The Oxalate-Carbonate Pathway of Brosimum alicastrum Sw.; Moraceae

The oxalate - carbonate pathway (OCP) is a biogeochemical process involving plants, fungi and bacteria that transforms atmospheric CO 2 into CaCO 3 . However, until now the process has only been studied in acidic soil environments adjacent to species that have limited food - production potential . This study used an experimental approach to evaluate an OCP associated with Brosimum alicastrum , a Neotropical species that produces significant quantites of food ( ca. 70 – 200 kg - seeds yr −1 ), in the calcareous soils of Haiti and Mexico. Enzymatic analysis of various tissues from B. alicastrum indicated that the species produces significant amounts of calcium oxalate (5.97 % D.W.) at all sample sites. Oxalotroph y , the bacterial metabolism of calcium oxalate that leads to the precipitation of CaCO 3 , was also confirmed with microbiological analyses in both countries. T he typical localised alkalinisation and identification of secondary carbonate associated with the OCP was obscured at most sample sites by h igh concentrations of lithogenic carbonate and total cal cium (>7 g kg −1 ), except at Ma Rouge, Haiti. Soils adjacent to subjects in Ma Rouge presented a localised increase in CaCO 3 concentration (5.9 %) and pH (0.63) . F indings in Ma Rouge , coupled with observations of root - like secondary carbonate deposits in Me xico, strongly impl y that the OCP can also occur in calcareous soils. Th us, this study confirms that the OCP acts in calcareous soils, adjacent to species with significant food - production potential, and could play a fundamental and un - accounted role in the global calcium - carbon coupled cycl

Epidemiological risk of African horse sickness in donkeys in Burkina Faso

African horse sickness (AHS) virus causes severe epidemics when transmitted to horses by Culicoides vectors. A cross-sectional study was carried out in five areas of Burkina Faso to determine the seroprevalence of AHS virus in donkeys and to identify potential risk factors. A total of 460 sera were collected in 15 villages. A blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out to detect AHS virus antibodies. The overall apparent seroprevalence was 72.6% indicating that the donkeys were infected with AHS virus. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the factors affecting the seroprevalence level. A significant effect between geographical areas was observed, confirming the role of the agroecological zone in the occurrence of AHS. Similarly, age and animal weight had significant effects on seroprevalence, whereas sex, coat color and herd size had not. This study highlighted the active circulation of AHS virus in donkeys in Burkina Faso

The chemopreventive polyphenol Curcumin prevents hematogenous breast cancer metastases in immunodeficient mice

Dissemination of metastatic cells probably occurs long before diagnosis of the primary tumor. Metastasis during early phases of carcinogenesis in high risk patients is therefore a potential prevention target. The plant polyphenol Curcumin has been proposed for dietary prevention of cancer. We therefore examined its effects on the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 in vitro and in a mouse metastasis model. Curcumin strongly induces apoptosis in MDA- MB- 231 cells in correlation with reduced activation of the survival pathway NF kappa B, as a consequence of diminished I kappa B and p65 phosphorylation. Curcumin also reduces the expression of major matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) due to reduced NF kappa B activity and transcriptional downregulation of AP-1. NF kappa B/p65 silencing is sufficient to downregulate c-jun and MMP expression. Reduced NF kappa B/AP-1 activity and MMP expression lead to diminished invasion through a reconstituted basement membrane and to a significantly lower number of lung metastases in immunodeficient mice after intercardiac injection of 231 cells (p=0.0035). 68% of Curcumin treated but only 17% of untreated animals showed no or very few lung metastases, most likely as a consequence of down-regulation of NF kappa B/AP-1 dependent MMP expression and direct apoptotic effects on circulating tumor cells but not on established metastases. Dietary chemoprevention of metastases appears therefore feasible. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel

Neutral-ionic phase transition : a thorough ab-initio study of TTF-CA

The prototype compound for the neutral-ionic phase transition, namely TTF-CA, is theoretically investigated by first-principles density functional theory calculations. The study is based on three neutron diffraction structures collected at 40, 90 and 300 K (Le Cointe et al., Phys. Rev. B 51, 3374 (1995)). By means of a topological analysis of the total charge densities, we provide a very precise picture of intra and inter-chain interactions. Moreover, our calculations reveal that the thermal lattice contraction reduces the indirect band gap of this organic semi-conductor in the neutral phase, and nearly closes it in the vicinity of the transition temperature. A possible mechanism of the neutral-ionic phase transition is discussed. The charge transfer from TTF to CA is also derived by using three different technics.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, 7 table

Ultra-low temperature structure determination of a Mn12 single-molecule magnet and the interplay between lattice solvent and structural disorder

We have determined the ultra-low temperature crystal structure of the archetypal single-molecule magnet (SMM) [Mn12O12(O2CMe)16(H2O)4]·4H2O·2MeCO2H (1) at 2 K, by using a combination of single-crystal X-ray and single-crystal neutron diffraction. This is the first structural study of any SMM in the same temperature regime where slow magnetic relaxation occurs. We reveal an additional hydrogen bonding interaction between the {Mn12} cluster and its solvent of crystallisation, which shows how the lattice solvent transmits disorder to the acetate ligands in the {Mn12} complex. Unusual quantum properties observed in 1 have long been attributed to disorder. Hence, we studied the desolvation products of 1, in order to understand precisely the influence of lattice solvent on the structure of the cluster. We present two new axially symmetric structures corresponding to different levels of desolvation of 1, [Mn12O12(O2CMe)16(H2O)4]·4H2O (2) and [Mn12O12(O2CMe)16(H2O)4] (3). In 2, removal of acetic acid of crystallisation largely resolves positional disorder in the affected acetate ligands, whereas removal of lattice water molecules further resolves the acetate ligand disorder in 3. Due to the absence of acetic acid of crystallisation, both 2 and 3 have true, unbroken S4 symmetry, showing for the first time that it is possible to prepare fully axial Mn12–acetate analogues from 1, via single-crystal to single-crystal transformations

Moving carbon between spheres, the potential oxalate-carbonate pathway of Brosimum alicastrum Sw.; Moraceae.

Aims The Oxalate-Carbonate Pathway (OCP) is a biogeochemical process that transfers atmospheric CO2 into the geologic reservoir as CaCO3; however, until now all investigations on this process have focused on species with limited food benefits. This study evaluates a potential OCP associated with Brosimum alicastrum, a Neotropical species with agroforestry potential (ca. 70–200 kg-nuts yr−1), in the calcareous soils of Haiti and Mexico. Methods / results Enzymatic analysis demonstrated significant concentrations of calcium oxalate (5.97 % D.W.) were associated with B. alicastrum tissue in all sample sites. The presence of oxalotrophism was also confirmed with microbiological analyses in both countries. High concentrations of total calcium (>7 g kg−1) and lithogenic carbonate obscured the localised alkalinisation and identification of secondary carbonate associated with the OCP at most sample sites, except Ma Rouge, Haiti. Soils adjacent to subjects in Ma Rouge demonstrated an increase in pH (0.63) and CaCO3 concentration (5.9 %) that, when coupled with root-like secondary carbonate deposits in Mexico, implies that the OCP does also occur in calcareous soils. Conclusions Therefore this study confirms that the OCP also occurs in calcareous soils, adjacent to B. alicastrum, and could play a fundamental and un-accounted role in the global calcium-carbon coupled cycle

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission VIII. CoRoT-7b: the first Super-Earth with measured radius

