Effects of Cold Pressor Stress on the Human Startle Response

Both emotion and attention are known to influence the startle response. Stress influences emotion and attention, but the impact of stress on the human startle response remains unclear. We used an established physiological stressor, the Cold Pressor Test (CPT), to induce stress in a non-clinical human sample (24 student participants) in a within-subjects design. Autonomic (heart rate and skin conductance) and somatic (eye blink) responses to acoustic startle probes were measured during a pre-stress baseline, during a three minutes stress intervention, and during the subsequent recovery period. Startle skin conductance and heart rate responses were facilitated during stress. Compared to baseline, startle eye blink responses were not affected during the intervention but were diminished afterwards. These data describe a new and unique startle response pattern during stress: facilitation of autonomic stress responses but no such facilitation of somatic startle eye blink responses. The absence of an effect of stress on startle eye blink responsiveness may illustrate the importance of guaranteeing uninterrupted visual input during periods of stress.     

钼在桃树干旱胁迫响应中的作用解析

以毛桃(Amygdalus persica)实生苗为试材, 研究干旱胁迫下, 钼酸铵处理对钼辅因子硫化酶编码基因(LOS5/ABA3)表达量、脱落酸(ABA)含量及抗旱相关生理指标的影响。结果表明, 干旱胁迫下, 喷施不同浓度钼酸铵处理毛桃实生苗叶片, 其含水量及叶绿素和脯氨酸含量显著高于对照, 且以0.04%钼酸铵处理效果最好; 电解质渗漏率显著低于对照。干旱胁迫下, 与对照相比, 喷施0.04%钼酸铵的毛桃实生苗叶片中LOS5/ABA3表达量显著提高; ABA含量、水分利用效率和净光合速率均高于对照, 蒸腾速率低于对照, 且差异显著; 叶片抗氧化酶活性显著升高, MDA含量显著降低; 离体处理的叶片质量损失减缓, 且差异显著。研究表明毛桃实生苗在干旱胁迫下喷施钼酸铵可通过上调钼辅因子硫化酶编码基因的表达水平, 提高叶片中ABA和脯氨酸含量及抗氧化酶活性, 从而缓解干旱胁迫下的细胞膜氧化伤害, 降低叶片失水速率, 减轻干旱胁迫对毛桃实生苗的伤害。     

The Many Virtues of tRNA-derived Stress-induced RNAs (tiRNAs): Discovering Novel Mechanisms of Stress Response and Effect on Human Health

In mammalian cells, mature tRNAs are cleaved by stress-activated ribonuclease angiogenin to generate 5′- and 3′-tRNA halves: a novel class of small non-coding RNAs of 30–40 nucleotides in length. The biogenesis and biological functions of tRNA halves are emerging areas of research. This review will discuss the most recent findings on: (i) the mechanism and regulation of their biogenesis, (ii) their mechanism of action (we will specifically discuss their role in the protein synthesis inhibition and the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis), and (iii) their effects on the human physiology and disease conditions.     

Oxidative Stress Triggers Selective tRNA Retrograde Transport in Human Cells during the Integrated Stress Response

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Electrophysiological and Autonomic Indicators of Human Emotional Response to Dynamic Color Music

A study was made of the perception of dynamic color music. When pleasant and unpleasant combinations of color patterns and music were presented to subjects in series, the combination presented first moderated the response to the second combination. The neutralizing effect was greater when the first combination was pleasant.     

Selective Up-regulation of Human Selenoproteins in Response to Oxidative Stress

Selenocysteine is inserted into selenoproteins via the translational recoding of a UGA codon, normally used as a stop signal. This process depends on the nature of the selenocysteine insertion sequence element located in the 3′ UTR of selenoprotein mRNAs, selenium bioavailability, and, possibly, exogenous stimuli. To further understand the function and regulation of selenoproteins in antioxidant defense and redox homeostasis, we investigated how oxidative stress influences selenoprotein expression as a function of different selenium concentrations. We found that selenium supplementation of the culture media, which resulted in a hierarchical up-regulation of selenoproteins, protected HEK293 cells from reactive oxygen species formation. Furthermore, in response to oxidative stress, we identified a selective up-regulation of several selenoproteins involved in antioxidant defense (Gpx1, Gpx4, TR1, SelS, SelK, and Sps2). Interestingly, the response was more efficient when selenium was limiting. Although a modest change in mRNA levels was noted, we identified a novel translational control mechanism stimulated by oxidative stress that is characterized by up-regulation of UGA-selenocysteine recoding efficiency and relocalization of SBP2, selenocysteine-specific elongation factor, and L30 recoding factors from the cytoplasm to the nucleus.     

