Comparison of fluorogenic and chromogenic assay systems in the detection of Escherichia coli O157 by a novel polymyxin-based ELISA

AIMS: Different indicator enzymes and fluorogenic or chromogenic substrates were compared as detector systems in a novel polymyxin-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Escherichia coli O157 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigens. METHODS AND RESULTS: An ELISA system was developed using polymyxin immobilized in the wells of a microtitre plate as a high-affinity adsorbent for E. coli O157 LPS antigens, which were immunoenzymatically detected using anti-E. coli O157 antibody-enzyme conjugates. With peroxidase as the indicator enzyme the fluorogenic substrates Amplex Red and QuantaBlu produced only slight improvement in the performance characteristics of the polymyxin-ELISA compared with the use of the chromogenic substrate tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). On the other hand, with alkaline phosphatase as the indicator enzyme a pronounced improvement in assay performance was noted using the fluorogenic substrate Attophos compared with the chromogenic substrate p-nitrophenylphosphate. CONCLUSIONS: The detection system exhibiting the best characteristics with respect to cost, ease of use and overall performance in the detection of E. coli O157 in enrichment cultures from a variety of solid foods was based on the use of peroxidase as the indicator enzyme with the chromogenic substrate TMB. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The polymyxin-ELISA provides a rapid, simple and inexpensive assay system for the detection of E. coli O157 in foods.     

RNA interference inhibition of Mus81 reduces mitotic recombination in human cells

Mus81 is a highly conserved endonuclease with homology to the XPF subunit of the XPF-ERCC1 complex. In yeast Mus81 associates with a second subunit, Eme1 or Mms4, which is essential for endonuclease activity in vitro and for in vivo function. Human Mus81 binds to a homolog of fission yeast Eme1 in vitro and in vivo. We show that recombinant Mus81-Eme1 cleaves replication forks, 3' flap substrates, and Holliday junctions in vitro. By use of differentially tagged versions of Mus81 and Eme1, we find that Mus81 associates with Mus81 and that Eme1 associates with Eme1. Thus, complexes containing two or more Mus81-Eme1 units could function to coordinate substrate cleavage in vivo. Down-regulation of Mus81 by RNA interference reduces mitotic recombination in human somatic cells. The recombination defect is rescued by expression of a bacterial Holliday junction resolvase. These data provide direct evidence for a role of Mus81-Eme1 in mitotic recombination in higher eukaryotes and support the hypothesis that Mus81-Eme1 resolves Holliday junctions in vivo.     

Studies on the angiotensin-converting enzyme and the kinin B2 receptor in the rabbit jugular vein: modulation of contractile response to bradykinin

The rabbit jugular vein (rbJV) was used as a bioassay system to validate some early and new hypothetical interactions between the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and the B2 receptor, which may be influenced by ACE inhibitors (ACE-I). These involve the potentiation of the contractile effect of bradykinin (BK) and BK analogues, which are inactivated by ACE (e.g., [Hyp3, Tyr(Me8)]-BK (R556)), the prevention of BK-induced B2 receptor desensitisation, and the restoration of receptor sensitivity in tissues desensitised with B2 receptor agonists. Enzymatic degradation studies performed in vitro and in vivo revealed that BK and R556 are readily degraded by rabbit ACE whereas [Phe8psi(CH2-NH)Arg9]-BK (R379) is totally resistant. BK, R556, and R379 contracted endothelium-denuded veins with similar potencies (pEC50 range 8.10-8.50). Tissues pretreated with ACE-I showed an increase in pEC50 values for BK and R556 but not for R379. ACE-I (captopril, enalaprilat) were unable to prevent B2 receptor desensitisation induced by BK (1 microM). ACE-I partially restored B2 receptor-mediated contraction in tissues initially exposed to BK but not to R379. These effects were antagonised by HOE 140 (0.1 microM) but were unaffected by AcLys[Dbeta-Nal7, Ile8]-desArg9BK (R715) (1 microM) or by Losartan (1 microM). In conclusion, the potentiation of BK and its analogues relates exclusively on prevention of their metabolism, B2 receptor desensitisation is not affected by ACE-I, and restoration of tissue responsiveness to BK by ACE-I may be attributed to changes in BK concentrations in the vicinity of the B2 receptor.     

Kinin B1 receptor antagonists with multi-enzymatic resistance properties

The kinin B, receptor has been implicated in a variety of pathological states; therefore, potent, selective, and specific antagonists with prolonged duration of action in vivo are needed. Using R-715 (AcLys[D-beta-Nal(7),Ile(8)] desArg9BK) as a template, new peptides containing alpha-MePhe in position 5, Oic in position 2, and AcOrn instead of AcLys at the N-terminal were prepared and tested for their antagonist potency, their selectivity, and their specificity for the kinin B1 receptor. In vitro metabolic stabilities toward aminopeptidase M (from human plasma), aminopeptidase P (from human platelets), and angiotensin-converting enzyme (purified from rabbit lung) were also investigated. The results of this study indicate that the three modifications applied separately are as well tolerated as they are when present conjointly in the template R-715. Indeed, pA2 values of R-715 (ranging from 8.40 to 8.5) do not differ significantly from the analogues R-954 and R-955 (both ranging from 8.4 to 8.6) when measured at kinin B1 receptors from rabbit aortas and human umbilical veins. Moreover, the chemical modifications utilized in the peptides R-954 and R-955 have provided resistance against aminopeptidases M and P, as well as the angiotensin-converting enzyme, unlike the early (e.g., Lys[Leu8]desArg9BK) and more recent (e.g., R-715, B-9858) generations of B, receptor antagonists. Ongoing in vivo assays will validate the assumption that the analogues R-954 and R-955 have a prolonged duration of action.     

