Common loci for Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Rhizobium meliloti exopolysaccharide synthesis and their roles in plant interactions

Mutants of Rhizobium meliloti have been isolated which are deficient in exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and effective nodulation of alfalfa (J. A. Leigh, E. R. Signer, and G. C. Walker, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:6231-6235, 1985). We isolated approximately 100 analogous EPS-deficient (Exo) mutants of the closely related plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens, including strains whose EPS deficiencies were specifically complemented by each of five cloned R. meliloti exo loci. We also cloned A. tumefaciens genes which complemented EPS defects in three of the R. meliloti Exo mutants. In two of these cases, symbiotic defects were also complemented. All of the A. tumefaciens Exo mutants formed normal crown gall tumors on four different plant hosts, except ExoC mutants, which were nontumorigenic and unable to attach to plant cells in vitro. Like their R. meliloti counterparts, A. tumefaciens Exo mutants were deficient in production of succinoglycan, the major acidic EPS species produced by both genera. A. tumefaciens ExoC mutants also produced extremely low levels of another major EPS, cyclic 1,2-beta-D-glucan. This deficiency has been noted previously in a different set of nontumorigenic, attachment-defective A. tumefaciens mutants.

Sexuality in women with Parkinson's disease

There is a renewed interest in sexuality in chronic disease states. Whereas there is some literature on male sexuality in Parkinson's disease (PD), no study has been devoted exclusively to women. We compared 27 women who had PD with community controls matched for age and marital status by using the Brief Index of Sexual Functioning in Women. Approximately 50% of both samples were sexually active. The women with PD were more likely to be dissatisfied with the quality of the sexual experiences. There were significant differences in the two groups with respect to anxiety or inhibition, vaginal tightness, and involuntary urination. Preoccupation with health problems interfering with sex and dissatisfaction with body appearance were also more prevalent in parkinsonian women, but not statistically different from controls. The PD patients were less satisfied with their sexual relationships and with their partners, and were more depressed as a group when compared with controls (Beck Depression Inventory of 11.8 vs 6.3). In both groups, age was associated with significant changes in satisfaction and activity. In summary, qualitative differences exist in the sexual experiences of women with PD compared with controls.

Thumb duplication at the metacarpophalangeal joint. Management and a new classification

Duplication at the metacarpophalangeal joint level (Wassel Type IV) is the most common type thumb duplication (polydactyly), accounting for 50%. It can be subdivided into 4 types: (A) hypoplastic (12%), (B) ulnar deviated (64%), (C) divergent (15%), and (D) convergent (complex) (9%). Type D has the most complex bone and soft tissue anomalies and is most likely to have residual deformities. A surgical protocol emphasizing early operation within 1 year of age, 1 stage osteotomy, meticulous collateral ligament repair, and abductor pollicis brevis tendon reattachment is presented. Twenty-one cases with an average followup of 5.25 years were reviewed. The cosmetic and functional results were satisfactory. Of a score system of 20 points, the mean score was 17.9. All except 1 patient had a stable metacarpophalangeal joint. Fifteen patients had a good range of movement, and 17 patients are satisfied with the outcome of surgery. Scar hypertrophy occurred in 2 patients.

A prospective study of early tactile stimulation after digital nerve repair

Forty-nine patients with 65 digital nerve injuries were randomized into two groups after nerve repair. Group 1 received early tactile stimulation and Group 2 was a control group. The patients were assessed prospectively for 6 months for recovery of functional sensibility. Tactile stimulation in Group 1 was provided from 3 weeks after nerve repair with a specially designed rotating tactile stimulator and a pocket tactile stimulator. Constant two-point discrimination, moving two-point discrimination, and cutaneous pressure threshold were measured and sensibility was graded with the Medical Research Council (UK) sensibility grading. At 6 months, 68.8% of patients in Group 1 had a Medical Research Council grading of S3+ or S4 sensibility compared with 36 % in Group 2. With this prospective randomized study, the value of sensory reeducation in improving sensibility after digital nerve injury was confirmed. Starting tactile stimulation from the early postoperative period is recommended; however, use of the rotating tactile stimulator and pocket tactile stimulation need additional study.

