3,899 research outputs found
RelB Expression Determines the Differential Effects of Ascorbic Acid in Normal and Cancer Cells
Cancer cells typically experience higher oxidative stress than normal cells, such that elevating pro-oxidant levels can trigger cancer cell death. Although pre-exposure to mild oxidative agents will sensitize cancer cells to radiation, this pre-exposure may also activate the adaptive stress defense system in normal cells. Ascorbic acid is a prototype redox modulator that when infused intravenously appears to kill cancers without injury to normal tissues; however, the mechanisms involved remain elusive. In this study, we show how ascorbic acid kills cancer cells and sensitizes prostate cancer to radiation therapy while also conferring protection upon normal prostate epithelial cells against radiation-induced injury. We found that the NF-ΞΊB transcription factor RelB is a pivotal determinant in the differential radiosensitization effects of ascorbic acid in prostate cancer cells and normal prostate epithelial cells. Mechanistically, high reactive oxygen species concentrations suppress RelB in cancer cells. RelB suppression decreases expression of the sirtuin SIRT3 and the powerful antioxidant MnSOD, which in turn increases oxidative and metabolic stresses in prostate cancer cells. In contrast, ascorbic acid enhances RelB expression in normal cells, improving antioxidant and metabolic defenses against radiation injury. In addition to showing how RelB mediates the differential effects of ascorbic acid on cancer and normal tissue radiosensitivities, our work also provides a proof of concept for the existence of redox modulators that can improve the efficacy of radiotherapy while protecting against normal tissue injury in cancer settings
The MrCYP52 Cytochrome P450 Monoxygenase Gene of Metarhizium robertsii Is Important for Utilizing Insect Epicuticular Hydrocarbons
Fungal pathogens of plants and insects infect their hosts by direct penetration of the cuticle. Plant and insect cuticles are covered by a hydrocarbon-rich waxy outer layer that represents the first barrier against infection. However, the fungal genes that underlie insect waxy layer degradation have received little attention. Here we characterize the single cytochrome P450 monoxygenase family 52 (MrCYP52) gene of the insect pathogen Metarhizium robertsii, and demonstrate that it encodes an enzyme required for efficient utilization of host hydrocarbons. Expressing a green florescent protein gene under control of the MrCYP52 promoter confirmed that MrCYP52 is up regulated on insect cuticle as well as by artificial media containing decane (C10), extracted cuticle hydrocarbons, and to a lesser extent long chain alkanes. Disrupting MrCYP52 resulted in reduced growth on epicuticular hydrocarbons and delayed developmental processes on insect cuticle, including germination and production of appressoria (infection structures). Extraction of alkanes from cuticle prevented induction of MrCYP52 and reduced growth. Insect bioassays against caterpillars (Galleria mellonella) confirmed that disruption of MrCYP52 significantly reduces virulence. However, MrCYP52 was dispensable for normal germination and appressorial formation in vitro when the fungus was supplied with nitrogenous nutrients. We conclude therefore that MrCYP52 mediates degradation of epicuticular hydrocarbons and these are an important nutrient source, but not a source of chemical signals that trigger infection processes
Interpreting Seroepidemiologic Studies of Influenza in a Context of Nonbracketing Sera
Background: In influenza epidemiology, analysis of paired sera collected from people before and after influenza seasons has been used for decades to study the cumulative incidence of influenza virus infections in populations. However, interpretation becomes challenging when sera are collected after the start or before the end of an epidemic, and do not neatly bracket the epidemic.
Methods: Serum samples were collected longitudinally in a community-based study. Most participants provided their first serum after the start of circulation of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus in 2009. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to correct for nonbracketing sera and estimate the cumulative incidence of infection from the serological data and surveillance data in Hong Kong.
