Sonic hedgehog regulates prostatic growth and epithelial differentiation

The Sonic hedgehog (SHH)-signalling pathway mediates epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in several tissues during development and disease, and we have investigated its role in rat ventral prostate (VP) development. We have demonstrated that Shh and Ptc expression correlates with growth and development of the prostate and that their expression is not regulated by androgens in the VP. Prostatic budding was induced in response to testosterone in Shh null mouse urogenital sinus (UGS) explants grown in vitro and in rat UGS explants cultured with cyclopamine, suggesting that SHH-signalling is not critical for prostatic induction. SHH-signalling was disrupted at later stages of VP development (in vitro), resulting in a reduction in organ size, an increase in ductal tip number, and reduced proliferation of ductal tip epithelia. The addition of recombinant SHH to VPs grown in vitro caused a decrease in ductal tip number and expansion of the mesenchyme. In the presence of testosterone, inhibition of SHH-signalling accelerated the canalisation of prostatic epithelial ducts and resulted in ducts that showed morphological similarities to cribiform prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). The epithelia of these ducts also demonstrated precocious and aberrant differentiation, when examined by immunohistochemistry for p63 and cytokeratin 14. In conclusion, we show that SHH-signalling is not essential for prostatic induction, but is important for prostatic growth, branching, and proliferation, and that androgen-stimulated growth in the absence of signalling from the SHH pathway results in aberrant epithelial differentiation.     

Early postnatal changes in sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium transport function in spontaneously hypertensive rats

This comparative study investigates the relationship between sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium(Ca²⁺)-ATPase transport activity and phospholamban (PLB) phosphorylation in whole cardiac homogenates of spo`ntaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and their parent, normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) strain during early postnatal development at days 1, 3, 6, 12 and at day 40 to ascertain any difference in SR Ca²⁺ handling before the onset of hypertension. At day 1, the rate of homogenate oxalate-supported Ca²⁺ uptake was significantly higher in SHR than in WKY (0.25 ± 0.02 vs 0.12 ± 0.01 nmoles Ca²⁺/mg wet ventricular weight/min, respectively; p < 0.001). This interstrain difference disappeared with further developmental increase in SR Ca²⁺ transport. Western Blot analysis and a semiquantitative ELISA did not reveal any difference in the amount of immunoreactive PLB (per mg of total tissue protein) between strains at any of the ages studied. In addition, levels of phosphorylated PLB formed in vitro in the presence of radiolabelled ATP and catalytic (C) subunit of protein kinase A did not differ between SHR and WKY at days 1, 3, 6 and 12. At day 40, C subunit-catalyzed formation of ³²P-PLB was reduced by 66% (p < 0.001) in SHR when compared to age-matched WKY In the early postnatal period between day 1 and 12 SR Ca²⁺-transport values were linearly related to the respective ³²P-PLB levels of both SHR and WKY rats. The results indicate that cardiac SR of SHR can sequester Ca²⁺ at a much higher rate immediately after birth compared to WKY rats. The disappearance of this interstrain difference with further development suggests that some endogenous neuroendocrine or nutritional factor(s) from the hypertensive mother may exert an influence upon the developing heart in utero resulting in a transiently advanced maturation of the SR Ca²⁺ transport function in SHR pups at the time of birth.     

Evaluation of soybean RFLP marker diversity in adapted germ plasm

Summary Soybean RFLP markers have been primarily developed and genetically mapped using wide crosses between exotic and adapted genotypes. We have screened 38 soybean lines at 128 RFLP marker loci primarily to characterize germ plasm structure but also to evaluate the utility of RFLP markers identified in unadapted populations. Of these DNA probes 70% detected RFLPs in this set of soybean lines with an average polymorphism index of 0.30. This means that only 1 out of 5 marker loci was informative between any particular pair of adapted soybean lines. The variance associated with the estimation of RFLP genetic distance (GD_R) was determined, and the value obtained suggested that the use of more than 65–90 marker loci for germ plasm surveys will add little precision. Cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis of the GD_R matrix revealed the relative lack of diversity in adapted germ plasm. Within the cultivated lines, several lines adapted to Southern US maturity zones also appeared as a separate group. GD_R data was compared to the genetic distance estimates obtained from pedigree analysis (GD_P). These two measures were correlated with r = 0.54 for all 38 lines, but the correlation increased to r = 0.73 when only adapted lines were analyzed.     

