Cytotoxicity on human cells of Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac Bt insecticidal toxins alone or with a glyphosate‐based herbicide

The study of combined effects of pesticides represents a challenge for toxicology. In the case of the new growing generation of genetically modified (GM) plants with stacked traits, glyphosate‐based herbicides (like Roundup) residues are present in the Roundup‐tolerant edible plants (especially corns) and mixed with modified Bt insecticidal toxins that are produced by the GM plants themselves. The potential side effects of these combined pesticides on human cells are investigated in this work. Here we have tested for the very first time Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac Bt toxins (10 ppb to 100 ppm) on the human embryonic kidney cell line 293, as well as their combined actions with Roundup, within 24 h, on three biomarkers of cell death: measurements of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase, adenylate kinase release by membrane alterations and caspase 3/7 inductions. Cry1Ab caused cell death from 100 ppm. For Cry1Ac, under such conditions, no effects were detected. The Roundup tested alone from 1 to 20 000 ppm is necrotic and apoptotic from 50 ppm, far below agricultural dilutions (50% lethal concentration 57.5 ppm). The only measured significant combined effect was that Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac reduced caspases 3/7 activations induced by Roundup; this could delay the activation of apoptosis. There was the same tendency for the other markers. In these results, we argue that modified Bt toxins are not inert on nontarget human cells, and that they can present combined side‐effects with other residues of pesticides specific to GM plants. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Youth and Drugs: Society's Mixed Messages

Abstract

Drug activity depends on both the fine as well as the gross structure of the molecule. In this work, the properties of the molecule that are dependent on its fine structure such as: dipole moment, ionization potential and energies of the HOMO and LUMO were calculated for the optimized geometry of some drugs using Ab initio method and the GAMESS program. At physiological pH, the amine part of the drug would be partially protonated, the calculations were carried out on both the charged and the free base forms. Attempts to correlate the calculated parameters to the hallucinogenic activity of the studied drugs showed that a number of correlations could be obtained. Mathematical relations between the activity and the structural parameters were derived for the studied drugs. It should be noted that the gross properties of the molecule (size, geometry and lipophilicity) are important factors in determining the drug activity.     

Antibodies to GAD in Japanese patients classified as Type 2 diabetes at diagnosis. High titre of GAD Ab is a predictive marker for early insulin treatment--report of west Japan (Kyushu, Yamaguchi, Osaka) study for GAD Ab(+) diabetes.

AIM: We evaluated the prevalence of GAD Ab in Japanese Type 2 diabetic patients treated with oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHA) and/or diet and followed GAD Ab(+) patients to assess the usefulness of GAD Ab as a marker for future insulin treatment prospectively. METHODS: A total of 2658 Japanese Type 2 diabetic patients treated by OHA and/or diet were randomly selected between April 1996 and December 1998. The clinical characteristics at entry were assessed and patients were followed for 1-3 years. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of GAD Ab among Type 2 diabetic patients was 2.0%. Forty-five had a history of diabetes of < or = 5 years (short history) while those with duration > 5 years (long history) totalled nine. Among them, 47% of patients with a short history did not require insulin in the follow-up period. However, none of those with a long history required insulin treatment within 2 years. Comparison of patients based on GAD titre in those with short history showed that 33% of patients in the high-titre group (> or = 20 U) required no insulin treatment in the first year of follow-up. In contrast, this proportion was 80% in the first and 67% in the second year in the low-titre group (< 20 U). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of GAD Ab in Japanese patients with a short and long history of diabetes was 2.8% and 0.9%, respectively. The presence of GAD Ab in Japanese Type 2 diabetic patients with a short history of diabetes is a marker for early insulin treatment.     

