bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatial and Developmental Differentiation of Mannitol Dehydrogenase and Mannitol-1-Phosphate Dehydrogenase in Aspergillus niger
Authors: Aguilar-Osorio Guillermo , vanKuyk Patricia A. , Seiboth Bernhard , Blom Dirk , Solomon Peter S. , Vinck Arman , Kindt Frits , Wösten Han A. B. , de Vries Ronald P. 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

The presence of a mannitol cycle in fungi has been subject to discussion for many years. Recent studies have found no evidence for the presence of this cycle and its putative role in regenerating NADPH. However, all enzymes of the cycle could be measured in cultures of
Aspergillus niger
. In this study we have analyzed the localization of two enzymes from the pathway, mannitol dehydrogenase and mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase, and the expression of their encoding genes in nonsporulating and sporulating cultures of
A. niger
. Northern analysis demonstrated that
mpdA
was expressed in both sporulating and nonsporulating mycelia, while expression of
mtdA
was expressed only in sporulating mycelium. More detailed studies using green fluorescent protein and dTomato fused to the promoters of
mtdA
and
mpdA
, respectively, demonstrated that expression of
mpdA
occurs in vegetative hyphae while
mtdA
expression occurs in conidiospores. Activity assays for MtdA and MpdA confirmed the expression data, indicating that streaming of these proteins is not likely to occur. These results confirm the absence of the putative mannitol cycle in
A. niger
as two of the enzymes of the cycle are not present in the same part of
A. niger
colonies. The results also demonstrate the existence of spore-specific genes and enzymes in
A. niger
.
Genetic and Molecular Characterization of a Cryptochrome from the Filamentous Fungus Neurospora crassa
Authors: Froehlich Allan C. , Chen Chen-Hui , Belden William J. , Madeti Cornelia , Roenneberg Till , Merrow Martha , Loros Jennifer J. , Dunlap Jay C. 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

In plants and animals, cryptochromes function as either photoreceptors or circadian clock components. We have examined the cryptochrome from the filamentous fungus
Neurospora crassa
and demonstrate that
Neurospora cry
encodes a DASH-type cryptochrome that appears capable of binding flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and methenyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF). The
cry
transcript and CRY protein levels are strongly induced by blue light in a
wc-1
-dependent manner, and
cry
transcript is circadianly regulated, with a peak abundance opposite in phase to
frq
. Neither deletion nor overexpression of
cry
appears to perturb the free-running circadian clock. However,
cry
disruption knockout mutants show a small phase delay under circadian entrainment. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), we show that CRY is capable of binding single- and double-stranded DNA (ssDNA and dsDNA, respectively) and ssRNA and dsRNA. Whole-genome microarray experiments failed to identify substantive transcriptional regulatory activity of
cry
under our laboratory conditions.
RecA4142 Causes SOS Constitutive Expression by Loading onto Reversed Replication Forks inEscherichia coliK-12
Authors: Long Jarukit Edward , Massoni Shawn C. , Sandler Steven J. 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACTEscherichia coliinitiates the SOS response when single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) produced by DNA damage is bound by RecA and forms a RecA-DNA filament.recASOS constitutive [recA(Con)] mutants induce the SOS response in the absence of DNA damage. It has been proposed thatrecA(Con) mutants bind to ssDNA at replication forks, although the specific mechanism is unknown. Previously, it had been shown thatrecA4142(F217Y), a novelrecA(Con) mutant, was dependent on RecBCD for its high SOS constitutive [SOS(Con)] expression. This was presumably because RecA4142 was loaded at a double-strand end (DSE) of DNA. Herein, it is shown thatrecA4142SOS(Con) expression is additionally dependent onruvAB(replication fork reversal [RFR] activity only) andrecJ(5′→3′ exonuclease),xonA(3′→5′ exonuclease) and partially dependent onrecQ(helicase). Lastly,sbcCDmutations (Mre11/Rad50 homolog) inrecA4142strains caused full SOS(Con) expression in anruvAB-,recBCD-,recJ-, andxonA-independent manner. It is hypothesized that RuvAB catalyzes RFR, RecJ and XonA blunt the DSE (created by the RFR), and then RecBCD loads RecA4142 onto this end to produce SOS(Con) expression. InsbcCDmutants, RecA4142 can bind other DNA substrates by itself that are normally degraded by the SbcCD nuclease.
Thiol Peroxidase Protects
Salmonella enterica
from Hydrogen Peroxide Stress
In Vitro
and Facilitates Intracellular Growth
Authors: Horst Sarah A. , Jaeger Timo , Denkel Luisa A. , Rouf Syed Fazle , Rhen Mikael , Bange Franz-Christoph 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

