Age‐Related Differences in the Lifestyle Regularity of Seniors Experiencing Bereavement,Care‐Giving,Insomnia, and Advancement Into Old‐Old Age

Compared to younger adults, seniors (≥60 yrs) often adopt a highly regular lifestyle, perhaps as an adaptive response to age‐related changes in their sleep and circadian rhythms. At baseline, diary measures of lifestyle regularity (SRM‐5) were obtained from 104 seniors of three separate groups. Thirty‐three subjects were challenged by spousal bereavement or the need to care for a spouse at home with dementia (Challenged); 33 were suffering from formally diagnosed (DSM‐IV) insomnia (Insomnia); and 38 were healthy, well‐functioning older seniors in the second half of their eighth decade of life or later (Healthy Older). The objective of this study was to determine whether lifestyle regularity increased as a function of age within each of these three senior groups. Overall, age was significantly correlated with SRM‐5 (r=0.41, p<0.001), with the SRM score increasing by 0.67 units/decade. The same was true for the Challenged and Insomnia groups, which also showed a significant correlation between SRM and age (Challenged: r=0.48, p<0.01; Insomnia: r=0.36, p<0.05), though with a slightly faster rate of SRM increase in the Challenged (0.95 units/decade) than Insomnia (0.55 units/decade) group. Perhaps there was no correlation between age and SRM (r=0.07, n.s.) in the Healthy Older group due to the small age range, although this group did have a higher overall SRM score than the other two groups (p<0.01). The study thus confirmed that the previously observed increase in lifestyle regularity over the adult lifespan persists into later life. This may represent an adaptive behavioral response that might be used in future therapeutic approaches.     

A large-scale analysis of targeted metabolomics data from heterogeneous biological samples provides insights into metabolite dynamics

Metabolomics - Exposure to ricin can be lethal and treatments that are under development have short windows of opportunity for administration after exposure. It is therefore essential to achieve...     

Structure of Amylase Genes in Populations of Pacific Cupped Oyster (Crassostrea gigas): Tissue Expression and Allelic Polymorphism

Using the previously determined complementary DNA Sequence of Crassostrea gigas amylase (Y08370), we designed several oligonucleotide primers and used them with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to characterize oyster amylase gene sequences. Two genes encoding 2 different amylases were characterized and sequenced. The 2 genes are similarly organized with 8 exons and 7 introns. Intron insertions are found at the same location in the 2 genes. Sizes and nucleotide sequences are different for the different introns inside each gene and different for the corresponding introns in the 2 genes. Comparing the 2 genes, around 10% of the nucleotides are different along the exons, and comparing the 2 deduced protein sequences, a mean value of 10.4% of amino acids are changed. Genes A and B encode mature proteins of, respectively, 500 and 499 amino acids, which present 94% similarity. A microsatellite (TC₃₇) that constitutes the largest part of intron 4 of gene A has been used as a polymorphic marker. A method consisting of a PCR step followed by EcoRI digestion of the obtained fragments was used to observe polymorphism in these 2 genes. Six and 4 alleles for genes A and B, respectively, have been sequenced, leading to a maximum of 2.9% base change. The 2 genes are ubiquitously expressed in the different digestive tissues with quantitative differences. Gene A is strongly expressed in the digestive gland and at a lower level in stomach, while gene B is preferentially expressed in the labial palps. The microsatellite repeat was used in the analysis of 4 populations of Crassostrea gigas from the French Atlantic coast. A high level of polymorphism observed with 30 different alleles of gene A inside the populations should allow their characterization using the mean value of the microsatellite allelic distribution. These populations showed a low level of differentiation (F _st between 0 and 0.011); however, the population of Bonne Anse appeared to be distinguished from the other populations.     

A single nucleotide polymorphism in the<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Emp3</Emphasis> gene defines the H4 minor histocompatibility antigen

Minor histocompatibility antigens (minor H antigen) elicit strong T-cell-mediated responses during both graft rejection and graft versus leukemia (GvL) among MHC-matched individuals (where MHC is major histocompatibility complex). Employing expression-cloning methodology, we have identified a cDNA clone, MI-35, encoding the immunodominant H4^b minor H antigen within the classical mouse H4 complex. The minimal antigenic epitope derived from H4^b presented on K^b class I MHC is SGIVYIHL (SYL8) and the polymorphism is due to CT nucleotide modification in p3 resulting in the change of threonine (ACT) to isoleucine (ATT). The results presented here demonstrate that amino acid variation in the allelic epitopes results in the low abundance of H4^a peptide. The differential peptide copy number resulted in an immunodominant cytotoxic T cells (CTL) response directed against H4^b while the anti-B6 response directed against H4^a was easily dominated. These results provide a molecular mechanism for the H4 minor H antigen and suggest a novel mechanism by which alloantigenic disparity caused by conservative amino acid changes can be augmented by posttranslational antigen processing events.     

Expression of Fungal Cutinase and Swollenin in Tobacco Chloroplasts Reveals Novel Enzyme Functions and/or Substrates

In order to produce low-cost biomass hydrolyzing enzymes, transplastomic lines were generated that expressed cutinase or swollenin within chloroplasts. While swollenin expressing plants were homoplasmic, cutinase transplastomic lines remained heteroplasmic. Both transplastomic lines showed interesting modifications in their phenotype, chloroplast structure, and functions. Ultrastructural analysis of chloroplasts from cutinase- and swollenin-expressing plants did not show typical lens shape and granal stacks. But, their thylakoid membranes showed unique scroll like structures and chloroplast envelope displayed protrusions, stretching into the cytoplasm. Unusual honeycomb structures typically observed in etioplasts were observed in mature chloroplasts expressing swollenin. Treatment of cotton fiber with chloroplast-derived swollenin showed enlarged segments and the intertwined inner fibers were irreversibly unwound and fully opened up due to expansin activity of swollenin, causing disruption of hydrogen bonds in cellulose fibers. Cutinase transplastomic plants showed esterase and lipase activity, while swollenin transplastomic lines lacked such enzyme activities. Higher plants contain two major galactolipids, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG), in their chloroplast thylakoid membranes that play distinct roles in their structural organization. Surprisingly, purified cutinase effectively hydrolyzed DGDG to MGDG, showing alpha galactosidase activity. Such hydrolysis resulted in unstacking of granal thylakoids in chloroplasts and other structural changes. These results demonstrate DGDG as novel substrate and function for cutinase. Both MGDG and DGDG were reduced up to 47.7% and 39.7% in cutinase and 68.5% and 67.5% in swollenin expressing plants. Novel properties and functions of both enzymes reported here for the first time should lead to better understanding and enhanced biomass hydrolysis.