Biosynthesis of the antimicrobial cyclic lipopeptides nunamycin and nunapeptin by Pseudomonas fluorescens strain In5 is regulated by the LuxR-type transcriptional regulator NunF

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hennessy, Rosanna Catherine; Phippen, Christopher; Nielsen, Kristian Fog

2017-01-01

-producing pseudomonads except for the border regions where putative LuxR-type regulators are located. This study focuses on understanding the regulatory role of the LuxR-type-encoding gene nunF in CLP production of P. fluorescens In5. Functional analysis of nunF coupled with liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass......Nunamycin and nunapeptin are two antimicrobial cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs) produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens In5 and synthesized by nonribosomal synthetases (NRPS) located on two gene clusters designated the nun-nup regulon. Organization of the regulon is similar to clusters found in other CLP...... spectrometry (LC-HRMS) showed that CLP biosynthesis is regulated by nunF. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that transcription of the NRPS genes catalyzing CLP production is strongly reduced when nunF is mutated indicating that nunF is part of the nun-nup regulon. Swarming and biofilm formation...

Role of ptsP, orfT, and sss recombinase genes in root colonization by Pseudomonas fluorescens Q8r1-96.

Science.gov (United States)

Mavrodi, Olga V; Mavrodi, Dmitri V; Weller, David M; Thomashow, Linda S

2006-11-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens Q8r1-96 produces 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (2,4-DAPG), a polyketide antibiotic that suppresses a wide variety of soilborne fungal pathogens, including Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici, which causes take-all disease of wheat. Strain Q8r1-96 is representative of the D-genotype of 2,4-DAPG producers, which are exceptional because of their ability to aggressively colonize and maintain large populations on the roots of host plants, including wheat, pea, and sugar beet. In this study, three genes, an sss recombinase gene, ptsP, and orfT, which are important in the interaction of Pseudomonas spp. with various hosts, were investigated to determine their contributions to the unusual colonization properties of strain Q8r1-96. The sss recombinase and ptsP genes influence global processes, including phenotypic plasticity and organic nitrogen utilization, respectively. The orfT gene contributes to the pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in plants and animals and is conserved among saprophytic rhizosphere pseudomonads, but its function is unknown. Clones containing these genes were identified in a Q8r1-96 genomic library, sequenced, and used to construct gene replacement mutants of Q8r1-96. Mutants were characterized to determine their 2,4-DAPG production, motility, fluorescence, colony morphology, exoprotease and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) production, carbon and nitrogen utilization, and ability to colonize the rhizosphere of wheat grown in natural soil. The ptsP mutant was impaired in wheat root colonization, whereas mutants with mutations in the sss recombinase gene and orfT were not. However, all three mutants were less competitive than wild-type P. fluorescens Q8r1-96 in the wheat rhizosphere when they were introduced into the soil by paired inoculation with the parental strain.

49 CFR 374.503 - Authority.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Authority. 374.503 Section 374.503 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION... Incidental Charter Rights § 374.503 Authority. Motor carriers transporting passengers, in interstate or...

ANOMALOUS BLUE COLOURING OF MOZZARELLA CHEESE INTENTIONALLY CONTAMINATED WITH PIGMENT PRODUCING STRAINS OF PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Sechi

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In summer 2010 a large outbreak of anomalous blue coloration of mozzarella cheese was recorded in Italy and some northern European countries. Official laboratory analysis and health authorities linked the outbreak to the contamination of processing water with strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens, although several expert raised the question of how to unequivocally link the blue coloring to the presence of the micro-organism. In an attempt to set-up a method to determine whether a given Pseudomonas spp. strain is responsible of the defect, an in vitro system for the evaluation of blue colouring of mozzarella cheese intentionally contaminated with strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens. was developed The system is aimed to ascertain whether P. fluorescens strains, isolated from mozzarella cheese with anomalous blue coloration, are able to reproduce the blue coloration under controlled experimental condition. 96 trials of experimental inoculation of mozzarella cheese in different preservation liquids, were conducted using various suspension of Pseudomonas spp. (P. fluorescens ATCC 13525, P. fluorescens CFBP 3150, one P. fluorescens field strain isolated from blue-colored mozzarella cheese and P. aeruginosa ATCC 10145 as positive control at different concentrations and incubated at different temperatures. Growth curve of all Pseudomonas spp. strains tested demonstrated that after three days of incubation the concentration was generally higher than 106 CFU/g of mozzarella cheese incubated in Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB, and higher than 105 CFU/g of mozzarella cheese incubated in preservation liquid. All mozzarella cheeses inoculated with the field strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens showed the characteristic anomalous blue coloration, which is often associated with Pseudomonas fluorescens contamination of water used during mozzarella cheesemaking. With the proposed system, which enabled a considerable amount of samples to be analysed under controlled experimental

Assessment of DAPG-producing Pseudomonas fluorescens for management of Meloidogyne incognita and Fusarium oxysporum on watermelon

Science.gov (United States)

Pseudomonas fluorescens isolates Clinto 1R, Wayne 1R and Wood 1R, which produce the antibiotic 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG), can suppress soilborne diseases and promote plant growth. Consequently, these beneficial bacterial isolates were tested on watermelon plants for suppression of Meloidogy...

Methylobacterium sp. resides in unculturable state in potato tissues in vitro and becomes culturable after induction by Pseudomonas fluorescens IMGB163.

Science.gov (United States)

Podolich, O; Laschevskyy, V; Ovcharenko, L; Kozyrovska, N; Pirttilä, A M

2009-03-01

To induce growth of endophytic bacteria residing in an unculturable state in tissues of in vitro-grown potato plantlets. To isolate and identify the induced bacteria and to localize the strains in tissues of in vitro-grown potato plantlets. The inoculation of in vitro-grown potato plants with Pseudomonas fluorescens IMBG163 led to induction of another bacterium, a pink-pigmented facultative methylotroph that was identified as Methylobacterium sp. using phylogenetic 16S rDNA approach. Two molecular methods were used for localizing methylobacteria in potato plantlets: PCR and in situ hybridization (ISH/FISH). A PCR product specific for the Methylobacterium genus was found in DNA isolated from the surface-sterilized plantlet leaves. Presence of Methylobacterium rRNA was detected by ISH/FISH in leaves and stems of inoculated as well as axenic potato plantlets although the bacterium cannot be isolated from the axenic plants. Methylobacterium sp. resides in unculturable state within tissues of in vitro-grown potato plants and becomes culturable after inoculation with P. fluorescens IMBG163. In order to develop endophytic biofertilizers and biocontrol agents, a detailed knowledge of the life-style of endophytes is essential. To our knowledge, this is the first report on increase of the culturability of endophytes in response to inoculation by nonpathogenic bacteria.

The biocontrol endophytic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7 induces systemic defense responses in aerial tissues upon colonization of olive roots

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Carmen eGómez-Lama Cabanás

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7, a native olive root endophyte and effective biocontrol agent (BCA against Verticillium wilt of olive, is able to trigger a broad range of defense responses in root tissues of this woody plant. In order to elucidate whether strain PICF7 also induces systemic defense responses in above-ground organs, aerial tissues of olive plants grown under non-gnotobiotic conditions were collected at different time points after root bacterization with this endophytic BCA. A suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH cDNA library, enriched in up-regulated genes, was generated. This strategy enabled the identification of 376 ESTs (99 contigs and 277 singlets, many of them related to response to different stresses. Five ESTs, involved in defense responses, were selected to carry out time-course quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR experiments aiming to: (i validate the induction of these genes, and (ii shed light on their expression pattern along time (from 1 to 15 days. Induction of olive genes potentially coding for lypoxigenase 2, catalase, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase and phenylananine ammonia-lyase was thus confirmed at some time points. Computational analysis also revealed that different transcription factors were up-regulated in olive aerial tissues (i.e. jerf, bHLH, WRKYs, as previously reported for roots. Results confirmed that root colonization by this endophytic bacterium does not only trigger defense responses in this organ but also mount a wide array of systemic defense responses in distant tissues (stems, leaves. This sheds light on how olive plants respond to the ‘non-hostile’ colonization by a bacterial endophyte and how induced defense response can contribute to the biocontrol activity of strain PICF7.

49 CFR 374.309 - Terminal facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Terminal facilities. 374.309 Section 374.309... REGULATIONS Adequacy of Intercity Motor Common Carrier Passenger Service § 374.309 Terminal facilities. (a... attendants and be regularly patrolled. (b) Outside facilities. At terminals and stations that are closed when...

49 CFR 374.101 - Discrimination prohibited.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Discrimination prohibited. 374.101 Section 374.101... REGULATIONS Discrimination in Operations of Interstate Motor Common Carriers of Passengers § 374.101 Discrimination prohibited. No motor common carrier of passengers subject to 49 U.S.C. subtitle IV, part B shall...

ADHESION OF PSEUDOMONAS-FLUORESCENS TO METALLIC SURFACES

NARCIS (Netherlands)

VIEIRA, MJ; OLIVEIRA, R; MELO, L; PINHEIRO, M; VANDERMEI, HC

1992-01-01

Deposition of Pseudomonas fluorescens on aluminium, brass and copper plates was studied in a flow system. The number of bacteria deposited on aluminium was greater than on the other two types of metals. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanisms (transport and/or adhesion) that may control

A phosphate-starvation-inducible outermembrane protein of Pseudomonas fluorescens Ag1 as an immunological phosphate-starvation marker

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leopold, Kristine; Jacobsen, Susanne; Nybroe, Ole

1997-01-01

A phosphate-starvation-inducible outer-membrane protein of Pseudomonas fluorescens Ag1, expressed at phosphate concentrations below0.08-0.13 mM, was purified and characterized. The purification method involved separation of outer-membrane proteins by SDS-PAGE andextraction of the protein from...... nitrocellulose or PVDF membranes after electrotransfer of proteins to the membranes. The N-terminal amino acidsequence of the purified protein, called Psi1, did not show homology to any known proteins, and in contrast to the phosphate-specific porin OprP ofP. aeruginosa its mobility in SDS-PAGE was not affected...

Impact du séchage sur la viabilité de Pseudomonas fluorescens (synthèse bibliographique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mputu Kanyinda, JN.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Impact of drying on Pseudomonas fluorescens viability. A review. Drying Pseudomonas fluorescens makes for more economical storage, transportation and marketing. The aim of the drying process is to stop and to stabilize all biological activity for optimal storage, compatible with the conservation of the maximum desired viability of the microorganisms. However, the viability rate of the bacteria after drying depends on the operating conditions of the drying process. One of the most important criteria to consider during the drying of biologically active products is the quality of the final dried product. Freeze-drying is the drying method most commonly used for Pseudomonas fluorescens. After their production, the bacteria are harvested by centrifugation and are freeze-dried, but the changes in temperature induced by freeze-drying are not without consequence for the cells. The freeze-drying process induces cell damage: peroxidation of fatty acids and proteins and DNA oxidation. However, use of protective compounds during freeze-drying and during storage increases significantly the rate of cell viability.

Effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens on Buried Steel Pipeline Corrosion.

Science.gov (United States)

Spark, Amy J; Law, David W; Ward, Liam P; Cole, Ivan S; Best, Adam S

2017-08-01

Buried steel infrastructure can be a source of iron ions for bacterial species, leading to microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Localized corrosion of pipelines due to MIC is one of the key failure mechanisms of buried steel pipelines. In order to better understand the mechanisms of localized corrosion in soil, semisolid agar has been developed as an analogue for soil. Here, Pseudomonas fluorescens has been introduced to the system to understand how bacteria interact with steel. Through electrochemical testing including open circuit potentials, potentiodynamic scans, anodic potential holds, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy it has been shown that P. fluorescens increases the rate of corrosion. Time for oxide and biofilms to develop was shown to not impact on the rate of corrosion but did alter the consistency of biofilm present and the viability of P. fluorescens following electrochemical testing. The proposed mechanism for increased corrosion rates of carbon steel involves the interactions of pyoverdine with the steel, preventing the formation of a cohesive passive layer, after initial cell attachment, followed by the formation of a metal concentration gradient on the steel surface.

Effect of Naphthalene and Salicylate Analogues on the Bioluminescence of Bioreporter Pseudomonas Fluorescens HK44.

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Trögl, Josef; Kuncová, Gabriela; Kubicová, L.; Pařík, P.; Hálová, Jaroslava; Demnerová, K.; Ripp, S.; Sayler, G. S.

2007-01-01

Roč. 52, 1 (2007) , s. 3-14 ISSN 0015-5632 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA104/05/2637; GA ČR(CZ) GA203/06/1244 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40720504; CEZ:AV0Z40320502 Keywords : pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 * bioluminescence * bioluminescence Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 0.989, year: 2007

Exploiting genotypic diversity of 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol-producing Pseudomonas spp.: characterization of superior root-colonizing P. fluorescens strain Q8r1-96.

Science.gov (United States)

Raaijmakers, J M; Weller, D M

2001-06-01

The genotypic diversity that occurs in natural populations of antagonistic microorganisms provides an enormous resource for improving biological control of plant diseases. In this study, we determined the diversity of indigenous 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG)-producing Pseudomonas spp. occurring on roots of wheat grown in a soil naturally suppressive to take-all disease of wheat. Among 101 isolates, 16 different groups were identified by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. One RAPD group made up 50% of the total population of DAPG-producing Pseudomonas spp. Both short- and long-term studies indicated that this dominant genotype, exemplified by P. fluorescens Q8r1-96, is highly adapted to the wheat rhizosphere. Q8r1-96 requires a much lower dose (only 10 to 100 CFU seed(-1) or soil(-1)) to establish high rhizosphere population densities (10(7) CFU g of root(-1)) than Q2-87 and 1M1-96, two genotypically different, DAPG-producing P. fluorescens strains. Q8r1-96 maintained a rhizosphere population density of approximately 10(5) CFU g of root(-1) after eight successive growth cycles of wheat in three different, raw virgin soils, whereas populations of Q2-87 and 1M1-96 dropped relatively quickly after five cycles and were not detectable after seven cycles. In short-term studies, strains Q8r1-96, Q2-87, and 1M1-96 did not differ in their ability to suppress take-all. After eight successive growth cycles, however, Q8r1-96 still provided control of take-all to the same level as obtained in the take-all suppressive soil, whereas Q2-87 and 1M1-96 gave no control anymore. Biochemical analyses indicated that the superior rhizosphere competence of Q8r1-96 is not related to in situ DAPG production levels. We postulate that certain rhizobacterial genotypes have evolved a preference for colonization of specific crops. By exploiting diversity of antagonistic rhizobacteria that share a common trait, biological control can be improved significantly.

BRS 374 – Wheat cultivar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduardo Caierão

2013-01-01

Full Text Available BRS 374 is a wheat cultivar developed by Embrapa. It resulted from a cross between the F1 generation of PF 88618/Coker80.33 and Frontana/Karl. BRS 374 belongs to the soft wheat class, has a low plant height, a high potential grain yield, andwhite flour.

Genetic Control of Plant Root Colonization by the Biocontrol agent, Pseudomonas fluorescens

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cole, Benjamin J.; Fletcher, Meghan; Waters, Jordan; Wetmore, Kelly; Blow, Matthew J.; Deutschbauer, Adam M.; Dangl, Jeffry L.; Visel, Axel

2015-03-19

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are a critical component of plant root ecosystems. PGPR promote plant growth by solubilizing inaccessible minerals, suppressing pathogenic microorganisms in the soil, and directly stimulating growth through hormone synthesis. Pseudomonas fluorescens is a well-established PGPR isolated from wheat roots that can also colonize the root system of the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. We have created barcoded transposon insertion mutant libraries suitable for genome-wide transposon-mediated mutagenesis followed by sequencing (TnSeq). These libraries consist of over 105 independent insertions, collectively providing loss-of-function mutants for nearly all genes in the P.fluorescens genome. Each insertion mutant can be unambiguously identified by a randomized 20 nucleotide sequence (barcode) engineered into the transposon sequence. We used these libraries in a gnotobiotic assay to examine the colonization ability of P.fluorescens on A.thaliana roots. Taking advantage of the ability to distinguish individual colonization events using barcode sequences, we assessed the timing and microbial concentration dependence of colonization of the rhizoplane niche. These data provide direct insight into the dynamics of plant root colonization in an in vivo system and define baseline parameters for the systematic identification of the bacterial genes and molecular pathways using TnSeq assays. Having determined parameters that facilitate potential colonization of roots by thousands of independent insertion mutants in a single assay, we are currently establishing a genome-wide functional map of genes required for root colonization in P.fluorescens. Importantly, the approach developed and optimized here for P.fluorescens>A.thaliana colonization will be applicable to a wide range of plant-microbe interactions, including biofuel feedstock plants and microbes known or hypothesized to impact on biofuel-relevant traits including biomass productivity

Boolean models of biosurfactants production in Pseudomonas fluorescens.

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Adrien Richard

Full Text Available Cyclolipopeptides (CLPs are biosurfactants produced by numerous Pseudomonas fluorescens strains. CLP production is known to be regulated at least by the GacA/GacS two-component pathway, but the full regulatory network is yet largely unknown. In the clinical strain MFN1032, CLP production is abolished by a mutation in the phospholipase C gene (plcC and not restored by plcC complementation. Their production is also subject to phenotypic variation. We used a modelling approach with Boolean networks, which takes into account all these observations concerning CLP production without any assumption on the topology of the considered network. Intensive computation yielded numerous models that satisfy these properties. All models minimizing the number of components point to a bistability in CLP production, which requires the presence of a yet unknown key self-inducible regulator. Furthermore, all suggest that a set of yet unexplained phenotypic variants might also be due to this epigenetic switch. The simplest of these Boolean networks was used to propose a biological regulatory network for CLP production. This modelling approach has allowed a possible regulation to be unravelled and an unusual behaviour of CLP production in P. fluorescens to be explained.

Effects of gamma irradiation on the survival of Pseudomonas fluorescens inoculated on romaine lettuce

Science.gov (United States)

Irradiation of fresh fruits and vegetables has been utilized as a post-harvest intervention measure for inactivation of microbial pathogens. Pseudomonas fluorescens 2-79, Q8R1, Q287 are non-plant pathogenic, non-pectolytic strains of a potential biocontrol agent. We tested the sensitivity of these s...

49 CFR 374.317 - Identification-bus and driver.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Identification-bus and driver. 374.317 Section 374... SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY REGULATIONS PASSENGER CARRIER REGULATIONS Adequacy of Intercity Motor Common Carrier Passenger Service § 374.317 Identification...

Supervivencia de Pseudomonas fluorescens en suelos con diferente contenido de materia orgánica Pseudomonas fluorescens survival in soils with different contents of organic matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E.B.R. Perotti

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Pseudomonas fluorescens es una bacteria PGPR (plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, heterótrofa, capaz de combatir fitopatógenos edáficos. Su supervivencia podría estar favorecida por el elevado contenido de materia orgánica del suelo (MOS. Para probarlo, se inocularon, en condiciones de laboratorio, tres cepas de P. fluorescens: UP61, C7R12, y P190 (nativa de Balcarce, Buenos Aires en suelos rizosféricos de tomate representativos de diferentes zonas de Argentina: suelo Argiudol (Balcarce, y Zavalla, Santa Fe y suelo Torrifluvens (Cipolletti, Río Negro (MOS %: 7,2; 4,3 y 2,6 respectivamente. Los resultados indicaron que la supervivencia de P. fluorescens en los suelos Argiudoles fue similar; aunque las pendientes de las curvas de supervivencia en el suelo de Zavalla fueron menores que las observadas en el suelo de Balcarce. La producción de CO2 fue superior en el suelo de Balcarce que en el suelo de Zavalla (4,3 y 2,8 mmol.g-1suelo, esta diferencia podría ser explicada por la existencia de una mayor presión competitiva por parte de la microflora nativa. La supervivencia en el suelo Torrifluvens resultó mínima, lo que sería atribuible a su elevada conductividad eléctrica más que al menor contenido de MOS. La cepa UP61 presentó en todos los casos la mejor supervivencia.Pseudomonas fluorescens are plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR. The survival of this inoculated heterotrophic bacterium may be affected by soil organic matter content (SOM. To confirm this hypothesis, three strains of P. fluorescens: UP61, C7R12 y P190 (native of Balcarce, Buenos Aires were inoculated, in laboratory conditions, into three argentine rhizospheric soils: two Argiudolls (Balcarce, and Zavalla, Santa Fe and a Torrifluvens (Cipolletti, Río Negro with different SOM: 7,2; 4,3; and 2,6%, respectibily. The results indicated that the all three isolates survival in general was not different. The slopes of the regression curves in Zavalla soil were very

IDENTIFIKASI SURFAKTIN PADA PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS ST1 PENGENDALI EFEKTIF PENYAKIT PUSTUL KEDELAI

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Suskandini Ratih Dirmawati .

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Identification of surfactin in Pseudomonas fluorescens ST1 which effectively suppres soybean bacterial pustule.   Identification of surfactin in Pseudomonas fluorescens ST1 filtrate was conducted in Plant Pest and Disease Laboratory, Bogor Agriculture University.  The 48 hours cultured suspension of  P. fluorescens ST1 with 108 CFU/ml density was centrifuged to obtain the supernatant.  The supernatant was analyzed for its surfactin content by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Colum ODS-5 and eluen acetonitril and acetat acid.  The result showed  that  surfactin was producted by P. fluorescens ST1 and this bioactive substance could suppres the bacterial pustule on soybean.

Sensitivity of Pseudomonas fluorescens to gamma irradiation following surface inoculations on romaine lettuce and baby spinach

Science.gov (United States)

Irradiation of fresh fruits and vegetables is a post-harvest intervention measure often used to inactivate pathogenic food-borne microbes. We evaluated the sensitivity of Pseudomonas fluorescens strains (2-79, Q8R1, Q287) to gamma irradiation following surface inoculations on romaine lettuce and spi...

Genomic and Genetic Diversity within the Pseudomonas fluorescens Complex.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Garrido-Sanz

Full Text Available The Pseudomonas fluorescens complex includes Pseudomonas strains that have been taxonomically assigned to more than fifty different species, many of which have been described as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR with potential applications in biocontrol and biofertilization. So far the phylogeny of this complex has been analyzed according to phenotypic traits, 16S rDNA, MLSA and inferred by whole-genome analysis. However, since most of the type strains have not been fully sequenced and new species are frequently described, correlation between taxonomy and phylogenomic analysis is missing. In recent years, the genomes of a large number of strains have been sequenced, showing important genomic heterogeneity and providing information suitable for genomic studies that are important to understand the genomic and genetic diversity shown by strains of this complex. Based on MLSA and several whole-genome sequence-based analyses of 93 sequenced strains, we have divided the P. fluorescens complex into eight phylogenomic groups that agree with previous works based on type strains. Digital DDH (dDDH identified 69 species and 75 subspecies within the 93 genomes. The eight groups corresponded to clustering with a threshold of 31.8% dDDH, in full agreement with our MLSA. The Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI approach showed inconsistencies regarding the assignment to species and to the eight groups. The small core genome of 1,334 CDSs and the large pan-genome of 30,848 CDSs, show the large diversity and genetic heterogeneity of the P. fluorescens complex. However, a low number of strains were enough to explain most of the CDSs diversity at core and strain-specific genomic fractions. Finally, the identification and analysis of group-specific genome and the screening for distinctive characters revealed a phylogenomic distribution of traits among the groups that provided insights into biocontrol and bioremediation applications as well as their role as

Lethality and Developmental Delay of Drosophila melanogaster Following Ingestion of Selected Pseudomonas fluorescens Strains

Science.gov (United States)

Pseudomonas fluorescens secretes antimicrobial compounds that promote plant health and provide protection from pathogens. We used a non-invasive feeding assay to study the toxicity of P. fluorescens strains Pf0-1, SBW25, and Pf-5 to Drosophila melanogaster. The three strains of P. fluorescens varie...

Biosynthesis of the antimicrobial cyclic lipopeptides nunamycin and nunapeptin by Pseudomonas fluorescens strain In5 is regulated by the LuxR-type transcriptional regulator NunF.

Science.gov (United States)

Hennessy, Rosanna C; Phippen, Christopher B W; Nielsen, Kristian F; Olsson, Stefan; Stougaard, Peter

2017-12-01

Nunamycin and nunapeptin are two antimicrobial cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs) produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens In5 and synthesized by nonribosomal synthetases (NRPS) located on two gene clusters designated the nun-nup regulon. Organization of the regulon is similar to clusters found in other CLP-producing pseudomonads except for the border regions where putative LuxR-type regulators are located. This study focuses on understanding the regulatory role of the LuxR-type-encoding gene nunF in CLP production of P. fluorescens In5. Functional analysis of nunF coupled with liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) showed that CLP biosynthesis is regulated by nunF. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that transcription of the NRPS genes catalyzing CLP production is strongly reduced when nunF is mutated indicating that nunF is part of the nun-nup regulon. Swarming and biofilm formation was reduced in a nunF knockout mutant suggesting that these CLPs may also play a role in these phenomena as observed in other pseudomonads. Fusion of the nunF promoter region to mCherry showed that nunF is strongly upregulated in response to carbon sources indicating the presence of a fungus suggesting that environmental elicitors may also influence nunF expression which upon activation regulates nunamycin and nunapeptin production required for the growth inhibition of phytopathogens. © 2017 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Conversion of Hanford site well locations to Washington coordinate system of 1983, South Zone 1991 (WCS83S)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burnett, R.A.; Tzemos, S.; Dietz, L.A.

1993-12-01

Past construction and survey practices have resulted in the use of multiple local coordinate systems for measuring and reporting the horizontal position of wells and other facilities and locations on the Hanford Site. This report describes the development of a coordinate transformation process and algorithm and its application to the conversion of the horizontal coordinates of Hanford site wells from the various local coordinate systems and datums to a single standard coordinate system, the Washington Coordinate system of 1983, South Zone 1991 (WCS83S). The coordinate transformation algorithm, implemented as a computer program called CTRANS, uses standard two-dimensional translation, rotation, and scaling transformation equations and can be applied to any set of horizontal point locations. For each point to be transformed, the coefficients of the transformation equations are calculated locally, using the coordinates of the three nearest registration points (points with known locations in both coordinate systems). The report contains a discussion of efforts to verify and validate both the software and the well location data, a description of the methods used to estimate transformation and registration point accuracy, instructions for using the computer program, and a summary of the Hanford well conversion results for each local coordinate system and datum. Also included are the results of using recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers survey data to obtain estimated measures of location errors in wells for which the local coordinate data source is undocumented, unverified, and therefore of unknown accuracy

Biosynthesis of the antimicrobial cyclic lipopeptides nunamycin and nunapeptin by Pseudomonas fluorescens strain In5 is regulated by the LuxR-type transcriptional regulator NunF

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hennessy, Rosanna Catherine; Phippen, Christopher; Nielsen, Kristian Fog

2017-01-01

-producing pseudomonads except for the border regions where putative LuxR-type regulators are located. This study focuses on understanding the regulatory role of the LuxR-type-encoding gene nunF in CLP production of P. fluorescens In5. Functional analysis of nunF coupled with liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass...... spectrometry (LC-HRMS) showed that CLP biosynthesis is regulated by nunF. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that transcription of the NRPS genes catalyzing CLP production is strongly reduced when nunF is mutated indicating that nunF is part of the nun-nup regulon. Swarming and biofilm formation...... that environmental elicitors may also influence nunF expression which upon activation regulates nunamycin and nunapeptin production required for the growth inhibition of phytopathogens....

Effect of GABA, a Bacterial Metabolite, on Pseudomonas fluorescens Surface Properties and Cytotoxicity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marc G. J. Feuilloley

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Different bacterial species and, particularly Pseudomonas fluorescens, can produce gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA and express GABA-binding proteins. In this study, we investigated the effect of GABA on the virulence and biofilm formation activity of different strains of P. fluorescens. Exposure of a psychotropic strain of P. fluorescens (MF37 to GABA (10−5 M increased its necrotic-like activity on eukaryotic (glial cells, but reduced its apoptotic effect. Conversely, muscimol and bicuculline, the selective agonist and antagonist of eukaryote GABAA receptors, respectively, were ineffective. P. fluorescens MF37 did not produce biosurfactants, and its caseinase, esterase, amylase, hemolytic activity or pyoverdine productions were unchanged. In contrast, the effect of GABA was associated to rearrangements of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS structure, particularly in the lipid A region. The surface hydrophobicity of MF37 was marginally modified, and GABA reduced its biofilm formation activity on PVC, but not on glass, although the initial adhesion was increased. Five other P. fluorescens strains were studied, and only one, MFP05, a strain isolated from human skin, showed structural differences of biofilm maturation after exposure to GABA. These results reveal that GABA can regulate the LPS structure and cytotoxicity of P. fluorescens, but that this property is specific to some strains.

42 CFR 405.374 - Opportunity for rebuttal.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Opportunity for rebuttal. 405.374 Section 405.374 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEDICARE PROGRAM FEDERAL HEALTH INSURANCE FOR THE AGED AND DISABLED Suspension of Payment, Recovery of Overpayments, and Repayment of Scholarships and...

Three Strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens Exhibit Differential Toxicity Against Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Three strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens were tested for toxicity to Drosophila melanogaster in an insect feeding assay. Insect eggs were placed on the surface of a non-nutritive agar plate supplemented with a food source that was non-inoculated or inoculated with P. fluorescens Pf0-1, SBW25, or Pf-...

Characterization of the biocontrol activity of pseudomonas fluorescens strain X reveals novel genes regulated by glucose.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerasimos F Kremmydas

Full Text Available Pseudomonas fluorescens strain X, a bacterial isolate from the rhizosphere of bean seedlings, has the ability to suppress damping-off caused by the oomycete Pythium ultimum. To determine the genes controlling the biocontrol activity of strain X, transposon mutagenesis, sequencing and complementation was performed. Results indicate that, biocontrol ability of this isolate is attributed to gcd gene encoding glucose dehydrogenase, genes encoding its co-enzyme pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ, and two genes (sup5 and sup6 which seem to be organized in a putative operon. This operon (named supX consists of five genes, one of which encodes a non-ribosomal peptide synthase. A unique binding site for a GntR-type transcriptional factor is localized upstream of the supX putative operon. Synteny comparison of the genes in supX revealed that they are common in the genus Pseudomonas, but with a low degree of similarity. supX shows high similarity only to the mangotoxin operon of Ps. syringae pv. syringae UMAF0158. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that transcription of supX is strongly reduced in the gcd and PQQ-minus mutants of Ps. fluorescens strain X. On the contrary, transcription of supX in the wild type is enhanced by glucose and transcription levels that appear to be higher during the stationary phase. Gcd, which uses PQQ as a cofactor, catalyses the oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid, which controls the activity of the GntR family of transcriptional factors. The genes in the supX putative operon have not been implicated before in the biocontrol of plant pathogens by pseudomonads. They are involved in the biosynthesis of an antimicrobial compound by Ps. fluorescens strain X and their transcription is controlled by glucose, possibly through the activity of a GntR-type transcriptional factor binding upstream of this putative operon.

Genetic responses induced in olive roots upon colonization by the biocontrol endophytic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabetta Schilirò

Full Text Available Knowledge on the genetic basis underlying interactions between beneficial bacteria and woody plants is still very limited, and totally absent in the case of olive. We aimed to elucidate genetic responses taking place during the colonization of olive roots by the native endophyte Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7, an effective biocontrol agent against Verticillium wilt of olive. Roots of olive plants grown under non-gnotobiotic conditions were collected at different time points after PICF7 inoculation. A Suppression Subtractive Hybridization cDNA library enriched in induced genes was generated. Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR analysis validated the induction of selected olive genes. Computational analysis of 445 olive ESTs showed that plant defence and response to different stresses represented nearly 45% of genes induced in PICF7-colonized olive roots. Moreover, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR analysis confirmed induction of lipoxygenase, phenylpropanoid, terpenoids and plant hormones biosynthesis transcripts. Different classes of transcription factors (i.e., bHLH, WRKYs, GRAS1 were also induced. This work highlights for the first time the ability of an endophytic Pseudomonas spp. strain to mount a wide array of defence responses in an economically-relevant woody crop such as olive, helping to explain its biocontrol activity.

Expression analysis of the gacS mutant of Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cheng, Xu; Bruijn, de Irene; Voort, van der M.; Raaijmakers, Jos

2013-01-01

Pseudomonas species are ubiquitous in plant-associated environments and produce an array of volatiles, enzymes and antimicrobials. The biosynthesis of many metabolites is regulated by the GacS/GacA two-component regulatory system. Transcriptome analysis of Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 revealed that

Growth of Pseudomonas fluorescens on Cassava Starch ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Michael Horsfall

ABSTRACT: The potential of local strains of microorganism (Pseudomonas fluorescens) in polyhydroxbutyrate production ... The demand for the use of biopolymers ... This work therefore investigates the production of polyhydroxybutyrate from.

38 CFR 3.374 - Effect of diagnosis of active tuberculosis.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... active tuberculosis. 3.374 Section 3.374 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS... Considerations Relative to Specific Diseases § 3.374 Effect of diagnosis of active tuberculosis. (a) Service diagnosis. Service department diagnosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis will be accepted unless a board of...

14 CFR 374.3 - Compliance with the Consumer Credit Protection Act and regulations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... requirements of the Consumer Credit Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. 1601-1693r. Any violation of the following... PROTECTION ACT WITH RESPECT TO AIR CARRIERS AND FOREIGN AIR CARRIERS § 374.3 Compliance with the Consumer... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Compliance with the Consumer Credit...

The role of the antimicrobial compound 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol in the impact of biocontrol Pseudomonas fluorescens F113 on Azospirillum brasilense phytostimulators.

Science.gov (United States)

Couillerot, Olivier; Combes-Meynet, Emeline; Pothier, Joël F; Bellvert, Floriant; Challita, Elita; Poirier, Marie-Andrée; Rohr, René; Comte, Gilles; Moënne-Loccoz, Yvan; Prigent-Combaret, Claire

2011-06-01

Pseudomonads producing the antimicrobial metabolite 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (Phl) can control soil-borne phytopathogens, but their impact on other plant-beneficial bacteria remains poorly documented. Here, the effects of synthetic Phl and Phl(+) Pseudomonas fluorescens F113 on Azospirillum brasilense phytostimulators were investigated. Most A. brasilense strains were moderately sensitive to Phl. In vitro, Phl induced accumulation of carotenoids and poly-β-hydroxybutyrate-like granules, cytoplasmic membrane damage and growth inhibition in A. brasilense Cd. Experiments with P. fluorescens F113 and a Phl(-) mutant indicated that Phl production ability contributed to in vitro growth inhibition of A. brasilense Cd and Sp245. Under gnotobiotic conditions, each of the three strains, P. fluorescens F113 and A. brasilense Cd and Sp245, stimulated wheat growth. Co-inoculation of A. brasilense Sp245 and Pseudomonas resulted in the same level of phytostimulation as in single inoculations, whereas it abolished phytostimulation when A. brasilense Cd was used. Pseudomonas Phl production ability resulted in lower Azospirillum cell numbers per root system (based on colony counts) and restricted microscale root colonization of neighbouring Azospirillum cells (based on confocal microscopy), regardless of the A. brasilense strain used. Therefore, this work establishes that Phl(+) pseudomonads have the potential to interfere with A. brasilense phytostimulators on roots and with their plant growth promotion capacity.

Interactions of trivalent and tetravalent heavy metal-siderophore complexes with pseudomonas fluorescens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, T.; Ozaki, T.; Ohnuki, T.; Francis, A.J.

2004-01-01

We investigated the interactions of the Fe(III)-, Eu(III)-, and Hf(IV)-desferrioxamine B (DFO) complexes with the Gram-negative aerobic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens. Potentiometric titration of 1:1 Fe(III)-, Eu(III)-, and Hf(IV)-DFO complexes showed that Hf(IV) formed a strong complex with DFO whose stability was comparable to that of the Fe(III)-DFO complex, while Eu(III) formed a weaker one. DFO in a growth medium was not degraded by P. fluorescens. Contact of P. fluorescens cells with the Fe(III)-, Eu(III)-, and Hf(IV)-DFO complexes at pH 4-9 revealed that there was negligible adsorption of Hf(IV) and Fe(III), whereas Eu(III) was dissociated from DFO and was readily adsorbed by the cells. These results suggest that Fe(III) and Hf(IV) form stable complexes with DFO and are not adsorbed by P. fluorescens cells. Europium(III) forms a weaker complex with DFO than Fe(III) and Hf(IV) do and its DFO complex is readily dissociated in the presence of the cells. (orig.)

Combined inoculation of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Trichoderma harzianum for enhancing plant growth of vanilla (Vanilla planifolia).

Science.gov (United States)

Sandheep, A R; Asok, A K; Jisha, M S

2013-06-15

This study was conducted to evaluate the plant growth promoting efficiency of combined inoculation of rhizobacteria on Vanilla plants. Based on the in vitro performance of indigenous Trichoderma spp. and Pseudomonas spp., four effective antagonists were selected and screened under greenhouse experiment for their growth enhancement potential. The maximum percentage of growth enhancement were observed in the combination of Trichoderma harzianum with Pseudomonas fluorescens treatment followed by Pseudomonas fluorescens, Trichoderma harzianum, Pseudomonas putida and Trichoderma virens, respectively in decreasing order. Combined inoculation of Trichoderma harzianum and Pseudomonas fluorescens registered the maximum length of vine (82.88 cm), highest number of leaves (26.67/plant), recorded the highest fresh weight of shoots (61.54 g plant(-1)), fresh weight of roots (4.46 g plant(-1)) and dry weight of shoot (4.56 g plant(-1)) where as the highest dry weight of roots (2.0806 g plant(-1)) were achieved with treatments of Pseudomonas fluorescens. Among the inoculated strains, combined inoculation of Trichoderma harzianum and Pseudomonas fluorescens recorded the maximum nitrogen uptake (61.28 mg plant(-1)) followed by the combined inoculation of Trichoderma harzianum (std) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (std) (55.03 mg plant(-1)) and the highest phosphorus uptake (38.80 mg plant(-1)) was recorded in dual inoculation of Trichoderma harzianum and Pseudomonas fluorescens.

40 CFR 180.1200 - Pseudomonas fluorescens strain PRA-25; temporary exemption from the requirement of a tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Pseudomonas fluorescens strain PRA-25... RESIDUES IN FOOD Exemptions From Tolerances § 180.1200 Pseudomonas fluorescens strain PRA-25; temporary... established for residues of the microbial pesticide, pseudomonas fluorescens strain PRA-25 when used on peas...

Physiological and biochemical changes in Matricaria chamomilla induced by Pseudomonas fluorescens and water deficit stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid MOHAMMADI

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Environmental stresses and rhizosphere microorganisms affect growth parameters and accumulation of active ingredients especially in plants with medicinal properties. The present study examined the effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L. seedling inoculation with Pseudomonas fluorescens PF-135 strain on its growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, proline, malondialdehyde (MDA, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 content, and essential oil concentration at both regular watering and water deficit experiments. Based on the obtained results, water deficit stress reduced root dry mass, and flower fresh and dry mass as well. However, amount of H2O2 and MDA in root and shoot tissues were considerably lower in inoculated plants compared to non-inoculated ones under both normal watering and water deficit regimes. It indicates that lipid peroxidation and production of reactive oxygen species has been diminished in inoculated plants. Also, essential oil content in inoculated plants significantly increased compared with that of non-inoculated ones under water deficit stress condition. It can be concluded that P. fluorescens PF-135 strain has an outstanding potential to alleviate adverse effects of water deficit on plant growth, and hence can be used as an excellent PGPR in order to boost chamomile productivity especially under water deficit stress condition.

17 CFR 37.4 - Election to trade excluded and exempt commodities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Election to trade excluded and exempt commodities. 37.4 Section 37.4 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION DERIVATIVES TRANSACTION EXECUTION FACILITIES § 37.4 Election to trade excluded and exempt...

Pseudomonas fluorescens filamentous hemagglutinin, an iron-regulated protein, is an important virulence factor that modulates bacterial pathogenicity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan-yuan Sun

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Pseudomonas fluorescens is a common bacterial pathogen to a wide range of aquaculture animals including various species of fish. In this study, we employed proteomic analysis and identified filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA as an iron-responsive protein secreted by TSS, a pathogenic P. fluorescens isolate. In vitro study showed that compared to the wild type, the fha mutant TSSfha (i exhibited a largely similar vegetative growth profile but significantly retarded in the ability of biofilm growth and producing extracellular matrix, (ii displayed no apparent flagella and motility, (iii was defective in the attachment to host cells and unable to form self-aggregation, (iv displayed markedly reduced capacity of hemagglutination and surviving in host serum. In vivo infection analysis revealed that TSSfha was significantly attenuated in the ability of dissemination in fish tissues and inducing host mortality, and that antibody blocking of the natural FHA produced by the wild type TSS impaired the infectivity of the pathogen. Furthermore, when introduced into turbot as a subunit vaccine, recombinant FHA elicited a significant protection against lethal TSS challenge. Taken together, these results indicate for the first time that P. fluorescens FHA is a key virulence factor essential to multiple biological processes associated with pathogenicity.

Effects of cysteine on growth, protease production, and catalase activity of Pseudomonas fluorescens.

OpenAIRE

Himelbloom, B H; Hassan, H M

1986-01-01

Cysteine inhibits growth of and protease production by Pseudomonas fluorescens NC3. Catalase activity in P. fluorescens NC3 was increased by cysteine. The addition of exogenous hydrogen peroxide did not increase catalase activity, thus suggesting a role for the endogenous generation of hydrogen peroxide via the autoxidation of cysteine.

Production of yellow-green fluorescent pigment by Pseudomonas fluorescens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gildo Almeida da Silva

2006-05-01

Full Text Available A medium was prepared from brewery waste yeast with and without mineral salts to study growth and yellow-green fluorescent pigment production (YGFP by Pseudomonas fluorescens. The King's medium used for detection of siderophore production were expressively weaker inductors of YGFP formation when compared to FYE medium. Although FYE and CYE could be used for growth of P. fluorescens, only FYE was an attractive medium for detection of YGFP strain producers.Diversos microrganismos secretam substâncias com alta afinidade por ferro. Estas moléculas, sideróforos, transportam ferro para o interior das células. Como a produção destas moléculas depende da composição do meio, foi avaliada a influência do extrato de levedura (FYE, proveniente de resíduo de cervejaria, com e sem adição de sais minerais, sobre o crescimento de Pseudomonas fluorescens e sobre a formação de pigmento fluorescente verde-amarelado (YGFP. Observou-se que (i FYE com sacarose (G7 e o extrato de levedura comercial (CYE possuem um pico bem definido próximo a 260 nm; (ii FYE, mas não CYE, promove alta formação de YGFP. Os meios de King's, usados para detectar a formação de sideróforo, se comportaram como indutores expressivamente mais fracos de YGFP que o meio FYE. Embora FYE e CYE possam ser usados para o crescimento de P. fluorescens, apenas FYE pode ser usado como meio para a detecção de linhagens formadoras de YGFP.

Control of Fusarium verticillioides, cause of ear rot of maize, by Pseudomonas fluorescens.

Science.gov (United States)

Nayaka, Siddaiah Chandra; Shankar, Arakere C Udaya; Reddy, Munagala S; Niranjana, Siddapura R; Prakash, Harishchandra S; Shetty, Hunthrike S; Mortensen, Carmen N

2009-07-01

Maize is one of the staple food crops grown in India. Fusarium verticillioides (Sacc.) Nirenberg is the most important fungal pathogen of maize, associated with diseases such as ear rot and kernel rot. Apart from the disease, it is capable of producing fumonisins, which have elicited considerable attention over the past decade owing to their association with animal disease syndromes. Hence, the present study was conducted to evaluate ecofriendly approaches by using a maize rhizosphere isolate of Pseudomonas fluorescens (Trev.) Mig. and its formulation to control ear rot disease and fumonisin accumulation, and also to study the capacity to promote growth and yield of maize. In vitro assays were conducted to test the efficacy of P. fluorescens as a seed treatment on seed germination, seedling vigour and also the incidence of F. verticillioides in different maize cultivars. The field trials included both seed treatment and foliar spray. For all the experiments, P. fluorescens was formulated using corn starch, wheat bran and talc powder. In each case there were three different treatments of P. fluorescens, a non-treated control and chemical control. Pure culture and the formulations, in comparison with the control, increased plant growth and vigour as measured by seed germination, seedling vigour, plant height, 1000 seed weight and yield. P. fluorescens pure culture used as seed treatment and as spray treatment enhanced the growth parameters and reduced the incidence of F. verticillioides and the level of fumonisins to a maximum extent compared with the other treatments. The study demonstrates the potential role of P. fluorescens and its formulations in ear rot disease management. The biocontrol potential of this isolate is more suited for fumonisin reduction in maize kernels intended for human and animal feed. (c) 2009 Society of Chemical Industry.

49 CFR 374.313 - Equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

.... Each bus (except in commuter service) seating more than 14 passengers (not including the driver) shall..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY REGULATIONS PASSENGER CARRIER REGULATIONS Adequacy of Intercity Motor Common Carrier Passenger Service § 374.313 Equipment. (a) Temperature control. A...

Development of Arduino based wireless control system

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Zhuoxiong; Dyke, Shirley J.; Pena, Francisco; Wilbee, Alana

2015-03-01

Over the past few decades, considerable attention has been given to structural control systems to mitigate structural vibration under natural hazards such as earthquakes and extreme weather conditions. Traditional wired structural control systems often employ a large amount of cables for communication among sensors, controllers and actuators. In such systems, implementation of wired sensors is usually quite complicated and expensive, especially on large scale structures such as bridges and buildings. To reduce the laborious installation and maintenance cost, wireless control systems (WCSs) are considered as a novel approach for structural vibration control. In this work, a WCS is developed based on the open source Arduino platform. Low cost, low power wireless sensing and communication components are built on the Arduino platform. Structural control algorithms are embedded within the wireless sensor board for feedback control. The developed WCS is first validated through a series of tests. Next, numerical simulations are performed simulating wireless control of a 3-story shear structure equipped with a semi-active control device (MR damper). Finally, experimental studies are carried out implementing the WCS on the 3-story shear structure in the Intelligent Infrastructure Systems Lab (IISL). A hydraulic shake table is used to generate seismic ground motions. The control performance is evaluated with the impact of modeling uncertainties, measurement noises as well as time delay and data loss induced by the wireless network. The developed WCS is shown to be effective in controlling structural vibrations under several historical earthquake ground motions.

49 CFR 374.307 - Baggage service.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... REGULATIONS Adequacy of Intercity Motor Common Carrier Passenger Service § 374.307 Baggage service. (a... travel on the same schedule. Such baggage must then be placed on the next available bus to its...

Effect of charged particle flux on Bacillus mesentericus and Pseudomonas fluorescens cultures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostapenkov, A.M.; Kaptereva, Yu.V.; Merinov, N.S.; Lavrova, V.L.

1979-01-01

Studied was the effect of a strong electric field and charged particle (aerions) flow on Bac. mesentericus and Ps. fluorescens cultures causing the spoiling of foodstuffs and food raw materials. It has been found, that under the effects of the electric field and positive or negative ions reduced is the Bac. mesentericus and Ps. fluorescens viability, cultivated on a solid nutrient medium; the effect of the electric field only does not affect the Bac. mesentericus viability

Type III secretion system and virulence markers highlight similarities and differences between human- and plant-associated Pseudomonads related to Pseudomonas fluorescens and P-putida

OpenAIRE

Mazurier, Sylvie; Merieau, Annabelle; Bergeau, Dorian; Decoin, Victorien; Sperandio, Daniel; Crepin, Alexandre; Barbey, Corinne; Jeannot, Katy; Vicre-Gibouin, Maité; Plesiat, Patrick; Lemanceau, Philippe; Latour, Xavier

2015-01-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens is commonly considered a saprophytic rhizobacterium devoid of pathogenic potential. Nevertheless, the recurrent isolation of strains from clinical human cases could indicate the emergence of novel strains originating from the rhizosphere reservoir, which could be particularly resistant to the immune system and clinical treatment. The importance of type three secretion systems (T3SSs) in the related Pseudomonas aeruginosa nosocomial species and the occurrence of this se...

Inhibition of Vibrio anguillarum by Pseudomonas fluorescens AH2, a possible probiotic treatment of fish

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gram, Lone; Melchiorsen, Jette; Spanggaard, Bettina

1999-01-01

To study the possible use of probiotics in fish farming, we evaluated the in vitro and in vivo antagonism of antibacterial strain Pseudomonas fluorescens strain AH2 against the fish- pathogenic bacterium Vibrio anguillarum. As iron is important in virulence and bacterial interactions, the effect....... fluorescens AH2 inhibited the growth of V. anguillarum during coculture, independently of the iron concentration, when the initial count of the antagonist was 100 to 1,000 times greater that of the fish pathogen. These in vitro results were successfully repeated in vivo. A probiotic effect in vivo was tested...... by exposing rainbow trout (Oncorynchus mykiss Walbaum) to P. fluorescens AH2 at a density of 10(5) CFU/ml for 5 days before a challenge with V. anguillarum at 10(4) to 10(5) CFU/ml for 1 h. Some fish were also exposed to P. fluorescens AH2 at 10(7) CFU/ml during the 1-h infection. The combined probiotic...

Investigating the ability of Pseudomonas fluorescens UW4 to reduce cadmium stress in Lactuca sativa via an intervention in the ethylene biosynthetic pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Albano, Lucas J; Macfie, Sheila M

2016-12-01

A typical plant response to any biotic or abiotic stress, including cadmium (Cd), involves increased ethylene synthesis, which causes senescence of the affected plant part. Stressed plants can experience reduced ethylene and improved growth if they are inoculated with bacteria that have the enzyme ACC deaminase, which metabolizes the ethylene precursor ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate). We investigated whether one such bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens UW4, reduces the production of ethylene and improves the growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) sown in Cd-contaminated potting material (PRO-MIX® BX). Plants were inoculated with the wild-type P. fluorescens UW4 or a mutant strain that cannot produce ACC deaminase. Cadmium-treated plants contained up to 50 times more Cd than did control plants. In noninoculated plants, Cd induced a 5-fold increase in ethylene concentration. The wild-type bacterium prevented Cd-induced reductions in root biomass but there was no relationship between Cd treatment and ethylene production in inoculated plants. In contrast, when the concentration of ethylene was plotted against the extent of bacterial colonization of the roots, increased colonization with wild-type P. fluorescens UW4 was associated with 20% less ethylene production. Ours is the first study to show that the protective effect of this bacterium is proportional to the quantity of bacteria on the root surface.

Review on the Celestial Sphere Positioning of FITS Format Image Based on WCS and Research on General Visualization

Science.gov (United States)

Song, W. M.; Fan, D. W.; Su, L. Y.; Cui, C. Z.

2017-11-01

Calculating the coordinate parameters recorded in the form of key/value pairs in FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) header is the key to determine FITS images' position in the celestial system. As a result, it has great significance in researching the general process of calculating the coordinate parameters. By combining CCD related parameters of astronomical telescope (such as field, focal length, and celestial coordinates in optical axis, etc.), astronomical images recognition algorithm, and WCS (World Coordinate System) theory, the parameters can be calculated effectively. CCD parameters determine the scope of star catalogue, so that they can be used to build a reference star catalogue by the corresponding celestial region of astronomical images; Star pattern recognition completes the matching between the astronomical image and reference star catalogue, and obtains a table with a certain number of stars between CCD plane coordinates and their celestial coordinates for comparison; According to different projection of the sphere to the plane, WCS can build different transfer functions between these two coordinates, and the astronomical position of image pixels can be determined by the table's data we have worked before. FITS images are used to carry out scientific data transmission and analyze as a kind of mainstream data format, but only to be viewed, edited, and analyzed in the professional astronomy software. It decides the limitation of popular science education in astronomy. The realization of a general image visualization method is significant. FITS is converted to PNG or JPEG images firstly. The coordinate parameters in the FITS header are converted to metadata in the form of AVM (Astronomy Visualization Metadata), and then the metadata is added to the PNG or JPEG header. This method can meet amateur astronomers' general needs of viewing and analyzing astronomical images in the non-astronomical software platform. The overall design flow is realized

Detection of Pseudomonas fluorescens from broth, water and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Loop mediated isothermal amplification is rapid, highly sensitive and specifically developed method for detection of bacterial infections. AprX gene for alkaline metalloprotease of Pseudomonas fluorescens was used to design four primers and loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) conditions were standardized for ...

Listeria monocytogenes impact on mature or old Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms during growth at 4 and 20ºC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Puga eCH

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Changes in spatial organization, as observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM, viable cell content, biovolume and substratum surface coverage of the biofilms formed on glass by Pseudomonas fluorescens resulting from co-culture with Listeria monocytogenes, were examined. Two strains of L. monocytogenes, two culture temperatures and two biofilm developmental stages were investigated. Both L. monocytogenes strains, a persistently sampled isolate (collected repeatedly along 3 years from a meat factory and Scott A, induced shrinkage in matrix volume, both at 20ºC and 4ºC, in mature or old biofilms, without loss of P. fluorescens cell count per surface unit. The nearly homogeneous pattern of surface coverage shown by mono-species P. fluorescens biofilms, turned into more irregular layouts in co-culture with L. monocytogenes. The upper layer of both mono and dual-species biofilms turned to predominantly consist of matrix, with plenty of viable cells underneath, in old biofilms cultured at 20ºC, but not in those grown at 4ºC. Between 15 and 56% of the substratum area was covered by biofilm, the extent depending on temperature, time and L. monocytogenes strain. Real biofilms in food-related surfaces may thus be very heterogeneous regarding their superficial components, i.e. those more accessible to disinfectants. It is therefore a hygienic challenge to choose an adequate agent to disrupt them.

Creating Sunflower Mutant Lines (Helianthus Annuus L.) Using Induced Mutagenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Encheva, J.

2009-01-01

Immature sunflower zygotic embryos of sunflower fertility restorer line 374 R were treated with ultrasound and gamma radiation before plating embryos to culture medium. All plants were isolated and self-pollinated for several generations. New sunflower forms with inherited morphological and biochemical changes were obtained. The genetic changes occurring during the mutation procedure included fourteen morphological and biochemical characters. In comparison to the check line 374 R, decreasing of the mean value of the indexes was registered for 33 % of the total number of characters and vise verse, significant increasing was observed for 60 %. Mutation for resistance to the local population of Orobanche cumana race A-E was obtained from the susceptible Bulgarian control line 374 R. Two investigated mutant lines possessed 100 % resistance to Orobanche and stable inheritance in the next generations. Our results showed that induced mutagenesis in sunflower can be successfully used to develop new lines useful for heterosis breeding

No apparent costs for facultative antibiotic production by the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1.

Science.gov (United States)

Garbeva, Paolina; Tyc, Olaf; Remus-Emsermann, Mitja N P; van der Wal, Annemieke; Vos, Michiel; Silby, Mark; de Boer, Wietse

2011-01-01

Many soil-inhabiting bacteria are known to produce secondary metabolites that can suppress microorganisms competing for the same resources. The production of antimicrobial compounds is expected to incur fitness costs for the producing bacteria. Such costs form the basis for models on the co-existence of antibiotic-producing and non-antibiotic producing strains. However, so far studies quantifying the costs of antibiotic production by bacteria are scarce. The current study reports on possible costs, for antibiotic production by Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1, a soil bacterium that is induced to produce a broad-spectrum antibiotic when it is confronted with non-related bacterial competitors or supernatants of their cultures. We measured the possible cost of antibiotic production for Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 by monitoring changes in growth rate with and without induction of antibiotic production by supernatant of a bacterial competitor, namely Pedobacter sp.. Experiments were performed in liquid as well as on semi-solid media under nutrient-limited conditions that are expected to most clearly reveal fitness costs. Our results did not reveal any significant costs for production of antibiotics by Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1. Comparison of growth rates of the antibiotic-producing wild-type cells with those of non-antibiotic producing mutants did not reveal costs of antibiotic production either. Based on our findings we propose that the facultative production of antibiotics might not be selected to mitigate metabolic costs, but instead might be advantageous because it limits the risk of competitors evolving resistance, or even the risk of competitors feeding on the compounds produced.

49 CFR 374.311 - Service responsibility.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... REGULATIONS Adequacy of Intercity Motor Common Carrier Passenger Service § 374.311 Service responsibility. (a..., any passenger inconvenience it causes by disrupting travel plans. (d) Seating and reservations. A carrier shall provide sufficient buses to meet passengers' normal travel demands, including ordinary...

42 CFR 412.374 - Payments to hospitals located in Puerto Rico.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Payments to hospitals located in Puerto Rico. 412... Payment System for Inpatient Hospital Capital Costs Special Rules for Puerto Rico Hospitals § 412.374 Payments to hospitals located in Puerto Rico. (a) FY 1998 through FY 2004. Payments for capital-related...

10 CFR 205.374 - Responses from “entities” designated in the application.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Electric Power System Permits and Reports; Applications; Administrative Procedures and Sanctions Emergency... appropriate Regional Electric Reliability Council. Pursuant to section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, DOE... Electric Power § 205.374 Responses from “entities” designated in the application. Each “entity” designated...

Phloroglucinol mediates crosstalk between the pyoluteorin and 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol biosynthetic pathways in Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5

Science.gov (United States)

The antibiotics pyoluteorin and 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) are involved in the biological control of certain soil-borne diseases by some strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens, including P. fluorescens Pf-5. These secondary metabolites also act as signaling molecules with each compound reported ...

Foam separation of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis var. niger.

Science.gov (United States)

Grieves, R B; Wang, S L

1967-01-01

An experimental investigation established the effect of the presence of inorganic salts on the foam separation of Pseudomonas fluorescens and of Bacillus subtilis var. niger (B. globigii) from aqueous suspension by use of a cationic surfactant. For P. fluorescens, 5.0 mueq/ml of NaCl, KCl, Na(2)SO(4), K(2)SO(4), CaCl(2), CaSO(4), MgCl(2), or MgSO(4) produced increases in the cell concentration in the residual suspension (not carried into the foam) from 2.9 x 10(5) up to 1.6 x 10(6) to 2.8 x 10(7) cells per milliliter (initial suspensions contain from 3.3 x 10(7) to 4.8 x 10(7) cells per milliliter). The exceptional influence of magnesium was overcome by bringing the cells into contact first with the surfactant and then the salt. For B. subtilis, the presence of 5.0 mueq/ml of any of the eight salts increased the residual cell concentration by one order of magnitude from 1.2 x 10(4) to about 4.0 x 10(5) cells per milliliter. This occurred regardless of the sequence of contact as long as the surfactant contact period was sufficient. The presence of salts increased collapsed foam volumes with P. fluorescens and decreased collapsed foam volumes with B. subtilis.

Phenylacetic acid-producing Rhizoctonia solani represses the biosynthesis of nematicidal compounds in vitro and influences biocontrol of Meloidogyne incognita in tomato by Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CHA0 and its GM derivatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqui, I A; Shaukat, S S

2005-01-01

The aim of the present investigation was to determine the influence of Rhizoctonia solani and its pathogenicity factor on the production of nematicidal agent(s) by Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CHA0 and its GM derivatives in vitro and nematode biocontrol potential by bacterial inoculants in tomato. One (Rs7) of the nine R. solani isolates from infected tomato roots inhibited seedling emergence and caused root rot in tomato. Thin layer chromatography revealed that culture filtrates of two isolates (Rs3 and Rs7) produced brown spots at Rf-values closely similar to synthetic phenylacetic acid (PAA), a phytotoxic factor. Filtrates from isolate Rs7, amended with the growth medium of P. fluorescens, markedly repressed nematicidal activity and PhlA'-'LacZ reporter gene expression of the bacteria in vitro. On the contrary, isolate Rs4 enhanced nematicidal potential of a 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol overproducing mutant, CHA0/pME3424, of P. fluorescens strain CHA0 in vitro. Therefore, R. solani isolates Rs4 and Rs7 were tested more rigorously for their potential to influence biocontrol effectiveness of the bacterial agents. Methanol extract of the culture filtrates of PAA-producing isolate Rs7 resulting from medium amended with phenylalanine enhanced fungal repression of the production of nematicidal agents by bacteria, while amendments with zinc or molybdenum eliminated such fungal repression, thereby restoring bacterial potential to cause nematode mortality in vitro. A pot experiment was carried out, 3-week-old tomato seedlings were infested with R. solani isolates Rs4 or Rs7 and/or inoculated with Meloidogyne incognita, the root-knot nematode. The infested soil was treated with aqueous cell suspensions (10(8) CFU) of P. fluorescens strain CHA0 or its GM derivatives or left untreated (as a control). Observations taken 45 days after nematode inoculation revealed that, irrespective of the bacterial treatments, galling intensity per gram of fresh tomato roots was markedly

No apparent costs for facultative antibiotic production by the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1.

