Paracoccidioides brasiliensis Interferes on Dendritic Cells Maturation by Inhibiting PGE2 Production

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic mycosis, endemic in most Latin American countries, especially in Brazil, whose etiologic agent is the thermodimorphic fungus of the genus Paracoccidioides, comprising cryptic species of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, S1, PS2, PS3 and Paracoccidioides lutzii. The mechanisms involved in the initial interaction of the fungus with cells of the innate immune response, as dendritic cells (DCs), deserve to be studied. Prostaglandins (PGs) are eicosanoids that play an important role in modulating functions of immune cells including DCs. Here we found that human immature DCs derived from the differentiation of monocytes cultured with GM-CSF and IL-4 release substantial concentrations of PGE₂, which, however, were significantly inhibited after challenge with P. brasiliensis. In vitro blocking of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) by monoclonal antibodies showed the involvement of mannose receptor (MR) in PGE₂ inhibition by the fungus. In addition, phenotyping assays showed that after challenge with the fungus, DCs do not change their phenotype of immature cells to mature ones, as well as do not produce IL-12 p70 or adequate concentrations of TNF-α. Assays using exogenous PGE₂ confirmed an association between PGE₂ inhibition and failure of cells to phenotypically mature in response to P. brasiliensis. We conclude that a P. brasiliensis evasion mechanism exists associated to a dysregulation on DC maturation. These findings may provide novel information for the understanding of the complex interplay between the host and this fungus.     

Protistan microbial observatory in the Cariaco Basin,Caribbean. I. Pyrosequencing vs Sanger insights into species richness

Microbial diversity and distribution are topics of intensive research. In two companion papers in this issue, we describe the results of the Cariaco Microbial Observatory (Caribbean Sea, Venezuela). The Basin contains the largest body of marine anoxic water, and presents an opportunity to study protistan communities across biogeochemical gradients. In the first paper, we survey 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequence diversity using both Sanger- and pyrosequencing-based approaches, employing multiple PCR primers, and state-of-the-art statistical analyses to estimate microbial richness missed by the survey. Sampling the Basin at three stations, in two seasons, and at four depths with distinct biogeochemical regimes, we obtained the largest, and arguably the least biased collection of over 6000 nearly full-length protistan rRNA gene sequences from a given oceanographic regime to date, and over 80 000 pyrosequencing tags. These represent all major and many minor protistan taxa, at frequencies globally similar between the two sequence collections. This large data set provided, via the recently developed parametric modeling, the first statistically sound prediction of the total size of protistan richness in a large and varied environment, such as the Cariaco Basin: over 36 000 species, defined as almost full-length 18S rRNA gene sequence clusters sharing over 99% sequence homology. This richness is a small fraction of the grand total of known protists (over 100 000–500 000 species), suggesting a degree of protistan endemism.     

Novel Approach to Simulate Sleep Apnea Patients for Evaluating Positive Pressure Therapy Devices

Bench testing is a useful method to characterize the response of different automatic positive airway pressure (APAP) devices under well-controlled conditions. However, previous models did not consider the diversity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients’ characteristics and phenotypes. The objective of this proof-of-concept study was to design a new bench test for realistically simulating an OSA patient’s night, and to implement a one-night example of a typical female phenotype for comparing responses to several currently-available APAP devices. We developed a novel approach aimed at replicating a typical night of sleep which includes different disturbed breathing events, disease severities, sleep/wake phases, body postures and respiratory artefacts. The simulated female OSA patient example that we implemented included periods of wake, light sleep and deep sleep with positional changes and was connected to ten different APAP devices. Flow and pressure readings were recorded; each device was tested twice. The new approach for simulating female OSA patients effectively combined a wide variety of disturbed breathing patterns to mimic the response of a predefined patient type. There were marked differences in response between devices; only three were able to overcome flow limitation to normalize breathing, and only five devices were associated with a residual apnea-hypopnea index of <5/h. In conclusion, bench tests can be designed to simulate specific patient characteristics, and typical stages of sleep, body position, and wake. Each APAP device behaved differently when exposed to this controlled model of a female OSA patient, and should lead to further understanding of OSA treatment.     

