An acidic microenvironment produced by the V-type ATPase of Euprymna scolopes promotes specificity during Vibrio fischeri recruitment.

Animals often acquire their microbial symbionts from the environment, but the mechanisms underlying how specificity of the association is achieved are poorly understood. We demonstrate that the conserved proton pump, V-type ATPase (VHA), plays a key role in the establishment of the model light-organ symbiosis between the squid Euprymna scolopes and its bacterial partner, Vibrio fischeri. Recruitment of V.

Facilitating remote and virtual access provision by European research infrastructures - requirements, issues, and recommendations.

Research Infrastructures (RIs) are strategic assets facilitating innovation and knowledge advancement across all scientific disciplines. They provide researchers with advanced tools and resources that go beyond individual or institutional capacities and promote collaboration, community-building and the application of scientific standards. Remote and virtual access to RIs enables scientists to use these essential resources without the necessity of being physically present.

The interplay of stress and work-related musculoskeletal disorders in dental practitioners.

Objectives: Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) among general dental practitioners and orthodontists is approximated to range between 64% and 93%. Etiology of WRMSDs in the mentally and physically demanding occupation remains unclear, for which reason the aim of the study was to clarify the interplay of physical, psychological, and mental factors on WRMSDs.

Method And Materials: Of 94 orthodontists and 187 general dental practitioners (mean age = 35 years) questioned using an online survey, 84% reported persisting tension or pain in the back, neck, or shoulders.

Soluble adenylyl cyclase is an acid-base sensor in rainbow trout red blood cells that regulates intracellular pH and haemoglobin-oxygen binding.

Aim: To identify the physiological role of the acid-base sensing enzyme, soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC), in red blood cells (RBC) of the model teleost fish, rainbow trout.

Methods: We used: (i) super-resolution microscopy to determine the subcellular location of sAC protein; (ii) live-cell imaging of RBC intracellular pH (pH) with specific sAC inhibition (KH7 or LRE1) to determine its role in cellular acid-base regulation; (iii) spectrophotometric measurements of haemoglobin-oxygen (Hb-O) binding in steady-state conditions; and (iv) during simulated arterial-venous transit, to determine the role of sAC in systemic O transport.

Results: Distinct pools of sAC protein were detected in the RBC cytoplasm, at the plasma membrane and within the nucleus.

The Arabidopsis SHORTROOT network coordinates shoot apical meristem development with auxin-dependent lateral organ initiation.

Plants produce new organs post-embryonically throughout their entire life cycle. This is due to stem cells present in the shoot and root apical meristems, the SAM and RAM, respectively. In the SAM, stem cells are located in the central zone where they divide slowly.

A Systematic Evaluation of the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine-Induced Anti-S-RBD-Ig Response in a Population of Health Care Workers.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the novel class of mRNA vaccines has been granted first-time approval for active immunization against SARS-CoV-2 alongside the already established viral vector-based vaccines. In this prospective single-center study, we set out to determine the vaccine-induced humoral immune response in a population of 1512 health care employees after the second and third vaccination, respectively. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) and nucleocapsid antigen antibody concentrations were assessed using commercially available immunoassays.

Soluble adenylyl cyclase coordinates intracellular pH homeostasis and biomineralization in calcifying cells of a marine animal.

Biomineralizing cells concentrate dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and remove protons from the site of mineral precipitation. However, the molecular regulatory mechanisms that orchestrate pH homeostasis and biomineralization of calcifying cells are poorly understood. Here, we report that the acid-base sensing enzyme soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) coordinates intracellular pH (pH) regulation in the calcifying primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs) of sea urchin larvae.

Modelling altered signalling of G-protein coupled receptors in inflamed environment to advance drug design.

We previously reported the successful design, synthesis and testing of the prototype opioid painkiller NFEPP that does not elicit adverse side effects. The design process of NFEPP was based on mathematical modelling of extracellular interactions between G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and ligands, recognizing that GPCRs function differently under pathological versus healthy conditions. We now present an additional and novel stochastic model of GPCR function that includes intracellular dissociation of G-protein subunits and modulation of plasma membrane calcium channels and their dependence on parameters of inflamed and healthy tissue (pH, radicals).

A Rhesus channel in the coral symbiosome membrane suggests a novel mechanism to regulate NH and CO delivery to algal symbionts.

Reef-building corals maintain an intracellular photosymbiotic association with dinoflagellate algae. As the algae are hosted inside the symbiosome, all metabolic exchanges must take place across the symbiosome membrane. Using functional studies in oocytes, immunolocalization, and confocal Airyscan microscopy, we established that Rh (ayRhp1) facilitates transmembrane NH and CO diffusion and that it is present in the symbiosome membrane.

V-type H-ATPase in the symbiosome membrane is a conserved mechanism for host control of photosynthesis in anthozoan photosymbioses.

In reef-building corals (order Scleractinia) and giant clams (phylum Molluca), V-type H-ATPase (VHA) in host cells is part of a carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM) that regulates photosynthetic rates of their symbiotic algae. Here, we show that VHA plays a similar role in the sea anemone , a member of the order Actinaria and sister group to the Scleractinia, which in contrast to their colonial calcifying coral relatives is a solitary, soft-bodied taxa. Western blotting and immunofluorescence revealed that VHA was abundantly present in the host-derived symbiosome membrane surrounding the photosymbionts.

X-ray microscopy enables multiscale high-resolution 3D imaging of plant cells, tissues, and organs.

