Anthropologie sociale et comparaison des sociétés

Daniel de Coppet, directeur d’études Monsieur de Coppet a assuré son cours jusqu’au 7 mars 2002

Groupe de travail d’anthropologie sociale comparative

Daniel de Coppet et Jean-Claude Galey, directeurs d’études avec Cécile Barraud et André Iteanu, directeurs de recherche au CNRS Holisme et individualisme. Organisation sociale, monographies, comparaison des sociétés. Reconsidérations : parenté, localité, statuts Le séminaire s’est ouvert sur le thème « morphologie sociale et comparaison » par une proposition comparative à propos du système onomastique orokaiva, au cours de trois séances conduites par A. Iteanu. Ce système perpétue un rapport ..

Neuropeptide AF and FF modulation of adipocyte metabolism. Primary insights from functional genomics and effects on beta-adrenergic responsiveness.

The presence of a neuropeptide AF and FF receptor (NPFF-R2) mRNA in human adipose tissue (Elshourbagy, N. A., Ames, R. S., Fitzgerald, L. R., Foley, J. J., Chambers, J. K., Szekeres, P. G., Evans, N. A., Schmidt, D. B., Buckley, P. T., Dytko, G. M., Murdock, P. R., Tan, K. B., Shabon, U., Nuthulaganti, P., Wang, D. Y., Wilson, S., Bergsma, D. J., and Sarau, H. M. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 25965-25971) suggested these peptides, principally recognized for their pain modulating effects, may also impact on adipocyte metabolism, an aspect that has not been explored previously. Our aim was thus to obtain more insights into the actions of these peptides on adipocytes, an approach initially undertaken with a functional genomic assay. First we showed that 3T3-L1 adipocytes express both NPFF-R1 and NPFF-R2 transcripts, and that NPAF binds adipocyte membranes with a nanomolar affinity as assessed by surface plasmon resonance technology. Then, and following a 24-h treatment with NPFF or NPAF (1 microm), we have measured using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR the mRNA steady state levels of already well characterized genes involved in key pathways of adipose metabolism. Among the 45 genes tested, few were modulated by NPFF ( approximately 10%) and a larger number by NPAF ( approximately 27%). Interestingly, NPAF increased the mRNA levels of beta2- and beta3-adrenergic receptors (AR), and to a lesser extent those of beta1-ARs. These variations in catecholamine receptor mRNAs correlated with a clear induction in the density of beta2- and beta3-AR proteins, and in the potency of beta-AR subtype-selective agonists to stimulate adenylyl cyclase activity. Altogether, these data show that NPFF-R1 and NPFF-R2 are functionally present in adipocytes and suggest that besides their well described pain modulation effects, NPAF and to a lesser extent NPFF, may have a global impact on body energy storage and utilization

Groupe de travail d’anthropologie sociale comparative

Daniel de Coppet et Jean-Claude Galey, directeurs d’étudesavec Cécile Barraud et André Iteanu, directeurs de recherche au CNRS Holisme et individualisme. Organisation sociale, monographies, comparaison des sociétés. Reconsidérations : parenté, localité, statuts Avec la participation de très nombreux invités étrangers, le séminaire a proposé plusieurs analyses selon des perspectives différentes de phénomènes du monde moderne - liés aux formes diverses de la violence, à l’intégration sociale da..

Reflecting on loss in Papua New Guinea

This article takes up the conundrum of conducting anthropological fieldwork with people who claim that they have 'lost their culture,' as is the case with Suau people in the Massim region of Papua New Guinea. But rather than claiming culture loss as a process of dispossession, Suau claim it as a consequence of their own attempts to engage with colonial interests. Suau appear to have responded to missionization and their close proximity to the colonial-era capital by jettisoning many of the practices characteristic of Massim societies, now identified as 'kastom.' The rejection of kastom in order to facilitate their relations with Europeans during colonialism, followed by the mourning for kastom after independence, both invite consideration of a kind of reflexivity that requires action based on the presumed perspective of another

