Metamorphosis of a unicellular green alga in the presence of acetate and a spatially structured three-dimensional environment.

Photosynthetic protists, named microalgae, are key players in global primary production. The green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a well-studied model organism. In nature, it dwells in acetate-rich paddy rice soil, which is not mimicked by standard liquid laboratory conditions.

Local Magnetic Hyperthermia and Systemic Gemcitabine/Paclitaxel Chemotherapy Triggers Neo-Angiogenesis in Orthotopic Pancreatic Tumors without Involvement of Auto/Paracrine Tumor Cell VEGF Signaling and Hypoxia.

There is a growing interest in exploring the therapeutically mediated modulation of tumor vascularization of pancreatic cancer, which is known for its poorly perfused tumor microenvironment limiting the delivery of therapeutic agents to the tumor site. Here, we assessed how magnetic hyperthermia in combination with chemotherapy selectively affects growth, the vascular compartment of tumors, and the presence of tumor cells expressing key regulators of angiogenesis. To that purpose, a orthotopic PANC-1 (fluorescent human pancreatic adenocarcinoma) mouse tumor model (Rj:Athym-Foxn1nu/nu) was used.

GPRC5C regulates the composition of cilia in the olfactory system.

Background: Olfactory sensory neurons detect odourants via multiple long cilia that protrude from their dendritic endings. The G protein-coupled receptor GPRC5C was identified as part of the olfactory ciliary membrane proteome, but its function and localization is unknown.

Results: High-resolution confocal and electron microscopy revealed that GPRC5C is located at the base of sensory cilia in olfactory neurons, but not in primary cilia of immature neurons or stem cells.

Laboratory-Based Correlative Soft X-ray and Fluorescence Microscopy in an Integrated Setup.

Correlative microscopy is a powerful technique that combines the advantages of multiple imaging modalities to achieve a comprehensive understanding of investigated samples. For example, fluorescence microscopy provides unique functional contrast by imaging only specifically labeled components, especially in biological samples. However, the achievable structural information on the sample in its full complexity is limited.

Different lanthanide elements induce strong gene expression changes in a lanthanide-accumulating methylotroph.

Since its discovery, Ln-dependent metabolism in bacteria attracted a lot of attention due to its bio-metallurgical application potential regarding Ln recycling and circular economy. The physiological role of Ln is mostly studied dependent on presence and absence. Comparisons of how different (utilizable) Ln affect metabolism have rarely been done.

Comparative genomics hints at dispensability of multiple essential genes in two Escherichia coli L-form strains.

Despite the critical role of bacterial cell walls in maintaining cell shapes, certain environmental stressors can induce the transition of many bacterial species into a wall-deficient state called L-form. Long-term induced Escherichia coli L-forms lose their rod shape and usually hold significant mutations that affect cell division and growth. Besides this, the genetic background of L-form bacteria is still poorly understood.

The choline-binding proteins PspA, PspC, and LytA of and their interaction with human endothelial and red blood cells.

is a Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen that can colonize the upper respiratory tract. It is a leading cause of a wide range of infectious diseases, including community-acquired pneumonia and meningitis. Pneumococcal infections cause 1-2 million deaths per year, most of which occur in developing countries.

The role of pneumococcal extracellular vesicles on the pathophysiology of the kidney disease hemolytic uremic syndrome.

-induced hemolytic uremic syndrome (Sp-HUS) is a kidney disease characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury. This disease is frequently underdiagnosed and its pathophysiology is poorly understood. In this work, we compared clinical strains, isolated from infant Sp-HUS patients, with a reference pathogenic strain D39, for host cytotoxicity and further explored the role of Sp-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the pathogenesis of an HUS infection.

Long-term depression in neurons involves temporal and ultra-structural dynamics of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate relying on PIP5K, PTEN and PLC.

Synaptic plasticity involves proper establishment and rearrangement of structural and functional microdomains. Yet, visualization of the underlying lipid cues proved challenging. Applying a combination of rapid cryofixation, membrane freeze-fracturing, immunogold labeling and electron microscopy, we visualize and quantitatively determine the changes and the distribution of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP) in the plasma membrane of dendritic spines and subareas thereof at ultra-high resolution.

Light and prey influence the abundances of two rhodopsins in the dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina.

Antisera were raised against the C-terminal amino acid sequences of the two rhodopsins ADY17806 and AEA49880 of Oxyrrhis marina. The antisera and affinity-purified antibodies thereof were used in western immunoblotting experiments of total cell protein fractions from cultures grown either in darkness or in white, red, green, or blue light. Furthermore, the rhodopsin abundances were profiled in cultures fed with yeast or the prasinophyte Pyramimonas grossii.

Impact of in vitro digested zinc oxide nanoparticles on intestinal model systems.

Background: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NP) offer beneficial properties for many applications, especially in the food sector. Consequently, as part of the human food chain, they are taken up orally. The toxicological evaluation of orally ingested ZnO NP is still controversial.

