Spiders in mofette fields—Survival of the toughest in natural carbon dioxide springs?

In mofette fields, natural carbon dioxide springs, organisms have to stand extreme CO₂ concentrations up to 100%. These hostile conditions are spatially small-scaled and further influenced by earth tides, wind and temperature. The present project investigated the influence of increased atmospheric CO₂ concentration on spiders as representatives of above-ground organisms by means of pitfall traps in three mofette fields, differing in habitat conditions in the Plesná valley, eastern Cheb Basin, Czech Republic.Among the 71 recorded spider species four were rarely found in the Czech Republic. A canonical correspondence analysis revealed significant influences of environmental parameters on the spider assemblages. Two groups of spiders are clearly distinguishable, one being positively influenced by humidity and the second by temperature. A cluster analysis showed distinct and congruent results: spider assemblages of pitfall traps at spots with a mean CO₂ concentration above 7.6% grouped close together and this grouping was independent of site. At >7.6% CO₂ significantly fewer individuals and species were found in comparison to areas with lower CO₂ concentration. Between 2.5 and 10% CO₂, spiders indicated increased CO₂ concentrations much more sensitively than endogeic organisms (Nematoda, Collembola) in a nearby mofette field. Unlike in nematodes, collembolans and plants, no mofettovageous or mofettophilous spiders were detected. In contrast to humidity, CO₂ concentration and temperature, the vegetation cover was not among the factors, which significantly influenced spiders. This is explained by the fact that mofettophilous plants occurred at spots where almost no spiders could live. In a field experiment, most Pardosa pullata males tested passed a 30 cm long corridor with increased carbon dioxide concentration. These results and that of pitfall traps showed that relatively large and wandering specimens respectively were able to transit moderately hostile spots. Further experiments are necessary to find out if there is any active avoidance of high-CO₂ areas by spiders.     

The future of bioenergy

Energy from biomass plays a large and growing role in the global energy system. Energy from biomass can make significant contributions to reducing carbon emissions, especially from difficult‐to‐decarbonize sectors like aviation, heavy transport, and manufacturing. But land‐intensive bioenergy often entails substantial carbon emissions from land‐use change as well as production, harvesting, and transportation. In addition, land‐intensive bioenergy scales only with the utilization of vast amounts of land, a resource that is fundamentally limited in supply. Because of the land constraint, the intrinsically low yields of energy per unit of land area, and rapid technological progress in competing technologies, land intensive bioenergy makes the most sense as a transitional element of the global energy mix, playing an important role over the next few decades and then fading, probably after mid‐century. Managing an effective trajectory for land‐intensive bioenergy will require an unusual mix of policies and incentives that encourage appropriate utilization in the short term but minimize lock‐in in the longer term.     

Modeling the estrogen receptor to growth factor receptor signaling switch in human breast cancer cells

Breast cancer cells develop resistance to endocrine therapies by shifting between estrogen receptor (ER)-regulated and growth factor receptor (GFR)-regulated survival signaling pathways. To study this switch, we propose a mathematical model of crosstalk between these pathways. The model explains why MCF7 sub-clones transfected with HER2 or EGFR show three GFR-distribution patterns, and why the bimodal distribution pattern can be reversibly modulated by estrogen. The model illustrates how transient overexpression of ER activates GFR signaling and promotes estrogen-independent growth. Understanding this survival-signaling switch can help in the design of future therapies to overcome resistance in breast cancer.     

Relationship between haemolytic and sphingomyelinase activities in a partially purified beta-like toxin from Staphylococcus schleiferi

beta-Toxins of staphylococcal species possess dual activity in that they can both lyse erythrocytes (by 'hot-cold' lysis) and catalyse hydrolysis of membrane-associated sphingomyelin. However, the precise relationship between these two activities has not been extensively studied. We have partially purified a beta-like toxin from culture supernatants of Staphylococcus schleiferi N860375 which exhibits both 'hot-cold' lysis of erythrocytes and neutral sphingomyelinase activities. This toxin has a strong preference for sheep erythrocytes, the membranes of which are rich in sphingomyelin. Kinetic analysis suggests that haemolysis and sphingomyelinase activities are very closely associated obeying identical Michaelis-Menten kinetics. However, pre-treatment with antibodies to Staphylococcus aureus beta-toxin, Ca(2+), dithiothreitol and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride appear to inhibit sphingomyelinase activity significantly more strongly than haemolysis while Mg(2+) activates sphingomyelinase activity more strongly than haemolysis. We attribute these effects to differences in binding properties in the two assays. Micropurification by both sphingosylphosphocholine-agarose affinity chromatography and preparative electrophoresis revealed that the 34-kDa toxin associates non-covalently with individual proteins.     

Protective role of metallothionein against copper depletion

Copper (Cu) is one of the essential metals and its homeostasis is strictly regulated. Metallothionein (MT) is induced by excess Cu to mask the Cu toxicity. Although the role of MT in Cu toxicity has been explained in terms of Cu sequestration, its role under Cu-deficient conditions is not known. This study was carried out to determine the role of MT in Cu depletion by a Cu(I)-specific chelator, bathocuproine sulfonate (BCS), in cultured cells established from MT-knockout mouse and its wild type. Viability was decreased more severely in MT-null cells than in wild-type cells by BCS treatment. The expression levels of both MT isoforms were increased by BCS treatment in wild-type cells. Thus, MT was shown to be induced under Cu-deficient conditions to maintain the activities of intracellular cuproenzymes such as cytochrome c oxidase and Cu,zinc-superoxide dismutase.     

