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Zhang X, Li J, Gerry AC. Seasonal change and influence of environmental variables on host-seeking activity of the biting midge Culicoides sonorensis at a southern California dairy, USA. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:212. [PMID: 38730488 PMCID: PMC11083819 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06290-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As a primary vector of bluetongue virus (BTV) in the US, seasonal abundance and diel flight activity of Culicoides sonorensis has been documented, but few studies have examined how time of host-seeking activity is impacted by environmental factors. This knowledge is essential for interpreting surveillance data and modeling pathogen transmission risk. METHODS The diel host-seeking activity of C. sonorensis was studied on a California dairy over 3 years using a time-segregated trap baited with CO2. The relationship between environmental variables and diel host-seeking activity (start, peak, and duration of activity) of C. sonorensis was evaluated using multiple linear regression. Fisher's exact test and paired-sample z-test were used to evaluate the seasonal difference and parity difference on diel host-seeking activity. RESULTS Host-seeking by C. sonorensis began and reached an activity peak before sunset at a higher frequency during colder months relative to warmer months. The time that host-seeking activity occurred was associated low and high daily temperature as well as wind speed at sunset. Colder temperatures and a greater diurnal temperature range were associated with an earlier peak in host-seeking. Higher wind speeds at sunset were associated with a delayed peak in host-seeking and a shortened duration of host-seeking. Parous midges reached peak host-seeking activity slightly later than nulliparous midges, possibly because of the need for oviposition by gravid females before returning to host-seeking. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that during colder months C. sonorensis initiates host-seeking and reaches peak host-seeking activity earlier relative to sunset, often even before sunset, compared to warmer months. Therefore, the commonly used UV light-baited traps are ineffective for midge surveillance before sunset. Based on this study, surveillance methods that do not rely on light trapping would provide a more accurate estimate of host-biting risk across seasons. The association of environmental factors to host-seeking shown in this study can be used to improve modeling or prediction of host-seeking activity. This study identified diurnal temperature range as associated with host-seeking activity, suggesting that Culicoides may respond to a rapidly decreasing temperature by shifting to an earlier host-seeking time, though this association needs further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinmi Zhang
- Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Statistics, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Alec C Gerry
- Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
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2
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Perry S, Clark JT, Ngo P, Ray A. Receptors underlying an odorant's valence across concentrations in Drosophila larvae. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb247215. [PMID: 38511428 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.247215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Odorants interact with receptors expressed in specialized olfactory neurons, and neurons of the same class send their axons to distinct glomeruli in the brain. The stereotypic spatial glomerular activity map generates recognition and the behavioral response for the odorant. The valence of an odorant changes with concentration, typically becoming aversive at higher concentrations. Interestingly, in Drosophila larvae, the odorant (E)-2-hexenal is aversive at low concentrations and attractive at higher concentrations. We investigated the molecular and neural basis of this phenomenon, focusing on how activities of different olfactory neurons conveying opposing effects dictate behaviors. We identified the repellant neuron in the larvae as one expressing the olfactory receptor Or7a, whose activation alone at low concentrations of (E)-2-hexenal elicits an avoidance response in an Or7a-dependent manner. We demonstrate that avoidance can be overcome at higher concentrations by activation of additional neurons that are known to be attractive, most notably odorants that are known activators of Or42a and Or85c. These findings suggest that in the larval stage, the attraction-conveying neurons can overcome the aversion-conveying channels for (E)-2-hexenal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Perry
- Graduate program in Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Jonathan T Clark
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Paulina Ngo
- Department of Molecular Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Anandasankar Ray
- Graduate program in Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
- Department of Molecular Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
- Center for Disease Vector Research, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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3
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Cui Y, Chen K, Zhang H, Lin YH, Bahreini R. Chemical Composition and Optical Properties of Secondary Organic Aerosol from Photooxidation of Volatile Organic Compound Mixtures. ACS EST Air 2024; 1:247-258. [PMID: 38633205 PMCID: PMC11019549 DOI: 10.1021/acsestair.3c00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
The chemical and optical properties of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) have been widely studied through environmental chamber experiments, and some of the results have been parametrized in atmospheric models to help understand their radiative effects and climate influence. While most chamber studies investigate the aerosol formed from a single volatile organic compound (VOC), the potential interactions between reactive intermediates derived from VOC mixtures are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the SOA formed from pure and mixtures of anthropogenic (phenol and 1-methylnaphthalene) and/or biogenic (longifolene) VOCs using continuous-flow, high-NOx photooxidation chamber experiments to better mimic ambient conditions. SOA optical properties, including single scattering albedo (SSA), mass absorption coefficient (MAC), and refractive index (RI) at 375 nm, and chemical composition, including the formation of oxygenated organic compounds, organic-nitrogen compounds (including organonitrates and nitro-organics), and the molecular structure of the major chromophores, were explored. Additionally, the imaginary refractive index values of SOA in the multi-VOC system were predicted using a linear-combination assumption and compared with the measured values. When two VOCs were oxidized simultaneously, we found evidence for changes in SOA chemical composition compared to SOA formed from single-VOC systems, and this change led to nonlinear effects on SOA optical properties. The nonlinear effects were found to vary between different systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumeng Cui
- Department
of Environmental Sciences, University of
California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Kunpeng Chen
- Department
of Environmental Sciences, University of
California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Haofei Zhang
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Ying-Hsuan Lin
- Department
of Environmental Sciences, University of
California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Roya Bahreini
- Department
of Environmental Sciences, University of
