Cloning of Trametes versicolor Genes Induced by Nitrogen Starvation

We have screened a genomic library of Trametes versicolor for genes whose expression is associated with nitrogen starvation, which has been shown to induce ligninolytic activity. Using two different approaches based on differential expression, we isolated 29 clones. These were shown by restriction mapping and cross-hybridization to code for 11 distinct differentially expressed genes. Northern analysis of the kinetics of expression of these genes revealed that at least four of them have kinetics of induction that parallel kinetics of induction of ligninolytic activity.     

Yeast Mutants Deficient in Er-Associated Degradation of the Z Variant of Alpha-1-Protease Inhibitor

Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants deficient in degradation of alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor Z (A1PiZ) have been isolated and genetically characterized. Wild-type yeast expressing A1PiZ synthesize an ER form of this protein that is rapidly degraded by an intracellular proteolytic process known as ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD). The mutant strains were identified after treatment with EMS using a colony blot immunoassay to detect colonies that accumulated high levels of A1PiZ. A total of 120,000 colonies were screened and 30 putative mutants were identified. The level of A1PiZ accumulation in these mutants, measured by ELISA, ranged from two to 11 times that of A1PiZ in the parent strain. Further studies demonstrated that the increased levels of A1PiZ in most of the mutant strains was not the result of defective secretion or elevated A1PiZ mRNA. Pulse chase experiments indicated that A1PiZ was stabilized in several strains, evidence that these mutants are defective in ER-associated protein degradation. Genetic analyses revealed that most of the mutations were recessive, ~30% of the mutants characterized conformed to simple Mendelian inheritance, and at least seven complementation groups were identified.     

Intratumor heterogeneity of biomarker expression in breast carcinomas

Small biopsy samples are used increasingly to assess the biomarker expression for prognostic information and for monitoring therapeutic responses prior to and during neoadjuvant therapy. The issue of intratumor heterogeneity of expression of biomarkers, however, has raised questions about the validity of the assessment of biomarker expression based on limited tissue samples. We examined immunohistochemically the expression of HER-2neu (p185^erbB-2), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Bcl-2, p53, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in 30 breast carcinomas using archived, paraffin embedded tissue and determined the extent of intratumor heterogeneity. Each section was divided into four randomly oriented discrete regions, each containing a portion of the infiltrating carcinoma. For each tumor, the entire lesion and four regions were analyzed for the expression of these markers. Scores of both membrane and cytoplasmic staining of HER-2neu and EGFR, scores of cytoplasmic staining of Bcl-2, and scores of nuclear staining of both p53 and PCNA were recorded. The intensity of staining and the proportion of immunostained cells were determined. A semiquantitative immunoscore was calculated by determining the sum of the products of the intensity and corresponding proportion of stained tumor cells. We analyzed both invasive (IDC) and in situ (DCIS) carcinomas. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for paired comparisons between overall and regional immunoscores and between overall and regional percentages of stained cells. Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to assess the level of agreement of overall biomarker expression with each of the regions. Generalized linear models were used to assess overall and pair-wise differences in the absolute values of percent changes between overall and regional expression of biomarkers. For IDCs, there were no statistically significant differences in the expression of the biomarkers in terms of either the percentage of cells staining or the immunoscores when comparing the entire tumor with each region except for the lower EGFR expression of arbitrarily selected region 1 and lower p53 expression of region 1 compared to that of the entire tumor section. For DCIS, there were no statistically significant differences in the expression of the biomarkers between the entire tumor and each region except in PCNA of region 2 compared to that of entire tumor section. Positive correlation of immunoscores was observed between the entire tumor and each region as well as across all four regions for IDC. Similar observations were noted with DCIS except for HER-2neu and PCNA. No statistically significant differences were observed in the absolute values of percent changes of biomarker expression between overall and the four regions for both DCIS and IDC. Therefore, no significant intratumor heterogeneity in the expression of HER-2neu, Bcl-2, and PCNA was observed in IDC. Minor regional variations were observed for EGFR and p53 in IDC. Similarly, no significant regional variation in the expression of markers was observed in DCIS except for PCNA.     

