VprBP, an HIV target protein, is vital for immune responses by controlling T cell growth, proliferation and senescence

Naïve mature T cells are maintained in a quiescent state with a low rate of cell size growth (biomass increase due to enhanced metabolism and biosynthesis) and proliferation. Disturbances inflicted by infection and inflammation, often trigger cells to exit quiescence and enter cell cycle, followed by rapid proliferation to restore homeostasis. Cell size growth is imperative for proliferating cells to compensate for the halving of cellular constituents for each division. Thus, proper coordination of cell growth and cell cycle entry of T cells is essential to mount effective immune response. Nonetheless, little is known about how cell cycle entry is controlled and even less about how cell size growth is regulated in T cells.

We studied protein expression during T cell growth and cell cycle entry using quantitative proteomic approach. VprBP, an HIV target protein, was identified to be one of the highly upregulated factors. We found that VprBP was required for the cell growth and cell cycle entry of activated T cells. VprBP deletion abrogated T cell expansion during antiviral and autoimmune responses in vivo. VprBP-deficient cells drastically stabilized p53 protein with elevated expression of p53 target genes. Intriguingly, we found that although p53 deletion failed to correct the T cell growth defect due to VprBP deletion, it largely restored the cell cycle entry of VprBP-deficient T cells. In addition, VprBP deletion led to a premature senescence phenotype in T cells associating with increased cellular aging markers. These results suggest that VprBP controls T cell growth, cell cycle entry and senescence via discrete molecular programs. The recent findings and the underlying mechanisms will be discussed in detail in this presentation.

Proteomic dissection of LPS-inducible, PHF8-dependent secretome reveals novel roles of PHF8 in TLR4-induced acute inflammation and T cell proliferation

Endotoxin (LPS)-induced changes in histone lysine methylation contribute to the gene-specific transcription for control of inflammation. Still unidentified are the chromatin regulators that drive the transition from a transcriptional-repressive to a transcriptional-active chromatin state of pro-inflammatory genes. Here, using combined approaches to analyze LPS-induced changes in both gene-specific transcription and protein secretion to the extracellular compartment, we characterize novel functions of the lysine demethylase PHF8 as a pro-inflammatory, gene-specific chromatin regulator. First, in the LPS-induced, acute-inflamed macrophages, PHF8 knockdown led to both a reduction of pro-inflammatory factors and an increase in a transcriptional-repressive code (H3K9me2) written by the methyltransferase G9a. Through unbiased quantitative secretome screening we discovered that LPS induces the secretion of a cluster of PHF8-dependent, 'tolerizable' proteins that are related to diverse extracellular pathways/processes including those for the activation of adaptive immunity. Specifically, we determined that PHF8 promotes T-cell activation and proliferation, thus providing the first link between the epigenetic regulation of inflammation and adaptive immunity. Further, we found that, in the acute-inflamed macrophages, the acute-active PHF8 opposes the H3K9me1/2-writing activity of G9a to activate specific protein secretions that are suppressed by G9a in the endotoxin-tolerant cells, revealing the inflammatory-phenotypic chromatin drivers that regulate the gene-specific chromatin plasticity.

Endosome Escape Strategies for Improving the Efficacy of Oligonucleotide Delivery Systems

Gene therapy requires safe and effective vectors to deliver genes to their target site of action. Non-viral gene delivery systems have attracted growing attention due to their low toxicity, low immunogenicity and ease of production compared to viral vectors. Most non-viral gene delivery systems enter cells via endocytic pathways, and their escape from endosomes is therefore crucial for successful transfection. Several reagents have been developed to promote endosomal escape, including peptides, polymers and lipids. Among these, endosome-disrupting peptides have been used in many studies, and have proven to be one of the most promising approaches to overcome endosomal entrapment and lysosomal degradation. This review provides an up-to-date summary of strategies for enhancing endosomal escape, with a focus on the modification of endosome-disrupting peptides to further increase the efficient delivery of oligonucleotides.

[Clinical and genetic features of dyskeratosis congenital with bone marrow failure in eight patients]

目的

加深对先天性角化不良（dyskeratosis congenital，DC）伴骨髓衰竭的认识。

方法

收集2010年9月30日至2015年9月30日8例伴骨髓衰竭DC患儿的临床资料，利用二代测序技术对DKC1、TERC、TERT、NOP10、NHP2、TINF2等16种端粒相关基因进行全外显子及剪接位点测序分析。

结果

8例DC患儿中男6例、女2例，中位发病月龄为42(15~60）个月。初诊血常规：中位WBC 3.99（1.26~5.44）×10⁹/L，中位中性粒细胞计数1.11(0.38~2.15）×10⁹/L，中位RBC 2.45(0.37~3.56）×10¹²/L，中位HGB 82.5(15~127) g/L，中位PLT 27（2~112）×10⁹/L。8例患儿中6例骨髓增生减低或重度减低。3例患儿检出DKC1基因突变：c.961C>A 1例，c.1058C>T 2例；4例患儿检出TINF2基因突变：c.849delC、c.844C>T、c.811C>T、c.862T>A合并c.871delA各1例；1例患儿检出TINF2基因突变（c.848C>A）合并TERT基因突变（c.1138C>T）。其中DKC c.961C>A、TINF2 c.849delC、TINF2 c.871delA突变为首次报道。7例患儿口服雄激素治疗，其中5例血常规指标改善。1例患儿死于重症感染，其余7例患儿维持治疗。

