bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cytochrome P450arom, androgen and estrogen receptors in pig sperm
Authors: Rago Vittoria , Aquila Saveria , Panza Rocco , Carpino Amalia 
Published: June 2007

AbstractBackgroundAndrogens and estrogens are crucial for mammalian sperm differentiation but their role in biology of mature male gamete is not still defined. The expression of proteins involved in the biosynthesis and action of these steroid hormones has been demonstrated in human spermatozoa, but very few data have been reported in mature sperm from non human species. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the expression of aromatase (P450arom), estrogen (ERalpha/ERbeta) and androgen (AR) receptors in ejaculated spermatozoa of pig.MethodsThe immunfluorescence experiments were carried out treating pig sperm with anti-P450arom, anti-ERalpha, anti-ERbeta and anti-AR as primary antibodies, while Texas-Red/FITC conjugated IgG were applied as secondary antibodies. Furthermore, Western blot analysis was performed on sperm lysates.ResultsAromatase was immunolocalized in the sperm tail, ERalpha and AR were localised in the sperm midpiece, while ERbeta was confined in the acrosomal region of the male gamete. Immunoblots detected a ~52 kDa aromatase band, a ~110 kDa AR band, a ~67 kDa ERalpha and two ERbeta bands, at ~50 kDa and ~59 kDa.ConclusionThis is the first report demonstrating that pig ejaculated spermatozoa express aromatase, estrogen and androgen receptors with a differential intra-cellular localization revealing a specie-specific expression pattern. Therefore, pig sperm could be considered as a potential estrogen source while the different hormone cellular sites suggest distinct roles of androgens and estrogens in pig sperm physiology.
Expression pattern analysis of transcribed HERV sequences is complicated by ex vivorecombination
Authors: Flockerzi Aline , Maydt Jochen , Frank Oliver , Ruggieri Alessia , Maldener Esther , Seifarth Wolfgang , Medstrand Patrik , Lengauer Thomas , Meyerhans Andreas , Leib-Mösch Christine , Meese Eckart , Mayer Jens 
Published: June 2007

Abstract

Background
The human genome comprises numerous human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) that formed millions of years ago in ancestral species. A number of loci of the HERV-K(HML-2) family are evolutionarily much younger. A recent study suggested an infectious HERV-K(HML-2) variant in humans and other primates. Isolating such a variant from human individuals would be a significant finding for human biology.

Results
When investigating expression patterns of specific HML-2 proviruses we encountered HERV-K(HML-2) cDNA sequences without proviral homologues in the human genome, named HERV-KX, that could very well support recently suggested infectious HML-2 variants. However, detailed sequence analysis, using the software RECCO, suggested that HERV-KX sequences were produced by recombination, possibly arising ex vivo, between transcripts from different HML-2 proviral loci.

Conclusion
As RT-PCR probably will be instrumental for isolating an infectious HERV-K(HML-2) variant, generation of "new" HERV-K(HML-2) sequences by ex vivo recombination seems inevitable. Further complicated by an unknown amount of allelic sequence variation in HERV-K(HML-2) proviruses, newly identified HERV-K(HML-2) variants should be interpreted very cautiously.
Detection of virus mRNA within infected host cells using an isothermal nucleic acid amplification assay: marine cyanophage gene expression within Synechococcus sp
Authors: Wharam Susan D , Hall Matthew J , Wilson William H 
Published: June 2007

Abstract

Background
Signal-Mediated Amplification of RNA Technology (SMART) is an isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology, developed for the detection of specific target sequences, either RNA (for expression) or DNA. Cyanophages are viruses that infect cyanobacteria. Marine cyanophages are ubiquitous in the surface layers of the ocean where they infect members of the globally important genus Synechococcus.

Results
Here we report that the SMART assay allowed us to differentiate between infected and non-infected host cultures. Expression of the cyanophage strain S-PM2 portal vertex gene (g20) was detected from infected host Synechococcus sp. WH7803 cells. Using the SMART assay, we demonstrated that g20 mRNA peaked 240 – 360 minutes post-infection, allowing us to characterise this as a mid to late transcript. g20 DNA was also detected, peaking 10 hours post-infection, coinciding with the onset of host lysis.

