Furthermore, PKC activation blocked thapsigargin-induced neuritog

Furthermore, PKC activation blocked thapsigargin-induced neuritogenesis, whereas PKC downregulation did not. These results show that PKC downregulation promotes differentiation and this effect is accelerated by exposure to Locke’s buffer. Although this experimental paradigm cannot be related to the in vivo situation and disease, it implies that combined inhibition of Akt and p44/p42 ERK and activation of p38 MAPK promotes differentiation. “
“Transcriptional silencing of the Fmr1 gene encoding fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) causes fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common form of inherited intellectual disability

and the leading genetic cause of autism. FMRP has been suggested to play important roles in regulating neurotransmission and short-term synaptic selleck screening library plasticity at excitatory hippocampal and cortical synapses. However,

the origins and mechanisms of these FMRP actions remain incompletely understood, and the role of FMRP in regulating buy Pictilisib synaptic release probability and presynaptic function remains debated. Here we used variance-mean analysis and peak-scaled nonstationary variance analysis to examine changes in both presynaptic and postsynaptic parameters during repetitive activity at excitatory CA3–CA1 hippocampal synapses in a mouse model of FXS. Our analyses revealed that loss of FMRP did not affect the basal release probability or basal synaptic transmission, but caused an abnormally elevated release probability specifically during repetitive activity. These abnormalities were not accompanied by changes in excitatory postsynaptic current kinetics, quantal size or postsynaptic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor conductance. Our results thus indicate that FMRP regulates neurotransmission at excitatory hippocampal synapses specifically during repetitive activity via modulation of release probability in a presynaptic Ponatinib price manner. Our study suggests that FMRP function in regulating neurotransmitter release

is an activity-dependent phenomenon that may contribute to the pathophysiology of FXS. “
“We investigated the anticonvulsant and neurobiological effects of a highly selective neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitor, N w-propyl-l-arginine (L-NPA), on kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus (SE) and early epileptogenesis in C57BL/6J mice. SE was induced with 20 mg/kg KA (i.p.) and seizures terminated after 2 h with diazepam (10 mg/kg, i.p). L-NPA (20 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle was administered 30 min before KA. Behavioural seizure severity was scored using a modified Racine score and electrographic seizure was recorded using an implantable telemetry device. Neuronal activity, activity-dependent synaptogenesis and reactive gliosis were quantified immunohistochemically, using c-Fos, synaptophysin and microglial and astrocytic markers.

Independent field studies demonstrating the effectiveness of repe

Independent field studies demonstrating the effectiveness of repellents containing icaridin against mosquitoes have been conducted in

Malaysia32,33 and Florida.34 In Australia, a formulation containing 19.2% icaridin provided similar protection as 20% deet against Verrallina lineata.35 In another study in Australia, the same formulation provided >95% protection against Culex annulirostris for 5 hours, but only 1 hour protection against Anopheles spp.12 KBR 3023 at concentrations of 2% to 13% v/v in 90% ethanol provided better protection against Anophelines in Africa than comparable formulations containing deet.10 Field studies against mosquitoes in two locations in Australia showed that a 9.3% formulation only provided 2-hour protection against V lineata35 and 5-hour protection

against C MDV3100 in vivo annulirostris,36 while 7% icaridin check details provided 5.7 hours of protection against Aedes albopictus in laboratory tests.37 The use of lower concentrations of icaridin in commercial formulations may require the user to reapply repellent more often to maintain effectiveness than with the higher concentrations (>20%) of icaridin used in the field. Protection from biting by ticks provided by 20% lotions of KBR 3023 was reported to be short.38 Carroll and colleagues22 showed that Bayrepel (10 and 20% icaridin) repellent provided high levels of protection for 12 hours when applied to human volunteers against Amblyomma americanum under simulated field-contact conditions. Five field studies were identified, all testing IR3535 against mosquitoes.10,34,39–41 These indicated that IR3535 is as 2-hydroxyphytanoyl-CoA lyase effective as deet in repelling mosquitoes of the Aedes and Culex

