Opportunities and challenges with transitioning to non-lethal sampling of wild fish for microbiome research

The microbial communities of fish are considered an integral part of maintaining the overall health and fitness of their host. Research has shown that resident microbes reside on various mucosal surfaces, such as the gills, skin, and gastrointestinal tract, and play a key role in various host functions, including digestion, immunity, and disease resistance. A second, more transient group of microbes reside in the digesta, or feces, and are primarily influenced by environmental factors such as the host diet. The vast majority of fish microbiome research currently uses lethal sampling to analyse any one of these mucosal and/or digesta microbial communities. The present paper discusses the various opportunities that non-lethal microbiome sampling offers, as well as some inherent challenges, with the ultimate goal of creating a sound argument for future researchers to transition to non-lethal sampling of wild fish in microbiome research. Doing so will reduce animal welfare and population impacts on fish while creating novel opportunities to link host microbial communities to an individual's behavior and survival across space and time (e.g., life-stages, seasons). Current lethal sampling efforts constrain our ability to understand the mechanistic ecological consequences of variation in microbiome communities in the wild. Transitioning to non-lethal sampling will open new frontiers in ecological and microbial research.     

Interactions between cognitive and sensory load while planning and controlling complex gait adaptations in Parkinson’s disease

Background

Recent research has argued that removal of relevant sensory information during the planning and control of simple, self-paced walking can result in increased demand on central processing resources in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, little is known about more complex gait tasks that require planning of gait adaptations to cross over an obstacle in PD.

Methods

In order to understand the interaction between availability of visual information relevant for self-motion and cognitive load, the current study evaluated PD participants and healthy controls while walking toward and stepping over an obstacle in three visual feedback conditions: (i) no visual restrictions; (ii) vision of the obstacle and their lower limbs while in complete darkness; (iii) vision of the obstacle only while in complete darkness; as well as two conditions including a cognitive load (with a dual task versus without a dual task). Each walk trial was divided into an early and late phase to examine changes associated with planning of step adjustments when approaching the obstacle.

Results

Interactions between visual feedback and dual task conditions during the obstacle approach were not significant. Patients with PD had greater deceleration and step time variability in the late phase of the obstacle approach phase while walking in both dark conditions compared to control participants. Additionally, participants with PD had a greater number of obstacle contacts when vision of their lower limbs was not available specifically during the dual task condition. Dual task performance was worse in PD compared to healthy control participants, but notably only while walking in the dark regardless of visual feedback.

Conclusions

These results suggest that reducing visual feedback while approaching an obstacle shifts processing to somatosensory feedback to guide movement which imposes a greater demand on planning resources. These results are key to fully understanding why trips and falls occur in those with PD.

     

Long-Term Weight-Loss in Gastric Bypass Patients Carrying Melanocortin 4 Receptor Variants

Background

The melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) critically regulates feeding and satiety. Rare variants in MC4R are predominantly found in obese individuals. Though some rare variants in MC4R discovered in patients have defects in localization, ligand binding and signaling to cAMP, many have no recognized defects.

Subjects/Methods

In our cohort of 1433 obese subjects that underwent Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) surgery, we found fifteen variants of MC4R. We matched rare variant carriers to patients with the MC4R reference alleles for gender, age, starting BMI and T2D to determine the variant effect on weight-loss post-RYGB. In vitro, we determined expression of mutant receptors by ELISA and western blot, and cAMP production by microscopy.

Results

While carrying a rare MC4R allele is associated with obesity, carriers of rare variants exhibited comparable weight-loss after RYGB to non-carriers. However, subjects carrying three of these variants, V95I, I137T or L250Q, lost less weight after surgery. In vitro, the R305Q mutation caused a defect in cell surface expression while only the I137T and C326R mutations showed impaired cAMP signaling. Despite these apparent differences, there was no correlation between in vitro signaling and pre- or post-surgery clinical phenotype.

Conclusions

These data suggest that subtle differences in receptor signaling conferred by rare MC4R variants combined with additional factors predispose carriers to obesity. In the absence of complete MC4R deficiency, these differences can be overcome by the powerful weight-reducing effects of bariatric surgery. In a complex disorder such as obesity, genetic variants that cause subtle defects that have cumulative effects can be overcome after appropriate clinical intervention.     

Multivalent nanobodies targeting death receptor 5 elicit superior tumor cell killing through efficient caspase induction

Multiple therapeutic agonists of death receptor 5 (DR5) have been developed and are under clinical evaluation. Although these agonists demonstrate significant anti-tumor activity in preclinical models, the clinical efficacy in human cancer patients has been notably disappointing. One possible explanation might be that the current classes of therapeutic molecules are not sufficiently potent to elicit significant response in patients, particularly for dimeric antibody agonists that require secondary cross-linking via Fcγ receptors expressed on immune cells to achieve optimal clustering of DR5. To overcome this limitation, a novel multivalent Nanobody approach was taken with the goal of generating a significantly more potent DR5 agonist. In the present study, we show that trivalent DR5 targeting Nanobodies mimic the activity of natural ligand, and furthermore, increasing the valency of domains to tetramer and pentamer markedly increased potency of cell killing on tumor cells, with pentamers being more potent than tetramers in vitro. Increased potency was attributed to faster kinetics of death-inducing signaling complex assembly and caspase-8 and caspase-3 activation. In vivo, multivalent Nanobody molecules elicited superior anti-tumor activity compared to a conventional DR5 agonist antibody, including the ability to induce tumor regression in an insensitive patient-derived primary pancreatic tumor model. Furthermore, complete responses to Nanobody treatment were obtained in up to 50% of patient-derived primary pancreatic and colon tumor models, suggesting that multivalent DR5 Nanobodies may represent a significant new therapeutic modality for targeting death receptor signaling.     

