The CC chemokine monocyte chemotactic peptide-1 activates both the class I p85/p110 phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and the class II PI3K-C2alpha

The cellular effects of MCP-1 are mediated primarily by binding to CC chemokine receptor-2. We report here that MCP-1 stimulates the formation of the lipid products of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase, namely phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PI 3,4,5-P3) in THP-1 cells that can be inhibited by pertussis toxin but not wortmannin. MCP-1 also stimulates an increase in the in vitro lipid kinase activity present in immunoprecipitates of the class 1A p85/p110 heterodimeric PI 3-kinase, although the kinetics of activation were much slower than observed for the accumulation of PI 3,4,5-P3. In addition, this in vitro lipid kinase activity was inhibited by wortmannin (IC50 = 4.47 +/- 1.88 nM, n = 4), and comparable concentrations of wortmannin also inhibited MCP-stimulated chemotaxis of THP-1 cells (IC50 = 11.8 +/- 4.2 nM, n = 4), indicating that p85/p110 PI 3-kinase activity is functionally relevant. MCP-1 also induced tyrosine phosphorylation of three proteins in these cells, and a fourth tyrosine-phosphorylated protein co-precipitates with the p85 subunit upon MCP-1 stimulation. In addition, MCP-1 stimulated lipid kinase activity present in immunoprecipitates of a class II PI 3-kinase (PI3K-C2alpha) with kinetics that closely resembled the accumulation of PI 3,4,5-P3. Moreover, this MCP-1-induced increase in PI3K-C2alpha activity was insensitive to wortmannin but was inhibited by pertussis toxin pretreatment. Since this mirrored the effects of these inhibitors on MCP-1-stimulated increases in D-3 phosphatidylinositol lipid accumulation in vivo, these results suggest that activation of PI3K-C2alpha rather than the p85/p110 heterodimer is responsible for mediating the in vivo formation of D-3 phosphatidylinositol lipids. These data demonstrate that MCP-1 stimulates protein tyrosine kinases as well as at least two separate PI 3-kinase isoforms, namely the p85/p110 PI 3-kinase and PI3K-C2alpha. This is the first demonstration that MCP-1 can stimulate PI 3-kinase activation and is also the first indication of an agonist-induced activation of the PI3K-C2alpha enzyme. These two events may play important roles in MCP-1-stimulated signal transduction and biological consequences.     

Glucocorticoid-induced formation of tight junctions in mouse mammary epithelial cells in vitro

Phenotypically stable cultures of untransformed mouse mammary epithelial cells (denoted 31EG4) were established and utilized to investigate the lactogenic hormone (glucocorticoids, insulin, and prolactin) regulation of tight junction formation. When 31EG4 cells were grown on permeable supports for 4 days in medium containing the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone and insulin, confluent cell monolayers obtained a transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) of 1000-3000 omega.cm2. In contrast, over the same time period, confluent monolayers treated with insulin or insulin and prolactin maintained a low TER (35-150 omega.cm2). Consistent with the formation of tight junctions, apical to basolateral paracellular permeability was decreased from 12% to 1% for [14C]mannitol and 3.3% to 0.3% for [3H]inulin when cells were cultured in dexamethasone. This effect of dexamethasone on TER required extracellular calcium, de novo protein synthesis, dose-dependently correlated with glucocorticoid receptor occupancy, and was not due to an increase in cell density. As shown by direct and indirect immunofluorescence microscopy, dexamethasone treatment did not modulate the production or location of filamentous actin, the tight junction protein ZO-1, or the cell adhesion protein E-cadherin. Our results suggest that glucocorticoids play a fundamental role in the function and maintenance of cell-cell contact in the mammary epithelia by inducing the formation of tight junctions.     

Enhancement of recombinant gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor currents by chronic activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase

alpha 1, beta 1, and gamma 2S gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type A receptor (GABAR) subunit cDNAs were transiently expressed in derivative cell lines of mouse L929 fibroblasts, which possessed different levels of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). These cell lines included L929 (intermediate levels of kinase), C alpha 12 (elevated levels of kinase), and RAB10 (low levels of kinase) cells. Pharmacological analysis of GABA-evoked whole-cell currents revealed that, compared with expression in L929 and RAB10 cells, expression of alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2S GABARs in C alpha 12 cells produced a selective enhancement of single whole-cell current amplitudes. No other pharmacological properties (Hill slope, EC50, or diazepam sensitivity) of the expressed alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2S GABARs were modified. The GABAR current enhancement in C alpha 12 cells was blocked by substitution of a beta 1 subunit mutated at the PKA consensus phosphorylation site, Ser409 [beta 1(S409A)], for the wild-type beta subunit. Interestingly, enhancement was specific for GABARs containing all three subunits, because it was not seen after expression of alpha 1 beta 1 or alpha 1 beta 1 (S409A) GABAR subunit combinations. Single-channel conductance and gating properties were not different for alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2S or alpha 1 beta 1 (S409A) gamma 2S GABARs expressed in each cell line, suggesting that PKA did not enhance whole-cell currents by altering these properties of GABARs. These results suggested that unlike acute application of PKA, which has been shown to produce a decrease in GABAR current, chronic elevation of PKA activity can result in enhancement of GABAR currents. More importantly, this effect occurred only with GABARs composed of alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2S subunits and not alpha 1 beta 1 subunits and was mediated by a single amino acid residue (Ser409) of the beta 1 subunit.     

