Sequence analyses of the left and right termini of Lulll virus show they are nonidentical imperfect palindromes of 122 and 211 nucleotides, respectively. The left terminus of the minus strand of LullI DNA, uniquely in the flip conformation, can assume a T-shaped structure. The right terminus of the minus strand of Lulll DNA can assume a U-shaped structure, and it exists in either the flip or flop conformation. The termini of Lulll shared a high degree of sequence homology and showed conserved secondary structure with those of the rodent parvoviruses MVMp and H-1. LullI, like adeno-associated virus, encapsidates equal amounts of plus-and minus-strand DNA. However, the sequence data for LuIllI virus demonstrate that identical termini are not required for this encapsidation pattern.
Early involvement of students in hands-on research experiences are known to demystify research and promote the pursuit of careers in science. But in large enrolment departments such opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research are rare. To counteract such lack of opportunities, inquiry-based laboratory module in plant tissue culture was implemented in an undergraduate botany course impacting approximately 140 Hispanic minority students per year. In this module, spread throughout the semester, the students used African violet to gain experience in plant tissue culture techniques. The objective was for the students to learn how to take part of the plant from in vivo to in vitro culture. This required the establishment of aseptic techniques and the use of different media components to multiply plants under in vitro conditions. In depth assessment of gain-of content knowledge and gain-of confidence revealed that our inquiry-based approach allowed the students to learn while increasing their self-perception of scientific methodology. In three semesters, the students reported a 2.5-fold overall increase in the post-module assessment for content knowledge compared to pre-module assessment.Similarly, approximately 85% of the students reported that they gained self-confidence in many aspects pertaining to conducting future research such as the use of primary literature, the design and performance of novel scientific experiments, and the formulation of a testable hypothesis. Though this lab module was solely in plant tissue culture, the inquiry-based nature of the exercise developed students' research skills and built confidence which is important in increasing retention of students in sciences.
CaS/DMSO has been the subject of work in our group because it dissociates spontaneously in proton rich environments to produce Ca2+ ions and H2S. Extracellular Ca2+ concentrations in the neighbourhood of 500nM can induce apoptosis. Smaller concentrations of H2S can also induce apoptosis. We present here our efforts to establish the effect of CaS clusters in the cytoskeleton and focal adhesion points of human skin adherent benign and melanoma cells. We hypothesize that if the CaS nanoclusters can induce programmed death, then we will observe a significant impact in the focal adhesion points of cancer cells. We have studied the effect of DMSO and diluted CaS/DMSO on the focal adhesion points and cytoskeleton of cancer and benign cells using a digital confocal microscope. Anti‐vinculin monoclonal antibody and FITC‐conjugated secondary antibodies were used to detect vinculin in the cell environment. Vinculin expression was found to increase in benign cells in the first 24 and 48 hours of incubation with 1% DMSO. Comparison with control experiments the DMSO appears to localize vinculin expression around benign cell nuclei as well as the boundaries of the cytoskeleton. The CaS/DMSO increase the focal adhesion points of the adherent benign cells. In contrast, vinculin expression decreased in human melanoma fibroblasts cells incubated with 1% DMSO‐ as compared to the corresponding melanoma control cells‐ in the first 24 hours. In contrast, vinculin expression of the melanoma cells increased and de‐localized to the cell boundary edges in the first 24 hours when incubated with the CaS/DMSO. The vinculin expression in the melanoma cells incubated with 1% DMSO was found to increase significantly 48 hours as compared to the control. As with the benign cells, the melanoma cells vinculin expression was found to be more localized around the nuclei at the 48‐hour mark as compared to the first 24 hours. Vinculin expression could barely be detected in the fluorescence microscope following incubation of the melanoma cells with the CaS dispersion for 48 hours. Thus, in contrast to the benign cells, the CaS/DMSO reduce the focal adhesion points of the adherent melanoma cell. TRITC conjugated phalloidin antibody was employed to study the effect of DMSO in the F‐actin associated with the cytoskeleton of human benign and melanoma adherent skin cells. The F‐actin expression in the benign cells incubated with 1 % DMSO was found to decrease in the first 24 hours and then to increase significantly 48 hours following incubations as compared to the control. The CaS/DMSO does not seem to have any noticeable effect in the benign cells following 24 or 48 hours of incubation as compared to the control. We are led to control that the CaS/DMSO does not affect the benign skin cells cytoskeleton. The F‐actin expression changed from a protein with linear‐like to branch morphology in the melanoma cells incubated with DMSO. The CaS/DMSO increased the F‐actin branching but reduced its overall expression. In summary the results indicate that CaS does not a...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.