A novel interhemispheric interaction: modulation of neuronal cooperativity in the visual areas

Background

The cortical representation of the visual field is split along the vertical midline, with the left and the right hemi-fields projecting to separate hemispheres. Connections between the visual areas of the two hemispheres are abundant near the representation of the visual midline. It was suggested that they re-establish the functional continuity of the visual field by controlling the dynamics of the responses in the two hemispheres.

Methods/Principal Findings

To understand if and how the interactions between the two hemispheres participate in processing visual stimuli, the synchronization of responses to identical or different moving gratings in the two hemi-fields were studied in anesthetized ferrets. The responses were recorded by multiple electrodes in the primary visual areas and the synchronization of local field potentials across the electrodes were analyzed with a recent method derived from dynamical system theory. Inactivating the visual areas of one hemisphere modulated the synchronization of the stimulus-driven activity in the other hemisphere. The modulation was stimulus-specific and was consistent with the fine morphology of callosal axons in particular with the spatio-temporal pattern of activity that axonal geometry can generate.

Conclusions/Significance

These findings describe a new kind of interaction between the cerebral hemispheres and highlight the role of axonal geometry in modulating aspects of cortical dynamics responsible for stimulus detection and/or categorization.     

Photogenerated lectin sensors produced by thiol-ene/yne photo-click chemistry in aqueous solution

The photoinitiated radical reactions between thiols and alkenes/alkynes (thiol-ene and thiol-yne chemistry) have been applied to a functionalization methodology to produce carbohydrate-presenting surfaces for analyses of biomolecular interactions. Polymer-coated quartz surfaces were functionalized with alkenes or alkynes in a straightforward photochemical procedure utilizing perfluorophenylazide (PFPA) chemistry. The alkene/alkyne surfaces were subsequently allowed to react with carbohydrate thiols in water under UV-irradiation. The reaction can be carried out in a drop of water directly on the surface without photoinitiator, and any disulfide side products were easily washed away after the functionalization process. The resulting carbohydrate-presenting surfaces were evaluated in real-time studies of protein-carbohydrate interactions using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) flow-through system with recurring injections of selected lectins, with intermediate regeneration steps using low pH buffer. The resulting methodology proved fast, efficient and scalable to high-throughput analysis formats, and the produced surfaces showed significant protein binding with expected selectivities of the lectins used in the study.     

A folate independent role for cytosolic HPPK/DHPS upon stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

Cytosolic HPPK/DHPS (cytHPPK/DHPS) in Arabidopsis is a functional enzyme with activity similar to its mitochondrial isoform. Genomic complementation of the cytHPPK/DHPS knockout mutant with the wild type gene led to a complete rescue of the stress sensitive mutant phenotype in seed germination tests under abiotic stress conditions. Moreover, over-expression of the gene resulted in higher germination rate under stress as compared to the wild-type, confirming its role in stress resistance. Analysis of folates in seedlings, inflorescence and dry seeds showed unchanged levels in the wild-type, mutant and over-expressor line, upon stress and normal conditions, suggesting a role for cytHPPK/DHPS distinct from folate biosynthesis and a folate-independent stress resistance mechanism. This apparently folate-independent mechanism of stress resistance points towards a possible role of pterins, since the product of HPPK/DHPS is dihydropteroate.     

Assessing the potential for egg chemoattractants to mediate sexual selection in a broadcast spawning marine invertebrate

In numerous species, egg chemoattractants play a critical role in guiding sperm towards unfertilized eggs (sperm chemotaxis). Until now, the known functions of sperm chemotaxis include increasing the effective target size of eggs, thereby promoting sperm-egg encounters, and facilitating species recognition. Here, we report that in the broadcast spawning mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, egg chemoattractants may play an unforeseen role in sexual selection by enabling sperm to effectively 'choose' between the eggs of different conspecific females. In an initial experiment, we confirmed that sperm chemotaxis occurs in M. galloprovincialis by showing that sperm are attracted towards unfertilized eggs when given the choice of eggs or no eggs in a dichotomous chamber. We then conducted two cross-classified mating experiments, each comprising the same individual males and females crossed in identical male × female combinations, but under experimental conditions that offered sperm 'no-choice' (each fertilization trial took place in a Petri dish and involved a single male and female) or a 'choice' of a female's eggs (sperm were placed in the centre of a dichotomous choice chamber and allowed to choose eggs from different females). We show that male-by-female interactions characterized fertilization rates in both experiments, and that there was remarkable consistency between patterns of sperm migration in the egg-choice experiment and fertilization rates in the no-choice experiment. Thus, sperm appear to exploit chemical cues to preferentially swim towards eggs with which they are most compatible during direct sperm-to-egg encounters. These results reveal that sperm differentially select eggs on the basis of chemical cues, thus exposing the potential for egg chemoattractants to mediate mate choice for genetically compatible partners. Given the prevalence of sperm chemotaxis across diverse taxa, our findings may have broad implications for sexual selection in other mating systems.     

The extracellular membrane-proximal domain of human membrane IgE controls apoptotic signaling of the B cell receptor in the mature B cell line A20

Ag engagement of BCR in mature B cells can deliver specific signals, which decide cell survival or cell death. Circulating membrane IgE+ (mIgE+) cells are found in extremely low numbers. We hypothesized that engagement of an epsilonBCR in a mature isotype-switched B cell could induce apoptosis. We studied the role of the extracellular membrane-proximal domain (EMPD) of human mIgE upon BCR engagement with anti-Id Abs. Using mutants lacking the EMPD, we show that this domain is involved in controlling Ca2+ mobilization in immunoreceptors of both gamma and epsilon isotypes, as well as apoptosis in signaling originated only from the epsilonBCR. We mapped to the epsilonCH4 ectodomain the region responsible for apoptosis in EMPD-deleted receptors. Ca2+ mobilization was not related to apoptotic signaling. This apoptotic pathway was caspase independent, involved ERK1/2 phosphorylation and was partially rescued by CD40 costimulation. We therefore conclude that the EMPD of human mIgE is a key control element of apoptotic signaling delivered through engagement of epsilonBCR within the context of a mature B cell.