Credit Union Division Activities, March 2004, Issue 10

Newsletter for Iowa Credit Union Division

Credit Union Division Activities, September 2001, Issue 1

Newsletter for Iowa Credit Union Division

Credit Union Division Activities, January 2002, Issue 2

Newsletter for Iowa Credit Union Division

Credit Union Division Activities, April 2002, Issue 3

Newsletter for Iowa Credit Union Division

Credit Union Division Activities, November 2002, Issue 4

Newsletter for Iowa Credit Union Division

Credit Union Division Activities, January 2003, Issue 5

Newsletter for Iowa Credit Union Division

Credit Union Division Activities, April 2003, Issue 6

Newsletter for Iowa Credit Union Division

Credit Union Division Activities, July 2003, Issue 7

Newsletter for Iowa Credit Union Division

Credit Union Division Activities, Septmeber 2003, Issue 8

Newsletter for Iowa Credit Union Division

Credit Union Division Activities, December 2003, Issue 9

Newsletter for Iowa Credit Union Division

Iowa Commission of Persons with Disabilities Commission Members And Activities, July 1, 2001—June 30, 2002

Commission members and activities for Iowa Commission for Persons with Disabilities Commission.

TACI, an enigmatic BAFF/APRIL receptor, with new unappreciated biochemical and biological properties.

BAFF is a B cell survival factor that binds to three receptors BAFF-R, TACI and BCMA. BAFF-R is the receptor triggering naïve B cell survival and maturation while BCMA supports the survival of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Excessive BAFF production leads to autoimmunity, presumably as the consequence of inappropriate survival of self-reactive B cells. The function of TACI has been more elusive with TACI(-/-) mice revealing two sides of this receptor, a positive one driving T cell-independent immune responses and a negative one down-regulating B cell activation and expansion. Recent work has revealed that the regulation of TACI expression is intimately linked to the activation of innate receptors on B cells and that TACI signalling in response to multimeric BAFF and APRIL provides positive signals to plasmablasts. How TACI negatively regulates B cells remains elusive but may involve an indirect control of BAFF levels. The discovery of TACI mutations associated with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) in humans not only reinforces its important role for humoral responses but also suggests a more complex role than first anticipated from knockout animals. TACI is emerging as an unusual TNF receptor-like molecule with a sophisticated mode of action.

Activities of fluconazole, caspofungin, anidulafungin, and amphotericin B on planktonic and biofilm Candida species determined by microcalorimetry.

We investigated the activities of fluconazole, caspofungin, anidulafungin, and amphotericin B against Candida species in planktonic form and biofilms using a highly sensitive assay measuring growth-related heat production (microcalorimetry). C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. krusei, and C. parapsilosis were tested, and MICs were determined by the broth microdilution method. The antifungal activities were determined by isothermal microcalorimetry at 37°C in RPMI 1640. For planktonic Candida, heat flow was measured in the presence of antifungal dilutions for 24 h. Candida biofilm was formed on porous glass beads for 24 h and exposed to serial dilutions of antifungals for 24 h, and heat flow was measured for 48 h. The minimum heat inhibitory concentration (MHIC) was defined as the lowest antifungal concentration reducing the heat flow peak by ≥50% (≥90% for amphotericin B) at 24 h for planktonic Candida and at 48 h for Candida biofilms (measured also at 24 h). Fluconazole (planktonic MHICs, 0.25 to >512 μg/ml) and amphotericin B (planktonic MHICs, 0.25 to 1 μg/ml) showed higher MHICs than anidulafungin (planktonic MHICs, 0.015 to 0.5 μg/ml) and caspofungin (planktonic MHICs, 0.125 to 0.5 μg/ml). Against Candida species in biofilms, fluconazole's activity was reduced by >1,000-fold compared to its activity against the planktonic counterparts, whereas echinocandins and amphotericin B mainly preserved their activities. Fluconazole induced growth of planktonic C. krusei at sub-MICs. At high concentrations of caspofungin (>4 μg/ml), paradoxical growth of planktonic C. albicans and C. glabrata was observed. Microcalorimetry enabled real-time evaluation of antifungal activities against planktonic and biofilm Candida organisms. It can be used in the future to evaluate new antifungals and antifungal combinations and to study resistant strains.

Jasmonate biochemical pathway.

Plants possess an interrelated family of potent fatty acid-derived regulators-the jasmonates. These compounds, which play roles in both defense and development, are derived from tri-unsaturated fatty acids [alpha-linolenic acid (18:3) or 7Z,10Z,13Z-hexadecatrienoic acid (16:3)]. The lipoxygenase-catalyzed addition of molecular oxygen to alpha-linolenic acid initiates jasmonate synthesis by providing a 13-hydroperoxide substrate for the formation of an unstable allene oxide that is then subject to enzyme-guided cyclization to produce 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA). OPDA has several fates, including esterification into plastid lipids or transformation into the 12-carbon co-regulator jasmonic acid (JA). JA, the best-characterized member of the family, regulates both male and female fertility (depending on the plant species) and is an important mediator of defense gene expression. JA is itself a substrate for further diverse modifications. Genetic dissection of the pathway is revealing how the different jasmonates modulate different physiological processes. Each new family member that is discovered provides another key to understanding the fine control of gene expression in immune responses, in the initiation and maintenance of long-distance signal transfer in response to wounding, in the regulation of fertility, and in the turnover, inactivation, and sequestration of jasmonates, among other processes. The Jasmonate Biochemical Pathway provides an overview of the growing jasmonate family, and new members will be included in future versions of the Connections Map.