genera but may be less effective than deet in repelling anopheline mosquitoes. A number of laboratory studies were also identified, testing IR3535 against a variety of other arthropods, including blackflies and ticks.42 An uncontrolled field study of a new, controlled-release formulation of IR3535 reported that these formulations may provide complete protection against mosquito biting for 7.1 to 10.3 hours.41 IR3535 may be more effective than deet in protecting against phlebotomine sandfly biting (10.4 h mean protection vs 8.8 h, respectively).42 The principal repellent component of lemon eucalyptus extract is PMD, which is the main by-product of lemon eucalyptus hydrodistillation.43 The active component is prepared through acid modified extraction of leaves or a synthetic version of PMD is used in the majority of commercially available preparations. Importantly, PMD has been proven to prevent malaria in a clinical trial in the Bolivian Amazon.44 Studies carried out both in the laboratory and the field using rigorous methodology have shown PMD to be a repellent of equal efficacy and longevity as deet.45 At 30% AI, PMD provided almost complete protection for 4 hours in South America46 and complete protection for 6 hours at 50% AI in Sub-Saharan Africa against malaria vectors.

SLE flares during pregnancy were strongly affected by proteinuria

SLE flares during pregnancy were strongly affected by proteinuria prior

to pregnancy (adjusted OR 30.28; P = 0.024) and the presence Gefitinib order of antiphospholipid antibodies (adjusted OR 6.62; P = 0.047). Our study demonstrated a rate of live births and of flares in pregnant lupus patients comparable to recent reports in Western countries. Proteinuria during and prior to pregnancy and presence of antiphospholipid antibodies were predictive factors for poor pregnancy outcome. Preserved renal function prior to pregnancy resulted in favorable outcomes even in patients with a history of lupus nephritis. “
“In rheumatoid arthritis (RA) hands, we applied high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) and 3 Tesla (3 T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which are new methods for erosion detection and bone marrow edema (BME) quantification. We compared the erosion measurements between these techniques with conventional radiographs (CR) in order to examine their significance for evaluating structural abnormalities. In 16 RA patients, HR-pQCT of metacarpophalangeal and wrist joints, 3 T MRI of wrist joints, as well as CR in both hands and feet were performed. Ten patients had 1-year follow-up CR. CRs were graded according to the modified Sharp score (MSS). Bone erosions were evaluated in HR-pQCT

and MRI. BME pattern was quantified from MRI for volume, signal change and total burden. The erosion detection sensitivity of MRI was 85.7% and CR was 60.9% when HR-pQCT was considered as a reference JAK inhibitor method. The smallest dimensions of erosion detected by HR-pQCT, MRI and CR were 0.09, 0.14 and 0.66 cm, respectively.

Baseline total MSS was correlated with HR-pQCT erosion measures, all MRI erosion measures and MRI BME volume (P < 0.05). The mean difference between baseline and 1-year follow-up MSS (delta MSS) was 1.2. A trend was observed toward a correlation between delta MSS and MRI BME volume and burden. This study demonstrates that HR-pQCT detects more and smaller bone erosions compared to MRI and CR. In addition, 3 T MRI can provide quantitative measurement of BME. Combination of HR-pQCT and MRI modalities may provide powerful tools to evaluate joint inflammation and bone damage in RA. "
“Aim:  To identify the psychological interventions for which there is consistent, high quality evidence of efficacy in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method:  A computer-aided search and manual screening of identified papers was conducted. Randomised controlled trials published in English in peer-reviewed journals, assessing the use of psychological interventions in adult patients with RA were included. Results:  Thirty-four papers published between 1981 and 2009 encompassing 31 studies with 2021 patients were included. There is consistent supportive evidence for the efficacy of disclosure therapy (four studies) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with maintenance therapy (five studies).

There were no correlations with primary somatomotor cortex within

There were no correlations with primary somatomotor cortex within the central sulcus or the somatomotor cortical region around the medial extension of the central sulcus, i.e. paracentral lobule BA 4. There were also no significant correlations with the superior parietal lobule, the posterior cingulate, precuneus and ventromedial prefrontal regions. The ROI in BA 45 exhibited a pattern of positive correlations similar to that of BA 44 (Fig. 1). BA 45 exhibited significant correlations with BAs 44 and 47/12 in the inferior frontal gyrus, as well as with

