WorldWideScience

Sample records for suppressed uptake arsenate-tolerant

  1. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae can enhance arsenic tolerance in Medicago truncatula by increasing plant phosphorus status and restricting arsenate uptake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Pengliang; Christie, Peter; Liu Yu; Zhang Junling; Li Xiaolin

    2008-01-01

    A pot experiment examined the biomass and As uptake of Medicago truncatula colonized by the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Glomus mosseae in low-P soil experimentally contaminated with different levels of arsenate. The biomass of G. mosseae external mycelium was unaffected by the highest addition level of As studied (200 mg kg -1 ) but shoot and root biomass declined in both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants, indicating that the AM fungus was more tolerant than M. truncatula to arsenate. Mycorrhizal inoculation increased shoot and root dry weights by enhancing host plant P nutrition and lowering shoot and root As concentrations compared with uninoculated plants. The AM fungus may have been highly tolerant to As and conferred enhanced tolerance to arsenate on the host plant by enhancing P nutrition and restricting root As uptake. - G. mosseae was more tolerant than M. truncatula to As and may have conferred enhanced host tolerance by restricting root As uptake and enhancing P nutrition

  2. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae can enhance arsenic tolerance in Medicago truncatula by increasing plant phosphorus status and restricting arsenate uptake

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu Pengliang [Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094 (China); Christie, Peter [Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094 (China); Agricultural and Environmental Science Department, Queen' s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5PX (United Kingdom); Liu Yu [Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094 (China); Zhang Junling [Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094 (China)], E-mail: junlingz@cau.edu.cn; Li Xiaolin [Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094 (China)

    2008-11-15

    A pot experiment examined the biomass and As uptake of Medicago truncatula colonized by the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus Glomus mosseae in low-P soil experimentally contaminated with different levels of arsenate. The biomass of G. mosseae external mycelium was unaffected by the highest addition level of As studied (200 mg kg{sup -1}) but shoot and root biomass declined in both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants, indicating that the AM fungus was more tolerant than M. truncatula to arsenate. Mycorrhizal inoculation increased shoot and root dry weights by enhancing host plant P nutrition and lowering shoot and root As concentrations compared with uninoculated plants. The AM fungus may have been highly tolerant to As and conferred enhanced tolerance to arsenate on the host plant by enhancing P nutrition and restricting root As uptake. - G. mosseae was more tolerant than M. truncatula to As and may have conferred enhanced host tolerance by restricting root As uptake and enhancing P nutrition.

  3. Arsenate tolerance in Silene paradoxa does not rely on phytochelatin-dependent sequestration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arnetoli, Miluscia; Vooijs, Riet; Bookum, Wilma ten; Galardi, Francesca; Gonnelli, Cristina; Gabbrielli, Roberto; Schat, Henk; Verkleij, Jos A.C.

    2008-01-01

    Arsenate tolerance, As accumulation and As-induced phytochelatin accumulation were compared in populations of Silene paradoxa, one from a mine site enriched in As, Cu and Zn, the other from an uncontaminated site. The mine population was significantly more arsenate-tolerant. Arsenate uptake and root-to-shoot transport were slightly but significantly higher in the non-mine plants. The difference in uptake was quantitatively insufficient to explain the difference in tolerance between the populations. As accumulation in the roots was similar in both populations, but the mine plants accumulated much less phytochelatins than the non-mine plants. The mean phytochelatin chain length, however, was higher in the mine population, possibly due to a constitutively lower cellular glutathione level. It is argued that the mine plants must possess an arsenic detoxification mechanism other than arsenate reduction and subsequent phytochelatin-based sequestration. This alternative mechanism might explain at least some part of the superior tolerance in the mine plants. - Neither decreased uptake nor phytochelatins seem to play a role in the As tolerance in Silene paradoxa

  4. Arsenic accumulation by the aquatic fern Azolla: comparison of arsenate uptake, speciation and efflux by A. caroliniana and A. filiculoides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xin; Lin, Ai-Jun; Zhao, Fang-Jie; Xu, Guo-Zhong; Duan, Gui-Lan; Zhu, Yong-Guan

    2008-12-01

    This study investigates As accumulation and tolerance of the aquatic fern Azolla. Fifty strains of Azolla showed a large variation in As accumulation. The highest- and lowest-accumulating ferns among the 50 strains were chosen for further investigations. Azolla caroliniana accumulated two times more As than Azolla filiculoides owing to a higher influx velocity for arsenate. A. filiculoides was more resistant to external arsenate due to a lower uptake. Both strains showed a similar degree of tolerance to internal As. Arsenate and arsenite were the dominant As species in both Azolla strains, with methylated As species accounting for Azolla in paddy fields to reduce As transfer from soil and water to rice should be further evaluated.

  5. Arsenic accumulation by the aquatic fern Azolla: Comparison of arsenate uptake, speciation and efflux by A. caroliniana and A. filiculoides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang Xin [State Key Lab of Urban and ONAL Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Beijing 100085 (China); Lin Aijun [Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 (China); Zhao Fangjie [Soil Science Department, Rothamsted Research, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ (United Kingdom); Xu Guozhong [Agricultural Ecology Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350013 (China); Duan Guilan [State Key Lab of Urban and ONAL Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Beijing 100085 (China); Zhu Yongguan [State Key Lab of Urban and ONAL Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 18 Shuangqing Road, Beijing 100085 (China); Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361003 (China)], E-mail: ygzhu@rcees.ac.cn

    2008-12-15

    This study investigates As accumulation and tolerance of the aquatic fern Azolla. Fifty strains of Azolla showed a large variation in As accumulation. The highest- and lowest-accumulating ferns among the 50 strains were chosen for further investigations. Azolla caroliniana accumulated two times more As than Azolla filiculoides owing to a higher influx velocity for arsenate. A. filiculoides was more resistant to external arsenate due to a lower uptake. Both strains showed a similar degree of tolerance to internal As. Arsenate and arsenite were the dominant As species in both Azolla strains, with methlyated As species accounting for <5% of the total As. A. filiculoides had a higher proportion of arsenite than A. caroliniana. Both strains effluxed more arsenate than arsenite, and the amount of As efflux was proportional to the amount of As accumulation. The potential of growing Azolla in paddy fields to reduce As transfer from soil and water to rice should be further evaluated. - Arsenic accumulation and efflux differ between strains of the aquatic fern Azolla.

  6. Arsenic accumulation by the aquatic fern Azolla: Comparison of arsenate uptake, speciation and efflux by A. caroliniana and A. filiculoides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Xin; Lin Aijun; Zhao Fangjie; Xu Guozhong; Duan Guilan; Zhu Yongguan

    2008-01-01

    This study investigates As accumulation and tolerance of the aquatic fern Azolla. Fifty strains of Azolla showed a large variation in As accumulation. The highest- and lowest-accumulating ferns among the 50 strains were chosen for further investigations. Azolla caroliniana accumulated two times more As than Azolla filiculoides owing to a higher influx velocity for arsenate. A. filiculoides was more resistant to external arsenate due to a lower uptake. Both strains showed a similar degree of tolerance to internal As. Arsenate and arsenite were the dominant As species in both Azolla strains, with methlyated As species accounting for <5% of the total As. A. filiculoides had a higher proportion of arsenite than A. caroliniana. Both strains effluxed more arsenate than arsenite, and the amount of As efflux was proportional to the amount of As accumulation. The potential of growing Azolla in paddy fields to reduce As transfer from soil and water to rice should be further evaluated. - Arsenic accumulation and efflux differ between strains of the aquatic fern Azolla

  7. Uptake and biotransformation of arsenate in the lichen Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mrak, Tanja [Department of Environmental Sciences, Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Slejkovec, Zdenka [Department of Environmental Sciences, Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)], E-mail: zdenka.slejkovec@ijs.si; Jeran, Zvonka; Jacimovic, Radojko [Department of Environmental Sciences, Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Kastelec, Damijana [Agronomy Department, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)

    2008-01-15

    The uptake and metabolism of arsenate, As(V), as a function of time and concentration were examined in the lichen Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. Lichen thalli were exposed to As(V) in the form of a solution. Exponential uptake of As(V) from 4 {mu}g mL{sup -1} As(V) solution was accompanied by constant arsenite, As(III), excretion back into the solution. Arsenate taken up into the lichens from 0, 0.1, 1, 10 {mu}g mL{sup -1} As(V) solutions was partially transformed into As(III), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and (mono)methylarsonic acid (MA). 48 h after exposure, the main arsenic compound in the lichens was DMA in 0.1, As(III) in 1 and As(V) in 10 {mu}g mL{sup -1} treatment. The proportion of methylated arsenic compounds decreased with increasing arsenate concentration in the exposure solution. These results suggest that at least two types of As(V) detoxification exist in lichens; arsenite excretion and methylation. - Lichens are able to metabolize the inorganic arsenic taken up.

  8. Uptake and biotransformation of arsenate in the lichen Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mrak, Tanja; Slejkovec, Zdenka; Jeran, Zvonka; Jacimovic, Radojko; Kastelec, Damijana

    2008-01-01

    The uptake and metabolism of arsenate, As(V), as a function of time and concentration were examined in the lichen Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. Lichen thalli were exposed to As(V) in the form of a solution. Exponential uptake of As(V) from 4 μg mL -1 As(V) solution was accompanied by constant arsenite, As(III), excretion back into the solution. Arsenate taken up into the lichens from 0, 0.1, 1, 10 μg mL -1 As(V) solutions was partially transformed into As(III), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and (mono)methylarsonic acid (MA). 48 h after exposure, the main arsenic compound in the lichens was DMA in 0.1, As(III) in 1 and As(V) in 10 μg mL -1 treatment. The proportion of methylated arsenic compounds decreased with increasing arsenate concentration in the exposure solution. These results suggest that at least two types of As(V) detoxification exist in lichens; arsenite excretion and methylation. - Lichens are able to metabolize the inorganic arsenic taken up

  9. Is the effect of silicon on rice uptake of arsenate (AsV) related to internal silicon concentrations, iron plaque and phosphate nutrition?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, W.; Zhu, Y.-G.; Liu, W.-J.; Liang, Y.-C.; Geng, C.-N.; Wang, S.-G.

    2007-01-01

    Solution culture experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of silicon (Si) on arsenate (As V ) uptake by rice. The addition of Si to the pretreatment or uptake solution significantly decreased shoot and root As concentrations (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05). The presence of Si in the pretreatment or uptake solution also significantly decreased shoot P concentrations (P < 0.001). The data demonstrated that both internal and external Si inhibited the uptake of As and P. Results of As uptake kinetics showed that the mechanism of the effect of Si on arsenate uptake is not caused by direct competition for active sites of transporters with As. The effect of Si on As uptake was not entirely mediated through the effect of Si on P uptake. Although the addition of Si to pretreatment solutions still significantly decreased shoot and root As concentrations, the extent of reduction became smaller when rice roots were coated with iron plaque. - Arsenate uptake by rice seedlings is affected by both Si (internal and external) and iron plaque on root surface

  10. Rice-arsenate interactions in hydroponics: a three-gene model for tolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norton, Gareth J; Nigar, Meher; Williams, Paul N; Dasgupta, Tapash; Meharg, Andrew A; Price, Adam H

    2008-01-01

    In this study, the genetic mapping of the tolerance of root growth to 13.3 muM arsenate [As(V)] using the BalaxAzucena population is improved, and candidate genes for further study are identified. A remarkable three-gene model of tolerance is advanced, which appears to involve epistatic interaction between three major genes, two on chromosome 6 and one on chromosome 10. Any combination of two of these genes inherited from the tolerant parent leads to the plant having tolerance. Lists of potential positional candidate genes are presented. These are then refined using whole genome transcriptomics data and bioinformatics. Physiological evidence is also provided that genes related to phosphate transport are unlikely to be behind the genetic loci conferring tolerance. These results offer testable hypotheses for genes related to As(V) tolerance that might offer strategies for mitigating arsenic (As) accumulation in consumed rice.

  11. Rice–arsenate interactions in hydroponics: a three-gene model for tolerance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norton, Gareth J.; Nigar, Meher; Dasgupta, Tapash; Meharg, Andrew A.; Price, Adam H.

    2008-01-01

    In this study, the genetic mapping of the tolerance of root growth to 13.3 μM arsenate [As(V)] using the Bala×Azucena population is improved, and candidate genes for further study are identified. A remarkable three-gene model of tolerance is advanced, which appears to involve epistatic interaction between three major genes, two on chromosome 6 and one on chromosome 10. Any combination of two of these genes inherited from the tolerant parent leads to the plant having tolerance. Lists of potential positional candidate genes are presented. These are then refined using whole genome transcriptomics data and bioinformatics. Physiological evidence is also provided that genes related to phosphate transport are unlikely to be behind the genetic loci conferring tolerance. These results offer testable hypotheses for genes related to As(V) tolerance that might offer strategies for mitigating arsenic (As) accumulation in consumed rice. PMID:18453529

  12. Hijacking membrane transporters for arsenic phytoextraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeBlanc, Melissa S.; McKinney, Elizabeth C.; Meagher, Richard B.; Smith, Aaron P.

    2012-01-01

    Arsenic is a toxic metalloid and recognized carcinogen. Arsenate and arsenite are the most common arsenic species available for uptake by plants. As an inorganic phosphate (Pi) analog, arsenate is acquired by plant roots through endogenous Pi transport systems. Inside the cell, arsenate is reduced to the thiol-reactive form arsenite. Glutathione (GSH)-conjugates of arsenite may be extruded from the cell or sequestered in vacuoles by members of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family of transporters. In the present study we sought to enhance both plant arsenic uptake through Pi transporter overexpression, and plant arsenic tolerance through ABC transporter overexpression. We demonstrate that Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing the high-affinity Pi transporter family members, AtPht1;1 or AtPht1;7, are hypersensitive to arsenate due to increased arsenate uptake. These plants do not exhibit increased sensitivity to arsenite. Co-overexpression of the yeast ABC transporter YCF1 in combination with AtPht1;1 or AtPht1;7 suppresses the arsenate-sensitive phenotype while further enhancing arsenic uptake. Taken together, our results support an arsenic transport mechanism in which arsenate uptake is increased through Pi transporter overexpression, and arsenic tolerance is enhanced through YCF1-mediated vacuolar sequestration. This work substantiates the viability of coupling enhanced uptake and vacuolar sequestration as a means for developing a prototypical engineered arsenic hyperaccumulator. PMID:23108027

  13. Expression profiling of Crambe abyssinica under arsenate stress identifies genes and gene networks involved in arsenic metabolism and detoxification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kandasamy Suganthi

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Arsenic contamination is widespread throughout the world and this toxic metalloid is known to cause cancers of organs such as liver, kidney, skin, and lung in human. In spite of a recent surge in arsenic related studies, we are still far from a comprehensive understanding of arsenic uptake, detoxification, and sequestration in plants. Crambe abyssinica, commonly known as 'abyssinian mustard', is a non-food, high biomass oil seed crop that is naturally tolerant to heavy metals. Moreover, it accumulates significantly higher levels of arsenic as compared to other species of the Brassicaceae family. Thus, C. abyssinica has great potential to be utilized as an ideal inedible crop for phytoremediation of heavy metals and metalloids. However, the mechanism of arsenic metabolism in higher plants, including C. abyssinica, remains elusive. Results To identify the differentially expressed transcripts and the pathways involved in arsenic metabolism and detoxification, C. abyssinica plants were subjected to arsenate stress and a PCR-Select Suppression Subtraction Hybridization (SSH approach was employed. A total of 105 differentially expressed subtracted cDNAs were sequenced which were found to represent 38 genes. Those genes encode proteins functioning as antioxidants, metal transporters, reductases, enzymes involved in the protein degradation pathway, and several novel uncharacterized proteins. The transcripts corresponding to the subtracted cDNAs showed strong upregulation by arsenate stress as confirmed by the semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Conclusions Our study revealed novel insights into the plant defense mechanisms and the regulation of genes and gene networks in response to arsenate toxicity. The differential expression of transcripts encoding glutathione-S-transferases, antioxidants, sulfur metabolism, heat-shock proteins, metal transporters, and enzymes in the ubiquitination pathway of protein degradation as well as several unknown

  14. Expression profiling of Crambe abyssinica under arsenate stress identifies genes and gene networks involved in arsenic metabolism and detoxification

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Background Arsenic contamination is widespread throughout the world and this toxic metalloid is known to cause cancers of organs such as liver, kidney, skin, and lung in human. In spite of a recent surge in arsenic related studies, we are still far from a comprehensive understanding of arsenic uptake, detoxification, and sequestration in plants. Crambe abyssinica, commonly known as 'abyssinian mustard', is a non-food, high biomass oil seed crop that is naturally tolerant to heavy metals. Moreover, it accumulates significantly higher levels of arsenic as compared to other species of the Brassicaceae family. Thus, C. abyssinica has great potential to be utilized as an ideal inedible crop for phytoremediation of heavy metals and metalloids. However, the mechanism of arsenic metabolism in higher plants, including C. abyssinica, remains elusive. Results To identify the differentially expressed transcripts and the pathways involved in arsenic metabolism and detoxification, C. abyssinica plants were subjected to arsenate stress and a PCR-Select Suppression Subtraction Hybridization (SSH) approach was employed. A total of 105 differentially expressed subtracted cDNAs were sequenced which were found to represent 38 genes. Those genes encode proteins functioning as antioxidants, metal transporters, reductases, enzymes involved in the protein degradation pathway, and several novel uncharacterized proteins. The transcripts corresponding to the subtracted cDNAs showed strong upregulation by arsenate stress as confirmed by the semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Conclusions Our study revealed novel insights into the plant defense mechanisms and the regulation of genes and gene networks in response to arsenate toxicity. The differential expression of transcripts encoding glutathione-S-transferases, antioxidants, sulfur metabolism, heat-shock proteins, metal transporters, and enzymes in the ubiquitination pathway of protein degradation as well as several unknown novel proteins serve as

  15. Response to arsenate treatment in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and the role of its arsenate reductase activity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alejandro Salgado

    Full Text Available Arsenic toxicity has been studied for a long time due to its effects in humans. Although epidemiological studies have demonstrated multiple effects in human physiology, there are many open questions about the cellular targets and the mechanisms of response to arsenic. Using the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as model system, we have been able to demonstrate a strong activation of the MAPK Spc1/Sty1 in response to arsenate. This activation is dependent on Wis1 activation and Pyp2 phosphatase inactivation. Using arsenic speciation analysis we have also demonstrated the previously unknown capacity of S. pombe cells to reduce As (V to As (III. Genetic analysis of several fission yeast mutants point towards the cell cycle phosphatase Cdc25 as a possible candidate to carry out this arsenate reductase activity. We propose that arsenate reduction and intracellular accumulation of arsenite are the key mechanisms of arsenate tolerance in fission yeast.

  16. Rice-arsenate interactions in hydroponics: whole genome transcriptional analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norton, Gareth J; Lou-Hing, Daniel E; Meharg, Andrew A; Price, Adam H

    2008-01-01

    Rice (Oryza sativa) varieties that are arsenate-tolerant (Bala) and -sensitive (Azucena) were used to conduct a transcriptome analysis of the response of rice seedlings to sodium arsenate (AsV) in hydroponic solution. RNA extracted from the roots of three replicate experiments of plants grown for 1 week in phosphate-free nutrient with or without 13.3 muM AsV was used to challenge the Affymetrix (52K) GeneChip Rice Genome array. A total of 576 probe sets were significantly up-regulated at least 2-fold in both varieties, whereas 622 were down-regulated. Ontological classification is presented. As expected, a large number of transcription factors, stress proteins, and transporters demonstrated differential expression. Striking is the lack of response of classic oxidative stress-responsive genes or phytochelatin synthases/synthatases. However, the large number of responses from genes involved in glutathione synthesis, metabolism, and transport suggests that glutathione conjugation and arsenate methylation may be important biochemical responses to arsenate challenge. In this report, no attempt is made to dissect differences in the response of the tolerant and sensitive variety, but analysis in a companion article will link gene expression to the known tolerance loci available in the BalaxAzucena mapping population.

  17. Rice–arsenate interactions in hydroponics: whole genome transcriptional analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norton, Gareth J.; Lou-Hing, Daniel E.; Meharg, Andrew A.; Price, Adam H.

    2008-01-01

    Rice (Oryza sativa) varieties that are arsenate-tolerant (Bala) and -sensitive (Azucena) were used to conduct a transcriptome analysis of the response of rice seedlings to sodium arsenate (AsV) in hydroponic solution. RNA extracted from the roots of three replicate experiments of plants grown for 1 week in phosphate-free nutrient with or without 13.3 μM AsV was used to challenge the Affymetrix (52K) GeneChip Rice Genome array. A total of 576 probe sets were significantly up-regulated at least 2-fold in both varieties, whereas 622 were down-regulated. Ontological classification is presented. As expected, a large number of transcription factors, stress proteins, and transporters demonstrated differential expression. Striking is the lack of response of classic oxidative stress-responsive genes or phytochelatin synthases/synthatases. However, the large number of responses from genes involved in glutathione synthesis, metabolism, and transport suggests that glutathione conjugation and arsenate methylation may be important biochemical responses to arsenate challenge. In this report, no attempt is made to dissect differences in the response of the tolerant and sensitive variety, but analysis in a companion article will link gene expression to the known tolerance loci available in the Bala×Azucena mapping population. PMID:18453530

  18. Arsenate and fluoride enhanced each other's uptake in As-sensitive plant Pteris ensiformis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Suchismita; de Oliveira, Letuzia M; da Silva, Evandro; Ma, Lena Q

    2017-08-01

    We investigated the effects of arsenate (AsV) and fluoride (F) on each other's uptake in an As-sensitive plant Pteris ensiformis. Plants were exposed to 1) 0.1 × Hoagland solution control, 2) 3.75 mg L -1 As and 1.9, 3.8, or 7.6 mg L -1 F, or 3) 1 mg L -1 F and 3.75 mg L -1 or 7.5 mg L -1 As for 7 d in hydroponics. P. ensiformis accumulated 14.7-32.6 mg kg -1 As at 3.75 mg L -1 AsV, and 99-145 mg kg -1 F at 1 mg L -1 F. Our study revealed that AsV and F increased each other's uptake when co-present. At 1.9 mg L -1 , F increased frond As uptake from 14.7 to 40.3 mg kg -1 , while 7.5 mg L -1 As increased frond F uptake from 99 to 371 mg kg -1 . Although, AsV was the predominant As species in all tissues, F enhanced AsIII levels in the rhizomes and fronds, while the reverse was observed in the roots. Increasing As concentrations also enhanced TBARS and H 2 O 2 in tissues, indicating oxidative stress. However, F alleviated As stress by lowering their levels in the fronds. Frond and root membrane leakage were also evident due to As or F exposure. The results may facilitate better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the co-uptake of As and F in plants. However, the mechanisms of how they enhance each other's uptake in P. ensiformis need further investigation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  19. Arsenate and chromate incorporation in schwertmannite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Regenspurg, Simona; Peiffer, Stefan

    2005-01-01

    High concentrations of Cr (up to 812 ppm) and As (up to 6740 ppm) were detected in precipitates of the mineral schwertmannite in areas influenced by acid mine drainage. Schwertmannite may act as well as a natural filter for these elements in water as well as their source by releasing the previously bound elements during its dissolution or mineral-transformation. The mechanisms of uptake and potential release for the species arsenate and chromate were investigated by performing synthesis and stability experiments with schwertmannite. Schwertmannite, synthesized in solutions containing arsenate in addition to sulphate, was enriched by up to 10.3 wt% arsenate without detectable structural changes as demonstrated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). In contrast to arsenate, a total substitution of sulphate by chromate was possible in sulphate-free solutions. Thereby, the chromate content in schwertmannite could reach 15.3 wt%. To determine the release of oxyanions from schwertmannite over time, synthetic schwertmannite samples containing varying amounts of sulphate, chromate and arsenate were kept at a stable pH of either 2 or 4 over 1 year in suspension. At several time intervals Fe and the oxyanions were measured in solution and alterations of the solid part were observed by XRD and Fourier-Transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. At pH 2 schwertmannite partly dissolved and the total release of arsenate (24%) was low in contrast to chromate (35.4-57.5%) and sulphate (67-76%). Accordingly, the ionic activity product (log IAP) of arsenated schwertmannite was lowest (13.5), followed by the log IAP for chromated schwertmannite (16.2-18.5) and the log IAP for regular (=non-substituted) schwertmannite (18). At pH 4 schwertmannite transformed to goethite, an effect which occurred at the fastest rate for regular schwertmannite (=arsenate- and chromate-free), followed by chromate and arsenate containing schwertmannite. Both chromate and more evidently arsenate have a

  20. The Effects of Arbuscular-Mycorrhizal Fungi and Phosphorous on Arsenic Uptake by Sunflower Plant in Soils Spiked with Arsenite and Arsenate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Bagherifam

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Arsenic is a highly toxic metalloid in group 15 of periodic table. The information on environmental behaviour of arsenic, however, is still scarce. Contamination of soils and water with arsenic and antimony due to their widespread industrial application and mining activities has raised serious environmental concerns. Nearly all Arsenic-contaminated soils results from human activities and it has different environmental and sociological impacts. Various strategies and methods have been proposed for environmental management and remediation of contaminated soils. Among all methods, the phytoremediation is receiving more attention due to its cost effective and environmental friendly characteristics. In the case of arsenic contaminated soils, there are effective factors such as soil fertility, nutrients content and microorganisms function, which can improve the uptake of As by plants. Up to now, several studies have been evaluated the effects of symbiotic fungal association in plants on increasing nutrients and toxic elements uptake. Many of authors reported that the mycorrhizal symbiosis increases the uptake of toxic elements in root and shoot of plants and consequently improve the efficacy of phytostabilization and phytoextraction processes. There are conflicting results about the effect of arbuscular- mycorrhizal fungi (AMF on As uptake by various plants. Chen et al. (4 found that Glomus mosseae symbiosis with plant reduces As concentration and enhance phosphorus content in shoot and root of plant. Whilst Cozzolino et al. (7 reported that the AMF increases as concentration in shoot and root of cabbage. Phosphorus has important role on mycorrhizal symbiosis and also As uptake by plants. Therefore, current study was conducted to evaluated effect of Glomus intraradices and Glomus mosseae symbiosis with sunflower and also soil phosphorus concentration on uptake of arsenic from arsenite and arsenate contaminated soils. Materials and

  1. Simultaneous sequestration of uranyl and arsenate at the goethite/water interface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang Yuan; Yawen Cai; Shitong Yang; Zhiyong Liu; Lanhua Chen; Yue Lang; Shuao Wang; Xiangke Wang; Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Suzhou; North China Electric Power University, Beijing

    2017-01-01

    This study highlights the simultaneous sequestration of U(VI) and arsenate at the goethite/water interface. The uptake trends and speciation of these two components were related with molar arsenate/U(VI) ratio, solution pH, contact order and aging time. A metastable [UO_2(H_2AsO_4)_2·H_2O] was observed after 3 days and then this solid completely transformed into Na_2(UO_2AsO_4)_2·3H_2O after 7 days. The disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate ligand gave rise to the complete dissolution of Na_2(UO_2AsO_4)_2·3H_2O phase and the release of U(VI) and arsenate back into the solution. The experimental findings facilitated us better comprehend the migration and fate of coexisting U(VI) and arsenate in the aquatic environment. (author)

  2. Pore-Water Carbonate and Phosphate As Predictors of Arsenate Toxicity in Soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamb, Dane T; Kader, Mohammed; Wang, Liang; Choppala, Girish; Rahman, Mohammad Mahmudur; Megharaj, Mallavarapu; Naidu, Ravi

    2016-12-06

    Phytotoxicity of inorganic contaminants is influenced by the presence of competing ions at the site of uptake. In this study, interaction of soil pore-water constituents with arsenate toxicity was investigated in cucumber (Cucumis sativa L) using 10 contrasting soils. Arsenate phytotoxicity was shown to be related to soluble carbonate and phosphate. The data indicated that dissolved phosphate and carbonate had an antagonistic impact on arsenate toxicity to cucumber. To predict arsenate phytotoxicity in soils with a diverse range of soil solution properties, both carbonate and phosphate were required. The relationship between arsenic and pore-water toxicity parameters was established initially using multiple regression. In addition, based on the relationship with carbonate and phosphate we successively applied a terrestrial biotic ligand-like model (BLM) including carbonate and phosphate. Estimated effective concentrations from the BLM-like parametrization were strongly correlated to measured arsenate values in pore-water (R 2 = 0.76, P soils.

  3. "Artifactual" arsenate DNA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Peter E

    2012-01-01

    The recent claim by Wolfe-Simon et al. that the Halomonas bacterial strain GFAJ-1 when grown in arsenate-containing medium with limiting phosphate is able to substitute phosphate with arsenate in biomolecules including nucleic acids and in particular DNA(1) arose much skepticism, primarily due...... to the very limited chemical stability of arsenate esters (see ref. 2 and references therein). A major part of the criticisms was concerned with the insufficient (bio)chemical evidence in the Wolfe-Simon study for the actual chemical incorporation of arsenate in DNA (and/or RNA). Redfield et al. now present...... evidence that the identification of arsenate DNA was artifactual....

  4. Arsenate-induced maternal glucose intolerance and neural tube defects in a mouse model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hill, Denise S.; Wlodarczyk, Bogdan J.; Mitchell, Laura E.; Finnell, Richard H.

    2009-01-01

    Background: Epidemiological studies have linked environmental arsenic (As) exposure to increased type 2 diabetes risk. Periconceptional hyperglycemia is a significant risk factor for neural tube defects (NTDs), the second most common structural birth defect. A suspected teratogen, arsenic (As) induces NTDs in laboratory animals. Objectives: We investigated whether maternal glucose homeostasis disruption was responsible for arsenate-induced NTDs in a well-established dosing regimen used in studies of arsenic's teratogenicity in early neurodevelopment. Methods: We evaluated maternal intraperitoneal (IP) exposure to As 9.6 mg/kg (as sodium arsenate) in LM/Bc/Fnn mice for teratogenicity and disruption of maternal plasma glucose and insulin levels. Selected compounds (insulin pellet, sodium selenate (SS), N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), L-methionine (L-Met), N-tert-Butyl-α-phenylnitrone (PBN)) were investigated for their potential to mitigate arsenate's effects. Results: Arsenate caused significant glucose elevation during an IP glucose tolerance test (IPGTT). Insulin levels were not different between arsenate and control dams before (arsenate, 0.55 ng/dl; control, 0.48 ng/dl) or after glucose challenge (arsenate, 1.09 ng/dl; control, 0.81 ng/dl). HOMA-IR index was higher for arsenate (3.9) vs control (2.5) dams (p = 0.0260). Arsenate caused NTDs (100%, p < 0.0001). Insulin pellet and NAC were the most successful rescue agents, reducing NTD rates to 45% and 35%. Conclusions: IPGTT, insulin assay, and HOMA-IR results suggest a modest failure of glucose stimulated insulin secretion and insulin resistance characteristic of glucose intolerance. Insulin's success in preventing arsenate-induced NTDs provides evidence that these arsenate-induced NTDs are secondary to elevated maternal glucose. The NAC rescue, which did not restore maternal glucose or insulin levels, suggests oxidative disruption plays a role.

  5. Lead, arsenic, and copper content of crops grown on lead arsenate-treated and untreated soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chisholm, D

    1972-01-01

    Increased lead and arsenic concentrations in the surface soil (0-15 cm), resulting from applications of lead arsenate (PbHAs0/sub 1/), increased both lead and arsenic levels in crops grown on treated plots. The lead levels in some crops approached or exceeded the Canadian residue tolerance of 2.0 ppM. Lead arsenate soil treatments did not affect copper absorption by crops. On areas such as old orchard land contaminated with lead arsenate residues it may be advisable to ascertain crops, and also to determine the lead affinity and arsenic sensitivity of the plants to be grown.

  6. Effects of cultivation conditions on the uptake of arsenite and arsenic chemical species accumulated by Pteris vittata in hydroponics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatayama, Masayoshi; Sato, Takahiko; Shinoda, Kozo; Inoue, Chihiro

    2011-03-01

    The physiological responses of the arsenic-hyperaccumulator, Pteris vittata, such as arsenic uptake and chemical transformation in the fern, have been investigated. However, a few questions remain regarding arsenic treatment in hydroponics. Incubation conditions such as aeration, arsenic concentration, and incubation period might affect those responses of P. vittata in hydroponics. Arsenite uptake was low under anaerobic conditions, as previously reported. However, in an arsenite uptake experiment, phosphorous (P) starvation-dependent uptake of arsenate was observed under aerobic conditions. Time course-dependent analysis of arsenite oxidation showed that arsenite was gradually oxidized to arsenate during incubation. Arsenite oxidation was not observed in any of the control conditions, such as exposure to a nutrient solution or to culture medium only, or with the use of dried root; arsenite oxidation was only observed when live root was used. This result suggests that sufficient aeration allows the rhizosphere system to oxidize arsenite and enables the fern to efficiently take up arsenite as arsenate. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analyses showed that long-duration exposure to arsenic using a hydroponic system led to the accumulation of arsenate as the dominant species in the root tips, but not in the whole roots, partly because up-regulation of arsenate uptake by P starvation of the fern was caused and retained by long-time incubation. Analysis of concentration-dependent arsenate uptake by P. vittata showed that the uptake switched from a high-affinity transport system to a low-affinity system at high arsenate concentrations, which partially explains the increased arsenate abundance in the whole root. Copyright © 2010 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Natural Arsenate DNA?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Peter E

    2011-01-01

    The recent paper by Wolfe-Simon et al.1 reporting a bacterial strain, which is able to grow in high concentrations of arsenate, apparently in the absence of phosphate, and claims that in this strain arsenate is substituting for phosphate, e.g. in nucleic acids (Figure 1), was highly profiled, att...

  8. Adsorption of arsenate on Cu/Mg/Fe/La layered double hydroxide from aqueous solutions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo, Yanwei [State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China); Zhu, Zhiliang, E-mail: zzl@tongji.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China); Qiu, Yanling [Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China); Zhao, Jianfu [State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092 (China)

    2012-11-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A novel layered double hydroxide containing lanthanum (Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH) has been synthesized. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The average pore size of the materials with about 16 nm indicated that the mesoporous structures existed in the Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDHs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The adsorption capacity of As(V) increased with the increment of La{sup 3+} content in the LDH. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The maximum adsorption capacity of the synthesized Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH for arsenate was 43.5 mg/g. - Abstract: A novel layered double hydroxide containing lanthanum (Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH) has been synthesized and used for the removal of arsenate from aqueous solutions. The purpose of incorporation of La{sup 3+} into LDHs was tried to enhance the uptake efficiency of arsenate and broaden the application field of LDHs functional materials. Effects of various physico-chemical factors such as solution pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time and initial arsenate concentrations on the adsorption of arsenate onto Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH were investigated. Results showed that the removal efficiency of arsenate increased with the increment of the lanthanum content in Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH adsorbents, and the optimized lanthanum content was 20% of the total trivalent metals composition (Fe{sup 3+} and La{sup 3+}). The adsorption isotherms can be well described by Langmuir equation, and the adsorption kinetics of arsenate followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Coexistent ions such as HPO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, CO{sub 3}{sup 2-}, SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, Cl{sup -} and NO{sub 3}{sup -} exhibited obvious competition with arsenate for the adsorption on Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH. The solution pH significantly affected the removal efficiency, which was closely related to the change of arsenate species distribution under different pH conditions. The predominant adsorption mechanism can be mainly attributed to the processes including ion exchange and layer ligand exchange.

  9. Adsorption of arsenate on Cu/Mg/Fe/La layered double hydroxide from aqueous solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, Yanwei; Zhu, Zhiliang; Qiu, Yanling; Zhao, Jianfu

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► A novel layered double hydroxide containing lanthanum (Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH) has been synthesized. ► The average pore size of the materials with about 16 nm indicated that the mesoporous structures existed in the Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDHs. ► The adsorption capacity of As(V) increased with the increment of La 3+ content in the LDH. ► The maximum adsorption capacity of the synthesized Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH for arsenate was 43.5 mg/g. - Abstract: A novel layered double hydroxide containing lanthanum (Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH) has been synthesized and used for the removal of arsenate from aqueous solutions. The purpose of incorporation of La 3+ into LDHs was tried to enhance the uptake efficiency of arsenate and broaden the application field of LDHs functional materials. Effects of various physico-chemical factors such as solution pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time and initial arsenate concentrations on the adsorption of arsenate onto Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH were investigated. Results showed that the removal efficiency of arsenate increased with the increment of the lanthanum content in Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH adsorbents, and the optimized lanthanum content was 20% of the total trivalent metals composition (Fe 3+ and La 3+ ). The adsorption isotherms can be well described by Langmuir equation, and the adsorption kinetics of arsenate followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Coexistent ions such as HPO 4 2− , CO 3 2− , SO 4 2− , Cl − and NO 3 − exhibited obvious competition with arsenate for the adsorption on Cu/Mg/Fe/La-LDH. The solution pH significantly affected the removal efficiency, which was closely related to the change of arsenate species distribution under different pH conditions. The predominant adsorption mechanism can be mainly attributed to the processes including ion exchange and layer ligand exchange.

  10. RiArsB and RiMT-11: Two novel genes induced by arsenate in arbuscular mycorrhiza.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maldonado-Mendoza, Ignacio E; Harrison, Maria J

    Plants associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) increase their tolerance to arsenic-polluted soils. This study aims to investigate the genes involved in the AMF molecular response to arsenic pollution. Genes encoding proteins involved in arsenic metabolism were identified and their expression assessed by PCR or RT-qPCR. The As-inducible gene GiArsA (R. irregularis ABC ATPase component of the ArsAB arsenite efflux pump) and two new genes, an arsenate/arsenite permease component of ArsAB (RiArsB) and a methyltransferase type 11 (RiMT-11) were induced when arsenate was added to two-compartment in vitro monoxenic cultures of R. irregularis-transformed carrot roots. RiArsB and RiMT-11 expression in extraradical hyphae in response to arsenate displayed maximum induction 4-6 h after addition of 350 μM arsenate. Their expression was also detected in colonized root tissues grown in pots, or in the root-fungus compartment of two-compartment in vitro systems. We used a Medicago truncatula double mutant (mtpt4/mtpt8) to demonstrate that RiMT-11 and RiArsB transcripts accumulate in response to the addition of arsenate but not in response to phosphate. These results suggest that these genes respond to arsenate addition regardless of non-functional Pi symbiotic transport, and that RiMT-11 may be involved in arsenate detoxification by methylation in AMF-colonized tissues. Copyright © 2017 British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.

  11. Arsenate uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation in isolated plant mitochondria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wickes, W A; Wiskich, J T

    1976-01-01

    The uncoupling by arsenate of beetroot and cauliflower bud mitochondria showed the following characteristics: arsenate stimulation of respiration above the rate found with phosphate; inhibition of arsenate-stimulated respiration by phosphate; enhancement of arsenate-stimulated respiration by ADP; only partial prevention of this ADP-enhanced respiration by atractyloside; inhibition by oligomycin of the arsenate-stimulated respiration back to the phosphate rate; and the absence of any stimulatory effect of ADP in the presence of oligomycin. These results are qualitatively analogous to those reported for arsenate uncoupling in rat liver mitochondria. Arsenate stimulated malate oxidation, presumably by stimulating malate entry, in both beetroot and cauliflower bud mitochondria; however, high rates of oxidation, and presumably entry, were only sustained with arsenate in beetroot mitochondria. NADH was oxidized rapidly in cauliflower bud mitochondria in the presence of arsenate, showing that arsenate did not inhibit electron transfer processes.

  12. Arsenate impact on the metabolite profile, production and arsenic loading of xylem sap in cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kalle eUroic

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic uptake and translocation studies on xylem sap focus generally on the concentration and speciation of arsenic in the xylem. Arsenic impact on the xylem sap metabolite profile and its production during short term exposure has not been reported in detail. To investigate this, cucumbers were grown hydroponically and arsenate (AsV and DMA were used for plant treatment for 24 h. Total arsenic and arsenic speciation in xylem sap was analysed including a metabolite profiling under arsenate stress. Produced xylem sap was quantified and absolute arsenic transported was determined. AsV exposure has a significant impact on the metabolite profile of xylem sap. Four m/z values corresponding to four compounds were up regulated, one compound down regulated by arsenate exposure. The compound down regulated was identified to be isoleucine. Furthermore, arsenate has a significant influence on sap production, leading to a reduction of up to 96 % sap production when plants are exposed to 1000 μg kg-1 arsenate. No difference to control plants was observed when plants were exposed to 1000 μg kg-1 DMA. Absolute arsenic amount in xylem sap was the lowest at high arsenate exposure. These results show that AsV has a significant impact on the production and metabolite profile of xylem sap. The physiological importance of isoleucine needs further attention.

  13. Removal of arsenate from groundwater by electrocoagulation method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Imran; Khan, Tabrez A; Asim, Mohd

    2012-06-01

    Arsenic, a toxic metalloid in drinking water, has become a major threat for human beings and other organisms. In the present work, attempts have been made to remove arsenate from the synthetic as well as natural water of Ballia district, India by electrocoagulation method. Efforts have also been made to optimize the various parameters such as initial arsenate concentration, pH, applied voltage, processing time, and working temperature. Electrocoagulation is a fast, inexpensive, selective, accurate, reproducible, and eco-friendly method for arsenate removal from groundwater. The present paper describes an electrocoagulation method for arsenate removal from groundwater using iron and zinc as anode and cathode, respectively. The maximum removal of arsenate was 98.8% at 2.0 mg L(-1), 7.0, 3.0 V, 10.0 min, and 30°C as arsenate concentration, pH, applied voltage, processing time, and working temperature, respectively. Relative standard deviation, coefficient of determination (r (2)), and confidence limits were varied from 1.50% to 1.59%, 0.9996% to 0.9998%, and 96.0% to 99.0%, respectively. The treated water was clear, colorless, and odorless without any secondary contamination. The developed and validated method was applied for arsenate removal of two samples of groundwater of Ballia district, U.P., India, having 0.563 to 0.805 mg L(-1), arsenate concentrations. The reported method is capable for the removal of arsenate completely (100% removal) from groundwater of Ballia district. There was no change in the groundwater quality after the removal of arsenate. The treated water was safe for drinking, bathing, and recreation purposes. Therefore, this method may be the choice of arsenate removal from natural groundwater.

  14. Suppression of PCD-related genes affects salt tolerance in Arabidopsis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahieldin, Ahmed; Alqarni, Dhafer A M; Atef, Ahmed; Gadalla, Nour O; Al-matary, Mohammed; Edris, Sherif; Al-Kordy, Magdy A; Makki, Rania M; Al-Doss, Abdullah A; Sabir, Jamal S M; Mutwakil, Mohammed H Z; El-Domyati, Fotouh M

    2016-01-01

    This work aims at examining a natural exciting phenomenon suggesting that suppression of genes inducing programmed cell death (PCD) might confer tolerance against abiotic stresses in plants. PCD-related genes were induced in tobacco under oxalic acid (OA) treatment (20 mM), and plant cells were characterized to confirm the incidence of PCD. The results indicated that PCD was triggered 24 h after the exposure to OA. Then, RNAs were extracted from tobacco cells 0, 2, 6, 12 and 24 h after treatment for deep sequencing. RNA-Seq analyses were done with a special emphasis to clusters whose PCD-related genes were upregulated after 2 h of OA exposure. Accordingly, 23 tobacco PCD-related genes were knocked down via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), whereas our results indicated the influence of five of them on inducing or suppressing PCD. Knockout T-DNA insertion mutants of these five genes in Arabidopsis were tested under salt stress (0, 100, 150, and 200 mM NaCl), and the results indicated that a mutant of an antiapoptotic gene, namely Bax Inhibitor-1 (BI-1), whose VIGS induced PCD in tobacco, was salt sensitive, while a mutant of an apoptotic gene, namely mildew resistance locus O (Mlo), whose VIGS suppressed PCD, was salt tolerant as compared to the WT (Col) control. These data support our hypothesis that retarding PCD-inducing genes can result in higher levels of salt tolerance, while retarding PCD-suppressing genes can result in lower levels of salt tolerance in plants. Copyright © 2016 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

  15. A SAM-dependent methyltransferase cotranscribed with arsenate reductase alters resistance to peptidyl transferase center-binding antibiotics in Azospirillum brasilense Sp7.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Sudhir; Singh, Chhaya; Tripathi, Anil Kumar

    2014-05-01

    The genome of Azospirillum brasilense harbors a gene encoding S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methyltransferase, which is located downstream of an arsenate reductase gene. Both genes are cotranscribed and translationally coupled. When they were cloned and expressed individually in an arsenate-sensitive strain of Escherichia coli, arsenate reductase conferred tolerance to arsenate; however, methyltransferase failed to do so. Sequence analysis revealed that methyltransferase was more closely related to a PrmB-type N5-glutamine methyltransferase than to the arsenate detoxifying methyltransferase ArsM. Insertional inactivation of prmB gene in A. brasilense resulted in an increased sensitivity to chloramphenicol and resistance to tiamulin and clindamycin, which are known to bind at the peptidyl transferase center (PTC) in the ribosome. These observations suggested that the inability of prmB:km mutant to methylate L3 protein might alter hydrophobicity in the antibiotic-binding pocket of the PTC, which might affect the binding of chloramphenicol, clindamycin, and tiamulin differentially. This is the first report showing the role of PrmB-type N5-glutamine methyltransferases in conferring resistance to tiamulin and clindamycin in any bacterium.

  16. Photoinduced Oxidation of Arsenite to Arsenate on Ferrihydrite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    N Bhandari; R Reeder; D Strongin

    2011-12-31

    The photochemistry of an aqueous suspension of the iron oxyhydroxide, ferrihydrite, in the presence of arsenite has been investigated using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), and solution phase analysis. Both ATR-FTIR and XANES show that the exposure of ferrihydrite to arsenite in the dark leads to no change in the As oxidation state, but the exposure of this arsenite-bearing surface, which is in contact with pH 5 water, to light leads to the conversion of the majority of the adsorbed arsenite to the As(V) bearing species, arsenate. Analysis of the solution phase shows that ferrous iron is released into solution during the oxidation of arsenite. The photochemical reaction, however, shows the characteristics of a self-terminating reaction in that there is a significant suppression of this redox chemistry before 10% of the total iron making up the ferrihydrite partitions into solution as ferrous iron. The self-terminating behavior exhibited by this photochemical arsenite/ferrihydrite system is likely due to the passivation of the ferrihydrite surface by the strongly bound arsenate product.

  17. Studies on the T3 suppression test with reference to the thyrodial 123I uptake in Graves' disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamaguchi, Takahiko; Kobayashi, Isao; Yamaguchi, Yoshiyuki; Iwashita, Akira; Inukai, Toshihiko; Ohshima, Kihachi; Shimomura, Yohnosuke; Kobayashi, Setsuo

    1990-01-01

    Eighty-three patients with Graves' disease had been treated with methylmercaptoimidazole (MMI). They were prescribed a maintenance dose of antithyroid drug (MMI, 5 mg/day) at the time of a T 3 suppression test. The 3-hour and 24-hour thyroidal 123 I uptake after T 3 administration (75 μg/day, 2 weeks) were measured (post T 3 uptake). In 38 patients whose post T 3 uptake was below 35% in post T 3 24-hour uptake, treatment was stopped. The T 3 suppression test was then repeated 1 and 3 months later. During a one-year follow up, 26 remained well, while 12 relapsed within 6 to 12 months. We have observed a good correlation between 3-hour uptake and 24-hour uptake of 123 I after T 3 administration (r=0.847, p 3 suppression, most patients with MMI withdrawal produced a marked overshoot of post T 3 3-hour and 24-hour uptake at one month. Retrospective analysis indicated that there was no significant difference in circulating thyroid hormone levels between remission and relapse groups. The present study provides evidence that 3-hour uptake values are able to be substituted for 24-hour uptake values during a T 3 suppression test. In addition, overshoot of thyroidal uptake after antithyroid drug withdrawal was observed in 3-hour values, similar to 24-hour values. (author)

  18. Use of 123I in early radioiodide uptake and its suppression in children and adolescents with hyperthyroidism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, W.N.P.; Mpanias, P.D.; Wimmer, R.J.; Greenfield, M.A.; Kaplan, S.A.

    1978-01-01

    Absolute activity measurement of I-123 by coincidence counting was used to study the early thyroidal iodide uptake in 20 hyperthyroid children. Patients were pretreated either with methimazole or propylthiouracil before injection of Na 123 I. The usual method of analysis of the early uptake was modified to account for a rapidly equilibrating compartment, to give thyroidal iodide trapping rate constant (K 1 ) and absolute iodide uptake (AIU). The suppressibility of the early uptake by triiodothyronine [T 3 ) was evaluated in some patients. The upper limit of normal for K 1 was 0.03 min -1 and for AIU was 0.04 μg/min. In the hyperthyroid subjects, K 1 and AIU were in the hyperthyroid range before and after T 3 suppression. For patients with suppressible uptake, remission from hyperthyroidism was maintained for 6 mo to 2 1 / 2 yr. Only two patients with nonsuppressible uptake achieved remission from hyperthyroidism, perhaps because of coexistence of thyroiditis

  19. PIXE study on absorption of arsenate and arsenite by arsenic hyperaccumulating fern (Pteris vittata)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamazaki, H.; Ishii, K.; Matsuyama, S.

    2008-01-01

    Pytoremediation using an arsenic hyperaccumulator, Petris vittata L., has generated an increasing interest worldwide due to both environmentally sound and cost effectiveness. However the mechanism of arsenic accumulation by this fern is not clear at this time. This study examined the uptake of arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) by a hydroponic culture of Pteris vittata using both in-air submilli-PIXE for different parts of the fern and in-air micro-PIXE for the tissue cells. These PIXE analysis systems used 3 MeV proton beams from a 4.5-MV single-ended Dynamitron accelerator at Tohoku University, Japan. The fern took up both arsenate and arsenite from hydroponic solutions which were spiked with 50 mg of arsenic per litter. Final amount of arsenic accumulation in the fern is 1,500 mg per kg (wet weight) of the plant biomass in arsenite treatment and 1,100 mg per kg in arsenate treatment. Arsenic accumulation was not observed at the root parts of the ferns. The in-vivo mapping of elements by submilli-PIXE analyses on the fern laminas showed the arsenic accumulation in the edges of a pinna. The micro-PIXE analyses revealed arsenic maps homogeneously distributed in cells of the lamina, stem and rhizome of the fern. These results indicate that arsenic, both arsenate and arsenite in a contaminated medium are translocated quickly from roots to fronds of Pteris vittata, and distributes homogeneously into tissue cells of the fern laminas. (author)

  20. Neighbour tolerance, not suppression, provides competitive advantage to non-native plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golivets, Marina; Wallin, Kimberly F

    2018-05-01

    High competitive ability has often been invoked as a key determinant of invasion success and ecological impacts of non-native plants. Yet our understanding of the strategies that non-natives use to gain competitive dominance remains limited. Particularly, it remains unknown whether the two non-mutually exclusive competitive strategies, neighbour suppression and neighbour tolerance, are equally important for the competitive advantage of non-native plants. Here, we analyse data from 192 peer-reviewed studies on pairwise plant competition within a Bayesian multilevel meta-analytic framework and show that non-native plants outperform their native counterparts due to high tolerance of competition, as opposed to strong suppressive ability. Competitive tolerance ability of non-native plants was driven by neighbour's origin and was expressed in response to a heterospecific native but not heterospecific non-native neighbour. In contrast to natives, non-native species were not more suppressed by hetero- vs. conspecific neighbours, which was partially due to higher intensity of intraspecific competition among non-natives. Heterogeneity in the data was primarily associated with methodological differences among studies and not with phylogenetic relatedness among species. Altogether, our synthesis demonstrates that non-native plants are competitively distinct from native plants and challenges the common notion that neighbour suppression is the primary strategy for plant invasion success. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

  1. Thermochemical investigations on uranyl phosphates and arsenates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barten, H.

    1986-11-01

    The results are described of a study of the thermochemical stability of anhydrous uranyl phosphates and arsenates. A number of aspects of chemical technological importance are indicated in detail. The synthesized anhydrous uranyl phosphates and arsenates were very hygroscopic, so that experiments on these compounds had to be carried out under moisture-free conditions. Further characterisation of these compounds are given, including a study of their thermal stabilities and phase relations. The uranyl phosphates reduced reversibly at temperatures of the order of 1100 to 1600 0 C. This makes it possible to express their relative stabilities quantitatively, in terms of the oxygen pressures of the reduction reactions. The thermal decomposition of uranyl arsenates did not occur by reduction, as for the phosphates, but by giving off arsenic oxide vapour. The results of measurements of enthalpies of solution led to the determination of the enthalpies of formation, heat capacity and the standard entropies of the uranyl arsenates. The thermochemical functions at high-temperatures could consequently be calculated. Attention is paid to the possible formation of uranium arsenates, whose uranium has a valency lower than six, hitherto not reported in literature. It was not possible to prepare arsenates of tetravalent uranium. However, three new compounds were observed, one of these, UAsO 5 , was studied in some detail. (Auth.)

  2. Phytochelatins play a key role in arsenic accumulation and tolerance in the aquatic macrophyte Wolffia globosa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Xin; Uroic, M. Kalle; Xie Wanying; Zhu Yongguan; Chen Baodong; McGrath, Steve P.; Feldmann, Jörg; Zhao Fangjie

    2012-01-01

    The rootless duckweed Wolffia globosa can accumulate and tolerate relatively large amounts of arsenic (As); however, the underlying mechanisms were unknown. W. globosa was exposed to different concentrations of arsenate with or without L-buthionine sulphoximine (BSO), a specific inhibitor of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase. Free thiol compounds and As(III)–thiol complexes were identified and quantified using HPLC – high resolution ICP-MS – accurate mass ESI-MS. Without BSO, 74% of the As accumulated in the duckweed was complexed with phytochelatins (PCs), with As(III)–PC 4 and As(III)–PC 3 being the main species. BSO was taken up by the duckweed and partly deaminated. The BSO treatment completely suppressed the synthesis of PCs and the formation of As(III)–PC complexes, and also inhibited the reduction of arsenate to arsenite. BSO markedly decreased both As accumulation and As tolerance in W. globosa. The results demonstrate an important role of PCs in detoxifying As and enabling As accumulation in W. globosa. - Highlights: ► W. globosa can accumulate and tolerate relatively large amounts of arsenic. ► Majority of the As accumulated in W. globosa was complexed with phytochelatins (PCs). ► As(III)–PC 4 and As(III)–PC 3 are the main complex species. ► Complexation of arsenite with phytochelatins plays a key role in As tolerance and accumulation. - Complexation of arsenite with phytochelatins plays a key role in both arsenic tolerance and accumulation in the aquatic macrophyte Wolffia globosa.

  3. Respiration of arsenate and selenate by hyperthermophilic archaea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huber, R; Sacher, M; Vollmann, A; Huber, H; Rose, D

    2000-10-01

    A novel, strictly anaerobic, hyperthermophilic, facultative organotrophic archaeon was isolated from a hot spring at Pisciarelli Solfatara, Naples, Italy. The rod-shaped cells grew chemolithoautotrophically with carbon dioxide as carbon source, hydrogen as electron donor and arsenate, thiosulfate or elemental sulfur as electron acceptor. H2S was formed from sulfur or thiosulfate, arsenite from arsenate. Organotrophically, the new isolate grew optimally in the presence of an inorganic electron acceptor like sulfur, selenate or arsenate. Cultures, grown on arsenate and thiosulfate or arsenate and L-cysteine, precipitated realgar (As2S2). During growth on selenate, elemental selenium was produced. The G+C content of the DNA was 58.3 mol%. Due to 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis combined with physiological and morphological criteria, the new isolate belongs to the Thermoproteales order. It represents a new species within the genus Pyrobaculum, the type species of which we name Pyrobaculum arsenaticum (type strain PZ6*, DSM 13514, ATCC 700994). Comparative studies with different Pyrobaculum-species showed, that Pyrobaculum aerophilum was also able to grow organotrophically under anaerobic culture conditions in the presence of arsenate, selenate and selenite. During growth on selenite, elemental selenium was formed as final product. In contrast to P. arsenaticum, P. aerophilum could use selenate or arsenate for lithoautotrophic growth with carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

  4. Removal of arsenate by ferrihydrite via surface complexation and surface precipitation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Xiuli [Department of Environment Engineering, College of the Environment and Ecology, and The Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and The Key Laboratory for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Peng, Changjun; Fu, Dun; Chen, Zheng [Department of Environment Engineering, College of the Environment and Ecology, and The Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Shen, Liang [Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and The Key Laboratory for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Li, Qingbiao [Department of Environment Engineering, College of the Environment and Ecology, and The Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and The Key Laboratory for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Ouyang, Tong, E-mail: yz3t@xmu.edu.cn [Department of Environment Engineering, College of the Environment and Ecology, and The Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China); Wang, Yuanpeng, E-mail: wypp@xmu.edu.cn [Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and The Key Laboratory for Synthetic Biotechnology of Xiamen City, Xiamen University, Xiamen (China)

    2015-10-30

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Surface complexation and surface precipitation of As on ferrihydrite happen at pH 3–6. • The formation of surface precipitation enhanced As(V) adsorption. • The dissolved Fe{sup 3+} had a good linear relationship with the amount of arsenate re-adsorption. - Abstract: In this study, macroscopic and spectroscopic experimental methods accurately modeled the sorption process of arsenate on ferrihydrite. EXAFS, X-ray diffraction and infrared (IR) spectroscopy indicated that the behavior of As(V) adsorption onto ferrihydrite took place mainly via surface complexation and surface precipitation at acidic pH (3.0–6.0), while the surface precipitation was dominated at longer time intervals and higher Fe{sup 3+} concentration. The macroscopic competitive adsorption experiment between arsenate with phosphate indicated two types of adsorption sites existing on the surface of ferrihydrite, i.e., non-exchangeable sites, which are responsible for a rapid surface complex formation; and exchangeable sites for a slow build-up of surface precipitates. In the slow build-up precipitates, the As(V) surface coverage (mmol/g) exhibited a good linear relationship (R{sup 2} = 0.952) with the amount of dissolved Fe{sup 3+}. Three steps are involved during the process of surface precipitation, i.e., (1) an initial uptake of As(V) via surface complexation; (2) re-adsorption of Fe{sup 3+} leaching from ferrihydrite on the surface complex; and (3) As(V) adsorption via surface complexation again and finally forming the surface precipitate.

  5. Studies on the T sub 3 suppression test with reference to the thyrodial sup 123 I uptake in Graves' disease; Comparison of 24-hour and 3-hour uptake

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamaguchi, Takahiko; Kobayashi, Isao; Yamaguchi, Yoshiyuki; Iwashita, Akira; Inukai, Toshihiko; Ohshima, Kihachi; Shimomura, Yohnosuke; Kobayashi, Setsuo (Gunma Univ., Maebashi (Japan). School of Medicine)

    1990-06-01

    Eighty-three patients with Graves' disease had been treated with methylmercaptoimidazole (MMI). They were prescribed a maintenance dose of antithyroid drug (MMI, 5 mg/day) at the time of a T{sub 3} suppression test. The 3-hour and 24-hour thyroidal {sup 123}I uptake after T{sub 3} administration (75 {mu}g/day, 2 weeks) were measured (post T{sub 3} uptake). In 38 patients whose post T{sub 3} uptake was below 35% in post T{sub 3} 24-hour uptake, treatment was stopped. The T{sub 3} suppression test was then repeated 1 and 3 months later. During a one-year follow up, 26 remained well, while 12 relapsed within 6 to 12 months. We have observed a good correlation between 3-hour uptake and 24-hour uptake of {sup 123}I after T{sub 3} administration (r=0.847, p<0.001). In 38 patients who showed positive T{sub 3} suppression, most patients with MMI withdrawal produced a marked overshoot of post T{sub 3} 3-hour and 24-hour uptake at one month. Retrospective analysis indicated that there was no significant difference in circulating thyroid hormone levels between remission and relapse groups. The present study provides evidence that 3-hour uptake values are able to be substituted for 24-hour uptake values during a T{sub 3} suppression test. In addition, overshoot of thyroidal uptake after antithyroid drug withdrawal was observed in 3-hour values, similar to 24-hour values. (author).

  6. Suppression of phytohemagglutinin-induction of thymidine uptake in guinea pig lymphocytes by methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otani, S; Matsui, I; Morisawa, S

    1977-10-18

    Treatment with methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone), a specific inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.50), suppressed the phytohemagglutinin-induction of [3H]thymidine uptake by guinea pig lymphocytes. The kinetics of [3H]thymidine uptake revealed that the Km value for thymidine was not changed, but the V value was markedly lowered by the methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) treatment. The induction of ATP: thymidine 5'-phosphotransferase (EC 2.7.1.75) (thymidine kinase) activity by phytohemagglutinin was suppressed to about the same extent as the induction of thymidine uptake. These suppressions were dependent on the methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) doses and on duration of the methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) treatment. Analysis of [3H]thymidine labelled compounds of the acid-soluble fraction showed that conversion of thymidine to thymidine 5'-triphosphate was inhibited by the methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) treatment. DNA polymerase activity was less inhibited by the methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) treatment in comparison with the methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) inhibition of thymidine uptake by whole cells. These results strongly suggested that blocking of polyamine accumulation by the methylglyoxal bis(guanylhydrazone) treatment influenced phytohemagglutinin induction of thymidine phosphorylation, resulting in a decrease of thymidine incorporation into DNA.

  7. Silicon-enhanced resistance to cadmium toxicity in Brassica chinensis L. is attributed to Si-suppressed cadmium uptake and transport and Si-enhanced antioxidant defense capacity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song Alin [College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095 (China); Li Zhaojun [Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Nutrition and Fertilization, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081 (China); Zhang Jie [College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095 (China); Xue Gaofeng; Fan Fenliang [Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Nutrition and Fertilization, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081 (China); Liang Yongchao, E-mail: ycliang@caas.ac.cn [College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095 (China); Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Crop Nutrition and Fertilization, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081 (China); Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-Agriculture, College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003 (China)

    2009-12-15

    A series of hydroponics experiments were performed to investigate roles of silicon (Si) in enhancing cadmium (Cd) tolerance in two pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) cultivars: i.e. cv. Shanghaiqing, a Cd-sensitive cultivar, and cv. Hangyoudong, a Cd-tolerant cultivar. Plants were grown under 0.5 and 5 mg Cd L{sup -1} Cd stress without or with 1.5 mM Si. Plant growth of the Cd-tolerant cultivar was stimulated at the lower Cd level, but was decreased at the higher Cd level when plants were treated with Cd for one week. However, Plant growth was severely inhibited at both Cd levels as stress duration lasted for up to three weeks. Plant growth of the Cd-sensitive cultivar was severely inhibited at both Cd levels irrespective of Cd stress duration. Addition of Si increased shoot and root biomass of both cultivars at both Cd levels and decreased Cd uptake and root-to-shoot transport. Superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activities decreased, but malondialdehyde and H{sub 2}O{sub 2} concentrations increased at the higher Cd level, which were counteracted by Si added. Ascorbic acid, glutathione and non-protein thiols concentrations increased at the higher Cd level, which were further intensified by addition of Si. The effects of Si and Cd on the antioxidant enzyme activity were further verified by isoenzyme analysis. Silicon was more effective in enhancing Cd tolerance in the Cd-tolerant cultivar than in the Cd-sensitive cultivar. It can be concluded that Si-enhanced Cd tolerance in B. chinensis is attributed mainly to Si-suppressed Cd uptake and root-to-shoot Cd transport and Si-enhanced antioxidant defense activity.

  8. Silicon-enhanced resistance to cadmium toxicity in Brassica chinensis L. is attributed to Si-suppressed cadmium uptake and transport and Si-enhanced antioxidant defense capacity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song Alin; Li Zhaojun; Zhang Jie; Xue Gaofeng; Fan Fenliang; Liang Yongchao

    2009-01-01

    A series of hydroponics experiments were performed to investigate roles of silicon (Si) in enhancing cadmium (Cd) tolerance in two pakchoi (Brassica chinensis L.) cultivars: i.e. cv. Shanghaiqing, a Cd-sensitive cultivar, and cv. Hangyoudong, a Cd-tolerant cultivar. Plants were grown under 0.5 and 5 mg Cd L -1 Cd stress without or with 1.5 mM Si. Plant growth of the Cd-tolerant cultivar was stimulated at the lower Cd level, but was decreased at the higher Cd level when plants were treated with Cd for one week. However, Plant growth was severely inhibited at both Cd levels as stress duration lasted for up to three weeks. Plant growth of the Cd-sensitive cultivar was severely inhibited at both Cd levels irrespective of Cd stress duration. Addition of Si increased shoot and root biomass of both cultivars at both Cd levels and decreased Cd uptake and root-to-shoot transport. Superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activities decreased, but malondialdehyde and H 2 O 2 concentrations increased at the higher Cd level, which were counteracted by Si added. Ascorbic acid, glutathione and non-protein thiols concentrations increased at the higher Cd level, which were further intensified by addition of Si. The effects of Si and Cd on the antioxidant enzyme activity were further verified by isoenzyme analysis. Silicon was more effective in enhancing Cd tolerance in the Cd-tolerant cultivar than in the Cd-sensitive cultivar. It can be concluded that Si-enhanced Cd tolerance in B. chinensis is attributed mainly to Si-suppressed Cd uptake and root-to-shoot Cd transport and Si-enhanced antioxidant defense activity.

  9. Behavior of Eucalyptus urophylla and Eucalyptus citriodora Seedlings Grown in Soil Contaminated by Arsenate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roseli Freire Melo

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Persistent areas of tailings and deposits from coal and gold mining may present high levels of arsenic (As, mainly in the arsenate form, endangering the environment and human health. The establishment of vegetation cover is a key step to reclaiming these environments. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the potential of Eucalyptus urophylla and E. citriodora seedlings for use in phytoremediation programs of arsenate-contaminated areas. Soil samples were incubated at increasing rates (0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg dm-3 of arsenic (arsenate form, using Na2HAsO4 for 15 days. The seedlings were produced in a substrate (vermiculite + sawdust and were transplanted to the pots with soil three months after seed germination. The values of plant height and diameter were taken during transplanting and 30, 60 and 90 days after transplanting. In the last evaluation, the total leaf area and biomass of shoots and roots were also determined. The values of available As in soil which caused a 50 % dry matter reduction (TS50%, the As translocation index (TI from the roots to the shoot of the plants, and its bioconcentration factor (BF were also calculated. Higher levels of arsenate in the soil significantly reduced the dry matter production of roots and shoots and the height of both species, most notably in E. urophylla plants. The highest levels of As were found in the root, with higher values for E. citriodora (ranging from 253.86 to 400 mg dm-3. The TI and BF were also reduced with As doses, but the values found in E. citriodora were significantly higher than in E. urophylla. E. citriodora plants presented a higher capacity to tolerate As and translocate it to the shoot than E. urophylla. Although these species cannot be considered as hyperaccumulators of As, E. citriodora presented the potential to be used in phytoremediation programs in arsenate-contaminated areas due to the long-term growth period of this species.

  10. Arsenic uptake in bacterial calcite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catelani, Tiziano; Perito, Brunella; Bellucci, Francesco; Lee, Sang Soo; Fenter, Paul; Newville, Matthew; Rimondi, Valentina; Pratesi, Giovanni; Costagliola, Pilario

    2018-02-01

    Bio-mediated processes for arsenic (As) uptake in calcite were investigated by means of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) coupled with X-ray Fluorescence measurements. The environmental bacterial strain Bacillus licheniformis BD5, sampled at the Bullicame Hot Springs (Viterbo, Central Italy), was used to synthesize calcite from As-enriched growth media. Both liquid and solid cultures were applied to simulate planktonic and biofilm community environments, respectively. Bacterial calcite samples cultured in liquid media had an As enrichment factor (Kd) 50 times higher than that from solid media. The XRD analysis revealed an elongation of the crystal lattice along the c axis (by 0.03 Å) for biogenic calcite, which likely resulted from the substitution of larger arsenate for carbonate in the crystal. The XAS data also showed a clear difference in the oxidation state of sorbed As between bacterial and abiotic calcite. Abiotic chemical processes yielded predominantly As(V) uptake whereas bacterial precipitation processes led to the uptake of both As(III) and As(V). The presence of As(III) in bacterial calcite is proposed to result from subsequent reduction of arsenate to arsenite by bacterial activities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimental observation of the incorporation of As(III) in the calcite crystal lattice, revealing a critical role of biochemical processes for the As cycling in nature.

  11. Arsenic uptake in bacterial calcite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Catelani, Tiziano; Perito, Brunella; Bellucci, Francesco; Lee, Sang Soo; Fenter, Paul; Newville, Matthew G.; Rimondi, Valentina; Pratesi, Giovanni; Costagliola, Pilario

    2018-02-01

    Bio-mediated processes for arsenic (As) uptake in calcite were investigated by means of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Xray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) coupled with X-ray Fluorescence measurements. The environmental bacterial strain Bacillus licheniformis BD5, sampled at the Bullicame Hot Springs (Viterbo, Central Italy), was used to synthesize calcite from As-enriched growth media. Both liquid and solid cultures were applied to simulate planktonic and biofilm community environments, respectively. Bacterial calcite samples cultured in liquid media had an As enrichment factor (Kd) 50 times higher than that from solid media. The XRD analysis revealed an elongation of the crystal lattice along the c axis (by 0.03Å) for biogenic calcite, which likely resulted from the substitution of larger arsenate for carbonate in the crystal. The XAS data also showed a clear difference in the oxidation state of sorbed As between bacterial and abiotic calcite. Abiotic chemical processes yielded predominantly As(V) uptake whereas bacterial precipitation processes led to the uptake of both As(III) and As(V). The presence of As(III) in bacterial calcite is proposed to result from subsequent reduction of arsenate to arsenite by bacterial activities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimental observation of the incorporation of As(III) in the calcite crystal lattice, revealing a critical role of biochemical processes for the As cycling in nature.

  12. Functional clonal deletion versus active suppression in transplantation tolerance induced by total-lymphoid irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morecki, S.; Leshem, B.; Weigensberg, M.; Bar, S.; Slavin, S.

    1985-01-01

    Transplantation tolerance and stable chimerism were established in adult mice conditioned with a short course of total-lymphoid irradiation (TLI) followed by infusion of 30 X 10(6) allogeneic bone marrow cells. Spleen cells of tolerant mice could not exert a proliferative or cytotoxic response against host-type cells in vitro and were unable to induce graft-versus-host reaction in secondary host-type recipients. The degree of suppression assessed by coculturing tolerant splenocytes in vitro in the one-way mixed lymphocyte reaction was quite variable--and, in some cases, was not at all demonstrable, although tolerance was clearly maintained. Suppression, when apparent, could not be ascribed to T lymphocytes. Suppressor cells were found to bind soybean agglutinin and could be separated from the nonsuppressive cells by means of this lectin. Dissociation of the suppressive population (SBA+ cells) from that which is normally alloreactive (SBA- cells) resulted in a suppressor cell-depleted fraction that was still unable to respond to host-type cells but regained reactivity to unrelated cells. Limiting dilution analysis of chimeric splenocytes revealed markedly reduced frequencies of cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors (CTL-P) directed against host-type cells, as compared with normal splenocytes reacting against the same target cells. This difference was accentuated when these cells were sensitized to host-type target cells prior to plating in limiting dilution cultures. In 1:1 mixing experiments of normal and chimeric splenocytes, there was no evidence of any in vitro suppressive activity to account for hyporeactivity of chimeric cells against host-type cells. Thus, maintenance of TLI-induced tolerance seemed not to be mediated primarily through an active suppressor cell mechanism

  13. Contraction-mediated glucose uptake is increased in men with impaired glucose tolerance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skov-Jensen, Camilla; Skovbro, Mette; Flint, Anne

    2007-01-01

    stimulation alone and with superimposed exercise. Patients with type 2 diabetes, subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), healthy controls, and endurance-trained subjects were studied. The groups were matched for age and lean body mass (LBM), and differed in peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak), body fat...

  14. Compound Synthesis or Growth and Development of Roots/Stomata Regulate Plant Drought Tolerance or Water Use Efficiency/Water Uptake Efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Lai-Sheng

    2018-04-11

    Water is crucial to plant growth and development because it serves as a medium for all cellular functions. Thus, the improvement of plant drought tolerance or water use efficiency/water uptake efficiency is important in modern agriculture. In this review, we mainly focus on new genetic factors for ameliorating drought tolerance or water use efficiency/water uptake efficiency of plants and explore the involvement of these genetic factors in the regulation of improving plant drought tolerance or water use efficiency/water uptake efficiency, which is a result of altered stomata density and improving root systems (primary root length, hair root growth, and lateral root number) and enhanced production of osmotic protectants, which is caused by transcription factors, proteinases, and phosphatases and protein kinases. These results will help guide the synthesis of a model for predicting how the signals of genetic and environmental stress are integrated at a few genetic determinants to control the establishment of either water use efficiency or water uptake efficiency. Collectively, these insights into the molecular mechanism underpinning the control of plant drought tolerance or water use efficiency/water uptake efficiency may aid future breeding or design strategies to increase crop yield.

  15. Rhizosphere colonization and arsenic translocation in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) by arsenate reducing Alcaligenes sp. strain Dhal-L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavalca, Lucia; Corsini, Anna; Bachate, Sachin Prabhakar; Andreoni, Vincenza

    2013-10-01

    In the present study, six arsenic-resistant strains previously isolated were tested for their plant growth promoting characteristics and heavy metal resistance, in order to choose one model strain as an inoculum for sunflower plants in pot experiments. The aim was to investigate the effect of arsenic-resistant strain on sunflower growth and on arsenic uptake from arsenic contaminated soil. Based on plant growth promoting characteristics and heavy metal resistance, Alcaligenes sp. strain Dhal-L was chosen as an inoculum. Beside the ability to reduce arsenate to arsenite via an Ars operon, the strain exhibited 1-amino-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase activity and it was also able to produce siderophore and indole acetic acid. Pot experiments were conducted with an agricultural soil contaminated with arsenic (214 mg kg⁻¹). A real time PCR method was set up based on the quantification of ACR3(2) type of arsenite efflux pump carried by Alcaligenes sp. strain Dhal-L, in order to monitor presence and colonisation of the strain in the bulk and rhizospheric soil. As a result of strain inoculation, arsenic uptake by plants was increased by 53 %, whereas ACR3(2) gene copy number in rhizospheric soil was 100 times higher in inoculated than in control pots, indicating the colonisation of strain. The results indicated that the presence of arsenate reducing strains in the rhizosphere of sunflower influences arsenic mobilization and promotes arsenic uptake by plant.

  16. Graphene oxide/ferric hydroxide composites for efficient arsenate removal from drinking water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Kai; Dwivedi, Vineet; Chi Chunyan; Wu Jishan

    2010-01-01

    A series of novel composites based on graphene oxide (GO) cross-linked with ferric hydroxide was developed for effective removal of arsenate from contaminated drinking water. GO, which was used as a supporting matrix here, was firstly treated with ferrous sulfate. Then, the ferrous compound cross-linked with GO was in situ oxidized to ferric compound by hydrogen peroxide, followed by treating with ammonium hydroxide. The morphology and composition of the composites were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The ferric hydroxide was found to be homogenously impregnated onto GO sheets in amorphous form. These composites were evaluated as absorbents for arsenate removal from contaminated drinking water. For the water with arsenate concentration at 51.14 ppm, more than 95% of arsenate was absorbed by composite GO-Fe-5 with an absorption capacity of 23.78 mg arsenate/g of composite. Effective arsenate removal occurred in a wide range of pH from 4 to 9. However, the efficiency of arsenate removal was decreased when pH was increased to higher than 8.

  17. Desulfohalophilus alkaliarsenatis gen. nov., sp. nov., an extremely halophilic sulfate- and arsenate-respiring bacterium from Searles Lake, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blum, Jodi Switzer; Kulp, Thomas R.; Han, Sukkyun; Lanoil, Brian; Saltikov, Chad W.; Stolz, John F.; Miller, Laurence G.; Oremland, Ronald S.

    2012-01-01

    A haloalkaliphilic sulfate-respiring bacterium, strain SLSR-1, was isolated from a lactate-fed stable enrichment culture originally obtained from the extreme environment of Searles Lake, California. The isolate proved capable of growth via sulfate-reduction over a broad range of salinities (125–330 g/L), although growth was slowest at salt-saturation. Strain SLSR-1 was also capable of growth via dissimilatory arsenate-reduction and displayed an even broader range of salinity tolerance (50–330 g/L) when grown under these conditions. Strain SLSR-1 could also grow via dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia. Growth experiments in the presence of high borate concentrations indicated a greater sensitivity of sulfate-reduction than arsenate-respiration to this naturally abundant anion in Searles Lake. Strain SLSR-1 contained genes involved in both sulfate-reduction (dsrAB) and arsenate respiration (arrA). Amplicons of 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained from DNA extracted from Searles Lake sediment revealed the presence of close relatives of strain SLSR-1 as part of the flora of this ecosystem despite the fact that sulfate-reduction activity could not be detected in situ. We conclude that strain SLSR-1 can only achieve growth via arsenate-reduction under the current chemical conditions prevalent at Searles Lake. Strain SLSR-1 is a deltaproteobacterium in the family Desulfohalobiacea of anaerobic, haloalkaliphilic bacteria, for which we propose the name Desulfohalophilus alkaliarsenatis gen. nov., sp. nov.

  18. Inhibition of BRD4 suppresses tumor growth and enhances iodine uptake in thyroid cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Xuemei; Wu, Xinchao; Zhang, Xiao; Hua, Wenjuan; Zhang, Yajing; Maimaiti, Yusufu; Gao, Zairong; Zhang, Yongxue

    2016-01-01

    Thyroid cancer is a common malignancy of the endocrine system. Although radioiodine "1"3"1I treatment on differentiated thyroid cancer is widely used, many patients still fail to benefit from "1"3"1I therapy. Therefore, exploration of novel targeted therapies to suppress tumor growth and improve radioiodine uptake remains necessary. Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) is an important member of the bromodomain and extra terminal domain family that influences transcription of downstream genes by binding to acetylated histones. In the present study, we found that BRD4 was up-regulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. Inhibition of BRD4 in thyroid cancer cells by JQ1 resulted in cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and enhanced "1"3"1I uptake in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, JQ1 treatment suppressed C-MYC but enhanced NIS expression. We further demonstrated that BRD4 was enriched in the promoter region of C-MYC, which could be markedly blocked by JQ1 treatment. In conclusion, our findings revealed that the aberrant expression of BRD4 in thyroid cancer is possibly involved in tumor progression, and JQ1 is potentially an effective chemotherapeutic agent against human thyroid cancer. - Highlights: • BRD4 is upregulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. • Inhibition of BRD4 induced cell cycle arrest and enhanced radioiodine uptake in vitro and impaired tumor growth in vivo. • JQ1 suppressed the expression of C-MYC and promoted the expression of NIS and P21. • JQ1 attenuated the recruitment of BRD4 to MYC promoter in thyroid cancer.

  19. Inhibition of BRD4 suppresses tumor growth and enhances iodine uptake in thyroid cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Xuemei [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Wu, Xinchao [Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Zhang, Xiao; Hua, Wenjuan; Zhang, Yajing [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Maimaiti, Yusufu [Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Gao, Zairong, E-mail: gaobonn@163.com [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Zhang, Yongxue [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China); Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan 430022, Hubei Province (China)

    2016-01-15

    Thyroid cancer is a common malignancy of the endocrine system. Although radioiodine {sup 131}I treatment on differentiated thyroid cancer is widely used, many patients still fail to benefit from {sup 131}I therapy. Therefore, exploration of novel targeted therapies to suppress tumor growth and improve radioiodine uptake remains necessary. Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) is an important member of the bromodomain and extra terminal domain family that influences transcription of downstream genes by binding to acetylated histones. In the present study, we found that BRD4 was up-regulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. Inhibition of BRD4 in thyroid cancer cells by JQ1 resulted in cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and enhanced {sup 131}I uptake in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, JQ1 treatment suppressed C-MYC but enhanced NIS expression. We further demonstrated that BRD4 was enriched in the promoter region of C-MYC, which could be markedly blocked by JQ1 treatment. In conclusion, our findings revealed that the aberrant expression of BRD4 in thyroid cancer is possibly involved in tumor progression, and JQ1 is potentially an effective chemotherapeutic agent against human thyroid cancer. - Highlights: • BRD4 is upregulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cell lines. • Inhibition of BRD4 induced cell cycle arrest and enhanced radioiodine uptake in vitro and impaired tumor growth in vivo. • JQ1 suppressed the expression of C-MYC and promoted the expression of NIS and P21. • JQ1 attenuated the recruitment of BRD4 to MYC promoter in thyroid cancer.

