Structure of the baboon endogenous virus genome: cloning of circular virus DNA in bacteriophage lambda.

Linear, small and large circular forms of unintegrated viral DNAs were detected in Hirt supernatant fraction of human cultured cells infected with baboon endogenous virus M7. The circular M7 DNAs were cloned in bacteriophage lambda, Charon 28. Seventeen independent clones were isolated and analyzed by restriction endonuclease mapping. Nine clones were carrying a viral sequence of 8.6 kilobase pairs (kb) with two tandem repeats of 0.6 kb, which correspond to the large circular form of the unintegrated M7 DNA. Eight other clones had the viral insert of 8.0 kb, i. e., the small circular form, and were deleted one of the repeated sequences. The repeated sequences correspond to the long terminal repeats of 0.6 kb, located at both ends of the linear M7 DNA of 8.6 kb. One of the recombinants of the large circular M7 DNA had an inversion of 2.5 kb. One end of the inverted sequence was near the terminus of the long terminal repeats and the other in the gag gene region. The inversion seems to be occurred by integration of a viral DNA within itself during early periods of infection. The mechanism of the processes leading to integration is discussed from the structure of these unintegrated M7 DNAs as the precursors.     

Burr marigold (Bidens tripartita L.) roots directly and immediately scavenge rhizosphere methane with highly exuded hydrogen peroxide via a rhizosphere Fenton reaction

Plant and Soil - The major factors controlling the soil methane (CH4) concentration and CH4 emissions of various plant (mainly wetland) species were identified. Five plant species (Oryza sativa,...     

Anti‐barnacle Activity of Isocyanides Derived from Amino Acids

Creation of new potent antifouling active compounds is important for the development of environmentally friendly antifouling agents. Fifteen isocyanide congeners derived from proteinogenic amino acids were synthesized, and the antifouling activity and toxicity of these compounds against cypris larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite were investigated. All synthesized amino acid‐isocyanides exhibited potent anti‐barnacle activity with EC₅₀ values of 0.07 – 10.34 μg/ml after 120 h exposure without significant toxicity. In addition, seven compounds showed more than 95% settlement inhibition of the cypris larvae at 10 μg/ml after 120 h exposure without any mortality observed. Considering their structure, these amino acid‐isocyanides would eventually be biodegraded to their original nontoxic amino acids. These should be useful for further research focused on the development of environmentally friendly antifoulants.     

Rapid changes in levels of mineral nutrients in root-tip cells following short-term exposure to aluminium

We investigated the rapid modification of plasma membrane and changes in mineral nutrients in root-tip cells of Al-tolerant rice and Al-sensitive barley following short-term exposure to Al (20 M Al, 1 h). The plasma membrane of the barley cells was significantly permeabilized when re-elongated in an Al-free Ca solution following a 1-h pre-treatment with Al, while that of rice cells was not affected at all. The elemental distribution and concentration in a 2-mm portion of the root apex were determined by electron probe X-ray microanalysis. Al was localized primarily to the epidermis and outer cortex cells in both species, and was much more abundant in barley than in rice. Al increased and decreased remarkably the intracellular K concentration in whole root-tip cells of rice and barley, respectively. In barley, the decrease in the concentration of Ca coincided with the accumulation of Al. Conversely, the intracellular concentration of P in the surface layers of root-tip cells increased with the accumulation of Al. The distribution and concentration of Ca and P in rice did not change after 1-h treatment with Al. These results suggest that the rapid modification of the plasma membrane of root-tip cells induced by Al affects the nutritional homeostasis in the cells.     

