Effects of biotic and abiotic constraints on the symbiosis between rhizobia and the tropical leguminous trees Acacia and Prosopis

N2-fixing, drought tolerant and multipurpose Acacia and Prosopis species are appropriate trees for reforestation of degraded areas in arid and semiarid regions of the tropics and subtropics. Acacia and Prosopis trees form N2-fixing nodules with a wide range of rhizobia, for example African acacias mainly with Sinorhizobium sp. and Mesorhizobium sp., and Australian acacias with Bradyrhizobium sp. Although dry and hot seasons restrict formation of N2-fixing nodules on Acacia and Prosopis spp., fully grown trees and their symbiotic partners are well adapted to survive in harsh growth conditions. This review on one hand deals with major constraints of arid and semiarid soils, i.e. drought, salinity and high soil temperature, which affect growth of trees and rhizobia, and on the other hand with adaptation mechanisms by which both organisms survive through unfavourable periods. In addition, defects in infection and nodulation processes due to various abiotic and biotic constraints are reviewed. This knowledge is important when Acacia and Prosopis seedlings are used for forestation of degraded areas in arid and semiarid tropics.     

Characterisation of alpha-1 giardin: an immunodominant Giardia lamblia annexin with glycosaminoglycan-binding activity

Alpha-1 giardin is an immunodominant protein in the intestinal protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia. The Triage((R)) parasite panel, used to detect copro-antigens in stool from giardiasis patients, reacts with an epitope between amino acids 160 and 200 in alpha-1 giardin. This region of the protein is also highly immunogenic during human infections. Alpha-1 giardin is related to annexins and like many other annexins it was shown to be plasma membrane associated. Immunoelectron and immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that some alpha-1 giardin are displayed on the surface of recently excysted cells. Recombinant alpha-1 giardin displayed a Ca(2+)-dependent binding to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), in particular heparan sulphate, a common GAG in the intestinal tract. Recombinant alpha-1 giardin bound to thin sections of human small intestine, a binding which could be inhibited by adding increasing concentrations of sulphated sugars. A surface associated trypsin activated Giardia lectin (taglin) has been suggested to be important for G. lamblia attachment. In this study we show that a monoclonal antibody that inhibits taglin recognises alpha-1 and alpha-2 giardin. Thus, alpha-1 giardin is a highly immunoreactive GAG-binding protein, which may play a key role in the parasite-host interaction. Our results further show a conserved function of annexins from lower to higher eukaryotes.     

A Hammondia-like parasite from the European fox (Vulpes vulpes) forms biologically viable tissue cysts in cell culture

Tissue cysts of parasites of the genus Hammondia are rarely described in naturally or experimentally infected intermediate hosts. However, ultrastructural examinations on tissue cyst stages of Hammondia sp. are needed, e.g. to compare these stages with those of Neospora caninum and other related parasites. We describe a cell culture system employed to examine the in vitro development of tissue cysts of a Hammondia sp.-like parasite (isolate FOX 2000/1) which uses the European fox as a definitive host. Cells of a diploid finite cell line from embryonal bovine heart (KH-R; CCLV, RIE 090) were infected by inoculation of sporozoites und cultivated for up to 3 months. Transmission electron microscopic examination of 17 day old cell culture material revealed the presence of cyst walls. Infected cell cultures cultivated for 2 months were used to feed a fox. Six to 13 days post infection the fox shed large numbers (n=1.2 x 10(7)) of Hammondia-sp. like oocysts which could not be distinguished from those used to infect the cell culture as determined by DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 1 and the D2/D3 domain of the large subunit ribosomal DNA. To find out the proportion of parasitophorous vacuoles that had developed into tissue cysts, the expression of bradyzoite markers was examined by probing infected cell cultures with mouse polyclonal antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoite antigen 1 (anti-BAG1) and rat monoclonal antibodies against a cyst wall protein (mAbCC2). Nineteen and 90 days post infection all parasitophorous vacuoles in the cell cultures were positive with anti-BAG1 and mAbCC2. This shows that biologically viable (i.e. infectious) tissue cysts of a fox-derived Hammondia sp. isolate (FOX 2000/1) can be efficiently produced in this cell culture system. Since in vitro cystogenesis of dog-derived Hammondia heydorni has not been observed yet, in vitro cyst formation might be one trait to separate fox-derived Hammondia sp. from H. heydorni on a species level.     

