Impact of breath sample collection method and length of storage of breath samples in Tedlar bags on the level of selected volatiles assessed using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS).

The analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled air has attracted the interest of the scientific community because it provides the possibility of monitoring physiological and metabolic processes and non-invasive diagnostics of various diseases. However, this method remains underused in clinical practice as well as in research because of the lack of standardized procedures for the collection, storage and transport of breath samples, which would guarantee good reproducibility and comparability of results. The method of sampling, as well as the storage time of the breath samples in the polymer bags used for sample storage and transport, affect the composition and concentration of VOCs present in the breath samples. The aim of our study was to compare breath samples obtained using two methods with fully disposable equipment: a Haldane sampling tube intended for direct breath collection and breath samples exhaled into a transparent Tedlar bag. The second task was to monitor the stability of selected compounds of real breath samples stored in a Tedlar bag for 6 h. Gas chromatography coupled with ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) implemented in the BreathSpec®device was used to analyse exhaled breath. Our results showed a significant difference in the signal intensity of some volatiles when taking a breath sample with a Haldane tube and a Tedlar bag. Due to its endogenous origin, acetone levels were significantly higher when the Haldane tube sampler was used while elevated levels of 2-propanol and unidentified VOC (designated as VOC 3) in the Tedlar bag samples likely originated from contamination of the Tedlar bags. The VOC stability study revealed compound-specific signal intensity changes of the selected VOCs with storage time in the Tedlar bags, with some volatiles showing increasing signal intensity during storage in Tedlar bags. This limits the use of Tedlar bags only for very limited time and carefully selected purpose. Our results highlight the importance of careful design and implementation of experiments and clinical protocols to obtain relevant and reliable results.

Comparison of pulsed and continuous electromagnetic field generated by WPT system on human dermal and neural cells.

In recent decades, we have seen significant technical progress in the modern world, leading to the widespread use of telecommunications systems, electrical appliances, and wireless technologies. These devices generate electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and electromagnetic fields (EMF) most often in the extremely low frequency or radio-frequency range. Therefore, they were included in the group of environmental risk factors that affect the human body and health on a daily basis. In this study, we tested the effect of exposure EMF generated by a new prototype wireless charging system on four human cell lines (normal cell lines-HDFa, NHA; tumor cell lines-SH-SY5Y, T98G). We tested different operating parameters of the wireless power transfer (WPT) device (87-207 kHz, 1.01-1.05 kW, 1.3-1.7 mT) at different exposure times (pulsed 6 × 10 min; continuous 1 × 60 min). We observed the effect of EMF on cell morphology and cytoskeletal changes, cell viability and mitotic activity, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and oxidative stress. The results of our study did not show any negative effect of the generated EMF on either normal cells or tumor cell lines. However, in order to be able to estimate the risk, further population and epidemiological studies are needed, which would reveal the clinical consequences of EMF impact.

Modelling Duchenne muscular dystrophy in vitro with newly generated, blood cell-derived induced pluripotent stem cell line ORIONi003-A.

Here, we present newly derived in vitro model for modeling Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Our new cell line was derived by reprogramming of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (isolated from blood from pediatric patient) with Sendai virus encoding Yamanaka factors. Derived iPS cells are capable to differentiate in vitro into three germ layers as verified by immunocytochemistry. When differentiated in special medium, our iPSc formed spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes. As cardiomyopathy is the main clinical complication in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the cell line bearing the dystrophin gene mutation might be of interest to the research community.

Supportive antimicrobial treatments in chronic wounds.

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In vitro modeling of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with induced pluripotent stem cell technology-derived cell line ORIONi002-A.

We present here a new iPS cell line for modeling sporadic form of ALS. Cell line was generated by reprogramming skin fibroblasts isolated with explant culture technology from skin biopsy, donated by ALS patient. For reprogramming, polycistronic self-replicating RNA vector was used and derived iPS cells were characterized by immunocytochemistry and FACS (pluripotent factors expression), karyotyping, STR fingerprinting analysis and in vitro differentiation assay. New cell line showed normal (46, XY) karyotype and differentiated in vitro into cells from three germ layers. STR analysis proved the origin and originality of the cell line.

