Transient cAMP production drives rapid and sustained spiking in brainstem parabrachial neurons to suppress feeding

Brief stimuli can trigger longer-lasting brain states. G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) could help sustain such states by coupling slow-timescale molecular signals to neuronal excitability. Brainstem parabrachial nucleus glutamatergic (PBNGlut) neurons regulate sustained brain states such as pain and express Gs-coupled GPCRs that increase cAMP signaling. We asked whether cAMP in PBNGlut neurons directly influences their excitability and effects on behavior. Both brief tail shocks and brief optogenetic stimulation of cAMP production in PBNGlut neurons drove minutes-long suppression of feeding. This suppression matched the duration of prolonged elevations in cAMP, protein kinase A (PKA) activity, and calcium activity in vivo and ex vivo, as well as sustained, PKA-dependent increases in action potential firing ex vivo. Shortening this elevation in cAMP reduced the duration of feeding suppression following tail shocks. Thus, molecular signaling in PBNGlut neurons helps prolong neural activity and behavioral states evoked by brief, salient bodily stimuli.

Towards single screening tests for brucellosis

This paper describes an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA) and a fluorescence polarisation assay (FPA), each capable of detecting antibody in several species of hosts to smooth and rough members of the genus Brucella. The I-ELISA uses a mixture of smooth lipopolysaccharide (SLPS) and rough lipopolysaccharide (RLPS) as the antigen, and a recombinant protein A/G conjugated with horseradish peroxidase as the detection reagent. When using individually determined cutoff values, the SLPS/RLPS combined-antigen I-ELISA detected antibody in slightly more animals exposed to SLPS or to RLPS than did I-ELISA procedures using each individual antigen separately. Similarly, the assay using combined antigens detected antibody in slightly fewer animals not exposed to Brucella sp. When a universal cutoff of 10% positivity was used (relative to strongly positive control sera of each species), the overall performance index (percentage sensitivity plus percentage specificity) value decreased by 1.0 (from 199.4 to 198.4). In the FPA, it was not possible to use a universal cutoff without significant loss of performance. The overall sensitivity value for the FPA using the combined FPA antigen was 1.0% lower than using the O-polysaccharide (OPS) from SLPS and 9.1% higher than using the core antigen (CORE) from RLPS. When the combined antigen was used, the FPA specificity was slightly higher (1.2%) than from only the OPS, and considerably higher (12.6%) than the CORE. Overall, both the I-ELISA and the FPA with combined antigens were suitable as screening tests for all species of Brucella in the animal species tested.

Enzyme immunoassay for the diagnosis of brucellosis: chimeric Protein A–Protein G as a common enzyme labeled detection reagent for sera for different animal species

A recombinant protein combining the immunoglobulin binding sites of Proteins A and G, conjugated with horseradish peroxidase was used as a universal detection reagent for the assessment of antibodies against Brucella spp. The reagent was applied in an indirect enzyme immunoassay for detection of antibodies to smooth lipopolysaccharide antigen in sera from Brucella spp. exposed and non-exposed cattle, sheep, goats and pigs and to antibodies to rough lipopolysaccharide in sheep, dogs and cattle. The results were similar to those obtained when murine monoclonal antibody-enzyme conjugates were used. An added advantage was that a universal cut-off for all tests using the proteins A and G detection reagent could be established, simplifying diagnostic interpretation of the data.

Rough Lipopolysaccharide ofBrucella abortusRB51 as a Common Antigen for Serological Detection ofB. ovis,B. canis, andB. abortusRB51 Exposure Using Indirect Enzyme Immunoassay and Fluorescence Polarization Assay

Rough lipopolysaccharide (RLPS) antigens were prepared from cultures of Brucella abortus RB51, B. ovis, and B. canis. The preparations were standardized by weight and tested with sera from cattle immunized with B. abortus RB51, sheep infected with B. ovis, and dogs infected with B. canis. Populations of unexposed animals of each species were also tested. The tests used were the indirect enzyme immunoassay (IELISA) using RLPS and the fluorescence polarization assay (FPA) using RLPS core fractions, labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate. The IELISA using B. abortus RB51 RLPS antigen resulted in sensitivity and specificity values of 94.8% and 97.3%, respectively, when testing bovine sera, 98.5% and 97.8% when testing ovine sera, and 95.8% and 100% when testing dog sera. The IELISA using B. ovis RLPS antigen gave sensitivity and specificity values of 80.5% and 91.7%, respectively with bovine sera, 98.9% and 93.8% with sheep sera, and 70.8% and 79.8% with dog sera. The IELISA using B. canis RLPS antigen resulted in sensitivity and specificity values of 97.0% and 97.4%, respectively, with bovine sera, 96.2% and 96.3% with sheep sera, and 95.8% and 98.8% with dog sera. Labeling RLPS core from B. ovis and B. canis with fluorescein was not successful. B. abortus RB51 core labeled with fluorescein resulted in sensitivity and specificity values of 93.5% and 99.8%, respectively, with bovine sera and 78.1% and 99.0% with sheep sera. It was not possible to test the dog sera in the FPA.