At present,
Salmonella
is considered to express two peroxiredoxin-type peroxidases, TsaA and AhpC. Here we describe an additional peroxiredoxin, Tpx, in
Salmonella enterica
and show that a single
tpx
mutant is susceptible to exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H
2
O
2
), that it has a reduced capacity to degrade H
2
O
2
compared to the
ahpCF
and
tsaA
mutants, and that its growth is affected in activated macrophages. These results suggest that Tpx contributes significantly to the sophisticated defense system that the pathogen has evolved to survive oxidative stress.
GlnB/GlnK PII Proteins and Regulation of the
Sinorhizobium meliloti
Rm1021 Nitrogen Stress Response and Symbiotic Function
Authors: Yurgel Svetlana N. , Rice Jennifer , Mulder Monika , Kahn Michael L. 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

The
Sinorhizobium meliloti
Rm1021Δ
glnD
-sm2 mutant, which is predicted to make a GlnD nitrogen sensor protein truncated at its amino terminus, fixes nitrogen in symbiosis with alfalfa, but the plants cannot use this nitrogen for growth (S. N. Yurgel and M. L. Kahn, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 105:18958-18963, 2008). The mutant also has a generalized nitrogen stress response (NSR) defect. These results suggest a connection between GlnD, symbiotic metabolism, and the NSR, but the nature of this connection is unknown. In many bacteria, GlnD modifies the PII proteins, GlnB and GlnK, as it transduces a measurement of bacterial nitrogen status to a cellular response. We have now constructed and analyzed Rm1021 mutants missing GlnB, GlnK, or both proteins. Rm1021Δ
glnK
Δ
glnB
was much more defective in its NSR than either single mutant, suggesting that GlnB and GlnK overlap in regulating the NSR in free-living Rm1021. The single mutants and the double mutant all formed an effective symbiosis, indicating that symbiotic nitrogen exchange could occur without the need for either GlnB or GlnK. N-terminal truncation of the GlnD protein interfered with PII protein modification
in vitro
, suggesting either that unmodified PII proteins were responsible for the
glnD
mutant's ineffective phenotype or that connecting GlnD and appropriate symbiotic behavior does not require the PII proteins.
Quantitative PCR Assessments of Bacterial Species in Women with and without Bacterial Vaginosis
Authors: Zozaya-Hinchliffe Marcela , Lillis Rebecca , Martin David H. , Ferris Michael J. 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

Knowledge of the abundance of bacterial species in vaginal communities will help us to better understand their role in health and disease. However, progress in this field has been limited because quantifying bacteria in natural specimens is an arduous process. We developed quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays to facilitate assessments of bacterial abundance in vaginal specimens and evaluated the utility of these assays by measuring species abundance in patients whose vaginal floras were clinically described as normal, intermediate, or bacterial vaginosis (BV) as defined by Nugent's criteria. The qPCR measurements showed that
Lactobacillus
species were predominant in normal vaginal specimens and that high
Lactobacillus crispatus
and
Lactobacillus jensenii
abundance was specific to normal specimens, while
Lactobacillus iners
abundance was high in all categories including BV. The abundances of all non-
Lactobacillus
species were higher in BV specimens than in normal specimens.
Prevotella
species were prevalent in all specimens and represented a high percentage of total species in BV specimens. qPCR assays can be a useful tool for describing the structure of vaginal communities and elucidating their role in health and disease.
Isolation and Identification of ATP-Secreting Bacteria from Mice and Humans
Authors: Iwase Tadayuki , Shinji Hitomi , Tajima Akiko , Sato Fumiya , Tamura Taku , Iwamoto Takeo , Yoneda Minoru , Mizunoe Yoshimitsu 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

