Life Sciences Commons^™

Associations Of Adipose Tissue Architecture, Adipokines And Inflammatory Markers With Body Mass Index And Gestational Weight Gain In Non-Diabetic Pregnancies, Tiffany A. Moore Simas, Crina Boeras, Ningning Zhang, Olga Gaelikman, Katherine G. Leung, Nicole M. Wedick, Laura Robidoux, Jodi Adams Puleo, Mary M. Lee, Silvia Corvera, Milagros C. Rosal

Mary M. Lee

Background: Some pregnancy weight gain is stored as adipose tissue (AT). Human AT depots vary in their capacity for expansion. Data suggests that subcutaneous (SQ) is adapted for healthy lipid storage. Conversely visceral (V) accumulation is associated with inflammation, obesity-related co-morbidities and Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) risk. We investigated SQ and VAT histologic architecture along with insulin, adipokines and inflammatory markers in relationship to prepregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain (GWG). Methods: Subset of non-diabetic singleton gravidas from the Pregnancy & Postpartum Observational Dietary Study (PPODS), undergoing Cesareans and consenting to SQ & VAT biopsies were included. Average adipocyte size …

Effects Of Direct-Fed Microbial Supplementation On Broiler Performance, Intestinal Nutrient Transport And Integrity Under Experimental Conditions With Increased Microbial Challenge, G. R. Murugesan, N. K. Gabler, M. E. Persia

G. R. Murugesan

1. The effects of Aspergillus oryzae- and Bacillus subtilis- based direct-fed microbials (DFM) were investigated on the performance, ileal nutrient transport and intestinal integrity of broiler chickens, raised under experimental conditions, with increased intestinal microbial challenge. 2. The first study was a 3 × 2 factorial experiment, with 3 dietary treatments (control (CON), CON + DFM and CON + antibiotic growth promoter) with and without challenge. Chicks were fed experimental diets from 1 to 28 d, while the challenge was provided by vaccinating with 10 times the normal dose of commercial coccidial vaccine on d 9. In a second experiment, …

Leica Microscope Gpu Deconvolution Stellaris Fish Dataset #1, George Mcnamara

George McNamara

McNamara 20131101Fri Leica widefield microscope CUDA Deconvolution Stellaris FISH probe cultured cells dataset #1.zip

A text file in the zip archive has experiment details. I am posting this online so that researchers - whether academic or commercial - can evaluate the acquired data, the Bruce and Butte 2013 Optics Express ( http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/fulltext.cfm?uri=oe-21-4-4766 ) deconvolution result (note: I may not have used optimal settings), and to compare these deconvolution results to other methods. If anyone generates alternative spatial deconvolution output, such as from: * SVI Huygens * Media Cy AutoQuant * Agard's ER-Decon (Arigovindan 2013 PNAS) * Vicidomini SGP GPU Deconv …

Supervillin Binding To Myosin Ii And Synergism With Anillin Are Required For Cytokinesis, Tara C. Smith, Peter C. Fridy, Yinyin Li, Shruti Basil, Sneha Arjun, Ryan M. Friesen, John D. Leszyk, Brian T. Chait, Michael P. Rout, Elizabeth J. Luna

Elizabeth J. Luna

Cytokinesis, the process in which cytoplasm is apportioned between dividing daughter cells, requires coordination of myosin II function, membrane trafficking and central spindle organization. Most known regulators act during late cytokinesis; a few, including the myosin II-binding proteins anillin and supervillin, act earlier. Anillin's role in scaffolding the membrane cortex with the central spindle is well established, but the mechanism of supervillin action is relatively uncharacterized. We show here that two regions within supervillin affect cell division: residues 831-1281, which bind central spindle proteins, and residues 1-170, which bind the myosin II heavy chain (MHC) and the long form of …

Alcohol-Induced Il-1beta In The Brain Is Mediated By Nlrp3/Asc Inflammasome Activation That Amplifies Neuroinflammation, Dora Lippai, Shashi Bala, Jan Petrasek, Timea Csak, Ivan Levin, Evelyn Kurt-Jones, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

Alcohol-induced neuroinflammation is mediated by proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1beta. IL-1beta production requires caspase-1 activation by inflammasomes-multiprotein complexes that are assembled in response to danger signals. We hypothesized that alcohol-induced inflammasome activation contributes to increased IL-1beta in the brain. WT and TLR4-, NLRP3-, and ASC-deficient (KO) mice received an ethanol-containing or isocaloric control diet for 5 weeks, and some received the rIL-1ra, anakinra, or saline treatment. Inflammasome activation, proinflammatory cytokines, endotoxin, and HMGB1 were measured in the cerebellum. Expression of inflammasome components (NLRP1, NLRP3, ASC) and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, MCP-1) was increased in brains of alcohol-fed compared with control mice. Increased …

Increased Oxidative Capacity Of Circulating Polymorphonuclear Neutrophils (Pmns) In Non-Diabetic Nash Patients, Timea Csak, Karen Kodys, Angela Dolganiuc, Dora Lippai, Michal Ganz, Christopher Marshall, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

