Genetic sex determination in three closely related hydrothermal vent gastropods, including one species with intersex individuals.

Molluscs have undergone many transitions between separate sexes and hermaphroditism, which is of interest for studying the evolution of sex determination and differentiation. Here we combined multi-locus genotypes obtained from RAD sequencing with anatomical observations of the gonads for three deep-sea hydrothermal vent gastropods of the genus Alviniconcha living in the southwest Pacific. We found that all three species (A. boucheti, A. strummeri, and A. kojimai) share the same male-heterogametic XY sex determination system, but that the gonads of XX A. kojimai individuals are invaded by a variable proportion of male reproductive tissue. The identification of Y-specific RAD loci (found only in A. boucheti) and the phylogenetic analysis of three sex-linked loci shared by all species suggested that X-Y recombination has evolved differently within each species. This situation of three species showing variation in gonadal development around a common sex determination system provides new insights into the reproductive mode of poorly known deep-sea species and opens up an opportunity to study the evolution of recombination suppression on sex chromosomes and its association with mixed or transitory sexual systems.

Evaluation of tire tread particle toxicity to fish using rainbow trout cell lines.

Tire and road wear particles (TRWP) resulting from tire abrasion while driving raise concerns due to their potential contribution to aquatic toxicity. Our study aimed to assess cryogenically milled tire tread (CMTT) particle toxicity, used as a proxy for TRWP, and associated chemicals to fish using two Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) cell lines representing the gill (RTgill-W1) and the intestinal (RTgutGC) epithelium. CMTT toxicity was evaluated through several exposure pathways, including direct contact, leaching, and digestion, while also assessing the impact of particle aging. Following OECD TG249, cell viability was assessed after 24 h acute exposure using a multiple-endpoint assay indicative of cell metabolic activity, membrane integrity and lysosome integrity. In vitro EC50 values for the fish cell lines exceeded river TRWP concentrations (2.02 g/L and 4.65 g/L for RTgill-W1 and RTgutGC cell lines, respectively), and were similar to in vivo LC50 values estimated at 6 g/L. Although toxicity was mainly driven by the leaching of tire-associated chemicals, the presence of the particles contributed to the overall toxicity by inducing a continuous leaching, highlighting the importance of considering combined exposure scenarios. Aging and digestion conditions were also found to mediate CMTT toxicity. Thermooxidation resulted in a decreased chemical leaching and toxicity, while in vitro digestion under mimicked gastrointestinal conditions increased leaching and toxicity. Specific chemicals, especially Zn, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, 1,3-diphenylguanidine, and N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) were identified as contributors to the overall toxicity. Although 6PPD-quinone was detected in CMTT digestate, cytotoxicity assays with RTgill-W1 and RTgutGC cell lines showed no toxicity up to 6 mg/L, supporting the notion of a specific mode of action of this chemical. This study provides insights into the toxicological mechanisms induced by tire particles and their associated chemicals and can help in the evaluation of potential risks to aquatic life associated with TRWP.

Rosuvastatin positively changes nerve electrophysiology in diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of rosuvastatin on peripheral nerve function in diabetic rats using electrophysiological measurements. BACKGROUND: Diabetes was induced in 5-day-old male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of streptozotocin (STZ). As many as 45 diabetic rats were randomized to three groups: one treated with rosuvastatin (group R), another with rosuvastatin and mevalonate (group MR) and the other was untreated (group U). The data were compared with a group of normal age-matched rats i.e. control rats (group C). METHODS: Neurophysiological measurements were performed at the age of 3 months (T1) and again at the age of 8 months (T2), after 3 months of treatment. RESULTS: At T1, there was a trend to lower amplitude of compound motor action potential (CMAP) in the three diabetic groups as compared to controls, and no difference for motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), amplitude of sensory nerve action potential (SNAP), sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) between diabetic groups and controls. At T2, the amplitude of CMAP was significantly lower in groups R and MR versus group U and control rats. MNCV was significantly and similarly decreased in the three diabetic groups; the latency of the first sensory peak (fastest sensory fibres) was significantly increased in group U but was normal in groups R and MR. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that: 1.rosuvastatin exerts a beneficial effect on the conduction of the fastest sensory fibres;2.these effects are independent of blood pressure and lipid changes.

