Development of Fatal Intestinal Inflammation in MyD88 Deficient Mice Co-infected with Helminth and Bacterial Enteropathogens

Infections with intestinal helminth and bacterial pathogens, such as enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, continue to be a major global health threat for children. To determine whether and how an intestinal helminth parasite, Heligomosomoides polygyrus, might impact the TLR signaling pathway during the response to a bacterial enteropathogen, MyD88 knockout and wild-type C57BL/6 mice were infected with H. polygyrus, the bacterial enteropathogen Citrobacter rodentium, or both. We found that MyD88 knockout mice co-infected with H. polygyrus and C. rodentium developed more severe intestinal inflammation and elevated mortality compared to the wild-type mice. The enhanced susceptibility to C. rodentium, intestinal injury and mortality of the co-infected MyD88 knockout mice were found to be associated with markedly reduced intestinal phagocyte recruitment, decreased expression of the chemoattractant KC, and a significant increase in bacterial translocation. Moreover, the increase in bacterial infection and disease severity were found to be correlated with a significant downregulation of antimicrobial peptide expression in the intestinal tissue in co-infected MyD88 knockout mice. Our results suggest that the MyD88 signaling pathway plays a critical role for host defense and survival during helminth and enteric bacterial co-infection

Selective Out‐of‐Plane Optical Coupling between Vertical and Planar Microrings in a 3D Configuration

3D photonic integrated circuits are expected to play a key role in future optoelectronics with efficient signal transfer between photonic layers. Here, the optical coupling of tubular microcavities, supporting resonances in a vertical plane, with planar microrings, accommodating in‐plane resonances, is explored. In such a 3D coupled composite system with largely mismatched cavity sizes, periodic mode splitting and resonant mode shifts are observed due to mode‐selective interactions. The axial direction of the microtube cavity provides additional design freedom for selective mode coupling, which is achieved by carefully adjusting the axial displacement between the microtube and the microring. The spectral anticrossing behavior is caused by strong coupling in this composite optical system and is excellently reproduced by numerical modeling. Interfacing tubular microcavities with planar microrings is a promising approach toward interlayer light transfer with added optical functionality in 3D photonic systems

Angiosperm phylogeny inferred from sequences of four mitochondrial genes

An angiosperm phylogeny was reconstructed in a maximum likelihood analysis of sequences of four mitochondrial genes, atp1, matR, nad5 , and rps3 , from 380 species that represent 376 genera and 296 families of seed plants. It is largely congruent with the phylogeny of angiosperms reconstructed from chloroplast genes atpB, matK , and rbcL , and nuclear 18S rDNA. The basalmost lineage consists of Amborella and Nymphaeales (including Hydatellaceae). Austrobaileyales follow this clade and are sister to the mesangiosperms, which include Chloranthaceae, Ceratophyllum , magnoliids, monocots, and eudicots. With the exception of Chloranthaceae being sister to Ceratophyllum , relationships among these five lineages are not well supported. In eudicots, Ranunculales, Sabiales, Proteales, Trochodendrales, Buxales, Gunnerales, Saxifragales, Vitales, Berberidopsidales, and Dilleniales form a basal grade of lines that diverged before the diversification of rosids and asterids. Within rosids, the COM (Celastrales–Oxalidales–Malpighiales) clade is sister to malvids (or rosid II), instead of to the nitrogen-fixing clade as found in all previous large-scale molecular analyses of angiosperms. Santalales and Caryophyllales are members of an expanded asterid clade. This study shows that the mitochondrial genes are informative markers for resolving relationships among genera, families, or higher rank taxa across angiosperms. The low substitution rates and low homoplasy levels of the mitochondrial genes relative to the chloroplast genes, as found in this study, make them particularly useful for reconstructing ancient phylogenetic relationships. A mitochondrial gene-based angiosperm phylogeny provides an independent and essential reference for comparison with hypotheses of angiosperm phylogeny based on chloroplast genes, nuclear genes, and non-molecular data to reconstruct the underlying organismal phylogeny.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79100/1/JSE_97_sm_FigS2-1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79100/2/JSE_97_sm_FigS2-2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79100/3/JSE_97_sm_FigS3.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79100/4/j.1759-6831.2010.00097.x.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79100/5/JSE_97_sm_FigS1.pd

