Pivotal Roles for pH, Lactate, and Lactate-Utilizing Bacteria in the Stability of a Human Colonic Microbial Ecosystem.

Lactate can be produced by many gut bacteria, but in adults its accumulation in the colon is often an indicator of microbiota perturbation. Using continuous culture anaerobic fermentor systems, we found that lactate concentrations remained low in communities of human colonic bacteria maintained at pH 6.5, even when dl-lactate was infused at 10 or 20 mM.

Effect of traditional Chinese medicine compounds on rumen fermentation, methanogenesis and microbial flora .

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of traditional Chinese medicine compounds (TCMC) on rumen fermentation, methane emission and populations of ruminal microbes using an gas production technique. Cablin patchouli herb (CPH), Atractylodes rhizome (AR), Amur Cork-tree (AC) and Cypsum were mixed with the weight ratios of 1:1:1:0.5 and 1:1:1:1 to make up TCMC1 and TCMC2, respectively.

Vascular endothelial growth factor expression and signaling in the lens.

Purpose: Previous studies have identified sequences encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and one of the VEGF receptors (VEGFR2, Flk-1, KDR) in lens fiber cells. The current study was undertaken to determine the distribution of VEGF-A protein in the lens, whether signaling through VEGF receptors occurs in lens cells, the pattern of VEGF-A expression during lens development, and the effect of hypoxia on VEGF-A expression.

Methods: VEGF-A and VEGFR2 were localized using immunocytochemistry.

Regulation of enhanced vacuolar H+-ATPase expression in macrophages.

The proton-translocating vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) acidifies the endocytic network of eukaryotic cells. Although all eukaryotic cell types require low to moderate levels of V-ATPase, some proton-secreting cells express amplified levels for use in specialized membrane domains. To characterize genetic elements required for this heightened expression, we studied transcription and stability of mRNA encoding the V-ATPase c subunit in a low expressing fibroblast cell line (NIH 3T3) and a high expressing macrophage cell line (RAW 264.