Analysis of Immune Response Markers in Jorge Lobo's Disease Lesions Suggests the Occurrence of Mixed T Helper Responses with the Dominance of Regulatory T Cell Activity

Jorge Lobo’s disease (JLD) is a chronic infection that affects the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Its etiologic agent is the fungus Lacazia loboi. Lesions are classified as localized, multifocal, or disseminated, depending on their location. Early diagnosis and the surgical removal of lesions are the best therapeutic options currently available for JLD. The few studies that evaluate the immunological response of JLD patients show a predominance of Th2 response, as well as a high frequency of TGF-β and IL-10 positive cells in the lesions; however, the overall immunological status of the lesions in terms of their T cell phenotype has yet to be determined. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the pattern of Th1, Th2, Th17 and regulatory T cell (Treg) markers mRNA in JLD patients by means of real-time PCR. Biopsies of JLD lesions (N = 102) were classified according to their clinical and histopathological features and then analyzed using real-time PCR in order to determine the expression levels of TGF-β1, FoxP3, CTLA4, IKZF2, IL-10, T-bet, IFN-γ, GATA3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-33, RORC, IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-22 and to compare these levels to those of healthy control skin (N = 12). The results showed an increased expression of FoxP3, CTLA4, TGF-β1, IL-10, T-bet, IL-17F, and IL-17A in lesions, while GATA3 and IL-4 levels were found to be lower in diseased skin than in the control group. When the clinical forms were compared, TGF-β1 was found to be highly expressed in patients with a single localized lesion while IL-5 and IL-17A levels were higher in patients with multiple/disseminated lesions. These results demonstrate the occurrence of mixed T helper responses and suggest the dominance of regulatory T cell activity, which could inhibit Th-dependent protective responses to intracellular fungi such as L. loboi. Therefore, Tregs may play a key role in JLD pathogenesis.     

Anatomy of the antennal dorsal organ in female of Neodryinus typhlocybae (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae): A peculiar sensory structure possibly involved in perception of host vibration

Neodryinus typhlocybae (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae) is a natural enemy of the planthopper Metcalfa pruinosa, which was introduced from North America into Europe and has become established in various regions as a pest species. Vibrational signals play a crucial role in the communication of M. pruinosa, which appears to be exploited by N. typhlocybae. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy have shown that the antennae of N. typhlocybae females have peculiar and complex sensory structures: deep longitudinal grooves that house long sensilla trichodea, termed here “Antennal Dorsal Organs.” Such structures were not present on male antennae. These sensilla extend for the length of the grooves, without contact with the groove cuticle. Their hair shaft is empty and aporous, and inserted into a specialized socket, underneath which there is a cuticular ampulla‐like chamber. Each sensillum is associated with two sensory neurons: one terminates at the proximal end of the dendritic sheath; the other continues into the sensillum sinus and is enclosed in the dendritic sheath. This second sensory neuron then enters the ampulla‐like chamber through the circular opening, and then terminates with a conspicuous tubular body at the shaft base. The possible involvement of this peculiar structure in the context of host recognition mechanism is discussed. J. Morphol. 277:128–137, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Spatial Frequency Information Modulates Response Inhibition and Decision-Making Processes

We interact with the world through the assessment of available, but sometimes imperfect, sensory information. However, little is known about how variance in the quality of sensory information affects the regulation of controlled actions. In a series of three experiments, comprising a total of seven behavioral studies, we examined how different types of spatial frequency information affect underlying processes of response inhibition and selection. Participants underwent a stop-signal task, a two choice speed/accuracy balance experiment, and a variant of both these tasks where prior information was given about the nature of stimuli. In all experiments, stimuli were either intact, or contained only high-, or low- spatial frequencies. Overall, drift diffusion model analysis showed a decreased rate of information processing when spatial frequencies were removed, whereas the criterion for information accumulation was lowered. When spatial frequency information was intact, the cost of response inhibition increased (longer SSRT), while a correct response was produced faster (shorter reaction times) and with more certainty (decreased errors). When we manipulated the motivation to respond with a deadline (i.e., be fast or accurate), removal of spatial frequency information slowed response times only when instructions emphasized accuracy. However, the slowing of response times did not improve error rates, when compared to fast instruction trials. These behavioral studies suggest that the removal of spatial frequency information differentially affects the speed of response initiation, inhibition, and the efficiency to balance fast or accurate responses. More generally, the present results indicate a task-independent influence of basic sensory information on strategic adjustments in action control.     

Cytokine cross-talk between phagocytic cells and lymphocytes: Relevance for differentiation/activation of phagocytic cells and regulation of adaptive immunity

Cytokines represent one of the most important elements in the communication among different cell types. They play an increasingly better understood role in the communication among hematopoietic cells and in particular in the reciprocal regulation of effector cell types of innate or natural resistance (phagocytic cells and Natural Killer (NK) cells) and those of adaptive immunity (T and B lymphocytes). Lymphocytes produce several cytokines with either stimulatory (e.g., colony stimulatory factor) or suppressive (e.g., tumor necrosis factors and interferons) effects on proliferation of early hematopoietic cells. Many of these cytokines, alone or acting in synergistic combinations, also have a differentiation-inducing ability on immature myeloid cells and act as powerful potentiators of the cellular functions of terminally differentiated phagocytic cells. The communication between lymphocytes and phagocytic cells is not unidirectional, as phagocytic cells produce factors that regulate lymphocyte activation. In addition to their role as antigen presenting cells expressing costimulatory accessory molecules and secreting cytokines (e.g., IL-1, IL-6, TNF), phagocytic cells have been recently shown to produce Natural Killer cell Stimulatory Factor (NKSF/IL-12). IL-12 is a heterodimeric cytokine with important modulatory functions on cytotoxicity of NK and T cells, lymphocyte proliferation, lymphokine production, and development of T helper cell subsets. These communications between phagocytic cells and lymphocytes are further regulated by negative and positive feedback mechanisms that contribute to maintain the homeostasis of the system in physiologic conditions and to govern the changes in this equilibrium needed for the response to infectious or other foreign agents.     

