1,720,970 research outputs found
Proteome signature of breast cancer cells treated with fucoidan
No full text>Magister Scientiae - MScBreast cancer is responsible for a large portion of cancer-related deaths. Worldwide, incidence is increasing. Routinely-used treatments for breast cancer are invasive and are associated with a range of side-effects which may affect quality of life. Fucoidan, a marine bioactive compound, found primarily in brown seaweed, has various medicinal qualities. Among its bioactivities studied, it has potent anticancer activity. Despite numerous studies, the mechanism of action of fucoidan on cancer cells remains unclear. This project aims to shed light on the mechanism of action of fucoidan by studying its effect on the MCF7 breast cancer cell proteome. The IC50 obtained for fucoidan treated MCF7 cells was 0.2 mg/ml. Decrease in expression of XIAP and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was observed, indicating a decrease in inhibition of apoptosis and increased sensitivity to apoptosis, respectively. Literature reports activation of several caspases, including caspase-3, in various cell lines after to fucoidan treatment. Taken together, with data from the current study it can be said that fucoidan treatment led to cell death by apoptosis. SILAC analysis identified over 2000 proteins with more than 1700 at 95% confidence. STRING analysis of enriched proteins revealed 19 cell death related proteins. However, SILAC results were ambiguous with regards to differential protein regulation and should be repeated with lower electrospray ionization flow rates, pairwise and single sample runs, and validation with Western blot analysis of various apoptosis related proteins and biochemical assays.National Research Foundatio
Proteome signature of breast cancer cells treated with fucoidan
Get PDF>Magister Scientiae - MScBreast cancer is responsible for a large portion of cancer-related deaths. Worldwide, incidence is increasing. Routinely-used treatments for breast cancer are invasive and are associated with a range of side-effects which may affect quality of life. Fucoidan, a marine bioactive compound, found primarily in brown seaweed, has various medicinal qualities. Among its bioactivities studied, it has potent anticancer activity. Despite numerous studies, the mechanism of action of fucoidan on cancer cells remains unclear. This project aims to shed light on the mechanism of action of fucoidan by studying its effect on the MCF7 breast cancer cell proteome. The IC50 obtained for fucoidan treated MCF7 cells was 0.2 mg/ml. Decrease in expression of XIAP and phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was observed, indicating a decrease in inhibition of apoptosis and increased sensitivity to apoptosis, respectively. Literature reports activation of several caspases, including caspase-3, in various cell lines after to fucoidan treatment. Taken together, with data from the current study it can be said that fucoidan treatment led to cell death by apoptosis. SILAC analysis identified over 2000 proteins with more than 1700 at 95% confidence. STRING analysis of enriched proteins revealed 19 cell death related proteins. However, SILAC results were ambiguous with regards to differential protein regulation and should be repeated with lower electrospray ionization flow rates, pairwise and single sample runs, and validation with Western blot analysis of various apoptosis related proteins and biochemical assays.National Research Foundatio
Identification and characterization of microorganisms associated with marine macroalgae Splachnidium rugosum
No full text>Magister Scientiae - MScMarine macroalgae are known to carry diverse bacterial communities which interact with their hosts in both harmful and beneficial ways. Algae hosts provide the bacteria with a rich source of carbon in the form of carbohydrate polysaccharides such as fucoidan, agar and alginate, which the bacteria enzymatically degrade. Splachnidium rugosum is a brown alga (Phylum: Phaeophyta) that grows exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere along the temperate shores of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. While several studies have investigated S. rugosum distribution and fucoidan production, the microbiome of S. rugosum remains largely uncharacterized. Thus, the major objective of the present study was to isolate, identify and characterize epiphytic bacterial communities associated with S. rugosum. Algae were sourced from Rooi Els (Western Cape, South Africa) during winter 2012. Culture based methods relied on a range of selective marine media including marine agar, nutrient sea water agar, nutrient agar and thiosulfate-citrate-bile-salts-sucrose agar to determine the composition and uniqueness of bacterial communities associated with S. rugosum. Epiphytic isolates were identified to species level by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and encompassed 39 Gram-negative and 2 Grampositive bacterial taxa. Isolates were classified into four phylogenetic groups, Gamma - Proteobacteria, Alpha-Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteriodetes. Bacteria belonging to the phylum Gamma-Proteobacteria were the most abundant, with Vibrio and Pseudoalteromonas being the dominant genera. Three isolates with low sequence identity (˂97%) to their closest relatives could possibly represent novel species. These isolates were grouped into the genera Shewanella, Sphingomonas and Sulfitobacter. All bacterial isolates (41) were screened for antimicrobial activity against the following test strains: Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Mycobacterium smegmatis Micrococcus luteus and Pseudomonas putida. Fifteen isolates (36%) displayed antimicrobial activity against one or more of the test strains, while one isolate (Pseudomonas species) showed broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against all the test strains except for E. coli. This study provides the first account of the diversity and composition of bacterial populations on the surface of S. rugosum, and demonstrates the ability of these bacteria to produce antimicrobial compounds. Despite recent advances in metagenomics, this study highlights the fact that traditional culturing technologies remain a valuable tool for the discovery of novel bioactive compounds of bacterial origin
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Acolein in wine : bacterial origin and analytical detection
Get PDFThesis (MSc (Chemistry and Polymer Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.ENGLISH ABSTRACT:
Wine quality is compromised by the presence of 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde (3-HPA)
due to spontaneous conversion into acrolein under wine making conditions. Acrolein
is highly toxic and is presence has been correlated with the development of
bitterness in wine. Lactic acid bacterial strains isolated from South African red wine,
Lactobacillus pentosus and Lactobacillus brevis, are implicated in accumulating 3-
HPA during anaerobic glycerol fermentation. The environmental conditions leading
to its accumulation are elucidated. In aqueous solution 3-HPA undergoes reversible
dimerization and hydration, resulting in an equilibrium state between different
derivatives. Interconversion between 3-HPA derivatives and acrolein is a complex
and highly dynamic process driven by hydration and dehydration reactions. Acrolein
is furthermore highly reactive and its steady-state concentration in complex systems
very low. As a result analytical detection and quantification in solution is problematic.
