Assessing species distribution using Google Street View: a pilot study with the Pine Processionary Moth

Mapping species spatial distribution using spatial inference and prediction requires a lot of data. Occurrence data are generally not easily available from the literature and are very time-consuming to collect in the field. For that reason, we designed a survey to explore to which extent large-scale databases such as Google maps and Google street view could be used to derive valid occurrence data. We worked with the Pine Processionary Moth (PPM) Thaumetopoea pityocampa because the larvae of that moth build silk nests that are easily visible. The presence of the species at one location can therefore be inferred from visual records derived from the panoramic views available from Google street view. We designed a standardized procedure allowing evaluating the presence of the PPM on a sampling grid covering the landscape under study. The outputs were compared to field data. We investigated two landscapes using grids of different extent and mesh size. Data derived from Google street view were highly similar to field data in the large-scale analysis based on a square grid with a mesh of 16 km (96% of matching records). Using a 2 km mesh size led to a strong divergence between field and Google-derived data (46% of matching records). We conclude that Google database might provide useful occurrence data for mapping the distribution of species which presence can be visually evaluated such as the PPM. However, the accuracy of the output strongly depends on the spatial scales considered and on the sampling grid used. Other factors such as the coverage of Google street view network with regards to sampling grid size and the spatial distribution of host trees with regards to road network may also be determinant.

Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in urban rodents: a survey in Niamey, Niger

A serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii was conducted on 766 domestic and peridomestic rodents from 46 trapping sites throughout the city of Niamey, Niger. A low seroprevalence was found over the whole town with only 1.96% of the rodents found seropositive. However, differences between species were important, ranging from less than 2% in truly commensal Mastomys natalensis, Rattus rattus and Mus musculus, while garden-associated Arvicanthis niloticus displayed 9.1% of seropositive individuals. This is in line with previous studies on tropical rodents--that we reviewed here--which altogether show that Toxoplasma seroprevalence in rodent is highly variable, depending on many factors such as locality and/or species. Moreover, although we were not able to decipher statistically between habitat or species effect, such a contrast between Nile grass rats and the other rodent species points towards a potentially important role of environmental toxoplasmic infection. This would deserve to be further scrutinised since intra-city irrigated cultures are extending in Niamey, thus potentially increasing Toxoplasma circulation in this yet semi-arid region. As far as we are aware of, our study is one of the rare surveys of its kind performed in Sub-Saharan Africa and the first one ever conducted in the Sahel.

Where do adaptive shifts occur during invasion? A multidisciplinary approach to unravelling cold adaptation in a tropical ant species invading the Mediterranean area

Evolution may improve the invasiveness of populations, but it often remains unclear whether key adaptation events occur after introduction into the recipient habitat (i.e. post-introduction adaptation scenario), or before introduction within the native range (i.e. prior-adaptation scenario) or at a primary site of invasion (i.e. bridgehead scenario). We used a multidisciplinary approach to determine which of these three scenarios underlies the invasion of the tropical ant Wasmannia auropunctata in a Mediterranean region (i.e. Israel). Species distribution models (SDM), phylogeographical analyses at a broad geographical scale and laboratory experiments on appropriate native and invasive populations indicated that Israeli populations followed an invasion scenario in which adaptation to cold occurred at the southern limit of the native range before dispersal to Israel. We discuss the usefulness of combining SDM, genetic and experimental approaches for unambiguous determination of eco-evolutionary invasion scenarios.

Soil macroinvertebrates as indicators of pollution by heavy metals

A broad range of soil pollutants were found to decrease with distance from a zinc smelter from 35,000 to 77, 8270 to 40 and from 190 to less than 1 ppm for zinc, lead and cadmium, respectively. Along this gradient, observed species richness of soil macro-organisms seemed to be more affected by the land-use type than by soil pollution--minimum in crops (21), maximum in woody sites (126). IndVal index allowed isolation of 21 indicator species from the 339 morphospecies identified. Most of these indicator species were characteristic of the unpolluted sites: only two diplopods and one gastropod from polluted poplar plantations, and none from the most polluted site. Since soil invertebrates respond to different environmental factors, including direct effect of heavy metals, we suggest there may be some confounding factors generating spurious relationships between the values of species as bioindicators and the pollution status they are supposed to indicate.

Synthesis and human leukocyte elastase inhibitory evaluation of phosphate triesters and acyl phosphates of penam sulfides and sulfones

The synthesis of 6,6-dibromo-3alpha-(diphenylphosphate)oxymethyl-2,2-dimethyl penam sulfone (3a), 6alpha-chloro-3alpha-(diphenylphosphate)oxymethyl-2,2-dimethyl penam sulfone (3b), benzyl 6alpha-(diphenyl-phosphate)oxypenicillanate sulfone (4) and 6,6-dibromo-3alpha-(methylphosphate)carbonyl-2,2-dimethylpenam sulfone (12) are reported. When tested as inhibitors of human leukocyte elastase, the compound 4 proved to be the most active.

