There are numerous genetic factors like MC4R (Melanocortin-4 receptor), POMC (Proopiomelanocortin), SIM1 (Single Minded Gene) etc. important in obesity, which can be used as biomarker. But more reliable diagnostic markers are the need for today, along with new therapeutic strategies that target specific molecules in the disease pathways. As in mouse and human genes, where mutations in one or both species are associated with some phenotypic characteristics as observed in human disease. In molecular mechanisms of development, differentiation, and disease gene expression data provide crucial insights. Up-regulation and down-regulation of selective genes can have major effects on diet-induced obesity, but there is little or no effect when animals are fed a low-fat diet. In present study we have studied the gene expression data of mouse at different theiler stages using GXD BioMart. The interacting partners and pathway of the genes that are already used as biomarker in mouse as well as in humans have been studied. A gene NPY1R (Neuropeptide Y1 receptor) was taken as common after STRING and KEGG results on the basis of biochemical pathways and interactions similar to MC4R. Our present work focuses on comparative genomics and proteomics analysis of NPY1R, which has led to identification of biomarker by comparing it with already known MC4R human and mouse biomarker. It has been concluded that both the proteins are structurally and functionally similar.
Resveratrol is a polyphenolic phytocompound known to possess anxiolytic-like effects but its impact on central gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) modulation has never been explored. The purpose of this study was to analyze the anxiolytic-like effects of resveratrol alone and in combination with rufinamide, an antiepileptic drug which has never been studied for its anxiolytic potential. The BALB/c mice were tested in a battery of behavior testing after administration of resveratrol (50 mg/kg) and rufinamide (50 mg/kg) alone and in combination. Moreover, molecular docking studies were also carried out to understand the interaction of resveratrol and rufinamide with GABA aminotransferase, GABA receptor and GABA-A transporter type 1. Resveratrol alone exerted notable anxiolytic-like effects and improved outcomes in few experiments but rufinamide alone did not yield any beneficial outcomes. However, the animal co-administered with resveratrol and rufinamide behaved exceptionally well (p<0.05) and preferred open, illuminated and exposed areas of open field, light/dark and elevated plus maze. Further, these animals showed reduced anxiety towards anxiogenic stimuli i.e. holes and marbles in hole board and marble bury tests, respectively. Resveratrol and rufinamide showed moderate to strong binding affinities with GABA proteins, indicating the potential to treat anxiety-like neurological disorders. Moreover, resveratrol and rufinamide were analyzed using molecular docking to determine their interaction with GABA receptors, transporters, and transaminase. The results suggest that their anxiolytic-like effects may be due to inhibiting GABA reuptake transporter 1 protein, leading to increased synaptic levels of GABA neurotransmitter, as seen in stable molecular dynamics results with the 7SK2 GABA transporter protein.
Although the degradome, which comprises proteolytic fragments of blood proteins, presents a potential source of diagnostic biomarkers, studies on cancer peptide biomarkers have provided inconsistent conclusions. In the present study, we reevaluated the usefulness of serum degradome analyses for searching peptide cancer biomarker candidates. Particular attention was paid to pre-analytical factors influencing the variability of determined peptide levels, including clotting time and control group selection. Studies were conducted on 44 and 86 serum samples collected from cancer patients and healthy individuals, respectively, using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS)-based analyses. We identified 1373 unique peptides, nearly 40% of which originated from five blood proteins: fibrinogen alpha chain, apolipoprotein A-IV (APOA4), complement C3, apolipoprotein A-I, and alpha-1-antitrypsin. A set of 118 and 88 peptides exhibited highly significant differences (adjusted p-value ≤ 0.01 and fold change ≥ 2) in pair-wise comparisons of control vs. prostate cancer and control vs. colorectal cancer, respectively, with 37 peptides displaying a consistent direction of change for these pair-wise comparisons. The levels of 67 peptides differed significantly in serum samples collected from healthy individuals immediately prior to colonoscopy and those who underwent colonoscopic examination at least four weeks earlier. Of them, 49 peptides originated from APOA4. Whereas earlier studies, including ours, have utilized fragments of fibrinopeptide A (FPA) to distinguish cancer from healthy cases, here we show that their absolute abundance is a sensitive indicator of clotting time. These observations may have implications for future serum peptidome studies since these issues have not previously been recognized.