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Paolina Garbeva

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Many soil-inhabiting bacteria are known to produce secondary metabolites that can suppress microorganisms competing for the same resources. The production of antimicrobial compounds is expected to incur fitness costs for the producing bacteria. Such costs form the basis for models on the co-existence of antibiotic-producing and non-antibiotic producing strains. However, so far studies quantifying the costs of antibiotic production by bacteria are scarce. The current study reports on possible costs, for antibiotic production by Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1, a soil bacterium that is induced to produce a broad-spectrum antibiotic when it is confronted with non-related bacterial competitors or supernatants of their cultures. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We measured the possible cost of antibiotic production for Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 by monitoring changes in growth rate with and without induction of antibiotic production by supernatant of a bacterial competitor, namely Pedobacter sp.. Experiments were performed in liquid as well as on semi-solid media under nutrient-limited conditions that are expected to most clearly reveal fitness costs. Our results did not reveal any significant costs for production of antibiotics by Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1. Comparison of growth rates of the antibiotic-producing wild-type cells with those of non-antibiotic producing mutants did not reveal costs of antibiotic production either. SIGNIFICANCE: Based on our findings we propose that the facultative production of antibiotics might not be selected to mitigate metabolic costs, but instead might be advantageous because it limits the risk of competitors evolving resistance, or even the risk of competitors feeding on the compounds produced.

High pressure inactivation of Pseudomonas in black truffle - comparison with Pseudomonas fluorescens in tryptone soya broth

Science.gov (United States)

Ballestra, Patricia; Verret, Catherine; Cruz, Christian; Largeteau, Alain; Demazeau, Gerard; El Moueffak, Abdelhamid

2010-03-01

Pseudomonas is one of the most common genera in black Perigord truffle. Its inactivation by high pressure (100-500 MPa/10 min) applied on truffles at sub-zero or low temperatures was studied and compared with those of Pseudomonas fluorescens in tryptone soya broth. Pressurization of truffles at 300 MPa/4 °C reduced the bacterial count of Pseudomonas by 5.3 log cycles. Higher pressures of 400 or 500 MPa, at 4 °C or 20 °C, allowed us to slightly increase the level of destruction to the value of ca. 6.5 log cycles but did not permit us to completely inactivate Pseudomonas. The results showed a residual charge of about 10 CFU/g. Pressure-shift freezing of truffles, which consists in applying a pressure of 200 MPa/-18 °C for 10 min and then quickly releasing this pressure to induce freezing, reduced the population of Pseudomonas by 3.3 log cycles. The level of inactivation was higher than those obtained with conventional freezing. Endogenous Pseudomonas in truffle was shown to be more resistant to high pressure treatments than P. fluorescens used for inoculation of broths.

Understanding the molecular basis of plant growth promotional effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens on rice through protein profiling.

Science.gov (United States)

Kandasamy, Saveetha; Loganathan, Karthiba; Muthuraj, Raveendran; Duraisamy, Saravanakumar; Seetharaman, Suresh; Thiruvengadam, Raguchander; Ponnusamy, Balasubramanian; Ramasamy, Samiyappan

2009-12-24

Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR), Pseudomonas fluorescens strain KH-1 was found to exhibit plant growth promotional activity in rice under both in-vitro and in-vivo conditions. But the mechanism underlying such promotional activity of P. fluorescens is not yet understood clearly. In this study, efforts were made to elucidate the molecular responses of rice plants to P. fluorescens treatment through protein profiling. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis strategy was adopted to identify the PGPR responsive proteins and the differentially expressed proteins were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Priming of P. fluorescens, 23 different proteins found to be differentially expressed in rice leaf sheaths and MS analysis revealed the differential expression of some important proteins namely putative p23 co-chaperone, Thioredoxin h- rice, Ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase large chain precursor, Nucleotide diPhosphate kinase, Proteosome sub unit protein and putative glutathione S-transferase protein. Functional analyses of the differential proteins were reported to be directly or indirectly involved in growth promotion in plants. Thus, this study confirms the primary role of PGPR strain KH-1 in rice plant growth promotion.

A full-length Plasmodium falciparum recombinant circumsporozoite protein expressed by Pseudomonas fluorescens platform as a malaria vaccine candidate.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amy R Noe

Full Text Available The circumsporozoite protein (CSP of Plasmodium falciparum is a major surface protein, which forms a dense coat on the sporozoite's surface. Preclinical research on CSP and clinical evaluation of a CSP fragment-based RTS, S/AS01 vaccine have demonstrated a modest degree of protection against P. falciparum, mediated in part by humoral immunity and in part by cell-mediated immunity. Given the partial protective efficacy of the RTS, S/AS01 vaccine in a recent Phase 3 trial, further improvement of CSP-based vaccines is crucial. In this report, we describe the preclinical development of a full-length, recombinant CSP (rCSP-based vaccine candidate against P. falciparum malaria suitable for current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP production. Utilizing a novel high-throughput Pseudomonas fluorescens expression platform, we demonstrated greater efficacy of full-length rCSP as compared to N-terminally truncated versions, rapidly down-selected a promising lead vaccine candidate, and developed a high-yield purification process to express immunologically active, intact antigen for clinical trial material production. The rCSP, when formulated with various adjuvants, induced antigen-specific antibody responses as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA and immunofluorescence assay (IFA, as well as CD4+ T-cell responses as determined by ELISpot. The adjuvanted rCSP vaccine conferred protection in mice when challenged with transgenic P. berghei sporozoites containing the P. falciparum repeat region of CSP. Furthermore, heterologous prime/boost regimens with adjuvanted rCSP and an adenovirus type 35-vectored CSP (Ad35CS showed modest improvements in eliciting CSP-specific T-cell responses and anti-malarial protection, depending on the order of vaccine delivery. Collectively, these data support the importance of further clinical development of adjuvanted rCSP, either as a stand-alone product or as one of the components in a heterologous prime

Husbandry protocols for the Band-tailed pigeon, Patagioenas fasciata albilinea, at the WCS, Bronx Zoo for future conservation management programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Oehler, David A; Novak, Ben J; Schmid, Susan C; Huth, Ken J; Totha, Aniko I; Audhya, Tapan

2018-01-01

From 2015 to 2016 we determined the husbandry protocols involved in the captive rearing of the Band-tailed Pigeon (BTPI), Patagioenas fascinate albilinea, for use as a tool in the future management of like extant and extinct avian taxa. Current and historical ex-situ conservation management of BTPIs and the closely related Passenger Pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius, is limited in scope and required further examination. Focus on the BTPI within zoos and private aviculture facilities is currently lacking. New pressures on the wild populations and future examination of the parameters involved in the possible restoration of the Passenger Pigeon may rely on a complete understanding of these conservation management techniques. Here we report on the establishment of a colony of BTPIs, at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and detail the progress attained. A confiscated group of BTPIs was presented to WCS and allowed us to set up the colony, document the husbandry involved, and monitor neonatal development and the factors that influence that development. The information has provided a better understanding of the BTPI and has implications for the future conservation management of this and like species. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Atmospheric-pressure air microplasma jets in aqueous media for the inactivation of Pseudomonas fluorescens cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xianhui; Yang, Si-ze [Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, School of Physics and Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005 (China); Liu, Dongping [Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Plasma and Magnetic Resonance, School of Physics and Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005 (China); School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); Song, Ying [School of Physics and Materials Engineering, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian 116600 (China); School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023 (China); Sun, Yue [School of Physics, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022 (China)

2013-05-15

The hollow fiber-based cold air microplasma jet array running at atmospheric pressure has been designed to inactivate Pseudomonas fluorescens (P. fluorescens) cells in vitro in aqueous media. The influences of electrode configurations, air flow rate, and applied voltage on the discharge characteristics of the single microplasma jet operating in aqueous media are presented, and the bactericidal efficiency of the hollow fibers-based and large-volume microplasma jet array is reported. Optical emission spectroscopy is utilized to identify excited species during the antibacterial testing of plasma in solutions. These well-aligned and rather stable air microplasma jets containing a variety of short-lived species, such as OH and O radicals and charged particles, are in direct contact with aqueous media and are very effective in killing P. fluorescens cells in aqueous media. This design shows its potential application for atmospheric pressure air plasma inactivation of bacteria cells in aqueous media.

49 CFR 374.305 - Ticketing and information.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... REGULATIONS Adequacy of Intercity Motor Common Carrier Passenger Service § 374.305 Ticketing and information... where tickets are sold shall provide telephonic information to the traveling public, including current... schedules shall be provided to the traveling public at all facilities where tickets for such services are...

Extracellular Protease of Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0, a Biocontrol Factor with Activity against the Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne incognita

OpenAIRE

Siddiqui, Imran Ali; Haas, Dieter; Heeb, Stephan

2005-01-01

In Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0, mutation of the GacA-controlled aprA gene (encoding the major extracellular protease) or the gacA regulatory gene resulted in reduced biocontrol activity against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita during tomato and soybean infection. Culture supernatants of strain CHA0 inhibited egg hatching and induced mortality of M. incognita juveniles more strongly than did supernatants of aprA and gacA mutants, suggesting that AprA protease contributes to biocon...

Efficacy of Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf-CL145A) spray dried powder for controlling zebra mussels adhering to test substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Luoma, James A.; Severson, Todd J.; Weber, Kerry L.; Mayer, Denise A.

2015-01-01

A mobile bioassay trailer was used to assess the efficacy of Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf-CL145A) spray dried powder (SDP) formulation for controlling zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) from two midwestern lakes: Lake Carlos (Alexandria, Minnesota) and Shawano Lake (Shawano, Wisconsin). The effects of SDP exposure concentration and exposure duration on zebra mussel survival were evaluated along with the evaluation of a benthic injection application technique to reduce the amount of SDP required to induce zebra mortality.

Bioreporter pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 immobilized in a silica matrix

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Trogl J.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The bioluminescent bioreporter Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44, the whole cell bacterial biosensor that responds to naphthalene and its metabolites via the production of visible light, was immobilized into a silica matrix by the sol-gel technique. The bioluminescence intensities were measured in the maximum of the bioluminescence band at X = 500 nm. The immobilized cells (>105 cells per g silica matrix produced light after induction by salicylate (cone. > 10 g/l, naphthalene and aminobenzoic acid. The bioluminescence intensities induced by 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene 3-hydroxybenzoic acid and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid were comparable to a negative control. The cells in the silica layers on glass slides produced light in response to the presence of an inductor at least 8 months after immobilization, and >50 induction cycles. The results showed that these test slides could be used as assays for the multiple determination of water pollution.

The operationalization of "fields" as WoS subject categories (WCs) in evaluative bibliometrics: The cases of "library and information science" and "science & technology studies"

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leydesdorff, L.; Bornmann, L.

Normalization of citation scores using reference sets based on Web of Science subject categories (WCs) has become an established (“best”) practice in evaluative bibliometrics. For example, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings are, among other things, based on this operationalization.

Inactivation of Pseudomonas fluorescens in skim milk by combinations of pulsed electric fields and organic acids.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Molina, Juan J; Altunakar, Bilge; Bermúdez-Aguirre, Daniela; Swanson, Barry G; Barbosa-Cánovas, Gustavo V

2005-06-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens suspended in skim milk was inactivated by application of pulsed electric fields (PEF) either alone or in combination with acetic or propionic acid. The initial concentration of microorganisms ranged from 10(5) to 10(6) CFU/ml. Addition of acetic acid and propionic acid to skim milk inactivated 0.24 and 0.48 log CFU/ml P. fluorescens, respectively. Sets of 10, 20, and 30 pulses were applied to the skim milk using exponentially decaying pulses with pulse lengths of 2 micros and pulse frequencies of 3 Hz. Treatment temperature was maintained between 16 and 20 degrees C. In the absence of organic acids, PEF treatment of skim milk at field intensities of 31 and 38 kV/cm reduced P. fluorescens populations by 1.0 to 1.8 and by 1.2 to 1.9 log CFU/ml, respectively. Additions of acetic and propionic acid to the skim milk in a pH range of 5.0 to 5.3 and PEF treatment at 31, 33, and 34 kV/cm, and 36, 37, and 38 kV/cm reduced the population of P. fluorescens by 1.4 and 1.8 log CFU/ml, respectively. No synergistic effect resulted from the combination of PEF with acetic or propionic acid.

Sorption of Eu(III) on Pseudomonas fluorescens in the presence of citric acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Yoshinori; Tsushima, Satoru; Yamamoto, Ichiro; Nankawa, Takuya; Yoshida, Takahiro; Ozaki, Takuo; Ohnuki, Toshihiko; Francis, Arokiasamy J.; Enokida, Youichi

2005-01-01

We studied the sorption of Eu(III) on Pseudomonas fluorescens in the absence and presence of citric acid by a batch method. The cells were placed in a solution containing 2 μM of Eu(III) and 0, 100, or 1000 μM of citric acid at pH 3 9 for 5 hours. In the absence of citric acid, almost 100% of Eu(III) was sorbed on P. fluorescens at pHs below 7; above 7, sorption decreased with an increase in pH. The time course of Eu(III) sorption on P. fluorescens showed that a fraction of it was desorbed into the solution at alkaline pHs, suggesting that the bacterium may release some exudates. With citric acid present, we found that at higher concentrations there was lower sorption of Eu(III), reflecting the formation of Eu(III)-citrate complexes with the Eu(III)-cell-surface complexes. This decrease in Eu(III) sorption was significant in alkaline pHs. These findings suggest that citric acid which is ubiquitously found in the environment enhances migration of trivalent actinides in the alkaline environment. (author)

Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CL145A - a biopesticide for the control of zebra and quagga mussels (Bivalvia: Dreissenidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Molloy, Daniel P; Mayer, Denise A; Gaylo, Michael J; Morse, John T; Presti, Kathleen T; Sawyko, Paul M; Karatayev, Alexander Y; Burlakova, Lyubov E; Laruelle, Franck; Nishikawa, Kimi C; Griffin, Barbara H

2013-05-01

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) are the "poster children" of high-impact aquatic invasive species. In an effort to develop an effective and environmentally acceptable method to control their fouling of raw-water conduits, we have investigated the potential use of bacteria and their natural metabolic products as selective biological control agents. An outcome of this effort was the discovery of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CL145A - an environmental isolate that kills these dreissenid mussels by intoxication (i.e., not infection). In the present paper, we use molecular methods to reconfirm that CL145A is a strain of the species P. fluorescens, and provide a phylogenetic analysis of the strain in relation to other Pseudomonas spp. We also provide evidence that the natural product lethal to dreissenids is associated with the cell wall of P. fluorescens CL145A, is a heat-labile secondary metabolite, and has degradable toxicity within 24 h when applied to water. CL145A appears to be an unusual strain of P. fluorescens since it was the only one among the ten strains tested to cause high mussel mortality. Pipe trials conducted under once-through conditions indicated: (1) P. fluorescens CL145A cells were efficacious against both zebra and quagga mussels, with high mortalities achieved against both species, and (2) as long as the total quantity of bacterial cells applied during the entire treatment period was the same, similar mussel mortality could be achieved in treatments lasting 1.5-12.0 h, with longer treatment durations achieving lower mortalities. The efficacy data presented herein, in combination with prior demonstration of its low risk of non-target impact, indicate that P. fluorescens CL145A cells have significant promise as an effective and environmentally safe control agent against these invasive mussels. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Understanding the molecular basis of plant growth promotional effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens on rice through protein profiling

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Thiruvengadam Raguchander

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR, Pseudomonas fluorescens strain KH-1 was found to exhibit plant growth promotional activity in rice under both in-vitro and in-vivo conditions. But the mechanism underlying such promotional activity of P. fluorescens is not yet understood clearly. In this study, efforts were made to elucidate the molecular responses of rice plants to P. fluorescens treatment through protein profiling. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis strategy was adopted to identify the PGPR responsive proteins and the differentially expressed proteins were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Results Priming of P. fluorescens, 23 different proteins found to be differentially expressed in rice leaf sheaths and MS analysis revealed the differential expression of some important proteins namely putative p23 co-chaperone, Thioredoxin h- rice, Ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase large chain precursor, Nucleotide diPhosphate kinase, Proteosome sub unit protein and putative glutathione S-transferase protein. Conclusion Functional analyses of the differential proteins were reported to be directly or indirectly involved in growth promotion in plants. Thus, this study confirms the primary role of PGPR strain KH-1 in rice plant growth promotion.

Exposure-related effects of formulated Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CL145A to glochidia from seven unionid mussel species

Science.gov (United States)

Luoma, James A.; Weber, Kerry L.; Severson, Todd J.; Schreier, Theresa M.; Mayer, Denise A.; Aloisi, Douglas B.; Eckert, Nathan L.

2015-01-01

The study was completed to evaluate the exposure-related effects of a biopesticide for dreissenid mussel (Dreissena polymorpha, zebra mussel and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis, quagga mussel) control on glochidia from unionid mussels endemic to the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River Basins. The commercially prepared biopesticide was either a spray-dried powder (SDP) or freeze-dried powder (FDP) formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens, strain CL145A. Glochidia of the unionid mussel species Lampsilis cardium, Lampsilis siliquoidea,Lampsilis higginsii, Ligumia recta, Obovaria olivaria, and Actinonaias ligamentina were exposed to SDP-formulated P. fluorescens andLampsilis cardium and Megalonaias nervosa were exposed to FDP-formulated P. fluorescens.

SANITATION PROCESS OPTIMALIZATION IN RELATION TO THE MICROBIAL BIOFILM OF PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS

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Vladimír Vietoris

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Biofilms have been of considerable interest in the context of food hygiene. Extracellular polymeric substances play an important role in the attachment and colonization of microorganisms to food-contact surfaces. If the microorganisms from food-contact surfaces are not completely removed, they may lead to biofilm formation and also increase the biotransfer potential. The experimental part was focused on the adhesion of bacterial cells under static conditions and testing the effectiveness of disinfectants on created biofilm. In laboratory conditions we prepared and formed the bacterial biofilms Pseudomonas fluorescens in the test surfaces of stainless steel. Over the 72 hours and the next 72 hours were observed numbers of adhesion bacterial cells of Pseudomonas fluorescens on solid surfaces of tested materials.

Extracellular Protease of Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0, a Biocontrol Factor with Activity against the Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne incognita

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqui, Imran Ali; Haas, Dieter; Heeb, Stephan

2005-01-01

In Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0, mutation of the GacA-controlled aprA gene (encoding the major extracellular protease) or the gacA regulatory gene resulted in reduced biocontrol activity against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita during tomato and soybean infection. Culture supernatants of strain CHA0 inhibited egg hatching and induced mortality of M. incognita juveniles more strongly than did supernatants of aprA and gacA mutants, suggesting that AprA protease contributes to biocontrol. PMID:16151170

Improved Performance of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase by covalent immobilization onto Amberzyme

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aslan, Yakup; Handayani, Nurrahmi; Stavila, Erythrina; Loos, Katja

2013-01-01

Objective: In this study, the conditions of covalent immobilization of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase onto an oxirane-activated support (Amberzyme) were optimized to obtain a high activity yield. Furthermore, the operational and storage stabilities of immobilized lipase were tested. Methods: Optimum

Updated Strategic Assessment of the U.S. NRC Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLW) Program and the new WCS Commercial Disposal Facility for LLW

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kessel, David S.; Kim, Chang-Lak [KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

The purpose of this paper is to review the updated NRC low level radioactive waste regulatory strategy and also present an update on a significant change in the LLW disposal landscape in the U.S., the opening of a new commercial disposal facility, the Texas Compact Waste Facility (CWF) in Andrews, Texas. Operational since spring of 2012, the CWF is owned and licensed by the state of Texas and operated by Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS). The WCS facility in western Andrews County is the only commercial facility in the United States licensed to dispose of Class A, B and C LLW in the U.S. in the past 40 years. Based on the observation that other suitable sites have been identified such as the Clive, Utah site that meet (almost) all of these criteria it would appear that the first and last factors in our list are the most problematic and it will require a change in the public acceptance and the political posture of states to help solve the national issue of safe and cost-effective LLW disposal.

Pseudomonas fluorescens JH 70-4 promotes pb stabilization and early seedling growth of sudan grass in contaminated mining site soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Shim, Jaehong; Babu, A Giridhar; Velmurugan, Palanivel; Shea, Patrick J; Oh, Byung-Taek

2014-01-01

A bacterial strain (JH 70-4) exhibiting plant growth promoting characteristics (indoleacetic acid production and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase activity), as well as heavy metal(loid) (HM) tolerance and Pb precipitation, was isolated from HM-contaminated soil at an abandoned mine site. The bacterium was identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens based on 16S rDNA sequencing. The JH 70-4 strain induced precipitation of Pb as PbS nanoparticles, confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Solution pH, incubation time, and Pb concentration influenced removal and PbS formation. Inoculating contaminated soil with JH 70-4 decreased Pb availability; exchangeable Pb decreased while organic- and sulphide-bound Pb increased. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure showed a 65% decrease in Pb in leachate 60 d after inoculating soil with JH 70-4. Shoot and root lengths of Sudan grass grown in the inoculated soil were greater than in the uninoculated soil. Findings suggest that microbial Pb fixation is a viable strategy for remediating soil and promoting plant growth for phytostabilization of contaminated sites.

Static In-wheel Wireless Charging Systems for Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chirag Panchal

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Wireless charging is a popular upcoming technology with uses ranging from mobile phone charging through to electric vehicle EV charging. Large air gaps found in current EV wireless charging systems WCS pose a hurdle of its success. Air gaps in WCS cause issues in regards to efficiency power transfer and electromagnetic compatibility EMC leakage issues. A static In-Wheel WCS IW-WCS is presented which significantly reduces the issues associated with large air gaps. A small scale laboratory prototype utilizing a standard 10mm steel reinforced tyre has been created and compared to a typical 30mm air gap. The IW-WCS has been investigated by experimental and finite element method FEM based electro-magnetic field simulation methods to validate performance.

7 CFR 37.4 - How to apply for service.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... REGULATIONS PROGRAM TO ASSESS ORGANIC CERTIFYING AGENCIES § 37.4 How to apply for service. (a) Application. Any organic certifying agency may apply to the Branch Chief, Meat Grading and Certification (MGC...

Trichoderma harzianum enhances the production of nematicidal compounds in vitro and improves biocontrol of Meloidogyne javanica by Pseudomonas fluorescens in tomato.

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqui, I A; Shaukat, S S

2004-01-01

To determine the influence of soil-borne fungus Trichoderma harzianum on the biocontrol performance of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CHA0 and its 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG) overproducing derivative CHA0/pME3424 against Meloidogyne javanica. Amendment of the culture filtrate (CF) or methanol extract of the CF of a T. harzianum strain Th6 to P. fluorescens growth medium enhanced the production of nematicidal compound(s) by bacterial inoculants in vitro. In addition, bacteria overwhelmingly expressed phl'-'lacZ reporter gene when the medium was amended with CF of T. harzianum. Pseudomonas fluorescens and T. harzianum applied together in unsterilized sandy loam soil caused greater reduction in nematode population densities in tomato roots. Trichoderma harzianum improves root-knot nematode biocontrol by the antagonistic rhizobacterium P. fluorescens both in vitro and under glasshouse conditions. The synergistic effect of T. harzianum on the production of nematicidal compound(s) critical in biocontrol may improve the efficacy of biocontrol bacteria against plant-parasitic nematodes. Considering the inconsistent performance of the biocontrol agents under field conditions, application of a mixture of compatible T. harzianum and P. fluorescens would more closely mimic the natural situation and might broaden the spectrum of biocontrol activity with enhanced efficacy and reliability of control.

Antimicrobial activity of four essential oils against pigmenting Pseudomonas fluorescens and biofilmproducing Staphylococcus aureus of dairy origin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Pedonese

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Essential oils (EOs are mixtures of secondary metabolites of plant origin with many useful properties, among which the antimicrobial activity is also of interest for the food industry. EOs can exert their antimicrobial potential both directly, in food products and active packaging, and indirectly, as sanitizing and anti-biofilm agents of food facility surfaces. Aim of this research was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of four EOs (bergamot, cinnamon, manuka and thyme against Pseudomonas fluorescens and Staphylococcus aureus isolated from milk and dairy products. The chemical composition of EOs was evaluated by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration values were determined by a microplate method against 9 Ps. fluorescens from marketed mozzarella with blue discoloration defect, and 3 biofilm-producing S. aureus from milk. Reference ATCC strains were included. Pigment production activity by Ps. fluorescens was assessed both in culture and in cheese. EOs of manuka (leptospermone 23% and thyme (carvacrol 30%, pcymene 20%, thymol 15% showed the highest antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, MIC values were 0.012%-0.024% and 0.024% v/v, respectively; meanwhile EOs from thyme and cinnamon (cinnamaldehyde 55% exhibited the best activity against Ps. fluorescens with MIC values of 0.098%-0.195% and 0.195%-0.391% v/v, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of these EOs is promising and they could be exploited in the dairy production chain.

Metabolic functions of Pseudomonas fluorescens strains from Populus deltoides depend on rhizosphere or endosphere isolation compartment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Collin M Timm

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The bacterial microbiota of plants is diverse, with 1,000s of operational taxonomic units (OTUs associated with any individual plant. In this work we investigate the differences between 19 sequenced Pseudomonas fluorescens strains, isolated from Populus deltoides rhizosphere and endosphere and which represent a single OTU, using phenotypic analysis, comparative genomics, and metabolic models. While no traits were exclusive to either endosphere or rhizosphere P. fluorescens isolates, multiple pathways relevant for plant-bacterial interactions are enriched in endosphere isolate genomes. Further, growth phenotypes such as phosphate solubilization, protease activity, denitrification and root growth promotion are biased towards endosphere isolates. Endosphere isolates have significantly more metabolic pathways for plant signaling compounds and an increased metabolic range that includes utilization of energy rich nucleotides and sugars, consistent with endosphere colonization. Rhizosphere P. fluorescens have fewer pathways representative of plant-bacterial interactions but show metabolic bias towards chemical substrates often found in root exudates. This work reveals the diverse functions that may contribute to colonization of the endosphere by bacteria and are enriched among closely related isolates.

SIGN-R1 and complement factors are involved in the systemic clearance of radiation-induced apoptotic cells in whole-body irradiated mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jin-Yeon; Loh, SoHee; Cho, Eun-hee; Choi, Hyeong-Jwa; Na, Tae-Young; Nemeno, Judee Grace E.; Lee, Jeong Ik; Yoon, Taek Joon; Choi, In-Soo; Lee, Minyoung; Lee, Jae-Seon; Kang, Young-Sun

2015-01-01

Although SIGN-R1-mediated complement activation pathway has been shown to enhance the systemic clearance of apoptotic cells, the role of SIGN-R1 in the clearance of radiation-induced apoptotic cells has not been characterized and was investigated in this study. Our data indicated that whole-body γ-irradiation of mice increased caspase-3 + apoptotic lymphocyte numbers in secondary lymphoid organs. Following γ-irradiation, SIGN-R1 and complements (C4 and C3) were simultaneously increased only in the mice spleen tissue among the assessed tissues. In particular, C3 was exclusively activated in the spleen. The delayed clearance of apoptotic cells was markedly prevalent in the spleen and liver of SIGN-R1 KO mice, followed by a significant increase of CD11b + cells. These results indicate that SIGN-R1 and complement factors play an important role in the systemic clearance of radiation-induced apoptotic innate immune cells to maintain tissue homeostasis after γ-irradiation. - Highlights: • Splenic SIGN-R1 + macrophages are activated after γ-irradiation. • C3 and C4 levels increased and C3 was activated in the spleen after γ-irradiation. • SIGN-R1 mediated the systemic clearance of radiation-induced apoptotic cells in spleen and liver

SIGN-R1 and complement factors are involved in the systemic clearance of radiation-induced apoptotic cells in whole-body irradiated mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Jin-Yeon; Loh, SoHee; Cho, Eun-hee [Department of Biomedical Science & Technology, Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 143-701 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Hyeong-Jwa [Division of Radiation Effect, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, 215-4, 75 Nowon gil Nowon-Gu, Seoul, 139-706 (Korea, Republic of); Na, Tae-Young [College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-741 (Korea, Republic of); Nemeno, Judee Grace E.; Lee, Jeong Ik [Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, 143-701 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Taek Joon [Department of Food and Nutrition, Yuhan College, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, 422-749 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, In-Soo [Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 143-701 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Minyoung [Division of Radiation Effect, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, 215-4, 75 Nowon gil Nowon-Gu, Seoul, 139-706 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jae-Seon [Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, 400-712 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Young-Sun, E-mail: kangys1967@naver.com [Department of Biomedical Science & Technology, Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 143-701 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 143-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-08-07

Although SIGN-R1-mediated complement activation pathway has been shown to enhance the systemic clearance of apoptotic cells, the role of SIGN-R1 in the clearance of radiation-induced apoptotic cells has not been characterized and was investigated in this study. Our data indicated that whole-body γ-irradiation of mice increased caspase-3{sup +} apoptotic lymphocyte numbers in secondary lymphoid organs. Following γ-irradiation, SIGN-R1 and complements (C4 and C3) were simultaneously increased only in the mice spleen tissue among the assessed tissues. In particular, C3 was exclusively activated in the spleen. The delayed clearance of apoptotic cells was markedly prevalent in the spleen and liver of SIGN-R1 KO mice, followed by a significant increase of CD11b{sup +} cells. These results indicate that SIGN-R1 and complement factors play an important role in the systemic clearance of radiation-induced apoptotic innate immune cells to maintain tissue homeostasis after γ-irradiation. - Highlights: • Splenic SIGN-R1{sup +} macrophages are activated after γ-irradiation. • C3 and C4 levels increased and C3 was activated in the spleen after γ-irradiation. • SIGN-R1 mediated the systemic clearance of radiation-induced apoptotic cells in spleen and liver.

Reactive oxygen species and hormone signaling cascades in endophytic bacterium induced essential oil accumulation in Atractylodes lancea.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jia-Yu; Li, Xia; Zhao, Dan; Deng-Wang, Meng-Yao; Dai, Chuan-Chao

2016-09-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens induces gibberellin and ethylene signaling via hydrogen peroxide in planta . Ethylene activates abscisic acid signaling. Hormones increase sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis gene expression and enzyme activity, inducing essential oil accumulation. Atractylodes lancea is a famous Chinese medicinal plant, whose main active components are essential oils. Wild A. lancea has become endangered due to habitat destruction and over-exploitation. Although cultivation can ensure production of the medicinal material, the essential oil content in cultivated A. lancea is significantly lower than that in the wild herb. The application of microbes as elicitors has become an effective strategy to increase essential oil accumulation in cultivated A. lancea. Our previous study identified an endophytic bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens ALEB7B, which can increase essential oil accumulation in A. lancea more efficiently than other endophytes; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown (Physiol Plantarum 153:30-42, 2015; Appl Environ Microb 82:1577-1585, 2016). This study demonstrates that P. fluorescens ALEB7B firstly induces hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) signaling in A. lancea, which then simultaneously activates gibberellin (GA) and ethylene (ET) signaling. Subsequently, ET activates abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. GA and ABA signaling increase expression of HMGR and DXR, which encode key enzymes involved in sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis, leading to increased levels of the corresponding enzymes and then an accumulation of essential oils. Specific reactive oxygen species and hormone signaling cascades induced by P. fluorescens ALEB7B may contribute to high-efficiency essential oil accumulation in A. lancea. Illustrating the regulation mechanisms underlying P. fluorescens ALEB7B-induced essential oil accumulation not only provides the theoretical basis for the inducible synthesis of terpenoids in many medicinal plants, but also further reveals the complex and diverse

Lipopeptide biosurfactant viscosin enhances dispersal of Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 biofilms.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonnichsen, Lise; Bygvraa Svenningsen, Nanna; Rybtke, Morten; de Bruijn, Irene; Raaijmakers, Jos M; Tolker-Nielsen, Tim; Nybroe, Ole

2015-12-01

Pseudomonads produce several lipopeptide biosurfactants that have antimicrobial properties but that also facilitate surface motility and influence biofilm formation. Detailed studies addressing the significance of lipopeptides for biofilm formation and architecture are rare. Hence, the present study sets out to determine the specific role of the lipopeptide viscosin in Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 biofilm formation, architecture and dispersal, and to relate viscA gene expression to viscosin production and effect. Initially, we compared biofilm formation of SBW25 and the viscosin-deficient mutant strain SBW25ΔviscA in static microtitre assays. These experiments demonstrated that viscosin had little influence on the amount of biofilm formed by SBW25 during the early stages of biofilm development. Later, however, SBW25 formed significantly less biofilm than SBW25ΔviscA. The indication that viscosin is involved in biofilm dispersal was confirmed by chemical complementation of the mutant biofilm. Furthermore, a fluorescent bioreporter showed that viscA expression was induced in biofilms 4 h prior to dispersal. Subsequent detailed studies of biofilms formed in flow cells for up to 5 days revealed that SBW25 and SBW25ΔviscA developed comparable biofilms dominated by well-defined, mushroom-shaped structures. Carbon starvation was required to obtain biofilm dispersal in this system. Dispersal of SBW25 biofilms was significantly greater than of SBW25ΔviscA biofilms after 3 h and, importantly, carbon starvation strongly induced viscA expression, in particular for cells that were apparently leaving the biofilm. Thus, the present study points to a role for viscosin-facilitated motility in dispersal of SBW25 biofilms.

Spatial distributions of Pseudomonas fluorescens colony variants in mixed-culture biofilms.

Science.gov (United States)

Workentine, Matthew L; Wang, Siyuan; Ceri, Howard; Turner, Raymond J

2013-07-28

The emergence of colony morphology variants in structured environments is being recognized as important to both niche specialization and stress tolerance. Pseudomonas fluorescens demonstrates diversity in both its natural environment, the rhizosphere, and in laboratory grown biofilms. Sub-populations of these variants within a biofilm have been suggested as important contributors to antimicrobial stress tolerance given their altered susceptibility to various agents. As such it is of interest to determine how these variants might be distributed in the biofilm environment. Here we present an analysis of the spatial distribution of Pseudomonas fluorescens colony morphology variants in mixed-culture biofilms with the wildtype phenotype. These findings reveal that two variant colony morphotypes demonstrate a significant growth advantage over the wildtype morphotype in the biofilm environment. The two variant morphotypes out-grew the wildtype across the entire biofilm and this occurred within 24 h and was maintained through to 96 h. This competitive advantage was not observed in homogeneous broth culture. The significant advantage that the variants demonstrate in biofilm colonization over the wildtype denotes the importance of this phenotype in structured environments.

Conjoint effect of oil-seed cakes and Pseudomonas fluorescens on the growth of chickpea in relation to the management of plant-parasitic nematodes

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Rose Rizvi

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Soil application of organics has been explored as an alternative means of organic management of plant-parasitic nematodes. Efficiency of different oil-seed cakes of neem (Azadirachta indica, castor (Ricinus communis, groundnut (Arachis hypogaea, linseed (Linum usitatissimum, sunflower (Helianthus annuus and soybean (Glycine max were evaluated in field conditions with association of Pseudomonas fluorescens in relation to growth parameters of chickpea and population of plant-parasitic nematodes. Their efficacious nature was highly effective in reducing the population of these dominant soil nematodes. Significant improvement was observed in plant-growth parameters such as plant weight, percent pollen fertility, pod numbers, root-nodulation and chlorophyll content of chickpea, seemed to be due to reduction in disease incidence and might be due to growth promoting substances secreted by P. fluorescens. The multiplication rate of nematodes was less in the presence of P. fluorescens as compared to its absence. Most effective combination of P. fluorescens was observed with neem cake.

Development of a Universal Waste Management System

Science.gov (United States)

Stapleton, Thomas J.; Baccus, Shelley; Broyan, James L., Jr.

2013-01-01

NASA is working with a number of commercial companies to develop the next low Earth orbit spacecraft. The hardware volume and weight constraints are similar to or greater than those of the Apollo era. This, coupled with the equally demanding cost challenge of the proposed commercial vehicles, causes much of the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) designs to be reconsidered. The Waste Collection System (WCS) is within this group of ECLSS hardware. The development to support this new initiative is discussed within. A WCS concept - intended to be common for all the vehicle platforms currently on the drawing board - is being developed. The new concept, referred to as the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), includes favorable features from previous designs while improving on other areas on previous Space Shuttle and the existing International Space Station (ISS) WCS hardware, as needed. The intent is to build a commode that requires less crew time, improved cleanliness, and a 75% reduction in volume and weight compared to the previous US ISS/Extended Duration Orbitor WCS developed in the 1990s. The UWMS is most similar to the ISS Development Test Objective (DTO) WCS design. It is understood that the most dramatic cost reduction opportunity occurs at the beginning of the design process. To realize this opportunity, the cost of each similar component between the UWMS and the DTO WCS was determined. The comparison outlined were the design changes that would result with the greatest impact. The changes resulted in simplifying the approach or eliminating components completely. This initial UWMS paper will describe the system layout approach and a few key features of major components. Future papers will describe the UWMS functionality, test results, and components as they are developed.

Arabidopsis thaliana as a tool to identify traits involved in Verticillium dahliae biocontrol by the olive root endophyte Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7

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M. Mercedes eMaldonado-González

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The effective management of Verticillium wilts, diseases affecting many crops and caused by some species of the soil-borne fungus Verticillium, is problematic. The use of microbial antagonists to control these pathologies fits modern sustainable agriculture criteria. Pseudomonas fluorescens PICF7 is an endophytic bacterium isolated from olive roots with demonstrated ability to control Verticillium wilt of olive caused by the highly-virulent, defoliating (D pathotype of Verticillium dahliae Kleb. However, the study of the PICF7-V.dahliae-olive tripartite interaction poses difficulties because of the inherent characteristics of woody, long-living plants. To overcome these problems we explored the use of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Results obtained in this study showed that: (i olive D and non-defoliating (ND V. dahliae pathotypes produce differential disease severity in A. thaliana plants; (ii strain PICF7 is able to colonize and persist in the A. thaliana rhizosphere but is not endophytic in Arabidopsis; and (iii strain PICF7 controls Verticillium wilt (VW in Arabidopsis. Additionally, as previously observed in olive, neither swimming motility nor siderophore production by PICF7 are required for VW control in A. thaliana, whilst cysteine auxotrophy decreased the effectiveness of PICF7. Moreover, when applied to the roots PICF7 controlled Botrytis cinerea infection in the leaves of Arabidopsis, suggesting that this strain is able to induce systemic resistance. Arabidopsis thaliana is therefore a suitable alternative to olive bioassays to unravel biocontrol traits involved in biological control of V. dahliae by P. fluorescens PICF7.

Acoplamiento molecular y actividad antibacteriana de las tioureas (R,R-N,N´-bis(1-ciclohexiletiltiourea y (R,R-N,N´-bis(1-feniletiltiourea

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Fabían Martínez Flores

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Las tioureas, son compuestos resultantes de sustituir el átomo de oxígeno de la urea (NH2CONH2 por un átomo de azufre (NH2CSNH2. Actualmente se ha visto que las tioureas presentan diversas actividades biológicas, dentro de las que se encuentra la antimicrobiana. En el presente estudio se evaluó la actividad antibacteriana mediante acoplamiento molecular entre la enzima DNA girasa (receptor y las tioureas (R, R-N,N´-bis(1 ciclohexiletiltiourea (CYTU1 y (R,R-N,N´-bis(1-feniletiltiourea (CYTU2 como ligando en busca del posible mecanismo de acción de estos compuestos, los resultados muestran que existe interacción entre la enzima y ambas tioureas en el sitio activo. Por otro lado, también se evaluó la actividad antibacteriana frente a cepas de Sthapylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli y Pseudomonas fluorescens, mediante el método de microdilución en caldo con la adición de bromuro de 3-(4,5-dimetil-2-tiazolil-2,5-difeniltetrazolium (MTT, como parte del ensayo de viabilidad, mostrando una disminución de la misma sólo contra las bacterias gram negativas, siendo la tiourea CYTU2 la que mostró mejor actividad antibacteriana. Molecular docking and antibacterial activity thioureas (R,R-N,N´-bis(1-cyclohexyethylthiourea and (R,R-N,N´-bis(1-phenylethylthiourea Abstract Thioureas are resultant compounds of substitute the oxygen atom from urea (NH2CONH2 for a sulfur atom (NH2CSNH2. There are evidential that show the biological activity of thioureas, within which are antibacterial activity. We studied the antibacterial activity of two thioureas (R,R-N,N´-bis(1 cyclohexylethylthiourea (CYTU1 y (R,R-N,N´-bis(1 phenylethylthiourea (CYTU2 in silico using Molecular Docking between the DNA gyrase enzyme (receptor and the two thioureas (ligand. The results showed interaction between DNA girase and both thioureas on the pocket of the enzyme. By other hand, the biological activity was evaluated against the following bacterial strains: Sthapylococcus

Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas fluorescens Species Group Recovery from Human Homes Varies Seasonally and by Environment.

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Susanna K Remold

Full Text Available By shedding light on variation in time as well as in space, long-term biogeographic studies can help us define organisms' distribution patterns and understand their underlying drivers. Here we examine distributions of Pseudomonas in and around 15 human homes, focusing on the P. putida and P. fluorescens species groups. We describe recovery from 10,941 samples collected during up to 8 visits per home, occurring on average 2.6 times per year. We collected a mean of 141 samples per visit, from sites in most rooms of the house, from the surrounding yards, and from human and pet occupants. We recovered Pseudomonas in 9.7% of samples, with the majority of isolates being from the P. putida and P. fluorescens species groups (approximately 62% and 23% of Pseudomonas samples recovered respectively. Although representatives of both groups were recovered from every season, every house, and every type of environment sampled, recovery was highly variable across houses and samplings. Whereas recovery of P. putida group was higher in summer and fall than in winter and spring, P. fluorescens group isolates were most often recovered in spring. P. putida group recovery from soils was substantially higher than its recovery from all other environment types, while higher P. fluorescens group recovery from soils than from other sites was much less pronounced. Both species groups were recovered from skin and upper respiratory tract samples from healthy humans and pets, although this occurred infrequently. This study indicates that even species that are able to survive under a broad range of conditions can be rare and variable in their distributions in space and in time. For such groups, determining patterns and causes of stochastic and seasonal variability may be more important for understanding the processes driving their biogeography than the identity of the types of environments in which they can be found.

Chromosomal insertion of the entire Escherichia coli lactose operon, into two strains of Pseudomonas, using a modified mini-Tn5 delivery system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, L. H.; Sørensen, S. J.; Jensen, Lars Bogø

1997-01-01

A 12-kb PstI fragment including the entire E. coli lactose operon (lacIPOZYA) was inserted in one copy into the chromosome of Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas fluorescens and an E. coli strain with lac(-) phenotype. This was made possible by improvements of an already existing mini-Tn5 transposon...... flanked by NotI sites needed in the mini-Tn5 delivery system; (b) the generation of E. coli nonlysogenic strains expressing the pi protein thus being capable of maintaining and delivering R6K-based mini-Tn5 vectors to other E. coli strains; (c) the successful insertion of the E. coli lactose operon...... into the P. fluorescens chromosome giving P. fluorescens the ability to grow on lactose; (d) evidence from Southern blotting that contradicts the assumption that the mini-Tn5 delivery system always creates one-copy inserts. These improvements allow insertion of large DNA fragments encoding highly expressed...

Genome Sequence of the Biocontrol Strain Pseudomonas fluorescens F113

Science.gov (United States)

Redondo-Nieto, Miguel; Barret, Matthieu; Morrisey, John P.; Germaine, Kieran; Martínez-Granero, Francisco; Barahona, Emma; Navazo, Ana; Sánchez-Contreras, María; Moynihan, Jennifer A.; Giddens, Stephen R.; Coppoolse, Eric R.; Muriel, Candela; Stiekema, Willem J.; Rainey, Paul B.; Dowling, David; O'Gara, Fergal; Martín, Marta

2012-01-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens F113 is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) that has biocontrol activity against fungal plant pathogens and is a model for rhizosphere colonization. Here, we present its complete genome sequence, which shows that besides a core genome very similar to those of other strains sequenced within this species, F113 possesses a wide array of genes encoding specialized functions for thriving in the rhizosphere and interacting with eukaryotic organisms. PMID:22328765

Immobilization of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase onto magnetic nanoparticles for resolution of 2-octanol.

Science.gov (United States)

Xun, Er-na; Lv, Xiao-li; Kang, Wei; Wang, Jia-xin; Zhang, Hong; Wang, Lei; Wang, Zhi

2012-10-01

The lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens (Lipase AK, AKL) was immobilized onto the magnetic Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles via hydrophobic interaction. Enzyme loading and immobilization yield were determined as 21.4±0.5 mg/g and 49.2±1.8 %, respectively. The immobilized AKL was successfully used for resolution of 2-octanol with vinyl acetate used as acyl donor. Effects of organic solvent, water activity, substrate ratio, and temperature were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the preferred isomer for AKL is the (R)-2-octanol and the highest enantioselectivity (E=71.5±2.2) was obtained with a higher enzyme activity (0.197±0.01 μmol/mg/min). The results also showed that the immobilized lipase could be easily separated from reaction media by the magnetic steel and remained 89 % of its initial activity as well as the nearly unchanged enantioselectivity after five consecutive cycles, indicating a high stability in practical operation.

Semi-scale production of PHAs from waste frying oil by Pseudomonas fluorescens S48

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Rawia F. Gamal

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The present study aimed at developing a strategy to improve the volumetric production of PHAs by Pseudomonas fluorescens S48 using waste frying oil (WFO as the sole carbon source. For this purpose, several cultivations were set up to steadily improve nutrients supply to attain high cell density and high biopolymer productivity. The production of PHAs was examined in a 14 L bioreactor as one-stage batch, two-stage batch, and high-cell-density fed-batch cultures. The highest value of polymer content in one-stage bioreactor was obtained after 60 h (33.7%. Whereas, the two-stage batch culture increased the polymer content to 50.1% after 54 h. High-cell-density (0.64 g/L at continuous feeding rate 0.55 mL/l/h of WFO recorded the highest polymer content after 54 h (55.34%. Semi-scale application (10 L working volume increased the polymer content in one-stage batch, two-stage batch and high cell density fed-batch cultures by about 12.3%, 5.8% and 11.3%, respectively, as compared with that obtained in 2 L fermentation culture. Six different methods for biopolymer extraction were done to investigate their efficiency for optimum polymer recovery. The maximum efficiency of solvent recovery of PHA was attained by chloroform-hypochlorite dispersion extraction. Gas chromatography (GC analysis of biopolymer produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens S48 indicated that it solely composed of 3-hydrobutyric acid (98.7%. A bioplastic film was prepared from the obtained PHB. The isolate studied shares the same identical sequence, which is nearly the complete 16S rRNA gene. The identity of this sequence to the closest pseudomonads strains is about 98-99%. It was probably closely related to support another meaningful parsiomony analysis and construction of a phylogenetic tree. The isolate is so close to Egyptian strain named EG 639838.

Detoxification of selenite and mercury by reduction and mutual protection in the assimilation of both elements by Pseudomonas fluorescens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belzile, Nelson; Wu Gaojun; Chen, Yu-Wei; Appanna, Vasu D.

2006-01-01

A study on the assimilation and detoxification of selenium and mercury and on the interaction between these two elements was conducted on Pseudomonas fluorescens. P. fluorescens was able to convert separately both elements to their elemental forms, which are less toxic and biologically less available. To study the converting mechanism of selenite to elemental Se, cells were grown in the presence of various selenite concentrations and several parameters such as extracellular protein concentrations, pH, carbohydrate concentrations, isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) and malic enzyme were monitored. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and various analytical methods were applied to confirm the interaction between selenium and cell. The former appeared as a red precipitate localized predominantly in the consumed culture medium. P. fluorescens also resisted to the toxic effect of mercury by converting Hg 2+ to the volatile and less toxic form Hg . Mercury reductase was likely responsible for the conversion of Hg 2+ to Hg . More importantly, the interaction between mercury and selenium was also studied. The presence of selenite significantly reduced the accumulation of mercury in P. fluorescens. It was also interesting to note that mercury appeared to behave as a protecting agent against selenium intoxication as the bioaccumulation of Se was also inhibited by this metal. The formation of Se-Hg complexes could explain this mutual protective effect. No precipitate of elemental Se could be detected when Hg was present in the cultures

40 CFR 80.374 - What if a refiner or importer is unable to produce gasoline conforming to the requirements of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... unable to produce gasoline conforming to the requirements of this subpart? 80.374 Section 80.374... FUELS AND FUEL ADDITIVES Gasoline Sulfur Exemptions § 80.374 What if a refiner or importer is unable to produce gasoline conforming to the requirements of this subpart? In appropriate extreme and unusual...

Novel ambler class A carbapenem-hydrolyzing beta-lactamase from a Pseudomonas fluorescens isolate from the Seine River, Paris, France.

Science.gov (United States)

Girlich, Delphine; Poirel, Laurent; Nordmann, Patrice

2010-01-01

A Pseudomonas fluorescens isolate (PF-1) resistant to carbapenems was recovered during an environmental survey performed with water from the Seine River (Paris). It expressed a novel Ambler class A carbapenemase, BIC-1, sharing 68 and 59% amino acid identities with beta-lactamases SFC-1 from Serratia fonticola and the plasmid-encoded KPC-2, respectively. beta-Lactamase BIC-1 hydrolyzed penicillins, carbapenems, and cephalosporins except ceftazidime and monobactams. The bla(BIC-1) gene was chromosomally located and was also identified in two other P. fluorescens strains isolated from the Seine River 3 months later.

Absorption Kinetics of Subcutaneously Administered Ceftazidime in Hypoperfused Guinea Pigs

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Tsuyoshi Ebihara, MS

2015-12-01

Conclusions: The application of MWCs or WCs enhanced subcutaneous CAZ absorption by increasing blood flow. MWCs and WCs are considered to be safe and routine methods to induce defecation after surgery on the digestive system; thus, the combination of these methods and subcutaneous CAZ administration is a potential method for treating pneumonia in patients with SMID.

Role of gallic and p-coumaric acids in the AHL-dependent expression of flgA gene and in the process of biofilm formation in food-associated Pseudomonas fluorescens KM120.

Science.gov (United States)

Myszka, Kamila; Schmidt, Marcin T; Białas, Wojciech; Olkowicz, Mariola; Leja, Katarzyna; Czaczyk, Katarzyna

2016-09-01

In the process of Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilm formation, N-acyl-l-homoserine lactone (AHL)-mediated flagella synthesis plays a key role. Inhibition of AHL production may attenuate P. fluorescens biofilm on solid surfaces. This work validated the anti-biofilm properties of p-coumaric and gallic acids via the ability of phenolics to suppress AHL synthesis in P. fluorescens KM120. The dependence between synthesis of AHL molecules, expression of flagella gene (flgA) and the ability of biofilm formation by P. fluorescens KM120 on a stainless steel surface (type 304L) was also investigated. Research was carried out in a purpose-built flow cell device. Limitations on AHL synthesis in P. fluorescens KM120 were observed at concentrations of 120 and 240 µmol L(-1) of phenolic acids in medium. At such levels of gallic and p-coumaric acids the ability of P. fluorescens KM120 to synthesize 3-oxo-C6-homoserine lactone (HSL) was not observed. These concentrations caused decreased expression of flgA gene in P. fluorescens KM120. The changes in expression of AHL-dependent flgA gene significantly decreased the rate of microorganism colonization on the stainless steel surface. Phenolic acids are able to inhibit biofilm formation. The results obtained in the work may help to develop alternative techniques for anti-biofilm treatment in the food industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

An efficient conversion of (3R,3'R,6'R)-lutein to (3R,3'S,6'R)-lutein (3'-epilutein) and (3R,3'R)-zeaxanthin.

Science.gov (United States)

Khachik, Frederick

2003-01-01

Two dietary carotenoids, (3R,3'R,6'R)-lutein (1) and (3R,3'R)-zeaxanthin (2), and their metabolite (3R,3'S,6'R)-lutein (3'-epilutein) (3) accumulate in human serum, milk, and ocular tissues. There is increasing evidence that compounds 1 and 2 play an important role in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration. Therefore, the availability of these carotenoids for metabolic studies and clinical trials is essential. Compound 1 is isolated from extracts of marigold flowers (Tagete erecta) and is commercially available, whereas 2 is only accessible by a lengthy total synthesis, and a viable method for synthesis of 3 has not yet been developed. This report describes an efficient conversion of technical grade 1 to 2 via 3. Acid-catalyzed epimerization of 1 yields an equimolar mixture of diastereomers 1 and 3. The mixture was separated by enzyme-mediated acylation with lipase AK from Pseudomonas fluorescens that preferentially esterified 3 and after alkaline hydrolysis yielded this carotenoid in 90% diastereomeric excess (de). Compound 3 was also separated from 1 in 56-88% de by solvent extraction and low-temperature crystallization, Soxhlet extraction, or supercritical fluid extraction. Base-catalyzed isomerization of 3 gave 2 in excellent yield, providing a convenient alternative to the total synthesis of this important dietary carotenoid.

Evolutionary history of the phl gene cluster in the plant-associated bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moynihan, J.A.; Morrissey, J.P.; Coppoolse, E.; Stiekema, W.J.; O'Gara, F.; Boyd, E.F.

2009-01-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens is of agricultural and economic importance as a biological control agent largely because of its plant-association and production of secondary metabolites, in particular 2, 4-diacetylphloroglucinol (2, 4-DAPG). This polyketide, which is encoded by the eight gene phl cluster,

Combinatorial efficacy of Trichoderma spp. and Pseudomonas fluorescens to enhance suppression of cell wall degrading enzymes produced by Fusarium wilt of Arachis hypogaea.L

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P Rajeswari

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Fusarium oxysporum, the soil borne pathogen causes vascular wilt, on majority of crop plants. It has been demonstrated that two different species of Trichoderma and Pseudomonas fluorescens suppress disease by different mechanisms. Therefore, application of a mixture of these biocontrol agents, and thus of several suppressive mechanisms, may represent a viable control strategy. A necessity for biocontrol by combinations of biocontrol agents can be the compatibility of the co-inoculated micro-organisms. Hence, compatibility between Trichoderma spp. and Pseudomonas fluorescens that have the ability to suppress Fusarium oxysporum in vitro on the activity of pectinolytic enzymes of Fusarium oxysporum. The activity of pectinolytic enzymes, i.e. pectin methyl esterase, endo and exo polymethylgalacturonases and exo and endo pectin trans eliminases produced by Fusarium oxysporum (Control was higher. Maximum inhibition of pectin methylesterase, exo and endo polymethylgalacturonase and exo and endopectin trans eliminase was shown by culture filtrate of Trichoderma viride + Pseudomonas fluorescens (Tv+Pf (1+2%, followed by Trichoderma harzianum + Pseudomonas fluorescens, (Th +Pf (1.5+2% and Trichoderma viride + Trichoderma harzianum (Tv+Th (1+1.5%. However, pathogenecity suppression of Fusarium oxysporum, a causative of Arachis hypogaea. L by the compatible combination of Trichodema viride + Pseudomonas fluorescens (1+2% was significantly better as compared to the single bio-agent. This indicates that specific interactions between biocontrol agents influence suppression of pathogenicity factors directly by combinations of these compatible bio-agents.

Enlightening mineral iron sensing in Pseudomonas fluorescens by surface active maghemite nanoparticles: Involvement of the OprF porin.

Science.gov (United States)

Magro, Massimiliano; Fasolato, Luca; Bonaiuto, Emanuela; Andreani, Nadia Andrea; Baratella, Davide; Corraducci, Vittorino; Miotto, Giovanni; Cardazzo, Barbara; Vianello, Fabio

2016-10-01

Mineral iron(III) recognition by bacteria is considered a matter of debate. The peculiar surface chemistry of novel naked magnetic nanoparticles, called SAMNs (surface active maghemite nanoparticles) characterized by solvent exposed Fe(3+) sites on their surface, was exploited for studying mineral iron sensing in Pseudomonas fluorescens. SAMNs were applied for mimicking Fe(3+) ions in solution, acting as magnetically drivable probes to evaluate putative Fe(3+) recognition sites on the microorganism surface. Culture broths and nano-bio-conjugates were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The whole heritage of a membrane porin (OprF) of P. fluorescens Ps_22 cells was recognized and firmly bound by SAMNs. The binding of nanoparticles to OprF porin was correlated to a drastic inhibition of a siderophore (pyoverdine) biosynthesis and to the stimulation of the production and rate of formation of a secondary siderophore. The analysis of metabolic pathways, based on P. fluorescens Ps_22 genomic information, evidenced that this putative secondary siderophore does not belong to a selection of the most common siderophores. In the scenario of an adhesion mechanism, it is plausible to consider OprF as the biological component deputed to the mineral iron sensing in P. fluorescens Ps_22, as well as one key of siderophore regulation. The present work sheds light on mineral iron sensing in microorganisms. Peculiar colloidal naked iron oxide nanoparticles offer a useful approach for probing the adhesion of bacterial surface on mineral iron for the identification of the specific recognition site for this iron uptake regulation in microorganisms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Regulation of Soluble Phosphate on the Ability of Phytate Mineralization and β-Propeller Phytase Gene Expression of Pseudomonas fluorescens JZ-DZ1, a Phytate-Mineralizing Rhizobacterium.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Lan; Wu, Xiao-Qin; Zeng, Qing-Wei; Liu, Hong-Bin

2016-12-01

Phytate-mineralizing rhizobacteria (PMR) play an important role in providing phosphorus for the sustainable plant growth. It is important to investigate the ability of PMR to produce phytase under different phosphate levels for its application. The effects of different concentrations of soluble phosphate on the ability of phytate mineralization of Pseudomonas fluorescens JZ-DZ1, a phytate-mineralizing rhizobacterium, were investigated in both solid and liquid media. The results on solid media showed that halo zone width gradually reduced with concentrations of soluble phosphate increasing from 0.05 to 20 mM, indicating the reduction of the ability of phytate mineralization. The results were consistent with the quantitative detection of phytase activity from the overall trend. An 1866-bp β-propeller phytase (BPP) gene (phyPf) was cloned from the strain, and the deduced amino acid sequence of phyPf shared 98 % of identity with a known BPP from Pseudomonas sp. BS10-3 (AJF36073.1). The results of relative real-time quantitative PCR assay showed that the expression of phyPf was induced by a low concentration (0.1 mM) of soluble phosphate, suggesting that BPP secretion was regulated by gene phyPf. The BPP-harboring bacterium P. fluorescens JZ-DZ1 with low phosphate-inducible ability of phytate mineralization could be potentially applied to promote phosphorus uptake for plants in the future.

Photocatalytic disinfection of spoilage bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens and Macrococcus caseolyticus by nano-TiO2

Science.gov (United States)

Photocatalytic disinfection of spoilage bacteria gram-negative (G-) P. fluorescens and gram-positive (G+) M. caseolyticus by nano-TiO2 under different experimental conditions and the disinfection mechanism were investigated. The experimental conditions included the initial bacterial populations, nan...

Effects of lactose as an inducer on expression of Helicobacter pylori rUreB and rHpaA,and Escherichia colirLTKA63 and rLTB

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Jie Yan; Shou-Feng Zhao; Ya-Fei Mao; Yi-Hui Luo

2004-01-01

AIM: To demonstrate the effect of lactose as an inducer on expression of the recombinant proteins encoded by Helicobacter pylori ureB and hpaA, and Escherichia coli LTB and LTKA63 genes and to determine the optimal expression parameters.METHODS: By using SDS-PAGE and BIO-RAD gel image analysis system, the outputs of the target recombinant proteins expressed by pET32a-ureB-E. coliBL21, pET32ahpaA-E. coliBL21, pET32a-L TKA63-E. coliBL21 and pET32aLTB-E.coliBL21 were measured when using lactose as inducer at different dosages, original bacterial concentrations,various inducing temperatures and times. The results of the target protein expression induced by lactose were compared to those by isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG).The proteins were expressed in E.coli.RESULTS: Lactose showed higher efficiency of inducing the expression of rHpaA, rUreB, rLTB and rLTKA63 than IPTG. The expression outputs of the target recombinant proteins induced at 37 ℃ were remarkably higher than those at 28 ℃. Other optimal expression parameters for the original bacterial concentrations, dosages of lactose and inducing time were 0.8, 50 g/L and 4 h for rHpaA; 0.8, 100 g/L and 4 h for rLTKA63; 1.2, 100 g/Land 5 h for both rUreB and rLTB, respectively.CONCLUSION: Lactose, a sugar with non-toxicity and low cost, is able to induce the recombinant genes to express the target proteins with higher efficiency than IPTG. The results in this study establish a beneficial foundation for industrial production of H pylori genetic engineering vaccine.

Factors Affecting Zebra Mussel Kill by the Bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daniel P. Molloy

2004-02-24

The specific purpose of this research project was to identify factors that affect zebra mussel kill by the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens. Test results obtained during this three-year project identified the following key variables as affecting mussel kill: treatment concentration, treatment duration, mussel siphoning activity, dissolved oxygen concentration, water temperature, and naturally suspended particle load. Using this latter information, the project culminated in a series of pipe tests which achieved high mussel kill inside power plants under once-through conditions using service water in artificial pipes.

