; IFN gamma; IL10.; Mice; TLR2

A series of three ligands were derived from the condensation of indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-one and hydrazines (L1 from hydrazine, L2 from phenylhydrazine and L3 from thiosemicarbazide). The three ligands were stirred with CuBr(PPh3)3 in dichloromethane; no reaction was observed except in the case of L3, providing a complex with the formula CuBr(PPh3)2(κS-L3) (Cu-L3). Crystal structure of the complex revealed that the central copper atom in the molecule is coordinated to two triphenylphosphine groups, a bromine atom and to the indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-ylidenecarbothioamidohydrazide (L3) ligand via S atom; forming a distorted tetrahedral geometry around it. In general, Cu-L3 complex has shorter Cu-P bond lengths compared to the parent complex which suggest less steric hindrance in Cu-L3. None of the three ligands were able to use the nitrogen atoms as donating atoms due to their highly engagement in hydrogen-bonding as observed in the crystal structure of Cu-L3 as well as the theoretical calculations. Moreover, theoretical calculation indicated that Cu-N interactions were weak with long distances beyond the typical bonding distances. Antimicrobial screening against a range of strains showed selective inhabitations of indeno[1,2-b]quinoxalin-11-one, L1 and L3 against S. aureus strain. Moreover, the introduction of the copper fragment to L3 did not cause any significant improvements to the antimicrobial properties of L3.

It's known that diphtheria and tetanus are a contagious lethal diseases over the years, they caused by pathogenic microbes corynebacterium diphtheria and Clostridium tetani, respectively. The diseases result from the production of bacterial toxin. Vaccination with bacterial toxoid vaccines adsorbed on particulates adjuvants still are the best way to prevent this epidemic diseases from spread. The particulate vaccines have been shown to be more efficient than soluble one for the induction of the immune responses. Nanoparticles can be engineered to enhance the immune responses. As well known the immune response to inactivate killed and subunit vaccine enhances by alum adjuvants. The adjuvants examined and tested after reducing its size to particle size, thus mimic size of viruses which is considered smallest units can derive the immune system. The major issue is minimizing the adjuvant particles, to gain insight of resulting immunity types and impact on immune response. The adjuvant effect of micro/nanoparticles appears to largely be a consequence of their uptake into antigen presenting cells.

// Waqas Iqbal 1 , Saleh Alkarim 1 , Ahmed AlHejin 1 , Hasan Mukhtar 1,2 and Kulvinder S. Saini 1,3 1 Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2 Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin Medical Sciences Center, Madison, WI, USA 3 School of Biotechnology, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India Correspondence to: Hasan Mukhtar, email: // Kulvinder Saini, email: // Keywords : stem cells, cancer, metastasis, therapeutic, signaling Received : May 16, 2016 Accepted : July 13, 2016 Published : July 29, 2016 Abstract Tumor comprises of heterogeneous population of cells where not all the disseminated cancer cells have the prerogative and “in-build genetic cues” to form secondary tumors. Cells with stem like properties complemented by key signaling molecules clearly have shown to exhibit selective growth advantage to form tumors at distant metastatic sites. Thus, defining the role of cancer stem cells (CSC) in tumorigenesis and metastasis is emerging as a major thrust area for therapeutic intervention. Precise relationship and regulatory mechanisms operating in various signal transduction pathways during cancer dissemination, extravasation and angiogenesis still remain largely enigmatic. How the crosstalk amongst circulating tumor cells (CTC), epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and CSC is coordinated for initiating the metastasis at secondary tissues, and during cancer relapse could be of great therapeutic interest. The signal transduction mechanisms facilitating the dissemination, infiltration of CSC into blood stream, extravasations, progression of metastasis phenotype and angiogenesis, at distant organs, are the key pathologically important vulnerabilities being elucidated. Therefore, current new drug discovery focus has shifted towards finding “key driver genes” operating in parallel signaling pathways, during quiescence, survival and maintenance of stemness in CSC. Understanding these mechanisms could open new horizons for tackling the issue of cancer recurrence and metastasis-the cause of ~90% cancer associated mortality. To design futuristic & targeted therapies, we propose a multi-pronged strategy involving small molecules, RNA interference, vaccines, antibodies and other biotechnological modalities against CSC and the metastatic signal transduction cascade.

