A szarko/endoplazmatikus retikulum Ca2+ ATPáz 3 szerkezet-elemzése és a nem-izom típusú sejtek Ca2+ -transzport fehérje készletének változásai sejtdifferenciáció során = Structural study of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase 3 proteins and the modulation of the machinery of Ca2+-transport proteins during the differentiation of non-muscle cells

A Ca2+ függő sejtélettani folyamatok szabályozásában fontos szerepet betöltő szarko/endoplazmás retikulum (SERCA) és plazmamembrán (PMCA) Ca2+ATPázokat vizsgáltuk. Endogén, valamint vad típusú és mutáns rekombináns SERCA3 fehérjék tripszines proteolízisét elemezve kimutattuk két, kinetikailag eltérő fragmentációs profil párhuzamos megjelenését. Irányított mutagenezissel azonosítottunk néhány tripszines hasítási helyet. Eredményeink arra utalnak, hogy natív membránkörnyezetben a fragmentációs profilok a SERCA3 fehérje eltérő konformációs állapotaihoz rendelhetőek. Korábbi munkáinkhoz kapcsolódva elemeztük a gyomor-/béltumorsejtek differenciációja, és a SERCA és PMCA fehérjék expressziója, funkciója közötti összefüggéseket. Számos differenciációs modellben igazoltuk, hogy az éretlen sejtekben alacsony szinten kifejeződő SERCA3 és PMCA4b izoformák expressziója erősen indukálódik a tumorsejtek differenciációja során. A SERCA fehérjék funkcionális gátlása elősegítette egyes béltumorsejtek differenciációját. A béltumorok kialakulásában fontos APC/b-katenin/TCF4 jelátviteli út gátlása indukálta a SERCA3 expressziót. Különböző stádiumú béltumorokból nyert szöveti metszetek immunhisztokémiai vizsgálatai szerint a SERCA3 expresszió defektusa már a tumorok kialakulásának korai szakaszában jelentkezik. Eredményeink alapján felvetjük annak lehetőségét, hogy a gyomor-/béltraktusban egyes Ca2+ transzporterek, mint markerfehérjék, segíthetik malignus elváltozások kialakulásának és fenotípusának meghatározását, és diagnosztikai fejlesztések potenciális célpontjai lehetnek. | We studied the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (SERCA) and plasma membrane (PMCA) Ca2+ATPases. The proper functions of these proteins are essential in the regulation of Ca2+-dependent cellular processes. Limited tryptic digestion of endogenously expressed or wild-type and mutant recombinant SERCA3 proteins resulted in two distinct fragmentation profiles. Using site-directed mutagenesis approach some of the tryptic sites were determined. Our data indicated that the SERCA3 fragmentation profiles were related to different conformational states of the enzyme. To further explore our previous work, we investigated the expression and function of various SERCA and PMCA isoforms during the differentiation of gastric/colon cancer cells. Using a wide range of model cells and differentiation protocols, strong induction of SERCA3 and PMCA4b expression were detected in differentiating cancer cells. Inhibition of SERCA function induced the maturation of colon cancer cells. Inhibition of the APC/b-catenin/TCF4 signaling pathway, essential during colon carcinogenesis, resulted in up-regulated SERCA3 expression. Immunohystochemical analysis of various tissue sections from colonic lesions, adenomas and adenocarcinomas showed that loss of SERCA3 expression is an early event during colon carcinogenesis. Our data suggest that some Ca2+ transport proteins could serve as new biomarkers for the analysis of the formation and phenotype of gastric/colon tumors, and should help in novel diagnostic development

Is Einkorn Wheat (Triticum monococcum L.) a Better Choice Than Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)? Wheat Quality Estimation for Sustainable Agriculture Using Vision-Based Digital Image Analysis

Einkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum L. ssp. monococcum) plays an increasingly important role in agriculture, promoted by organic farming. Although the number of comparative studies about modern and ancient types of wheats is increasing, there are still some knowledge gaps about the nutritional and health benefit differences between ancient and modern bread wheats. The aim of the present study was to compare ancient, traditional and modern wheat cultivars—including a field study and a laboratory stress experiment using vision-based digital image analysis—and to assess the feasibility of imaging techniques. Our study shows that modern winter wheat had better yield and grain quality compared to einkorn wheats, but the latter were not far behind; thus the cultivation of various species could provide a diverse and sustainable agriculture which contributes to higher agrobiodiversity. The results also demonstrate that digital image analysis could be a viable alternate method for the real-time estimation of aboveground biomass and for predicting yield and grain quality parameters. Digital area outperformed other digital variables in biomass prediction in relation to drought stress, but height and Feret’s diameter better correlated with yield and grain quality parameters. Based on these results we suggest that the combination of various vision-based methods could improve the performance estimation of modern and ancient types of wheat in a non-destructive and real-time manner

Optimized angiotensin-converting enzyme activity assay for the accurate diagnosis of sarcoidosis

