Identification and Characterization of Dmct: A Cation Transporter in Yarrowia lipolytica Involved in Metal Tolerance.

Yarrowia lipolytica is a dimorphic fungus used as a model organism to investigate diverse biotechnological and biological processes, such as cell differentiation, heterologous protein production, and bioremediation strategies. However, little is known about the biological processes responsible for cation concentration homeostasis. Metals play pivotal roles in critical biochemical processes, and some are toxic at unbalanced intracellular concentrations. Membrane transport proteins control intracellular cation concentrations. Analysis of the Y. lipolytica genome revealed a characteristic functional domain of the cation efflux protein family, i.e., YALI0F19734g, which encodes YALI0F19734p (a putative Yl-Dmct protein), which is related to divalent metal cation tolerance. We report the in silico analysis of the putative Yl-Dmct protein's characteristics and the phenotypic response to divalent cations (Ca2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, and Zn2+) in the presence of mutant strains, Δdmct and Rdmct, constructed by deletion and reinsertion of the DMCT gene, respectively. The absence of the Yl-Dmct protein induces cellular and growth rate changes, as well as dimorphism differences, when calcium, copper, iron, and zinc are added to the cultured medium. Interestingly, the parental and mutant strains were able to internalize the ions. Our results suggest that the protein encoded by the DMCT gene is involved in cell development and cation homeostasis in Y. lipolytica.

Ethanolic Extract of Salvia hispanica L. Regulates Blood Pressure by Modulating the Expression of Genes Involved in BP-Regulatory Pathways.

Hypertension (HT) is considered to be a potential risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and has been directly related to pathologies such as obesity and dyslipidemias. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) blocked the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone cascade diminishing the production of angiotensin II and the level of bradykinin, produced by the kallikrein-kinin system. Although ACEIs are effective therapeutics in regulating HT, they present several side-effects that can be due to their mechanism of action (as hypotension, cough, dizziness, light-headedness or hyperkalemia) to specific drug molecular structure (skin rash, neutropenia and tasting disorders) or due to associated pathologies in the patients (it has been considered a possible nephrotoxic effect when ACEIs are administered in combination with angiotensin receptor blockers, in patients that present comorbidities as diabetes, acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease). Therefore, it is necessary the searching for new products with ACEI activity that do not produce side effects. Interestingly, species of the plant genus Salvia have been found to possess hypotensive effects. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of the ethanolic extract of Salvia hispanica L. seeds (EESH) on the expression of genes involved in pathways regulating HT. Administration of EESH to hypertensive rats inhibited the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity along with a decrease in Ace and elevation of Agtr1a and Nos3 gene expression, as compared to that in healthy rats. Moreover, these results were similar to those observed with captopril, an antihypertensive drug used as a control. No significant change in the expression of Bdkrb2 gene was observed in the different groups of rats. To conclude, our results demonstrate that EESH regulates blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive rats through transcriptionally regulating the expression of genes that participate in different pathways involving ACE.

Genotoxic effect of caffeine in Yarrowia lipolytica cells deficient in DNA repair mechanisms.

Caffeine is a compound that can exert physiological-beneficial effects in the organism. Nevertheless, there are controversies about its protective-antioxidant and/or its negative genotoxic effect. To abound on the analysis of the possible genotoxic/antioxidant effect of caffeine, we used as research model the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica parental strain, and mutant strains (∆rad52 and ∆ku80), which are deficient in the DNA repair mechanisms. Caffeine (5 mM) showed a cytostatic effect on all strains, but after 72 h of incubation the parental and ∆ku80 strains were able to recover of this inhibitory effect on growth, whereas ∆rad52 was unable to recover. When cells were pre-incubated with caffeine and H2O2 or incubated with a mixture of both agents, a higher inhibitory effect on growth of mutant strains was observed and this effect was noticeably greater for the Δrad52 strain. The toxic effect of caffeine appears to be through a mechanism of DNA damage (genotoxic effect) that involves DSB generation since, in all tested conditions, the growth of Δrad52 strain (cells deficient in HR DNA repair mechanism) was more severely affected.

Nutritional status evaluation and nutrient intake in adult patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and their contacts.

INTRODUCTION: Malnutrition is a common status in patients with tuberculosis (TB). Because TB is disseminated through the sputum of infected persons, individuals who maintain relations with a TB patient are at high risk of infection; this risk is greater when contacts present an inadequate nutritional status. The aim of this work was to analyse and compare the nutritional status and macro and micronutrient intake of TB patients and their household contacts. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was carried out in TB patients from Nuevo Leon, México, and their household contacts. Thirty-nine patients diagnosed with TB and 62 contacts were evaluated. Anthropometric evaluation was performed considering weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR); nutrient intake was evaluated by applying 24-hour dietary recalls. RESULTS: According to anthropometric assessment, the study population showed a greater trend towards being overweight and obese; 62% of TB patients and contacts had this type of malnutrition, while only 8% of individuals were undernourished. A greater tendency towards malnutrition was observed in the TB patient group. CONCLUSIONS: TB patients and their contacts presented as overweight and obese. Both groups showed similar patterns in macro and micronutrient intake. Implications of deficiencies in the intake of these nutrients are discussed on the basis of their effects on individual health.

