Release of juvenile nematodes at hibernation sites by overwintered queens of the hornet Vespa simillima

The nematode Sphaerularia vespae only parasitizes hornet queens and deprives them of fertility. To elucidate its transmission route, we observed the behavior of overwintered queens of Vespa simillima found around decayed logs of fallen trees—the principal hibernation sites for this species. We found that overwintered queens frequently visited those decayed logs in summer (late June to mid-August), hovering or walking on the surfaces of the logs, and sometimes entering holes or cracks there. These queens, unlike those visiting the hibernation sites in the fall, did not excavate wood to make their hibernacula, but often released juvenile nematodes there. In 25 % of the entries observed, we confirmed that juvenile nematodes had been released from the tips of the hornet’s gasters and thus transferred to the decayed logs. The timing of the host’s initial visit to decayed logs for nematode transmission corresponded well with the hatching of juveniles within the host’s body. These results suggest that the parasitic nematode manipulates its host to visit decayed logs in summer for its own transmission.     

Role of IGFBP7 in Diabetic Nephropathy: TGF-β1 Induces IGFBP7 via Smad2/4 in Human Renal Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cells

Tubular injury is one of the important determinants of progressive renal failure in diabetic nephropathy (DN), and TGF-β1 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of tubulointerstitial disease that characterizes proteinuric renal disease. The aim of this study was to identify novel therapeutic target molecules that play a role in the tubule damage of DN. We used an LC-MS/MS-based proteomic technique and human renal proximal epithelial cells (HRPTECs). Urine samples from Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 46) were used to quantify the candidate protein. Several proteins in HRPTECs in cultured media were observed to be driven by TGF-β1, one of which was 33-kDa IGFBP7, which is a member of IGFBP family. TGF-β1 up-regulated the expressions of IGFBP7 mRNA and protein in a dose- and time-dependent fashion via Smad2 and 4, but not MAPK pathways in HRPTECs. In addition, the knockdown of IGFBP7 restored the TGF-β1-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). In the immunohistochemical analysis, IGFBP7 was localized to the cytoplasm of tubular cells but not that of glomerular cells in diabetic kidney. Urinary IGFBP7 levels were significantly higher in the patients with macroalbuminuria and were correlated with age (r = 0.308, p = 0.037), eGFR (r = −0.376, p = 0.01), urinary β₂-microglobulin (r = 0.385, p = 0.008), and urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) (r = 0.502, p = 0.000). A multivariate regression analysis identified urinary NAG and age as determinants associated with urinary IGFBP7 levels. In conclusion, our data suggest that TGF-β1 enhances IGFBP7 via Smad2/4 pathways, and that IGFBP7 might be involved in the TGF-β1-induced tubular injury in DN.     

A short-term zinc-deficient diet decreases bone formation through down-regulated BMP2 in rat bone

We investigated the effects of a short-term dietary zinc deficiency on bone metabolism. Zinc deficiency increased the mRNA expression of zinc uptake transporters such as Zip1, Zip13, and Zip14 in bone. However, zinc deficiency might not maintain zinc storage in bone, resulting in a decrease in bone formation through downregulation of the expression levels of osteoblastogenesis-related genes.     

Epidermal hyperplasia and expansion of the interfollicular stem cell compartment in mutant mice with a C-terminal truncation of Patched1

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is conserved from flies to humans and is indispensable in embryogenesis and adulthood. Patched (Ptc) encodes a receptor for Hh ligands and functions as a tumor suppressor. PTCH1 mutations in humans are found in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and irradiated Ptc1(+/-) mice recapitulate this phenotype. However, due to embryonic lethality associated with the Ptc1 null mutation, its normal function in embryonic and adult skin remains unknown. Here we describe the epidermal phenotypes of a spontaneous and viable allele of Ptc1, Ptc1(mes), in which the C-terminal domain (CTD) is truncated. Ptc1(mes/mes) embryos display normal epidermal and hair follicle development. Postnatal Ptc1(mes/mes) skin displays severe basal cell layer hyperplasia and increased proliferation, while stratification of the suprabasal layers is mostly normal. Interestingly, truncation of the Ptc1 CTD did not result in skin tumors. However, long term labeling studies revealed a greater than three-fold increase in label-retaining cells in the interfollicular epidermis of Ptc1(mes/mes) adults, indicating possible expansion of the epidermal stem cell compartment. Increased expression of regulators of epidermal homeostasis, c-Myc and p63, was also observed in Ptc1(mes/mes) adult skin. These results suggest that the CTD of Ptc1 is involved in regulating epidermal homeostasis in mature skin.     

Relationship between adrenomedullin and vasopressin-aquaporin system under general anesthesia

AIM: The roles of adrenomedullin (AM) in body fluid balance under general anesthesia were investigated. METHODS: Time course changes in plasma osmolality, AM, arginine vasopressin (AVP), and urinary aquaporin 2 (AQP2) in 17 patients undergoing abdominal surgery under general anesthesia were examined. RESULTS: Increases in plasma AM levels were observed in parallel with increases in the levels of urinary AQP2/creatinine (Cr) before induction and 90 and 180 min after initiation of anesthesia. Significant correlations between plasma AM and urinary AQP2/Cr (r = 0.62, p < 0.0001) as well as urinary AVP/Cr and AQP2/Cr (r = 0.60, p < 0.0001) were uncovered. Multivariate stepwise analysis identified plasma AM as the critical independent factor affecting urinary AQP2/Cr level. CONCLUSION: A novel correlation of AM and AQP2 which overlays an AVP-AQP2 system may play a key role in fluid homeostasis during general anesthesia.     

