The expression of cecropin peptide in transgenic tobacco does not confer resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv tabaci

Summary We used in vitro growth inhibition assays to demonstrate that synthetic cecropin protein has potent activity against a range of plant pathogenic bacteria. We then prepared transgenic tobacco plants which express cecropin mRNA and protein. We have used Pseudomonas syringae pv tabaci infection of these transgenic tobacco as a model system to evaluate whether the plants which express cecropin protein also have increased tolerance to infection. We found no dramatic difference in disease response between plants which are expressing cecropin protein and control plants which were derived from the transformation with a binary vector which did not carry the gene encoding cecropin protein.     

North Sea cod and climate change – modelling the effects of temperature on population dynamics

In order to examine the likely impacts of climate change on fish stocks, it is necessary to couple the output from large‐scale climate models to fisheries population simulations. Using projections of future North Sea surface temperatures for the period 2000–2050 from the Hadley General Circulation Model, we estimate the likely effects of climate change on the North Sea cod population. Output from the model suggests that increasing temperatures will lead to an increased rate of decline in the North Sea cod population compared with simulations that ignore environmental change. Although the simulation developed here is relatively simplistic, we demonstrate that inclusion of environmental factors in population models can markedly alter one's perception of how the population will behave. The development of simulations incorporating environment effects will become increasingly important as the impacts of climate change on the marine ecosystem become more pronounced.     

Birthweight discordance in multiple pregnancy.

This paper reviews several aspects of discordant growth in multiple pregnancies. Discordant growth is not a chance event and therefore several patterns can be discerned. About 75% of twins exhibit < 15% discordance (concordant), 20% are 15-25% (mildly) discordant, and about 5% are more than 25% (severely) discordant. Higher frequencies and increased severity are seen among triplets. Five observations regarding discordance became generally accepted: (a) not all discordant pairs are similar; (b) the larger the discordance level the greater is the risk for an adverse outcome; (c) discordant growth does not necessarily represent growth restriction; (d) a discordance level may have a different clinical implication in different gestational ages; and (e) the smaller fetuses in severely discordant pairs are at disproportionate risk for neonatal mortality. Mild discordance may represent a normal variation between sibs whereas severely discordant pairs often exhibit patterns of growth restriction. Not infrequently, discordance may represent an adaptation to the limited intrauterine space in order to increase gestational age.     

Design and applications of a self-aligning liquid junction-electrospray interface for capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

A simple self-aligning liquid junction-electrospray interface for coupling a capillary electrophoresis (CE) system to an atmospheric pressure ionization (API) mass spectrometer (CE-MS) was developed. In contrast to previous liquid junction interfaces, the self-aligning liquid junction interface simplifies the precise alignment of the CE capillary and the sprayer needle and uses a positive make-up flow. Several capillary CE-MS applications were run using both the self-aligning liquid junction interface and the widely used sheath flow interface for comparison purposes. The electrospray stability of the self-aligning liquid junction interface is consistently better even when non-volatile electrolyte solutions are used. At first, some band broadening was obtained with the self-aligning liquid junction interface. Experiments with different CE buffer systems suggested that this band broadening was caused by the materials used in constructing the interface. By using a more inert material for the sprayer needle, the self-aligning liquid junction exhibits excellent electrophoretic resolution, comparable sensitivity, and higher signal-to-noise ratios when run under the same conditions as the sheath flow interface.     

Turnover of endogenous, microinjected, and sequestered protein in Xenopus oocytes

Pulse-labeled oocyte proteins were found to have a maximum average half-life of 73 h. In general, larger peptides underwent degradation at a faster rate than smaller peptides. In this respect, oocytes are similar to most other cells. Microinjected ¹²⁵I-labeled bovine serum albumin (BSA) was degraded over a 40 h period with a half-life of 20–30 h, regardless of the method of protein labeling, culture medium employed, size of oocyte microinjected, or hormonal history of the oocyte. The last two results, if applicable to oocyte proteins in general, imply that protein catabolism is constant throughout the later stages of oogenesis and that growth is primarily regulated by a stimulation of anabolism. Individual proteins microinjected into oocytes undergo rates of degradation consistent with turnover rates obtained in other systems. Sequestered ¹²⁵I-labeled BSA is only partially (40%) degraded, which indicates that, unlike microinjected ¹²⁵I-labeled BSA, it has access to a cytoplasmic compartment (yolk platelets?) within which it is relatively stable.     

Peptides of type II collagen can induce the cleavage of type II collagen and aggrecan in articular cartilage.

The objective of this study was to determine whether a fragment(s) of type II collagen can induce cartilage degradation. Fragments generated by cyanogen bromide (CB) cleavage of purified bovine type II collagen were separated by HPLC. These fragments together with selected overlapping synthetic peptides were first analysed for their capacity to induce cleavage of type II collagen by collagenases in chondrocyte and explant cultures of healthy adult bovine articular cartilage. Collagen cleavage was measured by immunoassay and degradation of proteoglycan (mainly aggrecan) was determined by analysis of cleavage products of core protein by Western blotting. Gene expression of matrix metalloproteinases MMP-13 and MMP-1 was measured using Real-time PCR. Induction of denaturation of type II collagen in situ in cartilage matrix with exposure of the CB domain was identified with a polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies that only react with this domain in denatured but not native type II collagen. As well as the mixture of CB fragments and peptide CB12, a single synthetic peptide CB12-II (residues 195-218), but not synthetic peptide CB12-IV (residues 231-254), potently and consistently induced in explant cultures at 10 microM and 25 microM, in a time, cell and dose dependent manner, collagenase-induced cleavage of type II collagen accompanied by upregulation of MMP-13 expression but not MMP-1. In isolated chondrocyte cultures CB12-II induced very limited upregulation of MMP-13 as well as MMP-1 expression. Although this was accompanied by concomitant induction of cleavage of type II collagen by collagenases, this was not associated by aggrecan cleavage. Peptide CB12-IV, which had no effect on collagen cleavage, clearly induced aggrecanase specific cleavage of the core protein of this proteoglycan. Thus these events involving matrix molecule cleavage can importantly occur independently of each other, contrary to popular belief. Denaturation of type II collagen with exposure of the CB12-II domain was also shown to be much increased in osteoarthritic human cartilage compared to non-arthritic cartilage. These observations reveal that peptides of type II collagen, to which there is increased exposure in osteoarthritic cartilage, can when present in sufficient concentration induce cleavage of type II collagen (CB12-II) and aggrecan (CB12-IV) accompanied by increased expression of collagenases. Such increased concentrations of denatured collagen are present in adult and osteoarthritic cartilages and the exposure of chondrocytes to the sequences they encode, either in soluble or more likely insoluble form, may therefore play a role in the excessive resorption of matrix molecules that is seen in arthritis and development.     

Herpes simplex virus latency

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) are ubiquitous human pathogens. They share with other herpesviruses the ability to establish lifelong latent infection of the host. Periodic reactivation from latency is responsible for most of the clinical disease burden of HSV infection. This review focuses on what we have learned from molecular studies in model systems of HSV latency, and the implications these findings have for treating recurrent HSV disease.