Conclusion
The SMART assay is based on isothermal nucleic acid amplification, allowing the detection of specific sequences of DNA or RNA. It was shown to be suitable for differentiating between virus-infected and non-infected host cultures and for the detection of virus gene expression: the first reported use of this technology for such applications.
Clearance of an immunosuppressive virus from the CNS coincides with immune reanimation and diversification
Authors: Lauterbach Henning , Truong Phi , McGavern Dorian B 
Published: June 2007

AbstractOnce a virus infection establishes persistence in the central nervous system (CNS), it is especially difficult to eliminate from this specialized compartment. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to fully understand scenarios during which a persisting virus is ultimately purged from the CNS by the adaptive immune system. Such a scenario can be found following infection of adult mice with an immunosuppressive variant of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) referred to as clone 13. In this study we demonstrate that following intravenous inoculation, clone 13 rapidly infected peripheral tissues within one week, but more slowly inundated the entire brain parenchyma over the course of a month. During the establishment of persistence, we observed that genetically tagged LCMV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) progressively lost function; however, the severity of this loss in the CNS was never as substantial as that observed in the periphery. One of the most impressive features of this model system is that the peripheral T cell response eventually regains functionality at ~60–80 days post-infection, and this was associated with a rapid decline in virus from the periphery. Coincident with this "reanimation phase" was a massive influx of CD4 T and B cells into the CNS and a dramatic reduction in viral distribution. In fact, olfactory bulb neurons served as the last refuge for the persisting virus, which was ultimately purged from the CNS within 200 days post-infection. These data indicate that a functionally revived immune response can prevail over a virus that establishes widespread presence both in the periphery and brain parenchyma, and that therapeutic enhancement of an existing response could serve as an effective means to thwart long term CNS persistence.
Matching Receptome Genes with Their Ligands for Surveying Paracrine/Autocrine Signaling Systems
Authors: Ben-Shlomo Izhar , Rauch Rami , Avsian-Kretchmer Orna , Hsueh Aaron J. W. 
Published: June 2007

AbstractSequencing of genomes from diverse organisms facilitates studies on the repertoire of genes involved in intercellular signaling. Extending previous efforts to annotate most human plasma membrane receptors in the Human Plasma Membrane Receptome database, we matched cognate ligands with individual receptors by surveying the published literature. In the updated online database we called “liganded receptome,” users can search for individual ligands or receptors to reveal their pairing partners and browse through receptor or ligand families to identify relationships between ligands and receptors in their respective families. Because local signaling systems are prevalent in diverse normal and diseased tissues, we used the liganded receptome knowledgebase to interrogate DNA microarray datasets for genome-wide analyses of potential paracrine/autocrine signaling systems. In addition to viewing ligand-receptor coexpression based on precomputed DNA microarray data, users can submit their own microarray data to perform online genome-wide searches for putative paracrine/autocrine signaling systems. Investigation of transcriptome data based on liganded receptome allows the discovery of paracrine/autocrine signaling for known ligand-receptor pairs in previously uncharacterized tissues or developmental stages. The present annotation of ligand-receptor pairs also identifies orphan receptors and ligands without known interacting partners in select families. Because hormonal ligands within the same family usually interact with paralogous receptors, this genomic approach could also facilitate matching of orphan receptors and ligands. The liganded receptome is accessible at http://receptome.stanford.edu.
Coactivation of Janus Tyrosine Kinase (Jak)1 Positively Modulates Prolactin-Jak2 Signaling in Breast Cancer: Recruitment of ERK and Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (Stat)3 and Enhancement of Akt and Stat5a/b Pathways
Authors: Neilson Lynn M. , Zhu Jianquong , Xie Jianwu , Malabarba M. Grazia , Sakamoto Kazuhito , Wagner Kay-Uwe , Kirken Robert A. , Rui Hallgeir 
Published: June 2007

