Field and microcosm experiments to evaluate the effects of agricultural Cu treatment on the density and genetic structure of microbial communities in two different soils

The effects of Cu amendment on indigenous soil microorganisms were investigated in two soils, a calcareous silty clay (Ep) and a sandy soil (Au), by means of a 1-year field experiment and a two-month microcosm incubation. Cu was added as 'Bordeaux mixture' [CuSO(4), Ca(OH)(2)] at the standard rate used in viticulture (B1=16 kg Cu kg(-1) soil) and at a higher level of contamination (B3=48 kg Cu ha(-1) soil). More extractable Cu was observed in sandy soil (Au) than in silty soil (Ep). Furthermore, total Cu and Cu-EDTA declined with time in Au soil, whereas they remained stable in Ep soil. Quantitative modifications of the microflora were assessed by C-biomass measurements and qualitative modifications were assessed by the characterization of the genetic structure of bacterial and fungal communities from DNA directly extracted from the soil, using B- and F-ARISA (bacterial and fungal automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis). In the field study, no significant modifications were observed in C-biomass whereas microcosm incubation showed a decrease in B3 contamination only. ARISA fingerprinting showed slight but significant modifications of bacterial and fungal communities in field and microcosm incubation. These modifications were transient in all cases, suggesting a short-term effect of Cu stress. Microcosm experiments detected the microbial community modifications with greater precision in the short-term, while field experiments showed that the biological effects of Cu contamination may be overcome or hidden by pedo-climatic variations.     

The AT1A receptor "gain-of-function" mutant N111S/delta329 is both constitutively active and hyperreactive to angiotensin II

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is central to cardiovascular and renal physiology. However, there is no animal model in which the activation of the RAAS only reflects the activation of the angiotensin II (ANG II) AT1 receptor. As a first step to developing such a model, we characterized a gain-of-function mutant of the mouse AT1A receptor. This mutant carries two mutations: N111S predicted to activate the receptor constitutively and a COOH-terminal deletion, delta329, expected to reduce receptor internalization and desensitization. We expressed this double mutant (AT1A-N111S/delta329) in heterologous cells. It showed a pharmacological profile consistent with that of other constitutively active mutants. Furthermore, it increased basal production of inositol phosphates, as well as basal cytosolic and nuclear ERK activities. Basal proliferation of cells expressing the mutant was also greater than that of the wild type. The double mutant was poorly internalized and failed to recruit beta-arrestin 2 in the presence of ANG II. It also showed hypersensitive and hyperreactive responses to ANG II for both inositol phosphate production and ERK activation. The additivity of the phenotypes of the two mutations makes this mutant an appropriate candidate to test the physiological consequences of the AT1A receptor activation itself in transgenic animal models.     

Mutant Mice Lacking the p53 C-Terminal Domain Model Telomere Syndromes

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Extraction of the 3D Plasmon Field

We present the novel approach to investigate properties of the 3D plasmon excited on a metal sphere. The exact plasmon field extracted from the scattered field given by Mie theory allows for a new interpretation of the 3D plasmon by four short-range-like plasmons excited and rotating simultaneously around the sphere.     

Fuzzy tandem repeats containing p53 response elements may define species-specific p53 target genes

Evolutionary forces that shape regulatory networks remain poorly understood. In mammals, the Rb pathway is a classic example of species-specific gene regulation, as a germline mutation in one Rb allele promotes retinoblastoma in humans, but not in mice. Here we show that p53 transactivates the Retinoblastoma-like 2 (Rbl2) gene to produce p130 in murine, but not human, cells. We found intronic fuzzy tandem repeats containing perfect p53 response elements to be important for this regulation. We next identified two other murine genes regulated by p53 via fuzzy tandem repeats: Ncoa1 and Klhl26. The repeats are poorly conserved in evolution, and the p53-dependent regulation of the murine genes is lost in humans. Our results indicate a role for the rapid evolution of tandem repeats in shaping differences in p53 regulatory networks between mammalian species.     

