Bacterial diversity and ecosystem function of filamentous microbial mats from aphotic (cave) sulfidic springs dominated by chemolithoautotrophic "Epsilonproteobacteria"

Filamentous microbial mats from three aphotic sulfidic springs in Lower Kane Cave, Wyoming, were assessed with regard to bacterial diversity, community structure, and ecosystem function using a 16S rDNA-based phylogenetic approach combined with elemental content and stable carbon isotope ratio analyses. The most prevalent mat morphotype consisted of white filament bundles, with low C:N ratios (3.5-5.4) and high sulfur content (16.1-51.2%). White filament bundles and two other mat morphotypes had organic carbon isotope values (mean delta13C=-34.7 per thousand, 1sigma=3.6) consistent with chemolithoautotrophic carbon fixation from a dissolved inorganic carbon reservoir (cave water, mean delta13C=-7.4 per thousand for two springs, n=8). Bacterial diversity was low overall in the clone libraries, and the most abundant taxonomic group was affiliated with the "Epsilonproteobacteria" (68%), with other bacterial sequences affiliated with Gammaproteobacteria (12.2%), Betaproteobacteria (11.7%), Deltaproteobacteria (0.8%), and the Acidobacterium (5.6%) and Bacteriodetes/Chlorobi (1.7%) divisions. Six distinct epsilonproteobacterial taxonomic groups were identified from the microbial mats. Epsilonproteobacterial and bacterial group abundances and community structure shifted from the spring orifices downstream, corresponding to changes in dissolved sulfide and oxygen concentrations and metabolic requirements of certain bacterial groups. Most of the clone sequences for epsilonproteobacterial groups were retrieved from areas with high sulfide and low oxygen concentrations, whereas Thiothrix spp. and Thiobacillus spp. had higher retrieved clone abundances where conditions of low sulfide and high oxygen concentrations were measured. Genetic and metabolic diversity among the "Epsilonproteobacteria" maximizes overall cave ecosystem function, and these organisms play a significant role in providing chemolithoautotrophic energy to the otherwise nutrient-poor cave habitat. Our results demonstrate that sulfur cycling supports subsurface ecosystems through chemolithoautotrophy and expand the evolutionary and ecological views of "Epsilonproteobacteria" in terrestrial habitats.     

Characterization of covalent Ene adduct intermediates in "hydride equivalent" transfers in a dihydropyridine model for NADH reduction reactions

A study of the reactions of an NADH model, 1,4-di(trimethylsilyl)-1,4-dihydropyridine, 7, with a series of α,β-unsaturated cyano and carbonyl compounds has produced the first direct evidence for an obligatory covalent adduct between a dihydropyridine and substrate in a reduction reaction. The reactions were monitored by NMR spectroscopy. In all reactions studied, the covalent adduct was the first new species detected and its decomposition to form products could be observed. Concentrations of adducts were sufficiently high at steady-state that their structures could be determined directly from NMR spectra of the reaction mixtures; adduct structures are those expected from an Ene reaction between 7 and the substrate. This first reaction step results in transfer of the C(4) hydrogen nucleus of 7 to the substrate and formation of a covalent bond between C(2) of the dihydropyridine ring and the substrate α-atom. Discovery of these Ene-adduct intermediates completes the spectrum of mechanisms observed in NADH model reactions to span those with free radical intermediates, no detectable intermediates and now covalent intermediates. The geometry of the transition state for formation of the Ene adduct is compared with those of theoretical transition state models and crystal structures of enzyme-substrate/inhibitor complexes to suggest a relative orientation for the dihydropyridine ring and the substrate in an initial cyclic transition state that is flexible enough to accommodate all observed mechanistic outcomes.     

Expression of B7 molecules in recipient, not donor, mice determines the survival of cardiac allografts.

Blockade of the CD28/CTLA4/B7 costimulatory pathway using CTLA4-Ig has great therapeutic potential, and has been shown to prolong allograft survival in a variety of animal models. To gain further insight into the mechanism by which costimulatory blockade prevents allograft rejection, we studied cardiac allograft survival in the complete absence of B7 costimulation using mice lacking B7-1 and B7-2 (B7-1/B7-2-/- mice). To determine the role of B7 on donor vs recipient cells, we used B7-1/B7-2-/- mice as either donors or recipients of allografts. Wild-type (WT) recipients acutely reject fully allogeneic hearts from both WT and B7-1/B7-2-/- mice. In contrast, B7-1/B7-2-/- recipients allow long-term survival of grafts from both WT and B7-1/B7-2-/- mice, with minimal histologic evidence of either acute or chronic rejection in grafts harvested after 90 days. The B7-1/B7-2-/- mice acutely reject B7-1/B7-2-/- allografts if CD28 stimulation is restored by the administration of Ab to CD28 and can mount an alloresponse in mixed lymphocyte reactions. Therefore, B7-1/B7-2-/- mice are capable of generating alloresponses both in vivo and in vitro. Our results demonstrate that in the alloresponse to mouse heterotopic cardiac transplantation, B7 molecules on recipient cells rather than donor cells provide the critical costimulatory signals. The indefinite survival of allografts into B7-1/B7-2-/- recipients further shows that the absence of B7 costimulation alone is sufficient to prevent rejection.     

