Molecular phylogeny of the Praomys complex (Rodentia: Murinae): a study based on DNA/DNA hybridization experiments.

Within the Murinae (Muridae: Rodentia), the African rats of the Praomys group, whose systematics has been studied through different approaches, have raised numerous taxonomic problems. Different taxa related to Praomys have successively been described, among which Mastomys, Myomys and Hylomyscus were considered either as separate genera or subgenera of Praomys. In order to clarify the relationships within the Praomys group, we conducted a series of DNA/DNA hybridization experiments involving different species of Praomys, Mastomys, Myomys and Hylomyscus plus other Murinae and a Cricetomyinae. This study indicates that the Praomys complex is a monophyletic entity clearly separated from the other African and Asian Murinae. If Mastomys and Hylomyscus appeared to be independent genera, the taxonomic situation of Praomys and Myomys is more difficult to ascertain. Indeed, Praomys tullbergi appears more closely related to Myomys daltoni than to another species of Praomys , namely P. jacksoni , suggesting paraphyly for Praomys. Furthermore, P. jacksoni is as distant from P. tullbergi as from any species of Mastomys. Additional species of Praomys and, especially, of Myomys , are needed for reaching a definitive conclusion on these latter taxa. The Praomys group is more related to Mus than to Rattus. To calibrate our molecular distances with geological time, we used a dating of 10 Myr for the Musi Rattus dichotomy. The inferred rate of molecular evolution suggests a dating of c. 8 Myr for the separation of the Praomys group from the Mus lineage.     

Microelectrode-recorded development of the symplasmic autonomy of the sieve element/companion cell complex in the stem phloem of Lupinus luteus L.

From the cambial stage onwards, the symplasmic autonomy of sieve element/companion cell complexes (SE/CC-complexes) was followed in stems of Lupinus luteus L. by microinjection techniques. The membrane potential and the symplasmic autonomy of the mature SE/CC-complex was measured in successive internodes. A microelectrode was inserted into SE/CC-complexes or phloem parenchyma cells (PPs) and, after stabilization of the membrane potential, the membrane-impermeant fluorescent dye Lucifer Yellow CH (LYCH) was injected intracellullary. The plasmodesmata of the cambial SE/ CC precursor were gradually shut off at all interfaces beginning at the walls to be transformed into sieve plates. In the course of maturation, symplasmic discontinuity was maintained at the longitudinal walls of the complex. In the transverse walls of the SE, wide sieve pores were formed giving rise to longitudinal multicellular symplasmic domains of SE/CC-complexes. Symplasmic isolation of the files of mature SE/CC-complexes was demonstrated in several ways: (i) the membrane potential of the SE/CC-complexes (between -100 mV and -130 mV) was consistently more negative than that of the PPs (between-50 and -100 mV), (ii) No exchange of LYCH was observed between SE/CC-complexes and the PPs. Lucifer Yellow CH injected into the SEs exclusively moved to the associated CCs and to other SE/CC-complexes whereas LYCH injected into the PPs was only displaced to other PPs. (iii) The electrical coupling ratio between adjacent PPs was ten times higher than that between SE/CC-complex and PP. A gradient in the membrane potential of the SE/CC-complexes along the stem was not conclusively demonstrated.Abbreviations LYCH Lucifer Yellow CH - membrane potential - PMF proton-motive force - PP phloem parenchyma cell - SE/CC-complex sieve element/companion cell complex - SR-G sulphorhodamine G     

Relationship between soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors and TNFα during immunotherapy with interleukin-2 and/or interferon α

Eleven metastatic cancer patients were studied during three different regimens of immunotherapy with interleukin-2 (IL-2) and/or interferon (IFN): group A received 4 days of IL-2 i.a. infusion (n=3), group B IFN s.c. during 5 days (n=4), followed on day 3 by 5 days of a continuous IL-2 i.v. infusion, and group C had 4 days of IL-2 i.v. infusion together with s.c. IFN on days 1 and 4 (n=4). Soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors (sTNFR) p55 and p75 and TNF concentrations in serum were analyzed before therapy and daily during 8 days of the first therapy cycle. sTNFR was measured by radioimmunoassay. sTNFR p55 increased in all patient groups from a baseline value of 5.2±0.9 ng/ml to a maximum of 13.6±1.2 ng/ml by days 3–4 (P=0.003). sTNFR p75 increased from 7.6±1.1 ng/ml to peak values of 30.1±2.6 ng/ml in groups A and B (P=0.02). In group C the sTNFR p75 response was weak (NS). In group B, the increase of both p55 and p75 occurred only after addition of IL-2 to IFN. TNF increased weakly during treatment with IFN alone (group B); it rose strongly during IL-2 and the combined treatment (groups A-C) from 8±2 pg/ml to 115±13 pg/ml (P=0.003). In group B, it reached the maximum 24 h after addition of IL-2 to IFN and decreased thereafter. there was a significant relationship between TNF and sTNFR p55 or sTNFR p75 in groups A and C, (P=0.001), but not in group B. Group C was also investigated during the third therapy cycle. The increase of sTNFR p75 was stronger (P=0.01) and that of TNF weaker than in the first cycle; the sTNFR p55 response was similar in both cycles. In conclusion sTNFR p55 and p75 are rapidly induced during IL-2 and IL-2+IFN treatment, the increase of sTNF receptors parallels or exceeds that of TNF and may influence the immunomodulatory effects of TNF during cytokine therapy.     

