Endogenous lactate transport in Xenopus laevis oocyte: dependence on cytoskeleton and regulation by protein kinases

Carbon flux in Xenopus laevis oocyte is glycogenic and an endogenous monocarboxylate transporter is responsible for intracellular lactate uptake. The aim of the present study was to determine if direct activation of protein kinases C and A modulates the activity of lactate transporter, as well as to investigate the possible role of cytoskeleton in these regulatory phenomena. The modulation was studied in isolated Xenopus oocytes of stage V–VI by measuring ¹⁴C-lactate uptake, both in the absence and in the presence of cytoskeletal-perturbing toxins. We found that the basal lactate transporter activity depends on the integrity of the cytoskeleton since it is partially inhibited by cytoskeleton disorganisation. Both PKA and PKC activation caused a significant decrease in transport activity and this decrease could be blocked by specific protein kinase inhibitors. The evidenced effects were not additive. Transport inhibition was annulled by agents that destabilize actin filaments or microtubules. We conclude that both protein kinases A and C, whose effects are mediated by cytoskeleton, negatively regulate the endogenous lactate transporter of Xenopus oocyte, suggesting that these kinases may have a role in the control of cytosolic pyruvate/lactate pool in the oocyte. All the experiments in this study comply with the current laws of Italy.     

Growth kinetics of microorganisms isolated from Alaskan soil and permafrost in solid media frozen down to -35 degrees C

We developed a procedure to culture microorganisms below freezing point on solid media (cellulose powder or plastic film) with ethanol as the sole carbon source without using artificial antifreezes. Enrichment from soil and permafrost obtained on such frozen solid media contained mainly fungi, and further purification resulted in isolation of basidiomycetous yeasts of the genera Mrakia and Leucosporidium as well as ascomycetous fungi of the genus Geomyces. Contrary to solid frozen media, the enrichment of liquid nutrient solutions at 0 degrees C or supercooled solutions stabilized by glycerol at -1 to -5 degrees C led to the isolation of bacteria representing the genera Polaromonas, Pseudomonas and Arthrobacter. The growth of fungi on ethanol-microcrystalline cellulose media at -8 degrees C was exponential with generation times of 4.6-34 days, while bacteria displayed a linear or progressively declining curvilinear dynamic. At -17 to -0 degrees C the growth of isolates and entire soil community on 14C-ethanol was continuous and characterized by yields of 0.27-0.52 g cell C (g of C-substrate)(-1), similar to growth above the freezing point. The 'state of maintenance,' implying measurable catabolic activity of non-growing cells, was not confirmed. Below -18 to -35 degrees C, the isolated organisms were able to grow only transiently for 3 weeks after cooling with measurable respiratory and biosynthetic (14CO2 uptake) activity. Then metabolic activity declined to zero, and microorganisms entered a state of reversible dormancy.     

Genomic comparison using data mining techniques based on a possibilistic fuzzy sets model

Current copiousness of genomic information stored in biological databases [Mar Albà, M., Lee, M., Pearl, D., Shepherd, F.M.G., Martin, A.J., Orengo, N., Kellam, C.A., 2001. P. VIDA: a virus database system for the organisation of virus genome open reading frames. Nuleic Acids Res. 133-136] makes ultimately feasible the proposal for an application of knowledge management aimed to discover general rules in subcellular phenomena. The goal of this work is primarily to discover relationships between genes by microarray analysis. The tools exploited come from clustering techniques and are mainly based on Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) concepts [Fayyad, U., Piatetsky-Shapiro, G., Smyth, P., 1996. From data mining to knowledge discovery in databases. AI Magazine 17(3), 37-54]. Starting from a data set, each element can be represented by a characteristic matrix, which sums up all data attributes. In this case data mining is oriented to perform a Pattern Recognition of related sequences, hidden in databases [Hand, D.J., Nicholas, A., 2005. Heard finding groups in gene expression data. J. Biomed. Biotechnol. 215-225]. Following a bottom up approach, the next refinement is to compare retrieved data to gather similar features, by dedicated clustering algorithms [Kaufman, L., Rousseeuw, P.J., 1990. Finding groups in data. An Introduction to Cluster Analysis. John Wiley & Sons, New York; Forman, G., Zhang, B., 2000. Distributed Data clustering can be efficient and exact HP. Laboratories Palo Alto HPL-2000, p. 158], driven by fuzzy logic, allowing us to perceive by intuition a common denominator for various genomic families and to anticipate likely future developments.     

