Fibrin(ogen) peptide B beta 15-42 inhibits platelet aggregation and fibrinogen binding to activated platelets

The binding of fibrinogen to activated platelets leads to platelet aggregation. Fibrinogen has multiple binding sites to platelet membrane glycoprotein IIb-IIIa complex. At least two well-defined sequences in fibrinogen, Arg-Gly-Asp sequence of A alpha 95-97 and A alpha 572-574 and gamma 400-411, have been shown to interact with glycoprotein IIb-IIIa. A possible binding site on the amino-terminal end of fibrinogen to platelet glycoprotein IIb-IIIa has also been reported. In this paper the effect of synthetic peptides derived from the amino-terminal end of the B beta chain on platelet aggregation and fibrinogen binding has been examined. B beta 15-42 peptide inhibits platelet aggregation and 125I-fibrinogen binding to activated platelets in a dose-dependent manner. Since B beta 15-42 contains a previously identified fibrinogen binding site, B beta 15-18, exposed by thrombin cleavage of native fibrinogen, we also examined the effect of B beta 15-18, B beta 19-42, and B beta 1-14 (fibrinopeptide B) on platelet aggregation and fibrinogen binding. Synthetic fibrinopeptide B and B beta 15-18 had no effect on platelet aggregation and fibrinogen binding while B beta 19-42 retained the inhibitory effect. When fibrinogen is chromatographed on a column of agarose-bound B beta 15-42, a cation-dependent retention of fibrinogen on the peptide column was observed, and fibrinogen was eluted from the column by B beta 15-42 but not by B beta 1-14. Under the same conditions, platelet glycoprotein IIb-IIIa was not retained in the column. Thus, the observed inhibitory effect is due to its interaction with fibrinogen rather than to platelet glycoprotein IIb-IIIa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Interactions ofCandida albicans with bacteria and salivary molecules in oral biofilms

The yeastCandida albicans coaggregates with a variety of streptococcal species, an interaction that may promote oral colonization by yeast cells.C. albicans andCandida tropicalis are the yeasts most frequently isolated from the human oral cavity and our data demonstrate that both these species bind toStreptococcus gordonii NCTC 7869 while two otherCandida species (Candida krusei andCandida kefyr) do not. Adherence ofC. albicans was greatest when the yeast had been grown at 30° C to mid-exponential growth phase. For 21 strains ofC. albicans there was a positive correlation between the ability to adhere toS. gordonii and adherence to experimental salivary pellicle. Whole saliva either stimulated or slightly inhibited adherence ofC. albicans toS. gordonii depending on the streptococcal growth conditions. The results suggest that the major salivary adhesins and coaggregation adhesins ofC. albicans are co-expressed.     

Control of cell volume in the J774 macrophage by microtubule disassembly and cyclic AMP

We have explored the possibilities that cell volume is regulated by the status of microtubule assembly and cyclic AMP metabolism and may be coordinated with shape change. Treatment of J774.2 mouse macrophages with colchicine caused rapid microtubule disassembly and was associated with a striking increase (from 15-20 to more than 90 percent) in the proportion of cells with a large protuberance at one pole. This provided a simple experimental system in which shape changes occurred in virtually an entire cell population in suspension. Parallel changes in cell volume could then be quantified by isotope dilution techniques. We found that the shape change caused by colchicine was accompanied by a decrease in cell volume of approximately 20 percent. Nocodozole, but not lumicolchicine, caused identical changes in both cell shape and cell volume. The volume loss was not due to cell lysis nor to inhibition of pinocytosis. The mechanism of volume loss was also examined. Colchicine induced a small but reproducible increase in activity of the ouabain-sensitive Na(+), K(+)-dependent ATPase. However, inhibition of this enzyme/transport system by ouabain did not change cell volume nor did it block the colchicines-induced decrease in volume. One the other hand, SITS (4’acetamido, 4-isothiocyano 2,2’ disulfonic acid stilbene), an inhibitor of anion transport, inhibited the effects of colchicines, thus suggesting a role for an anion transport system in cell volume regulation. Because colchicine is known to activate adenylate cyclase in several systems and because cell shape changes are often induced by hormones that elevate cyclic AMP, we also examined the effects of cyclic AMP on cell volume. Agents that act to increase syclic AMP (cholera toxin, which activates adenylate cyclase; IBMX, and inhibitor of phosphodiesterase; and dibutyryl cyclic AMP) all caused a volume decrease comparable to that of colchicine. To define the effective metabolic pathway, we studied two mutants of J774.2, one deficient in adenylate cyclase and the other exhibiting markedly reduced activity of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Cholera toxin did not produce a volume change in either mutant. Cyclic AMP produced a decrease in the cyclase-deficient line comparable to that in wild type, but did not cause a volume change in the kinase- deficient line. This analysis established separate roles for cyclic AMP and colchicine. The volume decrease induced by cyclic AMP requires the action of a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Colchicine, on the other hand, induced a comparable volume change in both mutants and wild type, and thus does not require the kinase.     