结论

DC伴骨髓衰竭以TINF2突变和DKC1突变为主。雄激素治疗对部分病例有效。

Physics of Phase Space Matching for Staging Plasma and Traditional Accelerator Components Using Longitudinally Tailored Plasma Profiles

Phase space matching between two plasma-based accelerator (PBA) stages and between a PBA and a traditional accelerator component is a critical issue for emittance preservation. The drastic differences of the transverse focusing strengths as the beam propagates between stages and components may lead to a catastrophic emittance growth even when there is a small energy spread. We propose using the linear focusing forces from nonlinear wakes in longitudinally tailored plasma density profiles to control phase space matching between sections with negligible emittance growth. Several profiles are considered and theoretical analysis and particle-in-cell simulations show how these structures may work in four different scenarios. Good agreement between theory and simulation is obtained, and it is found that the adiabatic approximation misses important physics even for long profiles.

Long-term association between dairy consumption and risk of childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Data from small-scale, short-term, clinical trials suggest a beneficial effect of dairy consumption on the risk of childhood obesity; however, the long-term association is unclear. Therefore, we aim to examine the longitudinal association between dairy consumption and the risk of overweight/obesity in children and adolescents by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

Eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE through March 2015. Additional studies were retrieved via Google Scholar or a hand review of the reference lists from relevant articles. Pooled associations of interest were estimated by using a random-effects model. The heterogeneity for each pooled analysis was evaluated by I(2) statistic as well as by Cochran's Q test. Publication bias was assessed by using both Egger's and Begg's tests.

RESULTS

Ten studies comprising 46,011 children and adolescents with an average 3-year follow-up were included. As compared with those who were in the lowest group of dairy consumption, children in the highest intake group were 38% less likely to have childhood overweight/obesity (pooled odds ratio (OR)=0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49, 0.80). With each 1 serving/day increment in dairy consumption, the percentage of body fat was reduced by 0.65% (β=0.65; 95% CI: -1.35, 0.06; P=0.07), and the risk of overweight/obesity was 13% lower (OR=0.87; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.98).

CONCLUSIONS

Accumulated evidence from prospective cohort studies suggests that dairy consumption is inversely and longitudinally associated with the risk of childhood overweight/obesity. Further studies are warranted to examine the types of dairy products in relation to the risk of childhood overweight/obesity.

Spontaneous renal hemorrhage caused by invasive mole: a case report

CASE

The authors report a case with spontaneous renal hemorrhage caused by invasive mole. The diagnosis was gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD), with metastasis to brain, kidneys, and lungs at Stage IV. The patient was given etoposide-methotrexate-actinomycin D plus cyclophosphamide-vincristine (EMACO) treatment regimen for 11 times including three times with consolidation chemotherapies. Laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH) + laparoscopic-assisted left renal excision + evacuation of the left perirenal hematoma were performed during the eighth chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Post-operational pathological examination revealed trophoblasts within the lesions present in uterine fundus and the residue images of a few trophoblasts present in the left renal mass.

Inhibitory effect of liposomal quercetin on acute hepatitis and hepatic fibrosis induced by concanavalin A

Immune response plays an important role in the development of hepatic fibrosis. In the present study, we investigated the effects of quercetin on hepatitis and hepatic fibrosis induced by immunological mechanism. In the acute hepatitis model, quercetin (2.5 mg/kg) was injected iv into mice 30 min after concanavalin A (Con A) challenge. Mice were sacrificed 4 or 24 h after Con A injection, and aminotransferase tests and histopathological sections were performed. Treatment with quercetin significantly decreased the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Consistent with this observation, treatment with quercetin markedly attenuated the pathologic changes in the liver. A hepatic fibrosis model was also generated in mice by Con A challenge once a week for 6 consecutive weeks. Mice in the experimental group were treated with daily iv injections of quercetin (0.5 mg/kg). Histopathological analyses revealed that treatment with quercetin markedly decreased collagen deposition, pseudolobuli development, and hepatic stellate cells activation. We also examined the effects of quercetin on the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) pathways by immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). NF-κB and TGF-β production was decreased after treatment with quercetin, indicating that the antifibrotic effect of quercetin is associated with its ability to modulate NF-κB and TGF-β production. These results suggest that quercetin may be an effective therapeutic strategy in the treatment of patients with liver damage and fibrosis.

Effect of daily short-duration weight-bearing on disuse-induced deterioration of musculoskeletal system

OBJECTIVES

To investigate deterioration of musculoskeletal system due to prolonged disuse and the potential of daily short-duration weight-bearing as countermeasures.

