genetic-barcoding-with-fluorescent-proteins-for-multiplexed

Genetic Barcoding with Fluorescent Proteins for Multiplexed Applications

Fluorescent proteins, fluorescent dyes and fluorophores in general have revolutionized the field of molecular cell biology. In particular, the discovery ...

San Diego State University

The goal of this study was to investigate associations between empirically defined dimensions of spirituality, personality variables, and psychiatric disorders in Vietnam era veterans.

Pilot study of spirituality and mental health in twins.

Combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly comorbid with other mental disorders. However, the nature of the relationship between PTSD and other mental disorders remains unclear. A discordant high-risk twin design was used on data from a sub-sample of the male-male twin pair members of the Vietnam Era Twin Registry to examine whether patterns of comorbidity are consistent with a psychopathological response to combat exposure or reflect familial vulnerability to psychopathology. Mental disorders were assessed via the Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule Version III - Revised. Discordant monozygotic within-pair comparisons revealed that PTSD probands had higher symptom counts and diagnostic prevalences of mood and anxiety disorders than their non-combat exposed co-twins. Monozygotic co-twins of PTSD probands had significantly more mood disorder symptoms than monozygotic co-twins of combat controls or dizygotic co-twins of veterans with PTSD. These findings suggest that a) major depression, generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder are part of a post-combat response syndrome; b) a shared familial vulnerability also contributes to the association between PTSD and major depression, PTSD and dysthymia, and c) this shared vulnerability is mediated by genetic factors.

A high risk twin study of combat-related PTSD comorbidity.

The well-documented association between combat-related PTSD (C-PTSD) and other mental disorders may be an artifact of shared familial vulnerability. This study uses a co-twin control design to examine whether the association between C-PTSD and other mental disorders persists after adjusting for shared familial vulnerability. Data were from male monozygotic twin pairs in the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that combat exposure, adjusted for C-PTSD, was significantly associated with increased risk for alcohol and cannabis dependence and that C-PTSD mediated the association between combat exposure and both major depression and tobacco dependence. We conclude C-PTSD comorbidity persists after controlling for shared vulnerability. Combat exposure is directly and indirectly, through C-PTSD, associated with increased risk for other mental disorders.

Co-twin control study of relationships among combat exposure, combat-related PTSD, and other mental disorders.

Transient hot-wire data on thermal conductivity of suspensions of silica and perfluorinated particles show agreement with the mean-field theory of Maxwell but not with the recently postulated microconvection mechanism. The influence of interfacial thermal resistance, convective effects at microscales, and the possibility of thermal conductivity enhancements beyond the Maxwell limit are discussed.

Mean-field versus microconvection effects in nanofluid thermal conduction.

Grinding, lapping, and polishing are finishing processes used to achieve critical surface parameters in a variety of precision optical and electronic components. As these processes remove material from the surface through mechanical and chemical interactions, they may induce a damaged layer of cracks, voids, and stressed material below the surface. This subsurface damage (SSD) can degrade the performance of a final product by creating optical aberrations due to diffraction, premature failure in oscillating components, and a reduction in the laser induced damage threshold of high energy optics. As these defects lie beneath the surface, they are difficult to detect, and while many methods are available to detect SSD, they can have notable limitations regarding sample size and type, preparation time, or can be destructive in nature. The authors tested a nondestructive method for assessing SSD that consisted of tagging the abrasive slurries used in lapping and polishing with quantum dots (nano-sized fluorescent particles). Subsequent detection of fluorescence on the processed surface is hypothesized to indicate SSD. Quantum dots that were introduced to glass surfaces during the lapping process were retained through subsequent polishing and cleaning processes. The quantum dots were successfully imaged by both wide field and confocal fluorescence microscopy techniques. The detected fluorescence highlighted features that were not observable with optical or interferometric microscopy. Atomic force microscopy and additional confocal microscope analysis indicate that the dots are firmly embedded in the surface but do not appear to travel deep into fractures beneath the surface. Etching of the samples exhibiting fluorescence confirmed that SSD existed. SSD-free samples exposed to quantum dots did not retain the dots in their surfaces, even when polished in the presence of quantum dots.

Using quantum dots to tag subsurface damage in lapped and polished glass samples.

Neurodegeneration results from abnormalities in cerebral metabolism and energy balance within neurons, astrocytes, microglia, or microvascular endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier. In Alzheimer's disease, β-amyloid is considered the primary contributor to neuropathology and neurodegeneration. It now is believed that certain systemic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, can contribute to neurodegeneration through the effects of chronic hyperglycemia/insulin resistance resulting in protein glycation, oxidative stress and inflammation within susceptible brain regions. Here, we present an overview of research focusing on the role of protein glycation, oxidative stress, and inflammation in the neurodegenerative process. Of special interest in this paper is the effect of methylglyoxal (MGO), a cytotoxic byproduct of glucose metabolism, elevated in neurodegenerative disease, and diabetes mellitus, on cerebral protein function and oxidative stress. How MGO interacts with amino acid residues within β-amyloid, and small peptides within the brain, is also discussed in terms of the affect on protein function.

Protein modification by dicarbonyl molecular species in neurodegenerative diseases.

It is widely accepted that the brain responds to mechanical trauma and development of most neurodegenerative diseases with an inflammatory sequelae that was once thought exclusive to systemic immunity. Mostly cationic peptides, such as the β-defensins, originally assigned an antimicrobial function are now recognized as mediators of both innate and adaptive immunity. Herein supporting evidence is presented for the hypothesis that neuropathological changes associated with chronic disease conditions of the CNS involve abnormal expression and regulatory function of specific antimicrobial peptides. It is also proposed that these alterations exacerbate proinflammatory conditions within the brain that ultimately potentiate the neurodegenerative process.

