Mapping of neuropeptide Y expression in Octopus brains

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is an evolutionarily conserved neurosecretory molecule implicated in a diverse complement of functions across taxa and in regulating feeding behavior and reproductive maturation in Octopus. However, little is known about the precise molecular circuitry of NPY-mediated behaviors and physiological processes, which likely involve a complex interaction of multiple signal molecules in specific brain regions. Here, we examined the expression of NPY throughout the Octopus central nervous system. The sequence analysis of Octopus NPY precursor confirmed the presence of both, signal peptide and putative active peptides, which are highly conserved across bilaterians. In situ hybridization revealed distinct expression of NPY in specialized compartments, including potential “integration centers,” where visual, tactile, and other behavioral circuitries converge. These centers integrating separate circuits may maintain and modulate learning and memory or other behaviors not yet attributed to NPY-dependent modulation in Octopus. Extrasomatic localization of NPY mRNA in the neurites of specific neuron populations in the brain suggests a potential demand for immediate translation at synapses and a crucial temporal role for NPY in these cell populations. We also documented the presence of NPY mRNA in a small cell population in the olfactory lobe, which is a component of the Octopus feeding and reproductive control centers. However, the molecular mapping of NPY expression only partially overlapped with that produced by immunohistochemistry in previous studies. Our study provides a precise molecular map of NPY mRNA expression that can be used to design and test future hypotheses about molecular signaling in various Octopus behaviors.     

Balancing crosstalk between 20-hydroxyecdysone-induced autophagy and caspase activity in the fat body during Drosophila larval-prepupal transition

In the fruitfly, Drosophila melanogaster, autophagy and caspase activity function in parallel in the salivary gland during metamorphosis and in a common regulatory hierarchy during oogenesis. Both autophagy and caspase activity progressively increase in the remodeling fat body, and they are induced by a pulse of the molting hormone (20-hydroxyecdysone, 20E) during the larval-prepupal transition. Inhibition of autophagy and/or caspase activity in the remodeling fat body results in 25–40% pupal lethality, depending on the genotypes. Interestingly, a balancing crosstalk occurs between autophagy and caspase activity in this tissue: the inhibition of autophagy induces caspase activity and the inhibition of caspases induces autophagy. The Drosophila remodeling fat body provides an in vivo model for understanding the molecular mechanism of the balancing crosstalk between autophagy and caspase activity, which oppose with each other and are induced by the common stimulus 20E, and blockage of either path reinforces the other path.     

GABA and pancreatic beta-cells: colocalization of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and GABA with synaptic-like microvesicles suggests their role in GABA storage and secretion.

GABA, a major inhibitory neurotransmitter of the brain, is also present at high concentration in pancreatic islets. Current evidence suggests that within islets GABA is secreted from beta-cells and regulates the function of mantle cells (alpha- and delta-cells). In the nervous system GABA is stored in, and secreted from, synaptic vesicles. The mechanism of GABA secretion from beta-cells remains to be elucidated. Recently the existence of synaptic-like microvesicles has been demonstrated in some peptide-secreting endocrine cells. The function of these vesicles is so far unknown. The proposed paracrine action of GABA in pancreatic islets makes beta-cells a useful model system to explore the possibility that synaptic-like microvesicles, like synaptic vesicles, are involved in the storage and release of non-peptide neurotransmitters. We report here the presence of synaptic-like microvesicles in beta-cells and in beta-cells. Some beta-cells in culture were found to extend neurite-like processes. When these were present, synaptic-like microvesicles were particularly concentrated in their distal portions. The GABA synthesizing enzyme, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), was found to be localized around synaptic-like microvesicles. This was similar to the localization of GAD around synaptic vesicles in GABA-secreting neurons. GABA immunoreactivity was found to be concentrated in regions of beta-cells which were enriched in synaptic-like microvesicles. These findings suggest that in beta-cells synaptic-like microvesicles are storage organelles for GABA and support the hypothesis that storage of non-peptide signal molecules destined for secretion might be a general feature of synaptic-like microvesicles of endocrine cells.     

A new biallelic DNA polymorphism of the human COL5A1 gene

A cDNA probe of the human COL5A1 gene detects a frequent biallelic PstI polymorphism. Allele A has a frequency of 54% whereas that of allele B is 46%. This restriction fragment length polymorphism provides a useful marker for linkage analysis in 9q34.3.     

Association of Rab3A with synaptic vesicles at late stages of the secretory pathway

Rab3A is a small GTP-binding protein highly concentrated on synaptic vesicles. Like other small GTP-binding proteins it is thought to cycle between a soluble and a membrane-associated state. To determine at which stage of the life cycle of synaptic vesicles rab3A is associated with their membranes, the localization of the protein in neurons and neuroendocrine cells at different developmental and functional stages was investigated. In all cases, rab3A was colocalized with synaptic vesicle markers at the cell periphery, but was absent from the Golgi area, suggesting that rab3A associates with vesicles distally to the Golgi complex and dissociates from vesicle membranes before they recycle to this region. Immunofluorescence experiments carried out on frog motor end plates demonstrated that massive exocytosis of synaptic vesicles is accompanied by a translocation of rab3A to the cell surface. The selective localization of rab3A on synaptic vesicles at stages preceding their fusion with the plasmalemma suggests that the protein is part of a regulatory machinery that is assembled onto the vesicles in preparation for exocytosis.     

Monitoring tropical forests under a functional perspective with satellite‐based vegetation optical depth

Monitoring ecosystem functions in forests is a priority in a climate change scenario, as climate‐induced events may initially alter the functions more than slow‐changing attributes, such as biomass. The ecosystem functional properties (EFPs) are quantities that characterize key ecosystem processes. They can be derived by point observations of gas and energy exchanges between the ecosystems and the atmosphere that are collected globally at FLUXNET flux tower sites and upscaled at ecosystem level. The properties here considered describe the ability of ecosystems to optimize the use of resources for carbon uptake. They represent functional forest information, are dependent on environmental drivers, linked to leaf traits and forest structure, and influenced by climate change effects. The ability of vegetation optical depth (VOD) to provide forest functional information is investigated using 2011–2014 satellite data collected by the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity mission and using the EFPs as reference dataset. Tropical forests in Africa and South America were analyzed, also according to ecological homogeneous units. VOD jointly with water deficit information explained 93% and 87% of the yearly variability in both flux upscaled maximum gross primary productivity and light use efficiency functional properties, in Africa and South America forests respectively. Maps of the retrieved properties evidenced changes in forest functional responses linked to anomalous climate‐induced events during the study period. The findings indicate that VOD can support the flux upscaling process in the tropical range, affected by high uncertainty, and the detection of forest anomalous functional responses. Preliminary temporal analysis of VOD and EFP signals showed fine‐grained variability in periodicity, in signal dephasing, and in the strength of the relationships. In selected drier forest types, these satellite data could also support the monitoring of functional dynamics.     

The role of miRNA-221 and miRNA-126 in patients with benign metastasizing leiomyoma of the lung: an overview with new interesting scenarios

Molecular Biology Reports - Benign metastasizing leiomyoma (BML) is a rare disease characterized by extrauterine benign leiomyomatosis in patients with a previous or concomitant history of uterine...