Ten simple rules for establishing a mentorship programme

In recent years, a wide variety of mentorship programmes targeting issues that cannot be addressed through traditional teaching and learning methods alone have been developed. Mentoring plays significant roles in the growth and development of both mentors and mentees, and the positive impacts of mentoring have been well documented. Mentorship programmes are therefore increasingly being implemented in a wide variety of fields by organisations, academic institutes, businesses, and governments. While there is a growing body of literature on mentoring and mentorship programmes, gaining a clear overview of the field is often challenging. In this article, we therefore provide a concise summary of recommendations to consider when designing and establishing mentorship programmes. These recommendations are based on the collective knowledge and experiences of 4 different emerging and established mentorship programmes and can be adapted across various mentorship settings or contexts.     

Identification and isolation of a Castellaniella species important during biostimulation of an acidic nitrate- and uranium-contaminated aquifer

Immobilization of uranium in groundwater can be achieved through microbial reduction of U(VI) to U(IV) upon electron donor addition. Microbial community structure was analyzed in ethanol-biostimulated and control sediments from a high-nitrate (>130 mM), low-pH, uranium-contaminated site in Oak Ridge, TN. Analysis of small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene clone libraries and polar lipid fatty acids from sediments revealed that biostimulation resulted in a general decrease in bacterial diversity. Specifically, biostimulation resulted in an increase in the proportion of Betaproteobacteria (10% of total clones in the control sediment versus 50 and 79% in biostimulated sediments) and a decrease in the proportion of Gammaproteobacteria and Acidobacteria. Clone libraries derived from dissimilatory nitrite reductase genes (nirK and nirS) were also dominated by clones related to Betaproteobacteria (98% and 85% of total nirK and nirS clones, respectively). Within the nirK libraries, one clone sequence made up 59 and 76% of sequences from biostimulated sediments but only made up 10% of the control nirK library. Phylogenetic analysis of SSU rRNA and nirK gene sequences from denitrifying pure cultures isolated from the site indicate that all belong to a Castellaniella species; nearly identical sequences also constituted the majority of biostimulated SSU rRNA and nirK clone libraries. Thus, by combining culture-independent with culture-dependent techniques, we were able to link SSU rRNA clone library information with nirK sequence data and conclude that a potentially novel Castellaniella species is important for in situ nitrate removal at this site.     

On the evolution of arterial vascular patterns of tetrapods

The factors that explain the diverse arrangement of the major arteries of tetrapods are not known. Here, I aim to illuminate some of the underpinnings of these patterns. I review the variation in the sauropsid left, right, and dorsal aortae regarding the origin of the gastrointestinal blood vessels and the relative diameters of left and right aortae where they join together to form the dorsal aorta. I focus on these features because the quality of blood that flows through these aortae can vary depending on the state of cardiac shunting and the size of the vessel can provide insight into the quantity of blood borne by the vessels. I then place the information in a phyletic, historical, and ecological context. The plesiomorphic pattern is for the gastrointestinal vessels to arise as segmental arteries from the dorsal aorta, which is formed from the confluence of left and right aortae with similar diameters. The pattern is well conserved with only two major variations. First, in several clades of reptiles (testudines, crocodilians, lizards of the genera Varanus and Hydrosaurus) a substantial portion of the gastrointestinal arteries arises from the left aorta, leaving the diameter of the left aorta smaller than the right at their confluence. I hypothesize that this vascular arrangement facilitates growth by allowing more alkaline blood to flow to the somatic (body wall) and appendicular circulations, which may promote bone deposition and inhibit resorption, whereas hypercapnic, acidic blood flows to the digestive viscera, which may provide CO₂ as a substrate for the synthesis of gastric acid, bicarbonate, fatty acids, glutamine, purine rings, as well as glucose from lactate. Second, in some snakes and lizards with snake‐like body forms, such as Amphisbaenidae, the diameters of left and right aortae are asymmetrical at their confluence with the left aorta exceeding the right, but in members of the amphibian order Gymnophiona the right generally exceeds the left. This condition is associated with asymmetrical development of the lungs. J. Morphol. 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

A Dated Phylogeny Complements Macroecological Analysis to Explain the Diversity Patterns in Geonoma (Arecaceae)

