Circadian Control of Dendrite Morphology in the Visual System of Drosophila melanogaster

In the first optic neuropil (lamina) of the fly's visual system, monopolar cells L1 and L2 and glia show circadian rhythms in morphological plasticity. They change their size and shape during the day and night. The most pronounced changes have been detected in circadian size of the L2 axons. Looking for a functional significance of the circadian plasticity observed in axons, we examined the morphological plasticity of the L2 dendrites. They extend from axons and harbor postsynaptic sites of tetrad synaptic contacts from the photoreceptor terminals.The plasticity of L2 dendrites was evaluated by measuring an outline of the L2 dendritic trees. These were from confocal images of cross sections of L2 cells labeled with GFP. They were in wild-type and clock mutant flies held under different light conditions and sacrified at different time points. We found that the L2 dendrites are longest at the beginning of the day in both males and females. This rhythm observed under a day/night regime (LD) was maintained in constant darkness (DD) but not in continuous light (LL). This rhythm was not present in the arrhythmic per(01) mutant in LD or in DD. In the clock photoreceptor cry(b) mutant the rhythm was maintained but its pattern was different than that observed in wild-type flies.The results obtained showed that the L2 dendrites exhibit circadian structural plasticity. Their morphology is controlled by the per gene-dependent circadian clock. The L2 dendrites are longest at the beginning of the day when the daytime tetrad presynaptic sites are most numerous and L2 axons are swollen. The presence of the rhythm, but with a different pattern in cry(b) mutants in LD and DD indicates a new role of cry in the visual system. The new role is in maintaining the circadian pattern of changes of the L2 dendrite length and shape

Seasonality and spatial heterogeneity of the surface ocean carbonate system in the northwest European continental shelf

In 2014–5 the UK NERC sponsored an 18 month long Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry research programme which collected over 1500 nutrient and carbonate system samples across the NW European Continental shelf, one of the largest continental shelves on the planet. This involved the cooperation of 10 different Institutes and Universities, using 6 different vessels. Additional carbon dioxide (CO2) data were obtained from the underway systems on three of the research vessels. Here, we present and discuss these data across 9 ecohydrodynamic regions, adapted from those used by the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). We observed strong seasonal and regional variability in carbonate chemistry around the shelf in relation to nutrient biogeochemistry. Whilst salinity increased (and alkalinity decreased) out from the near-shore coastal waters offshore throughout the year nutrient concentrations varied with season. Spatial and seasonal variations in the ratio of DIC to nitrate concentration were seen that could impact carbon cycling. A decrease in nutrient concentrations and a pronounced under-saturation of surface pCO2 was evident in the spring in most regions, especially in the Celtic Sea. This decrease was less pronounced in Liverpool Bay and to the North of Scotland, where nutrient concentrations remained measurable throughout the year. The near-shore and relatively shallow ecosystems such as the eastern English Channel and southern North Sea were associated with a thermally driven increase in pCO2 to above atmospheric levels in summer and an associated decrease in pH. Non-thermal processes (such as mixing and the remineralisation of organic material) dominated in winter in most regions but especially in the northwest of Scotland and in Liverpool Bay. The large database collected will improve understanding of carbonate chemistry over the North-Western European Shelf in relation to nutrient biogeochemistry, particularly in the context of climate change and ocean acidification

Clodronate Improves Survival of Transplanted Hoxb8 Myeloid Progenitors with Constitutively Active GMCSFR in Immunocompetent Mice.

