Cytokine expression by invariant natural killer T cells is tightly regulated throughout development and settings of type-2 inflammation

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells produce cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13 during type-2 inflammatory responses. However, the nature in which iNKT cells acquire type-2 cytokine competency and the precise contribution of iNKT cell-derived IL-4 and IL-13 in vivo remains unclear. Using IL-13-reporter mice to fate-map cytokine-expressing cells in vivo, this study reveals that thymic iNKT cells express IL-13 early during development, and this IL-13-expressing intermediate gives rise to mature iNKT1, iNKT2, and iNKT17 subsets. IL-4 and IL-13 reporter mice also reveal that effector iNKT2 cells produce IL-4 but little IL-13 in settings of type-2 inflammation. The preferential production of IL-4 over IL-13 in iNKT2 cells results in part from their reduced GATA-3 expression. In summary, this work helps integrate current models of iNKT cell development, and further establishes non-coordinate production of IL-4 and IL-13 as the predominant pattern of type-2 cytokine expression among innate cells in vivo.

Secretome of gingival epithelium in response to subgingival biofilms

Periodontitis is the chronic inflammatory destruction of periodontal tissues as a result of bacterial biofilm formation on the tooth surface. Proteins secreted by the gingival epithelium challenged by subgingival biofilms represent an important initial response for periodontal inflammation. The aim of this in vitro study was to characterize the whole secreted proteome of gingival epithelial tissue challenged by subgingival biofilms, and to evaluate the differential effects of the presence of the red-complex species in the biofilm. Multi-layered human gingival epithelial cultures were challenged with a 10-species in vitro biofilm model or its seven-species variant excluding the red complex. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for label-free quantitative proteomics was applied to identify and quantify the secreted epithelial proteins in the culture supernatant. A total of 192 proteins were identified and quantified. The biofilm challenge resulted in more secreted proteins being downregulated than upregulated. Even so, presence of the red complex in the biofilm was responsible for much of this downregulatory effect. Over 24 h, the upregulated biological processes were associated with inflammation and apoptosis, whereas the downregulated processes were associated with the disruption of epithelial tissue integrity and impairment of tissue turnover. Over 48 h, negative regulation of several metabolic processes and degradation of various molecular complexes was further intensified. Again, many of these biological regulations were attributed to the presence of the red complex. In conclusion, the present study provides the secreted proteome profile of gingival epithelial tissue to subgingival biofilms, and identifies a significant role for the red-complex species in the observed effects.

Effect of supplementation of organic manganese on reproductive performance of female Ussuri raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) during the breeding season

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary manganese (Mn) on reproductive performance of female Ussuri raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) during the breeding season. Healthy female Ussuri raccoon dogs (n=72) were randomly divided into six groups of twelve each. The six experimental diets were formulated to contain graded amounts of Mn (0, 40, 80, 120, 200 and 400mg/kg of diet; Groups A through F, respectively). Litter size of Group D was greater than that of Groups A, B, C and E (P<0.05), with Group E having the smallest litter size. Values of number born alive were affected by different amounts of organic Mn. Number of pups born alive in Group D was greater than that of Groups B, C, E and F (P<0.05). Number of pups weaned alive for Group D was greater than that of Groups A, B, C and E (P<0.05). Mn supplementation of the control diet (containing 24.32 mg/kg from raw materials) with 120 mg/kg of Mn was adequate for female Ussuri raccoon dogs during the breeding season, based on positive effects of reproduction performance.

Effects of different dietary manganese levels on growth performance and N balance of growing mink (Neovision vision)

Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of dietary manganese levels on growth performance, nutrients digestibility, and N balance of minks during growing period. In experiment 1, 75 healthy male minks (60 days old) were selected and randomly divided into five groups with different types of diet. The diet was supplemented with 0 (control), 50, 100, 300, and 600 ppm of manganese as MnSO4 of dry matter (DM) in basic diet, respectively. From early July to middle September, the results showed that the final body weights of minks were significantly affected by diets (P < 0.05). Average daily gains (ADG) were significantly higher in the 300-ppm manganese group than those in other groups. The ratio of feed to body weight gain (F/G) was significantly affected by manganese level (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, 45 male minks (75 days old) with the same body weight were selected from each group of experiment 1 to carry out the nutrient digestion and N-balance tests which lasted for 4 days for the collection of the feces and urine, and the diets and treatment codes were same as in experiment 1. The results showed that no significant differences were found in DM, crude protein (CP), and crude carbohydrate (CC) digestibility among all groups (P > 0.05), but ether extract (EE) and gross energy (GE) digestibility were all the highest in the 300-ppm group. N intake and fecal N were similar among all groups (P > 0.05). Urinary N was lower in the 300-ppm group; in contrast, N retention was higher in this group (P < 0.05). In conclusion of experiment 1 and experiment 2, the diet supplemented with 300 ppm of manganese (as manganese sulfate) could improve the growth performance and increase the EE and GE digestibility of mink during the growing period and moreover reduce the nitrogen emissions to the environment, and the optimal total manganese level in mink's diet was 409.16 in DM during the growing period.

Recent atmospheric lead deposition recorded in an ombrotrophic peat bog of Great Hinggan Mountains, Northeast China, from 210Pb and 137Cs dating

Radioactive markers are useful in dating lead deposition patterns from industrialization in peat archive. Peat cores were collected in an ombrotrophic peat bog in the Great Hinggan Mountains in Northeast China in September 2008 and dated using (210)Pb and (137)Cs radiometric techniques. The mosses in both cores were examined systematically for dry bulk density, water and ash content. Lead also was measured using atomic emission spectroscopy with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-AES). Both patterned peat profiles were preserved well without evident anthropogenic disturbance. Unsupported (210)Pb and (137)Cs decreased with the depth in both of the two sample cores. The (210)Pb chronologies were established using the constant rate of supply model (CRS) and are in good agreement with the (137)Cs time marker. Recent atmospheric (210)Pb flux in Great Hinggan Mountains peat bog was estimated to be 337 Bq m(-2)y(-1), which is consistent with published data for the region. Lead deposition rate in this region was also derived from these two peat cores and ranged from 24.6 to 55.8 mg m(-2)y(-1) with a range of Pb concentration of 14-262 microg g(-1). The Pb deposition patterns were consistent with increasing industrialization over the last 135-170 y, with a peak of production and coal burning in the last 50 y in Northeast China. This work presents a first estimation of atmospheric Pb deposition rate in peatlands in China and suggests an increasing trend of environmental pollution due to anthropogenic contaminants in the atmosphere. More attention should be paid to current local pollution problems, and society should take actions to seek a balance between economic development and environmental protection.

Terminal proteins essential for the replication of linear plasmids and chromosomes in Streptomyces

Linear plasmids and chromosomes of the bacterial genus Streptomyces have proteins of unknown characteristics and function linked covalently to their 5' DNA termini. We purified protein attached to the end of the pSLA2 linear plasmid of Streptomyces rochei, determined the N-terminal amino acid sequence, and used this information to clone corresponding genes from a S. rochei cosmid library. Three separate terminal protein genes (here designated as tpgR1, tpgR2, and tpgR3), which map to the S. rochei chromosome and to 100-kb and 206-kb linear plasmids contained in S. rochei, were isolated and found to encode a family of similar but distinct 21-kD proteins. Using tpgR1 to probe a genomic DNA library of Streptomyces lividans ZX7, whose linear chromosome can undergo transition to a circular form, we isolated a S. lividans chromosomal gene (tpgL) that we found specifies a protein closely related to, and functionally interchangeable with, TpgR proteins for pSLA2 maintenance in S. lividans. Mutation of tpgL precluded propagation of the pSLA2 plasmid in a linear form and also prevented propagation of S. lividans cells that contain linear, but not circular, chromosomes, indicating a specific and essential role for tpg genes in linear DNA replication. Surprisingly, Tpg proteins were observed to contain a reverse transcriptase-like domain rather than sequences in common with proteins that attach covalently to the termini of linear DNA replicons.

Stress-relaxation plates and the remodeling of callus and cortex under the plate in rabbits

OBJECTIVE

To study the influence of a stress-relaxation plate on the remodeling of callus and cortex under the plate.

METHODS

The bilateral tibia diaphysis of New Zealand rabbit were osteotomized and fixed with stress-relaxation plate (SRP) and rigid plate (RP), respectively. Polarized light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the remodeling of callus and the cortex under the plate from 4 to 24 weeks postoperatively.

