Domestication causes rapid changes in heart and brain morphology in Atlantic cod (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gadus morhua</Emphasis>)

Brain and heart development is very plastic in teleost fishes, and receptive to changes in social and environmental conditions. Domestication in salmonids has been reported to result in pronounced changes in both heart and brain morphology. In particular, a high prevalence of heart deformities has been reported in farmed salmonids, which has been linked to increased stress responsiveness that can impair survival of both farmed and escaped fish. Here we report for the first time that significant changes in heart and brain morphology occur following domestication of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), an emerging aquaculture species. Juvenile farmed cod developed significantly larger hearts and smaller brains, by weight, compared to their wild conspecifics. These differences occurred within the first captive generation, suggesting that they were driven largely by the strong contrast in environmental and social conditions experienced within their respective rearing environments. Changes in brain and heart morphology, as a consequence of domestication could affect the well-being and survival of Atlantic cod raised under intensive aquaculture conditions.     

Identification of Novel ��-Synuclein Isoforms in Human Brain Tissue by using an Online NanoLC-ESI-FTICR-MS Method

Parkinson's disease (PD) and Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by intra-neuronal inclusions of Lewy bodies in distinct brain regions. These inclusions consist mainly of aggregated α-synuclein (α-syn) protein. The present study used immunoprecipitation combined with nanoflow liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to high resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICR-MS/MS) to determine known and novel isoforms of α-syn in brain tissue homogenates. N-terminally acetylated full-length α-syn (Ac-α-syn?????) and two N-terminally acetylated C-terminally truncated forms of α-syn (Ac-α-syn????? and Ac-α-syn?????) were found. The different forms of α-syn were further studied by Western blotting in brain tissue homogenates from the temporal cortex Brodmann area 36 (BA36) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex BA9 derived from controls, patients with DLB and PD with dementia (PDD). Quantification of α-syn in each brain tissue fraction was performed using a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).     

Evening exposure to a light-emitting diodes (LED)-backlit computer screen affects circadian physiology and cognitive performance

Many people spend an increasing amount of time in front of computer screens equipped with light-emitting diodes (LED) with a short wavelength (blue range). Thus we investigated the repercussions on melatonin (a marker of the circadian clock), alertness, and cognitive performance levels in 13 young male volunteers under controlled laboratory conditions in a balanced crossover design. A 5-h evening exposure to a white LED-backlit screen with more than twice as much 464 nm light emission {irradiance of 0,241 Watt/(steradian × m(2)) [W/(sr × m(2))], 2.1 × 10(13) photons/(cm(2) × s), in the wavelength range of 454 and 474 nm} than a white non-LED-backlit screen [irradiance of 0,099 W/(sr × m(2)), 0.7 × 10(13) photons/(cm(2) × s), in the wavelength range of 454 and 474 nm] elicited a significant suppression of the evening rise in endogenous melatonin and subjective as well as objective sleepiness, as indexed by a reduced incidence of slow eye movements and EEG low-frequency activity (1-7 Hz) in frontal brain regions. Concomitantly, sustained attention, as determined by the GO/NOGO task; working memory/attention, as assessed by "explicit timing"; and declarative memory performance in a word-learning paradigm were significantly enhanced in the LED-backlit screen compared with the non-LED condition. Screen quality and visual comfort were rated the same in both screen conditions, whereas the non-LED screen tended to be considered brighter. Our data indicate that the spectral profile of light emitted by computer screens impacts on circadian physiology, alertness, and cognitive performance levels. The challenge will be to design a computer screen with a spectral profile that can be individually programmed to add timed, essential light information to the circadian system in humans.     

