The effect of short-term flooding on the sap flow, gas exchange and hydraulic conductivity of young apricot trees

The effect of short-term flooding was examined in 2-year-old apricot trees (Prunus armeniaca cv. Búlida). Six apricot trees of similar appearance were submitted to two treatments: three were irrigated daily, while the others were flooded for a period of 50 h by submerging the pots in plastic water tanks. The trees were removed from the water, drained and then placed in the same conditions as the control plants. A decrease in transpiration in the flooded trees with respect to the control plants was evident. The daily pattern of soil O₂ concentration and plant hydraulic resistance followed a similar trend during the flooding. However, this relationship was not maintained throughout the experiment, since the O₂ values increased rapidly when the waterlogging ceased, while plant hydraulic resistance only recovered at the end of the experiment when the original root system, damaged by flooded conditions, was replaced with new roots. In flooded trees, the midday leaf water potential decreased progressively from the beginning of flooding, but gradually recovered when the waterlogging ceased. Leaf conductance values of treated plants were slow to recover, reaching values of the control plants 8 days after the leaf water potential had recovered. The close relationship observed during most of the experiment between the leaf water parameters, leaf conductance and plant hydraulic conductance indicate that hydraulic messages are likely to play a dominant role in co-ordinating the observed responses of the shoot.     

Volatile components of grape pomaces from different cultivars of Sicilian Vitis vinifera L

The volatile components of grape pomace coming from the processing of some of the most important varieties of grape (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivated in Sicily, namely Nero d'Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Frappato and Cabernet Sauvignon, have been determined by gas-chromatography (GC) and gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). According to the winemaking procedure that entails the removal of stalks before fermentation, two kinds of grape pomace are obtained. The first consists of skins, pulp residues and seeds, the proper grape pomace, which is partially used for grappa, a typical Italian spirit, and alcohol production, the second consists almost exclusively of stalks. On the whole, 38 components have been characterized in the samples of grape pomaces, with Frappato cv. showing the richest composition; instead, 88 components have been detected in the stalks of Frappato, Nero d'Avola, Nerello Mascalese and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties. In order to make a comparison between the grape varieties easier, the volatile components detected in the two sets of samples (grape pomaces and stalks) have been grouped in different classes. Significant differences among varieties have been detected and statistical treatment of data is also reported. This study is part of a wider project aimed at the possible exploitation of the main agro-industrial by-products. At the same time it is one of the first reports on the volatile components of this waste material.     

Overexpression of human NOX1 complex induces genome instability in mammalian cells

The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mammalian cells is tightly regulated because of their potential to damage macromolecules, including DNA. To investigate possible links between high ROS levels, oxidative DNA damage, and genomic instability in mammalian cells, we established a novel model of chronic oxidative stress by coexpressing the NADPH oxidase human (h) NOX1 gene together with its cofactors NOXO1 and NOXA1. Transfectants of mismatch repair (MMR)-proficient HeLa cells or MMR-defective Msh2(-/-) mouse embryo fibroblasts overexpressing the hNOX1 complex displayed increased intracellular ROS levels. In one HeLa clone in which ROS were particularly elevated, reactive nitrogen species were also increased and nitrated proteins were identified with an anti-3-nitrotyrosine antibody. Overexpression of the hNOX1 complex increased the steady-state levels of DNA 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine and caused a threefold increase in the HPRT mutation rate in HeLa cells. In contrast, additional oxidatively generated damage did not affect the constitutive mutator phenotype of the Msh2(-/-) fibroblasts. Because no significant changes in the expression of several DNA repair enzymes for oxidative DNA damage were identified, we suggest that chronic oxidative stress can saturate the cell's DNA repair capacity and cause significant genomic instability.     

Processing in vitro of an abasic site reacted with methoxyamine: a new assay for the detection of abasic sites formed in vivo.

In this study we demonstrate that the different substrate recognition properties of bacterial and human AP endonucleases might be used to quantify and localize apurinic (AP) sites formed in DNA in vivo. By using a model oligonucleotide containing a single AP site modified with methoxyamine (MX), we show that endonuclease III and IV of E. coli are able to cleave the alkoxyamine-adducted site whereas a partially purified HeLa AP endonuclease and crude cell-free extracts from HeLa cells are inhibited by this modification. In addition MX-modified AP sites in a DNA template retain their ability to block DNA synthesis in vitro. Since MX can efficiently react with AP sites formed in mammalian cells in vivo we propose that the MX modified abasic sites thus formed can be quantitated and localized at the level of the individual gene by subsequent site specific cleavage by either E. coli endonuclease III or IV in vitro.     

Fidelity of replication of the leading and the lagging DNA strands opposite N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced DNA damage in human cells.

Semi-conservative replication of double-stranded DNA in eukaryotic cells is an asymmetric process involving leading and lagging strand synthesis and different DNA polymerases. We report a study to analyze the effect of these asymmetries when the replication machinery encounters alkylation-induced DNA adducts. The model system is an EBV-derived shuttle vector which replicates in synchrony with the host human cells and carries as marker gene the bacterial gpt gene. A preferential distribution of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced mutations in the non transcribed DNA strand of the shuttle vector pF1-EBV was previously reported. The hypermutated strand was the leading strand. To test whether the different fidelity of DNA polymerases synthesizing the leading and the lagging strands might contribute to MNU-induced mutation distribution the mutagenesis study was repeated on the shuttle vector pTF-EBV which contains the gpt gene in the inverted orientation. We show that the base substitution error rates on an alkylated substrate are similar for the replication of the leading and lagging strands. Moreover, we present evidence that the fidelity of replication opposite O6-methylguanine adducts of both the leading and lagging strands is not affected by the 3' flanking base. The preferential targeting of mutations after replication of alkylated DNA is mainly driven by the base at the 5' side of the G residues.     

