Efficient colonization of the endophytes Herbaspirillum huttiense RCA24 and Enterobacter cloacae RCA25 influences the physiological parameters of Oryza sativa L. cv. Baldo rice

Several important bacterial characteristics, such as biological nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity and production of siderophores and phytohormones, can be assessed as plant growth promotion traits. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of nitrogen fixing and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) producing endophytes in two Oryza sativa cultivars (Baldo and Vialone Nano). Three bacteria, Herbaspirillum huttiense RCA24, Enterobacter asburiae RCA23 and Staphylococcus sp. 377, producing different IAA levels, were tested for their ability to enhance nifH gene expression and nitrogenase activity in Enterobacter cloacae RCA25. Results showed that H. huttiense RCA24 performed best. Improvement in nitrogen fixation and changes in physiological parameters such as chlorophyll, nitrogen content and shoot dry weight were observed for plants co-inoculated with strains RCA25 and RCA24 in a 10:1 ratio. Based on confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis, strain RCA24 was the best colonizer of the root interior and the only IAA producer located in the same root niche occupied by RCA25 cells. This work shows that the choice of a bio-inoculum having the right composition is one of the key aspects to be considered for the inoculation of a specific host plant cultivar with microbial consortia.     

Differential Association of the Conserved SUMO Ligase Zip3 with Meiotic Double-Strand Break Sites Reveals Regional Variations in the Outcome of Meiotic Recombination

During the first meiotic prophase, programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are distributed non randomly at hotspots along chromosomes, to initiate recombination. In all organisms, more DSBs are formed than crossovers (CO), the repair product that creates a physical link between homologs and allows their correct segregation. It is not known whether all DSB hotspots are also CO hotspots or if the CO/DSB ratio varies with the chromosomal location. Here, we investigated the variations in the CO/DSB ratio by mapping genome-wide the binding sites of the Zip3 protein during budding yeast meiosis. We show that Zip3 associates with DSB sites that are engaged in repair by CO, and Zip3 enrichment at DSBs reflects the DSB tendency to be repaired by CO. Moreover, the relative amount of Zip3 per DSB varies with the chromosomal location, and specific chromosomal features are associated with high or low Zip3 per DSB. This work shows that DSB hotspots are not necessarily CO hotspots and suggests that different categories of DSB sites may fulfill different functions.     

Impact of Anesthetics on Immune Functions in a Rat Model of Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been successfully performed in animals for the treatment of different experimental models of inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effect of VNS involves the release of acetylcholine by vagus nerve efferent fibers inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. TNF-α) produced by macrophages. Moreover, it has recently been demonstrated that splenic lymphocytic populations may also be involved. As anesthetics can modulate the inflammatory response, the current study evaluated the effect of two different anesthetics, isoflurane and pentobarbital, on splenic cellular and molecular parameters in a VNS rat model. Spleens were collected for the characterization of lymphocytes sub-populations by flow cytometry and quantification of cytokines secretion after in vitro activation. Different results were observed depending on the anesthetic used. The use of isoflurane displayed a non-specific effect of VNS characterized by a decrease of most splenic lymphocytes sub-populations studied, and also led to a significantly lower TNF-α secretion by splenocytes. However, the use of pentobarbital brought to light immune modifications in non-stimulated animals that were not observed with isoflurane, and also revealed a specific effect of VNS, notably at the level of T lymphocytes’ activation. These differences between the two anesthetics could be related to the anti-inflammatory properties of isoflurane. In conclusion, pentobarbital is more adapted than isoflurane in the study of the anti-inflammatory effect of VNS on an anesthetized rat model in that it allows more accurate monitoring of subtle immunomodulatory processes.     

