151
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Alarcon-Martinez L, Yilmaz-Ozcan S, Yemisci M, Schallek J, Kılıç K, Villafranca-Baughman D, Can A, Di Polo A, Dalkara T. Retinal ischemia induces α-SMA-mediated capillary pericyte contraction coincident with perivascular glycogen depletion. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2019; 7:134. [PMID: 31429795 PMCID: PMC6701129 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-019-0761-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence indicates that pericytes are vulnerable cells, playing pathophysiological roles in various neurodegenerative processes. Microvascular pericytes contract during cerebral and coronary ischemia and do not relax after re-opening of the occluded artery, causing incomplete reperfusion. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying ischemia-induced pericyte contraction, its delayed emergence, and whether it is pharmacologically reversible are unclear. Here, we investigate i) whether ischemia-induced pericyte contractions are mediated by alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), ii) the sources of calcium rise in ischemic pericytes, and iii) if peri-microvascular glycogen can support pericyte metabolism during ischemia. Thus, we examined pericyte contractility in response to retinal ischemia both in vivo, using adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy and, ex vivo, using an unbiased stereological approach. We found that microvascular constrictions were associated with increased calcium in pericytes as detected by a genetically encoded calcium indicator (NG2-GCaMP6) or a fluoroprobe (Fluo-4). Knocking down α-SMA expression with RNA interference or fixing F-actin with phalloidin or calcium antagonist amlodipine prevented constrictions, suggesting that constrictions resulted from calcium- and α-SMA-mediated pericyte contractions. Carbenoxolone or a Cx43-selective peptide blocker also reduced calcium rise, consistent with involvement of gap junction-mediated mechanisms in addition to voltage-gated calcium channels. Pericyte calcium increase and capillary constrictions became significant after 1 h of ischemia and were coincident with depletion of peri-microvascular glycogen, suggesting that glucose derived from glycogen granules could support pericyte metabolism and delay ischemia-induced microvascular dysfunction. Indeed, capillary constrictions emerged earlier when glycogen breakdown was pharmacologically inhibited. Constrictions persisted despite recanalization but were reversible with pericyte-relaxant adenosine administered during recanalization. Our study demonstrates that retinal ischemia, a common cause of blindness, induces α-SMA- and calcium-mediated persistent pericyte contraction, which can be delayed by glucose driven from peri-microvascular glycogen. These findings clarify the contractile nature of capillary pericytes and identify a novel metabolic collaboration between peri-microvascular end-feet and pericytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Alarcon-Martinez
- Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, 06100, Ankara, Turkey
- Department of Neuroscience and Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Sinem Yilmaz-Ozcan
- Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, 06100, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Muge Yemisci
- Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Jesse Schallek
- Flaum Eye Institute and Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Kıvılcım Kılıç
- Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, 06100, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Deborah Villafranca-Baughman
- Department of Neuroscience and Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Alp Can
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Adriana Di Polo
- Department of Neuroscience and Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Turgay Dalkara
- Institute of Neurological Sciences and Psychiatry, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, 06100, Ankara, Turkey.
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
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152
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Pubill‐Ulldemolins C, Sharma SV, Cartmell C, Zhao J, Cárdenas P, Goss RJM. Heck Diversification of Indole-Based Substrates under Aqueous Conditions: From Indoles to Unprotected Halo-tryptophans and Halo-tryptophans in Natural Product Derivatives. Chemistry 2019; 25:10866-10875. [PMID: 31125453 PMCID: PMC6772188 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201901327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The blending of synthetic chemistry with biosynthetic processes provides a powerful approach to synthesis. Biosynthetic halogenation and synthetic cross-coupling have great potential to be used together, for small molecule generation, access to natural product analogues and as a tool for chemical biology. However, to enable enhanced generality of this approach, further synthetic tools are needed. Though considerable research has been invested in the diversification of phenylalanine and tyrosine, functionalisation of tryptophans thorough cross-coupling has been largely neglected. Tryptophan is a key residue in many biologically active natural products and peptides; in proteins it is key to fluorescence and dominates protein folding. To this end, we have explored the Heck cross-coupling of halo-indoles and halo-tryptophans in water, showing broad reaction scope. We have demonstrated the ability to use this methodology in the functionalisation of a brominated antibiotic (bromo-pacidamycin), as well as a marine sponge metabolite, barettin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Pubill‐Ulldemolins
- Department of Chemistry and BSRCUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsKY16 9STUK
- Present address: Department of ChemistrySchool of Life SciencesUniversity of SussexBrightonBN19QJUK
| | - Sunil V. Sharma
- Department of Chemistry and BSRCUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsKY16 9STUK
| | | | - Jinlian Zhao
- Department of Chemistry and BSRCUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsKY16 9STUK
| | - Paco Cárdenas
- Pharmacognosy, Department of Medicinal ChemistryUppsala UniversityUppsala75123Sweden
| | - Rebecca J. M. Goss
- Department of Chemistry and BSRCUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsKY16 9STUK
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153
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Kleftogiannis D, Punta M, Jayaram A, Sandhu S, Wong SQ, Gasi Tandefelt D, Conteduca V, Wetterskog D, Attard G, Lise S. Identification of single nucleotide variants using position-specific error estimation in deep sequencing data. BMC Med Genomics 2019; 12:115. [PMID: 31375105 PMCID: PMC6679440 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-019-0557-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Targeted deep sequencing is a highly effective technology to identify known and novel single nucleotide variants (SNVs) with many applications in translational medicine, disease monitoring and cancer profiling. However, identification of SNVs using deep sequencing data is a challenging computational problem as different sequencing artifacts limit the analytical sensitivity of SNV detection, especially at low variant allele frequencies (VAFs). METHODS To address the problem of relatively high noise levels in amplicon-based deep sequencing data (e.g. with the Ion AmpliSeq technology) in the context of SNV calling, we have developed a new bioinformatics tool called AmpliSolve. AmpliSolve uses a set of normal samples to model position-specific, strand-specific and nucleotide-specific background artifacts (noise), and deploys a Poisson model-based statistical framework for SNV detection. RESULTS Our tests on both synthetic and real data indicate that AmpliSolve achieves a good trade-off between precision and sensitivity, even at VAF below 5% and as low as 1%. We further validate AmpliSolve by applying it to the detection of SNVs in 96 circulating tumor DNA samples at three clinically relevant genomic positions and compare the results to digital droplet PCR experiments. CONCLUSIONS AmpliSolve is a new tool for in-silico estimation of background noise and for detection of low frequency SNVs in targeted deep sequencing data. Although AmpliSolve has been specifically designed for and tested on amplicon-based libraries sequenced with the Ion Torrent platform it can, in principle, be applied to other sequencing platforms as well. AmpliSolve is freely available at https://github.com/dkleftogi/AmpliSolve .
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios Kleftogiannis
- Centre for Evolution and Cancer, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- Present address: Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), Agency of Science Research and Technology (A*STAR), Singapore, 138672, Singapore
| | - Marco Punta
- Centre for Evolution and Cancer, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | | | - Shahneen Sandhu
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stephen Q Wong
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Delila Gasi Tandefelt
- Department of Urology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Vincenza Conteduca
- Department of Medical Oncology, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, 47014, Meldola, Italy
| | | | - Gerhardt Attard
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Stefano Lise
- Centre for Evolution and Cancer, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
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154
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Shah VA, Casadio M, Scheidt RA, Mrotek LA. Spatial and temporal influences on discrimination of vibrotactile stimuli on the arm. Exp Brain Res 2019; 237:2075-2086. [PMID: 31175382 PMCID: PMC6640119 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-019-05564-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Body-machine interfaces (BMIs) provide a non-invasive way to control devices. Vibrotactile stimulation has been used by BMIs to provide performance feedback to the user, thereby reducing visual demands. To advance the goal of developing a compact, multivariate vibrotactile display for BMIs, we performed two psychophysical experiments to determine the acuity of vibrotactile perception across the arm. The first experiment assessed vibration intensity discrimination of sequentially presented stimuli within four dermatomes of the arm (C5, C7, C8, and T1) and on the ulnar head. The second experiment compared vibration intensity discrimination when pairs of vibrotactile stimuli were presented simultaneously vs. sequentially within and across dermatomes. The first experiment found a small but statistically significant difference between dermatomes C7 and T1, but discrimination thresholds at the other three locations did not differ. Thus, while all tested dermatomes of the arm and hand could serve as viable sites of vibrotactile stimulation for a practical BMI, ideal implementations should account for small differences in perceptual acuity across dermatomes. The second experiment found that sequential delivery of vibrotactile stimuli resulted in better intensity discrimination than simultaneous delivery, independent of whether the pairs were located within the same dermatome or across dermatomes. Taken together, our results suggest that the arm may be a viable site to transfer multivariate information via vibrotactile feedback for body-machine interfaces. However, user training may be needed to overcome the perceptual disadvantage of simultaneous vs. sequentially presented stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valay A Shah
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
| | - Maura Casadio
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- DIBRIS, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Robert A Scheidt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation, National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, USA
| | - Leigh A Mrotek
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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155
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Jouanin A, Schaart JG, Boyd LA, Cockram J, Leigh FJ, Bates R, Wallington EJ, Visser RGF, Smulders MJM. Outlook for coeliac disease patients: towards bread wheat with hypoimmunogenic gluten by gene editing of α- and γ-gliadin gene families. BMC Plant Biol 2019; 19:333. [PMID: 31370789 PMCID: PMC6670228 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-019-1889-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wheat grains contain gluten proteins, which harbour immunogenic epitopes that trigger Coeliac disease in 1-2% of the human population. Wheat varieties or accessions containing only safe gluten have not been identified and conventional breeding alone struggles to achieve such a goal, as the epitopes occur in gluten proteins encoded by five multigene families, these genes are partly located in tandem arrays, and bread wheat is allohexaploid. Gluten immunogenicity can be reduced by modification or deletion of epitopes. Mutagenesis technologies, including CRISPR/Cas9, provide a route to obtain bread wheat containing gluten proteins with fewer immunogenic epitopes. RESULTS In this study, we analysed the genetic diversity of over 600 α- and γ-gliadin gene sequences to design six sgRNA sequences on relatively conserved domains that we identified near coeliac disease epitopes. They were combined in four CRISPR/Cas9 constructs to target the α- or γ-gliadins, or both simultaneously, in the hexaploid bread wheat cultivar Fielder. We compared the results with those obtained with random mutagenesis in cultivar Paragon by γ-irradiation. For this, Acid-PAGE was used to identify T1 grains with altered gliadin protein profiles compared to the wild-type endosperm. We first optimised the interpretation of Acid-PAGE gels using Chinese Spring deletion lines. We then analysed the changes generated in 360 Paragon γ-irradiated lines and in 117 Fielder CRISPR/Cas9 lines. Similar gliadin profile alterations, with missing protein bands, could be observed in grains produced by both methods. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of using CRISPR/Cas9 to simultaneously edit multiple genes in the large α- and γ-gliadin gene families in polyploid bread wheat. Additional methods, generating genomics and proteomics data, will be necessary to determine the exact nature of the mutations generated with both methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Jouanin
- Wageningen University and Research, Plant Breeding, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- The John Bingham Laboratory, NIAB, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jan G. Schaart
- Wageningen University and Research, Plant Breeding, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lesley A. Boyd
- The John Bingham Laboratory, NIAB, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - James Cockram
- The John Bingham Laboratory, NIAB, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Fiona J. Leigh
- The John Bingham Laboratory, NIAB, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ruth Bates
- The John Bingham Laboratory, NIAB, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, UK
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156
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Abstract
Brains perform complex tasks using a fraction of the power that would be required to do the same on a conventional computer. New neuromorphic hardware systems are now becoming widely available that are intended to emulate the more power efficient, highly parallel operation of brains. However, to use these systems in applications, we need "neuromorphic algorithms" that can run on them. Here we develop a spiking neural network model for neuromorphic hardware that uses spike timing-dependent plasticity and lateral inhibition to perform unsupervised clustering. With this model, time-invariant, rate-coded datasets can be mapped into a feature space with a specified resolution, i.e., number of clusters, using exclusively neuromorphic hardware. We developed and tested implementations on the SpiNNaker neuromorphic system and on GPUs using the GeNN framework. We show that our neuromorphic clustering algorithm achieves results comparable to those of conventional clustering algorithms such as self-organizing maps, neural gas or k-means clustering. We then combine it with a previously reported supervised neuromorphic classifier network to demonstrate its practical use as a neuromorphic preprocessing module.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Diamond
- School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QJ UK
| | - Michael Schmuker
- Department of Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB UK
| | - Thomas Nowotny
- School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QJ UK
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157
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Coen O, Lu J, Xu W, De Vos D, Péchoux C, Domergue F, Grain D, Lepiniec L, Magnani E. Deposition of a cutin apoplastic barrier separating seed maternal and zygotic tissues. BMC Plant Biol 2019; 19:304. [PMID: 31291882 PMCID: PMC6617593 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-019-1877-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In flowering plants, proper seed development is achieved through the constant interplay of fertilization products, embryo and endosperm, and maternal tissues. Communication between these compartments is supposed to be tightly regulated at their interfaces. Here, we characterize the deposition pattern of an apoplastic lipid barrier between the maternal inner integument and fertilization products in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds. RESULTS We demonstrate that an apoplastic lipid barrier is first deposited by the ovule inner integument and undergoes de novo cutin deposition following central cell fertilization and relief of the FERTILIZATION INDEPENDENT SEED Polycomb group repressive mechanism. In addition, we show that the WIP zinc-finger TRANSPARENT TESTA 1 and the MADS-Box TRANSPARENT TESTA 16 transcription factors act maternally to promote its deposition by regulating cuticle biosynthetic pathways. Finally, mutant analyses indicate that this apoplastic barrier allows correct embryo sliding along the seed coat. CONCLUSIONS Our results revealed that the deposition of a cutin apoplastic barrier between seed maternal and zygotic tissues is part of the seed coat developmental program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Coen
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, University of Paris-Saclay, Route de St-Cyr (RD10), 78026 Versailles Cedex, France
- École Doctorale 567 Sciences du Végétal, University Paris-Sud, University of Paris-Saclay, bat 360, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - Jing Lu
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, University of Paris-Saclay, Route de St-Cyr (RD10), 78026 Versailles Cedex, France
- École Doctorale 567 Sciences du Végétal, University Paris-Sud, University of Paris-Saclay, bat 360, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - Wenjia Xu
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, University of Paris-Saclay, Route de St-Cyr (RD10), 78026 Versailles Cedex, France
| | - Delphine De Vos
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, University of Paris-Saclay, Route de St-Cyr (RD10), 78026 Versailles Cedex, France
| | - Christine Péchoux
- INRA, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Domaine de Vilvert, Cedex, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Frédéric Domergue