Curcumin Protects an SH-SY5Y Cell Model of Parkinson’s Disease Against Toxic Injury by Regulating HSP90

Background/Aims: We aimed to explore the protective role of curcumin (Cur) in a cell model of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and its underlying mechanism. Methods: In this study, genes concerned with PD-related keywords were screened within DiGSeE database. The association network between Cur and selected genes was downloaded from STITCH, with the interactions analyzed by STRING. We built a mitochondrial toxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-induced SH-SY5Y cell model of PD. Cell morphology was observed under an electron microscope. MTT assay was applied to detect cell proliferation rate. Western blot assay was conducted to determine the level of apoptotic markers, including cleaved caspase 3, Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and B-cell lymphoma-extra-large (Bcl-xl). Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine transporter (DAT) protein levels and dopamine (DA) concentration were identified as dopaminergic neuron markers and measured by western blotting or Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Cur rescued the toxicity effects of MPP+ on SH-SY5Y cells, by controlling morphological change, promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis. Of all PD-related genes, HSP90 played an important role in Cur-gene network. HSP90 protein level was elevated by MPP+, whereas Cur could reverse this effect. Silencing of HSP90 significantly attenuated the curative effect introduced by Cur, while HSP90 overexpression enhanced the impact of Cur on PD. Conclusion: Cur can effectively inhibit the toxic effect of MPP+ on SH-SY5Y cells and significantly reduce the adverse effects of MPP+ on dopaminergic neurons via up-regulation of HSP90

Effect of CaCl2 Substitution of NaCl Combined with Sodium Alginate on the Gelling Properties of Shrimp Surimi

In order to reduce the content of NaCl in shrimp surimi while improving its gelation properties, the effects of different levels of NaCl substitution with CaCl2 combined with sodium alginate (SA) on the protein structure and gelation properties of shrimp surimi as characterized by 3D printing characteristics, gel strength, water-holding capacity (WHC), texture properties, rheological properties, protein secondary structure, and and molecular chemical forces were investigated under the same ionic strength. The results showed that the hardness, gel strength, β-sheet content, and hydrogen bond content of shrimp surimi increased significantly (P < 0.05) with increasing level of CaCl2 substitution, while WHC of surimi gels showed a gradual decreasing trend (P < 0.05), and the 3D printing supportability became worse. The high concentration of Ca2+ (0.5%) caused excessive protein aggregation, which was unfavorable to the formation of a good gel structure, thereby leading to a decrease in WHC. The addition of SA improved the WHC of shrimp surimi gels, and the results of protein secondary structure and chemical force showed that substitution of CaCl2 had no significant effect on the protein secondary structure of shrimp surimi, but increased the hydrogen bond content and hydrophobic interaction of the surimi gels, promoted the formation of gel networks, and improved the quality of the surimi gels. The above results indicate that incorporation of CaCl2 combined with SA can improve the gel characteristics and quality of shrimp surimi, which provides a reference for the development of low-salt shrimp surimi products

Emotion experience and regulation in China and the United States: How do culture and gender shape emotion responding?

Culture and gender shape emotion experience and regulation, in part because the value placed on emotions and the manner of their expression is thought to vary across these groups. This study tested the hypothesis that culture and gender would interact to predict people's emotion responding (emotion intensity and regulatory strategies). Chinese (n=220; 52% female) and American undergraduates (n=241; 62% female) viewed photos intended to elicit negative emotions after receiving instructions to either "just feel" any emotions that arose (Just Feel), or to "do something" so that they would not experience any emotion while viewing the photos (Regulate). All participants then rated the intensity of their experienced emotions and described any emotion-regulation strategies that they used while viewing the photos. Consistent with predictions, culture and gender interacted with experimental condition to predict intensity: Chinese men reported relatively low levels of emotion, whereas American women reported relatively high levels of emotion. Disengagement strategies (especially distancing) were related to lower emotional intensity and were reported most often by Chinese men. Taken together, findings suggest that emotion-regulation strategies may contribute to differences in emotional experience across Western and East Asian cultures