How leukocytes trigger opening and sealing of gaps in the endothelial barrier [version 1; referees: 3 approved]

The entry of leukocytes into tissues requires well-coordinated interactions between the immune cells and endothelial cells which form the inner lining of blood vessels. The molecular basis for recognition, capture, and adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelial apical surface is well studied. This review will focus on recent advances in our understanding of events following the firm interaction of leukocytes with the inner surface of the blood vessel wall. We will discuss how leukocytes initiate the transmigration (diapedesis) process, trigger the opening of gaps in the endothelial barrier, and eventually move through this boundary

Optimizing the Time of Grafting in Jackfruit in the Subtropical Environment of Assam

An experiment was carried out at the instructional cum research farm, Department of Horticulture, BNCA, AAU, Biswanath Chariali during 2019-2020. The objective of the experiment was to check the best time of wedge grafting in Jackfruit in the subtropical conditions of Assam. A total of seven treatments were taken, viz. Grafting in March (T1), April (T2), May (T3), June (T4), July (T5), August (T6), and September (T7). Six to seven months old, vigorously growing uniform seedlings of Jackfruit grown from the seeds were selected as rootstocks. Mother plants of desirable traits were selected for the experiment. Scions of about 10-15 cm in length with a thickness of 5-7 mm and free pests and diseases were collected from one season (4-5 months) old terminal shoots. The selected scion shoots were defoliated (pre-cured) 7-10 days before grafting. Wedge grafting was adopted in the present study. Further, wedge grafting was performed with compatible rootstocks in the different months stated above and conclusions were made that the period from March to June could be considered as the suitable time for producing jackfruit grafts by wedge grafting method in Assam. March and April are the best months for grafting jackfruit, as weather conditions in terms of temperatures with daily maximum (21.1 -35.6°C) and minimum temperature (8.3 to 23.0°C), rainfall more than 100 mm, comparatively higher bright sun-shine hours are congenial from the success of grafting in terms of success percentage of stock and scion union, the time required for spouting, several buds developed and length of the scion on 90 days after grafting. While the temperature gradually rose from June onwards up to September and there was also quite a reduction in the amount of rainfall, due to which the moisture content present in the leaves of the scions dried up because of evapotranspiration and decreased in the percentage of graft success

Immune responses against hepatitis C virus genotype 3a virus-like particles in mice: a novel VLP prime-adenovirus boost strategy

Abstract not availableAnuj Kumar, Soma Das, Ranajoy Mullick, Priyanka Lahiri, Ranjitha Tatineni, Debashree Goswami, Prasanna Bhat, Joseph Torresi, Eric James Gowans, Anjali Anoop Karande, Saumitra Da

Malaria blood stage infection suppresses liver stage infection via host-induced interferons but not hepcidin

Abstract Malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites first replicate as liver stages (LS), which then seed symptomatic blood stage (BS) infection. Emerging evidence suggests that these stages impact each other via perturbation of host responses, and this influences the outcome of natural infection. We sought to understand whether the parasite stage interplay would affect live-attenuated whole parasite vaccination, since the efficacy of whole parasite vaccines strongly correlates with their extend of development in the liver. We thus investigated the impact of BS infection on LS development of genetically attenuated and wildtype parasites in female rodent malaria models and observed that for both, LS infection suffered severe suppression during concurrent BS infection. Strikingly and in contrast to previously published studies, we find that the BS-induced iron-regulating hormone hepcidin is not mediating suppression of LS development. Instead, we demonstrate that BS-induced host interferons are the main mediators of LS developmental suppression. The type of interferon involved depended on the BS-causing parasite species. Our study provides important mechanistic insights into the BS-mediated suppression of LS development. This has direct implications for understanding the outcomes of live-attenuated Plasmodium parasite vaccination in malaria-endemic areas and might impact the epidemiology of natural malaria infection