Adsorption of Th(IV) and Pu(IV) on the surface of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis in the presence of desferrioxamine siderophore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Takahiro; Ozaki, Takuo; Ohnuki, Toshihiko; Francis, Arokiasamy J.

2005-01-01

Adsorption of Th(IV) and Pu(IV) on a Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens and a Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis in the presence of siderophore desferrioxamine B (DFO) was studied. Thorium(IV) and Pu(IV) were dissociated from DFO during adsorption on the cells. Thorium(IV) adsorption on bacterial cells in the presence of DFO was larger than that of Pu(IV) because of the smaller stability of the Th(IV)-DFO complex than that of the Pu(IV)-DFO complex. On the other hand, adsorption of Pu(IV) was larger than that of Fe(III), wherein the stability of the Pu(IV)- and Fe(III)-DFO complex is comparable. P. fluorescens showed a higher affinity for Th(IV) and Pu(IV) than B. subtilis, though potentiometric titration of bacterial cells indicated that surfaces of P. fluorescens and B. subtilis cells showed similar proton binding properties. (author)

INFLUÊNCIA DA ATIVIDADE ENZIMÁTICA DE PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS 041 EM LABNEH

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Andreza Angélica Ferreira

2012-04-01

Full Text Available A refrigeração do leite proporciona a seleção de bactérias psicrotróficas deteriorantes produtoras de enzimas termoresistentes que podem comprometer a qualidade do leite e derivados. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as implicações causadas pela atividade enzimática de Pseudomonas fluorescens 041 na produção de Labneh. O leite pasteurizado foi inoculado intencionalmente com, aproximadamente, 106 UFC.mL-1 de P. fluorescens 041 e Labneh foi produzido imediatamente após inoculação no leite (tempo 0 e após 48, 72 e 96 horas de inoculação e armazenamento a 4 ºC. A qualidade físico-química do leite, do Labneh e do soro resultante da fabricação foi determinada. O rendimento prático, o rendimento técnico ajustado e o aproveitamento final de sólidos no Labneh em relação ao volume de leite (coeficiente GL também foram avaliados. Constatou-se alterações nas características físico-químicas do soro e do Labneh fabricado com leite armazenado a partir de 48 horas. Também, observou-se um aumento significativo em litros de leite destinado à produção de um quilo do produto ao longo do tempo de estocagem do leite inoculado com P. fluorescens 041, sendo os rendimentos prático, técnico ajustado e o coeficiente GL afetados pelo fator tempo. Portanto, a redução do tempo de estocagem do leite sob refrigeração e a prevenção da contaminação da matéria-prima por meio da adoção de boas práticas na cadeia do leite são medidas a serem adotadas para assegurar a qualidade e o rendimento do produto final.

Enhanced biosorption of mercury(II) and cadmium(II) by cold-induced hydrophobic exobiopolymer secreted from the psychrotroph Pseudomonas fluorescens BM07

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zamil, Sheikh Shawkat; Choi, Mun Hwan; Song, Jung Hyun; Park, Hyunju; Xu, Ju; Yoon, Sung Chul [Gyeongsang National Univ., Jinju (Korea). Nano-Biomaterials Science Lab.; Chi, Ki-Whan [Ulsan Univ. (Korea). Dept. of Chemistry

2008-09-15

The cells of psychrotrophic Pseudomonas fluorescens BM07 were found to secrete large amounts of exobiopolymer (EBP) composed of mainly hydrophobic (water insoluble) polypeptide(s) (as contain {proportional_to}50 mol% hydrophobic amino acids, lacking cysteine residue) when grown on fructose containing limited M1 medium at the temperatures as low as 0-10 C but trace amount at high (30 C, optimum growth) temperature. Two types of nonliving BM07 cells (i.e., cells grown at 30 C and 10 C) as well as the freeze-dried EBP were compared for biosorption of mercury (Hg(II)) and cadmium (Cd(II)). The optimum adsorption pH was found 7 for Hg(II) but 6 for Cd(II), irrespective of the type of biomass. Equilibrium adsorption data well fitted the Langmuir adsorption model. The maximum adsorption (Q{sub max}) was 72.3, 97.4, and 286.2 mg Hg(II)/g dry biomass and 18.9, 27.0, and 61.5 mg Cd(II)/g dry biomass for cells grown at 30 C and 10 C and EBP, respectively, indicating major contribution of heavy metal adsorption by cold-induced EBP. Mercury(II) binding induced a significant shift of infrared (IR) amide I and II absorption of EBP whereas cadmium(II) binding showed only a very little shift. These IR shifts demonstrate that mercury(II) and cadmium(II) might have different binding sites in EBP, which was supported by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetric analysis and sorption results of chemically modified biomasses. This study implies that the psychrotrophs like BM07 strain may play an important role in the bioremediation of heavy metals in the temperate regions especially in the inactive cold season. (orig.)

Effect of Two Biological Formulations Based on Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas fluorescens on Control of Didymella applanata, the Causal Agent of Red Raspberry Cane Spur Blight

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Margarita Shternshis

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to estimate the efficacy of the two microbial formulations based on Bacillus subtilis Cohn. and Pseudomonas fluorescens Mig. on the fungus Didymella applanata (Niessl. Sacc., the causal agent of red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L. spur blight. In vitro, both bacteria reduced the growth of D. applanata. In inoculation experiments with raspberry canes in two cultivars with different susceptibility to D. applanata, these antagonistic bacteria suppressed fungal development by reducing the lesions area and the number of D. applanata fruiting bodies. Field trials of two biological formulations under natural conditions showed a significant suppression of the disease. B. subtilis and P. fluorescens included in the formulations revealed antagonistic activity towards D. applanata that depended on the red raspberry cultivar and weather conditions. In all cases, B. subtilis showed better results than P. fluorescens in biocontrol of the raspberry spur blight. This study demonstrated for the first time the ability of the biocontrol agents B. subtilis and P. fluorescens to suppress red raspberry cane spur blight, a serious worldwide disease.

Whole-genome sequence of Pseudomonas fluorescens EK007-RG4, a promising biocontrol agent against a broad range of bacteria, including the fire blight bacterium Erwinia amylovora

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Habibi, Roghayeh; Tarighi, Saeed; Behravan, Javad

2017-01-01

Here, we report the first draft whole-genome sequence of Pseudomonas fluorescens strain EK007-RG4, which was isolated from the phylloplane of a pear tree. P. fluorescens EK007-RG4 displays strong antagonism against Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent for fire blight disease, in addition to several...

Production and properties of biosurfactants from a newly isolated Pseudomonas fluorescens HW-6 growing on hexandecane

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasileva-Tonkova, E.; Galabova, D. [Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Dept. of Microbial Biochemistry, Sofia (Bulgaria); Stoimenova, E.; Lalchev, Z. [Dept. of Biochemistry, Sofia Univ. ' ' St. Kliment Ohridski' ' , Sofia (Bulgaria)

2006-07-15

The newly isolated from industrial wastewater Pseudomonas fluorescens strain HW-6 produced glycolipid biosurfactants at high concentrations (1.4-2.0 g 1{sup -1}) when grown on hexadecane as a sole carbon source. Biosurfactants decreased the surface tension of the air/water interface by 35 mN m{sup -1} and possessed a low critical micelle concentration value of 20 mg 1{sup -1}, which indicated high surface activity. They efficiently emulsified aromatic hydrocarbons, kerosene, n-paraffins and mineral oils. Biosurfactant production contributed to a significant increase in cell hydrophobicity correlated with an increased growth of the strain on hexadecane. The results suggested that the newly isolated strain of Ps. fluorescens and produced glycolipid biosurfactants with effective surface and emulsifying properties are very promising and could find application for bioremediation of hydrocarbon-polluted sites. (orig.)

The Effect of Bacteria Colony Pseudomonas fluorescens (UB_Pf1 and Bacillus subtilis (UB_Bs1 on the Mortality of Pratylenchus coffeae (Tylenchida: Pratylenchidae

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Presti Mardiyani Purwaningtyas

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Parasitic Root-Lession nematode of Pratylenchus coffeae can reduce the Indonesian coffee plants productivity. Several studies reported that Pseudomonas fluorescens and Bacillus subtilis endophytic bacteria were antagonistic bacteria to nematode. The objective of this research was to reveal the effectiveness of bacterial colonies density of P. fluorescens (UB_Pf1, B.subtilis (UB BS1, and a combination of both bacteria on nematode mortality using median lethal concentration (LC50 and median lethal time 50 (LT50. The densities of bacteria used in this study were 107, 109, 1011 and 1013 cfu/ml. 35 testing nematodes were used and the mortality was counted at 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours after treatments. The results showed that LC50 values of P. fluorescens was (UB_Pf1 was 4,3x108 cfu/ml, LC50 B. subtilis (UB_Bs1 was 1,9x109cfu/ ml, and LC50 combination of both bacteria was, 8x107 cfu/ml. It implies that the application of the combination of both bacteria are more pathogenic than single bacterial treatment. The results also showed that the highest LT50 value was 13.21  hours combination of bacterial colonies with a density of 1013 cfu/ml and the lowest LT50 value was 52.00 hours on P. fluorescens (UB_Pf1 treatment with colonies density of 107 cfu/ml.How to CitePurwaningtyas, P. M., Rahardjo, B. T., & Tarno, H. (2016. The Effect of Bacteria Colony Pseudomonas fluorescens (UB_Pf1 and Bacillus subtilis (UB_Bs1 on the Mortality of Pratylenchus coffeae (Tylenchida: Pratylenchidae. Biosaintifika: Journal of Biology & Biology Education, 8(3, 286-293. 

Crystallization, diffraction data collection and preliminary crystallographic analysis of DING protein from Pseudomonas fluorescens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moniot, Sebastien; Elias, Mikael; Kim, Donghyo; Scott, Ken; Chabriere, Eric

2007-01-01

Crystallization of DING protein from P. fluorescens is reported. A complete data set was collected to 1.43 Å resolution. PfluDING is a phosphate-binding protein expressed in Pseudomonas fluorescens. This protein is clearly distinct from the bacterial ABC transporter soluble phosphate-binding protein PstS and is more homologous to eukaryotic DING proteins. Interestingly, bacterial DING proteins have only been detected in certain Pseudomonas species. Although DING proteins seem to be ubiquitous in eukaryotes, they are systematically absent from eukaryotic genomic databases and thus are still quite mysterious and poorly characterized. PfluDING displays mitogenic activity towards human cells and binds various ligands such as inorganic phosphate, pyrophosphate, nucleotide triphosphates and cotinine. Here, the crystallization of PfluDING is reported in a monoclinic space group (P2 1 ), with typical unit-cell parameters a = 36.7, b = 123.7, c = 40.8 Å, α = 90, β = 116.7, γ = 90°. Preliminary crystallographic analysis reveals good diffraction quality for these crystals and a 1.43 Å resolution data set has been collected

Response to gaseous NO2 air pollutant of P. fluorescens airborne strain MFAF76a and clinical strain MFN1032

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Tatiana eKondakova

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Human exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2, an air pollutant of increasing interest in biology, results in several toxic effects to human health and also to the air microbiota. The aim of this study was to investigate the bacterial response to gaseous NO2. Two Pseudomonas fluorescens strains, namely the airborne strain MFAF76a and the clinical strain MFN1032 were exposed to 0.1, 5 or 45 ppm concentrations of NO2, and their effects on bacteria were evaluated in terms of motility, biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, as well as expression of several chosen target genes. While 0.1 and 5 ppm of NO2 did not lead to any detectable modification in the studied phenotypes of the two bacteria, several alterations were observed when the bacteria were exposed to 45 ppm of gaseous NO2. We thus chose to focus on this high concentration. NO2-exposed P. fluorescens strains showed reduced swimming motility, and decreased swarming in case of the strain MFN1032. Biofilm formed by NO2-treated airborne strain MFAF76a showed increased maximum thickness compared to non-treated cells, while NO2 had no apparent effect on the clinical MFN1032 biofilm structure. It is well known that biofilm and motility are inversely regulated by intracellular c-di-GMP level. The c-di-GMP level was however not affected in response to NO2 treatment. Finally, NO2-exposed P. fluorescens strains were found to be more resistant to ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol. Accordingly, the resistance nodulation cell division (RND MexEF-OprN efflux pump encoding genes were highly upregulated in the two P. fluorescens strains. Noticeably, similar phenotypes had been previously observed following a NO treatment. Interestingly, an hmp-homologue gene in P. fluorescens strains MFAF76a and MFN1032 encodes a NO dioxygenase that is involved in NO detoxification into nitrites. Its expression was upregulated in response to NO2, suggesting a possible common pathway between NO and NO2 detoxification. Taken

Bio-protective microbial agents from rhizosphere eco-systems trigger plant defense responses provide protection against sheath blight disease in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Udai B; Malviya, Deepti; Wasiullah; Singh, Shailendra; Pradhan, Jatindra K; Singh, Bhanu P; Roy, Manish; Imram, Mohd; Pathak, Neelam; Baisyal, B M; Rai, Jai P; Sarma, B K; Singh, Rajiv K; Sharma, P K; Kaur, Saman Deep; Manna, M C; Sharma, Sushil K; Sharma, Arun K

2016-11-01

Sheath blight of rice (Oryza sativa L.) caused by Rhizoctonia solani is a major disease and attempts are being made to develop microbe based technologies for biocontrol of this pathogen. However, the mechanisms of biocontrol are not fully understood and still require indepth study in the backdrop of emerging concepts in biological systems. The present investigation was aimed at deciphering the mechanisms of biocontrol of sheath blight of rice employing Pseudomonas fluorescens and Trichoderma harzianum as model agents for biocontrol. Initially 25, 5 and 5 strains of P. fluorescens, T. viride and T. harzianum, respectively, were screened for their biocontrol potential. Out of which, six strains with higher value of percent inhibition of fungal mycelium in dual plate assay were selected. The role of P. fluorescens, T. viride and T. harzianum were investigated in induction and bioaccumulation of natural antioxidants, defence-related biomolecules and other changes in plant which lead not only to growth promotion but also protection from pathogenic stress conditions in rice. The two most promising strains, P. fluorescens PF-08 and T. harzianum UBSTH-501 selected on the basis of in planta evaluation, when applied individually or in combination, significantly enhanced the accumulation of defence-related biomolecules, enzymes and exhibited biocontrol potential against R. solani. A modified/newly developed delivery system was applied for the first time in the experiments involving inoculation of plants with both bioagents, viz. P. fluorescens PF-08 and T. harzianum UBSTH-501. Results suggested that application of P. fluorescens PF-08 and T. harzianum UBSTH-501 alone or in combination, not only helps in control of the disease but also increases plant growth along with reduction in application of toxic chemical pesticides. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The SaeR/S gene regulatory system induces a pro-inflammatory cytokine response during Staphylococcus aureus infection.

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Robert L Watkins

Full Text Available Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus accounts for a large portion of the increased staphylococcal disease incidence and can cause illness ranging from mild skin infections to rapidly fatal sepsis syndromes. Currently, we have limited understanding of S. aureus-derived mechanisms contributing to bacterial pathogenesis and host inflammation during staphylococcal disease. Herein, we characterize an influential role for the saeR/S two-component gene regulatory system in mediating cytokine induction using mouse models of S. aureus pathogenesis. Invasive S. aureus infection induced the production of localized and systemic pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α, interferon gamma (IFN-γ, interleukin (IL-6 and IL-2. In contrast, mice infected with an isogenic saeR/S deletion mutant demonstrated significantly reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. Additionally, secreted factors influenced by saeR/S elicited pro-inflammatory cytokines in human blood ex vivo. Our study further demonstrated robust saeR/S-mediated IFN-γ production during both invasive and subcutaneous skin infections. Results also indicated a critical role for saeR/S in promoting bacterial survival and enhancing host mortality during S. aureus peritonitis. Taken together, this study provides insight into specific mechanisms used by S. aureus during staphylococcal disease and characterizes a relationship between a bacterial global regulator of virulence and the production of pro-inflammatory mediators.

Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44: Lessons Learned from a Model Whole-Cell Bioreporter with a Broad Application History

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Gary S. Sayler

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Initially described in 1990, Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 served as the first whole-cell bioreporter genetically endowed with a bioluminescent (luxCDABE phenotype directly linked to a catabolic (naphthalene degradative pathway. HK44 was the first genetically engineered microorganism to be released in the field to monitor bioremediation potential. Subsequent to that release, strain HK44 had been introduced into other solids (soils, sands, liquid (water, wastewater, and volatile environments. In these matrices, it has functioned as one of the best characterized chemically-responsive environmental bioreporters and as a model organism for understanding bacterial colonization and transport, cell immobilization strategies, and the kinetics of cellular bioluminescent emission. This review summarizes the characteristics of P. fluorescens HK44 and the extensive range of its applications with special focus on the monitoring of bioremediation processes and biosensing of environmental pollution.

Control of Fusarium verticillioides, cause of ear rot of maize, by Pseudomonas fluorescens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nayaka, Siddaiah Chandra; Shankar, Akarere C. Udaya; Reddy, Munagala S.

2009-01-01

Abstract BACKGROUND: Maize is one of the staple food crops grown in India. Fusarium verticillioides (Sacc.) Nirenberg is the most important fungal pathogen of maize, associated with diseases such as ear rot and kernel rot. Apart from the disease, it is capable of producing fumonisins, which have...... disease and fumonisin accumulation, and also to study the capacity to promote growth and yield of maize. In vitro assays were conducted to test the efficacy of P. fluorescens as a seed treatment on seed germination, seedling vigour and also the incidence of F. verticillioides in different maize cultivars....... verticillioides and the level of fumonisins to a maximum extent compared with the other treatments. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates the potential role of P. fluorescens and its formulations in ear rot disease management. The biocontrol potential of this isolate is more suited for fumonisin reduction in maize...

Rapid detection of rRNA group I pseudomonads in contaminated metalworking fluids and biofilm formation by fluorescent in situ hybridization.

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Ratul; Donofrio, Robert S; Goeres, Darla M; Bagley, Susan T

2012-05-01

Metalworking fluids (MWFs), used in different machining operations, are highly prone to microbial degradation. Microbial communities present in MWFs lead to biofilm formation in the MWF systems, which act as a continuous source of contamination. Species of rRNA group I Pseudomonas dominate in contaminated MWFs. However, their actual distribution is typically underestimated when using standard culturing techniques as most fail to grow on the commonly used Pseudomonas Isolation Agar. To overcome this, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to study their abundance along with biofilm formation by two species recovered from MWFs, Pseudomonas fluorescens MWF-1 and the newly described Pseudomonas oleovorans subsp. lubricantis. Based on 16S rRNA sequences, a unique fluorescent molecular probe (Pseudo120) was designed targeting a conserved signature sequence common to all rRNA group I Pseudomonas. The specificity of the probe was evaluated using hybridization experiments with whole cells of different Pseudomonas species. The probe's sensitivity was determined to be 10(3) cells/ml. It successfully detected and enumerated the abundance and distribution of Pseudomonas indicating levels between 3.2 (± 1.1) × 10(6) and 5.0 (± 2.3) × 10(6) cells/ml in four different industrial MWF samples collected from three different locations. Biofilm formation was visualized under stagnant conditions using high and low concentrations of cells for both P. fluorescens MWF-1 and P. oleovorans subsp. lubricantis stained with methylene blue and Pseudo120. On the basis of these observations, this molecular probe can be successfully be used in the management of MWF systems to monitor the levels and biofilm formation of rRNA group I pseudomonads.

Survival of a Rifampicin-Resistant Pseudomonas fluorescens Strain in Nine Mollisols

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Tami L. Stubbs

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Pseudomonas fluorescens strain D7 (P.f. D7 is a naturally occurring soil bacterium that shows promise as a biological herbicide to inhibit growth of annual grass weeds, including downy brome (Bromus tectorum L., in crop- and rangelands. Pseudomonas fluorescens strain D7rif (P.f. D7rif is a rifampicin-resistant strain of P.f. D7. One of the greatest obstacles to successful biological weed control is survival of the organism under field conditions. Nine soils in the taxonomic order of Mollisols, collected from downy brome-infested areas of the Western and Central United States, were inoculated with P.f. D7rif and incubated in the laboratory to determine the effects of soil type, soil properties, incubation temperature, and soil water potential on survival of P.f. D7rif over 63 days. Silt loam soils from Lind, Washington, and Moro, Oregon, sustained the highest P.f. D7rif populations, and recovery was the lowest from Pendleton, Oregon soil. Survival and recovery of P.f. D7rif varied with soil type and temperature but not with the two soil water potentials tested. After 63 days, P.f. D7rif was recovered at levels greater than log 5.5 colony forming units (CFU g−1 soil from five of the nine test soils, a level adequate to suppress downy brome under field or range conditions.

Cost modeling of pseudomonoas fluorescens and pseudomonoas chlororphis biocontrol for competitive exclusion of salmonella enterica on tomatoes

Science.gov (United States)

Biocontrol measures may enhance postharvest interventions, however; published research on process-based models for biocontrol of foodborne pathogens on produce is limited. The aim of this research was to develop cost model estimates for competitive exclusion process using Pseudomonas fluorescens and...

Compatibility of Azospirillum brasilense and Pseudomonas fluorescens in growth promotion of groundnut ( Arachis hypogea L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, Andhare A; Babu, Subramanian

2017-01-01

We attempted to study the compatibility among plant beneficial bacteria in the culture level by growing them near in the nutrient agar plates. Among all the bacteria tested, Rhizobium was found to inhibit the growth of other bacteria. From the compatible group of PGPR, we have selected one biofertilizer (Azospirillum brasilense strain TNAU) and one biocontrol agent (Pseudomonas fluorescens strain PF1) for further studies in the pot culture. We have also developed a bioformulation which is talc powder based, for individual bacteria and mixed culture. This formulation was used as seed treatment, soil application, seedling root dip and foliar spray in groundnut crop in vitro germination conditions. A. brasilense was found to enhance the tap root growth and P. fluorescens, the lateral root growth. The other growth parameters like shoot growth, number of leaves were enhanced by the combination of both of the bacteria than their individual formulations. Among the method of application tested in our study, soil application was found to be the best in yielding better results of plant growth promotion.

Compatibility of Azospirillum brasilense and Pseudomonas fluorescens in growth promotion of groundnut ( Arachis hypogea L.

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ANDHARE A. PRASAD

Full Text Available ABSTRACT We attempted to study the compatibility among plant beneficial bacteria in the culture level by growing them near in the nutrient agar plates. Among all the bacteria tested, Rhizobium was found to inhibit the growth of other bacteria. From the compatible group of PGPR, we have selected one biofertilizer (Azospirillum brasilense strain TNAU and one biocontrol agent (Pseudomonas fluorescens strain PF1 for further studies in the pot culture. We have also developed a bioformulation which is talc powder based, for individual bacteria and mixed culture. This formulation was used as seed treatment, soil application, seedling root dip and foliar spray in groundnut crop in vitro germination conditions. A. brasilense was found to enhance the tap root growth and P. fluorescens, the lateral root growth. The other growth parameters like shoot growth, number of leaves were enhanced by the combination of both of the bacteria than their individual formulations. Among the method of application tested in our study, soil application was found to be the best in yielding better results of plant growth promotion.

Characterization of toxin complex gene clusters and insect toxicity of bacteria representing four subgroups of Pseudomonas fluorescens

Science.gov (United States)

Ten strains representing four lineages of Pseudomonas (P. chlororaphis, P. corrugata, P. koreensis, and P. fluorescens subgroups) were evaluated for toxicity to the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The three strains within the P. chlororaphis subgroup exhibi...

Bacillus cereus AR156 primes induced systemic resistance by suppressing miR825/825* and activating defense-related genes in Arabidopsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Dongdong; Xia, Jing; Jiang, Chunhao; Qi, Beibei; Ling, Xiaoyu; Lin, Siyuan; Zhang, Weixiong; Guo, Jianhua; Jin, Hailing; Zhao, Hongwei

2016-04-01

Small RNAs play an important role in plant immune responses. However, their regulatory function in induced systemic resistance (ISR) is nascent. Bacillus cereus AR156 is a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium that induces ISR in Arabidopsis against bacterial infection. Here, by comparing small RNA profiles of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000-infected Arabidopsis with and without AR156 pretreatment, we identified a group of Arabidopsis microRNAs (miRNAs) that are differentially regulated by AR156 pretreatment. miR825 and miR825* are two miRNA generated from a single miRNA gene. Northern blot analysis indicated that they were significantly downregulated in Pst DC3000-infected plants pretreated with AR156, in contrast to the plants without AR156 pretreatment. miR825 targets two ubiquitin-protein ligases, while miR825* targets toll-interleukin-like receptor (TIR)-nucleotide binding site (NBS) and leucine-rich repeat (LRR) type resistance (R) genes. The expression of these target genes negatively correlated with the expression of miR825 and miR825*. Moreover, transgenic plants showing reduced expression of miR825 and miR825* displayed enhanced resistance to Pst DC3000 infection, whereas transgenic plants overexpressing miR825 and miR825* were more susceptible. Taken together, our data indicates that Bacillus cereus AR156 pretreatment primes ISR to Pst infection by suppressing miR825 and miR825* and activating the defense related genes they targeted. © 2015 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Endophytic Bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens RG11 May Transform Tryptophan to Melatonin and Promote Endogenous Melatonin Levels in the Roots of Four Grape Cultivars.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Yaner; Jiao, Jian; Fan, Xiucai; Sun, Haisheng; Zhang, Ying; Jiang, Jianfu; Liu, Chonghuai

2016-01-01

Endophytes have been verified to synthesize melatonin in vitro and promote abiotic stress-induced production of endogenous melatonin in grape ( Vitis vinifera L.) roots. This study aimed to further characterize the biotransformation of tryptophan to melatonin in the endophytic bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens RG11 and to investigate its capacity for enhancing endogenous melatonin levels in the roots of different grape cultivars. Using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry combined with 15N double-labeled L -tryptophan as the precursor for melatonin, we detected isotope-labeled 5-hydroxytryptophan, serotonin, N -acetylserotonin, and melatonin, but tryptamine was not detected during the in vitro incubation of P. fluorescens RG11. Furthermore, the production capacity of these four compounds peaked during the exponential growth phase. RG11 colonization increased the endogenous levels of 5-hydroxytryptophan, N -acetylserotonin, and melatonin, but reduced those of tryptamine and serotonin, in the roots of the Red Globe grape cultivar under salt stress conditions. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that RG11 reduced the transcription of grapevine tryptophan decarboxylase and serotonin N -acetyltransferase genes when compared to the un-inoculated control. These results correlated with decreased reactive oxygen species bursts and cell damage, which were alleviated by RG11 colonization under salt stress conditions. Additionally, RG11 promoted plant growth and enhanced the levels of endogenous melatonin in different grape cultivars. Intraspecific variation in the levels of melatonin precursors was found among four grape cultivars, and the associated root crude extracts appeared to significantly induce RG11 melatonin biosynthesis in vitro . Overall, this study provides useful information that enhances the existing knowledge of a potential melatonin synthesis pathway in rhizobacteria, and it reveals plant-rhizobacterium interactions that affect

27 CFR 19.374 - Manufacture of nonbeverage products, intermediate products, or eligible flavors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Manufacture of nonbeverage... PLANTS Processing Operations Other Than Denaturation and Manufacture of Articles Receipt and Use of Spirits, Wines and Alcoholic Flavoring Materials § 19.374 Manufacture of nonbeverage products...

Preliminary structural studies of the transcriptional regulator CmeR from Campylobacter jejuni

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Su, Chih-Chia [Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (United States); Shi, Feng [Department of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (United States); Gu, Ruoyu; Li, Ming [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (United States); McDermott, Gerry [Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143 (United States); Yu, Edward W., E-mail: ewyu@iastate.edu [Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (United States); Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (United States); Zhang, Qijing [Department of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (United States); Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (United States)

2007-01-01

The transcriptional regulator CmeR from C. jejuni has been purified and crystallized and X-ray diffraction data have been collected to a resolution of 2.2 Å. In Campylobacter jejuni, a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen causing gastroenteritis in humans, the CmeR regulatory protein controls transcription of the multidrug transporter gene operon cmeABC. CmeR belongs to the TetR family of transcriptional regulators. The 210-residue CmeR consists of two functional motifs: an N-terminal DNA-binding domain and a C-terminal ligand-binding domain. It is predicted that the DNA-binding domain interacts directly with target promoters, while the C-terminal motif interacts with inducing ligands (such as bile salts). As an initial step towards confirming this structural model, recombinant CmeR protein containing a 6×His tag at the N-terminus was crystallized. Crystals of ligand-free CmeR belonged to space group P2{sub 1}2{sub 1}2, with unit-cell parameters a = 37.4, b = 57.6, c = 93.3 Å. Diffraction was observed to at least 2.2 Å at 100 K. Analysis of the detailed CmeR structure is currently in progress.

Exposure-related effects of Pseudomonas fluorescens, strain CL145A, on coldwater, coolwater, and warmwater fish

Science.gov (United States)

Luoma, James A.; Weber, Kerry L.; Denise A. Mayer,

2015-01-01

The exposure-related effects of a commercially prepared spray-dried powder (SDP) formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens, strain CL145A, were evaluated on coldwater, coolwater, and warmwater fish endemic to the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River Basins. Nine species of young-of-the-year fish were exposed to SDP for 24 hours by using continuous-flow, serial-dilution exposure systems at temperatures of 12 degrees Celsius (°C; 2 species; Oncorhynchus mykiss [rainbow trout] and Salvelinus fontinalis [brook trout]), 17 °C (3 species; Perca flavescens [yellow perch], Sander vitreus [walleye], and Acipenser fulvescens [lake sturgeon]), or 22 °C (4 species; Micropterus salmoides [largemouth bass], Micropterus dolomieu [smallmouth bass], Lepomis macrochirus [bluegill sunfish], and Ictalurus punctatus [channel catfish]).

Physiological dysfunction of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia. III. A new cohort and evidence for a monoaminergic mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weinberger, D.R.; Berman, K.F.; Illowsky, B.P.

1988-01-01

We previously reported that compared with normals, patients with chronic schizophrenia have reduced regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during performance of the Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCS), a DLPFC-related cognitive task, but not during nonprefrontal tasks, such as a simple number-matching (NM) test. We also found that unlike normals, patients failed to activate DLPFC during the WCS over their own baseline (NM) level. To explore the reproducibility of these findings, a new cohort of 16 medication-free patients underwent a series of xenon 133 inhalation rCBF studies under the following conditions: at rest, while performing the WCS, and while performing NM. The results confirmed our earlier findings. In addition, the concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid of homovanillic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid correlated with prefrontal rCBF during the WCS but not during the NM test or at rest. The results show that behavior-specific hypofunction of DLPFC in schizophrenia is reproducible, and they implicate a monoaminergic mechanism

Identification of copper-induced genes in Pseudomonas fluorescens and use of a reporter strain to monitor bioavailable copper in soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tom-Petersen, Andreas; Hosbond, Carsten; Nybroe, Ole

2001-01-01

-amended soil microcosms in a concentration-dependent manner. The chelator EDTA reduced the availability of Cu to P. fluorescens in soil. This showed that complex-bound Cu is not necessarily available to bacteria, We compared chemical analysis of soluble Cu and the reporter assay on soil solutions from Cu-containing......-Cu15, the gene interrupted by the transposon encoded a protein carrying a Cu-binding domain but with low homology to known proteins. DF57-Cu15 was the most suitable Cu reporter due to its high specific response and tolerance to Cu in pure culture. DF57-Cu15 responded to soil solutions from Cu...... soil microcosms supplemented with either manure or straw. Organic matter increased the amount of soluble Cu but not the amount of bioavailable Cu. Probably, Cu binds with high affinity to organic constituents in pig manure or barley straw. Hence, determination of soluble Cu by chemical analysis cannot...

Kaempferol 3,7,4'-glycosides from the flowers of Clematis cultivars.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakaguchi, Keisuke; Kitajima, Junichi; Iwashina, Tsukasa

2013-08-01

A new kaempferol glycoside, kaempferol 3-O-alpha-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 --> 6)-beta-glucopyranoside-7,4'-di-O-beta-glucopyranoside (1) was isolated from the flowers of Clematis cultivars "Jackmanii Superba" and "Fujimusume", together with the known compound kaempferol 3,7,4'-tri-O-beta-glucopyranoside (2). The chemical structures of the isolated kaemferol glycosides were established by UV, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, LC-MS, and characterization of acid hydrolysates.

Complexity of MRI induced heating on metallic leads: Experimental measurements of 374 configurations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mendoza Gonzalo

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background MRI induced heating on PM leads is a very complex issue. The widely varying results described in literature suggest that there are many factors that influence the degree of heating and that not always are adequately addressed by existing testing methods. Methods We present a wide database of experimental measurements of the heating of metallic wires and PM leads in a 1.5 T RF coil. The aim of these measurements is to systematically quantify the contribution of some potential factors involved in the MRI induced heating: the length and the geometric structure of the lead; the implant location within the body and the lead path; the shape of the phantom used to simulate the human trunk and its relative position inside the RF coil. Results We found that the several factors are the primary influence on heating at the tip. Closer locations of the leads to the edge of the phantom and to the edge of the coil produce maximum heating. The lead length is the other crucial factor, whereas the implant area does not seem to have a major role in the induced temperature increase. Also the lead structure and the geometry of the phantom revealed to be elements that can significantly modify the amount of heating. Conclusion Our findings highlight the factors that have significant effects on MRI induced heating of implanted wires and leads. These factors must be taken into account by those who plan to study or model MRI heating of implants. Also our data should help those who wish to develop guidelines for defining safe medical implants for MRI patients. In addition, our database of the entire set of measurements can help those who wish to validate their numerical models of implants that may be exposed to MRI systems.

Non-pathogenic Fusarium solani represses the biosynthesis of nematicidal compounds in vitro and reduces the biocontrol of Meloidogyne javanica by Pseudomonas fluorescens in tomato.

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqui, I A; Shaukat, S S

2003-01-01

The aim of the present investigation was to determine the influence of various Fusarium solani strains on the production of nematicidal agent(s) in vitro and biocontrol of Meloidogyne javanica in tomato by Pseudomonas fluorescens strains CHA0 and CHA0/pME3424. Culture filtrates (CF) of P. fluorescens strain CHA0 and its diacetylphloroglucinol-overproducing derivative CHA0/pME3424 caused substantial mortality of M. javanica juveniles in vitro. Bacterial growth medium amended with the growth medium of F. solani repressed the nematicidal activity of the bacteria. Methanol extract of F. solani CF resulting from Czapek's Dox liquid (CDL) medium without zinc amendment repressed the nematicidal activity of the bacteria while the CF obtained from CDL medium amended with zinc did not. Conidial suspension of F. solani strain Fs5 (repressor strain for the biosynthesis of nematicidal compounds in P. fluorescens) reduced biocontrol potential of the bacterial inoculants against M. javanica in tomato while strain Fs3 (non-repressor) did not. Fusarium solani strains with increased nematicidal activity repress the biosynthesis of nematicidal compounds by P. fluorescens strains in vitro and greatly alter its biocontrol efficacy against root-knot nematode under natural conditions. Fusarium solani strains are distributed worldwide and found in almost all the agricultural fields which suggest that some mycotoxin-producing strains will also be found in almost any soil sample taken. Besides the suppressive effect of these metabolite-producing strains on the production of nematicidal compound(s) critical in biocontrol, F. solani strains may also affect the performance of mycotoxin-sensitive biocontrol bacteria effective against plant-parasitic nematodes.

Rhizosphere-associated Pseudomonas induce systemic resistance to herbivores at the cost of susceptibility to bacterial pathogens.

Science.gov (United States)

Haney, Cara H; Wiesmann, Christina L; Shapiro, Lori R; Melnyk, Ryan A; O'Sullivan, Lucy R; Khorasani, Sophie; Xiao, Li; Han, Jiatong; Bush, Jenifer; Carrillo, Juli; Pierce, Naomi E; Ausubel, Frederick M

2017-10-31

Plant-associated soil microbes are important mediators of plant defence responses to diverse above-ground pathogen and insect challengers. For example, closely related strains of beneficial rhizosphere Pseudomonas spp. can induce systemic resistance (ISR), systemic susceptibility (ISS) or neither against the bacterial foliar pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pto DC3000). Using a model system composed of root-associated Pseudomonas spp. strains, the foliar pathogen Pto DC3000 and the herbivore Trichoplusia ni (cabbage looper), we found that rhizosphere-associated Pseudomonas spp. that induce either ISS and ISR against Pto DC3000 all increased resistance to herbivory by T. ni. We found that resistance to T. ni and resistance to Pto DC3000 are quantitative metrics of the jasmonic acid (JA)/salicylic acid (SA) trade-off and distinct strains of rhizosphere-associated Pseudomonas spp. have distinct effects on the JA/SA trade-off. Using genetic analysis and transcriptional profiling, we provide evidence that treatment of Arabidopsis with Pseudomonas sp. CH267, which induces ISS against bacterial pathogens, tips the JA/SA trade-off towards JA-dependent defences against herbivores at the cost of a subset of SA-mediated defences against bacterial pathogens. In contrast, treatment of Arabidopsis with the ISR strain Pseudomonas sp. WCS417 disrupts JA/SA antagonism and simultaneously primes plants for both JA- and SA-mediated defences. Our findings show that ISS against the bacterial foliar pathogens triggered by Pseudomonas sp. CH267, which is a seemingly deleterious phenotype, may in fact be an adaptive consequence of increased resistance to herbivory. Our work shows that pleiotropic effects of microbiome modulation of plant defences are important to consider when using microbes to modify plant traits in agriculture. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Adaptive synonymous mutations in an experimentally evolved Pseudomonas fluorescens population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bailey, Susan; Hinz, Aaron; Kassen, Rees

2014-01-01

Conventional wisdom holds that synonymous mutations, nucleotide changes that do not alter the encoded amino acid, have no detectable effect on phenotype or fitness. However, a growing body of evidence from both comparative and experimental studies suggests otherwise. Synonymous mutations have been...... shown to impact gene expression, protein folding and fitness, however, direct evidence that they can be positively selected, and so contribute to adaptation, is lacking. Here we report the recovery of two beneficial synonymous single base pair changes that arose spontaneously and independently...... in an experimentally evolved population of Pseudomonas fluorescens. We show experimentally that these mutations increase fitness by an amount comparable to non-synonymous mutations and that the fitness increases stem from increased gene expression. These results provide unequivocal evidence that synonymous mutations...

Roles of Rhizoxin and 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol in Suppression of Fusarium spp. by the Rhizobacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5

Science.gov (United States)

Pseudomonas fluorescens strain Pf-5 is a rhizosphere bacterium that acts as a biocontrol agent of soilborne plant diseases and produces at least 10 different secondary metabolites, including several with antifungal properties. We derived site-directed mutants of Pf-5 with single and multiple mutatio...

A novel mode for transcription inhibition mediated by PNA-induced R-loops with a model in vitro system.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Souza, Alicia D; Belotserkovskii, Boris P; Hanawalt, Philip C

2018-02-01

The selective inhibition of transcription of a chosen gene by an artificial agent has numerous applications. Usually, these agents are designed to bind a specific nucleotide sequence in the promoter or within the transcribed region of the chosen gene. However, since optimal binding sites might not exist within the gene, it is of interest to explore the possibility of transcription inhibition when the agent is designed to bind at other locations. One of these possibilities arises when an additional transcription initiation site (e.g. secondary promoter) is present upstream from the primary promoter of the target gene. In this case, transcription inhibition might be achieved by inducing the formation of an RNA-DNA hybrid (R-loop) upon transcription from the secondary promoter. The R-loop could extend into the region of the primary promoter, to interfere with promoter recognition by RNA polymerase and thereby inhibit transcription. As a sequence-specific R-loop-inducing agent, a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) could be designed to facilitate R-loop formation by sequestering the non-template DNA strand. To investigate this mode for transcription inhibition, we have employed a model system in which a PNA binding site is localized between the T3 and T7 phage RNA polymerase promoters, which respectively assume the roles of primary and secondary promoters. In accord with our model, we have demonstrated that with PNA-bound DNA substrates, transcription from the T7 promoter reduces transcription from the T3 promoter by 30-fold, while in the absence of PNA binding there is no significant effect of T7 transcription upon T3 transcription. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluación de la biorremediación en suelos contaminados con hidrocarburos utilizando pseudomonas fluorescens.

OpenAIRE

Pérez Pozo, Marco Rafael

2018-01-01

Since the discovery of hydrocarbons, their use in industries has caused severe environmental impacts, which have been occurring frequently in various parts of the Ecuadorian Amazon. In the present investigation the biodegradation capacity of Pseudomonas fluorescens was assessed by bioaumentation in soils of the Ecuadorian Amazon contaminated with PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) and TPHs (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons). The bioaumentation, is an efficient alternative for this type of...

LETHALITY OF PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS STRAIN CLO145A TO THE 2 ZEBRA MUSSEL SPECIES PRESENT IN NORTH AMERICA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molloy, Daniel P.

2001-01-01

These experiments indicated that bacterial strain CL0145A of Pseudomonas fluorescens is equally lethal to the 2 zebra mussel species present in North America, Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena bugensis. Thus, this bacterial strain should be equally effective at killing zebra mussels in power plant pipes, irrespective of which species is present

LETHALITY OF PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS STRAIN CLO145A TO THE 2 ZEBRA MUSSEL SPECIES PRESENT IN NORTH AMERICA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daniel P. Molloy

2001-10-28

These experiments indicated that bacterial strain CL0145A of Pseudomonas fluorescens is equally lethal to the 2 zebra mussel species present in North America, Dreissena polymorpha and Dreissena bugensis. Thus, this bacterial strain should be equally effective at killing zebra mussels in power plant pipes, irrespective of which species is present.

Differential impact of some Aspergillus species on Meloidogyne javanica biocontrol by Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CHA0.

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqui, I A; Shaukat, S S; Khan, A

2004-01-01

The aim was to determine the influence of some Aspergillus species on the production of nematicidal agent(s) in vitro and biocontrol of Meloidogyne javanica in tomato by Pseudomonas fluorescens strains CHA0 and CHA0/pME3424. Six species of Aspergillus, isolated from the rhizosphere of certain crops, produced a variety of secondary metabolites in vitro. Culture filtrate (CF) obtained from Ps. fluorescens strain CHA0 and its2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol overproducing mutant CHA0/pME3424 grown in King's B liquid medium caused significant mortality of M. javanica juveniles in vitro. Bacterial growth medium amended with CF of A. niger enhanced nematicidal and beta-galactosidase activities of fluorescent pseudomonads while A. quadrilineatus repressed such activities. Methanol or ethyl acetate extracts of the CF of A. niger markedly optimized bacterial efficacy to cause nematode deaths while hexane extract of the fungus had no influence on the nematicidal activity of the bacterial strains. A. niger applied alone or in conjunction with the bacterial inoculants inhibited root-knot nematode galling in tomato. On the other hand, A. quadrilineatus used alone or together with CHA0 did not inhibit nematode galling but when used in combination with strain CHA0/pME3424 did reduce galling intensity. Aspergillus niger enhances the production of nematicidal compounds by Ps. fluorescensin vitro and improves biocontrol potential of the bacterial inoculants in tomato while A. quadrilineatus reduces bacterial performance to suppress root-knot nematodes. Rhizosphere harbours a variety of micro-organisms including bacteria, fungi and viruses. Aspergillus species are ubiquitous in most agricultural soils and generally produce a variety of secondary metabolites. Such metabolites synthesized by Aspergillus species may influence the production of nematicidal agents and subsequent biocontrol performance of the bacterial inoculants against plant-parasitic nematodes. This fact needs to be taken into

Proteinase production in Pseudomonas fluorescens ON2 is affected by carbon sources and allows surface-attached but not planktonic cells to utilize protein for growth in lake water

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nicolaisen, Mette Haubjerg; Worm, Jakob; Jørgensen, Niels O. G.

2012-01-01

-colonies were able to utilize this resource, while planktonic cells were not. Our experiments are the first to experimentally support models predicting that production of extra-cellular enzymes in dilute environments may be a waste of resources, whereas it represents a favorable feeding strategy in organic...... and there was no evidence for cell density-regulated or starvation-induced proteinase production. Proteinase was produced in the absence of an organic nitrogen source, and citrate had a negative while glucose had a positive effect on the production. Hence P. fluorescens ON2 seems to exploit protein sources by expressing...

How do workers with a notified mental disorder experience the Danish Workers’ Compensation System?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ladegaard, Yun Katrine

2014-01-01

Background An increasing number of employees is notified with a mental disorder in the Danish Workers’ Compensation System (WCS). However, only few are recognized and even less are granted a compensation. Research shows that notification in WCS increases the risk of work disability (WD......), but research exploring workers' experiences of the WCS and what factors can lead to and protect against WD are lacking. This study aims at bridging this gap. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 workers notified with a mental disorder. The interview guide was developed based...... to fill out, and questions addressing the psychosocial work environment were missing. Communication from the Board of industrial Injuries (BOII) was lacking, and procedure and timelines unclear. Workers' goal was not to achieve eeconomical compensation, but that their disorder was recognised as caused...

Immobilization of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase on hydrophobic supports and application in biodiesel synthesis by transesterification of vegetable oils in solvent-free systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lima, Lionete N; Oliveira, Gladson C; Rojas, Mayerlenis J; Castro, Heizir F; Da Rós, Patrícia C M; Mendes, Adriano A; Giordano, Raquel L C; Tardioli, Paulo W

2015-04-01

This work describes the preparation of biocatalysts for ethanolysis of soybean and babassu oils in solvent-free systems. Polystyrene, Amberlite (XAD-7HP), and octyl-silica were tested as supports for the immobilization of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase (PFL). The use of octyl-silica resulted in a biocatalyst with high values of hydrolytic activity (650.0 ± 15.5 IU/g), immobilization yield (91.3 ± 0.3 %), and recovered activity (82.1 ± 1.5 %). PFL immobilized on octyl-silica was around 12-fold more stable than soluble PFL, at 45 °C and pH 8.0, in the presence of ethanol at 36 % (v/v). The biocatalyst provided high vegetable oil transesterification yields of around 97.5 % after 24 h of reaction using babassu oil and around 80 % after 48 h of reaction using soybean oil. The PFL-octyl-silica biocatalyst retained around 90 % of its initial activity after five cycles of transesterification of soybean oil. Octyl-silica is a promising support that can be used to immobilize PFL for subsequent application in biodiesel synthesis.

Studies of Redox Equilibria at Elevated Temperatures I. The Estimation of Equilibrium Constants and Standard Potentials for Aqueous Systems up to 374 deg C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewis, Derek

1969-07-01

A method is described for the estimation of equilibrium constants for aqueous systems at temperatures up to 374 deg C from entropy and free energy data for 25 deg C and data on the variation of heat capacity with temperature. Partial molal heat capacities of aqueous ions are estimated on the basis of the principle that, with suitably chosen standard states, the partial molal entropies of ions of a particular class at any given temperature are linearly related to the corresponding entropies at some reference temperature. The method suggested is compared with other methods, based on the Van't Hoff isobar and on an extension of the conventional scale of ionic free energy at 25 deg C, and the general dependence of aqueous equilibria on ionic heat capacity is considered.

Methylglyoxal, the foe and friend of glyoxalase and Trx/TrxR systems in HT22 nerve cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Dafre, A L; Goldberg, J; Wang, T; Spiegel, D A; Maher, P

2015-12-01

Methylglyoxal (MGO) is a major glycating agent that reacts with basic residues of proteins and promotes the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) which are believed to play key roles in a number of pathologies, such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and inflammation. Here, we examined the effects of MGO on immortalized mouse hippocampal HT22 nerve cells. The endpoints analyzed were MGO and thiol status, the glyoxalase system, comprising glyoxalase 1 and 2 (GLO1/2), and the cytosolic and mitochondrial Trx/TrxR systems, as well as nuclear Nrf2 and its target genes. We found that nuclear Nrf2 is induced by MGO treatment in HT22 cells, as corroborated by induction of the Nrf2-controlled target genes and proteins glutamate cysteine ligase and heme oxygenase 1. Nrf2 knockdown prevented MGO-dependent induction of glutamate cysteine ligase and heme oxygenase 1. The cystine/glutamate antiporter, system xc(-), which is also controlled by Nrf2, was also induced. The increased cystine import (system xc(-)) activity and GCL expression promoted GSH synthesis, leading to increased levels of GSH. The data indicate that MGO can act as both a foe and a friend of the glyoxalase and the Trx/TrxR systems. At low concentrations of MGO (0.3mM), GLO2 is strongly induced, but at high MGO (0.75 mM) concentrations, GLO1 is inhibited and GLO2 is downregulated. The cytosolic Trx/TrxR system is impaired by MGO, where Trx is downregulated yet TrxR is induced, but strong MGO-dependent glycation may explain the loss in TrxR activity. We propose that Nrf2 can be the unifying element to explain the observed upregulation of GSH, GCL, HO1, TrxR1, Trx2, TrxR2, and system xc(-) system activity. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525 Containing an Artificial Oxalate Operon and Vitreoscilla Hemoglobin Secretes Oxalic Acid and Solubilizes Rock Phosphate in Acidic Alfisols

Science.gov (United States)

Archana, G.; Naresh Kumar, G.

2014-01-01

Oxalate secretion was achieved in Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525 by incorporation of genes encoding Aspergillus niger oxaloacetate acetyl hydrolase (oah), Fomitopsis plaustris oxalate transporter (FpOAR) and Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (vgb) in various combinations. Pf (pKCN2) transformant containing oah alone accumulated 19 mM oxalic acid intracellularly but secreted 1.2 mM. However, in the presence of an artificial oxalate operon containing oah and FpOAR genes in plasmid pKCN4, Pf (pKCN4) secreted 13.6 mM oxalate in the medium while 3.6 mM remained inside. This transformant solubilized 509 μM of phosphorus from rock phosphate in alfisol which is 4.5 fold higher than the Pf (pKCN2) transformant. Genomic integrants of P. fluorescens (Pf int1 and Pf int2) containing artificial oxalate operon (plac-FpOAR-oah) and artificial oxalate gene cluster (plac-FpOAR-oah, vgb, egfp) secreted 4.8 mM and 5.4 mM oxalic acid, released 329 μM and 351 μM P, respectively, in alfisol. The integrants showed enhanced root colonization, improved growth and increased P content of Vigna radiata plants. This study demonstrates oxalic acid secretion in P. fluorescens by incorporation of an artificial operon constituted of genes for oxalate synthesis and transport, which imparts mineral phosphate solubilizing ability to the organism leading to enhanced growth and P content of V. radiata in alfisol soil. PMID:24705024

Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525 containing an artificial oxalate operon and Vitreoscilla hemoglobin secretes oxalic acid and solubilizes rock phosphate in acidic alfisols.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kavita Yadav

Full Text Available Oxalate secretion was achieved in Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525 by incorporation of genes encoding Aspergillus niger oxaloacetate acetyl hydrolase (oah, Fomitopsis plaustris oxalate transporter (FpOAR and Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (vgb in various combinations. Pf (pKCN2 transformant containing oah alone accumulated 19 mM oxalic acid intracellularly but secreted 1.2 mM. However, in the presence of an artificial oxalate operon containing oah and FpOAR genes in plasmid pKCN4, Pf (pKCN4 secreted 13.6 mM oxalate in the medium while 3.6 mM remained inside. This transformant solubilized 509 μM of phosphorus from rock phosphate in alfisol which is 4.5 fold higher than the Pf (pKCN2 transformant. Genomic integrants of P. fluorescens (Pf int1 and Pf int2 containing artificial oxalate operon (plac-FpOAR-oah and artificial oxalate gene cluster (plac-FpOAR-oah, vgb, egfp secreted 4.8 mM and 5.4 mM oxalic acid, released 329 μM and 351 μM P, respectively, in alfisol. The integrants showed enhanced root colonization, improved growth and increased P content of Vigna radiata plants. This study demonstrates oxalic acid secretion in P. fluorescens by incorporation of an artificial operon constituted of genes for oxalate synthesis and transport, which imparts mineral phosphate solubilizing ability to the organism leading to enhanced growth and P content of V. radiata in alfisol soil.

The zebrafish miR-462/miR-731 cluster is induced under hypoxic stress via hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and functions in cellular adaptations.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chun-Xiao; Chen, Nan; Wu, Xin-Jie; Huang, Cui-Hong; He, Yan; Tang, Rong; Wang, Wei-Min; Wang, Huan-Ling

2015-12-01

Hypoxia, a unique and essential environmental stress, evokes highly coordinated cellular responses, and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1 in the hypoxia signaling pathway, an evolutionarily conserved cellular signaling pathway, acts as a master regulator of the transcriptional response to hypoxic stress. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a major class of posttranscriptional gene expression regulators, also play pivotal roles in orchestrating hypoxia-mediated cellular adaptations. Here, global miRNA expression profiling and quantitative real-time PCR indicated that the up-regulation of the miR-462/miR-731 cluster in zebrafish larvae is induced by hypoxia. It was further validated that miR-462 and miR-731 are up-regulated in a Hif-1α-mediated manner under hypoxia and specifically target ddx5 and ppm1da, respectively. Overexpression of miR-462 and miR-731 represses cell proliferation through blocking cell cycle progress of DNA replication, and induces apoptosis. In situ detection revealed that the miR-462/miR-731 cluster is highly expressed in a consistent and ubiquitous manner throughout the early developmental stages. Additionally, the transcripts become restricted to the notochord, pharyngeal arch, liver, and gut regions from postfertilization d 3 to 5. These data highlight a previously unidentified role of the miR-462/miR-731 cluster as a crucial signaling mediator for hypoxia-mediated cellular adaptations and provide some insights into the potential function of the cluster during embryonic development. © FASEB.

Association between the RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end-products -374T/A gene polymorphism and diabetic retinopathy in T2DM

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Dan Tao

Full Text Available Summary Objective: Interaction between advanced glycation end-products (AGEs and receptor for AGEs (RAGE in cells could affect both extracellular and intracellular structure and function, which plays a pivotal role in diabetic microvascular complications. The results from previous epidemiological studies on the association between RAGE gene -374T/A polymorphism and diabetic retinopathy (DR risk were inconsistent. Thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to summarize the possible association between RAGE -374T/A polymorphism and DR risk. Method: We searched all relevant articles on the association between RAGE -374T/A polymorphism and DR risk from PubMed, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, Wanfang, VIP and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI web databases up to August 2016. Odds ratio (OR with 95% confidence interval (CI were calculated to assess those associations. All analyses were performed using the Review Manager software. Results: Nine case-control studies, including 1,705 DR cases and 2,236 controls were enrolled, and the results showed that the A allele of RAGE -374T/A polymorphism was significantly associated with increased DR risk in dominant model (TA/AA vs. TT: OR=1.22, 95CI 1.05-1.41, p=0.006 and heterozygote model (TA vs. TT: OR=1.26, 95CI 1.07-1.47, p=0.005. The subgroup analysis by ethnicity showed that significantly increased DR risk was found in both Asian and Caucasian populations. Conclusion: This meta-analysis reveals that the A allele of RAGE -374T/A polymorphism probably increase DR risk.

Effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens and pyoverdine on the phytoextraction of cesium by red clover in soil pots and hydroponics.

Science.gov (United States)

Hazotte, Alice; Péron, Olivier; Gaudin, Pierre; Abdelouas, Abdesselam; Lebeau, Thierry

2018-05-12

With the aim of improving the phytoextraction rate of cesium (Cs), the effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 17400 and its siderophore pyoverdine (PVD) on the uptake of Cs by red clover was studied in soil pots. This work also provides a mechanistic understanding of the Cs-bacteria (or PVD)-illite-plant interactions by using a simplified experimental design, i.e., hydroponics with either Cs in solution or Cs-spiked illite in suspension. For soil spiked with 11.2 mmol kg -1 (1480 mg kg -1 ) of Cs, 0.43% of total Cs was taken up by red clover in 12 days (119 μmol g -1 (16 mg g -1 ) of Cs dry matter in roots and 40 μmol g -1 (5 mg g -1 ) in shoots). In hydroponics with Cs in solution (0.1 mmol L -1 or 13 mg L -1 ), 75% of Cs was taken up vs. only 0.86% with Cs-spiked illite suspension. P. fluorescens and PVD did not increase Cs concentrations in aboveground parts and roots of red clover and even decreased them. The damaging effect of PVD on red clover growth was demonstrated with the biomass yielding 66% of the control in soil pots (and 100% mortality after 12 days of exposition) and only 56% in hydroponics (78% with illite in suspension). Nonetheless, PVD and, to a lesser extent, P. fluorescens increased the translocation factor up to a factor of 2.8. This study clearly showed a direct damaging effect of PVD and to a lower extent the retention of Cs by biofilm covering both the roots and illite, both resulting in the lower phytoextraction efficiency.

The calcimimetic R-568 induces apoptotic cell death in prostate cancer cells

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Cheng Guangming

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Increased serum level of parathyroid hormone (PTH was found in metastatic prostate cancers. Calcimimetic R-568 was reported to reduce PTH expression, to suppress cell proliferation and to induce apoptosis in parathyroid cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of R-568 on cellular survival of prostate cancer cells. Methods Prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP and PC-3 were used in this study. Cellular survival was determined with MTT, trypan blue exclusion and fluorescent Live/Death assays. Western blot assay was utilized to assess apoptotic events induced by R-568 treatment. JC-1 staining was used to evaluate mitochondrial membrane potential. Results In cultured prostate cancer LNCaP and PC-3 cells, R-568 treatment significantly reduced cellular survival in a dose- and time-dependent manner. R-568-induced cell death was an apoptotic event, as evidenced by caspase-3 processing and PARP cleavage, as well as JC-1 color change in mitochondria. Knocking down calcium sensing receptor (CaSR significantly reduced R-568-induced cytotoxicity. Enforced expression of Bcl-xL gene abolished R-568-induced cell death, while loss of Bcl-xL expression led to increased cell death in R-568-treated LNCaP cells,. Conclusion Taken together, our data demonstrated that calcimimetic R-568 triggers an intrinsic mitochondria-related apoptotic pathway, which is dependent on the CaSR and is modulated by Bcl-xL anti-apoptotic pathway.

Upregulation of miR-150* and miR-630 induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells by targeting IGF-1R.

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Lulu Farhana

Full Text Available MicroRNAs have been implicated in many critical cellular processes including apoptosis. We have previously found that apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells was induced by adamantyl retinoid-related (ARR molecule 3-Cl-AHPC. Here we report that 3-Cl-AHPC-dependent apoptosis involves regulating a number of microRNAs including miR-150* and miR-630. 3-Cl-AHPC stimulated miR-150* expression and caused decreased expression of c-Myb and IGF-1R in the pancreatic cancer cells. 3-Cl-AHPC-mediated reduction of c-Myb resulted in diminished binding of c-Myb with IGF-1R and Bcl-2 promoters, thereby causing repression of their transcription and protein expression. Over-expression of miR-150* also resulted in diminished levels of c-Myb and Bcl-2 proteins. Furthermore, the addition of the miRNA inhibitor 2'-O-methylated miR-150 blocked 3-Cl-AHPC-mediated increase in miR-150* levels and abrogated loss of c-Myb protein. Knockdown of c-Myb in PANC-1 cells resulted in enhanced apoptosis both in the presence or absence of 3-Cl-AHPC confirming the anti-apoptotic property of c-Myb. Overexpression of miR-630 also induced apoptosis in the pancreatic cancer cells and inhibited target protein IGF-1R mRNA and protein expression. Together these results implicate key roles for miR-150* and miR-630 and their targeting of IGF-1R to promote apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells.

MiR-21 is involved in radiation-induced bystander effects

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Shuai; Ding, Nan; Pei, Hailong; Hu, Wentao; Wei, Wenjun; Zhang, Xurui; Zhou, Guangming; Wang, Jufang

2014-01-01

Radiation-induced bystander effects are well-established phenomena, in which DNA damage responses are induced not only in the directly irradiated cells but also in the non-irradiated bystander cells through intercellular signal transmission. Recent studies hint that bystander effects are possibly mediated via small non-coding RNAs, especially microRNAs. Thus, more details about the roles of microRNA in bystander effects are urgently needed to be elucidated. Here we demonstrated that bystander effects were induced in human fetal lung MRC-5 fibroblasts through medium-mediated way by different types of radiation. We identified a set of differentially expressed microRNAs in the cell culture medium after irradiation, among which the up-regulation of miR-21 was further verified with qRT-PCR. In addition, we found significant upregulation of miR-21 in both directly irradiated cells and bystander cells, which was confirmed by the expression of miR-21 precursor and its target genes. Transfection of miR-21 mimics into non-irradiated MRC-5 cells caused bystander-like effects. Taken together, our data reveals that miR-21 is involved in radiation-induced bystander effects. Elucidation of such a miRNA-mediated bystander effect is of utmost importance in understanding the biological processes related to ionizing radiation and cell-to-cell communication. PMID:25483031

Bacterial attack on phenolic ethers. Purification and characterization of the components of the meta O-dealkylase of Pseudomonas fluorescens Tp.

