bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
FliI6-FliJ molecular motor assists with unfolding in the type III secretion export apparatus
Authors: Kucera Jiri , Terentjev Eugene M. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe role of rotational molecular motors of the ATP synthase class is integral to the metabolism of cells. Yet the function of FliI6-FliJ complex, a homolog of the F1 ATPase motor, within the flagellar export apparatus remains unclear. We use a simple two-state model adapted from studies of linear molecular motors to identify key features of this motor. The two states are the ‘locked’ ground state where the FliJ coiled coil filament experiences angular fluctuations in an asymmetric torsional potential, and a ‘free’ excited state in which FliJ undergoes rotational diffusion. Michaelis-Menten kinetics was used to treat transitions between these two states, and obtain the average angular velocity of the unloaded FliJ filament within the FliI6 stator: ωmax ≈ 9.0 rps. The motor was then studied under external counter torque conditions in order to ascertain its maximal power output: Pmax ≈ 42 kBT/s (or 102 kW/mol), and the stall torque: Gstall ≈ 3 kBT/rad (or 0.01 nN·nm/rad). Two modes of action within the flagellar export apparatus are proposed, in which the motor performs useful work either by continuously ‘grinding’ through the resistive environment of the export gate, or by exerting equal and opposite stall force on it. In both cases, the resistance is provided by flagellin subunits entering the flagellar export channel prior to their unfolding. We therefore propose that the function of the FliI6-FliJ complex is to lower the energy barrier, and therefore assist in unfolding of the flagellar proteins before feeding them into the transport channel.
Muscarinic receptors modulate Nerve Growth Factor production in rat Schwann-like adipose-derived stem cells and in Schwann cells
Authors: Piovesana R. , Faroni A. , Taggi M. , Matera A. , Soligo M. , Canipari R. , Manni L. , Reid A. J. , Tata A. M. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractRegenerative capability of the peripheral nervous system after injury is enhanced by Schwann cells (SCs) producing several growth factors. The clinical use of SCs in nerve regeneration strategies is hindered by the necessity of removing a healthy nerve to obtain the therapeutic cells. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) can be chemically differentiated towards a SC-like phenotype (dASCs), and represent a promising alternative to SCs. Their physiology can be further modulated pharmacologically by targeting receptors for neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine (ACh). In this study, we compare the ability of rat dASCs and native SCs to produce NGFin vitro. We also evaluate the ability of muscarinic receptors, in particular the M2 subtype, to modulate NGF production and maturation from the precursor (proNGF) to the mature (mNGF) form. For the first time, we demonstrate that dASCs produce higher basal levels of proNGF and mature NGF compared to SCs. Moreover, muscarinic receptor activation, and in particular M2 subtype stimulation, modulates NGF production and maturation in both SCs and dASCs. Indeed, both cell types express both proNGF A and B isoforms, as well as mNGF. After M2 receptor stimulation, proNGF-B (25 kDa), which is involved in apoptotic processes, is strongly reduced at transcript and protein level. Thus, we demonstrate that dASCs possess a stronger neurotrophic potential compared to SCs. ACh, via M2 muscarinic receptors, contributes to the modulation and maturation of NGF, improving the regenerative properties of dASCs.
WRKY genes family study reveals tissue-specific and stress-responsive TFs in wild potato species
Authors: Villano Clizia , Esposito Salvatore , D’Amelia Vincenzo , Garramone Raffaele , Alioto Daniela , Zoina Astolfo , Aversano Riccardo , Carputo Domenico 
Published: April 2020

AbstractWild potatoes, as dynamic resource adapted to various environmental conditions, represent a powerful and informative reservoir of genes useful for breeding efforts. WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are encoded by one of the largest families in plants and are involved in several biological processes such as growth and development, signal transduction, and plant defence against stress. In this study, 79 and 84 genes encoding putative WRKY TFs have been identified in two wild potato relatives,Solanum commersoniiandS. chacoense. Phylogenetic analysis of WRKY proteins dividedScWRKYsandSchWRKYsinto three Groups and seven subGroups. Structural and phylogenetic comparative analyses suggested an interspecific variability of WRKYs. Analysis of gene expression profiles in different tissues and under various stresses allowed to selectScWRKY045as a good candidate in wounding-response,ScWRKY055as a bacterial infection triggeredWRKYandScWRKY023as a multiple stress-responsiveWRKYgene. ThoseWRKYswere further studied through interactome analysis allowing the identification of potential co-expression relationships betweenScWRKYs/SchWRKYsand genes of various pathways. Overall, this study enabled the discrimination ofWRKYgenes that could be considered as potential candidates in both breeding programs and functional studies.
