61 research outputs found
Dietary Selenium Deficiency Exacerbates DSS-Induced Epithelial Injury and AOM/DSS-Induced Tumorigenesis.
Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient that exerts its functions via selenoproteins. Little is known about the role of Se in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Epidemiological studies have inversely correlated nutritional Se status with IBD severity and colon cancer risk. Moreover, molecular studies have revealed that Se deficiency activates WNT signaling, a pathway essential to intestinal stem cell programs and pivotal to injury recovery processes in IBD that is also activated in inflammatory neoplastic transformation. In order to better understand the role of Se in epithelial injury and tumorigenesis resulting from inflammatory stimuli, we examined colonic phenotypes in Se-deficient or -sufficient mice in response to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis, and azoxymethane (AOM) followed by cyclical administration of DSS, respectively. In response to DSS alone, Se-deficient mice demonstrated increased morbidity, weight loss, stool scores, and colonic injury with a concomitant increase in DNA damage and increases in inflammation-related cytokines. As there was an increase in DNA damage as well as expression of several EGF and TGF-ÎČ pathway genes in response to inflammatory injury, we sought to determine if tumorigenesis was altered in the setting of inflammatory carcinogenesis. Se-deficient mice subjected to AOM/DSS treatment to model colitis-associated cancer (CAC) had increased tumor number, though not size, as well as increased incidence of high grade dysplasia. This increase in tumor initiation was likely due to a general increase in colonic DNA damage, as increased 8-OHdG staining was seen in Se-deficient tumors and adjacent, non-tumor mucosa. Taken together, our results indicate that Se deficiency worsens experimental colitis and promotes tumor development and progression in inflammatory carcinogenesis
Selenoprotein P Influences Colitis-Induced Tumorigenesis by Mediating Stemness and Oxidative Damage.
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are at increased risk for colon cancer due to augmented oxidative stress. These patients also have compromised antioxidant defenses as the result of nutritional deficiencies. The micronutrient selenium is essential for selenoprotein production and is transported from the liver to target tissues via selenoprotein P (SEPP1). Target tissues also produce SEPP1, which is thought to possess an endogenous antioxidant function. Here, we have shown that mice with Sepp1 haploinsufficiency or mutations that disrupt either the selenium transport or the enzymatic domain of SEPP1 exhibit increased colitis-associated carcinogenesis as the result of increased genomic instability and promotion of a protumorigenic microenvironment. Reduced SEPP1 function markedly increased M2-polarized macrophages, indicating a role for SEPP1 in macrophage polarization and immune function. Furthermore, compared with partial loss, complete loss of SEPP1 substantially reduced tumor burden, in part due to increased apoptosis. Using intestinal organoid cultures, we found that, compared with those from WT animals, Sepp1-null cultures display increased stem cell characteristics that are coupled with increased ROS production, DNA damage, proliferation, decreased cell survival, and modulation of WNT signaling in response to H2O2-mediated oxidative stress. Together, these data demonstrate that SEPP1 influences inflammatory tumorigenesis by affecting genomic stability, the inflammatory microenvironment, and epithelial stem cell functions
HE 3-1475 AND ITS JETS
We present spectra and high-resolution images taken with HST, the NTT, the
VLA, and the MPIA/ESO 2.2m of the emission-line star He 3-1475 which we suggest
is a post-AGB star. The star is at the origin of a 15-arcsec-long structure
containing symmetrically opposing bright knots. The knots have radial
velocities of about 500 km/s from the center of He 3-1475 to the ends of the
jets. HST snapshots show that the core of He 3-1475 is unipolar with a star at
the SE end and the nebula fanning out toward the NW. VLA observations show the
presence of OH masers, which are positioned parallel to the optical jets. A
model is proposed that accounts for all of the observational data. This unusual
object may link the OH/IR stars having extreme outflow velocities with highly
bipolar planetary nebulae.Comment: 14 pages, uu-encoded postcript. 6 figures available on request from
Matt Bobrowski ([email protected]
A Mid-Infrared Imaging Survey of Proto-Planetary Nebula Candidates
We present the data from a mid-infrared imaging survey of 66 proto-planetary
nebula candidates using two mid-IR cameras (MIRAC2 and Berkcam) at the NASA
Infrared Telescope Facility and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. The goal
of this survey is to determine the size, flux, and morphology of the mid-IR