Continental-scale distribution and diversity of Ceratobasidium orchid mycorrhizal fungi in Australia

Background and AimsMycorrhizal fungi are a critical component of the ecological niche of most plants and can potentially constrain their geographical range. Unlike other types of mycorrhizal fungi, the distributions of orchid mycorrhizal fungi (OMF) at large spatial scales are not well understood. Here, we investigate the distribution and diversity of Ceratobasidium OMF in orchids and soils across the Australian continent.MethodsWe sampled 217 Ceratobasidium isolates from 111 orchid species across southern Australia and combined these with 311 Ceratobasidium sequences from GenBank. To estimate the taxonomic diversity of Ceratobasidium associating with orchids, phylogenetic analysis of the ITS sequence locus was undertaken. Sequence data from the continent-wide Australian Microbiome Initiative were used to determine the geographical range of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) detected in orchids, with the distribution and climatic correlates of the two most frequently detected OTUs modelled using MaxEnt.Key ResultsWe identified 23 Ceratobasidium OTUs associating with Australian orchids, primarily from the orchid genera Pterostylis, Prasophyllum, Rhizanthella and Sarcochilus. OTUs isolated from orchids were closely related to, but distinct from, known pathogenic fungi. Data from soils and orchids revealed that ten of these OTUs occur on both east and west sides of the continent, while 13 OTUs were recorded at three locations or fewer. MaxEnt models suggested that the distributions of two widespread OTUs are correlated with temperature and soil moisture of the wettest quarter and far exceeded the distributions of their host orchid species.ConclusionsCeratobasidium OMF with cross-continental distributions are common in Australian soils and frequently have geographical ranges that exceed that of their host orchid species, suggesting these fungi are not limiting the distributions of their host orchids at large spatial scales. Most OTUs were distributed within southern Australia, although several OTUs had distributions extending into central and northern parts of the continent, illustrating their tolerance of an extraordinarily wide range of environmental conditions.     

Composition,Production and Procurement of Glass at San Vincenzo al Volturno: An Early Medieval Monastic Complex in Southern Italy

136 glasses from the ninth-century monastery of San Vincenzo and its workshops have been analysed by electron microprobe in order to situate the assemblage within the first millennium CE glass making tradition. The majority of the glass compositions can be paralleled by Roman glass from the first to third centuries, with very few samples consistent with later compositional groups. Colours for trailed decoration on vessels, for vessel bodies and for sheet glass for windows were largely produced by melting the glass tesserae from old Roman mosaics. Some weakly-coloured transparent glass was obtained by re-melting Roman window glass, while some was produced by melting and mixing of tesserae, excluding the strongly coloured cobalt blues. Our data suggest that to feed the needs of the glass workshop, the bulk of the glass was removed as tesserae and windows from a large Roman building. This is consistent with a historical account according to which the granite columns of the monastic church were spolia from a Roman temple in the region. The purported shortage of natron from Egypt does not appear to explain the dependency of San Vincenzo on old Roman glass. Rather, the absence of contemporary primary glass may reflect the downturn in long-distance trade in the later first millennium C.E., and the role of patronage in the “ritual economy” founded upon donations and gift-giving of the time.     

