A climate for contemporary evolution

A new study of divergence in freshwater fish provides strong evidence of rapid, temperature-mediated adaptation. This study is particularly important in the ongoing debate over the extent and significance of evolutionary response to climate change because divergence has occurred in relatively few generations in spite of ongoing gene flow and in the aftermath of a significant genetic bottleneck, factors that have previously been considered obstacles to evolution. Climate change may thus be more likely to foster contemporary evolutionary responses than has been anticipated, and I argue here for the importance of investigating their possible occurrence.     

Acrylonitrile inhalation in rats: II. Excretion of thioethers and thiocyanate in urine

In male Wistar rats, the inhalation exposure to acrylonitrile (AN), 271 mg X m-3, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, did not affect protein sulfhydryl concentration in liver and blood and decreased glutathione concentration in the liver, but not in the brain at the end of the fifth exposure. The urinary excretion of the main AN metabolites, thioethers (AN-mercapturic acids) and thiocyanate was proportional to the inhaled AN concentration (57, 125, 271 mg X m-3, respectively) in a single exposure for 12 hours, and their mutual ratio was greatly different from that after injection of AN. The results revealed that the urinary excretion of thioethers is a very sensitive and dose-related indicator of exposure to AN and extrapolation of the results indicates that the exposure to AN concentration below 10 mg X m-3 could thus be demonstrated.     

Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus epidermidis Strain AU12-03, Isolated from an Intravascular Catheter

In recent years, Staphylococcus epidermidis has become a major nosocomial pathogen and the most common cause of intravascular catheter-related bacteremia, which can increase morbidity and mortality and significantly affect patient recovery. We report a draft genome sequence of Staphylococcus epidermidis AU12-03, isolated from an intravascular catheter tip.     

Genome-wide analysis of the SET DOMAIN GROUP family in grapevine

The SET DOMAIN GROUP (SDG) proteins represent an evolutionarily-conserved family of epigenetic regulators present in eukaryotes and are putative candidates for the catalysis of lysine methylation in histones. Plant genomes analyses of this family have been performed in arabidopsis, maize, and rice and functional studies have shown that SDG genes are involved in the control of plant development. In this work, we describe the identification and structural characterization of SDG genes in the Vitis vinifera genome. This analysis revealed the presence of 33 putative SDG genes that can be grouped into different classes, as it has been previously described for plants. In addition to the SET domain, the proteins identified possessed other domains in the different classes. As part of our study regarding the growth and development of grapevine, we selected eight genes and their expression levels were analyzed in representative vegetative and reproductive organs of this species. The selected genes showed different patterns of expression during inflorescence and fruit development, suggesting that they participate in these processes. Furthermore, we showed that the expression of selected SDGs changes during viral infection, using as a model Grapevine Leafroll Associated Virus 3-infected symptomatic grapevine leaves and fruits. Our results suggest that developmental changes caused by this virus could be the result of alterations in SDG expression.     

Postnatal changes of some enzymatic activities of energy supplying metabolism in the cortex, inner and outer medulla of the rat kidney

1. In rat kidney cortex, outer and inner medulla the development of activities of seven enzymes was investigated during postnatal ontogeny (10, 20, 30, 60 and 90 days of age). The enzymes were selected in such a manner, as to characterize most of the main metabolic pathways of energy supplying metabolism: hexokinase (glucose phosphorylation, HK), glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (glycerolphosphate metabolism or shunt, GPDH), triose phosphate dehydrogenase (glycolytic carbohydrate breakdown, TPDH), lactate dehydrogenase (lactate metabolism, LDH), citrate synthase (tricarboxylic acid cycle, aerobic metabolism, CS), malate NAD dehydrogenase (tricarboxylic acid cycle, intra-extra mitochondrial hydrogen transport, MDH) and 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase (fatty acid catabolism, HOADH). 2. The renal cortex already differs metabolically from the medullar structures on the 10th day of life. It displays a high activity of aerobic breakdown of both fatty acids and carbohydrates. Its metabolic capacity further increases up to the 30th day of life. 3. The outer medullar structure is not grossly different from the inner medulla on the 10th day of life. Further it differentiates into a highly aerobic tissue mainly able to utilize carbohydrates. It can, however, to some extent, also utilize fatty acids aerobically and produce lactate from carbohydrates anaerobically. 4. The inner medullar structure is best equipped to utilize carbohydrates by anaerobic glycolysis, forming lactate. This feature is already pronounced on the 10th day of life, its capacity increases to some extent during postnatal development, being highest between the 10th and the 60th day of life.     

Deadly liaisons: fatal attraction between CCN matricellular proteins and the tumor necrosis factor family of cytokines

Recent studies have revealed an unexpected synergism between two seemingly unrelated protein families: CCN matricellular proteins and the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family of cytokines. CCN proteins are dynamically expressed at sites of injury repair and inflammation, where TNF cytokines are also expressed. Although TNFα is an apoptotic inducer in some cancer cells, it activates NFκB to promote survival and proliferation in normal cells, and its cytotoxicity requires inhibition of de novo protein synthesis or NFκB signaling. The presence of CCN1, CCN2, or CCN3 overrides this requirement and unmasks the apoptotic potential of TNFα, thus converting TNFα from a proliferation-promoting protein into an apoptotic inducer. These CCN proteins also enhance the cytotoxicity of other TNF cytokines, including LTα, FasL, and TRAIL. Mechanistically, CCNs function through integrin α₆β₁ and the heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) syndecan-4 to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which is essential for apoptotic synergism. Mutant CCN1 proteins defective for binding α₆β₁-HSPGs are unable to induce ROS or apoptotic synergism with TNF cytokines. Further, knockin mice that express an α₆β₁-HSPG-binding defective CCN1 are blunted in TNFα- and Fas-mediated apoptosis, indicating that CCN1 is a physiologic regulator of these processes. These findings implicate CCN proteins as contextual regulators of the inflammatory response by dictating or enhancing the cytotoxicity of TNFα and related cytokines.