Distribution of a major surface-associated glycoprotein,fibronectin, in cultures of adherent cells

Fibronectin was present in media and cell layers of cultures of adherent cells from human skin, kidney, lung, chest wall, liver, and heart. Cell-surface fibronectin, visualized by immunofluorescence, was in dense fibrillar (cultures from lung), discrete fibrillar (e.g., cultures from skin), or punctate (some cultures from kidney) structures. The subunit sizes of cell-surface fibronectin and fibronectin soluble in medium appeared identical in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. To explain the polymorphism of cell-surface fibronectin, there must be chemical differences among the fibronectins synthesized by different cell strains or factors in the cell layer which influence fibronectin binding and aggregation.     

Drug repositioning strategy for the identification of novel telomere-damaging agents: A role for NAMPT inhibitors

Drug repositioning strategy represents a valid tool to accelerate the pharmacological development through the identification of new applications for already existing compounds. In this view, we aimed at discovering molecules able to trigger telomere-localized DNA damage and tumor cell death. By applying an automated high-content spinning-disk microscopy, we performed a screening aimed at identifying, on a library of 527 drugs, molecules able to negatively affect the expression of TRF2, a key protein in telomere maintenance. FK866, resulting from the screening as the best candidate hit, was then validated at biochemical and molecular levels and the mechanism underlying its activity in telomere deprotection was elucidated both in vitro and in vivo. The results of this study allow us to discover a novel role of FK866 in promoting, through the production of reactive oxygen species, telomere loss and deprotection, two events leading to an accumulation of DNA damage and tumor cell death. The ability of FK866 to induce telomere damage and apoptosis was also demonstrated in advanced preclinical models evidencing the antitumoral activity of FK866 in triple-negative breast cancer—a particularly aggressive breast cancer subtype still orphan of targeted therapies and characterized by high expression levels of both NAMPT and TRF2. Overall, our findings pave the way to the development of novel anticancer strategies to counteract triple-negative breast cancer, based on the use of telomere deprotecting agents, including NAMPT inhibitors, that would rapidly progress from bench to bedside.     

Changes in the expression of genetic characteristics across cohorts in skeletal deformations of farmed salmonids

Genetic analysis of disorder incidence in farmed animals is challenged by two factors. Disorders in different cohorts and environments could be caused by different factors, leading to changes in heritability and to less than unity genetic correlations across cohorts. Moreover, due to computational limitations, liability scale heritabilities at very low incidence may differ from those estimated at higher incidence. We tested whether these two dilemmas occur in skeletal deformations of farmed salmonids using multigeneration data from the Finnish rainbow trout breeding programme and previous salmonid studies. The results showed that heritability was close to zero in cohorts in which management practices maintained incidence at a low level. When there was a management failure and incidence was unusually high, heritability was elevated. This may be due to computational limitations at very low incidence and/or because deformations are induced by different factors in different cohorts. Most genetic correlations between deformations recorded in different generations were weakly to strongly positive. However, also negative correlations between generations were present, showing that high liability at one time can be genetically connected to low liability at another time. The results emphasise that genetic architecture of binary traits can be influenced by trait expression.     

Plant colonization of a bare peat surface: population changes and spatial patterns

Abstract. Changes in size and spatial arrangement of plant populations established on an initially bare peat surface were described over a period of 5 yr by following plant individuals on a 1-cm grid in an area of 10 m x 25 m. The spatial pattern of populations and association between species was analyzed statistically. The study site was very slowly colonized by 14 perennial plant species. The early successional stage was dominated by Carex rostrata, with a clumped spatial distribution, and the homogeneously distributed Eriophorum vaginatum and Pinus sylvestris. Both the growth in size of populations and changes in their spatial distribution were interpreted as a result of species dispersal ability, tolerance to severity of the substrate and pattern of reproduction.     

Interactions of sodium,calcium, and lanthanum ions with methyl glycofuranosides in methanol

The ¹³C-n.m.r. spectra have been recorded and assigned for the xylo- and cello-oligosaccharides, the former up to xylopentaose, and the latter up to cello-tetraose. A spectrum of a low-d.p. cellulose in dimethyl sulfoxide-d₆ was also assigned. In every instance, the spectra of the higher oligosaccharides closely parallel those of the corresponding disaccharides. Variations in line intensities permitted assignment of peaks to both terminal groups and internal residues. A particularly important difference was observed between the chemical shifts at the internal C-4 atoms for the two series of oligomers. This difference has been interpreted as evidence for significant differences in average linkage-orientation or solvation, which is related to the absence of C-6 in the xylo-oligosaccharides.     

A simplified technique to measure respiration rates of aerobic heterotrophic populations

A simplified technique to trap respired carbon dioxide in a closed bottle system was developed from the technique introduced by Hobbie & Crawford in 1969. In this technique carbon dioxide was trapped in ethanolamine in a glass cup without the use of chromatographic paper. The results show that there is no need to enlarge the absorption surface with filter paper as practically complete recovery was achieved with ethanolamine alone in the cup.     

The flagellar structure of the flame cell in fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum)

Summary The flame cell of the fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum) is investigated. In cross-section the flagella originating from the flame cell are hexagonal, except the incomplete ones facing the tubular wall. The function, as regards this unusual structure, is discussed. The axial filament complexes in one flame cell are arranged in opposite directions to each other. Thus the flame cell flagella seem to show many deviating characteristics as compared with those hitherto described. This investigation is supported by Oskar Öflunds Stifteise.It is a pleasure to acknowledge the skilful technical assistance of Miss Tellervo Huima.