University of Oviedo

About: University of Oviedo is a education organization based out in Oviedo, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Catalysis. The organization has 13423 authors who have published 31649 publications receiving 844799 citations. The organization is also known as: Universidá d'Uviéu & Universidad de Oviedo.

Inoculation and nitrate alter phytohormone levels in soybean roots: differences between a supernodulating mutant and the wild type.

Abstract: The levels of different cytokinins. indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) in roots of Glycine max [L.] Merr. cv. Bragg and its supermodulating mutant nts382 were compared for the first time. Forty-eight hours after inoculation with Bradyrhizobium, quantitative and qualitative differences were found in the root's endogenous hormone status between cultivar Bragg and the mutant nts382. The six quantified cytokinins, ranking similarly in each genotype, were present at higher concentrations (30-196% on average for isopentenyl adenosine and dihydrozeatin riboside, respectively) in mutant roots. By contrast, the ABA content was 2-fold higher in Bragg, while the basal levels of IAA [0.53 mu mol (g DW)(-1), on average] were similar in both genotypes. In 1 mM NO3--fed Bragg roots 48 h post-inoculation, IAA, ABA and the cytokinins isopentenyl adenine, and isopentenyl adenosine quantitatively increased with respect to uninoculated controls. However, only the two cytokinins increased in the mutant. High NO3- (8 mM) markedly reduced root auxin concentration, and neither genotypic differences nor the inoculation-induced increase in auxin concentration in Bragg was observed under these conditions. Cytokinins and ABA, on the other hand, Were little affected by 8 mM NO3-. Root IAA/cytokinin and ABA/cytokinin ratios were always higher in Bragg relative to the mutant, and responded to inoculation (mainly in Bragg) and nitrate (both genotypes). The overall results are consistent with the auxin-burst-control hypothesis for the explanation of autoregulation and supernodulation in soybean. However, they are still inconclusive with respect to the inhibitory effect of NO3-.

Search for Dark Matter and Large Extra Dimensions in pp Collisions Yielding a Photon and Missing Transverse Energy

Abstract: Results are presented from a search for new physics in the final state containing a photon and missing transverse energy. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 inverse femtobarns collected in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV by the CMS experiment. The observed event yield agrees with standard-model expectations for photon plus missing transverse energy events. Using models for production of dark-matter particles (chi), we set 90% confidence level (CL) upper limits of 13.6--15.4 femtobarns on chi production in the photon plus missing transverse energy state. These provide the most sensitive upper limits for spin-dependent chi-nucleon scattering for chi masses between 1 and 100 GeV. For spin-independent contributions, the present limits are extended to chi masses below 3.5 GeV. For models with 3--6 large extra dimensions, our data exclude extra-dimensional Planck scales between 1.65 and 1.71 TeV at 95% CL.

Matrix Metalloproteinase-8 Deficiency Promotes Granulocytic Allergen-Induced Airway Inflammation

Abstract: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in inflammatory reaction, including asthma-related airway inflammation. MMP-8, mainly produced by neutrophils, has recently been reported to be increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from asthmatic patients. To evaluate the role of MMP-8 in asthma, we measured MMP-8 expression in lung tissue in an OVA-sensitized mouse model of asthma and addressed the effect of MMP-8 deletion on allergen-induced bronchial inflammation. MMP-8 production was increased in lungs from C57BL/6 mice exposed to allergens. After allergen exposure, MMP-8−/− mice developed an airway inflammation characterized by an increased neutrophilic inflammation in BALF and an increased neutrophilic and eosinophilic infiltration in the airway walls. MMP-8 deficiency was associated with increased levels of IL-4 and anti-OVA IgE and IgG1 in BALF and serum, respectively. Although allergen exposure induced an enhancement of LPS-induced CXC chemokine, KC, and MIP-2 levels in BALF and lung parenchyma, no difference was observed between the two genotypes. Inflammatory cell apoptosis was reduced in the lungs from MMP-8−/− mice. For the first time, our study evidences an important role of MMP-8 in the control of neutrophilic and eosinophilic infiltration during allergen-induced lung inflammation, and demonstrates that the anti-inflammatory effect of MMP-8 is partly due to a regulation of inflammatory cell apoptosis.

Nuclear envelope defects cause stem cell dysfunction in premature-aging mice

Abstract: Nuclear lamina alterations occur in physiological aging and in premature aging syndromes. Because aging is also associated with abnormal stem cell homeostasis, we hypothesize that nuclear envelope alterations could have an important impact on stem cell compartments. To evaluate this hypothesis, we examined the number and functional competence of stem cells in Zmpste24-null progeroid mice, which exhibit nuclear lamina defects. We show that Zmpste24 deficiency causes an alteration in the number and proliferative capacity of epidermal stem cells. These changes are associated with an aberrant nuclear architecture of bulge cells and an increase in apoptosis of their supporting cells in the hair bulb region. These alterations are rescued in Zmpste24−/−Lmna+/− mutant mice, which do not manifest progeroid symptoms. We also report that molecular signaling pathways implicated in the regulation of stem cell behavior, such as Wnt and microphthalmia transcription factor, are altered in Zmpste24−/− mice. These findings establish a link between age-related nuclear envelope defects and stem cell dysfunction.