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Local immune response in Helicobacter pylori-infected cats and identification of H. pylori in saliva, gastric fluid and faeces.

Helicobacter pylori-infected cats were screened by culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of H. pylori in salivary secretions, gastric juice, gastric tissue and faeces. H. pylori was cultured from salivary secretions in six of 12 (50%) cats and from gastric fluid samples in 11 of 12 (91%) cats. A 298 base pair polymerase chain reactions (PCR) product specific for an H. pylori 26000 MW surface protein was amplified from dental plaque samples from five of 12 (42%) cats and from the faeces of four of five (80%) cats studied. Analyses of serum and mucosal secretions by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed an H. pylori-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) response, and elevated IgA anti-H. pylori antibody levels in salivary and local gastric secretions. Immunohistochemical analyses of gastric tissue revealed the presence of IgM+ B cells assembled into multiple lymphoid follicles surrounded by clusters of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The lamina propria also contained single cells or aggregates of IgA+ and IgM+ B cells. These observations show that H. pylori can be identified in feline mucosal secretions, and that a localized IgA immune response develops in gastric tissue of H. pylori-infected cats. The findings suggest a zoonotic risk from exposure to personnel handling H. pylori-infected cats in vivaria.

Animals↗

Electroencephalographic characterization of an adult rat model of radiation-induced cortical dysplasia.

PURPOSE: Cortical dysplasia (CD) is a frequent cause of medically intractable focal epilepsy. The mechanisms of CD-induced epileptogenicity remain unknown. The difficulty in obtaining and testing human tissue warrants the identification and characterization of animal model(s) of CD that share most of the clinical, electroencephalographic (EEG), and histopathologic characteristics of human CD. In this study, we report on the in vivo EEG characterization of the radiation-induced model of CD. METHODS: Timed-pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were irradiated on E17 using a single dose of 145 cGy or left untreated. Their litters were identified and implanted with bifrontal epidural and hippocampal depth electrodes for prolonged continuous EEG recordings. After prolonged EEG monitoring, animals were killed and their brains sectioned and stained for histologic studies. RESULTS: In utero-irradiated rats showed frequent spontaneous interictal epileptiform spikes and spontaneous seizures arising independently from the hippocampal or the frontal neocortical structures. No epileptiform or seizure activities were recorded from age-matched control rats. Histologic studies showed the presence of multiple cortical areas of neuronal clustering and disorganization. Moreover, pyramidal cell dispersion was seen in the CA1>CA3 areas of the hippocampal formations. CONCLUSIONS: Our results further characterize the in vivo EEG characteristics of the in utero radiation model of CD using long-term EEG monitoring. This model may be used to study the molecular and cellular changes in epileptogenic CD and to test the efficacy of newer antiepileptic medications.

Animals↗

Occurrence of respiratory disease outbreaks in fattening pigs: relation with the features of a densely and a sparsely populated pig area in France.

A survey was carried out in France in 1999 in a Densely Populated Pig Area (DPPA) and a Sparsely Populated Pig Area (SPPA) from which 80 and 55 pig farms were respectively investigated. The two areas were compared regarding the number of respiratory disease outbreaks in fattening pigs on each farm per year with a multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical clustering. The two areas exhibited different typologies: in the DPPA, high density was associated with a high proportion of finishing-pig units resulting in much moving of piglets within the area. Farrow-to-finish farms located in the DPPA had many contacts with external vehicles; this was associated with more than two respiratory disease outbreaks per farm per year. There also was a lack of biosecurity measures implemented on these farms. Conversely, the good health situation of the farms located in the SPPA was associated with few external contacts and good biosecurity measures. In a second step, risk factors for the occurrence of more than 2 respiratory outbreaks per year were studied. Having more than 4 pig farms within a 2 km radius area, more than 30 incoming rendering trucks per year, and storage of the carcasses of dead animals within the farm yard perimeter increased the risk of occurrence of more than 2 respiratory disease outbreaks per year on the farm. This risk was also increased when there were more than 2 animal-transport lorries entering the farm per month and more than 1 veterinarian's or technician's vehicle coming in every 2 months. These results were discussed because of possible bias due to the retrospective design of the survey and the sampling scheme (randomisation within two areas).

