scholarly journals Osteoarthritis Affects Mammalian Oogenesis: Effects of Collagenase-Induced Osteoarthritis on Oocyte Cytoskeleton in a Mouse Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Anton Ivanov Kolarov ◽  
Irina Valcheva Chakarova ◽  
Valentina Prodanova Hadzhinesheva ◽  
Venera Pantaleeva Nikolova ◽  
Stefka Metodieva Delimitreva ◽  
...  

Known as a degenerative joint disorder of advanced age affecting predominantly females, osteoarthritis can develop in younger and actively working people because of activities involving loading and injuries of joints. Collagenase-induced osteoarthritis (CIOA) in a mouse model allowed us to investigate for the first time its effects on key cytoskeletal structures (meiotic spindles and actin distribution) of ovulated mouse oocytes. Their meiotic spindles, actin caps, and chromatin were analyzed by immunofluorescence. A total of 193 oocytes from mice with CIOA and 209 from control animals were obtained, almost all in metaphase I (M I) or metaphase II (MII). The maturation rate was lower in CIOA (26.42% M II) than in controls (55.50% M II). CIOA oocytes had significantly larger spindles (average 37 μm versus 25 μm in controls, p < 0.001 ), with a proportion of large spindles more than 64% in CIOA versus up to 15% in controls ( p < 0.001 ). Meiotic spindles were wider in 68.35% M I and 54.90% M II of CIOA oocytes (mean 18.04 μm M I and 17.34 μm M II versus controls: 11.64 μm M I and 12.64 μm M II), and their poles were approximately two times broader (mean 6.9 μm) in CIOA than in controls (3.6 μm). CIOA oocytes often contained disoriented microtubules. Actin cap was visible in over 91% of controls and less than 20% of CIOA oocytes. Many CIOA oocytes without an actin cap had a nonpolarized thick peripheral actin ring (61.87% of M I and 52.94% of M II). Chromosome alignment was normal in more than 82% in both groups. In conclusion, CIOA affects the cytoskeleton of ovulated mouse oocytes—meiotic spindles are longer and wider, their poles are broader and with disorganized fibers, and the actin cap is replaced by a broad nonpolarized ring. Nevertheless, meiotic spindles were successfully formed in CIOA oocytes and, even when abnormal, allowed correct alignment of chromosomes.

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tebogo Mokgehle ◽  
Ntakadzeni Madala ◽  
Wilson Gitari ◽  
Nikita Tavengwa

AbstractSolanum plants (Solanaceae) are renowned source of nutraceuticals and have widely been explored for their phytochemical constituents. This work investigated the effects of kosmotropic and chaotropic salts on the number of phytochemicals extracted from the leaves of a nutraceutical plant, Solanum retroflexum, and analyzed on the ultra-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated to a quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometer (UPLC-QTOF-MS) detector. Here, a total of 20 different compounds were putatively characterized. The majority of the identified compounds were polyphenols and glycoalkaloids. Another compound, caffeoyl malate was identified for the first time in this plant. Glycoalkaloids such as solanelagnin, solamargine, solasonine, β-solanine (I) and β-solanine (II) were found to be extracted by almost all the salts used herein. Kosmotrope salts, overall, were more efficient in extracting polar compounds with 4 more polyphenolic compounds extracted compared to the chaotropes. Chaotropes were generally more selective for the extraction of less polar compounds (glycoalkaloids) with 3 more extracted than the kosmotropes. The chaotrope and the kosmotrope that extracted the most metabolites were NaCl and Na2SO4, respectively, with 12 metabolites extracted for each salt. This work demonstrated that a comprehensive metabolome of S. retroflexum, more than what was previously reported on the same plant, can be achieved by application of kosmotropes and chaotropes as extractants with the aid of the Aqueous Two Phase Extraction approach. The best-performing salts, Na2SO4 or NaCl, could potentially be applied on a commercial scale, to meet the ever-growing demand of the studied metabolites. The Aqueous Two Phase Extraction technique was found to be efficient in simultaneous extraction of multiple metabolites which can be applied in metabolomics.


Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 206
Author(s):  
Cheng Zhang ◽  
Yue Su ◽  
Yanyou Wu ◽  
Haitao Li ◽  
Ying Zhou ◽  
...  

