Texas Star Research Articles

P5-12-04: Genetic Linkage between Acquired and Primary Lymphedema Evaluated through Whole Exome Sequencing and NIR Fluorescence Lymphatic Imaging.

Abstract Acquired lymphedema is thought to arise from the damage of the lymphatic vasculature that transports excess fluid and macromolecules away from tissues for return to the blood vasculature. The onset of the cancer acquired disease can occur months to years after lymph node dissection and manifests itself as an accumulation of fluid and macromolecules in tissues that leads to edema and irresolvable swelling. The rare disease of primary lymphedema is identical to cancer acquired lymphedema, with the exception that there is no trauma or cancer treatment that can be attributed as its cause. Primary lymphedema has been attributed to genetic causes since the late nineteenth century. Although there are five known genetic causes of hereditary or primary lymphedema, the majority of patients with lymphedema do not possess mutations in these genes. More recently, it has been proposed that a genetic link between cancer acquired and primary lymphedema exists. If a genetic susceptibility for cancer acquired lymphedema could be found, then we could predict which survivors will encounter the disease and could develop new therapies which are more effective than the current treatments that have remained unchanged for the past 80 years. In an FDA approved investigational study, we used near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging to phenotype the lymphatic architecture of subjects with both acquired and primary lymphedema, as well as their unaffected family members. We collected blood for DNA analyses. NIR fluorescence provided the phenotype of abnormal lymphatic function while whole exome sequencing provided the genotype. Bioinformatics analyses were then used to identify causative genes using cosegregation of familial genotypes using the phentotypes found through NIR fluorescence imaging. The first family analyzed had members with primary and acquired lymphedema in which mutations encoding for proteins that participate in the HGF/c-MET and PI3K pathways could potentially explain the inheritance of lymphedema in this family. The father and affected daughters were heterozygous for a de novo SNP HGF in the kringle binding domain that interacts with tyrosine kinase receptor c-MET. The father had a normal lymphatic phenotype. On the other hand, the mother and daughters were heterozygous for the de novo mutation of INPPL1 (SHIP-2), adjacent to the SH2 domain of the protein that is known to bind to the multifunctional docking site of c-MET and associates with proteins in the Rho pathway for cytoskeletal reorganization. The daughters possessed both HGF and INPPL1 mutations and were diagnosed with primary lymphedema while the mother, who possessed the INPPL1 mutation, was diagnosed at the time of NIR imaging with acquired lymphedema. Analyses of remaining families as well as breast cancer related lymphedema patients are underway to confirm whether INPPL1 may be a candidate susceptibility gene for acquired lymphedema. Supported in parts by R01 HL092923 and CA128919, The Texas Star Award, and the Cullen Foundation. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-12-04.

Characterization of Juice Extraction Methods Utilizing Fresh Mayhaw (Crataegus opaca Hook.) Fruit

ABSTRACT Six juice extraction methods for mayhaw (Crataegus opaca Hook. and Arn.) cultivar Texas Star were evaluated for percent juice yield, pH, °Brix (soluble solids), titratable acidity (TA), sugar/acid ratio, sugar and organic acid contents, and color of extracted juices from fresh fruit. Methods studied were steam extraction using whole fruit with added pulp juice (SEP) or without added pulp juice (SE), cold-press extraction using whole fruit (CPE) or finely ground fruit (CPEG), hot-press extraction using finely macerated fruit pulp (HPEG), and hot-press extraction in combination with a pectolytic enzyme pretreatment (ENZ). Juice quality was determined by HPLC analysis of sugar and individual organic acid. Juice quality and extraction efficacy were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by extraction. Steam extraction using whole fruit with added pulp juice produced the highest yield (70.3%). Fructose and glucose were predominant sugars and malic was the predominant acid in all extracted juices. SEP produced juice with lowest amount of total sugars. TA and pH of all extracted juices were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by the extraction methods. The lowest TA value was for SE at 0.51% and highest for HPEG at 1.28%.The lowest pH values were for CPE at 2.97 and highest pH value at 1.13 for SE. L* values (lightness) of fresh juices was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by extraction method. Cold extraction methods yielded juices with more intense redness and yellowness (a* = 5.2, b* = 1.92, chroma = 5.5, hue angle = 19.8) than did steam extraction.

