A Plant-Specific Transcription Factor IIB-Related Protein, pBRP2, Is Involved in Endosperm Growth Control

General transcription factor IIB (TFIIB) and TFIIB-related factor (BRF), are conserved RNA polymerase II/III (RNAPII/III) selectivity factors that are involved in polymerase recruitment and transcription initiation in eukaryotes. Recent findings have shown that plants have evolved a third type of B-factor, plant-specific TFIIB-related protein 1 (pBRP1), which seems to be involved in RNAPI transcription. Here, we extend the repertoire of B-factors in plants by reporting the characterization of a novel TFIIB-related protein, plant-specific TFIIB-related protein 2 (pBRP2), which is found to date only in the Brassicacea family. Unlike other B-factors that are ubiquitously expressed, PBRP2 expression is restricted to reproductive organs and seeds as shown by RT-PCR, immunofluorescence labelling and GUS staining experiments. Interestingly, pbrp2 loss-of-function specifically affects the development of the syncytial endosperm, with both parental contributions required for wild-type development. pBRP2, is the first B-factor to exhibit cell-specific expression and regulation in eukaryotes, and might play a role in enforcing bi-parental reproduction in angiosperms

Hepatitis C Virus Infection Epidemiology among People Who Inject Drugs in Europe: A Systematic Review of Data for Scaling Up Treatment and Prevention

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) are a key population affected by hepatitis C virus (HCV). Treatment options are improving and may enhance prevention; however access for PWID may be poor. The availability in the literature of information on seven main topic areas (incidence, chronicity, genotypes, HIV co-infection, diagnosis and treatment uptake, and burden of disease) to guide HCV treatment and prevention scale-up for PWID in the 27 countries of the European Union is systematically reviewed. Methods and Findings: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library for publications between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2012, with a search strategy of general keywords regarding viral hepatitis, substance abuse and geographic scope, as well as topic-specific keywords. Additional articles were found through structured email consultations with a large European expert network. Data availability was highly variable and important limitations existed in comparability and representativeness. Nine of 27 countries had data on HCV incidence among PWID, which was often high (2.7-66/100 person-years, median 13, Interquartile range (IQR) 8.7–28). Most common HCV genotypes were G1 and G3; however, G4 may be increasing, while the proportion of traditionally ‘difficult to treat’ genotypes (G1+G4) showed large variation (median 53, IQR 43–62). Twelve countries reported on HCV chronicity (median 72, IQR 64–81) and 22 on HIV prevalence in HCV-infected PWID (median 3.9%, IQR 0.2–28). Undiagnosed infection, assessed in five countries, was high (median 49%, IQR 38–64), while of those diagnosed, the proportion entering treatment was low (median 9.5%, IQR 3.5–15). Burden of disease, where assessed, was high and will rise in the next decade. Conclusion: Key data on HCV epidemiology, care and disease burden among PWID in Europe are sparse but suggest many undiagnosed infections and poor treatment uptake. Stronger efforts are needed to improve data availability to guide an increase in HCV treatment among PWID

Formation of Precipitation Ellipsoidal Disks and Spheres in the Wake of a Planar Diffusion Front.

Pattern formation is one of the examples of self-organization. In the generation of patterns, the coupling between the mass transport of the chemical species and their chemical reactions plays an important role. Periodic precipitation (Liesegang phenomenon) is a type of pattern formation in which layered precipitation structures form in the wake of the diffusion front. Here, we show a new type of precipitation pattern formation in zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 in a solid hydrogel column in a test tube manifested in the generation of precipitation ellipsoidal disks and spheres in the wake of the planar diffusion front of the outer electrolyte (2-methylimidazole). To increase the probability of the emergence of ellipsoidal disks and spheres, the surfaces of the borosilicate test tubes were chemically treated and functionalized. To support the experimental findings, we developed a reaction-diffusion model that qualitatively describes the formation of precipitate ellipsoidal disks and spheres in a test tube

Role of the purinergic system in controlling blood-brain barrier functions upon ischemic conditions: focus on ATP-metabolizing enzymes

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is composed of endothelial cells, pericytes and astrocytes, and serves as interface between the blood flow and the central nervous system (CNS). Since BBB deregulation plays important role in the pathogenesis of several CNS diseases spanning from brain tumors to stroke, understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling BBB functions might help unveiling new therapeutic targets to brain pathologies. Extracellular nucleotides are important signaling molecules both in physiological and pathological conditions. Their actions are mediated by 7 ionotropic P2X and 8 metabotropic P2Y purinergic receptors, and terminated by metabolizing enzymes, namely ectonucleotidases (NTPDases) and 5\u2019-nucleotidase. To date the role of purinergic transmission in controlling BBB functions is not fully understood. Therefore, we used a new in vitro cell culture model of BBB to investigate the expression and distribution of NTPDases and P2Y receptors either in control conditions or following exposure to ischemia. RT-PCR analysis showed that astrocytes and pericytes expressed all the cloned P2Y receptors, that endothelial cells showed only the P2Y1,2,4 subtypes, and that NTPDase1 and 2 were expressed by all the three types of cell. Application of oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), which mimics cytotoxicity induced by ischemia in vivo, showed that endothelial cells were extremely susceptible to cell death, whereas astrocytes and pericytes were more resistant. A semi-quantitative assay highlighted increased ecto-ATPase activity following exposure to OGD in the three types of cell, both when grown separately and in triple co-culture. Our data show the usefulness of this new in vitro model to demonstrate a role for extracellular nucleotides in modulating BBB responses to ischemic events, and to determine if the purinergic system could represent a new target for the development of effective therapies to brain pathologies