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The improvement of the effectiveness and survival of rhizobia in the rhizosphere of legume host plants is a common practice in agricultural legume production. We have recently reported that the overexpression of IAA in S. meliloti 1021 played a positive role in the adaptation to various stress conditions both in free-living bacteria and in nodulated plants. We show here that IAA triggers the coordinate enhancement of various cellular defense systems and that IAA-treated bacteria are more resistant to desiccation. In addition, Medicago plants nodulated by the IAA-overproducing strain RD64 (Mt-RD64), restore auxin/cytokinin balance by increasing the transcription of cytokinin signaling genes. Finally, we bring here that RD64 is less competitive in comparison to the wild type strain under normal conditions, but it works better under salt stress conditions.

We performed a pilot study using human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) as a novel system to identify new biomarkers of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) abuse in sport. First, to obtain a gene signature, we treated cultures of lymphocytes from sedentary males with three doses of 0.237 microg/ml DHT, each of which is 80-fold the physiological concentration in young adult male serum, at days 0, 2 and 4, or with a single dose of 1.25 microg/ml IGF-1, which is 5-fold the physiological concentration in young adult male serum. We then used the Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 microarray to identify a gene signature related to DHT or IGF-1 administration. Gene expression was evaluated after 7 and 21 days of DHT treatment, and after 24 h, 72 h and 7 days of IGF-1 treatment. Microarray analysis yielded a list of genes whose expression was altered after DHT or IGF-1 treatment. Among these we selected the genes that are most representative of the pathways associated with skeletal and muscular disorders using the IPA bioinformatics tool. We identified six (IDO1, CXCL13, CCL1, GZMB, VDR and IL2RA) and two (FN1 and RAB31) genes that were up-regulated in lymphocytes from sedentary subjects after 7 days of DHT and IGF-1 treatment, respectively. The expression of these genes in lymphocytes from differently trained athletes was either down-regulated or similar to that in lymphocytes from sedentary subjects. This finding suggests that up-regulation was due to the drug and not to physical exercise. In conclusion, we demonstrate that PBL can be useful in anti-doping checks, and we describe new biomarkers of DHT and IGF-1 abuse which can be included in the Athlete's Biological Passport.

Exercise represents the most important integrative therapy in metabolic, immunologic and chronic diseases; it represents a valid strategy in the non-pharmacological intervention of lifestyle linked diseases. A large body of evidence indicates physical exercise as an effective measure against chronic non-communicable diseases. The worldwide general evidence for health benefits are both for all ages and skill levels. In a dysregulated lifestyle such as in the obesity, there is an imbalance in the production of different cytokines. In particular, we focused on Adiponectin, an adipokine producted by adipose tissue, and on Orexin-A, a neuropeptide synthesized in the lateral hypothalamus. The production of both Adiponectin and Orexin-A increases following regular and structured physical activity and both these hormones have similar actions. Indeed, they improve energy and glucose metabolism, and also modulate energy expenditure and thermogenesis. In addition, a relevant biological role of Adiponectin and Orexin A has been recently highlighted in the immune system, where they function as immune-suppressor factors. The strong connection between these two cytokines and healthy status is mediated by physical activity and candidates these hormones as potential biomarkers of the beneficial effects induced by physical activity. For these reasons, this review aims to underly the interconnections among Adiponectin, Orexin-A, physical activity and healthy status. Furthermore, it is analyzed the involvement of Adiponectin and Orexin-A in physical activity as physiological factors improving healthy status through physical exercise.

Purpose Physical activity (PA) represents the first line of defence against diseases characterised by increased inflammation status, such as metabolic and infectious diseases. Conversely, a sedentary lifestyle—associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disorders—negatively impacts on general health status, including susceptibility to infections. At a time of a pandemic SARS-CoV2 infection, and in the context of the multiorgan crosstalk (widely accepted as a mechanism participating in the pathophysiology of all organs and systems), we examine the complex interplay mediated by skeletal muscle contraction involving the immune system and how this contributes to control health status and to counteract viral infections. In so doing, we review the molecular mechanisms and expression of molecules modulated by PA, able to provide the proper molecular equipment against viral infections such as the current SARS-CoV2. Methods A critical review of the literature was performed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms and mediators induced by PA that potentially impact on viral infections such as SARS-CoV2. Results We showed the effects mediated by regular moderate PA on viral adverse effects through the regulation of biological processes involving the crosstalk between skeletal muscle, the immune system and adipose tissue. Evidence was provided of the effects mediated by modulation of the expression of inflammation markers. Conclusion A tigth association between PA and reduction in inflammation status allows effective counteracting of SARS-CoV2 infection. It is therefore essential to persuade people to keep active.

A growing body of evidence highlights the close association between nutrition and human health. Fat is an essential macronutrient, and vegetable oils, such as palm oil, are widely used in the food industry and highly represented in the human diet. Palmitic acid, a saturated fatty acid, is the principal constituent of refined palm oil. In the last few decades, controversial studies have reported potential unhealthy effects of palm oil due to the high palmitic acid content. In this review we provide a concise and comprehensive update on the functional role of palm oil and palmitic acid in the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The atherogenic potential of palmitic acid and its stereospecific position in triacylglycerols are also discussed.