Convergence of the Integration Dynamics of the Construction-Integration Model

The connectionist network corresponding to the nonlinear integration dynamical system associated with Kintsch's construction-integration (CI) model is analysed with linear algebra tools. This addresses some theoretical questions raised and left unanswered by Rodenhausen (1992, Psychological Review 99, 547-549). A mathematical characterization for equilibrium points, which allows an a priori enumeration of all possible asymptotic states for the integration dynamical system, given a connectivity matrix, is given. The dynamics of convergence of the integration dynamical system is characterized in some detail as well. This provides a tool for understanding CI simulations and helps in particular to let us know to what extent the outcome will depend on the initial conditions. The criteria also provide a new mathematical analysis which allows for the explicit calculation of asymptotic states of the integration process without requiring computer simulation experiments. The new mathematical analysis should facilitate comparisons of the model's predictions with behavioural data. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Quantitation of plasma membrane calcium pump phosphorylated intermediates by electrophoresis

P-ATPases are characterized by the formation of acid-stable phosphorylated intermediates (EP) during their reaction cycle. We have developed a microscale method to determine EP that involves the phosphorylation of the enzyme using [gamma-(32)P]ATP and precipitation with TCA; separation of the sample by SDS-PAGE, and measurement of the enzyme protein and (32)P-labeled EP by digital analysis of both the stained gel and its autoradiogram, respectively. The principal advantages of this method over typical procedures (filtration and centrifugation) are the low amount of enzyme required and the substantial decrease in the blank values and data scattering produced by unspecific phosphorylation and nonquantitative recovering of the enzyme. Application of this new method to a purified preparation of the plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA) results in overcoming the difficulties of measuring EP at high ATP concentrations. A biphasic behavior of the substrate curve for EP was observed when the study was extended to ATP levels within the physiological range. Since, in principle, the method does not require the use of highly purified preparations, it could be helpful for the study of phosphorylated intermediates especially under conditions in which small amounts of protein are available, e.g., mutated variants of P-ATPases.

Oligomerization of the plasma membrane calcium pump involves two regions with different thermal stability

Ca(2+) pump dimerization was studied by using a combined approach of thermal denaturation and fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The measurement of calcium pump ability to dimerize after the unfolding of individual functional domains of the enzyme demonstrated the existence of two different regions involved in the self-association process. One of these regions is highly susceptible to thermal unfolding and was identified as the calmodulin (CaM)-binding domain. The other region whose thermal stability is higher than those of the catalytic and CaM-binding domains could be related with the previously found C28W-binding regions.

Export and folding of signal-sequenceless Bacillus licheniformis beta-lactamase in Escherichia coli

Two genetically engineered variants of the Bacillus licheniformis beta-lactamase gene were expressed in Escherichia coli. One variant coded for the exo-small mature enzyme without the signal peptide. The other coded for the exo-large mature enzyme preceded by 10, mostly polar, residues from an incomplete heterologous signal. As observed following the extraction by a lysozyme-EDTA treatment, the signal-less variant was exported to the periplasm with nearly 20% efficiency, whereas the variant with the N-terminal extension was translocated to a lesser degree; interestingly, nearly all of the former and half of the latter were extracted by osmotic shock, which may be of importance for our understanding of cellular compartments. The fact that a signal-less protein is translocated with substantial yields raises questions about the essential role of signal peptides for protein export. As folding and export are related processes, we investigated the folding in vitro of the two variants. No differences were found between them. In the absence of denaturant, they are completely folded, fully active and have a large DeltaG of unfolding. Under partially denaturing conditions they populate several partially folded states. The absence of significant amounts of a non-native state under native conditions makes a thermodynamic partitioning between folding and export less likely. In addition, kinetic measurements indicated that these B. licheniformis lactamases fold much faster than E. coli beta-lactamase. This behavior suggests that they are exported by a kinetically controlled process, mediated by one or more still unidentified interactions that slow folding and allow a folding intermediate to enter the export pathway.

