Lymphoid tissue pattern in the walls of small and large intestines in American mink (Neovison vison)

When breeding minks, a lot of problems are associated with disturbances of reproduction, birth of weak offspring, metabolic disorders, weakening of immunity. Poor knowledge of the morphology of mink and lack of detailed information about their immune system is among appropriate reasons. The largest variety of antigens enter the body with food and water, through the wall of gastrointestinal tract. The first barrier to their penetration is lymphoid tissue associated with mucous membranes, thus causing changes in immune structures. Our purpose was to study the syntopia, morphology and quantitative characteristics of intestine-associated lymphoid tissue in American mink (Neovison vison). A biomaterial for the study was organocomplex of the small and large intestines from 11 American Minks at the age of 8 months, obtained from the fur farm “Vyatka” (Zonikha, Slobodsky district, Kirov region). In the walls of small and large intestines, both single and grouped lymphoid nodules are found. Single lymphoid nodules are detected in lamina propria of the mucous membrane and in the submucosa, along the entire length of the intestines, except of the ileum. Lymphoid nodules are round or oval, distributed diffusely, their density per 1 cm2 is in duodenum – 0.62±0.08; in jejunum – 1.88±0.32; in colon – 9.21±0.28; in rectum – 24.2±0.42. At the border of pyloric part between the stomach and duodenum, single lymphoid nodules form an intestinal-pyloric lymphoid ring; at the site of transition from rectum to the anal sphincter, the rectal lymphoid ring is observed. Abundance of lymphoid nodules in rectal area is associated with semi-voluntary management of animals, and retention of fecal mass in this part of intestine. By two lymphoid plaques are found in the duodenum; 6 to13, in the jejunum; one large striped (lingual) lymphoid plaque is found in the ileal wall; 1 to 3 plaques are found in the colonic wall. Presence of lymphoid plaques in colonic wall of American mink should be considered a protective/adaptive phenomenon, due to absence of coecum in the animals from Mustelid family. The revealed patterns of lymphoid tissue syntopia in American mink are associated with antigenicity of food substances and terms of their presence in the ileum, colon and rectum

Inhibition of translation by IFIT family members is determined by their ability to interact selectively with the 5'-terminal regions of cap0-, cap1- and 5'ppp- mRNAs.

Ribosomal recruitment of cellular mRNAs depends on binding of eIF4F to the mRNA's 5'-terminal 'cap'. The minimal 'cap0' consists of N7-methylguanosine linked to the first nucleotide via a 5'-5' triphosphate (ppp) bridge. Cap0 is further modified by 2'-O-methylation of the next two riboses, yielding 'cap1' (m7GpppNmN) and 'cap2' (m7GpppNmNm). However, some viral RNAs lack 2'-O-methylation, whereas others contain only ppp- at their 5'-end. Interferon-induced proteins with tetratricopeptide repeats (IFITs) are highly expressed effectors of innate immunity that inhibit viral replication by incompletely understood mechanisms. Here, we investigated the ability of IFIT family members to interact with cap1-, cap0- and 5'ppp- mRNAs and inhibit their translation. IFIT1 and IFIT1B showed very high affinity to cap-proximal regions of cap0-mRNAs (K1/2,app ∼9 to 23 nM). The 2'-O-methylation abrogated IFIT1/mRNA interaction, whereas IFIT1B retained the ability to bind cap1-mRNA, albeit with reduced affinity (K1/2,app ∼450 nM). The 5'-terminal regions of 5'ppp-mRNAs were recognized by IFIT5 (K1/2,app ∼400 nM). The activity of individual IFITs in inhibiting initiation on a specific mRNA was determined by their ability to interact with its 5'-terminal region: IFIT1 and IFIT1B efficiently outcompeted eIF4F and abrogated initiation on cap0-mRNAs, whereas inhibition on cap1- and 5'ppp- mRNAs by IFIT1B and IFIT5 was weaker and required higher protein concentrations

Common conformational changes induced in type 2 picornavirus IRESs by cognate trans-acting factors

