Lipopolysaccharide and cytokines modulate leukotriene (LT)B4 and LTC4 production by porcine endometrial endothelial cells

Uterine inflammatory response is mediated by inflammatory mediators including eicosanoids and cytokines produced by immune and endometrial cells. Interactions between lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cytokines, and leukotrienes (LTs) in endothelium, important for the host defence during the inflammation, are unknown. We studied the effect of LPS, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐4 and IL‐10 on 5‐lipooxygenase (5‐LO), LTA₄ hydrolase (LTAH) and LTC₄ synthase (LTCS) mRNA and protein expression, LTB₄ and LTC₄ release from porcine endometrial endothelial cells, and cell viability. For 24 hr, cells were exposed to LPS (10 or 100 ng/ml of medium) and cytokines (each 1 or 10 ng/ml). 5‐LO mRNA/protein expression augmented after incubation with larger doses of LPS, TNF‐α, IL‐4 and IL‐10 and smaller dose of IL‐1β. Larger dose of TNF‐α, smaller doses of LPS and IL‐1β and both doses of IL‐10 increased LTAH mRNA/protein expression. LTAH protein content was up‐regulated by larger dose of LPS, but it was reduced in response to both doses of IL‐4. LTCS mRNA expression was elevated by larger doses of LPS, IL‐4 and IL‐10 or both doses of TNF‐α and IL‐1β. LTCS protein level increased after treatment with both doses of IL‐1β, IL‐4 and IL‐10, smaller dose of LPS and larger dose of TNF‐α. Both doses of LPS and larger doses of TNF‐α and IL‐10 increased LTB₄ release. LPS, IL‐1β and IL‐10 at smaller doses, or TNF‐α and IL‐4 at larger doses stimulated LTC₄ release. Smaller doses of TNF‐α and IL‐1β or both doses of IL‐4 enhanced the cell viability. This work provides new insight on the participation of LPS, TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐4 and IL‐10 in LTB₄ and LTC₄ production/release from porcine endometrial endothelial cells, and the effect of above factors on these cells viability. The used cellular model gives the possibility to further establish the interactions between inflammatory mediators.     

Ground-active arthropod response to distance from the Mediterranean seashore in coastal sand areas of western Israel

Information on the effects of distance from the seashore on soil biotic communities is limited and restricted to soil arthropods and microarthropods. The aim of this study, conducted in a sand-dune area, was to distinguish the changes of a ground-active arthropod community along a 4-km-transect from the seashore going inland. Pitfall traps were set up in open spaces at four locations (L1, through L2, L3, and L4 going inland) through the year. The abiotic gradient from the seashore going inland was found to be mostly dependent on seasonality. Group richness was found to be remarkably greater at the L2, L3, and L4 locations compared with the L1 location in winter, and at the L2 and L3 locations compared with the L1 location in spring. The Fisher α index was 0.32?±?0.21, 3.51?±?0.87, 5.04?±?0.70, and 4.86?±?0.54 in winter and 3.29?±?0.55, 13.79?±?1.49, 10.12?±?1.24, and 5.06?±?0.62 in spring at the L1, L2, L3, and L4 locations, respectively. Regarding abundance and group richness, the trophic relationships between predators, phytophages, omnivores, and saprophages were remarkably affected by both location and seasonality. The dominant groups and dominant index distribution of ground-active arthropod communities were found to follow a similar pattern. Soil organic carbon content was found to be the key factor driving the ground-active arthropod community structure along a coastal gradient going inland in winter and spring. We conclude that the distribution, trophic composition, and diversity index are affected by both location and seasonality, while total abundance is consistently affected by location across all three seasons.     