Background: Inflammation and oxidative stress are key factors in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Polymorphonuclear neutrophils are capable to produce significant amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via the NADPH oxidase complex. Increased hepatic neutrophil infiltration has been described in steatohepatitis. We aimed to investigate the in vitro ROS generation by neutrophils of NASH patients and the hepatic NADPH oxidase activity in murine steatohepatitis. Material and methods: PMNs were isolated from peripheral blood of NASH patients (n=16) and healthy controls (n=16). In vitro ROS production was measured by luminol chemiluminescence after phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or opsonized zymosan stimulation. …

Comparative Genomic Analysis Of 60 Mycobacteriophage Genomes: Genome Clustering, Gene Acquisition, And Gene Size, Graham Hatfull, Deborah Jacobs-Sera, Jeffrey Lawrence, Welkin Pope, Daniel Russell, Ching-Chung Ko, Rebecca Weber, Manisha Patel, Katherine Germane, Robert Edgar, Natasha Hoyte, Charles Bowman, Anthony Tantoco, Elizabeth Paladin, Marlana Myers, Alexis Smith, Molly Grace, Thuy Pham, Matthew O'Brien, Amy Vogelsberger, Andrew Hryckowian, Jessica Wynalek, Helen Donis-Keller, Matt Bogel, Craig Peebles, Steven Cresawn, Roger Hendrix

Helen Donis-Keller

Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect mycobacterial hosts. Expansion of a collection of sequenced phage genomes to a total of 60—all infecting a common bacterial host—provides further insight into their diversity and evolution. Of the 60 phage genomes, 55 can be grouped into nine clusters according to their nucleotide sequence similarities, 5 of which can be further divided into subclusters; 5 genomes do not cluster with other phages. The sequence diversity between genomes within a cluster varies greatly; for example, the 6 genomes in Cluster D share more than 97.5% average nucleotide similarity with one another. In contrast, similarity between the …

Roles Of The Ion Channel Nalcn In Neuronal Excitability Control, Boxun Lu

Boxun Lu

The resting membrane potential (RMP) of a neuron is set by a complex balance between charged ions, ion channels and transporters. Many of the ion channels have been identified at the molecular level. Missing from the molecular identification has been the voltage-insensitive background sodium ‘‘leak’’ conductance that depolarizes the RMP from the equilibrium potential of potassium and provides a crucial contribution to neuronal excitability One candidate for the molecular identity of this conductance is the protein NALCN. NALCN is a previously uncharacterized orphan member in the sodium/calcium channel family. It is widely expressed in the nervous system. My thesis project …

Excessive Dietary Calcium In The Disruption Of Structural And Functional Status Of Adult Male Reproductive System In Rat With Possible Mechanism, A K. Chandra, Pallav Sengupta, Haimanti Goswami, Mahitosh Sarkar

Pallav Sengupta, PhD

Myotonia Congenita, Christoph Lossin, Alfred George

Christoph Lossin, Ph.D.

Myotonia is a symptom of many different acquired and genetic muscular conditions that impair the relaxation phase of muscular contraction. Myotonia congenital is a specific inherited disorder of muscle membrane hyperexcitability caused by reduced sarcolemmal chloride conductance due to mutations invCLCN1, the gene coding for the main skeletal muscle chloride channel ClC-1.The disorder may be transmitted as either an autosomal-dominant or recessive trait with close to 130 currently known mutations. Although this is a rare disorder, elucidation of the pathophysiology underlying myotonia congenital established the importance of sarcolemmal chloride conductance in the control of muscle excitability and demonstrated the first …

A Catalog Of Scn1a Variants, Christoph Lossin

Christoph Lossin, Ph.D.

Over the past 10 years mutations in voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) have become closely associated with inheritable forms of epilepsy. One isoform in particular, Nav1.1 (gene symbol SCN1A), appears to be a superculprit, registering with more than 330 mutations to date. The associated phenotypes range from benign febrile seizures to extremely serious conditions, such as Dravet’s syndrome (SMEI). Despite the wealth of information, mutational analyses are cumbersome, owing to inconsistencies among the Nav1.1 sequences to which different research groups refer. Splicing variability is the core problem: Nav1.1 co-exists in three isoforms, two of them lack 11 or 28 amino acids …

Age-Related Dystrophin–Glycoprotein Complex Structure And Function In The Rat Extensor Digitorum Longus And Soleus Muscle, Kevin M. Rice, Deborah L. Preston, David Neff, Michael L. Norton, Eric R. Blough

Eric Blough

Age-Related Dystrophin–Glycoprotein Complex Structure And Function In The Rat Extensor Digitorum Longus And Soleus Muscle, Kevin M. Rice, Deborah L. Preston, David Neff, Michael L. Norton, Eric R. Blough

Kevin M Rice

Age-Related Dystrophin–Glycoprotein Complex Structure And Function In The Rat Extensor Digitorum Longus And Soleus Muscle, Kevin M. Rice, Deborah L. Preston, David Neff, Michael L. Norton, Eric R. Blough

Deborah L Preston

Single-Channel Properties Of Human Nav1.1 And Mechanism Of Channel Dysfunction In Scn1a-Associated Epilepsy, C. Vanoye, Christoph Lossin, T. H. Rhodes, Alfred L. George

Christoph Lossin, Ph.D.