- Laboratoire de Biogenèse Membranaire, University of Bordeaux, UMR 5200, CNRS /, 71 av. E. Bourleaux, CS 20032, 33140 Villenave d’Ornon, France
| | - Damaris Grain
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, University of Paris-Saclay, Route de St-Cyr (RD10), 78026 Versailles Cedex, France
| | - Loïc Lepiniec
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, University of Paris-Saclay, Route de St-Cyr (RD10), 78026 Versailles Cedex, France
| | - Enrico Magnani
- Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, AgroParisTech, CNRS, University of Paris-Saclay, Route de St-Cyr (RD10), 78026 Versailles Cedex, France
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158
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Andrikou C, Thiel D, Ruiz-Santiesteban JA, Hejnol A. Active mode of excretion across digestive tissues predates the origin of excretory organs. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000408. [PMID: 31356592 PMCID: PMC6687202 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Most bilaterian animals excrete toxic metabolites through specialized organs, such as nephridia and kidneys, which share morphological and functional correspondences. In contrast, excretion in non-nephrozoans is largely unknown, and therefore the reconstruction of ancestral excretory mechanisms is problematic. Here, we investigated the excretory mode of members of the Xenacoelomorpha, the sister group to Nephrozoa, and Cnidaria, the sister group to Bilateria. By combining gene expression, inhibitor experiments, and exposure to varying environmental ammonia conditions, we show that both Xenacoelomorpha and Cnidaria are able to excrete across digestive-associated tissues. However, although the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis seems to use diffusion as its main excretory mode, the two xenacoelomorphs use both active transport and diffusion mechanisms. Based on these results, we propose that digestive-associated tissues functioned as excretory sites before the evolution of specialized organs in nephrozoans. We conclude that the emergence of a compact, multiple-layered bilaterian body plan necessitated the evolution of active transport mechanisms, which were later recruited into the specialized excretory organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Andrikou
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Daniel Thiel
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Andreas Hejnol
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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159
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Krabbe BA, Arnan X, Lannes P, Bergstedt CE, Larsen RS, Pedersen JS, Shik JZ. Using nutritional geometry to define the fundamental macronutrient niche of the widespread invasive ant Monomorium pharaonis. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218764. [PMID: 31220167 PMCID: PMC6586327 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The emerging field of nutritional geometry (NG) provides powerful new approaches to test whether and how organisms prioritize specific nutritional blends when consuming chemically complex foods. NG approaches can thus help move beyond food-level estimates of diet breadth to predict invasive success, for instance by revealing narrow nutritional niches if broad diets are actually composed of nutritionally similar foods. We used two NG paradigms to provide different, but complementary insights into nutrient regulation strategies and test a hypothesis of extreme nutritional generalism in colony propagules of the globally distributed invasive ant Monomorium pharaonis. First, in two dimensions (protein:carbohydrates; P:C), M. pharaonis colonies consistently defended a slightly carbohydrate-biased intake target, while using a generalist equal-distance strategy of collectively overharvesting both protein and carbohydrates to reach this target when confined to imbalanced P:C diets. Second, a recently developed right-angled mixture triangle method enabled us to define the fundamental niche breadth in three dimensions (protein:carbohydrates:lipid, P:C:L). We found that colonies navigated the P:C:L landscape, in part, to mediate a tradeoff between worker survival (maximized on high-carbohydrate diets) and brood production (maximized on high-protein diets). Colonies further appeared unable to avoid this tradeoff by consuming extra lipids when the other nutrients were limiting. Colonies also did not rely on nutrient regulation inside their nests, as they did not hoard or scatter fractions of harvested diets to adjust the nutritional blends they consumed. These complementary NG approaches highlight that even the most successful invasive species with broad fundamental macronutrient niches must navigate complex multidimensional nutritional landscapes to acquire limiting macronutrients and overcome developmental constraints as small propagules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birla A. Krabbe
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Pol Lannes
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Rasmus Stenbak Larsen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jes Søe Pedersen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jonathan Z. Shik
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- * E-mail:
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160
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Angiolini L, Cohen B, Douhal A. Single Crystal FLIM Characterization of Clofazimine Loaded in Silica-Based Mesoporous Materials and Zeolites. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E2859. [PMID: 31212750 PMCID: PMC6627708 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20122859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Revised: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Clofazimine (CLZ) is an effective antibiotic used against a wide spectrum of Gram-positive bacteria and leprosy. One of its main drawbacks is its poor solubility in water. Silica based materials are used as drug delivery carriers that can increase the solubility of different hydrophobic drugs. Here, we studied how the properties of the silica framework of the mesoporous materials SBA-15, MCM-41, Al-MCM-41, and zeolites NaX, NaY, and HY affect the loading, stability, and distribution of encapsulated CLZ. Time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) experiments show the presence of neutral and protonated CLZ (1.3-3.8 ns) and weakly interacting aggregates (0.4-0.9 ns), along with H- and J-type aggregates (<0.1 ns). For the mesoporous and HY zeolite composites, the relative contribution to the overall emission spectra from H-type aggregates is low (<10%), while for the J-type aggregates it becomes higher (~30%). For NaX and NaY the former increased whereas the latter decreased. Although the CLZ@mesoporous composites show higher loading compared to the CLZ@zeolites ones, the behavior of CLZ is not uniform and its dynamics are more heterogeneous across different single mesoporous particles. These results may have implication in the design of silica-based drug carriers for better loading and release mechanisms of hydrophobic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Angiolini
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales y Bioquímica, and INAMOL, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Avenida Carlos III, S/N, 45071 Toledo, Spain.
| | - Boiko Cohen
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales y Bioquímica, and INAMOL, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Avenida Carlos III, S/N, 45071 Toledo, Spain.
| | - Abderrazzak Douhal
- Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales y Bioquímica, and INAMOL, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Avenida Carlos III, S/N, 45071 Toledo, Spain.
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161
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Piszter G, Kertész K, Molnár G, Pálinkás A, Deák A, Osváth Z. Vapour sensing properties of graphene-covered gold nanoparticles. Nanoscale Adv 2019; 1:2408-2415. [PMID: 36131993 PMCID: PMC9417911 DOI: 10.1039/c9na00110g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the vapour sensing properties of different graphene-gold hybrid nanostructures. We observed the shifts in the optical spectra near the local surface plasmon resonance of the gold nanoparticles by changing the concentration and nature of the analytes (ethanol, 2-propanol, and toluene). The smaller, dome-like gold nanoparticles proved to be more sensitive to these vapours compared to slightly larger, flat nanoparticles. We investigated how the optical response of the gold nanoparticles can be tuned with a corrugated graphene overlayer. We showed that the presence of graphene increased the sensitivity to ethanol and 2-propanol, while it decreased it towards toluene exposure (at concentrations ≥ 30%). The slope changes observed on the optical response curves were discussed in the framework of capillary condensation. These results can have potential impact on the development of new sensors based on graphene-gold hybrids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Piszter
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, MFA, Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences 1525 Budapest P.O. Box 49 Hungary
- Korea-Hungary Joint Laboratory for Nanosciences (KHJLN) 1525 Budapest P.O. Box 49 Hungary
| | - Krisztián Kertész
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, MFA, Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences 1525 Budapest P.O. Box 49 Hungary
- Korea-Hungary Joint Laboratory for Nanosciences (KHJLN) 1525 Budapest P.O. Box 49 Hungary
| | - György Molnár
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, MFA, Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences 1525 Budapest P.O. Box 49 Hungary
| | - András Pálinkás
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, MFA, Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences 1525 Budapest P.O. Box 49 Hungary
- Korea-Hungary Joint Laboratory for Nanosciences (KHJLN) 1525 Budapest P.O. Box 49 Hungary
| | - András Deák
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, MFA, Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences 1525 Budapest P.O. Box 49 Hungary
| | - Zoltán Osváth
- Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, MFA, Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences 1525 Budapest P.O. Box 49 Hungary
- Korea-Hungary Joint Laboratory for Nanosciences (KHJLN) 1525 Budapest P.O. Box 49 Hungary
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162
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Vissers T, Koumakis N, Hermes M, Brown AT, Schwarz-Linek J, Dawson A, Poon WCK. Dynamical analysis of bacteria in microscopy movies. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217823. [PMID: 31170194 PMCID: PMC6553751 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in microscopy, computing power and image processing have enabled the analysis of ever larger datasets of movies of microorganisms to study their behaviour. However, techniques for analysing the dynamics of individual cells from such datasets are not yet widely available in the public domain. We recently demonstrated significant phenotypic heterogeneity in the adhesion of Escherichia coli bacteria to glass surfaces using a new method for the high-throughput analysis of video microscopy data. Here, we present an in-depth analysis of this method and its limitations, and make public our algorithms for following the positions and orientations of individual rod-shaped bacteria from time-series of 2D images to reconstruct their trajectories and characterise their dynamics. We demonstrate in detail how to use these algorithms to identify different types of adhesive dynamics within a clonal population of bacteria sedimenting onto a surface. The effects of measurement errors in cell positions and of limited trajectory durations on our results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teun Vissers
- SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, Scotland, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Nick Koumakis
- SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Michiel Hermes
- SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Department of Physics, Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Aidan T. Brown
- SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Jana Schwarz-Linek
- SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Angela Dawson
- SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Wilson C. K. Poon
- SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, Scotland, United Kingdom
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163
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Gatti P, Bligh MC, Cortese CG. When a leader job resource can be ambivalent or even destructive: Independence at work as a double-edged sword. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217482. [PMID: 31121003 PMCID: PMC6532935 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Independence at work is commonly considered a job resource which fosters motivation and employee well-being. Somewhat paradoxically, it is embedded in a relationship, and employees’ independence also hinges on their leaders’ willingness to grant it. Analyzing this resource as part of the leader-follower relationship can be useful in exploring its beneficial, ambivalent, or detrimental reciprocal effects. We present two Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIM) which analyze leaders’ and followers’ independence as antecedents, and work engagement and emotional exhaustion as outcomes. We test our models on 112 pairs of UK workers, finding a significant partner effect between leaders’ independence and followers’ exhaustion. Our findings confirm the utility of a dyadic perspective for investigating leadership and well-being at work, and suggest improvements for leadership training and measures fostering job well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Gatti
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Michelle C. Bligh
- Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Claudio G. Cortese
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Torino, Turin, Italy
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164
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Borsetto C, Amos GCA, da Rocha UN, Mitchell AL, Finn RD, Laidi RF, Vallin C, Pearce DA, Newsham KK, Wellington EMH. Microbial community drivers of PK/NRP gene diversity in selected global soils. Microbiome 2019; 7:78. [PMID: 31118083 PMCID: PMC6532259 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0692-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens has created an urgent need for novel antimicrobial treatments. Advances in next-generation sequencing have opened new frontiers for discovery programmes for natural products allowing the exploitation of a larger fraction of the microbial community. Polyketide (PK) and non-ribosomal pepetide (NRP) natural products have been reported to be related to compounds with antimicrobial and anticancer activities. We report here a new culture-independent approach to explore bacterial biosynthetic diversity and determine bacterial phyla in the microbial community associated with PK and NRP diversity in selected soils. RESULTS Through amplicon sequencing, we explored the microbial diversity (16S rRNA gene) of 13 soils from Antarctica, Africa, Europe and a Caribbean island and correlated this with the amplicon diversity of the adenylation (A) and ketosynthase (KS) domains within functional genes coding for non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) and polyketide synthases (PKSs), which are involved in the production of NRP and PK, respectively. Mantel and Procrustes correlation analyses with microbial taxonomic data identified not only the well-studied phyla Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, but also, interestingly, the less biotechnologically exploited phyla Verrucomicrobia and Bacteroidetes, as potential sources harbouring diverse A and KS domains. Some soils, notably that from Antarctica, provided evidence of endemic diversity, whilst others, such as those from Europe, clustered together. In particular, the majority of the domain reads from Antarctica remained unmatched to known sequences suggesting they could encode enzymes for potentially novel PK and NRP. CONCLUSIONS The approach presented here highlights potential sources of metabolic novelty in the environment which will be a useful precursor to metagenomic biosynthetic gene cluster mining for PKs and NRPs which could provide leads for new antimicrobial metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Borsetto
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Gregory C. A. Amos
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- Present addresses: G.C.A.A National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), Potters Bar, UK
| | - Ulisses Nunes da Rocha
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alex L. Mitchell
- EMBL-EBI European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Robert D. Finn
- EMBL-EBI European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - David A. Pearce
- Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University at Newcastle, Ellison Building, Northumberland Road, Newcastle, NE1 8ST UK
- Natural Environment Research Council, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kevin K. Newsham
- Natural Environment Research Council, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
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165
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Pirone D, Marturano V, Del Pezzo R, Fernández Prieto S, Underiner T, Giamberini M, Tylkowski B. Molecular Design of Microcapsule Shells for Visible Light-Triggered Release. Polymers (Basel) 2019; 11:E904. [PMID: 31108926 PMCID: PMC6572248 DOI: 10.3390/polym11050904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of photo-responsive capsules to tune and control the sustained-release of encapsulated actives is a fascinating and challenging route to improve the performances and effectiveness of a wide range of delivery applications. In this work, we report the preparation of visible light-responsive capsules obtained via oil-in-water interfacial polycondensation between modified diacyl-chloride azobenzene moiety and diamine flexible spacer in the presence of cross-linkers with different structures and functionalities. The effect on the release profile of the encapsulated perfume oil was investigated using three flexible spacers with different lengths (1,8-diaminooctane; 1,6-diaminohexane and 1,4-diaminobutane) and two types of cross-linkers (1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride and melamine). We analyzed how the properties of microcapsules can be tailored changing the design of the shell structure. Fine tuning of the perfume release profiles was obtained. The changes in capsules size and morphology due to visible light irradiation were monitored via light scattering, optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Perfume release was 50% faster in the systems prepared with melamine as the cross-linker. Modelling studies were carried out to support the discussion of the experimental results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenico Pirone
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Rovira i Virgili University, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
- Centre Tecnològic de la Química de Catalunya, Carrer Marcelli Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
- Procter & Gamble Services Company n.v., Temselaan 100, 1853 Strombeek-Bever, Belgium.
