The Hemagglutinin of Bat-Associated Influenza Viruses Is Activated by TMPRSS2 for pH-Dependent Entry into Bat but Not Human Cells

New World bats have recently been discovered to harbor influenza A virus (FLUAV)-related viruses, termed bat-associated influenza A-like viruses (batFLUAV). The internal proteins of batFLUAV are functional in mammalian cells. In contrast, no biological functionality could be demonstrated for the surface proteins, hemagglutinin (HA)-like (HAL) and neuraminidase (NA)-like (NAL), and these proteins need to be replaced by their human counterparts to allow spread of batFLUAV in human cells. Here, we employed rhabdoviral vectors to study the role of HAL and NAL in viral entry. Vectors pseudotyped with batFLUAV-HAL and -NAL were able to enter bat cells but not cells from other mammalian species. Host cell entry was mediated by HAL and was dependent on prior proteolytic activation of HAL and endosomal low pH. In contrast, sialic acids were dispensable for HAL-driven entry. Finally, the type II transmembrane serine protease TMPRSS2 was able to activate HAL for cell entry indicating that batFLUAV can utilize human proteases for HAL activation. Collectively, these results identify viral and cellular factors governing host cell entry driven by batFLUAV surface proteins. They suggest that the absence of a functional receptor precludes entry of batFLUAV into human cells while other prerequisites for entry, HAL activation and protonation, are met in target cells of human origin.     

The catalytic bimodality of mammalian phosphoglycerate mutase

Rabbit muscle phosphoglycerate mutase, presumed to manifest an absolute cofactor requirement for activity, has been found to express catalysis (3 +/- 1% of optimum) in the absence of added D-glycerate-2,3-P2. Isotope experiments indicate that this catalysis proceeds through a binary phosphoryl enzyme-glycerate intermediate which dissociates into free enzyme and monophosphoglycerate. 32P-Labeled phosphoglycerate mutase is formed by reaction with either D-32P-glycerate-3-P or D-U32P-glycerate-2,3-P2. In each case, the acid lability and alkali stability of the covalent adduct, phosphoenzyme, is consistent with a phosphohistidyl residue having been formed within the active site. D-[U-14C]Glycerate reacts with phosphoenzyme to generate D-[U-14C]monophosphoglycerate which, in turn, can react further with phosphoenzyme to yield D-[U-14C]glycerate-2,3-P2. The pH profile for the cofactor-independent activity exhibits an optimum at 6.0 as opposed to 7.0 when D-glycerate-2,3-P2 is present in the reaction medium. Bisubstrate kinetics (pH 7.0, 23 degrees C) with D-glycerate-3-P concentration as the variable, yields a family of reciprocal plots which is in accord with a modified ping-pong mechanism when D-glycerate-2,3-P2 concentrations are greater than 10(-1) Km (where Km = 0.33 microM). Progressively diminishing concentrations (much less than Km) of D-glycerate-2,3-P2 produce curvilinear reciprocal plots that approach linearity as a limit in accordance with single substrate kinetics.     

Circulating immunologic complexes in blood sera of bronchial asthma patients treated with attenuated vaccine

The study included 20 patients (8 males and 12 females) with non-atopic bronchial asthma treated with attenuated vaccines. Circulating immune complexes were assayed with two methods prior to and after the treatment of each patient. No increase in serum circulating immune complexes was produced after the treatment. Clinical improvement was noted in 75% of treated patients. Circulating immune complexes were detected in the blood serum of three patients treated without an effect.     

Lack of correlation between in vitro and in vivo activation of complement in mice by infective Trichinella spiralis larvae

Very little is known about the role played by complement in vivo during Trichinella spiralis infections, although previous reports indicate that it binds readily to the surfaces of muscle stages of the parasite in vitro. In order to study the binding of complement to muscle-stage larvae in vivo, larvae were recovered from BALB-c inbred, NFR/N inbred, and Swiss white outbred mice from 20 to 95 days postinfection. The presence of C3 was examined by direct immunofluorescence and leucocyte- and erythrocyte-adherence tests. Complement was found on a few larvae from the outbred strain and only rarely on larvae from the 2 inbred strains. Histological sections prepared from inbred strains and used in immunofluorescence tests to study in situ complement activation and binding were negative. Larvae from all 3 mouse strains bound complement 100% of the time when it was added to the worms in vitro. The results indicate that extrapolation from in vitro to in vivo activation and binding of complement to T. spiralis larvae may not be valid.     