Mutations in genes encoding neuronal voltage-gated sodium channel subunits have been linked to inherited forms of epilepsy. The majority of mutations (>100) associated with generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) and severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI) occur in SCN1A encoding the NaV1.1 neuronal sodium channel alpha-subunit. Previous studies demonstrated functional heterogeneity among mutant SCN1A channels, revealing a complex relationship between clinical and biophysical phenotypes. To further understand the mechanisms responsible for mutant SCN1A behavior, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the single-channel properties of heterologously expressed recombinant WT-SCN1A channels. Based on these data, we then determined the …

The Effect Of Water And Nitrogen On The Response Of Sorghum Cultivars With Contrasting Nitrogen Use Efficiency, Teshome Regassa

Teshome H. Regassa

Water and nitrogen (N) are important environmental factors limiting sorghum production. Information is lacking on the combined effects of water and N for cultivars with different degrees of water and/or N stress tolerance. Sorghum cultivars known for N and water stress tolerance difference were evaluated to identify plant characteristics contributing to N use efficiency (NUE). Cultivars San Chi San and CK-60 were evaluated at Mead, NE on a Sharpsburg silty clay loam soil under water (stress and non-stress), and N (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg ha⁻¹) rates. Experimental units were arranged in split-split plot and treatments were …

Epilepsy-Associated Dysfunction In The Voltage-Gated Neuronal Sodium Channel Scn1a, Christoph Lossin, T. Rhodes, R. Desai, C. Vanoye, S. Caniciu, O. Devinsky, A. George

Christoph Lossin, Ph.D.

Mutations in SCN1A, the gene encoding the brain voltage-gated sodium channel subunit (Nav1.1) are associated with at least two forms of epilepsy, generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) and severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI). We examined the functional properties of four GEFS+ alleles and one SMEI allele using whole-cell patch-clamp analysis of heterologously expressed recombinant human SCN1A. One previously reported GEFS+ mutation (I1656M) and an additional novel allele (R1657C), both affecting residues in a voltage-sensing S4 segment, exhibited a similar depolarizing shift in the voltage dependence of activation. Additionally, R1657C showed a 50% reduction in current density and …

Molecular Basis Of An Inherited Epilepsy, Christoph Lossin, T. H. Rhodes, C. Vanoye, D. Wang, Alfred L. George

Christoph Lossin, Ph.D.

Mutations in SCN1A, the gene encoding the brain voltage-gated sodium channel alpha1 subunit (NaV1.1), are associated with at least two forms of epilepsy, generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) and severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI). We examined the functional properties of four GEFS+ alleles and one SMEI allele using whole-cell patch-clamp analysis of heterologously expressed recombinant human SCN1A. One previously reported GEFS+ mutation (I1656M) and an additional novel allele (R1657C), both affecting residues in a voltage-sensing S4 segment, exhibited a similar depolarizing shift in the voltage dependence of activation. Additionally, R1657C showed a 50% reduction in current density …

Action Of Heptaminol Hydrochloride On Contractile Properties In Frog Isolated Twitch Muscle Fibre, Bruno Allard, Vincent Jacquemont, Fouad Lemtiri-Chlieh, Bernard Pourrias, Oger Rougier

fouad Lemtiri-Chlieh

1 Heptaminol stopped or delayed the progressive decline in tension which characterizes the phenomenon of fatigue in frog isolated twitch muscle fibre. 2 Heptaminol had no action on the sodium, potassium and calcium voltage-dependent ionic conductances. 3 The hypothesis of an action via an internal alkalinization was tested by comparison with the action of NH4Cl. Both substances increased the tension. 4 The action of hepataminol was suppressed in sodium-free (TRIS) solution or in the presence of amiloride while the action of NH4Cl was always observed. 5 These results could be explained by a stimulation of the Na/H antiport by heptaminol.

Alternative Temporal Control Systems For Hypodermal Cell Differentiation In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Zhongchi Liu, Victor Ambros

Victor R. Ambros

Beginning of article: In certain multicellular organisms, genetic regulatory systems that specify the timing of cell division, differentiation and morpho-genesis must accommodate environmental and physiological contingencies that perturb or arrest development. For example, Caenorhabditis elegans can either develop continuously through four larval stages (L1–L4) or arrest indefinitely as a 'dauer larva' at the second larval (L2) moult, and later resume L3 and L4 development. At the larva-to-adult (L4) moult of both con-tinuous and 'post-dauer' development, hypodermal cells switch (the 'L/A switch') from a proliferating state to the terminally differentiated state. Four temporal regulators, lin-4, lin-14, lin-28 and lin-29, have been …