Morphology,ultrastructure and phylogenetic affinities of the single-island endemic Anthoceros cristatus Steph. (Ascension Island)

Oceanic islands, due to their geographical isolation, number, precisely defined boundaries and their geomorphological and climatic diversity, have provided enormous insights into speciation, dispersal, adaptive radiations and macroecological processes. One of the key components of these island studies is the role of single-island endemics (SIEs) as, in many instances, island biogeography models use the proportion of SIEs to infer evolutionary processes. It is, therefore, imperative to undertake critical taxonomic revisions to evaluate SIEs because changes in the number of SIEs have a key impact on downstream biogeographic analyses. We revise the special case of a putative SIE Anthoceros cristatus on Ascension Island using light and electron microscopy, as well phylogenomic tools. A. cristatus lies within the A. agrestis/A. punctatus complex but differs from the sister species A. agrestis and A. punctatus in spore morphology and gametophytic lamellae fringed with caducous marginal cells. The present confirmation, from both molecules and morphology, of the SIE status of Anthoceros cristatus and its restricted distribution on the Island makes the preservation of its habitat a conservation priority. Ascension Island is the tip of an undersea volcano that is thought to have emerged from the ocean 1 million years ago with an area of approximately 91?km², with Green Mountain as the highest elevation (～859?m a.s.l.). Ascension has a relative low bryophyte species diversity of 87 spp but this includes 12 endemics (～14%); a much higher level of endemism than on the far more speciose Macaronesian Islands.     

Synthesis and hyperpolarisation of eNOS substrates for quantification of NO production by 1H NMR spectroscopy

Hyperpolarization enhances the intensity of the NMR signals of a molecule, whose in vivo metabolic fate can be monitored by MRI with higher sensitivity. SABRE is a hyperpolarization technique that could potentially be used to image nitric oxide (NO) production in vivo. This would be very important, because NO dysregulation is involved in several pathologies, including cardiovascular ones. The nitric oxide synthase (NOS) pathway leads to NO production via conversion of l-arginine into l-citrulline. NO is a free radical gas with a short half-life in vivo (≈5 s), therefore direct NO quantification is challenging. An indirect method – based on quantifying conversion of an l-Arg- to l-Cit-derivative by ¹H NMR spectroscopy – is herein proposed. A small library of pyridyl containing l-Arg derivatives was designed and synthesised. In vitro tests showed that compounds 4a–j and 11a–c were better or equivalent substrates for the eNOS enzyme (NO₂^? production = 19–46 μM) than native l-Arg (NO₂^? production = 25 μM). Enzymatic conversion of l-Arg to l-Cit derivatives could be monitored by ¹H NMR. The maximum hyperpolarization achieved by SABRE reached 870-fold NMR signal enhancement, which opens up exciting future perspectives of using these molecules as hyperpolarized MRI tracers in vivo.     

Studies on the Sporogenous Lineage in the Moss Timmiella barbuloides

This correlated immunofluorescence and electron microscope study reveals that the microtubule arrays during meiosis in Timmiella barbuloides mirror those in other mosses but the organization of the metaphase I spindle is quite different. In other mosses the sagittiform metaphase I spindle initially contains four bands of microtubules derived from the tetrahedral system present at prophase. These bands converge towards the division axis and each half spindle contains two focal points of microtubules straddling a cleavage furrow. In Timmiella the sagittiform spindle also contains four microtubular foci derived from the preprophasic tetrahedron. However, one of these contributes to one half spindle, the other half deriving from the three remaining foci orientated at approximately 120° to each other. In contrast to other mosses the sporocytes in Timmiella are hardly lobed, the cleavage-furrows ill-defined, the prophasic plastid positioning in the lobes is also more variable and the organelle band in meiocytes comprises mitochondria alone.     

Life history predicts advancement of avian spring migration in response to climate change

An increasing number of studies demonstrate that plant and animal phenologies such as the timing of bird migration have been advancing over the globe, likely as a result of climate change. Even closely related species differ in their phenological responses, and the sources of this variation are poorly established. We used a large, standardized dataset of first arrival dates (FAD) of migratory birds to test the effects of phylogenetic relationships and various life-history and ecological traits on the degree to which different species adapt to climate change by earlier migration in spring. Using the phylogenetic comparative method, we found that the advancement of FAD was greater in species with more generalized diet, shorter migration distance, more broods per year, and less extensive prebreeding molt. In turn, we found little evidence that FAD trends were influenced by competition for mating (polygamy or extra-pair paternity) and breeding opportunities (cavity nests). Our findings were robust to several potentially confounding effects. These evolutionary correlations, coupled with the low levels of phylogenetic dependence we found, indicate that avian migration phenology adapts to climate change as a species-specific response. Our results suggest that the degree of this response is fundamentally shaped by constraints and selection pressures of the species' life history, and less so by the intensity of sexual selection.     

Tube-Like Structures with Co-Expression of D2-40 and CD34: Newly Formed Vasculatures?

Background: A great number of in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that many pathways or factors can stimulate angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, which facilitate tumor progression and metastasis. However, the morphological and immunohistochemical profile of newly formed vasculatures has not been elucidated, making it difficult to differentiate them from the pre-existing ones, and to identify their unique molecular profiles for diagnosis and therapeutic interventions.Experimental findings: As cytokeratin (CK)-19 is a well-recognized stem cell marker and CK-19-positive cells are frequently detected in the peripheral blood of patients with metastatic cancer, our recent studies have assessed the involvement of CK-19 in the formation of new vasculatures in primary colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues. Our studies showed that a subset of lymph node-positive cases harbored some isolated normal epithelial structures with distinct CK-19 immunostaining within an otherwise CK-19-negative background. These structures are exclusively located within or adjacent to lymphoid follicles and are often surrounded by tube-like structures expressing lymphatic endothelial marker D2-40. Similar structures are more frequently seen at the junctions between pre-invasive and invasive CRC with the following features: (1). they consist of a single layer of endothelial cells that express both D2-40 and CD34, (2). their endothelial walls are often incomplete with disseminated cells protruding into the adjacent stroma, and (3). they are exclusively associated with disseminated CK-19-positive cellsHypothesis: Based on these findings, we propose that these tube-like structures represent newly formed vasculatures, which are derived by the convergence of aberrant lymphocyte infiltration and tumor stem cells. Because of their close physical proximity, tumor stem cells within the epithelial and stromal components contribute equally and coordinately to the morphogenesis of new vasculatures, which constitutes the basis for the unique morphologic and immunohistochemical features of newly formed vasculatures. Our hypothesis appears to be applicable to all epithelium-derived cancers.     

Lizards cooperatively tunnel to construct a long-term home for family members

Constructing a home to protect offspring while they mature is common in many vertebrate groups, but has not previously been reported in lizards. Here we provide the first example of a lizard that constructs a long-term home for family members, and a rare case of lizards behaving cooperatively. The great desert skink, Liopholis kintorei from Central Australia, constructs an elaborate multi-tunnelled burrow that can be continuously occupied for up to 7 years. Multiple generations participate in construction and maintenance of burrows. Parental assignments based on DNA analysis show that immature individuals within the same burrow were mostly full siblings, even when several age cohorts were present. Parents were always captured at burrows containing their offspring, and females were only detected breeding with the same male both within- and across seasons. Consequently, the individual investments made to construct or maintain a burrow system benefit their own offspring, or siblings, over several breeding seasons.