Mediation of pinocytosis in cultured arterial smooth muscle and endothelial cells by platelet-derived growth factor

Pinocytosis was measured in monkey aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC), bovine aortic endothelial cells, and Swiss 3T3 cells in culture as cellular uptake of [U-(14)C]sucrose and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) from the tissue culture medium. Monkey arterial SMC and Swiss 3T3 cells were maintained in a quiescent state of growth at low cells density in medium containing 5 percent monkey plasma-derived serum (PDS). Replacement of PDS with 5 percent monkey whole blood serum (WBS) from the same donor, or addition to PDS of partially purified platelet-derived growth factor(s) (PF), resulted in a marked stimulation of pinocytosis as well as of cellular proliferation. In SMC, enhancement of the rate of pinocytosis occurred 4-6 h after exposure to WBS or PF, and the rate was up to twofold higher than the rate in medium containing PDS. In contrast, [(3)H]thymidine uptake by SMC did not increase until 12-16 h after exposure to PF. In endothelial cells the presence of PF or WBS did not enhance either the rate of pinocytosis or the rate of proliferation over that in PDS. Thus, endothelial cells did not become quiescent at subconfluent densities in PDS but maintained rates of proliferation and pinocytosis that were equivalent to those in WBS. By autoradiography, the fraction of labeled nuclei in SMC cultures 24 h after change of medium increased from 0.061 +/- 0.004 in quiescent cultures to 0.313 +/- 0.028 after exposure to WBS or PF. In contrast, labeling indices of endothelial cells were similar for cultures grown in PDS, WBS, or PF at any single time point after change of medium. These findings suggest that the rate of pinocytosis maybe be coupled in some fashion to growth regulation, which may be mediated in part by specific growth factors, such as that derived from the thrombocyte.     

Control of stem cell fate by engineering their micro and nanoenvironment

Stem cells are capable of long-term self-renewal and differentiation into specialised cell types, making them an ideal candidate for a cell source for regenerative medicine. The control of stem cell fate has become a major area of interest in the field of regenerative medicine and therapeutic intervention. Conventional methods of chemically inducing stem cells into specific lineages is being challenged by the advances in biomaterial technology, with evidence highlighting that material properties are capable of driving stem cell fate. Materials are being designed to mimic the clues stem cells receive in their in vivo stem cell niche including topographical and chemical instructions. Nanotopographical clues that mimic the extracellular matrix(ECM) in vivo have shown to regulate stem cell differentiation. The delivery of ECM components on biomaterials in the form of short peptides sequences has also proved successful in directing stem cell lineage. Growth factors responsible for controlling stem cell fate in vivo have also been delivered via biomaterials to provide clues to determine stem cell differentiation. An alternative approach to guide stem cells fate is to provide genetic clues including delivering DNA plasmids and small interfering RNAs via scaffolds. This review, aims to provide an overview of the topographical, chemical and molecular clues that biomaterials can provide to guide stem cell fate. The promising features and challenges of such approaches will be highlighted, to provide directions for future advancements in this exciting area of stem cell translation for regenerative medicine.     

Genetic covariance between indices of body condition and immunocompetence in a passerine bird

Background  

Condition-dependence is a ubiquitous feature of animal life histories and has important implications for both natural and sexual selection. Mate choice, for instance, is typically based on condition-dependent signals. Theory predicts that one reason why condition-dependent signals may be special is that they allow females to scan for genes that confer high parasite resistance. Such explanations require a genetic link between immunocompetence and body condition, but existing evidence is limited to phenotypic associations. It remains unknown, therefore, whether females selecting males with good body condition simply obtain a healthy mate, or if they acquire genes for their offspring that confer high immunocompetence.     

Solubilization and assay of phospholipase A2 activity from rat jejunal brush-border membranes

The phospholipase activity of rat jejunal brush-border membranes was examined in the presence of several solubilizing agents, by measuring the hydrolysis of endogenous membrane phospholipids, as well as the hydrolysis of exogenous, radiolabelled substrates. Enzyme activity was highly stimulated by dispersion in 1% solutions of bile salts, or in a synthetic, bile-salt derivative, 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]propanesulphonate (CHAPS). Under these conditions the endogenous membrane phospholipids were largely degraded to free fatty acids and water-soluble phosphate. In the presence of 1% CHAPS, hydrolysis of exogenous phosphatidylcholine was shown to be due to an initial phospholipase A2-type attack followed by a subsequent lysophospholipase-type attack. These activities co-purified with the brush-border membrane. Maximal phospholipase A2 hydrolysis occurred at an alkaline pH of 8-11, with bile-salt detergents present at greater than their critical micellar concentrations. Hydrolysis was completely divalent-ion independent. Phospholipase A2 activity was not stimulated by 50% diethyl ether or ethanol, or in the presence of 1% solutions of Triton X-100, Zwittergent 3-12, sodium dodecyl sulphate, or n-octylglucoside. Stimulation of phospholipase activity by detergents was not related to their effectiveness at solubilizing the membrane proteins. When assayed individually phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine were each hydrolyzed (at the sn-2 and sn-1 positions, respectively) at a rate of approximately 125 nmol/mg protein per min. When assayed together, the two substrates appeared to compete for the same active site over a wide range of concentrations. It was concluded that the brush-border membrane contains an integral membrane protein with phospholipase A2 and lysophospholipase activities, which is specifically stimulated by bile salts and bile salt-like detergents.     

