27 research outputs found
Dynamic pigmentary and structural coloration within cephalopod chromatophore organs
Chromatophores in cephalopod skin are known for fast changes in coloration due to light-scattering pigment granules. Here, authors demonstrate structural coloration facilitated by reflectin in sheath cells and offer insights into the interplay between structural and pigmentary coloration elements
Conjugative Plasmids of Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Many clinical isolates of the human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae contain conjugative plasmids. The host range of these plasmids is limited to Neisseria species, but presence of a tetracycline (tetM) determinant inserted in several of these plasmids is an important cause of the rapid spread of tetracycline resistance. Previously plasmids with different backbones (Dutch and American type backbones) and with and without different tetM determinants (Dutch and American type tetM determinants) have been identified. Within the isolates tested, all plasmids with American or Dutch type tetM determinants contained a Dutch type plasmid backbone. This demonstrated that tetM determinants should not be used to differentiate between conjugal plasmid backbones. The nucleotide sequences of conjugative plasmids with Dutch type plasmid backbones either not containing the tetM determinant (pEP5233) or containing Dutch (pEP5289) or American (pEP5050) type tetM determinants were determined. Analysis of the backbone sequences showed that they belong to a novel IncP1 subfamily divergent from the IncP1α, β, γ, δ and ε subfamilies. The tetM determinants were inserted in a genetic load region found in all these plasmids. Insertion was accompanied by the insertion of a gene with an unknown function, and rearrangement of a toxin/antitoxin gene cluster. The genetic load region contains two toxin/antitoxins of the Zeta/Epsilon toxin/antitoxin family previously only found in Gram positive organisms and the virulence associated protein D of the VapD/VapX toxin/antitoxin family. Remarkably, presence of VapX of pJD1, a small cryptic neisserial plasmid, in the acceptor strain strongly increased the conjugation efficiency, suggesting that it functions as an antitoxin for the conjugative plasmid. The presence of the toxin and antitoxin on different plasmids might explain why the host range of this IncP1 plasmid is limited to Neisseria species. The isolated plasmids conjugated efficiently between N. gonorrhoeae strains, but did not enhance transfer of a genetic marker
Metabolic profiling detects early effects of environmental and lifestyle exposure to cadmium in a human population
Background: The ‘exposome’ represents the accumulation of all environmental exposures across a lifetime. Topdown
strategies are required to assess something this comprehensive, and could transform our understanding of
how environmental factors affect human health. Metabolic profiling (metabonomics/metabolomics) defines an
individual’s metabolic phenotype, which is influenced by genotype, diet, lifestyle, health and xenobiotic exposure,
and could also reveal intermediate biomarkers for disease risk that reflect adaptive response to exposure. We
investigated changes in metabolism in volunteers living near a point source of environmental pollution: a closed
zinc smelter with associated elevated levels of environmental cadmium. Methods: High-resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy (metabonomics) was used to acquire urinary metabolic profiles
from 178 human volunteers. The spectral data were subjected to multivariate and univariate analysis to identify
metabolites that were correlated with lifestyle or biological factors. Urinary levels of 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine were
also measured, using mass spectrometry, as a marker of systemic oxidative stress. Results: Six urinary metabolites, either associated with mitochondrial metabolism (citrate, 3-hydroxyisovalerate, 4-
deoxy-erythronic acid) or one-carbon metabolism (dimethylglycine, creatinine, creatine), were associated with
cadmium exposure. In particular, citrate levels retained a significant correlation to urinary cadmium and smoking
status after controlling for age and sex. Oxidative stress (as determined by urinary 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine levels)
was elevated in individuals with high cadmium exposure, supporting the hypothesis that heavy metal
accumulation was causing mitochondrial dysfunction. Conclusions: This study shows evidence that an NMR-based metabolic profiling study in an uncontrolled human
population is capable of identifying intermediate biomarkers of response to toxicants at true environmental
concentrations, paving the way for exposome research.
Keywords: metabonomics, cadmium, environmental health, exposome, metabolomics, molecular epidemiolog