Eco-geographical distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactuca aculeata</Emphasis> natural populations in northeastern Israel

The wild lettuce, Lactuca aculeata Boiss. et Ky., is closely related and fully interfertile with cultivated lettuce, Lactuca sativa L. Altogether, 155 accessions of this wild species, which is rare conserved within the world’s germplasm collections, were collected from 12 localities throughout northeastern Israel. Ten of these localities represent different sites across the Golan Heights, while two, high-density populations were suprisingly found at the Hula Plain (first report of this species in this region). Lactuca aculeata was recorded at various elevations (222–968 m a.s.l.) and habitats. The taxonomic status of 30 L. aculeata accessions was morphologically validated during ex situ seed regeneration of 31 random accessions representing all 12 localities. Characterization of 12 traits showed that the Israeli populations of L. aculeata do not exhibit broad morphological variability, but more great levels of variation were obtained for developmental traits. Relatively little variability was observed in the morphology of cauline leaves or in the distribution of anthocyanin pigmentation in bracteae. In two cases, L. aculeata plants lacked trichomes in the inflorescence, a typical feature in the majority of plants. These unique collections of wild lettuce may carry novel sources of genetic variation for a wide range of traits and, thus, should be of interest for careful evaluation and exploitation in lettuce breeding.     

Multiple novel and prevalent astroviruses in pigs

Knowledge of porcine astrovirus diversity and epidemiology remains limited. We used a broad range PCR approach to investigate the presence and diversity of astroviruses in healthy pigs of different ages on 20 farms and in 3 slaughterhouses situated in the province of Quebec, Canada between 2005 and 2007. Our study unexpectedly revealed remarkable levels of genetic diversity and high prevalence of astroviruses in pigs of this province. Astroviruses were detected on every farm investigated and in all age groups of pigs, from suckling piglets to adults. In addition, we found that nearly 80% of healthy finisher pigs harbour astroviruses in their intestine at slaughter. Phylogenetic evidence based on partial polymerase and complete capsid sequences, suggests that porcine astroviruses do not form a monophyletic group but are rather found on separate branches across the mamastrovirus tree. In addition to type species strains, we found highly divergent strains that form two additional lineages, one of which falls outside existing taxonomic groups. The presence of diverse astroviruses in a majority of healthy pigs likely represents a continuous source of infection to piglets and possibly to other animal species including humans. Porcine astrovirus strains appeared phylogenetically related not only to prototypical human astroviruses, as was already known, but also to novel human strains recently discovered suggesting multiple cross species transmission events between these hosts and other animal species. Overall, the findings reported in this study suggest an active role of pigs in the evolution and ecology of the Astroviridae.     

Role of seed infection by the Ascochyta blight pathogen of dried pea (Mycosphaerella pinodes) in seedling emergence, early disease development and transmission of the disease to aerial plant parts

The role of infected seed in the epidemiology of Ascochyta blight of pea, caused by Mycosphaerella pinodes, was studied both under growth chamber and field conditions, using healthy seeds, naturally infected seeds and artificially infected seeds. Results suggest that infected seeds caused serious losses, as a result of poor germination and high transmission of the disease, to parts of the plants under soil level. Foot rot symptoms often caused the death of young seedlings. Losses were increased by low temperatures during the early stage of crop development. M. pinodes progressed from seeds to aerial parts of the plants, but no Ascochyta blight symptoms occurred, the disease remaining near to the basal parts of the plants as a foot rot symptom. This suggests that seeds cannot be regarded as a source of contamination in the epidemiology of the disease.     

Electrical or photocontrol of the rotary motion of a metallacarborane

Rotary motion around a molecular axis has been controlled by simple electron transfer processes and by photoexcitation. The basis of the motion is intramolecular rotation of a carborane cage ligand (7,8-dicarbollide) around a nickel axle. The Ni(III) metallacarborane structure is a transoid sandwich with two pairs of carbon vertices reflected through a center of symmetry, but that of the Ni(IV) species is cisoid. The interconversion of the two provides the basis for controlled, rotational, oscillatory motion. The energies of the Ni(III) and Ni(IV) species are calculated as a function of the rotation angle.     

