Transient Receptor Potential Channel 6 (TRPC6) Protects Podocytes during Complement-mediated Glomerular Disease

Gain-of-function mutations in the calcium channel TRPC6 lead to autosomal dominant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and podocyte expression of TRPC6 is increased in some acquired human glomerular diseases, particularly in membranous nephropathy. These observations led to the hypothesis that TRPC6 overactivation is deleterious to podocytes through pathological calcium signaling, both in genetic and acquired diseases. Here, we show that the effects of TRPC6 on podocyte function are context-dependent. Overexpression of TRPC6 alone did not directly affect podocyte morphology and cytoskeletal structure. Unexpectedly, however, overexpression of TRPC6 protected podocytes from complement-mediated injury, whereas genetic or pharmacological TRPC6 inactivation increased podocyte susceptibility to complement. Mechanistically, this effect was mediated by Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) activation. Podocyte-specific TRPC6 transgenic mice showed stronger CaMKII activation, reduced podocyte foot process effacement and reduced levels of proteinuria during nephrotoxic serum nephritis, whereas TRPC6 null mice exhibited reduced CaMKII activation and higher levels of proteinuria compared with wild type littermates. Human membranous nephropathy biopsy samples showed podocyte staining for active CaMKII, which correlated with the degree of TRPC6 expression. Together, these data suggest a dual and context dependent role of TRPC6 in podocytes where acute activation protects from complement-mediated damage, but chronic overactivation leads to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.     

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) decoy receptor TRAIL-R3 is up-regulated by p53 in breast tumor cells through a mechanism involving an intronic p53-binding site

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand receptor 3 (TRAIL-R3) is a decoy receptor for TRAIL, a member of the tumor necrosis factor family. In several cell types decoy receptors inhibit TRAIL-induced apoptosis by binding TRAIL and thus preventing its binding to proapoptotic TRAIL receptors. We studied the regulation of TRAIL-R3 gene expression in breast tumor cells treated with the genotoxic drug doxorubicin (DXR). The breast tumor cell line MCF-7 (p53 wild type) responded to DXR with a marked elevation of TRAIL-R3 expression at the mRNA, total protein, and cell surface levels. In contrast, in EVSA-T cells (p53 mutant) DXR did not induce increased expression of TRAIL-R3. In MCF-7 cells overexpressing the human papillomavirus protein E6, which causes p53 degradation, DXR-induced TRAIL-R3 expression was notably reduced. Furthermore, in MCF-7 cells overexpressing a temperature-sensitive p53 mutant (Val135), shifting the cultures to the permissive temperature was sufficient to induce the expression of TRAIL-R3. We also cloned and characterized a p53 consensus element located within the first intron of the human TRAIL-R3 gene. This element binds p53 and confers responsiveness to genotoxic damage to constructs of the TRAIL-R3 promoter in transient transfection experiments. Our results indicate that genotoxic treatments such as DXR, frequently used in cancer therapy, may also induce genes such as TRAIL-R3 that potentially have antiapoptotic actions and thus interfere with the TRAIL signaling system. This is particularly important in view of the proposed use of TRAIL in antitumor therapy.     

Some factors affecting the stability of interferon alpha 2b in solution.

In this paper we evaluated the influence of the protein concentration and a formulation vehicle on the stability of recombinant human Interferon alpha 2b (rhIFN-alpha2b) in solution. The effect of the protein content (from 1 to 100 MIU/ml) at 37 degrees C, showed that higher concentration of this cytokine protected against the loss of bioactivity (antiviral titration) better than the lower concentrations. In contrast, rhIFN-alpha2b at 50 and 100 MIU/ml decreased the SDS/PAGE- and RP-HPLC-determined purity faster than samples at 1 or 10 MIU/ml. According to these results, 10 MIU/ml rhIFN-alpha2b was the best choice to evaluate the influence of a formulation on the stability of this cytokine. Taking this into consideration, we studied the stability of a liquid and albumin-free formulation of this protein at the recommended storage temperature (5+/-3 degrees C) and under accelerated conditions (28+/-2 degrees C). Accelerated storage results showed an acceptable biochemical stability of the active ingredient throughout 2 months. Real-time storage data confirmed the good biochemical stability of this formulation for 30 months.     

