Ontogenetic features of autonomic homeostasis in children according to the data of variation pulsometry

A method of variation pulsometry was used to determine the vegetative homeostasis state in 20 children aged from 4 to 14. Normotonic type of the cardiac rhythm regulation was observed in a group of children aged 4-5. In children aged 12-14 the effect of sympathetic area of the vegetative nervous system decreased while the effect of the parasympathetic one increased. The tension index, effect of the humoral regulation channel and the degree of cardiac rhythm control centralization decreased.     

Evidence of compromised blood-spinal cord barrier in early and late symptomatic SOD1 mice modeling ALS

Background

The blood-brain barrier (BBB), blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB), and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) control cerebral/spinal cord homeostasis by selective transport of molecules and cells from the systemic compartment. In the spinal cord and brain of both ALS patients and animal models, infiltration of T-cell lymphocytes, monocyte-derived macrophages and dendritic cells, and IgG deposits have been observed that may have a critical role in motor neuron damage. Additionally, increased levels of albumin and IgG have been found in the cerebrospinal fluid in ALS patients. These findings suggest altered barrier permeability in ALS. Recently, we showed disruption of the BBB and BSCB in areas of motor neuron degeneration in the brain and spinal cord in G93A SOD1 mice modeling ALS at both early and late stages of disease using electron microscopy. Examination of capillary ultrastructure revealed endothelial cell degeneration, which, along with astrocyte alteration, compromised the BBB and BSCB. However, the effect of these alterations upon barrier function in ALS is still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the functional competence of the BSCB in G93A mice at different stages of disease.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Evans Blue (EB) dye was intravenously injected into ALS mice at early or late stage disease. Vascular leakage and the condition of basement membranes, endothelial cells, and astrocytes were investigated in cervical and lumbar spinal cords using immunohistochemistry. Results showed EB leakage in spinal cord microvessels from all G93A mice, indicating dysfunction in endothelia and basement membranes and confirming our previous ultrastructural findings on BSCB disruption. Additionally, downregulation of Glut-1 and CD146 expressions in the endothelial cells of the BSCB were found which may relate to vascular leakage.

Conclusions/Significance

Results suggest that the BSCB is compromised in areas of motor neuron degeneration in ALS mice at both early and late stages of the disease.     

Characterization of the isozymes of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase: implications for the regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase activity

The activity of mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is regulated by a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation cycle. Dephosphorylation accompanied by activation is carried out by two genetically different isozymes of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase, PDP1c and PDP2c. Here, we report data showing that PDP1c and PDP2c display marked biochemical differences. The activity of PDP1c strongly depends upon the simultaneous presence of calcium ions and the E2 component of PDC. In contrast, the activity of PDP2c displays little, if any, dependence upon either calcium ions or E2. Furthermore, PDP2c does not appreciably bind to PDC under the conditions when PDP1c exists predominantly in the PDC-bound state. The stimulatory effect of E2 on PDP1c can be partially mimicked by a monomeric construct consisting of the inner lipoyl-bearing domain and the E1-binding domain of E2 component. This strongly suggests that the E2-mediated activation of PDP1c largely reflects the effects of co-localization and mutual orientation of PDP1c and E1 component facilitated by their binding to E2. Both PDP1c and PDP2c can efficiently dephosphorylate all three phosphorylation sites located on the alpha chain of the E1 component. For PDC phosphorylated at a single site, the relative rates of dephosphorylation of individual sites are: 2>site 3>site 1. Phosphorylation of sites 2 or 3 in addition to site 1 does not have a significant effect on the rates of dephosphorylation of individual sites by PDP1c, suggesting a random mechanism of dephosphorylation. In contrast, there is a significant decrease in the overall rate of dephosphorylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase by PDP2c under these conditions. This indicates that the mechanism of dephosphorylation of PDC phosphorylated at multiple sites by PDP2c is not purely random. These marked differences in the site-specificity displayed by PDP1c and PDP2c should be particularly important under conditions such as starvation and diabetes, which are associated with a great increase in phosphorylation of sites 2 and 3 of pyruvate dehydrogenase.     

