Evaluation of an in vitro coculture model for the blood-brain barrier: Comparison of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (ECV304) and rat glioma cells (C6) from two commercial sources

Summary Cocultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (ECV304) and rat glioma cells (C6) from two commercial sources, American Type Culture Collection and European Collection of Animal Cell Cultures, were evaluated as an in vitro model for the blood-brain barrier. Monolayers of endothelial cells grown in the presence or absence of glial cells were examined for transendothelial electrical resistance, sucrose permeability, morphology, multidrug resistance-associated protein expression, and P-glycoprotein expression and function. Coculture of glial cells with endothelial cells increased electrical resistance and decreased sucrose permeability across European endothelial cell monolayers, but had no effect on American endothelial cells. Coculture of European glial cells with endothelial cells caused cell flattening and decreased cell stacking with both European and American endothelial cells. No P-glycoprotein or multidrug resistance-associated protein was immunodetected in endothelial cells grown in glial cell-conditioned medium. Functional P-glycoprotein was demonstrated in American endothelial cells selected in vinblastine-containing medium over eight passages, but these cells did not form a tight endothelium. In conclusion, while European glial cells confer blood-brain barrier-like morphology and barrier integrity to European endothelial cells in coculture, the European endothelial-glial cell coculture model does not express P-glycoprotein, normally found at the blood-brain barrier. Further, the response of endothelial cells to glial factors was dependent on cell source, implying heterogeneity among cell populations. On the basis of these observations, the umbilical vein endothelial cell-glial cell coculture model does not appear to be a viable model for predicting blood-brain barrier penetration of drug molecules.     

Growth of Lactobacillus plantarum in media containing hydrolysates of fish viscera

AIMS: To compare growth of Lactobacillus plantarum on media containing hydrolysates (peptones) from cod viscera with growth on commercial media. METHODS AND RESULTS: Growth of Lact. plantarum on various fish peptones and commercial peptones/extracts was evaluated using both a Bioscreen apparatus (microtiter plates, no pH control) and fermentors (with pH control). Generally, the performance of the fish peptones was good and only beaten by the performance of yeast extract. Replacement of the 22 g l(-1) complex nitrogen source in standard MRS medium with only 5 g l(-1) fish peptone reduced the biomass yield with only 10%, whereas replacement with a mixture of 2.5 g l(-1) fish peptone and 2.5 g l(-1) yeast extract increased the biomass yield by 10%. CONCLUSIONS: Peptones derived from cod viscera support excellent growth of Lact. plantarum. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: We show that peptones derived from cod viscera are promising constituents of growth media for fastidious food bacteria such as lactobacilli. Media containing these peptones show excellent performance while problems associated with the use of meat-derived peptones (BSE, kosher status) or plant-derived peptones (genetically modified organisms) are avoided.     

Activation processing of cathepsin H impairs recognition by its propeptide

Free propeptides are known to function as inhibitors of the parental mature cysteine cathepsins. This general rule, however, does not apply to the aminopeptidase cathepsin H. Screening of propeptide fragments for their inhibitory potency revealed no significant effect on the native mature cathepsin H. On the other hand, inhibitory interaction was established with recombinant cathepsin H that displays endopeptidase activity due to a lack of the mini-chain. This finding suggests that the propeptide-binding region is structurally rearranged during maturation processing and mini-chain formation, which impairs the effective recognition of mature cathepsin H by its own propeptide.     

Ambient noise and the design of begging signals

The apparent extravagance of begging displays is usually attributed to selection for features, such as loud calls, that make the signal costly and hence reliable. An alternative explanation, however, is that these design features are needed for effective signal transmission and reception. Here, we test the latter hypothesis by examining how the begging calls of tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nestlings and the response to these calls by parents are affected by ambient noise. In a field study, we found that call length, amplitude and frequency range all increased with increasing noise levels at nests. In the laboratory, however, only call amplitude increased in response to the playback of noise to nestlings. In field playbacks to parents, similar levels of noise abolished parental preferences for higher call rates, but the preference was restored when call amplitude was increased to the level that nestlings had used in the laboratory study. Our results show that nestling birds, like other acoustic signallers, consistently increase call amplitude in response to ambient noise and this response appears to enhance discrimination by receivers. Thus, selection for signal efficacy may explain some of the seemingly extravagant features of begging displays.     