New methods to produce large numbers of myeloid progenitor cells, precursors to macrophages (MΦs), by maintaining Hoxb8 transcription factor activity1 has reinvigorated interest in MΦ cell therapies. We generated Hoxb8-dependent myeloid progenitors (HDPs) by transducing lineage-negative bone marrow cells with a constitutively expressed Hoxb8 flanked by loxP. HDPs proliferate indefinitely and differentiate into MΦ when Hoxb8 is removed by a tamoxifen-inducible Cre. We genetically modified HDPs with a constitutively active GMCSF receptor and the tamoxifen-induced transcription factor IRF8, which we have termed "HDP-on." The HDP-on proliferates without GMCSF and differentiates into the MΦ upon exposure to tamoxifen and ruxolitinib (GMCSF inhibitor via JAK1/2 blockade). We quantified the biodistribution of HDPs transplanted via intraperitoneal injection into immunodeficient NCG mice with a luciferase reporter; HDPs are detected for 14 days in the peritoneal cavity, liver, spleen, kidney, bone marrow, brain, lung, heart, and blood. In immunocompetent BALB/c mice, HDP-on cells, but not HDPs, are detected 1 day post-transplantation in the peritoneal cavity. Pretreatment of BALB/c mice with liposomal clodronate significantly enhances survival at day 7 for HDPs and HDP-on cells in the peritoneal cavity, spleen, and liver, but cells are undetectable at day 14. Short-term post-transplantation survival of HDPs is significantly improved using HDP-on and liposomal clodronate, opening a path for MΦ-based therapeutics

Macrophage-based cell therapies: The long and winding road

In the quest for better medicines, attention is increasingly turning to cell-based therapies. The rationale is that infused cells can provide a targeted therapy to precisely correct a complex disease phenotype. Between 1987 and 2010, autologous macrophages (MΦs) were used in clinical trials to treat a variety of human tumors; this approach provided a modest therapeutic benefit in some patients but no lasting remissions. These trials were initiated prior to an understanding of: the complexity of MΦ phenotypes, their ability to alter their phenotype in response to various cytokines and/or the environment, and the extent of survival of the re-infused MΦs. It is now known that while inflammatory MΦs can kill tumor cells, the tumor environment is able to reprogram MΦs into a tumorigenic phenotype; inducing blood vessel formation and contributing to a cancer cell growth-promoting milieu. We review how new information enables the development of large numbers of ex vivo generated MΦs, and how conditioning and gene engineering strategies are used to restrict the MΦ to an appropriate phenotype or to enable production of therapeutic proteins. We survey applications in which the MΦ is loaded with nanomedicines, such as liposomes ex vivo, so when the drug-loaded MΦs are infused into an animal, the drug is released at the disease site. Finally, we also review the current status of MΦ biodistribution and survival after transplantation into an animal. The combination of these recent advances opens the way for improved MΦ cell therapies

IgGBP fusion extends mKate half-life in hFcRn Tg mice when co-administered as a 1∶1 mol mixture with hIgG1 without altering hIgG1 clearance.

<p>(<b>a</b>) Schematic of the co-administration scheme. In this experiment, human FcRn Tg mice were not pre-dosed with exogenous hIgG1. Instead mKate-IgGBP and hIgG1 were pre-mixed in a 1∶1 mol ratio and co-injected via the tail vein. (<b>b</b>) Clearance of mKate-IgGBP in hFcRn Tg mice dosed alone (blue triangles) or co-dosed at a 1∶1 mol mixture with hIgG1 (yellow triangles). The % mKate-IgGBP remaining was calculated by normalizing the fluorescent emission at all time points to the maximum value observed in the first bleed 5 min after protein injection. (<b>c</b>) Clearance of labeled human IgG1 in hFcRn Tg mice dosed as a single agent via the tail vein (blue triangles) compared to the clearance of labeled hIgG1 co-administered as a 1∶1 mol mixture with mKate-IgGBP was measured to determine if bound mKate-IgGBP alters the eliminate profile of hIgG1 (red squares). The % hIgG1 remaining was calculated by normalizing the fluorescent emission at all time points to the maximum value observed in the first bleed 5 min after protein injection. Dashed lines in each panel represent the data fit to a 2-compartment PK model in Prism and the β-phase half-life shown in the figure was calculated as described in the Methods section. The data shown in each panel are the mean (n = 3 bleeds per time point) and error bars indicate s.d.</p

Winter measurements of oceanic biogeochemical parameters in the rockall trough (2009–2012)

