Teasing apart the contributions of hard dietary items on 3D dental microtextures in primates

3D dental microtexture analysis is a powerful tool for reconstructing the diets of extinct primates. This method is based on the comparison of fossils with extant species of known diet. The diets of primates are highly diversified and include fruits, seeds, grass, tree leaves, bark, roots, tubers, and animal resources. Fruits remain the main component in the diets of most primates. We tested whether the proportion of fruit consumed is correlated with dental microtexture. Two methods of microtexture analysis, the scale-sensitive fractal analysis (SSFA) and the Dental Areal Surface Texture Analysis (DASTA; after ISO/FDIS 25178-2), were applied to specimens of eight primate species (Alouatta seniculus, Gorilla gorilla, Lophocebus albigena, Macaca fascicularis, Pan troglodytes, Papio cynocephalus, Pongo abelii, Theropithecus gelada). These species largely differ in the mean annual proportion of fruit (from 0 to 90%) in their diet, as well as in their consumption of other hard items (seeds, bark, and insect cuticles) and of abrasive plants. We find the complexity and heterogeneity of textures (SSFA) to correlate with the proportion of fruits consumed. Textural fill volume (SSFA) indicates the proportion of both fruits and other hard items processed. Furthermore, anisotropy (SSFA) relates to the consumption of abrasive plants like grass and other monocots. ISO parameters valley height, root mean square height, material volume, density of peaks, and closed hill and dale areas (DASTA) describe the functional interaction between food items and enamel facets during mastication. The shallow, plastic deformation of enamel surfaces induced by small hard particles, such as phytoliths or dust, results in flat microtexture relief, whereas the brittle, deep fracture caused by large hard items such as hard seeds creates larger relief.     

Site-specific labeling of annexin V with F-18 for apoptosis imaging

Annexin V is useful in detecting apoptotic cells by binding to phosphatidylserine (PS) that is exposed on the outer surface of the cell membrane during apoptosis. In this study, we examined the labeling of annexin V-128, a mutated form of annexin V that has a single cysteine residue at the NH 2 terminus, with the thiol-selective reagent (18)F-labeling agent N-[4-[(4-[(18)F]fluorobenzylidene)aminooxy]butyl]maleimide ([(18)F]FBABM). We also examined the cell binding affinity of the (18)F-labeled annexin V-128 ([(18)F]FAN-128). [(18)F]FBABM was synthesized in two-step, one-pot method modified from literature procedure. (Toyokuni et al., Bioconjugate Chem. 2003, 14, 1253-1259). The average yield of [(18)F]FBABM was 23 +/- 4% (n = 4, decay-corrected) and the specific activity was approximately 6000 Ci/mmol. The total synthesis time was approximately 92 min. The critical improvement of this study was identifying and then developing a purification method to remove an impurity N-[4-[(4-dimethylaminobenzylidene)aminooxy]butyl]maleimide 4, whose presence dramatically decreased the yield of protein labeling. Conjugation of [(18)F]FBABM with the thiol-containing annexin V-128 gave [(18)F]FAN-128 in 37 +/- 9% yield (n = 4, decay corrected). Erythrocyte binding assay of [(18)F]FAN-128 showed that this modification of annexin V-128 did not compromise its membrane binding affinity. Thus, an in vivo investigation of [ (18)F]FAN-128 as an apoptosis imaging agent is warranted.     

Benzamide riboside induces apoptosis independent of Cdc25A expression in human ovarian carcinoma N.1 cells.

One of the mechanisms of action of a new oncolytic agent, benzamide riboside (BR) is by inhibiting inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) which catalyzes the formation of xanthine 5'-monophosphate from inosine 5'-monophosphate and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, thereby restricting the biosynthesis of guanylates. In the present study BR (10 - 20 microM) induced apoptosis in a human ovarian carcinoma N.1 cell line (a monoclonal derivative of its heterogenous parent line HOC-7). This was ascertained by DNA fragmentation, TUNEL assay, [poly(ADP)ribose polymerase]-cleavage and alteration in cell morphology. Apoptosis was accompanied by sustained c-Myc expression, concurrent down-regulation of cdc25A mRNA and protein, and by inhibition of Cdk2 activity. Both Cdk2 and cdc25A are G1 phase specific genes and Cdk2 is the target of Cdc25A. These studies demonstrate that BR exhibits dual mechanisms of action, first by inhibiting IMPDH, and second by inducing apoptosis, which is associated with repression of components of the cell cycle that are downstream of constitutive c-Myc expression.     

Suitability of capacitive sensors for measuring relative humidity in anesthetic gas systems]

A capacitive sensor was tested for its suitability for measuring relative humidity in an anaesthetic gas circuit. The valvo sensor PH1 was tested using various different anaesthetic gas mixtures. Measuring accuracy was influenced neither by such volatile anaesthetics as isoflurane and halothane, nor by oxygen or nitrous oxide. The response time of the sensor depends on its position within the gas, and in the most favourable case is about 3 minutes. The sensor is readily incorporated within an existing gas circuit. The linearity of the characteristic curve must be corrected by external electronic compensation to avoid measuring problems in the lower humidity range.     