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics, first a major concern in the 1960s, has re-emerged worldwide over the last 20 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other health organizations have, therefore, declared ‘war’ against human microbial pathogens, particularly hospital-acquired infections, and have made drug discovery a top priority for these diseases. Because these bacteria are refractory to conventional chemotherapy, medicinal and herbal plants used in various countries should be assessed for their therapeutic potential; these valuable bio-resources are a reservoir of complex bioactive molecules. Earlier studies from our laboratory on Rhazya stricta, a native herbal shrub of Asia, have shown that this plant has a number of therapeutic properties. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial activities of various concentrations of five solvent extracts (aqueous alkaloid, aqueous non-alkaloid, organic alkaloid, organic non-alkaloid and whole aqueous extracts) derived from R. stricta leaves against several multidrug-resistant, human-pathogenic bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-positive Escherichia coli. In vitro, molecular and electron microscopy analyses conclusively demonstrated the antimicrobial effects of these extracts against a panel of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The organic alkaloid extract was the most effective against E. coli and MRSA, resulting in cell membrane disruption visible with transmission electron microscopy. In the near future, we intend to further focus and delineate the molecular mechanism-of-action for specific alkaloids of R. stricta, particularly against MRSA.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes major healthcare problems in many countries, as it is present as several hospital- and community-associated strains. Hospital-associated MRSA is one of the most prevalent nosocomial pathogens throughout the world and infections caused by community-acquired MRSA are rising. This emphasizes the need for new and efficient anti-MRSA agents. We evaluated the antibacterial effects of camel lactoferrin (cLf) and human lactoferrin (hLf) alone and in combination with several antibiotics against MRSA. Antimicrobials were tested against MRSA and an S. aureus control strain by the agar disc diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for antimicrobials by the broth microdilution method. Synergy between cLf or hLf and antibiotics was examined by checkerboard and time-kill assays. The agar disc diffusion assay showed that MRSA growth was inhibited by cLf at 0.25-3 mg/ml and hLf at 1-3 mg/ml. cLf demonstrated 3 times higher inhibitory activity against MRSA than hLf in terms of MIC values (250 vs. 750 μg/ml, respectively). Biotinylated cLf was recognized by two membrane proteins of MRSA, 66-67 KDa. Combinations of cLf or hLf and oxacillin or vancomycin at sub-MIC levels enhanced in vitro antibacterial activity against MRSA compared with each agent alone.

Butyrophilins (BTNs) are a group of the moonlighting proteins, some members of which are secreted in milk. They constitute a large family of structurally similar type 1 transmembrane proteins from the immunoglobulin superfamily. Although the founding member of this family is related to lactation, participating in the secretion, formation and stabilization of milk fat globules, it may also have a cell surface receptor function. Generally, the BTN family members are known to modulate co-stimulatory responses, T cell selection, differentiation, and cell fate determination. Polymorphism of these genes was shown to be associated with the pathology of several human diseases. Despite their biological significance, structural information on human butyrophilins is rather limited. Based on their remarkable multifunctionality, butyrophilins seem to belong to the category of moonlighting proteins, which are known to contain intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDPRs). However, the disorder status of human BTNs was not systematically investigated as of yet. The goal of this study is to fill this gap and to evaluate peculiarities of intrinsic disorder predisposition of the members of human BTN family, and to find if they have IDPRs that can be attributed to the multifunctionality of these important proteins.

Background: HTLV1 is a retrovirus that infects CD4-positive cells and leads to Adult T-cell leukemia by constitutive activation of nuclear factor kappa B. Ascorbic acid (AA) is an essential nutrient that possess anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activity against a number of malignant cell lines. This study delineates the effect of AA on Tax protein expression as well as NF-κB and MMP9 activity in two HTLV1-positive leukemia cells (HuT-102 and C91-PL). Methods: The cytotoxic and antiproliferative effect of AA were studied by LDH release and MTT tests, respectively. The proteins expression level was assessed by western blotting. RT-PCR was used to study mRNAs level. Finally, ELISA/EMSA and Zymography were used to evaluate NF-κB and MMP-9 activities, respectively. Results: Cell lines were treated with non-cytotoxic concentrations of AA for 48h and 96h, which resulted in a significant inhibition of proliferation at a concentration of 50µg/ml at 96h in both cell lines. The same concentration inhibited Tax protein expression as well as the NF-κB nuclearization and DNA binding activity. The inhibitory effect of AA on MMP9 protein expression and activity started at 100µg/ml and 50µg/ml in HuT-102 and C91-PL cells respectively, with no effect at the transcriptional levels of MMP-9 in either one of the two cell lines. Conclusion: These results indicated that while AA exerted its anti-proliferative effect on the NF- κB activation pathway by suppressing Tax expression, its effects on MMP9 seemed to be independent of this mechanism and follow a different approach.

