Evaluating outcomes of restoration ecology projects on limited budgets: assessment of variation in sampling intensity and sampling frequency for four habitat types

While best practices for evaluating restoration ecology projects are emerging rapidly, budget constraints often limit postrestoration monitoring, which emphasizes the need for practical and efficient monitoring strategies. We examined the postrestoration outcome for an ENGO (Nature Conservancy of Canada) project, to assess retroactively how variation in intensity and frequency of sampling would have affected estimates of plant species composition, diversity, and richness over time. The project restored four habitat types (mesic forest, oak woodland, wet meadow, and sand barren) using sculptured seeding of tallgrass prairie and woody species. Species‐level plant cover was monitored annually for 10 years in 168 2 × 2–m quadrats. We performed randomization tests to examine estimates of species diversity and richness as a function of the number of quadrats sampled, and assessed the necessity of annual sampling for describing changes in species composition and successional trajectories. The randomization tests revealed that sampling 10–17 quadrats, depending on habitat type, was sufficient to obtain estimates of species diversity that were at least 95% of values obtained from the whole dataset. Species richness as a function of number of quadrats sampled did not plateau, which suggests that rather than increasing the number of sampling quadrats, richness could be estimated more efficiently using nonquadrat based sampling techniques. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis revealed that plant species composition largely stabilized by 3–5 years postrestoration depending on habitat type. By that time, native, seeded species dominated the restoration, and the benefits of annual sampling for tracking changes in species composition diminished.     

Distinct modes of vertebrate hypaxial muscle formation contribute to the teleost body wall musculature

The formation of the body wall musculature in vertebrates is assumed to be initiated by direct ventral extension of the somites/myotomes. This contrasts to the formation of limb muscles and muscles involved in feeding or respiration/ventilation, which are founded by migratory muscle precursors (MMPs) distant to the somites. Here, we present evidence from morphology and expression of molecular markers proposing that the formation of the two muscle layers of the teleost body wall involves both of the above mechanisms: (1) MMPs from somites 5 and 6 found an independent muscle primordium–the so-called posterior hypaxial muscle (PHM)–which subsequently gives rise to the most anterior two segments of the medial obliquus inferioris (OI) muscle. (2) Direct epithelial extension of the hypaxial myotomes generates the OI segments from somite 7 caudalward and the entire lateral obliquus superioris (OS) muscle. The findings are discussed in relation to the evolution of hypaxial myogenic patterning including functional considerations. We hypothesise that the potential of the most anterior somites to generate migratory muscle precursors is a general vertebrate feature that has been differently utilised in the evolution in vertebrate groups.     

Plants ectopically expressing the iron-binding protein, ferritin, are tolerant to oxidative damage and pathogens

Transgenic tobacco plants that synthesize alfalfa ferritin in vegetative tissues--either in its processed form in chloroplasts or in the cytoplasmic nonprocessed form--retained photosynthetic function upon free radical toxicity generated by iron excess or paraquat treatment. Progeny of transgenic plants accumulating ferritin in their leaves exhibited tolerance to necrotic damage caused by viral (tobacco necrosis virus) and fungal (Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea) infections. These transformants exhibited normal photosynthetic function and chlorophyll content under greenhouse conditions. We propose that by sequestering intracellular iron involved in generation of the very reactive hydroxyl radicals through a Fenton reaction, ferritin protects plant cells from oxidative damage induced by a wide range of stresses.     

Description of two new Ecuadorian Zilchistrophia Weyrauch, 1960, with the clarification of the systematic position of the genus based on anatomical data (Gastropoda,Stylommatophora, Scolodontidae)

Two new species of the genus Zilchistrophia Weyrauch, 1960 are described from Eastern Ecuadorian rain forest: Zilchistrophia hilaryae sp. n. and Zilchistrophia shiwiarorum sp. n. These two new species extend the distribution of the genus considerably northwards, because congeners have been reported from Peru only. For the first time we present anatomical data (radula, buccal mass, morphology of the foot and the genital structure) of Zilchistrophia species. According to these, the genus belongs to the family Scolodontidae, subfamily Scolodontinae (=“Systrophiini”). The previously assumed systematic relationship of Zilchistrophia with the Asian Corillidae and Plectopylidae based on the similarly looking palatal plicae is not supported.     

The clinical importance of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism in the 5-fluoropyrimidine-based therapy of metastatic colorectal tumours

The authors investigated the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism in 101 metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with 5-fluoropyrimidine-based therapy and in 196 healthy individuals by PCR-RFLP method. There was no significant difference in genotype distribution of patients and healthy controls, and between subgroups investigated according to clinical parameters (age, gender, tumor location, grade and treatment type). However, after a 3-30 (median 18.5) months follow-up the survival of patients with T allele proved to be better than that of patients with wild type (CC) genotype (p=0.036). In case of CT and TT genotypes the survival of patients receiving only first line therapy was significantly shorter than that of patients receiving more lines of treatment (p=0.015). Determination of MTHFR C677T polymorphism has prognostic value in case of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving 5-fluoropyrimidine-based therapy, and may help in designing the individual (group) tailored therapy.     