AbstractProlactin (PRL) receptors (PRLRs) have been considered selective activators of Janus tyrosine kinase (Jak)2 but not Jak1, Jak3, or Tyk2. We now report marked PRL-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Jak1, in addition to Jak2, in a series of human breast cancer cell lines, including T47D, MCF7, and SKBR3. In contrast, PRL did not activate Jak1 in immortalized, noncancerous breast epithelial lines HC11, MCF10A, ME16C, and HBL-100, or in CWR22Rv1 prostate cancer cells or MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. However, introduction of exogenous PRLR into MCF10A, ME16C, or MDA-MB-231 cells reconstituted both PRL-Jak1 and PRL-Jak2 signals. In vitro kinase assays verified that PRL stimulated enzymatic activity of Jak1 in T47D cells, and PRL activated Jak1 and Jak2 with indistinguishable time and dose kinetics. Relative Jak2 deficiency did not cause PRLR activation of Jak1, because overexpression of Jak2 did not interfere with PRL activation of Jak1. Instead, PRL activated Jak1 through a Jak2-dependent mechanism, based on disruption of PRL activation of Jak1 after Jak2 suppression by 1) lentiviral delivery of Jak2 short hairpin RNA, 2) adenoviral delivery of dominant-negative Jak2, and 3) AG490 pharmacological inhibition. Finally, suppression of Jak1 by lentiviral delivery of Jak1 short hairpin RNA blocked PRL activation of ERK and signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat)3 and suppressed PRL activation of Jak2, Stat5a, Stat5b, and Akt, as well as tyrosine phosphorylation of PRLR. The data suggest that PRL activation of Jak1 represents a novel, Jak2-dependent mechanism that may serve as a regulatory switch leading to PRL activation of ERK and Stat3 pathways, while also serving to enhance PRL-induced Stat5a/b and Akt signaling.
Visual Detection of Cyanide through Intramolecular Hydrogen Bond
Authors: Lee Kyung-Sik , Lee Jong Tak , Hong Jong-In , Kim Hae-Jo 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
An azo compound based on salicylaldehyde displays a red color upon binding to the cyanide anion with micromolar sensitivity. The high affinity is caused by an intramolecular hydrogen bond of phenol hydrogen to carbonyl oxygen, which stabilizes the anionic character of the intermediate during the nucleophilic attack of a cyanide anion.
Development of an assay for the intermembrane transfer of cholesterol by Niemann-Pick C2 protein
Authors: Babalola Jonathan O. , Wendeler Michaela , Breiden Bernadette , Arenz Christoph , Schwarzmann Guenter , Locatelli-Hoops Silvia , Sandhoff Konrad 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
Niemann-Pick type C disease is an inherited fatal disorder characterized by the accumulation of unesterified cholesterol and other lipids in the endosomal/lysosomal compartment. Two independent genes responsible for this neurodegenerative disorder have been identified, but the precise functions of the encoded Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) and C2 (NPC2) proteins are not yet known. We developed a cell-free assay for measuring intermembrane lipid transport and examined the ability of bovine NPC2 (bNPC2) for intermembrane cholesterol transfer. NPC2 specifically extracts cholesterol from phospholipid bilayers and catalyzes intermembrane transfer to acceptor vesicles in a dose- and time-dependent manner. This transfer activity is dependent on temperature, pH, ionic strength, lipid composition of the model membranes, and the ratio of donor to acceptor vesicles. In model membranes, the presence of the lysosomal anionic phospholipids bis(monooleoylglycero)phosphate and phosphatidyl inositol significantly stimulated cholesterol transfer by NPC2, whereas bis(monomyristoylglycero)phosphate, phosphatidyl serine, and phosphatidic acid had no effect. Moreover, ceramide stimulated cholesterol transfer slightly, whereas sphingomyelin reduced cholesterol transfer rates. With our assay system we identified for the first time the ability of other lysosomal proteins, most notably the GM2-activator protein, to mediate intermembrane cholesterol transfer. This assay system promises to be a valuable tool for further quantitative and mechanistic studies of protein-mediated lipid transfer.
Inhibition of inducible tumor necrosis factor-α expression by the fungal epipolythiodiketopiperazine gliovirin
Authors: Rether Jan , Serwe Annegret , Anke Timm , Erkel Gerhard 
Published: June 2007

