The IRI-DICE hypothesis: ionizing radiation-induced DSBs may have a functional role for non-deterministic responses at low doses

Radiation and Environmental Biophysics - Low-dose ionizing radiation (IR) responses remain an unresolved issue in radiation biology and risk assessment. Accurate knowledge of low-dose responses is...     

Association of Nuclear-Localized Nemo-Like Kinase with Heat-Shock Protein 27 Inhibits Apoptosis in Human Breast Cancer Cells

Nemo-like kinase (NLK), a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase regulated by phosphorylation, can be localized in the cytosol or in the nucleus. Whether the localization of NLK can affect cell survival or cell apoptosis is yet to be disclosed. In the present study we found that NLK was mainly localized in the nuclei of breast cancer cells, in contrast to a cytosolic localization in non-cancerous breast epithelial cells. The nuclear localization of NLK was mediated through direct interaction with Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) which further protected cancer cells from apoptosis. The present study provides evidence of a novel mechanism by which HSP27 recognizes NLK in the breast cancer cells and prevents NLK-mediated cell apoptosis.     

Phagocytosis of degenerating myelin in transected feline optic nerve: an immunohistochemical study

The phagocytic activity of neuroglial cells in adult feline degenerating optic nerve was investigated by immunocytochemistry at both light and electron microscopy levels. Degeneration was initiated by unilateral eye enucleation and the segment distal to the transection showing true Wallerian degeneration was examined. Following enucleation, twelve adult domestic cats were examined over a period of seven to 215 days. All cases showed slow clearance of myelin debris and absence of proliferating monocytes throughout the post-enucleation period. All phagocytic cells present were neuroglial cells, and many of these cells expressed oligodendroglial antigens. These findings demonstrate the persistence of an active population of oligodendrocytes that might play an additional functional role during Wallerian degeneration of feline optic nerve.     

Success in Developing Regions: World Records Evolution through a Geopolitical Prism

A previous analysis of World Records (WR) has revealed the potential limits of human physiology through athletes'' personal commitment. The impact of political factors on sports has only been studied through Olympic medals and results. Here we studied 2876 WR from 63 nations in four summer disciplines. We propose three new indicators and show the impact of historical, geographical and economical factors on the regional WR evolution. The south-eastward path of weighted annual barycenter (i.e. the average of country coordinates weighting by the WR number) shows the emergence of East Africa and China in WR archives. Home WR ratio decreased from 79.9% before the second World War to 23.3% in 2008, underlining sports globalization. Annual Cumulative Proportions (ACP, i.e. the cumulative sum of the WR annual rate) highlight the regional rates of progression. For all regions, the mean slope of ACP during the Olympic era is 0.0101, with a maximum between 1950 and 1989 (0.0156). For European countries, this indicator reflects major historical events (slowdown for western countries after 1945, slowdown for eastern countries after 1990). Mean North-American ACP slope is 0.0029 over the century with an acceleration between 1950 and 1989 at 0.0046. Russia takes off in 1935 and slows down in 1988 (0.0038). For Eastern Europe, maximal progression is seen between 1970 and 1989 (0.0045). China starts in 1979 with a maximum between 1990 and 2008 (0.0021), while other regions have largely declined (mean ACP slope for all other countries  = 0.0011). A similar trend is observed for the evolution of the 10 best performers. The national analysis of WR reveals a precise and quantifiable link between the sport performances of a country, its historical or geopolitical context, and its steps of development.     

From Oxford to Hawaii ecophysiological barriers limit human progression in ten sport monuments

In order to understand the determinants and trends of human performance evolution, we analyzed ten outdoor events among the oldest and most popular in sports history. Best performances of the Oxford-Cambridge boat race (since 1836), the channel crossing in swimming (1875), the hour cycling record (1893), the Elfstedentocht speed skating race (1909), the cross country ski Vasaloppet (1922), the speed ski record (1930), the Streif down-hill in Kitzbühel (1947), the eastward and westward sailing transatlantic records (1960) and the triathlon Hawaii ironman (1978) all follow a similar evolutive pattern, best described through a piecewise exponential decaying model (r(2) = 0.95+/-0.07). The oldest events present highest progression curvature during their early phase. Performance asymptotic limits predicted from the model may be achieved in fourty years (2049+/-32 y). Prolonged progression may be anticipated in disciplines which further rely on technology such as sailing and cycling. Human progression in outdoor sports tends to asymptotic limits depending on physiological and environmental parameters and may temporarily benefit from further technological progresses.     

Between rat and mouse zoo-FISH reveals 49 chromosomal segments that have been conserved in evolution

Mouse single chromosome paints were applied to rat prophase/prometaphase chromosomes to detect homologous chromosome regions. The analysis revealed 49 rat chromosomal regions ranging in size from whole chromosomes down to small bands near the limit of detection with this method, which was estimated to be 2-3 Mb. When all the painted regions were taken into account, the whole rat genome was covered with mouse-homologous regions, with the exception of small segments near the centromeres and the short arms of Chromosomes (Chrs) 3, 11, 12, and 13. These regions were shown to contain high levels of rat-specific repetitive DNA. The number of conserved segments between rat and mouse detected by our high-resolution zoo-FISH method was significantly higher than that reported in previous studies.     

Mouse chromosome 19 and distal rat chromosome 1: a chromosome segment conserved in evolution

Through a combination of radiation hybrid mapping and studies by FISH and zoo-FISH we have made a comparative investigation of the distal portion of rat chromosome 1 (RNO1) and the entire mouse chromosome 19 (MMU19). It was found that homologous segments of RNO1 and MMU19 are similar in banding morphology and in length as determined by several different methods, and that the gene order of the 46 genes studied appears to be conserved across the homologous segments in the two species. High-resolution zoo-FISH techniques showed that MMU19 probes highlight only a continuous segment on RNO1 (1q43-qter), with no detectable signals on other rat chromosomes. We conclude that these data suggest the evolutionary conservation of a chromosomal segment from a common rodent ancestor. This segment now constitutes the entire MMU19 and a large segment distally on RNO1q in the mouse and rat, respectively.