Resibufogenin corrects hypertension in a rat model of human preeclampsia

The study of the pathogenesis of preeclampsia has been hampered by a relative dearth of animal models. We developed a rat model of preeclampsia in which the excretion of a circulating inhibitor of Na/K ATPase, marinobufagenin (MBG), is elevated. These animals develop hypertension, proteinuria, and intrauterine growth restriction. The administration of a congener of MBG, resibufogenin (RBG), reduces blood pressure to normal in these animals, as is the case when given to pregnant animals rendered hypertensive by the administration of MBG. Studies of Na/K ATPase inhibition by MBG and RBG reveal that these agents are equally effective as inhibitors of the enzyme.     

Stabilizing effect of oligomerization on aldolase protomers in rabbit muscles

It is shown by the fluorimetric analysis that with the 1,2 M MgCl2-induced dissociation of rabbit muscle aldolase the tertiary structure of the resulted protomers (subunits) remains practically unchanged. Significant changes in the protomeric enzyme are provoked by subsequent addition of urea up to the concentration of 2,3 M, and are, evidently, manifested in a significant decrease in regularity of the hydrophobic part of aldolase and in possible transition of its Trp-147 into more polar environment. This transition is reflected in the longwave shift of the protein fluorescence maximum (lambda max) by 13 nm (from 320 to 333 nm). But the joint action of MgCl2 and urea does not lead to complete unfolding of the resulted protomeric enzyme. More deep structural alterations in the subunits occur on acidic dissociation, and lambda max shift in this case reaches 342 nm. Structural changes caused by MgCl2 and urea are concomitant with the increase of fluorescence quenchibility with NADH. Here a short-wave lambda max shift, being usually observed in native aldolase fluorescence quenching, is not registered. This mean that the photoselection of protein fluorophores does not occur. The results thus obtained produce an evidence that oligomerization endows aldolase protomers with enhanced stability.     

Characterization of interaction between cationic lipid-oligonucleotide complexes and cellular membrane lipids using confocal imaging and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

Complexes formed by cationic liposomes and single-strand oligodeoxynucleotides (CL-ODN) are promising delivery systems for antisense therapy. ODN release from the complexes is an essential step for inhibiting activity of antisense drugs. We applied fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy to monitor CL-ODN complex interaction with membrane lipids leading to ODN release. To model cellular membranes we used giant unilamellar vesicles and investigated the transport of Cy-5-labeled ODNs across DiO-labeled membranes. For the first time, we directly observed that ODN molecules are transferred across the lipid bilayers and are kept inside the giant unilamellar vesicles after release from the carriers. ODN dissociation from the carrier was assessed by comparing diffusion constants of CL-ODN complexes and ODNs before complexation and after release. Freely diffusing Cy-5-labeled ODN (16-nt) has diffusion constant D(ODN) = 1.3 +/- 0.1 x 10(-6) cm2/s. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy curves for CL-ODN complexes were fitted with two components, which both have significantly slower diffusion in the range of D(CL-ODN) = approximately 1.5 x 10(-8) cm2/s. Released ODN has the mean diffusion constant D = 1.1 +/- 0.2 x 10(-6) cm2/s, which signifies that ODN is dissociated from cationic lipids. In contrast to earlier studies, we report that phosphatidylethanolamine can trigger ODN release from the carrier in the full absence of anionic phosphatidylserine in the target membrane and that phosphatidylethanolamine-mediated release is as extensive as in the case of phosphatidylserine. The presented methodology provides an effective tool for probing a delivery potential of newly created lipid formulations of CL-ODN complexes for optimal design of carriers.     

