Two-year field study shows little evidence that PPO-transgenic rice affects the structure of soil microbial communities

There is global concern about the environmental consequences associated with transgenic crops. Their effects on the soil ecosystem are of special interest when assessing ecological safety and integrity. Although many efforts have been made to develop crops genetically modified to have resistance to protoporphyrin oxidase (PPO)-inhibiting herbicides, little is known about their influence on soil microbial communities. We conducted a 2-year field study and an analysis via terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) to assess the impacts of PPO-transgenic rice on bacterial and fungal communities. In the first year we sampled the rhizosphere and surrounding bulk soil, while in the second year we sampled rhizosphere soil only. No differences were observed in the diversity indices and community composition of microbial communities between transgenic rice and its parental non-transgenic counterpart (cultivar Dongjin). Instead, community variation was strongly dependent on growth stage and year. Therefore, we observed no adverse effects by these crops of modified rice on the microbial community composition in paddy soils.     

Systemic leukocyte-directed siRNA delivery revealing cyclin D1 as an anti-inflammatory target

Cyclin D1 (CyD1) is a pivotal cell cycle-regulatory molecule and a well-studied therapeutic target for cancer. Although CyD1 is also strongly up-regulated at sites of inflammation, its exact roles in this context remain uncharacterized. To address this question, we developed a strategy for selectively silencing CyD1 in leukocytes in vivo. Targeted stabilized nanoparticles (tsNPs) were loaded with CyD1-small interfering RNA (siRNA). Antibodies to beta(7) integrin (beta(7) I) were then used to target specific leukocyte subsets involved in gut inflammation. Systemic application of beta(7) I-tsNPs silenced CyD1 in leukocytes and reversed experimentally induced colitis in mice by suppressing leukocyte proliferation and T helper cell 1 cytokine expression. This study reveals CyD1 to be a potential anti-inflammatory target, and suggests that the application of similar modes of targeting by siRNA may be feasible in other therapeutic settings.     

High frictional anisotropy of periodic and aperiodic directions on a quasicrystal surface

Strong friction anisotropy is found when the twofold surface of an atomically clean aluminum-nickel-cobalt quasicrystal slides against a thiol-passivated titanium-nitride tip. Friction along the aperiodic direction is one-eighth as much as that along the periodic direction. This anisotropy, which is about three times as large as the highest value observed in anisotropic crystalline surfaces, disappears after the surface is oxidized in air. These results reveal a strong connection between interface atomic structure and the mechanisms by which energy is dissipated, which likely include electronic or phononic contributions, or both.     

Three-dimensional porous collagen/chitosan complex sponge for tissue engineering

A three-dimensional, porous collagen/chitosan complex sponge was prepared to closely simulate basic extracellular matrix (ECM) constitutes, collagen and glycosaminoglycan. The complex sponge was prepared by a lyophilization method and had the regular network with highly porous structure, suitable for cell adhesion and growth. The pores were well interconnected, and their distribution was fairly homogeneous. The complex sponge was crosslinked using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) to increase its biological stability and enhance its mechanical properties. The crosslinking medium had a great effect on the inner structure of the sponge. The homogeneous, porous structure of the sponge was remarkably collapsed in an aqueous crosslinking medium. However, the morphology of the sponge remained almost intact in a water/ethanol mixture crosslinking milieu. Mechanical properties of the collagen/chitosan sponge were significantly enhanced by EDC-mediated crosslinking. The potential of the sponge as a scaffold for tissue engineering was investigated using a Chinese hamster ovary cell (CHO-K1) line.     

Thermal properties of Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/Poly(ethylene terephthalate) melt blends

The thermal behavior, morphology, ester-interchange reaction of Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT)/Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) melt blends were investigated over the whole composition range(xPTT/(1-x)PET) using a twinscrew Brabender. The melt blends were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹³C-NMR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Single glass transition temperature (T _g ) and cold crystallization temperature (T _cc ) were observed in all melt blends. Melt blends were found to be due to the ester-interchange reaction in PTT/PET blend. Also the randomness of copolymer increases because transesterification between PTT and PET increases with increasing blending time. This reaction increases homogeneity of the blends and decreases the degree of crystallinity of the melt blends. In PTT-rich blends, mechanical properties decrease with increase of PET content compared with that of pure PTT. And, in PET-rich blends, tensile modulus decreases with increase of PTT content, but tensile strength and elongation is similar to that of pure PET.     

