Research Notes : U.S.S.R. : Subunit composition of glycinin from various samples of cultivated and wild soybean

The major storage protein of llS class of soybean seeds, glycinin, has a complex subunit structure. Each of the six subunits is composed of two pro-tein molecules (acidic and basic), linked via disulphide bonds (Badley et al., 1975). Depending on subunit, the acidic moiety molecular weight varies from 37,000 to 42,000, with one exception (m.w. 10,000)

Vulnerability of primitive human placental trophoblast to Zika virus

Infection of pregnant women by Asian lineage strains of Zika virus (ZIKV) has been linked to brain abnormalities in their infants, yet it is uncertain when during pregnancy the human conceptus is most vulnerable to the virus. We have examined two models to study susceptibility of human placental trophoblast to ZIKV: cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast derived from placental villi at term and colonies of trophoblast differentiated from embryonic stem cells (ESC). The latter appear to be analogous to the primitive placenta formed during implantation. The cells from term placentas, which resist infection, do not express genes encoding most attachment factors implicated in ZIKV entry but do express many genes associated with antiviral defense. By contrast, the ESC-derived trophoblasts possess a wide range of attachment factors for ZIKV entry and lack components of a robust antiviral response system. These cells, particularly areas of syncytiotrophoblast within the colonies, quickly become infected, produce infectious virus and undergo lysis within 48 h after exposure to low titers (multiplicity of infection > 0.07) of an African lineage strain (MR766 Uganda: ZIKVU) considered to be benign with regards to effects on fetal development. Unexpectedly, lytic effects required significantly higher titers of the presumed more virulent FSS13025 Cambodia (ZIKVC). Our data suggest that the developing fetus might be most vulnerable to ZIKV early in the first trimester before a protective zone of mature villous trophoblast has been established. Additionally, MR766 is highly trophic toward primitive trophoblast, which may put the early conceptus of an infected mother at high risk for destruction

Derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells from pig somatic cells

For reasons that are unclear the production of embryonic stem cells from ungulates has proved elusive. Here, we describe induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) derived from porcine fetal fibroblasts by lentiviral transduction of 4 human (h) genes, hOCT4, hSOX2, hKLF4, and hc-MYC, the combination commonly used to create iPSC in mouse and human. Cells were cultured on irradiated mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) and in medium supplemented with knockout serum replacement and FGF2. Compact colonies of alkaline phosphatase-positive cells emerged after ≈22 days, providing an overall reprogramming efficiency of ≈0.1%. The cells expressed porcine OCT4, NANOG, and SOX2 and had high telomerase activity, but also continued to express the 4 human transgenes. Unlike human ESC, the porcine iPSC (piPSC) were positive for SSEA-1, but negative for SSEA-3 and -4. Transcriptional profiling on Affymetrix (porcine) microarrays and real time RT-PCR supported the conclusion that reprogramming to pluripotency was complete. One cell line, ID6, had a normal karyotype, a cell doubling time of ≈17 h, and has been maintained through >220 doublings. The ID6 line formed embryoid bodies, expressing genes representing all 3 germ layers when cultured under differentiating conditions, and teratomas containing tissues of ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm origin in nude mice. We conclude that porcine somatic cells can be reprogrammed to form piPSC. Such cell lines derived from individual animals could provide a means for testing the safety and efficacy of stem cell-derived tissue grafts when returned to the same pigs at a later age