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Sex chromosomes differ in their inheritance properties from autosomes and hence may encode complementary information about past demographic events. We compiled and analyzed a range-wide resequencing data set of the red deer (Cervus elaphus), one of the few Eurasian herbivores of the Late Pleistocene megafauna still found throughout much of its historic range. Our analyses of 144 whole genomes reveal striking discrepancies between the population clusters suggested by autosomal and X-chromosomal data. We postulate that the genetic legacy of Late Glacial population structure is better captured and preserved by the X chromosome than by autosomes, for two reasons. First, X chromosomes have a lower Ne and hence lose genetic variation faster during isolation in glacial refugia, causing increased population differentiation. Second, following postglacial recolonization and secondary contact, immigrant males pass on their X chromosomes to female offspring only, which effectively halves the migration rate when gene flow is male mediated. Our study illustrates how a comparison between autosomal and sex chromosomal phylogeographic signals unravels past demographic processes that otherwise would remain hidden., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.)

Objectives: We reviewed the feasibility and safety of nephron sparing surgery for renal cell carcinoma in patients with von Hippel Lindau (VHL) disease., Methods: We selected 22 patients with (VHL) disease with a mean age of 43 (range 30-56), from whom 16 underwent radical nephrectomy or nephron sparing surgery at our department between 2000 and 2015., Results: A total of 33 tumors were treated, by either tumorectomy (n=20), partial nephrectomy (n=5), percutaneous renal radiofrequency ablation (n=3) edaor radical nephrectomy (n=5). All procedures were successfully completed without intraoperative and postoperative complications. The diameter of the tumor ranged from 2.8 to 4.8 cm. The interval between treatments in patients operated more than once was 40 months. Renal function stayed stable with basal creatinine and current creatinine 0.74 ± 0.21 mg/dl and 0.93 ± 0.22 mg/dl respectively. Median follow-up was 72.3 months. Cancer-specific survival was 97%., Conclusions: nephron sparing surgery in renal tumors >3 cm is an effective and safe treatment for VHL patients.

Sticholysin I is an actinoporin, a pore forming toxin, of 176 aminoacids produced by the sea anemone Stichodactyla heliantus. Isotopically labelled (13)C/(15)N recombinant protein was produced in E. coli. Here we report the complete NMR (15)N, (13)C and (1)H chemical shifts assignments of Stn I at pH 4.0 and 25 degrees C (BMRB No. 15927).

Fungal ribotoxins are a family of extracellular ribonucleases which inhibit protein biosynthesis by inactivating the ribosomes. This inactivation results in the induction of cell death by apoptosis. Ribotoxins show antitumoral properties based on their ability to cross the membrane of some transformed cells. Unfortunately, they also show an unspecific cytotoxicity which has greatly impaired their potential clinical uses. alpha-Sarcin, produced by Aspergillus giganteus, is the best-characterized ribotoxin. Asp f 1, another ribotoxin produced by A. fumigatus, is indeed one of its major allergens. In this work, the Lactococcus lactis MG1363 strain has been engineered to produce and secrete not only wild-type Asp f 1 and alpha-sarcin but also three different mutants with reduced cytotoxicity and/or IgE-binding affinity. The proteins were secreted in native and active form when the extracellular medium employed was buffered at pH values around 8.0. Strains producing the wild-type natural alpha-sarcin were proved to be innocuous when administered intragastrically to mice for a period of 14 days. Overall, the results presented are discussed in terms of its potential application as a vehicle of oral delivery of hypoallergenic variants as well as a starting point to approach the design of strategies to accomplish the safe delivery of these proteins as antitumoral agents.

Actinoporins are a family of 20-kDa, basic proteins isolated from sea anemones, whose activity is inhibited by preincubation with sphingomyelin. They are produced in monomeric soluble form but, when binding to the plasma membrane, they oligomerize to produce functional pores which result in cell lysis. Equinatoxin II (EqtII) from Actinia equina and Sticholysin II (StnII) from Stichodactyla helianthus are the actinoporins that have been studied in more detail. Both proteins display a beta-sandwich fold composed of 10 beta-strands flanked on each side by two short alpha-helices. Two-dimensional crystallization on lipid monolayers has allowed the determination of low-resolution models of tetrameric structures distinct from the pore. However, the actual structure of the pore is not known yet. Wild-type EqtII and StnII, as well as a nice collection of natural and artificially made variants of both proteins, have been produced in Escherichia coli and purified. Their characterization has allowed the proposal of a model for the mechanism of pore formation. Four regions of the actinoporins structure seem to play an important role. First, a phosphocholine-binding site and a cluster of exposed aromatic residues, together with a basic region, would be involved in the initial interaction with the membrane, whereas the amphipathic N-terminal region would be essential for oligomerization and pore formation. Accordingly, the model states that pore formation would proceed in at least four steps: Monomer binding to the membrane interface, assembly of four monomers, and at least two distinct conformational changes driving to the final formation of the functional pore.

