The BM88 antigen is a neuron-specific molecule widely distributed in the mammalian nervous system. It is a 22-kDa, apparently not glycosylated, integral membrane protein, which appears early during brain development and remains at high levels in the mature animal. Here, we describe the cDNA cloning of the porcine BM88 antigen and present evidence that this protein is involved in neuroblastoma cell differentiation. The deduced protein is a novel molecule consisting of 140 amino acids and bears a putative transmembrane domain at the COOH-terminal region. The mRNA of this protein is expressed only in neural tissues, where it is restricted to neurons. Stably transfected Neuro-2a cells overexpressing the BM88 antigen exhibited a significant change in morphology, reflected by enhanced process outgrowth, and a slower rate of division. Moreover, in the presence of differentiation agents, such as sucrose and retinoic acid, an accelerated differentiation of the transfected Neuro-2a cells was observed. Especially in the presence of sucrose, the consequent overexpression of the BM88 antigen in the transfected cells resulted in their enhanced morphological differentiation accompanied by the induction of neurofilament protein expression. Our results suggest that the BM88 antigen plays a role in the differentiation of neuroblastoma cells.

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Although several complications can occur during a pregnancy in TI women, the careful and frequent monitoring by both hamatologists and obstetricians can lead to successful deliveries.

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We have previously reported that an acid tolerance response (ATR) can be induced in Streptococcus macedonicus cells at mid-log phase after autoacidification, transient exposure to acidic pH, or acid habituation, as well as at stationary phase. Here, we compared the transcriptional profiles of these epigenetic phenotypes, by RNA arbitrarily primed PCR (RAP-PCR), and their whole-cell chemical compositions, by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). RAP-PCR fingerprints revealed significant differences among the phenotypes, indicating that gene expression during the ATR is influenced not only by the growth phase but also by the treatments employed to induce the response. The genes coding for the mannose-specific IID component, the 1,2-diacylglycerol 3-glucosyltransferase, the 3-oxoacyl-acyl carrier protein, the large subunit of carbamoylphosphate synthase, and a hypothetical protein were found to be induced at least under some of the acidadapting conditions. Furthermore, principal component analysis of the second-derivative-transformed FT-IR spectra segregated S. macedonicus phenotypes individually in all spectral regions that are characteristic for major cellular constituents like the polysaccharides of the cell wall, fatty acids of the cell membrane, proteins, and other compounds that absorb in these regions. These findings provide evidence for major changes in cellular composition due to acid adaptation that were clearly different to some extent among the phenotypes. Overall, our data demonstrate the plasticity in the ATR of S. macedonicus, which reflects the inherent ability of the bacterium to adjust the response to the distinctiveness of the imposed stress condition, probably to maximize its adaptability.The stress physiology of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has been the target of rigorous investigation in recent years because it reveals the ability of strains to withstand and perform under the fluctuating and harsh conditions of food processes (9, 40). Among the stresses faced by LAB, acid stress is probably the most prominent, as such bacteria continuously acidify their surrounding environment by fermenting carbohydrates into acidic end products (33). Robustness under low-pH conditions is a desirable asset for industrial strains, to ensure their incessant contribution in the fermentation process that would otherwise be abrogated by this self-imposed stress (40). Aciduricity is also necessary for the survival of a strain during its transition through the digestive tract, after consumption, to exert its probiotic effects, if any (25).Within acid stress physiology, a feature of LAB that has attracted much attention is their ability to develop an acid tolerance response (ATR) (40). The ATR reflects the inherent ability of a bacterium to adapt to a sudden drop in extracellular pH. The experimental setup most commonly used to demonstrate and quantify the ATR of a strain is the following: cells are either transiently exposed to or continuously cultivated at a suboptimal acidic pH value and then acid challeng...