RESULTS

Polarized light microscopy: the structural changes of callus and cortex beneath the plate are similar in the SRP and RP groups at the early postoperative stage, manifesting an alignment disorder of collagen fibers with a weak birefringence in the callus and absorption cavities in the cortex under the plate. After the twelfth postoperative week, the SRP group showed callus starting to transform to lamellar bone and absorption cavities in the cortex under the plate becoming smaller. By contrast in the RP group the absorption cavities in the callus and cortex under the plate became larger and the whole layer of cortex was cancellated. TEM: the active osteoclasts appeared in both SRP and RP groups in the period from 4 to 8 weeks postoperatively. In the SRP group, many functionally active osteoblasts could be seen on the surface of the bone, while in the RP group, the osteoblasts were not very active. By 24 weeks postoperatively, the shape of osteocytes were normal but the number of the osteoclasts were small in the SRP group. In the RP group, the osteoclasts became more active and osteocytic osteolysis was manifested.

CONCLUSIONS

Fixation with SRP not only enhanced callus remodeling, but also abated the degree of osteoporosis in the cortex under the plate. This approach may lead to an improved osteosynthetic apparatus.

Development and application of an instrument for analysis of bone structure on radiographs

An instrument used for quantitative assessment of trabecular structure of radius on radiograph including trabecular number and trabecular width was developed using a microdensitometer and a single-chip microcomputer. The device is characterized by its high sensitivity, good reproducibility, convenience and economy. The results obtained with the instrument were significantly correlated to actual bone mineral content. This device can be used for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, fluorosis, rickets and bone damages caused by cadmium.

[Influence of cadmium on cartilage and bone formation induced by bone morphogenetic protein]

An induced osteogenetic model was established using bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) to study direct effect of cadmium on bone tissue, cartilage and bone formation. Four indicators, i.e. incorporation of 35S and 40Ca, and activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), acidic phosphatase (ACP), were used to reflect cartilage and bone formation. Results showed that no obvious effect of cadmium on incorporation of 35S was found, but cadmium could lower incorporation of 40Ca, inhibit activities of ALP and have no obvious effect on activity of ACP in osteogenesis. Therefore, it is concluded that cadmium has no obvious influence on cartilage formation, but has obvious inhibitory effect on endochondral bone formation, and cadmium can inhibit the function of osteoblast and calcium salt deposit.

Repeated polyketide synthase modules involved in the biosynthesis of a heptaene macrolide by Streptomyces sp. FR-008

Genes for biosynthesis of a Streptomyces sp. FR-008 heptaene macrolide antibiotic with antifungal and mosquito larvicidal activity were cloned in Escherichia coli using heterologous DNA probes. The cloned genes were implicated in heptaene biosynthesis by gene replacement. The FR-008 antibiotic contains a 38-membered, polyketide-derived macrolide ring. Southern hybridization using probes encoding domains of the type I modular erythromycin polyketide synthase (PKS) showed that the Streptomyces sp. FR-008 PKS gene cluster contains repeated sequences spanning c. 105kb of contiguous DNA; assuming c. 5 kb for each PKS module, this is in striking agreement with the expectation for the 21-step condensation process required for synthesis of the FR-008 carbon chain. The methods developed for transformation and gene replacement in Streptomyces sp. FR-008 make it possible to genetically manipulate polyene macrolide production, and may later lead to the biosynthesis of novel polyene macrolides.

Comparative effects of ethanol on motor activity and operant behavior

Ethanol effects on two types of motor activity and on lever responding for food delivered on a fixed-ratio 20 (FR 20) reinforcement schedule were compared using C57BL/6 (C57) mice. Low doses of ethanol (1-2 g/kg) transiently elevated horizontal activity and high doses (2.5 and 3.0 g/kg) reduced this behavior throughout testing with a slight recovery toward the end of a 16-min test period. In contrast, similar ethanol doses produced a monotonic reduction in both vertical activity and lever responding for food under the FR 20 schedule. The ethanol-induced reduction in FR 20 lever responding was less prolonged than the reduction in vertical activity but was more prolonged than the reduction in horizontal activity. Because vertical activity and lever responding for food delivered on the FR 20 schedule were never elevated, were reduced at ethanol doses that either stimulated or depressed horizontal activity, and were unaffected by low ethanol doses that did not affect horizontal activity, it is unlikely that either are sensitive to the stimulatory effects of ethanol. Accountable mechanisms for the different effects of ethanol on the three behaviors are unknown; however, the present study eliminates ethanol dose, postinjection time, testing time, and food deprivation condition as possible reasons for the differences.