Alpha-sarcin is an exquisitely specific ribonuclease that binds and cleaves a single phosphodiester bond in the large rRNA of the eukaryotic ribosome, inactivating it. To better understand this remarkable activity, the contributions of the active site residues (His 50, Glu 96, and His 137) to the conformational stability have been determined as a function of pH using variant proteins containing uncharged substitutes. Wild-type alpha-sarcin and the variants are maximally stable near pH 5.5, coinciding with the pH of optimal activity. A comparison of the stability vs pH profiles determined by thermal denaturation experiments to those calculated on the basis of pKa values shows that the charged forms of Glu 96 and His 137 compromise the enzyme's stability, lowering it. In contrast to barnase, there is little evidence for significant electrostatic interactions in the denatured states of alpha-sarcin or its active site variants between pH 3.5 and pH 8.5. Alpha-sarcin contains a long beta-hairpin and surface loops which are highly positively charged and which play key roles in membrane translocation and in ribosome binding. These positive charges decrease the stability of alpha-sarcin, particularly below pH 5. Hydrogen exchange measurements have been performed at pH 5.5 and reveal that the catalytic residues are firmly anchored in highly stable elements of secondary structure. Significant, though lower, levels of protection are observed for many amide protons in the positively charged beta-hairpin and long loops.

Sticholysin II is a pore-forming toxin produced by the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus. We studied its cytolytic activity on COS-7 cells. Fluorescence spectroscopy and flow cytometry revealed that the toxin permeabilizes cells to propidium cations in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. This permeabilization is impaired by preincubation of cells with cyclodextrin. Isolation of detergent-resistant cellular membranes showed that sticholysin II colocalizes with caveolin-1 in fractions corresponding to raft-like domains. The interaction of sticholysin II with such domains is only lipid dependent as it also occurs in the absence of any other membrane-associated protein. Toxin binding to raft-like lipid vesicles inhibited cell permeabilization. The results suggest that sticholysin II promotes pore formation in COS-7 cells through interaction with membrane domains which behave like cellular rafts.

The three-dimensional structures of the alpha-sarcin ribotoxin and its delta(7-22) deletion mutant, both complexed with a 20-mer oligonucleotide mimicking the sarcin/ricin loop (SRL) of the ribosome, have been docked into the structure of the Halobacterium marismortui ribosome by fitting the nucleotide atomic coordinates into those of the ribosomal SRL. This study has revealed that two regions of the ribotoxin, residues 11-16 and 84-85, contact the ribosomal proteins L14 (residues 99-105) and L6 (residues 88-92), respectively. The first of these two ribotoxin regions appears to be crucial for its specific ribosome recognition.

Aspergillus fumigatus is responsible for many allergic respiratory diseases, the most notable of which - due to its severity - is allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Aspf1 is a major allergen of this fungus: this 149-amino acid protein belongs to the ribotoxin family, whose best characterized member is alpha-sarcin (EC 3.1.27.10). The proteins of this group are cytotoxic ribonucleases that degrade a unique bond in ribosomal RNA impairing protein biosynthesis. Aspf1 and its deletion mutant Aspf1Delta(7-22) have been produced as recombinant proteins; the deleted region corresponds to an exposed beta-hairpin. The conformation of these two proteins has been studied by CD and fluorescence spectroscopy. Their enzymatic activity and cytotoxicity against human rhabdomyosarcoma cells was also measured and their allergenic properties have been studied by using 58 individual sera of patients sensitized to Aspergillus. Aspf1Delta(7-22) lacks cytotoxicity and shows a remarkably reduced IgE reactivity. From these studies it can be concluded that the deleted beta-hairpin is involved in ribosome recognition and is a significant allergenic region.