Body perception in chimpanzees and humans: The expert effect
Authors: Gao Jie , Kawakami Fumito , Tomonaga Masaki 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBoth humans and chimpanzees have better performances when recognizing faces or bodies when the stimuli are upright compared to inverted. This is called the inversion effect. It suggests that these two species use a specific way to process faces and bodies. Previous research has suggested that humans also show the inversion effect to objects that they have expertise about, and this is called the expert effect. We investigated whether chimpanzees show the expert effect and how humans and chimpanzees differ by testing chimpanzees (human experts) with human body stimuli and testing humans (chimpanzee experts) with chimpanzee and human body stimuli in body recognition tasks. The main finding was that humans (chimpanzee experts) showed the expert effect to chimpanzee bodies, while chimpanzees partially showed it to human bodies. This suggests that compared with chimpanzees, the special processing in humans can be more flexibly tuned for other objects. We also tested humans that were not chimpanzee experts using chimpanzee body stimuli. Although they showed similar performances as the chimpanzee experts, the two groups had differences in some situations, indicating the effect of expertise. This study revealed the important role of experience in object processing in humans, and our evolutionary relatives, chimpanzees.
Diagnostic performance of non-invasive, stool-based molecular assays in patients with paucibacillary tuberculosis
Authors: Gaur Mohita , Singh Anoop , Sharma Vishal , Tandon Gayatri , Bothra Ankur , Vasudeva Aarushi , Kedia Shreeya , Khanna Ashwani , Khanna Vishal , Lohiya Sheelu , Varma-Basil Mandira , Chaudhry Anil , Misra Richa , Singh Yogendra 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTimely diagnosis of paucibacillary tuberculosis (TB) which includes smear-negative pulmonary TB (PTB) and extra-pulmonary TB (EPTB) remains a challenge. This study was performed to assess the diagnostic utility of stool as a specimen of choice for detection of mycobacterial DNA in paucibacillary TB patients in a TB-endemic setting. Stool samples were collected from 246 subjects including 129 TB patients (62 PTB and 67 EPTB) recruited at TB hospital in Delhi, India. Diagnostic efficacy of stool IS6110 PCR (n = 228) was measured, using microbiologically/clinically confirmed TB as the reference standard. The clinical sensitivity of stool PCR was 97.22% (95% confidence interval (CI), 85.47-99.93) for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in stool samples of smear-positive PTB patients and 76.92% (CI, 56.35–91.03) in samples from smear-negative PTB patients. Overall sensitivity of PCR for EPTB was 68.66% (CI, 56.16–79.44), with the highest sensitivity for stool samples from patients with lymph node TB (73.5%), followed by abdominal TB (66.7%) and pleural effusion (56.3%). Stool PCR presented a specificity of 95.12%. The receiver operating characteristic curve also indicated the diagnostic utility of stool PCR in TB detection (AUC: 0.882). The performance characteristic of the molecular assay suggests that stool DNA testing has clinical value in detection of TB.
The internal cranial anatomy of Champsosaurus (Choristodera: Champsosauridae): Implications for neurosensory function
Authors: Dudgeon Thomas W. , Maddin Hillary C. , Evans David C. , Mallon Jordan C. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractAlthough isolated Champsosaurus remains are common in Upper Cretaceous sediments of North America, the braincase of these animals is enigmatic due to the fragility of their skulls. Here, two well-preserved specimens of Champsosaurus (CMN 8920 and CMN 8919) are CT scanned to describe their neurosensory structures and infer sensory capability. The anterior portion of the braincase was poorly ossified and thus does not permit visualization of a complete endocast; however, impressions of the olfactory stalks indicate that they were elongate and likely facilitated good olfaction. The posterior portion of the braincase is ossified and morphologically similar to that of other extinct diapsids. The absence of an otic notch and an expansion of the pars inferior of the inner ear suggests Champsosaurus was limited to detecting low frequency sounds. Comparison of the shapes of semicircular canals with lepidosaurs and archosauromorphs demonstrates that the semicircular canals of Champsosaurus are most similar to those of aquatic reptiles, suggesting that Champsosaurus was well adapted for sensing movement in an aquatic environment. This analysis also demonstrates that birds, non-avian archosauromorphs, and lepidosaurs possess significantly different canal morphologies, and represents the first morphometric analysis of semicircular canals across Diapsida.