METHODS

Twenty-four adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into Control Group (CG, no intervention), Tail-suspension Group (TG, tail-suspension without treatment), and Weight-Bearing Group (WBG, tail-suspension with 20 min/day, 5 days/week body weight loading). After four weeks of treatment, femur and tibia, soleus and extensor digitorum longus were evaluated for bone and muscle quality respectively. Tensile properties of bone-tendon insertion (BTI) were evaluated using patella-patellar tendon complex.

RESULTS

Disuse induced deterioration on bone, muscle, and BTI after four weeks. Compared with CG, TG and WBG showed significant decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) of trabecular bone in distal femur (4.3-15.2%), muscle mass (31.3-52.3%), muscle cross-sectional area (29.1-35%), and failure strength of BTI (23.9-29.4%). Tensile test showed that the failure mode was avulsion of bone at the BTI. No significant difference was detected between TG and WBG for all assessments on bone, muscle, and BTI.

CONCLUSIONS

Disuse caused deterioration of bone, muscle, and BTI while daily short-duration of weight-bearing did not prevent this deterioration. Mechanical stimulation with higher intensity and longer duration may be necessary to prevent musculoskeletal deterioration resulted from prolonged disuse.

Expression of Mitochondria-Associated Genes (PPARGC1A, NRF-1, BCL-2 and BAX) in Follicular Development and Atresia of Goat Ovaries

Most follicles undergo atresia during the developmental process. Follicular atresia is predominantly regulated by apoptosis of granulosa cells, but the mechanism underlying apoptosis via the mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway is unclear. We aimed to investigate whether the mitochondria-associated genes peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, coactivator1-alpha (PPARGC1A), nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1), B-cell CLL/lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) and BCL2-associated X protein (BAX) played a role in follicular atresia through this pathway. The four mitochondria-associated proteins (PGC-1α, which are encoded by the PPARGC1A gene, NRF-1, BCL-2 and BAX) mainly expressed in granulosa cells. The mRNA and protein levels of PPARGC1A/PGC-1α and NRF-1 in granulosa cells increased with the follicular development. These results showed that these genes may play a role in the regulation of the follicular development. In addition, compared with healthy follicles, the granulosa cell in atretic follicles had a reduced expression of NRF-1, increased BAX expression and increased ratio of BAX to BCL-2 expression. These results suggested that changes of the mitochondria-associated gene expression patterns in granulosa cells may lead to follicular atresia during goat follicle development.

Graphitized porous carbon prepared from pyrolysis of Sterculia scaphigera and its application in lithium ion batteries

Sterculia scaphigera exhibits exceptional capability to inhale a large amount of water, which is accompanied by great volume expansion.

Damage-free single-mode transmission of deep-UV light in hollow-core PCF

Transmission of UV light with high beam quality and pointing stability is desirable for many experiments in atomic, molecular and optical physics. In particular, laser cooling and coherent manipulation of trapped ions with transitions in the UV require stable, single-mode light delivery. Transmitting even ~2 mW CW light at 280 nm through silica solid-core fibers has previously been found to cause transmission degradation after just a few hours due to optical damage. We show that photonic crystal fiber of the kagomé type can be used for effectively single-mode transmission with acceptable loss and bending sensitivity. No transmission degradation was observed even after >100 hours of operation with 15 mW CW input power. In addition it is shown that implementation of the fiber in a trapped ion experiment increases the coherence time of the internal state transfer due to an increase in beam pointing stability.

Effects of Genotype, Season, and Nitrogen Nutrition on Gene Expression and Protein Accumulation in Wheat Grain

Six commercial U.K. cultivars of winter wheat selected to represent different abilities to partition nitrogen into grain protein were grown in replicated field trials at five different sites over three seasons. The proportion of LMW glutenin subunits decreased and the proportion of gliadins increased during grain development and in response to N application. Differences were observed between the proportions of LMW glutenin subunits and gliadins in low- and high-protein grain, these two fractions being decreased and increased, respectively. There was little effect of grain protein content on the proportions of either the HMW glutenin subunits or large glutenin polymers, which are enriched in these subunits, with the latter increasing during development in all cultivars. The proportion of total protein present in polymers in the mature grain decreased with increasing N level. Correlations were also observed between the abundances of gliadin protein transcripts and the corresponding proteins.

An unexpected role of Smad4 to control autoimmunity and T cell function (BA8P.125)

Smad-dependent signaling pathway is known to mediate TGF-beta signal in non-lymphoid cells. How this pathway controls T cell function remains poorly understood. In particular, the function of Smad4 (co-Smad) in T cells is perplexing. On the contrary to the prediction that Smad4-deficient mice will pheno-copy TGF-betaR-deficient mice and develop aggressive autoimmunity, Smad4-deficient mice are phenotypically grossly normal. Two explanations may account for such observations. One is that Smad4 is dispensable for TGF-beta function in T cells. The other is that, while Smad4 is important for TGF-beta function in T cells, it is also critical to promote T cell function to offset its TGF-beta-dependent function. To test these possibilities, we generated DKO mice, where both TGF-betaR and Smad4 are deficient in T cells. Much to our surprise, Smad4 deletion rescued the lethal autoimmunity of TGF-betaR-deficient mice. DKO mice phenocopy Smad4-deficient mice. These findings suggest that the second explanation, albeit paradoxical, is correct. Further investigation revealed that, Smad4 is indeed required for TGF-beta function in T cells and, unexpectedly, it is also important to promote T cell function. These findings therefore identify a novel function of Smad4 critical for T cell function and autoimmunity. Here, we will discuss in detail these new findings and the potential underlying mechanisms.

