Beauveria bassiana (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) wound dressing for the control of Euzophera pinguis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Injury to olive tree trunks and branches because of biotic and abiotic factors, such as pruning and mechanical harvesting, attracts the olive pyralid moth Euzophera pinguis Haworth (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). This moth has become increasingly important in the Mediterranean region during recent years. The use of an entomopathogenic fungus for wound dressing for pest control is reported for the first time in this study. Beauveria bassiana (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) strain EABb 08/04-Ep was originally obtained from a diseased E. pinguis larva and has shown effective E. pinguis control in an olive crop in Jaén, Andalusia, Spain, under field conditions during the spring and fall of 2008 and 2009 and the spring of 2011. Experimental artificial 30 by 30-mm square wound cages were large enough to allow the E. pinguis females to oviposit. Approximately 80 and 40-60% of the control wounds contained live larvae in the experiments that occurred during the spring and fall, respectively. The B. hassiana wound dressing gave similar results as the chlorpyrifos wound dressing throughout the experiment, with efficacies reaching 80-85% in the spring and 90-95% in the autumn. The B. bassiana fungus was recovered from 60-90% of the wounds at the completion of the experiments and after 60 d of treatment. These data indicate that strain EABb 08/04-Ep applied to the pruning wounds can be an effective tool for the microbial control of E. pinguis in olive crops. Moreover, B. bassiana may be used within integrated pest management strategies to minimize chemicals, depending on the population density of the pyralid moth.

Proteomics applied to transfusion plasma: the beginning of the story

'Safe blood' is and has always been the major concern in transfusion medicine. Plasma can undergo virus inactivation treatments based on physicochemical, photochemical or thermal methodologies for pathogen inactivation. The validation of these treatments is essentially based on clottability assays and clotting factors' titration; however, their impact on plasma proteins at the molecular level has not yet been evaluated. Proteomics appears as particularly adapted to identify, to localize and, consequently, to correlate these modifications to the biological activity change. At the crossroads of biology and analytical sciences, proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins in tissues, physiological fluids or cells at a given moment and in a precise environment. The proteomic strategy is based on a set of methodologies involving separative techniques like mono- and bidimensional gel electrophoresis and chromatography, analytical techniques, especially mass spectrometry, and bioinformatics. Even if plasma has been extensively studied since the very beginning of proteomics, its application to transfusion medicine has just begun. In the first part of this review, we present the principles of proteomics analysis. Then, we propose a state of the art of proteomics applied to plasma analysis. Finally, the use of proteomics for the evaluation of the impact of storage conditions and pathogen inactivation treatments applied to transfusion plasma and for the evaluation of therapeutic protein fractionated is discussed.

AG490 promotes HIF-1α accumulation by inhibiting its hydroxylation

AG490 is a tyrphostin originally described as a Janus Activated Kinase (JAK) 2 inhibitor. AG490 also inhibits epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and guanylyl cyclases (GC). More recently, AG490 was associated with oxidative stress protection in experimental acute kidney injury models. We now show that AG490 is also a strong activator of the Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF)-1. Under normoxic conditions HIF-1α is degraded through hydroxylation, von Hippel Lindau protein (VHL)-mediated ubiquitin tagging and proteasomal degradation. AG490 increased HIF-1α protein, but not HIF-1α mRNA levels, dose- and time-dependently in cultured endothelial, vascular smooth muscle and kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells. AG490 increased HIF-1α protein half-life, suggesting that HIF-1α protein accumulation resulted from a decreased degradation. In this regard, AG490 prevented HIF-1α hydroxylation and increased HIF-1α protein levels in human renal carcinoma cells expressing VHL, but did not further increase HIF-1α in VHL negative cells. AG490 did not prevent the proteasomal degradation of other proteins. HIF-1α was not upregulated by dominant negative JAK2constructs, tyrphostin AG9, the EGFR inhibitors erbstatin and genistein, the GC inhibitor Ly83583 or cGMP analogues. Finally, AG490 also increased HIF-1α transcriptional activity evidenced by the increased HIF-1α-dependent VEGF expression. In conclusion, AG490 is a novel HIF-1α activator that increases HIF-1α half-life and protein levels through interference with HIF-1α hydroxylation and VHL-mediated degradation. This action may contribute to the cell and tissue protective effects of AG490.

