Planktonic cnidarian distribution and feeding of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pelagia noctiluca</Emphasis> in the NW Mediterranean Sea

Pelagic cnidarians are important consumers of zooplankton and ichthyoplankton in the world’s oceans, and thus harm fisheries as competitors and predators of fish. This study examined the inshore-offshore distribution of pelagic cnidarians and the trophic ecology of Pelagia noctiluca ephyrae (<12 mm diameter) and larger medusae in late spring 1995 in the NW Mediterranean Sea. The distribution of pelagic cnidarians was closely related to the presence of the shelf-slope front with most species mainly concentrated close to the front. Meroplanktonic antho- and leptomedusae predominated in coastal waters and more holoplanktonic trachy- and narcomedusae occurred both in shelf and open sea waters. P. noctiluca was more abundant than other medusae, including hydromedusae. Siphonophores, particularly Muggiaea atlantica, outnumbered medusae at most stations. The diet of P. noctiluca ephyrae contained mainly copepods, but ~12% of the prey were fish larvae. P. noctiluca exhibited positive prey selection for chaetognaths and mollusc larvae in day and night samples, but fish larvae were positively selected only at night. These differences may be related to the diel vertical distributions of P. noctiluca and their prey. Most of the ingested fish larvae belonged to the family Myctophidae, but anchovy and sparid larvae also were found in the gastric pouches. The size of ingested fish larvae increased as ephyra diameter increased; however, in the larger medusae (>12 mm) the number of prey increased with medusa size rather than the size of the larvae. The temporal and spatial co-occurrence of P. noctiluca with early life stages of fish suggests that P. noctiluca may be an important predator on summer ichthyoplankton.     

Preliminary genetic linkage map of Miscanthus sinensis with RAPD markers

We have used an "offspring cross" mapping strategy in combination with the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay to construct the first genetic map of the species Miscanthus sinensis (2 n = 2 x = 38). This map is based on an outbred population of 89 individuals resulting from the cross between two genotypes from a previously designed cross. Consequently, both parents are fullsibs. The same proportion of bi-parental markers (heterozygotic in both parents) and pseudo-testcross markers (heterozygotic in one parent and null in the other), mono-parental markers, have been obtained. A total of 383 RAPD markers were analysed within the 89 F1 plants. Out of these markers, 257 were mapped into 28 linkage groups which spanned a total map length of around 1,074.5 cM with an average density of 4.2 cM per marker. Out of 257 mapped markers, 62 were inherited from F1.1 (P1), 63 from F1.7 (P7) and 132 were bi-parental markers. The contribution to the map was equal from both parents. This map provides a useful tool for genetic analyses of agronomically interesting characters in M. sinensis such as flowering, yield, plant height, stem diameter and mineral constitution. The offspring cross mapping strategy is proposed to obtain a higher efficiency in developing integrated maps including both parents.     

Dynamic monitoring of cell adhesion and spreading on microelectronic sensor arrays

Cellular interaction with and adhesion on different biological surfaces is a dynamic and integrated process requiring the participation of specialized cell surface receptors, structural proteins, signaling proteins, and the cellular cytoskeleton. In this report, the authors describe a label-free and real-time method for measuring and monitoring cell adhesion on special microplates integrated with electronic cell sensor arrays. These plates were used in conjunction with the real-time cell electronic sensing (RT-CES) system to dynamically and quantitatively monitor the specific interaction of fibroblasts with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and compared with standard adhesion techniques. Cell adhesion on ECM-coated cell sensor arrays is dependent on the concentration of ECM proteins coated and is inhibited by agents that disrupt the interaction of ECM with cell surface receptors. Furthermore, the authors demonstrate that the integrity of the actin cytoskeleton is required for productive cell adhesion and spreading on ECM-coated microelectronic sensors. Confirming earlier results, it is shown that interfering with Src expression or activity, via siRNA or small molecule, results in the disruption of adhesion and spreading of Bx PC3 cells. The results indicate that the RT-CES system offers a convenient and quantitative means of assessing the kinetics of cell adhesion in a high-throughput manner.     

Long-Term Burden and Respiratory Effects of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization in Preterm Infants—The SPRING Study

The health status of premature infants born 32¹-35⁰ weeks’ gestational age (wGA) hospitalized for RSV infection in the first year of life (cases; n = 125) was compared to that of premature infants not hospitalized for RSV (controls; n = 362) through 6 years. The primary endpoints were the percentage of children with wheezing between 2-6 years and lung function at 6 years of age. Secondary endpoints included quality of life, healthcare resource use, and allergic sensitization. A significantly higher proportion of cases than controls experienced recurrent wheezing through 6 years of age (46.7% vs. 27.4%; p = 0.001). The vast majority of lung function tests appeared normal at 6 years of age in both cohorts. In children with pulmonary function in the lower limit of normality (FEV₁ Z-score [-2; -1]), wheezing was increased, particularly for cases vs. controls (72.7% vs. 18.9%, p = 0.002). Multivariate analysis revealed the most important factor for wheezing was RSV hospitalization. Quality of life on the respiratory subscale of the TAPQOL was significantly lower (p = 0.001) and healthcare resource utilization was significantly higher (p<0.001) in cases than controls. This study confirms RSV disease is associated with wheezing in 32-35 wGA infants through 6 years of age.     

