Genotype-Dependent morphogenetic potentiality of various explants of a food legume,the pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.)

Summary The morphogenetic response of various explants of seven different cultivars of a food legume, the pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L.), has been studied. The stimulation and elongation of shoot buds into shoots derived from the mature embryo axis and intact seed on Murashige and Skoog’s medium supplemented with 2.32µM kinetin and 22.2µM benzyladenine was found to be optimum in Murashige and Skoog’s medium supplemented with 0.46µM kinetin, 0.53µM naphthalene acetic acid, and 0.29µM gibberellic acid. Even though the response of these two explants for formation of shoot buds in all the genotypes is 30–100% depending on media composition, subsequent growth and elongation of these shoot buds into plants is genotype dependent and is restricted to two genotypes. Cotyledon and epicotyl explants of pigeon pea cultivars on the other hand differentiated directly into four to eight and two to four shoots, respectively, depending on the media composition and genotype. In vitro rhizogenesis of regenerated shoots was 80% and the survival of these plantlets in the field was 70–80%. NCL Communication no.: 5667.     

Inflammatory Breast Cancer: A Distinct Clinicopathological Entity Transcending Histological Distinction

Introduction

Although well recognized in breast oncology literature, histologic subtypes have not been previously described in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). The purpose of this study was to describe lobular subtype in IBC and assess the impact of histology on patient outcomes.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of 659 IBC patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center between January 1984 and December 2009. Patients with Invasive Lobular, Mixed Invasive Ductal and Lobular, or Invasive Ducal Carcinomas (ILC, MIC, IDC, respectively) comprise the subject of this report. Patient characteristics and survival estimates were compared by using chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank statistic. Cox proportional hazards models were fit to determine association of histology with outcomes after adjustment for other characteristics.

Results

A total of 30, 37, and 592 patients were seen to have invasive lobular, mixed, or ductal histology, respectively. Grade 3 tumors were more common in the ductal group (78%) than in the lobular (60%) or mixed (61%) group (P = 0.01). The 3-year overall survival rates were 68%, 64%, and 62% in the lobular, mixed, and ductal groups, respectively (P = 0.68). After adjustment, histology did not have a significant effect on death in the lobular group (HR = 0.70, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26–1.94; P = 0.50) or mixed group (HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.25–1.13; P = 0.10) compared with the ductal group.

Conclusion

In this cohort of IBC patients, lobular histology was seen in 4.5% cases. Histology does not appear to have a significant effect on survival outcomes in IBC patients, unlike in patients with non-inflammatory breast cancer (n-IBC), indicating the distinct biological behavior of the IBC phenotype.     

Seasonal variation in the plankton of Porto Novo Waters (India)

Summary The seasonal variations of marine (collected at the ten fathom line-Station A) and estuarine (collected at the Mouth of the Vellar estuary-Station I) plankton of Porto Novo (India) are described, covering the period 1960–63. The biological, temporal and numerical variations of phytoplankton and zooplankton are described for the two stations. The succession of species was more or less similar at both stations, but certain forms like colonial Radiolaria, Scyphomedusae, Anthozoa, trochophore of Sipunculids, Stomatopod larvae and Protochordate larvae were relatively more confined to Station A, and crustacean larvae other than Stomatopods Actinotrocha larva, fish eggs and larvae were relatively more confined to Station I.The Diatom main peak was about June–July at Station A and about May–July at Station I. The Diatom peak was generally heralded with the appearance of Coscinodiscus. Noticluca usually showed three spurts- mainly two distict ones about May–June and August. The third development was only during certain years and not so intensive. Copepods showed two peaks generally during June–July after few days of the Diatom bloom, and during October–November following the first monsoon rains.The peaks of Diatoms, Peridinians, Noctiluca, Molluscan larvae and Tunicate larvae were more marked at Station A than at Station I. A rich and varied zooplankton was observed about February at Station A. The appearance of salps at Station A seems in a way to be related to salinity, when the salinity values were between 28.89–34.55, the salps appearing more with a fall in salinity. Similarly at Station I, Creseis acicula, Prawn larvae and fish larvae seem to be associated with a sudden fall in temperature and salinity when the monsoon rains start, at Station I.The numerical relationship of plankton at Station A was generally inverse between phyto- and zooplankton and this was generally parallel at Station I.

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Sumario La variación estacional del plancton marino (collectado en la ten fathom lineestacción A) y estuarino (Mouth of the Vellar estuary) és descrita para el período 1960–63. Las variaciones biológicas, temporales y numéricas del fitoplancton y del zooplancton son descritas para las dos estacciones. La succesión de especies fué más o menos comparable en las dos estacciones; algunas formas como colonial radiolaria, scyphomedusae, anthozoa, trochophore y sipunculids, stomatopod larvae, y protochordate larvae fuéron confinadas a la estacción A, y otras como crustacean larvae, Actinotrocha larva, peces eggs y larvae confinades a la estacción I.El maximum para las diatomeas ocurrió en Junio–Julio en la estacción A,y Mayo–Junio en la estación I. Las diatomeas están representadas principalmente por el génere Coscinodiscus antes del maximum. El maximum para Noctiluca fue observado en Mayo–Junio y en Agosto. Los copepodes presentaran dos períodos de maximum Junio–Julio despues del maximum de las diatomeas y en Octubre–Noviembre. El maximum de las diatomeas, peridianians, Noctiluca, molluscan larvae y tunicate larvae en la estacción A fué mas distincto que en la estacción en el estuario. El zooplancton se mostró rico y variado en Febrero en la estacción A.La presencia de salpas en la estacción A parace ser relacionada en ciertos aspectos con la diminuición de la salinidad cuando esta fué 28.89–34.55. Por la misma forma la presencia de Creseis acicula, prawn larvae, peces eggs y larvae parace ser relacionada con diminuición de salinidad y temperatura del agua durante Octobre–Noviembre–Deciembre en la estacción I. Las relaciones numéricas del plancton indican que en la estacción A fueran contrarias y en la estacción I paralelas.