Science.gov (United States)

Pietrowski, R A; Cartwright, N J

1977-01-01

The meta O-dealkylase of Pseudomonas fluorescens Tp has been resolved into two protein components, neither of which is a cytochrome. The substrate binding terminal oxidase has been purified and shown to be a non-haem iron protein of approximate molecular weight 118,000, consisting of two seemingly identical subunits, each of molecular weight 55,000. Binding of substrate by the terminal oxidase has been established by difference spectroscopy. The amino acid composition of the protein has also been determined. The NADH-dependent reductase of the system has been partly purified and appears to have a molecular weight of 80,000. The similarity between this and other bacterial O-dealkylases is discussed.

An N-terminal Retention Module Anchors the Giant Adhesin LapA of Pseudomonas fluorescens at the Cell Surface: A Novel Sub-family of Type I Secretion Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, T Jarrod; Font, Maria E; Kelly, Carolyn M; Sondermann, Holger; O'Toole, George A

2018-02-05

LapA of Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 belongs to a diverse family of cell surface associated bacterial adhesins that are secreted via the type-1 secretion system (T1SS). We previously reported that the periplasmic protease LapG cleaves the N-terminus of LapA at a canonical dialanine motif to release the adhesin from the cell surface under conditions unfavorable to biofilm formation, thus decreasing biofilm formation. Here, we characterize LapA as the first type 1 secreted substrate that does not follow the "one-step" rule of T1SS. Rather, a novel N-terminal element, called the retention module (RM), localizes LapA at the cell surface as a secretion intermediate. Our genetic, biochemical, and molecular modeling analysis support a model wherein LapA is tethered to the cell surface through its T1SS outer membrane TolC-like pore, LapE, until LapG cleaves LapA in the periplasm. We further demonstrate this unusual retention strategy is likely conserved among LapA-like proteins, and reveals a new subclass of T1SS ABC transporters involved in transporting this group of surface-associated, LapA-like adhesins. These studies demonstrate a novel cell surface retention strategy used throughout the Proteobacteria and highlight a previously unappreciated flexibility of function for T1SS. Importance. Bacteria have evolved multiple secretion strategies to interact with their environment. For many bacteria, the secretion of cell surface associated adhesins is key for initiating contact with a preferred substratum to facilitate biofilm formation. Our work demonstrates that P. fluorescens uses a previously unrecognized secretion strategy to retain the giant adhesin LapA at its cell surface. Further, we identify likely LapA-like adhesins in various pathogenic and commensal Proteobacteria and provide phylogenetic evidence that these adhesins are secreted by a new subclass of T1SS ABC transporters. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Transgene regulation using the tetracycline-inducible TetR-KRAB system after AAV-mediated gene transfer in rodents and nonhuman primates.

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Caroline Le Guiner

Full Text Available Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of the Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV-based gene delivery platform in vivo. The control of transgene expression in many protocols is highly desirable for therapeutic applications and/or safety reasons. To date, the tetracycline and the rapamycin dependent regulatory systems have been the most widely evaluated. While the long-term regulation of the transgene has been obtained in rodent models, the translation of these studies to larger animals, especially to nonhuman primates (NHP, has often resulted in an immune response against the recombinant regulator protein involved in transgene expression regulation. These immune responses were dependent on the target tissue and vector delivery route. Here, using AAV vectors, we evaluated a doxycyclin-inducible system in rodents and macaques in which the TetR protein is fused to the human Krüppel associated box (KRAB protein. We demonstrated long term gene regulation efficiency in rodents after subretinal and intramuscular administration of AAV5 and AAV1 vectors, respectively. However, as previously described for other chimeric transactivators, the TetR-KRAB-based system failed to achieve long term regulation in the macaque after intramuscular vector delivery because of the development of an immune response. Thus, immunity against the chimeric transactivator TetR-KRAB emerged as the primary limitation for the clinical translation of the system when targeting the skeletal muscle, as previously described for other regulatory proteins. New developments in the field of chimeric drug-sensitive transactivators with the potential to not trigger the host immune system are still needed.

Assessing Weather Curiosity in University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, A. E.

2017-12-01

This research focuses upon measuring an individual's level of trait curiosity about the weather using the Weather Curiosity Scale (WCS). The measure consists of 15 self-report items that describe weather preferences and/or behaviors that people may perform more or less frequently. The author reports on two initial studies of the WCS that have used the responses of 710 undergraduate students from a large university in the southeastern United States. In the first study, factor analysis of the 15 items indicated that the measure was unidimensional - suggesting that its items singularly assessed weather curiosity. The WCS also was internally consistent as evidenced by an acceptable Cronbach's alpha, a = .81). The second study sought to identify other personality variables that may relate with the WCS scores and thus illuminate the nature of weather curiosity. Several clusters of personality variables appear to underlie the curiosity levels people exhibited, the first of which related to perceptual curiosity (r = .59). Being curious about sights, sounds, smells, and textures generally related somewhat to curiosity about weather. Two measures of trait sensitivity to environmental stimulation, the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (r = .47) and the Orientation Sensitivity Scale of the Adult Temperament Questionnaire (r = .43), also predicted weather curiosity levels. Finally, possessing extraverted personality traits (r = .34) and an intense style of experiencing one's emotions (r = .33) related to weather curiosity. How can this measure be used in K-12 or post-secondary settings to further climate literacy? First, the WCS can identify students with natural curiosities about weather and climate so these students may be given more challenging instruction that will leverage their natural interests. Second, high-WCS students may function as weather and climate ambassadors during inquiry-based learning activities and thus help other students who are not as oriented to the

Isolation and characterization of two new lipopeptide biosurfactants produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens BD5 isolated from water from the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Janek, T.; Lukaszewicz, M.; Řezanka, Tomáš; Krasowska, A.

2010-01-01

Roč. 101, č. 15 (2010), s. 6118-6123 ISSN 0960-8524 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50200510 Keywords : Pseudomonas fluorescens BD5 * Lipopeptide * Pseudofactins Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 4.365, year: 2010

The Influence of Pseudomonas fluorescens on Corrosion Products of Archaeological Tin-Bronze Analogues

Science.gov (United States)

Ghiara, G.; Grande, C.; Ferrando, S.; Piccardo, P.

2018-01-01

In this study, tin-bronze analogues of archaeological objects were investigated in the presence of an aerobic Pseudomonas fluorescens strain in a solution, containing chlorides, sulfates, carbonates and nitrates according to a previous archaeological characterization. Classical fixation protocols were employed in order to verify the attachment capacity of such bacteria. In addition, classical metallurgical analytical techniques were used to detect the effect of bacteria on the formation of uncommon corrosion products in such an environment. Results indicate quite a good attachment capacity of the bacteria to the metallic surface and the formation of the uncommon corrosion products sulfates and sulfides is probably connected to the bacterial metabolism.

Na+/Ca2+ exchange inhibitor, KB-R7943, attenuates contrast-induced acute 
kidney injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Dingwei; Yang, Dingping; Jia, Ruhan; Tan, Jin

2013-01-01

Intracellular Ca2+ overload is considered to be a key factor in contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). The Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) system is one of the main pathways of intracellular Ca2+ overload. We investigated the effects of KB-R7943, an inhibitor of the reverse mode of NCX, on CI-AKI in a rat model. Rats were divided into control group, CI-AKI group and pretreatment groups (with KB-R7943 dose of 5 or 10 mg/kg). CI-AKI was induced by diatrizoate administration in rats with cholesterol-supplemented diet for 8 weeks. Renal function and renal hemodynamics were determined 1 day following contrast medium administration. Renal histopathology was observed by light microscope. Renal tubular apoptosis was examined by TUNEL. Renal endothelin-1 (ET-1) was measured by radioimmunoassay. Renal malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) were measured as oxidative markers. Levels of serum creatinine (Scr), renal ET-1, MDA and CAT, and resistance index (RI) of renal blood vessels increased significantly in CI-AKI rats. The 
increases in Scr and RI of renal blood vessels induced by diatrizoate were suppressed significantly and 
dose-dependently by pretreatment with KB-R7943. Histopathological and TUNEL results showed that 
the contrast medium-induced severe renal tubular 
necrosis and apoptosis were significantly and dose-dependently attenuated by KB-R7943. KB-R7943 significantly suppressed the increment of renal ET-1 content and MDA and CAT level induced by contrast medium administration. Activation of the reverse mode of NCX, followed by ET-1 overproduction and increased oxidative stress, seems to play an important role in the pathogenesis of CI-AKI. The inhibitor of the reverse mode of NCX, KB-R7943, has renoprotective effects on CI-AKI.

Exposure-related effects of Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf-CL145A) on juvenile unionid mussels

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, Kerry L.; Luoma, James A.; Mayer, Denise A.; Aloisi, Douglas B.; Eckert, Nathan L.

2015-01-01

The exposure-related effects of a commercially prepared spray-dried powder (SDP) or freeze-dried powder (FDP) formulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens (strain CL145A) on the survival of seven species of newly metamorphosed (<72 hours old) freshwater unionid mussels was evaluated. Forty unionid mussels of each species were randomly distributed to test chambers and each species independently exposed for 24 hours to a static dose of either SDP (four species: Lampsilis cardium, Lampsilis siliquoidea, Lampsilis higginsii, andLigumia recta) or FDP (three species: Obovaria olivaria, Actinonaias ligamentina, andMegalonaias nervosa).

Absence of ultraviolet-inducible DNA polymerase I-like activity in Escherichia coli strains harbouring R plasmids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Upton, C.; Pinney, R.J.

1981-01-01

No DNA polymerase I-like activity was found associated with the ultraviolet (u.v.)-protecting plasmids R205, R46 or pKM101 in either uninduced or u.v.-induced wild-type or DNA polymerase I-deficient strains of Escherichia coli. Nor was any plasmid-associated polymerase activity detectable in similar systems containing u.v.-irradiated DNA as template. However, plasmids R205, R46 and pKM 101 still increased survival and mutagenesis of the polymerase I-deficient E. coli strain after u.v. irradiation. (author)

miR-151a induces partial EMT by regulating E-cadherin in NSCLC cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daugaard, Iben; Sanders, K J; Idica, A

2017-01-01

mortality. Here, we demonstrate that miR-151a is overexpressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient specimens, as compared to healthy lung. In addition, miR-151a overexpression promotes proliferation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and induces tumor cell migration and invasion of NSCLC......-cadherin in miR-151a NSCLC cell lines potently repressed miR-151a-induced partial EMT and cell migration of NSCLC cells. In conclusion, our findings suggest that miR-151a functions as an oncomiR in NSCLC by targeting E-cadherin mRNA and inducing proliferation, migration and partial EMT....

Use of shell model calculations in R-matrix studies of neutron-induced reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knox, H.D.

1986-01-01

R-matrix analyses of neutron-induced reactions for many of the lightest p-shell nuclei are difficult due to a lack of distinct resonance structure in the reaction cross sections. Initial values for the required R-matrix parameters, E,sub(lambda) and γsub(lambdac) for states in the compound system, can be obtained from shell model calculations. In the present work, the results of recent shell model calculations for the lithium isotopes have been used in R-matrix analyses of 6 Li+n and 7 Li+n reactions for E sub(n) 7 Li and 8 Li on the 6 Li+n and 7 Li+n reaction mechanisms and cross sections are discussed. (author)

HYDRATION AND PROPERTIES OF BLENDED CEMENT SYSTEMS INCORPORATING INDUSTRIAL WASTES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heikal M.

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to study the characteristics of ternary blended system, namely granulated blast-furnace slag (WCS, from iron steel company and Homra (GCB from Misr Brick (Helwan, Egypt and silica fume (SF at 30 mass % pozzolanas and 70 mass % OPC. The required water of standard consistency and setting times were measured as well as physico-chemical and mechanical characteristics of the hardened cement pastes were investigated. Some selected cement pastes were tested by TGA, DTA and FT-IR techniques to investigate the variation of hydrated products of blended cements. The pozzolanic activity of SF is higher than GCB and WCS. The higher activity of SF is mainly due to its higher surface area than the other two pozzolanic materials. On the other side, GCB is more pozzolanic than WCS due to GCB containing crystalline silica quartz in addition to an amorphous phase. The silica quartz acts as nucleating agents which accelerate the rate of hydration in addition to its amorphous phase, which can react with liberating Ca(OH2 forming additional hydration products.

Fibronectin induces macrophage migration through a SFK-FAK/CSF-1R pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Digiacomo, Graziana; Tusa, Ignazia; Bacci, Marina; Cipolleschi, Maria Grazia; Dello Sbarba, Persio; Rovida, Elisabetta

2017-07-04

Integrins, following binding to proteins of the extracellular matrix (ECM) including collagen, laminin and fibronectin (FN), are able to transduce molecular signals inside the cells and to regulate several biological functions such as migration, proliferation and differentiation. Besides activation of adaptor molecules and kinases, integrins transactivate Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTK). In particular, adhesion to the ECM may promote RTK activation in the absence of growth factors. The Colony-Stimulating Factor-1 Receptor (CSF-1R) is a RTK that supports the survival, proliferation, and motility of monocytes/macrophages, which are essential components of innate immunity and cancer development. Macrophage interaction with FN is recognized as an important aspect of host defense and wound repair. The aim of the present study was to investigate on a possible cross-talk between FN-elicited signals and CSF-1R in macrophages. FN induced migration in BAC1.2F5 and J774 murine macrophage cell lines and in human primary macrophages. Adhesion to FN determined phosphorylation of the Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) and Src Family Kinases (SFK) and activation of the SFK/FAK complex, as witnessed by paxillin phosphorylation. SFK activity was necessary for FAK activation and macrophage migration. Moreover, FN-induced migration was dependent on FAK in either murine macrophage cell lines or human primary macrophages. FN also induced FAK-dependent/ligand-independent CSF-1R phosphorylation, as well as the interaction between CSF-1R and β1. CSF-1R activity was necessary for FN-induced macrophage migration. Indeed, genetic or pharmacological inhibition of CSF-1R prevented FN-induced macrophage migration. Our results identified a new SFK-FAK/CSF-1R signaling pathway that mediates FN-induced migration of macrophages.

Intravenous miR-144 inhibits tumor growth in diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Quan; Wang, Fangfei; Honda, Takashi; Lindquist, Diana M; Dillman, Jonathan R; Timchenko, Nikolai A; Redington, Andrew N

2017-10-01

Previous in vitro studies have demonstrated that miR-144 inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. We have shown that miR-144, injected intravenously, is taken up by the liver and induces endogenous hepatic synthesis of miR-144. We hypothesized that administered miR-144 has tumor-suppressive effects on liver tumor development in vivo. The effects of miR-144 on tumorigenesis and tumor growth were tested in a diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model. MiR-144 injection had no effect on body weight but significantly reduced diethylnitrosamine-induced liver enlargement compared with scrambled microRNA. MiR-144 had no effect on diethylnitrosamine-induced liver tumor number but reduced the tumor size above 50%, as evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (scrambled microRNA 23.07 ± 5.67 vs miR-144 10.38 ± 2.62, p hepatocellular carcinoma tumorigenesis. Exogenously delivered miR-144 may be a therapeutic strategy to suppress tumor growth in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 374: Area 20 Schooner Unit Crater, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada with ROTC 1 and 2, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthews, Patrick

2011-07-01

Schooner sites exceed the FAL. It is also assumed that PSM in the form of lead-acid batteries at Schooner exceeds the FAL. Therefore, corrective actions were undertaken that consist of removing PSM, where present, and implementing a use restriction and posting warning signs at the Danny Boy and Schooner sites. These use restrictions were recorded in the FFACO database; the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office (NNSA/NSO) Facility Information Management System; and the NNSA/NSO CAU/CAS files. Therefore, NNSA/NSO provides the following recommendations: • No further corrective actions are necessary for CAU 374. • A Notice of Completion to NNSA/NSO is requested from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection for closure of CAU 374. • Corrective Action Unit 374 should be moved from Appendix III to Appendix IV of the FFACO.

Transcriptional regulator GntR of Brucella abortus regulates cytotoxicity, induces the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and affects expression of the type IV secretion system and quorum sensing system in macrophages.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhiqiang; Wang, Shuli; Zhang, Hui; Zhang, Jinliang; Xi, Li; Zhang, Junbo; Chen, Chuangfu

2017-03-01

The pathogenic mechanisms of Brucella are still poorly understood. GntR is a transcriptional regulator and plays an important role in the intracellular survival of Brucella. To investigate whether GntR is involved in the cytotoxicity of Brucella abortus (B. abortus), we created a 2308ΔgntR mutant of B. abortus 2308 (S2308). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) cytotoxicity assays using a murine macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) show that high-dose infection with the parental strain produces a high level of cytotoxicity to macrophages, but the 2308ΔgntR mutant exhibits a very low level of cytotoxicity, indicating that mutation of GntR impairs the cytotoxicity of B. abortus to macrophages. After the macrophages are infected with 2308ΔgntR, the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) increase and are slightly higher than that for the S2308 infected group, indicating that the 2308ΔgntR mutant could induce the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. The virulence factor detection experiments indicate that genes involved in the type IV secretion system (T4SS) and quorum sensing system (QSS) are down-regulated in 2308ΔgntR. The lower levels of survival of 2308ΔgntR under various stress conditions and the increased sensitivity of 2308ΔgntR to polymyxin B suggest that GntR is a virulence factor and that deletion of gntR reduces of B. abortus to stress conditions. Taken together, our results demonstrate that GntR is involved in the cytotoxicity, virulence and intracellular survival of B. abortus during its infection.

Annual energy performance of R744 and R410A heat pumping systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Zhequan; Eikevik, Trygve M.; Nekså, Petter; Hafner, Armin; Wang, Ruzhu

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Annual energy performance of R744 and R410A heat pumping systems is compared. • Several dynamic models of heat pumping systems are developed. • Annual energy efficiency of R744 hybrid ground-coupled heat pumping system. • The seasonal COPc and COPh of R744 hybrid system are 3.55 and 3.32. • The superiority of R744 system on the integration of two heat sinks is discussed. - Abstract: This work compares the annual energy performance of heat pumping systems using R744 and R410A as refrigerant. Focus is the annual energy efficiency of R744 hybrid ground-coupled heat pumping system. The hybrid system uses both ambient air and ground as heat sinks in the cooling mode. This is important to eliminate the underground heat accumulation phenomenon in warm climates. Several quasi-steady state models of heat pumping systems, using R744 and R410A, have been developed. Simulation results show that the annual COP_c and COP_h of an R744 hybrid system reaches 3.55 and 3.32, and its cooling performance is 42% better than for a R744 ASHP and 23% better than for a R744 GCHP system. The annual energy performance factor of a R410A ASHP system is better than for a R744 hybrid system, but the COP_c for the R410A system will be lower when the ambient temperature is higher than 30 °C.

Efeito da pré-incubação de Pseudomonas fluorescens em diferentes temperaturas de refrigeração sobre a hidrólise de caseína no leite desnatado pasteurizado microfiltrado

OpenAIRE

Netto, Gabriel Gama

2012-01-01

Este trabalho objetivou avaliar o efeito da multiplicação de uma estirpe psicrotrófica proteolítica de Pseudomonas fluorescens nas temperaturas de 4, 7 e 10 ºC, estabelecidas pela Instrução Normativa 62 do MAPA, nas características físicoquímicas e proteólise do leite microfiltrado. Amostras leite desnatado e pasteurizado foram inoculadas com a cepa Pseudomonas fluorescens 041 em uma concentração de aproximadamente 104 UFC mL-1 e incubadas nas três temperaturas por 48 h e, posteriormente, ...

MiR-122 Induces Radiosensitization in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Line

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Debin Ma

2015-09-01

Full Text Available MiR-122 is a novel tumor suppresser and its expression induces cell cycle arrest, or apoptosis, and inhibits cell proliferation in multiple cancer cells, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC cells. Radioresistance of cancer cell leads to the major drawback of radiotherapy for NSCLC and the induction of radiosensitization could be a useful strategy to fix this problem. The present work investigates the function of miR-122 in inducing radiosensitization in A549 cell, a type of NSCLC cells. MiR-122 induces the radiosensitization of A549 cells. MiR-122 also boosts the inhibitory activity of ionizing radiation (IR on cancer cell anchor-independent growth and invasion. Moreover, miR-122 reduced the expression of its targeted genes related to tumor-survival or cellular stress response. These results indicate that miR-122 would be a novel strategy for NSCLC radiation-therapy.

The study of Bacteriocin of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Citrus limon effects against Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis in acne patients

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Mais E.

2018-05-01

Research was carried out on the antibacterial effect of (Citrus limon) juice on Acnevulgaris. Samples were obtained from individuals with pimples by swabbing their faces. Natural substances that derive from plants are promising to treat disease cause Acnevulgaris, the study in vitro biological activity of the juice, as well as bacterocin cultivated and fruits was investigated on two strains of bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus epidermidis). The new antimicrobial (bacteriocin and Citrus juice) is an ongoing search. This study used juice at different concentrations at (20%, 30%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%). The bacteriocin produced from local P. fluorescens isolates from wound infection and majority of isolates were found to produce crude bacteriocin were (P1 and P2) in Pseudomonas agar at 37°C for 24 hrs. Crude bacteriocin and Citrus limon juice against some pathogenic skin bacteria was find to be effective juice Citrus limon aganist S. epidermidis at 100% Concentrations with a range of inhibition zone (18) mm. The isolates of P. fluorescens (P2) was positive as producer of bacteriocin with a wide inhibition growth against gram positive pathogenic bacteria with a range between (10-12) mm.

Inhibition of miR-155 Protects Against LPS-induced Cardiac Dysfunction and Apoptosis in Mice

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Hui Wang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction represents a major cause of death in intensive care units. Dysregulated microRNAs (miR-155 has been implicated in multiple cardiovascular diseases and miR-155 can be induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS. However, the role of miR-155 in LPS-induced cardiac dysfunction is unclear. Septic cardiac dysfunction in mice was induced by intraperitoneal injection of LPS (5 mg/kg and miR-155 was found to be significantly increased in heart challenged with LPS. Pharmacological inhibition of miR-155 using antagomiR improved cardiac function and suppressed cardiac apoptosis induced by LPS in mice as determined by echocardiography, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase nick-end labeling (TUNEL assay, and Western blot for Bax and Bcl-2, while overexpression of miR-155 using agomiR had inverse effects. Pea15a was identified as a target gene of miR-155, mediating its effects in controlling apoptosis of cardiomyocytes as evidenced by luciferase reporter assays, quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and TUNEL staining. Noteworthy, miR-155 was also found to be upregulated in the plasma of patients with septic cardiac dysfunction compared to sepsis patients without cardiac dysfunction, indicating a potential clinical relevance of miR-155. The receiver-operator characteristic curve indicated that plasma miR-155 might be a biomarker for sepsis patients developing cardiac dysfunction. Therefore, inhibition of miR-155 represents a novel therapy for septic myocardial dysfunction.

Sequencing and Analysis of the Pseudomonas fluorescens GcM5-1A Genome: A Pathogen Living in the Surface Coat of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai Feng

Full Text Available It is known that several bacteria are adherent to the surface coat of pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, but their function and role in the pathogenesis of pine wilt disease remains debatable. The Pseudomonas fluorescens GcM5-1A is a bacterium isolated from the surface coat of pine wood nematodes. In previous studies, GcM5-1A was evident in connection with the pathogenicity of pine wilt disease. In this study, we report the de novo sequencing of the GcM5-1A genome. A 600-Mb collection of high-quality reads was obtained and assembled into sequence contigs spanning a 6.01-Mb length. Sequence annotation predicted 5,413 open reading frames, of which 2,988 were homologous to genes in the other four sequenced P. fluorescens isolates (SBW25, WH6, Pf0-1 and Pf-5 and 1,137 were unique to GcM5-1A. Phylogenetic studies and genome comparison revealed that GcM5-1A is more closely related to SBW25 and WH6 isolates than to Pf0-1 and Pf-5 isolates. Towards study of pathogenesis, we identified 79 candidate virulence factors in the genome of GcM5-1A, including the Alg, Fl, Waa gene families, and genes coding the major pathogenic protein fliC. In addition, genes for a complete T3SS system were identified in the genome of GcM5-1A. Such systems have proved to play a critical role in subverting and colonizing the host organisms of many gram-negative pathogenic bacteria. Although the functions of the candidate virulence factors need yet to be deciphered experimentally, the availability of this genome provides a basic platform to obtain informative clues to be addressed in future studies by the pine wilt disease research community.

Cisplatin-induced downregulation of miR-199a-5p increases drug resistance by activating autophagy in HCC cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Ning; Zhang, Jianjun; Shen, Conghuan; Luo, Yi; Xia, Lei; Xue, Feng; Xia, Qiang

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► miR-199a-5p levels were significantly decreased after cisplatin treatment. ► Cisplatin treatment induced autophagy activation. ► Cisplatin-induced downregulation of miR-199a-5p increases drug resistance by activating autophagy in HCC cell. -- Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Systemic chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of patients with advanced liver cancer. However, chemoresistance to cisplatin is a major limitation of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in the clinic, and the underlying mechanism of such resistance is not fully understood. In the study, we found that miR-199a-5p levels were significantly reduced in HCC patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Cisplatin treatment also resulted in decreased miR-199a-5p levels in human HCC cell lines. Forced expression of miR-199a-5p promoted cisplatin-induced inhibition of cell proliferation. Cisplatin treatment activated autophagy in Huh7 and HepG2 cells, which increased cell proliferation. We further demonstrated that downregulated miR-199a-5p enhanced autophagy activation by targeting autophagy-associated gene 7 (ATG7). More important, autophagy inhibition abrogated miR-199a-5p downregulation-induced cell proliferation. These data demonstrated that miR-199a-5p/autophagy signaling represents a novel pathway regulating chemoresistance, thus offering a new target for chemotherapy of HCC.

Cisplatin-induced downregulation of miR-199a-5p increases drug resistance by activating autophagy in HCC cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Ning; Zhang, Jianjun; Shen, Conghuan; Luo, Yi; Xia, Lei; Xue, Feng [Department of Transplantation and Hepatic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 1630 Dongfang Road, Shanghai 200127, People' s Republic of China (China); Xia, Qiang, E-mail: xiaqiang1@yahoo.com.cn [Department of Transplantation and Hepatic Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 1630 Dongfang Road, Shanghai 200127, People' s Republic of China (China)

2012-07-13

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer miR-199a-5p levels were significantly decreased after cisplatin treatment. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cisplatin treatment induced autophagy activation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cisplatin-induced downregulation of miR-199a-5p increases drug resistance by activating autophagy in HCC cell. -- Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Systemic chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of patients with advanced liver cancer. However, chemoresistance to cisplatin is a major limitation of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in the clinic, and the underlying mechanism of such resistance is not fully understood. In the study, we found that miR-199a-5p levels were significantly reduced in HCC patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Cisplatin treatment also resulted in decreased miR-199a-5p levels in human HCC cell lines. Forced expression of miR-199a-5p promoted cisplatin-induced inhibition of cell proliferation. Cisplatin treatment activated autophagy in Huh7 and HepG2 cells, which increased cell proliferation. We further demonstrated that downregulated miR-199a-5p enhanced autophagy activation by targeting autophagy-associated gene 7 (ATG7). More important, autophagy inhibition abrogated miR-199a-5p downregulation-induced cell proliferation. These data demonstrated that miR-199a-5p/autophagy signaling represents a novel pathway regulating chemoresistance, thus offering a new target for chemotherapy of HCC.

The effect of rhamnolipid biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens on model bacterial strains and isolates from industrial wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasileva-Tonkova, Evgenia; Sotirova, Anna; Galabova, Danka

2011-02-01

In this study, the effect of rhamnolipid biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens on bacterial strains, laboratory strains, and isolates from industrial wastewater was investigated. It was shown that biosurfactant, depending on the concentration, has a neutral or detrimental effect on the growth and protein release of model Gram (+) strain Bacillus subtilis 168. The growth and protein release of model Gram (-) strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa 1390 was not influenced by the presence of biosurfactant in the medium. Rhamnolipid biosurfactant at the used concentrations supported the growth of some slow growing on hexadecane bacterial isolates, members of the microbial community. Changes in cell surface hydrophobicity and permeability of some Gram (+) and Gram (-) isolates in the presence of rhamnolipid biosurfactant were followed in experiments in vitro. It was found that bacterial cells treated with biosurfactant became more or less hydrophobic than untreated cells depending on individual characteristics and abilities of the strains. For all treated strains, an increase in the amount of released protein was observed with increasing the amount of biosurfactant, probably due to increased cell permeability as a result of changes in the organization of cell surface structures. The results obtained could contribute to clarify the relationships between members of the microbial community as well as suggest the efficiency of surface properties of rhamnolipid biosurfactant from Pseudomonas fluorescens making it potentially applicable in bioremediation of hydrocarbon-polluted environments.

Structure of a putative BenF-like porin from Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5 at 2.6 A resolution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sampathkumar, P.; Swaminathan, S.; Lu, F.; Zhao, X.; Li, Z.; Gilmore, J.; Bain, K.; Rutter, M. E.; Gheyi, T.; Schwinn, D.; Bonanno, J. B.; Pieper, U.; Fajardo, J. E.; Fiser, A.; Almo, S. C.; Chance, M. R.; Baker, D.; Atwell, S.; Thompson, D. A.; Emtage, J. S.; Wasserman, S. R.; Sali, A.; Sauder, J. M.; Burley, S. K.

2010-11-01

Gram-negative bacteria typically overcome poor permeability of outer membranes through general porins like OmpF and OmpC, which form water-filled transmembrane pores permitting diffusion of hydrophilic molecules with no particular selectivity. Many bacteria lacking such general porins use substrate-specific porins to overcome growth-limiting conditions and facilitate selective transport of metabolites. Exclusive reliance on substrate-specific porins yields lower membrane permeability to small molecules (<600 Da) versus that seen for Escherichia coli. In Pseudomonads, transit of most small molecules across the cell membrane is thought to be mediated by substrate-specific channels of the OprD superfamily. This property explains, at least in part, the high incidence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa antibiotic resistance. High-throughput DNA sequencing of the P. aeruginosa chromosome revealed the presence of 19 genes encoding structurally related, substrate-specific porins (with 30-45% pairwise amino acid sequence identity) that mediate transmembrane passage of small, water-soluble compounds. The OprD superfamily encompasses the eponymous OprD subfamily, which includes 9 P. aeruginosa proteins that convey basic amino acids and carbapenem antibiotics, and the OpdK subfamily, which includes 11 P. aeruginosa proteins that convey aromatic acids and other small aromatic compounds. Genome sequencing of other gram-negative bacteria has revealed additional members of the OprD and OpdK subfamilies in various organisms, including other pseudomonads. Among the many bacteria in which OprD superfamily members have been identified are P. putida, P. fluorescens Pf-5, P. syringae, and Azotobacter vinelandii, all of which share closely related genes that encode the so-called BenF-like porins. In P. putida, benF is part of an operon involved in benzoate catabolism regulated by benR. Within this operon, benK, benE, and benF genes have been suggested to contribute toward either influx or efflux

Draft Genome Sequences of Pseudomonas fluorescens BS2 and Pusillimonas noertemannii BS8, Soil Bacteria That Cooperate To Degrade the Poly-?-d-Glutamic Acid Anthrax Capsule

OpenAIRE

Stabler, Richard A.; Negus, David; Pain, Arnab; Taylor, Peter W.

2013-01-01

A mixed culture of Pseudomonas fluorescens BS2 and Pusillimonas noertemannii BS8 degraded poly-?-d-glutamic acid; when the 2 strains were cultured separately, no hydrolytic activity was apparent. Here we report the draft genome sequences of both soil isolates.

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR Modulates Cockroach Allergen-Induced Immune Responses through Active TGFβ1 Release

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yufeng Zhou

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR, a multifunctional regulator that senses and responds to environmental stimuli, plays a role in normal cell development and immune regulation. Recent evidence supports a significant link between environmental exposure and AhR in the development of allergic diseases. We sought to investigate whether AhR plays a role in mediating cockroach allergen-induced allergic immune responses. Methods. AhR expression in human lung fibroblasts from asthmatic and healthy individuals and in cockroach extract (CRE treated human lung fibroblasts (WI-38 was examined. The role of AhR in modulating CRE induced TGFβ1 production was investigated by using AhR agonist, TCDD, antagonist CH122319, and knockdown of AhR. The role of latent TGFβ1 binding protein-1 (LTBP1 in mediating TCDD induced active TGFβ1 release was also examined. Results. AhR expression was higher in airway fibroblasts from asthmatic subjects as compared to healthy controls. AhR in fibroblasts was activated by TCDD with an increased expression of cyp1a1 and cyp1b1. Increased AhR expression was observed in CRE-treated fibroblasts. Importantly, CRE induced TGFβ1 production in fibroblasts was significantly enhanced by TCDD but inhibited by CH122319. Reduced TGFβ1 production was further confirmed in fibroblasts with AhR knockdown. Moreover, AhR knockdown inhibited CRE induced fibroblast differentiation. Furthermore, TCDD induced active TGFβ1 release was significantly inhibited by LTBP1 knockdown. Conclusion. These results provide evidence for the role of AhR in modulating cockroach allergen-induced immune responses through controlling the active TGFβ1 release, suggesting a possible synergistic effect between exposure to allergens and environmental chemicals on the development of allergic diseases.

Ionizing Radiation–Inducible miR-27b Suppresses Leukemia Proliferation via Targeting Cyclin A2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Bo; Li, Dongping; Kovalchuk, Anna; Litvinov, Dmitry; Kovalchuk, Olga, E-mail: olga.kovalchuk@uleth.ca

2014-09-01

Purpose: Ionizing radiation is a common carcinogen that is important for the development of leukemia. However, the underlying epigenetic mechanisms remain largely unknown. The goal of the study was to explore microRNAome alterations induced by ionizing radiation (IR) in murine thymus, and to determine the role of IR-inducible microRNA (miRNA/miR) in the development of leukemia. Methods and Materials: We used the well-established C57BL/6 mouse model and miRNA microarray profiling to identify miRNAs that are differentially expressed in murine thymus in response to irradiation. TIB152 human leukemia cell line was used to determine the role of estrogen receptor–α (ERα) in miR-27b transcription. The biological effects of ectopic miR-27b on leukemogenesis were measured by western immunoblotting, cell viability, apoptosis, and cell cycle analyses. Results: Here, we have shown that IR triggers the differential expression of miR-27b in murine thymus tissue in a dose-, time- and sex-dependent manner. miR-27b was significantly down-regulated in leukemia cell lines CCL119 and TIB152. Interestingly, ERα was overexpressed in those 2 cell lines, and it was inversely correlated with miR-27b expression. Therefore, we used TIB152 as a model system to determine the role of ERα in miR-27b expression and the contribution of miR-27b to leukemogenesis. β-Estradiol caused a rapid and transient reduction in miR-27b expression reversed by either ERα-neutralizing antibody or ERK1/2 inhibitor. Ectopic expression of miR-27b remarkably suppressed TIB152 cell proliferation, at least in part, by inducing S-phase arrest. In addition, it attenuated the expression of cyclin A2, although it had no effect on the levels of PCNA, PPARγ, CDK2, p21, p27, p-p53, and cleaved caspase-3. Conclusion: Our data reveal that β-estradiol/ERα signaling may contribute to the down-regulation of miR-27b in acute leukemia cell lines through the ERK1/2 pathway, and that miR-27b may function as a tumor

Ionizing Radiation–Inducible miR-27b Suppresses Leukemia Proliferation via Targeting Cyclin A2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Bo; Li, Dongping; Kovalchuk, Anna; Litvinov, Dmitry; Kovalchuk, Olga

2014-01-01

Purpose: Ionizing radiation is a common carcinogen that is important for the development of leukemia. However, the underlying epigenetic mechanisms remain largely unknown. The goal of the study was to explore microRNAome alterations induced by ionizing radiation (IR) in murine thymus, and to determine the role of IR-inducible microRNA (miRNA/miR) in the development of leukemia. Methods and Materials: We used the well-established C57BL/6 mouse model and miRNA microarray profiling to identify miRNAs that are differentially expressed in murine thymus in response to irradiation. TIB152 human leukemia cell line was used to determine the role of estrogen receptor–α (ERα) in miR-27b transcription. The biological effects of ectopic miR-27b on leukemogenesis were measured by western immunoblotting, cell viability, apoptosis, and cell cycle analyses. Results: Here, we have shown that IR triggers the differential expression of miR-27b in murine thymus tissue in a dose-, time- and sex-dependent manner. miR-27b was significantly down-regulated in leukemia cell lines CCL119 and TIB152. Interestingly, ERα was overexpressed in those 2 cell lines, and it was inversely correlated with miR-27b expression. Therefore, we used TIB152 as a model system to determine the role of ERα in miR-27b expression and the contribution of miR-27b to leukemogenesis. β-Estradiol caused a rapid and transient reduction in miR-27b expression reversed by either ERα-neutralizing antibody or ERK1/2 inhibitor. Ectopic expression of miR-27b remarkably suppressed TIB152 cell proliferation, at least in part, by inducing S-phase arrest. In addition, it attenuated the expression of cyclin A2, although it had no effect on the levels of PCNA, PPARγ, CDK2, p21, p27, p-p53, and cleaved caspase-3. Conclusion: Our data reveal that β-estradiol/ERα signaling may contribute to the down-regulation of miR-27b in acute leukemia cell lines through the ERK1/2 pathway, and that miR-27b may function as a tumor

Tetracycline-inducible gene expression system in Leishmania mexicana

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kraeva, N.; Ishemgulova, A.; Lukeš, Julius; Yurchenko, Vyacheslav

2014-01-01

Roč. 198, č. 1 (2014), s. 11-13 ISSN 0166-6851 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) EE2.3.30.0032 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Leishmania mexicana * Gene expression * Tet-inducible system Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.787, year: 2014

Novel Triazole linked 2-phenyl benzoxazole derivatives induce apoptosis by inhibiting miR-2, miR-13 and miR-14 function in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Mondal, Tanmoy; Lavanya, A V S; Mallick, Akash; Dadmala, Tulshiram L; Kumbhare, Ravindra M; Bhadra, Utpal; Bhadra, Manika Pal

2017-06-01

Apoptosis is an important phenomenon in multi cellular organisms for maintaining tissue homeostasis and embryonic development. Defect in apoptosis leads to a number of disorders like- autoimmune disorder, immunodeficiency and cancer. 21-22 nucleotides containing micro RNAs (miRNAs/miRs) function as a crucial regulator of apoptosis alike other cellular pathways. Recently, small molecules have been identified as a potent inducer of apoptosis. In this study, we have identified novel Triazole linked 2-phenyl benzoxazole derivatives (13j and 13h) as a negative regulator of apoptosis inhibiting micro RNAs (miR-2, miR-13 and miR-14) in a well established in vivo model Drosophila melanogaster where the process of apoptosis is very similar to human apoptosis. These compounds inhibit miR-2, miR-13 and miR-14 activity at their target sites, which induce an increased caspase activity, and in turn influence the caspase dependent apoptotic pathway. These two compounds also increase the mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) level to trigger apoptotic cell death.

Cyclophosphamide-induced myeloid-derived suppressor cell population is immunosuppressive but not identical to myeloid-derived suppressor cells induced by growing TC-1 tumors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mikyšková, Romana; Indrová, Marie; Polláková, Veronika; Bieblová, Jana; Šímová, Jana; Reiniš, Milan

2012-01-01

Roč. 35, č. 5 (2012), s. 374-384 ISSN 1524-9557 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GPP301/11/P220; GA ČR GA301/09/1024; GA ČR GA301/07/1410 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 18933 - CLINIGENE Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50520514 Institutional support: RVO:68378050 Keywords : myeloid-derived suppressor cells * cyclophosphamide * all-trans-retinoic acid * IL-12 * HPV16 Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 3.463, year: 2012

Sup(1)H n.m.r. relaxation of radiation induced crosslinking in polyester-styrene systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreis, M.; Veksli, Z.; Ranogajec, F.; Hedvig, P.

1989-01-01

The structure and dynamics of a network formed by radiation induced crosslinking of polyesters based on 1,6-hexane diol and 1,2-propylene glycol and maleic anhydride (HDF and PGF, respectively) with styrene is studied by proton pulsed n.m.r. spectroscopy. The dependence of spin-lattice, T 1 , and spin-spin, T 2 , relaxation times on the structure of polyester chain, molar ratios of styrene to polyester unsaturations and the radiation doses are analysed in terms of network formation and structure, and their effect on molecular motion. Above the gel point, at temperatures above the glass transition, the presence of two T 2 components reflects the heterogeneity of the network structure in both resins. Parallel with the n.m.r. relaxation measurements the crosslink density was determined from the extracted gel phase or double bonds (fumaric and styrene) participating in the crosslinking process. (author)

Analysis of B chromosome nondisjunction induced by the r-X1 deficiency in maize.

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Shih-Hsuan; Peng, Shu-Fen; Cheng, Ya-Ming

2017-11-20

The maize B chromosome typically undergoes nondisjunction during the second microspore division. For normal A chromosomes, the r-X1 deficiency in maize can induce nondisjunction during the second megaspore and first microspore divisions. However, it is not known whether the r-X1 deficiency also induces nondisjunction of the maize B chromosome during these cell divisions. To answer this question, chromosome numbers were determined in the progeny of r-X1/R-r female parents carrying two B chromosomes. Some of the r-X1-lacking progeny (21.2%) contained zero or two B chromosomes. However, a much higher percentage of the r-X1-containing progeny (43.4%) exhibited zero or two B chromosomes, but none displayed more than two B chromosomes. Thus, the results indicated that the r-X1 deficiency could also induce nondisjunction of the B chromosome during the second megaspore division; moreover, the B chromosome in itself could undergo nondisjunction during the same division. In addition, pollen grains from plants with two B chromosomes lacking or exhibiting the r-X1 deficiency were compared via pollen fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using a B chromosome-specific probe. The results revealed that the r-X1 deficiency could induce the occurrence of B chromosome nondisjunction during the first microspore division and that the B chromosome in itself could undergo nondisjunction during the same division at a lower frequency. Our data shed more light on the behavior of the maize B chromosome during cell division.

Mycorrhization between Cistus ladanifer L. and Boletus edulis Bull is enhanced by the mycorrhiza helper bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens Migula.

Science.gov (United States)

Mediavilla, Olaya; Olaizola, Jaime; Santos-del-Blanco, Luis; Oria-de-Rueda, Juan Andrés; Martín-Pinto, Pablo

2016-02-01

Boletus edulis Bull. is one of the most economically and gastronomically valuable fungi worldwide. Sporocarp production normally occurs when symbiotically associated with a number of tree species in stands over 40 years old, but it has also been reported in 3-year-old Cistus ladanifer L. shrubs. Efforts toward the domestication of B. edulis have thus focused on successfully generating C. ladanifer seedlings associated with B. edulis under controlled conditions. Microorganisms have an important role mediating mycorrhizal symbiosis, such as some bacteria species which enhance mycorrhiza formation (mycorrhiza helper bacteria). Thus, in this study, we explored the effect that mycorrhiza helper bacteria have on the efficiency and intensity of the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis between C. ladanifer and B. edulis. The aim of this work was to optimize an in vitro protocol for the mycorrhizal synthesis of B. edulis with C. ladanifer by testing the effects of fungal culture time and coinoculation with the helper bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens Migula. The results confirmed successful mycorrhizal synthesis between C. ladanifer and B. edulis. Coinoculation of B. edulis with P. fluorescens doubled within-plant mycorrhization levels although it did not result in an increased number of seedlings colonized with B. edulis mycorrhizae. B. edulis mycelium culture time also increased mycorrhization levels but not the presence of mycorrhizae. These findings bring us closer to controlled B. edulis sporocarp production in plantations.

R-spondin3-LGR4 signaling protects hepatocytes against DMOG-induced hypoxia/reoxygenation injury through activating β-catenin.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shiying; Yin, Yue; Yu, Ruili; Li, Yin; Zhang, Weizhen

2018-04-30

Leucine-rich repeat G-protein-coupled receptor 4 (LGR4) and its ligands R-spondin1-4 (Rspos) have been vastly investigated in embryonic development. The biological functions of Rspos-LGR4 system in liver remains largely unknown. Here, we explored whether it protects hepatocytes against hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) induced damage. H/R injury was induced by dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG) in AML12 cells and the effects of Rspo3 on cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed. Specific shRNAs were used to interfere LGR4 or β-catenin. DMOG caused hepatocytes damage evidenced by increase in HIF-1α, cell death and apoptosis genes p27 and Bax, with concurrent decrease of cell proliferation genes PCNA and CyclinD1. Of all the Rspos, Rspo3 is predominantly expressed in AML12 hepatocytes. Importantly, Rspo3 demonstrated an alteration in a manner similar to proliferation-related genes during H/R injury. Rspo3 pretreatment rendered hepatocytes less vulnerable to DMOG induced H/R injury. Ablation of LGR4 using shRNA attenuated the protective effects of Rspo3. Wnt3a also protected AML12 cells from damages caused by H/R, showing enhanced proliferation activity. Notably, knockdown of β-catenin in hepatocytes completely abolished the effect of Rspo3 pretreatment on the expression levels of PCNA and CyclinD1. Rspo3-LGR4 axis protects hepatocytes from H/R injury via activating β-catenin. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Draft Genome Sequences of Pseudomonas fluorescens BS2 and Pusillimonas noertemannii BS8, Soil Bacteria That Cooperate To Degrade the Poly- -D-Glutamic Acid Anthrax Capsule

KAUST Repository

Stabler, R. A.

2013-01-24

A mixed culture of Pseudomonas fluorescens BS2 and Pusillimonas noertemannii BS8 degraded poly-γ-d-glutamic acid; when the 2 strains were cultured separately, no hydrolytic activity was apparent. Here we report the draft genome sequences of both soil isolates.

Draft Genome Sequences of Pseudomonas fluorescens BS2 and Pusillimonas noertemannii BS8, Soil Bacteria That Cooperate To Degrade the Poly-γ-d-Glutamic Acid Anthrax Capsule.

Science.gov (United States)

Stabler, Richard A; Negus, David; Pain, Arnab; Taylor, Peter W

2013-01-01

A mixed culture of Pseudomonas fluorescens BS2 and Pusillimonas noertemannii BS8 degraded poly-γ-d-glutamic acid; when the 2 strains were cultured separately, no hydrolytic activity was apparent. Here we report the draft genome sequences of both soil isolates.

Draft Genome Sequences of Pseudomonas fluorescens BS2 and Pusillimonas noertemannii BS8, Soil Bacteria That Cooperate To Degrade the Poly- -D-Glutamic Acid Anthrax Capsule

KAUST Repository

Stabler, R. A.; Negus, D.; Pain, Arnab; Taylor, P. W.

2013-01-01

A mixed culture of Pseudomonas fluorescens BS2 and Pusillimonas noertemannii BS8 degraded poly-γ-d-glutamic acid; when the 2 strains were cultured separately, no hydrolytic activity was apparent. Here we report the draft genome sequences of both soil isolates.

STAT5 induces miR-21 expression in cutaneous T cell lymphoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindahl, Lise M; Fredholm, Simon; Joseph, Claudine

2016-01-01

was inhibited by Tofacitinib (CP-690550), a clinical-grade JAK3 inhibitor. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis showed direct binding of STAT5 to the miR-21 promoter. Cytokine starvation ex vivo triggered a decrease in miR-21 expression, whereas IL-2 induced an increased miR-21 expression in primary SS...

Effects of high intensity pulsed electric field and thermal treatments on a lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens.

Science.gov (United States)

Bendicho, S; Estela, C; Giner, J; Barbosa-Cánovas, G V; Martin, O

2002-01-01

Milk and dairy products may contain microorganisms capable of secreting lipases that cause sensory defects and technological problems in the dairy industry. In this study, the effects of thermal and high-intensity pulsed electric field (HIPEF) treatments on an extracellular lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens, suspended in a simulated skim milk ultrafiltrate (SMUF) have been evaluated. Heat treatments applied were up to 30 min from 50 to 90 degrees C. HIPEF treatments were carried out using pilot plant facilities in a batch or continuous flow mode, where treatment chambers consisted of parallel and coaxial configuration, respectively. Samples were subjected to up to 80 pulses at electric field intensities ranging from 16.4 to 37.3 kV/cm. This resulted in a lipase that was quite resistant to heat and also to HIPEF. High (75 degrees C-15 s) and low pasteurization treatments (63 degrees C-30 min) led to inactivations of 5 and 20%, respectively. Using the batch-mode HIPEF equipment, a 62.1% maximum activity depletion was achieved after 80 pulses at 27.4 kV/cm. However, when HIPEF treatments were applied in the continuous flow mode, an inactivation rate of just 13% was achieved, after applying 80 pulses at 37.3 kV/cm and 3.5 Hz. The results of both heat and HIPEF treatments on enzyme inactivation were adjusted with good agreement to a first-order kinetic model (R2 > 62.3%).

Cooperative and non-cooperative conformational changes of F-actin induced by cofilin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aihara, Tomoki; Oda, Toshiro, E-mail: toda@spring8.or.jp

2013-05-31

Highlights: •Mobility of MTSL attached to C374 in F-actin became high upon addition of cofilin. •Change of motility of MTSL attached to C374 with cofilin-binding was cooperative. •Mobility of MTSL attached to V43C in F-actin became high upon addition of cofilin. •Change of motility of MTSL attached to V43C with cofilin-binding was linear. -- Abstract: Cofilin is an actin-binding protein that promotes F-actin depolymerization. It is well-known that cofilin-coated F-actin is more twisted than naked F-actin, and that the protomer is more tilted. However, the means by which the local changes induced by the binding of individual cofilin proteins proceed to the global conformational changes of the whole F-actin molecule remain unknown. Here we investigated the cofilin-induced changes in several parts of F-actin, through site-directed spin-label electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy analyses of recombinant actins containing single reactive cysteines. We found that the global, cooperative conformational changes induced by cofilin-binding, which were detected by the spin-label attached to the Cys374 residue, occurred without the detachment of the D-loop in subdomain 2 from the neighboring protomer. The two processes of local and global changes do not necessarily proceed in sequence.

Analytical computation of thermodynamic performance parameters of actual vapour compression refrigeration system with R22, R32, R134a, R152a, R290 and R1270

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vali Shaik Sharmas

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The present work focuses on analytical computation of thermodynamic performance of actual vapour compression refrigeration system by using six pure refrigerants. The refrigerants are namely R22, R32, R134a, R152a, R290 and R1270 respectively. A MATLAB code is developed to compute the thermodynamic performance parameters of actual vapour compression system such as refrigeration effect, compressor work, COP, power per ton of refrigeration, compressor discharge temperature and volumetric refrigeration capacity at condensing and evaporating temperatures of 54.4oC and 7.2oC respectively. Analytical results exhibited that COP of both R32 and R134a are 15.95% and 11.71% higher among the six investigated refrigerants. However R32 and R134a cannot be replaced directly into R22 system. This is due to their higher compressor discharge temperature and poor volumetric capacity respectively. The discharge temperature of both R1270 and R290 are lower than R22 by 20-26oC. Volumetric refrigeration capacity of R1270 (3197 kJ/m3 is very close to that of volumetric capacity of R22 (3251 kJ/m3. Both R1270 and R290 shows good miscibility with R22 mineral oil. Overall R1270 would be a suitable ecofriendly refrigerant to replace R22 from the stand point of ODP, GWP, volumetric capacity, discharge temperature and miscibility with mineral oil although its COP is lower.

SOX6 and PDCD4 enhance cardiomyocyte apoptosis through LPS-induced miR-499 inhibition.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Zhuqing; Wang, Jiaji; Shi, Qiong; Liu, Siyu; Wang, Weiping; Tian, Yuyao; Lu, Qin; Chen, Ping; Ma, Kangtao; Zhou, Chunyan

2016-02-01

Sepsis-induced cardiac apoptosis is one of the major pathogenic factors in myocardial dysfunction. As it enhances numerous proinflammatory factors, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is considered the principal mediator in this pathological process. However, the detailed mechanisms involved are unclear. In this study, we attempted to explore the mechanisms involved in LPS-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. We found that LPS stimulation inhibited microRNA (miR)-499 expression and thereby upregulated the expression of SOX6 and PDCD4 in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. We demonstrate that SOX6 and PDCD4 are target genes of miR-499, and they enhance LPS-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by activating the BCL-2 family pathway. The apoptosis process enhanced by overexpression of SOX6 or PDCD4, was rescued by the cardiac-abundant miR-499. Overexpression of miR-499 protected the cardiomyocytes against LPS-induced apoptosis. In brief, our results demonstrate the existence of a miR-499-SOX6/PDCD4-BCL-2 family pathway in cardiomyocytes in response to LPS stimulation.

Pseudomonas fluorescens' view of the periodic table.

Science.gov (United States)

Workentine, Matthew L; Harrison, Joe J; Stenroos, Pernilla U; Ceri, Howard; Turner, Raymond J

2008-01-01

Growth in a biofilm modulates microbial metal susceptibility, sometimes increasing the ability of microorganisms to withstand toxic metal species by several orders of magnitude. In this study, a high-throughput metal toxicity screen was initiated with the aim of correlating biological toxicity data in planktonic and biofilm cells to the physiochemical properties of metal ions. To this end, Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525 was grown in the Calgary Biofilm Device (CBD) and biofilms and planktonic cells of this microorganism were exposed to gradient arrays of different metal ions. These arrays included 44 different metals with representative compounds that spanned every group of the periodic table (except for the halogens and noble gases). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) values were obtained after exposing the biofilms to metal ions for 4 h. Using these values, metal ion toxicity was correlated to the following ion-specific physicochemical parameters: standard reduction-oxidation potential, electronegativity, the solubility product of the corresponding metal-sulfide complex, the Pearson softness index, electron density and the covalent index. When the ions were grouped according to outer shell electron structure, we found that heavy metal ions gave the strongest correlations to these parameters and were more toxic on average than the other classes of the ions. Correlations were different for biofilms than for planktonic cells, indicating that chemical mechanisms of metal ion toxicity differ between the two modes of growth. We suggest that biofilms can specifically counter the toxic effects of certain physicochemical parameters, which may contribute to the increased ability of biofilms to withstand metal toxicity.

miR-203a is involved in HBx-induced inflammation by targeting Rap1a

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, AiRong [Department of gastroenterology, The First affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China); Chen, Huo [Institutes of Biology and Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Xu, ChunFang [Department of gastroenterology, The First affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China); Zhou, Ji; Chen, Si [Institutes of Biology and Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Shi, YuQi [Department of gastroenterology, The First affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China); Xu, Jie [Institutes of Biology and Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Gan, JianHe, E-mail: j_pzhang@suda.edu.cn [Department of gastroenterology, The First affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006 (China); Zhang, JinPing, E-mail: ganjianhe@aliyun.com [Institutes of Biology and Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China)

2016-11-15

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes acute and chronic hepatitis, and is one of the major causes of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammation is the key factor for liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. MicroRNAs play important roles in many biological processes. Here, we aim to explore the function of microRNAs in the HBX-induced inflammation. First, microarray experiment showed that HBV{sup +} liver samples expressed higher level of miR-203a compared to HBV{sup -} liver samples. To verify these alterations, HBx-coding plasmid was transfected into HepG2 cells to overexpress HBx protein. The real-time PCR results suggested that over-expression of HBx could induce up-regulation of miR-203a. To define how up-regulation of miR-203a can induce liver cells inflammation, we over-expressed miR-203a in HepG2 cells. Annexin V staining and BrdU staining suggested that overexpression of miR-203a significantly increased the cell apoptosis and proliferation, meanwhile, over-expression of miR-203a could lead to a decrease in G0/G1 phase cells and an increase in G2/M phase cells. Some cytokines production including IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly increased, but TGFβ and IFNγ were decreased in miR-203a over-expressed HepG2 cells. Luciferase reporter assay experiments, protein mass-spectrum assay and real-time PCR all together demonstrated that Rap1a was the target gene of miR-203a. Further experiments showed that these alterations were modulated through PI3K/ERK/p38/NFκB pathways. These data suggested that HBV-infection could up-regulate the expression of miR-203a, thus down regulated the expression of Rap1a and affected the PI3K/ERK/p38/NFκB pathways, finally induced the hepatitis inflammation. - Highlights: • HBX induces the over-expression of miR-203a in HepG2 cells. • miR-203a targets Rap1a to induce the inflammation in HepG2 cells. • miR-203a regulates the apoptosis and cell cycles of HepG2 cells. • miR-203a alters

Effect of Eu(III) on the degradation of malic acid by Pseudomonas fluorescens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nankawa, T.; Ozaki, T.; Ohnuki, T.; Suzuki, Y.; Francis, A.J.

2005-01-01

Full text of publication follows: The transuranic elements, such as Am(III) and Cm(III), are highly toxic because they emit high-energy α particles and have long half-lives. To estimate their long-term environmental behavior, we need to elucidate degradation of actinide-organic complexes by microorganisms. We studied the biodegradation of Eu(III)-malic acid complexes by Pseudomonas fluorescens. Malic acid is ubiquitous in the environment and is one of the microbial metabolites that is part of the tri-carboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Europium(III) is a good analogue for Am(III) and Cm(III). To investigate the effect of Eu(III) on the degradation of malic acid by P. fluorescens, we compared the degradation behavior of Eu(III)-malic acid complexes to that of Fe(III) and Al(III)-malic acid complexes. In the medium containing 1 mM malic acid and 0-0.5 mM Fe(III), malic acid was degraded completely. In the medium containing 1 mM malic acid and 0.05-0.5 mM Al(III), malic acid was degraded until the concentration of malic acid became equal to that of Al(III), indicating that Al(III)-malic acid complex with 1: 1 molar ratio was recalcitrant to biodegradation. In the medium containing 1 mM malic acid and 0.05-0.5 mM Eu(III), degradation of malic acid was not observed. The effect of metals on degradation of malic acid was in the order of Fe(III) < Al(III) < Eu(III). The stability constants of 1:1 Fe(III)-, Al(III)-, and Eu(III)-malic acid complexes are 7.1, 4.6, and 4.9, respectively. These results indicate that degradability of malic acid does not depend on the stability constants of metal-malic acid complexes. We found that 10 mM malic acid was degraded in the presence of 0.05 and 0.1 mM Eu(III) but 1 mM malic acid was not degraded in the presence of 0.05 and 0.1 mM Eu(III). The degradation rate of malic acid increased with a decreasing ratio of Eu(III) to malic acid. (authors)

A new maltose-inducible high-performance heterologous expression system in Bacillus subtilis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yue, Jie; Fu, Gang; Zhang, Dawei; Wen, Jianping

2017-08-01

To improve heterologous proteins production, we constructed a maltose-inducible expression system in Bacillus subtilis. An expression system based on the promoter for maltose utilization constructed in B. subtilis. Successively, to improve the performance of the P malA -derived system, mutagenesis was employed by gradually shortening the length of P malA promoter and altering the spacing between the predicted MalR binding site and the -35 region. Furthermore, deletion of the maltose utilization genes (malL and yvdK) improved the P malA promoter activity. Finally, using this efficient maltose-inducible expression system, we enhanced the production of luciferase and D-aminoacylase, compared with the P hpaII system. A maltose-inducible expression system was constructed and evaluated. It could be used for high level expression of heterologous proteins production.

An endogenous aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand, ITE induces regulatory T cells (Tregs) and ameliorates experimental colitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Abron, Jessicca D; Singh, Narendra P; Mishra, Manoj K; Price, Robert L; Nagarkatti, Mitzi; Nagarkatti, Prakash S; Singh, Udai P

2018-04-19

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic intestinal inflammatory condition that affects millions of people with high morbidity and health-care cost. The precise etiology of IBD is unknown, but clear evidence suggests that intestinal inflammation is caused by an excessive immune response to mucosal antigens. Recent studies have shown that activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) induces regulatory T cells (Tregs) and suppresses autoimmune diseases. In the current study, we investigated if nontoxic ligand of AhR, 2-(1'H-indole-3'-carbonyl)-thiazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (ITE), can attenuate dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis. Our studies demonstrated that in mice that received ITE treatment, in-vivo colitis pathogenesis, including a decrease in body weight, was significantly reversed along with the systemic and intestinal inflammatory cytokines. ITE increased the expression of Tregs in spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) and colon lamina propria lymphocytes (cLPL) of mice with colitis when compared to controls. This induction of Tregs was reversed by AhR antagonist treatment in-vitro. ITE treatment also increased dendritic cells (DCs; CD11c+) and decreased F4/80+ (macrophage) from the spleen, MLNs and cLPL in mice with colitis. ITE also reversed the systemic and intestinal frequency of CD4+T cells during colitis and suppressed inflammatory cytokines including IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-17, IL-6 and IL-1 as well as induced IL-10 levels. These findings suggest that ITE attenuates colitis through induction of Tregs and reduction in inflammatory CD4+ T cells and cytokines. Thus, our work demonstrates that the nontoxic endogenous AhR ligand ITE, may serve as a therapeutic modality to treat IBD.