Effect of Alkali Metal Cations on Slow Inactivation of Cardiac Na+ Channels

Human heart Na⁺ channels were expressed transiently in both mammalian cells and Xenopus oocytes, and Na⁺ currents measured using 150 mM intracellular Na⁺. The kinetics of decaying outward Na⁺ current in response to 1-s depolarizations in the F1485Q mutant depends on the predominant cation in the extracellular solution, suggesting an effect on slow inactivation. The decay rate is lower for the alkali metal cations Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, and Cs⁺ than for the organic cations Tris, tetramethylammonium, N-methylglucamine, and choline. In whole cell recordings, raising [Na⁺]_o from 10 to 150 mM increases the rate of recovery from slow inactivation at −140 mV, decreases the rate of slow inactivation at relatively depolarized voltages, and shifts steady-state slow inactivation in a depolarized direction. Single channel recordings of F1485Q show a decrease in the number of blank (i.e., null) records when [Na⁺]_o is increased. Significant clustering of blank records when depolarizing at a frequency of 0.5 Hz suggests that periods of inactivity represent the sojourn of a channel in a slow-inactivated state. Examination of the single channel kinetics at +60 mV during 90-ms depolarizations shows that neither open time, closed time, nor first latency is significantly affected by [Na⁺]_o. However raising [Na⁺]_o decreases the duration of the last closed interval terminated by the end of the depolarization, leading to an increased number of openings at the depolarized voltage. Analysis of single channel data indicates that at a depolarized voltage a single rate constant for entry into a slow-inactivated state is reduced in high [Na⁺]_o, suggesting that the binding of an alkali metal cation, perhaps in the ion-conducting pore, inhibits the closing of the slow inactivation gate.     

Regulation of mitochondrial morphology by APC/CCdh1-mediated control of Drp1 stability

Homeostatic maintenance of cellular mitochondria requires a dynamic balance between fission and fusion, and controlled changes in morphology are important for processes such as apoptosis and cellular division. Interphase mitochondria have been described as an interconnected network that fragments as cells enter mitosis, and this mitotic mitochondrial fragmentation is known to be regulated by the dynamin-related GTPase Drp1 (dynamin-related protein 1), a key component of the mitochondrial division machinery. Loss of Drp1 function and the subsequent failure of mitochondrial division during mitosis lead to incomplete cytokinesis and the unequal distribution of mitochondria into daughter cells. During mitotic exit and interphase, the mitochondrial network reforms. Here we demonstrate that changes in mitochondrial dynamics as cells exit mitosis are driven in part through ubiquitylation of Drp1, catalyzed by the APC/C(Cdh1) (anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome and its coactivator Cdh1) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. Importantly, inhibition of Cdh1-mediated Drp1 ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation during interphase prevents the normal G1 phase regrowth of mitochondrial networks following cell division.     

Novel bacterial endosymbionts of Acanthamoeba spp. related to the Paramecium caudatum symbiont Caedibacter caryophilus