AbstractTNF-α is a major pro-inflammatory cytokine that regulates further cytokine induction, especially of IL-1 and IL-6, in many human diseases including cancer, inflammation and immune disorders. In a search for new inhibitors of inducibleTNF-αpromoter activity and expression, cultures of the imperfect fungusTrichoderma harzianumwere found to produce gliovirin, a previously isolated epipolythiodiketopiperazine. Gliovirin inhibited inducibleTNF-αpromoter activity and synthesis in LPS/IFN-γ-stimulated macrophages/monocytes and Jurkat T-cells, co-stimulated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)/ionomycin, in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50values ranging from 0.21 to 2.1 μM (0.1–1 μg/ml). Studies on the mode of action revealed that gliovirin suppresses TNF-α synthesis by inhibiting the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), thereby blocking the pathway leading to activation of the transcription factors AP-1 and NF-κB, the latter of which is involved in the inducible expression of many pro-inflammatory genes. Gliovirin also significantly reduced TPA/ionomycin-inducedIL-2mRNA levels and synthesis in Jurkat cells at low micromolar concentrations.
Cantonese e-discourse: A new hybrid variety of English
Authors: Fung Loretta , Carter Ronald 
Published: June 2007

Abstract
While English remains the most dominant language used on the Internet, studies have primarily investigated computer-mediated interactions in English. Little linguistic research has, however, investigated how English and other languages interact online. Based on a 20,000-word corpus of private ICQ (‘I Seek You’) data, this paper analyses the online linguistic strategies and features of eighteen NNS university students from Hong Kong studying in Britain. The study witnesses the evolution of a new hybrid variety of English, an emergent bimodality with an informal speakerly style produced in a context of synchronicity. The findings demonstrate how the interlocutors adopt and adapt conventions of oral and written discourse to interact creatively in a context with spatio-temporal constraints in order to co-construct interpersonal convergence and to express their cultural identity. The speech modifications and linguistic play evidenced within code-switching, borrowing of Cantonese discourse markers, relexicalisation, and prosodic effects can be considered part of an e-discourse repertoire used to achieve interactional purposes and to articulate cultural identity.
So, und so, und so weiter. Vom Sinn und Unsinn der Wortklassifikation / So, und so, und so weiter. On the purpose and nonsense of part-of-speech classification
Authors: Hennig Mathilde 
Published: June 2007

AbstractThe article addresses the empirical problem of part-of-speech classification. In order to illustrate this problem, the study presents an analysis of 100 instances of the use of
Dmitri Zakharine: Von Angesicht zu Angesicht. Der Wandel direkter Kommunikation in derostund westeuropäischen Neuzeit. / From Face to Face. The change of direct communication in East and Western European modern times
Authors: Hermanns Fritz 
Published: June 2007

AbstractSo ein dickes Biest von Buch! 637 Seiten, ohne das Literaturverzeichnis und das Sachregister, die noch hinzukommen. Wer wird das von vorn bis hinten lesen? Wohl nur ExpertInnen für das nonverbale Kommunikationsverhalten – denn das ist das Thema dieses Buches – in Ost- und in Westeuropa ab dem 16. Jahrhundert bis ungefähr 1900, d.h. KulturwissenschaftlerInnen, die auf diese Kulturräume und auf diesen Zeitraum spezialisiert sind. Zwar kann ich versichern, aufgrund eigener Leseerfahrung, dass sich die vollständige Lektüre dieses Buches auch für andere Kommunikations- und KulturwissenschaftlerInnen lohnen würde, hege aber wenig Hoffnung, damit zusätzliche LeserInnen für das ganze Buch werben zu können. Alle KollegInnen, die ich kenne, haben für die eigene Horizonterweiterung und Weiterbildung außerhalb der eigenen Forschungsgebiete kaum noch Energie- und Zeitreserven und müssen schon froh sein, wenn sie es nur schaffen, jedenfalls in ihrem allerengsten Wissenschaftsbereich mit der Buch- und Artikelproduktion durch die Lektüre alles Einschlägigen mitzuhalten. Ich empfehle deshalb das Buch von Zakharine meiner germanistisch-linguistischen Fachmitgenossenschaft nur erstens zur Anschaffung (der Preis von rund 60 Euro ist gerade noch erträglich), zweitens zum Nachschlagen, drittens aber auch zum darin Stöbern oder Schmökern. Für die potenziellen LeserInnen, die darin nur entweder nachschlagen oder kursiv stöbernd lesen wollen werden, schreibe ich hier.
Language History from Below. Linguistic Variation in the Germanic Languages from 1700–2000, University of Bristol, 6–8 April 2005
Authors: Auer Anita , Freienstein Jan Claas 
Published: June 2007