酪氨酸激酶受体介导的信号网络对内质网应激反应的影响

内质网应激和酪氨酸激酶受体介导的信号网络是细胞内两个重要的信号网络。研究证实内质网应激反应和酪氨酸激酶受体介导的信号网络参与众多的生理病理过程,且二者之间存在广泛的对话交流。通过对两个信号通路之间对话交流机制的研究有助于我们对一些疾病过程进行深入了解。本文将针对酪氨酸激酶受体介导的信号网络对内质网应激反应的影响及其机制进行阐述。     

丁香酚抑制日本沼虾应激反应效果的研究

本实验以丁香酚和日本沼虾为对象,研究了丁香酚对日本沼虾因温度的急剧变化和形态测量所造成的应激反应的抑制效果.结果显示,丁香酚浓度为500 mg/L时,对照组和实验组的存活率开始呈显著下降趋势的温差幅度分别为10和14℃;当温差为18℃时,对照组存活率为0,实验组存活率为0.653±0.033;当温差达到10℃后,实验组存活率明显高于对照组存活率(P＜0.05).形态测量结果显示,实验组的断肢率显著低于对照组,而存活率显著高于对照组(P＜0.05).研究表明,丁香酚可明显提高日本沼虾存活率,并显著抑制日本沼虾的应激反应.     

人线粒体tRNALeu(UUR)基因氧化损伤与修复研究

人mtDNA比核DNA更易受到自由基的氧化损伤,这些损伤可以被线粒体内的DNA修复机制所修复,损伤与修复是决定突变是否产生的两个重要因素.为了确定氧化损伤与损伤后修复对mtDNA突变的具体影响,采用四氧嘧啶处理LO2细胞,这种试剂进入细胞后,经氧化还原反应生成的自由基与线粒体自身代谢产生的自由基类似,然后观察自由基对细胞mtDNA的氧化损伤与损伤后DNA修复的动力学变化.由于线粒体的正常功能为修复机制所必需,采用MTT细胞活力实验检测不同浓度四氧嘧啶处理下线粒体酶活力,发现9 mmol/L四氧嘧啶培养细胞1h后,线粒体琥珀酸脱氢酶功能在撤去药物后0,2,8和24 h时间点均无明显变化.提取各组细胞的mtDNA,用EndoⅢ和Fgp两种酶切除受氧化损伤的核苷酸,然后用碱性琼脂糖凝胶电泳分离大小不等的mtDNA,进行DNA印迹实验,地高辛-抗体-碱性磷酸酶系统显色,检测完整与断裂的mtDNA量,利用Poisson公式(s=-lnP0/P,P0为未断裂链光密度值,P为所有链光密度值总和)计算一个mtDNA分子的平均损伤频率,结果显示,9 mmol/L四氧嘧啶处理细胞1 h,链平均损伤频率由对照的0.11个/分子增加至5.60个/分子,明显增加了mtDNA上核苷酸的氧化损伤,除去药物后8 h,绝大部分损伤可被修复,损伤频率减至0.40个/分子,除去药物后24h核苷酸的氧化损伤恢复至正常水平.采用接头介导PCR(LM-PCR)检测MTTL1基因区域内单个核苷酸的损伤与修复动力学.这种方法可以检测各组mtDNA上MTTL1基因75 bp区域内单个核苷酸损伤的部位及频率.结果显示,人MTTL1基因存在20个易受氧化损伤的核苷酸热点,经与相应区域内文献报道的16个突变热点比较,有12个热点部位重合,而修复未显示热点部位或区域.结果提示,自由基对核苷酸的选择性氧化损伤是决定mtDNA点突变发生及发生部位的主要原因.     

Role of ALADIN in Human Adrenocortical Cells for Oxidative Stress Response and Steroidogenesis

Triple A syndrome is caused by mutations in AAAS encoding the protein ALADIN. We investigated the role of ALADIN in the human adrenocortical cell line NCI-H295R1 by either over-expression or down-regulation of ALADIN. Our findings indicate that AAAS knock-down induces a down-regulation of genes coding for type II microsomal cytochrome P450 hydroxylases CYP17A1 and CYP21A2 and their electron donor enzyme cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase, thereby decreasing biosynthesis of precursor metabolites required for glucocorticoid and androgen production. Furthermore we demonstrate that ALADIN deficiency leads to increased susceptibility to oxidative stress and alteration in redox homeostasis after paraquat treatment. Finally, we show significantly impaired nuclear import of DNA ligase 1, aprataxin and ferritin heavy chain 1 in ALADIN knock-down cells. We conclude that down-regulating ALADIN results in decreased oxidative stress response leading to alteration in steroidogenesis, highlighting our knock-down cell model as an important in-vitro tool for studying the adrenal phenotype in triple A syndrome.     