Specific Lipoplex-Mediated Antisense Against Bcl-2 in Breast Cancer Cells: A Comparison between Different Formulations

G3139 is an antisense oligonucleotide (ODN) that can down-regulate bcl-2, thus potentially acting as a potent anticancer drug. However, effective therapy requires efficient ODN delivery, which may be achieved by employing G3139 lipoplexes. Yet, lipofection is a complex, multifactorial process that is still poorly understood. In order to shed more light on this issue, we prepared 18 different G3139 lipoplex formulations and compared them in terms of their capability to transfect MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Each formulation was composed of a cationic lipid and sometimes a helper lipid. The cationic lipid was either DOTAP (N-(1-(2,3-dioleoyloxy)propyl)-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride), DC-CHOL (3β[N-(N′,N′-dimethylaminoethane)carbamoyl]-cholesterol), or CCS (ceramide carbomoyl spermine). The helper lipid was either DOPC, DOPE, or cholesterol. Each lipid combination existed in two different structural forms — either large unilamellar vesicles (～100 nm LUV) or unsized heterolamellar vesicles (UHV). Cell proliferation assays were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of G3139 lipoplexes, control cationic lipid assemblies, and free G3139. Western blots were used to confirm the specific activity of G3139 as an anti-bcl-2 antisense agent. We determined that treatment of MCF-7 cells with G3139:CCS lipoplexes (UHV-derived) produced a maximal 50-fold improvement in antisense efficacy compared to treatment with free G3139. The other G3139 lipoplexes were not superior to free G3139. Thus, successful lipofection requires precise optimization of lipoplex lipid composition, structure, and concentration.     

凝血与纤溶指标与颅脑损伤后急性创伤性凝血病的关系及对脑心综合征的预测效能研究

摘要 目的：分析凝血与纤溶指标与颅脑损伤（TBI）后急性创伤性凝血病（ATC）的关系及对脑心综合征（CCS）的预测效能。方法：选取2020年1月～2022年12月本院收治的80例TBI患者作为研究对象,分别检测并计算非ATC患者与ATC患者、非CCS患者与CCS患者的凝血酶原时间（PT）、活化部分凝血酶原时间（APTT）、D-二聚体（D-D）、凝血酶-抗凝血酶复合物（TAT）、纤溶酶-α2纤溶酶抑制物复合物（PIC）水平和国际标准化比值（INR）、TAT/PIC比值;并采用双变量Spearman相关性检验凝血与纤溶指标的相关性,建立多因素Logistic模型分析TBI后ATC和TBI合并CCS的影响因素,同时分析凝血与纤溶指标对TBI合并CCS的预测效能。结果：80例TBI患者的ATC发生率为27.50%;与非ATC组比较,ATC组PT、APTT、D-D水平较高,TAT/PIC比值较低（P＜0.05）。PT、APTT、D-D与颅脑损伤后ATC呈正相关性,TAT/PIC与ATC呈负相关性。多因素logistic分析结果显示,TAT/PIC是颅脑损伤后ATC的独立危险因素（P＜0.05）。80例TBI患者的CCS发生率为20.00%;与非CCS组比较,CCS组PT、APTT、D-D水平较高,TAT/PIC比值较低（P＜0.05）。多因素logistic分析结果显示,PT、APTT、D-D、TAT/PIC是TBI合并CCS的独立危险因素（P＜0.05）。TBI合并CCS预测中,PT、APTT、D-D的ACU均＞0.70,TAT/PIC＞0.85。结论：TAT/PIC与TBI后ATC存在一定关联,同时还能预测CCS的发生,在TBI患者预后预测方面具有指导意义。     

靶向抑制铜伴侣蛋白CCS逆转卵巢癌C13*细胞的顺铂耐药性

顺铂（cisplatin）,即二胺二氯铂/diaminedichloroplatinum（DDP）,是治疗卵巢癌最有效的化疗药物;然而,耐药性是限制顺铂临床治疗效果的最重要因素。目前,卵巢癌对顺铂的耐药机制仍不十分清楚。超氧化物歧化酶1铜伴侣蛋白（copper chaperone for superoxide dismutase 1, CCS）介导Cu2+特异性传递给超氧化物歧化酶1（superoxide dismutase1, SOD1）,为维持细胞增殖和生存所必需;相反,抑制CCS可减缓肿瘤细胞增殖。本研究旨在证明,AMPK依赖的CCS表达与卵巢癌的顺铂耐药有关。实时定量PCR及免疫印迹结果显示,与顺铂敏感细胞株OV2008比较,顺铂耐药细胞株C13*中的CCS mRNA和蛋白质表达水平明显上调。shRNA靶向沉默CCS或采用抑制剂DC_AC50抑制CCS后,可明显增强顺铂对C13*细胞增殖的抑制作用,提示CCS高表达与顺铂耐药相关,而抑制CCS可逆转顺铂的耐药性。同样,免疫印迹结果证明,CCS在A549、H1944等6种不同肺癌细胞中的表达水平高低与顺铂敏感性密切相关。采用siRNA干扰CCS在A549细胞中的高表达,或在CCS低表达的H1944细胞中过表达CCS,可明显增加A549或减弱H1944细胞对顺铂的敏感性,进一步证明CCS表达与顺铂耐药性相关。此外,采用AMPK抑制剂化合物C阻断AMPKα Thr172磷酸化（激活）,即抑制AMPK信号通路,可明显抑制CCS在C13*细胞中的表达,提高其对顺铂的敏感性。以上研究结果提示,AMPK信号通路依赖的CCS表达参与肿瘤的顺铂耐药机制,而抑制CCS逆转顺铂耐药。本文的结果还提示,CCS有望成为克服顺铂耐药的潜在靶点。