Didactic resources of the natural and urban environment in Geology teaching: Area of Monforte de Lemos (Lugo)

Se propone una estrategia de aprendizaje con un eje central: la visita virtual empleando Tecnologías Geoespaciales (TGs), a través de puntos de importancia geológica del área de Monforte de Lemos (Lugo). Durante la visita se trabajan aspectos relacionados con (i) la tectónica y plegamientos, (ii) los recursos geológicos y mineros, (iii) la historia de los monumentos identitarios de la zona, y (iv) el paisaje, a través de fichas duales, con una parte A orientada al alumno y una parte B orientada al profesor. En las fichas del alumno se presentan descripciones de las paradas y actividades a realizar, mientras que en las fichas del profesor se ofrece información acerca de las competencias a evaluar, así como otras lecturas y recomendaciones para ampliar el alcance de la actividad. Los objetivos que se persiguen son el entrenamiento en el manejo de entornos virtuales de aprendizaje y la promoción de un aprendizaje situado. La estrategia permite el empleo de las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (TIC), al tiempo que ayuda al alumno a conectar su realidad cotidiana con los contenidos curriculares.A learning strategy is proposed centered around a central axis: the virtual tour through points of geological importance of the Monforte de Lemos (Lugo) area, which uses Geospatial Technologies (GTs). Throughout the tour, aspects related to (i) plate tectonics and folding bedding planes, (ii) geological and mining resources, (iii) history of landmark monuments in the area, and (iv) the landscape, are worked on through dual worksheets--with Part A oriented towards the student, and a Part B oriented towards the teacher. The student’s worksheet shows the description of the locations and didactic activities to be carried out with the work material contained in the sheet. Information on what to evaluate, as well as further readings and recommendations to expand upon the activity, appear in the teacher’s sheet. The objectives pursued are training in the management of Virtual Learning Environments and the promotion of situated learning. The strategy allows the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) while helping students to connect their daily reality with the academic curriculum

Aging in Male Wistar Rats Associates with Changes in Intestinal Microbiota, Gut Structure, and Cholecystokinin-Mediated Gut-Brain Axis Function

Aging in mammals is characterized by failure of the homeostatic mechanisms that regulate energy balance. Several mechanisms have been proposed such as the presence of a low-grade chronic inflammation in different tissues, as well as leptin and insulin resistance, but the primary alteration is not fully elucidated. The gut microbiota has recently emerged as a key player in a variety of metabolic and neurological disorders. A main concept in this context is the gut–brain axis that refers to alterations in the gut that mediate effects in the central nervous system, including those related with the control of energy balance. Using 16S rRNA analysis, we demonstrate that aged male Wistar rats have increased presence of mucin-degrading and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-producing bacteria. In addition, old animals exhibit a lower number of neutral mucin secreting goblet cells, and a decrease of tight junctions and adherens junctions marker proteins, zonula occludens protein-1 (ZO-1) and β-catenin, respectively. These data are compatible with a thinner mucus layer and a weaker gut barrier in older animals that likely facilitate LPS leakage. Our data also show that cholecystokinin (CCK) satiating effect is impaired in aged rats, one of the expected effects of increased LPS leakage. In contrast, no overt signs of gut or systemic inflammation are observed. Changes in microbiota in old male Wistar rats present features of situations of increased adiposity, but different from those of obese animals. These could partly explain the increased adiposity and fat deposition in liver and heart as observed here.Spanish Government (grants BFU2008-04901-C03-01/BFI to J.M.C., BIO2016-76601-C3-2-R to M.F.-L., and RTI2018-094052-B-100 [MCI/AEI/FEDER, UE to A.M.V.] and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas (Instituto de Salud Carlos III) and Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (grants S2010/BMD-2423 to J.M.C., F.E., L.G.G., and A.M.V. and S2017/BMD-3684 to F.E. and A.M.V.). C.R. was supported by a predoctoral aid from Spanish Government. The Centro de Biología Molecular is recipient of institutional aids from Banco de Santander and Ramón Areces Foundation

Impact of global PTP1B deficiency on the gut barrier permeability during NASH in mice.

