Characterization and differentiation potential of rat ventral mesencephalic neuronal progenitor cells immortalized with SV40 large T antigen

Neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) possess high potential for use in regenerative medicine. To overcome their limited mitotic competence, various immortalization strategies have been applied that allow their prolonged maintenance and expansion in vitro. Such immortalized cells can be used for the design and discovery of new cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease. We immortalized rat ventral mesencephalic NPCs by using SV40 large T antigen (SV40Tag). All cell clones displayed a two- to three–fold higher proliferation rate compared with the primary cells. In order to induce dopaminergic differentiation of generated cell clones, both glial-derived neurotrophic factor and di-butyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate were applied. Treated cells were then characterized regarding the expression of dopaminergic lineage markers, differentiation of various cell populations, calcium imaging in the presence of kainate, and immunohistochemistry after intrastriatal transplantation. Treated cells displayed morphological maturation, and calcium imaging revealed neuronal properties in the presence of kainate. These cells also expressed low mRNA levels of the dopamine transporter and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), although no TH-immunopositive neurons were found. Intrastriatal transplantation into the neurotoxin-lesioned rats did not induce further differentiation. As an alternative approach, we silenced SV40Tag with short interfering RNA, but this was not sufficient to trigger differentiation into dopaminergic neurons. Nevertheless, neuronal and glial cells were detected as shown by β-tubulin type III and glial fibrillary acidic protein staining, respectively. SV40Tag cells are suitable for carrying out controlled genetic modifications as shown by overexpression of enhanced green fluorescence protein after efficient non-viral transfection.     

The four hexamerin genes in the honey bee: structure,molecular evolution and function deduced from expression patterns in queens,workers and drones

Background  

Hexamerins are hemocyanin-derived proteins that have lost the ability to bind copper ions and transport oxygen; instead, they became storage proteins. The current study aimed to broaden our knowledge on the hexamerin genes found in the honey bee genome by exploring their structural characteristics, expression profiles, evolution, and functions in the life cycle of workers, drones and queens.     

The specificity of frutalin lectin using biomembrane models

Frutalin is a homotetrameric α-d-galactose (d-Gal)-binding lectin that activates natural killer cells in vitro and promotes leukocyte migration in vivo. Because lectins are potent lymphocyte stimulators, understanding the interactions that occur between them and cell surfaces can help to the action mechanisms involved in this process. In this paper, we present a detailed investigation of the interactions of frutalin with phospho- and glycolipids using Langmuir monolayers as biomembrane models. The results confirm the specificity of frutalin for d-Gal attached to a biomembrane. Adsorption of frutalin was more efficient for the galactose polar head lipids, in contrast to the one for sulfated galactose, in which a lag time is observed, indicating a rearrangement of the monolayer to incorporate the protein. Regarding ganglioside GM1 monolayers, lower quantities of the protein were adsorbed, probably due to the farther apart position of d-galactose from the interface. Binary mixtures containing galactocerebroside revealed small domains formed at high lipid packing in the presence of frutalin, suggesting that lectin induces the clusterization and the forming of domains in vitro, which may be a form of receptor internalization. This is the first experimental evidence of such lectin effect, and it may be useful to understand the mechanism of action of lectins at the molecular level.     

Status of complete proteome analysis by mass spectrometry: SILAC labeled yeast as a model system

Background  

Mass spectrometry has become a powerful tool for the analysis of large numbers of proteins in complex samples, enabling much of proteomics. Due to various analytical challenges, so far no proteome has been sequenced completely. O'Shea, Weissman and co-workers have recently determined the copy number of yeast proteins, making this proteome an excellent model system to study factors affecting coverage.     

Optical imaging of luminescence for in vivo quantification of gene electrotransfer in mouse muscle and knee

Background  

Optical imaging is an attractive non-invasive way to evaluate the expression of a transferred DNA, mainly thanks to its lower cost and ease of realization. In this study optical imaging was evaluated for monitoring and quantification of the mouse knee joint and tibial cranial muscle electrotransfer of a luciferase encoding plasmid. Optical imaging was applied to study the kinetics of luciferase expression in both tissues.     

