Phagocytosis Escape by a Staphylococcus aureus Protein That Connects Complement and Coagulation Proteins at the Bacterial Surface

Upon contact with human plasma, bacteria are rapidly recognized by the complement system that labels their surface for uptake and clearance by phagocytic cells. Staphylococcus aureus secretes the 16 kD Extracellular fibrinogen binding protein (Efb) that binds two different plasma proteins using separate domains: the Efb N-terminus binds to fibrinogen, while the C-terminus binds complement C3. In this study, we show that Efb blocks phagocytosis of S. aureus by human neutrophils. In vitro, we demonstrate that Efb blocks phagocytosis in plasma and in human whole blood. Using a mouse peritonitis model we show that Efb effectively blocks phagocytosis in vivo, either as a purified protein or when produced endogenously by S. aureus. Mutational analysis revealed that Efb requires both its fibrinogen and complement binding residues for phagocytic escape. Using confocal and transmission electron microscopy we show that Efb attracts fibrinogen to the surface of complement-labeled S. aureus generating a ‘capsule’-like shield. This thick layer of fibrinogen shields both surface-bound C3b and antibodies from recognition by phagocytic receptors. This information is critical for future vaccination attempts, since opsonizing antibodies may not function in the presence of Efb. Altogether we discover that Efb from S. aureus uniquely escapes phagocytosis by forming a bridge between a complement and coagulation protein.     

Mismatch recognition function of Arabidopsis thaliana MutSγ

Genetic stability depends in part on an efficient DNA lesion recognition and correction by the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system. In eukaryotes, MMR is initiated by the binding of heterodimeric MutS homologue (MSH) complexes, MSH2–MSH6 and MSH2–MSH3, which recognize and bind mismatches and unpaired nucleotides. Plants encode another mismatch recognition protein, named MSH7. MSH7 forms a heterodimer with MSH2 and the protein complex is designated MutSγ. We here report the effect the expression of Arabidopsis MSH2 and MSH7 alone or in combination exert on the genomic stability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. AtMSH2 and AtMutSγ proteins failed to complement the hypermutator phenotype of an msh2 deficient strain. However, overexpressing AtMutSγ in MMR proficient strains generated a 4-fold increase in CAN1 forward mutation rate, when compared to wild-type strains. Can^r mutation spectrum analysis of AtMutSγ overproducing strains revealed a substantial increase in the frequency of base substitution mutations, including an increased accumulation of base pair changes from G:C to A:T and T:A to C:G, G:C or A:T. Taken together, these results suggest that AtMutSγ affects yeast genomic stability by recognizing specific mismatches and preventing correction by yeast MutSα and MutSβ, with subsequent inability to interact with yeast downstream proteins needed to complete MMR.     

Migratory New World Blackbirds (Icterids) Are More Neophobic than Closely Related Resident Icterids

Environments undergo short-term and long-term changes due to natural or human-induced events. Animals differ in their ability to cope with such changes which can be related to their ecology. Changes in the environment often elicit avoidance reactions (neophobia) which protect animals from dangerous situations but can also inhibit exploration and familiarization with novel situations and thus, learning about new resources. Studies investigating the relationship between a species’ ecology and its neophobia have so far been restricted to comparing only a few species and mainly in captivity. The current study investigated neophobia reactions to experimentally-induced changes in the natural environment of six closely-related blackbird species (Icteridae), including two species represented by two distinct populations. For analyses, neophobic reactions (difference in number of birds feeding and time spent feeding with and without novel objects) were related to several measures of ecological plasticity and the migratory strategy (resident or migratory) of the population. Phylogenetic relationships were incorporated into the analysis. The degree of neophobia was related to migratory strategy with migrants expressing much higher neophobia (fewer birds feeding and for a shorter time with objects present) than residents. Furthermore, neophobia showed a relationship to diet breadth with fewer individuals of diet generalists than specialists returning when objects were present supporting the dangerous niche hypothesis. Residents may have evolved lower neophobia as costs of missing out on opportunities may be higher for residents than migrants as the former are restricted to a smaller area. Lower neophobia allows them approaching changes in the environment (e.g. novel objects) quickly, thereby securing access to resources. Additionally, residents have a greater familiarity with similar situations in the area than migrants and the latter may, therefore, initially stay behind resident species.     

DNA Extraction and Amplification from Contemporary Polynesian Bark-Cloth

Background

Paper mulberry has been used for thousands of years in Asia and Oceania for making paper and bark-cloth, respectively. Museums around the world hold valuable collections of Polynesian bark-cloth. Genetic analysis of the plant fibers from which the textiles were made may answer a number of questions of interest related to provenance, authenticity or species used in the manufacture of these textiles. Recovery of nucleic acids from paper mulberry bark-cloth has not been reported before.

Methodology

We describe a simple method for the extraction of PCR-amplifiable DNA from small samples of contemporary Polynesian bark-cloth (tapa) using two types of nuclear markers. We report the amplification of about 300 bp sequences of the ITS1 region and of a microsatellite marker.

Conclusions

Sufficient DNA was retrieved from all bark-cloth samples to permit successful PCR amplification. This method shows a means of obtaining useful genetic information from modern bark-cloth samples and opens perspectives for the analyses of small fragments derived from ethnographic materials.     

Decision-Making in Multiple Sclerosis Consultations in Italy: Third Observer and Patient Assessments

Objective

To assess decision-making in multiple sclerosis (MS) from third observer and patient perspectives.