Biochemical studies of myelin in Wallerian degeneration of rat optic nerve

Abstract— Wallerian degeneration of the optic nerves of the rat was induced by removal of the eyes. After 54, 66, 76 or 90 days of degeneration a myelin fraction of the nerves was obtained by the procedure of Laatsch et al. (1962). The yield of myelin from the degenerated nerves was decreased, but the isolated myelin appeared to be morphologically normal. The proportion of cholesterol in the myelin lipids was slightly increased, whereas that of the ethanolamineglycerophosphatides was decreased and galactolipids were normal. After one‘cycle’of myelin purification, the high-molecular-weight fraction formed a much greater percentage of the total protein in myelin isolated from degenerated optic nerves. After 2–3‘cycles’of purification, the distribution of protein in myelin isolated from degenerated and normal optic nerves was similar, an observation suggesting that the high-molecular-weight fraction in‘1-cycle myelin’from degenerated optic nerves may have been partly attributable to contamination. With the possible exception of ethanolamineglycerophosphatides, our data suggest that there was no preferential breakdown of myelin lipid constituents nor of protein constituents during Wallerian degeneration of rat optic nerve. As assessed by SDS-gel electrophoresis of the water-insoluble particulate fraction, the percentage of myelin protein was markedly decreased after 76 days of degeneration. However, the major myelin protein constituents in this fraction (the two basic proteins and proteolipid protein) appeared to decrease in the same relative proportions.     

Comutation in Streptomyces

Up to 6% of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine-induced back mutations in the hisA locus of Streptomyces coelicolor were forward mutations (comutations) in another closely linked his locus.     

Possible involvement of prolactin in endocrine-resistant metastatic prostate cancer

The hormone resistance of prostate cancer has been proved to depend at least in part on enhanced neuroendocrine activity and the resultant increase in blood concentrations of chromogranin A. Other experimental observations have suggested the involvement of prolactin (PRL), which appears to be a potential growth factor for prostate cancer. Abnormally high levels of PRL have been detected in metastatic prostate cancer, but the clinical significance of this finding has still to be clarified. In an attempt to explain the prognostic significance of serum PRL levels in prostate cancer, in this preliminary study we have analyzed the PRL levels in a group of metastatic prostate cancer patients with hormone-dependent or hormone-resistant cancer. The study included 50 patients with metastatic prostate cancer, 15 of whom had hormone-resistant tumors. The serum levels of PRL were measured by the RIA method. Abnormally high concentrations of PRL were found in 11/50 (22%) patients. Moreover, the percent of patients with cancer-related hyperprolactinemia was significantly higher in the hormone-resistant group than in the hormone-dependent group (8/15 vs 3/35, p < 0.01). This study confirms the possible existence of a hyperprolactinemic state in metastatic prostate cancer, as previously reported by other authors. Moreover, it appears to demonstrate that the occurrence of hyperprolactinemia is more frequent in hormone-resistant neoplasms, suggesting the possible involvement of PRL in hormone independence. Further studies concomitantly evaluating PRL and chromogranin A blood concentrations will be necessary to establish whether the hyperprolactinemia precedes and promotes the onset of hormone resistance in prostate cancer, or whether it is simply a consequence of the hormone independence.     

The favorable prognostic significance of surgery-induced hyperprolactinemia in node-positive breast cancer patients: ten-year disease-free survival results

It has been shown that each manipulation of the mammary region, including breast surgery, may stimulate prolactin secretion. However, it has also been observed that in more than 50% of breast cancer patients surgical removal of the tumor is not followed by enhanced prolactin secretion. This might be indicative of an altered psychoneuroendocrine control of the mammary gland, which could lead to the onset of more biologically aggressive breast cancer. In fact, surgery-induced hyperprolactinemia has been proven to be associated with a better prognosis in terms of survival in node-negative breast cancer patients. The present study was performed to investigate the impact of postoperative hyperprolactinemia on the disease-free survival (DFS) of breast cancer patients with axillary node involvement. The study included 100 consecutive node-positive breast cancer patients who were followed for at least 10 years. Surgery-induced hyperprolactinemia occurred in 45/100 (45%) patients without any significant correlation with the main prognostic variables including number of involved nodes and ER status. The two groups of patients received the same adjuvant therapies. After a median follow-up of 151 months, the recurrence rate in patients with surgery-induced hyperprolactinemia was significantly lower than in patients with no postoperative hyperprolactinemia (23/45 vs 43/55, p<0.01). Moreover, DFS was significantly longer in hyperprolactinemic patients than in patients who had no enhanced secretion of prolactin postoperatively. In agreement with the results described previously in node-negative breast cancer, our study demonstrates the favorable prognostic significance of surgery-induced hyperprolactinemia in terms of DFS duration also in breast cancer patients with axillary node involvement, independent of the other well-known prognostic variables, thereby confirming that the psychoneuroendocrine status of cancer patients may influence the prognosis of their disease.