The histone methyltransferase ESET is required for the survival of spermatogonial stem/progenitor cells in mice

Self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the foundation of spermatogenesis throughout a male's life. SSC transplantation will be a valuable solution for young male patients to preserve their fertility. As SSCs in the collected testis tissue from the patients are very limited, it is necessary to expansion the SSCs in vitro. Previous studies suggested that histone methyltransferase ERG-associated protein with SET domain (ESET) represses gene expression and is essential for the maintenance of the pool of embryonic stem cells and neurons. The objective of this study was to determine the role of ESET in SSCs using in vitrocell culture and germ cell transplantation. Cell transplantation assay showed that knockdown of ESET reduced the number of seminiferous tubules with spermatogenesis when compared with that of the control. Knockdown of ESET also upregulated the expression of apoptosis-associated genes (such as P53, Caspase9, Apaf1), whereas inhibited the expression of apoptosis-suppressing genes (such as Bcl2l1, X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein). In addition, suppression of ESET led to increase in expression of Caspase9 and activation of Caspase3 (P17) as well as cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Among the five ESET-targeting genes (Cox4i2, spermatogenesis and oogenesis Specific Basic Helix-Loop-Helix 2, Nobox, Foxn1 and Dazl) examined by ChIP assay, Cox4i2 was found to regulate SSC apoptosis by the rescue experiment. BSP analyses further showed that DNA methylation in the promoter loci of Cox4i2was influenced by ESET, indicating that ESET also regulated gene expression through DNA methylation in addition to histone methylation. In conclusion, we found that ESET regulated SSC apoptosis by suppressing of Cox4i2 expression through histone H3 lysine 9 tri-methylation and DNA methylation. The results obtained will provide unique insights that would broaden the research on SSC biology and contribute to the treatment of male infertility.

Variable selection models based on multiple imputation with an application for predicting median effective dose and maximum effect

The statistical methods for variable selection and prediction could be challenging when missing covariates exist. Although multiple imputation (MI) is a universally accepted technique for solving missing data problem, how to combine the MI results for variable selection is not quite clear, because different imputations may result in different selections. The widely applied variable selection methods include the sparse partial least-squares (SPLS) method and the penalized least-squares method, e.g. the elastic net (ENet) method. In this paper, we propose an MI-based weighted elastic net (MI-WENet) method that is based on stacked MI data and a weighting scheme for each observation in the stacked data set. In the MI-WENet method, MI accounts for sampling and imputation uncertainty for missing values, and the weight accounts for the observed information. Extensive numerical simulations are carried out to compare the proposed MI-WENet method with the other competing alternatives, such as the SPLS and ENet. In addition, we applied the MIWENet method to examine the predictor variables for the endothelial function that can be characterized by median effective dose (ED50) and maximum effect (Emax) in an ex-vivo phenylephrine-induced extension and acetylcholine-induced relaxation experiment.

Constraints on cosmic strings from the LIGO-Virgo gravitational-wave detectors

Cosmic strings can give rise to a large variety of interesting astrophysical phenomena. Among them, powerful bursts of gravitational waves (GWs) produced by cusps are a promising observational signature. In this Letter we present a search for GWs from cosmic string cusps in data collected by the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors between 2005 and 2010, with over 625 days of live time. We find no evidence of GW signals from cosmic strings. From this result, we derive new constraints on cosmic string parameters, which complement and improve existing limits from previous searches for a stochastic background of GWs from cosmic microwave background measurements and pulsar timing data. In particular, if the size of loops is given by the gravitational backreaction scale, we place upper limits on the string tension Gμ below 10(-8) in some regions of the cosmic string parameter space.

The LIM protein fhlA is essential for heart chamber development in zebrafish embryos

Four-and-a-half LIM proteins FHL1-3 play important roles in cardiovascular pathophysiology. However, their roles in heart development remain unclear. Here, we report that fhlA, the zebrafish homolog of human FHL1, was found to be expressed around the 22-somite stage. After 24 hpf, expression was restricted to the heart. fhlA knockdown caused an enlarged cardiac chamber phenotype with up-regulated expression of the cardiac markers, but fhlA overexpression reduced the sizes of the cardiac chambers and down-regulated expression of the markers. The morphology associated with the cmlc2, amhc, and vmhc expression patterns at the 22 somite and 24 hpf stages included a broadened domain in embryos lacking fhlA and a smaller domain in embryos overexpressing fhlA. The changes in the sizes of the chambers were attributed to the changes in the number of ventricular and atrial cells. Loss of fhlA caused a longer heart period and pause between heartbeats in M-modes than in controls, but fhlA overexpression caused shorter systolic and diastolic intervals. Abnormal cardiac chambers and physiological function were found to be largely rescued. We also showed the expression of fhlA in the heart to be increased by retinoic acid (RA) and decreased by the RA synthase inhibitor DEAB. Both fhlA and RA signaling caused a phenotype characterized by the morphological alterations in the chamber sizes, suggesting that the role of fhlA in heart development is probably regulated by RA signaling. Taken together, these results showed that fhlA regulates the size of the heart chamber by reducing the number of cardiac cells.

