New work in aphids shows that a nuclear-encoded protein resulting from a horizontal gene transfer is targeted to a bacterial symbiont, further blurring the distinction between organelle and symbiont.

The cDNA encoding the precursor form of non-specific lipid-transfer protein (pre-nsL-TP) from rat liver was cloned into the expression vector pET3d. The resulting plasmid was transformed to the Escherichia coli strain BL21(DE3). After induction of the bacteria with isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) pre-nsL-TP was purified from the bacterial lysate by anion exchange chromatography fo...

differentiation to produce a dormant spore (Meisner et al., 2008). Contact-dependent inhibition is a reversible, contact-dependent means by which strains of E. coli induce a nonreplicating state in susceptible cells through direct transfer of two effector proteins (Aoki et al., 2005). These three mechanisms are all characterized by the specific transfer of a limited number of signals in respons...

ATP-gated P2X2 channels undergo permeability changes through a process that is incompletely understood. In the present study, we used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and electrophysiology to measure cytosolic gating motions in P2X2 channels as they enter a state with increased permeability. P2X2 channels underwent permeability changes with a time course that was similar to decreas...

Background: Hepatic gene transfer, in particular using adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors, has been shown to induce immune tolerance to several protein antigens. This approach has been exploited in animal models of inherited protein deficiency for systemic delivery of therapeutic proteins. Adequate levels of transgene expression in hepatocytes induce a suppressive T cell response, thereby pro...

OBJECTIVE To compare peak to mid estradiol ratio with the probability of successful conception after intracytoplasmic sperm injection. METHOD The quasi-experimental study was conducted in an infertility clinic at Islamabad from June 2010 till August 2011, and comprised couples subjected to intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection. Down-regulation of ovaries was followed by calculated stimulation, ov...

Fertilized mammalian ova consist of haploid genomes derived from both parents and cytoplasmic components inherited largely from the female parent. These three cellular compartments must successfully interact with each other and with their environment for development to proceed. These interactions require the transposition of nuclear and cytoplasmic products between cellular compartments with re...

Fixation in 10% neutral buffered formalin prior to transfer to 70% ethanol for one week has been shown to adequately preserve immunorecognition of PCNA, cytokeratins AE1/AE3 and EGFr. This study investigated whether 12 hrs fixation in 10% NBF plus transfer to 70% ethanol for 4 weeks would similarly preserve immunorecognition to an extent where antigen retrieval (AR) used to reverse the masking ...

We have established a reconstitution system for the translocon SecYEG in proteoliposomes in which 55% of the accessible translocons are active. This level corresponds to the fraction of translocons that are active in vitro when assessed in their native environment of cytoplasmic membrane vesicles. Assays using these robust reconstituted proteoliposomes and cytoplasmic membrane vesicles have rev...