γ-Glutamyl conjugation of 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) in the earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris)

The conversion of 5-hydroxytryptamine to several potential metabolites was examined in the annelid earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris). 5-hydroxytryptamine and some related amines were found to be present in several tissues of the earthworm. Injection of 5-hydroxytryptamine into the body cavity of the earthworm resulted in the production of a -glutamyl conjugate of 5-hydroxytryptamine. Incubations of the anterior nerve cord of the earthworm resulted in the accumlation of considerable amounts of 5-hydroxytryptamine and -glutamyl 5-hydroxytryptamine in the incubation medium. The earthworm did not produce any N-acetyl 5-hydroxytryptamine and only very little 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid. Experiments involving the injection of radiolabeled 5-hydroxytryptamine or coninjection of radiolabeled glutamic acid with unlabeled 5-hydroxytryptamine into the earthworm resulted in the production of radiolabeled -glutamyl 5-hydroxytryptamine. This work demonstrates that the enzymatic conversion of 5-HT in the earthworm is markedly different from that of vertebrates and insects.     

Suppression of lymphocyte spontaneous proliferative response by proteolipid protein peptide in patients with HAM/TSP

To understand the immune mechanism suggested in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM/TSP), we investigated T cell response to proteolipid protein (PLP). Because of high autologous proliferative response (APR) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in culture, the lymphocyte proliferation assay was not useful in this disease. Unexpectedly, however, APR was profoundly (70–98%) suppressed in 6 of 9 cases when PLP peptide 105-124 was added in the culture. PLP peptide 85-104 or 145-159 also suppressed APR in a few cases. Time course study showed that the peptide-mediated suppression became apparent after day 4 in culture. The results can be interpreted as that suppressor cells recognizing the PLP peptides were present in the PBMC of HAM/TSP patients and suppressed the APR as the consequence of antigen specific response. This may indicate that a T cell response to certain PLP determinants is involved in the pathomechanism of HAM/TSP at least in part. Molecular mimicry between PLP and HTLV-I mayaccount for the T cell sensitization to PLP in HAM/TSP.Special issue dedicated to Dr. Marjorie B. Lees.     

Identification of N-terminal helix capping boxes by means of 13C chemical shifts

Summary We have examined the ¹³C and ¹³C chemical shifts of a number of proteins and found that their values at the N-terminal end of a helix provide a good predictor for the presence of a capping box. A capping box consists of a hydrogen-bonded cycle of four amino acids in which the side chain of the N-cap residue forms a hydrogen bond with the backbone amide of the N3 residue, whose side chain in turn may accept a hydrogen bond from the amide of the N-cap residue. The N-cap residue exhibits characteristic values for its backbone torsion angles, with and clustering around 94±15° and 167±5°, respectively. This is manifested by a 1–2 ppm upfield shift of the ¹³C resonance and a 1–4 ppm downfield shift of the ¹³C resonance, relative to their random coil values, and is mainly associated with the unusually large value of . The residues following the N-cap residue exhibit downfield shifts of 1–3 ppm for the ¹³C resonances and small upfield shifts for the ¹³C ones, typical of an -helix.     

Wave-separation in complex systems. Application to brain-signals

A departure from single-system dynamics, that may arise in characterizing self-organized dynamics of complex systems, is dealt with by using the Karhunen-Loève expansion of the trajectory matrix to decompose an experimental signal in a sum of spectral features. For an electroencephalographic -signal, a separation of waves and extraction of additive sub-signals are achieved, each sub-signal covering a well-bounded and physiologically meaningful frequency range. From the subsignals, an attractor that vanishes on phase-randomizing the data is characterized, under conditions where none was found for the recorded signal.     

Dynamics of the immune system response in cerebrospinal fluid and blood of SIVmac-infected rhesus monkeys

Paired sera and CSF samples were collected from SIV_mac-infected macaques. Animals infected with SIV_mac251 maintained low gag and high env-specific antibody levels in plasma. Increasing env-specific antibody titers in CSF were associated in one animal with strong intrathecal synthesis. SIV_mac239-infected monkeys revealed high antibody titers of gag and env-specificity, in one animal accompanied by weak intrathecal synthesis of virus-specific antibodies. In all animals, the CD4/CD8 ratio in CSF decreased faster compared to blood.