Tau expression and phosphorylation in enteroendocrine cells

Background and objectiveThere is mounting evidence to suggest that the gut-brain axis is involved in the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this regard, the enteroendocrine cells (EEC), which faces the gut lumen and are connected with both enteric neurons and glial cells have received growing attention. The recent observation showing that these cells express alpha-synuclein, a presynaptic neuronal protein genetically and neuropathologically linked to PD came to reinforce the assumption that EEC might be a key component of the neural circuit between the gut lumen and the brain for the bottom-up propagation of PD pathology. Besides alpha-synuclein, tau is another key protein involved in neurodegeneration and converging evidences indicate that there is an interplay between these two proteins at both molecular and pathological levels. There are no existing studies on tau in EEC and therefore we set out to examine the isoform profile and phosphorylation state of tau in these cells.MethodsSurgical specimens of human colon from control subjects were analyzed by immunohistochemistry using a panel of anti-tau antibodies together with chromogranin A and Glucagon-like peptide-1 (two EEC markers) antibodies. To investigate tau expression further, two EEC lines, namely GLUTag and NCI-H716 were analyzed by Western blot with pan-tau and tau isoform specific antibodies and by RT-PCR. Lambda phosphatase treatment was used to study tau phosphorylation in both cell lines. Eventually, GLUTag were treated with propionate and butyrate, two short chain fatty acids known to sense EEC, and analyzed at different time points by Western blot with an antibody specific for tau phosphorylated at Thr205.ResultsWe found that tau is expressed and phosphorylated in EEC in adult human colon and that both EEC lines mainly express two tau isoforms that are phosphorylated under basal condition. Both propionate and butyrate regulated tau phosphorylation state by decreasing its phosphorylation at Thr205.Conclusion and inferenceOur study is the first to characterize tau in human EEC and in EEC lines. As a whole, our findings provide a basis to unravel the functions of tau in EEC and to further investigate the possibility of pathological changes in tauopathies and synucleinopathies

Men's passage to fatherhood: an analysis of the contemporary relevance of transition theory

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of men's experiences of pregnancy, birth and early fatherhood. It does so using a framework of ritual transition theory and argues that despite its earlier structural-functionalist roots, transition theory remains a valuable framework, illuminating contemporary transitions across the life course. The paper discusses the historical development of transition or ritual theory and, drawing upon data generated during longitudinal ethnographic interviews with men undergoing the transition to fatherhood, analyses its relevance in understanding contemporary experiences of fatherhood

CpG-ODN and MPLA Prevent Mortality in a Murine Model of Post-Hemorrhage-Staphyloccocus aureus Pneumonia

Infections are the most frequent cause of complications in trauma patients. Post-traumatic immune suppression (IS) exposes patients to pneumonia (PN). The main pathogen involved in PN is Methicillin Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Dendritic cells () may be centrally involved in the IS. We assessed the consequences of hemorrhage on pneumonia outcomes and investigated its consequences on DCs functions. A murine model of hemorrhagic shock with a subsequent MSSA pneumonia was used. Hemorrhage decreased the survival rate of infected mice, increased systemic dissemination of sepsis and worsened inflammatory lung lesions. The mRNA expression of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α), Interferon-beta (IFN-β) and Interleukin (IL)-12p40 were mitigated for hemorrhaged-mice. The effects of hemorrhage on subsequent PN were apparent on the pDCs phenotype (reduced MHC class II, CD80, and CD86 molecule membrane expression). In addition, hemorrhage dramatically decreased CD8+ cDCs- and CD8- cDCs-induced allogeneic T-cell proliferation during PN compared with mice that did not undergo hemorrhage. In conclusion, hemorrhage increased morbidity and mortality associated with PN; induced severe phenotypic disturbances of the pDCs subset and functional alterations of the cDCs subset. After hemorrhage, a preventive treatment with CpG-ODN or Monophosphoryl Lipid A increased transcriptional activity in DCs (TNF-α, IFN-β and IL-12p40) and decreased mortality of post-hemorrhage MSSA pneumonia