Local Knowledge and Conservation of Seagrasses in the Tamil Nadu State of India

Local knowledge systems are not considered in the conservation of fragile seagrass marine ecosystems. In fact, little is known about the utility of seagrasses in local coastal communities. This is intriguing given that some local communities rely on seagrasses to sustain their livelihoods and have relocated their villages to areas with a rich diversity and abundance of seagrasses. The purpose of this study is to assist in conservation efforts regarding seagrasses through identifying Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) from local knowledge systems of seagrasses from 40 coastal communities along the eastern coast of India. We explore the assemblage of scientific and local traditional knowledge concerning the 1. classification of seagrasses (comparing scientific and traditional classification systems), 2. utility of seagrasses, 3. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of seagrasses, and 4. current conservation efforts for seagrass ecosystems. Our results indicate that local knowledge systems consist of a complex classification of seagrass diversity that considers the role of seagrasses in the marine ecosystem. This fine-scaled ethno-classification gives rise to five times the number of taxa (10 species = 50 local ethnotaxa), each with a unique role in the ecosystem and utility within coastal communities, including the use of seagrasses for medicine (e.g., treatment of heart conditions, seasickness, etc.), food (nutritious seeds), fertilizer (nutrient rich biomass) and livestock feed (goats and sheep). Local communities are concerned about the loss of seagrass diversity and have considerable local knowledge that is valuable for conservation and restoration plans. This study serves as a case study example of the depth and breadth of local knowledge systems for a particular ecosystem that is in peril.     

Theta band zero-lag long-range cortical synchronization via hippocampal dynamical relaying

Growing evidence suggests that synchronization among distributed neuronal networks underlie functional integration in the brain. Neural synchronization is typically revealed by a consistent phase delay between neural responses generated in two separated sources. But the influence of a third neuronal assembly in that synchrony pattern remains largely unexplored. We investigate here the potential role of the hippocampus in determining cortico-cortical theta synchronization in different behavioral states during motor quiescent and while animals actively explore the environment. To achieve this goal, the two states were modeled with a recurrent network involving the hippocampus, as a relay element, and two distant neocortical sites. We found that cortico-cortical neural coupling accompanied higher hippocampal theta oscillations in both behavioral states, although the highest level of synchronization between cortical regions emerged during motor exploration. Local field potentials recorded from the same brain regions qualitatively confirm these findings in the two behavioral states. These results suggest that zero-lag long-range cortico-cortical synchronization is likely mediated by hippocampal theta oscillations in lower mammals as a function of cognitive demands and motor acts.     

Decreased vascular endothelial growth factor response to acute hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetic patients with hypoglycemic coma

IntroductionPlasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was shown to increase during acute hypoglycemia and could mediate rapid adaptation of the brain. In this study we examined the neuroendocrine response in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in hypoglycemic coma or with acute neuroglycopenic symptoms.MethodsWe prospectively studied 135 consecutive T2DM patients admitted for severe hypoglycemia during a 2-year period. We collected clinical variables and measured plasma concentrations of VEGF, epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol and growth hormone at admission and 30 min afterwards.ResultsThirty two patients developed hypoglycemic coma and 103 did not lose consciousness. Median plasma VEGF level of coma patients was 3.1-fold lower at baseline than that of non-coma patients, and even 5.3-fold lower 30 min afterwards. Plasma epinephrine concentration was significantly lower just at baseline in coma patients. On the contrary, there were no differences in concentrations of the other hormones. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that VEGF concentration (OR 0.68; CI 0.51–0.95) was a protective factor against the development of coma.ConclusionsVEGF and epinephrine responses to acute hypoglycemia are reduced in T2DM patients who develop hypoglycemic coma. An increased plasma VEGF concentration appeared to be a protective factor against the development of hypoglycemic coma.     

A collection of enhancer trap insertional mutants for functional genomics in tomato

With the completion of genome sequencing projects, the next challenge is to close the gap between gene annotation and gene functional assignment. Genomic tools to identify gene functions are based on the analysis of phenotypic variations between a wild type and its mutant; hence, mutant collections are a valuable resource. In this sense, T‐DNA collections allow for an easy and straightforward identification of the tagged gene, serving as the basis of both forward and reverse genetic strategies. This study reports on the phenotypic and molecular characterization of an enhancer trap T‐DNA collection in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), which has been produced by Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation using a binary vector bearing a minimal promoter fused to the uidA reporter gene. Two genes have been isolated from different T‐DNA mutants, one of these genes codes for a UTP‐glucose‐1‐phosphate uridylyltransferase involved in programmed cell death and leaf development, which means a novel gene function reported in tomato. Together, our results support that enhancer trapping is a powerful tool to identify novel genes and regulatory elements in tomato and that this T‐DNA mutant collection represents a highly valuable resource for functional analyses in this fleshy‐fruited model species.     

GO Explorer: A gene-ontology tool to aid in the interpretation of shotgun proteomics data

Background  

Spectral counting is a shotgun proteomics approach comprising the identification and relative quantitation of thousands of proteins in complex mixtures. However, this strategy generates bewildering amounts of data whose biological interpretation is a challenge.