  20. Embryotoxicity of arsenite and arsenate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindgren, A.; Danielsson, R.G.; Dencker, L.; Vahter, M.

    1984-01-01

    The distribution of 74 As-labelled and arsenite in pregnant mice and a monkey has been studied by autoradiography and gamma counting of isolated tissues, and their in vitro toxicity to a chondrogenic system has been investigated. With both arsenic forms, given as single intravenous injections to the mother, the 74 As-arsenic appeared to pass the mouse placenta relatively freely and approximately to the same extent. The retention time in material tissues including the placenta was, however, around three times longer with arsenite than with arsenate. In early gestation, high activity was registered in the embryonic neuroepithelium, which correlates well with reported CNS malformations in rodents. In late gestation, the distribution pattern was more like that in the adults. Accumulation in skin and squamous epithelia of the upper gastrointestinal tract (oral cavity, oesophagus and oesophageal region of stomach) dominated the distribution pucture, especially at a long survival interval. Arsenate, but not arsenite, showed affinity for the calcified areas of the skeleton. A marmoset monkey in late gestation receiving arsenite showed a somewhat lower rate of placental transfer than the mice. Skin and liver had the highest concentrations (at 8 hrs), both in mother and foetuses. This species is known not to methylate arsenic, resulting in stronger binding and longer retention times of arsenic as compared with other species. The stronger binding in maternal tissues may possibly explain the lower rate of placental transfer. Arsenite was shown to inhibit cartilage formation in a chick limb bud mesenchymal spot culture system (ED50 approximately 5-10μM) while arsenate seemed to be without effect at concentrations up to 200 μM (highest tested). Arsenate, however, showed a potential of the arsenite toxicity. (author)

  1. Significant suppression of myocardial (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake using 24-h carbohydrate restriction and a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobayashi, Yasuhiro; Kumita, Shin-ichiro; Fukushima, Yoshimitsu; Ishihara, Keiichi; Suda, Masaya; Sakurai, Minoru

    2013-11-01

    (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is a useful tool for evaluating inflammation. Because, myocardial-FDG uptake occurs with diverse physiology, it should be suppressed during evaluation of myocardial inflammation by FDG-PET/CT. Diets inducing fat-based metabolism, such as a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet (LCHF), are used in uptake-suppression protocols. However, a complete suppression of myocardial-FDG uptake has not been established. Hence, we assessed the efficacy of 24-h carbohydrate restriction along with an LCHF diet compared to that of the conventional protocol in suppressing myocardial-FDG uptake and also compared fat and glucose metabolism between these protocols. Fourteen healthy volunteers agreed to undergo >24-h carbohydrate restriction (glucose, vs. 2.98 [1.76-6.43], p=0.001). Target-to-background ratios [myocardium-to-blood ratio (MBR), myocardium-to-lung ratio (MLR), and myocardium-to-liver ratio (MLvR)] were also significantly lower with the diet-preparation protocol [MBR: 0.75 (0.68-0.84) vs. 1.63 (0.98-4.09), pvs. 4.54 (2.53-12.78), p=0.004; MLvR: 0.48 (0.44-0.56) vs. 1.11 (0.63-2.32), p=0.002]. Only insulin levels were significantly different between the subjects in each protocol group (11.3 [6.2-15.1] vs. 3.9 [2.9-6.2]). Carbohydrate restriction together with an LCHF supplement administered 1h before FDG significantly suppressed myocardial-FDG uptake. FFAs and insulin might not directly affect myocardial-FDG uptake. Copyright © 2013 Japanese College of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Comparison of arsenate and cadmium toxicity in a freshwater amphipod (Gammarus pulex)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vellinger, Céline; Parant, Marc; Rousselle, Philippe; Immel, Françoise

    2012-01-01

    Cadmium is largely documented on freshwater organisms while arsenic, especially arsenate, is rarely studied. The kinetic of the LC50s values for both metals was realized on Gammarus pulex. Physiological [i.e. metal concentration in body tissues, bioconcentration factor (BCF)] effects and behavioural responses (via pleopods beats) were investigated after 240-h exposure. Arsenate LC50 value was 100 fold higher than Cd-LC50 value after 240-h exposure, while concentrations in gammarids were similar for both metals at their respective LC50s. BCF decreased with increasing cadmium concentration while BCF remained stable with increasing arsenate concentration. Moreover, BCF was between 148 and 344 times lower for arsenate than cadmium. A significant hypoventilation was observed for cadmium concentrations exceeding or close to the 240h-LC50 Cd , while gammarids hyperventilated for the lowest arsenate concentrations and hypoventilated for the highest arsenate concentrations. We discussed the relationships between potential action mechanisms of these two metals and observed results. - Highlights: ► First study of arsenate toxicity in a Crustacean gammarid. ► Specific toxicological and behavioural responses to AsV and Cd contamination. ► Each metal led to specific-action mechanisms. ► Different energetic reallocation could explain specific behavioural responses. - This study brings to light the potential relationship between toxicological effects and behavioural responses of G. pulex exposed at both Cadmium and Arsenate.

  3. Respiratory arsenate reductase as a bidirectional enzyme

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richey, C.; Chovanec, P.; Hoeft, S.E.; Oremland, R.S.; Basu, P.; Stolz, J.F.

    2009-01-01

    The haloalkaliphilic bacterium Alkalilimnicola ehrlichii is capable of anaerobic chemolithoautotrophic growth by coupling the oxidation of arsenite (As(III)) to the reduction of nitrate and carbon dioxide. Analysis of its complete genome indicates that it lacks a conventional arsenite oxidase (Aox), but instead possesses two operons that each encode a putative respiratory arsenate reductase (Arr). Here we show that one homolog is expressed under chemolithoautotrophic conditions and exhibits both arsenite oxidase and arsenate reductase activity. We also demonstrate that Arr from two arsenate respiring bacteria, Alkaliphilus oremlandii and Shewanella sp. strain ANA-3, is also biochemically reversible. Thus Arr can function as a reductase or oxidase. Its physiological role in a specific organism, however, may depend on the electron potentials of the molybdenum center and [Fe–S] clusters, additional subunits, or constitution of the electron transfer chain. This versatility further underscores the ubiquity and antiquity of microbial arsenic metabolism.

  4. Mode of action of sodium arsenate on laboratory colonies of the pharaoh's ant Monomorium pharaonis L

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berndt, K P

    1974-01-01

    Arsenate compounds for pest control have been displayed on large scale by modern insecticides. In the control of the pharaoh's ant the arsenates however still remain an important means for eradication. The present study points out, that the mortality of workers and queens, respectively, are not the decisive factors of action as assumed until now. The causes for the extinction of the ant colonies after application of sodium arsenate are based on a combination of larval mortality and the induction of sterility in the queens, the sterility being the most important factor. A number of other factors moreover are working advantageously. First, the poison bait is not repellent and is well accepted by the workers, and is either stored in the nest or distributed trophalactically. Whereas with the workers there occurs a strongly delayed mortality, the larvae are being inhibited in their development after a few hours, shortly before pupation, or they are being paralyzed, whereby the further pupation would by cut off. The younger larvae normally do not come to pupation, but are being stunted and would be eliminated from the nest. The reproducing females, being the last members in the social chain, are protected in the polygynous society from the lethal action of the poison, although otherwise susceptible in the same way as workers. After a certain time sub-lethal doses of sodium arsenate lead to a decrease in fecundity. Egg production is suppressed dependent on the duration of the poison application up to permanent sterility. On the basis of these investigations some suggestions for practical control of the pharaoh's ant have been derived.

  5. Adsorption of arsenate from aqueous solution by rice husk-based adsorbent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, Taimur; Chaudhuri, Malay

    2013-01-01

    Rice husk-based adsorbent (RHBA) was prepared by burning rice husk in a muffle furnace at 400°C for 4 h and adsorption of arsenate by the RHBA from aqueous solution was examined. Batch adsorption test showed that extent of arsenate adsorption depended on contact time and pH. Equilibrium adsorption was attained in 60 min, with maximum adsorption occurring at pH 7. Equilibrium adsorption data were well described by the Freundlich isotherm model. Freundlich constants K f and 1/n were 3.62 and 2, respectively. The RHBA is effective in the adsorption of arsenate from water and is a potentially suitable filter medium for removing arsenate from groundwater at wells or in households.

  6. Interleukin 35: A Key Mediator of Suppression and the Propagation of Infectious Tolerance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brian M Olson

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The importance of regulatory T cells in balancing the effector arm of the immune system is well documented, playing a central role in preventing autoimmunity, facilitating graft tolerance following organ transplantation, and having a detrimental impact on the development of anti-tumor immunity. These regulatory responses use a variety of mechanisms to mediate suppression, including soluble factors. While IL-10 and TGF-β are the most commonly studied immunosuppressive cytokines, the recently identified IL-35 has been shown to have potent suppressive function in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, not only does IL-35 have the ability to directly suppress effector T cell responses, it is also able to expand regulatory responses by propagating infectious tolerance and generating a potent population of IL-35-expressing inducible regulatory T cells. In this review, we summarize research characterizing the structure and function of IL-35, examine its role in disease, and discuss how it can contribute to the induction of a distinct population of inducible regulatory T cells.

  7. Selective chemical binding enhances cesium tolerance in plants through inhibition of cesium uptake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Eri; Chaban, Vitaly; Khandelia, Himanshu; Shin, Ryoung

    2015-03-05

    High concentrations of cesium (Cs(+)) inhibit plant growth but the detailed mechanisms of Cs(+) uptake, transport and response in plants are not well known. In order to identify small molecules with a capacity to enhance plant tolerance to Cs(+), chemical library screening was performed using Arabidopsis. Of 10,000 chemicals tested, five compounds were confirmed as Cs(+) tolerance enhancers. Further investigation and quantum mechanical modelling revealed that one of these compounds reduced Cs(+) concentrations in plants and that the imidazole moiety of this compound bound specifically to Cs(+). Analysis of the analogous compounds indicated that the structure of the identified compound is important for the effect to be conferred. Taken together, Cs(+) tolerance enhancer isolated here renders plants tolerant to Cs(+) by inhibiting Cs(+) entry into roots via specific binding to the ion thus, for instance, providing a basis for phytostabilisation of radiocesium-contaminated farmland.

  8. Thermochemical investigations on uranyl phosphates and arsenates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barten, H.

    1986-01-01

    Results are described of a study of the thermochemical stability of anhydrous phosphates and arsenates. The results of phase studies deal with compound formation and characterization, coexisting phases and limiting physical or chemical properties. The uranyl phosphates evolve oxygen at higher temperatures and the arsenates lose arsenic oxide vapour. These phenomena give the possibility to describe their thermodynamic stabilities. Thus oxygen pressures of uranyl phosphates have been measured using a static, non-isothermal method. Having made available the pure anhydrous compounds in the course of this investigation, molar thermodynamic quantities have been measured as well. These include standard enthalpies of formation from solution calorimetry and high-temperature heat-capacity functions derived from enthalpy increments measured. Some attention is given to compounds with uranium in valencies lower than six which have been met during the investigation. An evaluation is made of the thermodynamics of the compounds studied, to result in tabulized high-temperature thermodynamic functions. Relative stabilities within the systems are discussed and comparisons of the uranyl phosphates and the arsenates are made. (Auth.)

  9. Arsenic tolerant Trichoderma sp. reduces arsenic induced stress in chickpea (Cicer arietinum).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tripathi, Pratibha; Singh, Poonam C; Mishra, Aradhana; Srivastava, Suchi; Chauhan, Reshu; Awasthi, Surabhi; Mishra, Seema; Dwivedi, Sanjay; Tripathi, Preeti; Kalra, Alok; Tripathi, Rudra D; Nautiyal, Chandra S

    2017-04-01

    Toxic metalloids including arsenic (As) can neither be eliminated nor destroyed from environment; however, they can be converted from toxic to less/non-toxic forms. The form of As species and their concentration determines its toxicity in plants. Therefore, the microbe mediated biotransformation of As is crucial for its plant uptake and toxicity. In the present study the role of As tolerant Trichoderma in modulating As toxicity in chickpea plants was explored. Chickpea plants grown in arsenate spiked soil under green house conditions were inoculated with two plant growth promoting Trichoderma strains, M-35 (As tolerant) and PPLF-28 (As sensitive). Total As concentration in chickpea tissue was comparable in both the Trichoderma treatments, however, differences in levels of organic and inorganic As (iAs) species were observed. The shift in iAs to organic As species ratio in tolerant Trichoderma treatment correlated with enhanced plant growth and nutrient content. Arsenic stress amelioration in tolerant Trichoderma treatment was also evident through rhizospheric microbial community and anatomical studies of the stem morphology. Down regulation of abiotic stress responsive genes (MIPS, PGIP, CGG) in tolerant Trichoderma + As treatment as compared to As alone and sensitive Trichoderma + As treatment also revealed that tolerant strain enhanced the plant's potential to cope with As stress as compared to sensitive one. Considering the bioremediation and plant growth promotion potential, the tolerant Trichoderma may appear promising for its utilization in As affected fields for enhancing agricultural productivity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Arsenates of rare-metals: electrometric investigations on praseodymium arsenates as a function of pH

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prasad, S [Paraiba Univ., Joao Pessoa (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Quimica

    1982-01-01

    The stoichiometry of the compounds formed by the interaction of praseodymium chloride and different alkali arsenates (meta, pyro and ortho) at specific pH levels - 7.2, 8.3 and 11.1 - was investigated by electrometric techniques involving pH measurements and potentiometric and conductometric titrations. The inflections and breaks in the titration curves provide evidence for the formation of three praseodymium arsenates having the molecular formulae Pr/sub 2/O/sub 3/.3 As/sub 2/O/sub 5/, 2Pr/sub 2/O/sub 3/.3As/sub 2/O/sub 5/ and Pr2O/sub 3/.As/sub 2/O/sub 5/ in the vicinity of pH 4.8, 5.8 and 7.0, respectively. Analysis of the compounds by conventional methods (gravimetric, as oxide, for praseodymium; iodometric for arsenic) substantiate the results of the electrometric study

  11. The effects of radial oxygen loss on arsenic tolerance and uptake in rice and on its rhizosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mei, X.Q.; Wong, M.H.; Yang, Y.; Dong, H.Y.; Qiu, R.L.; Ye, Z.H.

    2012-01-01

    Understanding the complex biotic and abiotic interactions invoked by the rice root system in oxygen-depleted soil is an important step in screening genotypes for low toxic metal or metalloid accumulation. A hydroponic and a rhizobox experiment have been conducted to explore the effects of varying root oxygen release on chemical changes, As fractionation in rhizosphere soil and Fe plaque formation, As uptake and tolerance by different rice genotypes. The results showed that rice genotypes with higher rates of radial oxygen loss (ROL) and at the bolting stage, tended to have greater effects on rhizosphere Eh, pH, Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ quotients, As fractionation and mobility and also on Fe plaque formation compared to those with lower ROL and at the tillering stage. Genotypes with higher ROL have a strong ability to reduce As accumulation in shoots and increase As tolerance by reducing As mobilization in the rhizosphere and by limiting As translocation. - Highlights: ► We investigate the effects of ROL on As tolerance, uptake, and changes in rhizosphere of rice genotypes and their correlation. ► Indices of As tolerance of genotypes are positively correlated with their rates of ROL. ► Genotypes with higher rates of ROL have greater effects on rhizosphere. ► Genotypes with higher rates of ROL have a strong ability to reduce As uptake by immobilizing As on roots and in rhizosphere. - Rice genotypes with high ROL and at the bolting stage have greater effects on their rhizosphere than others with lower ROL and at tillering stage and also have lower shoot As and higher As tolerance.

  12. Crystal structure and vibrational spectra of melaminium arsenate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anbalagan, G.; Marchewka, M. K.; Pawlus, K.; Kanagathara, N.

    2015-01-01

    The crystals of the new melaminium arsenate (MAS) [C3H7N6+ṡH2AsO4-] were obtained by the slow evaporation of an aqueous solution at room temperature. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the crystal belongs to triclinic system with centro symmetric space group P-1. The crystals are built up from single protonated melaminium residues and single dissociated arsenate H2AsO4- anions. The protonated melaminium ring is almost planar. A combination of ionic and donor-acceptor hydrogen-bond interactions linking together the melaminium and arsenate residues forms a three-dimensional network. Vibrational spectroscopic analysis is reported on the basis of FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra recorded at room temperature. Hydrogen bonded network present in the crystal gives notable vibrational effect. DSC has also been performed for the crystal shows no phase transition in the studied temperature range (113-293 K).

  13. Limited uptake, translocation and enhanced metabolic degradation contribute to glyphosate tolerance in Mucuna pruriens var. utilis plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rojano-Delgado, Antonia María; Cruz-Hipolito, Hugo; De Prado, Rafael; Luque de Castro, María Dolores; Franco, Antonio Rodríguez

    2012-01-01

    Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens, Fabaceae) plants exhibits an innate, very high resistance (i.e., tolerance) to glyphosate similar to that of plants which have acquired resistance to this herbicide as a trait. We analyzed the uptake of [(14)C]-glyphosate by leaves and its translocation to meristematic tissues, and used scanning electron micrographs to further analyze the cuticle and 3D capillary electrophoresis to investigate a putative metabolism capable of degrading the herbicide. Velvet bean exhibited limited uptake of glyphosate and impaired translocation of the compound to meristematic tissues. Also, for the first time in a higher plant, two concurrent pathways capable of degrading glyphosate to AMPA, Pi, glyoxylate, sarcosine and formaldehyde as end products were identified. Based on the results, the innate tolerance of velvet bean to glyphosate is possibly a result of the combined action of the previous three traits, namely: limited uptake, impaired translocation and enhanced degradation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Evaluation of ferrolysis in arsenate adsorption on the paddy soil derived from an Oxisol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Jun; Dai, Zhaoxia; Sun, Rui; Zhao, Zhenjie; Dong, Ying; Hong, Zhineng; Xu, Renkou

    2017-07-01

    Iron oxides are dominant effective adsorbents for arsenate in iron oxide-rich variable charge soils. Oxisol-derived paddy soils undergo intensive ferrolysis, which results in high leaching and transformation of iron oxides. However, little information is available concerning the effect of ferrolysis on arsenate adsorption by paddy soil and parent Oxisol. In the present study, we examined the arsenate affinity of soils using arsenate adsorption/desorption isotherms, zeta potential, adsorption kinetics, pH effect and phosphate competition experiments. Results showed that ferrolysis in an alternating flooding-drying Oxisol-derived paddy soil resulted in a significant decrease of free iron oxides and increase of amorphous iron oxides in the surface and subsurface layers. There were more reactive sites exposed on amorphous than on crystalline iron oxides. Therefore, disproportionate ratios of arsenate adsorption capacities and contents of free iron oxides were observed in the studied Oxisols compared with paddy soils. The Gibbs free energy values corroborated that both electrostatic and non-electrostatic adsorption mechanisms contributed to the arsenate adsorption by bulk soils, and the kinetic adsorption data further suggested that the rate-limiting step was chemisorption. The zeta potential of soil colloids decreased after arsenate was adsorbed on the surfaces, forming inner-sphere complexes and thus transferring their negative charges to the soil particle surfaces. The adsorption/desorption isotherms showed that non-electrostatic adsorption was the main mechanism responsible for arsenate binding to the Oxisol and derived paddy soils, representing 91.42-94.65% of the adsorption capacities. Further studies revealed that arsenate adsorption was greatly inhibited by increasing suspension pH and incorporation of phosphate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Efficient removal of chromate and arsenate from individual and mixed system by malachite nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saikia, Jiban; Saha, Bedabrata; Das, Gopal

    2011-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Malachite nanoparticles of 100-150 nm, have been efficiently and for the first time used as an adsorbent for the removal of toxic arsenate and chromate in pH range 4-5. - Abstract: Malachite nanoparticles of 100-150 nm have been efficiently and for the first time used as an adsorbent for the removal of toxic arsenate and chromate. We report a high adsorption capacity for chromate and arsenate on malachite nanoparticle from both individual and mixed solution in pH ∼4-5. However, the adsorption efficiency decreases with the increase of solution pH. Batch studies revealed that initial pH, temperature, malachite nanoparticles dose and initial concentration of chromate and arsenate were important parameters for the adsorption process. Thermodynamic analysis showed that adsorption of chromate and arsenate on malachite nanoparticles is endothermic and spontaneous. The adsorption of these anions has also been investigated quantitatively with the help of adsorption kinetics, isotherm, and selectivity coefficient (K) analysis. The adsorption data for both chromate and arsenate were fitted well in Langmuir isotherm and preferentially followed the second order kinetics. The binding affinity of chromate is found to be slightly higher than arsenate in a competitive adsorption process which leads to the comparatively higher adsorption of chromate on malachite nanoparticles surface.

  16. Coprecipitation of arsenate with metal oxides. 3. Nature, mineralogy, and reactivity of iron(III)-aluminum precipitates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Violante, Antonio; Pigna, Massimo; Del Gaudio, Stefania; Cozzolino, Vincenza; Banerjee, Dipanjan

    2009-03-01

    Coprecipitation involving arsenic with aluminum or iron has been studied because this technique is considered particularly efficient for removal of this toxic element from polluted waters. Coprecipitation of arsenic with mixed iron-aluminum solutions has received scant attention. In this work we studied (i)the mineralogy, surface properties, and chemical composition of mixed iron-aluminum oxides formed at initial Fe/Al molar ratio of 1.0 in the absence or presence of arsenate [As/ Fe+Al molar ratio (R) of 0, 0.01, or 0.1] and at pH 4.0, 7.0, and 10.0 and aged for 30 and 210 days at 50 degrees C and (ii) the removal of arsenate from the coprecipitates after addition of phosphate. The amounts of short-range ordered precipitates (ferrihydrite, aluminous ferrihydrite and/or poorly crystalline boehmite) were greater than those found in iron and aluminum systems (studied in previous works), due to the capacity of both aluminum and arsenate to retard or inhibitthe transformation of the initially formed precipitates into well-crystallized oxides (gibbsite, bayerite, and hematite). As a consequence, the surface areas of the iron-aluminum oxides formed in the absence or presence of arsenate were usually much larger than those of aluminum or iron oxides formed under the same conditions. Arsenate was found to be associated mainly into short-range ordered materials. Chemical composition of all samples was affected by pH, initial R, and aging. Phosphate sorption was facilitated by the presence of short-range ordered materials, mainly those richer in aluminum, but was inhibited by arsenate present in the samples. The quantities of arsenate replaced by phosphate, expressed as percentages of its total amount present in the samples, were particularly low, ranging from 10% to 26%. A comparison of the desorption of arsenate by phosphate from aluminum-arsenate and iron-arsenate (studied in previous works) and iron-aluminum-arsenate coprecipitates evidenced that phosphate has a greater

  17. Studies on the lanthanum arsenate ion-exchanger: preparation, physicochemical properties and applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukherjee, A.K.; Mandal, S.K.

    1984-01-01

    The cation-exchange behaviour of lanthanum arsenate has been studied. This paper reports the preparation and physicochemical properties of the exchanger. Its analytical utility is compared with that of other arsenate exchangers. Some practical analytical applications are described. (author)

  18. Efficient removal of chromate and arsenate from individual and mixed system by malachite nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saikia, Jiban; Saha, Bedabrata; Das, Gopal

    2011-02-15

    Malachite nanoparticles of 100-150 nm have been efficiently and for the first time used as an adsorbent for the removal of toxic arsenate and chromate. We report a high adsorption capacity for chromate and arsenate on malachite nanoparticle from both individual and mixed solution in pH ∼4-5. However, the adsorption efficiency decreases with the increase of solution pH. Batch studies revealed that initial pH, temperature, malachite nanoparticles dose and initial concentration of chromate and arsenate were important parameters for the adsorption process. Thermodynamic analysis showed that adsorption of chromate and arsenate on malachite nanoparticles is endothermic and spontaneous. The adsorption of these anions has also been investigated quantitatively with the help of adsorption kinetics, isotherm, and selectivity coefficient (K) analysis. The adsorption data for both chromate and arsenate were fitted well in Langmuir isotherm and preferentially followed the second order kinetics. The binding affinity of chromate is found to be slightly higher than arsenate in a competitive adsorption process which leads to the comparatively higher adsorption of chromate on malachite nanoparticles surface. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Formation of iron (hydr)oxides during the abiotic oxidation of Fe(II) in the presence of arsenate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Jia; Jia, Shao-Yi; Yu, Bo; Wu, Song-Hai; Han, Xu

    2015-08-30

    Abiotic oxidation of Fe(II) is a common pathway in the formation of Fe (hydr)oxides under natural conditions, however, little is known regarding the presence of arsenate on this process. In hence, the effect of arsenate on the precipitation of Fe (hydr)oxides during the oxidation of Fe(II) is investigated. Formation of arsenic-containing Fe (hydr)oxides is constrained by pH and molar ratios of As:Fe during the oxidation Fe(II). At pH 6.0, arsenate inhibits the formation of lepidocrocite and goethite, while favors the formation of ferric arsenate with the increasing As:Fe ratio. At pH 7.0, arsenate promotes the formation of hollow-structured Fe (hydr)oxides containing arsenate, as the As:Fe ratio reaches 0.07. Arsenate effectively inhibits the formation of magnetite at pH 8.0 even at As:Fe ratio of 0.01, while favors the formation of lepidocrocite and green rust, which can be latterly degenerated and replaced by ferric arsenate with the increasing As:Fe ratio. This study indicates that arsenate and low pH value favor the slow growth of dense-structured Fe (hydr)oxides like spherical ferric arsenate. With the rapid oxidation rate of Fe(II) at high pH, ferric (hydr)oxides prefer to precipitate in the formation of loose-structured Fe (hydr)oxides like lepidocrocite and green rust. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Amino-functionalized MCM-41 and MCM-48 for the removal of chromate and arsenate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benhamou, A; Basly, J P; Baudu, M; Derriche, Z; Hamacha, R

    2013-08-15

    The aim of the present work was to investigate the efficiency of three amino-functionalized (hexadecylamine, dodecylamine, and dimethyldodecylamine) mesoporous silicas (MCM-41 and MCM-48) toward the adsorption of arsenate and chromate. Hexadecylamine-functionalized materials were characterized; BET surface areas, pore volumes, and sizes decreased with the functionalization, whereas XRD patterns show that the hexagonal structure of MCM-41 and the cubic structure of MCM-48 were not modified. The zeta potential decreases with pH and the highest arsenate and chromate removal was observed at the lowest pHs. Adsorption of chromium and arsenate was significantly enhanced after functionalization and amino-functionalized MCM-41 adsorb larger amounts of arsenate when compared to expanded MCM-48 materials. Chromate sorption capacities increased with the chain length and the larger capacities were obtained with hexadecylamine-functionalized mesoporous silicas. Mesoporous silicas modified by dimethyldodecylamine exhibited the higher arsenate sorption capacities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Copper tolerance of brown-rot fungi : oxalic acid production in southern pine treated with arsenic-free preservatives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frederick Green; Carol A. Clausen

    2005-01-01

    The voluntary withdrawal of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood from most residential applications has increased the use of non-arsenical copper-based organic wood preservatives. Because the arsenic component of CCA controlled copper tolerant fungi, scientists have renewed interest in and concern about the decay capacity in the important copper-tolerant group...

  2. Silicon improves salt tolerance by increasing root water uptake in Cucumis sativus L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yong-Xing; Xu, Xuan-Bin; Hu, Yan-Hong; Han, Wei-Hua; Yin, Jun-Liang; Li, Huan-Li; Gong, Hai-Jun

    2015-09-01

    Silicon enhances root water uptake in salt-stressed cucumber plants through up-regulating aquaporin gene expression. Osmotic adjustment is a genotype-dependent mechanism for silicon-enhanced water uptake in plants. Silicon can alleviate salt stress in plants. However, the mechanism is still not fully understood, and the possible role of silicon in alleviating salt-induced osmotic stress and the underlying mechanism still remain to be investigated. In this study, the effects of silicon (0.3 mM) on Na accumulation, water uptake, and transport were investigated in two cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cultivars ('JinYou 1' and 'JinChun 5') under salt stress (75 mM NaCl). Salt stress inhibited the plant growth and photosynthesis and decreased leaf transpiration and water content, while added silicon ameliorated these negative effects. Silicon addition only slightly decreased the shoot Na levels per dry weight in 'JinYou 1' but not in 'JinChun 5' after 10 days of stress. Silicon addition reduced stress-induced decreases in root hydraulic conductivity and/or leaf-specific conductivity. Expressions of main plasma membrane aquaporin genes in roots were increased by added silicon, and the involvement of aquaporins in water uptake was supported by application of aquaporin inhibitor and restorative. Besides, silicon application decreased the root xylem osmotic potential and increased root soluble sugar levels in 'JinYou 1.' Our results suggest that silicon can improve salt tolerance of cucumber plants through enhancing root water uptake, and silicon-mediated up-regulation of aquaporin gene expression may in part contribute to the increase in water uptake. In addition, osmotic adjustment may be a genotype-dependent mechanism for silicon-enhanced water uptake in plants.

  3. Adsorption of arsenate on soils. Part 1: Laboratory batch experiments using 16 Chinese soils with different physiochemical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang Wei; Zhang Shuzhen; Shan Xiaoquan; Feng Muhua; Zhu Yongguan; McLaren, Ron G.

    2005-01-01

    Laboratory batch experiments were carried out to study the adsorption of arsenate on 16 Chinese soils with different physicochemical properties. Wide differences in arsenate adsorption were observed, and the Jiangxi and Hubei soils were more effective sorbents for arsenate than other soils. The Langmuir one-surface and two-surface equations were used to model the arsenate adsorption data. Except for the Jiangxi and Hubei soils, the Langmuir one-surface equation gave reasonably good fits to the arsenate adsorption data. However, the Langmuir two-surface equation generally provided a better fit than the Langmuir one-surface equation. For soils with relative high organic matter (OM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) or extractable phosphate, the Langmuir one-surface and two-surface equations described the adsorption isotherms similarly. In contrast, for soils with relatively low contents of OM, DOC or extractable phosphate, the Langmuir two-surface equation gave the better fit to the arsenate adsorption data. - The Langmuir two-surface equation fits arsenate adsorption onto soils

  4. Mapping the metal uptake in plants from Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve using synchrotron micro-focused X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lo, Allison [Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)

    2015-08-20

    Serpentine soil originates in the Earth’s mantle and contains high concentrations of potentially toxic transition metals. Although serpentine soil limits plant growth, endemic and adapted plants at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, located behind SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, can tolerate these conditions. Serpentine soil and seeds belonging to native California and invasive plants were collected at Jasper Ridge. The seeds were grown hydroponically and on serpentine and potting soil to examine the uptake and distribution of ions in the roots and shoots using synchrotron micro-focused X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The results were used to determine differences between serpentine-tolerant plants. Rye grown on potting soil was enriched in Ni, Fe, Mn, and Cr compared to purple needlegrass grown on serpentine soil. Serpentine vegetation equally suppressed the uptake of Mn, Ni, and Fe in the roots and shoots. The uptake of Ca and Mg affected the uptake of other elements such as K, S, and P.

  5. Absorption and translocation of arsenate arsenic by coffee plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pereira, J F; Yamaguchi, S

    1964-01-01

    Studies on arsenate arsenic absorption and translocation in coffee plants were carried out using arsenic-77 applied either to leaves or to roots through the nutrient solution. The youngest leaves were unable to export arsenic and only an acropetal movement in the transpiration stream was observed. From the second pair of leaves, it moved into the growing leaves. From the fourth pair it moved downward through the stem and into the roots. Roots absorbed high amounts of arsenate once absorbed it moved via the xylem of the transpiration stream into the leaves. 7 references, 2 figures.

  6. Suppressor cells in transplantation tolerance: I. analysis of the suppressor status of neonatally and adoptively tolerized rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dorsch, S.; Roser, B.

    1982-01-01

    The lymphocytes from neonatally tolerant rats which adoptively transfer tolerance to sublethally irradiated recipients do so by specificallly suppressing the regeneration of alloreactivity which normally occurs after irradiation. Although tolerant cells will only partially suppress normal alloreactive cells when the two are mixed in near equivalent numbers, experiments in which the interval between injection of tolerant and normal cells into irradiated recipients was gradually extended, indicated that total suppression of normally alloreactive cells was achieved after 8 weeks of prior residence of tolerant cells in the adoptive host. Further evidence that tolerant cells would only suppress if present in excess of normal cells was obtained by reducing the tolerant cell populaton in tolerant donor rats by whole body irradiation. The persistence of tolerance through repeated adoptive transfers was correlated with the persistence of donor (chimeric) cells and the indicator skin graft on adoptive recipients only amplified tolerance expression where the inocula of tolerant cells given was weakly suppressive

  7. Increase of chromium tolerance in Scenedesmus acutus after sulfur starvation: Chromium uptake and compartmentalization in two strains with different sensitivities to Cr(VI).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marieschi, M; Gorbi, G; Zanni, C; Sardella, A; Torelli, A

    2015-10-01

    In photosynthetic organisms sulfate constitutes the main sulfur source for the biosynthesis of GSH and its precursor Cys. Hence, sulfur availability can modulate the capacity to cope with environmental stresses, a phenomenon known as SIR/SED (Sulfur Induced Resistance or Sulfur Enhanced Defence). Since chromate may compete for sulfate transport into the cells, in this study chromium accumulation and tolerance were investigated in relation to sulfur availability in two strains of the unicellular green alga Scenedesmus acutus with different Cr-sensitivities. Paradoxically, sulfur deprivation has been demonstrated to induce a transient increase of Cr-tolerance in both strains. Sulfur deprivation is known to enhance the sulfate uptake/assimilation pathway leading to important consequences on Cr-tolerance: (i) reduced chromate uptake due to the induction of high affinity sulfate transporters (ii) higher production of cysteine and GSH which can play a role both through the formation of unsoluble complexes and their sequestration in inert compartments. To investigate the role of the above mentioned mechanisms, Cr accumulation in total cells and in different cell compartments (cell wall, membranes, soluble and miscellaneous fractions) was analyzed in both sulfur-starved and unstarved cells. Both strains mainly accumulated chromium in the soluble fraction, but the uptake was higher in the wild-type. In this type a short period of sulfur starvation before Cr(VI) treatment lowered chromium accumulation to the level observed in the unstarved Cr-tolerant strain, in which Cr uptake seems instead less influenced by S-starvation, since no significant decrease was observed. The increase in Cr-tolerance following S-starvation seems thus to rely on different mechanisms in the two strains, suggesting the induction of a mechanism constitutively active in the Cr-tolerant strain, maybe a high affinity sulfate transporter also in the wild-type. Changes observed in the cell wall and

  8. X-ray graphical and thermodynamical study of mercury arsenates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makitova, G. Zh.; Mustafin, E. S.; Kasenov, B. K.

    1999-01-01

    Purposes of the work are both determination of lattice parameters on the base of X-ray graphical data and experimental study of thermal conduction dependence of mercury arsenates Hg(AsO 3 ) 2 and Hg 3 (AsO 4 ) 2 . In this work for the first time the parameters of elementary cell thermal conduction in the range 298.15-625 K were determined. Formation of equilibrium contents of mercury arsenates was confirmed by X-ray phase analysis conducted on DRON-2,0 unit under Cu K - radiation. Curves of thermal-differential analysis show, that Hg(AsO 3 ) 2 and Hg 3 (AsO 4 ) 2 melting incongruently, relatively at 725 and 790 grad C. Displaying of X-ray- grammars of examined compounds have been conducted by homology method. On the base the displaying parameter of lattice crystallization were determined. Further arsenates were exposed to calorimetric research for determination of its thermal conduction. It is shown, that Hg 3 (AsO 4 ) 2 thermal conduction has maximum at 448 K and then it value is go down at 473 K and then smoothly increasing. It was supposed, such behavior is related with second kind phase transformation

  9. Thyroid suppression test with dextrothyroxine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosenthal, D.; Fridman, J.; Ribeiro, H.B.

    1978-01-01

    The classic thyroid suppression test with triiodothyronine (l-T 3 ) has been shown to be efficient as an auxiliary method in the diagnosis of thyroid diseases, but should not be performed on elderly patients or on those with heart disease or a tendency to tachycardia. Since these subjects seem able to support a short period of dextro-thyronine (d-T 4 ) feeding, we compared the effect of d-T 4 and l-T 3 on the 24 hours thyroid uptake in euthyroid and hyperthyroid subjects. After basal radio-iodine uptake determination, 99 patients without hyperthyroidism and 27 with Graves' disease were randomly divided in 2 groups; one received 100μg of l-T 3 per day and the other 4 mg of d-T 4 per day, both groups being treated for a period of 10 days. At the end of this suppression period the 24 hours radio-iodine uptake was measured again and the percentual suppression index (S.I.) calculated. Since the comparison of the two groups showed no difference between the suppressive effect of l-T 3 and d-T 4 in euthyroid subjects, while dextro-thyronine, as levo-triiodothyronine, did not suppress the 24 hours uptake of hyperthyroid patients, l-T 3 or d-T 4 can be used interchangeably to test thyroid suppressibility. In the euthyroid subjects the normal range for the post-suppression uptake was 0-17.1% and for the suppression index 54,7.100% [pt

  10. Focused Ion Beam Analysis of Banana Peel and Its Application for Arsenate Ion Removal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jamil R. Memon

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Banana peel, a common fruit waste, has been investigated for its ability to remove arsenate ions from ground water as a function of pH, contact time, and initial metal ion concentration. Focused ion beam (FIB analysis revealed the internal morphology of the banana peels. Arsenate ions were entered into micropores of banana peel. pH was seen to have no effect on the sorption process. Retained species were eluted using 5 mL of 2 M H2SO4. The kinetics of sorption were observed to follow the pseudo first order rate equation. The sorption data followed Freundlich and D-R isotherms. The energy value obtained from the D-R isotherms indicated that the sorption was physical in nature for arsenate species. Our study has shown that banana peel has the ability to remove arsenate species from ground water samples.

  11. Focused ion beam analysis of banana peel and its application for arsenate ion removal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Memon, J.R.

    2015-01-01

    Banana peel, a common fruit waste, has been investigated for its ability to remove arsenate ions from ground water as a function of pH, contact time, and initial metal ion concentration. Focused ion beam (FIB) analysis revealed the internal morphology of the banana peels. Arsenate ions were entered into micropores of banana peel. pH was seen to have no effect on the sorption process. Retained species were eluted using 5 mL of 2 M H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/. The kinetics of sorption were observed to follow the pseudo first order rate equation. The sorption data followed Freundlich and D-R isotherms. The energy value obtained from the D-R isotherms indicated that the sorption was physical in nature for arsenate species. Our study has shown that banana peel has the ability to remove arsenate species from ground water samples. (author)

  12. Suppressive effect of nobiletin and epicatechin gallate on fructose uptake in human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satsu, Hideo; Awara, Sohei; Unno, Tomonori; Shimizu, Makoto

    2018-04-01

    Inhibition of excessive fructose intake in the small intestine could alleviate fructose-induced diseases such as hypertension and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. We examined the effect of phytochemicals on fructose uptake using human intestinal epithelial-like Caco-2 cells which express the fructose transporter, GLUT5. Among 35 phytochemicals tested, five, including nobiletin and epicatechin gallate (ECg), markedly inhibited fructose uptake. Nobiletin and ECg also inhibited the uptake of glucose but not of L-leucine or Gly-Sar, suggesting an inhibitory effect specific to monosaccharide transporters. Kinetic analysis further suggested that this reduction in fructose uptake was associated with a decrease in the apparent number of cell-surface GLUT5 molecules, and not with a change in the affinity of GLUT5 for fructose. Lastly, nobiletin and ECg suppressed the permeation of fructose across Caco-2 cell monolayers. These findings suggest that nobiletin and ECg are good candidates for preventing diseases caused by excessive fructose intake.

  13. Competitive adsorption of arsenate and phosphate onto calcite; experimental results and modeling with CCM and CD-MUSIC

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sø, Helle Ugilt; Postma, Dieke; Jakobsen, Rasmus

    2012-01-01

    The competitive adsorption of arsenate and phosphate onto calcite was studied in batch experiments using calcite-equilibrated solutions. The solutions had circum-neutral pH (7–8.3) and covered a wide span in the activity of Ca2+ and View the MathML source. The results show that the adsorption...... that adsorption of arsenate onto calcite is of minor importance in most groundwater aquifers, as phosphate is often present at concentration levels sufficient to significantly reduce arsenate adsorption. The CD-MUSIC model for calcite was used successfully to model adsorption of arsenate and phosphate separately...

  14. Induction of bacterial lipoprotein tolerance is associated with suppression of toll-like receptor 2 expression.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Wang, Jiang Huai

    2012-02-03

    Tolerance to bacterial cell wall components including lipopolysaccharide (LPS) may represent an essential regulatory mechanism during bacterial infection. Two members of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family, TLR2 and TLR4, recognize the specific pattern of bacterial cell wall components. TLR4 has been found to be responsible for LPS tolerance. However, the role of TLR2 in bacterial lipoprotein (BLP) tolerance and LPS tolerance is unclear. Pretreatment of human THP-1 monocytic cells with a synthetic bacterial lipopeptide induced tolerance to a second BLP challenge with diminished tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 production, termed BLP tolerance. Furthermore, BLP-tolerized THP-1 cells no longer responded to LPS stimulation, indicating a cross-tolerance to LPS. Induction of BLP tolerance was CD14-independent, as THP-1 cells that lack membrane-bound CD14 developed tolerance both in serum-free conditions and in the presence of a specific CD14 blocking monoclonal antibody (MEM-18). Pre-exposure of THP-1 cells to BLP suppressed mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation and nuclear factor-kappaB activation in response to subsequent BLP and LPS stimulation, which is comparable with that found in LPS-tolerized cells, indicating that BLP tolerance and LPS tolerance may share similar intracellular pathways. However, BLP strongly enhanced TLR2 expression in non-tolerized THP-1 cells, whereas LPS stimulation had no effect. Furthermore, a specific TLR2 blocking monoclonal antibody (2392) attenuated BLP-induced, but not LPS-induced, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 production, indicating BLP rather than LPS as a ligand for TLR2 engagement and activation. More importantly, pretreatment of THP-1 cells with BLP strongly inhibited TLR2 activation in response to subsequent BLP stimulation. In contrast, LPS tolerance did not prevent BLP-induced TLR2 overexpression. These results demonstrate that BLP tolerance develops through down-regulation of TLR2

  15. Suppressor cells in transplantation tolerance. I. Analysis of the suppressor status of neonatally and adoptively tolerized rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dorsch, S.; Roser, B.

    1982-01-01

    The lymphocytes from neonatally tolerant rats which adoptively transfer tolerance to sublethally irradiated recipients do so by specifically suppressing the regeneration of alloreactivity which normally occurs after irradiation. Although tolerant cells will only partially suppress normal alloreactive cells when the two are mixed in near equivalent numbers, experiments in which the interval between injection of tolerant and normal cells into irradiated recipients was gradually extended, indicated that total suppression of normally alloreactive cells was achieved after 8 weeks of prior residence of tolerant cells in the adoptive host. Further evidence that tolerant cells would only suppress if present in excess of normal cells was obtained by reducing the tolerant cell population in tolerant donor rats by whole body irradiation. These animals then lost their ability to suppress normal alloreactive cells administered to them. The immune status of adoptively tolerized animals did not mimic that of the donors of the tolerant cells. Even where full tolerance, as measured by skin graft survival, failure to synthesize alloantibodies, and capacity to further transfer skin graft tolerance to secondary recipients, was evident the lymphocytes of these animals showed considerable graft-versus-host (GVH) reactivity. The persistence of tolerance through repeated adoptive transfers was correlated with the persistence of donor (chimeric) cells and the indicator skin graft on adoptive recipients only amplified tolerance expression where the inocula of tolerant cells given was weakly suppressive. Finally, removal of the minor population of chimeric cells from tolerant inocula using cytotoxic alloantisera abolished the capacity to transfer tolerance. These results imply an active role for chimeric cells which is best understood as an immune response involving proliferation driven by the idiotypes of the alloreceptors on host cells

  16. Mechanisms of tolerance in murine radiation bone marrow chimeras. II. Absence of nonspecific suppression in mature chimeras

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Auchincloss, H. Jr.; Sachs, D.H.

    1983-01-01

    Spleen cells from a series of allogeneic bone marrow chimeras were sensitized in vitro with stimulator cells from major histocompatibility complex recombinant strains of mice. The combinations were chosen such that both tolerated (host or donor) and nontolerated (third-party) antigens were present on the same stimulator cells in order to determine whether the tolerated host antigens might elicit nonspecific suppressor mechanisms affecting the cell-mediated lympholysis (CML) response to the nontolerated antigens. No evidence for such nonspecific suppression was obtained in several types of assays. Therefore, if suppressor mechanisms exist that mediate such tolerance in mature allogeneic chimeras then these mechanisms must be highly antigen-specific

  17. Low-complexity linewidth-tolerant time domain sub-symbol optical phase noise suppression in CO-OFDM systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Xuezhi; Hong, Xiaojian; Zhang, Junwei; He, Sailing

    2016-03-07

    Two linewidth-tolerant optical phase noise suppression algorithms, non-decision aided sub-symbol optical phase noise suppression (NDA-SPS) and partial-decision aided sub-symbol optical phase noise suppression (PDA-SPS), based on low-complexity time domain sub-symbol processing are proposed for coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) systems. High accuracy carrier phase estimation is achieved in the NDA-SPS algorithm without decision error propagation. Compared with NDA-SPS, partial-decision aided estimation is introduced in PDA-SPS to reduce the pilot-overhead by half, yet only a small performance degradation is induced. The principles and computational complexities of the proposed algorithms are theoretically analyzed. By adopting specially designed comb-type pilot subcarriers, multiplier-free observation-based matrix generation is realized in the proposed algorithms. Computationally intensive discrete Fourier transform (DFT) or inverse DFT (IDFT) operations, which are usually carried out in other high-performance inter-carrier-interference (ICI) mitigation algorithms multiple times, are completely avoided. Compared with several other sub-symbol algorithms, the proposed algorithms with lower complexities offer considerably larger laser linewidth tolerances as demonstrated by Monte-Carlo simulations. Numerical analysis verifies that the optimal performance of PDA-SPS can be achieved with moderate numbers of sub-symbols.

  18. The role of radial oxygen loss and root anatomy on zinc uptake and tolerance in mangrove seedlings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, H.; Liu, Y.; Tam, N.F.Y.; Wang, X.; Li, S.Y.; Chen, G.Z.; Ye, Z.H.

    2010-01-01

    Root anatomy, radial oxygen loss (ROL) and zinc (Zn) uptake and tolerance in mangrove plants were investigated using seedlings of Aegiceras corniculatum, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Rhizophora stylosa. The results revealed that B. gymnorrhiza, which possessed the 'tightest barrier' in ROL spatial patterns among the three species studied, took up the least Zn and showed the highest Zn tolerance. Furthermore, zinc significantly decreased the ROL of all three plants by inhibition of root permeability, which included an obvious thickening of outer cortex and significant increases of lignification in cell walls. The results of SEM X-ray microanalysis further confirmed that such an inducible, low permeability of roots was likely an adaptive strategy to metal stress by direct prevention of excessive Zn entering into the root. The present study proposes new evidence of structural adaptive strategy on metal tolerance by mangrove seedlings. - Mangrove seedlings with a 'tighter barrier' in ROL spatial pattern exhibit higher Zn tolerance.

  19. The role of radial oxygen loss and root anatomy on zinc uptake and tolerance in mangrove seedlings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cheng, H. [State Key Laboratory for Bio-control, and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Liu, Y. [Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Mariculture Ecology and Products Quality and Safety, South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou 510300 (China); Tam, N.F.Y. [Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong); Wang, X. [State Key Laboratory for Bio-control, and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Li, S.Y.; Chen, G.Z. [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Ye, Z.H., E-mail: lssyzhh@mail.sysu.edu.c [State Key Laboratory for Bio-control, and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006 (China)

    2010-05-15

    Root anatomy, radial oxygen loss (ROL) and zinc (Zn) uptake and tolerance in mangrove plants were investigated using seedlings of Aegiceras corniculatum, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Rhizophora stylosa. The results revealed that B. gymnorrhiza, which possessed the 'tightest barrier' in ROL spatial patterns among the three species studied, took up the least Zn and showed the highest Zn tolerance. Furthermore, zinc significantly decreased the ROL of all three plants by inhibition of root permeability, which included an obvious thickening of outer cortex and significant increases of lignification in cell walls. The results of SEM X-ray microanalysis further confirmed that such an inducible, low permeability of roots was likely an adaptive strategy to metal stress by direct prevention of excessive Zn entering into the root. The present study proposes new evidence of structural adaptive strategy on metal tolerance by mangrove seedlings. - Mangrove seedlings with a 'tighter barrier' in ROL spatial pattern exhibit higher Zn tolerance.

  20. Can arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve grain yield, As uptake and tolerance of rice grown under aerobic conditions?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, H. [Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong (Hong Kong); Ye, Z.H. [State Key Laboratory for Bio-control, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Chan, W.F.; Chen, X.W.; Wu, F.Y. [Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong (Hong Kong); Wu, S.C. [Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong (Hong Kong); School of Environment and Natural Resources, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Lin' an, Zhejiang 311300 (China); Wong, M.H., E-mail: mhwong@hkbu.edu.hk [Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong (Hong Kong); School of Environment and Natural Resources, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Lin' an, Zhejiang 311300 (China)

    2011-10-15

    The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) -Glomus intraradices and G. geosporum on arsenic (As) and phosphorus (P) uptake by lowland (Guangyinzhan) and upland rice (Handao 502) were investigated in soil, spiked with and without 60 mg As kg{sup -1}. In As-contaminated soil, Guangyinzhan inoculated with G. intraradices or Handao 502 inoculated with G. geosporum enhanced As tolerance, grain P content, grain yield. However, Guangyinzhan inoculated with G. geosporum or Handao 502 inoculated with G. intraradices decreased grain P content, grain yield and the molar ratio of grain P/As content, and increased the As concentration and the ratio of grain/straw As concentration. These results show that rice/AMF combinations had significant (p < 0.05) effects on grain As concentration, grain yield and grain P uptake. The variation in the transfer and uptake of As and P reflected strong functional diversity in AM (arbuscular mycorrhizal) symbioses. - Highlights: > Rice/AMF combinations had significant effects on grain As concentration, grain yield and grain P uptake. > Rice colonized with suitable AMF can increase grain yield. > The variation in the transfer and uptake of As and P reflected strong functional diversity in AM symbioses. - Different rice/AMF combinations had very different effects on arsenic and phosphorus uptake.

  1. Can arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve grain yield, As uptake and tolerance of rice grown under aerobic conditions?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, H.; Ye, Z.H.; Chan, W.F.; Chen, X.W.; Wu, F.Y.; Wu, S.C.; Wong, M.H.

    2011-01-01

    The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) -Glomus intraradices and G. geosporum on arsenic (As) and phosphorus (P) uptake by lowland (Guangyinzhan) and upland rice (Handao 502) were investigated in soil, spiked with and without 60 mg As kg -1 . In As-contaminated soil, Guangyinzhan inoculated with G. intraradices or Handao 502 inoculated with G. geosporum enhanced As tolerance, grain P content, grain yield. However, Guangyinzhan inoculated with G. geosporum or Handao 502 inoculated with G. intraradices decreased grain P content, grain yield and the molar ratio of grain P/As content, and increased the As concentration and the ratio of grain/straw As concentration. These results show that rice/AMF combinations had significant (p < 0.05) effects on grain As concentration, grain yield and grain P uptake. The variation in the transfer and uptake of As and P reflected strong functional diversity in AM (arbuscular mycorrhizal) symbioses. - Highlights: → Rice/AMF combinations had significant effects on grain As concentration, grain yield and grain P uptake. → Rice colonized with suitable AMF can increase grain yield. → The variation in the transfer and uptake of As and P reflected strong functional diversity in AM symbioses. - Different rice/AMF combinations had very different effects on arsenic and phosphorus uptake.

  2. Fabrication and evolution of multilayer silver nanofilms for surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensing of arsenate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Jinwei

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS has recently been investigated extensively for chemical and biomolecular sensing. Multilayer silver (Ag nanofilms deposited on glass slides by a simple electroless deposition process have been fabricated as active substrates (Ag/GL substrates for arsenate SERS sensing. The nanostructures and layer characteristics of the multilayer Ag films could be tuned by varying the concentrations of reactants (AgNO3/BuNH2 and reaction time. A Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs double-layer was formed by directly reducing Ag+ ions on the glass surfaces, while a top layer (3rd-layer of Ag dendrites was deposited on the double-layer by self-assembling AgNPs or AgNPs aggregates which had already formed in the suspension. The SERS spectra of arsenate showed that characteristic SERS bands of arsenate appear at approximately 780 and 420 cm-1, and the former possesses higher SERS intensity. By comparing the peak heights of the approximately 780 cm-1 band of the SERS spectra, the optimal Ag/GL substrate has been obtained for the most sensitive SERS sensing of arsenate. Using this optimal substrate, the limit of detection (LOD of arsenate was determined to be approximately 5 μg·l-1.

  3. Mapping the Metal Uptake in Plants from Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve - Oral Presentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lo, Allison [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)

    2015-08-24

    Serpentine soil originates in the Earth’s mantle and contains high concentrations of potentially toxic transition metals. Although serpentine soil limits plant growth, endemic and adapted plants at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, located behind SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, can tolerate these conditions. Serpentine soil and seeds belonging to native California and invasive plants were collected at Jasper Ridge. The seeds were grown hydroponically and on serpentine and potting soil to examine the uptake and distribution of ions in the roots and shoots using synchrotron micro-focused X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The results were used to determine differences between serpentinetolerant plants. Rye grown on potting soil was enriched in Ni, Fe, Mn, and Cr compared to purple needlegrass grown on serpentine soil. Serpentine vegetation equally suppressed the uptake of Mn, Ni, and Fe in the roots and shoots. The uptake of Ca and Mg affected the uptake of other elements such as K, S, and P.

  4. Uptake of 32P and 86Rb as influenced by temperature, transpiration suppress and shading treatment in rice plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, G.B.; Hong, Y.P.; Im, J.N.; Chung, K.W.

    1989-01-01

    This study was carried out to know the uptake pattern of phosphorous and potassium in rice plants using by two radioisotopes, 32P and 86Rb as tracers for two years, 1987 and 1988. Rice plants were grown in the hydroponic culture with Yoshida's solution, and treated with different temperatures, transpiration suppress, shading, and phosphorous and potassium deletions. The uptake amount of 32P and 86Rb were increased with the increasing temperature in root sphere of rice plant, particularly remarkable increase of 86Rb uptake at 35deg C. The uptake of 32P tended to be promoted at the treatment of low air-high water temperature (17-30deg C), while that of 86Rb was not significantly differenced from different temperature treatments. The effect of transpiration on the uptake of 32P and 86Rb was extremely low. This phenomenon may suggest that the absorption be depending on active uptake rather than passive one by transpiration stream. The total carbohydrate contents of rice root were decreased by shading treatment, resulting significant reduction in the uptake of 32P and 86Rb. The uptake of 86Rb was remarkably increased in the treatment of potassium deletion, but that of 32P was not significantly increased in the delection of phosphorous

  5. Uptake of 32P and 86Rb as influenced by temperature, transpiration suppress and shading treatment in rice plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, G. B.; Hong, Y. P.; Im, J. N.; Chung, K. W.

    1989-07-01

    This study was carried out to know the uptake pattern of phosphorous and potassium in rice plants using by two radioisotopes, 32P and 86Rb as tracers for two years, 1987 and 1988. Rice plants were grown in the hydroponic culture with Yoshida's solution, and treated with different temperatures, transpiration suppress, shading, and phosphorous and potassium deletions. The uptake amount of 32P and 86Rb were increased with the increasing temperature in root sphere of rice plant, particularly remarkable increase of 86Rb uptake at 35deg C. The uptake of 32P tended to be promoted at the treatment of low air-high water temperature (17-30deg C), while that of 86Rb was not significantly differenced from different temperature treatments. The effect of transpiration on the uptake of 32P and 86Rb was extremely low. This phenomenon may suggest that the absorption be depending on active uptake rather than passive one by transpiration stream. The total carbohydrate contents of rice root were decreased by shading treatment, resulting significant reduction in the uptake of 32P and 86Rb. The uptake of 86Rb was remarkably increased in the treatment of potassium deletion, but that of 32P was not significantly increased in the delection of phosphorous.

  6. Do Si/As ratios in growth medium affect arsenic uptake, arsenite efflux and translocation of arsenite in rice (Oryza sativa)?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Min; Zhao, Quanli; Xue, Peiying; Zhang, Shijie; Li, Bowen; Liu, Wenju

    2017-10-01

    Silicon (Si) may decrease the uptake and accumulation of arsenic (As) in rice. However, the effects of Si/As ratios in growth medium on arsenic uptake, arsenite efflux to the external medium and translocation of arsenite in rice are currently unclear. Rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.) were exposed to nutrient solutions with 10 μM arsenite [As(III)] or 10 μM arsenate [As(V)] to explore the influence of different silicic acid concentrations (0, 10, 100, 1000 μM) on arsenic uptake and translocation of arsenite with or without 91 μM phosphate for 24 h. Arsenic speciation was determined in nutrient solutions, roots, and shoots. In the arsenite treatments, different Si/As ratios (1:1, 10:1, 100:1) did not affect As(III) uptake by rice roots, however they did inhibit translocation of As(III) from roots to shoots significantly (P rice roots and shoots. A Si/As ratio of 100:1 reduced As(III) translocation from roots to shoots markedly without phosphate. When phosphate was supplied, As(III) translocation from roots to shoots was significantly inhibited by Si/As ratios of 10:1 and 100:1. The results indicated that in the presence of P, different silicic acid concentrations did not impact arsenite uptake and transport in rice when arsenite was supplied. However, a Si/As ratio of 100:1 inhibited As(V) uptake, as well as As(III) efflux and translocation from roots to shoots when arsenate was supplied. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Saponarin activates AMPK in a calcium-dependent manner and suppresses gluconeogenesis and increases glucose uptake via phosphorylation of CRTC2 and HDAC5.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, Woo-Duck; Lee, Ji Hae; Jia, Yaoyao; Wu, Chunyan; Lee, Sung-Joon

    2015-11-15

    This study investigated the molecular mechanism of saponarin, a flavone glucoside, in the regulation of insulin sensitivity. Saponarin suppressed the rate of gluconeogenesis and increased cellular glucose uptake in HepG2 and TE671 cells by regulating AMPK. Using an in vitro kinase assay, we showed that saponarin did not directly interact with the AMPK protein. Instead, saponarin increased intracellular calcium levels and induced AMPK phosphorylation, which was diminished by co-stimulation with STO-609, an inhibitor of CAMKKβ. Transcription of hepatic gluconeogenesis genes was upregulated by nuclear translocation of CRTC2 and HDAC5, coactivators of CREB and FoxO1 transcription factors, respectively. This nuclear translocation was inhibited by increased phosphorylation of CRTC2 and HDAC5 by saponarin-induced AMPK in HepG2 cells and suppression of CREB and FoxO1 transactivation activities in cells stimulated by saponarin. The results from a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay confirmed the reduced binding of CRTC2 on the PEPCK and G6Pase promoters. In TE671 cells, AMPK phosphorylated HDAC5, which suppressed nuclear penetration and upregulated GLUT4 transcription, leading to enhanced glucose uptake. Collectively, these results suggest that saponarin activates AMPK in a calcium-dependent manner, thus regulating gluconeogenesis and glucose uptake. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Root porosity and radial oxygen loss related to arsenic tolerance and uptake in wetland plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, H.; Ye, Z.H.; Wei, Z.J.; Wong, M.H.

    2011-01-01

    The rates of radial oxygen loss (ROL), root porosity, concentrations of arsenic (As), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) in shoot and root tissues and on root surfaces, As tolerances, and their relationships in different wetland plants were investigated based on a hydroponic experiment (control, 0.8, 1.6 mg As L -1 ) and a soil pot trail (control, 60 mg As kg -1 ). The results revealed that wetland plants showed great differences in root porosity (9-64%), rates of ROL (55-1750 mmo1 O 2 kg -1 root d.w. d -1 ), As uptake (e.g., 8.8-151 mg kg -1 in shoots in 0.8 mg As L -1 treatment), translocation factor (2.1-47% in 0.8 mg As L -1 ) and tolerance (29-106% in 0.8 mg As L -1 ). Wetland plants with higher rates of ROL and root porosity tended to form more Fe/Mn plaque, possess higher As tolerance, higher concentrations of As on root surfaces and a lower As translocation factor so decreasing As toxicity. - Research highlights: → There is significant correlation between the porosity of roots and rates of ROL. → The rates of ROL are significantly correlated with tolerance indices and concentrations of As, Fe, Mn on root surface. → The rates of ROL is negatively correlated with As translocation factor. - Wetland plants with high rates of ROL tended to form more Fe plaque on root surfaces and possess higher As tolerance.

  9. Arsenic-phosphorus interactions in the soil-plant-microbe system: Dynamics of uptake, suppression and toxicity to plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anawar, Hossain M; Rengel, Zed; Damon, Paul; Tibbett, Mark

    2018-02-01

    High arsenic (As) concentrations in the soil, water and plant systems can pose a direct health risk to humans and ecosystems. Phosphate (Pi) ions strongly influence As availability in soil, its uptake and toxicity to plants. Better understanding of As(V)-Pi interactions in soils and plants will facilitate a potential remediation strategy for As contaminated soils, reducing As uptake by crop plants and toxicity to human populations via manipulation of soil Pi content. However, the As(V)-Pi interactions in soil-plant systems are complex, leading to contradictory findings among different studies. Therefore, this review investigates the role of soil type, soil properties, minerals, Pi levels in soil and plant, Pi transporters, mycorrhizal association and microbial activities on As-Pi interactions in soils and hydroponics, and uptake by plants, elucidate the key mechanisms, identify key knowledge gaps and recommend new research directions. Although Pi suppresses As uptake by plants in hydroponic systems, in soils it could either increase or decrease As availability and toxicity to plants depending on the soil types, properties and charge characteristics. In soil, As(V) availability is typically increased by the addition of Pi. At the root surface, the Pi transport system has high affinity for Pi over As(V). However, Pi concentration in plant influences the As transport from roots to shoots. Mycorrhizal association may reduce As uptake via a physiological shift to the mycorrhizal uptake pathway, which has a greater affinity for Pi over As(V) than the root epidermal uptake pathway. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Arsenate removal by layered double hydroxides embedded into spherical polymer beads: Batch and column studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nhat Ha, Ho Nguyen; Kim Phuong, Nguyen Thi; Boi An, Tran; Mai Tho, Nguyen Thi; Ngoc Thang, Tran; Quang Minh, Bui; Van Du, Cao

    2016-01-01

    In this study, the performance of poly(layered double hydroxides) [poly(LDHs)] beads as an adsorbent for arsenate removal from aqueous solution was investigated. The poly(LDHs) beads were prepared by immobilizing LDHs into spherical alginate/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-glutaraldehyde beads (spherical polymer beads). Batch adsorption studies were conducted to assess the effect of contact time, solution pH, initial arsenate concentrations and co-existing anions on arsenate removal performance. The potential reuse of these poly(LDHs) beads was also investigated. Approximately 79.1 to 91.2% of arsenic was removed from an arsenate solution (50 mg As L(-1)) by poly(LDHs). The adsorption data were well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetics model and the Langmuir isotherm model, and the adsorption capacities of these poly(LDHs) beads at pH 8 were from 1.64 to 1.73 mg As g(-1), as calculated from the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The adsorption ability of the poly(LDHs) beads decreased by approximately 5-6% after 5 adsorption-desorption cycles. Phosphates markedly decreased arsenate removal. The effect of co-existing anions on the adsorption capacity declined in the following order: HPO4 (2-) > HCO3 (-) > SO4 (2-) > Cl(-). A fixed-bed column study was conducted with real-life arsenic-containing water. The breakthrough time was found to be from 7 to 10 h. Under optimized conditions, the poly(LDHs) removed more than 82% of total arsenic. The results obtained in this study will be useful for further extending the adsorbents to the field scale or for designing pilot plants in future studies. From the viewpoint of environmental friendliness, the poly(LDHs) beads are a potential cost-effective adsorbent for arsenate removal in water treatment.

  11. Adsorption of arsenate on soils. Part 2: Modeling the relationship between adsorption capacity and soil physiochemical properties using 16 Chinese soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang Wei; Zhang, Shuzhen; Shan Xiaoquan; Feng Muhua; Zhu Yongguan; McLaren, Ron G.

    2005-01-01

    An attempt has been made to elucidate the effects of soil properties on arsenate adsorption by modeling the relationships between adsorption capacity and the properties of 16 Chinese soils. The model produced was validated against three Australian and three American soils. The results showed that nearly 93.8% of the variability in arsenate adsorption on the low-energy surface could be described by citrate-dithionite extractable Fe (Fe CD ), clay content, organic matter content (OM) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC); nearly 87.6% of the variability in arsenate adsorption on the high-energy surface could be described by Fe CD , DOC and total arsenic in soils. Fe CD exhibited the most important positive influence on arsenate adsorption. Oxalate extractable Al (Al OX ), citrate-dithionite extractable Al (Al CD ), extractable P and soil pH appeared relatively unimportant for adsorption of arsenate by soils. - Citrate-dithionite extractable Fe has the most important positive influence on arsenate adsorption on soils

  12. Environmental Risks of Nano Zerovalent Iron for Arsenate Remediation: Impacts on Cytosolic Levels of Inorganic Phosphate and MgATP2- in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Weilan; Lo, Irene M C; Hu, Liming; Voon, Chia Pao; Lim, Boon Leong; Versaw, Wayne K

    2018-04-03

    The use of nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) for arsenate (As(V)) remediation has proven effective, but full-scale injection of nZVI into the subsurface has aroused serious concerns for associated environmental risks. This study evaluated the efficacy of nZVI treatment for arsenate remediation and its potential hazards to plants using Arabidopsis thaliana grown in a hydroponic system. Biosensors for inorganic phosphate (Pi) and MgATP 2- were used to monitor in vivo Pi and MgATP 2- levels in plant cells. The results showed that nZVI could remove As(V) from growth media, decrease As uptake by plants, and mitigate As(V) toxicity to plants. However, excess nZVI could cause Pi starvation in plants leading to detrimental effects on plant growth. Due to the competitive adsorption of As(V) and Pi on nZVI, removing As(V) via nZVI treatment at an upstream site could relieve downstream plants from As(V) toxicity and Pi deprivation, in which case 100 mg/L of nZVI was the optimal dosage for remediation of As(V) at a concentration around 16.13 mg/L.

  13. Exogenous proline enhances the sensitivity of Tobacco BY-2 cells to arsenate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nahar, Mst Nur-E-Nazmun; Islam, Mohammad Muzahidul; Hoque, Md Anamul; Yonezawa, Anna; Prodhan, Md Yeasin; Nakamura, Toshiyuki; Nakamura, Yoshimasa; Munemasa, Shintaro; Murata, Yoshiyuki

    2017-09-01

    Arsenic causes physiological and structural disorders in plants. Proline is accumulated as a compatible solute in plants under various stress conditions and mitigates stresses. Here, we investigated the effects of exogenous proline on tobacco Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) cultured cells under [Formula: see text] stress. Arsenate did not inhibit BY-2 cell growth at 40 and 50 μM but did it at 60 μM. Proline at 0.5 to 10 mM did not affect the cell growth but delayed it at 20 mM. At 40 μM [Formula: see text], neither 0.5 mM nor 1 mM proline affected the cell growth but 10 mM proline inhibited it. In the presence of [Formula: see text], 10 mM proline increased the number of Evans Blue-stained (dead) cells and decreased the number of total cells. Together, our results suggest that exogenous proline does not alleviate arsenate toxicity but enhances the sensitivity of BY-2 cells to arsenate.

  14. Sodium meta-arsenate for pH-metric determination of rare earth elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prasad, S [Paraiba Univ. (Brazil). Centro de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Dept. de Engenharia Quimica

    1981-01-01

    An accurate and rapid electrometric method for the determination of praseodymium and thorium as their meta-arsenates has been investigated. It consists in titrating praseodymium chloride and thorium nitrate solutions pH-metrically against a standard solution of sodium meta-arsenate, using a wide range glass electrode in conjunction with S.C.E. A marked change in pH is observed at the end-point corresponding to the precipitation of Pr(AsO/sub 3/)/sub 3/ and Th/sub 3/(AsO/sub 3/)/sub 4/ in the neighbourhood of pH 4.8 and 4.2, respectively. The curves have a regular form and a pronounced maximum in dpH/dV occurs at the end-point. The accuracy and reproducibility of the results have been found to be excellent even at low concentrations (5x10sup(-4)M) of the reactants. pH titration offers a simple, rapid and accurate method for the determination of praseodymium and thorium as their meta-arsenates. Similar titrations were also performed for estimation of samarium but they failed to provide any dependable results.

  15. Root porosity and radial oxygen loss related to arsenic tolerance and uptake in wetland plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, H. [State Key Laboratory for Bio-control, and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, and Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong (Hong Kong); Ye, Z.H., E-mail: lssyzhh@mail.sysu.edu.c [State Key Laboratory for Bio-control, and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Wei, Z.J. [School of Information and Technology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Wong, M.H., E-mail: mhwong@hkbu.edu.h [Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, and Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong (Hong Kong)

    2011-01-15

    The rates of radial oxygen loss (ROL), root porosity, concentrations of arsenic (As), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) in shoot and root tissues and on root surfaces, As tolerances, and their relationships in different wetland plants were investigated based on a hydroponic experiment (control, 0.8, 1.6 mg As L{sup -1}) and a soil pot trail (control, 60 mg As kg{sup -1}). The results revealed that wetland plants showed great differences in root porosity (9-64%), rates of ROL (55-1750 mmo1 O{sub 2} kg{sup -1} root d.w. d{sup -1}), As uptake (e.g., 8.8-151 mg kg{sup -1} in shoots in 0.8 mg As L{sup -1} treatment), translocation factor (2.1-47% in 0.8 mg As L{sup -1}) and tolerance (29-106% in 0.8 mg As L{sup -1}). Wetland plants with higher rates of ROL and root porosity tended to form more Fe/Mn plaque, possess higher As tolerance, higher concentrations of As on root surfaces and a lower As translocation factor so decreasing As toxicity. - Research highlights: There is significant correlation between the porosity of roots and rates of ROL. The rates of ROL are significantly correlated with tolerance indices and concentrations of As, Fe, Mn on root surface. The rates of ROL is negatively correlated with As translocation factor. - Wetland plants with high rates of ROL tended to form more Fe plaque on root surfaces and possess higher As tolerance.

  16. Equilibriums of sorption of impurities of 3 d - cations by inorganic sorbents from phosphate and arsenate solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filatova, L.N.; Kurdyumova, T.N.; Bagrov, V.M.; Blyum, G.Z.

    1986-01-01

    Present article is devoted to equilibriums of sorption of impurities of 3 d - cations by inorganic sorbents from phosphate and arsenate solutions. Equilibriums of sorption of microquantities of iron, scandium, zink, copper, cobalt and manganese by inorganic sorbents on the basis of titanium and aluminium oxides from phosphate and arsenate solutions are studied. The influence of structural and chemical properties of matrix on sorption properties of oxides in phosphate and arsenate solutions is studied as well. It is defined that in concentrated solutions the sorption value of trace contaminant depends on a character of cation of alkaline metal.

  17. Sorption and desorption of arsenate and arsenite on calcite

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sø, Helle Ugilt; Postma, Diederik Jan; Jakobsen, Rasmus

    2008-01-01

    The adsorption and desorption of arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(111)) oil calcite was investigated in a series of batch experiments in calcite-equilibrated solutions. The solutions covered a broad range of pH, alkalinity, calcium concentration and ionic strength. The initial arsenic...

  18. Solution structure of an arsenate reductase-related protein, YffB, from Brucella melitensis, the etiological agent responsible for brucellosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buchko, Garry W.; Hewitt, Stephen N.; Napuli, Alberto J.; Van Voorhis, Wesley C.; Myler, Peter J.

    2011-01-01

    B. melitensis is a NIAID Category B microorganism that is responsible for brucellosis and is a potential agent for biological warfare. Here, the solution structure of the 116-residue arsenate reductase-related protein Bm-YffB (BR0369) from this organism is reported. Brucella melitensis is the etiological agent responsible for brucellosis. Present in the B. melitensis genome is a 116-residue protein related to arsenate reductases (Bm-YffB; BR0369). Arsenate reductases (ArsC) convert arsenate ion (H 2 AsO 4 − ), a compound that is toxic to bacteria, to arsenite ion (AsO 2 − ), a product that may be efficiently exported out of the cell. Consequently, Bm-YffB is a potential drug target because if arsenate reduction is the protein’s major biological function then disabling the cell’s ability to reduce arsenate would make these cells more sensitive to the deleterious effects of arsenate. Size-exclusion chromatography and NMR spectroscopy indicate that Bm-YffB is a monomer in solution. The solution structure of Bm-YffB shows that the protein consists of two domains: a four-stranded mixed β-sheet flanked by two α-helices on one side and an α-helical bundle. The α/β domain is characteristic of the fold of thioredoxin-like proteins and the overall structure is generally similar to those of known arsenate reductases despite the marginal sequence similarity. Chemical shift perturbation studies with 15 N-labeled Bm-YffB show that the protein binds reduced glutathione at a site adjacent to a region similar to the HX 3 CX 3 R catalytic sequence motif that is important for arsenic detoxification activity in the classical arsenate-reductase family of proteins. The latter observation supports the hypothesis that the ArsC-YffB family of proteins may function as glutathione-dependent thiol reductases. However, comparison of the structure of Bm-YffB with the structures of proteins from the classical ArsC family suggest that the mechanism and possibly the function of Bm

  19. Arsenite-oxidizing and arsenate-reducing bacteria associated with arsenic-rich groundwater in Taiwan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Vivian Hsiu-Chuan; Chu, Yu-Ju; Su, Yu-Chen; Hsiao, Sung-Yun; Wei, Chia-Cheng; Liu, Chen-Wuing; Liao, Chung-Min; Shen, Wei-Chiang; Chang, Fi-John

    2011-04-01

    Drinking highly arsenic-contaminated groundwater is a likely cause of blackfoot disease in Taiwan, but microorganisms that potentially control arsenic mobility in the subsurface remain unstudied. The objective of this study was to investigate the relevant arsenite-oxidizing and arsenate-reducing microbial community that exists in highly arsenic-contaminated groundwater in Taiwan. We cultured and identified arsenic-transforming bacteria, analyzed arsenic resistance and transformation, and determined the presence of genetic markers for arsenic transformation. In total, 11 arsenic-transforming bacterial strains with different colony morphologies and varying arsenic transformation abilities were isolated, including 10 facultative anaerobic arsenate-reducing bacteria and one strictly aerobic arsenite-oxidizing bacterium. All of the isolates exhibited high levels of arsenic resistance with minimum inhibitory concentrations of arsenic ranging from 2 to 200 mM. Strain AR-11 was able to rapidly oxidize arsenite to arsenate at concentrations relevant to environmental groundwater samples without the addition of any electron donors or acceptors. We provide evidence that arsenic-reduction activity may be conferred by the ars operon(s) that were not amplified by the designed primers currently in use. The 16S rRNA sequence analysis grouped the isolates into the following genera: Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Psychrobacter, Vibrio, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, and Bosea. Among these genera, we present the first report of the genus Psychrobacter being involved in arsenic reduction. Our results further support the hypothesis that bacteria capable of either oxidizing arsenite or reducing arsenate coexist and are ubiquitous in arsenic-contaminated groundwater.

  20. Potential Remobilization of Toxic Anions during Reduction of Arsenated and Chromated Schwertmannite by the Dissimilatory Fe(III)-Reducing Bacterium Acidiphilium cryptum JF-5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Regenspurg, Simona; Goessner, Anita; Peiffer, Stefan; Kuesel, Kirsten

    2002-01-01

    Schwertmannite, an iron(III)-oxyhydroxysulfate formed in acidic mining-impacted stream or lake waters often contaminated with toxic elements like arsenate or chromate, is able to incorporate high amounts of these oxyanions. Detoxification of the water might be achieved if precipitated arsenated or chromated schwertmannite is fixed in the sediment. However, under reduced conditions, reductive dissolution of iron oxides mediated by the activity of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria might mobilize arsenate and chromate again. In this study, the reduction of synthesized arsenated or chromated schwertmannite by the acidophilic Fe(III)-reducer Acidiphilium cryptum JF-5, isolated from an acidic mining-impacted sediment, was investigated. In TSB medium at pH 2.7 with glucose as electron donor, A. cryptum JF-5 reduced about 10% of the total Fe(III) present in pure synthetic schwertmannite but only 5% of Fe(III) present in arsenated schwertmannite. In contrast to sulfate that was released during the reductive dissolution of pure schwertmannite, arsenate was not released during the reduction of arsenated schwertmannite probably due to the high surface complexation constant of arsenate and Fe(III). In medium containing chromated schwertmannite, no Fe(II) was formed, and no glucose was consumed indicating that chromate might have been toxic to cells of A. cryptum JF-5. Both As(V) or Cr(VI) could not be utilized as electron acceptor by A. cryptum JF-5. A comparison between autoclaved (121 o C for 20 min) and non-autoclaved schwertmannite samples demonstrated that nearly 100%of the bound sulfate was released during heating, and FTIR spectra indicated a transformation of schwertmannite to goethite. This structural change was not observed with autoclaved arsenated or chromated schwertmannite. These results suggest that the mobility of arsenate and chromate is not enhanced by the activity of acidophilic Fe(III)-reducing bacteria in mining-impacted sediments. In contrast, the presence of

  1. Arsenate Removal: Comparison of FSM-16 with Low Cost Modified Rice Husk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daifullah, A.A.M.

    2004-01-01

    The recently discovered meso porous molecular sieve FSM-16 was tested as an absorbent for arsenic (V) sorption from aqueous solutions. Its adsorption behavior was evaluated and compared with a low cost sorbent prepared from available agroresidue, rice husk, (boiled with 5% KOH followed by 10 % HCl). Factors affecting sorption of arsenate ions by the two sorbents (e.g., porosity, surface area of the sorbent, equilibrium time, adsorption rate, ph and temperature) were studied using ICP-MS for analysis. The data of adsorption of the two systems were described according to the S-Langmuir type according to the initial slope. The monolayer coverage was 92 and 68 mg/g for FSM-16 and modified rice husk (MRH),respectively, due to the silica content of the former is higher than the latter. The thermodynamic parameters were evaluated and indicated that this adsorption is endothermic process.It was found that the adsorptive capacity for arsenate using MRH represents 75% of that FSM-16. Therefore, the MRH is useful in the removal of arsenate ions due to its low cost, availability, and its good efficiency in this application and no need to be regenerated

  2. Selective uptake measurements of thyroid nodules with 132I before and after pituitary suppression with T4 and T3, comparison with the TRH assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eitenmueller, K.

    1977-01-01

    75 patients with suspected hormone-producing autonomous adenoma were examined by the extended TRH assay (BTSH determination, TSH rise 30 min. p.i., and T3 rise 120 min. p.i. 400 μg TRH i.v.) and selective uptake measurements of three different areas of the thyroid using 132 I. The TRH stimulation test alone or the 132 I uptake test alone before and after suppression do not give a clear diagnosis. A clear differentiation of thyroid diseases is only possible if both tests are applied and their results combined. For a differential diagnosis of nodular hyperthyroidism resp. autonomous adenoma, also the TSH stimulation test is necessary in addition to the combination of TRH test and suppression test. (orig./AJ) [de

  3. Phosphate and arsenate removal efficiency by thermostable ferritin enzyme from Pyrococcus furiosus using radioisotopes

    KAUST Repository

    Sevcenco, Ana-Maria

    2015-03-13

    Oxo-anion binding properties of the thermostable enzyme ferritin from Pyrococcus furiosus were characterized with radiography. Radioisotopes 32P and 76As present as oxoanions were used to measure the extent and the rate of their absorption by the ferritin. Thermostable ferritin proved to be an excellent system for rapid phosphate and arsenate removal from aqueous solutions down to residual concentrations at the picomolar level. These very low concentrations make thermostable ferritin a potential tool to considerably mitigate industrial biofouling by phosphate limitation or to remove arsenate from drinking water.