Reactive oxygen species mediate bactericidal killing elicited by carbon monoxide-releasing molecules

CO-releasing molecules (CO-RMs) were previously shown by us to be more potent bactericides than CO gas. This suggests a mechanism of action for CO-RM, which either potentiates the activity of CO or uses another CO-RM-specific effect. We have also reported that CORM-2 induces the expression of genes related to oxidative stress. In the present study we intend to establish whether the generation of reactive oxygen species by CO-RMs may indeed result in the inhibition of bacterial cellular function. We now report that two CO-RMs (CORM-2 and ALF062) stimulate the production of ROS in Escherichia coli, an effect that is abolished by addition of antioxidants. Furthermore, deletion of genes encoding E. coli systems involved in reactive oxygen species scavenging, namely catalases and superoxide dismutases, potentiates the lethality of CORM-2 due to an increase of intracellular ROS content. CORM-2 also induces the expression of the E. coli DNA repair/SOS system recA, and its inactivation enhances toxicity of CORM-2. Moreover, fluorescence microscopy images reveal that CORM-2 causes DNA lesions to bacterial cells. We also demonstrate that cells treated with CORM-2 contain higher levels of free iron arising from destruction of iron-sulfur proteins. Importantly, we show that CO-RMs generate hydroxyl radicals in a cell-free solution, a process that is abolished by scavenging CO. Altogether, we provide a novel insight into the molecular basis of CO-RMs action by showing that their bactericidal properties are linked to cell damage inflicted by the oxidative stress that they are able to generate.     

Dating the fungus-growing termites' mutualism shows a mixture between ancient codiversification and recent symbiont dispersal across divergent hosts

The mutualistic symbiosis between fungus-growing termites and Termitomyces fungi originated in Africa and shows a moderate degree of interaction specificity. Here we estimate the age of the mutualism and test the hypothesis that the major splits have occurred simultaneously in the host and in the symbiont. We present a scenario where fungus-growing termites originated in the African rainforest just before the expansion of the savanna, about 31 Ma (19-49 Ma). Whereas rough age correspondence is observed for the four main clades of host and symbiont, the analysis reveals several recent events of host switching followed by dispersal of the symbiont throughout large areas and throughout different host genera. The most spectacular of these is a group of closely related fungi (the maximum age of which is estimated to be 2.4 Ma), shared between the divergent genera Microtermes, Ancistrotermes, Acanthotermes and Synacanthotermes (which diverged at least 16.7 Ma), and found throughout the African continent and on Madagascar. The lack of geographical differentiation of fungal symbionts shows that continuous exchange has occurred between regions and across host species.     

Temporal abundance of Aedes aegypti in Manaus,Brazil, measured by two trap types for adult mosquitoes

A longitudinal study was conducted in Manaus, Brazil, to monitor changes of adult Aedes aegypti (L.) abundance. The objectives were to compare mosquito collections of two trap types, to characterise temporal changes of the mosquito population, to investigate the influence of meteorological variables on mosquito collections and to analyse the association between mosquito collections and dengue incidence. Mosquito monitoring was performed fortnightly using MosquiTRAPs (MQT) and BG-Sentinel (BGS) traps between December 2008-June 2010. The two traps revealed opposing temporal infestation patterns, with highest mosquito collections of MQTs during the dry season and highest collections of BGS during the rainy seasons. Several meteorological variables were significant predictors of mosquito collections in the BGS. The best predictor was the relative humidity, lagged two weeks (in a positive relationship). For MQT, only the number of rainy days in the previous week was significant (in a negative relationship). The correlation between monthly dengue incidence and mosquito abundance in BGS and MQT was moderately positive and negative, respectively. Catches of BGS traps reflected better the dynamic of dengue incidence. The findings help to understand the effects of meteorological variables on mosquito infestation indices of two different traps for adult dengue vectors in Manaus.     

Role of the Siderophore Transporter SirABC in the Staphylococcus aureus Resistance to Oxidative Stress

In Staphylococcus aureus, the intracellular siderophore staphyloferrin B, which has been shown to chelate iron-bound to serum transferrin, is transported into cells by the SirABC system. In this work, we have analysed the role of the Sir transporter under stress conditions that resemble those imposed by the mammalian innate immune system. We show that exposure of S. aureus to oxidative and nitrosative stress generated by hydrogen peroxide and S-nitrosoglutathione, respectively, induced the expression of the sirA gene. The disruption of the sir operon led to a strain with lower viability and decreased resistance to oxidative stress. S. aureus sir null mutant was also analysed during infection of murine macrophages and shown to contribute to S. aureus survival inside macrophages. Altogether, our results indicate that the Sir transport system confers protection against reactive oxygen species, therefore, contributing to the virulence of S. aureus.