Bluetongue epidemiology in wild ruminants from Southern Spain

Serum samples from 210 wild ruminants collected between 2006 and 2007 in southern Spain were tested for antibodies against bluetongue virus (BTV) by means of a competitive ELISA assay. Eighty-seven of the 210 wild ruminants analysed (41%) showed antibodies against BTV. Statistically significant differences were found in the seroprevalence among species: 66% (65 of 98) for red deer (Cervus elaphus), 50% (ten of 20) for fallow deer (Dama dama), 33% (three of nine) for mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) and 11% (nine of 83) for Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica). Overall, the sites where seropositive wild ruminants were found coincide with the areas where BTV had been detected in livestock, but in eastern Sierra Morena, the virus circulated in wild ruminants, although it had not been detected in domestic ruminants in the same areas. Wild ruminants over 1-year of age (sub-adults and adults) had significantly higher seroprevalences than juvenile animals. Statistically significant differences were also observed between BTV seroprevalence and management (free-ranging vs. captivity) with higher prevalence in free-ranging animals. The high seroprevalences obtained suggest that BTV is widespread in wild ruminants in southern Spain. This factor could have an important influence on the evolution of the infection in domestic livestock and indicates the need to include wild ruminant species in BTV surveillance or control programs. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Spatial patterns and interspecific relations analysis help to better understand species distribution patterns in a Mediterranean high mountain grassland

The aim of this study is to investigate distribution patterns of species occurring at definite spatial scales and to address the main ecological factors that structure a Mediterranean high mountain grassland community. Following the protocols of the GLORIA long-term study, four summits were sampled during the year 2006 and 2007 in Sierra de Guadarrama (Spain). The data recorded on two of those summits were analysed for spatial pattern of species, interspecific associations and environmental relationships were determined from the recorded data. This was done by multivariate analyses (ordinations), SADIE analyses (distance indices) and Pearson χ² test, respectively. Results showed that chamaephyte species were more abundant in less disturbed situations whilst caespitose hemicryptophyte species and mosses were more abundant in disturbed ones. High mountain species were more abundant in less disturbed situations. Higher spatial heterogeneity was detected on northern and eastern slopes, which could be related to the increased environmental severity of northern exposures and to the greater intensity of the disturbances on eastern exposures. The frequent aggregated distribution of a few species may be related to facilitation processes due to their frequent participation in positive interactions. Finally we observed that positive pairwise associations of species were more frequent than negative associations. The relevance of the studied relationships lied in a better understanding of those threats on high mountain biodiversity induced by climate warming.     

PRR signaling during <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> macrophage differentiation from progenitors modulates their subsequent response to inflammatory stimuli

Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists drive hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) to differentiate along the myeloid lineage in vitro and also in vivo following infection. In this study, we used an in vitro model of HSPC differentiation to investigate the functional consequences (cytokine production) that exposing HSPCs to various pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and Candida albicans cells have on the subsequently derived macrophages. Mouse HSPCs (Lin^– cells) were cultured with GM-CSF to induce macrophage differentiation in the presence or absence of the following pattern recognition receptor (PRR) agonists: Pam₃CSK₄ (TLR2 ligand), LPS (TLR4 ligand), depleted zymosan (which only activates Dectin-1), or inactivated C. albicans yeasts (which activate several PRRs, mainly TLR2 and Dectin-1). Our data show that only pure TLR2 ligand exposure (transient and continuous) impacts the inflammatory function of GM-CSF-derived macrophages, because Pam₃CSK₄-exposed HSPCs generate macrophages with a diminished ability to produce inflammatory cytokines. Interestingly, the Pam₃CSK₄-induced tolerance of macrophages (by transient exposure of HSPCs) is reinforced by subsequent exposure to C. albicans cells in GM-CSF-derived macrophages; however, the induced tolerance is partially reversed in M-CSF-derived macrophages. Therefore, the ability of macrophages to produce inflammatory cytokines is extremely dependent on how the HSPCs from which they are derived receive and integrate multiple microenvironmental signals (PRR ligands and/or CSFs).     

