Priming and memory of stress responses in organisms lacking a nervous system

Experience and memory of environmental stimuli that indicate future stress can prepare (prime) organismic stress responses even in species lacking a nervous system. The process through which such organisms prepare their phenotype for an improved response to future stress has been termed ‘priming’. However, other terms are also used for this phenomenon, especially when considering priming in different types of organisms and when referring to different stressors. Here we propose a conceptual framework for priming of stress responses in bacteria, fungi and plants which allows comparison of priming with other terms, e.g. adaptation, acclimation, induction, acquired resistance and cross protection. We address spatial and temporal aspects of priming and highlight current knowledge about the mechanisms necessary for information storage which range from epigenetic marks to the accumulation of (dormant) signalling molecules. Furthermore, we outline possible patterns of primed stress responses. Finally, we link the ability of organisms to become primed for stress responses (their ‘primability’) with evolutionary ecology aspects and discuss which properties of an organism and its environment may favour the evolution of priming of stress responses.     

Senescence and human chromosome changes

Summary A girl with slight psychomotor retardation, microphthalmia, and colobomata of the left eye, a hypotrophy of the right arm and a surnumerary digit on the right hand is described. The routine chromsome analysis and a G-banding analysis revealed an elongated long arm of chromosome 10. An extra light and dark band was present proximally. Both parents had normal chromosomes. While the visual comparison of the abnormal with the normal chromosome 10, did not enable the extra bands of the normal bands q21 and q22 to be distinguished. However, measurements of length, surface area, and relative reflection of the different light and dark bands of the long arm on tracings or directly on the normal and abnormal chromosomes, enabled us to precisely locate the extra bands and to determine that the abnormal chromosome was a result of an insertional translocation. The value of such measurements is discussed.     

CHLOROPLAST PIGMENT PATTERNS IN DINOFLAGELLATES1

The chlorophylls and carotenoids of 22 species of dinoflagellates were analysed by thin layer chromatography, using 2-dimensional sucrose plates, and 1-dimensional polyethylene plates for chlorophylls c₁ and c₂. Peridinin was the major carotenoid in 19 of the species, while fucoxanthin was the major carotenoid in 3. In the peridinin-containing species, 5 carotenoid fractions, constituting more than 95% of the total carotenoids, were always present. These were peridinin (± neo-peridinin), averaging 64% of the total carotenoid, diadinoxanthin, dinoxanthin, β-carotene and a polar, unidentified pink xanthophyll. Six other carotenoid fractions occurred in minor or trace quantities among the species, but were not identified. Two of these had, a wide distribution; the other 4 were restricted to one or 2 species. The chlorophyll content of the dinoflagellate cultures ranged from 1–141 μg chlorophyll a + c/10⁶ cells, a pattern which was broadly correlated with cell size. In the peridinin-containing species the ratio of chlorophyll a to c on a molar basis was approximately 2 (range 1.60–4.39); in the fucoxanthin-containing species this ratio was approximately 4 (range 2.65–5.73). Both chlorophylls c₁ and c₂ occurred in the fucoxanthin-containing dinoflagellates, and only chlorophyll c₂ (one exception) occurred in the peridinin-containing dinoflagellates. These patterns of chlorophyll c and major carotenoid correspond to patterns previously observed in the Pyrrhophyta and the Chrysophyta, suggesting different phylogenetic origins for the “dinoflagellate” chloroplasts.     

Beiträge zur Zytologie der Bromeliaceae

Zusammenfassung Die gefundenen Chromosomenzahlen bestätigen im großen und ganzen das vonMez aufgestellte System.DiePitcairnioideae stellen eine einheitliche Gruppe mit der Grundzahl 5 (25) dar.Bei denBromelioideae lassen sich dagegen drei Gruppen unterscheiden: der VerwandtschaftskreisAechmea-Ananas mit der Grundzahl 5 (25) vermittelt den Anschluß an diePitcairnioideae die Mehrzahl derBromelioideae weist die Grundzahl 9 auf; die GattungBromelia mit der Grundzahl 4 leitet zu denTillandsioideae über.DieTillandsioideae scheinen nach den bisherigen, Befunden eine einheitliche Gruppe mit der Grundzahl 4 zu sein.In bezug auf die Entwicklung der männlichen und weiblichen Haploidgeneration stellen dieBromeliaceae eine einheitliche Familie dar. Die Zytokinese der Pollenmutterzellen erfolgt sukzedan, die reifen Pollenkörner sind zweikernig. Es werden normale achtkernige, Embryosäcke gebildet.Durch Kernmessungen wurde festgestellt, daß die Kerngröße nicht in dem Maße übereinstimmt, wieKlieneberger es angibt. Das Wachstum der Kerne erfolgt durch rhythmische Verdoppelung.Mit 20 Textabbildungen.     

