Modification of radiation damage in the canine kidney by hyperthermia: a histologic and functional study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of hyperthermia on the histologic and functional response of the canine kidney, a late-responding normal tissue, to irradiation. Both kidneys were irradiated. Radiation was delivered in single doses of 0, 10, or 15 Gy. Whole-body hyperthermia was used to produce renal kidney temperatures approximating 42.0 degrees C for 60 min. Thirty-six beagles were placed randomly in the following six treatment groups: control, whole-body hyperthermia alone, 10 Gy alone, 10 Gy + whole-body hyperthermia, 15 Gy alone, and 15 Gy + whole-body hyperthermia. Renal histologic and functional changes were assessed at 1 to 9 months after therapy. No changes were seen in glomerular filtration rate or renal tissue volumes in control or hyperthermia alone groups. Renal vascular and glomerular volumes were not affected significantly by any combination of hyperthermia and/or radiation. In all groups receiving radiation, glomerular filtration rate decreased, percentage renal tubular volume decreased, and interstitial volume increased significantly after therapy. The magnitude of these changes in the functional and histologic response of the kidney and the latent period before expression of this damage were dependent on radiation dose. However, hyperthermia did not modify expression of radiation damage in the kidney based on glomerular filtration rate and histologic quantification of renal tissue components.     

Directed excision of a transgene from the plant genome

Summary The effectiveness of loxP-Cre directed excision of a transgene was examined using phenotypic and molecular analyses. Two methods of combining the elements of this system, re-transformation and cross pollination, were found to produce different degrees of excision in the resulting plants. Two linked traits, -glucuronidase (GUS) and a gene encoding sulfonylurea-resistant acetolactate synthase (ALS^r), were integrated into the genome of tobacco and Arabidopsis. The ALS^r gene, bounded by loxP sites, was used as the selectable marker for transformation. The directed loss of the ALS^T gene through Cre-mediated excision was demonstrated by the loss of resistance to sulfonylurea herbicides and by Southern blot analysis. The -glucuronidase gene remained active. The excision efficiency varied in F₁ progeny of different lox and Cre parents and was correlated with the Cre parent. Many of the lox × Cre F₁ progeny were chimeric and some F₂ progeny retained resistance to sulfonylureas. Re-transformation of lox/ALS/lox/GUS tobacco plants with cre led to much higher efficiency of excision. Lines of tobacco transformants carrying the GUS gene but producing only sulfonylurea-sensitive progeny were obtained using both approaches for introducing cre. Similarly, Arabidopsis lines with GUS activity but no sulfonylurea resistance were generated using cross pollinations.     

Peroxide induced chemiluminescence in an in vitro proline hydroxylation system.

This communication describes a hydrogen peroxide (HOOH) induced chemiluminescence (CL) in an in vitro aromatic (proline) hydroxylation system. The reactive components of the system are ascorbic (AA), ethylene diamine tetraacetic disodium salt (EDTA), ferrous sulfate, and HOOH. The CL is (1) nearly dissipated within three minutes, (2) enhanced and/or sustained by proline and polylysine to a greater degree than by alanine, (3) partially inhibited by a,a' dipyridyl, EDTA, and ethanol, (4) most dependent upon the presence of Fe2+, AA, and HOOH. The in vitro proline hydroxylation system is more effective than ground state oxygen in terms of the CL produced and the percent of hydroxyproline formed.     

Metabolic adaptations in delayed skin flaps. Glucose utilization and hexokinase activity.

The distribution of glucose and hexokinase activity was determined in the epithelial tissue of delayed bipedicled skin flaps in guinea pigs. The periods of "delay" were 1, 3, 7, 14, or 21 days. The flap survival was maximal (100% of the flap) when the flap elevation was performed either 7 or 14 days following the "delay" procedure. When the flap elevation was performed 1, 3, or 21 days following the "delay" procedure, the result was partial necrosis. A differential distribution of epithelial glucose was found within the bipedicled flaps. The lowest glucose level (30% of normal) was at a distance of 2 to 3.5 cm from the end of the caudal pedicle during the first day after the "delay" procedure. This decreased glucose content recovered toward normal levels during the later part of the "delay" period. The bipedicled flaps exhibited increased hexokinase activity during the 3-week period of the "delay," and the responses of hexokinase activity and tissue glucose levels to the "delay" procedure were reciprocal in the caudal half of the flaps.     