This study highlights the roles played by natural chemical derivatives and shows that
the acrolein dimer can be used as a marker for indicating the presence of acrolein in
wines. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to gas chromatograph mass
spectrometry (GC-MS) was validated as a technique for direct detection of the
acrolein dimer in wine. The potential of a recently introduced sorptive extractive
technique with a sample enrichment probe (SEP) was also investigated. The SPME
technique simplifies the detection process and allows for rapid sampling of the
acrolein marker, while SEP is more sensitive.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING:
Die teenwoodigheid van 3-hidroksiepropioonaldehied (3-HPA) in wyn het ‘n
negatiewe invloed op kwaliteit as gevolg van die moontlike omskakeling na akroleien
tydens die wynmaak prosses. Akroleien is hoog toksies en is moontlik betrokke by
die ontwikkeling van ‘n bitter komponent in wyn. Hierdie studie wys dat stamme van
die melksuurbakteriëe Lactobacillus pentosus en Lactobacillus brevis, geisoleer uit
Suid-Afrikaanse wyn, 3-HPA tydens anaerobiese alkoholiese fermentasie kan opbou.
Kondisies wat ontwikkeling beinvloed is bestudeer. 3-HPA ondergaan omkeerbare
dimerisasie en hidrasie in oplossing en het ‘n ewewig tussen veskillende derivate tot
gevolg. Omkakeling tussen 3-HPA derivate en akroleien is ‘n komplekse en hoogs
dinamiese prosses wat gedryf word deur hidrasie en dehidrasie reaksies. Akroleien
is verder hoogs reaktief en die ewewigskonsentrasie van hierdie aldehied in
komplekse omgewings is laag. Analitiese waarneming en kwantifisering is gevolglik
problematies. Hierdie studie lig die rol wat natuurlike chemise derivate speel duidelik
uit en wys dat die akroleien dimeer as ‘n merker gebruik kan word om die
teenwoodigeid van akoleien in wyn te staaf. Soliede-fase mikro-ekstraksie (SPME)
gekoppel aan gas chromatografie massa spektroskopie (GC-MS) is gevalideer as ‘n
tegniek vir die direkte waarneming van die akroleien dimeer in wyn. Die potensiaal
van ‘n nuwe ekstraksie tegniek, gebasseer op ‘n peiler wat vir die monster verreik
(SEP), was ook ondersoek. Die SPME tegniek is vinnig en vergemaklik analiese,
terwyl SEP meer sensitief is
Identification and characterization of microorganisms associated with marine macroalgae Splachnidium rugosum
Get PDF>Magister Scientiae - MScMarine macroalgae are known to carry diverse bacterial communities which interact with their hosts in both harmful and beneficial ways. Algae hosts provide the bacteria with a rich source of carbon in the form of carbohydrate polysaccharides such as fucoidan, agar and alginate, which the bacteria enzymatically degrade. Splachnidium rugosum is a brown alga (Phylum: Phaeophyta) that grows exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere along the temperate shores of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. While several studies have investigated S. rugosum distribution and fucoidan production, the microbiome of S. rugosum remains largely uncharacterized. Thus, the major objective of the present study was to isolate, identify and characterize epiphytic bacterial communities associated with S. rugosum. Algae were sourced from Rooi Els (Western Cape, South Africa) during winter 2012. Culture based methods relied on a range of selective marine media including marine agar, nutrient sea water agar, nutrient agar and thiosulfate-citrate-bile-salts-sucrose agar to determine the composition and uniqueness of bacterial communities associated with S. rugosum. Epiphytic isolates were identified to species level by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and encompassed 39 Gram-negative and 2 Grampositive bacterial taxa. Isolates were classified into four phylogenetic groups, Gamma - Proteobacteria, Alpha-Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteriodetes. Bacteria belonging to the phylum Gamma-Proteobacteria were the most abundant, with Vibrio and Pseudoalteromonas being the dominant genera. Three isolates with low sequence identity (˂97%) to their closest relatives could possibly represent novel species. These isolates were grouped into the genera Shewanella, Sphingomonas and Sulfitobacter. All bacterial isolates (41) were screened for antimicrobial activity against the following test strains: Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Mycobacterium smegmatis Micrococcus luteus and Pseudomonas putida. Fifteen isolates (36%) displayed antimicrobial activity against one or more of the test strains, while one isolate (Pseudomonas species) showed broad spectrum antimicrobial activity against all the test strains except for E. coli. This study provides the first account of the diversity and composition of bacterial populations on the surface of S. rugosum, and demonstrates the ability of these bacteria to produce antimicrobial compounds. Despite recent advances in metagenomics, this study highlights the fact that traditional culturing technologies remain a valuable tool for the discovery of novel bioactive compounds of bacterial origin
