Genome-wide comparative analysis of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">IQD</Emphasis> gene families in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis>

Background  

Calcium signaling plays a prominent role in plants for coordinating a wide range of developmental processes and responses to environmental cues. Stimulus-specific generation of intracellular calcium transients, decoding of calcium signatures, and transformation of the signal into cellular responses are integral modules of the transduction process. Several hundred proteins with functions in calcium signaling circuits have been identified, and the number of downstream targets of calcium sensors is expected to increase. We previously identified a novel, calmodulin-binding nuclear protein, IQD1, which stimulates glucosinolate accumulation and plant defense in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we present a comparative genome-wide analysis of a new class of putative calmodulin target proteins in Arabidopsis and rice.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Troponin T</Emphasis> isoform expression is modulated during Atlantic Halibut metamorphosis

Background  

Flatfish metamorphosis is a thyroid hormone (TH) driven process which leads to a dramatic change from a symmetrical larva to an asymmetrical juvenile. The effect of THs on muscle and in particular muscle sarcomer protein genes is largely unexplored in fish. The change in Troponin T (TnT), a pivotal protein in the assembly of skeletal muscles sarcomeres and a modulator of calcium driven muscle contraction, during flatfish metamophosis is studied.     

Functional,genetic and bioinformatic characterization of a calcium/calmodulin kinase gene in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sporothrix schenckii</Emphasis>

Background  

Sporothrix schenckiiis a pathogenic, dimorphic fungus, the etiological agent of sporotrichosis, a subcutaneous lymphatic mycosis. Dimorphism inS. schenckiiresponds to second messengers such as cAMP and calcium, suggesting the possible involvement of a calcium/calmodulin kinase in its regulation. In this study we describe a novel calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase gene inS. schenckii, sscmk1, and the effects of inhibitors of calmodulin and calcium/calmodulin kinases on the yeast to mycelium transition and the yeast cell cycle.     

Efficacy of different treatment regimes against setariosis (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Setaria tundra</Emphasis>, Nematoda: Filarioidea) and associated peritonitis in reindeer

Background  

When a severe peritonitis outbreak in semi-domesticated reindeer was noticed in 2003 in Finland, the concerned industry urged immediate preventive actions in order to avoid detrimental effects of S. tundra and further economical losses. A research programme was swiftly initiated to study S. tundra and its impact on the health and wellbeing of reindeer.     

Carbachol-mediated pigment granule dispersion in retinal pigment epithelium requires Ca<Superscript>2+</Superscript> and calcineurin

Background  

Inside bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) retinal pigment epithelial cells, pigment granules move in response to extracellular signals. During the process of aggregation, pigment motility is directed toward the cell nucleus; in dispersion, pigment is directed away from the nucleus and into long apical processes. A number of different chemicals have been found to initiate dispersion, and carbachol (an acetylcholine analog) is one example. Previous research indicates that the carbachol-receptor interaction activates a G_q-mediated pathway which is commonly linked to Ca²⁺ mobilization. The purpose of the present study was to test for involvement of calcium and to probe calcium-dependent mediators to reveal their role in carbachol-mediated dispersion.     

Disruption of Four Kinesin Genes in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dictyostelium</Emphasis>

Background  

Kinesin and dynein are the two families of microtubule-based motors that drive much of the intracellular movements in eukaryotic cells. Using a gene knockout strategy, we address here the individual function(s) of four of the 13 kinesin proteins in Dictyostelium. The goal of our ongoing project is to establish a minimal motility proteome for this basal eukaryote, enabling us to contrast motor functions here with the often far more elaborate motor families in the metazoans.     

Cortical beta EEG oscillations related to changes in muscle tone activity during sleep in spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)

Background

The physiological mechanisms that allow for sleeping in a vertical position, which is primordial for arboreal primates, have not been studied yet.

Methods

A non‐invasive polysomnographic study of 6 spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) was conducted. The relative beta power of the motor cortex and its linear relation with muscle tone in the facial mentalis muscle and the abductor caudae medialis muscle of the tail during wakefulness and sleep stages were calculated.

Results

A strong negative linear relationship (r = ?.8, P = .03) was found between the relative power of the beta2 band in the left motor cortex and abductor caudae medialis muscle tone during delta sleep.

Conclusions

The left motor cortex, through beta2 band activity, interacts with abductor caudae medialis muscle tonicity during delta sleep. This interaction takes part in the mechanisms that regulate the sleep postures.     

Inactivation of the fliY gene encoding a flagellar motor switch protein attenuates mobility and virulence of Leptospira interrogans strain Lai

Background  

Pathogenic Leptospira species cause leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease of global importance. The spirochete displays active rotative mobility which may contribute to invasion and diffusion of the pathogen in hosts. FliY is a flagellar motor switch protein that controls flagellar motor direction in other microbes, but its role in Leptospira, and paricularly in pathogenicity remains unknown.     

Programmed cell death in salt glands of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tamarix aphylla</Emphasis> L.: an electron microscope analysis

Background  

Tamarix aphylla is a halophyte growing in soils rich in NaCl. Leaves of Tamarix aphylla develop numerous salt glands, which initiate, secrete NaCl, become senescent and eventually die, as part of a programmed process. Dead glands are replaced by new ones, so that only active glands exist on the leaves. Most importantly, these glands remove excess NaCl from the tissues, which protects against hyperosmotic phenomena.     