Comparative effects of a vasopeptidase inhibitor vs. an angiotensin convertin enzyme inhibitor on cardiomyocyte apoptosis in rats with heart failure

Apoptosis is involved in ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). We investigated the effects of the vasopeptidase inhibitor (VPI) omapatrilat on cardiomyocyte apoptosis and compared it to the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) captopril in the rat post-MI model and in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Wistar males rats surviving 4 h post-MI were assigned to omapatrilat (40 or 80 mg/kg/day), captopril (160 mg/kg/day) or no treatment. After 56 days, hemodynamic measurements were performed (n = 96) and rats were sacrificed. One group had assessment of cardiac remodeling and detection of DNA fragments by in situ end labelling method (ISEL), while the other had morphologic measurements and DNA laddering assessed. In addition, cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (n = 6) were treated for 72 h with vehicle, captopril or omapatrilat in the presence or absence of the apoptosis inducing agent H₂O₂. Omapatrilat and captopril resulted in similar improvements of hemodynamic measurements, ventricular weight and dilatation, cardiac fibrosis and myocardial cell cross-section in large MI rats. Omapatrilat increased scar thickness more than did captopril. All sham-operated groups had little evidence of apoptosis. In the large MI group, there was a significant increase in ISEL-positive cells in the control (0.095 ± 0.016%) and captopril (0.124 ± 0.024%) groups in comparison with control sham-operated (0.006 ± 0.006%), but this increase was limited to the peri-MI area. Omapatrilat (0.012 ± 0.012% for both doses) prevented the increase in apoptosis in the peri-MI area. Also, omapatrilat but not captopril reduced DNA laddering in large MI. Moreover, in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, omapatrilat but not captopril reduced apoptosis as assessed by DNA laddering. The VPI omapatrilat, with its combination of NEP and ACE inhibition, suppresses cardiomyocyte apoptosis post-MI and in neonatal cultured rat cardiomyocytes more than the ACEI captopril, but this does not result in significant hemodynamic or morphologic differences between omapatrilat and captopril.     

Effects of the vasopeptidase inhibitor omapatrilat on cardiac endogenous kinins in rats with acute myocardial infarction

The purposes of this study were to evaluate and to compare the effects of simultaneous angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and neutral endopeptidase 24.11 (NEP) inhibition by the vasopeptidase inhibitor omapatrilat (1 mg. kg(-1). day(-1)) with those of the selective ACE inhibitor enalapril (1 mg. kg(-1). day(-1)) on survival, cardiac hemodynamics, and bradykinin (BK) and des-Arg(9)-BK levels in cardiac tissues 24 h after myocardial infarction (MI) in rats. The effect of the co-administration of both B(1) and B(2) kinin receptor antagonists (2.5 mg. kg(-1). day(-1) each) with metallopeptidase inhibitors was also evaluated. The pharmacological treatments were infused subcutaneously using micro-osmotic pumps for 5 days starting 4 days before the ligation of the left coronary artery. Immunoreactive kinins were quantified by highly sensitive and specific competitive enzyme immunoassays. The post-MI mortality of untreated rats with a large MI was high; 74% of rats dying prior to the hemodynamic study. Mortality in the other MI groups was not significantly different from that of the untreated MI rats. Cardiac BK levels were not significantly different in the MI vehicle-treated group compared with the sham-operated rats. Both omapatrilat and enalapril treatments of MI rats significantly increased cardiac BK concentrations compared with the sham-operated group (P < 0.05). However, cardiac BK levels were significantly increased only in the MI omapatrilat-treated rats compared with the MI vehicle-treated group (P < 0.01). Cardiac des-Arg(9)-BK concentrations were not significantly modified by MI, and MI with omapatrilat or enalapril treatment compared with the sham-operated group. The co-administration of both kinin receptor antagonists with MI omapatrilat- and enalapril-treated rats had no significant effect on cardiac BK and des-Arg(9)-BK levels. Thus, the significant increase of cardiac BK concentrations by omapatrilat could be related to a biochemical or a cardiac hemodynamic parameter on early (24 h) post-MI state.     

Estimating Treatment Effects of Longitudinal Designs using Regression Models on Propensity Scores

Summary We derive regression estimators that can compare longitudinal treatments using only the longitudinal propensity scores as regressors. These estimators, which assume knowledge of the variables used in the treatment assignment, are important for reducing the large dimension of covariates for two reasons. First, if the regression models on the longitudinal propensity scores are correct, then our estimators share advantages of correctly specified model‐based estimators, a benefit not shared by estimators based on weights alone. Second, if the models are incorrect, the misspecification can be more easily limited through model checking than with models based on the full covariates. Thus, our estimators can also be better when used in place of the regression on the full covariates. We use our methods to compare longitudinal treatments for type II diabetes mellitus.