Quantifying division of aortal smooth muscle cells in culture stimulated by 1,25(OH)2D3

Inhibitory effect of 1α,25dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25D₃ = calcitriol) in different cell type is well recognized but its promoting effect on vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) is poor established. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine stimulatory effect of calcitriol on aortal SMCs proliferation in culture. We used the cell division analysis procedure based on the quantitative sequential halving of the stably incorporating fluorescent dye carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE). This technique allowed the visualization of cycles of SMCs division by flow cytometry. Rat aortal SMCs were labeled with CFSE and cultured for up to 10 days with defined concentration of calcitriol in medium. Proliferative activity as the percentage of SMCs in different phases of the cell cycle using propidium iodide was determined. Apoptosis was assessed using Annexin-V/CFDA method. The results suggest that low concentrations of an active form of vitamin D—1α,25dihydroxycholecalciferol applied in supraphysiological concentration of 10 nmol/l is a mitogenic factor for aortal SMCs. None of the applied concentrations of calcitriol caused apoptosis. The findings well support our morphological (LM) and ultrastructural (TEM and SEM) observations.     

Identification of antitumour activity of novel derivatives of 8-aryl-2,6,7,8-tetrahydroimidazo[2,1-c][1,2,4]triazine-3,4-dione and 8-aryl-4-imino-2,3,7,8-tetrahydroimidazo[2,1-c][1,2,4]triazin-3(6H)-one

The series of 8-aryl-2,6,7,8-tetrahydroimidazo[2,1-c][1,2,4]triazine-3,4-diones (11-20) and 8-aryl-4-imino-2,3,7,8-tetrahydroimidazo[2,1-c][1,2,4]triazin-3(6H)-ones (21-25) were designed and their in vitro cytotoxic activities against human LS180, HeLa, T47D, A549 and RPMI 8226 carcinoma cells are presented. In the crystalline state molecule 12 exists as the predominant tautomeric 3-oxo form, whereas the second possible 3-hydroxy tautomer is not observed. Compound 19 revealed a strong affection to LS180 cancer cells at lower tested concentration (37.9 microM) and simultaneously was found to be non-toxic towards the normal cell line investigated--GMK cells. Furthermore, this compound was proved to possess the efficiency for DNA strand breakage of the examined cancer cell lines. However, imidazotriazin-3,4-dione 20 was able to cause significant viability decreases in human RPMI 8226 peripheral blood myeloma cells. Compound 22 has exhibited remarkable inhibitory effects against LS180 and A549 carcinoma cells, whereas 24 revealed the highest growth inhibition against A549 cell line. Simultaneously, at lower tested concentration these compounds were proved to be completely non-toxic for GMK cells. Moreover, cytotoxic and antibacterial properties of starting, tautomeric 1-aryl-2-hydrazonoimidazolidines (1-6 and 8-9) are presented. Six of them (1-2, 4-6 and 9) proved active as antimicrobials. All these compounds revealed MIC values in the range of 15.0-78.6 microM. Their activities were compared to those of ampicillin and chloramphenicol.     

Phylogenetic relationships, host affinity, and geographic structure of boreal and arctic endophytes from three major plant lineages

Although associated with all plants, fungal endophytes (microfungi that live within healthy plant tissues) represent an unknown proportion of fungal diversity. While there is a growing appreciation of their ecological importance and human uses, little is known about their host specificity, geographic structure, or phylogenetic relationships. We surveyed endophytic Ascomycota from healthy photosynthetic tissues of three plant species (Huperzia selago, Picea mariana, and Dryas integrifolia, representing lycophytes, conifers, and angiosperms, respectively) in northern and southern boreal forest (Québec, Canada) and arctic tundra (Nunavut, Canada). Endophytes were recovered from all plant species surveyed, and were present in <1-41% of 2 mm2 tissue segments examined per host species. Sequence data from the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) were obtained for 280 of 558 isolates. Species-accumulation curves based on ITS genotypes remained non-asymptotic, and bootstrap analyses indicated that a large number of genotypes remain to be found. The majority of genotypes were recovered from only a single host species, and only 6% of genotypes were shared between boreal and arctic communities. Two independent Bayesian analyses and a neighbor-joining bootstrapping analysis of combined data from the nuclear large and small ribosomal subunits (LSUrDNA, SSUrDNA; 2.4 kb) showed that boreal and arctic endophytes represent Dothideomycetes, Sordariomycetes, Chaetothyriomycetidae, Leotiomycetes, and Pezizomycetes. Many well-supported phylotypes contained only endophytes despite exhaustive sampling of available sequences of Ascomycota. Together, these data demonstrate greater than expected diversity of endophytes at high-latitude sites and provide a framework for assessing the evolution of these poorly known but ubiquitous symbionts of living plants.     

