FK506 binding protein associated with the calcium release channel (ryanodine receptor).

The calcium release channel (CRC)/ryanodine receptor (RyRec) has been identified as the foot structure of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and provides the pathway for calcium efflux required for excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle. The CRC has previously been reported to consist of four identical 565-kDa protomers. We now report the identification of a 12-kDa protein which is tightly associated with highly purified RyRec from rabbit skeletal muscle SR. N-terminal amino acid sequencing and cDNA cloning demonstrates that the 12-kDa protein from fast twitch skeletal muscle is the binding protein for the immunosuppressant drug FK506. In humans, FK506 binds to the 12-kDa FK506-binding protein (FKBP12) and blocks calcium-dependent T cell activation. We find that FKBP12 and the RyRec are tightly associated in skeletal muscle SR on the basis of: 1) co-purification through sequential heparin-agarose, hydroxylapatite, and size exclusion chromatography columns; 2) coimmunoprecipitation of the RyRec and FKBP12 with anti-FKBP12 antibodies; and 3) subcellular localization of both proteins to the terminal cisternae of the SR, and not in the longitudinal tubules of SR, in fast twitch skeletal muscle. The molar ratio of FKBP12 to RyRec in highly purified RyRec preparations is approximately 1:4, indicating that one FKBP12 molecule is associated with each calcium release channel/foot structure.     

Use of a synthetic polymer (Pluronic F-127) as an agar substitute in culture medium to detect and measure microbial enzyme production

Summary A simple and rapid detection of proteolytic activity of microbial sources on a thermally reversible gel (Pluronic F-127) is described.     

Decoding the distribution of glycan receptors for human-adapted influenza A viruses in ferret respiratory tract

Ferrets are widely used as animal models for studying influenza A viral pathogenesis and transmissibility. Human-adapted influenza A viruses primarily target the upper respiratory tract in humans (infection of the lower respiratory tract is observed less frequently), while in ferrets, upon intranasal inoculation both upper and lower respiratory tract are targeted. Viral tropism is governed by distribution of complex sialylated glycan receptors in various cells/tissues of the host that are specifically recognized by influenza A virus hemagglutinin (HA), a glycoprotein on viral surface. It is generally known that upper respiratory tract of humans and ferrets predominantly express α2→6 sialylated glycan receptors. However much less is known about the fine structure of these glycan receptors and their distribution in different regions of the ferret respiratory tract. In this study, we characterize distribution of glycan receptors going beyond terminal sialic acid linkage in the cranial and caudal regions of the ferret trachea (upper respiratory tract) and lung hilar region (lower respiratory tract) by multiplexing use of various plant lectins and human-adapted HAs to stain these tissue sections. Our findings show that the sialylated glycan receptors recognized by human-adapted HAs are predominantly distributed in submucosal gland of lung hilar region as a part of O-linked glycans. Our study has implications in understanding influenza A viral pathogenesis in ferrets and also in employing ferrets as animal models for developing therapeutic strategies against influenza.     

Localization of neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactivity in the cat hypothalamus

The distribution pattern of neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactivity (NPY-Li) in cat hypothalamus was studied using avidin-biotin modification of immunocytochemical method. This study showed cell bodies containing NPY-Li in the periventricular and the infundibular nuclei and also a moderate number of neurons with NPY-Li in the ventromedial nucleus, an observation not reported in earlier studies. Fibers with NPY-Li were noted throughout the hypothalamus, but most prominently within the periventricular regions. The location of NPY cells within the hypothalamus suggests the possibility of an interaction with dopaminergic and other proopiomelanocortinergic neurons.