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- Liu, Kui, et al.
(author)
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Kallikrein genes are associated with lupus and glomerular basement membrane-specific antibody-induced nephritis in mice and humans
- 2009
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In: Journal of Clinical Investigation. - 0021-9738 .- 1558-8238. ; 119:4, s. 911-923
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Immune-mediated nephritis contributes to disease in systemic lupus erythematosus, Goodpasture syndrome (caused by antibodies specific for glomerular basement membrane [anti-GBM antibodies]), and spontaneous lupus nephritis. Inbred mouse strains differ in susceptibility to anti-GBM antibody-induced and spontaneous lupus nephritis. This study sought to clarify the genetic and molecular factors that maybe responsible for enhanced immune-mediated renal disease in these models. When the kidneys of 3 mouse strains sensitive to anti-GBM antibody-induced nephritis were compared with those of 2 control strains using microarray analysis, one-fifth of the underexpressed genes belonged to the kallikrein gene family,which encodes serine esterases. Mouse strains that upregulated renal and urinary kallikreins exhibited less evidence of disease. Antagonizing the kallikrein pathway augmented disease, while agonists dampened the severity of anti-GBM antibody-induced nephritis. In addition, nephritis-sensitive mouse strains had kallikrein haplotypes that were distinct from those of control strains, including several regulatory polymorphisms,some of which were associated with functional consequences. Indeed, increased susceptibility to anti-GBM antibody-induced nephritis and spontaneous lupus nephritis was achieved by breeding mice with a genetic interval harboring the kallikrein genes onto a disease-resistant background. Finally, both human SLE and spontaneous lupus nephritis were found to be associated with kallikrein genes, particularly KLK1 and the KLK3 promoter, when DNA SNPs from independent cohorts of SLE patients and controls were compared. Collectively, these studies suggest that kallikreins are protective disease-associated genes in anti-GBM antibody-induced nephritis and lupus.
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- Saravia-Ramos, Fernando, et al.
(author)
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Exposure to the seminal plasma of different portions of the boar ejaculate modulates the survival of spermatozoa cryopreserved in MiniFlatPacks
- 2009
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In: Theriogenology. - : Elsevier. - 0093-691X .- 1879-3231. ; 71:4, s. 662-675
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spermatozoa present in the first collectable 10 mL of the sperm-rich fraction (SRF) of the boar ejaculate (portion 1, PI I have higher documented viability during and after cryopreservation than spermatozoa in the rest of the ejaculate (portion 2, P2). probably in relation to different features of the surrounding seminal plasma (SP). In the present study. We investigated whether the SP from these ejaculate portions (SP1 or SP2) was able to differently influence sperm viability and chromatin structure of the P1- or P2-contained spermatozoa from individual boars primarily or secondarily exposed (e.g., following cleansing and re-exposure) to pooled SP1 or SP2 from the same males during 60 min. Spermatozoa were subjected to controlled cooling and thawing in MiniFlatPacks (MFPs) and examined for motility (using computer-assisted sperm analysis, CASA) at selected stages of processing Moreover, sperm plasma membrane intactness (investigated using, SYBR-14/propidium iodide, PI), plasma membrane architecture (examined using Annexin-V-PI staining), and chromatin (deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA) integrity (tested using sperm chromatin structure assay, SCSA) were assessed post-thaw (PT). A higher proportion of PI spermatozoa than of P2 spermatozoa incubated in their native SP portion were confirmed to be motile from collection to PT. When P1 spermatozoa were cleansed from their original SP and re-exposed to pooled P2-SP. sperm kinematics deteriorated from extension to PT. By contrast, cleansed P2 spermatozoa increased motility to P1 levels, especially PT when re-exposed to pooled P1-SP. Such differential effects on motility were not clearly accompanied by biologically related modifications of sperm membrane or chromatin structure. This influence of the SP on sperm kinematics was not sire-dependent and it Was presumably related to different concentrations or either SP proteins or bicarbonate in the different ejaculate portions. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Alonso-Fernandez, Fernando, et al.
(author)
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Dealing With Sensor Interoperability in Multi-biometrics : The UPM Experience at the Biosecure Multimodal Evaluation 2007
- 2008
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In: Biometric Technology for Human Identification. - Bellingham, WA : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. - 9780819471352 ; , s. J9440-J9440
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Multimodal biometric systems allow to overcome some of the problems presented in unimodal systems, such as non-universality, lack of distinctiveness of the unimodal trait, noise in the acquired data, etc. Integration at the matching score level is the most common approach used due to the ease in combining the scores generated by different unimodal systems. Unfortunately, scores usually lie in application-dependent domains. In this work, we use linear logistic regression fusion, in which fused scores tend to be calibrated log-likelihood-ratios and thus, independent of the application. We use for our experiments the development set of scores of the DS2 Evaluation (Access Control Scenario) of the BioSecure Multimodal Evaluation Campaign, whose objective is to compare the performance of fusion algorithms when query biometric signals are originated from heterogeneous biometric devices. We compare a fusion scheme that uses linear logistic regression with a set of simple fusion rules. It is observed that the proposed fusion scheme outperforms all the simple fusion rules, with the additional advantage of the application-independent nature of the resulting fused scores.