California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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Haga-Yamanaka S, Nunez-Flores R, Scott CA, Perry S, Chen ST, Pontrello C, Nair MG, Ray A. Plasticity of gene expression in the nervous system by exposure to environmental odorants that inhibit HDACs. eLife 2024; 12:RP86823. [PMID: 38411140 PMCID: PMC10942631 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotes respond to secreted metabolites from the microbiome. However, little is known about the effects of exposure to volatiles emitted by microbes or in the environment that we are exposed to over longer durations. Using Drosophila melanogaster, we evaluated a yeast-emitted volatile, diacetyl, found at high levels around fermenting fruits where they spend long periods of time. Exposure to the diacetyl molecules in headspace alters gene expression in the antenna. In vitro experiments demonstrated that diacetyl and structurally related volatiles inhibited conserved histone deacetylases (HDACs), increased histone-H3K9 acetylation in human cells, and caused changes in gene expression in both Drosophila and mice. Diacetyl crosses the blood-brain barrier and exposure caused modulation of gene expression in the mouse brain, therefore showing potential as a neuro-therapeutic. Using two separate disease models previously known to be responsive to HDAC inhibitors, we evaluated the physiological effects of volatile exposure. Diacetyl exposure halted proliferation of a neuroblastoma cell line in culture. Exposure to diacetyl vapors slowed progression of neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model for Huntington's disease. These changes strongly suggest that certain volatiles in the surroundings can have profound effects on histone acetylation, gene expression, and physiology in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachiko Haga-Yamanaka
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of CaliforniaRiversideUnited States
| | - Rogelio Nunez-Flores
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of CaliforniaRiversideUnited States
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of CaliforniaRiversideUnited States
| | - Christi A Scott
- Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology Program, University of CaliforniaRiversideUnited States
| | - Sarah Perry
- Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics Program, University of CaliforniaRiversideUnited States
| | - Stephanie Turner Chen
- Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology Program, University of CaliforniaRiversideUnited States
| | - Crystal Pontrello
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of CaliforniaRiversideUnited States
| | - Meera G Nair
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of CaliforniaRiversideUnited States
| | - Anandasankar Ray
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of CaliforniaRiversideUnited States
- Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology Program, University of CaliforniaRiversideUnited States
- Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics Program, University of CaliforniaRiversideUnited States
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Ramadoss N, Steele S, Flores-Rentería L. Influence of sexual dimorphism and dichromatism on reproductive success in a rare native cactus. Oecologia 2023; 203:383-394. [PMID: 37955714 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05473-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Identifying plant sexual dimorphic traits is critical in advancing our knowledge on plant-pollinator interactions. For example, dimorphism in floral colors, or sexual dichromatism, is a crucial mediator of pollinator choice on foraging decisions. We studied Cylindropuntia wolfii, a model system, with diverse flower colors and a functionally dioecious sexual system. However, evidence suggests that sexual reproduction is limited in this species as it has a low seed set especially in naturally pollinated fruits. Thus, it is critical to this native species' conservation to investigate its relationship with pollinators. Our goals were to: (a) investigate the sexual dimorphism including the sexual dichromatism in the flowers of the cactus, and (b) determine whether sexually dimorphic traits affect the pollinator attraction of both the sexes. We measured several quantitative and qualitative traits and compared them between male and female flowers. Then we recorded the pollinator visitation rate in nature for both sexes and tracked pollinator color preference using fluorescent dyes as pollen analogues. Our study showed that male flowers of C. wolfii are bigger and brighter, and they attract more potential pollinators than females, supporting the hypothesis that sexual dimorphism influences pollinator visitation preference. Fluorescence dichromatism, in which female flowers' anthers fluoresce more than male flower anthers suggest this could be female flowers' strategy to compensate for their dark colors and small size. The results from this study showed that C. wolfii exhibits sexual dichromatism and fluorescence dichromatism, which is a novel finding in plant research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Scarlet Steele
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Song A, Phandthong R, Talbot P. Endocytosis inhibitors block SARS-CoV-2 pseudoparticle infection of mink lung epithelium. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1258975. [PMID: 38033586 PMCID: PMC10682793 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1258975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Both spill over and spill back of SARS-CoV-2 virus have been reported on mink farms in Europe and the United States. Zoonosis is a public health concern as dangerous mutated forms of the virus could be introduced into the human population through spillback. Methods The purpose of our study was to determine the SARS-CoV-2 entry mechanism using the mink lung epithelial cell line (Mv1Lu) and to block entry with drug inhibitors. Results Mv1Lu cells were susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 viral pseudoparticle infection, validating them as a suitable disease model for COVID-19. Inhibitors of TMPRSS2 and of endocytosis, two pathways of viral entry, were tested to identify those that blocked infection. TMPRSS2 inhibitors had minimal impact, which can be explained by the apparent lack of activity of this enzyme in the mink and its localization within the cell, not on the cell surface. Discussion Dyngo4a, a small molecule endocytosis inhibitor, significantly reduced infection, supporting the conclusion that the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 virus into Mv1Lu cells occurs primarily through endocytosis. The small molecule inhibitors that were effective in this study could potentially be used therapeutically to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in mink populations. This study will facilitate the development of therapeutics to prevent zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variants to other animals, including humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Song
- Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Rattapol Phandthong
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Prue Talbot
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
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7
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Chieb M, Gachomo EW. The role of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria in plant drought stress responses. BMC Plant Biol 2023; 23:407. [PMID: 37626328 PMCID: PMC10464363 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04403-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [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: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Climate change has exacerbated the effects of abiotic stresses on plant growth and productivity. Drought is one of the most important abiotic stress factors that interfere with plant growth and development. Plant selection and breeding as well as genetic engineering methods used to improve crop drought tolerance are expensive and time consuming. Plants use a myriad of adaptative mechanisms to cope with the adverse effects of drought stress including the association with beneficial microorganisms such as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Inoculation of plant roots with different PGPR species has been shown to promote drought tolerance through a variety of interconnected physiological, biochemical, molecular, nutritional, metabolic, and cellular processes, which include enhanced plant growth, root elongation, phytohormone production or inhibition, and production of volatile organic compounds. Therefore, plant colonization by PGPR is an eco-friendly agricultural method to improve plant growth and productivity. Notably, the processes regulated and enhanced by PGPR can promote plant growth as well as enhance drought tolerance. This review addresses the current knowledge on how drought stress affects plant growth and development and describes how PGPR can trigger plant drought stress responses at the physiological, morphological, and molecular levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maha Chieb
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92507, USA
| | - Emma W Gachomo
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92507, USA.
