Engagement of TRAIL triggers degranulation and IFNγ production in human natural killer cells

NK cells utilize a large array of receptors to screen their surroundings for aberrant or virus‐infected cells. Given the vast diversity of receptors expressed on NK cells we seek to identify receptors involved in the recognition of HIV‐1‐infected cells. By combining an unbiased large‐scale screening approach with a functional assay, we identify TRAIL to be associated with NK cell degranulation against HIV‐1‐infected target cells. Further investigating the underlying mechanisms, we demonstrate that TRAIL is able to elicit multiple effector functions in human NK cells independent of receptor‐mediated induction of apoptosis. Direct engagement of TRAIL not only results in degranulation but also IFNγ production. Moreover, TRAIL‐mediated NK cell activation is not limited to its cognate death receptors but also decoy receptor I, adding a new perspective to the perceived regulatory role of decoy receptors in TRAIL‐mediated cytotoxicity. Based on these findings, we propose that TRAIL not only contributes to the anti‐HIV‐1 activity of NK cells but also possesses a multifunctional role beyond receptor‐mediated induction of apoptosis, acting as a regulator for the induction of different effector functions.     

Accelerometer-based osteogenic indices,moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous physical activity,and bone traits in adolescents

Objectives:We investigated the associations of accelerometry-derived osteogenic indices (OIs), moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA), and vigorous intensity physical activity (VPA) with peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pCQT) parameters in 99 adolescents aged 10–13 years.Methods:Bone parameters were assessed at the distal (4%) and shaft (66%) of the tibia using pQCT. Accelerometers were worn on the right hip for 7 consecutive days. OIs were calculated based on acceleration peak histograms either using all of the peaks (OI) or peaks with acceleration ≥5.2 g (HOI). MVPA and VPA were defined using previously published cut-points.Results:HOI was positively associated with total area (Partial correlation= 0.22, 95% CI=0.01 to 0.41), cortical area (CoA) (0.33, 95% CI=0.13 to 0.50), and stress strain index (SSI) (0.29, 95% CI=0.09 to 0.47) of tibial shaft and with total density at the distal tibia (0.23, 95% CI=0.02 to 0.42). OI was positively associated with CoA (0.31, 95% CI=0.11 to 0.49) and SSI (0.26, 95% CI=0.05 to 0.44) of tibial shaft. MVPA was positively associated with CoA (0.28, 95% CI=0.07 to 0.46) of the tibial shaft.Conclusions:OI and HOI were positively associated with pQCT parameters while MVPA and VPA demonstrated less consistent associations with them.     

Access to Awareness for Faces during Continuous Flash Suppression Is Not Modulated by Affective Knowledge

It is a controversially debated topic whether stimuli can be analyzed up to the semantic level when they are suppressed from visual awareness during continuous flash suppression (CFS). Here, we investigated whether affective knowledge, i.e., affective biographical information about faces, influences the time it takes for initially invisible faces with neutral expressions to overcome suppression and break into consciousness. To test this, we used negative, positive, and neutral famous faces as well as initially unfamiliar faces, which were associated with negative, positive or neutral biographical information. Affective knowledge influenced ratings of facial expressions, corroborating recent evidence and indicating the success of our affective learning paradigm. Furthermore, we replicated shorter suppression durations for upright than for inverted faces, demonstrating the suitability of our CFS paradigm. However, affective biographical information did not modulate suppression durations for newly learned faces, and even though suppression durations for famous faces were influenced by affective knowledge, these effects did not differ between upright and inverted faces, indicating that they might have been due to low-level visual differences. Thus, we did not obtain unequivocal evidence for genuine influences of affective biographical information on access to visual awareness for faces during CFS.     

Development of needle retention in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in 1957–1991 in northern and southern Finland

The needle trace method was used to study retrospectively the long-term latitudinal variation in needle retention in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Finland. The mean annual summer needle retention (ANR) along the main stem varied from 3.4 to 6.0 needle sets during the period 1957–1991. The lowest values were observed in southern and the highest in northern Finland. The length of the growing season, expressed as the thermal sum (threshold value +5 °C), was negatively correlated with the mean ANR (r=-0.96). The geographical needle retention pattern (NRP) for the period 1957–1991 showed a clearly increasing trend from 1957 to 1969 (southern Finland) and to 1975 (northern Finland); thereafter, the NRP tended to decrease close to its minimum value recorded in 1991. The general level of the NRP was approximately 5.0 needle sets in northern Finland and 3.5–4.0 needle sets in southern Finland. The NRP, with its 6–12 year cycle for southern Finland, was clearly periodical. Differences in the NRP among the ten stands in southern Finland were small, whereas the said periodicity was missing and the differences were high among the stands in northern Finland. The results indicate that variation in the number of needle sets, viz. defoliation of pines, is a normal phenomenon. The role of net carbon assimilation as a regulator of the number of needle sets is discussed.     

A counterselection method for Lactococcus lactis genome editing based on class IIa bacteriocin sensitivity

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - In this paper, we present a new counterselection method for deleting fragments from Lactococcus lactis chromosome. The method uses a non-replicating plasmid...