Estrogen Receptor (ER)α-regulated Lipocalin 2 Expression in Adipose Tissue Links Obesity with Breast Cancer Progression

Obesity is associated with increased breast cancer (BrCA) incidence. Considering that inactivation of estrogen receptor (ER)α promotes obesity and metabolic dysfunction in women and female mice, understanding the mechanisms and tissue-specific sites of ERα action to combat metabolic-related disease, including BrCA, is of clinical importance. To study the role of ERα in adipose tissue we generated fat-specific ERα knock-out (FERKO) mice. Herein we show that ERα deletion increased adipocyte size, fat pad weight, and tissue expression and circulating levels of the secreted glycoprotein, lipocalin 2 (Lcn2), an adipokine previously associated with BrCA development. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter studies showed that ERα binds the Lcn2 promoter to repress its expression. Because adipocytes constitute an important cell type of the breast microenvironment, we examined the impact of adipocyte ERα deletion on cancer cell behavior. Conditioned medium from ERα-null adipocytes and medium containing pure Lcn2 increased proliferation and migration of a subset of BrCA cells in culture. The proliferative and promigratory effects of ERα-deficient adipocyte-conditioned medium on BrCA cells was reversed by Lcn2 deletion. BrCA cell responsiveness to exogenous Lcn2 was heightened in cell types where endogenous Lcn2 expression was minimal, but components of the Lcn2 signaling pathway were enriched, i.e. SLC22A17 and 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (BDH2). In breast tumor biopsies from women diagnosed with BrCA we found that BDH2 expression was positively associated with adiposity and circulating Lcn2 levels. Collectively these data suggest that reduction of ERα expression in adipose tissue promotes adiposity and is linked with the progression and severity of BrCA via increased adipocyte-specific Lcn2 production and enhanced tumor cell Lcn2 sensitivity.     

ERs associate with and regulate the production of caveolin: implications for signaling and cellular actions.

Recent evidence supports the existence of a plasma membrane ER. In many cells, E2 activates signal transduction and cell proliferation, but the steroid inhibits signaling and growth in other cells. These effects may be related to interactions of ER with signal-modulating proteins in the membrane. It is also unclear how ER moves to the membrane. Here, we demonstrate ER in purified vesicles from endothelial cell plasma membranes and colocalization of ERalpha with the caveolae structural coat protein, caveolin-1. In human vascular smooth muscle or MCF-7 (human breast cancer) cell membranes, coimmunoprecipitation shows that ER associates with caveolin-1 and -2. Importantly, E2 rapidly and differentially stimulates ER-caveolin association in vascular smooth muscle cells but inhibits association in MCF-7 cells. E2 also stimulates caveolin-1 and -2 protein synthesis and activates a caveolin-1 promoter/luciferase reporter in smooth muscle cells. However, the steroid inhibits caveolin synthesis in MCF-7 cells. To determine a function for caveolin-ER interaction, we expressed caveolin-1 in MCF-7 cells. This stimulated ER translocation to the plasma membrane and also inhibited E2-induced ERK (MAPK) activation. Both functions required the caveolin-1 scaffolding domain. Depending upon the target cell, membrane ERs differentially associate with caveolin, and E2 differentially modulates the synthesis of this signaling-inhibitory scaffold protein. This may explain the discordant signaling and actions of E2 in various cell types. In addition, caveolin-1 is capable of facilitating ER translocation to the membrane.     

Association of mitochondrial nitric oxide synthase activity with respiratory chain complex I

The present study shows that rat liver and brain mitochondrial nitric oxide synthase (mtNOS) are functionally associated with mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I. When complex I is activated, mtNOS exerts high activity and generates nitric oxide, whereas inactivation of complex I leads mtNOS to abandon its NOS activity. Functional association of mtNOS with complex I is potentially important in regulating mtNOS activity and mitochondrial functions.     

New data on Longidorus aetnaeus Roca, Lamberti, Agostinelli & Vinciguerra, 1986 (Nematoda: Longidoridae) from Iran and Ajaria (Georgia)

Longidorus aetnaeus Roca, Lamberti, Agostinelli & Vinciguerra, 1986 is reported for the first time from Iran and Ajaria (Georgia). Morphological and morphometric data are provided for two Iranian and one Ajarian populations. The D2–D3 region of 28S rDNA for both Iranian populations was sequenced for the first time and the data reported. A detailed study of juveniles of L. aetnaeus from Iran, Georgia and Bulgaria demonstrated that this species develops through three juvenile stages. Furthermore, phylogenetic studies inferred from sequences for the D2–D3 region of 28S rRNA gene revealed that L. aetnaeus is most closely related to L. leptocephalus.     

