Increased activin levels in cerebrospinal fluid of rabbits with bacterial meningitis are associated with activation of microglia

Activin, a member of the transforming growth factor superfamily, is upregulated in a number of inflammatory episodes such as septicemia and rheumatoid arthritis. In the CNS, activin has been predominantly assessed in terms of a neuroprotective role. In this report we characterized the activin response in the CNS in a rabbit model of meningitis. In normal animals, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) activin levels were higher than those in serum, indicating an intracranial secretion of this cytokine. Following intracisternal inoculation with Streptococcus pneumoniae, activin in CSF was unchanged for the first 12 h and then rose progressively; levels were increased approximately 15-fold within 24 h. Activin levels were correlated positively with CSF protein content and with the number of apoptotic neurons in the dentate gyrus. No apparent correlation was observed between CSF activin concentrations and bacterial titer, lactate concentrations or leukocyte density. Using immunohistochemistry, activin staining was localized to epithelial cells of the choroid plexus, cortical neurons and the CA3 region of the hippocampus, with similar staining intensities in both normal and meningitic brains. However, in meningitic brains there was also strong staining in activated microglia and infiltrating macrophages. Taken together, these results demonstrate that activin forms part of the CNS response to immune challenge and may be an important mediator to modulate inflammatory processes in the brain.     

Evidence for Chronic Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation in Individuals with Agoraphobia from a Population-Based Prospective Study

Background

Anxiety disorders have been linked to an increased risk of incident coronary heart disease in which inflammation plays a key pathogenic role. To date, no studies have looked at the association between proinflammatory markers and agoraphobia.

Methods

In a random Swiss population sample of 2890 persons (35-67 years, 53% women), we diagnosed a total of 124 individuals (4.3%) with agoraphobia using a validated semi-structured psychiatric interview. We also assessed socioeconomic status, traditional cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., body mass index, hypertension, blood glucose levels, total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio), and health behaviors (i.e., smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity), and other major psychiatric diseases (other anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, drug dependence) which were treated as covariates in linear regression models. Circulating levels of inflammatory markers, statistically controlled for the baseline demographic and health-related measures, were determined at a mean follow-up of 5.5 ± 0.4 years (range 4.7 – 8.5).

Results

Individuals with agoraphobia had significantly higher follow-up levels of C-reactive protein (p = 0.007) and tumor-necrosis-factor-α (p = 0.042) as well as lower levels of the cardioprotective marker adiponectin (p = 0.032) than their non-agoraphobic counterparts. Follow-up levels of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 did not significantly differ between the two groups.

Conclusions

Our results suggest an increase in chronic low-grade inflammation in agoraphobia over time. Such a mechanism might link agoraphobia with an increased risk of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, and needs to be tested in longitudinal studies.     

Age is independently related to muscle metabolic capacity in premenopausal women.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether muscle metabolic capacity was inversely related to age after adjusting for physical activity in sedentary premenopausal women. Eighty-three women (ages 23-47 yr) had their free-living, activity-related energy expenditure evaluated with doubly labeled water procedures, and room calorimeter determined sleeping energy expenditure. Maximum O(2) uptake and strength were evaluated in all subjects, whereas 31P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy determined metabolic economy during maximal exercise, and muscle biopsy maximal enzyme activity was evaluated in subsets of the sample (48 and 18 subjects, respectively). Age was significantly related to whole body treadmill endurance time (r = -0.32), plantar flexion strength (r = -0.29), maximum O(2) uptake (r = -0.27), (31)P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy ADP recovery rate (r = -0.44), and anaerobic glycolytic capacity (r = -0.37), and muscle biopsy citrate synthase activity (r = -0.48), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (r = -0.54), phosphofructokinase (r = -0.62), and phosphorylase (r = -0.58) activity even after adjusting for activity-related energy expenditure. These data suggest that, in sedentary premenopausal women, both oxidative and glycolytic muscle capacity decrease with age even when physical activity is taken into account.     

Multi-domain, cell-envelope proteinases of lactic acid bacteria

The multi-domain, cell-envelope proteinases encoded by the genes prtB of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, prtH of Lactobacillus helveticus, prtP of Lactococcus lactis, scpA of Streptococcus pyogenes and csp of Streptococcus agalactiae have been compared using multiple sequence alignment, secondary structure prediction and database homology searching methods. This comparative analysis has led to the prediction of a number of different domains in these cell-envelope proteinases, and their homology, characteristics and putative function are described. These domains include, starting from the N-terminus, a pre-pro-domain for secretion and activation, a serine protease domain (with a smaller inserted domain), two large middle domains A and B of unknown but possibly regulatory function, a helical spacer domain, a hydrophilic cell-wall spacer or attachment domain, and a cell-wall anchor domain. Not all domains are present in each cell-envelope proteinase, suggesting that these multi-domain proteins are the result of gene shuffling and domain swapping during evolution.     

