Hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) in obese Zucker rats: implications in feeding and sexual behaviors

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a peptide of the pancreatic polypeptide family, is actually considered to be the most potent stimulator of food intake in rats when centrally injected. It has also suppressive effects on several components of sexual behavior. It was measured in discrete microdissected brain nuclei in obese hyperphagic Zucker fa/fa rats also characterized by a deficient reproductive function, as well as in their lean homozygous (Fa/Fa) and heterozygous (Fa/fa) counterparts. When compared with the lean (Fa/Fa) rats, NPY concentrations were significantly increased in the obese rats in the arcuate nucleus-median eminence (ARCME, +300%), in the paraventricular (PVN, +60%), suprachiasmatic (SCH, +90%), accumbens (+100%) and supraoptic (+40%) nuclei, as well as in the median preoptic area (MPOA, +70%). As PVN is one of the most important nuclei involved in the control of food intake and one site of NPY action, the high levels found in this nucleus might be a major component at the origin of hyperphagia in the obese animals. Food intake might be overstimulated by a sustained production of NPY as shown by the high concentrations found in the ARCME. NPY might also intervene in the pattern of food intake, for NPY contents were also largely modified in the SCH, the nucleus regulating feeding periodicity and in the MPOA, which is possibly involved in the regulation of energy balance. Finally, as the MPOA is the only site of action of NPY on sexual behavior, the higher levels measured in this area might contribute to the defective reproductive function of the obese Zucker fa/fa rat.     

Human ORFeome Version 1.1: A Platform for Reverse Proteomics

The advent of systems biology necessitates the cloning of nearly entire sets of protein-encoding open reading frames (ORFs), or ORFeomes, to allow functional studies of the corresponding proteomes. Here, we describe the generation of a first version of the human ORFeome using a newly improved Gateway recombinational cloning approach. Using the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC) resource as a starting point, we report the successful cloning of 8076 human ORFs, representing at least 7263 human genes, as mini-pools of PCR-amplified products. These were assembled into the human ORFeome version 1.1 (hORFeome v1.1) collection. After assessing the overall quality of this version, we describe the use of hORFeome v1.1 for heterologous protein expression in two different expression systems at proteome scale. The hORFeome v1.1 represents a central resource for the cloning of large sets of human ORFs in various settings for functional proteomics of many types, and will serve as the foundation for subsequent improved versions of the human ORFeome.     

Fatal Dieulafoy's type ulcer in a case of gastric AL-amyloidosis

Dieulafoy's ulcer is a particular form of gastric ulcer confined to a persistent caliber artery and may lead to severe hemorrhage. We report a case of fatal gastric bleeding in a woman with benign biclonal gammapathy. Autopsy found a typical Dieulafoy's ulcer centered by a persistent caliber artery which wall was thickened by AL-amyloid deposits. Amyloidosis involved the gastric wall, but also middle caliber arteries of the liver, the lung, the pancreas, the kidney and the myocardium. AL-amyloidosis is a rare and late complication of monoclonal gammapathy and may be asymptomatic. Pathogenesis of Dieulafoy's ulcer remains unclear. In our case, local ischemia may have facilitated gastric ulceration, and amyloid deposits may have contributed to arterial rupture.     

An accessory open reading frame (orf-x) of jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus is conserved between different virus isolates

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) is the etiological agent of a contagious lung tumour of sheep known as sheep pulmonary adenomatosis (syn: ovine pulmonary carcinoma, jaagsiekte). JSRV exhibits a simple genetic organization, characteristic of the type D and type B retroviruses, with the canonical retroviral sequences gag, pro, pol and env encoding the structural proteins of the virion. An additional open reading frame (orf-x), of approximately 500 bp overlapping pol, is present in the only two complete sequences of JSRV published to date. Since very little information is available on the biology of JSRV it is important to establish if orf-x is conserved between different virus isolates. In this study we analysed the orf-x region of JSRV isolates collected from the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and South Africa. In addition we also analysed the presence of orf-x in JSRV-related endogenous sequences (enJSRVs) present in the sheep genome. Orf-x was highly conserved in all the exogenous isolates (n=10) and in most of the endogenous sequences (n=8). Thus orf-x may be an accessory gene of JSRV and haves a biological function which might be advantageous to JSRV. Phenetic analysis conducted on the complete orf-x nucleotide sequences seems to highlight the presence of three distinct groups statistically well supported by bootstrapping: i) exogenous JSRV sequence from the UK; ii) exogenous JSRV sequences from Southern Europe and iii) the exogenous South African strain plus all the endogenous sequences analyzed and collected from Australia, Italy, UK and South Africa.     

