Physiological responses of exercised-fatigued individuals exposed to wet-cold conditions.

Thirteen healthy and fit men [age = 27 +/- 8 (SD) yr, height = 177 +/- 5 cm, mass = 75 +/- 7 kg, body fat = 14 +/- 5%, maximal O2 consumption = 51 +/- 4 ml. kg-1. min-1] participated in an experiment designed to test their thermoregulatory response to a challenging cold exposure after 5 h of demanding mixed exercise during which only water was consumed. Subjects expended 7,314 +/- 741 kJ on cycling, rowing, and treadmill-walking machines, performed 8,403 +/- 1,401 kg. m of mechanical work during resistance exercises, and completed 120 inclined sit-ups. Subjects then assumed a seated position in a 10 degrees C air environment while wearing shorts, T-shirt, rain hat, and neoprene gloves and boots. After 30 min the subjects were showered continuously with cold water ( approximately 920 ml/min at 10 degrees C) on their backs accompanied by a 6 km/h wind for up to 4 h. Blood samples were taken from the nondominant arm every 30 min during the exposure and assayed for energy metabolites, hormones, indexes of hydration, and neurotransmitters. Counterbalanced control trials without prior exercise were also conducted. Blood insulin was higher during the control trial, whereas values of glycerol, nonesterified fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate, lactate, cortisol, free triiodothyronine, and thyroxine were lower. Three subjects lasted the maximum duration of 4.5 h for control and fatigue trials, with final rectal temperatures of 36.43 +/- 0.21 and 36.08 +/- 0.49 degrees C, respectively. Overall, the duration of 172 +/- 68 (SD) min for the fatigue trial was not significantly different from that of the control trial (197 +/- 72 min) and, therefore, was not affected by the preexposure exercise. Although duration was positively correlated to body fatness and shivering intensity, the latter was not correlated to any physical characteristic or the fitness level of the individual.     

The role of the cysteine-rich region of the β2 integrin subunit in the leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1, αLβ2, CD11a/CD18) heterodimer formation and ligand binding

The cysteine-rich region (CRR) of the β2 integrin subunit was replaced by that of β1 to give the chimera β2NV1. β2NV1 can combine with αL to form a variant leukocyte-function-associated antigen (LFA)-1 on COS cell surface, suggesting that the specificity of the β2 interaction with αL does not lie in the CRR. Unlike those expressing wild-type LFA-1, COS cells expressing αLβ2NV1 are constitutively active in intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 adhesion. These results suggest that activation of LFA-1 involves the release of an intramolecular constraint, which is maintained, in part, by the authentic β2 CRR.     

An “orientation sphere” visualization for examining animal head movements

1. Animal behavior is elicited, in part, in response to external conditions, but understanding how animals perceive the environment and make the decisions that bring about these behavioral responses is challenging.
2. Animal heads often move during specific behaviors and, additionally, typically have sensory systems (notably vision, smell, and hearing) sampling in defined arcs (normally to the front of their heads). As such, head‐mounted electronic sensors consisting of accelerometers and magnetometers, which can be used to determine the movement and directionality of animal heads (where head “movement” is defined here as changes in heading [azimuth] and/or pitch [elevation angle]), can potentially provide information both on behaviors in general and also clarify which parts of the environment the animals might be prioritizing (“environmental framing”).
3. We propose a new approach to visualize the data of such head‐mounted tags that combines the instantaneous outputs of head heading and pitch in a single intuitive spherical plot. This sphere has magnetic heading denoted by “longitude” position and head pitch by “latitude” on this “orientation sphere” (O‐sphere).
4. We construct the O‐sphere for the head rotations of a number of vertebrates with contrasting body shape and ecology (oryx, sheep, tortoises, and turtles), illustrating various behaviors, including foraging, walking, and environmental scanning. We also propose correcting head orientations for body orientations to highlight specific heading‐independent head rotation, and propose the derivation of O‐sphere‐metrics, such as angular speed across the sphere. This should help identify the functions of various head behaviors.
5. Visualizations of the O‐sphere provide an intuitive representation of animal behavior manifest via head orientation and rotation. This has ramifications for quantifying and understanding behaviors ranging from navigation through vigilance to feeding and, when used in tandem with body movement, should provide an important link between perception of the environment and response to it in free‐ranging animals.