  4. Differential Pair Distribution Function Study of the Structure of Arsenate Adsorbed on Nanocrystalline [gamma]-Alumina

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Wei; Harrington, Richard; Tang, Yuanzhi; Kubicki, James D.; Aryanpour, Masoud; Reeder, Richard J.; Parise, John B.; Phillips, Brian L. (SBU); (Penn)

    2012-03-15

    Structural information is important for understanding surface adsorption mechanisms of contaminants on metal (hydr)oxides. In this work, a novel technique was employed to study the interfacial structure of arsenate oxyanions adsorbed on {gamma}-alumina nanoparticles, namely, differential pair distribution function (d-PDF) analysis of synchrotron X-ray total scattering. The d-PDF is the difference of properly normalized PDFs obtained for samples with and without arsenate adsorbed, otherwise identically prepared. The real space pattern contains information on atomic pair correlations between adsorbed arsenate and the atoms on {gamma}-alumina surface (Al, O, etc.). PDF results on the arsenate adsorption sample on {gamma}-alumina prepared at 1 mM As concentration and pH 5 revealed two peaks at 1.66 {angstrom} and 3.09 {angstrom}, corresponding to As-O and As-Al atomic pair correlations. This observation is consistent with those measured by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, which suggests a first shell of As-O at 1.69 {+-} 0.01 {angstrom} with a coordination number of 4 and a second shell of As-Al at 3.13 {+-} 0.04 {angstrom} with a coordination number of 2. These results are in agreement with a bidentate binuclear coordination environment to the octahedral Al of {gamma}-alumina as predicted by density functional theory (DFT) calculation.

  5. Differential pair distribution function study of the structure of arsenate adsorbed on nanocrystalline γ-alumina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wei; Harrington, Richard; Tang, Yuanzhi; Kubicki, James D; Aryanpour, Masoud; Reeder, Richard J; Parise, John B; Phillips, Brian L

    2011-11-15

    Structural information is important for understanding surface adsorption mechanisms of contaminants on metal (hydr)oxides. In this work, a novel technique was employed to study the interfacial structure of arsenate oxyanions adsorbed on γ-alumina nanoparticles, namely, differential pair distribution function (d-PDF) analysis of synchrotron X-ray total scattering. The d-PDF is the difference of properly normalized PDFs obtained for samples with and without arsenate adsorbed, otherwise identically prepared. The real space pattern contains information on atomic pair correlations between adsorbed arsenate and the atoms on γ-alumina surface (Al, O, etc.). PDF results on the arsenate adsorption sample on γ-alumina prepared at 1 mM As concentration and pH 5 revealed two peaks at 1.66 Å and 3.09 Å, corresponding to As-O and As-Al atomic pair correlations. This observation is consistent with those measured by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, which suggests a first shell of As-O at 1.69 ± 0.01 Å with a coordination number of ~4 and a second shell of As-Al at ~3.13 ± 0.04 Å with a coordination number of ~2. These results are in agreement with a bidentate binuclear coordination environment to the octahedral Al of γ-alumina as predicted by density functional theory (DFT) calculation.

  6. Aquaporins and root water uptake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Water is one of the most critical resources limiting plant growth and crop productivity, and root water uptake is an important aspect of plant physiology governing plant water use and stress tolerance. Pathways of root water uptake are complex and are affected by root structure and physiological res...

  7. Facile synthesis of size-tunable gold nanoparticles by pomegranate (Punica granatum) leaf extract: Applications in arsenate sensing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rao, Ashit; Mahajan, Ketakee; Bankar, Ashok [Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, University of Pune, Pune 411007 (India); Srikanth, Rapole [Proteomics Laboratory, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune 411007 (India); Kumar, Ameeta Ravi [Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, University of Pune, Pune 411007 (India); Gosavi, Suresh, E-mail: swg@physics.unipune.ac.in [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411007 (India); Centre for Sensor Studies, University of Pune, Pune 411007 (India); Zinjarde, Smita, E-mail: smita@unipune.ac.in [Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, University of Pune, Pune 411007 (India); Centre for Sensor Studies, University of Pune, Pune 411007 (India)

    2013-03-15

    Highlights: ► Pomegranate leaf extracts mediated rapid gold nanoparticle (AuNP) synthesis. ► The phyto-inspired AuNPs were size-tuned and characterized. ► The reducing and capping agents in the extract were identified. ► The nanoparticles reacted specifically with arsenate (V) ions. - Abstract: When pomegranate leaf extracts were incubated with chloroauric acid (HAuCl{sub 4}), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized. These were characterized by a variety of techniques. With an increasing content of the leaf extract, a gradual decrease in size and an increase in monodispersity were observed. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed that the phyto-fabricated AuNPs were surrounded by an amorphous layer. Gallic acid in the extract mediated the reduction and a natural decapeptide capped the nanostructures. Blocking of thiol groups in the decapeptide cysteine residues caused the nanoparticles to aggregate. On interaction with arsenate (V) ions, the UV–vis spectra of the nanoparticles showed a decrease in intensity and a red-shift. Energy dispersive spectra confirmed the presence of arsenate associated with the AuNPs. Thus, by using these AuNPs, a method for sensing the toxic arsenate ions could be developed.

  8. Facile synthesis of size-tunable gold nanoparticles by pomegranate (Punica granatum) leaf extract: Applications in arsenate sensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao, Ashit; Mahajan, Ketakee; Bankar, Ashok; Srikanth, Rapole; Kumar, Ameeta Ravi; Gosavi, Suresh; Zinjarde, Smita

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Pomegranate leaf extracts mediated rapid gold nanoparticle (AuNP) synthesis. ► The phyto-inspired AuNPs were size-tuned and characterized. ► The reducing and capping agents in the extract were identified. ► The nanoparticles reacted specifically with arsenate (V) ions. - Abstract: When pomegranate leaf extracts were incubated with chloroauric acid (HAuCl 4 ), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized. These were characterized by a variety of techniques. With an increasing content of the leaf extract, a gradual decrease in size and an increase in monodispersity were observed. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed that the phyto-fabricated AuNPs were surrounded by an amorphous layer. Gallic acid in the extract mediated the reduction and a natural decapeptide capped the nanostructures. Blocking of thiol groups in the decapeptide cysteine residues caused the nanoparticles to aggregate. On interaction with arsenate (V) ions, the UV–vis spectra of the nanoparticles showed a decrease in intensity and a red-shift. Energy dispersive spectra confirmed the presence of arsenate associated with the AuNPs. Thus, by using these AuNPs, a method for sensing the toxic arsenate ions could be developed

  9. Kinetics and thermodynamic for sorption of arsenate by Lanthanum-exchanged zeolite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Jelas Haron; Saiful Adli Masdan; Mohd Zobir Hussein; Zulkarnain Zainal; Anuar Kassim

    2007-01-01

    Zeolites are crystalline, hydrated aluminosilicate containing exchangeable alkaline and alkaline earth cations in their structural frameworks. Since zeolites have permanent negative charges on their surfaces, they have no affinity for anions. However recent studies have shown that modification of zeolites with certain surfactants or metal cations yield sorbents with a strong affinity for many anions. In this paper, modification of zeolites (zeolite A, X and ZSM5) were performed by exchange of naturally occurring cations with lanthanum ion that forms low solubility arsenate salt. The exchanged zeolites were used to sorb arsenate from aqueous solution. Among parameters investigated were effect of pH, arsenate initial concentrations, contact time and temperature. The maximum exchanged capacity of La (III) ion was obtained when using solution with initial pH of 4. Zeolite X gives the highest La (III) exchanged capacity compared to other zeolites. The results showed that As (V) sorption by La-zeolites occurred at about pH 6.5 and increased as pH increased and reaching maximum at equilibrium pH about 7.8. On the other hand, almost no arsenate sorption occurred on un exchanged zeolites. This indicates that La (III) ion on the exchanged zeolites is taking part on the As(V) sorption via surface precipitation. The results also showed that the sorption capacities increased with increasing initial As (V) concentrations. The sorption followed Langmuir model with maximum sorption capacities of 0.41, 0.21 and 0.19 mmol/g at 25 degree Celsius for La exchanged zeolite X (La-ZX), La exchanged zeolite ZSM5 (La-ZSM) and La exchanged zeolite A (La-ZA), respectively. The amounts of sorption of As (V) by La exchanged zeolite increased as temperature increased from 25 to 70 degree Celsius indicating that the process is endothermic. The free energy changes ( ΔG degree) for the sorption at 25 degree Celsius were -10.25, -9.65 and -8.49 kJ/ mol for La-ZX, La-ZSM and La-ZA, respectively. The

  10. Cinnamon Extract Enhances Glucose Uptake in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and C2C12 Myocytes by Inducing LKB1-AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Yan; Honma, Natsumi; Kobayashi, Katsuya; Jia, Liu Nan; Hosono, Takashi; Shindo, Kazutoshi; Ariga, Toyohiko; Seki, Taiichiro

    2014-01-01

    We previously demonstrated that cinnamon extract (CE) ameliorates type 1 diabetes induced by streptozotocin in rats through the up-regulation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) translocation in both muscle and adipose tissues. This present study was aimed at clarifying the detailed mechanism(s) with which CE increases the glucose uptake in vivo and in cell culture systems using 3T3-L1 adipocytes and C2C12 myotubes in vitro. Specific inhibitors of key enzymes in insulin signaling and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathways, as well as small interference RNA, were used to examine the role of these kinases in the CE-induced glucose uptake. The results showed that CE stimulated the phosphorylation of AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase. An AMPK inhibitor and LKB1 siRNA blocked the CE-induced glucose uptake. We also found for the first time that insulin suppressed AMPK activation in the adipocyte. To investigate the effect of CE on type 2 diabetes in vivo, we further performed oral glucose tolerance tests and insulin tolerance tests in type 2 diabetes model rats administered with CE. The CE improved glucose tolerance in oral glucose tolerance tests, but not insulin sensitivity in insulin tolerance test. In summary, these results indicate that CE ameliorates type 2 diabetes by inducing GLUT4 translocation via the AMPK signaling pathway. We also found insulin antagonistically regulates the activation of AMPK. PMID:24551069

  11. Effectiveness of Iron Filings in Arsenate and Arsenite Removal from Drinking Water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    AliReza Asgari

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Groundwater contamination with arsenic (As has been recognized as a serious problem and there are various reports from different regions, especially from Kurdistan Providence, indicating the presence of As in the from of arsenate and arsenite in water recourses. Removal of these compounds can be accomplished by various methods but they are all expensive. In this study, three concentrations (0.5, 1, and 1 mg/L of iron filings (0.25, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 grams were used as a cheap and available material for adsorption of As and the effects of contact time and pH as well as chloride and sulfate ion concentrations on removal efficiency were determined. Description of adsorption isotherms (Ferundlich and Langmuir was accomplished. Finally, the data obtained were analyzed using the Excel softwere. The results indicate that iron filings show a high capability in adsorbing both arsenate and arsenic compounds from polluted water samples at pH 7 over a short contact time of 30 minutes. In fact, this cheap adsorbent shows good treatment when used at doses as low as 1g/L with no considerable interference by interfering anions (SO42- and Cl-. It appears that the absorbability of both arsenate and arsenite by iron filings can be expressed by Ferundlich isotherm with R2>0.96, whereas arsenate adsorption (with a R2 value of more than 0.96 can be better described by Langmuir isotherm than arsenite (with R2 value of more than 0.91. Results also indicate that the amount of iron added to water is much more than the standard value of 0.3mg/L set for dinking water. Nevertheless, this method has far greater advantages in terms of costs and availability than similar methods. Besides, as removal by this method is efficient without pH modification, iron filing treatment of drinking water may, therefore, be recomnended as a convenient solution to the problem of water resources polluted with As in Iran.

  12. Differential expression of genes encoding phosphate transporters contributes to arsenic accumulation in shrub willow (Salix spp.)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emily E. Puckett; Michelle J. Serpiglia; Alyssa M. DeLeon; Stephanie Long; Rakesh Minocha; Lawrence B. Smart

    2012-01-01

    Studies of arsenate and phosphate uptake by plants in hydroponic and soil systems indicate a common transport mechanism via the phosphate transporters (PHTs) due to structural similarity of the anions. Typically, the presence of phosphate decreases plant uptake and translocation of arsenate in hydroponic solution. This study quantified arsenic (As) uptake related to...

  13. Murine remote preconditioning increases glucose uptake and suppresses gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes via a brain-liver neurocircuit, leading to counteracting glucose intolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurabayashi, Atsushi; Tanaka, Chiharu; Matsumoto, Waka; Naganuma, Seiji; Furihata, Mutsuo; Inoue, Keiji; Kakinuma, Yoshihiko

    2018-05-01

    Our previous study revealed that cyclic hindlimb ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) activates cardiac acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis through the cholinergic nervous system and cell-derived ACh accelerates glucose uptake. However, the mechanisms regulating glucose metabolism in vivo remain unknown. We investigated the effects and mechanisms of IR in mice under pathophysiological conditions. Using IR-subjected male C57BL/6J mice, the effects of IR on blood sugar (BS), glucose uptake, central parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity, hepatic gluconeogenic enzyme expression and those of ACh on hepatocellular glucose uptake were assessed. IR decreased BS levels by 20% and increased c-fos immunoreactivity in the center of the PNS (the solitary tract and the dorsal motor vagal nucleus). IR specifically downregulated hepatic gluconeogenic enzyme expression and activities (glucose-6-phosphatase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) and accelerated hepatic glucose uptake. Transection of a hepatic vagus nerve branch decreased this uptake and reversed BS decrease. Suppressed gluconeogenic enzyme expression was reversed by intra-cerebroventricular administration of a choline acetyltransferase inhibitor. Moreover, IR significantly attenuated hyperglycaemia in murine model of type I and II diabetes mellitus. IR provides another insight into a therapeutic modality for diabetes mellitus due to regulating gluconeogenesis and glucose-uptake and advocates an adjunctive mode rectifying disturbed glucose metabolism. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Soil organic matter reduces the sorption of arsenate and phosphate

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verbeeck, M.; Hiemstra, T.; Thiry, Y.; Smolders, E.

    2017-01-01

    The arsenate (AsO4) and phosphate (PO4) mobility in aerobic soil is affected by soil organic matter (OM). This study was set up to quantify the interaction between OM and AsO4 with an observational, experimental and computational approach. The adsorption of

  15. Hypoxia Tolerance and Metabolic Suppression in Oxygen Minimum Zone Euphausiids: Implications for Ocean Deoxygenation and Biogeochemical Cycles

    KAUST Repository

    Seibel, Brad A.

    2016-08-10

    The effects of regional variations in oxygen and temperature levels with depth were assessed for the metabolism and hypoxia tolerance of dominant euphausiid species. The physiological strategies employed by these species facilitate prediction of changing vertical distributions with expanding oxygen minimum zones and inform estimates of the contribution of vertically migrating species to biogeochemical cycles. The migrating species from the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), Euphausia eximia and Nematoscelis gracilis, tolerate a Partial Pressure (PO2) of 0.8 kPa at 10 °C (∼15 µM O2) for at least 12 h without mortality, while the California Current species, Nematoscelis difficilis, is incapable of surviving even 2.4 kPa PO2 (∼32 µM O2) for more than 3 h at that temperature. Euphausia diomedeae from the Red Sea migrates into an intermediate oxygen minimum zone, but one in which the temperature at depth remains near 22 °C. Euphausia diomedeae survived 1.6 kPa PO2 (∼22 µM O2) at 22 °C for the duration of six hour respiration experiments. Critical oxygen partial pressures were estimated for each species, and, for E. eximia, measured via oxygen consumption (2.1 kPa, 10 °C, n = 2) and lactate accumulation (1.1 kPa, 10 °C). A primary mechanism facilitating low oxygen tolerance is an ability to dramatically reduce energy expenditure during daytime forays into low oxygen waters. The ETP and Red Sea species reduced aerobic metabolism by more than 50% during exposure to hypoxia. Anaerobic glycolytic energy production, as indicated by whole-animal lactate accumulation, contributed only modestly to the energy deficit. Thus, the total metabolic rate was suppressed by ∼49–64%. Metabolic suppression during diel migrations to depth reduces the metabolic contribution of these species to vertical carbon and nitrogen flux (i.e., the biological pump) by an equivalent amount. Growing evidence suggests that metabolic suppression is a widespread strategy among migrating

  16. Goethite surface reactivity: III. Unifying arsenate adsorption behavior through a variable crystal face - Site density model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salazar-Camacho, Carlos; Villalobos, Mario

    2010-04-01

    We developed a model that describes quantitatively the arsenate adsorption behavior for any goethite preparation as a function of pH and ionic strength, by using one basic surface arsenate stoichiometry, with two affinity constants. The model combines a face distribution-crystallographic site density model for goethite with tenets of the Triple Layer and CD-MUSIC surface complexation models, and is self-consistent with its adsorption behavior towards protons, electrolytes, and other ions investigated previously. Five different systems of published arsenate adsorption data were used to calibrate the model spanning a wide range of chemical conditions, which included adsorption isotherms at different pH values, and adsorption pH-edges at different As(V) loadings, both at different ionic strengths and background electrolytes. Four additional goethite-arsenate systems reported with limited characterization and adsorption data were accurately described by the model developed. The adsorption reaction proposed is: lbond2 FeOH +lbond2 SOH +AsO43-+H→lbond2 FeOAsO3[2-]…SOH+HO where lbond2 SOH is an adjacent surface site to lbond2 FeOH; with log K = 21.6 ± 0.7 when lbond2 SOH is another lbond2 FeOH, and log K = 18.75 ± 0.9, when lbond2 SOH is lbond2 Fe 2OH. An additional small contribution of a protonated complex was required to describe data at low pH and very high arsenate loadings. The model considered goethites above 80 m 2/g as ideally composed of 70% face (1 0 1) and 30% face (0 0 1), resulting in a site density for lbond2 FeOH and for lbond2 Fe 3OH of 3.125/nm 2 each. Below 80 m 2/g surface capacity increases progressively with decreasing area, which was modeled by considering a progressively increasing proportion of faces (0 1 0)/(1 0 1), because face (0 1 0) shows a much higher site density of lbond2 FeOH groups. Computation of the specific proportion of faces, and thus of the site densities for the three types of crystallographic surface groups present in

  17. A Novel EPO Receptor Agonist Improves Glucose Tolerance via Glucose Uptake in Skeletal Muscle in a Mouse Model of Diabetes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael S. Scully

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Patients treated with recombinant human Epo demonstrate an improvement in insulin sensitivity. We aimed to investigate whether CNTO 530, a novel Epo receptor agonist, could affect glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. A single administration of CNTO 530 significantly and dose-dependently reduced the area under the curve in a glucose tolerance test in diet-induced obese and diabetic mice after 14, 21, and 28 days. HOMA analysis suggested an improvement in insulin sensitivity, and this effect was confirmed by a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Uptake of 14C-2-deoxy-D-glucose indicated that animals dosed with CNTO 530 transported more glucose into skeletal muscle and heart relative to control animals. In conclusion, CNTO530 has a profound effect on glucose tolerance in insulin-resistant rodents likely because of improving peripheral insulin sensitivity. This effect was observed with epoetin-α and darbepoetin-α, suggesting this is a class effect, but the effect with these compounds relative to CNTO530 was decreased in duration and magnitude.

  18. Neutralization of arsenic pollutants, contained in natural waters: The theoretical analysis of solubility of some arsenates and optimization of the processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta Litynska

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic belongs to chemical elements, which are often found in natural waters and make it unsuitable for consumption without special treatment. Neutralization of arsenic pollutants of natural waters by converting them into insoluble form is one of the perspective methods of dearsenication. Precipitation (by iron or aluminium coagulants, lime and adsorption (by oxides and hydroxides of iron, aluminium or manganese are among the most popular dearsenication methods. The use of these chemicals entails the formation of poorly soluble arsenates. Since the possibility of the release of arsenic compounds into the water due to the dissolution of formed arsenates depends on its solubility under appropriate conditions, it is necessary to have information about the dependence of arsenates solubility on pH. According to the calculations the solubilities of arsenates of iron(III, aluminium, manganese(II and calcium are highly dependent on pH. At pH

  19. Infectious Tolerance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jonuleit, Helmut; Schmitt, Edgar; Kakirman, Hacer; Stassen, Michael; Knop, Jürgen; Enk, Alexander H.

    2002-01-01

    Regulatory CD4+CD25+ T cells (Treg) are mandatory for maintaining immunologic self-tolerance. We demonstrate that the cell-cell contact–mediated suppression of conventional CD4+ T cells by human CD25+ Treg cells is fixation resistant, independent from membrane-bound TGF-β but requires activation and protein synthesis of CD25+ Treg cells. Coactivation of CD25+ Treg cells with Treg cell–depleted CD4+ T cells results in anergized CD4+ T cells that in turn inhibit the activation of conventional, freshly isolated CD4+ T helper (Th) cells. This infectious suppressive activity, transferred from CD25+ Treg cells via cell contact, is cell contact–independent and partially mediated by soluble transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. The induction of suppressive properties in conventional CD4+ Th cells represents a mechanism underlying the phenomenon of infectious tolerance. This explains previously published conflicting data on the role of TGF-β in CD25+ Treg cell–induced immunosuppression. PMID:12119350

  20. Arsenate biotransformation by Microcystis aeruginosa under different nitrogen and phosphorus levels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Che, Feifei; Du, Miaomiao; Yan, Changzhou

    2018-04-01

    The arsenate (As(V)) biotransformation by Microcystis aeruginosa in a medium with different concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) has been studied under laboratory conditions. When 15μg/L As(V) was added, N and P in the medium showed effective regulation on arsenic (As) metabolism in M. aeruginosa, resulting in significant differences in the algal growth among different N and P treatments. Under 0.2mg/L P treatment, increases in N concentration (4-20mg/L) significantly stimulated the cell growth and therefore indirectly enhanced the production of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), the main As metabolite, accounting for 71%-79% of the total As in the medium. Meanwhile, 10-20mg/L N treatments accelerated the ability of As metabolization by M. aeruginosa, leading to higher contents of DMA per cell. However, As(V) uptake by M. aeruginosa was significantly impeded by 0.5-1.0mg/L P treatment, resulting in smaller rates of As transformation in M. aeruginosa as well as lower contents of As metabolites in the medium. Our data demonstrated that As(V) transformation by M. aeruginosa was significantly accelerated by increasing N levels, while it was inhibited by increasing P levels. Overall, both P and N play key roles in As(V) biotransformation processes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Oral tolerance induction with altered forms of ovalbumin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stransky B.

    1998-01-01

    Full Text Available As a T cell-dependent phenomenon, oral tolerance is not expected to depend necessarily on native configuration of antigens. We investigated the induction of oral tolerance with modified ovalbumin (Ova. Oral administration of heat-denatured (HD-Ova and cyanogen bromide-degraded ovalbumin was less effective than native Ova in inducing oral tolerance in B6D2F1 mice. HD-Ova was effective in suppressing delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH reactions but did not suppress specific antibody formation. Injection of Ova directly into the stomach, but not into the ileum or cecum, suppressed subsequent immunization to DTH reactions. Gavage with protease inhibitors (aprotinin or ovomucoid before gavage with Ova was ineffective in blocking tolerance induction. Treatment with hydroxyurea to destroy cycling cells 24 h before gavage with Ova blocked oral tolerance induction and also the possibility to passively transfer tolerance to naive recipients with the serum of mice gavaged with Ova 1 h before. The implications of these findings about oral tolerance induction are discussed

  2. Oxalic acid as an assisting agent for the electrodialytic remediation of chromated copper arsenate treated timber waste

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ribeiro, Alexandra B.; Mateus, Eduardo P.; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.

    1999-01-01

    The electrodialytic process is proposed as a technique for the remediation of chromated copper arsenate treated timber waste, using oxalic acid as assisting agent. The method prowed succesfull 93% Cu, 95% Cr and 99% As was removed from the timber.......The electrodialytic process is proposed as a technique for the remediation of chromated copper arsenate treated timber waste, using oxalic acid as assisting agent. The method prowed succesfull 93% Cu, 95% Cr and 99% As was removed from the timber....

  3. Determination of arsenate and organic arsenic via potentiometric titration of its heteropoly anions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metelka, R; Slavíková, S; Vytras, K

    2002-08-16

    Determination of arsenate based on its conversion to molybdoarsenate heteropoly anions followed by potentiometric titration is described. The titration is realized on the ion-pairing principle using cetylpyridinium chloride (or an analogous titrant containing a lipophilic cation), and is monitored by a carbon paste electrode, although other liquid-polymeric membrane-based electrodes can also be used. Calibration plots of the titrant end-point consumption versus concentration of arsenic were constructed and used to evaluate the content of arsenic in aqueous samples. The method could be applied in the analyses of samples with quite low arsenic content (amounts approximately 10 mug As in 50 cm(3) could be titrated). Organic arsenic was determined analogously after the Schöniger combustion of the sample and conversion of its arsenic to arsenate.

  4. The removal of sulphate from mine water by precipitation as ettringite and the utilisation of the precipitate as a sorbent for arsenate removal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tolonen, Emma-Tuulia; Hu, Tao; Rämö, Jaakko; Lassi, Ulla

    2016-10-01

    The aim of this research was to investigate sulphate removal from mine water by precipitation as ettringite (Ca6Al2(SO4)3(OH)12·26H2O) and the utilisation of the precipitate as a sorbent for arsenate removal. The mine water sulphate concentration was reduced by 85-90% from the initial 1400 mg/L during ettringite precipitation depending on the treatment method. The precipitation conditions were also simulated with MINEQL + software, and the computational results were compared with the experimental results. The precipitated solids were characterised with X-ray diffraction and a scanning electron microscope. The precipitated solids were tested as sorbents for arsenate removal from the model solution. The arsenic(V) model solution concentration reduced 86-96% from the initial 1.5 mg/L with a 1 g/L sorbent dosage. The effect of initial arsenate concentration on the sorption of arsenate on the precipitate was studied and Langmuir, Freundlich, and Langmuir-Freundlich sorption isotherm models were fitted to the experimental data. The maximum arsenate sorption capacity (qm = 11.2 ± 4.7 mg/g) of the precipitate was obtained from the Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm. The results indicate that the precipitate produced during sulphate removal from mine water by precipitation as ettringite could be further used as a sorbent for arsenate removal. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Suppression of External NADPH Dehydrogenase—NDB1 in Arabidopsis thaliana Confers Improved Tolerance to Ammonium Toxicity via Efficient Glutathione/Redox Metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Podgórska, Anna; Borysiuk, Klaudia; Tarnowska, Agata; Jakubiak, Monika; Burian, Maria; Rasmusson, Allan G.

    2018-01-01

    Environmental stresses, including ammonium (NH4+) nourishment, can damage key mitochondrial components through the production of surplus reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mitochondrial electron transport chain. However, alternative electron pathways are significant for efficient reductant dissipation in mitochondria during ammonium nutrition. The aim of this study was to define the role of external NADPH-dehydrogenase (NDB1) during oxidative metabolism of NH4+-fed plants. Most plant species grown with NH4+ as the sole nitrogen source experience a condition known as “ammonium toxicity syndrome”. Surprisingly, transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants suppressing NDB1 were more resistant to NH4+ treatment. The NDB1 knock-down line was characterized by milder oxidative stress symptoms in plant tissues when supplied with NH4+. Mitochondrial ROS accumulation, in particular, was attenuated in the NDB1 knock-down plants during NH4+ treatment. Enhanced antioxidant defense, primarily concerning the glutathione pool, may prevent ROS accumulation in NH4+-grown NDB1-suppressing plants. We found that induction of glutathione peroxidase-like enzymes and peroxiredoxins in the NDB1-surpressing line contributed to lower ammonium-toxicity stress. The major conclusion of this study was that NDB1 suppression in plants confers tolerance to changes in redox homeostasis that occur in response to prolonged ammonium nutrition, causing cross tolerance among plants. PMID:29747392

  6. Oral Tolerance: Therapeutic Implications for Autoimmune Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana M. C. Faria

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Oral tolerance is classically defined as the suppression of immune responses to antigens (Ag that have been administered previously by the oral route. Multiple mechanisms of tolerance are induced by oral Ag. Low doses favor active suppression, whereas higher doses favor clonal anergy/deletion. Oral Ag induces Th2 (IL-4/IL-10 and Th3 (TGF-β regulatory T cells (Tregs plus CD4+CD25+ regulatory cells and LAP+T cells. Induction of oral tolerance is enhanced by IL-4, IL-10, anti-IL-12, TGF-β, cholera toxin B subunit (CTB, Flt-3 ligand, anti-CD40 ligand and continuous feeding of Ag. In addition to oral tolerance, nasal tolerance has also been shown to be effective in suppressing inflammatory conditions with the advantage of a lower dose requirement. Oral and nasal tolerance suppress several animal models of autoimmune diseases including experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE, uveitis, thyroiditis, myasthenia, arthritis and diabetes in the nonobese diabetic (NOD mouse, plus non-autoimmune diseases such as asthma, atherosclerosis, colitis and stroke. Oral tolerance has been tested in human autoimmune diseases including MS, arthritis, uveitis and diabetes and in allergy, contact sensitivity to DNCB, nickel allergy. Positive results have been observed in phase II trials and new trials for arthritis, MS and diabetes are underway. Mucosal tolerance is an attractive approach for treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases because of lack of toxicity, ease of administration over time and Ag-specific mechanism of action. The successful application of oral tolerance for the treatment of human diseases will depend on dose, developing immune markers to assess immunologic effects, route (nasal versus oral, formulation, mucosal adjuvants, combination therapy and early therapy.

  7. ACCUMULATION AND METABOLISM OF ARSENIC IN MICE AFTER REPEATED ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENATE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Accumulation and metabolism of arsenic in mice after repeated oral administration of arsenate, Hughes, M. F., Kenyon, E. M., Edwards, B. C., Mitchell, C. T., Del Razo, L. M., and Thomas, D. J. The human carcinogen inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a pervasive environmental ...

  8. Embryotoxicity of arsenite and arsenate. Distribution in pregnant mice and monkeys and effects on embryonic cells in vitro

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lindgren, A; Danielsson, R G; Dencker, L [Department of Toxicology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Sweden; Vahter, M [National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden

    1984-01-01

    The distribution of /sup 74/As-labelled arsenate and arsenite in pregnant mice and a monkey has been studied by autoradiography and gamma counting of isolated tissues, and their in vitro toxicity to a chondrogenic system has been investigated. With both arsenic forms, given as single intravenous injections to the mother, the /sup 74/As-arsenic appeared to pass the mouse placenta relatively freely and approximately to the same extent. The retention time in material tissues including the placenta was, however, around three times longer with arsenite than with arsenate. In early gestation, high activity was registered in the embryonic neuroepithelium, which correlates well with reported CNS malformations in rodents. In late gestation, the distribution pattern was more like that in the adults. Accumulation in skin and squamous epithelia of the upper gastrointestinal tract (oral cavity, oesophagus and oesophageal region of stomach) dominated the distribution pucture, especially at a long survival interval. Arsenate, but not arsenite, showed affinity for the calcified areas of the skeleton. A marmoset monkey in late gestation receiving arsenite showed a somewhat lower rate of placental transfer than the mice. Skin and liver had the highest concentrations (at 8 hrs), both in mother and foetuses. This species is known not to methylate arsenic, resulting in stronger binding and longer retention times of arsenic as compared with other species. The stronger binding in maternal tissues may possibly explain the lower rate of placental transfer. Arsenite was shown to inhibit cartilage formation in a chick limb bud mesenchymal spot culture system (ED50 approximately 5-10..mu..M) while arsenate seemed to be without effect at concentrations up to 200 ..mu..M (highest tested). Arsenate, however, showed a potential of the arsenite toxicity.

  9. Phylogenetic analysis of bacterial and archaeal arsC gene sequences suggests an ancient, common origin for arsenate reductase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dugas Sandra L

    2003-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The ars gene system provides arsenic resistance for a variety of microorganisms and can be chromosomal or plasmid-borne. The arsC gene, which codes for an arsenate reductase is essential for arsenate resistance and transforms arsenate into arsenite, which is extruded from the cell. A survey of GenBank shows that arsC appears to be phylogenetically widespread both in organisms with known arsenic resistance and those organisms that have been sequenced as part of whole genome projects. Results Phylogenetic analysis of aligned arsC sequences shows broad similarities to the established 16S rRNA phylogeny, with separation of bacterial, archaeal, and subsequently eukaryotic arsC genes. However, inconsistencies between arsC and 16S rRNA are apparent for some taxa. Cyanobacteria and some of the γ-Proteobacteria appear to possess arsC genes that are similar to those of Low GC Gram-positive Bacteria, and other isolated taxa possess arsC genes that would not be expected based on known evolutionary relationships. There is no clear separation of plasmid-borne and chromosomal arsC genes, although a number of the Enterobacteriales (γ-Proteobacteria possess similar plasmid-encoded arsC sequences. Conclusion The overall phylogeny of the arsenate reductases suggests a single, early origin of the arsC gene and subsequent sequence divergence to give the distinct arsC classes that exist today. Discrepancies between 16S rRNA and arsC phylogenies support the role of horizontal gene transfer (HGT in the evolution of arsenate reductases, with a number of instances of HGT early in bacterial arsC evolution. Plasmid-borne arsC genes are not monophyletic suggesting multiple cases of chromosomal-plasmid exchange and subsequent HGT. Overall, arsC phylogeny is complex and is likely the result of a number of evolutionary mechanisms.

  10. Use of micro-PIXE in the study of arsenate uptake in lichens and its influence on element distribution and concentrations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mrak, T. [Department of Environmental Sciences, Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, P.O.B. 3000, SI-1001 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Simcic, J. [Department of Low and Medium Energy Physics, Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, P.O.B. 3000, SI-1001 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Pelicon, P. [Department of Low and Medium Energy Physics, Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, P.O.B. 3000, SI-1001 Ljubljana (Slovenia)]. E-mail: primoz.pelicon@ijs.si; Jeran, Z. [Department of Environmental Sciences, Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, P.O.B. 3000, SI-1001 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Reis, M.A. [ITN - Nuclear and Technology Institute, EN 10 Sacavem, Apartado 21, 2686-953 Sacavem (Portugal); Pinheiro, T. [ITN - Nuclear and Technology Institute, EN 10 Sacavem, Apartado 21, 2686-953 Sacavem (Portugal); Nuclear Physics Centre, Lisbon University, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 2, 1649-003 Lisbon (Portugal)

    2007-07-15

    Micro-PIXE was applied in the study of arsenic metabolism in the lichen Hypogymnia physodes (L.) Nyl. Lichen thalli were laboratory exposed to a solution of an inorganic arsenic compound arsenate and to a control solution. Perpendicular sections that reveal the morphological properties of the lichen thallus were subjected to microbeam measurements to obtain data on the localization of arsenic and its influence on the distribution and concentrations of the selected macro- and microelements P, S, K, Ca, Cl, Mn, Fe and Zn. Five groups of elements were distinguished regarding losses and redistribution due to arsenic exposure: (1) K and Ca were depleted from all lichen layers; (2) Mn was depleted from the algal layer and lower cortex, (3) Fe was decreased in the algal layer and increased in the lower cortex, (4) Zn was decreased both in the algal layer and the medulla, but increased in the lower cortex, and (5) P and S were decreased in the medulla, but increased in the algal layer and the lower cortex.

  11. Na₃Co₂(AsO₄)(As₂O₇): a new sodium cobalt arsenate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guesmi, Abderrahmen; Driss, Ahmed

    2012-07-01

    In the title compound, tris-odium dicobalt arsenate diarsenate, Na₃Co₂AsO₄As₂O₇, the two Co atoms, one of the two As and three of the seven O atoms lie on special positions, with site symmetries 2 and m for the Co, m for the As, and 2 and twice m for the O atoms. The two Na atoms are disordered over two general and special positions [occupancies 0.72 (3):0.28 (3) and 0.940 (6):0.060 (6), respectively]. The main structural feature is the association of the CoO₆ octa-hedra in the ab plane, forming Co₄O₂₀ units, which are corner- and edge-connected via AsO₄ and As₂O₇ arsenate groups, giving rise to a complex polyhedral connectivity with small tunnels, such as those running along the b- and c-axis directions, in which the Na⁺ ions reside. The structural model is validated by both bond-valence-sum and charge-distribution methods, and the distortion of the coordination polyhedra is analyzed by means of the effective coordination number.

  12. Dissolution of arsenic minerals mediated by dissimilatory arsenate reducing bacteria: estimation of the physiological potential for arsenic mobilization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lukasz, Drewniak; Liwia, Rajpert; Aleksandra, Mantur; Aleksandra, Sklodowska

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was characterization of the isolated dissimilatory arsenate reducing bacteria in the context of their potential for arsenic removal from primary arsenic minerals through reductive dissolution. Four strains, Shewanella sp. OM1, Pseudomonas sp. OM2, Aeromonas sp. OM4, and Serratia sp. OM17, capable of anaerobic growth with As (V) reduction, were isolated from microbial mats from an ancient gold mine. All of the isolated strains: (i) produced siderophores that promote dissolution of minerals, (ii) were resistant to dissolved arsenic compounds, (iii) were able to use the dissolved arsenates as the terminal electron acceptor, and (iii) were able to use copper minerals containing arsenic minerals (e.g., enargite) as a respiratory substrate. Based on the results obtained in this study, we postulate that arsenic can be released from some As-bearing polymetallic minerals (such as copper ore concentrates or middlings) under reductive conditions by dissimilatory arsenate reducers in indirect processes.

  13. Dissolution of Arsenic Minerals Mediated by Dissimilatory Arsenate Reducing Bacteria: Estimation of the Physiological Potential for Arsenic Mobilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Drewniak Lukasz

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was characterization of the isolated dissimilatory arsenate reducing bacteria in the context of their potential for arsenic removal from primary arsenic minerals through reductive dissolution. Four strains, Shewanella sp. OM1, Pseudomonas sp. OM2, Aeromonas sp. OM4, and Serratia sp. OM17, capable of anaerobic growth with As (V reduction, were isolated from microbial mats from an ancient gold mine. All of the isolated strains: (i produced siderophores that promote dissolution of minerals, (ii were resistant to dissolved arsenic compounds, (iii were able to use the dissolved arsenates as the terminal electron acceptor, and (iii were able to use copper minerals containing arsenic minerals (e.g., enargite as a respiratory substrate. Based on the results obtained in this study, we postulate that arsenic can be released from some As-bearing polymetallic minerals (such as copper ore concentrates or middlings under reductive conditions by dissimilatory arsenate reducers in indirect processes.

  14. Low-dose oral tolerance due to antigen in the diet suppresses differentially the cholera toxin-adjuvantized IgE, IgA and IgG response

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Hanne Risager; Kjær, Tanja; Frøkiær, Hanne

    2003-01-01

    Background: Cholera toxin (CT) is used as a mucosal adjuvant amongst other applications for studying food allergy because oral administration of antigen with CT induces an antigen-specific type 2 response, including IgE and IgA production. Priorly established oral tolerance due to antigen...... soy-trypsin inhibitor (KSTI) (F0 mice) and mice fed a soy-free diet (F2 mice) were orally immunized with KSTI and CT. KSTI-specific serum IgG1, IgG2a, IgA and IgE and fecal IgA were monitored. KSTI-stimulated cell proliferation and interleukin (IL)-6 production were determined. Results: The anti...... immunizations. However, cell proliferation and IL-6 production were clearly suppressed even after five immunizations. Conclusions: Priorly established low-dose oral tolerance considerably suppressed the CT-adjuvantized KSTI-specific IgE, IgA and cellular immune response but only weakly and transiently the Ig...

  15. Different arsenate and phosphate incorporation effects on the nucleation and growth of iron(III) (Hydr)oxides on quartz.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neil, Chelsea W; Lee, Byeongdu; Jun, Young-Shin

    2014-10-21

    Iron(III) (hydr)oxides play an important role in the geochemical cycling of contaminants in natural and engineered aquatic systems. The ability of iron(III) (hydr)oxides to immobilize contaminants can be related to whether the precipitates form heterogeneously (e.g., at mineral surfaces) or homogeneously in solution. Utilizing grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), we studied heterogeneous iron(III) (hydr)oxide nucleation and growth on quartz substrates for systems containing arsenate and phosphate anions. For the iron(III) only system, the radius of gyration (Rg) of heterogeneously formed precipitates grew from 1.5 to 2.5 (± 1.0) nm within 1 h. For the system containing 10(-5) M arsenate, Rg grew from 3.6 to 6.1 (± 0.5) nm, and for the system containing 10(-5) M phosphate, Rg grew from 2.0 to 4.0 (± 0.2) nm. While the systems containing these oxyanions had more growth, the system containing only iron(III) had the most nucleation events on substrates. Ex situ analyses of homogeneously and heterogeneously formed precipitates indicated that precipitates in the arsenate system had the highest water content and that oxyanions may bridge iron(III) hydroxide polymeric embryos to form a structure similar to ferric arsenate or ferric phosphate. These new findings are important because differences in nucleation and growth rates and particle sizes will impact the number of available reactive sites and the reactivity of newly formed particles toward aqueous contaminants.

  16. Mediator, SWI/SNF and SAGA complexes regulate Yap8-dependent transcriptional activation of ACR2 in response to arsenate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menezes, Regina Andrade; Pimentel, Catarina; Silva, Ana Rita Courelas; Amaral, Catarina; Merhej, Jawad; Devaux, Frédéric; Rodrigues-Pousada, Claudina

    2017-04-01

    Response to arsenic stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is orchestrated by the regulatory protein Yap8, which mediates transcriptional activation of ACR2 and ACR3. This study contributes to the state of art knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying yeast stress response to arsenate as it provides the genetic and biochemical evidences that Yap8, through cysteine residues 132, 137, and 274, is the sensor of presence of arsenate in the cytosol. Moreover, it is here reported for the first time the essential role of the Mediator complex in the transcriptional activation of ACR2 by Yap8. Based on our data, we propose an order-of-function map to recapitulate the sequence of events taking place in cells injured with arsenate. Modification of the sulfhydryl state of these cysteines converts Yap8 in its activated form, triggering the recruitment of the Mediator complex to the ACR2/ACR3 promoter, through the interaction with the tail subunit Med2. The Mediator complex then transfers the regulatory signals conveyed by Yap8 to the core transcriptional machinery, which culminates with TBP occupancy, ACR2 upregulation and cell adaptation to arsenate stress. Additional co-factors are required for the transcriptional activation of ACR2 by Yap8, particularly the nucleosome remodeling activity of SWI/SNF and SAGA complexes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  17. Phosphate Favors the Biosynthesis of CdS Quantum Dots in Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans ATCC 19703 by Improving Metal Uptake and Tolerance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovanni Ulloa

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Recently, we reported the production of Cadmium sulfide (CdS fluorescent semiconductor nanoparticles (quantum dots, QDs by acidophilic bacteria of the Acidithiobacillus genus. Here, we report that the addition of inorganic phosphate to Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans ATCC 19703 cultures favors the biosynthesis of CdS QDs at acidic conditions (pH 3.5. The effect of pH, phosphate and cadmium concentrations on QDs biosynthesis was studied by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM, a multivariate technique for analytical optimization scarcely used in microbiological studies to date. To address how phosphate affects intracellular biosynthesis of CdS QDs, the effect of inorganic phosphate on bacterial cadmium-uptake was evaluated. By measuring intracellular levels of cadmium we determined that phosphate influences the capacity of cells to incorporate this metal. A relation between cadmium tolerance and phosphate concentrations was also determined, suggesting that phosphate participates in the adaptation of bacteria to toxic levels of this metal. In addition, QDs-biosynthesis was also favored by the degradation of intracellular polyphosphates. Altogether, our results indicate that phosphate contributes to A. thiooxidans CdS QDs biosynthesis by influencing cadmium uptake and cadmium tolerance. These QDs may also be acting as a nucleation point for QDs formation at acidic pH. This is the first study reporting the effect of phosphates on QDs biosynthesis and describes a new cadmium-response pathway present in A. thiooxidans and most probably in other bacterial species.

  18. Phosphate Favors the Biosynthesis of CdS Quantum Dots in Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans ATCC 19703 by Improving Metal Uptake and Tolerance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ulloa, Giovanni; Quezada, Carolina P.; Araneda, Mabel; Escobar, Blanca; Fuentes, Edwar; Álvarez, Sergio A.; Castro, Matías; Bruna, Nicolás; Espinoza-González, Rodrigo; Bravo, Denisse; Pérez-Donoso, José M.

    2018-01-01

    Recently, we reported the production of Cadmium sulfide (CdS) fluorescent semiconductor nanoparticles (quantum dots, QDs) by acidophilic bacteria of the Acidithiobacillus genus. Here, we report that the addition of inorganic phosphate to Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans ATCC 19703 cultures favors the biosynthesis of CdS QDs at acidic conditions (pH 3.5). The effect of pH, phosphate and cadmium concentrations on QDs biosynthesis was studied by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), a multivariate technique for analytical optimization scarcely used in microbiological studies to date. To address how phosphate affects intracellular biosynthesis of CdS QDs, the effect of inorganic phosphate on bacterial cadmium-uptake was evaluated. By measuring intracellular levels of cadmium we determined that phosphate influences the capacity of cells to incorporate this metal. A relation between cadmium tolerance and phosphate concentrations was also determined, suggesting that phosphate participates in the adaptation of bacteria to toxic levels of this metal. In addition, QDs-biosynthesis was also favored by the degradation of intracellular polyphosphates. Altogether, our results indicate that phosphate contributes to A. thiooxidans CdS QDs biosynthesis by influencing cadmium uptake and cadmium tolerance. These QDs may also be acting as a nucleation point for QDs formation at acidic pH. This is the first study reporting the effect of phosphates on QDs biosynthesis and describes a new cadmium-response pathway present in A. thiooxidans and most probably in other bacterial species. PMID:29515535

  19. Conversion of agricultural residues into activated carbons for water purification: Application to arsenate removal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres-Perez, Jonatan; Gerente, Claire; Andres, Yves

    2012-01-01

    The conversion of two agricultural wastes, sugar beet pulp and peanut hulls, into sustainable activated carbons is presented and their potential application for the treatment of arsenate solution is investigated. A direct and physical activation is selected as well as a simple chemical treatment of the adsorbents. The material properties, such as BET surface areas, porous volumes, elemental analysis, ash contents and pH(PZC), of these alternative carbonaceous porous materials are determined and compared with a commercial granular activated carbon. An adsorption study based on experimental kinetic and equilibrium data is conducted in a batch reactor and completed by the use of different models (intraparticle diffusion, pseudo-second-order, Langmuir and Freundlich) and by isotherms carried out in natural waters. It is thus demonstrated that sugar beet pulp and peanut hulls are good precursors to obtain activated carbons for arsenate removal.

  20. New Approach to Remove Metals from Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA)-Treated Wood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todd F. Shupe; Chung Y. Hse; Hui Pan

    2012-01-01

    Recovery of metals from chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated southern pine wood particles was investigated using binary acid solutions consisting of acetic, oxalic, and phosphoric acids in a microwave reactor. Formation of an insoluble copper oxalate complex in the binary solution containing oxalic acid was the major factor for low copper removal. Furthermore, the...

  1. Aspects of Salt Tolerance in a NaCl-Selected Stable Cell Line of Citrus sinensis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Hayyim, G; Kochba, J

    1983-07-01

    A NaCl-tolerant cell line which was selected from ovular callus of ;Shamouti' orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) proved to be a true cell line variant. This conclusion is based on the following observations. (a) Cells which have been removed from the selection pressure for at least four passages retain the same NaCl tolerance as do cells which are kept constantly on 0.2 molar NaCl. (b) Na(+) and Cl(-) uptake are considerably lower in salt-tolerant cells (R-10) than in salt-sensitive cells (L-5) at a given external NaCl concentration. (c) Growth of salt-tolerant cells is markedly suppressed upon replacement of NaCl by KCl, whereas the growth of salt-sensitive cells is only slightly affected. Accumulation of K(+) and Cl(-) accompanies the inhibition of growth. Experiments carried out with sodium and potassium sulfate suggest that the toxic effect is due to the accumulated Cl(-). (d) Removal of Ca(2+) from the growth medium severely inhibits the growth of salt-tolerant cells in the presence of NaCl, while it has a minor effect on growth of salt-sensitive cells in the presence of NaCl. (e) Electron micrographs show that the salt-tolerant cells have very big vacuoles when exposed to salt, while the size of the vacuoles of the salt-sensitive cells does not change.

  2. Hepatoprotective effects of hexane root extract of Alchornea laxiflora in sodium arsenate toxicity in wistar albino rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esosa Samuel Uhunmwangho

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Medicinal plants are have been used in the treatment of myriad disease conditions, Alchornea laxiflora is one of such medicinal plant. Aim: To investigate the hepatoprotective effect of hexane root extract of Alchornea laxiflora against sodium arsenate induced liver damage in wistar male rats. Setting and Design: Extraction and administration of bioactive extract. Materials and Methods: Extraction of air-dried ground root of Alchornea laxiflora was done by extracting 500 g with 500 cm of 95% hexane for 72 hrs.The animals (120-150 g were pre-treated with the extract at varying doses (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 10, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight for seven days orally prior to the intra-peritoneal administration of the toxicant (sodium arsenate at a dose of 2 mg/kg body weight at the eight day. Hepatoprotective activity of the extracts was evaluated by studying the Cytochrome b5content, Glutathione-S-transferase and 4- Nitroanisole-o-demethylase activities in the liver, Plasma levels of Alanine aminotransferase (AST, Alanine aminotransferase (ALT, Alkaline phosphatase (ALP and the levels of Total protein, Albumin, Globulin and Glutathione of the various groups. Statistical Analysis: The data were analysed with Microsoft excels (for windows 2007 and Student t-test and ANOVA. Result and Conclusion: The results suggest that pre-treatment of rats with hexane root extract of Alchornea laxiflora for seven days reduced the elevated levels of liver enzymes, reduced the levels of induced liver metabolizing enzymes and the levels of Total protein, Albumin, Globulin and Glutathione that was increased by the toxicity of sodium arsenate in rats and as such possess hepatoprotective effect against sodium arsenate.

  3. The removal of arsenate from water using iron-modified diatomite (D-Fe): isotherm and column experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pantoja, M L; Jones, H; Garelick, H; Mohamedbakr, H G; Burkitbayev, M

    2014-01-01

    Iron hydroxide supported onto porous diatomite (D-Fe) is a low-cost material with potential to remove arsenic from contaminated water due to its affinity for the arsenate ion. This affinity was tested under varying conditions of pH, contact time, iron content in D-Fe and the presence of competitive ions, silicate and phosphate. Batch and column experiments were conducted to derive adsorption isotherms and breakthrough behaviours (50 μg L(-1)) for an initial concentration of 1,000 μg L(-1). Maximum capacity at pH 4 and 17% iron was 18.12-40.82 mg of arsenic/g of D-Fe and at pH 4 and 10% iron was 18.48-29.07 mg of arsenic/g of D-Fe. Adsorption decreased in the presence of phosphate and silicate ions. The difference in column adsorption behaviour between 10% and 17% iron was very pronounced, outweighing the impact of all other measured parameters. There was insufficient evidence of a correlation between iron content and arsenic content in isotherm experiments, suggesting that ion exchange is a negligible process occurring in arsenate adsorption using D-Fe nor is there co-precipitation of arsenate by rising iron content of the solute above saturation.

  4. Physiologic Doses of Bilirubin Contribute to Tolerance of Islet Transplants by Suppressing the Innate Immune Response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adin, Christopher A; VanGundy, Zachary C; Papenfuss, Tracey L; Xu, Feng; Ghanem, Mostafa; Lakey, Jonathan; Hadley, Gregg A

    2017-01-24

    Bilirubin has been recognized as a powerful cytoprotectant when used at physiologic doses and was recently shown to have immunomodulatory effects in islet allograft transplantation, conveying donor-specific tolerance in a murine model. We hypothesized that bilirubin, an antioxidant, acts to suppress the innate immune response to islet allografts through two mechanisms: 1) by suppressing graft release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and inflammatory cytokines, and 2) by producing a tolerogenic phenotype in antigen-presenting cells. Bilirubin was administered intraperitoneally before pancreatic procurement or was added to culture media after islet isolation in AJ mice. Islets were exposed to transplant-associated nutrient deprivation and hypoxia. Bilirubin significantly decreased islet cell death after isolation and hypoxic stress. Bilirubin supplementation of islet media also decreased the release of DAMPs (HMGB1), inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and IL-6), and chemokines (MCP-1). Cytoprotection was mediated by the antioxidant effects of bilirubin. Treatment of macrophages with bilirubin induced a regulatory phenotype, with increased expression of PD-L1. Coculture of these macrophages with splenocytes led to expansion of Foxp3+ Tregs. In conclusion, exogenous bilirubin supplementation showed cytoprotective and antioxidant effects in a relevant model of islet isolation and hypoxic stress. Suppression of DAMP release, alterations in cytokine profiles, and tolerogenic effects on macrophages suggest that the use of this natural antioxidant may provide a method of preconditioning to improve outcomes after allograft transplantation.

  5. Role of uniform pore structure and high positive charges in the arsenate adsorption performance of Al13-modified montmorillonite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Shou; Feng, Chenghong; Huang, Xiangning; Li, Baohua; Niu, Junfeng; Shen, Zhenyao

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Al 13 modification changes As(V) sorption mechanism of montmorillonites. ► Intercalated ion charges mainly affects As(V) adsorption kinetics. ► Uniform pore structure exhibit more excellent As(V) adsorption performance. - Abstract: Four modified montmorillonite adsorbents with varied Al 13 contents (i.e., Na-Mont, AC-Mont, PAC 20 -Mont, and Al 13 -Mont) were synthesized and characterized by N 2 adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared analyses. The arsenate adsorption performance of the four adsorbents were also investigated to determine the role of intercalated Al 13 , especially its high purity, high positive charge (+7), and special Keggin structure. With increased Al 13 content, the physicochemical properties (e.g., surface area, structural uniformity, basal spacing, and pore volume) and adsorption performance of the modified montmorillonites were significantly but disproportionately improved. The adsorption data well fitted the Freundlich and Redlich–Peterson isotherm model, whereas the kinetic data better correlated with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The arsenate sorption mechanism of the montmorillonites changed from physical to chemisorption after intercalation with Al 13 . Increasing charges of the intercalated ions enhanced the arsenate adsorption kinetics, but had minimal effect on the structural changes of the montmorillonites. The uniform pore structure formed by intercalation with high-purity Al 13 greatly enhanced the pore diffusion and adsorption rate of arsenate, resulting in the high adsorption performance of Al 13 -Mont.

  6. Characterization of ferric arsenate-sulfate compounds: Implications for arsenic control in refractory gold processing residues

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Paktunc, D.; Majzlan, J.; Palatinus, Lukáš; Dutrizac, J.; Klementová, Mariana; Poirier, G.

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 98, č. 4 (2013), s. 554-565 ISSN 0003-004X Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : arsenic * ferric arsenate sulfate * autoclave residue * hydrometallurgy Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy Impact factor: 2.059, year: 2013

  7. Aspects of Salt Tolerance in a NaCl-Selected Stable Cell Line of Citrus sinensis1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Hayyim, Gozal; Kochba, Joshua

    1983-01-01

    A NaCl-tolerant cell line which was selected from ovular callus of `Shamouti' orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) proved to be a true cell line variant. This conclusion is based on the following observations. (a) Cells which have been removed from the selection pressure for at least four passages retain the same NaCl tolerance as do cells which are kept constantly on 0.2 molar NaCl. (b) Na+ and Cl− uptake are considerably lower in salt-tolerant cells (R-10) than in salt-sensitive cells (L-5) at a given external NaCl concentration. (c) Growth of salt-tolerant cells is markedly suppressed upon replacement of NaCl by KCl, whereas the growth of salt-sensitive cells is only slightly affected. Accumulation of K+ and Cl− accompanies the inhibition of growth. Experiments carried out with sodium and potassium sulfate suggest that the toxic effect is due to the accumulated Cl−. (d) Removal of Ca2+ from the growth medium severely inhibits the growth of salt-tolerant cells in the presence of NaCl, while it has a minor effect on growth of salt-sensitive cells in the presence of NaCl. (e) Electron micrographs show that the salt-tolerant cells have very big vacuoles when exposed to salt, while the size of the vacuoles of the salt-sensitive cells does not change. Images Fig. 3 PMID:16663067

  8. Uptake and Tolerance of Chemotherapy in Elderly Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer and Impact on Survival

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fisher, S.; Winget, M.; Gao, H.; Al Fayea, T. M.; Winget, M.; Butts, C.; Fisher, S.; Winget, M.; Butts, C.

    2012-01-01

    The treatment of elderly cancer patients is complicated by many factors. We sought to assess the uptake and tolerance of chemotherapy among patients 75 years and older diagnosed with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in years 2004-2008 in Alberta, Canada, and assess their survival. All patients who met the above criteria and had an oncologist-consult were included. Data were obtained from the Alberta Cancer Registry and chart review. A total of 171 patients were included in the study, 117 (68%) of whom began chemotherapy. Of those, 52% completed all cycles, 66% did not have any dose reductions, and 31% completed all cycles at the recommended dose. The risk of death for patients who did not complete all cycles of chemotherapy was 2.72 (95% CI: 1.52-4.87) and for those who completed all cycles but with a reduced dose was 1.02 (95% CI: 0.57-1.82) relative to those who completed chemotherapy at full dose after adjusting for several demographic/clinical factors. Our results suggest that a significant proportion of elderly patients are able to tolerate chemotherapy and receive a survival benefit from it while those who experience toxicity may receive a survival benefit from a reduction in chemotherapy dose as opposed to stopping treatment.

  9. Two Lactococcus lactis thioredoxin paralogues play different roles in responses to arsenate and oxidative stress

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Efler, Petr; Kilstrup, Mogens; Johnsen, Stig

    2015-01-01

    Thioredoxin (Trx) maintains intracellular thiol groups in a reduced state and is involved in a wide range of cellular processes, including ribonucleotide reduction, sulphur assimilation, oxidative stress responses and arsenate detoxification. The industrially important lactic acid bacterium...... Lactococcus lactis contains two Trxs. TrxA is similar to the well-characterized Trx homologue from Escherichia coli and contains the common WCGPC active site motif, while TrxD is atypical and contains an aspartate residue in the active site (WCGDC). To elucidate the physiological roles of the two Trx...... to the wild-type. The lack of TrxA also appears to impair methionine sulphoxide reduction. Both ΔtrxA and ΔtrxD strains displayed growth inhibition after treatment with sodium arsenate and tellurite as compared with the wild-type, suggesting partially overlapping functions of TrxA and TrxD. Overall...

  10. Zinc-arsenic interactions in soil: Solubility, toxicity and uptake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kader, Mohammed; Lamb, Dane T; Wang, Liang; Megharaj, Mallavarapu; Naidu, Ravi

    2017-11-01

    Arsenic (As) and zinc (Zn) are common co-contaminants in mining impacted soils. Their interaction on solubility and toxicity when present concurrently is not well understood in natural systems. The aim of this study was to observe their interaction in solubility (soil-solution), bioaccumulation (shoot uptake) and toxicity to cucumber (Cucumis sativa L) conducting 4 weeks pot study in 5 different soils spiked with As (0, 2, 4, 8 to 1024 mg kg -1 ) individually and with Zn at two phytotoxic doses. The As pore-water concentration was significantly reduced (df = 289, Adjusted R 2  = 0.84, p soils. This outcome may be due to adsorption/surface precipitation or tertiary bridging complexation. No homogenous precipitation of zinc arsenate could be established using electron microscopy, XRD or even equilibrium calculations. For bioaccumulation phase, no significant effect of Zn on As uptake was observed except acidic MG soil whereas, Zn uptake was significantly reduced (p soil. The synergistic response (more than additive) was predominant in this soil for a wide range of inhibition concentration (0-80%) at both Zn EC10 and EC50 levels. Since additive response is mostly considered in risk assessment for mixtures, precautions should be implemented for assessment of toxicity for As-Zn mixture in acidic soil due to their synergistic response in some soils. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. The assembly of metals chelation by thiols and vacuolar compartmentalization conferred increased tolerance to and accumulation of cadmium and arsenic in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, Jiangbo; Xu, Wenzhong; Ma, Mi

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Simultaneous transformation of AsPCS1 and ScYCF1 into Arabidopsis thaliana which is sensitive to heavy metals, leads to transgenic plants tolerant to Arsenic and cadmium. ► Dual-gene transgenic Arabidopsis showed higher accumulation of Arsenic and cadmium than single and non-transgenic plants. ► Our results proved that improved thiol peptides synthesis and vacuolar compartmentation in plant dramatically boosted the survival rates of plants when exposed to heavy metals. ► A new strategy for efficient phytoremediation of heavy metals by stacking genes transformation in plants was developed in this article. - Abstract: Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana were developed to increase tolerance for and accumulation of heavy metals and metalloids by simultaneous overexpression of AsPCS1 and YCF1 (derived from garlic and baker's yeast) based on the fact that chelation of metals and vacuolar compartmentalization are the main strategies for heavy metals/metalloids detoxification and tolerance in plants. Dual-gene transgenic lines had the longest roots and the highest accumulation of Cd and As than single-gene transgenic lines and wildtype. When grown on cadmium or arsenic (arsenite/arsenate), Dual-gene transgenic lines accumulated over 2–10 folds cadmium/arsenite and 2–3 folds arsenate than wild type or plants expressing AsPCS1 or YCF1 alone. Such stacking modified genes involved in chelation of toxic metals and vacuolar compartmentalization represents a highly promising new tool for use in phytoremediation efforts.

  12. Hypothalamic and Striatal Insulin Action Suppresses Endogenous Glucose Production and May Stimulate Glucose Uptake During Hyperinsulinemia in Lean but Not in Overweight Men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heni, Martin; Wagner, Robert; Kullmann, Stephanie; Gancheva, Sofiya; Roden, Michael; Peter, Andreas; Stefan, Norbert; Preissl, Hubert; Häring, Hans-Ulrich; Fritsche, Andreas

    2017-07-01

    Intranasal spray application facilitates insulin delivery to the human brain. Although brain insulin modulates peripheral metabolism, the mechanisms involved remain elusive. Twenty-one men underwent two hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps with d-[6,6- 2 H 2 ]glucose infusion to measure endogenous glucose production and glucose disappearance. On two separate days, participants received intranasal insulin or placebo. Insulin spillover into circulation after intranasal insulin application was mimicked by an intravenous insulin bolus on placebo day. On a different day, brain insulin sensitivity was assessed by functional MRI. Glucose infusion rates (GIRs) had to be increased more after nasal insulin than after placebo to maintain euglycemia in lean but not in overweight people. The increase in GIRs was associated with regional brain insulin action in hypothalamus and striatum. Suppression of endogenous glucose production by circulating insulin was more pronounced after administration of nasal insulin than after placebo. Furthermore, glucose uptake into tissue tended to be higher after nasal insulin application. No such effects were detected in overweight participants. By increasing insulin-mediated suppression of endogenous glucose production and stimulating peripheral glucose uptake, brain insulin may improve glucose metabolism during systemic hyperinsulinemia. Obese people appear to lack these mechanisms. Therefore, brain insulin resistance in obesity may have unfavorable consequences for whole-body glucose homeostasis. © 2017 by the American Diabetes Association.

  13. Phosphorus improves arsenic phytoremediation by Anadenanthera peregrina by alleviating induced oxidative stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomes, M P; Carvalho, M; Carvalho, G S; Marques, T C L L S M; Garcia, Q S; Guilherme, L R G; Soares, A M

    2013-01-01

    Due to similarities in their chemical behaviors, studies examining interactions between arsenic (As)--in special arsenate--and phosphorus (P) are important for better understanding arsenate uptake, toxicity, and accumulation in plants. We evaluated the effects of phosphate addition on plant biomass and on arsenate and phosphate uptake by Anadenanthera peregrina, an important Brazilian savanna legume. Plants were grown for 35 days in substrates that received combinations of 0, 10, 50, and 100 mg kg(-1) arsenate and 0, 200, and 400 mg kg(-1) phosphate. The addition of P increased the arsenic-phytoremediation capacity of A. peregrina by increasing As accumulation, while also alleviating As-induced oxidative stress. Arsenate phytotoxicity in A. peregrina is due to lipid peroxidation, but not hydrogen peroxide accumulation. Added P also increased the activity of important reactive oxygen species-scavenging enzymes (catalase and ascorbate peroxidase) that help prevent lipid peroxidation in leaves. Our findings suggest that applying P represents a feasible strategy for more efficient As phytoremediation using A. peregrina.

  14. Linewidth-tolerant real-time 40-Gbit/s 16-QAM self-homodyne detection using a pilot carrier and ISI suppression based on electronic digital processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Moriya; Kamio, Yukiyoshi; Miyazaki, Tetsuya

    2010-01-01

    We experimentally demonstrate linewidth-tolerant real-time 40-Gbit/s(10-Gsymbol/s) 16-quadrature amplitude modulation. We achieved bit-error rates of noise canceling capability provided by self-homodyne detection using a pilot carrier. Pre-equalization based on digital signal processing was employed to suppress intersymbol interference caused by the limited-frequency bandwidth of electrical components.

  15. Environmental biochemistry of arsenic

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamaki, S.; Frankenberger, W.T. Jr. (Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside (United States))

    1992-01-01

    Microorganisms are involved in the redistribution and global cycling of arsenic. Arsenic can accumulate and can be subject to various biotransformations including reduction, oxidation, and methylation. Bacterial methylation of inorganic arsenic is coupled to the methane biosynthetic pathway in methanogenic bacteria under anaerobic conditions and may be a mechanism for arsenic detoxification. The pathway proceeds by reduction of arsenate to arsenite followed by methylation to dimethylarsine. Fungi are also able to transform inorganic and organic arsenic compounds into volatile methylarsines. The pathway proceeds aerobically by arsenate reduction to arsenite followed by several methylation steps producing trimethylarsine. Volatile arsine gases are very toxic to mammals because they destroy red blood cells (LD50 in rats; 3.0 mg kg-1). Further studies are needed on dimethylarsine and trimethylarsine toxicity tests through inhalation of target animals. Marine algae transform arsenate into non-volatile methylated arsenic compounds (methanearsonic and dimethylarsinic acids) in seawater. This is considered to be a beneficial step not only to the primary producers, but also to the higher trophic levels, since non-volatile methylated arsenic is much less toxic to marine invertebrates. Freshwater algae like marine algae synthesize lipid-soluble arsenic compounds and do not produce volatile methylarsines. Aquatic plants also synthesize similar lipid-soluble arsenic compounds. In terrestrial plants, arsenate is preferentially taken up 3 to 4 times the rate of arsenite. In the presence of phosphate, arsenate uptake is inhibited while in the presence of arsenate, phosphate uptake is only slightly inhibited. There is a competitive interaction between arsenate and phosphate for the same uptake system in terrestrial plants.

  16. MzPIP2;1: An Aquaporin Involved in Radial Water Movement in Both Water Uptake and Transportation, Altered the Drought and Salt Tolerance of Transgenic Arabidopsis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Wang

    Full Text Available Plants are unavoidably subjected to various abiotic stressors, including high salinity, drought and low temperature, which results in water deficit and even death. Water uptake and transportation play a critical role in response to these stresses. Many aquaporin proteins, localized at different tissues, function in various transmembrane water movements. We targeted at the key aquaporin in charge of both water uptake in roots and radial water transportation from vascular tissues through the whole plant.The MzPIP2;1 gene encoding a plasma membrane intrinsic protein was cloned from salt-tolerant apple rootstock Malus zumi Mats. The GUS gene was driven by MzPIP2;1 promoter in transgenic Arabidopsis. It indicated that MzPIP2;1 might function in the epidermal and vascular cells of roots, parenchyma cells around vessels through the stems and vascular tissues of leaves. The ectopically expressed MzPIP2;1 conferred the transgenic Arabidopsis plants enhanced tolerance to slight salt and drought stresses, but sensitive to moderate salt stress, which was indicated by root length, lateral root number, fresh weight and K+/Na+ ratio. In addition, the possible key cis-elements in response to salt, drought and cold stresses were isolated by the promoter deletion experiment.The MzPIP2;1 protein, as a PIP2 aquaporins subgroup member, involved in radial water movement, controls water absorption and usage efficiency and alters transgenic plants drought and salt tolerance.

  17. Embryotoxicity of arsenite and arsenate. Distribution in pregnant mice and monkeys and effects on embryonic cells in vitro

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lindgren, A; Danielsson, R G; Dencker, L [Department of Toxicology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Sweden; Vahter, M [National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden

    1984-01-01

    The distribution of /sup 74/As-labelled and arsenite in pregnant mice and a monkey has been studied by autoradiography and gamma counting of isolated tissues, and their in vitro toxicity to a chondrogenic system has been investigated. With both arsenic forms, given as single intravenous injections to the mother, the /sup 74/As-arsenic appeared to pass the mouse placenta relatively freely and approximately to the same extent. The retention time in material tissues including the placenta was, however, around three times longer with arsenite than with arsenate. In early gestation, high activity was registered in the embryonic neuroepithelium, which correlates well with reported CNS malformations in rodents. In late gestation, the distribution pattern was more like that in the adults. Accumulation in skin and squamous epithelia of the upper gastrointestinal tract (oral cavity, oesophagus and oesophageal region of stomach) dominated the distribution picture, especially at a long survival interval. Arsenate, but not arsenite, showed affinity for the calcified areas of the skeleton. A marmoset monkey in late gestation receiving arsenite showed a somewhat lower rate of placental transfer than the mice. Skin and liver had the highest concentrations (at 8 hrs), both in mother and foetuses. This species is known not to methylate arsenic, resulting in stronger binding and longer retention times of arsenic as compared with other species. The stronger binding in maternal tissues may possibly explain the lower rate of placental transfer. Arsenite was shown to inhibit cartilage formation in a chick limb bud mesenchymal spot culture system (ED50 approximately 5-10..mu..M) while arsenate seemed to be without effect at concentrations up to 200 ..mu..M (highest tested). Arsenate, however, showed a potential of the arsenite toxicity.

  18. Salinity tolerance in barley (hordeum vulgare l.): effects of varying NaCl, K/sup +/ Na/sup +/ and NaHCO/sub 3/ levels on cultivars differing in tolerance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahmood, K.

    2011-01-01

    Although barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is regarded as salt tolerant among crop plants, its growth and plant development is severely affected by ionic and osmotic stresses in salt-affected soils. To elucidate the tolerance mechanism, growth and ion uptake of three barley cultivars, differing in salt tolerance, were examined under different levels of NaCl, K/sup +/ Na/sup +/ and NaHCO/sub 3/ in the root medium. The cultivars differed greatly in their responses to varying root medium conditions. Plant growth was more adversely affected by NaHCO/sub 3/ than NaCl. In general, biomass yields were comparable under control and 100 mM NaCl. However, growth of all three cultivars was significantly inhibited by NaHCO/sub 3/ even at low concentration (10 mM). Improved K/sup +/ supply in saline medium increased K/sup +/ uptake and growth of less tolerant cultivars. K/sup +/ uptake was more adversely affected by NaHCO/sub 3/ than NaCl salinity. Selective K/sup +/ uptake and lower Cl/sup -/ in shoots seemed to be associated with the growth responses. K application would help better growth of these cultivars on K-deficient saline-sodic soils and under irrigation with poor quality water having high Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) and/or Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR). (author)

  19. Spectroscopic Analysis of Arsenic Uptake in Pteris Ferns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Terrence Slonecker

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Two arsenic-accumulating Pteris ferns (Pteris cretica mayii and Pteris multifida, along with a non-accumulating control fern (Nephrolepis exaltata were grown in greenhouse conditions in clean sand spiked with 0, 20, 50, 100 and 200 ppm sodium arsenate. Spectral data were collected for each of five replicates prior to harvest at 4-week intervals. Fern samples were analyzed for total metals content and Partial Least Squares and Stepwise Linear Regression techniques were used to develop models from the spectral data. Results showed that Pteris cretica mayii and Pteris multifida are confirmed hyperaccumulators of inorganic arsenic and that reasonably accurate predictive models of arsenic concentration can be developed from the first derivative of spectral reflectance of the hyperaccumulating Pteris ferns. Both the arsenic uptake and spectral results indicate that there is some species-specific variability but the results compare favorably with previously published data and additional research is recommended.

  20. Chromosome VIII disomy influences the nonsense suppression efficiency and transition metal tolerance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zadorsky, S P; Sopova, Y V; Andreichuk, D Y; Startsev, V A; Medvedeva, V P; Inge-Vechtomov, S G

    2015-06-01

    The SUP35 gene of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes the translation termination factor eRF3. Mutations in this gene lead to the suppression of nonsense mutations and a number of other pleiotropic phenotypes, one of which is impaired chromosome segregation during cell division. Similar effects result from replacing the S. cerevisiae SUP35 gene with its orthologues. A number of genetic and epigenetic changes that occur in the sup35 background result in partial compensation for this suppressor effect. In this study we showed that in S. cerevisiae strains in which the SUP35 orthologue from the yeast Pichia methanolica replaces the S. cerevisiae SUP35 gene, chromosome VIII disomy results in decreased efficiency of nonsense suppression. This antisuppressor effect is not associated with decreased stop codon read-through. We identified SBP1, a gene that localizes to chromosome VIII, as a dosage-dependent antisuppressor that strongly contributes to the overall antisuppressor effect of chromosome VIII disomy. Disomy of chromosome VIII also leads to a change in the yeast strains' tolerance of a number of transition metal salts. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  1. Suppression of LPS-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages infected with Leishmania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelly Ben L

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic inflammation activated by macrophage innate pathogen recognition receptors such as TLR4 can lead to a range of inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, Crohn's disease, arthritis and cancer. Unlike many microbes, the kinetoplastid protozoan pathogen Leishmania has been shown to avoid and even actively suppress host inflammatory cytokine responses, such as LPS-induced IL-12 production. The nature and scope of Leishmania-mediated inflammatory cytokine suppression, however, is not well characterized. Advancing our knowledge of such microbe-mediated cytokine suppression may provide new avenues for therapeutic intervention in inflammatory disease. Methods We explored the kinetics of a range of cytokine and chemokine responses in primary murine macrophages stimulated with LPS in the presence versus absence of two clinically distinct species of Leishmania using sensitive multiplex cytokine analyses. To confirm that these effects were parasite-specific, we compared the effects of Leishmania uptake on LPS-induced cytokine expression with uptake of inert latex beads. Results Whilst Leishmania uptake alone did not induce significant levels of any cytokine analysed in this study, Leishmania uptake in the presence of LPS caused parasite-specific suppression of certain LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-12, IL-17 and IL-6. Interestingly, L. amazonensis was generally more suppressive than L. major. We also found that other LPS-induced proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1α, TNF-α and the chemokines MIP-1α and MCP-1 and also the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, were augmented during Leishmania uptake, in a parasite-specific manner. Conclusions During uptake by macrophages, Leishmania evades the activation of a broad range of cytokines and chemokines. Further, in the presence of a strong inflammatory stimulus, Leishmania suppresses certain proinflammatory cytokine responses in a parasite

  2. Effects of lead arsenate sprays on the fruit growth and sugar and acid contents in Natsudaidai (Citrus natsudaidai Hayata)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kadoya, K; Kuraoka, T; Matsumoto, K

    1965-01-01

    The juice of the fruit of Citrus natsudaidai is characterized by high acidity. The acidity of the juice was most effectively reduced by treatment with lead arsenate spray at an early fruit growth stage when the acids were being most actively formed. The water-soluble organic acid content of leaves was not affected. The sugar content of the juice was increased by the treatment. The activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase was lowered in the vesicles of fruit sprayed with lead arsenate. It was also much depressed in the extracts from normal fruit when arsenic trioxide was added. Arsenic was detected in the vesicles of treated fruit. 15 references, 9 figures.

  3. Quantitative evaluation of contrast agent uptake in standard fat-suppressed dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI examinations of the breast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kousi, Evanthia; Smith, Joely; Ledger, Araminta E; Scurr, Erica; Allen, Steven; Wilson, Robin M; O'Flynn, Elizabeth; Pope, Romney J E; Leach, Martin O; Schmidt, Maria A

    2018-01-01

    To propose a method to quantify T 1 and contrast agent uptake in breast dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) examinations undertaken with standard clinical fat-suppressed MRI sequences and to demonstrate the proposed approach by comparing the enhancement characteristics of lobular and ductal carcinomas. A standard fat-suppressed DCE of the breast was performed at 1.5 T (Siemens Aera), followed by the acquisition of a proton density (PD)-weighted sequence, also fat suppressed. Both sequences were characterized with test objects (T 1 ranging from 30 ms to 2,400 ms) and calibration curves were obtained to enable T 1 calculation. The reproducibility and accuracy of the calibration curves were also investigated. Healthy volunteers and patients were scanned with Ethics Committee approval. The effect of B 0 field inhomogeneity was assessed in test objects and healthy volunteers. The T 1 of breast tumors was calculated at different time points (pre-, peak-, and post-contrast agent administration) for 20 patients, pre-treatment (10 lobular and 10 ductal carcinomas) and the two cancer types were compared (Wilcoxon rank-sum test). The calibration curves proved to be highly reproducible (coefficient of variation under 10%). T 1 measurements were affected by B 0 field inhomogeneity, but frequency shifts below 50 Hz introduced only 3% change to fat-suppressed T 1 measurements of breast parenchyma in volunteers. The values of T 1 measured pre-, peak-, and post-contrast agent administration demonstrated that the dynamic range of the DCE sequence was correct, that is, image intensity is approximately directly proportional to 1/T 1 for that range. Significant differences were identified in the width of the distributions of the post-contrast T 1 values between lobular and ductal carcinomas (P contrast T 1 values, potentially related to their infiltrative growth pattern. This work has demonstrated the feasibility of fat-suppressed T 1 measurements as a tool for clinical studies. The

  4. Uptake of manganese in potatoes tolerant of high tissue manganese levels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marsh, K.B.

    1987-01-01

    Observations on the accumulations of Mn in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum cv. Norland) focused on factors which enabled plants in field studies to withstand high concentrations of Mn in their foliage. A microculture method for assessing nutrient uptake was introduced and applied to studies of the effects of P and temperature on Mn toxicity. Potato plants in microculture behaved similarly in the symptomatology of Mn toxicity to those grown in solution culture but were more responsive to P. The effects of both P and temperature on Mn toxicity in microculture correlated with changes in Mn uptake and with growth reductions due to low P or temperature stress. The uptake of Mn from solution culture increased with increasing P level in solution. This increase was attributed to an increased health and vitality of potato plants under high P and to changes in pH and nutrient solution concentration as plants matured at different rates. When limited control over solution pH and nutrient concentration was provided the effects of P on Mn uptake were largely eliminated. The well-documented time dependence of Mn accumulation was confirmed in a fractionation experiment.

  5. ASSESSING CHILDREN'S EXPOSURES TO THE WOOD PRESERVATIVE CCA (CHROMATED COPPER ARSENATE) ON TREATED PLAYSETS AND DECKS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Concerns have been raised regarding the safety of young children contacting arsenic and chromium residues while playing on and around Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) treated wood playground structures and decks. Although CCA registrants voluntarily canceled treated wood for re...

  6. Effect of ionophores on phosphate and arsenate transport in Micrococcus lysodeikticus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Friedberg, I

    1977-09-01

    The effects of ionophores on P/sub i/ and arsenate transport, at acid and alkaline environment, were investigated in whole cells of Micrococcus lysodeikticus, a Gram positive obligatory aerobic bacterium. The results suggest that both ..delta.. Psi and ..delta.. pH contribute to the driving force of P/sub i/ transport; ..delta.. Psi seems to be predominant at pH 7.8, whereas at pH 5.5, the transport is primarily driven by ..delta.. pH. 12 references, 1 figure.

  7. Concentration and chemical status of arsenic in the blood of pregnant hamsters during critical embryogenesis. 1. Subchronic exposure to arsenate utilizing constant rate administration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hanlon, D.P.; Ferm, V.H.

    1986-08-01

    The concentration, availability, and chemical status of radiolabeled arsenic has been determined in the blood of pregnant hamsters at the beginning (morning of Day 8) and the end (morning of Day 9) of the critical period of embryogenesis. Hamster dams were exposed to teratogenic doses of arsenate by means of osmotic minipumps implanted on the morning of Day 6 of the gestation period. Whole blood arsenic concentrations were the same for 48 and 72 hr postimplant. The arsenic concentration of plasma equaled that of red cells. Plasma arsenic was not bound to macromolecules and had the same chemical status 48 and 72 hr postimplant. Arsenate was the dominant form (67% of the total). However, the presence of dimethylarsinic acid and arsenite indicates that the pentavalent species was metabolized. Red cell arsenic was bound to macromolecules in the cell sap. Seventy percent of red cell sap arsenic was dialyzable 48 hr postimplant, but only 56% 72 hr postimplant. Arsenate was the dominant dialyzable red cell species on Day 8 and arsenite was the major dialyzable form on Day 9. The authors findings demonstrate a relationship between the maternal blood concentration and chemical status of arsenic and the presence of malformations resulting from a constant rate exposure of pregnant hamsters to arsenate via the osmotic minipump.