Enhanced synthesis of isoamyl acetate using liquid-gas biphasic system by the transesterification reaction of isoamyl alcohol obtained from fusel oil

In this work, the transesterification reaction of isoamyl alcohol obtained from fusel oil and leading to the synthesis of isoamyl acetate was conducted simultaneously with in situ ethanol removal, which allows to shift the reaction equilibrium toward ester synthesis. The extracellular Aspergillus oryzae lipase was immobilized into calcium alginate. Effects of immobilization conditions on the loading efficiency and on the specific activity of entrapped lipase were investigated. The kinetic transfer of volatile reactants from the reactor was investigated using an experimentally first order kinetic model, in order to approve the feasibility of the liquid-gas system with continuous ethanol removal in the ester synthesis. The effects of the most influent parameters affecting the reaction have been also investigated using a Doehlert matrix design. The better operating conditions for isoamyl acetate synthesis were: a temperature of 68.5°C and a respective isoamyl alcohol and A. oryzae lipase concentration of 0.72 M and 2.39 g/L. At these conditions, the resulting reaction conversion and ethanol extraction yields were of 89.55 and 69.60%, respectively. The use of the fluidized bed reactor with continuous ethanol removal has allowed to improve the reaction conversion which was two times than the conversion higher obtained in batch reactor. Furthermore, under the optimized conditions in the fluidized bed reactor, the reaction conversion and the ethanol extraction yields were increased by 44.8 and 36.2%, respectively.     

Changes in function of iron-loaded alveolar macrophages after in vivo administration of desferrioxamine and/or chloroquine

Both desferrioxamine (DFO) and chloroquine can significantly reduce hepatic iron in experimental animals with iron overload by chelating iron from the low-molecular-weight pool or decreasing iron uptake by the transferrin-transferrin receptor cycle, respectively. However, no previous studies have investigated whether combination therapy of these two drugs would further decrease the tissue iron overload as well as iron-induced toxicity. Chloroquine administration, 15 mg/kg, 5x/week, to rats during the iron loading regime, 10 mg/kg, 3x/week for 4 weeks, significantly decreased both hepatic (54%) and macrophage iron content (24%). However when administered in combination with desferrioxamine, 10 mg/kg, 3x/week for 2 weeks at the cessation of iron loading, no further reduction of hepatic iron content was noted while the iron content of the macrophages significantly increased, possibly indicating the flux of ferrioxamine through these cells. Further studies are warranted to investigate the speciation of iron within these macrophages. Macrophages isolated from chloroquine-treated iron loaded rats showed a reduction in latent NFkappaB activation and a significant increase in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated nitrite release by comparison to these parameters in iron loaded macrophages. Co-administration of chloroquine and desferrioxamine normalised the latent activity of NFkappaB to that of control macrophages as well as increasing LPS-stimulated NO release towards control values. However, DFO alone did not have any significant effect upon either of these parameters. Such results may have important relevance for the reduced immune function of iron loaded macrophages isolated from thalassaemia patients receiving chelation therapy and their propensity to increased infection.     

Thyroid cell proliferation in response to forced expression of gap junction proteins

Gap junctions are known to play a role in the control of cell proliferation, and connexins (Cx) are considered to be tumor suppressors. However, the effects of Cx on cell proliferation are dependent on the Cx which is expressed and on the cell type under consideration. We previously found that restoration of cell-to-cell communication by stable transfection of two independent thyroid-derived cell lines, FRTL-5 and FRT cells, with the Cx32 gene induced a marked reduction of their proliferation rate. This study aimed i) at determining whether Cx43, which is coexpressed with Cx32 by thyroid epithelial cells, exerts the same action as Cx32 on cell proliferation and ii) at identifying alterations of the cell cycle control system that might account for the Cx32-induced proliferation slowdown in thyrocytes. In contrast with previous data on different epithelial cell types, we report that restoration of intercellular communication in FRTL-5 and FRT cells by stable expression of Cx43 did not modify their proliferation properties. Cell cycle analyses revealed that the Cx32-induced proliferation slow-down was related to a lengthening of the G1 phase. The level of expression of two regulatory proteins of the Cip/Kip cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor family, p27kip1 and p2cip1, was increased in the two cell lines expressing Cx32. In conclusion, Cx32 and Cx43, physiologically coexpressed by thyrocytes, have a differential impact on thyroid cell proliferation in vitro. The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, p27kip1 and p21cip1 might represent cell cycle effectors relaying the down-regulatory effect of Cx32 on the proliferation of thyroid epithelial cells.