Expression of {beta}-galactoside {alpha}2,6-sialyltransferase does not alter the susceptibility of human colon cancer cells to NK-mediated cell lysis

The extent of processing of N-linked oligosaccharides and thesialylation of the target cell membranes has been positivelycorrelated with resistance to lysis mediated by NK cells, buta conclusive evidence has never been reached. Colon cancer tissuesexpress an increased activity of ß-ga-lactoside     

Nucleophosmin mutations alter its nucleolar localization by impairing G-quadruplex binding at ribosomal DNA

Nucleophosmin (NPM1) is an abundant nucleolar protein implicated in ribosome maturation and export, centrosome duplication and response to stress stimuli. NPM1 is the most frequently mutated gene in acute myeloid leukemia. Mutations at the C-terminal domain led to variant proteins that aberrantly and stably translocate to the cytoplasm. We have previously shown that NPM1 C-terminal domain binds with high affinity G-quadruplex DNA. Here, we investigate the structural determinants of NPM1 nucleolar localization. We show that NPM1 interacts with several G-quadruplex regions found in ribosomal DNA, both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, the most common leukemic NPM1 variant completely loses this activity. This is the consequence of G-quadruplex–binding domain destabilization, as mutations aimed at refolding the leukemic variant also result in rescuing the G-quadruplex–binding activity and nucleolar localization. Finally, we show that treatment of cells with a G-quadruplex selective ligand results in wild-type NPM1 dislocation from nucleoli into nucleoplasm. In conclusion, this work establishes a direct correlation between NPM1 G-quadruplex binding at rDNA and its nucleolar localization, which is impaired in the acute myeloid leukemia-associated protein variants.     

How soil granulometry,temperature, and water predict genetic differentiation in Namibian spiders (Ariadna: Segestriidae) and explain their behavior

The Namib Desert is a biodiversity hotspot for many invertebrates, including spiders. Tube‐dwelling spiders belonging to the Ariadna genus are widespread in gravel plains. These sit‐and‐wait predators share a particular behavior, as they spend their life in tunnels in the soil, surrounding the entrance of their burrow with stone rings. We investigated five spider populations taking into account environmental parameters, functional traits, and molecular data. We have chosen the temperature at the soil surface and at the bottom of the burrow, the air humidity, and the soil granulometry to define the environment. The chosen functional traits were the diameter and depth of the burrows, the ratio between weight and length, the thermal properties of their silks, and the number of ring elements. The molecular branch lengths and the evolutionary distance emerging from cytochrome oxidase I gene sequences summarized the molecular analysis. Our study highlights a strong coherence between the resulting evolutionary lineages and the respective geographical distribution. Multivariate analyses of both environmental and molecular data provide the same phylogenetic interpretation. Low intrapopulation sequence divergence and the high values between population sequence divergence (between 4.9% and 26.1%) might even suggest novel taxa which deserve further investigation. We conclude that both the Kimura distance and the branch lengths are strengthening the environmental clustering of these peculiar sites in Namibia.     

Pathophysiology of ageing, longevity and age related diseases

On April 18, 2007 an international meeting on Pathophysiology of Ageing, Longevity and Age-Related Diseases was held in Palermo, Italy. Several interesting topics on Cancer, Immunosenescence, Age-related inflammatory diseases and longevity were discussed. In this report we summarize the most important issues. However, ageing must be considered an unavoidable end point of the life history of each individual, nevertheless the increasing knowledge on ageing mechanisms, allows envisaging many different strategies to cope with, and delay it. So, a better understanding of pathophysiology of ageing and age-related disease is essential for giving everybody a reasonable chance for living a long and enjoyable final part of the life.     

Effect of microfragmented adipose tissue on osteoarthritic synovial macrophage factors

Cell-based therapies using adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ADMSCs) have shown promising results for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). In fact, ADMSCs are now indicated as one of the most powerful cell sources through their immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities. Recently, an innovative one-step closed device was developed to obtain microfragmented adipose tissue (MF) to avoid the need for good manufacturing practices for ADMSCs expansion while maintaining their regenerative potential. The aim of this study was to assess the mechanisms of action of MF and ADMSCs from MF (MF-ADMSCs) on an inflammatory cell model of OA synoviocytes. We found that MF produced low levels of inflammatory factors such as interleukin 6 (IL-6), CC-chemokine ligand 5/receptor-activated normal T-cell expressed and secreted (CCL5/RANTES), CC-chemokine ligand 2/monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (CCL2/MCP-1), and CC-chemokine ligand 3/macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (CCL3/MIP-1α), and a higher level only of CXC-chemokine ligand 8/interleukin 8 compared with MF-ADMSCs. Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) degradative factor but released a lower level of its inhibitor tissue inhibitor of the metalloproteinase (TIMP-1). MF in coculture with synoviocytes significantly induced both the metabolic activity and the release of IL-6. In contrast, MF, not MF-ADMSCs, partially decreased CCL5/RANTES. Moreover, MF reduced the release of both macrophage-specific chemokines (CCL2/MCP-1 and CCL3/MIP-1α) and degradative marker MMP-9. Interestingly, MF increased TIMP-1 (the MMP-9 inhibitor) and down-modulated toll-like receptor (TLR4) receptor and key molecules of NFκB pathways. These data evidenced different effects of MF versus MF-ADMSCs on inflamed synoviocytes. MF reduced typical macrophages markers and its potentiality by switching off macrophages activity was strictly dependent on TLR4 and NFκB signaling.     