| | - Valentina Marturano
- Department of Chemical, Materials, and Production Engineering (DICMAPI), University of Naples "Federico II", P. le Tecchio, 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy.
| | - Rita Del Pezzo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Rovira i Virgili University, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
- Centre Tecnològic de la Química de Catalunya, Carrer Marcelli Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
- Procter & Gamble Services Company n.v., Temselaan 100, 1853 Strombeek-Bever, Belgium.
| | | | - Todd Underiner
- The Procter and Gamble Company, 6210 Center Hill Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45224, USA.
| | - Marta Giamberini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Rovira i Virgili University, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
| | - Bartosz Tylkowski
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Rovira i Virgili University, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
- Centre Tecnològic de la Química de Catalunya, Carrer Marcelli Domingo s/n, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
- The Procter and Gamble Company, 6210 Center Hill Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45224, USA.
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166
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Barido-Sottani J, Aguirre-Fernández G, Hopkins MJ, Stadler T, Warnock R. Ignoring stratigraphic age uncertainty leads to erroneous estimates of species divergence times under the fossilized birth-death process. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190685. [PMID: 31064306 PMCID: PMC6532507 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fossil information is essential for estimating species divergence times, and can be integrated into Bayesian phylogenetic inference using the fossilized birth-death (FBD) process. An important aspect of palaeontological data is the uncertainty surrounding specimen ages, which can be handled in different ways during inference. The most common approach is to fix fossil ages to a point estimate within the known age interval. Alternatively, age uncertainty can be incorporated by using priors, and fossil ages are then directly sampled as part of the inference. This study presents a comparison of alternative approaches for handling fossil age uncertainty in analysis using the FBD process. Based on simulations, we find that fixing fossil ages to the midpoint or a random point drawn from within the stratigraphic age range leads to biases in divergence time estimates, while sampling fossil ages leads to estimates that are similar to inferences that employ the correct ages of fossils. Second, we show a comparison using an empirical dataset of extant and fossil cetaceans, which confirms that different methods of handling fossil age uncertainty lead to large differences in estimated node ages. Stratigraphic age uncertainty should thus not be ignored in divergence time estimation and instead should be incorporated explicitly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joëlle Barido-Sottani
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | | | - Melanie J. Hopkins
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tanja Stadler
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rachel Warnock
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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167
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Peyrat LA, Tsafantakis N, Georgousaki K, Ouazzani J, Genilloud O, Trougakos IP, Fokialakis N. Terrestrial Microorganisms: Cell Factories of Bioactive Molecules with Skin Protecting Applications. Molecules 2019; 24:E1836. [PMID: 31086077 PMCID: PMC6539289 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24091836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well known that terrestrial environments host an immense microbial biodiversity. Exposed to different types of stress, such as UV radiation, temperature fluctuations, water availability and the inter- / intra-specific competition for resources, terrestrial microorganisms have been evolved to produce a large spectrum of bioactive molecules. Bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi and algae have shown a high potential of producing biomolecules for pharmaceutical or other industrial purposes as they combine a sustainable, relatively low-cost and fast-production process. Herein, we provide an overview of the different bioactive molecules produced by terrestrial microorganisms with skin protecting applications. The high content in polyphenolic and carotenoid compounds produced by several strains, as well as the presence of exopolysaccharides, melanins, indole and pyrrole derivatives, mycosporines, carboxylic acids and other molecules, are discussed in the context of their antioxidant, photo-protective and skin-whitening activity. Relevant biotechnological tools developed for the enhanced production of high added value natural products, as well as the protecting effect of some antioxidant, hydrolytic and degrading enzymes are also discussed. Furthermore, we describe classes of microbial compounds that are used or have the potential to be used as antimicrobials, moisturizers, biosurfactants, pigments, flavorings and fragrances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure-Anne Peyrat
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece.
| | - Nikolaos Tsafantakis
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece.
| | - Katerina Georgousaki
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece.
| | - Jamal Ouazzani
- Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles (ICSN), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | | | - Ioannis P Trougakos
- Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece.
| | - Nikolas Fokialakis
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece.
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168
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Junker K, Chailyan A, Hesselbart A, Forster J, Wendland J. Multi-omics characterization of the necrotrophic mycoparasite Saccharomycopsis schoenii. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1007692. [PMID: 31071195 PMCID: PMC6508603 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic yeasts and fungi are an increasing global healthcare burden, but discovery of novel antifungal agents is slow. The mycoparasitic yeast Saccharomycopsis schoenii was recently demonstrated to be able to kill the emerging multi-drug resistant yeast pathogen Candida auris. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in the predatory activity of S. schoenii have not been explored. To this end, we de novo sequenced, assembled and annotated a draft genome of S. schoenii. Using proteomics, we confirmed that Saccharomycopsis yeasts have reassigned the CTG codon and translate CTG into serine instead of leucine. Further, we confirmed an absence of all genes from the sulfate assimilation pathway in the genome of S. schoenii, and detected the expansion of several gene families, including aspartic proteases. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model prey cell, we honed in on the timing and nutritional conditions under which S. schoenii kills prey cells. We found that a general nutrition limitation, not a specific methionine deficiency, triggered predatory activity. Nevertheless, by means of genome-wide transcriptome analysis we observed dramatic responses to methionine deprivation, which were alleviated when S. cerevisiae was available as prey, and therefore postulate that S. schoenii acquired methionine from its prey cells. During predation, both proteomic and transcriptomic analyses revealed that S. schoenii highly upregulated and translated aspartic protease genes, probably used to break down prey cell walls. With these fundamental insights into the predatory behavior of S. schoenii, we open up for further exploitation of this yeast as a biocontrol yeast and/or source for novel antifungal agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Junker
- Yeast & Fermentation, Carlsberg Research Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anna Chailyan
- Yeast & Fermentation, Carlsberg Research Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ana Hesselbart
- Yeast & Fermentation, Carlsberg Research Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jochen Forster
- Yeast & Fermentation, Carlsberg Research Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jürgen Wendland
- Yeast & Fermentation, Carlsberg Research Laboratory, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Functional Yeast Genomics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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169
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Lago SG, Tomasik J, van Rees GF, Steeb H, Cox DA, Rustogi N, Ramsey JM, Bishop JA, Petryshen T, Haggarty SJ, Vázquez-Bourgon J, Papiol S, Suarez-Pinilla P, Crespo-Facorro B, van Beveren NJ, Bahn S. Drug discovery for psychiatric disorders using high-content single-cell screening of signaling network responses ex vivo. Sci Adv 2019; 5:eaau9093. [PMID: 31086815 PMCID: PMC6506238 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau9093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
There is a paucity of efficacious new compounds to treat neuropsychiatric disorders. We present a novel approach to neuropsychiatric drug discovery based on high-content characterization of druggable signaling network responses at the single-cell level in patient-derived lymphocytes ex vivo. Primary T lymphocytes showed functional responses encompassing neuropsychiatric medications and central nervous system ligands at established (e.g., GSK-3β) and emerging (e.g., CrkL) drug targets. Clinical application of the platform to schizophrenia patients over the course of antipsychotic treatment revealed therapeutic targets within the phospholipase Cγ1-calcium signaling pathway. Compound library screening against the target phenotype identified subsets of L-type calcium channel blockers and corticosteroids as novel therapeutically relevant drug classes with corresponding activity in neuronal cells. The screening results were validated by predicting in vivo efficacy in an independent schizophrenia cohort. The approach has the potential to discern new drug targets and accelerate drug discovery and personalized medicine for neuropsychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago G. Lago
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jakub Tomasik
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Geertje F. van Rees
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hannah Steeb
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - David A. Cox
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nitin Rustogi
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jordan M. Ramsey
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joshua A. Bishop
- Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Genomic Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tracey Petryshen
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephen J. Haggarty
- Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Genomic Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Javier Vázquez-Bourgon
- Department of Psychiatry, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, IDIVAL, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Santander, Spain
- IDIVAL, Valdecilla Biomedical Research Institute, Santander, Spain
| | - Sergi Papiol
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics (IPPG), University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Paula Suarez-Pinilla
- Department of Psychiatry, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, IDIVAL, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Santander, Spain
| | - Benedicto Crespo-Facorro
- Department of Psychiatry, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, IDIVAL, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Santander, Spain
- IDIVAL, Valdecilla Biomedical Research Institute, Santander, Spain
| | - Nico J. van Beveren
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Department “Nieuwe Kennis,” Delta Centre for Mental Health Care, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sabine Bahn
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Corresponding author.