Multiple transduction mechanisms are likely involved in calcium-mediated exocrine secretory events in rat parotid cells

The parotid gland of the aged rat provides an example of an altered alpha 1-adrenergic physiologic response (K+ efflux) resulting from a postreceptor perturbation in signal transduction mechanisms (Ito, H., Baum, B. J., Uchida, T., Hoopes, M. T., Bodner, L. & Roth, G. S. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 9532-9538). This alteration in gland function can be completely circumvented by eliciting K+ efflux via the Ca2+-ionophore, A23187, at several Ca2+ concentrations (ibid.). Since Ca2+ is purported to mediate other secretory events in the rat parotid, we have probed neurotransmitter regulated Ca2+ mobilization and secretory mechanisms in this tissue by employing an aging paradigm. The responses studied were alpha-adrenergic- and muscarinic-cholinergic-mediated K+ efflux, 45Ca2+ release, and amylase secretion. No differences were detected between young (3 months) and old (24 months) cell preparations for any muscarinic-cholinergic agonist-induced response studied. Following alpha-adrenergic stimulation, K+ efflux and 45Ca2+ release from old cell preparations were reduced markedly, while no changes were found for the amylase secretion response. These results suggest that 1) alpha-adrenergic and cholinergic signal transduction mechanisms for K+ efflux and 45Ca2+ release are dissociated in cells of the rat parotid gland, and 2) following alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation, signal transduction likely proceeds by at least two pathways, one which is apparently involved in protein excytosis (intact in cells from old rats) and the other which is apparently involved in K+ efflux and 45Ca2+ release (perturbed in old cells).     

Optimization of humanized IgGs in glycoengineered Pichia pastoris

As the fastest growing class of therapeutic proteins, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) represent a major potential drug class. Human antibodies are glycosylated in their native state and all clinically approved mAbs are produced by mammalian cell lines, which secrete mAbs with glycosylation structures that are similar, but not identical, to their human counterparts. Glycosylation of mAbs influences their interaction with immune effector cells that kill antibody-targeted cells. Here we demonstrate that human antibodies with specific human N-glycan structures can be produced in glycoengineered lines of the yeast Pichia pastoris and that antibody-mediated effector functions can be optimized by generating specific glycoforms. Glycoengineered P. pastoris provides a general platform for producing recombinant antibodies with human N-glycosylation.     

First detection, isolation and molecular characterization of infectious salmon anaemia virus associated with clinical disease in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Chile

Background  

Several forms of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) segregate in more than 100 breeds of dog with each PRA segregating in one or a few breeds. This breed specificity may be accounted for by founder effects and genetic drift, which have reduced the genetic heterogeneity of each breed, thereby facilitating the identification of causal mutations. We report here a new form of PRA segregating in the Border Collie breed. The clinical signs, including the loss of night vision and a progressive loss of day vision, resulting in complete blindness, occur at the age of three to four years and may be detected earlier through systematic ocular fundus examination and electroretinography (ERG).     

Importance of factors determining the effective lifetime of a mass, long-lasting, insecticidal net distribution: a sensitivity analysis

Background

Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) reduce malaria transmission by protecting individuals from infectious bites, and by reducing mosquito survival. In recent years, millions of LLINs have been distributed across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Over time, LLINs decay physically and chemically and are destroyed, making repeated interventions necessary to prevent a resurgence of malaria. Because its effects on transmission are important (more so than the effects of individual protection), estimates of the lifetime of mass distribution rounds should be based on the effective length of epidemiological protection.

Methods

Simulation models, parameterised using available field data, were used to analyse how the distribution's effective lifetime depends on the transmission setting and on LLIN characteristics. Factors considered were the pre-intervention transmission level, initial coverage, net attrition, and both physical and chemical decay. An ensemble of 14 stochastic individual-based model variants for malaria in humans was used, combined with a deterministic model for malaria in mosquitoes.

Results

The effective lifetime was most sensitive to the pre-intervention transmission level, with a lifetime of almost 10 years at an entomological inoculation rate of two infectious bites per adult per annum (ibpapa), but of little more than 2 years at 256 ibpapa. The LLIN attrition rate and the insecticide decay rate were the next most important parameters. The lifetime was surprisingly insensitive to physical decay parameters, but this could change as physical integrity gains importance with the emergence and spread of pyrethroid resistance.

Conclusions

The strong dependency of the effective lifetime on the pre-intervention transmission level indicated that the required distribution frequency may vary more with the local entomological situation than with LLIN quality or the characteristics of the distribution system. This highlights the need for malaria monitoring both before and during intervention programmes, particularly since there are likely to be strong variations between years and over short distances. The majority of SSA's population falls into exposure categories where the lifetime is relatively long, but because exposure estimates are highly uncertain, it is necessary to consider subsequent interventions before the end of the expected effective lifetime based on an imprecise transmission measure.     

Structural Characterization of the E2 Domain of APL-1, a Caenorhabditis elegans Homolog of Human Amyloid Precursor Protein, and Its Heparin Binding Site

The amyloid β-peptide deposit found in the brain tissue of patients with Alzheimer disease is derived from a large heparin-binding protein precursor APP. The biological function of APP and its homologs is not precisely known. Here we report the x-ray structure of the E2 domain of APL-1, an APP homolog in Caenorhabditis elegans, and compare it to the human APP structure. We also describe the structure of APL-1 E2 in complex with sucrose octasulfate, a highly negatively charged disaccharide, which reveals an unexpected binding pocket between the two halves of E2. Based on the crystal structure, we are able to map, using site-directed mutagenesis, a surface groove on E2 to which heparin may bind. Our biochemical data also indicate that the affinity of E2 for heparin is influenced by pH: at pH 5, the binding appears to be much stronger than that at neutral pH. This property is likely caused by histidine residues in the vicinity of the mapped heparin binding site and could be important for the proposed adhesive function of APL-1.