Thermal stability of the plasma membrane calcium pump. Quantitative analysis of its dependence on lipid-protein interactions

Thermal stability of plasma membrane Ca(2+) pump was systematically studied in three micellar systems of different composition, and related with the interactions amphiphile-protein measured by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Thermal denaturation was characterized as an irreversible process that is well described by a first order kinetic with an activation energy of 222 +/- 12 kJ/mol in the range 33-45 degrees C. Upon increasing the mole fraction of phospholipid in the mixed micelles where the Ca(2+) pump was reconstituted, the kinetic coefficient for the inactivation process diminished until it reached a constant value, different for each phospholipid species. We propose a model in which thermal stability of the pump depends on the composition of the amphiphile monolayer directly in contact with the transmembrane protein surface. Application of this model shows that the maximal pump stability is attained when 80% of this surface is covered by phospholipids. This analysis provides an indirect measure of the relative affinity phospholipid/detergent for the hydrophobic transmembrane surface of the protein (K(LD)) showing that those phospholipids with higher affinity provide greater stability to the Ca(2+) pump. We developed a method for directly measure K(LD) by using fluorescence resonance energy transfer from the membrane protein tryptophan residues to a pyrene-labeled phospholipid. K(LD) values obtained by this procedure agree with those obtained from the model, providing a strong evidence to support its validity.

Molecular characterization of the glycated plasma membrane calcium pump

We have previously demonstrated (Diabetes 39:707-711, 1990) that in vitro glycation of the red cell Ca(2+) pump diminishes the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity of the enzyme up to 50%. Such effect is due to the reaction of glucose with lysine residues of the Ca(2+) pump (Biochem. J. 293:369-375, 1993). The aim of this work was to determine whether the effect of glucose is due to a full inactivation of a fraction of the total population of Ca(2+) pump, or to a partial inactivation of all the molecules. Glycation decreased the V(max) for the ATPase activity leaving unaffected the apparent affinities for Ca(2+), calmodulin or ATP. The apparent turnover was identical in both, the glycated and the native enzyme. Glycation decreased the V(max) for the ATP-dependent but not for the calmodulin-activated phosphatase activities. Concomitantly with the inhibition, up to 6.5% of the lysine residues were randomly glycated. The probabilistic analysis of the relation between the enzyme activity and the fraction of nonmodified residues indicates that only one Lys residue is responsible for the inhibition. We suggest that glucose decreases the Ca(2+)-ATPase activity by reacting with one essential Lys residue probably located in the vicinity of the catalytic site, which results in the full inactivation of the enzyme. Thus, Ca(2+)-ATPase activity measured in erythrocyte membranes or purified enzyme preparations preincubated with glucose depends on the remaining enzyme molecules in which the essential Lys residue stays unglycated.

Identification of Bordetella pertussis virulence-associated outer membrane proteins

Bordetella pertussis virulence-associated 30-, 32-, 90- and 95-kDa outer membrane proteins were purified and their N-terminal amino acid sequences were determined. The 30- and 32-kDa outer membrane proteins showed identity to the C-terminal region of the precursors of the serum resistance protein (BrkA) and the tracheal colonization factor, respectively. We confirmed the cleavage site of these precursors after N731 for BrkA and after N393 for tracheal colonization factor. Associated with the 32-kDa outer membrane protein, we found a new group of 36-kDa virulence-associated peptides. The 95-kDa outer membrane protein showed identity to Vag8. The 90-kDa outer membrane protein did not show homology with the described proteins. We report the N-termini sequence of Vir-90, a novel potential virulence factor.

Temperature-induced conformational transition of intestinal fatty acid binding protein enhancing ligand binding: a functional, spectroscopic, and molecular modeling study

Intestinal fatty acid binding protein (IFABP) undergoes a reversible thermal transition between 35 and 50 degreesC, as revealed by circular dichroism spectroscopy in the near-UV region. For the apoprotein, the molar ellipticity measured at 254 nm (possibly implicating the environment around F17 and/or F55) decreases significantly in this temperature range, while in the holoprotein (bound to oleic acid), this phenomenon is not observed. Concomitantly, an increase in the activity of binding to [14C]oleic acid occurs. Nevertheless, other spectroscopic evidence indicates that the beta-barrel structure, the major motif of this protein, is highly stable up to 70 degreesC. No changes associated with conformation were detected for both structures by fourth-derivative analysis of the UV absorption spectra, circular dichroism in the far-UV region, and intrinsic fluorescence measurements. Further structural information arises from experiments in which binding to the anionic fluorescent probes 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANS) and its dimer bisANS was examined. The fluorescence intensity of bound ANS diminishes monotonically, whereas that of bisANS increases slightly in the temperature range of 35-50 degreesC. Given the different size of these probes, model building suggests that ANS would be able to sense regions located deeply inside the cavity, while bisANS could also reach the vicinity of the small helical domain of this protein. In light of these results, we believe that this subtle conformational transition of IFABP, which positively influences the binding activity, would involve fluctuations at the peripheral "entry portal" region for the ligand. This interpretation is compatible with the discrete disorder observed in this place in apo-IFABP, as evidenced by NMR spectroscopy [Hodsdon, M. E., and Cistola, D. P. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 1450-1460].

