A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-pigmented, non-spore-forming bacterial strain that was motile by a single polar flagellum, designated A1-9(T), was isolated from Daqing reservoir in north-east China and its taxonomic position was studied using a polyphasic approach. Strain A1-9(T) was non-halophilic, strictly aerobic and heterotrophic and lacked carotenoids, internal membranes and genes for pho...

Hyponatremia (hypo-osmolality) is a disorder of water homeostasis due to abnormal renal diluting capacity. The body limits the degree which serum sodium concentration falls through mechanism called “vasopressin escape”. Vasopressin escape process that prevents continuous decrease in even under conditions sustained high plasma vasopressin levels. Previous reports suggest aldosterone may be invol...

Dear Editor, Anti-H antibody is a type of anti-red blood cell (RBC) antibody that agglutinates with H antigen, which is universally present on human RBCs. The most widely known problem related to the anti-H antibody is the potentially lethal hemolytic transfusion reaction seen in individuals with the Bombay O blood type [1-3]. Other anti-H antibodies are mostly found in A1 or A1B blood type ind...

Although the role of the APOBEC3-dependent retroelement restriction system as an intrinsic immune defense against human immunodeficiency virus type1 (HIV-1) infection is becoming clear, only the rat ortholog of mammalian APOBEC1s (A1) thus far has been shown to possess antiviral activity. Here, we cloned A1 cDNAs from small animal species, and showed that similar to rat A1, both wild-type and D...

Botulinum neurotoxin type A1 (BoNT/A1) is a potent protein toxin responsible for the potentially fatal human illness botulism. Notwithstanding, the long-lasting flaccid muscle paralysis caused by BoNT/A has led to its utility as a powerful and versatile bio-pharmaceutical. The flaccid paralysis is due to specific cleavage of neuronal SNAREs by BoNTs. However, actions of BoNTs on intoxicated neu...

The small heat shock protein, -crystallin, plays a key role in maintaining lens transparency by chaperoning structurally compromised proteins. This is of particular importance in the human lens, where proteins are exposed to post-translational modifications over the lifetime of an individual. Here, we examine the structural and functional consequences of one particular modification of A-crystal...

Analysis of Portuguese wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) landrace 'Barbela' revealed the existence of a new x-type high molecular weight-glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) encoded at the Glu-A1 locus, which we named 1Ax1.1. Using one-dimensional and two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, we compared subunit 1Ax1.1 with other subunits encoded at the Glu-A1 locus. Subunit 1Ax1.1 has a theoretic...

This article reports the design and synthesis of donor-substituted symmetrical and unsymmetrical benzothiadiazoles (BTDs) of 5-12 type D-π-A-D, D1-π-A-D2, D1-A1-A2-D2, D-A1-A2-D and D-A1-A2-A1-D by Ullmann, Suzuki and cycloaddition-retroelectrocyclization reactions. The photophysical, electrochemical and computational properties were studied and show substantial donor-acceptor interaction. Thei...

The TNFR family member OX40 (CD134) is critical for optimal clonal expansion and survival of T cells. However, the intracellular targets of OX40 in CD8 T cells are not fully understood. Here we show that A1, a Bcl-2 family protein, is regulated by OX40 in effector CD8 T cells. In contrast to wild-type T cells, OX40-deficient CD8 T cells failed to maintain A1 expression driven by antigen. Conver...