Left ventricular dysfunction and associated cellular injury in rats exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) increases cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We have reported that chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), a direct consequence during OSA, leads to left ventricular (LV) remodeling and dysfunction in rats. The present study is to determine LV myocardial cellular injury that is possibly associated with LV global dysfunction. Fifty-six rats were exposed either to CIH (nadir O(2) 4-5%) or sham (handled normoxic controls, HC), 8 h/day for 6 wk. At the end of the exposure, we studied LV global function by cardiac catheterization, and LV myocardial cellular injury by in vitro analyses. Compared with HC, CIH animals demonstrated elevations in mean arterial pressure and LV end-diastolic pressure, but reductions in cardiac output (CIH 141.3 +/- 33.1 vs. HC 184.4 +/- 21.2 ml x min(-1) x kg(-1), P < 0.01), maximal rate of LV pressure rise in systole (+dP/dt), and maximal rate of LV pressure fall in diastole (-dP/dt). CIH led to significant cell injury in the left myocardium, including elevated LV myocyte size, measured by cell surface area (CIH 3,564 +/- 354 vs. HC 2,628 +/- 242 microm(2), P < 0.05) and cell length (CIH 148 +/- 23 vs. HC 115 +/- 16 microm, P < 0.05), elevated terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-stained positive cell number (CIH 98 +/- 45 vs. HC 15 +/- 13, P < 0.01), elevated caspase-3 activity (906 +/- 249 vs. 2,275 +/- 1,169 pmol x min(-1) x mg(-1), P < 0.05), and elevated expression of several remodeling gene markers, including c-fos, atrial natriuretic peptide, beta-myosin heavy chain, and myosin light chain-2. However, there was no difference between groups in sarcomere contractility of isolated LV myocytes, or in LV collagen deposition on trichrome-stained slices. In conclusion, CIH-mediated LV global dysfunction is associated with myocyte hypertrophy and apoptosis at the cellular level.     

RNA interference in the termite Reticulitermes flavipes through ingestion of double-stranded RNA

RNA interference (RNAi) represents a breakthrough technology for conducting functional genomics research in non-model organisms and for the highly targeted control of insect pests. This study investigated RNAi via voluntary feeding in the economically important pest termite, Reticulitermes flavipes. We used a high-dose double-stranded (ds) RNA feeding approach to silence two termite genes: one encoding an endogenous digestive cellulase enzyme and the other a caste-regulatory hexamerin storage protein. Contrary to results from previous low-dose studies that examined injection-based RNAi, high-dose silencing of either gene through dsRNA feeding led to significantly reduced group fitness and mortality. Hexamerin silencing in combination with ectopic juvenile hormone treatments additionally led to lethal molting impacts and increased differentiation of presoldier caste phenotypes (a phenotype that is not capable of feeding). These results provide the first examples of insecticidal effects from dsRNA feeding in a termite. Additionally, these results validate a high-throughput bioassay approach for use in (i) termite functional genomics research, and (ii) characterizing target sites of conventional and novel RNAi-based termiticides.     

Peptidoglycan recognition protein expression in mouse Peyer's Patch follicle associated epithelium suggests functional specialization

Mammalian Peyer's Patches possess specialized epithelium, the follicle associated epithelium (FAE), and specialized cells called M cells which mediate transcytosis of antigens to underlying lymphoid tissue. To identify FAE specific genes, we used TOGA gene expression profiling of microdissected mouse Peyer's Patch tissue. We found expression of laminin beta3 across the FAE, and scattered expression of peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP)-S. Using the M cell specific lectin Ulex europaeus agglutinin 1 (UEA-1), PGRP-S expression was nearly exclusively co-localized with UEA-1+ M cells. By contrast, the related gene PGRP-L was expressed among a subset of UEA-1 negative FAE cells. Expression of these proteins in transfected cells demonstrated distinct subcellular localization. PGRP-S showed a vesicular pattern and extracellular secretion, while PGRP-L showed localization to both the cytoplasm and the cell surface. The potential function of these PGRP proteins as pattern recognition receptors and their distinctive cellular distribution suggests a complex coordination among specialized cells of the FAE in triggering mucosal immunity and innate immune responses.     

Inheritance of methyl-parathion resistance in Nebraska western corn rootworm populations (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Field populations of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, were collected from three different sites (York Co., Phelps Co., and Saunders Co.) in Nebraska during 1996. Adult bioassays of these three populations were conducted with different concentrations of methyl-parathion and at a diagnostic concentration (1.0 microg/ml) to determine resistance levels among these populations. Self and reciprocal crosses were made between the two resistant and one susceptible laboratory-reared populations. Dose-responses and dominance ratios calculated for the four reciprocal crosses indicated that resistance was incompletely dominant in both strains, although in one of the strains there was an indication of sex linkage. However, evaluation of native polyacrylamide gels stained for nonspecific esterases and nonspecific esterase activity of parents and F1 progeny of the crosses suggested that esterase inheritance was completely dominant and autosomal. The results of this study were inconclusive with regard to the precise nature of inheritance, because the bioassays and esterase assays could not discriminate between heterozygotes and homozygotes. However, they do provide insight into the potential for developing simple diagnostic assays to assess resistance frequencies. Based on the inheritance studies described in this investigation, we can begin to generate information on specific genetic factors that dictate the evolutionary divergence of discrete resistant populations and facilitate modeling efforts designed to approximate the movement of genes for resistance among populations.     

Phylogenetic relationships of nearctic Reticulitermes species (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) with particular reference to Reticulitermes arenincola Goellner

DNA sequence comparisons of the mitochondrial COII, 16S, and 12S rRNA genes were used to infer phylogenetic relationships among the six known US Reticulitermes species (Reticulitermes flavipes, Reticulitermes arenincola, Reticulitermes tibialis, Reticulitermes hageni, Reticulitermes virginicus, and Reticulitermes hesperus) and the closely related European species Reticulitermes santonensis. The interspecific pairwise sequence divergence, based on uncorrected "p" distance, varied up to 10% across the COII, 4.9% across the 16S, and 3% across the 12S fragments. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using maximum parsimony, likelihood, and distance methods. The combined results suggest several phylogenetic relationships including: (i) R. flavipes, R. arenincola, and European R. santonensis are possibly conspecific; (ii) R. virginicus and R. hageni are closely related species; and (iii) R. tibialis and R. hesperus are closely related species. Interestingly, while there is apparent synonymity between R. flavipes and R. arenincola by DNA sequence, there are clear morphological differences in the soldier caste. This finding suggests a combination of molecular and morphological approaches are necessary for accurate species identification. These data lend resolution to the complex problem of Reticulitermes systematics, and will assist future efforts directed toward characterizing species distribution and ecology.