Genotype differences in the metabolism of proline and polyamines under moderate drought in tomato plants

Water stress is one of the most important factors limiting the growth and productivity of crops. The implication of compatible osmolytes such as proline and polyamines in osmotic adjustment has been widely described in numerous plants species under stress conditions. In the present study, we investigated the response of five cherry tomato cultivars (Solanum lycopersicum L.) subjected to moderate water stress in order to shed light on the involvement of proline and polyamine metabolism in the mechanisms of tolerance to moderate water stress. Our results indicate that the most water stress‐resistant cultivar (Zarina) had increased degradation of proline associated with increased polyamine synthesis, with a higher concentration of spermidine and spermine under stress conditions. In contrast, Josefina, the cultivar most sensitive to water stress, showed a proline accumulation associated with increased synthesis after being subjected to stress. In turn, in this cultivar, no rise in polyamine synthesis was detected. Therefore, all the data appear to indicate that polyamine metabolism is more involved in the tolerance response to moderate water stress.     

Contribution of crop model structure,parameters and climate projections to uncertainty in climate change impact assessments

Climate change impact assessments are plagued with uncertainties from many sources, such as climate projections or the inadequacies in structure and parameters of the impact model. Previous studies tried to account for the uncertainty from one or two of these. Here, we developed a triple‐ensemble probabilistic assessment using seven crop models, multiple sets of model parameters and eight contrasting climate projections together to comprehensively account for uncertainties from these three important sources. We demonstrated the approach in assessing climate change impact on barley growth and yield at Jokioinen, Finland in the Boreal climatic zone and Lleida, Spain in the Mediterranean climatic zone, for the 2050s. We further quantified and compared the contribution of crop model structure, crop model parameters and climate projections to the total variance of ensemble output using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Based on the triple‐ensemble probabilistic assessment, the median of simulated yield change was ?4% and +16%, and the probability of decreasing yield was 63% and 31% in the 2050s, at Jokioinen and Lleida, respectively, relative to 1981–2010. The contribution of crop model structure to the total variance of ensemble output was larger than that from downscaled climate projections and model parameters. The relative contribution of crop model parameters and downscaled climate projections to the total variance of ensemble output varied greatly among the seven crop models and between the two sites. The contribution of downscaled climate projections was on average larger than that of crop model parameters. This information on the uncertainty from different sources can be quite useful for model users to decide where to put the most effort when preparing or choosing models or parameters for impact analyses. We concluded that the triple‐ensemble probabilistic approach that accounts for the uncertainties from multiple important sources provide more comprehensive information for quantifying uncertainties in climate change impact assessments as compared to the conventional approaches that are deterministic or only account for the uncertainties from one or two of the uncertainty sources.     

Carpology,germination and seedling performance in Digitalis thapsi L. (Scrophulariaceae)

Summary

We analyse the fruiting phase of the life cycleof Digitalis thapsi L. We studied the production and size of seeds and capsules, and the interpopulational variability and inter-relationships of these parameters. The capsule volume, number of seeds per capsule, of seeds per individual, and of capsules per individual were inter-related and fairly affected by the medium, whereas seed weight was found to bea more independent character. A germination study showed that the species has agreat germinative capacity and has positive photoblasty. It is non-dormant especially if incubated under experimental conditions close to the climatic conditions of the site of provenance of the samples. An increase in temperature speeds up the process without increasing germinability. The morphological and biometric characteristics of the first stages of development of the species following germination were analysed. It was found that seed weight is not positively correlated with cotyledon length nor with any of the other parameters con-sidered, and that the length of the fifth leaf is a useful parameter to express inter-populational genetic variability. Seedling production in spring seems to be influenced more by physical than by chemical factors.