AbstractIm Anschluss an die zwei Jahre zuvor an der University of Bristol abgehaltene Konferenz zum Thema „Sprachpurismus“ (vgl. ZGL 31, 2003, 310-316) gingen auf Einladung von
POTENTIAL FOR SELF‐DEFEATING BIOLOGICAL CONTROL? VARIATION IN HERBIVORE VULNERABILITY AMONG INVASIVE SPARTINA GENOTYPES
Authors: Garcia-Rossi Dino , Rank Nathan , Strong Donald R. 
Published: June 2007

Invasive species can experience strong selection in their new environments. Some populations of invasive Spartina spp. cordgrass in Pacific estuaries have been separated from the specialist planthopper Prokelisia marginata for many generations while virtually no native populations, in estuaries of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America, have experienced this separation. Contemplating the implications for biological control, we compared native cordgrass populations for resistance and tolerance to the planthopper with invasive ones that have been separated from the herbivore from many generations.We found that plant genotypes varied more in their ability to resist and support planthoppers in a population that had been separated from the herbivore for many generations (in Willapa Bay, Washington, USA) than in one that had been consistently exposed to the herbivore (in San Francisco Bay, California, USA). In the former, some plant genotypes experienced >50% shoot mortality while others experienced none. In contrast, in the latter no genotype experienced >20% shoot mortality. Population growth rates of the herbivore paralleled this pattern among plant genotypes from the two populations. Extending previous observations, we found generally lower resistance and tolerance among six (nonnative) cordgrass populations that have been long‐separated from the planthopper than in six (native) cordgrass populations that had been consistently exposed to it.One Willapa Bay genotype of S. alterniflora was quite tolerant of the planthopper while lacking resistance; the high densities of the insect that grew on this genotype did it virtually no harm. Plant genotypes with this combination of traits are insidious to biological control. Initially they could contribute to control by fostering herbivores that harm vulnerable genotypes. However, as these tolerant plant genotypes increase in frequency, the effectiveness of biological control would decrease. Prokelisia marginata has recently been released in Willapa Bay for biological control of S. alterniflora. Our findings of tolerant but nonresistant genetic cordgrass variants suggest the need for complementary chemical and/or mechanical control of less vulnerable genotypes. Attention to the frequency and nature of genetic variation in vulnerability to natural enemies in target species is germane to both the science and the practice of biological control.
CANOPY DAMAGE AND RECOVERY AFTER SELECTIVE LOGGING IN AMAZONIA: FIELD AND SATELLITE STUDIES
Authors: Asner Gregory P. , Keller Michael , Pereira, Jr Rodrigo , Zweede Johan C. , Silva Jose N. M. 
Published: June 2007

We combined a detailed field study of canopy gap fraction with spectral mixture analyses of Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite imagery to assess landscape and regional dynamics of canopy damage following selective logging in an eastern Amazon forest. Our field studies encompassed measurements of ground damage and canopy gap fractions along multitemporal sequences of post‐harvest regrowth of 0.5–3.5 yr. Areas used to stage harvested logs prior to transport, called log decks, had the largest forest gap fractions, but their contribution to the landscape‐level gap dynamics was minor. Tree falls were spatially the most extensive form of canopy damage following selective logging, but the canopy gap fractions resulting from them were small. Reduced‐impact logging resulted in consistently less damage to the forest canopy than did conventional logging practices. This was true at the level of individual landscape strata such as roads, skids, and tree falls as well as at the area‐integrated scale.A spectral mixture model was employed that utilizes bundles of field and image spectral reflectance measurements with Monte Carlo analysis to estimate high spatial resolution (subpixel) cover of forest canopies, exposed nonphotosynthetic vegetation, and soils in the Landsat imagery. The method proved highly useful for quantifying forest canopy cover fraction in log decks, roads, skids, tree fall, and intact forest areas, and it tracked canopy damage up to 3.5 yr post‐harvest. Forest canopy cover fractions derived from the satellite observations were highly and inversely correlated with field‐based canopy gap fraction. Subsequent regional‐scale estimates of forest gap fraction were derived from the combination of field‐ and satellite‐based measurements. A 450‐km2 study of gap fraction showed that approximately one‐half of the canopy opening caused by logging is closed within one year of regrowth following timber harvests. This is the first regional‐scale study utilizing field measurements, satellite observations, and models to quantify forest canopy damage and recovery following selective logging in the Amazon.