Multilocus and morphological analysis of south-eastern Iberian Wall lizards (Squamata,Podarcis)

The phylogenetic relationships among the wall lizards of the Podarcis hispanicus complex that inhabit the south-east (SE) of the Iberian Peninsula and other lineages of the complex remain unclear. In this study, four mitochondrial and two nuclear markers were used to study genetic relationships within this complex. The phylogenetic analyses based on mtDNA gene trees constructed with ML and BI, and a species tree using *BEAST support three divergent clades in this region: the Valencia, Galera and Albacete/Murcia lineages. These three lineages were also corroborated in species delimitation analyses based on mtDNA using bPTP, mPTP, GMYC, ABGD and BAPS. Bayesian inference species delimitation method (BPP) based on both nuclear data and a combined data set (mtDNA + nuclear) showed high posterior probabilities for these three SE lineages (≥0.94) and another Bayesian analysis (STACEY) based on combined data set recovered the same three groups in this region. Divergence time dating of the species tree provided an estimated divergence of the Galera lineage from the other SE group (Podarcis vaucheri, (Albacete/Murcia, Valencia)) at 12.48 Ma. During this period, the Betic–Rifian arc was isolated, which could have caused the isolation of the Galera form distributed to the south of the Betic Corridor. Although lizards from the Albacete/Murcia and Galera lineage are morphologically similar, they clearly represent distinct genetic lineages. The noteworthy separation of the Galera lineage enables us to conclude that this lineage must be considered as a new full species.     

Eight-year study of social and ecological correlates of mortality among immature baboons of Mikumi National Park,Tanzania

The Cox Proportional Hazards Regression Model was used to examine ecological and sociodemographic correlates of mortality among 164 immature yellow baboons born over an 8-year period at Mikumi National Park, Tanzania. Ecological correlates were derived from seasonal rainfall. Mortality was lowest for immatures born during the late rainy season, when it was likely that nourishment for pregnant and lactating females was greatest. High mortality was associated with above-average rainfall early in the immature's first complete rainy season. This association may result from one or more of the following: exposure, increased ranging, or accelerated vegetation growth, each of which is thought to increase hazards for weanlings. When births for the 8 years of the study were pooled, a birth peak occurred during the early dry season. The larger number of births during a birth peak should intensify competition among mothers and among immatures. Mortality was greatest for immature females born during the season immediately following the birth peak, while lowest for immature females born during the season immediately preceding the peak. Immature female mortality was greatest when the troop size at birth was large, and was most severe for females born to low ranking mothers. The sociodemographic results are consistent with Wasser's hypothesis that cooperative attacks of female baboons upon other troop females suppress the others' reproduction and the vitality of their infants, thereby improving the relative competitive position of the attackers' own young.     

Construction of Aspergillus nidulans strains producing enzymes of potential use in enology

Two different Aspergillus nidulans recombinant strains producing either the Aspergillus nidulans a-L-arabinofuranosidase A or a Candida molischiana b-glucosidase have been constructed. Depending on the growing conditions, the modified strains produce up to 4 or 18 times more b-glucosidase or a-L-arabinofuranosidase activity levels, respectively, than the wild type strain.     

Short-term handling of the slimming agent oleoyl-estrone in liposomes (Merlin-2) by the rat

Female adult rats were injected in the jugular vein with oleoyl-³H-estrone incorporated into liposomes. The label rapidly disappeared from the blood, being taken up by the tissues, mainly liver, spleen and lung, which filtered most of the label. However, many other tissues, such as the heart, brown adipose tissue, adrenals and visceral fat incorporated significant amounts of oleoyl-estrone. The analysis of the form in which the label remained 10 min after the injection showed that it was hydrolysed in a large proportion even in liver and lungs. However, in most tissues (brain, brown and white - periovaric - adipose tissues and ovaries), intact oleoyl-estrone accounted for less than one quarter of all tissue label, and less than 10% in the case of subcutaneous adipose tissue and uterus. This rapid destruction of oleoyl-estrone is in agreement with the active role of this compound in the control of body weight.