Predation on coral spawn by planktivorous fish

The stomach contents of three species of coral reef fish were examined for changes in diet during the annual mass spawning of scleractinian corals on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Acanthochromis polyacanthus, Abudefduf bengalensis (Pomacentridae), and Caesio cuning (Caesionidae) were collected before and immediately after the coral spawning to determine whether the composition of the diet changed after the mass coral spawning. The diet of Caesio cuning did not change. The stomach contents of Acanthochromis and Abudefduf showed that these fish: (1) switched from an omnivorous diet to one consisting predominantly of coral spawn, and (2) that they appeared satiated with stomachs >90% full when coral spawn was present in the water column. Fish predation during coral spawning may be an important source of larval coral mortality.     

Peripheral Vγ9Vδ2 T Cells Are a Novel Reservoir of Latent HIV Infection

Eradication of HIV infection will require the identification of all cellular reservoirs that harbor latent infection. Despite low or lack of CD4 receptor expression on Vδ2 T cells, infection of these cells has previously been reported. We found that upregulation of the CD4 receptor may render primary Vδ2 cells target for HIV infection in vitro and we propose that HIV-induced immune activation may allow infection of γδ T cells in vivo. We assessed the presence of latent HIV infection by measurements of DNA and outgrowth assays within Vδ2 cells in 18 aviremic patients on long-standing antiretroviral therapy. In 14 patients we recovered latent but replication-competent HIV from highly purified Vδ2 cells demonstrating that peripheral Vδ2 T cells are a previously unrecognized reservoir in which latent HIV infection is unexpectedly frequent.     

Evaluation of biodegradation potential of foam embedded Burkholderia cepacia G4

Foam embedded Burkholderia cepacia G4 removed up to 80 % and 60 % of a 3 mg/l solution of trichloroethylene (TCE) and a 2 mg/l solution of benzene, respectively. Removal of TCE and benzene decreased more than 50% when readily metabolizable carbon sources were present. TCE degradative activity was observed with G4 cells induced with phenol or benzene prior or after immobilization of cells. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

R-etodolac is a more potent Wnt signaling inhibitor than enantiomer,S-etodolac

Etodolac is an FDA-approved nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat a variety of inflammatory diseases. The drug is administered as a racemate (50/50 mixture of R- and S- enantiomers), however, studies have shown that the two enantiomers have distinct biologic and pharmacokinetic differences. Wnt signaling, which plays key roles in cell proliferation, polarity, and differentiation, has been shown to be inhibited by R-etodolac; however, comparative analyses of R- and S-etodolac in this function have not been conducted. We used in silico molecular docking and TOPflash functional biologic assays to compare R- and S-enantiomers effect on Wnt signaling inhibition. Further, we used a cultivated limbal stem epithelial cell (cLSCs) model to investigate enantiospecific changes in the colony-forming efficiency (CFE) of cLSCs. The data shows that R-etodolac is a more potent inhibitor of Wnt signaling. In addition, consistently, while both enantiomers demonstrate a dose-dependent decrease in CFE of cLSCs, R-etodolac is a more potent inhibitor.     

CD4+CD8+ T cells represent a significant portion of the anti-HIV T cell response to acute HIV infection

Previous studies have revealed that HIV-infected individuals possess circulating CD4(+)CD8(+) double-positive (DP) T cells specific for HIV Ags. In the present study, we analyzed the proliferation and functional profile of circulating DP T cells from 30 acutely HIV-infected individuals and 10 chronically HIV-infected viral controllers. The acutely infected group had DP T cells that showed more proliferative capability and multifunctionality than did both their CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. DP T cells were found to exhibit greater proliferation and higher multifunctionality compared with CD4 T cells in the viral controller group. The DP T cell response represented 16% of the total anti-HIV proliferative response and >70% of the anti-HIV multifunctional response in the acutely infected subjects. Proliferating DP T cells of the acutely infected subjects responded to all HIV Ag pools with equal magnitude. Conversely, the multifunctional response was focused on the pool representing Nef, Rev, Tat, VPR, and VPU. Meanwhile, the controllers' DP T cells focused on Gag and the Nef, Rev, Tat, VPR, and VPU pool for both their proliferative and multifunctional responses. Finally, we show that the presence of proliferating DP T cells following all HIV Ag stimulations is well correlated with proliferating CD4 T cells whereas multifunctionality appears to be largely independent of multifunctionality in other T cell compartments. Therefore, DP T cells represent a highly reactive cell population during acute HIV infection, which responds independently from the traditional T cell compartments.     

Novel roles for the E3 ubiquitin ligase atrophin-interacting protein 4 and signal transduction adaptor molecule 1 in G protein-coupled receptor signaling

The CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling axis plays an important role in human health and disease; however, the molecular mechanisms mediating CXCR4 signaling remain poorly understood. Ubiquitin modification of CXCR4 by the E3 ubiquitin ligase AIP4 is required for lysosomal sorting and degradation, which is mediated by the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery. CXCR4 sorting is regulated by an interaction between endosomal localized arrestin-2 and STAM-1, an ESCRT-0 component. Here, we report a novel role for AIP4 and STAM-1 in regulation of CXCR4 signaling that is distinct from their function in CXCR4 trafficking. Depletion of AIP4 and STAM-1 by siRNA caused significant inhibition of CXCR4-induced ERK-1/2 activation, whereas overexpression of these proteins enhanced CXCR4 signaling. We further show that AIP4 and STAM-1 physically interact and that the proline-rich region in AIP4 and the SH3 domain in STAM-1 are essential for the interaction. Overexpression of an AIP4 catalytically inactive mutant and a mutant that shows poor binding to STAM-1 fails to enhance CXCR4-induced ERK-1/2 signaling, as compared with wild-type AIP4, suggesting that the interaction between AIP4 and STAM-1 and the ligase activity of AIP4 are essential for ERK-1/2 activation. Remarkably, a discrete subpopulation of AIP4 and STAM-1 resides in caveolar microdomains with CXCR4 and appears to mediate ERK-1/2 signaling. We propose that AIP4-mediated ubiquitination of STAM-1 in caveolae coordinates activation of ERK-1/2 signaling. Thus, our study reveals a novel function for ubiquitin in the regulation of CXCR4 signaling, which may be broadly applicable to other G protein-coupled receptors.     

Hydrothermal synthesis and structure of a Cu(I) bromide coordination polymer, [(tpyprz)3Cu10Br10] (tpyprz = tetra-2-pyridylpyrazine)

The hydrothermal reaction of CuBr₂ and tpyprz in the presence of NH₄VO₃ and HF for 72 h at 170 °C provided [(tpyprz)₃Cu₁₀Br₁₀] (1) in 20% yield. The two-dimensional structure of 1 may be described as Cu(I)-tpyprz chains, linked through {Cu₄Br₅}⁻ clusters in the ac-plane and decorated with {Cu₃Br₅}²⁻ clusters projecting from one face of the layer in the b-direction. The Cu(I) sites exhibit distorted trigonal coordination {CuBr₃} and distorted tetrahedral geometries, {CuBr₂N₂} and {CuN₄}. Crystal data for 1: monoclinic space group C2, a = 12.7561(8) Å, b = 19.359(1) Å, c = 15.860(1) Å, β = 97.178(1)°, V = 3885.8(4) Å³, Z = 2, D_calc = 2.222 g cm⁻³, μ(Mo Kα) = 78.75 cm⁻¹.