Senescence and steroid hormone receptor reactivities in accessory sex glands of elderly rats (Sprague-Dawley) following exogenous hormonal therapy

The aim of this study was to characterize the stromal and epithelial distribution of AR, ERα and ERβ reactivities in the different accessory sex glands of elderly rats and during strong hormonal changes. Ten month old male rats were divided into six senile groups and submitted to treatment: Senile/Control group (SC); Senile/Testosterone group (ST): Senile/Estrogen group (SE); Castrated group (CA); Castrated/Testosterone group (CT); Castrated/Estrogen group (CE). After a 30-day treatment, the prostatic ventral lobe (VL), dorsal lobe (DL) and coagulating gland (CG) samples were processed for immunohistochemistry and Western Blotting. The results showed that AR immunoreactivity was characterized in the epithelium of VL and DL in senile/control rats and senile rats submitted to exogenous hormonal therapy. AR reactivity in the coagulating gland was verified predominantly in the stromal cells in the different experimental groups. ERα reactivity occurred predominantly in the stromal compartment in all accessory sex glands. In the DL and CG, ERα immunoreactivities were intense in the groups which received testosterone (ST) and estrogen (SE). ERβ immunoreactivity in the CG was verified in the stromal compartment in the different experimental groups, showing a positive response to both increased testosterone and estrogen levels. ERβ reactivity, in the DL, was intensified in the stroma of senile rats with higher serum testosterone levels, and in senile rats with increased serum estrogen levels, especially in the glandular epithelium. Thus, the results revealed different distribution pattern of steroid hormone receptors in each one of the prostatic lobes in senescence, especially in the prostate dorsal lobe and coagulating gland, which is a fundamental factor due to the fact that major prostatic diseases occur in a later period of life.     

Alcoholism and coagulating gland: Androgen and insulin like growth factor-1 receptor features

The aim of this work was to characterize the structural and molecular changes in the coagulating gland from rats submitted to long-term alcohol treatment, as well as the possibility of recovery of these parameters after interrupting the alcohol administration. Ten Wistar and twenty UChB rats were divided into: Control group received tap water; Alcoholic group received 10% (v/v) ethanol daily for 150 days; and Abstinent group, received 10% (v/v) ethanol daily for 120 days and then tap water like the control for another 30 days. After 150 days, samples from the coagulating glands were processed for morphological and immunohistochemical analyses. The results showed atrophied epithelium and hypertrophied stroma, especially in the alcoholic group. Intensed androgen receptor (AR) immunolocalization was verified in the epithelium and weak in the stroma of the control group in relation to the other groups. Intensed insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 (IGFR-1) immunolocalization was verified in the stroma of the alcoholic and abstinent groups. Thus, it could be concluded that the excessive alcohol consumption caused morphological and molecular changes in the coagulating gland, characterizing the inverse relation of AR and IGFR-1 localization. The alcohol was an important factor in cellular mitosis occurrence, which could be fundamental element involved in glandular lesions.     

Four-stranded coiled-coil elastic protein in the byssus of the giant clam, Tridacna maxima

An elastic protein with a secondary structure distinct from all well-known load-bearing proteins is found in the byssus of the giant clam, Tridacna maxima . The byssus consists of a bundle of hundreds of individual threads, each measuring about about 100 μm in diameter, which exhibit a tendon-like mechanical response. The amino acid composition of Tridacna byssus, however, is unlike tendon collagen, lacking high glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements suggest that the constituent nanofibrils of the byssal threads are distinct from known secondary structure motifs previously reported for elastic proteins including the collagen triple-helix, the β-sheet nanocrystalline domains of silks, or the double-stranded coiled-coil regions of intermediate filaments. Instead, X-ray diffraction data indicate a structural organization in which four coiled-coil α-helices form a stable rope-like structure, which then further pack in a pseudohexagonal lattice to form nanofibrils. Amino acid composition analysis shows unusually high concentrations of acidic as well as basic residues, suggesting that the four-helix structure is stabilized by strong ionic interactions between oppositely charged residues in neighboring strands. The composition also suggests additional stabilization by disulfide cross-linking. On a larger scale, scanning and conventional transmission electron microscope (STEM and TEM) observations indicate that the nanofibrils exhibit an alternating periodicity of about 500 nm along the axial direction. A molecular model that combines the mechanical properties with the structural characteristics of the Tridacna byssal threads is proposed.     

Genome sequence of the marine bacterium Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus SP17, which forms biofilms on hydrophobic organic compounds

Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus SP17 forms biofilms specifically at the interface between water and hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) that are used as carbon and energy sources. Biofilm formation at the HOC-water interface has been recognized as a strategy to overcome the low availability of these nearly water-insoluble substrates. Here, we present the genome sequence of SP17, which could provide further insights into the mechanisms of enhancement of HOCs assimilation through biofilm formation.     

Contributions of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin to the mass and the porous properties of chars and steam activated carbons from various lignocellulosic precursors

In this study, contributions of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin to the mass and the porous properties of chars and activated carbons from various lignocellulosic materials were studied. A predictive calculation was established using the experimental results obtained for the three components separately to evaluate the carbonization and activation yields and their respective contributions to the chars and to the subsequent activated carbons of various precursors in term of weight fraction. These equations were validated. The results showed that lignin can be considering as being the major contributor of all chars and activated carbons. Besides, the evolution of the mean pore size versus the specific porous volume showed that each component contributes to the porosity of chars and activated carbons whatever is its weight contribution.     

Crystal structure and site-directed mutagenesis of a bleomycin resistance protein and their significance for drug sequestering.

The antibiotic bleomycin, a strong DNA cutting agent, is naturally produced by actinomycetes which have developed a resistance mechanism against such a lethal compound. The crystal structure, at 2.3 A resolution, of a bleomycin resistance protein of 14 kDa reveals a structure in two halves with the same alpha/beta fold despite no sequence similarity. The crystal packing shows compact dimers with a hydrophobic interface and involved in mutual chain exchange. Two independent solution studies (analytical centrifugation and light scattering) showed that this dimeric form is not a packing artefact but is indeed the functional one. Furthermore, light scattering also showed that one dimer binds two antibiotic molecules as expected. A crevice located at the dimer interface, as well as the results of a site-directed mutagenesis study, led to a model wherein two bleomycin molecules are completely sequestered by one dimer. This provides a novel insight into antibiotic resistance due to drug sequestering, and probably also into drug transport and excretion.