On the ultrastructure of hyalin, a cell adhesion protein of the sea urchin embryo extracellular matrix

Hyalin is a large (ca. 350 x 10(3) kD by gel electrophoresis) molecule that contributes to the hyalin layer surrounding the sea urchin embryo. In previous work a mAb (McA Tg-HYL), specific for hyalin, was found to inhibit cell-hyalin adhesion and block morphogenesis of whole embryos (Adelson, D. L., and T. D. Humphreys. 1988. Development. 104:391-402). In this report, hyalin ultrastructure was examined via rotary shadowing. Hyalin appeared to be a filamentous molecule approximately 75-nm long with a globular "head" about 12 nm in diameter that tended to form aggregates by associating head to head. Hyalin molecules tended to associate with a distinct high molecular weight globular particle ("core"). In fractions containing the core particle often more than one hyalin molecule were seen to be associated with the core. The core particle maintained a tenacious association with hyalin throughout purification procedures. The site(s) of McA Tg-HYL binding to the hyalin molecule were visualized by decorating purified hyalin with the antibody and then rotary shadowing the complex. In these experiments, McA Tg-HYL attached to the hyalin filament near the head region in a pattern suggesting that more than one antibody binding site exists on the hyalin filament. From the ultrastructural data and from the cell adhesion data presented earlier we conclude that hyalin is a filamentous molecule that binds to other hyalin molecules and contains multiple cell binding sites. Attempts were made to demonstrate the existence of lower molecular weight hyalin precursors. Whilst no such precursors could be identified by immunoprecipitation of in vivo labeled embryo lysates, immunoprecipitation of in vitro translation products suggested such precursors (ca 40 x 10(3) kD) might exist.     

Development of cell surface saccharides on embryonic pancreatic cells

Using a battery of seven lectin-ferritin conjugates as probes for cell surface glycoconjugates, we have studied the pattern of plasmalemmal differentiation of cells in the embryonic rat pancreas from day 15 in utero to the early postpartum stage. Our results indicate that differentiation of plasmalemmal glycoconjugates on acinar, endocrine, and centroacinar cells is temporally correlated with development and is unique for each cell type, as indicated by lectin-ferritin binding. Specifically, (a) expression of adult cell surface saccharide phenotype can be detected on presumptive acinar cells as early as 15 d in utero, as indicated by soybean agglutinin binding, and precedes development of intracellular organelles characteristic of mature acinar cells; (b) maturation of the plasmalemma of acinar cells is reached after intracellular cytodifferentiation is completed, as indicated by appearance of Con A and fucoselectin binding sites only at day 19 of development; conversely, maturation of the endocrine cell plasmalemma is accompanied by "loss" (masking) of ricinus communis II agglutinin receptors; and (c) binding sites for fucose lectins and for soybean agglutinin are absent on endocrine and centroacinar cells at all stages examined. We conclude that acinar, centroacinar, and endocrine cells develop from a common progenitor cell(s) whose plasmalemmal carbohydrate composition resembles most closely that of the adult centroacinar cell. Finally, appearance of acinar lumina beginning at approximately 17 d in utero is accompanied by differenetiation of apical and basolateral plasmalemmal domains of epithelial cells, as indicated by enhanced binding of several lectin-ferritin conjugates to the apical plasmalemmal, a pattern that persists from this stage through adult life.     

Aporphine Alkaloids from Ocotea puberula with Anti-Trypanosoma Cruzi Potential – Activity of Dicentrine-β-N-Oxide in the Plasma Membrane Electric Potentials

One new aporphine, dicentrine-β-N-oxide ( 1 ), together with five related known alkaloids dehydrodicentrine ( 2 ), predicentrine ( 3 ), N-methyllaurotetanine ( 4 ), cassythicine ( 5 ), and dicentrine ( 6 ) were isolated from the leaves of Ocotea puberula (Lauraceae). Antiprotozoal activity of the isolated compounds was evaluated in vitro against trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. Among the tested compounds, alkaloid 1 exhibited higher potential with EC₅₀ value of 18.2 μM and reduced toxicity against NCTC cells (CC₅₀>200 μM – SI>11.0), similar to positive control benznidazole (EC₅₀ of 17.7 μM and SI=10.7). Considering the promising results of dicentrine-β-N-oxide ( 1 ) against trypomastigotes, the mechanism of parasite death caused by this alkaloid was investigated. As observed, this compound reached the plasma membrane electric potential directly after 2 h of incubation and triggered mitochondrial depolarization, which probably leads to trypomastigote death. Therefore, dicentrine-β-N-oxide ( 1 ), reported for the first time in this work, can contribute to future works for the development of new trypanocidal agents.     

Age-Specific Mortality During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Unravelling the Mystery of High Young Adult Mortality

The worldwide spread of a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus in 2009 showed that influenza remains a significant health threat, even for individuals in the prime of life. This paper focuses on the unusually high young adult mortality observed during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. Using historical records from Canada and the U.S., we report a peak of mortality at the exact age of 28 during the pandemic and argue that this increased mortality resulted from an early life exposure to influenza during the previous Russian flu pandemic of 1889–90. We posit that in specific instances, development of immunological memory to an influenza virus strain in early life may lead to a dysregulated immune response to antigenically novel strains encountered in later life, thereby increasing the risk of death. Exposure during critical periods of development could also create holes in the T cell repertoire and impair fetal maturation in general, thereby increasing mortality from infectious diseases later in life. Knowledge of the age-pattern of susceptibility to mortality from influenza could improve crisis management during future influenza pandemics.