Results: We analyzed 4,843 sera from 2,097 unvaccinated participants in the study, collected from April 2009 to December 2010. After accounting for nonbracketing, we estimated that the cumulative incidence of H1N1pdm09 virus infection was 45% (95% credible interval [CI] = 40%, 49%), 17% (95% CI = 13%, 20%), and 11% (95% CI = 6%, 18%) for children ages 0β18 years, adults 19β50 years, and older adults >50 years, respectively. Including all available data substantially increased precision compared with a simpler analysis based only on sera collected at 6-month intervals in a subset of participants.
Conclusions: We developed a framework for the analysis of antibody titers that accounted for the timing of sera collection with respect to influenza activity and permitted robust estimation of the cumulative incidence of infection during an epidemic.postprin
Insertion of an Esterase Gene into a Specific Locust Pathogen (Metarhizium acridum) Enables It to Infect Caterpillars
An enduring theme in pathogenic microbiology is poor understanding of the mechanisms of host specificity. Metarhizium is a cosmopolitan genus of invertebrate pathogens that contains generalist species with broad host ranges such as M. robertsii (formerly known as M. anisopliae var. anisopliae) as well as specialists such as the acridid-specific grasshopper pathogen M. acridum. During growth on caterpillar (Manduca sexta) cuticle, M. robertsii up-regulates a gene (Mest1) that is absent in M. acridum and most other fungi. Disrupting M. robertsii Mest1 reduced virulence and overexpression increased virulence to caterpillars (Galleria mellonella and M. sexta), while virulence to grasshoppers (Melanoplus femurrubrum) was unaffected. When Mest1 was transferred to M. acridum under control of its native M. robertsii promoter, the transformants killed and colonized caterpillars in a similar fashion to M. robertsii. MEST1 localized exclusively to lipid droplets in M. robertsii conidia and infection structures was up-regulated during nutrient deprivation and had esterase activity against lipids with short chain fatty acids. The mobilization of stored lipids was delayed in the Mest1 disruptant mutant. Overall, our results suggest that expression of Mest1 allows rapid hydrolysis of stored lipids, and promotes germination and infection structure formation by M. robertsii during nutrient deprivation and invasion, while Mest1 expression in M. acridum broadens its host range by bypassing the regulatory signals found on natural hosts that trigger the mobilization of endogenous nutrient reserves. This study suggests that speciation in an insect pathogen could potentially be driven by host shifts resulting from changes in a single gene
Ion-dependent dynamics of DNA ejections for bacteriophage lambda
We study the control parameters that govern the dynamics of in vitro DNA
ejection in bacteriophage lambda. Past work has demonstrated that bacteriophage
DNA is highly pressurized; this pressure has been hypothesized to help drive
DNA ejection. Ions influence this process by screening charges on DNA; however,
a systematic variation of salt concentrations to explore these effects has not
been undertaken. To study the nature of the forces driving DNA ejection, we
performed in vitro measurements of DNA ejection in bulk and at the single-phage
level. We present measurements on the dynamics of ejection and on the
self-repulsion force driving ejection. We examine the role of ion concentration
and identity in both measurements, and show that the charge of counter-ions is
an important control parameter. These measurements show that the frictional
force acting on the ejecting DNA is subtly dependent on ionic concentrations
for a given amount of DNA in the capsid. We also present evidence that phage
DNA forms loops during ejection; we confirm that this effect occurs using
optical tweezers. We speculate this facilitates circularization of the genome
in the cytoplasm.Comment: David Wu and David Van Valen contributed equally to this project. 28
pages (including supplemental information), 4 figure
The C-terminal fragment of the internal 110-kilodalton passenger domain of the Hap protein of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae is a potential vaccine candidate
Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae is a major causative agent of bacterial otitis media in children. H. influenzae Hap autotransporter protein is an adhesin composed of an outer membrane HapΞ² region and a moiety of an extracellular internal 110-kDa passenger domain called Hap(S). The Hap(S) moiety promotes adherence to human epithelial cells and extracellular matrix proteins, and it also mediates bacterial aggregation and microcolony formation. A recent work (D. L. Fink, A. Z. Buscher, B. A. Green, P. Fernsten, and J. W. St. Geme, Cell. Microbiol. 5:175-186, 2003) demonstrated that Hap(S) adhesive activity resides within the C-terminal 311 amino acids (the cell binding domain) of the protein. In this study, we immunized mice subcutaneously with recombinant proteins corresponding to the C-terminal region of Hap(S) from H. influenzae strains N187, P860295, and TN106 and examined the resulting immune response. Antisera against the recombinant proteins from all three strains not only recognized native Hap(S) purified from strain P860295 but also inhibited H. influenzae Hap-mediated adherence to Chang epithelial cells. Furthermore, when mice immunized intranasally with recombinant protein plus mutant cholera toxin CT-E29H were challenged with strain TN106, they were protected against nasopharyngeal colonization. These observations demonstrate that the C-terminal region of Hap(S) is capable of eliciting cross-reacting antibodies that reduce nasopharyngeal colonization, suggesting utility as a vaccine antigen for the prevention of nontypeable H. influenzae diseases
Black Hole Evaporation in a Noncommutative Charged Vaidya Model
The aim of this paper is to study the black hole evaporation and Hawking
radiation for a noncommutative charged Vaidya black hole. For this purpose, we
determine spherically symmetric charged Vaidya model and then formulate a
noncommutative Reissner-Nordstrm-like solution of this model which
leads to an exact dependent metric. The behavior of temporal component
of this metric and the corresponding Hawking temperature is investigated. The
results are shown in the form of graphs. Further, we examine the tunneling
process of the charged massive particles through the quantum horizon. It is
found that the tunneling amplitude is modified due to noncommutativity. Also,
it turns out that black hole evaporates completely in the limits of large time
and horizon radius. The effect of charge is to reduce the temperature from
maximum value to zero. It is mentioned here that the final stage of black hole
evaporation turns out to be a naked singularity.Comment: 25 pages, 36 figures, accepted for publication in J. Exp. Theor. Phy
Gauss-Bonnet-Chern theorem on moduli space
In this paper, we proved the Gauss-Bonnet-Chern theorem on moduli space of
polarized Kahler manifolds. Using our results, we proved the rationality of the
Chern-Weil forms (with respect to the Weil-Petersson metric) on CY moduli.
As an application in physics, by the Ashok-Douglas theory, counting the
number of flux compactifications of the type IIb string on a Calabi-Yau
threefold is related to the integrations of various Chern-Weil forms. We proved
that all these integrals are finite (and also rational).Comment: Final version, Journal ref adde
miR-17* Suppresses Tumorigenicity of Prostate Cancer by Inhibiting Mitochondrial Antioxidant Enzymes
Aberrant micro RNA (miRNA) expression has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer. Recent studies have shown that the miR-17-92 cluster is overexpressed in many types of cancer. The oncogenic function of mature miRNAs encoded by the miR-17β92 cluster has been identified from the 5β² arm of six precursors. However, the function of the miRNAs produced from the 3β² arm of these precursors remains unknown. The present study demonstrates that miR-17* is able to suppress critical primary mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes, such as manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), glutathione peroxidase-2 (GPX2) and thioredoxin reductase-2 (TrxR2). Transfection of miR-17* into prostate cancer PC-3 cells significantly reduces levels of the three antioxidant proteins and activity of the luciferase reporter under the control of miR-17* binding sequences located in the 3β²-untranslated regions of the three target genes. Disulfiram (DSF), a dithiolcarbomate drug shown to have an anticancer effect, induces the level of mature miR-17* and cell death in PCa cells, which can be attenuated by transfection of antisense miR-17*. Increasing miR-17* level in PC-3 cells by a Tet-on based conditional expression system markedly suppresses its tumorigencity. These results suggest that miR-17* may suppress tumorigenicity of prostate cancer through inhibition of mitochondrial antioxidant enzymes
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