‘Mild mitochondrial uncoupling’ induced protection against neuronal excitotoxicity requires AMPK activity

The preconditioning response conferred by a mild uncoupling of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ_m) has been attributed to altered reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial Ca^2 + uptake within the cells. Here we have explored if altered cellular energetics in response to a mild mitochondrial uncoupling stimulus may also contribute to the protection. The addition of 100 nM FCCP for 30 min to cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) induced a transient depolarization of the Δψ_m, that was sufficient to significantly reduce CGN vulnerability to the excitotoxic stimulus, glutamate. On investigation, the mild mitochondrial ‘uncoupling’ stimulus resulted in a significant increase in the plasma membrane levels of the glucose transporter isoform 3, with a hyperpolarisation of Δψ_m and increased cellular ATP levels also evident following the washout of FCCP. Furthermore, the phosphorylation state of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) (Thr 172) was increased within 5 min of the uncoupling stimulus and elevated up to 1 h after washout. Significantly, the physiological changes and protection evident after the mild uncoupling stimulus were lost in CGNs when AMPK activity was inhibited. This study identifies an additional mechanism through which protection is mediated upon mild mitochondrial uncoupling: it implicates increased AMPK signalling and an adaptive shift in energy metabolism as mediators of the preconditioning response associated with FCCP-induced mild mitochondrial uncoupling.     

State-of-the art data normalization methods improve NMR-based metabolomic analysis

Extracting biomedical information from large metabolomic datasets by multivariate data analysis is of considerable complexity. Common challenges include among others screening for differentially produced metabolites, estimation of fold changes, and sample classification. Prior to these analysis steps, it is important to minimize contributions from unwanted biases and experimental variance. This is the goal of data preprocessing. In this work, different data normalization methods were compared systematically employing two different datasets generated by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. To this end, two different types of normalization methods were used, one aiming to remove unwanted sample-to-sample variation while the other adjusts the variance of the different metabolites by variable scaling and variance stabilization methods. The impact of all methods tested on sample classification was evaluated on urinary NMR fingerprints obtained from healthy volunteers and patients suffering from autosomal polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Performance in terms of screening for differentially produced metabolites was investigated on a dataset following a Latin-square design, where varied amounts of 8 different metabolites were spiked into a human urine matrix while keeping the total spike-in amount constant. In addition, specific tests were conducted to systematically investigate the influence of the different preprocessing methods on the structure of the analyzed data. In conclusion, preprocessing methods originally developed for DNA microarray analysis, in particular, Quantile and Cubic-Spline Normalization, performed best in reducing bias, accurately detecting fold changes, and classifying samples.

     

Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of exon 11 of the CFTR gene reliably detects more than one third of non-ΔF508 mutations in German cystic fibrosis patients

Summary In Central Europe, the F508 deletion accounts for approximately 75% of mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene causing cystic fibrosis. The remainder comprise a large number of individually infrequent mutations whose detection requires a disproportionately large effort. However, a sizeable proportion of non-F508 mutations have been found to cluster within exon 11. We have taken advantage of this clustering to detect a total of five previously described point mutations present on 26/72 (36%) non-F508 chromosomes by polymerase chain reaction/direct sequencing of exon 11. These exon 11 mutations were then subjected to single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis, which was shown (i) to discriminate reliably between mutant and wildtype alleles and (ii) to generate reproducible mutation-specific band patterns. This analysis thus represents the first attempt to assess SSCP analysis retrospectively, and serves to illustrate the potential of this screening technique in diagnostic medicine.     

Immunoelectron microscopic studies on the localization of peptidoglycan peptide subunit pentapeptides in bacterial cell walls

The peptide subunit pentapeptide H-L-Ala-D-Glu(L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala-OH)-NH₂ of peptidoglycan was localized in the cell walls of several Gram-positive bacteria employing the indirect immunoferritin technique. Specific antibodies to the D-alanyl-D-alanine moiety of non-crosslinked peptide subunit pentapeptide were raised in rabbits by immunization with synthetic immunogen albumin-(CH₂CO-Gly-L-Ala-L-Ala-D-Ala-D-Ala-OH)₃₉. Specificity of these antibodies for the peptide subunit pentapeptide and not for the peptide subunit tetrapeptide was corroborated in a Farr-type radio-active hapten binding assay. Specificity of labelling with ferritin was established by immunoelectron microscopic controls, and by the excellent correlation between specific labelling of cells with ferritin and the particular peptidoglycan primary structure of bacterial strains investigated. Cells of Lactobacillus gasseri, Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus revealing non-crosslinked peptide subunit pentapeptides in their peptidoglycans could specifically be labelled. Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis, on the contrary, missing such pentapeptides, failed in labelling.The implication of this method to possibly localize the points of attack of penicillin or cycloserine is discussed.Abbreviations used meso-A₂pm meso-diaminopimelic acid - DSM Deutsche Sammlung für Mikroorganismen, Göttingen, FRG This paper is dedicated to Professor Gerhart Drews on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