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains carrying genes encoding the PER-2 and TEM-116 extended-spectrum beta-lactamases isolated from children with diarrhea in Uruguay

We studied 13 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing enteropathogenic Escherichia coli isolates from children suffering acute diarrhea in Uruguay. ESBL characterization in crude extracts showed a single band at pI 5.4. PCR amplification and sequencing data allowed identification of blaPER-2 and blaTEM-116. Retrospective analysis suggests that these strains were disseminated in the community, even if unnoticed, prior to their access to the hospital environment more than a decade ago.     

DFNA54, a third locus for low-frequency hearing loss

Nonsyndromic hereditary hearing impairment (NSHHI) is a highly heterogeneous disorder with more than 90 loci mapped, of which nearly one-half of the responsible genes are identified. In dominant NSSHI hearing loss is typically biased towards the high frequencies while low-frequency hearing loss is unusual. Only two NSHHI loci, DFNA1 and DFNA6/14/38, are associated with predominantly low- frequency loss. We mapped the loci harboring the gene responsible for autosomal dominant low-frequency hearing loss in a multigenerational family. The pedigree of a Swiss family with low-frequency hearing loss was established. Using genomic DNA, DFNA1 and DFNA6/14/38 were excluded by linkage analysis or by direct sequencing of the responsible gene. Genome-wide linkage analysis was performed using commercially available microsatellite markers. Two-point linkage analysis demonstrated linkage to chromosome 5q31, the locus for DFNA15, with a lod score of 6.32 at recombination fraction =0 for marker D5S436. Critical recombinations were seen at markers D5S1972 and D5S410. Sequencing of the corresponding gene POU4F3 yielded no pathogenic mutation segregating with the affected members. In addition to Wolfram syndrome gene 1 (DFNA6/14/38) and diaphanous (DFNA1) there is evidence for a third gene involved in low-frequency hearing loss located at DFNA15. Because of the differences in auditory phenotype and the absence of pathogenic mutation in the coding region of POU4F3 it is likely that there is a second gene in 5q31, designated DFNA54, associated with NSHHI.     

Incidental langerhans cell histiocytosis of thyroid: case report and review of the literature

We report a case of a 42-yr-old woman with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) confined to the thyroid and associated with lymphocytic thyroiditis and a papillary microcarcinoma. This patient remains free of symptoms 14 mo after surgery. Thyroid LCH is rare. In children, it usually occurs as part of a multisystemic disease, whereas it is usually exclusive in adults. Isolated thyroid LCH is frequently associated with another thyroid disease, especially lymphocytic thyroiditis, suggesting that it is a reactive process rather than a neoplastic proliferation. The prognosis of isolated thyroid LCH is good. However, because it can rarely precede or reveal a multisystemic disease, additional investigations as well as a prolonged follow-up are justified.     

Differing Patterns of P-Selectin Expression in Lung Injury

Using two models of acute lung inflammatory injury in rats (intrapulmonary deposition of immunoglobulin G immune complexes and systemic activation of complement after infusion of purified cobra venom factor), we have analyzed the requirements and patterns for upregulation of lung vascular P-selectin. In the immune complex model, upregulation of P-selectin was defined by Northern and Western blot analysis of lung homogenates, by immunostaining of lung tissue, and by vascular fixation of ¹²⁵I-labeled anti-P-selectin. P-selectin protein was detected by 1 hour (long before detection of mRNA) and expression was sustained for the next 7 hours, in striking contrast to the pattern of P-selectin expression in the cobra venom factor model, in which upregulation was very transient (within the 1st hour). In the immune complex model, injury and neutrophil accumulation were P-selectin dependent. Upregulation of P-selectin was dependent on an intact complement system, and the presence of blood neutrophils was susceptible to the antioxidant dimethyl sulfoxide and required C5a but not tumor necrosis factor α. In contrast, in the cobra venom factor model, upregulation of P-selectin, which is C5a dependent, was also dimethyl sulfoxide sensitive but neutrophil independent. Different mechanisms that may explain why upregulation of lung vascular P-selectin is either transient or sustained are discussed.