Biomedical subjects

S Baud

Publications and source records attributed to S Baud.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

The role of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase in Arabidopsis embryo development.

We previously showed that trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 1 (TPS1), which catalyses the first step in trehalose synthesis, is essential for embryo maturation in Arabidopsis. The tps1 mutant embryos develop more slowly than wild type. Patterning in the tps1 embryos appears normal but they do not progress past the torpedo stage to cotyledon stage, which is when storage reserves start to accumulate in the expanding cotyledons. Our initial data led to the hypothesis that trehalose metabolism plays a key role in regulating storage reserve accumulation by allowing the embryo to respond to the dramatic increase in sucrose levels that occurs at the torpedo stage of embryo development. More recent data demonstrate that while the tps1 mutant is blocked in the developmental progression of embryos from torpedo to cotyledon stage the expression of genes involved in the accumulation of storage reserves proceeds in a similar fashion to wild type. Thus it appears that induction of metabolic processes required for accumulation of storage reserves in tps1 occurs independently of the developmental stage and instead follows a temporal programme similar to wild-type seeds in the same silique.

Arabidopsis↗

PubMed1998

Delayed infection after immunization with a peptide from the transmembrane glycoprotein of the feline immunodeficiency virus.

Recent advances in the quantitative assessment of viral burden, by permitting the extension of criteria applied to assess the efficacy of vaccines from all-or-none protection to diminution of the viral burden, may allow the identification of original immunogens of value in combined vaccines. Peptides corresponding to three domains of the envelope glycoproteins of feline immunodeficiency virus that are recognized during natural infection were used to immunize cats. After challenge with a primary isolate of feline immunodeficiency virus, the development of acute infection was monitored by quantitative assessment of the viral burden in plasma and tissues by competitive reverse transcription-PCR, by measurement of the humoral response developed to viral components, and by lymphocyte subset analysis. Whereas immunization with two peptides derived from the surface glycoprotein had no effect on the early course of infection, immunization with a peptide derived from the transmembrane glycoprotein delayed infection, as reflected by a diminished viral burden in the early phase of primary infection and delayed seroconversion. This peptide, located in the membrane-proximal region of the extracellular domain, has homology to an epitope of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 recognized by a broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody. These results suggest that lentivirus transmembrane glycoproteins share a determinant in the juxtamembrane ectodomain which could be of importance in the design of vaccines against AIDS.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1997

Enhancement of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection after DNA vaccination with the FIV envelope.

Despite intensive experimentation to develop effective and safe vaccines against the human immunodeficiency viruses and other pathogenic lentiviruses, it remains unclear whether an immune response that does not afford protection may, on the contrary, produce adverse effects. In the present study, the effect of genetic immunization with the env gene was examined in a natural animal model of lentivirus pathogenesis, infection of cats by the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Three groups of seven cats were immunized by intramuscular transfer of plasmid DNAs expressing either the wild-type envelope or two envelopes bearing mutations in the principal immunodominant domain of the transmembrane glycoprotein. Upon homologous challenge, determination of plasma virus load showed that the acute phase of viral infection occurred earlier in the three groups of cats immunized with FIV envelopes than in the control cats. Genetic immunization, however, elicited low or undetectable levels of antibodies directed against envelope glycoproteins. These results suggest that immunization with the FIV env gene may result in enhancement of infection and that mechanisms unrelated to enhancing antibodies underlay the observed acceleration.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

[Monitoring cervical dilatation by impedance].

Several different physics procedures have been tried to mechanize the recording of partograms. Can a measure of impedance of tissue Z using potential difference V, according to Ohm's law V = Z1, and 1 is a constant, be correlated with a measure of cervical dilatation using vaginal examination? This was our hypothesis. The tissue impedance meter was made to our design and applied according to a bipolar procedure. Our work was carried out on 28 patients. 10 patients were registered before labour started in order to test the apparatus and to record the impedance variations without labour taking place, and 18 patients were registered in labour to see whether there was any correlation. The level of impedance in the cervix without labour was 302.7 Ohms with a deviation of 8.2. Using student's t tests it was found that there was a significant correlation (p less than 0.001) in four measurements between the impedance measure and measures obtained by extrapolating the degrees of dilatation calculated from vaginal examination. This is a preliminary study in which we have defined the conditions that are necessary to confirm these first results and to further develop the method.

Adult↗