Biofabrication with chitosan

The traditional motivation for integrating biological components into microfabricated devices has been to create biosensors that meld the molecular recognition capabilities of biology with the signal processing capabilities of electronic devices. However, a different motivation is emerging; biological components are being explored to radically change how fabrication is achieved at the micro- and nanoscales. Here we review biofabrication, the use of biological materials for fabrication, and focus on three specific biofabrication approaches: directed assembly, where localized external stimuli are employed to guide assembly; enzymatic assembly, where selective biocatalysts are enlisted to build macromolecular structure; and self-assembly, where information internal to the biological material guides its own assembly. Also reviewed are recent results with the aminopolysaccharide chitosan, a material that offers a combination of properties uniquely suited for biofabrication. In particular, chitosan can be directed to assemble in response to locally applied electrical signals, and the chitosan backbone provides sites that can be employed for the assembly of proteins, nucleic acids, and virus particles.     

Targeting NADPH Oxidase and Phospholipases A2 in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is marked by an increase in the production of extracellular beta amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles associated with a decline in brain function. Increases in oxidative stress are regarded as an early sign of AD pathophysiology, although the source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the mechanism(s) whereby beta amyloid peptides (Aβ) impact oxidative stress have not been adequately investigated. Recent studies provide strong evidence for the involvement of NADPH oxidase and its downstream oxidative signaling pathways in the toxic effects elicited by Aβ. ROS produced by NADPH oxidase activate multiple signaling pathways leading to neuronal excitotoxicity and glial cell-mediated inflammation. This review describes recent studies demonstrating the neurotoxic effects of Aβ in conjunction with ROS produced by NADPH oxidase and the downstream pathways leading to activation of cytosolic phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂) and secretory PLA₂. In addition, this review also describes recent studies using botanical antioxidants to protect against oxidative damage associated with AD. Investigating the metabolic and signaling pathways involving Aβ NADPH oxidase and PLA₂ can help understand the mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative effects of oxidative stress in AD. This information should provide new therapeutic approaches for prevention of this debilitating disease.     

Proteomic identification of the cerebral cavernous malformation signaling complex

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM) are sporadic or inherited vascular lesions of the central nervous system characterized by dilated, thin-walled, leaky vessels. Linkage studies have mapped autosomal dominant mutations to three loci: ccm1 (KRIT1), ccm2 (OSM), and ccm3 (PDCD10). All three proteins appear to be scaffolds or adaptor proteins, as no enzymatic function can be attributed to them. Our previous results demonstrated that OSM is a scaffold for the assembly of the GTPase Rac and the MAPK kinase kinase MEKK3, for the hyperosmotic stress-dependent activation of p38 MAPK. Herein, we show that the three CCM proteins are members of a larger signaling complex. To define this complex, epitope-tagged wild type OSM or OSM harboring the mutation of F217-->A, which renders the OSM phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domain unable to bind KRIT1, were stably introduced into RAW264.7 mouse macrophages. FLAG-OSM or FLAG-OSMF217A and the associated complex members were purified by immunoprecipitation using anti-FLAG antibody. OSM binding partners were identified by gel-based methods combined with electrospray ionization-MS or by multidimensional protein identification technology (MudPIT). Previously identified proteins that associate with OSM including KRIT1, MEKK3, Rac, and the KRIT1-binding protein ICAP-1 were found in the immunoprecipitates. In addition, we show for the first time that PDCD10 binds to OSM and is found in cellular CCM complexes. Other prominent proteins that bound the CCM complex include EF1A1, RIN2, and tubulin, with each interaction disrupted with the OSMF217A mutant protein. We further show that PDCD10 binds phosphatidylinositol di- and triphosphates and OSM binds phosphatidylinositol monophosphates. The findings define the targeting of the CCM complex to membranes and to proteins regulating trafficking and the cytoskeleton.     

Achieving Molecular Selectivity in Imaging Using Multiphoton Raman Spectroscopy Techniques

In the case of most optical imaging methods, contrast is generated either by physical properties of the sample (Differential Image Contrast, Phase Contrast), or by fluorescent labels that are localized to a particular protein or organelle. Standard Raman and infrared methods for obtaining images are based upon the intrinsic vibrational properties of molecules, and thus obviate the need for attached fluorophores. Unfortunately, they have significant limitations for live-cell imaging. However, an active Raman method, called Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS), is well suited for microscopy, and provides a new means for imaging specific molecules. Vibrational imaging techniques, such as CARS, avoid problems associated with photobleaching and photo-induced toxicity often associated with the use of fluorescent labels with live cells. Because the laser configuration needed to implement CARS technology is similar to that used in other multiphoton microscopy methods, such as two-photon fluorescence and harmonic generation, it is possible to combine imaging modalities, thus generating simultaneous CARS and fluorescence images. A particularly powerful aspect of CARS microscopy is its ability to selectively image deuterated compounds, thus allowing the visualization of molecules, such as lipids, that are chemically indistinguishable from the native species.     