A New Skull of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hyaenictis</Emphasis> Gaudry, 1861 (Carnivora,Hyaenidae) Shows Incipient Adaptations to Durophagy

The European Miocene records a wide diversity of hyaenid ecomorphotypes represented by multiple genera. Among these, Hyaenictis Gaudry, 1861, is one of the least known. This genus includes four species from the late Miocene and Pliocene of the Old World, but in Europe Hyaenictis is only represented by two species, recorded by scarce and fragmentary remains: Hyaenictis graeca Gaudry, 1861, from Pikermi (MN12; Greece) and Hyaenictis almerai Villalta Comella and Crusafont Pairó, 1948, from Sant Miquel de Toudell (MN10; Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberia). Here, we describe a new skull of Hyaenictis aff. almerai from the Vallès-Penedès site of Ronda Oest Sabadell Sector D (MN10), representing the most complete European specimen of the genus. In the presence of m2 and virtual lack of m1 metaconid, the described cranium more closely resembles Hyaenictis rather than any other medium- to large-sized European hyaenid. However, the new skull does not fit well with previously known Hyaenictis species, more closely resembling the bone-cracking Adcrocuta Kretzoi, 1938, in the development of premolar accessory cuspids and the possession of relatively broad cheek teeth. These and other features (strong mandibular muscular insertions and enamel microstructure) denote more durophagous adaptations than previously documented in Hyaenictis (considered a cursorial/dog-like hyaena), and favor the inclusion of H. aff. almerai in the transitional bone-cracking hyaenid ecomorphotype.     

Facilitated invasion of an overseas invader: human mediated settlement and expansion of the giant African snail, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lissachatina fulica</Emphasis>, in Cuba

The giant African snail, Lissachatina fulica, is considered one of the most invasive species worldwide, acting as a crop pest and diseases vector. It was first detected in Cuba in 2014 and is dispersing throughout Havana. We mapped 34 sites in the vicinity of Havana to assess its spread and analysed ecological (forestation and humidity) and anthropogenic (pollution and religious sites) factors in relation to the presence/absence of the snails using multivariate correspondence analysis. There were 14 sites at which the snail was present and where religious rituals of the Yoruba creed, an African rooted religion, were observed. No other variables showed significant relationships. This indicates that the rituals may be a major factor in the dispersal of the snail in Havana and more widely in Cuba. In light of this an outreach program with key Yoruba leaders may help in slowing the dispersal of the snail within Cuba, once the threats posed by this species are known.     

3D structure and immunogenicity of Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite induced associated protein peptides as components of fully-protective anti-malarial vaccine

SIAP-1 and SIAP-2 are proteins which are implicated in early events involving Plasmodium falciparum infection of the Anopheles mosquito vector and the human host. High affinity HeLa and HepG2 cell binding conserved peptides have been previously identified in these proteins, i.e. SIAP-1 34893 ((421)KVQGLSYLLRRKNGTKHPVY(440)) and SIAP-1 34899 ((541)YVLNSKLLNSRSFDKFKWIQ(560)) and SIAP-2 36879 ((181)LLLYSTNSEDNLDISFGELQ(200)). When amino acid sequences have been properly modified (replacements shown in bold) they have induced high antibody titres against sporozoites in Aotus monkeys (assessed by IFA) and in the corresponding recombinant proteins (determined by ELISA and Western blot). (1)H NMR studies of these conserved native and modified high activity binding peptides (HABPs) revealed that all had α-helical structures in different locations and lengths. Conserved and corresponding modified HABPs displayed different lengths between the residues fitting into MHCII molecule pockets 1-9 and different amino acid orientation based on their different HLA-DRβ1(?) binding motifs and binding registers, suggesting that such modifications were associated with making them immunogenic. The results suggested that these modified HAPBs could be potential targets for inclusion as components of a fully-effective, minimal sub-unit based, multi-epitope, and multistage anti-malarial vaccine.     

Type II interleukin-1 receptor expression is reduced in monocytes/macrophages and atherosclerotic lesions

Type II interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R2) is a non-signaling decoy receptor that negatively regulates the activity of interleukin-1 (IL-1), a pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in atherogenesis. In this article we assessed the relevance of IL-1R2 in atherosclerosis by studying its expression in monocytes from hyperlipidemic patients, in THP-1 macrophages exposed to lipoproteins and in human atherosclerotic lesions. Our results showed that the mRNA and protein expression of IL-1R2 was reduced in monocytes from patients with familial combined hyperlipidemia (-30%, p<0.05). THP-1 macrophages incubated with increasing concentrations of acetylated low density (ac-LDL) and very low density (VLDL) lipoproteins also exhibit a decrease in IL-1R2 mRNA and protein levels. Pre-incubation with agents that block intracellular accumulation of lipids prevents the decrease in IL-1R2 mRNA caused by lipoproteins. Lipoproteins also prevented the increase in IL-1R1 and IL-1R2 caused by a 4-h stimulation with LPS and reduced protein expression of total and phosphorylated IL-1 receptor-associated kinase-1. Finally, IL-1R2 expression in human atherosclerotic vessels was markedly lower than in non-atherosclerotic arteries (-80%, p<0.0005). Overall, our results suggest that under atherogenic conditions, there is a decrease in IL-1R2 expression in monocytes/macrophages and in the vascular wall that may facilitate IL-1 signaling.