NF-κB Hyper-Activation by HTLV-1 Tax Induces Cellular Senescence, but Can Be Alleviated by the Viral Anti-Sense Protein HBZ

Activation of I-κB kinases (IKKs) and NF-κB by the human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) trans-activator/oncoprotein, Tax, is thought to promote cell proliferation and transformation. Paradoxically, expression of Tax in most cells leads to drastic up-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, p21CIP1/WAF1 and p27KIP1, which cause p53-/pRb-independent cellular senescence. Here we demonstrate that p21CIP1/WAF1-/p27KIP1-mediated senescence constitutes a checkpoint against IKK/NF-κB hyper-activation. Senescence induced by Tax in HeLa cells is attenuated by mutations in Tax that reduce IKK/NF-κB activation and prevented by blocking NF-κB using a degradation-resistant mutant of I-κBα despite constitutive IKK activation. Small hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown indicates that RelA induces this senescence program by acting upstream of the anaphase promoting complex and RelB to stabilize p27KIP1 protein and p21CIP1/WAF1 mRNA respectively. Finally, we show that down-regulation of NF-κB by the HTLV-1 anti-sense protein, HBZ, delay or prevent the onset of Tax-induced senescence. We propose that the balance between Tax and HBZ expression determines the outcome of HTLV-1 infection. Robust HTLV-1 replication and elevated Tax expression drive IKK/NF-κB hyper-activation and trigger senescence. HBZ, however, modulates Tax-mediated viral replication and NF-κB activation, thus allowing HTLV-1-infected cells to proliferate, persist, and evolve. Finally, inactivation of the senescence checkpoint can facilitate persistent NF-κB activation and leukemogenesis

Removal of the endocrine disrupter butyl benzyl phthalate from the environment

Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), an aryl alkyl ester of 1,2-benzene dicarboxylic acid, is extensively used in vinyl tiles and as a plasticizer in PVC in many commonly used products. BBP, which readily leaches from these products, is one of the most important environmental contaminants, and the increased awareness of its adverse effects on human health has led to a dramatic increase in research aimed at removing BBP from the environment via bioremediation. This review highlights recent progress in the degradation of BBP by pure and mixed bacterial cultures, fungi, and in sludge, sediment, and wastewater. Sonochemical degradation, a unique abiotic remediation technique, and photocatalytic degradation are also discussed. The degradation pathways for BBP are described, and future research directions are considered

BioTIME 2.0: Expanding and Improving a Database of Biodiversity Time Series

Motivation Here, we make available a second version of the BioTIME database, which compiles records of abundance estimates for species in sample events of ecological assemblages through time. The updated version expands version 1.0 of the database by doubling the number of studies and includes substantial additional curation to the taxonomic accuracy of the records, as well as the metadata. Moreover, we now provide an R package (BioTIMEr) to facilitate use of the database. Main Types of Variables Included The database is composed of one main data table containing the abundance records and 11 metadata tables. The data are organised in a hierarchy of scales where 11,989,233 records are nested in 1,603,067 sample events, from 553,253 sampling locations, which are nested in 708 studies. A study is defined as a sampling methodology applied to an assemblage for a minimum of 2 years. Spatial Location and Grain Sampling locations in BioTIME are distributed across the planet, including marine, terrestrial and freshwater realms. Spatial grain size and extent vary across studies depending on sampling methodology. We recommend gridding of sampling locations into areas of consistent size. Time Period and Grain The earliest time series in BioTIME start in 1874, and the most recent records are from 2023. Temporal grain and duration vary across studies. We recommend doing sample-level rarefaction to ensure consistent sampling effort through time before calculating any diversity metric. Major Taxa and Level of Measurement The database includes any eukaryotic taxa, with a combined total of 56,400 taxa. Software Format csv and. SQL