Asparagine 54 of alpha-sarcin is a conserved residue within the proteins of the ribotoxin family of microbial ribonucleases. It is located in loop 2 of the protein, which lacks repetitive secondary structure elements but exhibits a well-defined conformation. Five mutant variants at this residue have been produced and characterized. The spectroscopic characterization of these proteins indicates that the overall conformation is not changed upon mutation. Activity and denaturation assays show that Asn-54 largely contributes to protein stability, and its presence is a requirement for the highly specific inhibitory activity of these ribotoxins on ribosomes.

A rapid screening method for haemolytic activity, using blood agar plates, has been developed to analyze randomly produced mutant variants of the pore-forming protein sticholysin II (Stn II). Those exhibiting a reduced activity were selected and the DNA corresponding to each Stn II variant sequenced. Once the mutation produced was determined, protein variants were isolated and characterized in terms of structure (circular dichroism spectra and thermal stability) and haemolytic activity. Three single mutation protein variants, at residues K19, F106 and Y111, showed a significantly decreased haemolytic activity while their thermostability was identical to that of the wild-type protein. Considering the obtained data and based on the three-dimensional structure of the protein, the role of these residues on the mechanism of haemolysis has been analyzed.

The Aspergillus giganteus antifungal protein (AFP), encoded by the afp gene, has been reported to possess in vitro antifungal activity against various economically important fungal pathogens, including the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea. In this study, transgenic rice ( Oryza sativa ) constitutively expressing the afp gene was generated by Agrobacterium -mediated transformation. Two different DNA constructs containing either the afp cDNA sequence from Aspergillus or a chemically synthesized codon-optimized afp gene were introduced into rice plants. In both cases, the DNA region encoding the signal sequence from the tobacco AP24 gene was N-terminally fused to the coding sequence of the mature AFP protein. Transgenic rice plants showed stable integration and inheritance of the transgene. No effect on plant morphology was observed in the afp -expressing rice lines. The inhibitory activity of protein extracts prepared from leaves of afp plants on the in vitro growth of M. grisea indicated that the AFP protein produced by the trangenic rice plants was biologically active. Several of the T(2) homozygous afp lines were challenged with M. grisea in a detached leaf infection assay. Transformants exhibited resistance to rice blast at various levels. Altogether, the results presented here indicate that AFP can be functionally expressed in rice plants for protection against the rice blast fungus M. grisea.

ABSTRACT Botrytis blight (gray mold), caused by Botrytis cinerea, is one of the most widely distributed diseases of ornamental plants. In geranium plants, gray mold is responsible for important losses in production. The mold Aspergillus giganteus is known to produce and secrete a basic low-molecular-weight protein, the antifungal protein (AFP). Here, the antifungal properties of the Aspergillus AFP against various B. cinerea isolates obtained from naturally infected geranium plants were investigated. AFP strongly inhibited mycelial growth as well as conidial germination of B. cinerea. Microscopic observations of fungal cultures treated with AFP revealed reduced hyphal elongation and swollen hyphal tips. Washout experiments in which B. cinerea was incubated with AFP for different periods of time and then washed away revealed a fungicidal activity of AFP. Application of AFP on geranium plants protected leaves against Botrytis infection. Cecropin A also was active against this pathogen. An additive effect against the fungus was observed when AFP was combined with cecropin A. These results are discussed in relation to the potential of the afp gene to enhance crop protection against B. cinerea diseases.

The long-term effect of ethanol on human red cell membrane fluidity was studied, by fluorescence polarization with 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene as a probe, in 11 healthy subjects, 9 chronic alcoholics without evidence of liver disease, 12 chronic alcoholics with biopsy-proven alcoholic liver disease and 9 abstemious patients with chronic active liver disease, most of them cirrhosis of the liver. Fluorescence polarization values were not significantly different in the two groups without liver disease. Patients with alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver disease showed higher fluorescence polarization values than patients without liver disease. These changes correlated with the severity of liver dysfunction and were not related to alcohol consumption. In conclusion, the decrease in fluidity of the erythrocyte membrane in alcoholic patients with chronic liver disease, is related to liver dysfunction but not to chronic ethanol ingestion. Changes in membrane fluidity in chronic alcoholics are found only in the presence of liver disease.

