Biodiesel in India: value chain organisation and policy options for rural development

"This study aims to contribute to knowledge about biodiesel in India and to inform policy-makers about development impacts and appropriate policy choices. Its focus is on the potentials and risks for rural development. The study starts with an overall assessment of the economic viability of biodiesel. To date, biodiesel production is not a lucrative business, except for some niche markets. However, this may change in the future, depending on fossil fuel prices, government pricing policies, and progress on agricultural yields. Furthermore, the study contributes two novel aspects to the discussion on the Indian biodiesel sector: 1. It takes stock of the variety of existing ways of organising the value chain in India and assesses their pros and cons from a comprehensive development perspective; 2. It identifies, describes and assesses the appropriateness of a broad range of federal and state policies and support programmes. Given the diversity of value chain organization, many different policies are taken into account. Whether a state government chooses for example to promote social forestry, large-scale leasing contracts with corporations, or contract farming, and how effectively these policies are implemented, has a bearing on the development outcomes." (author's abstract

Heparan sulfate expression in the neural crest is essential for mouse cardiogenesis

Impaired heparan sulfate (HS) synthesis in vertebrate development causes complex malformations due to the functional disruption of multiple HS-binding growth factors and morphogens. Here, we report developmental heart defects in mice bearing a targeted disruption of the HS-generating enzyme GlcNAc N-deacetylase/GlcN N-sulfotransferase 1 (NDST1), including ventricular septal defects (VSD), persistent truncus arteriosus (PTA), double outlet right ventricle (DORV), and retroesophageal right subclavian artery (RERSC). These defects closely resemble cardiac anomalies observed in mice made deficient in the cardiogenic regulator fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8). Consistent with this, we show that HS-dependent FGF8/FGF-receptor2C assembly and FGF8-dependent ERK-phosphorylation are strongly reduced in NDST1(-/-) embryonic cells and tissues. Moreover, WNT1-Cre/LoxP-mediated conditional targeting of NDST function in neural crest cells (NCCs) revealed that their impaired HS-dependent development contributes strongly to the observed cardiac defects. These findings raise the possibility that defects in HS biosynthesis may contribute to congenital heart defects in humans that represent the most common type of birth defect

Interleukin-17D and Nrf2 mediate initial innate immune cell recruitment and restrict MCMV infection.

Innate immune cells quickly infiltrate the site of pathogen entry and not only stave off infection but also initiate antigen presentation and promote adaptive immunity. The recruitment of innate leukocytes has been well studied in the context of extracellular bacterial and fungal infection but less during viral infections. We have recently shown that the understudied cytokine Interleukin (IL)-17D can mediate neutrophil, natural killer (NK) cell and monocyte infiltration in sterile inflammation and cancer. Herein, we show that early immune cell accumulation at the peritoneal site of infection by mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is mediated by IL-17D. Mice deficient in IL-17D or the transcription factor Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2), an inducer of IL-17D, featured an early decreased number of innate immune cells at the point of viral entry and were more susceptible to MCMV infection. Interestingly, we were able to artificially induce innate leukocyte infiltration by applying the Nrf2 activator tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), which rendered mice less susceptible to MCMV infection. Our results implicate the Nrf2/IL-17D axis as a sensor of viral infection and suggest therapeutic benefit in boosting this pathway to promote innate antiviral responses

Mechanisms regulating immune surveillance of cellular stress in cancer.

The purpose of this review is to explore immune-mediated mechanisms of stress surveillance in cancer, with particular emphasis on the idea that all cancers have classical hallmarks (Hanahan and Weinberg in Cell 100:57-70, 67; Cell 144:646-674, 68) that could be interrelated. We postulate that hallmarks of cancer associated with cellular stress pathways (Luo et al. in Cell 136:823-837, 101) including oxidative stress, proteotoxic stress, mitotic stress, DNA damage, and metabolic stress could define and modulate the inflammatory component of cancer. As such, the overarching goal of this review is to define the types of cellular stress that cancer cells undergo, and then to explore mechanisms by which immune cells recognize, respond to, and are affected by each stress response

Innate sensing of cancer's non-immunologic hallmarks

A cancer mass consists of a complex composition of cancer cells, stromal cells, endothelial cells and also immune cells, which can represent more than half of the cellularity of a solid cancer. These immune cells become activated when they sense cancer antigens and stress ligands. Innate immune cells also detect various aspects of cellular stress that characterize a growing tumor mass. These key hallmarks of cellular stress are also detected by the cancer cell itself. In this review, we highlight studies that show that the cancer cell itself could be considered an 'innate cell' that senses and reacts to non-immunologic hallmarks of cancer, including displaced nucleic acids, proteotoxic stress, oxidative stress, and metabolic alterations

The ancient cytokine IL-17D is regulated by Nrf2 and mediates tumor and virus surveillance

Early stage immune responses can dictate the severity and outcome of inflammatory processes such as tumor growth and viral infection. Cytokines such as the interleukin 17 (IL-17) family and cellular stress defense (e.g., anti-oxidant) pathways have evolved early and regulate disease surveillance in vertebrates and invertebrates as far back as Caenorhabditis elegans. Our group has recently found a new role for nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (Nrf2) in regulating early anti-cancer immune responses by inducing IL-17D and recruiting natural killer (NK) cells. In this Cytokine Stimulus, we discuss recent findings that encourage boosting the Nrf2/IL-17D/NK cell axis for the treatment of cancer and viral infection