‘Pasifika’ and ‘I‐Kiribati’ identity in Aotearoa New Zealand: ‘Dancing’ and ‘edge‐walking’ through multiple identities

This article explores the relationship between I‐Kiribati communities and the broader ‘imagined’ Pasifika community in Aotearoa New Zealand. It looks at the way a group of I‐Kiribati tertiary students experience identity within this context. Through the use of semi‐structured interviews and a discourse analysis, the study draws three main conclusions. First, that I‐Kiribati navigate multiple identities and are constantly negotiating these within different spaces. Although this contributes to uncertainties around identity, I‐Kiribati students also strategically enact identity to suit various contexts. Second, that Pasifika as a term tends to infer ‘Polynesian’ which in turn may marginalise I‐Kiribati identities within certain spaces, particularly in education settings that intend to support all Pacific identities. Yet, given such a narrow understanding of Pasifika, these efforts may counter that intention for those on the margins of, or outside the common usage of, the term Pasifika. Last, community plays a significant role in the formation of identities within minority groups, which is important for countering aspects of marginalisation experienced within broader pan‐ethnic labels such as Pasifika. Consequently, we argue that Pasifika as a label needs to better reflect inter‐Pacific diversity as well as the identity negotiations that Aotearoa New Zealand‐born Pacific peoples navigate.     

Stress gradients select for ecotype formation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cicer judaicum</Emphasis> Boiss., a wild relative of domesticated chickpea

The investigation of plant adaptive strategies has been enhanced by the advent of high resolution climate models facilitating greatly improved fine-scale habitat characterization. We have used this approach in the evaluation of C. judaicum Boiss., an annual wild relative of chickpea. 54 accessions from 12 Israeli populations representing three separate habitats differing in temperature and terminal drought stress intensity were evaluated in a common garden experiment, measuring phenology and growth. The results indicate that C. judaicum formed distinct ecotypes along environmental stress gradients, with stress avoidance as a key adaptive strategy: (1) germination is delayed with increasing collection site altitude and associated decreasing temperatures; (2) flowering date and productivity (as estimated by mainstem length) are inversely related to habitat stress, as defined by site climate or soil type. Populations from stressful sites escape drought stress through early flowering at the likely cost of biomass production. We conclude that precise habitat characterization facilitates the study of specific adaptation over relatively short geographic distances. This is particularly pertinent today because many of the key crop production system stresses (i.e., terminal drought, the impact of climate change) can be modelled climatically to identify potentially-adapted germplasm from ex situ and in situ collections.     

Immune complex-based vaccine for pig protection against parvovirus

The insoluble immune complexes (ICs) were prepared under the conditions of double immunodiffusion in gel, using the suspension of the ultrasound treated PK-15 cell-line infected with porcine parvovirus (PPV) containing both viral particles and viral proteins, as well as pig or rabbit anti-PPV polyclonal immune sera. The immunodiffusion performed in an agarose gel allows only viral subunits with a molecular mass equal to or less than 1000 kDa, rather than the viral particles, to diffuse through the gel and reach the point where the immunoprecipitate is to be formed. The immunoprecipitation under the conditions of the diffusion ensures the optimal, i.e. equimolar ratio of both immunoprecipitating components, antibody/antigen in the IC. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the Western blot analyses showed the ICs were composed of two proteins, a protein in which molecular mass corresponded to the VP2 of the PPV and a protein with a molecular mass of the IgG. This suggests that the ICs are mainly composed of the VP2 antigen and IgG class antibodies. The potency of the IC-vaccines prepared in the form of a water-in-oil-in-water emulsion was compared with that of a commercially available, inactivated oil vaccine. The vaccination of gilts, 6 weeks before mating, with the IC containing allogeneic pig antibodies, resulted in the development of high and long-lasting anti-PPV antibody titres, similar to those generated by the licenced vaccine (P > 0.01). The content of the virus material administered by the IC was twice lower than that in the licenced vaccine. Neither systemic nor local reactions were observed in the gilts during the period of the trial with the IC vaccine. The number of viable piglets per litter varied between 9 and 12 and no signs of the PPV infection were detected. Rabbits were used as one of the alternative laboratory animal models accepted for the testing of the vaccine against the PPV. The rabbit humoral immune response generated by the IC containing the allogeneic antibodies were higher than that generated by the ICs containing the xenogeneic pig antibodies. It was similar to that generated by two-times higher content of the virus material administered by a commercially available vaccine. The IC-based vaccines belong to non-replicating, subunit vaccines, which are both ecologically convenient and the safest vaccines of all.