Electroencephalographic brain dynamics following manually responded visual targets

Scalp-recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) signals produced by partial synchronization of cortical field activity mix locally synchronous electrical activities of many cortical areas. Analysis of event-related EEG signals typically assumes that poststimulus potentials emerge out of a flat baseline. Signals associated with a particular type of cognitive event are then assessed by averaging data from each scalp channel across trials, producing averaged event-related potentials (ERPs). ERP averaging, however, filters out much of the information about cortical dynamics available in the unaveraged data trials. Here, we studied the dynamics of cortical electrical activity while subjects detected and manually responded to visual targets, viewing signals retained in ERP averages not as responses of an otherwise silent system but as resulting from event-related alterations in ongoing EEG processes. We applied infomax independent component analysis to parse the dynamics of the unaveraged 31-channel EEG signals into maximally independent processes, then clustered the resulting processes across subjects by similarities in their scalp maps and activity power spectra, identifying nine classes of EEG processes with distinct spatial distributions and event-related dynamics. Coupled two-cycle postmotor theta bursts followed button presses in frontal midline and somatomotor clusters, while the broad postmotor "P300" positivity summed distinct contributions from several classes of frontal, parietal, and occipital processes. The observed event-related changes in local field activities, within and between cortical areas, may serve to modulate the strength of spike-based communication between cortical areas to update attention, expectancy, memory, and motor preparation during and after target recognition and speeded responding.     

The identification of potent, selective, and bioavailable cathepsin S inhibitors

Highly potent, selective, and bioavailable inhibitors of human, mouse, or rat cathepsin S are described. The key structural features combine a sulfonyl moiety attached to a large group in P2 and a small substituent in P3.     

Mapping early brain development in autism

Although the neurobiology of autism has been studied for more than two decades, the majority of these studies have examined brain structure 10, 20, or more years after the onset of clinical symptoms. The pathological biology that causes autism remains unknown, but its signature is likely to be most evident during the first years of life when clinical symptoms are emerging. This review highlights neurobiological findings during the first years of life and emphasizes early brain overgrowth as a key factor in the pathobiology of autism. We speculate that excess neuron numbers may be one possible cause of early brain overgrowth and produce defects in neural patterning and wiring, with exuberant local and short-distance cortical interactions impeding the function of large-scale, long-distance interactions between brain regions. Because large-scale networks underlie socio-emotional and communication functions, such alterations in brain architecture could relate to the early clinical manifestations of autism. As such, autism may additionally provide unique insight into genetic and developmental processes that shape early neural wiring patterns and make possible higher-order social, emotional, and communication functions.     

Equine herpesvirus type 1-mediated oncolysis of human glioblastoma multiforme cells

The cytolytic animal virus equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) was evaluated for its oncolytic potential against five human glioblastoma cell lines. EHV-1 productively infected four of these cell lines, and the degree of infection was positively correlated with glioma cell death. No human major histocompatibility complex class 1 (MHC-I) was detected in the resistant glioma line, while infection of the susceptible glioma cell lines, which expressed human MHC-I, were blocked with antibody to MHC-I, indicating that human MHC-I acts as an EHV-1 entry receptor on glioma cells.     

Action in the axon: generation and transport of signaling endosomes

Neurons extend axonal processes over long distances, necessitating efficient transport mechanisms to convey target-derived neurotrophic survival signals from remote distal axons to cell bodies. Retrograde transport, powered by dynein motors, supplies cell bodies with survival signals in the form of 'signaling endosomes'. In this review, we will discuss new advances in our understanding of the motor proteins that bind to and move signaling components in a retrograde direction and discuss mechanisms that might specify distinct neuronal responses to spatially restricted neurotrophin signals. Disruption of retrograde transport leads to a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, highlighting the role of retrograde transport of signaling endosomes for axonal maintenance and the importance of efficient transport for neuronal survival and function.