Instrumental outcome devaluation with representation-mediated conditioning

In three experiments, rats were trained to perform two instrumental behaviours (R1 and R2) in the presence of discriminative stimuli (Sd1 and Sd2, respectively) to obtain a common food outcome (O1). Acquisition of the two discriminations was followed by switching the outcome accompanying R2 performance from O1 to a new one (O2). Experiment 1 showed paired presentations of O2 with a lithium chloride (LiCl) injection resulted in a reduction in the R2 performance. In the subsequent two experiments, each Sd was paired with LiCl injection and its effects on outcome consumption and instrumental performance were investigated. A reduction in the O2 consumption subsequent to the Sd devaluation was found in Experiments 2 and 3. Experiment 3 revealed a reduced R2 performance in an extinction test, following the animals’ consummatory access to the outcomes in training context. These results demonstrate representation-mediated outcome devaluation in the course of the Sd devaluation.     

Increased tolerance to salt stress in the phosphate-accumulating <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> mutants <Emphasis Type="Italic">siz1</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">pho2</Emphasis>

High salinity is an environmental factor that inhibits plant growth and development, leading to large losses in crop yields. We report here that mutations in SIZ1 or PHO2, which cause more accumulation of phosphate compared with the wild type, enhance tolerance to salt stress. The siz1 and pho2 mutations reduce the uptake and accumulation of Na⁺. These mutations are also able to suppress the Na⁺ hypersensitivity of the sos3-1 mutant, and genetic analyses suggest that SIZ1 and SOS3 or PHO2 and SOS3 have an additive effect on the response to salt stress. Furthermore, the siz1 mutation cannot suppress the Li⁺ hypersensitivity of the sos3-1 mutant. These results indicate that the phosphate-accumulating mutants siz1 and pho2 reduce the uptake and accumulation of Na⁺, leading to enhanced salt tolerance, and that, genetically, SIZ1 and PHO2 are likely independent of SOS3-dependent salt signaling.     

A solid-phase assay to screen monoclonal antibodies against DNA-binding protein.

A method is described for selecting monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against DNA-binding protein. The protocol involves a non-radioactive solid-phase DNA binding assay using a 96-well plate. Because the solid-phase assay is highly specific and sensitive, partially purified antigen is sufficient for the immunization, and mAb screening can be performed with crude cell extract as the antigen. MAbs obtained by this method could supershift the DNA-protein complex in the electromobility shift assay, and were sufficient for immunoscreening of a cDNA expression library.     

Functional lysophosphatidic acid receptors expressed in Oryzias latipes

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) signaling is known to play biological and pathophysiological roles in many types of animals. Medaka (Oryzias latipes) is an experimental fish that can be easily maintained, propagated, and analyzed, and whose genome has been completely sequenced. However, there is limited information available regarding medaka LPA receptors. Here, using information from the medaka genome database, we examine the genomic structures, expression, and functions of six LPA receptor genes, Lpar1–Lpar6. Our analyses reveal that the genomic structures of Lpar1 and Lpar4 are different from those deduced from the database. Functional analyses using a heterologous expression system demonstrate that all medaka LPA receptors except for LPA_5b respond to LPA treatment with cytoskeletal changes. These findings provide useful information on the structure and function of medaka LPA receptor genes, and identify medaka as a useful experimental model for exploration of the biological significance of LPA signaling.     

Human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide LL-37 promotes lymphangiogenesis in lymphatic endothelial cells through the ERK and Akt signaling pathways

Molecular Biology Reports - LL-37, the only member of the cathelicidin family of cationic antimicrobial peptides in humans has been shown to exhibit a wide variety of biological actions in addition...     

Differential role of TLR- and RLR-signaling in the immune responses to influenza A virus infection and vaccination

The innate immune system recognizes influenza A virus via TLR 7 or retinoic acid-inducible gene I in a cell-type specific manner in vitro, however, physiological function(s) of the MyD88- or interferon-beta promoter stimulator 1 (IPS-1)-dependent signaling pathways in antiviral responses in vivo remain unclear. In this study, we show that although either MyD88- or IPS-1-signaling pathway was sufficient to control initial antiviral responses to intranasal influenza A virus infection, mice lacking both pathways failed to show antiviral responses, resulting in increased viral load in the lung. By contrast, induction of B cells or CD4 T cells specific to the dominant hemagglutinin or nuclear protein Ags respectively, was strictly dependent on MyD88 signaling, but not IPS-1 signaling, whereas induction of nuclear protein Ag-specific CD8 T cells was not impaired in the absence of either MyD88 or IPS-1. Moreover, vaccination of TLR7- and MyD88-deficient mice with inactivated virus failed to confer protection against a lethal live virus challenge. These results strongly suggest that either the MyD88 or IPS-1 signaling pathway is sufficient for initial antiviral responses, whereas the protective adaptive immune responses to influenza A virus are governed by the TLR7-MyD88 pathway.     

Inference of S-system models of genetic networks using a cooperative coevolutionary algorithm

MOTIVATION: To resolve the high-dimensionality of the genetic network inference problem in the S-system model, a problem decomposition strategy has been proposed. While this strategy certainly shows promise, it cannot provide a model readily applicable to the computational simulation of the genetic network when the given time-series data contain measurement noise. This is a significant limitation of the problem decomposition, given that our analysis and understanding of the genetic network depend on the computational simulation. RESULTS: We propose a new method for inferring S-system models of large-scale genetic networks. The proposed method is based on the problem decomposition strategy and a cooperative coevolutionary algorithm. As the subproblems divided by the problem decomposition strategy are solved simultaneously using the cooperative coevolutionary algorithm, the proposed method can be used to infer any S-system model ready for computational simulation. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, we apply it to two artificial genetic network inference problems. Finally, the proposed method is used to analyze the actual DNA microarray data.     

Innate immune response to viral infection

In viral infections the host innate immune system is meant to act as a first line defense to prevent viral invasion or replication before more specific protection by the adaptive immune system is generated. In the innate immune response, pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are engaged to detect specific viral components such as viral RNA or DNA or viral intermediate products and to induce type I interferons (IFNs) and other pro-inflammatory cytokines in the infected cells and other immune cells. Recently these innate immune receptors and their unique downstream pathways have been identified. Here, we summarize their roles in the innate immune response to virus infection, discrimination between self and viral nucleic acids and inhibition by virulent factors and provide some recent advances in the coordination between innate and adaptive immune activation.