Local and systemic induction of two defense-related subtilisin-like protease promoters in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Luciferin induction of PR gene expression

Following a pathogenic attack, plants are able to mount a defense response with the coordinated activation of a battery of defense-related genes. In this study we have characterized the mode of expression of the P69B and P69C genes from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), which encodes two closely related subtilisin-like proteases associated with the defense response. We have compared the mode of gene regulation in heterologous transgenic Arabidopsis plants harboring promoter-beta-glucuronidase (GUS) and promoter-luciferase (LUC) gene fusions for these two genes. These studies revealed that the P69B and P69C promoters are induced by salicylic acid as well as during the course of both a compatible and an incompatible interaction with Pseudomonas syringae. Furthermore, P69B and P69C expression takes place in both the local and the distal (noninoculated) leaves upon inoculation with bacteria but following different and unique tissue-specific patterns of expression that are also different to that described for most other classical PR genes. Also, we report that luciferin, the substrate for the reporter luciferase (LUC) gene, is able to activate expression of PR genes, and this may pose a problem when using this gene reporter system in studies related to plant defense.

Characterization of P69E and P69F, two differentially regulated genes encoding new members of the subtilisin-like proteinase family from tomato plants

Subtilisin-like proteins represent an ancient family of serine proteases that are extremely widespread in living organisms. We report here the structure and genomic organization of two new transcriptionally active genes encoding proteins that belong to the P69 family of subtilisin-like proteases from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) plants. The two new members, P69E and P69F, are organized in a cluster and arranged in a tandem form. mRNA expression analysis and studies of transgenic Arabidopsis plants transformed with promoter-beta-glucuronidase fusions for each of these two genes revealed that they are differentially regulated, with each showing a highly specific mRNA expression pattern. P69E mRNA is expressed only in roots, while P69F mRNA is expressed only in hydathodes. A comparison of all the P69 amino acid sequences, gene structure, expression profiles, and clustered organization suggests a working model for P69 gene family evolution.

A genomic cluster containing four differentially regulated subtilisin-like processing protease genes is in tomato plants

Screening of a genomic library from tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum) with a cDNA probe encoding a subtilisin-like protease (PR-P69) that is induced at the transcriptional level following pathogen attack (Tornero, P., Conejero, V., and Vera, P. (1996) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 93, 6332-6337) resulted in the isolation of a cluster of genomic clones that comprise a tandem of four different subtilisin-like protease genes (P69A, P69B, P69C, and P69D). Sequence analyses and comparison of the encoded proteins revealed that all are closely related (79 to 88% identity), suggesting that all are derived from a common ancestral gene. mRNA expression analysis as well as studies of transgenic plants transformed with promoter-beta-glucuronidase fusions for each of these genes revealed that the four genes exhibit differential transcriptional regulation and expression patterns. P69A and P69D are expressed constitutively, but with different expression profiles during development, whereas the P69B and P69C genes show expression following infection with Pseudomonas syringae and are also up-regulated by salicylic acid. We propose that these four P69-like proteases, as members of a complex gene family of plant subtilisin-like proteases, may be involved in a number of specific proteolytic events that occur in the plant during development and/or pathogenesis.

[Personality and triggering life events in the affective psychoses]

60 bipolar patients and 30 patients with recurrent major depression, both fulfilling DSM-III criteria, were studied in terms of sociodemographic profile, personal and family antecedents, clinical psychopathology, personality type and triggers of the first episodes. We found a greater frequency in the bipolar group of personality disorders of the hypomanic, cyclothymic and sociopathic types; the melancholic-anancastic being more associated with unipolar depression. The bipolar patients in our study had a higher socioeconomical and cultural level compared with the unipolar patients. More than 50% of the depressive episodes of each group had unfavourable life event triggers; 45% of the manic episodes also had previous unfavourable life events; 44% of the patients of this later group, exhibited a previous hypomanic, sociopathic or cyclothymic personality.

[Refractory depression: therapeutic alternatives]

A group of 89 patients admitted to the Psychiatric Unit of a General Hospital, with diagnosis of depression according to ICD-9 criteria and randomly chosen were studied. 26 of them (29.2%) were resistant depressions and 63 (7.82%) responded to treatment. Both groups were composed retrospectively in order to analyse resistance or lack of response to a first treatment with tricyclic or tetracyclic antidepressants in effective dosages. We considered: the personality type; the associated somatic pathology; prolonged social stress; period of evolution of the disorder; previous treatments; type of disorder uni or bipolar; familial morbidity; diagnosis reconsideration; analysis of therapeutic compliance; side effects and intolerance. We observed a statistically significant difference with regard to prophylactic treatment (38.4% resistant versus 98.3% non-resistant, p less than 0.0001); a greater suspicion of psycho-organicity in the resistant group (p less than 0.05); a longer interval of time for the resistant group between the beginning of the disorder and the beginning of treatment in our service (F: 1.45, t: 2.58, p less than 0.01). The alternatives used with our patients are analysed and we propose schedules for tackling this kind of problem.

[Hysterical psychosis: clinical aspects and disease course]

30 patients admitted to our psychiatric service with the initial diagnosis of psychogenic psychosis, dissociative psychosis or hysterical pseudo-psychosis are studied anamnestically and in their catamnesis (average follow up 5.1 years). The objective of the study was to see if these disorders are independent nosologic entities or are masking other ones, such as affective, schizophrenic or neurotic disorders. In this study we found a greater percentage of women (3/1) with a previous hysterical personality in more than 50%; many of the patients were hospitalised in order to clarify the diagnosis; in 70% we found psychogenic triggers; a greater predominance of an abrupt onset of the disorder (which would favour the concept of reaction); 60% had fluctuating symptoms (not so common in endogenous psychosis). In almost 100% there was a complete remission during the hospitalization period (average 22.7 days), which would bring them closer to the present concept of brief reactive psychosis. With a follow up of an average of five years, the diagnosis is maintained in 93.3% of the cases. The majority of the patients fulfilled the criteria for hysterical psychosis as defined by Hollender and Hirsch. We think that these disorders are well delimited, both clinically and nosologically, not having received up until now an exact placing in modern classification systems (DSM-III, ICD-10, etc.).

Psychiatric care of coronary artery disease in a cardiac rehabilitation unit

The present work describes the psychiatric intervention in the Ramón y Cajal Hospital (Madrid) Cardiac Rehabilitation Program for Coronary Disease patients. The psychopathological concepts in relation to coronary heart disease are reviewed and studied in the foregoing acute and rehabilitation phases. The evaluation and therapeutic intervention methods are related in detail. Finally, results obtained in 90 patients who were treated in the past 3 years are analyzed. We mainly focused on the psychological risk factors and the psychosocial aspects.