Wheat is the most important cereal in the world in terms of acreage and productivity. We sequenced and assembled the plastid genome of one Egyptian wheat cultivar using next-generation sequence data. The size of the plastid genome is 133,873 bp, which is 672 bp smaller than the published plastid genome of “Chinese Spring” cultivar, due mainly to the presence of three sequences from the rice plastid genome. The difference in size between the previously published wheat plastid genome and the sequence reported here is due to contamination of the published genome with rice plastid DNA, most of which is present in three sequences of 332, 131 and 131 bp. The corrected plastid genome of wheat has been submitted to GenBank (accession number KJ592713 ) and can be used in future comparisons.

Effective diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers can help in tracking disease progress, predict patients’ survival, and considerably affect the drive for successful clinical management. The present review aims to determine how the metastatic-linked protein anterior gradient homologue 2 (AGR2) operates to affect cancer progression, and to identify associated potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers, particularly in central nervous system (CNS) tumors. Studies that show a high expression level of AGR2, and associate the protein expression with the resilience to chemotherapeutic treatments or with poor cancer survival, are reported. The primary protein structures of the seven variants of AGR2, including their functional domains, are summarized. Based on experiments in various biological models, this review shows an orchestra of multiple molecules that regulate AGR2 expression, including a feedback loop with p53. The AGR2-associated molecular functions and pathways including genomic integrity, proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, adhesion, migration, stemness, and inflammation, are detailed. In addition, the mechanisms that can enable the rampant oncogenic effects of AGR2 are clarified. The different strategies used to therapeutically target AGR2-positive cancer cells are evaluated in light of the current evidence. Moreover, novel associated pathways and clinically relevant deregulated genes in AGR2 high CNS tumors are identified using a meta-analysis approach.

Recently, urban outbreaks of dengue virus (DENV) have occurred in western areas of Saudi Arabia; Jeddah and Makkah, neighbouring cities to Al-Madinah, where there is growing population traffic. DENV activity has not previously been reported in Al-Madinah. Molecular detection of DENV RNA using type-specific single-step real-time RT-PCR and seroprevalence of anti-DENV antibodies using ELISA was reported among Al-Madinah population for the first time through a cross-sectional study from May 2008 to July 2009. A total of 351 febrile, clinically suspected patients were identified, and acute dengue infection was identified in 71 of them during the first week of onset of fever; 5 (1.4 %) by real-time reverse transcription PCR alone, 45 (12.8 %) cases by IgM-ELISA alone and 13 (3.7 %) by both, while 8 (2.3 %) cases were identified during the second week of fever by the presence of IgM-ELISA only. Anti-DENV IgG antibodies were not detected in any of the tested samples. Of the 71 cases, 55 were resident in Al-Madinah (37 Saudi and 18 non-Saudi); however, all of them were imported cases. DENV-1 and DENV-2 were identified in 7 and 11 cases, respectively, while DENV-3 and DENV-4 were not detected in any cases. It was observed that the middle-aged group was the most infected group. DENV anti-DENV IgM antibodies showed a positive correlation of high significance with the number of days with fever. Nationality and gender were found to be significant independent predictors.

The continuous battle between humans and the multitude of pathogenic microorganisms in the environment has sought relief in the form of antimicrobials. But the counter attack by pathogenic organisms in the form of multidrug resistance, acquired by various mechanisms such as transformation, transposition, conjugation and transduction is a major reason for concern. Bacteriophages have contributed in a significant way to dissemination of genes encoding antimicrobial resistance, heavy metal resistance and virulence factors through the phenomenon of transduction. This review aims at compiling information about the different mechanisms by which bacteriophages aid in transferring genes involved in antimicrobial resistance to Escherischia coli in various environments.