Long-term potentiation prevents ketamine-induced aberrant neurophysiological dynamics in the hippocampus-prefrontal cortex pathway in vivo
Authors: Lopes-Aguiar Cleiton , Ruggiero Rafael N. , Rossignoli Matheus T. , Esteves Ingrid de Miranda , Peixoto-Santos José Eduardo , Romcy-Pereira Rodrigo N. , Leite João P. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractN-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAr) antagonists such as ketamine (KET) produce psychotic-like behavior in both humans and animal models. NMDAr hypofunction affects normal oscillatory dynamics and synaptic plasticity in key brain regions related to schizophrenia, particularly in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. It has been shown that prior long-term potentiation (LTP) occluded the increase of synaptic efficacy in the hippocampus-prefrontal cortex pathway induced by MK-801, a non-competitive NMDAr antagonist. However, it is not clear whether LTP could also modulate aberrant oscillations and short-term plasticity disruptions induced by NMDAr antagonists. Thus, we tested whether LTP could mitigate the electrophysiological changes promoted by KET. We recorded HPC-PFC local field potentials and evoked responses in urethane anesthetized rats, before and after KET administration, preceded or not by LTP induction. Our results show that KET promotes an aberrant delta-high-gamma cross-frequency coupling in the PFC and an enhancement in HPC-PFC evoked responses. LTP induction prior to KET attenuates changes in synaptic efficiency and prevents the increase in cortical gamma amplitude comodulation. These findings are consistent with evidence that increased efficiency of glutamatergic receptors attenuates cognitive impairment in animal models of psychosis. Therefore, high-frequency stimulation in HPC may be a useful tool to better understand how to prevent NMDAr hypofunction effects on synaptic plasticity and oscillatory coordination in cortico-limbic circuits.
The Amyloid-beta rich CNS environment alters myeloid cell functionality independent of their origin
Authors: Drost Natalia , Houtman Judith , Cseresnyés Zoltán , Niesner Raluca , Rinnenthal Jan-Leo , Miller Kelly R. , Prokop Stefan , Heppner Frank L. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractMicroglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS) survey their surroundings with their cytoplasmic processes, phagocytose debris and rapidly respond to injury. These functions are affected by the presence of beta-Amyloid (Aβ) deposits, hallmark lesions of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We recently demonstrated that exchanging functionally altered endogenous microglia with peripheral myeloid cells did not change Aβ-burden in a mouse model mimicking aspects of AD at baseline, and only mildly reduced Aβ plaques upon stimulation. To better characterize these different myeloid cell populations, we used long-term in vivo 2-photon microscopy to compare morphology and basic functional parameters of brain populating peripherally-derived myeloid cells and endogenous microglia. While peripherally-derived myeloid cells exhibited increased process movement in the non-diseased brain, the Aβ rich environment in an AD-like mouse model, which induced an alteration of surveillance functions in endogenous microglia, also restricted functional characteristics and response to CNS injury of newly recruited peripherally-derived myeloid cells. Our data demonstrate that the Aβ rich brain environment alters the functional characteristics of endogenous microglia as well as newly recruited peripheral myeloid cells, which has implications for the role of myeloid cells in disease and the utilization of these cells in Alzheimer’s disease therapy.
