3D analysis of mitosis distribution highlights the longitudinal zonation and diarch symmetry in proliferation activity of the Arabidopsis thaliana root meristem

To date CYCB1;1 marker and cortex cell lengths have been conventionally used to determine the proliferation activity of the Arabidopsis root meristem. By creating a 3D map of mitosis distribution we showed that these markers overlooked that stele and endodermis save their potency to divide longer than the cortex and epidermis. Cessation of cell divisions is not a random process, so that mitotic activity within the endodermis and stele shows a diarch pattern. Mitotic activity of all root tissues peaked at the same distance from the quiescent center (QC); however, different tissues stopped dividing at different distances, with cells of the protophloem exiting the cell cycle first and the procambial cells being the last. The robust profile of mitotic activity in the root tip defines the longitudinal zonation in the meristem with the proliferation domain, where all cells are able to divide; and the transition domain, where the cell files cease to divide. 3D analysis of cytokinin deficient and cytokinin signaling mutants showed that their proliferation domain is similar to that of the wild type, but the transition domain is much longer. Our data suggest a strong inhibitory effect of cytokinin on anticlinal cell divisions in the stele.     

Beneficial effect of taurine depletion on osmotic sodium and calcium loading during chemical hypoxia

Cellular sodium excess is cytotoxicbecause it increases both the intracellular osmotic load andintracellular calcium concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i). Because sodium levels rise duringhypoxia, it is thought to contribute to hypoxic injury. Thus thepresent study tested the hypothesis that taurine-linked reductions in[Na⁺]_i reduce hypoxia-induced cell injury.Taurine depletion was achieved by exposing isolated neonatalcardiomyocytes to medium containing the taurine analog -Alanine. Aspredicted, the -Alanine-treated cell exhibited less hypoxia-inducednecrosis and apoptosis than the control, as evidenced by lessswelling, shrinkage, TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling staining, andaccumulation of trypan blue. After 1 h of chemical hypoxia,[Na⁺]_i was 3.5-fold greater in the controlthan the taurine-deficient cell. Although more taurine was lost fromthe control cell than from the -Alanine-treated cell during hypoxia,the combined taurine and sodium osmotic load was lower in the-Alanine-treated cell. Taurine deficiency also reduced the degree ofhypoxia-induced calcium overload. Thus the observed resistance againsthypoxia-induced necrosis and apoptosis is probably related toan improvement in sodium and calcium handling.

     

Signaling mechanisms and physiological functions of G‐protein Gα13 in blood vessel formation,bone homeostasis,and cancer

Heterotrimeric G‐proteins are cellular signal transducers. They mainly relay signals from G‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs function as guanine nucleotide‐exchange factors to active these G‐proteins. Based on the sequence and functional similarities, these G‐proteins are grouped into four subfamilies: G_s, G_i, G_q, and G_12/13. The G_12/13 subfamily consists of two members: G₁₂ and G₁₃. G_12/13‐mediated signaling pathways play pivotal roles in a variety of physiological processes, while aberrant regulation of this pathway has been identified in various human diseases. Here we summarize the signaling mechanisms and physiological functions of Gα₁₃ in blood vessel formation and bone homeostasis. We further discuss the expanding roles of Gα₁₃ in cancers, serving as oncogenes as well as tumor suppressors.     

A Novel Reading Scheme for Assessing the Extent of Radiographic Abnormalities and Its Association with Disease Severity in Sputum Smear-Positive Tuberculosis: An Observational Study in Hyderabad/India

Background

Existing reading schemes for chest X-ray (CXR) used to grade the extent of disease severity at diagnosis in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) are often based on numerical scores that summate specific radiographic features. However, since PTB is known to exhibit a wide heterogeneity in pathology, certain features might be differentially associated with clinical parameters of disease severity.

Objective

We aimed to grade disease severity in PTB patients at diagnosis and after completion of DOTS treatment by developing a reading scheme based on five different radiographic manifestations and analyze their association with the clinical parameters of systemic involvement and infectivity.

Methods

141 HIV-negative adults with newly diagnosed sputum smear-positive PTB were enrolled in a prospective observational study in Hyderabad, India. The presence and extent on CXRs of five radiographic manifestations, i.e., lung involvement, alveolar infiltration, cavitation, lymphadenopathy and pleural effusion, were classified using the new reading scheme by using a four-quadrant approach. We evaluated the inter-reader reliability of each manifestation, and its association with BMI and sputum smear positivity at diagnosis. The presence and extent of these radiographic manifestations were further compared with CXRs on completion of DOTS treatment.

