Different temperature profiles of enzyme secretion by two common strains ofTrichoderma reesei

Summary We have investigated the effects of high and low temperature on the synthesis and secretion of cellulases and other enzymes by two common and readily available strains ofTrichoderma reesei. While some effects were similar in both strains QM9414 and RUT-C30 (a reduction in cellulase production but stimulation of xylanase production at high temperature, and alterations in expression of the cellulase complex at low temperature), some specific differences between the strains were determined, most significantly an enhanced specific secretion rate (secretion/growth) at low growth temperature for QM9414.     

Growth patterns in young adult monozygotic twin pairs discordant and concordant for obesity.

Weight discordance is very rare in monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs; when found, however, such pairs are advantageous in the search for either environmental or epigenetic causes and consequences of obesity. We analyzed the growth patterns of young adult MZ pairs discordant and concordant for obesity. Screening 5 consecutive birth cohorts (1975-1979) of 22- to 27-year-old Finnish twins (the FinnTwin16 study), we found 14 obesity discordant (Body Mass Index [BMI] difference > or = 4 kg/m2) MZ pairs out of 658. Ten pairs participated in clinical studies. Nine concordant pairs (BMI difference < or = 2 kg/m2) were examined as controls. Lifetime measured heights and weights recorded in hospitals and health centers were traced manually. Height development was similar in all the co-twins of both groups. The weight differences between the co-twins of the discordant pairs began to emerge at 18 years leading to an average discordance of 16.4 kg, 5.6 kg/m2 (p for both = .005) at 25.7 years. The heavier co-twin weighed 221 g (p = .066), 1.0 kg/m2 (p = .01) more already at birth than the leaner, but the differences waned by 6 months of age and reappeared only after adolescence. Both the leaner and the heavier co-twins of the discordant pairs weighed more than expected by the singleton reference values (Cole et al., 1998) after 8 years. The concordant co-twins, on the other hand, grew similarly and after 6 months, their mean growth was not distinguishable from the singleton patterns. Young adulthood represents a critical period of gaining weight irrespective of genetic background in this twin sample.     

The Salivary Scavenger and Agglutinin (SALSA) in Healthy and Complicated Pregnancy

Pre-eclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. The etiology is not clear, but an immune attack towards components of placenta or fetus has been indicated. This involves activation of the complement system in the placenta. We have previously described the presence of the complement-regulating protein salivary scavenger and agglutinin (SALSA) in amniotic fluid. In this study we investigated the potential role of SALSA in pregnancy by analyzing its presence in amniotic fluid and placental tissue during healthy and complicated pregnancies. SALSA levels in amniotic fluid increased during pregnancy. Before 20 weeks of gestation the levels were slightly higher in patients who later developed pre-eclampsia than in gestation age-matched controls. In the placenta of pre-eclamptic patients syncytial damage is often followed by the formation of fibrinoid structures. SALSA was found clustered into these fibrinoid structures in partial co-localization with complement C1q and fibronectin. In vitro analysis showed direct protein binding of SALSA to fibronectin. SALSA binds also to fibrin/fibrinogen but did not interfere with the blood clotting process in vitro. Thus, in addition to antimicrobial defense and epithelial differentiation, the data presented here suggest that SALSA, together with fibronectin and C1q, may be involved in the containment of injured placental structures into fibrinoids.     

Acquired obesity is associated with changes in the serum lipidomic profile independent of genetic effects--a monozygotic twin study

Both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the etiology of obesity and the associated lipid disturbances. We determined whether acquired obesity is associated with changes in global serum lipid profiles independent of genetic factors in young adult monozygotic (MZ) twins. 14 healthy MZ pairs discordant for obesity (10 to 25 kg weight difference) and ten weight concordant control pairs aged 24-27 years were identified from a large population-based study. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by the euglycemic clamp technique, and body composition by DEXA (% body fat) and by MRI (subcutaneous and intra-abdominal fat). Global characterization of lipid molecular species in serum was performed by a lipidomics strategy using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Obesity, independent of genetic influences, was primarily related to increases in lysophosphatidylcholines, lipids found in proinflammatory and proatherogenic conditions and to decreases in ether phospholipids, which are known to have antioxidant properties. These lipid changes were associated with insulin resistance, a pathogonomic characteristic of acquired obesity in these young adult twins. Our results show that obesity, already in its early stages and independent of genetic influences, is associated with deleterious alterations in the lipid metabolism known to facilitate atherogenesis, inflammation and insulin resistance.     

