Conversion of D-glucose to 4-C-hydroxymethyl-1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-D-ribofuranose, which is a key precursor for the synthesis of different types of bicyclic/spiro nucleosides, led to the formation of an inseparable 1:1 mixture of the desired product and 4-C-hydroxymethyl-1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-D-xylofuranose. A convenient environment friendly Novozyme®-435 catalyzed selective acetylation methodology has been developed for the separation of an epimeric mixture of ribo- and xylotrihydroxyfuranosides in quantitative yields. The structure of both the monoacetylated epimers, i.e., 5-O-acetyl-4-C-hydroxymethyl-1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-D-ribo- and xylofuranose obtained by enzymatic acetylation, has been confirmed by an X-ray study on their corresponding 4-C-p-toluenesulfonyloxymethyl derivatives. Furthermore, the two separated epimers were used for the convergent synthesis of two different types of bicyclic nucleosides, which confirms their synthetic utility.

Age-driven immune signals cause a state of chronic low-grade inflammation and in consequence affect bone healing and cause challenges for clinicians when repairing critical-sized bone defects in elderly patients.

Genetic diversity is the prerequisite for the success of crop improvement programmes. Keeping in view, the current investigation was undertaken to assess the agro-morphological and molecular diversity involving 36 diverse mid-late and late cauliflower genotypes following α-RBD design during winter season 2021-22. Six morphological descriptors predicted as polymorphic using Shannon diversity index with maximum for leaf margin (0.94). The genotypes grouped into nine clusters based on D2 analysis with four as monogenotypic and gross plant weight (32.38%) revealed maximum contribution towards the genetic diversity. Molecular diversity analysis revealed 2-7 alleles among 36 polymorphic simple sequence repeats (SSR) with average of 4.22. Primer BoESSR492 (0.77) showed maximum polymorphic information content (PIC) with mean of 0.58. SSR analysis revealed two clusters each with two subclusters with a composite pattern of genotype distribution. STRUCTURE analysis showed homogenous mixture with least amount of gene pool introgression within the genotypes. Thus, based on morphological and molecular studies, the diverse genotypes namely, DPCaCMS-1, DPCaf-W4, DPCaf-US, DPCaf-W131W, DPCaf-S121, DPCaf-18, DPCaf-13, DPCaf-29 and DPCaf-CMS5 can be utilized in hybridization to isolate potential transgressive segregants to broaden the genetic base of cauliflower or involve them to exploit heterosis.

PRAJA, a RING-H2 E3 ligase, is abundantly expressed in brain tissues such as the cerebellum and frontal cortex, amongst others, and more specifically in neural progenitor cells as well as in multiple cancers that include glioblastomas. However, the specific role that Praja plays in neural development and gliomas remains unclear. In this investigation, we performed bioinformatic analyses to examine Praja1 and Praja2 expression across 29 cancer types, and observed raised levels of Praja1 and Praja2 in gliomas with an inverse relationship between Praja1 and apoptotic genes and Praja substrates such as Smad3. We analyzed the role of Praja in the developing brain through loss of function studies, using morpholinos targeting Praja1 in embryonic zebrafish, and observed that Praja1 is expressed prominently in regions enriched with neural precursor cell subtypes. Antisense Praja morpholinos resulted in multiple embryonic defects including delayed neural development likely through increased apoptosis. Further studies revealed high levels of Cdk1 with loss of Praja1 in TGF-β or insulin treated cells, supporting the link between Praja1 and cell cycle regulation. In summary, these studies underscore Praja's role in mammalian brain development and Praja1 deregulation may lead to gliomas possibly through the regulation of cell cycle and/or apoptosis.

Brain metastases have a highly variable prognosis depending on the primary tumor and associated prognostic factors. Standard of care for patients with these tumors includes craniotomy, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), or whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) for patients with brain metastases. Brachytherapy shows great promise as a therapy for brain metastases, but its role has not been sufficiently explored in the current literature.

This study aims to evaluate the performance of an antigen-based rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Assembly of the peptidoglycan is crucial in maintaining viability of bacteria and in defining bacterial cell shapes, both of which are important for existence in the ecological niche that the organism occupies. Here, eight crystal structures for a member of the cell-shape-determining class of Campylobacter jejuni, the peptidoglycan peptidase 3 (Pgp3), are reported. Characterization of the turnover chemistry of Pgp3 reveals cell wall D,D-endopeptidase and D,D-carboxypeptidase activities. Catalysis is accompanied by large conformational changes upon peptidoglycan binding, whereby a loop regulates access to the active site. Furthermore, prior hydrolysis of the crosslinked peptide stem from the saccharide backbone of the peptidoglycan on one side is a pre-requisite for its recognition and turnover by Pgp3. These analyses reveal the noncanonical nature of the transformations at the core of the events that define the morphological shape for C. jejuni as an intestinal pathogen.

Bone regeneration is driven by mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) via their interactions with immune cells, such as macrophages (MPs). Bone substitutes, e.g., bi-calcium phosphates (BCPs), are commonly used to treat bone defects. However, little research has focused on MSC responses to BCPs in the context of inflammation. The objective of this study was to investigate whether BCPs influence MSC responses and MSC-MP interactions, at the gene and protein levels, in an inflammatory microenvironment. In setup A, human bone marrow MSCs combined with two different BCP granules (BCP 60/40 or BCP 20/80) were cultured with or without cytokine stimulation (IL1β + TNFα) to mimic acute inflammation. In setup B, U937 cell-line-derived MPs were introduced via transwell cocultures to setup A. Monolayer MSCs with and without cytokine stimulation served as controls. After 72 h, the expressions of genes related to osteogenesis, healing, inflammation and remodeling were assessed in the MSCs via quantitative polymerase chain reactions. Additionally, MSC-secreted cytokines related to healing, inflammation and chemotaxis were assessed via multiplex immunoassays. Overall, the results indicate that, under both inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions, the BCP granules significantly regulated the MSC gene expressions towards a pro-healing genotype but had relatively little effect on the MSC secretory profiles. In the presence of the MPs (coculture), the BCPs positively regulated both the gene expression and cytokine secretion of the MSCs. Overall, similar trends in MSC responses were observed with BCP 60/40 and BCP 20/80. In summary, within the limits of in vitro models, these findings suggest that the presence of BCP granules at a surgical site may not necessarily have a detrimental effect on MSC-mediated wound healing, even in the event of inflammation.

There is growing evidence that extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a crucial role in the paracrine mechanisms of transplanted human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Little is known, however, about the influence of microenvironmental stimuli on the osteogenic effects of EVs. This study aimed to investigate the properties and functions of EVs derived from undifferentiated hMSC (Naïve-EVs) and hMSC during the early stage of osteogenesis (Osteo-EVs). A further aim was to assess the osteoinductive potential of Osteo-EVs for bone regeneration in rat calvarial defects.