Acanthamoebae are increasingly being recognized as hosts for obligate bacterial endosymbionts, most of which are presently uncharacterized. In this study, the phylogeny of three Gram-negative, rod-shaped endosymbionts and their Acanthamoeba host cells was analysed by the rRNA approach. Comparative analyses of 16S rDNA sequences retrieved from amoebic cell lysates revealed that the endosymbionts of Acanthamoeba polyphaga HN-3, Acanthamoeba sp. UWC9 and Acanthamoeba sp. UWE39 are related to the Paramecium caudatum endosymbionts Caedibacter caryophilus, Holospora elegans a n d Holospora obtusa . With overall 16S rRNA sequence similarities to their closest relative, C. caryophilus , of between 87% and 93%, these endosymbionts represent three distinct new species. In situ hybridization with fluorescently labelled endosymbiont-specific 16S rRNA-targeted probes demonstrated that the retrieved 16S rDNA sequences originated from the endosymbionts and confirmed their intracellular localization. We propose to classify provisionally the endosymbiont of Acanthamoeba polyphaga HN-3 as ' Candidatus Caedibacter acanthamoebae', the endosymbiont of Acanthamoeba sp. strain UWC9 as ' Candidatus Paracaedibacter acanthamoebae' and the endosymbiont of Acanthamoeba sp. strain UWE39 as ' Candidatus Paracaedibacter symbiosus'. The phylogeny of the Acanthamoeba host cells was analysed by comparative sequence analyses of their 18S rRNA. Although Acanthamoeba polyphaga HN-3 clearly groups together with most of the known Acanthamoeba isolates (18S rRNA sequence type 4), Acanthamoeba sp. UWC9 and UWE39 exhibit < 92% 18S rRNA sequence similarity to each other and to other Acanthamoeba isolates. Therefore, we propose two new sequence types (T13 and T14) within the genus Acanthamoeba containing, respectively, Acanthamoeba sp. UWC9 and Acanthamoeba sp. UWE39.     

In Situ Detection of Novel Bacterial Endosymbionts of Acanthamoeba spp. Phylogenetically Related to Members of the Order Rickettsiales

Acanthamoebae are ubiquitous soil and water bactivores which may serve as amplification vehicles for a variety of pathogenic facultative bacteria and as hosts to other, presently uncultured bacterial endosymbionts. The spectrum of uncultured endosymbionts includes gram-negative rods and gram-variable cocci, the latter recently shown to be members of the Chlamydiales. We report here the isolation from corneal scrapings of two Acanthamoeba strains that harbor gram-negative rod endosymbionts that could not be cultured by standard techniques. These bacteria were phylogenetically characterized following amplification and sequencing of the near-full-length 16S rRNA gene. We used two fluorescently labelled oligonucleotide probes targeting signature regions within the retrieved sequences to detect these organisms in situ. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that they displayed 99.6% sequence similarity and formed an independent and well-separated lineage within the Rickettsiales branch of the alpha subdivision of the Proteobacteria. Nearest relatives included members of the genus Rickettsia, with sequence similarities of approximately 85 to 86%, suggesting that these symbionts are representatives of a new genus and, perhaps, family. Distance matrix, parsimony, and maximum-likelihood tree-generating methods all consistently supported deep branching of the 16S rDNA sequences within the Rickettsiales. The oligonucleotide probes displayed at least three mismatches to all other available 16S rDNA sequences, and they both readily permitted the unambiguous detection of rod-shaped bacteria within intact acanthamoebae by confocal laser-scanning microscopy. Considering the long-standing relationship of most Rickettsiales with arthropods, the finding of a related lineage of endosymbionts in protozoan hosts was unexpected and may have implications for the preadaptation and/or recruitment of rickettsia-like bacteria to metazoan hosts.     

Statistical discrimination of fractal and Markov models of single-channel gating.

A statistical comparison is presented of Markov and fractal models of ion channel gating. The analysis is based on single-channel data from two types of ion channels: open times from a 90 pS Ca-activated K channel from GH3 pituitary cells, and closed times from a nonselective channel from rabbit corneal endothelium (Liebovitch et al., 1987a). Maximum likelihood methods were used to fit the data. For both data sets the best Markov model had three exponential components. The best Markov model had a higher likelihood than the fractal model, and the Asymptotic Information Criterion favored the Markov model for each data set. A more detailed analysis, using the Monte Carlo methods described in Horn (1987), showed that the Markov model was not significantly better than the fractal model for the corneal endothelium channels. The inability to discriminate the models definitively in this case was shown to be due in part to the small size of the data set.