Ensifer sp. PC2 is an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod that was isolated from a nitrogen-fixing nodule of the tree legume P. cineraria (L.) Druce (Khejri), which is a keystone species that grows in arid and semi-arid regions of the Indian Thar desert. Strain PC2 exists as a dominant saprophyte in alkaline soils of Western Rajasthan. It is fast growing, well-adapted to arid conditions and is able to form an effective symbiosis with several annual crop legumes as well as species of mimosoid trees and shrubs. Here we describe the features of Ensifer sp. PC2, together with genome sequence information and its annotation. The 8,458,965 bp high-quality permanent draft genome is arranged into 171 scaffolds of 171 contigs containing 8,344 protein-coding genes and 139 RNA-only encoding genes, and is one of the rhizobial genomes sequenced as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 Genomic Encyclopedia for Bacteria and Archaea-Root Nodule Bacteria (GEBA-RNB) project proposal. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40793-016-0157-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Increase in the incidence of Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) among people from developed and developing countries has created a large global market for insulin. Moreover, exploration of new methods for insulin delivery including oral or inhalation route which require very high doses would further increase the demand of cost-effective recombinant insulin. Various bacterial and yeast strains have been optimized to overproduce important biopharmaceuticals. One of the approaches we have taken is the production of recombinant human insulin along with C-peptide in yeastPichia pastoris. We procured a cDNA clone of insulin from Origene Inc., USA. Insulin cDNA was PCR amplified and cloned into yeast vector pPICZ-α. Cloned insulin cDNA was confirmed by restriction analysis and DNA sequencing. pPICZ-α-insulin clone was transformed intoPichia pastoris SuperMan5strain. Several Zeocin resistant clones were obtained and integration of insulin cDNA inPichiagenome was confirmed by PCR using insulin specific primers. Expression of insulin inPichiaclones was confirmed by ELISA, SDS-PAGE, and Western blot analysis. In vivo efficacy studies in streptozotocin induced diabetic mice confirmed the activity of recombinant insulin. In conclusion, a biologically active human proinsulin along with C-peptide was expressed at high level usingPichia pastorisexpression system.

Escherichia coli is the most preferred microorganism to express heterologous proteins for therapeutic use, as around 30% of the approved therapeutic proteins are currently being produced using it as a host. Owing to its rapid growth, high yield of the product, cost-effectiveness, and easy scale-up process, E. coli is an expression host of choice in the biotechnology industry for large-scale production of proteins, particularly non-glycosylated proteins, for therapeutic use. The availability of various E. coli expression vectors and strains, relatively easy protein folding mechanisms, and bioprocess technologies, makes it very attractive for industrial applications. However, the codon usage in E. coli and the absence of post-translational modifications, such as glycosylation, phosphorylation, and proteolytic processing, limit its use for the production of slightly complex recombinant biopharmaceuticals. Several new technological advancements in the E. coli expression system to meet the biotechnology industry requirements have been made, such as novel engineered strains, genetically modifying E. coli to possess capability to glycosylate heterologous proteins and express complex proteins, including full-length glycosylated antibodies. This review summarizes the recent advancements that may further expand the use of the E. coli expression system to produce more complex and also glycosylated proteins for therapeutic use in the future.

Background Adult T-cell Leukemia (ATL) is a disease with no known cure. The disease manifests itself as an aggressive proliferation of CD4+ cells with the human T-cell Lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). The leukemogenesis of the virus is mainly attributed to the viral oncoprotein. Tax activates the Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-κB) which stimulates the activity and expression of the matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a specific nutrient synergy (SNS) on proliferation, Tax expression, NF-κB levels as well as on MMP-9 activity and expression both at the transcriptional and translational levels in two HTLV-1 positive cell lines, HuT-102 and C91-PL at 48h and 96h of incubation. Cytotoxicity of Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) was assayed using CytoTox 96 Non-radioactive and proliferation was measured using Cell Titer96TM Nonradioactive Cell Proliferation kit (MTT- based assay). Enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) were used to assess the effect of SNS on NF-κB mobility. Zymography was used to determine the effects of SNS on the activity and secretion of MMP-9. The expression of MMP-9 was done using RT-PCR at the translational level and Immunoblotting at the transcriptional level. Results A significant inhibition of proliferation was seen in both cell lines starting at a concentration of 200μg/ml and in a dose dependent manner. SNS induced a dose dependent decrease in Tax expression, which was paralleled by a down-regulation of the nuclearization of NF-κB. This culminated in the inhibition of the activity of MMP-9 and their expression both at the transcriptional and translational levels. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that a specific nutrient synergy targeted multiple levels pertinent to the progression of ATL. Its activity was mediated through the NF-κB pathway, and hence has the potential to be integrated in the treatment of this disease as a natural potent anticancer agent.