Kinetics of serological responses in influenza A(H7N9)-infected patients correlate with clinical outcome in China, 2013

The novel avian influenza A(H7N9) infection has recently emerged to cause severe respiratory illness in China. The objectives of this study were to define the kinetics of the antibody responses in patients with influenza A(H7N9) disease and to correlate these kinetics with clinical outcome. Serial serum samples were obtained at intervals of three to four days from 18 patients with virologically confirmed A(H7N9) disease in Shanghai. We determined the kinetics of the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) and A(H7H9) pseudotype neutralisation antibody (Nab) responses and correlated these with clinical outcomes. Most patients had robust serological responses by both HI and Nab tests. Taking into account censoring due to time of testing and death, the median time from onset of illness to Nab titre ≥1:40 was 14 days (95% confidence interval (CI): 11–18 days) in the fatal cases and 10.5 days (95% CI: 7–12) in the survivors (p=0.003). The two groups did not differ in initial Nab titres, but the rate of increase in Nab titres was significantly faster for survivors by approximately 10-fold per 15 days (p=0.007). Early and rapid induction of Nab was correlated significantly with better clinical outcome.

Development of a methodology for and assessment of pulsatile luteinizing hormone secretion in juvenile and adult male mice

Current methodology to monitor pulsatile LH release in mice is limited by inadequate assay sensitivity, resulting in the need for collection of large blood volumes. Thus, assessment of pulsatile LH secretion in mice remains highly challenging, and observations are limited to adult mice. To address this, we developed a highly sensitive ELISA for assessment of mouse LH concentrations in small fractions of whole blood. We demonstrate that this assay is capable of reliably detecting LH down to a theoretical limit of 0.117 ng/mL in a 2-μL fraction of whole blood. Using an established frequent blood collection procedure, we validated the accuracy of this method by determining the pulsatile LH secretion in early-adult (10 weeks old) C57BL6/J male mice. Data demonstrate regular pulsatile release of LH, with peaks in LH secretion rarely exceeding 3 ng/mL. Moreover, assessment of LH release in Gpr54 knockout mice demonstrates the lack of pulsatile LH release after the loss of kisspeptin-mediated pubertal maturation. We next determined age-associated changes in pulsatile LH secretion by assessment of LH secretion in prepubertal (28 days old) C57BL6/J male mice and repeated assessment in the same mice in adulthood (120 days old). Data demonstrate that the rise in total LH secretion in mice after pubertal maturation occurs along with an overall rise in the pulsatile LH secretion rate. This was coupled with a significant increase in the number of LH secretory events (number of pulses). In addition, we observed a decrease in the clearance (increased half-life) and a decrease in the regularity (approximate entropy) of LH release. This method will be of wide general utility within the field of reproductive biology.

Simple and rapid data-reduction method with pixel-level spatial frequency of shift-rotation method

Absolute testing methods are commonly employed in surface metrology to calibrate the reference surface deviation and obtain the absolute deviation of the surface under test. A simple and reliable data-reduction method of absolute shift-rotation method with rotational and translational measurements is presented here, which relies on the decomposition of the surface deviation into rotationally asymmetric and symmetric components. The rotationally asymmetric surface deviation can be simply obtained by classical N-position averaging method. After that, the two-dimensional problem of estimating the other rotationally symmetric surface deviation can be simplified to a one-dimensional problem, and it can be directly calculated out with pixel-level spatial frequency based on several measurements of different translations in one same direction. Since that no orthogonal polynomials fitting, such as Zernike polynomials, is required in the calculation, the data reduction of the method is simple and rapid. Experimental absolute results of spherical surfaces are given.

Synthetic Brainbows

Brainbow is a genetic engineering technique that randomly colorizes cells. Biological samples processed with this technique and imaged with confocal microscopy have distinctive colors for individual cells. Complex cellular structures can then be easily visualized. However, the complexity of the Brainbow technique limits its applications. In practice, most confocal microscopy scans use different florescence staining with typically at most three distinct cellular structures. These structures are often packed and obscure each other in rendered images making analysis difficult. In this paper, we leverage a process known as GPU framebuffer feedback loops to synthesize Brainbow-like images. In addition, we incorporate ID shuffing and Monte-Carlo sampling into our technique, so that it can be applied to single-channel confocal microscopy data. The synthesized Brainbow images are presented to domain experts with positive feedback. A user survey demonstrates that our synthetic Brainbow technique improves visualizations of volume data with complex structures for biologists.