Animals↗

Creation of a large genomic deletion at the T-cell antigen receptor beta-subunit locus in mouse embryonic stem cells by gene targeting.

Recently it has become possible to introduce predesigned mutations into a given gene in the mouse germ line by homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells. The mutations are usually introduced by inserting the neomycin phosphotransferase gene into an exon of a particular gene. Here we describe an extension of this method that can result in at least a 15-kilobase-long deletion. The deletion created in the present work encompasses one of the two diversity gene segments of the mouse T-cell receptor beta-subunit locus, 10 out of the 12 joining gene segments, and both constant gene segments. This strategy is a valuable alternative to sequential targeting of multiple genes forming a gene cluster, could simplify the construction of plasmids to be used for targeting, and could be the solution for inactivating small genes that have eluded conventional targeting approaches.

Animals↗

The long and the short cycle. Alternative intracellular routes for trafficking of G-protein-coupled receptors.

The C terminus of the human V2 vasopressin receptor contains multiple phosphorylation sites including a cluster of amino acids that when phosphorylated prevents the return of the internalized receptor to the cell surface. To identify the step where the recycling process was interrupted, the trafficking of the V2 receptor was compared with that of the recycling V1a receptor after exposure to ligand. Initially, both receptors internalized in small peripheral endosomes, but a physical separation of their endocytic pathways was subsequently detected. The V1a receptor remained evenly distributed throughout the cytosol, whereas the V2 receptor accumulated in a large aggregation of vesicles in the proximity of the nucleus where it colocalized with the transferrin receptor and Rab11, a small GTP-binding protein that is concentrated in the perinuclear recycling compartment; only marginal colocalization of Rab11 with the V1a receptor was observed. Thus, the V2 receptor was sequestered in the perinuclear recycling compartment. Targeting to the perinuclear recycling compartment was determined by the receptor subtype and not by the inability to recycle, since the mutation S363A in the phosphorylation-dependent retention signal generated a V2 receptor that was recycled via the same compartment. The perinuclear recycling compartment was enriched in beta-arrestin after internalization of either wild type V2 receptor or its recycling mutant, indicating that long term interaction between the receptors and arrestin was not responsible for the intracellular retention. Thus, the fully phosphorylated retention domain overrides the natural tendency of the V2 receptor to recycle and, by preventing its exit from the perinuclear recycling compartment, interrupts its transit via the "long cycle." The data suggest that the inactivation of the domain, possibly by dephosphorylation, triggers the return of the receptor from the perinuclear compartment to the plasma membrane.

Alternative Splicing↗

Identification and functional analysis of the rat caspase-3 gene promoter.

Caspase-3 is the major effector in apoptosis triggered by various stimuli. Previous studies demonstrated a significant increase in transcriptional activity of the caspase-3 gene during neuronal apoptosis. Recent findings suggest that differential expression of the caspase-3 gene may underlie the regulation of apoptotic susceptibility during brain development and after acute injury to the mature brain. We identified and cloned the rat caspase-3 gene promoter, determined its structure, and examined its regulation during a course of apoptosis in PC12 cells. Results demonstrate that this promoter lacks a TATA-box and contains a cluster of Sp1 elements and multiple transcription start sites. The first identified transcription start site is located 87-bp upstream from the first splicing site. A role of Sp1 elements in the regulation of caspase-3 promoter activity is demonstrated by the inhibition of Sp1 binding using mithramycin A. Results of deletion analysis show that an Ets-1-like element located between nucleotides -1646 and -1632 relative to the most extended transcription start site is necessary to achieve sustained transcriptional activity. Homology analysis revealed that the 5'-flanking region of the human caspase-3 gene exhibits significant similarity to a regulatory region of the rat gene.

Animals↗

Gender bias on the Thematic Apperception Test.

Thirty male and 30 female college students generated stories to a set of nine Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) cards with either male or female stimulus characters. The Fine scoring system was factor analyzed to produce seven factor clusters plus three outcome variables. Multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a main effect for type of card. The female TAT cards elicited significantly more responses on the General Concerns scale than did the male TAT cards. A main effect for subject gender showed the females gave more responses than males on the Interpersonal Relations scale. No differences were found on the outcome variables.

