Mono- and Dialkyl Glycerol Ether Lipids in Anaerobic Bacteria: Biosynthetic Insights from the Mesophilic Sulfate Reducer Desulfatibacillum alkenivorans PF2803T

Bacterial glycerol ether lipids (alkylglycerols) have received increasing attention during the last decades, notably due to their potential role in cell resistance or adaptation to adverse environmental conditions. Major uncertainties remain, however, regarding the origin, biosynthesis, and modes of formation of these uncommon bacterial lipids. We report here the preponderance of monoalkyl- and dialkylglycerols (1-O-alkyl-, 2-O-alkyl-, and 1,2-O-dialkylglycerols) among the hydrolyzed lipids of the marine mesophilic sulfate-reducing proteobacterium Desulfatibacillum alkenivorans PF2803^T grown on n-alkenes (pentadec-1-ene or hexadec-1-ene) as the sole carbon and energy source. Alkylglycerols account for one-third to two-thirds of the total cellular lipids (alkylglycerols plus acylglycerols), depending on the growth substrate, with dialkylglycerols contributing to one-fifth to two-fifths of the total ether lipids. The carbon chain distribution of the lipids of D. alkenivorans also depends on that of the substrate, but the chain length and methyl-branching patterns of fatty acids and monoalkyl- and dialkylglycerols are systematically congruent, supporting the idea of a biosynthetic link between the three classes of compounds. Vinyl ethers (1-alken-1′-yl-glycerols, known as plasmalogens) are not detected among the lipids of strain PF2803^T. Cultures grown on different (per)deuterated n-alkene, n-alkanol, and n-fatty acid substrates further demonstrate that saturated alkylglycerols are not formed via the reduction of hypothetic alken-1′-yl intermediates. Our results support an unprecedented biosynthetic pathway to monoalkyl/monoacyl- and dialkylglycerols in anaerobic bacteria and suggest that n-alkyl compounds present in the environment can serve as the substrates for supplying the building blocks of ether phospholipids of heterotrophic bacteria.     

Characterization of the Burkholderia mallei tonB Mutant and Its Potential as a Backbone Strain for Vaccine Development

BackgroundIn this study, a Burkholderia mallei tonB mutant (TMM001) deficient in iron acquisition was constructed, characterized, and evaluated for its protective properties in acute inhalational infection models of murine glanders and melioidosis.Conclusions/SignificanceAlthough further work is needed to prevent chronic infection by TMM001 while maintaining immunogenicity, our attenuated strain demonstrates great potential as a backbone strain for future vaccine development against both glanders and melioidosis.     

Caveolin-1 overexpression correlates with tumour progression markers in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

The assessment of caveolin-1 (Cav-1) as a marker of tumor aggressiveness in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In this study, we examined the expression of Cav-1 in 34 human PDAC tissue samples and the associated peritumoral tissues by immunohistochemistry and western blot. Additionally, we correlated Cav-1 expression with other tissue (Ki-67, p53) and serum (CA 19-9) tumor markers. In the tumor-derived tissue, both tumor cells and blood vessels expressed Cav-1. In contrast, in peritumoral tissue, Cav-1 expression was confined mainly to blood vessels and was only occasionally expressed in ductal or parenchymal cells. Western blot analysis confirmed the overexpression of Cav-1 in pancreatic tumors compared with peritumoral tissue. Cav-1 expression in tumor tissues was correlated with both the Ki-67 LI (r = 0.95, P < 0.0001) and p53 expression (χ2 = 9.91, P < 0.005). Overexpression of Cav-1 was associated with tumor size, grade and stage and Cav-1 expression in tumors was correlated with an increased serum level of CA 19-9 (r = 0.795, P < 0.001). Based on the results of this study, the inclusion of Cav-1 in a putative panel of biomarkers predicting pancreatic cancer aggressiveness is warranted.     