Developing a Workflow Composite Score to Measure Clinical Information Logistics. A Top-down Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Liebe, J D; Hübner, U; Straede, M C; Thye, J

2015-01-01

Availability and usage of individual IT applications have been studied intensively in the past years. Recently, IT support of clinical processes is attaining increasing attention. The underlying construct that describes the IT support of clinical workflows is clinical information logistics. This construct needs to be better understood, operationalised and measured. It is therefore the aim of this study to propose and develop a workflow composite score (WCS) for measuring clinical information logistics and to examine its quality based on reliability and validity analyses. We largely followed the procedural model of MacKenzie and colleagues (2011) for defining and conceptualising the construct domain, for developing the measurement instrument, assessing the content validity, pretesting the instrument, specifying the model, capturing the data and computing the WCS and testing the reliability and validity. Clinical information logistics was decomposed into the descriptors data and information, function, integration and distribution, which embraced the framework validated by an analysis of the international literature. This framework was refined selecting representative clinical processes. We chose ward rounds, pre- and post-surgery processes and discharge as sample processes that served as concrete instances for the measurements. They are sufficiently complex, represent core clinical processes and involve different professions, departments and settings. The score was computed on the basis of data from 183 hospitals of different size, ownership, location and teaching status. Testing the reliability and validity yielded encouraging results: the reliability was high with r(split-half) = 0.89, the WCS discriminated between groups; the WCS correlated significantly and moderately with two EHR models and the WCS received good evaluation results by a sample of chief information officers (n = 67). These findings suggest the further utilisation of the WCS. As the WCS does not

miR-181a and miR-630 regulate cisplatin-induced cancer cell death.

Science.gov (United States)

Galluzzi, Lorenzo; Morselli, Eugenia; Vitale, Ilio; Kepp, Oliver; Senovilla, Laura; Criollo, Alfredo; Servant, Nicolas; Paccard, Caroline; Hupé, Philippe; Robert, Thomas; Ripoche, Hugues; Lazar, Vladimir; Harel-Bellan, Annick; Dessen, Philippe; Barillot, Emmanuel; Kroemer, Guido

2010-03-01

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are noncoding RNAs that regulate multiple cellular processes, including proliferation and apoptosis. We used microarray technology to identify miRNAs that were upregulated by non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 cells in response to cisplatin (CDDP). The corresponding synthetic miRNA precursors (pre-miRNAs) per se were not lethal when transfected into A549 cells yet affected cell death induction by CDDP, C2-ceramide, cadmium, etoposide, and mitoxantrone in an inducer-specific fashion. Whereas synthetic miRNA inhibitors (anti-miRNAs) targeting miR-181a and miR-630 failed to modulate the response of A549 to CDDP, pre-miR-181a and pre-miR-630 enhanced and reduced CDDP-triggered cell death, respectively. Pre-miR-181a and pre-miR-630 consistently modulated mitochondrial/postmitochondrial steps of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, including Bax oligomerization, mitochondrial transmembrane potential dissipation, and the proteolytic maturation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. In addition, pre-miR-630 blocked early manifestations of the DNA damage response, including the phosphorylation of the ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase and of two ATM substrates, histone H2AX and p53. Pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of p53 corroborated the hypothesis that pre-miR-630 (but not pre-miR-181a) blocks the upstream signaling pathways that are ignited by DNA damage and converge on p53 activation. Pre-miR-630 arrested A549 cells in the G0-G1 phase of the cell cycle, correlating with increased levels of the cell cycle inhibitor p27(Kip1) as well as with reduced proliferation rates and resulting in greatly diminished sensitivity of A549 cells to the late S-G2-M cell cycle arrest mediated by CDDP. Altogether, these results identify miR-181a and miR-630 as novel modulators of the CDDP response in NSCLC.

The R.I.R.S. scoring system: An innovative scoring system for predicting stone-free rate following retrograde intrarenal surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Yinglong; Li, Deng; Chen, Lei; Xu, Yaoting; Zhang, Dingguo; Shao, Yi; Lu, Jun

2017-11-21

To establish and internally validate an innovative R.I.R.S. scoring system that allows urologists to preoperatively estimate the stone-free rate (SFR) after retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS). This study included 382 eligible samples from a total 573 patients who underwent RIRS from January 2014 to December 2016. Four reproducible factors in the R.I.R.S. scoring system, including renal stone density, inferior pole stone, renal infundibular length and stone burden, were measured based on preoperative computed tomography of urography to evaluate the possibility of stone clearance after RIRS. The median cumulative diameter of the stones was 14 mm, and the interquartile range was 10 to 21. The SFR on postoperative day 1 in the present cohort was 61.5% (235 of 382), and the final SFR after 1 month was 73.6% (281 of 382). We established an innovative scoring system to evaluate SFR after RIRS using four preoperative characteristics. The range of the R.I.R.S. scoring system was 4 to 10. The overall score showed a great significance of stone-free status (p R.I.R.S. scoring system was 0.904. The R.I.R.S. scoring system is associated with SFR after RIRS. This innovative scoring system can preoperatively assess treatment success after intrarenal surgery and can be used for preoperative surgical arrangement and comparisons of outcomes among different centers and within a center over time.

Enterovirus 71 antagonizes the antiviral activity of host STAT3 and IL-6R with partial dependence on virus-induced miR-124.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Zhangmei; Wang, Yan; Bian, Liang; Liu, Qingqing; Long, Jian-Er

2017-12-01

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) has caused major outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease. EV71 infections increase the production of many host cytokines and pro-inflammatory factors, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and COX-2. Some of these molecules could stimulate the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which plays a key role in regulating host immune responses and several viral diseases. However, the role of STAT3 in EV71 infection remains unknown. This study found that the phosphorylation levels of STAT3 (p Y705 -STAT3) are closely related to EV71 infection. Further experiments revealed that STAT3 exerts an anti-EV71 activity. However, the antiviral activity of STAT3 is partially antagonized by EV71-induced miR-124, which directly targets STAT3 mRNA. Similarly, IL-6R, the α-subunit of the IL-6 receptor complex, exhibits anti-EV71 activity and is directly targeted by the virus-induced miR-124. These results indicate that EV71 can evade host IL-6R- and STAT3-mediated antiviral activities by EV71-induced miR-124. This suggests that controlling miR-124 and the downstream targets, IL-6R and STAT3, might benefit the antiviral treatment of EV71 infection.

The IL23R R381Q gene variant protects against immune-mediated diseases by impairing IL-23-induced Th17 effector response in humans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paola Di Meglio

2011-02-01

Full Text Available IL-23 and Th17 cells are key players in tissue immunosurveillance and are implicated in human immune-mediated diseases. Genome-wide association studies have shown that the IL23R R381Q gene variant protects against psoriasis, Crohn's disease and ankylosing spondylitis. We investigated the immunological consequences of the protective IL23R R381Q gene variant in healthy donors. The IL23R R381Q gene variant had no major effect on Th17 cell differentiation as the frequency of circulating Th17 cells was similar in carriers of the IL23R protective (A and common (G allele. Accordingly, Th17 cells generated from A and G donors produced similar amounts of Th17 cytokines. However, IL-23-mediated Th17 cell effector function was impaired, as Th17 cells from A allele carriers had significantly reduced IL-23-induced IL-17A production and STAT3 phosphorylation compared to G allele carriers. Our functional analysis of a human disease-associated gene variant demonstrates that IL23R R381Q exerts its protective effects through selective attenuation of IL-23-induced Th17 cell effector function without interfering with Th17 differentiation, and highlights its importance in the protection against IL-23-induced tissue pathologies.

The IL23R R381Q gene variant protects against immune-mediated diseases by impairing IL-23-induced Th17 effector response in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Meglio, Paola; Di Cesare, Antonella; Laggner, Ute; Chu, Chung-Ching; Napolitano, Luca; Villanova, Federica; Tosi, Isabella; Capon, Francesca; Trembath, Richard C; Peris, Ketty; Nestle, Frank O

2011-02-22

IL-23 and Th17 cells are key players in tissue immunosurveillance and are implicated in human immune-mediated diseases. Genome-wide association studies have shown that the IL23R R381Q gene variant protects against psoriasis, Crohn's disease and ankylosing spondylitis. We investigated the immunological consequences of the protective IL23R R381Q gene variant in healthy donors. The IL23R R381Q gene variant had no major effect on Th17 cell differentiation as the frequency of circulating Th17 cells was similar in carriers of the IL23R protective (A) and common (G) allele. Accordingly, Th17 cells generated from A and G donors produced similar amounts of Th17 cytokines. However, IL-23-mediated Th17 cell effector function was impaired, as Th17 cells from A allele carriers had significantly reduced IL-23-induced IL-17A production and STAT3 phosphorylation compared to G allele carriers. Our functional analysis of a human disease-associated gene variant demonstrates that IL23R R381Q exerts its protective effects through selective attenuation of IL-23-induced Th17 cell effector function without interfering with Th17 differentiation, and highlights its importance in the protection against IL-23-induced tissue pathologies.

miR-339-5p inhibits alcohol-induced brain inflammation through regulating NF-κB pathway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yu; Wei, Guangkuan; Di, Zhiyong; Zhao, Qingjie

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Alcohol upregulates miR-339-5p expression. • miR-339-5p inhibits the NF-kB pathway. • miR-339-5p interacts with and blocks activity of IKK-beat and IKK-epsilon. • miR-339-5p modulates IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. - Abstract: Alcohol-induced neuroinflammation is mediated by the innate immunesystem. Pro-inflammatory responses to alcohol are modulated by miRNAs. The miRNA miR-339-5p has previously been found to be upregulated in alcohol-induced neuroinflammation. However, little has been elucidated on the regulatory functions of this miRNA in alcohol-induced neuroinflammation. We investigated the function of miR-339-5p in alcohol exposed brain tissue and isolated microglial cells using ex vivo and in vitro techniques. Our results show that alcohol induces transcription of miR 339-5p, IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α in mouse brain tissue and isolated microglial cells by activating NF-κB. Alcohol activation of NF-κB allows for nuclear translocation of the NF-κB subunit p65 and expression of pro-inflammatory mediators. miR-339-5p inhibited expression of these pro-inflammatory factors through the NF-κB pathway by abolishing IKK-β and IKK-ε activity

miR-339-5p inhibits alcohol-induced brain inflammation through regulating NF-κB pathway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yu [Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated School of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001 (China); Wei, Guangkuan [Department of Neurology, Heilongjiang Provincial Hospital, Harbin 150036 (China); Di, Zhiyong [Department of Laboratory, Heilongjiang Provincial Hospital, Harbin 150036 (China); Zhao, Qingjie, E-mail: zhaoqingjie2013@163.com [Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated School of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001 (China)

2014-09-26

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Alcohol upregulates miR-339-5p expression. • miR-339-5p inhibits the NF-kB pathway. • miR-339-5p interacts with and blocks activity of IKK-beat and IKK-epsilon. • miR-339-5p modulates IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. - Abstract: Alcohol-induced neuroinflammation is mediated by the innate immunesystem. Pro-inflammatory responses to alcohol are modulated by miRNAs. The miRNA miR-339-5p has previously been found to be upregulated in alcohol-induced neuroinflammation. However, little has been elucidated on the regulatory functions of this miRNA in alcohol-induced neuroinflammation. We investigated the function of miR-339-5p in alcohol exposed brain tissue and isolated microglial cells using ex vivo and in vitro techniques. Our results show that alcohol induces transcription of miR 339-5p, IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α in mouse brain tissue and isolated microglial cells by activating NF-κB. Alcohol activation of NF-κB allows for nuclear translocation of the NF-κB subunit p65 and expression of pro-inflammatory mediators. miR-339-5p inhibited expression of these pro-inflammatory factors through the NF-κB pathway by abolishing IKK-β and IKK-ε activity.

Role of Acetyl Salicylic Acid in Controlling the DOCA-Salt Induced Hypertension in Rats by Stimulating the Synthesis of r-Cortexin in the Kidney.

Science.gov (United States)

Maji, Uttam Kumar; Jana, Pradipta; Chatterjee, Mitali; Karmakar, Sanmay; Saha, Arup; Ghosh, Tamal Kanti

2018-03-01

Hypertension is a metabolic disease which is caused by vasoconstriction and that results into elevated blood pressure. A chronic hypertensive condition affects and even damages to various systems in the body. Presence of renal cortexin (r-cortexin), an antihypertensive protein, which is released from the kidney cortex controls the blood pressure. The effect of r-cortexin was mediated through nitric oxide (NO), a universal vasodilating agent. In our study, acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin), a well-known activator of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) induced r-cortexin synthesis. The hypertensive rat model was prepared by injecting deoxy corticosterone acetate (DOCA). Synthesis of r-cortexin was measured by the anti-r-cortexin antibody which was raised in adult white Wister albino rat model. NO level was determined by using methemoglobin method and later confirmed by chemiluminescence method. Change in blood pressure was determined indirectly by using NIBP monitoring system. Aspirin increased the r-cortexin expression from 64.36 ± 12.6 nM to 216.7 ± 21.31 nM in DOCA induced hypertensive rats. The mechanism was proved with the findings of increased level of NO from 0.4 to 1.9 µM. The DOCA induced blood pressure was also decreased from 139.39 ± 7.36 mm of Hg to 116.57 ± 6.89 mm of Hg in case of systolic blood pressure and in case of diastolic pressure from 110.41 ± 7 mm of Hg to 86.4 ± 2.76 mm of Hg that are quite approximate. So, from this study it has been found that aspirin induces the r-cortexin synthesis in kidney cortex through the activation of eNOS in DOCA induced hypertensive rats.

Modeling high-intensity pulsed electric field inactivation of a lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens.

Science.gov (United States)

Soliva-Fortuny, R; Bendicho-Porta, S; Martín-Belloso, O

2006-11-01

The inactivation kinetics of a lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens (EC 3.1.1.3.) were studied in a simulated skim milk ultrafiltrate treated with high-intensity pulsed electric fields. Samples were subjected to electric field intensities ranging from 16.4 to 27.4 kV/cm for up to 314.5 micros, thus achieving a maximum inactivation of 62.1%. The suitability of describing experimental data using mechanistic first-order kinetics and an empirical model based on the Weibull distribution function is discussed. In addition, different mathematical expressions relating the residual activity values to field strength and treatment time are supplied. A first-order fractional conversion model predicted residual activity with good accuracy (A(f) = 1.018). A mechanistic insight of the model kinetics was that experimental values were the consequence of different structural organizations of the enzyme, with uneven resistance to the pulsed electric field treatments. The Weibull model was also useful in predicting the energy density necessary to achieve lipase inactivation.

Expression, Purification, Crystallization and Preliminary X-ray Analysis of Pseudomonas fluorescens AlgK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keiski,C.; Yip, P.; Robinson, H.; Burrows, L.; Howell, P.

2007-01-01

AlgK is an outer-membrane lipoprotein involved in the biosynthesis of alginate in Pseudomonads and Azotobacter vinelandii. A recombinant form of Pseudomonas fluorescens AlgK with a C-terminal polyhistidine affinity tag has been expressed and purified from the periplasm of Escherichia coli cells and diffraction-quality crystals of AlgK have been grown using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals grow as flat plates with unit-cell parameters a = 79.09, b = 107.85, c = 119.15 {angstrom}, = 96.97{sup o}. The crystals exhibit the symmetry of space group P2{sub 1} and diffract to a minimum d-spacing of 2.5 {angstrom} at Station X29 of the National Synchrotron Light Source, Brookhaven National Laboratory. On the basis of the Matthews coefficient (V{sub M} = 2.53 {angstrom}{sup 3} Da{sup -1}), four protein molecules are estimated to be present in the asymmetric unit.

Mitigation of arsenic-induced acquired cancer phenotype in prostate cancer stem cells by miR-143 restoration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ngalame, Ntube N.O., E-mail: ngalamenn@niehs.nih.gov; Makia, Ngome L., E-mail: makianl@niehs.nih.gov; Waalkes, Michael P., E-mail: waalkes@niehs.nih.gov; Tokar, Erik J., E-mail: tokare@mail.nih.gov

2016-12-01

Inorganic arsenic, an environmental contaminant and a human carcinogen is associated with prostate cancer. Emerging evidence suggests that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the driving force of carcinogenesis. Chronic arsenic exposure malignantly transforms the human normal prostate stem/progenitor cell (SC) line, WPE-stem to arsenic-cancer SCs (As-CSCs), through unknown mechanisms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. In prior work, miR-143 was markedly downregulated in As-CSCs, suggesting a role in arsenic-induced malignant transformation. In the present study, we investigated whether loss of miR-143 expression is important in arsenic-induced transformation of prostate SCs. Restoration of miR-143 in As-CSCs was achieved by lentivirus-mediated miR-143 overexpression. Cells were assessed bi-weekly for up to 30 weeks to examine mitigation of cancer phenotype. Secreted matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity was increased by arsenic-induced malignant transformation, but miR-143 restoration decreased secreted MMP-2 and MMP-9 enzyme activities compared with scramble controls. Increased cell proliferation and apoptotic resistance, two hallmarks of cancer, were decreased upon miR-143 restoration. Increased apoptosis was associated with decreased BCL2 and BCL-XL expression. miR-143 restoration dysregulated the expression of SC/CSC self-renewal genes including NOTCH-1, BMI-1, OCT4 and ABCG2. The anticancer effects of miR-143 overexpression appeared to be mediated by targeting and inhibiting LIMK1 protein, and the phosphorylation of cofilin, a LIMK1 substrate. These findings clearly show that miR-143 restoration mitigated multiple cancer characteristics in the As-CSCs, suggesting a potential role in arsenic-induced transformation of prostate SCs. Thus, miR-143 is a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for arsenic-induced prostate cancer. - Highlights: • Chronic arsenic exposure

Mitigation of arsenic-induced acquired cancer phenotype in prostate cancer stem cells by miR-143 restoration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ngalame, Ntube N.O.; Makia, Ngome L.; Waalkes, Michael P.; Tokar, Erik J.

2016-01-01

Inorganic arsenic, an environmental contaminant and a human carcinogen is associated with prostate cancer. Emerging evidence suggests that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the driving force of carcinogenesis. Chronic arsenic exposure malignantly transforms the human normal prostate stem/progenitor cell (SC) line, WPE-stem to arsenic-cancer SCs (As-CSCs), through unknown mechanisms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. In prior work, miR-143 was markedly downregulated in As-CSCs, suggesting a role in arsenic-induced malignant transformation. In the present study, we investigated whether loss of miR-143 expression is important in arsenic-induced transformation of prostate SCs. Restoration of miR-143 in As-CSCs was achieved by lentivirus-mediated miR-143 overexpression. Cells were assessed bi-weekly for up to 30 weeks to examine mitigation of cancer phenotype. Secreted matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity was increased by arsenic-induced malignant transformation, but miR-143 restoration decreased secreted MMP-2 and MMP-9 enzyme activities compared with scramble controls. Increased cell proliferation and apoptotic resistance, two hallmarks of cancer, were decreased upon miR-143 restoration. Increased apoptosis was associated with decreased BCL2 and BCL-XL expression. miR-143 restoration dysregulated the expression of SC/CSC self-renewal genes including NOTCH-1, BMI-1, OCT4 and ABCG2. The anticancer effects of miR-143 overexpression appeared to be mediated by targeting and inhibiting LIMK1 protein, and the phosphorylation of cofilin, a LIMK1 substrate. These findings clearly show that miR-143 restoration mitigated multiple cancer characteristics in the As-CSCs, suggesting a potential role in arsenic-induced transformation of prostate SCs. Thus, miR-143 is a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for arsenic-induced prostate cancer. - Highlights: • Chronic arsenic exposure

Dynamic cross-talk analysis among TNF-R, TLR-4 and IL-1R signalings in TNFα-induced inflammatory responses

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Chuang Yung-Jen

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Development in systems biology research has accelerated in recent years, and the reconstructions for molecular networks can provide a global view to enable in-depth investigation on numerous system properties in biology. However, we still lack a systematic approach to reconstruct the dynamic protein-protein association networks at different time stages from high-throughput data to further analyze the possible cross-talks among different signaling/regulatory pathways. Methods In this study we integrated protein-protein interactions from different databases to construct the rough protein-protein association networks (PPANs during TNFα-induced inflammation. Next, the gene expression profiles of TNFα-induced HUVEC and a stochastic dynamic model were used to rebuild the significant PPANs at different time stages, reflecting the development and progression of endothelium inflammatory responses. A new cross-talk ranking method was used to evaluate the potential core elements in the related signaling pathways of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4 as well as receptors for tumor necrosis factor (TNF-R and interleukin-1 (IL-1R. Results The highly ranked cross-talks which are functionally relevant to the TNFα pathway were identified. A bow-tie structure was extracted from these cross-talk pathways, suggesting the robustness of network structure, the coordination of signal transduction and feedback control for efficient inflammatory responses to different stimuli. Further, several characteristics of signal transduction and feedback control were analyzed. Conclusions A systematic approach based on a stochastic dynamic model is proposed to generate insight into the underlying defense mechanisms of inflammation via the construction of corresponding signaling networks upon specific stimuli. In addition, this systematic approach can be applied to other signaling networks under different conditions in different species. The algorithm and method

Characterisation of the thermostable protease AprX in strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens and impact on the shelf-life of dairy products: preliminary results

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Nadia Andrea Andreani

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Bacterial proteases are involved in food spoilage and shelf-life reduction. Among the bacterial proteases, a predominant role in spoilage of dairy products seems to be played by the thermostable metallo-protease AprX, which is produced by various strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens. Differences in AprX enzyme activity among different strains were highlighted, but the most proteolytic strains were not identified. In this study, the presence of the aprX gene was evaluated in 69 strains isolated from food matrices and 18 reference strains belonging to the P. fluorescens group, which had been previously typed by the multi locus sequence typing method. Subsequently, a subset of reference strains was inoculated in ultra-high temperature milk, and the expression of the aprX gene was evaluated at 22 and 6°C. On the same milk samples, the proteolytic activity was then evaluated through Azocasein and trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid solution assays. Finally, to assess the applicability of the former assay directly on dairy products the proteolityc activity was tested on industrial ricotta samples using the Azocasein assay. These results demonstrate the spread of aprX gene in most strains tested and the applicability of Azocasein assay to monitor the proteolytic activity in dairy products.

Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525 Containing an Artificial Oxalate Operon and Vitreoscilla Hemoglobin Secretes Oxalic Acid and Solubilizes Rock Phosphate in Acidic Alfisols

OpenAIRE

Yadav, Kavita; Kumar, Chanchal; Archana, G.; Naresh Kumar, G.

2014-01-01

Oxalate secretion was achieved in Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC 13525 by incorporation of genes encoding Aspergillus niger oxaloacetate acetyl hydrolase (oah), Fomitopsis plaustris oxalate transporter (FpOAR) and Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (vgb) in various combinations. Pf (pKCN2) transformant containing oah alone accumulated 19 mM oxalic acid intracellularly but secreted 1.2 mM. However, in the presence of an artificial oxalate operon containing oah and FpOAR genes in plasmid pKCN4, Pf (pKCN4) s...

Salicylic acid degradation from aqueous solutions using Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44: parameters studies and application tools Degradação de ácido salicílico presente em soluções sintéticas utilizando Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatyane R. Silva

2007-03-01

Full Text Available The optimal conditions for salicylic acid biodegradation by Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 were determined in this study with the intention to create a microbial sensor. Kinetic experiments permitted a definition of 60 and 30min the time needed to achieve the maximum degradation of salicylic acid presented in a medium with and without yeast extract, respectively. The degradation in medium without yeast extract and the quantification by spectrophotometry 230 nm were selected to be used in further tests. The use of preactivated cells or on the exponential growth phase showed better salicylic acid degradation percentages when compared to nonactivated cells or on the stationary growth state. Finally, the best cellular concentration used on the salicylic acid degradation was 0,1 g.L-1. Strain HK44 shows to be capable of degrade salicylic acid presented in simple aqueous systems, making this strain a promising tool for the application on a luminescent microbial sensor.Com a intenção de criar um sensor microbiano, as condições ótimas para a biodegradação de ácido salicílico por Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 foram determinadas neste estudo. Os experimentos cinéticos permitiram a definição dos tempos de 60 e 30 minutos como necessários para atingir a máxima degradação de ácido salicílico presente em meio com ou sem extrato de lêvedo, respectivamente. A degradação no meio sem extrato de lêvedo e a quantificação através de espectrofotometria 230 nm foram selecionadas para serem utilizadas em testes posteriores. O uso de células pré-ativadas ou na fase exponencial de crescimento apresentou melhores porcentagens de degradação de ácido salicílico quando comparadas a células não-ativadas ou no estado estacionário de crescimento. Além disso, a melhor concentração celular utilizada nessa degradação foi 0,1 g.L¹. A cepa HK44 parece ser capaz de degradar o ácido salicílico presente em sistemas aquosos simples, tornando este

Thermodynamic comparision of R744/R600a and R744/R600 used in mid-high temperature heat pump system

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Fan Xiao-Wei

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The mid-high temperature heat pump provides hot water at a relatively high temperature using some industrial waste heat as its source. Now, the main refrigerants in this application are CFC114, HCFC123, and HCFC142b, etc., which are scheduled to be phased out due to their high ozone depletion potential and global warmth potential. Some studies have been conducted to find an eco-friendly alternative. In this paper, the natural non-azeotropic mixtures R744/R600a and R744/R600 are analyzed as alternatives. The performance of the heat pump system using new mixture is discussed and compared with those with CFC114, HCFC123, and HCFC142b. Under the given operating conditions, the maximum heating COP should occur at the mass fractions of 18/82 for R744/R600a and 10/90 for R744/R600. Both of their COP are higher than those with the refrigerants of CFC114, HCFC123, and HCFC142b. The COP and volumetric heating capacity of the system with R744/R600a are superior to those with R744/R600.

Control of Warm Compression Stations Using Model Predictive Control: Simulation and Experimental Results

Science.gov (United States)

Bonne, F.; Alamir, M.; Bonnay, P.

2017-02-01

This paper deals with multivariable constrained model predictive control for Warm Compression Stations (WCS). WCSs are subject to numerous constraints (limits on pressures, actuators) that need to be satisfied using appropriate algorithms. The strategy is to replace all the PID loops controlling the WCS with an optimally designed model-based multivariable loop. This new strategy leads to high stability and fast disturbance rejection such as those induced by a turbine or a compressor stop, a key-aspect in the case of large scale cryogenic refrigeration. The proposed control scheme can be used to achieve precise control of pressures in normal operation or to avoid reaching stopping criteria (such as excessive pressures) under high disturbances (such as a pulsed heat load expected to take place in future fusion reactors, expected in the cryogenic cooling systems of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor ITER or the Japan Torus-60 Super Advanced fusion experiment JT-60SA). The paper details the simulator used to validate this new control scheme and the associated simulation results on the SBTs WCS. This work is partially supported through the French National Research Agency (ANR), task agreement ANR-13-SEED-0005.

CRF1-R activation of the dynorphin/kappa opioid system in the mouse basolateral amygdala mediates anxiety-like behavior.

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Michael R Bruchas

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Stress is a complex human experience and having both rewarding and aversive motivational properties. The adverse effects of stress are well documented, yet many of underlying mechanisms remain unclear and controversial. Here we report that the anxiogenic properties of stress are encoded by the endogenous opioid peptide dynorphin acting in the basolateral amygdala. Using pharmacological and genetic approaches, we found that the anxiogenic-like effects of Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF were triggered by CRF(1-R activation of the dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor (KOR system. Central CRF administration significantly reduced the percent open-arm time in the elevated plus maze (EPM. The reduction in open-arm time was blocked by pretreatment with the KOR antagonist norbinaltorphimine (norBNI, and was not evident in mice lacking the endogenous KOR ligand dynorphin. The CRF(1-R agonist stressin 1 also significantly reduced open-arm time in the EPM, and this decrease was blocked by norBNI. In contrast, the selective CRF(2-R agonist urocortin III did not affect open arm time, and mice lacking CRF(2-R still showed an increase in anxiety-like behavior in response to CRF injection. However, CRF(2-R knockout animals did not develop CRF conditioned place aversion, suggesting that CRF(1-R activation may mediate anxiety and CRF(2-R may encode aversion. Using a phosphoselective antibody (KORp to identify sites of dynorphin action, we found that CRF increased KORp-immunoreactivity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA of wildtype, but not in mice pretreated with the selective CRF(1-R antagonist, antalarmin. Consistent with the concept that acute stress or CRF injection-induced anxiety was mediated by dynorphin release in the BLA, local injection of norBNI blocked the stress or CRF-induced increase in anxiety-like behavior; whereas norBNI injection in a nearby thalamic nucleus did not. The intersection of stress-induced CRF and the dynorphin/KOR system in the BLA was

Enhanced extracellular chitinase production in Pseudomonas fluorescens: biotechnological implications

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Azhar Alhasawi

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Chitin is an important renewable biomass of immense commercial interest. The processing of this biopolymer into value-added products in an environmentally-friendly manner necessitates its conversion into N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG, a reaction mediated by the enzyme chitinase. Here we report on the ability of the soil microbe Pseudomonas fluorescens to secrete copious amounts of chitinase in the spent fluid when cultured in mineral medium with chitin as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. Although chitinase was detected in various cellular fractions, the enzyme was predominantly localized in the extracellular component that was also rich in NAG and glucosamine. Maximal amounts of chitinase with a specific activity of 80 µmol NAG produced mg–1 protein min–1 was obtained at pH 8 after 6 days of growth in medium with 0.5 g of chitin. In-gel activity assays and Western blot studies revealed three isoenzymes. The enzyme had an optimal activity at pH 10 and a temperature range of 22–38 ℃. It was stable for up to 3 months. Although it showed optimal specificity toward chitin, the enzyme did readily degrade shrimp shells. When these shells (0.1 g were treated with the extracellular chitinase preparation, NAG [3 mmoles (0.003 g-mol] was generated in 6 h. The extracellular nature of the enzyme coupled with its physico-chemical properties make this chitinase an excellent candidate for biotechnological applications.

Development of an anhydrotetracycline-inducible gene expression system for solvent-producing Clostridium acetobutylicum: A useful tool for strain engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Hongjun; Tao, Wenwen; Zhang, Yanping; Li, Yin

2012-01-01

Clostridium acetobutylicum is an important solvent (acetone-butanol-ethanol) producing bacterium. However, a stringent, effective, and convenient-to-use inducible gene expression system that can be used for regulating the gene expression strength in C. acetobutylicum is currently not available. Here, we report an anhydrotetracycline-inducible gene expression system for solvent-producing bacterium C. acetobutylicum. This system consists of a functional chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene promoter containing tet operators (tetO), Pthl promoter (thiolase gene promoter from C. acetobutylicum) controlling TetR repressor expression cassette, and the chemical inducer anhydrotetracycline (aTc). The optimized system, designated as pGusA2-2tetO1, allows gene regulation in an inducer aTc concentration-dependent way, with an inducibility of over two orders of magnitude. The stringency of TetR repression supports the introduction of the genes encoding counterselective marker into C. acetobutylicum, which can be used to increase the mutant screening efficiency. This aTc-inducible gene expression system will thus increase the genetic manipulation capability for engineering C. acetobutylicum. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Polymorphism of a lipid extract from Pseudomonas fluorescens: Structure analysis of a hexagonal phase and of a novel cubic phase of extinction symbol Fd--

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mariani, P.; Rivas, E.; Delacroix, H.; Luzzati, V.

1990-01-01

The phase diagram of the Pseudomonas fluorescens lipid extract is unusual, in the sense that it displays a cubic phase straddled by a hexagonal phase. The hexagonal phase was studied over an extended concentration range, and the reflections were phased on the assumption that the structure contains circular cylinders of known radius. The cubic phase, whose extinction symbol is Fd--, was analyzed by reference to space group No. 227 (Fd3m). The phases of the reflections were determined by using a novel pattern recognition approach, based upon the notion that the average fourth power of the electron density contrast 4 > is dependent on chemical composition but not on physical structure, provided that the function Δr(r) satisfies the constraints = 0 and 2 > = 1. The authors analyzed two cubic samples of different composition: for each of them they generated all the phase combinations compatible with the X-ray scattering data and they searched for those whose 4 > best agrees with the hexagonal phase. They concluded that the chemical composition of the phases being compared must be identical, that the X-ray scattering data should not be truncated artificially, and that the apodization must be mild so that the curvature takes a value intermediate between those corresponding to the raw data of the two phases. The structure may be visualized as a 3D generalization of the lipid monolayer. The structure, moreover, does not belong to the class of the infinite periodic surfaces without intersections

miR-217 regulates ethanol-induced hepatic inflammation by disrupting sirtuin 1-lipin-1 signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Huquan; Liang, Xiaomei; Jogasuria, Alvin; Davidson, Nicholas O; You, Min

2015-05-01

Ethanol-mediated injury, combined with gut-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS), provokes generation of proinflammatory cytokines in Kupffer cells, causing hepatic inflammation. Among the mediators of these effects, miR-217 aggravates ethanol-induced steatosis in hepatocytes. However, the role of miR-217 in ethanol-induced liver inflammation process is unknown. Here, we examined the role of miR-217 in the responses to ethanol, LPS, or a combination of ethanol and LPS in RAW 264.7 macrophages and in primary Kupffer cells. In macrophages, ethanol substantially exacerbated LPS-mediated induction of miR-217 and production of proinflammatory cytokines compared with LPS or ethanol alone. Consistently, ethanol administration to mice led to increases in miR-217 abundance and increased production of inflammatory cytokines in isolated primary Kupffer cells exposed to the combination of ethanol and LPS. miR-217 promoted combined ethanol and LPS-mediated inhibition of sirtuin 1 expression and activity in macrophages. Moreover, miR-217-mediated sirtuin 1 inhibition was accompanied by increased activities of two vital inflammatory regulators, NF-κB and the nuclear factor of activated T cells c4. Finally, adenovirus-mediated overexpression of miR-217 led to steatosis and inflammation in mice. These findings suggest that miR-217 is a pivotal regulator involved in ethanol-induced hepatic inflammation. Strategies to inhibit hepatic miR-217 could be a viable approach in attenuating alcoholic hepatitis. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

TNF-α-Induced microRNAs Control Dystrophin Expression in Becker Muscular Dystrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiorillo, Alyson A; Heier, Christopher R; Novak, James S; Tully, Christopher B; Brown, Kristy J; Uaesoontrachoon, Kitipong; Vila, Maria C; Ngheim, Peter P; Bello, Luca; Kornegay, Joe N; Angelini, Corrado; Partridge, Terence A; Nagaraju, Kanneboyina; Hoffman, Eric P

2015-09-08

The amount and distribution of dystrophin protein in myofibers and muscle is highly variable in Becker muscular dystrophy and in exon-skipping trials for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Here, we investigate a molecular basis for this variability. In muscle from Becker patients sharing the same exon 45-47 in-frame deletion, dystrophin levels negatively correlate with microRNAs predicted to target dystrophin. Seven microRNAs inhibit dystrophin expression in vitro, and three are validated in vivo (miR-146b/miR-374a/miR-31). microRNAs are expressed in dystrophic myofibers and increase with age and disease severity. In exon-skipping-treated mdx mice, microRNAs are significantly higher in muscles with low dystrophin rescue. TNF-α increases microRNA levels in vitro whereas NFκB inhibition blocks this in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, these data show that microRNAs contribute to variable dystrophin levels in muscular dystrophy. Our findings suggest a model where chronic inflammation in distinct microenvironments induces pathological microRNAs, initiating a self-sustaining feedback loop that exacerbates disease progression. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

TNF-α-Induced microRNAs Control Dystrophin Expression in Becker Muscular Dystrophy

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Alyson A. Fiorillo

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The amount and distribution of dystrophin protein in myofibers and muscle is highly variable in Becker muscular dystrophy and in exon-skipping trials for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Here, we investigate a molecular basis for this variability. In muscle from Becker patients sharing the same exon 45–47 in-frame deletion, dystrophin levels negatively correlate with microRNAs predicted to target dystrophin. Seven microRNAs inhibit dystrophin expression in vitro, and three are validated in vivo (miR-146b/miR-374a/miR-31. microRNAs are expressed in dystrophic myofibers and increase with age and disease severity. In exon-skipping-treated mdx mice, microRNAs are significantly higher in muscles with low dystrophin rescue. TNF-α increases microRNA levels in vitro whereas NFκB inhibition blocks this in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, these data show that microRNAs contribute to variable dystrophin levels in muscular dystrophy. Our findings suggest a model where chronic inflammation in distinct microenvironments induces pathological microRNAs, initiating a self-sustaining feedback loop that exacerbates disease progression.

Nunamycin and Nunapeptin: Two novel cyclic peptides are key components of the antimicrobial activity of the Greenlandic isolate Pseudomonas fluorescens In5

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hennessy, Rosanna Catherine; Phippen, Christopher; Nielsen, Kristian F.

Pseudomonas spp. are a rich source of secondary metabolites including bioactive non-ribosomal peptides (NRPs) and polyketides. NRPs are synthesised in large assembly lines by multi-domain modular enzymes known as NRP-synthetases (NRPS). Nunamycin and nunapeptin are two cyclic NRPs synthesised...... by the Greenlandic isolate P. fluorescens In5. Nunamycin shows antifungal activity against the basidiomycete Rhizoctonia solani whereas the only partially structure elucidated nunapeptin appears most active against the ascomycete Fusarium graminearum and the oomycete Pythium aphanidermatum. Originally isolated from...

MAXIMUM r-REGULAR INDUCED SUBGRAPH PROBLEM: FAST EXPONENTIAL ALGORITHMS AND COMBINATORIAL BOUNDS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gupta, S.; Raman, V.; Saurabh, S.

2012-01-01

We show that for a fixed r, the number of maximal r-regular induced subgraphs in any graph with n vertices is upper bounded by O(c(n)), where c is a positive constant strictly less than 2. This bound generalizes the well-known result of Moon and Moser, who showed an upper bound of 3(n/3) on the n...

R and D contract management systems in the USA (Attachment); Beikoku ni okeru R and D contract kanri system (tenpu shiryohen)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-02-01

Presented herein is the attachment for 'R and D contract management systems in the USA'. The major contents include regulations governing the R and D contracts, procedures for the R and D contracts, financial procedures for the R and D contracts, procedures for the alternative R and D contracts, financial management of the R and D contracts, and activities for the management of the contract processes by electronic systems. (NEDO)

Rosen's (M,R) system in process algebra.

Science.gov (United States)

Gatherer, Derek; Galpin, Vashti

2013-11-17

Robert Rosen's Metabolism-Replacement, or (M,R), system can be represented as a compact network structure with a single source and three products derived from that source in three consecutive reactions. (M,R) has been claimed to be non-reducible to its components and algorithmically non-computable, in the sense of not being evaluable as a function by a Turing machine. If (M,R)-like structures are present in real biological networks, this suggests that many biological networks will be non-computable, with implications for those branches of systems biology that rely on in silico modelling for predictive purposes. We instantiate (M,R) using the process algebra Bio-PEPA, and discuss the extent to which our model represents a true realization of (M,R). We observe that under some starting conditions and parameter values, stable states can be achieved. Although formal demonstration of algorithmic computability remains elusive for (M,R), we discuss the extent to which our Bio-PEPA representation of (M,R) allows us to sidestep Rosen's fundamental objections to computational systems biology. We argue that the behaviour of (M,R) in Bio-PEPA shows life-like properties.

miR-217 Regulates Ethanol-Induced Hepatic Inflammation by Disrupting Sirtuin 1–Lipin-1 Signaling

OpenAIRE

Yin, Huquan; Liang, Xiaomei; Jogasuria, Alvin; Davidson, Nicholas O.; You, Min

2015-01-01

Ethanol-mediated injury, combined with gut-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS), provokes generation of proinflammatory cytokines in Kupffer cells, causing hepatic inflammation. Among the mediators of these effects, miR-217 aggravates ethanol-induced steatosis in hepatocytes. However, the role of miR-217 in ethanol-induced liver inflammation process is unknown. Here, we examined the role of miR-217 in the responses to ethanol, LPS, or a combination of ethanol and LPS in RAW 264.7 macrophages and ...

R and D contract management systems in the USA (Attachment); Beikoku ni okeru R and D contract kanri system (tenpu shiryohen)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-02-01

Presented herein is the attachment for 'R and D contract management systems in the USA'. The major contents include regulations governing the R and D contracts, procedures for the R and D contracts, financial procedures for the R and D contracts, procedures for the alternative R and D contracts, financial management of the R and D contracts, and activities for the management of the contract processes by electronic systems. (NEDO)

Portland cement induces human periodontal ligament cells to differentiate by upregulating miR-146a

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min-Ching Wang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background/Purpose: Bioaggregates such as Portland cement (PC can be an economical alternative for mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA with additional benefit of less discoloration. MTA has been known to induce differentiations of several dental cells. MicroRNAs are important regulators of biological processes, including differentiation, physiologic homeostasis, and disease progression. This study is to explore how PC enhances the differentiation of periodontal ligament (PDL cells in microRNAs level. Methods: PDL cells were cultured in a regular PC- or MTA-conditioned medium or an osteoinduction medium (OIM. Alizarin red staining was used to evaluate the extent of mineralization. Transfection of microRNA mimics induced exogenous miR-31 and miR-146a expression. The expression of microRNAs and differentiation markers was assayed using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Results: PC enhanced the mineralization of PDL cells in a dose-dependent manner in the OIM. Exogenous miR-31 and miR-146a expression upregulated alkaline phosphatase (ALP, bone morphogenic protein (BMP, and dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1 expression. However, miR-31 and miR-146a modulates cementum protein 1 (CEMP1 expression in different ways. PC also enhanced ALP and BMP but attenuated CEMP1 in the OIM. Although the OIM or PC treatment upregulated miR-21, miR-29b, and miR-146a, only miR-146a was able to be induced by PC in combination with OIM. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that PC enhances the differentiation of PDL cells, especially osteogenic through miR-146a upregulation. In order to control the ankylosis after regenerative endodontics with the usage of bioaggregates, further investigations to explore these differentiation mechanisms in the miRNA level may be needed. Keywords: Portland cement, Bioaggregate, miR-146a, Osteogenic differentiation, Periodontal ligament (PDL

INOCULACIÓN AL SUELO CON Pseudomonas fluorescens, Azospirillum oryzae, Bacillus subtilis Y MICROORGANISMOS DE MONTAÑA (MM Y SU EFECTO SOBRE UN SISTEMA DE ROTACIÓN SOYA-TOMATE BAJO CONDICIONES DE INVERNADERO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leida Castro Barquero

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Se evaluó un sistema de rotación soya- tomate, con incorporación de biomasa verde y aplicación de inóculos microbianos individuales y en mezcla sobre el crecimiento de las plantas y propiedades edáficas; para ello se evaluaron en invernadero por 24 meses los siguientes 9 trata - mientos: solo tomate (T; rotación tomate-soya (TS; rotación tomate-soya con inoculaciones individuales de Azospirillum oryzae (A; de Pseudomonas fluorescens (P; de Bacillus sub - tilis (B; de microorganismos de montaña (MM; y las inoculaciones en mezcla de B. subtilis y P. fluorescens (BP; de B. subtilis, P. fluorescens y A. oryzae ( BPA; d e B. subtilis , P. fluorescens , Azospirillum sp. y MM (BPAMM. Se evalua - ron las variables físicas: densidad aparente y de partículas; conductividad hidráulica; poros totales; estabilidad de agregados; resistencia a la penetración (RP; las variables químicas: pH; conductividad eléctrica; contenido de N y C; relación C/N; contenido de nutrientes en suelos y foliares; las variables biológicas: respiración de suelos, unidades formadoras de colonias de hongos, bacterias y actinomicetos y el peso fres - co y seco foliar. Las variables físicas no fueron afectadas por los tratamientos, con excepción de RP, que fue mayor en el tratamiento T. Las varia - bles biológicas y químicas fueron sensibles a los tratamientos, con valores significativamente más altos en presencia de MM. Destaca el incremento del P en solución de suelo en tratamientos a los que se adicionó MM: pasó de 6 a 20 mg.l -1 ; esta condición se reflejó además en la cantidad de P en el tejido foliar al final del ensayo. Se determi - nó que el pH, CE y la respiración del suelo fueron afectados por la interacción entre los tratamientos aplicados y el tiempo transcurrido; los mayores valores se obtuvieron al final del ensayo y en los tratamientos con MM.

Feeding induced by cannabinoids is mediated independently of the melanocortin system.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Puspha Sinnayah

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Cannabinoids, the active components of marijuana, stimulate appetite, and cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1-R antagonists suppress appetite and promote weight loss. Little is known about how CB1-R antagonists affect the central neurocircuitry, specifically the melanocortin system that regulates energy balance.Here, we show that peripherally administered CB1-R antagonist (AM251 or agonist equally suppressed or stimulated feeding respectively in A(y , which lack a functional melanocortin system, and wildtype mice, demonstrating that cannabinoid effects on feeding do not require melanocortin circuitry. CB1-R antagonist or agonist administered into the ventral tegmental area (VTA equally suppressed or stimulated feeding respectively, in both genotypes. In addition, peripheral and central cannabinoid administration similarly induced c-Fos activation in brain sites suggesting mediation via motivational dopaminergic circuitry. Amperometry-detected increases in evoked dopamine (DA release by the CB1-R antagonist in nucleus accumbens slices indicates that AM251 modulates DA release from VTA terminals.Our results demonstrate that the effects of cannabinoids on energy balance are independent of hypothalamic melanocortin circuitry and is primarily driven by the reward system.

Exergy analysis of scroll compressors working with R22, R407C, and R417A as refrigerant for HVAC system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kalaiselvam Sivakumar

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The rise in crisis of power enthralls the world economically and the options for conventional and non-conventional energy resources have been searched out. No system exists in this world with 100% efficiency due to several irreversibility's. If the output obtained from the system is maximum for a given input, maximum amount of energy can be saved globally. To understand the thermodynamic losses occurring in the system and to predict the available energy that can be tapped from the system, exergy plays a major role. Experimental study on exergy in a system can pave the way to understand the complete behavior of the system exergually. Conceptually exergy studies are based on simulation, to provide a new dimension to the concept of exergy experimental validation have been promoted. The analogy of exergy analysis of three refrigerants working in scroll compressors and their exergual features are explained in this paper. The refrigerants R22, R417A, and R407C and their thermo dynamical behavior, irreversibility were experimented in an air conditioning system with three scroll compressors, interaction between the system and the refrigerant in terms of pressure drop and heat transfer, friction has been implemented for the calculation of exergy. The entire system performance on the basis of refrigerant is validated in each part of the air conditioning system. The resultant coefficient of performance of R407C is 2.41% less than R22 in a R22 designed scroll compressor with minimal exergy losses. The second law efficiency of 50 to 55% obtained in R22 has fewer rules over R407C and R417A which has 48 to 52%. The diminutive deviation of results encourages R417A refrigerant to be used as a substitute for R22. Thus the exergual prediction of performance of refrigerant and second law efficiency can identify the use of eco-friendly refrigerant in scroll compressor.

Heat Production by the Denitrifying Bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens and the Dissimilatory Ammonium-Producing Bacterium Pseudomonas putrefaciens during Anaerobic Growth with Nitrate as the Electron Acceptor

OpenAIRE

Samuelsson, M.-O.; Cadez, P.; Gustafsson, L.

1988-01-01

The heat production rate and the simultaneous nitrate consumption and production and consumption of nitrite and nitrous oxide were monitored during the anaerobic growth of two types of dissimilatory nitrate reducers. Pseudomonas fluorescens, a denitrifier, consumed nitrate and accumulated small amounts of nitrite or nitrous oxide. The heat production rate increased steadily during the course of nitrate consumption and decreased rapidly concomitant with the depletion of the electron acceptors....

Pit formation on stainless steel surfaces pre-treated with biosurfactants produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dagbert, Catherine; Meylheuc, Thierry; Bellon-Fontaine, Marie-Noelle

2008-01-01

Today, it is widely established that the surface tension of water can be reduced by some microorganisms capable of synthesizing surface-active compounds called biosurfactants (BS). BS characteristics depend on the microorganism that produces them and therefore, on the microorganism culture conditions. Some studies on chemical surfactants have shown that the adsorption of surface-active compounds plays a major role in corrosion; indeed they are used as a good corrosion inhibition tool. The purpose of this study was first, to estimate the importance and behavior of the stainless steels passive film on the adsorption of BS, produced by the Gram negative bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens, and secondly, to study the impact of these treatments on the pitting corrosion. In this paper, the galvanostatic polarization technique, used as accelerated method for determining the characteristic pit potentials on stainless steels, is examined. Pit growth, shape and cover formation were also observed. The surface topography of the corroded specimens was investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM)

Pit formation on stainless steel surfaces pre-treated with biosurfactants produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dagbert, Catherine [ECP-LGPM, Grande Voie des Vignes, 92295 Chatenay-Malabry (France)], E-mail: catherine.dagbert@ecp.fr; Meylheuc, Thierry; Bellon-Fontaine, Marie-Noelle [INRA, UMR 763 Bioadhesion et Hygiene des Materiaux, F-91300 Massy (France); AGROPARISTECH, UMR 763 Bioadhesion et Hygiene des Materiaux, F-91300 Massy (France)

2008-12-01

Today, it is widely established that the surface tension of water can be reduced by some microorganisms capable of synthesizing surface-active compounds called biosurfactants (BS). BS characteristics depend on the microorganism that produces them and therefore, on the microorganism culture conditions. Some studies on chemical surfactants have shown that the adsorption of surface-active compounds plays a major role in corrosion; indeed they are used as a good corrosion inhibition tool. The purpose of this study was first, to estimate the importance and behavior of the stainless steels passive film on the adsorption of BS, produced by the Gram negative bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens, and secondly, to study the impact of these treatments on the pitting corrosion. In this paper, the galvanostatic polarization technique, used as accelerated method for determining the characteristic pit potentials on stainless steels, is examined. Pit growth, shape and cover formation were also observed. The surface topography of the corroded specimens was investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM)

The coordinated roles of miR-26a and miR-30c in regulating TGFβ1-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in diabetic nephropathy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zheng, Zongji; Guan, Meiping; Jia, Yijie

2016-01-01

and miR-30c targeted connective tissue growth factor (CTGF); additionally, Snail family zinc finger 1 (Snail1), a potent epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) inducer, was targeted by miR-30c. Overexpression of miR-26a and miR-30c coordinately decreased CTGF protein levels and subsequently...

Genetic and epigenetic variations induced by wheat-rye 2R and 5R monosomic addition lines.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Shulan; Sun, Chuanfei; Yang, Manyu; Fei, Yunyan; Tan, Feiqun; Yan, Benju; Ren, Zhenglong; Tang, Zongxiang

2013-01-01

Monosomic alien addition lines (MAALs) can easily induce structural variation of chromosomes and have been used in crop breeding; however, it is unclear whether MAALs will induce drastic genetic and epigenetic alterations. In the present study, wheat-rye 2R and 5R MAALs together with their selfed progeny and parental common wheat were investigated through amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) analyses. The MAALs in different generations displayed different genetic variations. Some progeny that only contained 42 wheat chromosomes showed great genetic/epigenetic alterations. Cryptic rye chromatin has introgressed into the wheat genome. However, one of the progeny that contained cryptic rye chromatin did not display outstanding genetic/epigenetic variation. 78 and 49 sequences were cloned from changed AFLP and MSAP bands, respectively. Blastn search indicated that almost half of them showed no significant similarity to known sequences. Retrotransposons were mainly involved in genetic and epigenetic variations. Genetic variations basically affected Gypsy-like retrotransposons, whereas epigenetic alterations affected Copia-like and Gypsy-like retrotransposons equally. Genetic and epigenetic variations seldom affected low-copy coding DNA sequences. The results in the present study provided direct evidence to illustrate that monosomic wheat-rye addition lines could induce different and drastic genetic/epigenetic variations and these variations might not be caused by introgression of rye chromatins into wheat. Therefore, MAALs may be directly used as an effective means to broaden the genetic diversity of common wheat.

Different Ancestries of R Tailocins in Rhizospheric Pseudomonas Isolates

Science.gov (United States)

Ghequire, Maarten G.K.; Dillen, Yörg; Lambrichts, Ivo; Proost, Paul; Wattiez, Ruddy; De Mot, René

2015-01-01

Bacterial genomes accommodate a variety of mobile genetic elements, including bacteriophage-related clusters that encode phage tail-like protein complexes playing a role in interactions with eukaryotic or prokaryotic cells. Such tailocins are unable to replicate inside target cells due to the lack of a phage head with associated DNA. A subset of tailocins mediate antagonistic activities with bacteriocin-like specificity. Functional characterization of bactericidal tailocins of two Pseudomonas putida rhizosphere isolates revealed not only extensive similarity with the tail assembly module of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa R-type pyocins but also differences in genomic integration site, regulatory genes, and lytic release modules. Conversely, these three features are quite similar between strains of the P. putida and Pseudomonas fluorescens clades, although phylogenetic analysis of tail genes suggests them to have evolved separately. Unlike P. aeruginosa R pyocin elements, the tailocin gene clusters of other pseudomonads frequently carry cargo genes, including bacteriocins. Compared with P. aeruginosa, the tailocin tail fiber sequences that act as specificity determinants have diverged much more extensively among the other pseudomonad species, mostly isolates from soil and plant environments. Activity of the P. putida antibacterial particles requires a functional lipopolysaccharide layer on target cells, but contrary to R pyocins from P. aeruginosa, strain susceptibilities surpass species boundaries. PMID:26412856

solaR: Solar Radiation and Photovoltaic Systems with R

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oscar Perpiñan Lamigueiro

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The solaR package allows for reproducible research both for photovoltaics (PV systems performance and solar radiation. It includes a set of classes, methods and functions to calculate the sun geometry and the solar radiation incident on a photovoltaic generator and to simulate the performance of several applications of the photovoltaic energy. This package performs the whole calculation procedure from both daily and intradaily global horizontal irradiation to the final productivity of grid-connected PV systems and water pumping PV systems.It is designed using a set of S4 classes whose core is a group of slots with multivariate time series. The classes share a variety of methods to access the information and several visualization methods. In addition, the package provides a tool for the visual statistical analysis of the performance of a large PV plant composed of several systems.Although solaR is primarily designed for time series associated to a location defined by its latitude/longitude values and the temperature and irradiation conditions, it can be easily combined with spatial packages for space-time analysis.

Quality Assurance Tracking System - R7 (QATS-R7)

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This is metadata documentation for the Quality Assurance Tracking System - R7, an EPA Region 7 resource that tracks information on quality assurance reviews. Also...

TrxR2 deficiencies promote chondrogenic differentiation and induce apoptosis of chondrocytes through mitochondrial reactive oxygen species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Jidong; Xu, Jing; Fei, Yao; Jiang, Congshan; Zhu, Wenhua; Han, Yan; Lu, Shemin

2016-01-01

Thioredoxin reductase 2 (TrxR2) is a selenium (Se) containing protein. Se deficiency is associated with an endemic osteoarthropathy characterized by impaired cartilage formation. It is unclear whether TrxR2 have roles in cartilage function. We examined the effects of TrxR2 on chondrogenic ATDC5 cells through shRNA-mediated gene silencing of TrxR2. We demonstrated TrxR2 deficiencies could enhance chondrogenic differentiation and apoptosis of ATDC5 cells. TrxR2 deficiencies increased accumulation of cartilage glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and mineralization. TrxR2 deficiencies also stimulated expression of extracellular (ECM) gene including Collagen II and Aggrecan. The enhanced chondrogenic properties were further confirmed by activation of Akt signaling which are required for chondrogenesis. In addition, TrxR2 deficiencies promoted chondrocyte proliferation through acceleration of cell cycle progression by increase in both S and G2/M phase cell distribution accompanied with induction of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP). Moreover, TrxR2 deficiencies induced chondrocyte death via apoptosis and increased cell sensitivity to exogenous oxidative stress. Furthermore, TrxR2 deficiencies induced emission of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) without alteration of mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular ATP content. Finally, treatment of TrxR2 deficiency cells with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) inhibited mitochondrial ROS production and chondrocyte apoptosis. NAC also prevented chondrogenic differentiation of TrxR2 deficiency cells by suppression of ECM gene expression, GAGs accumulation and mineralization, as well as attenuation of Akt signaling. Thus, TrxR2-mediated mitochondrial integrity is indispensable for chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells. TrxR2 deficiency-induced impaired proliferation and death of chondrocytes may be the pathological mechanism of the osteoarthropathy due to Se deficiency. Notably, this study also uncover the roles of

TrxR2 deficiencies promote chondrogenic differentiation and induce apoptosis of chondrocytes through mitochondrial reactive oxygen species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Jidong [Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061 (China); Xu, Jing [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061 (China); Fei, Yao [College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province 710069 (China); Jiang, Congshan; Zhu, Wenhua; Han, Yan [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061 (China); Lu, Shemin, E-mail: lushemin@xjtu.edu.cn [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710061 (China); Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Ministry of Education of China (China)

2016-05-15

Thioredoxin reductase 2 (TrxR2) is a selenium (Se) containing protein. Se deficiency is associated with an endemic osteoarthropathy characterized by impaired cartilage formation. It is unclear whether TrxR2 have roles in cartilage function. We examined the effects of TrxR2 on chondrogenic ATDC5 cells through shRNA-mediated gene silencing of TrxR2. We demonstrated TrxR2 deficiencies could enhance chondrogenic differentiation and apoptosis of ATDC5 cells. TrxR2 deficiencies increased accumulation of cartilage glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and mineralization. TrxR2 deficiencies also stimulated expression of extracellular (ECM) gene including Collagen II and Aggrecan. The enhanced chondrogenic properties were further confirmed by activation of Akt signaling which are required for chondrogenesis. In addition, TrxR2 deficiencies promoted chondrocyte proliferation through acceleration of cell cycle progression by increase in both S and G2/M phase cell distribution accompanied with induction of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP). Moreover, TrxR2 deficiencies induced chondrocyte death via apoptosis and increased cell sensitivity to exogenous oxidative stress. Furthermore, TrxR2 deficiencies induced emission of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) without alteration of mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular ATP content. Finally, treatment of TrxR2 deficiency cells with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) inhibited mitochondrial ROS production and chondrocyte apoptosis. NAC also prevented chondrogenic differentiation of TrxR2 deficiency cells by suppression of ECM gene expression, GAGs accumulation and mineralization, as well as attenuation of Akt signaling. Thus, TrxR2-mediated mitochondrial integrity is indispensable for chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells. TrxR2 deficiency-induced impaired proliferation and death of chondrocytes may be the pathological mechanism of the osteoarthropathy due to Se deficiency. Notably, this study also uncover the roles of

Regulation of miR-21 expression in human melanoma via UV-ray-induced melanin pigmentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Kuan-Yu; Chen, Chien-Min; Lu, Cheng-You; Cheng, Chun-Yuan; Wu, Yu-Hsin

2017-08-01

Excessive environmental ultraviolet (UV) radiation produces genetic mutations that can lead to skin cancer. This study was designed to assess the potential inhibitory activity of microRNA-21 (miR-21) on the UV irradiation-stimulated melanogenesis signal pathway in melanoma cells. The molecular mechanism of miR-21-induced inhibitory activity on UV-ray-stimulated melanogenesis-regulating proteins was examined in A375.S2 human melanoma and B16F10 mouse melanoma cells. UV irradiation for 30 min induced melanogenesis signal pathway by increasing melanin production and the number of A375.S2 cells. Similarly, UV radiation increased the expression of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) protein and decreased the melanogenesis-regulating signal, such as EGFR and Akt phosphorylation. Notably, miR-21 overexpression in UV-ray-stimulated A375.S2 cells decreased α-MSH expression and increased EGFR and Akt phosphorylation levels. Furthermore, miR-21 on UV-ray- induced melanogenesis was down-regulated by the Akt inhibitor and the EGFR inhibitor (Gefitinib). Results suggest that the suppressive activity of miR-21 on UV-ray-stimulated melanogenesis may involve the down-regulation of α-MSH and the activation in both of EGFR and Akt. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

MiR-29-mediated elastin down-regulation contributes to inorganic phosphorus-induced osteoblastic differentiation in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Sudo, Ryo; Sato, Fumiaki; Azechi, Takuya; Wachi, Hiroshi

2015-12-01

Vascular calcification increases the risk of cardiovascular mortality. We previously reported that expression of elastin decreases with progression of inorganic phosphorus (Pi)-induced vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) calcification. However, the regulatory mechanisms of elastin mRNA expression during vascular calcification remain unclear. MicroRNA-29 family members (miR-29a, b and c) are reported to mediate elastin mRNA expression. Therefore, we aimed to determine the effect of miR-29 on elastin expression and Pi-induced vascular calcification. Calcification of human VSMCs was induced by Pi and evaluated measuring calcium deposition. Pi stimulation promoted Ca deposition and suppressed elastin expression in VSMCs. Knockdown of elastin expression by shRNA also promoted Pi-induced VSMC calcification. Elastin pre-mRNA measurements indicated that Pi stimulation suppressed elastin expression without changing transcriptional activity. Conversely, Pi stimulation increased miR-29a and miR-29b expression. Inhibition of miR-29 recovered elastin expression and suppressed calcification in Pi-treated VSMCs. Furthermore, over-expression of miR-29b promoted Pi-induced VSMC calcification. RT-qPCR analysis showed knockdown of elastin expression in VSMCs induced expression of osteoblast-related genes, similar to Pi stimulation, and recovery of elastin expression by miR-29 inhibition reduced their expression. Our study shows that miR-29-mediated suppression of elastin expression in VSMCs plays a pivotal role in osteoblastic differentiation leading to vascular calcification. © 2015 The Molecular Biology Society of Japan and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

High glucose concentration induces endothelial cell proliferation by regulating cyclin-D2-related miR-98.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xin-Xin; Liu, Yue-Mei; Li, You-Jie; Xie, Ning; Yan, Yun-Fei; Chi, Yong-Liang; Zhou, Ling; Xie, Shu-Yang; Wang, Ping-Yu

2016-06-01

Cyclin D2 is involved in the pathology of vascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study investigated the role of cyclin-D2-regulated miRNAs in endothelial cell proliferation of T2DM. Results showed that higher glucose concentration (4.5 g/l) significantly promoted the proliferation of rat aortic endothelial cells (RAOECs), and significantly increased the expression of cyclin D2 and phosphorylation of retinoblastoma 1 (p-RB1) in RAOECs compared with those under low glucose concentration. The cyclin D2-3' untranslated region is targeted by miR-98, as demonstrated by miRNA analysis software. Western blot also confirmed that cyclin D2 and p-RB1 expression was regulated by miR-98. The results indicated that miR-98 treatment can induce RAOEC apoptosis. The suppression of RAOEC growth by miR-98 might be related to regulation of Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase 9 expression. Furthermore, the expression levels of miR-98 decreased in 4.5 g/l glucose-treated cells compared with those treated by low glucose concentration. Similarly, the expression of miR-98 significantly decreased in aortas of established streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat model compared with that in control rats; but cyclin D2 and p-RB1 levels remarkably increased in aortas of STZ-induced diabetic rats compared with those in healthy control rats. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that high glucose concentration induces cyclin D2 up-regulation and miR-98 down-regulation in the RAOECs. By regulating cyclin D2, miR-98 can inhibit human endothelial cell growth, thereby providing novel therapeutic targets for vascular complication of T2DM. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

The key role of miR-21-regulated SOD2 in the medium-mediated bystander responses in human fibroblasts induced by α-irradiated keratinocytes.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Wenqian; Yin, Xiaoming; Wang, Longxiao; Wang, Jingdong; Zhu, Wei; Cao, Jianping; Yang, Hongying

2015-10-01

Radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) is well accepted in the radiation research field by now, but the underlying molecular mechanisms for better understanding this phenomenon caused by intercellular communication and intracellular signal transduction are still incomplete. Although our previous study has demonstrated an important role of miR-21 of unirradiated bystander cells in RIBEs, the direct evidence for the hypothesis that RIBE is epigenetically regulated is still limited and how miR-21 mediates RIBEs is unknown. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been demonstrated to be involved in RIBEs, however, the roles of anti-oxidative stress system of cells in RIBEs are unclear. Using transwell insert co-culture system, we investigated medium-mediated bystander responses in WS1 human fibroblasts after co-culture with HaCaT keratinocytes traversed by α-particles. Results showed that the ROS levels in unirradiated bystander WS1 cells were significantly elevated after 30min of co-culture, and 53BP1 foci, a surrogate marker of DNA damage, were obviously induced after 3h of co-culture. This indicates the occurrence of oxidative stress and DNA damage in bystander WS1 cells after co-culture with irradiated keratinocytes. Furthermore, the expression of miR-21 was increased in bystander WS1 cells, downregulation of miR-21 eliminated the bystander responses, overexpression of miR-21 alone could induce bystander-like oxidative stress and DNA damage in WS1 cells. These data indicate an important mediating role of miR-21 in RIBEs. In addition, MnSOD or SOD2 in WS1 cells was involved in the bystander effects, overexpression of SOD2 abolished the bystander oxidative stress and DNA damage, indicating that SOD2 was critical to the induction of RIBEs. Moreover, we found that miR-21 regulated SOD2, suggesting that miR-21 might mediate bystander responses through its regulation on SOD2. In conclusion, this study revealed a profound role of miR-21-regulated SOD2 of unirradiated WS1

Cold inducible promoter driven Cre-lox system proved to be highly efficient for marker gene excision in transgenic barley.

