Multicolor FISH analysis of chromosomal breaks, duplications, deletions, and numerical abnormalities in the sperm of healthy men

Transmitted de novo structural chromosomal abnormalities, the majority of which are paternally derived, can lead to abnormal reproductive outcomes as well as genetic diseases in offspring. We developed and validated a new multicolor FISH procedure (sperm ACM, which utilizes DNA probes specific for the alpha [1cen], classical, [1q12], and midi [1p36.3] satellites of chromosome 1) which utilizes DNA probes specific for three regions of chromosome 1 to detect human sperm that carry numerical abnormalities plus two categories of structural aberrations: (1) duplications and deletions of 1pter and 1cen, and (2) chromosomal breaks within the 1cen-1q12 region. In healthy men, the average frequencies of sperm with duplications and deletions were (a) 4.5 +/- 0.5 and 4.1 +/- 1.3 per 10(4) involving 1pter and (b) 0.9 +/- 0.4 and 0.8 +/- 0.3 per 10(4) involving 1cen, respectively. The frequency of sperm exhibiting breaks within the 1cen-1q12 region was 14.1 +/- 1.2 per 10(4). Structural aberrations accounted for 71% of the abnormalities detected by sperm ACM, which was significantly higher than numerical abnormalities (P=2x10-8). Our findings also suggest that, for healthy men, (a) sperm carrying postmeiotic chromosomal breaks appear to be more prevalent than those carrying products of premeiotic or meiotic breakage or rearrangements, (b) the high frequency of chromosome breaks measured after "fertilization" by the hamster-egg cytogenetic method already appear to be present and detectable within human sperm by FISH, and (c) there are nonrandom and donor-specific distributions of breakpoint locations within 1q12 in sperm. FISH facilitates the analysis of much larger numbers of sperm than was possible when the hamster-egg method was used. Therefore, FISH-based procedures for simultaneously detecting chromosomal breaks, rearrangements, and numerical abnormalities in sperm may have widespread applications in human genetics, genetic toxicology, and reproductive medicine.     

Palladium (II)-catalyzed alternating copolymerization of alkenes with sulfur dioxide

Cationic palladium(II) complexes of the type [L₂Pd(CH₃)(CH₃CN)]BF₄ (L₂ = 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane (Dppp) or 1,2-bis(2,5-dimethylphospholano)benzene (Me-Duphos)) were found to catalyze the alternating copolymerization of ethene, propene and cyclopentene with sulfur dioxide, as well as the terpolymerization of ethene, propene and sulfur dioxide. The resultant materials are high melting solids with an alternating alkene-SO₂ structure and an exclusive head-to-tail enchainment for propene.     

Purification and characterization of recombinant bovine growth hormone produced in Escherichia coli

Using the pUBJ10 plasmid containing the modified bovine growth hormone (bGH) cDNA, large production has been attempted in E. coli BL21 strain. The bGH was highly expressed upto the level of 35% of total cell proteins by IPTG induction and temperature shift to 40°C. The recombinant bGH (rbGH) was isolated from inclusion bodies by solubilization in 10 M urea and followed by DEAE-TOYOPEARL 650C ion exchange and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The pUBJ10-derived bGH was eluted at 25.28 min similar to the standard bGH (at 25.18 min) by reverse-phase HPLC. The analysis of N-terminal amino acid showed that the mature bGH has glutamic acid as a first amino acid in agreement with DNA sequencing data. The biological activity was indirectly measured by radioreceptor assay and compared with a pituitary-derived bGH.     

Validity of Epidemiological Data in Risk Assessment Applications

Data from epidemiological studies might be seen as superior to data from animal bioassays for risk assessment purposes. Because humans are the population of interest, use of epidemiological data avoids interspecies extrapolation. However, one must not assume that an epidemiological study is necessarily valid at face value. We describe issues of validity that arise in the conduct and interpretation of epidemiological research and that affect the utility of epidemiological data in risk assessment. These issues include choice of study design, size and representativeness of the study sample, measurement of exposures and outcomes, control of confounding and specification of statistical model for analysis of data, all of which affect the accuracy and validity of study results.     

Absence of sodA Increases the Levels of Oxidation of Key Metabolic Determinants of Borrelia burgdorferi

Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, alters its gene expression in response to environmental signals unique to its tick vector or vertebrate hosts. B. burgdorferi carries one superoxide dismutase gene (sodA) capable of controlling intracellular superoxide levels. Previously, sodA was shown to be essential for infection of B. burgdorferi in the C3H/HeN model of Lyme disease. We employed two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and immunoblot analysis with antibodies specific to carbonylated proteins to identify targets that were differentially oxidized in the soluble fractions of the sodA mutant compared to its isogenic parental control strain following treatment with an endogenous superoxide generator, methyl viologen (MV, paraquat). HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of oxidized proteins revealed that several proteins of the glycolytic pathway (BB0057, BB0020, BB0348) exhibited increased carbonylation in the sodA mutant treated with MV. Levels of ATP and NAD/NADH were reduced in the sodA mutant compared with the parental strain following treatment with MV and could be attributed to increased levels of oxidation of proteins of the glycolytic pathway. In addition, a chaperone, HtpG (BB0560), and outer surface protein A (OspA, BBA15) were also observed to be oxidized in the sodA mutant. Immunoblot analysis revealed reduced levels of Outer surface protein C (OspC), Decorin binding protein A (DbpA), fibronectin binding protein (BBK32), RpoS and BosR in the sodA mutant compared to the control strains. Viable sodA mutant spirochetes could not be recovered from both gp91/phox ^−⁄− and iNOS deficient mice while borrelial DNA was detected in multiple tissues samples from infected mice at significantly lower levels compared to the parental strain. Taken together, these observations indicate that the increased oxidation of select borrelial determinants and reduced levels of critical pathogenesis-associated lipoproteins contribute to the in vivo deficit of the sodA mutant in the mouse model of Lyme disease. This study, utilizing the sodA mutant, has provided insights into adaptive capabilities critical for survival of B. burgdorferi in its hosts.     

