STAT3 gain-of-function mutations connect leukemia with autoimmune disease by pathological NKG2Dhi CD8+ T cell dysregulation and accumulation

The association between cancer and autoimmune disease is unexplained, exemplified by T cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia (T-LGL) where gain-of-function (GOF) somatic STAT3 mutations correlate with co-existing autoimmunity. To investigate whether these mutations are the cause or consequence of CD

Mechanistic framework to link root growth models with weather and soil physical properties, including example applications to soybean growth in Brazil

Background and aimsRoot elongation is generally limited by a combination of mechanical impedance and water stress in most arable soils. However, dynamic changes of soil penetration resistance with soil water content are rarely included in models for predicting root growth. Better modelling frameworks are needed to understand root growth interactions between plant genotype, soil management, and climate. Aim of paper is to describe a new model of root elongation in relation to soil physical characteristics like penetration resistance, matric potential, and hypoxia.MethodsA new diagrammatic framework is proposed to illustrate the interaction between root elongation, soil management, and climatic conditions. The new model was written in Matlab®, using the root architecture model RootBox and a model that solves the 1D Richards equations for water flux in soil. Inputs: root architectural parameters for Soybean; soil hydraulic properties; root water uptake function in relation to matric flux potential; root elongation rate as a function of soil physical characteristics. Simulation scenarios: (a) compact soil layer at 16 to 20 cm; (b) test against a field experiment in Brazil during contrasting drought and normal rainfall seasons.Results(a) Soil compaction substantially slowed root growth into and below the compact layer. (b) Simulated root length density was very similar to field measurements, which was influenced greatly by drought. The main factor slowing root elongation in the simulations was evaluated using a stress reduction function.ConclusionThe proposed framework offers a way to explore the interaction between soil physical properties, weather and root growth. It may be applied to most root elongation models, and offers the potential to evaluate likely factors limiting root growth in different soils and tillage regimes

Role of the Arabidopsis PIN6 auxin transporter in auxin homeostasis and auxin-mediated development

Plant-specific PIN-formed (PIN) efflux transporters for the plant hormone auxin are required for tissue-specific directional auxin transport and cellular auxin homeostasis. The Arabidopsis PIN protein family has been shown to play important roles in developmental processes such as embryogenesis, organogenesis, vascular tissue differentiation, root meristem patterning and tropic growth. Here we analyzed roles of the less characterised Arabidopsis PIN6 auxin transporter. PIN6 is auxin-inducible and is expressed during multiple auxin–regulated developmental processes. Loss of pin6 function interfered with primary root growth and lateral root development. Misexpression of PIN6 affected auxin transport and interfered with auxin homeostasis in other growth processes such as shoot apical dominance, lateral root primordia development, adventitious root formation, root hair outgrowth and root waving. These changes in auxin-regulated growth correlated with a reduction in total auxin transport as well as with an altered activity of DR5-GUS auxin response reporter. Overall, the data indicate that PIN6 regulates auxin homeostasis during plant development.Christopher I. Cazzonelli, Marleen Vanstraelen, Sibu Simon, Kuide Yin, Ashley Carron-Arthur, Nazia Nisar, Gauri Tarle, Abby J. Cuttriss¤, Iain R. Searle, Eva Benkova, Ulrike Mathesius, Josette Masle, Jiří Friml, Barry J. Pogso

Activation of the viral sensor oligoadenylate synthetase 2 (Oas2) prevents pregnancy-driven mammary cancer metastases.

BACKGROUND: The interferon response can influence the primary and metastatic activity of breast cancers and can interact with checkpoint immunotherapy to modulate its effects. Using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea mutagenesis, we found a mouse with an activating mutation in oligoadenylate synthetase 2 (Oas2), a sensor of viral double stranded RNA, that resulted in an interferon response and prevented lactation in otherwise healthy mice. METHODS: To determine if sole activation of Oas2 could alter the course of mammary cancer, we combined the Oas2 mutation with the MMTV-PyMT oncogene model of breast cancer and examined disease progression and the effects of checkpoint immunotherapy using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Oas2 mutation prevented pregnancy from increasing metastases to lung. Checkpoint immunotherapy with antibodies against programmed death-ligand 1 was more effective when the Oas2 mutation was present. CONCLUSIONS: These data establish OAS2 as a therapeutic target for agents designed to reduce metastases and increase the effectiveness of checkpoint immunotherapy

Molecular and physiological responses during thermal acclimation of leaf photosynthesis and respiration in rice

To further our understanding of how sustained changes in temperature affect the carbon economy of rice (Oryza sativa), hydroponically grown plants of the IR64 cultivar were developed at 30°C/25°C (day/night) before being shifted to 25/20°C or 40/35°C. Leaf messenger RNA and protein abundance, sugar and starch concentrations, and gas‐exchange and elongation rates were measured on preexisting leaves (PE) already developed at 30/25°C or leaves newly developed (ND) subsequent to temperature transfer. Following a shift in growth temperature, there was a transient adjustment in metabolic gene transcript abundance of PE leaves before homoeostasis was reached within 24 hr, aligning with Rdark (leaf dark respiratory CO2 release) and An (net CO2 assimilation) changes. With longer exposure, the central respiratory protein cytochrome c oxidase (COX) declined in abundance at 40/35°C. In contrast to Rdark, An was maintained across the three growth temperatures in ND leaves. Soluble sugars did not differ significantly with growth temperature, and growth was fastest with extended exposure at 40/35°C. The results highlight that acclimation of photosynthesis and respiration is asynchronous in rice, with heat‐acclimated plants exhibiting a striking ability to maintain net carbon gain and growth when exposed to heat‐wave temperatures, even while reducing investment in energy‐conserving respiratory pathways.Peer reviewe

