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(2021)Bartonella species are facultative intracellular bacteria causing variety of diseases in humans and also infects endothelial cells and erythrocytes. Some Bartonella species utilize VirB/VirD4-type IV secretion system (T4SS) in order to secret Bartonella effector protein A (BepA) which infects endothelial host cells by inhibiting the apoptosis. But the enterotoxin homolog in Bartonella gene A (EhbA) and the enterotoxin homolog in Bartonella gene B (EhbB) are found in the non-BepA Bartonella strains. In my Master’s thesis, I study the host cell binding activity and identify host cell surface receptor of EhbB in Bartonella. In my thesis, the cell adhesion of multimeric B proteins of enterotoxin homologue in Bartonella (Ehb) have been analyzed with cell adhesion assay using HEK293T, HeLa 229, Ea.hy926, and CHO-K1 cells. The assay was conducted with EhbB1 and EhbB 1-1C proteins from Bartonella Bovis strain Bermond and Bartonella strain spp 1-1C and the experiment indicated the cell adhesion activity of both EhbB proteins compared to the controls used in the experiment. Moreover, the binding activity of EhbB1 with Ea.hy926 was studied at several incubation time points, such as; 30 min, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, and 8 hours. Several incubation period of EhbB1 and EhbB 1-1C with Ea.hy926 cells did not enhance cell surface adhesion because the same absorbance compared to controls. The interaction of EhbB1 with cell membrane HEK293T was studied by using western blot on cell membrane preparation from Ea.hy926 cells which was used to identify possible protein receptor of EhbB1. The experiment suggests that EbB1 is binding to receptors present on the cell membrane of HEK293T which could be protein. The cell adhesion activity of HEK293T cell membrane with EhbB1 was analyzed by inhibition assay. This experiment indicated that EhbB1 protein attached to cell surface receptors present on the HEK29T cell membrane, which inhibited EhbB1 protein to attach to Ea.hy926 cells. This also indicate that the cell surface receptor for EhbB1 could be protein but requires further study.
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(2019)Tiivistelmä – Referat – Abstract Cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provide a good model to study their function in human context. The hiPSC technology allows to create patient-specific cell lines. The cell lines can further be differentiated into any cell type retaining the same genetic information as the donor. Heart diseases such as Long QT syndrome (LQTS) and Non-compaction cardiomyopathy are caused due to mutations in ion channels in cardiac cells. The genetic abnormalities in these channels can cause life threatening arrhythmias. However, the diseases remain undiagnosed until later stage of the disease and the first sign could be sudden cardiac death. Hence, understanding the disease mechanism at a cellular level is crucial. The aim of the thesis is to study the functionality of cardiomyocytes from patient specific cells to analyse if the clinical representation of the diseases can be seen at the cellular level. An additional aim is to compare and study the Ca2+ transients in patient-derived and control cells. One way to study the functionality of cardiomyocytes is by Ca2+ imaging. The method involves live cell imaging of differentiated cardiomyocytes using fluorescent dyes (Fluo4 AM and Cal520). The Ca2+ transients of diseases such as LQTS and non-compaction cardiomyopathy are recorded and further analysed by Clampfit software. The main findings of this study include a) different Ca2+ dyes (Cal520 and Fluo4) had different profiles in control cardiomyocytes b) a significantly different profiles were observed between the SCN5A-mutant and control cardiomyocytes c) the effect of adrenaline was most significant at low doses and when exposed for a short time; prolonged exposure to adrenaline leads to adrenaline receptor desensitization. Moreover, different types of arrhythmias have been detected in cell lines such as oscillations, plateau abnormality, multiple peaks etc. In conclusion, detection of Ca2+ transients may be an indicator of heart diseases due to genetic mutations which will further help in taking preventive measures.
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(2019)Twisted-winged parasitoids (Insecta: Strepsiptera) are parasites of other insects, which are characterized by complex life cycles and extreme sexual dimorphism. They have three endoparasitic larval stages. In most Strepsiptera only the motile first instar larvae and adult males are free living whereas the adult females are endoparasites during their entire life. The winged males slightly resemble flies, while females are neotenic. Around 630 extant Strepsiptera species are known but this is probably an underestimation since many species are cryptic. The genus Stylops, parasitoids of mining bees of genus Andrena, is one of the biggest genera of Strepsiptera. Until recently it was thought that only one species, Stylops melittae, occurs in Europe. Studies using DNA-methods revealed that it is in fact a species complex of 30 species. This study investigated which of these species occur in Finland. In addition, it was examined if the female morphology of the species could be used in species identification, since males are rarely found. Andrena host specimens were examined from three major entomological collections and the collecting data of the observed Stylops was recorded to a database. Suitable specimens were DNA barcoded and the acquired DNA barcodes were compered for the ones in databases (BOLD, GenBank). The females were separated from their hosts and photographed for the morphological examination using different imaging methods (focus stacking, SEM). Based on this study there are five species of Stylops in Finland instead of one as previously thought: S. thwaitesi, S. ater, S. japonicus, S. nevinsoni and S. spreta. In addition, there is one species, which is most likely undescribed. All females of these species can be identified based on their morphology. The results include summaries of each species containing information about their morphology, ecology, distribution and abundance. This study gives valuable new information about the twisted-winged parasitoids in Finland. The occurrence of the genus Stylops in Finland based on current taxonomy was examined for the first time. The study gave novel information about the distributions of Stylops-species. Deviating from previous information Stylops japonicus is also found in Europe. Furthermore, the study revealed new information about the host-parasite relationships of the species. Many of the Andrena host species had not been associated with certain Stylops species before. There has not been research focusing on Strepsiptera in Finland for a long time. The material collected for this study works as a good foundation for the possible future studies in Finland. The results were used in the 2019 Red List assessment and two of the Stylops species were in the Red List of threatened species.
