The role of lipid metabolism in the acquisition of desiccation tolerance inCraterostigma plantagineum: a comparative approach

Summary Dehydration leads to different physiological and biochemical responses in plants. We analysed the lipid composition and the expression of genes involved in lipid biosynthesis in the desiccation-tolerant plant Craterostigma plantagineum. A comparative approach was carried out with Lindernia brevidens (desiccation tolerant) and two desiccation-sensitive species, Lindernia subracemosa and Arabidopsis thaliana. In C. plantagineum the total lipid content remained constant while the lipid composition underwent major changes during desiccation. The most prominent change was the removal of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) from the thylakoids. Analysis of molecular species composition rev…

Immunopathogenesis of atherosclerosis: endotoxin accelerates atherosclerosis in rabbits on hypercholesterolemic diet.

Background—On the basis of our concept that atherosclerosis has an immunopathological background, we tested whether activation of the innate immune system influences its progression.Methods and Results—Hypercholesterolemic (0.5% wt/wt diet) rabbits received either repeated intravenous injections of endotoxin (Escherichia colilipopolysaccharide 1.25 to 2.5 μg, once per week) or a self-limiting cutaneousStaphylococcus aureusinfection with or without a quinolone antibiotic. Measured laboratory parameters, including LDL and HDL cholesterols, were similar in the different groups of hypercholesterolemic animals. All endotoxin-treated animals developed transient episodes of fever after endotoxin a…

Enzymatically modified nonoxidized low-density lipoprotein induces interleukin-8 in human endothelial cells: role of free fatty acids.

Background— Treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) with a protease and cholesterolesterase transforms the lipoprotein to an entity that resembles lipoprotein particles in atherosclerotic lesions, which have a high content of free cholesterol, reflecting extensive de-esterification in the intima. Because de-esterification would occur beneath the endothelium, we examined the effects of enzymatically modified LDL (E-LDL) on cultured endothelial cells. Methods and Results— Incubation of endothelial cells with E-LDL provoked selective accumulation of interleukin (IL)-8 mRNA and production of the cytokine. Chemical analyses and depletion experiments indicated that the effect was caused by th…

Endotoxin accelerates atherosclerosis independent of complement activation

a Central Laboratory Animal Facility b Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine c Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany d Klinik fur Gefaschirurgie und Nierentransplantation, Heinrich Heine Universitatsklinik, Dusseldorf, Germany e Zentrum fur Medizin und Biowissenschaften, Forschungszentrum, Borstel, Germany f Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland g Department of Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, Japan

Endotoxin accelerates atherosclerosis in rabbits on hypercholesterolemic diet