Integrating phylogenetic data into macroecological studies of biodiversity patterns may complement the information provided by present‐day spatial patterns. In the present study, we used range map data for all Geonoma (Arecaceae) species to assess whether Geonoma species composition forms spatially coherent floristic clusters. We then evaluated the extent to which the spatial variation in species composition reflects present‐day environmental variation vs. nonenvironmental spatial effects, as expected if the pattern reflects historical biogeography. We also examined the degree of geographic structure in the Geonoma phylogeny. Finally, we used a dated phylogeny to assess whether species richness within the floristic clusters was constrained by a specific historical biogeographic driver, namely time‐for‐diversification. A cluster analysis identified six spatially coherent floristic clusters, four of which were used to reveal a significant geographic phylogenetic structure. Variation partitioning analysis showed that 56 percent of the variation in species composition could be explained by spatial variables alone, consistent with historical factors having played a major role in generating the Geonoma diversity pattern. To test for a time‐for‐diversification effect, we correlated four different species richness measures with the diversification time of the earliest large lineage that is characteristic of each cluster. In support of this hypothesis, we found that geographic areas with higher richness contained older radiations. We conclude that current geographic diversity patterns in Geonoma reflect the present‐day climate, but to a larger extent are related to nonenvironmental spatial constraints linked to colonization time, dispersal limitation, and geological history, followed by within‐area evolutionary diversification. Abstract in Spanish is available at http://www.blackwell‐synergy.com/loi/btp .     

Expression of recombinant Pseudomonas stutzeri di-heme cytochrome c4 by high-cell-density fed-batch cultivation of Pseudomonas putida

The gene of the di-heme protein cytochrome c(4) from Pseudomonas stutzeri was expressed in Pseudomonas putida. High-yield expression of the protein was achieved by high-cell-density fed-batch cultivation using an exponential glucose feeding strategy. The recombinant cytochrome c(4) protein was purified to apparent homogeneity and analyzed by electronic absorption spectroscopy, nanoflow electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and electrochemistry. Cyclic voltammograms and UV-vis electronic absorption spectra were indistinguishable from the equivalent data of native P. stutzeri cytochrome c(4). Furthermore, the calculated and experimentally determined molecular masses of recombinant cytochrome c(4) were identical. Biochemical characterization of both wild-type and mutant derivatives of the protein will be greatly enhanced and facilitated by the described high-yield fermentation and rapid isolation procedure.     

Increased activin levels in cerebrospinal fluid of rabbits with bacterial meningitis are associated with activation of microglia

Activin, a member of the transforming growth factor superfamily, is upregulated in a number of inflammatory episodes such as septicemia and rheumatoid arthritis. In the CNS, activin has been predominantly assessed in terms of a neuroprotective role. In this report we characterized the activin response in the CNS in a rabbit model of meningitis. In normal animals, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) activin levels were higher than those in serum, indicating an intracranial secretion of this cytokine. Following intracisternal inoculation with Streptococcus pneumoniae, activin in CSF was unchanged for the first 12 h and then rose progressively; levels were increased approximately 15-fold within 24 h. Activin levels were correlated positively with CSF protein content and with the number of apoptotic neurons in the dentate gyrus. No apparent correlation was observed between CSF activin concentrations and bacterial titer, lactate concentrations or leukocyte density. Using immunohistochemistry, activin staining was localized to epithelial cells of the choroid plexus, cortical neurons and the CA3 region of the hippocampus, with similar staining intensities in both normal and meningitic brains. However, in meningitic brains there was also strong staining in activated microglia and infiltrating macrophages. Taken together, these results demonstrate that activin forms part of the CNS response to immune challenge and may be an important mediator to modulate inflammatory processes in the brain.     

Diabetic β-Cells Can Achieve Self-Protection against Oxidative Stress through an Adaptive Up-Regulation of Their Antioxidant Defenses

Background

Oxidative stress (OS), through excessive and/or chronic reactive oxygen species (ROS), is a mediator of diabetes-related damages in various tissues including pancreatic β-cells. Here, we have evaluated islet OS status and β-cell response to ROS using the GK/Par rat as a model of type 2 diabetes.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Localization of OS markers was performed on whole pancreases. Using islets isolated from 7-day-old or 2.5-month-old male GK/Par and Wistar control rats, 1) gene expression was analyzed by qRT-PCR; 2) insulin secretion rate was measured; 3) ROS accumulation and mitochondrial polarization were assessed by fluorescence methods; 4) antioxidant contents were quantified by HPLC. After diabetes onset, OS markers targeted mostly peri-islet vascular and inflammatory areas, and not islet cells. GK/Par islets revealed in fact protected against OS, because they maintained basal ROS accumulation similar or even lower than Wistar islets. Remarkably, GK/Par insulin secretion also exhibited strong resistance to the toxic effect of exogenous H₂O₂ or endogenous ROS exposure. Such adaptation was associated to both high glutathione content and overexpression (mRNA and/or protein levels) of a large set of genes encoding antioxidant proteins as well as UCP2. Finally, we showed that such a phenotype was not innate but spontaneously acquired after diabetes onset, as the result of an adaptive response to the diabetic environment.

Conclusions

The GK/Par model illustrates the effectiveness of adaptive response to OS by β-cells to achieve self-tolerance. It remains to be determined to what extend such islet antioxidant defenses upregulation might contribute to GK/Par β-cell secretory dysfunction.     

Depth gradients in food‐web processes linking habitats in large lakes: Lake Superior as an exemplar ecosystem

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