Physiological Responses in Wild Broodstocks of the Caspian Kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum) Subjected to Transportation Stress

Caspian Kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum) broodstocks in the wild were subjected to 2 different densities (100 and 300 kg m^?3) for 2 hr of transport, and their physiological responses were examined. Fifteen fish were placed into the plastic container for each replicate and blood was taken at 0, 10, 30, 60, and 120 min after transportation in different densities. Mean levels of cortisol and glucose as primary and secondary responses to the stress were significantly different between densities. Significant differences in both densities were observed in cortisol for all times and glucose levels at 30 and 120 min after transportation, and the highest values were found in both densities at 120 min. Testosterone concentrations declined considerably in the first 10 min, and then they showed a gradual decrease with a significant difference between 2 densities at 10 and 30 min after transportation. Serum estradiol reached the lowest level at 120 min after transportation, and differences were significant between the 2 densities after 30 min. Based on the results, it was concluded that Kutum broodstocks are sensitive to transport, especially at high density. Therefore, welfare during transport should be considered.     

Metagenomic assessment of the global diversity and distribution of bacteria and fungi

Bacteria and fungi are of uttermost importance in determining environmental and host functioning. Despite close interactions between animals, plants, their associated microbiomes, and the environment they inhabit, the distribution and role of bacteria and especially fungi across host and environments as well as the cross-habitat determinants of their community compositions remain little investigated. Using a uniquely broad global dataset of 13 483 metagenomes, we analysed the microbiome structure and function of 25 host-associated and environmental habitats, focusing on potential interactions between bacteria and fungi. We found that the metagenomic relative abundance ratio of bacteria-to-fungi is a distinctive microbial feature of habitats. Compared with fungi, the cross-habitat distribution pattern of bacteria was more strongly driven by habitat type. Fungal diversity was depleted in host-associated communities compared with those in the environment, particularly terrestrial habitats, whereas this diversity pattern was less pronounced for bacteria. The relative gene functional potential of bacteria or fungi reflected their diversity patterns and appeared to depend on a balance between substrate availability and biotic interactions. Alongside helping to identify hotspots and sources of microbial diversity, our study provides support for differences in assembly patterns and processes between bacterial and fungal communities across different habitats.     

Evolution of nutritional modes of Ceratobasidiaceae (Cantharellales,Basidiomycota) as revealed from publicly available ITS sequences

Fungi from the Ceratobasidiaceae family have important ecological roles as pathogens, saprotrophs, non-mycorrhizal endophytes, orchid mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal symbionts, but little is known about the distribution and evolution of these nutritional modes. All public ITS sequences of Ceratobasidiaceae were downloaded from databases, annotated with ecological and taxonomic metadata, and tested for the non-random phylogenetic distribution of nutritional modes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed six main clades within Ceratobasidiaceae and a poor correlation between molecular phylogeny and morphological–cytological characters traditionally used for taxonomy. Sequences derived from soil (representing putative saprotrophs) and orchid mycorrhiza clustered together, but remained distinct from pathogens. All nutritional modes were phylogenetically conserved in the Ceratobasidiaceae based on at least one index. Our analyses suggest that in general, autotrophic orchids form root symbiosis with available Ceratobasidiaceae isolates in soil. Ectomycorrhiza-forming capability has evolved twice within the Ceratobasidiaceae and it had a strong influence on the evolution of mycoheterotrophy and host specificity in certain orchid taxa.     

Sensorimotor Plasticity after Music-Supported Therapy in Chronic Stroke Patients Revealed by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Background

Several recently developed therapies targeting motor disabilities in stroke sufferers have shown to be more effective than standard neurorehabilitation approaches. In this context, several basic studies demonstrated that music training produces rapid neuroplastic changes in motor-related brain areas. Music-supported therapy has been recently developed as a new motor rehabilitation intervention.

Methods and Results

In order to explore the plasticity effects of music-supported therapy, this therapeutic intervention was applied to twenty chronic stroke patients. Before and after the music-supported therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied for the assessment of excitability changes in the motor cortex and a 3D movement analyzer was used for the assessment of motor performance parameters such as velocity, acceleration and smoothness in a set of diadochokinetic movement tasks. Our results suggest that the music-supported therapy produces changes in cortical plasticity leading the improvement of the subjects'' motor performance.

Conclusion

Our findings represent the first evidence of the neurophysiological changes induced by this therapy in chronic stroke patients, and their link with the amelioration of motor performance. Further studies are needed to confirm our observations.     