PALEOZOIC LYCOPSID FRUCTIFICATIONS. I. LEPIDOCARPON PETRIFACTIONS

A reinvestigation of the 4 American species of Lepidocarpon described from petrifactions and of Illiniocarpon cadyi, also described from petrifactions, shows that they are all conspecific. When they, in turn, are compared with specimens of the British petrifaction L. lomaxi, no significant differences can be demonstrated. The criteria cited as diagnostic for the American petrifaction species of Lepidocarpon were found to fail as bases of discrimination when 400 specimens of Lepidocarpon found in coal balls of Pennsylvanian age were studied. Measurements and observations made of a sample size of 136 of these 400 specimens reveal a degree of variation compatible with that of a single species. All previously described American and British petrifaction taxa fall within (or not significantly beyond) this range of variability of a single species as determined from this sample. Additional evidence concerning the 3-dimensional sporophyll structure of this one species of Lepidocarpon and the configurations obtained by certain planes of section through it have served to demonstrate that Illiniocarpon cadyi is in reality a taxon based on sectioned structures of the sporophyll of this Lepidocarpon species. Under the rules of priority, this species of Lepidocarpon and the following are assigned to Lepidocarpon lomaxi: Illiniocarpon cadyi, Lepidocarpon ioense, L. magnificum (megasporangiate form), L. crenatum and L. palmerensis. On the basis of the morphological evidence, the British petrifaction described as Lepidocarpon wildianum is also equated with L. lomaxi.     

Kinetics of insulin internalization and processing in adipocytes: effects of insulin concentration

We have studied the effect of insulin concentration on the kinetics of insulin internalization and efflux in isolated rat adipocytes. To determine internalization rates adipocytes were incubated with 125I-insulin at 37 degrees C; and at frequent, early time points surface-bound and intracellular insulin were quantitated. Surface-bound and intracellular insulin were discriminated by the sensitivity of the former to rapid dissociation by a pH 3.0 buffer at 4 degrees C. From this data the endocytotic (internalization) rate constant (ke) was calculated for six insulin concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 100 ng/ml. Ke was found to decrease in an insulin concentration-dependent manner (P less than .001). Thus, values for ke were 0.121 +/- 0.006 min-1 versus 0.074 +/- 0.011 min-1 at 0.3 ng/ml and 100 ng/ml, respectively. The decrease in ke did not parallel insulin concentration-dependent changes in insulin receptor affinity indicating it was not the result of an inability of low affinity receptors to be internalized. The kinetics of insulin efflux were determined by loading various concentrations of 125I-insulin into the adipocyte interior, washing away surface-bound and extracellular insulin, and then monitoring the subsequent efflux of pre-loaded insulin into medium that contained the same concentration of insulin used in the loading step. The overall rate of efflux was independent of insulin concentration. In summary, these results show that at high insulin concentrations the efficiency of insulin internalization is impaired. In contrast, the rate of insulin efflux is unaffected.     

Plant regeneration from ryegrass ovules cultivated on endosperm-derived feeder cells

An efficient method for the regeneration of zygote-derived plants via ovule culture is desirable for overcoming postzygotic cross incompatibility as well as for the development of certain methods for genetic manipulation. High-frequency plantlet regeneration from ovules of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and a hybrid Italian/perennial ryegrass excised 1 to 4 days post pollination was obtained by culture on endosperm-derived feeder cells. Ovules excised 3 or 4 days after anthesis and grown on feeder cells generally regenerated about twice as frequently as ovules grown directly on nutrient medium. In one of the genotypes tested, ovules excised 1, 2 and 3 days post pollination developed into plantlets at percentages of 38.1, 52.0 and 52.8, respectively, using the feeder-cell system.Abbreviations EM endosperm multiplications - OC ovule culture - R regeneration - 2,4-d 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid     

In vitro susceptibility ofPityrosporum ovale (Malassezia furfur) to human androgenic steroids

Cells ofPityrosporum ovale that colonize human pilosebaceous units are constantly exposed to cutaneous androgenic steroids. The aim of our study was to find out whetherP. ovale is susceptible to these hormones. Three strains ofP. ovale were grown in vitro in the presence of various concentrations oftestosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, androstenedione, androstanedione, 5--dihydrotestosterone andprogesterone (10, 100, and 1000 µg/ml; agar dilution assays). In addition, three strains ofCandida albicans were also exposed to equal concentrations of the same androgens. As a result, allP. ovale strains were suppressed by 1000 µg/mlandrostenedione, which was the strongest inhibitor. The other androgenic steroids also significantly reducedP. ovale growth at different concentrations, depending on the hormone used and the strain tested.Progesterone was inhibitory at the highest concentration for oneP. ovale strain only.Candida albicans was not affected by any of the androgens. These findings demonstrate an in vitro susceptibility ofP. ovale to high concentrations of human androgenic steroids. A relevance of this interaction for the in vivo fungus-host relation is not apparent.     

Structural features of archaebacterial and eukaryotic proteasomes

The 26S proteasome is the central protease of the ubiquitin-dependent pathway of protein degradation. The molecule has a molecular mass of approximately 2000 kD and has a highly conserved structure in eukaryotes. The 26S proteasome is formed by a barrel-shaped 20S core complex and two polar 19S complexes. The 20S complex has C2 symmetry and is formed by four seven-membered rings of which the outer rings (-type subunits) are rotated by 25.7° relative to the inner rings while the inner rings (-type subunits) are in register. From a comparison of the activity and regulation of the 26S and 20S particles it can be deduced that the 20S particle contains the protease activity while the 19S complex contains isopeptidase, ATPase and protein unfolding activities. In this article we describe the structures of various proteasome complexes as determined by electron microscopy and discuss structural implications of their subunit sequences.