Spontaneous mitochondrial membrane potential change during apoptotic induction by quercetin in K562 and K562/adr cells.

Natural products from plants such as flavonoids are potential drugs to overcome multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer treatments. However, their modes of action are still unclear. In this study, the effects of quercetin on mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim) change as well as quercetin's ability to induce apoptosis and inhibit Pgp-mediated efflux of 99mTc-MIBI in K562/adr cells were investigated. Quercetin exhibits cytotoxicity against erythroleukemic cells: IC50 are 11.0 +/- 2.0 micromol/L and 5.0 +/- 0.4 micromol/L for K562 and K562/adr, respectively. Quercetin induces cell death via apoptosis in both K562 and K562/adr cells and does not inhibit Pgp-mediated efflux of 99mTc-MIBI. Quercetin (10 micromol/L, 3 h) and etoposide (100 micromol/L, 24 h) induce similar levels of apoptosis in K562 and K562/adr cells. Quercetin induces an increase followed by a decrease in |DeltaPsim| value depending on its concentration. A decrease in the |DeltaPsim| value is associated with an increase in the percentage of early apoptotic cells. It is clearly shown that quercetin results in a spontaneous DeltaPsim change during apoptotic induction. Therefore, quercetin is potentially an apoptotic-inducing agent, which reacts at the mitochondrial level.

Structural changes induced by binding of the high-mobility group I protein to a mouse satellite DNA sequence.

Using spectroscopic methods, we have studied the structural changes induced in both protein and DNA upon binding of the High-Mobility Group I (HMG-I) protein to a 21-bp sequence derived from mouse satellite DNA. We show that these structural changes depend on the stoichiometry of the protein/DNA complexes formed, as determined by Job plots derived from experiments using pyrene-labeled duplexes. Circular dichroism and melting temperature experiments extended in the far ultraviolet range show that while native HMG-I is mainly random coiled in solution, it adopts a beta-turn conformation upon forming a 1:1 complex in which the protein first binds to one of two dA.dT stretches present in the duplex. HMG-I structure in the 1:1 complex is dependent on the sequence of its DNA target. A 3:1 HMG-I/DNA complex can also form and is characterized by a small increase in the DNA natural bend and/or compaction coupled to a change in the protein conformation, as determined from fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments. In addition, a peptide corresponding to an extended DNA-binding domain of HMG-I induces an ordered condensation of DNA duplexes. Based on the constraints derived from pyrene excimer measurements, we present a model of these nucleated structures. Our results illustrate an extreme case of protein structure induced by DNA conformation that may bear on the evolutionary conservation of the DNA-binding motifs of HMG-I. We discuss the functional relevance of the structural flexibility of HMG-I associated with the nature of its DNA targets and the implications of the binding stoichiometry for several aspects of chromatin structure and gene regulation.

Effect of catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibition on brain uptake of [18F]fluorodopa: implications for compartmental modelling and clinical usefulness.