the posterior dorsolateral frontal region (BA 8) and dorsal BA 6. In the parietal cortex, there were positive correlations with the ventral part AZD6244 cell line of the posterior supramarginal gyrus and the angular gyrus. In the temporal lobe, there were strong positive correlations with the caudal superior temporal gyrus, the www.selleckchem.com/products/Bafilomycin-A1.html entire superior temporal sulcus and middle temporal gyrus. Medially, BA 45 exhibited positive correlations with the pre-supplementary motor area, the paracingulate region (BA 32) and the medial frontal region (BAs 8, 9 and 10). In addition, there were robust correlations with the ventromedial frontal region. There were

no correlations with primary somatomotor cortex within the central sulcus or the somatomotor cortical region around the medial extension of the central sulcus, i.e. paracentral lobule BA 4. There were also no significant correlations with the superior parietal lobule, the posterior cingulate region or precuneus. The ventral BA 6 ROI, located in the ventral part of the precentral gyrus, Phosphoglycerate kinase close to the inferior precentral sulcus, was positively correlated with BAs 44 and dorsal 45, as well as a region of the middle frontal gyrus that lies just above the pars triangularis, and which was termed area 9/46v by Petrides & Pandya (1994). Significant positive correlations were also observed between BA 6 and the adjacent motor and somatosensory cortex within the central sulcus, as well as the medial extension of the somatomotor

region on the paracentral lobule. There were also positive correlations with the secondary somatosensory region in the frontal and parietal opercula and the insula. Correlations extended to the superior temporal gyrus and the posterior-most part of the middle temporal gyrus. Within the posterior parietal cortex, positive correlations were primarily restricted to the anterior part of the supramarginal gyrus. On the medial surface of the brain, the seed in BA 6 was correlated with the supplementary motor region (medial BA 6) as well as the ventrally adjacent cortex within the cingulate sulcus and gyrus that correspond to the cingulate motor areas discovered in the macaque monkey (He et al., 1995). Notably, the BA 6 seed did not exhibit any correlations with the medial frontal cortex (i.e. BAs 8, 9 and 10) or the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. There were also no positive correlations with the posterior cingulate cortex or precuneus (Fig. 1).

Coloured three-dimensional illustrations of these results (Fig 3

Coloured three-dimensional illustrations of these results (Fig. 3) enable easy identification of high or low NNH and help one to understand the dynamics of NNH change when particular risk components are modified in a way that reflects possible clinical interventions. For example, it is readily apparent that red, reflecting the lowest NNH (graph D), shifts

to orange and yellow if the risk factor of smoking is removed (graph C). Therefore, introducing smoking cessation in this group of patients will eventually increase the NNH from <11 to >22. In this paper we combine estimates of the underlying risk of MI with the EGFR inhibitor increased risk of MI associated with abacavir reported by the D:A:D study, and present the data not only in terms of ARI but also as NNH. Using this approach we show it is possible to increase NNH values for AZD6738 molecular weight patients that might use or start this drug by decreasing their underlying risk of MI. The clinical implication of this finding is simple – through regular screening for and proper management of established modifiable cardiovascular risk factors which determine the underlying risk of MI in HIV-1-infected patients,

it may be possible to increase the number of patients who may be safely treated with a drug that is potentially associated with the development of a serious adverse event. The adjusted RR of an MI of 1.90 reported in the D:A:D study [4] indicates a substantial increase in the underlying risk of an MI, if already existing, underlying pretreatment risk is considered medium or high. It is therefore essential that this risk is put

into context and appropriate consideration given to whether patients should be maintained on abacavir Anidulafungin (LY303366) or whether the drug should be discontinued. For many patients, discontinuation might not be the most appropriate decision; the patient may be stable and satisfied with the current abacavir-containing regimen, or may have resistance to other antiretrovirals or a history of serious combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) adverse events, both of which could reduce options for switching to other antiretrovirals. Reducing the underlying risk of MI by stopping antiretrovirals is not an acceptable option, as it is known to increase the risk of HIV disease progression [29]. Our results may therefore help to identify the best possible interventions that could be introduced even if the drug cannot be switched or stopped. Of note, if all 50-year-old patients with no other risk factors for MI except smoking ceased smoking, our calculation would predict that the number of MIs attributed to abacavir use would decline with time by 80%.