Two different types of malignant fibrous histiocytomas from pet dogs

We describe 2 cases of malignant fibrous histiocytomas (MFHs) that spontaneously developed in young pet dogs. To classify these tumors, we applied a panel of antibodies (vimentin, desmin, α-SMA, and ED1) and Azan staining for collagen. The MFHs were most consistent with osteoclast-like giant and inflammatory cell types. The first case had positive staining for ED1 and vimentin, and given the osteoclast-like giant cells, calcification sites accompanying peripheral giant cell infiltrates. The latter case, the inflammatory cell type, exhibited a storiform-pleomorphic variant of neoplastic cells, including an ossifying matrix. MFHs are among the most highly aggressive tumors occurring in soft tissue sarcomas in elderly dogs; however, MFHs have been poorly studied from a diagnostic point of view. Herein, we describe the histologic and immunohistologic features of MFHs in detail, thus classifying the subtypes of these tumors.     

Protection of chicken against very virulent IBDV provided by in ovo priming with DNA vaccine and boosting with killed vaccine and the adjuvant effects of plasmid-encoded chicken interleukin-2 and interferon-��

The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of in ovo prime-boost vaccination against infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) using a DNA vaccine to prime in ovo followed by a killed-vaccine boost post hatching. In addition, the adjuvant effects of plasmid-encoded chicken interleukin-2 and chicken interferon-γ were tested in conjunction with the vaccine. A plasmid DNA vaccine (pcDNA-VP243) encoding the VP2, VP4, and VP3 proteins of the very virulent IBDV (vvIBDV) SH/92 strain was injected into the amniotic sac alone or in combination with a plasmid encoding chicken IL-2 (ChIL-2) or chicken IFN-γ (ChIFN-γ) at embryonation day 18, followed by an intramuscular injection of a commercial killed IBD vaccine at 1 week of age. The chickens were orally challenged with the vvIBDV SH/92 strain at 3 weeks of age and observed for 10 days. In ovo DNA immunization followed by a killed-vaccine boost provided significantly better immunity than the other options. No mortality was observed in this group after a challenge with the vvIBDV. The prime-boost strategy was moderately effective against bursal damage, which was measured by the bursa weight/body weight ratio, the presence of IBDV RNA, and the bursal lesion score. In ovo DNA vaccination with no boost did not provide sufficient immunity, and the addition of ChIL-2 or ChIFN-γ did not enhance protective immunity. In the ConA-induced lymphocyte proliferation assay of peripheral blood lymphocyte collected 10 days post-challenge, there was greater proliferation responses in the DNA vaccine plus boost and DNA vaccine with ChIL-2 plus boost groups compared to the other groups. These findings suggest that priming with DNA vaccine and boosting with killed vaccine is an effective strategy for protecting chickens against vvIBDV.     

In vitro digestibility of the cancer-preventive soy peptides lunasin and BBI

Lunasin and BBI (Bowman Birk protease inhibitor) are bioactive soy peptides that have been shown to be effective suppressors of carcinogenesis in in vitro and in vivo model systems. Since they are subject to digestion in the gastrointestinal tract, we investigated here the stabilities of lunasin and BBI to digestion in vitro by simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) and simulated gastric fluid (SGF). Samples containing lunasin and BBI of varying purities were subjected to in vitro digestion by SIF and SGF at different times and analyzed by Western blot. While the pure BBI reaction is stable after SIF and SGF digestions, the purified lunasin from soybean and synthetic lunasin are easily digested after 2 min in both in vitro digestions. In contrast, lunasin from soy protein containing BBI is comparatively stable after SIF and SGF digestions. Both lunasin and BBI are able to internalize into the cell and localize in the nucleus even after digestion, suggesting that some of the peptides are intact and bioactive. These data suggest that BBI plays a role in protecting lunasin from digestion when soy protein is consumed orally. The role of other soy protease inhibitors such as Kunitz Trypsin Inhibitor (KTI) cannot be excluded from these experiments.