The efficacy of levo-DOPA in the treatment of Parkinson's disease is potentiated by blockade of its peripheral metabolism with inhibitors of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). Some COMT inhibitors may act entirely in the periphery (nitecapone, OR-462), while others may also have some activity in brain (entacapone, OR-611). We used positron emission tomography (PET) to test the effects of these two COMT inhibitors on the plasma kinetics and brain metabolism of the levo-DOPA analog 6-[18F]fluoro-L-dopa (FDOPA) in cynomolgus monkeys, employing a compartmental model for the assay of DOPA decarboxylase activity in living brain. Four monkeys each underwent two PET scans in the baseline condition, one PET scan after treatment with OR-462 (15 mg/kg, i.v.), and one PET scan after treatment with OR-611 (15 mg/kg, i.v.). Pharmacokinetic analysis of FDOPA metabolism in plasma indicated that these compounds blocked peripheral COMT activity by 80% for at least 60 minutes. Both COMT inhibitors increased the net availability of FDOPA in circulation, and increased the ratio of the radioactivity concentrations in striatum and occipital cortex, suggesting that [18F]fluorodopamine synthesis in striatum was potentiated. However, OR-611 treatment reduced the unidirectional (K1D) and net (Ki) blood-brain clearances of FDOPA, and also inhibited the rate of decarboxylation (k3D) of FDOPA in striatum. These observations suggest that high doses of OR-611 may partially antagonize the cerebral utilization of levo-DOPA. We used the present data to test the sensitivity of the compartmental model to the physiological constraint that the blood-brain permeabilities of the O-methylated plasma metabolite and FDOPA have a fixed ratio. In the groups with COMT inhibition, the estimates of k3D were insensitive to the magnitude of the permeability ratio. In the control group, the estimate of k3D increased by 40% as the magnitude of the constrained permeability ratio increased in the range of published estimates.

Triple helix formation and homologous strand exchange in pyrene-labeled oligonucleotides.

The orientations of the symmetrical third strands (G3A4G3) and (G3T4G3) within the triplexes (C3T4C3) - (G3A4G3) x (G3A4G3) and (C3T4C3) - (G3A4G3) x (G3T4G3) were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy and thermal denaturation using pyrene-labeled oligodeoxynucleotides. In the two triplex structures, both parallel and antiparallel orientations of the third strand with respects to the purine Watson-Crick one were identified by means of pyrene excimer formation. The pyrene labels do not modify the melting temperature of the (C3T4C3) - (G3A4G3) x (G3T4G3) triplex but somewhat stabilize the corresponding duplex against thermal denaturation. The absorption melting profiles of the (C3T4C3) - (G3A4G3) x (G3A4G3) triplex are monophasic in agreement with previous reports. In contrast, the melting of this structure, when monitored by the pyrene excimer band, reveals a biphasic behavior. These data, together with kinetics measurements, strongly suggest exchange mechanisms between the homologous oligomers (G3A4G3), Hoogsteen, and Watson-Crick strands.

A continuous transition from A-DNA to B-DNA in the 1:1 complex between nogalamycin and the hexamer dCCCGGG.

The antibiotic nogalamycin, a drug with high specificity for TG and CG steps in double-stranded DNA, has been crystallized as a 1:1 complex with the hexamer d(CCCGGG). The antibiotic is inserted at the central CG step of the duplex, with the two sugars oriented in the same direction and with strong interactions with the DNA within the grooves. The amino-glucose residue makes an integral part of a well defined major groove hydration network with van der Waals contacts and several strong hydrogen bonds to the duplex. The nogalose residue resides in the minor groove, making primarily van der Waals contacts. The single site allows an accurate molecular description of the intercalation, without perturbations from end effects observed previously. The local unwinding induced by nogalamycin is completely relaxed 2 base pairs away from the intercalation site. The two strands of the DNA show a continuous deformation from the A to the B form: 1) the cytosines toward the 5' end of the nogalomycin site in each strand have c3'-endo conformations while 5 guanosines toward the 3' ends have c2'-endo conformations; 2) within each strand, the phosphate-phosphate distances increase in a continuous manner from 5.7 A (A-form) to 7.1 A (B-form).

Regional striatal DOPA transport and decarboxylase activity in Parkinson's disease.

