Kiwi fruit PMEI inhibits PME activity,modulates root elongation and induces pollen tube burst in Arabidopsis thaliana

Pectins are major components of primary cell wall that play a crucial role in plant development. After biosynthesis, pectins are secreted in the cell wall by Golgi-derived vesicles under a highly methylesterified form and are de-methylesterified by pectin methylesterases (PME). It is hypothesized that PME might be regulated by pectin methylesterase inhibitor (PMEI). In this paper, we show by isoelectric focalisation and subsequent zymogram that kiwi PMEI was able to inhibit Arabidopsis PME activity by forming a complex. The complexes were stable under a wide range of ionic strength and pH. Moreover, PMEI might be able to form a complex with basic PMEs including three PMEs strongly expressed in root and four PMEs expressed in pollen grains. Finally, exogenous treatment with kiwi PMEI was able to reduce the activity of cell wall resident PMEs with persistent effects such as an increase of the root growth and a dramatic effect on pollen tube stability.     

A novel nucleotide receptor in Xenopus activates the cAMP second messenger pathway

We describe a Xenopus P2Y receptor that shares only weak homology with members of the mammalian P2Y family, being most similar to human P2Y(11). When activated by nucleotide analogs, it stimulates both calcium and cAMP mobilization pathways, a feature unique, among mammalian P2Y receptors, to P2Y(11). Activity can be blocked by compounds known to act as antagonists of mammalian P2Y(11). Genomic synteny between Xenopus and mammals suggests that the novel gene is a true ortholog of P2Y(11). Xenopus P2Y(11) is transcribed during embryonic development, beginning at gastrulation, and is enriched in the developing nervous system.     

A Mutation in SLC24A1 Implicated in Autosomal-Recessive Congenital Stationary Night Blindness

Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is a nonprogressive retinal disorder that can be associated with impaired night vision. The last decade has witnessed huge progress in ophthalmic genetics, including the identification of three genes implicated in the pathogenicity of autosomal-recessive CSNB. However, not all patients studied could be associated with mutations in these genes and thus other genes certainly underlie this disorder. Here, we report a large multigeneration family with five affected individuals manifesting symptoms of night blindness. A genome-wide scan localized the disease interval to chromosome 15q, and recombination events in affected individuals refined the critical interval to a 10.41 cM (6.53 Mb) region that harbors SLC24A1, a member of the solute carrier protein superfamily. Sequencing of all the coding exons identified a 2 bp deletion in exon 2: c.1613_1614del, which is predicted to result in a frame shift that leads to premature termination of SLC24A1 (p.F538CfsX23) and segregates with the disorder under an autosomal-recessive model. Expression analysis using mouse ocular tissues shows that Slc24a1 is expressed in the retina around postnatal day 7. In situ and immunohistological studies localized both SLC24A1 and Slc24a1 to the inner segment, outer and inner nuclear layers, and ganglion cells of the retina, respectively. Our data expand the genetic basis of CSNB and highlight the indispensible function of SLC24A1 in retinal function and/or maintenance in humans.     

Normal hematopoiesis and hematologic malignancies: Role of canonical Wnt signaling pathway and stromal microenvironment

Wnts are a family of evolutionary-conserved secreted signaling molecules critically involved in a variety of developmental processes and in cell fate determination. A growing body of evidence suggests that Wnt signaling plays a crucial role in the influence of bone marrow stromal microenvironment on the balance between hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Emerging clinical and experimental evidence also indicates Wnt signaling involvement in the disruption of the latter balance in hematologic malignancies, where the stromal microenvironment favors the homing of cancer cells to the bone marrow, as well as leukemia stem cell development and chemoresistance. In the present review, we summarize and discuss the role of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway in normal hematopoiesis and hematologic malignancies, with regard to recent findings on the stromal microenvironment involvement in these process and diseases.     

The maize lipoxygenase,ZmLOX10, mediates green leaf volatile,jasmonate and herbivore‐induced plant volatile production for defense against insect attack

Fatty acid derivatives are of central importance for plant immunity against insect herbivores; however, major regulatory genes and the signals that modulate these defense metabolites are vastly understudied, especially in important agro‐economic monocot species. Here we show that products and signals derived from a single Zea mays (maize) lipoxygenase (LOX), ZmLOX10, are critical for both direct and indirect defenses to herbivory. We provide genetic evidence that two 13‐LOXs, ZmLOX10 and ZmLOX8, specialize in providing substrate for the green leaf volatile (GLV) and jasmonate (JA) biosynthesis pathways, respectively. Supporting the specialization of these LOX isoforms, LOX8 and LOX10 are localized to two distinct cellular compartments, indicating that the JA and GLV biosynthesis pathways are physically separated in maize. Reduced expression of JA biosynthesis genes and diminished levels of JA in lox10 mutants indicate that LOX10‐derived signaling is required for LOX8‐mediated JA. The possible role of GLVs in JA signaling is supported by their ability to partially restore wound‐induced JA levels in lox10 mutants. The impaired ability of lox10 mutants to produce GLVs and JA led to dramatic reductions in herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) and attractiveness to parasitoid wasps. Because LOX10 is under circadian rhythm regulation, this study provides a mechanistic link to the diurnal regulation of GLVs and HIPVs. GLV‐, JA‐ and HIPV‐deficient lox10 mutants display compromised resistance to insect feeding, both under laboratory and field conditions, which is strong evidence that LOX10‐dependent metabolites confer immunity against insect attack. Hence, this comprehensive gene to agro‐ecosystem study reveals the broad implications of a single LOX isoform in herbivore defense.     