Science.gov (United States)

Éva, Csaba; Téglás, Flóra; Zelenyánszki, Helga; Tamás, Cecília; Juhász, Angéla; Mészáros, Klára; Tamás, László

2018-01-10

A Cre-lox based auto-excision strategy has been adapted for barley, capable of cre and selectable marker gene (SMG) removal. The cold inducible wheat promoter called wcs120 was utilised for driving Cre expression. The binary vector was carrying the transgene (uidA) and a so called 'recombination cassette' flanked by the lox sequences. This part included both the recombinase gene and the SMG (bar) under the control of a constitutive promoter. T 0 , T 1 and T 2 transgenic plants were subjected to low temperature (at 4°C, 10°C and 12°C) at different developmental stages to induce recombination. The presence of uidA, cre, and bar genes and recombination footprints were studied by PCR and DNA sequencing, while cre transcription was followed by qRT-PCR. These analyses indicated that, cold treatment of the germinating seeds (4°C for 3days) followed by plant growing at higher temperature (24°C) has been the most efficient (90-100%), and this treatment lead to heritable changes in the genome. Thermal separation of Cre accumulation (at low temperature) from Cre enzyme activity (at higher temperature) could have prevented the premature excision of its own encoding gene, and lead to high expression level thereby increasing recombination frequency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rosen's (M,R) system in Unified Modelling Language.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ling; Williams, Richard A; Gatherer, Derek

2016-01-01

Robert Rosen's (M,R) system is an abstract biological network architecture that is allegedly non-computable on a Turing machine. If (M,R) is truly non-computable, there are serious implications for the modelling of large biological networks in computer software. A body of work has now accumulated addressing Rosen's claim concerning (M,R) by attempting to instantiate it in various software systems. However, a conclusive refutation has remained elusive, principally since none of the attempts to date have unambiguously avoided the critique that they have altered the properties of (M,R) in the coding process, producing merely approximate simulations of (M,R) rather than true computational models. In this paper, we use the Unified Modelling Language (UML), a diagrammatic notation standard, to express (M,R) as a system of objects having attributes, functions and relations. We believe that this instantiates (M,R) in such a way than none of the original properties of the system are corrupted in the process. Crucially, we demonstrate that (M,R) as classically represented in the relational biology literature is implicitly a UML communication diagram. Furthermore, since UML is formally compatible with object-oriented computing languages, instantiation of (M,R) in UML strongly implies its computability in object-oriented coding languages. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

miR-421 induces cell proliferation and apoptosis resistance in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma via downregulation of FOXO4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Liang [Neurosurgery Institute, Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration of Guangdong, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282 (China); Department of Otolaryngology, Guangzhou General Hospital of PLA Guangzhou Command, Guangzhou 510010 (China); Tang, Yanping [Neurosurgery Institute, Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration of Guangdong, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510282 (China); Wang, Jian [Department of Otolaryngology, Guangzhou General Hospital of PLA Guangzhou Command, Guangzhou 510010 (China); Yan, Zhongjie [Affiliated Bayi Brain Hospital, The Military General Hospital of Beijing PLA,The Bayi Clinical Medical Institute of Southern Medical University, Beijing 100700 (China); Xu, Ruxiang, E-mail: RuxiangXu@yahoo.com [Affiliated Bayi Brain Hospital, The Military General Hospital of Beijing PLA,The Bayi Clinical Medical Institute of Southern Medical University, Beijing 100700 (China)

2013-06-14

Highlights: •miR-421 is upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. •miR-421 induces cell proliferation and apoptosis resistance. •FOXO4 is a direct and functional target of miR-421. -- Abstract: microRNAs have been demonstrated to play important roles in cancer development and progression. Hence, identifying functional microRNAs and better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms would provide new clues for the development of targeted cancer therapies. Herein, we reported that a microRNA, miR-421 played an oncogenic role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Upregulation of miR-421 induced, whereas inhibition of miR-421 repressed cell proliferation and apoptosis resistance. Furthermore, we found that upregulation of miR-421 inhibited forkhead box protein O4 (FOXO4) signaling pathway following downregulation of p21, p27, Bim and FASL expression by directly targeting FOXO4 3′UTR. Additionally, we demonstrated that FOXO4 expression is critical for miR-421-induced cell growth and apoptosis resistance. Taken together, our findings not only suggest that miR-421 promotes nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell proliferation and anti-apoptosis, but also uncover a novel regulatory mechanism for inactivation of FOXO4 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

RETRO_FIRES_WCS

Data.gov (United States)

Washington University St Louis — Within the RETRO project, global gridded data sets for anthropogenic and vegetation fire emissions of several trace gases were generated, covering the period from...

Genetic and epigenetic variations induced by wheat-rye 2R and 5R monosomic addition lines.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shulan Fu

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Monosomic alien addition lines (MAALs can easily induce structural variation of chromosomes and have been used in crop breeding; however, it is unclear whether MAALs will induce drastic genetic and epigenetic alterations. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In the present study, wheat-rye 2R and 5R MAALs together with their selfed progeny and parental common wheat were investigated through amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP and methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP analyses. The MAALs in different generations displayed different genetic variations. Some progeny that only contained 42 wheat chromosomes showed great genetic/epigenetic alterations. Cryptic rye chromatin has introgressed into the wheat genome. However, one of the progeny that contained cryptic rye chromatin did not display outstanding genetic/epigenetic variation. 78 and 49 sequences were cloned from changed AFLP and MSAP bands, respectively. Blastn search indicated that almost half of them showed no significant similarity to known sequences. Retrotransposons were mainly involved in genetic and epigenetic variations. Genetic variations basically affected Gypsy-like retrotransposons, whereas epigenetic alterations affected Copia-like and Gypsy-like retrotransposons equally. Genetic and epigenetic variations seldom affected low-copy coding DNA sequences. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results in the present study provided direct evidence to illustrate that monosomic wheat-rye addition lines could induce different and drastic genetic/epigenetic variations and these variations might not be caused by introgression of rye chromatins into wheat. Therefore, MAALs may be directly used as an effective means to broaden the genetic diversity of common wheat.

MiR-125b Inhibits LPS-Induced Inflammatory Injury via Targeting MIP-1α in Chondrogenic Cell ATDC5

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinling Jia

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: Chondrocyte apoptosis is largely responsible for cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis (OA. MicroRNAs (miRNAs play an important role in chondrogenesis and cartilage remodeling. This study explored the effect of miR-125b on inflammatory injury in chondrogenic cells. Methods: LPS was used to simulate inflammatory injury in murine chondrogenic ATDC5 cell lines. Targeting effect of miR-125b on MIP-1α 3’UTR was assessed by dual luciferase activity assay. Regulatory effect of miR-125b on MIP-1α expression and the potential regulatory mechanism on inflammatory injury were assessed by Western blot. Results: miR-125b expression was decreased in LPS-induced ATDC5 cells and overexpression of miR-125b inhibited LPS-induced cell viability decline, the rise of apoptosis and inflammatory factors’ productions. MIP-1α expression was negatively related to miR-125b, and miR-125b directly targeted with 3’UTR of MIP-1α. Knockdown of miR-125b promoted LPS-induced inflammatory response via upregulation of MIP-1α. miR-125b expression in LPS-induced ATDC5 cells was negatively related with activations of NF-κB and JNK signaling pathways. Overexpression of miR-125b inhibited LPS-induced inflammation injury via suppressing MIP-1α expression and inhibiting activations of NF-κB and JNK signaling pathways. Conclusion: miR-125b could play an important role in inflammatory injury of chondrogenic cells and miR-125b affected inflammatory injury of ATDC5 cells via regulating expression of MIP-1α and regulating NF-κB and JNK signaling pathways.

Introducing the "TCDD-inducible AhR-Nrf2 gene battery".

Science.gov (United States)

Yeager, Ronnie L; Reisman, Scott A; Aleksunes, Lauren M; Klaassen, Curtis D

2009-10-01

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) induces genes via the transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), including Cyp1a1, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (Nqo1), UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1a6 (Ugt1a6), and glutathione S-transferase a1 (Gsta1). These genes are referred to as the "AhR gene battery." However, Nqo1 is also considered a prototypical target gene of the transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). In mice, TCDD induction of Nrf2 and Nrf2 target, Nqo1, is dependent on AhR, and thus TCDD induction of drug-processing genes may be routed through an AhR-Nrf2 sequence. There has been speculation that Nrf2 may be involved in the TCDD induction of drug-processing genes; however, the data are not definitive. Therefore, to address whether TCDD induction of Nqo1, Ugts, and Gsts is dependent on Nrf2, we conducted the definitive experiment by administering TCDD (50 mug/kg, ip) to Nrf2-null and wild-type (WT) mice and collecting livers 24 h later to quantify the mRNA of drug-processing genes. TCDD induction of Cyp1a1 and Ugt1a1 was similar in WT and Nrf2-null mice, whereas TCDD induction of Ugt1a5 and 1a9 was blunted in Nrf2-null mice. TCDD induced Nqo1, Ugt1a6, 2b34, 2b35, 2b36, UDP-glucuronic acid-synthesizing gene UDP-glucose dehydrogenase, and Gsta1, m1, m2, m3, m6, p2, t2, and microsomal Gst1 in WT mice but not in Nrf2-null mice. Therefore, the present study demonstrates the novel finding that Nrf2 is required for TCDD induction of classical AhR battery genes Nqo1, Ugt1a6, and Gsta1, as well as most Ugt and Gst isoforms in livers of mice.

miR-203 inhibits cell proliferation and promotes cisplatin induced cell death in tongue squamous cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Jiong; Lin, Yao [Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Orthodontics, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510055 (China); Fan, Li [Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an, Shaanxi, 710032 (China); Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guangzhou, 510055 (China); Kuang, Wei [Department of Stomatology, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, 111 Liuhua Road, Guangzhou, 510010 (China); Zheng, Liwei [State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Sichuan University, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041 (China); Wu, Jiahua [Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Orthodontics, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510055 (China); Shang, Peng [Patient-specific Orthopedic Technology Research Center in GuangDong Research Centre for Neural Engineering, 1068 Xueyuan Boulevard, University Town of Shenzhen, Xili, Nanshan, Shenzhen, 518055 (China); Wang, Qiaofeng [Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an, Shanxi, 710032 (China); Tan, Jiali, E-mail: jasminenov@163.com [Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Orthodontics, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510055 (China)

2016-04-29

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common types of the head and neck cancer. Chemo resistance of OSCC has been identified as a substantial therapeutic hurdle. In this study, we analyzed the role of miR-203 in the OSCC and its effects on cisplatin-induced cell death in an OSCC cell line, Tca8113. There was a significant decrease of miR-203 expression in OSCC samples, compared with the adjacent normal, non-cancerous tissue. After 3 days cisplatin treatment, the survived Tca8113 cells had a lower expression of miR-203 than that in the untreated control group. In contrast, PIK3CA showed an inverse expression in cancer and cisplatin survived Tca8113 cells. Transfection of Tca8113 cells with miR-203 mimics greatly reduced PIK3CA expression and Akt activation. Furthermore, miR-203 repressed PIK3CA expression through targeting the 3′UTR. Restoration of miR-203 not only suppressed cell proliferation, but also sensitized cells to cisplatin induced cell apoptosis. This effect was absent in cells that were simultaneously treated with PIK3CA RNAi. In summary, these findings suggest miR-203 plays an important role in cisplatin resistance in OSCC, and furthermore delivery of miR-203 analogs may serve as an adjuvant therapy for OSCC. - Highlights: • Much lower miR-203 expression in cisplatin resistant Tca8113 cells is discovered. • Delivery of miR-203 can sensitize the Tca8113 cells to cisplatin induced cell death. • MiR-203 can downregulate PIK3CA through the 3′UTR. • The effects of miR-203 on cisplatin sensitivity is mainly through PIK3CA pathway.

RNA sequence analyses of r-Moj-DM treated cells: TXNIP is required to induce apoptosis of SK-Mel-28.

Science.gov (United States)

McBride, Terri D; Andrew, U; Ly, Nicko; Soto, Julio G

2016-10-01

RNA sequencing of untreated and r-Moj-DM treated SK-Mel-28 cells was performed after 6 h, to begin unraveling the apoptotic pathway induced by r-Moj-DM. Bioinformatic analyses of RNA sequencing data yielded 40 genes that were differentially expressed. Nine genes were upregulated and 31 were downregulated. qRT-PCR was used to validate differential expression of 13 genes with known survival or apoptotic-inducing activities. Expression of BNiP3, IGFBP3, PTPSF, Prune 2, TGF-ß, and TXNIP were compared from cells treated with r-Moj-DN (a strong apoptotic inducer) or r-Moj-DA (a non-apoptotic inducer) for 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, and 6 h after treatment. Our results demonstrate that significant differences in expression are only detected after 4 h of treatment. In addition, expression of TXNIP (an apoptotic inducer) remains elevated at 4 h and 6 h only in r-Moj-DN treated cells. Based on the consistency of elevated TXNIP expression, we further studied TXNIP as a novel target of disintegrin activation. Confocal microscopy of anti-TXNIP stained SK-Mel-28 cells suggests nuclear localization of TXNIP after r-Moj-DM treatment. A stable TXNIP knockdown SK-Mel-28 cell line was produced to test TXNIP' role in the apoptotic induction by r-Moj-DM. High cell viability (74.3% ±9.1) was obtained after r-Moj-DM treatment of TXNIP knocked down SK-Mel-28 cells, compared to 34% ±0.187 for untransduced cells. These results suggest that TXNIP is required early in the apoptotic-inducing pathway resulting from r-Moj-DM binding to the αv integrin subunit. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Web Coverage Service Challenges for NASA's Earth Science Data

Science.gov (United States)

Cantrell, Simon; Khan, Abdul; Lynnes, Christopher

2017-01-01

In an effort to ensure that data in NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is available to a wide variety of users through the tools of their choice, NASA continues to focus on exposing data and services using standards based protocols. Specifically, this work has focused recently on the Web Coverage Service (WCS). Experience has been gained in data delivery via GetCoverage requests, starting out with WCS v1.1.1. The pros and cons of both the version itself and different implementation approaches will be shared during this session. Additionally, due to limitations with WCS v1.1.1 ability to work with NASA's Earth science data, this session will also discuss the benefit of migrating to WCS 2.0.1 with EO-x to enrich this capability to meet a wide range of anticipated user's needs This will enable subsetting and various types of data transformations to be performed on a variety of EOS data sets.

Variation of the Pseudomonas community structure on oak leaf lettuce during storage detected by culture-dependent and -independent methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Nübling, Simone; Schmidt, Herbert; Weiss, Agnes

2016-01-04

The genus Pseudomonas plays an important role in the lettuce leaf microbiota and certain species can induce spoilage. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and diversity of Pseudomonas spp. on oak leaf lettuce and to follow their community shift during a six day cold storage with culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. In total, 21 analysed partial Pseudomonas 16S rRNA gene sequences matched closely (> 98.3%) to the different reference strain sequences, which were distributed among 13 different phylogenetic groups or subgroups within the genus Pseudomonas. It could be shown that all detected Pseudomonas species belonged to the P. fluorescens lineage. In the culture-dependent analysis, 73% of the isolates at day 0 and 79% of the isolates at day 6 belonged to the P. fluorescens subgroup. The second most frequent group, with 12% of the isolates, was the P. koreensis subgroup. This subgroup was only detected at day 0. In the culture-independent analysis the P. fluorescens subgroup and P. extremaustralis could not be differentiated by RFLP. Both groups were most abundant and amounted to approximately 46% at day 0 and 79% at day 6. The phytopathogenic species P. salmonii, P. viridiflava and P. marginalis increased during storage. Both approaches identified the P. fluorescens group as the main phylogenetic group. The results of the present study suggest that pseudomonads found by plating methods indeed represent the most abundant part of the Pseudomonas community on oak leaf lettuce. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Downregulation of miR-210 expression inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis and enhances radiosensitivity in hypoxic human hepatoma cells in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Wei; Sun, Ting; Cao, Jianping; Liu, Fenju; Tian, Ye; Zhu, Wei

2012-01-01

Hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumors and an important contributor to tumor radioresistance. miR-210 is the most consistently and robustly induced microRNA under hypoxia in different types of tumor cells and normal cells. In the present study, to explore the feasibility of miR-210 as an effective therapeutic target, lentiviral-mediated anti-sense miR-210 gene transfer technique was employed to downregulate miR-210 expression in hypoxic human hepatoma SMMC-7721, HepG2 and HuH7 cells, and phenotypic changes of which were analyzed. Hypoxia led to an increased hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and miR-210 expression and cell arrest in the G 0 /G 1 phase in all cell lines. miR-210 downregulation significantly suppressed cell viability, induced cell arrest in the G 0 /G 1 phase, increased apoptotic rate and enhanced radiosensitivity in hypoxic human hepatoma cells. Moreover, apoptosis-inducing factor, mitochondrion-associated, 3 (AIFM3) was identified as a direct target gene of miR-210. AIFM3 downregulation by siRNA attenuated radiation induced apoptosis in miR-210 downregulated hypoxic human hepatoma cells. Taken together, these data suggest that miR-210 might be a potential therapeutic target and specific inhibition of miR-210 expression in combination with radiotherapy might be expected to exert strong anti-tumor effect on hypoxic human hepatoma cells. -- Highlights: ► miR-210 downregulation radiosensitized hypoxic hepatoma. ► AIFM3 was identified as a direct target gene of miR-210. ► miR-210 might be a therapeutic target to hypoxic hepatoma.

Mutation-Induced Population Shift in the MexR Conformational Ensemble Disengages DNA Binding: A Novel Mechanism for MarR Family Derepression.

Science.gov (United States)

Anandapadamanaban, Madhanagopal; Pilstål, Robert; Andresen, Cecilia; Trewhella, Jill; Moche, Martin; Wallner, Björn; Sunnerhagen, Maria

2016-08-02

MexR is a repressor of the MexAB-OprM multidrug efflux pump operon of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, where DNA-binding impairing mutations lead to multidrug resistance (MDR). Surprisingly, the crystal structure of an MDR-conferring MexR mutant R21W (2.19 Å) presented here is closely similar to wild-type MexR. However, our extended analysis, by molecular dynamics and small-angle X-ray scattering, reveals that the mutation stabilizes a ground state that is deficient of DNA binding and is shared by both mutant and wild-type MexR, whereas the DNA-binding state is only transiently reached by the more flexible wild-type MexR. This population shift in the conformational ensemble is effected by mutation-induced allosteric coupling of contact networks that are independent in the wild-type protein. We propose that the MexR-R21W mutant mimics derepression by small-molecule binding to MarR proteins, and that the described allosteric model based on population shifts may also apply to other MarR family members. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Expression of the sweetpotato R2R3-type IbMYB1a gene induces anthocyanin accumulation in Arabidopsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Hyosub; Jeong, Jae Cheol; Kim, Wook-Jin; Chung, Dong Min; Jeon, Hyo Kon; Ahn, Young Ock; Kim, Sun Ha; Lee, Haeng-Soon; Kwak, Sang-Soo; Kim, Cha Young

2013-06-01

R2R3-type MYB transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in transcriptional regulation of anthocyanins. The R2R3-type IbMYB1 is known to be a key regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis in the storage roots of sweetpotato. We previously showed that transient expression of IbMYB1a led to anthocyanin pigmentation in tobacco leaves. In this article, we generated transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing the IbMYB1a gene under the control of CaMV 35S promoter, and the sweetpotato SPO and SWPA2 promoters. Overexpression of IbMYBa in transgenic Arabidopsis produced strong anthocyanin pigmentation in seedlings and generated a deep purple color in leaves, stems and seeds. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that IbMYB1a expression induced upregulation of several structural genes in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway, including 4CL, CHI, F3'H, DFR, AGT, AAT and GST. Furthermore, overexpression of IbMYB1a led to enhanced expression of the AtTT8 (bHLH) and PAP1/AtMYB75 genes. high-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that IbMYB1a expression led to the production of cyanidin as a major core molecule of anthocyanidins in Arabidopsis, as occurs in the purple leaves of sweetpotato (cv. Sinzami). This result shows that the IbMYB1a TF is sufficient to induce anthocyanin accumulation in seedlings, leaves, stems and seeds of Arabidopsis plants. Copyright © Physiologia Plantarum 2012.

HIF-inducible miR-191 promotes migration in breast cancer through complex regulation of TGFβ-signaling in hypoxic microenvironment.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagpal, Neha; Ahmad, Hafiz M.; Chameettachal, Shibu; Sundar, Durai; Ghosh, Sourabh; Kulshreshtha, Ritu

2015-01-01

The molecular mechanisms of hypoxia induced breast cell migration remain incompletely understood. Our results show that hypoxia through hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) brings about a time-dependent increase in the level of an oncogenic microRNA, miR-191 in various breast cancer cell lines. miR-191 enhances breast cancer aggressiveness by promoting cell proliferation, migration and survival under hypoxia. We further established that miR-191 is a critical regulator of transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ)-signaling and promotes cell migration by inducing TGFβ2 expression under hypoxia through direct binding and indirectly by regulating levels of a RNA binding protein, human antigen R (HuR). The levels of several TGFβ pathway genes (like VEGFA, SMAD3, CTGF and BMP4) were found to be higher in miR-191 overexpressing cells. Lastly, anti-miR-191 treatment given to breast tumor spheroids led to drastic reduction in spheroid tumor volume. This stands as a first report of identification of a microRNA mediator that links hypoxia and the TGFβ signaling pathways, both of which are involved in regulation of breast cancer metastasis. Together, our results show a critical role of miR-191 in hypoxia-induced cancer progression and suggest that miR-191 inhibition may offer a novel therapy for hypoxic breast tumors. PMID:25867965

Interaction between the Bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CHA0, its genetic derivatives and vermiculite: Effects on chemical, mineralogical and mechanical properties of vermiculite

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Barbara

2016-04-01

Using bacteria of the strain Pseudomonas fluorescens wild type CHA0 and its genetic derivative strains CHA77, CHA89, CHA400, CHA631 and CHA661 (which differ in one gene only) the changes in chemical, mineralogical and rheological properties of the clay mineral vermiculite affected by microbial activity were studied in order to test whether the individually different production of metabolites by the genetically engineered strains may alter the clay mineral vermiculite in distinct ways. With the novel strategy of working with living wild type bacteria, their genetic derivatives and clay, the following properties of the mineral altered by the various strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens were determined: grain size, X-Ray diffraction pattern, intercrystalline swelling with glycerol, layer charge, CEC, BET surface and uptake of trace elements. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to determine the changes in major, minor and trace elements of the clay vermiculite affected by microbial activity. Among all analyzed trace elements, Fe, Mn and Cu are the most interesting. Fe and Mn are taken up from the clay mineral by all bacterial strains whereas Cu is only removed from vermiculite by strains CHA0, CHA77, CHA400 and CHA661. The latter mentioned strains all produce the antibiotics 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol and monoacetylphloroglucinol which can complex Cu efficiently. Therefore the alteration of only one gene of the bacteria is causing significant effects on the clay mineral.

Biosynthesis of the antimicrobial cyclic lipopeptides nunamycin and nunapeptin by Pseudomonas fluorescens strain In5 is regulated by the LuxR‐type transcriptional regulator NunF

OpenAIRE

Hennessy, Rosanna C.; Phippen, Christopher B. W.; Nielsen, Kristian F.; Olsson, Stefan; Stougaard, Peter

2017-01-01

Abstract Nunamycin and nunapeptin are two antimicrobial cyclic lipopeptides (CLPs) produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens In5 and synthesized by nonribosomal synthetases (NRPS) located on two gene clusters designated the nun–nup regulon. Organization of the regulon is similar to clusters found in other CLP‐producing pseudomonads except for the border regions where putative LuxR‐type regulators are located. This study focuses on understanding the regulatory role of the LuxR‐type‐encoding gene nun...

Proton-induced knockout reactions with netron-rich oxygen isotopes at R{sup 3}B

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Atar, Leyla [IKP, TU Darmstadt (Germany); GSI (Germany); Collaboration: R3B-Collaboration

2014-07-01

Proton-induced knockout reactions are one of the main goal of the experimental program at the future R{sup 3}B (Reactions with Relativistic Radioactive Beams) Experiment at FAIR. It allows us to obtain spectroscopic information about valence and deeply bound single-nucleon states and to study their evolution over a large variation in isospin. Recent studies have shown that the occupancies of loosely bound valence nucleons in neutron- or proton-rich nuclei have a spectroscopic factor close to unity, whereas single-particle strength for deeply bound nucleons is suppressed in isospin asymmetric systems compared to the predictions of the many-body shell model. Further experimental and theoretical studies are needed for a qualitative and quantitative understanding. For this aim a series of measurements have been performed on the complete oxygen isotopic chain using the existing experimental setup LAND/R{sup 3}B at GSI. We present the main scientific goals, the concepts of the experiment and the preliminary results.

Role of GluR2 expression in AMPA-induced toxicity in cultured murine cerebral cortical neurons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jette Bisgaard; Lund, Trine Meldgaard; Timmermann, Daniel B.

2001-01-01

of the Mg(2+) block of the NMDA receptor on AMPA-R stimulation. The involvement of Ca(2+) influx through AMPA-R was also examined. The number of neurons possessing Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA-R increased during culture development, concurrently with an increasing susceptibility for AMPA-induced toxicity during...

Inoculación al suelo con Pseudomonas fluorescens, Azospirillum oryzae, Bacillus subtilis y microorganismos de montaña (mm y su efecto sobre un sistema de rotación soya-tomate bajo condiciones de invernadero

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leida Castro Barquero

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Se evaluó un sistema de rotación soyatomate, con incorporación de biomasa verde y aplicación de inóculos microbianos individuales y en mezcla sobre el crecimiento de las plantas y propiedades edáficas; para ello se evaluaron en invernadero por 24 meses los siguientes 9 tratamientos: solo tomate (T; rotación tomate-soya (TS; rotación tomate-soya con inoculaciones individuales de Azospirillum oryzae (A; de Pseudomonas fluorescens (P; de Bacillus subtilis (B; de microorganismos de montaña (MM; y las inoculaciones en mezcla de B. subtilis y P. fluorescens (BP; de B. subtilis, P. fluorescens y A. oryzae (BPA; de B. subtilis, P. fluorescens, Azospirillum sp. y MM (BPAMM. Se evaluaron las variables físicas: densidad aparente y de partículas; conductividad hidráulica; poros totales; estabilidad de agregados; resistencia a la penetración (RP; las variables químicas: pH; conductividad eléctrica; contenido de N y C; relación C/N; contenido de nutrientes en suelos y foliares; las variables biológicas: respiración de suelos, unidades formadoras de colonias de hongos, bacterias y actinomicetos y el peso fresco y seco foliar. Las variables físicas no fueron afectadas por los tratamientos, con excepción de RP, que fue mayor en el tratamiento T. Las variables biológicas y químicas fueron sensibles a los tratamientos, con valores significativamente más altos en presencia de MM. Destaca el incremento del P en solución de suelo en tratamientos a los que se adicionó MM: pasó de 6 a 20 mg.l-1; esta condición se reflejó además en la cantidad de P en el tejido foliar al final del ensayo. Se determinó que el pH, CE y la respiración del suelo fueron afectados por la interacción entre los tratamientos aplicados y el tiempo transcurrido; los mayores valores se obtuvieron al final del ensayo y en los tratamientos con MM.

miR-146a down-regulation alleviates H2O2-induced cytotoxicity of PC12 cells by regulating MCL1/JAK/STAT pathway : miR-146a down-regulation relieves H2O2-induced PC12 cells cytotoxicity by MCL1/JAK/STAT.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xuecheng; Mao, Xin; Ding, Xuemei; Guan, Fengju; Jia, Yuefeng; Luo, Lei; Li, Bin; Tan, Hailin; Cao, Caixia

2018-02-26

Oxidative stress and miRNAs have been confirmed to play an important role in neurological diseases. The study aimed to explore the underlying effect and mechanisms of miR-146a in H 2 O 2 -induced injury of PC12 cells. Here, PC12 cells were stimulated with 200 μM of H 2 O 2 to construct oxidative injury model. Cell injury was evaluated on the basis of the changes in cell viability, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and DNA damage. Results revealed that miR-146a expression was up-regulated in H 2 O 2 -induced PC12 cells. Functional analysis showed that down-regulation of miR-146a alleviated H 2 O 2 -induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells. Dual-luciferase reporter and western blot assay verified that MCL1 was a direct target gene of miR-146a. Moreover, anti-miR-146a-mediated suppression on cell cytotoxicity was abated following MCL1 knockdown in H 2 O 2 -induced PC12 cells. Furthermore, MCL1 activated JAK/STAT signaling pathway and MCL1 overexpression attenuated H 2 O 2 -induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells by JAK/STAT signaling pathway. In conclusion, this study suggested that suppression of miR-146a abated H 2 O 2 -induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells via regulating MCL1/JAK/STAT pathway.

Fasting induces IL-1 resistance and free fatty acid-mediated up-regulation of IL-1R2 and IL-1RA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

jenifer j joesting

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Objective: Weight loss is a near societal obsession and many diet programs use significant calorie restriction (CR including fasting/short term starvation to generate rapid effects. Fasting is also a well-recognized cause of immunosuppression especially within the innate immune system. In this study, we sought to determine if the IL-1 arm of the neuroimmune system was down-regulated by a 24 hr fast and how fasting might generate this effect. Design: Mice were allowed ad libitum access to food or had food withheld for 24 hrs. Expression of the endogenous IL-1 antagonists IL-1 receptor type 2 (IL-1R2 and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA were determined as were sickness behaviors before and after IL-1 administration.Results: Fasting markedly increased gene expression of IL-1R2 (83-fold in adipose tissue, 9.5-fold in liver and IL-1RA (68-fold in liver. Fasted mice were protected from IL-1-induced weight loss, hypoglycemia, loss of locomotor and social anxiety. These protections were coupled to a large positive interaction of fasting and IL-1 on IL-1R2 gene expression in adipose tissue and liver (2.6-fold and 1.6-fold, respectively. Fasting not only increased IL-1RA and IL-1R2 protein 2.5-fold and 3.2-fold, respectively, in liver; but also increased IL-1R2 1.8-fold in adipose tissue. Fasting, in turn, triggered a 2.4-fold increase in plasma free-fatty acids (FFAs and a 2.1-fold increase in plasma corticosterone. Inhibition, of glucocorticoid action with mifepristone did not impact fasting-dependent IL-1R2 or IL-1RA gene expression. Administration of the FFA, palmitate, to mice increased liver IL-1R2 and IL-1RA gene expression by 14-fold and 11-fold, respectively. Conclusion: These findings indicate that fasting augments expression of endogenous IL-1 antagonists inducing IL-1 resistance. Fasting-induced increases in plasma FFAs appears to be a signal that drives immunosuppression during fasting/short term starvation.

Safety of spray-dried powder formulated Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CL145A exposure to subadult/adult unionid mussels during simulated open-water treatments

Science.gov (United States)

Luoma, James A.; Weber, Kerry L.; Waller, Diane L.; Wise, Jeremy K.; Mayer, Denise A.; Aloisi, Douglas B.

2015-01-01

The exposure effects of a commercially prepared spray dried powder (SDP) formulation ofPseudomonas fluorescens (strain CL145A) on the survival of seven species of unionid mussels endemic to the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins was evaluated in this study. The study exposures were completed within replicated 350-liter test tanks contained within a mobile bioassay laboratory sited on the shores of the Black River near La Crosse, Wisconsin. The test tanks were supplied with flowing, filtered river water which was interrupted during the exposure period.

Neutrino-induced charged-current reaction rates for r-process nuclei

CERN Document Server

Langanke, K

2001-01-01

Neutrino-induced reactions play an important role during and after the r-process if it occurs in an environment with extreme neutrino fluxes, as in the neutrino-driven wind model or neutron star mergers. The neutrino reactions can excite the daughter nucleus above the neutron threshold, which is quite low for r-process nuclei. Thus the daughter nucleus will decay by emission of one or several neutrons. We have calculated the relevant total (nu sub e , e sup -) cross sections as well as the partial neutron spallation cross sections for r-process nuclei with neutron numbers N=41-135 and proton numbers Z=21-82. The supernova neutrino spectrum is described by a Fermi-Dirac distribution with various temperature parameters between T=2.8 MeV and T=10 MeV and with the degeneracy parameters alpha=0 and alpha=3. Our calculations of the nuclear response are based on the random phase approximation and consider allowed as well as forbidden transitions.

Downregulation of miR-210 expression inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis and enhances radiosensitivity in hypoxic human hepatoma cells in vitro

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Wei, E-mail: detachedy@yahoo.com.cn [Department of Radiobiology, School of Radiological Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, Suzhou (China); Sun, Ting [Brain and Nerve Research Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University, Suzhou (China); Cao, Jianping; Liu, Fenju [Department of Radiobiology, School of Radiological Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, Suzhou (China); Tian, Ye [Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University, Suzhou (China); Zhu, Wei [Department of Radiobiology, School of Radiological Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, Suzhou (China)

2012-05-01

Hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumors and an important contributor to tumor radioresistance. miR-210 is the most consistently and robustly induced microRNA under hypoxia in different types of tumor cells and normal cells. In the present study, to explore the feasibility of miR-210 as an effective therapeutic target, lentiviral-mediated anti-sense miR-210 gene transfer technique was employed to downregulate miR-210 expression in hypoxic human hepatoma SMMC-7721, HepG2 and HuH7 cells, and phenotypic changes of which were analyzed. Hypoxia led to an increased hypoxia inducible factor-1{alpha} (HIF-1{alpha}) and miR-210 expression and cell arrest in the G{sub 0}/G{sub 1} phase in all cell lines. miR-210 downregulation significantly suppressed cell viability, induced cell arrest in the G{sub 0}/G{sub 1} phase, increased apoptotic rate and enhanced radiosensitivity in hypoxic human hepatoma cells. Moreover, apoptosis-inducing factor, mitochondrion-associated, 3 (AIFM3) was identified as a direct target gene of miR-210. AIFM3 downregulation by siRNA attenuated radiation induced apoptosis in miR-210 downregulated hypoxic human hepatoma cells. Taken together, these data suggest that miR-210 might be a potential therapeutic target and specific inhibition of miR-210 expression in combination with radiotherapy might be expected to exert strong anti-tumor effect on hypoxic human hepatoma cells. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer miR-210 downregulation radiosensitized hypoxic hepatoma. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer AIFM3 was identified as a direct target gene of miR-210. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer miR-210 might be a therapeutic target to hypoxic hepatoma.

Trafficking Dynamics of PCSK9-Induced LDLR Degradation: Focus on Human PCSK9 Mutations and C-Terminal Domain.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steve Poirier

Full Text Available PCSK9 is a secreted ligand and negative post-translational regulator of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR in hepatocytes. Gain-of-function (GOF or loss-of-function (LOF mutations in PCSK9 are directly correlated with high or low plasma LDL-cholesterol levels, respectively. Therefore, PCSK9 is a prevailing lipid-lowering target to prevent coronary heart diseases and stroke. Herein, we fused monomeric fluorescent proteins to PCSK9 and LDLR to visualize their intra- and extracellular trafficking dynamics by live confocal microscopy. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP showed that PCSK9 LOF R46L mutant and GOF mutations S127R and D129G, but not the LDLR high-affinity mutant D374Y, significantly accelerate PCSK9 exit from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER. Quantitative analysis of inverse FRAP revealed that only R46L presented a much slower trafficking from the trans-Golgi network (TGN to the plasma membrane and a lower mobile fraction likely suggesting accumulation or delayed exit at the TGN as an underlying mechanism. While not primarily involved in LDLR binding, PCSK9 C-terminal domain (CTD was found to be essential to induce LDLR degradation both upon its overexpression in cells or via the extracellular pathway. Our data revealed that PCSK9 CTD is required for the localization of PCSK9 at the TGN and increases its LDLR-mediated endocytosis. Interestingly, intracellular lysosomal targeting of PCSK9-ΔCTD was able to rescue its capacity to induce LDLR degradation emphasizing a role of the CTD in the sorting of PCSK9-LDLR complex towards late endocytic compartments. Finally, we validated our dual fluorescence system as a cell based-assay by preventing PCSK9 internalization using a PCSK9-LDLR blocking antibody, which may be expended to identify protein, peptide or small molecule inhibitors of PCSK9.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor I (mGluR1) antagonism impairs cocaine-induced conditioned place preference via inhibition of protein synthesis.

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Yu, Fei; Zhong, Peng; Liu, Xiaojie; Sun, Dalong; Gao, Hai-Qing; Liu, Qing-Song

2013-06-01

Antagonism of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1 and mGluR5) reduces behavioral effects of drugs of abuse, including cocaine. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Activation of mGluR5 increases protein synthesis at synapses. Although mGluR5-induced excessive protein synthesis has been implicated in the pathology of fragile X syndrome, it remains unknown whether group I mGluR-mediated protein synthesis is involved in any behavioral effects of drugs of abuse. We report that group I mGluR agonist DHPG induced more pronounced initial depression of inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) followed by modest long-term depression (I-LTD) in dopamine neurons of rat ventral tegmental area (VTA) through the activation of mGluR1. The early component of DHPG-induced depression of IPSCs was mediated by the cannabinoid CB1 receptors, while DHPG-induced I-LTD was dependent on protein synthesis. Western blotting analysis indicates that mGluR1 was coupled to extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways to increase translation. We also show that cocaine conditioning activated translation machinery in the VTA via an mGluR1-dependent mechanism. Furthermore, intra-VTA microinjections of mGluR1 antagonist JNJ16259685 and protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide significantly attenuated or blocked the acquisition of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) and activation of translation elongation factors. Taken together, these results suggest that mGluR1 antagonism inhibits de novo protein synthesis; this effect may block the formation of cocaine-cue associations and thus provide a mechanism for the reduction in CPP to cocaine.

Oxidative stress-induced overexpression of miR-25: the mechanism underlying the degeneration of melanocytes in vitiligo

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Shi, Q; Zhang, W; Guo, S; Jian, Z; Li, S; Li, K; Ge, R; Dai, W; Wang, G; Gao, T; Li, C

2016-01-01

Oxidative stress has a critical role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. However, the specific molecular mechanism involved in oxidative stress-induced melanocyte death is not well characterized. Given the powerful role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the regulation of cell survival as well as the fact that the generation of miRNAs can be affected by oxidative stress, we hypothesized that miRNAs may participate in vitiligo pathogenesis by modulating the expression of vital genes in melanocytes. In the present study, we initially found that miR-25 was increased in both serum and lesion samples from vitiligo patients, and its serum level was correlated with the activity of vitiligo. Moreover, restoration of miR-25 promoted the H2O2-induced melanocyte destruction and led to the dysfunction of melanocytes. Further experiments proved that MITF, a master regulator in melanocyte survival and function, accounted for the miR-25-caused damaging impact on melanocytes. Notably, other than the direct role on melanocytes, we observed that miR-25 inhibited the production and secretion of SCF and bFGF from keratinocytes, thus impairing their paracrine protective effect on the survival of melanocytes under oxidative stress. At last, we verified that oxidative stress could induce the overexpression of miR-25 in both melanocytes and keratinocytes possibly by demethylating the promoter region of miR-25. Taken together, our study demonstrates that oxidative stress-induced overexpression of miR-25 in vitiligo has a crucial role in promoting the degeneration of melanocytes by not only suppressing MITF in melanocytes but also impairing the paracrine protective effect of keratinocytes. Therefore, it is worthy to investigate the possibility of miR-25 as a potential drug target for anti-oxidative therapy in vitiligo. PMID:26315342

The periplasmic transaminase PtaA of Pseudomonas fluorescens converts the glutamic acid residue at the pyoverdine fluorophore to α-ketoglutaric acid.

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Ringel, Michael T; Dräger, Gerald; Brüser, Thomas

2017-11-10

The periplasmic conversion of ferribactin to pyoverdine is essential for siderophore biogenesis in fluorescent pseudomonads, such as pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa or plant growth-promoting Pseudomonas fluorescens The non-ribosomal peptide ferribactin undergoes cyclizations and oxidations that result in the fluorophore, and a strictly conserved fluorophore-bound glutamic acid residue is converted to a range of variants, including succinamide, succinic acid, and α-ketoglutaric acid residues. We recently discovered that the pyridoxal phosphate-containing enzyme PvdN is responsible for the generation of the succinamide, which can be hydrolyzed to succinic acid. Based on this, a distinct unknown enzyme was postulated to be responsible for the conversion of the glutamic acid to α-ketoglutaric acid. Here we report the identification and characterization of this enzyme in P. fluorescens strain A506. In silico analyses indicated a periplasmic transaminase in fluorescent pseudomonads and other proteobacteria that we termed PtaA for " p eriplasmic t ransaminase A " An in-frame-deleted ptaA mutant selectively lacked the α-ketoglutaric acid form of pyoverdine, and recombinant PtaA complemented this phenotype. The ptaA / pvdN double mutant produced exclusively the glutamic acid form of pyoverdine. PtaA is homodimeric and contains a pyridoxal phosphate cofactor. Mutation of the active-site lysine abolished PtaA activity and affected folding as well as Tat-dependent transport of the enzyme. In pseudomonads, the occurrence of ptaA correlates with the occurrence of α-ketoglutaric acid forms of pyoverdines. As this enzyme is not restricted to pyoverdine-producing bacteria, its catalysis of periplasmic transaminations is most likely a general tool for specific biosynthetic pathways. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

A Significant Role of the Truncated Ghrelin Receptor GHS-R1b in Ghrelin-induced Signaling in Neurons*

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Navarro, Gemma; Aguinaga, David; Angelats, Edgar; Medrano, Mireia; Moreno, Estefanía; Mallol, Josefa; Cortés, Antonio; Canela, Enric I.; Casadó, Vicent; McCormick, Peter J.; Lluís, Carme; Ferré, Sergi

2016-01-01

The truncated non-signaling ghrelin receptor growth hormone secretagogue R1b (GHS-R1b) has been suggested to simply exert a dominant negative role in the trafficking and signaling of the full and functional ghrelin receptor GHS-R1a. Here we reveal a more complex modulatory role of GHS-R1b. Differential co-expression of GHS-R1a and GHS-R1b, both in HEK-293T cells and in striatal and hippocampal neurons in culture, demonstrates that GHS-R1b acts as a dual modulator of GHS-R1a function: low relative GHS-R1b expression potentiates and high relative GHS-R1b expression inhibits GHS-R1a function by facilitating GHS-R1a trafficking to the plasma membrane and by exerting a negative allosteric effect on GHS-R1a signaling, respectively. We found a preferential Gi/o coupling of the GHS-R1a-GHS-R1b complex in HEK-293T cells and, unexpectedly, a preferential Gs/olf coupling in both striatal and hippocampal neurons in culture. A dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) antagonist blocked ghrelin-induced cAMP accumulation in striatal but not hippocampal neurons, indicating the involvement of D1R in the striatal GHS-R1a-Gs/olf coupling. Experiments in HEK-293T cells demonstrated that D1R co-expression promotes a switch in GHS-R1a-G protein coupling from Gi/o to Gs/olf, but only upon co-expression of GHS-R1b. Furthermore, resonance energy transfer experiments showed that D1R interacts with GHS-R1a, but only in the presence of GHS-R1b. Therefore, GHS-R1b not only determines the efficacy of ghrelin-induced GHS-R1a-mediated signaling but also determines the ability of GHS-R1a to form oligomeric complexes with other receptors, promoting profound qualitative changes in ghrelin-induced signaling. PMID:27129257

Fructose downregulates miR-330 to induce renal inflammatory response and insulin signaling impairment: Attenuation by morin.

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Gu, Ting-Ting; Song, Lin; Chen, Tian-Yu; Wang, Xing; Zhao, Xiao-Juan; Ding, Xiao-Qin; Yang, Yan-Zi; Pan, Ying; Zhang, Dong-Mei; Kong, Ling-Dong

2017-08-01

Fructose induces insulin resistance with kidney inflammation and injury. MicroRNAs are emerged as key regulators of insulin signaling. Morin has insulin-mimetic effect with the improvement of insulin resistance and kidney injury. This study investigated the protective mechanisms of morin against fructose-induced kidney injury, with particular focus on miR-330 expression change, inflammatory response, and insulin signaling impairment. miR-330, sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1)/sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)/S1P receptor (S1PR)1/3 signaling, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)/NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, and insulin signaling were detected in kidney cortex of fructose-fed rats and fructose-exposed HK-2 cells, respectively. Whether miR-330 mediated inflammatory response to affect insulin signaling was examined using SphK1 inhibitor, S1PR1/3 short interfering RNA, or miR-330 mimic/inhibitor, respectively. Fructose was found to downregulate miR-330 expression to increase SphK1/S1P/S1PR1/3 signaling, and then activate NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome to produce IL-1β, causing insulin signaling impairment. Moreover, morin upregulated miR-330 and partly attenuated inflammatory response and insulin signaling impairment to alleviate kidney injury. These findings suggest that morin protects against fructose-induced kidney insulin signaling impairment by upregulating miR-330 to reduce inflammatory response. Morin may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of kidney injury associated with fructose-induced inflammation and insulin signaling impairment. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

MicroRNA miR-125b induces senescence in human melanoma cells.

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Glud, Martin; Manfé, Valentina; Biskup, Edyta; Holst, Line; Dirksen, Anne Marie Ahlburg; Hastrup, Nina; Nielsen, Finn C; Drzewiecki, Krzysztof T; Gniadecki, Robert

2011-06-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules involved in gene regulation. Aberrant expression of miRNA has been associated with the development or progression of several diseases, including cancer. In a previous study, we found that the expression of miRNA-125b (miR-125b) was two-fold lower in malignant melanoma producing lymph node micrometastases than in nonmetastasizing tumors. To get further insight into the functional role of miR-125b, we assessed whether its overexpression or silencing affects apoptosis, proliferation, or senescence in melanoma cell lines. We showed that overexpression of miR-125b induced typical senescent cell morphology, including increased cytoplasmatic/nucleus ratio and intensive cytoplasmatic β-galactosidase expression. In contrast, inhibition of miR-125b resulted in 30-35% decreased levels of spontaneous apoptosis. We propose that downregulation of miR-125b in an early cutaneous malignant melanoma can contribute to the increased metastatic capability of this tumor.

Periodontitis promotes the diabetic development of obese rat via miR-147 induced classical macrophage activation.

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Xu, Ran; Zeng, Guang; Wang, Shuyong; Tao, Hong; Ren, Le; Zhang, Zhe; Zhang, Qingna; Zhao, Jinxiu; Gao, Jing; Li, Daxu

2016-10-01

Emerging evidence has indicated the bad effect of periodontal inflammation on diabetes control. However, the exact regulatory mechanisms within the association between periodontitis and diabetic development remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the function of microRNAs in regulating periodontitis-induced inflammation in an obese rat model. Experimental periodontitis was introduced into OLETF and LETO rat. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test was performed to detect diabetic development. Serum cytokines levels and microRNAs expression were detected by ELISA and RT-PCR analysis respectively. And, macrophages were isolated for gain- and loss-of-function studies, to investigate the regulatory mechanism of miR-147 in periodontitis-induced inflammation. Periodontitis induced proinflammatory response with classical activated macrophages in both rats, but distinctively aggravated the impaired glucose tolerance of OLETF rat with spontaneous type 2 diabetes. Analysis for serum microRNAs expression showed the distinctive and synergistic upregulation of miR-147 with periodontitis-induced effects in rats, while further experiments demonstrated the positive regulatory mechanism of miR-147 on classical activated macrophages with overexpressed proinflammatory markers, showing M1 phenotype. This study provided new evidence for the positive effect of periodontal inflammation on diabetic development, while the regulatory mechanism of miR-147 on classical macrophage activation, was verified, and presumed to contribute to the impaired glucose tolerance aggravated by periodontitis in obese rats. Besides, this study indicated the application of miR-147 for therapeutic approach in the treatment of diabetes with periodontitis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Precipitate-induced R-phase in martensitic transformation of as-spun and annealed Ti51Ni49 ribbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Ling-Mei; Chang, Shih-Hang; Wu, Shyi-Kaan

2010-01-01

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicate that a two-step B2 → R → B19' martensitic transformation and a one-step B19' → B2 transformation exhibit in as-spun and in 200-600 o C annealed Ti 51 Ni 49 ribbons. Guinier-Preston (GP) zones and Ti 2 Ni precipitates are formed in ribbons annealed at ≤300 o C and ≥400 o C, respectively, and a conspicuous increase of DSC transformation peak temperature occurs in between 300 o C and 400 o C. The sizes of GP zones and Ti 2 Ni precipitates increase with increased annealing temperature. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations show that GP zones can induce the R-phase and both of them are formed along B2 directions. DSC and TEM tests show that Ti 2 Ni precipitates can induce the R-phase more than GP zones and the induced R-phase plates are also found along B2 directions. Experimental results show that the growing direction of R-phase plates is strongly confined by that of GP zones and Ti 2 Ni precipitates. The length of R-phase plates can reach about 2 μm in 300 o C annealed ribbon.

The key role of miR-21-regulated SOD2 in the medium-mediated bystander responses in human fibroblasts induced by α-irradiated keratinocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian, Wenqian; Yin, Xiaoming; Wang, Longxiao; Wang, Jingdong; Zhu, Wei; Cao, Jianping; Yang, Hongying

2015-01-01

Highlights: • After co-culture with α-irradiated HaCaT cells, WS1 cells displayed oxidative stress and DNA damage. • Increased miR-21 expression in bystander cells was critical to the occurrence of RIBEs. • SOD2 of bystander cells played an important role in bystander responses. • miR-21 mediated bystander effects through its regulation on SOD2. - Abstract: Radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) is well accepted in the radiation research field by now, but the underlying molecular mechanisms for better understanding this phenomenon caused by intercellular communication and intracellular signal transduction are still incomplete. Although our previous study has demonstrated an important role of miR-21 of unirradiated bystander cells in RIBEs, the direct evidence for the hypothesis that RIBE is epigenetically regulated is still limited and how miR-21 mediates RIBEs is unknown. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been demonstrated to be involved in RIBEs, however, the roles of anti-oxidative stress system of cells in RIBEs are unclear. Using transwell insert co-culture system, we investigated medium-mediated bystander responses in WS1 human fibroblasts after co-culture with HaCaT keratinocytes traversed by α-particles. Results showed that the ROS levels in unirradiated bystander WS1 cells were significantly elevated after 30 min of co-culture, and 53BP1 foci, a surrogate marker of DNA damage, were obviously induced after 3 h of co-culture. This indicates the occurrence of oxidative stress and DNA damage in bystander WS1 cells after co-culture with irradiated keratinocytes. Furthermore, the expression of miR-21 was increased in bystander WS1 cells, downregulation of miR-21 eliminated the bystander responses, overexpression of miR-21 alone could induce bystander-like oxidative stress and DNA damage in WS1 cells. These data indicate an important mediating role of miR-21 in RIBEs. In addition, MnSOD or SOD2 in WS1 cells was involved in the bystander effects

The key role of miR-21-regulated SOD2 in the medium-mediated bystander responses in human fibroblasts induced by α-irradiated keratinocytes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tian, Wenqian; Yin, Xiaoming; Wang, Longxiao; Wang, Jingdong; Zhu, Wei; Cao, Jianping [School of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Medical College of Soochow University/Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, 199 Renai Road, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123 (China); Yang, Hongying, E-mail: yanghongying@suda.edu.cn [School of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Medical College of Soochow University/Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, 199 Renai Road, Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123 (China); Institute of Radiotherapy & Oncology, Soochow University (China)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • After co-culture with α-irradiated HaCaT cells, WS1 cells displayed oxidative stress and DNA damage. • Increased miR-21 expression in bystander cells was critical to the occurrence of RIBEs. • SOD2 of bystander cells played an important role in bystander responses. • miR-21 mediated bystander effects through its regulation on SOD2. - Abstract: Radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) is well accepted in the radiation research field by now, but the underlying molecular mechanisms for better understanding this phenomenon caused by intercellular communication and intracellular signal transduction are still incomplete. Although our previous study has demonstrated an important role of miR-21 of unirradiated bystander cells in RIBEs, the direct evidence for the hypothesis that RIBE is epigenetically regulated is still limited and how miR-21 mediates RIBEs is unknown. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been demonstrated to be involved in RIBEs, however, the roles of anti-oxidative stress system of cells in RIBEs are unclear. Using transwell insert co-culture system, we investigated medium-mediated bystander responses in WS1 human fibroblasts after co-culture with HaCaT keratinocytes traversed by α-particles. Results showed that the ROS levels in unirradiated bystander WS1 cells were significantly elevated after 30 min of co-culture, and 53BP1 foci, a surrogate marker of DNA damage, were obviously induced after 3 h of co-culture. This indicates the occurrence of oxidative stress and DNA damage in bystander WS1 cells after co-culture with irradiated keratinocytes. Furthermore, the expression of miR-21 was increased in bystander WS1 cells, downregulation of miR-21 eliminated the bystander responses, overexpression of miR-21 alone could induce bystander-like oxidative stress and DNA damage in WS1 cells. These data indicate an important mediating role of miR-21 in RIBEs. In addition, MnSOD or SOD2 in WS1 cells was involved in the bystander effects

Downregulation of β-Adrenoceptors in Isoproterenol-Induced Cardiac Remodeling through HuR.

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Qian Yin

Full Text Available β-adrenergic receptors (β-ARs play an important role in cardiac remodeling, which is the key pathological process in various heart diseases and leads to heart failure. However, the regulation of β-AR expression in remodeling hearts is still unclear. This study aims to clarify the possible mechanisms underlying the regulation of β1- and β2-AR expression in cardiac remodeling. The rat model of cardiac remodeling was established by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol(ISO at the dose of 0.25 mg·kg(-1·d(-1 for 7 days. We found that the expression of β1- and β2-ARs decreased in the remodeling heart. The mechanisms may include the inhibition of DNA transcription and the increase of mRNA degradation. cAMP-response element binding protein(CREB is a well-known transcription factor of β-AR. However, the expression and activation of CREB was not changed in the remodeling heart. Further, human Antigen-R (HuR, a RNA binding protein, which binds to the 3'-untranslated region of the β-AR mRNA and promotes RNA degradation, was increased in the remodeling model. And in vitro, HuR deficiency reversed the reduction of β-AR mRNA induced by ISO. Therefore, the present findings indicate that HuR, but not CREB, is responsible for the reduction of β-AR expression in ISO induced cardiac remodeling.

Role of miR-155 in fluorooctane sulfonate-induced oxidative hepatic damage via the Nrf2-dependent pathway

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Wan, Chong; Han, Rui; Liu, Limin [Laboratory of Environment and Health, College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049 (China); Zhang, Fang, E-mail: zhangfang@ucas.ac.cn [Laboratory of Environment and Health, College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049 (China); Li, Fang [Laboratory of Environment and Health, College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049 (China); Xiang, Mingdeng [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Ding, Wenjun, E-mail: dingwj@ucas.ac.cn [Laboratory of Environment and Health, College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049 (China)

2016-03-15

Studies demonstrated that perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) tends to accumulate in the liver and is capable to cause hepatomegaly. In the present study, we investigated the roles of miR-155 in PFOS-induced hepatotoxicity in SD rats and HepG2 cells. Male SD rats were orally administrated with PFOS at 1 or 10 mg/kg/day for 28 days while HepG2 cells were treated with 0–50 μM of PFOS for 24 h or 50 μM of PFOS for 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24 h, respectively. We found that PFOS significantly increased the liver weight and serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) levels in rats. Morphologically, PFOS caused actin filament remodeling and endothelial permeability changes in the liver. Moreover, PFOS triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and induced apoptosis in both in vivo and in vitro assays. Immunoblotting data showed that NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) expression and activation and its target genes were all suppressed by PFOS in the liver and HepG2 cells. However, PFOS significantly increased miR-155 expression. Further studies showed that pretreatment of HepG2 cells with catalase significantly decreased miR-155 expression and substantially increased Nrf2 expression and activation, resulting in reduction of PFOS-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress. Taken together, these results indicated that miR-155 plays an important role in the PFOS-induced hepatotoxicity by disrupting Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway. - Highlights: • PFOS is capable to cause hepatotoxicity. • PFOS triggers ROS generation and induces apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro assays. • PFOS-induced ROS inhibits Nrf2 expression and its transactivation function. • PFOS promotes miR155 expression in liver and HepG2 cells. • miR-155 is involved in PFOS-induced hepatotoxicity by disrupting Nrf2/ARE pathway.

