BACKGROUND:Detection of B cell clonality is useful for assisting in the diagnosis of B cell lymphomas. Clonality assessment can be accomplished through evaluation of KAPPA and LAMBDA light chain expression. Currently, only slide based methods are available for the majority of patient biopsies and do not detect light chain protein or mRNA in many B-cell lymphomas. Herein we evaluated a new method, known as colorimetric in situ hybridization (CISH), with improved sensitivity and multiplexing capacity, for its usefulness in clonality detection in mature B cell malignancies.METHODS:The KAPPA and LAMBDA ISH was performed on a Ventana Benchmark XT utilizing two color chromogenetic detection. The probes comprised 2 haptenated riboprobes each approximately 500 base pairs long directed against the conserved regions of either KAPPA or LAMBDA mRNA. The dual colors consisted of silver deposition (black) for KAPPA light chain and a novel (pink) chromogen for LAMBDA light chain. Following optimization, CISH allowed visualization of mRNA in benign B cells in reactive tissues including germinal center, mantle zone, and post-germinal center cells. We then identified 79 cases of B cell lymphoma with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsies including: follicular (36 cases), mantle cell (6 cases), marginal zone (12 cases), lymphoplasmacytic (6 cases), small lymphocytic (4 cases), and diffuse large B cell (15 cases), which were selected on the basis of either prior flow cytometry or immunohistochemistry (IHC) results to serve as the predicate, "gold standard," comparator.RESULTS:39/79 (49.4%) cases were classified as KAPPA and 29/79 (36.7%) as LAMBDA light chain restricted / while 9/79 (11.3%) cases were classified as indeterminate. Of the 70 cases with KAPPA or LAMBDA light chain restricted CISH, 69/70 (98.6%) were concordant with the reference method, while 1/70 (1.4%) was discordant.CONCLUSIONS:Optimized CISH detected lower levels of mRNA than can be visualized with current slide based methods, making clonality assessment in FFPE biopsies possible for mature B cell neoplasms. In this preliminary study, CISH was highly accurate compared to flow cytometry or IHC. CISH offers the possibility of wider applicability of light chain ISH and is likely to become a useful diagnostic tool.Virtual Slides: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1430491067123856

O Brasil atualmente ocupa a nona posição entre os maiores produtores de tomate (Solanum lycopersicum L.) do mundo. O desenvolvimento das plantas e a produção dos tomateiros, no entanto, podem ser afetados por diversos problemas fitossanitários, entre os quais aqueles causados por vírus. Atualmente, entre as viroses que mais tem se destacado estão aquelas causadas por espécies dos gêneros Begomovirus, Crinivirus e Tospovirus. Entre os begomovirus, especial atenção tem sido dada ao Tomato severe rugose virus (ToSRV), pois tem sido a espécie prevalente na maioria das regiões produtoras de tomate no país. Esse begomovirus, que até o momento foi relatado somente no Brasil, é transmitido pelo aleirodídeo (\"mosca branca\") Bemisia tabaci biótipo B, numa relação persistente circulativa. 8Estudos da relação do ToSRV com esse aleirodídeo indicaram períodos mínimos de acesso à aquisição e inoculação de 5 minutos. Esse trabalho teve como objetivos: a) identificar o menor tempo de alimentação da B. tabaci biótipo B para a aquisição do ToSRV em tomateiros e b) identificar possíveis sítios de aquisição do ToSRV em tecido foliar de tomateiro via microscopia de luz de epifluorescência por hibridização in situ. Insetos livres de vírus foram confinados em folha de tomateiro infectado com o ToSRV durante 1, 3 e 5 minutos e 24 h (controle) para a aquisição do vírus. Parte dos insetos foi utilizada para a detecção do vírus no vetor, enquanto a outra parte foi usada em testes de transmissão do ToSRV para tomateiros. A detecção do vírus no inseto e nos tomateiros foi feita por PCR. B. tabaci biótipo B foi capaz de adquirir o ToSRV nos diferentes tempos de alimentação. Os insetos foram capazes de transmitir o vírus para tomateiros, com eficiência de 33% a 100%. Análises de cortes histológicos longitudinais na região das nervuras de folhas de tomateiro infectados com o ToSRV, em microscopia de luz de epifluorescência por hibridização in situ, revelaram vários pontos de fluorescência localizados nas células do parênquima do floema, incluindo as células companheiras e nas células da epiderme. Essa fluorescência não foi constatada em tecido sadio. A localização do ToSRV em células do parênquima foliar do tomateiro, associada ao conhecimento de que esse aleirodídeo efetua picadas de prova intracelulares, de curta duração, durante o processo de penetração intercelular do estilete, podem explicar a aquisição deste begomovirus durante curtíssimos períodos de alimentação. / Brazil currently ranks ninth position among the largest tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) producers in the world. Several diseases, including those caused by virus, however, can affect plant growth and yield of tomatoes. Currently, among the most important virus diseases are those caused by species of the Genus Begomovirus, Crinivirus and Tospovirus. Among the begomoviruses, especial attention has been given to Tomato severe rugose virus (ToSRV), because it has been the prevalent species in most of the tomato producing regions of the country. This begomovirus, which so far has only been reported in Brazil, is transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci biotype B, in a persistent circulative relationship. Studies on the virus-vector relationship indicated five minutes as the minimum period of access for virus acquisition and inoculation by the vector. This study aimed to: a) identify the shortest feeding period of B. tabaci biotype B for acquisition of ToSRV in tomato plants, and b) identify possible ToSRV acquisition sites in infected leaf tissue via epifluorescence light microscopy by in situ hybridization. Virus free insects were confined in tomato leaf infected with ToSRV during 1, 3 and 5 minutes and 24 hours (control) for virus acquisition. Part of the insects was used for virus detection in the vector, while the other part was used on ToSRV transmission tests for tomato plants. Virus detection in both, insect tomato plants, was carried out by PCR. B. tabaci biotype B was capable to acquire the ToSRV on the different feeding times. The insects were capable to transmit the virus to the tomato plants, with efficiency of 33% to 100%. Analysis of longitudinal histological cuts of ToSRV infected leaves, in epifluorescence light microscopy by in situ hybridization, revealed several fluorescence spots located in phloem parenchyma cells, including the companion and the epidermal cells. Fluorescence was not verified on healthy tissue. The location of ToSRV in parenchyma cells of tomato leaf, associated with the knowledge that this insect performs very short intracellular feeding probes, during the process of intercellular penetration of the stylet, may explain the acquisition of this begomovirus during very short feeding periods.