emission regions, which sample the inner regions of the circumstellar dust
shells of proto-planetary nebulae. We imaged these proto-planetary nebulae with
narrow-band filters () at wavelengths of
notable dust features. With our typical angular resolution of 1\arcsec, we
resolve 17 sources, find 48 objects unresolved, and do not detect 1 source. For
several sources, we checked optical and infrared associations and positions of
the sources. In table format, we list the size and flux measurements for all
the detected objects and show figures of all the resolved sources. Images for
all the detected objects are available on line in FITS format from the
Astronomy Digital Image Library at the National Center for Supercomputing
Application. The proto-planetary nebula candidate sample includes, in addition
to the predominant proto-planetary nebulae, extreme asymptotic giant branch
stars, young planetary nebulae, a supergiant, and a luminous blue variable. We
find that dust shells which are cooler ( K) and brighter in the
infrared are more easily resolved. Eleven of the seventeen resolved sources are
extended and fall into one of two types of mid-IR morphological classes:
core/elliptical or toroidal. Core/elliptical structures show unresolved cores
with lower surface brightness elliptical nebulae. Toroidal structures show
limb-brightened peaks suggesting equatorial density enhancements. We argue that
core/ellipticals have denser dust shells than toroidals.Comment: 32 pages, 5 tables, 2 e/ps figures (fig3 is available through ADIL
[see text]), to be published in ApJS May 1999 issu
Maximum rates of N2 fixation and primary production are out of phase in a developing cyanobacterial bloom in the Baltic Sea
Although N2-fixing cyanobacteria contribute significantly to oceanic sequestration of atmospheric CO2, little is known about how N2 fixation and carbon fixation (primary production) interact in natural populations of marine cyanobacteria. In a developing cyanobacterial bloom in the Baltic Sea, rates of N2 fixation (acetylene reduction) showed both diurnal and longer-term fluctuations. The latter reflected fluctuations in the nitrogen status of the cyanobacterial population and could be correlated with variations in the ratio of acetylene reduced to 15N2 assimilated. The value of this ratio may provide useful information about the release of newly fixed nitrogen by a cyanobacterial population. However, although the diurnal fluctuations in N2 fixation broadly paralleled diurnal fluctuations in carbon fixation, the longer-term fluctuations in these two processes were out of phase
CO observations of water-maser post-AGB stars and detection of a high-velocity outflow in IRAS 15452-5459
Many aspects of the evolutionary phase in which Asymptotic Giant Branch stars
(AGB stars) are in transition to become Planetary Nebulae (PNe) are still
poorly understood. An important question is how the circumstellar envelopes of
AGB stars switch from spherical symmetry to the axially symmetric structures
frequently observed in PNe. In many cases there is clear evidence that the
shaping of the circumstellar envelopes of PNe is linked to the formation of
jets/collimated winds and their interaction with the remnant AGB envelope.
Because of the short evolutionary time, objects in this phase are rare, but
their identification provides valuable probes for testing evolutionary models.
We have observed (sub)millimeter CO rotational transitions with the APEX
telescope in a small sample of stars hosting high-velocity OH and water masers.
These targets are supposed to have recently left the AGB, as indicated by the
presence of winds traced by masers, with velocities larger than observed during
that phase. We have carried out observations of several CO lines, ranging from
J=2-1 up to J=7-6. In IRAS 15452-5459 we detect a fast molecular outflow in the
central region of the nebula and estimate a mass-loss rate between 1.2x10^{-4}
Msun yr^{-1} (assuming optically thin emission) and 4.9x10^{-4} Msun yr^{-1}
(optically thick emission). We model the SED of this target taking advantage of
our continuum measurement at 345 GHz to constrain the emission at long
wavelengths. For a distance of 2.5 kpc, we estimate a luminosity of 8000 Lsun
and a dust mass of 0.01 Msun. Through the flux in the [CII] line (158 um), we
calculate a total mass of about 12 Msun for the circumstellar envelope, but the
line is likely affected by interstellar contamination.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication on A&
Observations of the 6 Centimeter Lines of OH in Evolved (OH/IR) Stars
Recent observational and theoretical advances have called into question
traditional OH maser pumping models in evolved (OH/IR) stars. The detection of
excited-state OH lines would provide additional constraints to discriminate
amongst these theoretical models. In this Letter, we report on VLA observations
of the 4750 MHz and 4765 MHz lines of OH toward 45 sources, mostly evolved
stars. We detect 4765 MHz emission in the star forming regions Mon R2 and LDN