Organic pollutants in Texas coastal waters

513-514The objectives of this project were to identify and quantitate certain common, more abundant organic pollutants, especially halogenated compounds, in water, tissue and sediment from selected marine sites in Texas and thus to identify sites appropriate for studies of biochemical responses of marine organisms to pollutants. This study concentrated on selected sites in Galveston Bay and Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. The results will be compared with those from sites in Maine, Massachusetts and other locations. The concentrations of pentachlorophenol (PCP), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), pentachlorobenzene (PCBz), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), certain phthalates (diethyl, DEP; di(n-butyl), DnBP; di(i-butyl), DiBP; di(2-ethylhexyl), DEHP; benzylbutyl, BzBP) and various chlorinated pesticides (e. g. DDT, DDE, dieldrin, alpha - and gamma -hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and chlordane) were measured in samples of water, sediment and tissue form the sites mentionedhttp://gbic.tamug.edu/request.ht

Phthalic-Acid Esters, Total Ddts, and Polychlorinated-Biphenyls in Marine Samples from Galveston Bay, Texas

769-774The Galveston Bay system was studied from Morgan 's Point, where the Houston Ship Channel joins the Bay, to Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island. This area includes Trinity, East and West Bays. Sample collection sites were selected near suspected point and nonpoint sources of pollution. Site 1 represents a point source from the Galveston sewage outfall. Sites 2 and 3 are point sources from the Houston Ship Channel and Texas City Channel. Site 4 is a nonpoint source. Sites 6, 7, and 8 are point sources polluted from oil platforms. Site 5 was believed to be relatively unpolluted. Total DDTs ranged from less than 0.1 to 3.5 ng per liter, with an average concentration of 0.38 ng/liter. PCB concentrations ranged from less than 0.01 to 70 ng/liter, with an average of 3.1 ng/liter. DEHP concentrations ranged from less than 2 to 12,000 ng/liter, with an overall average of 600 ng/liter. Total DDT values reported for sediments from the Mississippi Delta and along the Gulf Coast were substantially higher than those in the Galveston Bay area. PCB concentrations along the Mississippi Delta ranged from 0.2 to 35 ng/g, while along the Gulf Coast concentrations in sediments were 0.2 to 6 ng/gram with an average of 2.0 ng/gram. DEHP concentrations along the Mississippi Delta sediments ranged from less than 0.1 to 250 ng/g, with an average of 69 ng/g. Concentrations for sediments along the Gulf Coast ranged from 3.4 to 14 ng/g with an average of 6.6 ng/g. This study revealed that the relative concentrations were greatest for DEHP and lowest for DDTs in both water and sediments. (Baker-FRC)http://gbic.tamug.edu/request.ht

Determination of Benzo(A)Pyrene, Hexachlorobenzene and Pentachlorophenol in Oysters from Galveston Bay, Texas

663-667Intensive development of industrial plants located along the Houston Ship Channel is a major potential source of refractory organic contaminants to the Galveston Bay estuarine system. Petroleum production and shipping also contribute extensively to the pollutant load of the Bay. Three compounds were selected for determination in oysters (Crassostrea virginica ) collected near Morgan's Point. These were benzo(a )pyrene (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon), hexachlorobenzene (polychloro-aromatic hydrocarbon); and pentachlorophenol (chlorinated phenol). These compounds were selected because of their large annual production, patterns of use and disposal which favor their entry into the oceans, high toxicity, and persistence in the environment.http://gbic.tamug.edu/request.ht

Detection of waterborne mutagens and characterization of chemicals in selected Galveston sites after an oil spill

285-291In the summer of 1990, a collision of barge tankers occurred in Galveston Bay and approximately 500,000 gal of oil were spilled into the Bay. Several sites in Galveston Bay were sampled 5-7 d after the oil spill. We characterized the pollutants chemically and detected the mutagenicity. We designed the present study to examine the applicability of our technique from two points of view. One was to determine if there was a correlation between mutagenicity of blue rayon-adsorbed compounds and the level of known mutagens detected in water samples from the same site. The other was to certify if the sampling technique provided a convenient method for handling water samples collected at remote siteshttp://gbic.tamug.edu/request.ht