Abstract Bioprospecting of microorganisms with the potential of exploiting agro-industrial wastes is an active field of biotechnological research. In this study, we aimed to isolate a microorganism adapted to the dairy matrix with specific characteristics to produce lactic acid from dairy industry wastes, such as whey. Whey was collected from the agricultural region of Antioquia, Colombia, and samples were cultured on Man–Rogosa–Sharpe modified medium using lactose as a source of carbon. The most promising strain isolated was characterised, and its adaptation to whey was determined. A gram-positive Lactobacillus was isolated and named as G1. This strain grows in deproteinised whey with low protein requirements, has a homofermentative metabolism and exhibits high tolerance to low pH (≤5.0). The G1 strain is a promising bacterium for use in lactic acid production from whey, which is an underutilised by-product of the dairy industry.

Introducción. El virus de la hepatitis C se asocia a diversas hepatopatías como hepatitis aguda, hepatitis crónica, esteatosis, cirrosis y carcinoma hepatocelular. Numerosos estudios han explorado mecanismos virales implicados en el establecimiento de la infección persistente y en las propiedades oncogénicas e inmunomoduladoras de la proteína core del virus de la hepatitis C. Las investigaciones orientadas a evaluar los cambios en la expresión de genes celulares endógenos inducidos por la proteína core son importantes para identificar genes candidatos responsables de los mecanismos de patogenicidad del virus de la hepatitis C. Objetivos. Comparar perfiles de expresión e identificar genes celulares endógenos en la línea celular derivada de carcinoma hepatocelular humano, HepG2, con expresión transitoria de la proteína core del virus de la hepatitis C. Materiales y métodos. Se utilizó la técnica de presentación diferencial de ARN mensajero por RT-PCR en células HepG2 con y sin expresión transitoria de la proteína core del virus de la hepatitis C o de la proteína verde fluorescente, obtenidas previamente con el sistema de expresión del Semliki Forest Virus, mediante transducción de partículas recombinantes rSFVCore o rSFV-GFP. Resultados. Se observaron diferencias en las intensidades de las bandas de ARNm expresadas en células HepG2 transducidas con rSFV-Core comparadas con células sin transducir y trasducidas con rSFV-GFP. Un ARNm de 258 pb expresado diferencialmente en células HepG2 transducidas con rSFV-Core fue clonado e identificado como selenocisteína liasa. Conclusión. Los resultados confirman que la expresión de la proteína core del virus de la hepatitis C se asocia con cambios en la expresión de ARN mensajeros específicos, incluido al gen selenocisteina liasa, el cual puede estar involucrado en la fisiopatología del carcinoma hepatocelular.

Introduction. Hepatitis C virus is associated with diverse liver diseases including acute and chronic hepatitis, steatosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Several studies have explored viral mechanisms involved in the establishment of persistent infection and oncogenic Hepatitis C virus. Expression assays of Hepatitis C virus core protein suggest that this protein has transforming and carcinogenic properties with multifunctional activities in host cells. Characterization of expressed genes in cells expressing Core protein is important in order to identify candidate genes responsible for these pathogenic alterations. Objective. To compare and identify gene expression profiles in the human hepatocarcinoma derived cell line, HepG2, with transient expression of Hepatitis C virus Core protein. Materials and methods. We have used comparative PCR-mediated differential display of mRNA from HepG2 hepatocarcinoma with and without transient expression of HCV Core protein or green fluorescent protein, previously obtained using the Semliki Forest Virus-based expression, through transduction of recombinant particles, rSFV-Core and rSFV-GFP,respectively. Results. We observed differences in band intensities of mRNA in HepG2 cells transduced with rSFV-Core compared with those detected in cells without transduction, and transduced with rSFV-GFP. Cloning and sequencing of a gene fragment (258 bp) that was expressed differentially in HepG2 cells transduced with rSFV-Core, was identified as selenocystein lyase. Conclusion. The results confirm that HCV Core protein expressed in HepG2 is associated with specific changes in mRNA expression, including the gene for selenocystein lyase. This gene may be involved in the pathophysiology of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus that causes leukemia and the neurological disorder HTLV-1 associated myelopathy or tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Infection with this virus - although it is distributed worldwide - is limited to certain endemic areas of the world. Despite its specific distribution and slow mutation rate, molecular epidemiology on this virus has been useful to follow the movements of human populations and routes of virus spread to different continents. In the present study, we analyzed the genetic variability of a region of the env gene of isolates obtained from individuals of African origin that live on the Pacific coast of Colombia. Sequencing and comparison of the fragment with the same fragment from different HTLV-1 isolates showed a variability ranging from 0.8% to 1.2%. Phylogenetic studies permit us to include these isolates in the transcontinental subgroup A in which samples isolated from Brazil and Chile are also found. Further analyses will be necessary to determine if these isolates were recently introduced into the American continent or if they rather correspond to isolates introduced during the Paleolithic period.