Análisis de las polihidroxialcanoato sintasas (PhaC1 y PhaC2 en una cepa de Pseudomonas fluorescens IBUN S1602, aislada en suelos colombianos

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Julieth Serrano Riaño

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Título en ingles: Analysis of polyhydroxyalkanoate synthases (PhaC1 and PhaC2 in a strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens   IBUN S1602 isolated from Colombian soil. Resumen La cepa Pseudomonas fluorescens IBUN S1602 conforma el grupo de aislamientos provenientes de suelos colombianos de caña de azúcar, que acumula polihidrioxialcanoato (PHA, fue seleccionada como promisoria para escalamiento comercial por tener afinidad por sustratos alternativos y económicos como el glicerol, aceites usados, suero de leche, entre otros. Dada la importancia de la enzima sintasa en la síntesis de los PHAs, en el presente trabajo se realizó el análisis molecular de los genes phaC1 y phaC2 que codifican las enzimas sintasas tipo II (PhaC1 y PhaC2. Para la obtención de los amplímeros requeridos en la secuenciación, se utilizó la técnica de PCR bajo condiciones estandarizadas para iniciadores diseñados reportados en las bases de datos. Se identificaron dos fragmentos de 1680 pb y 1683 pb correspondientes a  phaC1 y phaC2. El análisis comparativo de las secuencias proteicas resultantes de estos genes demuestra que la sintasa  IBUN S1602 contiene la región α/β hidrolasa y 8 residuos de aminoácidos conservados, que son características de las sintasas examinadas a nivel mundial. Se analizó la estructura enzimática a nivel primario y se predijo la secundaria. Se concluyó que  las sintasas de la cepa Pseudomonas fluorescens IBUN S1602 presentan alta homología con las sintasas tipo II  que se reportan para Pseudomonas. Los resultados obtenidos contribuyen al entendimiento básico de la biosíntesis de PHA,  la cual permitirá, en un futuro, el aumento de la calidad de PHA debida a la modulación del nivel de sintasa que se exprese en un organismo recombinante, con el fin de variar el peso molecular del biopolímero, propiedad esencial en el estudio de aplicaciones industriales.   Palabras clave: polihidroxialcanoatos, PHA sintasa, bioinform

IL22/IL-22R pathway induces cell survival in human glioblastoma cells.

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Hussein Akil

Full Text Available Interleukin-22 (IL-22 is a member of the IL-10 cytokine family that binds to a heterodimeric receptor consisting of IL-22 receptor 1 (IL-22R1 and IL-10R2. IL-22R expression was initially characterized on epithelial cells, and plays an essential role in a number of inflammatory diseases. Recently, a functional receptor was detected on cancer cells such as hepatocarcinoma and lung carcinoma, but its presence was not reported in glioblastoma (GBM. Two GBM cell lines and 10 primary cell lines established from patients undergoing surgery for malignant GBM were used to investigate the expression of IL-22 and IL-22R by using quantitative RT-PCR, western blotting and confocal microscopy studies. The role of IL-22 in proliferation and survival of GBM cell lines was investigated in vitro by BrdU and ELISA cell death assays. We report herein that the two subunits of the IL-22R complex are expressed on human GBM cells. Their activation, depending on exogenous IL-22, induced antiapoptotic effect and cell proliferation. IL-22 treatment of GBM cells resulted in increased levels of phosphorylated Akt, STAT3 signaling protein and its downstream antiapoptotic protein Bcl-xL and decreased level of phosphorylated ERK1/2. In addition, IL-22R subunits were expressed in all the 10 tested primary cell lines established from GBM tumors. Our results showed that IL-22R is expressed on GBM established and primary cell lines. Depending on STAT3, ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt pathways, IL-22 induced GBM cell survival. These data are consistent with a potential role of IL-22R in tumorigenesis of GBM. Since endogenous IL-22 was not detected in all studied GBM cells, we hypothesize that IL-22R could be activated by immune microenvironmental IL-22 producing cells.

THE DIRECTIVE 85/374/EEC ON DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS: ITS INTERPRETATION BY THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE

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Inmaculada HERBOSA MARTÍNEZ

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the interpretation of the European Court of Justice concerning substantive aspects of the Directive 85/374/ECC of July25, 1985, on liability for defective products. Therefore, this work will deal with the interpretation of some aspects regarding the essence of products liability: The concept of defect and the extent of damage covered by this liability. In addition, a number of issues needing of interpretation are analysed, such as: The meaning of putting a product into circulation, the right to information of the consumer in order to prove the causation of damage, and finally the problems that arise in cases where the producer is exempt from liability.

ACT-R Electronic Bookshelf: An Adaptive System To Support Learning ACT-R on the Web.

Science.gov (United States)

Brusilovsky, Peter; Anderson, John

This paper describes the electronic ACT-R Bookshelf, a system which supports learning ACT-R, a well-known theory in the field of cognitive psychology, over the World Wide Web. ACT-R Bookshelf is a collection of electronic books on various aspects of ACT-R. The primary role of ACT-R Bookshelf is to serve as a 24-hour information resource for…

Protective Role of R-spondin1, an Intestinal Stem Cell Growth Factor, against Radiation-Induced Gastrointestinal Syndrome in Mice

OpenAIRE

Bhanja, Payel; Saha, Subhrajit; Kabarriti, Rafi; Liu, Laibin; Roy-Chowdhury, Namita; Roy-Chowdhury, Jayanta; Sellers, Rani S.; Alfieri, Alan A.; Guha, Chandan

2009-01-01

Background Radiation-induced gastrointestinal syndrome (RIGS) results from a combination of direct cytocidal effects on intestinal crypt and endothelial cells and subsequent loss of the mucosal barrier, resulting in electrolyte imbalance, diarrhea, weight loss, infection and mortality. Because R-spondin1 (Rspo1) acts as a mitogenic factor for intestinal stem cells, we hypothesized that systemic administration of Rspo1 would amplify the intestinal crypt cells and accelerate the regeneration of...

Differential contribution of complement receptor C5aR in myeloid and non-myeloid cells in chronic ethanol-induced liver injury in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

McCullough, Rebecca L; McMullen, Megan R; Das, Dola; Roychowdhury, Sanjoy; Strainic, Michael G; Medof, M Edward; Nagy, Laura E

2016-07-01

Complement is implicated in the development of alcoholic liver disease. C3 and C5 contribute to ethanol-induced liver injury; however, the role of C5a receptor (C5aR) on myeloid and non-myeloid cells to progression of injury is not known. C57BL/6 (WT), global C5aR-/-, myeloid-specific C5aR-/-, and non-myeloid-specific C5aR-/- mice were fed a Lieber-DeCarli diet (32%kcal EtOH) for 25 days. Cultured hepatocytes were challenged with ethanol, TNFα, and C5a. Chronic ethanol feeding increased expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in livers of WT mice; this response was completely blunted in C5aR-/- mice. However, C5aR-/- mice were not protected from other measures of hepatocellular damage, including ethanol-induced increases in hepatic triglycerides, plasma alanine aminotransferase and hepatocyte apoptosis. CYP2E1 and 4-hydroxynonenal protein adducts were induced in WT and C5aR-/- mice. Myeloid-specific C5aR-/- mice were protected from ethanol-induced increases in hepatic TNFα, whereas non-myeloid-specific C5aR-/- displayed increased hepatocyte apoptosis and inflammation after chronic ethanol feeding. In cultured hepatocytes, cytotoxicity induced by challenge with ethanol and TNFα was completely eliminated by treatment with C5a in cells from WT, but not C5aR-/- mice. Further, treatment with C5a enhanced activation of pro-survival signal AKT in hepatocytes challenged with ethanol and TNFα. Taken together, these data reveal a differential role for C5aR during ethanol-induced liver inflammation and injury, with C5aR on myeloid cells contributing to ethanol-induced inflammatory cytokine expression, while non-myeloid C5aR protects hepatocytes from death after chronic ethanol feeding. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kinetics of biofilm formation and desiccation survival of Listeria monocytogenes in single and dual species biofilms with Pseudomonas fluorescens, Serratia proteamaculans or Shewanella baltica on food-grade stainless steel surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Daneshvar Alavi, Hessam Edin; Truelstrup Hansen, Lisbeth

2013-01-01

This study investigated the dynamics of static biofilm formation (100% RH, 15 °C, 48-72 h) and desiccation survival (43% RH, 15 °C, 21 days) of Listeria monocytogenes, in dual species biofilms with the common spoilage bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Serratia proteamaculans and Shewanella baltica, on the surface of food grade stainless steel. The Gram-negative bacteria reduced the maximum biofilm population of L. monocytogenes in dual species biofilms and increased its inactivation during desiccation. However, due to the higher desiccation resistance of Listeria relative to P. fluorescens and S. baltica, the pathogen survived in greater final numbers. In contrast, S. proteamaculans outcompeted the pathogen during the biofilm formation and exhibited similar desiccation survival, causing the N21 days of Serratia to be ca 3 Log10(CFU cm(-2)) greater than that of Listeria in the dual species biofilm. Microscopy revealed biofilm morphologies with variable amounts of exopolymeric substance and the presence of separate microcolonies. Under these simulated food plant conditions, the fate of L. monocytogenes during formation of mixed biofilms and desiccation depended on the implicit characteristics of the co-cultured bacterium.

Reciprocal activation of α5-nAChR and STAT3 in nicotine-induced human lung cancer cell proliferation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yao; Jia, Yanfei; Li, Ping; Li, Huanjie; Xiao, Dongjie; Wang, Yunshan; Ma, Xiaoli

2017-07-20

Cigarette smoking is the top environmental risk factor for lung cancer. Nicotine, the addictive component of cigarettes, induces lung cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration via the activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) show that CHRNA5 gene encoding α5-nAChR is especially relevant to lung cancer. However, the mechanism of this subunit in lung cancer is not clear. In the present study, we demonstrate that the expression of α5-nAChR is correlated with phosphorylated STAT3 (pSTAT3) expression, smoking history and lower survival of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples. Nicotine increased the levels of α5-nAChR mRNA and protein in NSCLC cell lines and activated the JAK2/STAT3 signaling cascade. Nicotine-induced activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling was inhibited by the silencing of α5-nAChR. Characterization of the CHRNA5 promoter revealed four STAT3-response elements. ChIP assays confirmed that the CHRNA5 promoter contains STAT3 binding sites. By silencing STAT3 expression, nicotine-induced upregulation of α5-nAChR was suppressed. Downregulation of α5-nAChR and/or STAT3 expression inhibited nicotine-induced lung cancer cell proliferation. These results suggest that there is a feedback loop between α5-nAChR and STAT3 that contributes to the nicotine-induced tumor cell proliferation, which indicates that α5-nAChR is an important therapeutic target involved in tobacco-associated lung carcinogenesis. Copyright © 2017 Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Genetics Society of China. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

R-citalopram prevents the neuronal adaptive changes induced by escitalopram.

Science.gov (United States)

Mnie-Filali, Ouissame; Faure, Céline; Mansari, Mostafa El; Lambás-Señas, Laura; Bérod, Anne; Zimmer, Luc; Sánchez, Connie; Haddjeri, Nasser

2007-10-08

This study examined the long-term effects of the antidepressant escitalopram on rat serotonin (5-HT) neuronal activity and hippocampal neuroplasticity. In the dorsal raphe nucleus, a 2-week treatment with escitalopram (10 mg/kg/day, subcutaneous) did not modify the firing activity of 5-HT neurons, whereas a cotreatment with R-citalopram (20 mg/kg/day, subcutaneous) decreased it. In the dentate gyrus of dorsal hippocampus, escitalopram increased significantly (57%) the number of de novo cells and this was prevented by a cotreatment with R-citalopram. The present results support the role of the allosteric modulation of the 5-HT transporter in the regulation of the recovery of 5-HT neuronal activity and long-lasting hippocampal cellular plasticity induced by escitalopram, two adaptive changes presumably associated with the antidepressant response.

Constraining f(R) gravity in solar system, cosmology and binary pulsar systems

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Tan; Zhang, Xing; Zhao, Wen

2018-02-01

The f (R) gravity can be cast into the form of a scalar-tensor theory, and scalar degree of freedom can be suppressed in high-density regions by the chameleon mechanism. In this article, for the general f (R) gravity, using a scalar-tensor representation with the chameleon mechanism, we calculate the parametrized post-Newtonian parameters γ and β, the effective gravitational constant Geff, and the effective cosmological constant Λeff. In addition, for the general f (R) gravity, we also calculate the rate of orbital period decay of the binary system due to gravitational radiation. Then we apply these results to specific f (R) models (Hu-Sawicki model, Tsujikawa model and Starobinsky model) and derive the constraints on the model parameters by combining the observations in solar system, cosmological scales and the binary systems.

MiR-30c regulates cisplatin-induced apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells by targeting Bnip3L and Hspa5.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Bin; Dai, Xiao-Meng; Li, Shuang; Qi, Guo-Long; Cao, Guang-Xu; Zhong, Ying; Yin, Pei-di; Yang, Xue-Song

2017-08-10

As a common anticancer drug, cisplatin has been widely used for treating tumors in the clinic. However, its side effects, especially its nephrotoxicity, noticeably restrict the application of cisplatin. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the mechanism of renal injury and explore the corresponding remedies. In this study, we showed the phenotypes of the renal tubules and epithelial cell death as well as elevated cleaved-caspase3- and TUNEL-positive cells in rats intraperitoneally injected with cisplatin. Similar cisplatin-induced cell apoptosis was found in HK-2 and NRK-52E cells exposed to cisplatin as well. In both models of cisplatin-induced apoptosis in vivo and in vitro, quantitative PCR data displayed reductions in miR-30a-e expression levels, indicating that miR-30 might be involved in regulating cisplatin-induced cell apoptosis. This was further confirmed when the effects of cisplatin-induced cell apoptosis were found to be closely correlated with alterations in miR-30c expression, which were manipulated by transfection of either the miR-30c mimic or miR-30c inhibitor in HK-2 and NRK-52E cells. Using bioinformatics tools, including TargetScan and a gene expression database (Gene Expression Omnibus), Adrb1, Bnip3L, Hspa5 and MAP3K12 were predicted to be putative target genes of miR-30c in cisplatin-induced apoptosis. Subsequently, Bnip3L and Hspa5 were confirmed to be the target genes after determining the expression of these putative genes following manipulation of miR-30c expression levels in HK-2 cells. Taken together, our current experiments reveal that miR-30c is certainly involved in regulating the renal tubular cell apoptosis induced by cisplatin, which might supply a new strategy to minimize cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.

A Significant Role of the Truncated Ghrelin Receptor GHS-R1b in Ghrelin-induced Signaling in Neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Navarro, Gemma; Aguinaga, David; Angelats, Edgar; Medrano, Mireia; Moreno, Estefanía; Mallol, Josefa; Cortés, Antonio; Canela, Enric I; Casadó, Vicent; McCormick, Peter J; Lluís, Carme; Ferré, Sergi

2016-06-17

The truncated non-signaling ghrelin receptor growth hormone secretagogue R1b (GHS-R1b) has been suggested to simply exert a dominant negative role in the trafficking and signaling of the full and functional ghrelin receptor GHS-R1a. Here we reveal a more complex modulatory role of GHS-R1b. Differential co-expression of GHS-R1a and GHS-R1b, both in HEK-293T cells and in striatal and hippocampal neurons in culture, demonstrates that GHS-R1b acts as a dual modulator of GHS-R1a function: low relative GHS-R1b expression potentiates and high relative GHS-R1b expression inhibits GHS-R1a function by facilitating GHS-R1a trafficking to the plasma membrane and by exerting a negative allosteric effect on GHS-R1a signaling, respectively. We found a preferential Gi/o coupling of the GHS-R1a-GHS-R1b complex in HEK-293T cells and, unexpectedly, a preferential Gs/olf coupling in both striatal and hippocampal neurons in culture. A dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) antagonist blocked ghrelin-induced cAMP accumulation in striatal but not hippocampal neurons, indicating the involvement of D1R in the striatal GHS-R1a-Gs/olf coupling. Experiments in HEK-293T cells demonstrated that D1R co-expression promotes a switch in GHS-R1a-G protein coupling from Gi/o to Gs/olf, but only upon co-expression of GHS-R1b. Furthermore, resonance energy transfer experiments showed that D1R interacts with GHS-R1a, but only in the presence of GHS-R1b. Therefore, GHS-R1b not only determines the efficacy of ghrelin-induced GHS-R1a-mediated signaling but also determines the ability of GHS-R1a to form oligomeric complexes with other receptors, promoting profound qualitative changes in ghrelin-induced signaling. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Interference of silibinin with IGF-1R signalling pathways protects human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells from UVB-induced apoptosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Weiwei; Otkur, Wuxiyar; Li, Lingzhi; Wang, Qiong; He, Hao; Zang, Linghe; Hayashi, Toshihiko; Tashiro, Shin-ichi; Onodera, Satoshi; Xia, Mingyu; Ikejima, Takashi

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Silibinin protects A431 cells from UVB irradiation-induced apoptosis. ► Up-regulation of the IGF-1R-JNK/ERK pathways by UVB induces cell apoptosis. ► Silibinin inhibits IGF-1R pathways to repress caspase-8-mediated apoptosis. -- Abstract: Ultraviolet B (UVB) from sunlight is a major cause of cutaneous lesion. Silibinin, a traditional hepatic protectant, elicits protective effects against UVB-induced cellular damage. In A431 cells, the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) was markedly up-regulated by UVB irradiation. The activation of the IGF-1R signalling pathways contributed to apoptosis of the cells rather than rescuing the cells from death. Up-regulated IGF-1R stimulated downstream mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), such as c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2). The subsequent activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3 led to apoptosis. The activation of IGF-1R signalling pathways is the cause of A431 cell death. The pharmacological inhibitors and the small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting IGF-1R suppressed the downstream activation of JNK/ERK-caspases to help the survival of the UVB-irradiated A431 cells. Indeed, silibinin treatment suppressed the IGF-1R-JNK/ERK pathways and thus protected the cells from UVB-induced apoptosis

SurR9C84A protects and recovers human cardiomyocytes from hypoxia induced apoptosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashok, Ajay [Nanomedicine-Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research (NLIMBR), School of Medicine (SoM), Faculty of Health, Centre for Molecular and Medical Research - C-MMR, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3216 (Australia); Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2103 Cornell Rd. WRB 5128, Cleveland, OH 44106-7288 (United States); Kanwar, Jagat Rakesh [Nanomedicine-Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research (NLIMBR), School of Medicine (SoM), Faculty of Health, Centre for Molecular and Medical Research - C-MMR, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3216 (Australia); Krishnan, Uma Maheswari [Centre for Nanotechnology & Advanced Biomaterials (CeNTAB), School of Chemical & Biotechnology (SCBT), SASTRA University, Thanjavur 613401 (India); Kanwar, Rupinder Kaur, E-mail: rupinder.kanwar@deakin.edu.au [Nanomedicine-Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research (NLIMBR), School of Medicine (SoM), Faculty of Health, Centre for Molecular and Medical Research - C-MMR, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3216 (Australia)

2017-01-01

Survivin, as an anti-apoptotic protein and a cell cycle regulator, is recently gaining importance for its regenerative potential in salvaging injured hypoxic cells of vital organs such as heart. Different strategies are being employed to upregulate survivin expression in dying hypoxic cardiomyocytes. We investigated the cardioprotective potential of a cell permeable survivin mutant protein SurR9C84A, for the management of hypoxia mediated cardiomyocyte apoptosis, in a novel and clinically relevant model employing primary human cardiomyocytes (HCM). The aim of this research work was to study the efficacy and mechanism of SurR9C84A facilitated cardioprotection and regeneration in hypoxic HCM. To mimic hypoxic microenvironment in vitro, well characterized HCM were treated with 100 µm (48 h) cobalt chloride to induce hypoxia. Hypoxia induced (HI) HCM were further treated with SurR9C84A (1 µg/mL) in order to analyse its cardioprotective efficacy. Confocal microscopy showed rapid internalization of SurR9C84A and scanning electron microscopy revealed the reinstatement of cytoskeleton projections in HI HCM. SurR9C84A treatment increased cell viability, reduced cell death via, apoptosis (Annexin-V assay), and downregulated free cardiac troponin T and MMP-9 expression. SurR9C84A also upregulated the expression of proliferation markers (PCNA and Ki-67) and downregulated mitochondrial depolarization and ROS levels thereby, impeding cell death. Human Apoptosis Array further revealed that SurR9C84A downregulated expression of pro-apoptotic markers and augmented expression of HSPs and HTRA2/Omi. SurR9C84A treatment led to enhanced levels of survivin, VEGF, PI3K and pAkt. SurR9C84A proved non-toxic to normoxic HCM, as validated through unaltered cell proliferation and other marker levels. Its pre-treatment exhibited lesser susceptibility to hypoxia/damage. SurR9C84A holds a promising clinical potential for human cardiomyocyte survival and proliferation following hypoxic injury

Bifidobacterial recombinant thymidine kinase-ganciclovir gene therapy system induces FasL and TNFR2 mediated antitumor apoptosis in solid tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Changdong; Ma, Yongping; Hu, Qiongwen; Xie, Tingting; Wu, Jiayan; Zeng, Fan; Song, Fangzhou

2016-01-01

Directly targeting therapeutic suicide gene to a solid tumor is a hopeful approach for cancer gene therapy. Treatment of a solid tumor by an effective vector for a suicide gene remains a challenge. Given the lack of effective treatments, we constructed a bifidobacterial recombinant thymidine kinase (BF-rTK) -ganciclovir (GCV) targeting system (BKV) to meet this requirement and to explore antitumor mechanisms. Bifidobacterium (BF) or BF-rTK was injected intratumorally with or without ganciclovir in a human colo320 intestinal xenograft tumor model. The tumor tissues were analyzed using apoptosis antibody arrays, real time PCR and western blot. The colo320 cell was analyzed by the gene silencing method. Autophagy and necroptosis were also detected in colo320 cell. Meanwhile, three human digestive system xenograft tumor models (colorectal cancer colo320, gastric cancer MKN-45 and liver cancer SSMC-7721) and a breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) model were employed to validate the universality of BF-rTK + GCV in solid tumor gene therapy. The survival rate was evaluated in three human cancer models after the BF-rTK + GCV intratumor treatment. The analysis of inflammatory markers (TNF-α) in tumor indicated that BF-rTK + GCV significantly inhibited TNF-α expression. The results suggested that BF-rTK + GCV induced tumor apoptosis without autophagy and necroptosis occurrence. The apoptosis was transduced by multiple signaling pathways mediated by FasL and TNFR2 and mainly activated the mitochondrial control of apoptosis via Bid and Bim, which was rescued by silencing Bid or/and Bim. However, BF + GCV only induced apoptosis via Fas/FasL signal pathway accompanied with increased P53 expression. We further found that BF-rTK + GCV inhibited the expression of the inflammatory maker of TNF-α. However, BF-rTK + GCV did not result in necroptosis and autophagy. BF-rTK + GCV induced tumor apoptosis mediated by FasL and TNFR2 through the mitochondrial control of apoptosis via Bid and Bim

Systemic resistance induced by rhizosphere bacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loon, L.C. van; Bakker, P.A.H.M.; Pieterse, C.M.J.

1998-01-01

Nonpathogenic rhizobacteria can induce a systemic resistance in plants that is phenotypically similar to pathogen-induced systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Rhizobacteria-mediated induced systemic resistance (ISR) has been demonstrated against fungi, bacteria, and viruses in Arabidopsis, bean,

Safety and efficacy of Profermin(R) to induce remission in ulcerative colitis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krag, Aleksander; Israelsen, Hans; von Ryberg, Bjørn

2012-01-01

AIM: To test the efficacy and safety of Profermin(R) in inducing remission in patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: The study included 39 patients with mild to moderate UC defined as a Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index (SCCAI) > 4 and < 12 (median: 7.5), who were treated ope...

Characteristics of the stress-induced formation of R-phase in ultrafine-grained NiTi shape memory wire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olbricht, J.; Yawny, A.; Pelegrina, J.L.; Eggeler, G.; Yardley, V.A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: •We investigated the stress-induced formation of R-phase in NiTi shape memory wires. •The R-phase related strains were isolated from the overall stress-strain-behavior. •The stress–strain characteristics of R-phase suggest a homogeneous transformation. •Thermography confirms the homogeneous R-phase formation in ultrafine-grained NiTi. -- Abstract: The transformation between the cubic B2 and monoclinic B19′ phases in ultrafine-grained pseudoelastic NiTi can occur as a two-step process involving the intermediate rhombohedral R-phase. Experimental work using differential scanning calorimetry, electrical resistance measurements and transmission electron microscopy has demonstrated the formation of this intermediate phase during thermal cycling and during mechanical loading. In the present paper, complementary mechanical and thermographic results are presented which allow to further assess the character of the stress-induced R-phase formation. The transformation from B2 to R-phase is demonstrated to occur homogeneously within the gauge length rather than via advancing Lüders-type transition regions as it is the case in the localized transformation from B2 or R-phase to B19′

GroEL and dnaK genes of Escherichia coli are induced by UV irradiation and nalidixic acid in an htpR+-dependent fashion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krueger, J.H.; Walker, G.C.

1984-01-01

Two proteins with molecular weights of 61,000 and 73,000 were found to be induced by UV light in Escherichia coli mutants in which the SOS responses are constitutively expressed. The induction of these proteins by UV light and nalidixic acid was shown to be independent of the recA + lexA + regulatory system. Analysis of these proteins by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and comparison with the heat-shock proteins of E. coli revealed that the M/sub r/ 61,000 protein comigrated with the groEL gene product, that the M/sub r/ 73,000 protein comigrated with the dnaK gene product, and that other heat-shock proteins were also induced. The induction of groEL and dnaK by UV light and nalidixic acid is controlled by the htpR locus. The results suggest that the regulatory response of E. coli to agents such as UV light and nalidixic acid is more complex than previously thought. 35 references, 6 figures, 1 table

Solar System constraints to general f(R) gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiba, Takeshi; Smith, Tristan L.; Erickcek, Adrienne L.

2007-01-01

It has been proposed that cosmic acceleration or inflation can be driven by replacing the Einstein-Hilbert action of general relativity with a function f(R) of the Ricci scalar R. Such f(R) gravity theories have been shown to be equivalent to scalar-tensor theories of gravity that are incompatible with Solar System tests of general relativity, as long as the scalar field propagates over Solar System scales. Specifically, the parameterized post-Newtonian (PPN) parameter in the equivalent scalar-tensor theory is γ=1/2, which is far outside the range allowed by observations. In response to a flurry of papers that questioned the equivalence of f(R) theory to scalar-tensor theories, it was recently shown explicitly, without resorting to the scalar-tensor equivalence, that the vacuum field equations for 1/R gravity around a spherically symmetric mass also yield γ=1/2. Here we generalize this analysis to f(R) gravity and enumerate the conditions that, when satisfied by the function f(R), lead to the prediction that γ=1/2

Constraining f(R gravity in solar system, cosmology and binary pulsar systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan Liu

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The f(R gravity can be cast into the form of a scalar–tensor theory, and scalar degree of freedom can be suppressed in high-density regions by the chameleon mechanism. In this article, for the general f(R gravity, using a scalar–tensor representation with the chameleon mechanism, we calculate the parametrized post-Newtonian parameters γ and β, the effective gravitational constant Geff, and the effective cosmological constant Λeff. In addition, for the general f(R gravity, we also calculate the rate of orbital period decay of the binary system due to gravitational radiation. Then we apply these results to specific f(R models (Hu–Sawicki model, Tsujikawa model and Starobinsky model and derive the constraints on the model parameters by combining the observations in solar system, cosmological scales and the binary systems.

Hypoxia induces miR-210, leading to anti-apoptosis in ovarian follicular cells of marine medaka Oryzias melastigma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tse, Anna Chung-Kwan; Li, Jing-Woei; Chan, Ting-Fung; Wu, Rudolf Shiu-Sun; Lai, Keng-Po

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We demonstrate hypoxia induced miR-210 in ovarian follicular cells. • We show anti-apoptotic roles of miR-210 in ovarian follicular cells under hypoxia. • Apoptotic genes (DLC1, SLK, TNFRSF10B, RBM25, and USP7) are target of miR-210. • MiR-210 is vital for ovarian follicular cells proliferation in response to hypoxia. - Abstract: Hypoxia is a major global problem that impairs reproductive functions and reduces the quality and quantity of gametes and the fertilization success of marine fish. Nevertheless, the detailed molecular mechanism underlying hypoxia-induced female reproductive impairment remains largely unknown. There is increasing evidence that miRNA is vital in regulating ovarian functions and is closely associated with female fertility in humans. Certain miRNAs that regulate apoptotic genes can be induced by hypoxia, resulting in cell apoptosis. Using primary ovarian follicular cells of the marine medaka, Oryzias melastigma, as a model, we investigated the response of miR-210 to hypoxic stress in ovarian tissues to see if it would interrupt reproductive functions. A significant induction of miR-210 was found in primary ovarian follicular cells exposed to hypoxia, and gene ontology analysis further highlighted the potential roles of miR-210 in cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and cell apoptosis. A number of miR-210 target apoptotic genes, including Deleted in liver cancer 1 protein (DLC1), STE20-like serine/threonine-protein kinase (SLK), tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 10b (TNFRSF10B), RNA binding motif protein 25 (RBM25), and Ubiquitin-specific-processing protease 7 (USP7), were identified. We further showed that ectopic expression of miR-210 would result in down-regulation of these apoptotic genes. On the other hand, the inhibition of miR-210 promoted apoptotic cell death and the expression of apoptotic marker – caspase 3 in follicular cells under hypoxic treatment, supporting the regulatory role of miR

Hypoxia induces miR-210, leading to anti-apoptosis in ovarian follicular cells of marine medaka Oryzias melastigma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tse, Anna Chung-Kwan [School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR (China); State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, Hong Kong SAR (China); Li, Jing-Woei; Chan, Ting-Fung [School of Life Sciences, Hong Kong Bioinformatics Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR (China); Wu, Rudolf Shiu-Sun [School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR (China); State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, Hong Kong SAR (China); Lai, Keng-Po, E-mail: balllai@hku.hk [School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR (China); State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, Hong Kong SAR (China)

2015-08-15

Highlights: • We demonstrate hypoxia induced miR-210 in ovarian follicular cells. • We show anti-apoptotic roles of miR-210 in ovarian follicular cells under hypoxia. • Apoptotic genes (DLC1, SLK, TNFRSF10B, RBM25, and USP7) are target of miR-210. • MiR-210 is vital for ovarian follicular cells proliferation in response to hypoxia. - Abstract: Hypoxia is a major global problem that impairs reproductive functions and reduces the quality and quantity of gametes and the fertilization success of marine fish. Nevertheless, the detailed molecular mechanism underlying hypoxia-induced female reproductive impairment remains largely unknown. There is increasing evidence that miRNA is vital in regulating ovarian functions and is closely associated with female fertility in humans. Certain miRNAs that regulate apoptotic genes can be induced by hypoxia, resulting in cell apoptosis. Using primary ovarian follicular cells of the marine medaka, Oryzias melastigma, as a model, we investigated the response of miR-210 to hypoxic stress in ovarian tissues to see if it would interrupt reproductive functions. A significant induction of miR-210 was found in primary ovarian follicular cells exposed to hypoxia, and gene ontology analysis further highlighted the potential roles of miR-210 in cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and cell apoptosis. A number of miR-210 target apoptotic genes, including Deleted in liver cancer 1 protein (DLC1), STE20-like serine/threonine-protein kinase (SLK), tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 10b (TNFRSF10B), RNA binding motif protein 25 (RBM25), and Ubiquitin-specific-processing protease 7 (USP7), were identified. We further showed that ectopic expression of miR-210 would result in down-regulation of these apoptotic genes. On the other hand, the inhibition of miR-210 promoted apoptotic cell death and the expression of apoptotic marker – caspase 3 in follicular cells under hypoxic treatment, supporting the regulatory role of miR

Local and Systemic Inflammatory Responses to Experimentally Induced Gingivitis

Science.gov (United States)

Leishman, Shaneen J.; Seymour, Gregory J.; Ford, Pauline J.

2013-01-01

This study profiled the local and systemic inflammatory responses to experimentally induced gingivitis. Eight females participated in a 21-day experimental gingivitis model followed by a 14-day resolution phase. Bleeding on probing and plaque index scores were assessed before, during, and after resolution of gingival inflammation, and samples of saliva, GCF, and plasma were collected. Samples were assessed for biomarkers of inflammation using the BioPlex platform and ELISA. There were no significant changes in GCF levels of cytokines during the experimental phase; however, individual variability in cytokine profiles was noted. During resolution, mean GCF levels of IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α decreased and were significantly lower than baseline levels (P = 0.003, P = 0.025, and P = 0.007, resp.). Furthermore, changes in GCF levels of IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-α during resolution correlated with changes in plaque index scores (r = 0.88, P = 0.004; r = 0.72, P = 0.042; r = 0.79, P = 0.019, resp.). Plasma levels of sICAM-1 increased significantly during the experimental phase (P = 0.002) and remained elevated and significantly higher than baseline levels during resolution (P gingivitis adds to the systemic inflammatory burden of an individual. PMID:24227893

Swimming attenuates d-galactose-induced brain aging via suppressing miR-34a-mediated autophagy impairment and abnormal mitochondrial dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kou, Xianjuan; Li, Jie; Liu, Xingran; Chang, Jingru; Zhao, Qingxia; Jia, Shaohui; Fan, Jingjing; Chen, Ning

2017-06-01

microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be involved in many neurodegenerative diseases. To explore the regulatory role of miR-34a in aging-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) during exercise intervention, we constructed a rat model with d-galactose (d-gal)-induced oxidative stress and cognitive impairment coupled with dysfunctional autophagy and abnormal mitochondrial dynamics, determined the mitigation of cognitive impairment of d-gal-induced aging rats during swimming intervention, and evaluated miR-34a-mediated functional status of autophagy and abnormal mitochondrial dynamics. Meanwhile, whether the upregulation of miR-34a can lead to dysfunctional autophagy and abnormal mitochondrial dynamics was confirmed in human SH-SY5Y cells with silenced miR-34a by the transfection of a miR-34a inhibitor. Results indicated that swimming intervention could significantly attenuate cognitive impairment, prevent the upregulation of miR-34a, mitigate the dysfunctional autophagy, and inhibit the increase of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) in d-gal-induced aging model rats. In contrast, the miR-34a inhibitor in cell model not only attenuated D-gal-induced the impairment of autophagy but also decreased the expression of DRP1 and mitofusin 2 (MFN2). Therefore, swimming training can delay brain aging of d-gal-induced aging rats through attenuating the impairment of miR-34a-mediated autophagy and abnormal mitochondrial dynamics, and miR-34a could be the novel therapeutic target for aging-related diseases such as AD. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In the present study, we have found that the upregulation of miR-34a is the hallmark of aging or aging-related diseases, which can result in dysfunctional autophagy and abnormal mitochondrial dynamics. In contrast, swimming intervention can delay the aging process by rescuing the impaired functional status of autophagy and abnormal mitochondrial dynamics via the suppression of miR-34a. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Metabolic engineering of Pseudomonas fluorescens for the production of vanillin from ferulic acid.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Gioia, Diana; Luziatelli, Francesca; Negroni, Andrea; Ficca, Anna Grazia; Fava, Fabio; Ruzzi, Maurizio

2011-12-20

Vanillin is one of the most important flavors in the food industry and there is great interest in its production through biotechnological processes starting from natural substrates such as ferulic acid. Among bacteria, recombinant Escherichia coli strains are the most efficient vanillin producers, whereas Pseudomonas spp. strains, although possessing a broader metabolic versatility, rapidly metabolize various phenolic compounds including vanillin. In order to develop a robust Pseudomonas strain that can produce vanillin in high yields and at high productivity, the vanillin dehydrogenase (vdh)-encoding gene of Pseudomonas fluorescens BF13 strain was inactivated via targeted mutagenesis. The results demonstrated that engineered derivatives of strain BF13 accumulate vanillin if inactivation of vdh is associated with concurrent expression of structural genes for feruloyl-CoA synthetase (fcs) and hydratase/aldolase (ech) from a low-copy plasmid. The conversion of ferulic acid to vanillin was enhanced by optimization of growth conditions, growth phase and parameters of the bioconversion process. The developed strain produced up to 8.41 mM vanillin, which is the highest final titer of vanillin produced by a Pseudomonas strain to date and opens new perspectives in the use of bacterial biocatalysts for biotechnological production of vanillin from agro-industrial wastes which contain ferulic acid. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

MiR-124 is Related to Podocytic Adhesive Capacity Damage in STZ-Induced Uninephrectomized Diabetic Rats

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Dong Li

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Podocyte plays a key role in the pathogenesis of DN. Adhesive capacity damage of podocytes is characteristic in DN. Emerging evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs play crucial roles in controlling many cell adhesion molecules thus contribute to normal cell adhesion. The roles of miRNA in podocytic adhesive capacity damage in diabetic conditions remain largely unknown. Methods: Diabetes was induced by tail vein injection of streptozotocin (STZ into uninephrectomized male Wistar rats. Comparative miRNA expression array and real-time PCR analyses were conducted in sham group at week 0 (W0, n = 3 and STZ-induced uninephrectomized diabetic rats at week 1 (W1, n = 3 and week 2 (W2, n = 3 to demonstrate the greatest increased miRNA in renal cortex. At week 2, STZ-induced uninephrectomized diabetic rats were treated with vehicle (Group U, n = 9, chemically modified antisense RNA oligonucleotide (ASO complementary to the mature miR-124 (Group O, n = 8, miR-124 mismatch control sequence (Group M, n = 8. Urine specimens were obtained for measurement of urine albumin concentration and urinary podocyte specific protein (nephrin and podocin quantitation. Expression of integrin α3 were detected by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Results: MiRNAs are differentially regulated in renal cortex of STZ-induced uninephrectomized diabetic rats relative to sham rats. Among the up-regulated miRNAs, miR-124 expression demonstrated the greatest increase. Administration of miR-124 ASO for two weeks significantly reduced urinary podocytic nephrin, podocin and albumin excretion and up-regulate integrin α3 expression. Conclusion: MiR-124 is related to podocytic adhesive capacity damage and may be implicated in the pathogenesis of DN.

Nutrient Induced Type 2 and Chemical Induced Type 1 Experimental Diabetes Differently Modulate Gastric GLP-1 Receptor Expression

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Olga Bloch

2015-01-01

Full Text Available T2DM patients demonstrate reduced GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R expression in their gastric glands. Whether induced T2DM and T1DM differently affect the gastric GLP-1R expression is not known. This study assessed extrapancreatic GLP-1R system in glandular stomach of rodents with different types of experimental diabetes. T2DM and T1DM were induced in Psammomys obesus (PO by high-energy (HE diet and by streptozotocin (STZ in Sprague Dawly (SD rats, respectively. GLP-1R expression was determined in glandular stomach by RT PCR and immunohistomorphological analysis. The mRNA expression and cellular association of the GLP-1R in principal glands were similar in control PO and SD rats. However, nutrient and chemical induced diabetes resulted in opposite alterations of glandular GLP-1R expression. Diabetic PO demonstrated increased GLP-1R mRNA expression, intensity of cellular GLP-1R immunostaining, and frequency of GLP-1R positive cells in the neck area of principal glands compared with controls. In contrast, SD diabetic rats demonstrated decreased GLP-1 mRNA, cellular GLP-1R immunoreactivity, and frequency of GLP-1R immunoreactive cells in the neck area compared with controls. In conclusion, nutrient and chemical induced experimental diabetes result in distinct opposite alterations of GLP-1R expression in glandular stomach. These results suggest that induced T1DM and T2DM may differently modulate GLP-1R system in enteropancreatic axis.

Design concept definition study for an improved shuttle waste collection subsystem

Science.gov (United States)

1984-01-01

A no-risk approach for developing an Improved Waste Collection Subsystem (WCS) for the shuttle orbiter is described. The GE Improved WCS Concept builds on the experience of 14 Shuttle missions with over 400 man-days of service. This concept employs the methods of the existing flight-proven mature design, augmenting them to eliminate foreseen difficulties and to fully comply with the design requirements. The GE Improved WCS Concept includes separate storage for used wipes. Compaction of the wipes provides a solution to the capacity problem, fully satisfying the 210 man-day storage requirement. The added feature of in-flight serviceable storage space for the wipes creates a variable capacity feature which affords redundancy in the event of wipes compaction system failure. Addition of features permitting in-flight servicing of the feces storage tank creates a variable capacity WCS with easier post-flight servicing to support rapid turnaround of the Shuttle orbiter. When these features are combined with a vacuum pump to evacuate wipes and fecal storage tanks through replaceable odor/bacteria filters to the cabin, the GE Improved WCS satisfies the known requirements for Space Station use, including no venting to space.

miR-520 promotes DNA-damage-induced trophoblast cell apoptosis by targeting PARP1 in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Xiujuan; Yang, Long; Wang, Hui

2017-04-01

The establishment and maintenance of successful pregnancy mainly depends on trophoblast cells. Their dysfunction has been implicated in recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), a major complication of pregnancy. However, the underlying mechanisms of trophoblasts dysfunction remain unclear. DNA-damage-induced cell apoptosis has been reported to play a vital role in cell death. In this study, we identified a novel microRNA (miR-520) in RSA progression via regulating trophoblast cell apoptosis. Microarray analysis showed that miR-520 was highly expressed in villus of RSA patients. By using flow cytometry analysis, we observed miR-520 expression was correlated with human trophoblast cell apoptosis in vitro, along with decreased poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) expression. With the analysis of clinic samples, we observed that miR-520 level was negatively correlated with PARP1 level in RSA villus. In addition, overexpression of PARP1 restored the miR-520-induced trophoblast cell apoptosis in vitro. The status of chromosome in trophoblast implied that miR-520-promoted DNA-damage-induced cell apoptosis to regulate RSA progression. These results indicated that the level of miR-520 might associate with RSA by prompting trophoblast cell apoptosis via PARP1 dependent DNA-damage pathway.

Excess Molar Volumes of the Octane-1-Chlorobutane System at High Pressures and Elevated Temperatures

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Morávková, Lenka; Linek, Jan

2002-01-01

Roč. 56, č. 6 (2002), s. 374-377 ISSN 0366-6352. [International Conference of Slovak Society of Chemical Engineering /29./. Tatranské Matliare, 27.05.2002-31.05.2002] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA203/00/0600 Keywords : densities * excess volumes * mixtures Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 0.336, year: 2002

The vapor pressure and vaporization enthalpy of R-(+)-menthofuran, a hepatotoxin metabolically derived from the abortifacient terpene, (R)-(+)-pulegone by correlation gas chromatography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gobble, Chase; Chickos, James S.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The vaporization enthalpy and vapor pressure of R-(+) menthofuran is evaluated. • The normal boiling temperature is predicted and compared to experimental and predicted values. • A vapor pressure equation as a function of temperature for menthofuran is evaluated. - Abstract: The vapor pressure as a function of temperature and its vaporization enthalpy at T = 298.15 K of R-(+)-menthofuran, a substance metabolically derived from R-(+)-pulegone that is both a flavoring agent at low concentrations and a hepatotoxin at larger ones, is evaluated by correlation-gas chromatography. A vapor pressure p/Pa = (36 ± 12) has been evaluated at T = 298.15 K, and a normal boiling temperature of T_b/K = 482.4 K is predicted. A boiling temperature of T_b/K = 374.3 compares with the literature value of T_b/K = 371.2 at reduced pressure, p/kPa = 2.93. The vaporization enthalpy of (56.5 ± 3.0) kJ·mol"−"1 compares to an estimated value of (57.8 ± 2.9) kJ·mol"−"1.

The zebrafish miR-125c is induced under hypoxic stress via hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and functions in cellular adaptations and embryogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yan; Huang, Chun-Xiao; Chen, Nan; Wu, Meng; Huang, Yan; Liu, Hong; Tang, Rong; Wang, Wei-Min; Wang, Huan-Ling

2017-09-26

Hypoxia is a unique environmental stress. Hypoxia inducible factor-lα (HIF-lα) is a major transcriptional regulator of cellular adaptations to hypoxic stress. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as posttranscriptional gene expression regulators occupy a crucial role in cell survival under low-oxygen environment. Previous evidences suggested that miR-125c is involved in hypoxia adaptation, but its precise biological roles and the regulatory mechanism underlying hypoxic responses remain unknown. The present study showed that zebrafish miR-125c is upregulated by hypoxia in a Hif-lα-mediated manner in vitro and in vivo . Dual-luciferase assay revealed that cdc25a is a novel target of miR-125c. An inverse correlation between miR-125c and cdc25a was further confirmed in vivo , suggesting miR-125c as a crucial physiological inhibitor of cdc25a which responds to cellular hypoxia. Overexpression of miR-125c suppressed cell proliferation, led to cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase in ZF4 cells and induced apoptotic responses during embryo development. More importantly, miR-125c overexpression resulted in severe malformation and reduction of motility during zebrafish embryonic development. Taken together, we conclude that miR-125c plays a pivotal role in cellular adaptations to hypoxic stress at least in part through the Hif-1α/miR-125c/cdc25a signaling and has great impact on zebrafish early embryonic development.

Application of Endophytic Pseudomonas fluorescens and a Bacterial Consortium to Brassica napus Can Increase Plant Height and Biomass under Greenhouse and Field Conditions

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Richard D. Lally

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Plant associated bacteria with plant growth promotion (PGP properties have been proposed for use as environmentally friendly biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture; however, analysis of their efficacy in the field is often limited. In this study, greenhouse and field trials were carried out using individual endophytic Pseudomonas fluorescens strains, the well characterized rhizospheric P. fluorescens F113 and an endophytic microbial consortium of 10 different strains. These bacteria had been previously characterized with respect to their PGP properties in vitro and had been shown to harbor a range of traits associated with PGP including siderophore production, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC deaminase activity, and inorganic phosphate solubilization. In greenhouse experiments individual strains tagged with gfp and Kmr were applied to Brassica napus as a seed coat and were shown to effectively colonize the rhizosphere and root of B. napus and in addition they demonstrated a significant increase in plant biomass compared with the non-inoculated control. In the field experiment, the bacteria (individual and consortium were spray inoculated to winter oilseed rape B. napus var. Compass which was grown under standard North Western European agronomic conditions. Analysis of the data provides evidence that the application of the live bacterial biofertilizers can enhance aspects of crop development in B. napus at field scale. The field data demonstrated statistically significant increases in crop height, stem/leaf, and pod biomass, particularly, in the case of the consortium inoculated treatment. However, although seed and oil yield were increased in the field in response to inoculation, these data were not statistically significant under the experimental conditions tested. Future field trials will investigate the effectiveness of the inoculants under different agronomic conditions.

miR-29c targets TNFAIP3, inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Chun-Mei; Wang, Yan; Fan, Chun-Guang; Xu, Fei-Fei; Sun, Wen-Sheng; Liu, Yu-Gang; Jia, Ji-Hui

2011-01-01

Highlights: → miR-29c was significantly downregulated in HBV-related HCC. → TNFAIP3 was found to be inversely correlated with miR-29c levels and identified as a target of miR-29c. → Overexpression of miR-29c suppressed TNFAIP3. → miR-29c inhibited HBV DNA replication, cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. -- Abstract: Recent studies have revealed that microRNA-29c (miR-29c) is involved in a variety of biological processes including carcinogenesis. Here, we report that miR-29c was significantly downregulated in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines as well as in clinical tissues compared with their corresponding controls. Tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3), a key regulator in inflammation and immunity, was found to be inversely correlated with miR-29c levels and was identified as a target of miR-29c. Overexpression of miR-29c in HepG2.2.15 cells effectively suppressed TNFAIP3 expression and HBV DNA replication as well as inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. We conclude that miR-29c may play an important role as a tumor suppressive microRNA in the development and progression of HBV-related HCC by targeting TNFAIP3. Thus miR-29c and TNFAIP3 represent key diagnostic markers and potential therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of HBV infection.

miR-29c targets TNFAIP3, inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Chun-Mei [Department of Microbiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan 250012 (China); Department of Pathophysiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan 250012 (China); Wang, Yan; Fan, Chun-Guang; Xu, Fei-Fei [Department of Pathophysiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan 250012 (China); Sun, Wen-Sheng [Institute of Immunology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan 250012 (China); Liu, Yu-Gang, E-mail: liu.yugang@sdu.edu.cn [Department of Pathophysiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan 250012 (China); Jia, Ji-Hui, E-mail: jiajihui@sdu.edu.cn [Department of Microbiology, Shandong University School of Medicine, Jinan 250012 (China)

2011-08-05

Highlights: {yields} miR-29c was significantly downregulated in HBV-related HCC. {yields} TNFAIP3 was found to be inversely correlated with miR-29c levels and identified as a target of miR-29c. {yields} Overexpression of miR-29c suppressed TNFAIP3. {yields} miR-29c inhibited HBV DNA replication, cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. -- Abstract: Recent studies have revealed that microRNA-29c (miR-29c) is involved in a variety of biological processes including carcinogenesis. Here, we report that miR-29c was significantly downregulated in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines as well as in clinical tissues compared with their corresponding controls. Tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3), a key regulator in inflammation and immunity, was found to be inversely correlated with miR-29c levels and was identified as a target of miR-29c. Overexpression of miR-29c in HepG2.2.15 cells effectively suppressed TNFAIP3 expression and HBV DNA replication as well as inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. We conclude that miR-29c may play an important role as a tumor suppressive microRNA in the development and progression of HBV-related HCC by targeting TNFAIP3. Thus miR-29c and TNFAIP3 represent key diagnostic markers and potential therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of HBV infection.

Myocardial fibrosis induced by exposure to subclinical lipopolysaccharide is associated with decreased miR-29c and enhanced NOX2 expression in mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilbur Y W Lew

Full Text Available Exposure to subclinical levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS occurs commonly and is seemingly well tolerated. However, recurrent LPS exposure induces cardiac fibrosis over 2 to 3 months in a murine model, not mediated by the renin-angiotensin system. Subclinical LPS induces cardiac fibrosis by unique mechanisms.In C57/Bl6 mice, LPS (10 mg/kg or saline (control were injected intraperitoneally once a week for 1-4 weeks. Mice showed no signs of distress, change in activity, appetite, or weight loss. Mice were euthanized after 3 days, 1, 2, or 4 weeks to measure cardiac expression of fibrosis-related genes and potential mediators (measured by QRT-PCR, including micro-RNA (miR and NADPH oxidase (NOX. Collagen fraction area of the left ventricle was measured with picrosirius red staining. Cardiac fibroblasts isolated from adult mouse hearts were incubated with 0, 0.1, 1.0 or 10 ng/ml LPS for 48 hours.Cardiac miR expression profiling demonstrated decreased miR-29c after 3 and 7 days following LPS, which were confirmed by QRT-PCR. The earliest changes in fibrosis-related genes and mediators that occurred 3 days after LPS were increased cardiac expression of TIMP-1 and NOX-2 (but not of NOX-4. This persisted at 1 and 2 weeks, with additional increases in collagen Iα1, collagen IIIα1, MMP2, MMP9, TIMP1, TIMP2, and periostin. There was no change in TGF-β or connective tissue growth factor. Collagen fraction area of the left ventricle increased after 2 and 4 weeks of LPS. LPS decreased miR-29c and increased NOX-2 in isolated cardiac fibroblasts.Recurrent exposure to subclinical LPS induces cardiac fibrosis after 2-4 weeks. Early changes 3 days after LPS were decreased miR-29c and increased NOX2 and TIMP1, which persisted at 1 and 2 weeks, along with widespread activation of fibrosis-related genes. Decreased miR-29c and increased NOX2, which induce cardiac fibrosis in other conditions, may uniquely mediate LPS-induced cardiac fibrosis.

miR-21 modulates tumor outgrowth induced by human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in vivo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Keun Koo; Lee, Ae Lim; Kim, Jee Young [Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870 (Korea, Republic of); Medical Research Center for Ischemic Tissue Engineering, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870 (Korea, Republic of); BK21 Medical Science Education Center, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sun Young [Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870 (Korea, Republic of); Medical Research Center for Ischemic Tissue Engineering, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870 (Korea, Republic of); Bae, Yong Chan [Department of Plastic Surgery, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Pusan 602-739 (Korea, Republic of); Jung, Jin Sup, E-mail: jsjung@pusan.ac.kr [Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870 (Korea, Republic of); Medical Research Center for Ischemic Tissue Engineering, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870 (Korea, Republic of); BK21 Medical Science Education Center, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Gyeongnam 626-870 (Korea, Republic of); Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University, Pusan 602-739 (Korea, Republic of)

2012-06-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer miR-21 modulates hADSC-induced increase of tumor growth. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The action is mostly mediated by the modulation of TGF-{beta} signaling. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Inhibition of miR-21 enhances the blood flow recovery in hindlimb ischemia. -- Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have generated a great deal of interest in clinical situations, due principally to their potential use in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications. However, the therapeutic application of MSCs remains limited, unless the favorable effects of MSCs on tumor growth in vivo, and the long-term safety of the clinical applications of MSCs, can be more thoroughly understood. In this study, we determined whether microRNAs can modulate MSC-induced tumor outgrowth in BALB/c nude mice. Overexpression of miR-21 in human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) inhibited hADSC-induced tumor growth, and inhibition of miR-21 increased it. Downregulation of transforming growth factor beta receptor II (TGFBR2), but not of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, in hADSCs showed effects similar to those of miR-21 overexpression. Downregulation of TGFBR2 and overexpression of miR21 decreased tumor vascularity. Inhibition of miR-21 and the addition of TGF-{beta} increased the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin-6 in hADSCs. Transplantation of miR-21 inhibitor-transfected hADSCs increased blood flow recovery in a hind limb ischemia model of nude mice, compared with transplantation of control oligo-transfected cells. These findings indicate that MSCs might favor tumor growth in vivo. Thus, it is necessary to study the long-term safety of this technique before MSCs can be used as therapeutic tools in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Pramana – Journal of Physics | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Pramana – Journal of Physics. Suresh Kumar. Articles written in Pramana – Journal of Physics. Volume 67 Issue 2 August 2006 pp 369-374 Brief Reports. Proton and alpha evaporation spectra in low energy 12C andO induced reactions · E T Mirgle D R Chakrabarty V M Datar Suresh Kumar A Mitra H H ...

Status of quality assurance system for R and D in BNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Chan Gook; Lim, Nam Jin; Lee, Young Gun; Kim, Kwan Hyun; Nam, Ji Hee

2003-03-01

This study aims to frame a basic policy for adoption of R and D QA and to guide the improvement of existing nuclear facilities-centered QA systems for regular enforcement of R and D QA in the future. We investigated the state-of-the-art of R and D QA systems in U.S.A where R and D QA is most comprehensively applied in the world. We also investigated the implementation process of QA activities to understand the state of the operation of QA system. The policy for improvement of existing QA systems for regular enforcement of R and D QA in Korea were established through the comparative study of QA system between U.S.A and Korea

mGluR5 ablation in cortical glutamatergic neurons increases novelty-induced locomotion.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chris P Jew

Full Text Available The group I metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5 has been implicated in the pathology of various neurological disorders including schizophrenia, ADHD, and autism. mGluR5-dependent synaptic plasticity has been described at a variety of neural connections and its signaling has been implicated in several behaviors. These behaviors include locomotor reactivity to novel environment, sensorimotor gating, anxiety, and cognition. mGluR5 is expressed in glutamatergic neurons, inhibitory neurons, and glia in various brain regions. In this study, we show that deleting mGluR5 expression only in principal cortical neurons leads to defective cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R dependent synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex. These cortical glutamatergic mGluR5 knockout mice exhibit increased novelty-induced locomotion, and their locomotion can be further enhanced by treatment with the psychostimulant methylphenidate. Despite a modest reduction in repetitive behaviors, cortical glutamatergic mGluR5 knockout mice are normal in sensorimotor gating, anxiety, motor balance/learning and fear conditioning behaviors. These results show that mGluR5 signaling in cortical glutamatergic neurons is required for precisely modulating locomotor reactivity to a novel environment but not for sensorimotor gating, anxiety, motor coordination, several forms of learning or social interactions.

Nuclear fuels technologies: Thermally induced gallium removal system (TIGRS), fiscal year 1998 research and development test plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buksa, J.J.; Butt, D.P.; Chidester, K.; DeMuth, S.F.; Havrilla, G.J.; James, C.A.; Kolman, D.G.

1997-01-01

This document details the research and development (R and D) activities that will be conducted in Fiscal Year 1998 (FY98) by the Thermally Induced Gallium Removal System (TIGRS) team for the Department of Energy Office of Fissile Materials Disposition. This work is a continuation and extension of experimental activities that have been conducted in support of using weapons-derived plutonium in the fabrication of mixed-oxide (MOX) nuclear fuel for reactor-based plutonium disposition. The ultimate purpose of this work is to demonstrate adequate Thermally Induced Gallium Removal with a prototypic system. This Test Plan presents more than the FY98 R and D efforts in order to frame the Task in its entirety. To achieve the TIGRS Program objectives, R and D activities during the next two years will be focused on (1) process development leading to a prototypic TIGRS design, and (2) prototypic TIGRS design and testing leading to and including a prototypic demonstration of TIGRS operation. Both the process development and system testing efforts will consist of a series of surrogate-based cold tests and plutonium-based hot tests. Some of this testing has already occurred and will continue into FY99

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockade partially attenuates hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in newborn piglets: relationship with the nitrergic system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Camelo, J.S. Jr. [Departamento de Puericultura e Pediatria, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brazil); Martins, A.R. [Departamento de Farmacologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brazil); Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG (Brazil); Rosa, E. [Departamento de Farmacologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brazil); Ramos, S.G. [Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SPBrasil (Brazil); Hehre, D.; Bancalari, E.; Suguihara, C. [Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Neonatal Developmental Biology Laboratory, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL (United States)

2012-02-10

The objective of this study was to observe possible interactions between the renin-angiotensin and nitrergic systems in chronic hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in newborn piglets. Thirteen chronically instrumented newborn piglets (6.3 ± 0.9 days; 2369 ± 491 g) were randomly assigned to receive saline (placebo, P) or the AT{sub 1} receptor (AT{sub 1}-R) blocker L-158,809 (L) during 6 days of hypoxia (FiO{sub 2} = 0.12). During hypoxia, pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa; P < 0.0001), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR; P < 0.02) and the pulmonary to systemic vascular resistance ratio (PVR/SVR; P < 0.05) were significantly attenuated in the L (N = 7) group compared to the P group (N = 6). Western blot analysis of lung proteins showed a significant decrease of endothelial NOS (eNOS) in both P and L animals, and of AT{sub 1}-R in P animals during hypoxia compared to normoxic animals (C group, N = 5; P < 0.01 for all groups). AT{sub 1}-R tended to decrease in L animals. Inducible NOS (iNOS) did not differ among P, L, and C animals and iNOS immunohistochemical staining in macrophages was significantly more intense in L than in P animals (P < 0.01). The vascular endothelium showed moderate or strong eNOS and AT{sub 1}-R staining. Macrophages and pneumocytes showed moderate or strong iNOS and AT{sub 1}-R staining, but C animals showed weak iNOS and AT{sub 1}-R staining. Macrophages of L and P animals showed moderate and weak AT{sub 2}-R staining, respectively, but the endothelium of all groups only showed weak staining. In conclusion, pulmonary hypertension induced by chronic hypoxia in newborn piglets is partially attenuated by AT{sub 1}-R blockade. We suggest that AT{sub 1}-R blockade might act through AT{sub 2}-R and/or Mas receptors and the nitrergic system in the lungs of hypoxemic newborn piglets.

