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[EN] Iberian pigs are meat quality models due to their high fat content, high intramuscular fat, and oleic fatty acid composition. These parameters present great variability and are differentiated among the lines that make up the Iberian pig population. However, there is little information on how the genetic expression influences quality across Iberian varieties. This study aimed to compare the muscle expression profile between two varieties of Iberian pig (Torbiscal and Retinto) and their reciprocal crosses, differentiated by fatness. Our results suggest that the Retinto variety, which has the greatest fat content amongst the studied Iberian varieties, showed a higher expression of genes related to adiposity. Likewise, a higher expression of genes related to lipolysis was found in the Torbiscal variety, described as having less fat content than Retinto. Further genetic variation analysis in these Iberian varieties showed relevant associations for SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism), related to these differentially expressed genes, with the meat quality traits. Thus, our findings evidence that differences in the genetic architecture and expression of Iberian varieties might explain the variability in their fat content and composition and hence, their meat quality. The high deposition of intramuscular fat and the content of oleic fatty acid are characteristic of the Iberian pig. These two parameters present great variability and are differentiated amongst the varieties that make up the Iberian pig population. Although previous studies generated evidence for causal genes and polymorphisms associated to the adipogenic potential of the Iberian pig, there is little information about how genetic expression influences this trait's variability. The aim of this study was to analyses the expression profile between two varieties of Iberian pig (Torbiscal and Retinto) and their reciprocal crosses differentiated in their intramuscular fat (IMF) content and fatty acid (FA) composition in the Longissimus thoracis muscle using an RNA-seq approach. Our results corroborate that the Retinto variety is the fattiest amongst all studied varieties as its upregulated genes, such as FABP3 and FABP5, SLC27A1 and VEGFA among others, contribute to increasing adiposity. In its turn, Torbiscal pigs showed an upregulation of genes associated with the inhibition of fat deposition such as ADIPOQ and CPT1A. Further genetic variation analysis in these Iberian varieties showed relevant associations for SNP located within the differentially expressed genes with IMF and FA content. Thus, the differences found in the genetic architecture and the muscle transcriptome of these Iberian varieties might explain the variability in their fat content and composition and hence, their meat quality., This study was funded by the INIA grant RTA 2012-0054-C02-01* and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology grant IDI-20140447.

mir-33a and mir-33b are co-transcribed with the SREBF2 and SREBF1 transcription factors, respectively. The main role of SREBF1 is the regulation of genes involved in fatty acid metabolism, while SREBF2 regulates genes participating in cholesterol biosynthesis and uptake. Our objective was to study the expression of both miR-33a and miR-33b, together with their host SREBF genes, in liver, adipose tissue and muscle to better understand the role of miR-33a/b in the lipid metabolism of pigs. In our study, the expression of miR-33a, miR-33b and SREBF2 in liver, adipose tissue, and muscle was studied in 42 BC1_LD (25% Iberian x 75% Landrace backcross) pigs by RT-qPCR. In addition, the expression of in-silico predicted target genes and fatty acid composition traits were correlated with the miR-33a/b expression. We observed different tissue expression patterns for both miRNAs. In adipose tissue and muscle a high correlation between miR-33a and miR-33b expression was found, whereas a lower correlation was observed in liver. The expression analysis of in-silico predicted target-lipid related genes showed negative correlations between miR-33b and CPT1A expression in liver. Conversely, positive correlations between miR-33a and PPARGC1A and USF1 gene expression in liver were observed. Lastly, positive and negative correlations between miR-33a/b expression and saturated fatty acid (SFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, respectively, were identified. Overall, our results suggested that both miRNAs are differentially regulated and have distinct functions in liver, in contrast to muscle and adipose tissue. Furthermore, the correlations between miR-33a/b expression both with the expression of in-silico predicted target-lipid related genes and with fatty acid composition, opens new avenues to explore the role of miR33a/b in the regulation of lipid metabolism., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) with project AGL2017-82641-R (https://portal.mineco.gob.es/es-es/Paginas/default.aspx) and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER, http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/es/funding/erdf/). LCM was financially supported by an FPI grant from the AGL2014-56369-C2 project. MB was funded with a “Ramón y Cajal” contract (RYC-2013-12573) from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. DCP was funded by a “Formació i Contractació de Personal Investigador Novell” (FI-DGR) Ph.D grant from the Generalitat de Catalunya (ECO/1788/2014). MP was funded by an FPI grant from the AGL2017-82641-R project. We acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad for the “Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D” 2016-2019 (SEV-2015-0533) to the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics and the CERCA Programme / Generalitat de Catalunya.

