Immune cross-reactivity in celiac disease: anti-gliadin antibodies bind to neuronal synapsin I

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disorder triggered by ingestion of wheat gliadin and related proteins in genetically susceptible individuals. In addition to the characteristic enteropathy, celiac disease is associated with various extraintestinal manifestations, including neurologic complications such as neuropathy, ataxia, seizures, and neurobehavioral changes. The cause of the neurologic manifestations is unknown, but autoimmunity resulting from molecular mimicry between gliadin and nervous system proteins has been proposed to play a role. In this study, we sought to investigate the immune reactivity of the anti-gliadin Ab response toward neural proteins. We characterized the binding of affinity-purified anti-gliadin Abs from immunized animals to brain proteins by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, immunoblotting, and peptide mass mapping. The major immunoreactive protein was identified as synapsin I. Anti-gliadin Abs from patients with celiac disease also bound to the protein. Such cross-reactivity may provide clues into the pathogenic mechanism of the neurologic deficits that are associated with gluten sensitivity.     

Sowing of margin strips rich in floral resources improves herbivore control in adjacent crop fields

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Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of novel anti-cytokine 1,2,4-triazine derivatives

A series of 16 novel 1,2,4-triazine derivatives bearing hydrazone moiety (7a–7p) have been designed, synthesized and evaluated for their activity to inhibit IL-1β and TNF-α production. All compounds are reported for the first time. The chemical structures of all compounds were confirmed by spectroscopic methods and elemental analyzes. Most of the synthesized compounds were proved to have potent anti-cytokine activity and low toxicity on PBMC and MCF-7 cell lines. Compounds 7f, 7k, 7l and 7j presented simultaneously good levels of inhibition of both cytokines. Moreover, compound 7l exhibited good anti-inflammatory effect in carrageenan-induced rat paw edema. The results of Western blotting demonstrated that the anti-cytokine potential of compound 7l is mainly mediated through the inhibition of p38 MAPK signaling pathway. Molecular docking was performed to position compound 7l into p38α binding site in order to explore the potential target. The information of this work might be helpful for the design and synthesis of novel scaffold toward the development of new therapeutic agent to fight against inflammatory diseases.     

Influence of the margin vegetation on the conservation of aphid biological control in apple orchards

The influence of three margin strip treatments (wildflower strips, grass strips and spontaneous vegetation) adjacent to apple orchards on the biological control of Dysaphis plantaginea Passerini (Hemiptera: Aphididae) was compared during two consecutive years. The wildflower strips provided the highest amount of floral resources. Within the margin strips, hoverflies responded positively to higher resource provisioning whereas ladybird abundance did not differ between strip treatments. Within the orchards, the presence of parasitoids, hoverflies, and ladybirds in aphid colonies and the predation of sentinel aphids were not significantly affected by the adjacent strip treatments. The number of natural enemies observed in aphid colonies was mainly driven by aphid number. Aphid numbers were higher close to the margin strips suggesting that aphid colonization from orchard edges may counteract the positive effect of wildflower strips on natural enemy abundance and on a reduction of aphid infestation. The results confirm the positive influence of floral resource provisioning by wildflower strips on the conservation of aphid natural enemies, but also suggest that effects of wildflower strips on aphid regulation inside orchards are not very strong compared with spontaneous vegetation naturally occurring in the margins.     

A multimedia tool for the informed consent of patients prior to gastric banding

Objective: Severe obesity is a clear indication for appropriate, effective weight loss therapy. One option is operative intervention, e.g., gastric banding. Risks of the operation and therapeutic alternatives need to be comprehensibly presented to the patient. The literature has shown that better informed consent is obtained using information presented in a multimedia/video‐based format. The current study developed and evaluated a multimedia program aimed at obtaining informed consent from obese patients before gastric banding. Research Methods and Procedure: An interactive multimedia program was developed with information about preoperative examinations, the operation itself, hospital stay, operative risks, alternative therapies, and the pathophysiology and health risks of obesity. Two groups (Group 1, n = 20, mean age 38 years, informed consent attained with conventional document information; Group 2, n = 20, mean age 37 years, informed consent attained with additional multimedia information) were interviewed regarding comprehensibility of the information presented, personal satisfaction, and anxiety levels during the informed consent process. Results: Group 2 showed significantly better (p < 0.05) understanding of the presented information and higher levels of satisfaction with the informed consent process. Anxiety levels did not significantly differ between the two groups. Discussion: Because patient satisfaction with the informed consent process and understanding of the presented information significantly improved, the multimedia program clearly benefits both surgeons and patients. Personal contact from the surgeon remains essential. High volumes of information presented in multimedia format do not alleviate patient anxiety, and personal contact may be beneficial.     

