Enhanced susceptibility of T lymphocytes to oxidative stress in the absence of the cellular prion protein

The cellular prion glycoprotein (PrP^C) is ubiquitously expressed but its physiologic functions remain enigmatic, particularly in the immune system. Here, we demonstrate in vitro and in vivo that PrP^C is involved in T lymphocytes response to oxidative stress. By monitoring the intracellular level of reduced glutathione, we show that PrP^−/− thymocytes display a higher susceptibility to H₂O₂ exposure than PrP^+/+ cells. Furthermore, we find that in mice fed with a restricted diet, a regimen known to increase the intracellular level of ROS, PrP^−/− thymocytes are more sensitive to oxidative stress. PrP^C function appears to be specific for oxidative stress, since no significant differences are observed between PrP^−/− and PrP^+/+ mice exposed to other kinds of stress. We also show a marked evolution of the redox status of T cells throughout differentiation in the thymus. Taken together, our results clearly ascribe to PrP^C a protective function in thymocytes against oxidative stress.     

A mutation of human cytochrome c enhances the intrinsic apoptotic pathway but causes only thrombocytopenia

We report the first identified mutation in the gene encoding human cytochrome c (CYCS). Glycine 41, invariant throughout eukaryotes, is substituted by serine in a family with autosomal dominant thrombocytopenia caused by dysregulated platelet formation. The mutation yields a cytochrome c variant with enhanced apoptotic activity in vitro. Notably, the family has no other phenotypic indication of abnormal apoptosis, implying that cytochrome c activity is not a critical regulator of most physiological apoptosis.     

Natural selection has driven population differentiation in modern humans

The considerable range of observed phenotypic variation in human populations may reflect, in part, distinctive processes of natural selection and adaptation to variable environmental conditions. Although recent genome-wide studies have identified candidate regions under selection, it is not yet clear how natural selection has shaped population differentiation. Here, we have analyzed the degree of population differentiation at 2.8 million Phase II HapMap single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We find that negative selection has globally reduced population differentiation at amino acid-altering mutations, particularly in disease-related genes. Conversely, positive selection has ensured the regional adaptation of human populations by increasing population differentiation in gene regions, primarily at nonsynonymous and 5'-UTR variants. Our analyses identify a fraction of loci that have contributed, and probably still contribute, to the morphological and disease-related phenotypic diversity of current human populations.     

A genome-wide association study identifies novel risk loci for type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus results from the interaction of environmental factors with a combination of genetic variants, most of which were hitherto unknown. A systematic search for these variants was recently made possible by the development of high-density arrays that permit the genotyping of hundreds of thousands of polymorphisms. We tested 392,935 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in a French case-control cohort. Markers with the most significant difference in genotype frequencies between cases of type 2 diabetes and controls were fast-tracked for testing in a second cohort. This identified four loci containing variants that confer type 2 diabetes risk, in addition to confirming the known association with the TCF7L2 gene. These loci include a non-synonymous polymorphism in the zinc transporter SLC30A8, which is expressed exclusively in insulin-producing beta-cells, and two linkage disequilibrium blocks that contain genes potentially involved in beta-cell development or function (IDE-KIF11-HHEX and EXT2-ALX4). These associations explain a substantial portion of disease risk and constitute proof of principle for the genome-wide approach to the elucidation of complex genetic traits.     

一种新的中空纤维液流场流分离装置及其对葡聚糖保留行为的研究

中空纤维液流场流分离法对高分子和小粒子分离效果好,但目前因所使用的中空纤维均为各实验室自制且分子量阻断值不够小,使该技术的推广应用受到限制.设计了一种新的中空纤维液流场流分离装置,该装置的优越性在于其中空纤维分子量阻断值小,可以用于分离较小分子量的分子;并且中空纤维为商业购买,使得该技术的推广成为可能;该装置易于安装,操作简便.应用它获得了高分子物质葡聚糖的保留,并探讨了液流交汇时间、外场强度、流速和进样量对葡聚糖保留行为的影响.研究结果表明,给予足够的液流交汇时间,足够强的外场,葡聚糖能得到很好的保留.超量进样时,被测葡聚糖的保留时间不变,峰的对称性良好,结果重现性好.     

Functional asymmetry in Caenorhabditis elegans taste neurons and its computational role in chemotaxis

Chemotaxis in Caenorhabditis elegans, like chemotaxis in bacteria, involves a random walk biased by the time derivative of attractant concentration, but how the derivative is computed is unknown. Laser ablations have shown that the strongest deficits in chemotaxis to salts are obtained when the ASE chemosensory neurons (ASEL and ASER) are ablated, indicating that this pair has a dominant role. Although these neurons are left-right homologues anatomically, they exhibit marked asymmetries in gene expression and ion preference. Here, using optical recordings of calcium concentration in ASE neurons in intact animals, we demonstrate an additional asymmetry: ASEL is an ON-cell, stimulated by increases in NaCl concentration, whereas ASER is an OFF-cell, stimulated by decreases in NaCl concentration. Both responses are reliable yet transient, indicating that ASE neurons report changes in concentration rather than absolute levels. Recordings from synaptic and sensory transduction mutants show that the ON-OFF asymmetry is the result of intrinsic differences between ASE neurons. Unilateral activation experiments indicate that the asymmetry extends to the level of behavioural output: ASEL lengthens bouts of forward locomotion (runs) whereas ASER promotes direction changes (turns). Notably, the input and output asymmetries of ASE neurons are precisely those of a simple yet novel neuronal motif for computing the time derivative of chemosensory information, which is the fundamental computation of C. elegans chemotaxis. Evidence for ON and OFF cells in other chemosensory networks suggests that this motif may be common in animals that navigate by taste and smell.