     

The cucumber mosaic virus 1a protein regulates interactions between the 2b protein and ARGONAUTE 1 while maintaining the silencing suppressor activity of the 2b protein

The cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) 2b viral suppressor of RNA silencing (VSR) is a potent counter-defense and pathogenicity factor that inhibits antiviral silencing by titration of short double-stranded RNAs. It also disrupts microRNA-mediated regulation of host gene expression by binding ARGONAUTE 1 (AGO1). But in Arabidopsis thaliana complete inhibition of AGO1 is counterproductive to CMV since this triggers another layer of antiviral silencing mediated by AGO2, de-represses strong resistance against aphids (the insect vectors of CMV), and exacerbates symptoms. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and co-immunoprecipitation assays we found that the CMV 1a protein, a component of the viral replicase complex, regulates the 2b-AGO1 interaction. By binding 2b protein molecules and sequestering them in P-bodies, the 1a protein limits the proportion of 2b protein molecules available to bind AGO1, which ameliorates 2b-induced disease symptoms, and moderates induction of resistance to CMV and to its aphid vector. However, the 1a protein-2b protein interaction does not inhibit the ability of the 2b protein to inhibit silencing of reporter gene expression in agroinfiltration assays. The interaction between the CMV 1a and 2b proteins represents a novel regulatory system in which specific functions of a VSR are selectively modulated by another viral protein. The finding also provides a mechanism that explains how CMV, and possibly other viruses, modulates symptom induction and manipulates host-vector interactions.     

Radiation inactivation target size of rat adipocyte glucose transporters in the plasma membrane and intracellular pools

The in situ assembly states of the glucose transport carrier protein in the plasma membrane and in the intracellular (microsomal) storage pool of rat adipocytes were assessed by studying radiation-induced inactivation of the D-glucose-sensitive cytochalasin B binding activities. High energy radiation inactivated the glucose-sensitive cytochalasin B binding of each of these membrane preparations by reducing the total number of the binding sites without affecting the dissociation constant. The reduction in total number of binding sites was analyzed as a function of radiation dose based on target theory, from which a radiation-sensitive mass (target size) was calculated. When the plasma membranes of insulin-treated adipocytes were used, a target size of approximately 58,000 daltons was obtained. For adipocyte microsomal membranes, we obtained target sizes of approximately 112,000 and 109,000 daltons prior to and after insulin treatment, respectively. In the case of microsomal membranes, however, inactivation data showed anomalously low radiation sensitivities at low radiation doses, which may be interpreted as indicating the presence of a radiation-sensitive inhibitor. These results suggest that the adipocyte glucose transporter occurs as a monomer in the plasma membrane while existing in the intracellular reserve pool either as a homodimer or as a stoichiometric complex with a protein of an approximately equal size.     

Lung protein leaks in ventilated lambs: effects of gestational age

To study the protein permeability properties of the ventilated premature lung, we delivered groups of eight lambs at 122 and 135 days gestational age and ventilated the lambs equivalently. The lambs at 122 days gestational age had been treated with natural sheep surfactant at birth, and both groups of lambs had similar pH and blood gas values to 3 h of age. Three groups of lambs at 146 days gestational age also were studied for comparison; four lambs were ventilated to normalized PCO2 values, four lambs were ventilated equivalently to the premature lambs with supplemental CO2 used to normalize PCO2 values, and four lambs were treated with natural surfactant and ventilated similarly to the preterm lambs. The percent recovery into an alveolar wash and lung tissue of 131I-albumin given by intravascular injection and of 125I-albumin given into the airways was measured in each animal after killing at 3 h of age. Full-term lambs had a small bidirectional leak of albumin to and from the alveoli and lung tissue. The recovery of intravascular 131I-albumin in the alveolar wash was 5.8- and 4.1-fold higher in lambs at 122 and 135 days gestational age, respectively, than in full-term lambs. The loss of 125I-albumin from the airways and alveoli also increased as gestational age decreased. The bidirectional flux of albumin to and from the alveoli increased as gestational age decreased in the prematurely delivered and ventilated lambs.