Phylogeny and historical biogeography of the cocosoid palms (Arecaceae,Arecoideae, Cocoseae) inferred from sequences of six WRKY gene family loci

Arecaceae tribe Cocoseae is the most economically important tribe of palms, including both coconut and African oil palm. It is mostly represented in the Neotropics, with one and two genera endemic to South Africa and Madagascar, respectively. Using primers for six single copy WRKY gene family loci, we amplified DNA from 96 samples representing all genera of the palm tribe Cocoseae as well as outgroup tribes Reinhardtieae and Roystoneae. We compared parsimony (MP), maximum likelihood (ML), and Bayesian (B) analysis of the supermatrix with three species‐tree estimation approaches. Subtribe Elaeidinae is sister to the Bactridinae in all analyses. Within subtribe Attaleinae, Lytocaryum, previously nested in Syagrus, is now positioned by MP and ML as sister to the former, with high support; B maintains Lytocaryum embedded within Syagrus. Both MP and ML resolve Cocos as sister to Syagrus; B positions Cocos as sister to Attalea. Bactridineae is composed of two sister clades, Bactris and Desmoncus in one, for which there is morphological support, and a second comprising Acrocomia, Astrocaryum, and Aiphanes. Two B and one ML gene tree‐species estimation approaches are incongruent with the supermatrix in a few critical intergeneric clades, but resolve the same infrageneric relationships. The biogeographic history of the Cocoseae is dominated by dispersal events. The tribe originated in the late Cretaceous in South America. Evaluated together, the supermatrix and species tree analyses presented in this paper provide the most accurate picture of the evolutionary history of the tribe to date, with more congruence than incongruence among the various methodologies.     

The functional diversity of protein lysine methylation

Large‐scale characterization of post‐translational modifications (PTMs), such as phosphorylation, acetylation and ubiquitination, has highlighted their importance in the regulation of a myriad of signaling events. While high‐throughput technologies have tremendously helped cataloguing the proteins modified by these PTMs, the identification of lysine‐methylated proteins, a PTM involving the transfer of one, two or three methyl groups to the ε‐amine of a lysine side chain, has lagged behind. While the initial findings were focused on the methylation of histone proteins, several studies have recently identified novel non‐histone lysine‐methylated proteins. This review provides a compilation of all lysine methylation sites reported to date. We also present key examples showing the impact of lysine methylation and discuss the circuitries wired by this important PTM.     

Advances in prevention and therapy of neonatal dairy calf diarrhoea: a systematical review with emphasis on colostrum management and fluid therapy

Neonatal calf diarrhoea remains the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in preweaned dairy calves worldwide. This complex disease can be triggered by both infectious and non-infectious causes. The four most important enteropathogens leading to neonatal dairy calf diarrhoea are Escherichia coli, rota- and coronavirus, and Cryptosporidium parvum. Besides treating diarrhoeic neonatal dairy calves, the veterinarian is the most obvious person to advise the dairy farmer on prevention and treatment of this disease. This review deals with prevention and treatment of neonatal dairy calf diarrhoea focusing on the importance of a good colostrum management and a correct fluid therapy.     

Quality control by leaf-cutting ants: evidence from communities of endophytic fungi in foraged and rejected vegetation

Leaf-cutting ants of the genera Acromyrmex and Atta forage vegetation for incorporation into their mutualistic fungal gardens. However, the presence of certain endophytic fungi in this predominantly leaf-based material could affect the fungal garden and thus the choice of material by the ants. The present study was conducted to document the endophytic fungal communities occurring in the vegetation being transported by workers of Atta laevigata into their nests and to compare this community structure with that of the vegetative material subsequently rejected from the nests. We found considerable diversity in the fungi isolated. Acremonium, Cylindrocladium, Drechslera, Epicoccum, Fusarium, Trichoderma, Ulocladium and two unidentified morphospecies were significantly more common in rejected compared with foraged material, and some of these genera include mycoparasites, which could represent a threat to the fungal gardens. Conversely, Colletotrichum, Pestalotiopsis, Phomopsis, Xylaria and an unidentified morphospecies were more common in carried compared with rejected material. The possibility that ants have a ‘quality-control’ mechanism based on the presence of antagonistic fungal endophytes is discussed, as is the potential use of these fungi as biocontrol agents against Attini pests.     

A critical role of autophagy in antileukemia/lymphoma effects of APO866, an inhibitor of NAD biosynthesis

APO866, an inhibitor of NAD biosynthesis, exhibits potent antitumor properties in various malignancies. Recently, it has been shown that APO866 induces apoptosis and autophagy in human hematological cancer cells, but the role of autophagy in APO866-induced cell death remains unclear. Here, we report studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying APO866-induced cell death with emphasis on autophagy. Treatment of leukemia and lymphoma cells with APO866 induced both autophagy, as evidenced by an increase in autophagosome formation and in SQSTM1/p62 degradation, but also increased caspase activation as revealed by CASP3/caspase 3 cleavage. As an underlying mechanism, APO866-mediated autophagy was found to deplete CAT/catalase, a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, thus promoting ROS production and cell death. Inhibition of autophagy by ATG5 or ATG7 silencing prevented CAT degradation, ROS production, caspase activation, and APO866-induced cell death. Finally, supplementation with exogenous CAT also abolished APO866 cytotoxic activity. Altogether, our results indicated that autophagy is essential for APO866 cytotoxic activity on cells from hematological malignancies and also indicate an autophagy-dependent CAT degradation, a novel mechanism for APO866-mediated cell killing. Autophagy-modulating approaches could be a new way to enhance the antitumor activity of APO866 and related agents.     