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Negative Pressure Wound Therapy for Necrotizing Fasciitis and Compartment Syndrome of the Upper Extremity — a case report

Background: Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a lifethreateninginfection of the subcutaneous tissues that spreadsalong the underlying fascia. Despite the early and aggressivesurgical fasciotomy and necrectomy, its mortality rate is stillhigh. In NF the negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT)shows good effects on wound healing and on the primary closureof the concomitant extended tissue defects.Case report: A 32-year-old male patient was admitted witha four-day history of fever (39.1C), pain, swelling, erythemaof the right elbow and the upper arm. On admission, extensiveerythema and swelling were seen on the right forearm, arm,and the pectoral region with superficial skin bullae. Based onthe clinical symptoms and laboratory tests immediate surgerywas indicated. Extended fasciotomy and necrosectomy wereperformed on the full extremity and pectoral region. Negativepressure wound therapy was started immediately afterwardwith -120 mmHg concomitantly with antibiotic therapy.Results: After five cycles of NPWT the patient recoveredwithout needing any plastic surgical intervention. The functionaland aesthetic results were excellent.Conclusion: In the case of extended NF of the upper extremitythe aggressive surgery and NPWT are relatively safe andeffective

The majority of severe COVID-19 patients develop anti-cardiac autoantibodies

Severe cases of COVID-19 are characterized by an inflammatory burst, which is accompanied by multiorgan failure. The elderly population has higher risk for severe or fatal outcome for COVID-19. Inflammatory mediators facilitate the immune system to combat viral infection by producing antibodies against viral antigens. Several studies reported that the pro-inflammatory state and tissue damage in COVID-19 also promotes autoimmunity by autoantibody generation. We hypothesized that a subset of these autoantibodies targets cardiac antigens. Here we aimed to detect anti-cardiac autoantibodies in severe COVID-19 patients during hospitalization. For this purpose, 104 COVID-19 patients were recruited, while 40 heart failure patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and 20 patients with severe aortic stenosis served as controls. Patients were tested for anti-cardiac autoantibodies, using human heart homogenate as a bait. Follow-up samples were available in 29 COVID-19 patients. Anti-cardiac autoantibodies were detected in 68% (71 out of 104) of severe COVID-19 patients. Overall, 39% of COVID-19 patients had anti-cardiac IgG autoantibodies, while 51% had anti-cardiac autoantibodies of IgM isotype. Both IgG and IgM anti-cardiac autoantibodies were observed in 22% of cases, and multiple cardiac antigens were targeted in 38% of COVID-19 patients. These anti-cardiac autoantibodies targeted a diverse set of myocardial proteins, without apparent selectivity. As controls, heart failure patients (with dilated cardiomyopathy) had similar occurrence of IgG (45%, p = 0.57) autoantibodies, while significantly lower occurrence of IgM autoantibodies (30%, p = 0.03). Patients with advanced aortic stenosis had significantly lower number of both IgG (11%, p = 0.03) and IgM (10%, p < 0.01) type anti-cardiac autoantibodies than that in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, we detected changes in the anti-cardiac autoantibody profile in 7 COVID-19 patients during hospital treatment. Surprisingly, the presence of these anti-cardiac autoantibodies did not affect the clinical outcome and the prevalence of the autoantibodies did not differ between the elderly (over 65 years) and the patients younger than 65 years of age. Our results demonstrate that the majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients produce novel anti-cardiac IgM autoantibodies. COVID-19 also reactivates resident IgG autoantibodies. These autoantibodies may promote autoimmune reactions, which can complicate post-COVID recuperation, contributing to post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (long COVID)

Bacterial and abiogenic carbonates formed in caves–no vital effect on clumped isotope compositions

Speleothems (dominated by cave-hosted carbonate deposits) are valuable archives of paleoclimate conditions. As such, they are potential targets of clumped isotope analyses that may yield quantified data about past temperature variations. Clumped isotope analyses of stalagmites, however, seldom provide useful temperature values due to various isotope fractionation processes. This study focuses on the determination of the microbially induced vital effect, i.e., the isotope fractionation processes related to bacterial carbonate production. A cave site with biologically mediated amorphous calcium carbonate precitation was selected as a natural laboratory. Calcite deposits were farmed under a UV lamp to prevent bacterial activity, as well as under control conditions. Microbiological analyses and morphological investigations using scanning electron microscopy showed that the UV lamp treatment effectively reduced the number of bacterial cells, and that bacterial carbonate production strongly influenced the carbonate's morphology. Stable oxygen isotope analyses of calcite and drip waters, as well as clumped isotope measurements revealed that, although most of the studied carbonates formed close to oxygen isotope equilibrium, clumped isotope Δ47 values varied widely from equilibrium to strongly fractionated data. Site-specific kinetic fractionations played a dominant role in the distribution of Δ47 values, whereas bacterial carbonate production did not result in a detectable clumped isotope effect