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- Dalgaard, Marlene D., et al.
(författare)
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A genome-wide association study of men with symptoms of testicular dysgenesis syndrome and its network biology interpretation
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Medical Genetics. - : BMJ. - 0022-2593 .- 1468-6244. ; 49:1, s. 58-65
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS) is a common disease that links testicular germ cell cancer, cryptorchidism and some cases of hypospadias and male infertility with impaired development of the testis. The incidence of these disorders has increased over the last few decades, and testicular cancer now affects 1% of the Danish and Norwegian male population. Methods To identify genetic variants that span the four TDS phenotypes, the authors performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using Affymetrix Human SNP Array 6.0 to screen 488 patients with symptoms of TDS and 439 selected controls with excellent reproductive health. Furthermore, they developed a novel integrative method that combines GWAS data with other TDS-relevant data types and identified additional TDS markers. The most significant findings were replicated in an independent cohort of 671 Nordic men. Results Markers located in the region of TGFBR3 and BMP7 showed association with all TDS phenotypes in both the discovery and replication cohorts. An immunohistochemistry investigation confirmed the presence of transforming growth factor beta receptor type III (TGFBR3) in peritubular and Leydig cells, in both fetal and adult testis. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the KITLG gene showed significant associations, but only with testicular cancer. Conclusions The association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the TGFBR3 and BMP7 genes, which belong to the transforming growth factor b signalling pathway, suggests a role for this pathway in the pathogenesis of TDS. Integrating data from multiple layers can highlight findings in GWAS that are biologically relevant despite having border significance at currently accepted statistical levels.
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2. |
- Ayres Pereira, Marina, et al.
(författare)
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Placental Sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Parasites Is Mediated by the Interaction Between VAR2CSA and Chondroitin Sulfate A on Syndecan-1
- 2016
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Ingår i: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 12:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During placental malaria, Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes sequester in the placenta, causing health problems for both the mother and fetus. The specific adherence is mediated by the VAR2CSA protein, which binds to placental chondroitin sulfate (CS) on chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) in the placental syncytium. However, the identity of the CSPG core protein and the cellular impact of the interaction have remain elusive. In this study we identified the specific CSPG core protein to which the CS is attached, and characterized its exact placental location. VAR2CSA pull-down experiments using placental extracts from whole placenta or syncytiotrophoblast microvillous cell membranes showed three distinct CSPGs available for VAR2CSA adherence. Further examination of these three CSPGs by immunofluorescence and proximity ligation assays showed that syndecan-1 is the main receptor for VAR2CSA mediated placental adherence. We further show that the commonly used placental choriocarcinoma cell line, BeWo, express a different set of proteoglycans than those present on placental syncytiotrophoblast and may not be the most biologically relevant model to study placental malaria. Syncytial fusion of the BeWo cells, triggered by forskolin treatment, caused an increased expression of placental CS-modified syndecan-1. In line with this, we show that rVAR2 binding to placental CS impairs syndecan-1-related Src signaling in forskolin treated BeWo cells, but not in untreated cells.
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3. |
- Hartmann, Nanna B., et al.
(författare)
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Are We Speaking the Same Language? Recommendations for a Definition and Categorization Framework for Plastic Debris
- 2019
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 53:3, s. 1039-1047
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society. The accumulation of plastic litter in natural environments is a global issue. Concerns over potential negative impacts on the economy, wildlife, and human health provide strong incentives for improving the sustainable use of plastics. Despite the many voices raised on the issue, we lack a consensus on how to define and categorize plastic debris. This is evident for microplastics, where inconsistent size classes are used and where the materials to be included are under debate. While this is inherent in an emerging research field, an ambiguous terminology results in confusion and miscommunication that may compromise progress in research and mitigation measures. Therefore, we need to be explicit on what exactly we consider plastic debris. Thus, we critically discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a unified terminology, propose a definition and categorization framework, and highlight areas of uncertainty. Going beyond size classes, our framework includes physicochemical properties (polymer composition, solid state, solubility) as defining criteria and size, shape, color, and origin as classifiers for categorization. Acknowledging the rapid evolution of our knowledge on plastic pollution, our framework will promote consensus building within the scientific and regulatory community based on a solid scientific foundation.
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4. |
- Hoffmann, Christian, et al.
(författare)
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Improved Alkyl Glycoside Synthesis by trans-Glycosylation through Tailored Microenvironments of Immobilized β-Glucosidase
- 2020
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Ingår i: ChemPlusChem. - : Wiley. - 2192-6506. ; 85:1, s. 137-141
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present how the microenvironment can directly improve biocatalytic selectivity of immobilized β-glucosidase. β-Glucosidase from Thermotoga neapolitana was immobilized on a variety of functionalized off-stoichiometric thiol-ene (OSTE) particles, where highest activities were observed for thiol and imidazole functional particles. Compared to the soluble enzyme, the selectivity (rs/rh) between trans-glycosylation of p-nitrophenyl β-D-glucopyranoside (pNPG) with 1-propanol over hydrolysis was increased by a factor of 2–3 using particles containing imidazole (rs/rh of 6.7) and carboxylic acid moieties (rs/rh of 9.2), respectively. These results demonstrate clearly that enzyme selectivity depends directly on the local environment of the enzyme with the support.
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5. |
- Nameer, Samer, et al.
(författare)
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Biobased Cationically Polymerizable Epoxy Thermosets from Furan and Fatty Acid Derivatives
- 2018
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Ingår i: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2168-0485. ; 6:7, s. 9442-9450
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the pursuit of environmentally friendly building blocks in polymer chemistry the utilization of biobased monomers is highly desired. In the present study, the biobased monomer 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) has been extended into epoxy thermosets. The study presents the synthesis of diallyl furan-2,5-dicarboxylate (DAFDC) followed by an epoxidation of the allyls to form diglycidyl furan-2,5-dicarboxylate (DGFDC). DGFDC was then copolymerized in both stoichiometric and off-stoichiometric ratios with epoxidized fatty methyl esters to form a range of thermosets. The cross-linking reaction was either thermally or UV-induced cationic polymerization utilizing onium salt initiators where the reactivity was studied by DSC and real-time fourier transform infrared analysis. Furthermore, the structure-property relationships of the final thermosets were determined by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis revealing a possibility to tune the properties over a wide range. In addition thermosets were made from diglycidyl Bisphenol-A (DGEBA) with epoxidized fatty methyl esters made for comparative purposes.
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