Capturing complete internal anatomies of plant organs and tissues within their relevant morphological context remains a key challenge in plant science. While plant growth and development are inherently multiscale, conventional light, fluorescence, and electron microscopy platforms are typically limited to imaging of plant microstructure from small flat samples that lack a direct spatial context to, and represent only a small portion of, the relevant plant macrostructures. We demonstrate technical advances with a lab-based X-ray microscope (XRM) that bridge the imaging gap by providing multiscale high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) volumes of intact plant samples from the cell to the whole plant level.

Evolutionary links between intra- and extracellular acid-base regulation in fish and other aquatic animals.

The acid-base relevant molecules carbon dioxide (CO ), protons (H ), and bicarbonate (HCO ) are substrates and end products of some of the most essential physiological functions including aerobic and anaerobic respiration, ATP hydrolysis, photosynthesis, and calcification. The structure and function of many enzymes and other macromolecules are highly sensitive to changes in pH, and thus maintaining acid-base homeostasis in the face of metabolic and environmental disturbances is essential for proper cellular function. On the other hand, CO , H , and HCO have regulatory effects on various proteins and processes, both directly through allosteric modulation and indirectly through signal transduction pathways.

Regulation of coral calcification by the acid-base sensing enzyme soluble adenylyl cyclase.

Coral calcification is intricately linked to the chemical composition of the fluid in the extracellular calcifying medium (ECM), which is situated between the calcifying cells and the skeleton. Here we demonstrate that the acid-base sensing enzyme soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) is expressed in calcifying cells of the coral Stylophora pistillata. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of sAC in coral microcolonies resulted in acidification of the ECM as estimated by the pH-sensitive ratiometric indicator SNARF, and decreased calcification rates, as estimated by calcein labeling of crystal growth.

A vesicular Na+/Ca2+ exchanger in coral calcifying cells.

The calcium carbonate skeletons of corals provide the underlying structure of coral reefs; however, the cellular mechanisms responsible for coral calcification remain poorly understood. In osteoblasts from vertebrate animals, a Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) present in the plasma membrane transports Ca2+ to the site of bone formation. The aims of this study were to establish whether NCX exists in corals and its localization within coral cells, which are essential first steps to investigate its potential involvement in calcification.

Multicenter analytical performance evaluation of a fully automated anti-Müllerian hormone assay and reference interval determination.

Objectives: Anti-Müllenria hormone (AMH) is an established biomarker for assessing ovarian reserve and predicting response to controlled ovarian stimulation. Its routine clinical use is hampered by the variability and low-throughput of available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The presented study examined if a fully automated AMH electrochemiluminescence assay (ECLIA; Elecsys® AMH assay, Roche Diagnostics) was suitable for measuring AMH levels in healthy women and in those diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Shiga toxin glycosphingolipid receptors in microvascular and macrovascular endothelial cells: differential association with membrane lipid raft microdomains.

Vascular damage caused by Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli is largely mediated by Stxs, which in particular, injure microvascular endothelial cells in the kidneys and brain. The majority of Stxs preferentially bind to the glycosphingolipid (GSL) globotriaosylceramide (Gb3Cer) and, to a lesser extent, to globotetraosylceramide (Gb4Cer). As clustering of receptor GSLs in lipid rafts is a functional requirement for Stxs, we analyzed the distribution of Gb3Cer and Gb4Cer to membrane microdomains of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) and macrovascular EA.

Long-term morbidity and quality of life after surgical repair of transposition of the great arteries: atrial versus arterial switch operation.

Since a growing number of patients after surgical repair of transposition of the great arteries (TGA) survive until adulthood the focus of attention has shifted to the management of associated long-term morbidity and quality of life (QoL). Therefore, we reviewed all patients that underwent surgical repair of TGA at our institution and compared long-term results after atrial and arterial switch operation. Between 1973 and 2000, a total of 302 patients underwent either atrial switch operation (n=222) or arterial switch operation (n=80).

Vibration effects of lab equipment on dissolution testing with USP paddle method.

Environmental vibration induced by laboratory equipment, building construction, or even by the analysts themselves is one of the more complicated factors affecting dissolution testing. It is difficult to control and/or calibrate by mechanical means or performance-based methods. In this study, dissolution apparatus vibration levels were measured in the frequency range from 10 to 270 Hz along all three axes using commercially available, single-axis accelerometers.

Magnetic resonance imaging of melanoma metastases in a clinical relevant human melanoma xenograft scid mouse model.

This study aimed to analyse (i) the metastatic behaviour of human melanoma FEMX-1 cells in scid mice after surgical excision of the PT and (ii) to evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection of melanoma metastases. Histology proved both high specificity (95%), and high sensitivity of MRI detection of melanoma metastasis. CEACAM1, L1, and HPA-binding site expression, all markers predicting metastasis in clinical studies, were preserved in the metastatic nodules.

Low-dose mistletoe lectin-I reduces melanoma growth and spread in a scid mouse xenograft model.

This study investigates the effects of mistletoe lectin-I (ML-I) on melanoma growth and spread in vivo. The human melanoma cell line MV3 was xenografted into severe combined immunodeficient mice and vehicle solution or purified ML-I was administered at 30, 150 and 500 ng per kg body weight (20 mice per group) daily. After 19 days, mice were killed, primary tumours (PTs) and lungs were dissected out, and tumour weights, number of lung metastases (LMs), number of tumour-infiltrating dendritic cells (DCs), and apoptosis rates in the melanoma cells and in the DCs were assessed.

[Typical bacteria in an intensive care burn unit in severely burned patients and their importance with regard to mortality: retrospective study 1995 - 2004].

The purpose of this study was to identify risk profiles for wound infection of severely burned patients in a retrospective analysis of patients of an intensive care burn unit during 1995 - 2004. The goal of this study was to identify risk factors on wound infection in severely burned patients. Possible influences on mortality were to be discussed.