Type 2 internal ribosomal entry sites (IRESs) of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and other picornaviruses comprise five major domains H-L. Initiation of translation on these IRESs begins with specific binding of the central domain of initiation factor, eIF4G to the J-K domains, which is stimulated by eIF4A. eIF4G/eIF4A then restructure the region of ribosomal attachment on the IRES and promote recruitment of ribosomal 43S pre-initiation complexes. In addition to canonical translation factors, type 2 IRESs also require IRES trans-acting factors (ITAFs) that are hypothesized to stabilize the optimal IRES conformation that supports efficient ribosomal recruitment: the EMCV IRES is stimulated by pyrimidine tract binding protein (PTB), whereas the FMDV IRES requires PTB and ITAF45. To test this hypothesis, we assessed the effect of ITAFs on the conformations of EMCV and FMDV IRESs by comparing their influence on hydroxyl radical cleavage of these IRESs from the central domain of eIF4G. The observed changes in cleavage patterns suggest that cognate ITAFs promote similar conformational changes that are consistent with adoption by the IRESs of comparable, more compact structures, in which domain J undergoes local conformational changes and is brought into closer proximity to the base of domain I

Rationale for the post-harvest processing of leaf mass of agricultural crops using microwave radiation

Post-harvest processing of the leaf mass of various agricultural crops has general patterns. The peculiarity of the structure of the leaves is that the amount of water contained in the leaf blade and in the midrib is approximately the same, but the area of the evaporating surface of the midrib is 10–15 times less than the area of the evaporating surface of the leaf plate. Therefore, the difference in drying modes for these parts of the leaves justifies the need for different physical methods of influencing them. The aim of the research was to substantiate experimentally the general principles of moisture removal from the leaf mass of various agricultural crops using microwave radiation. Processing in the microwave field was carried out for 1,0; 1,5; 2,0; 2,5 minutes. The treated leaf layers were dried naturally. Leaves dried by convection under natural and artificial conditions, only without microwave treatment, served as a control sample. For the post-harvest processing of plantain leaves, a combined drying method is recommended, where in the first phase the leaves are treated with microwave radiation for 2,0–2,5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the leaf layer, and then in the second phase under natural conditions for 8 hours. Microwave – processing followed by convective drying in natural conditions is considered the most compromise method for drying beet tops leaves both in terms of drying time and in terms of the energy intensity of the process. On the basis on the results of the research, the application of the most rational processes of post-harvest processing of leaf mass of agricultural crops was substantiated, which consists in their processing by microwave radiation, followed by convective drying in a natural way

Ribosome formation from subunits studied by stopped-flow and Rayleigh light scattering

Light scattering and standard stopped-flow techniques were used to monitor rapid association of ribosomal subunits during initiation of eubacterial protein synthesis. The effects of the initiation factors IF1, IF2, IF3 and buffer conditions on subunit association were studied along with the role of GTP in this process. The part of light scattering theory that is essential for kinetic measurements is high-lighted in the main text and a more general treatment of Rayleigh scattering from macromolecules is given in an appendix

Analysis of natural variants of the hepatitis C virus internal ribosome entry site reveals that primary sequence plays a key role in cap-independent translation

The HCV internal ribosome entry site (IRES) spans a region of ∼340 nt that encompasses most of the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) of the viral mRNA and the first 24–40 nt of the core-coding region. To investigate the implication of altering the primary sequence of the 5′UTR on IRES activity, naturally occurring variants of the 5′UTR were isolated from clinical samples and analyzed. The impact of the identified mutations on translation was evaluated in the context of RLuc/FLuc bicistronic RNAs. Results show that depending on their location within the RNA structure, these naturally occurring mutations cause a range of effects on IRES activity. However, mutations within subdomain IIId hinder HCV IRES-mediated translation. In an attempt to explain these data, the dynamic behavior of the subdomain IIId was analyzed by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Despite the loss of function, MD simulations predicted that mutant G266A/G268U possesses a structure similar to the wt-RNA. This prediction was validated by analyzing the secondary structure of the isolated IIId RNAs by circular dichroism spectroscopy in the presence or absence of Mg2+ ions. These data strongly suggest that the primary sequence of subdomain IIId plays a key role in HCV IRES-mediated translation