Results

At diagnosis, an average lung area of 51.7% +/- 23.3% was affected by radiographic abnormalities. 94% of the patients had alveolar infiltrates, with 89.4% located in the upper quadrants, suggesting post primary PTB and in 34.8% of patients cavities were found. We further showed that the extent of affected lung area was a negative predictor of BMI (β value -0.035, p 0.019). No significant association of BMI with any of the other CXR features was found. The extent of alveolar infiltrates, along with the presence of cavitation, were strongly associated with sputum smear positivity. The microbiological cure rate in our cohort after 6 months of DOTS treatment was 95%. The extent of the affected lung area in these patients decreased from 56.0% +/- 21.5% to 31.0 +/- 20% and a decrease was also observed in the extent of alveolar infiltrates from 98.4% to 25.8% in at least one quadrant, presence of cavities from 34.8% to 1.6%, lymphadenopathy from 46.8% to 16.1%, and pleural effusion from 19.4% to 6.5%.

Conclusions

We established a new assessment scheme for grading disease severity in PTB by specifically considering five radiographic manifestations which were differently associated with the BMI and sputum smear positivity, changed to a different extent after 6 months of treatment and exhibited an excellent agreement between radiologists. Our results suggest that this reading scheme might contribute to the estimation of disease severity with respect to differences in disease pathology. Further studies are needed to determine a correlation with short and long-term pulmonary function impairment and whether there would be any benefit in lengthening or modulating therapy based on this CXR severity assessment.     

Rab35 and glucocorticoids regulate APP and BACE1 trafficking to modulate Aβ production

Chronic stress and elevated glucocorticoids (GCs), the major stress hormones, are risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and promote AD pathomechanisms, including overproduction of toxic amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides and intraneuronal accumulation of hyperphosphorylated Tau protein. The latter is linked to downregulation of the small GTPase Rab35, which mediates Tau degradation via the endolysosomal pathway. Whether Rab35 is also involved in Aβ overproduction remains an open question. Here, we find that hippocampal Rab35 levels are decreased not only by stress/GC but also by aging, another AD risk factor. Moreover, we show that Rab35 negatively regulates Aβ production by sorting amyloid precursor protein (APP) and β-secretase (BACE1) out of the endosomal network, where they interact to produce Aβ. Interestingly, Rab35 coordinates distinct intracellular trafficking steps for BACE1 and APP, mediated by its effectors OCRL and ACAP2, respectively. Finally, we demonstrate that Rab35 overexpression prevents the amyloidogenic trafficking of APP and BACE1 induced by high GC levels. These studies identify Rab35 as a key regulator of APP processing and suggest that its downregulation may contribute to stress-related and AD-related amyloidogenesis.Subject terms: Cellular neuroscience, Alzheimer''s disease     

Endogenous adenosine protects preconditioned heart during early minutes of reperfusion by activating Akt

Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is thought to protect by activating survival kinases during reperfusion. We tested whether binding of adenosine receptors is also required during reperfusion and, if so, how long these receptors must be populated. Isolated rabbit hearts were subjected to 30 min of regional ischemia and 2 h of reperfusion. IPC reduced infarct size from 32.1 +/- 4.6% of the risk zone in control hearts to 7.3 +/- 3.6%. IPC protection was blocked by a 20-min pulse of the nonselective adenosine receptor blocker 8-(p-sulfophenyl)-theophylline when started either 5 min before or 10 min after the onset of reperfusion but not when started after 30 min of reperfusion. Protection was also blocked by either 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine, an adenosine A1-selective receptor antagonist, or MRS1754, an A2B-selective antagonist, but not by 8-(3-chlorostyryl)caffeine, an A2A-selective antagonist. Blockade of phosphatidylinositol 3-OH kinase (PI3K) with a 20-min pulse of wortmannin also aborted protection when started either 5 min before or 10 or 30 min after the onset of reperfusion but failed when started after 60 min of reflow. U-0126, an antagonist of MEK1/2 and therefore of ERK1/2, blocked protection when started 5 min before reperfusion but not when started after only 10 min of reperfusion. These studies reveal that A1 and/or A2B receptors initiate the protective signal transduction cascade during reperfusion. Although PI3K activity must continue long into the reperfusion phase, adenosine receptor occupancy is no longer needed by 30 min of reperfusion, and ERK activity is only required in the first few minutes of reperfusion.