Thrombin impairs the angiogenic activity of extravillous trophoblast cells via monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1): A possible link with preeclampsia

Cytokines’ secretion from the decidua and trophoblast cells has been known to regulate trophoblast cell functions, such as Extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) cell migration and invasion and remodeling of spiral arteries. Defective angiogenesis and spiral arteries transformation are mainly caused by proinflammatory cytokines and excessive thrombin generation during preeclampsia. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), a crucial cytokine, has a role in maintaining normal pregnancy. In this study, we explored whether thrombin regulates the secretion of MCP-1 in HTR-8/SVneo cells; if yes, what is its function? We used HTR-8/SVneo cells, developed from ?rst trimester villous explants of early pregnancy, as the model of EVTs. MCP-1 gene silencing was performed using gene-specific siRNA. qPCR and ELISA were performed to estimate the expression and secretion of MCP-1. Here, we found that thrombin enhanced the secretion of MCP-1 in HTR-8/SVneo cells. Proteinase-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) was found as the primary receptor, regulating MCP-1 secretion in these cells. Furthermore, MCP-1 secretion is modulated via protein kinase C (PKC) α, β, and Rho/Rho-kinase-dependent pathways. Thrombin negatively regulates HTR-8/SVneo cells’ ability to mimic tube formation in an MCP-1 dependent manner. In conclusion, we propose that thrombin-controlled MCP-1 secretion may play an essential role in normal placental development and successful pregnancy maintenance. Improper thrombin production and MCP-1 secretion during pregnancy might cause inadequate vascular formation and transformation of spiral arteries, which may contribute to pregnancy disorders, such as preeclampsia.     

Differentiation potential of the fetal rat liver-derived cells

Mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow or several fetal tissues can be expanded and differentiated into other cell lines. The fetal liver is the source of early hematopoietic cells and also, as a fetal tissue, may be considered as a source of pluripotent stem cells. The differentiation potential of fetal rat liver cells have been examined. Freshly isolated liver cells from 14-d fetuses were cultured in Dulbecco medium supplemented with 10% FCS. The plastic-adherent cells were then passaged up to 10 times. Freshly isolated cells and cells from every passage were cultured in hematopoiesis-promoting environment that consists of methylcelulose supplemented with FCS, rat IL-3, human IL-6 and Epo. Parallely these cells were incubated in co-culture with rat muscle satellite cells (Dulbecco medium with 10% FCS and 10% HS) to examine their myogenic potential. Culture in methylcelulose resulted in a high number of GM and Mix colonies in case of freshly isolated liver cells and the number of colonies decreased according to the number of passages. In case of cells from 4th passage, there ware no hematopoietic colonies in culture. In contrast--freshly isolated cells were not able to fuse with rat satellite cells and form the myotubes. This ability appeared in plastic-adherent cells just from the second passage and increases to 5th passage. The cells from every next passage up to 10th when co-cultured with satellite cells participated in myotube formation at the same high level. This result may suggest that in the 14-d rat liver there exist at least two subpopulations of cells: the non-adherent hematopoietic cell population, and the population of plastic-adherent cells capable of differentiating into myotubes. Since the attempts to redifferentiate hematopoietic subpopulation into myopoiesis, or myopoietic subpopulation into hematopoiesis failed, it may be concluded that at least under our experimental conditions the fetal liver cells do not reveal the "plasticity" features.     

Steroid interference with antifungal activity of polyene antibiotics

Wide differences exist among the polyene antibiotics, nystatin, rimocidin, filipin, pimaricin, and amphotericin B, with reference to steroid interference with their antifungal activities against Candida albicans. Of the numerous steroids tested, ergosterol was the only one which effectively antagonized the antifungal activity of all five polyene antibiotics. The antifungal activities of nystatin and amphotericin B were the least subject to vitiation by the addition of steroids other than ergosterol, and those of filipin, rimocidin, and pimaricin were the most sensitive to interference. Attempts to delineate the structural requirements of steroids possessing polyene-neutralizing activity in growing cultures of C. albicans are discussed. The ultraviolet absorbance of certain antibiotic steroid combinations was also studied.     

The crystal structure of the reduced, Zn2+-bound form of the B. subtilis Hsp33 chaperone and its implications for the activation mechanism

The bacterial heat shock protein Hsp33 is a redox-regulated chaperone activated by oxidative stress. In response to oxidation, four cysteines within a Zn2+ binding C-terminal domain form two disulfide bonds with concomitant release of the metal. This leads to the formation of the biologically active Hsp33 dimer. The crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of the E. coli protein has been reported, but neither the structure of the Zn2+ binding motif nor the nature of its regulatory interaction with the rest of the protein are known. Here we report the crystal structure of the full-length B. subtilis Hsp33 in the reduced form. The structure of the N-terminal, dimerization domain is similar to that of the E. coli protein, although there is no domain swapping. The Zn2+ binding domain is clearly resolved showing the details of the tetrahedral coordination of Zn2+ by four thiolates. We propose a structure-based activation pathway for Hsp33.     