OBJECTIVE:Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by a robust pro-inflammatory component at both hepatic and systemic levels together with a disease-specific gut microbiome signature. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 B (PTP1B) plays distinct roles in non-immune and immune cells, in the latter inhibiting pro-inflammatory signaling cascades. In this study, we have explored the role of PTP1B in the composition of gut microbiota and gut barrier dynamics in methionine and choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced NASH in mice. METHODS:Gut features and barrier permeability were characterized in wild-type (PTP1B WT) and PTP1B-deficient knockout (PTP1B KO) mice fed a chow or methionine/choline-deficient (MCD) diet for 4 weeks. The impact of inflammation was studied in intestinal epithelial and enteroendocrine cells. The secretion of GLP-1 was evaluated in primary colonic cultures and plasma of mice. RESULTS:We found that a shift in the gut microbiota shape, disruption of gut barrier function, higher levels of serum bile acids, and decreased circulating glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 are features during NASH. Surprisingly, despite the pro-inflammatory phenotype of global PTP1B-deficient mice, they were partly protected against the alterations in gut microbiota composition during NASH and presented better gut barrier integrity and less permeability under this pathological condition. These effects concurred with higher colonic mucosal inflammation, decreased serum bile acids, and protection against the decrease in circulating GLP-1 levels during NASH compared with their WT counterparts together with increased expression of GLP-2-sensitive genes in the gut. At the molecular level, stimulation of enteroendocrine STC-1 cells with a pro-inflammatory conditioned medium (CM) from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages triggered pro-inflammatory signaling cascades that were further exacerbated by a PTP1B inhibitor. Likewise, the pro-inflammatory CM induced GLP-1 secretion in primary colonic cultures, an effect augmented by PTP1B inhibition. CONCLUSION:Altogether our results have unraveled a potential role of PTP1B in the gut-liver axis during NASH, likely mediated by increased sensitivity to GLPs, with potential therapeutic value

Relationship between IGF-1 and body weight in inflammatory bowel diseases: Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), represented by ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn''s disease (CD), are characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, what leads to diarrhea, malnutrition, and weight loss. Depression of the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-1 axis (GH-IGF-1 axis) could be responsible of these symptoms. We demonstrate that long-term treatment (54 weeks) of adult CD patients with adalimumab (ADA) results in a decrease in serum IGF-1 without changes in serum IGF-1 binding protein (IGF1BP4). These results prompted us to conduct a preclinical study to test the efficiency of IGF-1 in the medication for experimental colitis. IGF-1 treatment of rats with DSS-induced colitis has a beneficial effect on the following circulating biochemical parameters: glucose, albumin, and total protein levels. In this experimental group we also observed healthy maintenance of colon size, body weight, and lean mass in comparison with the DSS-only group. Histological analysis revealed restoration of the mucosal barrier with the IGF-1 treatment, which was characterized by healthy quantities of mucin production, structural maintenance of adherers junctions (AJs), recuperation of E-cadherin and ß-catenin levels and decrease in infiltrating immune cells and in metalloproteinase-2 levels. The experimentally induced colitis caused activation of apoptosis markers, including cleaved caspase 3, caspase 8, and PARP and decreases cell-cycle checkpoint activators including phosphorylated Rb, cyclin E, and E2F1. The IGF-1 treatment inhibited cyclin E depletion and partially protects PARP levels. The beneficial effects of IGF-1 in experimental colitis could be explained by a re-sensitization of the IGF-1/IRS-1/AKT cascade to exogenous IGF-1. Given these results, we postulate that IGF-1 treatment of IBD patients could prove to be successful in reducing disease pathology. © 2021 The Author

Overexpression of IRS-4 Correlates with Procaspase 3 Levels in Tumoural Tissue of Patients with Colorectal Cancer