Changes in leaf trichomes and epicuticular flavonoids during leaf development in three birch taxa

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Changes in number of trichomes and in composition and concentrations of their exudates throughout leaf development may have important consequences for plant adaptation to abiotic and biotic factors. In the present study, seasonal changes in leaf trichomes and epicuticular flavonoid aglycones in three Finnish birch taxa (Betula pendula, B. pubescens ssp. pubescens, and B. pubescens ssp. czerepanovii) were followed. METHODS: Trichome number and ultrastructure were studied by means of light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, while flavonoid aglycones in ethanolic leaf surface extracts were analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography. KEY RESULTS: Density of both glandular and non-glandular trichomes decreased drastically with leaf expansion while the total number of trichomes per leaf remained constant, indicating that the final number of trichomes is established early in leaf development. Cells of glandular trichomes differentiate before those of the epidermis and produce secreted material only during the relatively short period (around 1-2 weeks) of leaf unfolding and expansion. In fully expanded leaves, glandular trichomes appeared to be at the post-secretory phase and function mainly as storage organs; they contained lipid droplets and osmiophilic material (probably phenolics). Concentrations (mg g(-1) d. wt) of surface flavonoids decreased with leaf age in all taxa. However, the changes in total amount ( microg per leaf) of flavonoids during leaf development were taxon-specific: no changes in B. pubescens ssp. czerepanovii, increase in B. pendula and in B. pubescens ssp. pubescens followed by the decline in the latter taxon. Concentrations of most of the individual leaf surface flavonoids correlated positively with the density of glandular trichomes within species, suggesting the participation of glandular trichomes in production of surface flavonoids. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid decline in the density of leaf trichomes and in the concentrations of flavonoid aglycones with leaf age suggests that the functional role of trichomes is likely to be most important at the early stages of birch leaf development.     

Ultrasonography in early pregnancy diagnosis and measurements of fetal size in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus)

Transrectal or transabdominal examinations of 13 pluriparous reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) by ultrasonography from the start of mating until week 20 of gestation were conducted to find out when pregnancy could first be detected and to describe fetal development in early pregnancy. The examinations (n=35 per animal) were performed with a 5 MHz linear transducer from 7th October until 1st January and with a 3 MHz sector transducer from that time until 24th February. Time of pregnancy diagnosis by ultrasonography, the first fetal heartbeat and measurements of crown-rump length, chest width and chest depth were recorded during the examinations. Pregnancy was diagnosed by transrectal ultrasonography between the weeks 3 and 7 of gestation. The accuracy of the pregnancy diagnosis, defined as the proportion of females correctly detected to be pregnant, was 15% at week 3, 46% at week 4, 77% at week 5, and 92% at week 6 of gestation. Fetal heartbeat was first detected between the weeks 5 and 8 of gestation. The first measurements of crown-rump length were made on week 3 of gestation, of chest width on week 4 and of chest depth on week 5 of gestation. Chest width and depth were detectable until the end of the study at week 20 of gestation. Transrectal ultrasonography is an efficient tool in early pregnancy diagnosis of reindeer. The fetal growth curves obtained by ultrasonography resembled those obtained in previous morphological studies.     

Comparative analysis of leaf trichome structure and composition of epicuticular flavonoids in Finnish birch species

The morphology, ultrastructure, density and distribution of trichomes on leaves of Betula pendula, B. pubescens ssp. pubescens, B. pubescens ssp. czerepanovii and B. nana were examined by means of light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The composition of flavonoids in ethanolic leaf surface extracts was analysed by high pressure liquid chromatography. All taxa examined contained both glandular and non-glandular trichomes (short and/or long hairs) but differed from each other in trichome ultrastructure, density and location on the leaf. Leaves of B. pubescens were more hairy than those of B. pendula, but the latter species had a higher density of glandular trichomes. Of the two subspecies of B. pubescens, leaves of ssp. pubescens had more short hairs on the leaf surface and four times the density of glandular trichomes of leaves of ssp. czerepanovii, whereas, in the latter subspecies, short hairs occurred largely on leaf veins, as in B. nana. The glandular trichomes were peltate glands, consisting of medullar and cortical cells, which differed structurally. Cortical cells possessed numerous small, poorly developed plastids and small vacuoles, whereas medullar cells had several large plastids with well-developed thylakoid systems and fewer vacuoles. In B. pubescens subspecies, vacuoles of the glandular cells contained osmiophilic deposits, which were probably phenolic, whereas in B. pendula, vacuoles of glandular trichomes were characterized by the presence of numerous myelin-like membranes. The composition of epicuticular flavonoids also differed among species. The two subspecies of B. pubescens and B. nana shared the same 12 compounds, but five of these occurred only in trace amounts in B. nana. Leaf surface extracts of B. pendula contained just six flavonoids, three of which occurred only in this species. In summary, the structure, density and distribution of leaf trichomes and the composition of epicuticular flavonoids represent good taxonomic markers for Finnish birch species.     

