DNA barcoding revealed a wider distribution of Alburnoides holciki (Teleostei: Leuciscidae) in the inland waters of Uzbekistan

Alburnoides holciki Coad & Bogutskaya, 2012 was originally described to be found in the Hari River basin. So far, this species is known to occur in tributaries of the Hari River in Afghanistan, Iran and Turkmenistan, and also in the upper reaches of the Amu Darya in Tajikistan. Populations from the inland waters of Uzbekistan were previously considered as A. eichwaldii. Our study recognized specimens of Alburnoides from the inland waters of Uzbekistan as A. holciki based on both morphological data and the molecular data. The novelty of the study is the confirmation of A. holciki for the inland waters of Uzbekistan, which constitutes the northernmost record of this species.     

Triplophysa ferganaensis,a new loach species from Fergana Valley in Central Asia (Teleostei: Nemacheilidae)

Triplophysa ferganaensis sp. nov. is described from the Shakhimardan stream, a small tributary of the Syr Darya, which does not reach the river in Fergana Valley. It can be distinguished from other valid Triplophysa loaches based on the following combination of characters: body smooth and scaleless, lateral line complete, posterior chamber of air bladder degenerated, inner gill rakers 10–11 on the first-gill arch, outer gill rakers absent, vertebrae 4 + 35–36, 8 + 8 branched caudal-fin rays, caudal peduncle depth 2.1–2.7 times its length, two supratemporal pores, dorsal-fin origin closer to the caudal-fin base than to the snout tip, caudal fin emarginated and pelvic-fin tip reaching the anus. The new species can also be distinguished from its congeners based on the molecular analyses of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (coI) gene sequences. The phylogenetic position of this new species indicates that it is a sister taxon of Triplophysa tenuis.     

Controlled biosynthesis of AgCl nanoparticles by a thermotolerant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus terreus</Emphasis> in the L-Tryptophan supplemented media: Characterization and antimicrobial activity

A simple and green method was developed for the extracellular biosynthesis of silver chloride nanoparticles, free from silver nanoparticles, using cell-free filtrate of a thermotolerant fungal strain Aspergillus terreus 8. The synthesized silver chloride nanoparticles exhibited characteristic absorption maximum at 275 nm. As-fabricated AgCl-NPs were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, XRD, SEM-EDX, and FT-IR. The biosynthesized silver chloride nanoparticles exhibited strong antimicrobial activity towards pathogenic microorganisms such as Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum and Verticillium dahliae. The synthesized silver chloride nanoparticles can be exploited as a promising new biocide bionanocomposite against pathogenic microorganisms.     

Estimation of melting points of large set of persistent organic pollutants utilizing QSPR approach

The presence of polyhalogenated persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as Cl/Br-substituted benzenes, biphenyls, diphenyl ethers, and naphthalenes has been identified in all environmental compartments. The exposure to these compounds can pose potential risk not only for ecological systems, but also for human health. Therefore, efficient tools for comprehensive environmental risk assessment for POPs are required. Among the factors vital for environmental transport and fate processes is melting point of a compound. In this study, we estimated the melting points of a large group (1419 compounds) of chloro- and bromo- derivatives of dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, biphenyls, naphthalenes, diphenylethers, and benzenes by utilizing quantitative structure—property relationship (QSPR) techniques. The compounds were classified by applying structure-based clustering methods followed by GA-PLS modeling. In addition, random forest method has been applied to develop more general models. Factors responsible for melting point behavior and predictive ability of each method were discussed.     

Identification of paxilin domains interacting with β-catenin

Barrier-protective agonists induce association of focal adhesions (FA) and adherens junctions (AJ) in endothelial cells. Here we identified specific domains of FA protein paxillin interacting with AJ protein and examined regulation of paxillin domain interactions with β-catenin by Rac GTPase. Co-expression of paxillin LD-1,2; LD-3,4; LIM-1,2; and LIM-3,4 domains with β-catenin showed exclusive interaction of LIM-1,2 and LIM-3,4 with β-catenin, which was enhanced by agonist-induced Rac activation or expression of activated Rac mutant. These results demonstrate a novel function of paxillin LIM domains in targeting β-catenin in a Rac-dependent manner, which may play a role in Rac-dependent control of FA-AJ interactions and monolayer integrity.     

Modelling as a tool for analysing the temperature‐dependent future of the Colorado potato beetle in Europe

A warmer climate may increase the risk of attacks by insect pests on agricultural crops, and questions on how to adapt management practice have created a need for impact models. Phenological models driven by climate data can be used for assessing the potential distribution and voltinism of different insect species, but the quality of the simulations is influenced by a range of uncertainties. In this study, we model the temperature‐dependent activity and development of the Colorado potato beetle, and analyse the influence of uncertainty associated with parameterization of temperature and day length response. We found that the developmental threshold has a major impact on the simulated number of generations per year. Little is known about local adaptations and individual variations, but the use of an upper and a lower developmental threshold gave an indication on the potential variation. The day length conditions triggering diapause are known only for a few populations. We used gridded observed temperature data to estimate local adaptations, hypothesizing that cold autumns can leave a footprint in the population genetics by low survival of individuals not reaching the adult stage before winter. Our study indicated that the potential selection pressure caused by climate conditions varies between European regions. Provided that there is enough genetic variation, a local adaption at the northern distribution limit would reduce the number of unsuccessful initiations and thereby increase the potential for spreading to areas currently not infested. The simulations of the impact model were highly sensitive to biases in climate model data, i.e. systematic deviations in comparison with observed weather, highlightening the need of improved performance of regional climate models. Even a moderate temperature increase could change the voltinism of Leptinotarsa decemlineata in Europe, but knowledge on agricultural practice and strategies for countermeasures is needed to evaluate changes in risk of attacks.     

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence and phylogenetic position of the Amu Darya sturgeon,Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni (Acipenseriformes: Acipenseridae)

In this study, we successfully assembled the complete mitochondrial genome of the Amu Darya sturgeon Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni. Based on this mitochondrial genome and previously published mitochondrial genomes of members of the Acipenseridae family, we assessed the phylogenetic position of P. kaufmanni using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference for phylogeny reconstruction. The resultant phylogenetic trees were well-resolved, with congruence between different phylogenetic methods. This robust phylogenetic analysis elucidated the relationship among the four acipenserid genera and strongly supported the division of the family into three main clades. Evaluation of molecular phylogeny using maximum likelihood and Bayesian analysis led to the following conclusions: (a) the most basal position within the Acipenseridae remains in the clade containing Acipenser oxyrinchus and Acipenser sturio; (b) the genus Scaphirhynchus belongs to the Atlantic clade and is a sister group of the remaining species of the clade; and (c) the close relationship between P. kaufmanni and Acipenser stellatus is well supported.