INFLUENCE OF STEM CUTTING LOCATION ON PROPAGATION OF MURRAYA PANICULATA AND TECOMA STANS

Orange Jasmine (Murraya paniculata L. Jack) and Texas Star [Tecoma stans (L.) Juss.] are two tropical ornamentals which have become popular in the specialty floriculture crop market because of their outstanding flower characteristics. Unfortunately they are difficult to root and little has been published on how to propagate them effectively. Therefore, the objective of our experiment was to determine the optimum physiological age of stem tissue necessary to effectively root 2-node stem cuttings. Forty-five cm shoots of Murraya were harvested on 27 June and 7 Sept. 2005, and divided into 2-node stem cuttings representing the top, middle, and bottom sections of the stem (soft-wood, semi-hardwood, and hardwood, respectively). Cuttings were measured for stem length and diameter, dipped in a 1,500 mg·L–1 solution containing indolebutyric acid (IBA) 1%: napthaleneacetic acid (NAA) 0.5%, and propagated under mist for 10 weeks in a 4 perlite: 1 vermiculite substrate (by volume). Tecoma followed a similar regime but were harvested once on 13 Sept. and evaluated 4 weeks after planting. Both species were evaluated for percent survival and rooting quality on a 1 to 5 scale; 1 = poor, 5 = best. Stem quality differences in Tecoma cuttings were shown, but did not influence rooting performance or percent survival. Murrayacuttings indicated a similar trend suggesting that age of tissue is not an important factor when propagating these species. However, when comparing the two harvest dates, data from Murraya cuttings showed an increase in survival from 79% and 95% and an increase in rooting quality from 2.72 to 4.26 when harvested in June compared to Sept., respectively. Cuttings harvested in Sept. were also shown to be 17% shorter with a 126% larger diameter than those harvested in June. These data suggest a trend toward a seasonal effect when harvesting cuttings of Murraya paniculatain Florida. Further studies should be conducted to verify this trend and to identify the ideal season for propagation.

(377) Consumer Acceptance of Mayhaw (Crataegus opca Hook. and Arn.) Fruit Juice Blended with Muscadine (Vitisrotundifolia Michx.) Grape Juice

Growth in juice-based products is supported by an increasing consumer base, which perceives fruit and fruit-based beverages as an integral component of nutritious food types that can benefit health. New flavor combinations, as well as added ingredients (i.e., vitamins) continue to help boost juice appeal as a nutraceutical. New juice-based food products such as blends, jellies, marinades, and pastry fillings could benefit from the unique flavor attributes specific to mayhaw fruit juice. Juice from one cultivar of muscadine grape (Vitisrotundifolia Michx.) `Carlos' (bronze skinned) was mixed with varying levels of juice from one cultivar of mayhaw (Crataegusopaca) `Texas Star' (reddish-orange skinned) fruit. Five different blend combinations were tested for both individual juice quality and for juice-blend compatibility. A consumer preference test was conducted (n = 75) on a 9-point hedonic scale for color, taste, and overall liking. Next to the taste/flavor preference scores for control (6.8), mayhaw juice used as the primary flavor ingredient in blends was the second most preferred of all juices by the panelists. A 50/50 juice blend and 70/30 mayhaw/muscadine blend were the least desirable of the five combinations tested. Juices from 60/40, 30/70, and 40/60 mayhaw/muscadine were considered by the panelists as best in flavor and overall acceptability. “Taste” had the strongest effect on overall acceptability of juice from varying levels of mayhaw juice in combination with muscadine grape juice. Panelists' mean score averages collectively were favorable of 60:40 and 50:50 juice blends and were significant (P < 0.05) toward acceptance of a “mayhaw-muscadine” fruit juice blended drink.

