Zum Sauerstoffverbrauch von Myzus persicae (Sulz.) vor und nach Aufnahme des Blattrollvirus

Zusammenfassung Der Sauerstoffverbrauch virusfreier Myzus persicae (Sulz.) wird mit demjenigen blattrollvirusinfizierter Läuse verglichen. Der O₂-Verbrauch ist bei infizierten Tieren um rund 30% gegenüber virusfreien Kontrolltieren erniedrigt. Auf verschiedenen. Wirtspflanzen gehaltene Läuse zeigen keinen signifikanten Unterschied in ihrer Atmungsintensität. Die grö\te Erniedrigung des O₂-Bedarfs ist etwa 30 Stunden nach Ende des Infektionssaugens (d.h 38 Stunden nach Beginn der Nahrungsaufnahme) erreicht und steigt dann im Verlauf der folgenden 50 Stunden nicht weiter an. Der Stoffwechsel der Läuse wird offensichtlich durch die Aufnahme des Blattrollvirus gestört.

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Summary The intensity of respiration of virus-free aphids was compared with that of the same insects infected with potato leafroll virus. The former showed an average oxygen-consumption of 3.018 cm³/gm/hour, and the latter 1.992 cm³/gm/hour; which indicates a reduction of 33.9% in the oxygen-uptake in the infected animals. This reduction is associated with the infection and the multiplication of the virus in the insect. The oxygen-consumption was the same before the beginning and at the end of the infective suction period, falling afterwards over a period of 30 hours by about 30% of the first reading, and then remaining almost constant. This indicates a correlation between this variation in the oxygen-consumption and the multiplication of the virus in the aphid.

     

Phenol degradation by microorganisms adsorbed on activated carbon

Summary The phenol degradation by Candida sp. and Pseudomonas sp. immobilized on activated carbon was investigated. Thanks to its great adsorptive surface, activated carbon is suited as supporting material for microorganisms and also provides a high adsorption capacity for phenol.The immobilization by adsorption avoids any unphysiological treatment of the microorganisms. One gram activated carbon adsorbed in 10 h about 4×10⁹ Pseudomonas cells and 3×10⁸ Candida cells. While the free cells did not tolerate more than 1.5 g/l phenol, the adsorbed microorganisms survived at temporary high phenol concentrations up to 15 g/l, and they degraded about 90% of the adsorbed phenol.The activated carbon operated like a depot: the adsorbed phenol diffused out of the carbon and could be metabolized by the microorganisms. The results give an explanation of the stimulating effect of activated carbon in the treatment of waste waters observed until now.     

The spatial distribution of currents in the receptor layer of the frog retina

Steady state patterns of currents flowing extracellularly in the receptor layer of the frog retina are used to work out an electrical model of vertebrate rods. The model can be thought of as a linear network consisting of resitances and current sources. The model predicts the axial spread of currents along the outside of the receptors. In addition, it predicts membrane voltages in light and darkness. If the dark-adapted receptors are assumed to have a uniform membrane with a specific resistance of 500 ·cm², a single rod gives rise to an extracellular dark current of about 200 pa.     

Comparison of structural requirements for interaction of the same peptide with I-Ek and I-Ed molecules in the activation of MHC class II-restricted T cells.

