Correlation of HLA-Cw*06 allele frequency with some clinical features of psoriasis vulgaris in the population of northern Poland

Psoriasis is a common skin disease with a genetic background and significant human leukocyte antigen (HLA) associations. HLA-Cw6 is the most frequently described association, particularly with psoriasis of the early onset type. Few studies of its correlation with various psoriasis clinical phenotypes and severity of the disease have been published so far; none in the Polish population. In this study 78 patients with psoriasis vulgaris were evaluated clinically and subdivided according to the age of onset and the type of psoriasis. A system of disease severity evaluation was applied to each patient. All patients and the control group (70 unrelated persons) were typed for HLA-Cw*06. The results show that Cw*06 allele frequency was higher in psoriatics than in the control group. Our investigation confirms that the Cw*06 allele is positively associated with psoriasis vulgaris of the early onset type, with a positive family history and its more severe form.     

A high frequency of apoptosis was found in cultures of lymphocytes isolated from the venous blood of children born with a low birth weight

Children born with a low birth weight (below 2500 g) exhibit a slower rate of development, and a greater tendency towards morbidity and mortality, together with a deficit of weight and height. One reason could be an increase in the level of cell elimination by apoptosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the incidence of apoptotic and necrotic (dead) cells in cultures of peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from children born with a low birth weight and from children with a normal birth weight. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were obtained by venipuncture (10 ml) and isolated using the density gradient centrifugation method. The lymphocytes were cultured for 48 h in a culture medium containing low concentrations of fetal calf serum. A comparison study was performed between low birth weight children and normal birth weight children and the susceptibility of their lymphocytes to apoptosis and to necrosis in serum-deficient feeding culture conditions. The amount of apoptotic cells and the percentage of dead cells were significantly higher in cultures of lymphocytes obtained from low birth weight children than in cultures from normal birth weight children. The two estimated parameters inversely correlated with the concentration of fetal calf serum in the culture medium. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis showed increased DNA degradation patterns in the cultures of lymphocytes obtained from low birth weight children. Our results should be perceived as an indication that, under worse feeding conditions, the elimination of cells by apoptosis and by necrosis is significantly higher for lymphocytes of low birth weight children than for those of normal birth weight children. The enhanced elimination of lymphocytes is related to a greater susceptibility to infections, especially of the respiratory tract, as established in the retrospective analysis of the anamneses of the examined group of low birth weight children.     

Galectin-3 as a multifunctional protein

Galectin-3 is a 31 kDa member of a growing family of beta-galactoside-binding animal lectins. This protein is expressed in a variety of tissues and cell types and is mainly found in the cytoplasm, although, depending on cell type and proliferative state, a significant amount of this lectin can also be detected in the nucleus, on the cell surface or in the extracellular environment. Galectin-3 is secreted from cells by a novel and incompletely understood mechanism that is independent of the classical secretory pathway through the endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi network. Galectin-3 exhibits pleiotropic biological function, playing a key role in many physiological and pathological processes.     

Sera of lung cancer patients affect the release of Th1, Th2 and monocyte-derived cytokines, and the expression of IL-2Ralpha by normal, stimulated mononuclear cells

We have shown that the sera of lung cancer patients affect the response of ConA-stimulated normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells by decreasing the expression of IL-2Ralpha and inhibiting the release of IL-1beta and IL-2. A tendency to enhance the release of IL-6 was also observed. We conclude that an imbalance in the Th1/Th2 cytokine response, typical for cancer patients, may at least partly be related to soluble factors circulating in the patients' blood. We discuss a putative role of serum IL-10, IL-1ra, and soluble IL-2Ralpha in the effects observed.     

Microscopy images as interactive tools in cell modeling and cell biology education

The advent of genomics, proteomics, and microarray technology has brought much excitement to science, both in teaching and in learning. The public is eager to know about the processes of life. In the present context of the explosive growth of scientific information, a major challenge of modern cell biology is to popularize basic concepts of structures and functions of living cells, to introduce people to the scientific method, to stimulate inquiry, and to analyze and synthesize concepts and paradigms. In this essay we present our experience in mixing science and education in Brazil. For two decades we have developed activities for the science education of teachers and undergraduate students, using microscopy images generated by our work as cell biologists. We describe open-air outreach education activities, games, cell modeling, and other practical and innovative activities presented in public squares and favelas. Especially in developing countries, science education is important, since it may lead to an improvement in quality of life while advancing understanding of traditional scientific ideas. We show that teaching and research can be mutually beneficial rather than competing pursuits in advancing these goals.     

Exploiting the 21st amino acid-purifying and labeling proteins by selenolate targeting

Selenium is essential to human life and occurs in selenoproteins as selenocysteine (Sec), the 21st amino acid. The selenium atom endows selenocysteine with unique biochemical properties, including a low pK(a) and a high reactivity with many electrophilic agents. Here we describe the introduction of selenocysteine into recombinant non-selenoproteins produced in Escherichia coli, as part of a small tetrapeptide motif at the C terminus. This selenocysteine-containing motif could subsequently be used as a protein tag for purification of the recombinant protein, selenolate-targeted labeling with fluorescent compounds or radiolabeling with either gamma-emitting (75)Se or short-lived positron emitters such as (11)C. The results presented here thus show how a wide range of biotechnological applications can be developed starting from the insertion of selenocysteine into proteins.