In a recent report, ATP, which was possibly secreted by some intestinal bacteria, was shown to cause colitis in mice via Th17 cell differentiation. However, the ATP-secreting bacteria have not been isolated and identified. In the present study, we report that
Enterococcus gallinarum
, which is a vancomycin-resistant Gram-positive coccus isolated from mice and humans, secretes ATP.
Prevalence of Rotavirus, Adenovirus, Norovirus, and Astrovirus Infections and Coinfections among Hospitalized Children in Northern France
Authors: Tran Adissa , Talmud Déborah , Lejeune Benoît , Jovenin Nicolas , Renois Fanny , Payan Christopher , Leveque Nicolas , Andreoletti Laurent 
Published: March 2010

ABSTRACT

From January to December 2007, 973 stool specimens were prospectively collected from children hospitalized for gastroenteritis signs or from neonates and premature cases who were born in two French hospital settings in the north of France. They were tested by rapid enzyme immunoassay (EIA) analyses for rotavirus and adenovirus and by two commercially available ELISA tests for the detection of norovirus and astrovirus. The overall rates of prevalence for rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus were 21, 13, 5, and 1.8%, respectively, and they did not significantly differ between the two hospital settings (
P
= 0.12). Mixed virus infections were detected in 32 (3.3%) of the 973 study children and were associated with norovirus in 21 (66%) infants, including 5 premature cases. From fall to spring, norovirus infections accounted for 52% of documented gastroenteritidis viral infections at a time when rotavirus was epidemic, resulting in mixed norovirus and rotavirus gastrointestinal tract infections. Of the 367 documented viral gastroenteritis cases, 15 (4.1%) were identified as nosocomial infections, 5 of which occurred in premature cases. These findings highlight the need to implement norovirus and astrovirus ELISA detection assays in association with rapid EIA rotavirus and adenovirus detection assays for the clinical diagnosis and the nosocomial prevention of gastroenteritis viral infections in pediatric departments.
From Cold War to Hotspots – The Changing Needs for Dissemination of International Humanitarian Law in Sweden
Authors: Lindvall Kristina , Hellman Cecilia 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThis article explores the past and current role of dissemination in Sweden of international humanitarian law (IHL) – focusing on the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Key questions are who the relevant actors in need of knowledge in IHL today are, and why dissemination still is important for Sweden, despite the end of the Cold War threat. The authors of this article argue that Sweden today lacks a thoroughlythought-out and modern approach to questions relating to dissemination, and that negligence in properly addressing and understanding the role of dissemination could lead to a weakening of Sweden's position as an adamant adherent and advocate of IHL. Today's complex world, with its diversified threats to national and international peace and security, calls for a revised and articulated position on dissemination of IHL.
Humanitarian and Military Action in Armed Conflict – Side by Side, not Hand in Hand
Authors: Jæger Tørris 
Published: March 2010

AbstractHumanitarian action in armed conflict faces a challenge as the distinction between humanitarian, other civilian and military action becomes increasingly blurred. It may imply that the security of humanitarian professionals is put at risk or that humanitarian actors do not reach all those in need. From a Red Cross perspective, it is both necessary and possible to single out humanitarian action based on neutrality, impartiality and independence with a view to gaining and maintaining access to all those with a need and right to humanitarian assistance and protection during armed conflict. Access to populations in need is based on trust by parties to a conflict that this access is intended and used exclusively for humanitarian purposes. This imposes restrictions on humanitarianactors not to engage in non-humanitarian activities and non-humanitarian actors not to engage in humanitarian activities. Only where there is no civil alternative and needs are real and critical can assistance be provided by e.g., military actors, if this assistance is provided without discrimination on a needs first and only basis. isrequires that assistance is not used to achieve non-humanitarian purposes, i.e., to win consent, gather intelligence, and so on. Red Cross experience shows that the provision of humanitarian assistance and protection requires expertise, capacity and competence specific to humanitarian organisations. This cannot be assumed by other actors with a different mandate or purpose without compromising the basic principles of humanitarian action: neutrality, impartiality and independence.
Dangerous Liaison? The Disappearing Dichotomy between Jus ad Bellum and in Bello
Authors: Österdahl Inger 
Published: March 2010

