Platelet-derived growth factor stimulates chemotaxis and nucleic acid synthesis in the protozoan Tetrahymena

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is in concentrations of a few nanograms per ml a very active chemoattractant for the free-living ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena; at the same time it induces a rapid increase in incorporation of radioactive nucleic acid precursors into RNA and DNA. We find it remarkable that this lower eukaryote responds to platelet-derived growth factor in very much the same way as fibroblastic cells.     

Differential expression of interferon responsive genes in rodent models of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy disease

Background

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a decline in cognitive function and accumulation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) in extracellular plaques. Mutations in amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilins alter APP metabolism resulting in accumulation of Aβ42, a peptide essential for the formation of amyloid deposits and proposed to initiate the cascade leading to AD. However, the role of Aβ40, the more prevalent Aβ peptide secreted by cells and a major component of cerebral Aβ deposits, is less clear. In this study, virally-mediated gene transfer was used to selectively increase hippocampal levels of human Aβ42 and Aβ40 in adult Wistar rats, allowing examination of the contribution of each to the cognitive deficits and pathology seen in AD.

Results

Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors encoding BRI-Aβ cDNAs were generated resulting in high-level hippocampal expression and secretion of the specific encoded Aβ peptide. As a comparison the effect of AAV-mediated overexpression of APPsw was also examined. Animals were tested for development of learning and memory deficits (open field, Morris water maze, passive avoidance, novel object recognition) three months after infusion of AAV. A range of impairments was found, with the most pronounced deficits observed in animals co-injected with both AAV-BRI-Aβ40 and AAV-BRI-Aβ42. Brain tissue was analyzed by ELISA and immunohistochemistry to quantify levels of detergent soluble and insoluble Aβ peptides. BRI-Aβ42 and the combination of BRI-Aβ40+42 overexpression resulted in elevated levels of detergent-insoluble Aβ. No significant increase in detergent-insoluble Aβ was seen in the rats expressing APPsw or BRI-Aβ40. No pathological features were noted in any rats, except the AAV-BRI-Aβ42 rats which showed focal, amorphous, Thioflavin-negative Aβ42 deposits.

Conclusion

The results show that AAV-mediated gene transfer is a valuable tool to model aspects of AD pathology in vivo, and demonstrate that whilst expression of Aβ42 alone is sufficient to initiate Aβ deposition, both Aβ40 and Aβ42 may contribute to cognitive deficits.     

M protein, a classical bacterial virulence determinant, forms complexes with fibrinogen that induce vascular leakage

Increased vascular permeability is a key feature of inflammatory conditions. In severe infections, leakage of plasma from the vasculature induces a life-threatening hypotension. Streptococcus pyogenes, a major human bacterial pathogen, causes a toxic shock syndrome (STSS) characterized by excessive plasma leakage and multi-organ failure. Here we find that M protein, released from the streptococcal surface, forms complexes with fibrinogen, which by binding to beta2 integrins of neutrophils, activate these cells. As a result, neutrophils release heparin binding protein, an inflammatory mediator inducing vascular leakage. In mice, injection of M protein or subcutaneous infection with S. pyogenes causes severe pulmonary damage characterized by leakage of plasma and blood cells. These lesions were prevented by treatment with a beta2 integrin antagonist. In addition, M protein/fibrinogen complexes were identified in tissue biopsies from a patient with necrotizing fasciitis and STSS, further underlining the pathogenic significance of such complexes in severe streptococcal infections.     

Two mutants of human heparin binding protein (CAP37): toward the understanding of the nature of lipid A/LPS and BPTI binding

Heparin binding protein (HBP) is an inactive serine protease homologue with important implications in host defense during infections and inflammations. Two mutants of human HBP, [R23S,F25E]HBP and [G175Q]HBP, have been produced to investigate structure-function relationships of residues in the putative lipid A/lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding site and BPTI (bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor) binding site. The X-ray structures have been determined at 1.9 A resolution for [G175Q]HBP and at 2.5 A resolution for the [R23S,F25E]HBP mutant, and the structures have been fully refined to R-factors of 18.2 % and 20.7 %, respectively. The G175Q mutation does not alter the overall structure of the protein, but the ability to bind BPTI has been eliminated, and the mutant mediates only a limited stimulation of the LPS-induced cytokine release from human monocytes. The lipid A/LPS binding property of [G175Q]HBP is comparable with that of native HBP. The R23S,F25E mutations do not affect the binding of lipid A/LPS and BPTI or the LPS-induced cytokine release from human monocytes. This shows that two diverse ligands, lipid A/LPS and BPTI, do not share binding sites. Previously, there was convincing evidence for the proposed lipid A/LPS binding site of HBP. Unexpectedly, the extensive structural changes introduced by mutation of Arg23 and Phe25 do not affect the binding of lipid A/LPS, indicating that another not yet identified site on HBP is involved in the binding of lipid A/LPS.     

Efficacy of hyaluronic acid binding assay in selecting motile spermatozoa with normal morphology at high magnification

Background  

The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the hyaluronic acid (HA) binding assay in the selection of motile spermatozoa with normal morphology at high magnification (8400x).     

Neutrophil-derived heparin-binding protein (HBP/CAP37) deposited on endothelium enhances monocyte arrest under flow conditions

In acute inflammation, infiltration of neutrophils often precedes a second phase of monocyte invasion, and data in the literature suggest that neutrophils may directly stimulate mobilization of monocytes via neutrophil granule proteins. In this study, we present a role for neutrophil-derived heparin-binding protein (HBP) in monocyte arrest on endothelium. Adhesion of neutrophils to bovine aorta endothelial cells (ECs) or HUVEC-triggered secretion of HBP and binding of the protein to the EC surface. Blockade of neutrophil adhesion by treatment with a mAb to CD18 greatly reduced accumulation of HBP. In a flow chamber model, immobilized recombinant HBP induced arrest of human monocytes or monocytic Mono Mac 6 (MM6) cells to activated EC or plates coated with recombinant adhesion molecules (E-selectin, P-selectin, VCAM-1). However, immobilized recombinant HBP did not influence arrest of neutrophils or lymphocytes. Treatment of MM6 cells with recombinant HBP evoked a rapid and clear-cut increase in cytosolic free Ca(2+) that was found to be critical for the HBP-induced monocyte arrest inasmuch as pretreatment with the intracellular calcium chelating agent BAPTA-AM abolished the evoked increase in adhesion. Thus, secretion of a neutrophil granule protein, accumulating on the EC surface and promoting arrest of monocytes, could contribute to the recruitment of monocytes at inflammatory loci.     

Routes to improving the reliability of low level DNA analysis using real-time PCR

Background  

Accurate quantification of DNA using quantitative real-time PCR at low levels is increasingly important for clinical, environmental and forensic applications. At low concentration levels (here referring to under 100 target copies) DNA quantification is sensitive to losses during preparation, and suffers from appreciable valid non-detection rates for sampling reasons. This paper reports studies on a real-time quantitative PCR assay targeting a region of the human SRY gene over a concentration range of 0.5 to 1000 target copies. The effects of different sample preparation and calibration methods on quantitative accuracy were investigated.