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8
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Leanos S, Kürüm E, Strickland-Hughes CM, Ditta AS, Nguyen G, Felix M, Yum H, Rebok GW, Wu R. The Impact of Learning Multiple Real-World Skills on Cognitive Abilities and Functional Independence in Healthy Older Adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2023; 78:1305-1317. [PMID: 37171401 PMCID: PMC10394988 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbad053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The natural learning experience from infancy to emerging adulthood, when considerable cognitive and functional growth is observed, mandates learning multiple real-world skills simultaneously. The present studies investigated whether learning multiple real-world skills simultaneously is possible in older adults and also whether it improves both their cognitive abilities (working memory, episodic memory, and cognitive control) and functional independence. METHODS Over two studies (15 and 27 participants), older adults learned at least three new skills (e.g., Spanish, drawing, music composition) simultaneously for 3 months. Participants completed cognitive and functional assessments before, during, and after the intervention in both studies. Participants were recruited sequentially for an intervention or no-contact control group in Study 1, and Study 2 included only an intervention group, who also completed assessments 4-6 weeks prior to the start of the intervention (i.e., they served as their own control group). RESULTS Results from both studies show that simultaneously learning multiple skills is feasible and potentially beneficial for healthy older adults. Learning multiple skills simultaneously increased cognitive abilities in older adults by midpoint of the intervention, to levels similar to performance in a separate sample of middle-aged adults. DISCUSSION Our findings demonstrate the feasibility and potential of conducting a real-world skill-learning intervention involving learning three novel skills with older adults. Our multiskill intervention may provide broad cognitive gains, akin to the benefits experienced earlier in the life span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirley Leanos
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Esra Kürüm
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | | | - Annie S Ditta
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Gianhu Nguyen
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Miranda Felix
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Hara Yum
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - George W Rebok
- Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Rachel Wu
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
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Quanrud GM, Lyu Z, Balamurugan SV, Canizal C, Wu HT, Genereux JC. Cellular Exposure to Chloroacetanilide Herbicides Induces Distinct Protein Destabilization Profiles. ACS Chem Biol 2023; 18:1661-1676. [PMID: 37427419 PMCID: PMC10367052 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00338] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Herbicides in the widely used chloroacetanilide class harbor a potent electrophilic moiety, which can damage proteins through nucleophilic substitution. In general, damaged proteins are subject to misfolding. Accumulation of misfolded proteins compromises cellular integrity by disrupting cellular proteostasis networks, which can further destabilize the cellular proteome. While direct conjugation targets can be discovered through affinity-based protein profiling, there are few approaches to probe how cellular exposure to toxicants impacts the stability of the proteome. We apply a quantitative proteomics methodology to identify chloroacetanilide-destabilized proteins in HEK293T cells based on their binding to the H31Q mutant of the human Hsp40 chaperone DNAJB8. We find that a brief cellular exposure to the chloroacetanilides acetochlor, alachlor, and propachlor induces misfolding of dozens of cellular proteins. These herbicides feature distinct but overlapping profiles of protein destabilization, highly concentrated in proteins with reactive cysteine residues. Consistent with the recent literature from the pharmacology field, reactivity is driven by neither inherent nucleophilic nor electrophilic reactivity but is idiosyncratic. We discover that propachlor induces a general increase in protein aggregation and selectively targets GAPDH and PARK7, leading to a decrease in their cellular activities. Hsp40 affinity profiling identifies a majority of propachlor targets identified by competitive activity-based protein profiling (ABPP), but ABPP can only identify about 10% of protein targets identified by Hsp40 affinity profiling. GAPDH is primarily modified by the direct conjugation of propachlor at a catalytic cysteine residue, leading to global destabilization of the protein. The Hsp40 affinity strategy is an effective technique to profile cellular proteins that are destabilized by cellular toxin exposure. Raw proteomics data is available through the PRIDE Archive at PXD030635.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy M. Quanrud
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Ziqi Lyu
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Sunil V. Balamurugan
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Carolina Canizal
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Hoi-Ting Wu
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Joseph C. Genereux
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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10
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Bektas H, Hohn CE, Lukaszewski AJ, Waines JG. On the Possible Trade-Off between Shoot and Root Biomass in Wheat. Plants (Basel) 2023; 12:2513. [PMID: 37447071 DOI: 10.3390/plants12132513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Numerous studies have shown that under a limited water supply, a larger root biomass is associated with an increased above-ground biomass. Root biomass, while genetically controlled, is also greatly affected by the environment with varying plasticity levels. In this context, understanding the relationship between the biomass of shoots and roots appears prudent. In this study, we analyze this relationship in a large dataset collected from multiple experiments conducted up to different growth stages in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and its wild relatives. Four bread wheat mapping populations as well as wild and domesticated members of the Triticeae tribe were evaluated for the root and shoot biomass allocation patterns. In the analyzed dataset the root and shoot biomasses were directly related to each other, and to the heading date, and the correlation values increased in proportion to the length of an experiment. On average, 84.1% of the observed variation was explained by a positive correlation between shoot and root biomass. Scatter plots generated from 6353 data points from numerous experiments with different wheats suggest that at some point, further increases in root biomass negatively impact the shoot biomass. Based on these results, a preliminary study with different water availability scenarios and growth conditions was designed with two cultivars, Pavon 76 and Yecora Rojo. The duration of drought and water level significantly affected the root/shoot biomass allocation patterns. However, the responses of the two cultivars were quite different, suggesting that the point of diminishing returns in increasing root biomass may be different for different wheats, reinforcing the need to breed wheats for specific environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harun Bektas
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Siirt University, Siirt 56100, Turkey
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Christopher E Hohn
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Adam J Lukaszewski
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - John Giles Waines
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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11
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Abel SM, Hong Z, Williams D, Ireri S, Brown MQ, Su T, Hung KY, Henke JA, Barton JP, Le Roch KG. Small RNA sequencing of field Culex mosquitoes identifies patterns of viral infection and the mosquito immune response. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10598. [PMID: 37391513 PMCID: PMC10313667 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37571-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mosquito-borne disease remains a significant burden on global health. In the United States, the major threat posed by mosquitoes is transmission of arboviruses, including West Nile virus by mosquitoes of the Culex genus. Virus metagenomic analysis of mosquito small RNA using deep sequencing and advanced bioinformatic tools enables the rapid detection of viruses and other infecting organisms, both pathogenic and non-pathogenic to humans, without any precedent knowledge. In this study, we sequenced small RNA samples from over 60 pools of Culex mosquitoes from two major areas of Southern California from 2017 to 2019 to elucidate the virome and immune responses of Culex. Our results demonstrated that small RNAs not only allowed the detection of viruses but also revealed distinct patterns of viral infection based on location, Culex species, and time. We also identified miRNAs that are most likely involved in Culex immune responses to viruses and Wolbachia bacteria, and show the utility of using small RNA to detect antiviral immune pathways including piRNAs against some pathogens. Collectively, these findings show that deep sequencing of small RNA can be used for virus discovery and surveillance. One could also conceive that such work could be accomplished in various locations across the world and over time to better understand patterns of mosquito infection and immune response to many vector-borne diseases in field samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, Center for Infection Disease and Vector Research, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Zhenchen Hong