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(2021)Pohjoisilla soilla on suuri merkitys globaaleissa biogeokemiallisissa kierroissa niiden kerrostaman ja vapauttaman hiilen vaikutuksesta. Ilmastollisten tekijöiden on todettu olevan yhteydessä suon hydrologisiin vaihteluihin, kuten kuivumiseen, vettymiseen, routaantumiseen tai roudan sulamiseen. Muutokset suon hydrologiassa ovat menneisyydessä heijastuneet vuorovaikutteisesti soiden kasvillisuuteen ja niiden rooliin maailmanlaajuisesti merkittävinä hiilinieluina. Pohjoisten ikiroutasoiden ainutlaatuinen ja rikas habitaatti on vaarantunut nykyisen ilmaston lämpenemisen myötä. Maisterintutkielmani tavoitteena on arvioida mahdollisia ilmaston lämpenemisen aiheuttamia vaikutuksia pohjoisiin soihin tutkimalla viimeisten vuosisatojen aikana tapahtuneita muutoksia suokasvillisuudessa. Tutkielmassa selvitin, miten tutkimussuoni kasvillisuus on muuttunut ja millaisia yhteyksiä voidaan havaita eri ilmastovaiheiden merkittävimpiin lämpötilan muutoksiin. Keskityin analysoimaan näitä muutoksia kasvimakrofossiili-analyysin avulla. Näytesarjat ajoitettiin radiometrisin menetelmin. Tulokset osoittivat tutkimussuon käyneen läpi kuivan kasvillisuuden vaiheita sekä ilmastohistorian lämpiminä että kylminä ajanjaksoina. Nykypäivän lämpenemisen aikana eri näytepisteissä on tapahtunut sekä kuivumista että siirtymiä kosteaan suoekosysteemiin ikiroudan sulamisen jälkeisinä ajanjaksoina. Tutkimukseni tulokset auttavat osaltaan ymmärtämään ympäristössä ja ilmastossa tapahtuvien muutosten kompleksista vaikutusta pohjoisiin suoekosysteemeihin. Tutkimuksen perusteella voidaan arvioida nykyisen ilmastonmuutoksen mahdollisia vaikutuksia tutkimussuohon, sekä rinnan muiden tutkimusten kanssa yhteyksiä pohjoisten soiden tulevaisuuden hiilitasapainoon ja suuren mittakaavan biogeokemiallisiin kiertoihin.
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(2019)This thesis aims to find out what are the challenges in the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy in a large labour-intensive company in the service business. Companies have an essential role in sustainable development and they are seen as important actors in spreading awareness of sustainability (Simas et al., 2013). While CSR is a concept that is playing an important part in the modern business world and has been involved in companies’ strategies for years now, there is still a gap between the CSR strategy formulation and implementation (Engert & Baumgartner, 2016). The research presented in this thesis is based on a literature review of CSR strategy implementation and on a single case study in a service business company, SOL Group, with high employee turnover, low wage levels and physical and intense working conditions. The objective of this thesis is to identify potential challenges in the CSR strategy implementation in large companies in service business, and based on the findings, structure hypotheses for further research. The case study data collection included four group interviews with several participants in each, as well as direct observation in the field, and it is supported by documents from the case company and literature. From the literature review, two models were identified: the five levers model by Lacy et al. (2009) and the success factor model by Engert & Baumgartner (2016). These two models were used as theoretical frameworks for analysing the challenges in the successful implementation of CSR strategy in the case company. The main finding was that the major challenge in the successful implementation of CSR strategy is to commit and engage the employees to the strategy implementation. This thesis proposes hypotheses for the future, to continue this research as an attempt to bridge the gap between CSR strategy formulation and implementation. It is hoped that the insight from this thesis helps companies to identify their challenges in the CSR strategy implementation and provides some guidelines on how to proceed if wanting to achieve a full implementation of CSR strategy.
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(2020)Gender and sex are the most common criteria to classify people in our society. Along with legal and national core curriculum changes perceptions of gender and sex and their diversity has changed. This change is also reflected in learning materials. Learning materials play an important role in teaching and in the perceptions that students form about the role of gender and ability of different genders to influence society and professions. Gender inequality for men has been evident according to previous textbook studies. Gender stereotypes are also explicit. In this research the research material are human biology textbooks for secondary students during the past three national core curriculums. The purpose of this research is to examine how the gender, sex and their diversity are represented in human biology textbooks. Temporal variation is also examined. The qualitative content analysis was used as a principal method to analyse the data. Based on that method citations have been collected from textbooks. To compress the collected data the citations have been classified into different classes that explain the differences between sexes. The final classification has been made based on whether the differences between sexes appear in anatomy and physiology or behaviour and whether they are explained by biological or non-biological factors. Besides this, the collected data has been quantified and prototypes of male and female has been compiled. In quantitative analysis the textbooks visual representation and gendered words are also counted and analysed by simple quantitative methods. Based on this study the sex and gender are seen as a biological feature in human biology books. The differences between sexes are mainly affected by hormones whether the difference is in behaviour or anatomy and physiology. Genes also play an important role when differences in anatomy and physiology are explained between sexes. Psychological and cultural factors also explain a lot of differences in behaviour. Feminine characters and words were overrepresented in the textbooks compared to masculine characters. These are the result of the major role of motherhood and pregnancy in biology textbooks. The word mother was also used widely. In older textbooks the gender is represented more in texts and the differences between sexes are brought out more than in later textbooks. The gender stereotypes are also more evident in older textbooks and the stereotypical features are linked more to sexes, like conscientiousness in women and competitiveness in men. The gendered terms like “feminine” or “masculine” are also more present in older textbooks. Gender diversity is more talked about in later books, which is expected, as it is present in the latest national core curriculums. Otherwise the gender diversity is not very visible. Heteronormativity is present in all books, but for example the sexuality is treated more subtly than in older books. The temporal variation can be explained by the social change that is reflected in curriculums and textbooks. The textbooks should provide the most diverse picture possible of gender and its diversity. Therefore, images representing non-stereotypical and heteronormative gender roles should also be selected for books, and gendered expressions should be used deliberately in texts. However, it is important for gender equality that gender is not completely erased from textbooks. In gender-sensitive teaching, it is important that gender differences are not considered the norm, but they are also not hidden, but learn to identify gender stereotypes and their effects on one's own actions. There is no wrong way to be a boy or a girl. This material could be expanded by exploring the gender roles described in the textbooks as well. In addition, the research material could be compared to health information textbooks or other aspects of equality could be considered.