Dizajniranje i vrednovanje okularnih umetaka moksifloksacin hidroklorida

The objective of the present investigation was to prepare and evaluate ocular inserts of moxifloxacin. An ocular insert was made from an aqueous dispersion of moxifloxacin, sodium alginate, polyvinyl alcohol, and dibutyl phthalate by the film casting method. The ocular insert (5.5 mm diameter) was cross-linked by CaCl2 and was coated with Eudragit S-100, RL-100, RS-100, E-100 or Eudragit L-100. The in vitro drug drainage/permeation studies were carried out using an all-glass modified Franz diffusion cell. The drug concentration and mucoadhesion time of the ocular insert were found satisfactory. Cross-linking and coating with polymers extended the drainage from inserts. The cross-linked ocular insert coated with Eudragit RL-100 showed maximum drug permeation compared to other formulations.Cilj rada bio je priprava i evaluacija okularnih umetaka moksifloksacina. Okularni umetak izrađen je od vodene suspenzije moksifloksacina, natrijevog alginata, polivinilnog alkohola i dibutil-ftalata metodom odlijevanja filma. Okularni umetak (promjera 5,5 mm) umrežen je pomoću CaCl2 i obložen Eudragitom S-100, RL-100, RS-100, E-100 ili Eudragit L-100. In vitro drenaža/permeacija lijeka proučavana je koristeći staklenu modificiranu Franzovu difuzijsku ćeliju. Koncentracija lijeka i vrijeme mukoadhezije okularnih umetaka bili su zadovoljavajući. Umrežavanje i oblaganje polimerima produljilo je drenažu iz umetaka. Umreženi okularni umetci obloženi s Eudragit RL-100 pokazali su veću permeaciju lijeka u odnosu na ostale pripravke

Features of 80S mammalian ribosome and its subunits

It is generally believed that basic features of ribosomal functions are universally valid, but a systematic test still stands out for higher eukaryotic 80S ribosomes. Here we report: (i) differences in tRNA and mRNA binding capabilities of eukaryotic and bacterial ribosomes and their subunits. Eukaryotic 40S subunits bind mRNA exclusively in the presence of cognate tRNA, whereas bacterial 30S do bind mRNA already in the absence of tRNA. 80S ribosomes bind mRNA efficiently in the absence of tRNA. In contrast, bacterial 70S interact with mRNA more productively in the presence rather than in the absence of tRNA. (ii) States of initiation (Pi), pre-translocation (PRE) and post-translocation (POST) of the ribosome were checked and no significant functional differences to the prokaryotic counterpart were observed including the reciprocal linkage between A and E sites. (iii) Eukaryotic ribosomes bind tetracycline with an affinity 15 times lower than that of bacterial ribosomes (Kd 30 μM and 1–2 μM, respectively). The drug does not effect enzymatic A-site occupation of 80S ribosomes in contrast to non-enzymatic tRNA binding to the A-site. Both observations explain the relative resistance of eukaryotic ribosomes to this antibiotic

Horizontal DNA transfer mechanisms of bacteria as weapons of intragenomic conflict

Horizontal DNA transfer (HDT) is a pervasive mechanism of diversification in many microbial species, but its primary evolutionary role remains controversial. Much recent research has emphasised the adaptive benefit of acquiring novel DNA, but here we argue instead that intragenomic conflict provides a coherent framework for understanding the evolutionary origins of HDT. To test this hypothesis, we developed a mathematical model of a clonally descended bacterial population undergoing HDT through transmission of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and genetic transformation. Including the known bias of transformation toward the acquisition of shorter alleles into the model suggested it could be an effective means of counteracting the spread of MGEs. Both constitutive and transient competence for transformation were found to provide an effective defence against parasitic MGEs; transient competence could also be effective at permitting the selective spread of MGEs conferring a benefit on their host bacterium. The coordination of transient competence with cell-cell killing, observed in multiple species, was found to result in synergistic blocking of MGE transmission through releasing genomic DNA for homologous recombination while simultaneously reducing horizontal MGE spread by lowering the local cell density. To evaluate the feasibility of the functions suggested by the modelling analysis, we analysed genomic data from longitudinal sampling of individuals carrying Streptococcus pneumoniae. This revealed the frequent within-host coexistence of clonally descended cells that differed in their MGE infection status, a necessary condition for the proposed mechanism to operate. Additionally, we found multiple examples of MGEs inhibiting transformation through integrative disruption of genes encoding the competence machinery across many species, providing evidence of an ongoing "arms race." Reduced rates of transformation have also been observed in cells infected by MGEs that reduce the concentration of extracellular DNA through secretion of DNases. Simulations predicted that either mechanism of limiting transformation would benefit individual MGEs, but also that this tactic's effectiveness was limited by competition with other MGEs coinfecting the same cell. A further observed behaviour we hypothesised to reduce elimination by transformation was MGE activation when cells become competent. Our model predicted that this response was effective at counteracting transformation independently of competing MGEs. Therefore, this framework is able to explain both common properties of MGEs, and the seemingly paradoxical bacterial behaviours of transformation and cell-cell killing within clonally related populations, as the consequences of intragenomic conflict between self-replicating chromosomes and parasitic MGEs. The antagonistic nature of the different mechanisms of HDT over short timescales means their contribution to bacterial evolution is likely to be substantially greater than previously appreciated