Ultra‐Conserved Elements and morphology reciprocally illuminate conflicting phylogenetic hypotheses in Chalcididae (Hymenoptera,Chalcidoidea)

Recent technical advances combined with novel computational approaches have promised the acceleration of our understanding of the tree of life. However, when it comes to hyperdiverse and poorly known groups of invertebrates, studies are still scarce. As published phylogenies will be rarely challenged by future taxonomists, careful attention must be paid to potential analytical bias. We present the first molecular phylogenetic hypothesis for the family Chalcididae, a group of parasitoid wasps, with a representative sampling (144 ingroups and seven outgroups) that covers all described subfamilies and tribes, and 82% of the known genera. Analyses of 538 Ultra‐Conserved Elements (UCEs) with supermatrix (RAx ML and IQTREE) and gene tree reconciliation approaches (ASTRAL, ASTRID) resulted in highly supported topologies in overall agreement with morphology but reveal conflicting topologies for some of the deepest nodes. To resolve these conflicts, we explored the phylogenetic tree space with clustering and gene genealogy interrogation methods, analyzed marker and taxon properties that could bias inferences and performed a thorough morphological analysis (130 characters encoded for 40 taxa representative of the diversity). This joint analysis reveals that UCEs enable attainment of resolution between ancestry and convergent/divergent evolution when morphology is not informative enough, but also shows that a systematic exploration of bias with different analytical methods and a careful analysis of morphological features is required to prevent publication of artifactual results. We highlight a GC content bias for maximum‐likelihood approaches, an artifactual mid‐point rooting of the ASTRAL tree and a deleterious effect of high percentage of missing data (>85% missing UCEs) on gene tree reconciliation methods. Based on the results we propose a new classification of the family into eight subfamilies and ten tribes that lay the foundation for future studies on the evolutionary history of Chalcididae.     

Variations in enzyme activity in stomach and pancreatic tissue and digesta in piglets around weaning

A study was performed to investigate the effect of weaning at 4 weeks of age on the activity of digestive enzymes in the stomach and pancreatic tissue and in digesta from 3 days prior to weaning to 9 days postweaning in 64 piglets. In stomach tissue the activity of pepsin and gastric lipase was determined. Pepsin activity declined abruptly after weaning but 5 days postweaning the weaning level was regained and in the gastric contents no change in pepsin activity was observed. Weaning did not influence the activity of gastric lipase. The activity of eight enzymes and a cofactor was measured in pancreatic tissue. The effect of weaning on the enzyme activity was highly significant for all enzymes except elastase. The activity of all enzymes remained at the weaning level during day 1–2 postweaning followed by a reduction of the activity. The activity of trypsin, carboxypeptidase A, amylase and lipase exhibited minimum activity 5 days postweaning. Trypsin activity increased to the preweaning level on day 7–9 whereas the activity of the others increased but did not reach the preweaning level. The activity of chymotrypsin, carboxypeptidase B and carboxyl ester hydrolase decreased during the entire experimental period. In digesta no effect of weaning was observed on the activity of amylase and trypsin. The activity of chymotrypsin was reduced after weaning in the proximal third of the small intestine and lipase and carboxyl ester hydrolase activity was reduced in the middle and distal parts of the small intestine after weaning. The present study shows that the activities of the digestive enzymes in the pancreatic tissue are affected by weaning. Even though the pancreatic secretion cannot be judged from these results they show that the enzymes respond differently to weaning. In general the activity of the digestive enzymes in pancreatic tissue is low on day 5 postweaning which in interaction with other factors may increase the risk of developing postweaning diarrhoea.     

The ITGAV rs3738919 variant and susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis in four Caucasian sample sets

Introduction

Angiogenesis is an important process in the development of destructive synovial pannus in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The ITGAV +gene encodes a cell cycle-associated antigen, integrin ανβ 3, which plays a role in RA angiogenesis. Previously, two independent studies identified an association between the major allele of the ITGAV single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3738919 and RA. We therefore tested this association in an independent study using New Zealand (NZ) and Oxford (UK) RA case control samples.

