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PloS One 2020Transcriptomic responses of plants to weed presence gives insight on the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in the stress response. This study evaluated...
Teosinte (Zea mays ssp parviglumis) growth and transcriptomic response to weed stress identifies similarities and differences between varieties and with modern maize varieties.
Transcriptomic responses of plants to weed presence gives insight on the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in the stress response. This study evaluated transcriptomic and morphological responses of two teosinte (Zea mays ssp parviglumis) (an ancestor of domesticated maize) lines (Ames 21812 and Ames 21789) to weed presence and absence during two growing seasons. Responses were compared after 6 weeks of growth in Aurora, South Dakota, USA. Plant heights between treatments were similar in Ames 21812, whereas branch number decreased when weeds were present. Ames 21789 was 45% shorter in weedy vs weed-free plots, but branch numbers were similar between treatments. Season-long biomass was reduced in response to weed stress in both lines. Common down-regulated subnetworks in weed-stressed plants were related to light, photosynthesis, and carbon cycles. Several unique response networks (e.g. aging, response to chitin) and gene sets were present in each line. Comparing transcriptomic responses of maize (determined in an adjacent study) and teosinte lines indicated three common gene ontologies up-regulated when weed-stressed: jasmonic acid response/signaling, UDP-glucosyl and glucuronyltransferases, and quercetin glucosyltransferase (3-O and 7-O). Overall, morphologic and transcriptomic differences suggest a greater varietal (rather than a conserved) response to weed stress, and implies multiple responses are possible. These findings offer insights into opportunities to define and manipulate gene expression of several different pathways of modern maize varieties to improve performance under weedy conditions.
Topics: Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene Ontology; Light; Photosynthesis; Plant Weeds; Stress, Physiological; Transcriptome; Zea mays
PubMed: 32822374
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237715 -
Frontiers in Plant Science 2021L. is the dominant species in the Mediterranean forest and agrosilvopastoral ecosystem "." Currently, this forest species is threatened by natural and anthropogenic...
L. is the dominant species in the Mediterranean forest and agrosilvopastoral ecosystem "." Currently, this forest species is threatened by natural and anthropogenic agents, especially by the decline syndrome, which is caused by and drought periods. Although the morphological and physiological responses of to combined stress ( and drought) have been examined already, little is known at the molecular level. In this study, we studied the effect and response of 8-month seedlings from three contrasting Andalusian populations (Seville [Se], Granada [Gr], and Almeria [Al]) to the individual and combined stresses of and drought from morphological, physiological, biochemical, and proteomics data. Whereas, seedling damage (leaf chlorosis and necrosis) and mortality were greater under the combined stresses in the three populations, the effect of each individual stress was population-dependent. Resilient individuals were found in all the populations at different percentages. The decrease in leaf chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic activity, and stomatal conductance observed in undamaged seedlings was greater in the presence of both stresses, the three populations responding similarly to drought and . Biochemical and proteomic analyses of undamaged seedlings from the two most markedly contrasting populations (Se and Al) revealed the absence of significant differences in the contents in photosynthetic pigments, amino acids, and phenolics among treatments. The Se and Al populations exhibited changes in protein profile in response to the different treatments, with 83 variable proteins in the former population and 223 in the latter. Variable proteins belonged to 16 different functional groups, the best represented among which were protein folding, sorting and degradation, carbohydrate, amino acid, and secondary metabolism, photosynthesis, and ROS scavenging. While photosynthetic proteins were mainly downaccumulated, those of stress-responsive were upaccumulated. Although no treatment-specific response was observed in any functional group, differences in abundance were especially marked under the combined stresses. The following variable proteins are proposed as putative markers for resilience in , namely, aldehyde dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, 50S ribosomal protein L5, and α-1,4-glucan-protein synthase [UDP-forming].
