Hydroxyl Radicals and a Thylakoid-Bound Endopeptidase are Involved in Light- and Oxygen-Induced Proteolysis in Oat Chloroplasts

The hypothesis that light- and oxygen-induced proteolysis inchloroplasts is mediated by active oxygen species was examined.In order to determine whether or not H₂O₂ and/or ^{dot}OH radicalsare involved in these degradative processes we compared thedegradation of proteins in isolated oat chloroplasts exposedto white light at 80 W m^-2 with that in chloroplasts incubatedin darkness in the absence or presence of H₂O₂ or a ^{dot}OH-generatingsystem composed by ascorbic acid, FeCl₃ and H₂O₂ (Asc-Fe-H₂O₂).Light enhanced the rate of degradation of at least 18 polypeptides,while proteolysis was almost negligible in darkness in the abscenceof additives. H₂O₂ had a very small effect. However, Asc-Fe-H₂O₂-treatedchloroplasts in darkness showed a pattern of protein degradationalmost identical to that observed in the light. A thylakoid-boundendopeptidase (EP), the activity of which increased under photooxidativeenvironmental conditions and treatment with an ^{dot}OH-generatingsystem, was partially purified and characterized as a serinetypeprotease. Treatments with inhibitors of serine-type proteaseprevented both light- and Asc- Fe-H₂O₂-induced proteolysis.EP was more active against both soluble and membranous proteinsthat had been pretreated with Asc-Fe-H₂O₂ than against untreatedproteins. It is proposed that a high dose of light irradiationpromotes proteolysis by increasing the formation of ^{dot}OH,which may modify proteins such that they become more susceptibleto EP-catalyzed hydrolysis. ¹Fisiología Vegetal, Dept. de Biología Vegetal,Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Present address: 28871Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), España.     

Immunologic memory response induced by a meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccine using the P64k recombinant protein as carrier

In this study, we used an adoptive lymphocyte transfer experiment to evaluate the ability of the P64k recombinant protein to recruit T-helper activity and induce immunologic memory response to the polysaccharide moiety in a meningococcal serogroup C conjugate vaccine. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes from mice immunized with the glycoconjugate conferred antipolysaccharide immunologic memory to naive recipient mice. The observed anamnestic immune response was characterized by more rapid kinetics, isotype switching from IgM to IgG and higher antipolysaccharide antibody titers compared with those reached in groups transferred with splenocytes from plain polysaccharide or phosphate-immunized mice. The memory response generated was also long lasting. Sera from mice transferred with cells from conjugate-immunized mice were the only protective in the infant rat passive protection assay, and also showed higher bactericidal titers. We demonstrated that priming the mice immune system with the glycoconjugate using the P64k protein as carrier induced a memory response to the polysaccharide, promoting a switch of the T-cell-independent response to a T-cell dependent one.     

Nalidixic acid-resistant V79 cells with reduced DNA topoisomerase II activity and amplification prone phenotype.

Spontaneously nalidixic acid-resistant lines (NAr lines) were selected from a V79 Chinese hamster cell line and phenotypically characterized. NAr lines showed an increased doubling time, a higher number of spontaneous SCE, and more interestingly, decreased DNA topoisomerase II activity. These lines were also cross-resistant to the eukaryotic topoisomerase II inhibitors etoposide and adriamycin, but showed the same level of sensitivity as the parental line to the DNA topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin. NAr lines were cross-resistant to other drugs, such as PALA, MTX and MPA, resistance to which has been shown to arise by amplification of the target genes. This last feature, together with enhanced cross-resistance to PALA and MTX when employed simultaneously, suggests that NAr lines have an 'amplification prone' phenotype. From these results the decreased activity of topoisomerase II seems to be involved in the generation of amplified sequences possibly by affecting recombinational events underlying gene amplification.     

A new method to predict the epidemiology of fungal keratitis by monitoring the sales distribution of antifungal eye drops in Brazil

Purpose

Fungi are a major cause of keratitis, although few medications are licensed for their treatment. The aim of this study is to observe the variation in commercialisation of antifungal eye drops, and to predict the seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis in Brazil.

Methods

Data from a retrospective study of antifungal eye drops sales from the only pharmaceutical ophthalmologic laboratory, authorized to dispense them in Brazil (Opthalmos) were gathered. These data were correlated with geographic and seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis in Brazil between July 2002 and June 2008.

Results

A total of 26,087 antifungal eye drop units were sold, with a mean of 2.3 per patient. There was significant variation in antifungal sales during the year (p<0.01). A linear regression model displayed a significant association between reduced relative humidity and antifungal drug sales (R2 = 0.17,p<0.01).

