Small Hydrophobic Protein of Human Metapneumovirus Does Not Affect Virus Replication and Host Gene Expression In Vitro

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) encodes a small hydrophobic (SH) protein of unknown function. HMPV from which the SH open reading frame was deleted (HMPVΔSH) was viable and displayed similar replication kinetics, cytopathic effect and plaque size compared with wild type HMPV in several cell-lines. In addition, no differences were observed in infection efficiency or cell-to-cell spreading in human primary bronchial epithelial cells (HPBEC) cultured at an air-liquid interphase. Host gene expression was analyzed in A549 cells infected with HMPV or HMPVΔSH using microarrays and mass spectrometry (MS) based techniques at multiple time points post infection. Only minor differences were observed in mRNA or protein expression levels. A possible function of HMPV SH as apoptosis blocker, as proposed for several members of the family Paramyxoviridae, was rejected based on this analysis. So far, a clear phenotype of HMPV SH deletion mutants in vitro at the virus and host levels is absent.     

Equilibrium-Phase High Spatial Resolution Contrast-Enhanced MR Angiography at 1.5T in Preoperative Imaging for Perforator Flap Breast Reconstruction

Objectives

The aim was (i) to evaluate the accuracy of equilibrium-phase high spatial resolution (EP) contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) at 1.5T using a blood pool contrast agent for the preoperative evaluation of deep inferior epigastric artery perforator branches (DIEP), and (ii) to compare image quality with conventional first-pass CE-MRA.

Methods

Twenty-three consecutive patients were included. All patients underwent preoperative CE-MRA to determine quality and location of DIEP. First-pass imaging after a single bolus injection of 10 mL gadofosveset trisodium was followed by EP imaging. MRA data were compared to intra-operative findings, which served as the reference standard.

Results

There was 100% agreement between EP CE-MRA and surgical findings in identifying the single best perforator branch. All EP acquisitions were of diagnostic quality, whereas in 10 patients the quality of the first-pass acquisition was qualified as non-diagnostic. Both signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios were significantly higher for EP imaging in comparison with first-pass acquisitions (p<0.01).

Conclusions

EP CE-MRA of DIEP in the preoperative evaluation of patients undergoing a breast reconstruction procedure is highly accurate in identifying the single best perforator branch at 1.5Tesla (T). Besides accuracy, image quality of EP imaging proved superior to conventional first-pass CE-MRA.     

Proteomic Profiling of Mouse Helper T Cell Differentiation

Helper T cell differentiation is a key process in the regulation of adaptive immune responses. Here, mouse Th1 and Th2 cells are profiled using high‐throughput proteomics to increase the understanding of the molecular biology of Th differentiation to support the design of prophylactic and therapeutic intervention strategies for (infectious) diseases. Protein profiling of Th1/Th2 differentiated cells results in the quantification of almost 6000 proteins of which 41 are differentially expressed at FDR < 0.1, and 19 at the FDR < 0.05 level, respectively. Differential protein expression analysis identifies a number of the expected canonical Th differentiation markers, and gene set analysis using the REACTOME database and a hypergeometric test (FDR < 0.05) confirms that helper T cell pathways are the top sets that are differentially expressed. Additionally, by network analysis, many differentially expressed proteins are associated with the Th1 and Th2 pathways. Data are available via PRIDE database with identifier PXD004532.     

Oxygen uptake rates and liver-specific functions of hepatocyte and 3T3 fibroblast co-cultures

Bioartificial liver (BAL) devices have been developed to treat patients undergoing acute liver failure. One of the most important parameters to consider in designing these devices is the oxygen consumption rate of the seeded hepatocytes which are known to have oxygen consumption rates 10 times higher than most other cell types. Hepatocytes in various culture configurations have been tested in BAL devices including those formats that involve co-culture of hepatocytes with other cell types. In this study, we investigated, for the first time, oxygen uptake rates (OUR)s of hepatocytes co-cultured with 3T3-J2 fibroblasts at various hepatocyte to fibroblast seeding ratios. OURs were determined by measuring the rate of oxygen disappearance using a ruthenium-coated optical probe after closing and sealing the culture dish. Albumin and urea production rates were measured to assess hepatocyte function. Lower hepatocyte density co-cultures demonstrated significantly higher OURs (2 to 3.5-fold) and liver- specific functions (1.6-fold for albumin and 4.5-fold for urea production) on a per cell basis than those seeded at higher densities. Increases in OUR correlated well with increased liver-specific functions. OURs (V(m)) were modeled by fitting Michaelis-Menten kinetics and the model predictions closely correlated with the experimental data. This study provides useful information for predicting BAL design parameters that will avoid oxygen limitations, as well as maximize metabolic functions.     