Mast cells promote atherosclerosis by releasing proinflammatory cytokines

Mast cells contribute importantly to allergic and innate immune responses by releasing various preformed and newly synthesized mediators. Previous studies have shown mast cell accumulation in human atherosclerotic lesions. This report establishes the direct participation of mast cells in atherogenesis in low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (Ldlr(-/-)) mice. Atheromata from compound mutant Ldlr(-/-) Kit(W-sh)(/W-sh) mice showed decreased lesion size, lipid deposition, T-cell and macrophage numbers, cell proliferation and apoptosis, but increased collagen content and fibrous cap development. In vivo, adoptive transfer of syngeneic wild-type or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-deficient mast cells restored atherogenesis to Ldlr(-/-)Kit(W-sh/W-sh) mice. Notably, neither interleukin (IL)-6- nor interferon (IFN)-gamma-deficient mast cells did so, indicating that the inhibition of atherogenesis in Ldlr(-/-)Kit(W-sh/W-sh) mice resulted from the absence of mast cells and mast cell-derived IL-6 and IFN-gamma. Compared with wild-type or TNF-alpha-deficient mast cells, those lacking IL-6 or IFN-gamma did not induce expression of proatherogenic cysteine proteinase cathepsins from vascular cells in vitro or affect cathepsin and matrix metalloproteinase activities in atherosclerotic lesions, implying that mast cell-derived IL-6 and IFN-gamma promote atherogenesis by augmenting the expression of matrix-degrading proteases. These observations establish direct participation of mast cells and mast cell-derived IL-6 and IFN-gamma in mouse atherogenesis and provide new mechanistic insight into the pathogenesis of this common disease.     

Comparison of the control and pathways for degradation of the acetylcholine receptor and average protein in cultured muscle cells

In the studies reported here, we investigated whether the degradation of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) in cultured muscle cells involves similar mechanisms as and is controlled in a manner similar to, the catabolism of the bulk of cell protein. We compared these processes after labeling cell protein with radioactive leucine or phenylalanine for 24 hours, or labeling the acetylcholine receptor with (¹²⁵I)-bungarotoxin. The apparent average half-life of cell protein was 38 ± 2 hours and that of the receptor-toxin complex was 25 ± 1 hours. Incubation in media lacking serum and embryo extract accelerated the degradation of both average protein and the receptor-toxin complex. Insulin reduced the rate of catabolism of both average protein and the receptor-toxin complex toward levels seen in the presence of serum. However, although these two degradative processes seem to be controlled similarly, they probably involve different mechanisms. The protease inhibitors leupeptin and chymostatin, which slowed overall proteolysis in nongrowing muscles and hepatocytes, reduced the degradation of the ACh receptor by 2–11-fold, but had no, or only slight, effects on the catabolism of average protein, even when overall proteolysis was accelerated by omitting serum and embryo extract. Chloroquine, an inhibitor of lysosomal function, also reduced the degradation of AChR, by about 10-fold, but decreased overall protein breakdown by only 20–30%. Incubation of myotubes at lower temperatures reduced both degradative processes, but affected the breakdown of the receptor to a greater extent. Thus the rate-limiting steps in these processes have different activation energies. Incubation with 2-deoxyglucose, an inhibitor of glycolysis, decreased the breakdown of average protein but not that of the receptor-toxin complex. However, the two degradative processes were sensitive to azide, an inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation. Although the lysosome is the primary site for AChR degradation and perhaps for degradation of other surface proteins, the breakdown of most proteins in myotubes seems to involve a distinct proteolytic system requiring metabolic energy.     

Therapeutic siRNA silencing in inflammatory monocytes in mice

Excessive and prolonged activity of inflammatory monocytes is a hallmark of many diseases with an inflammatory component. In such conditions, precise targeting of these cells could be therapeutically beneficial while sparing many essential functions of the innate immune system, thus limiting unwanted effects. Inflammatory monocytes-but not the noninflammatory subset-depend on the chemokine receptor CCR2 for localization to injured tissue. Here we present an optimized lipid nanoparticle and a CCR2-silencing short interfering RNA that, when administered systemically in mice, show rapid blood clearance, accumulate in spleen and bone marrow, and localize to monocytes. Efficient degradation of CCR2 mRNA in monocytes prevents their accumulation in sites of inflammation. Specifically, the treatment attenuates their number in atherosclerotic plaques, reduces infarct size after coronary artery occlusion, prolongs normoglycemia in diabetic mice after pancreatic islet transplantation, and results in reduced tumor volumes and lower numbers of tumor-associated macrophages.