Natural enemies of herbivores maintain their biological control potential under short‐term exposure to future CO2, temperature,and precipitation patterns

Climate change will profoundly alter the physiology and ecology of plants, insect herbivores, and their natural enemies, resulting in strong effects on multitrophic interactions. Yet, manipulative studies that investigate the direct combined impacts of changes in CO₂, temperature, and precipitation on the third trophic level remain rare. Here, we assessed how exposure to elevated CO₂, increased temperature, and decreased precipitation directly affect the performance and predation success of species from four major groups of herbivore natural enemies: an entomopathogenic nematode, a wolf spider, a ladybug, and a parasitoid wasp. A four‐day exposure to future climatic conditions (RCP 8.5), entailing a 28% decrease in precipitation, a 3.4°C raise in temperature, and a 400 ppm increase in CO₂ levels, slightly reduced the survival of entomopathogenic nematodes, but had no effect on the survival of other species. Predation success was not negatively affected in any of the tested species, but it was even increased for wolf spiders and entomopathogenic nematodes. Factorial manipulation of climate variables revealed a positive effect of reduced soil moisture on nematode infectivity, but not of increased temperature or elevated CO₂. These results suggest that natural enemies of herbivores may be well adapted to short‐term changes in climatic conditions. These findings provide mechanistic insights that will inform future efforts to disentangle the complex interplay of biotic and abiotic factors that drive climate‐dependent changes in multitrophic interaction networks.     

Ecotourism disturbance to wildfowl in protected areas: historical, empirical and experimental approaches in the Camargue, Southern France

Ecotourism is becoming very popular, especially in protected areas where wildlife concentrate and is easier to observe, but the consequences of associated disturbance have seldom be quantified other than in the short-term, making the sustainability of this activity untested. We combined a historical, an empirical and an experimental approach to assess the long-, medium- and short-term consequences of disturbance to wintering wildfowl (Anatidae) in a wetland of international importance in the Camargue, Southern France. In the short-term, disturbance made teal (Anas crecca) move away temporarily from observation blinds without leaving the waterbody. Wildfowl fed more after disturbance, disrupting their normal resting activities. In the medium-term, waterbodies with more tourists did not host fewer birds: conversely the most heavily disturbed one hosted the highest wildfowl density. In the long term, wildfowl numbers were not related with the number of visitors. When practiced with appropriate guiding of people, and where appropriate facilities are provided to limit human disturbance as done here, ecotourism may not affect wintering wildfowl other than reversibly in the very short term. The legitimate demand of the public for access, even in fragile protected areas, may therefore be sustainable under some conditions.     

Effect of hydrophobic modification on rheological and swelling features during chemical gelation of aqueous polysaccharides

Rheological characteristics during chemical gelation with the cross-linker ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) of semidilute aqueous solutions of hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) and of two hydrophobically modified analogues (HM-1-HEC and HM-2-HEC) are reported. In addition, rheological features of gelling samples (dextran and its hydrophobically modified analogue (HM-dextran)) of a different structure have been examined. Some swelling experiments on these gels in the postgel region are also reported. The gelation time of the hydroxyethylcellulose systems decreased with increasing cross-linker concentration, and incorporation of hydrophobic units of HEC resulted in a slower gelation. The time of gelation for the dextran system was only slightly affected by the incorporation of hydrophobic groups (HM-dextran). At the gel point, a power law frequency dependence of the dynamic storage modulus (G' proportional to omegan') and loss modulus (G' proportional to omegan') was observed for all gelling systems with n' = n' = n. The attachment of hydrophobic moieties on the dextran chains had virtually no impact on the value of n (n = 0.77), and the percolation model describes the incipient dextran gels. By increasing the number of hydrophobic groups of the HEC polymer, the value of n for the corresponding incipient gel drops significantly, and the value of the gel strength parameter increases strongly. Incorporation of hydrophobic units in the HEC chains promotes the formation of stronger incipient gels because of the contribution from the hydrophobic association effect. The frequency dependence of the complex viscosity reveals that all the investigated gels become more solidlike in the postgel domain. Far into the postgel region, the hydrophobicity of HEC plays a minor role for the strength of the gel network, whereas the values of the complex viscosity are significantly higher for HM-dextran than for the corresponding dextran gel. The swelling experiments on HEC, HM-1-HEC, and HM-2-HEC systems disclose that the degree of swelling of the postgels in water is quite different, depending on the relative distance from the gel point at which the cross-linker reaction is quenched. At a given distance from the gel point, the swelling of the HEC gel is less pronounced than for the corresponding hydrophobically modified samples. At this stage, the swelling of the HM-dextran gel is stronger than for the dextran gel.     

Interleukin-13 interferes with CFTR and AQP5 expression and localization during human airway epithelial cell differentiation

Interleukin-13 (IL-13) is a central regulator of Th2-dominated respiratory disorders such as asthma. Lesions of the airway epithelial barrier frequently observed in chronic respiratory inflammatory diseases are repaired through proliferation, migration and differentiation of epithelial cells. Our work is focused on the effects of IL-13 in human cellular models of airway epithelial cell regeneration. We have previously shown that IL-13 altered epithelial cell polarity during mucociliary differentiation of human nasal epithelial cells. In particular, the cytokine inhibited ezrin expression and interfered with its apical localization during epithelial cell differentiation in vitro. Here we show that CFTR expression is enhanced in the presence of the cytokine, that two additional CFTR protein isoforms are expressed in IL-13-treated cells and that part of the protein is retained within the endoplasmic reticulum. We further show that aquaporin 5 expression, a water channel localized within the apical membrane of epithelial cells, is completely abolished in the presence of the cytokine. These results show that IL-13 interferes with ion and water channel expression and localization during epithelial regeneration and may thereby influence mucus composition and hydration.