Variations in airborne pollen in central and south-western Spain in relation to the distribution of potential sources

The present study seeks to compare daily and hourly airborne pollen concentrations at eight different stations in Castilla-La Mancha (central Spain) and Extremadura (south-western Spain) and assess pollen distribution sources. Sampling stations were located 69–440 km apart in a straight line in Albacete, Toledo, Talavera de la Reina and Ciudad Real in Castilla-La Mancha, and in Badajoz, Plasencia, Santa Amalia and Zafra in Extremadura. Airborne pollen was collected using Hirst-type volumetric spore traps. Quercus was the most abundant pollen type at all stations except for Ciudad Real, where Olea pollen predominated. Comparisons of daily data between pairs of stations revealed statistically significant positive correlations in all cases for Poaceae and Olea. Comparisons of hourly data between stations indicated greater differences than daily data. Analysis of correlation coefficients and straight-line distances between stations revealed a strong negative correlation. Analysis of total airborne pollen data for the eight sampling stations suggests that airborne pollen concentrations decrease from west to east and from south to north, partly reflecting dominant wind patterns. A clear correlation was observed between airborne pollen concentrations and the surface area covered by olive crops in a 50 km radius around the sampling stations.     

Practical considerations for pharmaceutical antibody production in different crop systems

The potential of plant cells to produce functional recombinantantibodies has been demonstrated in a number of different plant systems. Wepresent a comparative study of a well-defined target protein, a single chain Fvantibody, in different transgenic crop species and cultured tissues. The effectof different regulatory elements and signals for subcellular targeting areconsidered. Practical considerations for the choice of a particular cropsystem,such as yield, storage, distribution and containment properties are discussed.     

Natural killer cells in meningiomas.

A monoclonal antibody against the surface marker IOT-10 of natural killer (NK) cells was used to investigate the presence of these cells in a series of twenty intracranial meningiomas. In all of these tumours, IOT-10 positive NK cells were found in small numbers, mainly distributed among the tumor cells. Two recurrent tumors showed a relatively high number of immunostained cells. The data obtained in the present study suggest that a NK-cell-mediated immunological response can occur in meningioma tissue.     

Phylogenetic relationships inSecale (Poaceae): An isozymatic study

The genetic frequencies of 9 isozyme loci have been estimated in 23 samples of 4 species ofSecale by means of starch gel electrophoresis. The populations ofS. silvestre andS. vavilovii were monomorphic and uniform within each species, those ofS. montanum andS. cereale were polymorphic for most of the isozyme loci. On the basis of isozyme patterns as well as allelic and genotypic frequencies of isozyme loci,S. silvestre can be distinguished fromS. vavilovii, and both fromS. cereale andS. montanum; but there is no clear differentiation between the two latter species. Clusters constructed from genetic distances separateS. silvestre andS. vavilovii, whereasS. cereale andS. montanum were grouped together. The isozymatic data presented here, along with cytogenetic and life habit data, agree with the generally admitted existence of 4 species inSecale, and support the relationships suggested byKhush & Stebbins (1961).     

Reactive oxygen species produced by NAD(P)H oxidase inhibit apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells

One reason why pancreatic cancer is so aggressive and unresponsive to treatments is its resistance to apoptosis. We report here that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a prosurvival, antiapoptotic factor in pancreatic cancer cells. Human pancreatic adenocarcinoma MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells generated ROS, which was stimulated by growth factors (serum, insulin-like growth factor I, or fibroblast growth factor-2). Growth factors also stimulated membrane NAD(P)H oxidase activity in these cells. Both intracellular ROS and NAD(P)H oxidase activity were inhibited by antioxidants tiron and N-acetylcysteine and the inhibitor of flavoprotein-dependent oxidases, diphenylene iodonium, but not by inhibitors of various other ROS-generating enzymes. Using Rho(0) cells deficient in mitochondrial DNA, we showed that a nonmitochondrial NAD(P)H oxidase is a major source of growth factor-induced ROS in pancreatic cancer cells. Among proteins that have been implicated in NAD(P)H oxidase activity, MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells do not express the phagocytic gp91(phox) subunit but express several nonphagocytic oxidase (NOX) isoforms. Transfection with Nox4 antisense oligonucleotide inhibited NAD(P)H oxidase activity and ROS production in MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells. Inhibiting ROS with the antioxidants, Nox4 antisense, or MnSOD overexpression all stimulated apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells as measured by internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, phosphatidylserine externalization, cytochrome c release, and effector caspase activation. The results show that growth factor-induced ROS produced by NAD(P)H oxidase (probably Nox4) protect pancreatic cancer cells from apoptosis. This mechanism may play an important role in pancreatic cancer resistance to treatment and thus represent a novel therapeutic target.     

Transgenic expression of Helios in B lineage cells alters B cell properties and promotes lymphomagenesis

Helios, a member of the Ikaros family of DNA-binding proteins, is expressed in multipotential lymphoid progenitors and throughout the T lineage. However, in most B lineage cells, Helios is not expressed, suggesting that its absence may be critical for B cell development and function. To test this possibility, transgenic mice were generated that express Helios under the control of an Ig mu enhancer. Commitment to the B cell lineage was unaltered in Helios transgenic mice, and numbers of surface IgM(+) B cells were normal in the bone marrow and spleen. However, both bone marrow and splenic B cells exhibited prolonged survival and enhanced proliferation. B cells in Helios transgenic mice were also hyperresponsive to Ag stimulation. These alterations were observed even though the concentration of ectopic Helios in B lineage cells, like that of endogenous Helios in thymocytes, was well below the concentration of Ikaros. Further evidence that ectopic Helios expression contributes to B cell abnormalities was provided by the observation that Helios transgenic mice developed metastatic lymphoma as they aged. Taken together, these results demonstrate that silencing of Helios is critical for normal B cell function.     

Looking at the Camp: Paleolithic Depiction of a Hunter-Gatherer Campsite

Landscapes and features of the everyday world were scarcely represented in Paleolithic art, especially those features associated with the human landscape (huts and campsites). On the contrary, other figurative motifs (especially animals) and signs, traditionally linked to the magic or religious conceptions of these hunter-gatherer societies, are the predominant themes of Upper Paleolithic art. This paper seeks to present an engraved schist slab recently found in the Molí del Salt site (North-eastern Iberia) and dated at the end of the Upper Paleolithic, ca. 13,800 years ago. This slab displays seven semicircular motifs that may be interpreted as the representation of dome-shaped huts. The analysis of individual motifs and the composition, as well as the ethnographic and archeological contextualization, suggests that this engraving is a naturalistic depiction of a hunter-gatherer campsite. Campsites can be considered the first human landscape, the first area of land whose visible features were entirely constructed by humans. Given the social meaning of campsites in hunter-gatherer life-styles, this engraving may be considered one of the first representations of the domestic and social space of a human group.