Molecular characterization of GTP binding protein gene in dermatophyte pathogen trichophyton rubrum

Trichophyton rubrum [T. rubrum] is an anthropophilic dermatophyte that is distributed worldwide and causes common cutaneous disease such as mycosis. Although several properties of this fungus have been investigated so far, however a few studies were carried out in the field of molecular biology of this fungus. In the present study we tried to identify its molecular characterization of the goanosin three phosphat [GTP] binding protein gene. Pairs of 21 nt primers were designed from highly conserved regions of the gene in other fungi. The primers were utilized in PCR by using isolated genomic DNA tem-plate as well as cytoplasmic RNA of T. rubrum and the PCR and RT-PCR fragments were then sequenced. About 645 nucleotides have been sequenced which encodes a polypeptide with 214 amino acids. Nucleotide sequence comparison in gene data banks [NCBI, NIH] for both the DNA and its deduced amino acid sequence revealed significant homology with GTP binding protein genes and proteins of other eukaryotic cells. The amino acid sequence of the encoded protein was about 64% identical to the sequence of GTP binding protein from other fungi. In summary, we have cloned the first GTP binding protein of dermatophytes and characterized it as a member of this gene family in other eukaryotic cells

[Hypoglycaemic effect of alcoholic extract of olive [Olea europaea L.] leaf in healthy and diabetic rats]

In traditional medicine leaves of olive [Olea europaea L.] are used as a diuretic, hypotensive, antibacterial and antiatherosclerotic. In the present study, oral administration of 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5g/kg body wt. of the alcoholic extract of leaves of olive for 14 days on the level of glucose and insulin in healthy and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were evaluated. The results showed that oral administration of the alcoholic extract of olive exhibited a significant reduction in blood glucose and increased plasma insulin in diabetic rats. The extract didnot change the level of blood glucose and plasma insulin in healthy rats significantly. A comparison was made between the action of the alcoholic extract and a known antidiabetic drug, glibenclamide [600 [micro]g/kg body wt.]. The hypoglycaemic effect of the extract was greater than that observed with glibenclamide