We previously found that polycystin-1 accelerated the decay of ligand-activated cytoplasmic calcium transients through enhanced reuptake of calcium into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER; Hooper KM, Boletta A, Germino GG, Hu Q, Ziegelstein RC, Sutters M. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 289: F521–F530, 2005). Calcium flux across the ER membrane is determined by the balance of active uptake and passive leak. In the present study, we show that polycystin-1 inhibited calcium leak across the ER membrane, an effect that would explain the capacity of this protein to accelerate clearance of calcium from the cytoplasm following a calcium release response. Calcium leak was detected by measurement of the accumulation of calcium in the cytoplasm following treatment with thapsigargin. Heterologous polycystin-1, stably expressed in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, attenuated the thapsigargin-induced calcium peak with no effect on basal calcium stores, mitochondrial calcium uptake, or extrusion of calcium across the plasma membrane. The capacity of polycystin-1 to limit the rate of decay of ER luminal calcium following inhibition of the pump was shown indirectly using the calcium ionophore ionomycin, and directly by loading the ER with a low-affinity calcium indicator. We conclude that disruption of ER luminal calcium homeostasis may contribute to the cyst phenotype in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Ricin, a heterodimeric toxin that is present in the seeds of the Ricinus communis plant, is the biothreat agent most frequently encountered by law enforcement agencies in the United States. Even in untrained hands, the easily obtainable seeds can yield a highly toxic product that has been used in various types of threats, including "white-powder" letters. Although the vast majority of these threats are hoaxes, an impediment to accurate hazard assessments by first responders is the unreliability of rapid detection assays for ricin, such as lateral flow assays (LFAs). One of the complicating factors associated with LFAs is the incorporation of antibodies of poor specificity that cross-react with near-neighbors or with plant lectins that are capable of nonspecifically cross-linking the capture and detector antibodies. Because of the compelling and critical need to promote the interests of public safety and public health, the Department of Homeland Security conducted a comprehensive laboratory evaluation study of a commercial LFA for the rapid detection of ricin. This study was conducted using comprehensive inclusivity and exclusivity panels of ricin and near-neighbor plant materials, along with panels of lectins and "white-powders," to determine the specificity, sensitivity, limits of detection, dynamic range, and repeatability of the assay for the specific intended use of evaluating suspicious white powders and environmental samples in the field.

Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis is a major cause of nontyphoidal salmonellosis from ingestion of contaminated raw or undercooked shell eggs. Current techniques used to identify Salmonella serotype Enteritidis in eggs are extremely laborious and time-consuming. In this study, a novel eukaryotic cell culture system was combined with real-time PCR analysis to rapidly identify Salmonella serotype Enteritidis in raw shell eggs. The system was compared to the standard microbiological method of the International Organization for Standardization (Anonymous, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs-horizontal method for the detection of Salmonella, 2002). The novel technique utilizes a mouse macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) as the host for the isolation and intracellular replication of Salmonella serotype Enteritidis. Exposure of macrophages to Salmonella serotype Enteritidis-contaminated eggs results in uptake and intracellular replication of the bacterium, which can subsequently be detected by real-time PCR analysis of the DNA released after disruption of infected macrophages. Macrophage monolayers were exposed to eggs contaminated with various quantities of Salmonella serotype Enteritidis. As few as 10 CFU/ml was detected in cell lysates from infected macrophages after 10 h by real-time PCR using primer and probe sets specific for DNA segments located on the Salmonella serotype Enteritidis genes sefA and orgC. Salmonella serotype Enteritidis could also be distinguished from other non-serogroup D Salmonella serotypes by using the sefA-and orgC-specific primer and probe sets. Confirmatory identification of Salmonella serotype Enteritidis in eggs was also achieved by isolation of intracellular bacteria from lysates of infected macrophages on xylose lysine deoxycholate medium. This method identifies Salmonella serotype Enteritidis from eggs in less than 10 h compared to the more than 5 days required for the standard reference microbiological method of the International Organization for Standardization (Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs-horizontal method for the detection of Salmonella, 2002).

The standard procedure for definitive detection of BoNT-producing Clostridia is a culture method combined with neurotoxin detection using a standard mouse bioassay (MBA). The mouse bioassay is highly sensitive and specific, but it is expensive and time-consuming, and there are ethical concerns due to use of laboratory animals. Cell-based assays provide an alternative to the MBA in screening for BoNT-producing Clostridia. Here, we describe a cell-based assay utilizing a fluorescence reporter construct expressed in a neuronal cell model to study toxin activity in situ. Our data indicates that the assay can detect as little as 100 pM BoNT/A activity within living cells, and the assay is currently being evaluated for the analysis of BoNT in food matrices. Among available in vitro assays, we believe that cell-based assays are widely applicable in high-throughput screenings and have the potential to at least reduce and refine animal assays if not replace it.