Preliminary results from pre-site surveys for deep geological drillingbelow Ekström Ice Shelf (Sub-EIS-Obs)

During field seasons 2016/17 and 2017/18, pre-site seismic surveys were undertaken in the Ekströmisen region of Dronning Maud Land, with the primary goal of building a stratigraphic age framework of sub-ice-shelf sedimentary strata. These sediments cover the Explora Wedge, a syn- or post-rift volcanic deposit. Expected ages range from Late Mesozoic to Quaternary. From new vibroseismic profiles, we selected sites for seafloor sampling with short cores through Hot Water Drill (HWD) holes of the oldest and of the youngest sedimentary sequencesto confine their age time span. There is further potential for drilling deeper sediment cores with the support of international partners. Deep drilling should recover the sediments overlying the Explora Escarpment, in order to discover the context and nature of the Explora Wedge. We expect the overlying sedimentary sequences to reveal the history of polar amplification and climate changes in this part of Antarctica, the build-up of the East AntarcticIce Sheet during past warmer climates and its Cenozoic and future variability. We successfully sampled the sea floor with different tools through HWD holes at two sites selected from the reflection seismic data close to the German Neumayer Station III, and discovered a pebbly sea floor coated with bryozoan skeletons. Present HWD holes penetrating the ice shelf to sample the sea floor will provide the unique opportunity for further piggy back experiments consisting of multi-disciplinary nature. For example, experiments and deploying measuring setup for oceanography, sea and ice shelf physics, geophysics, geology, hydrography, biogeochemistry could be potential future actions in order to characterise the ocean-ice-sediment interactions, processes and ecosystem observations. For season 2018/19 – besides additional geological sampling – it is planned to deploy a multiyear oceanographic mooring beneath the ice shelf. During future campaigns, we will try to launch an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) either through a HWD hole, from a ship, or from the fast ice with the necessary power to operate and measure within the sub-ice shelf cavity

Non-Invasive In Vivo Imaging of Tumor-Associated CD133/Prominin

detection of cancer stem cells is of great importance. detection of CD133/prominin, a cancer stem cell surface marker for a variety of tumor entities. The CD133-specific monoclonal antibody AC133.1 was used for quantitative fluorescence-based optical imaging of mouse xenograft models based on isogenic pairs of CD133 positive and negative cell lines. A first set consisted of wild-type U251 glioblastoma cells, which do not express CD133, and lentivirally transduced CD133-overexpressing U251 cells. A second set made use of HCT116 colon carcinoma cells, which uniformly express CD133 at levels comparable to primary glioblastoma stem cells, and a CD133-negative HCT116 derivative. Not surprisingly, visualization and quantification of CD133 in overexpressing U251 xenografts was successful; more importantly, however, significant differences were also found in matched HCT116 xenograft pairs, despite the lower CD133 expression levels. The binding of i.v.-injected AC133.1 antibodies to CD133 positive, but not negative, tumor cells isolated from xenografts was confirmed by flow cytometry. imaging of tumor-associated CD133 is feasible and that CD133 antibody-based tumor targeting is efficient. This should facilitate developing clinically applicable cancer stem cell imaging methods and CD133 antibody-based therapeutics

Investigating the seafloor below the Ekström Ice Shelf: the Sub-EIS-Obs project at East Antarctica’s continental margin

Knowledge of sub-ice shelf sedimentary sequences, ice-ocean interactions, and biological activities is still relatively sparse, largely due to the challenges involved in accessing ice shelf cavities. The Sub-EIS-Obs project, funded by the Alfred-Wegener-Institute (AWI) and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) in Germany, is a multidisciplinary study, which aims to recover and characterize sediment sequences beneath the Ekström Ice Shelf (EIS) in East Antarctica. The project addresses several research objectives, such as the crustal evolution during the breakup of Gondwana, the build-up and variability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) throughout the Cenozoic, reconstruction of grounding-line dynamics, sedimentary and erosional processes beneath the ice stream and shelf, and multidisciplinary observations of climate induced changes in ice-ocean interactions. A pre-site seismic survey campaign was carried out on the Ekström Ice Shelf in 2016/2017 and 2017/2018, resulting in 615 km of multi-fold seismic data. Based on these data, four different units were defined, which, according to preliminary interpretation, document geologic history of the breakup of Gondwana in the Jurassic (Explora-Wedge volcanic deposits) and ongoing marine and glacio-marine sedimentation during the Meso- and Cenozoic. On top of all strata a glacio-marine surface cover deposited during the Last Glacial Maximum and Holocene sedimentation is indicated in the seismic profiles. In order to sample all units separately, coring locations were selected accordingly. A hot water drilling system was used to drill holes through the shelf ice (ice thicknessesrange between∼210 and 330 m), enabling the deployment of a gravity corer, a Wippermann Grabber, a vibro-and a hammer coring system manufactured by Jilin University (Changchun, China), and a UWITEC percussioncorer (BAS corer). Moreover, a camera installed in a pressure housing enabled recording of high-resolution videofootage of the seafloor and associated benthic ecosystems as well as the base of the ice shelf. In addition, a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth probe was attached to all coring devices in order to record the oceanographic properties of the water column. Here, we present first results from the Sub-EIS-Obs sediment sampling campaigns 2017/2018 and 2018/2019. We present an overview of the long-term project aims, sampling strategy, perfor-mance of the hot water drilling operation, and recovered geological samples, and the video footages of the seafloor

Gene Expression Profiling in Cells with Enhanced γ-Secretase Activity

BACKGROUND: Processing by gamma-secretase of many type-I membrane protein substrates triggers signaling cascades by releasing intracellular domains (ICDs) that, following nuclear translocation, modulate the transcription of different genes regulating a diverse array of cellular and biological processes. Because the list of gamma-secretase substrates is growing quickly and this enzyme is a cancer and Alzheimer's disease therapeutic target, the mapping of gamma-secretase activity susceptible gene transcription is important for sharpening our view of specific affected genes, molecular functions and biological pathways. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To identify genes and molecular functions transcriptionally affected by gamma-secretase activity, the cellular transcriptomes of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells with enhanced and inhibited gamma-secretase activity were analyzed and compared by cDNA microarray. The functional clustering by FatiGO of the 1,981 identified genes revealed over- and under-represented groups with multiple activities and functions. Single genes with the most pronounced transcriptional susceptibility to gamma-secretase activity were evaluated by real-time PCR. Among the 21 validated genes, the strikingly decreased transcription of PTPRG and AMN1 and increased transcription of UPP1 potentially support data on cell cycle disturbances relevant to cancer, stem cell and neurodegenerative diseases' research. The mapping of interactions of proteins encoded by the validated genes exclusively relied on evidence-based data and revealed broad effects on Wnt pathway members, including WNT3A and DVL3. Intriguingly, the transcription of TERA, a gene of unknown function, is affected by gamma-secretase activity and was significantly altered in the analyzed human Alzheimer's disease brain cortices. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Investigating the effects of gamma-secretase activity on gene transcription has revealed several affected clusters of molecular functions and, more specifically, 21 genes that hold significant potential for a better understanding of the biology of gamma-secretase and its roles in cancer and Alzheimer's disease pathology

KAWASAKI DISEASE — AN UPDATE

The lecture presents a modern data on Kawasaki disease — an acute vasculitis with unknown etiology, among children younger than 5 years old. The algorithms of diagnostics and risk stratification are described. Authors review modern recommendation on treatment of children with Kawasaki disease and on peculiarities of their management after convalescence. Key words: children, Kawasaki disease, diagnostics, treatment, complications.(Voprosy sovremennoi pediatrii — Current Pediatrics. 2010;9(1):104-115