This paper describes the sampling and analysis of biogeochemical parameters collected in the Rockall Trough in January/February of 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Sampling was carried out along two transects, one southern and one northern transect each year. Samples for dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) were taken alongside salinity, dissolved oxygen and dissolved inorganic nutrients (total-oxidized nitrogen, nitrite, phosphate and silicate) to describe the chemical signatures of the various water masses in the region. These were taken at regular intervals through the water column. The data are available on the CDIAC database, http://cdiac.ornl.gov/ftp/oceans/Rockall_Trough/

Fusion of a Short Peptide that Binds Immunoglobulin G to a Recombinant Protein Substantially Increases Its Plasma Half-Life in Mice

<div><p>We explore a strategy to substantially increase the half-life of recombinant proteins by genetic fusion to FcIII, a 13-mer IgG-Fc domain binding peptide (IgGBP) originally identified by DeLano and co-workers at Genentech [DeLano WL, et al. (2000) <i>Science</i> 287∶1279–1283]. IgGBP fusion increases the <i>in vivo</i> half-life of proteins by enabling the fusion protein to bind serum IgG, a concept originally introduced by DeLano and co-workers in a patent but that to the best of our knowledge has never been pursued in the scientific literature. To further investigate the <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> properties of IgGBP fusion proteins, we fused FcIII to the C-terminus of a model fluorescent protein, monomeric Katushka (mKate). mKate-IgGBP fusions are easily expressed in <i>Escherichia coli</i> and bind specifically to human IgG with an affinity of ∼40 nM and ∼20 nM at pH 7.4 and pH 6, respectively, but not to mouse or rat IgG isotypes. mKate-IgGBP binds the Fc-domain of hIgG1 at a site overlapping the human neonatal Fc receptor (hFcRn) and as a consequence inhibits the binding of hIgG1 to hFcRn <i>in vitro</i>. High affinity binding to human IgG also endows mKate-IgGBP with a long circulation half-life of ∼8 hr in mice, a 75-fold increase compared to unmodified mKate. Thus, IgGBP fusion significantly reduces protein clearance by piggybacking on serum IgG without substantially increasing protein molecular weight due to the small size of the IgGBP. These attractive features could result in protein therapies with reduced dose frequency and improved patient compliance.</p></div

Winter measurements of oceanic biogeochemical parameters in the Rockall Trough (2009–2012)

This paper describes the sampling and analysis of biogeochemical parameters collected in the Rockall Trough in January/February of 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Sampling was carried out along two transects, one southern and one northern transect each year. Samples for dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) were taken alongside salinity, dissolved oxygen and dissolved inorganic nutrients (total-oxidized nitrogen, nitrite, phosphate and silicate) to describe the chemical signatures of the various water masses in the region. These were taken at regular intervals through the water column. The data are available on the CDIAC database, <a href="http://cdiac.ornl.gov/ftp/oceans/Rockall_Trough/"target="_blank">http://cdiac.ornl.gov/ftp/oceans/Rockall_Trough/</a>

Improving the distribution of Doxil® in the tumor matrix by depletion of tumor hyaluronan

Liposomes improve the pharmacokinetics and safety of rapidly cleared drugs, but have not yet improved the clinical efficacy compared to the non-encapsulated drug. This inability to improve efficacy may be partially due to the non-uniform distribution of liposomes in solid tumors. The tumor extra-cellular matrix is a barrier to distribution and includes the high molecular weight glycosaminoglycan, hyaluronan (HA). Strategies to remove HA or block its synthesis may improve drug delivery into solid tumors. Orally administered methylumbelliferone (MU) is an inhibitor of HA synthesis, but it is limited by low potency and limited solubility. In this study, we encapsulate a water-soluble phosphorylated prodrug of MU (MU-P) in a liposome (L-MU-P). We demonstrate that L-MU-P is a more potent inhibitor of HA synthesis than oral MU in the 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma model using both a quantitative ELISA and histochemistry. We show that HA depletion improves the tumor distribution of liposomes computed using Mander's colocalization analysis of liposomes with the tumor vasculature. Hyaluronan depletion also increases the fraction of the tumor area positive for liposomes. This improved distribution extends the overall survival of mice treated with Doxil®