Distinct roles for Arabidopsis SUMO protease ESD4 and its closest homolog ELS1

SUMO conjugation affects a broad range of processes in Arabidopsis thaliana, including flower initiation, pathogen defense, and responses to cold, drought and salt stress. We investigated two sequence-related SUMO-specific proteases that are both widely expressed and show that they differ significantly in their properties. The closest homolog of SUMO protease ESD4, ESD4-LIKE SUMO PROTEASE 1 (ELS1, alternatively called AtULP1a) has SUMO-specific proteolytic activity, but is functionally distinct from ESD4, as shown by intracellular localization, mutant phenotype and heterologous expression in yeast mutants. Furthermore, we show that the growth defects caused by loss of ESD4 function are not due to increased synthesis of the stress signal salicylic acid, as was previously shown for a SUMO ligase, indicating that impairment of the SUMO system affects plant growth in different ways. Our results demonstrate that two A. thaliana SUMO proteases showing close sequence similarity have distinct in vivo functions

Increased CD4+ T cell infiltrates in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial pneumonitis compared with idiopathic interstitial pneumonitis

Objective. To study lymphocyte markers in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated interstitial pneumonitis (IP) compared with idiopathic IP. Methods. Paraffin-embedded lung biopsy specimens from patients with RA (n = 15) and from those without RA (n = 16), all of whom had a diagnosis of either nonspecific IP or usual IP, were studied. Tissue sections from each patient were reviewed by a pathologist, who was blinded to the clinical data. Age and pulmonary function test results were similar in RA and non-RA patients. After high-temperature antigen unmasking, sections were incubated with mouse monoclonal antibodies directed against CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, and CD20. All slides were coded, and digital images (100x magnification) of the entire tissue area were obtained. Staining was quantified using computer-assisted image analysis. Results. Staining for CD4 was more prominent in patients with RA than in the non-RA comparison group (median 9.3 cells/mm(2), interquartile range [IQR] 5.5-27.3 versus 0.6 cells/mm(2), IQR 0.2-1.9; P = 0.002). CD4+ cell counts were increased in RA patients with nonspecific IP as well as in RA patients with usual IP, with no major difference between these groups. Results were similar for quantification of CD3 (P = 0.012). There was a less striking trend toward more CD8+ cells in RA patients (P = 0.27 versus those with non-RA lung disease). Conclusion. IP lesions in patients with RA are characterized by an increased number of CD4+ cells, as compared with that in patients with idiopathic IP. This finding suggests that CD4+ T cells are critical for the development of pulmonary manifestations in RA, and may have implications for the treatment of RA-associated lung disease

Chatbot—The Digital Assistant in the Company: Practical Examples of Swiss Post

Chatbots gewinnen an Bedeutung. Sie ermöglichen uns Menschen, in natürlicher Sprache mit Computersystemen zu kommunizieren. Im einfachsten Fall extrahiert der Chatbot aus der Äusserung eines Benutzers dessen Intention, fragt fehlende Informationen in einer Wissensbank ab und bereitet dem Benutzer eine Antwort auf. Somit stellen Chatbots eine Schnittstelle zwischen Informationen und Nutzern dar. In einem Unternehmen können dadurch mehrere Vorteile generiert werden. Der Wissensfluss kann sowohl innerhalb des Unternehmens als auch in der Interaktion mit dem Kunden optimiert werden. Benutzer, seien es nun Mitarbeiter oder Kunden, erhalten von Chatbots schnell und in gleichbleibend hoher Qualität die gesuchten Informationen. Damit der menschliche Benutzer den sprechenden oder schreibenden Chatbot akzeptiert, sollte dieser angemessen kommunizieren. Was dies bedeutet, wie dies möglich wird und welche Potentiale Chatbots bieten, soll dieser Artikel anhand Praxisbeispielen der Schweizerischen Post diskutieren. Die kritische Reflexion der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse runden den Artikel ab. Chatbots are becoming increasingly important. They enable us humans to communicate with computer systems in natural language. In the simplest case, the chatbot extracts a user’s intention from his or her expression, asks for missing information in a knowledge base and prepares an answer for the user. Chatbots represent an interface between information and users. Several advantages can thus be generated in a company. The knowledge flow can be optimized within the company and in interaction with the customers. Users, whether they are employees or customers, quickly receive the information they are looking for from chatbots in consistently high quality. To accept the talking or writing chatbot, it should communicate appropriately. This article will discuss what this means, how this becomes possible and what potentials chatbots can offer, based on practical examples from Swiss Post. The article ends with a critical reflection on the lessons learned