The human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori has a gene encoding an enzyme first classified as a mucinase in Vibrio cholerae

The human bacterial pathogen Helicobacter pylori has been suggested to be the causative agent of the most common chronic infection of man. Since its first isolation in 1982, H. pylori has been associated with gastric and duodenal ulcer disease, and more recently, gastric cancer. The proteolytic digestion of gastric mucus by this microorganism has been suggested as an important mechanism by which its pathogenicity is at least partly exerted. Here we report the detection of protease activity in H. pylori total-cell and supernatant extracts. On the basis that zinc metalloproteases are common microbial pathogenicity factors, we identified a single protein in H. pylori protein extracts with antibodies to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase (a secreted zinc metallo-protease). This same protein was identified by pooled serum from patients infected with H. pylori. We used the functional and immunological relationship between the P. aeruginosa elastase and the Vibrio cholerae haemagglutinin/protease (HAP) to clone the H. pylori hap gene, which was over 99% similar to the V. cholerae hap gene in the coding region. A 4 kb DNA fragment containing the entire cloned gene was highly unstable in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis cloning vectors. We also demonstrated that a hap-like gene sequence is present in ail nine Helicobacter species so far discovered. The V. cholerae HAP was first classified on the basis of its mucinase activity.     

Modulation of Endogenous Antioxidant Enzymes by Nitric Oxide in Rat C6 Glial Cells

Abstract: To understand the possible mechanism of nitric oxide (NO)-mediated cytotoxicity, we investigated the effect of NO on the endogenous antioxidant enzymes (AOEs) catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and CuZn- and Mn-superoxide dismutases (SODs) in rat C₆ glial cells under conditions in which these cells expressed oligodendrocyte-like properties as evidenced by the expression of 2′,3′-cyclic-nucleotide 3′-phosphohydrolase. The 24-h treatment with S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), a NO donor, decreased the activities and the protein levels of catalase, GPX, and Mn-SOD in a dose-dependent manner. Alternatively, the activity and the protein level of CuZn-SOD were increased. 2-Phenyl-4,4, 5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO), a NO scavenger, blocked the effect of SNAP. Moreover, the treatment of C₆ cells with sodium nitroprusside, another NO donor, or with a combination of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), which induce excessive production of NO, also significantly modulated the AOE activities in a manner similar to that seen with SNAP treatment. The compounds/enzymes that inhibit the production of NO (e.g., N-nitro-l -arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, arginase, and PTIO) blocked the effects of LPS and IFN-γ on the activities of AOEs. Treatment with SNAP and a combination of LPS and IFN-γ also modulated the mRNA levels of AOEs, parallel to the changes in their protein levels and activities, except for Mn-SOD where the combination of LPS and IFN-γ markedly stimulated the mRNA expression. In spite of the stimulation of mRNA level, LPS and IFN-γ significantly inhibited the activity of Mn-SOD within the first 24 h of incubation; however, Mn-SOD activity gradually increased with the increase in time of incubation. These results suggest that alterations in the status of AOEs by NO may be the basis of NO-induced cytotoxicity in disease states associated with excessive NO production.     

Effects of long-term exposure to 900 megahertz electromagnetic field on heart morphology and biochemistry of male adolescent rats

The pathological effects of exposure to an electromagnetic field (EMF) during adolescence may be greater than those in adulthood. We investigated the effects of exposure to 900 MHz EMF during adolescence on male adult rats. Twenty-four 21-day-old male rats were divided into three equal groups: control (Cont-Gr), sham (Shm-Gr) and EMF-exposed (EMF-Gr). EMF-Gr rats were placed in an EMF exposure cage (Plexiglas cage) for 1 h/day between postnatal days 21 and 59 and exposed to 900 MHz EMF. Shm-Gr rats were placed inside the Plexiglas cage under the same conditions and for the same duration, but were not exposed to EMF. All animals were sacrificed on postnatal day 60 and the hearts were extracted for microscopic and biochemical analyses. Biochemical analysis showed increased levels of malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase, and reduced glutathione and catalase levels in EMF-Gr compared to Cont-Gr animals. Hematoxylin and eosin stained sections from EMF-Gr animals exhibited structural changes and capillary congestion in the myocardium. The percentage of apoptotic myocardial cells in EMF-Gr was higher than in either Shm-Gr or Cont-Gr animals. Transmission electron microscopy of myocardial cells of EMF-Gr animals showed altered structure of Z bands, decreased myofilaments and pronounced vacuolization. We found that exposure of male rats to 900 MHz EMF for 1 h/day during adolescence caused oxidative stress, which caused structural alteration of male adolescent rat heart tissue.     

Pollution control of swine manure and straw by conversion to Chaetomium cellulolyticum SCP feed

Swine manure has a very high pollution potential and obnoxious odor. Large farms particularly are confronted with a manure disposal problem since environmentally acceptable solutions are now required by government regulations. Swine manure was found to be a good source of supplementary nutrients to ferment wheat straw into single-cell protein (SCP) with Chaetomium cellulolyticum when 0.13g (NH₄)₂SO₄/g solid was used as an additional source of N. In batch fermentations, inhibitory effects, possibly due to soluble released from the straw during alkali or acid pretreatment, were overcome by starting the fermentation at about pH 7.0 and then reducing it to 5.0 during growth. An overall protein productivity of up to 66 mg/L h was obtained from a slurry mixture of 1% w/v solids of manure and straw. This compares favorably with 99 mg/L h when manure was fermented with glucose instead of straw as the main carbon source. A high protein productivity of 200 mg/L h was obtained from a slurry mixture containing anaerobically prefermented swine manure liquor and 1.5% w/v solids from straw. The final products of the manure and straw fermentations contained 25–30% DW crude protein and 6–20% DW cellulose and the materials were free of the original obnoxious odor and undesirable microbial contamination.     

