MyD88 in myofibroblasts enhances colitis-associated tumorigenesis via promoting macrophage M2 polarization

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Clearance of Pneumocystis murina infection is not dependent on MyD88

To determine if myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), which is necessary for signaling by most TLRs and IL-1Rs, is necessary for control of Pneumocystis infection, MyD88-deficient and wild-type mice were infected with Pneumocystis by exposure to infected seeder mice and were followed for up to 106 days. MyD88-deficient mice showed clearance of Pneumocystis and development of anti-Pneumocystis antibody responses with kinetics similar to wild-type mice. Based on expression levels of select genes, MyD88-deficient mice developed immune responses similar to wild-type mice. Thus, MyD88 and the upstream pathways that rely on MyD88 signaling are not required for control of Pneumocystis infection.     

Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists as a driving force behind next-generation vaccine adjuvants and cancer therapeutics

Until recently, the development of new human adjuvants was held back by a poor understanding of their mechanisms of action. The field was revolutionized by the discovery of the toll-like receptors (TLRs), innate immune receptors that directly or indirectly are responsible for detecting pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and respond to them by activating innate and adaptive immune pathways. Hundreds of ligands targeting various TLRs have since been identified and characterized as vaccine adjuvants. This work has important implications not only for the development of vaccines against infectious diseases but also for immuno-therapies against cancer, allergy, Alzheimer's disease, drug addiction and other diseases. Each TLR has its own specific tissue localization and downstream gene signalling pathways, providing researchers the opportunity to precisely tailor adjuvants with specific immune effects. TLR agonists can be combined with other TLR or alternative adjuvants to create combination adjuvants with synergistic or modulatory effects. This review provides an introduction to the various classes of TLR adjuvants and their respective signalling pathways. It provides an overview of recent advancements in the TLR field in the past 2–3 years and discusses criteria for selecting specific TLR adjuvants based on considerations, such as disease mechanisms and correlates of protection, TLR immune biasing capabilities, route of administration, antigen compatibility, new vaccine technology platforms, and age- and species-specific effects.     

One-channel Cell-attached Patch-clamp Recording

Ion channel proteins are universal devices for fast communication across biological membranes. The temporal signature of the ionic flux they generate depends on properties intrinsic to each channel protein as well as the mechanism by which it is generated and controlled and represents an important area of current research. Information about the operational dynamics of ion channel proteins can be obtained by observing long stretches of current produced by a single molecule. Described here is a protocol for obtaining one-channel cell-attached patch-clamp current recordings for a ligand gated ion channel, the NMDA receptor, expressed heterologously in HEK293 cells or natively in cortical neurons. Also provided are instructions on how to adapt the method to other ion channels of interest by presenting the example of the mechano-sensitive channel PIEZO1. This method can provide data regarding the channel’s conductance properties and the temporal sequence of open-closed conformations that make up the channel’s activation mechanism, thus helping to understand their functions in health and disease.     

Towards Biomimicking Wood: Fabricated Free-standing Films of Nanocellulose,Lignin, and a Synthetic Polycation

Woody materials are comprised of plant cell walls that contain a layered secondary cell wall composed of structural polymers of polysaccharides and lignin. Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly process which relies on the assembly of oppositely charged molecules from aqueous solutions was used to build a freestanding composite film of isolated wood polymers of lignin and oxidized nanofibril cellulose (NFC). To facilitate the assembly of these negatively charged polymers, a positively charged polyelectrolyte, poly(diallyldimethylammomium chloride) (PDDA), was used as a linking layer to create this simplified model cell wall. The layered adsorption process was studied quantitatively using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and ellipsometry. The results showed that layer mass/thickness per adsorbed layer increased as a function of total number of layers. The surface coverage of the adsorbed layers was studied with atomic force microscopy (AFM). Complete coverage of the surface with lignin in all the deposition cycles was found for the system, however, surface coverage by NFC increased with the number of layers. The adsorption process was carried out for 250 cycles (500 bilayers) on a cellulose acetate (CA) substrate. Transparent free-standing LBL assembled nanocomposite films were obtained when the CA substrate was later dissolved in acetone. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the fractured cross-sections showed a lamellar structure, and the thickness per adsorption cycle (PDDA-Lignin-PDDA-NC) was estimated to be 17 nm for two different lignin types used in the study. The data indicates a film with highly controlled architecture where nanocellulose and lignin are spatially deposited on the nanoscale (a polymer-polymer nanocomposites), similar to what is observed in the native cell wall.     