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects between 5% and 12% of school-aged children. Individuals with dyslexia have difficulties in learning to read despite normal IQ levels and adequate socio-economical and educational opportunities. Dyslexia has a strong genetic component, but only a few candidate genes have been characterized to date. The KIAA0319 gene is a strong dyslexia candidate found to be associated with dyslexia in independent studies. The KIAA0319 genetic variants associated with dyslexia reside in a regulatory region. Studies in rat suggested that this gene is required for neuronal migration during early cortex formation. The KIAA0319-like (KIAA0319L) is a KIAA0319 homolog in structure and has recently been shown to play a role in dyslexia. I used zebrafish as a model organism both to study the effects of non-coding variants and to characterise kiaa0319 gene function. I used Gateway Tol2 technology to study the role of regulatory sequences. While these experiments led to inconclusive results, they highlighted some of the challenges but also the feasibility of using zebrafish as model organism to study genetic associations. In parallel, I studied the kiaa0319 function with knockout and knockdown experiments. Additionally, I conducted a detailed gene expression analysis with different in situ hybridisation protocols showing kiaa0319 ubiquitous expression in the whole embryo before 12 hours post fertilisation, with later specification to the eyes, brain, otic vesicle and notochord. Additionally, I have tested for the expression of kiaa0319l and showed similar expression pattern to the kiaa0319, but with significantly lower expression of kiaa0319l in zebrafish notochord. My data show, for the first time, that kiaa0319 has stage-specific expression in the brain and notochord during zebrafish early development, suggesting kiaa0319 specific role in the development of these structures. These results are in line with recent mouse studies. With this project I support the idea of kiaa0319 role being extended beyond the brain function and propose a role for kiaa03019 in the visual system and in the notochord.

Sponge are primitive multi-cellular organisms. They are important sources of secondary metabolites. In the previous studies indicated that the sponges harbor stable symbiotic microbial consortia. The mechanisms for maintenance and transmission of microbial consortia to the next generations are still not fully understood. The sponge, Cinachyrella australinesis, was chosen to further investigate relationship of the symbiotic bacteria within to the host. Fluorescent in situ hybridization ¡]FISH¡^was employed with non-specific ¡]EUB338¡^and specific oligonucleotide probes for bacteria. The sponge was cryo-sectioned¡]1£gm¡^and hybridized with fluorescent probes. The distribution and ratios of the bacteria in the sponge agreed with those of previous studies indicating that the symbiotic bacteria of C. australiensis are stable and endosymbiotic in nature.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 168-176). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 168-176). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. / Committee Chair: Griffin, Paul; Committee Member: Butera, Robert; Committee Member: Halpern, Michael; Committee Member: Nichols, Richard; Committee Member: Vidakovic, Brani. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