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170
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Cseh A, Yang C, Hubbart-Edwards S, Scholefield D, Ashling SS, Burridge AJ, Wilkinson PA, King IP, King J, Grewal S. Development and validation of an exome-based SNP marker set for identification of the St, J r and J vs genomes of Thinopyrym intermedium in a wheat background. Theor Appl Genet 2019; 132:1555-1570. [PMID: 30767030 PMCID: PMC6476854 DOI: 10.1007/s00122-019-03300-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE Cytogenetic analysis and array-based SNP genotyping of wheat- Th. intermedium introgression lines allowed identification of 634 chromosome-specific SNP markers across all twenty-one chromosomes of Th. intermedium (StJ r J vs , 2 n = 6 x = 42). Thinopyrum intermedium (2n = 6x = 42, StJrJvs) is one of the most promising reservoirs of useful genes including tolerance to abiotic stresses, perenniality and disease resistance not available in the cultivated bread wheat. The transfer of genetic diversity from wild species to wheat offers valuable responses to the effects of climate change. The new array-based single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker technology provides cheap and easy-to-use molecular markers for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in wheat breeding programmes. Here, we focus on the generation of a new chromosome-specific SNP marker set that can be used to characterize and identify the Th. intermedium chromosomes or chromosome segments transferred into wheat. A progressive investigation of marker development was conducted using 187 various newly developed wheat-Th. intermedium introgression lines and the Axiom® Wheat-Relative Genotyping array. We employed molecular cytogenetic techniques to clarify the genome constitution of the Th. intermedium parental lines and validated 634 chromosome-specific SNPs. Our data confirmed the allohexaploid nature of Th. intermedium and demonstrated that the St genome-specific GISH signal and markers are present at the centromeric regions of chromosomes 1Jvs, 2Jvs, 3Jvs and 7Jvs. The SNP markers presented here will be introduced into current wheat improvement programmes, offering a significant speed-up in wheat breeding and making it possible to deal with the transfer of the full genetic potential of Th. intermedium into wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andras Cseh
- Nottingham BBSRC Wheat Research Centre, Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
- Molecular Breeding Department, Agricultural Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Martonvásár, Hungary
| | - Caiyun Yang
- Nottingham BBSRC Wheat Research Centre, Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Stella Hubbart-Edwards
- Nottingham BBSRC Wheat Research Centre, Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Duncan Scholefield
- Nottingham BBSRC Wheat Research Centre, Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Stephen S Ashling
- Nottingham BBSRC Wheat Research Centre, Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | | | | | - Ian P King
- Nottingham BBSRC Wheat Research Centre, Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Julie King
- Nottingham BBSRC Wheat Research Centre, Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK
| | - Surbhi Grewal
- Nottingham BBSRC Wheat Research Centre, Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, School of Biosciences, The University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, UK.
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Couradeau E, Giraldo-Silva A, De Martini F, Garcia-Pichel F. Spatial segregation of the biological soil crust microbiome around its foundational cyanobacterium, Microcoleus vaginatus, and the formation of a nitrogen-fixing cyanosphere. Microbiome 2019; 7:55. [PMID: 30944036 PMCID: PMC6448292 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0661-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are a key component of arid land ecosystems, where they render critical services such as soil surface stabilization and nutrient fertilization. The bundle-forming, filamentous, non-nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus is a pioneer primary producer, often the dominant member of the biocrust microbiome, and the main source of leaked organic carbon. We hypothesized that, by analogy to the rhizosphere of plant roots, M. vaginatus may shape the microbial populations of heterotrophs around it, forming a specialized cyanosphere. RESULTS By physically isolating bundles of M. vaginatus from biocrusts, we were able to study the composition of the microbial populations attached to it, in comparison to the bulk soil crust microbiome by means of high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing. We did this in two M. vaginatus-dominated biocrust from distinct desert biomes. We found that a small, selected subset of OTUs was significantly enriched in close proximity to M. vaginatus. Furthermore, we also found that a majority of bacteria (corresponding to some two thirds of the reads) were significantly more abundant away from this cyanobacterium. Phylogenetic placements suggest that all typical members of the cyanosphere were copiotrophs and that many were diazotrophs (Additional file 1: Tables S2 and S3). Nitrogen fixation genes were in fact orders of magnitude more abundant in this cyanosphere than in the bulk biocrust soil as assessed by qPCR. By contrary, competition for light, CO2, and low organic carbon concentrations defined at least a part of the OTUs segregating from the cyanobacterium. CONCLUSIONS We showed that M. vaginatus acts as a significant spatial organizer of the biocrust microbiome. On the one hand, it possesses a compositionally differentiated cyanosphere that concentrates the nitrogen-fixing function. We propose that a mutualism based on C for N exchange between M. vaginatus and copiotrophic diazotrophs helps sustains this cyanosphere and that this consortium constitutes the true pioneer community enabling the colonization of nitrogen-poor soils. On the other hand, a large number of biocrust community members segregate away from the vicinity of M. vaginatus, potentially through competition for light or CO2, or because of a preference for oligotrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Couradeau
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 427 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA
- Laboratoire Biogéosciences, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
- Present Address: Joint Genome Institute (DOE), Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL), 2800 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598 USA
| | - Ana Giraldo-Silva
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 427 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave., Tempe, AZ 85282 USA
| | - Francesca De Martini
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 427 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA
| | - Ferran Garcia-Pichel
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 427 E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 1001 S. McAllister Ave., Tempe, AZ 85282 USA
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172
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Fernández-Mazuecos M, Blanco-Pastor JL, Juan A, Carnicero P, Forrest A, Alarcón M, Vargas P, Glover BJ. Macroevolutionary dynamics of nectar spurs, a key evolutionary innovation. New Phytol 2019; 222:1123-1138. [PMID: 30570752 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Floral nectar spurs are widely considered a key innovation promoting diversification in angiosperms by means of pollinator shifts. We investigated the macroevolutionary dynamics of nectar spurs in the tribe Antirrhineae (Plantaginaceae), which contains 29 genera and 300-400 species (70-80% spurred). The effect of nectar spurs on diversification was tested, with special focus on Linaria, the genus with the highest number of species. We generated the most comprehensive phylogeny of Antirrhineae to date and reconstructed the evolution of nectar spurs. Diversification rate heterogeneity was investigated using trait-dependent and trait-independent methods, and accounting for taxonomic uncertainty. The association between changes in spur length and speciation was examined within Linaria using model testing and ancestral state reconstructions. We inferred four independent acquisitions of nectar spurs. Diversification analyses revealed that nectar spurs are loosely associated with increased diversification rates. Detected rate shifts were delayed by 5-15 Myr with respect to the acquisition of the trait. Active evolution of spur length, fitting a speciational model, was inferred in Linaria, which is consistent with a scenario of pollinator shifts driving diversification. Nectar spurs played a role in diversification of the Antirrhineae, but diversification dynamics can only be fully explained by the complex interaction of multiple biotic and abiotic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Fernández-Mazuecos
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Real Jardín Botánico (RJB-CSIC), Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Luis Blanco-Pastor
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Real Jardín Botánico (RJB-CSIC), Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014, Madrid, Spain
- INRA, Centre Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Poitiers, UR4 (URP3F), 86600, Lusignan, France
| | - Ana Juan
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales (dCARN) & Instituto de la Biodiversidad (CIBIO), Universidad de Alicante, PO Box 99, 03080, Alicante, Spain
| | - Pau Carnicero
- Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Alan Forrest
- Centre for Middle Eastern Plants, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20a Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR, UK
| | - Marisa Alarcón
- Institut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB-CSIC-ICUB), Passeig del Migdia s/n, Parc de Montjuïc, 08038, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pablo Vargas
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Real Jardín Botánico (RJB-CSIC), Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014, Madrid, Spain
| | - Beverley J Glover
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
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173
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Kasap B, van Opstal AJ. Microstimulation in a spiking neural network model of the midbrain superior colliculus. PLoS Comput Biol 2019; 15:e1006522. [PMID: 30978180 PMCID: PMC6481873 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The midbrain superior colliculus (SC) generates a rapid saccadic eye movement to a sensory stimulus by recruiting a population of cells in its topographically organized motor map. Supra-threshold electrical microstimulation in the SC reveals that the site of stimulation produces a normometric saccade vector with little effect of the stimulation parameters. Moreover, electrically evoked saccades (E-saccades) have kinematic properties that strongly resemble natural, visual-evoked saccades (V-saccades). These findings support models in which the saccade vector is determined by a center-of-gravity computation of activated neurons, while its trajectory and kinematics arise from downstream feedback circuits in the brainstem. Recent single-unit recordings, however, have indicated that the SC population also specifies instantaneous kinematics. These results support an alternative model, in which the desired saccade trajectory, including its kinematics, follows from instantaneous summation of movement effects of all SC spike trains. But how to reconcile this model with microstimulation results? Although it is thought that microstimulation activates a large population of SC neurons, the mechanism through which it arises is unknown. We developed a spiking neural network model of the SC, in which microstimulation directly activates a relatively small set of neurons around the electrode tip, which subsequently sets up a large population response through lateral synaptic interactions. We show that through this mechanism the population drives an E-saccade with near-normal kinematics that are largely independent of the stimulation parameters. Only at very low stimulus intensities the network recruits a population with low firing rates, resulting in abnormally slow saccades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahadir Kasap
- Department of Biophysics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - A. John van Opstal
- Department of Biophysics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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174
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van Diggelen F, Hrle D, Apetri M, Christiansen G, Rammes G, Tepper A, Otzen DE. Two conformationally distinct α-synuclein oligomers share common epitopes and the ability to impair long-term potentiation. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213663. [PMID: 30901378 PMCID: PMC6430514 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease for which there currently is no cure. Aggregation of the pre-synaptic protein α-synuclein (aSN) into oligomers (αSOs) is believed to play a key role in PD pathology, but little is known about αSO formation in vivo and how they induce neurodegeneration. Both the naturally occurring polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the lipid peroxidation product 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), strongly upregulated during ROS conditions, stimulate the formation of αSOs, highlighting a potential role in PD. Yet, insight into αSOs structure and biological effects is still limited as most oligomer preparations studied to date are heterogeneous in composition. Here we have aggregated aSN in the presence of HNE and DHA and purified the αSOs using size exclusion chromatography. Both compounds stimulate formation of spherical αSOs containing anti-parallel β-sheet structure which have the same shape as unmodified αSOs though ca. 2-fold larger. Furthermore, the yield and stabilities of these oligomers are significantly higher than for unmodified aSN. Both modified and unmodified αSOs permeabilize synthetic vesicles, show high co-localisation with glutamatergic synapses and decrease Long Term Potentiation (LTP), in line with the reported synaptotoxic effects of αSOs. We conclude that DHA- and HNE-αSOs are convenient models for pathogenic disease-associated αSOs in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Femke van Diggelen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Crossbeta Biosciences BV, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Dean Hrle
- Klinik für Anaesthesiologie der Technischen Universität München, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Gerhard Rammes
- Klinik für Anaesthesiologie der Technischen Universität München, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Daniel Erik Otzen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
- * E-mail:
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175
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Greco I, Hansen JE, Jana B, Molchanova N, Oddo A, Thulstrup PW, Damborg P, Guardabassi L, Hansen PR. Structure⁻Activity Study, Characterization, and Mechanism of Action of an Antimicrobial Peptoid D2 and Its d- and l-Peptide Analogues. Molecules 2019; 24:E1121. [PMID: 30901860 PMCID: PMC6470533 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24061121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) constitutes an emerging health problem for companion animals in veterinary medicine. Therefore, discovery of novel antimicrobial agents for treatment of Staphylococcus-associated canine infections is urgently needed to reduce use of human antibiotics in veterinary medicine. In the present work, we characterized the antimicrobial activity of the peptoid D2 against S. pseudintermedius and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is another common integumentary pathogen in dogs. Furthermore, we performed a structure⁻activity relationship study of D2, which included 19 peptide/peptoid analogs. Our best compound D2D, an all d-peptide analogue, showed potent minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against canine S. pseudintermedius (2⁻4 µg/mL) and P. aeruginosa (4 µg/mL) isolates as well as other selected dog pathogens (2⁻16 µg/mL). Time⁻kill assays demonstrated that D2D was able to inhibit MRSP in 30 min at 1× MIC, significantly faster than D2. Our results suggest that at high concentrations D2D is rapidly lysing the bacterial membrane while D2 is inhibiting macromolecular synthesis. We probed the mechanism of action at sub-MIC concentrations of D2, D2D, the l-peptide analog and its retro analog by a macromolecular biosynthesis assay and fluorescence spectroscopy. Our data suggest that at sub-MIC concentrations D2D is membrane inactive and primarily works by cell wall inhibition, while the other compounds mainly act on the bacterial membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Greco
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Johannes E Hansen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Bimal Jana
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Stigbøjlen 4, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
| | - Natalia Molchanova
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Alberto Oddo
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Peter W Thulstrup
- Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Peter Damborg
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Stigbøjlen 4, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
| | - Luca Guardabassi
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Stigbøjlen 4, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Herts AL9 7TA, UK.
