Project description:The aim of this study is to demonstrate that mechanical unloading via SMG will induce a higher osteoarthritic-like gene profile in bioengineered meniscal cartilage from healthy female MFC versus healthy male MFC. This would serve as the molecular basis for early onset of knee osteoarthritis in females
Project description:BACKGROUND:The ?54 factor controls unique promoters and interacts with a specialized activator (enhancer binding proteins [EBP]) for transcription initiation. Although ?54 is present in many Clostridiales species that have great importance in human health and biotechnological applications, the cellular processes controlled by ?54 remain unknown. RESULTS:For systematic analysis of the regulatory functions of ?54, we performed comparative genomic reconstruction of transcriptional regulons of ?54 in 57 species from the Clostridiales order. The EBP-binding DNA motifs and regulated genes were identified for 263 EBPs that constitute 39 distinct groups. The reconstructed ?54 regulons contain the genes involved in fermentation and amino acid catabolism. The predicted ?54 binding sites in the genomes of Clostridiales spp. were verified by in vitro binding assays. To our knowledge, this is the first report about direct regulation of the Stickland reactions and butyrate and alcohols synthesis by ?54 and the respective EBPs. Considerable variations were demonstrated in the sizes and gene contents of reconstructed ?54 regulons between different Clostridiales species. It is proposed that ?54 controls butyrate and alcohols synthesis in solvent-producing species, regulates autotrophic metabolism in acetogenic species, and affects the toxin production in pathogenic species. CONCLUSIONS:This study reveals previously unrecognized functions of ?54 and provides novel insights into the regulation of fermentation and amino acid metabolism in Clostridiales species, which could have potential applications in guiding the treatment and efficient utilization of these species.
Project description:MFC 10A for bru-seq comparison For data usage terms and conditions, please refer to http://www.genome.gov/27528022 and http://www.genome.gov/Pages/Research/ENCODE/ENCODE_Data_Use_Policy_for_External_Users_03-07-14.pdf
Project description:Mouse splenic total B cells (6 million cells/sample) were pre-treated with the control Ab (1000ng/ml, IgG1κ, BioXCell, #BE0083) or mBaffR-mFc (1000ng/ml, a fusion protein consists of murine BR3 ecto-domain fused to murine IgG1 Fc fragment obtained from Biogen, US) for 30 min, and then treated with 100 ng/ml of recombinant human BAFF 3mer (AdipoGen, #AG-40B-0016), 60mer (AdipoGen, #AG-40B-0112) or left untreated for the next 4 hours. Each treatment was in triplicates. Total RNA was extracted from the samples using QIAGEN RNeasy Mini Kit and were sent to Novogene Corporation (Wilmingtom, DE, USA) to determine the gene expression levels.
Project description:The achievement of successful biostimulation of active microbiomes for the cleanup of a polluted site is strictly dependent on the knowledge of the key microorganisms equipped with the relevant catabolic genes responsible for the degradation process. In this work, we present the characterization of the bacterial community developed in anaerobic microcosms after biostimulation with the electron donor lactate of groundwater polluted with 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA). Through a multilevel analysis, we have assessed (i) the structural analysis of the bacterial community; (ii) the identification of putative dehalorespiring bacteria; (iii) the characterization of functional genes encoding for putative 1,2-DCA reductive dehalogenases (RDs). Following the biostimulation treatment, the structure of the bacterial community underwent a notable change of the main phylotypes, with the enrichment of representatives of the order Clostridiales. Through PCR targeting conserved regions within known RD genes, four novel variants of RDs previously associated with the reductive dechlorination of 1,2-DCA were identified in the metagenome of the Clostridiales-dominated bacterial community.