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(2012)The purpose of this master's thesis is to study nature values within the Finnish national Natura 2000 network on state owned land. The six goals of this work were achieved: 1) Areas with most nature values were identified by prioritizing habitats of Natura 2000 directive (92/43/EU) within. Areas with high nature value were usually in very natural state and had good connectivity to other similar places, or they were spots of some very rare nature types. 2) It was found out that data used was suitable for identifying conservation values, 3) find out the suitability of Zonation software in conservation area management and maintenance planning and 4) find out how results will change if conservation status is taken into account. As an addition to these 5) the most considerable areas with high conservation value were identified and 6) "Zonation software in a nutshell" was produced in Finnish to assist Finnish state officials to use the software for conservation purposes. These results will help Metsähallitus (The Finnish Forest and Park Service) - Natural Heritage Service - to target resourcing of habitat management and restoration in and around the areas with most considerable nature values. It is essential to sustain these areas and their values so that their nationwide importance can be maintained into the future. Data used in this study covered areas that were classified as Natura 2000 habitats according to European Union Council Directive 92/43/EEC. Analyses were done by using Zonation software, a tool for spatial conservation prioritization. Data consisted of 68 Natura 2000 habitat types and their state of naturalness and representativeness. Zonation took into account the rarity, quality, importance, threat status, biodiversity value, congruity and connectivity of these habitat types. As a result software produces a map of conservation priorities and associated quantitative information, which facilitate identification of areas with most considerable nature values. These were identified both ocularly and with Zonation software. Analyses were done at two levels: all habitat types together and in subgroups following division to major habitat types, such as coastal environments, inland waters, meadows, alpine habitats, peat lands, rocky areas and forests. Results showed that connectivity increased aggregation of areas with high nature values and weighting spread them. Hierarchical analysis was used to find out how nature values changed when the conservation status of the areas were taken into account. The results of hierarchical analysis show that conservation status changed the results a lot. Difference between main analysis and hierarchical analysis was much greater than when taken into account connectivity of feature weights. Hierarchical comparison revealed that many areas with considerable high nature values areas are not presently strictly protected.
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(2018)For a long time protected areas have been vital in conserving species and biodiversity. But due to climate change it is important to study whether the protected area networks are able to fulfill their goals also in a changing climate. Because of climate change the amount of southern species is increasing. At the same time the number of northern species is declining as are the suitable habitats for them. In order to adapt to changes in the climate, species are forced to shift their distributions poleward and upward. As a result, species communities are changing and some species may be threatened with extinction. It is therefore urgent to study whether the protected areas can alleviate the effects of climate change and whether they are capable to protect biodiversity in a changing climate. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the protected areas in Finland have been able to alleviate the effects of climate change in the bird species communities. The study was based on line transect bird censuses carried out in 182 protected areas during the years 1980–1999 and 2000–2015. Community temperature index (CTI) was used to study bird communities’ response to temperature change. Thus, CTI is used as a climate change indicator. CTI is based on the average temperature of the species range. A higher CTI value therefore indicates that a higher proportion of birds in the community are warm-dwelling species whereas the low CTI value indicates the opposite. The aim was to find out how the size of the protected area, connectivity between the protected areas and the type of habitat had affected the change of CTI between research periods. Protected areas were divided into three groups based on their location: northern, central and southern parts. 14 models were built in each part, ranked according to their AIC values. Linear regression analysis was used as the analytical method. During the research period, CTI had risen in 155 protected areas indicating a change in the direction of warmer bird communities. However, we found out that certain features of protected areas were able to alleviate the effects of climate change. Better connectivity decreased the changes in bird communities in the northern and central parts. But in the southern parts a similar effect was not found, possibly due to the smaller size of the protected areas and the lower degree of connectivity. The larger size of the protected area was supposed to reduce the changes in CTI but the results did not support this hypothesis. In all parts open habitats were more effective in alleviating the effects of climate change than the forest habitats. On the basis of the results, increasing the connectivity between protected areas could potentially be advantageous for the species suffering from climate change.
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(2015)Ympäristön- ja luonnonsuojelu Suomessa on muuttunut merkittävästi sotien jälkeen. Puhtaasti luonnontuntemukseen ja harrastuneisuuteen pohjaavan luonnonsuojelun rinnalle on kehittynyt 1960- ja 1970-lukujen vaihteessa politisoitunut ja institutionalisoitunut ympäristönsuojelu. Vielä tuolloin ympäristön muutokset koettiin erillisinä ongelmina, kuten ilman saastumisena, elintarvikkeiden myrkkypitoisuuksina ja maiseman pilaantumisena, mutta yksittäisistä ongelmista alkoi kehittyä laajempi kokonaisuus eli ympäristökysymys. Ympäristökysymys käsittää negatiivisesti koettujen ympäristön muutosten tiedostamisen, problematisoinnin, hallinnan ja politiikat. Vaikka ympäristökysymys muodostui ja ympäristöongelmat tunnistettiin yhteiskunnallisiksi ongelmiksi jo 1960-luvun lopulla, kesti ympäristöhallinnon organisoituminen vuosikymmeniä ja ympäristöministeriö perustettiin vasta vuonna 1983. Tutkimuksessani selvitän, millaisena ympäristökysymyksen kehittyminen näyttäytyy Helsingin Sanomien pilapiirroksissa vuosina 1956-1985. Pilapiirros kertoo enemmän kuin pelkkä uutinen; siitä voi tulkita julkaisuajankohdan asenneilmapiiriä sekä ainakin piirtäjänsä mielipiteen, eli paljon sellaista, jota neutraaliin uutistekstiin ei paineta. Lisäksi se, että pilapiirros on tehty ja julkaistu, paljastaa piirroksessa kuvatun aiheen olevan ajankohtainen ja puhuttava. Tutkimuksen aineistona on Helsingin Sanomien pilapiirrokset vuosilta 1956-1985, jotka ovat kaikki Kari Suomalaisen käsialaa. Ajanjaksolle osuu monia suomalaisen ympäristökysymyksen suuria tapahtumia: yksittäisiä taisteluja, kuten Koijärvi, runsaasti uusien luonnon- ja ympäristönsuojeluun liittyvien lakien säätämisiä sekä ympäristöhallinnon organisaation uudistaminen ja oman ministeriön perustaminen. Tutkimus on yhteiskunnallista ympäristötutkimusta ympäristöhistorian kentällä, ympäristötietoisuuden ja ympäristöliikkeiden historiaan painottuen. Tutkimusote on teorialähtöinen, ja sisällönanalyysi on limittynyt aineistonkeruuvaiheeseen. Lopputuloksena on katselmus siitä, miten ympäristökysymys on kehittynyt Suomessa yksittäisten ympäristöongelmien käsittelystä yhteiskunnalliseksi kysymykseksi