Effect of 2-hydroxyoestradiol on insulin secretion in normal rat pancreatic islets

The possible action of 2-hydroxyoestradiol (2-OHE2) on glucose-induced insulin secretion was evaluated in pancreatic islets isolated from normal rats by collagenase digestion and incubated in KRB buffer. Insulin output in response to either 3.3 or 16.6 mM glucose was measured by radioimmunoassay in the absence or presence of different concentrations of 2-OHE2, norepinephrine (NE), or oestradiol. Islets were also incubated with 2-OHE2, NE, or oestradiol plus a fixed concentration (1 microM) of the alpha 2-adrenergic-receptor blocking agent yohimbine. The results showed that 2-OHE2, oestradiol and NE within a range of 0.1 to 20 microM inhibited glucose-induced insulin secretion in a dose-dependent manner: Ki (microM): 0.04 +/- 0.0001, 0.04 +/- 0.0002, and 0.01 +/- 9.1 E-6 respectively. This suppression was significantly reversed by yohimbine. Contrary to NE and 2-OHE2, oestradiol at lower concentrations (increasing within a range of 0.001 to 0.05 microM) in incubation medium in the same experimental conditions had a significant stimulatory effect on insulin secretion. Thus, it would appear that catecholoestrogens suppress islet insulin release via alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, which suggests that oestrogens may exert a dual modulatory effect on insulin secretion by enhancing release via direct interaction with the cytosolic-oestrogen receptor and inhibiting release after their local hydroxylation and the interaction of their new catechol moiety with alpha 2-adrenergic receptors. Our results suggest that these compounds may play a complementary role to CAs as negative modulators, and they also provide a broader scope for understanding the effect of oestrogens and/or their metabolites in the control of endocrine functions other than those related to reproduction.

The pitch of short-duration fundamental frequency glissandos

Pitch perception for short-duration fundamental frequency (F0) glissandos was studied. In the first part, new measurements using the method of adjustment are reported. Stimuli were F0 glissandos centered at 220 Hz. The parameters under study were: F0 glissando extents (0, 0.8, 1.5, 3, 6, and 12 semitones, i.e., 0, 10.17, 18.74, 38.17, 76.63, and 155.56 Hz), F0 glissando durations (50, 100, 200, and 300 ms), F0 glissando directions (rising or falling), and the extremity of F0 glissandos matched (beginning or end). In the second part, the main results are discussed: (1) perception seems to correspond to an average of the frequencies present in the vicinity of the extremity matched; (2) the higher extremities of the glissando seem more important; (3) adjustments at the end are closer to the extremities than adjustments at the beginning. In the third part, numerical models accounting for the experimental data are proposed: a time-average model and a weighted time-average model. Optimal parameters for these models are derived. The weighted time-average model achieves a 94% accurate prediction rate for the experimental data. The numerical model is successful in predicting the pitch of short-duration F0 glissandos.

Chemical modification reveals involvement of different sites for nucleotide analogues in the phosphatase activity of the red cell calcium pump

The calcium pump of plasma membranes catalyzes the hydrolysis of ATP and phosphoric esters like p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP). The latter activity requires the presence of ATP and/or calmodulin, and Ca2+ [22, 25]. We have studied the effects of nucleotide-analogues and chemical modifications of nucleotide binding sites on Ca2+-pNPPase activity. Treatment with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), abolished Ca2+-ATPase and ATP-dependent pNPPase, but affected only 45% of the calmodulin-dependent pNPPase activity. The nucleotide analogue eosin-Y had an inhibitory effect on calmodulin-dependent pNPPase (Kieosin-Y = 2 microM). FITC treatment increased Kieosin-Y 15 times. Acetylation of lysine residues with N-hydroxysuccinimidyl acetate inactivates Ca2+-ATPase by modifying the catalytic site, and impairs stimulation by modulators by modifying residues outside this site [9]. Acetylation suppressed the ATP-dependent pNPPase with biphasic kinetics. ATP or pNPP during acetylation cancels the fast component of inactivation. Acetylation inhibited only partially the calmodulin-dependent pNPPase, but neither ATP nor pNPP prevented this inactivation. From these results we conclude: (i) ATP-dependent pNPPase depends on binding of ATP to the catalytic site; (ii) the catalytic site plays no role in calmodulin-dependent pNPPase. The decreased affinity for eosin-Y of the FITC-modified enzyme, suggests that the sites for these two molecules are closely related but not overlapped. Acetimidation of the pump inhibited totally the calmodulin-dependent pNPPase, but only partially the ATP-pNPPase. Since calmodulin binds to E1, the E1 conformation or the E2 if E1 transition would be involved during calmodulin-dependent pNPPase activity.