Methods

We compared genotype frequencies in 740 NZ Caucasian RA patients and 553 controls genotyped for rs3738919, using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. A TaqMan genotyping SNP assay was used to type 713 Caucasian RA patients and 515 control samples from Oxford for the rs3738919 variant. Association of rs3738919 with RA was tested in these two sample sets using the chi-square goodness-of-fit test. The Mantel-Haenszel test was used to perform a meta-analysis, combining the genetic results from four independent Caucasian case control cohorts, consisting of 3,527 cases and 4,126 controls. Haplotype analysis was also performed using SNPs rs3911238, rs10174098 and rs3738919 in the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, NZ and Oxford case control samples.

Results

We found no evidence for association between ITGAV and RA in either the NZ or Oxford sample set (odds ratio [OR] = 0.88, P_allelic = 0.11 and OR = 1.18, P_allelic = 0.07, respectively). Inclusion of these data in a meta-analysis (random effects) of four independent cohorts (3,527 cases and 4,126 controls) weakens support for the hypothesis that rs3738919 plays a role in the development of RA (OR_combined = 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.29). No consistent haplotype associations were evident.

Conclusions

Association of ITGAV SNP rs7378919 with RA was not replicated in NZ or Oxford case control sample sets. Meta-analysis of these and previously published data lends limited support for a role for the ITGAV in RA in Caucasians of European ancestry.     

Quantification of angiogenesis in estrogen receptor-positive and negative breast carcinoma

Background

The objective of this study was to evaluate angiogenesis according to CD34 antigen expression in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and negative breast carcinomas.

Methods

This study comprised 64 cases of infiltrating ductal carcinoma in postmenopausal women divided into two groups: Group A: ER-positive, n = 35; and Group B: ER-negative, n = 29. The anti-CD34 monoclonal antibody was used as a marker for endothelial cells. Microvessel count was carried out in 10 fields per slide using a 40× objective lens (magnification 400×). Statistical analysis of the data was performed using Student's t-test (p < 0.05).

Results

The mean number of vessels stained with the anti-CD34 antibody in the estrogen receptor-positive and negative tumors was 23.51 ± 1.15 and 40.24 ± 0.42, respectively. The number of microvessels was significantly greater in the estrogen receptor-negative tumors (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

ER-negative tumors have significantly greater CD34 antigen expression compared to ER-positive tumors.

     

The evolution of a complex trait: cuticular hydrocarbons in ants evolve independent from phylogenetic constraints

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are ubiquitous and highly diverse in insects, serving as communication signal and waterproofing agent. Despite their vital function, the causes, mechanisms and constraints on CHC diversification are still poorly understood. Here, we investigated phylogenetic constraints on the evolution of CHC profiles, using a global data set of the species‐rich and chemically diverse ant genus Crematogaster. We decomposed CHC profiles into quantitative (relative abundances, chain length) and qualitative traits (presence/absence of CHC classes). A species‐level phylogeny was estimated using newly generated and previously published sequences from five nuclear markers. Moreover, we reconstructed a phylogeny for the chemically diverse Crematogaster levior species group using cytochrome oxidase I. Phylogenetic signal was measured for these traits on genus and clade level and within the chemically diverse C. levior group. For most quantitative CHC traits, phylogenetic signal was low and did not differ from random expectation. This was true on the level of genus, clade and species group, indicating that CHC traits are evolutionary labile. In contrast, the presence or absence of alkenes and alkadienes was highly conserved within the C. levior group. Hence, the presence or absence of biosynthetic pathways may be phylogenetically constrained, especially at lower taxonomic levels. Our study shows that CHC composition can evolve rapidly, allowing insects to quickly adapt their chemical profiles to external selection pressures, whereas the presence of biosynthetic pathways appears more constrained. However, our results stress the importance to consider the taxonomic level when investigating phylogenetic constraints.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns,emm type distribution and genetic diversity of Streptococcus pyogenes recovered in Brazil

Streptococcus pyogenes is responsible for a variety of infectious diseases and immunological complications. In this study, 91 isolates of S. pyogenes recovered from oropharynx secretions were submitted to antimicrobial susceptibility testing, emm typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis. All isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone, levofloxacin, penicillin G and vancomycin. Resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin was 15.4%, which is higher than previous reports from this area, while 20.9% of the isolates were not susceptible to tetracycline. The macrolide resistance phenotypes were cMLSB (10) and iMLSB (4). The ermB gene was predominant, followed by the ermA gene. Thirty-two emm types and subtypes were found, but five (emm1, emm4, emm12, emm22, emm81) were detected in 48% of the isolates. Three new emm subtypes were identified (emm1.74, emm58.14, emm76.7). There was a strong association between emm type and PFGE clustering. A variety of PFGE profiles as well as emm types were found among tetracycline and erythromycin-resistant isolates, demonstrating that antimicrobial resistant strains do not result from the expansion of one or a few clones. This study provides epidemiological data that contribute to the development of suitable strategies for the prevention and treatment of such infections in a poorly studied area.     

