Metabolic profiling of cervical tubercular lymphadenitis tissues by proton HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy

Proton metabolic profiling of incisional biopsied cervical lymph node tissue specimens of 109 patients suffering from tubercular (CTBL) and non-specific (NSCLA) lymphadenitis were analyzed by high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR spectroscopy. In the present study, 40 endogenous metabolites namely, myo-inositol (m-Ins), branched chain amino acids (BCAA), glutamate, serine, taurine (Tau) aromatic amino acids, choline (Cho) containing compounds and glucose were characterized. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on metabolic profiling of cervical tubercular lymph node tissues using HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy. The principal component analysis revealed a clear discrimination between CTBL and NSCLA tissues. Increase in the concentration of mobile poly unsaturated fatty acids, BCAA, Cho, Tau, glycine and a decrease in the concentration of lactate, phosphocholine and m-Ins was observed in CTBL cases. The partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) with R ² = 0.95 and Q ² = 0.92 provided >98 % of correct classification between the two groups. A PLS-DA training set model of 75 % (CTBL = 54, NSCLA = 27) of the subjects when subjected for prediction of 25 % cases (CTBL = 18, NSCLA = 10) as an unknown dataset provided more than 98 % of diagnostic accuracy in their respective histological categories. The receiver operator characteristic curve was generated from PLS-DA factor-1 projected an area under the curve of 0.962. The metabolic profile obtained from HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy may be used as surrogate markers in vivo MRS for differentiating between CTBL and NSCLA cases non-invasively.     

Mapping DNA damage‐dependent genetic interactions in yeast via party mating and barcode fusion genetics

Condition‐dependent genetic interactions can reveal functional relationships between genes that are not evident under standard culture conditions. State‐of‐the‐art yeast genetic interaction mapping, which relies on robotic manipulation of arrays of double‐mutant strains, does not scale readily to multi‐condition studies. Here, we describe barcode fusion genetics to map genetic interactions (BFG‐GI), by which double‐mutant strains generated via en masse “party” mating can also be monitored en masse for growth to detect genetic interactions. By using site‐specific recombination to fuse two DNA barcodes, each representing a specific gene deletion, BFG‐GI enables multiplexed quantitative tracking of double mutants via next‐generation sequencing. We applied BFG‐GI to a matrix of DNA repair genes under nine different conditions, including methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), 4‐nitroquinoline 1‐oxide (4NQO), bleomycin, zeocin, and three other DNA‐damaging environments. BFG‐GI recapitulated known genetic interactions and yielded new condition‐dependent genetic interactions. We validated and further explored a subnetwork of condition‐dependent genetic interactions involving MAG1, SLX4, and genes encoding the Shu complex, and inferred that loss of the Shu complex leads to an increase in the activation of the checkpoint protein kinase Rad53.     

RecJ, ExoI and RecG are required for genome maintenance but not for generation of genetic diversity by repeat-mediated phase variation in Haemophilus influenzae

High levels of genetic diversity are generated in Haemophilus influenzae populations through DNA repeat-mediated phase variation and recombination with DNA fragments acquired by uptake from the external milieu. Conversely, multiple pathways for maintenance of the genome sequence are encoded in H. influenzae genomes. In Escherichia coli, mutations in single-stranded-DNA exonucleases destabilise tandem DNA repeats whilst inactivation of recG can stabilise repeat tracts. These enzymes also have varying effects on recombination. Deletion mutations were constructed in H. influenzae genes encoding homologs of ExoI, RecJ and RecG whilst ExoVII was refractory to mutation. Inactivation of RecJ and RecG, but not ExoI, increased sensitivity to irradiation with ultraviolet light. An increase in spontaneous mutation rate was not observed in single mutants but only when both RecJ and ExoI were mutated. None of the single- or double-mutations increased or decreased the rates of slippage in tetranucleotide repeat tracts. Furthermore, the exonuclease mutants did not exhibit significant defects in horizontal gene transfer. We conclude that RecJ, ExoI and RecG are required for maintenance of the H. influenzae genome but none of these enzymes influence the generation of genetic diversity through mutations in the tetranucleotide repeat tracts of this species.     