We have analyzed the interaction of the hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL) peptide 107-116 with the MHC class II molecule I-Ek, using truncated and single residue substitution analogues to measure activation of I-Ek-restricted, 107-116-specific T cell hybridomas and competition for Ag presentation by I-Ek molecules. These results have been compared with previous findings on the interaction of the same peptide with the I-Ed molecule. Stimulation of T cell hybridomas by truncated peptides defines the sequence 108-116 as the minimum epitope necessary for activation of both I-Ek- and I-Ed-restricted T cell hybridomas. Substitution analysis pinpoints three residues (V109, A110, and K116) in the sequence 108-116 as being critical for binding to I-Ek molecules and demonstrates the involvement of most other residues in recognition by T cells. Results previously obtained for binding of HEL 107-116 to I-Ed molecules indicated that peptide residues R112, R114, and K116 were critical for interaction with I-Ed. Comparison of these results indicates a difference in the likely MHC contact residues between the HEL sequence 108-116 and I-Ed or I-Ek molecules, suggesting that the same HEL peptide assumes a different conformation in the binding site of these two MHC molecules. This in turn affects residues interacting with the specific T cell receptor. According to the hypothetical tridimensional structure predicted for class II molecules, the difference in MHC contact residues observed within the sequence 108-116 can be related to polymorphic amino acids in the binding site of I-Ek and I-Ed molecules. A search through published binding data for a common pattern in this and other I-Ek-binding peptides has permitted us to derive a possible motif for predicting peptide binding to I-Ek molecules. This putative motif was tested by determining binding to I-Ek of an unbiased panel of about 150 synthetic peptides. Binding data indeed demonstrate the presence of this motif in the majority of good binders to I-Ek molecules.     

Inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein by anacetrapib does not impair the anti-inflammatory properties of high density lipoprotein

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) is a target of therapeutic intervention for coronary heart disease. Anacetrapib, a potent inhibitor of CETP, has been shown to reduce LDL-cholesterol by 40% and increase HDL-cholesterol by 140% in patients, and is currently being evaluated in a phase III cardiovascular outcomes trial. HDL is known to possess anti-inflammatory properties, however with such large increases in HDL-cholesterol, it is unclear whether CETP inhibition perturbs HDL functionality such as anti-inflammatory effects on endothelial cells. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether CETP inhibition by anacetrapib affects the anti-inflammatory properties of HDL. HDL was isolated from either hamsters treated with vehicle or anacetrapib for 2 weeks, or from normal human subjects treated either placebo, 20 mg, or 150 mg anacetrapib daily for 2 weeks. Anacetrapib treatment increased plasma HDL cholesterol levels by 65% and between 48 and 82% in hamsters and humans, respectively. Pre-incubation of human aortic endothelial cells with HDL isolated from both control and anacetrapib treated hamsters suppressed TNFα induced expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and E-selectin. Similar results were obtained with human HDL samples pre and post treatment with placebo or anacetrapib. Further, HDL inhibited TNFα-induced MCP-1 secretion, monocyte adhesion and NF-κB activation in endothelial cells, and the inhibition was similar between control and anacetrapib treated groups. These studies demonstrate that anacetrapib treatment does not impair the ability of HDL to suppress an inflammatory response in endothelial cells.     

Hybrid Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors Utilizing Transposase-Mediated Somatic Integration for Stable Transgene Expression in Human Cells

Recombinant adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors have been shown to be one of the most promising vectors for therapeutic gene delivery because they can induce efficient and long-term transduction in non-dividing cells with negligible side-effects. However, as AAV vectors mostly remain episomal, vector genomes and transgene expression are lost in dividing cells. Therefore, to stably transduce cells, we developed a novel AAV/transposase hybrid-vector. To facilitate SB-mediated transposition from the rAAV genome, we established a system in which one AAV vector contains the transposon with the gene of interest and the second vector delivers the hyperactive Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposase SB100X. Human cells were infected with the AAV-transposon vector and the transposase was provided in trans either by transient and stable plasmid transfection or by AAV vector transduction. We found that groups which received the hyperactive transposase SB100X showed significantly increased colony forming numbers indicating enhanced integration efficiencies. Furthermore, we found that transgene copy numbers in transduced cells were dose-dependent and that predominantly SB transposase-mediated transposition contributed to stabilization of the transgene. Based on a plasmid rescue strategy and a linear-amplification mediated PCR (LAM-PCR) protocol we analysed the SB100X-mediated integration profile after transposition from the AAV vector. A total of 1840 integration events were identified which revealed a close to random integration profile. In summary, we show for the first time that AAV vectors can serve as template for SB transposase mediated somatic integration. We developed the first prototype of this hybrid-vector system which with further improvements may be explored for treatment of diseases which originate from rapidly dividing cells.     

