No abstract

A consensus microsatellite-based linkage map of the turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) was constructed from two unrelated families. The mapping panel was derived from a gynogenetic family of 96 haploid embryos and a biparental diploid family of 85 full-sib progeny with known linkage phase. A total of 242 microsatellites were mapped in 26 linkage groups, six markers remaining unlinked. The consensus map length was 1343.2 cM, with an average distance between markers of 6.5 6 0.5 cM. Similar length of female and male maps was evidenced. However, the mean recombination at common intervals throughout the genome revealed significant differences between sexes, $1.6 times higher in the female than in the male. The comparison of turbot microsatellite flanking sequences against the Tetraodon nigroviridis genome revealed 55 significant matches, with a mean length of 102 bp and high sequence similarity (81-100%). The comparative mapping revealed significant syntenic regions among fish species. This study represents the first linkage map in the turbot, one of the most important flatfish in European aquaculture. This map will be suitable for QTL identification of productive traits in this species and for further evolutionary studies in fish and vertebrate species.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the value of the serum levels of α-L-fucosidase activity in the diagnosis of patients with colorectal cancer. Methods: Using a fluorometric method we analyzed the α-L-fucosidase activity in preoperative sera from 137 colorectal cancer patients and in sera from 232 donors. Results: The enzymatic activity of α-L-fucosidase was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in patients (4.8 ± 3.09 U/ml) than in donors (10.5 ± 5.46 U/ml). Using the ROC curve, the ideal cut-off for the diagnostic value of α-L-fucosidase activity was determined to be 5.6 U/ml. The diagnostic efficiency for colorectal cancer of α-L-fucosidase activity was higher than that observed for carcinoembryonic antigen (cut-off 5.0 ng/ml), especially for tumors at an early stage. Conclusions: Our results suggest that preoperative serum α-L-fucosidase activity may be used as a cheap and easy complementary test, in addition to standard clinical procedures routinely used for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

The nucleotide sequence and deduced amino acid sequence of a vaccinia virus gene from the SalI F fragment are shown. The predicted polypeptide shares 42% amino acid identity over a 200 amino acid region with Saccharomyces cerevisiae thymidylate kinase (TmpK) and has low homology with herpes simplex virus deoxypyrimidine kinase. Northern blotting and S1 nuclease protection showed that the TmpK gene is transcribed early during infection and mapped the mRNA 5' end to immediately upstream of the second inframe ATG codon of the open reading frame (ORF). The encoded polypeptide is predicted to be 204 amino acids long (23.2 kD) and is almost colinear with yeast TmpK. Vaccinia virus possesses genes for TK and TmpK, separated by 57 kilobases of DNA, which are co-ordinately expressed and the encoded enzymes perform sequential steps in the same biochemical pathway.

The aim of this study was to test the in vitro cytotoxicity of wood-based biomorphic Silicon Carbide (SiC) ceramics coated with bioactive glass, using MG-63 human osteoblast-like cells, with a view to their application in bone implantology. To better understand the scope of this study, it should be taken into account that biomorphic SiC ceramics have only recently been developed and this innovative product has important properties such as interconnected porosity, high strength and toughness, and easy shaping. In the solvent extraction test, all the extracts had almost no effect on cellular activity even at 100% concentration, and cells incubated in the bioactive glass-coated SiC ceramics extracts showed a proliferation rate similar to that of the Thermanox control. There were no significant differences when the cellular attachment response of the cells on the wood-based biomorphic SiC ceramics, uncoated or coated with bioactive glass, was compared to the one exhibited by reference materials like Ti6Al4V and bulk bioactive glass. This fact looks very promising for biomedical applications.

The plasma spray (PS) technique is the most popular method commercially in use to produce calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings to promote fixation and osteointegration of the cementless prosthesis. Nevertheless, PS has some disadvantages, such as the poor coating-to-substrate adhesion, low mechanical strength, and brittleness of the coating. In order to overcome the drawbacks of plasma spraying, we introduce in this work a new method to apply a CaP coating on a Ti alloy using a well-known technique in the metallurgical field: laser surface cladding. The physicochemical characterization of the coatings has been carried out by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The biologic properties of the coatings have been assessed in vitro with human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells. The overall results of this study affirm that the Nd:YAG laser cladding technique is a promising method in the biomedical field.

A new generation of bio-derived ceramics can be developed as a base material for medical implants. Specific plant species are used as templates on which innovative transformation processes can modify the chemical composition maintaining the original biostructure. Building on the outstanding mechanical properties of the starting lignocellulosic templates, it is possible to develop lightweight and high-strength scaffolds for bone substitution. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate the excellent biocompatibility of this new silicon carbide material (bioSiC) and how it gets colonized by the hosting bone tissue because of its unique interconnected hierarchic porosity, which opens the door to new biomedical applications.

The acid a-l-fucosidase is usually found as a soluble component of lysosomes where fucoglycoconjugates are degraded. In the present investigation, we have demonstrated the existence of a cell surface protein with enzymatic a-l-fucosidase activity that crossreacts specifically with a rabbit anti-(a-l-fucosidase) Ig. By different approaches, this a-l-fucosidase, which represents 10±20% of the total cellular fucosidase activity, was detected in all the tested human cells (hemopoietic, epithelial, mesenchymal). Two bands of < 43±49 kDa were observed, although theoretical data support the possibility of having the same genetic origin that the known 50 to 55-kDa M r a-l-fucosidase. We speculate about an alternative traffic pathway for the plasma membrane a-l-fucosidase to work on the rapid turnover of glycoproteins.Keywords: a-l-fucosidase; plasma membrane; protein traffic; CD26; glycoprotein turnover.The lysosomal a-l-fucosidase (EC 3.2.1.51) is involved in the hydrolytic degradation of fucose-containing molecules. Mammalian a-l-fucosidases are multimeric forms of glycoproteins of < 53 kDa exhibiting optimal activity between pH values of 4 and 6.5 [1]. There appears to be a considerable degree of structural heterogeneity, both tissue-specific and within the same tissue. This is probably due to a different content in sialic acid residues [2,3], in addition to the two different alleles and genetic polymorphism encoded by the FUCA1 gene [4,5]. The significance of the FUCA2 gene is currently unknown [4±6].The absence or gross deficiency of a-l-fucosidase activity causes accumulation of fucoglycoconjugates, which leads to the genetic neurovisceral storage disease fucosidosis in mammals [7,8]. A new syndrome, previously known as leukocyte adhesion deficiency II, has been recently characterized as a generalized metabolic disease consisting of severe hypofucosylation of glycoconjugates [9]. Moreover, an abnormal intracellular and extracellular distribution of a-l-fucosidase is found, for example, in cystic fibrosis (decreased levels in antiserum and higher levels in skin fibroblasts) or in colon carcinomas (decreased levels in antiserum and in tumor tissue) [10±13]. In general, tissue differentiation and development through cell±cell recognition are modulated by sequential changes of the sugar chains of cell surface glycoproteins. As the expression or deletion of a-fucosyl residues linked at various positions of sugar chains of glycoproteins is one of these alterations, the role of a-l-fucosidase in these processes is of considerable interest.The majority (90±100%) of the a-l-fucosidase activity in almost all mammalian tissues investigated is in the soluble fraction [1], the human brain being the exception [14]. A serum form of a-l-fucosidase, which has attracted interest as a diagnostic marker in many clinical studies [15], has turned out to be similar to the tissue forms [4±6,16,17]. Very recently, a-l-fucosidase from rat testis and epididymal spermatozoa was found by immunocytochemistry to be associated with the outer p...