Herein, we report the first calorimetric study of the protonation of planar and nonplanar free-base porphyrins: H2OETPP (strongly saddled by its substituents), H2T(tBu)P (strongly ruffled by its substituents), and the nominally planar porphyrins (npPs) H2OEP, H2TPP, H2T(nPe)P, and H2T(iPr)P. The observed enthalpies of protonation in solution (ΔHprotsoln) for formation of the dications in 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane with 2% trifluoroacetic acid are -45 ± 1 kcal mol-1 for the npPs, -52.0 kcal mol-1 for H2T(tBu)P, and -70.9 kcal mol-1 for H2OETPP. The corresponding enthalpies of protonation (ΔHDFT) obtained from DFT calculations (-27 ± 5, -42, and -63 kcal mol-1, respectively) reproduce this trend. The much more negative enthalpy of protonation seen for H2OETPP is consistent with this molecule being pre-deformed into the saddle structure favored by porphyrin dications. Except for OETPP, the calculated enthalpies of the first protonations (ΔH1) are significantly more positive than the enthalpies of the second protonations (ΔH2). In addition, the structural strain energies for the first protonations (ΔEst(1)) are also significantly more positive than ΔEst(2). According to the calculations, the monocations thus have higher proton affinities than the corresponding free-base porphyrins due to a structural strain effect, which is consistent with the generally elusive nature of the porphyrin monocation. The recent observations of monocations for free-base porphyrins with a high degree of saddling can be rationalized in terms of ΔH1 and ΔH2 being similar; so, the monocation is no longer an unstable intermediate.

Course specific learning outcomes are an important tool to define the scope of a course and can be very helpful when designing experiments and assessments. With slight modification, these learning outcomes can serve as a guide when transitioning to the distance learning format especially in courses with a traditional lab. Here we present such an example for the biophysical chemistry course.

Global prevalence of obesity has increased to epidemic proportions over the past 40 years, with childhood obesity reaching alarming rates. In this study, we determined changes in liver and adipose tissue transcriptomes of a porcine model for prepubertal early obesity induced by a high-calorie diet and supplemented with bioactive ingredients. A total of 43 nine-weeks-old animals distributed in four pens were fed with four different dietary treatments for 10 weeks: a conventional diet; a western-type diet; and a western-type diet with Bifidobacterium breve and rice hydrolysate, either adding or not omega-3 fatty acids. Animals fed a western-type diet increased body weight and total fat content and exhibited elevated serum concentrations of cholesterol, whereas animals supplemented with bioactive ingredients showed lower body weight gain and tended to accumulate less fat. An RNA-seq experiment was performed with a total of 20 animals (five per group). Differential expression analyses revealed an increase in lipogenesis, cholesterogenesis and inflammatory processes in animals on the western-type diet while the supplementation with bioactive ingredients induced fatty acid oxidation and cholesterol catabolism, and decreased adipogenesis and inflammation. These results reveal molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of bioactive ingredient supplementation in an obese pig model. This work was supported by CDTI (Centro para el desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial, Spain), Project reference: IPT-20111008, and Generalitat de Catalunya grant 2017SGR1719. M. Ballester is financially supported by a Ramon y Cajal contract (RYC-2013-12573) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. We wish to thank all of the members of the IRTA institution who contributed to the generation of the animal material used in this work.

