A new role for PGRP-S (Tag7) in immune defense: lymphocyte migration is induced by a chemoattractant complex of Tag7 with Mts1

PGRP-S (Tag7) is an innate immunity protein involved in the antimicrobial defense systems, both in insects and in mammals. We have previously shown that Tag7 specifically interacts with several proteins, including Hsp70 and the calcium binding protein S100A4 (Mts1), providing a number of novel cellular functions. Here we show that Tag7–Mts1 complex causes chemotactic migration of lymphocytes, with NK cells being a preferred target. Cells of either innate immunity (neutrophils and monocytes) or acquired immunity (CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ lymphocytes) can produce this complex, which confirms the close connection between components of the 2 branches of immune response.     

Somatoform disorders among patients attending walk-in clinics in Trinidad: prevalence and association with depression and anxiety

Objectives Somatoform disorders are common in international primary care settings, but have been little studied in the developing world. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of severe undifferentiated somatoform disorder, and its relationship to depression and anxiety, among patients attending walk-in clinics in Trinidad.Methods The study participants, who were all aged 18 years or older and attending walk-in clinics at 16 randomly selected health centres, were surveyed between May and August 2007 using the PRIME-MD questionnaire.Results There were 594 participants (the response rate was 92%), of whom 72.7% were female. Their ages ranged from 18 to 93 years, and 54.5% were over 50 years of age. In total, 37.2% were married and 25.9% were single. Indo-Trinidadians represented 43.1% and Afro-Trinidadians represented 36% of the study sample; 56.5% of the participants reported that their income was less than US$ 400 per month, and 65.7% were unemployed. At walk-in clinics in Trinidad, the estimated prevalence of severe undifferentiated somatoform disorder was 10.3% (95% CI: 7.86–12.74), that of hypochondriasis was 28.5% (95% CI: 24.9–32.1), and that of body dysmorphic disorder was 15.8% (95% CI: 11.9–18.7). Severe undifferentiated somatoform disorder was statistically significantly associated with gender and ethnicity but not with age, level of education, employment status or income. Chi-square testing found significant associations between the presence of severe undifferentiated somatoform disorder and both depression and anxiety (P < 0.05), between hypochondriasis and both anxiety and depression (P < 0.05), and between body dysmorphic disorder and depression (P < 0.05) but not anxiety. Regression analysis suggested that the demographic features that predicted severe undifferentiated somatoform disorder were being female or Indo-Trinidadian.Conclusions Walk-in clinics in Trinidad that serve older patients on a lower income have a high proportion of patients with somatoform disorders as measured by the PRIME-MD scale. These patients exhibit many features of anxiety and depression. These findings have implications for medical training and service delivery.     

Genetic dissection of Al tolerance QTLs in the maize genome by high density SNP scan

Background

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is an important limitation to food security in tropical and subtropical regions. High Al saturation on acid soils limits root development, reducing water and nutrient uptake. In addition to naturally occurring acid soils, agricultural practices may decrease soil pH, leading to yield losses due to Al toxicity. Elucidating the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying maize Al tolerance is expected to accelerate the development of Al-tolerant cultivars.

Results

Five genomic regions were significantly associated with Al tolerance, using 54,455 SNP markers in a recombinant inbred line population derived from Cateto Al237. Candidate genes co-localized with Al tolerance QTLs were further investigated. Near-isogenic lines (NILs) developed for ZmMATE2 were as Al-sensitive as the recurrent line, indicating that this candidate gene was not responsible for the Al tolerance QTL on chromosome 5, qALT5. However, ZmNrat1, a maize homolog to OsNrat1, which encodes an Al³⁺ specific transporter previously implicated in rice Al tolerance, was mapped at ~40 Mbp from qALT5. We demonstrate for the first time that ZmNrat1 is preferentially expressed in maize root tips and is up-regulated by Al, similarly to OsNrat1 in rice, suggesting a role of this gene in maize Al tolerance. The strongest-effect QTL was mapped on chromosome 6 (qALT6), within a 0.5 Mbp region where three copies of the Al tolerance gene, ZmMATE1, were found in tandem configuration. qALT6 was shown to increase Al tolerance in maize; the qALT6-NILs carrying three copies of ZmMATE1 exhibited a two-fold increase in Al tolerance, and higher expression of ZmMATE1 compared to the Al sensitive recurrent parent. Interestingly, a new source of Al tolerance via ZmMATE1 was identified in a Brazilian elite line that showed high expression of ZmMATE1 but carries a single copy of ZmMATE1.