Dynamics of the anaerobic process: effects of volatile fatty acids

A complex and fast dynamic response of the anaerobic biogas system was observed when the system was subjected to pulses of volatile fatty acids (VFAs). It was shown that a pulse of specific VFAs into a well-functioning continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) system operating on cow manure affected both CH(4) yield, pH, and gas production and that a unique reaction pattern was seen for the higher VFAs as a result of these pulses. In this study, two thermophilic laboratory reactors were equipped with a novel VFA-sensor for monitoring specific VFAs online. Pulses of VFAs were shown to have a positive effect on process yield and the levels of all VFA were shown to stabilize at a lower level after the biomass had been subjected to several pulses. The response to pulses of propionate or acetate was different from the response to butyrate, iso-butyrate, valerate, or iso-valerate. High concentrations of propionate affected the degradation of all VFAs, while a pulse of acetate affected primarily the degradation of iso-valerate or 2-methylbutyrate. Pulses of n-butyrate, iso-butyrate, and iso-valerate yielded only acetate, while degradation of n-valerate gave both propionate and acetate. Product sensitivity or inhibition was shown for the degradation of all VFAs tested. Based on the results, it was concluded that measurements of all specific VFAs are important for control purposes and increase and decrease in a specific VFA should always be evaluated in close relationship to the conversion of other VFAs and the history of the reactor process. It should be pointed out that the observed dynamics of VFA responses were based on hourly measurements, meaning that the response duration was much lower than the hydraulic retention time, which exceeds several days in anaerobic CSTR systems.     

A new VFA sensor technique for anaerobic reactor systems

A key parameter for understanding and controlling the anaerobic biogas process is the concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFA). However, this information has so far been limited to off-line measurements using labor-intensive methods. We have developed a new technique that has made it possible to monitor VFA on-line in one of the most difficult media: animal slurry or manure. A novel in situ filtration technique has made it possible to perform microfiltration inside a reactor system. This filter enables sampling from closed reactor systems without large-scale pumping and filters. Furthermore, due to its small size it can be placed in lab-scale reactors without disturbing the process. Using this filtration technique together with commercially available membrane filters we have constructed a VFA sensor system that can perform automatic analysis of animal slurry at a frequency as high as every 15 minutes. Reproducibility and recovery factors of the entire system have been determined. The VFA sensor has been tested for a period of more than 60 days with more than 1,000 samples on both a full-scale biogas plant and lab-scale reactors. The measuring range covers specific measurements of acetate, propionate, iso-/n-butyrate and iso-/n-valerate ranging from 0.1 to 50 mM (6-3,000 mg). The measuring range could readily be expanded to more components and both lower and higher concentrations if desired. In addition to the new VFA sensor system, test results from development and testing of the in situ filtration technique are being presented is this article.     

Mouse Hyal3 encodes a 45- to 56-kDa glycoprotein whose overexpression increases hyaluronidase 1 activity in cultured cells

Hyaluronidases are enzymes that mediate the breakdown of hyaluronan(HA), a large polysaccharide abundant in the extracellular matrixof vertebrate tissues. Six genes have been predicted to encodehyaluronidases in humans, but the protein products of only SPAM1,HYAL1, and HYAL2 have been characterized. We have now expressedthe mouse Hyal3 gene product, hyaluronidase 3 (Hyal3), in BabyHamster Kidney (BHK) cells and demonstrated the presence ofmultiple forms of Hyal3 ranging from 45 to 56 kDa in expressionlysates. Complete and partial digestions of the expressed proteinwith PNGase F showed three N-linked oligosaccharides accountedfor all forms of Hyal3 detected in expression lysates. Mostof these oligosaccharides were Endo H sensitive, indicatingthat they were high mannose or hybrid N-linked oligosaccharides.Subcellular fractionation of Hyal3-expressing BHK cells by densitygradient centrifugation revealed most Hyal3 in a low-densityvesicular population. Low levels of Hyal3 were detected in higherdensity vesicles, but no colocalization with the late endosomal/lysosomalmarker Lamp1 was found by immunofluorescence microscopy. BHKcells stably expressing Hyal3 had increased acid-active hyaluronidaseactivity, but no such activity was detected when Hyal3 was transfectedinto Hyaluronidase 1 (Hyal1)-deficient fibroblasts. Overexpressionof Hyal3 in BHK cells increased the Hyal1 protein and mRNA levels,suggesting that the increased hyaluronidase activity in thesecells was due to Hyal1 rather than Hyal3. The results indicatethat Hyal3 overexpressed in cultured cells lacks intrinsic hyaluronidaseactivity and that Hyal3 may contribute to HA metabolism by augmentingthe activity of Hyal1.