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Desiree Williams
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, Center for Infection Disease and Vector Research, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Sally Ireri
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, Center for Infection Disease and Vector Research, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Michelle Q Brown
- West Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District, Ontario, CA, 91761, USA
| | - Tianyun Su
- West Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District, Ontario, CA, 91761, USA
| | - Kim Y Hung
- Coachella Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District, Indio, CA, 92201, USA
| | - Jennifer A Henke
- Coachella Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District, Indio, CA, 92201, USA
| | - John P Barton
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, Center for Infection Disease and Vector Research, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
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12
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Gomez MY, Schroeder MM, Chieb M, McLain NK, Gachomo EW. Bradyrhizobium japonicum IRAT FA3 promotes salt tolerance through jasmonic acid priming in Arabidopsis thaliana. BMC Plant Biol 2023; 23:60. [PMID: 36710321 PMCID: PMC9885586 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-022-03977-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), such as Bradyrhizobium japonicum IRAT FA3, are able to improve seed germination and plant growth under various biotic and abiotic stress conditions, including high salinity stress. PGPR can affect plants' responses to stress via multiple pathways which are often interconnected but were previously thought to be distinct. Although the overall impacts of PGPR on plant growth and stress tolerance have been well documented, the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. This work contributes to understanding how PGPR promote abiotic stress by revealing major plant pathways triggered by B. japonicum under salt stress. RESULTS The plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial (PGPR) strain Bradyrhizobium japonicum IRAT FA3 reduced the levels of sodium in Arabidopsis thaliana by 37.7%. B. japonicum primed plants as it stimulated an increase in jasmonates (JA) and modulated hydrogen peroxide production shortly after inoculation. B. japonicum-primed plants displayed enhanced shoot biomass, reduced lipid peroxidation and limited sodium accumulation under salt stress conditions. Q(RT)-PCR analysis of JA and abiotic stress-related gene expression in Arabidopsis plants pretreated with B. japonicum and followed by six hours of salt stress revealed differential gene expression compared to non-inoculated plants. Response to Desiccation (RD) gene RD20 and reactive oxygen species scavenging genes CAT3 and MDAR2 were up-regulated in shoots while CAT3 and RD22 were increased in roots by B. japonicum, suggesting roles for these genes in B. japonicum-mediated salt tolerance. B. japonicum also influenced reductions of RD22, MSD1, DHAR and MYC2 in shoots and DHAR, ADC2, RD20, RD29B, GTR1, ANAC055, VSP1 and VSP2 gene expression in roots under salt stress. CONCLUSION Our data showed that MYC2 and JAR1 are required for B. japonicum-induced shoot growth in both salt stressed and non-stressed plants. The observed microbially influenced reactions to salinity stress in inoculated plants underscore the complexity of the B. japonicum jasmonic acid-mediated plant response salt tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Y Gomez
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92507, USA
| | - Mercedes M Schroeder
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92507, USA
| | - Maha Chieb
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92507, USA
| | - Nathan K McLain
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92507, USA
| | - Emma W Gachomo
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92507, USA.
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13
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Gale M, Nguyen PM, Gilliard-AbdulAziz KL. Synergistic and Antagonistic Effects of the Co-Pyrolysis of Plastics and Corn Stover to Produce Char and Activated Carbon. ACS Omega 2023; 8:380-390. [PMID: 36643465 PMCID: PMC9835080 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The physicochemical properties of char and activated carbon produced from the co-pyrolysis of corn stover (CS) and plastics, polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), were studied. Non-isothermal gas analysis of the volatiles was conducted using an online mass spectrometer to correlate the thermal degradation of gaseous byproducts to the formation of pores in the char materials. The findings determined that the addition of PS or PET promotes the formation of the solid char product with either higher than average pore sizes or surface areas compared to control samples. The addition of PET to corn stover increases the surface area of the char formed. The char formed from a CS:PET mass ratio of 1:1 produced char with a surface area of 423.8 ± 24.8 m2/g at 500 °C and a duration of 2 h. The surface area of the chars formed from CS and PET decreased as the amount of PET decreased, showing a tendency for PET to increase the surface area of the char materials synergistically. The addition of PS to corn stover promoted the formation of chars with, on average, larger pore sizes than the control char samples. The chars were chemically activated with potassium hydroxide, and the activated carbon that formed had lower surface areas but comparable surface functional groups to the control samples. Vanillin adsorption testing showed that activated carbon from corn stover performed the best at removing 95% of the vanillin after 2 h. In contrast, the activated carbon from the chars produced from the co-pyrolysis of corn stover and polystyrene or corn stover and polyethylene terephthalate removed 45% and 46% of vanillin after 2 h, respectively. The findings suggest that plastics have a synergistic relationship in producing char precursors with improved porosity but antagonistically affect the activated carbon adsorbent properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Gale
- Department
of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering, University of California, Riverside, 446 Winston Chung Hall, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Peter M. Nguyen
- Department
of Material Science and Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering, University of California, Riverside, 446 Winston Chung Hall, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Kandis Leslie Gilliard-AbdulAziz
- Department
of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering, University of California, Riverside, 446 Winston Chung Hall, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
- Department
of Material Science and Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering, University of California, Riverside, 446 Winston Chung Hall, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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14
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Tanabe P, Pampanin DM, Tiruye HM, Jørgensen KB, Hammond RI, Gadepalli RS, Rimoldi JM, Schlenk D. Relationships between Isomeric Metabolism and Regioselective Toxicity of Hydroxychrysenes in Embryos of Japanese Medaka ( Oryzias latipes). Environ Sci Technol 2023; 57:539-548. [PMID: 36573895 PMCID: PMC9835889 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (oxy-PAHs) are ubiquitous contaminants that can be formed through oxidation of parent PAHs. Our previous studies found 2-hydroxychrysene (2-OHCHR) to be significantly more toxic to Japanese medaka embryos than 6-hydroxychrysene (6-OHCHR), an example of regioselective toxicity. We have also previously identified a sensitive developmental window to 2-OHCHR toxicity that closely coincided with liver development, leading us to hypothesize that differences in metabolism may play a role in the regioselective toxicity. To test this hypothesis, Japanese medaka embryos were treated with each isomer for 24 h during liver development (52-76 hpf). Although 6-OHCHR was absorbed 97.2 ± 0.18% faster than 2-OHCHR, it was eliminated 57.7 ± 0.36% faster as a glucuronide conjugate. Pretreatment with cytochrome P450 inhibitor, ketoconazole, reduced anemia by 96.8 ± 3.19% and mortality by 95.2 ± 4.76% in 2-OHCHR treatments. Formation of chrysene-1,2-diol (1,2-CAT) was also reduced by 64.4 ± 2.14% by ketoconazole pretreatment. While pretreatment with UDP-glucuronosyltransferase inhibitor, nilotinib, reduced glucuronidation of 2-OHCHR by 52.4 ± 2.55% and of 6-OHCHR by 63.7 ± 3.19%, it did not alter toxicity for either compound. These results indicate that CYP-mediated activation, potentially to 1,2-CAT, may explain the isomeric differences in developmental toxicity of 2-OHCHR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Tanabe