Human dermal fibroblasts can be reprogrammed into hepatocyte-like (HEP-L) cells by the expression of a set of transcription factors. Yet, the metabolic rewiring suffered by reprogrammed fibroblasts remains largely unknown. Here we report, using stable isotope-resolved metabolic analysis in combination with metabolomic-lipidomic approaches that HEP-L cells mirrors glutamine/glutamate metabolism in primary cultured human hepatocytes that is very different from parental human fibroblasts. HEP-L cells diverge glutamine from multiple metabolic pathways into deamidation and glutamate secretion, just like periportal hepatocytes do. Exceptionally, glutamine contribution to lipogenic acetyl-CoA through reductive carboxylation is increased in HEP-L cells, recapitulating that of primary cultured human hepatocytes. These changes can be explained by transcriptomic rearrangements of genes involved in glutamine/glutamate metabolism. Although metabolic changes in HEP-L cells are in line with reprogramming towards the hepatocyte lineage, our conclusions are limited by the fact that HEP-L cells generated do not display a complete mature phenotype. Nevertheless, our findings are the first to characterize metabolic adaptation in HEP-L cells that could ultimately be targeted to improve fibroblasts direct reprogramming to HEP-L cells.

OF THE DISSERTATION RELATIVE BASICITIES OF FREE BASE PORPHYRINS; UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF MACROCYCLIC DISTORTION by Maria Ballester Florida International University, 2005 Miami, Florida Professor Ramon Lopez de la Vega, Major Professor Porphyrins have been the center of numerous investigations in different areas of chemistry, geochemistry, and the life sciences. In nature the conformation of the porphyrin macrocycle varies, depending on the function of its apoenzyme. It is believed that the conformation of the porphyrin ring is necessary for the enzyme to achieve its function and modify its reactivity. It is important to understand how the conformation of the porphyrin ring will influence its properties. In synthetic porphyrins particular conformations and ring deformations can be achieved by peripheral substitution, metallation, core substitution, and core protonation among other alterations of the macrocycle. The macrocyclic distortions will affect the ring current, the ability of pyrroles to intramolecularly hydrogen bond and the relative basicity of each of the porphyrins. To understand these effects different theoretical models are used. The ground state structure of each of 19 free base porphyrins is determined using molecular mechanics (MM+) and semiempirical methods (PM3). The energetics of deformation of the macrocyclic core is calculated by carrying out single point energy calculations for the conformation achieved by each synthetic compound.

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the effects of concomitant administration of alcohol and bilastine versus alcohol alone on the central nervous system. Methods Twenty-four healthy young volunteers of both sexes participated in a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, crossover, and positive-controlled and placebo-controlled clinical trials. At 1-week intervals, subjects received six different treatments: (i) placebo; (ii) alcohol 0.8 g/kg alone (ALC); (iii) ALC in combination with: bilastine 20 mg (B20 + A); (iv) bilastine 80 mg (B80 + A); (v) cetirizine 10 mg (CET + A); and (vi) hydroxyzine 25 mg (HYD + A). Psychomotor performance tests (fine motor, finger tapping, nystagmus, critical flicker-fusion frequency, temporal estimation, ‘d2’ cancellation, and simple reaction time) and subjective self-reports (drunkenness, drowsiness, mental slowness, clumsiness, anger, attentiveness, competence, happiness, hostility, interest, and extroversion) were carried out at baseline and multiple points thereafter. Results All active treatments induced a significant psychomotor impairment. The greatest and most lasting impairment was observed with HYD + A followed by B80 + A and CET + A. In contrast, objective measures showed less impairment with B20 + A and ALC, both with a similar magnitude. Self-reports showed a subjective perception of performance impairment in all active treatments. Conclusion Concomitant administration of bilastine (at therapeutic dose) and alcohol does not produce greater central nervous system depressant effects than ACL alone. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Flavones, found in nature as secondary plant metabolites, have shown efficacy as anti-cancer agents. We have examined the binding of two flavones, 5,7-dihydroxy-3,6,8-trimethoxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one (5,7-dihydroxy-3,6,8-trimethoxy flavone; FlavA) and 3,5-dihydroxy-6,7,8-trimethoxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one (3,5-dihydroxy-6,7,8-trimethoxy flavone; FlavB), to phiX174 RF DNA using restriction enzyme activity assays employing the restriction enzymes Alw44, AvaII, BssHII, DraI, MluI, NarI, NciI, NruI, PstI, and XhoI. These enzymes possess differing target and flanking sequences allowing for observation of sequence specificity analysis. Using restriction enzymes that cleave once with a mixture of supercoiled and relaxed DNA substrates provides for observation of topological effects on binding. FlavA and FlavB show differing sequence specificities in their respective binding to phiX. For example, with relaxed DNA, FlavA shows inhibition of cleavage with DraI (reaction site 5′TTTAAA) but not BssHII (5′GCGCGC) while FlavB shows the opposite results. Evidence for tolological specificity is also observed, Molecular modeling and conformational analysis of the flavones suggests that the phenyl ring of FlavB is coplanar with the flavonoid ring while the phenyl ring of FlavA is at an angle relative to the flavonoid ring. This may account for aspects of the observed sequence and topological specificities in the effects on restriction enzyme activity. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 99: 530–537, 2013.