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(2018)In this study 39 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC398 isolates from Finnish pigs and pork were sequenced by whole-genome sequencing. Also, phenotypic antimicrobial resistance of the strains was examined. The strains originated from the culture collection of Finnish Food Safety Authority (Evira) and they were isolated between the years of 2008 and 2017. MRSA strains were isolated from both asymptomatic and infected pigs and pork. The strains represented the four most common spa types in Finnish pigs (t034, t2741, t011 and t108). DNA extraction method for S. aureus was optimized by comparing automatic DNA extraction robot and manual DNA extraction method. Extracted DNA samples were sent to Germany to be sequenced with Illumina sequencing. Paired-end raw read sequences were assembled using three different algorithms: Spades, Idba and Velvet. The assembled sequences were analysed by bioinformatics tools. Possible antimicrobial resistance genes, virulence genes, plasmids and SCCmec cassettes were identified. The strains were also typed by spa typing and sequence typing. spa typing was already performed in Evira using PCR and the new spa typing results were compared to the PCR results. Using the assembled sequences, a phylogenetic tree was also constructed. Phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using broth microdilution panel. The manual extraction method was slightly better since the extracted DNA was purer. The best assembly algorithm was Spades and because of that all sequences were assembled with that algorithm for further analyses. The strains carried only a few virulence genes and many genes that are important for human infection were missing. All the strains carried the same SCCmec cassette type and sequence type ST398 both of which are known to be typical for pig related MRSA. Illumina sequencing and spa typing were not working perfectly since the used program was not able to distinguish spa types t034 and t011 from each other. The problem was probably due to very similar short tandem repeats that these two spa types share. Also, Illumina sequencing is known to produce short reads that could be problematic for sequence assembly. All the strains were resistant to beta-lactams and tetracycline which is typical for MRSA CC398 strains. Many strains were also resistant to clindamycin and trimethoprim. Antimicrobial resistance seemed to be carried by plasmids in some cases because the strains carried several plasmids that are known to contain antimicrobial resistance genes. The antimicrobial resistance profiles were different between different spa types since some spa types were more resistant to certain antimicrobials than others. According to the phylogenetic tree, the strains seemed to be a very heterogenic group. The strains that belonged in the same spa type were most related to each other as expected. There were no differences between strains originating from pigs and strains originating from pork which strongly indicates that bacteria could have spread from pigs to pork. Asymptomatic pigs also carried similar strains as infected pigs. The strains that were causing infections in pigs did not contain any more virulence factors compared to the other strains. The study gave plenty of new information concerning MRSA CC398 in Finnish pigs and pork. The antimicrobial resistance and virulence patterns in addition to other qualities of the strains were very similar that was described in the literature before. The strains seemed not to be very virulent for humans, but the situation must be observed in case of increasing resistance and virulence. The best way to prevent spreading of MRSA is to decrease the amount of MRSA in pig farms since MRSA bacteria are most likely to spread from pigs to the environment and to the people who work in pig farms and from there to the rest of the population.
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(2020)In the years 2017-2019 there was quite vivid discussion about the level of logging in Finland. Finland, as forested country, had put high hopes of bioeconomy as a strategyline for future. In addition the demand of cellulose and other woodproducts had been on rising track and there was plans to build numereous pulp- and bioproduct plants in Finland. Hence the pressure to increase the level of logging had been risen. In the meantime European union tried to achieve more ambitious climatepolicy and conceived a new LULUCF (land use, land-use change and forestry)-act, which allows to take into acount carbon sinks of forests in each of the member country. Aspiration to increase logging and mitigate climate change and preserve forestnature did not go together very well. As a method in this study theory-based content analysis is used, in which thoughts of economic historian Karl Polanyi of self-regulated markets, fictitious commodities and double movement is applied. According to Polanyi self-regulated markets wake protective counter movements in society. These counter reactions are spontanious and they can emerge from various parts of society. They softened the hit caused to people and nature by markets. Polanyi called this mechanism doudle movement. The material contains mediasources such as articles from Helsingin Sanomat and Yleisradio and also public documents of the state. According to this study the markets determinate the use of forests and the level of logging in Finland. Public policy doesn’t want to compromise the strong export industry and employer such as forestry. The use of forest is organized by the rules of markets and tree is now used as a commodity as a timber, even if nature is not originally produced to sale. Finnish forestry is a small part of growth demanding global capitalist system. As counter movements in this case appear environmental organizations, scientists, journalists, politics and citizens. Those groups were worried about carbon sinks and biodiversity of forests. Also European unoion acted as counter movement, when it demanded reduction of emissions of other sectors like housing and transport if carbon sinks of forests decrease. All in all the power of counter movements wasn’t high enough to change the direction of forestry in Finland, which is over the years embedded in finnish society. A potential conflict can still emerge, when traditional nature based industry navigates in the field of international commerce, which resemble Polanyi’s selfregulated markets. There was clear evidence of counter movements and they got more value from the discussion of climate change and the overall greening of society. On the other hand also lumber industry could present them as green, because they use renewable resources, which also replace fossil fuels. The larger impact on the level of logging is system-based pendulumus counter movement, like depression, which swing the world economy.
