6 research outputs found
Toll-like receptor 2 contributes to antibacterial defence against pneumolysin-deficient pneumococci
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are pattern recognition receptors that recognize conserved molecular patterns expressed by pathogens. Pneumolysin, an intracellular toxin found in all Streptococcus pneumoniae clinical isolates, is an important virulence factor of the pneumococcus that is recognized by TLR4. Although TLR2 is considered the most important receptor for Gram-positive bacteria, our laboratory previously could not demonstrate a decisive role for TLR2 in host defence against pneumonia caused by a serotype 3 S. pneumoniae. Here we tested the hypothesis that in the absence of TLR2, S. pneumoniae can still be sensed by the immune system through an interaction between pneumolysin and TLR4. C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and TLR2 knockout (KO) mice were intranasally infected with either WT S. pneumoniae D39 (serotype 2) or the isogenic pneumolysin-deficient S. pneumoniae strain D39 PLN. TLR2 did not contribute to antibacterial defence against WT S. pneumoniae D39. In contrast, pneumolysin-deficient S. pneumoniae only grew in lungs of TLR2 KO mice. TLR2 KO mice displayed a strongly reduced early inflammatory response in their lungs during pneumonia caused by both pneumolysin-producing and pneumolysin-deficient pneumococci. These data suggest that pneumolysin-induced TLR4 signalling can compensate for TLR2 deficiency during respiratory tract infection with S. pneumoniae
Relativistic models of two low-luminosity radio jets: B2 0326+39 and B2 1553+24
We apply the intrinsically symmetrical, decelerating relativistic jet model
developed by Laing & Bridle for 3C 31 to deep, full-synthesis 8.4-GHz VLA
imaging of the two low-luminosity radio galaxies B2 0326+39 and B2 1553+24.
After some modifications to the functional forms used to describe the geometry,
velocity, emissivity and magnetic-field structure, these models can accurately
fit our data in both total intensity and linear polarization. We conclude that
the jets in B2 0326+39 and B2 1553+24 are at angles of 64 +/- 5 deg and 7.7 +/-
1.3 deg to the line of sight, respectively. In both objects, we find that the
jets decelerate from 0.7 - 0.8c to <0.2c over a distance of approximately 10
kpc, although in B2 1553+24 this transition occurs much further from the
nucleus than in B2 0326+39 or 3C 31. The longitudinal emissivity profiles can
be divided into sections, each fit accurately by a power law; the indices of
these power laws decrease with distance from the nucleus. The magnetic fields
in both objects are dominated by the longitudinal component in the
high-velocity regions close to the nucleus and by the toroidal component
further out, but B2 0326+39 also has a significant radial component at large
distances, whereas B2 1553+24 does not. Simple adiabatic models fail to fit the
emissivity variations in the regions of high velocity but provide good
descriptions of the emissivity after the jets have decelerated. Given the small
angle to the line of sight inferred for B2 1553+24, there should be a
significant population of similar sources at less extreme orientations. Such
objects should have long (>200 kpc), straight, faint jets and we show that
their true sizes are likely to have been underestimated in existing images.
(Slightly abridged.)Comment: 27 pages, 21 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
The physics of jets in FRI radio galaxies
We model jets in low-luminosity (FR I) radio galaxies as intrinsically
symmetrical, axisymmetric, decelerating relativistic flows with transverse
velocity gradients. This allows us to derive velocity fields and the
three-dimensional distributions of magnetic-field ordering and rest-frame
emissivity. A conservation-law analysis, combining the kinematic model with
X-ray observations of the surrounding IGM, gives the profiles of internal
density, pressure, Mach number and entrainment rate along the jets. We
summarize our recently-published results on 3C 31 and outline new work on other
sources and adiabatic jet models.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in The Physics of Relativistic Jets in
the Chandra and XMM Era, eds G. Brunetti, D.E. Harris, R.M. Sambruna, G.
Setti, New Astronomy Review
Carbon Metabolism and Photorespiration: Temperature Dependence in Relation to Other Environmental Factors
Cryptic species within the cosmopolitan desiccation-tolerant moss Grimmia laevigata
The common cushion moss Grimmia laevigata (Bridel) Bridel grows on bare rock in a broad range of environments on every continent except Antarctica. As such, it must harbor adaptations to a remarkably broad set of environmental stresses, the extremes of which can include very high temperatures, prolonged nearly complete desiccation, and high ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure. Yet, like many mosses, G. laevigata shows very little morphological variability across its cosmopolitan range. This presents an evolutionary puzzle, the solution to which lies in understanding the phylogeographic structure of this morphologically simple organism. Here we report the results of an analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) in G. laevigata, focusing on individuals from the California Floristic Province. We found evidence that populations within California constitute two distinct geographically overlapping cryptic species. Each clade harbors multiple private alleles, indicating they have been genetically isolated for some time. We suggest that the existence of cryptic species within G. laevigata, in combination with its life history, growth habits, and extreme desiccation tolerance, makes this moss an ideal research tool and a candidate for a biological indicator of climate change and pollution