Oral intake of Lactobacillus pentosus strain b240 accelerates salivary immunoglobulin A secretion in the elderly: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial

Background

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) secretion in saliva decreases with age and may be the cause of increased vulnerability of the elderly to respiratory infections. The effect of oral intake of lactic acid bacteria on salivary secretory IgA (SIgA) in the elderly has not been reported. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the acceleration of salivary SIgA secretion by oral intake of Lactobacillus pentosus strain b240 (b240) in the elderly.

Results

A total of 80 healthy elderly individuals were randomly allocated to either an intervention (i.e., b240) or a control (i.e., placebo) group. The elderly individuals in the b240 group were given a sterile water beverage (125 mL) containing heat-killed b240 (4 × 10⁹ cells), while those in the placebo group were given only a sterile water beverage (125 mL); both groups received their respective beverages once daily for 12 weeks. Saliva was collected before initiation of the study and every 2 weeks thereafter. Saliva flow rate and SIgA concentration were determined, and the SIgA secretion rate was calculated. The mean salivary SIgA secretion rate in the b240 group steadily increased until week 4 (exhibiting a 20% elevation relative to that at week 0), and then remained stable until week 12. Changes in SIgA secretion rate over the intervention period were significantly greater in the b240 group than in the placebo group. The treatment groups exhibited no significant differences in adverse events.

Conclusions

Oral intake of L. pentosus strain b240 for 12 weeks significantly accelerated salivary SIgA secretion, thereby indicating its potential utility in the improvement of mucosal immunity and resistance against infection in the elderly.     

Temporal and spatial immunolocalization of glucomannans in differentiating earlywood tracheid cell walls of Cryptomeria japonica

We investigated the deposition of glucomannans (GMs) in differentiating earlywood tracheids of Cryptomeria japonica using immunocytochemical methods. GMs began to deposit at the corner of the cell wall at the early stages of S₁ formation and showed uneven distribution in the cell wall during S₁ formation. At the early stages of S₂ formation, limited GM labeling was observed in the S₂ layer, and then the labeling increased gradually. In mature tracheids, the boundary between the S₁ and S₂ layers and the innermost part of the cell wall showed stronger labeling than other parts of the cell wall. Deacetylation of GMs with mild alkali treatment led to a significant increase in GM labeling and a more uniform distribution of GMs in the cell wall than that observed before deacetylation, indicating that some GM epitopes may be masked by acetylation. However, the changes in GM labeling after deacetylation were not very pronounced until early stages of S₂ formation, indicating that GMs deposited in the cell wall at early stages of cell-wall formation may contain fewer acetyl groups than those deposited at later stages. Additionally, the density of GM labeling increased in the cell wall in both specimens before and after GM deacetylation, even after cell-wall formation was complete. This finding suggests that some acetyl groups may be removed from GMs after cell-wall formation is complete as part one of the tracheid cell aging processes.     

Inhibition of plasma hyaluronan-binding protein autoactivation by laccaic acid

Plasma hyaluronan-binding protein (PHBP) is a serine protease implicated in proteolysis under inflammatory conditions. We identified laccaic acid, a widely used food coloring from scale insects, as a potent inhibitor of the protease in terms of both autoactivation of the PHBP proenzyme (IC(50) = 0.35-0.55 μg/ml) and the catalytic activity of the active enzyme (IC(50) = 1.1 μg/ml).     

Dilated capillaries, disorganized collagen fibers and differential gene expression in periodontal ligaments of hypomorphic fibrillin-1 mice

The periodontal ligaments (PDLs) are soft connective tissue between the cementum covering the tooth root surface and alveolar bone. PDLs are composed of collagen and elastic system fibers, blood vessels, nerves, and various types of cells. Elastic system fibers are generally formed by elastin and microfibrils, but PDLs are mainly composed of the latter. Compared with the well-known function of collagen fibers to support teeth, little is known about the role of elastic system fibers in PDLs. To clarify their role, we examined PDLs of mice underexpressing fibrillin-1 (mgR mice), which is one of the major microfibrillar proteins. The PDLs of homozygous mgR mice showed one-quarter of the elastic system fibers of wild-type (WT) mice. A close association between the elastic system fibers and the capillaries was noted in WT, homozygous and heterozygous mgR mice. Interestingly, capillaries in PDLs of homozygous mice were dilated or enlarged compared with those of WT mice. A comparable level of type I collagen, which is the major collagen in PDLs, was expressed in PDL-cells of mice with three genotypes. However, multi-oriented collagen fiber bundles with a thinner appearance were noted in homozygous mice, whereas well-organized collagen fiber bundles were seen in WT mice. Moreover, there was a marked decrease in periostin expression, which is known to regulate the fibrillogenesis and crosslinking of collagen. These observations suggest that the microfibrillar protein, fibrillin-1, is indispensable for normal tissue architecture and gene expression of PDLs.     