“The war is over – and I must go” Egon Schiele, 1890–1918.

     

Comparative GO: A Web Application for Comparative Gene Ontology and Gene Ontology-Based Gene Selection in Bacteria

Availabilityhttp://turing.ersa.edu.au/BacteriaGO.     

Abnormalities induced by agricultural pesticides in the microsporogenesis of olive tree (Olea europaea L.) cultivars

The study evaluated the microsporogenesis of olive trees subjected to different agricultural pesticide applications during flowering. Inflorescences of cultivars Arbequina and MGS GRAP541 were subjected to agricultural pesticides: mineral oil, neem oil, dimethoate and deltamethrin. The floral buds were fixed in Carnoy for the microsporogenesis analysis and in Karnovsky for scanning electron microscopy. The slides were prepared by squash technique and staining with propionic carmine. The pollen viability was determined by Alexander’s stain and in vitro germination. Results show that the quantification of abnormalities in meiosis in the two cultivars caused significant effect among the treatments, being that all differed statistically from the control group. Both methods showed a higher percentage of viable pollens in the control treatment and lower percentage of viability with the agricultural pesticides. The method of pollen viability by staining presented the highest averages of viable pollens, but when compared together, both methods presented a strongly related positive linear correlation. It was concluded that the used chemical products increased the percentage of chromosomal abnormalities during microsporogenesis, which interfered in the pollen viability of the two analyzed cultivars. The product deltamethrin caused the strongest effect on meiosis and on pollen viability.     

Serological Diagnosis of Human Babesiosis by IgG Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of IgG antibodies to Babesia microti antigen was developed. B. microti antigens were harvested from experimentally infected hamster blood and used as a coating antigen. The sensitivity and specificity of the IgG ELISA relative to immunofluorescent antibody assay (IFA) testing was 95.5% and 94.1%, respectively. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve was 0.987. No cross-reactivity of serum samples collected from patients infected with Toxoplasma gondii, Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Bartonella quintana, Dengue virus, or West Nile virus was detected. Cross-reactivity was observed with one of 35 sera from patients infected with Bartonella henselae. These results indicate that the established ELISA methods could be utilized as an accurate measure for the clinical diagnosis of human babesiosis.     

The cover of living and dead corals from airborne remote sensing

Trends in coral cover are widely used to indicate the health of coral reefs but are costly to obtain from field survey over large areas. In situ studies of reflected spectra at the coral surface show that living and recently dead colonies can be distinguished. Here, we investigate whether such spectral differences can be detected using an airborne remote sensing instrument. The Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (Itres Research Ltd, Canada) was flown in two configurations: 10 spectral bands with 1-m² pixels and 6 spectral bands with 0.25-m² pixels. First, we show that an instrument with 10 spectral bands possesses adequate spectral resolution to distinguish living Porites, living Pocillopora spp., partially dead Porites, recently dead Porites (total colony mortality within 6 months), old dead (>6 months) Porites, Halimeda spp., and coralline red algae when there is no water column to confuse spectra. All substrata were distinguished using fourth-order spectral derivatives around 538 nm and 562 nm. Then, at a shallow site (Tivaru) at Rangiroa Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia), we show that live and dead coral can be distinguished from the air to a depth of at least 4 m using first- and fourth-order spectral derivatives between 562–580 nm. However, partially dead and recently dead Porites colonies could not be distinguished from an airborne platform. Spectral differences among substrata are then exploited to predict the cover of reef substrata in ten 25-m² plots at nearby Motu Nuhi (max depth 8 m). The actual cover in these plots was determined in situ using quadrats with a 0.01-m² grid. Considerable disparity occurred between field and image-based measures of substrate cover within individual 25-m² quadrats. At this small scale, disparity, measured as the absolute difference in cover between field and remote-sensing methods, reached 25% in some substrata but was always less than 10% for living coral (99% of which consisted of Porites spp.). At the scale of the reef (all ten 25-m² quadrats), however, disparities in percent cover between imagery and field data were less than 10% for all substrata and extremely low for some classes (e.g. <3% for living Porites, recently dead Porites and Halimeda). The least accurately estimated substrata were sand and coralline red algae, which were overestimated by absolute values 7.9% and 6.6%, respectively. The precision of sampling was similar for field and remote-sensing methods: field methods required 19 plots to detect a 10% difference in coral cover among three reefs with a statistical power of 95%. Remote-sensing methods required 21 plots. However, it took 1 h to acquire imagery over 92,500 m² of reef, which represents 3,700 plots of 25 m² each, compared with 3 days to survey 10 such plots underwater. There were no significant differences in accuracy between 1-m² and 0.25-m² image resolutions, suggesting that the advantage of using smaller pixels is offset by reduced spectral information and an increase in noise (noise was observed to be 1.6–1.8 times greater in 0.25-m² pixels). We show that airborne remote sensing can be used to monitor coral and algal cover over large areas, providing that water is shallow and clear, and that brown fleshy macroalgae are scarce, that depth is known independently (e.g. from sonar survey).