Aberrant development of mammary glands, but precocious expression of beta-casein in transgenic females ubiquitously expressing whey acidic protein transgene

It has been suggested that whey acidic protein (WAP) may function as a protease inhibitor. However, the actual function of WAP remains obscure. We investigated the histological development of the mammary glands of transgenic mice ubiquitously expressing WAP and CAG/WAP transgene. Ubiquitous expression of WAP induced aberrant development of the lobular alveoli of the mammary glands: mammary alveoli that were either aberrantly large or small in size increased in number in the developing mammary glands of these transgenic females during pregnancy and lactation. The expression of beta-casein was precociously induced in the mammary glands of the transgenic females during early pregnancy and accompanying this was a histological observation that abnormally developed lobular alveoli filled with milk proteins appeared in the mammary glands of transgenic females during early pregnancy. However, during lactation, the development of mammary glands was impaired in transgenic females. To investigate the possible paracrine action of WAP associated with mammary gland aberration, we transplanted the mammary tissue of CAG/EGFP transgenic females into the fat pad of virgin CAG/WAP transgenic females and initiated pregnancy by mating. The development of mammary tissue transplanted to the recipient was histologically examined on day 3 of lactation. The results revealed that the development of grafted mammary tissues was impaired in a manner similar to that of the mammary glands of CAG/WAP transgenic females, indicating that the inhibitory effect of WAP acts via a paracrine mechanism. In vitro experiments using HC11 cells with forced expression of exogenous WAP demonstrated the inhibitory function of WAP on proliferation of mammary epithelial cells.     

The regulation of ovarian granulosa cell death by pro- and anti-apoptotic molecules

In the mammalian ovary, follicular development and atresia are closely regulated by cell death and survival-promoting factors, including hormones (gonadotropins) and intraovarian regulators (gonadal steroids, cytokines, and intracellular proteins). Several hundred thousand primordial follicles are present in the mammalian ovary; however, only a limited number of primordial follicles develop to the preovulatory stage and ovulate. The others, more than 99% of follicles, will be eliminated via a degenerative process known as "atresia". The endocrinological regulatory mechanisms involved in follicular development and atresia have been characterized to a large extent, but the precise temporal and molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of these events have remained largely unknown. Recent studies suggest that the apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells plays a major role in follicular atresia. In this review, we provide an overview of development and atresia of follicles, and apoptosis of granulosa cells in mammals.     

The influence of age and body mass index on relative accuracy of energy intake among Japanese adults

OBJECTIVE: To examine relationships between the ratio of energy intake to basal metabolic rate (EI/BMR) and age and body mass index (BMI) among Japanese adults. DESIGN: Energy intake was assessed by 4-day semi-weighed diet records in each of four seasons (16 days in total). The EI/BMR ratio was calculated from reported energy intake and estimated basal metabolic rate as an indicator of reporting accuracy. SETTING: Residents in three areas in Japan, namely Osaka (urban), Nagano (rural inland) and Tottori (rural coastal). SUBJECTS: One hundred and eighty-three healthy Japanese men and women aged > or =30 years. RESULTS: The oldest age group (> or =60 years) had higher EI/BMR values than the youngest age group (30-39 years) in both sexes (1.74 vs. 1.37 for men; 1.65 vs. 1.43 for women). In multiple regression analyses, age correlated positively (partial correlation coefficient, beta = 0.012, P < 0.001 for men; beta = 0.011, P < 0.001 for women) and BMI correlated negatively (beta = -0.031, P < 0.001 for men; beta = -0.025, P < 0.01 for women) with EI/BMR. CONCLUSION: Age and BMI may influence the relative accuracy of energy intake among Japanese adults.     

Innate lymphoid cells promote anatomical containment of lymphoid-resident commensal bacteria

The mammalian intestinal tract is colonized by trillions of beneficial commensal bacteria that are anatomically restricted to specific niches. However, the mechanisms that regulate anatomical containment remain unclear. Here, we show that interleukin-22 (IL-22)-producing innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are present in intestinal tissues of healthy mammals. Depletion of ILCs resulted in peripheral dissemination of commensal bacteria and systemic inflammation, which was prevented by administration of IL-22. Disseminating bacteria were identified as Alcaligenes species originating from host lymphoid tissues. Alcaligenes was sufficient to promote systemic inflammation after ILC depletion in mice, and Alcaligenes-specific systemic immune responses were associated with Crohn's disease and progressive hepatitis C virus infection in patients. Collectively, these data indicate that ILCs regulate selective containment of lymphoid-resident bacteria to prevent systemic inflammation associated with chronic diseases.     

Fine-scale effects of habitat loss and fragmentation despite large-scale gene flow for some regionally declining woodland bird species

Habitat loss and associated fragmentation effects are well-recognised threats to biodiversity. Loss of functional connectivity (mobility, gene flow and demographic continuity) could result in population decline in altered habitat, because smaller, isolated populations are more vulnerable to extinction. We tested whether substantial habitat reduction plus fragmentation is associated with reduced gene flow in three ??decliner?? woodland-dependent bird species (eastern yellow robin, weebill and spotted pardalote) identified in earlier work to have declined disproportionately in heavily fragmented landscapes in the Box-Ironbark forest region in north-central Victoria, Australia. For these three decliners, and one ??tolerant?? species (striated pardalote), we compared patterns of genetic diversity, relatedness, effective population size, sex-ratios and genic (allele frequency) differentiation among landscapes of different total tree cover, identified population subdivision at the regional scale, and explored fine-scale genotypic (individual-based genetic signature) structure. Unexpectedly high genetic connectivity across the study region was detected for ??decliner?? and ??tolerant?? species. Power analysis simulations suggest that moderate reductions in gene flow should have been detectable. However, there was evidence of local negative effects of reduced habitat extent and structural connectivity: slightly lower effective population sizes, lower genetic diversity, higher within-site relatedness and altered sex-ratios (for weebill and eastern yellow robin) in 10 × 10?km ??landscapes?? with low vegetation cover. We conclude that reduced structural connectivity in the Box-Ironbark ecosystem may still allow sufficient gene flow to avoid the harmful effects of inbreeding in our study species. Although there may still be negative consequences of fragmentation for demographic connectivity, the high genetic connectivity of mobile bird species in this system suggests that reconnecting isolated habitat patches may be less important than increasing habitat extent and/or quality if these need to be traded off.     

Adenosine and ATP affect LPS-induced cytokine production in canine macrophage cell line DH82 cells

Macrophages are essential for controlling the majority of infections, and are mediators of natural immunity. During infection, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulates macrophages to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines. Adenosine and ATP released into the extracellular space by immunological stimuli have been shown to regulate various immune functions. More recently, it has been shown adenosine and ATP have a critical role on the physiological negative feedback mechanism for limitation and termination of tissue-specific and systemic inflammatory responses. It was useful and meaningful to gain information about interaction between LPS, which generates the inflammation, and adenosine and ATP, which terminate the inflammation. We evaluate effects of adenosine and ATP on the production of cytokines related to inflammation in canine macrophage cell line DH82 cells. Adenosine and ATP respectively increased the production of IL-10 without affecting the production of IL-6, TNF-α and IL-12 in DH82 cells. In addition, adenosine and ATP prevented the production of LPS-induced IL-6, TNF-α and IL-12 in DH82 cells. In contrast, adenosine and ATP potentiated LPS-induced IL-10 production in DH82 cells. Moreover, adenosine, but not ATP inhibited LPS-induced expression of TLR4 in DH82 cells. These results suggest that conditions related to increased adenosine and/or ATP may play an important role in the inflammatory reactions.