25-Hydroxyvitamin D depletion does not exacerbate MPTP-induced dopamine neuron damage in mice

Recent clinical evidence supports a link between 25-hydroxyvitamin D insufficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels <30 ng/mL) and Parkinson's disease. To investigate the effect of 25(OH)D depletion on neuronal susceptibility to toxic insult, we induced a state of 25(OH)D deficiency in mice and then challenged them with the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). We found there was no significant difference between control and 25(OH)D-deficient animals in striatal dopamine levels or dopamine transporter and tyrosine hydroxylase expression after lesioning with MPTP. Additionally, we found no difference in tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Our data suggest that reducing 25(OH)D serum levels in mice has no effect on the vulnerability of nigral dopaminergic neurons in vivo in this model system of parkinsonism.     

Evolutionary ecology of opsin gene sequence,expression and repertoire

Linking molecular evolution to biological function is a long‐standing challenge in evolutionary biology. Some of the best examples of this involve opsins, the genes that encode the molecular basis of light reception. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, three studies examine opsin gene sequence, expression and repertoire to determine how natural selection has shaped the visual system. First, Escobar‐Camacho et al. ( 2017 ) use opsin repertoire and expression in three Amazonian cichlid species to show that a shift in sensitivity towards longer wavelengths is coincident with the long‐wavelength‐dominated Amazon basin. Second, Stieb et al. ( 2017 ) explore opsin sequence and expression in reef‐dwelling damselfish and find that UV‐ and long‐wavelength vision are both important, but likely for different ecological functions. Lastly, Suvorov et al. ( 2017 ) study an expansive opsin repertoire in the insect order Odonata and find evidence that copy number expansion is consistent with the permanent heterozygote model of gene duplication. Together these studies emphasize the utility of opsin genes for studying both the local adaptation of sensory systems and, more generally, gene family evolution.     

Human histone gene organization : Identification of a histone gene polymorphism prevalent in a black population

Analysis of the restriction enzyme digests of total genomic DNAs from a broad spectrum of human cell lines and from individuals with different genetic backgrounds, by hybridization with a series of cloned human histone sequences, indicated restriction site polymorphisms (RSPs) for two adjacent human histone genes which reside on chromosome 1. In most cell lines and individuals examined we observed a single 2.05 kb H4 histone HindIII fragment and a 7.0 kb H3 histone HindIII fragment. In contrast, the polymorphisms were manifested as a 2.15 kb H4 HindIII fragment and a 9.1 kb H3 HindIII fragment. From population studies, we were able to show that there is no linkage disequilibrium between these two polymorphic restriction sites. Nor was there any apparent correlation between the presence of the H3/H4 histone polymorphisms and maintenance of the transformed karyotype, passage in culture, transformation or tumor progression. These chromosome 1 H3 and H4 histone gene polymorphisms are common in the American Black population and, in our survey of individuals, were not found in the American Caucasian population. Among the American Blacks studied, the frequency of the H3 HindIII(-) allele is 43% and of the H4 HindIII(-) allele 30%. In limited family studies, we were unable to detect recombination between these two physically linked alleles.     

Distinct Biology of Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus from Primary Lesions and Body Cavity Lymphomas

The DNA sequence for Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus was originally detected in Kaposi’s sarcoma biopsy specimens. Since its discovery, it has been possible to detect virus in cell lines established from AIDS-associated body cavity-based B-cell lymphoma and to propagate virus from primary Kaposi’s sarcoma lesions in a human renal embryonic cell line, 293. In this study, we analyzed the infectivity of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus produced from these two sources. Viral isolates from cultured cutaneous primary KS cells was transmitted to an Epstein-Barr virus-negative Burkitt’s B-lymphoma cell line, Louckes, and compared to virus induced from a body cavity-based B-cell lymphoma cell line. While propagation of body cavity-based B-cell lymphoma-derived virus was not observed in 293 cell cultures, infection with viral isolates obtained from primary Kaposi’s sarcoma lesions induced injury in 293 cells typical of herpesvirus infection and was associated with apoptotic cell death. Interestingly, transient overexpression of the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus v-Bcl-2 homolog delayed the process of apoptosis and prolonged the survival of infected 293 cells. In contrast, the broad-spectrum caspase inhibitors Z-VAD-fmk and Z-DEVD-fmk failed to protect infected cell cultures, suggesting that Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-induced apoptosis occurs through a Bcl-2-dependent pathway. Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus isolates from primary Kaposi’s sarcoma lesions and body cavity-based lymphomas therefore may differ and are likely to have distinct contributions to the pathophysiology of Kaposi’s sarcoma.