The effect of taurine on renal ischemia/reperfusion injury

Summary. Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is one of the most common causes of renal dysfunction. Taurine is an endogenous antioxidant and a membrane-stabilizing, intracellular, free beta-amino acid. It has been demonstrated to have protective effects against I/R injuries to tissues other than kidney. The aim of this study was to determine whether taurine has a beneficial role in renal I/R injury. Forty Wistar-Albino rats were allocated into four groups as follows: sham, taurine, I/R, and I/R + taurine. Taurine 7.5 mg/kg was given intra-peritoneally to rats in the groups taurine and I/R + taurine. Renal I/R was achieved by occluding the renal arteries bilaterally for 40 min, followed by 6 h of reperfusion. Immediately thereafter, blood was drawn and tissue samples were harvested to measure 1) serum levels of BUN and creatinine; 2) serum and/or tissue levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6PD), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD) and glutathione reductase (GSH-red); 3) renal morphology; and 4) immunohistochemical staining for P-selectin. Taurine administration reduced I/R-induced increases in serum BUN and creatinine, and serum and tissue MDA levels (p < 0.05). Additionally, taurine lessened the reductions in serum and tissue glutathione levels secondary to I/R (p < 0.05). Taurine also attenuated histopathologic evidence of renal injury, and reduced I/R-induced P-selectin immunoreactivity (p < 0.05). Overall, then, taurine administration appears to reduce the injurious effects of I/R on kidney.     

Physiological and antioxidant responses of two accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana in different light and temperature conditions

During their lifetime, plants need to adapt to a changing environment, including light and temperature. To understand how these factors influence plant growth, we investigated the physiological and antioxidant responses of two Arabidopsis accessions, Shahdara (Sha) from the Shahdara valley (Tajikistan, Central Asia) in a mountainous area and Lovvik‐5 (Lov‐5) from northern Sweden to different light and temperature conditions. These accessions originate from different latitudes and have different life strategies, both of which are known to be influenced by light and temperature. We showed that both accessions grew better in high‐light and at a lower temperature (16°C) than in low light and at 23°C. Interestingly, Sha had a lower chlorophyll content but more efficient non‐photochemical quenching than Lov‐5. Sha, also showed a higher expression of vitamin E biosynthetic genes. We did not observe any difference in the antioxidant prenyllipid level under these conditions. Our results suggest that the mechanisms that keep the plastoquinone (PQ)‐pool in more oxidized state could play a role in the adaptation of these accessions to their local climatic conditions.     

Checklist of tortoise beetles (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae) from Colombia with new data and description of a new species

A new tortoise beetle species, Cyrtonota abrili, is described from the Antioquia and Caldas departments in Colombia. New faunistic data are provided for 87 species, including 16 new additions to the country’s fauna. A checklist of the known 238 species of tortoise beetles recorded from Colombia is given.     

Fouling of nanostructured insect cuticle: adhesion of natural and artificial contaminants

The adhesional properties of contaminating particles of scales of various lengths were investigated for a wide range of micro- and nanostructured insect wing cuticles. The contaminating particles consisted of artificial hydrophilic (silica) and spherical hydrophobic (C(18)) particles, and natural pollen grains. Insect wing cuticle architectures with an open micro-/nanostructure framework demonstrated topographies for minimising solid-solid and solid-liquid contact areas. Such structuring of the wing membranes allows for a variety of removal mechanisms to contend with particle contact, such as wind and self-cleaning droplet interactions. Cuticles exhibiting high contact angles showed considerably lower particle adhesional forces than more hydrophilic insect surfaces. Values as low as 3 nN were recorded in air for silica of ~28 nm in diameter and <25 nN for silica particles 30 μm in diameter. A similar adhesional trend was also observed for contact with pollen particles.     

Synthesis and anticonvulsant activity of new N-Mannich bases derived from 5-cyclopropyl-5-phenyl- and 5-cyclopropyl-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-imidazolidine-2,4-diones

Synthesis, physicochemical and anticonvulsant properties of new N-Mannich bases derived from 5-cyclopropyl-5-phenyl- and 5-cyclopropyl-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-imidazolidine-2,4-diones have been described. Initial anticonvulsant screening was performed using intraperitoneal (ip.) maximal electroshock (MES) and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (scPTZ) seizure tests. The neurotoxicity was determined applying the rotarod test. The in vivo results in mice showed that all compounds were effective especially in the MES screen. The quantitative evaluation after oral administration in rats showed that the most active was 5-cyclopropyl-5-phenyl-imidazolidine-2,4-dione (1) with ED(50) values of 5.76 mg/kg (MES) and 57.31 mg/kg (scPTZ). This molecule was more potent than phenytoin and ethosuximide which were used as reference antiepileptic drugs. Additionally compound 1 with ED(50) of 26.06 mg/kg in psychomotor seizure test (6-Hz) in mice showed comparable activity to new generation anticonvulsant - levetiracetam.     

PP2A phosphatase acts upon SAS-5 to ensure centriole formation in C. elegans embryos

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Highlights? PP2A phosphatase is essential for centriole formation in C. elegans ? PP2A subunits genetically and physically interact with the SAS-5/SAS-6 complex ? PP2A-mediated dephosphorylation of SAS-5 is required for SAS-5/SAS-6 centriolar targeting ? Human PP2A is required for HsSAS-6 centriolar targeting and centriole formation