Cytokine expression in the liver of mice infected with a highly virulent strain of Francisella tularensis

Abstract Cytokine mRNA expression was determined in the liver of mice subcutaneously inoculated with a lethal dose of the highly virulent strain FSC 041 of Francisella tularensis subvar. tularensis or a sublethal dose of the live vaccine strain of F. tularensis subvar. palaearctica . Expression of mRNA for TNF-α, IL-12, IFN-γ, and IL-10 was demonstrated within 48 h of inoculation, the kinetics being similar irrespective of bacterial strain used. Thus, the expression of a cytokine response believed to be important in the early host defence against live vaccine strain seemed insufficient to prevent the lethality of a more virulent strain.     

Physiological overlap between osmotolerance and thermotolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract A convenient enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) to titrate serum immunoglobin G to Campylobacter pylori (Cp) is described. It was found that 80% of the serum samples obtained from patients with Cp-associated chronic gastritis ( N = 476) displayed statistically raised IgG anti-Cp, as compared to healthy volunteer controls ( N = 24). Titers in patient sera were statistically higher than the average control value plus twice the standard deviation, thus supporting Cp involvement in these gastric diseases. Also, ELISA inhibition experiments suggested that antigenic variation among various Cp isolates is likely, thus indicating the need for subgrouping of Cp. We note the usefulness of the above IgG anti-Cp ELISA for sero-epidemiological studies of Cp associated chronic gastritis, especially those tracing the source of Cp infections and those determining potentially disease related Cp subgroups.     

Electron transport to nitrogenase in Rhodospirillum rubrum: the role of NAD(P)H as electron donor and the effect of fluoroacetate on nitrogenase activity

The role of the reactions of the TCA cycle in the generation of reductant for nitrogenase in Rhodospirillum rubrum has been investigated. Addition of fluoroacetate inhibited nitrogenase activity almost completely when pyruvate or endogenous sources were used as electron donors, whereas the inhibition was incomplete when malate, succinate or fumarate were used. Addition of NAD(P)H to cells supported nitrogenase activity, both with and without prior addition of fluoroacetate. We suggest that the role of the TCA cycle in nitrogen fixation in R. rubrum is to generate reduced pyridine nucleotides which are oxidized by the components of the electron transport pathway to nitrogenase.     

Antibody Directed against Human YKL-40 Increases Tumor Volume in a Human Melanoma Xenograft Model in Scid Mice

Induced overexpression of the secretory protein YKL-40 promotes tumor growth in xenograft experiments. We investigated if targeting YKL-40 with a monoclonal antibody could inhibit tumor growth. YKL-40 expressing human melanoma cells (LOX) were injected subcutenously in Balb/c scid mice. Animals were treated with intraperitoneal injections of anti-YKL-40, isoptype control or PBS. Non-YKL-40 expressing human pancreatic carcinoma cell line PaCa 5061 served as additional control. MR imaging was used for evaluation of tumor growth. Two days after the first injections of anti-YKL-40, tumor volume had increased significantly compared with controls, whereas no effects were observed for control tumors from PaCa 5061 cells lacking YKL-40 expression. After 18 days, mean tumor size of the mice receiving repeated anti-YKL-40 injections was 1.82 g, >4 times higher than mean tumor size of the controls (0.42 g). The effect of anti-YKL-40 on the increase of tumor volume started within hours after injection and was dose dependent. Intratumoral hemorrhage was observed in the treated animals. The strong effect on tumor size indicates important roles for YKL-40 in melanoma growth and argues for a careful evaluation of antibody therapy directed against YKL-40.     

Winter decline of spiders and insects in spruce Picea abies and its relation to predation by birds

Insects and spiders were sampled on branches of spruce in a 5.5 km² area before and after each of six winters. Psocoptera, Aphidoidea and Lepidoptera larvae were the most common insects in autumn. In Feb–Mar only 1% remained, most of the decline occurring already early in the winter. Spiders were almost as common as Psocoptera in autumn but survived winter to 28–45%. Spiders therefore are potentially more important food for wintering birds than are insects. Through the first five winters there was a steady increase in density of small (but not large) spiders both in autumn (290%) and spring (390%). Spring densities of small but not large spiders were significantly correlated to autumn densities. Usually there was no added variability of spider abundance between trees and most of the variability was found within trees. In autumn spiders occurred at significantly higher densities in the lower half of the spruce trees than in the upper half. Much of the reduction of large spiders over winter is known to be caused by predation by birds. Over winter, this predation probably makes the distribution of spiders within trees more uniform. The autumn density of three tit species, the goldcrest and the treecreeper was significantly correlated with the density of large spiders at the same time, but not with small spiders (which they presumably do not eat). This might be caused by territorial behaviour being related to food density in autumn.     

Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Genetik an Hand des dominantenBobbed im Y-Chromosom vonDrosophila funebris

Ohne ZusammenfassungMit 1 Figur und 5 Tabellen     

MabCent: Arctic marine bioprospecting in Norway

The deep waters surrounding the coastline of the northern parts of Norway represent an exciting biotope for marine exploration. Dark and cold Arctic water generates a hostile environment where the ability to adapt is crucial to survival. These waters are nonetheless bountiful and a diverse plethora of marine organisms thrive in these extreme conditions, many with the help of specialised chemical compounds. In comparison to warmer, perhaps more inviting shallower tropical waters, the Arctic region has not been as thoroughly investigated. MabCent is a Norwegian initiative based in Tromsø that aims to change this. Since 2007, scientists within MabCent have focussed their efforts on the study of marine organisms inhabiting the Arctic waters with the long term goal of novel drug discovery and development. The activities of MabCent are diverse and range from sampling the Arctic ice shelf to the chemical synthesis of promising secondary metabolites discovered during the screening process. The current review will present the MabCent pipeline from isolation to identification of new bioactive marine compounds via an extensive screening process. An overview of the main activities will be given with particular focus on isolation strategies, bioactivity screening and structure determination. Pitfalls, hard earned lessons and the results so far are also discussed.