Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P06889 (Mol)
 630,302 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We reviewed two groups of kidney transplant patients receiving neoral (Group I, 27 patients) or FK506 (Group II, 25 patients) as maintenance immunosuppression between December 1998 and May 2002. The recipient and donor demographics and induction therapy were comparable in both groups except for more highly sensitized patients in Group II. Acute rejection (AR) rate and timing were similar in both groups except for more steroid resistant AR in Group II (P=0.04). Infections rate was similar in both groups (25.9% in Group I and 36% in Group II; P=N.S.), but there were less viral infections in Group I (0%) than Group II (29%; 4 CMV). CMV infections were related to the presence in Group II of more CMV-negative recipients getting kidneys from CMV-positive donors. The metabolic profile was comparable between the two groups, except for a better HDL in Group II (48.2+/-7.6) versus Group I (45+/-2.2; P=0.021). Mean serum creatinine levels upon discharge, at 1, 3 and 6 months were: 1.62+/-0.32, 1.4+/-0.17, 1.39+/-0.14 and 1.4+/-0.14 in Group I and 2.15+/-0.5, 1.48+/-0.23, 1.41+/-0.21 and 1.23+/-0.11 in Group II, respectively. The 6 months actuarial patient and graft survival were identical in both groups (100 and 100%). Both calcineurin inhibitors are effective and safe in KT. The higher rate of AR in Group II was related to more highly sensitized patients and the higher CMV infections was due to the presence of more CMV-negative recipients receiving kidneys from CMV-positive donors. The same study will be continued to evaluate the long term effects of both drugs.
Mol Immunol 2003 Jul
PMID:Tacrolimus (FK506) versus cyclosporin A microemulsion (Neoral) maintenance immunosuppression: effects on graft survival and function, infection, and metabolic profile following kidney transplantation (KT). 1283 83

Infections of equids with parasitic nematodes of the order Strongylida (subfamilies Strongylinae and Cyathostominae) are of major veterinary importance. In last decades, the widespread use of drugs against these parasites has led to problems of resistance within the Cyathostominae, and to an increase in their prevalence and intensity of infection. Novel control strategies, based on improved knowledge of parasite biology and epidemiology, have thus become important. However, there are substantial limitations in the understanding of fundamental biological and systematic aspects of these parasites, which have been due largely to limitations in their specific identification and diagnosis using traditional, morphological approaches. Recently, there has been progress in the development of DNA-based approaches for the specific identification of strongyloids of equids for systematic studies and disease diagnosis. The present article briefly reviews information on the classification, biology, pathogenesis, epidemiology of equine strongyloids and the diagnosis of infections, highlights knowledge gaps in these areas, describes recent advances in the use of molecular techniques for the genetic characterisation, specific identification and differentiation of strongyloids of equids as a basis for fundamental investigations of the systematics, population biology and ecology.
Mol Cell Probes 2004 Feb
PMID:Advances in developing molecular-diagnostic tools for strongyloid nematodes of equids: fundamental and applied implications. 1503 64

Infections caused by fungi (mycoses) are increasingly reported in many countries owing to greater life expectancy associated with an increase in quality of medical and surgical procedures, as well as the emergence of diseases or infections that affect the immune system such as AIDS. Nosocomial outbreaks of fungal infections are sometimes reported, and typing is then necessary to find the reservoirs, analyze the modes of transmission, study the antifungal susceptibility patterns, and investigate the susceptibility of the host. In addition, the food industry is increasingly demanding typing methods that could help in selection of the best fungal strains, in order to incorporate them in the productive chains and augment the quality and security of food. This is the case for Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the wine industry: the selection and characterization of indigenous or autochthonous strains is an important objective for the production of high-quality certified wines.Several genotyping methods are now widely used for strain delineation of medically or economically important microorganisms belonging to the kingdom Fungi. Most molecular typing methods are comparable to those already described for bacteria, although the peculiarities of their nucleic acids increase the number of available methods. Although typing procedures based on the analysis of nucleic acid sequences have been developed, most genotyping methods currently in use are electrophoretically based, and the procedures include the visual comparison of nucleic acid band profiles or their reading with the help of computerized software. Here we describe some of the most frequently used genotyping methods for fungi, based on polymerase chain reactions (PCR), the isolation of chromosomal or mitochondrial DNA, and their restriction using endonuclease enzymes. The latter methods are exclusive for typing eukaryotic organisms and are based on the expected polymorphism obtained from the separation of large chromosomes using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and the restriction of mitochondrial or chromosomal DNA. More sophisticated methods, such as those that combine endonuclease restriction with hybridization, are also available, although their use is less extensive and is limited mostly to research laboratories.
Methods Mol Biol 2004
PMID:Typing fungal isolates: molecular methods and computerized analysis. 1515 23