Staining intensity of individual osteons correlated with elastic properties and degrees of mineralization

Surface staining is widely used for histological studies involving undecalcified thick bone sections. Individual osteons, particularly newly formed ones stained with toluidine blue (TB), show various color intensities. We studied the correlations between TB color intensity and the differences in stiffness and degree of mineralization of individual osteons in undecalcified histological sections of goat tibial diaphysis, measured by scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) and contact microradiography (CMR), respectively. Results showed that all three measurements correlated significantly with each other (r = 0.567 - 0.786; all P < or = 0.01). The TB surface staining intensity of individual osteons correlated better with the reflection coefficient (stiffness index) measured by SAM (r = 0.713) than with the aluminum step-wedge equivalent thickness measured on CMR micrographs (r = 0.567). The aluminum step-wedge equivalent thickness of individual osteons on CMR correlated slightly better with the SAM reflection coefficient (r = 0.786) than with the TB surface staining intensity (r = 0.713). The results of this study suggest that TB surface staining may be used as a simple method for indicating differences in stiffness and degree of mineralization in individual osteons in comparative histological studies.

Effect of pilocarpine on anterior chamber angles

Pilocarpine is widely used in the treatment of glaucoma, especially for the acute form of angle-closure glaucoma. Previous studies have shown that pilocarpine decreases central anterior chamber depth. In the present study, a quantitative measurement method, applying Scheimpflug photography, was used to report whether pilocarpine also affected the anterior chamber angles. Twenty-nine normal Chinese subjects, 17 female and 12 male with an age range from 11 to 63 years old, were enrolled. One eye of each subject was treated with one drop of 2% pilocarpine. Photographs of each of four quadrants were taken prior to, and after, pilocarpine treatment in both eyes, using a rotating slit-lamp video camera based on the Scheimpflug principle. The slit beams were set at 0 degrees and 90 degrees. The eyes which did not receive pilocarpine treatment served as control. The angles of the four quadrants were calculated for both eyes both prior to, and after, pilocarpine treatment, and results were compared by Student's paired t-test. The comparison of angles between the eyes prior to, and after, pilocarpine treatment indicated that there is a significant narrowing of angles in all quadrants. The complex factors involved in the change of anterior chamber angle are reviewed in the light of muscarinic action of pilocarpine.

Analysis of the heat-induced denaturation of proteins using temperature gradient gel electrophoresis

A new technique, temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE), was applied to the study of heat-induced protein denaturation. The gels used contained 30 mM Borax + 75 mM boric acid, pH 8.4, and various concentrations of urea. When this technique was applied to bovine serum albumin, the protein showed discontinuous bands upon melting, indicating that the thermal transition is irreversible. The apparent melting temperature, calculated based on the relative intensity of two bands in the transition region, was 58 degrees C in 2 M urea. When the thermal denaturation of bovine serum albumin was analyzed spectroscopically, the transition was again irreversible, with an apparent transition temperature of 57 degrees C, consistent with the TGGE results. Recombinant stem cell factor, recombinant granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor, and catalase were also analyzed by TGGE, indicating that the technique can be used to analyze denaturation of monomeric and multimeric proteins.

Anterior chamber angles shallowing and intraocular pressure after topical pilocarpine

Pilocarpine has been well recognized as the drug of choice for acute angle-closure glaucoma. The purpose of this study is to clarify quantitatively the change of anterior chamber angle and depth with the passage of time after pilocarpine drop administration. Chamber angles of the four quadrants and chamber depths were measured in 18 normal subjects by Scheimpflug Video Image prior to and 30, 60, and 180 minutes after administration of one drop of 4% pilocarpine in one eye, while the opposite eye served as control. The anterior chamber angle and depth showed a significant shallowing at 30, 60 and 180 minutes after 4% pilocarpine administration with a maximal effect of -3.61 degrees and -0.15 mm at 30 minutes, respectively, while the reduction of intraocular pressure reached its maximal effect at 180 minutes. These facts should be well understood in the treatment of angle-closure glaucoma.

[Efficacy, tolerance and acceptability of Incontex in spayed bitches with urinary incontinence]

A clinical study about efficacy and acceptance of Incontex in spayed bitches with urinary incontinence was performed. In a randomised, double-blinded study the efficacy and acceptance of Incontex (Dr. E. Gräub AG, Bern, Schweiz) in bitches with urethral sphincter incompetence due to spaying was evaluated under field conditions. The active ingredient of the Incontex Syrup is phenylpropanolamine (PPA), an alpha1-adrenergic agonist. The study was performed using 24 spayed, incontinent bitches. Over a first period of treatment of 30 days the bitches received either Incontex, at 1.5 mg/kg twice per day, or a placebo. In the second period of 30 days all 24 bitches were treated with Incontex at the recommended dose. Any changes in the incontinence compared with the situation before the study were evaluated.