  8. Concentration and chemical status of arsenic in the blood of pregnant hamsters during critical embryogenesis. 1. Subchronic exposure to arsenate utilizing constant rate administration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanlon, D.P.; Ferm, V.H.

    1986-01-01

    The concentration, availability, and chemical status of radiolabeled arsenic has been determined in the blood of pregnant hamsters at the beginning (morning of Day 8) and the end (morning of Day 9) of the critical period of embryogenesis. Hamster dams were exposed to teratogenic doses of arsenate by means of osmotic minipumps implanted on the morning of Day 6 of the gestation period. Whole blood arsenic concentrations were the same for 48 and 72 hr postimplant. The arsenic concentration of plasma equaled that of red cells. Plasma arsenic was not bound to macromolecules and had the same chemical status 48 and 72 hr postimplant. Arsenate was the dominant form (67% of the total). However, the presence of dimethylarsinic acid and arsenite indicates that the pentavalent species was metabolized. Red cell arsenic was bound to macromolecules in the cell sap. Seventy percent of red cell sap arsenic was dialyzable 48 hr postimplant, but only 56% 72 hr postimplant. Arsenate was the dominant dialyzable red cell species on Day 8 and arsenite was the major dialyzable form on Day 9. The authors findings demonstrate a relationship between the maternal blood concentration and chemical status of arsenic and the presence of malformations resulting from a constant rate exposure of pregnant hamsters to arsenate via the osmotic minipump

  9. The assembly of metals chelation by thiols and vacuolar compartmentalization conferred increased tolerance to and accumulation of cadmium and arsenic in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo, Jiangbo [Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093 (China); Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Biomass-Energy Conversion, The Institute of Bioengineering and Technology, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou 040100 (China); Xu, Wenzhong [Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093 (China); Ma, Mi, E-mail: mami@ibcas.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093 (China)

    2012-01-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Simultaneous transformation of AsPCS1 and ScYCF1 into Arabidopsis thaliana which is sensitive to heavy metals, leads to transgenic plants tolerant to Arsenic and cadmium. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Dual-gene transgenic Arabidopsis showed higher accumulation of Arsenic and cadmium than single and non-transgenic plants. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Our results proved that improved thiol peptides synthesis and vacuolar compartmentation in plant dramatically boosted the survival rates of plants when exposed to heavy metals. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A new strategy for efficient phytoremediation of heavy metals by stacking genes transformation in plants was developed in this article. - Abstract: Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana were developed to increase tolerance for and accumulation of heavy metals and metalloids by simultaneous overexpression of AsPCS1 and YCF1 (derived from garlic and baker's yeast) based on the fact that chelation of metals and vacuolar compartmentalization are the main strategies for heavy metals/metalloids detoxification and tolerance in plants. Dual-gene transgenic lines had the longest roots and the highest accumulation of Cd and As than single-gene transgenic lines and wildtype. When grown on cadmium or arsenic (arsenite/arsenate), Dual-gene transgenic lines accumulated over 2-10 folds cadmium/arsenite and 2-3 folds arsenate than wild type or plants expressing AsPCS1 or YCF1 alone. Such stacking modified genes involved in chelation of toxic metals and vacuolar compartmentalization represents a highly promising new tool for use in phytoremediation efforts.

  10. The effect of newer water-soluble contrast media on I-131 uptake by the thyroid gland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Starinsky, R.; Horne, T.; Barr, J.; Ramot, Y.

    2006-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two water-soluble contrast media (nonionic and Dimer) on iodine uptake by the thyroid gland. Twenty-eight euthyroid patients (16 females and 12 males) were subjected to 24hrs radioiodine uptake (RAIU) studies following brain CT examinations using the above cited two water-soluble contrast media. Radioiodine uptake studies were done at one (Group-1), two (Group-2) and four (Group-3) weeks following performance of contrast enhanced CT scans. The effect of both contrast media on the thyroid uptake was found to be identical. The radio active iodine uptake (RAIU) was observed to be suppressed in 30% of patients in Group-1, 33% of patients in Group-2 and in none of the patients belonging to Group-3. On the basis of this pilot study on a limited number of patients it was concluded that dimer and non-ionic water soluble contrast media cause suppression of radio iodine uptake by the thyroid gland in a significant proportion of patients. It has also been observed that both contrast media have similar suppressive effects on radio iodine uptake by the thyroid gland. This effect is transient and does not persist beyond a period of four weeks following the administration of the contrast media. (author)

  11. Enzyme phylogenies as markers for the oxidation state of the environment: the case of respiratory arsenate reductase and related enzymes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duval, Simon; Ducluzeau, Anne-Lise; Nitschke, Wolfgang; Schoepp-Cothenet, Barbara

    2008-07-16

    Phylogenies of certain bioenergetic enzymes have proved to be useful tools for deducing evolutionary ancestry of bioenergetic pathways and their relationship to geochemical parameters of the environment. Our previous phylogenetic analysis of arsenite oxidase, the molybdopterin enzyme responsible for the biological oxidation of arsenite to arsenate, indicated its probable emergence prior to the Archaea/Bacteria split more than 3 billion years ago, in line with the geochemical fact that arsenite was present in biological habitats on the early Earth. Respiratory arsenate reductase (Arr), another molybdopterin enzyme involved in microbial arsenic metabolism, serves as terminal oxidase, and is thus situated at the opposite end of bioenergetic electron transfer chains as compared to arsenite oxidase. The evolutionary history of the Arr-enzyme has not been studied in detail so far. We performed a genomic search of genes related to arrA coding for the molybdopterin subunit. The multiple alignment of the retrieved sequences served to reconstruct a neighbor-joining phylogeny of Arr and closely related enzymes. Our analysis confirmed the previously proposed proximity of Arr to the cluster of polysulfide/thiosulfate reductases but also unravels a hitherto unrecognized clade even more closely related to Arr. The obtained phylogeny strongly suggests that Arr originated after the Bacteria/Archaea divergence in the domain Bacteria, and was subsequently laterally distributed within this domain. It further more indicates that, as a result of accumulation of arsenate in the environment, an enzyme related to polysulfide reductase and not to arsenite oxidase has evolved into Arr. These findings are paleogeochemically rationalized by the fact that the accumulation of arsenate over arsenite required the increase in oxidation state of the environment brought about by oxygenic photosynthesis.

  12. Tolerance induced by anti-DNA Ig peptide in (NZB×NZW)F1 lupus mice impinges on the resistance of effector T cells to suppression by regulatory T cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Yiyun; Liu, Yaoyang; Shi, Fu-Dong; Zou, Hejian; Hahn, Bevra H; La Cava, Antonio

    2012-03-01

    We have previously shown that immune tolerance induced by the anti-DNA Ig peptide pCons in (NZB×NZW)F(1) (NZB/W) lupus mice prolonged survival of treated animals and delayed the appearance of autoantibodies and glomerulonephritis. Part of the protection conferred by pCons could be ascribed to the induction of regulatory T cells (T(Reg)) that suppressed the production of anti-DNA antibodies in a p38 MAPK-dependent fashion. Here we show that another effect of pCons in the induction of immune tolerance in NZB/W lupus mice is the facilitation of effector T cell suppression by T(Reg). These new findings indicate that pCons exerts protective effects in NZB/W lupus mice by differentially modulating the activity of different T cell subsets, implying new considerations in the design of T(Reg)-based approaches to modulate T cell autoreactivity in SLE. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Effects of Chronic Exposure to Sodium Arsenate on Kidney of Rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Namdar Yousofvand

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: In the present study, histopathological effects of chronic exposure to sodium arsenate in drinkable water were studied on a quantity of organs of rat. Methods: Rats were divided into two groups, group I; served as control group, were main-tained on deionized drinkable water for 2 months, and group II; the study group were given 60 g/ml of sodium arsenate in deionized drinkable water for 2 months. Blood and urine samples from two groups of animals were collected under anesthesia and the animals were sacrificed under deep anesthesia (a-chloralose, 100 mg/kg, I.P. Their kidney, liver, aorta, and heart were dissected out and cleaned of surrounding connective tissue. The organs were kept in formaldehyde (10% for histopathologic examination. Serum and urine samples from two groups were collected and analyzed for arsenic level. Total quantity of arsenic in serum and urine of animal was measured through graphic furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS. Results:Examination with light microscopy did not show any visible structural changes in the aorta, myocardium, and liver of chronic arsenic treated animals.However, a significant effect was observed in the kidneys of chronic arsenic treated rats showing distinct changes in proxi-mal tubular cells. There was high concentration of arsenic in serum and urine of arsenic ex-posed animals (group II significantly (P<0.001. Conclusion:Swollen tubular cells in histopathologic study of kidney may suggest toxic effects of arsenic in the body.

  14. Protective role of vitamin C and E against sodium arsenate induced changes in developing kidney of albino mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qureshi, F.; Tahir, M.; Sami, W.

    2009-01-01

    Background: Arsenic is a teratogenic agent present in the environment as oxides and arsenate and humans are exposed to it through contaminated drinking water, food, soil and air. This investigation was undertaken to evaluate protective role of Vitamin C and E against teratogenic injury produced by sodium arsenate in developing kidney of the mouse. Methods: Twenty-four pregnant albino mice of BALB/c strain, were randomly divided into 4 groups of 6 each: A1, A2, A3 and A4. Group A1 served as the control and received weight related distilled water by intra-peritoneal (I/P) injection, group A2 was given a single doses of 35 mg/kg on 8 GD whereas groups A3 and A4 were treated with Vitamin C and E by IP injection, 9 mg/kg/day and 15 mg/kg/day respectively, starting from 8 day and continued for the rest of the pregnancy period. The foetal kidneys were weighed and histological studies carried out including micrometry on different components of nephron. Results: Sodium arsenate toxicity manifested as an increase in weight of the kidneys, wider nephrogenic zone and significant reduction in the mean of number of mature renal corpuscles as compared to the control group (p<0.000). There were moderate to severe necrotic and degenerative changes in proximal and distal convoluted tubules; glomeruli were hyper cellular, the Bowman's spaces were obliterated. There was a statistically significant difference in mean diameter of renal corpuscles of group A2 when compared with groups A1, A3 and A4, (p<0.000). Conclusions: The findings implied that groups receiving Vitamin C and E along with sodium arsenate showed an overall improvement in all parameters, indicating the protective role of Vitamin C and E against arsenic induced teratogenicity in developing kidney and are safe to use during pregnancy without deleterious effect on human conspectuses in arsenic exposed areas. (author)

  15. Mechanisms of tolerance in murine radiation bone marrow chimeras. I. Nonspecific suppression of alloreactivity by spleen cells from early, but not late, chimeras

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Auchincloss, H. Jr.; Sachs, D.H.

    1983-01-01

    Allogeneic chimeras were prepared using lethally irradiated B6 hosts and untreated marrow from exsanguinated BALB/c donors. For about two months after reconstitution, chimeras had very weak antihost cell-mediated lymphocytotoxicity (CML) reactivity and little third-party alloreactivity. During this time a cell population capable of suppressing CML reactivity against both host and third-party alloantigens (i.e., antigen-nonspecific) was demonstrated in chimera spleens by in vitro mixing experiments. The putative suppressor cells were Thy-1-negative and radiation-sensitive. Subsequently, mature chimeras showed host tolerance and strong third-party alloreactivity. At this point suppressor mechanisms could no longer be demonstrated. These data are consistent with a clonal elimination hypothesis in that they do not provide evidence to indicate that maintenance of specific immune tolerance is mediated by an active suppressor mechanism

  16. Parameter tolerance of the SQUID bootstrap circuit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Guofeng; Dong Hui; Xie Xiaoming; Jiang Mianheng; Zhang Yi; Krause, Hans-Joachim; Braginski, Alex I; Offenhäusser, Andreas

    2012-01-01

    We recently demonstrated and analysed the voltage-biased SQUID bootstrap circuit (SBC) conceived to suppress the preamplifier noise contribution in the absence of flux modulation readout. Our scheme contains both the additional voltage and current feedbacks. In this study, we analysed the tolerance of the SBC noise suppression performance to spreads in SQUID and SBC circuit parameters. Analytical results were confirmed by experiments. A one-time adjustable current feedback can be used to extend the tolerance to spreads such as those caused by the integrated circuit fabrication process. This should help to improve the fabrication yield of SBC devices integrated on one chip—as required for multi-channel SQUID systems.

  17. Identification of anaerobic arsenite-oxidizing and arsenate-reducing bacteria associated with an alkaline saline lake in Khovsgol, Mongolia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamamura, Natsuko; Itai, Takaaki; Liu, Yitai; Reysenbach, Anna-Louise; Damdinsuren, Narantuya; Inskeep, William P

    2014-10-01

    Microbial arsenic transformation pathways associated with a saline lake located in northern Mongolia were examined using molecular biological and culturing approaches. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences recovered from saline lake sediments and soils were affiliated with haloalkaliphiles, including Bacillus and Halomonas spp. Diverse sequences of arsenate respiratory reductase (arrA) and a new group of arsenite oxidase (arxA) genes were also identified. Pure cultures of arsenate-reducing Nitrincola strain and anaerobic arsenite-oxidizing Halomonas strain were isolated. The chemoorganotrophic Halomonas strain contains arxA gene similar to that of a chemoautotrophic arsenite-oxidizing Alkalilimnicola ehrlichii strain MLHE-1. These results revealed the diversity of arsenic transformation pathways associated with a geographically distinct saline system and the potential contribution of arx-dependent arsenite oxidation by heterotrophic bacteria.

  18. Relationship between sodium influx and salt tolerance of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Apte, S.K.; Reddy, B.R.; Thomas, J.

    1987-08-01

    The relationship between sodium uptake and cyanobacterial salt (NaCl) tolerance has been examined in two filamentous, heterocystous, nitrogen-fixing species of Anabaena. During diazotrophic growth at neutral pH of the growth medium, Anabaena sp. strain L-31, a freshwater strain, showed threefold higher uptake of Na+ than Anabaena torulosa, a brackish-water strain, and was considerably less salt tolerant (50% lethal dose of NaCl, 55 mM) than the latter (50% lethal dose of NaCl, 170 mM). Alkaline pH or excess K+ (more than 25 mM) in the medium causes membrane depolarization and inhibits Na+ influx in both cyanobacteria (S.K. Apte and J. Thomas, Eur. J. Biochem. 154:395-401, 1986). The presence of nitrate or ammonium in the medium caused inhibition of Na+ influx accompanied by membrane depolarization. These experimental manipulations affecting Na+ uptake demonstrated a good negative correlation between Na+ influx and salt tolerance. All treatments which inhibited Na+ influx (such as alkaline pH, K+ above 25 mM, NO3-, and NH4+), enhanced salt tolerance of not only the brackish-water but also the freshwater cyanobacterium. The results indicate that curtailment of Na+ influx, whether inherent or effected by certain environmental factors (e.g., combined nitrogen, alkaline pH), is a major mechanism of salt tolerance in cyanobacteria. (Refs. 27)

  19. Lead uptake, tolerance, and accumulation exhibited by the plants Urtica dioica and Sedum spectabile in contaminated soil without additives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grubor Milena

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Specimens of Urtica dioica and Sedum spectabile collected from plants growing at uncontaminated sites were transplanted in Pb-contaminated soil without additives (EDTA, HEDTA to identify their natural potential for hyper-tolerance and hyperaccumulation of lead. The total content of Pb in the plants was determined by atomic spectroscopy. Our research showed that the concentrated toxic levels of lead (Pb in Sedum spectabile and Urtica dioica were about 100 or more times higher than those of non-accumulator plants. It can be concluded that these plants have a high natural potential for hypertolerance and hyperaccumulation of lead, since they can hyperaccumulate it without addition of any chelating compounds (EDTA, HEDTA to enhance lead uptake. This makes them very promising plants for use in phytoremediation of Pb-contaminated sites.

  20. Uptake of 75Se-selenite by brush border membrane vesicles from chick duodenum stimulated by vitamin D

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mykkanen, H.M.; Wasserman, R.H.

    1989-01-01

    Brush border membrane vesicles were isolated from mucosal homogenates of duodena from normal, rachitic and vitamin D-treated rachitic chicks using a discontinuous sucrose gradient, and further purified by glycerol gradient centrifugation. In vitro uptake of 75Se-selenite by purified brush border membrane vesicles was studied using a rapid filtration technique. The time course of 75Se uptake was non-linear; rapid initial binding was followed by a gradual decrease in the rate of uptake until an equilibrium value was reached at 60-120 min. The initial binding at 36 s was not affected by selenite concentration in the incubation buffer, while the fractional rate of uptake between the 36 s and 2 min time periods was clearly lower with 1 mM Se than with 4-100 microM Se. 75Se uptake did not show any dependency on the external Na-gradient, nor could it be inhibited by other anions (arsenate, phosphate). Treatment of rachitic chicks either with cholecalciferol (500 Iu, 72 h) or with 1,25(OH)2-cholecalciferol (0.5 microgram given 16 h prior to isolation of the vesicles) significantly enhanced 75Se uptake. A threefold excess of mannitol in the outside buffer reduced 75Se uptake by vesicles from vitamin D-deficient and D-treated chicks 60% and 35% respectively, but had no effect on vesicles from vitamin D-treated chicks preloaded with 75Se. Neither saponin treatment nor excess cold selenite could release the label from the vesicles preloaded with 75Se. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that selenite easily crosses the brush border membrane into the intravesicular space and, once inside, is tightly bound by the membrane

  1. Simultaneous removal of perchlorate and arsenate by ion-exchange media modified with nanostructured iron (hydr)oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hristovski, Kiril [Environmental Technology Laboratory, Arizona State University, 6075 S. WMS Campus Loop W, Mesa, AZ 85212 (United States)], E-mail: kiril.hristovski@asu.edu; Westerhoff, Paul [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Arizona State University, Box 5306, Tempe, AZ 85287-5306 (United States)], E-mail: p.westerhoff@asu.edu; Moeller, Teresia [SolmeteX Inc., 50 Bearfoot Road, Northborough, MA 01532 (United States)], E-mail: tmoller@solmetex.com; Sylvester, Paul [SolmeteX Inc., 50 Bearfoot Road, Northborough, MA 01532 (United States)], E-mail: psylvester@solmetex.com; Condit, Wendy [Battelle, 505 King Avenue, Columbus, OH 43201 (United States)], E-mail: conditw@battelle.org; Mash, Heath [United States Environmental Protection Agency, 26W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268 (United States)], E-mail: mash.heath@epa.gov

    2008-03-21

    Hybrid ion-exchange (HIX) media for simultaneous removal of arsenate and perchlorate were prepared by impregnation of non-crystalline iron (hydr)oxide nanoparticles onto strong base ion-exchange (IX) resins using two different chemical treatment techniques. In situ precipitation of Fe(III) (M treatment) resulted in the formation of sphere-like clusters of nanomaterials with diameters of {approx}5 nm, while KMnO{sub 4}/Fe(II) treatments yielded rod-like nanomaterials with diameters of 10-50 nm inside the pores of the media. The iron content of most HIX media was >10% of dry weight. The HIX media prepared via the M treatment method consistently exhibited greater arsenate adsorption capacity. The fitted Freundlich adsorption intensity parameters (q=KxC{sub E}{sup 1/n}) for arsenate (1/n < 0.6) indicated favorable adsorption trends. The K values ranged between 2.5 and 34.7 mgAs/g dry resin and were generally higher for the M treated media in comparison to the permanganate treated media. The separation factors for perchlorate over chloride ({alpha}{sub Cl{sup -}}{sup ClO{sub 4}{sup -}}) for the HIX media were lower than its untreated counterparts. The HIX prepared via the M treatment, had higher {alpha}{sub Cl{sup -}}{sup ClO{sub 4}{sup -}} than the HIX obtained by the KMnO{sub 4}/Fe(II) treatments suggesting that permanganate may adversely impact the ion-exchange base media. Short bed adsorber (SBA) tests demonstrated that the mass transport kinetics for both ions are adequately rapid to permit simultaneous removal using HIX media in a fixed bed reactor.

  2. Photometric titration of arsenate with thorium nitrate on the microgram and milligram scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harzdorf, C.; Fallah-Tafti, G.

    1976-01-01

    A method is decribed for the photometric titration of arsenate with thorium nitrate using pyrocatecholviolet as indicator. The method works at a low pH level and is therefore not subject to the most cationic interferences. Alkali salts do not affect the determination even at high concentrations if present as halides, nitrates or perchlorates. This makes the method particularly suitable for the analysis of arsenic in organic and inorganic compounds after decomposition. (orig.) [de

  3. Glutathione-S-transferase-omega [MMA(V) reductase] knockout mice: Enzyme and arsenic species concentrations in tissues after arsenate administration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chowdhury, Uttam K.; Zakharyan, Robert A.; Hernandez, Alba; Avram, Mihaela D.; Kopplin, Michael J.; Aposhian, H. Vasken

    2006-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic is a human carcinogen to which millions of people are exposed via their naturally contaminated drinking water. Its molecular mechanisms of carcinogenicity have remained an enigma, perhaps because arsenate is biochemically transformed to at least five other arsenic-containing metabolites. In the biotransformation of inorganic arsenic, GSTO1 catalyzes the reduction of arsenate, MMA(V), and DMA(V) to the more toxic + 3 arsenic species. MMA(V) reductase and human (hGSTO1-1) are identical proteins. The hypothesis that GST-Omega knockout mice biotransformed inorganic arsenic differently than wild-type mice has been tested. The livers of male knockout (KO) mice, in which 222 bp of Exon 3 of the GSTO1 gene were eliminated, were analyzed by PCR for mRNA. The level of transcripts of the GSTO1 gene in KO mice was 3.3-fold less than in DBA/1lacJ wild-type (WT) mice. The GSTO2 transcripts were about two-fold less in the KO mouse. When KO and WT mice were injected intramuscularly with Na arsenate (4.16 mg As/kg body weight); tissues removed at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 h after arsenate injection; and the arsenic species measured by HPLC-ICP-MS, the results indicated that the highest concentration of the recently discovered and very toxic MMA(III), a key biotransformant, was in the kidneys of both KO and WT mice. The highest concentration of DMA(III) was in the urinary bladder tissue for both the KO and WT mice. The MMA(V) reducing activity of the liver cytosol of KO mice was only 20% of that found in wild-type mice. There appears to be another enzyme(s) other than GST-O able to reduce arsenic(V) species but to a lesser extent. This and other studies suggest that each step of the biotransformation of inorganic arsenic has an alternative enzyme to biotransform the arsenic substrate

  4. Atmospheric deposition of trace elements around point sources and human health risk assessment. II: Uptake of arsenic and chromium by vegetables grown near a wood preservation factory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Erik Huusfeldt; Moseholm, Lars; Nielsen, Margot M.

    1992-01-01

    Kale, lettuce, carrots and potatoes were grown in 20 experimental plots surrounding a wood preservation factory, to investigate the amount and pathways for plant uptake of arsenic and chromium. Arsenate used in the wood preservation process is converted to the more toxic arsenite by incineration...... of waste wood and is emitted into the atmosphere. Elevated concentrations of inorganic arsenic and chromium were found both in the test plants and in the soil around the factory. Multivariate statistical analysis of the results indicated that the dominating pathway of arsenic and chromium from the factory...

  5. Visceral adiposity is associated with altered myocardial glucose uptake measured by (18)FDG-PET in 346 subjects with normal glucose tolerance, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Gyuri; Jo, Kwanhyeong; Kim, Kwang Joon; Lee, Yong-ho; Han, Eugene; Yoon, Hye-jin; Wang, Hye Jin; Kang, Eun Seok; Yun, Mijin

    2015-11-04

    The heart requires constant sources of energy mostly from free fatty acids (FFA) and glucose. The alteration in myocardial substrate metabolism occurs in the heart of diabetic patients, but its specific association with other metabolic variables remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate glucose uptake in hearts of subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography ((18)FDG-PET) in association with visceral and subcutaneous adiposity, and metabolic laboratory parameters. A total of 346 individuals (NGT, n = 76; prediabetes, n = 208; T2DM, n = 62) in a health promotion center of a tertiary hospital were enrolled. The fasting myocardial glucose uptake, and visceral and subcutaneous fat areas were evaluated using (18)FDG-PET and abdominal computed tomography, respectively. Myocardial glucose uptake was significantly decreased in subjects with T2DM compared to the NGT or prediabetes groups (p for trend = 0.001). Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that visceral fat area (β = -0.22, p = 0.018), fasting FFA (β = -0.39, p < 0.001), and uric acid levels (β = -0.21, p = 0.007) were independent determinants of myocardial glucose uptake. Multiple logistic analyses demonstrated that decreased myocardial glucose uptake (OR 2.32; 95% CI 1.02-5.29, p = 0.045) and visceral fat area (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03, p = 0.018) were associated with T2DM. Our findings indicate visceral adiposity is strongly associated with the alteration of myocardial glucose uptake evaluated by (18)FDG-PET, and its association further relates to T2DM.

  6. Arsenate and Arsenite Sorption on Magnetite: Relations to Groundwater Arsenic Treatment Using Zerovalent Iron and Natural Attenuation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magnetite (Fe3O4) is a zerovalent iron corrosion product; it is also formed in natural soil and sediment. Sorption of arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) on magnetite is an important process of arsenic removal from groundwater using zerovalent iron-based permeable reactive ba...

  7. Rapid microwave-assisted acid extraction of metals from chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated southern pine wood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bin Yu; Chung Y. Hse; Todd F. Shupe

    2009-01-01

    The effects of acid concentration, reaction time, and temperature in a microwave reactor on recovery of CCA-treated wood were evaluated. Extraction of copper, chromium, and arsenic metals from chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated southern pine wood samples with three different acids (i.e., acetic acid, oxalic acid, and phosphoric acid) was investigated using in...

  8. Effects of arsenic on nitrate metabolism in arsenic hyperaccumulating and non-hyperaccumulating ferns

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Nandita [Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fl 32611-0290 (United States); Eco-Auditing group, National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 226 001 (India); Ma, Lena Q., E-mail: lqma@ufl.ed [Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fl 32611-0290 (United States); Vu, Joseph C. [Chemistry Research Unit, CMAVE, USDA-ARS, Gainesville, FL 32608-1069 and Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-0500 (United States); Raj, Anshita [Eco-Auditing group, National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 226 001 (India)

    2009-08-15

    This study investigated the effects of arsenic on the in vitro activities of the enzymes (nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase) involved in nitrate metabolism in the roots, rhizomes, and fronds of four-month old Pteris vittata (arsenic - hyperaccumulator) and Pteris ensiformis (non-arsenic--hyperaccumulator) plants. The arsenic treatments (0, 150, and 300 muM as sodium arsenate) in hydroponics had adverse effects on the root and frond dry weights, and this effect was more evident in P. ensiformis than in P. vittata. Nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase activities of arsenate-treated plants were reduced more in P. ensiformis than in P. vittata. This effect was accompanied by similar decreases in tissue NO{sub 3}{sup -} concentrations. Therefore, this decrease is interpreted as being indirect, i.e., the consequence of the reduced NO{sub 3}{sup -} uptake and translocation in the plants. The study shows the difference in the tolerance level of the two Pteris species with varying sensitivity to arsenic. - Arsenic reduced the activity of nitrate and nitrite reductase more in Pteris ensiformis than Pteris vittata.

  9. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-dependent tryptophan metabolites contribute to tolerance induction during allergen immunotherapy in a mouse model

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Taher, Yousef A.; Piavaux, Benoit J. A.; Gras, Renee; van Esch, Betty C. A. M.; Hofman, Gerard A.; Bloksma, Nanne; Henricks, Paul A. J.; van Oosterhout, Antoon J. M.

    Background: The tryptophan-catabolizing enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) has been implicated in immune suppression and tolerance induction. Objective: We examined (1) whether IDO activity is required during tolerance induction by allergen immunotherapy or for the subsequent suppressive

  10. Detecting the heavy metal tolerance level in ectomycorrhizal fungi in vitro

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ray, P.; Tiwari, R.; Reddy, U.G.; Adholeya, A. [India Habitat Center, New Delhi (India). Energy & Resources Institute

    2005-04-01

    Eight isolates of ectomycorrhizal fungi namely, Laccaria fraterna (EM-1083), Laccaria laccata (EM-1191), Pisolithus tinctorius (EM-1081), Pisolithus tinctorius (EM-1293), Scleroderma cepa (EM-1233), Scleroderma flavidum (EM-1235), Scleroderma verucosum, (EM-1283) and Hysterangium incarceratum (EM-1185) were grown on specially designed cocktail media prepared by adding various concentrations of different heavy metals namely Al, As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb. The heavy metals were selected keeping in view their relative abundance in coal ash and potential toxicity. The fungal isolates were grown on such designed cocktail media. The colony diameter was used for the measurement of the fungal growth. Total heavy metal accumulated in the mycelia was assayed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. In relation to metal tolerance ability in general, Hysterangium incarceratum (EM-1185) showed maximum tolerance with respect to growth, Laccaria fraterna (EM-1083) and Pisolithus tinctorius (EM-1293) also showed considerable tolerance to the heavy metals tested. In relation to metal uptake in particular, Pisolithus tinctorius (EM-1293), has reported maximum uptake of Al (34642.58 ppm), Cd (302.12 ppm) and Pb (3501.96 ppm). In Laccaria fraterna (EM-1083), As (130.57 ppm) and Cr (402.38 ppm) uptake was recorded maximum; and Hysterangium incarceratum (EM-1185) has recorded maximum Ni (2648.59 ppm) uptake among the three suitable isolates documented here.

  11. The enigmatic role of mast cells in dominant tolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vries, Victor C; Pino-Lagos, Karina; Elgueta, Raul; Noelle, Randolph J

    2009-08-01

    The role of regulatory T cells (Treg) in peripheral tolerance has been studied extensively in transplantation research. Recently, mast cells have been shown to play an indispensable role in allograft tolerance. The purpose of this review is to inform the reader on the current standings of the role of mast cells in dominant tolerance with an emphasis on the interaction of mast cells with Treg. Mast cells are required to sustain peripheral tolerance via Treg. Treg can stabilize mast cells degranulation by contact-dependent mechanisms through the interaction of OX40 and its ligand OX40L, and by production of soluble factors, such as interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-beta. Conversely, the activation and subsequent degranulation of mast cells break peripheral tolerance. Both mast cells and Treg are needed to create a local immunosuppressive environment in the transplant. Treg are not only necessary to suppress effector T-cell responses but also to stabilize mast cells. Mast cells in return could contribute to the immunosuppressive state by release of transforming growth factor-beta, interleukin-10 and specific proteases. However, the molecular basis for mast cells control of Treg suppression in organ transplantation is still unresolved.

  12. Inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome attenuates foam cell formation of THP-1 macrophages by suppressing ox-LDL uptake and promoting cholesterol efflux.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Liang; Yao, Qiying; Xu, Siwei; Wang, Hongyan; Qu, Peng

    2018-01-01

    The NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. The activated NLRP3 inflammasome has been reported to promote macrophage foam cell formation, but not all studies have obtained the same result, and how NLRP3 inflammasome is involved in the formation of foam cells remains elusive. We used selective NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors and NLRP3-deficient THP-1 cells to assess the effect of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition on macrophage foam cell formation, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) uptake, esterification, and cholesterol efflux, as well as the expression of associated proteins. Inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome attenuated foam cell formation, diminished ox-LDL uptake, and promoted cholesterol efflux from THP-1 macrophages. Moreover, it downregulated CD36, acyl coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase-1 and neutral cholesterol ester hydrolase expression; upregulated ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) and scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) expression; but had no effect on the expression of scavenger receptor class A and ATP-binding cassette transporter G1. Collectively, our findings show that inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome decreases foam cell formation of THP-1 macrophages via suppression of ox-LDL uptake and enhancement of cholesterol efflux, which may be due to downregulation of CD36 expression and upregulation of ABCA1 and SR-BI expression, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Clinically relevant strategies for lowering cardiomyocyte glucose uptake for 18F-FDG imaging of myocardial inflammation in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thackeray, James T.; Bankstahl, Jens P.; Bengel, Frank M.; Wang, Yong; Wollert, Kai C.

    2015-01-01

    Myocardial inflammation is an emerging target for novel therapies and thus for molecular imaging. Positron emission tomography (PET) with 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been employed, but requires an approach for suppression of cardiomyocyte uptake. We tested clinically viable strategies for their suitability in mouse models in order to optimize preclinical imaging protocols. C57BL/6 mice (n = 56) underwent FDG PET under various conditions. In healthy animals, the effect of low-dose (5 units/kg) or high-dose (500 units/kg, 15 min prior) intravenous heparin, extended fasting (18 h) and the impact of conscious injection with limited, late application of isoflurane anaesthesia after 40 min of conscious uptake were examined in comparison to ketamine/xylazine anaesthesia. Conscious injection/uptake strategies were further evaluated at 3 days after permanent coronary artery occlusion. Under continuous isoflurane anaesthesia, neither heparin administration nor extended fasting significantly impacted myocardial 18 F-FDG accumulation. Injection with 40 min uptake in awake mice resulted in a marked reduction of global myocardial 18 F-FDG uptake compared to standard isoflurane anaesthesia (5.7 ± 1.1 %ID/g vs 30.2 ± 7.9 %ID/g, p < 0.01). Addition of heparin and fasting further reduced uptake compared to conscious injection alone (3.8 ± 1.5 %ID/g, p < 0.01) similar to ketamine/xylazine (2.4 ± 2.2 %ID/g, p < 0.001). In the inflammatory phase, 3 days after myocardial infarction, conscious injection/uptake with and without heparin/fasting identified a marked increase in myocardial 18 F-FDG accumulation that was similar to that observed under ketamine/xylazine. Continuous isoflurane anaesthesia obscures any suppressive effect of heparin or fasting on cardiomyocyte glucose utilization. Conscious injection of FDG in rodents significantly reduces cardiomyocyte uptake and enables further suppression by heparin and fasting, similar to clinical observations. In contrast to

  14. Suppression of a NAC-like transcription factor gene improves boron-toxicity tolerance in rice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ochiai, Kumiko; Shimizu, Akifumi; Okumoto, Yutaka; Fujiwara, Toru; Matoh, Toru

    2011-07-01

    We identified a gene responsible for tolerance to boron (B) toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa), named BORON EXCESS TOLERANT1. Using recombinant inbred lines derived from the B-toxicity-sensitive indica-ecotype cultivar IR36 and the tolerant japonica-ecotype cultivar Nekken 1, the region responsible for tolerance to B toxicity was narrowed to 49 kb on chromosome 4. Eight genes are annotated in this region. The DNA sequence in this region was compared between the B-toxicity-sensitive japonica cultivar Wataribune and the B-toxicity-tolerant japonica cultivar Nipponbare by eco-TILLING analysis and revealed a one-base insertion mutation in the open reading frame sequence of the gene Os04g0477300. The gene encodes a NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC)-like transcription factor and the function of the transcript is abolished in B-toxicity-tolerant cultivars. Transgenic plants in which the expression of Os04g0477300 is abolished by RNA interference gain tolerance to B toxicity.

  15. Arsenate Impact on the Metabolite Profile, Production, and Arsenic Loading of Xylem Sap in Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uroic, M. Kalle; Salaün, Pascal; Raab, Andrea; Feldmann, Jörg

    2012-01-01

    Arsenic uptake and translocation studies on xylem sap focus generally on the concentration and speciation of arsenic in the xylem. Arsenic impact on the xylem sap metabolite profile and its production during short term exposure has not been reported in detail. To investigate this, cucumbers were grown hydroponically and arsenate (AsV) and DMA were used for plant treatment for 24 h. Total arsenic and arsenic speciation in xylem sap was analyzed including a metabolite profiling under AsV stress. Produced xylem sap was quantified and absolute arsenic transported was determined. AsV exposure had a significant impact on the metabolite profile of xylem sap. Four m/z values corresponding to four compounds were up-regulated, one compound down-regulated by AsV exposure. The compound down-regulated was identified to be isoleucine. Furthermore, AsV exposure had a significant influence on sap production, leading to a reduction of up to 96% sap production when plants were exposed to 1000 μg kg−1 AsV. No difference to control plants was observed when plants were exposed to 1000 μg kg−1 DMA. Absolute arsenic amount in xylem sap was the lowest at high AsV exposure. These results show that AsV has a significant impact on the production and metabolite profile of xylem sap. The physiological importance of isoleucine needs further attention. PMID:22536187

  16. Root Fungal Endophytes Enhance Heavy-Metal Stress Tolerance of Clethra barbinervis Growing Naturally at Mining Sites via Growth Enhancement, Promotion of Nutrient Uptake and Decrease of Heavy-Metal Concentration.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keiko Yamaji

    Full Text Available Clethra barbinervis Sieb. et Zucc. is a tree species that grows naturally at several mine sites and seems to be tolerant of high concentrations of heavy metals, such as Cu, Zn, and Pb. The purpose of this study is to clarify the mechanism(s underlying this species' ability to tolerate the sites' severe heavy-metal pollution by considering C. barbinervis interaction with root fungal endophytes. We measured the heavy metal concentrations of root-zone soil, leaves, branches, and fine roots collected from mature C. barbinervis at Hitachi mine. We isolated fungal endophytes from surface-sterilized root segments, and we examined the growth, and heavy metal and nutrient absorption of C. barbinervis seedlings growing in sterilized mine soil with or without root fungal endophytes. Field analyses showed that C. barbinervis contained considerably high amounts of Cu, Zn, and Pb in fine roots and Zn in leaves. The fungi, Phialocephala fortinii, Rhizodermea veluwensis, and Rhizoscyphus sp. were frequently isolated as dominant fungal endophyte species. Inoculation of these root fungal endophytes to C. barbinervis seedlings growing in sterilized mine soil indicated that these fungi significantly enhanced the growth of C. barbinervis seedlings, increased K uptake in shoots and reduced the concentrations of Cu, Ni, Zn, Cd, and Pb in roots. Without root fungal endophytes, C. barbinervis could hardly grow under the heavy-metal contaminated condition, showing chlorosis, a symptom of heavy-metal toxicity. Our results indicate that the tree C. barbinervis can tolerate high heavy-metal concentrations due to the support of root fungal endophytes including P. fortinii, R. veluwensis, and Rhizoscyphus sp. via growth enhancement, K uptake promotion and decrease of heavy metal concentrations.

  17. SODIUM BICARBONATE FACILITATES LOW-DOSE ORAL TOLERANCE TO PEANUT IN MICE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rationale: Oral tolerance specifically inhibits production of allergic IgE antibody and is therefore a potential method for suppressing food allergy. We have previously demonstrated that a single oral dose of one mg is sufficient to induce oral tolerance to egg white but not pean...

  18. Na3Co2(AsO4(As2O7: a new sodium cobalt arsenate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abderrahmen Guesmi

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available In the title compound, trisodium dicobalt arsenate diarsenate, Na3Co2AsO4As2O7, the two Co atoms, one of the two As and three of the seven O atoms lie on special positions, with site symmetries 2 and m for the Co, m for the As, and 2 and twice m for the O atoms. The two Na atoms are disordered over two general and special positions [occupancies 0.72 (3:0.28 (3 and 0.940 (6:0.060 (6, respectively]. The main structural feature is the association of the CoO6 octahedra in the ab plane, forming Co4O20 units, which are corner- and edge-connected via AsO4 and As2O7 arsenate groups, giving rise to a complex polyhedral connectivity with small tunnels, such as those running along the b- and c-axis directions, in which the Na+ ions reside. The structural model is validated by both bond-valence-sum and charge-distribution methods, and the distortion of the coordination polyhedra is analyzed by means of the effective coordination number.

  19. Clinically relevant strategies for lowering cardiomyocyte glucose uptake for {sup 18}F-FDG imaging of myocardial inflammation in mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thackeray, James T.; Bankstahl, Jens P.; Bengel, Frank M. [Hanover Medical School, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hanover (Germany); Wang, Yong; Wollert, Kai C. [Hanover Medical School, Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Hanover (Germany)

    2015-04-01

    Myocardial inflammation is an emerging target for novel therapies and thus for molecular imaging. Positron emission tomography (PET) with {sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been employed, but requires an approach for suppression of cardiomyocyte uptake. We tested clinically viable strategies for their suitability in mouse models in order to optimize preclinical imaging protocols. C57BL/6 mice (n = 56) underwent FDG PET under various conditions. In healthy animals, the effect of low-dose (5 units/kg) or high-dose (500 units/kg, 15 min prior) intravenous heparin, extended fasting (18 h) and the impact of conscious injection with limited, late application of isoflurane anaesthesia after 40 min of conscious uptake were examined in comparison to ketamine/xylazine anaesthesia. Conscious injection/uptake strategies were further evaluated at 3 days after permanent coronary artery occlusion. Under continuous isoflurane anaesthesia, neither heparin administration nor extended fasting significantly impacted myocardial {sup 18}F-FDG accumulation. Injection with 40 min uptake in awake mice resulted in a marked reduction of global myocardial {sup 18}F-FDG uptake compared to standard isoflurane anaesthesia (5.7 ± 1.1 %ID/g vs 30.2 ± 7.9 %ID/g, p < 0.01). Addition of heparin and fasting further reduced uptake compared to conscious injection alone (3.8 ± 1.5 %ID/g, p < 0.01) similar to ketamine/xylazine (2.4 ± 2.2 %ID/g, p < 0.001). In the inflammatory phase, 3 days after myocardial infarction, conscious injection/uptake with and without heparin/fasting identified a marked increase in myocardial {sup 18}F-FDG accumulation that was similar to that observed under ketamine/xylazine. Continuous isoflurane anaesthesia obscures any suppressive effect of heparin or fasting on cardiomyocyte glucose utilization. Conscious injection of FDG in rodents significantly reduces cardiomyocyte uptake and enables further suppression by heparin and fasting, similar to clinical observations. In

  20. Assessment of the environmental effects associated with wooden bridges preserved with creosote, pentachlorophenol, or chromated copper arsenate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenneth M. Brooks

    Timber bridges provide an economical alternative to concrete and steel structures, particularly in rural areas with light to moderate vehicle traffic. Wooden components of these bridges are treated with chromated copper arsenate type C (CCA), pentachlorophenol, or creosote to prolong the life of the structure from a few years to many decades. This results in reduced...

  1. A novel recombinant peptide containing only two T-cell tolerance epitopes of chicken type II collagen that suppresses collagen-induced arthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xi, Caixia; Tan, Liuxin; Sun, Yeping; Liang, Fei; Liu, Nan; Xue, Hong; Luo, Yuan; Yuan, Fang; Sun, Yuying; Xi, Yongzhi

    2009-02-01

    Immunotherapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using oral-dosed native chicken or bovine type II collagen (nCII) to induce specific immune tolerance is an attractive strategy. However, the majority of clinical trials of oral tolerance in human diseases including RA in recent years have been disappointing. Here, we describe a novel recombinant peptide rcCTE1-2 which contains only two tolerogenic epitopes (CTE1 and CTE2) of chicken type II collagen (cCII). These are the critical T-cell determinants for suppression of RA that were first developed and used to compare its suppressive effects with ncCII on the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. The rcCTE1-2 was produced using the prokaryotic pET expression system and purified by Ni-NTA His affinity chromatography. Strikingly, our results showed clearly that rcCTE1-2 was as efficacious as ncCII at the dose of 50 microg/kg/d. This dose significantly reduced footpad swelling, arthritic incidence and scores, and deferred the onset of disease. Furthermore, rcCTE1-2 of 50 microg/kg/d could lower the level of anti-nCII antibody in the serum of CIA animals, decrease Th1-cytokine INF-gamma level, and increase Th3-cytokine TGF-beta(1) produced level by spleen cells from CIA mice after in vivo stimulation with ncCII. Importantly, rcCTE1-2 was even more potent than native cCII, which was used in the clinic for RA. Equally importantly, the findings that the major T-cell determinants of cCII that are also recognized by H-2(b) MHC-restricted T cells have not previously been reported. Taken together, these results suggest that we have successfully developed a novel recombinant peptide rcCTE1-2 that can induce a potent tolerogenic response in CIA.

  2. TISSUE DISTRIBUTION OF INORGANIC ARSENIC (AS) AND ITS METHYLATED METABOLITES IN MICE FOLLOWING ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENATE (ASV)

    Science.gov (United States)

    TISSUE DISTRIBUTION OF INORGANIC ARSENIC (iAs) AND ITS METHYLATED METABOLITES IN MICE FOLLOWING ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENATE (AsV). E M Kenyon1, L M Del Razo2, and M F Hughes1. 1NHEERL, ORD, US EPA, RTP, NC, USA; 2CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico City, Mexico.The relationship o...

  3. Kinetic parameters of silicon uptake by rice cultivars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priscila Oliveira Martins

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Silicon is considered an important chemical element for rice, because it can improve tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. However, in many situations no positive effect of silicon was observed, probably due to genetic factors. The objective of this research was to monitor Si uptake kinetics and identify responses of rice cultivars in terms of Si uptake capacity and use. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse of the São Paulo State University (UNESP, Brazil. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized, factorial design with three replications. that consisted of two rice cultivars and two Si levels. Kinetic parameters (Vmax, Km, and Cmin, root morphology variables, dry matter yield, Si accumulation and levels in shoots and roots, uptake efficiency, utilization efficiency, and root/shoot ratio were evaluated. Higher Si concentrations in the nutrient solution did not increase rice dry matter. The development of the low-affinity silicon uptake system of the rice cultivar 'Caiapó' was better than of 'Maravilha'.

  4. Pigmentation, anesthesia, behavioral factors, and salicylate uptake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jastreboff, P J; Issing, W; Brennan, J F; Sasaki, C T

    1988-02-01

    In four experiments, 54 pigmented rats were used to examine the time course of sodium salicylate uptake in serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and perilymph. Subjects were tested under sodium pentobarbital anesthesia or while conscious. Compared with previously reported data from albino rats, pigmented subjects generally showed increased salicylate uptake. Moreover, the data suggested two different, time-dependent clearance mechanisms in conscious animals not observed in anesthetized rats. Daily injections of salicylate did not produce an accumulation of salicylate in serum. Systematically higher levels of salicylate were observed in perilymph compared with cerebrospinal fluid. Behavioral procedures, including water deprivation and conditioned suppression of ongoing drinking levels, had no effect on salicylate levels.

  5. Soil-applied zinc and copper suppress cadmium uptake and improve the performance of cereals and legumes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murtaza, Ghulam; Javed, Wasim; Hussain, Amir; Qadir, Manzoor; Aslam, Muhammad

    2017-02-01

    The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of soil-applied Zn and Cu on absorption and accumulation of Cd applied through irrigation water in legume (chickpea and mung bean) and cereal (wheat and maize) crops. The results revealed that Cd in irrigation water at higher levels (2 and 5 mg L -1 ) significantly (p soil application of Zn and Cu, singly or combined, favored the biomass production. Plant tissue Cd concentration increased linearly with the increasing application of Cd via irrigation water. While Cd application caused a redistribution of metals in grains, straw, and roots with the highest concentration of Cd, Zn, and Cu occurred in roots followed by straw and grains. Zinc addition to soil alleviated Cd toxicity by decreasing Cd concentration in plant tissues due to a possible antagonistic effect. The addition of Cu to the soil had no consistent effects on Zn and Cd contents across all crops. Inhibitory effects of Cd on the uptake and accumulation of Zn and Cu have also been observed at higher Cd load. Thus, soil-applied Zn and Cu antagonized Cd helping the plant to cope with its toxicity and suppressed the toxic effects of Cd in plant tissues, thus favoring plant growth.

  6. Functional clonal deletion versus suppressor cell-induced transplantation tolerance in chimeras prepared with a short course of total-lymphoid irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slavin, S.; Morecki, S.; Weigensberg, M.; Bar, S.; Weiss, L.

    1986-01-01

    Allogeneic bone marrow (BM) chimeras induced by infusion of BM cells into recipients conditioned with total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) were shown to develop humoral and cell-mediated tolerance to host and donor-type alloantigens by a number of in vitro and in vivo assays. Spleen cells of tolerant chimeras exhibited suppressive activity of mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). MLR suppression was not abrogated by depletion of Lyt-2 cells, and neither could Lyt-2-positive cells sorted from the spleens of tolerant chimeras suppress MLR or attenuate graft-versus-host reactivity in vivo. Likewise, specifically unresponsive spleen cells obtained from chimeras could not be induced to respond in MLR against tolerizing host-type cells following depletion of Lyt-2 or passage through a nylon-wool column. Tolerance of chimera spleen cells to host alloantigens, best documented by permanent survival of donor-type skin allografts, could be adoptively transferred into syngeneic recipients treated by heavy irradiation but not into untreated or mildly irradiated recipients. Adoptive transfer of tolerance seemed to be associated with experimental conditions favoring engraftment of tolerant cells rather than suppression of host reactivity. We speculate that although host and/or donor-derived suppressor cells may be operating in reducing the pool of specific alloreactive clones by blocking cell proliferation in response to allogeneic challenge, the final outcome in tolerant chimeras is actual or functional deletion of alloreactive clones

  7. Effectiveness of 131I nor-cholesterol uptake per unit volume of adrenal adenoma in the diagnosis of aldosteronoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kita, Tamotsu; Tomita, Hiroko; Sakaguchi, Chiharu

    2010-01-01

    Diagnosis of adrenal adenomas for patients with primary aldosteronism is sometimes difficult only by referring to the visualization pattern in adrenocortical scintigraphy without regards to standard scintigraphy or suppression scintigraphy with dexamethasone. We studied if quantitative evaluation of the standard scintigraphy without dexamethasone suppression can be useful to diagnose aldosteronomas. Twenty-nine patients who had undergone adrenalectomy with different clinical manifestations (16 patients with primary aldosteronism, 6 patients with Cushing's syndrome and 7 patients without hormonal abnormality) were included in the study. Volume of the adrenocortical adenomas, 131 I nor-cholesterol uptake of the adrenocortical adenomas, and 131 I nor-cholesterol uptake per unit volume of the adrenocortical adenomas were compared between the 3 groups. The volume of adrenocortical adenomas in the patients with primary aldosteronism was significantly lower than those in the other two groups (Cushing's syndrome p 131 I nor-cholesterol uptake of adrenocortical adenoma. The 131 I nor-cholesterol uptake per unit volume of adrenocortical adenomas was significantly higher in the patients with primary aldosteronism than those in the other two groups (Cushing's syndrome p 131 I nor-cholesterol uptake per unit volume of adenoma obtained from adrenocortical scintigraphy without dexamethasone suppression can be useful in the diagnosis of aldosteronoma. (author)

  8. Boron nutrition and chilling tolerance of warm climate crop species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Longbin; Ye, Zhengqian; Bell, Richard W; Dell, Bernard

    2005-10-01

    Field observations and glasshouse studies have suggested links between boron (B)-deficiency and leaf damage induced by low temperature in crop plants, but causal relationships between these two stresses at physiological, biochemical and molecular levels have yet to be explored. Limited evidence at the whole-plant level suggests that chilling temperature in the root zone restricts B uptake capacity and/or B distribution/utilization efficiency in the shoot, but the nature of this interaction depends on chilling tolerance of species concerned, the mode of low temperature treatment (abrupt versus gradual temperature decline) and growth conditions (e.g. photon flux density and relative humidity) that may exacerbate chilling stress. This review explores roles of B nutrition in chilling tolerance of continual root or transient shoot chills in crop species adapted to warm season conditions. It reviews current research on combined effects of chilling temperature (ranging from >0 to 20 degrees C) and B deficiency on growth and B nutrition responses in crop species differing in chilling tolerance. For subtropical/tropical species (e.g. cucumber, cassava, sunflower), root chilling at 10-17 degrees C decreases B uptake efficiency and B utilization in the shoot and increases the shoot : root ratio, but chilling-tolerant temperate species (e.g. oilseed rape, wheat) require much lower root chill temperatures (2-5 degrees C) to achieve the same responses. Boron deficiency exacerbates chilling injuries in leaf tissues, particularly under high photon flux density. Suggested mechanisms for B x chilling interactions in plants are: (a) chilling-induced reduction in plasmalemma hydraulic conductivity, membrane fluidity, water channel activity and root pressure, which contribute to the decrease in root hydraulic conductance, water uptake and associated B uptake; (b) chilling-induced stomatal dysfunction affecting B transport from root to shoot and B partitioning in the shoot; and (c) B

  9. Infectious Tolerance

    OpenAIRE

    Jonuleit, Helmut; Schmitt, Edgar; Kakirman, Hacer; Stassen, Michael; Knop, Jürgen; Enk, Alexander H.

    2002-01-01

    Regulatory CD4+CD25+ T cells (Treg) are mandatory for maintaining immunologic self-tolerance. We demonstrate that the cell-cell contact–mediated suppression of conventional CD4+ T cells by human CD25+ Treg cells is fixation resistant, independent from membrane-bound TGF-β but requires activation and protein synthesis of CD25+ Treg cells. Coactivation of CD25+ Treg cells with Treg cell–depleted CD4+ T cells results in anergized CD4+ T cells that in turn inhibit the activation of conventional, ...

  10. Uptake, sequestration and tolerance of cadmium at cellular levels in the hyperaccumulator plant species Sedum alfredii

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tian, Shengke; Xie, Ruohan; Wang, Haixin; Hu, Yan; Hou, Dandi; Liao, Xingcheng; Brown, Patrick H.; Yang, Hongxia; Lin, Xianyong; Labavitch, John M.; Lu, Lingli

    2017-04-01

    Sedum alfredii is one of a few plant species known to hyperaccumulate cadmium (Cd). Uptake, localization, and tolerance of Cd at cellular levels in shoots were compared in hyperaccumulating (HE) and non-hyperaccumulating (NHE) ecotypes of Sedum alfredii. X-ray fluorescence images of Cd in stems and leaves showed only a slight Cd signal restricted within vascular bundles in the NHEs, while enhanced localization of Cd, with significant tissue- and age-dependent variations, was detected in HEs. In contrast to the vascular-enriched Cd in young stems, parenchyma cells in leaf mesophyll, stem pith and cortex tissues served as terminal storage sites for Cd sequestration in HEs. Kinetics of Cd transport into individual leaf protoplasts of the two ecotypes showed little difference in Cd accumulation. However, far more efficient storage of Cd in vacuoles was apparent in HEs. Subsequent analysis of cell viability and hydrogen peroxide levels suggested that HE protoplasts exhibited higher resistance to Cd than those of NHE protoplasts. These results suggest that efficient sequestration into vacuoles, as opposed to rapid transport into parenchyma cells, is a pivotal process in Cd accumulation and homeostasis in shoots of HE S. alfredii. This is in addition to its efficient root-to-shoot translocation of Cd.

  11. Effect of gamma irradiation, evaporation retardants and transpiration suppressants on grain yield, nutrient uptake and moisture-use efficiency on bread wheat (Triticum aestivum)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dash, D.K.; Sen, Avijit; Misra, N.M.

    1988-01-01

    A field trial was conducted on 'Malaviya 37' bread wheat (Triticum aestivum Linn. emend. Fiori and Paol.) in 1982-83 and 1983-84. It included 4 dos es of gamma irradiation of seeds (0, 2.5, 4.5 and 6.5 kR) and 5 treatments of evaporation retardants and transpiration suppressants, viz. control, rice (Oryza sativa Linn.) straw, wheat straw, rice straw + phenyl mercuric acetate (150 ppm) and wheat straw + kaolin (6 per cent). Seed irradiation with gamma-rays at 6.5 kR and wheat straw + kaolin gave 11.76 and 61.37 per cent higher yield than the control respectively. For moisture-use efficiency and NPK uptake these treatments also showed the same trend. (author). 12 refs

  12. Green synthesis and evaluation of an iron-based metal-organic framework MIL-88B for efficient decontamination of arsenate from water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, Shuliang; Wu, Yi-Nan; Feng, Lingyu; Chen, Wei; Wang, Ying; Morlay, Catherine; Li, Fengting

    2018-02-13

    Iron-containing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have gradually emerged as environmentally benign alternatives for reducing the levels of environmental contamination because of their advantages, such as readily obtained raw materials with low cost, nontoxic metal source with good biocompatibility, and distinguished physicochemical features e.g., high porosity, framework flexibility, and semiconductor properties. In this study, we reported an innovative strategy for synthesizing an iron-based MOF, MIL-88B, at room temperature. The novelty of this strategy was the use of ethanol as solvent and the pretreatment of dry milling with neither the bulk use of a toxic organic solvent nor the addition of extremely dangerous hydrofluoric acid or strong alkali. The synthesized MIL-88B(Fe) was evaluated as a sorbent for removing arsenate in water and it exhibited high adsorption capacity (156.7 mg g -1 ) at a low dosage. The removal capacity of trace arsenate on MIL-88B(Fe) was 32.3 mg g -1 at a low equilibrium concentration (6.4 μg L -1 ), which satisfied the arsenic threshold for drinking water. The results of Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that the As(v) molecules bonded with the oxygen molecules, which were coordinated with FeO clusters in the framework. This work presented the potential use of the up-scaled MIL-88B as an excellent sorbent for purifying arsenate-contaminated water.

  13. Suppression of [sup 125]I-uptake in mouse thyroid by seaweed feeding; Possible preventative effect of dietary seaweed on internal radiation injury of the thyroid by radioactive iodine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maruyama, Hiroko; Yamamoto, Ichiro (Kitasato Univ., Sagamihara, Kanagawa (Japan). School of Hygienic Sciences)

    1992-12-01

    We conducted an animal experiment to determine how dietary seaweeds rich in iodine and dietary fibers suppress radioactive iodine uptake by the thyroid, using mice and four kinds of experimental diets, three with 1% or 2% powdered fronds of the kelp Laminaria religiosa and 2% powdered laver Porphyra yezoensis, and one with cellulose. Iodine content of a hot-water extract of the kelp was 0.530[+-]0.001%, and its dietary fiber (DF) values were 52.8[+-]1.2%. Iodine in an extract of the laver was 0.008[+-]0.001%, and its DF values were 41.4%[+-]0.7%. A statistically significant reduction of [sup 125]I uptake by the thyroid, 3 hours after intragastric administration of the radionuclide at a dosage of 18.5 kBq or 185 kBq in 0.3 ml aqueous solution per mouse, was observed in mice previously fed the experimental diets containing 1% and 2% kelp during periods varying from 24 hours to 7 days. The degree of the suppression was observed to depend on the amount of iodine in the diet or in the injected sample, no matter whether organic or inorganic, judging from the results of an additional experiment. Thus, we conclude that previously fed iodine-rich material, especially dietary seaweeds rich in iodine and other minerals, vitamins, and [beta]-carotene, such as kelps or laver supplemented with inorganic iodine, may be effective in prevention of internal radiation injury of the thyroid. (author).

  14. Suppression of a NAC-Like Transcription Factor Gene Improves Boron-Toxicity Tolerance in Rice1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ochiai, Kumiko; Shimizu, Akifumi; Okumoto, Yutaka; Fujiwara, Toru; Matoh, Toru

    2011-01-01

    We identified a gene responsible for tolerance to boron (B) toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa), named BORON EXCESS TOLERANT1. Using recombinant inbred lines derived from the B-toxicity-sensitive indica-ecotype cultivar IR36 and the tolerant japonica-ecotype cultivar Nekken 1, the region responsible for tolerance to B toxicity was narrowed to 49 kb on chromosome 4. Eight genes are annotated in this region. The DNA sequence in this region was compared between the B-toxicity-sensitive japonica cultivar Wataribune and the B-toxicity-tolerant japonica cultivar Nipponbare by eco-TILLING analysis and revealed a one-base insertion mutation in the open reading frame sequence of the gene Os04g0477300. The gene encodes a NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC)-like transcription factor and the function of the transcript is abolished in B-toxicity-tolerant cultivars. Transgenic plants in which the expression of Os04g0477300 is abolished by RNA interference gain tolerance to B toxicity. PMID:21543724

  15. Developmental consequences of in utero sodium arsenate exposure in mice with folate transport deficiencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spiegelstein, Ofer; Gould, Amy; Wlodarczyk, Bogdan; Tsie, Marlene; Lu Xiufen; Le, Chris; Troen, Aron; Selhub, Jacob; Piedrahita, Jorge A.; Salbaum, J. Michael; Kappen, Claudia; Melnyk, Stepan; James, Jill; Finnell, Richard H.

    2005-01-01

    Previous studies have demonstrated that mice lacking a functional folate binding protein 2 gene (Folbp2 -/- ) were significantly more sensitive to in utero arsenic exposure than were the wild-type mice similarly exposed. When these mice were fed a folate-deficient diet, the embryotoxic effect of arsenate was further exacerbated. Contrary to expectations, studies on 24-h urinary speciation of sodium arsenate did not demonstrate any significant difference in arsenic biotransformation between Folbp2 -/- and Folbp2 +/+ mice. To better understand the influence of folate pathway genes on arsenic embryotoxicity, the present investigation utilized transgenic mice with disrupted folate binding protein 1 (Folbp1) and reduced folate carrier (RFC) genes. Because complete inactivation of Folbp1 and RFC genes results in embryonic lethality, we used heterozygous animals. Overall, no RFC genotype-related differences in embryonic susceptibility to arsenic exposure were observed. Embryonic lethality and neural tube defect (NTD) frequency in Folbp1 mice was dose-dependent and differed from the RFC mice; however, no genotype-related differences were observed. The RFC heterozygotes tended to have higher plasma levels of S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) than did the wild-type controls, although this effect was not robust. It is concluded that genetic modifications at the Folbp1 and RFC loci confers no particular sensitivity to arsenic toxicity compared to wild-type controls, thus disproving the working hypothesis that decreased methylating capacity of the genetically modified mice would put them at increased risk for arsenic-induced reproductive toxicity

  16. MicroRNAs are involved in cadmium tolerance in Daphnia pulex

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Shuai [Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (United States); Nichols, Krista M. [Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (United States); Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA (United States); Poynton, Helen C. [School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA (United States); Sepúlveda, Maria S., E-mail: mssepulv@purdue.edu [Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Highlights: • Cd tolerance in D. pulex was related with differential expression of 10 miRNAs and MT3 and MT4. • Cd tolerance-related miRNAs might switch cellular energy allocation to detoxification processes by suppressing cellular growth and proliferation. • Loss of Cd tolerance was linked to down-regulation of MT1 and MT3 expression when animals were moved to a Cd-free environment. • This is the first study linking aquatic invertebrate miRNAs with induced tolerance to environmental stressors. - Abstract: Daphnia can develop tolerance to cadmium (Cd) after multi-generational exposures. Until now, Cd tolerance in this crustacean was thought to be mainly due to its sequestration via induction of metallothioneins (MTs). Our research supports other studies showing microRNAs (miRNAs) also play a role in this enhanced tolerance. We induced Cd tolerance in Daphnia pulex after exposing them for 25 generations and examined the maintenance of enhanced Cd tolerance under a Cd-free environment for an additional three generations. Acute Cd tolerance as well as long-term effects on population dynamics were measured in selected generations via 48 h LC{sub 50} tests and 21 d reproductive tests, respectively. Cd tolerance was associated with differential expression of 10 miRNAs (miR-2, miR-33, miR-92, miR-96, miR-153, miR-252, miR-279, miR-283, miR-305 and miR-615). Pathway analysis revealed these miRNAs might increase Cd tolerance by suppressing cellular growth and proliferation by GTPase and cuticle protein pathways, which switch cellular energy allocation to detoxification processes. Moreover, we found increased Cd tolerance is related with induction of MT3 and MT4 and a subsequent downregulation of MT1 and MT3 expression when animals are moved to a Cd-free environment. This is the first study linking aquatic invertebrate miRNAs with induced tolerance to environmental stressors.

  17. Effects of compost and phosphate amendments on arsenic mobility in soils and arsenic uptake by the hyperaccumulator, Pteris vittata L

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao Xinde; Ma, Lena Q.; Shiralipour, Aziz

    2003-01-01

    Chinese brake fern (Pteris vittata L.), an arsenic (As) hyperaccumulator, has shown the potential to remediate As-contaminated soils. This study investigated the effects of soil amendments on the leachability of As from soils and As uptake by Chinese brake fern. The ferns were grown for 12 weeks in a chromated-copper-arsenate (CCA) contaminated soil or in As spiked contaminated (ASC) soil. Soils were treated with phosphate rock, municipal solid waste, or biosolid compost. Phosphate amendments significantly enhanced plant As uptake from the two tested soils with frond As concentrations increasing up to 265% relative to the control. After 12 weeks, plants grown in phosphate-amended soil removed >8% of soil As. Replacement of As by P from the soil binding sites was responsible for the enhanced mobility of As and subsequent increased plant uptake. Compost additions facilitated As uptake from the CCA soil, but decreased As uptake from the ASC soil. Elevated As uptake in the compost-treated CCA soil was related to the increase of soil water-soluble As and As(V) transformation into As(III). Reduced As uptake in the ASC soil may be attributed to As adsorption to the compost. Chinese brake fern took up As mainly from the iron-bound fraction in the CCA soil and from the water-soluble/exchangeable As in the ASC soil. Without ferns for As adsorption, compost and phosphate amendments increased As leaching from the CCA soil, but had decreased leaching with ferns when compared to the control. For the ASC soil, treatments reduced As leaching regardless of fern presence. This study suggest that growing Chinese brake fern in conjunction with phosphate amendments increases the effectiveness of remediating As-contaminated soils, by increasing As uptake and decreasing As leaching. - Phosphate amendment increases the effectiveness of Chinese brake fern to remediate As-contaminated soils, by increasing As uptake and decreasing As leaching

  18. Optimizing silicon application to improve salinity tolerance in wheat

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Ali

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Salinity often suppresses the wheat performance. As wheat is designated as silicon (Si accumulator, hence Si application may alleviate the salinity induced damages. With the objective to combat the salinity stress in wheat by Si application (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mg L-1 using calcium silicate, an experiment was conducted on two contrasting wheat genotypes (salt sensitive; Auqab-2000 and salt tolerant; SARC-5 in salinized (10 dS m-1 and non-salinized (2 dS m-1 solutions. Plants were harvested 32 days after transplanting and evaluation was done on the basis of different morphological and analytical characters. Silicon supplementation into the solution culture improved wheat growth and K+/Na+ with reduced Na+ and enhanced K+ uptake. Concomitant improvement in shoot growth was observed; nonetheless the root growth remained unaffected by Si application. Better results were obtained with 150 and 200 mg L-1 of Si which were found almost equally effective. It was concluded that SARC-5 is better than Auqab-2000 against salt stress and Si inclusion into the solution medium is beneficial for wheat and can improve the crop growth both under optimal and salt stressful conditions.

  19. Influence of inhibitors of serotonin uptake on intestinal epithelium and colorectal carcinomas.

    OpenAIRE

    Tutton, P. J.; Barkla, D. H.

    1982-01-01

    Previous studies have shown that in certain tissues, including colonic carcinomas, cell proliferation may be promoted by serotonin, and indirect evidence suggests that the effects of this amine on colonic tumours involves a cellular-uptake mechanism. In the present study, two specific inhibitors of serotonin uptake, Citalopram and Fluoxetine, are examined for their effects on cell proliferation and tumour growth. Each of the agents was found to suppress cell division in dimethylhydrazine-indu...

  20. Interactions of arsenic and phenanthrene on their uptake and antioxidative response in Pteris vittata L

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Lu; Yan Xiulan; Liao Xiaoyong; Wen Yi; Chong Zhongyi; Liang Tao

    2011-01-01

    The interactions of arsenic and phenanthrene on plant uptake and antioxidative response of Pteris vitatta L. were studied hydroponically. The combination of arsenic and phenanthrene decreased arsenic contents in fronds by 30-51%, whereas increased arsenic concentrations 1.2-1.6 times in roots, demonstrating the suppression of arsenic translocation compared to the corresponding treatment without phenanthrene. Under the co-exposure, As(III) concentrations in fronds deceased by 12-73%, and at higher arsenic exposure level (≥10 mg/L), As(V) in fronds and As(III) in roots increased compared to the single arsenic treatment. Arsenic exposure elevated phenanthrene concentrations in root by 39-164%. The co-existence of arsenic and phenanthrene had little impact on plant arsenic accumulation, although synergistic effect on antioxidants was observed, suggesting the special physiological process of P. vitatta in the co-exposure and application potential of P. vitatta in phytoremediation of arsenic and PAHs co-contamination. - Highlights: → Pteris vitatta L. show tolerance to the arsenic and phenanthrene co-exposure. → P. vitatta efficiently accumulate arsenic and simultaneously enhance phenanthrene dissipation. → Phenanthrene suppresses arsenic translocation from roots to fronds. → Phenanthrene causes As(III) elevation in roots while reduction in fronds. → Synergistic effect potentiates the toxicity and antioxidants in plant. - Pteris vitatta L. not only efficiently accumulate arsenic but also enhance phenanthrene dissipation under the arsenic and phenanthrene co-exposure.

  1. Interactions of arsenic and phenanthrene on their uptake and antioxidative response in Pteris vittata L

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun Lu [Beijing Key Lab of Industrial Land Contamination and Remediation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101 (China); Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Yan Xiulan [Beijing Key Lab of Industrial Land Contamination and Remediation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101 (China); Liao Xiaoyong, E-mail: liaoxy@igsnrr.ac.cn [Beijing Key Lab of Industrial Land Contamination and Remediation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101 (China); Wen Yi; Chong Zhongyi; Liang Tao [Beijing Key Lab of Industrial Land Contamination and Remediation, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101 (China)

    2011-12-15

    The interactions of arsenic and phenanthrene on plant uptake and antioxidative response of Pteris vitatta L. were studied hydroponically. The combination of arsenic and phenanthrene decreased arsenic contents in fronds by 30-51%, whereas increased arsenic concentrations 1.2-1.6 times in roots, demonstrating the suppression of arsenic translocation compared to the corresponding treatment without phenanthrene. Under the co-exposure, As(III) concentrations in fronds deceased by 12-73%, and at higher arsenic exposure level ({>=}10 mg/L), As(V) in fronds and As(III) in roots increased compared to the single arsenic treatment. Arsenic exposure elevated phenanthrene concentrations in root by 39-164%. The co-existence of arsenic and phenanthrene had little impact on plant arsenic accumulation, although synergistic effect on antioxidants was observed, suggesting the special physiological process of P. vitatta in the co-exposure and application potential of P. vitatta in phytoremediation of arsenic and PAHs co-contamination. - Highlights: > Pteris vitatta L. show tolerance to the arsenic and phenanthrene co-exposure. > P. vitatta efficiently accumulate arsenic and simultaneously enhance phenanthrene dissipation. > Phenanthrene suppresses arsenic translocation from roots to fronds. > Phenanthrene causes As(III) elevation in roots while reduction in fronds. > Synergistic effect potentiates the toxicity and antioxidants in plant. - Pteris vitatta L. not only efficiently accumulate arsenic but also enhance phenanthrene dissipation under the arsenic and phenanthrene co-exposure.

  2. An abnormal carbohydrate tolerance in acromegaly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qi Jinwu

    1988-01-01

    An abnormal secretion of plasma human growth hormore (hGH) and insulin in 67 acromegalic patients had been previously treated by external pituitary radiation were studied. All subjects, following an overnight fast, a standard 100 g oral glucose tolerance test, were performed and venous blood samples were taken at 0, 30, 60, 120 and 180 min. They were measured for blood glucose, plasma insulin and hGH. The results of this study have shown that, of the 67 subjects, 23 cases had an abnormal glucose tolerance(34.32%). Diabetes was detected in 17 cases (23.37%) and 6 patients had decreased glucose tolerance(8.69%). In all, hGH levels were consistantly above 5 ng/ml and were not suppressed after an oral glucose load. In these patients, however, about one-third had abnormal glucose tolerance. Low plasma insulin response to glucose and that of the releasing were evident in them than the normal glucose tolerance and a healthy control group. In addition, the mechanism of the abnormal secretion of hGH and insulin were disscussed

  3. Plant aquaporins: new perspectives on water and nutrient uptake in saline environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    del Martínez-Ballesta, M C; Silva, C; López-Berenguer, C; Cabañero, F J; Carvajal, M

    2006-09-01

    The mechanisms of salt stress and tolerance have been targets for genetic engineering, focusing on ion transport and compartmentation, synthesis of compatible solutes (osmolytes and osmoprotectants) and oxidative protection. In this review, we consider the integrated response to salinity with respect to water uptake, involving aquaporin functionality. Therefore, we have concentrated on how salinity can be alleviated, in part, if a perfect knowledge of water uptake and transport for each particular crop and set of conditions is available.

  4. Mechanism of oral tolerance induction to therapeutic proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaomei; Sherman, Alexandra; Liao, Gongxian; Leong, Kam W; Daniell, Henry; Terhorst, Cox; Herzog, Roland W

    2013-06-15

    Oral tolerance is defined as the specific suppression of humoral and/or cellular immune responses to an antigen by administration of the same antigen through the oral route. Due to its absence of toxicity, easy administration, and antigen specificity, oral tolerance is a very attractive approach to prevent unwanted immune responses that cause a variety of diseases or that complicate treatment of a disease. Many researchers have induced oral tolerance to efficiently treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in different animal models. However, clinical trials yielded limited success. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of oral tolerance induction to therapeutic proteins is critical for paving the way for clinical development of oral tolerance protocols. This review will summarize progress on understanding the major underlying tolerance mechanisms and contributors, including antigen presenting cells, regulatory T cells, cytokines, and signaling pathways. Potential applications, examples for therapeutic proteins and disease targets, and recent developments in delivery methods are discussed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Isolation of cowpea genes conferring drought tolerance ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The main objective of this study was to identify and isolate the genes conferring drought tolerance in cowpea. A cDNA library enriched for cowpea genes expressed specifically during responses to drought was constructed. A procedure called suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) was successfully employed to obtain ...

  6. Speciation of As in calcite by micro-XAFS: Implications for remediation of As contamination in groundwater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yokoyama, Y; Takahashi, Y; Iwatsuki, T; Terada, Y

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate the role of calcite as a host phase of arsenic (As) in As-contaminated groundwater, distribution behavior of Asbetween natural calcite and groundwater in deep underground was investigated based on As oxidation state. Speciation analyses of As in natural calcite by μ-XRF-XAFS analyses showed (i) preferentialarsenate uptake by calcite, and (ii) promptness of arsenate uptake by minor iron (Fe) carbonate minerals coprecipitated with calcite. These findings suggest that the effect of calcite on As remediation of the As-contamination systems stronglydepends on arsenite to arsenate ratio (i.e., redox condition) in groundwater, and maybe governed bythe amount of Fe coprecipitated with calcite.

  7. Immune tolerance in radiation chimeras

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Awaya, Kazuhiko; Kuniki, Hiromichi; Neki, Miyuki

    1978-01-01

    Establishment of immune tolerance in radiation chimeras and the mechanism of maintaining it were discussed from certain points. Semiallogeneic radiation chimeras are mostly of long-living, and the hematopoietic organ of this individual consists mainly of the cells derived from the marrow donor, i. e., F 1 -type cells. F 1 -type lymphocytes can distinguish parental strain cells from themselves. In these chimeras, a F 1 -skin graft maintains to be fresh as long as the host is alive, showing immune tolerance effective through its life. In establishment and maintenance of this immune tolerance, the suppressing mechanism of host-type or F 1 -type seems to be involved. The allogeneic radiation chimera has very poor long-survival rate compared with that of the semiallogeneic radiation chimera. To raise this survival rate, efforts are now being made from the immunological point of view. (Ueda, J.)

  8. Characterization of the selenite uptake mechanism in the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyta).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araie, Hiroya; Sakamoto, Kou; Suzuki, Iwane; Shiraiwa, Yoshihiro

    2011-07-01

    The marine coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyta) requires selenium as an essential element for growth, and the active species absorbed is selenite, not selenate. This study characterized the selenite uptake mechanism using ⁷⁵Se as a tracer. Kinetic analysis of selenite uptake showed the involvement of both active and passive transport processes. The active transport was suppressed by 0.5 mM vanadate, a membrane-permeable inhibitor of H⁺-ATPase, at pH 8.3. When the pH was lowered from 8.3 to 5.3, the selenite uptake activity greatly increased, even in the presence of vanadate, suggesting that the H⁺ concentration gradient may be a motive force for selenite transport. [⁷⁵Se]Selenite uptake at selenite-limiting concentrations was hardly affected by selenate, sulfate and sulfite, even at 100 μM. In contrast, 3 μM orthophosphate increased the K(m) 5-fold. These data showed that HSeO₃⁻, a dominant selenite species at acidic pH, is the active species for transport through the plasma membrane and transport is driven by ΔpH energized by H⁺-ATPase. Kinetic analysis showed that the selenite uptake activity was competitively inhibited by orthophosphate. Furthermore, the active selenite transport mechanism was shown to be induced de novo under Se-deficient conditions and induction was suppressed by the addition of either sufficient selenite or cycloheximide, an inhibitor of de novo protein synthesis. These results indicate that E. huxleyi cells developed an active selenite uptake mechanism to overcome the disadvantages of Se limitation in ecosystems, maintaining selenium metabolism and selenoproteins for high viability.

  9. Effect of weathering on chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated wood : leaching of metal salts and change in water repellency

    Science.gov (United States)

    R. Sam Williams; Stan Lebow; Patricia Lebow

    2003-01-01

    Wood pressure-treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) wood preservative is commonly used for outdoor construction. Oxides of arsenic, copper, and chromium are bound in the wood by a complex series of chemical reactions, but a small percentage of these compounds are gradually released by leaching and weathering. Recent studies suggest that the release of these...

  10. Towards a selective adsorbent for arsenate and selenite in the presence of phosphate: Assessment of adsorption efficiency, mechanism, and binary separation factors of the chitosan-copper complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamani, Jamila S; Lounsbury, Amanda W; Zimmerman, Julie B

    2016-01-01

    The potential for a chitosan-copper polymer complex to select for the target contaminants in the presence of their respective competitive ions was evaluated by synthesizing chitosan-copper beads (CCB) for the treatment of (arsenate:phosphate), (selenite:phosphate), and (selenate:sulfate). Based on work by Rhazi et al., copper (II) binds to the amine moiety on the chitosan backbone as a monodentate complex (Type I) and as a bidentate complex crosslinking two polymer chains (Type II), depending on pH and copper loading. In general, the Type I complex exists alone; however, beyond threshold conditions of pH 5.5 during synthesis and a copper loading of 0.25 mol Cu(II)/mol chitosan monomer, the Type I and Type II complexes coexist. Subsequent chelation of this chitosan-copper ligand to oxyanions results in enhanced and selective adsorption of the target contaminants in complex matrices with high background ion concentrations. With differing affinities for arsenate, selenite, and phosphate, the Type I complex favors phosphate chelation while the Type II complex favors arsenate chelation due to electrostatic considerations and selenite chelation due to steric effects. No trend was exhibited for the selenate:sulfate system possibly due to the high Ksp of the corresponding copper salts. Binary separation factors, α12, were calculated for the arsenate-phosphate and selenite-phosphate systems, supporting the mechanistic hypothesis. While, further research is needed to develop a synthesis method for the independent formation of the Type II complexes to select for target contaminants in complex matrices, this work can provide initial steps in the development of a selective adsorbent. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Nonsuppressed Glucagon After Glucose Challenge as a Potential Predictor for Glucose Tolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, Róbert; Hakaste, Liisa H; Ahlqvist, Emma; Heni, Martin; Machann, Jürgen; Schick, Fritz; Van Obberghen, Emmanuel; Stefan, Norbert; Gallwitz, Baptist; Tuomi, Tiinamaija; Häring, Hans-Ulrich; Groop, Leif; Fritsche, Andreas

    2017-05-01

    Glucagon levels are classically suppressed after glucose challenge. It is still not clear as to whether a lack of suppression contributes to hyperglycemia and thus to the development of diabetes. We investigated the association of postchallenge change in glucagon during oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs), hypothesizing that higher postchallenge glucagon levels are observed in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Glucagon levels were measured during OGTT in a total of 4,194 individuals without diabetes in three large European cohorts. Longitudinal changes in glucagon suppression were investigated in 50 participants undergoing a lifestyle intervention. Only 66-79% of participants showed suppression of glucagon at 120 min (fold change glucagon 120/0 change glucagon 120/0 ≥1). Participants with nonsuppressed glucagon 120 had a lower risk of IGT in all cohorts (odds ratio 0.44-0.53, P change glucagon 120/0 was associated with an improvement in insulin sensitivity ( P = 0.003). We characterize nonsuppressed glucagon 120 during the OGTT. Lower glucagon suppression after oral glucose administration is associated with a metabolically healthier phenotype, suggesting that it is not an adverse phenomenon. © 2017 by the American Diabetes Association.