Bioprospecting for bioactive polysaccharides from marine algae endemic to South Africa
No full text>Magister Scientiae - MScFucoidan is a marine-derived sulphated polysaccharide with bioactive properties ideal for the food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The polysaccharide consists largely of L-fucose, has a highly heterogeneous structure and is of diverse origin. Fucoidan was extracted from Ecklonia maxima, Laminaria pallida and Splachnidium rugosum and the effect of different extraction methods on fucoidan heterogeneity was assessed. Extraction methods employed hot water, hydrochloric acid or calcium chloride salt. Fucoidan yield and purity were determined by various colorimetric assays. Highest fucoidan yield was obtained with the hot water extraction method as seen by highest L-fucose content. Splachnidium rugosum extracts contained ~5 times more L-fucose than Ecklonia maxima and Laminaria pallida extracts. The salt extraction method yielded extracts free of contaminants, however L-fucose content in all extracts was >20 times lower. Acid extraction yielded highest levels of uronic acid contamination and liberated sulphate from the fucoidan polysaccharide. The fucose-to-sulphate ratio for Ecklonia maxima was approximately 1:5, whilst the ratios for Splachnidium rugosum and Laminaria pallida were approximately 1:1 and 1:2, respectively. The acid and salt extraction methods removed all traces of protein contaminants, while the hot water method retained very low levels of protein. The extraction method used to isolate fucoidan was a determining factor in yield and purity. Chemical compositional analyses of hot water extracts were assessed by gas chromatography mass spectroscopy. Splachnidium rugosum and Laminaria pallida extracts consisted largely of L-fucose, while Ecklonia maxima fucoidan was characterized with high glucose abundance. Crude hot water and acid extracts from Splachnidium rugosum tissue were fractionated and purified by (anionic) ion exchange chromatography as bioactivity has been correlated to lower molecular weight forms. In water extracts, ion exchange chromatography resulted in close to 90% decrease in L-fucose, sulphate and uronic acid, while protein content increased by 57%. Similar results were reported for acid extracts; however protein content did not change significantly. These results show that method of extraction may affect the composition of fucoidan post-purification. Hot water extraction is recommended due to higher fucoidan yield, as reflected by L-fucose content, and higher sulphate-to-fucose ratio. High protein content after ion exchange chromatography was however of concern. Since mucilage in Splachnidium rugosum thallus was free of protein, fucoidan was precipitated from mucilage with ethanol. Fucoidan yield of mucilage was >15-fold higher than content in purified hot water extracts with a sulphate-to-fucose ratio of ~1:1. The average molecular weight of native fucoidan in mucilage was estimated at 2367 kDa. The polysaccharide was hydrolysed by gamma-irradiation levels of 10-50 kGy to fractions ranging between 60 and 15.5 kDa. Hot water crude fucoidan extracts from Ecklonia maxima, Laminaria pallida, and Splachnidium rugosum were assessed for anti-oxidant activity by measuring the ability to scavenge free radicals and the capacity to reduce copper ions with 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and Cupric Reducing Anti-oxidant Capacity assays, respectively. Ecklonia maxima crude fucoidan displayed highest anti-oxidant activity and capacity, having the potential to scavenge reactive oxygen species as well as the capacity to reduce copper to less toxic forms in mammalian systems. Splachnidium rugosum showed weakest anti-oxidant activity and lowest reducing capacity. The anti-cancer activity of crude and purified hot water Splachnidium rugosum extracts, as well as non-irradiated (native) and gamma-irradiated fucoidan, and commercially procured fucoidan were assessed for anti-cancer activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Splachnidium rugosum crude and purified fucoidan displayed a half maximal inhibitory concentration of 0.7 mg/mL and 0.029 mg/mL, respectively. Low cytotoxicity of crude and purified Splachnidium rugosum fucoidan against non-cancerous breast epithelial cell line MCF-12A was observed, as seen by half maximal inhibitory concentration values of 2 mg/mL and 0.663 mg/mL, respectively. The cancer specific selectivity of purified Splachnidium rugosum fucoidan was therefore much higher as reflected by 10-fold higher selectivity index than that of crude fucoidan. Native and low molecular weight gamma-irradiated fucoidan also showed bioactive properties including anti-cancer activity as seen by the reduction of cell proliferation in vitro, whereas crude fucoidan showed the ability to scavenge free radicals, and the capacity to reduce copper ions.National Research Foundation (NRF
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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