Sulla origine,sulla funzione e sulla costituzione degli osteoclasti

Zusammenfassung An Schnitten vom Unterkiefer und von langen wachsenden Knochen von Menschen und von anderen Wirbeltieren (Maus, Kaninchen, Seps usw.) hat der Verfasser die Verteilung, die Beschaffenheit und die Wirksamkeit der Osteoklasten und Chondroklasten untersucht, und er ist zu der Schlußfolgerung gekommen, daß diese histologischen Elemente die spezifischen Agenten der Zerstörung des Knochen- und des Knorpelgewebes darstellen; daß sie ihre Wirksamkeit dadurch entfalten, indem sie sich nach und nach vom Mittelpunkt der Knochenhöhlen entfernen, die sie vergrößern; daß sie die Knochenbalken auf jener Seite angreifen, die der Osteoblasten ermangelt und die auf die Höhle selbst schaut; daß sie endlich in konzentrischen Schlagwellen vorgehen und sich auf den Balken anordnen, die zur Zerstörung bestimmt sind.Der Verfasser hat außerdem hervorgehoben, daß die Osteoklasten ihre zerstörende Wirkung höchstwahrscheinlich durch ein Enzym entfalten, das sich auf der Oberfläche der Knochenblättchen ausbreitet und das deshalb ganz entfernt von ihnen wirkt. Die Osteoklasten sollen manchmal Körner und Bruchstücke des untergehenden Gewebes enthalten.Hinsichtlich ihres Ursprunges und ihrer Beschaffenheit, so glaubt der Verfasser, die Osteoklasten seien aus Bestandteilen des Knochenmarkstromas zusammengesetzt, d. h. aus differenzierten im selben Knochenmark enthaltenen Elementen und aus anderen Elementen, die dem zerstörten Gewebe entstammen.Der Verfasser hat schließlich darauf hingewiesen, daß sie in enger Beziehung mit Capillaren stehen; solche Beziehungen sind aber nur vorübergehend, und im Falle daß sie bestehen, so sind die endothelialen Zellen daran unbeteiligt.     

ER signaling regulation drives the switch between autophagy and apoptosis in NRK-52E cells exposed to cisplatin

Cisplatin (cisPt) use in chemotherapy is limited by the occurrence of a severe nephrotoxicity. Both autophagy and apoptosis seem to contribute in kidney response to cisPt, however their cross-talk is still controversial, since the role played by autophagy (cytoprotective or harmful) and the cellular site driving their switch, are still unclear. Here, we used a multidisciplinary approach to study the correlation between autophagy and apoptosis in renal NRK-52E cells exposed to cisPt. We showed two "sensitivity-thresholds" to cisPt, stating whether apoptosis or autophagy would develop: 10 μM dose of cisPt activated autophagy that preserved cell homeostasis; however 3-methyladenine co-administration affected cell viability and induced apoptosis. In contrast, 50 μM cisPt determined cell death by apoptosis, whereas the pre-conditioning with taurine contributed to cell rescue, delaying apoptosis and maintaining autophagy. Hence, autophagy protects NRK-52E cells from cisPt injury. By studying the expression of ER specific hallmarks, such as GRP78, GRP94 and GADD153/CHOP, we found a possible pivotal role of ER signaling modulation in the crosstalk between autophagy and apoptosis induced by cisPt. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that taurine enhances autophagic protection against apoptosis by reducing ER stress, thus making it possible to develop new strategies to reduce severe cisPt-induced side-effects such as nephrotoxicity.     

Disturbance regimes in a wetland remnant: implications for trait-displacements and shifts in the assemblage structure of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Studies on disturbance regimes involving carabid beetles have mainly focused on forest habitats. We therefore decided to analyze the effects of disturbance on carabid communities in a wetland remnant (Lake Chiusi, central Italy). Results highlighted the presence of a disturbance gradient affecting the species richness and trait-displacement of carabid communities. Carabids were sampled with pitfall traps from March to October 2008 at nine randomly selected sample stations; a set of landscape attributes were also collected. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were used to link the distribution of carabid life-history traits and species richness with the most informative combination of landscape attributes. The first PCA axis (PC1) showed significant correlation with “distance to the lake shoreline” and “perimeter-area ratio”, highlighting the presence of a disturbance-axis. The second and third axes accounted only for a trivial portion of the total variance. GLMMs revealed a progressive decrease in the number of hygrophilous species from the core of the wetland to its outer areas. Similar trends were observed for species richness and for predator species with good dispersal ability and larval period in summer. Our results highlight the importance of taking into account community-wide functional implications in landscape ecology studies.     

Oxidation and aromatic ring cleavage of 4-methoxy and 3,4-dimethoxycennamic acid by Lentinus edodes

Several products of metabolism and aromatic ring cleavage of 3-methoxy and 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid from ligninolytic cultures of Lentinus edodes were isolated and identified.     

Morpho-physiological responses of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) genotypes to drought stress

The identification of morpho-physiological traits related to drought tolerance and high yield potential is a challenge when selecting sugar beet genotypes with greater tolerance to water stress. In this paper, root morphological parameters, antioxidant systems, leaf relative water content (RWC) and H⁺-ATPase activity as key morpho-physiological traits involved in drought tolerance/susceptibility of sugar beet were studied. Genotypes showing a different drought tolerance index (DTI) but a similar yield potential, under moderate (?0.6 Mpa) and severe (?1.2 MPa) water stress, were selected and their morpho-physiological traits were investigated. The results showed a wide genetic variation in morpho-physiological parameters which demonstrated the different adaptive strategies under moderate and severe drought conditions in sugar beet. In particular, an efficient antioxidant system and redox signalling made some sugar beet genotypes more tolerant to drought stress. The alternative strategy of other genotypes was the reduction of root tissue density, which produced a less dense root system improving the axial hydraulic conductivity. These results could be considered as interesting challenge for a better understanding of the drought tolerance mechanisms in sugar beet.     

Knockout of pgdS and ggt genes improves γ‐PGA yield in B. subtilis

One of the emerging biopolymers that are currently under active investigation is bacterial poly(γ‐glutamic acid) (γ‐PGA). However, before its full industrial exploitation, a substantial increase in microbial productivity is required. γ‐PGA obtained from the Bacillus subtilis laboratory strain 168 offers the advantage of a producer characterized by a well defined genetic framework and simple manipulation techniques. In this strain, the knockout of genes for the major γ‐PGA degrading enzymes, pgdS and ggt, leads to a considerable improvement in polymer yield, which attains levels analogous to the top wild γ‐PGA producer strains. This study highlights the convenience of using the laboratory strain of B. subtilis over wild isolates in designing strain improvement strategies aimed at increasing γ‐PGA productivity. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 2006–2012. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.