Minimum requirements for ookinete to oocyst transformation in Plasmodium

During their passage through a mosquito vector, malaria parasites undergo several developmental transformations including that from a motile zygote, the ookinete, to a sessile oocyst that develops beneath the basal lamina of the midgut epithelium. This transformation process is poorly understood and the oocyst is the least studied of all the stages in the malaria life cycle. We have used an in vitro culture system to monitor morphological features associated with transformation of Plasmodium berghei ookinetes and the role of basal lamina components in this process. We also describe the minimal requirements for transformation and early oocyst development. A defined sequence of events begins with the break-up of the inner surface membrane, specifically along the convex side of the ookinete, where a protrusion occurs. A distinct form, the transforming ookinete or took, has been identified in vitro and also observed in vivo. Contrary to previous suggestions, we have shown that no basal lamina components are required to trigger ookinete to oocyst transformation in vitro. We have demonstrated that transformation does not occur spontaneously; it is initiated in the presence of bicarbonate added to PBS, but it is not mediated by changes in pH alone. Transformation is a two-step process that is not completed unless a range of nutrients are also present. A minimal medium is defined which supports transformation and oocyst growth from 7.8 to 11.4microm by day 5 with 84% viability. We conclude that ookinete transformation is mediated by bicarbonate and occurs in a similar manner to the differentiation of sporozoite to the hepatic stage.     

Nuclear matrix of the most primitive eukaryote Archezoa

Accumulating evidence suggests that unicellularArchezoa are the most primitive eukaryotes and their nuclei are of significance to the study of evolution of the eukaryotic nucleus. Nuclear matrix is an ubiquitous important structure of eukaryotic nucleus; its evolution is certainly one of the most important parts of the evolution of nucleus. To study the evolution of nuclear matrix, nuclear matrices ofArchezoa are investigated.Giardia lamblia cells are extracted sequentially. Both embedment-free section EM and whole mount cell EM of the extracted cells show that, like higher eukaryotes, this species has a residual nuclear matrix in its nucleus and rich intermediate filaments in its cytoplasm, and the two networks connect with each other to form a united network. But its nuclear matrix does not have nucleolar matrix and its lamina is not as typical as that of higher eukaryotes; Western blotting shows that lamina ofGiardia and two otherArchezoa Entanzoeba invadens andTrichomonas vaginali all contain only one polypeptide each which reacts with a mammalia anti-lamin polyclonal serum and is similar to lamin B (67 ku) of rnammiia in molecular weight. According to the results and references, it is suggested that nuclear matrix is an early acquisition of the eukaryotic nucleus, and it and the “eukaryotic chromatin” as a whole must have originated very early in the process of evolution of eukaryotic cell, and their origin should be an important prerequisite of the origin of eukaryotic nucleus: in the lamin (gene) family, B-type lamins (gene) should be the ancestral typz and that A-type lamins (gene) might derive therefrom. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 3870254).     

Lamin A/C recruits ssDNA protective proteins RPA and RAD51 to stalled replication forks to maintain fork stability

Lamin A/C provides a nuclear scaffold for compartmentalization of genome function that is important for genome integrity. Lamin A/C dysfunction is associated with cancer, aging, and degenerative diseases. The mechanisms whereby lamin A/C regulates genome stability remain poorly understood. We demonstrate a crucial role for lamin A/C in DNA replication. Lamin A/C binds to nascent DNA, especially during replication stress (RS), ensuring the recruitment of replication fork protective factors RPA and RAD51. These ssDNA-binding proteins, considered the first and second responders to RS respectively, function in the stabilization, remodeling, and repair of the stalled fork to ensure proper restart and genome stability. Reduced recruitment of RPA and RAD51 upon lamin A/C depletion elicits replication fork instability (RFI) characterized by MRE11 nuclease–mediated degradation of nascent DNA, RS-induced DNA damage, and sensitivity to replication inhibitors. Importantly, unlike homologous recombination–deficient cells, RFI in lamin A/C-depleted cells is not linked to replication fork reversal. Thus, the point of entry of nucleases is not the reversed fork but regions of ssDNA generated during RS that are not protected by RPA and RAD51. Consistently, RFI in lamin A/C-depleted cells is rescued by exogenous overexpression of RPA or RAD51. These data unveil involvement of structural nuclear proteins in the protection of ssDNA from nucleases during RS by promoting recruitment of RPA and RAD51 to stalled forks. Supporting this model, we show physical interaction between RPA and lamin A/C. We suggest that RS is a major source of genomic instability in laminopathies and lamin A/C-deficient tumors.     

Burning effects on detritivory and litter decay in Campos grasslands

Disturbances are primary forces creating spatial heterogeneity in ecosystems, and inducing changes on biological communities, abiotic characteristics and ecological processes. Here we focus on the effects of fire disturbance in the decomposition process at subtropical Campos grasslands in South Brazil, where burns are traditionally used to reduce shrub encroachment, and improve forage quality. We experimentally investigated how burns and the changes they produce in grassland habitat conditions affect soil fauna detritivory and surface leaf‐litter decaying patterns over one year. Previously to fire, we found significant correlation of litter decay with plant evenness and detritivory rates in non‐disturbed grasslands. One month after fire grassland patches presented reduced soil fauna densities and surface feeding activity possible because of the mortality caused directly by heating, and/or due to harsh microenvironmental filters to fauna colonization and permanency (e.g. decreased humidity). At 6–7 months after fire however these features did not differ any more from the paired unburned plots. On the other hand, canopy openness accelerated the decaying of leaf‐litter in burned patches by allowing increased action of abiotic factors as solar radiation potentially triggering photodegradation. These effects seemed to last less than one year. Overall, our results bring insights regarding drivers of soil ecological processes at local scales in subtropical grasslands, and suggest that detritivory and litter decay processes are sensitive to fire, but resilient following grassland recovering.     

