Immunological context of brain injury

The parameters of several populations of immune cells (T cell populations, macrophage subpopulations) in peripheral blood and brain were studied in a clinically significant model of mild traumatic brain injury among rats. The population of resident cells of innate immunity of microglia and brain astrocytes with local tissue damage is involved in the implementation of the inflammatory response, it is also shown that in case of trauma, blood leukocytes can overcome the blood-brain barrier and penetrate the brain parenchyma. The methods of flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were used. An increase in the number of monocytes and neutrophils up to 1 day, after a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) with a subsequent decrease to the end of the observation period was noticed. It was determined, that the number of CD45+ cells, CD3+T cells decreased at 1 days post-injury (dpi), and rose slightly by 14 dpi, the percentage of CD4+T cells continuously declined from 7 to 14 dpi, while the percentage of CD8+T cells increased from 7 to 14 dpi. With mild traumatic brain injury in animals, a significant (3-10 times) decrease in the number of microvessels with a positive reaction to the presence of SMI 71 on the 8th and 14th day after head injury was observed. Intensive staining of SMI 71 microvessels was sometimes observed with an increase in the area of a positive reaction. Thin positive deposits of the reaction product are observed in the brain of healthy animals around the wall of the microvessel. In the damaged brain, CD45high/CD11b+ positive macrophages of the M1 subpopulation appeared in the brain tissue on the 2nd day after TBI and a significant amount was observed on the 8-14th day. In the corpus callosum and ipsilateral region of the striatum, the content of cells expressing CD16/11b+ reached a maximum 8 days after TBI, which correlated with a decrease in the positive response to the presence of endothelial antigen SMI 71. Thus, in the acute period of mild TBI, the presence of neuroimmunopathological processes is determined in the brain, which can subsequently result to the dysregulation of neuroimmune connections

In-medium ω\omega mass from the γ+Nb→π0γ+X\gamma + Nb \to \pi^{0}\gamma + X reaction

Data on the photoproduction of $\omega$ mesons on nuclei have been re-analyzed in a search for in-medium modifications. The data were taken with the Crystal Barrel(CB)/TAPS detector system at the ELSA accelerator facility in Bonn. First results from the analysis of the data set were published by D. Trnka et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett 94 (2005) 192303 \cite{david}, claiming a lowering of the $\omega$ mass in the nuclear medium by 14$$ at normal nuclear matter density. The extracted $\omega$ line shape was found to be sensitive to the background subtraction. For this reason a re-analysis of the same data set has been initiated and a new method has been developed to reduce the background and to determine the shape and absolute magnitude of the background directly from the data. Details of the re-analysis and of the background determination are described. The $\omega$ signal on the $Nb$ target, extracted in the re-analysis, does not show a deviation from the corresponding line shape on a $LH_2$ target, measured as reference. The earlier claim of an in-medium mass shift is thus not confirmed. The sensitivity of the $\omega$ line shape to different in-medium modification scenarios is discussed.Comment: 13 pages and 11 figures, submitted for publicatio

Quasi-free photoproduction of eta-mesons of the neutron

Quasi-free photoproduction of eta-mesons off nucleons bound in the deuteron has been measured with the CBELSA/TAPS detector for incident photon energies up to 2.5 GeV at the Bonn ELSA accelerator. The eta-mesons have been detected in coincidence with recoil protons and recoil neutrons, which allows a detailed comparison of the quasi-free n(gamma,eta)n and p(gamma,eta)p reactions. The excitation function for eta-production off the neutron shows a pronounced bump-like structure at W=1.68 GeV (E_g ~ 1 GeV), which is absent for the proton.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Modification of the ω\omega-Meson Lifetime in Nuclear Matter

The photo production of $\omega$ mesons on the nuclei C, Ca, Nb and Pb has been measured using the Crystal Barrel/TAPS detector at the ELSA tagged photon facility in Bonn. The dependence of the $\omega$ meson cross section on the nuclear mass number has been compared with three different types of models, a Glauber analysis, a BUU analysis of the Giessen theory group and a calculation by the Valencia theory group. In all three cases, the inelastic $\omega$ width is found to be $130-150 \rm{MeV/c^2}$ at normal nuclear matter density for an average 3-momentum of 1.1 GeV/c. In the restframe of the $\omega$ meson, this inelastic $\omega$ width corresponds to a reduction of the $\omega$ lifetime by a factor $\approx 30$. For the first time, the momentum dependent $\omega$N cross section has been extracted from the experiment and is in the range of 70 mb.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

K^0 pi^0 Sigma^+ and K^*0 Sigma^+ photoproduction off the proton

The exclusive reactions $\gamma p \to K^{*0} \Sigma^+(1189)$ and $\gamma p \to K^{0} \pi^{0}\Sigma^+(1189)$, leading to the p 4$\pi^{0}$ final state, have been measured with a tagged photon beam for incident energies from threshold up to 2.5 GeV. The experiment has been performed at the tagged photon facility of the ELSA accelerator (Bonn). The Crystal Barrel and TAPS detectors were combined to a photon detector system of almost 4$\pi$ geometrical acceptance. Differential and total cross sections are reported. At energies close to the threshold, a flat angular distribution has been observed for the reaction $\gamma p\to K^{0} \pi^{0}\Sigma^+$ suggesting dominant s-channel production. $\Sigma^*(1385)$ and higher lying hyperon states have been observed. An enhancement in the forward direction in the angular distributions of the reaction $\gamma p \to K^{*0}\Sigma^+$ indicates a $t$-channel exchange contribution to the reaction mechanism. The experimental data are in reasonable agreement with recent theoretical predictions.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figures, submitted to EPJ

