To better understand the toxicity and the orchestration of antioxidant defenses of marine brown algae in response to copper-induced stress, lipid peroxidation processes were investigated in the brown alga Laminaria digitata. The expression of genes involved in cell protection and anti-oxidant responses were monitored by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and the l...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding, small RNAs recognized as important regulators of gene expression. Although plant miRNAs have been extensively studied in model systems, less is known in other plants with limited genome sequence data, including Paeonia ostii. In this work, we used high-throughput sequencing to identify conserved and nonconserved miRNAs and other short RNAs in Paeoni...

The aim of this study was to investigate anti-AGE antibodies (AGE Abs) and two markers of oxidative stress, copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) in sera of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) at 2, 4 and 8 months. AGE Abs were assessed with direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Significant differences were observed between AGE Abs in 4 and 2 month old SHR (p < 0.0...

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae possesses various defense mechanisms against environmental stresses that generate reactive oxygen species, leading to growth inhibition or cell death. Our recent study showed a novel antioxidative mechanism mediated by nitric oxide (NO) in yeast cells, but the mechanism underlying the oxidative stress tolerance remained unclear. We report here one of t...

BACKGROUND: The role of copper accumulation in the onset of hepatitis is still unclear. Therefore, we investigated a spontaneous disease model of primary copper-toxicosis in Doberman pinschers so to gain insights into the pathophysiology of copper toxicosis, namely on genes involved in copper metabolism and reactive oxygen species (ROS) defences. RESULTS: We used quantitative real-time PCR to d...

Two-way selection for two-week packed erythrocyte volume (PCV) was practiced for four generations under two nutritional environments in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). One environment was an iron, copper-"adequate" diet and the other was iron, copper-deficient "stress" diet. Response to selection was greater in both directions under the adequate environment than under the stres...

Microscale Laser Shock Peening (LSP), also known as Laser Shock Processing, is a technique that can be potentially applied to manipulate residual stress distributions in metal film structures and thus improve the fatigue performances of micro-devices made of such films. In this study, microscale LSP of copper films on single crystal silicon substrate is investigated. Before and after-process cu...

Copper-ionophores that elevate intracellular bioavailable copper display significant therapeutic utility against prostate cancer cells in vitro and in TRAMP (Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of Mouse Prostate) mice. However, the pharmacological basis for their anticancer activity remains unclear, despite impending clinical trails. Herein we show that intracellular copper levels in prostate cancer, eva...

Copper homeostasis in bacteria is challenged by periodic elevation of copper levels in the environment, arising from both natural sources and human inputs. Several mechanisms have evolved to efflux copper from bacterial cells, including thecus(copper sensing copper efflux system), andpco(plasmid-borne copper resistance system) systems. The genes belonging to these two systems can be physically ...