AbstractThis article investigates the inter-play between jus ad bellum and jus in bello in order to see what effects as to substance and structure that the inter-play may have on each field. The contact between the twofields of law will probably lead to modifications in each. Contrary to what is often presumed, in the relative competition between jus ad bellum and jus in bello, it may be very well be that jus in bello will emerge as the strongest body of norms. This, moreover, would seem the most likely development given the current focus on the suffering of civilians during armed conflict and the rise of human rights and humanitarian concernsgenerally in international law. Jus in bello may come to condition jus ad bellum and not the otherway round. This may make the disappearing dichotomy between jus ad bellum and in bello seem less threatening. A strengthened jus in bello and related concerns may even come to push jus ad bellum into irrelevance or obsolescence.
The EU Guidelines on Promoting Compliance with International Humanitarian Law
Authors: Wrange Pål 
Published: March 2010

AbstractIn 2005, the European Union (EU) adopted Guidelines on Promoting Compliance with International Humanitarian Law(IHL). The Guidelines are designed to be implemented by any officer in the foreign services of the EU, including its member states. After outlining the main features of IHL, the Guidelines have provisions on the decision-making process and on possible action to take. The Guidelines, which have been quite widely implemented according toa survey, should be an important tool in keeping IHL issues on the EU's agenda.
It is all in the Process: Reflections on the Relation between International Criminal Trials and International Humanitarian Law
Authors: Harhoff Frederik 
Published: March 2010

AbstractWhile much attention has been drawn all along to the substantial contribution by the jurisprudence of the international criminal tribunals to the development of international humanitarian law, the criminal legal procedural aspect of the tribunals' jurisprudence has been less prominent. The present article seeks to highlight the material importance of this much neglected aspect of the tribunal's jurisprudence. It illustrates the delicate interplay between the common law system and the civil law system and demonstrates how the latter is better suited to control very complex trials. It also explains why international criminal trials are inherently lengthier than criminal trials in domestic courts. Ultimately, the author argues, it is not sufficient to just agree on the crimes and how to define them; the real challenge lies in how you apply the evidence to these definitions.
Is the development of visual contrast sensitivity impaired in children with migraine? An exploratory study
Authors: Braunitzer Gábor , Rokszin Alice , Kóbor Jenő , Benedek György 
Published: March 2010

Introduction: Impairment of visual contrast sensitivity is a well-known phenomenon in adult migraineurs. Little is known, however, about whether contrast sensitivity deficits are already present in children with migraine. Methods: We conducted an exploratory study with 18 children with migraine without aura, in which we tested our subjects’ visual contrast sensitivity. Eighteen age- and sex-matched healthy children served as controls. Results: Among the youngest subjects (6–10 years) we found no significant differences at any of the spatial frequencies tested, as compared to the controls, whereas from the age of 10 on, migraineurs exhibited significantly poorer contrast sensitivity, especially at the lower spatial frequencies. Conclusion: To our knowledge, we are the first to report on such a deficit in children, and we conclude that our findings might be interpreted as reflecting an increased vulnerability of the visual system to migraine attacks as part of the migrainous endophenotype.
Long-Term Follow-Up of 24.5 Years After Intra-Articular Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Lateral Extra-Articular Augmentation
Authors: Pernin Jerome , Verdonk Peter , Si Selmi Tarik Aït , Massin Philippe , Neyret Philippe 
Published: March 2010

