Contagious mucocutaneous dermatitis of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus): pathology and cause

Contagious mucocutaneous dermatitis is a frequently encountered disease of mountain hares (Lepidus timidus) in Finland. We describe the histopathologic changes and propose an etiologic cause for this disorder. Fifty-three cases collected during 1982-2000 were examined histologically. Transmission electron microscopy was performed in one case. In fully developed lesions, keratinocytes in epidermis and follicular infundibula were swollen and contained large eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies with marked reticular and ballooning degeneration. In later stages, there was marked necrosis and ulceration with severe pyogranulomatous and suppurative inflammation. At this stage, no viral inclusions were detectable, but secondary Staphylococcus warnerii infection was present in most cases. In late lesions, there was dermal fibrosis with epidermal hyperplasia. No spiral-shaped bacteria suggesting treponematosis were detected at any stage. Ultrastructurally, swollen epidermal and follicle infundibular cells contained round intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies with a myriad of virions typical of poxvirus with a biconcave nucleocapsid core, two lateral bodies, and a clearly discernible outer lipoprotein capsule. The findings suggest that contagious mucocutaneous dermatitis in mountain hares is a viral disease caused by a poxvirus. The disease is often complicated by secondary bacterial infection, most commonly S. warneri.     

Receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand protein expression in UMR-106 cells is differentially regulated by parathyroid hormone and calcitriol

Expression of the cytokine, receptor activator of NF-kappaB ligand (RANKL), is stimulated by both parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitriol in osteoblasts. Most studies have examined the effects on RANKL mRNA, and less information is available on the protein products. We have determined the effects of PTH, the adenylate cyclase stimulator forskolin, and calcitriol, alone and in combination, on endogenous RANKL protein expression in UMR-106 rat osteoblastic osteosarcoma cells by Western blotting and enzyme immunoassay (EIA). PTH and forskolin dose dependently increased a approximately 52 kDa band in whole cell lysates that was detected by both C- and N-terminal directed RANKL antibodies. Calcitriol treatment produced little or no expression of this approximately 52 kDa band, but markedly increased the expression of a approximately 32 kDa band that was only detected with an antibody directed to the N-terminus of RANKL. An EIA based on RANKL binding to OPG detected a large increase in RANKL expression following calcitriol treatment, and much smaller increases with PTH or forskolin. The combination of PTH and calcitriol or forskolin and calcitriol elicited effects similar to those of PTH and forskolin alone, as detected by both Western blotting and EIA. In contrast to the effects on protein, all agents increased RANKL mRNA expression, with the greatest effects seen with the co-treatments. The results indicate that PTH, likely through effects on cyclic AMP, has a different effect on RANKL processing than calcitriol. The approximately 52 and approximately 32 kDa RANKL products appear to interact differently with OPG, which could affect responses to the agents in target cells.     

The effects of Tynnanthus fasciculatus (Bignoniaceae) infusion on testicular parenchyma of adult Wistar rats

Traditional medicine provides strong guidance for scientific experiments involving plant products used by the Brazilian people. The species "cipó-cravo" (Tynnanthus fasciculatus) is a plant commonly used either to combat indigestion and stomach aches, or as a general stimulant and aphrodisiac. In this study, the effects of "cipó-cravo" infusion were investigated within the testicular parenchyma of adult Wistar rats. Rats were divided into 3 groups: a control (distilled water) and two treated groups, which received the plant infusion (100 and 200mg/animal/day). The 200mg dose promoted a significant increase of the testicular parenchyma weight and of the volume and total length of the seminiferous tubules, as well as in total daily sperm production and sperm production per gram of testis.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas extremaustralis</Emphasis> sp. nov., a Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Producer Isolated from an Antarctic Environment

A Gram-negative, mobile, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacterium (strain 14-3^T) was isolated from a temporary pond in Antarctica. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain 14-3^T was shown to belong to the genus Pseudomonas sensu stricto. Physiological and biochemical tests supported the phylogenetic affiliation. Strain 14-3^T is closely related to Pseudomonas veronii DSM 11331^T, sharing 99.7% sequence similarity. DNA–DNA hybridization experiments between the two strains showed only moderate reassociation similarity (35.1%). Tests for arginine dihydrolase and nitrate reduction were positive, while those for denitrification, indol production, glucose acidification, urease, ß-galactosidase, esculin, caseine and gelatin hydrolysis were negative. Growth of this bacterium occurred in a range from 4 to 37°C but not at 42°C. It accumulated poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) when grown on sodium octanoate medium. Strain 14-3^T therefore represents the type strain of a new species, for which the name Pseudomonas extremaustralis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain 14-3^T has been deposited as DSM 17835^T and as CIP 109839^T.     

