High frequency of homozygosity of the HLA region in melanoma cell lines reveals a pattern compatible with extensive loss of heterozygosity

Malignant transformation of cells is frequently associated with abnormalities in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) expression. MHC class I loss or down-regulation in cancer cells is a major immune escape route used by a large variety of human tumours to evade antitumour immune responses mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The goal of our study was to explore HLA genotyping and phenotyping in a variety of melanoma tumour cell lines. A total of 91 melanoma cell lines were characterised for HLA class I and II genotype. In addition, 61 out of the 91 cell lines were also analysed for HLA class I and II cell surface molecule expression by flow cytometry. Unexpectedly, we found that 19.7% of the melanoma cell lines were homozygous for HLA class I genotypes, sometimes associated with HLA class II homozygosity (8.79%) and sometimes not (10.98%). The frequency of homozygosity was significantly higher compared with the control groups (1.6%). To identify the reasons underlying the high frequency of HLA homozygosity we searched for genomic deletions using eight pairs of highly polymorphic microsatellite markers covering the entire extended HLA complex on the short arm of chromosome 6. Our results were compatible with hemizygous deletions and suggest that loss of heterozygosity on chromosome arm 6p is a common feature in melanoma cell lines. In fact, although autologous normal DNA from the patients was not available and could not be tested, the retention in some cases of heterozygosity for a number of microsatellite markers would indicate a hemizygous deletion. In the rest of the cases, markers at 6p and 6q showed a single allele pattern indicating the probable loss of part or the whole of chromosome 6. These results led us to conclude that loss of heterozygosity in chromosome 6 is nonrandom and is possibly an immunologically relevant event in human malignant melanoma. Other well-established altered HLA class I phenotypes were also detected by flow cytometry that correspond to HLA class I total loss and HLA-ABC and/or specific HLA-B locus down-regulation.     

Direct measurement of transmural laminar architecture in the anterolateral wall of the ovine left ventricle: new implications for wall thickening mechanics

Laminar, or sheet, architecture of the left ventricle (LV) is a structural basis for normal systolic and diastolic LV dynamics, but transmural sheet orientations remain incompletely characterized. We directly measured the transmural distribution of sheet angles in the ovine anterolateral LV wall. Ten Dorsett-hybrid sheep hearts were perfusion fixed in situ with 5% buffered glutaraldehyde at end diastole and stored in 10% formalin. Transmural blocks of myocardial tissue were excised, with the edges cut parallel to local circumferential, longitudinal, and radial axes, and sliced into 1-mm-thick sections parallel to the epicardial tangent plane from epicardium to endocardium. Mean fiber directions were determined in each section from five measurements of fiber angles. Each section was then cut transverse to the fiber direction, and five sheet angles (beta) were measured and averaged. Mean fiber angles progressed nearly linearly from -41 degrees (SD 11) at the epicardium to +42 degrees (SD 16) at the endocardium. Two families of sheets were identified at approximately +45 degrees (beta(+)) and -45 degrees (beta(-)). In the lateral region (n = 5), near the epicardium, sheets belonged to the beta(+) family; in the midwall, to the beta(-) family; and near the endocardium, to the beta(+) family. This pattern was reversed in the basal anterior region (n = 4). Sheets were uniformly beta(-) over the anterior papillary muscle (n = 2). These direct measurements of sheet angles reveal, for the first time, alternating transmural families of predominant sheet angles. This may have important implications in understanding wall mechanics in the normal and the failing heart.     

Variability and genetic differentiation among Anopheles (Ano.) intermedius Chagas, 1908 and Anopheles (Ano.) mattogrossensis Lutz & Neiva, 1911 (Diptera: Culicidae) from the Brazilian Amazon

Anopheles (Anopheles) intermedius and Anopheles (Ano.) mattogrossensis are Brazilian anopheline species belonging to the scarcely studied Anopheles subgenus. Few studies have been done on the genetic differentiation of these species. Both species have been found infected by Plasmodium and are sympatric with other anopheline species from the Nyssorhynchus subgenus. Eighteen enzymatic loci were analyzed in larval specimens of An. intermedius and An. mattogrossensis aiming to estimate the variability and genetic differentiation between these species. An. mattogrossensis population showed higher genetic variability (P = 44.4 and Ho = 0.081 +/- 0.031) than that of An. intermedius (P = 33.3 and Ho = 0.048 +/- 0.021). Most analyzed loci showed genotypic frequencies according to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, except for LAP1 and LAP2 in An. intermedius, and EST1 and PGM loci in An. mattogrossensis. The genetic distance between these species (D = 0.683) was consistent with the inter-specific values reported for Anopheles subgenus. We verified that the polymorphism and heterozygosity percentile values found in both species and compared to those in the literature, showed no relation between the level of isozyme variability and geographical distribution. The low variability found in these two species is probably more related to the niche they occupy than to their geographic distribution.     