METHODS: We measured blood-brain barrier transport and decarboxylation of 6-[18F]fluoro-L-DOPA (FDOPA) using PET in patients with Parkinson's disease (n = 7, 57 +/- 7 yr) and age-matched control subjects (n = 7, 60 +/- 6 yr). To visually present regional changes of FDOPA uptake in Parkinson's disease, we introduced maps of FDOPA uptake relative to occipital cortex, averaged across control subjects and Parkinson's disease patients in an MRI-based stereotaxic coordinate space. RESULTS: There was no significant changes in the blood-to-brain transport of FDOPA (KD1) in Parkinson's disease. The KD1 values of the head of caudate were lower than those of putamen in both normal subjects and Parkinson's disease patients. In Parkinson's disease, the activity of L-DOPA decarboxylase (DDC) was differentially reduced in subdivisions of striatum. The residual DDC activity was 63% of the control value in the head of caudate nucleus, 54% in the anterior putamen and 39% in the posterior putamen. The DDC activity in frontal and occipital cortices remained unchanged by the disease. Subtraction of averaged FDOPA uptake maps (control minus Parkinson's disease) visualized a spatial pattern of pathological changes in FDOPA uptake common to Parkinson's disease patients. CONCLUSION: The striatal blood-to-brain transport of FDOPA remained unchanged while the DDC activity was differentially reduced within the striatum in Parkinson's disease. We found the FDOPA uptake maps useful in identifying altered patterns of FDOPA metabolism common in Parkinson's disease.

Distribution of cytoskeletal proteins (neurofilaments, peripherin and MAP-tau) in the cochlea of the human fetus.

We report here an immunohistochemical study of the distribution of intermediate filaments (neurofilament, peripherin) and a microtubule-associated protein, tau, in the human fetal cochlea at 27 weeks of gestation. Neurofilament immunoreactivity (160 and 200 KDa) was localized in afferent and efferent fibers of the cochlear innervation and restricted to a few small spiral ganglion neurons. Peripherin immunoreactivity was specifically distributed in some small ganglion neurons and in their central and peripheral extensions, particularly in fibers reaching the lower part of the outer hair cells. Double immuno-labelling studies with these neurofilaments and peripherin antibodies show that only small neuron cell bodies were stained. Morpholometrical data indicate that immunostained neurons could be related to the Type II neuron population in the spiral ganglion. Tau protein was localized in intraganglionic spiral bundle fibers and in fibers that reach the lower part of hair cells. These observations suggest that neurofilament and peripherin antibodies stain a particular population of human spiral ganglion neurons with Type II characteristics. Moreover, the specificity of peripherin labelling in Type II cells and their processes suggest that peripherin could be used as a probe for the developmental study of this system in the human cochlea. On the other hand, tau antibody appeared as a marker for efferent fibers during development and could give information on the ontogenesis of efferent innervation.

Striatal L-dopa decarboxylase activity in Parkinson's disease in vivo: implications for the regulation of dopamine synthesis.

L-DOPA is a large neutral amino acid subject to transport out of, as well as into, brain tissue. Competition between dopamine synthesis and L-DOPA egress from striatum must favor L-DOPA egress if decarboxylation declines relatively more than transport in Parkinson's disease. To test this hypothesis, we injected patients with Parkinson's disease with a radiolabeled analogue of L-DOPA and recorded regional brain radioactivity as a function of time by means of positron emission tomography. We simultaneously estimated the activity of the decarboxylating enzyme and the amino acid transport. In the striatum of patients, we found the L-DOPA decarboxylase activity to be reduced in the head of the caudate nucleus and the putamen. However, the rate of egress of the DOPA analogue was unaffected by the disease and thus inhibited dopamine synthesis more than predicted in the absence of L-DOPA egress.

Administration of the new COMT inhibitor OR-611 increases striatal uptake of fluorodopa.

L-Dopa is metabolized to 3-O-methyldopa (3OMD) by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). This reduces the amount of L-dopa available for entry into brain. We studied the effect of OR-611, a new COMT inhibitor, on plasma and brain 6-[18F]-fluoro-L-dopa (6FD) metabolism in cynomolgus monkeys with positron emission tomography (PET). OR-611 pretreatment substantially reduced plasma 6FD metabolism to 3-O-methylfluorodopa (3OMFD). PET measurements of striatal 6FD concentrations showed an average 2.3-fold increase following OR-611 pretreatment, compared to the same animals in the control state. OR-611 inhibits plasma metabolism of 6FD and increases brain uptake of this L-dopa analog. OR-611 appears to be a promising agent as an adjunct to L-dopa for the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease.