Endostatin inhibits human tongue carcinoma cell invasion and intravasation and blocks the activation of matrix metalloprotease-2, -9, and -13

Endostatin, a 20-kDa collagen XVIII fragment, inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in vivo, but the mechanisms are still unclear. Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), a family of extracellular and membrane-associated endopeptidases, collectively digest almost all extracellular matrix and basement membrane components, and thus play an important role in tumor progression. We studied the effects of recombinant human endostatin on human MMP-2, -9, -8, and -13. We found that endostatin inhibited the activation and catalytic activity of pro-MMP-9 and -13 as well as recombinant pro-MMP-2. It prevented the fragmentation of pro-MMP-2 that was associated with reduction of catalytic activity. Endostatin had no effect on MMP-8 as shown by collagenase activity assays. An in vitro migration assay and an in vivo chicken chorioallantoic membrane intravasation assay with the human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell line HSC-3 revealed the biphasic nature of endostatin; low endostatin concentrations inhibited intravasation and migration of these cells in a dose-dependent manner, but at increased concentrations, the inhibitory effect was far less efficient. The results show that endostatin blocks the activation and activities of certain tumor-associated pro-MMPs, such as pro-MMP-2, -9, and -13, which may explain, at least in part, the antitumor effect of endostatin. Our results also suggest that endostatin inhibits tumor progression by directly affecting the tumor cells and not just acting via endothelial cells and blockage of angiogenesis.     

Mapping of synergistic components of weakly interacting protein-protein motifs using arrays of paired peptides

Protein-protein recognition usually involves multiple interactions among different motifs that are scattered over protein surfaces. To identify such weak interactions, we have developed a novel double peptide synthesis (DS) method. This method allows us to map protein-protein interactions that involve two linear dis- continuous components from a polypeptide by the use of spatially addressable synergistic pairs of synthetic peptides. The DS procedure is based on the "SPOT" membrane-bound peptide synthesis technique, but to synthesize a mixture of two peptides, it uses both Fmoc (N-(9-fluorenyl)methoxycarbonyl))-alanine and Alloc-alanine at the first cycle. This allows their selective deprotection by either piperidine or tributyltin/palladium treatment, respectively. Using SPOT DS, we confirmed as a proof of principle that Elk-1 Ser(383) phosphorylation by ERK-2 kinase is stimulated by the presence of the Elk-1-docking domain. SPOT DS can also be used to dissect protein-protein motifs that define phosphatase substrate affinity. Using this technique, we identified three new regions in the insulin receptor that stimulate the dephosphorylation of the receptor by protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) 1B and presumably increase the selectivity of PTP for this substrate. These data demonstrate that the SPOT DS technique allows the identification of non-linear weakly interacting protein motifs, which are an important determinant of protein kinase and phosphatase substrate specificity and of protein-protein interactions in general.     

Horizontal gene transfer and host specificity of beta-haemolytic streptococci: the role of a putative composite transposon containing scpB and lmb

Beta-haemolytic streptococci are important human and animal pathogens: their genetic traits that are associated with the ability to infect human hosts remain, however, unclear. The surface protein, Lmb, mediates the adherence of Streptococcus agalactiae to human laminin. For further analysis of the corresponding gene, the adjacent genomic regions were sequenced. Lmb is localized on a putative composite transposon of 16 kb and is flanked by two copies of a novel insertion sequence element (ISSag2). It harbours the genes scpB and lmb, which are 98% identical with the respective genes of Streptococcus pyogenes. Analysis of the distribution of these genes and ISSag2 among 131 streptococcal strains revealed that all of the human isolates, but only 20% (12 of 61) of the animal isolates, contained scpB and lmb or their homologues. To investigate if the putative transposon can be mobilized, an erythromycin resistance marker was incorporated into the lmb gene of S. agalactiae. Screening for mutant strains with a regained susceptibility for erythromycin identified strains with a deletion of scpB, lmb, and one copy of ISSag2. We hypothesize that a horizontal gene transfer caused the exchange of scpB and lmb and that the ability of S. pyogenes, S. agalactiae and group C and G streptococcal strains to colonize or infect human hosts is dependent on their presence.     

The effect of a selenium supplementation on the outcome of patients with severe systemic inflammation, burn and trauma

Patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis exhibit decreased plasma selenium and glutathione peroxidase activity. This has been shown in several clinical studies. Moreover, the degree of selenium deficiency correlates with the severity of the disease and the incidence of mortality. Patients with SIRS and sepsis are exposed to severe oxidative stress. Selenoenzymes play a major role in protecting cells against peroxidation, especially lipid peroxidation and are involved in the regulation of inflammatory processes. Therefore, selenium substitution in those patients might be effective in the prevention of multiorgan failure. The results of randomised clinical trials investigating selenium substitution in critical ill patients with inflammation are reviewed. In two independently performed randomised, prospective clinical trials, including patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome or sepsis, the supplementation of selenium revealed a significant reduction in multiorgan failure and, especially, a lower incidence of acute renal failure and respiratory distress syndrome. One of those trials also could demonstrate a significant reduction of mortality in the most severely ill patients. Two other studies, where selenium together with other trace elements or a mixture of antioxidants were used in the treatment of patients with severe burn injuries or trauma showed a significant reduction in the secondary infection rate, including sepsis. Thus, selenium supplementation seems to improve the outcome of patients with SIRS, sepsis and severe injury, however, pivotal prospective clinical trials with sufficient statistical power are now necessary to finally prove the efficacy of a selenium supplementation in these diseases.