RESULTS

Of 24 bitches 21 (88%) became continent and in 2 bitches (8%) urinary incontinence improved. In only 1 bitch (4%) the medication did have no effect. Five bitches (21%) showed side effects. The acceptance of Incontex was good.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Incontex can be recommended as an efficient and well-tolerated medication for the treatment of bitches with urinary incontinence after spaying. The oral application of 1.5mg/kg BW phenylpropanolamine twice daily has been approved.

Effect of vector type, host strains and transcription terminator on heterologous gene expression in yeast

Using the surface antigen gene of the hepatitis B virus, and the promoter and terminator sequences of the yeast pho5 gene as a model system, a series of closely related expression plasmids were constructed to investigate the effect of vector type, genetic background of host strains and the presence of transcription terminator on the expression of heterologous gene in yeast. Plasmids carrying the replication origin of the 2 mu plasmids were found to be much more stable than those either independently or simultaneously carrying ars1 sequences. Gene expression was also higher with 2 micron-based plasmids. Yeast selection marker (trp1 or leu2) and therefore the host strains used did not have significant effects on gene expression. Addition of transcription terminator sequences downstream to the HBsAg gene also contributed only limited increases in gene expression levels.

Induced resistance of trypsin to sodium dodecylsulfate upon complex formation with trypsin inhibitor

The stabilities of trypsin and soybean trypsin inhibitor in sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) were examined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Both samples contained several bands, all of which migrated to positions corresponding to the appropriate molecular weight or less, even when the samples were unheated, suggesting that both the trypsin and trypsin inhibitor are susceptible to SDS-induced denaturation. When they were mixed together prior to addition of SDS-PAGE sample buffer (1% SDS), a new smearing band appeared which corresponded to a molecular weight of around 46,000, suggesting that these proteins form a stable complex in SDS. This was confirmed by electroblotting and sequence analysis, which indicated that this band contains both the trypsin and inhibitor sequences. At a fixed concentration of the inhibitor, increasing concentrations of the trypsin resulted in an increase in the intensity of the complex band. When the mixture was heated for 10 min in 1% SDS, the complex band disappeared in a temperature-dependent manner. The melting temperature determined under the experimental conditions used was about 35 degrees C. Similar results were obtained with Bowman-Birk trypsin inhibitor, except that the complex with the above inhibitor had a higher melting temperature, around 41 degrees C, suggesting that the Bowman-Birk inhibitor/trypsin complex is more stable than the soybean inhibitor/trypsin complex.

Skewed abrogation of tolerance to a neo self-antigen in double-transgenic mice coexpressing the antigen with interleukin-1beta or interferon-gamma

Transgenic (Tg) mice expressing hen egg lysozyme (HEL) under the control of the alphaA-crystallin promoter exhibit tolerance to HEL by both their T- and B-cell compartments. Here, we show that double-Tg mice, coexpressing HEL with either interleukin-1beta or interferon (IFN)-gamma, demonstrated unresponsiveness to HEL by their T-cell compartment, but most of them developed antibodies against HEL following a challenge with the antigen. The abrogation of humoral tolerance was more pronounced in the HEL/IL-1 double-Tg mice than in the HEL/IFN-gamma mice. Unlike their controls, double-Tg mice exhibited remarkable levels of variability in their antibody levels. The skewed abrogation of tolerance in the double-Tg mice is proposed to be due to the cytokines' capacity to rescue from clonal deletion small numbers of T cells, which provide help to antibody producing B cells. This notion is supported by the finding that adoptive transfer of small numbers of Th1 or Th2 cells into HEL-Tg mice made possible antibody production similar to that seen in the double-Tg mice.

Stability of fungal alpha-amylase in sodium dodecylsulfate

Unfolding of a fungal alpha-amylase in aqueous sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) solution was examined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). When the alpha-amylase was incubated with 1% SDS at room temperature and subjected to SDS-PAGE, it showed a much higher mobility than expected from the molecular weight. Circular dichroic and gel filtration analyses indicated that the protein is apparently in the native conformation upon incubation with 1% SDS. When the protein was heated in the presence of 1% SDS at 90 degrees C for 10 min, it had a lower mobility in SDS-PAGE and showed characteristics of an unfolded protein by circular dichroism and gel filtration. The melting temperatures of the protein were determined in the absence and presence of SDS by incubating it for 10 min at various temperatures. The melting temperatures were 70, 55, and 49 degrees C in the presence of 0, 1, and 2% SDS, respectively. The observed small shift of the melting temperatures by SDS suggests that the destabilizing action of SDS on the alpha-amylase is weak. However, the unfolding in SDS is not reversible process, since prolonged incubation of the protein with 1% SDS at 50 degrees C gradually increased the amount of unfolded protein. This indicates that the SDS-induced unfolding of the alpha-amylase is a slow process.