A GATA-3 function distinct from Th2 determination controls basic T cell function (P1410)

T cells are pivotal to controlling the immune response to fight infection, eradicate tumor and elicit autoimmunity. CD8 T cells are the “cytotoxic” T cells to mediate the killing of target cells. And CD4 T cells differentiate into “helper” T (Th) cell subsets to modulate immune function. To achieve desired T cell response, series of events including cell activation, expansion and differentiation will have to be accomplished following antigenic and mitogenic stimulation. Therefore, identifying the factors critical for T cell activation, expansion and differentiation becomes the central question for T cell immunology. GATA-3 is a master regulator for Th2 differentiation. It is however poorly understood if GATA-3 controls mature T cell function beyond Th2 determination. We found that TCR-signal and cytokine-stimulation promoted GATA-3 expression in CD8 T cells with enhanced proliferation but not Th2-like differentiation. In addition, while GATA-3-deficient CD8 T cells developed normally, their peripheral maintenance was impaired. More strikingly, TCR- and cytokine-promoted expansion of CD8 and CD4 T cells was abrogated in the absence of GATA-3. This study thus reveals an unprecedented GATA-3 function central to basic T cell functions beyond Th2 differentiation.

BRG1-mediated immune tolerance: facilitation of Treg activation and partial independence of chromatin remodelling

Treg activation in response to environmental cues is necessary for regulatory T cells (Tregs) to suppress inflammation, but little is known about the transcription mechanisms controlling Treg activation. We report that despite the known proinflammatory role of the chromatin-remodelling factor BRG1 in CD4 cells, deleting Brg1 in all αβ T cell lineages led to fatal inflammation, which reflected essential roles of BRG1 in Tregs. Brg1 deletion impaired Treg activation, concomitant with the onset of the inflammation. Remarkably, as the inflammation progressed, Tregs became increasingly activated, but the activation levels could not catch up with the severity of inflammation. In vitro assays indicate that BRG1 regulates a subset of TCR target genes including multiple chemokine receptor genes. Finally, using a method that can create littermates bearing either a tissue-specific point mutation or deletion, we found the BRG1 ATPase activity partially dispensable for BRG1 function. Collectively, these data suggest that BRG1 acts in part via remodelling-independent functions to sensitize Tregs to inflammatory cues, thus allowing Tregs to promptly and effectively suppress autoimmunity.

Primary genome scan for complex body shape-related traits in the common carp Cyprinus carpio

To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) that affect body shape in common carp Cyprinus carpio, a linkage map, 2159·23 cM long, was constructed with a total of 307 markers covering 51 linkage groups (LG). The map included 167 new single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers derived from expressed sequence tags (EST) together with 140 microsatellite markers reported earlier. A primary genome scan was conducted for QTL for standard length (L(S)), head length (L(H)), body height (H(B)), body width (W(B)) and tail length (L(TAIL)) in an F1 line containing 92 offspring. A total of 15 suggestive QTL on six LGs were found to associate with L(S), L(H), H(B), W(B) and L(TAIL) which explained 10·7-17·4% of the variance. Five significant QTL were detected for body-shape related traits and located for LGs (lg1, 12 and 20). These QTL included: one associated with L(S) (21·1% variance explained), three for H(B) (almost 20% variance explained) and one for W(B) (20·7% variance explained).

Abstract P6-09-06: Family Members' Burden in Patients with Metastatic and Early Stage Breast Cancer

BACKROUND: No previous studies have assessed the indirect costs attributable to family members of patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This retrospective database study compared productivity loss and cost associated with family members of patients with MBC vs. early-stage breast cancer (EBC).

METHODS: The Thomson Reuters MarketScan Health and Productivity Management (HPM) data (2005–2009) were used. MBC and EBC patients with no other tumors and 12-month continuous enrollment in medical insurance after the index diagnosis date were identified. Adult working family members of these MBC/EBC patients were identified based on their enrollee ID numbers since the enrollees from the same family were assigned the same ID except for the last two digits. The patients' working family members who were eligible for absenteeism and did not have any cancer diagnosis were included and used as a proxy for “caregivers”. The reasons for absenteeism included sickness, personal leave, disability, recreation, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and others. The productivity loss was measured as the leave days taken under FMLA or personal leave by the family members during a 12-month follow-up period. Associated indirect costs were estimated by multiplying leave days with daily wages obtained from the 2011 Bureau of Labor Statistics. Descriptive analyses and a generalized linear model with log link and gamma distribution were conducted.

