L1 (LINE-1) retrotransposable elements provide a "fossil" record of the phylogenetic history of murid rodents

The single most difficult problem in phylogenetic analysis is deciding whether a shared taxonomic character is due to common ancestry or one that appeared independently due to convergence, parallelism, or reversion to an ancestral state. Mammalian L1 retrotransposons undergo periodic amplifications in which multiple copies of the elements are interspersed in the genome. Because these elements apparently are transmitted only by inheritance and are retained in the genome, a shared L1 amplification event can only be an inherited ancestral character. We propose that L1 amplification events can be an excellent tool for analyzing mammalian evolution and demonstrate here how we addressed several refractory problems in rodent systematics using L1 DNA as a taxonomic character.      

Measurement of extracellular space in the rabbit AV node

We used quantitative histochemistry to measure the size of the extracellular space (ESC) in various regions of the rabbit heart. When inulin, sucrose, and sorbitol were used as ECS markers, the ECS of the AV-nodal tissue was found to be, respectively, 2.4, 2.2, and 2.5 times larger than that of left ventricular muscle. Glucose was also measured over a 50-fold serum concentration range as an extracellular marker for AV-nodal tissue, left ventricular muscle, and Purkinje fibers. Measurements with glucose also revealed that the ECS of the AV node was 2.5-2.8 times larger than that of ventricular muscle. In contrast, the ECS of the AV node was the same as that of Purkinje fibers when glucose was used as an extracellular marker. ATP content, measured as an intracellular marker, was similar in both AV-nodal and contractile tissue. Collectively, the data obtained with all extracellular markers indicate that the ECS of the AV-nodal region is approximately 2.5 times larger than that of adjacent contractile tissue. Differences in the size of the ECS in various regions of the heart probably have functional significance and should be considered appropriately during the interpretation of data obtained by biochemical and densitometric approaches.     

Electrophysiological evidence for the autoregulation of β-cell secretion by insulin

Electrophysiological studies of cultured rat pancreatic β-cells using intracellular microelectrodes show that exogenous insulin over the range of 0.1–10.0 μg/ml inhibits the electrical activity due to 27.8 mM glucose in a dose-related manner. This inhibitory effect is manifested by a mean increase of the membrane potential from about ?20 to ?30 mV and inhibition of the manner of cells impaled showing spike activity from 60 to less than 10%. The inhibitory influence of insulin is rapid occuring within 5 min for the highest level used. The results provide evidence for a negative feedback role of insulin in regulating its own release.     

Alterations in pancreatic islet phosphate content during secretory stimulation with glucose

Isolated rat pancreatic islets were perifused and analyzed for phosphate content immediately following the transient increase in the efflux of orthophosphate which occurs when insulin secretion is stimulated by glucose. In some instances, islets were perifused directly following isolation to minimize preparative delay; in others, islets were prelabeled during incubation with [³²P]orthophosphate for 90 min prior to perifusion. In both experimental situations, total islet phosphate content declined 40–50% following exposure to stimulating concentrations of glucose and initiation of enhanced insulin release. In the experiments with prelabeled islets, tissue content of [³²P]orthophosphate fell to a similar extent so that the specific radioactivity of islet orthophosphate was unaffected. Inhibition of heightened insulin release with Ni²⁺ did not modify the decrements in total or radioactive tissue orthophosphate, thus indicating that these responses to islet stimulation reflect events which are proximal to activated exocytosis. Simultaneous analyses for tissue ATP and ADP demonstrated that the efflux in orthophosphate and reduction in tissue orthophosphate content were not mediated via net changes in islet adenine nucleotides. The observations represent the first documentation that a net reduction of tissue inorganic phosphate is one of the early components of stimulus-secretion coupling in isolated pancreatic islets.     

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ cycle of a rat insulinoma cell line

Regulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ cycling by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) was studied in saponin-permeabilized RINm5F insulinoma cells. Cells were incubated with mitochondrial inhibitors, and medium Ca2+ concentration established by nonmitochondrial pool(s) (presumably the ER) was monitored with a Ca2+ electrode. IP3 degradation accounted for the transience of the Ca2+ response induced by pulse additions of the molecule. To compensate for degradation, IP3 was infused into the medium. This resulted in elevation of [Ca2+] from about 0.2 microM to a new steady state between 0.3 and 1.0 microM, depending on both the rate of IP3 infusion and the ER Ca2+ content. The elevated steady state represented a bidirectional buffering of [Ca2+] by the ER, as slight displacements in [Ca2+], by small aliquots of Ca2+ or the Ca2+ chelator quin 2, resulted in net uptake or efflux of Ca2+ to restore the previous steady state. When IP3 infusion was stopped, [Ca2+] returned to its original low level. Ninety per cent of the Ca2+ accumulated by the ER was released by IP3 when the total Ca2+ content did not exceed 15 nmol/mg of cell protein. Above this high Ca2+ content, Ca2+ was accumulated in an IP3-insensitive, A23187-releasable pool. The maximal amount of Ca2+ that could be released from the ER by IP3 was 13 nmol/mg of cell protein. The data support the concept that in the physiological range of Ca2+ contents, almost all the ER is an IP3-sensitive Ca2+ store that is capable of finely regulating [Ca2+] through independent influx (Ca2+-ATPase) and efflux (IP3-modulated component) pathways of Ca2+ transport. IP3 may continuously modulate Ca2+ cycling across the ER and play an important role in determining the ER Ca2+ content and in regulating cytosolic Ca2+ under both stimulated and possibly basal conditions.     

