MUC4 mucin expression in human pancreatic tumours is affected by organ environment: the possible role of TGFβ2

MUC4 is highly expressed in human pancreatic tumours and pancreatic tumour cell lines, but is minimally or not expressed in normal pancreas or chronic pancreatitis. Here, we investigated the aberrant regulation of MUC4 expression in vivo using clonal human pancreatic tumour cells (CD18/HPAF) grown either orthotopically in the pancreas (OT) or ectopically in subcutaneous tissue (SC) in the nude mice. Histological examination of the OT and SC tumours showed moderately differentiated and anaplastic morphology, respectively. The OT tumour cells showed metastases to distant lymph nodes and faster tumour growth (

Effects of a 20-year old Miscanthus × giganteus stand and its removal on soil characteristics and greenhouse gas emissions

Miscanthus is a perennial rhizomatous C4 grass with high yield potentials and low nutrient needs, thus a promising candidate for the production of cellulosic biomass. While optimal management options and yields attainable on a commercial scale are still debated, no study has yet addressed its removal and potential effects on following crops. Here, we present results from a trial involving a 20-year old Miscanthus stand on i) soil C, N, P and K stocks, compared with an adjacent field cultivated with a rotation of annual arable food crops, ii) the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions following the removal of Miscanthus and iii) the immediate short-term effects on the following land use (re-cultivation to wheat or set-aside). Compared to the adjacent field under annual crops, the Miscanthus plot had a larger soil organic C stock (by 13 t C ha−1) but a similar N stock, and lower P and K stocks (with differences of 100 kg P ha−1 and 1170 kg K ha−1, respectively). These losses imply that some degree of fertilization may be necessary as compensation. The effects of Miscanthus removal for the following wheat were significant on crop N content but negligible on grain yield. 1.5 t CO2 ha−1 of CO2 were released after the Miscanthus removal and the N2O emissions increased from 150 g N2O-N ha−1 to 493 g N2O-N ha−1 during the following year. These results highlight the importance of investigation of the end-of-life stage of perennial crops for an accurate assessment of their environmental impacts

Production, Identification, and Toxicity of (gamma)-Decalactone and 4-Hydroxydecanoic Acid from Sporidiobolus spp

During the bioconversion of ricinoleic acid to (gamma)-decalactone under controlled pH conditions, Sporidiobolus salmonicolor produced only the lactone form, while Sporidiobolus ruinenii produced both the lactone form and a precursor. By using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-Fourier transform infrared analysis techniques, the precursor was identified as 4-hydroxydecanoic acid. The levels of production in the presence of high concentrations of ricinoleic acid methyl ester differed in the two Sporidiobolus species. This difference was due on the one hand to the high sensitivity of S. salmonicolor to the lactone and on the other hand to the high level of 4-hydroxydecanoic acid produced by S. ruinenii. 4-Hydroxydecanoic acid is much less toxic to the microorganisms than the lactone. In contrast to S. ruinenii, S. salmonicolor is not able to catabolize 4-hydroxydecanoic acid