Expression and Antimicrobial Function of Beta-Defensin 1 in the Lower Urinary Tract

Beta defensins (BDs) are cationic peptides with antimicrobial activity that defend epithelial surfaces including the skin, gastrointestinal, and respiratory tracts. However, BD expression and function in the urinary tract are incompletely characterized. The purpose of this study was to describe Beta Defensin-1 (BD-1) expression in the lower urinary tract, regulation by cystitis, and antimicrobial activity toward uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) in vivo. Human DEFB1 and orthologous mouse Defb1 mRNA are detectable in bladder and ureter homogenates, and human BD-1 protein localizes to the urothelium. To determine the relevance of BD-1 to lower urinary tract defense in vivo, we evaluated clearance of UPEC by Defb1 knockout (Defb1 ^-/-) mice. At 6, 18, and 48 hours following transurethral UPEC inoculation, no significant differences were observed in bacterial burden in bladders or kidneys of Defb1 ^-/- and wild type C57BL/6 mice. In wild type mice, bladder Defb1 mRNA levels decreased as early as two hours post-infection and reached a nadir by six hours. RT-PCR profiling of BDs identified expression of Defb3 and Defb14 mRNA in murine bladder and ureter, which encode for mBD-3 and mBD-14 protein, respectively. MBD-14 protein expression was observed in bladder urothelium following UPEC infection, and both mBD-3 and mBD-14 displayed dose-dependent bactericidal activity toward UPEC in vitro. Thus, whereas mBD-1 deficiency does not alter bladder UPEC burden in vivo, we have identified mBD-3 and mBD-14 as potential mediators of mucosal immunity in the lower urinary tract.     

Patterning and Lifetime of Plasma Membrane-Localized Cellulose Synthase Is Dependent on Actin Organization in Arabidopsis Interphase Cells