1084, but we do not detect excited-state emission in any evolved stars. The
flux density and velocity of the 4765 MHz detection in Mon R2 suggests that a
new flaring event has begun.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in ApJ
Revealing the mid-infrared emission structure of IRAS 16594-4656 and IRAS 07027-7934
TIMMI2 diffraction-limited mid-infrared images of a multipolar
proto-planetary nebula IRAS 16594-4656 and a young [WC] elliptical planetary
nebula IRAS 07027-7934 are presented. Their dust shells are for the first time
resolved (only marginally in the case of IRAS 07027-7934) by applying the
Lucy-Richardson deconvolution algorithm to the data, taken under exceptionally
good seeing conditions (<0.5"). IRAS 16594-4656 exhibits a two-peaked
morphology at 8.6, 11.5 and 11.7 microns which is mainly attributed to emission
from PAHs. Our observations suggest that the central star is surrounded by a
toroidal structure observed edge-on with a radius of 0.4" (~640 AU at an
assumed distance of 1.6 kpc) with its polar axis at P.A.~80 degrees, coincident
with the orientation defined by only one of the bipolar outflows identified in
the HST optical images. We suggest that the material expelled from the central
source is currently being collimated in this direction and that the multiple
outflow formation has not been coeval. IRAS 07027-7934 shows a bright,
marginally extended emission (FWHM=0.3") in the mid-infrared with a slightly
elongated shape along the N-S direction, consistent with the morphology
detected by HST in the near-infrared. The mid-infrared emission is interpreted
as the result of the combined contribution of small, highly ionized PAHs and
relatively hot dust continuum. We propose that IRAS 07027-7934 may have
recently experienced a thermal pulse (likely at the end of the AGB) which has
produced a radical change in the chemistry of its central star.Comment: 35 pages, 8 figures (figures 1, 2, 4 and 6 are in low resolution)
accepted for publication in Ap
Identification of Very Red Counterparts of SiO Maser and OH/IR Objects in the GLIMPSE Survey
Using the 3.6/4.5/5.8/8.0 micron images with 1.2 arcsec pixel resolution from
the Spitzer/GLIMPSE survey, we investigated 23 masing and 18 very red objects
that were not identified in the 2MASS survey. Counterparts for all selected
objects were found in the GLIMPSE images. Color indices in these IR bands
suggest the presence of a high-extinction layer of more than a few tenths of a
solar mass in front of the central star. Furthermore, radio observations in the
SiO and H2O maser lines found characteristic maser-line spectra of the embedded
objects, e.g., the SiO J=1-0 line intensity in the v=2 state stronger than that
of the v=1 state, or very widespread H2O maser emission spectra. This indicates
that these objects are actually enshrouded by very thick circumstellar matter,
some of which cannot be ascribed to the AGB wind of the central star.
Individually interesting objects are discussed, including two newly found water
fountains and an SiO source with nebulosity.Comment: High resolution figures available at
ftp://ftp.nro.nao.ac.jp/nroreport/no653.pdf.gz. ApJ No. 655 no.1 issue in
pres
An HST Snapshot Survey of Proto-Planetary Nebulae Candidates: Two Types of Axisymmetric Reflection Nebulosities
We report the results from an optical imaging survey of proto-planetary
nebula candidates using the HST. We exploited the high resolving power and wide
dynamic range of HST and detected nebulosities in 21 of 27 sources. All
detected reflection nebulosities show elongation, and the nebula morphology
bifurcates depending on the degree of the central star obscuration. The
Star-Obvious Low-level-Elongated (SOLE) nebulae show a bright central star
embedded in a faint, extended nebulosity, whereas the DUst-Prominent
Longitudinally-EXtended (DUPLEX) nebulae have remarkable bipolar structure with
a completely or partially obscured central star. The intrinsic axisymmetry of
these proto-planetary nebula reflection nebulosities demonstrates that the
axisymmetry frequently found in planetary nebulae predates the proto-planetary
nebula phase, confirming previous independent results. We suggest that
axisymmetry in proto-planetary nebulae is created by an equatorially enhanced
superwind at the end of the asymptotic giant branch phase. We discuss that the
apparent morphological dichotomy is caused by a difference in the optical
thickness of the circumstellar dust/gas shell with a differing equator-to-pole
density contrast. Moreover, we show that SOLE and DUPLEX nebulae are physically
distinct types of proto-planetary nebulae, with a suggestion that higher mass
progenitor AGB stars are more likely to become DUPLEX proto-planetary nebulae.Comment: 27 pages (w/ aaspp4.sty), 6 e/ps figures, 4 tables (w/ apjpt4.sty).
Data images are available via ADIL
(http://imagelib.ncsa.uiuc.edu/document/99.TU.01) To be published in Ap
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