AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the association of T-786C, G894T and 4a/b polymorphisms in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene with early-onset ischemic stroke in South Indians. METHODS We enrolled 177 patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke aged between 15 to 45 years and 219 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Genotypes of eNOS T-786C, G894T and 4a/b were id...

OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to investigate the correlation between spontaneous recurrent miscarriage (RM) and common polymorphisms in angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and endothelium-derived nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) genes among women experiencing RM in the Gaza Strip. METHODS The presence of these genetic profiles was determined for 1...

Non-structural protein 3 (NS3) is a multifunctional enzyme possessing serine protease, NTPase, and RNA unwinding activities that are required for hepatitis C viral (HCV) replication. HCV non-structural protein 4A (NS4A) binds to the N-terminal NS3 protease domain to stimulate NS3 serine protease activity. In addition, the NS3 protease domain enhances the RNA binding, ATPase, and RNA unwinding a...

Premature degradation of CFTR F508 causes cystic fibrosis (CF). CFTR F508 folding defects are conditional and folding correctors are being developed as CF therapeutics. How the cellular environment impacts CFTR F508 folding efficiency and the identity of CFTR F508’s correctable folding defects is unclear. We report that inactivation of the RMA1 or CHIP ubiquitin ligase permits a pool of CFTR F5...

We report a unique isoform of PLC[beta]4 in rat, PLC[beta]4c, that has an additional 37nucleotide exon inserted between nucleotides 3459-3460 of the previously published PLC[beta]4a coding sequence. This insertion results in replacement of 22 amino acid residues at the carboxyl terminal tail of PLC[beta]4a with 41 unique residues. A human EST for PLC[beta]4 also contains this exon and this exon...

A peptidoglycan-containing fraction called fraction P.I. (phenol insoluble), extracted from Brucella melitensis and previously described by some of us, had immunogenic and protective properties and did not produce any allergic reactions. Since it is well known that bacterial peptidoglycans studied so far have immunoadjuvant properties, the isolation of the active factor(s) of Brucella was under...

The protease domain of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) has been targeted for inhibition by several direct-acting antiviral drugs. This approach has had marked success to treat infections caused by HCV genotype 1 predominant in the USA, Europe, and Japan. However, genotypes 3 and 4, dominant in developing countries, are resistant to a number of these drugs and little pr...

BACKGROUND Alterations in gene splicing occur in human sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) and may contribute to tumour progression. The K-ras proto-oncogene encodes two splice variants, K-ras 4A and 4B, and K-ras activating mutations which jointly affect both isoforms are prevalent in CRC. Past studies have established that splicing of both the K-ras oncogene and proto-oncogene is altered in CRC ...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4 (GT4) is genetically diverse, with 17 confirmed subtypes, and comprises approximately 13% of infections worldwide. In this study, we identified GT4 subtypes by phylogenetic analysis, assessed differences in patient demographics across GT4 subtypes, examined baseline sequence variability among subtypes and the potential impact on treatment outcome, and analyzed...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a global health burden with over 170 million people infected worldwide. In a significant portion of patients chronic hepatitis C infection leads to serious liver diseases, including fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The HCV NS3 protein is essential for viral polyprotein processing and RNA replication and hence viral replication. It is compos...