“Inadequate knowledge” included drinking bad water, eating bad fo

“Inadequate knowledge” included drinking bad water, eating bad food, dirt/dirty environment, malnutrition, weather or climate, too much sun/heat, insects, standing water, too much thinking/overworking/stress, dirty water, contaminated air, taking too much antimalarial medicines for prevention, and change of environment. The proportion of participants with “inadequate” or “unclear” knowledge was 152/292 (52%). check details Travelers who received pre-travel advice were significantly more likely to demonstrate “inadequate or unclear knowledge” (OR 2.22, CI 1.13–4.38).

Perceptions about theoretical and personal risk of contracting malaria were compared in both the French and Dutch studies.10,11 The French researchers found that 87% of respondents knew it was possible to get malaria in the country they were visiting; however, only 49% considered themselves at personal risk. While there was no difference between those attending the pre-travel clinic and those visiting a travel agent in their general knowledge of the possibility of contracting malaria, there was a difference in perception of personal risk. Thirty-three per cent of those who had visited a travel agency believed themselves to be at high risk of malaria http://www.selleckchem.com/products/bgj398-nvp-bgj398.html compared to only 7% of those who had visited a travel clinic (p < 0.05). In the study

of Dutch VFRs,11 perceived risk of catching malaria was assessed as either “high” or “not high.” Overall, 54% considered it to be high, 33% having sought pre-travel advice. To measure personal risk, participants were asked how dangerous the risk was for themselves, compared to specific risk groups (the definition of these groups was not provided). Forty-six per cent categorized the risk to themselves as “very dangerous. Two studies (in the Netherlands11 and the UK12) also provided

data on how participants believed they would be protected from malaria and these included perceptions such as sustained immunity,12 having had a malaria vaccine,11,12 and never having suffered from malaria previously.11,12 Biological factors, specifically Molecular motor sickle-cell trait and/or G6PD deficiency, were also perceived as providing malaria protection.11 A reduced perception of personal risk was also found among participants in the London study who had been brought up in the UK. Among this group, some participants believed that malaria caught while visiting friends and relatives in an endemic country would result in only a mild illness.12 Both French and Dutch studies describe the proportion of travelers who intended to or had taken chemoprophylaxis.10,11 Surprisingly, 201/292 (69%) of Dutch VFRs and 171/191 (94%) of French individuals affirmed their use of chemoprophylaxis.

Int Se

Int GSI-IX J Cancer 2003; 103: 142–144. 18 Mocroft A, Kirk O, Clumeck N et al. The changing pattern of Kaposi sarcoma in patients with HIV, 1994–2003: the EuroSIDA Study. Cancer 2004; 100: 2644–2654. 19 Engels EA, Pfeiffer RM, Goedert JJ et al. Trends in cancer risk among people with AIDS in the United States 1980–2002. AIDS

2006; 20: 1645–1654. 20 Franceschi S, Maso LD, Rickenbach M et al. Kaposi sarcoma incidence in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study before and after highly active antiretroviral therapy. Br J Cancer 2008; 99: 800–804. 21 Guiguet M, Boué F, Cadranel J et al. Effect of immunodeficiency, HIV viral load, and antiretroviral therapy on the risk of individual malignancies (FHDH-ANRS CO4): a prospective cohort study. Lancet Oncol 2009; 10: 1152–1159. 22 Selik RM, Byers RH Jr, Dworkin MS. Trends in diseases reported on U.S. death certificates that mentioned HIV infection, 1987–1999. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2002; 29: 378–387. 23 Simard EP, Pfeiffer RM, Engels EA. Cumulative incidence of cancer among individuals with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in the United States. Cancer 2011; 117: 1089–1096. 24 Lodi S, Guiguet M, Costagliola D et al. Kaposi sarcoma incidence ALK mutation and survival among HIV-infected homosexual men

after HIV seroconversion. J Natl Cancer Inst 2010; 102: 784–792. 25 Pipkin S, Scheer S, Okeigwe I et al. The effect of HAART and calendar period on Kaposi’s sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: results of a match between an AIDS and cancer registry. AIDS 2011; 25: 463–471. 26 Shiels MS, Pfeiffer RM, Gail MH et al. Cancer burden in the HIV-infected population in the United States. J Natl Cancer Inst 2011; 103: 753–762. 27 Sitas F, Carrara H, Beral V et al. Antibodies