Background: Many studies have reported successful outcomes 10 to 15 years after ACL reconstruction. However, few authors report results at ultra long-term follow-up (more than 20 years of follow-up). Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine how the status of the medial meniscus and the medial compartment articular cartilage observed at the time of ACL reconstruction affects results more than 24 years after surgery. This article examines long-term outcome of ACL reconstruction with extra-articular augmentation (procedure performed through a medial arthrotomy). Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: One hundred of 148 patients reviewed at 11.5 years of follow-up could be reviewed at 24.5 years. Complete clinical and radiographic evaluation (International Knee Documentation Committee scale and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score) was performed. Results: The radiographic International Knee Documentation Committee rating was as follows: grade A, 39%; grade B, 7%; grade C, 27%; and grade D, 27%. Onset of osteoarthritis was correlated with medial meniscal status and femoral chondral defects at time of surgery. Conclusion: Total medial meniscectomy and articular cartilage damage were risk factors for osteoarthritis.
Clinical significance of low levels of minimal residual disease at the end of remission induction therapy in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Stow Patricia , Key Laura , Chen Xiaohua , Pan Qiulu , Neale Geoffrey A. , Coustan-Smith Elaine , Mullighan Charles G. , Zhou Yinmei , Pui Ching-Hon , Campana Dario 
Published: March 2010

AbstractMinimal residual disease (MRD) at the end of remission-induction therapy predicts relapse in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We examined the clinical significance of levels below the usual threshold value for MRD positivity (0.01%) in 455 children with B-lineage ALL, using polymerase chain reaction amplification of antigen-receptor genes capable of detecting at least 1 leukemic cell per 100 000 normal mononucleated cells (0.001%). Of the 455 clinical samples studied on day 46 of therapy, 139 (30.5%) had MRD 0.001% or more with 63 of these (45.3%) showing levels of 0.001% to less than 0.01%, whereas 316 (69.5%) had levels that were either less than 0.001% or undetectable. MRD measurements of 0.001% to less than 0.01% were not significantly related to presenting characteristics but were associated with a poorer leukemia cell clearance on day 19 of remission induction therapy. Patients with this low level of MRD had a 12.7% (± 5.1%; SE) cumulative risk of relapse at 5 years, compared with 5.0% (± 1.5%) for those with lower or undetectable MRD (P < .047). Thus, low levels of MRD (0.001%-< 0.01%) at the end of remission induction therapy have prognostic significance in childhood ALL, suggesting that patients with this finding should be monitored closely for adverse events.
Nitroprusside modulates pulmonary vein arrhythmogenic activity
Authors: Lin Yung-Kuo , Lu Yen-Yu , Chen Yao-Chang , Chen Yi-Jen , Chen Shih-Ann 
Published: March 2010

AbstractBackgroundPulmonary veins (PVs) are the most important sources of ectopic beats with the initiation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, or the foci of ectopic atrial tachycardia and focal atrial fibrillation. Elimination of nitric oxide (NO) enhances cardiac triggered activity, and NO can decrease PV arrhythmogensis through mechano-electrical feedback. However, it is not clear whether NO may have direct electrophysiological effects on PV cardiomyocytes. This study is aimed to study the effects of nitroprusside (NO donor), on the ionic currents and arrhythmogenic activity of single cardiomyocytes from the PVs.MethodsSingle PV cardiomyocytes were isolated from the canine PVs. The action potential and ionic currents were investigated in isolated single canine PV cardiomyocytes before and after sodium nitroprusside (80 μM,) using the whole-cell patch clamp technique.ResultsNitroprusside decreased PV cardiomyocytes spontaneous beating rates from 1.7 ± 0.3 Hz to 0.5 ± 0.4 Hz in 9 cells (P < 0.05); suppressed delayed afterdepolarization in 4 (80%) of 5 PV cardiomyocytes. Nitroprusside inhibited L-type calcium currents, transient outward currents and transient inward current, but increased delayed rectified potassium currents.ConclusionNitroprusside regulates the electrical activity of PV cardiomyocytes, which suggests that NO may play a role in PV arrhythmogenesis.