We report the discovery of very shallow (DF/F = 3.4 10-4), periodic dips in the light curve of an active V = 11.7 G9V star observed by the CoRoT satellite, which we interpret as due to the presence of a transiting companion. We describe the 3-colour CoRoT data and complementary ground-based observations that support the planetary nature of the companion. Methods. We use CoRoT color information, good angular resolution ground-based photometric observations in- and out- of transit, adaptive optics imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy and preliminary results from Radial Velocity measurements, to test the diluted eclipsing binary scenarios. The parameters of the host star are derived from optical spectra, which were then combined with the CoRoT light curve to derive parameters of the companion. We examine carefully all conceivable cases of false positives, and all tests performed support the planetary hypothesis. Blends with separation larger than 0.40 arcsec or triple systems are almost excluded with a 8 10-4 risk left. We conclude that, as far as we have been exhaustive, we have discovered a planetary companion, named CoRoT-7b, for which we derive a period of 0.853 59 +/- 3 10-5 day and a radius of Rp = 1.68 +/- 0.09 REarth. Analysis of preliminary radial velocity data yields an upper limit of 21 MEarth for the companion mass, supporting the finding. CoRoT-7b is very likely the first Super-Earth with a measured radius.Comment: Accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysics; typos and language corrections; version sent to the printer w few upgrade

Bioluminescent human breast cancer cell lines that permit rapid and sensitive in vivo detection of mammary tumors and multiple metastases in immune deficient mice

INTRODUCTION: Our goal was to generate xenograft mouse models of human breast cancer based on luciferase-expressing MDA-MB-231 tumor cells that would provide rapid mammary tumor growth; produce metastasis to clinically relevant tissues such as lymph nodes, lung, and bone; and permit sensitive in vivo detection of both primary and secondary tumor sites by bioluminescent imaging. METHOD: Two clonal cell sublines of human MDA-MB-231 cells that stably expressed firefly luciferase were isolated following transfection of the parental cells with luciferase cDNA. Each subline was passaged once or twice in vivo to enhance primary tumor growth and to increase metastasis. The resulting luciferase-expressing D3H1 and D3H2LN cells were analyzed for long-term bioluminescent stability, primary tumor growth, and distal metastasis to lymph nodes, lungs, bone and soft tissues by bioluminescent imaging. Cells were injected into the mammary fat pad of nude and nude-beige mice or were delivered systemically via intracardiac injection. Metastasis was also evaluated by ex vivo imaging and histologic analysis postmortem. RESULTS: The D3H1 and D3H2LN cell lines exhibited long-term stable luciferase expression for up to 4–6 months of accumulative tumor growth time in vivo. Bioluminescent imaging quantified primary mammary fat pad tumor development and detected early spontaneous lymph node metastasis in vivo. Increased frequency of spontaneous lymph node metastasis was observed with D3H2LN tumors as compared with D3H1 tumors. With postmortem ex vivo imaging, we detected additional lung micrometastasis in mice with D3H2LN mammary tumors. Subsequent histologic evaluation of tissue sections from lymph nodes and lung lobes confirmed spontaneous tumor metastasis at these sites. Following intracardiac injection of the MDA-MB-231-luc tumor cells, early metastasis to skeletal tissues, lymph nodes, brain and various visceral organs was detected. Weekly in vivo imaging data permitted longitudinal analysis of metastasis at multiple sites simultaneously. Ex vivo imaging data from sampled tissues verified both skeletal and multiple soft tissue tumor metastasis. CONCLUSION: This study characterized two new bioluminescent MDA-MB-231-luc human breast carcinoma cell lines with enhanced tumor growth and widespread metastasis in mice. Their application to current xenograft models of breast cancer offers rapid and highly sensitive detection options for preclinical assessment of anticancer therapies in vivo

The Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell Line EKVX Produces an Infectious Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus

The cell lines of the NCI-60 panel represent different cancer types and have been widely utilized for drug screening and molecular target identification. Screening these cell lines for envelope proteins or gene sequences related to xenotropic murine leukemia viruses (X-MLVs) revealed that one cell line, EKVX, was a candidate for production of an infectious gammaretrovirus. The presence of a retrovirus infectious to human cells was confirmed by the cell-free transmission of infection to the human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP. Amplification and sequencing of additional proviral sequences from EKVX confirmed a high degree of similarity to X-MLV. The cell line EKVX was established following passage of the original tumor cells through nude mice, providing a possible source of the X-MLV found in the EKVX cells