| | - Paul R Hansen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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176
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Chowdhury AD, Lucini Paioni A, Whiting GT, Fu D, Baldus M, Weckhuysen BM. Unraveling the Homologation Reaction Sequence of the Zeolite-Catalyzed Ethanol-to-Hydrocarbons Process. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:3908-3912. [PMID: 30681254 PMCID: PMC6519145 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201814268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Although industrialized, the mechanism for catalytic upgrading of bioethanol over solid-acid catalysts (that is, the ethanol-to-hydrocarbons (ETH) reaction) has not yet been fully resolved. Moreover, mechanistic understanding of the ETH reaction relies heavily on its well-known "sister-reaction" the methanol-to-hydrocarbons (MTH) process. However, the MTH process possesses a C1 -entity reactant and cannot, therefore, shed any light on the homologation reaction sequence. The reaction and deactivation mechanism of the zeolite H-ZSM-5-catalyzed ETH process was elucidated using a combination of complementary solid-state NMR and operando UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, coupled with on-line mass spectrometry. This approach establishes the existence of a homologation reaction sequence through analysis of the pattern of the identified reactive and deactivated species. Furthermore, and in contrast to the MTH process, the deficiency of any olefinic-hydrocarbon pool species (that is, the olefin cycle) during the ETH process is also noted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Dutta Chowdhury
- Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis GroupDebye Institute for Nanomaterials ScienceUtrecht UniversityUniversiteitsweg 993584CGUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Alessandra Lucini Paioni
- NMR Spectroscopy groupBijvoet Center for Biomolecular ResearchUtrecht UniversityPadualaan 83584 CHUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Gareth T. Whiting
- Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis GroupDebye Institute for Nanomaterials ScienceUtrecht UniversityUniversiteitsweg 993584CGUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Donglong Fu
- Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis GroupDebye Institute for Nanomaterials ScienceUtrecht UniversityUniversiteitsweg 993584CGUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Marc Baldus
- NMR Spectroscopy groupBijvoet Center for Biomolecular ResearchUtrecht UniversityPadualaan 83584 CHUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Bert M. Weckhuysen
- Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis GroupDebye Institute for Nanomaterials ScienceUtrecht UniversityUniversiteitsweg 993584CGUtrechtThe Netherlands
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177
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Amouroux P, Crochard D, Correa M, Groussier G, Kreiter P, Roman C, Guerrieri E, Garonna A, Malausa T, Zaviezo T. Natural enemies of armored scales (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and soft scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae) in Chile: Molecular and morphological identification. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0205475. [PMID: 30883559 PMCID: PMC6422274 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccomorpha) are key pests of agricultural crops and ornamental plants worldwide. Their populations are difficult to control, even with insecticides, due to their cryptic habits. Moreover, there is growing concern over the use of synthetic pesticides for their control, due to deleterious environmental effects and the emergence of resistant populations of target pests. In this context, biological control may be an effective and sustainable approach. Hymenoptera Chalcidoidea includes natural enemies of scale insects that have been successfully used in many biological control programs. However, the correct identification of pest scale species and their natural enemies is particularly challenging because these insects are very small and highly specialized. Integrative taxonomy, coupling DNA barcoding and morphological analysis, has been successfully used to characterize pests and natural enemy species. In this study, we performed a survey of parasitoids and predators of armored and soft scales in Chile, based on 28S and COI barcodes. Fifty-three populations of Diaspididae and 79 populations of Coccidae were sampled over the entire length of the country, from Arica (18°S) to Frutillar (41°S), between January 2015 and February 2016. The phylogenetic relationships obtained by Bayesian inference from multilocus haplotypes revealed 41 putative species of Chalcidoidea, five Coccinellidae and three Neuroptera. Species delimitation was confirmed using ABGD, GMYC and PTP model. In Chalcidoidea, 23 species were identified morphologically, resulting in new COI barcodes for 12 species and new 28S barcodes for 14 species. Two predator species (Rhyzobius lophantae and Coccidophilus transandinus) were identified morphologically, and two parasitoid species, Chartocerus niger and Signiphora bifasciata, were recorded for the first time in Chile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Amouroux
- Departamento de Fruticultura y Enología, Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Didier Crochard
- Université Côte d’Azur, INRA, CNRS, ISA, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Margarita Correa
- Université Côte d’Azur, INRA, CNRS, ISA, Sophia Antipolis, France
- Centre for Molecular and Functional Ecology in Agroecosystems, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | | | - Philippe Kreiter
- Université Côte d’Azur, INRA, CNRS, ISA, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Carola Roman
- Xilema-ANASAC Control Biológico, San Pedro, Quillota, Chile
| | - Emilio Guerrieri
- Istituto per la Protezione Sostenibile delle Piante, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Portici (NA), Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, the Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Antonio Garonna
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Portici (NA), Italy
| | - Thibaut Malausa
- Université Côte d’Azur, INRA, CNRS, ISA, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Tania Zaviezo
- Departamento de Fruticultura y Enología, Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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178
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Piras CC, Fernández-Prieto S, De Borggraeve WM. Ball milling: a green technology for the preparation and functionalisation of nanocellulose derivatives. Nanoscale Adv 2019; 1:937-947. [PMID: 36133214 PMCID: PMC9419839 DOI: 10.1039/c8na00238j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/29/2018] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Ball milling is a simple, fast, cost-effective green technology with enormous potential. One of the most interesting applications of this technology in the field of cellulose is the preparation and the chemical modification of cellulose nanocrystals and nanofibers. Although a number of studies have been reported in the literature, the potential of this technique in the field of cellulose nanoparticles has not been fully exploited. This minireview aims at putting existing work into perspective, highlighting the significance and the potential of this green, sustainable technique to facilitate the identification of areas of future development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen C Piras
- Molecular Design and Synthesis, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven - University of Leuven Celestijnenlaan 200F, Box 2404 B-3001 Leuven Belgium
| | | | - Wim M De Borggraeve
- Molecular Design and Synthesis, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven - University of Leuven Celestijnenlaan 200F, Box 2404 B-3001 Leuven Belgium
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179
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Barriga HMG, Holme MN, Stevens MM. Cubosomes: The Next Generation of Smart Lipid Nanoparticles? Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:2958-2978. [PMID: 29926520 PMCID: PMC6606436 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201804067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 237] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cubosomes are highly stable nanoparticles formed from the lipid cubic phase and stabilized by a polymer based outer corona. Bicontinuous lipid cubic phases consist of a single lipid bilayer that forms a continuous periodic membrane lattice structure with pores formed by two interwoven water channels. Cubosome composition can be tuned to engineer pore sizes or include bioactive lipids, the polymer outer corona can be used for targeting and they are highly stable under physiological conditions. Compared to liposomes, the structure provides a significantly higher membrane surface area for loading of membrane proteins and small drug molecules. Owing to recent advances, they can be engineered in vitro in both bulk and nanoparticle formats with applications including drug delivery, membrane bioreactors, artificial cells, and biosensors. This review outlines recent advances in cubosome technology enabling their application and provides guidelines for the rational design of new systems for biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna M. G. Barriga
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Margaret N. Holme
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Molly M. Stevens
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Departments of Materials and Bioengineering and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
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180
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Munroe S, Sandoval K, Martens DE, Sipkema D, Pomponi SA. Genetic algorithm as an optimization tool for the development of sponge cell culture media. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim 2019; 55:149-158. [PMID: 30747414 PMCID: PMC6407725 DOI: 10.1007/s11626-018-00317-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Sponges are rich sources of novel natural products. Production in cell cultures may be an option for supply of these compounds but there are currently no sponge cell lines. Because there is a lack of understanding about the precise conditions and nutritional requirements that are necessary to sustain sponge cells in vitro, there has yet to be a defined, sponge-specific nutrient medium. This study utilized a genetic algorithm approach to optimize the amino acid composition of a commercially available basal cell culture medium in order to increase the metabolic activity of cells of the marine sponge Dysidea etheria. Four generations of the algorithm were carried out in vitro in wet lab conditions and an optimal medium combination was selected for further evaluation. When compared to the basal medium control, there was a twofold increase in metabolic activity. The genetic algorithm approach can be used to optimize other components of culture media to efficiently optimize chosen parameters without the need for detailed knowledge on all possible interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Munroe
- Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands.
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA.
| | - Kenneth Sandoval
- Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Dirk E Martens
- Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Detmer Sipkema
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Shirley A Pomponi
- Bioprocess Engineering, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
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181
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Galarza Vallejo A, Kroes MCW, Rey E, Acedo MV, Moratti S, Fernández G, Strange BA. Propofol-induced deep sedation reduces emotional episodic memory reconsolidation in humans. Sci Adv 2019; 5:eaav3801. [PMID: 30906867 PMCID: PMC6426467 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav3801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The adjustment of maladaptive thoughts and behaviors associated with emotional memories is central to treating psychiatric disorders. Recent research, predominantly with laboratory animals, indicates that memories can become temporarily sensitive to modification following reactivation, before undergoing reconsolidation. A method to selectively impair reconsolidation of specific emotional or traumatic memories in humans could translate to an effective treatment for conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder. We tested whether deep sedation could impair emotional memory reconsolidation in 50 human participants. Administering the intravenous anesthetic propofol following memory reactivation disrupted memory for the reactivated, but not for a non-reactivated, slideshow story. Propofol impaired memory for the reactivated story after 24 hours, but not immediately after propofol recovery. Critically, memory impairment occurred selectively for the emotionally negative phase of the reactivated story. One dose of propofol following memory reactivation selectively impaired subsequent emotional episodic memory retrieval in a time-dependent manner, consistent with reconsolidation impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Galarza Vallejo
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
| | - Marijn C. W. Kroes
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Donders Institute, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen 6525 EZ, Netherlands
| | - Enrique Rey
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria Victoria Acedo
- Department of Anesthesia, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
| | - Stephan Moratti
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- Department of Basic Psychology I, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
| | - Guillén Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Donders Institute, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen 6525 EZ, Netherlands
| | - Bryan A. Strange
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- Department of Neuroimaging, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centre, Reina Sofia–CIEN Foundation, Madrid, Spain
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182
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Fugard AJ, Lahdenperä ASK, Tan JSJ, Mekareeya A, Paton RS, Smith MD. Hydrogen-Bond-Enabled Dynamic Kinetic Resolution of Axially Chiral Amides Mediated by a Chiral Counterion. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:2795-2798. [PMID: 30644159 PMCID: PMC6492105 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201814362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Non-biaryl atropisomers are valuable in medicine, materials, and catalysis, but their enantioselective synthesis remains a challenge. Herein, a counterion-mediated O-alkylation method for the generation of atropisomeric amides with an er up to 99:1 is outlined. This dynamic kinetic resolution is enabled by the observation that the rate of racemization of atropisomeric naphthamides is significantly increased by the presence of an intramolecular O-H⋅⋅⋅NCO hydrogen bond. Upon O-alkylation of the H-bond donor, the barrier to rotation is significantly increased. Quantum calculations demonstrate that the intramolecular H-bond reduces the rotational barrier about the aryl-amide bond, stabilizing the planar transition state for racemization by approximately 40 kJ mol-1 , thereby facilitating the observed dynamic kinetic resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison J. Fugard
- Chemistry Research LaboratoryUniversity of Oxford12 Mansfield RoadOxfordOX1 3TAUK
| | | | - Jaqueline S. J. Tan
- Chemistry Research LaboratoryUniversity of Oxford12 Mansfield RoadOxfordOX1 3TAUK
| | - Aroonroj Mekareeya
- Chemistry Research LaboratoryUniversity of Oxford12 Mansfield RoadOxfordOX1 3TAUK
| | - Robert S. Paton
- Department of ChemistryColorado State UniversityFort CollinsCO80523USA
| | - Martin D. Smith
- Chemistry Research LaboratoryUniversity of Oxford12 Mansfield RoadOxfordOX1 3TAUK
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183
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Josa-Prado F, Luo J, Rubin P, Henley JM, Wilkinson KA. Developmental profiles of SUMOylation pathway proteins in rat cerebrum and cerebellum. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0212857. [PMID: 30794696 PMCID: PMC6386258 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein SUMOylation regulates multiple processes involved in the differentiation and maturation of cells and tissues during development. Despite this, relatively little is known about the spatial and temporal regulation of proteins that mediate SUMOylation and deSUMOylation in the CNS. Here we monitor the expression of key SUMO pathway proteins and levels of substrate protein SUMOylation in the forebrain and cerebellum of Wistar rats during development. Overall, the SUMOylation machinery is more highly-expressed at E18 and decreases thereafter, as previously described. All of the proteins investigated are less abundant in adult than in embryonic brain. Furthermore, we show for first time that the profiles differ between cerebellum and cerebrum, indicating differential regional regulation of some of the proteins analysed. These data provide further basic observation that may open a new perspective of research about the role of SUMOylation in the development of different brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Josa-Prado
- Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio, Avda, de la Universidad, Madrid, España
- School of Biochemistry, Medical Sciences Building, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (FJP); (KAW)
| | - Jia Luo
- School of Biochemistry, Medical Sciences Building, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Rubin
- School of Biochemistry, Medical Sciences Building, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy M. Henley
- School of Biochemistry, Medical Sciences Building, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin A. Wilkinson
- School of Biochemistry, Medical Sciences Building, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (FJP); (KAW)
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184
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Abdelrehim A, Shaltiel L, Zhang L, Barenholz Y, High S, Harris LK. The use of tail-anchored protein chimeras to enhance liposomal cargo delivery. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0212701. [PMID: 30794671 PMCID: PMC6386398 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Liposomes are employed as drug delivery vehicles offering a beneficial pharmacokinetic/distribution mechanism for in vivo therapeutics. Therapeutic liposomes can be designed to target specific cell types through the display of epitope-specific targeting peptides on their surface. The majority of peptides are currently attached by chemical modification of lipid constituents. Here we investigate an alternative and novel method of decorating liposomes with targeting ligand, using remotely and spontaneously inserting chimeric tail-anchored membrane (TA) proteins to drug loaded liposomes. Methods and results An artificial TA protein chimera containing the transmembrane domain from the spontaneously inserting TA protein cytochrome b5 (Cytb5) provided a robust membrane tether for the incorporation of three different targeting moieties into preformed liposomes. The moieties investigated were the transactivator of transcription (TAT) peptide, the EGF-receptor binding sequence GE11 and the placental and tumour homing ligand CCGKRK. In all cases, TA protein insertion neither significantly altered the size of the liposomes nor reduced drug loading. The efficacy of this novel targeted delivery system was investigated using two human cell lines, HeLa M and BeWo. Short term incubation with one ligand-modified TA chimera, incorporating the TAT peptide, significantly enhanced liposomal delivery of the encapsulated carboxyfluorescein reporter. Conclusion The Cytb5 TA was successfully employed as a membrane anchor for the incorporation of the desired peptide ligands into a liposomal drug delivery system, with minimal loss of cargo during insertion. This approach therefore provides a viable alternative to chemical conjugation and its potential to accommodate a wider range of targeting ligands may provide an opportunity for enhancing drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbi Abdelrehim
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ling Zhang
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Yechezkel Barenholz
- Lipocure Ltd., Jerusalem, Israel
- Membrane and Liposome Research Lab, Hadassah Medical School of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Stephen High
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Lynda K. Harris
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, Institute of Human Development, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- St. Mary's Hospital, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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185
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Celikkin N, Mastrogiacomo S, Walboomers XF, Swieszkowski W. Enhancing X-ray Attenuation of 3D Printed Gelatin Methacrylate (GelMA) Hydrogels Utilizing Gold Nanoparticles for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications. Polymers (Basel) 2019; 11:E367. [PMID: 30960351 PMCID: PMC6419199 DOI: 10.3390/polym11020367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone tissue engineering is a rapidly growing field which is currently progressing toward clinical applications. Effective imaging methods for longitudinal studies are critical to evaluating the new bone formation and the fate of the scaffolds. Computed tomography (CT) is a prevailing technique employed to investigate hard tissue scaffolds; however, the CT signal becomes weak in mainly-water containing materials, which hinders the use of CT for hydrogels-based materials. Nevertheless, hydrogels such as gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) are widely used for tissue regeneration due to their optimal biological properties and their ability to induce extracellular matrix formation. To date, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been suggested as promising contrast agents, due to their high X-ray attenuation, biocompatibility, and low toxicity. In this study, the effects of different sizes and concentrations of AuNPs on the mechanical properties and the cytocompatibility of the bulk GelMA-AuNPs scaffolds were evaluated. Furthermore, the enhancement of CT contrast with the cytocompatible size and concentration of AuNPs were investigated. 3D printed GelMA and GelMA-AuNPs scaffolds were obtained and assessed for the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Lastly, 3D printed GelMA and GelMA-AuNPs scaffolds were scanned in a bone defect utilizing µCT as the proof of concept that the GelMA-AuNPs are good candidates for bone tissue engineering with enhanced visibility for µCT imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nehar Celikkin
- Faculty of Material Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-661 Warszawa, Poland.
