Synergy Growth Research Articles

NanoBiofertilizer and its Application in Sustainable Agriculture, Crop Specific Nutrients Delivery and Environmental Sustainability: A Review

Probiotic bacteria are increasingly in demand in the food and feed industries. A growing population and finite resources require efficient ways to maximize yields. Probiotic bacteria are gaining popularity in the food and feed industries due to their unique combination of benefits and values, which include consumer health interests, sustainability values, food innovation, and potential business opportunities. The use of conventional fertilizers can increase crop production but can also cause runoff and toxicity issues. A nanobiofertilizer offers improved crop nutrition and reduces application rates. Slow-release properties minimize environmental losses while nanoscale particle size enhances nutrient absorption. If nanobiofertilizers are closely regulated, they can boost yields without destroying the soil and aquatic ecosystems. In recent years, nanobiofertilizers have received considerable attention. Plant extracts and microbes are used in green synthesis to produce eco-friendly nanoparticles. Crop-specific nutrient release can be tailored using modified nanoparticle surfaces. Controlled nutrient delivery is achieved by smart nanocarrier systems that adapt to changing soil moisture, pH, and microbial activity. Combined applications of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria have been reported that they can enhance crop growth in synergy. This review presents an overview of the most recent studies on nanobiofertilizers, as well as the issues connected with their environmental implications, safety, and regulation, presenting a roadmap for the responsible use of nanobiofertilizers, which aims to enhance food security while protecting the environment for future generations.

Direct In Vivo Activation of T Cells with Nanosized Immunofilaments Inhibits Tumor Growth and Metastasis.

Adoptive T cell therapy has successfully been implemented for the treatment of cancer. Nevertheless, ex vivo expansion of T cells by artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) remains cumbersome and can compromise T cell functionality, thereby limiting their therapeutic potential. We propose a radically different approach aimed at direct expansion of T cells in vivo, thereby omitting the need for large-scale ex vivo T cell production. We engineered nanosized immunofilaments (IFs), with a soluble semiflexible polyisocyanopeptide backbone that presents peptide-loaded major histocompatibility complexes and costimulatory molecules multivalently. IFs readily activated and expanded antigen-specific T cells like natural APCs, as evidenced by transcriptomic analyses of T cells. Upon intravenous injection, IFs reach the spleen and lymph nodes and induce antigen-specific T cell responses in vivo. Moreover, IFs display strong antitumor efficacy resulting in inhibition of the formation of melanoma metastases and reduction of primary tumor growth in synergy with immune checkpoint blockade. In conclusion, nanosized IFs represent a powerful modular platform for direct activation and expansion of antigen-specific T cells in vivo, which can greatly contribute to cancer immunotherapy.

Therapeutic depletion of CCR8+ tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cells elicits antitumor immunity and synergizes with anti-PD-1 therapy

BackgroundModulation and depletion strategies of regulatory T cells (Tregs) constitute valid approaches in antitumor immunotherapy but suffer from severe adverse effects due to their lack of selectivity for the tumor-infiltrating...

Anticancer effects of chemokine-directed antigen delivery to a cross-presenting dendritic cell subset with immune checkpoint blockade

BackgroundCancer peptide vaccines show only marginal effects against cancers. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) show significant curative effects in certain types of cancers, but the response rate is still limited. In this study, we aim to improve cancer peptide vaccination by targeting Ag peptides selectively to a dendritic cell (DC) subset, XCR1-expressing DCs (XCR1+ DCs), with high ability to support CD8+ T-cell responses.MethodsWe have generated a fusion protein, consisting of an Ag peptide presented with MHC class I, and an XCR1 ligand, XCL1, and examined its effects on antitumour immunity in mice.ResultsThe fusion protein was delivered to XCR1+ DCs in an XCR1-dependent manner. Immunisation with the fusion protein plus an immune adjuvant, polyinosinic:polycytidylic acids (poly(I:C)), more potently induced Ag-specific CD8+ T-cell responses through XCR1 than the Ag peptide plus poly(I:C) or the Ag protein plus poly(I:C). The fusion protein plus poly(I:C) inhibited the tumour growth efficiently in the prophylactic and therapeutic tumour models. Furthermore, the fusion protein plus poly(I:C) showed suppressive effects on tumour growth in synergy with anti-PD-1 Ab.ConclusionsCancer Ag targeting to XCR1+ DCs should be a promising procedure as a combination anticancer therapy with immune checkpoint blockade.

COOPERATIVISMO AGROPECUÁRIO E DE CRÉDITO DO BRASIL DO AGRONEGÓCIO

This paper analyzes the agricultural and credit cooperative profile in the Brazilian regions where agricultural production is the main business. We used the descriptive, critical and interpretive analysis, with statistical data crossing about spatial dispersion of agricultural and credit cooperatives in the Brazilian regional space, as well as information about the establishments and agricultural production profile. The conclusions pointed out the importance of agricultural cooperatives in controlling the production of the main commodities produced in Brazil and in certain productive chains. However, credit cooperatives still have little space for action along the agro industrial productive chains, demonstrating the potential for growth in synergy with agro industrial complexes.

Interactions between androgens, FSH, anti-Müllerian hormone and estradiol during folliculogenesis in the human normal and polycystic ovary.