Combined effect of high-pressure treatments and bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria on inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in raw-milk cheese

The effect of high-pressure (HP) treatments combined with bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) produced in situ on the survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in cheese was investigated. Cheeses were manufactured from raw milk inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 at approximately 10(5) CFU/ml. Seven different bacteriocin-producing LAB were added at approximately 10(6) CFU/ml as adjuncts to the starter. Cheeses were pressurized on day 2 or 50 at 300 MPa for 10 min or 500 MPa for 5 min, at 10 degrees C in both cases. After 60 days, E. coli O157:H7 counts in cheeses manufactured without bacteriocin-producing LAB and not pressurized were 5.1 log CFU/g. A higher inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 was achieved in cheeses without bacteriocin-producing LAB when 300 MPa was applied on day 50 (3.8-log-unit reduction) than if applied on day 2 (1.3-log-unit reduction). Application of 500 MPa eliminated E. coli O157:H7 in 60-day-old cheeses. Cheeses made with bacteriocin-producing LAB and not pressurized showed a slight reduction of the pathogen. Pressurization at 300 MPa on day 2 and addition of lacticin 481-, nisin A-, bacteriocin TAB 57-, or enterocin AS-48-producing LAB were synergistic and reduced E. coli O157:H7 counts to levels below 2 log units in 60-day-old cheeses. Pressurization at 300 MPa on day 50 and addition of nisin A-, bacteriocin TAB 57-, enterocin I-, or enterocin AS-48-producing LAB completely inactivated E. coli O157:H7 in 60-day-old cheeses. The application of reduced pressures combined with bacteriocin-producing LAB is a feasible procedure to improve cheese safety.     

Alpha-dioxygenases

Alpha-dioxygenases constitute a family of fatty acid-metabolizing enzymes recently discovered in plants. The present paper gives a brief overview of the literature dealing with these enzymes and additionally reports the new finding of an alpha-dioxygenase in the moss, Physcomitrella patens, and some properties of this enzyme.     

Amino terminal peptides from the Plasmodium falciparum EBA-181/JESEBL protein bind specifically to erythrocytes and inhibit in vitro merozoite invasion

Several EBA-175 paralogues (EBA-140, EBA-165, EBA-175, EBA-181, and EBL-1) have been described among the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite proteins, which are important in the red blood cell (RBC) invasion process. EBA-181/JESEBL is a 181 kDa protein expressed in the late schizont stage and located in the micronemes; it belongs to the Plasmodium Duffy binding-like family and is able to interact with the erythrocyte surface. Here, we describe the synthesis of 78, 20-mer synthetic peptides derived from the reported EBA-181/JESEBL sequence and their ability to bind RBCs in receptor-ligand assays. Five peptides (numbered 30030, 30031, 30045, 30051, and 30060) displayed high specific binding to erythrocytes; their equilibrium binding parameters were then determined. These peptides interacted with 53 and 33 kDa receptor proteins on the erythrocyte surface, this binding being altered when RBCs were pretreated with enzymes. They were able to inhibit P. falciparum merozoite invasion of RBCs when tested in in vitro assays. According to these results, these five EBA-181/JESEBL high specific erythrocyte binding peptides, as well as the entire protein, were seen to be involved in the molecular machinery used by the parasite for invading RBCs. They are thus suggested as potential candidates in designing a multi-sub-unit vaccine able to combat the P. falciparum malaria parasite.     

A fuzzy inference system to evaluate contract service provider performance

This paper puts forward a fuzzy inference system for evaluating the quality performance of service contract providers. An Application Service Provider was designed and put online, featuring surveys to establish the most useful indicators to evaluate the quality of the service. This model was implemented in 10 separate hospitals. As a result, the service cost-acquisition cost ratio in these cases was reduced from 16.14% to 6.09% in the period 2001-January 2003.     

Synthesis and evaluation of diverse analogs of amygdalin as potential peptidomimetics of peptide T

Peptide T (ASTTTNYT) is a promising molecule to prevent the neuropsychometric symptoms of patients suffering AIDS and for the treatment of psoriasis. In order to fully prove its therapeutic benefits, efforts were put forward to design peptidomimetics of the peptide. In this direction, in a recent computational study the natural product amygdalin was identified as a prospective peptidomimetic of the peptide and later proved to exhibit a similar chemotactic profile to the peptide. However, the cyanide moiety of amygdalin provides to the molecule a toxic profile. The present study reports the synthesis of a set of amygdalin analogs lacking the cyanide group with improved chemotactic profiles.