Effect of physical and physicochemical pretreatments of wood for SCP production with Chaetomium cellulolyticum

Relatively poor SCP production (4.2 mg/L h) was obtained using C. cellulolyticum and ground aspen wood treated with steam at atmospheric pressure for 1 h. The percentage of protein in the final product increased to 21.4% at a specific growth rate of 0.15 h^?1 when the wood sample was treated with steam at a higher pressure (280 psig for 4 min) according to the "Stake" process. Alkali treatment (10% and 15% w/w at 121°C for 30 min), known to solubilize hemicelluloses and some of the lignin, gave intermediate results. More complete delignification of wood using NaClO₂ increased the protein composition in the final product to 37.9%, at a specific growth rate of 0.19 h^?1. Cellulose utilization was lowest (12.4%) in the case of the wood treated with steam at atmospheric pressure; it was higher at 75.3 and 78.5% for wood treated with NaOH at 10 and 15% w/w levels, respectively. The cellulose utilization was highest (90%) for wood treated with NaClO₂.     

Functional characterisation of the regulation of CAAT enhancer binding protein alpha by GSK-3 phosphorylation of Threonines 222/226

Background  

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (GSK3) activity is repressed following insulin treatment of cells. Pharmacological inhibition of GSK3 mimics the effect of insulin on Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (PEPCK), Glucose-6 Phosphatase (G6Pase) and IGF binding protein-1 (IGFBP1) gene expression. CAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPα) regulates these gene promoters in liver and is phosphorylated on two residues (T222/T226) by GSK3, although the functional outcome of the phosphorylation has not been established. We aimed to establish whether CEBPα is a link between GSK3 and these gene promoters.     

Production of recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors using a baculovirus/insect cell suspension culture system: from shake flasks to a 20-L bioreactor

Production of recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors using a baculovirus/insect cell system at various scales is presented. Shake flask studies were conducted to assess conditions to be used in bioreactors. Two insect cell lines, Trichoplusia ni (H5) and Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9), were compared for their ability to produce rAAV-2 after infection with recombinant baculoviruses coding for the essential components of the vector. The effect of varying the ratio between individual baculoviruses and the effect of the overall multiplicity of infection (MOI), as well as the cell density at infection, were also examined. Infectious rAAV-2 particles were proportionally produced when increasing the individual MOI of BacRep virus up to 1.6. When equal amounts of each virus were used, a leveling effect occurred beyond an overall MOI of 5 and a maximum titer was obtained. Increasing the cell density at infection resulted in higher yields when infecting the cells in fresh medium; however, for the production of bioactive particles, an optimal peak cell density of approximately 1 x 10(6) cells/mL was observed without medium exchange. Infection in 3- and 20-L bioreactors was done at an overall MOI of 5 with a ratio of the three baculoviruses equal to 1:1:1. Under these conditions and infecting the cells in fresh medium, a total of approximately 2.2 x 10(12) infectious viral particles (bioactive particles) or 2.6 x 10(15) viral particles were produced in a 3-L bioreactor. Without replacing the medium at infection, similar titers were produced in 20 L. Our data demonstrates the feasibility of rAAV-2 production by BEVS at various scales in bioreactors and indicates that further optimization is required for production at high cell densities.     

Nfu facilitates the maturation of iron‐sulfur proteins and participates in virulence in Staphylococcus aureus

The acquisition and metabolism of iron (Fe) by the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is critical for disease progression. S. aureus requires Fe to synthesize inorganic cofactors called iron‐sulfur (Fe‐S) clusters, which are required for functional Fe‐S proteins. In this study we investigated the mechanisms utilized by S. aureus to metabolize Fe‐S clusters. We identified that S. aureus utilizes the Suf biosynthetic system to synthesize Fe‐S clusters and we provide genetic evidence suggesting that the sufU and sufB gene products are essential. Additional biochemical and genetic analyses identified Nfu as an Fe‐S cluster carrier, which aids in the maturation of Fe‐S proteins. We find that deletion of the nfu gene negatively impacts staphylococcal physiology and pathogenicity. A nfu mutant accumulates both increased intracellular non‐incorporated Fe and endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in DNA damage. In addition, a strain lacking Nfu is sensitive to exogenously supplied ROS and reactive nitrogen species. Congruous with ex vivo findings, a nfu mutant strain is more susceptible to oxidative killing by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and displays decreased tissue colonization in a murine model of infection. We conclude that Nfu is necessary for staphylococcal pathogenesis and establish Fe‐S cluster metabolism as an attractive antimicrobial target.     

Short interspersed element (SINE) depletion and long interspersed element (LINE) abundance are not features universally required for imprinting

Genomic imprinting is a form of gene dosage regulation in which a gene is expressed from only one of the alleles, in a manner dependent on the parent of origin. The mechanisms governing imprinted gene expression have been investigated in detail and have greatly contributed to our understanding of genome regulation in general. Both DNA sequence features, such as CpG islands, and epigenetic features, such as DNA methylation and non-coding RNAs, play important roles in achieving imprinted expression. However, the relative importance of these factors varies depending on the locus in question. Defining the minimal features that are absolutely required for imprinting would help us to understand how imprinting has evolved mechanistically. Imprinted retrogenes are a subset of imprinted loci that are relatively simple in their genomic organisation, being distinct from large imprinting clusters, and have the potential to be used as tools to address this question. Here, we compare the repeat element content of imprinted retrogene loci with non-imprinted controls that have a similar locus organisation. We observe no significant differences that are conserved between mouse and human, suggesting that the paucity of SINEs and relative abundance of LINEs at imprinted loci reported by others is not a sequence feature universally required for imprinting.