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- Borén, Jan, 1963, et al.
(author)
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In situ localization of transketolase activity in epithelial cells of different rat tissues and subcellularly in liver parenchymal cells
- 2006
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In: J Histochem Cytochem. - 0022-1554. ; 54:2, s. 191-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Metabolic mapping of enzyme activities (enzyme histochemistry) is an important tool to understand (patho)physiological functions of enzymes. A new enzyme histochemical method has been developed to detect transketolase activity in situ in various rat tissues and its ultrastructural localization in individual cells. In situ detection of transketolase is important because this multifunctional enzyme has been related with diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and Wernicke-Korsakoff's syndrome. The proposed method is based on the tetrazolium salt method applied to unfixed cryostat sections in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol. The method appeared to be specific for transketolase activity when the proper control reaction is performed and showed a linear increase of the amount of final reaction product with incubation time. Transketolase activity was studied in liver, small intestine, trachea, tongue, kidney, adrenal gland, and eye. Activity was found in liver parenchyma, epithelium of small intestine, trachea, tongue, proximal tubules of kidney and cornea, and ganglion cells in medulla of adrenal gland. To demonstrate transketolase activity ultrastructurally in liver parenchymal cells, the cupper iron method was used. It was shown that transketolase activity was present in peroxisomes and at membranes of granular endoplasmic reticulum. This ultrastructural localization is similar to that of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, suggesting activity of the pentose phosphate pathway at these sites. It is concluded that the method developed for in situ localization of transketolase activity for light and electron microscopy is specific and allows further investigation of the role of transketolase in (proliferation of) cancer cells and other pathophysiological processes.
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- Bunce, R. G. H., et al.
(author)
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A standardized procedure for surveillance and monitoring European habitats and provision of spatial data
- 2008
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In: Landscape Ecology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0921-2973 .- 1572-9761. ; 23, s. 11-25
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Both science and policy require a practical, transmissible, and reproducible procedure for surveillance and monitoring of European habitats, which can produce statistics integrated at the landscape level. Over the last 30 years, landscape ecology has developed rapidly, and many studies now require spatial data on habitats. Without rigorous rules, changes from baseline records cannot be separated reliably from background noise. A procedure is described that satisfies these requirements and can provide consistent data for Europe, to support a range of policy initiatives and scientific projects. The methodology is based on classical plant life forms, used in biogeography since the nineteenth century, and on their statistical correlation with the primary environmental gradient. Further categories can therefore be identified for other continents to assist large scale comparisons and modelling. The model has been validated statistically and the recording procedure tested in the field throughout Europe. A total of 130 General Habitat Categories (GHCs) is defined. These are enhanced by recording environmental, site and management qualifiers to enable flexible database interrogation. The same categories are applied to areal, linear and point features to assist recording and subsequent interpretation at the landscape level. The distribution and change of landscape ecological parameters, such as connectivity and fragmentation, can then be derived and their significance interpreted.
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- Charles, Nicolas, et al.
(author)
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Lyn Kinase Controls Basophil GATA-3 Transcription Factor Expression and Induction of Th2 Cell Differentiation
- 2009
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In: Immunity. - : Elsevier BV. - 1074-7613 .- 1097-4180. ; 30:4, s. 533-543
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- T helper 1 (Th1)-Th2 cell balance is key to host defense and its dysregulation has pathophysiological consequences. Basophils are important in Th2 cell differentiation. However, the factors controlling the onset and extent of basophil-mediated Th2 cell differentiation are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Lyn kinase dampened basophil expression of the transcription factor GATA-3 and the initiation and extent of Th2 cell differentiation. Lyn-deficient mice had a marked basophilia, a constitutive Th2 cell skewing that was exacerbated upon in vivo challenge of basophils, produced antibodies to a normally inert antigen, and failed to appropriately respond to a Th1 cell-inducing pathogen. The Th2 cell skewing was dependent on basophils, immunoglobulin E, and interleukin-4, but was independent of mast cells. Our findings demonstrate that basophil-expressed Lyn kinase exerts regulatory control on Th2 cell differentiation and function.
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- Moore, Edward R.B. 1954, et al.
(author)
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Nonmedical: Pseudomonas
- 2006
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In: The Prokaryotes, M. Dworking, S. Falkow, E. Rosenberg, K.-H. Schleifer, E. Stackebrandt (eds). - New York, NY, USA : Springer Verlag. - 9780387307466 ; , s. 646-703
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)
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