PubMed: 34490021
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.722802 -
The Journal of Investigative... Sep 1999Photopheresis is a leukapheresis-based therapy that utilizes 8-methoxypsoralen and ultraviolet A irradiation. Photopheresis is currently available at approximately 150... (Review)
Review
Photopheresis is a leukapheresis-based therapy that utilizes 8-methoxypsoralen and ultraviolet A irradiation. Photopheresis is currently available at approximately 150 medical centers worldwide. Recent evidence suggests that this therapy used as a single agent may significantly prolong life, as well as induce a 50%-75% response rate among individuals with advanced cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL). Furthermore, a 20%-25% complete response rate with photopheresis alone, or in combination with other biologic response modifiers, has been obtained at our institution among patients with Sezary syndrome. These complete responses have been characterized by the complete disappearance of morphologically atypical cells from the skin and blood. The use of sensitive molecular techniques has also confirmed the sustained disappearance of the malignant T cell clone from the blood of patients with complete responses. In addition to the treatment of CTCL, numerous reports indicate that photopheresis is a potent agent in the therapy of acute allograft rejection among cardiac, lung, and renal transplant recipients. Chronic graft versus host disease also appears to be quite responsive to photopheresis therapy. Likewise, there may also be a potential role for photopheresis in the therapy of certain autoimmune diseases that are poorly responsive to conventional therapy. The immunologic basis for the responses of patients with these conditions is likely due to the induction of anticlonotypic immunity directed against pathogenic clones of T lymphocytes. Treatment-induced apoptotic death of pathogenic T cells and activation of antigen presenting cells are postulated to have important effects in this therapeutic process.
Topics: Animals; Autoimmune Diseases; Graft Rejection; Humans; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous; Photopheresis; Skin Neoplasms
PubMed: 10537015
DOI: 10.1038/sj.jidsp.5640188 -
Indian Journal of Hematology & Blood... Jan 2023Purpose of current study was to categorize WHO defined B-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) cases into 3 cytogenetic risk groups (good, intermediate and poor) and to...
Purpose of current study was to categorize WHO defined B-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) cases into 3 cytogenetic risk groups (good, intermediate and poor) and to see their correlation with age, NCI risk criteria and treatment response. Clinical and diagnostic details were collected for 78 newly diagnosed B-ALL patients which included bone marrow morphology, flow cytometry immunophenotyping, karyotyping, FISH and RT-PCR. Study cohort comprised 44/78 (56.4%) children including 3 infants and 34/78 (43.6%) adults. Median age for paediatric group was 6 years (3 months-17 years) and for adults was 40.5 years (18 to 75 years). According to NCI risk criteria, excluding infants, 54 (72%) were high risk and 21 (28%) were standard risk. Clonal cytogenetic abnormality was detected in 59/78 cases (75.6%), while 19/78 (24.4%) cases showed normal karyotype. There was significant association of cytogenetic risk groups to age distribution ( value < 0.001) and NCI risk groups ( value < 0.001). There was no significant correlation of CNS involvement with cytogenetic risk groups ( = 0.064). Association of Day 8 steroid response and Day 15 bone marrow status with cytogenetic risk groups was significant ( = 0.006 and = 0.003 respectively). Post treatment bone marrow status on Day 33 and Day 79 was available for 52 and 42 cases respectively. 9 adults died during induction phase. Day 33 post induction morphological remission was achieved in 51/52 cases (98%) and 1/52 (2.0%) were not in remission. Day 79 post induction morphological remission was achieved in 41/42 cases (98%) and 1/42 (2.0%) were not in remission. Day 33 or End of induction flow MRD (measurable residual disease) was negative in 39/52 (75.0%) patients and positive in 13/52 (25.0%) patients. Day 79 flow MRD was negative in 37/42 (88.1%) and positive in 5/42 (11.9%). Cytogenetic risk groups showed statistically significant Day 33 and Day 79 treatment response (morphologic remission: = 0.009 and 0.003, flow MRD: = 0.004 and = 0.012 respectively). We concluded that cytogenetic risk groups showed statistically significant association with age, NCI risk criteria and treatment response.
PubMed: 36699427
DOI: 10.1007/s12288-022-01541-1 -
MBio Oct 2021The pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans produces polyploid titan cells in response to the host lung environment that are critical for host adaptation and subsequent...
The pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans produces polyploid titan cells in response to the host lung environment that are critical for host adaptation and subsequent disease. We analyzed the and cell cycles to identify key aspects of the C. neoformans cell cycle that are important for the formation of titan cells. We identified unbudded 2C cells, referred to as a G arrest, produced both and in response to various stresses. Deletion of the nonessential cyclin Cln1 resulted in overproduction of titan cells and transient morphology defects upon release from stationary phase . Using a copper-repressible promoter strain and a two-step titan cell formation assay, our studies revealed Cln1 functions after the G arrest. These studies highlight unique cell cycle alterations in C. neoformans that ultimately promote genomic diversity and virulence in this important fungal pathogen. Dysregulation of the cell cycle underlies many human genetic diseases and cancers, yet numerous organisms, including microbes, also manipulate the cell cycle to generate both morphologic and genetic diversity as a natural mechanism to enhance their chances for survival. The eukaryotic pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans generates morphologically distinct polyploid titan cells critical for host adaptation and subsequent disease. We analyzed the C. neoformans and cell cycles to identify changes required to generate the polyploid titan cells. C. neoformans paused cell cycle progression in response to various environmental stresses after DNA replication and before morphological changes associated with cell division, referred to as a G arrest. Release from this G arrest was coordinated by the cyclin Cln1. Reduced expression after the G arrest was associated with polyploid titan cell production. These results demonstrate a mechanism to generate genomic diversity in eukaryotic cells through manipulation of the cell cycle that has broad disease implications.
