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A field experiment was carried out at Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar Univ., Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt, to investigate the effect of different nitrogen levels on some soil characteristics and chemical composition of wheat crop. To achieve this task two varieties"Gemmeiza7 and Gemmeiza 9" of wheat plant were studied under five nitrogen levels (i.e. 0, 65, 130, 195 and 260 kg /fed) were applied as urea (46% N) as nitrogen fertilizer. All the plots were fertilized with super phosphate and K- sulfate according to the general recommendation dose of Ministry of Agriculture. Results indicated that soil organic matter, EC and soil porosity were increased with increasing the rate of nitrogen application. But pH and the bulk density were decreased significantly. Application of 260 kg N/fed gave the highest values of NP and K contents in straw and grain compared to control treatment. The percentages of N and K increased significantly by increasing Nitrogen rate up to 260 kg N/fed. But 195 Kg/fed gave the highest values of p in grains in the two cultivars. On the other hand, chemical composition (crude protein, total carbohydrates, lipids, moisture, ash and fiber) of two wheat varieties was affected by the addition of nitrogen rates. The crude protein percentage was increased significantly by increasing the rate of nitrogen application. Also the total number band of Protein electrophoretic increased with increasing the nitrogen levels compared with control. In most cases lipids were decreased with increasing the rate of nitrogen. But fiber was increased. Total carbohydrate was significantly decreased with increasing of nitrogen rate. Also the highest value of moisture percentage was observed in 65Kg/fed treatment in the two cultivars. Generally, Gemmeiza 7 was higher than Gemmeiza 9 of Protein percentage at the same dose of nitrogen levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Contact hypersensitivity assay ( CHS) faithfully models human allergies. The Stat5 transcription factors are essential for both lymphocyte development and acute immune responses. Although consequences of Stat5 ablation and transgenic overexpression for the lymphocyte development and functions have been extensively studied, the role of Stat5 gene dosage in contact allergies has not been addressed. Objective We investigated the effect of Stat5 gene dosage modulation in contact allergies using CHS in mice. Methods Transgenic animals heterozygous for the germline Stat5 null allele were subjected to CHS. To dissect cell type sensitive to Stat5 gene dosage, animals with Stat5 haplo-insufficiency in T cells, where one Stat5 allele was removed by Lck-Cre-mediated deletion ( Stat5 ΔT/+), were tested by CHS. Frequency of T cells, B cells, and monocytes were analyzed in Stat5 ΔT/+ and wild-type animals by flow cytometry. Proliferation of Stat5 ΔT/+ CD8+ T cells was studied in vitro by stimulation with IL-4 and IL-2 cytokines, and changes in the expression of Stat5 target genes were assayed by quantitative real-time PCR assay. Result Haplo-insufficiency of Stat5 in T cells leads to the reduction in CD8+ T cells in all lymphoid organs and attenuates CHS response. Stat5 ΔT/+ CD8+ T cells failed to fully activate Stat5-dependent expression of cell cycle/survival target genes, such as Bcl2 and Pim1, and to proliferate efficiently in response to IL-2 and IL-4 cytokine. Conclusion Our data identify Stat5 as a dose-dependent regulator of CD8+ T-cell functions in contact allergies and suggest that modulation of Stat5 dosage could be used to target contact allergies in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The androgen receptor (AR) is a transcription factor that employs many diverse interactions with coregulatory proteins in normal physiology and in prostate cancer (PCa). The AR mediates cellular responses in association with chromatin complexes and kinase cascades. Here we report that the nuclear matrix protein, scaffold attachment factor B1 (SAFB1), regulates AR activity and AR levels in a manner that suggests its involvement in PCa. SAFB1 mRNA expression was lower in PCa in comparison with normal prostate tissue in a majority of publicly available RNA expression data sets. SAFB1 protein levels were also reduced with disease progression in a cohort of human PCa that included metastatic tumors. SAFB1 bound to AR and was phosphorylated by the MST1 (Hippo homolog) serine-threonine kinase, previously shown to be an AR repressor, and MST1 localization to AR-dependent promoters was inhibited by SAFB1 depletion. Knockdown of SAFB1 in androgen-dependent LNCaP PCa cells increased AR and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, stimulated growth of cultured cells and subcutaneous xenografts and promoted a more aggressive phenotype, consistent with a repressive AR regulatory function. SAFB1 formed a complex with the histone methyltransferase EZH2 at AR-interacting chromatin sites in association with other polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) proteins. We conclude that SAFB1 acts as a novel AR co-regulator at gene loci where signals from the MST1/Hippo and EZH2 pathways converge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]