Risk in dosing regimens for 25-OH vitamin D supplementation in chronic haemodialysis patients

INTRODUCTION

25-OH vitamin D (25-OHvitD) insufficiency or deficiency should be treated in haemodialysis (HD) patients, although the 25-OHvitD target, drug or dosing regimens are unclear.

AIMS

To describe factors associated with 25-OHvitD levels in HD patients and to assess the effect of three dosing regimens to supplement 25-OHvitD (calcifediol) on serum calcium (Ca), phosphate (P), parathyroid hormone (PTH), 25-OHvitD and 1,25-OHvitD.

METHODS

Two hundred and seventeen patients from three HD units were studied. Demographic and biochemical data were collected at baseline. Two different 25-OHvitD assays were used. One hundred and sixty-seven patients were treated with various calcifediol dosing regimens. The same biochemical determinations were repeated after 3 months of treatment.

RESULTS

At baseline, 12.9% of patients had 25-OHvitD <10 ng/ml. In multivariate linear regression, the season (lower in winter) and the assay method were determinants of 25-OHvitD concentration. Following calcifediol supplementation, 25-OHvitD, calcium and phosphate increased, while PTH diminished with statistical significance. After treatment, there were positive correlations between 25-OHvitD and Ca (r = 0.28, p < 0.0001) or 1,25-OHvitD (r = 0.75, p < 0.0001) that were not observed in the baseline dataset. High concentrations of post-treatment 25-OHvitD were associated with higher 1,25-OHvitD levels. Calcemia increased more in those treated with concomitant active vitamin D or those having suppressed baseline PTH, while PTH decreased more in those having above-target PTH levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Standardisation of methods to determine 25-OHvitD blood levels is needed. In HD patients, calcifediol increased 25-OHvitD, calcemia and phosphatemia and lowered PTH. Caution should be exercised with the higher calcifediol dosing regimens, especially in patients with suppressed PTH or on vitamin D receptor activators.

MIF, CD74 and other partners in kidney disease: tales of a promiscuous couple

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is increased in kidney and urine during kidney disease. MIF binds to and activates CD74 and chemokine receptors CXCR2 and CXCR4. CD74 is a protein trafficking regulator and a cell membrane receptor for MIF, D-dopachrome tautomerase (D-DT/MIF-2) and bacterial proteins. MIF signaling through CD74 requires CD44. CD74, CD44 and CXCR4 are upregulated in renal cells in diseased kidneys and MIF activation of CD74 in kidney cells promotes an inflammatory response. MIF or CXCR2 targeting protects from experimental kidney injury, CD44 deficiency modulates kidney injury and CXCR4 activation promotes glomerular injury. However, the contribution of MIF or MIF-2 to these actions of MIF receptors has not been explored. The safety and efficacy of strategies targeting MIF, CD74, CD44 and CXCR4 are under study in humans.

2012 update on diabetic kidney disease: the expanding spectrum, novel pathogenic insights and recent clinical trials

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most frequent cause of end-stage renal disease in western countries. This implies that current methods based of renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) targeting for preventing, slowing or promoting regression of DKD are insufficient. Podocyte injury and albuminuria are thought to be key events in DKD. Indeed several DKD stages are recognized based on the magnitude of albuminuria. However, the spectrum of DKD has recently expanded, as lack of significant albuminuria is present in 30% of diabetics with kidney function impairment. This may result from the widespread use of drugs targeting the RAAS. However, it may also indicate that additional pathogenic factors contribute to renal function deterioration despite control of albuminuria. In this regard, double blockade of the RAAS is more effective in reducing albuminuria that blockade of a single component. However, clinical trials assessing double blockade for renal function preservation have been disappointing and raised safety issues. Non-biased -omics approaches have uncovered alternative therapeutic targets, including the cytokine TRAIL, the MIF receptor CD74 and the proapoptotic intracellular protein BASP1. In addition, urinary proteomics has uncovered a peptidomic fingerprint for DKD progression that precedes the onset of microalbuminuria. Studies are underway to validate this fingerprint for early treatment of high risk patients. Recent clinical trials suggest a potential role of bardoxolone methyl to improve renal function in advanced DKD, while trials of avosentan, pirfenidone, sulodexide and pyridoxamine have been disappointing and further data are needed for paricalcitol and vitamin D, newer generation endothelin receptor antagonists and pentoxifylline.