ADP-Ribosylation of Brain Neuronal Proteins Is Altered by In Vitro and In Vivo Exposure to Inorganic Mercury

Abstract: ADP-ribosylation is an essential process in the metabolism of brain neuronal proteins, including the regulation of assembly and disassembly of biological polymers. Here, we examine the effect of HgCl₂ exposure on the ADP-ribosylation of tubulin and actin, both cytoskeletal proteins also found in neurons, and B-50/43-kDa growth-associated protein (B-50/GAP-43), a neuronal tissue-specific phosphoprotein. In rats we demonstrate, with both in vitro and in vivo experiments, that HgCl₂ markedly inhibits the ADP-ribosylation of tubulin and actin. This is direct quantitative evidence that HgCl₂, a toxic xenobiotic, alters specific neurochemical reactions involved in maintaining brain neuron structure.     

The Ontogeny of Vocal Sequences: Insights from a Newborn Wild Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)

International Journal of Primatology - Observations of early vocal behaviours in non-human primates (hereafter primates) are important for direct comparisons between human and primate vocal...     

Association of chest wall motion and tidal volume responses during CO2 rebreathing

Yan, Sheng, Pawel Sliwinski, and Peter T. Macklem.Association of chest wall motion and tidal volume responses during CO₂ rebreathing.J. Appl. Physiol. 81(4):1528-1534, 1996.The purpose of this study is to investigate theeffect of chest wall configuration at end expiration on tidal volume(VT) response duringCO₂ rebreathing. In a group of 11 healthy male subjects, the changes in end-expiratory andend-inspiratory volume of the rib cage (Vrc,E andVrc,I, respectively) and abdomen (Vab,E and Vab,I, respectively) measured by linearizedmagnetometers were expressed as a function of end-tidalPCO₂(PET_CO2). The changes inend-expiratory and end-inspiratory volumes of the chest wall(Vcw,E and Vcw,I,respectively) were calculated as the sum of the respectiverib cage and abdominal volumes. The magnetometer coils were placed atthe level of the nipples and 1-2 cm above the umbilicus andcalibrated during quiet breathing against theVT measured from apneumotachograph. TheVrc,E/PET_CO2 slope was quite variable among subjects. It was significantly positive (P < 0.05) in fivesubjects, significantly negative in four subjects(P < 0.05), and not different fromzero in the remaining two subjects. TheVab,E/PET_CO2slope was significantly negative in all subjects(P < 0.05) with a much smallerintersubject variation, probably suggesting a relatively more uniformrecruitment of abdominal expiratory muscles and a variable recruitmentof rib cage muscles during CO₂rebreathing in different subjects. As a group, the meanVrc,E/PET_CO2,Vab,E/PET_CO2, andVcw,E/PET_CO2slopes were 0.010 ± 0.034, 0.030 ± 0.007, and0.020 ± 0.032 l / Torr, respectively;only theVab,E/PET_CO2 slope was significantly different from zero. More interestingly, theindividualVT/PET_CO2slope was negatively associated with theVrc,E/PET_CO2(r = 0.68,P = 0.021) and Vcw,E/PET_CO2slopes (r = 0.63,P = 0.037) but was not associated withtheVab,E/PET_CO2slope (r = 0.40, P = 0.223). There was no correlation oftheVrc,E/PET_CO2 andVcw,E/PET_CO2slopes with age, body size, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, orexpiratory time. The groupVab,I/PET_CO2 slope (0.004 ± 0.014 l / Torr) was not significantlydifferent from zero despite theVT nearly being tripled at theend of CO₂ rebreathing. Inconclusion, the individual VTresponse to CO₂, althoughindependent of Vab,E, is a function ofVrc,E to the extent that as theVrc,E/PET_CO2slope increases (more positive) among subjects, theVT response toCO₂ decreases. These results maybe explained on the basis of the respiratory muscle actions andinteractions on the rib cage.

     

Monocyte-produced prostaglandin induces Fcγ receptor expression on human T cells

Incubation of human T cells for 18 hr with prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂ 3 × 10^?6M) causes a slight but significant increase in the percentage of Tγ cells and a reduction in Tμ cells. When PGE was added to “non-Tγ” cells, the increase in the percentage of Tγ cells was more marked (from 1.5% Tγ without PGE to 11% Tγ with PGE₂, P < 0.001). Supernates from cultures of human monocytes also caused an increase in Tγ cells (10% Tγ without supernate to 18% with supernate, P < 0.01), and this increase was blocked if the monocytes were cultured with indomethacin, a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor (9% Tγ cells). Thus, monocytes may regulate Fcγ receptors on T cells via PGE₂ production.