Membrane behavior of exocytic vesicles: II in fate of the trichocyst membranes in paramecium after induced trichocyst discharge

A specific exocytic process, the discharge of spindle trichocysts of paramecium caudatum was examined by means of the electron microscope. This exocytosis is induced by an electric shock simultaneously in nearly all of the trichocysts (ca. 6,000-8,0000 of a single cell. Single paramecia were subjected to the shock and then fixed at defined times after the shock so that the temporal sequence of the pattern of changes of the trichocyst membranes after exocytosis could be studied. The trichocyst vacuoles fuse with the plasma membrane only for that length of time required for expulsion to take place. After exocytosis, the membrane of the vacuole does not become incorporated into the plasma membrane; rather, the collapsed vacuole is pinched off and breaks up within the cytoplasm. The membrane vesiculates into small units which can no longer be distinguished from vesicles of the same dimensions that exist normally within the cell's cytoplasm. the entire process is completed within 5-10 min. These results differ from the incorporation of mucocyst membranes into the plasma membrane as proposed for tetrahymena.     

A Metagenomic Framework for the Study of Airborne Microbial Communities

Understanding the microbial content of the air has important scientific, health, and economic implications. While studies have primarily characterized the taxonomic content of air samples by sequencing the 16S or 18S ribosomal RNA gene, direct analysis of the genomic content of airborne microorganisms has not been possible due to the extremely low density of biological material in airborne environments. We developed sampling and amplification methods to enable adequate DNA recovery to allow metagenomic profiling of air samples collected from indoor and outdoor environments. Air samples were collected from a large urban building, a medical center, a house, and a pier. Analyses of metagenomic data generated from these samples reveal airborne communities with a high degree of diversity and different genera abundance profiles. The identities of many of the taxonomic groups and protein families also allows for the identification of the likely sources of the sampled airborne bacteria.     

Eight new microsatellite markers in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) derived from an enriched genomic library

One hundred and fifty random clones from an enriched genomic library of Atlantic cod were sequenced. Primer pairs were designed for 15 microsatellites containing perfect di‐, tri‐, tetra‐ and hexanucleotide repeats and characterized in 96 unrelated fish. Eight markers were successfully amplified, with the number of alleles ranging from two to nine per locus and observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.341 to 0.977. Loci Gmo‐G13 and Gmo‐G14 had a significant excess of homozygotes. All loci conformed to the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Genetic linkage disequilibrium analysis between all pairs of the loci showed no significant departure from the null hypothesis between any of the loci.     

Structurally homologous all beta-barrel proteins adopt different mechanisms of folding

Acidic fibroblast growth factors from human (hFGF-1) and newt (nFGF-1) (Notopthalamus viridescens) are 16-kDa, all beta-sheet proteins with nearly identical three-dimensional structures. Guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl)-induced unfolding of hFGF-1 and nFGF-1 monitored by fluorescence and far-UV circular dichroism (CD) shows that the FGF-1 isoforms differ significantly in their thermodynamic stabilities. GdnHCl-induced unfolding of nFGF-1 follows a two-state (Native state to Denatured state(s)) mechanism without detectable intermediate(s). By contrast, unfolding of hFGF-1 monitored by fluorescence, far-UV circular dichroism, size-exclusion chromatography, and NMR spectroscopy shows that the unfolding process is noncooperative and proceeds with the accumulation of stable intermediate(s) at 0.96 M GdnHCl. The intermediate (in hFGF-1) populated maximally at 0.96 M GdnHCl has molten globule-like properties and shows strong binding affinity to the hydrophobic dye, 1-Anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS). Refolding kinetics of hFGF-1 and nFGF-1 monitored by stopped-flow fluorescence reveal that hFGF-1 and nFGF-1 adopts different folding mechanisms. The observed differences in the folding/unfolding mechanisms of nFGF-1 and hFGF-1 are proposed to be either due to differential stabilizing effects of the charged denaturant (Gdn(+) Cl(-)) on the intermediate state(s) and/or due to differences in the structural interactions stabilizing the native conformation(s) of the FGF-1 isoforms.     

Metastatic sweat gland adenocarcinoma: A clinico-pathological dilemma

Background  

Sweat gland adenocarcinoma is a rare malignancy with high metastatic potential seen more commonly in later years of life. Scalp is the most common site of occurrence and it usually spreads to lymph nodes. Liver, lung and bones are the distant sites of metastasis with fatal results. The differentiation between apocrine and eccrine metastatic sweat gland carcinoma is often difficult. The criteria's are inadequate to be of any practical utility.     

Geographic variation in rodent-flea relationships in the presence of black-tailed prairie dog colonies

We characterized the relationship between fleas and their rodent hosts in the presence of prairie dog colonies and compared them to adjacent assemblages away from colonies. We evaluated the rodent-flea relationship by quantifying prevalence, probability of infestation, flea load, and intensity of fleas on rodents. As prairie dog burrows provide refugia for fleas, we hypothesized that prevalence, flea load, and intensity would be higher for rodents that are associated with black-tailed prairie dog colonies. Rodents were trapped at off- and on-colony grids, resulting in the collection of 4,509 fleas from 1,430 rodents in six study areas. The rodent community composition varied between these study areas. Flea species richness was not different between prairie dog colonies and the surrounding grasslands (p = 0.883) but was positively correlated with rodent species richness (p = 0.055). Prairie dog colonies did not increase the prevalence of fleas (p > 0.10). Flea loads on rodents did not vary between off- and on-colony grids at three of the study areas (p > 0.10). Based on the prevalence, infestation rates, and flea loads, we identified Peromyscus maniculatus, Onychomys leucogaster, and two Neotoma species as important rodent hosts for fleas and Aetheca wagneri, Orchopeus leucopus, Peromyscopsylla hesperomys, Pleochaetis exilis, and Thrassisfotus as the most important fleas associated with these rodents. Prairie dog colonies did not seem to facilitate transmission of fleas between rodent hosts, and the few rodent-flea associations exhibited significant differences between off- and on-colony grids.