Conclusions

High ZmMATE1 expression, controlled either by three copies of the target gene or by an unknown molecular mechanism, is responsible for Al tolerance mediated by qALT6. As Al tolerant alleles at qALT6 are rare in maize, marker-assisted introgression of this QTL is an important strategy to improve maize adaptation to acid soils worldwide.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-153) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Distribution of antioxidants among blood components and lipoproteins: significance of lipids/CoQ10 ratio as a possible marker of increased risk for atherosclerosis.

Total CoQ10 levels were evaluated in whole blood and in plasma obtained from a group of 83 healthy donors. Extraction with light petroleum ether/methanol was more efficient, for whole blood, than the extraction which is often used for plasma and serum, i.e., ethanol hexane. An excellent correlation was present between plasma CoQ10 and whole blood CoQ10. CoQ10 is mainly associated with plasma rather than with cellular components. Positive, significant correlations were found between the LDL-chol/CoQ10 ratio and the total-chol/HDL-chol ratio, which is usually considered a risk factor for atherosclerosis. The proportion of CoQ10 carried by LDL was 58 +/- 10%, while the amount carried by HDL was 26 +/- 8%. In VLDL + IDL CoQ10 was 16 +/- 8%. The content of CoQ10 in single classes of lipoproteins is strictly correlated with CoQ10 plasma concentration. In a parallel study conducted on a population of diabetic patients (one IDDM group and one NIDDM) CoQ10 plasma levels were generally higher compared to the control group, also when normalised to total cholesterol. In particular the LDL fraction showed a CoQ10/chol ratio higher in NIDDM but not in IDDM patients, compared to controls. The CoQ10/triglycerides ratio was lower in NIDDM respect to controls and even lower in IDDM patients.     

The combined use of oral and topical lipophilic antioxidants increases their levels both in sebum and stratum corneum

The concentration of Vitamin E (vit E) and ubiquinone (CoQ10), which together with squalene (SQ), play a key role against external oxidative insult, has been shown to decrease significantly during ageing. The aim of the present study is to inquire the effect of the combined use of topical bio-cosmetics containing natural active principles (including sebum-like lipid fractions, sebum and epidermal lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidants), and oral antioxidant supplements on the antioxidant content of sebum and stratum corneum. We therefore treated the face and the back of 50 female volunteers aged 21-40, daily for two months, with a base cream containing 0.05% ubiquinone, 0.1% vit E, and 1% squalene. In addition 50 mg of CoQ10 + 50 mg of d-RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate + 50 microg of selenium were administered orally to half of the volunteers (Group A). Group B was represented by 25 volunteers who were treated only topically. Every 15 days during treatment the levels of CoQ10, vit E and SQ were verified in sebum, stratum corneum, and plasma. The daily topical application of the cream led to a significant increase, that peaked after 60 days, of the levels of CoQ10, d-RRR-alpha-tocopherol and SQ in the sebum (Group B), without significantly affecting the stratum corneum or plasma concentrations of the redox couple CoQ10H2/CoQ10 and vit E. The concomitant oral admistration of antioxidants produced in Group A a significant increase of the levels of CoQ10H2/CoQ10 and vit E both in plasma and stratum corneum after 15 and 30 days treatment respectively, compared to Group B. However the sebum levels of lipophilic antioxidants and SQ did not show a significant increase. After the treatments, the levels of CoQ10H2/CoQ10, vit E and SQ went back to basal levels within 6-8 days in sebum, 12-16 days in the stratum corneum, and 3-6 days in plasma. Therefore topical application of the antioxidants was able to increase their level in sebum, while the concomitant oral administration also affected the levels of vit E and CoQ10 in the stratum corneum.     

Inter-familial relationships of the shorebirds (Aves: Charadriiformes) based on nuclear DNA sequence data

Background  

Phylogenetic hypotheses of higher-level relationships in the order Charadriiformes based on morphological data, partly disagree with those based on DNA-DNA hybridisation data. So far, these relationships have not been tested by analysis of DNA sequence data. Herein we utilize 1692 bp of aligned, nuclear DNA sequences obtained from 23 charadriiform species, representing 15 families. We also test earlier suggestions that bustards and sandgrouses may be nested with the charadriiforms. The data is analysed with methods based on the parsimony and maximum-likelihood criteria.     