Demarcation of informative chromosomes in tropical sweet corn inbred lines using microsatellite DNA markers

A study of genetic variation among 10 pairs of chromosomes extracted from 13 tropical sweet corn inbred lines, using 99 microsatellite markers, revealed a wide range of genetic diversity. Allelic richness and the number of effective alleles per chromosome ranged from 2.78 to 4.33 and 1.96 to 3.47, respectively, with respective mean values of 3.62 and 2.73. According to the Shannon’s information index (I) and Nei’s gene diversity coefficient (Nei), Chromosome 10 was the most informative chromosome (I = 1.311 and Nei = 0.703), while Chromosome 2 possessed the least (I = 0.762 and Nei = 0.456). Based on linkage disequilibrium (LD) measurements for loci less than 50 cM apart on the same chromosome, all loci on Chromosomes 1, 6 and 7 were in equilibrium. Even so, there was a high proportion of genetic variation in Chromosomes 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10, thereby revealing their appropriateness for use in the genetic diversity investigations among tropical sweet corn lines. Chromosome 4, with the highest number of loci in linkage disequilibrium, was considered the best for marker-phenotype association and QTL mapping, followed by Chromosomes 5, 8, 9 and 10.     

Recovery of lignocelluloses from pre-hydrolysis liquor in the lime kiln of kraft-based dissolving pulp production process by adsorption to lime mud

Dissolved lignocelluloses from the pre-hydrolysis liquor (PHL) of kraft-based dissolving pulp production process were recovered by adsorption to lime mud produced in the causticizing plant of the kraft process. The adsorption of lignocelluloses was a fast process, and could be completed within one hour. The addition of polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC) significantly increased the amounts of adsorbed lignin and hemicelluloses, which more than doubled at the PDADMAC dosage of 0.1% (based on the weight of PHL). The measured heating values of the adsorbed lignocelluloses indicate that adsorption of lignocelluloses to lime mud may result in the energy saving of the lime kiln. The process proposed in this study could also be adapted to decrease inhibitor concentrations (lignin and acetic acid) if the dissolved hemicelluloses in the PHL were used to produce value-added products, e.g., ethanol, xylitol, based on the fermentation process.     

Preparation and application of sulfated xylan as a flocculant for dye solution

The main purpose of this study is to explore the sulfation of xylan to produce an anionic flocculant, sulfated xylan, for removing ethyl violet dye from simulated dye solutions. In this work, xylan was sulfated with chlorosulfonic acid in N, N‐dimethylformamide solvent and the reaction conditions were optimized using a response surface methodology. It was observed that the maximum degree of substitution of 1.1 was obtained for sulfated xylan under the conditions of 3.71 chlorosulfonic acid/xylan molar ratio, 70°C and 7 h reaction time. The resulting sulfated xylan had a charge density of ?3.12 mmol/g and molecular weight (M_w) of 22,300 g/mol. Furthermore, elemental and thermogravimetric analyses, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR) confirmed the sulfation of xylan. The application of sulfated xylan as a flocculant for decolorizing the simulated ethyl violet dye wastewater was studied. The results indicated that 97% of dye was removed from 50 mg/L dye solution at the sulfated concentration of 175 mg/L and pH 9, but unmodified xylan was ineffective in flocculating and removing dye segments. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:529–536, 2018     

Longidorus ferrisi n. sp. from California Citrus

In October 1999, the authors received fixed specimens of a species of Longidorus from Howard Ferris found about the roots of a citrus tree in Oakville, Napa County, CA. After determining it to be new a species, we requested additional specimens. The samples contained roughly equal numbers of males and females. Longidorus ferrisi n. sp. is most similar to L. elongatus, but can be distinguished by a greater c-ratio (111-187 vs 73-141), a lesser c′ (0.7-1.1 vs 1.0-1.3), a more offset head, a more posterior guide ring (35-40 vs 30-33 μm), the presence of sperm in the uterus in mature females, and the approximate 1:1 ratio of females to males. Other similar species include L. artemisiae, L. crassus, L. glycines, and L. milanis. Longidorus ferrisi n. sp. differs from L. artemisiae by a lesser a-ratio (74-102 vs 109-155), a lesser c′ value (0.7-1.1 vs 1.0-1.6), a more posterior guide ring (35-40 vs 27-34 μm), a longer odontostyle (91-108 vs 84-98 μm), a wider lip region (16-19 vs 14-17 μm), wider mid-body (53-69 vs 41-52 μm), and longer spicules (57-65 vs 39-49 μm). The new species differs substantially from L. crassus by its lip shape and the presence of males, and differs from L. glycines by a shorter body (4.33-5.97 vs 6.14-8.31 mm), a lesser c′ value (0.7-1.1 vs 0.9-1.4), a narrower lip region (16-19 vs 20-23 μm), wider mid-body (53-69 vs 39-57 μm), longer spicules (53-69 vs 45-53 μm), and fewer supplements (7-11 vs 11-17). Longidorus ferrisi n. sp. differs from L. milanis by a longer body (4.33-5.97vs 3.00-4.90 mm), a greater c value (111-187 vs 86-130), a wider mid-body (53-69 vs 43-56 μm), a different head shape, and longer spicules (53-69 vs 41-54 μm). The nuclear 18S ribosomal DNA sequence of this species revealed that this species is unique with respect to all sequenced Longidorus species.