Microbial Succession in the Cheese Ripening Process-Competition of the Starter Cultures and the Microbiota of the Cheese Plant Environment.

A large variety of cheeses can be produced using different manufacturing processes and various starter or adjunct cultures. In this study, we have described the succession of the microbial population during the commercial production and subsequent ripening of smear-ripened cheese using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The composition of the microbiota during the first 6 days of production was constant and consisted mainly of LAB (lactic acid bacteria) originating from the starter culture. From day 7, the proportion of LAB decreased as other bacteria from the production environment appeared. From the 14th day of production, the relative proportion of LAB decreased further, and at the end of ripening, bacteria from the environment wholly dominated. These adventitious microbiota included Psychrobacter, Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis/hodoensis, Vibrio toranzoniae, and Vibrio litoralis (Proteobacteria phylum), as well as Vagococcus and Marinilactibacillus (Firmicutes phylum), Psychrilyobacter (Fusobacteria phylum), and Malaciobacter marinus (Campylobacterota phylum), all of which appeared to be characteristic taxa associated with the cheese rind. Subsequent analysis showed that the production and ripening of smear-ripened cheese could be divided into three stages, and that the microbiota compositions of samples from the first week of production, the second week of production, and supermarket shelf life all differed.

Evidence of Hepatitis E Virus in Goat and Sheep Milk.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the etiological agent behind hepatitis E infection. Domestic pigs and wild boars are the main animal reservoirs of HEV. Very few papers describe HEV infection in goats and sheep. As the data pertaining to the presence of HEV virus in the milk of small ruminants in Europe are lacking, the aim of this paper was to examine a representative number of milk samples from these animals. The detection of HEV genome (HEV RNA) was performed using reverse transcriptase real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). HEV RNA was found in 2.8% of the examined samples. Positivity ranged from 101 to 103 genome equivalents/mL (GE/mL) with a median of 9.99 × 102 GE/mL. On the basis of these results, the milk of small ruminants could represent a source of HEV infection to consumers.

LOX/COX inhibitors enhance the antineoplastic effects of all-trans retinoic acid in osteosarcoma cell lines.

The induced differentiation of tumor cells into mature phenotypes is a promising strategy in cancer therapy. In this study, the effects of combined treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and lipoxygenase/cyclooxygenase inhibitors were examined in two osteosarcoma cell lines, Saos-2 and OSA-01. Caffeic acid and celecoxib were used as inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase and of cyclooxygenase-2, respectively. Changes in the cell proliferation, matrix mineralization, and occurrence of differentiation markers were evaluated in treated cell populations at intervals. The results confirmed the capability of caffeic acid to enhance the antiproliferative effect of ATRA in both cell lines. In contrast, celecoxib showed the same effect in Saos-2 cells only. Furthermore, the extension of matrix mineralization was observed after combined treatment with ATRA and celecoxib or caffeic acid. The increased expression of osteogenic differentiation markers was observed in both cell lines after the combined application of ATRA and inhibitors. The obtained results clearly demonstrate the capability of lipoxygenase/cyclooxygenase inhibitors to enhance the antiproliferative and differentiating effect of ATRA in osteosarcoma cells, although some of these effects are specific and depend on the biological features of the respective tumor or cell line.

Loss of TP53 expression in immortalized choroid plexus epithelial cells results in increased resistance to anticancer agents.

Choroid plexus carcinomas are malignant brain tumors predominantly arising in young children. Because a prognostic role of p53 alterations has been demonstrated, further research into potential underlying mechanisms is essential. Our objective was, therefore, to investigate the role of p53 in the growth-inhibitory potential of a variety of anticancer agents in the rodent choroid plexus epithelial cell line Z310. Furthermore, association of p53 alterations with proliferative activity (Ki67/MIB1) in choroid plexus carcinoma samples (N = 20) was examined by use of immunohistochemistry. Silencing of TP53 expression did not significantly alter metabolic activity in Z310 cells and p53 protein expression status was not associated with increased proliferative activity in choroid plexus carcinomas. However, the growth-inhibitory activity of vincristine, doxorubicin, carboplatin, etoposide, and temozolomide was significantly impaired by silencing of TP53. In conclusion, these results indicate a potential predictive role of p53 in choroid plexus carcinomas. Alterations of p53 should be taken into account when evaluating the effect of anticancer agents in future clinical trials.

The matrix component biglycan is proinflammatory and signals through Toll-like receptors 4 and 2 in macrophages.

Biglycan, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan, is a ubiquitous ECM component; however, its biological role has not been elucidated in detail. Here we show that biglycan acts in macrophages as an endogenous ligand of TLR4 and TLR2, which mediate innate immunity, leading to rapid activation of p38, ERK, and NF-kappaB and thereby stimulating the expression of TNF-alpha and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2). In agreement, the stimulatory effects of biglycan are significantly reduced in TLR4-mutant (TLR4-M), TLR2-/-, and myeloid differentiation factor 88-/- (MyD88-/-) macrophages and completely abolished in TLR2-/-/TLR4-M macrophages. Biglycan-null mice have a considerable survival benefit in LPS- or zymosan-induced sepsis due to lower levels of circulating TNF-alpha and reduced infiltration of mononuclear cells in the lung, which cause less end-organ damage. Importantly, when stimulated by LPS-induced proinflammatory factors, macrophages themselves are able to synthesize biglycan. Thus, biglycan, upon release from the ECM or from macrophages, can boost inflammation by signaling through TLR4 and TLR2, thereby enhancing the synthesis of TNF-alpha and MIP-2. Our results provide evidence for what is, to our knowledge, a novel role of the matrix component biglycan as a signaling molecule and a crucial proinflammatory factor. These findings are potentially relevant for the development of new strategies in the treatment of sepsis.

Regulation of fibrillin-1 by biglycan and decorin is important for tissue preservation in the kidney during pressure-induced injury.

There is growing evidence that the two small leucine-rich proteoglycans biglycan and decorin regulate the assembly of connective tissues and alter cell behavior during development and pathological processes. In this study, we have used an experimental animal model of unilateral ureteral ligation and mice deficient in either biglycan or decorin. We discovered that pressure-induced injury to the wild-type kidneys led to overexpression of decorin, biglycan, fibrillin-1, and fibrillin-2. In contrast, in biglycan-deficient kidneys the overexpression of fibrillin-1 was markedly attenuated and this was associated with cystic dilatation of Bowman's capsule and proximal tubules. Notably, we found that in ligated kidneys from decorin-null mice, fibrillin-1 expression was initially enhanced to the same extent as in wild-type animals. However, long-term obstruction resulted in down-regulation of fibrillin-1 and concurrent cystic dilatation of Bowman's capsule in 33% of kidneys at 5 months after obstruction. In all of the genotypes, no differences in fibrillin-2 expression were observed. These in vivo data correlated with a significant induction of fibrillin-1 expression in renal fibroblasts and mesangial cells by recombinant biglycan and decorin. Our results indicate a novel role for decorin and biglycan during pressure-induced renal injury by stimulating fibrillin-1 expression.