Short-term fibronectin treatment induces endothelial-like and angiogenic properties in monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells: involvement of intracellular VEGF and MAPK regulation

Fibronectin (FN) is an extracellular matrix protein promoting cell proliferation, adhesion, and survival and is localized in the intimal layer of normal and atherosclerotic blood vessels. Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells located in healthy and diseased intima, and thus may predispose arteries to atherosclerosis. Besides their pro-atherogenic activities DCs can promote neovascularization, by releasing pro-angiogenic mediators and/or by trans-differentiating into endothelial-like cells. Here, we investigated changes in morphology, function and angiogenic properties of monocyte-derived immature DCs (Mo-iDCs) after a short-term FN treatment and some of the signaling pathways involved in these processes. The cells were analyzed by time-lapse, confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Within 90 min of re-plating, FN induced a swift morphologic transformation of most round iDCs into spindle-shaped iDCs (sp-iDCs). This was characterized by redistribution of mitochondria into dendritic spindles, decreased CD1c, and increased thrombomodulin (CD141) expression. Functionally, sp-iDCs acquired Ulex-europaeus-agglutinin-1 lectin binding, phagocytosis was decreased and intracellular (nuclear and cytosolic) vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was increased. FN also induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation in round-iDCs, and p38MAPK phosphorylation in sp-iDCs. Inhibiting p38MAPK, but not ERK1/2, restrained the FN-induced transformation into sp-iDCs. Furthermore, FN-treatment of Mo-iDCs induced a paracrine angiogenic effect on endothelial tube formation, which was abolished by inhibiting ERK1/2 or VEGF. Inhibiting p38MAPK had no effect on endothelial tube formation. By contrast, in laminin-treated Mo-iDCs, which had round-shaped morphology, CD1c and CD141 expression was similar to control untreated cells, but intracellular VEGF levels were higher, and endothelial tube formation was an individual trait. We conclude that a short-term FN treatment induced angiogenic intracrine and paracrine properties in Mo-iDCs. This may act as an immediate protective mechanism to maintain vascular homeostasis. Moreover, inducing sp-iDCs by short term FN-treatment or ERK1/2 modulation might be considered as new approaches for regulating angiogenesis through the production/inhibition of pro-angiogenic mediators. Collectively, these findings may support a role for FN and Mo-iDCs in vascular function and angiogenesis.     

A simple method for the immunocytochemical detection of proteins inside nuclear structures that are inaccessible to specific antibodies

It has been demonstrated elsewhere that a high concentration of an antigen within the nucleolus may prevent its proper recognition by specific antibodies. In this study, the authors found that a short proteinase treatment allowed for the detection of antigens in the nucleoli. The described approach is compatible with the simultaneous observation of proteins fused to fluorescent tags and with preembedding electron microscopy. It appears that the described method can be useful in situations when the proper recognition of antigens by specific antibodies is disturbed by a high density of cellular structures or a high concentration of antigens inside these structures.     

Interaction of the dye Congo red with fibrils of lysozyme,beta2-microglobulin,and transthyretin

Interaction of the dye Congo red (CR) with fibrils of three model proteins—hen egg lysozyme, recombinant human beta 2-microglobulin (b2M), and recombinant human transthyretin (TTR)—has been investigated using spectrophotometry. Considerable amounts of impurities were detected in the commercial dye formulation. A procedure of dye purification has been developed. The molar extinction coefficient of the dye at 490 nm (ε₄₉₀) has been measured; the coefficient was 3.3 × 10⁴ M^–1 cm^–1 at pH > 6.0. The formation of a complex between CR and the fibrils was accompanied by a change in the absorption spectrum of the dye in the visible wavelength range. Titration of fibril solutions with excessive amounts of dye showed that the number of CR molecules bound to a protein monomer within the lysozyme fibrils was close to five, whereas the respective ratio for b2M was close to four, and the ratio for TTR fibrils was close to four molecules per protein subunit.     

Prevalences of hereditary diseases in different populations of Russia

The geographic distribution of hereditary diseases (HDs) in different populations and ethnic groups of Russia has been studied. The main patterns of the formation of the prevalence and spectrum of HDs in five ethnic groups (Russians from six regions, Mari, Chuvashes, Udmurts, and Adygeans) from a total of ten regions of Russia have been analyzed. Analysis of correlations suggests that genetic drift is the main factor of the genetic differentiation of populations with respect to the prevalence of HDs. Accumulation of HDs in individual populations and ethnic groups has been analyzed. Hereditary diseases characterized by locally high prevalence rates in individual populations or ethnic groups have been detected. The main patterns of the accumulation of individual diseases and differences between populations and ethnic groups in this respect have been studied with the use of principal component analysis, which describes these patterns more graphically. It has been demonstrated that the genes of HDs are a promising tool for characterizing ethnogenetic processes in populations.     

