7 research outputs found
Cytokine levels do not explain the favorable clinical effects of ATP infusion on the nutritional status and quality of life of patients with advanced lung cancer
No full textAcute tryptophan depletion in C57BL/6 mice does not induce central serotonin reduction or affective behavioural changes
No full textAcute tryptophan depletion is extensively used to investigate the implication of serotonin in the onset of depressive disorders. In rats, it lowers peripheral tryptophan and decreases central serotonin concentrations. We aimed to establish the rat model of acute tryptophan depletion in the mouse for potential application as serotonin challenge tool in genetic mouse models of depression. Pharmacokinetic and behavioural effects of a tryptophan-free diet were examined in Swiss and C57BL/6 mice. Peripheral amino acids were measured and central tryptophan and serotonin concentrations were compared with anxiety and depression-like behaviour in the elevated zero-maze, forced swimming test or tail suspension test. While acute tryptophan depletion resulted in a 74% reduction of the plasma ratio tryptophan to the sum of other large neutral amino acids in Swiss mice 1h after administration (2x10 ml/kg, 30 min interval), there was only a 40% reduction in C57BL/6 mice. The latter did not show anxiety in the elevated zero-maze or increased immobility in the forced swimming test or tail suspension test. A higher dose (2x20 ml/kg) with a longer interval (60 min) reduced the ratio with 68% in C57BL/6 mice, lowered hippocampal serotonin turnover and had no functional effect when tested in the elevated zero-maze and forced swimming test. These findings have important implications for the use of acute tryptophan depletion in general and in particular for its application in mice. Although in healthy mice no clear central serotonin or functional effects were observed, further research is indicated using mice with pre-existing serotonin dysfunction, as they might be more vulnerable to acute tryptophan depletion
Decreased neuroprotective capacity in response to IFN-alpha treatment in patients developing major depression during treatment
No full textDepressive symptoms following interferon-a therapy: mediated by immune-induced reductions in brain-derived neurotrophic factor?
No full textInterferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy for the treatment of hepatitis C is known to induce depressive symptoms and major depression in a substantial proportion of patients. While immune activation and disturbances in peripheral tryptophan catabolism have been implicated, the exact underlying mechanism remains unknown. A role for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the pathophysiology of mood disorders has recently emerged. This study examined whether depressive symptoms over time are associated with changes in serum BDNF concentration in hepatitis C patients treated with IFN-alpha, and whether BDNF mediates the effects of IFN-alpha-induced immune activation on depressive symptoms. For this purpose, 17 hepatitis C patients received IFN-alpha treatment with ribavirin. Patients were assessed before and at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 wk after start of treatment. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). In addition, cytokine concentrations and serum BDNF levels were measured at all time-points. Serum levels of BDNF decreased during the course of treatment, and were significantly and inversely associated with total MADRS score. Furthermore, pro-inflammatory cytokine levels predicted lower subsequent BDNF levels, whereas low BDNF levels, as well as increased cytokine levels, were independently associated with the development of depressive symptoms during IFN-alpha treatment. These findings suggest that the effect of IFN-alpha-induced immune activation on depression may be explained in part by alterations in neuroprotective capacity, reflected by decreases in serum BDNF following IFN-alpha treatment
Benthic community response to ice algae and phytoplankton in Ny Ålesund, Svalbard
No full textAuthor Posting. © Inter-Research, 2006. This article is posted here by permission of Inter-Research for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Ecology Progress Series 310 (2006): 1-14, doi:10.3354/meps310001.We assessed the digestibility and utilization of ice algae and phytoplankton by the shallow, subtidal benthos in Ny Ålesund (Kongsfjord) on Svalbard (79°N, 12°E) using chlorophyll a (chl a), essential fatty acids (EFAs) and stable isotopes as tracers of food consumption and assimilation. Intact benthic communities in sediment cores and individuals of dominant benthic taxa were given ice algae, phytoplankton, 13C-enriched ice algae or a no food addition control for 19 to 32 d. Ice algae and phytoplankton had significantly different isotopic signatures and relative concentrations of fatty acids. In the food addition cores, sediment concentrations of chl a and the EFA C20:5(n-3) were elevated by 80 and 93%, respectively, compared to the control after 12 h, but decreased to background levels by 19 d, suggesting that both ice algae and phytoplankton were rapidly consumed. Whole core respiration rates in the ice algae treatments were 1.4 times greater than in the other treatments within 12 h of food addition. In the ice algae treatment, both suspension and deposit feeding taxa from 3 different phyla (Mollusca, Annelida and Sipuncula) exhibited significant enrichment in δ13C values compared to the control. Deposit feeders (15% uptake), however, exhibited significantly greater uptake of the 13C-enriched ice algae tracer than suspension feeders (3% uptake). Our study demonstrates that ice algae are readily consumed and assimilated by the Arctic benthos, and may be preferentially selected by some benthic species (i.e. deposit feeders) due to their elevated EFA content, thus serving as an important component of the Arctic benthic food web.Funding for this study came
