Diurnal and Circadian Rhythms in the Tomato Transcriptome and Their Modulation by Cryptochrome Photoreceptors

BACKGROUND: Circadian clocks are internal molecular time-keeping mechanisms that provide living organisms with the ability to adjust their growth and physiology and to anticipate diurnal environmental changes. Circadian clocks, without exception, respond to light and, in plants, light is the most potent and best characterized entraining stimulus. The capacity of plants to respond to light is achieved through a number of photo-perceptive proteins including cryptochromes and phytochromes. There is considerable experimental evidence demonstrating the roles of photoreceptors in providing light input to the clock. METHODOLOGY: In order to identify genes regulated by diurnal and circadian rhythms, and to establish possible functional relations between photoreceptors and the circadian clock in tomato, we monitored the temporal transcription pattern in plants entrained to long-day conditions, either by large scale comparative profiling, or using a focused approach over a number of photosensory and clock-related genes by QRT-PCR. In parallel, focused transcription analyses were performed in cry1a- and in CRY2-OX tomato genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: We report a large series of transcript oscillations that shed light on the complex network of interactions among tomato photoreceptors and clock-related genes. Alteration of cryptochrome gene expression induced major changes in the rhythmic oscillations of several other gene transcripts. In particular, over-expression of CRY2 had an impact not only on day/night fluctuations but also on rhythmicity under constant light conditions. Evidence was found for widespread diurnal oscillations of transcripts encoding specific enzyme classes (e.g. carotenoid biosynthesis enzymes) as well as for post-transcriptional diurnal and circadian regulation of the CRY2 transcript

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Influence of land use and nutrient flux on metabolic activity of E. coli O157 in river water

Infections caused by waterborne Escherichia coli O157 continue to pose a public health risk. An increase in faecal coliform loading of watercourses due to expanding populations, intensification of agriculture and climate change are predicted to amplify these risks. Understanding the effect of land use on the ecology of E. coli O157 in environmental waters is therefore important for implementing effective mitigation measures. In order to test the hypothesis that activity of waterborne E. coli O157 is affected by both land use type and the respective autochthonous microbial communities, we inoculated replicate microcosms of water collected from areas of contrasting land uses within a catchment with a chromosomally lux-marked E. coli O157. Pathogen metabolic activity and its ability to reactivate following addition of nutrients were quantified over time in both filter-sterilised and non-sterile microcosms. Metabolic activity differed significantly according to the land use type, the degree of competition from background microbes and the availability of nutrients. These results indicate that land use types associated with particular areas of a watercourse should be considered a central factor in models that aim to predict pathogen risk in environmental waters

Twelve weeks of soccer-specific training: effects on mucosal immunity, salivary alpha-amylase and body composition in male African youths

Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to determine the levels of salivary secretory IgA (sIgA) and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) in young, black male soccer players, before and after 12 weeks of soccer-specific training. Methods: Thirty-four children (11–13 years) who were part of a youth soccer development training academy, participated in the study. The participants underwent 12 weeks of soccer-specific training. Resting saliva samples were collected 48 h before the commencement, and 48 h after the completion, of the training program. Samples were taken between 07:30 and 08:30, 90 min after waking. Body fat percentage (BF %), lean body mass (LBM) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) were also measured. Results: Significant differences were found between pre- and post-training for body mass index (BMI) (P &lt; 0.05), waist-to-hip ratio (P &lt; 0.05), height (P &lt; 0.0001), BF % (P &lt; 0.0001) and LBM (P &lt; 0.0001). sIgA secretion rate increased significantly from pre- to post-training (P &lt; 0.05) however, no significant differences were found in sAA concentration (P &gt; 0.05), sAA secretion rate (P &gt; 0.05) or sIgA concentration (P &gt; 0.05). The magnitude of differences from pre- to post-training applying Cohen’s d effect sizes (ES) were moderate (&gt;0.5) for estimated VO 2max , sAA, sAA secretion rate, sIgA and sIgA secretion rate. Conclusion: These findings suggest that, 12 weeks of soccer-specific training enhances mucosal immunity and body composition and may have an effect on the sympathetic nervous system in black, male youths. </p