Colorimetric Paper-based Detection of Escherichia coli,Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes from Large Volumes of Agricultural Water

This protocol describes rapid colorimetric detection of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes from large volumes (10 L) of agricultural waters. Here, water is filtered through sterile Modified Moore Swabs (MMS), which consist of a simple gauze filter enclosed in a plastic cartridge, to concentrate bacteria. Following filtration, non-selective or selective enrichments for the target bacteria are performed in the MMS. For colorimetric detection of the target bacteria, the enrichments are then assayed using paper-based analytical devices (µPADs) embedded with bacteria-indicative substrates. Each substrate reacts with target-indicative bacterial enzymes, generating colored products that can be detected visually (qualitative detection) on the µPAD. Alternatively, digital images of the reacted µPADs can be generated with common scanning or photographic devices and analyzed using ImageJ software, allowing for more objective and standardized interpretation of results. Although the biochemical screening procedures are designed to identify the aforementioned bacterial pathogens, in some cases enzymes produced by background microbiota or the degradation of the colorimetric substrates may produce a false positive. Therefore, confirmation using a more discriminatory diagnostic is needed. Nonetheless, this bacterial concentration and detection platform is inexpensive, sensitive (0.1 CFU/ml detection limit), easy to perform, and rapid (concentration, enrichment, and detection are performed within approximately 24 hr), justifying its use as an initial screening method for the microbiological quality of agricultural water.     

Thalidomide inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production and prevents lipopolysaccharide-mediated lethality in mice

The effect of thalidomide on lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO) production was studied using RAW 264.7 macrophage-like cells. Thalidomide significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production via reduced expression of an inducible NO synthase. Thalidomide reduced the phosphorylation of the p65 nuclear factor-κB subunit, inhibitory κB (IκB) and IκB kinase in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cells. However, thalidomide did not affect the expression of interferon-β (IFN-β) and interferon regulatory factor-1 in response to lipopolysaccharide. Further, thalidomide inhibited the MyD88 augmentation in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cells, whereas it did not alter the expression of TIR domain-containing adaptor-inducing IFN-β in the MyD88-independent pathway. Thalidomide significantly inhibited the NO production in response to Pam₃Cys, CpG DNA and imiquimod as MyD88-dependent Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands, but not polyI:C as a MyD88-independent TLR ligand. Therefore, thalidomide was suggested to inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production via downregulation of the MyD88-dependent signal pathway. The anti-inflammatory action of thalidomide might be involved in the prevention of lipopolysaccharide-mediated lethality in mice.     

Strontium supports capacitation and the acrosome reaction in mouse sperm and rapidly activates mouse eggs

Extracellular Ca²⁺ is required for capacitation and fertilization in the mouse, but very little is known about the ability of other divalent cations to substitute for Ca²⁺. In this study, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, and Mg²⁺ were evaluated for their ability to support capacitation, the acrosome reaction, hyperactivated motility, and fertilization. Ba²⁺ proved to be ineffective, but Mg²⁺-containing medium was able to support capacitation to a greater extent than unsupplemented Ca²⁺-deficient media; despite this, Ca²⁺ was required for fertilization. In contrast, Sr²⁺ proved capable of substituting for Ca²⁺ in all events. Furthermore, Sr²⁺-induced responses were indistinguishable from the corresponding Ca²⁺-induced ones: Sperm capacitated at the same rate and underwent the acrosome reaction to the same extent. However, demonstration of sperm:egg fusion in Sr²⁺ required the use of zona-free eggs. This was due not to the inability of the sperm to penetrate the zona but to the very rapid activation and cortical granule release by eggs in response to Sr²⁺. When zona-intact eggs were used, the block to polyspermy had been mounted by the time sperm had penetrated the zona. A 15 min exposure to Sr²⁺ was sufficient to block sperm fusion, but a longer exposure was required to ensure the resumption of meiosis in eggs; such a response was surprising in that the eggs were freshly ovulated and not susceptible to activation by many different treatments. Thus Sr²⁺ can profoundly affect both gametes in the mouse: It substitutes completely for Ca²⁺ in sperm responses and rapidly activates eggs, possibly by displacing Ca²⁺ from intracellular stores into the cytoplasm, where the Ca²⁺ can then trigger the various events of activation.     

Studying DNA Looping by Single-Molecule FRET

Bending of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) is associated with many important biological processes such as DNA-protein recognition and DNA packaging into nucleosomes. Thermodynamics of dsDNA bending has been studied by a method called cyclization which relies on DNA ligase to covalently join short sticky ends of a dsDNA. However, ligation efficiency can be affected by many factors that are not related to dsDNA looping such as the DNA structure surrounding the joined sticky ends, and ligase can also affect the apparent looping rate through mechanisms such as nonspecific binding. Here, we show how to measure dsDNA looping kinetics without ligase by detecting transient DNA loop formation by FRET (Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer). dsDNA molecules are constructed using a simple PCR-based protocol with a FRET pair and a biotin linker. The looping probability density known as the J factor is extracted from the looping rate and the annealing rate between two disconnected sticky ends. By testing two dsDNAs with different intrinsic curvatures, we show that the J factor is sensitive to the intrinsic shape of the dsDNA.