A tension-induced mechanotransduction pathway promotes epithelial morphogenesis

Mechanotransduction refers to the transformation of physical forces into chemical signals. It generally involves stretch-sensitive channels or conformational change of cytoskeleton-associated proteins. Mechanotransduction is crucial for the physiology of several organs and for cell migration. The extent to which mechanical inputs contribute to development, and how they do this, remains poorly defined. Here we show that a mechanotransduction pathway operates between the body-wall muscles of Caenorhabditis elegans and the epidermis. This pathway involves, in addition to a Rac GTPase, three signalling proteins found at the hemidesmosome: p21-activated kinase (PAK-1), the adaptor GIT-1 and its partner PIX-1. The phosphorylation of intermediate filaments is one output of this pathway. Tension exerted by adjacent muscles or externally exerted mechanical pressure maintains GIT-1 at hemidesmosomes and stimulates PAK-1 activity through PIX-1 and Rac. This pathway promotes the maturation of a hemidesmosome into a junction that can resist mechanical stress and contributes to coordinating the morphogenesis of epidermal and muscle tissues. Our findings suggest that the C. elegans hemidesmosome is not only an attachment structure, but also a mechanosensor that responds to tension by triggering signalling processes. We suggest that similar pathways could promote epithelial morphogenesis or wound healing in other organisms in which epithelial cells adhere to tension-generating contractile cells.     

Iso-cannabispiran,a new spiro compound isolated from Panamenian variant ofCannabis sativa L.

Summary An acidic fraction of Panamenian variant ofCannabis sativa L., afforded upon repeated chromatography a new non-cannabinoid phenol {5-hydroxy-7-methoxy spiro-(cyclohexane-1, 1-indan)-4-one}Ia, named iso-cannabispiran.Acknowledgment. Supported in part by NIDA contract No. 271-78-3527 and by the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.     

Maturation of Osteoblast-Like Saos-2 on Hydroxyapatite Ceramics

Hydroxyapatite ceramics (.HA) has been proved to be excellent in biocompatibility and bioactivity.However, limited information is available concerning how HA ceramics affects the maturation of es-tcoblasts in molecular biological level /n v/tro. This study examines the mRNA expression and protein production of hone-related genes in estcoblast-like cell line(Saos-2) cultured on HA disks. Saos-2 cells are seeded onto the substrates and cultured for 18 days. Harvested cells are tested for the cell growth rate, expression of mRNAs for esteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase, and protein production of bone sialo-protein and esteocalcin. MTS assay shows that cell proliferates well on HA ceramic substrate. After 9d,bone sialoprotein and esteocalcin protein production in SAPS-2 increases more on HA surfaces than on control material. As bone sialoprotein and esteocalcin are the genes to be highly expressed at the late stage of estcoblast differentiation, this study reveals that after long time culture in HA, HA can induce Saos-2 maturation. The behavior of Saos-2 on HA surfaces revealed in this study provides valuable infor-mation for the understanding of the biocompatibility and bioactivity of HA ceramics.     

羟基磷灰石陶瓷诱导成骨细胞的研究

通过定量检测在羟基磷灰石(HA)表面生长的成骨细胞骨涎蛋白和骨钙蛋白的表达,研究了羟基磷灰石陶瓷对成骨细胞的影响．研究结果表明,随着成骨细胞培养时间的延长,在羟基磷灰石表面生长的成骨细胞骨钙蛋白和骨涎蛋白的表达量相对于对照组有显著增加．由于骨钙蛋白和骨涎蛋白是成骨细胞分化晚期高度表达的两种标志性蛋白质,因此其表达量的显著提高意味着羟基磷灰石陶瓷可以诱导成骨细胞的成熟。这一结果可进一步为理解HA陶瓷的生物相容性和生物活性提供分子生物学依据。     

The enhancing effect of EDTA on the antibacterial activity of nalidixic acid againstPseudomonas aeruginosa

Zusammenfassung Die antibakterielle Wirkung von Nalidixinsäure und vergleichsweise die von Penbritin, Neomycin und Ajatin gegenPseudomonas aeruginosa wurde durch Subkulturen untersucht. Die Nalidixinsäure allein zeigte nach einigen Passagen eine nur sehr geringe antibakterielle Wirkung, in Kombination mit EDTA wurde diese Wirkung aber wesentlich erhöht. Gleichartig konnte bei den andern mit EDTA kombinierten Stoffen eine markant gesteigerte antibakterielle Aktivität gegen 3 geprüfte mikrobielle Stämme nachgewiesen werden.