Canada lynx occurrence and forest management in the Acadian Forest

We evaluated patterns of occurrence and non-occurrence for Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) across a 16,530-km² study area in Maine to provide a better understanding of lynx habitat selection and habitat ecology on commercially managed forestlands in the Acadian Forest. Because of the influence of forest structure on lynx habitat selection and abundance of their primary prey, the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), and to improve our ability to build robust models, we used habitat information derived from a time series of Landsat satellite imagery spanning the period 1973–2004. We defined and mapped 10 forest types based on forest harvest history, time since harvest, and current forest condition. We compared a suite of models to evaluate relative influences of forest composition, habitat patch configuration, and hare density on habitat selection by lynx at the landscape scale. Occupied areas had greater average hare densities and percentage of mature conifer. Average hare density in occupied areas (0.74 hares/ha) was greater than in unoccupied areas (0.62 hares/ha), but was less than previous research has suggested may be necessary to support lynx populations in the southern portion of the species' range. No occupied areas occurred where average hare density was <0.5 hares/ha. Average hare density at the landscape-scale was strongly influenced by amount of high-quality hare habitat (i.e., conifer or mixedwood regenerating forest, 15–35 yr post-harvest). Edge density between mature conifer and high-quality hare habitat was substantially greater in occupied areas compared to unoccupied areas. Juxtaposition of those 2 forest types may provide edge habitat where lynx experience easier travel and improved access to prey in landscapes with extensive areas of high-quality hare habitat where travel and access may be somewhat limited by high understory stem density. Probability of occurrence declined nonlinearly with changes in hare density and percent mature conifer forest in the landscape; thus, suitability of currently occupied landscapes could change markedly with future changes in landscape-level hare densities and changing habitat associated with forest management. Where lynx conservation is a priority, we recommend that managers focus on creating and maintaining a minimum of 27% high-quality hare habitat within 100-km² areas to promote landscape-scale hare densities >0.5 hares/ha. © The Wildlife Society, 2013     

Washing scaling of GeneChip microarray expression

Background  

Post-hybridization washing is an essential part of microarray experiments. Both the quality of the experimental washing protocol and adequate consideration of washing in intensity calibration ultimately affect the quality of the expression estimates extracted from the microarray intensities.     

Transcomplementation of simian immunodeficiency virus Rev with human T-cell leukemia virus type I Rex.

A molecular clone of the simian immunodeficiency virus SIVSMM isolate PBj14, lacking the ATG initiation codon for Rev protein (PBj-1.5), did not produce virus or large unspliced or singly spliced viral RNA upon transfection of HeLa cells. Low but significant levels of virus and large viral RNA production were observed upon transfection of PBj-1.5 into HeLa Rev cells expressing the rev gene of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Furthermore, abundant virus and large viral RNA production occurred upon transfection of PBj-1.5 into HeLa Rex cells expressing the rex gene of human T-cell leukemia virus type I. Virus produced from HeLa Rex and HeLa Rev transfections was infectious, produced large amounts of virus, and was cytopathic for Rex-producing MT-4 cells. In contrast, no or only low levels of virus production were observed upon infection of H9 cells. These studies show that a defective SIV rev gene can be transcomplemented with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Rev and with high efficiency by human T-cell leukemia virus type I Rex, and they suggest that rev-defective viruses could serve as a source for production of a live attenuated SIV vaccine.     

Two soluble glycosyltransferases glycosylate less efficiently in vivo than their membrane bound counterparts

Many Golgi glycosyltransferases are type II membrane proteins which are cleaved to produce soluble forms that are released from cells. Cho and Cummings recently reported that a soluble form of alpha1, 3- galactosyltransferase was comparable to its membrane bound counterpart in its ability to galactosylate newly synthesized glycoproteins (Cho,S.K. and Cummings,R.D. (1997) J. Biol. Chem., 272, 13622-13628). To test the generality of their findings, we compared the activities of the full length and soluble forms of two such glycosyltransferases, ss1,4 N-Acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (GM2/GD2/ GA2 synthase; GalNAcT) and beta galactoside alpha2,6 sialyltransferase (alpha2,6-ST; ST6Gal I), for production of their glycoconjugate products in vivo . Unlike the full length form of GalNAcT which produced ganglioside GM2 in transfected cells, soluble GalNAcT did not produce detectable GM2 in vivo even though it possessed in vitro GalNAcT activity comparable to that of full length GalNAcT. When compared with cells expressing full length alpha2,6-ST, cells expressing a soluble form of alpha2,6-ST contained 3-fold higher alpha2,6-ST mRNA levels and secreted 7-fold greater alpha2,6-ST activity as measured in vitro , but in striking contrast contained 2- to 4-fold less of the alpha2,6-linked sialic acid moiety in cellular glycoproteins in vivo . In summary these results suggest that unlike alpha1,3-galactosyltransferase the soluble forms of these two glycosyltransferases are less efficient at glycosylation of membrane proteins and lipids in vivo than their membrane bound counterparts.