Cellular senescence enhances adaptive anticancer immunosurveillance

Cancer therapy often induces senescence in some cancer cells. Senescent cells, due to their profoundly altered biology, may conceivably interact with the adaptive immune system in novel ways that may boost cancer immunosurveillance, triggering the clearance of both senescent and non-senescent neoplastic cells. In this regard, we have recently reported that senescent cancer cells exhibit potent antigenicity and adjuvanticity and can elicit strong CD8(+) T cell-dependent anticancer effects when used as vaccination agents

Differential in vitro and in vivo effect of barley cysteine and serine protease inhibitors on phytopathogenic microorganisms

Protease inhibitors from plants have been involved in defence mechanisms against pests and pathogens. Phytocystatins and trypsin/α-amylase inhibitors are two of the best characterized protease inhibitor families in plants. In barley, thirteen cystatins (HvCPI-1 to 13) and the BTI-CMe trypsin inhibitor have been previously studied. Their capacity to inhibit pest digestive proteases, and the negative in vivo effect caused by plants expressing these inhibitors on pests support the defence function of these proteins. Barley cystatins are also able to inhibit in vitro fungal growth. However, the antifungal effect of these inhibitors in vivo had not been previously tested. Moreover, their in vitro and in vivo effect on plant pathogenous bacteria is still unknown. In order to obtain new insights on this feature, in vitro assays were made against different bacterial and fungal pathogens of plants using the trypsin inhibitor BTI-CMe and the thirteen barley cystatins. Most barley cystatins and the BTI-CMe inhibitor were able to inhibit mycelial growth but no bacterial growth. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants independently expressing the BTI-CMe inhibitor and the cystatin HvCPI-6 were tested against the same bacterial and fungal pathogens. Neither the HvCPI-6 expressing transgenic plants nor the BTI-CMe ones were more resistant to plant pathogen fungi and bacteria than control Arabidopsis plants. The differences observed between the in vitro and in planta assays against phytopathogenic fungi are discusse

Salesforce control systems as direct antecedents of salesperson and sales unit performance: A literature review

[EN] The impact from sales control systems on individual and organizational effectiveness has been a major issue for scholars since these systems were conceptualized by Anderson and Oliver and Jaworski. Salesperson behavioral performance appears as an antecedent of outcome performance, and both are connected to sales unit effectiveness. This paper focuses on a deep literature review during the period 1983-2014, based on the control systems¿ typologies found, and summarizes the multiple evidences found, connecting this systems with the salesperson behavioral performance and the outcome performance ¿and between them-, and both individual results with the sales unit effectiveness, including its managerial implications. After the review of the 142 articles in the field, a cluster of four research directions are identified, namely: (1) the impact of the different variables and activities on the control systems and the performance levels, (2) the methodological variables, (3) the measures of the level control system or performance, and (4) the multisectorial, multicultural and multinational sales environment.Benet-Zepf, AT.; Marin-Garcia, JA.; Küster, I. (2017). Salesforce control systems as direct antecedents of salesperson and sales unit performance: A literature review. Business and Economics Journal. 8(1). doi:10.4172/2151-6219.1000281S2818

Identification of a novel human E-Cadherin splice variant andassessment of its effects upon EMT-related events

Epithelial Cadherin (E-cadherin) is involved in calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion and signal transduction. The E-cadherin decrease/loss is a hallmark of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), a key event in tumor progression. The underlying molecular mechanisms that trigger E-cadherin loss and consequent EMT have not been completely elucidated. This study reports the identification of a novel human E-cadherin variant mRNA produced by alternative splicing. A bioinformatics evaluation of the novel mRNA sequence and biochemical verifications suggest its regulation by Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay (NMD). The novel E-cadherin variant was detected in 29/42 (69%) human tumor cell lines, expressed at variable levels (E-cadherin variant expression relative to the wild type mRNA = 0.05-11.6%). Stable transfection of the novel E-cadherin variant in MCF-7 cells (MCF7Ecadvar) resulted in downregulation of wild type E-cadherin expression (transcript/protein) and EMT-related changes, among them acquisition of a fibroblastic-like cell phenotype, increased expression of Twist, Snail, Zeb1, and Slug transcriptional repressors and decreased expression of ESRP1 and ESRP2 RNA binding proteins. Moreover, loss of cytokeratins and gain of vimentin, N-cadherin and Dysadherin/FXYD5 proteins was observed. Dramatic changes in cell behavior were found in MCF7Ecadvar, as judged by the decreased cell-cell adhesion (Hanging-drop assay), increased cell motility (Wound Healing) and increased cell migration (Transwell) and invasion (Transwell w/Matrigel). Some changes were found in MCF-7 cells incubated with culture medium supplemented with conditioned medium from HEK-293 cells transfected with the E-cadherin variant mRNA. Further characterization of the novel E-cadherin variant will help understanding the molecular basis of tumor progression and improve cancer diagnosis.Fil: Matos, María Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Lapyckyj, Lara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Rosso, Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Besso, María José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Mencucci, Maria Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Marin Briggiler, Clara Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Giustina, Silvina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Furlong, Laura Ines. Universitat Pompeu Fabra; EspañaFil: Vazquez, Monica Hebe. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentin

COMPARISON OF FINANCIAL RESULTS OF GLOBAL MEDIA CORPORATIONS AND CROATIAN MEDIA COMPANIES

Cilj je ovoga rada komparirati financijske rezultate poslovanja globalnih cross medijskih korporacija i hrvatskih medijskih poduzeća. Globalne medijske korporacije počele su se razvijati krajem prošlog stoljeća, na kraju razdoblja države blagostanja. Napuštanje keynesijanizma povezano je s krajem moderne i zasićenošću nacionalnih tržišta razvijenih država. Liberalizacija gospodarstva i globalizacija poslovanja označila je početak širenja međunarodnih kompanija u sve dijelove svijeta. Istovremeno se odvijao proces udruživanja i preuzimanja kompanija koje nisu mogle pratiti takav ritam razvoja. Prve investicijske aktivnosti u novinsku industriju počele su se odvijati još šezdesetih godina dvadesetog stoljeća, a već dvadeset godina kasnije u SAD-u nastaju prve medijske korporacije. Digitalizacija je omogućila konvergenciju medijske industrije pa je put k osvajanju globalnog tržišta bio otvoren. Upravljanje suvremenim medijskim korporacijama podrazumijeva sveobuhvatna poduzetnička i menadžerska znanja i vještine. Postindustrijsko društvo prebrisalo je granice između proizvodnje usluga i roba u materijalnom obliku. Medijske korporacije proizvode sadržaje koji se mogu istovremeno distribuirati i kao roba i kao usluga. Općenito vrijedi stav kako je temeljni cilj poslovanja profitnih organizacija povećanje njihove vrijednosti. Komparacijom financijskih pokazatelja napravit ćemo presjek uspješnosti između globalnih medijskih korporacija i domaćih medijskih poduzeća.The aim of this article is to compare the financial performance of the global cross-media corporations and Croatian media companies. The global media corporations were created by the end of last century which coincided with the period of the welfare state. Abandoning Keynesianism was associated with late modern and saturation of national markets in the developed countries. The liberalization of the economy and the globalization of business have marked the commencement of the spread of international companies worldwide. Simultaneously the process of mergers and acquisitions of companies underwent which could not follow the same rhythm of development. The first of investment activities in the newspaper industry began to take place back in the sixties of the twentieth century, and twenty years later, in the United States the first media corporations have been formed. Digitalization enabled the convergence of the media industry and the way to winning the global market was opened. The management of the modern corporate media includes comprehensive entrepreneurial and managerial skills and knowledge. The post industrial society has overwritten the border between the production of services and goods in material form. The media corporations produce content that can be distributed at the same time as well as the goods and services. In general, it is accepted that the fundamental objective of the profit organizations operations is to increase their value. Comparing financial ratios shall provide cross section performance between global media corporations and domestic media companies

A New Insight into Coating’s Formation Mechanism Between TiO2 and Alendronate on Titanium Dental Implant

Organophosphorus compounds, like bisphosphonates, drugs for treatment and prevention of bone diseases, have been successfully applied in recent years as bioactive and osseoinductive coatings on dental implants. An integrated experimental-theoretical approach was utilized in this study to clarify the mechanism of bisphosphonate-based coating formation on dental implant surfaces. Experimental validation of the alendronate coating formation on the titanium dental implant surface was carried out by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. Detailed theoretical simulations of all probable molecular implant surface/alendronate interactions were performed employing quantum chemical calculations at the density functional theory level. The calculated Gibbs free energies of (TiO2)10–alendronate interaction indicate a more spontaneous exergonic process when alendronate molecules interact directly with the titanium surface via two strong bonds, Ti–N and Ti–O, through simultaneous participation common to both phosphonate and amine branches. Additionally, the stability of the alendronate-modified implant during 7 day-immersion in a simulated saliva solution has been investigated by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The alendronate coating was stable during immersion in the artificial saliva solution and acted as an additional barrier on the implant with overall resistivity, R ~ 5.9 MΩ cm2

Cysteine-proteases and cystatins from barley: molecular and functional characterization in housekeeping and defense processes

Plant cysteine-proteases (CysProt) represent a well-characterized type of proteolytic enzymes that fulfill tightly regulated physiological functions (senescence and seed germination among others) and defense roles. This article is focused on the group of papain-proteases C1A (family C1, clan CA) and their inhibitors, phytocystatins (PhyCys). In particular, the protease–inhibitor interaction and their mutual participation in specific pathways throughout the plant's life are reviewed. C1A CysProt and PhyCys have been molecularly characterized, and comparative sequence analyses have identified consensus functional motifs. A correlation can be established between the number of identified CysProt and PhyCys in angiosperms. Thus, evolutionary forces may have determined a control role of cystatins on both endogenous and pest-exogenous proteases in these species. Tagging the proteases and inhibitors with fluorescence proteins revealed common patterns of subcellular localization in the endoplasmic reticulum–Golgi network in transiently transformed onion epidermal cells. Further in vivo interactions were demonstrated by bimolecular fluorescent complementation, suggesting their participation in the same physiological processes