- Environmental
Toxicology Graduate Program, University
of California, Riverside, California92521, United States
- Department
of Environmental Sciences, University of
California, Riverside, California92521, United States
| | - Daniela M. Pampanin
- Department
of Chemistry, Bioscience and Environmental Engineering, University of Stavanger, Stavanger4021, Norway
| | - Hiwot M. Tiruye
- Department
of Chemistry, Bioscience and Environmental Engineering, University of Stavanger, Stavanger4021, Norway
| | - Kåre B. Jørgensen
- Department
of Chemistry, Bioscience and Environmental Engineering, University of Stavanger, Stavanger4021, Norway
| | - Rachel I. Hammond
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
| | - Rama S. Gadepalli
- Department
of Biomolecular Sciences, The University
of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi38677, United States
| | - John M. Rimoldi
- Department
of Biomolecular Sciences, The University
of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, University, Mississippi38677, United States
| | - Daniel Schlenk
- Department
of Environmental Sciences, University of
California, Riverside, California92521, United States
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15
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Abernathy M, Schaefer MV, Ramirez R, Garniwan A, Lee I, Zaera F, Polizzotto ML, Ying SC. Vanadate Retention by Iron and Manganese Oxides. ACS Earth Space Chem 2022; 6:2041-2052. [PMID: 36016759 PMCID: PMC9393891 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.2c00116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic emissions of vanadium (V) into terrestrial and aquatic surface systems now match those of geogenic processes, and yet, the geochemistry of vanadium is poorly described in comparison to other comparable contaminants like arsenic. In oxic systems, V is present as an oxyanion with a +5 formal charge on the V center, typically described as H x VO4 (3-x)-, but also here as V(V). Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) (oxy)hydroxides represent key mineral phases in the cycling of V(V) at the solid-solution interface, and yet, fundamental descriptions of these surface-processes are not available. Here, we utilize extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and thermodynamic calculations to compare the surface complexation of V(V) by the common Fe and Mn mineral phases ferrihydrite, hematite, goethite, birnessite, and pyrolusite at pH 7. Inner-sphere V(V) complexes were detected on all phases, with mononuclear V(V) species dominating the adsorbed species distribution. Our results demonstrate that V(V) adsorption is exergonic for a variety of surfaces with differing amounts of terminal -OH groups and metal-O bond saturations, implicating the conjunctive role of varied mineral surfaces in controlling the mobility and fate of V(V) in terrestrial and aquatic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Macon
J. Abernathy
- Stanford
Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC
National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
| | - Michael V. Schaefer
- Department
of Earth and Environmental Science, New
Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico 87801, United States
| | - Roxana Ramirez
- Environmental
Sciences Department, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Abdi Garniwan
- Environmental
Sciences Department, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Ilkeun Lee
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Francisco Zaera
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Matthew L. Polizzotto
- Department
of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, United States
| | - Samantha C. Ying
- Environmental
Sciences Department, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
- Environmental
Toxicology Graduate Program, University
of California-Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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16
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Omaiye E, Luo W, McWhirter KJ, Pankow JF, Talbot P. Disposable Puff Bar Electronic Cigarettes: Chemical Composition and Toxicity of E-liquids and a Synthetic Coolant. Chem Res Toxicol 2022; 35:1344-1358. [PMID: 35849830 PMCID: PMC9382667 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [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] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The popularity of disposable fourth-generation electronic cigarettes (ECs) among young adults and adolescents has been increasing since the ban on flavored cartridge EC products such as JUUL. Although the constituents and toxicity of some cartridge-based fourth-generation ECs, such as JUUL, have been studied, limited data exist for other disposable ECs such as Puff. The purpose of this study was to determine flavor chemicals, synthetic coolants, and nicotine concentrations in 16 disposable Puff devices, evaluate the cytotoxicity of the different flavors from the Puff brand using in vitro assays, and investigate the health risks of synthetic coolants in EC products. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to identify and quantify chemicals in Puff EC fluids. One hundred and twenty-six flavor chemicals were identified in Puff fluids, and 16 were >1 mg/mL. WS-23 (2-isopropyl-N,2,3-trimethylbutyramide) was present in all products, and concentrations ranged from 0.8 to 45.1 mg/mL. WS-3 (N-ethyl-p-menthane-3-carboxamide) concentrations ranged from 1.5 to 16.4 mg/mL in 6/16 products. Nicotine concentrations ranged from 40.6 to 52.4 (average 44.8 mg/mL). All unvaped fluids were cytotoxic at dilutions between 0.1 and 10% in the MTT and neutral red uptake assays when tested with BEAS-2B lung epithelial cells. The cytotoxicity of Puff fluids was highly correlated with total chemical concentrations, nicotine, WS-23, both synthetic coolants, and synthetic coolants plus ethyl maltol. Lower concentrations of WS-23 than those in the fluids adversely affected cell growth and morphology. Concentrations of synthetic coolants exceeded levels used in consumer products. The margin of exposure data showed that WS-3 and WS-23 concentrations were high enough in Puff products to present a health hazard. Our study demonstrates that disposable Puff ECs have high levels of cytotoxic chemicals. The data support the regulation of flavor chemicals and synthetic coolants in ECs to limit potentially harmful health effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther
E. Omaiye
- Environmental
Toxicology Graduate Program, University
of California Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
- Department
of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Wentai Luo
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97201, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97201, United States
| | - Kevin J. McWhirter
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97201, United States
| | - James F. Pankow
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97201, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon 97201, United States
| | - Prue Talbot
- Department
of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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17
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Zeeshan M, Rashpa R, Ferguson DJP, Abel S, Chahine Z, Brady D, Vaughan S, Moores CA, Le Roch KG, Brochet M, Holder AA, Tewari R. Genome-wide functional analysis reveals key roles for kinesins in the mammalian and mosquito stages of the malaria parasite life cycle. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001704. [PMID: 35900985 PMCID: PMC9333250 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Kinesins are microtubule (MT)-based motors important in cell division, motility, polarity, and intracellular transport in many eukaryotes. However, they are poorly studied in the divergent eukaryotic pathogens Plasmodium spp., the causative agents of malaria, which manifest atypical aspects of cell division and plasticity of morphology throughout the life cycle in both mammalian and mosquito hosts. Here, we describe a genome-wide screen of Plasmodium kinesins, revealing diverse subcellular locations and functions in spindle assembly, axoneme formation, and cell morphology. Surprisingly, only kinesin-13 is essential for growth in the mammalian host while the other 8 kinesins are required during the proliferative and invasive stages of parasite transmission through the mosquito vector. In-depth analyses of kinesin-13 and kinesin-20 revealed functions in MT dynamics during apical cell polarity formation, spindle assembly, and axoneme biogenesis. These findings help us to understand the importance of MT motors and may be exploited to discover new therapeutic interventions against malaria. A comprehensive study reveals that kinesins in the malaria parasite Plasmodium have diverse cellular roles and locations, including functions in spindle assembly during proliferation, axoneme formation in flagellum biogenesis, and determining the apical morphology of the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zeeshan