Effect of steady-state response versus excitatory/inhibitory balance on spiking synchronization in neural networks with log-normal synaptic weight distribution

Synchronization of neural activity, especially at the gamma band, contributes to perceptual functions. In several psychiatric disorders, deficits of perceptual functions are reflected in synchronization abnormalities. Plausible cause of this impairment is an alteration in the balance between excitation and inhibition (E/I balance); a disruption in the E/I balance leads to abnormal neural interactions reminiscent of pathological states. Moreover, the local lateral excitatory-excitatory synaptic connections in the cortex exhibit excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) that follow a log-normal amplitude distribution. This long-tailed distribution is considered an important factor for the emergence of spatiotemporal neural activity. In this context, we hypothesized that manipulating the EPSP distribution under abnormal E/I balance conditions would provide insights into psychiatric disorders characterized by deficits in perceptual functions, potentially revealing the mechanisms underlying pathological neural behaviors. In this study, we evaluated the synchronization of neural activity with external periodic stimuli in spiking neural networks in cases of both E/I balance and imbalance with or without a long-tailed EPSP amplitude distribution. The results showed that external stimuli of a high frequency lead to a decrease in the degree of synchronization with an increasing ratio of excitatory to inhibitory neurons in the presence, but not in the absence, of high-amplitude EPSPs. This monotonic reduction can be interpreted as an autonomous, strong-EPSP-dependent spiking activity selectively interfering with the responses to external stimuli. This observation is consistent with pathological findings. Thus, our modeling approach has potential to improve the understanding of the steady-state response in both healthy and pathological states.     

Habitual exercise induced resistance to oxidative stress

We investigated whether habitual exercise (HE) modulates levels of oxidative DNA damage and responsiveness to oxidative stress induced by renal carcinogen Fe-nitrilotriacetic acid (Fe-NTA). During a ten week protocol, two groups of rats either remained sedentary or underwent swimming for 15-60 min per day, 5 days per week, with or without a weight equivalent to 5% of their body weight. Then we injected Fe-NTA and sacrificed the rats 1 h after the injection. We determined the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in diaphragm and kidney, evaluated levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8OHdG), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, and assayed OGG1 protein levels in kidney. SOD activity in the diaphragm and kidney was increased in HE rats. By itself, HE had no effect on the level of 8OHdG, but it did significantly suppress induction of 8OHdG by Fe-NTA, and the amount of suppression correlated with intensity of exercise. These results suggest that HE induces resistance to oxidative stress and, at least at the initiation stage, inhibits carcinogenesis.     

Pharmacological targeting of HSP90 with 17-AAG induces apoptosis of myogenic cells through activation of the intrinsic pathway

Endothelial inflammation and monocyte plays an essential role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Ghrelin is beneficial for atherosclerosis progression. However, the detailed and precise molecular mechanisms of how ghrelin regulates endothelial inflammation are not clear. In this study, we investigated the regulation mechanism of ghrelin on TNF-α-activated endothelial inflammation and monocyte adhesion. It was found that TNF-α-induced monocyte adhesion on HUVEC was significantly attenuated by ghrelin. Furthermore, we found that ghrelin effectively suppressed TNF-α-induced inflammatory factors’ (including ICAM-1, VCAM-1, MCP-1, and IL-1β) expression through inhibiting AMPK phosphorylation and p65 expression both in HUVEC and THP-1. This phenomenon was further demonstrated by using AMPK agonist AICAR and inhibitor compound C, respectively. Our findings suggest that ghrelin may mediate TNF-α-induced endothelial inflammation and monocyte adhesion, in part via AMPK/NF-κB signaling pathway. These novel anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory actions of ghrelin may play a certain role in understanding the formation and development of atherosclerosis.     

Habitual exercise induced resistance to oxidative stress

We investigated whether habitual exercise (HE) modulates levels of oxidative DNA damage and responsiveness to oxidative stress induced by renal carcinogen Fe-nitrilotriacetic acid (Fe-NTA). During a ten week protocol, two groups of rats either remained sedentary or underwent swimming for 15–60?min per day, 5 days per week, with or without a weight equivalent to 5% of their body weight. Then we injected Fe-NTA and sacrificed the rats 1?h after the injection. We determined the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in diaphragm and kidney, evaluated levels of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8OHdG), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, and assayed OGG1 protein levels in kidney. SOD activity in the diaphragm and kidney was increased in HE rats. By itself, HE had no effect on the level of 8OHdG, but it did significantly suppress induction of 8OHdG by Fe-NTA, and the amount of suppression correlated with intensity of exercise. These results suggest that HE induces resistance to oxidative stress and, at least at the initiation stage, inhibits carcinogenesis.