     

Material properties of the ovine mitral valve anterior leaflet in vivo from inverse finite element analysis

We measured leaflet displacements and used inverse finite-element analysis to define, for the first time, the material properties of mitral valve (MV) leaflets in vivo. Sixteen miniature radiopaque markers were sewn to the MV annulus, 16 to the anterior MV leaflet, and 1 on each papillary muscle tip in 17 sheep. Four-dimensional coordinates were obtained from biplane videofluoroscopic marker images (60 frames/s) during three complete cardiac cycles. A finite-element model of the anterior MV leaflet was developed using marker coordinates at the end of isovolumic relaxation (IVR; when the pressure difference across the valve is approximately 0), as the minimum stress reference state. Leaflet displacements were simulated during IVR using measured left ventricular and atrial pressures. The leaflet shear modulus (G(circ-rad)) and elastic moduli in both the commisure-commisure (E(circ)) and radial (E(rad)) directions were obtained using the method of feasible directions to minimize the difference between simulated and measured displacements. Group mean (+/-SD) values (17 animals, 3 heartbeats each, i.e., 51 cardiac cycles) were as follows: G(circ-rad) = 121 +/- 22 N/mm2, E(circ) = 43 +/- 18 N/mm2, and E(rad) = 11 +/- 3 N/mm2 (E(circ) > E(rad), P < 0.01). These values, much greater than those previously reported from in vitro studies, may result from activated neurally controlled contractile tissue within the leaflet that is inactive in excised tissues. This could have important implications, not only to our understanding of mitral valve physiology in the beating heart but for providing additional information to aid the development of more durable tissue-engineered bioprosthetic valves.     

Plant regeneration in pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] by organogenesis

A method for regenerating pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] plants has been developed using distal cotyledonary segments of mature seeds as explants. A large number of shoot buds were induced directly from explants of genotypes T-15-15 and GAUT-82-90 when cultured on six different basal media fortified with 22.2 μm N⁶-benzylaminopurine, 2.3 μm kinetin, and 271 μm adenine sulfate. The shoot buds developed into shoots when they were subcultured on the same medium but with one-tenth concentrations of cytokinins and adenine sulfate. The shoots elongated by subculturing first two to three times on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with 2.22 μm N⁶-benzylaminopurine and 0.54 μm α-naphthaleneacetic acid or on half-strength MS medium containing 2.89 μm gibberellic acid, and then once on the same medium without growth regulators. Elongated shoots were rooted with 80–85% efficiency on MS medium with 4.92 μm indole-3-butyric acid and the plantlets were transferred for hardening. Plants survival in pots was 70–75%. This method may be useful for improving the crop through genetic manipulations. Received: 11 August 1997 / Revision received: 12 January 1998 / Accepted: 30 January 1998     

A Novel Phosphatidic Acid-Protein-tyrosine Phosphatase D2 Axis Is Essential for ERBB2 Signaling in Mammary Epithelial Cells

We used a loss-of-function screen to investigate the role of classical protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) in three-dimensional mammary epithelial cell morphogenesis and ERBB2 signaling. The study revealed a novel role for PTPD2 as a positive regulator of ERBB2 signaling. Suppression of PTPD2 attenuated the ERBB2-induced multiacinar phenotype in three-dimensional cultures specifically by inhibiting ERBB2-mediated loss of polarity and lumen filling. In contrast, overexpression of PTPD2 enhanced the ERBB2 phenotype. We also found that a lipid second messenger, phosphatidic acid, bound PTPD2 in vitro and enhanced its catalytic activity. Small molecule inhibitors of phospholipase D (PLD), an enzyme that produces phosphatidic acid in cells, also attenuated the ERBB2 phenotype. Exogenously added phosphatidic acid rescued the PLD-inhibition phenotype, but only when PTPD2 was present. These findings illustrate a novel pathway involving PTPD2 and the lipid second messenger phosphatidic acid that promotes ERBB2 function.     

In vitro plant regeneration from leaf callus inPiper colubrinum Link

Callus-mediated shoot regeneration from leaf explants ofPhytophthora resistant pepper (Piper colubrinum Link.) is described. The effect of basal media composition and growth regulators onin vitro response of explants was evaluated. Shoot buds were induced and elongated on half-strength MS medium containing 2.0 mg l^–1 BA and 0.5 mg l^–1 NAA , as well as 1.0 mg l^–1 BA and 0.5 mg l^–1 2,4-D. The shoots were rooted in half-strength MS medium with or without IAA or IBA, and then were transferred to soil with 100% survival.