Fracture prevention in COPD patients; a clinical 5-step approach

Although osteoporosis and its related fractures are common in patients with COPD, patients at high risk of fracture are poorly identified, and consequently, undertreated. Since there are no fracture prevention guidelines available that focus on COPD patients, we developed a clinical approach to improve the identification and treatment of COPD patients at high risk of fracture. We organised a round-table discussion with 8 clinical experts in the field of COPD and fracture prevention in the Netherlands in December 2013. The clinical experts presented a review of the literature on COPD, osteoporosis and fracture prevention. Based on the Dutch fracture prevention guideline, they developed a 5-step clinical approach for fracture prevention in COPD. Thereby, they took into account both classical risk factors for fracture (low body mass index, older age, personal and family history of fracture, immobility, smoking, alcohol intake, use of glucocorticoids and increased fall risk) and COPD-specific risk factors for fracture (severe airflow obstruction, pulmonary exacerbations and oxygen therapy). Severe COPD (defined as postbronchodilator FEV₁ < 50% predicted) was added as COPD-specific risk factor to the list of classical risk factors for fracture. The 5-step clinical approach starts with case finding using clinical risk factors, followed by risk evaluation (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and imaging of the spine), differential diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. This systematic clinical approach, which is evidence-based and easy-to-use in daily practice by pulmonologists, should contribute to optimise fracture prevention in COPD patients at high risk of fracture.     

Evidence for cadherin-11 cleavage in the synovium and partial characterization of its mechanism

IntroductionEngagement of the homotypic cell-to-cell adhesion molecule cadherin-11 on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial fibroblasts with a chimeric molecule containing the cadherin-11 extracellular binding domain stimulated cytokine, chemokine, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) release, implicating cadherin-11 signaling in RA pathogenesis. The objective of this study was to determine if cadherin-11 extracellular domain fragments are found inside the joint and if a physiologic synovial fibroblast cleavage pathway releases those fragments.MethodsCadherin-11 cleavage fragments were detected by western blot in cell media or lysates. Cleavage was interrupted using chemical inhibitors or short-interfering RNA (siRNA) gene silencing. The amount of cadherin-11 fragments in synovial fluid was measured by western blot and ELISA.ResultsSoluble cadherin-11 extracellular fragments were detected in human synovial fluid at significantly higher levels in RA samples compared to osteoarthritis (OA) samples. A cadherin-11 N-terminal extracellular binding domain fragment was shed from synovial fibroblasts after ionomycin stimulation, followed by presenilin 1 (PSN1)-dependent regulated intramembrane proteolysis of the retained membrane-bound C-terminal fragments. In addition to ionomycin-induced calcium flux, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α also stimulated cleavage in both two- and three-dimensional fibroblast cultures. Although cadherin-11 extracellular domains were shed by a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) 10 in several cell types, a novel ADAM- and metalloproteinase-independent activity mediated shedding in primary human fibroblasts.ConclusionsCadherin-11 undergoes ectodomain shedding followed by regulated intramembrane proteolysis in synovial fibroblasts, triggered by a novel sheddase that generates extracelluar cadherin-11 fragments. Cadherin-11 fragments were enriched in RA synovial fluid, suggesting they may be a marker of synovial burden and may function to modify cadherin-11 interactions between synovial fibroblasts.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13075-015-0647-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

An interesting diagnosis for a presacral mass: case report

A presacral mass can present a diagnostic dilemma for the surgical oncologist. Differential diagnoses include congenital causes such as teratoma or chordoma, neurological causes such as neurilemoma or neurofibroma or other malignancies such as lymphoma or sarcoma. Diagnosis usually requires imaging such as CT and MRI and tissue biopsy. We present an unusual cause of a presacral mass being extramedullary haematopoiesis, found incidentally in a 71 year old female. Extramedullary haematopoiesis is defined as the production of myeloid and erythroid elements outside of the bone-marrow. This diagnosis is extremely rare in the presacral area especially in a patient with no haematological abnormalities. A review of the literature is presented.     

Proteins related to lipoprotein profile were identified using a pharmaco-proteomic approach as markers for growth response to growth hormone (GH) treatment in short prepubertal children

Background  

The broad range in growth observed in response to growth hormone (GH) treatment is mainly caused by individual variations in both GH secretion and GH sensitivity. Individual GH responsiveness can be estimated using evidence-based models that predict the response to GH treatment; however, these models can be improved. High-throughput proteomics techniques can be used to identify proteins that may potentially be used as variables in such models in order to improve their predictive ability. Previously we have reported that proteomic analyses can identify biomarkers that discriminate between short prepubertal children with idiopathic short stature (ISS) who show good or poor growth in response to GH treatment. In this study we used a pharmaco-proteomic approach to identify novel factors that correlate with the growth response to GH treatment in prepubertal children who are short due to GH deficiency or ISS. The study included 128 short prepubertal children receiving GH treatment, of whom 39 were GH-deficient and 89 had ISS. Serum protein expression profiles at study start and after 1 year of GH treatment were analyzed using SELDI-TOF. Cross-validated regression and random permutation analyses were performed to identify significant correlations between protein expression patterns and the 2-year growth response to GH treatment.