Artificial Digestion of Polydisperse Copper Oxide Nanoparticles: Investigation of Effects on the Human In Vitro Intestinal Co-Culture Model Caco-2/HT29-MTX.

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NP) are increasingly used in consumer-related products, which may result in increased oral ingestion. Digestion of particles can change their physicochemical properties and toxicity. Therefore, our aim was to simulate the gastrointestinal tract using a static in vitro digestion model.

Tumor-derived exosomes: Key players in non-small cell lung cancer metastasis and their implication for targeted therapy.

Exosomes represent extracellular vesicles of endocytic origin ranging from 30 to 100 nm that are released by most of eukaryotic cells and can be found in body fluids. These vesicles in carrying DNA, RNA, microRNA (miRNA), Long noncoding RNA, proteins, and lipids serve as intercellular communicators. Due to their role in crosstalk between tumor cells and mesenchymal stroma cells, they are vital for tumor growth, progression, and anticancer drug resistance.

Long-Chain and Very Long-Chain Ceramides Mediate Doxorubicin-Induced Toxicity and Fibrosis.

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a chemotherapeutic agent with cardiotoxicity associated with profibrotic effects. Dox increases ceramide levels with pro-inflammatory effects, cell death, and fibrosis. The purpose of our study was to identify the underlying ceramide signaling pathways.

Rhodopsins build up the birefringent bodies of the dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina.

The ultrastructure of the birefringent bodies of the dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Ultrathin sectioning revealed that the bodies consist of highly ordered and densely packed lamellae, which show a regular striation along their longitudinal axis. A lattice distance of 6.

The fungivorous amoeba Protostelium aurantium targets redox homeostasis and cell wall integrity during intracellular killing of Candida parapsilosis.

Predatory interactions among microbes are major evolutionary driving forces for biodiversity. The fungivorous amoeba Protostelium aurantium has a wide fungal food spectrum including foremost pathogenic members of the genus Candida. Here we show that upon phagocytic ingestion by the amoeba, Candida parapsilosis is confronted with an oxidative burst and undergoes lysis within minutes of processing in acidified phagolysosomes.

Mechanistic insights into p53-regulated cytotoxicity of combined entinostat and irinotecan against colorectal cancer cells.

Late-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) is still a clinically challenging problem. The activity of the tumor suppressor p53 is regulated via post-translational modifications (PTMs). While the relevance of p53 C-terminal acetylation for transcriptional regulation is well defined, it is unknown whether this PTM controls mitochondrially mediated apoptosis directly.

DASH cryptochrome 1, a UV-A receptor, balances the photosynthetic machinery of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Drosophila, Arabidopsis, Synechocystis, Homo (DASH) cryptochromes belong to the cryptochrome/photolyase family and can act as DNA repair enzymes. In bacteria and fungi, they also can play regulatory roles, but in plants their biological functions remain elusive. Here, we characterize CRY-DASH1 from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Two Distinct Bacterial Biofilm Components Trigger Metamorphosis in the Colonial Hydrozoan Hydractinia echinata.

In marine environments, the bacterially induced metamorphosis of larvae is a widespread cross-kingdom communication phenomenon that is critical for the persistence of many marine invertebrates. However, the majority of inducing bacterial signals and underlying cellular mechanisms remain enigmatic. The marine hydroid Hydractinia echinata is a well-known model system for investigating bacterially stimulated larval metamorphosis, as larvae transform into the colonial adult stage within 24 h of signal detection.

Cellular Uptake and Toxicological Effects of Differently Sized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in Intestinal Cells.

Due to their beneficial properties, the use of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NP) is constantly increasing, especially in consumer-related areas, such as food packaging and food additives, which is leading to an increased oral uptake of ZnO NP. Consequently, the aim of our study was to investigate the cellular uptake of two differently sized ZnO NP (<50 nm and <100 nm; 12-1229 µmol/L) using two human intestinal cell lines (Caco-2 and LT97) and to examine the possible resulting toxic effects. ZnO NP (<50 nm and <100 nm) were internalized by both cell lines and led to intracellular changes.

Intracellular persistence of in endothelial cells is promoted by the absence of phenol-soluble modulins.

A large proportion of clinical isolates that carry an inactive Agr system are associated with persistent infection that is difficult to treat. Once is inside the bloodstream, it can cross the endothelial barrier and invade almost every organ in the human body. Endothelial cells can either be lysed by this pathogen or they serve as a niche for its intracellular long-term survival.

Epithelial Membrane Protein 2 Suppresses Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Growth by Inhibition of MAPK Pathway.

Epithelial membrane proteins (EMP1-3) are involved in epithelial differentiation and carcinogenesis. Dysregulated expression of EMP2 was observed in various cancers, but its role in human lung cancer is not yet clarified. In this study, we analyzed the expression of EMP1-3 and investigated the biological function of EMP2 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).