Strong and weak male mutation bias at different sites in the primate genomes: insights from the human-chimpanzee comparison

Male mutation bias is a higher mutation rate in males than in females thought to result from the greater number of germ line cell divisions in males. If errors in DNA replication cause most mutations, then the magnitude of male mutation bias, measured as the male-to-female mutation rate ratio (alpha), should reflect the relative excess of male versus female germ line cell divisions. Evolutionary rates averaged among all sites in a sequence and compared between mammalian sex chromosomes were shown to be indeed higher in males than in females. However, it is presently unknown whether individual classes of substitutions exhibit such bias. To address this issue, we investigated male mutation bias separately at non-CpG and CpG sites using human-chimpanzee whole-genome alignments. We observed strong male mutation bias at non-CpG sites: alpha in the X-autosome comparison was approximately 6-7, which was similar to the male-to-female ratio in the number of germ line cell divisions. In contrast, mutations at CpG sites exhibited weak male mutation bias: alpha in the X-autosome comparison was only approximately 2-3. This is consistent with the methylation-induced and replication-independent mechanism of CpG transitions, which constitute the majority of mutations at CpG sites. Interestingly, our study also indicated weak male mutation bias for transversions at CpG sites, implying a spontaneous mechanism largely not associated with replication. Male mutation bias was equally strong at CpG and non-CpG sites located within unmethylated "CpG islands," suggesting the replication-dependent origin of these mutations. Thus, we found that the strength of male mutation bias is nonuniform in the primate genomes. Importantly, we discovered that male mutation bias depends on the proportion of CpG sites in the loci compared. This might explain the differences in the magnitude of primate male mutation bias observed among studies.     

Effect of NADH on the catalytic function and reactivity of thiols from rabbit muscle aldolase

NADH has a corresponding binding site in aldolase, and can activate the reaction of the aldole cleavage of the substrate (fructose-1,6-bisphosphate). Unlike the considerable protection by the substrate, the similar effect of NADH on the sulphydryl enzyme groups is less pronounced, and may be attributed to single cysteine residue. The functionally related and spatially separated binding sites for NADH and substrate are suggested.     

Structuro-functional characteristics of aldolase from rabbit muscles in diabetes

The structural peculiarities of rabbit muscle aldolase accompanying enhancement of the aldolase activity in diabetes are described from the data of tryptophan phosphorescence at the room temperature and fluorescence polarization. It is shown that the pathology-concomitant conformational changes occur in both the hydrophobic part and NAD-binding site of the enzyme. The character of the structural changes in the hydrophobic part of the protein in diabetes and an increase in the enzymic activity are similar to that observed in normal aldolase after its interaction with NADH and are believed to be associated with the enhancement of the rigidity in the Trp-147 environment.     

G-CSF Predicts Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease

Granulocyte-colony-stimulating-factor (G-CSF) induces mobilization of progenitor cells but may also exert pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic effects. Treatment with recombinant G-CSF after acute myocardial infarction is currently under examination and has been associated with in-stent restenosis. However, it is not known whether plasma levels of endogenous G-CSF are also associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. Therefore we included 280 patients with angiographically proven stable coronary artery disease. G-CSF was measured by specific ELISA and patients were followed for a median of 30 months for the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE: death, myocardial infarction, re-hospitalization). Those with cardiac events during follow-up showed significant higher G-CSF levels (32.3 pg/mL IQR 21.4–40.5 pg/mL vs. 24.6 pg/mL IQR 16.4–34.9 pg/mL; p<0.05) at baseline. Patients with G-CSF plasma levels above the median had a 2-fold increased risk for MACE (p<0.05). This was independent from established cardiovascular risk factors. In addition, G-CSF above the median was a predictor of clinical in-stent restenosis after implantation of bare-metal stents (6.6% vs. 19.4%; p<0.05) but not of drug-eluting stents (7.7% vs. 7.6%; p = 0.98). This data suggests that endogenous plasma levels of G-CSF predict cardiovascular events independently from established cardiac risk factors and are associated with increased in-stent restenosis rates after implantation of bare metal stents.