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(2018)Lepakot ovat suuri, monimuotoinen ja ekologisesti merkittävä nisäkäslahko. Viime vuosikymmenien aikana ne ovat paljastuneet myös merkittävien zoonottisten taudinaiheuttajien kantajiksi. Suomessa esiintyy kolmetoista lepakkolajia, joista suurin osa esiintyy täällä levinneisyysalueensa pohjoislaidalla ja joiden kantamista taudinaiheuttajista on tehty vielä hyvin vähän tutkimuksia. Tutkielmassani selvitän korona- ja paramyksovirusten esiintymistä eteläisen Suomen lepakoilla vuosina 2013-2016. Lisäksi pyrin kerätyn aineiston perusteella selvittämään, onko näytteitä luovuttaneiden lepakoiden iällä, näytteiden keruukuukaudella tai näytteiden keruualueella vaikutusta löydettyjen virusten esiintyvyyteen. Aineistona käytettiin muiden tutkimusprojektien yhteydessä lepakoilta kerättyjä uloste- ja anaalipyyhkäisynäytteitä sekä lepakoiden päivehtimispaikoilta kerättyjä ulostenäytteitä. Näytteistä eristettiin RNA ja ne seulottiin koronaviruksia ja paramyksoviruksia tunnistavilla ja optimoiduilla kvantitatiivisilla käänteistranskriptio- PCR-menetelmillä (RT-qPCR) ja löydökset varmistettiin tavallisilla käänteistranskriptio-PCR-menetelmillä (RT-PCR). Jälkimmäisistä reaktioista saadut tuotteet myös sekvensoitiin. Ulostenäytteiden seulonnan tuloksista kertyneestä aineistosta tehtiin tilastolliset analyysit yleistetyillä lineaarisilla sekamalleilla, joissa vastemuuttujana käytettiin viruksen esiintymistä ja mallin muuttujina näytteen luovuttaneen lepakon ikäryhmää ja lajia, näytteen keräyskuukautta ja eliömaakuntaa, josta näyte oli kerätty. Mallien satunnaistekijöinä käytettiin näytteiden keräyskuntaa tai näytteiden keräysvuotta. Sekvenssiaineistosta tehtiin fylogeneettiset analyysit käyttäen suurimman todennäköisyyden (Maximum Likelihood) menetelmää ja Bayesilaista menetelmää, joiden tuloksina saatiin kaksi fylogeneettista puuta. Neljän vuoden aineistosta todettiin yhteensä 18 lepakkoyksilöä, jotka kantoivat koronaviruksia, mutta paramyksoviruksia ei aineistosta löydetty. Tilastolliseen tarkasteluun hyväksyttiin 77 ulostenäytettä, joista 13 oli positiivisia koronaviruksille. Anaalipyyhkäisynäytteistä kerättiin 38 kappaletta ja näistä 5 oli positiivisia koronaviruksille. Päivehtimispaikoilta kerättyjä ulostenäytteitä tutkittiin 28 kappaleitta ja näistä 4 oli koronaviruspositiivisia. Koronaviruksia löydettiin Varsinais-Suomen, Uudenmaan, Etelä-Pohjanmaan ja Pohjois-Savon eliömaantieteellisiltä alueilta. Uloste- ja anaalipyyhkäisynäytteiden perusteella koronaviruksia esiintyy Suomessa pohjanlepakoilla, isoviiksisiipoilla, vesisiipoilla ja viiksisiipoilla. Tutkielmassa esitellään ensimmäinen pohjanlepakon beetakoronaviruslöytö. Tämä virus ryhmittyy fylogeneettisissa puissa samaan haaraan muiden saman lepakkosuvun kantamien beetakoronavirusten kanssa ja on samalla melko läheistä sukua MERS-koronavirukselle. Tutkielmassa esitellään myös ensimmäinen isoviiksisiipan koronaviruslöytö, joka fylogeneettisten analyysien perusteella ryhmittyy samaan fylogeneettisen puun haaraan luxemburgilaisen ruskosiipan alfakoronaviruksen kanssa. Eniten koronaviruksia löydettiin vesisiipoilta, jotka suurimmalta osin ryhmittyivät samaan fylogeneettisen puun haaraan. Merenkurkussa sijaitsevasta Mustasaaren kunnasta kerätystä vesisiipan ulostenäytteestä löydetty sekvenssi kuitenkin sijoittui erilleen muista suomalaisista sekvensseistä ja eteläisestä Euroopasta todettujen sekvenssien joukkoon, mikä voi viitata tämän alueen lepakkopopulaation ja sen kantamien virusten levinneen Suomeen läntistä reittiä. Tutkielman tulokset luovat hyvän pohjan jatkotutkimuksille, joissa voidaan selvittää virusten tarkempaa esiintyvyyttä sekä niiden tarkempia ominaisuuksia.
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(2005)Perinteisesti ympäristönsuojelussa on kiinnitetty huomiota lähinnä myrkyllisiin yhdisteisiin. Suuret sinällään vaarattomien aineiden materiaalivirrat ovat jääneet huomiotta. Schmidt-Bleek (2002) korostaa näiden materiaalivirtojen merkitystä ja nostaa tavoitteeksi tuotteiden ja palveluiden dematerialisoinnin. Tuotteiden ja palveluiden materiaalienkulutusta mittaamaan on kehitetty Wuppertal-instituutissa MIPS-mittari. MIPS tulee sanoista material input per service-unit eli materiaalipanos palvelusuoritetta kohti. Kuljetuksien materiaalienkulutusta on tutkittu Suomen oloissa vähän ja maailmallakin vain rajoitetusti. Tämän vuoksi kuljetuksien materiaalien kulutusta tutkimaan perustettiin FIN-MIPS-Liikenne -hanke, jonka tarkoituksena on verrata keskenään eri kuljetusmuotoja. Tämän osatutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää raideliikenteen materiaalienkulutus MIPS-laskentamenetelmän avulla. Tarkastelun kohteina olivat Kouvola–Pieksämäki-rata ja rakenteilla oleva Kerava–Lahti-oikorata. Kouvola–Pieksämäki-rata on vanha yksiraiteinen rataosuus, joita on runsaasti Suomen rataverkolla. Kerava–Lahti-oikorata taas edustaa modernia ratarakentamista. Rataosuuksilta poimittiin erilaisia ratatyyppejä: normaalirakenne, kallioleikkaus, silta ja tunneli. Näiden materiaalinkulutus tutkittiin, jotta saataisiin kuva siitä, mitkä rakenteet ovat olennaisia ratainfrastruktuurin materiaalipanoksessa. Myös kaluston materiaalipanos tutkittiin. Tämän lisäksi rataosuuksia tarkasteltiin tapaustutkimuksina. Tällöin tutkittiin myös ratapihojen, varikoiden, konepajojen, asemien, tehtaiden ja radanpidon vaikutus raideliikenteen materiaalipanokseen. Palvelusuoritteena oli henkilö- ja tonnikilometrit, joita tarkasteltiin kolmella erilaisella liikennetasolla. MIPS-luvut laskettiin neljässä eri kategoriassa: abioottiset luonnonvarat, bioottiset luonnonvarat, vesi ja ilma. Bioottiset materiaalipanokset olivat kuitenkin hyvin pieniä ja liittyivät ainoastaan muutamaan kulutettuun aineeseen. Abioottisen materiaalipanoksen muodostumisen kannalta olennaisimpia olivat maarakennustoimenpiteet. Veden kulutus taas koostui suurimmaksi osaksi pois paikoiltaan siirretystä sadevedestä. Ilman kulutuksen muodostumisessa keskeinen merkitys oli sähkönkulutuksella ja rakenteilla, joissa käytettiin runsaasti betonia. Kouvola-Pieksämäki radan materiaalipanos oli kaikissa kategorioissa Kerava-Lahti oikoradan materiaalipanosta alhaisempi, koska Kouvola-Pieksämäki rata on yksiraiteinen ja maarakennustoimenpiteiltään yksinkertaisempi. Kaluston osuus MIPS-luvusta oli alhaisin abioottisessa kategoriassa. Vesi-MIPS-lukuun ja erityisesti ilma-MIPS-lukuun kalusto vaikutti huomattavasti. Kaluston merkitys kasvoi liikenteen vilkastuessa.