JAG1, MEF2C and BDNF polymorphisms associated with bone mineral density in women from Northern México

Introduction: Osteoporosis is characterized by a low bone mineral density. Genetic composition is one of the most influential factors in determining bone mineral density (BMD). There are few studies on genes associated with BMD in the Mexican population. Objective: To investigate the association of eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of JAG1, MEF2C and BDNF genes with BMD in women of Northern México. Materials and methods: This study involved 124 unrelated Mexican women between 40 and 80 years old. BMD was determined by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Genotyping was performed using allelic discrimination by real time PCR. We analyzed the SNP of JAG1 (rs6514116, rs2273061, rs2235811 and rs6040061), MEF2C (rs1366594, rs12521522 and rs11951031), and BDNF (rs6265) and the data using linear regression. Results: The JAG1 SNP rs2235811 was associated with the BMD of the total body under the dominant inheritance model (p=0,024). Although the other SNPs were not associated with BMD in any of the inheritance models studied, a trend was observed. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the SNP rs2235811 in the JAG1 gene might contribute to the variation in BMD in women from northern México.

Polimorfismos de los genes JAG1, MEF2C y BDNF asociados con la densidad mineral ósea en mujeres del norte de México / JAG1, MEF2C and BDNF polymorphisms associated with bone mineral density in women from Northern México

Resumen Introducción. La osteoporosis se caracteriza por una baja densidad mineral ósea; la composición genética es uno de los factores que más influyen en ella, pero hay pocos estudios de genes asociados con esta condición en la población mexicana. Objetivo. Investigar la posible asociación de ocho polimorfismos de un solo nucleótido (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, SNP) de los genes JAG1, MEF2C y BDNF con la densidad mineral ósea en mujeres del norte de México. Materiales y métodos. Participaron 124 mujeres de 40 a 80 años, sin parentesco entre ellas. Su densidad mineral ósea se determinó mediante absorciometría dual de rayos X y la genotipificación se hizo utilizando discriminación alélica mediante PCR en tiempo real; se estudiaron cuatro de los SNP del gen JAG1 (rs6514116, rs2273061, rs2235811 y rs6040061), tres del MEF2C (rs1366594, rs12521522 y rs11951031) y uno del BDNF (rs6265). El análisis estadístico de los datos obtenidos se hizo por regresión lineal. Resultados. El SNP rs2235811 presentó asociación significativa con la densidad mineral ósea de todo el cuerpo bajo el modelo de herencia dominante (p=0,024) y, aunque los otros SNP no tuvieron relación significativa con esta densidad, en ninguno de los modelos de herencia estudiados, se observó una tendencia hacia esta asociación. Conclusión. Los resultados sugieren que el SNP rs2235811 del gen JAG1 podría contribuir a la variación en la densidad mineral ósea de las mujeres del norte de México.

Abstract Introduction: Osteoporosis is characterized by a low bone mineral density. Genetic composition is one of the most influential factors in determining bone mineral density (BMD). There are few studies on genes associated with BMD in the Mexican population. Objective: To investigate the association of eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of JAG1, MEF2C and BDNF genes with BMD in women of Northern México. Materials and methods: This study involved 124 unrelated Mexican women between 40 and 80 years old. BMD was determined by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Genotyping was performed using allelic discrimination by real time PCR. We analyzed the SNP of JAG1 (rs6514116, rs2273061, rs2235811 and rs6040061), MEF2C (rs1366594, rs12521522 and rs11951031), and BDNF (rs6265) and the data using linear regression. Results: The JAG1 SNP rs2235811 was associated with the BMD of the total body under the dominant inheritance model (p=0,024). Although the other SNPs were not associated with BMD in any of the inheritance models studied, a trend was observed. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the SNP rs2235811 in the JAG1 gene might contribute to the variation in BMD in women from northern México.

Basic-education mexican teachers' knowledge of biotechnology and attitudes about the consumption of genetically modified foods.

Over the past few years, a new research field has emerged, focusing on the social-scientific criteria for the study of opinions toward genetically modified foods (GMFs), since these may be limiting factors for the success or failure of these products. Basic education is the first step in the Mexican education system, and teachers may wield an outsized influence on the attitudes and preferences of children, prospective future consumers of these products. To better understand the current state of knowledge of biotechnology issues and opinions toward the consumption of GMF of Mexican teachers, a questionnaire was distributed, and 362 Mexican teachers of basic education responded. The survey included questions about the benefits and risks of consuming GMF. The mean percentage of teachers expressing knowledge of a given topic in biotechnology was 50%. More than 60% of teachers believed that GMFs would be useful in preventing world hunger, while 39.2% considered GMF to be hazards for future generations. Although 47.0% reported not having enough knowledge about these topics, almost all (90.3%) respondents expressed an interest and willingness to learn about biotechnology. In light of the fact that teachers of basic education represent the first and potentially most lasting stage in the education of young children, this survey establishes the urgent need to develop strategies to improve the scientific knowledge of teachers and to facilitate decision making and the promotion of scientific and technological advances for their students. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(5):396-402, 2017.

A molecular probe for Basidiomycota: the spermidine synthase-saccharopine dehydrogenase chimeric gene.

By means of an in silico analysis, we demonstrated that a previously described chimeric gene (Spe-Sdh) encoding spermidine synthase, a key enzyme involved in the synthesis of polyamines, and saccharopine dehydrogenase, an enzyme involved in lysine synthesis in fungi, were present exclusively in members of all Basidiomycota subphyla, but not in any other group of living organisms. We used this feature to design degenerated primers to amplify a specific fragment of the Spe-Sdh gene by PCR, as a tool to unequivocally identify Basidiomycota isolates. The specificity of this procedure was tested using different fungal species. As expected, positive results were obtained only with Basidiomycota species, whereas no amplification was achieved with species belonging to other fungal phyla.