Reproductive biology of the Mugger Crocodile,Crocodylus palustris,in Iran (Reptilia: Crocodylidae)

A small population of Mugger crocodiles occurs in the southeastern part of Iran, in Sistan & Baluchestan Province, at the westernmost global range of the species. The peak nesting season is May and consequently the eggs hatch in July, but the nesting season can be extended. In four nests found in the wild, 24, 26, 21 and 13 eggs were counted. A 2.2 m long female, which fell in an overflow pond, laid 21 eggs on a concrete surface exposed to the air. A female kept in captivity laid 18 and 25 eggs in two consecutive years. The mean size for the eggs in the last three nests was calculated as 75.7 x 47.7 mm and 91.27 g in weight. The mean total length and weight for 19 hatchlings was 30.47 cm (29.2–33.9 cm) and 84.3 g (66.2 to 90.3 g) respectively. Based on the number of observed hatchlings compared with the clutch size, it seems that hatchlings have a high mortality rate in the early stages after hatching as a result of natural threats.     

The anticancer effect of the TLR4 inhibition using TAK-242 (resatorvid) either as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy: A novel therapeutic potential for breast cancer

Increasing pieces of evidence indicate that inflammatory processes facilitate tumorigenesis; tumor cells simulate the mechanisms by which innate immune cells produce pro-inflammatory cytokines to exploit them for their own survival and proliferation. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), which serves as one of the most well-known receptors on the surface of the immune cells, is often expressed ectopically in the tumor cells resulting in tumor progression, invasion, and chemoresistance. In this study, we examined the anticancer effects of TAK-242, a small molecule inhibitor of TLR4, on different breast cancer cell lines: MCF7, SKBR3, MDA-MB-231, and BT-474. Our results showed that the TLR4 inhibition, as revealed by the downregulation of TLR4 downstream genes, exerted desirable cytotoxicity on the TLR4-expressing cells, at least partly, through the downregulation of EGFR and c-Myc genes. TAK-242 also inhibited the proliferation of anoikis-resistant cells and suppressed the clonal growth of the indicated cells. The results of this study propose a mechanistic pathway by which the inhibition of TLR4 using TAK-242 could augment apoptotic cell death through the alteration of both nuclear factor-кB- and p53-related apoptosis genes in breast cancer cells, especially cells with overexpression of TLR4. Taken together, this study supports the idea that the activation of inflammatory pathways may have a crucial role in breast cancer progression and the inhibition of TLR4 using TAK-242, either as a single agent or in combination, seems to be a novel promising strategy that could be clinically available in foreseeable future.     

Adherence and cytokine induction in Caco-2 cells by bacterial populations from a three-stage continuous-culture model of the large intestine

Adherence of bacteria to epithelial cells is an important step in colonization and immune modulation in the large bowel. The aims of this study were to use a three-stage continuous-culture system (CCS) to investigate how environmental factors affect bacterial attachment to Caco-2 cells and modulation of cytokine expression by gut microorganisms, including a probiotic Bifidobacterium longum strain, DD2004. The CCS simulated environmental conditions in the proximal large intestine (vessel 1 [V1]) and distal colon (V2 and V3) at two different system retention times (R) within the range of normal colonic transits (20 and 60 h). The model was inoculated with human fecal material, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to characterize microbial populations and to assess bacterial attachment to Caco-2 cells. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was employed to measure cytokine gene expression following challenge with bacteria from different components of the CCS in the presence and absence of B. longum. At an R of 60 h, bacterial adherence increased from V1 to V3, but this trend was reversed at an R of 20 h. Atopobia were the predominant adherent organisms detected at both system retention times in each culture vessel. Modulation of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and IL-18 gene expression by CCS bacteria was marked at an R of 60 h, while at an R of 20 h, IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β2, IL-1α, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were significantly affected. The addition of B. longum affected cytokine expression significantly at both retention times. This study demonstrates that environmental determinants regulate the adherence properties of intestinal bacteria and their abilities to regulate cytokine synthesis.     

Spatial structure and the effects of host and soil environments on communities of ectomycorrhizal fungi in wooded savannas and rain forests of Continental Africa and Madagascar

Mycorrhizal fungi play a key role in mineral nutrition of terrestrial plants, but the factors affecting natural distribution, diversity and community composition of particularly tropical fungi remain poorly understood. This study addresses shifts in community structure and species frequency of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi in relation to host taxa, soil depth and spatial structure in four contrasting African ecosystems. We used the rDNA and plastid trnL intron sequence analysis for identification of fungi and host plants, respectively. By partitioning out spatial autocorrelation in plant and fungal distribution, we suggest that African EcM fungal communities are little structured by soil horizon and host at the plant species and family levels. These findings contrast with patterns of vegetation in these forests and EcM fungal communities in other tropical and temperate ecosystems. The low level of host preference indirectly supports an earlier hypothesis that pioneer Phyllanthaceae may facilitate the establishment of late successional Fabaceae and potentially other EcM host trees by providing compatible fungal inoculum in deforested and naturally disturbed ecosystems of tropical Africa.     

Improving the accumulation of recombinant human serum albumin (HSA) in transgenic tobacco plants by fusion with the N-terminal proline-rich domain of γ-zein (Zera)

In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant - Plants have long played a major role in human health as a source of herbal remedies. Recently, transgenic plants have become convenient...