Establishment of PANDA - a new human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell line with 3D cell culture technology.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive type of malignancy with one of the worst prognoses amongst any type of cancer. Surgery is applicable only to the limited number of patients with locally resectable tumors and currently represents the only curative treatment option. Treatment with chemotherapy and radiotherapy can only extend patient survival. Despite advances in conventional therapies, the five-year survival of PDAC remained largely unchanged. New in vitro and in vivo models are therefore urgently needed to investigate this type of cancer. Here, we present the establishment and characterization of a novel pancreatic cancer cell line, isolated from a patient with PDAC. Cell line abbreviated as PANDA (PANncreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma) was established with an optimized 3D culture protocol published previously by our group. The new cancer cell line "PANDA" represents a novel in vitro approach for PDAC cancer research and new therapy testing.

Comparative Proteomic and Metabolomic Analysis of Human Osteoblasts, Differentiated from Dental Pulp Stem Cells, Hinted Crucial Signaling Pathways Promoting Osteogenesis.

Population aging has been a global trend for the last decades, which increases the pressure to develop new cell-based or drug-based therapies, including those that may cure bone diseases. To understand molecular processes that underlie bone development and turnover, we followed osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) using a specific induction medium. The differentiation process imitating in vivo osteogenesis is triggered by various signaling pathways and is associated with massive proteome and metabolome changes. Proteome was profiled by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and comprehensively quantified by ion mobility-enhanced mass spectrometry. From 2667 reproducibly quantified and identified proteins, 432 were differentially abundant by strict statistic criteria. Metabolome profiling was carried out by nuclear magnetic resonance. From 27 detected metabolites, 8 were differentially accumulated. KEGG and MetaboAnalyst hinted metabolic pathways that may be involved in the osteogenic process. Enrichment analysis of differentially abundant proteins highlighted PPAR, FoxO, JAK-STAT, IL-17 signaling pathways, biosynthesis of thyroid hormones and steroids, mineral absorption, and fatty acid metabolism as processes with prominent impact on osteoinduction. In parallel, metabolomic data showed that aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, as well as specific amino acids, likely promote osteodifferentiation. Targeted immunoassays validated and complemented omic results. Our data underlined the complexity of the osteogenic mechanism. Finally, we proposed promising targets for future validation in patient samples, a step toward the treatment of bone defects.

Cucumber mosaic virus resistance: Comparative proteomics of contrasting Cucumis sativus cultivars after long-term infection.

Plant viruses are a significant threat to a wide range of host species, causing substantial losses in agriculture. Particularly, Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) evokes severe symptoms, thus dramatically limiting yield. Activation of plant defense reactions is associated with changes in the cellular proteome to ensure virus resistance. Herein, we studied two cultivars of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) resistant host Heliana and susceptible host Vanda. Plant cotyledons were mechanically inoculated with CMV isolate PK1, and systemic leaves were harvested at 33 days post-inoculation. Proteome was profiled by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography and comprehensively quantified by ion mobility enhanced mass spectrometry. From 1516 reproducibly quantified proteins using a label-free approach, 133 were differentially abundant among cultivars or treatments by strict statistic and effect size criteria. Pigments and hydrogen peroxide measurements corroborated proteomic findings. Comparison of both cultivars in the uninfected state highlighted more abundant photosynthetic and development-related proteins in resistant cucumber cultivar. Long-term CMV infection caused worse preservation of energy processes and less robust translation in the susceptible cultivar. Contrary, compatible plants had numerous more abundant stress and defense-related proteins. We proposed promising targets for functional validation in transgenic lines: A step toward durable virus resistance in cucurbits and other crops. SIGNIFICANCE: Sustainable production of crops requires an understanding of natural mechanisms of resistance/susceptibility to ubiquitous viral infections. We report original findings of comparative analysis of plant genotypes exposed to CMV. Deep discovery proteomics of resistant and susceptible cucumber cultivars, inoculated with widespread phytovirus, allowed to suggest several novel molecular targets for functional testing in plant protection strategies.