- University of Nottingham, School of Life Sciences, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (MZ); (RT)
| | - Ravish Rashpa
- University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David J. P. Ferguson
- Oxford Brookes University, Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford, United Kingdom
- University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Zeinab Chahine
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Declan Brady
- University of Nottingham, School of Life Sciences, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Sue Vaughan
- Oxford Brookes University, Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Carolyn A. Moores
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Karine G. Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Mathieu Brochet
- University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Anthony A. Holder
- The Francis Crick Institute, Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rita Tewari
- University of Nottingham, School of Life Sciences, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (MZ); (RT)
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18
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Huang Y, Escalona M, Morrison G, Marimuthu MPA, Nguyen O, Toffelmier E, Shaffer HB, Litt A. Reference Genome Assembly of the Big Berry Manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca). J Hered 2022; 113:188-196. [PMID: 35575079 PMCID: PMC9113465 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Arctostaphylos (Ericaceae) species, commonly known as manzanitas, are an invaluable fire-adapted chaparral clade in the California Floristic Province (CFP), a world biodiversity hotspot on the west coast of North America. This diverse woody genus includes many rare and/or endangered taxa, and the genus plays essential ecological roles in native ecosystems. Despite their importance in conservation management, and the many ecological and evolutionary studies that have focused on manzanitas, virtually no research has been conducted on the genomics of any manzanita species. Here, we report the first genome assembly of a manzanita species, the widespread Arctostaphylos glauca. Consistent with the genomics strategy of the California Conservation Genomics project, we used Pacific Biosciences HiFi long reads and Hi-C chromatin-proximity sequencing technology to produce a de novo assembled genome. The assembly comprises a total of 271 scaffolds spanning 547Mb, close to the genome size estimated by flow cytometry. This assembly, with a scaffold N50 of 31Mb and BUSCO complete score of 98.2%, will be used as a reference genome for understanding the genetic diversity and the basis of adaptations of both common and rare and endangered manzanita species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Huang
- Department of Botany and Plant Science, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Merly Escalona
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Glen Morrison
- Department of Botany and Plant Science, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Mohan P A Marimuthu
- UC Davis Genome Center, DNA Technologies and Expression Analysis Cores, University of California, Davis, CA 95691, USA
| | - Oanh Nguyen
- UC Davis Genome Center, DNA Technologies and Expression Analysis Cores, University of California, Davis, CA 95691, USA
| | - Erin Toffelmier
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7239, USA
- the La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7239, USA
| | - H Bradley Shaffer
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7239, USA
- the La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7239, USA
| | - Amy Litt
- Department of Botany and Plant Science, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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19
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Tang Q, Li F, Jiang DE. Superatomic Au 25(SC 2H 5) 18 Nanocluster under Pressure. ACS Nanosci Au 2022; 2:40-48. [PMID: 37101514 PMCID: PMC10114650 DOI: 10.1021/acsnanoscienceau.1c00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed significant advances in the synthesis and structure determination of atomically precise metal nanoclusters. However, little is known about the condensed matter properties of these nanosized metal nanoclusters packed in a crystal lattice under high pressure. Here using density functional theory calculations, we simulate the crystal of a representative superatomic gold cluster, Au25(SR)18 0 (R = C2H5), under various pressures. At ambient conditions, Au25(SC2H5)18 0 clusters are packed in a crystal via dispersion interactions; being a 7e superatom, each cluster carries a magnetic moment of 1 μB or one unpaired electron. Upon increasing compression (from 10 to 110 GPa), we observe the formation of intercluster Au-Au, Au-S, and S-S covalent bonds between staple motifs, thereby linking the clusters into a network. The pressure-induced structural change is accompanied by the vanishment of the magnetic moment and the semiconductor-to-metal transition. Our work shows that subjecting crystals of atomically precise metal nanoclusters to high pressures could lead to new crystalline states and physical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Tang
- School
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing Key Laboratory of
Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - Fuhua Li
- School
of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing Key Laboratory of
Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - De-en Jiang
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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20
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Pers D, Hansen AK. The boom and bust of the aphid's essential amino acid metabolism across nymphal development. G3 (Bethesda) 2021; 11:jkab115. [PMID: 33831149 PMCID: PMC8433001 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkab115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Within long-term symbioses, animals integrate their physiology and development with their symbiont. In a model nutritional mutualism, aphids harbor the endosymbiont, Buchnera, within specialized bacteriocyte cells. Buchnera synthesizes essential amino acids (EAAs) and vitamins for their host, which are lacking from the aphid's plant sap diet. It is unclear if the aphid host differentially expresses aphid EAA metabolism pathways and genes that collaborate with Buchnera for the production of EAA and vitamins throughout nymphal development when feeding on plants. It is also unclear if aphid bacteriocytes are differentially methylated throughout aphid development as DNA methylation may play a role in gene regulation. By analyzing aphid gene expression, we determined that the bacteriocyte is metabolically more active in metabolizing Buchnera's EAAs and vitamins early in nymphal development compared to intermediate or later immature and adult lifestages. The largest changes in aphid bacteriocyte gene expression, especially for aphid genes that collaborate with Buchnera, occurred during the 3rd to 4th instar transition. During this transition, there is a huge shift in the bacteriocyte from a high energy "nutrient-consuming state" to a "recovery and growth state" where patterning and signaling genes and pathways are upregulated and differentially methylated, and de novo methylation is reduced as evidenced by homogenous DNA methylation profiles after the 2nd instar. Moreover, bacteriocyte number increased and Buchnera's titer decreased throughout aphid nymphal development. These data suggest in combination that bacteriocytes of older nymphal and adult lifestages depend less on the nutritional symbiosis compared to early nymphal lifestages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Pers
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Allison K Hansen
- Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
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21
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Gale M, Nguyen T, Moreno M, Gilliard-AbdulAziz KL. Physiochemical Properties of Biochar and Activated Carbon from Biomass Residue: Influence of Process Conditions to Adsorbent Properties. ACS Omega 2021; 6:10224-10233. [PMID: 34056176 PMCID: PMC8153675 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
This study evaluates the influence of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) or slow pyrolysis (SP) process conditions on the physicochemical properties of precursor biochars and activated carbon (AC). The AC is achieved through a direct or a two-step method with subsequent chemical activation using KOH. A theory is developed on the biochar propensity to be chemically activated based on the lignocellulosic structure composition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy elemental analysis shows that the O/C ratio decreases after chemical activation for HTC biochar but remains the same for SP biochar. X-ray powder diffraction indicates that the SP biochar and all ACs have broad amorphous carbon peaks, whereas corn stover and the HTC biochar have distinct cellulosic crystalline peaks. Vanillin adsorbent experiments were performed on various ACs with up to 98% reduction shown. The best adsorbent for vanillin was the AC produced directly from corn stover, followed by AC HTC and then AC SP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Gale