Yeast diversity in rice-cassava fermentations produced by the indigenous Tapirapé people of Brazil

The Tapirapé people of the Tapi'it?wa tribe of Brazil produce several fermented foods and beverages, one of which is called 'cauim'. This beverage usually makes up the main staple food for adults and children. Several substrates are used in its production, including cassava, rice, corn, maize and peanuts. A fermentation using rice and cassava was conducted, and samples were collected at 4-h intervals for microbial analysis. The yeast population was low at the beginning of the fermentation and reached 6.9 x 10(7) CFU mL(-1) after 48 h. During the fermentation process common yeast species were identified by sequencing of the D1/D2 domain of the large-subunit (26S) rRNA gene. The predominant yeast species found was Candida tropicalis. Candida intermedia, Candida parapsilosis, Pichia guilliermondii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Trichosporon asahii were also found in high numbers during the fermentation. Exophiala dermatidis, often associated with blastomycosis, was found in the mass before inoculation and during the initial stages of the fermentation. Examination of these indigenous fermented foods may provide clues as to how food production and preservation can be expanded and thereby contribute to improve nutrition in native tribes in the region.     

Human Cep192 is required for mitotic centrosome and spindle assembly

As cells enter mitosis, centrosomes dramatically increase in size and ability to nucleate microtubules. This process, termed centrosome maturation, is driven by the accumulation and activation of gamma-tubulin and other proteins that form the pericentriolar material on centrosomes during G2/prophase. Here, we show that the human centrosomal protein, Cep192 (centrosomal protein of 192 kDa), is an essential component of the maturation machinery. Specifically, we have found that siRNA depletion of Cep192 results in a complete loss of functional centrosomes in mitotic but not interphase cells. In mitotic cells lacking Cep192, microtubules become organized around chromosomes but rarely acquire stable bipolar configurations. These cells contain normal numbers of centrioles but cannot assemble gamma-tubulin, pericentrin, or other pericentriolar proteins into an organized PCM. Alternatively, overexpression of Cep192 results in the formation of multiple, extracentriolar foci of gamma-tubulin and pericentrin. Together, our findings support the hypothesis that Cep192 stimulates the formation of the scaffolding upon which gamma-tubulin ring complexes and other proteins involved in microtubule nucleation and spindle assembly become functional during mitosis.     

Occurence of adverse events due to continuous glucose monitoring

Aims: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) using transcutaneous sensors is becoming a sophisticated method to control and regulate glucose metabolism. The transcutaneous sensor of the CGM system (CGMStrade mark Medtronic Minimed, Northridge, CA, USA) is chosen to measure glucose concentration in interstitial fluid up to three days after insertion even though its function remains stable for a longer period. The question arises, which factors really limit the period of sensor insertion without unnecessary risk. The aim of this study was to assess any adverse events occurring in the course of 9 days after the sensor insertion. Methods: In a group of 22 healthy volunteers aged 21.8+/-1.30 y (mean +/- SE) a total of 26 sensors was inserted subcutaneously in gluteal or lumbar region for 9 days. Before insertion the site was sprayed with an antiseptic (Cutasept F, Bode Chemie, Hamburg, Germany). Local adverse reactions and disturbances in general condition were examined. Results: In the course of 184 sensor-days, there were only minor local adverse events: hypersensitivity, itching, pain, redness, burning, subcutaneous hemorrhage. Additionally, sleep disturbances, attention deficits, problems related to the CGMS monitor, to adhesive tape and/or sensor were found. None of these resulted in sensor withdrawal. In 12 volunteers (55 %) no complications were observed. The sensor function measured according to electrical signals (ISIG) failed (always on day 1-2) in 4 cases (16 %). Conclusions: The present FDA approved 3-day insertion period for Medtronic transcutaneous sensor does not seem to limit its use and appears to be worth a careful revision.     

Evaluation of an experimental product based on Bacillus thuringiensis sorovar. israelensis against Aedes aegypti larvae (Diptera:Culicidae)

The larvicidal activity of an experimental formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) against Aedes aegypti larvae was evaluated under laboratory and simulated field conditions (SFC). Samples of technical powder (TP) were assayed to establish the LC₅₀ and the potency of the product. The larvicidal activity of the TP and the tablet (T) were evaluated under SFC to assess the efficacy and the residual activity, measured against Ae. aegypti larvae. Either a T or 250 mg of TP were added to 50 L of water in plastic containers. Containers were exposed to sunlight or kept in the shade. Results showed a LC₅₀ of 0.26 mg/L and a potency of 750 ITU/mg. In spite of differences in the toxicity amongst TP and T samples, all of them killed 98–100% of the larvae and the mortality remained high for six months, in the shade. The replacement of 20% or 60% of the water volume did not affect the activity of the product. Seasonal differences influenced the persistence of the product in containers exposed to sunlight. Both formulations showed an excellent performance, especially when kept in the shade. The Bti tablet evaluated in this study is potentially very useful in programs to control dengue vectors.     