Background: Salvinorin-A is a terpene found in the leaves of the plant Salvia divinorum . When administered to humans, salvinorin-A induces an intense but short-lasting modified state of awareness, sharing features with those induced by the classical serotonin-2A receptor agonist psychedelics. However, unlike substances such as psilocybin or mescaline, salvinorin-A shows agonist activity at the kappa-opioid receptor rather than at the serotonin-2A receptor. Here, we assessed the involvement of kappa-opioid receptor and serotonin-2A agonism in the subjective, cardiovascular, and neuroendocrine effects of salvinorin-A in humans. Methods: We conducted a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study with 2 groups of 12 healthy volunteers with experience with psychedelic drugs. There were 4 experimental sessions. In group 1, participants received the following treatment combinations: placebo+placebo, placebo+salvinorin-A, naltrexone+placebo, and naltrexone+salvinorin-A. Naltrexone, a nonspecific opioid receptor antagonist, was administered at a dose of 50mg orally. In group 2, participants received the treatment combinations: placebo+placebo, placebo+salvinorin-A, ketanserin+placebo, and ketanserin+salvinorin-A. Ketanserin, a selective serotonin-2A antagonist, was administered at a dose of 40mg orally. Results: Inhalation of 1mg of vaporized salvinorin-A led to maximum plasma concentrations at 1 and 2 minutes after dosing. When administered alone, salvinorin-A severely reduced external sensory perception and induced intense visual and auditory modifications, increased systolic blood pressure, and cortisol and prolactin release. These effects were effectively blocked by naltrexone, but not by ketanserin. Conclusions: Results support kappa opioid receptor agonism as the mechanism of action underlying the subjective and physiological effects of salvinorin-A in humans and rule out the involvement of a serotonin-2A-mediated mechanism.

APOA2 is a protein implicated in triglyceride, fatty acid and glucose metabolism. In pigs, the APOA2 gene is located on pig chromosome 4 (SSC4) in a QTL region affecting fatty acid composition, fatness and growth traits. In this study, we evaluated APOA2 as a candidate gene for meat quality traits in an Iberian × Landrace backcross population. The APOA2:c.131T>A polymorphism, located in exon 3 of APOA2 and determining a missense mutation, was associated with the percentage of hexadecenoic acid [C16:1(n–9)], linoleic acid [C18:2(n–6)], α-linolenic acid [C18:3(n–3)], dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid [C20:3(n–6)] and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in backfat. Furthermore, this SNP was associated with the global mRNA expression levels of APOA2 in liver and was used as a marker to determine allelic expression imbalance by pyrosequencing. We determined an overexpression of the T allele in heterozygous samples with a mean ratio of 2.8 (T/A), observing a high variability in the allelic expression among individuals. This result suggests that complex regulatory mechanisms, beyond a single polymorphism (e.g. epigenetic effects or multiple cis-acting polymorphisms), may be regulating APOA2 gene expression., This work was funded by MINECO AGL2011-29821-C02 and AGL2014-56369-C2 grants. M. Ballester is financially supported by a Ramon y Cajal contract (RYC-2013-12573) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. A. Puig-Oliveras was funded by a PIF PhD grant from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (458-01-1/2011), J. Corominas was funded by a FPI PhD grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education (BES-2009-081223), M. Revilla was funded by a Formació i Contractació de Personal Investigador Novell (FI-DGR) PhD grant from Generalitat de Catalunya (ECO/1639/2013) and J.A.P. Marchesi was funded by a CNPq scholarship from the Brazilian Science Without Borders Program.