The effect of insulin-like growth factor-1 on adult rat cardiac contractility

There is increasing evidence that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) may play a role in both physiological and pathophysiological events in the mammalian myocardium. The present study investigated the acute effects of IGF-I on isometric force development in isolated rat cardiac muscle and on intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) handling in isolated cardiac myocytes. IGF-I had a positive inotropic effect on rat ventricular papillary muscles increasing force development by 17.8 ± 4.6%, 18.5 ± 5.8% and 11.9 ± 4.9% (n = 12–20) at concentrations of 1, 10 and 100 ng/ml respectively. Isoprenaline increased tension in these papillary muscles by 56.7 ± 7.7% at a concentration of 100 nM (n = 22). In comparison, insulin increased papillary muscle force development by 11.6 ± 3.2%, 17.7 ± 4.1% and 19.7 ± 5.6% at concentrations of 1, 10 and 100 nM respectively (n = 16–20). In the single cardiac myocyte IGF-1 increased, the peak cytosolic free Ca²⁺ concentration, the amplitude of the Ca²⁺ transient and the time to peak Ca²⁺ as measured with the fluorescent bioprobe Indo-1 AM. The positive inotropic response to IGF-1 by rat ventricular muscle is therefore associated with a rise in free, peak cytosolic Ca²⁺ in isolated cardiac myocytes. Increasing insulin concentrations (1–1000 nM) elicited a progressive elevation in isometric force and free, cytosolic Ca²⁺. In contrast, in the presence of IGF-1, the maximal rise in isometric force and free cytosolic Ca²⁺ were both observed at 10 ng/ml. Recent reports have suggested that IGF-1 may act on the mammalian myocardium when administered chronically, but this study is amongst the first to demonstrate an acute effect of IGF-I on the mammalian heart. IGF-1 may prove then to be a novel cardioactive agent in both normal and pathophysiological states.     

Caffeine restriction: effect on mild hypertension.

OBJECTIVE--To determine the effects on blood pressure of modifying dietary caffeine intake in patients with mild and borderline hypertension by monitoring ambulatory and clinic blood pressure. DESIGN--Four way, randomised, crossover trial of four consecutive two week dietary regimens: normal diet, caffeine free diet alone, caffeine free diet with decaffeinated instant coffee, caffeine free diet with caffeinated instant coffee (instant coffee phases conducted double blind). SETTING--Hospital hypertension clinic, Scotland. PATIENTS--52 patients (23 men; aged 26-67 years) with untreated borderline or mild hypertension (diastolic blood pressure 90-105 mm Hg) who normally drank a minimum of three cups of coffee daily. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Mean ambulatory blood pressure over 24 hours; mean morning, daytime, and night time ambulatory blood pressure; sitting clinic blood pressure at 1700; plasma caffeine concentration at 1700 on the last day of each regimen. RESULTS--Mean 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure was not different between regimens. There was no difference in blood pressure variability between regimens. During the caffeine free diet alone morning ambulatory diastolic blood pressure was higher (2.8 mm Hg) than during the caffeine free diet with caffeinated coffee. Mean sitting clinic systolic blood pressure was higher at 1700 (4.7 mm Hg) with a caffeine free diet than with the caffeine free diet with caffeinated coffee (p less than 0.05). Dietary compliance as assessed by plasma caffeine concentration was excellent. There was no significant correlation between plasma caffeine concentration and blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS--Drinking caffeinated instant coffee over a two week period does not adversely influence blood pressure in patients with borderline or mild hypertension; abstinence is of no benefit.     

Involvement of enterobactin in norepinephrine-mediated iron supply from transferrin to enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli

Exposure of bacteria to members of the stress-associated family of catecholamine hormones, principally norepinephrine, has been demonstrated to increase both growth and production of virulence-related factors. Mutation of genes for enterobactin synthesis and uptake revealed an absolute requirement for enterobactin in norepinephrine-stimulated growth of Escherichia coli O157:H7. The autoinducer produced by norepinephrine-stimulated E. coli could not substitute for enterobactin. We also demonstrate that norepinephrine promotes iron shuttling between transferrin molecules, thereby enabling the bacterial siderophore enterobactin to more readily acquire iron for growth. These results suggest one of the possible mechanisms by which the hormonal output of stress may affect enterohaemorrhagic E. coli pathogenicity.