New competencies may be learned through active experience (experiential learning or learning by doing) or observation of others’ experiences (learning by observation). Observing another person performing a complex action facilitates the observer’s acquisition of the same action. The present research is aimed at analyzing if the observation of specific explorative strategies adopted in a constrained environment, such as the Radial Arm Maze (RAM), could help young children to explore the maze and to build a cognitive spatial map of the explored environment. To this aim young children were randomly assigned to three groups: children who performed the RAM task following the observation of an actor solving the same maze by putting into action a highly structured exploratory strategy; children who performed the RAM task following the observation of the actor solving the same maze by putting into action a less structured exploratory strategy; children who directly performed the RAM task without any observation. The main result of the present research is that the children who observed the highly structured and correct exploratory strategy spent less time, made fewer errors, exhibited a longer spatial span, and thus they explored the maze more efficiently than the children who directly performed the RAM task without any observation. This finding indicates that when the observed explorative procedure is structured, sequential and repetitive the action understanding and information storage processes are more effective. Importantly, the observation of specific spatial strategies helped the children to build the cognitive spatial map of the explored environment and consequently to acquire/enrich the declarative knowledge of the environment.

We evaluated the effects of the main auxin phytohormone, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), on the central metabolism of Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1021. We either treated the Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 strain with 0.5 mM IAA (1021+) or use a derivative, RD64, of the same strain harbouring a pathway for IAA biosynthesis converting tryptophan into IAA via indoleacetamide. We assayed the activity of key enzymes in the major energy-yielding pathways (Entner-Doudoroff, Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas, pentose phosphate, glyoxylate bypass and tricarboxylic acid cycle). We found that activity of two main regulative tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes was increased. Citrate synthase (CS) activity, as compared to the wild type strain, was enhanced in 1021+ and RD64 by 38% and 67%, respectively. α-Ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (α-KGD) activity was induced, as compared to the wild type strain, in 1021+ and RD64, by 100% and 86% respectively. We show here that intracellular acetyl-CoA was 30% increased in 1021+ and RD64 as compared to the wild-type strain and that the activities of the key enzymes which utilize acetyl-CoA for poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) biosynthesis, were enhanced in RD64 and 1021+ strains. Electron microscopy analysis showed that RD64 cells accumulated more PHB granules than the wild type ones. Moreover, RD64 strain improves cell survival ability reaching 166% at 4 weeks over the parental strain. Medicago truncatula plants nodulated by RD64 increase both acetylene reduction activity and stem dry weight production. RD64 induced nodules shows an increased starch granule deposition than nodules derived from the wild type strain.

Background: Lung cancer is a leading cause of mortality. The most common cancer subtype, non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), accounts for 85-90 % all cases and is mainly caused by environmental and genetic factors. Mechanisms involved in lung carcinogenesis include deregulation of several kinases and molecular pathways affecting cell proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation. Despite advances in lung cancer detection, diagnosis and staging, survival rate still remains poor and novel biomarkers for both diagnosis and therapy need to be identified. In the present study, we have explored the potential of novel specific biomarkers in the diagnosis of NSCLC, and the over-expression/activation of several kinases involved in disease development and progression. Method: Lung tumor tissue specimens and adjacent cancer-free tissues from 8 NSCLC patients undergoing surgery were collected. The differential activation status of ERK1/2, AKT and IKB alpha/NF-kappa beta was analyzed. Subsequently, protein expression profile of NSCLC vs normal surrounding tissue was compared by a proteomic approach using LC-MS MS. Subsequently, MS/MS outputs were analyzed by the Protein Discoverer platform for label-free quantitation analysis. Finally, results were confirmed by western blotting analysis. Results: This study confirms the involvement of ERK1/2, AKT, IKB alpha and NF-kappa beta proteins in NSCLC demonstrating a significant over-activation of all tested proteins. Furthermore, we found significant differential expression of 20 proteins (R-sc >= 1.50 or

The physiological changes induced by indoleacetic acid (IAA) treatment were investigated in the totally sequencedEscherichia coliK-12 MG1655. DNA macroarrays were used to measure the mRNA levels for all the 4290E. coliprotein-coding genes; 50 genes (1.1 %) exhibited significantly different expression profiles. In particular, genes involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the glyoxylate shunt and amino acid biosynthesis (leucine, isoleucine, valine and proline) were up-regulated, whereas the fermentativeadhEgene was down-regulated. To confirm the indications obtained from the macroarray analysis the activity of 34 enzymes involved in central metabolism was measured; this showed an activation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the glyoxylate shunt. The malic enzyme, involved in the production of pyruvate, and pyruvate dehydrogenase, required for the channelling of pyruvate into acetyl-CoA, were also induced in IAA-treated cells. Moreover, it was shown that the enhanced production of acetyl-CoA and the decrease of NADH/NAD+ratio are connected with the molecular process of the IAA response. The results demonstrate that IAA treatment is a stimulus capable of inducing changes in gene expression, enzyme activity and metabolite level involved in central metabolic pathways inE. coli.

The cancer stem cell (CSC) theory represents a breakthrough in cancer research. We characterized the protein pattern of CSCs to identify specific intracellular pathways in this subpopulation of tumor cells. We studied colon CSCs using two different colon cancer cell lines: CaCo-2 and HCT- 116. Putative CSCs were separated from non-CSCs by flow cytometry using CD133 as stemness marker. Total protein extracts of CD133+ cells were then compared to protein extracts of CD133- cells by 2D DIGE. The protein spots differentially expressed in the two subpopulation of cells were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Bioinformatics analysis of the identified proteins indicated alteration of two main processes: energy metabolism and the Wnt pathway. Interestingly, we observed up-regulation of the splicing factor SRp20, a newly identified target gene of the Wnt/??- catenin pathway, and we demonstrated a direct cause-effect relationship between Wnt pathway activation and the increased SRp20 expression. Our results also show that SRp20 influences cell proliferation, which suggests it plays a role in the tumorigenicity of CD133+ cells. In conclusion, activation of the Wnt pathway in CD133+ cells and up-regulation of SRp20, which is implicated in tumorigenesis, raises the possibility of a sequential series of molecular events occurring in connection with this process.