A typical browser, the roe deer, may consume substantial quantities of grasses in open landscapes

In open landscapes, grass leaves provide an abundant resource for ruminants, with potentially high nutritional value. However, their extensive digestion requires a long fermentation time, achieved through large rumen and the stratification of the rumen content. Due to anatomical and physiological differences, ruminants differ in their ability to process grass leaves. Particularly, the small roe deer, with its viscous saliva and unstratified rumen content, is generally classified as a strict browser. We hypothesised that roe deer may be able to use grass leaves in some circumstances, notably when the availability of other resources declines and when the quality of grass leaves is high. We expected that (1) grass leave consumption should be higher in open landscapes than in forest habitat because grasses are more widely available and more nutritious in open landscapes and (2) grass leave consumption should increase in winter when the availability of other resources declines. We assessed grass consumption by microscopic analysis of roe deer faecal pellets collected monthly both in forest habitat and in the surrounding open landscape. We found that both the occurrence and the proportion of grass leaves in the faeces were higher in the open landscape (predicted mean proportion 0.31) than in the forest (predicted mean proportion 0.05). In addition, the proportion of grass leaves in the faeces was higher in winter and lower in spring in both forest and open landscape. We suggest that roe deer are able to use grass leaves with unusually high nutritional quality in winter in this mild climate area. This involves a certain level of digestive plasticity to efficiently digest high quality grasses and may confer nutritional benefit to individuals feeding in an open landscape.     

Chemical composition and biological activity of the essential oil of Ballota hispanica (L.) Benth. growing wild in Sicily

Ballota L. comprises several relevant species largely used for their excellent therapeutic properties. Ballota hispanica (L.) Benth. is widely used in herbal medicine, and it is sold in herbalist shops for its sedative and antispasmodic properties. Considering its traditional medicinal use and the lack of scientific studies on the volatile components of this species as well as on its biological activities, in this study the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of B. hispanica, collected in Sicily, was evaluated by gas chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. α-Elemol was the most abundant component of the oil (10.9%), followed by α-ylangene (8.5%), γ-dodecalactone (5.1%), and manoyl oxide (4.8%). A comparison was made of the composition of the different Ballota taxa studied so far showing a peculiar profile of B. hispanica. Futhermore, the antimicrobial and the free radical scavenging activities of the oil were determined.     

Cardiac sodium channel Na(v)1.5 interacts with and is regulated by the protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPH1

In order to identify proteins interacting with the cardiac voltage-gated sodium channel Na(v)1.5, we used the last 66 amino acids of the C-terminus of the channel as bait to screen a human cardiac cDNA library. We identified the protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPH1 as an interacting protein. Pull-down experiments confirmed the interaction, and indicated that it depends on the PDZ-domain binding motif of Na(v)1.5. Co-expression experiments in HEK293 cells showed that PTPH1 shifts the Na(v)1.5 availability relationship toward hyperpolarized potentials, whereas an inactive PTPH1 or the tyrosine kinase Fyn does the opposite. The results of this study suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation destabilizes the inactivated state of Na(v)1.5.     

Robo4 maintains vessel integrity and inhibits angiogenesis by interacting with UNC5B

Robo4 is an endothelial cell-specific member of the Roundabout axon guidance receptor family. To identify Robo4 binding partners, we performed a protein-protein interaction screen with the Robo4 extracellular domain. We find that Robo4 specifically binds to UNC5B, a vascular Netrin receptor, revealing unexpected interactions between two endothelial guidance receptors. We show that Robo4 maintains vessel integrity by activating UNC5B, which inhibits signaling downstream of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Function-blocking monoclonal antibodies against Robo4 and UNC5B increase angiogenesis and disrupt vessel integrity. Soluble Robo4 protein inhibits VEGF-induced vessel permeability and rescues barrier defects in Robo4(-/-) mice, but not in mice treated with anti-UNC5B. Thus, Robo4-UNC5B signaling maintains vascular integrity by counteracting VEGF signaling in endothelial cells, identifying a novel function of guidance receptor interactions in the vasculature.     