N-Phenyl-N′-[4-(5H-pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4-yloxy)phenyl]ureas as novel inhibitors of VEGFR and FGFR kinases

We have recently reported the discovery of pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine derivatives 1a and 1b as potent triple inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), and Tie-2 kinases. To identify compounds having strong inhibitory activity against fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) kinase, further modification was conducted using the co-crystal structure analysis of VEGFR2 and 1b. Among the compounds synthesized, urea derivative 11l having a piperazine moiety on the terminal benzene ring showed strong inhibitory activity against FGFR1 kinase as well as VEGFR2 kinase. A binding model of 11l complexed with VEGFR2 suggested that the piperazine moiety forms additional interactions with Ile1025 and His1026.     

Effect of photoperiod on development and growth in a pentatomid bug, Dolycoris baccarum

The effect of photoperiod on nymphal development, growth and adult size was examined in a pentatomid bug, Dolycoris baccarum , collected in Osaka (a warm temperate region) and Hokkaido (a subfrigid region), Japan. When insects were reared from eggs at 25°C, the developmental period was long and adult size was large under photoperiods close to the critical photoperiod for the induction of adult diapause. Adults of the Hokkaido population were larger than those of the Osaka population. There was no significant correlation between developmental period and adult size. Insects also showed variation in their growth rate: growth rate was low under photoperiods a little longer than the critical photoperiod for the induction of diapause. The ecological significance of variation in development and growth is discussed.     

Phos-tag-based approach to study protein phosphorylation in the thylakoid membrane

Protein phosphorylation is a fundamental post-translational modification in all organisms. In photoautotrophic organisms, protein phosphorylation is essential for the fine-tuning of photosynthesis. The reversible phosphorylation of the photosystem II (PSII) core and the light-harvesting complex of PSII (LHCII) contribute to the regulation of photosynthetic activities. Besides the phosphorylation of these major proteins, recent phosphoproteomic analyses have revealed that several proteins are phosphorylated in the thylakoid membrane. In this study, we utilized the Phos-tag technology for a comprehensive assessment of protein phosphorylation in the thylakoid membrane of Arabidopsis. Phos-tag SDS-PAGE enables the mobility shift of phosphorylated proteins compared with their non-phosphorylated isoform, thus differentiating phosphorylated proteins from their non-phosphorylated isoforms. We extrapolated this technique to two-dimensional (2D) SDS-PAGE for detecting protein phosphorylation in the thylakoid membrane. Thylakoid proteins were separated in the first dimension by conventional SDS-PAGE and in the second dimension by Phos-tag SDS-PAGE. In addition to the isolation of major phosphorylated photosynthesis-related proteins, 2D Phos-tag SDS-PAGE enabled the detection of several minor phosphorylated proteins in the thylakoid membrane. The analysis of the thylakoid kinase mutants demonstrated that light-dependent protein phosphorylation was mainly restricted to the phosphorylation of the PSII core and LHCII proteins. Furthermore, we assessed the phosphorylation states of the structural domains of the thylakoid membrane, grana core, grana margin, and stroma lamella. Overall, these results demonstrated that Phos-tag SDS-PAGE is a useful biochemical tool for studying in vivo protein phosphorylation in the thylakoid membrane protein.

     

Fragmentation of the Habitat of Wild Ungulates by Anthropogenic Barriers in Mongolia

Habitat loss and habitat fragmentation caused by anthropogenic activities are the main factors that constrain long-distance movement of ungulates. Mongolian gazelles (Procapra gutturosa) and Asiatic wild asses (Equus hemionus) in Mongolia are facing habitat fragmentation and loss. To better understand how their movements respond to potential anthropogenic and natural barriers, we tracked 24 Mongolian gazelles and 12 wild asses near the Ulaanbaatar–Beijing Railroad and the fenced international border between Mongolia and China between 2002 and 2012. None of the tracked gazelles crossed the railroad, even though gazelles were captured on both sides of the tracks at the start of the study. Similarly, we did not observe cross-border movements between Mongolia and China for either species, even though some animals used areas adjacent to the border. The both species used close areas to the anthropogenic barriers more frequently during winter than summer. These results suggest strong impacts by the artificial barriers. The construction of new railroads and roads to permit mining and other resource development therefore creates the threat of further habitat fragmentation, because the planned routes will divide the remaining non-fragmented habitats of the ungulates into smaller pieces. To conserve long-distance movement of the ungulates in this area, it will be necessary to remove or mitigate the barrier effects of the existing and planned roads and railroads and to adopt a landscape-level approach to allow access by ungulates to wide ranges throughout their distribution.