Extreme difference in rate of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evolution in a large ectotherm, Galápagos tortoises

We sequenced approximately 4.5 kb of mtDNA from 161 individuals representing 11 named taxa of giant Galápagos tortoises (Geochelone nigra) and about 4 kb of non-coding nuclear DNA from fewer individuals of these same 11 taxa. In comparing mtDNA and nucDNA divergences, only silent substitutions (introns, ITS, mtDNA control region, and synonymous substitutions in coding sequences) were considered. mtDNA divergence was about 30 times greater than that for nucDNA. This rate discrepancy for mtDNA and nucDNA is the greatest yet documented and is particularly surprising for large ectothermic animals that are thought to have relatively low rates of mtDNA evolution. This observation may be due to the somewhat unusual reproductive biology and biogeographic history of these organisms. The implication is that the ratio of effective population size of nucDNA/mtDNA is much greater than the usually assumed four. The nearly neutral theory of molecular evolution predicts this would lead to a greater difference between rates of evolution.     

Lipopolysaccharide induces apoptosis in adult rat ventricular myocytes via cardiac AT(1) receptors

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from gram-negative bacteria circulates in acute, subacute, and chronic conditions. It was hypothesized that LPS directly induces cardiac apoptosis. In adult rat ventricular myocytes (isolated with depyrogenated digestive enzymes to minimize tolerance), LPS (10 ng/ml) decreased the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax at 12 h; increased caspase-3 activity at 16 h; and increased annexin V, propidium iodide, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling staining at 24 h. Apoptosis was blocked by the caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-valine-alanine-aspartate fluoromethylketone (Z-VAD-fmk), captopril, and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT(1)) inhibitor (losartan), but not by inhibitors of AT(2) receptors (PD-123319), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFRII:Fc), or nitric oxide (N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine). Angiotensin II (100 nmol/l) induced apoptosis similar to LPS without additive effects. LPS in vivo (1 mg/kg iv) increased apoptosis in left ventricular myocytes for 1-3 days, which dissipated after 1-2 wk. Losartan (23 mg. kg(-1). day(-1) in drinking water for 3 days) blocked LPS-induced in vivo apoptosis. In conclusion, low levels of LPS induce cardiac apoptosis in vitro and in vivo by activating AT(1) receptors in myocytes.     

Alterations in heart looping induced by overexpression of the tight junction protein Claudin-1 are dependent on its C-terminal cytoplasmic tail

In vertebrates, the positioning of the internal organs relative to the midline is asymmetric and evolutionarily conserved. A number of molecules have been shown to play critical roles in left-right patterning. Using representational difference analysis to identify genes that are differentially expressed on the left and right sides of the chick embryo, we cloned chick Claudin-1, an integral component of epithelial tight junctions. Here, we demonstrate that retroviral overexpression of Claudin-1, but not Claudin-3, on the right side of the chick embryo between HH stages 4 and 7 randomizes the direction of heart looping. This effect was not observed when Claudin-1 was overexpressed on the left side of the embryo. A small, but reproducible, induction of Nodal expression in the perinodal region on the right side of the embryo was noted in embryos that were injected with Claudin-1 retroviral particles on their right sides. However, no changes in Lefty,Pitx2 or cSnR expression were observed. In addition, Flectin expression remained higher in the left dorsal mesocardial folds of embryos with leftwardly looped hearts resulting from Claudin-1 overexpression on the right side of the embryo. We demonstrated that Claudin-1's C-terminal cytoplasmic tail is essential for this effect: mutation of a PKC phosphorylation site in the Claudin-1 C-terminal cytoplasmic domain at threonine-206 eliminates Claudin-1's ability to randomize the direction of heart looping. Taken together, our data provide evidence that appropriate expression of the tight junction protein Claudin-1 is required for normal heart looping and suggest that phosphorylation of its cytoplasmic tail is responsible for mediating this function.