We reported that insulin receptor substrate 4 (IRS-4) levels increased in tissue from colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and promoted retinoblastoma-cyclin-dependent kinase activation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of IRS-4 on IGF-1 receptor pathway and its impact on procaspase 3 and PARP expression in RKO and HepG2 cancer cell lines. The results obtained in vitro were compared with those obtained from biopsies of patients with CRC (n = 18), tubulovillous adenomas (TA) (n = 2) and in matched adjacent normal colorectal (MANC) tissue (n = 20). IRS-4 overexpression in cultured cells induced the overactivation of IGF-1/BRK/AKT/GSK-3/β-catenin/cyclin D1 pathways, which led to increased expression of procaspase 3 and PARP protein levels. Studies carried out on CRC and TA tissues revealed the overactivation of the IGF-1 receptor signalling pathway, as well as the overexpression of procaspase 3 and PARP in tumoural tissue with respect to MANC tissue. The upregulation of IRS-4 in tumoural samples correlated significantly with the increase in pIGF-1 receptor (Tyr 1165/1166) (r = 0.84; p < 0.0001), procaspase 3 (r = 0. 77; p < 0. 0005) and PARP (r = 0. 89; p < 0. 0005). Similarly, we observed an increase in the proteolysis of procaspase 3 in tumoural tissue with respect to MANC tissue, which correlated significantly with the degradation of PARP (r = 0.86; p < 0.0001), p53 (r = 0.84; p < 0.0001), and GSK-3 (r = 0.78; p < 0.0001). The stratification of patient samples using the TNM system revealed that procaspase 3 and caspase 3 increased gradually with T values, which suggests their involvement in the size and local invasion of primary tumours. Taken together, our findings suggest that IRS-4 overexpression promotes the activation of the IGF-1 receptor pathway, which leads to the increase in procaspase 3 levels in CRC

El Substrato del receptor de Insulina-4 está sobreexpresado en el cáncer colorrectal y promueve la activación del ciclo celular a través de la vía Rb/E2F

El substrato del receptor de insulina 4 (IRS-4) es una proteína adaptadora muy poco estudiada y la hipótesis que relaciona su función con el desarrollo tumoral cada vez gana más fuerza. Los estudios se llevaron a cabo in vitro (línea celular de cáncer de colon RKO) e in vivo, utilizando biopsias humanas de cáncer colorrectal (n=20) y tejido normal adyacente (n=20). El tratamiento con dosis fisiológicas de IGF-1 produjo una translocación subcelular de IRS-4 desde el citoplasma hacia el núcleo en células RKO. La sobreexpresión de IRS-4 en dichas células dio lugar a un aumento de la proteína fosforilada del retinoblastoma (pRb Ser 809/811 y pRb Ser 705), así como de la expresión de E2F, ciclina E y ciclina D1, comparado con las células control. Algunos de estos cambios fueron parcialmente revertidos al tratar las células con wortmanina. En cuanto a los estudios realizados en las muestras de pacientes con CCR se observó mediante fraccionamiento subcelular una clara sobreexpresión de IRS-4 en el citoplasma, membrana y núcleo, mientras que los niveles de proteína fueron prácticamente indetectables en los tres compartimentos del tejido normal. Estudios inmunohistoquímicos mostraron una tinción nuclear positiva de IRS-4 en el 74% de las células tumorales. La sobreexpresión de IRS-4 en las muestras de pacientes con CCR se correlacionó positivamente y de forma significativa con el incremento de proteínas importantes del ciclo celular como ciclina D1 (r = 0.6662), Rb (r = 0.7779), pRb serina 809/811 (r = 0.6864), pRb serina 705 (r = 0.6261) y E2F1 (r = 0.8702). Nuestros resultados sugieren que el IRS-4 promueve la activación del ciclo celular a través de la activación de la vía Rb/E2F y podría servir como una diana farmacológica dada su sobreexpresión en el tejido tumoral y sus niveles apenas detectables en el tejido norma