Anaerobic degradation of papermill sludge in a two-phase digester containing rumen microorganisms and colonized polyurethane foam

Summary The use of reticulated polyurethane foam as a support material for the immobilization of methanogenic associations and its application to the anaerobic treatment of fine particulate solid wastes was investigated. The colonization of polyurethane support particles in a continuous upflow reactor fed on a mixture of acetate, propionate and butyrate, was both rapid and dense. The combination of rumen microorganisms and colonized support particles in a two-phase digester resulted in an efficient anaerobic decomposition of papermill sludge.     

Infradian cycles of oxygen consumption in diapausing pupae of the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis, monitored by a scanning microrespirographic method.

Fine details of the infradian O2 consumption cycles that characterize pupal diapause in flesh flies have been monitored by a newly designed microrespirographic method coupled with an electronically regulated O2 generator. During the 4-5 days between the peaks of elevated O2 consumption, the diapausing pupae maintained a very low and fairly constant respiratory rate (13 microl O2 x g-1.h-1). During the intercalated peaks of increased respiratory metabolism, which lasted an average of 33.6 h to 24-27 degrees C, the average maximum rate of O2 consumption was 86.9 microl.g-1.h-1, a value of 6.7 times higher than the interpeak values. The respiratory peaks started abruptly in some cases while the decline was consistently gradual. During the periods between the peaks there were no discontinuous bursts of CO2 release, a feature common to diapause in many other insects. Diapause was characteristically terminated during a peak of the O2 consumption cycle. At diapause termination O2 consumption remained at the maximum values of the peak for many hours and then gradually increased to levels characteristic of nondiapause development.     

Sulfation of hypertensive and hypotensive drugs by monkey brain phenol sulfotransferase

The substrate specificity and affinity of two forms of phenol sulfotransferase (PST) from Rhesus macaque brain cortex were studied. Catecholamines, their methylated metabolites (normetanephrine, metanephrine) and methylated precursor, -methylDOPA, were examined as substrates for both the cationic (PST I) and the anionic (PST II) forms of the enzyme. Sulfation of hypertensive drugs (phenylephrine, octopamine, metaraminol), hypotensive drugs (-methylDOPA, minoxidil), and related agents without a free hydroxy group on the benzene ring were also studied. Results indicated that both PST forms sulfated -methylDOPA and minoxidil, but only PST II transferred the sulfate group to catecholamines and most of the adrenergic agents examined.     

The all-or-none rule in morphogenetic action of juvenile hormone on insect epidermal cells

We have investigated ultrastructural changes in the integuments of larval–adult and larval–pupal intermediates produced by exogenous application of juvenile hormone (JH) analogues in Pyrrhocoris apterus (Hemiptera), and Galleria mellonella and Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera). Ultrastructural analysis of the epidermis of these intermediates always revealed the presence of only two types of epidermal cell, which produced morphologically perfect cuticles of the previous and future developmental stages. There were no intermediate cuticles at the level of individual cells. It has been determined that a single epidermal cell constitutes the lowest elementary unit in the perception and realization of the developmental messages conveyed by JH to its target tissues. Further investigations revealed that the responses of individual epidermal cells to JH were strictly autonomous and qualitative, i.e. they were executed according to the ''yes-or-no'' or ''all-or-none'' rule. The neighbouring epidermal cells could realize independently, side-by-side, the quite dissimilar +JH (somatic growth) or -JH (metamorphosis) developmental programmes, although each of them formed biochemically, functionally, and ontogenetically different structures. The qualitative on- and off- signal given by JH for induction of the stationary (+JH) developmental cycle was limited to relatively short, genetically determined, and stage-specific developmental periods of cellular susceptibility to JH. The mosaic mixtures of the heterochronic, larval–pupal or adult epidermal cells, which we found in different proportions on the bodies of the intermediates, revealed two variable, development-related factors: (i) the presence or absence of a minimum effective concentration of JH, and (ii) positive or negative sensitivity of a particular epidermal cell to JH.     