湖南省脊髓灰质炎病毒型内抗原研究

目的为掌握我省脊髓灰质炎（脊灰）病毒型内抗原特征。方法应用脊灰单克隆抗体（ＭｃＡｂ）中和法进行型内抗原分析。结果湖南省１９８９～１９９１年有１０个地（市）为脊灰Ⅰ型野病毒传播，根据对ＭｃＡｂ反应的不同可分为４个类别，以ＰＩ—１最多，占７７．２７％（１７／２２），抗原性质属类强毒株。结论Ｐ１—１型为我省脊灰流行的主要型别，脊灰Ⅱ、Ⅲ型均为疫苗相关株病毒。方法能从抗原表位水平分析研究毒株的性质，鉴别疫苗株和野毒株，具有敏感特异，简单等特点     

Regions of botulinum neurotoxin A light chain recognized by human anti-toxin antibodies from cervical dystonia patients immunoresistant to toxin treatment. The antigenic structure of the active toxin recognized by human antibodies

This work was aimed at determining the BoNT/A L-chain antigenic regions recognized by blocking antibodies in human antisera from cervical dystonia patients who had become immunoresistant to BoNT/A treatment. Antisera from 28 immunoresistant patients were analyzed for binding to each of 32 overlapping synthetic peptides that spanned the entire L-chain. A mixture of the antisera showed that antibodies bound to three peptides, L11 (residues 141-159), L14 (183-201) and L18 (239-257). When mapped separately, the antibodies were bound only by a limited set of peptides. No peptide bound antibodies from all the patients and amounts of antibodies bound to a given peptide varied with the patient. Peptides L11, L14 and L18 were recognized predominantly. A small but significant number of patients had antibodies to peptides L27 (365-383) and L29 (379-397). Other peptides were recognized at very low and perhaps insignificant antibody levels by a minority (15% or less) of patients or had no detectable antibody with any of the sera. In the 3-dimensional structure, antibody-binding regions L11, L14 and L18 of the L-chain occupy surface areas and did not correlate with electrostatic potential, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, or temperature factor. These three antigenic regions reside in close proximity to the belt of the heavy chain. The regions L11 and L18 are accessible in both the free light chain and the holotoxin forms, while L14 appears to be less accessible in the holotoxin. Antibodies against these regions could prevent delivery of the L-chain into the neurons by inhibition of the translocation.     

阿尔茨海默病中突触病变的分子机制与治疗策略

神经突触具有高度可塑性,突触的形成和重塑是神经元活性依赖性的,是学习记忆、认知功能的基础。包括Alzheimer’sdisease（AD）在内的多种表现出认知缺陷的神经疾病,均存在突触结构或者功能的异常。AD的早期临床表现是单纯的记忆功能损伤,随病程深入,患者认知障碍进行性加重,并出现神经退行性改变。新皮质、海马的联合区的突触的完整性受损、可塑性异常、密度下降被认为是AD认知障碍的发病基础。皮质中的可溶性β—amyloidpeptide（Aβ）寡聚体,是AD中首要的突触毒素,通过多种不同的分子机制破坏海马脑片或者动物在体的Long—termpotentiation（LTP）,损害啮齿类动物的认知和记忆功能,降低器官型培养的海马脑片树突棘的密度。而不可溶的Aβ斑块,可能作为具有突触毒性的寡聚体的一种储备形式而存在。Aβ抗体或者调节Aβ聚集的小分子可以逆转寡聚体的突触毒性,降低脑内Aβ水平,尤其是具有突触毒性的寡聚体,以延缓AD病人认知功能的下降,已经进入临床试验阶段。     

Effects of phenol on barrier function of a human intestinal epithelial cell line correlate with altered tight junction protein localization