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(2007)Suomessa pitkään harjoitettu maatalous on luonut elinympäristöjä lukuisille kulttuuriympäristöihin erikoistuneille eliölajeille. Viime vuosikymmeninä maaseutumaisemamme luonne on muuttunut ja perinnemaisemiin sopeutuneiden lajien elinympäristöt käyneet harvinaisiksi. Uhanalaisia lajeja on metsien jälkeen toiseksi eniten juuri perinnebiotoopeilla. Eräs maatalouden muutoksista kärsinyt lajiryhmä on lantakuoriaiset, sillä muun muassa rehupeltojen laidunnus ja karjan sisäruokinta ovat johtaneet niittyjen ja luonnonlaitumien umpeenkasvuun. Lantakuoriaisiin lukeutuu myös tutkimukseni kohde isolaakasittiäinen (Onthophagus gibbulus). Se on ainoa maassamme jäljellä oleva laakasittiäisten sukua edustava laji. Suomesta jo hävinneeksi luultu isolaakasittiäinen löydettiin uudestaan vuonna 1995 Someron Häntälän Rekijokilaaksosta. Tämä on tiettävästi edelleen lajin ainoa esiintymä Suomessa. Maamme isolaakasittiäiskannasta tiedetään hyvin vähän, vaikka laji onkin suppean esiintymisalueensa takia äärimmäisen uhanalainen. Tämän työn tarkoituksena on hankkia perustietoa isolaakasittiäiskannan koosta, lajin fenologiasta, sekä esiintymän laajuudesta lajin suojelun tueksi. Tutkimukseni pyrkii vastaamaan kysymyksiin: Minkälainen elinkierto lajilla on Suomessa? Missä ja kuinka runsaana isolaakasittiäistä Suomessa tavataan? Tätä selvittääkseni tarkastelin uhanalaisten lajien löytörekisteritietoja, sekä suoritin havainnointia maastossa syyskesällä 2004. Populaatiokoon arvioimista varten käytin pyynti-jälleenpyynti -menetelmää, missä elävänä pyytävistä kuoppapyydyksistä saadut yksilöt merkittiin kukin omalla koodillaan. Analyyseissä käytin kahta toisiaan täydentävää populaatiokoon estimoimiseen tarkoitettua menetelmää. Tutkin myös lajin tilajakaumaa pääesiintymän sisällä, eli selvitin ovatko yksilöt sijoittuneet elinalueelleen tasaisesti, vai suosivatko ne erityisesti tietynlaisissa paikoissa sijaitsevia lantaläjiä. Mikäli suosivat, niin miksi? Näin sain merkittävää lisätietoa paikallisten ympäristöolojen vaikutuksesta isolaakasittiäiskantaan. Suojelun kannalta yksilöiden keskittyminen tiettyihin läjiin voi toisaalta lisätä kannan häviämisriskiä, mutta siitä voi olla myös etua yksilöiden lisääntymismenestykselle. Tutkimuksessani selvisi, että isolaakasittiäinen lentää läpi kesän ja ainakin osa kannasta kykenisi lisääntymään myös keväällä, mikäli lantaa olisi saatavilla. Tunnettu pääesiintymä on ainoa paikka, missä lajia on runsaslukuisena. Populaation koko on siellä noin 3000 5000 yksilöä. Laji on jossain määrin kyennyt levittäytymään myös uudelleen laidunnuskäyttöön otetuille lähilaitumille. Lisäksi löysin pääesiintymältä linnuntietä 3,3 km koilliseen toisen aiemmin tuntemattoman paikalliskannan, jossa isolaakasittiäistä esiintyy - joskaan ei runsaslukuisena. Isolaakasittiäisen tilajakauman analysointi osoitti, että yksilöt ovat sukupuolesta riippumatta merkittävissä määrin kasautuneet nimenomaan tiettyihin läjiin. Kasautumista selittäviksi tekijöiksi osoittautuivat pienen mittakaavan ympäristövaihtelut. Laji suosii lantaläjiä, jotka sijaitsevat avoimilla ja paahteisilla rinteillä, joilla myös aluskasvillisuuden on oltava lyhyttä. Isolaakasittiäiskanta on pääesiintymällä runsaslukuinen ja ylittää sekä demografiselle että geneettiselle stokastisuudelle yleisesti asetetut raja-arvot. Lajin esiintymisalue on kuitenkin niin suppea ja riippuvainen jokavuotisesta laidunnuksesta, että laji on vaarassa kuolla sukupuuttoon, mikäli sen suojeluun ei kiinnitetä jatkuvasti huomiota. Häntälässä suojelu on tähän asti toteutettu lähinnä sopimuksilla maanomistajien kanssa. On kyseenalaista riittävätkö nämä toimet turvaamaan lajin säilymisen. Niin isolaakasittiäisen kuin monien muidenkin perinnemaisemien eliölajien säilymisen kannalta on äärimmäisen tärkeää, että jokilaakson laiduntamista jatketaan vuosittain ja riittävässä mittakaavassa.
