Rescue of CAMDI deletion‐induced delayed radial migration and psychiatric behaviors by HDAC6 inhibitor

The DISC1‐interacting protein CAMDI has been suggested to promote radial migration through centrosome regulation. However, its physiological relevance is unclear. Here, we report the generation and characterization of CAMDI‐deficient mice. CAMDI‐deficient mice exhibit delayed radial migration with aberrant neural circuit formation and psychiatric behaviors including hyperactivity, repetitive behavior, and social abnormality typically observed in autism spectrum disorder patients. Analyses of direct targets of CAMDI identify HDAC6 whose α‐tubulin deacetylase activity is inhibited by CAMDI at the centrosome. CAMDI deficiency increases HDAC6 activity, leading to unstable centrosomes with reduced γ‐tubulin and acetylated α‐tubulin levels. Most importantly, psychiatric behaviors as well as delayed migration are significantly rescued by treatment with Tubastatin A, a specific inhibitor of HDAC6. Our findings indicate that HDAC6 hyperactivation by CAMDI deletion causes psychiatric behaviors, at least in part, through delayed radial migration due to impaired centrosomes.     

Survival and growth of early life stages of leaf fish (Monocirrhus polyacanthus,Heckel 1840) cultured under different stocking densities and live food densities

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different live foods, (Artemia sp. and Moina minuta), and different stocking densities on the larval rearing success of the leaf fish, Monocirrhus polyacanthus. A completely randomized factorial design (3 × 3; three replicates) was used. Two subsequent experiments were performed for each live food, using three food densities (100, 200 and 300 prey per larva) and three stocking densities (10, 15 and 20 larvae L^?1). Fish were fed twice a day. Water quality parameters pH (4.08–4.02), dissolved oxygen (3.7–3.6 mg L^?1), temperature (27.9–27.8°C), conductivity (147.2–127.4 μs cm^?1) and total ammonia (0.78–0.38 μg L^?1) were determined. Weight gain, specific growth rate (SGR), body mass, relative condition factor and survival were evaluated. The water quality was influenced by the live food and stocking densities. Fish fed M. minuta showed better weight gain, specific growth ratio (SGR), biomass gain, relative condition factor and survival than in the other treatment. Artemia sp. showed no improved influence on the larvae performance subjected to different treatments. The beneficial role in growth and survival of leaf fish larva when fed with M. minuta is discussed.     

Quantitative imaging of fibrotic and morphological changes in liver of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) model mice by second harmonic generation (SHG) and auto-fluorescence (AF) imaging using two-photon excitation microscopy (TPEM)

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a common liver disorder caused by fatty liver. Because NASH is associated with fibrotic and morphological changes in liver tissue, a direct imaging technique is required for accurate staging of liver tissue. For this purpose, in this study we took advantage of two label-free optical imaging techniques, second harmonic generation (SHG) and auto-fluorescence (AF), using two-photon excitation microscopy (TPEM). Three-dimensional ex vivo imaging of tissues from NASH model mice, followed by image processing, revealed that SHG and AF are sufficient to quantitatively characterize the hepatic capsule at an early stage and parenchymal morphologies associated with liver disease progression, respectively.     

Differential effects of 20-trifluoromethyl leukotriene B4 on human neutrophil functions

A leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) analog, 20-trifluoromethyl LTB₄ (20CF₃−LTB₄), has been synthesized and evaluated with human neutrophils for effects on chemotaxis and degranulation. 20CF₃−LTB₄ was equipotent to LTB₄ as a chemoattractant (EC₅₀, 3 nM), produced 50% of maximal activity of LTB₄, and competed with [H] LTB₄ for binding to intact human neutrophil LTB₄ receptors. In contrast to chemotactic activity, 20CF₃−LTB₄ in nanomolar concentrations exhibited antagonist activity without agonist activity up to 10 μM on LTB₄-induced degranulation. The analog had no significant effect on degranulation induced by the chemoattractant peptide, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP). Like LTB₄, 20CF₃−LTB₄ induced neutrophil desensitization to degranulation by LTB₄. The results indicate that hydrogen atoms at C-20 of LTB₄ are critical for its intrinsic chemotactic and degranulation activities. The fact that 20CF₃−LTB₄ is a partial agonist for chemotaxis and an antagonist for degranulation syggests that different LTB₄ receptor subtypes are coupled to these neutrophil functions. Desensitization of the neutrophil degranulation response to LTB₄ can result from receptor occupancy by an antagonist, and therefore, the desensitization is not specific for an agonist.     

Construction of less neurovirulent polioviruses by introducing deletions into the 5'' noncoding sequence of the genome.

