Characterization of immunodominant epitopes of gag and pol gene-encoded proteins of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I.

A series of synthetic peptides derived from the corresponding regions of the gag, pol, and env proteins of human T-cell lymphotropic virus types I (HTLV-I) and II (HTLV-II) were used in an enzyme immunoassay to map the immunodominant epitopes of HTLV. Serum specimens from 79 of 87 (91%) HTLV-I-infected patients reacted with the synthetic peptide Gag-1a (amino acids [a.a.] 102 to 117) derived from the C terminus of the p19gag protein of HTLV-I. Minimal cross-reactivity (11%) was observed with serum specimens from HTLV-II-infected patients. Peptide Pol-3, encoded by the pol region of HTLV-I (a.a. 487 to 502), reacted with serum specimens from both HTLV-I- and HTLV-II-infected patients (94 and 86%, respectively). The antibody levels to Pol-3 were significantly higher (P less than 0.01) in patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis than in either adult T-cell leukemia patients or HTLV-I-positive asymptomatic carriers. None of the other peptides studied demonstrated significant binding to serum specimens obtained from HTLV-I- or HTLV-II-infected individuals. While Gag-1a did not react with serum specimens from normal controls, Pol-3 demonstrated some reaction with specimens from seronegative individuals (11.4%). The antibodies to Gag-1a and Pol-3 in serum specimens from HTLV-I-infected patients could be specifically inhibited by the corresponding synthetic peptides and by a crude HTLV-I antigen preparation, indicating that these peptides mimic native epitopes present in HTLV-I proteins that are recognized by serum antibodies from HTLV-I- and -II-infected individuals.     

Regional muscle oxygenation differences in vastus lateralis during different modes of incremental exercise

Background

Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is used to assess muscle oxygenation (MO) within skeletal muscle at rest and during aerobic exercise. Previous investigations have used a single probe placement to measure MO during various forms of exercise. However, regional MO differences have been shown to exist within the same muscle which suggests that different areas of the same muscle may have divergent MO. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine whether regional differences in MO exist within the same muscle during different types of incremental (rest, 25, 50, 75, 100 % of maximum) exercise (1 leg knee extension (KE), 2 leg KE, or cycling).

Methods

Nineteen healthy active males (Mean ± SD: Age 27 ± 4 yrs; VO_2max: 55 ± 11 mL/kg/min) performed incremental exercise to fatigue using each mode of exercise. NIRS probes were placed on the distal and proximal portion of right leg vastus lateralis (VL). Results were analyzed with a 3-way mixed model ANOVA (probe × intensity × mode).

Results

Differences in MO exist within the VL for each mode of exercise, however these differences were not consistent for each level of intensity. Comparison of MO revealed that the distal region of VL was significantly lower throughout KE exercise (1 leg KE proximal MO – distal MO = 9.9 %; 2 leg KE proximal MO – distal MO = 13 %). In contrast, the difference in MO between proximal and distal regions of VL was smaller in cycling and was not significantly different at heavy workloads (75 and 100 % of maximum).

Conclusion

MO is different within the same muscle and the pattern of the difference will change depending on the mode and intensity of exercise. Future investigations should limit conclusions on MO to the area under assessment as well as the type and intensity of exercise employed.

     

Response of Net Ecosystem Productivity of Three Boreal Forest Stands to Drought

In 2001–03, continuous eddy covariance measurements of carbon dioxide (CO₂) flux were made above mature boreal aspen, black spruce, and jack pine forests in Saskatchewan, Canada, prior to and during a 3−year drought. During the 1st drought year, ecosystem respiration (R) was reduced at the aspen site due to the drying of surface soil layers. Gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP) increased as a result of a warm spring and a slow decrease of deep soil moisture. These conditions resulted in the highest annual net ecosystem productivity (NEP) in the 9 years of flux measurements at this site. During 2002 and 2003, a reduction of 6% and 34% in NEP, respectively, compared to 2000 was observed as the result of reductions in both R and GEP, indicating a conservative response to the drought. Although the drought affected most of western Canada, there was considerable spatial variability in summer rainfall over the 100−km extent of the study area; summer rainfalls in 2001 and 2002 at the two conifer sites minimized the impact of the drought. In 2003, however, precipitation was similarly low at all three sites. Due to low topographic position and consequent poor drainage at the black spruce site and the coarse soil with low water-holding capacity at the jack pine site almost no reduction in R, GEP, and NEP was observed at these two sites. This study shows that the impact of drought on carbon sequestration by boreal forest ecosystems strongly depends on rainfall distribution, soil characteristics, topography, and the presence of vegetation that is well adapted to these conditions.     