The effect of aging on the genetic expression of renin by mouse kidney

The effect of aging on the genetic expression of renin was studied in kidney tissue by measuring renin mRNA levels. RNA was isolated from the kidneys of 5- to 37-month-old male C57BL/6J mice. The relative levels of the renin mRNA were measured by dot blot hybridization using a cDNA probe to renin. The size of renin mRNA as determined by northern blot analysis was found to be 1.6 Kb. The size of renin mRNA did not change with increasing age. However, the levels of renin mRNA in kidney RNA decreased 70% after 12 months of age.

A novel inflammatory eye disease induced by lymphocytes from knockout mice sensitized against the deleted ocular antigen

Lens-associated uveitis (LAU), a severe inflammatory eye disease, is thought to be mediated by autoimmunity against lens crystallins. Previously described animal models for this disease are antibody-mediated, since no cellular response to self crystallins could be induced in experimental animals. Here, we describe a new model for LAU, in which lymphocytes from knockout mice deficient in alphaB-crystallin are sensitized against the deleted protein and induce severe ocular inflammation when adoptively transferred into wild type recipients. Similar to LAU, the experimental disease developed only following rupture of the lens capsule, produced in this study by capsulotomy; no disease was detected in recipient eyes with no capsulotomy, or in those treated with cautery, or in eyes affected by systemic treatment with sodium iodate, lipopolysaccharide or X-irradiation. The ocular changes in affected eyes included heavy cellular infiltration and proteinaceous exudate in both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye, that reached their peak on day 4 following cell transfer and subsided quite rapidly thereafter.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) exacerbates endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) in mice

PURPOSE

We have previously shown that inhibition of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor- (TNF)-alpha exacerbates the inflammatory process of EIU. To further examine this paradoxic phenomenon, we investigated here the effect on EIU of VIP, a neuropeptide that inbibits TNF-alpha production.

METHODS

VIP was injected concurrently with endotoxin at doses that induce EIU or lethality in mice. Severity of EIU was measured by counting infiltrating cells in eye sections, at 1 or 5 days post endotoxin injection. Survival of mice was monitored periodically, while serum levels of TNF-alpha, interleukin-(IL)-1beta and IL-10 were determined by caputure ELISA.

RESULTS

Treatment with VIP exacerbated EIU but provided partial protection from the lethal endotoxin effect. VIP treatment also reduced serum levels of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta, but increased levels of IL-10.

CONCLUSION

This study further established the paradoxical observation that EIU is exacerbated by lowering the levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, in particular TNF-alpha.

Epithelial versus myeloid-derived IL-33 controls different aspects of pathogen-specific immunity

Sensing of tissue injury through interleukin 33 (IL-33) release from damaged epithelial and endothelial cells directs effector function(s) of T helper and cytotoxic subsets, group 2 innate lymphocytes, and various myeloid cells. However, it is unclear whether noncanonical IL-33 production from conventional dendritic cells (cDC) shapes infection outcome. This study interrogated whether IL-33 from epithelial cells functioned differently from IL-33 derived from conventional dendritic cells (cDC) during helminth driven Type 2 inflammation. Data show mice temporally deleted of intestinal epithelial cell IL-33 (VillinCre-ERIL33flox/flox)failed to induce ILC2 expansion and host immunity against the hookworm parasite Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, whereas selective loss of cDC-derived IL-33 (CD11cCreIL33flox/flox) abrogated ST2+Foxp3+Treg responses, enhanced TH2 and ILC2 responses, and accelerated worm clearance. Lack of cDC intrinsic IL-33 impaired Foxp3+Treg expansion and anti-IL-2/IL-2 complex administration restored Treg numbers and suppressed worm clearance in CD11cCreIL-33flox/floxmice compared to CD11cCrecontrols. Collectively, this work emphasizes cellular source as a key determinant in the ability of IL-33 to direct pathogen-specific immunity.