A comparison of immunomagnetic and surface adhesion immunofluorescent techniques for the rapid detection of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua in meat

an immunomagnetic immunofluorescent method was investigated for the rapid detection of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innouca . This technique involved enrichment of the suspect sample at 30°C overnight. Listeria monocytogenes cells were isolated from the enriched sample using immunomagnetic separation and Listeria were subsequently visualized using an immunofluorescent microscopy technique. This technique was used in the detection of Listeria cells from pure culture, inoculated beef mince samples and naturally contaminated retail beef mince samples. A detection level of approximately 1×10³ cfu ml⁻¹ was achieved. When compared with traditional detection methods no false negatives or positives were recorded for L. monocytogenes or L. innocua . The immunomagnetic immunofluorescent technique had a detection level similar to a previously described surface adhesion immunofluorescent technique. Isolation of the Listeria cells by surface adhesion involved dipping a membrane attached to a microscope slide into the enriched sample for 10 min. This was quicker and simpler to perform than the immunomagnetic separation technique which took 2 h to carry out.     

Synthesis of 5-Fluoro-1-(3-O-benzoyl-4, 6-dideoxy- β-L-GLYCERO-hex-3-enopyranos-2-ulosyl)uracil

Abstract

Synthesis of the title compound, an unsaturated ketohexo-pyranosyl nucleoside of 5-fluorouracil is reported. It was prepared by oxidation of the corresponding dibenzoylhexopyranosyl nucleoside with pyridinium dichromate/molecular sieves system.     

Differential Effects of AGS3 Expression on D2L Dopamine Receptor-Mediated Adenylyl Cyclase Signaling

Activator of G protein signaling 3 (AGS3) binds Gα_i subunits in the GDP-bound state, implicating AGS3 as an important regulator of Gα_i-linked receptor (e.g., D2 dopamine and μ-opioid) signaling. We examined the ability of AGS3 to modulate recombinant adenylyl cyclase (AC) type 1 and 2 signaling in HEK293 cells following both acute and persistent activation of the D_2L dopamine receptor (D_2LDR). AGS3 expression modestly enhanced the potency of acute quinpirole-induced D_2LDR modulation of AC1 or AC2 activity. AGS3 also promoted desensitization of D_2LDR-mediated inhibition of AC1, whereas desensitization of D_2LDR-mediated AC2 activation was significantly attenuated. Additionally, AGS3 reduced D_2LDR-mediated sensitization of AC1 and AC2. These data suggest that AGS3 is involved in altering G protein signaling in a complex fashion that is effector-specific and dependent on the duration of receptor activation.     

The identification of p-acetamidobenzoate as a folate degradation product in rat urine.

Within 48 h of administration of radiolabelled 10-formylfolate, folic acid and the polyglutamate derivative 10-formylfolate tetraglutamate to the rat, fragmentation products are found in the urine. The major catabolite was identified as p-acetamidobenzoate by chromatography and reverse isotope-dilution analysis.     

Transferability,development of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and application to the analysis of genetic diversity and population structure of the African fan palm (Borassus aethiopum Mart.) in Benin

Biological pathways play an important role in the occurrence, development and recovery of complex diseases, such as cancers, which are multifactorial complex diseases that are generally caused by mutation of multiple genes or dysregulation of pathways. We propose a path-specific effect statistic (PSE) to detect the differential specific paths under two conditions (e.g. case VS. control groups, exposure Vs. nonexposure groups). In observational studies, the path-specific effect can be obtained by separately calculating the average causal effect of each directed edge through adjusting for the parent nodes of nodes in the specific path and multiplying them under each condition. Theoretical proofs and a series of simulations are conducted to validate the path-specific effect statistic. Applications are also performed to evaluate its practical performances. A series of simulation studies show that the Type I error rates of PSE with Permutation tests are more stable at the nominal level 0.05 and can accurately detect the differential specific paths when comparing with other methods. Specifically, the power reveals an increasing trends with the enlargement of path-specific effects and its effect differences under two conditions. Besides, the power of PSE is robust to the variation of parent or child node of the nodes on specific paths. Application to real data of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), we successfully identified 14 positive specific pathways in mTOR pathway contributing to survival time of patients with GBM. All codes for automatic searching specific paths linking two continuous variables and adjusting set as well as PSE statistic can be found in supplementary materials.  The proposed PSE statistic can accurately detect the differential specific pathways contributing to complex disease and thus potentially provides new insights and ways to unlock the black box of disease mechanisms.