Anthocyanin profile of mayhaw ( Cretaegus opaca)

Mayhaw samples (Elite 2001, Texas Star 2000 and 1999) were harvested over a three-year period and analyzed for anthocyanin concentration, colour density, polymeric colour, and % polymeric compounds. Anthocyanins were separated by HPLC. All mayhaw samples from the three year period contained about 50% of cyanidin-3-glucoside, 10–21% cyanidin-3-galactoside, and less than 32% unidentified anthocyanins. The highest concentration of anthocyanins was detected in the Texas Star 1999 sample (about 7 mg/100 g) whereas Texas 2000 and Elite 2001 had 3.3 and 2.3 mg/100 g of anthocyanins, respectively. Colour density was lower in the Elite samples than the Texas. The polymeric anthocyanins and polymeric colour decreased in the Elite 2001 > Texas Star 2000 > Texas Star 1999 and the decrease was tentatively ascribed to sample age.

Streaking into History: The 1987 Salt Lake Trappers

Streaking into HistoryThe 1987 Salt Lake Trappers Larry Gerlach (bio) From August 13 to September 6, 2002, the Oakland A's captured the attention of fans and the media by reeling off 20 consecutive victories, the longest winning streak in American League annals and the fourth longest in Major League history.1 Jim Gilligan, the baseball coach at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, assessed the A's achievement: "Few people realize how tough it is to put any amount of games together. It's tough just to win five or six in a row."2 Gilligan spoke from experience. In 1987 his Salt Lake City Trappers won 29 straight games, the longest winning streak in the history of professional baseball. The Trappers' unlikely achievement was the more remarkable given the improbable cast of characters. The Trappers, an independent entry in the short-season rookie Pioneer League, came to town in 1985 following the financial demise of the Salt Lake Gulls of the AAA Pacific Coast League. The franchise had virtually no local presence since all but one of the club's twelve managing partners, including comedic actor Bill Murray, were absentee owners.3 Part-owner and player personnel director Van Schley, also president of Texas Star Baseball Inc., scoured the country signing former college players who had been passed over in the annual June Major League draft for unaffiliated Minor League teams. (The book Good Enough to Dream, which chronicled the on- and off-field doings of one such Schley-stocked team, the 1983 Utica Blue Sox of the class A New York-Pennsylvania League, appeared just before the Trappers' first season in Utah.)4 "It's sort of a kick," Schley said, "to compete against a multimillion-dollar scouting system with just an American Express card and a telephone."5 Hurriedly assembled after the June Major League draft, the 1987 Trappers were baseball orphans, players rejected by Major League scouts as being not talented enough to warrant a professional contract. Signing with the Trappers [End Page 10] for $500 a month gave them an entry to professional baseball and a chance for redemption. Playing at the bottom rung of professional baseball, the Trappers displayed a fierce determination to prove the scouts wrong. First baseman Matt Huff, who had played for the Trappers in 1986, spoke for his teammates: "We're still the nobodies. The outcasts of the outcasts. We're not supposed to be here. You have to prove to the scouts that they made a mistake, and the way you do that is to go out and bust your butt. That's exactly what we plan to do."6 Salt Lakers did not take easily to the sudden demotion from the highest to the lowest level of professional baseball. Although the 1985 team went 46-24 (.657) to win the Southern Division title and then beat the highly touted Great Falls Dodgers in the league's championship series, attendance plummeted from 167,803 in 1984 to 57,683. However, success breeds acceptance; Salt Lake set a Pioneer League attendance record in 1986 (108,721) as the Trappers again finished first, with a 45-25 record (.643), and whipped Great Falls in the playoffs. Hastily assembled, the 1987 Traps, as they were now affectionately called, hailed from all levels of collegiate baseball and all parts of the country. Their personalities were equally diverse, ranging from shortstop James Ferguson, who played the stock market, and six-foot-seven-inch Pago Pago-born first baseman Matt Huff, whose hobby was making earthenware pottery, to second baseman Anthony "Vacuum" Blackmon, who was suspended during the 1987 intercollegiate season by the NCAA after responding to racial epithets from Mississippi State fans by dropping his pants and mooning the crowd during a game.7 There were two draftees on the roster.8 For the second year in a row, the Kintetsu Buffaloes of Japan's Pacific League sent the Trappers two highly regarded draft choices, pitchers Yasuhiro Hiyama and Koichi Ikeue, neither of whom spoke English. After surveying the roster, Schley remarked: "I think we have more talent than we did last year." First-year manager Jim Gilligan, who joined the Trappers as...