Objectives: To assess and compare the bioavailability of ibuprofen enantiomers (R and S) of two different pediatric suspensions: the first one with ibuprofen lysinate (Algidrin (R) Pediatric, FARDI S.A., Barcelona, Spain) and the second one with ibuprofen base (Daisy (R), Abbott Laboratories S.A., Madrid, Spain). Methods: A randomized, open-label, single-dose, balanced, crossover study under fasting conditions was performed at the CIM-Sant Pau. 24 healthy volunteers received a single dose of ibuprofen lysinate (Algidrin (R) Pediatric, FARDI S.A.) and ibuprofen base (Daisy (R), Abbott Laboratories S.A.) equivalent to 400 mg of ibuprofen. 18 blood samples were drawn, and ibuprofen enantiomer plasma concentrations were determined using an enantioselective analytical method. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) model was used, and the 90% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated; further analyses were made regarding rate of absorption and variability. Results: The pharmacokinetic parameters (Algidrin (R) Pediatrico vs. Daisy (R) (Mean +/- SD)) were: S-enantiomer: C-max = 22.39 +/- 5.33 vs. 19.97 +/- 3.19 mu g/mL; AUC(0)(t) = 74.83 +/- 16.69 vs. 74.64 +/- 14.80 mu gxh/mL, and AUC(0)(infinity) = 77.46 +/- 19.33 vs. 76.98 +/- 17.13 mu gxh/mL; and for R-enantiomer: C-max = 21.74 +/- 3.76 vs. 15.20 +/- 2.03 mu g/mL; AUC(0)(t) = 57.55 +/- 10.17 vs. 46.13 +/- 9.61 mu gxh/mL, and AUC(0)(infinity) value was 58.49 +/- 10.57 vs. 47.03 +/- 10.02 mu gxh/mL. The t(max) (Median) for S-enantiomer (active) were: 0.5 vs. 1.33 hours (p = 0.001) and for R-enantiomer: 0.5 vs. 1.0 hours (p = 0.004). Ibuprofen pharmacokinetic values may vary under fed state and in pediatric population. Conclusions: While 5-ibuprofen shows a similar bioavailability for AUC(0)(t), AUC(0)(infinity), and C-max, R-ibuprofen shows supra-bioavailability for the lysinate formulation. The rate of absorption of the ibuprofen lysinate suspension is quicker and less variable than that of the ibuprofen base reference suspension and it exhibits a shorter t(max), which is of particular interest for achieving a rapid and homogeneous analgesic and antipyretic effect.

[Background]: In previous studies on an Iberian x Landrace cross, we have provided evidence that supported the porcine ELOVL6 gene as the major causative gene of the QTL on pig chromosome 8 for palmitic and palmitoleic acid contents in muscle and backfat. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) ELOVL6:c.-533C > T located in the promoter region of ELOVL6 was found to be highly associated with ELOVL6 expression and, accordingly, with the percentages of palmitic and palmitoleic acids in longissimus dorsi and adipose tissue. The main goal of the current work was to further study the role of ELOVL6 on these traits by analyzing the regulation of the expression of ELOVL6 and the implication of ELOVL6 polymorphisms on meat quality traits in pigs., [Results]: High-throughput sequencing of BAC clones that contain the porcine ELOVL6 gene coupled to RNAseq data re-analysis showed that two isoforms of this gene are expressed in liver and adipose tissue and that they differ in number of exons and 3’UTR length. Although several SNPs in the 3’UTR of ELOVL6 were associated with palmitic and palmitoleic acid contents, this association was lower than that previously observed with SNP ELOVL6:c.-533C > T. This SNP is in full linkage disequilibrium with SNP ELOVL6:c.-394G > A that was identified in the binding site for estrogen receptor alpha (ERα). Interestingly, the ELOVL6:c.-394G allele is associated with an increase in methylation levels of the ELOVL6 promoter and with a decrease of ELOVL6 expression. Therefore, ERα is clearly a good candidate to explain the regulation of ELOVL6 expression through dynamic epigenetic changes in the binding site of known regulators of ELOVL6 gene, such as SREBF1 and SP1., [Conclusions]: Our results strongly suggest the ELOVL6:c.-394G > A polymorphism as the causal mutation for the QTL on pig chromosome 8 that affects fatty acid composition in pigs., This work was funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad project AGL2011-29821-C02. J Corominas was funded by a FPI PhD grant from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación (BES-2009-081223), M Revilla was funded by a Formació i Contractació de Personal Investigador Novell (FI-DGR) PhD grant from Generalitat de Catalunya (ECO/1639/2013), A Puig-Oliveras was funded by a PIF PhD grant from the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (458-01-1/2011) and JAP Marchesi was funded by a CNPq scholarship from the Brazilian Science Without Borders Program.

