Blocking of acidosis-mediated apoptosis by a reduction of lactate dehydrogenase activity through antisense mRNA expression.

Lactic acid produced from the cells is a potential cause of extra- and intracellular acidification. Due to scarce technical tools, lactic acid that leads to acidification could not be reduced and direct evidence of the relationship between metabolic lactate and apoptosis has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we designed a cellular pH regulation system in CHO cells by a reduction of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity through LDH antisense mRNA expression. This inhibited lactate production and, therefore, acidification of the cytosol. Under HCO3(-)-buffered growth conditions, both the parent CHO cells and the engineered CHO cells maintained their extracellular pH and intracellular pH fairly well. However, upon acidification of the cytosol, only the parent CHO cells underwent apoptosis under HCO3(-)-free conditions. In fact, we observed a number of apoptosis-related events only in control cells, including mitochondrial dysfunction, cytochrome c release, and an increase in caspase-3 enzymatic activity.     

Leucocytosis in Biomphalaria glabrata sensitized and resensitized to Echinostoma lindoense

Leucocytosis was shown to occur in the pulmonate gastropod Biomphalaria glabrata exposed to the trematode Echinostoma lindoense. In these sensitized snails, the leukocyte count in the hemolymph was elevated 3 to 5 days postexposure to miracidia, and prior to complete encapsulation of sporocysts. This increase continued 1 to 5 days after destruction of sensitizing, irradiated E. lindoense sporocysts. Counts returned to normal levels after this period. A significant and more rapid increase in numbers of circulating leukocytes occurred 1 to 6 hr after reexposure of snails to a sensitizing dose of nonirradiated E. lindoense sporocysts. The leukocyte counts usually returned to normal levels after this period, except in snails in which some resensitizing sporocysts remained alive.     

Solid cultures of thrips-pathogenic fungi Isaria javanica strains for enhanced conidial productivity and thermotolerance

Entomopathogenic fungi have great potential to control agricultural and horticultural insect pests, however optimizing conidial production systems to demonstrate high productivity and stability still needs additional efforts for successful field application and industrialization. Although many virulent entomopathogenic fungal isolates have been viewed as potential candidates in a laboratory environment, very few of the isolates are being used in practice for application in agricultural fields as commercial products. I. javanicus is an entomopathogenic fungus that is parasitic to various diverse coleopteran and lepidopteran insects and thought good candidate as biopesticdes. In this work, the basic characteristics of two entomopathogenic fungi, I. javanica FG340 and Pf04, were investigated in morphological examinations, genetic identification, and virulence against Thrips palmi, and then the feasibility of various grains substrates for conidial production was assessed, particularly focusing on conidial productivity and thermotolerance. Isaria javanica FG340 and Pf04 conidia were solid-cultured on 12 grains for 14?days in a Petri dish. Of the tested Italian millet, perilla seed, millet and barley-based cultures showed high conidial production. The four-grain media yielded >1?×?10⁹ conidia/g of I. javanica FG340 and Pf04. Pf04 strain had enhanced thermotolerance up to 45?°C when cultured on Italian millet. In application, it was easy to make a conidial suspension using the cultured grains, and several surfactants were tested to release the conidia. This work suggests several possible inexpensive grain substrates by which to promote conidial production combined with enhanced stability against exposure to high temperature.     

Inhibition of auxin-induced ethylene production by salicylic acid in mung bean hypocotyls

Salicylic acid (SA), a common plant phenolic compound, influences diverse physiological and biochemical processes in plants. To gain insight into the mode of interaction between auxin, ethylene, and SA, the effect of SA on auxininduced ethylene production in mung bean hypocotyls was investigated. Auxin markedly induced ethylene production, while SA inhibited the auxin-induced ethylene synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. At 1 mM of SA, auxininduced ethylene production decreased more than 60% in hypocotyls. Results showed that the accumulation of ACC was not affected by SA during the entire period of auxin treatment, indicating that the inhibition of auxin-induced ethylene production by SA was not due to the decrease in ACC synthase activity, the rate-limiting step for ethylene biosynthesis. By contrast, SA effectively reduced not only the basal level of ACC oxidase activity but also the wound-and ethylene-induced ACC oxidase activity, the last step of ethylene production, in a dose-dependent manner. Northern and immuno blot analyses indicate that SA does not exert any inhibitory effect on the ACC oxidase gene expression, whereas it effectively inhibits both the in vivo and in vitro ACC oxidase enzyme activity, thereby abolishing auxin-induced ethylene production in mung bean hypocotyl tissue. It appears that SA inhibits ACC oxidase enzyme activity through the reversible interaction with Fe²⁺, an essential cofactor of this enzyme. These results are consistent with the notion that ethylene production is controlled by an intimate regulatory interaction between auxin and SA in mung bean hypocotyl tissue.     

An Imported Case of Cystic Echinococcosis in the Liver

A 25-year-old Uzbek male presented with right upper abdominal pain for 20 days. On radiologic studies, a huge cystic mass was noticed in the right liver which was suspected as parasitic. The patient received right hepatic segmentectomy (segment 7), and the surgically resected mass was confirmed as cystic echinococcosis (CE), measuring 10.5 cm in its diameter. The inner surface of the cyst was bile-stained. The patient was discharged on the 8th hospital day, and was rechecked 6 months after the surgical intervention without any evidence of recurrence. The present report describes findings of an imported case of CE which represented ultrasound images of the ''ball of wool''.