An exploratory study of cardiac function and oxygen uptake during cycle ergometry in overweight children

Objective: Obesity has been proposed to negatively impact cardiac function in overweight (OW) individuals. The relationship between diastolic dysfunction and oxygen uptake (V?o ₂) kinetics is equivocal. This exploratory investigation evaluated the relationship between resting left ventricular function and V?o ₂ kinetics during cycle ergometry in OW and non‐overweight (NO) children and adolescents. Research Methods and Procedures: Fourteen OW (>85 percentile for BMI for age and gender) children, 10 boys and 4 girls (age, 11.7 ± 1.9 years; body mass, 80.6 ± 45.5 kg) and 10 NO children (4 boys, 6 girls) volunteered to participate in the study (age, 12.5 ± 2.1 years; body mass, 45.8 ± 13.8 kg). Resting cardiovascular structure and function were assessed using spectral Doppler echocardiography. All subjects underwent two sub‐maximal exercise stages on a cycle ergometer (3 minutes unloaded and 5 minutes at 50 W, both at a cadence of 50 rpm). Respiratory data were measured on a breath‐by‐breath basis at both workloads and the mean response time (MRT) was calculated. Results: Analysis of the MRT data demonstrated that there were no significant differences between OW and NO (OW, 52.6 ± 11.7 seconds vs. NO, 45.6 ± 7.4 seconds). Significant correlations (p < 0.05) were obtained between MRT V?o ₂ and echocardiographic‐derived mitral valve inflow pressure half‐time (r = 0.55) and between MRT V?o ₂, and mitral valve inflow deceleration time (r = 0.55). Discussion: The evidence from this research suggests a possible link between left ventricular diastolic function at rest and oxygen uptake kinetics during sub‐maximal exercise in OW and NO children and adolescents.     

The use of the cancellation technique to quantify the Hermann grid illusion

When observers view a grid of mid-gray lines superimposed on a black background, they report seeing illusory dark gray smudges at the grid intersections, an effect known as the Hermann grid illusion. The strength of the illusion is often measured using the cancellation technique: A white disk is placed over one of these intersections and the luminance of the disk is reduced until the disk disappears. Its luminance at this point, i.e., the disk's detection threshold, is taken to be a measure of the strength of the illusion. Our experiments showed that some distortions of the Hermann grid, which were sufficient to completely disrupt the illusion, did not reduce the disk's detection threshold. This showed that the cancellation technique is not a valid method for measuring the strength of the Hermann grid illusion. Those studies that attempted to use this technique inadvertently studied a different effect known as the blanking phenomenon. We conclude by presenting an explanation for the latter effect.     

GAA repeat instability in Friedreich ataxia YAC transgenic mice

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is primarily caused by an unstable GAA repeat-expansion mutation within intron 1 of the FRDA gene. However, the exact mechanisms leading to this expansion and its consequences are not fully understood. To study the dynamics of this mutation, we have generated two lines of human FRDA YAC transgenic mice that contain GAA repeat expansions within the appropriate genomic context. We have detected intergenerational instability and age-related somatic instability in both lines, with pronounced expansions found in the cerebellum. The dynamic nature of our transgenic GAA repeats is comparable with previous FRDA patient somatic tissue data. However, there is a difference between our FRDA YAC transgenic mice and other trinucleotide-repeat mouse models, which do not show pronounced repeat instability in the cerebellum. This represents the first mouse model of FRDA GAA repeat instability that will help to dissect the mechanism of this repeat.     

Structure and functional analysis of the fungal galectin CGL2

Recognition of and discrimination between potential glyco-substrates is central to the function of galectins. Here we dissect the fundamental parameters responsible for such selectivity by the fungal representative, CGL2. The 2.1 A crystal structure of CGL2 and five substrate complexes reveal that this prototype galectin achieves increased substrate specificity by accommodating substituted oligosaccharides of the mammalian blood group A/B type in an extended binding cleft. Kinetic studies on wild-type and mutant CGL2 proteins demonstrate that the tetrameric organization is essential for functionality. The geometric constraints due to the orthogonal orientation of the four binding sites have important consequences on substrate binding and selectivity.     

Evaluation of two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis for proteomic expression analysis of a model breast cancer cell system

The technique of fluorescent two-dimensional (2D) difference gel electrophoresis for differential protein expression analysis has been evaluated using a model breast cancer cell system of ErbB-2 overexpression. Labeling of paired cell lysate samples with N-hydroxy succinimidyl ester-derivatives of fluorescent Cy3 and Cy5 dyes for separation on the same 2D gel enabled quantitative, sensitive, and reproducible differential expression analysis of the cell lines. SyproRuby staining was shown to be a highly sensitive and 2D difference gel electrophoresis-compatible method for post-electrophoretic visualization of proteins, which could then be picked and identified by matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization mass spectroscopy. Indeed, from these experiments, we have identified multiple proteins that are likely to be involved in ErbB-2-mediated transformation. A triple dye labeling methodology was used to identify proteins differentially expressed in the cell system over a time course of growth factor stimulation. A Cy2-labeled pool of samples was used as a standard with all Cy3- and Cy5-labeled sample pairs to facilitate cross-gel quantitative analysis. DeCyder (Amersham Biosciences, Inc.) software was used to distinguish clear statistical differences in protein expression over time and between the cell lines.     