Production of DON-related trichothecenes byFusarium graminearum Schw from Krasnodarski krai of the USSR

34Fusarium graminearum Schw isolates produced 4-deoxynivalenol to form significant amounts of 4, 7 — dideoxynivalenol and lesser amounts of 4 — deoxynivalenol monoacetates on grain substratesin vitro. This is the first report on the capability a large group of naturally occurring isolates to produce 4,7-dideoxynivalenol. The average levels of 4,7-dideoxynivalenol on rice, corn, barley, and wheat as a substrate were respectively 26.8, 14.0, 12.8, and 10.5% of the level of 4-deoxynivalenol. 4, 7 — dideoxynivalenol was present in all examined naturally contaminated wheat kernel samples at levels of 1.7 to 7.9% of the level of 4-deoxynivalenol. These findings suggest that more attention should be given to the occurrence of 4,7-dideoxynivalenol in cereals.     

Reduction of 1,4-quinone and ubiquinones by hydrogen atom transfer under UVA irradiation

1,4-Benzoquinone, coenzyme Q 0 and Q 10 were reacted with a series of hydrogen donors in the ESR cavity in the presence or absence of UVA irradiation. The signals of the radicals generated from the hydrogen donors or of those of the semiquinones were detected. The reaction mechanism was interpreted by a hydrogen atom transfer instead of the usual electron transfer mechanism on the basis of the redox potentials of the reactants and the Marcus theory. The hydrogen atom transfer is explained by the excited triplet state of quinones, which, on the basis of quantum mechanic calculations, may be reached even under visible light. In some cases, hydrogen atom transfer was also observed without irradiation, although to a lesser extent.     

In vitro photostability and photoprotection studies of a novel 'multi-active' UV-absorber

This paper reports on the synthesis and properties of a new UV-absorber (OC-NO) based on the most popular UV filter worldwide, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) in which the methoxy group has been replaced with a pyrrolidine nitroxide bearing antioxidant activity. This sunscreen active has therefore both UV-absorbing and antioxidant properties which could ideally address both the UV-B and UV-A skin photo-damage. For broad-spectrum coverage, the combinations of OC-NO with two commonly used UV-A absorbers (BMDBM and DHHB) were also studied. The results obtained reveal that OC-NO: (a) is as photostable as OMC after UV-A exposure; (b) acts as free radical scavenger as demonstrated by EPR and chemical studies; (c) reduces UV-A and UV-A+BMDBM induced lipid peroxidation in liposomes and cells, measured as reduced TBARS levels and increased C11-BODIPY red fluorescence, respectively; (d) has comparable antioxidant activity to that of vitamin E and BHT commonly used in skin care formulations; (e) is non-cytotoxic to human skin fibroblasts as assessed with the MTT assay when exposed to increasing doses of UV-A; and (f) OC-NO+DHHB is a promising, photostable broad spectrum UV-filter combination that concomitantly reduces UV-induced free radical damage. These results suggest that nitroxide/antioxidant-based UV-absorbers may pave the way for the utilization of 'multi-active' ingredients in sunscreens thereby reducing the number of ingredients in these formulations.     

Coenzyme Q10 improves contractility of dysfunctional myocardium in chronic heart failure

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that plasma CoQ(10) levels decrease in patients with advanced chronic heart failure (CHF). OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether oral CoQ(10) supplementation could improve cardiocirculatory efficiency in patients with CHF. METHODS: We studied 21 patients in NYHA class II and III (18M, 3W, mean age 59 +/- 9 years) with stable CHF secondary to ischemic heart disease (ejection fraction 37 +/- 7%), using a double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over design. Patients were assigned to oral CoQ(10) (100 mg tid) and to placebo for 4 weeks, respectively. RESULTS: CoQ(10) supplementation resulted in a threefold increase in plasma CoQ(10) level (P < 0.0001 vs placebo). Systolic wall thickening score index (SWTI) was improved both at rest and peak dobutamine stress echo after CoQ(10) supplementation (+12.1 and 15.6%, respectively, P < 0.05 vs placebo). Left ventricular ejection fraction improved significantly also at peak dobutamine (15% from study entry P < 0.0001) in relation to a decrease in LV end-systolic volume index (from 57 +/- 7 mL/m(2) to 45 mL/m(2), P < 0.001). Improvement in the contractile response was more evident among initially akinetic (+33%) and hypokinetic (+25%) segments than dyskinetic ones (+6%). Improvement in SWTI was correlated with changes in plasma CoQ(10) levels (r = -0.52, P < 0.005). Peak VO(2) was also improved after CoQ(10) as compared with placebo (+13%, <0.005). No side effects were reported with CoQ(10). CONCLUSIONS: Oral CoQ(10) improves LV contractility in CHF without any side effects. This improvement is associated with an enhanced functional capacity.