RESULTS: A total of 209 MBC/1,166 EBC patients' family members were eligible for absenteeism, with a mean age of 50/51 years. 1,373 out of the 1,375 family members were male. Majority of the family members (52%) worked in manufacturing industry, followed by transportation/communication/utilities (28%) and oil gas extraction/mining industry (15%). 52% of the family members had PPO health insurance. Family members of MBC and EBC patients had similar clinical and demographic characteristics. Similar proportions of MBC and EBC patients' family members had overall and individual type of absenteeism. However, MBC patients' family members had more FMLA/personal leave days and higher costs vs. EBC patients (overall mean: 2.8±6.1 vs. 2.1±4.8; $2,366±5,095 vs. $1,741±3,995, both p = .047). Among those who had non-zero FMLA/personal leave days (MBC vs. BC: N=92/44% vs. 502/43%), mean FMLA/personal leave days and costs were 6.4±7.8 vs. 4.8±6.3; $5,375±6,556 vs. $4,043±5,272 respectively, both p = .033. After adjusting for covariates, MBC patients' family members incurred 40% (p = .06) more absenteeism-related costs due to FMLA/personal leave vs. EBC patients' family members. Additionally, occupation in oil/gas extraction/mining (vs. manufacturing non-durable goods industry, p < .001) and Northeast and South regions (vs. West, p < .001) were associated with higher FMLA/personal leave costs.

CONCLUSIONS: Productivity loss in MBC patients' family members was substantial and higher than family members of EBC patients, which is expected with the differing goals, type and length of treatment for MBC and EBC. The patients' family members were used as a proxy of the “caregivers” with limitations that prevent generating accurate estimates on caregiver costs. Nevertheless the findings showed that the productivity loss in MBC patients' family members was considerable.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-09-06.

Immobilisation of heparin on bacterial cellulose-chitosan nano-fibres surfaces via the cross-linking technique

In recent years, bacterial cellulose (BC) has been fabricated in tubular shape as scaffold for vascular tissue engineering. However, in order to improve the blood compatibility and regenerative ability of BC, BC nano-fibres should be cross-linked with some materials which can prevent the formation of blood clot. In this work, a novel BC-chitosan (CS)/heparin (Hep) composite was prepared. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to analyse the obtained samples. It is observed by SEM and TEM that the obtained composites remain the three-dimensional (3D) network and porous structure. The results of XRD reveal that the curve of BC-CS/Hep composite assumes the characteristic absorption peaks of BC, CS and Hep. The FTIR results also confirm the presence of CS and Hep on the surface of BC nano-fibres. In conclusion, BC-CS/Hep composites were obtained by the co-synthesis technique and the cross-linking method, respectively. Furthermore, the MC3T3-E1 cells were seeded on the obtained samples to test the cell compatibility. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide results indicated that the BC-CS/Hep composites were suitable for cell proliferation and ingrowth.

Resistive vibration exercise retards bone loss in weight-bearing skeletons during 60 days bed rest

Countermeasures are desirable to retard bone loss during long-term space flight. We evaluated the effect of an intervention protocol on bed rest-induced bone loss.

INTRODUCTION

We developed a resistive vibration exercise (RVE) platform to test if an intervention RVE protocol would be effective to protect bed rest-induced bone loss.

METHODS

Fourteen male subjects were assigned randomly to either the RVE group (n = 7) that performed daily supervised resistive vibration exercise or to the no any exercise control (CON) group (n = 7). Both dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and peripheral quantitative computed tomography were used to monitor changes in bone mineral density.

RESULTS

RVE significantly prevented bone loss at multiple skeletal sites, including calcaneus, distal tibia, hip, and lumbar spine (L2-L4). The ratio of urinary calcium and creatinine was found higher after starting bed rest in CON group while no significant changes were observed in RVE group. No significant temporal change was found for osteocalcin-N during and after bed rest in CON group. However, a significant increase was shown after bed rest in RVE group. In both groups, the urinary concentration of bone resorption markers, such as C-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) and deoxypyridinoline (DPD), were significantly elevated after bed rest. In the CON group, no significant temporal effect was found for hydroxyproline (HOP), CTX-I, and DPD during bed rest and the serum concentration of HOP and TGF-β significantly increased about 52.04% and 24.03%, respectively only after bed rest. However, all these markers tended to decrease in the RVE group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results might imply that the intervention of RVE retarded bone loss induced by simulated microgravity in humans that was mainly attributed to its anabolic effects.

Microwave-assisted one-step patterning of aqueous colloidal silver

A new approach of utilizing microwave to pattern gradient concentric silver nanoparticle ring structures has been presented. The width and height of a single ring and the space between adjacent rings can be adjusted by changing the silver colloidal concentration and the microwave output power. By simply enhancing the ambient vapour pressure to the saturated value during microwave-assisted evaporation, sub-100 nm rings can be deposited in between adjacent micro-rings over a distance of millimetres. Combined with microwave sintering, this approach can also create conductive silver tracks in a single step, showing huge potential in fabricating micro- and nano-electronic devices in an ultra-fast and cost-effective fashion.