Adult↗

In vitro differentiation and calcification in a new clonal osteogenic cell line derived from newborn mouse calvaria.

We investigated the capacity of a clonal osteogenic cell line MC3T3-E1, established from newborn mouse calvaria and selected on the basis of high alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in the confluent state, to differentiate into osteoblasts and mineralize in vitro. The cells in the growing state showed a fibroblastic morphology and grew to form multiple layers. On day 21, clusters of cells exhibiting typical osteoblastic morphology were found in osmiophilic nodular regions. Such nodules increased in number and size with incubation time and became easily identifiable with the naked eye by day 40-50. In the central part of well-developed nodules, osteocytes were embedded in heavily mineralized bone matrix. Osteoblasts were arranged at the periphery of the bone spicules and were surrounded by lysosome-rich cells and a fibroblastic cell layer. Numerous matrix vesicles were scattered around the osteoblasts and young osteocytes. Matrix vesicles and plasma membranes of osteoblasts, young osteocytes, and lysosome-rich cells showed strong reaction to cytochemical stainings for ALP activity and calcium ions. Minerals were initially localized in the matrix vesicles and then deposited on well-banded collagen fibrils. Deposited minerals consisted exclusively of calcium and phosphorus, and some of the crystals had matured into hydroxyapatite crystals. These results indicate that MC3T3-E1 cells have the capacity to differentiate into osteoblasts and osteocytes and to form calcified bone tissue in vitro.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes in shark germ cells.

The variable (V), (diversity [D]), and joining (J) region recombinases (recombination activating genes [RAGs]) can perform like transposases and are thought to have initiated development of the adaptive immune system in early vertebrates by splitting archaic V genes with transposable elements. In cartilaginous fishes, the immunoglobulin (Ig) light chain genes are organized as multiple VJ-constant (C) clusters; some loci are capable of rearrangement while others contain fused VJ. The latter may be key to understanding the evolutionary role of RAG. Are they relics of the archaic genes, or are they results of rearrangement in germ cells? Our data suggest that some fused VJ genes are not only recently rearranged, but also resulted from RAG-like activity involving hairpin intermediates. Expression studies show that these, like some other germline-joined Ig sequences, are expressed at significant levels only early in ontogeny. We suggest that a rejoined Ig gene may not merely be a sequence restricting antibody diversity, but is potentially a novel receptor no longer tied to somatic RAG expression and rearrangement. From the combined data, we arrived at the unexpected conclusion that, in some vertebrates, RAG is still an active force in changing the genome.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

ORFcurator: molecular curation of genes and gene clusters in prokaryotic organisms.

UNLABELLED: The ability to detect clusters of functionally related genes in multiple microbial genomes has enormous potential for enhancing studies on gene function and microbial evolution. The staggering amount of new genome sequence data presents a largely untapped resource for gene cluster discovery. To date, gene cluster analysis has not been fully automated, and one must rely on manual, tedious and time-consuming manipulation of sequences. To facilitate accurate and rapid identification of conserved gene clusters, we developed a database-driven web application, called ORFcurator. We used ORFcurator to find clusters containing any genes similar to those of the 14-gene Widespread Colonization Island of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. From 126 genomes, ORFcurator identified all 73 clusters previously determined by manual searching. AVAILABILITY: ORFcurator and all associated scripts are freely available as supplementary information. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: http://www.genomecurator.org/ORFcurator/

Algorithms↗

Hermes, a functional non-Drosophilid insect gene vector from Musca domestica.