Lamina replacement with titanium plate fixation improves spinal stability after total lumbar laminectomy

Biomechanical experiments and strain analyses were performed to investigate the effects of lamina replacement surgery for intraspinal lesions on postoperative spinal stability. Eight specimens of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae (T12–L4) were collected from adult cadavers. Stepwise lumbar total laminectomy, and laminoplasty with lamina reduction and replacement was undertaken in combination with titanium-plate fixation to simulate the surgical setting. The effects of thoracic and lumbar vertebral strain, displacement, and rigidity on spinal stability were measured following both single and multiple segment laminectomy. Significant differences in mechanical indices of stability were seen between stepwise laminectomy of lumbar vertebrae and normal specimens (p < 0.05), between lamina replacement in combination with titanium-plate fixation and laminectomy (p < 0.05), and between single- and multiple-segment laminectomy (p < 0.05). Differences between laminoplasty with lamina replacement in combination with titanium-plate fixation and normal specimens need to be examined for further study. Lumbar laminectomy followed by reduction and replacement, in combination with titanium-plate fixation, was shown to be beneficial in terms of preserving spinal stability and maintaining biomechanical function and spinal loading capability.     

Characterization of Dystroglycan-Laminin Interaction in Peripheral Nerve

Abstract: Dystroglycan is encoded by a single gene and cleaved into two proteins, α- and β-dystroglycan, by posttranslational processing. The 120-kDa peripheral nerve isoform of α-dystroglycan binds laminin-2 comprised of the α2, β1, and γ1 chains. In congenital muscular dystrophy and dy mice deficient in laminin α2 chain, peripheral myelination is disturbed, suggesting a role for the dystroglycan-laminin interaction in peripheral myelinogenesis. To begin to test this hypothesis, we have characterized the dystroglycan-laminin interaction in peripheral nerve. We demonstrate that (1) α-dystroglycan is an extracellular peripheral membrane glycoprotein that links β-dystroglycan in the Schwann cell outer membrane with laminin-2 in the endoneurial basal lamina, and (2) dystrophin homologues Dp116 and utrophin are cytoskeletal proteins of the Schwann cell cytoplasm. We also present data that suggest a role for glycosylation of α-dystroglycan in the interaction with laminin.     

Elevated MTORC1 signaling and impaired autophagy

A-type lamins, generated from the LMNA gene by differential splicing, are type V intermediate filament proteins that polymerize to form part of the nuclear lamina, and are of considerable medical interest because missense mutations in LMNA give rise to a wide range of dystrophic and progeroid syndromes. Among these are dilated cardiomyopathy and two forms of muscular dystrophy (limb-girdle and Emery-Dreifuss), which are modeled in lmna^?/? mice and mice engineered to express human disease mutations. Our recent study demonstrates that cardiac and skeletal muscle pathology in lmna^?/? mice can be attributed to elevated MTORC1 signaling leading to impairment of autophagic flux. An accompanying paper from another laboratory shows similar impairments in mice engineered to express the LMNA H222P associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in humans and also in left ventricular tissue from human subjects. MTORC1 inhibition with rapalogs restores autophagic flux and improves cardiac function in both mouse models, and extends survival in the lmna^?/? mice. These findings elaborate a potential treatment option for dilated cardiomyopathy and muscular dystrophy associated with LMNA mutation and supplement growing evidence linking impaired autophagy to human disease.     

油菜甾醇内酯类化合物结构与活性的相关性

比较了19种油菜甾醇内酯类似物和有关甾体化合物在水稻叶片倾斜及萝卜幼苗生长试验中的生物活性。表油菜甾醇内酯(24—Epi—BR)在两个系统中都具有很强的生物活性。C_2位失去羟基(香蒲甾醇)仅在水稻试验中有高活性,改变C_22位侧链结构(2α,3α双羟基—6—酮—23,24—双失碳—β—高-5α—胆烷酸甲酯)在萝卜试验中仍有活性。     

FGF signaling gradient maintains symmetrical proliferative divisions of midbrain neuronal progenitors

For the correct development of the central nervous system, the balance between self-renewing and differentiating divisions of the neuronal progenitors must be tightly regulated. To maintain their self-renewing identity, the progenitors need to retain both apical and basal interfaces. However, the identities of fate-determining signals which cells receive via these connections, and the exact mechanism of their action, are poorly understood. The conditional inactivation of Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptors 1 and 2 in the embryonic mouse midbrain–hindbrain area results in premature neuronal differentiation. Here, we aim to elucidate the connection between FGF signaling and neuronal progenitor maintenance. Our results reveal that the loss of FGF signaling leads to downregulation of Hes1 and upregulation of Ngn2, Dll1, and p57 in the ventricular zone (VZ) cells, and that this increased neurogenesis occurs cell-autonomously. Yet the cell cycle progression, apico-basal-polarity, cell–cell connections, and the positioning of mitotic spindle in the mutant VZ appear unaltered. Interestingly, FGF8-protein is highly concentrated in the basal lamina. Thus, FGFs may act through basal processes of neuronal progenitors to maintain their progenitor status. Indeed, midbrain neuronal progenitors deprived in vitro of FGFs switched from symmetrical proliferative towards symmetrical neurogenic divisions. We suggest that FGF signaling in the midbrain VZ is cell-autonomously required for the maintenance of symmetrical proliferative divisions via Hes1-mediated repression of neurogenic genes.