Effects of Ro 15-4513 and ethanol on operant behavior of male and female C57BL/6 mice

Although the partial benzodiazepine receptor inverse agonist, Ro 15-4513, counteracts many ethanol effects, its effect on operant behavior or on ethanol-induced changes in this behavior, remains controversial. In this study, we examined the effects of Ro 15-4513, ethanol, and their interaction on behavior maintained by an FR 20 schedule of food reinforcement. Ro 15-4513 (1.0-4.0 mg/kg) and ethanol (1.5-3.0 g/kg) reduced lever-responding of both male and female mice. The disruptive effect of Ro 15-4513 was of short duration (approximately 10 min), and was greater in male than in female mice. Under equivalent dose and time parameters, ethanol disrupted behavior of both sexes to the same extent. In spite of the disruptive effects of both drugs when given alone, when given after ethanol and prior to testing, Ro 15-4513 attenuated the disruptive effects of ethanol in male mice. The present study extends previous reports by documenting: (1) that the disruptive effect of Ro 15-4513 on mice is of very short duration and occurs at lower doses than previously reported; (2) that, in spite of being disruptive itself, Ro 15-4513 can attenuate the disruptive effects of ethanol on schedule controlled behavior; and (3) that gender is an important consideration in determining the effects of this compound.

UV difference spectroscopy of ligand binding to maltose-binding protein

We have used UV absorbance spectroscopy to study the binding of linear and circular maltodextrins to maltose-binding protein (MBP). Titrations with maltose yield three isosbestic points in the difference spectrum of MBP, consistent with two protein conformations: ligand-free and ligand-bound. In contrast, titrations with maltotetraose reveal three conformations: ligand-free, a low-affinity liganded state, and a high affinity liganded state. These results confirm and extend the results from tritium NMR spectroscopy, namely, that MBP can bind maltodextrin either by the sugar's anomeric end (high affinity) or by the middle of the maltodextrin chain (low affinity).

Comments on nomenclature in traditional Chinese medicine

The present article suggests that the nomenclature used in traditional Chinese medicine is currently unclear resulting in improper usage of terms and subsequent confusion. This paper is an attempt to clarify this nomenclature confusion. Traditional medicine of China should be called "traditional Chinese medicine" (T.C.M.) rather than the frequently used "Chinese medicine". The latter term fails to express the "tradition" associated with T.C.M., and also it does not distinguish between T.C.M. and modern Chinese medicine. "Oriental medicine", another frequently used term for T.C.M., has the same kind of shortcomings. The true colors of T.C.M. should be restored. The author also notes that "herb", "herbology" or "herbal medicine" is not synonymous with traditional Chinese materia medica. Herbal medicine is a type of folk medicine whereas traditional Chinese materia medica is a formal branch of traditional Chinese medicine. Furthermore, the author suggests that "acupunctology" be used when referring to the science of acupuncture whereas "acupuncture" should be used with reference to a method or perhaps the therapy of needling.

Effects of Ro 15-4513 on ethanol discrimination in C57BL/6 mice

Ro 15-4513, a partial benzodiazepine receptor inverse agonist, counteracts many of the effects of ethanol, however, its effects on ethanol discrimination in operant paradigms remains unclear. The present study examined the effects of Ro 15-4513 on ethanol discrimination by female C57BL/6 mice in a food-reinforced behavior-operant paradigm. Under the time and dosing conditions used in previous reports, Ro 15-4513 did not alter ethanol discrimination whether given prior to or after ethanol exposure. The drug did, however, attenuate ethanol discrimination for brief periods (less than 8 min) when injected after ethanol and at doses and postinjection times which also disrupted responding. The present study confirmed that Ro 15-4513 attenuated ethanol discrimination, but not to the extent as previously reported. The results indicate that postinjection time is a very critical factor in whether Ro 15-4513 attenuates ethanol discrimination.