| | - Simone Mastrogiacomo
- Radboud University Medical Center, Department of Biomaterials, Philips van Leijdenlaan 25, 6525 EX, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, 5S261, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - X Frank Walboomers
- Radboud University Medical Center, Department of Biomaterials, Philips van Leijdenlaan 25, 6525 EX, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Wojciech Swieszkowski
- Faculty of Material Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-661 Warszawa, Poland.
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186
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Foulquier C, Huang CN, Nguyen NPT, Thiel A, Wilding-Steel T, Soula J, Yoo M, Ehrenreich A, Meynial-Salles I, Liebl W, Soucaille P. An efficient method for markerless mutant generation by allelic exchange in Clostridium acetobutylicum and Clostridium saccharobutylicum using suicide vectors. Biotechnol Biofuels 2019; 12:31. [PMID: 30809274 PMCID: PMC6375146 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-019-1364-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clostridium acetobutylicum and Clostridium saccharobutylicum are Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacterium capable of converting various sugars and polysaccharides into solvents (acetone, butanol, and ethanol). The sequencing of their genomes has prompted new approaches to genetic analysis, functional genomics, and metabolic engineering to develop industrial strains for the production of biofuels and bulk chemicals. RESULTS The method used in this paper to knock-out, knock-in, or edit genes in C. acetobutylicum and C. saccharobutylicum combines an improved electroporation method with the use of (i) restrictionless Δupp (which encodes uracil phosphoribosyl-transferase) strains and (ii) very small suicide vectors containing a markerless deletion/insertion cassette, an antibiotic resistance gene (for the selection of the first crossing-over) and upp (from C. acetobutylicum) for subsequent use as a counterselectable marker with the aid of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to promote the second crossing-over. This method was successfully used to both delete genes and edit genes in both C. acetobutylicum and C. saccharobutylicum. Among the edited genes, a mutation in the spo0A gene that abolished solvent formation in C. acetobutylicum was introduced in C. saccharobutylicum and shown to produce the same effect. CONCLUSIONS The method described in this study will be useful for functional genomic studies and for the development of industrial strains for the production of biofuels and bulk chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celine Foulquier
- LISBP, INSA, University of Toulouse, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex, France
| | - Ching-Ning Huang
- Chair of Microbiology, Technical University Munchen, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Ngoc-Phuong-Thao Nguyen
- LISBP, INSA, University of Toulouse, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex, France
- Tan Tao University, School of Medicine, University Avenue, Tan Duc e-City, Duc Hoa, Vietnam
| | - Axel Thiel
- LISBP, INSA, University of Toulouse, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex, France
| | - Tom Wilding-Steel
- LISBP, INSA, University of Toulouse, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex, France
| | - Julie Soula
- LISBP, INSA, University of Toulouse, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex, France
| | - Minyeong Yoo
- LISBP, INSA, University of Toulouse, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex, France
- BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre, School of Life Sciences, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Blvd, Nottingham, NG7 2JE UK
| | - Armin Ehrenreich
- Chair of Microbiology, Technical University Munchen, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | | | - Wolfgang Liebl
- Chair of Microbiology, Technical University Munchen, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Philippe Soucaille
- LISBP, INSA, University of Toulouse, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex, France
- BBSRC/EPSRC Synthetic Biology Research Centre, School of Life Sciences, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Blvd, Nottingham, NG7 2JE UK
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187
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Abi Habib W, Brioude F, Azzi S, Rossignol S, Linglart A, Sobrier ML, Giabicani É, Steunou V, Harbison MD, Le Bouc Y, Netchine I. Transcriptional profiling at the DLK1/MEG3 domain explains clinical overlap between imprinting disorders. Sci Adv 2019; 5:eaau9425. [PMID: 30801013 PMCID: PMC6382400 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau9425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Imprinting disorders (IDs) often affect growth in humans, leading to diseases with overlapping features, regardless of the genomic region affected. IDs related to hypomethylation of the human 14q32.2 region and its DLK1/MEG3 domain are associated with Temple syndrome (TS14). TS14 is a rare type of growth retardation, the clinical signs of which overlap considerably with those of Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS), another ID related to IGF2 down-regulation at 11p15.5 region. We show that 14q32.2 hypomethylation affects expression, not only for genes at this locus but also for other imprinted genes, and especially lowers IGF2 levels at 11p15.5. Furthermore, expression of nonimprinted genes is also affected, some of which are also deregulated in SRS patients. These findings highlight the epigenetic regulation of gene expression at the DLK1/MEG3 domain. Expression profiling of TS14 and SRS patients highlights common signatures, which may account for the clinical overlap observed between TS14 and SRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walid Abi Habib
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, UMRS 938, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital Trousseau, Service d’Explorations Fonctionnelles Endocriniennes, Paris, France
| | - Frédéric Brioude
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, UMRS 938, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital Trousseau, Service d’Explorations Fonctionnelles Endocriniennes, Paris, France
| | - Salah Azzi
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, UMRS 938, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital Trousseau, Service d’Explorations Fonctionnelles Endocriniennes, Paris, France
| | - Sylvie Rossignol
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Centre de Référence pour les Anomalies du Développement (FECLAD), Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Agnès Linglart
- Endocrinology and Diabetology for Children and Reference Center for Rare Disorders of Calcium and Phosphate Metabolism, Bicêtre Paris Sud, AP-HP, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
- INSERM U986, INSERM, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Marie-Laure Sobrier
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, UMRS 938, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, Paris, France
| | - Éloïse Giabicani
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, UMRS 938, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital Trousseau, Service d’Explorations Fonctionnelles Endocriniennes, Paris, France
| | - Virginie Steunou
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, UMRS 938, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, Paris, France
| | - Madeleine D. Harbison
- Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yves Le Bouc
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, UMRS 938, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital Trousseau, Service d’Explorations Fonctionnelles Endocriniennes, Paris, France
| | - Irène Netchine
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, UMRS 938, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Hôpital Trousseau, Service d’Explorations Fonctionnelles Endocriniennes, Paris, France
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188
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Silao FGS, Ward M, Ryman K, Wallström A, Brindefalk B, Udekwu K, Ljungdahl PO. Mitochondrial proline catabolism activates Ras1/cAMP/PKA-induced filamentation in Candida albicans. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1007976. [PMID: 30742618 PMCID: PMC6386415 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Amino acids are among the earliest identified inducers of yeast-to-hyphal transitions in Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans. Here, we show that the morphogenic amino acids arginine, ornithine and proline are internalized and metabolized in mitochondria via a PUT1- and PUT2-dependent pathway that results in enhanced ATP production. Elevated ATP levels correlate with Ras1/cAMP/PKA pathway activation and Efg1-induced gene expression. The magnitude of amino acid-induced filamentation is linked to glucose availability; high levels of glucose repress mitochondrial function thereby dampening filamentation. Furthermore, arginine-induced morphogenesis occurs more rapidly and independently of Dur1,2-catalyzed urea degradation, indicating that mitochondrial-generated ATP, not CO2, is the primary morphogenic signal derived from arginine metabolism. The important role of the SPS-sensor of extracellular amino acids in morphogenesis is the consequence of induced amino acid permease gene expression, i.e., SPS-sensor activation enhances the capacity of cells to take up morphogenic amino acids, a requisite for their catabolism. C. albicans cells engulfed by murine macrophages filament, resulting in macrophage lysis. Phagocytosed put1-/- and put2-/- cells do not filament and exhibit reduced viability, consistent with a critical role of mitochondrial proline metabolism in virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fitz Gerald S. Silao
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Meliza Ward
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kicki Ryman
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Axel Wallström
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Björn Brindefalk
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Klas Udekwu
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Per O. Ljungdahl
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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189
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Rodrigues DL, Lopes D, Pereira M, Prada M, Garrido MV. Motivations for Sexual Behavior and Intentions to Use Condoms: Development of the Regulatory Focus in Sexuality Scale. Arch Sex Behav 2019; 48:557-575. [PMID: 30511148 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-018-1316-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Despite recurrent efforts to prevent sexually transmitted diseases through the use of condoms, HIV infections are still prevalent across Europe. Recent research framed by the regulatory focus theory has shown that prevention (vs. promotion)-focused individuals are more likely to adopt strategies to protect their health. Therefore, these individuals should also be more motivated to use condoms, because they are more likely to perceive greater health threats. In two cross-sectional preregistered studies (combined N = 520 Portuguese participants; databases available at https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/zzkc2 ), we developed the new Regulatory Focus in Sexuality scale (Study 1), and tested if the association between prevention focus and intentions to use condoms was mediated by the perception of health threat (Study 2). Results from Study 1 suggested that the scale is reliable and valid. Results from Study 2 showed, as expected, that a predominant focus on prevention was associated with more condom use intentions with casual and regular sexual partners, because individuals perceived greater threat to their health. Additional exploratory analyses further showed that this mediation occurred only for individuals without a romantic relationship and was independent of how salient the condom use norm was. In contrast, for romantically involved individuals, there was no evidence for the mediation by perceived health threat. Instead, a predominant focus on prevention was positively associated with condom use intentions with the regular partner, but only when the condom use norm was more salient. Taken together, these results emphasize the importance of examining individual motivations for safe sex practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Rodrigues
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS-IUL, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Diniz Lopes
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS-IUL, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Marco Pereira
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Marília Prada
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS-IUL, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Margarida V Garrido
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS-IUL, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisbon, Portugal
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190
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Fedeli E, Lancelot A, Dominguez JM, Serrano JL, Calvo P, Sierra T. Self-Assembling Hybrid Linear-Dendritic Block Copolymers: The Design of Nano-Carriers for Lipophilic Antitumoral Drugs. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2019; 9:E161. [PMID: 30699915 PMCID: PMC6409548 DOI: 10.3390/nano9020161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Revised: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Two series of amphiphilic block copolymers with a hybrid linear-dendritic structure are presented. The compounds consisted of a hydrophilic poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) block and a 2,2'-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid (bis-MPA) dendron functionalized with stearic acid chains that impart a hydrophobic nature to the block. Different self-assembled nanostructures with a hydrophobic interior and a hydrophilic external part were obtained depending on the length of the PEG chain (Mn = 2000 and Mn = 5000) and the generation of the bis-MPA dendron. The materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The shapes of the aggregates ranged from spherical or cylindrical micelles to flexible bilayers. The hydrophobic core enabled these nanostructures to encapsulate the water-insoluble drug plitidepsin. The efficacy of these new plitidepsin-containing carriers was evaluated in four cancer cell-lines and they showed similar anticancer activity to the current standard drug formulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Fedeli
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Instituto de Nanociencia de Aragón (INA), Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón (ICMA), Edificio I+D, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain.
