The α-l-Rhamnose recognizing lectin site of human dermal fibroblasts functions as a signal transducer: Modulation of Ca fluxes and gene expression

An α-l-Rhamnose specific lectin site was described on human skin keratinocytes and fibrobasts. The addition of Rhamnose-rich oligo- and polysaccharides (RROPs) to fibroblasts has been shown to stimulate cell proliferation and increase extracellular matrix biosynthesis, suggesting that this lectin site functions as a “true” receptor transmitting messages to the cell interior. It was confirmed here that addition of the Rhamnose-rich polysaccharide, RROP-1, to normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) and human endothelial cells produced a dose-dependent stimulation of the calcium-signaling pathway, inducing fast and transient increases in Ca²⁺ influx and intracellular free Ca²⁺ level. The Rhamnose-rich oligosaccharide RROP-3 as well as l-Rhamnose alone were also able to trigger similar intracellular free Ca²⁺ concentration increases in NHDFs. Moreover, the recording of the RROP-1-induced modification of the gene-expression profile in fibroblasts showed that this polysaccharide triggered a down-regulation of the expression of several growth factors, adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix proteins involved in pro-tumoral activity and/or fibrotic processes. These results further support the hypothesis of a receptor function for the Rhamnose-recognizing lectin site in fibroblasts. Anti-fibrotic and anti-tumoral potential of RROP-1 remains to be further explored.     

Life cycle period and activity of prey influence their susceptibility to predators

In a multi‐prey system, predators kill different kinds of prey according to their availability, where “availability” is a function of prey abundance and vulnerability (e.g. anti‐predator behavior). We hypothesized that prey availability changes seasonally, for instance because reproduction leads to a higher abundance of young in spring and summer or because changes in behavior such as during the mating season makes the prey periodically more vulnerable. We tested this hypothesis in a simple predator‐prey system in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland and France, where a single large mammalian predator, the Eurasian lynx, preys upon two ungulate species, the roe deer and the chamois. In 1996 and 1997 we were able to assign a total of 190 roe deer and 54 chamois killed by lynx to a specific age and sex class (males, females or juveniles). As expected, the proportion of juveniles killed varied considerably among periods, being at the highest from 1st of June to 15th of August. No significant seasonal differences were detected regarding the frequency of predation on males versus females. In particular, the interaction between species and period, expected because of different timing of the rutting period between roe deer and chamois, was not significant. Females were killed only slightly more often during gestation. The relationship between prey abundance and vulnerability is highly complex, as the lynx’ prey selection needs to be analyzed not only horizontally (changes of a specific prey category with season) but also vertically (an increase in the vulnerability of one category releases predation pressure on others). Second, we predicted that certain activities, such as feeding, expose prey to predation more than others. We found more chamois predated when feeding, whereas roe deer were predated mainly when ruminating. This interspecific discrepancy reflects differences either in the anti‐predator behavior of roe deer and chamois or in the relative time allocation to feeding and ruminating between the two species.     

Impact of Postovulatory Food Deprivation on the Ova Transport, Hormonal Profiles and Metabolic Changes in Sows

The effect of food deprivation on ova transport, hormonal profiles and metabolic changes was studied in 20 crossbred multiparous sows during their second oestrus after weaning. To determine the time of ovulation, transrectal ultrasonographic examination was performed. The sows were divided into 2 groups, one control group (C-group), which was fed according to Swedish standards, and one experimental group (E-group). The E-group sows were deprived of food from the first morning meal after ovulation until slaughter. Blood samples were collected every second hour from about 12 h before expected ovulation in the second oestrus after weaning until slaughter and were analysed for progesterone, prostaglandin F_2α-metabolite, insulin, glucose, free fatty acids and triglycerides. All sows were slaughtered approximately 48 h after ovulation and the genital tract was recovered. The isthmic part of the oviduct was divided into 3 equally long segments and flushed separately with phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Uterine horns were also flushed with PBS. A significantly greater number of ova were found in the first and second part of the isthmus in the E-group (p = 0.05) while in the C-group most of the ova were found in the third part of the isthmus or the uterus (p = 0.01). The level of prostaglandin F_2α-metabolite was significantly higher in the E-group compared with the C-group. The concentration of progesterone increased in both groups after ovulation but there were no significant differences between the groups. The other blood parameters showed that the food-deprived sows were in a catabolic state. The 48 h period of fasting results, directly or indirectly in an delayed ova transport, which may be due to a delayed relaxation in the smooth circular muscle layer of the isthmus.     

Autoantibody systems in rheumatoid arthritis: specificity, sensitivity and diagnostic value

This review focuses on the mechanisms of stress response in the synovial tissue of rheumatoid arthritis. The major stress factors, such as heat stress, shear stress, proinflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress, are discussed and reviewed, focusing on their potential to induce a stress response in the synovial tissue. Several pathways of stress signalling molecules are found to be activated in the synovial membrane of rheumatoid arthritis; of these the most important examples are heat shock proteins, mitogen-activated protein kinases, stress-activated protein kinases and molecules involved in the oxidative stress pathways. The expression of these pathways in vitro and in vivo as well as the consequences of stress signalling in the rheumatoid synovium are discussed. Stress signalling is part of a cellular response to potentially harmful stimuli and thus is essentially involved in the process of synovitis. Stress signalling pathways are therefore new and promising targets of future anti-rheumatic therapies.     