Topics: Animals; Cell Cycle; Cryptococcosis; Cryptococcus neoformans; Cyclins; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Fungal Proteins; G2 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Stress, Physiological; Virulence
PubMed: 34634930
DOI: 10.1128/mBio.02509-21 -
Journal of Cellular and Molecular... Feb 2009The heart is the main target organ of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas' disease, a significant public health issue and still a major cause of... (Review)
Review
The heart is the main target organ of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas' disease, a significant public health issue and still a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Latin America. During the acute disease, tissue damage in the heart is related to the intense myocardium parasitism. To control parasite multiplication, cells of the monocytic lineage are highly mobilized. In response to inflammatory and immune stimulation, an intense migration and extravasation of monocytes occurs from the bloodstream into heart. Monocyte differentiation leads to the formation of tissue phagocytosing macrophages, which are strongly activated and direct host defence. Newly elicited monocyte-derived macrophages both undergo profound physiological changes and display morphological heterogeneity that greatly differs from originally non-inflammatory macrophages, and underlie their functional activities as potent inflammatory cells. Thus, activated macrophages play a critical role in the outcome of parasite infection. This review covers functional and ultrastructural aspects of heart inflammatory macrophages triggered by the acute Chagas' disease, including recent discoveries on morphologically distinct, inflammation-related organelles, termed lipid bodies, which are actively formed in vivo within macrophages in response to T. cruzi infection. These findings are defining a broader role for lipid bodies as key markers of macrophage activation during innate immune responses to infectious diseases and attractive targets for novel anti-inflammatory therapies. Modulation of macrophage activation may be central in providing therapeutic benefits for Chagas' disease control.
Topics: Animals; Cell Movement; Cell Shape; Chagas Disease; Heart; Humans; Inflammation; Macrophage Activation; Macrophages; Monocytes; Myocardium; Phagocytosis; Trypanosoma cruzi
PubMed: 18624767
DOI: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2008.00388.x -
The New Phytologist May 2011The oxygen availability to plant tissues can vary strongly in time and space. To endure short- or long-term oxygen deprivation, plants evolved a series of metabolic and... (Review)
Review
The oxygen availability to plant tissues can vary strongly in time and space. To endure short- or long-term oxygen deprivation, plants evolved a series of metabolic and morphological adaptations that have been extensively studied. However, our knowledge of the molecular regulation of these processes is not as well understood. In this review, the recent findings on the molecular effectors that regulate the response of higher plants to oxygen deficiency are discussed. Although no direct oxygen sensor has been discovered in plants so far, mechanisms that perceive low-oxygen derived signals have been reported, involving different sets of transcription factors (TFs). The ERF (Ethylene Responsive Factor) family especially appears to play a crucial role in the determination of survival to reduced oxygen availability in Arabidopsis and rice. This class of TFs displays a broad range of targets, being involved in both the metabolic reprogramming and the morphological adaptations exploited by plants when subjected to low-oxygen conditions.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Cell Hypoxia; Models, Biological; Oxygen; Plants; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 21091695
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03562.x -
Journal of Translational Medicine Jun 2016Organizing pneumonia is a reaction pattern and an inflammatory response to acute lung injuries, and is characterized by intraluminal plugs of granulation tissue in...
BACKGROUND
Organizing pneumonia is a reaction pattern and an inflammatory response to acute lung injuries, and is characterized by intraluminal plugs of granulation tissue in distal airspaces. In contrast to other fibrotic pulmonary diseases, organizing pneumonia is generally responsive to corticosteroids. However, some patients do not respond to treatment, leading to respiratory failure and potentially death (up to 15 % of patients). In order to devise new therapeutic strategies, a better understanding of the disease's pathomechanisms is warranted. We previously generated a mouse model overexpressing CCL2, which generates organizing pneumonia-like changes, morphologically comparable to human patients. In this study, we investigated whether the histopathological similarities of human and murine pulmonary organizing pneumonia lesions also involve similar molecular pathways.