The Arabidopsis mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase MKK3 is upstream of group C mitogen-activated protein kinases and participates in pathogen signaling

Although the Arabidopsis thaliana genome contains genes encoding 20 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and 10 MAPK kinases (MAPKKs), most of them are still functionally uncharacterized. In this work, we analyzed the function of the group B MAPK kinase, MKK3. Transgenic ProMKK3:GUS lines showed basal expression in vascular tissues that was strongly induced by Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato strain DC3000 (Pst DC3000) infection but not by abiotic stresses. The growth of virulent Pst DC3000 was increased in mkk3 knockout plants and decreased in MKK3-overexpressing plants. Moreover, MKK3 overexpression lines showed increased expression of several PR genes. By yeast two-hybrid analysis, coimmunoprecipitation, and protein kinase assays, MKK3 was revealed to be an upstream activator of the group C MAPKs MPK1, MPK2, MPK7, and MPK14. Flagellin-derived flg22 peptide strongly activated MPK6 but resulted in poor activation of MPK7. By contrast, MPK6 and MPK7 were both activated by H(2)O(2), but only MPK7 activation was enhanced by MKK3. In agreement with the notion that MKK3 regulates the expression of PR genes, ProPR1:GUS expression was strongly enhanced by coexpression of MKK3-MPK7. Our results reveal that the MKK3 pathway plays a role in pathogen defense and further underscore the importance and complexity of MAPK signaling in plant stress responses.     

Stereoisomeric flavour compounds XXXV: Chiral aroma compounds of sherry I. Optically pure stereoisomers of solerone and solerole

The enantioseparation of the sherry aroma components 5-oxo-4-hydroxyhexanoic acid γ-lactone (solerone) and 4,5-dihydroxyhexanoic acid γ-lactone (solerole) is achieved, using Chiraspher (Merck) as the chiral HPLC phase and the optical purity ascertained directly by HRGC with heptakis(3-O-acetyl-2,6-di-O-pentyl)-β-cyclodextrin (Lipodex D) as the chiral stationary phase. The absolute configurations of 4,5-dihydroxyhexanoic acid γ-lactones are assigned by ¹H-NMR spectral data of diastereomeric α-methoxy-α-trifluoromethylphenylacetic acid (MTPA) esters, according to Mosher's model. Sensory qualities of the isomers are given.     

Effects of heat and drought stress on post‐illumination bursts of volatile organic compounds in isoprene‐emitting and non‐emitting poplar

Over the last decades, post‐illumination bursts (PIBs) of isoprene, acetaldehyde and green leaf volatiles (GLVs) following rapid light‐to‐dark transitions have been reported for a variety of different plant species. However, the mechanisms triggering their release still remain unclear. Here we measured PIBs of isoprene‐emitting (IE) and isoprene non‐emitting (NE) grey poplar plants grown under different climate scenarios (ambient control and three scenarios with elevated CO₂ concentrations: elevated control, periodic heat and temperature stress, chronic heat and temperature stress, followed by recovery periods). PIBs of isoprene were unaffected by elevated CO₂ and heat and drought stress in IE, while they were absent in NE plants. On the other hand, PIBs of acetaldehyde and also GLVs were strongly reduced in stress‐affected plants of all genotypes. After recovery from stress, distinct differences in PIB emissions in both genotypes confirmed different precursor pools for acetaldehyde and GLV emissions. Changes in PIBs of GLVs, almost absent in stressed plants and enhanced after recovery, could be mainly attributed to changes in lipoxygenase activity. Our results indicate that acetaldehyde PIBs, which recovered only partly, derive from a new mechanism in which acetaldehyde is produced from methylerythritol phosphate pathway intermediates, driven by deoxyxylulose phosphate synthase activity.     

ABC A-subfamily transporters: structure, function and disease

ABC transporters constitute a family of evolutionarily highly conserved multispan proteins that mediate the translocation of defined substrates across membrane barriers. Evidence has accumulated during the past years to suggest that a subgroup of 12 structurally related "full-size" transporters, referred to as ABC A-subfamily transporters, mediates the transport of a variety of physiologic lipid compounds. The emerging importance of ABC A-transporters in human disease is reflected by the fact that as yet four members of this protein family (ABCA1, ABCA3, ABCR/ABCA4, ABCA12) have been causatively linked to completely unrelated groups of monogenetic disorders including familial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) deficiency, neonatal surfactant deficiency, degenerative retinopathies and congenital keratinization disorders. Although the biological function of the remaining 8 ABC A-transporters currently awaits clarification, they represent promising candidate genes for a presumably equally heterogenous group of Mendelian diseases associated with perturbed cellular lipid transport. This review summarizes our current knowledge on the role of ABC A-subfamily transporters in physiology and disease and explores clinical entities which may be potentially associated with dysfunctional members of this gene subfamily.