Lignin-derived phenols in Houston aerosols: implications for natural background sources

Solvent-extractable monomeric methoxyphenols in aerosol samples conventionally have been used to indicate the influence of biomass combustion. In addition, the presence of lignin oxidation products (LOP), derived from the CuO oxidation of vascular plant organic matter, can help trace the source and inputs of primary biological particles in aerosols. Ambient aerosols (coarse and fine) collected in Houston during summer 2010 were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to characterize monomeric and polymeric sources of LOPs. This is the first time polymeric forms of the LOPs have been characterized in ambient aerosols. The absence or small concentrations of solvent-extractable monomeric LOPs and levoglucosan isomers point to the limited influence of biomass burning during the sampling period. The trace levels of anhydrosugar concentrations most likely result from long-range transport. This observation is supported by the absence of co-occurring lignin monomers that undergo photochemical degradation during transport. The larger concentration (142 ng m(-3)) of lignin polymers in coarse aerosols shows the relative importance of primary biological aerosol particles, even in the urban atmosphere. The LOP parameters suggest a predominant influence from woody tissue of angiosperms, with minor influence from soft tissues, gymnosperms, and soil organic matter.     

Distributed cognition in aviation operations: a gate-to-gate study with implications for distributed crewing

Abstract

The network analysis method, Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork (EAST), was used to examine routine aviation operations from multiple perspectives from six key areas (i.e. Dispatch, ATC, ATM, Maintenance, Loading, and the Cockpit). Data was collected over a five-day observational field trial at an international air cargo operator. Researchers recorded the activities of agents operating within the six key areas over three outbound and two inbound flights. Three networks (i.e. social, information and task) were created for four key phases of flight: (i) pre-flight checks and engines start (ii) taxi, take-off and assent, (iii) descent, landing and taxi, and (iv) park and shut down. The networks represent a ‘work audit’ of short-haul cargo operations, which enabled a detailed understanding of the interactions and connections within the current system. Implications for the future of distributed crewing concepts are discussed.

Practitioner Summary: An analysis of the aviation system was undertaken using the amalgamated data from three outbound and two inbound flights. These analyses show the social, information and task interactions for cargo operations. This has been used to specify requirements for future distributed crewing options.     

Anaerobic transformation of quercetin-3-glucoside by bacteria from the human intestinal tract

From human feces two phenotypically different types of bacteria were isolated on quercetin-3-glucoside as carbon and energy source. Isolates of one type were identified as strains of Enterococcus casseliflavus. They utilized the sugar moiety of the glycoside, but did not degrade the aglycon further. The sugar moiety (4 mM) was fermented to 5.5 +/- 2.1 mM formate, 2.1 +/- 0.7 mM acetate, 1.6 +/- 0.3 mM l-lactate, and 1.3 +/- 0.4 mM ethanol. The second type of isolate was identified as Eubacterium ramulus. This organism was capable of degrading the aromatic ring system. Growing cultures of Eubacterium ramulus converted 5 mM quercetin-3-glucoside to 1.7 +/- 0.6 mM 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 7.6 +/- 1.0 mM acetate, and 4.0 +/- 0.4 mM butyrate. Molecular hydrogen, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, and ethanol were detected in small amounts. Phloroglucinol was a transient intermediate in the breakdown of quercetin-3-glucoside. Eubacterium ramulus did not grow on the aglycon quercetin or the ring-fission intermediate phloroglucinol, but cleaved the flavonoid ring system when glucose was present as a cosubstrate. The most probable number of quercetin-3-glucoside-degrading bacteria determined in nine human fecal samples was 10(7)-10(9)/g dry mass. Isolates from these experiments were all identified as Eubacterium ramulus.     

Leader vision and the development of adaptive and proactive performance: A longitudinal study.

In this study, the authors investigated how leader vision influences the change-oriented behaviors of adaptivity and proactivity in the workplace. The authors proposed that leader vision would lead to an increase in adaptivity for employees who were high in openness to work role change. In contrast, they proposed leader vision would be associated with an increase in proactivity when employees were high in role breadth self-efficacy. These propositions were supported in a longitudinal survey of 102 employees who provided self-report data about their leader and their work behaviors. The findings provide insight into the interaction between leaders and followers in responding to a change imperative. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A polynomial approach to eigenstructure assignment using projection with eigenvalue trade-off

A novel eigenstructure assignment method is presented which trades exact closed loop eigenvalue location against an improvement in the associated closed loop eigenvector match against membership of a desired set via either constrained or unconstrained optimizations. The polynomial approach removes the dependence of the cost functions on the closed loop eigenvector by describing the allowable desired eigenvector subspace as a function of the eigenvalue location. A fixed-wing aircraft example is used to demonstrates the benefit of eigenvalue trade-off over basic projection.     

A tree-search method for solving a cutting stock assignment problem

Many production environments such as carpet or flat glass manufacturing have linked operations that perform completely different activities. In this paper, we consider a two-stage manufacturing process involving a cutting operation, followed by an assignment operation. Raw material is cut to meet product demand with minimum trim loss, and assignments are made to minimize resource requirements. This cutting stock assignment problem is formulated as a large-scale, mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem. We propose a solution methodology based on decomposition and tree search heuristic strategies. We report on extensive computational experiments on a wide range of problems, and apply statistical techniques to determine significant factors. For all small-size problems tested, our method found the exact optimal solution. For practical-size problems, our method was about two orders of magnitude faster and produced solutions that were one-third better than tabu search.     

Calculation of the extreme ultraviolet radiation of the earth's plasmasphere

The dynamic global core plasma model(DGCPM) is used in this paper to calculate the He+ density distribution of the Earth's plasmasphere and to investigate the configurations and 30.4 nm radiation properties of the plasmasphere.Validation comparisons between the simulation results and IMAGE mission observations show:That the equatorial structure of the plasmapause is mainly located near 5.5 RE and the typical scale of plasmasphere shrinking or expansion within 10 min is approximately 0.1 RE;that the plasmasp...