Associations between testosterone, bone mineral density, vitamin D and semen quality in fertile and infertile Chinese men

Testosterone (T) and vitamin D (VD) interact in androgen deficient men, however, this interaction and subsequent semen quality and bone mineral density (BMD) status is not clear in infertile men. Our objective was to investigate T, VD, semen quality, BMD and their relationships in Chinese infertile men. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 559 men aged 20-40 years, including 195 fertile men, 9 infertile men with known risk factors for osteoporosis (WR) and 355 infertile men without known risk factors for osteoporosis (WOR). WOR infertile men constituted 314 oligo-, astheno-, teratospermic or normospermic infertile men (OATN men) and 41 non-obstructive azoospermic men (NOA men). Differences of parameters were assessed, and the relationships were adjusted by multiple linear regression. WOR infertile men had significantly lower T, lumbar spine and total hip BMD than fertile men (all p < 0.05). Bioavailable T (Bio-T) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were independent determinants of BMD in WOR infertile men (all p < 0.01) but not in fertile men. After stratifying Bio-T, WOR infertile men had lower BMD than fertile men (all p < 0.05) in low Bio-T subgroups (Bio-T ≤ 11.6 nmol/L), but not high Bio-T subgroups (Bio-T > 11.6 nmol/L). 25(OH)D was an independent determinant of sperm motility and morphology in WOR OATN men (all p < 0.05), with only borderline significance in fertile men(motility: p = 0.047; morphology: p = 0.056). T determined sperm concentration (square root) and morphology in WOR OATN men (all p < 0.001). No correlations between T and 25(OH)D were found in all groups. We suggest that infertile men have lower T and BMD than fertile men. 25(OH)D and T were associated with low BMD and poor semen quality in infertile men.

Follicular development and expression of nuclear respiratory factor-1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1 alpha in ovaries of fetal and neonatal doelings

In livestock, the ovarian reserve of follicles is established during the fetal stage. However, at least two-thirds of the oocytes present in the reserve die because of apoptosis before birth. Notably, mitochondria have been reported to play a crucial role in the fate (life/death) of oocytes. In this study, mitochondrial regulators nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1) and PPAR γ coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α) were examined during this period of follicle development to investigate their effects on follicular development and apoptosis. Fetal and neonatal Capra haimen were used, ranging in age from 60 d postcoitum (dpc) to 30 d postpartum (dpp). Our data demonstrated that egg nests were the earliest recognizable gamete cells in ovaries of fetal and neonatal doelings. Proportions of egg nests decreased from 92.68 to 25.08% whereas single follicles increased from 7.32 to 74.92% between 60 and 120 dpc. Subsequently, between 90 and 120 dpc, the proportion of primordial follicles increased from 9.98 to 61.56% (P < 0.01). However, it did not change between 1 and 30 dpp (P = 0.12). The proportion of primary follicles increased from 1.23 to 37.93% between 90 dpc to 1 dpp (P = 0.01) but did not change between 1 and 30 dpp (P = 0.11). Meanwhile, proportions of secondary and tertiary follicles increased in an age-dependent manner. In addition, results of this study suggested that NRF-1 and PGC-1α proteins are mainly localized in germ cells of egg nests, cytoplasm of oocytes, and granulosa cells of follicles ranging from primordial to tertiary follicles. The transcript abundance of NRF-1 mRNA was up-regulated in 60-dpc-old ovaries compared with 1-dpp-old ovaries (P < 0.05), but the PGC-1α mRNA expression pattern did not change (P = 0.05). Nevertheless, the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase UTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) positive cells and caspase-3 activity in 60-dpc-old ovaries was less than those in 1-dpp-old ovaries (P < 0.01, P = 0.01). In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the key stage of primordial follicle formation is between 90 and 120 dpc in Capra haimen. Also, this study suggests that NRF-1 and PGC-1α might have roles in cell apoptosis during ovarian development of fetal and neonatal Capra haimen. These results improve our understanding of apoptotic mechanisms in oogenesis and folliculogenesis.

Microarray profiling analysis uncovers common molecular mechanisms of rubella virus, human cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus type 2 infections in ECV304 cells

To study the common molecular mechanisms of various viruses infections that might result in congential cardiovascular diseases in perinatal period, changes in mRNA expression levels of ECV304 cells infected by rubella virus (RUBV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) were analyzed using a microarray system representing 18,716 human genes. 99 genes were found to exhibit differential expression (80 up-regulated and 19 down-regulated). Biological process analysis showed that 33 signaling pathways including 22 genes were relevant significantly to RV, HCMV and HSV-II infections. Of these 33 biological processes, 28 belong to one-gene biological processes and 5 belong to multiple-gene biological processes. Gene annotation indicated that the 5 multiple-gene biological processes including regulation of cell growth, collagen fibril organization, mRNA transport, cell adhesion and regulation of cell shape, and seven down- or up-regulated genes [CRIM1 (cysteine rich transmembrane BMP regulator 1), WISP2 (WNT1 inducible signaling pathway protein 2), COL12A1 (collagen, type XII, alpha 1), COL11A2 (collagen, type XI, alpha 2), CNTN5 (contactin 5), DDR1 (discoidin domain receptor tyrosine kinase 1), VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor precursor)], are significantly correlated to RUBV, HCMV and HSV-2 infections in ECV304 cells. The results obtained in this study suggested the common molecular mechanisms of viruses infections that might result in congential cardiovascular diseases.