Luminol-Enhanced Chemiluminescent Response of Human Melanocytes and Melanoma Cells to Hydrogen Peroxide Stress

The response of human melanocytes and melanoma cells to hydrogen peroxide stress was measured. Cells were exposed to glucose/glucose oxidase or free H₂O₂ and reactive oxygen species measured by luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. The response was distinctly different between the two types and the addition of superoxide dismutase to melanoma cells paradoxically enhanced the chemiluminescent signal. These findings coupled with other known differences between the way these two types of cells handle oxidative stress at a molecular level suggests that a therapeutic window may be avail-able for exploitation.     

Effect of Chronic Restraint Stress on Human Colorectal Carcinoma Growth in Mice

Stress alters immunological and neuroendocrinological functions. An increasing number of studies indicate that chronic stress can accelerate tumor growth, but its role in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) progression is not well understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of chronic restraint stress (CRS) on CRC cell growth in nude mice and the possible underlying mechanisms. In this study, we showed that CRS increased the levels of plasma catecholamines including epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE), and stimulated the growth of CRC cell-derived tumors in vivo. Treatment with the adrenoceptor (AR) antagonists phentolamine (PHE, α-AR antagonist) and propranolol (PRO, β-AR antagonist) significantly inhibited the CRS-enhanced CRC cell growth in nude mice. In addition, the stress hormones E and NE remarkably enhanced CRC cell proliferation and viability in culture, as well as tumor growth in vivo. These effects were antagonized by the AR antagonists PHE and PRO, indicating that the stress hormone-induced CRC cell proliferation is AR dependent. We also observed that the β-AR antagonists atenolol (ATE, β1- AR antagonist) and ICI 118,551 (ICI, β2- AR antagonist) inhibited tumor cell proliferation and decreased the stress hormone-induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases-1/2 (ERK1/2) in vitro and in vivo. The ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 also blocked the function of the stress hormone, suggesting the involvement of ERK1/2 in the tumor-promoting effect of CRS. We conclude that CRS promotes CRC xenograft tumor growth in nude mice by stimulating CRC cell proliferation through the AR signaling-dependent activation of ERK1/2.     

The Yeast Environmental Stress Response Regulates Mutagenesis Induced by Proteotoxic Stress

Conditions of chronic stress are associated with genetic instability in many organisms, but the roles of stress responses in mutagenesis have so far been elucidated only in bacteria. Here, we present data demonstrating that the environmental stress response (ESR) in yeast functions in mutagenesis induced by proteotoxic stress. We show that the drug canavanine causes proteotoxic stress, activates the ESR, and induces mutagenesis at several loci in an ESR-dependent manner. Canavanine-induced mutagenesis also involves translesion DNA polymerases Rev1 and Polζ and non-homologous end joining factor Ku. Furthermore, under conditions of chronic sub-lethal canavanine stress, deletions of Rev1, Polζ, and Ku-encoding genes exhibit genetic interactions with ESR mutants indicative of ESR regulating these mutagenic DNA repair processes. Analyses of mutagenesis induced by several different stresses showed that the ESR specifically modulates mutagenesis induced by proteotoxic stress. Together, these results document the first known example of an involvement of a eukaryotic stress response pathway in mutagenesis and have important implications for mechanisms of evolution, carcinogenesis, and emergence of drug-resistant pathogens and chemotherapy-resistant tumors.     

Coping with Stress: The Effectiveness of Different Types of Music

Listening to classical and self-selected relaxing music after exposure to a stressor should result in significant reductions in anxiety, anger, and sympathetic nervous system arousal, and increased relaxation compared to those who sit in silence or listen to heavy metal music. Fifty-six college students, 15 males and 41 females, were exposed to different types of music genres after experiencing a stressful test. Several 4 x 2 mixed design analyses of variance were conducted to determine the effects of music and silence conditions (heavy metal, classical, or self-selected music and silence) and time (pre-post music) on emotional state and physiological arousal. Results indicate listening to self-select or classical music, after exposure to a stressor, significantly reduces negative emotional states and physiological arousal compared to listening to heavy metal music or sitting in silence.