Serine proteases mediate inflammatory pain in acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is a life-threatening inflammatory disease characterized by abdominal pain of unknown etiology. Trypsin, a key mediator of pancreatitis, causes inflammation and pain by activating protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR(2)), but the isoforms of trypsin that cause pancreatitis and pancreatic pain are unknown. We hypothesized that human trypsin IV and rat P23, which activate PAR(2) and are resistant to pancreatic trypsin inhibitors, contribute to pancreatic inflammation and pain. Injections of a subinflammatory dose of exogenous trypsin increased c-Fos immunoreactivity, indicative of spinal nociceptive activation, but did not cause inflammation, as assessed by measuring serum amylase and myeloperoxidase activity and by histology. The same dose of trypsin IV and P23 increased some inflammatory end points and caused a more robust effect on nociception, which was blocked by melagatran, a trypsin inhibitor that also inhibits polypeptide-resistant trypsin isoforms. To determine the contribution of endogenous activation of trypsin and its minor isoforms, recombinant enterokinase (ENK), which activates trypsins in the duodenum, was administered into the pancreas. Intraductal ENK caused nociception and inflammation that were diminished by polypeptide inhibitors, including soybean trypsin inhibitor and a specific trypsin inhibitor (type I-P), and by melagatran. Finally, the secretagogue cerulein induced pancreatic nociceptive activation and nocifensive behavior that were reversed by melagatran. Thus trypsin and its minor isoforms mediate pancreatic pain and inflammation. In particular, the inhibitor-resistant isoforms trypsin IV and P23 may be important in mediating prolonged pancreatic inflammatory pain in pancreatitis. Our results suggest that inhibitors of these isoforms could be novel therapies for pancreatitis pain.     

Antioxidant activity of synthetic cytokinin analogues: 6-alkynyl- and 6-alkenylpurines as novel 15-Lipoxygenase inhibitors

Synthetic cytokinin analogues as well as the well known CKs 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), kinetin and trans-zeatin were examined for antioxidant activity. The compounds were tested as potential diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavengers and as inhibitors of 15-lipoxygenase (15-LO). The natural plant hormones were essentially inactive in both assays, but several synthetic analogues have a profound inhibiting effect on 15-lipoxygenase from soybeans. The same compounds were only weak DPPH scavengers and they may therefore be regarded as so-called non antioxidant inhibitors of 15-LO.     

Small‐angle X‐ray scattering of BAMLET at pH 12: A complex of α‐lactalbumin and oleic acid

BAMLET (Bovine Alpha‐lactalbumin Made LEthal to Tumors) is a member of the family of the HAMLET‐like complexes, a novel class of protein‐based anti‐cancer complexes that incorporate oleic acid and deliver it to cancer cells. Small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) was performed on the complex at pH 12, examining the high pH structure as a function of oleic acid added. The SAXS data for BAMLET species prepared with a range of oleic acid concentrations indicate extended, irregular, partially unfolded protein conformations that vary with the oleic acid concentration. Increases in oleic acid concentration correlate with increasing radius of gyration without an increase in maximum particle dimension, indicating decreasing protein density. The models for the highest oleic acid content BAMLET indicate an unusual coiled elongated structure that contrasts with apo‐α‐lactalbumin at pH 12, which is an elongated globular molecule, suggesting that oleic acid inhibits the folding or collapse of the protein component of BAMLET to the globular form. Circular dichroism of BAMLET and apo‐α‐lactalbumin was performed and the results suggest that α‐lactalbumin and BAMLET unfold in a continuum of increasing degree of unfolded states. Taken together, these results support a model in which BAMLET retains oleic acid by non‐specific association in the core of partially unfolded protein, and represent a new type of lipoprotein structure. Proteins 2014; 82:1400–1408. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Optimizing the Refractive Index Sensitivity of Plasmonically Coupled Gold Nanoparticles

Plasmonics - The possibility to enhance the local refractive index sensitivity using plasmonic coupling between spherical gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) has been investigated. A strong and distinct...     

A goal function approach to remodeling of arteries uncovers mechanisms for growth instability

A novel, goal function-based formulation for the growth dynamics of arteries is introduced and used for investigating the development of growth instability in blood vessels. Such instabilities would lead to abnormal growth of the vessel, reminiscent of an aneurysm. The blood vessel is modeled as a thin-walled cylindrical tube, and the constituents that form the vessel wall are assumed to deform together as a constrained mixture. The growth dynamics of the composite material of the vessel wall are described by an evolution equation, where the effective area of each constituent changes in the direction of steepest descent of a goal function. This goal function is formulated in such way that the constituents grow toward a target potential energy and a target composition. The convergence of the simulated response of the evolution equation toward a target homeostatic state is investigated for a range of isotropic and orthotropic material models. These simulations suggest that elastin-deficient vessels are more prone to growth instability. Increased stiffness of the vessel wall, on the other hand, gives a more stable growth process. Another important finding is that an increased rate of degradation of materials impairs growth stability.