Only one independent genetic association with rheumatoid arthritis within the KIAA1109-TENR-IL2-IL21 locus in Caucasian sample sets: confirmation of association of rs6822844 with rheumatoid arthritis at a genome-wide level of significance

Introduction

To investigate whether accelerated hand bone mineral density (BMD) loss is associated with progressive joint damage in hands and feet in the first year of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and whether it is an independent predictor of subsequent progressive total joint damage after 4 years.

Methods

In 256 recent-onset RA patients, baseline and 1-year hand BMD was measured in metacarpals 2-4 by digital X-ray radiogrammetry. Joint damage in hands and feet were scored in random order according to the Sharp-van der Heijde method at baseline and yearly up to 4 years.

Results

68% of the patients had accelerated hand BMD loss (>-0.003 g/cm²) in the first year of RA. Hand BMD loss was associated with progressive joint damage after 1 year both in hands and feet with odds ratios (OR) (95% confidence intervals [CI]) of 5.3 (1.3-20.9) and 3.1 (1.0-9.7). In univariate analysis, hand BMD loss in the first year was a predictor of subsequent progressive total joint damage after 4 years with an OR (95% CI) of 3.1 (1.3-7.6). Multivariate analysis showed that only progressive joint damage in the first year and anti-citrullinated protein antibody positivity were independent predictors of long-term progressive joint damage.

Conclusions

In the first year of RA, accelerated hand BMD loss is associated with progressive joint damage in both hands and feet. Hand BMD loss in the first year of recent-onset RA predicts subsequent progressive total joint damage, however not independent of progressive joint damage in the first year.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">SLC2A9</Emphasis> nonsynonymous Arg265His variant and gout: evidence for a population-specific effect on severity

Introduction  

The C allele of the nonsynonymous Arg265His (rs3733591) variant of SLC2A9 confers risk for gout in Han Chinese, Solomon Island and Japanese samples, with a stronger role in tophaceous gout. There is no evidence for an association with gout in Caucasian populations. In the present study, we tested rs3733591 for association with gout in New Zealand (NZ) Māori, Pacific Island and Caucasian samples.     

Acrobat ants go global - Origin, evolution and systematics of the genus Crematogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

This study unravels the evolution and biogeographic history of the globally distributed ant genus Crematogaster on the basis of a molecular phylogeny, reconstructed from five nuclear protein-coding genes and a total of 3384bp of sequence data. A particular emphasis is placed on the evolutionary history of these ants in the Malagasy region. Bayesian and likelihood analyses performed on a dataset of 124 Crematogaster ingroup taxa lend strong support for three deeply diverging phylogenetic lineages within the genus: the Orthocrema clade, the Global Crematogaster clade and the Australo-Asian Crematogaster clade. The 15 previous subgenera within Crematogaster are mostly not monophyletic. Divergence dating analyses and ancestral range reconstructions suggest that Crematogaster evolved in South-East Asia in the mid-Eocene (40-45ma). The three major lineages also originated in this region in the late Oligocene/early Miocene (～24-30ma). A first dispersal out of S-E Asia by an Orthocrema lineage is supported for 22-30ma to the Afrotropical region. Successive dispersal events out of S-E Asia began in the early, and continued throughout the late Miocene. The global distribution of Crematogaster was achieved by subsequent colonizations of all major biogeographic regions by the Orthocrema and the Global Crematogaster clade. Molecular dating estimates and ancestral range evolution are discussed in the light of palaeogeographic changes in the S-E Asian region and an evolving ocean circulation system throughout the Eocene, Oligocene and Miocene. Eight dispersal events to/from Madagascar by Crematogaster are supported, with most events occurring in the late Miocene to Pliocene (5.0-9.5ma). These results suggest that Crematogaster ants possess exceptional dispersal and colonization abilities, and emphasize the need for detailed investigations of traits that have contributed to the global evolutionary success of these ants.