Photosynthetic and Stress Responsive Proteins Are Altered More Effectively in Nicotiana benthamiana Infected with Plum pox virus Aggressive PPV-CR versus Mild PPV-C Cherry-Adapted Isolates.

Plum pox virus (PPV, family Potyviridae) is one of the most important viral pathogens of Prunus spp. causing considerable damage to stone-fruit industry worldwide. Among the PPV strains identified so far, only PPV-C, PPV-CR, and PPV-CV are able to infect cherries under natural conditions. Herein, we evaluated the pathogenic potential of two viral isolates in herbaceous host Nicotiana benthamiana. Significantly higher accumulation of PPV capsid protein in tobacco leaves infected with PPV-CR (RU-30sc isolate) was detected in contrast to PPV-C (BY-101 isolate). This result correlated well with the symptoms observed in the infected plants. To further explore the host response upon viral infection at the molecular level, a comprehensive proteomic profiling was performed. Using reverse-phase ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography followed by label-free mass spectrometry quantification, we identified 38 unique plant proteins as significantly altered due to the infection. Notably, the abundances of photosynthesis-related proteins, mainly from the Calvin-Benson cycle, were found more aggressively affected in plants infected with PPV-CR isolate than those of PPV-C. This observation was accompanied by a significant reduction in the amount of photosynthetic pigments extracted from the leaves of PPV-CR infected plants. Shifts in the abundance of proteins that are involved in stimulation of photosynthetic capacity, modification of amino acid, and carbohydrate metabolism may affect plant growth and initiate energy formation via gluconeogenesis in PPV infected N. benthamiana. Furthermore, we suggest that the higher accumulation of H2O2 in PPV-CR infected leaves plays a crucial role in plant defense and development by activating the glutathione synthesis.

Molecular and Biological Characterisation of Turnip mosaic virus Isolates Infecting Poppy (Papaversomniferum and P. rhoeas) in Slovakia.

In recent years, the accumulated molecular data of Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) isolates from various hosts originating from different parts of the world considerably helped to understand the genetic complexity and evolutionary history of the virus. In this work, four complete TuMV genomes (HC9, PK1, MS04, MS15) were characterised from naturally infected cultivated and wild-growing Papaver spp., hosts from which only very scarce data were available previously. Phylogenetic analyses showed the affiliation of Slovak Papaver isolates to the world-B and basal-B groups. The PK1 isolate showed a novel intra-lineage recombination pattern, further confirming the important role of recombination in the shaping of TuMV genetic diversity. Biological assays indicated that the intensity of symptoms in experimentally inoculated oilseed poppy are correlated to TuMV accumulation level in leaves. This is the first report of TuMV in poppy plants in Slovakia.

Partially resistant Cucurbita pepo showed late onset of the Zucchini yellow mosaic virus infection due to rapid activation of defense mechanisms as compared to susceptible cultivar.

Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) is an emerging viral pathogen in cucurbit-growing areas wordwide. Infection causes significant yield losses in several species of the family Cucurbitaceae. To identify proteins potentially involved with resistance toward infection by the severe ZYMV-H isolate, two Cucurbita pepo cultivars (Zelena susceptible and Jaguar partially resistant) were analyzed using a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis-based proteomic approach. Initial symptoms on leaves (clearing veins) developed 6-7 days post-inoculation (dpi) in the susceptible C. pepo cv. Zelena. In contrast, similar symptoms appeared on the leaves of partially resistant C. pepo cv. Jaguar only after 15 dpi. This finding was confirmed by immune-blot analysis which showed higher levels of viral proteins at 6 dpi in the susceptible cultivar. Leaf proteome analyses revealed 28 and 31 spots differentially abundant between cultivars at 6 and 15 dpi, respectively. The variance early in infection can be attributed to a rapid activation of proteins involved with redox homeostasis in the partially resistant cultivar. Changes in the proteome of the susceptible cultivar are related to the cytoskeleton and photosynthesis.

Essential role for Dnmt1 in the prevention and maintenance of MYC-induced T-cell lymphomas.