The ability of a pathogen to adapt to the host environment is usually required for the initiation of disease. Here we have investigated the importance of the Aspergillus nidulans PacC-mediated pH response in the pathogenesis of pulmonary aspergillosis. Using mutational analysis, we demonstrate that, in neutropenic mice, elimination of the A. nidulans pH-responsive transcription factor PacC, blocking the ambient pH signal transduction pathway or prevention of PacC proteolytic processing acutely attenuates virulence. Infections caused by these alkali-sensitive mutants are characterized by limited growth in vivo and a reduction of inflammatory cell infiltration. In stark contrast, constitutive activation of PacC causes increased mortality marked by extensive fungal invasive growth. PacC action is therefore required for, and able to enhance virulence, demonstrating that the A. nidulans pH-responsive transcription factor PacC plays a pivotal role in pulmonary pathogenesis.
Mol Microbiol 2005 Feb
PMID:The Aspergillus pH-responsive transcription factor PacC regulates virulence. 1568 55

Infections from human polyomaviruses BK and JC (BKV and JCV) occur independently, but concomitant infections and the simultaneous persistence of both viruses have been observed in renal transplant recipients. Several studies have disclosed a correlation between BKV and interstitial nephritis in renal transplant recipients, and an association between JCV and some cases of nephropathy has recently been hypothesized. This article describes the development of a semiquantitative-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to simultaneously detect BKV and JCV viral load in urine and serum. The first-round amplification step uses primers that amplify a 385-bp DNA fragment from the "large T antigen" region of both viruses. Samples testing positive in the first step are then run in the second step. In the second-round amplification, different inner primers are used to separately quantify BKV-DNA and/or JCV-DNA. The assay offers several advantages including: (1) rapid submission of clinical samples to screening; (2) verification of the absence of Taq polymerase inhibitors with the use of an internal control; (3) a sensitivity threshold of 10 copies/reaction; and (4) assay running is less labor intensive, cheap, and easy to perform. The assay may be easily used to monitor viral loads versus baseline levels in urine and serum samples from renal transplant recipients to detect those at risk of BKV- or JCV-related nephropathy, and to monitor their response to immunosuppression reduction therapy if it occurs.
Mol Biotechnol 2005 May
PMID:BKV-DNA and JCV-DNA co-quantification assay to evaluate viral load in urine and serum. 1580 71

Infections with bacteria and viruses such as adenovirus are a feature of chronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), and may be instrumental in the generation of disease exacerbations. We have previously shown in acute models that elafin (a lung natural chemotactic molecule for macrophages and neutrophils, with potent antimicrobial and neutrophil elastase inhibitor activity) is upregulated in infection and modulates innate immunity. Here we present data using two independent systems of elafin overexpression in vivo (recombinant adenovirus [Ad-elafin] and an elafin transgenic mouse line) to examine the function of elafin in adaptive immunity. We show that elafin increases the number (immunofluorescence) and activation status (flow cytometric measurement) of CD11c+/MHCII+ lung dendritic cells in vivo. Analysis of cytokines produced by spleen and lung cells, and of antibodies measured in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, shows that the immunity induced is biased toward a type 1 response (production of IL-12, IFN-gamma, and IgG2a). Furthermore, elafin overexpression protected mice against further challenge with Ad-LacZ, as assessed by antibody levels and neutralization titer, as well as LacZ expression in lung tissue. Thus, the pleiotropic molecule elafin has significant potential in modulating antigen-presenting cell numbers and activity, and could be beneficial in mucosal protective strategies.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2006 May
PMID:The antimicrobial/elastase inhibitor elafin regulates lung dendritic cells and adaptive immunity. 1642 80

