Challenges of molecular nutrition research 6: The nutritional phenotype database to store, share and evaluate nutritional systems biology studies

The challenge of modern nutrition and health research is to identify food-based strategies promoting life-long optimal health and well-being. This research is complex because it exploits a multitude of bioactive compounds acting on an extensive network of interacting processes. Whereas nutrition research can profit enormously from the revolution...

Clinical trial of doxycycline for matrix metalloproteinase-9 inhibition in patients with an abdominal aneurysm doxycycline selectively depletes aortic wall neutrophils and cytotoxic t cells

Background-Doxycycline has been shown to effectively inhibit aneurysm formation in animal models of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Although this effect is ascribed to matrix metalloproteinase-9 inhibition, such an effect is unclear in human studies. We reevaluated the effect of doxycycline on aortic wall protease content in a inical trial and found...

Emerging applications for traceability systems and implications for consumers

The modified European Food Law (General Food Law) has been emphasizing on the need to increase consumer confidence through implementation of regulatory measures focused on increased traceability in food chain. The implementation of effective traceability systems can provide the basis of communication between actors in the production chain, and...

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of a monosaccharide transporter gene OsMST4 from rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Monosaccharide transporters mediate the membrane transport of a variable range of monosaccharides, which plays a crucial role in sugar distribution throughout the plant. To investigate the significance of monosaccharide transporters for rice (Oryza sativa L.) seed development, cDNA of a new putative monosaccharide transporter gene OsMST4 was...

cDNA array analysis of stress-induced gene expression in barley androgenesis

Different aspects of androgenesis induction have been studied in detail, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms associated with this developmental switch. We have employed macroarrays containing 1421 expressed sequence tags covering the early stages of barley zygotic embryogenesis to compare the gene expression profiles of stress...

Genomics applications in food preservation and safety research

Genomes are being sequenced at an ever-increasing pace. Also genomes of many of the microorganisms of concern to food safety are now known. The next step is of course how to exploit this information in an effective way. This article briefly introduces the issues in the food processing industry as far as microbial food spoilage and safety are...

Systems biology, connectivity and the future of medicine

The concept of systems-based strategies in medicine is emerging, with systems pathology guiding an understanding of the multidimensional aspects of disease system fingerprints and systems pharmacology providing insight into dynamic system responses upon (multiple) drug perturbations. Knowledge of the changes of system characteristics during...

Toxicogenomics concepts and applications to study hepatic effects of food additives and chemicals

Transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics are genomics technologies with great potential in toxicological sciences. Toxicogenomics involves the integration of conventional toxicological examinations with gene, protein or metabolite expression profiles. An overview together with selected examples of the possibilities of genomics in toxicology...

Generation of a recombinant apolipoprotein E variant with improved biological functions: Hydrophobic residues (LEU-261, TRP-264, PHE-265, LEU-268, VAL-269) of apoE can account for the apoE-induced hypertriglyceridemia

To identify the residues in the carboxyl-terminal region 260-299 of human apolipoprotein E (apoE) that contribute to hypertriglyceridemia, two sets of conserved, hydrophobic amino acids between residues 261 and 283 were mutated to alanines, and recombinant adenoviruses expressing these apoE mutants were generated. Adenovirus-mediated gene...

Biochemical and molecular characerization of a levansucrase from Lactobacillus reuteri

Lactobacillus reuteri strain 121 employs a fructosyltransferase (FTF) to synthesize a fructose polymer [a fructan of the levan type, with β(2→6) linkages] from sucrose or raffinose. Purification of this FTF (a levansucrase), and identification of peptide amino acid sequences, allowed isolation of the first Lactobacillus levansucrase gene (lev),...

Assessment of the safety of foods derived from genetically modified (GM) crops

This paper provides guidance on how to assess the safety of foods derived from genetically modified crops (GM crops); it summarises conclusions and recommendations of Working Group 1 of the ENTRANSFOOD project. The paper provides an approach for adapting the test strategy to the characteristics of the modified crop and the introduced trait, and...

The role of analytical sciences in medical systems biology

Medical systems biology has generated widespread interest because of its bold conception and exciting potential, but the field is still in its infancy. Although there has been tremendous progress achieved recently in generating, integrating and analysing data in the medical and pharmaceutical field, many challenges remain, especially with...

A 16-Residue Peptide Fragment of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor, MIF-(50-65), Exhibits Redox Activity and Has MIF-like Biological Functions

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a cytokine that participates in the host inflammatory response. A Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Cys (CXXC)-based thiol-protein oxidoreductase activity of MIF is associated with certain biological functions. Peptides spanning the CXXC region of thiol-protein oxidoreductases retain some biochemical properties of the...

Functional polymorphism in the regulatory region of gelatinase B gene in relation to severity of coronary atherosclerosis

Background - Gelatinase B, a matrix metalloproteinase that has proteolytic activity against connective tissue proteins, has been suggested to be important in the connective tissue remodeling processes associated with atherogenesis and plaque rupture. This study tested the hypothesis that sequence variation in the promoter region of the...