Los hongos como elementos clave en la productividad del suelo, la agricultura y el bienestar social

Abstract: The lack of knowledge and the incorrect land management in certain agricultural practices represent a problem for organisms that contribute to soil health, such as fungi. The objective of this research is to demonstrate the importance of the use of fungi as key elements in soil productivity, agriculture, and social wellness to encourage their use, conservation, and protection. The study was carried out in a 1,5km transect at Finca Boquete-Sibü, Pérez Zeledón, a Low Montane Rain Forest, where different species of fruiting bodies were observed for nine months during the dry and rainy season. During this period, information such as names, substratum, and altitude was recorded, and, through a review of literature, their functions for agriculture, soil and social wellness were examined.  We observed 25 individuals of 17 species of mushrooms, which are the main decomposers of organic matter and recyclers of nutrients. They create mycorrhizae, are nitrogen fixers and pest controllers, and are also used for bioremediation and as indicators of soil quality. Moreover, they can be used as food, medicine, art, or tourism. The responsible use of natural resources such as fungi will allow the conservation of the soil and the ecosystem in general, in addition to increasing food security and social wellness.Resumen: El desconocimiento y manejo incorrecto de la tierra en ciertas prácticas agrícolas representa un problema para organismos que contribuyen a la salud del suelo, como los hongos. El objetivo de la investigación es demostrar la importancia del uso de los hongos como elementos clave en la productividad del suelo, la agricultura y el bienestar social e incentivar su uso, conservación y protección. El estudio se llevó a cabo en un sendero de 1,5km en Finca Boquete-Sibü, Pérez Zeledón, un Bosque Pluvial Montano Bajo, donde se observaron diferentes especies de cuerpos fructíferos por nueve meses durante la época seca y lluviosa, anotando su nombre, sustrato, altitud, y se investigaron por medio de revisión bibliográfica sus funciones para la agricultura, el suelo y el bien social.  Se observaron 25 individuos de 17 especies de hongos, los cuales tienen como función ser los principales descomponedores de la materia orgánica y recicladores de nutrientes, crear micorrizas, ser fijadores de nitrógeno y controladores de plagas, además de utilizarse para la biorremediación y como indicadores de la calidad del suelo. Adicionalmente, pueden ser utilizados como alimento, medicina, el arte o el turismo. El uso responsable de recursos naturales como los hongos permitirá la conservación del suelo y del ecosistema en general, además de aumentar la seguridad alimentaria y el bienestar social

LPS-Induced Upregulation of SHIP Is Essential for Endotoxin Tolerance

AbstractAn initial exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces a transient state of hyporesponsiveness to a subsequent challenge with LPS. The mechanism underlying this phenomenon, termed endotoxin tolerance, remains poorly understood despite a recent resurgence of interest in this area. We demonstrate herein that SHIP−/− bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMmφs) and mast cells (BMMCs) do not display endotoxin tolerance. Moreover, an initial LPS treatment of wild-type BMmφs or BMMCs increases the level of SHIP, but not SHIP2 or PTEN, and this increase is critical for the hyporesponsiveness to subsequent LPS stimulation. Interestingly, this increase in SHIP protein is mediated by the LPS-induced production of autocrine-acting TGFβ and neutralizing antibodies to TGFβ block LPS-induced endotoxin tolerance. In vivo studies with SHIP+/+ and SHIP−/− mice confirm these in vitro findings and show a correlation between the duration of endotoxin tolerance and elevated SHIP levels

SHIP Represses the Generation of Alternatively Activated Macrophages

SummaryWe recently reported that SHIP restrains LPS-induced classical (M1) activation of in vitro differentiated, bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMΦs) and that SHIP upregulation is essential for endotoxin tolerance. Herein, we show that in vivo differentiated SHIP−/− peritoneal (PMΦs) and alveolar (AMΦs) macrophages, unlike their wild-type counterparts, are profoundly M2 skewed (alternatively activated), possessing constitutively high arginase I (ArgI) and Ym1 levels and impaired LPS-induced NO production. Consistent with this, SHIP−/− mice display M2-mediated lung pathology and enhanced tumor implant growth. Interestingly, BMMΦs from SHIP−/− mice do not display this M2 phenotype unless exposed to TGFβ within normal mouse plasma (MP) during in vitro differentiation. Our results suggest that SHIP functions in vivo to repress M2 skewing and that macrophage polarization can occur during differentiation in response to TGFβ if progenitors have elevated PIP3

The role of SHIP in the development and activation of mouse mucosal and connective tissue mast cells