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is one of the main causative agents of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in young children. Infections caused by EV71 could lead to many complications, ranging from brainstem encephalitis to pulmonary oedema, resulting in high mortality. Thus, rapid detection of the virus is required to enable measures to be implemented in preventing widespread transmission. Based on primers and probes targeting at the VP1 region, a real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) hybridization probe assay was developed for specific detection of EV71 from clinical specimens. Quantitative analysis showed that the assay was able to detect as low as 5 EV71 viral copies and EV71 was detected from 46 of the 55 clinical specimens obtained from pediatric patients suffering from HFMD during the period from 2000 to 2003 in Singapore. This study showed that the single tube real-time RT-PCR assay developed in this study can be applied as a rapid and sensitive method for specific detection of EV71 directly from clinical specimens.
Mol Cell Probes 2006 Apr
PMID:Specific detection of enterovirus 71 directly from clinical specimens using real-time RT-PCR hybridization probe assay. 1646 Sep 10

Many higher plants establish symbiotic relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi that improve their ability to acquire nutrients from the soil. In addition to establishing AM symbiosis, legumes also enter into a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with bacteria known as rhizobia that results in the formation of root nodules. Several genes involved in the perception and transduction of bacterial symbiotic signals named "Nod factors" have been cloned recently in model legumes through forward genetic approaches. Among them, DMI3 (Doesn't Make Infections 3) is a calcium- and calmodulin-dependent kinase required for the establishment of both nodulation and AM symbiosis. We have identified, by a yeast two-hybrid system, a novel protein interacting with DMI3 named IPD3 (Interacting Protein of DMI3). IPD3 is predicted to interact with DMI3 through a C-terminal coiled-coil domain. Chimeric IPD3::GFP is localized to the nucleus of transformed Medicago truncatula root cells, in which split yellow fluorescent protein assays suggest that IPD3 and DMI3 physically interact in Nicotiana benthamiana. Like DMI3, IPD3 is extremely well conserved among the angiosperms and is absent from Arabidopsis. Despite this high level of conservation, none of the homologous proteins have a demonstrated biological or biochemical function. This work provides the first evidence of the involvement of IPD3 in a nuclear interaction with DMI3.
Mol Plant Microbe Interact 2007 Aug
PMID:A novel nuclear protein interacts with the symbiotic DMI3 calcium- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase of Medicago truncatula. 1772 95

Infections due to Taenia solium in humans (taeniasis/cysticercosis) remain a complex health problem, particularly in developing countries. We identified two oncosphere proteins that might protect the porcine intermediate host against cysticercosis and therefore help prevent disease in humans. One of these proteins was further identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and micro-sequencing. The gene encoding this protective protein was also identified, cloned and characterized. The native 31.5 kDa protein Tso31 has four variants at the cDNA level. The longest sequence from which the others seem to derive, encodes a 253 amino acid peptide. The predicted protein has a molecular weight of 25.1 kDa, one putative N-glycosylation site, two fibronectin type III domains, and one C terminal transmembrane domain. The gene structure of the protein consists of four exons and three introns. The finding of one gene and four different cDNAs for Tso31 suggests the existence of a possible mechanism of differential splicing in this parasite. The Tso31 protein is exclusive to T. solium oncospheres with a putative protein structure of an extra-cellular receptor-like protein. The Tso31 protein was expressed as a recombinant protein fused to GST and tested in a vaccine to determine its effectiveness in protecting pigs against cysticercosis. Only two pigs out of eight vaccinated were protected and although the total median number of cyst decreased in vaccinated pigs compared to controls this decrease was not statistically significant (P = 0.09).
Mol Biochem Parasitol 2007 Dec
PMID:Characterization of a novel Taenia solium oncosphere antigen. 1785 Sep 1

Infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens play a major role in the morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients. The rise of resistance to current antibiotic therapies has made the discovery of new agents urgent. One of the major antibiotic resistance mechanisms utilized by more than 15 species of Gram-negative bacterial cells is the Resistance Nodulation Division (RND) efflux pump, which eliminates several classes of antibiotics such as penicillins and cephalosporin macrolides aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolonesx and tetracyclines. Here we describe a multistep process to identify compounds that inhibit the RND-type efflux pumps. This involves measuring the inhibition of accumulation of ethidium bromide in E. coli or Haemophilus influenzae cells and confirming that the inhibition is specific for the efflux pumps by using genetic constructs and biochemical methods to measure nonspecific inhibition due to e.g. intrinsic antibacterial activity or membrane disruption. In whole bacterial cells synergism antagonism or indifference of the combination of an antibiotic with the putative inhibitor is determined and this is then confirmed by quantitating viable bacterial cells in liquid culture over 24 h.
Methods Mol Med 2008
PMID:Bacterial efflux pump inhibitors. 1843 15


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next >>