against human herpesvirus 8 in black South African patients with cancer. N Engl J Med 1999; 340: 1863–1871. 28 Bassett MT, Chokunonga E, Mauchaza B et al. Cancer in the African population of Harare, Zimbabwe, 1990–1992. Int J Cancer 1995; 63: 29–36. 29 Wabinga HR, Parkin DM, Wabwire-Mangen F, Nambooze S. Trends in cancer incidence in Kyadondo County, Uganda, 1960–1997. Br J Cancer 2000; 82: 1585–1592. 30 Parkin DM, Sitas F, Chirenje M et al. Part I: Cancer Florfenicol in indigenous Africans–burden, distribution, and trends. Lancet Oncol 2008; 9: 683–692. 31 Mosam A, Carrara H, Shaik F et al. Increasing incidence of Kaposi’s sarcoma in black South Africans in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (1983–2006). Int J STD AIDS 2009; 20: 553–556. 32 Chokunonga E, Borok MZ, Chirenje ZM et al. Trends in the incidence of cancer in the black population of Harare, Zimbabwe 1991–2010. Int J Cancer 2013; 133: 721–729. 33 Mosam A, Uldrick TS, Shaik F et al. An evaluation of the early effects of a combination antiretroviral therapy programme on the management of AIDS-associated Kaposi’s sarcoma in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Int J STD AIDS 2011; 22: 671–673. 34 Casper C.

In the MtbPDF pocket, a single hydrogen bonding between CO of G10

In the MtbPDF pocket, a single hydrogen bonding between CO of G105

and NH of substrate Met stabilized the substrate, whereas in the G151D pocket, substrate binding was stabilized by increased hydrogen bonding interactions such as the one between NH of substrate Ala and CO of G105, between NH of substrate Met and Nɛ2 of H148, and between OH of substrate Ser and NH of E104 (Fig. 4d). Docking results provided additional evidence for increased space in the peptide binding pocket of G151D, leading to a stable substrate binding environment compared with MtbPDF. The available variations in sequence and properties of bacterial enzymes compared with their human counterparts will need to be explored for further improvements OSI-744 concentration in inhibitor screening against PDF. The present study explored such sequence variations and highlighted an additional molecular basis for oxidative stress stability in MtbPDF. It was

concluded that an aspartate residue in motif III of PDFs plays important role in providing stability to the enzyme and in modulating the protonation of catalytic glutamate side chains. The presence of glycine instead of conserved aspartate in MtbPDF reduces its thermostability, but provides better resistance to oxidative stress, which might be essential for better survival of the organism in the oxidative environment. The present study Everolimus nmr also describes the subtle variations in the peptide binding pocket heptaminol of the enzyme associated with the above mentioned substitution, which could be further explored to design inhibitors with specificity towards MtbPDF. Pinpointing the molecular basis of oxidative stress resistance of MtbPDF will provide further opportunities to design mechanistically based inhibitors targeting MtbPDF. K.M.N. acknowledges the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), New Delhi, India, for the research grant. S.S.N. thanks CSIR, India, for SRF. We also thank Mr Jino George, Photochemistry division, NIIST, for assistance with CD spectroscopy. Fig. S1. Superimposed cartoon models of MtbPDF

and G151D structures, in complex with substrate N-for-Met-Ala-Ser. Fig. S2. Distance between side chain atoms of L107 with side chain atoms of R144 and M145 delineating substrate binding site of MtbPDF and G151D structures. Fig. S3. Distance between side chain atoms of G49, V50 and G51 with side chain atoms of 104EGCL107 delineating the substrate binding site of MtbPDF and G151D structures. Table S1. Primers used in the study. Please note: Wiley Blackwell is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting materials supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing material) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. “
“The antimicrobial activity of the iron(III)-selective 3-hydroxypyridin-4-one chelators, CP251(1) and CP252(2), was evaluated in comparison with that of diethylenetriamine-penta acetic acid (3).