Although SHIP is a well-established suppressor of IgE plus Ag-induced degranulation and cytokine production in bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs), little is known about its role in connective tissue (CTMCs) or mucosal (MMCs) mast cells. In this study, we compared SHIP's role in the development as well as the IgE plus Ag and TLR-induced activation of CTMCs, MMCs, and BMMCs and found that SHIP delays the maturation of all three mast cell subsets and, surprisingly, that it is a positive regulator of IgE-induced BMMC survival. We also found that SHIP represses IgE plus Ag-induced degranulation of all three mast cell subsets and that TLR agonists do not trigger their degranulation, whether SHIP is present or not, nor do they enhance IgE plus Ag-induced degranulation. In terms of cytokine production, we found that in MMCs and BMMCs, which are poor producers of TLR-induced cytokines, SHIP is a potent negative regulator of IgE plus Ag-induced IL-6 and TNF-α production. Surprisingly, however, in splenic or peritoneal derived CTMCs, which are poor producers of IgE plus Ag-induced cytokines, SHIP is a potent positive regulator of TLR-induced cytokine production. Lastly, cell signaling and cytokine production studies with and without LY294002, wortmannin, and PI3Kα inhibitor-2, as well as with PI3K p85α(-/-) BMMCs and CTMCs, are consistent with SHIP positively regulating TLR-induced cytokine production via an adaptor-mediated pathway while negatively regulating IgE plus Ag-induced cytokine production by repressing the PI3K pathway

Single cell transcriptome analysis reveals disease-defining T cell subsets in the tumor microenvironment of classic Hodgkin lymphoma

Hodgkin lymphoma is characterized by an extensively dominant tumor microenvironment (TME) composed of different types of noncancerous immune cells with rare malignant cells. Characterization of the cellular components and their spatial relationship is crucial to understanding cross-talk and therapeutic targeting in the TME. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing of more than 127,000 cells from 22 Hodgkin lymphoma tissue specimens and 5 reactive lymph nodes, profiling for the first time the phenotype of the Hodgkin lymphoma–specific immune microenvironment at single-cell resolution. Single-cell expression profiling identified a novel Hodgkin lymphoma–associated subset of T cells with prominent expression of the inhibitory receptor LAG3, and functional analyses established this LAG3+ T-cell population as a mediator of immunosuppression. Multiplexed spatial assessment of immune cells in the microenvironment also revealed increased LAG3+ T cells in the direct vicinity of MHC class II–deficient tumor cells. Our findings provide novel insights into TME biology and suggest new approaches to immune-checkpoint targeting in Hodgkin lymphoma. SIGNIFICANCE: We provide detailed functional and spatial characteristics of immune cells in classic Hodgkin lymphoma at single-cell resolution. Specifically, we identified a regulatory T-cell–like immunosuppressive subset of LAG3+ T cells contributing to the immune-escape phenotype. Our insights aid in the development of novel biomarkers and combination treatment strategies targeting immune checkpoints

SHIP-Deficient Dendritic Cells, Unlike Wild Type Dendritic Cells, Suppress T Cell Proliferation via a Nitric Oxide-Independent Mechanism

Dendritic cells (DCs) not only play a crucial role in activating immune cells but also suppressing them. We recently investigated SHIP's role in murine DCs in terms of immune cell activation and found that TLR agonist-stimulated SHIP-/- GM-CSF-derived DCs (GM-DCs) were far less capable than wild type (WT, SHIP+/+) GM-DCs at activating T cell proliferation. This was most likely because SHIP-/- GM-DCs could not up-regulate MHCII and/or co-stimulatory receptors following TLR stimulation. However, the role of SHIP in DC-induced T cell suppression was not investigated.In this study we examined SHIP's role in DC-induced T cell suppression by co-culturing WT and SHIP-/- murine DCs, derived under different conditions or isolated from spleens, with αCD3+ αCD28 activated WT T cells and determined the relative suppressive abilities of the different DC subsets. We found that, in contrast to SHIP+/+ and -/- splenic or Flt3L-derived DCs, which do not suppress T cell proliferation in vitro, both SHIP+/+ and -/- GM-DCs were capable of potently suppressing T cell proliferation. However, WT GM-DC suppression appeared to be mediated, at least in part, by nitric oxide (NO) production while SHIP-/- GM-DCs expressed high levels of arginase 1 and did not produce NO. Following exhaustive studies to ascertain the mechanism of SHIP-/- DC-mediated suppression, we could conclude that cell-cell contact was required and the mechanism may be related to their relative immaturity, compared to SHIP+/+ GM-DCs.These findings suggest that although both SHIP+/+ and -/- GM-DCs suppress T cell proliferation, the mechanism(s) employed are different. WT GM-DCs suppress, at least in part, via IFNγ-induced NO production while SHIP-/- GM-DCs do not produce NO and suppression can only be alleviated when contact is prevented

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

The uridine kinase of Ehrlich Ascites tumour cells

Uridine kinase was purified 20-fold from Ehrlich ascites cells and shown to catalyze the phosphorylation of both uridine and cytidine. A number of physical and chemical properties were studied at various stages of the purification. Two catalytically active fractions were obtained during Sepharose 6B chromatography and their molecular weights, as determined by gel filtration, were approximately 120,000 and 30,000. The larger molecular weight species (Peak 1) was far more susceptible to heat inactivation and slightly less sensitive to CTP inhibition thon the Peak 2 fraction. Kinetic studies with the two fractions revealed similar apparent Michaelis constants for uridine (50 µM at 1 mM ATP). The mode of inhibition by CTP was investigated for both enzyme fractions and the inhibitory effect of CTP was shown to be competitive with respect to ATP and not competitive with respect to uridine. In addition, the kinetics exhibited by the Peak 1 enzyme were consistant with a ping-pong BiBi mechanism. When uridine kinase was purified in an identical fashion from mouse intestine only one active fraction was obtained and the significance of this finding is discussed