  12. Cd Toxicity and Accumulation in Rice Plants Vary with Soil Nitrogen Status and Their Genotypic Difference can be Partly Attributed to Nitrogen Uptake Capacity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qin DU

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Two indica rice genotypes, viz. Milyang 46 and Zhenshan 97B differing in Cd accumulation and tolerance were used as materials in a hydroponic system consisting of four Cd levels (0, 0.1, 1.0 and 5.0 µmol/L and three N levels (23.2, 116.0 and 232.0 mg/L to study the effects of nitrogen status and nitrogen uptake capacity on Cd accumulation and tolerance in rice plants. N-efficient rice genotype, Zhenshan 97B, accumulated less Cd and showed higher Cd tolerance than N-inefficient rice genotype, Milyang 46. There was consistency between nitrogen uptake capacity and Cd tolerance in rice plants. Increase of N level in solution slightly increased Cd concentration in shoots but significantly increased in roots of both genotypes. Compared with the control at low N level, Cd tolerance in both rice genotypes could be significantly enhanced under normal N level, but no significant difference was observed between the Cd tolerances under normal N (116.0 mg/L and high N (232.0 mg/L conditions. The result proved that genotypic differences in Cd accumulation and toxicity could be, at least in part, attributed to N uptake capacity in rice plants.

  13. Arsenic uptake and speciation in vegetables grown under greenhouse conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, E; Juhasz, A L; Weber, J

    2009-04-01

    The accumulation of arsenic (As) by vegetables is a potential human exposure pathway. The speciation of As in vegetables is an important consideration due to the varying toxicity of different As species. In this study, common Australian garden vegetables were hydroponically grown with As-contaminated irrigation water to determine the uptake and species of As present in vegetable tissue. The highest concentrations of total As were observed in the roots of all vegetables and declined in the aerial portions of the plants. Total As accumulation in the edible portions of the vegetables decreased in the order radish > mung bean > lettuce = chard. Arsenic was present in the roots of radish, chard, and lettuce as arsenate (As(V)) and comprised between 77 and 92% of the total As present, whereas in mung beans, arsenite (As(III)) comprised 90% of the total As present. In aerial portions of the vegetables, As was distributed equally between both As(V) and As(III) in radish and chard but was present mainly as As(V) in lettuce. The presence of elevated As in vegetable roots suggests that As species may be complexed by phytochelatins, which limits As translocation to aerial portions of the plant.

  14. Separation/Preconcentration and Speciation Analysis of Trace Amounts of Arsenate and Arsenite in Water Samples Using Modified Magnetite Nanoparticles and Molybdenum Blue Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Ali Karimi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A new, simple, and fast method for the separation/preconcentration and speciation analysis of arsenate and arsenite ions using cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide immobilized on alumina-coated magnetite nanoparticles (CTAB@ACMNPs followed by molybdenum blue method is proposed. The method is based on the adsorption of arsenate on CTAB@ACMNPs. Total arsenic in different samples was determined as As(V after oxidation of As(III to As(V using potassium permanganate. The arsenic concentration has been determined by UV-Visible spectrometric technique based on molybdenum blue method and amount of As(III was calculated by subtracting the concentration of As(V from total arsenic concentration. MNPs and ACMNPs were characterized by VSM, XRD, SEM, and FT-IR spectroscopy. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the preconcentration factor, detection limit, linear range, and relative standard deviation (RSD of arsenate were 175 (for 350 mL of sample solution, 0.028 μg mL−1, 0.090–4.0 μg mL−1, and 2.8% (for 2.0 μg mL−1, n=7, respectively. This method avoided the time-consuming column-passing process of loading large volume samples in traditional SPE through the rapid isolation of CTAB@ACMNPs with an adscititious magnet. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination and speciation of arsenic in different water samples and suitable recoveries were obtained.

  15. New Insight into the Local Structure of Hydrous Ferric Arsenate Using Full-Potential Multiple Scattering Analysis, Density Functional Theory Calculations, and Vibrational Spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shaofeng; Ma, Xu; Zhang, Guoqing; Jia, Yongfeng; Hatada, Keisuke

    2016-11-15

    Hydrous ferric arsenate (HFA) is an important arsenic-bearing precipitate in the mining-impacted environment and hydrometallurgical tailings. However, there is no agreement on its local atomic structure. The local structure of HFA was reprobed by employing a full-potential multiple scattering (FPMS) analysis, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and vibrational spectroscopy. The FPMS simulations indicated that the coordination number of the As-Fe, Fe-As, or both in HFA was approximately two. The DFT calculations constructed a structure of HFA with the formula of Fe(HAsO 4 ) x (H 2 AsO 4 ) 1-x (OH) y ·zH 2 O. The presence of protonated arsenate in HFA was also evidenced by vibrational spectroscopy. The As and Fe K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectra of HFA were accurately reproduced by FPMS simulations using the chain structure, which was also a reasonable model for extended X-Ray absorption fine structure fitting. The FPMS refinements indicated that the interatomic Fe-Fe distance was approximately 5.2 Å, consistent with that obtained by Mikutta et al. (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2013, 47 (7), 3122-3131) using wavelet analysis. All of the results suggested that HFA was more likely to occur as a chain with AsO 4 tetrahedra and FeO 6 octahedra connecting alternately in an isolated bidentate-type fashion. This finding is of significance for understanding the fate of arsenic and the formation of ferric arsenate minerals in an acidic environment.

  16. Efflux inhibitor suppresses Streptococcus mutans virulence properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Huihui; Liu, Jia; Ling, Junqi

    2017-04-01

    It is well established that efflux pumps play important roles in bacterial pathogenicity and efflux inhibitors (EIs) have been proved to be effective in suppressing bacterial virulence properties. However, little is known regarding the EI of Streptococcus mutans, a well-known caries-inducing bacterium. In this study, we identified the EI of S. mutans through ethidium bromide efflux assay and investigated how EI affected S. mutans virulence regarding the cariogenicity and stress response. Results indicated that reserpine, the identified EI, suppressed acid tolerance, mutacin production and transformation efficiency of S. mutans, and modified biofilm architecture and extracellular polysaccharide distribution. Suppressed glycosyltransferase activity was also noted after reserpine exposure. The data from quantitative real-time-PCR demonstrated that reserpine significantly altered the expression profile of quorum-sensing and virulence-associated genes. These findings suggest that reserpine represents a promising adjunct anticariogenic agent in that it suppresses virulence properties of S. mutans. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Alteration of myocardial metaiodobenzylguanidine uptake after treatment of phaeochromocytoma and neuroblastoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suga, Kazuyoshi; Ogasawara, Nobuhiko; Ariga, Misako; Motoyama, Kazumi; Hara, Akiko; Kume, Norihiko; Matsunaga, Naofumi [Department of Radiology, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi (Japan)

    2000-05-01

    The relationships between changes in myocardial uptake of metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) and those in circulating catecholamines and cardiac function after treatment of phaeochromocytoma and neuroblastoma were evaluated. Iodine-123 or iodine-131 MIBG scintigraphy was performed before and after surgical resection and/or chemotherapy for primary tumours in nine patients with phaeochromocytoma and 13 patients with neuroblastoma. Changes in myocardial MIBG uptake after treatment were estimated by the heart-to-upper mediastinum (H/M) uptake ratios on the images obtained 24 h after MIBG injection, which were compared with serum levels of noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline (A). Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography, with measurements of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Before treatment, eight patients with phaeochromocytoma and three with neuroblastoma showed poor myocardial MIBG uptake, with highly elevated circulating NA and A. Echocardiography, however, did not show cardiac dysfunction in these patients with the exception of two patients with phaeochromocytoma. With normalization of NA and A levels after treatment, all of these patients except for the two with persistent cardiac dysfunction showed restoration of myocardial MIBG uptake. The H/M ratios increased significantly after treatment in both patient groups, i.e. with phaeochromocytoma and with neuroblastoma (P<0.0001 and P<0.05, respectively), and these ratios correlated inversely with circulating NA and A before and after treatment. By contrast, there was no significant correlation between H/M ratios and LVEF in these two groups. These results indicate that suppression of myocardial MIBG uptake usually may not be related to cardiac dysfunction and may be reversible following normalization of excess catecholamine levels after treatment in patients with neuroadrenergic tumours. However, the suppression may persist in the presence of catecholamine-induced cardiac dysfunction. The assessment

  18. Hepatoprotective effects of hexane root extract of Alchornea laxiflora in sodium arsenate toxicity in wistar albino rats

    OpenAIRE

    Esosa Samuel Uhunmwangho; Nurudeen Olajide Rasaq; Iyanuoluwa Olubukola Osikoya

    2018-01-01

    Background: Medicinal plants are have been used in the treatment of myriad disease conditions, Alchornea laxiflora is one of such medicinal plant. Aim: To investigate the hepatoprotective effect of hexane root extract of Alchornea laxiflora against sodium arsenate induced liver damage in wistar male rats. Setting and Design: Extraction and administration of bioactive extract. Materials and Methods: Extraction of air-dried ground root of Alchornea laxiflora was done by extracting 500 g with 50...

  19. Influence of chelating ligands on arsenic uptake by hydroponically grown rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.): a preliminary study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rahman, Mohammad A.; Hasegawa, Hiroshi; Ueda, Kazumasa; Maki, Teruya [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa (Japan); Rahman, M.M. [Department of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka (Bangladesh)

    2008-06-15

    Ferric (oxyhydro-)oxides (FeO{sub x}) precipitate in the rhizosphere at neutral or alkaline pH and are adsorbed on the plant root surfaces. Consequently, the higher binding affinity of arsenate to FeO{sub x} and the low iron phytoavailability of the precipitated FeO{sub x} make the phytoremediation of arsenic difficult. In the present study, the influence of chelating ligands on arsenic and iron uptake by hydroponically grown rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L.) was investigated. When chelating ligands were not treated to the growth medium, about 63 and 71% of the total arsenic and iron were distributed in the root extract (outer root surfaces) of rice, respectively. On the other hand, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) and hydroxyiminodisuccinic acid (HIDS) desorbed a significant amount of arsenic from FeO{sub x} of the outer root surfaces. Therefore, the uptake of arsenic and iron into the roots and their subsequent translocation to the shoots of the rice seedlings increased significantly. The order of increasing arsenic uptake by chelating ligands was HIDS > EDTA > EDDS. Methylglycinediacetic acid (MGDA) and iminodisuccinic acid (IDS) might not be effective in arsenic solubilization from FeO{sub x}. The results suggest that EDDS and HIDS would be a good and environmentally safe choice to accelerate arsenic phytoavailability in the phytoremediation process because of their biodegradability and would be a competent alternative to the widely used non-biodegradable and environmentally persistent EDTA. (Abstract Copyright [2008], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  20. Calcidiol and vitamin D binding protein uptake by LLC-PK1 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keenan, M.J.; Holmes, R.P.

    1986-01-01

    The process by which target cells take up vitamin D and its metabolites is not known. The authors studied the uptake of both 3 H-calcidiol and 125 I-Vitamin D Binding Protein (DBP) by LLC-PK 1 cells. Uptake was directly related to their extracellular concentrations. In the presence of 55 serum in the growth media cells previously incubated with 10 nM calcitriol for 4 hr had a greater uptake of calcidiol than those cells not incubated with calcitriol. This effect of calcitriol on calcidiol uptake was absent when cells were grown in hormone-supplemented, serum-free media, despite these cells having a cytosolic calcitriol receptor. Equal uptake of calcidiol occurred when DBP was absent and when DBP was present in a one to one molar ratio to calcidiol. With a 1:1 ratio of DBP to calcidiol and a measured K/sub D/ of 2 x 10 -8 M, the uptake of calcidiol could not be accounted for by uptake of the free ligand alone. A large excess of DBP (100:1) in relation to calcidiol suppressed uptake of calcidiol by approx. 90%. The authors have not been able to identify a saturable, specific uptake of either calcidiol or DBP despite DBP appearing to facilitate calcidiol uptake

  1. Fractionation of heavy metals in liquefied chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood sludge using a modified BCR-sequential extraction procedure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hui Pan; Chung-Yun Hse; Robert Gambrell; Todd F. Shupe

    2009-01-01

    Chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood was liquefied with polyethylene glycol/glycerin and sulfuric acid. After liquefaction, most CCA metals (98% As, 92% Cr, and 83% Cu) were removed from liquefied CCA-treated wood by precipitation with calcium hydroxide. The original CCA-treated wood and liquefied CCA-treated wood sludge were fractionated by a modified...

  2. Rapid microwave-assisted acid extraction of southern pine waste wood to remove metals from chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung-Yun Hse; Todd F. Shupe; Bin Yu

    2013-01-01

    Recovery of metals from chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated southern pine wood particles was investigated by extraction in a microwave reactor with binary combinations of acetic acid (AA), oxalic acid (OxA), and phosphoric acid (PhA). Use of OxA was not successful, as insoluble copper oxalate complexes impeded copper removal. The combination of OxA and AA also had...

  3. Fasciola hepatica infection reduces Mycobacterium bovis burden and mycobacterial uptake and suppresses the pro-inflammatory response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garza-Cuartero, L; O'Sullivan, J; Blanco, A; McNair, J; Welsh, M; Flynn, R J; Williams, D; Diggle, P; Cassidy, J; Mulcahy, G

    2016-07-01

    Bovine tuberculosis (BTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, has an annual incidence in cattle of 0.5% in the Republic of Ireland and 4.7% in the UK, despite long-standing eradication programmes being in place. Failure to achieve complete eradication is multifactorial, but the limitations of diagnostic tests are significant complicating factors. Previously, we have demonstrated that Fasciola hepatica infection, highly prevalent in these areas, induced reduced sensitivity of the standard diagnostic tests for BTB in animals co-infected with F. hepatica and M. bovis. This was accompanied by a reduced M. bovis-specific Th1 immune response. We hypothesized that these changes in co-infected animals would be accompanied by enhanced growth of M. bovis. However, we show here that mycobacterial burden in cattle is reduced in animals co-infected with F. hepatica. Furthermore, we demonstrate a lower mycobacterial recovery and uptake in blood monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) from F. hepatica-infected cattle which is associated with suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and a switch to alternative activation of macrophages. However, the cell surface expression of TLR2 and CD14 in MDM from F. hepatica-infected cattle is increased. These findings reflecting the bystander effect of helminth-induced downregulation of pro-inflammatory responses provide insights to understand host-pathogen interactions in co-infection. © 2016 The Authors. Parasite Immunology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. Ammonium and nitrate tolerance in lichens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hauck, Markus, E-mail: mhauck@gwdg.d [Department of Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspuele 2, 37073 Goettingen (Germany)

    2010-05-15

    Since lichens lack roots and take up water, solutes and gases over the entire thallus surface, these organisms respond more sensitively to changes in atmospheric purity than vascular plants. After centuries where effects of sulphur dioxide and acidity were in the focus of research on atmospheric chemistry and lichens, recently the globally increased levels of ammonia and nitrate increasingly affect lichen vegetation and gave rise to intense research on the tolerance of lichens to nitrogen pollution. The present paper discusses the main findings on the uptake of ammonia and nitrate in the lichen symbiosis and to the tolerance of lichens to eutrophication. Ammonia and nitrate are both efficiently taken up under ambient conditions. The tolerance to high nitrogen levels depends, among others, on the capability of the photobiont to provide sufficient amounts of carbon skeletons for ammonia assimilation. Lowly productive lichens are apparently predisposed to be sensitive to excess nitrogen. - Eutrophication has become a global threat for lichen diversity.

  5. Response of CO and H2 uptake to extremes of water stress in saline and non-saline soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, G.

    2017-12-01

    Neither carbon monoxide (CO) nor hydrogen (H2) have direct impacts on radiative forcing, but both play important roles in tropospheric chemistry. Soils affect both the fate and significance of atmospheric CO and H2 by acting as strong global gas sinks ( 15% and >75 %, respectively), but much remains unknown about the microbiology of these gases, including responses to key environmental drivers. The role of water availability, measured as water potential, has been addressed to a limited extent by earlier studies with results suggesting that CO and H2 uptake are strongly limited by water stress. However recent results indicate a much greater tolerance of water stress than previously suspected. Ex situ assays have shown that non-saline playa soils from the Alvord Basin (Oregon, USA) consumed atmospheric and exogenous hydrogen and CO under conditions of severe water stress. CO uptake occurred at water potentials values considered optimal for terrestrial bacterial growth. Surface soils that had been exposed to water potentials as low as -300 MPa also oxidized CO and H2 after brief equilibration at higher potentials (less water stress), indicating remarkable tolerance of desiccating conditions. Tolerance to water stress for CO and H2 uptake was also observed for soils from a montane rainforest (Hawai`i, USA). However, unlike playa soils rainforest soils seldom experience extended drought that would select for desiccation tolerance. While CO uptake by forest soils was more sensitive to water stress (limits -10MPa) than in playa soils, H2 uptake was observed at -90 MPa to -100 MPa. Tolerance at these levels might be due to the formation of intracellular water that limits the local effects of stress. Comparisons of water stress responses between saline and non-saline soils further suggested that communities of CO- and H2-oxidizing were generally robust with respect to stresses resulting from solute and matric effects. Collectively the results indicate that models of global

  6. LXR regulates cholesterol uptake through Idol-dependent ubiquitination of the LDL receptor

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zelcer, Noam; Hong, Cynthia; Boyadjian, Rima; Tontonoz, Peter

    2009-01-01

    Cellular cholesterol levels reflect a balance between uptake, efflux, and endogenous synthesis. Here we show that the sterol-responsive nuclear liver X receptor (LXR) helps maintain cholesterol homeostasis, not only through promotion of cholesterol efflux but also through suppression of low-density

  7. Soil and sediment concentrations of chromium, copper, and arsenic adjacent to a chromated copper arsenate-treated wetland boardwalk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stan Lebow; Daniel Foster

    2010-01-01

    Environmental accumulation of preservative adjacent to a chromated copper arsenate (type C)–treated wetland boardwalk was evaluated. The site is considered a realistic ‘‘worst case’’ because of the large volume of treated wood, low current speeds, high annual rainfall, and environmental sensitivity. Soil and sediment samples were collected before construction and 0.5,...

  8. Water Uptake and Acid Doping of Polybenzimidazoles as Electrolyte Membranes for Fuel Cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Qingfeng, Li; He, R.; Berg, Rolf W.

    2004-01-01

    Acid-doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes have been demonstrated for fuel cell applications with advanced features such as high operating temperatures, little humidification, excellent CO tolerance, and promising durability. The water uptake and acid doping of PBI membranes have been studied...

  9. Correlation of hepatic 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake with fatty liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    An, Young Sil; Yoon, Joon Kee; Hong, Seon Pyo; Joh, Chul Woo; Yoon, Seok Nam

    2006-01-01

    Liver demonstrates heterogeneous FDG uptake and sometimes it shows abnormally increased uptake even though there is no malignant tissue. However, there was no previous study to correlate these various pattern of hepatic FDG uptake with benign liver disease. Therefore, we evaluated the significance of hepatic FDG uptake associated with various clinical factors including fatty liver, liver function tests and lipid profiles. We reviewed a total of 188 patients (male/female: 120/68, mean age: 50 ± 9) who underwent PET/CT for screening of malignancy. Patients with DM, impaired glucose tolerance, previous severe hepatic disease or long-term medication history were excluded. The FDG uptake in liver was analyzed semi-quantitatively using ROI on transaxial images (segment 8) and we compared mean standardized uptake value (SUV) between fatty liver and non-fatty liver group. We also evaluated the correlation between hepatic FDG uptake and various clinical factors including serum liver function test (ALT, AST), γ -GT, total cholesterol and triglyceride concentration. The effect of alcoholic history and body mass index on hepatic FDG uptake was analyzed within the fatty liver patients. The hepatic FDG uptake of fatty liver group was significantly higher than that of non-fatty liver group. Serum total cholesterol and triglyceride concentration showed significant correlation with hepatic FDG uptake. However, there was no significant correlation between other factors (ALT, AST, and γ -GT) and FDG uptake. Also there was no difference of mean SUV between normal and abnormal groups on the basis of alcoholic history and body mass index within fatty liver patients. Fatty liver and high serum triglyceride concentration were the independent factors affecting hepatic FDG uptake according to multivariate analysis. In conclusion, hepatic FDG uptake was strongly correlated with fatty liver and serum triglyceride concentration

  10. Arsenic-tolerant plant-growth-promoting bacteria isolated from arsenic-polluted soils in South Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shagol, Charlotte C; Krishnamoorthy, Ramasamy; Kim, Kiyoon; Sundaram, Subbiah; Sa, Tongmin

    2014-01-01

    The Janghang smelter in Chungnam, South Korea started in 1936 was subsequently shutdown in 1989 due to heavy metal (loid) pollution concerns in the vicinity. Thus, there is a need for the soil in the area to be remediated to make it usable again especially for agricultural purposes. The present study was conducted to exploit the potential of arsenic (As)-tolerant bacteria thriving in the vicinity of the smelter-polluted soils to enhance phytoremediation of hazardous As. We studied the genetic and taxonomic diversity of 21 As-tolerant bacteria isolated from soils nearer to and away from the smelter. These isolates belonging to the genera Brevibacterium, Pseudomonas, Microbacterium, Rhodococcus, Rahnella, and Paenibacillus, could tolerate high concentrations of arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) with the minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 3 to >20 mM for NaAsO2 and 140 to 310 mM NaH2AsO4 · 7H2O, respectively. All isolates exhibited As(V) reduction except Pseudomonas koreensis JS123, which exhibited both oxidation and reduction of As. Moreover, all the 21 isolates produced indole acetic acid (IAA), 13 isolates exhibited 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, 12 produced siderophore, 17 solubilized phosphate, and 13 were putative nitrogen fixers under in vitro conditions. Particularly, Rhodococcus aetherivorans JS2210, P. koreensis JS2214, and Pseudomonas sp. JS238 consistently increased root length of maize in the presence of 100 and 200 μM As(V). Possible utilization of these As-tolerant plant-growth-promoting bacteria can be a potential strategy in increasing the efficiency of phytoremediation in As-polluted soils.

  11. p32, a novel binding partner of Mcl-1, positively regulates mitochondrial Ca{sup 2+} uptake and apoptosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiao, Kang [Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China); Wang, Yinyin; Chang, Zhijie [School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing (China); Lao, Yuanzhi, E-mail: laurence_ylao@163.com [School of Pharmacy, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai (China); Chang, Donald C., E-mail: bochang@ust.hk [Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)

    2014-08-22

    Highlights: • p32 binds to Mcl-1. • p32 affects apoptosis. • p32 and Mcl-1 regulate mitochondrial Ca{sup 2+}. - Abstract: Mcl-1 is a major anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family protein. It is well known that Mcl-1 can interact with certain pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins in normal cells to neutralize their pro-apoptotic functions, thus prevent apoptosis. In addition, it was recently found that Mcl-1 can also inhibit mitochondrial calcium uptake. The detailed mechanism, however, is still not clear. Based on Yeast Two-Hybrid screening and co-immunoprecipitation, we identified a mitochondrial protein p32 (C1qbp) as a novel binding partner of Mcl-1. We found that p32 had a number of interesting properties: (1) p32 can positively regulate UV-induced apoptosis in HeLa cells. (2) Over-expressing p32 could significantly promote mitochondrial calcium uptake, while silencing p32 by siRNA suppressed it. (3) In p32 knockdown cells, Ruthenium Red treatment (an inhibitor of mitochondrial calcium uniporter) showed no further suppressive effect on mitochondrial calcium uptake. In addition, in Ruthenium Red treated cells, Mcl-1 also failed to suppress mitochondrial calcium uptake. Taken together, our findings suggest that p32 is part of the putative mitochondrial uniporter that facilitates mitochondrial calcium uptake. By binding to p32, Mcl-1 can interfere with the uniporter function, thus inhibit the mitochondrial Ca{sup 2+} uploading. This may provide a novel mechanism to explain the anti-apoptotic function of Mcl-1.

  12. Sonic hedgehog signaling in spinal cord contributes to morphine-induced hyperalgesia and tolerance through upregulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Zhi-Jing; Miao, Shuai; Zhao, Ye; Wang, Xiu-Li; Liu, Yue-Peng

    2018-01-01

    Purpose Preventing opioid-induced hyperalgesia and tolerance continues to be a major clinical challenge, and the underlying mechanisms of hyperalgesia and tolerance remain elusive. Here, we investigated the role of sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling in opioid-induced hyperalgesia and tolerance. Methods Shh signaling expression, behavioral changes, and neurochemical alterations induced by morphine were analyzed in male adult CD-1 mice with repeated administration of morphine. To investigate the contribution of Shh to morphine-induced hyperalgesia (MIH) and tolerance, Shh signaling inhibitor cyclopamine and Shh small interfering RNA (siRNA) were used. To explore the mechanisms of Shh signaling in MIH and tolerance, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) inhibitor K252 and anti-BDNF antibody were used. Results Repeated administration of morphine produced obvious hyperalgesia and tolerance. The behavioral changes were correlated with the upregulation and activation of morphine treatment-induced Shh signaling. Pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of Shh signaling significantly delayed the generation of MIH and tolerance and associated neurochemical changes. Chronic morphine administration also induced upregulation of BDNF. Inhibiting BDNF effectively delayed the generation of MIH and tolerance. The upregulation of BDNF induced by morphine was significantly suppressed by inhibiting Shh signaling. In naïve mice, exogenous activation of Shh signaling caused a rapid increase of BDNF expression, as well as thermal hyperalgesia. Inhibiting BDNF significantly suppressed smoothened agonist-induced hyperalgesia. Conclusion These findings suggest that Shh signaling may be a critical mediator for MIH and tolerance by regulating BDNF expression. Inhibiting Shh signaling, especially during the early phase, may effectively delay or suppress MIH and tolerance. PMID:29662325

  13. MACRO NUTRIENTS UPTAKE OF FORAGE GRASSES AT DIFFERENT SALINITY STRESSES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Kusmiyati

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The high concentration of sodium chloride (NaCl in saline soils has negative effects on the growth ofmost plants. The experiment was designed to evaluate macro nutrient uptake (Nitrogen, Phosphorus andPotassium of forage grasses at different NaCl concentrations in growth media. The experiment wasconducted in a greenhouse at Forage Crops Laboratory of Animal Agriculture Faculty, Diponegoro University.Split plot design was used to arrange the experiment. The main plot was forage grasses (Elephant grass(Pennisetum purpureum and King grass (Pennisetum hybrida. The sub plot was NaCl concentrationin growth media (0, 150, and 300 mM. The nitrogen (N, phosphorus (P and potassium (K uptake in shootand root of plant were measured. The result indicated increasing NaCl concentration in growth mediasignificantly decreased the N, P and K uptake in root and shoot of the elephant grass and king grass. Thepercentage reduction percentage of N, P and K uptake at 150 mM and 300 mM were high in elephant grassand king grass. It can be concluded that based on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium uptake, elephantgrass and king grass are not tolerant to strong and very strong saline soil.

  14. Interocular suppression in children with deprivation amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamm, Lisa; Chen, Zidong; Li, Jinrong; Black, Joanna; Dai, Shuan; Yuan, Junpeng; Yu, Minbin; Thompson, Benjamin

    2017-04-01

    In patients with anisometropic or strabismic amblyopia, interocular suppression can be minimized by presenting high contrast stimulus elements to the amblyopic eye and lower contrast elements to the fellow eye. This suggests a structurally intact binocular visual system that is functionally suppressed. We investigated whether suppression can also be overcome by contrast balancing in children with deprivation amblyopia due to childhood cataracts. To quantify interocular contrast balance, contrast interference thresholds were measured using an established dichoptic global motion technique for 21 children with deprivation amblyopia, 14 with anisometropic or mixed strabismic/anisometropic amblyopia and 10 visually normal children (mean age mean=9.9years, range 5-16years). We found that interocular suppression could be overcome by contrast balancing in most children with deprivation amblyopia, at least intermittently, and all children with anisometropic or mixed anisometropic/strabismic amblyopia. However, children with deprivation amblyopia due to early unilateral or bilateral cataracts could tolerate only very low contrast levels to the stronger eye indicating strong suppression. Our results suggest that treatment options reliant on contrast balanced dichoptic presentation could be attempted in a subset of children with deprivation amblyopia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Uptake, translocation and transformation of antimony in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai, Fei; Ren, Jinghua; Tao, Shu; Wang, Xilong

    2016-01-01

    Antimony (Sb), as a toxic metalloid, has been gaining increasing research concerns due mainly to its severe pollution in many places. Rice has been identified to be the dominant intake route of Sb by residents close to the Sb mining areas. A hydroponic experiment was conducted to investigate the difference in uptake, translocation and transformation of Sb in rice seedlings of four cultivars exposed to 0.2 or 1.0 mg/L of Sb(V). The results showed that mass concentration of iron plaque (mg/kg FW) formed at the root surfaces of cultivar N was the highest among all tested cultivars at both low and high exposure levels of Sb(V). The accumulated Sb concentration in iron plaque significantly increased with an increase in mass concentration of iron plaque formed at the rice root. The total amount of iron plaque (mg/pot) at rice root generally increased with increasing exposed Sb(V) concentration, which was closely associated with the increasing lipid peroxidation in roots. Concentration percentage of Sb in rice root significantly reduced as the corresponding value in the iron plaque increased, suggesting that iron plaque formation strongly suppressed uptake of Sb by rice root. Sb concentration in rice tissues followed an order: root > stem, leaf. The japonica rice (cultivars N and Z) exhibited a stronger translocation tendency of Sb from root to stem than indica hybrid rice (cultivars F and G). Translocation of Sb from root of cultivar F to its stem and leaf was sharply enhanced with increasing Sb exposure concentration. Sb(V) could be reduced to Sb(III) in rice tissues, especially in stems (10–26% of the total Sb). For the sake of food safety, the difference in uptake, translocation and transformation of Sb in rice species planted in Sb-contaminated soils should be taken into consideration. - Highlights: • Sb(V) caused lipid peroxidation and increased iron plaque formation at root surface. • The iron plaque may suppress uptake of Sb by rice. • Cultivars

  16. Search for a plant for phytoremediation--what can we learn from field and hydroponic studies?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zabłudowska, E; Kowalska, J; Jedynak, L; Wojas, S; Skłodowska, A; Antosiewicz, D M

    2009-10-01

    The main aim of the study was to evaluate the strategies for coping with arsenic toxicity developed by the mine species (Calamagrostis arundinacea, Fragaria vesca, Stachys sylvatica, and Epilobium parviflorum), and to compare results obtained from plants exposed to arsenic present in contaminated soil (2000-3500 mg/kg dw) and in hydroponic solution (2 microM and 12 microM arsenate). Here we report basic differences in plant responses to arsenic depending on growth conditions (hydroponic/soil) with respect to uptake, root-to-shoot translocation, distribution, and detoxification/speciation. Calamagrostis has the highest level of As-tolerance among the tested species. When grown in soil, it accumulated the highest amount of As in roots and shoots relative to other species, however, when exposed to arsenic in hydroponics, it had lower As concentrations. The efficiency of arsenic root-to-shoot translocation was also different, being less effective in soil-grown Calamagrostis compared with hydroponics. Furthermore, in Calamagrostis exposed to arsenate in liquid medium, As(III) was the predominant arsenic form, in contrast to plants grown in As-contaminated soil, in which As(V) predominated. In addition, comparison of the level of phytochelatins showed that only PC2 was detected in plants from hydroponics, whereas in those from soil, additionally PC3 and PC4 were found. The results show that the basic components of a plant's response to arsenic, including uptake, accumulation as well as detoxification, change depending on the experimental conditions (arsenic in liquid medium or contaminated soil).

  17. Urinary arsenic speciation profiles in mice subchronically exposed to low concentrations of sodium arsenate in drinking water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huijie Wu

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic is a proven human carcinogen. Although the mechanism of its carcinogenicity is still largely unknown, methylation is thought to have an important role to play in arsenic toxicity. In this study, urinary methylation profiles were investigated in female C57BL/6J black mice given drinking water containing 500 μg arsenate (AsV/L, 250 μg AsV/L, or 100 μg AsV/L as sodium arsenate for 2 months. The concentrations of arsenic chosen reflected those in the drinking water often encountered in arsenic-endemic areas. Urine samples were collected from the mice at the end of the exposure period, and the arsenic species were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. All detectable arsenic species showed strong linear correlation with the administered dosage. The methylation patterns were similar in all three groups with a slight decrease of dimethylarsinic acid/AsV ratio in the 500-μg/L group, which corresponded to the significantly higher arsenic retention in the tissue. The results indicate that urinary arsenic could be used as a good biomarker for internal dose and potential biological effects. Different doses of arsenic exposure could result in different degrees of methylation, excretion, and tissue retention, and this may contribute to the understanding of arsenic carcinogenicity.

  18. Antigen-specific tolerance of human alpha1-antitrypsin induced by helper-dependent adenovirus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cerullo, V; McCormack, W; Seiler, M; Mane, V; Cela, R; Clarke, C; Rodgers, J R; Lee, B

    2007-12-01

    As efficient and less toxic virus-derived gene therapy vectors are developed, a pressing problem is to avoid immune response to the therapeutic gene product. Secreted therapeutic proteins potentially represent a special problem, as they are readily available to professional antigen-presenting cells throughout the body. Some studies suggest that immunity to serum proteins can be avoided in some mouse strains by using tissue-specific promoters. Here we show that expression of human alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) was nonimmunogenic in the immune-responsive strain C3H/HeJ, when expressed from helper-dependent (HD) vectors using ubiquitous as well as tissue-specific promoters. Coadministration of less immunogenic HD vectors with an immunogenic first-generation vector failed to immunize, suggesting immune suppression rather than immune stealth. Indeed, mice primed with HD vectors were tolerant to immune challenge with hAAT emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant. Such animals developed high-titer antibodies to coemulsified human serum albumin, showing that tolerance was antigen specific. AAT-specific T cell responses were depressed in tolerized animals, suggesting that tolerance affects both T and B cells. These results are consistent with models of high-dose tolerance of B cells and certain other suppressive mechanisms, and suggest that a high level of expression from HD vectors can be sufficient to induce specific immune tolerance to serum proteins.

  19. Effects, tolerance mechanisms and management of salt stress in grain legumes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farooq, Muhammad; Gogoi, Nirmali; Hussain, Mubshar; Barthakur, Sharmistha; Paul, Sreyashi; Bharadwaj, Nandita; Migdadi, Hussein M; Alghamdi, Salem S; Siddique, Kadambot H M

    2017-09-01

    Salt stress is an ever-present threat to crop yields, especially in countries with irrigated agriculture. Efforts to improve salt tolerance in crop plants are vital for sustainable crop production on marginal lands to ensure future food supplies. Grain legumes are a fascinating group of plants due to their high grain protein contents and ability to fix biological nitrogen. However, the accumulation of excessive salts in soil and the use of saline groundwater are threatening legume production worldwide. Salt stress disturbs photosynthesis and hormonal regulation and causes nutritional imbalance, specific ion toxicity and osmotic effects in legumes to reduce grain yield and quality. Understanding the responses of grain legumes to salt stress and the associated tolerance mechanisms, as well as assessing management options, may help in the development of strategies to improve the performance of grain legumes under salt stress. In this manuscript, we discuss the effects, tolerance mechanisms and management of salt stress in grain legumes. The principal inferences of the review are: (i) salt stress reduces seed germination (by up to more than 50%) either by inhibiting water uptake and/or the toxic effect of ions in the embryo, (ii) salt stress reduces growth (by more than 70%), mineral uptake, and yield (by 12-100%) due to ion toxicity and reduced photosynthesis, (iii) apoplastic acidification is a good indicator of salt stress tolerance, (iv) tolerance to salt stress in grain legumes may develop through excretion and/or compartmentalization of toxic ions, increased antioxidant capacity, accumulation of compatible osmolytes, and/or hormonal regulation, (v) seed priming and nutrient management may improve salt tolerance in grain legumes, (vi) plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi may help to improve salt tolerance due to better plant nutrient availability, and (vii) the integration of screening, innovative breeding, and the development of

  20. The role of organic acids exuded from roots in phosphorus nutrition and aluminium tolerance in acidic soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hocking, P J; Randall, P J; Delhaize, E [CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra (Australia); Keerthisinghe, G [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)

    2000-06-01

    Soil acidity is a major problem of large areas of arable land on a global scale. Many acid soils are low in plant-available phosphorus (P) or are highly P-fixing, resulting in poor plant growth. In addition, aluminium (Al) is soluble in acid soils in the toxic Al{sup 3+} form, which also reduces plant growth. There is considerable evidence that both P deficiency and exposure to Al{sup 3+} stimulate the efflux of organic acids from roots of a range of species. Organic acids such as citrate, malate and oxalate are able to desorb or solubilise fixed soil P, making it available for plant uptake. Organic acids also chelate Al{sup 3+} to render it non-toxic, and are, therefore, involved in Al tolerance mechanisms. In this review, we discuss the literature on the role of organic acids exuded from roots in improving plant P uptake and Al-tolerance in acid soils. Research is now attempting to understand how P deficiency or exposure to Al{sup 3+} activates or induces organic acid efflux at the molecular level, with the aim of improving P acquisition and Al tolerance by conventional plant breeding and by genetic engineering. At the agronomic level, it is desirable that existing crop and pasture plants with enhanced soil-P uptake and tolerance to Al due to organic acid exudation are integrated into farming systems. (author)

  1. The role of organic acids exuded from roots in phosphorus nutrition and aluminium tolerance in acidic soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hocking, P.J.; Randall, P.J.; Delhaize, E.; Keerthisinghe, G.

    2000-01-01

    Soil acidity is a major problem of large areas of arable land on a global scale. Many acid soils are low in plant-available phosphorus (P) or are highly P-fixing, resulting in poor plant growth. In addition, aluminium (Al) is soluble in acid soils in the toxic Al 3+ form, which also reduces plant growth. There is considerable evidence that both P deficiency and exposure to Al 3+ stimulate the efflux of organic acids from roots of a range of species. Organic acids such as citrate, malate and oxalate are able to desorb or solubilise fixed soil P, making it available for plant uptake. Organic acids also chelate Al 3+ to render it non-toxic, and are, therefore, involved in Al tolerance mechanisms. In this review, we discuss the literature on the role of organic acids exuded from roots in improving plant P uptake and Al-tolerance in acid soils. Research is now attempting to understand how P deficiency or exposure to Al 3+ activates or induces organic acid efflux at the molecular level, with the aim of improving P acquisition and Al tolerance by conventional plant breeding and by genetic engineering. At the agronomic level, it is desirable that existing crop and pasture plants with enhanced soil-P uptake and tolerance to Al due to organic acid exudation are integrated into farming systems. (author)

  2. Effect of duration of fasting and diet on the myocardial uptake of F-18-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) at rest

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Pankaj; Patel, Chetan D; Singla, Suhas; Malhotra, A

    2014-01-01

    Patterns of myocardial fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) uptake with respect to duration of fasting and dietary modifications. We observed the effect of duration of fasting and diet on the myocardial uptake pattern of F-18 FDG in patients routinely referred for oncological evaluation and no previous history of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). Prospective study. A total of 153 patients (M: 81, F: 72; mean age: 47 ± 15 years; mean blood glucose level (mBG) 105 ± 23 mg/dl) were randomly divided in three groups. Group A: 4-6 h fasting; Group B: Overnight fasting (12–14 h); Group C: Low carbohydrate and fat rich diet for 2 days coupled with overnight fasting prior to the positron emission tomography (PET) scan. FDG uptake was classified as following: 1) homogeneous uptake, 2) heterogeneous uptake, and 3) ‘no uptake’ in the left ventricular (LV) myocardium. FDG PET study was performed as standard protocol for oncological conditions. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, and Spearman's rank correlation tests were applied. We observed the ‘no uptake’ pattern in five (10%), 28 (55%), and 39 (77%), ‘heterogeneous’ pattern in 20 (39%), 14 (28%), and seven (14%), and ‘homogeneous’ pattern in 26 (51%), nine (18%), and five (10%) patients in Group A, B, and C, respectively. There was statistically significant difference of myocardial uptake pattern between group A and B (P < 0.0001), between group A and C (P < 0.0001), and between Group B and C (P = 0.023). The mBG was 102, 105, and 111 mg/dl in ‘no uptake’, heterogeneous, and homogeneous uptake pattern, respectively, (P = 0.103). Also, within each group the mBG was not related to the uptake pattern. Both restricted diet and duration of fasting play an important role in determining the pattern and suppression of myocardial F-18 FDG uptake. Overnight fasting and restricted diet together suppress myocardial FDG uptake more than overnight fasting alone, which suppresses uptake

  3. Identification of a New Target slr0946 of the Response Regulator Sll0649 Involving Cadmium Tolerance in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Sun

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Survival of photosynthetic cyanobacteria is challenged by environmental contaminations like heavy metals. Among them, deciphering the regulatory mechanisms for cadmium (Cd in cyanobacteria would facilitate the construction of Cd-resistant strains. In this study, the DNA-Affinity-Purified-chromatin immunoprecipitation assay was employed to identify the direct targets of Sll0649, which was a Cd2+-related response regulator identified in our previous work in model cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. As a result, the promoter region of slr0946 encoding the arsenate reductase was enriched fourfolds by quantitative real time PCR analysis. Further, deletion of slr0946 led to a sensitive phenotype to Cd2+ stress compared with the wild type (WT and the sensitive phenotype of Δslr0946 could be rescued by complementation assay via introducing slr0946 back into Δslr0946. Finally, individually overexpression of slr0946 as well as two Cd2+-related genes identified priviously (i.e., sll1598 and slr0798 in WT could significantly improve the tolerance of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 to Cd2+. This study provided a better understanding of the tolerance mechanism to Cd2+ in cyanobacteria and also feasible strategies for tolerance modifications to heavy metals in the future.

  4. Active coping with stress suppresses glucose metabolism in the rat hypothalamus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ono, Yumie; Lin, Hsiao-Chun; Tzen, Kai-Yuan; Chen, Hui-Hsing; Yang, Pai-Feng; Lai, Wen-Sung; Chen, Jyh-Horng; Onozuka, Minoru; Yen, Chen-Tung

    2012-03-01

    We used 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose small-animal positron-emission tomography to determine whether different styles of coping with stress are associated with different patterns of neuronal activity in the hypothalamus. Adult rats were subjected to immobilization (IMO)-stress or to a non-immobilized condition for 30 min, in random order on separate days, each of which was followed by brain-scanning. Some rats in the immobilized condition were allowed to actively cope with the stress by chewing a wooden stick during IMO, while the other immobilized rats were given nothing to chew on. Voxel-based statistical analysis of the brain imaging data shows that chewing counteracted the stress-induced increased glucose uptake in the hypothalamus to the level of the non-immobilized condition. Region-of-interest analysis of the glucose uptake values further showed that chewing significantly suppressed stress-induced increased glucose uptake in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus and the anterior hypothalamic area but not in the lateral hypothalamus. Together with the finding that the mean plasma corticosterone concentration at the termination of the IMO was also significantly suppressed when rats had an opportunity to chew a wooden stick, our results showed that active coping by chewing inhibited the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to reduce the endocrine stress response.

  5. Improving Tolerance of Faba Bean during Early Growth Stages to Salinity through Micronutrients Foliar Spray

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed M. EL FOULY

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Salinity, either of soil or of irrigation water, causes disturbances in plant growth and nutrient balance. Previous work indicates that applying nutrients by foliar application increases tolerance to salinity. A pot experiment with three replicates was carried out in the green house of NRC, Cairo, Egypt, to study the effect of micronutrients foliar application on salt tolerance of faba bean. Two concentrations of a micronutrient compound (0.1% and 0.15% were sprayed in two different treatments prior to or after the salinity treatments. Levels of NaCl (0.00-1000-2000-5000 ppm were supplied to irrigation water. Results indicated that 2000 and 5000 ppm NaCl inhibited growth and nutrient uptake. Spraying micronutrients could restore the negative effect of salinity on dry weight and nutrients uptake, when sprayed either before or after the salinity treatments. It is suggested that micronutrient foliar sprays could be used to improve plant tolerance to salinity.

  6. Global skeletal uptake of technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate in female patients receiving suppressive doses of L-thyroxine for differentiated thyroid cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frusciante, V.; Dicembrino, F.; Carnevale, V.; Scillitani, A.; Zingrillo, M.; Ghiggi, M.R.; Giannatempo, G.M.; Minisola, S.

    1998-01-01

    This study was carried out in order to investigate the possible detrimental effects on bone of levothyroxine (l-T 4 ) suppressive therapy in female patients who had undergone surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Twenty female (14 premenopausal and 6 postmenopausal) patients receiving l-T 4 suppressive therapy for DTC were studied. The sample was selected in such a way as to avoid factors influencing bone metabolism other than l-T 4 . All patients were monitored by sensitive thyroid-stimulating hormone, free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine assays throughout the follow-up. Nineteen healthy (12 premenopausal and 7 postmenopausal) matched women served as controls. In all subjects bone turnover was evaluated by the measurement of global skeletal uptake of technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate (GSU); bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by quantitative computed tomography at the lumbar spine (LS) and by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry both at the LS and at three femoral sites: the femoral neck, Ward's triangle and the greater trochanter. No significant difference was found in either GSU or BMD between patients (treated for an average period of 68 months) and controls in the whole sample or in any subgroup. Furthermore, no correlations were found between either GSU or BMD and the duration of therapy, daily doses of l-T 4 or results of thyroid function tests. Our data show that carefully monitored l-T 4 therapy does not influence skeletal turnover (directly reflected by GSU) or the bone density of the spine and femur. (orig.)

  7. Global skeletal uptake of technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate in female patients receiving suppressive doses of L-thyroxine for differentiated thyroid cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Frusciante, V.; Dicembrino, F. [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ospedale ``Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza``, IRCCS di San Giovanni Rotondo (Italy); Carnevale, V. [Division of Internal Medicine, Ospedale ``Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza``, IRCCS di San Giovanni Rotondo (Italy); Scillitani, A.; Zingrillo, M.; Ghiggi, M.R. [Division of Endocrinology, Ospedale ``Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza``, IRCCS di San Giovanni Rotondo (Italy); Giannatempo, G.M. [Department of Radiology, Ospedale ``Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza``, IRCCS di San Giovanni Rotondo (Italy); Minisola, S. [Istituto di II Clinica Medica, Universita degli Studi di Roma ``La Sapienza``, Rome (Italy)

    1998-02-01

    This study was carried out in order to investigate the possible detrimental effects on bone of levothyroxine (l-T{sub 4}) suppressive therapy in female patients who had undergone surgery for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Twenty female (14 premenopausal and 6 postmenopausal) patients receiving l-T{sub 4} suppressive therapy for DTC were studied. The sample was selected in such a way as to avoid factors influencing bone metabolism other than l-T{sub 4}. All patients were monitored by sensitive thyroid-stimulating hormone, free triiodothyronine and free thyroxine assays throughout the follow-up. Nineteen healthy (12 premenopausal and 7 postmenopausal) matched women served as controls. In all subjects bone turnover was evaluated by the measurement of global skeletal uptake of technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate (GSU); bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by quantitative computed tomography at the lumbar spine (LS) and by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry both at the LS and at three femoral sites: the femoral neck, Ward`s triangle and the greater trochanter. No significant difference was found in either GSU or BMD between patients (treated for an average period of 68 months) and controls in the whole sample or in any subgroup. Furthermore, no correlations were found between either GSU or BMD and the duration of therapy, daily doses of l-T{sub 4} or results of thyroid function tests. Our data show that carefully monitored l-T{sub 4} therapy does not influence skeletal turnover (directly reflected by GSU) or the bone density of the spine and femur. (orig.) With 1 fig., 2 tabs., 36 refs.

  8. Correlation of hepatic {sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake with fatty liver

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    An, Young Sil; Yoon, Joon Kee; Hong, Seon Pyo; Joh, Chul Woo; Yoon, Seok Nam [Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon (Korea, Republic of)

    2006-10-15

    Liver demonstrates heterogeneous FDG uptake and sometimes it shows abnormally increased uptake even though there is no malignant tissue. However, there was no previous study to correlate these various pattern of hepatic FDG uptake with benign liver disease. Therefore, we evaluated the significance of hepatic FDG uptake associated with various clinical factors including fatty liver, liver function tests and lipid profiles. We reviewed a total of 188 patients (male/female: 120/68, mean age: 50 {+-} 9) who underwent PET/CT for screening of malignancy. Patients with DM, impaired glucose tolerance, previous severe hepatic disease or long-term medication history were excluded. The FDG uptake in liver was analyzed semi-quantitatively using ROI on transaxial images (segment 8) and we compared mean standardized uptake value (SUV) between fatty liver and non-fatty liver group. We also evaluated the correlation between hepatic FDG uptake and various clinical factors including serum liver function test (ALT, AST), {gamma} -GT, total cholesterol and triglyceride concentration. The effect of alcoholic history and body mass index on hepatic FDG uptake was analyzed within the fatty liver patients. The hepatic FDG uptake of fatty liver group was significantly higher than that of non-fatty liver group. Serum total cholesterol and triglyceride concentration showed significant correlation with hepatic FDG uptake. However, there was no significant correlation between other factors (ALT, AST, and {gamma} -GT) and FDG uptake. Also there was no difference of mean SUV between normal and abnormal groups on the basis of alcoholic history and body mass index within fatty liver patients. Fatty liver and high serum triglyceride concentration were the independent factors affecting hepatic FDG uptake according to multivariate analysis. In conclusion, hepatic FDG uptake was strongly correlated with fatty liver and serum triglyceride concentration.

  9. Cadmium uptake by cocoa trees in agroforestry and monoculture systems under conventional and organic management

    OpenAIRE

    Gramlich, A.; Tandy, S.; Andres, C.; Chincheros Paniagua, J.; Armengot, L.; Schneider, M.; Schulin, R.

    2016-01-01

    Cadmium(Cd) uptake by cocoa has recently attracted attention, after the European Union (EU) decided to establish values for tolerable Cd concentrations in cocoa products. Bean Cd concentrations from some cocoa provenances, especially from Latin America, were found to exceed these values. Cadmium uptake by cocoa is expected not only to depend on a variety of soil factors, but also on plant and management factors. In this study, we investigated the influence of different production systems on C...

  10. Engineering arsenic tolerance and hyperaccumulation in plants for phytoremediation by a PvACR3 transgenic approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yanshan; Xu, Wenzhong; Shen, Hongling; Yan, Huili; Xu, Wenxiu; He, Zhenyan; Ma, Mi

    2013-08-20

    Arsenic (As) pollution is a global problem, and the plant-based cleanup of contaminated soils, called phytoremediation, is therefore of great interest. Recently, transgenic approaches have been designed to develop As phytoremediation technologies. Here, we used a one-gene transgenic approach for As tolerance and accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana . PvACR3, a key arsenite [As(III)] antiporter in the As hyperaccumulator fern Pteris vittata , was expressed in Arabidopsis , driven by the CaMV 35S promoter. In response to As treatment, PvACR3 transgenic plants showed greatly enhanced tolerance. PvACR3 transgenic seeds could even germinate and grow in the presence of 80 μM As(III) or 1200 μM arsenate [As(V)] treatments that were lethal to wild-type seeds. PvACR3 localizes to the plasma membrane in Arabidopsis and increases arsenite efflux into external medium in short-term experiments. Arsenic determination showed that PvACR3 substantially reduced As concentrations in roots and simultaneously increased shoot As under 150 μM As(V). When cultivated in As(V)-containing soil (10 ppm As), transgenic plants accumulated approximately 7.5-fold more As in above-ground tissues than wild-type plants. This study provides important insights into the behavior of PvACR3 and the physiology of As metabolism in plants. Our work also provides a simple and practical PvACR3 transgenic approach for engineering As-tolerant and -hyperaccumulating plants for phytoremediation.

  11. Temporal dynamic responses of roots in contrasting tomato genotypes to cadmium tolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borges, Karina Lima Reis; Salvato, Fernanda; Alcântara, Berenice Kussumoto; Nalin, Rafael Storto; Piotto, Fernando Ângelo; Azevedo, Ricardo Antunes

    2018-04-01

    Despite numerous studies on cadmium (Cd) uptake and accumulation in crops, relatively little is available considering the temporal dynamic of Cd uptake and responses to stress focused on the root system. Here we highlighted the responses to Cd-induced stress in roots of two tomato genotypes contrasting in Cd-tolerance: the tolerant Pusa Ruby and the sensitive Calabash Rouge. Tomato genotypes growing in the presence of 35 μM CdCl 2 exhibited a similar trend of Cd accumulation in tissues, mainly in the root system and overall plants exhibited reduction in the dry matter weight. Both genotypes showed similar trends for malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide accumulation with increases when exposed to Cd, being this response more pronounced in the sensitive genotype. When the antioxidant machinery is concerned, in the presence of Cd the reduced glutathione content was decreased in roots while ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities were increased in the presence of Cd in the tolerant genotype. Altogether these results suggest APX, GR and GST as the main players of the antioxidant machinery against Cd-induced oxidative stress.

  12. Influence of dietary selenium on the disposition of arsenate in the female B6C3F{sub 1} mouse

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kenyon, E.M.; Hughes, M.F. [Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); Levander, O.A. [Nutrient Requirements and Functions Lab., Beltsville, MD (United States)

    1997-06-27

    Interactions between arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) at the metabolic level are multifaceted and complex. These interactions are of practical significance because populations in various parts of the world are simultaneously exposed to inorganic As in drinking water and Se mainly in the diet at varying levels. The primary goal of this study was to investigate whether differing dietary Se status would alter the profile of urinary metabolites or their time course for elimination after exposure to arsenate [As(V)]. Weanling female 86C3F, mice were maintained for 28 d on either a control diet of powdered rodent meal sufficient in Se (A 0.2 ppm) or Torula yeast-based (TYB) diets deficient (B, 0.02 ppm Se), sufficient (C, 0.2 ppm Se), or excessive (D, 2.0 ppm Se) in Se; mice then received by oral gavage 5 mg (As)/kg as sodium [{sup 73}As] arsenate. The time course for elimination of total arsenic and metabolites in urine was measured over a 48-h period, and total arsenic was determined in feces and tissues at 48 h. Mice on the Se excess diet excreted a significantly higher percentage of urinary As as inorganic As, with a significantly decreased ratio of organic to inorganic As compared to Se-sufficient mice, suggesting that As methylation was decreased. Mice on the Se-deficient diet appeared to eliminate As(V), arsenite, and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in urine more slowly than Se-sufficient mice; however, further studies are required to confirm this finding. Mice on the Se-sufficient meal diet (A) excreted significantly less (by percent) arsenate-derived radioactivity in urine and more in feces compared to mice on the Se-sufficient TYB diet (C), with total elimination being similar for both groups. This indicates that mice on the meal diet absorbed significantly less As(V) than mice on the TYB diet, and this may be due to more fiber or {open_quotes}bulk{close_quotes} in the meal diet. 35 refs., 6 figs., 6 tabs.

  13. Haloperidol Disrupts Opioid-Antinociceptive Tolerance and Physical Dependence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Cheng; Chen, Yan; Tang, Lei

    2011-01-01

    Previous studies from our laboratory and others have implicated a critical role of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in opioid tolerance and dependence. Translational research targeting the CaMKII pathway is challenging, if not impossible, because of a lack of selective inhibitors. We discovered in a preliminary study that haloperidol, a butyrophenone antipsychotic drug, inhibited CaMKII, which led us to hypothesize that haloperidol can attenuate opioid tolerance and dependence by inhibiting CaMKII. The hypothesis was tested in two rodent models of opioid tolerance and dependence. Pretreatment with haloperidol (0.2–1.0 mg/kg i.p.) prevented the development of morphine tolerance and dependence in a dose-dependent manner. Short-term treatment with haloperidol (0.06–0.60 mg/kg i.p.) dose-dependently reversed the established morphine-antinociceptive tolerance and physical dependence. Correlating with behavioral effects, pretreatment or short-term treatment with haloperidol dose-dependently inhibited morphine-induced up-regulation of supraspinal and spinal CaMKIIα activity. Moreover, haloperidol given orally was also effective in attenuating morphine-induced CaMKIIα activity, antinociceptive tolerance, and physical dependence. Taken together, these data suggest that haloperidol attenuates opioid tolerance and dependence by suppressing CaMKII activity. Because haloperidol is a clinically used drug that can be taken orally, we propose that the drug may be of use in attenuating opioid tolerance and dependence. PMID:21436292

  14. Involvement of a hypersensitive-like reaction in tolerance to fire ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Gene expression time course showed that expression of chloroplast, mitochondrial and nuclear genes, whose transcription is redox-dependent, was down regulated or suppressed in tolerant cultivar, Harrow Sweet, in comparison with susceptible cultivar, Williams. Monitoring of oxidative burst by localization of hydrogen ...

  15. A dual porosity model of nutrient uptake by root hairs

    KAUST Repository

    Zygalakis, K. C.; Kirk, G. J. D.; Jones, D. L.; Wissuwa, M.; Roose, T.

    2011-01-01

    Summary: • The importance of root hairs in the uptake of sparingly soluble nutrients is understood qualitatively, but not quantitatively, and this limits efforts to breed plants tolerant of nutrient-deficient soils. • Here, we develop a mathematical model of nutrient uptake by root hairs allowing for hair geometry and the details of nutrient transport through soil, including diffusion within and between soil particles. We give illustrative results for phosphate uptake. • Compared with conventional 'single porosity' models, this 'dual porosity' model predicts greater root uptake because more nutrient is available by slow release from within soil particles. Also the effect of soil moisture is less important with the dual porosity model because the effective volume available for diffusion in the soil is larger, and the predicted effects of hair length and density are different. • Consistent with experimental observations, with the dual porosity model, increases in hair length give greater increases in uptake than increases in hair density per unit main root length. The effect of hair density is less in dry soil because the minimum concentration in solution for net influx is reached more rapidly. The effect of hair length is much less sensitive to soil moisture. © 2011 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2011 New Phytologist Trust.

  16. A dual porosity model of nutrient uptake by root hairs

    KAUST Repository

    Zygalakis, K. C.

    2011-08-09

    Summary: • The importance of root hairs in the uptake of sparingly soluble nutrients is understood qualitatively, but not quantitatively, and this limits efforts to breed plants tolerant of nutrient-deficient soils. • Here, we develop a mathematical model of nutrient uptake by root hairs allowing for hair geometry and the details of nutrient transport through soil, including diffusion within and between soil particles. We give illustrative results for phosphate uptake. • Compared with conventional \\'single porosity\\' models, this \\'dual porosity\\' model predicts greater root uptake because more nutrient is available by slow release from within soil particles. Also the effect of soil moisture is less important with the dual porosity model because the effective volume available for diffusion in the soil is larger, and the predicted effects of hair length and density are different. • Consistent with experimental observations, with the dual porosity model, increases in hair length give greater increases in uptake than increases in hair density per unit main root length. The effect of hair density is less in dry soil because the minimum concentration in solution for net influx is reached more rapidly. The effect of hair length is much less sensitive to soil moisture. © 2011 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2011 New Phytologist Trust.

  17. Rice (Oryza sativa japonica) Albumin Suppresses the Elevation of Blood Glucose and Plasma Insulin Levels after Oral Glucose Loading.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ina, Shigenobu; Ninomiya, Kazumi; Mogi, Takashi; Hase, Ayumu; Ando, Toshiki; Matsukaze, Narumi; Ogihara, Jun; Akao, Makoto; Kumagai, Hitoshi; Kumagai, Hitomi

    2016-06-22

    The suppressive effect of rice albumin (RA) of 16 kDa on elevation of blood glucose level after oral loading of starch or glucose and its possible mechanism were examined. RA suppressed the increase in blood glucose levels in both the oral starch tolerance test and the oral glucose tolerance test. The blood glucose concentrations 15 min after the oral administration of starch were 144 ± 6 mg/dL for control group and 127 ± 4 mg/dL for RA 200 mg/kg BW group, while those after the oral administration of glucose were 157 ± 7 mg/dL for control group and 137 ± 4 mg/dL for RA 200 mg/kg BW group. However, in the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test, no significant differences in blood glucose level were observed between RA and the control groups, indicating that RA suppresses the glucose absorption from the small intestine. However, RA did not inhibit the activity of mammalian α-amylase. RA was hydrolyzed to an indigestible high-molecular-weight peptide (HMP) of 14 kDa and low-molecular-weight peptides by pepsin and pancreatin. Furthermore, RA suppressed the glucose diffusion rate through a semipermeable membrane like dietary fibers in vitro. Therefore, the indigestible HMP may adsorb glucose and suppress its absorption from the small intestine.

  18. Selection and Evaluation of Maize Genotypes Tolerance to Low Phosphorus Soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, J. C.; Jiang, H. M.; Zhang, J. F.; Li, L. L.; Li, G. H. [Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing (China)

    2013-11-15

    Maize species differ in their ability to take up phosphorus (P) from the soil, and these differences are attributed to the morphology and physiology of plants relative to their germplasm base. An effective method of increasing P efficiency in maize is to select and evaluate genotypes that can produce a high yield under P deficient conditions. In this study, 116 maize inbred lines with various genetic backgrounds collected from several Agricultural Universities and Institutes in China were evaluated in a field experiment to identify genotypic differences in P efficiency in 2007. Overall, 15 maize inbred lines were selected from the 116 inbred lines during the 5-year field experimental period based on their 100-grain weight in P-deficient soil at maturity, when compared to the characteristics exhibited in P-sufficient soil. All of the selected lines were evaluated in field experiments from 2008 to 2010 for their tolerance to low-P at the seedling and maturity stages. Inhibition (%) was used and defined as the parameter measured under P limitation compared to the parameters measured under P sufficiency to evaluate the genotypic variation in tolerance. Inhibition of root length, root surface area, volume, root: shoot ratio and P uptake efficiency could be used as indices to assess the genotypic tolerance to P limitation. Low-P tolerant genotypes could uptake more P and accumulate more dry matter at the seedling stage. A strong relationship between the total biomass and root length was exhibited. In order to understand the mechanisms of the genotypic tolerance to low-P soil to utilize P from the sparing soluble P forms, 5 maize genotypes selected out of the 15 maize inbred lines, according to the four quadrant distribution, was used as the criteria in a {sup 32}P isotope tracer experiment to follow the recovery of {sup 32}P in soil P fractions. The {sup 32}P tracer results showed a higher rate for water- soluble P transformation to slowly available P in P deficient soil

  19. Influence of inhibitors of serotonin uptake on intestinal epithelium and colorectal carcinomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tutton, P J; Barkla, D H

    1982-08-01

    Previous studies have shown that in certain tissues, including colonic carcinomas, cell proliferation may be promoted by serotonin, and indirect evidence suggests that the effects of this amine on colonic tumours involves a cellular-uptake mechanism. In the present study, two specific inhibitors of serotonin uptake, Citalopram and Fluoxetine, are examined for their effects on cell proliferation and tumour growth. Each of the agents was found to suppress cell division in dimethylhydrazine-induced colonic tumours in rats, and to retard the growth of 2 out of 3 lines of human colonic tumours propagated as xenografts in immune-deprived mice.

  20. Prediction of remission in Graves' disease after thionamide therapy by technetium-99m early uptake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Misaki, Takashi; Dokoh, Shigeharu; Koh, Toshikiyo; Shimbo, Shin-ichiro; Hidaka, Akinari; Iida, Yasuhiro; Kasagi, Kanji; Konishi, Junji.

    1991-01-01

    In the clinical management of Graves' thyrotoxicosis, one of the most important subject is when to stop antithyroid drugs after achieving an euthyroid state. T 3 suppression test and other methods have been used to forecast the outcome after drug cessation, but the results were not always satisfactory. We have attempted to predict remission of Graves' disease by single measurement of early technetium uptake without administration of triiodothyronine. Drugs were discontinued in the seventy-five patients with Graves' disease on maintenance doses of either methimazole or propylthiouracil who showed normalized uptake (4.0% or less). Of 64 patients evaluable after twelve months, 55 (86%) remained euthyroid, 8 relapsed, and 1 became hypothyoid. With its accuracy in prediction of short-term remission comparable or superior to T 3 suppression test, this rapid and simple method seemed suitable for routine use in clinical practice. (author)

  1. Habitat Management to Suppress Pest Populations: Progress and Prospects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gurr, Geoff M; Wratten, Steve D; Landis, Douglas A; You, Minsheng

    2017-01-31

    Habitat management involving manipulation of farmland vegetation can exert direct suppressive effects on pests and promote natural enemies. Advances in theory and practical techniques have allowed habitat management to become an important subdiscipline of pest management. Improved understanding of biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships means that researchers now have a firmer theoretical foundation on which to design habitat management strategies for pest suppression in agricultural systems, including landscape-scale effects. Supporting natural enemies with shelter, nectar, alternative prey/hosts, and pollen (SNAP) has emerged as a major research topic and applied tactic with field tests and adoption often preceded by rigorous laboratory experimentation. As a result, the promise of habitat management is increasingly being realized in the form of practical worldwide implementation. Uptake is facilitated by farmer participation in research and is made more likely by the simultaneous delivery of ecosystem services other than pest suppression.

  2. Maintenance of water uptake and reduced water loss contribute to water stress tolerance of Spiraea alba Du Roi and Spiraea tomentosa L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanton, Kelly M; Mickelbart, Michael V

    2014-01-01

    Two primarily eastern US native shrubs, Spiraea alba Du Roi and Spiraea tomentosa L., are typically found growing in wet areas, often with standing water. Both species have potential for use in the landscape, but little is known of their environmental requirements, including their adaptation to water stress. Two geographic accessions of each species were evaluated for their response to water stress under greenhouse conditions. Above-ground biomass, water relations and gas exchange were measured in well-watered and water stress treatments. In both species, water stress resulted in reduced growth, transpiration and pre-dawn water potential. However, both species also exhibited the ability to osmotically adjust to lower soil water content, resulting in maintained midday leaf turgor potential in all accessions. Net CO2 assimilation was reduced only in one accession of S. alba, primarily due to large reductions in stomatal conductance. S. tomentosa lost a larger proportion of leaves than S. alba in response to water stress. The primary water stress tolerance strategies of S. alba and S. tomentosa appear to be the maintenance of water uptake and reduced water loss.

  3. Suppressor cells in transplantation tolerance. III. The role of antigen in the maintenance of transplantation tolerance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tutschka, P.J.; Hess, A.D.; Beschorner, W.E.; Santos, G.W.

    1982-01-01

    Suppressor cells, which in an alloantigen-specific manner inhibit proliferation of donor cells to host antigens in a mixed lymphocyte culture and adoptively transfer the suppression of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), undergo a gradual clonal reduction in long-term, allogeneic, histoincompatible rat radiation chimeras until they can no longer be measured in an in vitro suppressor cell assay. When lymphohematopoietic cells from these chimeras are transferred into lethally irradiated secondary recipients of original donor strain, the suppressor cells, now in a target antigen-free environment, undergo a further clonal reduction. After parking for 120 days, the chimeric cells are specifically tolerant to original host antigens, but cannot adoptively transfer suppression of GVHD. When chimeric cells, parked for 120 days in secondary recipients of original donor strain, are stimulated with original host-type antigen repeatedly during or once at the end of the parking period, the suppressor cell clone is expanded, suppressor cells can be identified in vitro, and suppression of GVHD can adoptively be transferred to tertiary recipients

  4. Uptake and toxicity of arsenic, copper, and silicon in Azolla caroliniana and Lemna minor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rofkar, Jordan R; Dwyer, Daryl F; Bobak, Deanna M

    2014-01-01

    Here we report on the analysis of two aquatic plant species, Azolla caroliniana and Lemna minor, with respect to tolerance and uptake of co-occurring arsenic, copper, and silicon for use in engineered wetlands. Plants were cultured in nutrient solution that was amended with arsenic (0 or 20 microM), copper (2 or 78 microM), and silicon (0 or 1.8 mM) either singly or in combination. We hypothesized that arsenic and copper would negatively affect the uptake of metals, growth, and pigmentation and that silicon would mitigate those stresses. Tolerance was assessed by measuring growth of biomass and concentrations of chlorophyll and anthocyanins. Both plant species accumulated arsenic, copper, and silicon; L. minor generally had higher levels on a per biomass basis. Arsenic negatively impacted A. caroliniana, causing a 30% decrease in biomass production and an increase in the concentration of anthocyanin. Copper negatively impacted L. minor, causing a 60% decrease in biomass production and a 45% decrease in chlorophyll content. Silicon augmented the impact of arsenic on biomass production in A. caroliniana but mitigated the effect of copper on L. minor. Our results suggest that mixtures of plant species may be needed to maximize uptake of multiple contaminants in engineered wetlands.

  5. A SQUID Bootstrap Circuit with a Large Parameter Tolerance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Guo-Feng; Kong Xiang-Yan; Xie Xiao-Ming; Zhang Yi; Krause Hans-Joachim; Offenhäusser Andreas

    2013-01-01

    The voltage biased (SQUID) bootstrap circuit (SBC) was recently introduced as an effective means to reduce the preamplifier noise contribution. We analyze the tolerances of the SBC noise suppression performance to spreads in SQUID and SBC circuit parameters. It is found that the tolerance to spread mainly caused by the integrated circuit fabrication process could be extended by a one-time adjustable current feedback. A helium-cooled niobium SQUID with a loop inductance of 350 pH is employed to experimentally verify the analysis. From this work, design criteria for fully integrated SBC devices with a high yield can be derived

  6. Estimation of enthalpies and entropies of melting of arsenates from phase diagrams of MeAsO3-Me3AsO4 (Me=Na,K,Rb,Cs) and correlation of thermodynamic properties of alkali metal arsenates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasenov, B.K.; Isabaev, S.M.; Buketov, E.A.

    1982-01-01

    Values of ΔHsub(melting)sup(0) and ΔSsub(melting)sup(0) for Na 3 AsO 4 , K 3 AsO 4 , Rb 3 AsO 4 and Cs 3 AsO 4 (65.3 kJ/mol and 44.4 J/molxK respectively) were calculated by the Shredder-Vant-Hoff equation in the approximation of ideal solutions from diagrams of the state of MeAsO 3 -He 3 AsO 4 (Me=Na, K, Rb, Cs) systems. ΔHsub(298)sup(0)-f(Tsub(melting)) and ΔHsub(melting)sup(0)-f(ΔHsub(298)sup(0)) dependences were found for arsenates

  7. Selective Mitochondrial Uptake of MKT-077 Can Suppress Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Cell Survival and

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dmytro Starenki

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundMedullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC is a neuroendocrine tumor mainly caused by mutations in the rearranged during transfection (RET proto-oncogene. Not all patients with progressive MTC respond to current therapy inhibiting RET, demanding additional therapeutic strategies. We recently demonstrated that disrupting mitochondrial metabolism using a mitochondria-targeted agent or by depleting a mitochondrial chaperone effectively suppressed human MTC cells in culture and in mouse xenografts by inducing apoptosis and RET downregulation. These observations led us to hypothesize that mitochondria are potential therapeutic targets for MTC. This study further tests this hypothesis using1-ethyl-2-[[3-ethyl-5-(3-methylbenzothiazolin-2-yliden]-4-oxothiazolidin-2-ylidenemethyl] pyridinium chloride (MKT-077, a water-soluble rhodocyanine dye analogue, which can selectively accumulate in mitochondria.MethodsThe effects of MKT-077 on cell proliferation, survival, expression of RET and tumor protein 53 (TP53, and mitochondrial activity were determined in the human MTC lines in culture and in mouse xenografts.ResultsMKT-077 induced cell cycle arrest in TT and MZ-CRC-1. Intriguingly, MKT-077 also induced RET downregulation and strong cell death responses in TT cells, but not in MZ-CRC-1 cells. This discrepancy was mainly due to the difference between the capacities of these cell lines to retain MKT-077 in mitochondria. The cytotoxicity of MKT-077 in TT cells was mainly attributed to oxidative stress while being independent of TP53. MKT-077 also effectively suppressed tumor growth of TT xenografts.ConclusionMKT-077 can suppress cell survival of certain MTC subtypes by accumulating in mitochondria and interfering with mitochondrial activity although it can also suppress cell proliferation via other mechanisms. These results consistently support the hypothesis that mitochondrial targeting has therapeutic potential for MTC.

  8. Endogenous salicylic acid is required for promoting cadmium tolerance of Arabidopsis by modulating glutathione metabolisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, Bin; Liu, Chen; Li, Hua; Yi, Keke; Ding, Nengfei; Li, Ningyu; Lin, Yicheng; Fu, Qinglin

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The role of endogenous SA in mediating Cd tolerance was explored using sid2 mutants. • Cd stress induces SA accumulation in a SID2 dependent way. • Depletion of SA causes negative effects on Cd tolerance. • Endogenous SA is required for promoting Cd tolerance by modulating GSH metabolism. • Possible mode of SA signaling through GR/GSH pathway under Cd toxicity was discussed. - Abstract: A few studies with NahG transgenic lines of Arabidopsis show that depletion of SA enhances cadmium (Cd) tolerance. However, it remains some uncertainties that the defence signaling may be a result of catechol accumulation in NahG transgenic lines but not SA deficiency. Here, we conducted a set of hydroponic assays with another SA-deficient mutant sid2 to examine the endogenous roles of SA in Cd tolerance, especially focusing on the glutathione (GSH) cycling. Our results showed that reduced SA resulted in negative effects on Cd tolerance, including decreased Fe uptake and chlorophyll concentration, aggravation of oxidative damage and growth inhibition. Cd exposure significantly increased SA concentration in wild-type leaves, but did not affect it in sid2 mutants. Depletion of SA did not disturb the Cd uptake in either roots or shoots. The reduced Cd tolerance in sid2 mutants is due to the lowered GSH status, which is associated with the decreased expression of serine acetyltransferase along with a decline in contents of non-protein thiols, phytochelatins, and the lowered transcription and activities of glutathione reductase1 (GR1) which reduced GSH regeneration. Finally, the possible mode of SA signaling through the GR/GSH pathway during Cd exposure is discussed.

  9. Endogenous salicylic acid is required for promoting cadmium tolerance of Arabidopsis by modulating glutathione metabolisms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo, Bin, E-mail: ndgb@163.com [Institute of Environment, Resource, Soil and Fertilizer, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Geological Research Center For Agricultural Applications, China Geological Survey, Hangzhou (China); Liu, Chen; Li, Hua [Institute of Environment, Resource, Soil and Fertilizer, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Geological Research Center For Agricultural Applications, China Geological Survey, Hangzhou (China); Yi, Keke [Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou (China); Ding, Nengfei; Li, Ningyu; Lin, Yicheng [Institute of Environment, Resource, Soil and Fertilizer, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Geological Research Center For Agricultural Applications, China Geological Survey, Hangzhou (China); Fu, Qinglin, E-mail: fuql161@yahoo.com.cn [Institute of Environment, Resource, Soil and Fertilizer, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Geological Research Center For Agricultural Applications, China Geological Survey, Hangzhou (China)

    2016-10-05

    Highlights: • The role of endogenous SA in mediating Cd tolerance was explored using sid2 mutants. • Cd stress induces SA accumulation in a SID2 dependent way. • Depletion of SA causes negative effects on Cd tolerance. • Endogenous SA is required for promoting Cd tolerance by modulating GSH metabolism. • Possible mode of SA signaling through GR/GSH pathway under Cd toxicity was discussed. - Abstract: A few studies with NahG transgenic lines of Arabidopsis show that depletion of SA enhances cadmium (Cd) tolerance. However, it remains some uncertainties that the defence signaling may be a result of catechol accumulation in NahG transgenic lines but not SA deficiency. Here, we conducted a set of hydroponic assays with another SA-deficient mutant sid2 to examine the endogenous roles of SA in Cd tolerance, especially focusing on the glutathione (GSH) cycling. Our results showed that reduced SA resulted in negative effects on Cd tolerance, including decreased Fe uptake and chlorophyll concentration, aggravation of oxidative damage and growth inhibition. Cd exposure significantly increased SA concentration in wild-type leaves, but did not affect it in sid2 mutants. Depletion of SA did not disturb the Cd uptake in either roots or shoots. The reduced Cd tolerance in sid2 mutants is due to the lowered GSH status, which is associated with the decreased expression of serine acetyltransferase along with a decline in contents of non-protein thiols, phytochelatins, and the lowered transcription and activities of glutathione reductase1 (GR1) which reduced GSH regeneration. Finally, the possible mode of SA signaling through the GR/GSH pathway during Cd exposure is discussed.

  10. Foliar water uptake of Tamarix ramosissima from an atmosphere of high humidity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shuang; Xiao, Hong-lang; Zhao, Liang; Zhou, Mao-Xian; Wang, Fang

    2014-01-01

    Many species have been found to be capable of foliar water uptake, but little research has focused on this in desert plants. Tamarix ramosissima was investigated to determine whether its leaves can directly absorb water from high humidity atmosphere and, if they can, to understand the magnitude and importance of foliar water uptake. Various techniques were adopted to demonstrate foliar water uptake under submergence or high atmospheric humidity. The mean increase in leaf water content after submergence was 29.38% and 20.93% for mature and tender leaves, respectively. In the chamber experiment, obvious reverse sap flow occurred when relative humidity (RH) was persistently above 90%. Reverse flow was recorded first in twigs, then in branches and stems. For the stem, the percentage of negative sap flow rate accounting for the maximum value of sap flow reached 10.71%, and its amount accounted for 7.54% of diurnal sap flow. Small rainfall can not only compensate water loss of plant by foliar uptake, but also suppress transpiration. Foliar uptake can appear in the daytime under certain rainfall events. High atmospheric humidity is beneficial for enhancing the water status of plants. Foliar uptake should be an important strategy of water acquisition for desert plants.

  11. Foliar Water Uptake of Tamarix ramosissima from an Atmosphere of High Humidity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuang Li

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Many species have been found to be capable of foliar water uptake, but little research has focused on this in desert plants. Tamarix ramosissima was investigated to determine whether its leaves can directly absorb water from high humidity atmosphere and, if they can, to understand the magnitude and importance of foliar water uptake. Various techniques were adopted to demonstrate foliar water uptake under submergence or high atmospheric humidity. The mean increase in leaf water content after submergence was 29.38% and 20.93% for mature and tender leaves, respectively. In the chamber experiment, obvious reverse sap flow occurred when relative humidity (RH was persistently above 90%. Reverse flow was recorded first in twigs, then in branches and stems. For the stem, the percentage of negative sap flow rate accounting for the maximum value of sap flow reached 10.71%, and its amount accounted for 7.54% of diurnal sap flow. Small rainfall can not only compensate water loss of plant by foliar uptake, but also suppress transpiration. Foliar uptake can appear in the daytime under certain rainfall events. High atmospheric humidity is beneficial for enhancing the water status of plants. Foliar uptake should be an important strategy of water acquisition for desert plants.

  12. Targeted delivery of antigen to intestinal dendritic cells induces oral tolerance and prevents autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yulin; Wu, Jie; Wang, Jiajia; Zhang, Wenjing; Xu, Bohui; Xu, Xiaojun; Zong, Li

    2018-03-15

    The intestinal immune system is an ideal target to induce immune tolerance physiologically. However, the efficiency of oral protein antigen delivery is limited by degradation of the antigen in the gastrointestinal tract and poor uptake by antigen-presenting cells. Gut dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells that are prone to inducing antigen-specific immune tolerance. In this study, we delivered the antigen heat shock protein 65-6×P277 (H6P) directly to the gut DCs of NOD mice through oral vaccination with H6P-loaded targeting nanoparticles (NPs), and investigated the ability of this antigen to induce immune tolerance to prevent autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice. A targeting NP delivery system was developed to encapsulate H6P, and the ability of this system to protect and facilitate H6P delivery to gut DCs was assessed. NOD mice were immunised with H6P-loaded targeting NPs orally once a week for 7 weeks and the onset of diabetes was assessed by monitoring blood glucose levels. H6P-loaded targeting NPs protected the encapsulated H6P from degradation in the gastrointestinal tract environment and significantly increased the uptake of H6P by DCs in the gut Peyer's patches (4.1 times higher uptake compared with the control H6P solution group). Oral vaccination with H6P-loaded targeting NPs induced antigen-specific T cell tolerance and prevented diabetes in 100% of NOD mice. Immune deviation (T helper [Th]1 to Th2) and CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + regulatory T cells were found to participate in the induction of immune tolerance. In this study, we successfully induced antigen-specific T cell tolerance and prevented the onset of diabetes in NOD mice. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt at delivering antigen to gut DCs using targeting NPs to induce T cell tolerance.