The nutrient metabolism, growth and development of plants are strongly affected by its nutrient plunder, and plants have different adaptive mechanisms to low-nutrient environments. The electrophysiological activities involve almost all life processes of plants. In this study, the active transport flow of nutrient (NAF) and nutrient plunder capacity (NPC) of plants were defined based on leaf intrinsic impedance (IZ), capacitive reactance (IXc), inductive reactance (IXL) and capacitance (IC) to evaluate the nutrient plunder capacity of plants for the first time. The results indicate that Orychophragmus violaceus had higher (p < 0.01) NPC and IC and lower (p < 0.01) IR, IXc, IXL and IZ as compared to Brassica napus L., which supports a superior ion affinity and that it could be better adapted to low-nutrient environments. UAF and NPC of plants exhibited good correlations with crude protein, crude ash and water content, and precisely revealed the plunder capacity and adaptive strategies of plants to nutrients. The present work highlights that O. violaceus had superior NPC and ion affinity compared with B. napus, and provided a novel, rapid, reliable method based on the plant’s electrophysiological information for real-time determination of the nutrient plunder capacity of plants.


2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-204
Author(s):  
Brice C. Jones
Keyword(s):  

AbstractThis article publishes for the first time the extant remains of a Sahidic Coptic manuscript containing portions of Luke 17-19. Almost all of the special Lukan pericope concerning Jesus and Zacchaeus is preserved (19:1-10), as well as most of the parable of the Dishonest Judge (18:1-8). The edition includes a transcription, translation, palaeographical analysis, critical apparatus, as well as images of the fragment.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabilene Gomes Paim ◽  
Maria Cecília Guerrazzi ◽  
Michela Borges

In this study, we present descriptions, illustrations, comments, and bathymetric and geographic distributions of the brittle star species related to the estuary region of Camamu Bay, located in the State of Bahia, Brazil. The brittle star fauna lives on biological substrates, sand bottoms, mud and rubble in the Camamu Bay and comprises 12 species divided into five families. Almost all of them are common in the tropical and subtropical fauna of the regions of shallow water.Ophiophragmus filograneusis reported for the first time in Bahia, and nine other species are recorded for the first time in Camamu Bay:Amphipholis januarii, Amphipholis squamata, Ophiophragmus filograneus, Ophiostigma isocanthum,Ophioderma cinerea, Ophioderma januarii, Ophiactis lymani, Ophiactis savignyi andOphiocoma echinata.The results suggest that the ophiuroid assemblages are strongly affected by marine currents as well as by different kinds of bottom substrate.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
D. Bonatsos ◽  
E. A. McCutchan ◽  
N. Minkov ◽  
R. F. Casten ◽  
P. Yotov ◽  
...  

An exactly separable version of the Bohr Hamiltonian, is obtained by using a potential of the form V (β, γ) = u(β) + u(γ)/β2, with a Davidson potential for u(β) and a stiff harmonic oscillator potential centered around γ = 0o, for u(γ).Using two parameters (β0 and the γ-stiffness parameter) the band features and B(E2) transition rates of almost all well-deformed rare-earth and actinide nuclei are reproduced, while the spectrum of the SU(3) dynamical symmetry of the Interacting Boson Model can be obtained, for the first time using the Bohr Hamiltonian.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4373 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARCO A. BOLOGNA ◽  
VALENTINA AMORE ◽  
MONICA PITZALIS