Different UmuC requirements for generation of different kinds of UV-induced mutations in Escherichia coli

An Escherichia coli strain bearing the dnaQ49 mutation, which results in a defective s subunit of DNA polymerase III, and carrying the lexA71 mutation, which causes derepression of the SOS regulon, is totally unable to maintain high-copy-number plasmids containing the umuDC operon. The strain is also unable to maintain the pAN4 plasmid containing a partial deletion of the umuD gene but retaining the wild-type umuC gene. These results suggest that a high cellular level of UmuC is exceptionally harmful to the defective DNA polymerase III of the dnaQ49 mutant. We have used this finding as a basis for selection of new plasmid umuC mutants. The properties of two such mutants, bearing the umuC61 or umuC95 mutation, are described in detail. In the umuC122:: Tn 5 strain harbouring the mutant plasmids, UV-induced mutagenesis is severely decreased compared to that observed with the parental umuDC ⁺ plasmid. Interestingly, while the frequency of UV-induced GC AT transitions is greatly reduced, the frequency of AT TA transversions is not affected. Both mutant plasmids bear frameshift mutations within the same run of seven A residues present in umuC ⁺; in umuC61 the run is shortened to six A whereas in umuC95 is lengthened to eight A. We have found in both umuC61 and umuC95 that translation is partially restored to the proper reading frame. We propose that under conditions of limiting amounts of UmuC, the protein preferentially facilitates processing of only some kinds of UV-induced lesions.     

Haloprogin: a Topical Antifungal Agent

Haloprogin was shown to be a highly effective agent for the treatment of experimentally induced topical mycotic infections in guinea pigs. Its in vitro spectrum of activity also includes yeasts, yeastlike fungi (Candida species), and certain gram-positive bacteria. The in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of haloprogin against dermatophytes was equal to that observed with tolnaftate. The striking differences between the two agents were the marked antimonilial and selective antibacterial activities shown by haloprogin, contrasted with the negligible activities found with tolnaftate. Addition of serum decreased the in vitro antifungal activity of haloprogin to a greater extent than that of tolnaftate; however, diminished antifungal activity was not observed when haloprogin was applied topically to experimental dermatophytic infections. Based on its broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, haloprogin may prove to be a superior topical agent in the treatment of dermatophytic and monilial infections in man.     

Symposium 3: Function and Pathogenesis in Parkinson’s Disease. Synuclein: the third amyloid in Alzheimer's disease

A dramatic paradigm shift in understanding Parkinson's disease (PD) has emerged with implications for Alzheimer's disease (AD) because: (1) Mutations in the alpha‐synuclein (AS) gene cause familial PD, (2) Antibodies to AS detect Lewy bodies (LBs) and dystrophic Lewy neurites in PD, dementia with LBs (DLB), sporadic AD and the LB variant of AD (LBVAD), (3) Insoluble AS filaments are recovered from DLB brains and purified LBs, (4) Recombinant AS assembles into LB‐like filaments and residues 71–82 are essential for filament assembly, (5) AS transgenic mice and flies develop a PD‐like phenotype, (6) Cortical LBs detected with antibodies to AS correlate with dementia in PD, DLB and LBVAD, (7) Antibodies to AS detect LBs in 50% of familial AD, sporadic AD and Down's syndrome brains, (8) AS forms glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs) in multiple system atrophy, (9) Epitopes throughout AS in LBs and GCIs, (10) Filamentous AS aggregates in LBs, GCIs and related lesions contain nitrated tyrosines, (11) Cells transfected with AS and treated with nitric oxide generators develop LB‐like AS inclusions, (12) Bigenic mice overexpressing mutant human APP and AS show an augmentation in AS inclusions. Thus, neurodegenerative diseases characterized by AS pathologies are synucleinopathies, and the filamentous AS lesions in these disorders may result in part from oxidative/nitrative damage to AS. Abnormal interactions of brain proteins may underlie synucleinopathies and other neurodegenerative disorders. Acknowledgements: Supported by NIA/NIH and Alzheimer's Association.     

Fluorescence properties of labeled proteins near silver colloid surfaces

The fluorescence properties of a monolayer of labeled avidin molecules were studied near silver island films. We first adsorbed a monolayer of biotinylated-BSA as a base that was used to capture labeled avidin molecules. For labeled avidin on silver island films, we observed an increase of the fluorescence intensity of between 18 and 80 with one-photon excitation and up to several hundredfold or larger with two-photon excitation. The probes were moderately more photostable in the presence of silver islands. There was also a dramatic decrease in the lifetimes with the amplitude-weighted values decreasing from 7- to 35-fold. The data suggest that these spectral changes are due to both increased rates of excitation near the metallic particles and increases in the rates of radiative decay. Because these silver island surfaces are very heterogeneous, we are hopeful that larger increases in intensity and photostability can be obtained for probes situated at an optimal distance from the ideal island surfaces.     

Modelling the distribution and compositional variation of plant communities at the continental scale

Aim

We investigate whether (1) environmental predictors allow to delineate the distribution of discrete community types at the continental scale and (2) how data completeness influences model generalization in relation to the compositional variation of the modelled entities.

Location

Europe.

Methods

We used comprehensive datasets of two community types of conservation concern in Europe: acidophilous beech forests and base‐rich fens. We computed community distribution models (CDMs) calibrated with environmental predictors to predict the occurrence of both community types, evaluating geographical transferability, interpolation and extrapolation under different scenarios of sampling bias. We used generalized dissimilarity modelling (GDM) to assess the role of geographical and environmental drivers in compositional variation within the predicted distributions.

Results

For the two community types, CDMs computed for the whole study area provided good performance when evaluated by random cross‐validation and external validation. Geographical transferability provided lower but relatively good performance, while model extrapolation performed poorly when compared with interpolation. Generalized dissimilarity modelling showed a predominant effect of geographical distance on compositional variation, complemented with the environmental predictors that also influenced habitat suitability.

Main conclusions

Correlative approaches typically used for modelling the distribution of individual species are also useful for delineating the potential area of occupancy of community types at the continental scale, when using consistent definitions of the modelled entity and high data completeness. The combination of CDMs with GDM further improves the understanding of diversity patterns of plant communities, providing spatially explicit information for mapping vegetation diversity and related habitat types at large scales.