scholarly journals Preliminary Virtual Screening Studies to Identify GRP78 Inhibitors Which May Interfere with SARS-CoV-2 Infection

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreia Palmeira ◽  
Emília Sousa ◽  
Aylin Köseler ◽  
Ramazan Sabirli ◽  
Tarık Gören ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Molecular Target ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Expression Studies ◽  
Host Cell Surface ◽  
Gene Expression Studies ◽  
Target Effect ◽  
Approved Drugs

SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein was predicted by molecular docking to bind the host cell surface GRP78, which was suggested as a putative good molecular target to inhibit Covid-19. We aimed to confirm that GRP78 gene expression was increased in blood of SARS-CoV-2 (+) versus SARS-CoV-2 (−) pneumonia patients. In addition, we aimed to identify drugs that could be repurposed to inhibit GRP78, thus with potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. Gene expression studies were performed in 10 SARS-CoV-2 (−) and 24 SARS-CoV-2 (+) pneumonia patients. A structure-based virtual screen was performed with 10,761 small molecules retrieved from DrugBank, using the GRP78 nucleotide binding domain and substrate binding domain as molecular targets. Results indicated that GRP78 mRNA levels were approximately four times higher in the blood of SARS-CoV-2 (+) versus SARS-CoV-2 (−) pneumonia patients, further suggesting that GRP78 might be a good molecular target to treat Covid-19. In addition, a total of 409 compounds were identified with potential as GRP78 inhibitors. In conclusion, we found preliminary evidence that further proposes GRP78 as a possible molecular target to treat Covid-19 and that many clinically approved drugs bind GRP78 as an off-target effect. We suggest that further work should be urgently carried out to confirm if GRP78 is indeed a good molecular target and if some of those drugs have potential to be repurposed for SARS-CoV-2 antiviral activity.

Time course of myogenic and metabolic gene expression in response to acute exercise in human skeletal muscle

2005 ◽  
Vol 98 (5) ◽  
pp. 1745-1752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifan Yang ◽  
Andrew Creer ◽  
Bozena Jemiolo ◽  
Scott Trappe
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Acute Exercise ◽  
Vastus Lateralis ◽  
Gene Induction ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Metabolic Gene ◽  
Expression Studies ◽  
Metabolic Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Expression Studies

The aim of this study was to examine the time course activation of select myogenic (MRF4, Myf5, MyoD, myogenin) and metabolic (CD36, CPT1, HKII, and PDK4) genes after an acute bout of resistance (RE) or run (Run) exercise. Six RE subjects [25 ± 4 yr (mean ± SD), 74 ± 14 kg, 1.71 ± 0.11 m] and six Run subjects (25 ± 4 yr, 72 ± 5 kg, 1.81 ± 0.07 m, 63 ± 8 ml·kg−1·min−1) were studied. Eight muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis (RE) and gastrocnemius (Run) before, immediately after, and 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 h after exercise. RE increased mRNA of MRF4 (3.7- to 4.5-fold 2–4 h post), MyoD (5.8-fold 8 h post), myogenin (2.6- and 3.5-fold 8–12 h post), HKII (3.6- to 10.5-fold 2–12 h post), and PDK4 (14- to 26-fold 2–8 h post). There were no differences in Myf5, CD36, and CPT1 mRNA levels 0–24 h post-RE. Run increased mRNA of MyoD (5.0- to 8.0-fold), HKII (12- to 16-fold), and PDK4 (32- to 52-fold) at 8–12 h postexercise. There were no differences in MRF4, Myf5, myogenin, CD36 and CPT1 mRNA levels 0–24 h post-Run. These data indicate a myogenic and metabolic gene induction with RE and Run exercise. The timing of the gene induction is variable and generally peaks 4–8 h postexercise with all gene expression not significantly different from the preexercise levels by 24 h postexercise. These data provide basic information for the timing of human muscle biopsy samples for gene-expression studies involving exercise.

scholarly journals Assessment of common housekeeping genes as reference for gene expression studies using RT-qPCR in mouse choroid plexus

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Hoa Ho ◽  
Annarita Patrizi
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Choroid Plexus ◽  
Sensory Deprivation ◽  
Housekeeping Genes ◽  
Housekeeping Gene ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Brain Repair ◽  
Expression Studies ◽  
Testing Algorithms ◽  
Gene Expression Studies

AbstractChoroid plexus (ChP), a vascularized secretory epithelium located in all brain ventricles, plays critical roles in development, homeostasis and brain repair. Reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is a popular and useful technique for measuring gene expression changes and also widely used in ChP studies. However, the reliability of RT-qPCR data is strongly dependent on the choice of reference genes, which are supposed to be stable across all samples. In this study, we validated the expression of 12 well established housekeeping genes in ChP in 2 independent experimental paradigms by using popular stability testing algorithms: BestKeeper, DeltaCq, geNorm and NormFinder. Rer1 and Rpl13a were identified as the most stable genes throughout mouse ChP development, while Hprt1 and Rpl27 were the most stable genes across conditions in a mouse sensory deprivation experiment. In addition, Rpl13a, Rpl27 and Tbp were mutually among the top five most stable genes in both experiments. Normalisation of Ttr and Otx2 expression levels using different housekeeping gene combinations demonstrated the profound effect of reference gene choice on target gene expression. Our study emphasized the importance of validating and selecting stable housekeeping genes under specific experimental conditions.

scholarly journals Validation of Reference Genes for Studying Different Abiotic Stresses in oat (Avena sativa L.) by RT-qPCR

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1272
Author(s):  
Judit Tajti ◽  
Magda Pál ◽  
Tibor Janda
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Avena Sativa ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Reference Genes ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Expression Studies ◽  
Gene Expression Studies

Oat (Avena sativa L.) is a widely cultivated cereal with high nutritional value and it is grown mainly in temperate regions. The number of studies dealing with gene expression changes in oat continues to increase, and to obtain reliable RT-qPCR results it is essential to establish and use reference genes with the least possible influence caused by experimental conditions. However, no detailed study has been conducted on reference genes in different tissues of oat under diverse abiotic stress conditions. In our work, nine candidate reference genes (ACT, TUB, CYP, GAPD, UBC, EF1, TBP, ADPR, PGD) were chosen and analysed by four statistical methods (GeNorm, Normfinder, BestKeeper, RefFinder). Samples were taken from two tissues (leaves and roots) of 13-day-old oat plants exposed to five abiotic stresses (drought, salt, heavy metal, low and high temperatures). ADPR was the top-rated reference gene for all samples, while different genes proved to be the most stable depending on tissue type and treatment combinations. TUB and EF1 were most affected by the treatments in general. Validation of reference genes was carried out by PAL expression analysis, which further confirmed their reliability. These results can contribute to reliable gene expression studies for future research in cultivated oat.

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