The blister beetle (Coleoptera: Meloidae) fauna of Namibia is studied. The species are arranged within a catalogue containing information on their general distribution, including a list of localities and brief taxonomic remarks. Zoogeographic and ecological analyses were carried out and a photographic appendix, with images and maps of almost all Namibian species, is included. According to a chorological analysis, the Namibian blister beetle fauna appears to be zoogeographically distinct because of the dominance of western southern African elements. The faunistic levels of similarity among distinct areas in Namibia are also analysed. Several of the endemic species are related to the xeric ecosystems referable to the Namib Desert, Succulent Karoo and Nama Karoo biomes, but the highest diversity is related to the ecosystems referable to the Savannah biome. A total of 148 species belonging to 28 genera, eight tribes and three subfamilies (Eleticinae,  Meloinae, Nemognathinae) are recorded from this southern African country. Five new genera (Namibeletica gen. nov., Eleticinae Eleticini; Dilatilydus gen. nov. and Desertilydus gen. nov., Meloinae Lyttini; Paramimesthes gen. nov. and Namylabris gen. nov, Meloinae Mylabrini) and a total of 13 new species are described: 11 new species from Namibia (Psalydolytta gessi sp.nov., Paramimesthes namibicus sp.nov., Namylabris adamantifera sp.nov., Hycleus arlecchinus sp.nov., H. planitiei sp.nov., H. dvoraki sp.nov., H. aridus sp.nov., H. san sp.nov., Nemognatha fluviatilis sp.nov., “Zonitoschema” deserticola sp.nov., Zonitoschema dunalis sp.nov.); a new Namibeletica from the Angolan Namib (N. angolana) and a new Afrolytta Kaszab, 1959 from the S African Namaqualand (A. namaqua), both close to Namibian borders. Fourty-eight species and the genus Apalus Fabricius, 1775 are recorded for the first time from Namibia, and a few other species from South Africa (1), Zambia (1), Botswana (1) and Congo (1). The following new synonymies are proposed: Lytta pleuralis var. inpleuralis Pic, 1911 = Lydomorphus (Lydomorphus) thoracicus (Erichson, 1843), syn. nov.; Lytta benguellana Pic, 1911 = Prionotolytta melanura (Erichson, 1843), syn. nov.; Actenodia amoena ssp.anthicoides Kaszab, 1955b = Hycleus amoenus (Marseul, 1872), syn. nov.; Decapotoma csikii Kaszab, 1953 = Hycleus benguellanus (Marseul, 1879), syn. nov.; Nemognatha capensis Péringuey, 1909 = Nemognatha peringueyi Fairmaire, 1883, syn. nov. Several new combinations in the genus Hycleus Latreille, 1817 are also established. 


2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 2598-2603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shee-Uan Chen ◽  
Yih-Ron Lien ◽  
Hsin-Fu Chen ◽  
Kuang-Han Chao ◽  
Hong-Nerng Ho ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 121 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyvan Yousefi ◽  
Wen Ding ◽  
Lina A Shehadeh

HFpEF is an increasingly prevalent syndrome associated with impaired myocardial energetics, for which no etiologic therapy is available. Osteopontin (OPN) is a matricellular protein that is upregulated in the circulation of HFpEF patients, and reported to induce mitochondrial stress in rodent cardiomyocytes. Here we evaluate the role of circulating OPN in regulating myocardial function in the nephrotic Col4a3 -/- mouse model of HFpEF. We performed extensive cardiac, biochemical and mitochondrial analyses of the Col4a3 -/- mouse and found a striking HFpEF phenotype. We showed OPN levels were elevated in Col4a3 -/- mice (FC=2.1, n=6; p<.01). Col4a3 -/- mice were hypertensive, had diastolic dysfunction, myocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis - all of which were ameliorated in Col4a3 -/- OPN -/- mice (n=5-20; p<.05). Col4a3 -/- hearts had dysmorphic mitochondria (EM), lowered antioxidant capacity as a 50% reduction in GSH/GSSG ratio (n=6; p<.05) and lower protein levels of mitochondrial respiratory complexes I, II and IV (p<.05). Flux assay in adult cardiomyocytes showed that maximal respiration was reduced in Col4a3 -/- hearts (575.84±37.6 vs 322.34±25.48 pmol/min in WT, n=9; p<.0001). Microarray data (validated by mitochondrial blot) implicated OGDHL as decreased in Col4a3 -/- hearts but increased in double knockout Col4a3 -/- OPN -/- hearts compared to WT (n=3; p<.05). OGDH activity was also lower in Col4a3 -/- hearts (17.1±7.3 vs 2.5±1.1 mU/mg in WT; n=6; p<.05). In Col4a3 -/- mice, heart-specific AAV9-mediated overexpression of OGDHL, similar to global OPN KO, improved survival by ~50-100% (p<.0001). Isovolumetric relaxation time, a marker of diastolic dysfunction, which is prolonged in Col4a3 -/- mice (26.17 vs 15.30±1 ms, n=26; p<.001) was decreased in Col4a3 -/- OPN -/- mice (18.1±1 ms, n=37; p<.01) as well as in AAV9-cTnT-OGDHL-treated Col4a3 -/- mice (16.7±2.5 ms, n=8; p<.05). In conclusion, we present a new mouse model for HFpEF in which diastolic function and lifespan can be improved by genetic deletion of OPN or cardiac OGDHL gene therapy. Our results elucidate for the first time the pivotal roles of circulating OPN and cardiac OGDHL in HFpEF pathophysiology and present two related potential therapeutic targets for HFpEF.


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