DNA cytosine methylation is an epigenetic modification involved in the transcriptional repression of genes controlling a variety of physiological processes, including hematopoiesis. DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) is a key enzyme involved in the somatic inheritance of DNA methylation and thus plays a critical role in epigenomic stability. Aberrant methylation contributes to the pathogenesis of human cancer and of hematologic malignancies in particular. To gain deeper insight into the function of Dnmt1 in lymphoid malignancies, we genetically inactivated Dnmt1 in a mouse model of MYC-induced T-cell lymphomagenesis. We show that loss of Dnmt1 delays lymphomagenesis by suppressing normal hematopoiesis and impairing tumor cell proliferation. Acute inactivation of Dnmt1 in primary lymphoma cells rapidly induced apoptosis, indicating that Dnmt1 is required to sustain T-cell lymphomas. Using high-resolution genome-wide profiling, we identified differentially methylated regions between control and Dnmt1-deficient lymphomas, demonstrating a locus-specific function for Dnmt1 in both maintenance and de novo promoter methylation. Dnmt1 activity is independent of the presence of Dnmt3a or Dnmt3b in de novo promoter methylation of the H2-Ab1 gene. Collectively, these data show for the first time that Dnmt1 is critical for the prevention and maintenance of T-cell lymphomas and contributes to aberrant methylation by both de novo and maintenance methylation.

Loss of Dnmt3b function upregulates the tumor modifier Ment and accelerates mouse lymphomagenesis.

DNA methyltransferase 3B (Dnmt3b) belongs to a family of enzymes responsible for methylation of cytosine residues in mammals. DNA methylation contributes to the epigenetic control of gene transcription and is deregulated in virtually all human tumors. To better understand the generation of cancer-specific methylation patterns, we genetically inactivated Dnmt3b in a mouse model of MYC-induced lymphomagenesis. Ablation of Dnmt3b function using a conditional knockout in T cells accelerated lymphomagenesis by increasing cellular proliferation, which suggests that Dnmt3b functions as a tumor suppressor. Global methylation profiling revealed numerous gene promoters as potential targets of Dnmt3b activity, the majority of which were demethylated in Dnmt3b-/- lymphomas, but not in Dnmt3b-/- pretumor thymocytes, implicating Dnmt3b in maintenance of cytosine methylation in cancer. Functional analysis identified the gene Gm128 (which we termed herein methylated in normal thymocytes [Ment]) as a target of Dnmt3b activity. We found that Ment was gradually demethylated and overexpressed during tumor progression in Dnmt3b-/- lymphomas. Similarly, MENT was overexpressed in 67% of human lymphomas, and its transcription inversely correlated with methylation and levels of DNMT3B. Importantly, knockdown of Ment inhibited growth of mouse and human cells, whereas overexpression of Ment provided Dnmt3b+/+ cells with a proliferative advantage. Our findings identify Ment as an enhancer of lymphomagenesis that contributes to the tumor suppressor function of Dnmt3b and suggest it could be a potential target for anticancer therapies.

Analysis of the molecular and biological variability of zucchini yellow mosaic virus isolates from Slovakia and Czech Republic.

The diversity of ZYMV isolates was analysed by the biological and molecular characterisation of 11 isolates sampled from cucumber, squash and zucchini between 2001 and 2006 in various localities of Slovakia and Czech Republic. Analysis of the molecular variability targeting three separate genomic regions of the ZYMV genome [P1, P3 and (Cter)NIb-(Nter)CP] revealed a remarkable low level of nucleotide variability between isolates, despite their temporal and spatial distinction. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 5'-terminal part of the CP gene highlighted the close relatedness of Slovak, Czech and other central European isolates. Low level of genetic diversity within central European ZYMV isolates is in contrast to the diversity observed for isolates from other geographical regions, in particular Asia. No evidence of recombination in the ZYMV genome was detected. Sequence comparison between aggressive and moderate ZYMV isolates revealed one amino acid difference in the N-terminal part of the P3 protein, potentially involved in the tolerance breaking.