A novel enzymatic microreactor with Aspergillus oryzae β‐galactosidase immobilized on silicon dioxide nanosprings

The use of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) nanosprings as supports for immobilized enzymes in a continuous microreactor is described. A nanospring mat (2.2 cm² × 60 μm thick) was functionalized with γ‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane, then treated with N‐succinimidyl‐3‐(2‐pyridyldithio)‐propionate (SPDP) and dithiothreitol (DTT) to produce surface thiol (? SH) groups. SPDP‐modified β‐galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae was immobilized on the thiolated nanosprings by reversible disulfide linkages. The enzyme‐coated nanospring mat was placed into a 175‐μm high microchannel, with the mat partially occluding the channel. The kinetics and steady‐state conversion of hydrolysis of o‐nitrophenyl β‐D ‐galactosylpyranoside at various substrate flow rates and concentrations were measured. Substantial flow was observed through the nanosprings, for which the Darcy permeability κ ≈ 3 × 10^?6 cm². A simple, one‐parameter numerical model coupling Navier‐Stokes and Darcy flow with a pseudo‐first‐order reaction was used to fit the experimental data. Simulated reactor performance was sensitive to changes in κ and the height of the nanospring mat. Permeabilities lower than 10^?8 cm² practically eliminated convective flow through the nanosprings, and substantially decreased conversion. Increasing the height of the mat increased conversion in simulations, but requires more enzymes and could cause sealing issues if grown above channel walls. Preliminary results indicate that in situ regeneration by reduction with DTT and incubation with SPDP‐modified β‐galactosidase is possible. Nanosprings provide high solvent‐accessible surface area with good permeability and mechanical stability, can be patterned into existing microdevices, and are amenable to immobilization of biomolecules. Nanosprings offer a novel and useful support for enzymatic microreactors, biosensors, and lab‐on‐chip devices. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010     

Multiple defender effects: synergistic coral defense by mutualist crustaceans

The majority of our understanding of mutualisms comes from studies of pairwise interactions. However, many hosts support mutualist guilds, and interactions among mutualists make the prediction of aggregate effects difficult. Here, we apply a factorial experiment to interactions of 'guard' crustaceans that defend their coral host from seastar predators. Predation was reduced by the presence of mutualists (15% reduction in predation frequency and 45% in volume of coral consumed). The frequency of attacks with both mutualists was lower than with a single species, but it did not differ significantly from the expected frequency of independent effects. In contrast, the combined defensive efficacy of both mutualist species reduced the volume of coral tissue lost by 73%, significantly more than the 38% reduction expected from independent defensive efforts, suggesting the existence of a cooperative synergy in defensive behaviors of 'guard' crustaceans. These emergent 'multiple defender effects' are statistically and ecologically analogous to the emergent concept of 'multiple predator effects' known from the predation literature.     

Transient exposure of dendritic cells to maturation stimuli is sufficient to induce complete phenotypic maturation while preserving their capacity to respond to subsequent restimulation

Dendritic cells (DC) are activated by pathogens, cytokines and activated T cells. We investigated the impact of a transient initial DC stimulation on the kinetics of maturation using a combination of double-stranded RNA and TNFalpha and subsequent restimulation by T cell-derived stimuli. Transient stimulation of DC was sufficient to start an irreversible program of phenotypic maturation which proceeded in the absence of the initial stimulus. Transiently stimulated DC secreted lower amounts of IL-12 during the 48-h period of the first stimulation than cells activated for 48 h. Although both DC preparations expressed the same level of maturation-associated markers at 48 h, DC stimulated for shorter periods preserved higher sensitivity to boosting upon subsequent stimulation by T cell-derived signals. We showed that DC initially stimulated for shorter periods were more potent stimulators of T lymphocytes and they induced a more polarized Th1 response. These results indicate that short exposure of DC to maturation stimuli enables an efficient defensive immune response induction by differentially regulating phenotypic maturation and cytokine production of DC.     

A rapid technique to predict malting quality in barley prior to harvest

Samples of grain from three spring barley cultivars of differing malting quality were collected at regular intervals during four weeks prior to harvest. The samples were dried, then assessed for relative grain hardness using the "Milling Energy" test. Ranking order of the cultivars for this character, which relates strongly to malting quality, was unaltered throughout. In a further experiment, it was demonstrated that selection for milling energy could be successfully practised on oven-dried grain collected six weeks after ear emergence.     

Distinct Roles for the p110α and hVPS34 Phosphatidylinositol 3′-Kinases in Vesicular Trafficking, Regulation of the Actin Cytoskeleton, and Mitogenesis

We have examined the roles of the p85/ p110α and hVPS34 phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3′-kinases in cellular signaling using inhibitory isoform-specific antibodies. We raised anti-hVPS34 and anti-p110α antibodies that specifically inhibit recombinant hVPS34 and p110α, respectively, in vitro. We used the antibodies to study cellular processes that are sensitive to low-dose wortmannin. The antibodies had distinct effects on the actin cytoskeleton; microinjection of anti-p110α antibodies blocked insulin-stimulated ruffling, whereas anti-hVPS34 antibodies had no effect. The antibodies also had different effects on vesicular trafficking. Microinjection of inhibitory anti-hVPS34 antibodies, but not anti-p110α antibodies, blocked the transit of internalized PDGF receptors to a perinuclear compartment, and disrupted the localization of the early endosomal protein EEA1. Microinjection of anti-p110α antibodies, and to a lesser extent anti-hVPS34 antibodies, reduced the rate of transferrin recycling in CHO cells. Surprisingly, both antibodies inhibited insulin-stimulated DNA synthesis by 80%. Injection of cells with antisense oligonucleotides derived from the hVPS34 sequence also blocked insulin-stimulated DNA synthesis, whereas scrambled oligonucleotides had no effect. Interestingly, the requirement for p110α and hVPS34 occurred at different times during the G1–S transition. Our data suggest that different PI 3′-kinases play distinct regulatory roles in the cell, and document an unexpected role for hVPS34 during insulin-stimulated mitogenesis.     

Upper limb H reflexes and somatosensory evoked potentials modulated by movement.

In the human lower limb, the magnitudes of both Hoffmann (H) reflexes and primary somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) from scalp electrodes, are reduced by active and/or passive movement. We surmised that similar effects occur for the upper limb and specifically hypothesised that amplitudes of median nerve induced flexor carpii radialis H reflexes and cortical SEPs are reduced with passive movement about the wrist or elbow. The results showed (P<0. 05) that either movement significantly attenuated mean magnitudes of SEPs elicited from stimulation at elbow or wrist and that reflex magnitudes attenuated with wrist movement. Thus, the upper limb shows similar movement-induced modulation to the lower limb. These attenuations of fast conducting sensory paths consequent to movement per se, may be a basic level of motor control, initiated from muscle mechanoreceptor discharge. Upon this basic level, more complex modulations then may be laid as appropriate for the particular characteristics of active motor tasks.