Photoproduction of pi0 omega off protons for E(gamma) < 3 GeV

Differential and total cross-sections for photoproduction of gamma proton to proton pi0 omega and gamma proton to Delta+ omega were determined from measurements of the CB-ELSA experiment, performed at the electron accelerator ELSA in Bonn. The measurements covered the photon energy range from the production threshold up to 3GeV.Comment: 8 pages, 13 figure

Modulation of enhancer looping and differential gene targeting by Epstein-Barr virus transcription factors directs cellular reprogramming

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) epigenetically reprogrammes B-lymphocytes to drive immortalization and facilitate viral persistence. Host-cell transcription is perturbed principally through the actions of EBV EBNA 2, 3A, 3B and 3C, with cellular genes deregulated by specific combinations of these EBNAs through unknown mechanisms. Comparing human genome binding by these viral transcription factors, we discovered that 25% of binding sites were shared by EBNA 2 and the EBNA 3s and were located predominantly in enhancers. Moreover, 80% of potential EBNA 3A, 3B or 3C target genes were also targeted by EBNA 2, implicating extensive interplay between EBNA 2 and 3 proteins in cellular reprogramming. Investigating shared enhancer sites neighbouring two new targets (WEE1 and CTBP2) we discovered that EBNA 3 proteins repress transcription by modulating enhancer-promoter loop formation to establish repressive chromatin hubs or prevent assembly of active hubs. Re-ChIP analysis revealed that EBNA 2 and 3 proteins do not bind simultaneously at shared sites but compete for binding thereby modulating enhancer-promoter interactions. At an EBNA 3-only intergenic enhancer site between ADAM28 and ADAMDEC1 EBNA 3C was also able to independently direct epigenetic repression of both genes through enhancer-promoter looping. Significantly, studying shared or unique EBNA 3 binding sites at WEE1, CTBP2, ITGAL (LFA-1 alpha chain), BCL2L11 (Bim) and the ADAMs, we also discovered that different sets of EBNA 3 proteins bind regulatory elements in a gene and cell-type specific manner. Binding profiles correlated with the effects of individual EBNA 3 proteins on the expression of these genes, providing a molecular basis for the targeting of different sets of cellular genes by the EBNA 3s. Our results therefore highlight the influence of the genomic and cellular context in determining the specificity of gene deregulation by EBV and provide a paradigm for host-cell reprogramming through modulation of enhancer-promoter interactions by viral transcription factors

Photoproduction of η -mesons off nuclei for Eγ ⩽ 2.2 GeV

The photoproduction of η -mesons off 12C , 40Ca , 93Nb , and nat Pb nuclei has been measured with a tagged photon beam with energies between 0.6 and 2.2GeV. The experiment was performed at the Bonn ELSA accelerator with the combined setup of the Crystal Barrel and TAPS calorimeters. It aimed at the in-medium properties of the S 11(1535) nucleon resonance and the study of the absorption properties of nuclear matter for η -mesons. Careful consideration was given to contributions from ηπ final states and secondary production mechanisms of η -mesons, e.g. from inelastic πN reactions of intermediate pions. The analysis of the mass number scaling shows that the nuclear absorption cross-section $\sigma_{{N\eta}}^{}$ for η -mesons is constant over a wide range of the η momentum. The comparison of the excitation functions to data off the deuteron and to calculations in the framework of a BUU model show no unexplained in-medium modifications of the S 11(1535

Nucleon resonance decay by the K0Σ+K^0\Sigma^+ channel

Hyperon production off the proton in the $K^0 \Sigma^+$ channel has been studied at the tagged photon beam facility at the ELSA electron accelerator in Bonn. This experiment was part of a series of neutral meson production experiments on various targets. For this purpose, the Crystal Barrel and TAPS photon spectrometers have been combined to provide a $4 \pi$ detector for multi-neutral-particle final states. A high-quality excitation function, recoil polarizations, and angular distributions from threshold up to 2.3 GeV center-of-mass energy were obtained. The results are compared with predictions of recent coupled-channels calculations within the K-matrix formalism and are interpreted by the partial-wave analysis within the Bonn-Gatchina model.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, submitted to EPJ

Photoproduction of eta-mesons off nuclei for Eg < 2.2 GeV

Photoproduction of $\eta$ mesons off $^{12}$C, $^{40}$Ca, $^{93}$Nb, and $^{nat}$Pb nuclei has been measured with a tagged photon beam with energies between 0.6 and 2.2 GeV. The experiment was performed at the Bonn ELSA accelerator with the combined setup of the Crystal Barrel and TAPS calorimeters. It aimed at the in-medium properties of the S$_{11}$(1535) nucleon resonance and the study of the absorption properties of nuclear matter for $\eta$ mesons. Careful consideration was given to contributions from $\eta\pi$ final states and secondary production mechanisms of $\eta$-mesons e.g. from inelastic $\pi N$ reactions of intermediate pions. The analysis of the mass number scaling shows that the nuclear absorption cross section $\sigma_{N\eta}$ for $\eta$ mesons is constant over a wide range of the $\eta$ momentum. The comparison of the excitation functions to data off the deuteron and to calculations in the framework of a BUU-model show no unexplained in-medium modifications of the S$_{11}$(1535).Comment: Accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.