- PharmaMar S.A., 28770 Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Alexandre Lancelot
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Instituto de Nanociencia de Aragón (INA), Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón (ICMA), Edificio I+D, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain.
- PharmaMar S.A., 28770 Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, Spain.
| | | | - José Luis Serrano
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Instituto de Nanociencia de Aragón (INA), Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón (ICMA), Edificio I+D, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - Pilar Calvo
- PharmaMar S.A., 28770 Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Teresa Sierra
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Aragón (ICMA), Facultad de Ciencias, CSIC, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
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Arenaz-Callao MP, González del Río R, Lucía Quintana A, Thompson CJ, Mendoza-Losana A, Ramón-García S. Triple oral beta-lactam containing therapy for Buruli ulcer treatment shortening. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007126. [PMID: 30689630 PMCID: PMC6366712 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The potential use of clinically approved beta-lactams for Buruli ulcer (BU) treatment was investigated with representative classes analyzed in vitro for activity against Mycobacterium ulcerans. Beta-lactams tested were effective alone and displayed a strong synergistic profile in combination with antibiotics currently used to treat BU, i.e. rifampicin and clarithromycin; this activity was further potentiated in the presence of the beta-lactamase inhibitor clavulanate. In addition, quadruple combinations of rifampicin, clarithromycin, clavulanate and beta-lactams resulted in multiplicative reductions in their minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. The MIC of amoxicillin against a panel of clinical isolates decreased more than 200-fold within this quadruple combination. Amoxicillin/clavulanate formulations are readily available with clinical pedigree, low toxicity, and orally and pediatric available; thus, supporting its potential inclusion as a new anti-BU drug in current combination therapies. Buruli ulcer (BU) is a chronic debilitating disease of the skin and soft tissue, mainly affecting children and young adults in tropical regions. Before 2004, the only treatment option was surgery; a major breakthrough was the discovery that BU could be cured in most cases with a standard treatment that involved 8 weeks of combination therapy with rifampicin and streptomycin. However, the use of streptomycin is often associated with severe side effects such as ototoxicity, or nephrotoxicity. More recently, a clinical trial demonstrated equipotency of replacing the injectable streptomycin by the clarithromycin, which is orally available and associated with fewer side effects. BU treatment is now moving toward a full orally available treatment of clarithromycin-rifampicin. Although effective and mostly well tolerated, this new treatment is still associated with side effects and only moxifloxacin is additionally recommended by WHO for BU therapy. New drugs are thus needed to increase the number of available treatments, reduce side effects, and improve efficacy with treatments shorter than 8 weeks. In this work, we describe for the first time the potential inclusion of beta-lactams in BU therapy. More specifically, we propose the use of amoxicillin/clavulanate since it is oral, suitable for the treatment of children, and readily available with a long track record of clinical pedigree. Its inclusion in a triple oral therapy complementing current combinatorial rifampicin-clarithromycin treatment has the potential to counteract resistance development and to reduce length of treatment and time to cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Pilar Arenaz-Callao
- Research & Development Agency of Aragon (ARAID) Foundation, Zaragoza, Spain
- Global Health R&D, GlaxoSmithKline, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Ainhoa Lucía Quintana
- Mycobacterial Genetics Group. Department of Microbiology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health. Faculty of Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Charles J. Thompson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Canada
| | | | - Santiago Ramón-García
- Research & Development Agency of Aragon (ARAID) Foundation, Zaragoza, Spain
- Global Health R&D, GlaxoSmithKline, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain
- Mycobacterial Genetics Group. Department of Microbiology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health. Faculty of Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Canada
- * E-mail: (AML); (SRG)
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192
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Mattsson BJ, Fischborn M, Brunson M, Vacik H. Introducing and evaluating a knowledge transfer approach to support problem solving in and around protected areas. Ambio 2019; 48:13-24. [PMID: 29603101 PMCID: PMC6297101 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-018-1048-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Protected areas (PAs) can generate many benefits inside and outside their borders, and achieving objectives for diverse stakeholders raises many challenges. There are many examples of successful PA management around the globe, although a systematic and comprehensive approach to developing and sharing these solutions has been lacking. We present "solutioning" as a structured process of peer-learning, which can inform management strategies in and around protected areas. We explain how the PANORAMA-Solutions for a Healthy Planet initiative has put solutioning into practice through an interactive community and web portal to learn about protected area solutions around the globe. Unlike other web platforms and initiatives reviewed, PANORAMA facilitates adaptation of solution elements (i.e., building blocks) for novel implementation. Supported by theories of resilience and peer-learning, PANORAMA appears to have potential to promote efficiency and equitable benefits for PAs and associated stakeholders focused on nature conservation and sustainable development, although further research is needed to assess whether this learning leads to better solutions or more effective PA management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brady J. Mattsson
- Institute of Silviculture, Institute of Wildlife Biology & Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Marie Fischborn
- Global Protected Areas Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
| | - Mark Brunson
- Department of Environment and Society, Utah State University, 5215 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-5215 USA
| | - Harald Vacik
- Institute of Silviculture, Institute of Wildlife Biology & Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
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193
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Prada M, Garrido MV, Camilo C, Rodrigues DL. Subjective ratings and emotional recognition of children's facial expressions from the CAFE set. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0209644. [PMID: 30589868 PMCID: PMC6307702 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Access to validated stimuli depicting children's facial expressions is useful for different research domains (e.g., developmental, cognitive or social psychology). Yet, such databases are scarce in comparison to others portraying adult models, and validation procedures are typically restricted to emotional recognition accuracy. This work presents subjective ratings for a sub-set of 283 photographs selected from the Child Affective Facial Expression set (CAFE [1]). Extending beyond the original emotion recognition accuracy norms [2], our main goal was to validate this database across eight subjective dimensions related to the model (e.g., attractiveness, familiarity) or the specific facial expression (e.g., intensity, genuineness), using a sample from a different nationality (N = 450 Portuguese participants). We also assessed emotion recognition (forced-choice task with seven options: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise and neutral). Overall results show that most photographs were rated as highly clear, genuine and intense facial expressions. The models were rated as both moderately familiar and likely to belong to the in-group, obtaining high attractiveness and arousal ratings. Results also showed that, similarly to the original study, the facial expressions were accurately recognized. Normative and raw data are available as supplementary material at https://osf.io/mjqfx/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marília Prada
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS - IUL, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Margarida V. Garrido
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS - IUL, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Camilo
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS - IUL, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - David L. Rodrigues
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS - IUL, Lisboa, Portugal
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194
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Jacquiod S, Nunes I, Brejnrod A, Hansen MA, Holm PE, Johansen A, Brandt KK, Priemé A, Sørensen SJ. Long-term soil metal exposure impaired temporal variation in microbial metatranscriptomes and enriched active phages. Microbiome 2018; 6:223. [PMID: 30545417 PMCID: PMC6292020 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-018-0606-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND It remains unclear whether adaptation and changes in diversity associated to a long-term perturbation are sufficient to ensure functional resilience of soil microbial communities. We used RNA-based approaches (16S rRNA gene transcript amplicon coupled to shotgun mRNA sequencing) to study the legacy effects of a century-long soil copper (Cu) pollution on microbial activity and composition, as well as its effect on the capacity of the microbial community to react to temporal fluctuations. RESULTS Despite evidence of microbial adaptation (e.g., iron homeostasis and avoidance/resistance strategies), increased heterogeneity and richness loss in transcribed gene pools were observed with increasing soil Cu, together with an unexpected predominance of phage mRNA signatures. Apparently, phage activation was either triggered directly by Cu, or indirectly via enhanced expression of DNA repair/SOS response systems in Cu-exposed bacteria. Even though total soil carbon and nitrogen had accumulated with increasing Cu, a reduction in temporally induced mRNA functions was observed. Microbial temporal response groups (TRGs, groups of microbes with a specific temporal response) were heavily affected by Cu, both in abundance and phylogenetic composition. CONCLUSION Altogether, results point toward a Cu-mediated "decoupling" between environmental fluctuations and microbial activity, where Cu-exposed microbes stopped fulfilling their expected contributions to soil functioning relative to the control. Nevertheless, some functions remained active in February despite Cu, concomitant with an increase in phage mRNA signatures, highlighting that somehow, microbial activity is still happening under these adverse conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Jacquiod
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Univ Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 17 rue Sully, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Inês Nunes
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Present address: Microbe Technology Department, Novozymes A/S, Krogshoejvej 36, 2880, Bagsværd, Denmark
| | - Asker Brejnrod
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Present address: Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3A, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin A Hansen
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Peter E Holm
- Present address: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Anders Johansen
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Kristian K Brandt
- Present address: Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Anders Priemé
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Søren J Sørensen
- Section of Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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195
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Alocci D, Suchánková P, Costa R, Hory N, Mariethoz J, Vařeková RS, Toukach P, Lisacek F. SugarSketcher: Quick and Intuitive Online Glycan Drawing. Molecules 2018; 23:E3206. [PMID: 30563078 PMCID: PMC6320881 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23123206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Revised: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
SugarSketcher is an intuitive and fast JavaScript interface module for online drawing of glycan structures in the popular Symbol Nomenclature for Glycans (SNFG) notation and exporting them to various commonly used formats encoding carbohydrate sequences (e.g., GlycoCT) or quality images (e.g., svg). It does not require a backend server or any specific browser plugins and can be integrated in any web glycoinformatics project. SugarSketcher allows drawing glycans both for glycobiologists and non-expert users. The "quick mode" allows a newcomer to build up a glycan structure having only a limited knowledge in carbohydrate chemistry. The "normal mode" integrates advanced options which enable glycobiologists to tailor complex carbohydrate structures. The source code is freely available on GitHub and glycoinformaticians are encouraged to participate in the development process while users are invited to test a prototype available on the ExPASY web-site and send feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Alocci
- Proteome Informatics Group, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
- Computer Science Department, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Pavla Suchánková
- CEITEC⁻Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University Brno, 625 00 Brno-Bohunice, Czech Republic.
- National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, 625 00 Brno-Bohunice, Czech Republic.
| | - Renaud Costa
- Polytech Nice Sophia, Campus SophiaTech, 06903 Sophia-Antipolis, France.
| | - Nicolas Hory
- Polytech Nice Sophia, Campus SophiaTech, 06903 Sophia-Antipolis, France.
| | - Julien Mariethoz
- Proteome Informatics Group, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
- Computer Science Department, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Radka Svobodová Vařeková
- CEITEC⁻Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University Brno, 625 00 Brno-Bohunice, Czech Republic.