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(2022)Sustainability is a normative concept embedding ethical commitments. A central ethical issue in the sustainability debate and sustainability science regards moral standing. Moral standing is a philosophical concept that means that a being matters morally for their own sake and that there are direct duties owed to the being. It is widely accepted in contemporary ethics that, in addition to humans, at least some sentient nonhuman animals have moral standing. However, the dominant academic and political discourse of sustainability has hitherto focused only on the moral claims of humans without a critical examination of this anthropocentrism. In anthropocentrism, a view of moral standing, only humans have moral standing or they have a much higher moral standing than any nonhumans. Animal and environmental ethicists have questioned anthropocentrism through philosophical arguments. Nevertheless, the academic discourse of sustainability has been disconnected from the philosophical research on moral standing. There is, thus, a research gap in examining moral standing within sustainability science by drawing also on ethical research. This master’s thesis integrates the two distinct fields of knowledge, that is, sustainability science and ethical research on moral standing. The aim is to answer the following research questions: (1) What kind of anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric conceptions of sustainability are there in sustainability literature? (2) What kind of conceptions of sustainability ensue from the main philosophical views of moral standing? (3) How plausible are the different anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric conceptions of sustainability? The thesis applies the philosophical method for investigating the plausibility of alternative views. With animal ethical arguments, I defend the plausibility of a sentiocentric and unitarian conception of sustainability that considers the interests of all sentient beings equally. Also, I present a typology of the main anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric conceptions of sustainability based on philosophical literature on moral standing. My typology characterises the key features of what I call the strong variety of anthropocentric sustainability, the weak variety of anthropocentric sustainability, sentiocentric sustainability, biocentric sustainability and ecocentric sustainability. In addition, this research employs interdisciplinary literature related to the topic and reviews the anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric conceptions of sustainability in sustainability literature. Based on my analysis, I contend that the dominant conceptions of sustainability maintain anthropocentric speciesism, that is, discrimination according to species classification within an anthropocentric worldview. This bias is present, for example, in the conceptions of sustainability of the Brundtland Report, the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, the planetary boundaries framework as well as IPCC reports examined in this thesis. Some non-anthropocentric conceptions of sustainability are starting to emerge in academic discourses: interspecies sustainability, posthuman sustainability, ecocentric sustainability, multispecies sustainability, what I call multicriterial sustainability and defences of the animal ethical dimensions of sustainability. Hitherto, the discourse of sustainability has, still, rarely questioned anthropocentric speciesism. I argue that the anthropocentric conceptions of sustainability lack plausibility for five reasons. Firstly, it is morally wrong to engage in speciesist discrimination. It is wrong to disregard sentient nonhuman animals’ interests and equal duties owed to these creatures in the context of sustainability. Secondly, anthropocentric speciesism is connected to discrimination against certain animalised and marginalised humans, such as indigenous peoples. Thirdly, normative claims require ethical justification, which makes it unacceptable to assume anthropocentrism without critical examination. Sustainability science should consider ethical research on moral standing and aim at overcoming the speciesist bias through critical reflection. Fourthly, from a psychological perspective, it is valuable to oppose oppressive systems that, according to research by Melanie Joy, distance humans from reality and their authentic experience. Fifthly, the sentiocentric equality of all sentient beings protects environment and wellbeing by opposing the animal industry. Also the biocentric and ecocentric conceptions of sustainability lack plausibility, despite their non-anthropocentrism, as only sentient beings have interests. I conclude that there is a duty to embrace the sentiocentric and unitarian conception of sustainability that commits to the equality of all sentient beings, which eliminates discrimination. This conclusion entails a duty to transform the paradigm of sustainability science and the discourse of sustainability. In future research, it is essential to further develop this sentiocentric conception of sustainability, examine its possible challenges and how societies and the academic world could implement it.
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(2023)Cellular agriculture (CA) is an overarching concept for biotechnologies using animal or plant cells or microbes to produce agricultural goods industrially. Although these technologies are promoted as green innovations allowing food and material production sustainably “without fields”, multiple technical and socio-ecological concerns remain. As increasing amounts of public money are invested in developing food biotechnologies in the name of the green transition, it becomes crucial to analyze which food futures are advanced at the expense of others. While located in the nexus of the sociology of expectations and social scientific research on alternative proteins, the study is also inspired by ecofeminist perspectives on food systems. Analyzing how relevant stakeholders (industry vanguards, researchers, policy-makers, and NGO representatives) situate CA vis-à-vis the current food system and envision its future in Finland, it builds from 15 semi-structured in-depth interviews and a secondary data set consisting of media and industry websites. Concretely, I explore 1) how CA is defined and framed as a solution to the crises of industrial agriculture; 2) what types of vanguard visions can be identified, and how the prevalent visions intend to structure the field; and 3) what types of uncertainties, or narrative silences, the stakeholders identify regarding the future of CA in the Finnish context. The study identifies eight vanguard visions (increased efficiency, controlled environment, environmental restoration, less livestock more ethically, enhancement through molecularization, feeding the growing population, local revitalization through technology, and clean technology for green growth). It illustrates how the vanguards link their visions to the broader sociotechnical imaginary of carbon neutrality in Finland in order to gain public acceptance and attract future funding. Moreover, the concept of narrative silences structures the analysis of the potential consequences of a successful sociotechnical revolution. Those consequences are divided into creative (e.g., the creation of new energy demand) and destructive ones (e.g., the damaging impacts for farmers and more-than-human rural livelihoods). Lastly, I argue that future research on CA should engage in thinking how food biotechnologies could support the re-worlding of technoscience while asking critical questions regarding ownership and the dominant growth-driven sustainability paradigm.
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(2019)In a national assessment of threatened habitat types published in December 2018, the state of brooks in Finland was evaluated poor throughout the country. The situation is the worst in the channels of clay rich areas that have a long history of agriculture and are suffering from excessive nutrient loads. The developmental direction of all flowing water habitat types is negative compared to the assessment given in 2008. Currently there are tens of thousands of kilometers of brooks in the need of restoration.The problem with the already accomplished restorations is that they are limited only to specific and short parts of the channels. Because the restorations usually do not include monitoring, the data available of the effects of the restorations is limited. The problem is global, which has led to only small development in the restoration methods in the past decades. In order to improve the condition of brooks in Finland, there is a need for new planning methods focusing on the drainage basins and the importance of monitoring. Methods developed in Central Europe and North America focus in considering the restoration area and its drainage basin as one unit, mapping of the original characteristics of the ecosystem and specifying the goals of restoration. In the presence of specific goals, the monitoring will become an integral part of the restoration plan. This study investigated the effect of setting specific goals for the restoration, and whether it could offer solutions in improving the situation of brooks in Finland. This study applies to brooks in general, but through the restoration example used, focuses especially in the restoration of channels in agricultural areas. This study describes the first extensive restoration of agricultural brook completed in Finland. Kumianoja, located in Hämeenkoski, was restored to flow in its original meandering shape of the channel in the length of approximately one kilometer. With the documentation of this restoration, this study creates an overview of brook restoration planning and the different stages of its execution. The study was part of the “Sustainable management and restoration of dredged agricultural streams (KURVI)”-project (2016-2018) of the Finnish Environment Institute that was funded by the Ministry of the Environment. The goal of the project was to develop methods for improving the state of the flowing waters damaged by the agricultural land drainage according to the Strategy for Protection and Restoration of Small Water Bodies published in 2015 and the goals of the Water act renewed in 2011.
