scholarly journals No association between pyrite content and lung cell responses to coal particles

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme R. Zosky ◽  
Ellen J. Bennett ◽  
Macarena Pavez ◽  
B. Basil Beamish

AbstractThere has been an increase in the identification of cases of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) in recent years around the world. While there are a range of possible explanations for this, studies have implicated the pyrite content of coal as a key determinant of CWP risk. However, experimental studies to support this link are limited. The aim of this study was to assess the association between the pyrite content, and subsequent release of bioavailable iron, in coal particles and the response of lung cells involved in the pathogenesis of CWP (epithelial cells, macrophages and fibroblasts). Using real-world Australian coal samples, we found no evidence of an association between the pyrite content of the coal and the magnitude of the detrimental cell response. We did find evidence of an increase in IL-8 production by epithelial cells with increasing bioavailable iron (p = 0.01), however, this was not linked to the pyrite content of the coal (p = 0.75) and we did not see any evidence of a positive association in the other cell types. Given the lack of association between the pyrite content of real-world coal particles and lung cell cytotoxicity (epithelial cells and macrophages), inflammatory cytokine production (epithelial cells, macrophages and fibroblasts), and cell proliferation (fibroblasts) our data do not support the use of coal pyrite content as a predictor of CWP risk.

Author(s):  
W.T. Gunning ◽  
M.R. Marino ◽  
M.S. Babcock ◽  
G.D. Stoner

The role of calcium in modulating cellular replication and differentiation has been described for various cell types. In the present study, the effects of Ca++ on the growth and differentiation of cultured rat esophageal epithelial cells was investigated.Epithelial cells were isolated from esophagi taken from 8 week-old male CDF rats by the enzymatic dissociation method of Kaighn. The cells were cultured in PFMR-4 medium supplemented with 0.25 mg/ml dialyzed fetal bovine serum, 5 ng/ml epidermal growth factor, 10-6 M hydrocortisone 10-6 M phosphoethanolamine, 10-6 M ethanolamine, 5 pg/ml insulin, 5 ng/ml transferrin, 10 ng/ml cholera toxin and 50 ng/ml garamycin at 36.5°C in a humidified atmosphere of 3% CO2 in air. At weekly intervals, the cells were subcultured with a solution containing 1% polyvinylpyrrolidone, 0.01% EGTA, and 0.05% trypsin. After various passages, the replication rate of the cells in PFMR-4 medium containing from 10-6 M to 10-3 M Ca++ was determined using a clonal growth assay.


Author(s):  
J.M. Robinson ◽  
J.M Oliver

Specialized regions of plasma membranes displaying lateral heterogeneity are the focus of this Symposium. Specialized membrane domains are known for certain cell types such as differentiated epithelial cells where lateral heterogeneity in lipids and proteins exists between the apical and basolateral portions of the plasma membrane. Lateral heterogeneity and the presence of microdomains in membranes that are uniform in appearance have been more difficult to establish. Nonetheless a number of studies have provided evidence for membrane microdomains and indicated a functional importance for these structures.This symposium will focus on the use of various imaging modalities and related approaches to define membrane microdomains in a number of cell types. The importance of existing as well as emerging imaging technologies for use in the elucidation of membrane microdomains will be highlighted. The organization of membrane microdomains in terms of dimensions and spatial distribution is of considerable interest and will be addressed in this Symposium.


Author(s):  
Byoung Yong Ahn ◽  
Kyoung Ah Kim ◽  
Hae Yun Nam ◽  
Je Hyeok Mun ◽  
Jin Sook Jeoung ◽  
...  

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1065
Author(s):  
Armando Rubio-Ramos ◽  
Leticia Labat-de-Hoz ◽  
Isabel Correas ◽  
Miguel A. Alonso

The MAL gene encodes a 17-kDa protein containing four putative transmembrane segments whose expression is restricted to human T cells, polarized epithelial cells and myelin-forming cells. The MAL protein has two unusual biochemical features. First, it has lipid-like properties that qualify it as a member of the group of proteolipid proteins. Second, it partitions selectively into detergent-insoluble membranes, which are known to be enriched in condensed cell membranes, consistent with MAL being distributed in highly ordered membranes in the cell. Since its original description more than thirty years ago, a large body of evidence has accumulated supporting a role of MAL in specialized membranes in all the cell types in which it is expressed. Here, we review the structure, expression and biochemical characteristics of MAL, and discuss the association of MAL with raft membranes and the function of MAL in polarized epithelial cells, T lymphocytes, and myelin-forming cells. The evidence that MAL is a putative receptor of the epsilon toxin of Clostridium perfringens, the expression of MAL in lymphomas, the hypermethylation of the MAL gene and subsequent loss of MAL expression in carcinomas are also presented. We propose a model of MAL as the organizer of specialized condensed membranes to make them functional, discuss the role of MAL as a tumor suppressor in carcinomas, consider its potential use as a cancer biomarker, and summarize the directions for future research.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1413
Author(s):  
Tjessa Bondue ◽  
Fanny O. Arcolino ◽  
Koenraad R. P. Veys ◽  
Oyindamola C. Adebayo ◽  
Elena Levtchenko ◽  
...  