Peptide diversity in strains of the cyanobacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Microcystis aeruginosa</Emphasis> isolated from Portuguese water supplies

Strains of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa were isolated into pure culture from a variety of lakes, rivers, and reservoirs in Portugal. Samples were tested with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to investigate the presence of various peptide groups including aeruginosins, microginins, anabaenopeptins, cyanopeptilins, microcystins, and microviridins and other peptide-like compounds. Binary data, based on the presence and absence of different peptide groups, were analyzed by phylogenetic inference. DNA was also extracted from the samples and tested using a range of primers. Those strains that gave positive results for a Microcystis-specific primer pair were further analyzed for the presence of genes linked to the biosynthesis of microginin and microcystin. The results showed that a wide range of microcystin forms were produced by the strains among which MC-LR, -FR, -RR, -WR, and -YR were the most common. The peptide profiles obtained from the MALDI analysis were assessed using cluster analysis which resulted in the formation of distinct groups or chemotypes.     

Fishery of the Deep-water Rose Shrimp Parapenaeus longirostris (Lucas, 1846) (Crustacea: Decapoda) in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean)

The aim of this study is to provide information on the fishing pattern of Parapenaeus longirostris in the northern Tyrrhenian Sea (western Mediterranean), in order to improve the management of the resource in the area. Data were obtained from commercial fishery, covering the period 1991–2002. Catch rates revealed notable inter-annual fluctuation of the P. longirostris landing, probably due to the life cycle of the species. The highest yields (kg per hour of trawl) of the commercial fishery were obtained at depths ranging between 180 and 300 m, the lower ones at depths between 100 and 180 m, where small specimens are more abundant. Commercial catches were characterised by a very low presence of specimens smaller than 20 mm carapace length (CL), mainly due to the deeper localisation of the fishing grounds when compared to the recruitment areas of the species. The size at which 50% of the specimens were discarded by the fishermen was 15 mm CL, while the estimated size at first capture of the individuals caught by the commercial net was 12.4 mm CL.     

Lipase production by Aspergillus ibericus using olive mill wastewater

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) characteristics make it a suitable resource to be used as a microbial culture media to produce value-added compounds, such as enzymes. In this work, the ability of the novel species Aspergillus ibericus to discolor OMW and produce lipase was studied. An initial screening on plates containing an OMW-based agar medium and an emulsified olive oil/rhodamine-B agar medium was employed to select the strain A. ibericus MUM 03.49. Then, experiments in conical flasks with liquid OMW-based media showed that the fungus could growth on undiluted OMW, with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 97 ± 2 g/L, and to produce up to 2,927 ± 54 U/L of lipase. When pure OMW was used in the media, the maximum COD and color reduction achieved were 45 and 97 %, respectively. When OMW diluted to 10 % was used, A. ibericus was able to reduce phenolic and aromatic compounds by 37 and 39 %, respectively. Additionally, lipase production was found to be promoted by the addition of mineral nutrients. When the fermentations were scaled up to a 2-L bioreactor, A. ibericus produced up to 8,319 ± 33 U/L of lipase, and the maximum COD and color reduction were 57 and 24 %, respectively.     

Dual Role of G-runs and hnRNP F in the Regulation of a Mutation-Activated Pseudoexon in the Fibrinogen Gamma-Chain Transcript

Most pathological pseudoexon inclusion events originate from single activating mutations, suggesting that many intronic sequences are on the verge of becoming exons. However, the precise mechanisms controlling pseudoexon definition are still largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the cis-acting elements and trans-acting regulatory factors contributing to the regulation of a previously described fibrinogen gamma-chain (FGG) pseudoexon, which is activated by a deep-intronic mutation (IVS6-320A>T). This pseudoexon contains several G-run elements, which may be bound by heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) F and H. To explore the effect of these proteins on FGG pseudoexon inclusion, both silencing and overexpression experiments were performed in eukaryotic cells. While hnRNP H did not significantly affect pseudoexon splicing, hnRNP F promoted pseudoexon inclusion, indicating that these two proteins have only partially redundant functions. To verify the binding of hnRNP F and the possible involvement of other trans-acting splicing modulators, pulldown experiments were performed on the region of the pseudoexon characterized by both a G-run and enrichment for exonic splicing enhancers. This 25-bp-long region strongly binds hnRNP F/H and weakly interacts with Serine/Arginine-rich protein 40, which however was demonstrated to be dispensable for FGG pseudoexon inclusion in overexpression experiments. Deletion analysis, besides confirming the splicing-promoting role of the G-run within this 25-bp region, demonstrated that two additional hnRNP F binding sites might instead function as silencer elements. Taken together, our results indicate a major role of hnRNP F in regulating FGG pseudoexon inclusion, and strengthen the notion that G-runs may function either as splicing enhancers or silencers of the same exon.     