The aim of this study was to examine changes in corticospinal exc

The aim of this study was to examine changes in corticospinal excitability and intracortical inhibition as markers of corticomotor plasticity

following complex motor training in young and old adults. Electromyographic recordings were obtained from the right first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle of 16 young (20–35 years) and 16 older (aged 60–75 years) adults before and after motor skill training. Motor training consisted of three 6-minute blocks of a complex visuomotor task that required matching the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint angle of the index finger using abduction–adduction Venetoclax order movements. Single- and paired-pulse TMS over the left M1 was used to assess changes in right FDI motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) and short-interval intracortical inhibition

(SICI) before and after each training block. Visuomotor tracking performance was diminished in old compared with young adults throughout training. However, improvement in tracking error was similar for young and old adults (7–24% increase in each training block). Nutlin-3a in vivo For young and old adults, motor training increased FDI MEP amplitude (≥ 20%) and reduced the magnitude of SICI (≥ 19%) after each visuomotor training block, reflecting use-dependent plasticity. However, no difference in corticomotor plasticity (change in MEP or SICI) was observed between young and old adults. Further studies are needed to identify the experimental or behavioral factors that might contribute to the maintenance of corticomotor plasticity in older adults. “
“Event-related potentials (ERPs) are a direct measure of neural activity and are ideally suited to study the time-course of attentional engagement with Protein kinase N1 emotional and drug-related stimuli in addiction. In particular, the late positive potential (LPP) appears to be

enhanced following cocaine-related compared with neutral stimuli in human participants with cocaine use disorders (CUD). However, previous studies have not directly compared cocaine-related with emotional stimuli while examining potential differences between abstinent and current cocaine users. The present study examined ERPs in 55 CUD (27 abstinent and 28 current users) and 29 matched healthy controls while they passively viewed pleasant, unpleasant, neutral and cocaine-related pictures. To examine the time-course of attention to these stimuli, we analysed both an early and later window in the LPP as well as the early posterior negativity (EPN), established in assessing motivated attention. Cocaine pictures elicited increased electrocortical measures of motivated attention in ways similar to affectively pleasant and unpleasant pictures in all CUD, an effect that was no longer discernible during the late LPP window for the current users.

Pcat924 showed better efficiency

Pcat924 showed better efficiency

ABT-199 clinical trial (more than 10-fold increase in AlX activity compared to Pcat300) under the optimized culture conditions. Induction of the catR promoter with 0.20% H2O2 and 1.5% CaCO3 in the culture medium, further increased expression of AlX 2.61- and 2.20-fold, respectively, clarifying its inducible nature. Specific induction or repression of the catR promoter provides the possibility for utilization of this promoter in heterologous protein production. Filamentous fungi have been used for decades as major producers in the pharmaceutical, food, and food processing industries because of their GRAS (‘generally recognized as safe’ in the terminology of the US Food and Drug Administration) status, and their ability to secrete large amounts of protein. Previous studies suggested that Aspergillus niger is an ideal host organism for production of recombinant proteins (Roberts et al., 1992; Tellez-Jurado et al., 2006; Karnaukhova et al., 2007; Zhang et al.,

2008). For the efficient AZD4547 mouse production of the recombinant protein, strong promoter sequences are required. Various promoters of different categories have been reported from many filamentous fungi. Inducible promoters which are not affected by catabolite repression include endoxylanase (exl A) from Aspergillus awamori (Gouka et al., 1996) and TAKA amylase (amyA) from Aspergillus oryzae (Tsuchiya et al., 1992). Among the strongest inducible promoters regulated by carbon catabolite repression are the glucoamylase A promoter (glaA) of A. niger var. awamori (Ward Fluorometholone Acetate et al., 1990) and the Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase 1 (cbh1) promoter (Ilmen et al., 1996). A constitutive promoter used across fungal species is the Aspergillus nidulans glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gpdA (Punt et al., 1992). Till 2007, only the glucoamylase A promoter (glaA) from A. niger has been used for the expression of heterologous proteins. Recently, a new inducible promoter Psuc1 from

A. niger AB1.13 was characterized (Roth et al., 2007). To obtain a new, promising promoter for the expression of heterologous protein production, we targeted promoter of catR gene from A. niger because some strains of A. niger are efficient producers of catalase. It is anticipated that a high catalase producer might have a strong promoter and as such, there are no reports on the use of catR promoter in expression systems. Hence it is a legitimate target for cloning and exploitation. In this attempt, we developed the constructs and checked the expression of alkaline xylanase gene transcriptionally fused under the catR promoter from A. niger and also addressed the length and nature of the catR promoter. Aspergillus niger taken from the culture collection of IIIM, Jammu, was used throughout the study (Traeger et al., 1991). The strain of A. niger used in the study was maintained on potato dextrose agar (PDA).