Search results for "Atom"

Investigating mixotrophic metabolism in the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

2017

Diatoms are prominent marine microalgae, interesting not only from an ecological point of view, but also for their possible use in biotechnology applications. They can be cultivated in phototrophic conditions, using sunlight as the sole energy source. Some diatoms, however, can also grow in a mixotrophic mode, wherein both light and external reduced carbon contribute to biomass accumulation. In this study, we investigated the consequences of mixotrophy on the growth and metabolism of the pennate diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum , using glycerol as the source of reduced carbon. Transcriptomics, metabolomics, metabolic modelling and physiological data combine to indicate that glycerol affect…

Adipocytes as a Link Between Gut Microbiota-Derived Flagellin and Hepatocyte Fat Accumulation

2016

While the role of both elevated levels of circulating bacterial cell wall components and adipose tissue in hepatic fat accumulation has been recognized, it has not been considered that the bacterial components-recognizing adipose tissue receptors contribute to the hepatic fat content. In this study we found that the expression of adipose tissue bacterial flagellin (FLG)-recognizing Toll-like receptor (TLR) 5 associated with liver fat content (r = 0.699, p = 0.003) and insulin sensitivity (r = -0.529, p = 0.016) in humans (n = 23). No such associations were found for lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-recognizing TLR4. To study the underlying molecular mechanisms of these associations, human HepG2 he…

Interleukin-25 Induces Resistance Against Intestinal Trematodes

2016

AbstractEchinostoma caproni is an intestinal trematode that has been extensively used as an experimental model to investigate the factors determining the resistance to intestinal helminths or the development of chronic infections. ICR mice are permissive hosts for E. caproni in which chronic infections are developed, concomitantly with local Th1 responses, elevated levels of local IFN-γ, inflammation and antibody responses. However, mice develop partial resistance to homologous challenge infections after cure of a primary infection, which converts this subject into an adequate model for the study of the mechanisms generating resistance against intestinal helminths. The purpose of the presen…

Gonadal sexual differentiation of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, L. 1758) of fingerlings in different size classes

2016

This report describes a study of the gonad differentiation in fingerlings of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) belonging to different size groups. Fishes were divided into four groups according to their weight: Group 1 (4.5 ± 0.7 g), Group 2 (9.2 ± 0.8 g), Group 3 (14.8 ± 1.8 g), and Group 4 (21.8 ± 2.3 g). In all groups, low percentages of undifferentiated or early sexually differentiated fish were found. Higher percentages of fully differentiated ovaries were found in Groups 1 and 3. Fully differentiated testes occurred in 90% of Group 4. Ninety percent of fish in Group 2 had gonads with intratesticular oocytes. This highlights the occurrence of intersexual cases and suggests that …

Efficacy of interleukin 10 gene hydrofection in pig liver vascular isolated ‘in vivo’ by surgical procedure with interest in liver transplantation

2019

AIM Liver transplantation is the only curative strategy for final stage liver diseases. Despite the great advances achieved during the last 20 years, the recipient immune response after transplantation is not entirely controlled. This results in high rates of acute cell rejection and, approximately, 10% of early mortality. Therapeutic treatment could be improved by efficiently transfecting genes that encode natural immunosuppressant proteins, employing safe procedures that could be transferred to clinical setting. In this sense, interleukin 10 plays a central role in immune tolerance response by acting at different levels. METHODS hIL10 gene was hydrofected by retrograde hydrodynamic inject…

MPLA-coated hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) nanocapsules induce vigorous T cell responses in cord blood derived human T cells.

2016

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most prevalent serious liver infection in the world. A frequent route of infection represents mother-to-child transmission. Efficient control of HBV replication depends on antigen-specific cellular immune response mediated by dendritic cells (DCs). Aim of the present study was to evaluate optimized adjuvant combinations, efficiently maturing monocyte-derived neonatal and adult dendritic cells (moDCs). In addition, the potential of polymeric HBsAg-nanocapsules (HBsAg-NCs) was investigated regarding up-take by moDCs and the subsequent induction of specific T cell responses in a human co-culture model. Simultaneous stimulation of moDCs with MPLA…

2016

Cytoglobin (Cygb) is a vertebrate globin with so far poorly defined function. It is expressed in the fibroblast cell-lineage but has also been found in neurons. Here we provide, using immunohistochemistry, a detailed study on the distribution of Cygb in the mouse brain. While Cygb is a cytoplasmic protein in active cells of the supportive tissue, in neurons it is located in the cytoplasm and the nucleus. We found the expression of Cygb in all brain regions, although only a fraction of the neurons was Cygb-positive. Signals were of different intensity ranging from faint to very intense. Telencephalic neurons in all laminae of the cerebral cortex, in the olfactory bulb (in particular periglom…

Effect of Salt Concentration and Extremely Halophilic Archaea on the Safety and Quality Characteristics of Traditional Salted Anchovies

2017

Extremely halophilic archaea (EHA) might play an important role in salted fish production. So far, limited information has been available on the effect of EHA and salt concentration on the safety and quality characteristics of salted anchovies. Eight Halobacterium salinarum strains were isolated from different sea salt samples and subjected to phenotypic and genotypic characterization. The strains were then inoculated into fresh salt before addition to anchovies. A total of 18 experimental productions were performed. The inoculated trials showed the lowest counts of undesired microorganisms. In particular, salted anchovies produced with Hbt. salinarum H11 showed the lowest histamine concent…

Comparative Performance of Linear Multielectrode Probes and Single-Tip Electrodes for Intracortical Microstimulation and Single-Neuron Recording in M…

2017

Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is one of the most widely employed techniques for providing causal evidence of the relationship between neuronal activity and specific motor, perceptual, or even cognitive functions. In recent years, several new types of linear multielectrode silicon probes have been developed, allowing researchers to sample neuronal activity at different depths along the same cortical site simultaneously and with high spatial precision. Nevertheless, silicon multielectrode probes have been rarely employed for ICMS studies and, more importantly, it is unknown whether and to what extent they can be used for combined recording and stimulation experiments. Here, we address…

Cardiac regenerative capacity is age- and disease-dependent in childhood heart disease

2018

Objective We sought to define the intrinsic stem cell capacity in pediatric heart lesions, and the effects of diagnosis and of age, in order to inform evidence-based use of potential autologous stem cell sources for regenerative medicine therapy. Methods Ventricular explants derived from patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), tetralogy of Fallot (TF), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and ventricular septal defect (VSD) were analyzed following standard in vitro culture conditions, which yielded cardiospheres (C-spheres), indicative of endogenous stem cell capacity. C-sphere counts generated per 5 mm3 tissue explant and the presence of cardiac progenitor cells were correlated to pa…