BiP and calreticulin form an abundant complex that is independent of endoplasmic reticulum stress

BiP is found in association with calreticulin, both in the presence and absence of endoplasmic reticulum stress. Although the BiP-calreticulin complex can be disrupted by ATP, several properties suggest that the calreticulin associated with BiP is neither unfolded nor partially or improperly folded. (1) The complex is stable in vivo and does not dissociate during 8 hr of chase. (2) When present in the complex, calreticulin masks epitopes at the C terminus of BiP that are not masked when BiP is bound to an assembly-defective protein. And (3) overproduction of calreticulin does not lead to the recruitment of more BiP into complexes with calreticulin. The BiP-calreticulin complex can be disrupted by low pH but not by divalent cation chelators. When the endoplasmic reticulum retention signal of BiP is removed, complex formation with calreticulin still occurs, and this explains the poor secretion of the truncated molecule. Gel filtration experiments showed that BiP and calreticulin are present in distinct high molecular weight complexes in which both molecules interact with each other. The possible functions of this complex are discussed.     

Increasing cell biomass in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> increases recombinant protein yield: the use of a respiratory strain as a microbial cell factory

Background  

Recombinant protein production is universally employed as a solution to obtain the milligram to gram quantities of a given protein required for applications as diverse as structural genomics and biopharmaceutical manufacture. Yeast is a well-established recombinant host cell for these purposes. In this study we wanted to investigate whether our respiratory Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, TM6*, could be used to enhance the productivity of recombinant proteins over that obtained from corresponding wild type, respiro-fermentative strains when cultured under the same laboratory conditions.     

Cytokine gene polymorphisms and atopic disease in two European cohorts. (ECRHS-Basel and SAPALDIA)

Background

Avoidance of allergens is still recommended as the first and best way to prevent allergic illnesses and their comorbid diseases. Despite a variety of attempts there has been very limited success in the area of environmental control of allergic disease. Our objective was to identify a non-invasive, non-pharmacological method to reduce indoor allergen loads in atopic persons' homes and public environments. We employed a novel in vivo approach to examine the possibility of using aluminum sulfate to control environmental allergens.

Methods

Fifty skin test reactive patients were simultaneously skin tested with conventional test materials and the actions of the protein/glycoprotein modifier, aluminum sulfate. Common allergens, dog, cat, dust mite, Alternaria, and cockroach were used in the study.

Results

Skin test reactivity was significantly reduced by the modifier aluminum sulfate. Our studies demonstrate that the effects of histamine were not affected by the presence of aluminum sulfate. In fact, skin test reactivity was reduced independent of whether aluminum sulfate was present in the allergen test material or removed prior to testing, indicating that the allergens had in some way been inactivated.

Conclusion

Aluminum sulfate was found to reduce the in vivo allergic reaction cascade induced by skin testing with common allergens. The exact mechanism is not clear but appears to involve the alteration of IgE-binding epitopes on the allergen. Our results indicate that it may be possible to diminish the allergenicity of an environment by application of the active agent aluminum sulfate, thus producing environmental control without complete removal of the allergen.     

Unusual growth pattern in the Frasnian alveolitids (Tabulata) from the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland)

Abstract: Growth periodicity is a phenomenon occurring in fossil and modern corals. The most apparent feature is growth banding, and environmental changes are broadly accepted as controls on this phenomenon. If environment controls the growth, then all corallites within a colony should repeat the same growth pattern, as individuals are clones and must have shared the same environment. A study on several species of Alveolitidae (Anthozoa, Tabulata) from the Late Devonian (Early Frasnian) of the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland) shows that the growth pattern varies between neighbouring individuals within the same corallum. This contradicts observations of closely related Favositida as demonstrated on Pachyfavosites sp. from the Givetian of Avesnois, France, where neighbouring individuals repeat the same pattern. Therefore, environmental control on growth rhythm in Alveolitidae can be excluded; the causes of differences between individuals remain unknown.     

Breakdown in classical biological control of Argentine stem weevil: a matter of time

Earlier study at a national scale has shown that insect pests in agriculture can develop resistance to natural enemies following ongoing expansion and simplification of agricultural systems. Here, we used 25 years of field-sampling data segmented into three distinct ecoregions in New Zealand to show that parasitism rate of a key pasture pest (Listronotus bonariensis, Argentine stem weevil) by the introduced parasitoid Microctonus hyperodae has significantly declined. However, this decline has not happened simultaneously in all three ecoregions but with a one year time-lag. The variation in parasitism rate trends might be attributed to subsets of the weevil populations that became resistant to their biocontrol agent once having been exposed to seven years selection pressure (ca. 14 generations) since the parasitoid releases. This result supports the hypothesis that adaptation leading to resistance might have similarly occurred in different parts of the country indicating that the genetic variation needed for the acquisition of resistance was equally present everywhere.     

Potential non-target impact of Microctonus aethiopoides Loan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on Cleopus japonicus Wingelmüller (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a biocontrol agent for putative release to control the butterfly bush Buddleja davidii Franchet in New Zealand

Abstract  Cleopus japonicus Wingelmüller (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is being considered for release to control buddleia Buddleja davidii in New Zealand. As part of the pre-release testing, Moroccan and Irish biotypes of the solitary endoparasitoid Microctonus aethiopoides Loan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) were evaluated for potential non-target impacts on adult C. japonicus should release occur. Laboratory experiments evaluated both the behavioural and physiological suitability of C. japonicus to both biotypes of the parasitoid. Parasitoid behavioural attraction was assessed using the pathenogenic bacterium Serratia marcescens (Enterobactereaceae), as an indicator of ovipositor penetration. Physiological suitability was assessed by comparing parasitism of C. japonicus with the natural hosts of the respective parasitoid biotypes. The parasitoid-bacteria study showed that C. japonicus was behaviourally acceptable to both Moroccan and Irish M. aethiopoides , with the two experiments producing 34% and 8% mortality, respectively. Cleopus japonicus did not support development of either Moroccan or Irish M. aethiopoides biotypes. None of the weevils dissected at the end of the experiment contained immature parasitoids. Comparison between unexposed and parasitoid-exposed C. japonicus found no difference in premature mortality during the experiment nor in the number of fully reproductive females at its conclusion. The results of this study predict that should C. japonicus be released, the potential impact of M. aethiopoides on field populations will be negligible.