Phenol contamination of soil and water has raised concerns among people living near phenol-producing factories and hazardous waste sites containing the chemical. Phenol, particularly in high concentrations, is an irritating and corrosive substance, making mucosal membranes targets of toxicity in humans. However, few data on the effects of phenol after oral exposure exist.We used an in vitro model employing human intestinal epithelial cells (SK-CO15) cultured on permeable supports to examine effects of phenol on epithelial barrier function. We hypothesized that phenol disrupts epithelial barrier by altering tight junction (TJ) protein expression. The dose-response effect of phenol on epithelial barrier function was determined using transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) and FITC-dextran permeability measurements. We studied phenol-induced changes in cell morphology and expression of several tight junction proteins by immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis. Effects on cell viability were assessed by MTT, Trypan blue, propidium iodide and TUNEL staining.Exposure to phenol resulted in decreased TER and increased paracellular flux of FITC-dextran in a dose-dependent manner. Delocalization of claudin-1 and ZO-1 from TJs to cytosol correlated with the observed increase in permeability after phenol treatment. Additionally, the decrease in TER correlated with changes in the distribution of a membrane raft marker, suggesting phenol-mediated effects on membrane fluidity. Such observations were independent of effects of phenol on cell viability as enhanced permeability occurred at doses of phenol that did not cause cell death. Overall, these findings suggest that phenol may affect transiently the lipid bilayer of the cell membrane, thus destabilizing TJ-containing microdomains.     

Cardiomyocyte-targeted overexpression of the coxsackie–adenovirus receptor causes a cardiomyopathy in association with β-catenin signaling

The coxsackie–adenovirus receptor (CAR) is an adhesion molecule found at the intercalated disc of cardiomyocytes in association with other adherens and tight junction proteins. CAR expression is increased at cardiomyocyte junctions in patients with heart failure. It is not known what contribution elevated CAR expression makes to cardiac pathology. We generated a binary transgenic mouse enabling cardiac-restricted doxycycline-regulated expression of Flag-tagged murine CAR (mCAR⁺/αMtTA⁺ mice). Myocardial CAR levels were increased 6-fold in mCAR⁺/αMtTA⁺ mice, localizing to intercalated discs and sarcolemma. Well at birth, mCAR⁺/αMtTA⁺ mice developed a severe cardiomyopathy and died by 4 weeks. Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was evident at 1 week, with increased heart:body weight ratios by 3 weeks. Disorganization and degeneration of cardiomyocytes were evident with disrupted adherens junctions. Doxycycline administration turned off transgene expression and rescued mice from the development of the cardiomyopathic phenotype. In CAR-overexpressing mCAR⁺/αMtTA⁺ mice, adherens junction proteins were abnormally expressed. N-cadherin protein levels were 83% lower in mCAR⁺/αMtTA⁺ hearts vs controls at 1 week, with levels subsequently increased above controls at 3 weeks. β-catenin expression was 90% and 135% above controls at 1 and 3 weeks, respectively. Nuclear translocation of β-catenin in cardiomyocytes of mCAR⁺/αMtTA⁺ mice was associated with increased c-myc RNA, a target of active β-catenin known to be associated with cardiac hypertrophy. Our study is the first to demonstrate that increased CAR expression can induce a cardiomyopathy and supports a model whereby the pathogenesis is determined by CAR stimulated β-catenin signaling, and/or disruption of the adherens junction.     

Impact of Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ab on rumen epithelial cells (REC) – A new in vitro model for safety assessment of recombinant food compounds

The growing use of genetically modified crops necessitates viable screening methods for safety evaluation of recombinant feed, particularly for ruminants. A new sheep rumen epithelial cell culture is introduced as an in vitro cell system for safety evaluation especially focussing on feed and food compounds. We used lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, WST-1 conversion, ATP content and caspase 3/7 activity to evaluate cytotoxicity of Cry1Ab, one of the newly expressed Bt-proteins in transgene maize. The results were compared to the effects of valinomycin, a potassium ionophore known to induce cytotoxic effects on a wide range of cells. Whereas no toxicity of Cry1Ab was observed in short as well as in long term experiments, even at non-physiological high concentrations, exposure to valinomycin induced apoptosis and a significant response of all viability parameters after a number of hours. The ATP content and the WST-1 conversion reflecting the energy metabolism of the cells appear to be more sensitive indicators of valinomycin toxicity than the LDH release, a parameter which reflects the membrane integrity. This study presents an in vitro model system, that may be useful as a supplementary tool in toxicity screening before testing substances on animals in vivo.