The PL6-Family Plasmids of Haloquadratum Are Virus-Related

Molecular determinants as therapeutic targets in cancer chemotherapy: An update

It is well known that cancer cells are heterogeneous in nature and very distinct from their normal counterparts. Commonly these cancer cells possess different and complementary metabolic profile, microenvironment and adopting behaviors to generate more ATPs to fulfill the requirement of high energy that is further utilized in the production of proteins and other essentials required for cell survival, growth, and proliferation. These differences create many challenges in cancer treatments. On the contrary, such situations of metabolic differences between cancer and normal cells may be expected a promising strategy for treatment purpose. In this article, we focus on the molecular determinants of oncogene-specific sub-organelles such as potential metabolites of mitochondria (reactive oxygen species, apoptotic proteins, cytochrome c, caspase 9, caspase 3, etc.), endoplasmic reticulum (unfolded protein response, PKR-like ER kinase, C/EBP homologous protein, etc.), nucleus (nucleolar phosphoprotein, nuclear pore complex, nuclear localization signal), lysosome (microenvironment, etc.) and plasma membrane phospholipids, etc. that might be exploited for the targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs for therapeutic benefits. This review will help to understand the various targets of subcellular organelles at molecular levels. In the future, this molecular level understanding may be combined with the genomic profile of cancer for the development of the molecularly guided or personalized therapeutics for complete eradication of cancer.

Complete Genome Sequence of the Model Halovirus PhiH1 (ΦH1)

The halophilic myohalovirus Halobacterium virus phiH (ΦH) was first described in 1982 and was isolated from a spontaneously lysed culture of Halobacterium salinarum strain R1. Until 1994, it was used extensively as a model to study the molecular genetics of haloarchaea, but only parts of the viral genome were sequenced during this period. Using Sanger sequencing combined with high-coverage Illumina sequencing, the full genome sequence of the major variant (phiH1) of this halovirus has been determined. The dsDNA genome is 58,072 bp in length and carries 97 protein-coding genes. We have integrated this information with the previously described transcription mapping data. PhiH could be classified into Myoviridae Type1, Cluster 4 based on capsid assembly and structural proteins (VIRFAM). The closest relative was Natrialba virus phiCh1 (φCh1), which shared 63% nucleotide identity and displayed a high level of gene synteny. This close relationship was supported by phylogenetic tree reconstructions. The complete sequence of this historically important virus will allow its inclusion in studies of comparative genomics and virus diversity.