Dormancy in peach (Prunus persica L.) flower buds

Morphological studies were carried out with peach flower buds collected monthly in 1989 and 1990, from two months before leaf fall (7 March) until two to three weeks before bloom (7/8 August). Chilled (2–4°C for 30 days) and unchilled buds were exposed to 20 to 25°C, 100% RH and continuous light. Gibberellin A₃ (3 ng or 30 ng) was applied to some of the non-chilled cuttings at three days intervals. Then, 12, 19, and 26 days after they were planted, the buds were sampled and processed for histological studies. Cultured flower buds (chilled or unchilled) had accelerated anther and gynoecium morphogenesis after 12 days under controlled conditions, compared to buds processed immediately after collection from the field. Chilling treatment augmented the bud culture effect, while Gibberellin A₃ applications to the excised buds retarded bud morphogenesis to a stage comparable to that of buds collected directly from the field. This, suggests that the comparatively high levels of Gibberellin A_1/3 we previously found in mid winter [15, 18] could be at least one of the factors that controls floral bud dormancy by retarding anther and gynoecium development.     

Localization of Endo-Oligopeptidase (EC 3.4.22.19) in the Rat Nervous Tissue

The subcellular and regional distribution of endo-oligopeptidase (EC 3.4.22.19), an enzyme capable of generating enkephalin by single cleavage from enkephalin-containing peptides, was determined by an enzymatic assay using metorphamide and by immunochemical techniques in the CNS of the rat. The rat CNS contains a membrane-associated form of endo-oligopeptidase, an enzyme predominantly associated with the soluble fraction of brain homogenates. Subcellular fractionation showed that approximately 17% of the total activity of the enzyme is associated with membrane fractions including synaptosomes. Synaptosomal membranes were prepared from neocortex, striatum, hypothalamus, medulla, spinal cord, and cerebellum. The amount of EC 3.4.22.19 activity solubilized by 3-[( 3-cholamidopropyl]dimethylammonio)-1-propanesulfonate from synaptosomal membranes was similar in neocortex, striatum, and hypothalamus, being three- to 10-fold greater than in spinal cord, cerebellum, and medulla. A polyclonal antibody exhibiting high affinity for endo-oligopeptidase was raised in rabbits against the purified rat brain enzyme and used to localize endo-oligopeptidase by Western blotting and by immunoperoxidase techniques. A strong band corresponding to the Mr of EC 3.4.22.19 was found in solubilized proteins obtained from synaptosomal membranes prepared from hypothalamus, neocortex, and striatum when subjected to Western blotting. The immunohistochemical localization of endo-oligopeptidase indicated that the immunoreactivity was confined to gray matter in regions known to be rich in peptide-containing neurons such as the striatum. In the cerebellum, a region poor in peptides, no staining could be detected. The nonuniform distribution of endo-oligopeptidase in rat brain suggests a role in neurotransmitter processing in the CNS.     

Multiple Bacteriocin Production by Leuconostoc mesenteroidesTA33a and Other Leuconostoc/Weissella Strains

Leuconostoc (Lc.) mesenteroides TA33a produced three bacteriocins with different inhibitory activity spectra. Bacteriocins were purified by adsorption/desorption from producer cells and reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Leucocin C-TA33a, a novel bacteriocin with a predicted molecular mass of 4598 Da, inhibited Listeria and other lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Leucocin B-TA33a has a predicted molecular mass of 3466 Da, with activity against Leuconostoc/Weissella (W.) strains, and appears similar to mesenterocin 52B and dextranicin 24, while leucocin A-TA33a, which also inhibited Listeria and other LAB strains, is identical to leucocin A-UAL 187. A survey of other known bacteriocin-producing Leuconostoc/Weissella strains for the presence of the three different bacteriocins revealed that production of leucocin A-, B- and C-type bacteriocins was widespread. Lc. carnosum LA54a, W. paramesenteroides LA7a, and Lc. gelidum UAL 187-22 produced all three bacteriocins, whereas W. paramesenteroides OX and Lc. carnosum TA11a produced only leucocin A- and B-type bacteriocins. Received: 11 April 1997 / Accepted: 10 June 1997     

Guaraná (Paullinia cupana) as a commercial crop in Brazilian Amazonia

Guaraná (Paullinia cupana) is a woody vine or sprawling shrub native to the central Amazon Basin. The seeds are commercially produced on some 6,000 ha in the state of Amazonas near Manaus. The principal article of commerce is an amber-colored, carbonated soft drink. It is also widely used as a high caffeine stimulant and in local medicines. The plant is monoecious and is damaged by a number of diseases, the most severe being anthracnose. Prospects are excellent for greatly expanded international markets.