RESUMEN
The aim of this study is to disclose the potential bioactive components of Cuscuta palaestina, a native parasitic natural plant of flora palaestina and to open direction towards new prospective application. GC-MS analysis identified 18 components in the methanolic extract of C. palaestina for the first time. The most appealing among them are Sesamin and two other phytosterols (Campesterol and Stigmasterol), all of which are documented in the scientific literature for their anticancer activity. Quantitation of Sesamin extracted from C. palaestina by HPLC-PDA with the use of three organic solvents showed that the Sesamin content in the methanolic extract was the highest. Following the disclosure of Sesamin presence in C. palaestina, we raised the question of whether it is produced naturally in C. palaestina or acquired from the host plant. The quantitation of Sesamin in C. palaestina was performed while being with five different host plants, and was compared with the amount of Sesamin in C. palaestina grown alone. The findings reveal that Sesamin is an endogenous secondary metabolite in C. palaestina. Thus, further studies are required to prove if C. palaestina can be used as an alternative source of anticancer phytochemicals, mainly Sesamin, and if proteins in the Sesamin production pathway could be valid biological targets for the development of novel and selective pesticides for control/ eradication of C. palaestina and maybe some other Cuscuta species. As well, the findings from this study raise a big question of whether inferring Sesamin production in C. palaestina could reduce its attack ability to host plants.
Asunto(s)
Cuscuta/química , Dioxoles/química , Dioxoles/aislamiento & purificación , Lignanos/química , Lignanos/aislamiento & purificación , Calibración , Cuscuta/metabolismo , Cromatografía de Gases y Espectrometría de Masas , Lignanos/biosíntesisRESUMEN
Recent advances in genomics, proteomics, cell biology and biochemistry of tumors have revealed new pathways that are aberrantly activated in numerous cancer types. However, the enormous amount of data available in this field may mislead scientists in focused research. As cancer cell growth and progression is often dependent upon the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway, there has been extensive research into the proteins implicated in the PI3K pathway. Using data available in the Human Protein Atlas database, the current study investigated the expression of 25 key proteins that are known to be involved with PI3K pathway activation in a distinct group of 20 cancer types. These proteins are AKTIP, ARP1, BAD, GSK3A, GSK3B, MERTK-1, PIK3CA, PRR5, PSTPIP2, PTEN, FOX1, RHEB, RPS6KB1, TSC1, TP53, BCL2, CCND1, WFIKKN2, CREBBP, caspase-9, PTK2, EGFR, FAS, CDKN1A and XIAP. The analysis revealed pronounced expression of specific proteins in distinct cancer tissues, which may have the potential to serve as targets for treatments and provide insights into the molecular basis of cancer.
RESUMEN
The antioxidative response, where ascorbate peroxidase (APX) is a key enzyme, is an integral part of the plant tolerance response to environmental stresses. As a first step towards the study of the physiological role and the regulation of the members of the Apx gene family, the orthologs of the stress-sensitive cultivated tomato Solanum lycopersicum cv. M82 (Slm) and of the wild salt-tolerant species S. pennellii acc. Atico (Spa) were identified by utilizing the tomato EST database, and characterized. A redundant list of 16 virtual Apx transcripts and four singleton ESTs was shown to correspond to seven genuine Apx genes. The complete tomato Apx gene family is comprised of genes encoding three cytosolic, two peroxisomal, and two chloroplastic APXs. These genes attained differential regulatory patterns in various Slm organs. More detailed study of Apx1 and Apx2 genes, that are the products of a recent gene duplication event, shows that they have already attained differential regulation within and between Slm and Spa under control and stress conditions. It is also suggested that due to lineage-specific gene duplication and lose events, intricate phylogenetic relationships exist among the members of the Apx gene families.