This dissertation will examine the phenotype of pain facilitatory neurons in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) and its role in neuropathic pain states. Activation of the descending facilitation pathways might be the result of plasticity in the RVM that is driven, at least in part, by the presence and activity of cholecystokinin type-2 receptors (CCK2R) mRNA expressing neurons. The expression of either opioid mu receptors (MOR) or CCK2R mRNA in the RVM was confirmed by in situ hybridization (ISH). Pretreatment with CCK8(s)-saporin resulted in a significant loss of CCK2R mRNA positive cells in the RVM, concomitant with a blockade of CCK8(s) induced hyperalgesia. The same treatment also significantly reduced the number of neurons labeled for MOR mRNA, hinting that MOR and CCK2R mRNA signals may be co-localized in some RVM cells. Consistent with these data, pretreatment with dermorphin-saporin significantly reduced the number of MOR mRNA labeled cells in the RVM, blocked RVM CCK8(s) induced hyperalgesia and reduced the number of CCK2R mRNA positive cells in the RVM. The co-localization was further confirmed by a dual label ISH approach using 35S-labeled CCK2R and Digoxigenin-labeled MOR riboprobes. Data showed that over 80% of labeled RVM neurons co-expressed both MOR and CCK2R mRNA, ~15% expressed only CCK2R mRNA, and very few cells expressed only MOR mRNA. The above findings may suggest that elimination of CCK2R mRNA expressing neurons result in removal of the driving force for descending facilitation from RVM, hereby block the development of neuropathic pain. Rats pretreated with CCK8(s)-saporin conjugates had a full reversal of thermal sensory threshold and partial reversal of tactile threshold starting at day 5 after SNL. The lesion effects of RVM CCK-SAP were evaluated by ISH. Comparing to saporin pretreated groups, CCK8(s)-saporin pretreatment significantly reduced the numbers of CCK2R mRNA labeled neurons within RVM. The data suggest that selective ablation of CCK2R mRNA expressing cells in RVM is sufficient to block the development of neuropathic pain, and thus confirm the hypothesis that CCK2R mRNA expressing cells may be an important player in descending facilitation from RVM as a mechanism of neuropathic pain.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) are neurotransmitter-gated ion channels that exist as a family of subtypes defined by unique subunit compositions. nAChR containing α6 subunits (α6*-nAChR) have attracted interest because α6 subunits are thought to be localized in brain regions implicated in reward, mood and drug dependence. To provide new information necessary toward a more complete understanding of roles of α6*-nAChR in neuropsychiatric health and disease, three lines of investigation were pursued. A set of stably transfected, human, immortalized cell lines were generated that heterologously express nAChR α6 subunits in combination with other nAChR subunits found in reward brain regions (nAChR subunit combinations α6β2, α6β4, α6β2β3, α6β4β3, α6β2β3α5, α6β4β3α5, α6α4β2β3 and α6α4β4β3). The α6α4β2β3 combination may have a functional response to epibatidine that differs from that of the α4β2 nAChR. A unique binding site was identified in cells transfected with the α6β4β3α5 nAChR subunit combination. Messenger RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (mRNA FISH) studies established regional and celluar distribution of nAChR α6 subunit mRNA in the mouse brain. The third line of study extended this work to examine potential co-expression of nAChR α6 subunits and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) or tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) as labels of GABAergic and dopaminergic/catecholaminergic neurons respectively, using tandem mRNA FISH and fluorescence immunohistochemistry. nAChR α6 subunit signal in the substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) was congruent with previous studies. Message was also detected in the amydala, dentate gyrus, striatum, zona incerta, and cingulate, entorhinal, perirhinal, piriform, and prelimbic cortices. nAChR α6 mRNA was coexpressed with GAD in the amygdala, dentate gyrus, striatum, SN, VTA and cingulate, entorhinal, prelimbic and prelimbic cortices. TH was exclusively co-localized with nAChR α6 mRNA in the SN and VTA. Findings suggest extended roles for α6*-nAChR in the brain, particularly in the control of GABAergic neuronal activity and/or GABA release. These studies provide new insights into the composition of α6*-nAChR, the localization and cellular origins of nAChR α6 subunit expression. Data collected suggest roles for α6*-nAChR in many brain regions, including those involved in higher order processes involved in drug dependence and reward, and in modulation of inhibitory neurotransmission.

No description available.