Effects of PM10 in human peripheral blood monocytes and J774 macrophages

Background

Asthma is characterized by type 2 T-helper cell (Th2) inflammation, goblet cell hyperplasia, airway hyperreactivity, and airway fibrosis. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1 or CCL2) and its receptor, CCR2, have been shown to play important roles in the development of Th2 inflammation. CCR2-deficient mice have been found to have altered inflammatory and physiologic responses in some models of experimental allergic asthma, but the role of CCR2 in contributing to inflammation and airway hyperreactivity appears to vary considerably between models. Furthermore, MCP-1-deficient mice have not previously been studied in models of experimental allergic asthma.

Methods

To test whether MCP-1 and CCR2 are each required for the development of experimental allergic asthma, we applied an Aspergillus antigen-induced model of Th2 cytokine-driven allergic asthma associated with airway fibrosis to mice deficient in either MCP-1 or CCR2. Previous studies with live Aspergillus conidia instilled into the lung revealed that MCP-1 and CCR2 play a role in anti-fungal responses; in contrast, we used a non-viable Aspergillus antigen preparation known to induce a robust eosinophilic inflammatory response.

Results

We found that wild-type C57BL/6 mice developed eosinophilic airway inflammation, goblet cell hyperplasia, airway hyperreactivity, elevations in serum IgE, and airway fibrosis in response to airway challenge with Aspergillus antigen. Surprisingly, mice deficient in either MCP-1 or CCR2 had responses to Aspergillus antigen similar to those seen in wild-type mice, including production of Th2 cytokines.

Conclusion

We conclude that robust Th2-mediated lung pathology can occur even in the complete absence of MCP-1 or CCR2.     

An edit script for taxonomic classifications

Background  

The NCBI taxonomy provides one of the most powerful ways to navigate sequence data bases but currently users are forced to formulate queries according to a single taxonomic classification. Given that there is not universal agreement on the classification of organisms, providing a single classification places constraints on the questions biologists can ask. However, maintaining multiple classifications is burdensome in the face of a constantly growing NCBI classification.     

Concentrations of heavy metals in fish species targeted by anglers in central New Jersey: A pilot study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentrations of toxic metals in the edible portion of fish tissue obtained from the Raritan River in New Brunswick, New Jersey (NJ) between April and May of 2014. Species collected for this study included commonly caught fish such as bluegill, small and large mouth bass, brown and rainbow trout, bullhead catfish, and white perch. Samples were filleted and the muscle tissue subsequently dehydrated and then chemically digested. Samples were analyzed using Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Levels of 28 different metals were quantified for each specimen. In general, metal contamination in fish tissues was below the recommended limits. However, lead was found in one sample at a tissue concentration of 88 µg per 225 g fillet, which is above the recommended daily consumption limit as set by the Food and Safety Authority of Ireland. The maximum level found for arsenic was 23 µg per 225 g fillet. The fish samples taken from the Raritan River in New Brunswick, NJ for this study did not contain dangerous levels of most of the metals tested.     

Cytosolic isocitrate dehydrogenase in humans, mice, and voles and phylogenetic analysis of the enzyme family

In this study, we report cDNA sequences of the cytosolic NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase for humans, mice, and two species of voles (Microtus mexicanus and Microtus ochrogaster). Inferred amino acid sequences from these taxa display a high level of amino acid sequence conservation, comparable to that of myosin beta heavy chain, and share known structural features. A Caenorhabditis elegans enzyme that was previously identified as a protein similar to isocitrate dehydrogenase is most likely the NADP-dependent cytosolic isocitrate dehydrogenase enzyme equivalent, based on amino acid similarity to mammalian enzymes and phylogenetic analysis. We also suggest that NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenases characterized from alfalfa, soybean, and eucalyptus are most likely cytosolic enzymes. The phylogenetic tree of various isocitrate dehydrogenases from eukaryotic sources revealed that independent gene duplications may have given rise to the cytosolic and mitochondrial forms of NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase in animals and fungi. There appears to be no statistical support for a hypothesis that the mitochondrial and cytosolic forms of the enzyme are orthologous in these groups. A possible scenario of the evolution of NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenases is proposed.      

Metabolism of 14C-Urea by T-Strain Mycoplasma

When (14)C-labeled urea was metabolized by T-strain mycoplasma, 94 to 95% of the radioactivity was recovered as (14)CO(2), and significant radioactivity was not incorporated into cellular material.     

TBMap: a taxonomic perspective on the phylogenetic database TreeBASE

Background  

TreeBASE is currently the only available large-scale database of published organismal phylogenies. Its utility is hampered by a lack of taxonomic consistency, both within the database, and with names of organisms in external genomic, specimen, and taxonomic databases. The extent to which the phylogenetic knowledge in TreeBASE becomes integrated with these other sources is limited by this lack of consistency.     

Detecting epistasis from an ensemble of adapting populations

The role that epistasis plays during adaptation remains an outstanding problem, which has received considerable attention in recent years. Most of the recent empirical studies are based on ensembles of replicate populations that adapt in a fixed, laboratory controlled condition. Researchers often seek to infer the presence and form of epistasis in the fitness landscape from the time evolution of various statistics averaged across the ensemble of populations. Here, we provide a rigorous analysis of what quantities, drawn from time series of such ensembles, can be used to infer epistasis for populations evolving under weak mutation on finite‐site fitness landscapes. First, we analyze the mean fitness trajectory—that is, the time course of the ensemble average fitness. We show that for any epistatic fitness landscape and starting genotype, there always exists a non‐epistatic fitness landscape that produces the exact same mean fitness trajectory. Thus, the presence of epistasis is not identifiable from the mean fitness trajectory. By contrast, we show that two other ensemble statistics—the time evolution of the fitness variance across populations, and the time evolution of the mean number of substitutions—can detect certain forms of epistasis in the underlying fitness landscape.     

Rating of perceived exertion as a tool for prescribing and self regulating interval training: a pilot study

The aim of the present study was to analyse the usefulness of the 6-20 rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale for prescribing and self-regulating high-intensity interval training (HIT) in young individuals. Eight healthy young subjects (age = 27.5±6.7 years) performed maximal graded exercise testing to determine their maximal and reserve heart rate (HR). Subjects then performed two HIT sessions (20 min on a treadmill) prescribed and regulated by their HR (HR: 1 min at 50% alternated with 1 min at 85% of reserve HR) or RPE (RPE: 1 minute at the 9-11 level [very light-fairly light] alternated with 1 minute at the 15-17 level [hard-very hard]) in random order. HR response and walking/running speed during the 20 min of exercise were compared between sessions. No significant difference between sessions was observed in HR during low- (HR: 135±15 bpm; RPE: 138±20 bpm) and high-intensity intervals (HR: 168±15 bpm; RPE: 170±18 bpm). Walking/running speed during low- (HR: 5.7±1.2 km · h⁻¹; RPE: 5.7±1.3 km · h⁻¹) and high-intensity intervals (HR: 7.8±1.9 km · h⁻¹; RPE: 8.2±1.7 km · h⁻¹) was also not different between sessions. No significant differences were observed in HR response and walking/running speed between HIT sessions prescribed and regulated by HR or RPE. This finding suggests that the 6-20 RPE scale may be a useful tool for prescribing and self-regulating HIT in young subjects.