The effect of a crude, organic, non-alkaloid extract derived from R. stricta leaves were evaluated against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pathogens. Antibacterial activities were determined by zones of inhibition using a new 1% agarose well-diffusion method. Structural and morphological alterations of MRSA cells were investigated using transmission electron microscopy. The extract showed antibacterial activities against MRSA pathogens. The extract inhibited growth, with zones of inhibition ranging between 6 and 19 mm. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the extract distorts the cellular architecture of MRSA pathogens. Crude organic non-alkaloid extract derived from R. stricta leaves might serve as a novel antibiotic agent to prevent or treat lifethreatening MRSA infections.

Host Defense Peptides (HDPs) are small cationic peptides found in several organisms. They play a vital role in innate immunity response and immunomodulatory stimulation. This investigation was designed to study the antimicrobial activities of β-defensin peptide-4 (sAvBD-4) and 10 (sAvBD-4) derived from chickens against pathogenic organisms including bacteria and fungi. Ten bacterial strains and three fungal species were used in investigation. The results showed that the sAvBD-10 displayed a higher bactericidal potency against all the tested bacterial strains than that of sAvBD-4. The exhibited bactericidal activity was significant against almost the different bacterial strains at different peptide concentrations except for that of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Streptococcus bovis (Str. bovis) strains where a moderate effect was noted. Both peptides were effective in the inactivation of fungal species tested yielding a killing rate of up to 95%. The results revealed that the synthetic peptides were resistant to salt at a concentration of 50 mM NaCl. However, they lost antimicrobial potency when applied in the presence of high salt concentrations. Based on blood hemolysis studies, a little hemolytic effect was showed in the case of both peptides even when applied at high concentrations. The data obtained from this study indicated that synthetic avian peptides exhibit strong antibacterial and antifungal activity. In conclusion, future work and research should be tailored to a better understanding of the mechanisms of action of those peptides and their potential use in the pharmaceutical industry to help reduce the incidence and impact of infectious agent and be marketed as a naturally occurring antibiotic.

The study aimed to investigate the ability of indigenous and/or exogenous free living bacteria either individual or as mixed culture to decontaminate raw domestic wastewater. Seven indigenous and two exogenous bacteria were selected and identified using traditional as well as molecular characterization, then used in the batch remediation system for seven days. Results indicated that the raw wastewater was relatively of high strength according to the levels of all the tested parameters. Treatment efficiency was time and bacterial species dependent. In general, the mixture of the tested bacteria considered the most efficient for the removal of all the tested parameters. Pseudomonas stutzeri (PS) was perfect for removing organic matter (BOD and COD) while the mixed culture considered the most efficient for removing fecal coliform (≈100%) brought them to safe (60, 100 mg/l and ≈ 0.0 CFU/ml respectively) discharge limits (MPL) stated by the Egyptian and Saudi Environmental laws that regulate discharging of domestic and industrial wastewater into fresh and saline open water. In addition, high removal efficiencies of TSS, FOG and TC recording 39.1, 90.0 and 99.0% respectively were achieved by B. amyloliquefaciens (S1), E. coli (Rz6) and the mixed culture respectively. However, their residuals still higher (23.3, 20 and 200 fold respectively) than their MPLs for the safe discharge due to the short treatment course. Therefore, longer treatment time and/or using biofilm of the selected bacteria are highly recommended to bring the contaminated domestic effluent it to the safe limits for the environment. The present study confirmed the ability of the selected bacteria for the removal of the target contaminants especially pathogenic bacteria (coliform) and thus can be manipulated efficiently to decontaminate polluted systems providing the optimum degradation conditions.