A combined biochemical, biophysical and immunological approach towards the identification of celiac disease-specific wheat antigens

Celiac disease (CD) is an inflammatory affliction of the small bowel caused by an immunological hypersensitivity to ingested wheat antigens affecting almost 1 % of the population. The gliadin fraction of wheat has been shown to contain the pathogenic antigens which react with antibodies and T cells. However, there is only limited knowledge regarding the precise nature of the wheat antigens recognized by IgA antibodies from CD patients and diagnostic tests based on the gliadin fraction have been demonstrated to give frequently false positive results. The aim of this study was the characterization of wheat antigens specifically recognized by IgA antibodies of CD patients. We developed a combined biochemical, biophysical, and immunological approach for the identification of celiac disease-specific wheat antigens. It is based on sub-fractionation of the wheat gliadin fraction using two ion exchange chromatography steps, the localization of CD-specific antigens by immunoblotting with IgA antibodies from CD patients, subsequent digestion followed by electro spray ionization–liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC–ESI–MS/MS) and N-terminal sequencing by Edman degradation. Through the sub-fractionation procedure it was possible to separate CD-specific IgA-reactive wheat antigens from other wheat antigens which were also recognized by IgA antibodies of individuals without CD or by CD patients on gluten-free diet. Analysis by LC–ESI–MS/MS and N-terminal sequencing of the sub-fractions and the proteins specifically recognized by CD patients identified certain γ-gliadins with molecular mass of 37,000 and 45,000 as CD-specific wheat antigens. The CD-specific γ-gliadins with the molecular mass of 37,000 and 45,000 should be useful to study pathomechanisms of the disease and to improve the specificity of diagnostic tests for CD.     

Types of degenerating geniculocortical axon terminals and their contribution to layer IV of area 17 in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri)

Summary Radiofrequency lesions were made in the lateral geniculate nuclei of six squirrel monkeys. The resulting degenerating terminals and their postsynaptic structures in layer IV of area 17 were quantitatively categorized on photomontages covering large areas of neuropil. Two to five days after the lesion, numerous axon terminals were affected by a variety of degenerative changes, i.e., enlargement and distortion of synaptic vesicles, neurofilamentous hyperplasia, electron-lucent and electron-dense reactions. Based on the aggregation of electron-dense material beneath the postsynaptic membrane, the degenerating terminals were considered to be of the asymmetric type. Among the degenerating boutons were the largest axon endings that occur in layer IV. Three days postoperatively, degenerating boutons contributed an average of 16.2% to the total synapse population; five days postoperatively, the average had increased to 19.3 %. The percentage of degenerating boutons on individual montages, however, amounted to as much as 29%. This amount probably reflects more closely the actual contribution of the geniculocortical fiber system to layer IV of striate cortex. The postsynaptic structure most frequently contacted by degenerating axon endings was the dendritic spine, followed by dendrites of small diameter. To account for the diversity of degenerative changes in the same fiber system, we offer the tentative suggestion that heterogeneously degenerating axon terminals arise from a heterogeneous population of neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus, i.e., from magnocellular versus parvocellular laminae.     

Novel possibility for cutaneous melanoma treatment by means of rosmarinic acid action on purinergic signaling

Purinergic Signalling - Cancer cases have increased significantly in Brazil and worldwide, with cutaneous melanoma (CM) being responsible for nearly 57,000 deaths in the world. Thus, this review...     