Avian coccidiosis: a disturbed host-parasite relationship to be restored

The co-evolution of Eimeria and its host the domestic chicken has resulted in a delicate balance of mutual understanding and respect. This balance has been broken by the complete change of the environment in which the parasite was able to reproduce to such an extent that the host, stressed and weakened by heat, crowding and concurrent infections could not combat the shear numbers of organisms. The use of drugs to control the situation has been shown to only temporarily create relief. Resistance widely developed by the flexible genome of the parasite returned new drugs at a greater speed than they had been developed. Improved hygienic measures, better facility management and good understanding of epidemiology of the parasites spreading and proliferation seem the first and most promising set of tools to control the balance. Reduction of stock density may only provide any relief if this is done at a factor of 10 or higher and this is not a realistic measure in relation to the profit. Free-range chickens are an alternative if only animal welfare is at stake. However, in terms of prevalence of parasitic infections, such as coccidia, helminthes or ectoparasites, chickens do not seem to be better off (Permin et al., 2002). Immunological surveillance and the development of safe, effective and economical vaccines are further refinements that can be used to restore the relationship between parasite and host. Several live vaccines are effective and applied, but certainly have drawbacks in safety and production. New technology such as recombinant vectors together with a better understanding of the cell biology of the parasite from biological and genomic information should provide improved vaccines for the future. The strong genetically determined characteristics involved in the induction and maintenance of a sustainable protective immune response might turn out to be of decisive importance for the success of these strategies. The consequences for the physiology of the parasite remain to be understood.     

Plasma distribution of apoA-IV in patients with coronary artery disease and healthy controls

Recent studies showed lower apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) plasma concentrations in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The actual distribution of the antiatherogenic apoA-IV in human plasma, however, is discussed controversially and it was never investigated in CAD patients. We therefore developed a gentle technique to separate the various apoA-IV-containing plasma fractions. Using a combination of precipitation of all lipoproteins with 40% phosphotungstic acid and 4 M MgCl2, as well as immunoprecipitation of all apoA-I-containing particles with an anti-apoA-I antibody, we obtained three fractions of apoA-IV: lipid-free apoA-IV (about 4% of total apoA-IV), apoA-IV associated with apoA-I (LpA-I:A-IV, 12%), and apoA-I-unbound but lipoprotein-containing apoA-IV (LpA-IV, 84%). We compared these three apoA-IV fractions between 52 patients with a history of CAD and 52 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Patients had significantly lower apoA-IV levels when compared to controls (10.28 +/- 3.67 mg/dl vs. 11.85 +/- 2.82 mg/dl, P = 0.029), but no major differences for the three plasma apoA-IV fractions. We conclude that our gentle separation method reveals a different distribution of apoA-IV than in many earlier studies. No major differences exist in the apoA-IV plasma distribution pattern between CAD patients and controls. Therefore, the antiatherogenic effect of apoA-IV has to be explained by other functional properties of apoA-IV (e.g., the antioxidative characteristics).     

Inhibitors tethered near the acetylcholinesterase active site serve as molecular rulers of the peripheral and acylation sites

The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) active site consists of a narrow gorge with two separate ligand binding sites: an acylation site (or A-site) at the bottom of the gorge where substrate hydrolysis occurs and a peripheral site (or P-site) at the gorge mouth. AChE is inactivated by organophosphates as they pass through the P-site and phosphorylate the catalytic serine in the A-site. One strategy to protect against organophosphate inactivation is to design cyclic ligands that will bind specifically to the P-site and block the passage of organophosphates but not acetylcholine. To accelerate the process of identifying cyclic compounds with high affinity for the AChE P-site, we introduced a cysteine residue near the rim of the P-site by site-specific mutagenesis to generate recombinant human H287C AChE. Compounds were synthesized with a highly reactive methanethiosulfonyl substituent and linked to this cysteine through a disulfide bond. The advantages of this tethering were demonstrated with H287C AChE modified with six compounds, consisting of cationic trialkylammonium, acridinium, and tacrine ligands with tethers of varying length. Modification by ligands with short tethers had little effect on catalytic properties, but longer tethering resulted in shifts in substrate hydrolysis profiles and reduced affinity for acridinium affinity resin. Molecular modeling calculations indicated that cationic ligands with tethers of intermediate length bound to the P-site, whereas those with long tethers reached the A-site. These binding locations were confirmed experimentally by measuring competitive inhibition constants KI2 for propidium and tacrine, inhibitors specific for the P- and A-sites, respectively. Values of KI2 for propidium increased 30- to 100-fold when ligands had either intermediate or long tethers. In contrast, the value of KI2 for tacrine increased substantially only when ligands had long tethers. These relative changes in propidium and tacrine affinities thus provided a sensitive molecular ruler for assigning the binding locations of the tethered cations.