Eveningness associates with smoking and sleep problems among pregnant women

Sleep problems during pregnancy impair maternal health and increase the risk for adverse pregnancy outcome. The circadian preference toward eveningness has been associated with sleep problems in previous studies. Here, we studied whether evening-type women had more sleep problems during their pregnancy, as compared with other chronotypes, in a sample consisting of 1653 pregnant women from the Finnish CHILD-SLEEP Birth Cohort. Chronotype was assessed with a shortened version of the morningness–eveningness questionnaire. Pregnant evening-type women reported more sleep problems, including troubles of falling asleep (OR = 3.4, p < 0.0001), poor sleep quality (OR = 2.9, p < 0.01) and daily tiredness (OR = 3.2, p < 0.0001) than the morning-type women, even after controlling for sleep duration and sleep deprivation. They had higher scores on Epworth Sleepiness Scale (p < 0.05), Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire (p < 0.0001) and Global Seasonality Score (p < 0.01) and were also more often smokers, also during pregnancy (p < 0.001) and reported poorer general health (p < 0.001) than the morning-type women. They also reported having had more sleep problems during their childhood (OR = 1.5, p < 0.05) and adolescence (OR = 2.0, p < 0.001) than the morning-type women. Our results indicate that eveningness is associated with more sleep problems and unhealthy life habits during pregnancy.     

No Correlation Between Ectoparasitism and Male Mating Success in a Damselfly: Why Parasite Behavior Matters

The mating success of individually marked male damselflies parasitized by water mites was closely followed. The number of ectoparasites could be determined exactly from knowledge of the parasite's life cycle. In contrast to previous studies, no correlation between water mite infestation and male mating success was revealed. The reasons for this discrepancy may be explained by the inclusion of the parasite's behavior. The body fat content of the males was negatively correlated with the mite load, indicating that parasitism reduces host's condition. It is hypothesised that the water mites damselfly system is not valuable for testing the Hamilton and Zuk hypothesis. Furthermore, selection exerted or mediated by parasites should act during the teneral phase.     

The newly synthesized plant growth regulator <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis>-methylmethionine salicylate may provide protection against high salinity in wheat

High salinity is one of the major environmental factors limiting the productivity of crop species worldwide. Improving the stress tolerance of cultivated plants and thus increasing crop yields in an environmentally friendly way is a crucial task in agriculture. In the present work the ability of a new derivative, S-methylmethionine-salicylate (MMS), to improve the salt tolerance of wheat plants was tested parallel with its related compounds salicylic acid and S-methylmethionine. The results show that while these compounds are harmful at relatively high concentration (0.5 mM), they may provide protection against high salinity at lower (0.1 mM) concentration. This was confirmed by gas exchange, chlorophyll content and chlorophyll-a fluorescence induction measurements. While osmotic adjustment probably plays a critical role in the improved salt tolerance, neither Na or K transport from the roots to the shoots nor proline synthesis are the main factors in the tolerance induced by the compounds tested. MMS, S-methylmethionine and Na-salicylate had different effects on flavonol biosynthesis. It was also shown that salt treatment had a substantial influence on the SA metabolism in wheat roots and leaves. Present results suggest that the investigated compounds can be used to improve salt tolerance in plants.     

A Self-compartmentalizing Hexamer Serine Protease from Pyrococcus Horikoshii: SUBSTRATE SELECTION ACHIEVED THROUGH MULTIMERIZATION*

Oligopeptidases impose a size limitation on their substrates, the mechanism of which has long been under debate. Here we present the structure of a hexameric serine protease, an oligopeptidase from Pyrococcus horikoshii (PhAAP), revealing a complex, self-compartmentalized inner space, where substrates may access the monomer active sites passing through a double-gated “check-in” system, first passing through a pore on the hexamer surface and then turning to enter through an even smaller opening at the monomers'' domain interface. This substrate screening strategy is unique within the family. We found that among oligopeptidases, a residue of the catalytic apparatus is positioned near an amylogenic β-edge, which needs to be protected to prevent aggregation, and we found that different oligopeptidases use different strategies to achieve such an end. We propose that self-assembly within the family results in characteristically different substrate selection mechanisms coupled to different multimerization states.     