α-Lipoic acid induces Endoplasmic Reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis in hepatoma cells
Authors: Pibiri Monica , Sulas Pia , Camboni Tania , Leoni Vera Piera , Simbula Gabriella 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver cancer and a major cause of adult death. The current treatments for HCC suffer from drug resistance and poor prognosis; therefore, novel therapeutic agents are urgently needed. Phytochemicals have been proposed to treat a range of cancers. Among them, α-lipoic acid (α-LA), a naturally synthesized antioxidant found in various dietary animal and plant sources, prevents oxidant-mediated cell death in normal cells while inducing apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. Previously, we demonstrated that the treatment of hepatoma cells with α-LA induced apoptosis, which was preceded by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and activation of the p53 protein, a known inducer of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Several studies have shown that ROS-induced apoptosis is associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) activation. Herein, we investigated if α-LA-induced apoptosis in hepatoma cell lines was ER stress- and UPR-mediated by gene expression profiling analyses. UPR and ER stress pathways were the most up-regulated after treatment with α-LA. This finding, which has been confirmed by expression analyses of ER- and UPR-associated proteins, provides a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the anti-tumoral action of α-LA on hepatoma cells.
Nitrifying biofilms deprived of organic carbon show higher functional resilience to increases in carbon supply
Authors: Navada Sharada , Knutsen Maja F. , Bakke Ingrid , Vadstein Olav 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn nitrifying biofilms, the organic carbon to ammonia nitrogen (C/N) supply ratio can influence resource competition between heterotrophic and nitrifying bacteria for oxygen and space. We investigated the impact of acute and chronic changes in carbon supply on inter-guild competition in two moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBR), operated with (R1) and without (R0) external organic carbon supply. The microbial and nitrifying community composition of the reactors differed significantly. Interestingly, acute increases in the dissolved organic carbon inhibited nitrification in R1 ten times more than in R0. A sustained increase in the carbon supply decreased nitrification efficiency and increased denitrification activity to a greater extent in R1, and also increased the proportion of potential denitrifiers in both bioreactors. The findings suggest that autotrophic biofilms subjected to increases in carbon supply show higher nitrification and lower denitrification activity than carbon-fed biofilms. This has significant implications for the design of nitrifying bioreactors. Specifically, efficient removal of organic matter before the nitrification unit can improve the robustness of the bioreactor to varying influent quality. Thus, maintaining a low C/N ratio is important in nitrifying biofilters when acute carbon stress is expected or when anoxic activity (e.g. denitrification or H2S production) is undesirable, such as in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).
Revealing the air pollution burden associated with internal Migration in Peru
Authors: Carrasco-Escobar Gabriel , Schwarz Lara , Miranda J. Jaime , Benmarhnia Tarik 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThis study aims to quantify changes in outdoor (ambient) air pollution exposure from different migration patterns within Peru and quantify its effect on premature mortality. Data on ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Census data was used to calculate rates of within-country migration at the district level. We calculated differences in PM2.5exposure between “current” (2016–2017) and “origin” (2012) districts for each migration patterns. Using an exposure-response relationship for PM2.5extracted from a meta-analysis, and mortality rates from the Peruvian Ministry of Health, we quantified premature mortality attributable to each migration pattern. Changes in outdoor PM2.5exposure were observed between 2012 and 2016 with highest levels of PM2.5in the Department of Lima. A strong spatial autocorrelation of outdoor PM2.5values (Moran’s I = 0.847, p-value=0.001) was observed. In Greater Lima, rural-to-urban and urban-to-urban migrants experienced 10-fold increases in outdoor PM2.5exposure in comparison with non-migrants. Changes in outdoor PM2.5exposure due to migration drove 185 (95% CI: 2.7, 360) premature deaths related to air pollution, with rural-urban producing the highest risk of mortality from exposure to higher levels of ambient air pollution. Our results demonstrate that the rural-urban and urban-urban migrant groups have higher rates of air pollution-related deaths.