- National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, 625 00 Brno-Bohunice, Czech Republic.
| | - Philip Toukach
- Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
| | - Frédérique Lisacek
- Proteome Informatics Group, SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
- Computer Science Department, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
- Section of Biology, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
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196
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Li K, Anderson G, Viallon V, Arveux P, Kvaskoff M, Fournier A, Krogh V, Tumino R, Sánchez MJ, Ardanaz E, Chirlaque MD, Agudo A, Muller DC, Smith T, Tzoulaki I, Key TJ, Bueno-de-Mesquita B, Trichopoulou A, Bamia C, Orfanos P, Kaaks R, Hüsing A, Fortner RT, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, Sund M, Dahm CC, Overvad K, Aune D, Weiderpass E, Romieu I, Riboli E, Gunter MJ, Dossus L, Prentice R, Ferrari P. Risk prediction for estrogen receptor-specific breast cancers in two large prospective cohorts. Breast Cancer Res 2018; 20:147. [PMID: 30509329 PMCID: PMC6276150 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-018-1073-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few published breast cancer (BC) risk prediction models consider the heterogeneity of predictor variables between estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) and negative (ER-) tumors. Using data from two large cohorts, we examined whether modeling this heterogeneity could improve prediction. METHODS We built two models, for ER+ (ModelER+) and ER- tumors (ModelER-), respectively, in 281,330 women (51% postmenopausal at recruitment) from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort. Discrimination (C-statistic) and calibration (the agreement between predicted and observed tumor risks) were assessed both internally and externally in 82,319 postmenopausal women from the Women's Health Initiative study. We performed decision curve analysis to compare ModelER+ and the Gail model (ModelGail) regarding their applicability in risk assessment for chemoprevention. RESULTS Parity, number of full-term pregnancies, age at first full-term pregnancy and body height were only associated with ER+ tumors. Menopausal status, age at menarche and at menopause, hormone replacement therapy, postmenopausal body mass index, and alcohol intake were homogeneously associated with ER+ and ER- tumors. Internal validation yielded a C-statistic of 0.64 for ModelER+ and 0.59 for ModelER-. External validation reduced the C-statistic of ModelER+ (0.59) and ModelGail (0.57). In external evaluation of calibration, ModelER+ outperformed the ModelGail: the former led to a 9% overestimation of the risk of ER+ tumors, while the latter yielded a 22% underestimation of the overall BC risk. Compared with the treat-all strategy, ModelER+ produced equal or higher net benefits irrespective of the benefit-to-harm ratio of chemoprevention, while ModelGail did not produce higher net benefits unless the benefit-to-harm ratio was below 50. The clinical applicability, i.e. the area defined by the net benefit curve and the treat-all and treat-none strategies, was 12.7 × 10- 6 for ModelER+ and 3.0 × 10- 6 for ModelGail. CONCLUSIONS Modeling heterogeneous epidemiological risk factors might yield little improvement in BC risk prediction. Nevertheless, a model specifically predictive of ER+ tumor risk could be more applicable than an omnibus model in risk assessment for chemoprevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuanrong Li
- Nutritional Methodology and Biostatistics Group, Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France
| | - Garnet Anderson
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, USA
| | - Vivian Viallon
- Nutritional Methodology and Biostatistics Group, Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France
| | - Patrick Arveux
- Breast and Gynaecologic Cancer Registry of Côte d’Or, Georges-François Leclerc Comprehensive Cancer Care Centre, Dijon, France
- EA 4184, Medical School, University of Burgundy, Dijon, France
- CESP, INSERM U1018, Univ. Paris-Sud, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Marina Kvaskoff
- CESP, INSERM U1018, Univ. Paris-Sud, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Agnès Fournier
- CESP, INSERM U1018, Univ. Paris-Sud, UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Vittorio Krogh
- Epidemiology and Prevention Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Rosario Tumino
- Cancer Registry and Histopathology Department, “Civic-M. P.Arezzo” Hospital, ASP, Ragusa, Italy
| | - Maria-Jose Sánchez
- Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs. GRANADA, Hospitales Universitarios de Granada/ Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Eva Ardanaz
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Navarra Public Health Institute, Pamplona, Spain
- IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Spain
| | - María-Dolores Chirlaque
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Council, IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain
- Department of Health and Social Sciences, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Antonio Agudo
- Unit of Nutrition and Cancer. Cancer Epidemiology Research Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology-IDIBELL. L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David C. Muller
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Todd Smith
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ioanna Tzoulaki
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Timothy J. Key
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department for Determinants of Chronic Diseases, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Social & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Antonia Trichopoulou
- Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece
- WHO Collaborating Center for Nutrition and Health, Unit of Nutritional Epidemiology and Nutrition in Public Health, Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Christina Bamia
- Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece
- WHO Collaborating Center for Nutrition and Health, Unit of Nutritional Epidemiology and Nutrition in Public Health, Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Philippos Orfanos
- Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece
- WHO Collaborating Center for Nutrition and Health, Unit of Nutritional Epidemiology and Nutrition in Public Health, Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Rudolf Kaaks
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anika Hüsing
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Renée T. Fortner
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anne Zeleniuch-Jacquotte
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA
- Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA
- Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Nutritional Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Malin Sund
- Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Christina C. Dahm
- Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Kim Overvad
- Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Cardiology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Dagfinn Aune
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Nutrition, Bjørknes University College, Oslo, Norway
| | - Elisabete Weiderpass
- Department of Research, Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of Population-Based Cancer Research, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Genetic Epidemiology Group, Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Isabelle Romieu
- Nutritional Epidemiology Group, Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Elio Riboli
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Marc J. Gunter
- Nutritional Epidemiology Group, Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Laure Dossus
- Biomarkers Group, Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Ross Prentice
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, USA
| | - Pietro Ferrari
- Nutritional Methodology and Biostatistics Group, Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 150 cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France
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197
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Bencatel J, Ferreira CC, Barbosa AM, Rosalino LM, Álvares F. Research trends and geographical distribution of mammalian carnivores in Portugal (SW Europe). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0207866. [PMID: 30496223 PMCID: PMC6264823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Information regarding species’ status at a regional scale is instrumental for effective conservation planning. Some regions of southwestern Europe, such as Portugal, albeit included in the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot, lack a detailed assessment of the distribution patterns of several taxonomic groups, such as carnivores. Moreover, information is scattered, often unreliable and biased towards some species or regions. This study aimed at reviewing the existing knowledge on mammalian terrestrial carnivores in Portugal, to analyse research trends, update the species checklist and assess their historical and current distribution patterns. We conducted a comprehensive review of 755 scientific studies to analyse several publication metrics and compiled 20,189 presence records of all mammalian terrestrial carnivores occurring in Portugal since historical times to evaluate their distribution patterns. Carnivore research in Portugal began in the 18th century, with a recent boost in the mid-1990s, and has been biased towards certain research topics and regionally threatened species. There are 15 extant species in Portugal, with nine occurring across the country, six showing a more limited range, as well as one additional species currently locally extinct (Ursus arctos). Over the last decades, the distribution ranges of seven species apparently remained stable, two expanded, two contracted, and three showed unclear trends. The presence of a new invasive carnivore, the raccoon (Procyon lotor), is also documented here. This study illustrates the relevance of a comprehensive analysis of non-systematic data to assess the historic and current status of mammalian terrestrial carnivores at a national level, and to identify knowledge gaps and research priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Bencatel
- CIBIO/InBio, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- * E-mail:
| | - Catarina C. Ferreira
- UFZ—Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Conservation Biology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | | | - Luís Miguel Rosalino
- Center for Environmental and Marine Studies–CESAM, Aveiro, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Francisco Álvares
- CIBIO/InBio, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
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Niegelhell K, Ganner T, Plank H, Jantscher-Krenn E, Spirk S. Lectins at Interfaces-An Atomic Force Microscopy and Multi-Parameter-Surface Plasmon Resonance Study. Materials (Basel) 2018; 11:E2348. [PMID: 30469499 PMCID: PMC6316747 DOI: 10.3390/ma11122348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Lectins are a diverse class of carbohydrate binding proteins with pivotal roles in cell communication and signaling in many (patho)physiologic processes in the human body, making them promising targets in drug development, for instance, in cancer or infectious diseases. Other applications of lectins employ their ability to recognize specific glycan epitopes in biosensors and glycan microarrays. While a lot of research has focused on lectin interaction with specific carbohydrates, the interaction potential of lectins with different types of surfaces has not been addressed extensively. Here, we screen the interaction of two specific plant lectins, Concanavalin A and Ulex Europaeus Agglutinin-I with different nanoscopic thin films. As a control, the same experiments were performed with Bovine Serum Albumin, a widely used marker for non-specific protein adsorption. In order to test the preferred type of interaction during adsorption, hydrophobic, hydrophilic and charged polymer films were explored, such as polystyrene, cellulose, N,-N,-N-trimethylchitosan chloride and gold, and characterized in terms of wettability, surface free energy, zeta potential and morphology. Atomic force microscopy images of surfaces after protein adsorption correlated very well with the observed mass of adsorbed protein. Surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy studies revealed low adsorbed amounts and slow kinetics for all of the investigated proteins for hydrophilic surfaces, making those resistant to non-specific interactions. As a consequence, they may serve as favorable supports for biosensors, since the use of blocking agents is not necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Niegelhell
- Institute for Paper-, Pulp- and Fiber Technology, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 23, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Thomas Ganner
- Institute for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis, Graz University of Technology, Steyrergasse 17, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Harald Plank
- Institute for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis, Graz University of Technology, Steyrergasse 17, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Evelyn Jantscher-Krenn
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 14, 8036 Graz, Austria.
| | - Stefan Spirk
- Institute for Paper-, Pulp- and Fiber Technology, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 23, 8010 Graz, Austria.
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199
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Kloog I, Novack L, Erez O, Just AC, Raz R. Associations between ambient air temperature, low birth weight and small for gestational age in term neonates in southern Israel. Environ Health 2018; 17:76. [PMID: 30413171 PMCID: PMC6234799 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-018-0420-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The increase in ambient temperatures (Ta) and emissions of greenhouse gases over the last century has focused attention on the effects of ambient temperatures on health outcomes. We aimed to investigate the association between Ta and the clinical measures of term low birth weight (tLBW) and small for gestational age (SGA) in singleton term infants using a decade of regional hospital data in southern Israel. METHODS We linked all births in Soroka University Medical Center in the southern district of Israel insured by Clalit Health Services with pregnancy Ta estimated by our novel hybrid spatio-temporally resolved prediction model. Logistic regression generalized additive models and general linear models were used, with either tLBW or SGA as the dependent variable, modeling entire pregnancy and trimester-specific Ta adjusting for seasonality, time trend, particulate matter, maternal age, gravidity, parity, ethnicity, sex, poverty index and population density. RESULTS The study population included 56,141 singleton term newborns, with 1716 (3.1%) cases of tLBW and 8634 (15.4%) cases of SGA. The average and the median Ta across the entire pregnancy were 19.9 (SD: 1.77, range: 14.6-24.9) degrees centigrade. The lowest Ta quartile (Ta = < 18.5) was associated with higher risk of tLBW (odds ratio = 1.33, 95%CI 1.11-1.58) while the highest Ta quartile (Ta > =21.3) was not significantly associated with tLBW (odds ratio = 1.17, 95%CI 0.99-1.38), in comparison to the two intermediate quartiles. When analyzing SGA as the dependent variable, the lowest Ta quartile was associated with significantly higher risk of SGA (odds ratio = 1.18, 95%CI 1.09-1.29) while the highest quartile was associated with significantly lower risk of SGA (odds ratio = 0.91, 95%CI 0.84-0.99) in comparison to the two intermediate quartiles. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that lower pregnancy Ta may increase the risk of tLBW and SGA, and higher pregnancy Ta may decrease the risk of SGA in singleton term infants in southern Israel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itai Kloog
- Department of Geography and Environmental Development, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B, 653 Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Lena Novack
- Department of Public Health, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B, 653 Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Offer Erez
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Soroka medical center, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Allan C. Just
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - Raanan Raz
- Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of medicine, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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200
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Chartier TF, Deschamps J, Dürichen W, Jékely G, Arendt D. Whole-head recording of chemosensory activity in the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii. Open Biol 2018; 8:180139. [PMID: 30381362 PMCID: PMC6223215 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.180139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical detection is key to various behaviours in both marine and terrestrial animals. Marine species, though highly diverse, have been underrepresented so far in studies on chemosensory systems, and our knowledge mostly concerns the detection of airborne cues. A broader comparative approach is therefore desirable. Marine annelid worms with their rich behavioural repertoire represent attractive models for chemosensation. Here, we study the marine worm Platynereis dumerilii to provide the first comprehensive investigation of head chemosensory organ physiology in an annelid. By combining microfluidics and calcium imaging, we record neuronal activity in the entire head of early juveniles upon chemical stimulation. We find that Platynereis uses four types of organs to detect stimuli such as alcohols, esters, amino acids and sugars. Antennae are the main chemosensory organs, compared to the more differentially responding nuchal organs or palps. We report chemically evoked activity in possible downstream brain regions including the mushroom bodies (MBs), which are anatomically and molecularly similar to insect MBs. We conclude that chemosensation is a major sensory modality for marine annelids and propose early Platynereis juveniles as a model to study annelid chemosensory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas F Chartier
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Joran Deschamps
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wiebke Dürichen
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Gáspár Jékely
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Detlev Arendt
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
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