Response of Net Ecosystem Productivity of Three Boreal Forest Stands to Drought

In 2000–03, continuous eddy covariance measurements of carbon dioxide (CO₂) flux were made above mature boreal aspen, black spruce, and jack pine forests in Saskatchewan, Canada, prior to and during a 3-year drought. During the 1st drought year, ecosystem respiration (R) was reduced at the aspen site due to the drying of surface soil layers. Gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP) increased as a result of a warm spring and a slow decrease of deep soil moisture. These conditions resulted in the highest annual net ecosystem productivity (NEP) in the 9 years of flux measurements at this site. During 2002 and 2003, a reduction of 6% and 34% in NEP, respectively, compared to 2000 was observed as the result of reductions in both R and GEP, indicating a conservative response to the drought. Although the drought affected most of western Canada, there was considerable spatial variability in summer rainfall over the 100-km extent of the study area; summer rainfalls in 2001 and 2002 at the two conifer sites minimized the impact of the drought. In 2003, however, precipitation was similarly low at all three sites. Due to low topographic position and consequent poor drainage at the black spruce site and the coarse soil with low water-holding capacity at the jack pine site almost no reduction in R, GEP, and NEP was observed at these two sites. This study shows that the impact of drought on carbon sequestration by boreal forest ecosystems strongly depends on rainfall distribution, soil characteristics, topography, and the presence of vegetation that is well adapted to these conditions. The online version of the original article can be found under doi:     

DNA barcoding of South Africa’s ornamental freshwater fish – are the names reliable?

Trade in freshwater ornamental fish in South Africa is currently regulated by a ‘blacklist’ to prevent potentially invasive taxa from establishing in the country. Because its effective implementation requires accurate identification, the aim of the present study was to test whether DNA barcoding is a useful tool to identify freshwater fishes in the South African pet trade. A total of 351 aquarium fish specimens, representing 185 traded taxa, were sequenced for the mitochondrial COI barcoding marker in 2011 and 2012. Lake Malawi cichlids were treated as a single group due to a lack of resolution in their COI marker, resulting in a data set of 137 successfully sequenced taxa. The Barcode Of Life Database (BOLD) and GenBank were used for taxonomic assignment comparisons. The genetic identification matched the scientific name inferred from the trade name for 60 taxa (43.8%) using BOLD, and for 67 taxa (48.9%) using GenBank. A genetic ID could not be assigned in 47 (34.3%) cases using BOLD and in 37 cases (27%) using GenBank. Whereas DNA barcoding can be a useful tool to help identify imported freshwater fishes, it requires further development of publicly available databases to become a reliable means of identification.     

Naloxone and the ventilatory response to exercise in man

Endogenous opiate peptides are known to exert a depressant action on ventilation (VE), and their plasma levels have been shown to be elevated during a variety of exercise protocols. We investigated whether they might modulate the control of the hyperpnea of short-term constant-load (CLE) and incremental (IE) cycle-ergometer exercise. Four healthy subjects performed CLE tests at ca. 80% of the anaerobic threshold (theta an) for 5 min following a period of unloaded pedaling, and IE tests (10 or 20 W min-1) to the limit of tolerance. Normal saline (3 ml) or the opiate antagonist naloxone (1.2 mg in 3 ml) were administered intravenously prior to each test. Naloxone elicited no discernible effect on VE, alveolar gas tensions, or heart rate throughout the entire range of work rates; neither were theta an nor the maximum work rate affected. It is concluded that, for short-term exercise ranging in intensity from moderate to severe, the role played by endogenous opiate peptides in the control of the exercise hyperpnea appears to be negligible in man.     

Modelling the interannual variability of net ecosystem CO2 exchange at a subarctic sedge fen

This paper presents an empirical model of net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) developed for a subarctic fen near Churchill, Manitoba. The model with observed data helps explain the interannual variability in growing season NEE. Five years of tower‐flux data are used to test and examine the seasonal behaviour of the model simulations. Processes controlling the observed interannual variability of CO₂ exchange at the fen are examined by exploring the sensitivity of the model to changes in air temperature, precipitation and leaf area index. Results indicate that the sensitivity of NEE to changing environmental controls is complex and varies interannually depending on the initial conditions of the wetland. Changes in air temperature and the timing of precipitation events have a strong influence on NEE, which is largely manifest in gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP). Climate change scenarios indicate that warmer air temperatures will increase carbon acquisition during wet years but may act to reduce wetland carbon storage in years that experience a large water deficit early in the growing season. Model simulations for this subarctic sedge fen indicate that carbon acquisition is greatest during wet and warm conditions. This suggests therefore that carbon accumulation was greatest at this subarctic fen during its early developmental stages when hydroclimatic conditions were relatively wet and warm at approximately 2500 years before present.