Hermes is a short inverted repeat-type transposable element from the house fly, Musca domestica. Using an extra-chromosomal transpositional recombination assay, we show that Hermes elements can accurately transpose in M. domestica embryos. To test the ability of Hermes to function in species distantly related to M. domestica we used a nonautonomous Hermes element containing the Drosophila melanogaster while (w+) gene and created D. melanogaster germline transformants. Transgenic G1 insects were recovered from 34.6% of the fertile G0 adults developing from microinjected w- embryos. This transformation rate is comparable with that observed using P or hobo vectors in D. melanogaster, however, many instances of multiple-element insertions and large clusters were observed. Genetic mapping, Southern blotting, polytene chromosome in situ hybridization and DNA sequence analyses confirmed that Hermes elements were chromosomally integrated in transgenic insects. Our data demonstrate that Hermes elements transpose at high rates in D. melanogaster and may be an effective gene vector and gene-tagging agent in this species and distantly related species of medical and agricultural importance.

Animals↗

Direct sequencing of PCR-amplified junction fragments from tandemly repeated transgenes.

When microinjected foreign genes integrate into the genomes of mice, multiple copies are frequently found clustered together at one location. How they concatamerize--by the integration of large linearized concatamers that are formed by simple end-to-end linkage, by circularization of individual DNA fragments and recombination, or by some other means--is not understood. In the transgenic animals studied thus far by ourselves and others, integration frequency and transgene copy number do not seem to be significantly influenced by the complementarity of the ends of the DNA fragments that have been microinjected. We have utilized PCR amplification and DNA sequence analysis to study selected transgene junctions at the nucleotide level. In two transgenic mice carrying the synthetic RSVcat gene (injected with noncomplementary overhangs on the fragment ends), ends were 'nibbled' from 1 to 62 bases before being joined to an adjacent gene copy. Repeated dinucleotides, providing the most minimal of homologies, are present in half of the characterized junctions. Determination of the relative copy number of the junctions in each mouse supports the idea that transgene complexes can undergo additional rearrangements after the initial formation event.

Animals↗

FusionDB: a database for in-depth analysis of prokaryotic gene fusion events.

FusionDB (http://igs-server.cnrs-mrs.fr/FusionDB/) constitutes a resource dedicated to in-depth analysis of bacterial and archaeal gene fusion events. Such events can provide the 'Rosetta stone' in the search for potential protein-protein interactions, as well as metabolic and regulatory networks. However, the false positive rate of this approach may be quite high, prompting a detailed scrutiny of putative gene fusion events. FusionDB readily provides much of the information required for that task. Moreover, FusionDB extends the notion of gene fusion from that of a single gene to that of a family of genes by assembling pairs of genes from different genomes that belong to the same Cluster of Orthogonal Groups (COG). Multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic tree reconstruction for the N- and C-terminal parts of these 'COG fusion' events are provided to distinguish single and multiple fusion events from cases of gene fission, pseudogenes and other false positives. Finally, gene fusion events with matches to known structures of heterodimers in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are identified and may be visualized. FusionDB is fully searchable with access to sequence and alignment data at all levels. A number of different scores are provided to easily differentiate 'real' from 'questionable' cases, especially when larger database searches are performed. FusionDB is cross-linked with the 'Phylogenomic Display of Bacterial Genes' (PhydBac) online web server. Together, these servers provide the complete set of information required for in-depth analysis of non-homology-based gene function attribution.

Artificial Gene Fusion↗

TFBScluster web server for the identification of mammalian composite regulatory elements.

Identification of transcriptional regulatory elements represents a critical step in our ability to reconstruct transcriptional regulatory networks from gene expression profiling datasets. To facilitate computational identification of candidate gene regulatory elements from whole genome sequences, we have developed the TFBScluster web server that integrates several tools for the genome-wide identification and subsequent characterization of transcription factor binding site clusters that are conserved in multiple mammalian species. Either the human or mouse genomes can be used as the reference sequence with direct links from the search results to the ENSEMBL and UCSC genome browsers. Moreover, TFBScluster provides seamless integration of transcription factor binding site searches with genome annotation and gene expression profiling data, to allow prioritising computational predictions for subsequent experimental validation. TFBScluster is publicly available at http://hscl.cimr.cam.ac.uk/TFBScluster_genome_portal.html.