Conclusions

Antifungal eye drops sales suggest that there is a seasonal distribution of fungal keratitis. A possible interpretation is that the third quarter of the year (a period when the climate is drier), when agricultural activity is more intense in Brazil, suggests a correlation with a higher incidence of fungal keratitis. A similar model could be applied to other diseases, that are managed with unique, or few, and monitorable medications to predict epidemiological aspects.     

Comparison of Penicillium echinulatum and Trichoderma reesei cellulases in relation to their activity against various cellulosic substrates

Penicillium echinulatum has been identified as a potential cellulase producer for bioconversion processes but its cellulase system has never been investigated in detail. In this work, the volumetric activities of P. echinulatum cellulases were determined against filter paper (0.27 U/mL), carboxymethylcellulose (1.53 U/mL), hydroxyethylcellulose (4.68 U/mL), birchwood xylan (3.16 U/mL), oat spelt xylan (3.29 U/mL), Sigmacell type 50 (0.10 U/mL), cellobiose (0.19 U/mL), and p-nitrophenyl-glucopiranoside (0.31 U/mL). These values were then expressed in relation to the amount of protein and compared those of Trichoderma reesei cellulases (Celluclast 1.5L FG, Novozymes). Both enzyme complexes were shown to have similar total cellulase and xylanase activities. Analysis of substrate hydrolysates demonstrated that P. echinulatum enzymes have higher beta-glucosidase activity than Celluclast 1.5L FG, while the latter appears to have greater cellobiohydrolase activity. Unlike Celluclast 1.5L FG, P. echinulatum cellulases had enough beta-glucosidase activity to remove most of the cellobiose produced in hydrolysis experiments. However, Celluclast 1.5L FG became more powerful than P. echinulatum cellulases when supplemented with exogenous beta-glucosidase activity (Novozym 188). Both cellulase complexes displayed the same influence over the degree of polymerization of cellulose, revealing that hydrolyzes were carried out under the typical endo-exo synergism of fungal enzymes.     

Docosahexaenoic acid reverts resistance to UV-induced apoptosis in human keratinocytes: involvement of COX-2 and HuR

The dramatic increase in the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer over the last decades has been related to the augmented exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation (UVR). It is known that apoptosis is induced as a protective mechanism after the acute irradiation of keratinocytes, whereas apoptotic resistance and carcinogenesis may follow the chronic exposure to UVR. We found that not all the human keratinocytes lines studied underwent apoptosis following acute exposure to UVR (10-60 mJ/cm²). Whereas UVR induced apoptosis in the HaCaT cells, NCTC 2544 and nr-HaCaT cells showed apoptosis resistance. The cytokeratin pattern of the apoptosis-resistant cells indicated that they possessed a degree of differentiation lower than that of HaCaT cells. They also showed an enhanced expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an early marker of carcinogenesis in various tissues, including skin. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have drawn increasing interest as nutritional factors with the potential to reduce UVR carcinogenesis, and since they are apoptosis inducers and COX-2 inhibitors in cancer cells, we investigated the ability of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to influence the resistance to UVR-induced apoptosis in keratinocytes. We observed that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) reverted the resistance of nr-HaCaT cells to UVR-induced apoptosis, increasing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3 activity, and reduced COX-2 levels by inhibiting the expression of the human antigen R (HuR), a known COX-2 mRNA stabilizer in keratinocytes. The transfection of nr-HaCaT cells with HuR siRNA mimicked the proapoptotic effect of DHA. Overall, our findings further support the role of DHA as a suitable anticarcinogenic factor against nonmelanoma skin cancers.     

Tissue-specific regulation of BiP genes: a cis-acting regulatory domain is required for BiP promoter activity in plant meristems

The binding protein BiP is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident member of the HSP70 stress-related protein family, which is essential for the constitutive function of the ER. In addition to responding to a variety of environmental stimuli, plant BiP exhibits a tissue-specific regulation. We have isolated two soybean BiP genomic clones, designated gsBiP6 and gsBiP9, and different extensions of their 5 flanking sequences were fused to -glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and introduced into Nicotiana tabacum by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Transgenic plants displayed prominent GUS activity in the vascular bundles of roots and shoots as well as in regions of intense cell division, such as procambial region and apical meristems. Promoter deletion analyses identified two cis-regulatory functional domains that are important for the spatially-regulated activation of BiP expression under normal plant development. While an AT-rich enhancer-like sequence, designated cis-acting regulatory domain 1, CRD1 (–358 to –211, on gsBiP6), activated expression of the BiP minimal promoter in all organs analyzed, BiP promoter activity in meristematic tissues and phloem cells required the presence of a second activating domain, CRD2 (–211 to –80). Apparently, the CRD2 sequence also harbors negative cis-acting elements, because removal of this region caused activation of gsBiP6 promoter in parenchymatic xylem rays. These results suggest that the tissue-specific control of BiP gene expression requires a complex integration of multiple cis-acting regulatory elements on the promoter.