In situ hybridization (ISH) has become a very valuable molecular diagnostic tool to detect specific DNA or RNA sequences in biological samples through the use of complementary DNA- or RNA-labeled probes. Here, we describe an optimized in situ hybridization protocol to detect African swine fever virus (ASFV) DNA in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues using digoxigenin-labeled probes., This work has been fully supported by the AGL2010-22229-C03-01 Project from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spanish Government.

[Background]: The ELOVL fatty acid elongase 6 (ELOVL6), the only elongase related to de novo lipogenesis, catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the elongation cycle by controlling the fatty acid balance in mammals. It is located on pig chromosome 8 (SSC8) in a region where a QTL affecting palmitic, and palmitoleic acid composition was previously detected, using an Iberian x Landrace intercross. The main goal of this work was to fine-map the QTL and to evaluate the ELOVL6 gene as a positional candidate gene affecting the percentages of palmitic and palmitoleic fatty acids in pigs., [Methodology and Principal Findings]: The combination of a haplotype-based approach and single-marker analysis allowed us to identify the main, associated interval for the QTL, in which the ELOVL6 gene was identified and selected as a positional candidate gene. A polymorphism in the promoter region of ELOVL6, ELOVL6:c.-533C>T, was highly associated with the percentage of palmitic and palmitoleic acids in muscle and backfat. Significant differences in ELOVL6 gene expression were observed in backfat when animals were classified by the ELOVL6:c.-533C>T genotype. Accordingly, animals carrying the allele associated with a decrease in ELOVL6 gene expression presented an increase in C16:0 and C16:1(n-7) fatty acid content and a decrease of elongation activity ratios in muscle and backfat. Furthermore, a SNP genome-wide association study with ELOVL6 relative expression levels in backfat showed the strongest effect on the SSC8 region in which the ELOVL6 gene is located. Finally, different potential genomic regions associated with ELOVL6 gene expression were also identified by GWAS in liver and muscle, suggesting a differential tissue regulation of the ELOVL6 gene., [Conclusions and Significance]: Our results suggest ELOVL6 as a potential causal gene for the QTL analyzed and, subsequently, for controlling the overall balance of fatty acid composition in pigs., This study has been funded by MICINN projects (AGL2008-04818-C03 and AGL2011-29821-CO2) and the Innovation Consolider-Ingenio 2012 Program (CSD2007-00036, Center for Research in Agrigenomics). J. Corominas was funded by a Formación de Personal Investigador (FPI) PhD grant from Spanish Ministerio de Educación (BES-2009-018223), Y. Ramayo by a Formación del Profesorado Universitario (FPU) PhD grant (AP2008-01450) and A. Puig was funded by a Personal Investigador en Formación (PIF) PhD grant from the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (458-01-1/2011).