The actin and microtubule cytoskeletons regulate cell shape across phyla, from bacteria to metazoans. In organisms with cell walls, the wall acts as a primary constraint of shape, and generation of specific cell shape depends on cytoskeletal organization for wall deposition and/or cell expansion. In higher plants, cortical microtubules help to organize cell wall construction by positioning the delivery of cellulose synthase (CesA) complexes and guiding their trajectories to orient newly synthesized cellulose microfibrils. The actin cytoskeleton is required for normal distribution of CesAs to the plasma membrane, but more specific roles for actin in cell wall assembly and organization remain largely elusive. We show that the actin cytoskeleton functions to regulate the CesA delivery rate to, and lifetime of CesAs at, the plasma membrane, which affects cellulose production. Furthermore, quantitative image analyses revealed that actin organization affects CesA tracking behavior at the plasma membrane and that small CesA compartments were associated with the actin cytoskeleton. By contrast, localized insertion of CesAs adjacent to cortical microtubules was not affected by the actin organization. Hence, both actin and microtubule cytoskeletons play important roles in regulating CesA trafficking, cellulose deposition, and organization of cell wall biogenesis.Plant cells are surrounded by a flexible yet durable extracellular matrix that makes up the cell wall. This structure offers mechanical strength that counters osmotically driven turgor pressure, is an important factor for water movement in plants, acts as a physical barrier against pathogens (Somerville et al., 2004), and is a determining factor for plant cell morphogenesis. Hence, the cell wall plays a central role in plant biology.Two main types of cell walls can typically be distinguished: the primary and the secondary cell wall. The major load-bearing component in both of these cell walls is the β-1,4-linked glucan polymer cellulose (Somerville et al., 2004). Cellulose polymers are synthesized by plasma membrane (PM)-localized cellulose synthase (CesA) complexes (Mueller and Brown, 1980), which contain several CesA subunits with similar amino acid sequences (Mutwil et al., 2008a). The primary wall CesA complexes are believed to be assembled in the Golgi and are subsequently delivered to the PM via vesicular trafficking (Gutierrez et al., 2009), sometimes associated with Golgi pausing (Crowell et al., 2009). Furthermore, the primary wall CesA complexes are preferentially inserted into the PM at sites that coincide with cortical microtubules (MTs), which subsequently guide cellulose microfibril deposition (Gutierrez et al., 2009). Hence, the cortical MT array is a determinant for multiple aspects of primary wall cellulose production.The actin cytoskeleton plays a crucial role in organized deposition of cell wall polymers in many cell types, including cellulose-related polymers and pectins in tip-growing cells, such as pollen tubes and root hairs (Hu et al., 2003; Chen et al., 2007). Thus, actin-depolymerizing drugs and genetic manipulation of ACTIN genes impair directed expansion of tip-growing cells and long-distance transport of Golgi bodies with vesicles to growing regions (Ketelaar et al., 2003; Szymanski, 2005). In diffusely growing cells in roots and hypocotyls, loss of anisotropic growth has also been observed in response to mutations to vegetative ACTIN genes and to actin-depolymerizing and -stabilizing drugs (Baluska et al., 2001; Kandasamy et al., 2009). While actin is clearly important for cell wall assembly, it is less clear what precise roles it plays.One well-known function of actin in higher plants is to support intracellular movement of cytoplasmic organelles via actomyosin-based motility (Geisler et al., 2008; Szymanski, 2009). During primary wall synthesis in interphase cells, treatment with the actin assembly inhibitor latrunculin B (LatB) led to inhibition of Golgi motility and pronounced inhomogenities in CesA density at the PM (Crowell et al., 2009; Gutierrez et al., 2009) that coincided with the density of underlying and immobile Golgi bodies (Gutierrez et al., 2009). These results suggested that Golgi motility is important for CesA distribution (Gutierrez et al., 2009). The actin cytoskeleton also appears to be important for secondary wall cellulose microfibril deposition. For example, longitudinal actin filaments (AFs) define the movement of secondary wall CesA-containing Golgi bodies in developing xylem vessels (Wightman and Turner, 2008). In addition, it has been proposed that the AFs also can regulate the delivery of the secondary wall CesA complex to the PM via pausing of the Golgi (Wightman and Turner, 2008). It is therefore clear that actin organization is important for CesA distribution and for the pattern of cellulose microfibril deposition.Despite the above findings, very few reports have undertaken detailed studies to elucidate the role of the actin cytoskeleton in the distribution and trafficking of specific proteins in plant cells. Here, we have investigated the intracellular trafficking of CesA-containing vesicles and delivery of CesAs to the PM, in the context of the actin cytoskeleton. We quantitatively demonstrate that the organization of the actin cytoskeleton regulates CesA-containing Golgi distribution and the exocytic and endocytic rate of the CesAs. However, actin organization has no effect on the localized insertion of CesAs at sites of MTs at the PM.     

Reduction of molecular gas diffusion through gaskets in leaf gas exchange cuvettes by leaf‐mediated pores

There is an ongoing debate on how to correct leaf gas exchange measurements for the unavoidable diffusion leakage that occurs when measurements are done in non‐ambient CO₂ concentrations. In this study, we present a theory on how the CO₂ diffusion gradient over the gasket is affected by leaf‐mediated pores (LMP) and how LMP reduce diffusive exchange across the gaskets. Recent discussions have so far neglected the processes in the quasi‐laminar boundary layer around the gasket. Counter intuitively, LMP reduce the leakage through gaskets, which can be explained by assuming that the boundary layer at the exterior of the cuvette is enriched with air from the inside of the cuvette. The effect can thus be reduced by reducing the boundary layer thickness. The theory clarifies conflicting results from earlier studies. We developed leaf adaptor frames that eliminate LMP during measurements on delicate plant material such as grass leaves with circular cross section, and the effectiveness is shown with respiration measurements on a harp of Deschampsia flexuosa leaves. We conclude that the best solution for measurements with portable photosynthesis systems is to avoid LMP rather than trying to correct for the effects.