Histochemical blockade of the antigen-antibody reaction using immunoperoxidase demonstration of lysozyme in paneth cells and lamina propria mononucleocytes of human small intestine as a model system

Nitrosation and acetylation, two histochemical blocking procedures for amino groups, were used to establish the extent to which these groups intervene in the antigen-antibody reaction in immunohistochemistry. We used the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method (PAP) to demonstrate lysozyme in Paneth cells and in lamina propria mononucleocytes of human small intestine as a model system. We studied the relationship of these groups to fixation, concentration of the primary antiserum, and length of blockade, as well as the possibility of reversing blockade as proof of specificity. Our findings support the contention that amino groups are also an important factor in antigen-antibody binding, even in fixed tissue. Fixatives influence the binding process in many ways, with acetylation producing a more successful result than nitrosation in tissue fixed in Bouin without acetic acid, whereas the reverse is true in formaldehyde-fixed tissue.     

LAMINA: a tool for rapid quantification of leaf size and shape parameters

Background  

An increased understanding of leaf area development is important in a number of fields: in food and non-food crops, for example short rotation forestry as a biofuels feedstock, leaf area is intricately linked to biomass productivity; in paleontology leaf shape characteristics are used to reconstruct paleoclimate history. Such fields require measurement of large collections of leaves, with resulting conclusions being highly influenced by the accuracy of the phenotypic measurement process.     

Trypanosoma cruzi: T-cell-dependent mechanisms of resistance during chronic infection

Effector mechanisms of resistance exerted by T cells from BALB/c mice chronically infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, Tulahuén strain, were studied. Spleen cells from chronically infected mice (Chro-SC) prestimulated with heat-killed trypomastigotes (HKT) and/or IL-2 destroyed PHA-labeled p-815 mastocytoma cells, HKT-pulsed macrophages, and normal peritoneal macrophages. However, HKT-stimulated Chro-SC did not affect the infectivity of free bloodstream forms of the parasite. Upon HKT stimulation, Chro-SC or their culture supernatant activated peritoneal macrophages for the destruction of intracellular amastigotes. The effect was abolished after Thy 1.2+ cell depletion. The addition of Cyclosporin A (CyA), which blocks T-cell activation, during HKT-stimulation of Chro-SC, diminished their ability to activate the trypanocidal activity of macrophages. CyA also inhibited the production of both macrophage-activating factors and interferon-gamma by HKT-stimulated Chro-SC. CyA administration to recipients of nylon-wool nonadherent spleen cells from chronically infected mice inhibited their adoptively acquired resistance against T. cruzi, suggesting that the conferred resistance depended on the effect of specifically activated cells. When administered during the chronic stage of the infection, CyA abrogated the antigen-specific delayed type hypersensitivity response but increased the levels of anti-T. cruzi IgG antibodies. Neither parasitemia, tissular parasitism in myocardium or skeletal muscle, nor mortality were detected after CyA treatment, suggesting the presence of a CyA nonsensitive mechanism(s) in the control of T. cruzi during the chronic phase of the infection.     

Repeated (isolation) stress increases tribulin-like activity in the rat

1. The effect of repeated isolation stress on MAO inhibitory activity (tribulin) in rat tissues as well as on plasma catecholamine levels was investigated. 2. Animals were subjected to a daily period of isolation (9 min) and sacrificed on days 1, 2, 4, and 5. 3. In brain and cerebellum the levels of both inhibitory activities were found to be significantly higher in animals sacrificed on days 1-2 than in either controls or animals sacrificed on days 4-5. 4. In heart and kidney the highest levels of both activities were found in animals sacrificed on days 4-5. 5. Plasma levels of dopamine on day 4 were significantly higher than those in controls or in any of the experimental groups. Plasma levels of epinephrine showed step-by-step increments from day 1 up to day 5, reaching statistical significance only on day 5. Plasma levels of norepinephrine were significantly increased on days 2, 4, and 5. 6. Under the experimental conditions of this study, we have shown a rapid and short-lasting increment of tribulin in the central nervous system. Its disappearance on days 4-5 could be related to adaptation to the novel situation. Changes in the peripheral tissues appeared later, and a similar adaptation was absent during the period of observation. 7. Tribulin would be related to the stressful situation not only as an anxiety-promoting agent but also in contributing to the maintenance of high levels of circulating catecholamines.     

Intracranial self stimulation upregulates the expression of synaptic plasticity related genes and Arc protein expression in rat hippocampus

Post‐training lateral hypothalamus (LH) intracranial self stimulation (ICSS) has a reliable enhancing effect on explicit memory formation evaluated in hippocampus‐dependent tasks such as the Morris water maze. In this study, the effects of ICSS on gene expression in the hippocampus are examined 4.5 h post treatment by using oligonucleotide microarray and real‐time PCR, and by measuring Arc protein levels in the different layers of hippocampal subfields through immunofluorescence. The microarray data analysis resulted in 65 significantly regulated genes in rat ICSS hippocampi compared to sham, including cAMP‐mediated signaling as one of the most significantly enriched Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) functional categories. In particular, expression of CREB‐dependent synaptic plasticity related genes (c‐Fos, Arc, Bdnf, Ptgs‐2 and Crem and Icer) was regulated in a time‐dependent manner following treatment administration. Immunofluorescence results showed that ICSS treatment induced a significant increase in Arc protein expression in CA1 and DG hippocampal subfields. This empirical evidence supports our hypothesis that the effect of ICSS on improved or restored memory functions might be mediated by increased hippocampal expression of activity‐dependent synaptic plasticity related genes, including Arc protein expression, as neural mechanisms related to memory consolidation .     

Can microbiology help to make aviation more sustainable?

Production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) using microbes still requires huge research efforts to fulfill the needs of aviation, both in the biological utilization of raw materials as well as in the biological processes to convert these materials (oils, sugars, aromatic compounds and others) into SAFs. However, we should also be aware of the microbiology constraints that, in some cases, will not allow us to reach the commercial level and that, by creating false expectations we will harm the credibility of microbiologists. However, in our opinion microbiologists can and should continue to find new avenues for producing SAFs, and for evaluating the advantages and feasibility of their production. This last step will require a close collaboration between researchers and industry.