Multifunctional Thioredoxin-Like Protein from the Gastrointestinal Parasitic Nematodes Strongyloides ratti and Trichuris suis Affects Mucosal Homeostasis.

The cellular redox state is important for the regulation of multiple functions and is essential for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and antioxidant defense. In the excretory/secretory (E/S) products of Strongyloides ratti and Trichuris suis sequences for thioredoxin (Trx) and Trx-like protein (Trx-lp) were identified. To characterize the antioxidant Trx-lp and its interaction with the parasite's mucosal habitat, S. ratti and T. suis Trx-lps were cloned and recombinantly expressed. The primary antioxidative activity was assured by reduction of insulin and IgM. Further analysis applying an in vitro mucosal 3D-cell culture model revealed that the secreted Trx-lps were able to bind to monocytic and intestinal epithelial cells and induce the time-dependent release of cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-22, and TSLP. In addition, the redox proteins also possessed chemotactic activity for monocytic THP-1 cells and fostered epithelial wound healing activity. These results confirm that the parasite-secreted Trx-lps are multifunctional proteins that can affect the host intestinal mucosa.

Differential transcription in defined parts of the insect brain: comparative study utilizing Drosophila melanogaster and Schistocerca gregaria.

The brain of all higher organisms has a modular architecture. Processing of various tasks, such as learning, olfaction, or motor control is performed in specialized brain areas, characterized by morphological and molecular peculiarities. To identify those genes that are transcribed in only one region of the insect brain, we chose two different approaches, differential display PCR and DNA array hybridization, with two different insect species, the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria and the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster. The optic lobes (centers of visual information processing), the midbrain (the region of the brain where almost all "higher" centers are localized), and the thoracic ganglia (regions required to control various peripheral organs) were compared in both types of experiments. Both, the differential display PCR screen of the different parts of the locust brain as well as the DNA array screen of the Drosophila brain revealed almost identical numbers of transcripts exclusively present in either of the three above-mentioned brain areas. Interestingly, the brain areas with the largest number of differential transcripts are the thoracic ganglia and not the midbrain.