Search results for "General Immunology and Microbiology"
showing 10 items of 784 documents
Monophosphoryl lipid A coating of hydroxyethyl starch nanocapsules drastically increases uptake and maturation by dendritic cells while minimizing th…
2015
Enhancing delivery of antigens to dendritic cells (DCs) is essential for the induction of vigorous antigen-specific cellular immune responses. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the properties of hydroxyethyl starch nanocapsules (HES-NCs) functionalized with anti-CD40, anti-DEC205, interferon-γ (IFNγ) and/or monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) with respect to the overall uptake, the released cytokine profile, and the influence on phenotypic maturation of human monocyte-derived DCs using flow cytometry, confocal microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. NC uptake by DCs was significantly enhanced by functionalizing NCs with anti-CD40 or MPLA. With respect to the cytokine profile and…
Analytical model for the long- distance tracer-transport in plants
2011
International audience; Recent investigations of long-distance transport in plants using non-invasive tracer techniques such as C radiolabeling monitored by positron emission tomography (PET) combined with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed the need of dedicated methods to allow a quantitative data analysis and comparison of such experiments. A mechanistic compartmental tracer transport model is presented, defined by a linear system of partial differential equations (PDEs). This model simplifies the complexity of axial transport and lateral exchanges in the transport pathways of plants (e.g. the phloem) by simulating transport and reversible exchange within three compartments using j…
Bioaccumulation of Trace Elements from Aqueous Solutions by Selected Terrestrial Moss Species
2022
The interrelationship between metal concentrations in mosses and their surroundings prompts research toward examining their accumulation properties, as it is particularly important for their usage in biomonitoring studies that use mosses. In this study, the kinetics of elemental sorption in three moss species (Pleurozium schreberi, Dicranum polysetum, and Sphagnum fallax) were investigated under laboratory conditions. Sorption from metal salt solutions was carried out under static conditions with decreasing elemental concentration. Functional groups responsible for binding metal cations to the internal structures of the mosses were also identified. It was shown that the equilibrium state wa…
Type V collagen counteracts osteo-differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells
2014
In search of novel gene signatures for osteo-differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), we submitted cDNA preparations from undifferentiated and differentiating MSCs to differential display- and semiquantitative-PCR and found down-regulation of COL5A1 in osteo-induced cultures at days 21 and 28, when the mineralized matrix accumulates. We also cultured osteo-differentiating MSCs onto type V collagen substrates and found a decrease in the accumulation of extracellular calcium compared to those grown in uncoated flasks. To our knowledge, this is first evidence that type V collagen might represent a stromal component that impairs osteogenesis.
Digital control circuitry for the p53 dynamics in cancer cell and apoptosis
2010
Abstract Experimental work and theoretical models deduce a “digital” response of the p53 transcription factor when genomic integrity is damaged. The mutual influence of p53 and its antagonist, the Mdm2 oncogene, is closed in a feedback. This paper proposes an aerospace-based architecture for translating the p53/Mdm2/DNA damage network into a digital circuitry in which the optimal control theory is applied for obtaining the requested dynamic evolutions of some considered cell species for repairing a DNA damage. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of such digital circuitry design to detect and predict the cell species dynamics for shedding light on their inner and mutua…
In Vitro Cytotoxic Effect of Aqueous Extracts from Leaves and Rhizomes of the Seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile on HepG2 Liver Cancer Cells: Fo…
2023
Aqueous extracts from Posidonia oceanica’s green and brown (beached) leaves and rhizomes were prepared, submitted to phenolic compound and proteomic analysis, and examined for their potential cytotoxic effect on HepG2 liver cancer cells in culture. The chosen endpoints related to survival and death were cell viability and locomotory behavior, cell-cycle analysis, apoptosis and autophagy, mitochondrial membrane polarization, and cell redox state. Here, we show that 24 h exposure to both green-leaf- and rhizome-derived extracts decreased tumor cell number in a dose–response manner, with a mean half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) estimated at 83 and 11.5 μg of dry extract/mL, respecti…
Hard to catch: Experimental evidence supports evasive mimicry
2021
Most research on aposematism has focused on chemically defended prey, but the signalling difficulty of capture remains poorly explored. Similar to classical Batesian and Müllerian mimicry related to distastefulness, such ‘evasive aposematism' may also lead to convergence in warning colours, known as evasive mimicry. A prime candidate group for evasive mimicry areAdelphabutterflies, which are agile insects and show remarkable colour pattern convergence. We tested the ability of naive blue tits to learn to avoid and generalizeAdelphawing patterns associated with the difficulty of capture and compared their response to that of birds that learned to associate the same wing patterns with distast…
Antitumor Effect of Cabozantinib in Bone Metastatic Models of Renal Cell Carcinoma
2021
Background: The presence of bone metastases in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) negatively affects patients’ survival. Data from clinical trials has highlighted a significant benefit of cabozantinib in bone metastatic RCC patients. Here, we evaluated the antitumor effect of cabozantinib in coculture models of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and osteoblasts (OBs) to investigate whether and how its antiproliferative activity is influenced by OBs. Methods: Bone/RCC models were generated, coculturing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged Caki-1 and 786-O cells with human primary OBs in a “cell–cell contact” system. RCC proliferation and the OB molecular profile were evaluated after the cabozantinib treat…
Detection of natural killer T cells in mice infected with Rickettsia conorii.
2013
Little information is available regarding the role of natural killer T (NKT) cells during the early stage of Rickettsia conorii infection. Herein, C3H/HeN mice were infected with the Malish 7 strain of R. conorii. Splenocytes from these mice were analysed in the early stage of the infection by flow cytometry and compared with uninfected controls. Our results showed an increase in NKT cells in infected mice. Additionally, NKT interleukin (IL)-17(+) cells increased three days after infection, together with a concurrent decrease in the relative amount of NKT interferon (IFN)-γ(+) cells. We also confirmed a higher amount of NK IFN-γ(+) cells in infected mice. Taken together, our data showed tha…
Between-group competition and human cooperation.
2008
A distinctive feature of human behaviour is the widespread occurrence of cooperation among unrelated individuals. Explaining the maintenance of costly within-group cooperation is a challenge because the incentive to free ride on the efforts of other group members is expected to lead to decay of cooperation. However, the costs of cooperation can be diminished or overcome when there is competition at a higher level of organizational hierarchy. Here we show that competition between groups resolves the paradigmatic ‘public goods’ social dilemma and increases within-group cooperation and overall productivity. Further, group competition intensifies the moral emotions of anger and guilt associated…