Inositol‐requiring enzyme‐1 regulates phosphoinositide signaling lipids and macrophage growth

The ER‐bound kinase/endoribonuclease (RNase), inositol‐requiring enzyme‐1 (IRE1), regulates the phylogenetically most conserved arm of the unfolded protein response (UPR). However, the complex biology and pathology regulated by mammalian IRE1 cannot be fully explained by IRE1’s one known, specific RNA target, X box‐binding protein‐1 (XBP1) or the RNA substrates of IRE1‐dependent RNA degradation (RIDD) activity. Investigating other specific substrates of IRE1 kinase and RNase activities may illuminate how it performs these diverse functions in mammalian cells. We report that macrophage IRE1 plays an unprecedented role in regulating phosphatidylinositide‐derived signaling lipid metabolites and has profound impact on the downstream signaling mediated by the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). This cross‐talk between UPR and mTOR pathways occurs through the unconventional maturation of microRNA (miR) 2137 by IRE1’s RNase activity. Furthermore, phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5) phosphate (PI(3,4,5)P₃) 5‐phosphatase‐2 (INPPL1) is a direct target of miR‐2137, which controls PI(3,4,5)P₃ levels in macrophages. The modulation of cellular PI(3,4,5)P₃/PIP₂ ratio and anabolic mTOR signaling by the IRE1‐induced miR‐2137 demonstrates how the ER can provide a critical input into cell growth decisions.     

Optimizing canopy‐forming algae conservation and restoration with a new herbivorous fish deterrent device

The role of herbivorous fish in threatening marine forests of temperate seas has been generally overlooked. Only recently, the scientific community has highlighted that high fish herbivory can lead to regime shifts from canopy‐forming algae to less complex turf communities. Here, we present an innovative herbivorous fish deterrent device (DeFish), which can be used for conservation and restoration of marine forests. Compared to most traditional fish exclusion systems, such as cages, the DeFish system does not need regular cleaning and maintenance, making it more cost‐efficient. Resistance of DeFish was tested by installing prototypes at different depths in the French Riviera and in Montenegro: more than 60% of the devices endured several years without maintenance, even if most of them were slightly damaged in the exposed site in Montenegro. The efficacy of DeFish in limiting fish herbivory was tested by an exclusion experiment on Cystoseira amentacea in the French Riviera. In a few months, the number of fish bite marks on the seaweed was decreased, causing a consequent increase in algal length. The device here presented has been conceived for Mediterranean canopy‐forming algae, but the same concept can be applied to other species vulnerable to fish herbivory, such as kelps or seagrasses. In particular, the DeFish design could be improved using more robust and biodegradable materials. Innovative engineering systems, such as DeFish, are expected to become useful tools in the conservation and restoration of marine forests, to complement other practices including active reforestation, herbivore regulation, and regular monitoring of their status.     

A method to generate multilocus barcodes of pinned insect specimens using MiSeq

For molecular insect identification, amplicon sequencing methods are recommended because they offer a cost‐effective approach for targeting small sets of informative genes from multiple samples. In this context, high‐throughput multilocus amplicon sequencing has been achieved using the MiSeq Illumina sequencing platform. However, this approach generates short gene fragments of <500 bp, which then have to be overlapped using bioinformatics to achieve longer sequence lengths. This increases the risk of generating chimeric sequences or leads to the formation of incomplete loci. Here, we propose a modified nested amplicon sequencing method for targeting multiple loci from pinned insect specimens using the MiSeq Illumina platform. The modification exists in using a three‐step nested PCR approach targeting near full‐length loci in the initial PCR and subsequently amplifying short fragments of between 300 and 350 bp for high‐throughput sequencing using Illumina chemistry. Using this method, we generated 407 sequences of three loci from 86% of all the specimens sequenced. Out of 103 pinned bee specimens of replicated species, 71% passed the 95% sequence similarity threshold between species replicates. This method worked best for pinned specimens aged between 0 and 5 years, with a limit of 10 years for pinned and 14 years for ethanol‐preserved specimens. Hence, our method overcomes some of the challenges of amplicon sequencing using short read next generation sequencing and improves the possibility of creating high‐quality multilocus barcodes from insect collections.     

Response of transgenic tobacco overexpressing the CchGLP gene to cadmium and aluminium: phenotypic and microRNAs expression changes

Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants - Transgenic tobacco (N. tabacum cv. Xanthi nc) expressing Capsicum chinense&nbsp;CchGLP gene that encodes an Mn-SOD, constitutively produces hydrogen...     

Contrasting the seasonal and elevational prevalence of generalist avian haemosporidia in co‐occurring host species

Understanding the ecology and evolution of parasites is contingent on identifying the selection pressures they face across their infection landscape. Such a task is made challenging by the fact that these pressures will likely vary across time and space, as a result of seasonal and geographical differences in host susceptibility or transmission opportunities. Avian haemosporidian blood parasites are capable of infecting multiple co‐occurring hosts within their ranges, yet whether their distribution across time and space varies similarly in their different host species remains unclear. Here, we applied a new PCR method to detect avian haemosporidia (genera Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon, and Plasmodium) and to determine parasite prevalence in two closely related and co‐occurring host species, blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus, N = 529) and great tits (Parus major, N = 443). Our samples were collected between autumn and spring, along an elevational gradient in the French Pyrenees and over a three‐year period. Most parasites were found to infect both host species, and while these generalist parasites displayed similar elevational patterns of prevalence in the two host species, this was not always the case for seasonal prevalence patterns. For example, Leucocytozoon group A parasites showed inverse seasonal prevalence when comparing between the two host species, being highest in winter and spring in blue tits but higher in autumn in great tits. While Plasmodium relictum prevalence was overall lower in spring relative to winter or autumn in both species, spring prevalence was also lower in blue tits than in great tits. Together, these results reveal how generalist parasites can exhibit host‐specific epidemiology, which is likely to complicate predictions of host–parasite co‐evolution.