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(2024)As an almost enclosed sea, the Baltic Sea is generally defined as eutrophic, as external nutrient loading has exceeded the natural processing capacity of the system during the last 50-100 years. Nutrients have also accumulated in the sediments of the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is naturally sensitive to eutrophication due to the combination of very long residence times and stratification increasing deep sea anoxia. Research questions for this systematic review are: how much have the nutrient concentrations and the trophic state of the Baltic Sea changed from the Litorina stage to the end of the pre-industrial era compared with the industrial era – year 2000, how has the nutrient status of the Baltic Sea changed between the year 2000 and the 2020´s and how do the future (modelled) scenarios of eutrophication of the Baltic Sea compare to the present state? This systematic review followed the PRISMA process. To be included in this thesis, each article found in the search had to fulfil at least one inclusion criterion without any exclusion criteria. The aim of the criteria was to find all time-unlimited original studies and necessary review articles. The databases of my thesis are Helka, Helda, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Moreover, I included in my thesis some relevant reports from HELCOM, Finnish Environment Institute, Natural Resources Institute Finland, and Ministry of the Environment. Overall, 89 articles qualified answering at least one research question. 66 articles answered one research question. 19 articles answered two research questions 1-2 and 2-3, but none discussed the combination 1 and 3. Four articles answered all research questions. Over the millennia, hypoxia and cyanobacteria blooms took place in many parts of the Baltic Sea. As the Litorina Sea stabilized, there was more oxygen in the deep basins whilst phosphate decreased in the surface waters. At the beginning of the industrial era, nitrogen and phosphorus loads started to rise significantly. When it comes to the future scenarios of the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, the trophic state might generally 1) decrease, 2) improve somewhat, or 3) improve to a good status in most basins. A near-pristine Baltic Sea is not reached in any of the scenarios.
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(2018)The insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway plays an important role in the regulation of growth and development, metabolism, lifespan, reproduction and stress response of an organism. As the pathway is evolutionarily conserved, Drosophila melanogaster serves as a powerful model for characterizing the underlying molecular mechanisms and genetic components, which may further appear as potential therapeutic targets for metabolic disorders. Drosophila has eight genes encoding insulin-like peptides (DILPs), which display stage- and tissue-specific expression patterns. Furthermore, the expression of DILPs is regulated by nutritional status. To date, only few transcription factors have been shown to regulate the expression of the dilp genes: for instance Dachshund and Eyeless are known transcriptional activators of dilp5 and dFOXO is a known transcriptional activator of dilp6. Since transcription factors directly regulating the expression of dilps are not yet well known, there is a need to study them further. The aim of this master’s thesis was to screen for novel transcriptional regulators of the dilp genes and study their phenotypic effects in vivo. For this purpose Drosophila S2 cells were transfected with vectors containing the promoter regions of all the dilp genes and with a library of 822 transcription factors. Promoter activity of the dilp genes was further measured by using the Dual-Luciferase® Reporter Assay System. Some of the revealed potential regulators were further studied in vivo to confirm their regulatory functions by using RNA interference to silence these factors or overexpressing them and by performing quantitative real-time PCR to measure dilp expression levels. Subsequently, organismal growth and development were assessed and effects on larval metabolic profiles were monitored. The screen revealed a few potential transcriptional regulators, among which Spalt-related (Salr) was selected for further study. It was shown to act as an activator of dilp6 expression. dilp6 is an interesting target among the dilp network due to its central role as a communicator between two of the important organs involved in insulin signaling: the brain and the fat body. Subsequently, both Salr and DILP6 were shown to have a role in controlling growth and development of larvae. Based on the experiments in this thesis Spalt-related seems to have a broader role as a metabolic regulator, which is not limited to its function as a regulator of dilp6. Thus, it might act as an important link between the insulin signaling pathway and other pathways regulating growth and metabolism in Drosophila.
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(2015)Tutkimuksessa haluttiin määrittää aikaisempaa tietämystä tarkemmin sytoplasmisen A2-tyypin fosfolipaasi α:n (cPLA2α) substraattispesifisyys sekä sitä rajoittavat tekijät. Tätä varten entsyymin geeniä ekspressoitiin bakulovirusmenetelmällä viljellyissä Spodoptera frugiperda- soluissa. Entsyymi eristettiin ja sen aktiivisuus määritettiin. Aktiivista puhdistettua entsyymiä käytettiin useissa pienillä unilamellaarisilla vesikkeleillä ja miselleillä (makrosubstraatteina) tehdyissä glyserofosfolipidien hydrolyysikokeissa, jotka analysoitiin massaspektrometrisellä menetelmällä. Tutkimuksissa selvitettiin glyserofosfolipidien tyydyttyneisyyden, asyyliketjujen pituuden ja polaaristen pääryhmien vaikutusta hydrolyysiin. Lisäksi tutkittiin keskenään positionaalisten isomeerien hydrolyysin eroja. Tutkimus vahvisti, että cPLA2α todellakin on spesifinen arakidonihappoa sisältäville glyserofosfolipideille. Lisäksi sen todettiin hydrolysoivan merkittävästi 1,2-dilinolenoyyli-sn- glysero-3-fosfatidyylikoliinia. Muita lyhytketjuisia ja tyydyttymättömiä glyserofosfolipidejä se hydrolysoi pieniä määriä. Eri glyserofosfolipidien polaarisista pääryhmistä se hydrolysoi parhaiten fosfatidihappoa, toiseksi parhaiten fosfatidyyliglyserolia ja kolmanneksi parhaiten fosfatidyylikoliinia. Tärkeimmäksi hydrolyysiä rajoittavaksi tekijäksi osoittautui substraattien sitoutuminen entsyymin aktiiviseen keskukseen ja toissijaiseksi niiden kyky irtautua kalvosta/misellistä. cPLA2α:n kohonnut aktiivisuus on yhdistetty muun muassa lukuisiin eri syöpiin, tulehduksellisiin autoimmuunisairauksiin ja neurodegenaratiivisiin sairauksiin. Tutkimuksesta saatua tietoa voitaneen käyttää tulevaisuudessa cPLA2α:a inhiboivien täsmälääkkeiden kehittelyyn kyseisten sairauksien hoitoon.
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