Androgens, FSH, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and estradiol (E2) are essential in human ovarian folliculogenesis. However, the interactions between these four players is not fully understood. The purpose of this review is to highlight the chronological sequence of the appearance and function of androgens, FSH, AMH and E2 and to discuss controversies in the relationship between FSH and AMH. A better understanding of this interaction could supplement our current knowledge about the pathophysiology of the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A literature review was performed using the following search terms: androgens, FSH, FSH receptor, anti-Mullerian hormone, AMHRII, estradiol, follicle, ovary, PCOS, aromatase, granulosa cell, oocyte. The time period searched was 1980-2015 and the databases interrogated were PubMed and Web of Science. During the pre-antral ('gonadotropin-independent') follicle growth, FSH is already active and promotes follicle growth in synergy with theca cell-derived androgens. Conversely, AMH is inhibitory by counteracting FSH. We challenge the hypothesis that AMH is regulated by androgens and propose rather an indirect effect through an androgen-dependent amplification of FSH action on granulosa cells (GCs) from small growing follicles. This hypothesis implies that FSH stimulates AMH expression. During the antral ('gonadotropin-dependent') follicle growth, E2 production results from FSH-dependent activation of aromatase. Conversely, AMH is inhibitory but the decline of its expression, amplified by E2, allows full expression of aromatase, characteristic of the large antral follicles. We propose a theoretical scheme made up of two triangles that follow each other chronologically. In PCOS, pre-antral follicle growth is excessive (triangle 1) because of intrinsic androgen excess that renders GCs hypersensitive to FSH, with consequently excessive AMH expression. Antral follicle growth and differentiation are disturbed (triangle 2) because of the abnormally persisting inhibition of FSH effects by AMH that blocks aromatase. Beside anovulation, this scenario may also serve to explain the higher receptiveness to gonadotropin therapy and the increased risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in patients with PCOS. Within GCs, the balance between FSH and AMH effects is pivotal in the shift from androgen- to oestrogen-driven follicles. Our two triangles hypothesis, based on updated data from the literature, offers a pedagogic template for the understanding of folliculogenesis in the normal and polycystic ovary. It opens new avenues for the treatment of anovulation due to PCOS.

Synergy Cycles in the Norwegian Innovation System: The Relation between Synergy and Cycle Values

The knowledge base of an economy measured in terms of Triple-Helix relations can be analyzed in terms of mutual information among geographical, sectorial, and size distributions of firms as dimensions of the probabilistic entropy. The resulting synergy values of a TH system provide static snapshots. In this study, we add the time dimension and analyze the synergy dynamics using the Norwegian innovation system as an example. The synergy among the three dimensions can be mapped as a set of partial time series and spectrally analyzed. The results suggest that the synergy at the level of both the country and its 19 counties shows non-chaotic oscillatory behavior and resonates in a set of natural frequencies. That is, synergy surges and drops are non-random and can be analyzed and predicted. There is a proportional dependence between the amplitudes of oscillations and synergy values and an inverse proportional dependency between the oscillation frequencies’ relative inputs and synergy values. This analysis of the data informs us that one can expect frequency-related synergy-volatility growth in relation to the synergy value and a shift in the synergy volatility towards the long-term fluctuations with the synergy growth.

TLR2-dependent eosinophil interactions with mycobacteria: role of α-defensins

AbstractPeripheral blood and tissue eosinophilia are a prominent feature in allergic diseases and during helminth infections. Eosinophil recruitment also frequently occurs upon mycobacterial infections, particularly in lung granuloma. However, the mechanism by which eosinophils interact with mycobacteria remains largely unknown. Because eosinophils recently have been shown to be involved in innate immune responses, we investigated the direct interactions of eosinophils with Mycobacterium bovis BCG as a study model. We show that live BCG attracts human eosinophils and induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesis, granule protein release, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)–α secretion. Using anti-TLR2 neutralizing antibodies before exposure of eosinophils to BCG, we showed a critical role of TLR2 signaling in ROS and eosinophil peroxidase release. BCG-induced eosinophil activation is mediated through the p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and nuclear factor (NF)–κB pathways. In addition, a mycobacterial wall component, lipomannan, induced a TLR2-dependent eosinophil activation. In addition, we showed that eosinophils express and produce α-defensins upon stimulation with BCG and lipomannan and that α-defensins could inhibit mycobacterial growth in synergy with eosinophil cationic protein. These results suggest a role for human eosinophils as direct effectors in TLR2-mediated innate immunity against mycobacteria and confer to these cells potent cytotoxic functions through defensin and eosinophil cationic protein production.

Functional identification of secondary mutations inducing autonomous growth in synergy with a truncated interleukin-3 receptor: implications for multi-step oncogenesis.

A truncated common beta chain (Deltabeta(C)) of the interleukin-3 (IL-3) receptor complex was previously identified as a key factor in inducing autonomous growth of IL-3-independent mutants. Expression of Deltabeta(C) in IL-3-dependent hematopoietic cells does not result in immediate factor-independent growth, but increases the frequency of obtaining autonomous mutants by three to four orders of magnitude. This study was designed to delineate the mechanisms by which Deltabeta(C) increases the frequency to autonomous growth. Retroviral vectors were used to express Deltabeta(C) into IL-3-dependent myeloid cells, which were then tested for factor-independent growth. To determine if secondary genetic events were required for conversion to autonomous growth, elements of the Cre-loxP recombinant system were used to excise Deltabeta(C) in factor-independent clones. Excision of Deltabeta(C) in factor-independent clones revealed two types of phenotypes: reversion to factor-dependent growth (1/8) or continued IL-3-dependent growth (7/8). Analysis of cells that remained factor independent revealed constitutive activation of STAT5, not observed in factor-dependent revertants. Analysis of revertant cells demonstrated the presence of interacting secondary mutations that synergize with Deltabeta(C)-induced proliferation. A cysteine residue within the truncated extracellular domain of Deltabeta(C) was also found to be required for its oncogenic potential, supporting a model of dimerization for receptor activation. The high incidence of obtaining factor-independent mutants from cells expressing Deltabeta(C) results from the selection of mutations that either complement Deltabeta(C) expression to promote proliferation or that singly or in synergy with other secondary mutations negate the requirement of Deltabeta(C) expression for proliferation.