Chemical composition and biomass parameters of a population of Craspedacusta sowerbii Lank1880 (Cnidaria: Limnomedusa)

Until now, very little information about the ecology of thefreshwater jellyfish, Craspedacusta sowerbii, has been available.Although many publications deal with Craspedacusta, most ofthem contain only observations. Detailed analyses are rare.In this study, investigations on size-dependent fresh and dryweights, and carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, are presented.The water content of the medusae ranged between 96.74 and 99.87%.Fresh and dry weights ranged from 0.06 to 331.86mg FW ind.^0–1and 0.01 to 2.50 mg DW ind.^–1, respectively. The molarC:N:P relationship was calculated as 39:9:1. The C:P ratio waslow in contrast to other freshwater zooplankton species, andimplied a high demand for P. A comparison with the C:P stoichiometryof their prey indicates the possibility of P limitation of Craspedacustaat a gross growth efficiency above 25%. The results are discussedin relation to medusae abundance, bioaccumulation and theirimpact on food web structure.     

Genome-scale thermodynamic analysis of Escherichia coli metabolism

Genome-scale metabolic models are an invaluable tool for analyzing metabolic systems as they provide a more complete picture of the processes of metabolism. We have constructed a genome-scale metabolic model of Escherichia coli based on the iJR904 model developed by the Palsson Laboratory at the University of California at San Diego. Group contribution methods were utilized to estimate the standard Gibbs free energy change of every reaction in the constructed model. Reactions in the model were classified based on the activity of the reactions during optimal growth on glucose in aerobic media. The most thermodynamically unfavorable reactions involved in the production of biomass in E. coli were identified as ATP phosphoribosyltransferase, ATP synthase, methylene-tetra-hydrofolate dehydrogenase, and tryptophanase. The effect of a knockout of these reactions on the production of biomass and the production of individual biomass precursors was analyzed. Changes in the distribution of fluxes in the cell after knockout of these unfavorable reactions were also studied. The methodologies and results discussed can be used to facilitate the refinement of the feasible ranges for cellular parameters such as species concentrations and reaction rate constants.     

Effect of ectopic expression of rat trefoil factor family 3 (intestinal trefoil factor) in the jejunum of transgenic mice

To further examine the function of the trefoil factor family (TFF), the expression of which is up-regulated at sites of injury, we have produced transgenic mice that chronically express rat TFF3 within the jejunum (using a rat fatty acid-binding protein promoter). The expression of rat TFF3 was limited to the villi of the jejunum and had no effect on base-line morphology. Rat TFF3 expression did result, however, in a reduced sensitivity to indomethacin (85 mg/kg subcutaneously), which only caused a 29% reduction in villus height in transgenics versus 51% reduction in controls (p < 0.01). Indomethacin increased initial intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and migration, but the presence of rat TFF3 caused no additional change in proliferation (bromodeoxyuridine), cell migration ([(3)H]thymidine and bromodeoxyuridine), apoptosis (terminal deoxyuridine nucleotidyl nick end labeling), or E-cadherin immunostaining. In vitro studies following changes in resistance of intestinal strips in Ussing chambers (voltage-clamp technique) showed increased base-line resistance in the rat TFF3-expressing region (326 +/- 60 versus 195 +/- 48 ohm.cm(2) in controls, p < 0.05) and reduced the fall in resistance following HCl exposure by about 40% (p < 0.01). Overexpression of TFF3 stabilizes the mucosa against noxious agents, supporting its role in mucosal protection/repair. It may therefore provide a novel approach to the prevention and/or treatment of intestinal ulceration.     

CXCR7 expression disrupts endothelial cell homeostasis and causes ligand-dependent invasion

The homeostatic function of endothelial cells (EC) is critical for a number of physiological processes including vascular integrity, immunity, and wound healing. Indeed, vascular abnormalities resulting from EC dysfunction contribute to the development and spread of malignancies. The alternative SDF-1/CXCL12 receptor CXCR7 is frequently and specifically highly expressed in tumor-associated vessels. In this study, we investigate whether CXCR7 contributes to vascular dysfunction by specifically examining the effect of CXCR7 expression on EC barrier function and motility. We demonstrate that CXCR7 expression in EC results in redistribution of CD31/PECAM-1 and loss of contact inhibition. Moreover, CXCR7+ EC are deficient in barrier formation. We show that CXCR7-mediated motility has no influence on angiogenesis but contributes to another motile process, the invasion of CXCR7+ EC into ligand-rich niches. These results identify CXCR7 as a novel manipulator of EC barrier function via alteration of PECAM-1 homophilic junctions. As such, aberrant expression of CXCR7 in the vasculature has the potential to disrupt vascular homeostasis and could contribute to vascular dysfunction in cancer systems.     

Determinants of the phagosomal pH in neutrophils.

Phagosomes formed by neutrophils are much less acidic than those of other phagocytic cells. The defective acidification seen in neutrophils has been attributed to consumption of protons during the dismutation of superoxide, because a large, sustained acidification is unmasked when the cells are treated with inhibitors of the NADPH oxidase. Consumption of protons transported into the phagosome by dismutation would tightly couple the activities of the NADPH oxidase and the vacuolar type H(+)-pump (or V-ATPase). We tested the existence of the predicted coupling using microfluorimetry and digital imaging and found that the rate of superoxide generation was independent of the activity of the H(+)-pump. Moreover, we failed to detect the alkalinization predicted to develop through dismutation when the pump was inhibited. Instead, two other mechanisms were found to contribute to the inability of neutrophil phagosomes to acidify. First, the insertion of V-ATPases into the phagosomal membrane was found to be reduced when the oxidase is active. Second, the passive proton (equivalent) permeability of the phagosomal membrane increased when the oxidase was activated. The increased permeability cannot be entirely attributed to the conductive H(+) channels associated with the oxidase, since it is not eliminated by Zn(2+). We conclude that the NADPH oxidase controls the phagosomal pH by multiple mechanisms that include reduced proton delivery to the lumen, increased luminal proton consumption, and enhanced backflux (leak) into the cytosol.     

Morningness-eveningness and seasonality

The study aimed to elucidate previously observed associations between morningness–eveningness and seasonality by analysing their distinct aspects separately: morning affect (MA) and time-of-day preference, different seasonal types and patterns (winter, summer, etc.), the degree of seasonality and perceived negative impact of seasonality. Students from Warsaw (N = 522) completed the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire and the Composite Scale of Morningness. Winter seasonality was related to lower MA, but unrelated to time-of-day preference. Global seasonality score was negatively associated with MA in winter seasonality, but not in other seasonality patterns, and unrelated to time-of-day preference. These associations remained significant after controlling for sex, age and season of assessment. It is concluded that winter seasonality is related to low MA, but not to time-of-day preference. The above results indicate that MA can be considered as an all year round indicator of proneness to winter seasonality and eventually to seasonal affective disorder. The results also suggest that MA and time-of-day preference should be analysed separately in future research on morningness–eveningness.