Mapping the Genes for Susceptibility and Response to Leishmania tropica in Mouse

Background

L. tropica can cause both cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis in humans. Although the L. tropica-induced cutaneous disease has been long known, its potential to visceralize in humans was recognized only recently. As nothing is known about the genetics of host responses to this infection and their clinical impact, we developed an informative animal model. We described previously that the recombinant congenic strain CcS-16 carrying 12.5% genes from the resistant parental strain STS/A and 87.5% genes from the susceptible strain BALB/c is more susceptible to L. tropica than BALB/c. We used these strains to map and functionally characterize the gene-loci regulating the immune responses and pathology.

Methods

We analyzed genetics of response to L. tropica in infected F₂ hybrids between BALB/c×CcS-16. CcS-16 strain carries STS-derived segments on nine chromosomes. We genotyped these segments in the F₂ hybrid mice and tested their linkage with pathological changes and systemic immune responses.

Principal Findings

We mapped 8 Ltr (Leishmania tropica response) loci. Four loci (Ltr2, Ltr3, Ltr6 and Ltr8) exhibit independent responses to L. tropica, while Ltr1, Ltr4, Ltr5 and Ltr7 were detected only in gene-gene interactions with other Ltr loci. Ltr3 exhibits the recently discovered phenomenon of transgenerational parental effect on parasite numbers in spleen. The most precise mapping (4.07 Mb) was achieved for Ltr1 (chr.2), which controls parasite numbers in lymph nodes. Five Ltr loci co-localize with loci controlling susceptibility to L. major, three are likely L. tropica specific. Individual Ltr loci affect different subsets of responses, exhibit organ specific effects and a separate control of parasite load and organ pathology.

Conclusion

We present the first identification of genetic loci controlling susceptibility to L. tropica. The different combinations of alleles controlling various symptoms of the disease likely co-determine different manifestations of disease induced by the same pathogen in individual mice.     

西瓜DUS测试标准品种SSR指纹图谱构建及应用

本研究采用代表最大限度西瓜遗传多样性的SSR核心引物组合,分析了西瓜DUS测试指南中的24份标准品种遗传多样性与核酸指纹。以基于重测序获得的SNP标记构建的17份西瓜材料的系统发育树为参照,对24份标准品种进行了遗传多样性分析,在遗传相似系数0.80处将24份标准品种分为3大类群,分析表明：核酸指纹分类比传统形态学分类更为准确。采用二维（QR）编码构建了西瓜24份标准品种的SSR指纹图谱,并利用本技术以保护品种“京欣2号”与对照品种“京欣1号”为例,进行了DUS分子鉴定测试,共扩增32个SSR位点,“京欣1号”和“京欣2号”之间存在4个位点的差异,品种间遗传相似系数为0.89,比形态学鉴定的差异位点更多且更准。本研究建立的西瓜DUS标准品种SSR指纹图谱与分子检测技术,可以应用到西瓜品种DUS分子检测实践,同时也为西瓜品种纯度与真实性鉴定及遗传背景分析提供了技术方案。     

The Rescue of miR-148a Expression in Pancreatic Cancer: An Inappropriate Therapeutic Tool

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that physiologically modulate proteins expression, and regulate numerous cellular mechanisms. Alteration of microRNA expression has been described in cancer and is associated to tumor initiation and progression. The microRNA 148a (miR-148a) is frequently down-regulated in cancer. We previously demonstrated that its down-regulation by DNA hypermethylation is an early event in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) carcinogenesis, suggesting a tumor suppressive function. Here, we investigate the potential role of miR-148a over-expression in PDAC as a therapeutic tool. We first report the consequences of miR-148a over-expression in PDAC cell lines. We demonstrate that miR-148a over-expression has no dramatic effect on cell proliferation and cell chemo-sensitivity in four well described PDAC cell lines. We also investigate the modulation of protein expression by a global proteomic approach (2D-DIGE). We show that despite its massive over-expression, miR-148a weakly modulates protein expression, thus preventing the identification of protein targets in PDAC cell lines. More importantly, in vivo data demonstrate that modulating miR-148a expression either in the epithelia tumor cells and/or in the tumor microenvironment does not impede tumor growth. Taken together, we demonstrate herein that miR-148a does not impact PDAC proliferation both in vitro and in vivo thus suggesting a weak potential as a therapeutic tool.