Animals↗

Personality disorder comorbidity with major depression and response to treatment with sertraline or citalopram.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of DSM-III-R personality disorders in depressed patients treated in primary care, and to examine the effect of sertraline or citalopram on the diagnosis of personality disorders. A total of 308 patients with a major depressive disorder were assessed with the Swedish version of the Structured Clinical Interview for Personality Disorders (SCID) screen questionnaire, before and after 24 weeks double-blind treatment with sertraline (50-150 mg/day) or citalopram (20-60 mg/day). Following treatment, significant reductions in the frequency of paranoid, borderline, avoidant and dependent personality disorder diagnoses were seen in both treatment groups. When the personality disorders were analysed as continuous, dimensional personality traits significant reductions were seen for most personality categories. To elucidate if the observed reductions in personality disorder criteria could be explained by the improvement in depressive symptomatology, a series of multiple regressions were made. Reduction of depression scores was of some importance for the changes in most personality disorders. However, the multiple R never exceeded 0.24 (cluster C). Type of drug was of importance only as concerns obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Overall, the results suggest that sertraline and citalopram may be beneficial in the treatment of certain personality disorder traits in patients with major depressive disorders.

Adult↗

Biomedical risk factors for hospital admission in older adults.

OBJECTIVES: This study examines the influence of risk factors such as cigarette smoking, blood pressure, serum cholesterol, or chronic illness on frequency of hospital admission in a population-based sample. METHODS: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I Epidemiologic Followup Study for 6,461 adults aged 45 years and older were used to assess the influence of risk factors measured by interview, physical examination, and laboratory tests on frequency of hospital admission over a 12- to 16-year follow-up period. Cox proportional hazard regressions were estimated separately for men and women and for ages 45 to 64 years and 65 years and older. SUDAAN software was used to correct for clustering, stratification, unequal weighting, and multiple observations per respondent. RESULTS: Risk of hospitalization was higher for current but not former smokers (relative risk [RR] = 1.17-1.34 for different age-sex groups; P < 0.01), higher blood pressure (RR = 1.25-1.28 for ages 45-64; RR = 1.07-1.15 for ages 65 and older; P < 0.01), and lower serum albumin (RR = 1.08-1.14; P < 0.01). Diabetes, lung conditions, heart attack, and ulcer each were associated with higher risk in at least three of the four age-sex groups, as was arthritis among the middle-aged (45-64 years). Serum cholesterol was not associated with hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic conditions with high morbidity as well as many factors associated with mortality are associated with a higher frequency of hospitalization.

Age Factors↗

Structural modification on silica glass surface induced by thermal poling for second harmonic generation.

O-K edge XANES spectroscopy evidences structural modification induced by thermal poling treatment in surfaces of bulk Herasil silica glass presenting second harmonic generation. Considering model silicon dioxide clusters, calculations based on full multiple scattering approach have been performed in order to explain accurately the differences observed on XANES spectra at different stage of the poling treatment. These structural modifications on extreme surface affect both network and defects by breaking Si-O-Si bridging bonds. Despite of the formation of bridging bond occurring during the thermal depoling -which erases the SHG inside the glass-, the initial structure of the unpoled sample is not reproduced.

Journal Article↗

Analysis of alloantisera against bovine lymphocytes. Joint report of the 1st International Bovine Lymphocyte Antigen (BoLA) workshop.

The results and agreements of the 1 international BoLA workshop, held in Edinburgh, Scotland in August 1978, are reported. Most of these concern the results from a comparison test of 249 alloantisera to bovine lymphocytes, the antisera being contributed by 9 laboratories. These sera were compared directly in Edinburgh on a panel of lymphocytes from 130 cattle of 21 breeds. In the microlymphocytotoxicity test used 75% of the sera reacted. Sixty eight of these sera were grouped into clusters according to their reaction patterns against the lymphocyte panel. Eleven of these clusters were clearly defined and were given workshop BoLA designations. In addition 22 sera were assigned to subgroups of the agreed clusters. There was no evidence that the method of production of the sera had any effect on their specificity. Although genetic data was not available, the phenotypes of the test panel of lymphocytes are consistent with the clusters detecting antigens controlled by multiple alleles at a single autosomal locus. It was agreed to name the genetic region where this putative locus is located BoLA (bovine lymphocyte antigen).

Animals↗