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Mouthbrooding fighting fish Betta apollon and B. simplex are widely distributed in Southeast Asia but urbanization is restricting their biodiversity. Complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of B. apollon and B. simplex were determined to support systematic conservation programs. Mitogenome sequences were 16,536 and 16,549 bp in length with slight AT bias (56.68% and 56.60%), respectively, containing 37 genes with the order identical to most teleost mitogenomes. Phylogenetic analysis of B. apollon showed a closer relationship with B. simplex, grouped with B. pi as a monophyletic clade of mouthbrooders. Results will facilitate evolutionary studies, species diversity, and conservation management in fighting fishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Betta pi is the largest species of mouthbrooding fighting fish, while B. splendens is a globally ornamental bubble nesting fish. Complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of wild individuals of B. pi and B. splendens were determined. The mitogenome sequences were 16,521 and 16,980 base pair in length, containing 37 genes with gene order identical to most teleost mitogenomes. Overall A + T content was 57.72% for B. pi and 61.92% for B. splendens. Phylogenetic analysis showed that B. pi and B. splendens were highly supported monophyletic clades. Our results will facilitate further genetic studies, including mitochondrial variations and population structure of fighting fishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpha satellite DNA is a repetitive sequence known to be a major DNA component of centromeres in primates (order Primates). New World monkeys form one major taxon (parvorder Platyrrhini) of primates, and their alpha satellite DNA is known to comprise repeat units of around 340 bp. In one species (Azara's owl monkey Aotus azarae) of this taxon, we identified two types of alpha satellite DNA consisting of 185- and 344-bp repeat units that we designated as OwlAlp1 and OwlAlp2, respectively. OwlAlp2 exhibits similarity throughout its entire sequence to the alpha satellite DNA of other New World monkeys. The chromosomal locations of the two types of sequence are markedly distinct: OwlAlp1 was observed at the centromeric constrictions, whereas OwlAlp2 was found in the pericentric regions. From these results, we inferred that OwlAlp1 was derived from OwlAlp2 and rapidly replaced OwlAlp2 as the principal alpha satellite DNA on a short time scale at the speciation level. A less likely alternative explanation is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background/aim: Nitric oxide (NO) is recognized as an important biological mediator that exerts several human physiological functions. As its nature is an aqueous soluble gas that can diffuse through cells and tissues, NO can affect cell signaling, the phenotype of cancer and modify surrounding cells. The variety of effects of NO on cancer cell biology has convinced researchers to determine the defined mechanisms of these effects and how to control this mediator for a better understanding as well as for therapeutic gain., Materials and Methods: We used bioinformatics and pharmacological experiments to elucidate the potential regulation and underlying mechanisms of NO in non-small a lung cancer cell model., Results: Using microarrays, we identified a total of 151 NO-regulated genes (80 up-regulated genes, 71 down-regulated genes) with a strong statistically significant difference compared to untreated controls. Among these, the genes activated by a factor of more than five times were: DCBLD2, MGC24975, RAB40AL, PER3, RCN1, MRPL51, PTTG1, KLF5, NFIX. On the other hand, the expression of RBMS2, PDP2, RBAK, ORMDL2, GRPEL2, ZNF514, MTHFD2, POLR2D, RCBTB1, JOSD1, RPS27, GPR4 genes were significantly decreased by a factor of more than five times. Bioinformatics further revealed that NO exposure of lung cancer cells resulted in a change in transcription factors (TFs) and epigenetic modifications (histone modification and miRNA). Interestingly, NO treatment was shown to potentiate cancer stem cell-related genes and transcription factors Oct4, Klf4, and Myc., Conclusion: Through this comprehensive approach, the present study illustrated the scheme of how NO affects molecular events in lung cancer cells., (Copyright© 2020, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)