Effect of end-stage renal disease and diabetes on zinc and copper status

The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional status of zinc and copper in patients with and without diabetes submitted to chronic hemodialysis. Thirty-three patients with type 2 diabetes (DM group), 30 nondiabetic patients (NDM group), and 20 healthy individuals (control group) were studied. Plasma, erythrocyte, and urinary zinc and plasma copper were obtained from atomic absorption spectrophotometry and ceruloplasmin by immunonephelometry. The anthropometric parameters were similar among the groups. Plasma zinc was lower and erythrocyte zinc was higher in the DM and NDM groups in relation to the control group. No difference in urinary zinc was observed comparing the groups. Plasma copper was higher in the DM group when compared to the NDM and control groups. Ceruloplasmin was similar in the three groups. Serum urea was a positive independent determinant of plasma zinc concentrations. The determinants of erythrocyte zinc were MAMC midarm nuscle circumference and Kt/V dialysis adequacy. The determinants of plasma copper concentration were serum creatinine and serum glucose. The results of this study demonstrate an alteration in the distribution of zinc of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) independently of the presence of DM. Also, the status of copper seems not to be influenced by CKD, but only by the metabolic derangements associated with diabetes.     

Identifying and characterizing the most significant β-glucosidase of the novel species Aspergillus saccharolyticus

The newly discovered fungal species Aspergillus saccharolyticus was found to produce a culture broth rich in β-glucosidase activity. In this present work, the main β-glucosidase of A.?saccharolyticus responsible for the efficient hydrolytic activity was identified, isolated, and characterized. Ion exchange chromatography was used to fractionate the culture broth, yielding fractions with high β-glucosidase activity and only 1 visible band on an SDS-PAGE gel. Mass spectrometry analysis of this band gave peptide matches to β-glucosidases from aspergilli. Through a polymerase chain reaction approach using degenerate primers and genome walking, a 2919 bp sequence encoding the 860 amino acid BGL1 polypeptide was determined. BGL1 of A.?saccharolyticus has 91% and 82% identity with BGL1 from Aspergillus aculeatus and BGL1 from Aspergillus niger , respectively, both belonging to Glycoside Hydrolase family 3. Homology modeling studies suggested β-glucosidase activity with preserved retaining mechanism and a wider catalytic pocket compared with other β-glucosidases. The bgl1 gene was heterologously expressed in Trichoderma reesei QM6a, purified, and characterized by enzyme kinetics studies. The enzyme can hydrolyze cellobiose, p-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucoside, and cellodextrins. The enzyme showed good thermostability, was stable at 50?°C, and at 60?°C it had a half-life of approximately 6?h.     

Capsaicin Modulates Proliferation,Migration, and Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells

Capsaicin, the active component of chili pepper, has been reported to have antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effects on a variety of cell lines. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the effects of capsaicin during HSC activation and maintenance. Activated and freshly isolated HSCs were treated with capsaicin. Proliferation was measured by incorporation of EdU. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were investigated using flow cytometry. The migratory response to chemotactic stimuli was evaluated by a modified Boyden chamber assay. Activation markers and inflammatory cytokines were determined by qPCR, immunocytochemistry, and flow cytometry. Our results show that capsaicin reduces HSC proliferation, migration, and expression of profibrogenic markers of activated and primary mouse HSCs. In conclusion, the present study shows that capsaicin modulates proliferation, migration, and activation of HSC in vitro.     

CD8+ CD28- T regulatory lymphocytes inhibiting T cell proliferative and cytotoxic functions infiltrate human cancers

Tumor growth is allowed by its ability to escape immune system surveillance. An important role in determining tumor evasion from immune control might be played by tumor-infiltrating regulatory lymphocytes. This study was aimed at characterizing phenotype and function of CD8+ CD28- T regulatory cells infiltrating human cancer. Lymphocytes infiltrating primitive tumor lesion and/or satellite lymph node from a series of 42 human cancers were phenotypically studied and functionally analyzed by suppressor assays. The unprecedented observation was made that CD8+ CD28- T regulatory lymphocytes are almost constantly present and functional in human tumors, being able to inhibit both T cell proliferation and cytotoxicity. CD4+ CD25+ T regulatory lymphocytes associate with CD8+ CD28- T regulatory cells so that the immunosuppressive activity of tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cell subsets, altogether considered, may become predominant. The infiltration of regulatory T cells seems tumor related, being present in metastatic but not in metastasis-free satellite lymph nodes; it likely depends on both in situ generation (via cytokine production) and recruitment from the periphery (via chemokine secretion). Collectively, these results have pathogenic relevance and implication for immunotherapy of cancer.