Rapid parasite adaptation drives selection for high recombination rates

The Red Queen hypothesis proposes that sex is maintained through selection pressure imposed by coevolving parasites: susceptible hosts are able to escape parasite pressure by recombining their genome to create resistant offspring. However, previous theoretical studies have shown that the Red Queen typically selects against sex unless selection is strong, arguing that high rates of recombination cannot evolve when parasites are of low virulence. Here we show that under the biologically plausible assumption of a severe fitness cost for parasites that fail to infect, the Red Queen can cause selection for high recombination rates, and that the strength of virulence is largely irrelevant to the direction of selection for increased recombination rates. Strong selection on parasites and short generation times make parasites usually better adapted to their hosts than vice versa and can thus favor higher recombination rates in hosts. By demonstrating the importance of host-imposed selection on parasites, our findings resolve previously reported conflicting results.     

Genetic relatedness in groups is sex-specific and declines with age of helpers in a cooperatively breeding cichlid

Kin selection can explain the evolution of cooperative breeding and the distribution of relatives within a population may influence the benefits of cooperative behaviour. We provide genetic data on relatedness in the cooperatively breeding cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher. Helper to breeder relatedness decreased steeply with increasing helper age, particularly to the breeding males. Helper to helper relatedness was age‐assortative and also declined with age. These patterns of relatedness could be attributed to territory take‐overs by outsiders when breeders had disappeared (more in breeding males), between‐group dispersal of helpers and reproductive parasitism. In six of 31 groups females inherited the breeding position of their mother or sister. These matrilines were more likely to occur in large groups. We conclude that the relative fitness benefits of helping gained through kin selection vs. those gained through direct selection depend on helper age and sex.     

Growth-associated modifications of low-molecular-weight thiols and protein sulfhydryls in human bronchial fibroblasts

The thiol redox status of cultured human bronchial fibroblasts has been characterized at various growth conditions using thiol-reactive monobromobimane, with or without the combination of dithiotreitol, a strong reducing agent. This procedure has enabled measurement of the cellular content of reduced glutathione (GSH), total glutathione equivalents, cysteine, total cysteine equivalents, protein sulfhydryls, protein disulfides, and mixed disulfides. Passage of cells with trypsin perturbs the cellular thiol homeostasis and causes a 50% decrease in the GSH content, whereas the total cysteine content is subsequently increased severalfold during cell attachment. During subsequent culture, transient severalfold increased levels of GSH, protein-bound thiols, and protein disulfides are reached, whereas the total cysteine content gradually declines. These changes in the redox balance of both low-molecular-weight thiols and protein-bound thiols correlate with cell proliferation and mostly precede the major growth phase. When the onset of proliferation is inhibited by maintenance of cells in medium containing decreased amounts of serum, the GSH content remains significantly increased. Subsequent stimulation of growth by addition of serum results in decreased GSH levels at the onset of proliferation. In thiol-depleted medium, proliferation is also inhibited, whereas GSH levels are increased to a lesser extent than in complete medium. Exposure to buthionine sulfoximine inhibits growth, prevents GSH synthesis, and results in accumulation of total cysteine, protein-bound cysteine, and protein disulfides. For extracellular cystine, variable rates of cellular uptake correlate with the initial increase in the total cysteine content observed following subculture and with the GSH peak that precedes active proliferation. The results strongly suggest that specific fluctuations in the cellular redox balance of both free low-molecular-weight thiols and protein sulfhydryls are involved in growth regulation of normal human fibroblasts.     

Reversibility and "pH-T phase diagrams" of Rapana venosa hemocyanin and its structural subunits

We have studied the stability and reassociation behaviour of native molecules of Rapana venosa hemocyanin and its two subunits, termed RvH1 and RvH2. In the presence of different concentrations of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) ions and pH values, the subunits differ not only in their reassociation behaviour, but also in their formation of helical tubules and multidecamers. RvH1 revealed a greater stability at higher pH values compared to RvH2. Overall, the stability of reassociated RvH and its structural subunits was found to be pH-dependent. The increasing stability of native Hc and its subunits, shown by pH-induced CD transitions (acid and alkaline denaturation), can be explained with the formation of quaternary structure. The absence of a Cotton effect at temperatures 20-40 degrees C in the pH-transition curves of RvH2 indicates that this subunit is stabilized by additional "factors", e.g.: non-ionic/hydrophobic stabilization and interactions of carbohydrate moieties. A similar behaviour was observed for the T-transition curves in a wide pH interval for RvH and its structural subunits. At higher temperatures, many of the secondary structural elements are preserved especially at neutral pH, even at extreme high temperatures above 90 degrees C the protein structures resemble a "globule state".     

Comparison of two lignin-degrading fungi:Phlebia radiata andPhanerochaete chrysosporium

Summary The ligninolytic enzymes ofPhlebia radiata were produced in static conditions earlier developed forPhanerochaete chrysosporium. The production pattern of lignin peroxidases resembled that ofP. chrysosporium. The extracellular proteins ofPhlebia radiata were separated by isoelectric focusing. Four proteins with acidic isoelectric points (4.15) were detected by peroxidase staining. The peroxidases ofP. radiata reacted with antibodies produced against a peroxidase ofPhanerochaete chrysosporium and vice versa. Thus the lignin peroxidases of the two fungi have major similarities despite slight differences in their isoelectric points and molecular weights. Veratryl alcohol was produced by both fungi and degraded to veratraldehyde, two lactones and a quinone by the ligninolytic cultures.