Chemodiversity and α-Glucosidase Activity of Eucalyptus Species from Northwestern Himalaya,India

The aim of current work was to determine essential oils (EOs) composition from three Eucalyptus species, including E. citriodora, E. camaldulensis and E. globulus and assess their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The EOs were collected using the hydrodistillation technique and characterized by GC/MS, GC-FID and NMR. The isolated EOs from leaves parts of Eucalyptus species varied from 0.56 to 1.0 % on fresh weight basis. The content of the EOs was distinct according to the species. The most abundant metabolites were identified as citronellal (0–83.0 %), 1,8-cineole (0.2–44.8 %), spathulenol (0.4–16.1 %) α-pinene (0.4–15.9 %), p-cymene (3.7–11.9 %), citronellol (0–8.6 %), β-eudesmol (5.3–8.6 %) and β-pinene (0–7.1 %). The EOs obtained from targeted samples exhibited strong α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. These results are encouraging and underline that the EOs of Eucalyptus species may be a promising alternative source of natural antidiabetic.     

Regional stiffening of the mitral valve anterior leaflet in the beating ovine heart

Left atrial muscle extends into the proximal third of the mitral valve (MV) anterior leaflet and transient tensing of this muscle has been proposed as a mechanism aiding valve closure. If such tensing occurs, regional stiffness in the proximal anterior mitral leaflet will be greater during isovolumic contraction (IVC) than isovolumic relaxation (IVR) and this regional stiffness difference will be selectively abolished by β-receptor blockade. We tested this hypothesis in the beating ovine heart. Radiopaque markers were sewn around the MV annulus and on the anterior MV leaflet in 10 sheep hearts. Four-dimensional marker coordinates were obtained from biplane videofluoroscopy before (CRTL) and after administration of esmolol (ESML). Heterogeneous finite element models of each anterior leaflet were developed using marker coordinates over matched pressures during IVC and IVR for CRTL and ESML. Leaflet displacements were simulated using measured left ventricular and atrial pressures and a response function was computed as the difference between simulated and measured displacements. Circumferential and radial elastic moduli for ANNULAR, BELLY and EDGE leaflet regions were iteratively varied until the response function reached a minimum. The stiffness values at this minimum were interpreted as the in vivo regional material properties of the anterior leaflet. For all regions and all CTRL beats IVC stiffness was 40–58% greater than IVR stiffness. ESML reduced ANNULAR IVC stiffness to ANNULAR IVR stiffness values. These results strongly implicate transient tensing of leaflet atrial muscle during IVC as the basis of the ANNULAR IVC–IVR stiffness difference.     

Silica particles cause NADPH oxidase–independent ROS generation and transient phagolysosomal leakage

Chronic inhalation of silica particles causes lung fibrosis and silicosis. Silica taken up by alveolar macrophages causes phagolysosomal membrane damage and leakage of lysosomal material into the cytoplasm to initiate apoptosis. We investigated the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in this membrane damage by studying the spatiotemporal generation of ROS. In macrophages, ROS generated by NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) was detected in phagolysosomes containing either silica particles or nontoxic latex particles. ROS was only detected in the cytoplasm of cells treated with silica and appeared in parallel with an increase in phagosomal ROS, as well as several hours later associated with mitochondrial production of ROS late in apoptosis. Pharmacological inhibition of NOX activity did not prevent silica-induced phagolysosomal leakage but delayed it. In Cos7 cells, which do not express NOX2, ROS was detected in silica-containing phagolysosomes that leaked. ROS was not detected in phagolysosomes containing latex particles. Leakage of silica-containing phagolysosomes in both cell types was transient, and after resealing of the membrane, endolysosomal fusion continued. These results demonstrate that silica particles can generate phagosomal ROS independent of NOX activity, and we propose that this silica-generated ROS can cause phagolysosomal leakage to initiate apoptosis.