Copepod Population-Specific Response to a Toxic Diatom Diet

Diatoms are key phytoplankton organisms and one of the main primary producers in aquatic ecosystems. However, many diatom species produce a series of secondary metabolites, collectively termed oxylipins, that disrupt development in the offspring of grazers, such as copepods, that feed on these unicellular algae. We hypothesized that different populations of copepods may deal differently with the same oxylipin-producing diatom diet. Here we provide comparative studies of expression level analyses of selected genes of interest for three Calanus helgolandicus populations (North Sea, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea) exposed to the same strain of the oxylipin-producing diatom Skeletonema marinoi using as control algae the flagellate Rhodomonas baltica. Expression levels of detoxification enzymes and stress proteins (e.g. glutathione S-transferase, glutathione synthase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, aldehyde dehydrogenases and heat shock proteins) and proteins involved in apoptosis regulation and cell cycle progression were analyzed in copepods after both 24 and 48 hours of feeding on the diatom or on a control diet. Strong differences occurred among copepod populations, with the Mediterranean population of C. helgolandicus being more susceptible to the toxic diet compared to the others. This study opens new perspectives for understanding copepod population-specific responses to diatom toxins and may help in underpinning the cellular mechanisms underlying copepod toxicity during diatom blooms.     

The role of environmental factors in the induction of oxidative stress in zebra mussel (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dreissena polymorpha</Emphasis>)

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of specific environmental factors, such as temperature, pH, oxygen concentration, and phosphate, nitrate, chloride, sodium, potassium, sulphate, magnesium and calcium ions concentration, as well as microcystins, on the seasonal variations in the activity of the antioxidant system of the zebra mussel. We examined changes in lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels, glutathione content and the catalase activity of mussels inhabiting the two ecosystems, which differ due to their trophic structure and the presence of toxic cyanobacteria. The results show a relationship between the activity of the antioxidant system of zebra mussels and the seasonal fluctuations of environmental parameters: the symptoms of oxidative stress were generally the highest during spring and the lowest during summer in both ecosystems. Our study also revealed that regardless of the study area the most important factors determining the activity of the antioxidant defences of mussels were the mineral composition (particularly magnesium and calcium ions concentrations) and physical parameters of the water (oxygen concentration and pH). However, factors resulting from the trophic status of studied ecosystems, such as limitations in food resources or high concentration of microcystins during cyanobacterial blooms, were periodically responsible for increased level of LPO in the tissues of zebra mussel. These findings may indicate a limited tolerance of the zebra mussel to the local environmental conditions.     

Freeware tool for analysing numbers and sizes of cell colonies

Radiation and Environmental Biophysics - The clonogenic cell survival assay is a basic method to study the cytotoxic effect of radiation and chemical toxins. In large experimental setups, counting...     

Combined anticancer therapy with imidazoacridinone analogue C‐1305 and paclitaxel in human lung and colon cancer xenografts—Modulation of tumour angiogenesis

The acridanone derivative 5‐dimethylaminopropylamino‐8‐hydroxytriazoloacridinone (C‐1305) has been described as a potent inhibitor of cancer cell growth. Its mechanism of action in in vitro conditions was attributed, among others, to its ability to bind and stabilize the microtubule network and subsequently exhibit its tumour‐suppressive effects in synergy with paclitaxel (PTX). Therefore, the objective of the present study was to analyse the effects of the combined treatment of C‐1305 and PTX in vivo. In addition, considering the results of previous genomic analyses, particular attention was given to the effects of this treatment on tumour angiogenesis. Treatment with C‐1305 revealed antitumor effect in A549 lung cancer cells, and combined treatment with PTX showed tendency to anticancer activity in HCT116 colon cancer xenografts. It also improved tumour blood perfusion in both tumour models. The plasma level of CCL2 was increased and that of PDGF was decreased after combined treatment with C‐1305 and PTX. The experimental results showed that the levels of FGF1, TGF‐β and Ang‐4 decreased, whereas the levels of ERK1/2 and Akt phosphorylation increased in HCT116 tumour tissue following combined treatment with both drugs. The results of in vitro capillary‐like structure formation assay demonstrated the inhibiting effect of C‐1305 on this process. Although previous in vitro and in vivo studies suggested a positive effect of C‐1305 on cancer cells, combined treatment of HCT116 human colon and A549 lung cancer cells with both PTX and C‐1305 in vivo showed that the antitumor activity was restricted and associated with the modulation of tumour angiogenesis.     