Micellar peroxidase-catalyzed synthesis of chiral polyaniline

Micellar peroxidase-catalyzed synthesis of chiral polyaniline (PANI) in the presence of dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) was developed. The effect of DBSA concentration on the catalytic efficiency of horseradish and palm tree peroxidases was examined. Favorable conditions for the enzymatic synthesis of chiral PANI, determined by a multiple factors design, demonstrated that the PANIs with the highest chirality were produced in the presence of low concentrations of optically active camphorsulphonic acid (CSA). Unexpectedly, the chiral PANI was also synthesized in the absence of CSA in feed. The favorable conditions for the enzymatic production of chiral and conducting PANIs were shown to be different. The morphology of the chiral PANI particles was examined by transmission and scanning electron microscopies.     

Molecular Genetic Causes and Clinical Description of Branchio-Oto-renal Syndrome

Russian Journal of Genetics - Branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by a combination of hearing impairment with preauricular pits, cervical fistulas or...     

Reconstructing Indian-Australian phylogenetic link

Background  

An early dispersal of biologically and behaviorally modern humans from their African origins to Australia, by at least 45 thousand years via southern Asia has been suggested by studies based on morphology, archaeology and genetics. However, mtDNA lineages sampled so far from south Asia, eastern Asia and Australasia show non-overlapping distributions of haplogroups within pan Eurasian M and N macrohaplogroups. Likewise, support from the archaeology is still ambiguous.     

On photoabsorption of the neutral form of the green fluorescent protein chromophore

We present results of theoretical studies of the photoabsorption band corresponding to the vertical electronic transition S₀–S₁ between first two singlet states of the model chromophore from the green fluorescent protein (GFP) in its neutral form. Predictions of quantum chemical approaches including ab initio and semi-empirical approximations are compared for the model systems which mimic the GFP chromophore in different environments. We provide evidences that the protein matrix in GFP accounts for a fairly large shift of about 40 nm in the S₀–S₁ absorption band as compared to the gas phase.     

Parabolic movement primitives and cortical states: merging optimality with geometric invariance

Previous studies have suggested that several types of rules govern the generation of complex arm movements. One class of rules consists of optimizing an objective function (e.g., maximizing motion smoothness). Another class consists of geometric and kinematic constraints, for instance the coupling between speed and curvature during drawing movements as expressed by the two-thirds power law. It has also been suggested that complex movements are composed of simpler elements or primitives. However, the ability to unify the different rules has remained an open problem. We address this issue by identifying movement paths whose generation according to the two-thirds power law yields maximally smooth trajectories. Using equi-affine differential geometry we derive a mathematical condition which these paths must obey. Among all possible solutions only parabolic paths minimize hand jerk, obey the two-thirds power law and are invariant under equi-affine transformations (which preserve the fit to the two-thirds power law). Affine transformations can be used to generate any parabolic stroke from an arbitrary parabolic template, and a few parabolic strokes may be concatenated to compactly form a complex path. To test the possibility that parabolic elements are used to generate planar movements, we analyze monkeys’ scribbling trajectories. Practiced scribbles are well approximated by long parabolic strokes. Of the motor cortical neurons recorded during scribbling more were related to equi-affine than to Euclidean speed. Unsupervised segmentation of simulta- neously recorded multiple neuron activity yields states related to distinct parabolic elements. We thus suggest that the cortical representation of movements is state-dependent and that parabolic elements are building blocks used by the motor system to generate complex movements.     

Proteome analysis of chloroplasts from the moss Physcomitrella patens (Hedw.) B.S.G.

Intact chloroplasts were prepared from protoplasts of the moss Physcomitrella patens according to an especially developed method. They were additionally separated into stroma and thylakoid fractions. The proteomes of intact plastids, stroma, and thylakoids were analyzed by 1D-electrophoresis under denaturing conditions followed by protein digestion and nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS of tryptic peptides from gel bands. A total of 624 unique proteins were identified, 434 of which were annotated as chloroplast resident proteins. The majority of proteins belonged to a photosynthetic group (21.3%) and to the group of proteins implicated in protein degradation, posttranslational modification, folding, and import (20.6%). Among proteins assigned to chloroplasts, the following groups are prominent combining proteins implicated in metabolism of: amino acids (6.9%), nucleotides (2.5%), lipids (2.2%), carbohydrates (2.4%), hormones (1.5%), isoprenoids (1.25%), vitamins and cofactors (1%), sulfur (1.25%), and nitrogen (1%); as well as proteins involved in the pentose-phosphate cycle (1.75%), tetrapyrrole synthesis (3.7%), and redox processes (3.6%). The data can be used in physiological and photobiological studies as well as in further studies of P. patens chloroplast proteome including structural and functional specifics of plant protein localization in organelles.