Serum stability of selected decapeptide agonists of KISS1R using pseudopeptides

Metastin/kisspeptin, a 54-amino acid peptide, is the ligand of the G-protein-coupled receptor KISS1R which plays a key role in pathways that regulate reproduction and cell migration in many endocrine and gonadal tissues. The N-terminally truncated decapeptide, metastin(45–54), has 3–10 times higher receptor affinity and intracellular calcium ion-mobilizing activity but is rapidly inactivated in serum. In this study we designed and synthesized stable KISS1R agonistic decapeptide analogs with selected substitutions at positions 47, 50, and 51. Replacement of glycine with azaglycine (azaGly) in which the α-carbon is replaced with a nitrogen atom at position 51 improved the stability of amide bonds between Phe⁵⁰-Gly⁵¹ and Gly⁵¹-Leu⁵² as determined by in vitro mouse serum stability studies. Substitution for tryptophan at position 47 with other amino acids such as serine, threonine, β-(3-pyridyl)alanine, and d-tryptophan (d-Trp), produced analogs that were highly stable in mouse serum. d-Trp⁴⁷ analog 13 showed not only high metabolic stability but also excellent KISS1R agonistic activity. Other labile peptides may have increased serum stability using amino acid substitution.     

Rifampicin resistance and mutation of the rpoB gene in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Abstract The bradyzoite and tachyzoite forms of Toxoplasma gondii , purified from infected animals, were analysed for their activities of phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, NAD⁺- and NADH-linked isocitrate dehydrogenases, and succinic dehydrogenase. Both developmental stages contained high activities of phosphofructokinase (specific for pyrophosphate rather than ATP), pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase, suggesting that energy metabolism in both forms may centre around a high glycolytic flux linked to lactate production. The markedly higher activity of the latter two enzymes in bradyzoites suggests that lactate production is particularly important in this developmental form. NAD⁺-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase was not detectable in either stage of the parasite (and proved useful as a measure of the purity of the bradyzoite preparation), whereas both parasite forms contained low activities of NADP⁺-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase. The results are consistent with the bradyzoites lacking a functional TCA cycle and respiratory chain and are suggestive of a lack of susceptibility of this developmental stage to atovaquone.     

Probing the catalytic site of rabbit muscle glycogen phosphorylase using a series of specifically modified maltohexaose derivatives

Glycogen phosphorylase (GP) is an allosteric enzyme whose catalytic site comprises six subsites (SG₁, SG_?1, SG_?2, SG_?3, SG_?4, and SP) that are complementary to tandem five glucose residues and one inorganic phosphate molecule, respectively. In the catalysis of GP, the nonreducing-end glucose (Glc) of the maltooligosaccharide substrate binds to SG₁ and is then phosphorolyzed to yield glucose 1-phosphate. In this study, we probed the catalytic site of rabbit muscle GP using pyridylaminated-maltohexaose (Glcα1–4Glcα1–4Glcα1–4Glcα1–4Glcα1–4GlcPA, where GlcPA = 1-deoxy-1-[(2-pyridyl)amino]-D-glucitol]; abbreviated as PA-0) and a series of specifically modified PA-0 derivatives (Glc _m -AltNAc-Glc _n -GlcPA, where m + n = 4 and AltNAc is 3-acetoamido-3-deoxy-D-altrose). PA-0 served as an efficient substrate for GP, whereas the other PA-0 derivatives were not as good as the PA-0, indicating that substrate recognition by all the SG₁ –SG_?4 subsites was important for the catalysis of GP. By comparing the initial reaction rate toward the PA-0 derivatives (V _derivative) with that toward PA-0 (V _PA-0), we found that the value of V _derivative/V _PA-0 decreased significantly as the level of allosteric activation of GP increased. These results suggest that some conformational changes have taken place in the maltooligosaccharide-binding region of the GP catalytic site during allosteric regulation.     

Effects of Protoceratium reticulatum yessotoxin on feeding rates of Acartia hudsonica: A bioassay using artificial particles coated with purified toxin

Paralytic shellfish toxins produced by dinoflagellates are known to deter copepod grazing. Dinoflagellate species, including Protoceratium reticulatum, also produce disulfated polyether yessotoxins that were previously referred to as diarrheic shellfish toxins. However, the role of yessotoxins in predator–prey relationships is not yet clear. In the present study, the effects of purified yessotoxin (YTX) on feeding activities of Acartia hudsonica (Copepoda, Calanoida) were experimentally investigated. Polystyrene fluorescent microspheres (10 μm in diameter) colored bright blue or yellow-green were coated with cell extracts of P. reticulatum that do not produce yessotoxins. The bright blue microspheres were further coated with YTX, and the yellow-green microspheres were used as the reference. The microspheres were then given to the copepods separately or in combination to measure clearance rates and feeding selectivity. A. hudsonica was found to feed on the yellow-green microspheres without YTX at twice the rate of the bright blue microspheres with YTX. We also confirmed that microsphere color per se did not affect the feeding rates. The bright blue microspheres adsorbed 1.8–43.3 pg of YTX per microsphere, which is similar to the cell-specific yessotoxin content of toxic P. reticulatum found in natural environments. These results suggest that production of yessotoxin is advantageous for P. reticulatum by deterring predation by copepods.