Pharmacokinetics of plasma 6-[18F]fluoro-L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine ([18F]Fdopa) in humans.

Like native DOPA, [18F]-6-fluoro-L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine ([18F]FDOPA) is subject to methylation and decarboxylation. To determine the rates of formation and elimination of [18F]FDOPA metabolites, plasma from human subjects undergoing positron emission tomographic (PET) studies was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In addition to the principal metabolite O-methyl-[18F]FDOPA (OMe[18F]FDOPA), two decarboxylated metabolites were detected in plasma from carbidopa pretreated subjects. The concentrations of each metabolite during 90 min following tracer injection could be described as a function of the concentration of [18F]FDOPA, and two rate constants; k0, the rate of formation, and k-1, the rate of clearance. Plasma metabolite time series generated from total plasma activity curves and measured rate constants were in close agreement with the actual concentrations determined by HPLC fractionation. Population means for k0 (0.011 +/- 0.002 min-1) and k-1 (0.010 +/- 0.003 min-1) were used to generate "simulated" plasma curves. The measured and generated plasma curves were used as inputs for estimation of partition and decarboxylation coefficients of [18F]FDOPA in brain. The use of generated input functions from normal population means of transfer coefficients did not introduce a systematic error into the estimate of the enzyme activity. However, the high variability of these estimates in patients precludes the use of this technique as an alterative to individual HPLC measurements.

Human striatal L-dopa decarboxylase activity estimated in vivo using 6-[18F]fluoro-dopa and positron emission tomography: error analysis and application to normal subjects.

DOPA decarboxylase is the enzyme directly responsible for the synthesis of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, and indirectly of noradrenaline, in brain. We used the decarboxylation coefficient (k3D) of 6-[18F]fluoro-DOPA (FDOPA) to denote the relative activity of L-DOPA decarboxylase in vivo in the human brain. To determine the relative enzyme activity with positron emission tomography (PET), we evaluated the model that separates the metabolism into compartments of nondiffusible and diffusible (i.e., transient) tracer metabolites. Error analysis indicated that the least-squares optimization alone was not sufficient to yield accurate estimates of k3D in the presence of the inherent error of PET. To improve the accuracy of the k3D estimates by optimizing the number of parameters, we introduced biological constraints which included a tracer partition volume (Ve) common to frontal cortex and striatum, and a fixed ratio (q) between the blood-brain barrier transport coefficients of O-methyl-[18F]fluoro-DOPA and FDOPA, the two sources of radioactivity in plasma. We found that a two-step analysis yielded sufficiently accurate estimates of k3D. The two steps include the initial estimation of the partition volume in frontal cortex and the subsequent use of this value to determine k3D in striatum and other structures. We studied twelve healthy controls (age 45 +/- 15 years). The average k3D value was 0.081 +/- 0.024 min-1 (coefficient of variation (COV) 30%) for caudate nucleus, 0.074 +/- 0.013 min-1 (COV 18%) for putamen, and 0.010 +/- 0.005 min-1 (COV 50%) for cerebral cortex.

6-[18F]fluoro-L-dopa metabolism in living human brain: a comparison of six analytical methods.

In 11 normal volunteers and six patients with Parkinson's disease, we compared six different analyses of dopaminergic function with L-3,4-dihydroxy-6-[18F]fluorophenylalanine (FDOPA) and positron emission tomography (PET). The caudate nucleus, putamen, and several reference regions were identified in PET images, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The six analyses included two direct determinations of DOPA decarboxylase activity (k3D, k3*), the slope-intercept plot based on plasma concentration (K), two slope-intercept plots based on tissue content (k3r, k3s), and the striato-occipital ratio [R(T)]. For all analyses, the difference between two groups of subjects (normal volunteers and patients with Parkinson's disease) was larger in the putamen than in the caudate. For the caudate nucleus, the DOPA decarboxylase activity (k3D, k3*), tissue slope-intercept plots (kr3, ks3); and striato-occipital ratio [R(T)] analyses significantly discriminated between the normal volunteers and the patients with Parkinson's disease (p < 0.005) [with least significance for k3* (p < 0.05)], while the plasma slope-intercept plot (K) failed to do so. For the putamen, the values for k3D, k3*, K, k3r, k3s, and R(T) of normal volunteers were significantly higher than those of patients (p < 0.005) [with least significance for K (p < 0.025)]. Linear correlations were significant between k3D and k3s; k3D and k3r; k3D and R(T); and k3D and k3*, in this order of significance. We found no correlation between k3D and K values in the caudate nucleus.