METHODS
We analyzed the similarities and differences of fibrosis-associated gene expression in individual compartments from patients with organizing pneumonia and transgenic (CCL2) mice using laser-assisted microdissection, real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS
Gene expression profiling of human and murine organizing pneumonia lesions showed in part comparable expression levels of pivotal genes, notably of TGFB1/Tgfb1, TIMP1/Timp1, TIMP2/Timp2, COL3A1/Col3a1, CXCL12/Cxcl12, MMP2/Mmp2 and IL6/Il6. Hence, the transgenic CCL2 mouse model shows not only pathogenomic and morphological features of human organizing pneumonia but also a similar inflammatory profile.
CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that the CCL2-overexpressing transgenic mouse model (CCL2 Tg mice) is suitable for further investigation of fibrotic pulmonary remodeling, particularly of organizing pneumonia pathogenesis and for the search for novel therapeutic strategies.
Topics: Animals; Chemokine CCL2; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Lung; Mice, Transgenic; Pneumonia; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 27282780
DOI: 10.1186/s12967-016-0933-6 -
Hepatic Medicine : Evidence and Research Aug 2010This article explains the significant role of morphological and functional multidetector computer tomography (MDCT) in combination with imaging postprocessing algorithms... (Review)
Review
This article explains the significant role of morphological and functional multidetector computer tomography (MDCT) in combination with imaging postprocessing algorithms served as a problem-solving tool and noninvasive surrogate biomarker to effectively improve hepatic diseases characterization, detection, tumor staging and prognosis, therapy response assessment, and novel drug discovery programs, partial liver resection and transplantation, and MDCT-guided interventions in the era of personalized medicine. State-of-the-art MDCT depicts and quantifies hepatic disease over conventional CT for not only depicting lesion location, size, and extent but also detecting changes in tumor biologic behavior caused by therapy or tumor progression before morphologic changes. Color-encoded parameter display provides important functional information on blood flow, permeability, leakage space, and blood volume. Together with other relevant biomarkers and genomics, the imaging modality is being developed and validated as a biomarker to early response to novel, targeted anti-VEGF(R)/PDGFR or antivascular/angiogenesis agents as its parameters correlate with immunohistochemical surrogates of tumor angiogenesis and molecular features of malignancies. MDCT holds incremental value to World Health Organization response criteria and Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors in liver disease management. MDCT volumetric measurement of future remnant liver is the most important factor influencing the outcome of patients who underwent partial liver resection and transplantation. MDCT-guided interventional methods deliver personalized therapies locally in the human body. MDCT will hold more scientific impact when it is fused with other imaging probes to yield comprehensive information regarding changes in liver disease at different levels (anatomic, metabolic, molecular, histologic, and other levels).
PubMed: 24367211
DOI: 10.2147/HMER.S9052 -
British Journal of Pharmacology Jan 2008Recently, it has been recognized that the cannabinoid receptor CB2 may play a functionally relevant role in the central nervous system (CNS). This role is mediated... (Review)
Review
Recently, it has been recognized that the cannabinoid receptor CB2 may play a functionally relevant role in the central nervous system (CNS). This role is mediated primarily through microglia, a resident population of cells in the CNS that is morphologically, phenotypically, and functionally related to macrophages. These cells also express the cannabinoid receptor CB1. The CB1 receptor (CB1R) is constitutively expressed at low levels while the CB2 receptor (CB2R) is expressed at higher levels and is modulated in relation to cell activation state. The relatively high levels of the CB2R correspond with microglia being in 'responsive' and 'primed' states, suggesting the existence of a 'window' of functional relevance during which activation of the CB2R modulates microglial activities. Signature activities of 'responsive' and 'primed' microglia are chemotaxis and antigen processing, respectively. The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonylglycerol has been reported to stimulate a chemotactic response from these cells through the CB2R. In contrast, we have shown in vivo and in vitro that the exogenous cannabinoids delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and CP55940 inhibit the chemotactic response of microglia to Acanthamoeba culbertsoni, an opportunistic pathogen that is the causative agent of Granulomatous Amoebic Encephalitis, through activation of the CB2R. It is postulated that these exogenous cannabinoids superimpose an inhibitory effect on pro-chemotactic endocannabinoids that are elicited in response to Acanthamoeba. Furthermore, the collective results suggest that the CB2R plays a critical immune functional role in the CNS.
Topics: Animals; Brain Chemistry; Central Nervous System; Chemotaxis; Humans; Immunity; Macrophages; Microglia; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2
PubMed: 18037916
DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0707584