Effects of the mGluR5 antagonist MPEP on ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety-like syndrome in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Jaya; Hapidin, Hermizi; Bee, Yvonne-Tee Get; Ismail, Zalina

2013-11-26

Abstinence from chronic ethanol consumption leads to the manifestation of a variety of symptoms attributed to central nervous system hyperexcitability, such as increased irritability, anxiety, and restlessness. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) in addictive behaviours. This study investigates the effects of the mGluR5 antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP) on ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety using two behavioural paradigms. Male Wistar rats were fed a Modified Liquid Diet (MLD) containing low fat cow milk, sucrose, and maltodextrin with a gradual introduction of 2.4%, 4.8% and 7.2% ethanol for 20 days. Six hours into ethanol withdrawal, the rats were intraperitoneally injected with normal saline and MPEP (2.5, 5.0, 10, 20, 30 mg/kg) and were assessed for ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety-like syndrome using an automated elevated plus maze and an open field. MPEP at 10 mg/kg significantly attenuated ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety without any compromising effects on locomotor activities. Despite reversing several indices of ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety in both the elevated plus maze and the open field, low doses of MPEP (2.5, 5 mg/kg) significantly compromised the locomotor activities of ethanol withdrawn rats. High doses of MPEP (20 and 30 mg/kg) significantly attenuated withdrawal anxiety when tested in the elevated plus maze but not in the open field. Administration of MPEP (2.5, 5, 10, 20, 30 mg/kg) has no significant compromising effect on the locomotor activities of ethanol naïve rats. Despite significantly reducing withdrawal anxiety in both behavioural paradigms at 10 mg/kg, the compromising effects of low and high doses of MPEP must be further explored along with the therapeutic efficiency of this drug for relieving withdrawal induced anxiety.

Natural genetic variation in Arabidopsis for responsiveness to plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wintermans, Paul C A; Bakker, Peter A H M; Pieterse, Corné M J

The plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) Pseudomonas simiae WCS417r stimulates lateral root formation and increases shoot growth in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). These plant growth-stimulating effects are partly caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by the bacterium.

Natural genetic variation in Arabidopsis for responsiveness to plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wintermans, P.C.A.; Bakker, P.A.H.M.; Pieterse, C.M.J.

2016-01-01

The plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) Pseudomonas simiae WCS417r stimulates lateral root formation and increases shoot growth in Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). These plant growth-stimulating effects are partly caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by the bacterium.

CD99 triggering induces methuosis of Ewing sarcoma cells through IGF-1R/RAS/Rac1 signaling

OpenAIRE

Manara, Maria Cristina; Terracciano, Mario; Mancarella, Caterina; Sciandra, Marika; Guerzoni, Clara; Pasello, Michela; Grilli, Andrea; Zini, Nicoletta; Picci, Piero; Colombo, Mario P.; Morrione, Andrea; Scotlandi, Katia

2016-01-01

CD99 is a cell surface molecule that has emerged as a novel target for Ewing sarcoma (EWS), an aggressive pediatric bone cancer. This report provides the first evidence of methuosis in EWS, a non-apoptotic form of cell death induced by an antibody directed against the CD99 molecule. Upon mAb triggering, CD99 induces an IGF-1R/RAS/Rac1 complex, which is internalized into RAB5-positive endocytic vacuoles. This complex is then dissociated, with the IGF-1R recycling to the cell membrane while CD9...

Optically-tracked handheld fluorescence imaging platform for monitoring skin response in the management of soft tissue sarcoma

Science.gov (United States)

Chamma, Emilie; Qiu, Jimmy; Lindvere-Teene, Liis; Blackmore, Kristina M.; Majeed, Safa; Weersink, Robert; Dickie, Colleen I.; Griffin, Anthony M.; Wunder, Jay S.; Ferguson, Peter C.; DaCosta, Ralph S.

2015-07-01

Standard clinical management of extremity soft tissue sarcomas includes surgery with radiation therapy. Wound complications (WCs) arising from treatment may occur due to bacterial infection and tissue breakdown. The ability to detect changes in these parameters during treatment may lead to earlier interventions that mitigate WCs. We describe the use of a new system composed of an autofluorescence imaging device and an optical three-dimensional tracking system to detect and coregister the presence of bacteria with radiation doses. The imaging device visualized erythema using white light and detected bacterial autofluorescence using 405-nm excitation light. Its position was tracked relative to the patient using IR reflective spheres and registration to the computed tomography coordinates. Image coregistration software was developed to spatially overlay radiation treatment plans and dose distributions on the white light and autofluorescence images of the surgical site. We describe the technology, its use in the operating room, and standard operating procedures, as well as demonstrate technical feasibility and safety intraoperatively. This new clinical tool may help identify patients at greater risk of developing WCs and investigate correlations between radiation dose, skin response, and changes in bacterial load as biomarkers associated with WCs.

MiR-146a regulates PM1 -induced inflammation via NF-κB signaling pathway in BEAS-2B cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Limin; Wan, Chong; Zhang, Wei; Guan, Longfei; Tian, Guoxiong; Zhang, Fang; Ding, Wenjun

2018-04-18

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) leads to kinds of cardiopulmonary diseases, such as asthma, COPD, arrhythmias, lung cancer, etc., which are related to PM-induced inflammation. We have found that PM 2.5 (aerodynamics diameter <2.5 µm) exposure induces inflammatory response both in vivo and in vitro. Since the toxicity of PM is tightly associated with its size and components, PM 1 (aerodynamics diameter <1.0 µm) is supposed to be more toxic than PM 2.5 . However, the mechanism of PM 1 -induced inflammation is not clear. Recently, emerging evidences prove that microRNAs play a vital role in regulating inflammation. Therefore, we studied the regulation of miR-146a in PM 1 -induced inflammation in human lung bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells. The results show that PM 1 induces the increase of IL-6 and IL-8 in BEAS-2B cells and up-regulates the miR-146a expression by activating NF-κB signaling pathway. Overexpressed miR-146a prevents the nuclear translocation of p65 through inhibiting the IRAK1/TRAF6 expression, and downregulates the expression of IL-6 and IL-8. Taken together, these results demonstrate that miR-146a can negatively feedback regulate PM 1 -induced inflammation via NF-κB signaling pathway in BEAS-2B cells. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

MiR-33a Decreases High-Density Lipoprotein-Induced Radiation Sensitivity in Breast Cancer

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Wolfe, Adam R.; Bambhroliya, Arvind [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Reddy, Jay P. [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Debeb, Bisrat G. [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Huo, Lei [Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Larson, Richard; Li, Li [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Ueno, Naoto T. [Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Woodward, Wendy A., E-mail: wwoodward@mdanderson.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States)

2016-06-01

Purpose: We previously showed that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) radiosensitizes inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) cells in vitro and is associated with better local control after radiation therapy in IBC patients. The microRNA miR-33 family negatively regulates the adenosine triphosphate binding cassette transporter subfamily A member 1. We hypothesized that variations in miR-33a expression in IBC cancer cells versus non-IBC cells would correlate with radiation sensitivity following exposure to HDL in vitro. Methods and Materials: MiR-33a expression was analyzed by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction in 4 cell lines representing common clinical breast cancer subtypes. Overexpression and knockdown of miR-33a was demonstrated via transfection of an miR-33a mimic or an anti-miR-33a construct in high- and low-expressing miR-33a cell lines. Clonogenic survival in vitro in these cells was quantified at baseline and following HDL treatment. MiR-33a expression on distant relapse-free survival (DRFS) of 210 cases downloaded from the Oxford breast cancer dataset was determined. Results: Expression levels of miR-33a were lower in IBC cell lines and IBC tumor samples than in non-IBC cell lines and normal breast tissue. Cholesterol concentrations in the cell membranes were higher in IBC cells than in non-IBC cells. Clonogenic survival following 24 hours of HDL treatment was decreased in response to irradiation in the low-miR-33a–expressing cell lines SUM149 and KPL4, but survival following HDL treatment decreased in the high-miR-33a–expressing cell lines MDA-MB-231 and SUM159. In the high-miR-33a–expressing cell lines, anti-miR-33a transfection decreased radiation resistance in clonogenic assays. Conversely, in the low-miR-33a–expressing cell lines, the miR-33a mimic reversed the HDL-induced radiation sensitization. Breast cancer patients in the top quartile based on miR-33a expression had markedly lower rates of DRFS than the bottom quartile (P

MiR-33a Decreases High-Density Lipoprotein-Induced Radiation Sensitivity in Breast Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfe, Adam R.; Bambhroliya, Arvind; Reddy, Jay P.; Debeb, Bisrat G.; Huo, Lei; Larson, Richard; Li, Li; Ueno, Naoto T.; Woodward, Wendy A.

2016-01-01

Purpose: We previously showed that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) radiosensitizes inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) cells in vitro and is associated with better local control after radiation therapy in IBC patients. The microRNA miR-33 family negatively regulates the adenosine triphosphate binding cassette transporter subfamily A member 1. We hypothesized that variations in miR-33a expression in IBC cancer cells versus non-IBC cells would correlate with radiation sensitivity following exposure to HDL in vitro. Methods and Materials: MiR-33a expression was analyzed by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction in 4 cell lines representing common clinical breast cancer subtypes. Overexpression and knockdown of miR-33a was demonstrated via transfection of an miR-33a mimic or an anti-miR-33a construct in high- and low-expressing miR-33a cell lines. Clonogenic survival in vitro in these cells was quantified at baseline and following HDL treatment. MiR-33a expression on distant relapse-free survival (DRFS) of 210 cases downloaded from the Oxford breast cancer dataset was determined. Results: Expression levels of miR-33a were lower in IBC cell lines and IBC tumor samples than in non-IBC cell lines and normal breast tissue. Cholesterol concentrations in the cell membranes were higher in IBC cells than in non-IBC cells. Clonogenic survival following 24 hours of HDL treatment was decreased in response to irradiation in the low-miR-33a–expressing cell lines SUM149 and KPL4, but survival following HDL treatment decreased in the high-miR-33a–expressing cell lines MDA-MB-231 and SUM159. In the high-miR-33a–expressing cell lines, anti-miR-33a transfection decreased radiation resistance in clonogenic assays. Conversely, in the low-miR-33a–expressing cell lines, the miR-33a mimic reversed the HDL-induced radiation sensitization. Breast cancer patients in the top quartile based on miR-33a expression had markedly lower rates of DRFS than the bottom quartile (P

α7 Nicotinic Agonist AR-R17779 Protects Mice against 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzene Sulfonic Acid-Induced Colitis in a Spleen-Dependent Way

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Andrea Grandi

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The existence of a cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway negatively modulating the inflammatory and immune responses in various clinical conditions and experimental models has long been postulated. In particular, the protective involvement of the vagus nerve and of nicotinic Ach receptors (nAChRs has been proposed in intestinal inflammation and repeatedly investigated in DSS- and TNBS-induced colitis. However, the role of α7 nAChRs stimulation is still controversial and the potential contribution of α4β2 nAChRs has never been explored in this experimental condition. Our aims were therefore to pharmacologically investigate the role played by both α7 and α4β2 nAChRs in the modulation of the local and systemic inflammatory responses activated in TNBS-induced colitis in mice and to assess the involvement of the spleen in nicotinic responses. To this end, TNBS-exposed mice were sub-acutely treated with various subcutaneous doses of highly selective agonists (AR-R17779 and TC-2403 and antagonists (methyllycaconitine and dihydro-β-erythroidine of α7 and α4β2 nAChRs, respectively, or with sulfasalazine 50 mg/kg per os and clinical and inflammatory responses were evaluated by means of biochemical, histological and flow cytometry assays. α4β2 ligands evoked weak and contradictory effects, while α7 nAChR agonist AR-R17779 emerged as the most beneficial treatment, able to attenuate several local markers of colitis severity and to revert the rise in splenic T-cells and in colonic inflammatory cytokines levels induced by haptenization. After splenectomy, AR-R17779 lost its protective effects, demonstrating for the first time that, in TNBS-model of experimental colitis, the anti-inflammatory effect of exogenous α7 nAChR stimulation is strictly spleen-dependent. Our findings showed that the selective α7 nAChRs agonist AR-R17779 exerted beneficial effects in a model of intestinal inflammation characterized by activation of the adaptive immune

MiR-27a Promotes Hemin-Induced Erythroid Differentiation of K562 Cells by Targeting CDC25B

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Dongsheng Wang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: MicroRNAs (miRNAs play a crucial role in erythropoiesis. MiR-23a∼27a∼24-2 clusters have been proven to take part in erythropoiesis via some proteins. CDC25B (cell division control Cdc2 phosphostase B is also the target of mir-27a; whether it regulates erythropoiesis and its mechanism are unknown. Methods: To evaluate the potential role of miR-27a during erythroid differentiation, we performed miR-27a gain- and loss-of-function experiments on hemin-induced K562 cells. We detected miR-27a expression after hemin stimulation at different time points. At the same time, the γ-globin gene also was measured via real-time PCR. According to the results of the chips, we screened the target protein of miR-27a through a dual-luciferase reporter assay and identified it via Western blot analyses. To evaluate the function of CDC25B, benzidine staining and flow cytometry were employed to detect the cell differentiation and cell cycle. Results: We found that miR-27a promotes hemin-induced erythroid differentiation of human K562 cells by targeting cell division cycle 25 B (CDC25B. Overexpression of miR-27a promotes the differentiation of hemin-induced K562 cells, as demonstrated by γ-globin overexpression. The inhibition of miR-27a expression suppresses erythroid differentiation, thus leading to a reduction in the γ-globin gene. CDC25B was identified as a new target of miR-27a during erythroid differentiation. Overexpression of miR-27a led to decreased CDC25B expression after hemin treatment, and CDC25B was up-regulated when miR-27a expression was inhibited. Moreover, the inhibition of CDC25B affected erythroid differentiation, as assessed by γ-globin expression. Conclusion: This study is the first report of the interaction between miR-27a and CDC25B, and it improves the understanding of miRNA functions during erythroid differentiation.

Polychlorinated biphenyl 126 stimulates basal and inducible aldosterone biosynthesis of human adrenocortical H295R cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, L.-A.; Wang, P.-W.; Chang, Louis W.

2004-01-01

To understand the effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on adrenal aldosterone biosynthesis, we have performed a systematical study to characterize the corresponding steroidogenic response of human adrenocortical cell line H295R to PCB126 exposure. We found that PCB126 at high concentrations stimulated basal and inducible aldosterone production. The aldosterone induction occurred concomitantly with activation of the CYP11B2 gene. Despite the fact that PCB126 acted in synergy with both potassium and angiotensin II (Ang II) in activation of aldosterone synthesis, PCB126 only modestly increased CYP11B2 mRNA expression in the presence of Ang II contrary to the synergistic transcriptional induction elicited by PCB126 and potassium. This implicated that PCB126 had differential interactions with the potassium and Ang II signaling systems in the regulation of aldosterone biosynthesis. In addition, high concentrations of PCB126 elevated transcriptional expression of the type I Ang II receptor (AT 1 ) and might thus sensitize the cellular Ang II responsiveness in both basal and inducible aldosterone biosynthesis. SF-1 was not involved in the PCB126-induced transcriptional regulation despite its importance in steroidogenic gene activation

The TorR High-Affinity Binding Site Plays a Key Role in Both torR Autoregulation and torCAD Operon Expression in Escherichia coli

OpenAIRE

Ansaldi, Mireille; Simon, Gwénola; Lepelletier, Michèle; Méjean, Vincent

2000-01-01

In the presence of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), the TorS-TorR two-component regulatory system induces the torCAD operon, which encodes the TMAO respiratory system of Escherichia coli. The sensor protein TorS detects TMAO and transphosphorylates the response regulator TorR which, in turn, activates transcription of torCAD. The torR gene and the torCAD operon are divergently transcribed, and the short torR-torC intergenic region contains four direct repeats (the tor boxes) which proved to be ...

Muscular and systemic correlates of resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Cameron J; Churchward-Venne, Tyler A; Bellamy, Leeann; Parise, Gianni; Baker, Steven K; Phillips, Stuart M

2013-01-01

To determine relationships between post-exercise changes in systemic [testosterone, growth hormone (GH), insulin like grow factor 1 (IGF-1) and interleukin 6 (IL-6)], or intramuscular [skeletal muscle androgen receptor (AR) protein content and p70S6K phosphorylation status] factors in a moderately-sized cohort of young men exhibiting divergent resistance training-mediated muscle hypertrophy. Twenty three adult males completed 4 sessions•wk⁻¹ of resistance training for 16 wk. Muscle biopsies were obtained before and after the training period and acutely 1 and 5 h after the first training session. Serum hormones and cytokines were measured immediately, 15, 30 and 60 minutes following the first and last training sessions of the study. Mean fiber area increased by 20% (range: -7 to 80%; P<0.001). Protein content of the AR was unchanged with training (fold change = 1.17 ± 0.61; P=0.19); however, there was a significant correlation between the changes in AR content and fiber area (r=0.60, P=0.023). Phosphorylation of p70S6K was elevated 5 hours following exercise, which was correlated with gains in mean fiber area (r=0.54, P=0.007). There was no relationship between the magnitude of the pre- or post-training exercise-induced changes in free testosterone, GH, or IGF-1 concentration and muscle fiber hypertrophy; however, the magnitude of the post exercise IL-6 response was correlated with muscle hypertrophy (r=0.48, P=0.019). Post-exercise increases in circulating hormones are not related to hypertrophy following training. Exercise-induced changes in IL-6 correlated with hypertrophy, but the mechanism for the role of IL-6 in hypertrophy is not known. Acute increases, in p70S6K phosphorylation and changes in muscle AR protein content correlated with muscle hypertrophy implicating intramuscular rather than systemic processes in mediating hypertrophy.

CD99 triggering induces methuosis of Ewing sarcoma cells through IGF-1R/RAS/Rac1 signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Manara, Maria Cristina; Terracciano, Mario; Mancarella, Caterina; Sciandra, Marika; Guerzoni, Clara; Pasello, Michela; Grilli, Andrea; Zini, Nicoletta; Picci, Piero; Colombo, Mario P; Morrione, Andrea; Scotlandi, Katia

2016-11-29

CD99 is a cell surface molecule that has emerged as a novel target for Ewing sarcoma (EWS), an aggressive pediatric bone cancer. This report provides the first evidence of methuosis in EWS, a non-apoptotic form of cell death induced by an antibody directed against the CD99 molecule. Upon mAb triggering, CD99 induces an IGF-1R/RAS/Rac1 complex, which is internalized into RAB5-positive endocytic vacuoles. This complex is then dissociated, with the IGF-1R recycling to the cell membrane while CD99 and RAS/Rac1 are sorted into immature LAMP-1-positive vacuoles, whose excessive accumulation provokes methuosis. This process, which is not detected in CD99-expressing normal mesenchymal cells, is inhibited by disruption of the IGF-1R signaling, whereas enhanced by IGF-1 stimulation. Induction of IGF-1R/RAS/Rac1 was also observed in the EWS xenografts that respond to anti-CD99 mAb, further supporting the role of the IGF/RAS/Rac1 axis in the hyperstimulation of macropinocytosis and selective death of EWS cells. Thus, we describe a vulnerability of EWS cells, including those resistant to standard chemotherapy, to a treatment with anti-CD99 mAb, which requires IGF-1R/RAS signaling but bypasses the need for their direct targeting. Overall, we propose CD99 targeting as new opportunity to treat EWS patients resistant to canonical apoptosis-inducing agents.

pCramoll and rCramoll as New Preventive Agents against the Oxidative Dysfunction Induced by Hydrogen Peroxide

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Luís Cláudio Nascimento da Silva

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Oxidative stress plays an important role in the induction of cell death and is associated with various pathologic disorders; therefore, the search for natural products that attenuate the effects produced by oxidant agents is greatly increased. Here, the protective effects of native lectin from Cratylia mollis seeds (pCramoll and recombinant Cramoll 1 (rCramoll against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in Vero cells were evaluated. Both lectins significantly attenuated the H2O2-induced cytotoxicity in a concentration-dependent way. The maximum protective effects were 96.85±15.59% (rCramoll and 59.48±23.44% (pCramoll. The Live/Dead analysis showed a reduction in the percentage of dead cells from 65.04±3.29% (H2O2 to 39.77±2.93% (pCramoll and 13.90±9.01% (rCramoll. The deleterious effects of H2O2 on cell proliferation were reduced to 10.83% (pCramoll and 24.17% (rCramoll. Lectins treatment attenuated the excessive superoxide production, the collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential, and the lysosomal and DNA damage in H2O2-treated cells. In conclusion, our results suggest that pCramoll and rCramoll blocked H2O2-induced cytotoxicity through decreasing reactive oxygen species, restoring the mitochondrial potential, preventing the lysosomal damage and DNA fragmentation, and thus promoting cell survival and proliferation.

rBCG30-induced immunity and cross-protection against Mycobacterium leprae challenge are enhanced by boosting with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis 30-kilodalton antigen 85B.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillis, Thomas P; Tullius, Michael V; Horwitz, Marcus A

2014-09-01

Leprosy remains a major global health problem and typically occurs in regions in which tuberculosis is endemic. Vaccines are needed that protect against both infections and do so better than the suboptimal Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccine. Here, we evaluated rBCG30, a vaccine previously demonstrated to induce protection superior to that of BCG against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis challenge in animal models, for efficacy against Mycobacterium leprae challenge in a murine model of leprosy. rBCG30 overexpresses the M. tuberculosis 30-kDa major secretory protein antigen 85B, which is 85% homologous with the M. leprae homolog (r30ML). Mice were sham immunized or immunized intradermally with BCG or rBCG30 and challenged 2.5 months later by injection of viable M. leprae into each hind footpad. After 7 months, vaccine efficacy was assessed by enumerating the M. leprae bacteria per footpad. Both BCG and rBCG30 induced significant protection against M. leprae challenge. In the one experiment in which a comparison between BCG and rBCG30 was feasible, rBCG30 induced significantly greater protection than did BCG. Immunization of mice with purified M. tuberculosis or M. leprae antigen 85B also induced protection against M. leprae challenge but less so than BCG or rBCG30. Notably, boosting rBCG30 with M. tuberculosis antigen 85B significantly enhanced r30ML-specific immune responses, substantially more so than boosting BCG, and significantly augmented protection against M. leprae challenge. Thus, rBCG30, a vaccine that induces improved protection against M. tuberculosis, induces cross-protection against M. leprae that is comparable or potentially superior to that induced by BCG, and boosting rBCG30 with antigen 85B further enhances immune responses and protective efficacy. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

On dynamical systems approaches and methods in f ( R ) cosmology

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Alho, Artur [Center for Mathematical Analysis, Geometry and Dynamical Systems, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Carloni, Sante [Centro Multidisciplinar de Astrofisica – CENTRA, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Uggla, Claes, E-mail: aalho@math.ist.utl.pt, E-mail: sante.carloni@tecnico.ulisboa.pt, E-mail: claes.uggla@kau.se [Department of Physics, Karlstad University, S-65188 Karlstad (Sweden)

2016-08-01

We discuss dynamical systems approaches and methods applied to flat Robertson-Walker models in f ( R )-gravity. We argue that a complete description of the solution space of a model requires a global state space analysis that motivates globally covering state space adapted variables. This is shown explicitly by an illustrative example, f ( R ) = R + α R {sup 2}, α > 0, for which we introduce new regular dynamical systems on global compactly extended state spaces for the Jordan and Einstein frames. This example also allows us to illustrate several local and global dynamical systems techniques involving, e.g., blow ups of nilpotent fixed points, center manifold analysis, averaging, and use of monotone functions. As a result of applying dynamical systems methods to globally state space adapted dynamical systems formulations, we obtain pictures of the entire solution spaces in both the Jordan and the Einstein frames. This shows, e.g., that due to the domain of the conformal transformation between the Jordan and Einstein frames, not all the solutions in the Jordan frame are completely contained in the Einstein frame. We also make comparisons with previous dynamical systems approaches to f ( R ) cosmology and discuss their advantages and disadvantages.

A systems biology approach identifies a R2R3 MYB gene subfamily with distinct and overlapping functions in regulation of aliphatic glucosinolates.

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Ida Elken Sønderby

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Glucosinolates are natural metabolites in the order Brassicales that defend plants against both herbivores and pathogens and can attract specialized insects. Knowledge about the genes controlling glucosinolate regulation is limited. Here, we identify three R2R3 MYB transcription factors regulating aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis in Arabidopsis by combining several systems biology tools. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: MYB28 was identified as a candidate regulator of aliphatic glucosinolates based on its co-localization within a genomic region controlling variation both in aliphatic glucosinolate content (metabolite QTL and in transcript level for genes involved in the biosynthesis of aliphatic glucosinolates (expression QTL, as well as its co-expression with genes in aliphatic glucosinolate biosynthesis. A phylogenetic analysis with the R2R3 motif of MYB28 showed that it and two homologues, MYB29 and MYB76, were members of an Arabidopsis-specific clade that included three characterized regulators of indole glucosinolates. Over-expression of the individual MYB genes showed that they all had the capacity to increase the production of aliphatic glucosinolates in leaves and seeds and induce gene expression of aliphatic biosynthetic genes within leaves. Analysis of leaves and seeds of single knockout mutants showed that mutants of MYB29 and MYB76 have reductions in only short-chained aliphatic glucosinolates whereas a mutant in MYB28 has reductions in both short- and long-chained aliphatic glucosinolates. Furthermore, analysis of a double knockout in MYB28 and MYB29 identified an emergent property of the system since the absence of aliphatic glucosinolates in these plants could not be predicted by the chemotype of the single knockouts. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: It seems that these cruciferous-specific MYB regulatory genes have evolved both overlapping and specific regulatory capacities. This provides a unique system within which to

Volatile-mediated interactions between phylogenetically different soil bacteria

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Paolina eGarbeva

2014-06-01

Full Text Available There is increasing evidence that organic volatiles play an important role in interactions between micro-organisms in the porous soil matrix. Here we report that volatile compounds emitted by different soil bacteria can affect the growth, antibiotic production and gene expression of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1. We applied a novel cultivation approach that mimics the natural nutritional heterogeneity in soil in which P. fluorescens grown on nutrient-limited agar was exposed to volatiles produced by 4 phylogenetically different bacterial isolates (Collimonas pratensis, Serratia plymuthica, Paenibacillus sp. and Pedobacter sp. growing in sand containing artificial root exudates. Contrary to our expectation, the produced volatiles stimulated rather than inhibited the growth of P. fluorescens. A genome-wide, microarray-based analysis revealed that volatiles of all 4 bacterial strains affected gene expression of P. fluorescens, but with a different pattern of gene expression for each strain. Based on the annotation of the differently expressed genes, bacterial volatiles appear to induce a chemotactic motility response in P. fluorescens, but also an oxidative stress response. A more detailed study revealed that volatiles produced by C. pratensis triggered, antimicrobial secondary metabolite production in P. fluorescens. Our results indicate that bacterial volatiles can have an important role in communication, trophic - and antagonistic interactions within the soil bacterial community.

Utilization of biological control agents for the management of postharvest pathogens of tomato

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zafar, M.U.; Ansari, S.U.

2016-01-01

Twenty five isolates of Trichoderma, Bacillus and Pseudomonas spp. were obtained from rhizosphere of tomato growing fields using soil dilution technique on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and nutrient agar (NA) medium. Screening of these isolates were done against Geotrichum candidum, Trichothecium roseum and Rhizopus oryzae, causal agents of sour rot, pink mold rot and Rhizopus soft rot of tomato under the laboratory conditions. One promising isolate of each Trichoderma harzianum, Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas fluorescens from the twenty five isolates were chosen and further evaluated as potential biological control agents (BCAs) against three important postharvest pathogens of tomato. Dual culture and spore concentration assay revealed that all three isolates inhibited radial growth of G. candidum, T. roseum and R. oryzae. Tomato fruits were inoculated with 25 micro L suspension of 10/sup 8/ cfu mL-1 for T. harzianum and 10/sup 8/cfu mL-1for each Bacillus sp. and P. fluorescens. Twenty four hours later the treated fruits were inoculated with 25 micro L of 105 conidia/mL of each of three postharvest pathogens. The results showed that P. fluorescens provided good control (78.1%) of G. candidum and (82.2%) R. oryzae, while, T. harzianum proved less effective to control all three pathogens. Bacillus spp. was only effective (88.4%) against T. roseum. Hence, our results depicted that Bacillus spp. and P. fluorescens proved to be a potential antagonist of T. roseum and R. oryzae however, all the tested BCAs were not consistent in their action against three postharvest pathogens of tomato. (author)

Role of CTA1R7K-COL-DD as a novel therapeutic mucosal tolerance-inducing vector for treatment of collagen-induced arthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasselberg, Annemarie; Schön, Karin; Tarkowski, Andrej; Lycke, Nils

2009-06-01

To determine whether a cholera toxin-derived, novel immunomodulating fusion protein, CTA1R7K-COL-DD, carrying the class II major histocompatibility complex H-2q-restricted type II collagen peptide aa 259-274, can induce therapeutic tolerance and prevent collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) when administered intranasally in DBA/1 mice, and to assess whether ADP-ribosylation at the mucosal membranes exerts a regulatory function such that the outcome of tolerance or immune enhancement can be controlled. DBA/1 mice with CIA were treated intranasally with CTA1R7K-COL-DD. The therapeutic effect was monitored for 46 days after the onset of disease. Clinical scoring of disease, histologic examination of inflammation, and bone erosion were assessed, and cytokine levels were determined in the serum or supernatants from splenocytes stimulated with recall antigen. The protective effect of CTA1R7K-COL-DD resulted in roughly 60% of the mice having no clinical signs or histologic evidence of disease after treatment, and those with CIA had significantly milder disease with less bone erosion. The protective status was associated with lower serum titers of IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgG3 anticollagen and a substantial decrease in the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-17, and interferon-gamma, while levels of IL-10 were markedly up-regulated both in the serum and at the T cell level. The enzymatically inactive mutant fusion protein CTA1R7K-COL-DD provided substantial therapeutic protection against CIA following intranasal administration. The mechanism behind the effect appears to be mediated by peptide-specific regulatory T cells induced by mucosal exposure to the peptide containing CTA1R7K-COL-DD vector. In addition, ADP-ribosylation at the mucosal membranes acts as a key regulator controlling mucosal tolerance or immunity.

mGluR5 stimulating Homer–PIKE formation initiates icariin induced cardiomyogenesis of mouse embryonic stem cells by activating reactive oxygen species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Limin; Huang, Yujie; Zhang, Yingying [Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Biochemical Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, No. 866, Yu Hang Tang Road, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Zhao, Qingwei [The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, No. 79, Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou 310003 (China); Zheng, Bei; Lou, Yijia [Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Biochemical Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, No. 866, Yu Hang Tang Road, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Zhu, Danyan, E-mail: zdyzxb@zju.edu.cn [Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Biochemical Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, No. 866, Yu Hang Tang Road, Hangzhou 310058 (China)

2013-06-10

Icariin (ICA) has been reported to facilitate cardiac differentiation of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells; however, the mechanism by which ICA induced cardiomyogenesis has not been fully elucidated yet. Here, an underlying signaling network including metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5), Homer, phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Enhancer (PIKE), phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (PI3K), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) was investigated in ICA induced cardiomyogenesis. Our results showed that the co-expression of mGluR5 together with α-actinin or Troponin T in embryoid bodies (EBs) treated with ICA was elevated to 10.86% and 9.62%, compared with the case in the control (4.04% and 3.45%, respectively). Exposure of EBs to ICA for 2 h remarkably increased the dimeric form of mGluR5, which was inhibited by small interfering RNA targeting mGluR5 (si-mGluR5). Moreover, the extracellular glutamate concentration in ICA treatment medium was elevated to 28.9±3.5 μM. Furthermore, the activation of mGluR5 by ICA triggered the formation of Homer–PIKE complex and activated PI3K, stimulating ROS generation and NF-κB nuclear translocation. Knockdown of mGluR5 or inhibition of PI3K by LY294002 blocked ICA induced cardiomyogenesis via repressing mGluR5 pathway, reducing ROS and NF-κB activation. These results revealed that the inducible mechanisms of ICA were related to activate mGluR5 pathway. -- Highlights: • ICA increased mGluR5 expression in cardiac differentiation of ES cells. • ICA enhanced the glutamate level and the receptor mGluR5 dimerization, stimulating the formation of Homer–PIKE complex. • Knockdown of mGluR5 or inhibition of PI3K by LY294002 inhibited ICA induced ROS generation and NF-κB nuclear translocation.

R and D on seismic emergency information system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-06-01

After the Great Hansin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster occurred in 1995, the Science and Technology Agency commenced 'Frontier Research Program on Earthquake' in FY1996. As a part of this research program, four-year program on 'Research on Real-time Earthquake Information Transmission' has been carried out at JAERI since FY1997. Through the experience of the above earthquake disaster, the importance of accurate and prompt seismic information transmission immediately after the occurrence of the earthquake has been recognized from the viewpoint of disaster mitigation. Under this circumstance, the main activity in Real-time Earthquake Information Transmission Research at JAERI has been placed on the development of a seismic emergency information system. In order to respond to the above R and D, Seismic Emergency Information System Research Team was organized in JAERI in FY1998. In the meantime, a part of this R and D program is performed under the coordinated research between JAERI and NIED (National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention). This report summarizes the results of four years program from FY1997 to FY2000 on the above R and D. The R and D has been conducted involving the latest progress in earthquake engineering with regard to estimation techniques on the hypocenter, fault and earthquake motion parameters and in Information Technologies. The R and D was divided into two parts, i.e., development of the basic system and application system. In the basic system, earthquake information with 500 m square mesh in a local area can be estimated and transmitted in a few minutes. In the application system, the concept of the disaster management system which consists of user site and disaster information center and is capable of mutual information transmission has been established. A prototype of the application system, which include the basic system in the disaster information center, has been developed. Test operation of the basic system in being

Effectiveness of cleaning and sanitizing procedures in controlling the adherence of Pseudomonas fluorescens, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Staphylococcus aureus to domestic kitchen surfaces Eficiência dos procedimentos de limpeza e de sanitização no controle da adesão de Pseudomonas fluorescens, Salmonella Enteritidis e Staphylococcus aureus em superfícies usadas em cozinhas domésticas

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Iara Dias Silva

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The effectiveness of cleaning and sanitizing procedures in controlling Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Pseudomonasfluorescens adhered to granite and stainless steel was evaluated. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05 in the adherence of pure cultures of these microorganisms to stainless steel. The numbers of P. fluorescens and S. Enteritidis adhered to granite were greater (p 0.05 between the surfaces. However, a significant difference was observed (p A eficiência dos procedimentos de limpeza e sanitização no controle de Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis e Pseudomonasfluorescens aderidas em granito e aço inoxidável foi avaliada. Não houve diferença significativa (p > 0,05 na adesão destes microrganismos quando em cultura pura, em aço inoxidável. O número de células aderidas de P. fluorescens e S. Enteritidis foi maior (p 0,05 entre as superfícies. Entretanto, observou-se uma diferença (p < 0,05 entre as soluções sanitizantes utilizadas. Hipoclorito de sódio e ácido peracético apresentaram maior ação bactericida (p < 0,05 que o composto de amônia quaternária. Observou-se que S. aureus apresentou menor resistência à ação desses sanitizantes. Os resultados mostram a importância da adequada realização dos procedimentos de limpeza e sanitização para evitar a adesão bacteriana e formação de biofilme.

Members of miR-169 family are induced by high salinity and transiently inhibit the NF-YA transcription factor

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Lin Hongxuan

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs are endogenously expressed small RNAs with a length of about 21 nt. MiRNAs silence their target genes at the post-transcriptional level. In plants, miRNAs play various developmental and physiological roles by cleavaging mRNAs predominantly. Drought and high salinity are the most severe environmental abiotic stresses and cause crop losses all over the world. Results In this study, we identified miR-169g and miR-169n (o as high salinity-responsive miRNAs in rice. MiR-169n and miR169o were in a miRNA cluster with a distance of 3707 base pairs (bp. The high degree of conservation and close phylogenic distance of pre-miR-169n and pre-miR-169o indicated that they were derived from a very recent tandem duplication evolutionary event. The existence of a cis-acting abscisic acid responsive element (ABRE in the upstream region of miR-169n (o suggested that miR-169n (o may be regulated by ABA. In our previous study, we found that miR-169g was induced by the osmotic stress caused by drought via a dehydration-responsive element (DRE. Thus, our data showed that there were both overlapping and distinct responses of the miR-169 family to drought and salt stresses. We also showed that these miR-169 members selectively cleaved one of the NF-YA genes, Os03g29760, which is a CCAAT-box binding transcription factor and participates in transcriptional regulation of large number genes. Finally, we found one or more ath-miR-169 member that was also induced by high salinity. Conclusion We identified members of the miR-169 family as salt-induced miRNAs and analyzed their evolution, gene organization, expression, transcriptional regulation motif and target gene. Our data also indicated that the salt-induction of some miR-169 members was a general property in plants.

Members of miR-169 family are induced by high salinity and transiently inhibit the NF-YA transcription factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Botao; Ge, Liangfa; Liang, Ruqiang; Li, Wei; Ruan, Kangcheng; Lin, Hongxuan; Jin, Youxin

2009-04-08

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenously expressed small RNAs with a length of about 21 nt. MiRNAs silence their target genes at the post-transcriptional level. In plants, miRNAs play various developmental and physiological roles by cleavaging mRNAs predominantly. Drought and high salinity are the most severe environmental abiotic stresses and cause crop losses all over the world. In this study, we identified miR-169g and miR-169n (o) as high salinity-responsive miRNAs in rice. MiR-169n and miR169o were in a miRNA cluster with a distance of 3707 base pairs (bp). The high degree of conservation and close phylogenic distance of pre-miR-169n and pre-miR-169o indicated that they were derived from a very recent tandem duplication evolutionary event. The existence of a cis-acting abscisic acid responsive element (ABRE) in the upstream region of miR-169n (o) suggested that miR-169n (o) may be regulated by ABA. In our previous study, we found that miR-169g was induced by the osmotic stress caused by drought via a dehydration-responsive element (DRE). Thus, our data showed that there were both overlapping and distinct responses of the miR-169 family to drought and salt stresses. We also showed that these miR-169 members selectively cleaved one of the NF-YA genes, Os03g29760, which is a CCAAT-box binding transcription factor and participates in transcriptional regulation of large number genes. Finally, we found one or more ath-miR-169 member that was also induced by high salinity. We identified members of the miR-169 family as salt-induced miRNAs and analyzed their evolution, gene organization, expression, transcriptional regulation motif and target gene. Our data also indicated that the salt-induction of some miR-169 members was a general property in plants.

A miR-21 inhibitor enhances apoptosis and reduces G2-M accumulation induced by ionizing radiation in human glioblastoma U251 cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Yi; Li, Qiang; Asai, Akio; Kawamoto, Keiji; Zhao Shiguang; Zhen Yunbo; Teng Lei

2011-01-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that take part in diverse biological processes by suppressing target gene expression. Elevated expression of miR-21 has been reported in many types of human cancers. Radiotherapy is a standard adjuvant treatment for patients with glioblastoma. However, the resistance of glioblastoma cells to radiation limits the success of this treatment. In this study, we found that miR-21 expression was upregulated in response to ionizing radiation (IR) in U251 cells, which suggested that miR-21 could be involved in the response of U251 cells to radiation. We showed that a miR-21 inhibitor enhanced IR-induced glioblastoma cell growth arrest and increased the level of apoptosis, which was probably caused by abrogation of the G 2 -M arrest induced by IR. Further research demonstrated that the miR-21 inhibitor induced the upregulation of Cdc25A. Taken together, these findings suggest that miR-21 inhibitor can increase IR-induced growth arrest and apoptosis in U251 glioblastoma cells, at least in part by abrogating G 2 -M arrest, and that Cdc25A is a potential target of miR-21. (author)

Study of the Vapor-Liquid Coexistence Curve and the Critical Curve for Nonazeotropic Refrigerant Mixture R152a + R114 System

Science.gov (United States)

Kabata, Yasuo; Higashi, Yukihiro; Uematsu, Masahiko; Watanabe, Koichi

Measurements of the vapor-liquid coexistence curve in the critical region for the refrigerant mixture of R152a (CH3CHF2: 1, l-difluoroethane) +R 114 (CCIF2CCIF2 :1, 2-dichloro-1, 1, 2, 2-tetrafluoroethane) system were made by visual observation of the disappearance of the meniscus at the vapor-liquid interface within an optical cell. Forty-eight saturated densities along the vapor-liquid coexistence curve between 204 and 861 kg·m-3 for five different compositions of 10, 20, 50, 80 and 90 wt% R 152a were obtained in the temperature range 370 to 409 K. The experimental errors of temperature, density, and mass fraction were estimated within ±10mK, ±0.5% and +0.05 %, respectively. On the basis of these measurements, the critical parameters of five different compositions for the R 152a +R 114 system were determined in consideration of the meniscus disappearance level as well as intensity of the critical opalescence. In accordance with the previous results of three other refrigerant mixtures, i.e., R 12 +R 22 system, R 22 +R 114 system and R 13B1 + R 114 system, the coexistence curve and critical curve on the temperature-density diagram for binary refrigerant mixtures were discussed. In addition, correlations of its composition dependence for this system were proposed.

Hepcidin is an antibacterial, stress-inducible peptide of the biliary system.

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Pavel Strnad

Full Text Available BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepcidin (gene name HAMP, an IL-6-inducible acute phase peptide with antimicrobial properties, is the key negative regulator of iron metabolism. Liver is the primary source of HAMP synthesis, but it is also produced by other tissues such as kidney or heart and is found in body fluids such as urine or cerebrospinal fluid. While the role of hepcidin in biliary system is unknown, a recent study demonstrated that conditional gp130-knockout mice display diminished hepcidin levels and increased rate of biliary infections. METHODS: Expression and localization of HAMP in biliary system was analyzed by real time RT-PCR, in-situ hybridization, immunostaining and -blotting, while prohepcidin levels in human bile were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Hepcidin was detected in mouse/human gallbladder and bile duct epithelia. Biliary HAMP is stress-inducible, in that it is increased in biliary cell lines upon IL-6 stimulation and in gallbladder mucosa of patients with acute cholecystitis. Hepcidin is also present in the bile and elevated prohepcidin levels were observed in bile of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC patients with concurrent bacterial cholangitis compared to PSC subjects without bacterial infection (median values 22.3 vs. 8.9; p = 0.03. In PSC-cholangitis subjects, bile prohepcidin levels positively correlated with C-reactive protein and bilirubin levels (r = 0.48 and r = 0.71, respectively. In vitro, hepcidin enhanced the antimicrobial capacity of human bile (p<0.05. CONCLUSION: Hepcidin is a stress-inducible peptide of the biliary epithelia and a potential marker of biliary stress. In the bile, hepcidin may serve local functions such as protection from bacterial infections.

The influence of sterol metabolism upon radiation-induced aneuploidy of Drosophila melanogaster in the yeast-drosophila system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savitsij, V.V.; Luchnikova, E.M.; Inge-Vechtomov, S.I.

1985-01-01

The influence of sterol metabolism upon induced Drosophila melanogaster mutagenesis in an ecology-genetic yeast-drosophila system has been studied. The sterol deficit in fly organism has been created for account of using as food substrate for fremales of biomass of saccharomyces cerevisiae living cells of 9-2-PZ12 train with nyssup(r1) locus mutation which blocks the ergosterol synthesis. It has been found that the Drosophila females content on mutant yeast increases the frequency of losses and non discrepancy of X-chromosomes induced by X-radiation (1000 R). Addition into yeast biomass of 0.1 % cholesterol solution in 10 %-ethanol reduces the oocytes resistance to X-radiation up to control level. Possible hormonal and membrane mechanisms of increasing radiation-induced aneuploidy of Drosophila and the role of sterol metabolism in organism resistance to damaging factors are discussed

Towards Semantic Web Services on Large, Multi-Dimensional Coverages

Science.gov (United States)

Baumann, P.

2009-04-01

does not anticipate any particular protocol. One such protocol is given by the OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS) Processing Extension standard which ties WCPS into WCS. Another protocol which makes WCPS an OGC Web Processing Service (WPS) Profile is under preparation. Thereby, WCPS bridges WCS and WPS. The conceptual model of WCPS relies on the coverage model of WCS, which in turn is based on ISO 19123. WCS currently addresses raster-type coverages where a coverage is seen as a function mapping points from a spatio-temporal extent (its domain) into values of some cell type (its range). A retrievable coverage has an identifier associated, further the CRSs supported and, for each range field (aka band, channel), the interpolation methods applicable. The WCPS language offers access to one or several such coverages via a functional, side-effect free language. The following example, which derives the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) from given coverages C1, C2, and C3 within the regions identified by the binary mask R, illustrates the language concept: for c in ( C1, C2, C3 ), r in ( R ) return encode( (char) (c.nir - c.red) / (c.nir + c.red), H˜DF-EOS\\~ ) The result is a list of three HDF-EOS encoded images containing masked NDVI values. Note that the same request can operate on coverages of any dimensionality. The expressive power of WCPS includes statistics, image, and signal processing up to recursion, to maintain safe evaluation. As both syntax and semantics of any WCPS expression is well known the language is Semantic Web ready: clients can construct WCPS requests on the fly, servers can optimize such requests (this has been investigated extensively with the rasdaman raster database system) and automatically distribute them for processing in a WCPS-enabled computing cloud. The WCPS Reference Implementation is being finalized now that the standard is stable; it will be released in open source once ready. Among the future tasks is to extend WCPS to general

Fear extinction induces mGluR5-mediated synaptic and intrinsic plasticity in infralimbic neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Sepulveda-Orengo, Marian T; Lopez, Ana V; Soler-Cedeño, Omar; Porter, James T

2013-04-24

Studies suggest that plasticity in the infralimbic prefrontal cortex (IL) in rodents and its homolog in humans is necessary for inhibition of fear during the recall of fear extinction. The recall of extinction is impaired by locally blocking metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5 (mGluR5) activation in IL during extinction training. This finding suggests that mGluR5 stimulation may lead to IL plasticity needed for fear extinction. To test this hypothesis, we recorded AMPA and NMDA currents, AMPA receptor (AMPAR) rectification, and intrinsic excitability in IL pyramidal neurons in slices from trained rats using whole-cell patch-clamp recording. We observed that fear extinction increases the AMPA/NMDA ratio, consistent with insertion of AMPARs into IL synapses. In addition, extinction training increased inward rectification, suggesting that extinction induces the insertion of calcium-permeable (GluA2-lacking) AMPARs into IL synapses. Consistent with this, selectively blocking calcium-permeable AMPARs with Naspm reduced the AMPA EPSCs in IL neurons to a larger degree after extinction. Extinction-induced changes in AMPA/NMDA ratio, rectification, and intrinsic excitability were blocked with an mGluR5 antagonist. These findings suggest that mGluR5 activation leads to consolidation of fear extinction by regulating the intrinsic excitability of IL neurons and modifying the composition of AMPARs in IL synapses. Therefore, impaired mGluR5 activity in IL synapses could be one factor that causes inappropriate modulation of fear expression leading to anxiety disorders.

Whole-Genome-Sequencing characterization of bloodstream infection-causing hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae of capsular serotype K2 and ST374.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaoli; Xie, Yingzhou; Li, Gang; Liu, Jialin; Li, Xiaobin; Tian, Lijun; Sun, Jingyong; Ou, Hong-Yu; Qu, Hongping

2018-01-01

Hypervirulent K. pneumoniae variants (hvKP) have been increasingly reported worldwide, causing metastasis of severe infections such as liver abscesses and bacteremia. The capsular serotype K2 hvKP strains show diverse multi-locus sequence types (MLSTs), but with limited genetics and virulence information. In this study, we report a hypermucoviscous K. pneumoniae strain, RJF293, isolated from a human bloodstream sample in a Chinese hospital. It caused a metastatic infection and fatal septic shock in a critical patient. The microbiological features and genetic background were investigated with multiple approaches. The Strain RJF293 was determined to be multilocis sequence type (ST) 374 and serotype K2, displayed a median lethal dose (LD50) of 1.5 × 10 2 CFU in BALB/c mice and was as virulent as the ST23 K1 serotype hvKP strain NTUH-K2044 in a mouse lethality assay. Whole genome sequencing revealed that the RJF293 genome codes for 32 putative virulence factors and exhibits a unique presence/absence pattern in comparison to the other 105 completely sequenced K. pneumoniae genomes. Whole genome SNP-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain RJF293 formed a single clade, distant from those containing either ST66 or ST86 hvKP. Compared to the other sequenced hvKP chromosomes, RJF293 contains several strain-variable regions, including one prophage, one ICEKp1 family integrative and conjugative element and six large genomic islands. The sequencing of the first complete genome of an ST374 K2 hvKP clinical strain should reinforce our understanding of the epidemiology and virulence mechanisms of this bloodstream infection-causing hvKP with clinical significance.

The Plant-Derived Bauhinia bauhinioides Kallikrein Proteinase Inhibitor (rBbKI Attenuates Elastase-Induced Emphysema in Mice

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Bruno Tadeu Martins-Olivera

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Elastase mediates important oxidative actions during the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. However, few resources for the inhibition of elastase have been investigated. Our study evaluated the ability of the recombinant plant derived Bauhinia bauhinioides Kallikrein proteinase Inhibitor (rBbKI to modulate elastase-induced pulmonary inflammation. Methods. C57Bl/6 mice were given intratracheal elastase (ELA group or saline (SAL group and were treated intraperitoneally with rBbKI (ELA-rBbKI and SAL-rBbKI groups. At day 28, the following analyses were performed: (I lung mechanics, (II exhaled nitric oxide (ENO, (III bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF, and (IV lung immunohistochemical staining. Results. In addition to decreasing mechanical alterations and alveolar septum disruption, rBbKI reduced the number of cells in the BALF and decreased the cellular expression of TNF-α, MMP-9, MMP-12, TIMP-1, eNOS, and iNOS in airways and alveolar walls compared with the ELA group. rBbKI decreased the volume proportion of 8-iso-PGF2α, collagen, and elastic fibers in the airways and alveolar walls compared with the ELA group. A reduction in the number of MUC-5-positive cells in the airway walls was also observed. Conclusion. rBbKI reduced elastase-induced pulmonary inflammation and extracellular matrix remodeling. rBbKI may be a potential pharmacological tool for COPD treatment.

D-glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (Entner-Doudoroff enzyme) from Pseudomonas fluorescens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lessmann, D.; Schimz, K.L.; Kurz, G.

1975-01-01

The existence of two different D-glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenases in Pseudomonas fluorescens has been demonstrated. Based on their different specificity and their different metabolic regulation one enzyme is appointed to the Entner-Doudoroff pathway and the other to the hexose monophosphate pathway. A procedure is described for the isolation of that D-glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase which forms part of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway (Entner-Doudoroff enzyme). A 950-fold purification was achieved with an overall yield of 44%. The final preparation, having a specific activity of about 300μmol NADH formed per min per mg protein, was shown to be homogeneous. The molecular weight of the Entner-Doudoroff enzyme has been determined to be 220,000 by gel permeation chromatography, and that of the other enzyme (Zwischenferment) has been shown to be 265,000. The pI of the Entner-Doudoroff enzyme has been shown to be 5.24 and that of the Zwischenferment 4.27. The Entner-Doudoroff enzyme is stable in the range of pH 6 to 10.5 and shows its maximal acivity at pH 8.9. The Entner-Doudoroff enzyme showed specificity for NAD + as well as for NADP + and exhibited homotropic effects for D-glucose 6-phosphate. It is inhibited by ATP which acts as a negative allosteric effector. Other nucleoside triphosphates as well as ADP are also inhibitory. The enzyme catalyzes the transfer of the axial hydrogen at carbon-1 of β-D-glucopyranose 6-phosphate to the si face of carbon-4 of the nicotinamide ring and must be classified as B-side stereospecific dehydrogenase. (orig.) [de

Antiphospholipid antibody-induced miR-146a-3p drives trophoblast interleukin-8 secretion through activation of Toll-like receptor 8.

Science.gov (United States)

Gysler, Stefan M; Mulla, Melissa J; Guerra, Marta; Brosens, Jan J; Salmon, Jane E; Chamley, Lawrence W; Abrahams, Vikki M

2016-07-01

What is the role of microRNAs (miRs) in antiphospholipid antibody (aPL)-induced trophoblast inflammation? aPL-induced up-regulation of trophoblast miR-146a-3p is mediated by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and miR-146a-3p in turn drives the cells to secrete interleukin (IL)-8 by activating the RNA sensor, TLR8. Obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by circulating aPL and an increased risk of pregnancy complications. We previously showed that aPL recognizing beta2 glycoprotein I (β2GPI) elicit human first trimester trophoblast secretion of IL-8 by activating TLR4. Since some miRs control TLR responses, their regulation in trophoblast cells by aPL and functional role in the aPL-mediated inflammatory response was investigated. miRs can be released from cells via exosomes, and therefore, miR exosome expression was also examined. A panel of miRs was selected based on their involvement with TLR signaling: miR-9; miR-146a-5p and its isomiR, miR-146a-3p; miR-155, miR-210; and Let-7c. Since certain miRs can activate the RNA sensor, TLR8, this was also investigated. For in vitro studies, the human first trimester extravillous trophoblast cell line, HTR8 was studied. HTR8 cells transfected to express a TLR8 dominant negative (DN) were also used. Plasma was evaluated from pregnant women who have aPL, either with or without systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) (n = 39); SLE patients without aPL (n = 30); and healthy pregnant controls (n = 20). Trophoblast HTR8 wildtype and TLR8-DN cells were incubated with or without aPL (mouse anti-human β2GPI mAb) for 48-72 h. HTR8 cells were also treated with or without aPL in the presence and the absence of a TLR4 antagonist (lipopolysaccharide from Rhodobacter sphaeroides; LPS-RS), specific miR inhibitors or specific miR mimics. miR expression levels in trophoblast cells, trophoblast-derived exosomes and exosomes isolated from patient plasma were measured by qPCR. Trophoblast IL-8 secretion was

Glycidamide inhibits progesterone production through reactive oxygen species-induced apoptosis in R2C Rat Leydig Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingwei; Sun, Jianxia; Zou, Feiyan; Bai, Shun; Jiang, Xinwei; Jiao, Rui; Ou, Shiyi; Zhang, Hui; Su, Zhijian; Huang, Yadong; Bai, Weibin

2017-10-01

The food contaminant acrylamide (AA) is usually recognized as a probable human carcinogen. In addition, AA has also been found able to induce male infertility in animals. Interestingly, resent research work revealed that the toxic effect of AA on the ability of male reproduction in vivo may due to glycidamide (GA) which is the metabolite of AA. In this study, R2C Leydig cells was used to investigate the toxic effects of GA on progesterone production. GA caused dose-dependent inhibition on the cell growth, with IC 25 , IC 50, and IC 75 values found at 0.635, 0.872, and 1.198 mM, respectively. The results of single cell gel/Comet assay showed that GA significantly induced early-phase cell apoptosis, reduced progesterone production, as well as decreasing the protein expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) in R2C cells. Furthermore, GA induced overproduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), upregulated Bax expression, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and triggered mitochondria-mediated cell apoptosis. Consequently, the downstream effector caspase-3 was activated, resulting in Leydig cells apoptosis. Overall, our results showed that GA could damage R2C Leydig cells by the lesion of the ability of progesterone genesis and inducing cells apoptosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

25-hydroxycholesterol promotes RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis through coordinating NFATc1 and Sp1 complex in the transcription of miR-139-5p

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Lishan; Lv, Yinping; Xian, Guozhe; Lin, Yanliang

2017-01-01

25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC) is implicated in many processes, including lipid metabolism and the immune response. However, the role of 25-HC in RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis remains largely unknown. Our results showed that 25-HC inhibited miR-139-5p expression in mouse bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) cultured in receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and monocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). Further investigation suggested that 25-HC promoted the expression of nuclear factor of activated T cell cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1) and Sp1, especially in the presence of RANKL and M-CSF. Meanwhile, 25-HC induced nuclear translocation of NFATc1, resulting in the interaction between NFATc1 and Sp1 that was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay indicated that Sp1 could bind to miR-139-5p promoter, but NFATc1 had no binding capacity. Although forming NFATc1/Sp1 complex increased its binding to miR-139-5p promoter, the complex inhibited the transcriptional activity of Sp1. Inhibition of NFATc1 increase the expression of miR-139-5p, which might be due to the release of free Sp1 that could bind to the promoter of miR-139-5p. Enforced expression of miR-139-5p impaired osteoclastogenesis induced by co-treatment with 25-HC and RANKL. These results suggested that 25-HC induced the interaction between NFATc1 and Sp1, reducing the level of free Sp1 to inhibit miR-139-5p expression and promote osteoclastogenesis. - Highlights: • 25-hydroxycholesterol inhibited miR-139-5p expression in bone marrow macrophages. • 25-hydroxycholesterol promoted the expression of NFATc1 and Sp1. • 25-hydroxycholesterol induced the interaction between NFATc1 and Sp1. • NFATc1/Sp1 complex inhibited the transcription of miR-139-5p. • MiR-139-5p impaired osteoclastogenesis induced by 25-hydroxycholesterol and RANKL.

R-Matrix Codes for Charged-particle Induced Reactionsin the Resolved Resonance Region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leeb, Helmut [Technical Univ. of Wien, Vienna (Austria); Dimitriou, Paraskevi [Intl Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna (Austria); Thompson, Ian J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-01-01

A Consultant’s Meeting was held at the IAEA Headquarters, from 5 to 7 December 2016, to discuss the status of R-matrix codes currently used in calculations of charged-particle induced reaction cross sections at low energies. The meeting was a follow-up to the R-matrix Codes meeting held in December 2015, and served the purpose of monitoring progress in: the development of a translation code to enable exchange of input/output parameters between the various codes in different formats, fitting procedures and treatment of uncertainties, the evaluation methodology, and finally dissemination. The details of the presentations and technical discussions, as well as additional actions that were proposed to achieve all the goals of the meeting are summarized in this report.

System performance with R407A, R407B, R407C compared to R22

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Hans Jørgen Høgaard

1997-01-01

both the cooling capacity and COP are smaller then the cooling capacity and COP with R22. The cooling capacity for R407A and R407B is lower than the capacity for R22 for brine temperatures less than 0 C and higher then the cooling capacity for R22 for brine temperatures higher than 0 C. The COP for R......407A and R407B er lower than the COP for R22.The volumetric and isentropic efficiency of the compressor are with mixture higher than the volumetric and isentropic efficiency with R22.......The article presents the results obtained by substituting R22 with mixture of R32/R125/R134A (R407A, R407B and R407C) in an existing refrigeration plant. Cooling capacity, coefficient of performance and heat transfer coefficient in the evaporator have been measured.The results show that for R407C...

CASC2/miR-24/miR-221 modulates the TRAIL resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma cell through caspase-8/caspase-3.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Xiaoxin; Cai, Lifeng; Wang, Changfa; Deng, Xiaofeng; Yi, Shengen; Lei, Zhao; Xiao, Qiangsheng; Xu, Hongbo; Luo, Hongwu; Sun, Jichun

2018-02-23

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common solid tumors in the digestive system. The prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma is still poor due to the acquisition of multi-drug resistance. TNF Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL), an attractive anticancer agent, exerts its effect of selectively inducing apoptosis in tumor cells through death receptors and the formation of the downstream death-inducing signaling complex, which activates apical caspases 3/8 and leads to apoptosis. However, hepatocellular carcinoma cells are resistant to TRAIL. Non-coding RNAs, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and miRNAs have been regarded as major regulators of normal development and diseases, including cancers. Moreover, lncRNAs and miRNAs have been reported to be associated with multi-drug resistance. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism by which TRAIL resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma is affected from the view of non-coding RNA regulation. We selected and validated candidate miRNAs, miR-24 and miR-221, that regulated caspase 3/8 expression through direct targeting, and thereby affecting TRAIL-induced tumor cell apoptosis TRAIL resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, we revealed that CASC2, a well-established tumor suppressive long non-coding RNA, could serve as a "Sponge" of miR-24 and miR-221, thus modulating TRAIL-induced tumor cell apoptosis TRAIL resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma. Taken together, we demonstrated a CASC2/miR-24/miR-221 axis, which can affect the TRAIL resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma through regulating caspase 3/8; through acting as a "Sponge" of miR-24 and miR-221, CASC2 may contribute to improving hepatocellular carcinoma TRAIL resistance, and finally promoting the treatment efficiency of TRAIL-based therapies.

Forecasts for the Canadian Lynx time series using method that bombine neural networks, wavelet shrinkage and decomposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Levi Lopes Teixeira

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Time series forecasting is widely used in various areas of human knowledge, especially in the planning and strategic direction of companies. The success of this task depends on the forecasting techniques applied. In this paper, a hybrid approach to project time series is suggested. To validate the methodology, a time series already modeled by other authors was chosen, allowing the comparison of results. The proposed methodology includes the following techniques: wavelet shrinkage, wavelet decomposition at level r, and artificial neural networks (ANN. Firstly, a time series to be forecasted is submitted to the proposed wavelet filtering method, which decomposes it to components of trend and linear residue. Then, both are decomposed via level r wavelet decomposition, generating r + 1 Wavelet Components (WCs for each one; and then each WC is individually modeled by an ANN. Finally, the predictions for all WCs are linearly combined, producing forecasts to the underlying time series. For evaluating purposes, the time series of Canadian Lynx has been used, and all results achieved by the proposed method were better than others in existing literature.

Ginsenoside-Rg{sub 1} induces angiogenesis by the inverse regulation of MET tyrosine kinase receptor expression through miR-23a