Overview of Fusion Tags for Recombinant Proteins.

Virtually all recombinant proteins are now prepared using fusion domains also known as "tags". The use of tags helps to solve some serious problems: to simplify procedures of protein isolation, to increase expression and solubility of the desired protein, to simplify protein refolding and increase its efficiency, and to prevent proteolysis. In this review, advantages and disadvantages of such fusion tags are analyzed and data on both well-known and new tags are generalized. The authors own data are also presented.

Assessment of progranulin and FAM19A5 protein blood levels in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Progranulin and family with sequence similarity 19, member A5 (FAM19A5) protein are adipokines with growing importance in the context of metabolic diseases. The study aimed to determine the serum concentration of progranulin and FAM19A5 in people with metabolic syndrome (MS) compared to those without MS. The concentration of progranulin and FAM19A5 was determined in 45 people with MS (group A) and in 35 healthy people without MS (group B). Body composition analysis, blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation and anthropometric measurements were performed. There were no differences in the blood levels of progranulin and FAM19A5 between the groups. In group A, the level of progranulin was 29.25±36.92 pg/ml and in group B it was 46.00±60.12pg/ml (p=0.2693). The level of FAM19A5 was 163.16±55.11 pg/ml and 197.57±112.89 pg/ml (p=0.1341) in subjects with and without metabolic syndrome, respectively. In group A, there was a correlation between FAM19A5 and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (R= -0.40) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level (R= -0.37). In group B, correlations were found between progranulin and waist circumference (R= -0.43) and progranulin and triglyceride (TG) levels (R= -0.42). Both groups together showed correlations between progranulin level and body mass index (R= -0.24), HDL (R=0.25) and TG levels (R= -0.25) and between FAM19A5 level and DBP (R= -0.34). In conclusion, patients with and without MS do not differ in the range of progranulin and FAM19A5 serum levels. In patients with MS, elevated FAM19A5 serum levels may be an indicator of dyslipidaemia development. FAM19A5 appears to be a better predictor of MS than progranulin.

Beneficial dose-independent influence of Camellia sinensis supplementation on lipid profile, glycemia, and insulin resistance in an NaCl-induced hypertensive rat model.

Green tea extract exerts favorable influence on the lipid profile and insulin resistance in the high-sodium intake arterial hypertension. A high-sodium diet (HSD) was introduced to thirty Wistar rats to create a model of hypertension. Rats were randomized into three groups, 10 animals each. The SK group consumed HSD. The SH2 group consumed HSD with 2 g of green tea extract in kg of diet. The SH4 group was fed HSD with 4 g of green tea extract in kg of diet. After six-week trial blood samples were collected. The serum concentrations of glucose, insulin and lipids were estimated, and insulin sensitivity was calculated using homeostatic model assessment (HOMA). Neither the high-sodium diet nor supplementation with green tea extract had any significant influence on the body mass of the animals in either group. Total cholesterol (TCH) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol serum concentrations were significantly smaller in both supplemented groups than in the SK group. The insulin level in the SH2 rats and HOMA in SH2 and SH4 groups were found to be significantly smaller than in the SK group. There were no differences in glucose concentrations between groups. Within the whole population, statistically significant positive correlations between HOMA and LDL, TCH were found. We conclude that in NaCl-induced hypertensive Wistar rats, supplementation with green tea extract produced a dose-independent beneficial and parallel effect on the lipid profile and insulin resistance.

Late-onset Pompe disease in a 54 year-old sportsman with an episode of syncope: a case report.

Pompe disease is an extra-rare metabolic storage disease with deficiency of acid-alpha-glucosidase (GAA) enzyme activity, which leads to the pathologic accumulation of glycogen in target tissues (skeletal muscles, heart, brain). Clinical features and severity vary by the age of onset, rate of extent of organ involvement. In the late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) form, essential cardiomyopathy seems to be uncommon. Muscles weakness and respiratory failure are the main symptoms of adult patient with Pompe disease. In presented case LOPD coupled with patient's regular sporting activity and healthy diet, which may explain the low intensity of the symptoms and the slow progress of the disease, lack of skeletal muscles weakness and lack of brain manifestation. Myocardial storage deposits are the only abnormalities found.