Characterization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 monomeric and trimeric gp120 glycoproteins stabilized in the CD4-bound state: antigenicity, biophysics, and immunogenicity

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 exterior gp120 envelope glycoprotein is highly flexible, and this flexibility may contribute to the inability of monomeric gp120 immunogens to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies. We previously showed that an S375W modification of a critical interfacial cavity central to the primary receptor binding site, the Phe43 cavity, stabilizes gp120 into the CD4-bound state. However, the immunological effects of this cavity-altering replacement were never tested. Subsequently, we screened other mutations that, along with the S375W alteration, might further stabilize the CD4-bound state. Here, we define a selected second cavity-altering replacement, T257S, and analyze the double mutations in several gp120 envelope glycoprotein contexts. The gp120 glycoproteins with the T257S-plus-S375W double mutation (T257S+S375W) have a superior antigenic profile compared to the originally identified single S375W replacement in terms of enhanced recognition by the broadly neutralizing CD4 binding-site antibody b12. Isothermal titration calorimetry measuring the entropy of the gp120 interaction with CD4 indicated that the double mutant was also stabilized into the CD4-bound state, with increasing relative fixation between core, full-length monomeric, and full-length trimeric versions of gp120. A significant increase in gp120 affinity for CD4 was also observed for the cavity-filling mutants relative to wild-type gp120. The most conformationally constrained T257S+S375W trimeric gp120 proteins were selected for immunogenicity analysis in rabbits and displayed a trend of improvement relative to their wild-type counterparts in terms of eliciting neutralizing antibodies. Together, the results suggest that conformational stabilization may improve the ability of gp120 to elicit neutralizing antibodies.     

Synthesis of hepcidin derivatives in order to develop standards for immune adsorption method

MeCN, acetonitrile; ECL, enhanced chemiluminescence; EDT, 1,2‐ethanedithiole; HEPC12‐A, rabbit anti‐human hepcidin IgG, affinity purified; HEPC13‐A, rabbit anti‐mouse/human hepcidin IgG, affinity purified; HEPC61‐P, human hepcidin‐25 control/blocking synthetic peptide; HRP, horseradish peroxidase; IL‐6, interleukin‐6; KLH, keyhole limpet hemocyanin; LEAP, liver‐expressed antimicrobial peptide; NEM, N‐ethylmaleimide; NMP, N‐methyl‐pirrolidone; PBS, phosphate buffered saline; PVDF, polyvinylidene difluoride; SELDI‐TOF‐MS, surface‐enhanced laser desorption ionization–time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry; TMB, tetramethylbenzidin; TNF‐α, tumor necrosis factor‐α Copyright © 2009 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A true autoactivating enzyme. Structural insight into mannose-binding lectin-associated serine protease-2 activations

Few reports have described in detail a true autoactivation process, where no extrinsic cleavage factors are required to initiate the autoactivation of a zymogen. Herein, we provide structural and mechanistic insight into the autoactivation of a multidomain serine protease: mannose-binding lectin-associated serine protease-2 (MASP-2), the first enzymatic component in the lectin pathway of complement activation. We characterized the proenzyme form of a MASP-2 catalytic fragment encompassing its C-terminal three domains and solved its crystal structure at 2.4 A resolution. Surprisingly, zymogen MASP-2 is capable of cleaving its natural substrate C4, with an efficiency about 10% that of active MASP-2. Comparison of the zymogen and active structures of MASP-2 reveals that, in addition to the activation domain, other loops of the serine protease domain undergo significant conformational changes. This additional flexibility could play a key role in the transition of zymogen MASP-2 into a proteolytically active form. Based on the three-dimensional structures of proenzyme and active MASP-2 catalytic fragments, we present model for the active zymogen MASP-2 complex and propose a mechanism for the autoactivation process.     

Elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid after coronary artery bypass surgery are predictors of cognitive decline

Recovery from cardiac surgery is marred for many patients by the development of neurological, psychological or cognitive dysfunction. An uncontrolled inflammatory reaction, in response to surgical stress, may be responsible. To confirm this hypothesis, the present study evaluated changes in the levels of cytokines in cerebrospinal fluid after coronary artery bypass grafting. One week post-operatively, the concentration of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 markedly increased; 6 months after surgery, however, its level normalized with an increased concentration of the anti-inflammatory interleukin-4. This suggests that a regulated immune response may participate in developing adverse neurologic events and complications following cardiac interventions, and cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluid may serve as specific biomarkers and predictors of developing cognitive decline after coronary surgery.