Epithelial cells exfoliated in human urine can include cells anywhere from the urinary tract and kidneys; however, podocytes and proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs) are by far the most relevant cell types for the study of genetic kidney diseases. When maintained in vitro, they have been proven extremely valuable for discovering disease mechanisms and for the development of new therapies. Furthermore, cultured patient cells can individually represent their human sources and their specific variants for personalized medicine studies, which are recently gaining much interest. In this review, we summarize the methodology for establishing human podocyte and PTEC cell lines from urine and highlight their importance as kidney disease cell models. We explore the well-established and recent techniques of cell isolation, quantification, immortalization and characterization, and we describe their current and future applications.


1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (1) ◽  
pp. C243-C251 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Egan ◽  
E. M. Schwiebert ◽  
W. B. Guggino

When nonepithelial cell types expressing the delta F508-cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutation are grown at reduced temperatures, the mutant protein can be properly processed. The effect of low temperatures on Cl- channel activity in airway epithelial cells that endogenously express the delta F508-CFTR mutation has not been investigated. Therefore, we examined the effect of incubation temperature on both CFTR and outwardly rectifying Cl- channel (ORCC) activity in normal, in cystic fibrosis (CF)-affected, and in wild-type CFTR-complemented CF airway epithelia with use of a combination of inside-out and whole cell patch-clamp recording, 36Cl- efflux assays, and immunocytochemistry. We report that incubation of CF-affected airway epithelial cells at 25-27 degrees C is associated with the appearance of a protein kinase A-stimulated CFTR-like Cl- conductance. In addition to the appearance of CFTR Cl- channel activity, there is, however, a decrease in the number of active ORCC when cells are grown at 25-27 degrees C, suggesting that the decrease in incubation temperature may be associated with multiple alterations in ion channel expression and/or regulation in airway epithelial cells.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-82
Author(s):  
Joseph Cesario

Abstract This article questions the widespread use of experimental social psychology to understand real-world group disparities. Standard experimental practice is to design studies in which participants make judgments of targets who vary only on the social categories to which they belong. This is typically done under simplified decision landscapes and with untrained decision makers. For example, to understand racial disparities in police shootings, researchers show pictures of armed and unarmed Black and White men to undergraduates and have them press "shoot" and "don't shoot" buttons. Having demonstrated categorical bias under these conditions, researchers then use such findings to claim that real-world disparities are also due to decision-maker bias. I describe three flaws inherent in this approach, flaws which undermine any direct contribution of experimental studies to explaining group disparities. First, the decision landscapes used in experimental studies lack crucial components present in actual decisions (Missing Information Flaw). Second, categorical effects in experimental studies are not interpreted in light of other effects on outcomes, including behavioral differences across groups (Missing Forces Flaw). Third, there is no systematic testing of whether the contingencies required to produce experimental effects are present in real-world decisions (Missing Contingencies Flaw). I apply this analysis to three research topics to illustrate the scope of the problem. I discuss how this research tradition has skewed our understanding of the human mind within and beyond the discipline and how results from experimental studies of bias are generally misunderstood. I conclude by arguing that the current research tradition should be abandoned.


1956 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-327
Author(s):  
Kimio FUJIE ◽  
Kazuko TOJYO ◽  
Tadao KAWAI ◽  
Kaitaro FURUTA

2000 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2657-2671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean M. Wilson ◽  
Meltsje de Hoop ◽  
Natasha Zorzi ◽  
Ban-Hock Toh ◽  
Carlos G. Dotti ◽  
...  

EEA1 is an early endosomal Rab5 effector protein that has been implicated in the docking of incoming endocytic vesicles before fusion with early endosomes. Because of the presence of complex endosomal pathways in polarized and nonpolarized cells, we have examined the distribution of EEA1 in diverse cell types. Ultrastructural analysis demonstrates that EEA1 is present on a subdomain of the early sorting endosome but not on clathrin-coated vesicles, consistent with a role in providing directionality to early endosomal fusion. Furthermore, EEA1 is associated with filamentous material that extends from the cytoplasmic surface of the endosomal domain, which is also consistent with a tethering/docking role for EEA1. In polarized cells (Madin-Darby canine kidney cells and hippocampal neurons), EEA1 is present on a subset of “basolateral-type” endosomal compartments, suggesting that EEA1 regulates specific endocytic pathways. In both epithelial cells and fibroblastic cells, EEA1 and a transfected apical endosomal marker, endotubin, label distinct endosomal populations. Hence, there are at least two distinct sets of early endosomes in polarized and nonpolarized mammalian cells. EEA1 could provide specificity and directionality to fusion events occurring in a subset of these endosomes in polarized and nonpolarized cells.


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