Technetium labeling of monoclonal antibodies with functionalized BATOs: 2. TcCl(DMG)3CPITC labeling of B72.3 and NP-4 whole antibodies and NP-4 F(ab')2.

BATO (boronic acid adduct of technetium dioximes) complexes, TcCl(dioxime)3BR, were prepared in which the boron substituent (R) was the protein-reactive 2-carboxy-4-phenyl isothiocyanate (CPITC). The 99Tc complexes, where the dioxime was either dimethylglyoxime (DMG) or cyclohexanedione dioxime (CDO), were prepared and characterized. The 99mTc complex TcCl(DMG)3CPITC was prepared from a freeze-dried kit and used to label B72.3 (anti-TAG.72) and NP-4 (anti-CEA) whole antibodies, and the NP-4 F(ab')2 fragment. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis indicated that the labeling reagent was strongly bound to antibody. The labeled antibodies displayed high binding to affinity columns and good tumor uptake in GW39 tumor-bearing mice.     

Global transcriptional response of pig brain and lung to natural infection by Pseudorabies virus

Background  

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is an alphaherpesviruses whose native host is pig. PRV infection mainly causes signs of central nervous system disorder in young pigs, and respiratory system diseases in the adult.     

Effects of blood meal source on the reproduction of Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus were fed blood meals from a live chicken (LC), chicken blood in Alsever's (AC) solution, defibrinated bovine blood (DB), or bovine blood in citrate (CB) and incubated at 28° C. The effects of different blood meal sources were evaluated with respect to rates of blood feeding and reproduction (i.e., fecundity and fertility) over two gonotrophic cycles. Mosquitoes that fed on the first blood meal were subjected to a second blood meal as follows (first blood meal / second blood meal): LC/LC, LC/DB, DB/DB, CB/CB, AC/AC. Fecundity and fertility of Cx. p. quinquefasciatus were significantly (P < 0.05) greater in mosquitoes fed LC blood; however, fecundity and fertility in different treatment groups varied by gonotrophic cycle. These results contribute to our understanding of the impact of blood meal source on feeding and reproduction in Cx. p. quinquefasciatus. The potential impacts of blood meal source on virus transmission experiments are discussed.     

Esterification by rat liver microsomes of retinol bound to cellular retinol-binding protein

We have investigated the esterification by liver membranes of retinol bound to cellular retinol-binding protein (CRBP). When CRBP carrying [3H]retinol as its ligand was purified from rat liver cytosol and incubated with rat liver microsomes, a significant fraction of the [3H]retinol was converted to [3H]retinyl ester. Esterification of the CRBP-bound [3H]retinol, which was maximal at pH 6-7, did not require the addition of an exogenous fatty acyl group. Indeed, when additional palmitoyl-CoA or coenzyme A was provided, the rate of esterification increased either very slightly or not at all. The esterification reaction had a Km for [3H]retinol-CRBP of 4 +/- 0.6 microM and a maximum velocity of 145 +/- 52 pmol/min/mg of microsomal protein (n = 4). The major products were retinyl palmitate/oleate and retinyl stearate in a ratio of approximately 2 to 1 over a range of [3H]retinol-CRBP concentrations from 1 to 8 microM. The addition of progesterone, a known inhibitor of the acyl-CoA:retinol acyltransferase reaction, consistently increased the rate of retinyl ester formation when [3H]retinol was delivered bound to CRBP. These experiments indicate that retinol presented to liver microsomal membranes by CRBP can be converted to retinyl ester and that this process, in contrast to the esterification of dispersed retinol, is independent of the addition of an activated fatty acid and produces a pattern of retinyl ester species similar to that observed in intact liver. A possible role of phospholipids as endogenous acyl donors in the esterification of retinol bound to CRBP is supported by our observations that depletion of microsomal phospholipid with phospholipase A2 prior to addition of retinol-CRBP decreased the retinol-esterifying activity almost 50%. Conversely, incubating microsomes with a lipid-generating system containing choline, CDP-choline, glycerol 3-phosphate, and an acyl-CoA-generating system prior to addition of retinol-CRBP increased retinol esterification significantly as compared to buffer-treated controls.     

Similar hypotensive responses to resistance exercise with and without blood flow restriction

Low intensity resistance exercise (RE) with blood flow restriction (BFR) has gained attention in the literature due to the beneficial effects on functional and morphological variables, similar to those observed during traditional RE without BFR, while the effects of BFR on post-exercise hypotension remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to compare the blood pressure (BP) response of trained normotensive individuals to RE with and without BFR. In this cross-over randomized trial, eight male subjects (23.8 ± 4 years, 74 ± 3 kg, 174 ± 4 cm) completed two exercise protocols: traditional RE (3 x 10 repetitions at 70% one-repetition maximum [1-RM]) and low intensity RE (3 x 15 repetitions at 20% 1-RM) with BFR. Blood pressure measurements were performed after 15 min of seated rest (0), immediately after and 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 40 min, 50 min and 60 min after the experimental sessions. Similar hypotensive effects for systolic BP (SBP) were observed for both protocols (P < 0.05) after exercise, with no differences between groups (P > 0.05) and no statistically significant difference for diastolic BP (P > 0.05). These results suggest that in normotensive trained individuals, both traditional RE and RE with BFR induce hypotension for SBP, which is important to prevent cardiovascular disturbances.