Lack of β2‐adrenoceptors aggravates heart failure‐induced skeletal muscle myopathy in mice

Skeletal myopathy is a hallmark of heart failure (HF) and has been associated with a poor prognosis. HF and other chronic degenerative diseases share a common feature of a stressed system: sympathetic hyperactivity. Although beneficial acutely, chronic sympathetic hyperactivity is one of the main triggers of skeletal myopathy in HF. Considering that β₂‐adrenoceptors mediate the activity of sympathetic nervous system in skeletal muscle, we presently evaluated the contribution of β₂‐adrenoceptors for the morphofunctional alterations in skeletal muscle and also for exercise intolerance induced by HF. Male WT and β₂‐adrenoceptor knockout mice on a FVB genetic background (β₂KO) were submitted to myocardial infarction (MI) or SHAM surgery. Ninety days after MI both WT and β₂KO mice presented to cardiac dysfunction and remodelling accompanied by significantly increased norepinephrine and epinephrine plasma levels, exercise intolerance, changes towards more glycolytic fibres and vascular rarefaction in plantaris muscle. However, β₂KO MI mice displayed more pronounced exercise intolerance and skeletal myopathy when compared to WT MI mice. Skeletal muscle atrophy of infarcted β₂KO mice was paralleled by reduced levels of phosphorylated Akt at Ser 473 while increased levels of proteins related with the ubiquitin‐–proteasome system, and increased 26S proteasome activity. Taken together, our results suggest that lack of β₂‐adrenoceptors worsen and/or anticipate the skeletal myopathy observed in HF.     

Treadmill Exercise Induces Neutrophil Recruitment into Muscle Tissue in a Reactive Oxygen Species-Dependent Manner. An Intravital Microscopy Study

Intense exercise is a physiological stress capable of inducing the interaction of neutrophils with muscle endothelial cells and their transmigration into tissue. Mechanisms driving this physiological inflammatory response are not known. Here, we investigate whether production of reactive oxygen species is relevant for neutrophil interaction with endothelial cells and recruitment into the quadriceps muscle in mice subjected to the treadmill fatiguing exercise protocol. Mice exercised until fatigue by running for 56.3±6.8 min on an electric treadmill. Skeletal muscle was evaluated by intravital microscopy at different time points after exercise, and then removed to assess local oxidative stress and histopathological analysis. We observed an increase in plasma lactate and creatine kinase (CK) concentrations after exercise. The numbers of monocytes, neutrophils, and lymphocytes in blood increased 12 and 24 hours after the exercise. Numbers of rolling and adherent leukocytes increased 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours post-exercise, as assessed by intravital microscopy. Using LysM-eGFP mice and confocal intravital microscopy technology, we show that the number of transmigrating neutrophils increased 12 hours post-exercise. Mutant gp91^phox-/- (non-functional NADPH oxidase) mice and mice treated with apocynin showed diminished neutrophil recruitment. SOD treatment promoted further adhesion and transmigration of leukocytes 12 hours after the exercise. These findings confirm our hypothesis that treadmill exercise increases the recruitment of leukocytes to the postcapillary venules, and NADPH oxidase-induced ROS plays an important role in this process.     

Facial Width-To-Height Ratio Relates to Alpha Status and Assertive Personality in Capuchin Monkeys

Social dominance hierarchies play a pivotal role in shaping the behaviour of many species, and sex differences within these hierarchies often exist. To date, however, few physical markers of dominance have been identified. Such markers would be valuable in terms of understanding the etiology of dominant behaviour and changes in social hierarchies over time. Animals may also use such traits to evaluate the potential dominance of others relative to themselves (i.e. a physical “cue”). Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR), for example, has been suggested as a cue to dominance in humans, with links to both dominant behaviour and the perception of dominance in other individuals. Whether this association is present in non-human animals is currently not known. Therefore, here we examine within-species links between fWHR and dominant behaviour in 64 brown capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) aged between 2 and 40 years. fWHR was positively associated with alpha status and with a dimensional rating of assertive personality in both males and females. Moreover, fWHR showed significant sexual dimorphism in adults but not juveniles, suggesting a developmental change may occur during puberty. In a sub-sample, sex differences were mediated by weight, suggesting fWHR dimorphism does not exceed what would be expected by differences in body weight. This is the first report of an association between face shape and behaviour in a non-human species. Results are discussed in terms of the role that face-behaviour associations might play within capuchin societies, and the possible selective forces that might have led to the evolution of fWHR-dominance associations in humans.