Cytokine Stimulation Promotes Increased Glucose Uptake Via Translocation at the Plasma Membrane of GLUT1 in HEK293 Cells

Interleukin‐3 (IL‐3) and granulocyte/macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) are two of the best‐characterized cell survival factors in hematopoietic cells; these factors induce an increase in Akt activity in multiple cell lines, a process thought to be involved in cellular survival. It is known that growth factors require sustained glucose metabolism to promote cell survival. It has been determined that IL‐3 and GM‐CSF signal for increased glucose uptake in hematopoietic cells. Interestingly, receptors for IL‐3 and GM‐CSF are present in several non‐hematopoietic cell types but their roles in these cells have been poorly described. In this study, we demonstrated the expression of IL‐3 and GM‐CSF receptors in HEK293 cells and analyzed their effect on glucose uptake. In these cells, both IL‐3 and GM‐CSF, increased glucose uptake. The results indicated that this increase involves the subcellular redistribution of GLUT1, affecting glucose transporter levels at the cell surface in HEK293 cells. Also the data directly demonstrates that the PI 3‐kinase/Akt pathway is an important mediator of this process. Altogether these results show a role for non‐insulin growth factors in the regulation of GLUT1 trafficking that has not yet been directly determined in non‐hematopoietic cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 110: 1471–1480, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Prospects of androgenetic induction in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lupinus</Emphasis> spp.

Anthers cultures of six Polish cultivars of pasture lupin (Lupinus L.) were examined for their androgenic response. Anthers with microspores at the uninucleate stage were isolated from flower buds and cultured in liquid media. Better viability of androgenetic structures was obtained when donor plants had grown under field as opposed to greenhouse conditions. A density of five anthers per 0.5 ml medium was more conducive to androgenetic induction than 25 anthers per 0.5 ml medium. Addition of 5% maltose to the induction medium and culture at 25°C without pre-treatment of flowers, buds or anthers promoted microspore release and division. The greatest frequency of androgenic callus, ~70% was developed from cvs. Katon, Wat (white lupin), in contrast to cvs. Legat, Juno (yellow lupin), Polonez and Sonet (narrow-leafed lupin) with callus induction ~30–40%. Despite various combinations of media tested, plant regeneration was not obtained from anther derived callus.     

QSAR of multiple mutated antibodies

The aim of this study was to develop predictive quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modeling for antibody-peptide interactions. A small single chain antibody library was designed and manufactured around the murine anti-p24 (HIV-1) monoclonal antibody CB4-1 by use of statistical molecular design (SMD) principles and site directed mutagenesis, and its affinity for a p24 derived antigen was determined by fluorescence polarization. A satisfactory QSAR model (Q(2) = 0.74, R(2) = 0.88) was derived by correlating the affinity data to physicochemical property scales of the amino acids varied in the library. The model explains most of the antibody-antigen interactions of the studied set, and provides insights into the molecular mechanism involved in antigen binding.     

Comparative characterisation of thiamin diphosphate-dependent decarboxylases

Several 2-keto acid decarboxylases catalyse an acyloin condensation-like carboligase reaction beside their physiological decarboxylase activity. Although many data concerning stability and catalytic potential of these enzymes are available, a standard evaluation under similar reaction conditions is lacking. In this comprehensive survey we assemble already published data combined with new studies of three bacterial pyruvate decarboxylases, yeast pyruvate decarboxylase, benzoylformate decarboxylase from Pseudomonas putida (BFD) and the branched-chain 2-keto acid decarboxylase from Lactococcus lactis (KdcA). The obtained results proof that the optima for activity and stability are rather similar if comparable reaction conditions are used. Although the substrate ranges of the decarboxylase reaction of the various pyruvate decarboxylases are similar as well, they differ remarkably from those of BFD and KdcA. We further show that the range of acceptable donor aldehydes for the carboligase reaction of a respective enzyme can be reliably predicted from the substrate range of decarboxylase reaction.     

Serum-free cryopreservation of porcine hepatocytes

The use of porcine hepatocytes in xenotransplantation, bioartificial liver support or pharmacological approaches demands serum-free cryopreservation protocols yielding high quality, viable, functional hepatocytes. Here, primary porcine hepatocytes were frozen without serum in liquid nitrogen by the use of a computer-assisted freezing device. After thawing, more than 90% of the initial hepatocytes were lost, in part because of damage to genomic DNA. When cryoprotectants were used, the loss was lowered to 70% of the initial cell number; 90% of the remaining cells excluded trypan blue indicating a high degree of viability. Cells were seeded serum-free onto collagen-coated plastic dishes to determine proliferation and retainment of specific functions representing prominent features of hepatocytes in vivo. Whereas no cells adhered to the substratum effectively in conventional culture medium, the addition of conditioned medium derived from hepatic non-parenchymal cells improved attachment. Cells proliferated, retained hepatocyte-specific functions, such as urea production and cytochrome P450 activity, and expressed liver-specific genes to levels observed in non-cryopreserved hepatocytes. Thus, serum-free cryopreserved primary porcine hepatocytes may serve as a valid source of cells for downstream applications. The cells seem to function adequately when an appropriate environment is chosen for recovery after cryopreservation, an ultimate demand for the clinical application of human hepatocytes.