Prions and lymphoid organs: Solved and remaining mysteries

Prion colonization of secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs) is a critical step preceding neuroinvasion in prion pathogenesis. Follicular dendritic cells (FDCs), which depend on both tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) and lymphotoxin β receptor (LTβR) signaling for maintenance, are thought to be the primary sites of prion accumulation in SLOs. However, prion titers in RML-infected TNFR1^−/− lymph nodes and rates of neuroinvasion in TNFR1^−/− mice remain high despite the absence of mature FDCs. Recently, we discovered that TNFR1-independent prion accumulation in lymph nodes relies on LTβR signaling. Loss of LTβR signaling in TNFR1^−/− lymph nodes coincided with the de-differentiation of high endothelial venules (HEVs)—the primary sites of lymphocyte entry into lymph nodes. These findings suggest that HEVs are the sites through which prions initially invade lymph nodes from the bloodstream. Identification of HEVs as entry portals for prions clarifies a number of previous observations concerning peripheral prion pathogenesis. However, a number of questions still remain: What is the mechanism by which prions are taken up by HEVs? Which cells are responsible for delivering prions to lymph nodes? Are HEVs the main entry site for prions into lymph nodes or do alternative routes also exist? These questions and others are considered in this article.     

Salt tolerance and glycerol accumulation of a respiration-deficient mutant isolated from the petite-negative, salt-tolerant yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii

A respiration-deficient (RD) mutant was isolated from the petite-negative, salt-tolerant yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii. One strain among sixteen glycerol-non-utilizing mutants exhibited vigorous liberation of CO2 but no uptake of O2. Furthermore, this strain lacked cytochrome aa3 and had a reduced level of cytochrome b. The few mitochondria found in cells of this strain contained few or no cristae. Salt tolerance and intracellular accumulation of glycerol by the RD strain were almost equal to that of the wild-type strain in media containing NaCl up to 2.5 M. In media with more than 3 M NaCl, the growth of the RD mutant was retarded and the intracellular accumulation of glycerol was depressed in spite of ample production.     

Synthesis and anti-inflammatory activity of celecoxib like compounds

Nine novel 4-[3-(4-Dimethylamino-phenyl)-5-aryl-4,5-dihydro-pyrazol-1-yl]-benzenesulfonamides (2a-i) were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities. These compounds (2a-i) showed moderate to strong anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan rat paw oedema test. Compounds 2b, 2d and 2g showing comparable anti-inflammatory activity to that of reference drug celecoxib were evaluated for their ulcerogenic and analgesic activities. The effect of 2b, 2d and 2g on the content of NO, TNF-α and PGE₂ in exudates from rat paw stimulated by carrageenan was also evaluated. The compound 2c showed considerable antitumor activities against all 60 human tumor cell lines with effective GI₅₀ (MG-MID) value of 3.63 µM. It exhibited maximum activity against melanoma (LOX IMVI and SK-MEL-5) cancer cell lines with GI₅₀ value less than 2 μM.     

Preadapted for invasiveness: do species traits or their plastic response to shading differ between invasive and non‐invasive plant species in their native range?

Aim Species capable of vigorous growth under a wide range of environmental conditions should have a higher chance of becoming invasive after introduction into new regions. High performance across environments can be achieved either by constitutively expressed traits that allow for high resource uptake under different environmental conditions or by adaptive plasticity of traits. Here we test whether invasive and non‐invasive species differ in presumably adaptive plasticity. Location Europe (for native species); the rest of the world and North America in particular (for alien species). Methods We selected 14 congeneric pairs of European herbaceous species that have all been introduced elsewhere. One species of each pair is highly invasive elsewhere in the world, particularly so in North America, whereas the other species has not become invasive or has spread only to a limited degree. We grew native plant material of the 28 species under shaded and non‐shaded conditions in a common garden experiment, and measured biomass production and morphological traits that are frequently related to shade tolerance and avoidance. Results Invasive species had higher shoot–root ratios, tended to have longer leaf‐blades, and produced more biomass than congeneric non‐invasive species both under shaded and non‐shaded conditions. Plants responded to shading by increasing shoot–root ratios and specific leaf area. Surprisingly, these shade‐induced responses, which are widely considered to be adaptive, did not differ between invasive and non‐invasive species. Main conclusions We conclude that high biomass production across different light environments pre‐adapts species to become invasive, and that this is not mediated by plasticities of the morphological traits that we measured.     

Genetic studies on seedling vigour in sesame

Genetic studies were carried out on seedling and agronomic characters amongst 50 sesame genotypes to estimate the genetic variation, determine the relationships amongst the characters and identify rapidly growing genotypes with vigorous seedling growth. The contribution of genetic variance was highest for the two mature characters, days to first flower (95.6%) and number of nodes to first flower (95.2%), and was medium/high (50–75%) for most of the seedling characters. Strong positive genetic correlations were obtained between various cotyledon and early leaf characteristics measured at 20 days after sowing. Based on these results several genotypes were identified as having rapid seedling growth and these could form an initial gene pool to provide material for screening for tolerance to sesame flea beetle.     

Changes in hypoxia tolerance during metamorphosis of bonefish leptocephali

Survival times of metamorphosing leptocephali of the bonefish Albula sp. placed in hypoxic sea water (0·68 mg O₂ l^-1) decreased by about three-fold (from c. 15 to 5 min) over the 10 day metamorphic period. Increased sensitivity to hypoxia coincided with increased larval oxygen demand during metamorphosis. Plots of hypoxic survival time against standard length or wet mass suggested that metamorphosis (phase II of larval development) could be divided into subphases (IIa and IIb). American Public Health Association.     

Activation of Integrin αVβ3 Regulates Cell Adhesion and Migration to Bone Sialoprotein

α_Vβ₃, a broadly distributed member of the integrin family of adhesion receptors, has been implicated in a variety of physiological and pathophysiological events, including control of bone density, angiogenesis, apoptosis, tumor growth, and metastasis. Recently, it has been shown that activation of α_Vβ₃, its transition from a low- to a high-affinity/avidity state, influences its recognition of certain ligands. Bone sialoprotein (BSP) is recognized as an important ligand for α_Vβ₃ in processes ranging from bone formation to the homing of metastatic tumor cells. Here, the influence of α_Vβ₃ activation on the adhesion and migration of relevant cells to BSP has been examined. Stimulation of lymphoblastoid, osteoblastoid, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with PMA or Mn²⁺ markedly enhanced α_Vβ₃-dependent adhesion to BSP. α_Vβ₃-mediated migration of HUVEC or osteoblastic cells to BSP was substantially enhanced by stimulation, demonstrating that α_Vβ₃ activation enhances both adhesive and migratory responses. However, adhesion and/or migration of certain tumor cell lines, including M21 melanoma and MDA MB435 and SKBR3 breast carcinoma cell lines, to BSP was constitutively high and was not augmented by α_Vβ₃-activating stimuli. Inhibitors of the intracellular signaling molecules, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase with wortmannin, hsp90-dependent kinases with geldanamycin, and calpain with calpeptin, but not MAPKK with PD98059, reduced the high spontaneous adhesion and migration of the M21 cells to BSP, consistent with the constitutive activation of the receptor on these tumor cells. These results indicate that the activation state of α_Vβ₃ can regulate cell migration and adhesion to BSP and, by extension, to other ligands of this receptor. The constitutive activation of α_Vβ₃ on neoplastic cells may contribute to tumor growth and metastatic potential.