Susceptibility loci for preeclampsia on chromosomes 2p25 and 9p13 in Finnish families

Preeclampsia is a common, pregnancy-specific disorder characterized by reduced placental perfusion, endothelial dysfunction, elevated blood pressure, and proteinuria. The pathogenesis of this heterogeneous disorder is incompletely understood, but it has a familial component, which suggests that one or more common alleles may act as susceptibility genes. We hypothesized that, in a founder population, the genetic background of preeclampsia might also show reduced heterogeneity, and we have performed a genomewide scan in 15 multiplex families recruited predominantly in the Kainuu province in central eastern Finland. We found two loci that exceeded the threshold for significant linkage: chromosome 2p25, near marker D2S168 (nonparametric linkage [NPL] score 3.77; P=.000761) at 21.70 cM, and 9p13, near marker D9S169 (NPL score 3.74; P=.000821) at 38.90 cM. In addition, there was a locus showing suggestive linkage at chromosome 4q32 between D4S413 and D4S3046 (NPL score 3.13; P=.003238) at 163.00 cM. In the present study the susceptibility locus on chromosome 2p25 is clearly different (21.70 cM) from the locus at 2p12 found in an Icelandic study (94.05 cM) and the locus at 2q23 (144.7 cM) found in an Australian/New Zealand study. The locus at 9p13 has been shown to be a candidate region for type 2 diabetes in two recently published genomewide scans from Finland and China. The regions on chromosomes 2p25 and 9p13 may harbor susceptibility genes for preeclampsia.     

Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5B circulates in human serum in complex with alpha2-macroglobulin and calcium

Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) is an enzyme with unknown biological function. In addition to its acid phosphatase activity, TRACP is capable of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) at neutral pH. Two forms of TRACP circulate in human serum, macrophage-derived TRACP 5a and osteoclast-derived TRACP 5b. Here we have studied the circulating forms of the osteoclast-derived TRACP 5b in rat and human serum. In human serum, TRACP 5b circulates in a large complex that contained α₂M and calcium. On the contrary, rat serum TRACP 5b circulates as a free molecule. Formation of the TRACP 5b complex in vitro decreased significantly the ROS generating activity of TRACP 5b without affecting its phosphatase activity. These results suggest that the complex formation may be necessary to eliminate the formation of the harmful ROS in the neutral pH of serum.     

Interaction of folk medicinal plant extracts with human alpha2-adrenoceptor subtypes

Forty-two extracts of folk medicinal plant organs from Pakistan were tested in competition binding assays for their interaction with the specific ligand recognition sites on the human alpha2-adrenoceptor subtypes alpha2A, alpha2B and alpha2C Strong binding of the extracts (40 mg/ml) from Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile leaves (88-98% displacement of radiolabel) and Peganum harmala seeds (89-96% displacement) on three subtypes prompted us to extract these plant materials with 40% and 80% methanol, ethanol, and acetone. The extraction results indicated an absence of alpha2-adrenoceptor binding activity in the stalk of A. nilotica and A. tortils, whereas the leaves of both plants contained activity. The extracts of A. nilotica leaves showed a slight, but consistent, preference for the alpha2C-adrenoceptor, whereas the leaves of A. tortils were slightly more active on the alpha2B subtype. The extract of P. harmala stalks was less active than that of its seeds. The binding activities of A. nilotica leaves and P. harmala seeds were mainly concentrated in the water and 30% methanol fractions and further sub-fractions. In a functional activity assay, the active fractions inhibited epinephrine-stimulated 35S-GTPyS binding, thus indicating a predominantly antagonistic nature of the compounds with alpha2-adrenoceptor affinity in these fractions. Among the known major alkaloids of P. harmala (demissidine, harmaline, harmine, 6-methoxyharmalan, and norharmane), only 6-methoxyharmalan showed moderate affinity (dissociation constant (Ki) of 530 +/- 40 nm for alpha2A subtype). This study is a first systematic attempt towards the discovery of potential drug candidates from these plant materials for treating alpha2-adrenoceptor related diseases.