Sequential loading of cohesin subunits during the first meiotic prophase of grasshoppers

The cohesin complexes play a key role in chromosome segregation during both mitosis and meiosis. They establish sister chromatid cohesion between duplicating DNA molecules during S-phase, but they also have an important role during postreplicative double-strand break repair in mitosis, as well as during recombination between homologous chromosomes in meiosis. An additional function in meiosis is related to the sister kinetochore cohesion, so they can be pulled by microtubules to the same pole at anaphase I. Data about the dynamics of cohesin subunits during meiosis are scarce; therefore, it is of great interest to characterize how the formation of the cohesin complexes is achieved in order to understand the roles of the different subunits within them. We have investigated the spatio-temporal distribution of three different cohesin subunits in prophase I grasshopper spermatocytes. We found that structural maintenance of chromosome protein 3 (SMC3) appears as early as preleptotene, and its localization resembles the location of the unsynapsed axial elements, whereas radiation-sensitive mutant 21 (RAD21) (sister chromatid cohesion protein 1, SCC1) and stromal antigen protein 1 (SA1) (sister chromatid cohesion protein 3, SCC3) are not visualized until zygotene, since they are located in the synapsed regions of the bivalents. During pachytene, the distribution of the three cohesin subunits is very similar and all appear along the trajectories of the lateral elements of the autosomal synaptonemal complexes. However, whereas SMC3 also appears over the single and unsynapsed X chromosome, RAD21 and SA1 do not. We conclude that the loading of SMC3 and the non-SMC subunits, RAD21 and SA1, occurs in different steps throughout prophase I grasshopper meiosis. These results strongly suggest the participation of SMC3 in the initial cohesin axis formation as early as preleptotene, thus contributing to sister chromatid cohesion, with a later association of both RAD21 and SA1 subunits at zygotene to reinforce and stabilize the bivalent structure. Therefore, we speculate that more than one cohesin complex participates in the sister chromatid cohesion at prophase I.     

Can micro-imaging based analysis methods quantify structural integrity of rat vertebrae with and without metastatic involvement?

This study compares the ability of μCT image-based registration, 2D structural rigidity analyses and multimodal continuum-level finite element (FE) modeling in evaluating the mechanical stability of healthy, osteolytic, and mixed osteolytic/osteoblastic metastatically involved rat vertebrae. μMR and μCT images (loaded and unloaded) were acquired of lumbar spinal motion segments from 15rnu/rnu rats (five per group). Strains were calculated based on image registration of the loaded and unloaded μCT images and via analysis of FE models created from the μCT and μMR data. Predicted yield load was also calculated through 2D structural rigidity analysis of the axial unloaded μCT slices. Measures from the three techniques were compared to experimental yield loads. The ability of these methods to predict experimental yield loads were evaluated and image registration and FE calculated strains were directly compared. Quantitatively for all samples, only limited weak correlations were found between the image-based measures and experimental yield load. In comparison to the experimental yield load, we observed a trend toward a weak negative correlation with median strain calculated using the image-based strain measurement algorithm (r=-0.405, p=0.067), weak significant correlations (p<0.05) with FE based median and 10th percentile strain values (r=-0.454, -0.637, respectively), and a trend toward a weak significant correlation with FE based mean strain (r=-0.366, p=0.09). Individual group analyses, however, yielded more and stronger correlations with experimental results. Considering the image-based strain measurement algorithm we observed moderate significant correlations with experimental yield load (p<0.05) in the osteolytic group for mean and median strain values (r=-0.840, -0.832, respectively), and in the healthy group for median strain values (r=-0.809). Considering the rigidity-based predicted yield load, we observed a strong significant correlation with the experimental yield load in the mixed osteolytic/osteoblastic group (r=0.946) and trend toward a moderate correlation with the experimental yield load in the osteolytic group (r=0.788). Qualitatively, strain patterns in the vertebral bodies generated using image registration and FEA were well matched, yet quantitatively a significant correlation was found only between mean strains in the healthy group (r=0.934). Large structural differences in metastatic vertebrae and the complexity of motion segment loading may have led to varied modes of failure. Improvements in load characterization, material properties assignments and resolution are necessary to yield a more generalized ability for image-based registration, structural rigidity and FE methods to accurately represent stability in healthy and pathologic scenarios.