from the National Science Foundation (Grant numbers OPP-
0514115 to W.G.A.; OPP-0222410 to L.M.C.; OPP-0222408
to M.-Y.S.; OPP0222500 to G.R.L.), the Norwegian Research
Council (Grant number 151815-720 to M.L.C.), the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute through Bates College and the
Maine Marine Research Fund
Origin and evolution of the bread wheat D genome
No full textBread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is a globally dominant crop and major source of calories and proteins for the human diet. Compared with its wild ancestors, modern bread wheat shows lower genetic diversity, caused by polyploidisation, domestication and breeding bottlenecks1,2. Wild wheat relatives represent genetic reservoirs, and harbour diversity and beneficial alleles that have not been incorporated into bread wheat. Here we establish and analyse extensive genome resources for Tausch's goatgrass (Aegilops tauschii), the donor of the bread wheat D genome. Our analysis of 46 Ae. tauschii genomes enabled us to clone a disease resistance gene and perform haplotype analysis across a complex disease resistance locus, allowing us to discern alleles from paralogous gene copies. We also reveal the complex genetic composition and history of the bread wheat D genome, which involves contributions from genetically and geographically discrete Ae. tauschii subpopulations. Together, our results reveal the complex history of the bread wheat D genome and demonstrate the potential of wild relatives in crop improvement.This research used the Shaheen supercomputer and the Ibex cluster managed by the Supercomputing Core Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). We thank the systems administrators and computational scientists for help with debugging and overall support. The authors thank B. Steuernagel, D. Keyes, L. Fabbian and K. G. Kise for bioinformatics advice; E. P. Faig for greenhouse assistance; I. Walde for technical assistance with Hi-C library preparation and sequencing; H. Guo for administering
the OWWC sequencing; J. Poland and L. Gao for advice on PacBio sequencing; A. Bentley, B. Keller, H. Bürstmayr, J. Faris, M. Maccaferri, M. Bozzoli, R. Horsnell, D. Seung, J. Balk, R. McNelly and T. O’Hara for nominating Ae. tauschii lines of strategic interest; R. McIntosh for critical reading of the manuscript; E. Waller for assistance with the OWWC website; GrainGenes resources for hosting the online database; USDA for infrastructure support in terms of providing computational resources at SCINet high performance cluster; and University of Maryland supercomputing resources (http://hpcc.umd.edu) for computational work for the database. This publication is based on work supported by KAUST awards ORFS-CRG10-2021-4735 to B.B.H.W., ORFS-CRG11-2022-5076 to S.G.K. and URF/1/4352-01-01, FCC/1/1976-44-01, FCC/1/1976- 45-01, REI/1/5234-01-01 and REI/1/5414-01-01 to X.G.; Australian Government Research Training Program and the University of Queensland Centennial Scholarships to N.A. during genetic mapping of Lr39; Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) project ID 19385 and Climate Change Adaptation and Nature Conservation (GREEN FUND-ASRT) to A.F.E.; National Major Agricultural Science and Technology project NK2022060101 and National Key Research and Development Program of China 2021YFF1000204 to L.M.; a Genebank3.0 project from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant no. FKZ 031B1300A) to J.C.R.; grants
from the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 Linked Program (PJ015786) of the Rural Development Administration (RDA), South Korea to J.-Y.L.; RDA/USDA-ARS cooperation agreement no. 58-0210-9-226-F to J.-Y.L. and Y.Q.G.; ARS project 2030-21430-015-000 to S.S.X. and Y.Q.G.;
the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Institute Strategic Programme Designing Future Wheat (BB/P016855/1) and a European Research Council grant (ERC-2019-COG-866328) to C.U.; the Mexican Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT; 2018-000009-01EXTF-00306) to J.Q.-C.; funding from Department of Biotechnology, Government of India to P.C. and S.K.; USDA-NIFA Capacity Fund via South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station to W.L.; a Bayer (previously Monsanto) Beachell Borlaug International Scholar’s Program to S. Ghosh; National Science Foundation of United States grant number 2102953 to J.D.; ARS Project 2030-21000-056-00D to G.R.L.; an USDA-NIFA Grant (2022-67013-36362) to V.K.T.; a NERC Independent Research Fellowship (NE/T011025/1) to L.T.D.; and 4D Wheat: Diversity, Domestication, Discovery and Delivery project (C.J.P.), funded by Genome Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Western Grains Research Foundation, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, Alberta Wheat Commission, Manitoba Crop Alliance, Ontario Research Fund, and the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Author contributions A.G.-