STAT3 gain-of-function mutations connect leukemia with autoimmune disease by pathological NKG2Dhi CD8+T cell dysregulation and accumulation

The association between cancer and autoimmune disease is unexplained, exemplified by T cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia (T-LGL) where gain-of-function (GOF) somatic STAT3 mutations correlate with co -exist-ing autoimmunity. To investigate whether these mutations are the cause or consequence of CD8+ T cell clonal expansions and autoimmunity, we analyzed patients and mice with germline STAT3 GOF mutations. STAT3 GOF mutations drove the accumulation of effector CD8+ T cell clones highly expressing NKG2D, the receptor for stress-induced MHC-class-I-related molecules. This subset also expressed genes for granzymes, perforin, interferon-y, and Ccl5/Rantes and required NKG2D and the IL-15/IL-2 receptor IL2RB for maximal accumula-tion. Leukocyte-restricted STAT3 GOF was sufficient and CD8+ T cells were essential for lethal pathology in mice. These results demonstrate that STAT3 GOF mutations cause effector CD8+ T cell oligoclonal accumu-lation and that these rogue cells contribute to autoimmune pathology, supporting the hypothesis that somatic mutations in leukemia/lymphoma driver genes contribute to autoimmune disease.Peer reviewe

Functional markers for gene mapping and genetic diversity studies in sugarcane

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The database of sugarcane expressed sequence tags (EST) offers a great opportunity for developing molecular markers that are directly associated with important agronomic traits. The development of new EST-SSR markers represents an important tool for genetic analysis. In sugarcane breeding programs, functional markers can be used to accelerate the process and select important agronomic traits, especially in the mapping of quantitative traits loci (QTL) and plant resistant pathogens or qualitative resistance loci (QRL). The aim of this work was to develop new simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers in sugarcane using the sugarcane expressed sequence tag (SUCEST database).</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>A total of 365 EST-SSR molecular markers with trinucleotide motifs were developed and evaluated in a collection of 18 genotypes of sugarcane (15 varieties and 3 species). In total, 287 of the EST-SSRs markers amplified fragments of the expected size and were polymorphic in the analyzed sugarcane varieties. The number of alleles ranged from 2-18, with an average of 6 alleles per locus, while polymorphism information content values ranged from 0.21-0.92, with an average of 0.69. The discrimination power was high for the majority of the EST-SSRs, with an average value of 0.80. Among the markers characterized in this study some have particular interest, those that are related to bacterial defense responses, generation of precursor metabolites and energy and those involved in carbohydrate metabolic process.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These EST-SSR markers presented in this work can be efficiently used for genetic mapping studies of segregating sugarcane populations. The high Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) and Discriminant Power (DP) presented facilitate the QTL identification and marker-assisted selection due the association with functional regions of the genome became an important tool for the sugarcane breeding program.</p

The College News, 1923-01-24, Vol. 09, No. 13

Bryn Mawr College student newspaper. Merged with The Haverford News in 1968 to form the Bi-college News (with various titles from 1968 on). Published weekly (except holidays) during the academic year

Physicochemical characterization of must and wine Moscato Giallo from grapevines grown under plastic overhead cover

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência da cobertura de plástico sobre as características físico-químicas do mosto e do vinho da cultivar Moscato Giallo. Na safra 2006, um experimento em delineamento completamente casualizado foi realizado em vinhedo com cobertura de plástico impermeável, e sem cobertura como controle. De cada vinhedo, três microvinificações (20 L) foram elaboradas. Foram realizadas avaliações físico-químicas quanto ao: mosto – oBrix, açúcares redutores, densidade, acidez total, ácido tartárico, ácido málico e pH; e vinho – densidade, graduação alcoólica, acidez total, acidez volátil, pH, extrato seco, açúcares redutores, cinzas, I 420, compostos voláteis e minerais. O mosto das videiras cobertas apresentou maior rendimento, porém, menor concentração de açúcares pelo fato de a maturação das uvas ter-se atrasado. Como conseqüência, os vinhos do cultivo protegido tiveram menor graduação alcoólica, embora tenham sido beneficiados pela sanidade das uvas, com a redução de acetato de etila e acidez volátil. O microclima da cobertura também restringiu a concentração de alguns minerais no vinho, principalmente P e K. A cobertura beneficiou a qualidade enológica, porém requer atraso na data de colheita, para as uvas atingirem adequada maturação fisiológica e tecnológica.The objective of this work was to evaluate the plastic overhead cover (POC) effect on must and wine composition of the cultivar Moscato Giallo. In 2006 vintage, it was performed a completely randomly designed experiment, in a vineyard covered with an impermeable plastic cloth, and without covering as control. From each vineyard, three microvinification (20 L) were elaborated. Physico-chemical analysis were performed for: musts – oBrix, reducer sugar contents, density, total acidity, tartaric acid, malic acid and pH; and wines – density, alcohol degree, acidity, volatile acidity, pH, dry extract, reducer sugar contents, ashes, I 420, volatile compounds and minerals. The must of the covered vineyard presented higher yield, but lower sugar content, due to delay on ripening. As consequence, the POC wines showed lower alcohol degree, but with the benefit of a lower ethyl-acetate and volatile acidity levels. The POC microclimate also caused a decrease of some minerals (mainly P and K) in the wines. POC improved the enological quality, however, this demands delay in the harvest date to achieve the adequate physiological and technological maturation of grapes