  13. Foxp3 Expression is Required for the Induction of Therapeutic Tissue Tolerance1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regateiro, Frederico S.; Chen, Ye; Kendal, Adrian R.; Hilbrands, Robert; Adams, Elizabeth; Cobbold, Stephen P.; Ma, Jianbo; Andersen, Kristian G.; Betz, Alexander G.; Zhang, Mindy; Madhiwalla, Shruti; Roberts, Bruce; Waldmann, Herman; Nolan, Kathleen F.; Howie, Duncan

    2012-01-01

    CD4+Foxp3+ Treg are essential for immune homeostasis and maintenance of self-tolerance. They are produced in the thymus and also generated de novo in the periphery in a TGFβ dependent manner. Foxp3+ Treg are also required to achieve tolerance to transplanted tissues when induced by co receptor or co stimulation blockade. Using TCR transgenic mice to avoid issues of autoimmune pathology, we show that Foxp3 expression is both necessary and sufficient for tissue tolerance by coreceptor blockade. Moreover, the known need in tolerance induction for TGFβ signalling to T cells can wholly be explained by its role in induction of Foxp3, as such signalling proved dispensable for the suppressive process. We analysed the relative contribution of TGFβ and Foxp3 to the transcriptome of TGFβ-induced Treg and showed that TGFβ elicited a large set of down-regulated signature genes. The number of genes uniquely modulated due to the influence of Foxp3 alone was surprisingly limited. Thus, despite the large genetic influence of TGFβ exposure on iTreg, the crucial Foxp3-influenced signature independent of TGFβ is small. Retroviral mediated conditional nuclear expression of Foxp3 proved sufficient to confer transplant-suppressive potency on CD4+ T cells, and was lost once nuclear Foxp3 expression was extinguished. These data support a dual role for TGFβ and Foxp3 in induced tolerance, where TGFβ stimulates Foxp3 expression, whose sustained expression is then associated with acquisition of tolerance. PMID:22988034

  14. Boron tolerance in NS wheat lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brdar Milka

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Boron is an essential micronutrient for higher plants. Present in excessive amounts boron becomes toxic and can limit plant growth and yield. Suppression of root growth is one of the symptoms of boron toxicity in wheat. This study was undertaken to investigate the response of 10 perspective NS lines of wheat to high concentrations of boron. Analysis of root growth was done on young plants, germinated and grown in the presence of different concentrations of boric acid (0, 50,100 and 150 mg/1. Significant differences occurred between analyzed genotypes and treatments regarding root length. Average suppression of root growth was between 11,6 and 34,2%, for line NS 252/02 are even noted 61,4% longer roots at treatments in relation to the control. Lines with mean suppression of root growth less than 20% (NS 101/02, NS 138/01, NS 53/03 and NS 73/02 may be considered as boron tolerant. Spearmans coefficients showed high level of agreement regarding rang of root length for genotypes treated with 100 and 150 mg H3BO3/l.

  15. COMPARATIVE TISSUE DISTRIBUTION AND URINARY EXCRETION OF INORGANIC ARSENIC (IAS) AND ITS METHYLATED METABOLITES IN MICE FOLLOWING ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENATE (ASV) AND ARSENITE (ASIII)

    Science.gov (United States)

    COMPARATIVE TISSUE DISTRIBUTION AND URINARY EXCRETION OF INORGANIC ARSENIC (iAs) AND ITS METHYLATED METABOLITES IN MICE FOLLOWING ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENATE (AsV) AND ARSENITE (AsIII). E M Kenyon, L M Del Razo and M F Hughes. U.S. EPA, ORD, NHEERL, ETD, PKB, RTP, NC, USA; ...

  16. The effect of potassium nutrition on sup 137 Cs uptake in two upland species

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jones, H E; Harrison, A F; Poskitt, J M; Roberts, J D; Clint, G [Institute for Terrestrial Ecology, Grange-over-Sands (UK)

    1991-01-01

    Agrostis capillaris (Agrostis) and Calluna vulgaris (Calluna), two species with differing phenologies and widespread presence in upland areas of Britain where high Chernobyl fallout occurred, were grown in pot culture with varying concentrations of potassium in the rooting medium. Tissue content of potassium increased with increasing supply in both species. Roots, excised from these plants, were placed in a solution of {sup 137}Cs-labelled caesium chloride for 15 min to determine uptake potential. There were clear negative relationships between the rate of uptake of {sup 137}Cs by both species and (a) the concentration of potassium supplied and (b) plant issue potassium concentrations. With Agrotis, there was an approximately ten-fold difference in {sup 137}Cs uptake between potassium-deficient and optimum plants; with Calluna, it was approximately eight-fold. These results demonstrate the suppression of {sup 137}Cs uptake into plants by potassium supply. (author).

  17. Sorptive removal of arsenate using termite mound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fufa, Fekadu; Alemayehu, Esayas; Lennartz, Bernd

    2014-01-01

    Long-term consumption of arsenic results in severe and permanent health damages. The aim of the study was to investigate arsenate (As(V)) sorption capacity of termite mound (TM), containing mainly silicon, aluminum, iron and titanium oxides, under batch adsorption setup. The pattern of As(V) removal with varying contact time, solution pH, adsorbent dose, As(V) concentration and competing anions was investigated. Dissolution of the adsorbent was insignificant under the equilibrium conditions. Equilibrium was achieved within 40 min of agitation time. Kinetic data of As(V) adsorption followed well the pseudo-second order equation (R(2) > 0.99). High As(V) removal efficiency (∼ 99%) was observed over a pH range ∼ 3-∼ 10, which is of great importance in the practical application. The Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms well described (R(2) > 0.99, χ(2) ∼ 0.05) the equilibrium As(V) adsorption, giving a coefficient of adsorption 1.48 mg(1-1/n)L(1/n)/g and a saturation capacity 13.50 mg/g respectively. The obtained value of mean sorption energy (EDR = 13.32 kJ/mol) suggested the chemisorption mechanism of As(V) adsorption on TM. The removal of As(V) was significantly decreased in the presence of phosphate ions. The As(V) loaded adsorbent was successfully regenerated using NaOH solution with insignificant loss of metals. Therefore, the results of the study demonstrated that TM could be considered as a promising adsorbent for the treatment of As(V) in drinking water. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Oral Tolerance Induction in Hemophilia B Dogs Fed with Transplastomic Lettuce.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herzog, Roland W; Nichols, Timothy C; Su, Jin; Zhang, Bei; Sherman, Alexandra; Merricks, Elizabeth P; Raymer, Robin; Perrin, George Q; Häger, Mattias; Wiinberg, Bo; Daniell, Henry

    2017-02-01

    Anti-drug antibodies in hemophilia patients substantially complicate treatment. Their elimination through immune tolerance induction (ITI) protocols poses enormous costs, and ITI is often ineffective for factor IX (FIX) inhibitors. Moreover, there is no prophylactic ITI protocol to prevent anti-drug antibody (ADA) formation. Using general immune suppression is problematic. To address this urgent unmet medical need, we delivered antigen bioencapsulated in plant cells to hemophilia B dogs. Commercial-scale production of CTB-FIX fusion expressed in lettuce chloroplasts was done in a hydroponic facility. CTB-FIX (∼1 mg/g) in lyophilized cells was stable with proper folding, disulfide bonds, and pentamer assembly after 30-month storage at ambient temperature. Robust suppression of immunoglobulin G (IgG)/inhibitor and IgE formation against intravenous FIX was observed in three of four hemophilia B dogs fed with lyophilized lettuce cells expressing CTB-FIX. No side effects were detected after feeding CTB-FIX-lyophilized plant cells for >300 days. Coagulation times were markedly shortened by intravenous FIX in orally tolerized treated dogs, in contrast to control dogs that formed high-titer antibodies to FIX. Commercial-scale production, stability, prolonged storage of lyophilized cells, and efficacy in tolerance induction in a large, non-rodent model of human disease offer a novel concept for oral tolerance and low-cost production and delivery of biopharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. A study on the coprecipitation of arsenite and arsenate into calcite coupled with the determination of oxidation states of arsenic both in calcite and water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yokoyama, Yuka; Takahashi, Yoshio; Mitsunobu, Satoshi; Tanaka, Kazuya; Itai, Takaaki

    2009-01-01

    It was found that the amount of arsenite incorporated into calcite is much less than that of arsenate. The result suggests that the sequestration of arsenic by coprecipitation with calcite cannot be an important chemical process under reducing conditions such as in groundwater where arsenite is the dominant arsenic species. (author)

  20. The uptake of uranium from soil to vetiver grass (vetiver zizanioides (L.) nash)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luu Viet Hung; Bui Duy Cam; Dang Duc Nhan

    2012-01-01

    Uranium uptake of vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash) from Eutric Fluvisols (AK), Albic Acrisols (LP), Dystric Fluvisols (TT) and Ferralic Acrisols (TC) in northern Vietnam is assessed. The soils were mixed with aqueous solution of uranyl nitrate to make soils be contaminated with uranium at 0, 50, 100, 250 mg per kg before planting the grass. The efficiency of uranium uptake by the grass was assessed based on the soil-to-plant transfer factor (TF U , kg kg -1 ). It was found that the TF U values are dependent upon the soil properties. CEC facilitates the uptake and the increase soil pH could reduce the uptake and translocation of uranium in the plant. Organic matter content as well as ferrous and potassium inhibit the uranium uptake of the grass. It was revealed that the lower fertile soil the higher uranium uptake. The grass could tolerate to the high extent (up to 77%) of uranium in soils and could survive and grow well without fertilization. The translocation of uranium in root for all the soil types studies almost higher than that in its shoot. It seem that vetiver grass potentially be use for the purpose of phytoremediation of soils contaminated with uranium. (author)

  1. Direct neuronal glucose uptake heralds activity-dependent increases in cerebral metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lundgaard, Iben; Li, Baoman; Xie, Lulu; Kang, Hongyi; Sanggaard, Simon; Haswell, John D R; Sun, Wei; Goldman, Siri; Blekot, Solomiya; Nielsen, Michael; Takano, Takahiro; Deane, Rashid; Nedergaard, Maiken

    2015-04-23

    Metabolically, the brain is a highly active organ that relies almost exclusively on glucose as its energy source. According to the astrocyte-to-neuron lactate shuttle hypothesis, glucose is taken up by astrocytes and converted to lactate, which is then oxidized by neurons. Here we show, using two-photon imaging of a near-infrared 2-deoxyglucose analogue (2DG-IR), that glucose is taken up preferentially by neurons in awake behaving mice. Anaesthesia suppressed neuronal 2DG-IR uptake and sensory stimulation was associated with a sharp increase in neuronal, but not astrocytic, 2DG-IR uptake. Moreover, hexokinase, which catalyses the first enzymatic steps in glycolysis, was highly enriched in neurons compared with astrocytes, in mouse as well as in human cortex. These observations suggest that brain activity and neuronal glucose metabolism are directly linked, and identify the neuron as the principal locus of glucose uptake as visualized by functional brain imaging.

  2. Direct neuronal glucose uptake heralds activity-dependent increases in cerebral metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lundgaard, Iben; Li, Baoman; Xie, Lulu; Kang, Hongyi; Sanggaard, Simon; Haswell, John Douglas R; Sun, Wei; Goldman, Siri; Blekot, Solomiya; Nielsen, Michael; Takano, Takahiro; Deane, Rashid; Nedergaard, Maiken

    2015-01-01

    Metabolically, the brain is a highly active organ that relies almost exclusively on glucose as its energy source. According to the astrocyte-to-neuron lactate shuttle hypothesis, glucose is taken up by astrocytes and converted to lactate, which is then oxidized by neurons. Here we show, using 2-photon imaging of a near-infrared 2-deoxyglucose analogue (2DG-IR), that glucose is taken up preferentially by neurons in awake behaving mice. Anesthesia suppressed neuronal 2DG-IR uptake and sensory stimulation was associated with a sharp increase in neuronal, but not astrocytic, 2DG-IR uptake. Moreover, hexokinase, which catalyze the first enzymatic steps in glycolysis, was highly enriched in neurons compared with astrocytes, in mouse as well as in human cortex. These observations suggest that brain activity and neuronal glucose metabolism are directly linked, and identifies the neuron as the principal locus of glucose uptake as visualized by functional brain imaging. PMID:25904018

  3. Immunosuppression and tolerance after total lymphoid irradiation (TLI)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strober, S.; Gottlieb, M.; Slavin, S.; King, D.P.; Hoppe, R.T.; Fuks, Z.; Bieber, C.P.; Kaplan, H.S.

    1980-01-01

    The immunosuppressive effects of total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) in humans and in several species of inbred and outbred laboratory animals have been investigated. A unique property of TLI, the prevention of the graft vs. host disease, was used to induce transplantation tolerance in order to study the mechanism of altered immunity when the celluar basis of the TLI-induced immunosuppression was examined by means of the mixed lymphocyte response (MLR), no suppression of the MLR was observed when spleen cells from unirradiated or whole body-irradiated donors were used instead of donors given TLI. These results indicated that TLI induces a population of cells in the spleen that can nonspecifically suppress the MLR

  4. Anilofos tolerance and its mineralization by the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PUPCCC 64.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D P Singh

    Full Text Available This study deals with anilofos tolerance and its mineralization by the common rice field cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PUPCCC 64. The organism tolerated anilofos up to 25 mg L(-1. The herbicide caused inhibitory effects on photosynthetic pigments of the test organism in a dose-dependent manner. The organism exhibited 60, 89, 96, 85 and 79% decrease in chlorophyll a, carotenoids, phycocyanin, allophycocyanin and phycoerythrin, respectively, in 20 mg L(-1 anilofos on day six. Activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase increased by 1.04 to 1.80 times over control cultures in presence of 20 mg L(-1 anilofos. Glutathione content decreased by 26% while proline content was unaffected by 20 mg L(-1 anilofos. The test organism showed intracellular uptake and metabolized the herbicide. Uptake of herbicide by test organism was fast during initial six hours followed by slow uptake until 120 hours. The organism exhibited maximum anilofos removal at 100 mg protein L(-1, pH 8.0 and 30°C. Its growth in phosphate deficient basal medium in the presence of anilofos (2.5 mg L(-1 indicated that herbicide was used by the strain PUPCCC 64 as a source of phosphate.

  5. Identification of a STOP1-like protein in Eucalyptus that regulates transcription of Al tolerance genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawaki, Yoshiharu; Kobayashi, Yuriko; Kihara-Doi, Tomonori; Nishikubo, Nobuyuki; Kawazu, Tetsu; Kobayashi, Masatomo; Kobayashi, Yasufumi; Iuchi, Satoshi; Koyama, Hiroyuki; Sato, Shigeru

    2014-06-01

    Tolerance to soil acidity is an important trait for eucalyptus clones that are introduced to commercial forestry plantations in pacific Asian countries, where acidic soil is dominant in many locations. A conserved transcription factor regulating aluminum (Al) and proton (H⁺) tolerance in land-plant species, STOP1 (SENSITIVE TOPROTON RHIZOTOXICITY 1)-like protein, was isolated by polymerase chain reaction-based cloning, and then suppressed by RNA interference in hairy roots produced by Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation. Eucalyptus STOP1-like protein complemented proton tolerance in an Arabidopsis thaliana stop1-mutant, and localized to the nucleus in a transient assay of a green fluorescent protein fusion protein expressed in tobacco leaves by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Genes encoding a citrate transporting MULTIDRUGS AND TOXIC COMPOUND EXTRUSION protein and an orthologue of ALUMINUM SENSITIVE 3 were suppressed in transgenic hairy roots in which the STOP1 orthologue was knocked down. In summary, we identified a series of genes for Al-tolerance in eucalyptus, including a gene for STOP1-like protein and the Al-tolerance genes it regulates. These genes may be useful for molecular breeding and genomic selection of elite clones to introduce into acid soil regions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Water relations, gas exchange and growth of dominant and suppressed shoots of Arbutus unedo L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castell, C; Terradas, J

    1995-06-01

    Basal shoots produced by Arbutus unedo L. after cutting at ground level vary in size and growth rate, and are classified accordingly as dominant or suppressed. The suppressed shoots eventually cease growth and die. In this study, we investigated the role of light and water in the competition among shoots of A. unedo. Dominant and suppressed shoots of A. unedo showed similar leaf water potentials and tissue water relations over the year, suggesting that water status is not responsible for the lack of flushing in suppressed shoots. Although suppressed shoots did not flush under low light, they showed many characteristics of shade-tolerant plants. Leaves of suppressed shoots had lower leaf conductance and light-saturated photosynthetic rate, and higher specific leaf area than leaves of dominant shoots. We conclude that light was the main resource determining competition among shoots and the death of suppressed shoots.

  7. Abscopal suppression of bone marrow erythropoiesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Werts, E.D.; Johnson, M.J.; DeGowin, R.L.

    1978-01-01

    Abscopal responses of hemopoietic tissue, which we noted in preliminary studies of mice receiving partial-body irradiation, led us to clarify these effects. In studies reported here, one hind leg of CF-1 female mice received 1000, 5000, or 10,000 rad of x radiation. We found a persistent shift from medullary to splenic erythropoiesis preventing anemia in mice receiving 5000 or 10,000 rad. Splenectomy prior to 5000-rad irradiation resulted in anemia, which was not ameliorated by exposure to intermittent hypoxia. Despite evidence for increased levels of erythropoietin in the animals, namely, a reticulocytosis and increased erythrocyte radioiron incorporation, both 59 Fe uptake and erythroblast counts in shielded marrow remained below normal. We found 50 to 90% suppression of the growth of marrow stromal colonies (MSC) from bone marrow aspirates of the shielded and irradiated femoral marrow at 1 month and at least 20% depression of MSC at 1 year, with each dose. We conclude that: (i) high doses of x radiation to one leg of mice caused prolonged suppression of medullary erythropoiesis with splenic compensation to prevent anemia; (ii) splenectomy, anemia, and hypoxia prevented the severe abscopal depression of medullary erythropoiesis; and (iii) suppressed medullary erythropoiesis with decreased growth of MSC suggested a change in the hemopoietic microenvironment of the bone marrow

  8. Morpho-physiological analysis of tolerance to aluminum toxicity in rice varieties of North East India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awasthi, Jay Prakash; Saha, Bedabrata; Regon, Preetom; Sahoo, Smita; Chowra, Umakanta; Pradhan, Amit; Roy, Anupam; Panda, Sanjib Kumar

    2017-01-01

    Aluminum (Al) is the third most abundant metal in earth crust, whose chemical form is mainly dependent on soil pH. The most toxic form of Al with respect to plants is Al3+, which exists in soil pH Eastern India 80% soil are acidic). Al3+ toxicity in plants ensues root growth inhibition leading to less nutrient and water uptake impacting crop productivity as a whole. Rice is one of the chief grains which constitutes the staple food of two-third of the world population including India and is not untouched by Al3+ toxicity. Al contamination is a critical constraint to plant production in agricultural soils of North East India. 24 indigenous Indica rice varieties (including Badshahbhog as tolerant check and Mashuri as sensitive check) were screened for Al stress tolerance in hydroponic plant growth system. Results show marked difference in growth parameters (relative growth rate, Root tolerance index, fresh and dry weight of root) of rice seedlings due to Al (100 μM) toxicity. Al3+ uptake and lipid peroxidation level also increased concomitantly under Al treatment. Histochemical assay were also performed to elucidate uptake of aluminum, loss of membrane integrity and lipid peroxidation, which were found to be more in sensitive genotypes at higher Al concentration. This study revealed that aluminum toxicity is a serious harmful problem for rice crop productivity in acid soil. Based on various parameters studied it's concluded that Disang is a comparatively tolerant variety whereas Joymati a sensitive variety. Western blot hybridization further strengthened the claim, as it demonstrated more accumulation of Glutathione reductase (GR) protein in Disang rice variety than Joymati under stressed condition. This study also observed that the emergence of lethal toxic symptoms occurs only after 48h irrespective of the dose used in the study.

  9. Effect of anoxia on the electroretinogram of three anoxia-tolerant vertebrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stensløkken, Kåre-Olav; Milton, Sarah L; Lutz, Peter L; Sundin, Lena; Renshaw, Gillian M C; Stecyk, Jonathan A W; Nilsson, Göran E

    2008-08-01

    To survive anoxia, neural ATP levels have to be defended. Reducing electrical activity, which accounts for 50% or more of neural energy consumption, should be beneficial for anoxic survival. The retina is a hypoxia sensitive part of the central nervous system. Here, we quantify the in vivo retinal light response (electroretinogram; ERG) in three vertebrates that exhibit varying degrees of anoxia tolerance: freshwater turtle (Trachemys scripta), epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) and leopard frog (Rana pipiens). A virtually total suppression of ERG in anoxia, probably resulting in functional blindness, has previously been seen in the extremely anoxia-tolerant crucian carp (Carassius carassius). Surprisingly, the equally anoxia-tolerant turtle, which strongly depresses brain and whole-body metabolism during anoxia, exhibited a relatively modest anoxic reduction in ERG: the combined amplitude of turtle ERG waves was reduced by approximately 50% after 2 h. In contrast, the shark b-wave amplitude practically disappeared after 30 min of severe hypoxia, and the frog b-wave was decreased by approximately 75% after 40 min in anoxia. The specific A(1) adenosine receptor antagonist CPT significantly delayed the suppression of turtle ERG, while the hypoxic shark ERG was unaffected by the non-specific adenosine receptor antagonist aminophylline, suggesting adenosinergic involvement in turtle but not in shark.

  10. Prediction of remission in Graves' disease after thionamide therapy by technetium-99m early uptake

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Misaki, Takashi; Dokoh, Shigeharu; Koh, Toshikiyo; Shimbo, Shin-ichiro (Kyoto City Hospital, Kyoto (Japan)); Hidaka, Akinari; Iida, Yasuhiro; Kasagi, Kanji; Konishi, Junji

    1991-02-01

    In the clinical management of Graves' thyrotoxicosis, one of the most important subject is when to stop antithyroid drugs after achieving an euthyroid state. T{sub 3} suppression test and other methods have been used to forecast the outcome after drug cessation, but the results were not always satisfactory. We have attempted to predict remission of Graves' disease by single measurement of early technetium uptake without administration of triiodothyronine. Drugs were discontinued in the seventy-five patients with Graves' disease on maintenance doses of either methimazole or propylthiouracil who showed normalized uptake (4.0% or less). Of 64 patients evaluable after twelve months, 55 (86%) remained euthyroid, 8 relapsed, and 1 became hypothyoid. With its accuracy in prediction of short-term remission comparable or superior to T{sub 3} suppression test, this rapid and simple method seemed suitable for routine use in clinical practice. (author).

  11. 97 BIODIVERSITY AND IMPORTANCE OF FLOATING WEEDS OF ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    AJTCAM

    maintaining the delicate nutrient balance in water, hydro-soil and plants. ..... blocking the air-water interface and greatly reducing oxygen levels in the .... Arsenate uptake by aquatic plant water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes L.) was studied in the.

  12. Immune response in mice to ingested soya protein: antibody production, oral tolerance and maternal transfer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Hanne Risager; Pedersen, Susanne Brix; Frøkiær, Hanne

    2004-01-01

    antibody response in the offspring, bat in this case in the absence of oral tolerance. This indicates that, under certain conditions, factors involved in spontaneous antibody production can be transmitted from mother to offspring. Understanding the immune response to soya protein ingested under healthy...... by ELISA, and to the presence of oral tolerance detected as a suppressed antibody and cell-proliferation response upon immunisation with soya protein. F0 mice generated soya-specific antibodies, while oral tolerance to the same soya proteins was also clearly induced. When F0 dams were transferred to soya...

  13. Soil CO2 venting as one of the mechanisms for tolerance of Zn deficiency by rice in flooded soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Affholder, Marie-Cecile; Weiss, Dominik J; Wissuwa, Matthias; Johnson-Beebout, Sarah E; Kirk, Guy J D

    2017-12-01

    We sought to explain rice (Oryza sativa) genotype differences in tolerance of zinc (Zn) deficiency in flooded paddy soils and the counter-intuitive observation, made in earlier field experiments, that Zn uptake per plant increases with increasing planting density. We grew tolerant and intolerant genotypes in a Zn-deficient flooded soil at high and low planting densities and found (a) plant Zn concentrations and growth increased with planting density and more so in the tolerant genotype, whereas the concentrations of other nutrients decreased, indicating a specific effect on Zn uptake; (b) the effects of planting density and genotype on Zn uptake could only be explained if the plants induced changes in the soil to make Zn more soluble; and (c) the genotype and planting density effects were both associated with decreases in dissolved CO 2 in the rhizosphere soil solution and resulting increases in pH. We suggest that the increases in pH caused solubilization of soil Zn by dissolution of alkali-soluble, Zn-complexing organic ligands from soil organic matter. We conclude that differences in venting of soil CO 2 through root aerenchyma were responsible for the genotype and planting density effects. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Simulated Impact of Glacial Runoff on CO2 Uptake in the Gulf of Alaska

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pilcher, Darren J.; Siedlecki, Samantha A.; Hermann, Albert J.; Coyle, Kenneth O.; Mathis, Jeremy T.; Evans, Wiley

    2018-01-01

    The Gulf of Alaska (GOA) receives substantial summer freshwater runoff from glacial meltwater. The alkalinity of this runoff is highly dependent on the glacial source and can modify the coastal carbon cycle. We use a regional ocean biogeochemical model to simulate CO2 uptake in the GOA under different alkalinity-loading scenarios. The GOA is identified as a current net sink of carbon, though low-alkalinity tidewater glacial runoff suppresses summer coastal carbon uptake. Our model shows that increasing the alkalinity generates an increase in annual CO2 uptake of 1.9-2.7 TgC/yr. This transition is comparable to a projected change in glacial runoff composition (i.e., from tidewater to land-terminating) due to continued climate warming. Our results demonstrate an important local carbon-climate feedback that can significantly increase coastal carbon uptake via enhanced air-sea exchange, with potential implications to the coastal ecosystems in glaciated areas around the world.

  15. Understanding the adsorptive interactions of arsenate-iron nanoparticles with curved fullerene-like sheets in activated carbon using a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics computational approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Nguyen Ngoc; Cam, Le Minh; Ha, Nguyen Thi Thu; Goh, Bee-Min; Saunders, Martin; Jiang, Zhong-Tao; Altarawneh, Mohammednoor; Dlugogorski, Bogdan Z; El-Harbawi, Mohanad; Yin, Chun-Yang

    2017-06-07

    The prevalence of global arsenic groundwater contamination has driven widespread research on developing effective treatment systems including adsorption using various sorbents. The uptake of arsenic-based contaminants onto established sorbents such as activated carbon (AC) can be effectively enhanced via immobilization/impregnation of iron-based elements on the porous AC surface. Recent suggestions that AC pores structurally consist of an eclectic mix of curved fullerene-like sheets may affect the arsenic adsorption dynamics within the AC pores and is further complicated by the presence of nano-sized iron-based elements. We have therefore, attempted to shed light on the adsorptive interactions of arsenate-iron nanoparticles with curved fullerene-like sheets by using hybridized quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QMMM) calculations and microscopy characterization. It is found that, subsequent to optimization, chemisorption between HAsO 4 2- and the AC carbon sheet (endothermic process) is virtually non-existent - this observation is supported by experimental results. Conversely, the incorporation of iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) into the AC carbon sheet greatly facilitates chemisorption of HAsO 4 2- . Our calculation implies that iron carbide is formed at the junction between the iron and the AC interface and this tightly chemosorbed layer prevents detachment of the FeNPs on the AC surface. Other aspects including electronic structure/properties, carbon arrangement defects and rate of adsorptive interaction, which are determined using the Climbing-Image NEB method, are also discussed.

  16. Toxicity of arsenic (III) and (V) on plant growth, element uptake, and total amylolytic activity of mesquite (Prosopis juliflora x P. velutina).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mokgalaka-Matlala, Ntebogeng S; Flores-Tavizón, Edith; Castillo-Michel, Hiram; Peralta-Videa, Jose R; Gardea-Torresdey, Jorge L

    2008-01-01

    The effects of arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)] on the growth of roots, stems, and leaves and the uptake of arsenic (As), micro- and macronutrients, and total amylolytic activity were investigated to elucidate the phytotoxicity of As to the mesquite plant (Prosopis juliflora x P. velutina). The plant growth was evaluated by measuring the root and shoot length, and the element uptake was determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The root and leaf elongation decreased significantly with increasing As(III) and As(V) concentrations; whereas, stem elongation remained unchanged. The As uptake increased with increasing As(III) or As(V) concentrations in the medium. Plants treated with 50 mg/L As(III) accumulated up to 920 mg/kg dry weight (d wt) in roots and 522 mg/kg d wt in leaves, while plants exposed to 50 mg/L As(V) accumulated 1980 and 210 mg/kg d wt in roots and leaves, respectively. Increasing the As(V) concentration up to 20 mg/L resulted in a decrease in the total amylolytic activity. On the contrary, total amylolytic activity in As(III)-treated plants increased with increasing As concentration up to 20 mg/L. The macro- and micronutrient concentrations changed in As-treated plants. In shoots, Mo and K were reduced but Ca was increased, while in roots Fe and Ca were increased but K was reduced. These changes reduced the size of the plants, mainly in the As(III)-treated plants; however, there were no visible sign of As toxicity.

  17. Effect of Na, Ca and pH on simultaneous uptake of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the water flea Daphnia magna measured using stable isotopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Komjarova, I.; Blust, R.

    2009-01-01

    The present study investigates the effects of Na + , Ca 2+ and pH on the kinetics of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn uptake in Daphnia magna at low exposure concentrations measured using a stable isotope technique. Using experimental data the uptake rate constants were calculated for each metal individually on the basis of total metal concentrations. The copper uptake was not significantly affected by variations in chemical composition of the test medium. Calcium had a suppressing effect on the uptake of Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn. Specifically, Cd and Ni uptake rate constants decreased with increases in calcium concentrations from 0.1 to 2.5 mM. The uptake of Zn and Pb was significantly suppressed only at 2.5 mM Ca. The effect of sodium was less clear. There was no effect of varying sodium concentrations on the Ni uptake rate constants. Cd and Pb showed an increase in uptake rate constants at elevated sodium concentrations (2-8 mM Na + for Cd and 8 mM Na + for Pb). A bell-shaped response on increasing Na + concentrations was observed for Zn with a maximum value of uptake rate constant at the middle value (2 mM Na + ). Variation in pH of the medium affected Cd, Ni and Zn uptake processes. When Daphnia were exposed to acidic conditions (pH 6), the Cd and Ni uptake rate constants were the highest, while similarly low values were observed at neutral and basic conditions. In contrast, the uptake rates of Zn were linearly increasing with increasing pH of the medium.

  18. Effective visualization of suppressed thyroid tissue by means of baseline 99mTc-methoxy isobutyl isonitrile in comparison with 99mTc-pertechnetate scintigraphy after TSH stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vattimo, A; Bertelli, P; Burroni, L

    1992-01-01

    Baseline 99mTc-MIBI thyroid scintigraphy was compared with 99mTc-pertechnetate scintigraphy after TSH stimulation in seven patients with suppressed thyroid tissue due to an autonomously functioning thyroid nodule (AFTN). In all patients the suppressed thyroid tissue was visualized by means of both baseline 99mTc-MIBI and post-TSH 99mTc-pertechnetate scintigraphy, and in some cases the former technique provided better visualization. In one patient presenting a "warm" nodule T3-suppression did not affect the nodular/extranodular uptake ratio of 99mTc-MIBI, whereas the 99mTc-pertechnetate uptake ratio increased significantly. This leads us to hypothesize that the thyroid uptake of 99mTc-MIBI is not related to TSH control, but rather to other mechanisms such as the blood flow. Since exogenous TSH is no longer available, 99mTc-MIBI scintigraphy can be successfully used in the place of repeated 99mTc-pertechnetate scintigraphy after TSH stimulation in the assessment of AFTN.

  19. Thallium and potassium uptake kinetics and competition differ between durum wheat and canola.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renkema, Heidi; Koopmans, Amy; Hale, Beverley; Berkelaar, Edward

    2015-02-01

    Thallium (Tl) is very toxic to mammals but little is known about its accumulation by plants, and it would be useful if prediction of Tl accumulation could be done using potassium (K) accumulation models. The objectives of this study were to compare the uptake kinetics of Tl(+) and K(+), and to determine how readily K(+) can inhibit Tl(+) uptake. Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) and spring canola (Brassica napus L.) were grown hydroponically and exposed to 0-75 μM Tl or 0-250 μM K for up to 150 min (kinetics experiment), or to 0.1 or 10 μM Tl with Tl to K ratios of 1:1 to 1:10,000 for up to 300 min (competition experiment). The rate of uptake of Tl(+) by canola was about three to five times faster than by wheat, while the rate of Tl(+) uptake in wheat was the same as the rate of K(+) uptake by either species. Uptake of Tl(+) was more readily suppressed by K(+) in wheat than in canola. When exposed to 0.1 uM Tl for 300 min with 100 or 1,000 uM K(+), Tl(+) uptake by wheat was reduced by 20 % and 50 %, respectively, while Tl(+) uptake by canola was not reduced. Our results suggest that predicting Tl accumulation using a K accumulation model with a correction factor may be possible for canola, but would be much more difficult for wheat, since uptake of Tl(+) is very sensitive to levels of K(.)

  20. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and tolerance of temperature stress in plants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhu, Xiancan; Song, Fengbin; Liu, Fulai

    2017-01-01

    Temperature is one of the most important environmental factors that determine the growth and productivity of plants across the globe. Many physiological and biochemical processes and functions are affected by low and high temperature stresses. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis has been shown...... to improve tolerance to temperature stress in plants. This chapter addresses the effect of AM symbiosis on plant growth and biomass production, water relations (water potential, stomatal conductance, and aquaporins), photosynthesis (photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll, and chlorophyll fluorescence), plasma...... tolerance of the host plants via enhancing water and nutrient uptake, improving photosynthetic capacity and efficiency, protecting plant against oxidative damage, and increasing accumulation of osmolytes are discussed. This chapter also provides some future perspectives for better understanding...

  1. Fault Tolerant Control for Civil Structures Based on LMI Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chunxu Qu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The control system may lose the performance to suppress the structural vibration due to the faults in sensors or actuators. This paper designs the filter to perform the fault detection and isolation (FDI and then reforms the control strategy to achieve the fault tolerant control (FTC. The dynamic equation of the structure with active mass damper (AMD is first formulated. Then, an estimated system is built to transform the FDI filter design problem to the static gain optimization problem. The gain is designed to minimize the gap between the estimated system and the practical system, which can be calculated by linear matrix inequality (LMI approach. The FDI filter is finally used to isolate the sensor faults and reform the FTC strategy. The efficiency of FDI and FTC is validated by the numerical simulation of a three-story structure with AMD system with the consideration of sensor faults. The results show that the proposed FDI filter can detect the sensor faults and FTC controller can effectively tolerate the faults and suppress the structural vibration.

  2. Change of 99mtechnetium-pertechnetate-thyroid uptake under suppression (TcTUs) induced by optimization of iodine supply in Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reinhardt, M.J.; Trupkovic, T.; Schumacher, T.; Krause, T.M.; Oexle, C.; Moser, E.

    1998-01-01

    The present study deals with the change of the 99m Technetium-pertechnetate thyroid uptake under suppression (TcTU s ) in dependence on the urinary iodine excretion. The study collective comprises 510 patients with euthyroid goiter (N=91), with functional thyroid autonomy (N=361) and with Graves' disease (N=58), who were examined in the now thyroid ambulance between January 1995 and February 1997 and who presented with endogeneous or exogeneous TSH-supression. All patients received a quantitative thyroid scintigraphy with 99m Technetium-pertechnetate and a measurement of the urinary iodine excretion. The TcTU s from the whole collective shows an inverse correlation to the urinary iodine excretion for the range of 0 to 500 μg iodine/g creatinine. The TcTU s remains constant on a low basal level for iodine excretion values over 500 μg iodine/g creatinine. Significant differences occur in dependence on the underlying disease. TcTU s is constantly low in patients with euthyroid goiter, independent of the iodine excretion value. The TcTU s is significantly increased in patients with functional thyroid autonomy or Graves' disease when iodine excretion is below 100 or 50 μg iodine/g creatinine respectively, but shows only minor changes when iodine excretion rises up to 500 μg iodine/g creatinine. When iodine excretion exceeds 500 μg iodine/g creatinine, the TcTU s of patients with thyroid autonomy drops down to a low basal level. (orig.) [de

  3. Tolerance induction to cytoplasmic beta-galactosidase by hepatic AAV gene transfer: implications for antigen presentation and immunotoxicity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashley T Martino

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Hepatic gene transfer, in particular using adeno-associated viral (AAV vectors, has been shown to induce immune tolerance to several protein antigens. This approach has been exploited in animal models of inherited protein deficiency for systemic delivery of therapeutic proteins. Adequate levels of transgene expression in hepatocytes induce a suppressive T cell response, thereby promoting immune tolerance. This study addresses the question of whether AAV gene transfer can induce tolerance to a cytoplasmic protein.AAV-2 vector-mediated hepatic gene transfer for expression of cytoplasmic beta-galactosidase (beta-gal was performed in immune competent mice, followed by a secondary beta-gal gene transfer with E1/E3-deleted adenoviral Ad-LacZ vector to provoke a severe immunotoxic response. Transgene expression from the AAV-2 vector in approximately 2% of hepatocytes almost completely protected from inflammatory T cell responses against beta-gal, eliminated antibody formation, and significantly reduced adenovirus-induced hepatotoxicity. Consequently, approximately 10% of hepatocytes continued to express beta-gal 45 days after secondary Ad-LacZ gene transfer, a time point when control mice had lost all Ad-LacZ derived expression. Suppression of inflammatory T cell infiltration in the liver and liver damage was linked to specific transgene expression and was not seen for secondary gene transfer with Ad-GFP. A combination of adoptive transfer studies and flow cytometric analyses demonstrated induction of Treg that actively suppressed CD8(+ T cell responses to beta-gal and that was amplified in liver and spleen upon secondary Ad-LacZ gene transfer.These data demonstrate that tolerance induction by hepatic AAV gene transfer does not require systemic delivery of the transgene product and that expression of a cytoplasmic neo-antigen in few hepatocytes can induce Treg and provide long-term suppression of inflammatory responses and immunotoxicity.

  4. Evaluation of Iron and Manganese-Coated Pumice Application for the Removal of as(v from Aqueous Solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leila Babaie Far

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic contamination of water has been recognized as a serious environmental issue and there are reports on its epidemiological problems to human health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performances of iron-coated pumice and manganese-coated pumice as the adsorbents for removing arsenate from aqueous solutions. The effect of various parameters such as adsorbent dose, contact time, pH and initial concentration on removal efficiency of arsenate were evaluated in batch mode. The data obtained from the kinetic studies were analyzed using kinetic models of pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order. In addition, two isotherm models of Freundlich and Langmuir were used to fit the experimental data. The results showed that the optimum dosage of iron-coated pumice and manganese-coated pumice for arsenate removal were 40 and 80 g/L whereas the adsorption process reached equilibrium after 80 and 100 min, respectively. The maximum removal efficiency of arsenate using the two adsorbents were both recorded in pH=3 as the removal efficiency gradually declinedfollowing every increase in pH values of the solution. Iron-coated pumice also showed to have high removal efficiency when the initial concentration of arsenate was high while the low concentration of arsenate was efficiently removed by manganese-coated pumice. Moreover, it was depicted that the adsorption kinetics by bothadsorbents followed pseudo-second order equation and the uptake data of arsenate were well fitted with Langmuir isotherm model. Therefore, it could be concluded that iron and manganese-coated pumice could beconsidered as suitable adsorbents for arsenate removal from aqueous solutions.

  5. Ionic and photosynthetic homeostasis in quinoa challenged by salinity and drought - mechanisms of tolerance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Razzaghi, Fatemeh; Jacobsen, Sven-Erik; Jensen, Christian Richardt

    2015-01-01

    homeostatic mechanisms which contributed to quinoa's extraordinary tolerance. Salinity increased K+ and Na+ uptake by 60 and 100kgha-1, respectively, resulting in maintenance of cell turgor by osmotic adjustment, and a 50% increase of the leaf's fresh weight (FW):dry weight (DW) ratio and non...

  6. Sonic hedgehog signaling in spinal cord contributes to morphine-induced hyperalgesia and tolerance through upregulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu S

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Su Liu,1,2,* Jun-Li Yao,1,3,* Xin-Xin Wan,1,* Zhi-Jing Song,1 Shuai Miao,1,2 Ye Zhao,1,2 Xiu-Li Wang,1,2 Yue-Peng Liu4 1Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China; 2Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China; 3Department of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Children’s Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China; 4Center of Clinical Research and Translational Medicine, Lianyungang Oriental Hospital, Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: Preventing opioid-induced hyperalgesia and tolerance continues to be a major clinical challenge, and the underlying mechanisms of hyperalgesia and tolerance remain elusive. Here, we investigated the role of sonic hedgehog (Shh signaling in opioid-induced hyperalgesia and tolerance. Methods: Shh signaling expression, behavioral changes, and neurochemical alterations induced by morphine were analyzed in male adult CD-1 mice with repeated administration of morphine. To investigate the contribution of Shh to morphine-induced hyperalgesia (MIH and tolerance, Shh signaling inhibitor cyclopamine and Shh small interfering RNA (siRNA were used. To explore the mechanisms of Shh signaling in MIH and tolerance, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF inhibitor K252 and anti-BDNF antibody were used. Results: Repeated administration of morphine produced obvious hyperalgesia and tolerance. The behavioral changes were correlated with the upregulation and activation of morphine treatment-induced Shh signaling. Pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of Shh signaling significantly delayed the generation of MIH and tolerance and associated neurochemical changes. Chronic morphine administration also induced upregulation of BDNF. Inhibiting BDNF effectively delayed the generation of MIH and tolerance. The upregulation of BDNF induced by morphine was significantly suppressed by inhibiting Shh

  7. Synthetic nanoparticles camouflaged with biomimetic erythrocyte membranes for reduced reticuloendothelial system uptake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao, Lang; Xu, Jun-Hua; Cai, Bo; Liu, Huiqin; Li, Ming; Jia, Yan; Xiao, Liang; Guo, Shi-Shang; Liu, Wei; Zhao, Xing-Zhong

    2016-01-01

    Suppression of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) uptake is one of the most challenging tasks in nanomedicine. Coating stratagems using polymers, such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), have led to great success in this respect. Nevertheless, recent observations of immunological response toward these synthetic polymers have triggered a search for better alternatives. In this work, natural red blood cell (RBC) membranes are camouflaged on the surface of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles for reducing the RES uptake. In vitro macrophage uptake, in vivo biodistribution and pharmacokinetic studies demonstrate that the RBC membrane is a superior alternative to the current gold standard PEG for nanoparticle ‘stealth’. Furthermore, we systematically investigate the in vivo potential toxicity of RBC membrane-coated nanoparticles by blood biochemistry, whole blood panel examination and histology analysis based on animal models. The combination of synthetic nanoparticles and natural cell membranes embodies a novel and biomimetic nanomaterial design strategy and presents a compelling property of functional materials for a broad range of biomedical applications. (paper)

  8. Principles of root water uptake, soil salinity and crop yield for optimizing irrigation management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dirksen, C.

    1983-01-01

    The paper reviews the principles of water and salt transport, root water uptake, crop salt tolerance, water quality, and irrigation methods which should be considered in optimizing irrigation management for sustained, viable agriculture with protection of the quality of land and water resources. In particular, the advantages of high-frequency irrigation at small leaching fractions with closed systems are discussed, for which uptake-weighted mean salinity is expected to correlate best with crop yields. Optimization of irrigation management depends on the scale considered. Non-technical problems which are often much harder to solve than technical problems, may well be most favourable for new projects in developing countries. (author)

  9. Systemic depletion of L-cyst(e)ine with cyst(e)inase increases reactive oxygen species and suppresses tumor growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cramer, Shira L; Saha, Achinto; Liu, Jinyun; Tadi, Surendar; Tiziani, Stefano; Yan, Wupeng; Triplett, Kendra; Lamb, Candice; Alters, Susan E; Rowlinson, Scott; Zhang, Yan Jessie; Keating, Michael J; Huang, Peng; DiGiovanni, John; Georgiou, George; Stone, Everett

    2017-01-01

    Cancer cells experience higher oxidative stress from reactive oxygen species (ROS) than do non-malignant cells because of genetic alterations and abnormal growth; as a result, maintenance of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) is essential for their survival and proliferation. Under conditions of elevated ROS, endogenous L-cysteine (L-Cys) production is insufficient for GSH synthesis. This necessitates uptake of L-Cys that is predominantly in its disulfide form, L-cystine (CSSC), via the xCT(-) transporter. We show that administration of an engineered and pharmacologically optimized human cyst(e)inase enzyme mediates sustained depletion of the extracellular L-Cys and CSSC pool in mice and non-human primates. Treatment with this enzyme selectively causes cell cycle arrest and death in cancer cells due to depletion of intracellular GSH and ensuing elevated ROS; yet this treatment results in no apparent toxicities in mice even after months of continuous treatment. Cyst(e)inase suppressed the growth of prostate carcinoma allografts, reduced tumor growth in both prostate and breast cancer xenografts and doubled the median survival time of TCL1-Tg:p53 -/- mice, which develop disease resembling human chronic lymphocytic leukemia. It was observed that enzyme-mediated depletion of the serum L-Cys and CSSC pool suppresses the growth of multiple tumors, yet is very well tolerated for prolonged periods, suggesting that cyst(e)inase represents a safe and effective therapeutic modality for inactivating antioxidant cellular responses in a wide range of malignancies.

  10. Colonisation of a Zn, Cd and Pb hyperaccumulator Thlaspi praecox Wulfen with indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal mixture induces changes in heavy metal and nutrient uptake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vogel-Mikus, Katarina; Pongrac, Paula; Kump, Peter; Necemer, Marijan; Regvar, Marjana

    2006-01-01

    Plants of the Zn, Cd and Pb hyperaccumulator Thlaspi praecox Wulfen (Brassicaceae) inoculated or not with indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal mixture were grown in a highly Cd, Zn and Pb contaminated substrate in order to evaluate the functionality of symbiosis and assess the possible impact of AM colonisation on heavy metal uptake and tolerance. The results suggest AM development in the metal hyperaccumulating T. praecox is favoured at elevated nutrient demands, e.g. during the reproductive period. AM colonisation parameters positively correlated with total soil Cd and Pb. Colonised plants showed significantly improved nutrient and a decreased Cd and Zn uptake as revealed by TRXRF, thus confirming the functionality of the symbiosis. Reduced heavy metal uptake, especially at higher soil metal contents, indicates a changed metal tolerance strategy in colonised T. praecox plants. This is to our knowledge the first report on AM colonisation of the Zn, Cd and Pb hyperaccumulator T. praecox in a greenhouse experiment. - Colonisation of a Zn, Cd and Pb hyperaccumulator Thlaspi praecox with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi resulted in improved nutrient and reduced Cd and Zn uptake

  11. Colonisation of a Zn, Cd and Pb hyperaccumulator Thlaspi praecox Wulfen with indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal mixture induces changes in heavy metal and nutrient uptake

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vogel-Mikus, Katarina [Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Vecna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Pongrac, Paula [Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Vecna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Kump, Peter [Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Necemer, Marijan [Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Regvar, Marjana [Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Vecna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)]. E-mail: marjana.regvar@bf.uni-lj.si

    2006-01-15

    Plants of the Zn, Cd and Pb hyperaccumulator Thlaspi praecox Wulfen (Brassicaceae) inoculated or not with indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal mixture were grown in a highly Cd, Zn and Pb contaminated substrate in order to evaluate the functionality of symbiosis and assess the possible impact of AM colonisation on heavy metal uptake and tolerance. The results suggest AM development in the metal hyperaccumulating T. praecox is favoured at elevated nutrient demands, e.g. during the reproductive period. AM colonisation parameters positively correlated with total soil Cd and Pb. Colonised plants showed significantly improved nutrient and a decreased Cd and Zn uptake as revealed by TRXRF, thus confirming the functionality of the symbiosis. Reduced heavy metal uptake, especially at higher soil metal contents, indicates a changed metal tolerance strategy in colonised T. praecox plants. This is to our knowledge the first report on AM colonisation of the Zn, Cd and Pb hyperaccumulator T. praecox in a greenhouse experiment. - Colonisation of a Zn, Cd and Pb hyperaccumulator Thlaspi praecox with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi resulted in improved nutrient and reduced Cd and Zn uptake.

  12. Role of donor lymphoid cells in the transfer of allograft tolerance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pierce, G.E.; Watts, L.M.

    1985-01-01

    Tolerance to murine skin allografts across a MHC disparity was induced by conditioning primary hosts with sublethal fractionated total-body irradiation (FTBI) and transfusion of allogeneic bone marrow (BM). Tolerance could be adoptively transferred to secondary hosts conditioned by FTBI with infusion of spleen cells from hosts bearing intact skin allografts greater than 60 days. Tolerance could not be transferred by tolerant host spleen (THS) preparations from which cells of the donor genotype had been deleted by cytotoxic alloantisera. Deletion of host genotype cells, however, did not diminish the capability of THS to transfer tolerance. All of the tolerizing activity of THS appeared to reside within cells of the donor genotype. Small numbers of normal donor spleen cells could induce tolerance in FTBI hosts but only at the expense of very high mortality, in contrast to the low mortality observed with tolerizing injections of allogeneic donor cells from THS or injections of normal semiallogeneic F1 hybrid spleen cells. If an active immune response is responsible for tolerance induction/transfer in this model, allogeneic donor lymphoid cells derived from BM, in contrast to donor spleen cells, must be capable of mounting this response without concomitant severe GVHD. In future experiments, cells of donor genotype can be isolated from THS and purified in sufficient numbers to compare their tolerizing efficiency vs. that of normal donor cells, detect possible suppression of normal host cell alloreactivity in vitro and identify the donor cell phenotypes involved

  13. Isolation of Arsenic Resistant Escherichia coli from Sewage Water and Its Potential in Arsenic Biotransformation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Basanta Bista

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic contamination in drinking water from ground water poses a threat to the health of a large population in developing countries in Asia. This has sparked great interests in the potential of different microbes in arsenic resistance and removal from water. This study involves isolation of arsenic resistant Escherichia coli from sewage water from Kathmandu University and investigation of its attributes. Arsenic resistant E. coli was successfully isolated which could survive in high concentration of arsenic. The maximum tolerance of arsenite was 909.79 mg/L (sodium arsenite and 3120.1 mg/L arsenate (sodium arsenate which is well above most natural concentration of arsenic in ground water. This particular E. coli tolerated multiple heavy metal like silver nitrate, cobalt sulphate, cadmium chloride, nickel chloride, mercury chloride, copper sulphate, and zinc chloride at concentration 20 µM, 1 mM, 0.5mM, 1mM, 0.01 mM, 1 mM, and 1 mM respectively which are concentrations known to be toxic to E. coli. Biotransformation of arsenite to arsenate was also checked for by a qualitative silver nitrate technique. This E. coli was able to transform arsenate to arsenite. It showed some sensitivity to Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin and Nalidixic Acid. As E. coli and its genome are very widely studied, these particular properties have a lot of potential in microbial remediation or microbial recovery of metals and possible recombination approaches.

  14. Serum progranulin concentrations are not responsive during oral lipid tolerance test and oral glucose tolerance test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmid, A; Leszczak, S; Ober, I; Schäffler, A; Karrasch, T

    2015-07-01

    The postprandial regulation of progranulin by oral uptake of lipids and carbohydrates in healthy individuals has not yet been investigated. The regulation of progranulin in 2 large cohorts of healthy volunteers during oral lipid tolerance test (OLTT; n=100) and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT; n=100) was analyzed. One hundred healthy volunteers underwent OLTT and OGTT in an outpatient setting. Venous blood was drawn at 0 hours (h) (fasting) and at 2, 4, and 6 h in OLTT or 1 and 2 h in OGTT. A novel OLTT solution completely free of carbohydrates and protein was applied. Subjects were characterized by anthropometric and laboratory parameters. Serum concentrations of progranulin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Circulating progranulin levels remained unchanged during OLTT and OGTT. Fasting progranulin levels ranged between 31.3±8.7 and 40.6±7.7 ng/ml and were not different in subgroups addressing BMI, gender, family history, smoking habits, and hormonal contraception. There was a reciprocal correlation of progranulin with HDL (negative) and LDL cholesterol levels (positive). In healthy adults, fasting and postprandial circulating progranulin levels are not different in BMI subgroups. Oral uptake of carbohydrates and lipids does not influence circulating progranulin levels in a short-term manner. A postprandial and short-term regulation of this adipokine is absent, at least in healthy subjects. There is a negative correlation of progranulin with HDL cholesterol, but a positive correlation with LDL cholesterol. This reciprocal association might be of physiological importance for an individual's atherosclerotic risk. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  15. Simulation of the effects of phosphate on adsorption of arsenite and arsenate on ferrihydrite matrix using a geochemical equilibrium model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kassenga, G.R.

    2005-01-01

    Arsenic is of environmental concern because of its toxicity to plants, animals, and human beings. Iron oxides, including the poorly crystalline (amorphous) iron oxides, e.g., ferrihydrite, have a strong affinity for both arsenite and arsenate (the most toxic species of arsenic). In view of this, adsorption on ferrihydrite matrix is the main process of immobilization of arsenic in groundwater. The presence of phosphate in groundwater may however limit adsorption of arsenic on iron oxides due to competition for adsorption sites, resulting in higher aqueous concentrations in some environments. This paper analyses the effects of phosphate on aqueous concentration of arsenic at different pH using a geochemical equilibrium simulation model. It specifically focuses on arsenite and arsenate, the most toxic forms of arsenic. A general description of the occurrence of arsenic in the environment, its toxicity, and health hazards is first given. The paper discusses sources and geochemical processes that control arsenic mobility in aquifers. Adsorption and desorption reactions of arsenic on ferrihydrite and the factors that affect them are described. Modeling of adsorption/desorption processes is then discussed. Finally, the effects of phosphate on adsorption and desorption processes of arsenic on ferrihydrite as a function of pH are analyzed using PHREEQC Version 2, a computer program for simulating chemical reactions and transport processes in natural and polluted water. The model is applied in a case study formulated on the basis of a realistic hydrogeochemical setting to demonstrate how the use of arsenical pesticides and phosphate fertilizers may pose potential public health problems in areas where groundwater is used for domestic purposes. The modeling results have shown that aqueous concentration of arsenic increases with increasing phosphate-phosphorus concentration for pH values less than 10 assuming that ferrihydrite concentration and other hydrogeochemical conditions

  16. Polyamines Function in Stress Tolerance: From Synthesis to Regulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ji-Hong eLiu

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Plants are challenged by a variety of biotic or abiotic stresses, which can affect their growth and development, productivity and geographic distribution. In order to survive adverse environmental conditions, plants have evolved various adaptive strategies, among which is the accumulation of metabolites that play protective roles. A well-established example of the metabolites that are involved in stress responses, or stress tolerance, is the low-molecular-weight aliphatic polyamines, including putrescine,spermidine and spermine. The critical role of polyamines in stress tolerance is suggested by several lines of evidence: firstly, the transcript levels of polyamine biosynthetic genes, as well as the activities of the corresponding enzymes, are induced by stresses; secondly, elevation of endogenous polyamine levels by exogenous supply of polyamines, or overexpression of polyamine biosynthetic genes, results in enhanced stress tolerance; and thirdly, a reduction of endogenous polyamines is accompanied by compromised stress tolerance. A number of studies have demonstrated that polyamines function in stress tolerance largely by modulating the homeostasis of reactive oxygen species (ROS due to their direct, or indirect, roles in regulating antioxidant systems or suppressing ROS production. The transcriptional regulation of polyamine synthesis by transcription factors is also reviewed here. Meanwhile, future perspectives on polyamine research are also suggested.

  17. Concepts for improving the damage tolerance of composite compression panels. [aircraft structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhodes, M. D.; Williams, J. G.

    1984-01-01

    The residual strength of specimens with damage and the sensitivity to damage while subjected to an applied inplane compression load were determined for flatplate specimens and blade-stiffened panels. The results suggest that matrix materials that fail by delamination have the lowest damage tolerance capability. Alternate matrix materials or laminates which are transversely reinforced suppress the delamination mode of failure and change the failure mode to transverse shear crippling which occurs at a higher strain value. Several damage-tolerant blade-stiffened panel design concepts are evaluated. Structural efficiency studies conducted show only small mass penalties may result from incorporating these damage-tolerant features in panel design. The implication of test results on the design of aircraft structures was examined with respect to FAR requirements.

  18. Fenton process-affected transformation of roxarsone in paddy rice soils: Effects on plant growth and arsenic accumulation in rice grain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Junhao; Li, Huashou; Lin, Chuxia

    2016-08-01

    Batch and greenhouse experiments were conducted to examine the effects of Fenton process on transformation of roxarsone in soils and its resulting impacts on the growth of and As uptake by a rice plant cultivar. The results show that addition of Fenton reagent markedly accelerated the degradation of roxarsone and produced arsenite, which was otherwise absent in the soil without added Fenton reagent. Methylation of arsenate was also enhanced by Fenton process in the earlier part of the experiment due to abundant supply of arsenate from Roxarsone degradation. Overall, addition of Fenton reagent resulted in the predominant presence of arsenate in the soils. Fenton process significantly improved the growth of rice in the maturity stage of the first crop, The concentration of methylated As species in the rice plant tissues among the different growth stages was highly variable. Addition of Fenton reagent into the soils led to reduced uptake of soil-borne As by the rice plants and this had a significant effect on reducing the accumulation of As in rice grains. The findings have implications for understanding As biogeochemistry in paddy rice field receiving rainwater-borne H2O2 and for development of mitigation strategies to reduce accumulation of As in rice grains. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Possible Roles of Plant Sulfurtransferases in Detoxification of Cyanide, Reactive Oxygen Species, Selected Heavy Metals and Arsenate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parvin Most

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Plants and animals have evolved various potential mechanisms to surmount the adverse effects of heavy metal toxicity. Plants possess low molecular weight compounds containing sulfhydryl groups (-SH that actively react with toxic metals. For instance, glutathione (γ-Glu-Cys-Gly is a sulfur-containing tripeptide thiol and a substrate of cysteine-rich phytochelatins (γ-Glu-Cys2–11-Gly (PCs. Phytochelatins react with heavy metal ions by glutathione S-transferase in the cytosol and afterwards they are sequestered into the vacuole for degradation. Furthermore, heavy metals induce reactive oxygen species (ROS, which directly or indirectly influence metabolic processes. Reduced glutathione (GSH attributes as an antioxidant and participates to control ROS during stress. Maintenance of the GSH/GSSG ratio is important for cellular redox balance, which is crucial for the survival of the plants. In this context, sulfurtransferases (Str, also called rhodaneses, comprise a group of enzymes widely distributed in all phyla, paving the way for the transfer of a sulfur atom from suitable sulfur donors to nucleophilic sulfur acceptors, at least in vitro. The best characterized in vitro reaction is the transfer of a sulfane sulfur atom from thiosulfate to cyanide, leading to the formation of sulfite and thiocyanate. Plants as well as other organisms have multi-protein families (MPF of Str. Despite the presence of Str activities in many living organisms, their physiological role has not been clarified unambiguously. In mammals, these proteins are involved in the elimination of cyanide released from cyanogenic compounds. However, their ubiquity suggests additional physiological functions. Furthermore, it is speculated that a member of the Str family acts as arsenate reductase (AR and is involved in arsenate detoxification. In summary, the role of Str in detoxification processes is still not well understood but seems to be a major function in the organism.

  20. Synthesis of calix[4]arene-grafted magnetite nanoparticles and Evaluation of their arsenate as well as dichromate removal efficiency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sayin, Serkan; Ozcan, Fatih; Yilmaz, Mustafa; Cengeloglu, Yunus [Department of Chemistry, Selcuk University, Konya (Turkey); Tor, Ali [Department of Environmental Engineering, Selcuk University, Konya (Turkey); Memon, Shahabuddin [National Center of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry, University of Sindh, Jamshoro (Pakistan)

    2010-07-15

    In this study, 5,17-bis-[(4-benzylpiperidine)methyl]-25,26,27,28-tetrahydroxy-calix[4]arene (3) has been prepared by the treatment of calix[4]arene with a secondary amine (4-benzylpiperidine) and formaldehyde by means of Mannich reaction. The prepared Mannich base (3) has been grafted onto [3-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)-propyl]-trimethoxysilane-modified Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} magnetite nanoparticles (EPPTMS-MN) in order to obtain 5,17-bis-[(4-benzylpiperidine)methyl]-25,26,27,28-tetrahydroxy calix[4]arene-grafted EPPTMS-MN (BP-calix[4]arene-grafted Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}). All new compounds were characterized by a combination of FTIR and {sup 1}H-NMR analyses. The morphology of the magnetic nanoparticles was examined by transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, the studies regarding the removal of arsenate and dichromate ions from the aqueous solutions were also carried out by using 5,17-bis-[(4-benzylpiperidine)methyl]-25,26,27,28-tetrahydroxy-calix[4]arene in liquid-liquid extraction and BP-calix[4]arene-grafted Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} (4) in solid-liquid extraction experiments. The extraction results indicated that 3 is protonated at proton-switchable binding sites in acidic conditions. Hence, facilitating binding of arsenate and dichromate is resulted from both electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding. To understand the selectivity of 3, the retention of dichromate anions in the presence of Cl{sup -}, NO{sub 3}{sup -}, and SO{sub 4}{sup 2-} anions at pH 1.5 was also examined. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  1. Uptake and distribution of mercury within higher plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beauford, W; Barber, J; Barringer, A R

    1977-04-15

    The uptake and distribution of inorganic mercury (HgCl/sub 2/) within higher plants (Pisum sativum and Mentha spicata) was examined using solution culture and radiotracer techniques. Plants were found to tolerate an external level of 1 mgHg/kg of solution but both physiological and biochemical processes were affected at 5 mgHg/kg and 10 mgHg/kg. The uptake of Hg into plants grown in hydroponic solution was a function of external concentration. Over the concentration range considered the accumulation of Hg in the roots was linear on a log-log basis although the uptake of the element into the shoots appeared to be two-phased. The distribution of Hg in plants was asymmetrical with much greater amounts of the element in the roots than the shoots. Although the level of Hg increased generally in plant tissues with increasing external levels, the proportion retained in the roots, relative to the shoots, was constant (approximately 95%). Two binding characteristics of the Hg within plant tissue were detected. A major proportion of Hg was tightly bound, being unaffected by treatment with ethanol and hydrochloric acid. The remaining Hg in the tissue was removed by either water or hydrochloric acid treatment. Cell fractionation indicated that the major binding component of Hg in plant tissues was the cell wall.

  2. Design of fault tolerant control system for steam generator using

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Myung Ki; Seo, Mi Ro [Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1998-12-31

    A controller and sensor fault tolerant system for a steam generator is designed with fuzzy logic. A structure of the proposed fault tolerant redundant system is composed of a supervisor and two fuzzy weighting modulators. A supervisor alternatively checks a controller and a sensor induced performances to identify which part, a controller or a sensor, is faulty. In order to analyze controller induced performance both an error and a change in error of the system output are chosen as fuzzy variables. The fuzzy logic for a sensor induced performance uses two variables : a deviation between two sensor outputs and its frequency. Fuzzy weighting modulator generates an output signal compensated for faulty input signal. Simulations show that the proposed fault tolerant control scheme for a steam generator regulates well water level by suppressing fault effect of either controllers or sensors. Therefore through duplicating sensors and controllers with the proposed fault tolerant scheme, both a reliability of a steam generator control and sensor system and that of a power plant increase even more. 2 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab. (Author)

  3. Isolation and identification of indigenous prokaryotic bacteria from arsenic-contaminated water resources and their impact on arsenic transformation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jebelli, Mohammad Ahmadi; Maleki, Afshin; Amoozegar, Mohammad Ali; Kalantar, Enayatollah; Shahmoradi, Behzad; Gharibi, Fardin

    2017-06-01

    Arsenic is a known human carcinogen. Arsenite [As(III), H 3 AsO 3 ] and arsenate [As(V), H 2 AsO 4 - and HAsO 4 2- ] are the two predominant compounds of As found in surface water and groundwater. The aim of this study was to explore a bioremediation strategy for biotransformation of arsenite to arsenate by microorganisms. In this study, Babagorgor Spring, located west of Iran, was selected as the arsenic-contaminated source and its physicochemical characteristics and in situ microbiological composition were analyzed. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) analysis indicated that the arsenic level was 614μg/l. Fourteen arsenic tolerant indigenous bacteria were isolated from arsenic-contaminated water using chemically defined medium (CDM), supplemented with 260-3900mg/l arsenite and 1560-21800mg/l arsenate. Among the isolates, a strain As-11 exhibited high ability of arsenic transformation. Biochemical tests were used for bacterial identification and confirmation was conducted by 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Results confirmed that As-11 was related to the genus Pseudomonas. This bacterium showed maximum tolerable concentration to arsenite up to 3250mg/l and arsenate up to 20280mg/l. Under heterotrophic conditions, the bacterium exhibited 48% of As(III) and 78% of As(V) transformation from the medium amended with 130 and 312mg/l of sodium arsenite and sodium arsenate, respectively. Moreover, under chemolithotrophic conditions, bacterium was able to transform 41% of 130mg/l of As(III) from the medium amended with nitrate as the terminal electron acceptor. Pseudomonas strain As-11 was reported as an arsenic transformer, for the first time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Extensive Variation in Cadmium Tolerance and Accumulation among Populations of Chamaecrista fasciculata

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henson, Tessa M.; Cory, Wendy; Rutter, Matthew T.

    2013-01-01

    Plant populations may vary substantially in their tolerance for and accumulation of heavy metals, and assessment of this variability is important when selecting species to use in restoration or phytoremediation projects. We examined the population variation in cadmium tolerance and accumulation in a leguminous pioneer species native to the eastern United States, the partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata). We assayed growth, reproduction and patterns of cadmium accumulation in six populations of C. fasciculata grown on a range of cadmium-contaminated soils. In general, C. fasciculata exhibited tolerance in low to moderate soil cadmium concentrations. Both tolerance and accumulation patterns varied across populations. C. fasciculata exhibited many characteristics of a hyperaccumulator species, with high cadmium uptake in shoots and roots. However, cadmium was excluded from extrafloral nectar. As a legume with tolerance for moderate cadmium contamination, C. fasciculata has potential for phytoremediation. However, our findings also indicate the importance of considering the effects of genetic variation on plant performance when screening plant populations for utilization in remediation and restoration activities. Also, there is potential for cadmium contamination to affect other species through contamination of leaves, fruits, flowers, pollen and root nodules. PMID:23667586

  5. Comparative proteomic analysis of aluminum tolerance in tibetan wild and cultivated barleys.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huaxin Dai

    Full Text Available Aluminum (Al toxicity is a major limiting factor for plant production in acid soils. Wild barley germplasm is rich in genetic diversity and may provide elite genes for crop Al tolerance improvement. The hydroponic-experiments were performed to compare proteomic and transcriptional characteristics of two contrasting Tibetan wild barley genotypes Al- resistant/tolerant XZ16 and Al-sensitive XZ61 as well as Al-resistant cv. Dayton. Results showed that XZ16 had less Al uptake and translocation than XZ61 and Dayton under Al stress. Thirty-five Al-tolerance/resistance-associated proteins were identified and categorized mainly in metabolism, energy, cell growth/division, protein biosynthesis, protein destination/storage, transporter, signal transduction, disease/defense, etc. Among them, 30 were mapped on barley genome, with 16 proteins being exclusively up-regulated by Al stress in XZ16, including 4 proteins (S-adenosylmethionine-synthase 3, ATP synthase beta subunit, triosephosphate isomerase, Bp2A specifically expressed in XZ16 but not Dayton. The findings highlighted the significance of specific-proteins associated with Al tolerance, and verified Tibetan wild barley as a novel genetic resource for Al tolerance.

  6. Extensive variation in cadmium tolerance and accumulation among populations of Chamaecrista fasciculata.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tessa M Henson

    Full Text Available Plant populations may vary substantially in their tolerance for and accumulation of heavy metals, and assessment of this variability is important when selecting species to use in restoration or phytoremediation projects. We examined the population variation in cadmium tolerance and accumulation in a leguminous pioneer species native to the eastern United States, the partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata. We assayed growth, reproduction and patterns of cadmium accumulation in six populations of C. fasciculata grown on a range of cadmium-contaminated soils. In general, C. fasciculata exhibited tolerance in low to moderate soil cadmium concentrations. Both tolerance and accumulation patterns varied across populations. C. fasciculata exhibited many characteristics of a hyperaccumulator species, with high cadmium uptake in shoots and roots. However, cadmium was excluded from extrafloral nectar. As a legume with tolerance for moderate cadmium contamination, C. fasciculata has potential for phytoremediation. However, our findings also indicate the importance of considering the effects of genetic variation on plant performance when screening plant populations for utilization in remediation and restoration activities. Also, there is potential for cadmium contamination to affect other species through contamination of leaves, fruits, flowers, pollen and root nodules.

  7. Uptake of Cadmium by Lemna minor, a (hyper?- accumulator plant involved in phytoremediation applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bianconi D.

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Metal pollution in waters and soils is a major environmental and human health problem. Cadmium (Cd2+ is a heavy metal displaying toxic effects in plants. In this work we studied the potentiality of Lemna minor, a monocotyledonous aquatic macrophyte, to phytoremediate cadmium-polluted waters. The plants were exposed to different cadmium concentrations 0, 13, 22 and 46μM CdSO4 for a period of 24, 48 and 72 hours. Relative growth rates (RGR, bioconcentration factor (BCF, tolerance index (Ti, cadmium uptake in whole plant and maximum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm were measured under controlled climate conditions. RGR, Ti and Fv/Fm declined with increasing exposure time and cadmium concentrations, while the BCF and cadmium uptake showed an opposite behavior. Data analysis of RGR, BCF, Tiand FV/FM indicates that L. minor maintains a good capacity of growth, metal bioconcentration, tolerance and efficiency of PSII up to 48h in plants exposed to 13 and 22μM CdSO4. Our results exhibited that L. minor is a good cadmium accumulator and is able to remediate Cd-polluted waters, especially at low Cd concentrations.

  8. Transplant tolerance: a new role for IL-34

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, James I.; Turka, Laurence A.

    2015-01-01

    Immune-suppressive cell populations, including Tregs and suppressor monocytes, have been implicated in long-term survival of allografts in both human transplant recipients and animal models. The factors that drive differentiation and function of these cell populations are not completely understood. In this issue, Bézie and colleagues identify IL-34 as an important mediator of allograft tolerance in a rat model of heart transplantation. Their data support a model in which IL-34 production by T...

  9. Morpho-physiological analysis of tolerance to aluminum toxicity in rice varieties of North East India.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jay Prakash Awasthi

    Full Text Available Aluminum (Al is the third most abundant metal in earth crust, whose chemical form is mainly dependent on soil pH. The most toxic form of Al with respect to plants is Al3+, which exists in soil pH <5. Acidic soil significantly limits crop production mainly due to Al3+ toxicity worldwide, impacting approximately 50% of the world's arable land (in North-Eastern India 80% soil are acidic. Al3+ toxicity in plants ensues root growth inhibition leading to less nutrient and water uptake impacting crop productivity as a whole. Rice is one of the chief grains which constitutes the staple food of two-third of the world population including India and is not untouched by Al3+ toxicity. Al contamination is a critical constraint to plant production in agricultural soils of North East India. 24 indigenous Indica rice varieties (including Badshahbhog as tolerant check and Mashuri as sensitive check were screened for Al stress tolerance in hydroponic plant growth system. Results show marked difference in growth parameters (relative growth rate, Root tolerance index, fresh and dry weight of root of rice seedlings due to Al (100 μM toxicity. Al3+ uptake and lipid peroxidation level also increased concomitantly under Al treatment. Histochemical assay were also performed to elucidate uptake of aluminum, loss of membrane integrity and lipid peroxidation, which were found to be more in sensitive genotypes at higher Al concentration. This study revealed that aluminum toxicity is a serious harmful problem for rice crop productivity in acid soil. Based on various parameters studied it's concluded that Disang is a comparatively tolerant variety whereas Joymati a sensitive variety. Western blot hybridization further strengthened the claim, as it demonstrated more accumulation of Glutathione reductase (GR protein in Disang rice variety than Joymati under stressed condition. This study also observed that the emergence of lethal toxic symptoms occurs only after 48h

  10. SORPTION OF ARSENATE AND ARSENITE ON RUO2 X H2O: ANALYSIS OF SORBED PHASE OXIDATION STATE BY XANES IN ADVANCED PHOTON SOURCE ACTIVITY REPORT 2002

    Science.gov (United States)

    The sorption reactions of arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) on RuO2 x H2O were examined by X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES) to elucidate the solid state speciation of sorbed As. At all pH values studied (pH 4-8), RuO2 x H

  11. Journal of Biosciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    However, the overexpressing lines showed greater reduction in biomass accumulation and higher sodium uptake into cells, resulting in a lower K+/Na+ ratio inside the cell than that in the wild-type plants and OsMAPK33-suppressed lines. These results suggest that OsMAPK33 could play a negative role in salt tolerance ...

  12. TOLERANCE: FEATURES AND PROBLEMS OF EVALUATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. V. Karmanov

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In the media and in specialized literature, publications related to attempts to assess the place and role of tolerance in the life of modern society are increasingly encountered. In this connection, a comprehensive scientific analysis of tolerance as an independent and distinctive object of applied research is of great scientific and practical interest. Considering the points of view on the category of "tolerance" gave grounds to believe that there are a number of "white spots" and gaps of methodological nature that do not allow collecting reliable information and identify the main indicators characterizing the state and features of the transformation of tolerance as a social norm reflecting changes in society's value orientations . Tolerance as a characteristic of the moral state of society is a "medal with two sides": on the one hand, it is positive that it promotes mutual understanding, taking into account the recognition of rights and freedoms, with the coordination of different motives, attitudes and orientations without violence and suppression of human dignity, allows to smooth existing irreconcilable interethnic, interethnic, racial contradictions; on the other negative, because it can be perceived as permissiveness, and instill indifference to values. All of the above was justification for the need to present in the article a critical analysis of approaches to the definition and directions of the study of tolerance, which made it possible to reveal its principal features as a complex and multifaceted object of statistical research. In order to implement the principle of objectivity of conclusions, the study was conducted using the following methods: analysis and synthesis, comparison and comparison, generalization, the method of scientific abstraction. The article presents a substantiation of the possibilities of making a quantitative assessment of changes in tolerance in time, taking into account the analysis of information sources

  13. Tolerance and selectivity of cereal species and cultivars to postemergence weed harrowing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Jesper; Nielsen, Helle Højland; Gundersen, Hanne

    2009-01-01

    POST weed harrowing and other cultivation methods to control weeds in early crop growth stages may result in crop damage due to low selectivity between crop and weeds. Crop tolerance to cultivation plays an important role but it has not been clearly defined and analyzed. We introduce a procedure...... for analyzing crop tolerance on the basis of digital image analysis. Crop tolerance is defined as the ability of the crop to avoid yield loss from cultivation in the absence of weeds, and it has two components: resistance and recovery. Resistance is the ability of the crop to resist soil covering and recovery...... abilities to suppress weeds. The order of species' tolerance to weed harrowing was triticale > wheat > barley > oat and the differences were mainly caused by different abilities to recover from soil covering. At 25% soil covering, grain yield loss in triticale was 0.5%, in wheat 2.5%, in barley 3...

  14. Role of suppressed hepatocellular regeneration and Ca2+ in chlordecone-potentiated CCl4 hepatotoxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bell, A.N.

    1987-01-01

    The mechanism by which the chlorinated pesticide chlordecone (CD; Kepone) potentiates CCl 4 -induced hepatotoxicity and lethality was investigated. It was hypothesized that perturbations in Ca 2+ homeostasis, greater than those observed with a low dose of CCl 4 alone, in concert with a suppression of hepatocellular regeneration induced by CD alone or by CD + CCl 4 are responsible, at least in part, for CD-potentiated CCl 4 hepatotoxicity. Ca 2+ homeostasis was evaluated by measuring total cell Ca 2+ and 45 Ca 2+ uptake in viable isolated hepatocyte suspension obtained from normal and CD-pretreated rats receiving CCl 4 in vivo. In the normal rats in vivo CCL challenge did not affect 45 Ca 2+ uptake by viable isolated hepatocytes. In contrast, 45 Ca 2+ uptake was inhibited in viable isolated hepatocytes obtained from rats exposed to CD + CCl 4

  15. Surface modification of solid lipid nanoparticles for oral delivery of curcumin: Improvement of bioavailability through enhanced cellular uptake, and lymphatic uptake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baek, Jong-Suep; Cho, Cheong-Weon

    2017-08-01

    Curcumin has been reported to exhibit potent anticancer effects. However, poor solubility, bioavailability and stability of curcumin limit its in vivo efficacy for the cancer treatment. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) are a promising delivery system for the enhancement of bioavailability of hydrophobic drugs. However, burst release of drug from SLN in acidic environment limits its usage as oral delivery system. Hence, we prepared N-carboxymethyl chitosan (NCC) coated curcumin-loaded SLN (NCC-SLN) to inhibit the rapid release of curcumin in acidic environment and enhance the bioavailability. The NCC-SLN exhibited suppressed burst release in simulated gastric fluid while sustained release was observed in simulated intestinal fluid. Furthermore, NCC-SLN exhibited increased cytotoxicity and cellular uptake on MCF-7 cells. The lymphatic uptake and oral bioavailability of NCC-SLN were found to be 6.3-fold and 9.5-fold higher than that of curcumin solution, respectively. These results suggest that NCC-SLN could be an efficient oral delivery system for curcumin. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Direct effects of FGF21 on glucose uptake in human skeletal muscle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mashili, Fredirick L; Austin, Reginald L; Deshmukh, Atul S

    2011-01-01

    21 were determined in normal glucose tolerant (n = 40) and type 2 diabetic (T2D; n = 40) subjects. We determined whether FGF21 has direct effects on glucose metabolism in cultured myotubes (n = 8) and extensor digitorum longus skeletal muscle. RESULTS: Serum FGF21 levels increased 20% in T2D versus...... normal glucose tolerant subjects (p muscle mRNA expression was unaltered. Fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI) significantly correlated with serum FGF21 levels in T2D (p ... and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in human myotubes, coincident with increased glucose transporter 1 mRNA, and enhanced glucose transporter 1 abundance at the plasma membrane. In isolated extensor digitorum longus muscle, FGF21 potentiated insulin-stimulated glucose transport, without altering...

  17. Quercetin suppresses insulin receptor signaling through inhibition of the insulin ligand–receptor binding and therefore impairs cancer cell proliferation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Feng [Department of Gastroenterology, The Tenth People’s Hospital of Shanghai, Tongji University, Shanghai 200072 (China); Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030 (United States); Yang, Yong, E-mail: yyang@houstonmethodist.org [Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030 (United States); Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065 (United States)

    2014-10-03

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Quercetin inhibits insulin ligand–receptor interactions. • Quercetin reduces downstream insulin receptor signaling. • Quercetin blocks insulin induced glucose uptake. • Quercetin suppresses insulin stimulated cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth. - Abstract: Although the flavonoid quercetin is known to inhibit activation of insulin receptor signaling, the inhibitory mechanism is largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that quercetin suppresses insulin induced dimerization of the insulin receptor (IR) through interfering with ligand–receptor interactions, which reduces the phosphorylation of IR and Akt. This inhibitory effect further inhibits insulin stimulated glucose uptake due to decreased cell membrane translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), resulting in impaired cancer cell proliferation. The effect of quercetin in inhibiting tumor growth was also evident in an in vivo model, indicating a potential future application for quercetin in the treatment of cancers.