Nonflowers near the base of extant angiosperms? Spatiotemporal arrangement of organs in reproductive units of Hydatellaceae and its bearing on the origin of the flower

Reproductive units (RUs) of Trithuria, the sole genus of the early-divergent angiosperm family Hydatellaceae, are compared with flowers of their close relatives in Cabombaceae (Nymphaeales). Trithuria RUs combine features of flowers and inflorescences. They differ from typical flowers in possessing an "inside-out" morphology, with carpels surrounding stamens; furthermore, carpels develop centrifugally, in contrast to centripetal or simultaneous development in typical flowers. Trithuria RUs could be interpreted as pseudanthia of two or more cymose partial inflorescences enclosed within an involucre, but the bractlike involucral phyllomes do not subtend partial inflorescences and hence collectively resemble a typical perianth. Teratological forms of T. submersa indicate a tendency to fasciation and demonstrate that the inside-out structure-the primary feature that separates RUs of Hydatellaceae from more orthodox angiosperm flowers-can be at least partially modified, thus producing a morphology that is closer to an orthodox flower. The Trithuria RU could be described as a "nonflower", i.e., a structure that contains typical angiosperm carpels and stamens but does not allow recognition of a typical angiosperm flower. The term nonflower could combine cases of secondary loss of flower identity and cases of a prefloral condition, similar to those that gave rise to the angiosperm flower. Nonhomology among some angiosperm flowers could be due to iterative shifts between nonfloral construction and flower/inflorescence organization of reproductive organs. Potential testing of these hypotheses using evolutionary-developmental genetics is explored using preliminary data from immunolocalization of the floral meristem identity gene LEAFY in T. submersa, which indicated protein expression at different hierarchical levels.     

Maternal Hypermethioninemia Affects Neurons Number,Neurotrophins Levels,Energy Metabolism,and Na<Superscript>+</Superscript>,K<Superscript>+</Superscript>-ATPase Expression/Content in Brain of Rat Offspring

In the current study, we verified the effects of maternal hypermethioninemia on the number of neurons, apoptosis, nerve growth factor, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels, energy metabolism parameters (succinate dehydrogenase, complex II, and cytochrome c oxidase), expression and immunocontent of Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase, edema formation, inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6), and mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide levels in the encephalon from the offspring. Pregnant Wistar rats were divided into two groups: the first one received saline (control) and the second group received 2.68 μmol methionine/g body weight by subcutaneous injections twice a day during gestation (approximately 21 days). After parturition, pups were killed at the 21st day of life for removal of encephalon. Neuronal staining (anti-NeuN) revealed a reduction in number of neurons, which was associated to decreased nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels. Maternal hypermethioninemia also reduced succinate dehydrogenase and complex II activities and increased expression and immunocontent of Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase alpha subunits. These results indicate that maternal hypermethioninemia may be a predisposing factor for damage to the brain during the intrauterine life.     

EFFECTS OF ICE ON ASCOPHYLLUM NODOSUM WITHIN THE GREAT BAY ESTUARY SYSTEM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE-MAINE12

The, effects of ice on Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) Le Jolis within the Great Bay Estuary System of New Hampshire-Maine, U.S.A. were assessed during the winter of 1980–81. Approximately 50% of the plants late fall standing crop, or an estimated 136 tonnes dry weight, was removed by ice-rafting. Pieces of Ascophyllum removed averaged 22 cm in length, 15 g in fresh weight and generally represented 2–3 years of growth. Although the winter of 1980–81 wax somewhat extreme, a similar pruning process probably occurs each year contributing to the characteristic bushy habit of attached inner estuarine plants. Ascophyllum fragments rafted in ice and deposited into salt marshes are suggested as a major source of the, ecad scorpioides (Hornemann) Hauck.     

Diagnostic Peptide Discovery: Prioritization of Pathogen Diagnostic Markers Using Multiple Features

The availability of complete pathogen genomes has renewed interest in the development of diagnostics for infectious diseases. Synthetic peptide microarrays provide a rapid, high-throughput platform for immunological testing of potential B-cell epitopes. However, their current capacity prevent the experimental screening of complete “peptidomes”. Therefore, computational approaches for prediction and/or prioritization of diagnostically relevant peptides are required. In this work we describe a computational method to assess a defined set of molecular properties for each potential diagnostic target in a reference genome. Properties such as sub-cellular localization or expression level were evaluated for the whole protein. At a higher resolution (short peptides), we assessed a set of local properties, such as repetitive motifs, disorder (structured vs natively unstructured regions), trans-membrane spans, genetic polymorphisms (conserved vs. divergent regions), predicted B-cell epitopes, and sequence similarity against human proteins and other potential cross-reacting species (e.g. other pathogens endemic in overlapping geographical locations). A scoring function based on these different features was developed, and used to rank all peptides from a large eukaryotic pathogen proteome. We applied this method to the identification of candidate diagnostic peptides in the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. We measured the performance of the method by analyzing the enrichment of validated antigens in the high-scoring top of the ranking. Based on this measure, our integrative method outperformed alternative prioritizations based on individual properties (such as B-cell epitope predictors alone). Using this method we ranked 10 million 12-mer overlapping peptides derived from the complete T. cruzi proteome. Experimental screening of 190 high-scoring peptides allowed the identification of 37 novel epitopes with diagnostic potential, while none of the low scoring peptides showed significant reactivity. Many of the metrics employed are dependent on standard bioinformatic tools and data, so the method can be easily extended to other pathogen genomes.