A novel highly active and reusable carbon based
platinum-ruthenium nanocatalyst for dimethylamine-borane dehydrogenation in water at
room conditions
Authors: Karatas Yasar , Acidereli Hilal , Gulcan Mehmet , Sen Fatih 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn this paper, we present platinum/ruthenium nanoparticles supported on
Vulcan carbon (PtRu@VC) as a nanocatalyst for the dehydrogenation of
dimethylamine-borane (DMAB) in aqueous solution under mild conditions. PtRu@VC
nanocatalyst was fabricated using the alcohol-reduction techniques which is a facile
and effective method. The prepared PtRu@VC nanocatalyst exhibited a good
stabilization and an effective catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution from the
DMAB dehydrogenation in water at room temperature. The composition of PtRu@VC
nanocatalyst was investigated using different analytical techniques inductively
coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), transmission electron
microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), powder
X-ray diffraction (P-XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A
monodispersedPt/Ru metals distributions on VC (as supporting material) were revealed
by TEM and HR-TEM analyses. The mean particle size of PtRu@VC nanocatalyst was found
to be 3.15 ± 0.76 nm. XPS analysis for PtRu@VC nanocatalyst showed that almost Pt-Ru
metals were found to be the metallic state. Catalytic experimental results showed
that PtRu@VC nanocatalyst has a high catalytic activity with an excellent turn-over
frequency (TOFinitial)
value of 14926.2 h−1
(248.77 min−1) in the dehydrogenation of DMAB in
water at room temperature. Additionally, in the paper, we report some different
kinetic data obtained from different experimental parameters of temperature,
catalyst and substrate concentrations conducted for DMAB dehydrogenation in water
catalyzed with PtRu@VC nanocatalyst.
Tagging enhances histochemical and biochemical detection of Ran Binding Protein 9 in vivo and reveals its interaction with Nucleolin
Authors: Soliman Shimaa H. A. , Stark Aaron E. , Gardner Miranda L. , Harshman Sean W. , Breece Chelssie C. , Amari Foued , Orlacchio Arturo , Chen Min , Tessari Anna , Martin Jennifer A. , Visone Rosa , Freitas Michael A. , La Perle Krista M. D. , Palmieri Dario , Coppola Vincenzo 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe lack of tools to reliably detect RanBP9 in vivo has significantly hampered progress in understanding the biological functions of this scaffold protein. We report here the generation of a novel mouse strain, RanBP9-TT, in which the endogenous protein is fused with a double (V5-HA) epitope tag at the C-terminus. We show that the double tag does not interfere with the essential functions of RanBP9. In contrast to RanBP9 constitutive knock-out animals, RanBP9-TT mice are viable, fertile and do not show any obvious phenotype. The V5-HA tag allows unequivocal detection of RanBP9 both by IHC and WB. Importantly, immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analyses reveal that the tagged protein pulls down known interactors of wild type RanBP9. Thanks to the increased detection power, we are also unveiling a previously unknown interaction with Nucleolin, a protein proposed as an ideal target for cancer treatment. In summary, we report the generation of a new mouse line in which RanBP9 expression and interactions can be reliably studied by the use of commercially available αtag antibodies. The use of this line will help to overcome some of the existing limitations in the study of RanBP9 and potentially unveil unknown functions of this protein in vivo such as those linked to Nucleolin.
Analysis of inter-system variability of systolic and diastolic intraventricular pressure gradients derived from color Doppler M-mode echocardiography
Authors: Hodzic Amir , Bonnefous Odile , Langet Hélène , Hamiche Walid , Chaufourier Laure , Tournoux Francois , Milliez Paul , Normand Hervé , Saloux Eric 
Published: April 2020

AbstractAssessment of intraventricular pressure gradients (IVPG) using color Doppler M-mode echocardiography has gained increasing interest in the evaluation of cardiac function. However, standardized analysis tools for IVPG quantification are missing. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility, the test-retest observer reproducibility, and the inter-system variability of a semi-automated IVPG quantification algorithm. The study included forty healthy volunteers (50% were men). All volunteers were examined using two ultrasound systems, the Philips Epiq 7 and the General Electric Vivid 6. Left ventricular diastolic (DIVPG) and systolic (SIVPG) intraventricular pressure gradients were measured from the spatiotemporal distribution of intraventricular propagation flow velocities using color Doppler M-mode in standard apical views. There was good feasibility for both systolic and diastolic IVPG measurements (82.5% and 85%, respectively). Intra and inter-observer test-retest variability measured with the intraclass correlation coefficient were 0.98 and 0.93 for DIVPG respectively, and 0.95 and 0.89 for SIVPG respectively. The inter-system concordance was weak to moderate with Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient of 0.59 for DIVPG and 0.25 for SIVPG. In conclusion, it is feasible and reproducible to assess systolic and diastolic IVPG using color Doppler M-mode in healthy volunteers. However, the inter-system variability in IVPG analysis needs to be taken into account, especially when using displayed data.