  18. Quercetin suppresses insulin receptor signaling through inhibition of the insulin ligand–receptor binding and therefore impairs cancer cell proliferation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Feng; Yang, Yong

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Quercetin inhibits insulin ligand–receptor interactions. • Quercetin reduces downstream insulin receptor signaling. • Quercetin blocks insulin induced glucose uptake. • Quercetin suppresses insulin stimulated cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth. - Abstract: Although the flavonoid quercetin is known to inhibit activation of insulin receptor signaling, the inhibitory mechanism is largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that quercetin suppresses insulin induced dimerization of the insulin receptor (IR) through interfering with ligand–receptor interactions, which reduces the phosphorylation of IR and Akt. This inhibitory effect further inhibits insulin stimulated glucose uptake due to decreased cell membrane translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), resulting in impaired cancer cell proliferation. The effect of quercetin in inhibiting tumor growth was also evident in an in vivo model, indicating a potential future application for quercetin in the treatment of cancers

  19. Impact of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) in wood mulch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Townsend, Timothy G; Solo-Gabriele, Helena; Tolaymat, Thabet; Stook, Kristin

    2003-06-20

    The production of landscape mulch is a major market for the recycling of yard trash and waste wood. When wood recovered from construction and demolition (C&D) debris is used as mulch, it sometimes contains chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood. The presence of CCA-treated wood may cause some potential environmental problems as a result of the chromium, copper, and arsenic present. Research was performed to examine the leachability of the three metals from a variety of processed wood mixtures in Florida. The mixtures tested included mixed wood from C&D debris recycling facilities and mulch purchased from retail outlets. The synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) was performed to examine the leaching of chromium, copper and arsenic. Results were compared to Florida's groundwater cleanup target levels (GWCTLs). Eighteen of the 22 samples collected from C&D debris processing facilities leached arsenic at concentrations greater than Florida's GWCTL of 50 microg/l. The mean leachable arsenic concentration for the C&D debris samples was 153 microg/l with a maximum of 558 microg/l. One of the colored mulch samples purchased from a retail outlet leached arsenic above 50 microg/l, while purchased mulch samples derived from virgin materials did not leach detectable arsenic (<5 microg/l). A mass balance approach was used to compute the potential metal concentrations (mg/kg) that would result from CCA-treated wood being present in wood mulch. Less than 0.1% CCA-treated wood would cause a mulch to exceed Florida's residential clean soil guideline for arsenic (0.8 mg/kg).

  20. Oral Gene Application Using Chitosan-DNA Nanoparticles Induces Transferable Tolerance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ensminger, Stephan M.; Spriewald, Bernd M.

    2012-01-01

    Oral tolerance is a promising approach to induce unresponsiveness to various antigens. The development of tolerogenic vaccines could be exploited in modulating the immune response in autoimmune disease and allograft rejection. In this study, we investigated a nonviral gene transfer strategy for inducing oral tolerance via antigen-encoding chitosan-DNA nanoparticles (NP). Oral application of ovalbumin (OVA)-encoding chitosan-DNA NP (OVA-NP) suppressed the OVA-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response and anti-OVA antibody formation, as well as spleen cell proliferation following OVA stimulation. Cytokine expression patterns following OVA stimulation in vitro showed a shift from a Th1 toward a Th2/Th3 response. The OVA-NP-induced tolerance was transferable from donor to naïve recipient mice via adoptive spleen cell transfer and was mediated by CD4+CD25+ T cells. These findings indicate that nonviral oral gene transfer can induce regulatory T cells for antigen-specific immune modulation. PMID:22933401

  1. Physiological and genetic basis of plant tolerance to excess boron

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kastori Rudolf R.

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Boron (B deficit as well as excess may significantly limit the organic production in plants. In extreme cases they may kill the affected plants. Boron excess occurs primarily in arid and semiarid regions, in saline soils or in consequence to human action. Excessive boron concentrations retard plant growth and cause physiological and morphological changes (chlorosis and necrosis first of all in leaf tips and then in marginal or intercostal parts of the lamina. Physiological mechanisms of plant tolerance to boron excess have not been studied in sufficient detail. The predominant opinion holds that they are based on restricted uptake and accumulation of boron in the root and aboveground plant parts. Significant differences in boron excess tolerance have been observed not only between different crops but even between different genotypes of the same crop. This has enabled the breeding of crop genotypes and crops adapted to growing on soils rich in available boron and intensified the research on the inheritance of plant tolerance to high B concentration. Sources of tolerance to high B concentration have been found in many crops (wheat, mustard, pea, lentil, eucalypt. Using different molecular techniques based on PCR (RAPD, SRAP, plant parents and progenies have been analyzed in an attempt to map as precisely as possible the position of B-tolerant genes. Small grains have been studied in greatest detail for inheritance of B tolerance. B tolerance in wheat is controlled by at least four additive genes, Bo1, Bo2, Bo3 and Bo4. Consequently, there exists a broad range of tolerance levels. Studies of Arabidopsis have broadened our understanding of regulation mechanisms of B transport from roots to above ground parts, allowing more direct genetic manipulations.

  2. Isolation and characterization of aerobic culturable arsenic-resistant bacteria from surfacewater and groundwater of Rautahat District, Nepal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shakya, S; Pradhan, B; Smith, L; Shrestha, J; Tuladhar, S

    2012-03-01

    Arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater is a serious Environmental Health Management issue of drinking water sources especially in Terai region of Nepal. Many studies have reported that due to natural abundance of arsenic in the environment, various bacteria have developed different resistance mechanisms for arsenic compound. In this study, the culturable arsenic-resistant bacteria indigenous to surfacewater as well as groundwater from Rautahat District of Nepal were randomly isolated by standard plate count method on the basis of viable growth on plate count agar amended with arsenate ranging from 0, 0.5, 10, 40, 80 to 160 milligram per liter (mg/l). With respect to the morphological and biochemical tests, nine morphologically distinct potent arsenate tolerant bacteria showed relatedness with Micrococcus varians, Micrococcus roseus, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas maltophilia, Pseudomonas sp., Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus smithii 1 and Bacillus smithii 2. The isolates were capable of tolerating more than 1000 mg/l of arsenate and 749 mg/l of arsenite. Likewise, bioaccumulation capability was highest with M. roseus (85.61%) and the least with B. smithii (47.88%) indicating the potential of the organisms in arsenic resistance and most probably in bioremediation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Inhibition of calcium uptake during hypoxia in developing zebrafish is mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwong, Raymond W M; Kumai, Yusuke; Tzaneva, Velislava; Azzi, Estelle; Hochhold, Nina; Robertson, Cayleih; Pelster, Bernd; Perry, Steve F

    2016-12-15

    The present study investigated the potential role of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) in calcium homeostasis in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio). It was demonstrated that zebrafish raised in hypoxic water (30 mmHg; control, 155 mmHg P O 2 ) until 4 days post-fertilization exhibited a substantial reduction in whole-body Ca 2+ levels and Ca 2+ uptake. Ca 2+ uptake in hypoxia-treated fish did not return to pre-hypoxia (control) levels within 2 h of transfer back to normoxic water. Results from real-time PCR showed that hypoxia decreased the whole-body mRNA expression levels of the epithelial Ca 2+ channel (ecac), but not plasma membrane Ca 2+ -ATPase (pmca2) or Na + /Ca 2+ -exchanger (ncx1b). Whole-mount in situ hybridization revealed that the number of ecac-expressing ionocytes was reduced in fish raised in hypoxic water. These findings suggested that hypoxic treatment suppressed the expression of ecac, thereby reducing Ca 2+ influx. To further evaluate the potential mechanisms for the effects of hypoxia on Ca 2+ regulation, a functional gene knockdown approach was employed to prevent the expression of HIF-1αb during hypoxic treatment. Consistent with a role for HIF-1αb in regulating Ca 2+ balance during hypoxia, the results demonstrated that the reduction of Ca 2+ uptake associated with hypoxic exposure was not observed in fish experiencing HIF-1αb knockdown. Additionally, the effects of hypoxia on reducing the number of ecac-expressing ionocytes was less pronounced in HIF-1αb-deficient fish. Overall, the current study revealed that hypoxic exposure inhibited Ca 2+ uptake in developing zebrafish, probably owing to HIF-1αb-mediated suppression of ecac expression. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  4. Selective weed suppression by cover crop residues: effects of seed mass and timing of species’sensitivity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kruidhof, H.M.; Gallandt, E.R.; Haramoto, E.R.; Bastiaans, L.

    2011-01-01

    Laboratory bioassays have shown that large-seeded species better tolerate cover crop residue–mediated stress than small-seeded species. This provides the potential for selective suppression of small-seeded weeds in large-seeded crops. We conducted two field experiments in which seedling emergence of

  5. Removal of arsenic from water by Friedel's salt (FS: 3CaO·Al2O3·CaCl2·10H2O).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Danni; Jia, Yongfeng; Ma, Jiayu; Li, Zhibao

    2011-11-15

    Low levels of arsenic can be effectively removed from water by adsorption onto various materials and searching for low-cost, high-efficiency new adsorbents has been a hot topic in recent years. In the present study, the performance of Friedel's salt (FS: 3CaO·Al(2)O(3)·CaCl(2)·10H(2)O), a layered double hydroxide (LDHs), as an adsorbent for arsenic removal from aqueous solution was investigated. Friedel's salt was synthesized at lower temperature (50°C) compared to traditional autoclave methods by reaction of calcium chloride with sodium aluminate. Kinetic study revealed that adsorption of arsenate by Friedel's salt was fast in the first 12h and equilibrium was achieved within 48 h. The adsorption kinetics are well described by second-order Lageren equation. The adsorption capacity of the synthesized sorbent for arsenate at pH 4 and 7 calculated from Langmuir adsorption isotherms was 11.85 and 7.80 mg/g, respectively. Phosphate and silicate markedly decreased the removal of arsenate, especially at higher pH, but sulfate was found to suppress arsenate adsorption at lower pH and the adverse effect was disappeared at pH ≥ 6. Common metal cations (Ca(2+), Mg(2+)) enhanced arsenate adsorption. The results suggest that Friedel's salt is a potential cost-effective adsorbent for arsenate removal in water treatment. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Role of /sup 99/mTc pertechnetate uptake in the evaluation of thyroid function

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sucupira, M.S.; Camargo, E.E.; Nickoloff, E.L.; Alderson, P.O.; Wagner, H.N. Jr.

    1983-01-01

    To investigate the usefulness of the 20 min /sup 99/mTc-pertechnetate uptake test, the records of 246 consecutive patients were reviewed. Of these, 192 patients (151 females, 41 males; 10 weeks to 78 years) had at least one year clinical follow-up or a confirmed diagnosis by biopsy or surgery and were included in our study. In these patients, the /sup 99/mTc pertechnetate uptake and hormonal values (T3 resin uptake, T4 RIA, T-index) were obtained. These results were then compared to the clinical diagnosis at the time of the uptake and one year later. All patients received an i.v. injection of 5 mCi of /sup 99/mTc pertechnetate. Imaging was performed using a pinhole collimator and a scintillation camera interfaced to a computer. Regions of interest for the thyroid and the background were used to calculate the 20 min /sup 99/mTc pertechnetate uptake as a percentage of the injected dose. /sup 99/mTc uptake and hormonal values were confirmatory in 158 patients (82.3%): 138 were euthyroid, 18 were hyperthyroid and 2 were hypothyroid. In 29 other patients (15.1%) the pertechnetate uptake provided useful additional information and helped to identify Hashimoto's thyroiditis (8 patients); thyroid suppression by exogenous iodide, steroids or T4 (7 patients); overtreated hyperthyroidism (1 patient); persistent hyperthyroidism (5 patients); different stages of Grave's disease (4 patients); and toxic nodular goiter (4 patients). The /sup 99/mTc uptake was misleading in 5 euthyroid patients (2.6%). We have found the /sup 99/mTc pertechnetate uptake a useful adjunct to measurement of hormonal levels in patients with suspected thyroid disease.

  7. Role of uptake of [14C]valine into protein in the development of tolerance to diisopropylphosphorofluoridate (DFP) toxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, R.C.; Dettbarn, W.D.

    1986-01-01

    In a subchronic toxicity study male Sprague-Dawley rats were daily treated with diisopropylphosphorofluoridate (DFP) (0.5 mg/kg, sc) for 14 days. Maximum signs of anticholinesterase toxicity were observed during Days 4 and 5 comparable to those seen 10-15 min following a single sublethal dosage (1.5 mg DFP/kg, sc). Signs disappeared after Days 6-7 of exposure and rats became apparently normal during the remainder of the treatment period. Significant hypothermia was seen following the second to fifth doses with maximum effect after the fifth injection. Subsequent injections of DFP did not cause any reduction in temperature. Incorporation of [ 14 C]valine was measured 24 hr after the 5th and 14th injections of DFP, at a time when body temperature had recovered to control values. The rate of in vivo incorporation of [ 14 C]valine was measured 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 hr after a subcutaneous injection of L-[1- 14 C]valine at a dose of 5 microCi/mmol/100 g body wt. After five injections the rate of L-[1- 14 C]valine uptake into the free amino acid pool and the incorporation into the protein bound pool was significantly (p less than 0.01) reduced in discrete brain regions, liver, kidney, and skeletal muscles. At the end of the 14-day treatment, protein synthesis in all the skeletal muscles tested had recovered completely (p greater than 0.01) to the values of nontreated control animals. In brain, liver, and kidney, however, no recovery was seen during this period. The recovery of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle may be one of the mechanisms that lead to tolerance development during prolonged administration of subacute concentrations of DFP

  8. Direct neuronal glucose uptake Heralds activity-dependent increases in cerebral metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundgaard, Iben; Li, Baoman; Xie, Lulu

    2015-01-01

    Metabolically, the brain is a highly active organ that relies almost exclusively on glucose as its energy source. According to the astrocyte-to-neuron lactate shuttle hypothesis, glucose is taken up by astrocytes and converted to lactate, which is then oxidized by neurons. Here we show, using two......-photon imaging of a near-infrared 2-deoxyglucose analogue (2DG-IR), that glucose is taken up preferentially by neurons in awake behaving mice. Anaesthesia suppressed neuronal 2DG-IR uptake and sensory stimulation was associated with a sharp increase in neuronal, but not astrocytic, 2DG-IR uptake. Moreover......, hexokinase, which catalyses the first enzymatic steps in glycolysis, was highly enriched in neurons compared with astrocytes, in mouse as well as in human cortex. These observations suggest that brain activity and neuronal glucose metabolism are directly linked, and identify the neuron as the principal locus...

  9. Properties and reactivity of Fe-organic matter associations formed by coprecipitation versus adsorption: Clues from arsenate batch adsorption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikutta, Robert; Lorenz, Dennis; Guggenberger, Georg; Haumaier, Ludwig; Freund, Anja

    2014-11-01

    Ferric oxyhydroxides play an important role in controlling the bioavailability of oxyanions such as arsenate and phosphate in soil. Despite this, little is known about the properties and reactivity of Fe(III)-organic matter phases derived from adsorption (reaction of organic matter (OM) to post-synthesis Fe oxide) versus coprecipitation (formation of Fe oxides in presence of OM). Coprecipitates and adsorption complexes were synthesized at pH 4 using two natural organic matter (NOM) types extracted from forest floor layers (Oi and Oa horizon) of a Haplic Podzol. Iron(III) coprecipitates were formed at initial molar metal-to-carbon (M/C) ratios of 1.0 and 0.1 and an aluminum (Al)-to-Fe(III) ratio of 0.2. Sample properties were studied by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N2 gas adsorption, dynamic light scattering, and electrophoretic mobility measurements. Arsenic [As(V)] adsorption to Fe-OM phases was studied in batch experiments (168 h, pH 4, 100 μM As). The organic carbon (OC) contents of the coprecipitates (82-339 mg g-1) were higher than those of adsorption complexes (31 and 36 mg g-1), leading to pronounced variations in specific surface area (9-300 m2 g-1), average pore radii (1-9 nm), and total pore volumes (11-374 mm3 g-1) but being independent of the NOM type or the presence of Al. The occlusion of Fe solids by OM (XPS surface concentrations: 60-82 atom% C) caused comparable pHPZC (1.5-2) of adsorption complexes and coprecipitates. The synthesis conditions resulted in different Fe-OM association modes: Fe oxide particles in 'M/C 0.1' coprecipitates covered to a larger extent the outermost aggregate surfaces, for some 'M/C 1.0' coprecipitates OM effectively enveloped the Fe oxides, while OM in the adsorption complexes primarily covered the outer aggregate surfaces. Despite of their larger OC contents, adsorption of As(V) was fastest to coprecipitates formed at low Fe availability (M/C 0.1) and facilitated by desorption of weakly

  10. Proteomic analysis of the flooding tolerance mechanism in mutant soybean.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komatsu, Setsuko; Nanjo, Yohei; Nishimura, Minoru

    2013-02-21

    Flooding stress of soybean is a serious problem because it reduces growth; however, flooding-tolerant cultivars have not been identified. To analyze the flooding tolerance mechanism of soybean, the flooding-tolerant mutant was isolated and analyzed using a proteomic technique. Flooding-tolerance tests were repeated five times using gamma-ray irradiated soybeans, whose root growth (M6 stage) was not suppressed even under flooding stress. Two-day-old wild-type and mutant plants were subjected to flooding stress for 2days, and proteins were identified using a gel-based proteomic technique. In wild-type under flooding stress, levels of proteins related to development, protein synthesis/degradation, secondary metabolism, and the cell wall changed; however, these proteins did not markedly differ in the mutant. In contrast, an increased number of fermentation-related proteins were identified in the mutant under flooding stress. The root tips of mutant plants were not affected by flooding stress, even though the wild-type plants had damaged root. Alcohol dehydrogenase activity in the mutant increased at an early stage of flooding stress compared with that of the wild-type. Taken together, these results suggest that activation of the fermentation system in the early stages of flooding may be an important factor for the acquisition of flooding tolerance in soybean. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. The Design, Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationship of Mixed Serotonin, Norepinephrine and Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Zhengming; Yang, Ji; Skolnick, Phil

    The evolution of antidepressants over the past four decades has involved the replacement of drugs with a multiplicity of effects (e.g., TCAs) by those with selective actions (i.e., SSRIs). This strategy was employed to reduce the adverse effects of TCAs, largely by eliminating interactions with certain neurotransmitters or receptors. Although these more selective compounds may be better tolerated by patients, selective drugs, specifically SSRIs, are not superior to older drugs in treating depressed patients as measured by response and remission rates. It may be an advantage to increase synaptic levels of both serotonin and norepinephrine, as in the case of dual uptake inhibitors like duloxetine and venlafaxine. An important recent development has been the emergence of the triple-uptake inhibitors (TUIs/SNDRIs), which inhibit the uptake of the three neurotransmitters most closely linked to depression: serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Preclinical studies and clinical trials indicate that a drug inhibiting the reuptake of all three of these neurotransmitters could produce more rapid onset of action and greater efficacy than traditional antidepressants. This review will detail the medicinal chemistry involved in the design, synthesis and discovery of mixed serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine transporter uptake inhibitors.

  12. Suppression of EAE by oral tolerance is independent of endogenous IFN-beta whereas treatment with recombinant IFN-beta ameliorates EAE

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Yawei; Teige, Ingrid; Ericsson, Ida

    2010-01-01

    IFN-beta is anticipated to have an important function in mucosal tolerance, as it is one of the major cytokines produced by plasmacytoid dendritic cells, and has recently been suggested as central to the maintenance of mucosal homeostasis. Here, we have investigated whether oral tolerance is depe......, however this was not a prerequisite for establishment of oral tolerance.Immunology and Cell Biology advance online publication, 12 January 2010; doi:10.1038/icb.2009.111....

  13. Expression responses of five cold tolerant related genes to two temperature dropping treatments in sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Chengze; Chang, Yaqing; Pang, Zhenguo; Ding, Jun; Ji, Nanjing

    2015-03-01

    Environmental conditions, including ambient temperature, play important roles in survival, growth development, and reproduction of the Japanese sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus. Low temperatures result in slowed growth and skin ulceration disease. In a previous study, we investigated the effect of low temperature on gene expression profiles in A. japonicus by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Genes encoding Ferritin, Lysozyme, Hsp70, gp96, and AjToll were selected from a subtracted cDNA library of A. japonicus under acute cold stress. The transcriptional expression profiles of these genes were investigated in different tissues (coelomocyte, respiratory tree, intestine, longitudinal muscle) after exposure to acute and mild temperature dropping treatments. The results show that (1) the five cold-tolerance-related genes were found in all four tissues and the highest mRNA levels were observed in coelomocyte and respiratory tree; (2) under the temperature dropping treatments, three types of transcriptional regulation patterns were observed: primary suppression followed by up-regulation at -2°C, suppressed expression throughout the two treatments, and more rarely an initial stimulation followed by suppression; and (3) gene expression suppression was more severe under acute temperature dropping than under mild temperature dropping treatment. The five cold-tolerance-related genes that were distributed mainly in coelomocyte and respiratory tissues were generally down-regulated by low temperature stress but an inverse up-regulation event was found at the extreme temperature (-2°C).

  14. Network topologies and dynamics leading to endotoxin tolerance and priming in innate immune cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Fu

    Full Text Available The innate immune system, acting as the first line of host defense, senses and adapts to foreign challenges through complex intracellular and intercellular signaling networks. Endotoxin tolerance and priming elicited by macrophages are classic examples of the complex adaptation of innate immune cells. Upon repetitive exposures to different doses of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide or other stimulants, macrophages show either suppressed or augmented inflammatory responses compared to a single exposure to the stimulant. Endotoxin tolerance and priming are critically involved in both immune homeostasis and the pathogenesis of diverse inflammatory diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. By means of a computational search through the parameter space of a coarse-grained three-node network with a two-stage Metropolis sampling approach, we enumerated all the network topologies that can generate priming or tolerance. We discovered three major mechanisms for priming (pathway synergy, suppressor deactivation, activator induction and one for tolerance (inhibitor persistence. These results not only explain existing experimental observations, but also reveal intriguing test scenarios for future experimental studies to clarify mechanisms of endotoxin priming and tolerance.

  15. Growth-hormone and somatostatin effects on [75Se]selenomethionine uptake by the pancreas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atkins, H.L.; Som, P.

    1979-01-01

    The imaging of the pancreas with [ 75 Se]selenomethionine has a low rate of reliability. This study was carried out in order to elucidate some factors that may be important in affecting the degree of uptake of the tracer by the pancreas. Studies were carried out in animals to observe the effects of growth-hormone (GH), somatostatin (SRIF), L-DOPA, and apomorphine administration on the distribution of [ 75 Se]selenomethionine. Intravenously administered GH significantly depressed pancreatic uptake of Se-75 in mice and dogs and depressed the pancreas-to-liver concentration ratio (P/L). The effect of i.p. GH in mice was to decrease the P/L ratio, but the decrease in pancreatic uptake was not statistically significant. There was also a greater effect of GH in dogs than in mice, with pancreatic uptake decreasing from 5.60 +- 2.17% to 1.24 +- 0.96% and the P/L from 4.78 +- 1.85 to 0.97 +- 0.73. L-DOPA and apomorphine produced effects similar to GH in mice. SRIF in small doses had little effect, but in larger doses it enhanced pancreatic uptake, although not affecting P/L. The results indicate that hypothalamic factors may be important in affecting the function of the exocrine pancreas. Both L-DOPA and apomorphine are known to stimulate GH production through hypothalamic-pituitary pathways. In addition to suppressing GH release, SRIF may have direct effects on the exocrine pancreas

  16. The Effect of a Shear Flow on the Uptake of LDL and Ac-LDL by Cultured Vascular Endothelial Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niwa, Koichi; Karino, Takeshi

    The effects of a shear flow on the uptake of fluorescence-labeled low-density lipoprotein (DiI-LDL), acetylated LDL (DiI-Ac-LDL), and lucifer yellow (LY; a tracer of fluid-phase endocytosis) by cultured bovine aortic ECs were studied using a rotating-disk shearing apparatus. It was found that 2hours’ exposure of ECs to a laminar shear flow that imposed ECs an area-mean shear stress of 10dynes/cm2 caused an increase in the uptake of DiI-LDL and LY. By contrast, the uptake of DiI-Ac-LDL was decreased by exposure of the ECs to a shear flow. Addition of dextran sulfate (DS), a competitive inhibitor of scavenger receptors, reversed the effect of a shear flow on the uptake of DiI-Ac-LDL, resulting in an increase by the imposition of a shear flow, while the uptake of DiI-LDL and LY remained unaffected. It was concluded that a shear flow promotes the endocytosis of DiI-LDL and LY by ECs, but suppresses the uptake of DiI-Ac-LDL by ECs by inhibiting scavenger receptor-mediated endocytosis.

  17. Cytokines affecting CD4+T regulatory cells in transplant tolerance. II. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) promotes survival of alloantigen-specific CD4+T regulatory cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nomura, Masaru; Hodgkinson, Suzanne J; Tran, Giang T; Verma, Nirupama D; Robinson, Catherine; Plain, Karren M; Boyd, Rochelle; Hall, Bruce M

    2017-06-01

    CD4 + T cells that transfer alloantigen-specific transplant tolerance are short lived in culture unless stimulated with specific-donor alloantigen and lymphocyte derived cytokines. Here, we examined if IFN-γ maintained survival of tolerance transferring CD4 + T cells. Alloantigen-specific transplant tolerance was induced in DA rats with heterotopic adult PVG heart allografts by a short course of immunosuppression and these grafts functioned for >100days with no further immunosuppression. In previous studies, we found the CD4 + T cells from tolerant rats that transfer tolerance to an irradiated DA host grafted with a PVG heart, lose their tolerance transferring ability after 3days of culture, either with or without donor alloantigen, and effect rejection of specific-donor grafts. If cultures with specific-donor alloantigen are supplemented by supernatant from ConA activated lymphocytes the tolerance transferring cells survive, suggesting these cells depend on cytokines for their survival. In this study, we found addition of rIFN-γ to MLC with specific-donor alloantigen maintained the capacity of tolerant CD4 + T cells to transfer alloantigen-specific tolerance and their ability to suppress PVG allograft rejection mediated by co-administered naïve CD4 + T cells. IFN-γ suppressed the in vitro proliferation of tolerant CD4 + T cells. Tolerant CD4 + CD25 + T cells did not proliferate in MLC to PVG stimulator cells with no cytokine added, but did when IFN-γ was present. IFN-γ did not alter proliferation of tolerant CD4 + CD25 + T cells to third-party Lewis. Tolerant CD4 + CD25 + T cells' expression of IFN-γ receptor (IFNGR) was maintained in culture when IFN-γ was present. This study suggested that IFN-γ maintained tolerance mediating alloantigen-specific CD4 + CD25 + T cells. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Evolution of copper arsenate resistance for enhanced enargite bioleaching using the extreme thermoacidophile Metallosphaera sedula.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ai, Chenbing; McCarthy, Samuel; Liang, Yuting; Rudrappa, Deepak; Qiu, Guanzhou; Blum, Paul

    2017-12-01

    Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) was employed to isolate arsenate and copper cross-resistant strains, from the copper-resistant M. sedula CuR1. The evolved strains, M. sedula ARS50-1 and M. sedula ARS50-2, contained 12 and 13 additional mutations, respectively, relative to M. sedula CuR1. Bioleaching capacity of a defined consortium (consisting of a naturally occurring strain and a genetically engineered copper sensitive strain) was increased by introduction of M. sedula ARS50-2, with 5.31 and 26.29% more copper recovered from enargite at a pulp density (PD) of 1 and 3% (w/v), respectively. M. sedula ARS50-2 arose as the predominant species and modulated the proportions of the other two strains after it had been introduced. Collectively, the higher Cu 2+ resistance trait of M. sedula ARS50-2 resulted in a modulated microbial community structure, and consolidating enargite bioleaching especially at elevated PD.

  19. Linking salinity stress tolerance with tissue-specific Na+ sequestration in wheat roots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Honghong eWu

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Salinity stress tolerance is a physiologically complex trait that is conferred by the large array of interacting mechanisms. Among these, vacuolar Na+ sequestration has always been considered as one of the key components differentiating between sensitive and tolerant species and genotypes. However, vacuolar Na+ sequestration has been rarely considered in the context of the tissue-specific expression and regulation of appropriate transporters contributing to Na+ removal from the cytosol. In this work, six bread wheat varieties contrasting in their salinity tolerance (three tolerant and three sensitive were used to understand the essentiality of vacuolar Na+ sequestration between functionally different root tissues, and link it with the overall salinity stress tolerance in this species. Roots of 4-d old wheat seedlings were treated with 100 mM NaCl for 3 days, and then Na+ distribution between cytosol and vacuole was quantified by CoroNa Green fluorescent dye imaging. Our major observations were as follows: 1 salinity stress tolerance correlated positively with vacuolar Na+ sequestration ability in the mature root zone but not in the root apex; 2 Contrary to expectations, cytosolic Na+ levels in root meristem were significantly higher in salt tolerant than sensitive group, while vacuolar Na+ levels showed an opposite trend. These results are interpreted as meristem cells playing a role of the salt sensor; 3 No significant difference in the vacuolar Na+ sequestration ability was found between sensitive and tolerant group in either transition or elongation zones; 4 The overall Na+ accumulation was highest in the elongation zone, suggesting its role in osmotic adjustment and turgor maintenance required to drive root expansion growth. Overall, the reported results suggest high tissue-specificity of Na+ uptake, signalling, and sequestration in wheat root. The implications of these findings for plant breeding for salinity stress tolerance are discussed.

  20. Co-adsorption of Trichloroethylene and Arsenate by Iron-Impregnated Granular Activated Carbon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Baolin; Kim, Eun-Sik

    2016-05-01

    Co-adsorption of trichloroethylene (TCE) and arsenate [As(V)] was investigated using modified granular activated carbons (GAC): untreated, sodium hypochlorite-treated (NaClO-GAC), and NaClO with iron-treated GAC (NaClO/Fe-GAC). Batch experiments of single- [TCE or As(V)] and binary- [TCE and As(V)] components solutions are evaluated through Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models and adsorption kinetic tests. In the single-component system, the adsorption capacity of As(V) was increased by the NaClO-GAC and the NaClO/Fe-GAC. The untreated GAC showed a low adsorption capacity for As(V). Adsorption of TCE by the NaClO/Fe-GAC was maximized, with an increased Freundlich constant. Removal of TCE in the binary-component system was decreased 15% by the untreated GAC, and NaClO- and NaClO/Fe-GAC showed similar efficiency to the single-component system because of the different chemical status of the GAC surfaces. Results of the adsorption isotherms of As(V) in the binary-component system were similar to adsorption isotherms of the single-component system. The adsorption affinities of single- and binary-component systems corresponded with electron transfer, competitive adsorption, and physicochemical properties.

  1. Correlation between organic acid exudation and metal uptake by ectomycorrhizal fungi grown on pond ash in vitro

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ray, P.; Adholeya, A. [Energy & Resources Institute, New Delhi (India). India Habitat Centre

    2009-04-15

    Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of coal ash on organic acid exudation and subsequent metal uptake by ectomycorrhizal fungi. Four isolates of ectomycorrhizal fungi namely, Pisolithus tinctorius (EM-1293 and EM-1299), Scleroderma verucosum (EM-1283) and Scleroderma cepa (EM-1233) were grown on pond ash moistened with Modified Melin-Norkans medium in vitro. Exudation of formic acid, malic acid and succinic acid by these fungi were detected by HPLC. Mycelial accumulation of Al, As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb by these fungi was assayed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Relationship between organic acid exudation and metal uptake was determined using classical multivariate linear regression model. Correlation between organic acid exudation and metal uptake could be substantiated when several metals are considered collectively. The finding supports the widespread role of low molecular weight organic acid as a function of tolerance, when exposed to metals in vitro.

  2. Usefulness of cardiac 125I-metaiodobenzylguanidine uptake for evaluation of cardiac sympathetic nerve abnormalities in diabetic rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abe, Nanami; Kashiwagi, Atsunori; Shigeta, Yukio

    1992-01-01

    We investigated cardiac sympathetic nerve abnormalities in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats using 125 I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG). The radioactivity ratio of cardiac tissue to 1 ml blood (H/B) was used as an index of cardiac MIBG uptake. Cardiac 125 I-MIBG uptake (H/B) in 4-, 8- and 20-wk diabetic rats was 48% lower than that in control rats. Similar results were obtained even when the data were corrected for g wet tissue weight. Although there was no improvement in H/B following 2-wk insulin treatment, the H/B ratio increased significantly, to 85% of control levels, following 4 wk insulin treatment indicating the reversibility of impaired MIBG uptake in diabetic rats. In vivo reserpine treatment resulted in a 50% reduction in the H/B value in control rats. However, the treatment did not significantly suppress uptake in diabetic rats. Cardiac norepinephrine content in both * 4- and ** 8-wk diabetic rats was significantly ( * p ** p 125 I-MIBG in diabetic rats is significantly impaired due to cardiac sympathetic nerve abnormalities. These abnormalities are reversible, however, dependent on the diabetic state. (author)

  3. Preparation and certification of arsenate [As(V)] reference material, NMIJ CRM 7912-a.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narukawa, Tomohiro; Kuroiwa, Takayoshi; Narushima, Izumi; Jimbo, Yasujiro; Suzuki, Toshihiro; Chiba, Koichi

    2010-05-01

    Arsenate [As(V)] solution reference material, National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ) certified reference material (CRM) 7912-a, for speciation of arsenic species was developed and certified by NMIJ, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. High-purity As(2)O(3) reagent powder was dissolved in 0.8 M HNO(3) solution and As(III) was oxidized to As(V) with HNO(3) to prepare 100 mg kg(-1) of As(V) candidate CRM solution. The solution was bottled in 400 bottles (50 mL each). The concentration of As(V) was determined by four independent analytical techniques-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, and liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry-according to As(V) calibration solutions, which were prepared from the arsenic standard of the Japan Calibration Service system and whose species was guaranteed to be As(V) by NMIJ. The uncertainties of all the measurements and preparation procedures were evaluated. The certified value of As(V) in the CRM is (99.53 +/- 1.67) mg kg(-1) (k = 2).

  4. Thyroid uptake test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ganatra, R.D.

    1992-01-01

    The uptake of radioiodine by the thyroid gland is altered by the iodine content of diet or drugs. American diet has a high iodine content because each slice of the white bread contains nearly 150μg of iodine due to the bleaching process employed in the production of the bread. This carrier content of iodine reduces the uptake so much, that the normal American uptakes are usually three to four times lower than the uptakes in the developing countries. The other drawback of the thyroid uptake test is that it is affected by the iodine containing drugs. Anti-diarrhoea medications are quire common in the developing countries and many of them contain iodine moiety. Without a reliable drug history, a low thyroid uptake value may lead to a misleading conclusion

  5. Transitional-2 B cells acquire regulatory function during tolerance induction and contribute to allograft survival.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreau, Aurélie; Blair, Paul A; Chai, Jian-Guo; Ratnasothy, Kulachelvy; Stolarczyk, Emilie; Alhabbab, Rowa; Rackham, Chloe L; Jones, Peter M; Smyth, Lesley; Elgueta, Raul; Howard, Jane K; Lechler, Robert I; Lombardi, Giovanna

    2015-03-01

    In humans, tolerance to renal transplants has been associated with alterations in B-cell gene transcription and maintenance of the numbers of circulating transitional B cells. Here, we use a mouse model of transplantation tolerance to investigate the contribution of B cells to allograft survival. We demonstrate that transfer of B cells from mice rendered tolerant to MHC class I mismatched skin grafts can prolong graft survival in a dose-dependent and antigen-specific manner to a degree similar to that afforded by graft-specific regulatory T (Treg) cells. Tolerance in this model was associated with an increase in transitional-2 (T2) B cells. Only T2 B cells from tolerized mice, not naïve T2 nor alloantigen experienced T2, were capable of prolonging skin allograft survival, and suppressing T-cell activation. Tolerized T2 B cells expressed lower levels of CD86, increased TIM-1, and demonstrated a preferential survival in vivo. Furthermore, we demonstrate a synergistic effect between tolerized B cells and graft-specific Treg cells. IL-10 production by T2 B cells did not contribute to tolerance, as shown by transfer of B cells from IL-10(-/-) mice. These results suggest that T2 B cells in tolerant patients may include a population of regulatory B cells that directly inhibit graft rejection. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Comparative study on liquefaction of creosote and chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood and untreated southern pine wood: effects of acid catalyst content, liquefaction time, temperature, and phenol to wood ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hui Pan; Chung-Yun Hse; Todd F. Shupe

    2009-01-01

    Creosote- and chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood waste and untreated southern pine wood were liquefied with phenol and sulfuric acid. The effects of sulfuric acid content, liquefaction time, liquefaction temperature, and phenol to wood ratio on liquefaction rate (i.e., wood residue content) were investigated and analyzed by analysis of variance (...

  7. Fisetin Suppresses Lipid Accumulation in Mouse Adipocytic 3T3-L1 Cells by Repressing GLUT4-Mediated Glucose Uptake through Inhibition of mTOR-C/EBPα Signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Marina; Hisatake, Mitsuhiro; Fujimori, Ko

    2015-05-27

    3,7,3',4'-Tetrahydroxyflavone (fisetin) is a flavonoid found in vegetables and fruits having broad biological activities. Here the effects of fisetin on adipogenesis and its regulatory mechanism in mouse adipocytic 3T3-L1 cells are studied. Fisetin inhibited the accumulation of intracellular lipids and lowered the expression of adipogenic genes such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) α and fatty acid-binding protein 4 (aP2) during adipogenesis. Moreover, the mRNA levels of genes such as acetyl-CoA carboxylase, fatty acid synthase, and stearoyl-CoA desaturase involved in the fatty acid biosynthesis (lipogenesis) were reduced by the treatment with fisetin. The expression level of the glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) gene was also decreased by fisetin, resulting in down-regulation of glucose uptake. Furthermore, fisetin inhibited the phosphorylation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and that of p70 ribosomal S6 kinase, a target of the mTOR complex, the inhibition of which was followed by a decreased mRNA level of the C/EBPα gene. The results obtained from a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that the ability of C/EBPα to bind to the GLUT4 gene promoter was reduced by the treatment with fisetin, which agreed well with those obtained when 3T3-L1 cells were allowed to differentiate into adipocytes in medium in the presence of rapamycin, an inhibitor for mTOR. These results indicate that fisetin suppressed the accumulation of intracellular lipids by inhibiting GLUT4-mediated glucose uptake through inhibition of the mTOR-C/EBPα signaling in 3T3-L1 cells.

  8. Cadmium tolerance and phytoremediation potential of acacia (Acacia nilotica L.) under salinity stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shabir, Rahat; Abbas, Ghulam; Saqib, Muhammad; Shahid, Muhammad; Shah, Ghulam Mustafa; Akram, Muhammad; Niazi, Nabeel Khan; Naeem, Muhammad Asif; Hussain, Munawar; Ashraf, Farah

    2018-06-07

    In this study, we explored the effect of salinity on cadmium (Cd) tolerance and phytoremediation potential of Acacia nilotica. Two-month-old uniform plants of A. nilotica were grown in pots contaminated with various levels of Cd (0, 5, 10, and 15 mg kg -1 ), NaCl (0%, 0.5%, 1.0% (hereafter referred as salinity), and all possible combinations of Cd + salinity for a period of six months. Results showed that shoot and root growth, biomass, tissue water content and chlorophyll (chl a, chl b, and total chl a+b) contents decreased more in response to salinity and combination of Cd + salinity compared to Cd alone. Shoot and root K concentrations significantly decreased with increasing soil Cd levels, whereas Na and Cl concentrations were not affected significantly. Shoot and root Cd concentrations, bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) increased with increasing soil Cd and Cd + salinity levels. At low level of salinity (0.5%), shoot and root Cd uptake enhanced, while it decreased at high level of salinity (1.0%). Due to Cd tolerance, high shoot biomass and shoot Cd uptake, this tree species has some potential for phytoremediation of Cd from the metal contaminated saline and nonsaline soils.

  9. Peptide-Conjugated Nanoparticles Reduce Positive Co-stimulatory Expression and T Cell Activity to Induce Tolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuo, Robert; Saito, Eiji; Miller, Stephen D; Shea, Lonnie D

    2017-07-05

    Targeted approaches to treat autoimmune diseases would improve upon current therapies that broadly suppress the immune system and lead to detrimental side effects. Antigen-specific tolerance was induced using poly(lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles conjugated with disease-relevant antigen to treat a model of multiple sclerosis. Increasing the nanoparticle dose and amount of conjugated antigen both resulted in more durable immune tolerance. To identify active tolerance mechanisms, we investigated downstream cellular and molecular events following nanoparticle internalization by antigen-presenting cells. The initial cell response to nanoparticles indicated suppression of inflammatory signaling pathways. Direct and functional measurement of surface MHC-restricted antigen showed positive correlation with both increasing particle dose from 1 to 100 μg/mL and increasing peptide conjugation by 2-fold. Co-stimulatory analysis of cells expressing MHC-restricted antigen revealed most significant decreases in positive co-stimulatory molecules (CD86, CD80, and CD40) following high doses of nanoparticles with higher peptide conjugation, whereas expression of a negative co-stimulatory molecule (PD-L1) remained high. T cells isolated from mice immunized against myelin proteolipid protein (PLP 139-151 ) were co-cultured with antigen-presenting cells administered PLP 139-151 -conjugated nanoparticles, which resulted in reduced T cell proliferation, increased T cell apoptosis, and a stronger anti-inflammatory response. These findings indicate several potential mechanisms used by peptide-conjugated nanoparticles to induce antigen-specific tolerance. Copyright © 2017 The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Suppression of the cutaneous immune response following topical application of the prostaglandin PGE2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rheins, L.A.; Barnes, L.; Amornsiripanitch, S.; Collins, C.E.; Nordlund, J.J.

    1987-01-01

    UVB irradiation (290-320 nm) and topical applications of arachidonic acid (AA) in mice decrease the number of identifiable Langerhans cells and alter the cutaneous immune response. Application of contact allergens such as dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) to irradiated or AA-treated skin induces antigen-specific tolerance. Indomethacin (IM), a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, administered orally to mice prior to UVB irradiation or prior to the topical application of arachidonic acid, abrogates suppression of contact hypersensitivity (CHS) to DNFB. This suggests a byproduct of arachidonic acid generated through the cyclooxygenase pathway may be involved in the immune suppression. Topical application of various prostaglandins (PGE2, PGD2, PGF2 alpha, and CTXA2) did not cause alterations in the population density of the identifiable Ia+ dendritic Langerhans cells. PGE2, but no other tested agent, produced a suppression of the CHS response to DNFB. These observations suggests that of the various prostaglandins, PGE2 might be one of several biochemical signals which mediate the suppression of contact hypersensitivity reactions following ultraviolet radiation exposure. However, the mechanisms by which PGE2 produces its suppressive effects have not been identified

  11. Removal of toxic ions (chromate, arsenate, and perchlorate) using reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, and ultrafiltration membranes

    KAUST Repository

    Yoon, Jaekyung

    2009-09-01

    Rejection characteristics of chromate, arsenate, and perchlorate were examined for one reverse osmosis (RO, LFC-1), two nanofiltration (NF, ESNA, and MX07), and one ultrafiltration (UF and GM) membranes that are commercially available. A bench-scale cross-flow flat-sheet filtration system was employed to determine the toxic ion rejection and the membrane flux. Both model and natural waters were used to prepare chromate, arsenate, and perchlorate solutions (approximately 100 μg L-1 for each anion) in mixtures in the presence of other salts (KCl, K2SO4, and CaCl2); and at varying pH conditions (4, 6, 8, and 10) and solution conductivities (30, 60, and 115 mS m-1). The rejection of target ions by the membranes increases with increasing solution pH due to the increasingly negative membrane charge with synthetic model waters. Cr(VI), As(V), and ClO4 - rejection follows the order LFC-1 (>90%) > MX07 (25-95%) ≅ ESNA (30-90%) > GM (3-47%) at all pH conditions. In contrast, the rejection of target ions by the membranes decreases with increasing solution conductivity due to the decreasingly negative membrane charge. Cr(VI), As(V), and ClO4 - rejection follows the order CaCl2 < KCl ≅ K2SO4 at constant pH and conductivity conditions for the NF and UF membranes tested. For natural waters the LFC-1 RO membrane with a small pore size (0.34 nm) had a significantly greater rejection for those target anions (>90%) excluding NO3 - (71-74%) than the ESNA NF membrane (11-56%) with a relatively large pore size (0.44 nm), indicating that size exclusion is at least partially responsible for the rejection. The ratio of solute radius (ri,s) to effective membrane pore radius (rp) was employed to compare ion rejection. For all of the ions, the rejection is higher than 70% when the ri,s/rp ratio is greater than 0.4 for the LFC-1 membrane, while for di-valent ions (CrO4 2 -, SO4 2 -, and HAsSO4 2 -) the rejection (38-56%) is fairly proportional to the ri,s/rp ratio (0.32-0.62) for the ESNA

  12. Dietary thylakoids suppress blood glucose and modulate appetite-regulating hormones in pigs exposed to oral glucose tolerance test

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Montelius, Caroline; Szwiec, Katarzyna; Kardas, Marek

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND & AIMS: Dietary chloroplast thylakoids have previously been found to reduce food intake and body weight in animal models, and to change metabolic profiles in humans in mixed-food meal studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the modulatory effects of thylakoids on glucose...... metabolism and appetite-regulating hormones during an oral glucose tolerance test in pigs fed a high fat diet. METHODS: Six pigs were fed a high fat diet (36 energy% fat) for one month before oral glucose tolerance test (1 g/kg d-glucose) was performed. The experiment was designed as a cross-over study......, either with or without addition of 0.5 g/kg body weight of thylakoid powder. RESULTS: The supplementation of thylakoids to the oral glucose tolerance test resulted in decreased blood glucose concentrations during the first hour, increased plasma cholecystokinin concentrations during the first two hours...

  13. Hypoxia tolerance in coral-reef triggerfishes (Balistidae)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Corrie C.; Drazen, Jeffrey C.; Callan, Chatham K.; Korsmeyer, Keith E.

    2018-03-01

    Despite high rates of photosynthetic oxygen production during the day, the warm waters of coral reefs are susceptible to hypoxia at night due to elevated respiration rates at higher temperatures that also reduce the solubility of oxygen. Hypoxia may be a challenge for coral-reef fish that hide in the reef to avoid predators at night. Triggerfishes (Balistidae) are found in a variety of reef habitats, but they also are known to find refuge in reef crevices and holes at night, which may expose them to hypoxic conditions. The critical oxygen tension ( P crit) was determined as the point below which oxygen uptake could not be maintained to support standard metabolic rate (SMR) for five species of triggerfish. The triggerfishes exhibited similar levels of hypoxia tolerance as other coral-reef and coastal marine fishes that encounter low oxygen levels in their environment. Two species, Rhinecanthus rectangulus and R. aculeatus, had the lowest P crit ( 3.0 kPa O2), comparable to the most hypoxia-tolerant obligate coral-dwelling gobies, while Odonus niger and Sufflamen bursa were moderately tolerant to hypoxia ( P crit 4.5 kPa), and Xanthichthys auromarginatus was intermediate ( P crit 3.7 kPa). These differences in P crit were not due to differences in oxygen demand, as all the species had a similar SMR once mass differences were taken into account. The results suggest that triggerfish species are adapted for different levels of hypoxia exposure during nocturnal sheltering within the reef.

  14. Tolerance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tønder, Lars

    is linked to a different set of circumstances than the ones suggested by existing models in contemporary democratic theory. Reorienting the discussion of tolerance, the book raises the question of how to disclose new possibilities within our given context of affect and perception. Once we move away from......Tolerance: A Sensorial Orientation to Politics is an experiment in re-orientation. The book is based on the wager that tolerance exceeds the more prevalent images of self-restraint and repressive benevolence because neither precludes the possibility of a more “active tolerance” motivated...... by the desire to experiment and to become otherwise. The objective is to discuss what gets lost, conceptually as well as politically, when we neglect the subsistence of active tolerance within other practices of tolerance, and to develop a theory of active tolerance in which tolerance's mobilizing character...

  15. DNA Protection Protein, a Novel Mechanism of Radiation Tolerance: Lessons from Tardigrades.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashimoto, Takuma; Kunieda, Takekazu

    2017-06-15

    Genomic DNA stores all genetic information and is indispensable for maintenance of normal cellular activity and propagation. Radiation causes severe DNA lesions, including double-strand breaks, and leads to genome instability and even lethality. Regardless of the toxicity of radiation, some organisms exhibit extraordinary tolerance against radiation. These organisms are supposed to possess special mechanisms to mitigate radiation-induced DNA damages. Extensive study using radiotolerant bacteria suggested that effective protection of proteins and enhanced DNA repair system play important roles in tolerability against high-dose radiation. Recent studies using an extremotolerant animal, the tardigrade, provides new evidence that a tardigrade-unique DNA-associating protein, termed Dsup, suppresses the occurrence of DNA breaks by radiation in human-cultured cells. In this review, we provide a brief summary of the current knowledge on extremely radiotolerant animals, and present novel insights from the tardigrade research, which expand our understanding on molecular mechanism of exceptional radio-tolerability.

  16. Differential regulation of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier genes modulates respiratory capacity and stress tolerance in yeast.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alba Timón-Gómez

    Full Text Available Mpc proteins are highly conserved from yeast to humans and are necessary for the uptake of pyruvate at the inner mitochondrial membrane, which is used for leucine and valine biosynthesis and as a fuel for respiration. Our analysis of the yeast MPC gene family suggests that amino acid biosynthesis, respiration rate and oxidative stress tolerance are regulated by changes in the Mpc protein composition of the mitochondria. Mpc2 and Mpc3 are highly similar but functionally different: Mpc2 is most abundant under fermentative non stress conditions and important for amino acid biosynthesis, while Mpc3 is the most abundant family member upon salt stress or when high respiration rates are required. Accordingly, expression of the MPC3 gene is highly activated upon NaCl stress or during the transition from fermentation to respiration, both types of regulation depend on the Hog1 MAP kinase. Overexpression experiments show that gain of Mpc2 function leads to a severe respiration defect and ROS accumulation, while Mpc3 stimulates respiration and enhances tolerance to oxidative stress. Our results identify the regulated mitochondrial pyruvate uptake as an important determinant of respiration rate and stress resistance.

  17. Differential regulation of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier genes modulates respiratory capacity and stress tolerance in yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timón-Gómez, Alba; Proft, Markus; Pascual-Ahuir, Amparo

    2013-01-01

    Mpc proteins are highly conserved from yeast to humans and are necessary for the uptake of pyruvate at the inner mitochondrial membrane, which is used for leucine and valine biosynthesis and as a fuel for respiration. Our analysis of the yeast MPC gene family suggests that amino acid biosynthesis, respiration rate and oxidative stress tolerance are regulated by changes in the Mpc protein composition of the mitochondria. Mpc2 and Mpc3 are highly similar but functionally different: Mpc2 is most abundant under fermentative non stress conditions and important for amino acid biosynthesis, while Mpc3 is the most abundant family member upon salt stress or when high respiration rates are required. Accordingly, expression of the MPC3 gene is highly activated upon NaCl stress or during the transition from fermentation to respiration, both types of regulation depend on the Hog1 MAP kinase. Overexpression experiments show that gain of Mpc2 function leads to a severe respiration defect and ROS accumulation, while Mpc3 stimulates respiration and enhances tolerance to oxidative stress. Our results identify the regulated mitochondrial pyruvate uptake as an important determinant of respiration rate and stress resistance.

  18. Alleviating effects of calcium on cobalt toxicity in two barley genotypes differing in cobalt tolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lwalaba, Jonas Lwalaba Wa; Zvobgo, Gerald; Fu, Liangbo; Zhang, Xuelei; Mwamba, Theodore Mulembo; Muhammad, Noor; Mundende, Robert Prince Mukobo; Zhang, Guoping

    2017-05-01

    Cobalt (Co) contamination in soils is becoming a severe issue in environment safety and crop production. Calcium (Ca) , as a macro-nutrient element, shows the antagonism with many divalent heavy metals and the capacity of alleviating oxidative stress in plants. In this study, the protective role of Ca in alleviating Co stress was hydroponically investigated using two barley genotypes differing in Co toxicity tolerance. Barley seedlings exposed to 100µM Co showed the significant reduction in growth and photosynthetic rate, and the dramatic increase in the contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and the activities of anti-oxidative enzymes, with Ea52 (Co-sensitive) being much more affected than Yan66 (Co-tolerant). Addition of Ca in growth medium alleviated Co toxicity by reducing Co uptake and enhancing the antioxidant capacity. The effect of Ca in alleviating Co toxicity was much greater in Yan66 than in Ea52. The results indicate that the alleviation of Co toxicity in barley plants by Ca is attributed to the reduced Co uptake and enhanced antioxidant capacity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Cd-tolerant Suillus luteus: A fungal insurance for pines exposed to Cd

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krznaric, Erik; Verbruggen, Nathalie; Wevers, Jan H.L.; Carleer, Robert; Vangronsveld, Jaco; Colpaert, Jan V.

    2009-01-01

    Soil metal pollution can trigger evolutionary adaptation in soil-borne organisms. An in vitro screening test showed cadmium adaptation in populations of Suillus luteus (L.: Fr.) Roussel, an ectomycorrhizal fungus of pine trees. Cadmium stress was subsequently investigated in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings inoculated with a Cd-tolerant S. luteus, isolated from a heavy metal contaminated site, and compared to plants inoculated with a Cd-sensitive isolate from a non-polluted area. A dose-response experiment with mycorrhizal pines showed better plant protection by a Cd-adapted fungus: more fungal biomass and a higher nutrient uptake at high Cd exposure. In addition, less Cd was transferred to aboveground plant parts. Because of the key role of the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis for tree fitness, the evolution of Cd tolerance in an ectomycorrhizal partner such as S. luteus can be of major importance for the establishment of pine forests on Cd-contaminated soils. - The evolutionary adaptation for higher Cd tolerance in Suillus luteus, an ectomycorrhizal fungus, is of major importance for the amelioration of Cd toxicity in pine trees exposed to high Cd concentrations.

  20. Cd-tolerant Suillus luteus: A fungal insurance for pines exposed to Cd

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krznaric, Erik [Environmental Biology Group, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, Gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); Verbruggen, Nathalie [Laboratoire de Physiologie et de Genetique Moleculaire des Plantes, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Campus Plaine, CP242, Bd du Triomphe, 1050 Brussels (Belgium); Wevers, Jan H.L. [Environmental Biology Group, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, Gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); Carleer, Robert [Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, Gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); Vangronsveld, Jaco [Environmental Biology Group, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, Gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); Colpaert, Jan V., E-mail: jan.colpaert@uhasselt.b [Environmental Biology Group, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, Gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium)

    2009-05-15

    Soil metal pollution can trigger evolutionary adaptation in soil-borne organisms. An in vitro screening test showed cadmium adaptation in populations of Suillus luteus (L.: Fr.) Roussel, an ectomycorrhizal fungus of pine trees. Cadmium stress was subsequently investigated in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings inoculated with a Cd-tolerant S. luteus, isolated from a heavy metal contaminated site, and compared to plants inoculated with a Cd-sensitive isolate from a non-polluted area. A dose-response experiment with mycorrhizal pines showed better plant protection by a Cd-adapted fungus: more fungal biomass and a higher nutrient uptake at high Cd exposure. In addition, less Cd was transferred to aboveground plant parts. Because of the key role of the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis for tree fitness, the evolution of Cd tolerance in an ectomycorrhizal partner such as S. luteus can be of major importance for the establishment of pine forests on Cd-contaminated soils. - The evolutionary adaptation for higher Cd tolerance in Suillus luteus, an ectomycorrhizal fungus, is of major importance for the amelioration of Cd toxicity in pine trees exposed to high Cd concentrations.

  1. Cadmium tolerance of Typha domingensis Pers. (Typhaceae as related to growth and leaf morphophysiology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. P. V. Oliveira

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Typha domingensis (cattail is a native macrophyte known by its capacity to tolerate several heavy metals effects and the potential use for phytoremediation. However, in despite that cadmium (Cd is one of the most toxic pollutants; its effects in T. domingensis biology remain uninvestigated. Thus, the objective of this study was to study the tolerance of T. domingensis to cadmium contamination by evaluating its growth, Cd uptake, leaf anatomy and gas exchange. The experiment was designed using three cadmium concentrations (0, 10 and 50 µM and ten replicates for 90 days. The cadmium uptake, growth, gas exchange, chlorophyll content and leaf anatomy were evaluated. Data was submitted to ANOVA and Scott-Knott test for P<0.05. Typha domingensis accumulates Cd proportionally to its concentration on the solution and the content of this metal was higher in roots as compared to shoots. Plants showed no significant modifications on growth parameters such as the biomass production, number of leaves, number of clones and the biomass allocation to organs. The photosynthesis, transpiration and chlorophyll content were not modified by Cd. Most anatomical traits evaluated were not modified by the metal but the stomatal density and the proportion of vascular tissues were reduced under 50 µM of Cd. In despite, the leaf anatomy showed no toxicity evidences for any Cd level. The absence of growth reduction and the stability of anatomical and physiological traits give insight about the Cd tolerance of this species. Therefore, T. domingensis is able to overcome Cd toxicity and shows potential for phytoremediation.

  2. Arsenic uptake by lettuce from As-contaminated soil remediated with Pteris vittata and organic amendment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Oliveira, Letuzia M; Suchismita, Das; Gress, Julia; Rathinasabapathi, Bala; Chen, Yanshan; Ma, Lena Q

    2017-06-01

    Leaching of inorganic arsenic (As) from chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood may elevate soil As levels. Thus, an environmental concern arises regarding As accumulation in vegetables grown in these soils. In this study, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the ability of As-hyperaccumulator P. vittata and organic amendments in reducing As uptake by lettuce (Lactuca sativa) from a soil contaminated from CCA-treated wood (63.9 mg kg -1 As). P. vittata was grown for 150 d in a CCA-contaminated soil amended with biochar, activated carbon or coffee grounds at 1%, followed by lettuce for another 55 d. After harvest, plant biomass and As concentrations in plant and soil were determined. The presence of P. vittata reduced As content in lettuce by 21% from 27.3 to 21.5 mg kg -1 while amendment further reduced As in lettuce by 5.6-18%, with activated C being most effective. Our data showed that both P. vittata and organic amendments were effective in reducing As concentration in lettuce. Though no health-based standard for As in vegetables exists in USA, care should be taken when growing lettuce in contaminated soils. Our data showed that application of organic amendments with P. vittata reduced As hazards in CCA-contaminated soils. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  3. Steroid-induced suppression of gallium uptake in tumors of the central nervous system: concise communication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waxman, A.D.; Beldon, J.R.; Richli, W.; Tanasescu, D.E.; Siemsen, J.K.

    1978-01-01

    The effect of steroids given in greater than replacement doses on the gallium and technetium glucoheptonate brain scan is evaluated by comparing the relative sensitivity of both radiopharmaceuticals in patients both on and off steroids. The study shows a significant steroid effect on the sensitivity of 95% to 64% following steroids. Steroids did not significantly alter the sensitivity of the technetium glucoheptonate study. The superiority of the TcGH brain scan over the gallium citrate brain scan in the steroid population suggests a difference in the uptake mechanism for the two radiopharmaceuticals

  4. Isolation and characterization of arsenic-resistant bacteria and possible application in bioremediation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Uttiya Dey

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Ground water arsenic contamination is a widespread problem in many developing countries including Bangladesh and India. In recent years development of modern innovative technologies for the removal of arsenic from aqueous system has become an interesting topic for research. In this present study, two rod shaped Gram-positive bacteria are being reported, isolated from arsenic affected ground water of Purbasthali block of Burdwan, West Bengal, India, which can tolerate arsenate concentration up to 4500 ppm and 550 ppm of arsenite concentration. From biochemical analysis and 16S rRNA sequencing, they were identified as Bacillus sp. and Aneurinibacillus aneurinilyticus respectively. The isolates SW2 and SW4 can remove 51.45% and 51.99% of arsenite and 53.29% and 50.37% of arsenate, respectively from arsenic containing culture media. Both of the isolate can oxidize arsenite to less toxic arsenate. These two arsenic resistant bacteria can be used as a novel pathway for the bioremediation of arsenic.

  5. Uptake and partitioning of zinc in Lemnaceae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lahive, Elma; O'Callaghan, Michael J A; Jansen, Marcel A K; O'Halloran, John

    2011-11-01

    Macrophytes provide food and shelter for aquatic invertebrates and fish, while also acting as reservoirs for nutrients and trace elements. Zinc accumulation has been reported for various Lemnaceae species. However, comparative accumulation across species and the link between zinc accumulation and toxicity are poorly understood. Morphological distribution and cellular storage, in either bound or soluble form, are important for zinc tolerance. This study shows differences in the uptake and accumulation of zinc by three duckweed species. Landoltia punctata and Lemna minor generally accumulated more zinc than Lemna gibba. L. minor, but not L. gibba or L. punctata, accumulated greater concentrations of zinc in roots compared to fronds when exposed to high levels of zinc. The proportion of zinc stored in the bound form relative to the soluble-form was higher in L. minor. L. punctata accumulated greater concentrations of zinc in fronds compared to roots and increased the proportion of zinc it stored in the soluble form, when exposed to high zinc levels. L. gibba is the only species that significantly accumulated zinc at low concentrations, and was zinc-sensitive. Overall, internal zinc concentrations showed no consistent correlation with toxic effect. We conclude that relationships between zinc toxicity and uptake and accumulation are species specific reflecting, among others, zinc distribution and storage. Differences in zinc distribution and storage are also likely to have implications for zinc bioavailability and trophic mobility.

  6. Plant uptake of dual-labeled organic N biased by inorganic C uptake

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Jim; Sauheitl, Leopold; Eriksen, Jørgen

    2010-01-01

    glycine or CO2-3 , but found no differences in uptake rates between these C-sources. The uptake of inorganic C to the shoot tissue was higher for maize grown in full light compared to shading, which indicates a passive uptake of inorganic C with water. We conclude that uptake of inorganic C produced...

  7. The effects of in-flight treadmill exercise on postflight orthostatic tolerance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siconolfi, Steven F.; Charles, John B.

    1992-01-01

    In-flight aerobic exercise is thought to decrease the deconditioning effects of microgravity. Two deconditioning characteristics are the decreases in aerobic capacity (maximum O2 uptake) and an increased cardiovascular response to orthostatic stress (supine to standing). Changes in both parameters were examined after Shuttle flights of 8 to 11 days in astronauts who performed no in-flight exercise, a lower than normal volume of exercise, and a near-normal volume of exercise. The exercise regimen was a traditional continuous protocol. Maximum O2 uptake was maintained in astronauts who completed a near-normal exercise volume of in-flight exercise. Cardiovascular responses to stand test were equivocal among the groups. The use of the traditional exercise regimen as a means to maintain adequate orthostatic responses produced equivocal responses. A different exercise prescription may be more effective in maintaining both exercise capacity and orthostatic tolerance.

  8. Impact of soil heat on reassembly of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere microbiome and plant disease suppression

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Voort, M.; Kempenaar, M.; van Driel, M.; Raaijmakers, J.M.; Mendes, R.

    2016-01-01

    The rhizosphere microbiome offers a range of ecosystem services to the plant, including nutrient acquisition and tolerance to (a)biotic stress. Here, analysing the data by Mendes et al. (2011), we show that short heat disturbances (50 or 80 °C, 1 h) of a soil suppressive to the root pathogenic

  9. Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on growth and nitrogen uptake of Chrysanthemum morifolium under salt stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yanhong; Wang, Minqiang; Li, Yan; Wu, Aiping; Huang, Juying

    2018-01-01

    Soil salinity is a common and serious environmental problem worldwide. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are considered as bio-ameliorators of soil salinity tolerance in plants. However, few studies have addressed the possible benefits of AMF inoculation for medicinal plants under saline conditions. In this study, we examined the effects of colonization with two AMF, Funneliformis mosseae and Diversispora versiformis, alone and in combination, on the growth and nutrient uptake of the medicinal plant Chrysanthemum morifolium (Hangbaiju) in a greenhouse salt stress experiment. After 6 weeks of a non-saline pretreatment, Hangbaiju plants with and without AMF were grown for five months under salinity levels that were achieved using 0, 50 and 200 mM NaCl. Root length, shoot and root dry weight, total dry weight, and root N concentration were higher in the mycorrhizal plants than in the non-mycorrhizal plants under conditions of moderate salinity, especially with D. versiformis colonization. As salinity increased, mycorrhizal colonization and mycorrhizal dependence decreased. The enhancement of root N uptake is probably the main mechanism underlying salt tolerance in mycorrhizal plants. These results suggest that the symbiotic associations between the fungus D. versiformis and C. morifolium plants may be useful in biotechnological practice.

  10. Curcumin attenuates morphine antinociceptive tolerance through suppressing up-regulation of spinal Toll-like receptor 4 in rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fei GAO

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective To investigate the effects of curcumin (Cur on activation of spinal Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4 and on the chronic antinociceptive tolerance of morphine. Methods Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats with successful intrathecal catheterization were randomly divided into four groups (n=15: saline (NS group; morphine (MOR group; curcumin (Cur group and morphine plus curcumin (MOR+Cur group. A morphine tolerance model of rats was induced by intrathecal injection of morphine 15μg, once a day for 7 consecutive days in MOR and MOR+Cur group; 100μg curcumin was administered intrathecally once a day for 7 consecutive days in Cur and MOR+Cur group, 10μl saline was administered intrathecally once a day for 7 consecutive days in NS group. The effect of curcumin intrathecal catheterization on morphine antinociceptive tolerance was explored by the tail flick latency (TFL method and mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT, and then the maximum possible potential effect (MPE was calculated. The immunofluorescence staining method was applied to detect the effect of curcumin on the activation of lumbar spinal microglia. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to evaluate the effect of curcumin on the expression of mRNA and protein of spinal TLR4. Results The %MPE TFL and %MPE MWT increased significantly in MOR+Cur group than in MOR group (P0.05. The lumbar spinal microglia increased markedly and the expressions of polyclonal antibody IBA-1 and TLR4 were significantly up-regulated in MOR group than in NS group (P0.05. Conclusion Curcumin may attenuate chronic morphine antinociceptive tolerance through inhibiting spinal TLR4 up-regulation. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2017.12.06

  11. Heavy metal tolerance and accumulation of Triarrhena sacchariflora, a large amphibious ornamental grass.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, R N; Yu, S; Wang, S G; Zhang, Y; Tang, J Y; Liu, Y L; Nie, Y H

    2013-01-01

    In this study, we report the tolerance and accumulation of Triarrhena sacchariflora to copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd). The results show that T. sacchariflora had strong tolerance to Cu and Cd stress. The tolerance indexes (TI) were greater than 0.5 for all treatments. The bioconcentration factors (BCFs) to Cu and Cd were both above 1.0. The accumulation ability of roots was stronger than that of shoots, and ranges of BCF to Cu and Cd in roots were 37.89-79.08 and 83.96-300.57, respectively. However, the translocation ability to Cu and Cd was weak, with more than 86% of Cu or Cd accumulated in roots, suggesting an exclusion strategy for heavy metal tolerance. The uptake efficiency (UE) and translocation efficiency (TE) to Cu and Cd increased linearly as the Cu and Cd concentration in the substrate increased. UE was higher than TE, with a maximum of 2,118.90 μg g(-1) root dry weight (DW) (50 mg L(-1) Cu) and 1,847.51 μg g(-1) root DW (20 mg L(-1)Cd), respectively. The results indicate that T. sacchariflora is a Cu- and Cd-tolerant non-hyperaccumulator plant, suggesting that T. sacchariflora could play an important role in phytoremediation in areas contaminated with Cu and Cd.

  12. Cytokines affecting CD4+T regulatory cells in transplant tolerance. III. Interleukin-5 (IL-5) promotes survival of alloantigen-specific CD4+ T regulatory cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Bruce M; Plain, Karren M; Tran, Giang T; Verma, Nirupama D; Robinson, Catherine M; Nomura, Masaru; Boyd, Rochelle; Hodgkinson, Suzanne J

    2017-08-01

    CD4 + T cells mediate antigen-specific allograft tolerance, but die in culture without activated lymphocyte derived cytokines. Supplementation of the media with cytokine rich supernatant, from ConA activated spleen cells, preserves the capacity of tolerant cells to transfer tolerance and suppress rejection. rIL-2 or rIL-4 alone are insufficient to maintain these cells, however. We observed that activation of naïve CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + Treg with alloantigen and the Th2 cytokine rIL-4 induces them to express interleukin-5 specific receptor alpha (IL-5Rα) suggesting that IL-5, a Th2 cytokine that is produced later in the immune response may promote tolerance mediating Treg. This study examined if recombinant IL-5(rIL-5) promoted survival of tolerant CD4 + , especially CD4 + CD25 + T cells. CD4 + T cells, from DA rats tolerant to fully allogeneic PVG heart allografts surviving over 100days without on-going immunosuppression, were cultured with PVG alloantigen and rIL-5. The ability of these cells to adoptively transfer tolerance to specific-donor allograft and suppress normal CD4 + T cell mediated rejection in adoptive DA hosts was examined. Tolerant CD4 + CD25 + T cells' response to rIL-5 and expression of IL-5Rα was also assessed. rIL-5 was sufficient to promote transplant tolerance mediating CD4 + T cells' survival in culture with specific-donor alloantigen. Tolerant CD4 + T cells cultured with rIL-5 retained the capacity to transfer alloantigen-specific tolerance and inhibited naïve CD4 + T cells' capacity to effect specific-donor graft rejection. rIL-5 promoted tolerant CD4 + CD25 + T cells' proliferation in vitro when stimulated with specific-donor but not third-party stimulator cells. Tolerant CD4 + CD25 + T cells expressed IL-5Rα. This study demonstrated that IL-5 promoted the survival of alloantigen-specific CD4 + CD25 + T cells that mediate transplant tolerance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Commensal Lactobacillus Controls Immune Tolerance during Acute Liver Injury in Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nobuhiro Nakamoto

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Summary: Gut-derived microbial antigens trigger the innate immune system during acute liver injury. During recovery, regulatory immunity plays a role in suppressing inflammation; however, the precise mechanism underlying this process remains obscure. Here, we find that recruitment of immune-regulatory classical dendritic cells (cDCs is crucial for liver tolerance in concanavalin A-induced acute liver injury. Acute liver injury resulted in enrichment of commensal Lactobacillus in the gut. Notably, Lactobacillus activated IL-22 production by gut innate lymphoid cells and raised systemic IL-22 levels. Gut-derived IL-22 enhanced mucosal barrier function and promoted the recruitment of regulatory cDCs to the liver. These cDCs produced IL-10 and TGF-β through TLR9 activation, preventing further liver inflammation. Collectively, our results indicate that beneficial gut microbes influence tolerogenic immune responses in the liver. Therefore, modulation of the gut microbiota might be a potential option to regulate liver tolerance. : Nakamoto et.al. find that Lactobacillus accumulates in the gut and activates IL-22 production by innate lymphoid cells during acute liver injury. Gut-derived IL-22 contributes to liver tolerance via induction of regulatory DCs. Keywords: immune tolerance, dendritic cell, innate lymphoid cell, acute liver injury, interleukin-10, interleukin-22, microbiota, dysbiosis

  14. Impact of soil heat on reassembly of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere microbiome and plant disease suppression

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Voort, van der M.; Kempenaar, Marcel; Driel, van Marc; Raaijmakers, Jos M.; Mendes, Rodrigo

    2016-01-01

    The rhizosphere microbiome offers a range of ecosystem services to the plant, including nutrient acquisition and tolerance to (a)biotic stress. Here, analysing the data by Mendes et al. (2011), we show that short heat disturbances (50 or 80 °C, 1 h) of a soil suppressive to the root pathogenic

  15. Hypoxia tolerance and air-breathing ability correlate with habitat preference in coral-dwelling fishes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nilsson, G. E.; Hobbs, J.-P. A.; Östlund-Nilsson, S.; Munday, P. L.

    2007-06-01

    Hypoxia tolerance and air-breathing occur in a range of freshwater, estuarine and intertidal fishes. Here it is shown for the first time that coral reef fishes from the genera Gobiodon, Paragobiodon and Caracanthus, which all have an obligate association with living coral, also exhibit hypoxia tolerance and a well-developed air-breathing capacity. All nine species maintained adequate respiration in water at oxygen concentrations down to 15-25% air saturation. This hypoxia tolerance is probably needed when the oxygen levels in the coral habitat drops sharply at night. Air-breathing abilities of the species correlated with habitat association, being greatest (equaling oxygen uptake in water) in species that occupy corals extending into shallow water, where they may become air exposed during extreme low tides. Air-breathing was less well-developed or absent in species inhabiting corals from deeper waters. Loss of scales and a network of subcutaneous capillaries appear to be key adaptations allowing cutaneous respiration in air. While hypoxia tolerance may be an ancestral trait in these fishes, air-breathing is likely to be a more recent adaptation exemplifying convergent evolution in the unrelated genera Gobiodon and Caracanthus in response to coral-dwelling lifestyles.

  16. A Clostridium Group IV Species Dominates and Suppresses a Mixed Culture Fermentation by Tolerance to Medium Chain Fatty Acids Products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen, Stephen J.; De Groof, Vicky; Khor, Way Cern; Roume, Hugo; Props, Ruben; Coma, Marta; Rabaey, Korneel

    2017-01-01

    hexanoic acid concentration to 32 ± 2% below the steady-state average. As opposed to the current view of MCFA toxicity broadly leading to production collapse, this study demonstrates that varied tolerance to MCFA within the community can lead to the dominance of some species and the suppression of others, which can result in a decreased productivity of the fermentation. PMID:28265558

  17. Utilization of a Model for Uptake of Cadmium by Plants as a Phytoremediation Assessment Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, M.; Furbish, D. J.; Clarke, J.

    2008-12-01

    Some traditional methods of environmental remediation, such as removal and disposal of contaminated soil, are loosing economic favor and public acceptance, while others, such as in situ phytoremediation, are being carefully examined because of their attractiveness as environmentally friendly, low-cost solutions to site clean-up. The success of phytoremediation strategies, however, hinges on the ability of selected plants, or plant communities, to effectively uptake, accumulate and tolerate targeted contaminants. Heavy metals, specifically cadmium (Cd), are not essential nutrients to plants. However, chemically similar zinc (Zn) is a micronutrient and is actively taken up by hyperaccumulators. For this reason, the mechanisms involved in uptake of Cd parallel those of Zn. Ideally, Cd would be allocated to the stem, leaf, and/or flower, where it becomes harvestable. Our modeling work simulates the uptake and the storage of Cd in a growing hyperaccumulator. After uptake, Cd is partitioned between adsorption to plant tissue and upward movement to leaves driven by transpiration. Uptake, adsorption and transport are also regulated by phytotoxicity. Simulations suggest that a young plant with small biomass can quickly reach phytotoxicity, which shuts down the normal operation of the plant. Conversely, mature plants on a mildly contaminated site, if harvested before the plants die due to phytotoxicity or natural cause, not only survive but may occasionally thrive. The immediate aim is to estimate the effectiveness and limitations of Cd uptake by hyperaccumulators. The eventual goal of this study is to expand the model in spatial and temporal scales, from individual plants to the community scale, and from one harvest interval to several generations. Understanding the interface between physical and biological processes, specifically the uptake and release of contaminants, provides scientists and engineers tools to assess whether phytoremediation is a reasonable strategy for a

  18. Electrodialytic removal of Cu, Cr, and As from chromated copper arsenate-treated timber waste

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ribeiro, A.B.; Mateus, E.P.; Ottosen, L.M.; Bech-Nielsen, G.

    2000-03-01

    Waste of wood treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is expected to increase in volume over the next decades. Alternative disposal options to landfilling are becoming more attractive to study, especially those that promote reuse. The authors have studied the electrodialytic removal of Cu, Cr, and As from CCA-treated timber wastes. The method uses a low-level direct current as the cleaning agent, combining the electrokinetic movement of ions in the matrix with the principle of electrodialysis. The technique was tested in four experiments using a laboratory cell on sawdust of an out-of-service CCA-treated Pinus pinaster Ait. pole. The duration of all the experiments was 30 days, and the current density was kept constant at 0.2 mA/cm{sup 2}. The experiments differ because in one the sawdust was saturated with water (experiment 1) and in the rest it was saturated with oxalic acid, 2.5, 5, and 7.5% (w/w), respectively, in experiments 2--4. The highest removal rates obtained were 93% of Cu, 95% of Cr, and 99% of As in experiment 2. Other experimental conditions might possibly optimize the removal rates.

  19. Bioremediation potential of a newly isolate solvent tolerant strain Bacillus thermophilus PS11

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PAYEL SARKAR

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The increased generation of solvent waste has been stated as one of the most critical environmental problems. Though microbial bioremediation has been widely used for waste treatment but their application in solvent waste treatment is limited since the solvents have toxic effects on the microbial cells. A solvent tolerant strain of Bacillus thermophilus PS11 was isolated from soil by cyclohexane enrichment. Transmission electron micrograph of PS11 showed convoluted cell membrane and accumulation of solvents in the cytoplasm, indicating the adaptation of the bacterial strain to the solvent after 48h of incubation. The strain was also capable of growing in presence of wide range of other hydrophobic solvents with log P-values below 3.5. The isolate could uptake 50 ng/ml of uranium in its initial 12h of growth, exhibiting both solvent tolerance and metal resistance property. This combination of solvent tolerance and metal resistance will make the isolated Bacillus thermophilus PS11 a potential tool for metal bioremediation in solvent rich wastewaters.

  20. Brain insulin action augments hepatic glycogen synthesis without suppressing glucose production or gluconeogenesis in dogs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramnanan, Christopher J.; Saraswathi, Viswanathan; Smith, Marta S.; Donahue, E. Patrick; Farmer, Ben; Farmer, Tiffany D.; Neal, Doss; Williams, Philip E.; Lautz, Margaret; Mari, Andrea; Cherrington, Alan D.; Edgerton, Dale S.

    2011-01-01

    In rodents, acute brain insulin action reduces blood glucose levels by suppressing the expression of enzymes in the hepatic gluconeogenic pathway, thereby reducing gluconeogenesis and endogenous glucose production (EGP). Whether a similar mechanism is functional in large animals, including humans, is unknown. Here, we demonstrated that in canines, physiologic brain hyperinsulinemia brought about by infusion of insulin into the head arteries (during a pancreatic clamp to maintain basal hepatic insulin and glucagon levels) activated hypothalamic Akt, altered STAT3 signaling in the liver, and suppressed hepatic gluconeogenic gene expression without altering EGP or gluconeogenesis. Rather, brain hyperinsulinemia slowly caused a modest reduction in net hepatic glucose output (NHGO) that was attributable to increased net hepatic glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis. This was associated with decreased levels of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) protein and mRNA and with decreased glycogen synthase phosphorylation, changes that were blocked by hypothalamic PI3K inhibition. Therefore, we conclude that the canine brain senses physiologic elevations in plasma insulin, and that this in turn regulates genetic events in the liver. In the context of basal insulin and glucagon levels at the liver, this input augments hepatic glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis, reducing NHGO without altering EGP. PMID:21865644

  1. Determination of maximum physiologic thyroid uptake and correlation with 24-hour RAI uptake value

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duldulao, M.; Obaldo, J.

    2007-01-01

    Full text: In hyperthyroid patients, thyroid uptake values are overestimated, sometimes approaching or exceeding 100%. This is physiologically and mathematically impossible. This study was undertaken to determine the maximum physiologic thyroid uptake value through a proposed simple method using a gamma camera. Methodology: Twenty-two patients (17 females and 5 males), with ages ranging from 19-61 y/o (mean age ± SD; 41 ± 12), with 24-hour uptake value of >50%, clinically hyperthyroid and referred for subsequent radioactive iodine therapy were studied. The computed maximum physiologic thyroid uptake was compared with the 24-hour uptake using the paired Student t-test and evaluated using linear regression analysis. Results: The computed physiologic uptake correlated poorly with the 24-hour uptake value. However, in the male subgroup, there was no statistically significant difference between the two (p=0.77). Linear regression analysis gives the following relationship: physiologic uptake (%) = 77.76 - 0.284 (24-hour RAI uptake value). Conclusion: Provided that proper regions of interest are applied with correct attenuation and background subtraction, determination of physiologic thyroid uptake may be obtained using the proposed method. This simple method may be useful prior to I-131 therapy for hyperthyroidism especially when a single uptake determination is performed. (author)

  2. The relation between tilt table and acceleration-tolerance and their dependence on stature and physical fitness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klein, K. E.; Backhausen, F.; Bruner, H.; Eichhorn, J.; Jovy, D.; Schotte, J.; Vogt, L.; Wegman, H. M.

    1980-01-01

    A group of 12 highly trained athletes and a group of 12untrained students were subjected to passive changes of position on a tilt table and positive accelerations in a centrifuge. During a 20 min tilt, including two additional respiratory maneuvers, the number of faints and average cardiovascular responses did not differ significantly between the groups. During linear increase of acceleration, the average blackout level was almost identical in both groups. Statistically significant coefficients of product-moment correlation for various relations were obtained. The coefficient of multiple determination computed for the dependence of acceleration tolerance on heart-eye distance and systolic blood pressure at rest allows the explanation of almost 50% of the variation of acceleration tolerance. The maximum oxygen uptake showed the expected significant correlation to the heart rate at rest, but not the acceleration tolerance, or to the cardiovascular responses to tilting.