Over 4000 flavonoids have been identified so far and among these, many are known to have antitumor activities. The basis of the relationships between chemical structures, type and position of substituent groups and the effects these compounds exert specifically on cancer cells are not completely elucidated. Here we report the differential cytotoxic effects of two flavone isomers on human cancer cells from breast (MCF7, SK-BR-3), colon (Caco-2, HCT116), pancreas (MIA PaCa, Panc 28), and prostate (PC3, LNCaP) that vary in differentiation status and tumorigenic potential. These flavones are derived from plants of the family Asteraceae, genera Gnaphalium and Achyrocline reputed to have anti-cancer properties. Our studies indicate that 5,7-dihydroxy-3,6,8-trimethoxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one (5,7-dihydroxy-3,6,8-trimethoxy flavone) displays potent activity against more differentiated carcinomas of the colon (Caco-2), and pancreas (Panc28), whereas 3,5-dihydroxy-6,7,8-trimethoxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one (3,5-dihydroxy-6,7,8-trimethoxy flavone) cytototoxic action is observed on poorly differentiated carcinomas of the colon (HCT116), pancreas (Mia PaCa), and breast (SK-BR3). Both flavones induced cell death (>50%) as proven by MTT cell viability assay in these cancer cell lines, all of which are regarded as highly tumorigenic. At the concentrations studied (5–80 µM), neither flavone demonstrated activity against the less tumorigenic cell lines, breast cancer MCF-7 cells, androgen-responsive LNCaP human prostate cancer line, and androgen-unresponsive PC3 prostate cancer cells. 5,7-dihydroxy-3,6,8-trimethoxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one (5,7-dihydroxy-3,6,8-trimethoxy flavone) displays activity against more differentiated carcinomas of the colon and pancreas, but minimal cytotoxicity on poorly differentiated carcinomas of these organs. On the contrary, 3,5-dihydroxy-6,7,8-trimethoxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one (3,5-dihydroxy-6,7,8-trimethoxy flavone) is highly cytotoxic to poorly differentiated carcinomas of the colon, pancreas, and breast with minimal activity against more differentiated carcinomas of the same organs. These differential effects suggest activation of distinct apoptotic pathways. In conclusion, the specific chemical properties of these two flavone isomers dictate mechanistic properties which may be relevant when evaluating biological responses to flavones.

Long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSL) family members catalyse the formation of long-chain acyl-CoA from fatty acid, ATP and CoA, thus playing an important role in both de novo lipid synthesis and fatty acid catabolism. Previous studies in our group evaluated ACSL4 as a positional candidate gene for quantitative trait loci located on chromosome X in an Iberian × Landrace cross. A DQ144454:c.2645G>A SNP located in the 3′ untranslated region of the ACSL4 gene was associated with the percentages of oleic and monounsaturated fatty acids. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the functional implication of this genetic variant. An expression analysis was performed for 120 individuals with different genotypes for the DQ144454:c.2645G>A polymorphism using real-time quantitative PCR. Differences between genotypes were identified in liver, with the ACSL4 mRNA expression levels higher in animals with the G allele than in animals with the A allele. A SNP genome-wide association study with ACSL4 relative expression levels showed significant positions on chromosomes 6 and 12. Description of positional candidate genes for ACSL4 regulation on chromosomes 6 and 12 is provided., This study has been funded by MICINN project (AGL2008-04818-C03). J. Corominas was funded by a FPI PhD grant from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación (BES-2009-018223) and Y. Ramayo by a FPU PhD grant (AP2008-01450).

The binding of a family of tetra(methylpyridyl)porphines to relaxed and supercoiled circular phiX197RF DNA has been probed using restriction endonuclease activity assays employing nine restriction enzymes (selected for different cleavage sequences and different flanking sequences), mung bean nuclease assays and E.coli topoisomerase assays. The restriction enzyme assays indicate that placement of the methyl substituent alters the sequence and topological specificity of binding. For example, the the restriction enzyme Mlu I (cleavage site ACGCGT), the ortho isomer yields partial inhibition of cleavage of supercoiled and relaxed DNA, the meta isomer yields inhibition of the relaxed DNA and no effect with supercoiled DNA, and the para isomer gives enhanced cleavage of supercoiled and relaxed DNA. With Dra I (TTTAAA), the ortho isomer again gives partial inhibition cleavage of supercoiled and relaxed DNA, the meta isomer gives inhibition of cleavage of relaxed AND supercoiled DNA, and the para isomer has no effect on cleavage of either form. Variations in flanking sequences affect the selectivity in binding. Mung bean digestion assays indicate that all three isomers alter the conformation of the supercoiled DNA, with the ortho isomer giving the greatest distortion. Topoisomerase studies suggest that these molecules unwind the DNA. Molecular modeling suggests that the placement of the methyl substituent on the pyridyl rings affects the planarity of the molecules, which may alter the binding to DNA and lead to the observations above.