Exendin-4 Induces Cell Adhesion and Differentiation and Counteracts the Invasive Potential of Human Neuroblastoma Cells

Exendin-4 is a molecule currently used, in its synthetic form exenatide, for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Exendin-4 binds and activates the Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor (GLP-1R), thus inducing insulin release. More recently, additional biological properties have been associated to molecules that belong to the GLP-1 family. For instance, Peptide YY and Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide have been found to affect cell adhesion and migration and our previous data have shown a considerable actin cytoskeleton rearrangement after exendin-4 treatment. However, no data are currently available on the effects of exendin-4 on tumor cell motility. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of this molecule on cell adhesion, differentiation and migration in two neuroblastoma cell lines, SH-SY5Y and SK-N-AS. We first demonstrated, by Extra Cellular Matrix cell adhesion arrays, that exendin-4 increased cell adhesion, in particular on a vitronectin substrate. Subsequently, we found that this molecule induced a more differentiated phenotype, as assessed by i) the evaluation of neurite-like protrusions in 3D cell cultures, ii) the analysis of the expression of neuronal markers and iii) electrophysiological studies. Furthermore, we demonstrated that exendin-4 reduced cell migration and counteracted anchorage-independent growth in neuroblastoma cells. Overall, these data indicate for the first time that exendin-4 may have anti-tumoral properties.     

IL28B Gene Polymorphisms and US Liver Fatty Changes in Patients Who Spontaneously Cleared Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Background

Recent clinical studies have shown that the presence of CC genotype in the rs12979860 region of IL28B gene is associated with an increase in the probability of spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Moreover, IL28B polymorphism seems to influence the probability of developing liver steatosis in chronic HCV patients.

Aims

The aims of our clinical study were 1) to verify the distribution of IL28B genotypes (CC, CT or TT) among subjects with spontaneous clearance of HCV infection and 2) to examine the correlation between IL28B polymorphism and hepatic steatosis among these subjects.

Methods and patients

We enrolled 41 subjects with spontaneous resolution of HCV infection (detectable serum anti-HCV but undetectable HCV-RNA) and 134 healthy controls from the same geographical area. The IL28B single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs12979860 was genotyped by using a Pyrosequencing™ technique. The presence of steatosis was assessed by liver biopsy or ultrasound examination in the 41 study subjects.

Results

CC, CT and TT-genotypes of the SNP rs1979860 were found in 66%, 24% and 10% of the subjects who spontaneously cleared HCV and in 31%, 54% and 15% of controls, respectively (p = 0.0003). Among the study subjects, females with CC-genotype were significantly more represented (p = 0.02). Hepatic steatosis did not correlate with IL28B genotype (p = 0,14) but only with a high body mass index (BMI) value (p = 0.03).

Conclusions

Female subjects carrying IL28B CC-genotype are significantly more represented among Italian patients who spontaneously cleared HCV infection. In addition, among these subjects, the presence of liver steatosis does not correlate with IL28B genotype but is solely related to the occurrence of high BMI. Thus, the association between IL28B polymorphism and steatosis in chronic HCV patients requires the presence of active HCV replication to occur, while in subjects who have cleared the infection, the mechanism(s) inducing liver steatosis are independent from IL28B profile.