Low Resistance to First and Second Line Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs among Treatment Naive Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients in Southwestern Uganda

BackgroundThere are limited data on region-specific drug susceptibility of tuberculosis (TB) in Uganda. We performed resistance testing on specimens collected from treatment-naive patients with pulmonary TB in Southwestern Uganda for first and second line anti-TB drugs. We sought to provide data to guide regional recommendations for empiric TB therapy.MethodsArchived isolates, obtained from patients at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital from February 2009 to February 2013, were tested for resistance to isoniazid and rifampicin using the MTBDRplus and Xpert MTB/RIF assays. A subset of randomly selected isolates was tested for second line agents, including fluoroquinolones (FQs), aminoglycosides, cyclic peptides, and ethambutol using the MTBDRsl assay. We performed confirmatory testing for FQ resistance using repeated MTBDRsl, the Mycobacteria growth indicator tube (MGIT) assay, and sequencing of the gyrA and gyrB genes.ResultsWe tested isolates from 190 patients. The cohort had a median age of 33 years (IQR 26-43), 69% (131/190) were male, and the HIV prevalence was 42% (80/190). No isolates (0/190) were rifampicin-resistant and only 1/190 (0.5%) was isoniazid-resistant. Among 92 isolates tested for second-line drug resistance, 71 (77%) had interpretable results, of which none were resistant to aminoglycosides, cyclic peptides or ethambutol. Although 7 (10%) initially tested as resistant to FQs by the MTBDRsl assay, they were confirmed as susceptible by repeat MTBDRsl testing as well as by MGIT and gyrase gene sequencingConclusionWe found no MDR-TB and no resistance to ethambutol, FQs, or injectable anti-TB drugs in treatment naïve patients with pulmonary TB in Southwestern Uganda. Standard treatment guidelines for susceptible TB should be adequate for most patients with TB in this population. Where possible, molecular susceptibility testing methods should be routinely validated by culture methods.     

Radio Frequency-Activated Nanoliposomes for Controlled Combination Drug Delivery

This work was conducted in order to design, characterize, and evaluate stable liposomes containing the hydrophobic drug raloxifene HCl (RAL) and hydrophilic doxycycline HCl (DOX), two potentially synergistic agents for treating osteoporosis and other bone lesions, in conjunction with a radio frequency-induced, hydrophobic magnetic nanoparticle-dependent triggering mechanism for drug release. Both drugs were successfully incorporated into liposomes by lipid film hydration, although combination drug loading compromised liposome stability. Liposome stability was improved by reducing the drug load and by including Pluronics® (PL) in the formulations. DOX did not appear to interact with the phospholipid membranes comprising the liposomes, and its release was maximized in the presence of radio frequency (RF) heating. In contrast, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (³¹P-NMR) analysis revealed that RAL developed strong interactions with the phospholipid membranes, most notably with lipid phosphate head groups, resulting in significant changes in membrane thermodynamics. Likewise, RAL release from liposomes was minimal, even in the presence of RF heating. These studies may offer useful insights into the design and optimization of multidrug containing liposomes. The effects of RAL on liposome characteristics and drug release performance underscore the importance of appropriate physical-chemical analysis in order to identify and characterize drug-lipid interactions that may profoundly affect liposome properties and performance early in the formulation development process.KEY WORDS: controlled release, drug combination, liposomes, nanoparticles     

Periplasmic Acid Stress Increases Cell Division Asymmetry (Polar Aging) of Escherichia coli

Under certain kinds of cytoplasmic stress, Escherichia coli selectively reproduce by distributing the newer cytoplasmic components to new-pole cells while sequestering older, damaged components in cells inheriting the old pole. This phenomenon is termed polar aging or cell division asymmetry. It is unknown whether cell division asymmetry can arise from a periplasmic stress, such as the stress of extracellular acid, which is mediated by the periplasm. We tested the effect of periplasmic acid stress on growth and division of adherent single cells. We tracked individual cell lineages over five or more generations, using fluorescence microscopy with ratiometric pHluorin to measure cytoplasmic pH. Adherent colonies were perfused continually with LBK medium buffered at pH 6.00 or at pH 7.50; the external pH determines periplasmic pH. In each experiment, cell lineages were mapped to correlate division time, pole age and cell generation number. In colonies perfused at pH 6.0, the cells inheriting the oldest pole divided significantly more slowly than the cells inheriting the newest pole. In colonies perfused at pH 7.50 (near or above cytoplasmic pH), no significant cell division asymmetry was observed. Under both conditions (periplasmic pH 6.0 or pH 7.5) the cells maintained cytoplasmic pH values at 7.2–7.3. No evidence of cytoplasmic protein aggregation was seen. Thus, periplasmic acid stress leads to cell division asymmetry with minimal cytoplasmic stress.