Reactivity and stability of mycelium-bound carboxylesterase from Aspergillus oryzae.

The reactivity and thermostability of a novel mycelium-bound carboxylesterase from lyophilized cells of Aspergillus oryzae are explored in organic solvent. Ethanol acetylation was selected as reference esterification reaction. High carboxylesterase activity cells were used as biocatalyst in batch esterification tests at 12.5 < S(o) < 125 mmol L(-1), 5.0 < X(o) < 30 g L(-1), 0.49 < log P < 4.5 and 30 < T < 80 degrees C, as well as in residual activity tests after incubation at 40 < T < 90 degrees C. The starting rates of product formation were used to estimate with the Arrhenius model the apparent activation enthalpies of the enzymatic reaction (29-33 kJ mol(-1)), the reversible unfolding (56-63 kJ mol(-1)), and the irreversible denaturation (22 kJ mol(-1)) of the biocatalyst.     

Human exposure to mycotoxins in Egypt

This investigation examined the exposure of Egyptian infants to Aflatoxin M₁ (AfM₁) and of lactating mothers to Aflatoxin B₁, using AfM₁ in human milk as a biomarker for exposure to AfB₁. The presence of ochratoxin A (OA) in human milk was also investigated to determine the levels of infants exposure to OA from human milk. The results indicated that AfM₁ was found in 66 (55 %) of 120 human milk samples with a mean of 0.3 ± 0.53 ng/mL (range 0.02 to 2.09 ng/mL). OA was found in 43 (35.8 %) of 120 human milk samples with a mean of 21.1 ± 13.7 ng/mL (range 5.07 to 45.01 ng/mL), which will cause a daily intake of OA from human milk exceeding the suggested tolerable dose of 5 ng/kg_-1 of OA body weight. On the other side AfM₁ was found in 25 % of blood samples (5 out of 20 samples), at a mean of 1.18 ng/mL, but it was detected only in one urine sample (1 out of 20 samples). OA was detected only in 2 out of 13 blood samples (15.4 %) with an average 3.67 ng/mL. Whereas OA was not detected in all analyzed urine samples.     

Acetic acid bacteria as enantioselective biocatalysts

Acetic acid bacteria (five strains of Acetobacter and five strains of Gluconobacter) were used for the biotransformation of different primary alcohols (2-chloropropanol and 2-phenylpropanol) and diols (1,3-butandiol, 1,4-nonandiol and 2,3-butandiol). Most of the tested strains efficiently oxidized the substrates. 2-Chloropropanol and 1,3-butandiol were oxidized with good rates and low enantioselectivity (enantiomeric excess=18–46% of the S-acid), while microbial oxidation of 2-phenylpropanol furnished (S)-2-phenyl-1-propionic acid with enantiomeric excess (e.e.) >90% with 10 strains. The dehydrogenation of 2,3-butandiol was strongly dependent on the stereochemistry of the substrate; the meso form gave S-acetoin with all the tested strains, the only exception being a Gluconobacter strain. The formation of diacetyl was observed only by using R,R-2,3-butandiol with Acetobacter strains. Oxidation of 1,4-nonandiol gave γ-nonanoic lactone in one step, although with moderate enantioselectivity.     

Singular value decomposition analysis of protein sequence alignment score data.

One of the standard tools for the analysis of data arranged in matrix form is singular value decomposition (SVD). Few applications to genomic data have been reported to date mainly for the analysis of gene expression microarray data. We review SVD properties, examine mathematical terms and assumptions implicit in the SVD formalism, and show that SVD can be applied to the analysis of matrices representing pairwise alignment scores between large sets of protein sequences. In particular, we illustrate SVD capabilities for data dimension reduction and for clustering protein sequences. A comparison is performed between SVD-generated clusters of proteins and annotation reported in the SWISS-PROT Database for a set of protein sequences forming the calycin superfamily, entailing all entries corresponding to the lipocalin, cytosolic fatty acid-binding protein, and avidin-streptavidin Prosite patterns.     

A Functionally Relevant Tool for the Body following Spinal Cord Injury

A tool such as a prosthetic device that extends or restores movement may become part of the identity of the person to whom it belongs. For example, some individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) adapt their body and action representation to incorporate their wheelchairs. However, it remains unclear whether the bodily assimilation of a relevant external tool develops as a consequence of altered sensory and motor inputs from the body or of prolonged confinement sitting or lying in the wheelchair. To explore such relationships, we used a principal component analysis (PCA) on collected structured reports detailing introspective experiences of wheelchair use in 55 wheelchair-bound individuals with SCI. Among all patients, the regular use of a wheelchair induced the perception that the body’s edges are not fixed, but are instead plastic and flexible to include the wheelchair. The PCA revealed the presence of three major components. In particular, the functional aspect of the sense of embodiment concerning the wheelchair appeared to be modulated by disconnected body segments. Neither an effect of time since injury nor an effect of exposure to/experience of was detected. Patients with lesions in the lower spinal cord and with loss of movement and sensation in the legs but who retained upper body movement showed a higher degree of functional embodiment than those with lesions in the upper spinal cord and impairment in the entire body. In essence, the tool did not become an extension of the immobile limbs; rather, it became an actual tangible substitution of the functionality of the affected body part. These findings suggest that the brain can incorporate relevant artificial tools into the body schema via the natural process of continuously updating bodily signals. The ability to embody new essential objects extends the potentiality of physically impaired persons and can be used for their rehabilitation.