Type I collagen from calf skin interacts with magnesium silicate (sepiolite) resulting in a collagen-clay complex which is separated by centrifugation. The interaction primarily occurs with high molecular weight aggregates of the protein as indicated by the fact that collagen from the skin of lathyritic rats interacts to a lesser extent. Thus, when calf skin collagen is fully retained, 45% of protein from lathyritic animals remains in solution. Monomeric forms of collagen remain soluble after short periods of interaction with sepiolite; at 5 minutes, 34% of the calf skin collagen preparation is recovered in apparently monomeric form. In contrast protein-protein interaction produces the complete retention of the total collagen with longer periods of time.

Cell respiration (CR) and glycolysis (GL) are the main sources cell energy, since along their metabolic pathways ATP is produced. Expressed as microM/100 mg/h, normal cells produce 63 by CR, 0.2 by aerobic GL, and 9.37 by anaerobic GL, while cancer cells produce 35 by CR, 18 by aerobic GL, and 29 by anaerobic GL. The ascites fluid from EAC increases the anaerobic GL to 38, while it does not change the aerobic GL to 7 and diminishes the CR to 26. Insulin produces a lowering of CR to 26, aerobic GL to 26 and anaerobic GL to 22. Glucose inhibits CR and stimulates GL. Ribose does not modify CR and inhibits GL. Mannose inhibits both CR and GL. Ribonuclease increases GL in the presence of glucose but not of ribose. Glucose-phosphate and ribose-phosphate have no action because they do not enter into the cell. Expressed as QLN2/100 mg, the main localization of GL is the cytosol (480), but it is significant in the nucleus (170), and diminishes in microsomes (100) and mitochondria (52). Mitochondria inhibit the cytosol glycolytic activity when they are either in the usual proportion they have in the cell or in a higher proportion. It is curious the observation that a diminution of the relative concentration of mitochondria with regard to cytosol (1/100 to 1/1000) produces a marked increase of GL. The addition of nuclear fraction stabilizes the cytosol-mitochondria complex and modifies the metabolic pathway of the CO2 that is produced during the GL.

Lysozyme from pigeon egg white has been purified by ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The overall yield of the purification procedure is 65%. The specific activity of the enzyme is 15 000 units/mg. The influence of pH and ionic strength on the lytic activity of the protein, as well as its thermal stability, have been studied. The molecular weight, secondary structure estimation, amino acid composition, NH2- and COOH-terminal sequence of the protein are also reported. The pigeon enzyme has been classified as a chicken type lysozyme (lysozyme c) according to the obtained results.

Several biological and biochemical techniques are combined to get the isolation of tumor-specific and tumor-associated antigens (TSA and TAA). Specific antisera to plasma membrane TSA and TAA from the mouse Ehrlich ascites cancer (EAC) cells are induced by selective immunization of immunologic chimera rabbits to normal mouse antigens. The specific anti-cancer immunosera are absorbed with normal antigens to remove any possible residual normal antigens. The antibodies to TSA and TAA are purified by several cycles of discontinuous ascending chromatography in dextran gel particles, and used as a ligand for affinity chromatography in cyanide bromide-activated agarose gel. The material offered to the column consists of EAC cell plasma membrane fragments solubilized by ultrasonic waves, and isolated by discontinuous sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The marked cytotoxicity inhibition of antisera to EAC cells obtained by the TSA and TAA eluted from the affinity chromatography column, and the great immunogenicity of TSA and TAA in EAC-bearing animals show the existence of potent specific rejection antigens (TSRA and TARA) among the obtained TSA and TAA. The amount of TSA and TAA isolated from the EAC cell plasma membrane is 6 ng/10(6) cells, representing 1 part per 43,000 of the cell proteins.

The existence of a hydrophobic cluster on the COOH-telopeptides of type I collagen has been observed by studies on the binding of 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANS) to this protein. Collagen contains one binding site for the fluorescent probe. This hydrophobic cluster remains after pepsin digestion thus indicating that it is formed by the undegraded portions of the COOH-extrahelical ends of the protein. Energy transfer from tyrosine to ANS has been observed. The triple helix of collagen does not bind ANS.

The immunogenicity and anti-tumor activity of tumor-specific and tumor-associated antigens (TSA and TAA) isolated from the Ehrlich ascites cancer (EAC) cell plasma membrane is assayed, and compared with the action of several crude antigenic preparations. Control animals die 26 days after the EAC cells inoculation. Crude antigenic preparations produce a delay of EAC development, but all the animals finally die. The purified TSA and TAA are active at very small amounts, and inhibit completely and permanently the tumor development. The procedure shows a new approach to cancer specific active immunotherapy.