GSTM1, GSTT1 and CYP1A1 detoxification gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to smoking-related coronary artery disease: a case-only study

Cigarette smoking is a powerful risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), leading to the formation of DNA alterations within blood vessels and heart. However, the degree of smoking-related atherosclerosis varies from individual to individual. Genetic polymorphisms of relevant xenobiotic metabolising enzymes may determine the susceptibility of an individual response to environmental toxicants. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the inheritance of polymorphic genes encoding cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1 MspI) and glutathione S-transferases (GSTM1(null) and GSTT1(null)) may be causally associated with the presence and severity of smoking-induced CAD. In a case-only design, 222 (179 male, 57.8+/-10.3 years) consecutive smoker patients who had undergone elective and diagnostic coronary angiography were recruited. We found a group (n=169) of smoker patients with significant CAD, defined as>50% reduction in diameter of at least one major vessel, and a group without obstructive CAD (n=53). No significant differences were observed in CYP1A1 genotypes frequencies between CAD and non-CAD smokers (p=0.1). Homozygous deletion of GSTM1 had a frequency of 58.6% among patients with CAD and 45.3% among those without CAD (p=0.08). The frequency of the GSTT1(null) genotype was 43.8% among the patients with CAD and 24.5% among CAD-free subjects (p=0.01). After adjustment for traditional risk factors, the presence of combined GSTM1(null)GSTT1(null) genotypes was significantly associated with an increased risk of CAD (OR=3.9; 95% CI: 1.3-11.4, p=0.01). Moreover, smokers with combined GSTM1(null)GSTT1(null) genotypes had significantly higher number of stenosed vessels than those with the positive genotype (2.3+/-0.9 versus 1.7+/-0.8, p=0.03). Our findings showed that smokers carrying GST deleted genotypes have an increased susceptibility to the smoking related coronary artery disease. Exploring gene-smoking effect provides an excellent model in order to understand gene-environment toxicants interaction and its implications to cardiovascular disease.     

Evaluation of novel beta-lactam antibiotics in comparison to cefotaxime on plant regeneration of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrus sinensis</Emphasis> L. Osb.

Identification of beta-lactam antibiotics that have negligible effects on plant regeneration is a critical step towards the establishment of a reliable Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol for perennial trees. In the present report, we have evaluated the effects of the novel beta-lactam antibiotics meropenem and timentin on plant regeneration of a perennial woody fruit plant, Citrus sinensis, in comparison with the commonly used beta-lactam cefotaxime. It was observed that, in contrast to cefotaxime, meropenem and timentin had a positive or no detrimental effect on the shoot regeneration from epicotyl explants. Residual effects of the beta-lactams from shoot regeneration medium also affected the subsequent ability of the roots to elongate. The addition of meropenem and/or timentin in the rooting medium mostly improved or did not affect the rooting ability of the adventitious shoots. These data indicated that meropenem and timentin can positively replace cefotaxime in Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of C. sinensis.     

Low Sensitivity of the Formol-Ethyl Acetate Sedimentation Concentration Technique in Low-Intensity Schistosoma japonicum Infections

Background

The endemic countries are in a diagnostic dilemma concerning Schistosoma japonicum with increasing difficulties in diagnosing the infected individuals. The formol-ethyl acetate sedimentation concentration technique is preferred by many clinical microbiology laboratories for the detection of parasites in stool samples. It is potentially more sensitive than the diagnostic methods traditionally used.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We evaluated the technique for detection of low-intensity S. japonicum infections in 106 stool samples from China and used a commercial kit, Parasep Midi Faecal Parasite Concentrator. One stool sample and one serum sample were collected from each person. As reference standard we used persons positive by indirect hemagglutination in serum and positive by Kato-Katz thick smear microscopy (three slides from a single stool), and/or the hatching test. We found the sedimentation technique to have a sensitivity of only 28.6% and specificity of 97.4%.

Conclusion/Significance

This study indicates that the sedimentation technique has little to offer in the diagnosis of low-intensity S. japonicum infections, at least when only a single stool sample is examined.