The diamond knife "semi": a substitute for glass or conventional diamond knives in the ultramicrotomy of thin and semi-thin sections

The diamond knife "semi" for ultramicrotomes was originally designed by its manufacturer (DIATOME S.A.), for cutting semi-thin sections from 0.2 micron to 2.0 micron. Cutting tests of Epon-embedded material (nervous system, myelin sheat) with this knife have shown that the quality of semi-thin sections is equivalent or better than that obtained with a glass knife, and much time could be saved during the microtomy of serial sections. The quality of thin sections (0.07 micron to 0.12 micron) is excellent and comparable to that obtained with a conventional diamond knife. Furthermore, when adjacent sections are cut thin and semi-thin (for immunochemistry or high voltage microscopy), both are excellent in that they are of uniform thickness. In conclusion, this tool has advantages for both light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.     

The S. pombe cdc16 gene is required both for maintenance of p34cdc2 kinase activity and regulation of septum formation: a link between mitosis and cytokinesis?

In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, septum formation and cytokinesis are dependent upon the initiation, though not the completion of mitosis. A number of cell cycle mutants which show phenotypes consistent with a defect in the regulation of septum formation have been isolated. A mutation in the S. pombe cdc16 gene leads to the formation of multiple septa without cytokinesis, suggesting that the normal mechanisms that limit the cell to the formation of a single septum in each cycle do not operate. Mutations in the S. pombe early septation mutants cdc7, cdc11, cdc14 and cdc15 lead to the formation of elongated, multinucleate cells, as a result of S phase and mitosis continuing in the absence of cytokinesis. This suggests that in these cells, the normal mechanisms which initiate cytokinesis are defective and that they are unable to respond to this by preventing further nuclear cycles. Genetic analysis has implied that the products of some of these genes may interact with that of the cdc16 gene. To understand how the processes of septation and cytokinesis are regulated and coordinated with mitosis we are studying the early septation mutants and cdc16. In this paper, we present the cloning and analysis of the cdc16 gene. Deletion of the gene shows that it is essential for cell proliferation: spores lacking a functional cdc16 gene germinate, complete mitosis and form multiple septa without undergoing cell cleavage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Ligand-independent reduction of cAMP receptors in Dictyostelium discoideum cells over-expressing a mutated ras gene.

Drug-resistance selection in Dictyostelium discoideum transformants resulted in up to eight-times-higher ras protein levels. Over-production of the wild-type ras protein did not lead to an aberrant phenotype. Increased levels of the mutated [G12T]ras protein, however, were correlated with severe deficiencies in aggregation and development. This aberrant phenotype is associated with reduced cAMP binding, due to a lower number of cell-surface receptors. We show that both RNA and cAMP-receptor-protein levels are reduced. These results indicate that ras in Dictyostelium discoideum seems to be involved in regulating cAMP-receptor-gene expression.     

Influence of inlet boundary conditions on the local haemodynamics of intracranial aneurysms

Haemodynamics is believed to play an important role in the initiation, growth and rupture of intracranial aneurysms. In this context, computational haemodynamics has been extensively used in an effort to establish correlations between flow variables and clinical outcome. It is common practice in the application of Dirichlet boundary conditions at domain inlets to specify transient velocities as either a flat (plug) profile or a spatially developed profile based on Womersley's analytical solution. This paper provides comparative haemodynamics measures for three typical cerebral aneurysms.

Three dimentional rotational angiography images of aneurysms at three common locations, viz. basilar artery tip, internal carotid artery and middle cerebral artery were obtained. The computational tools being developed in the European project @neurIST were used to reconstruct the fluid domains and solve the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations, using in turn Womersley and plug-flow inlet velocity profiles. The effects of these assumptions were analysed and compared in terms of relevant haemodynamic variables within the aneurismal sac. For the aneurysm at the basilar tip geometries with different extensions of the afferent vasculature were considered to study the plausibility of a fully-developed axial flow at the inlet boundaries.

The study shows that assumptions made on the velocity profile while specifying inlet boundary conditions have little influence on the local haemodynamics in the aneurysm, provided that a sufficient extension of the afferent vasculature is considered and that geometry is the primary determinant of the flow field within the aneurismal sac. For real geometries the Womersley profile is at best an unnecessary over-complication, and may even be worse than the plug profile in some anatomical locations (e.g. basilar confluence).     

Mechanism of Bacterial Oligosaccharyltransferase: IN VITRO QUANTIFICATION OF SEQUON BINDING AND CATALYSIS*

N-Linked glycosylation is an essential post-translational protein modification in the eukaryotic cell. The initial transfer of an oligosaccharide from a lipid carrier onto asparagine residues within a consensus sequon is catalyzed by oligosaccharyltransferase (OST). The first X-ray structure of a complete bacterial OST enzyme, Campylobacter lari PglB, was recently determined. To understand the mechanism of PglB, we have quantified sequon binding and glycosylation turnover in vitro using purified enzyme and fluorescently labeled, synthetic peptide substrates. Using fluorescence anisotropy, we determined a dissociation constant of 1.0 μm and a strict requirement for divalent metal ions for consensus (DQNAT) sequon binding. Using in-gel fluorescence detection, we quantified exceedingly low glycosylation rates that remained undetected using in vivo assays. We found that an alanine in the −2 sequon position, converting the bacterial sequon to a eukaryotic one, resulted in strongly lowered sequon binding, with in vitro turnover reduced 50,000-fold. A threonine is preferred over serine in the +2 sequon position, reflected by a 4-fold higher affinity and a 1.2-fold higher glycosylation rate. The interaction of the +2 sequon position with PglB is modulated by isoleucine 572. Our study demonstrates an intricate interplay of peptide and metal binding as the first step of protein N-glycosylation.     

Effects of MDMA Injections on the Behavior of Socially-Housed Long-Tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis)

3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methyl amphetamine (MDMA) is one of the few known molecules to increase human and rodent prosocial behaviors. However, this effect has never been assessed on the social behavior of non-human primates. In our study, we subcutaneously injected three different doses of MDMA (1.0, 1.5 or 2.0mg/kg) to a group of three, socially housed, young male long-tailed macaques. More than 200 hours of behavioral data were recorded, during 68 behavioral sessions, by an automatic color-based video device that tracked the 3D positions of each animal and of a toy. This data was then categorized into 5 exclusive behaviors (resting, locomotion, foraging, social contact and object play). In addition, received and given social grooming was manually scored. Results show several significant dose-dependent behavioral effects. At 1.5mg/kg only, MDMA induces a significant increase in social grooming behavior, thus confirming the prosocial effect of MDMA in macaques. Additionally, at 1.5 and 2.0 mg/kg MDMA injection substantially decreases foraging behavior, which is consistent with the known anorexigenic effect of this compound. Furthermore, at 2.0 mg/kg MDMA injection induces an increase in locomotor behavior, which is also in accordance with its known stimulant property. Interestingly, MDMA injected at 1.0mg/kg increases the rate of object play, which might be interpreted as a decrease of the inhibition to manipulate a unique object in presence of others, or, as an increase of the intrinsic motivation to manipulate this object. Together, our results support the effectiveness of MDMA to study the complex neurobiology of primates’ social behaviors.