Viral attenuation may be due to lowered efficiency of certain steps essential for viral multiplication. For the construction of less neurovirulent strains of poliovirus in vitro, we introduced deletions into the 5' noncoding sequence (742 nucleotides long) of the genomes of the Mahoney and Sabin 1 strains of poliovirus type 1 by using infectious cDNA clones of the virus strains. Plaque sizes shown by deletion mutants were used as a marker for rate of viral proliferation. Deletion mutants of both the strains thus constructed lacked a genome region of nucleotide positions 564 to 726. The sizes of plaques displayed by these deletion mutants were smaller than those by the respective parental viruses, although a phenotype referring to reproductive capacity at different temperatures (rct) of viruses was not affected by introduction of the deletion. Monkey neurovirulence tests were performed on the deletion mutants. The results clearly indicated that the deletion mutants had much less neurovirulence than with the corresponding parent viruses. Production of infectious particles and virus-specific protein synthesis in cells infected with the deletion mutants started later than in those infected with the parental viruses. The rate at which cytopathic effect progressed was also slower in cells infected with the mutants. Phenotypic stability of the deletion mutant for small-plaque phenotype and temperature sensitivity was investigated after passaging the mutant at an elevated temperature of 37.5 degrees C. Our data strongly suggested that the less neurovirulent phenotype introduced by the deletion is very stable during passaging of the virus.     

Chemoimmunotherapy with cyclophosphamide and bestatin in experimental metastasis in mice

Summary Bestatin has significant therapeutic activity (even following oral administration) for the treatment of metastatic disease, an activity which is limited by tumor burden. Therefore, the therapeutic potential of bestatin was examined in combination with chemotherapy to determine if there is additive activity for heavy tumor burdens. Bestatin significantly increased therapeutic activity and decreased the myelotoxicity of cyclophosphamide following a single injection of cyclophosphamide or split daily doses. In immune function studies, in tumor-bearing antimals, bestatin increased the number of colony-forming units (granulocyte-macrophage) (CFU) and alveolar macrophage tumoricidal activity. However, when bestatin was combined with cyclophosphamide, which depressed bone marrow and macrophage activity, it did not show apparent augmentation of macrophage and NK cell activity, but did significantly increase bone marrow CFU activity. Thus, in combined chemoimmunotherapy, bestatin appears to enhance therapeutic activity by accelerating the recovery of hematopoiesis. We suggest, therefore, that a combination chemotherapy protocol, with oral bestatin, may facilitate myelorestoration following aggressive chemotherapy. The majority of biological response modifiers require parental administration; thus, the identification of an orally active, synthetic immunoaugmenting agent with a defined receptor is of particular interest.This research was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, DHHS, under contract no. N01-23910 with Program Resources Inc. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.     

The prestalk/prespore differentiation and polarized cell movement inDictyostelium discoideum slugs. A possible involvement of the intracellular Ca2+-concentration

Summary Intracellular free calcium ion concentrations ([Ca²⁺]_i) in the anterior prestalk and posterior prespore cells of theDictyostelium discoideum slug were determined, using the highly selective Ca²⁺ indicators, quin-2/AM and fura-2/AM. Temporal changes in [Ca²⁺]_i in response to chemotactic stimulation with cAMP were also monitored at the single-cell level and compared between the two types of cells. The results obtained showed that resting [Ca²⁺]_i in the prestalk cells is considerably higher than that in the prespore cells. Moreover, transient increase in [Ca²⁺]_i upon stimulation with a low concentration of cAMP (20 nM) was noticed only in the prestalk cells, but not in the prespore cells. These facts are discussed in relation to the polarized movement and cellular differentiation in the migrating slug.Abbreviations cAMP 3,5-cyclic adenosine monophosphate - DIF differentiation-inducing factors - IP₃ inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate     

Selection of higher regenerative callus and change in isozyme pattern in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Summary Calli were initiated from seedling roots in rice (Oryza sativa L. var. Tadukan) and subcultured at 45-day intervals on MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/l 2,4-D. Sectors of callus which differentiated shoot meristems (green spots) under the same 2,4-D concentration were selected from the calli subcultured 90 days after initiation. The selection was continued for about 2 years. Responses to 2,4-D between original and selected lines differed considerably, although differentiation was not generally seen in rice callus in the presence of 2 mg/l 2,4-D. After 180 days, calli of the selected line differentiated into numerous shoot-bud primordia and grew out new callus tissues under 2 mg/l 2,4-D concentration; the frequency of the differentiation exceeded 90%. On the other hand, no calli of non-selected line differentiated into shootbuds under 2 mg/l 2,4-D, and the frequency of the shootbud was only about 50% under lower 2,4-D concentration (0.1 mg/l). The pattern and activity of peroxidase isozyme varied markedly between calli of the selected and non-selected lines. First, two strong peroxidase bands which show fast mobility and one intermediate peroxidase band with slow mobility were detected only in the calli of selected line. Secondly, changes in band pattern of proteins separated by SDS-PAGE were observed. In the calli of selected line, there was a loss of the polypeptide bands with molecular weight of 24 and 42 K in the selected calli, but they were clearly present in the unselected line. The appearance of new peroxidase isozyme bands and loss of polypeptide bands, change in response to auxin and increased ability for shoot bud differentiation are closely correlated to each other.