Bridging implementation gaps to connect large ecological datasets and complex models

Merging robust statistical methods with complex simulation models is a frontier for improving ecological inference and forecasting. However, bringing these tools together is not always straightforward. Matching data with model output, determining starting conditions, and addressing high dimensionality are some of the complexities that arise when attempting to incorporate ecological field data with mechanistic models directly using sophisticated statistical methods. To illustrate these complexities and pragmatic paths forward, we present an analysis using tree‐ring basal area reconstructions in Denali National Park (DNPP) to constrain successional trajectories of two spruce species (Picea mariana and Picea glauca) simulated by a forest gap model, University of Virginia Forest Model Enhanced—UVAFME. Through this process, we provide preliminary ecological inference about the long‐term competitive dynamics between slow‐growing P. mariana and relatively faster‐growing P. glauca. Incorporating tree‐ring data into UVAFME allowed us to estimate a bias correction for stand age with improved parameter estimates. We found that higher parameter values for P. mariana minimum growth under stress and P. glauca maximum growth rate were key to improving simulations of coexistence, agreeing with recent research that faster‐growing P. glauca may outcompete P. mariana under climate change scenarios. The implementation challenges we highlight are a crucial part of the conversation for how to bring models together with data to improve ecological inference and forecasting.     

Laccase-catalyzed oxidation of 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-propene using ABTS as mediator

The fungal laccases catalyzed oxidation of 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-propene (2) with dioxygen in acetate buffer (pH 4.5) producing 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)propane-1,2-diol (4) and its 1-O-acetyl and 2-O-acetyl derivatives 5 and 6, and 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde (7). However, in phosphate buffer (pH 5.9), the same reaction produced only 4 and 7. When 4 was treated in the same fashion in the phosphate buffer, it was converted into 7 with more than 95 mol% yield. This, together with the formation of 5 and 6 in the acetate buffer, showed that 2 is converted into 3–5 via 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)propane-1,2-epoxide (3) in the acetate buffer in the presence of ABTS. The major reaction of fungal laccase-catalyzed oxidation of 2 with dioxygen in the presence of ABTS is epoxidation of the double bond conjugated to the aromatic ring.     

Long-Term Patterns in the Population Dynamics of Daphnia longispina,Leptodora kindtii and Cyanobacteria in a Shallow Reservoir: A Self-Organising Map (SOM) Approach

The recognition of long-term patterns in the seasonal dynamics of Daphnia longispina, Leptodora kindtii and cyanobacteria is dependent upon their interactions, the water temperature and the hydrological conditions, which were all investigated between 1999 and 2008 in the lowland Sulejow Reservoir. The biomass of cyanobacteria, densities of D. longispina and L. kindtii, concentration of chlorophyll a and water temperature were assessed weekly from April to October at three sampling stations along the longitudinal reservoir axis. The retention time was calculated using data on the actual water inflow and reservoir volume. A self-organising map (SOM) was used due to high interannual variability in the studied parameters and their often non-linear relationships. Classification of the SOM output neurons into three clusters that grouped the sampling terms with similar biotic states allowed identification of the crucial abiotic factors responsible for the seasonal sequence of events: cluster CL-ExSp (extreme/spring) corresponded to hydrologically unstable cold periods (mostly spring) with extreme values and highly variable abiotic factors, which made abiotic control of the biota dominant; cluster CL-StSm (stable/summer) was associated with ordinary late spring and summer and was characterised by stable non-extreme abiotic conditions, which made biotic interactions more important; and the cluster CL-ExSm (extreme/summer), was associated with late spring/summer and characterised by thermal or hydrological extremes, which weakened the role of biotic factors. The significance of the differences between the SOM sub-clusters was verified by Kruskal-Wallis and post-hoc Dunn tests. The importance of the temperature and hydrological regimes as the key plankton-regulating factors in the dam reservoir, as shown by the SOM, was confirmed by the results of canonical correlation analyses (CCA) of each cluster. The demonstrated significance of hydrology in seasonal plankton dynamics complements the widely accepted pattern proposed by the plankton succession model for lakes, the PEG (Plankton Ecology Group), and may be useful for the formulation of management decisions in dam reservoirs.