  3. New inorganic (an)ion exchangers with a higher affinity for arsenate and a competitive removal capacity towards fluoride, bromate, bromide, selenate, selenite, arsenite and borate

    KAUST Repository

    Chubar, Natalia

    2011-12-01

    Highly selective materials and effective technologies are needed to meet the increasingly stronger drinking water standards for targeted ionic species. Inorganic ion exchangers based on individual and mixed-metal hydrous oxides (or mixed adsorbents that contain inorganic ion exchangers in their composition) are adsorptive materials that are capable of lowering the concentrations of anionic contaminants, such as H 2AsO 4 -, H 3AsO 3, F -, Br -, BrO 3 -, HSeO 4 -, HSeO 3 - and H 3BO 3, to 10 μg/L or less. To achieve a higher selectivity towards arsenate, a new ion exchanger based on Mg-Al hydrous oxides was developed by a novel, cost-effective and environmentally friendly synthesis method via a non-traditional (alkoxide-free) sol-gel approach. The exceptional adsorptive capacity of the Mg-Al hydrous oxides towards H 2AsO 4 - (up to 200 mg[As]/gdw) is due to the high affinity of this sorbent towards arsenate (steep equilibrium isotherms) and its fast adsorption kinetics. Because of the mesoporous (as determined by N 2 adsorption and SEM) and layered (as determined by XRD and FTIR) structure of the ion-exchange material as well as the abundance of anion exchange sites (as determined by XPS and potentiometric titration) on its surface the material demonstrated very competitive (or very high) removal capacity towards other targeted anions, including fluoride, bromide, bromate, selenate, selenite, and borate. © 2011 IWA Publishing.

  4. Uptake, translocation, and distribution of root-applied [C ring-U-14C]-ZJ0273 in plants of oilseed rape and rice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Zheng; Han Ailiang; Zhang Yanfei; Li Juying; Wang Yue; Wang Haiyan; Ye Qingfu; Lu Long

    2009-01-01

    ZJ0273, propyl 4-(2-(4, 6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yloxy) benzylamino) benzoate, is a novel ALS-inhibited herbicide development for pre-and post-emergence weed control in field of oilseed rape. The comparative uptake, translocation and distribution of root-applied [C ring-U- 14 C] ZJ0273 in the plants of susceptible rice and tolerant oilseed rape were investigated under laboratory conditions. The results showed that the uptake of [C ring-U- 14 C]-ZJ0273 in both rice (Oryza sativa L.) and oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) increased with time. Larger percentage of the applied ZJ0273 was uptaken by rice than oilseed rape at any sampling time. At 384 hours after treatment, the uptake of [C ring-U- 14 C]-ZJ0273 reached 24.1% of the applied amount in rice, while only 4.1% of the applied in oilseed rape. The majority of the absorbed ZJ0273 remained in the root of the tested plants, which indicated the weak mobility of ZJ0273 and/or its metabolites in both the plants of susceptible rice and tolerant oilseed rape. The radioactivity per unit of dry weight in the roots and leaves of rice was 9.470 Bq/mg and 0.910 Bq/mg, respectively, which was significantly higher than that in oilseed rape (3.870 Bq/mg and 0.390 Bq/mg). Therefore, the difference in the total uptake of ZJ0273 and the accumulation of ZJ0273 and/or its metabolites perunit of dry weight between rice and oilseed rape, which revealed in this study, might be one of the reasons for the different susceptibility of rice and oilseed rape on ZJ0273. (authors)

  5. Boron stress response and accumulation potential of the extremely tolerant species Puccinellia frigida

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rámila, Consuelo d.P.; Contreras, Samuel A.; Di Domenico, Camila; Molina-Montenegro, Marco A.; Vega, Andrea; Handford, Michael; Bonilla, Carlos A.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • P. frigida presents an extremely high boron toxicity threshold. • Restricting uptake and internal tolerance mechanisms could confer boron tolerance. • P. frigida is a boron hyperaccumulator over a wide range of concentrations. • The species has potential for phytoremediation purposes. - Abstract: Phytoremediation is a promising technology to tackle boron toxicity, which restricts agricultural activities in many arid and semi-arid areas. Puccinellia frigida is a perennial grass that was reported to hyperaccumulate boron in extremely boron-contaminated sites. To further investigate its potential for phytoremediation, we determined its response to boron stress under controlled conditions (hydroponic culture). Also, as a first step towards understanding the mechanisms underlying its extreme tolerance, we evaluated the presence and expression of genes related with boron tolerance. We found that P. frigida grew normally even at highly toxic boron concentrations in the medium (500 mg/L), and within its tissues (>5000 mg/kg DW). We postulate that the strategies conferring this extreme tolerance involve both restricting boron accumulation and an internal tolerance mechanism; this is consistent with the identification of putative genes involved in both mechanisms, including the expression of a possible boron efflux transporter. We also found that P. frigida hyperaccumulated boron over a wide range of boron concentrations. We propose that P. frigida could be used for boron phytoremediation strategies in places with different soil characteristics and boron concentrations. Further studies should pave the way for the development of clean and low-cost solutions to boron toxicity problems.

  6. Boron stress response and accumulation potential of the extremely tolerant species Puccinellia frigida

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rámila, Consuelo d.P. [Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 7820436 Santiago (Chile); Contreras, Samuel A.; Di Domenico, Camila [Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 7820436 Santiago (Chile); Molina-Montenegro, Marco A. [Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, Larrondo 1281, Coquimbo (Chile); Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Talca, Avda. Lircay s/n, Talca (Chile); Vega, Andrea [Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 7820436 Santiago (Chile); Handford, Michael [Departmento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Avenida Las Palmeras 3425, 7800024 Santiago (Chile); Bonilla, Carlos A. [Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 7820436 Santiago (Chile); Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable (CEDEUS), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 7820436 Santiago (Chile); and others

    2016-11-05

    Highlights: • P. frigida presents an extremely high boron toxicity threshold. • Restricting uptake and internal tolerance mechanisms could confer boron tolerance. • P. frigida is a boron hyperaccumulator over a wide range of concentrations. • The species has potential for phytoremediation purposes. - Abstract: Phytoremediation is a promising technology to tackle boron toxicity, which restricts agricultural activities in many arid and semi-arid areas. Puccinellia frigida is a perennial grass that was reported to hyperaccumulate boron in extremely boron-contaminated sites. To further investigate its potential for phytoremediation, we determined its response to boron stress under controlled conditions (hydroponic culture). Also, as a first step towards understanding the mechanisms underlying its extreme tolerance, we evaluated the presence and expression of genes related with boron tolerance. We found that P. frigida grew normally even at highly toxic boron concentrations in the medium (500 mg/L), and within its tissues (>5000 mg/kg DW). We postulate that the strategies conferring this extreme tolerance involve both restricting boron accumulation and an internal tolerance mechanism; this is consistent with the identification of putative genes involved in both mechanisms, including the expression of a possible boron efflux transporter. We also found that P. frigida hyperaccumulated boron over a wide range of boron concentrations. We propose that P. frigida could be used for boron phytoremediation strategies in places with different soil characteristics and boron concentrations. Further studies should pave the way for the development of clean and low-cost solutions to boron toxicity problems.

  7. Anti-diabetic effect of balanced deep-sea water and its mode of action in high-fat diet induced diabetic mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Byung Geun; Shin, Eun Ji; Park, Jung-Eun; Shon, Yun Hee

    2013-10-29

    In this study, we investigated the effects of balanced deep-sea water (BDSW) on hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced diabetic C57BL/6J mice. BDSW was prepared by mixing deep-sea water (DSW) mineral extracts and desalinated water to give a final hardness of 500-2000. Mice given an HFD with BDSW showed lowered fasting plasma glucose levels compared to HFD-fed mice. Oral and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests showed that BDSW improves impaired glucose tolerance in HFD-fed mice. Histopathological evaluation of the pancreas showed that BDSW recovers the size of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans, and increases the secretion of insulin and glucagon in HFD-fed mice. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction results revealed that the expression of hepatic genes involved in glucogenesis, glycogenolysis and glucose oxidation were suppressed, while those in glucose uptake, β-oxidation, and glucose oxidation in muscle were increased in mice fed HFD with BDSW. BDSW increased AMP-dependent kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation in 3T3-L1 pre- and mature adipocytes and improved impaired AMPK phosphorylation in the muscles and livers of HFD-induced diabetic mice. BDSW stimulated phosphoinositol-3-kinase and AMPK pathway-mediated glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Taken together, these results suggest that BDSW has potential as an anti-diabetic agent, given its ability to suppress hyperglycemia and improve glucose intolerance by increasing glucose uptake.

  8. Glucose Uptake in the Human Pathogen Schistosoma mansoni Is Regulated Through Akt/Protein Kinase B Signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKenzie, Maxine; Kirk, Ruth S; Walker, Anthony J

    2018-06-05

    In Schistosoma mansoni, the facilitated glucose transporter SGTP4, which is expressed uniquely in the apical surface tegumental membranes of the parasite, imports glucose from host blood to support its growth, development, and reproduction. However, the molecular mechanisms that underpin glucose uptake in this blood fluke are not understood. In this study we employed techniques including Western blotting, immunolocalization, confocal laser scanning microscopy, pharmacological assays, and RNA interference to functionally characterize and map activated Akt in S mansoni. We find that Akt, which could be activated by host insulin and l-arginine, was active in the tegument layer of both schistosomules and adult worms. Blockade of Akt attenuated the expression and evolution of SGTP4 at the surface of the host-invading larval parasite life-stage, and suppressed SGTP4 expression at the tegument in adults; concomitant glucose uptake by the parasite was also attenuated in both scenarios. These findings shed light on crucial mechanistic signaling processes that underpin the energetics of glucose uptake in schistosomes, which may open up novel avenues for antischistosome drug development.

  9. Nanoparticle delivery of donor antigens for transplant tolerance in allogeneic islet transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryant, Jane; Hlavaty, Kelan A; Zhang, Xiaomin; Yap, Woon-Teck; Zhang, Lei; Shea, Lonnie D; Luo, Xunrong

    2014-10-01

    Human islet cell transplantation is a promising treatment for type 1 diabetes; however, long-term donor-specific tolerance to islet allografts remains a clinically unmet goal. We have previously shown that recipient infusions of apoptotic donor splenocytes chemically treated with 1-ethyl-3-(3'-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide (donor ECDI-SP) can mediate long-term acceptance of full major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-mismatched murine islet allografts without the use of immunosuppression. In this report, we investigated the use of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) particles in lieu of donor ECDI-SP as a synthetic, cell-free carrier for delivery of donor antigens for the induction of transplant tolerance in full MHC-mismatched murine allogeneic islet transplantation. Infusions of donor antigen-coupled PLG particles (PLG-dAg) mediated tolerance in ∼20% of recipient mice, and the distribution of cellular uptake of PLG-dAg within the spleen was similar to that of donor ECDI-SP. PLG-dAg mediated the contraction of indirectly activated T cells but did not modulate the direct pathway of allorecognition. Combination of PLG-dAg with a short course of low dose immunosuppressant rapamycin at the time of transplant significantly improved the tolerance efficacy to ∼60%. Furthermore, altering the timing of PLG-dAg administration to a schedule that is more feasible for clinical transplantation resulted in equal tolerance efficacy. Thus, the combination therapy of PLG-dAg infusions with peritransplant rapamycin represents a clinically attractive, biomaterials-based and cell-free method for inducing long-term donor-specific tolerance for allogeneic cell transplantation, such as for allogeneic islet transplantation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Interleukin-4 Supports the Suppressive Immune Responses Elicited by Regulatory T Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-Cheng Yang

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Interleukin-4 (IL-4 has been considered as one of the tolerogenic cytokines in many autoimmune animal models and clinical settings. Despite its role in antagonizing pathogenic Th1 responses, little is known about whether IL-4 possesses functions that affect regulatory T cells (Tregs. Tregs are specialized cells responsible for the maintenance of peripheral tolerance through their immune modulatory capabilities. Interestingly, it has been suggested that IL-4 supplement at a high concentration protects responder T cells (Tresps from Treg-mediated immune suppression. In addition, such supplement also impedes TGF-β-induced Treg differentiation in vitro. However, these phenomena may contradict the tolerogenic role of IL-4, and the effects of IL-4 on Tregs are therefore needed to be further elucidated. In this study, we utilized IL-4 knockout (KO mice to validate the role of IL-4 on Treg-mediated immune suppression. Although IL-4 KO and control animals harbor similar frequencies of Tregs, Tregs from IL-4 KO mice weakly suppressed autologous Tresp activation. In addition, IL-4 deprivation impaired the ability of Tregs to modulate immune response, whereas IL-4 supplementation reinforced IL-4 KO Tregs in their function in suppressing Tresps. Finally, the presence of IL-4 was associated with increased cell survival and granzyme expression of Tregs. These results suggest the essential role of IL-4 in supporting Treg-mediated immune suppression, which may benefit the development of therapeutic strategies for autoimmune diseases.

  11. Pretransplantation recipient regulatory T cell suppressive function predicts delayed and slow graft function after kidney transplantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Minh-Tri J P; Fryml, Elise; Sahakian, Sossy K; Liu, Shuqing; Michel, Rene P; Lipman, Mark L; Mucsi, Istvan; Cantarovich, Marcelo; Tchervenkov, Jean I; Paraskevas, Steven

    2014-10-15

    Delayed graft function (DGF) and slow graft function (SGF) are a continuous spectrum of ischemia-reperfusion-related acute kidney injury (AKI) that increases the risk for acute rejection and graft loss after kidney transplantation. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical in transplant tolerance and attenuate murine AKI. In this prospective observational cohort study, we evaluated whether pretransplantation peripheral blood recipient Treg frequency and suppressive function are predictors of DGF and SGF after kidney transplantation. Deceased donor kidney transplant recipients (n=53) were divided into AKI (n=37; DGF, n=10; SGF, n=27) and immediate graft function (n=16) groups. Pretransplantation peripheral blood CD4CD25FoxP3 Treg frequency was quantified by flow cytometry. Regulatory T-cell suppressive function was measured by suppression of autologous effector T-cell proliferation by Treg in co-culture. Pretransplantation Treg suppressive function, but not frequency, was decreased in AKI recipients (Paccounting for the effects of cold ischemic time and donor age, Treg suppressive function discriminated DGF from immediate graft function recipients in multinomial logistic regression (odds ratio, 0.77; Pfunction is a potential independent pretransplantation predictor of DGF and SGF.

  12. Determination of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) in treated wood of Eucalyptus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parreira, Paulo S.; Vendrametto, Guilherme R.; Cunha, Magda E.T.

    2009-01-01

    This work deals with the possible application of a portable energy dispersive handmade system (PXRF-LFNA-02) for the determination of Chromium, Copper and Arsenic in the preservative solution used to protect commercial wood of Eucalyptus, which are employed as wood fence, posts, contention fences, railroad sleepers, etc. It was prepared five body-of-proof made of eucalyptus alburnum with different concentrations for each element varying from 0.0061 to 0.0180 (g/g) for CrO 3 , 0.0024 to 0.0070 (g/g) for CuO and 0.0044 to 0.0129 (g/g) for As 2 O 5 . Four of them were used for calibration curves and one used as reference sample. It was used a commercial CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate ) solution to prepare the samples. The results show a good linear regression between concentrations and X-rays intensities, after applied the multiple linear regression methodology for interelemental corrections. The values obtained with this methodology were 3.01(kg/m 3 ), 1.18 (kg/m 3 ) e 2.21 (kg/m 3 ) for CrO 3 , CuO and As 2 O 5 , respectively, while the nominal values are 2.90 (kg/m 3 ) for CrO 3 , 1.13 (kg/m 3 ) for CuO and 2.07 (kg/m 3 ) for As 2 O 5 . The ED-XRF (Energy Dispersive X-Rays Fluorescence) is a well established technique with high-speed of analytical procedure and its portable configuration allowing a multielemental, simultaneous and non destructive analyses besides in situ application. (author)

  13. Effect of calcium on the salt tolerance of different wheat (triticum aestivum l.) genotypes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arshad, M.; Saqib, M.; Akhtar, J.

    2012-01-01

    In saline soil conditions the availability and uptake of Ca/sup 2+/ is reduced that results in the loss of membrane integrity and other disorders associated with Ca/sup 2+/ deficiency in plants. A wheat genotype efficient in uptake and utilization of calcium under saline conditions may be better able to withstand saline conditions in the field. Very little information is available on wheat response to salinity and low Ca/sup 2+/ as screening of wheat genotypes has usually been done against salinity alone. The present study was designed to evaluate the performance of different wheat genotypes against salinity at low and adequate calcium supply. The experiment was conducted in hydroponics with four treatments including T1: non-saline with adequate Ca/sup 2+/, T2: non-saline with low Ca/sup 2+/ (level of calcium was 1/4 of the adequate level), T3: saline (125 mM NaCl) with adequate Ca/sup 2+/ and T4: saline with low calcium. All the physical growth parameters including shoot length, root length, and shoot and root fresh weights were decreased significantly due to salinity and low calcium alone as well as in combination. Reduction was more pronounced under the combined stress of salinity and low calcium and different genotypes differed significantly in different stress treatments for shoot and root fresh weight production. In saline treatment (T3), the genotypes 25-SAWSN-39 and 25-SAWSN-31 showed better growth performance and accumulated lower Na+ and higher Ca/sup 2+/ where as the genotypes 25-SAWSN-35 and 25-SAWSN-47 showed less growth and had less accumulation of Ca/sup 2+/ and high accumulation of Na+. In salinity + low calcium treatment the genotype 25-SAWSN-39 behaved as a tolerant genotype where as 25-SAWSN-31 behaved similar to the sensitive genotype and these differences were due to high accumulation of Ca/sup 2+/ in 25-SAWSN-39 and vice versa. This study shows that the salt tolerance of wheat genotypes differs with the availability and accumulation of calcium

  14. A Mutated Yeast Strain with Enhanced Ethanol Production Efficiency and Stress Tolerance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naghmeh Hemmati1*, David A. Lightfoot1,2, and Ahmed Fakhoury3

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available One of the strategies to improve and optimize bio-ethanolproduction from new feed stocks is to develop new strainsof Saccharomyces cerevisiae with tolerance to stresses. Themain objectives here were to; generate S. cerevisiae mutantstolerant to high ethanol concentrations; test for their abilityto ferment maize starch; and partially characterize the mutationsresponsible for the new phenotypes. A combinationof mutagenesis, selection and cross-stress protection methodswere used. EMS (ethyl methanesulfonate was used tomutagenize one S. cerevisiae strain. The mutagenized yeaststrain was exposed to high concentrations of ethanol andtolerant mutants were isolated. Mutants showed improvedethanol yield (0.02-0.03 g/g of maize and fermentation efficiency(3-5%. Finally, AFLP (Amplified Fragment LengthPolymorphism was performed to identify polymorphisms inthe mutants that might underlie the strains ethanol tolerance.The best performing mutant isolate had four altered genetranscripts encoding; an arginine uptake and canavanine resistanceprotein (CAN1; mitochondrial membrane proteins(SLS1; a putative membrane glycoprotein (VTH1; and cytochromeC oxidase (COX6; EC 1.9.3.1 among about 1,000tested. It was concluded these mutations might underlie theimproved ethanol production efficiency and stress tolerance.

  15. Alterations of tumor suppressor genes (Rb, p16, p27 and p53) and an increased FDG uptake in lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasaki, Masayuki; Sugio, Kenji; Kuwabara, Yasuo

    2003-01-01

    The FDG uptake in lung cancer is considered to reflect the degree of malignancy, while alterations of some tumor suppressor genes are considered to be related to the malignant biological behavior of tumors. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between FDG-PET and alterations in the tumor suppression genes of lung cancer. We examined 28 patients with primary lung cancer who underwent FDG-PET before surgery consisting of 17 patients with adenocarcinoma, 10 with squamous cell carcinoma and 1 with large cell carcinoma. The FDG-PET findings were evaluated based on the standardized uptake value (SUV). Alterations in the tumor suppressor genes, Rb, p16, p27 and p53, were evaluated immunohistochemically. The FDG uptake in lung cancer with alteration in each tumor suppressor gene tended to be higher than in those genes without alterations, although the differences were not significant. In 15 tumors with alterations in either tumor suppressor genes, the FDG uptake was 6.83±3.21. On the other hand, the mean FDG uptake was 1.95 in 2 tumors without alterations in any genes. The difference in the FDG uptake between the 2 groups was statistically significant (p<0.001). In conclusion, the presence of abnormalities in the tumor suppressor genes, which results in an accelerated cell proliferation, is thus considered to increase the FDG uptake in lung cancer. (author)

  16. Suppression of Zn stress on barley by irradiated chitosan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nagasawa, N.; Mitomo, H. [Gunma Univ., Faculty of Engineering, Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Kiryu, Gunma (Japan); Ha, P.T.L. [Nuclear Research Institute, Dalat (Viet Nam); Watanabe, S.; Ito, T.; Takeshita, H.; Yoshii, F.; Kume, T. [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment

    2001-03-01

    Chitosan was irradiated up to 1000 kGy in solid state. Irradiation of chitosan caused the reduction of molecular weight. The molecular weight of the chitosan reduced from ca. 4 x 10{sup 5} to ca. 6 x 10{sup 3} by irradiation at 1000 kGy. For the barley growth promotion, irradiated chitosan showed the significant effect and 1000 kGy irradiated chitosan improved 20% of growth. Using the positron emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS), the effect of chitosan on uptake and transportation of {sup 62}Zn in barley were investigated. It was found that the transportation of Zn from root to shoot and the damage of plant by Zn were suppressed with irradiated chitosan. (author)

  17. Suppression of Zn stress on barley by irradiated chitosan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagasawa, N.; Mitomo, H.; Ha, P.T.L.; Watanabe, S.; Ito, T.; Takeshita, H.; Yoshii, F.; Kume, T.

    2001-01-01

    Chitosan was irradiated up to 1000 kGy in solid state. Irradiation of chitosan caused the reduction of molecular weight. The molecular weight of the chitosan reduced from ca. 4 x 10 5 to ca. 6 x 10 3 by irradiation at 1000 kGy. For the barley growth promotion, irradiated chitosan showed the significant effect and 1000 kGy irradiated chitosan improved 20% of growth. Using the positron emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS), the effect of chitosan on uptake and transportation of 62 Zn in barley were investigated. It was found that the transportation of Zn from root to shoot and the damage of plant by Zn were suppressed with irradiated chitosan. (author)

  18. Histamine H2 Receptor-Mediated Suppression of Intestinal Inflammation by Probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Chunxu; Major, Angela; Rendon, David; Lugo, Monica; Jackson, Vanessa; Shi, Zhongcheng; Mori-Akiyama, Yuko; Versalovic, James

    2015-12-15

    Probiotics and commensal intestinal microbes suppress mammalian cytokine production and intestinal inflammation in various experimental model systems. Limited information exists regarding potential mechanisms of probiotic-mediated immunomodulation in vivo. In this report, we demonstrate that specific probiotic strains of Lactobacillus reuteri suppress intestinal inflammation in a trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced mouse colitis model. Only strains that possess the hdc gene cluster, including the histidine decarboxylase and histidine-histamine antiporter genes, can suppress colitis and mucosal cytokine (interleukin-6 [IL-6] and IL-1β in the colon) gene expression. Suppression of acute colitis in mice was documented by diminished weight loss, colonic injury, serum amyloid A (SAA) protein concentrations, and reduced uptake of [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([(18)F]FDG) in the colon by positron emission tomography (PET). The ability of probiotic L. reuteri to suppress colitis depends on the presence of a bacterial histidine decarboxylase gene(s) in the intestinal microbiome, consumption of a histidine-containing diet, and signaling via the histamine H2 receptor (H2R). Collectively, luminal conversion of l-histidine to histamine by hdc(+) L. reuteri activates H2R, and H2R signaling results in suppression of acute inflammation within the mouse colon. Probiotics are microorganisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer beneficial effects on the host. Supplementation with probiotic strains was shown to suppress intestinal inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and in rodent colitis models. However, the mechanisms of probiosis are not clear. Our current studies suggest that supplementation with hdc(+) L. reuteri, which can convert l-histidine to histamine in the gut, resulted in suppression of colonic inflammation. These findings link luminal conversion of dietary components (amino acid metabolism) by gut microbes and probiotic

  19. Influence of soil properties and phosphate addition on arsenic uptake from polluted soils by velvetgrass (Holcus lanatus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewińska, K; Karczewska, A

    2013-01-01

    Four kinds of soil material were used in a pot experiment with velvetgrass (Holcus lanatus). Two unpolluted soils: sand (S) and loam (L) were spiked with sodium arsenite (As II) and arsenate (As V), to obtain total arsenic (As) concentrations of 500 mg As kg(-1). Two other soils (ZS I, ZS III), containing 3320 and 5350 mg As kg(-1), were collected from Zloty Stok where gold and arsenic ores were mined and processed for several centuries. The effects of phosphate addition on plants growth and As uptake were investigated. Phosphate was applied to soils in the form of NH4H2PO4 at the rate 0.2 g P/kg. Average concentrations of arsenic in the shoots of velvetgrass grown in spiked soils S and L without P amendment were in the range 18-210 mg As kg(-1) d.wt., whereas those in plants grown on ZS I and ZS II soils were considerably lower, and varied in the range 11-52 mg As kg(-1) d.wt. The addition of phosphate caused a significant increase in plant biomass and therefore the total amounts of As taken up by plants, however, the differences in As concentrations in the shoots of velvetgrass amended and non-amended with phosphate were not statistically significant.

  20. Genome-wide identification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes required for tolerance to acetic acid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sá-Correia Isabel

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Acetic acid is a byproduct of Saccharomyces cerevisiae alcoholic fermentation. Together with high concentrations of ethanol and other toxic metabolites, acetic acid may contribute to fermentation arrest and reduced ethanol productivity. This weak acid is also a present in lignocellulosic hydrolysates, a highly interesting non-feedstock substrate in industrial biotechnology. Therefore, the better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying S. cerevisiae tolerance to acetic acid is essential for the rational selection of optimal fermentation conditions and the engineering of more robust industrial strains to be used in processes in which yeast is explored as cell factory. Results The yeast genes conferring protection against acetic acid were identified in this study at a genome-wide scale, based on the screening of the EUROSCARF haploid mutant collection for susceptibility phenotypes to this weak acid (concentrations in the range 70-110 mM, at pH 4.5. Approximately 650 determinants of tolerance to acetic acid were identified. Clustering of these acetic acid-resistance genes based on their biological function indicated an enrichment of genes involved in transcription, internal pH homeostasis, carbohydrate metabolism, cell wall assembly, biogenesis of mitochondria, ribosome and vacuole, and in the sensing, signalling and uptake of various nutrients in particular iron, potassium, glucose and amino acids. A correlation between increased resistance to acetic acid and the level of potassium in the growth medium was found. The activation of the Snf1p signalling pathway, involved in yeast response to glucose starvation, is demonstrated to occur in response to acetic acid stress but no evidence was obtained supporting the acetic acid-induced inhibition of glucose uptake. Conclusions Approximately 490 of the 650 determinants of tolerance to acetic acid identified in this work are implicated, for the first time, in tolerance to

  1. Exogenous Glutathione Enhances Mercury Tolerance by Inhibiting Mercury Entry into Plant Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yeon-Ok; Bae, Hyeun-Jong; Cho, Eunjin; Kang, Hunseung

    2017-01-01

    Despite the increasing understanding of the crucial roles of glutathione (GSH) in cellular defense against heavy metal stress as well as oxidative stress, little is known about the functional role of exogenous GSH in mercury (Hg) tolerance in plants. Here, we provide compelling evidence that GSH contributes to Hg tolerance in diverse plants. Exogenous GSH did not mitigate the toxicity of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), or zinc (Zn), whereas application of exogenous GSH significantly promoted Hg tolerance during seed germination and seedling growth of Arabidopsis thaliana, tobacco, and pepper. By contrast, addition of buthionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of GSH biosynthesis, severely retarded seed germination and seedling growth of the plants in the presence of Hg. The effect of exogenous GSH on Hg specific tolerance was also evident in the presence of other heavy metals, such as Cd, Cu, and Zn, together with Hg. GSH treatment significantly decreased H2O2 and O2- levels and lipid peroxidation, but increased chlorophyll content in the presence of Hg. Importantly, GSH treatment resulted in significantly less accumulation of Hg in Arabidopsis plants, and thin layer chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis revealed that GSH had much stronger binding affinity to Hg than to Cd, Cu, or Zn, suggesting that tight binding of GSH to Hg impedes Hg uptake, leading to low Hg accumulation in plant cells. Collectively, the present findings reveal that GSH is a potent molecule capable of conferring Hg tolerance by inhibiting Hg accumulation in plants. PMID:28507557

  2. Exogenous Glutathione Enhances Mercury Tolerance by Inhibiting Mercury Entry into Plant Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeon-Ok Kim

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Despite the increasing understanding of the crucial roles of glutathione (GSH in cellular defense against heavy metal stress as well as oxidative stress, little is known about the functional role of exogenous GSH in mercury (Hg tolerance in plants. Here, we provide compelling evidence that GSH contributes to Hg tolerance in diverse plants. Exogenous GSH did not mitigate the toxicity of cadmium (Cd, copper (Cu, or zinc (Zn, whereas application of exogenous GSH significantly promoted Hg tolerance during seed germination and seedling growth of Arabidopsis thaliana, tobacco, and pepper. By contrast, addition of buthionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of GSH biosynthesis, severely retarded seed germination and seedling growth of the plants in the presence of Hg. The effect of exogenous GSH on Hg specific tolerance was also evident in the presence of other heavy metals, such as Cd, Cu, and Zn, together with Hg. GSH treatment significantly decreased H2O2 and O2- levels and lipid peroxidation, but increased chlorophyll content in the presence of Hg. Importantly, GSH treatment resulted in significantly less accumulation of Hg in Arabidopsis plants, and thin layer chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis revealed that GSH had much stronger binding affinity to Hg than to Cd, Cu, or Zn, suggesting that tight binding of GSH to Hg impedes Hg uptake, leading to low Hg accumulation in plant cells. Collectively, the present findings reveal that GSH is a potent molecule capable of conferring Hg tolerance by inhibiting Hg accumulation in plants.

  3. Potential for the development of tolerance by Aspergillus amstelodami, A. repens and A. ruber after repeated exposure to potassium sorbate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viñas, I; Morlans, I; Sanchis, V

    1990-01-01

    Three strains of A. amstelodami, A. repens and A. ruber were exposed to various levels of potassium sorbate, and the MICs were determined. Selected strains of the molds were then repeatedly exposed to subinhibitory levels of the compound to determine whether increased tolerance might develop. The MIC of sorbate (pH 5.5 or 6.5) for 3 species of Aspergillus was 0.07%. Increasing levels of sorbate resulted in increasing growth suppression of the molds. The 3 Aspergillus species were tested for increased tolerance to potassium sorbate, and none was found. They developed a slight increase in tolerance dependent upon pH and the mold strain by subculturing at low levels of sorbate.

  4. Co-ordination of NDH and Cup proteins in CO2 uptake in cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Xunling; Sun, Nan; Xu, Min; Mi, Hualing

    2017-06-01

    High and low affinity CO2-uptake systems containing CupA (NDH-1MS) and CupB (NDH-1MS'), respectively, have been identified in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, but it is yet unknown how the complexes function in CO2 uptake. In this work, we found that deletion of cupB significantly lowered the growth of cells, and deletion of both cupA and cupB seriously suppressed the growth below pH 7.0 even under 3% CO2. The rate of photosynthetic oxygen evolution was decreased slightly by deletion of cupA but significantly by deletion of cupB and more severely by deletion of both cupA and cupB, especially in response to changed pH conditions under 3% CO2. Furthermore, we found that assembly of CupB into NDH-1MS' was dependent on NdhD4 and NdhF4. NDH-1MS' was not affected in the NDH-1MS-degradation mutant and NDH-1MS was not affected in the NDH-1MS'-degradation mutants, indicating the existence of independent CO2-uptake systems under high CO2 conditions. The light-induced proton gradient across thylakoid membranes was significantly inhibited in ndhD-deletion mutants, suggesting that NdhDs functions in proton pumping. The carbonic anhydrase activity was suppressed partly in the cupA- or cupB-deletion mutant but severely in the mutant with both cupA and cupB deletion, indicating that CupA and CupB function in conversion of CO2 to HCO3-. In turn, deletion of cup genes lowered the transthylakoid membrane proton gradient and deletion of ndhDs decreased the CO2 hydration. Our results suggest that NDH-1M provides an alkaline region to activate Cup proteins involved in CO2 uptake. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

  5. Can the exceptional chilling tolerance of C4 photosynthesis found in Miscanthus × giganteus be exceeded? Screening of a novel Miscanthus Japanese germplasm collection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glowacka, Katarzyna; Jørgensen, Uffe; Kjeldsen, Jens Bonderup

    2015-01-01

    of light-saturated photosynthesis. A second Msa accession, ‘73/3’ also showed significantly higher rates of leaf uptake of CO2. Conclusions As remarkable as Mxg has proved in its chilling tolerance of C4 photosynthesis, this study shows that there is still value and potential in searching for yet more...... superior tolerance. Msa accession ‘73/2’ shows rates of light-limited and light-saturated photosynthesis at chilling temperatures that are comparable with those of the most cold-tolerant C3 species. This adds further proof to the thesis that C4 photosynthesis is not inherently limited to warm climates....

  6. Plant-based oral tolerance to hemophilia therapy employs a complex immune regulatory response including LAP+CD4+ T cells

    OpenAIRE

    Wang, Xiaomei; Su, Jin; Sherman, Alexandra; Rogers, Geoffrey L.; Liao, Gongxian; Hoffman, Brad E.; Leong, Kam W.; Terhorst, Cox; Daniell, Henry; Herzog, Roland W.

    2015-01-01

    Coadministering FIX orally and systemically induces tolerance via complex immune regulation, involving tolerogenic dendritic and T-cell subsets.Induced CD4+CD25−LAP+ regulatory T cells with increased IL-10 and TGF-β expression and CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells suppress antibody formation against FIX.

  7. Metabolic Pathways Involved in Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Heat Tolerance in Bermudagrass

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jingjin Yu

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Global climate changes involve elevated temperature and CO2 concentration, imposing significant impact on plant growth of various plant species. Elevated temperature exacerbates heat damages, but elevated CO2 has positive effects on promoting plant growth and heat tolerance. The objective of this study was to identify metabolic pathways affected by elevated CO2 conferring the improvement of heat tolerance in a C4 perennial grass species, bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon Pers.. Plants were planted under either ambient CO2 concentration (400 μmol⋅mol-1 or elevated CO2 concentration (800 μmol⋅mol-1 and subjected to ambient temperature (30/25°C, day/night or heat stress (45/40°C, day/night. Elevated CO2 concentration suppressed heat-induced damages and improved heat tolerance in bermudagrass. The enhanced heat tolerance under elevated CO2 was attributed to some important metabolic pathways during which proteins and metabolites were up-regulated, including light reaction (ATP synthase subunit and photosystem I reaction center subunit and carbon fixation [(glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, GAPDH, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, phosphoglycerate kinase, sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase and sugars of photosynthesis, glycolysis (GAPDH, glucose, fructose, and galactose and TCA cycle (pyruvic acid, malic acid and malate dehydrogenase of respiration, amino acid metabolism (aspartic acid, methionine, threonine, isoleucine, lysine, valine, alanine, and isoleucine as well as the GABA shunt (GABA, glutamic acid, alanine, proline and 5-oxoproline. The up-regulation of those metabolic processes by elevated CO2 could at least partially contribute to the improvement of heat tolerance in perennial grass species.

  8. Acetate transiently inhibits myocardial contraction by increasing mitochondrial calcium uptake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schooley, James F; Namboodiri, Aryan M A; Cox, Rachel T; Bünger, Rolf; Flagg, Thomas P

    2014-12-09

    There is a close relationship between cardiovascular disease and cardiac energy metabolism, and we have previously demonstrated that palmitate inhibits myocyte contraction by increasing Kv channel activity and decreasing the action potential duration. Glucose and long chain fatty acids are the major fuel sources supporting cardiac function; however, cardiac myocytes can utilize a variety of substrates for energy generation, and previous studies demonstrate the acetate is rapidly taken up and oxidized by the heart. In this study, we tested the effects of acetate on contractile function of isolated mouse ventricular myocytes. Acute exposure of myocytes to 10 mM sodium acetate caused a marked, but transient, decrease in systolic sarcomere shortening (1.49 ± 0.20% vs. 5.58 ± 0.49% in control), accompanied by a significant increase in diastolic sarcomere length (1.81 ± 0.01 μm vs. 1.77 ± 0.01 μm in control), with a near linear dose response in the 1-10 mM range. Unlike palmitate, acetate caused no change in action potential duration; however, acetate markedly increased mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake. Moreover, pretreatment of cells with the mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake blocker, Ru-360 (10 μM), markedly suppressed the effect of acetate on contraction. Lehninger and others have previously demonstrated that the anions of weak aliphatic acids such as acetate stimulate Ca(2+) uptake in isolated mitochondria. Here we show that this effect of acetate appears to extend to isolated cardiac myocytes where it transiently modulates cell contraction.

  9. The Role of Superoxide Dismutase in Inducing of Wheat Seedlings Tolerance to Osmotic Shock

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oboznyi A.I.

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Influence of short-term hardening osmotic exposure (immersion in 1 M sucrose solution with subsequent transferring to distilled water for 20 min on the hydrogen peroxide generation and superoxide dismutase activity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Elegiya seedlings and their tolerance to osmotic shock were investigated. During the initial 30 min after osmotic exposure, the increasing of hydrogen peroxide amount in roots and shoots (to a lesser extent was observed, but the resistance of the seedlings and superoxide dismutase (SOD activity decreased. Sometime later the decrease in hydrogen peroxide amount and the increase of seedlings tolerance to osmotic shock took place. SOD activity increased in 10 min after hardening osmotic exposure. Transient accumulation of hydrogen peroxide induced in this way was suppressed by the treatment of seedlings with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC, SOD inhibitor. DDC and hydrogen peroxide scavenger dimethylthiourea decreased positive hardening effect of osmotic exposure on the development of seedlings tolerance. It was concluded that SOD providing the generation of signal hydrogen peroxide pool took part in the induction of seedlings tolerance to osmotic shock development caused by preliminary hardening effect.

  10. Kaempferol Promotes Transplant Tolerance by Sustaining CD4+FoxP3+ Regulatory T Cells in the Presence of Calcineurin Inhibitor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Y Q; Liu, X S; Wu, S; Zou, C; Xie, Q; Xu, S M; Jin, X W; Li, W; Zhou, A; Dai, Z

    2015-07-01

    Calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine is widely used as an immunosuppressant in clinic. However, mounting evidence has shown that cyclosporine hinders tolerance induction by dampening Tregs. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to overcome this pitfall. Kaempferol was reported to inhibit DC function. Here, we found that kaempferol delayed islet allograft rejection. Combination of kaempferol and low-dose, but not high-dose, of cyclosporine induced allograft tolerance in majority of recipient mice. Although kaempferol plus either dose of cyclosporine largely abrogated proliferation of graft-infiltrating T cells and their CTL activity, both proliferation and CTL activity in mice treated with kaempferol plus low-dose, but not high-dose, cyclosporine reemerged rapidly upon treatment withdrawal. Kaempferol increased CD4+FoxP3+ Tregs both in transplanted mice and in vitro, likely by suppressing DC maturation and their IL-6 expression. Reduction in Tregs by low dose of cyclosporine was reversed by kaempferol. Kaempferol-induced Tregs exhibited both allospecific and non-allospecific suppression. Administering IL-6 abrogated allograft tolerance induced by kaempferol and cyclosporine via diminishing CD4+FoxP3+ Tregs. Thus, for the first time, we demonstrated that kaempferol promotes transplant tolerance in the presence of low dose of cyclosporine, which allows for sufficient Treg generation while minimizing side effects, resulting in much-needed synergy between kaempferol and cyclosporine. © Copyright 2015 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

  11. Thyroid Scan and Uptake

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... for a thyroid scan is 30 minutes or less. Thyroid Uptake You will be given radioactive iodine (I-123 or I-131) in liquid or capsule form to swallow. The thyroid uptake will begin several hours to 24 hours later. Often, two separate uptake ...

  12. Uptake, translocation, and toxicity of gold nanorods in maize

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moradi Shahmansouri, Nastaran

    Nanomaterials are widely used in many different products, such as electronics, cosmetics, industrial goods, biomedical uses, and other material applications. The heavy emission of nanomaterials into the environment has motived increasing concern regarding the effects on ecosystems, food chains, and, human health. Plants can tolerate a certain amount of natural nanomaterials, but large amounts of ENMs released from a variety of industries could be toxic to plants and possibly threaten the ecosystem. Employing phytoremediation as a contamination treatment method may show promise. However a pre-requisite to successful treatment is a better understanding of the behavior and effects of nanomaterials within plant systems. This study is designed to investigate the uptake, translocation, bioavailability, and toxicity of gold nanorods in maize plants. Maize is an important food and feed crop that can be used to understand the potential hazardous effects of nanoparticle uptake and distribution in the food chain. The findings could be an important contribution to the fields of phytoremediation, agri-nanotechnology, and nanoparticle toxicity on plants. In the first experiment, hydroponically grown maize seedlings were exposed to similar doses of commercial non-coated gold nanorods in three sizes, 10x34 nm, 20x75 nm, and 40x96 nm. The three nanorod species were suspended in solutions at concentrations of 350 mg/l, 5.8 mg/l, and 14 mg/l, respectively. Maize plants were exposed to all three solutions resulting in considerably lower transpiration and wet biomass than control plants. Likewise, dry biomass was reduced, but the effect is less pronounced than that of transpiration and wet biomass. The reduced transpiration and water content, which eventually proved fatal to exposed plants, were most likely a result of toxic effect of gold nanorod, which appeared to physically hinder the root system. TEM images proved that maize plants can uptake gold particles and accumulate them in

  13. Evaluation of leachate quality from pentachlorophenol, creosote and ACA [ammoniacal chromium arsenate] preserved wood products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whiticar, D.M.; Letourneau, L.; Konasewich, D.

    1994-01-01

    A field study was conducted to evaluate the leachability characteristics of pentachlorophenol (PCP), creosote, and ammoniacal chromium arsenate (ACA) wood preservatives from freshly treated wood products. Test products included PCP-treated utility poles, creosote-treated timbers and marine pilings, and ACA-treated utility poles. Bundles of test products were placed over collection trays to collect the leachate generated by natural rainfall and by sprinkling with tap water. The sampling schedule was based on accumulated rainfall with samples taken at about every 15 mm from 15 mm to 150 mm. Analyses included pH, oil and grease, total organic carbon, ammonia, metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), chlorinated and nonchlorinated phenols, resin acids, and fish toxicity. The study indicated that leachates from wood products freshly treated with ACA, creosote, and PCP have potential for aquatic toxicity if released to the environment. A decreasing trend was noted in both the arsenic and copper releases as cumulative precipitation increased. PCP releases remained constant over the course of the study while PAH releases showed no significant trend. Phenanthrene was found to be the main component in the releases. 28 refs., 18 figs., 7 tabs

  14. Inhibition of insulin-dependent glucose uptake by trivalent arsenicals: possible mechanism of arsenic-induced diabetes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walton, Felecia S.; Harmon, Anne W.; Paul, David S.; Drobna, Zuzana; Patel, Yashomati M.; Styblo, Miroslav

    2004-01-01

    Chronic exposures to inorganic arsenic (iAs) have been associated with increased incidence of noninsulin (type-2)-dependent diabetes mellitus. Although mechanisms by which iAs induces diabetes have not been identified, the clinical symptoms of the disease indicate that iAs or its metabolites interfere with insulin-stimulated signal transduction pathway or with critical steps in glucose metabolism. We have examined effects of iAs and methylated arsenicals that contain trivalent or pentavalent arsenic on glucose uptake by 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Treatment with inorganic and methylated pentavalent arsenicals (up to 1 mM) had little or no effect on either basal or insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. In contrast, trivalent arsenicals, arsenite (iAs III ), methylarsine oxide (MAs III O), and iododimethylarsine (DMAs III O) inhibited insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in a concentration-dependent manner. Subtoxic concentrations of iAs III (20 μM), MAs III O (1 μM), or DMAs III I (2 μM) decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by 35-45%. Basal glucose uptake was significantly inhibited only by cytotoxic concentrations of iAs III or MAs III O. Examination of the components of the insulin-stimulated signal transduction pathway showed that all trivalent arsenicals suppressed expression and possibly phosphorylation of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt). The concentration of an insulin-responsive glucose transporter (GLUT4) was significantly lower in the membrane region of 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with trivalent arsenicals as compared with untreated cells. These results suggest that trivalent arsenicals inhibit insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by interfering with the PKB/Akt-dependent mobilization of GLUT4 transporters in adipocytes. This mechanism may be, in part, responsible for the development of type-2 diabetes in individuals chronically exposed to iAs

  15. Splicing factor SR34b mutation reduces cadmium tolerance in Arabidopsis by regulating iron-regulated transporter 1 gene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Wentao; Du, Bojing; Liu, Di; Qi, Xiaoting

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Arabidopsis splicing factor SR34b gene is cadmium-inducible. • SR34b T-DNA insertion mutant is sensitive to cadmium due to high cadmium uptake. • SR34b is a regulator of cadmium transporter IRT1 at the posttranscription level. • These results highlight the roles of splicing factors in cadmium tolerance of plant. - Abstract: Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are important splicing factors. However, the biological functions of plant SR proteins remain unclear especially in abiotic stresses. Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential element that negatively affects plant growth and development. In this study, we provided clear evidence for SR gene involved in Cd tolerance in planta. Systemic expression analysis of 17 Arabidopsis SR genes revealed that SR34b is the only SR gene upregulated by Cd, suggesting its potential roles in Arabidopsis Cd tolerance. Consistent with this, a SR34b T-DNA insertion mutant (sr34b) was moderately sensitive to Cd, which had higher Cd 2+ uptake rate and accumulated Cd in greater amounts than wild-type. This was due to the altered expression of iron-regulated transporter 1 (IRT1) gene in sr34b mutant. Under normal growth conditions, IRT1 mRNAs highly accumulated in sr34b mutant, which was a result of increased stability of IRT1 mRNA. Under Cd stress, however, sr34b mutant plants had a splicing defect in IRT1 gene, thus reducing the IRT1 mRNA accumulation. Despite of this, sr34b mutant plants still constitutively expressed IRT1 proteins under Cd stress, thereby resulting in Cd stress-sensitive phenotype. We therefore propose the essential roles of SR34b in posttranscriptional regulation of IRT1 expression and identify it as a regulator of Arabidopsis Cd tolerance

  16. Splicing factor SR34b mutation reduces cadmium tolerance in Arabidopsis by regulating iron-regulated transporter 1 gene

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Wentao; Du, Bojing; Liu, Di; Qi, Xiaoting, E-mail: qixiaoting@cnu.edu.cn

    2014-12-12

    Highlights: • Arabidopsis splicing factor SR34b gene is cadmium-inducible. • SR34b T-DNA insertion mutant is sensitive to cadmium due to high cadmium uptake. • SR34b is a regulator of cadmium transporter IRT1 at the posttranscription level. • These results highlight the roles of splicing factors in cadmium tolerance of plant. - Abstract: Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are important splicing factors. However, the biological functions of plant SR proteins remain unclear especially in abiotic stresses. Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential element that negatively affects plant growth and development. In this study, we provided clear evidence for SR gene involved in Cd tolerance in planta. Systemic expression analysis of 17 Arabidopsis SR genes revealed that SR34b is the only SR gene upregulated by Cd, suggesting its potential roles in Arabidopsis Cd tolerance. Consistent with this, a SR34b T-DNA insertion mutant (sr34b) was moderately sensitive to Cd, which had higher Cd{sup 2+} uptake rate and accumulated Cd in greater amounts than wild-type. This was due to the altered expression of iron-regulated transporter 1 (IRT1) gene in sr34b mutant. Under normal growth conditions, IRT1 mRNAs highly accumulated in sr34b mutant, which was a result of increased stability of IRT1 mRNA. Under Cd stress, however, sr34b mutant plants had a splicing defect in IRT1 gene, thus reducing the IRT1 mRNA accumulation. Despite of this, sr34b mutant plants still constitutively expressed IRT1 proteins under Cd stress, thereby resulting in Cd stress-sensitive phenotype. We therefore propose the essential roles of SR34b in posttranscriptional regulation of IRT1 expression and identify it as a regulator of Arabidopsis Cd tolerance.

  17. The influence of I-131 therapy on FDG uptake in differentiated thyroid cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hung Guanguei; Lee Kwowhei; Liao Peiyung; Yang Liheng; Yang Kwangtao

    2008-01-01

    18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) [or PET/computed tomography (CT)] is more likely to show false-negative results when it is performed shortly after chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy because of ''metabolic stunning''. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of I-131 therapy on FDG uptake and the detection of recurrence or metastasis of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). We retrospectively enrolled 16 consecutive FDG-PET/CT studies which had been performed in patients with DTC with elevated thyroglobulin (TG) but negative I-131 whole-body scan. All studies were performed under L-thyroxine suppression. The patients were divided into groups A and B for PET/CT performed within 4 months of I-131 therapy or no such therapy, respectively. Each lesion identified on PET/CT was characterized using a 5-point scale by visual analysis: 0=definitely benign, 1=probably benign, 2=equivocal, 3=probably malignant, and 4=definitely malignant. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max ) in each lesion was also measured for semiquantitative analysis. We compared the visual grading and SUV max of the lesion of highest FDG uptake between groups A and B. For visual analysis, group B had significantly more patients with an uptake score of 3 or 4 than group A (80% vs. 17%, P=0.01). In addition, there were significantly more equivocal results from group A than from group B (67% vs. 10%, P=0.02). If the patients with the highest uptake scores of 2, 3, and 4 were considered to be positive for local recurrence or metastasis, there would be no significant difference between the positive rates of groups A and B (83% vs. 90%, P=0.7). However, the mean SUV max of positive results was significantly lower for group A than for group B (3.1±0.9 and 6.6±3.5 respectively, P=0.02). The preliminary results suggested that FDG uptake in DTC may be negatively influenced by I-131 therapy within 4 months, resulting in lower FDG uptake and more equivocal results

  18. Effect of citric acid and EDTA on chromium and nickel uptake and translocation by Datura innoxia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jean, Liliane; Bordas, Francois; Gautier-Moussard, Cecile; Vernay, Philippe; Hitmi, Adnane; Bollinger, Jean-Claude

    2008-01-01

    EDTA and citric acid were tested to solubilize metals and enhance their uptake by Datura innoxia, chosen because of its ability to accumulate and tolerate metals. Two application modes were used on an industrial soil contaminated mainly by Cr and Ni. The results showed that citric acid was the most effective at increasing the uptake of Cr and EDTA for Ni. These results are consistent with the effectiveness of both chelants in solubilizing metals from the soil. The translocation factor (TF) of Ni was 1.6- and 6.7-fold higher than the control, respectively, for one and two applications of 1 mmol kg -1 EDTA. After two applications of 5 and 10 mmol kg -1 citric acid, the TF of Cr increased 2- and 3.5-fold relative to the control. Whatever the concentration, the application of EDTA modified the plant physiology significantly. For citric acid this was only observed with the highest dose (10 mmol kg -1 ). - Chelant effectiveness in increasing chromium and nickel uptake by Datura innoxia is the result of the increase in translocation versus negative effect on plant physiology

  19. Determination of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) in treated wood of Eucalyptus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parreira, Paulo S., E-mail: parreira@uel.b [Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), PR (Brazil). Dept. de Fisica. Lab.de Fisica Nuclear Aplicada; Vendrametto, Guilherme R.; Cunha, Magda E.T., E-mail: grvendrametto@gmail.co [Universidade Norte do Parana, Arapongas, PR (Brazil). Centro de Ciencias Humanas, da Saude, Exatas e Tecnologicas-A

    2009-07-01

    This work deals with the possible application of a portable energy dispersive handmade system (PXRF-LFNA-02) for the determination of Chromium, Copper and Arsenic in the preservative solution used to protect commercial wood of Eucalyptus, which are employed as wood fence, posts, contention fences, railroad sleepers, etc. It was prepared five body-of-proof made of eucalyptus alburnum with different concentrations for each element varying from 0.0061 to 0.0180 (g/g) for CrO{sub 3}, 0.0024 to 0.0070 (g/g) for CuO and 0.0044 to 0.0129 (g/g) for As{sub 2}O{sub 5}. Four of them were used for calibration curves and one used as reference sample. It was used a commercial CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate ) solution to prepare the samples. The results show a good linear regression between concentrations and X-rays intensities, after applied the multiple linear regression methodology for interelemental corrections. The values obtained with this methodology were 3.01(kg/m{sup 3}), 1.18 (kg/m{sup 3}) e 2.21 (kg/m{sup 3}) for CrO{sub 3}, CuO and As{sub 2}O{sub 5}, respectively, while the nominal values are 2.90 (kg/m{sup 3}) for CrO{sub 3}, 1.13 (kg/m{sup 3}) for CuO and 2.07 (kg/m{sup 3}) for As{sub 2}O{sub 5}. The ED-XRF (Energy Dispersive X-Rays Fluorescence) is a well established technique with high-speed of analytical procedure and its portable configuration allowing a multielemental, simultaneous and non destructive analyses besides in situ application. (author)

  20. Cd-tolerant Suillus luteus: a fungal insurance for pines exposed to Cd.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krznaric, Erik; Verbruggen, Nathalie; Wevers, Jan H L; Carleer, Robert; Vangronsveld, Jaco; Colpaert, Jan V

    2009-05-01

    Soil metal pollution can trigger evolutionary adaptation in soil-borne organisms. An in vitro screening test showed cadmium adaptation in populations of Suillus luteus (L.: Fr.) Roussel, an ectomycorrhizal fungus of pine trees. Cadmium stress was subsequently investigated in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings inoculated with a Cd-tolerant S. luteus, isolated from a heavy metal contaminated site, and compared to plants inoculated with a Cd-sensitive isolate from a non-polluted area. A dose-response experiment with mycorrhizal pines showed better plant protection by a Cd-adapted fungus: more fungal biomass and a higher nutrient uptake at high Cd exposure. In addition, less Cd was transferred to aboveground plant parts. Because of the key role of the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis for tree fitness, the evolution of Cd tolerance in an ectomycorrhizal partner such as S. luteus can be of major importance for the establishment of pine forests on Cd-contaminated soils.

  1. Effect of hypoxia on the uptake of [methyl-3H]choline, [1-14C] acetate and [18F]FDG in cultured prostate cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hara, Toshihiko; Bansal, Aditya; DeGrado, Timothy R.

    2006-01-01

    Introduction: Choline, acetate and glucose ([2- 18 F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose, [ 18 F]FDG) analogs are under investigation as positron emission tomography (PET) tracers for the imaging of prostate cancer; however, their response to tumor hypoxia has not been clarified. Methods: The uptake of [methyl- 3 H]choline, [1- 14 C]acetate and [ 18 F]FDG was monitored in androgen-independent PC-3 cells and androgen-sensitive LNCaP cells under aerobic or anoxic conditions. The effect of androgen depletion was also examined. Results: PC-3 cells exhibited aerobic choline and acetate uptake five to six times higher than FDG uptake, whereas LNCaP cells showed choline uptake 2.2-fold higher than acetate uptake and 10-fold higher than FDG uptake. After 4 h of anoxia, PC-3 cells showed an 85% increase in FDG uptake, a 15% decrease in choline uptake and a 36% increase in acetate uptake, whereas LNCaP cells showed a 212% increase in FDG uptake, a 28% decrease in choline uptake and no change in acetate uptake. Androgen depletion resulted in a marked decrease in the uptake of all tracers in LNCaP cells but no changes in PC-3 cells. Conclusion: In aerobic conditions, both PC-3 and LNCaP cells exhibited an order of uptake preference as follows: choline>acetate>FDG. In hypoxic cells, the order is reversed, reflecting diverse biochemical responses to hypoxia. These findings may help to explain PET imaging findings of the diverse responses of these tracers in different stages and locations of prostate cancer. Androgen depletion markedly suppressed the uptake of all three tracers in LNCaP cells, which suggests the potential for underestimation of the disease state when PET imaging is performed subsequent to antiandrogen therapy

  2. Charging suppression in focused-ion beam fabrication of visible subwavelength dielectric grating reflector using electron conducting polymer

    KAUST Repository

    Alias, Mohd Sharizal; Liao, Hsien-Yu; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S.

    2015-01-01

    Nanoscale periodic patterning on insulating materials using focused-ion beam (FIB) is challenging because of charging effect, which causes pattern distortion and resolution degradation. In this paper, the authors used a charging suppression scheme using electron conducting polymer for the implementation of FIB patterned dielectric subwavelength grating (SWG) reflector. Prior to the FIB patterning, the authors numerically designed the optimal structure and the fabrication tolerance for all grating parameters (period, grating thickness, fill-factor, and low refractive index layer thickness) using the rigorous-coupled wave analysis computation. Then, the authors performed the FIB patterning on the dielectric SWG reflector spin-coated with electron conducting polymer for the anticharging purpose. They also performed similar patterning using thin conductive film anticharging scheme (30 nm Cr coating) for comparison. Their results show that the electron conducting polymer anticharging scheme effectively suppressing the charging effect during the FIB patterning of dielectric SWG reflector. The fabricated grating exhibited nanoscale precision, high uniformity and contrast, constant patterning, and complied with fabrication tolerance for all grating parameters across the entire patterned area. Utilization of electron conducting polymer leads to a simpler anticharging scheme with high precision and uniformity for FIB patterning on insulator materials.

  3. Charging suppression in focused-ion beam fabrication of visible subwavelength dielectric grating reflector using electron conducting polymer

    KAUST Repository

    Alias, Mohd Sharizal

    2015-08-19

    Nanoscale periodic patterning on insulating materials using focused-ion beam (FIB) is challenging because of charging effect, which causes pattern distortion and resolution degradation. In this paper, the authors used a charging suppression scheme using electron conducting polymer for the implementation of FIB patterned dielectric subwavelength grating (SWG) reflector. Prior to the FIB patterning, the authors numerically designed the optimal structure and the fabrication tolerance for all grating parameters (period, grating thickness, fill-factor, and low refractive index layer thickness) using the rigorous-coupled wave analysis computation. Then, the authors performed the FIB patterning on the dielectric SWG reflector spin-coated with electron conducting polymer for the anticharging purpose. They also performed similar patterning using thin conductive film anticharging scheme (30 nm Cr coating) for comparison. Their results show that the electron conducting polymer anticharging scheme effectively suppressing the charging effect during the FIB patterning of dielectric SWG reflector. The fabricated grating exhibited nanoscale precision, high uniformity and contrast, constant patterning, and complied with fabrication tolerance for all grating parameters across the entire patterned area. Utilization of electron conducting polymer leads to a simpler anticharging scheme with high precision and uniformity for FIB patterning on insulator materials.

  4. Uptake of nuclides by plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greger, Maria

    2004-04-01

    This review on plant uptake of elements has been prepared to demonstrate how plants take up different elements. The work discusses the nutrient elements, as well as the general uptake and translocation in plants, both via roots and by foliar absorption. Knowledge of the uptake by the various elements within the periodic system is then reviewed. The work also discusses transfer factors (TF) as well as difficulties using TF to understand the uptake by plants. The review also focuses on species differences. Knowledge necessary to understand and calculate plant influence on radionuclide recirculation in the environment is discussed, in which the plant uptake of a specific nuclide and the fate of that nuclide in the plant must be understood. Plants themselves determine the uptake, the soil/sediment determines the availability of the nuclides and the nuclides themselves can interact with each other, which also influences the uptake. Consequently, it is not possible to predict the nuclide uptake in plants by only analysing the nuclide concentration of the soil/substrate

  5. Uptake of nuclides by plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greger, Maria [Stockholm Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Botany

    2004-04-01

    This review on plant uptake of elements has been prepared to demonstrate how plants take up different elements. The work discusses the nutrient elements, as well as the general uptake and translocation in plants, both via roots and by foliar absorption. Knowledge of the uptake by the various elements within the periodic system is then reviewed. The work also discusses transfer factors (TF) as well as difficulties using TF to understand the uptake by plants. The review also focuses on species differences. Knowledge necessary to understand and calculate plant influence on radionuclide recirculation in the environment is discussed, in which the plant uptake of a specific nuclide and the fate of that nuclide in the plant must be understood. Plants themselves determine the uptake, the soil/sediment determines the availability of the nuclides and the nuclides themselves can interact with each other, which also influences the uptake. Consequently, it is not possible to predict the nuclide uptake in plants by only analysing the nuclide concentration of the soil/substrate.

  6. Effect of water management and silicon on germination, growth, phosphorus and arsenic uptake in rice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zia, Zahida; Bakhat, Hafiz Faiq; Saqib, Zulfiqar Ahmad; Shah, Ghulam Mustafa; Fahad, Shah; Ashraf, Muhammad Rizwan; Hammad, Hafiz Mohkum; Naseem, Wajid; Shahid, Muhammad

    2017-10-01

    Silicon (Si) is the 2nd most abundant element in soil which is known to enhance stress tolerance in wide variety of crops. Arsenic (As), a toxic metalloid enters into the human food chain through contaminated water and food or feed. To alleviate the deleterious effect of As on human health, it is a need of time to find out an effective strategy to reduce the As accumulation in the food chain. The experiments were conducted during September-December 2014, and 2016 to optimize Si concentration for rice (Oryza sativa L.) exposed to As stress. Further experiment were carried out to evaluate the effect of optimum Si on rice seed germination, seedling growth, phosphorus and As uptake in rice plant. During laboratory experiment, rice seeds were exposed to 150 and 300µM As with and without 3mM Si supplementation. Results revealed that As application, decreased the germination up to 40-50% as compared to control treatment. Arsenic stress also significantly (P management, significantly (P˂0.05) affected the plant growth, Si and As concentrations in the plant. Arsenic uptake was relatively less under aerobic conditions. The maximum As concentration (9.34 and 27.70mgkg DW -1 in shoot and root, respectively) was found in plant treated with 300µM As in absence of Si under anaerobic condition. Similarly, anaerobic condition resulted in higher As uptake in the plants. The study demonstrated that aerobic cultivation is suitable to decrease the As uptake and in rice exogenous Si supply is beneficial to decrease As uptake under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Superior removal of arsenic from water with zirconium metal-organic framework UiO-66

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chenghong; Liu, Xinlei; Chen, J. Paul; Li, Kang

    2015-01-01

    In this study, water stable zirconium metal-organic framework (UiO-66) has been synthesized and for the first time applied as an adsorbent to remove aquatic arsenic contamination. The as-synthesized UiO-66 adsorbent functions excellently across a broad pH range of 1 to 10, and achieves a remarkable arsenate uptake capacity of 303 mg/g at the optimal pH, i.e., pH = 2. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest arsenate As(V) adsorption capacity ever reported, much higher than that of currently available adsorbents (5–280 mg/g, generally less than 100 mg/g). The superior arsenic uptake performance of UiO-66 adsorbent could be attributed to the highly porous crystalline structure containing zirconium oxide clusters, which provides a large contact area and plenty of active sites in unit space. Two binding sites within the adsorbent framework are proposed for arsenic species, i.e., hydroxyl group and benzenedicarboxylate ligand. At equilibrium, seven equivalent arsenic species can be captured by one Zr6 cluster through the formation of Zr-O-As coordination bonds. PMID:26559001

  8. Superior removal of arsenic from water with zirconium metal-organic framework UiO-66.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chenghong; Liu, Xinlei; Chen, J Paul; Li, Kang

    2015-11-12

    In this study, water stable zirconium metal-organic framework (UiO-66) has been synthesized and for the first time applied as an adsorbent to remove aquatic arsenic contamination. The as-synthesized UiO-66 adsorbent functions excellently across a broad pH range of 1 to 10, and achieves a remarkable arsenate uptake capacity of 303 mg/g at the optimal pH, i.e., pH = 2. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest arsenate As(V) adsorption capacity ever reported, much higher than that of currently available adsorbents (5-280 mg/g, generally less than 100 mg/g). The superior arsenic uptake performance of UiO-66 adsorbent could be attributed to the highly porous crystalline structure containing zirconium oxide clusters, which provides a large contact area and plenty of active sites in unit space. Two binding sites within the adsorbent framework are proposed for arsenic species, i.e., hydroxyl group and benzenedicarboxylate ligand. At equilibrium, seven equivalent arsenic species can be captured by one Zr6 cluster through the formation of Zr-O-As coordination bonds.

  9. Tolerance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tønder, Lars

    Tolerance: A Sensorial Orientation to Politics is an experiment in re-orientation. The book is based on the wager that tolerance exceeds the more prevalent images of self-restraint and repressive benevolence because neither precludes the possibility of a more “active tolerance” motivated by the d...... these alternatives by returning to the notion of tolerance as the endurance of pain, linking this notion to exemplars and theories relevant to the politics of multiculturalism, religious freedom, and free speech....

  10. Changes in glucose-elicited blood metabolite responses following weight loss and long term weight maintenance in obese individuals with impaired glucose tolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geidenstam, Nina; Danielsson, Anders P H; Spégel, Peter; Ridderstråle, Martin

    2016-03-01

    Weight loss improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in obese subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), but the long term dynamic effects on blood metabolites other than glucose during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), are largely unknown. Here, we studied changes in OGTT-elicited metabolite patterns in obese subjects during a diet-induced weight loss study. Blood samples from 14 obese individuals with IGT were collected at 0, 30 and 120 min during a standard 75 g OGTT at baseline (BMI 44 ± 2 kg/m(2)), after weight loss (BMI 36 ± 2 kg/m(2)) and after weight maintenance (BMI 35 ± 2 kg/m(2)). Serum metabolite levels were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and compared to a lean glucose tolerant group. Changes in the OGTT-elicited metabolite patterns occurred differentially during weight loss and weight maintenance. Enhanced suppression of aromatic amino acids were associated with decreased insulinogenic index observed after weight loss (tyrosine: r=0.72, p=0.013; phenylalanine: r=0.63, p=0.039). The OGTT-elicited suppression and/or lack of increase in levels of glutamate, glutamine, isoleucine, leucine, and the fatty acids laurate, oleate and palmitate, improved towards the lean profile after weight maintenance, paralleling an improvement in glucose tolerance. The greater heterogeneity in the response before and after weight loss in the obese, compared to lean subjects, was markedly reduced after weight maintenance. Diet-induced weight loss followed by weight maintenance results in changes in metabolite profiles associated with either hepatic insulin sensitivity or peripheral glucose tolerance. Our results highlight the importance of evaluating the effects of weight loss and weight maintenance separately. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Increased degradation of ATP is driven by memory regulatory T cells in kidney transplantation tolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durand, Maxim; Dubois, Florian; Dejou, Cécile; Durand, Eugénie; Danger, Richard; Chesneau, Mélanie; Brosseau, Carole; Guerif, Pierrick; Soulillou, Jean-Paul; Degauque, Nicolas; Eliaou, Jean-François; Giral, Magali; Bonnefoy, Nathalie; Brouard, Sophie

    2018-05-01

    Regulatory T cells were recently proposed as the central actor in operational tolerance after renal transplantation. Tolerant patients harbor increased FoxP3hi memory Treg frequency and increased demethylation in the Foxp3 Treg-specific demethylated region when compared to stable kidney recipients and exhibit greater memory Treg suppressive capacities and higher expression of the ectonucleotidase CD39. However, in this particular and unique situation the mechanisms of action of Tregs were not identified. Thus, we analyzed the ability of memory Tregs to degrade extracellular ATP in tolerant patients, healthy volunteers, and patients with stable graft function under immunosuppression and determined the role of immunosuppressive drugs on this process. The conserved proportion of memory Tregs leads to the establishment of a pro-tolerogenic balance in operationally tolerant patients. Memory Tregs in tolerant patients display normal capacity to degrade extracellular ATP/ADP. In contrast, memory Tregs from patients with stable graft function do not have this ability. Finally, in vitro, immunosuppressive drugs may favor the lower proportion of memory Tregs in stable patients, but they have no effect on CD39-dependent ATP degradation and do not explain memory Treg lack of extracellular ATP/ADP degradation ability. Thus, intrinsic active regulatory mechanisms may act long after immunosuppressive drug arrest in operationally tolerant patients and may contribute to kidney allograft tolerance via the maintenance of CD39 Treg function. Copyright © 2018 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Pulse sequences for suppressing leakage in single-qubit gate operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Joydip; Coppersmith, S. N.; Friesen, Mark

    2017-06-01

    Many realizations of solid-state qubits involve couplings to leakage states lying outside the computational subspace, posing a threat to high-fidelity quantum gate operations. Mitigating leakage errors is especially challenging when the coupling strength is unknown, e.g., when it is caused by noise. Here we show that simple pulse sequences can be used to strongly suppress leakage errors for a qubit embedded in a three-level system. As an example, we apply our scheme to the recently proposed charge quadrupole (CQ) qubit for quantum dots. These results provide a solution to a key challenge for fault-tolerant quantum computing with solid-state elements.

  13. Hypoxia tolerance in reptiles, amphibians, and fishes: life with variable oxygen availability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bickler, Philip E; Buck, Leslie T

    2007-01-01

    The ability of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles to survive extremes of oxygen availability derives from a core triad of adaptations: profound metabolic suppression, tolerance of ionic and pH disturbances, and mechanisms for avoiding free-radical injury during reoxygenation. For long-term anoxic survival, enhanced storage of glycogen in critical tissues is also necessary. The diversity of body morphologies and habitats and the utilization of dormancy have resulted in a broad array of adaptations to hypoxia in lower vertebrates. For example, the most anoxia-tolerant vertebrates, painted turtles and crucian carp, meet the challenge of variable oxygen in fundamentally different ways: Turtles undergo near-suspended animation, whereas carp remain active and responsive in the absence of oxygen. Although the mechanisms of survival in both of these cases include large stores of glycogen and drastically decreased metabolism, other mechanisms, such as regulation of ion channels in excitable membranes, are apparently divergent. Common themes in the regulatory adjustments to hypoxia involve control of metabolism and ion channel conductance by protein phosphorylation. Tolerance of decreased energy charge and accumulating anaerobic end products as well as enhanced antioxidant defenses and regenerative capacities are also key to hypoxia survival in lower vertebrates.

  14. Antigen-specific tolerance inhibits autoimmune uveitis in pre-sensitized animals by deletion and CD4+CD25+ T-regulatory cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matta, Bharati; Jha, Purushottam; Bora, Puran S; Bora, Nalini S

    2010-02-01

    The objective of this study was to inhibit experimental autoimmune anterior uveitis (EAAU) by establishing antigen-specific immune tolerance in animals pre-sensitized with melanin-associated antigen (MAA). Intravenous administration of MAA on days 6, 7, 8 and 9 post-immunization induced tolerance and inhibited EAAU in all Lewis rats. The number of cells (total T cells, CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) T cells) undergoing apoptosis dramatically increased in the popliteal lymph nodes (LNs) of the tolerized animals compared with non-tolerized animals. In addition, Fas ligand (FasL), TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) and caspase-8 were upregulated in tolerized rats. Proliferation of total lymphocytes, CD4(+)T cells and CD8(+) T cells (harvested from the popliteal LNs) in response to antigenic stimulation was drastically reduced in the state of tolerance compared with the cells from non-tolerized animals. The level of interferon (IFN)-gamma and IL-2 decreased, whereas TGF-beta2 was elevated in the state of tolerance. Furthermore, the number of CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) increased in the popliteal LNs of tolerized animals compared with non-tolerized animals. In conclusion, our results suggest that deletion of antigen-specific T cells by apoptosis and active suppression mediated by Tregs has an important role in the induction of antigen specific immune tolerance in animals with an established immune response against MAA.

  15. Comparative sequence analyses of the major quantitative trait locus phosphorus uptake 1 (Pup1) reveal a complex genetic structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heuer, Sigrid; Lu, Xiaochun; Chin, Joong Hyoun; Tanaka, Juan Pariasca; Kanamori, Hiroyuki; Matsumoto, Takashi; De Leon, Teresa; Ulat, Victor Jun; Ismail, Abdelbagi M; Yano, Masahiro; Wissuwa, Matthias

    2009-06-01

    The phosphorus uptake 1 (Pup1) locus was identified as a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) for tolerance of phosphorus deficiency in rice. Near-isogenic lines with the Pup1 region from tolerant donor parent Kasalath typically show threefold higher phosphorus uptake and grain yield in phosphorus-deficient field trials than the intolerant parent Nipponbare. In this study, we report the fine mapping of the Pup1 locus to the long arm of chromosome 12 (15.31-15.47 Mb). Genes in the region were initially identified on the basis of the Nipponbare reference genome, but did not reveal any obvious candidate genes related to phosphorus uptake. Kasalath BAC clones were therefore sequenced and revealed a 278-kbp sequence significantly different from the syntenic regions in Nipponbare (145 kb) and in the indica reference genome of 93-11 (742 kbp). Size differences are caused by large insertions or deletions (INDELs), and an exceptionally large number of retrotransposon and transposon-related elements (TEs) present in all three sequences (45%-54%). About 46 kb of the Kasalath sequence did not align with the entire Nipponbare genome, and only three Nipponbare genes (fatty acid alpha-dioxygenase, dirigent protein and aspartic proteinase) are highly conserved in Kasalath. Two Nipponbare genes (expressed proteins) might have evolved by at least three TE integrations in an ancestor gene that is still present in Kasalath. Several predicted Kasalath genes are novel or unknown genes that are mainly located within INDEL regions. Our results highlight the importance of sequencing QTL regions in the respective donor parent, as important genes might not be present in the current reference genomes.

  16. The interbranchial lymphoid tissue likely contributes to immune tolerance and defense in the gills of Atlantic salmon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aas, Ida Bergva; Austbø, Lars; Falk, Knut; Hordvik, Ivar; Koppang, Erling Olaf

    2017-11-01

    Central and peripheral immune tolerance is together with defense mechanisms a hallmark of all lymphoid tissues. In fish, such tolerance is especially important in the gills, where the intimate contact between gill tissue and the aqueous environment would otherwise lead to continual immune stimulation by innocuous antigens. In this paper, we focus on the expression of genes associated with immune regulation by the interbranchial lymphoid tissue (ILT) in an attempt to understand its role in maintaining immune homeostasis. Both healthy and virus-challenged fish were investigated, and transcript levels were examined from laser-dissected ILT, gills, head kidney and intestine. Lack of Aire expression in the ILT excluded its involvement in central tolerance and any possibility of its being an analogue to the thymus. On the other hand, the ILT appears to participate in peripheral immune tolerance due to its relatively high expression of forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3) and other genes associated with regulatory T cells (Tregs) and immune suppression. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Diselenolane-mediated cellular uptake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuard, Nicolas; Poblador-Bahamonde, Amalia I; Zong, Lili; Bartolami, Eline; Hildebrandt, Jana; Weigand, Wolfgang; Sakai, Naomi; Matile, Stefan

    2018-02-21

    The emerging power of thiol-mediated uptake with strained disulfides called for a move from sulfur to selenium. We report that according to results with fluorescent model substrates, cellular uptake with 1,2-diselenolanes exceeds uptake with 1,2-dithiolanes and epidithiodiketopiperazines with regard to efficiency as well as intracellular localization. The diselenide analog of lipoic acid performs best. This 1,2-diselenolane delivers fluorophores efficiently to the cytosol of HeLa Kyoto cells, without detectable endosomal capture as with 1,2-dithiolanes or dominant escape into the nucleus as with epidithiodiketopiperazines. Diselenolane-mediated cytosolic delivery is non-toxic (MTT assay), sensitive to temperature but insensitive to inhibitors of endocytosis (chlorpromazine, methyl-β-cyclodextrin, wortmannin, cytochalasin B) and conventional thiol-mediated uptake (Ellman's reagent), and to serum. Selenophilicity, the extreme CSeSeC dihedral angle of 0° and the high but different acidity of primary and secondary selenols might all contribute to uptake. Thiol-exchange affinity chromatography is introduced as operational mimic of thiol-mediated uptake that provides, in combination with rate enhancement of DTT oxidation, direct experimental evidence for existence and nature of the involved selenosulfides.

  18. An analysis of the physiological FDG uptake in the stomach with the water gastric distention method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamimura, Kiyohisa; Fujita, Seigo; Yano, Tatsuhiko; Ogita, Mikio; Umemura, Yoshiro; Fujimoto, Toshiro; Nishii, Ryuichi; Wakamatsu, Hideyuki; Nagamachi, Shigeki; Nakajo, Masayuki

    2007-01-01

    Physiological FDG uptake in the stomach is a common phenomenon, especially noted at the cardia. Water intake just before scanning will result in gastric distention and thinning of the gastric wall, which in turn may lead to a reduction in the physiological uptake in the gastric wall. In the current study, we investigated whether gastric distention by water intake just before PET imaging reduces physiological FDG uptake in the stomach. The patient population comprised 60 patients who underwent whole-body FDG-PET imaging for cancer screening following gastroscopy performed within the preceding week. All patients took 400 ml of water for hydration and were administered 185 MBq of FDG intravenously. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: a group with additional water intake (AW group; n = 30) and a group without additional water intake (NW group; n = 30). In the AW group, an additional 400 ml of water was given just before PET imaging. For quantitative analysis, the stomach was classified into three areas [upper (U), middle (M) and lower (L)], and the degree of FDG uptake in each area was evaluated using standardised uptake values (SUVs). In the NW group, the mean SUVs in the U, M and L areas were 2.41 ± 0.75, 2.28 ± 0.73 and 1.61 ± 0.89, respectively, while in the AW group they were 1.82 ± 0.66, 1.73 ± 0.56 and 1.48 ± 0.49, respectively, and 2.21 ± 0.38 in the oesophago-gastric junction. The mean SUVs in the U and M areas in the AW group were significantly lower than those in the NW group (p < 0.05). Additional water intake just before PET imaging is an effective method for suppressing physiological FDG uptake in the stomach. (orig.)

  19. Sensitivity to Sunburn Is Associated with Susceptibility to Ultraviolet Radiation–Induced Suppression of Cutaneous Cell–Mediated Immunity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Deirdre A.; Young, Antony R.; McGregor, Jane M.; Seed, Paul T.; Potten, Christopher S.; Walker, Susan L.

    2000-01-01

    Skin cancer incidence is highest in white-skinned people. Within this group, skin types I/II (sun sensitive/tan poorly) are at greater risk than skin types III/IV (sun tolerant/tan well). Studies in mice demonstrate that ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced suppression of cell-mediated immune function plays an important role in the development of skin cancer and induces a susceptibility to infectious disease. A similar role is suspected in humans, but we lack quantitative human data to make risk assessments of ambient solar exposure on human health. This study demonstrates that ambient levels of solar UVR, typically experienced within 1 h of exposure to noonday summer sunlight, can suppress contact hypersensitivity (CHS) responses in healthy white-skinned humans in vivo (n = 93). There was a linear relationship between increase in erythema and suppression of CHS (P sunburn (two minimal erythema doses [2 MED]) was sufficient to suppress CHS in all volunteers by 93%. However, a single suberythemal exposure of either 0.25 or 0.5 MED suppressed CHS responses by 50 and 80%, respectively, in skin types I/II, whereas 1 MED only suppressed CHS by 40% in skin types III/IV. The two- to threefold greater sensitivity of skin types I/II for a given level of sunburn may play a role in their greater sensitivity to skin cancer. PMID:10662801

  20. Dexamethasone-suppression adrenal scintigraphy in hyperandrogenism: concise communication

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gross, M.D.; Freitas, J.E.; Swanson, D.P.; Woodbury, M.C.; Schteingart, D.E.; Beierwaltes, W.H.

    1981-01-01

    To assess the contribution of adrenal-derived androgens in women with hirsutism, adrenal scintigrams under dexamethasone suppression (DS) were performed on 35 women with increasing facial or body hair and irregular or absent menses. Based upon the DS regimen chosen (8 mg/d for 2 days or 4 md/d for 7 days before the injection of 6..beta..-(/sup 131/I)iodomethylnorcholesterol), three imaging patterns were identified. The first was the absence of uptake before 3 days (8-mg DS) or before 5 days (4-mg DS) after injection. This imaging pattern was seen in 17 of the 35 patients studied and was considered normal. The second pattern was bilateral uptake earlier than 3 days (8-mg DS regimen) or 5 days (4-mg DS) after injection. This was seen in 13 of the 35 patients and was interpreted as bilateral early visualization. Adrenal-vein catheterization performed on six patients with this pattern showed increased adrenal-vein testosterone. The third pattern, observed in five patients, was unilateral early visualization, which in four cases investigated to date was the result of an adrenocortical adenoma. This study confirms the adrenal cortex as a source of androgens in women with hirsutism and hyperandrogenism and demonstrates that DS adrenal scintigraphy can be utilized to identify those women in whom adrenal-derived androgens contribute to their hyperandrogenism.