Bumblebee foraging rhythms under the midnight sun measured with radiofrequency identification

Background  

In the permanent daylight conditions north of the Arctic circle, there is a unique opportunity for bumblebee foragers to maximise intake, and therefore colony growth, by remaining active during the entire available 24-h period. We tested the foraging rhythms of bumblebee (Bombus terrestris and B. pascuorum) colonies in northern Finland during the summer, when the sun stays above the horizon for weeks. We used fully automatic radio-frequency identification to monitor the foraging activity of more than 1,000 workers and analysed their circadian foraging rhythms.     

Gene gain and loss events in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rickettsia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Orientia</Emphasis>species

Background  

Genome degradation is an ongoing process in all members of the Rickettsiales order, which makes these bacterial species an excellent model for studying reductive evolution through interspecies variation in genome size and gene content. In this study, we evaluated the degree to which gene loss shaped the content of some Rickettsiales genomes. We shed light on the role played by horizontal gene transfers in the genome evolution of Rickettsiales.     

Identification and functional characterisation of the promoter of the calcium sensor gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">CBL1</Emphasis> from the xerophyte <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ammopiptanthus mongolicus</Emphasis>

Background  

CBL1 is a calcium sensor that regulates drought, cold and salt signals in Arabidopsis. Overexpression of CBL1 gene in Arabidopsis and in Ammopiptanthus mongolicus showed different tolerant activities. We are interested in understanding the molecular mechanism of the upstream region of the CBL1 gene of A. mongolicus (AmCBL1). We investigated and characterized the promoter of the AmCBL1 gene, for promoters play a very important role in regulating gene expression in eukaryotes.     

Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase activity affects growth and riboflavin production in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ashbya gossypii</Emphasis>

Background  

Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PRPP) is a central compound for cellular metabolism and may be considered as a link between carbon and nitrogen metabolism. PRPP is directly involved in the de novo and salvage biosynthesis of GTP, which is the immediate precursor of riboflavin. The industrial production of this vitamin using the fungus Ashbya gossypii is an important biotechnological process that is strongly influenced by substrate availability.     

Histamine metabolism influences blood vessel branching in zebrafish <Emphasis Type="Italic">reg6</Emphasis>mutants

Background  

Vascular branching morphogenesis is responsible for the extension of blood vessels into growing tissues, a process crucial for organogenesis. However, the genetic mechanism for vessel branching is largely unknown. Zebrafish reg6 is a temperature-sensitive mutation exhibiting defects in blood vessel branching which results in the formation of swollen vessel lumina during capillary plexus formation.     

Characterization of the C. elegans erlin homologue

Background  

Erlins are highly conserved proteins associated with lipid rafts within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Biochemical studies in mammalian cell lines have shown that erlins are required for ER associated protein degradation (ERAD) of activated inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs), implying that erlin proteins might negatively regulate IP3R signalling. In humans, loss of erlin function appears to cause progressive intellectual disability, motor dysfunction and joint contractures. However, it is unknown if defects in IP3R ERAD are the underlying cause of this disease phenotype, whether ERAD of activated IP3Rs is the only function of erlin proteins, and what role ERAD plays in regulating IP3R-dependent processes in the context of an intact animal or embryo. In this study, we characterize the erlin homologue of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and examine erlin function in vivo. We specifically set out to test whether C. elegans erlin modulates IP3R-dependent processes, such as egg laying, embryonic development and defecation rates. We also explore the possibility that erlin might play a more general role in the ERAD pathway of C. elegans.     

Exocytosis and protein secretion in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trypanosoma</Emphasis>

Background  

Human African trypanosomiasis is a lethal disease caused by the extracellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei. The proteins secreted by T. brucei inhibit the maturation of dendritic cells and their ability to induce lymphocytic allogenic responses. To better understand the pathogenic process, we combined different approaches to characterize these secreted proteins.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gdt</Emphasis>2 regulates the transition of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dictyostelium</Emphasis>cells from growth to differentiation

Background  

Dictyostelium life cycle consists of two distinct phases – growth and development. The control of growth-differentiation transition in Dictyostelium is not completely understood, and only few genes involved in this process are known.     

Simultaneous extraction of carotenoids and transfructosylating enzyme from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous</Emphasis> by a bead beater

Purpose of work  

Conditions for the cell disruption of Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous by using a bead beater have been optimized with respect to maximizing the recovery of carotenoids and transfructosylating enzymes in a one-step process.     

LTR retrotransposons and the evolution of dosage compensation in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis>

Background  

Dosage compensation in Drosophila is the epigenetic process by which the expression of genes located on the single X-chromosome of males is elevated to equal the expression of X-linked genes in females where there are two copies of the X-chromosome. While epigenetic mechanisms are hypothesized to have evolved originally to silence transposable elements, a connection between transposable elements and the evolution of dosage compensation has yet to be demonstrated.     

The stabilizing effects of immobilization in D-amino acid oxidase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trigonopsis variabilis</Emphasis>

Background  

Immobilization of Trigonopsis variabilis D-amino acid oxidase (TvDAO) on solid support is the key to a reasonably stable performance of this enzyme in the industrial process for the conversion of cephalosporin C as well as in other biocatalytic applications.