3-O-methyldopa administration does not alter fluorodopa transport into the brain.

To determine if 3-O-methyldopa (3OMD) significantly inhibits the transport of 6-[18F]fluorodopa (6-FD) into the brain at the concentration normally encountered during L-dopa administration, we performed 6-FD studies with positron emission tomography in cynomolgus monkeys in the presence and absence of 3OMD. Infusion of 3OMD was designed to produce plasma concentrations equivalent to those seen in patients on chronic L-dopa therapy. Plasma 3OMD levels of 39 +/- 4 microM did not alter the blood-brain transfer rate of 6-FD. 6-FD positron emission tomographic studies in parkinsonian patients will therefore not be altered by 3OMD present in the blood in those patients taking L-dopa preparations. These results do not support the hypothesis that transport of L-dopa into the brain is inhibited by 3OMD to cause the declining response seen in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.

[Endonasal microsurgery of antro-choanal polyps]. / Microchirurgie endo-nasale du polype antro-choanal.

Between 1986 and 1991, 33 patients were operated on by the senior author. Neither sex, nor side prevalence has been observed. In 50% of the cases, the patient was a teenager. In 18% of the cases, a cystic oedematous transformation was the cause of the polyp. Its treatment must be surgical. Five cases were operated on by gingival access, the others by median and inferior meatotomy which is recommended by the authors. They found one recurrence out of the recorded 24 cases.

[Our experience of meatotomy in the treatment of paranasal sinus diseases]. / Notre expérience des méatotomies dans le traitement des affections sinusiennes.

Results are presented of patients treated by endonasal microsurgery in the ORL clinic of the Lille UCH between January 1986 and July 1990. The principal affections treated were: chronic sinusitis, aspergillosis and Killian's polyp. The objective of the technique employed, which has evolved progressively, was in each case to eradicate the infectious focus or its cause, and to maintain satisfactory ventilation and drainage of the maxillary sinus. The technique used is described, and results presented based on the responses received from a questionnaire sent to 164 patients.

Reduction of circulating 3-O-methyldopa by inhibition of catechol-O-methyltransferase with OR-611 and OR-462 in cynomolgus monkeys: implications for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

We studied the effectiveness of OR-611 and OR-462, two novel inhibitors of the enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), on 3-O-methyldopa (OMD) formation in cynomolgus monkeys following intravenous levodopa administration. OR-611 dose-dependently reduced the area under the OMD concentration-vs-time curve, reduced maximum plasma OMD concentrations, delayed the time to peak OMD levels, reduced systemic levodopa clearance, and prolonged the elimination half-life of levodopa. Similar effects on peripheral levodopa metabolism were seen with doses of 15 mg/kg of OR-611 and OR-462, its sister compound, which lacks the ability to penetrate the central nervous system (CNS).

Dopa decarboxylase activity of the living human brain.

Monoaminergic neurons use dopa decarboxylase (DDC; aromatic-L-amino-acid carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.28) to form dopamine from L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa). We measured regional dopa decarboxylase activity in brains of six healthy volunteers with 6-[18F]fluoro-L-dopa and positron emission tomography. We calculated the enzyme activity, relative to its Km, with a kinetic model that yielded the relative rate of conversion of 6-[18F]fluoro-L-dopa to [18F]fluorodopamine. Regional values of relative dopa decarboxylase activity ranged from nil in occipital cortex to 1.9 h-1 in caudate nucleus and putamen, in agreement with values obtained in vitro.