Do β-defensins and other antimicrobial peptides play a role in neuroimmune function and neurodegeneration?

The human β-defensins (hBDs) are a highly conserved family of cationic antimicrobial and immunomodulatory peptides expressed primarily by epithelial cells in response to invasion by bacteria, fungi and some viruses. To date, the most studied members of this family of peptides are hBD-1, -2, and -3. Expression of hBD-1 and -2 has been demonstrated previously in cultured microglia and astrocytes of both mouse and human brain. Unlike inducible hBD-2 and -3, hBD-1 is constitutively expressed and is not generally upregulated by proinflammatory factors. In this study, we investigated whether hBDs, as active components of the innate immune response, are affected by pathological events in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. We assessed the expression of hBD-1, -2, and -3 in tissue obtained at autopsy from AD and age-matched control brains.

Antimicrobial peptide β-defensin-1 expression is upregulated in Alzheimer's brain.

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), a member of the picornavirus family and enterovirus genus, causes viral myocarditis, aseptic meningitis, and pancreatitis in humans. We genetically engineered a unique molecular marker, "fluorescent timer" protein, within our infectious CVB3 clone and isolated a high-titer recombinant viral stock (Timer-CVB3) following transfection in HeLa cells. "Fluorescent timer" protein undergoes slow conversion of fluorescence from green to red over time, and Timer-CVB3 can be utilized to track virus infection and dissemination in real time. Upon infection with Timer-CVB3, HeLa cells, neural progenitor and stem cells (NPSCs), and C2C12 myoblast cells slowly changed fluorescence from green to red over 72 hours as determined by fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometric analysis. The conversion of "fluorescent timer" protein in HeLa cells infected with Timer-CVB3 could be interrupted by fixation, suggesting that the fluorophore was stabilized by formaldehyde cross-linking reactions. Induction of a type I interferon response or ribavirin treatment reduced the progression of cell-to-cell virus spread in HeLa cells or NPSCs infected with Timer-CVB3. Time lapse photography of partially differentiated NPSCs infected with Timer-CVB3 revealed substantial intracellular membrane remodeling and the assembly of discrete virus replication organelles which changed fluorescence color in an asynchronous fashion within the cell. "Fluorescent timer" protein colocalized closely with viral 3A protein within virus replication organelles. Intriguingly, infection of partially differentiated NPSCs or C2C12 myoblast cells induced the release of abundant extracellular microvesicles (EMVs) containing matured "fluorescent timer" protein and infectious virus representing a novel route of virus dissemination. CVB3 virions were readily observed within purified EMVs by transmission electron microscopy, and infectious virus was identified within low-density isopycnic iodixanol gradient fractions consistent with membrane association. The preferential detection of the lipidated form of LC3 protein (LC3 II) in released EMVs harboring infectious virus suggests that the autophagy pathway plays a crucial role in microvesicle shedding and virus release, similar to a process previously described as autophagosome-mediated exit without lysis (AWOL) observed during poliovirus replication. Through the use of this novel recombinant virus which provides more dynamic information from static fluorescent images, we hope to gain a better understanding of CVB3 tropism, intracellular membrane reorganization, and virus-associated microvesicle dissemination within the host.

Coxsackievirus B exits the host cell in shed microvesicles displaying autophagosomal markers.

The DenV pre-membrane protein (prM) is a crucial chaperone for the viral envelope protein, preventing premature fusion with vesicles during viral export. prM molecules in immature particles are cleaved by host proteases, leading to mature fusogenic virions. Blockade of prM cleavage would restrict fusion and represents a novel druggable opportunity against DenV. We have thus established a cell-based platform to monitor prM processing that relies on an engineered two-tag scaffold that travels to the cell surface through the secretory pathway. The assay discriminates between a single cell-surface tag when prM is cleaved and two tags when it is not, as detected through fluorescent-coupled antibodies by flow cytometry. The assay, miniaturized into a 96-well plate format, was multiplexed with the HIV-1 envelope boundary, also cleaved in the same pathway. A pilot screen against 1280 compounds was executed, leading to the identification of a potential active and corroborating the robustness of our assay for large-scale screening. We describe for the first time a cell-based assay that monitors DenV prM processing within the classical secretory pathway, which was exploited to identify a potential novel drug against DenV.

Article	Year
Pilot study of spirituality and mental health in twins. The American journal of psychiatry\| PubMed ID: 11870019	2002
A high risk twin study of combat-related PTSD comorbidity. Twin research : the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies\| PubMed ID: 12855071	2003
Co-twin control study of relationships among combat exposure, combat-related PTSD, and other mental disorders. Journal of traumatic stress\| PubMed ID: 14584626	2003
Mean-field versus microconvection effects in nanofluid thermal conduction. Physical review letters\| PubMed ID: 17931019	2007
Using quantum dots to tag subsurface damage in lapped and polished glass samples. Applied optics\| PubMed ID: 19767933	2009
Protein modification by dicarbonyl molecular species in neurodegenerative diseases. Journal of amino acids\| PubMed ID: 22332001	2011
Do β-defensins and other antimicrobial peptides play a role in neuroimmune function and neurodegeneration? TheScientificWorldJournal\| PubMed ID: 22606066	2012
Antimicrobial peptide β-defensin-1 expression is upregulated in Alzheimer's brain. Journal of neuroinflammation\| PubMed ID: 24139179	2013
Coxsackievirus B exits the host cell in shed microvesicles displaying autophagosomal markers. PLoS pathogens\| PubMed ID: 24722773	2014
A Multiplexed Cell-Based Assay for the Identification of Modulators of Pre-Membrane Processing as a Target against Dengue Virus. Journal of biomolecular screening\| PubMed ID: 25724189	2015

Wesley Williams

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