- Department
of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering, UC, Riverside, 446 Winston Chung Hall, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92507, United States
| | - Tu Nguyen
- Department
of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering, UC, Riverside, 446 Winston Chung Hall, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92507, United States
| | - Marissa Moreno
- Riverside
City College, 4800 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, California 92506-1293, United States
| | - Kandis Leslie Gilliard-AbdulAziz
- Department
of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering, UC, Riverside, 446 Winston Chung Hall, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92507, United States
- Department
of Material Science and Engineering, Bourns College of Engineering, UC, Riverside, 446 Winston Chung Hall, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92507, United States
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22
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Nguyen QAT, Hillis D, Katada S, Harris T, Pontrello C, Garland T, Haga-Yamanaka S. Coadaptation of the chemosensory system with voluntary exercise behavior in mice. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241758. [PMID: 33237909 PMCID: PMC7688120 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Ethologically relevant chemical senses and behavioral habits are likely to coadapt in response to selection. As olfaction is involved in intrinsically motivated behaviors in mice, we hypothesized that selective breeding for a voluntary behavior would enable us to identify novel roles of the chemosensory system. Voluntary wheel running (VWR) is an intrinsically motivated and naturally rewarding behavior, and even wild mice run on a wheel placed in nature. We have established 4 independent, artificially evolved mouse lines by selectively breeding individuals showing high VWR activity (High Runners; HRs), together with 4 non-selected Control lines, over 88 generations. We found that several sensory receptors in specific receptor clusters were differentially expressed between the vomeronasal organ (VNO) of HRs and Controls. Moreover, one of those clusters contains multiple single-nucleotide polymorphism loci for which the allele frequencies were significantly divergent between the HR and Control lines, i.e., loci that were affected by the selective breeding protocol. These results indicate that the VNO has become genetically differentiated between HR and Control lines during the selective breeding process. Although the role of the vomeronasal chemosensory receptors in VWR activity remains to be determined, the current results suggest that these vomeronasal chemosensory receptors are important quantitative trait loci for voluntary exercise in mice. We propose that olfaction may play an important role in motivation for voluntary exercise in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quynh Anh Thi Nguyen
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - David Hillis
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Sayako Katada
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Timothy Harris
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Crystal Pontrello
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Theodore Garland
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Sachiko Haga-Yamanaka
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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23
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Zeeshan M, Pandey R, Ferguson DJP, Tromer EC, Markus R, Abel S, Brady D, Daniel E, Limenitakis R, Bottrill AR, Le Roch KG, Holder AA, Waller RF, Guttery DS, Tewari R. Real-time dynamics of Plasmodium NDC80 reveals unusual modes of chromosome segregation during parasite proliferation. J Cell Sci 2020; 134:jcs245753. [PMID: 32501284 PMCID: PMC7340582 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.245753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic cell proliferation requires chromosome replication and precise segregation to ensure daughter cells have identical genomic copies. Species of the genus Plasmodium, the causative agents of malaria, display remarkable aspects of nuclear division throughout their life cycle to meet some peculiar and unique challenges to DNA replication and chromosome segregation. The parasite undergoes atypical endomitosis and endoreduplication with an intact nuclear membrane and intranuclear mitotic spindle. To understand these diverse modes of Plasmodium cell division, we have studied the behaviour and composition of the outer kinetochore NDC80 complex, a key part of the mitotic apparatus that attaches the centromere of chromosomes to microtubules of the mitotic spindle. Using NDC80-GFP live-cell imaging in Plasmodium berghei, we observe dynamic spatiotemporal changes during proliferation, including highly unusual kinetochore arrangements during sexual stages. We identify a very divergent candidate for the SPC24 subunit of the NDC80 complex, previously thought to be missing in Plasmodium, which completes a canonical, albeit unusual, NDC80 complex structure. Altogether, our studies reveal the kinetochore to be an ideal tool to investigate the non-canonical modes of chromosome segregation and cell division in Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Rajan Pandey
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - David J P Ferguson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Eelco C Tromer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK
| | - Robert Markus
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Emilie Daniel
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
| | | | - Andrew R Bottrill
- School of Life Sciences, Gibbelt Hill Campus, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Ross F Waller
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QW, UK
| | - David S Guttery
- Leicester Cancer Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
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24
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Zeeshan M, Ferguson DJ, Abel S, Burrrell A, Rea E, Brady D, Daniel E, Delves M, Vaughan S, Holder AA, Le Roch KG, Moores CA, Tewari R. Kinesin-8B controls basal body function and flagellum formation and is key to malaria transmission. Life Sci Alliance 2019; 2:e201900488. [PMID: 31409625 PMCID: PMC6696982 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.201900488] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic flagella are conserved microtubule-based organelles that drive cell motility. Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, has a single flagellate stage: the male gamete in the mosquito. Three rounds of endomitotic division in male gametocyte together with an unusual mode of flagellum assembly rapidly produce eight motile gametes. These processes are tightly coordinated, but their regulation is poorly understood. To understand this important developmental stage, we studied the function and location of the microtubule-based motor kinesin-8B, using gene-targeting, electron microscopy, and live cell imaging. Deletion of the kinesin-8B gene showed no effect on mitosis but disrupted 9+2 axoneme assembly and flagellum formation during male gamete development and also completely ablated parasite transmission. Live cell imaging showed that kinesin-8B-GFP did not co-localise with kinetochores in the nucleus but instead revealed a dynamic, cytoplasmic localisation with the basal bodies and the assembling axoneme during flagellum formation. We, thus, uncovered an unexpected role for kinesin-8B in parasite flagellum formation that is vital for the parasite life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Zeeshan
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - David Jp Ferguson
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Steven Abel
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Alana Burrrell
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Edward Rea
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Declan Brady
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Emilie Daniel
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Michael Delves
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel, London, UK
| | - Sue Vaughan
- Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Science, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Anthony A Holder
- Malaria Parasitology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Karine G Le Roch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Carolyn A Moores
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, London, UK
| | - Rita Tewari
- School of Life Sciences, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