Method

Audio recordings of first-ever consultations with a participating physician (88 outpatients, 10 physicians) at four tertiary MS care clinics in Italy, were rated by a third observer using the Observing Patient Involvement in Shared Decision Making (OPTION) and by patients using the Perceived Involvement in Care Scale (PICS).

Results

Mean patient age was 37.5, 66% were women, 72% had MS, and 28% had possible MS or other disease. Mean PICS subscale scores (range 0 poor, 100 best possible) were 71.9 (SD 24.3) for "physician facilitation" (PICS-F); 74.6 (SD 22.9) for "patient information exchange" (PICS-I); and only 22.5 (SD 16.2) for "patient decision making" (PICS-DM). Mean OPTION total score (0 poor, 100 best possible) was 29.6 (SD 10.3). Poorest OPTION scores were found for items assessing “preferred patient approach to receiving information” and “preferred patient level of involvement.” Highest scores were for “clinician drawing attention to identified problem”, “indicating need for decision making,” and “need to review the decision.” Consultation time, woman physician, patient-physician gender concordance and PICS-F were associated with higher OPTION total score; older physician and second opinion consultation were associated with lower OPTION score.

Conclusions

In line with findings in other settings, our third observer findings indicated limited patient involvement abilities of MS physicians during first consultations. Patient perceptions of physician skills were better than third observers’, although they correlated. Consultations with women physicians, and younger physicians, were associated with higher third observer and patient-based scores. Our findings reveal a need to empower Italian MS physicians with better communication and shared decision-making skills, and show in particular that attention to MS patient preferences for reception of information and involvement in health decisions, need to be improved.     

Signal Peptide Cleavage from GP5 of PRRSV: A Minor Fraction of Molecules Retains the Decoy Epitope,a Presumed Molecular Cause for Viral Persistence

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the major pathogen in the pig industry. Variability of the antigens and persistence are the biggest challenges for successful control and elimination of the disease. GP5, the major glycoprotein of PRRSV, is considered an important target of neutralizing antibodies, which however appear only late in infection. This was attributed to the presence of a “decoy epitope” located near a hypervariable region of GP5. This region also harbors the predicted signal peptide cleavage sites and (dependent on the virus strain) a variable number of potential N-glycosylation sites. Molecular processing of GP5 has not been addressed experimentally so far: whether and where the signal peptide is cleaved and (as a consequence) whether the “decoy epitope” is present in virus particles. We show that the signal peptide of GP5 from the American type 2 reference strain VR-2332 is cleaved, both during in vitro translation in the presence of microsomes and in transfected cells. This was found to be independent of neighboring glycosylation sites and occurred in a variety of porcine cells for GP5 sequences derived from various type 2 strains. The exact signal peptide cleavage site was elucidated by mass spectrometry of virus-derived and recombinant GP5. The results revealed that the signal peptide of GP5 is cleaved at two sites. As a result, a mixture of GP5 proteins exists in virus particles, some of which still contain the “decoy epitope” sequence. Heterogeneity was also observed for the use of glycosylation sites in the hypervariable region. Lastly, GP5 mutants were engineered where one of the signal peptide cleavage sites was blocked. Wildtype GP5 exhibited exactly the same SDS-PAGE mobility as the mutant that is cleavable at site 2 only. This indicates that the overwhelming majority of all GP5 molecules does not contain the “decoy epitope”.     

High Levels of Asymmetric Dimethylarginine Are Strongly Associated with Low HDL in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Objectives

Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of acute myocardial infarction possibly through impaired endothelial atheroprotection and decreased nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) mediates endothelial function by inhibiting nitric oxide synthase activity. In patients with acute myocardial infarction, we investigated the relationship between serum levels of HDL and ADMA.

Approach and Results

Blood samples from 612 consecutive patients hospitalized for acute MI <24 hours after symptom onset were taken on admission. Serum levels of ADMA, its stereoisomer, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) and L-arginine were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. Patients with low HDL (<40 mg/dL for men and <50 mg/dL for women) were compared with patients with higher HDL. Most patients (59%) had low HDL levels. Median ADMA levels were markedly higher in the low HDL group (0.69 vs. 0.50 µmole/L, p<0.001). In contrast, SDMA and L-arginine levels were similar for the two groups (p = 0.120 and p = 0.064). Notably, ADMA, but not SDMA or L-arginine, was inversely correlated with HDL (r = −0.311, p<0.001). In stratified analysis, this relationship was only found for low HDL levels (r = −0.265, p<0.001), but not when HDL levels were higher (r = −0.077, p = 0.225). By multivariate logistic regression analysis, ADMA level was strongly associated with low HDL levels (OR(95%CI):6.06(3.48–10.53), p<0.001), beyond traditional confounding factors.

Conclusions

Our large population-based study showed for the first time a strong inverse relationship between HDL and ADMA in myocardial infarction patients, suggesting a functional interaction between HDL and endothelium, beyond metabolic conditions associated with low HDL levels.     

Similarity of Cortical Activity Patterns Predicts generalization Behavior

Humans and animals readily generalize previously learned knowledge to new situations. Determining similarity is critical for assigning category membership to a novel stimulus. We tested the hypothesis that category membership is initially encoded by the similarity of the activity pattern evoked by a novel stimulus to the patterns from known categories. We provide behavioral and neurophysiological evidence that activity patterns in primary auditory cortex contain sufficient information to explain behavioral categorization of novel speech sounds by rats. Our results suggest that category membership might be encoded by the similarity of the activity pattern evoked by a novel speech sound to the patterns evoked by known sounds. Categorization based on featureless pattern matching may represent a general neural mechanism for ensuring accurate generalization across sensory and cognitive systems.