In this article, we describe the use of a caprine beta-lactoglobulin (betaLG) expression cassette previously obtained by our group to target the expression of the human follicle-stimulating hormone (hFSH) to the mammary gland of transgenic mice. The hFSH is a pituitary glycoprotein composed of two subunits (alpha and beta). At present, this protein is obtained from mammalian cellular fermentors, and it is extensively used in the treatment of human infertility. Four lines of double (hFSHalpha/beta) transgenic mice that stably transmitted the transgenes were obtained, and hFSHalpha and hFSHbeta mRNA was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in the mammary gland of lactating females from all four transgenic lines. The hFSH protein was present in the mammary gland of the lactating females, but could not be detected in the milk by Western blot, probably as a result of low levels of transgene expression.

Background New advances in high-throughput technologies have allowed for the massive analysis of genomic data, providing new opportunities for the characterization of the transcriptome architectures. Recent studies in pigs have employed RNA-Seq to explore the transcriptome of different tissues in a reduced number of animals. The main goal of this study was the identification of differentially-expressed genes in the liver of Iberian x Landrace crossbred pigs showing extreme phenotypes for intramuscular fatty acid composition using RNA-Seq. Results The liver transcriptomes of two female groups (H and L) with phenotypically extreme intramuscular fatty acid composition were sequenced using RNA-Seq. A total of 146 and 180 unannotated protein-coding genes were identified in intergenic regions for the L and H groups, respectively. In addition, a range of 5.8 to 7.3% of repetitive elements was found, with SINEs being the most abundant elements. The expression in liver of 186 (L) and 270 (H) lncRNAs was also detected. The higher reproducibility of the RNA-Seq data was validated by RT-qPCR and porcine expression microarrays, therefore showing a strong correlation between RT-qPCR and RNA-Seq data (ranking from 0.79 to 0.96), as well as between microarrays and RNA-Seq (r=0.72). A differential expression analysis between H and L animals identified 55 genes differentially-expressed between groups. Pathways analysis revealed that these genes belong to biological functions, canonical pathways and three gene networks related to lipid and fatty acid metabolism. In concordance with the phenotypic classification, the pathways analysis inferred that linolenic and arachidonic acids metabolism was altered between extreme individuals. In addition, a connection was observed among the top three networks, hence suggesting that these genes are interconnected and play an important role in lipid and fatty acid metabolism. Conclusions In the present study RNA-Seq was used as a tool to explore the liver transcriptome of pigs with extreme phenotypes for intramuscular fatty acid composition. The differential gene expression analysis showed potential gene networks which affect lipid and fatty acid metabolism. These results may help in the design of selection strategies to improve the sensorial and nutritional quality of pork meat., This work was funded by MICINN projects AGL2008-04818-C03/GAN and AGL2011-29821-C02 (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad), and by the Innovation Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Program (CSD2007-00036, Centre for Research in Agrigenomics). Y. Ramayo-Caldas was funded by a FPU PhD grant from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación (AP2008-01450), J. Corominas was funded by a FPI PhD grant from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación (BES-2009-018223), A. Esteve-Codina is recipient of a FPI PhD fellowship from the Ministerio de Educación (BES-2008-005772), Spain.

Background Human fibroblasts can be reprogrammed into induced hepatocyte-like cells through the expression of a set of transcription factors. Although the generation of induced hepatocyte-like cells by HNF4A, HNF1A, and FOXA3 expression has proven to be a robust experimental strategy, using multiple lentivirus results in a highly variable heterogeneous population. Methods We designed and implemented a novel approach based on the delivery of reprogramming factors and green fluorescent protein in a single doxycycline-inducible lentiviral vector using 2A self-cleaving peptides. Results Fibroblasts infected with the lentiviral vector can be amplified in basic fibroblast culture media in the absence of doxycycline without induction of hepatic genes. Upon switching to hepatic maturation media containing doxycycline, cells stop proliferating, activate hepatic gene transcription, and perform metabolic functions characteristic of hepatocytes. Conclusion Our strategy can generate an unlimited source of homogeneously induced hepatocyte-like cells from different genetic background donors, capable of performing typical hepatic functions suitable for drug research and other in vitro applications.