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25
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Barberia I, Oliva R, Bourdin P, Slater M. Virtual mortality and near-death experience after a prolonged exposure in a shared virtual reality may lead to positive life-attitude changes. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0203358. [PMID: 30395568 PMCID: PMC6218023 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Mortality is an obvious if uncomfortable part of the human condition, yet it is impossible to study its impact on anyone who experiences it. Reports of phenomena associated with death such as out-of-the-body (OBE) and near death experiences (NDE) can only be studied post-hoc, since it is impossible to design a scientific study where an experimental group experiences death (and returns) and a control group does not. Yet NDEs seem to have a profound influence on the subsequent lives of people and are therefore worthy of study. Terror Management Theory, which argues that death anxiety contributes to in-group solidarity and hostility to out-groups, relies on studies that manipulate opinions and cannot be based on experiential evidence. Here we introduce a potential methodology that uses immersive virtual reality (VR) for the study of mortality and NDEs. Participants are embodied in alternate bodies in a beautiful island along with two companions. They explore the island and carry out tasks together. The mechanism of embodiment produces strong illusions of ownership over their life-sized virtual bodies. Over time each participant witnesses the death of the two companions and then her own death-which includes the reported features of an NDE (OBE, life review, the tunnel leading to white light) followed by a period of observation of the continuing activities in the virtual world on an external screen. Fifteen female participants experienced 6 sessions in the island, each starting as a child and gradually maturing, and eventually ageing and dying. Sixteen control subjects formed a waiting group. We introduce this as a methodology for the study of these issues, and present promising results, suggesting that those who experienced the island report life attitude changes, becoming more concerned with others and more interested in global rather than material issues compared to the control group. The results are based on a small sample size, and should be considered as indicative of the possibilities of this new methodology as a way forward for future studies in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itxaso Barberia
- Event Lab, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ramon Oliva
- Event Lab, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pierre Bourdin
- Event Lab, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mel Slater
- Event Lab, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Abstract
Gene transfer among reproductively isolated organisms can lead to novel phenotypes and increased fitness. Among the Sternorrhyncha, a suborder of plant sap-feeding hemipteran insects, both aphids and adelgids acquired carotenoid biosynthesis genes from a fungal donor that result in ecologically relevant pigmentation. Phylloxerids form another family that are closely related to aphids and adelgids and share similar pigmentation, but are largely uncharacterized for their presence and number of pigment genes that have duplicated among aphids. Here, we examined the transcriptomes of nine phylloxerid species, and performed PCR to amplify carotenoid genes from their genomic DNA. We identified carotenoid cyclase/synthase and desaturase genes in each species and demonstrated that they share the common fungal origin as those of aphids and adelgids based on their exon-intron gene structures and phylogenetic relationships. The phylogenetic analyses also indicated that carotenoid genes evolved following the differentiation of aphids, adelgids, and phylloxerids at the levels of family, genus, and species. Unlike aphids that duplicated these genes in their genomes, phylloxerids maintained only single copies, and some species may lack expression of certain genes. These results suggest that the phylloxerid lifestyle undergoes reduced selection pressure to expand carotenoid synthesis genes, and provides insight into these gene functions in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoyang Zhao
- Department of Botany and Plant Science, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Paul D. Nabity
- Department of Botany and Plant Science, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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27
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Abstract
The pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus), a gleaning bat found in the western United States and Mexico, hunts a wide variety of ground-dwelling prey, including scorpions. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the pallid bat is resistant to scorpion venom, but no systematic study has been performed. Here we show with behavioral measures and direct injection of venom that the pallid bat is resistant to venom of the Arizona bark scorpion, Centruroides sculpturatus. Our results show that the pallid bat is stung multiple times during a hunt without any noticeable effect on behavior. In addition, direct injection of venom at mouse LD50 concentrations (1.5 mg/kg) has no effect on bat behavior. At the highest concentration tested (10 mg/kg), three out of four bats showed no effects. One of the four bats showed a transient effect suggesting that additional studies are required to identify potential regional variation in venom tolerance. Scorpion venom is a cocktail of toxins, some of which activate voltage-gated sodium ion channels, causing intense pain. Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) contain nociceptive neurons and are principal targets of scorpion venom toxins. To understand if mutations in specific ion channels contribute to venom resistance, a pallid bat DRG transcriptome was generated. As sodium channels are a major target of scorpion venom, we identified amino acid substitutions present in the pallid bat that may lead to venom resistance. Some of these substitutions are similar to corresponding amino acids in sodium channel isoforms responsible for reduced venom binding activity. The substitution found previously in the grasshopper mouse providing venom resistance to the bark scorpion is not present in the pallid bat, indicating a potentially novel mechanism for venom resistance in the bat that remains to be identified. Taken together, these results indicate that the pallid bat is resistant to venom of the bark scorpion and altered sodium ion channel function may partly underlie such resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley H. Hopp
- Graduate Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Ryan S. Arvidson
- Departments of Entomology and Cell Biology & Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Michael E. Adams
- Graduate Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Departments of Entomology and Cell Biology & Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
| | - Khaleel A. Razak
- Graduate Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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28
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De Leo–Winkler MA, Canalizo G, Wilson G. Astrophotography, a portal for engaging non-STEM majors in science. Int J STEM Educ 2016; 3:20. [PMID: 30931240 PMCID: PMC6404406 DOI: 10.1186/s40594-016-0053-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We report the results of an undergraduate course in astrophotography designed to engage non-STEM majors in the natural sciences to train future amateur astronomers and citizen scientists. Over 200,000 students enroll in introductory astronomy elective classes every year in the US alone, which will possibly be their only encounter with a natural science. The course relies on constructivist educational methods to teach data reduction and image processing methods while addressing mathematical anxiety. The goal of the course is to offer a positive experience in the natural sciences which has been linked to the education of potential citizen scientists and amateur astronomers, groups which historically have analyzed a great amount of data and have provided numerous discoveries. RESULTS Students enrolled in the course reported a higher understanding of data reduction, image processing, telescope and camera use. Most students were eager to take up astrophotography as a hobby, opening the path to become future citizen scientists and amateur astronomers. We found that the methods required to practice astrophotography create a natural constructivist teaching environment. CONCLUSIONS The course can be reproduced elsewhere to teach non-science major students techniques in data reduction and image processing as positive experiences to introduce them to STEM fields in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario A. De Leo–Winkler
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, 92521 USA
| | - Gabriela Canalizo
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, 92521 USA
| | - Gillian Wilson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Ave., Riverside, 92521 USA
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