Green fluorescent protein expression in the symbiotic basidiomycete fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum

The symbiotic basidiomycete Hebeloma cylindrosporum is a model fungal species used to study ectomycorrhizal symbiosis at the molecular level. In order to have a vital marker, we developed a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter system efficiently expressed in H. cylindrosporum using the sgfp coding region bordered by two introns fused to the saprophytic basidiomycete Coprinopsis cinerea cgl1 promoter. Expression of this reporter system was tested under different environmental conditions in two transformants, and glucose was shown to repress gfp expression. Such a reporter system will be used in plant-fungus interaction to evaluate sugar supply by the plant to the compatible mycorrhizal symbiont and to compare the expression of various genes of interest in the free-living mycelia, in the symbiotic (mycorrhizas) and the reproductive (fruit bodies) structures formed by H. cylindrosporum.     

The TIP GROWTH DEFECTIVE1 S-acyl transferase regulates plant cell growth in Arabidopsis

TIP GROWTH DEFECTIVE1 (TIP1) of Arabidopsis thaliana affects cell growth throughout the plant and has a particularly strong effect on root hair growth. We have identified TIP1 by map-based cloning and complementation of the mutant phenotype. TIP1 encodes an ankyrin repeat protein with a DHHC Cys-rich domain that is expressed in roots, leaves, inflorescence stems, and floral tissue. Two homologues of TIP1 in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and human (Homo sapiens) have been shown to have S-acyl transferase (also known as palmitoyl transferase) activity. S-acylation is a reversible hydrophobic protein modification that offers swift, flexible control of protein hydrophobicity and affects protein association with membranes, signal transduction, and vesicle trafficking within cells. We show that TIP1 binds the acyl group palmitate, that it can rescue the morphological, temperature sensitivity, and yeast casein kinase2 localization defects of the yeast S-acyl transferase mutant akr1Delta, and that inhibition of acylation in wild-type Arabidopsis roots reproduces the Tip1- mutant phenotype. Our results demonstrate that S-acylation is essential for normal plant cell growth and identify a plant S-acyl transferase, an essential research tool if we are to understand how this important, reversible lipid modification operates in plant cells.     

Invasion rates increase with species richness in a marine epibenthic community by two mechanisms

It is widely believed that, when extrinsic conditions are similar, the likelihood of species invading established assemblages decreases with increasing species richness of the recipient community. Here we show that, for a sessile marine invertebrate community, invasion of patches increases with richness of the patch. We show that invasions can increase with local species richness by two distinct mechanisms. In the first, opportunistic colonisers with traits typical of invasive species colonise species-rich patches at higher rates because speciose patches are dominated by small colonies and mortality rates of small colonies are greater than that of large ones. Thus, mortality provides bare space for opportunists to colonise more frequently in species-rich patches. In the second, some species avoid colonising open areas of free space but preferentially associate with established colonies of particular other species, and a given preferred associate is more likely to occur in species-rich than in species-poor patches. These patterns are the result of particular properties of individual species and local species dynamics, and show that reduced risk of invasion is not necessarily an intrinsic property of species-rich communities. We conclude that resistance to invasion will be determined by the properties of the particular component species and emergent dynamics of the recipient community, and not by an aggregate community property such as richness.     

Multispectral imaging flow cytometry reveals distinct frequencies of γ-H2AX foci induction in DNA double strand break repair defective human cell lines

The measurement of γ-H2AX foci induction in cells provides a sensitive and reliable method for the quantitation of DNA damage responses in a variety of cell types. Accurate and rapid methods to conduct such observations are desirable. In this study, we have employed the novel technique of multispectral imaging flow cytometry to compare the induction and repair of γ-H2AX foci in three human cell types with different capacities for the repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSB). A repair normal fibroblast cell line MRC5-SV1, a DSB repair defective ataxia telangiectasia (AT5BIVA) cell line, and a DNA-PKcs deficient cell line XP14BRneo17 were exposed to 2 Gy gamma radiation from a (60)Cobalt source. Thirty minutes following exposure, we observed a dramatic induction of foci in the nuclei of these cells. After 24 hrs, there was a predictable reduction on the number of foci in the MRC5-SV1 cells, consistent with the repair of DNA DSB. In the AT5BIVA cells, persistence of the foci over a 24-hr period was due to the failure in the repair of DNA DSB. However, in the DNA-PKcs defective cells (XP14BRneo17), we observed an intermediate retention of foci in the nuclei indicative of partial repair of DNA DSB. In summary, the application of imaging flow cytometry has permitted an evaluation of foci in a large number of cells (20,000) for each cell line at each time point. This provides a novel method to determine differences in repair kinetics between different cell types. We propose that imaging flow cytometry provides an alternative platform for accurate automated high through-put analysis of foci induction in a variety of cell types.