One-Seeded Fruits in the Core Caryophyllales: Their Origin and Structural Diversity

The core Caryophyllales consist of approximately 30 families (12 000 species) distributed worldwide. Many members evolved one-seeded or conjoined fruits, but their origin and structural diversity have not been investigated. A comparative anatomical investigation of the one-seeded fruits within the core Caryophyllales was conducted. The origin of the one-seeded fruits and the evolutionary reconstructions of some carpological characters were traced using a tree based on rbcl and matK data in order to understand the ancestral characters and their changes. The one-seeded fruit type is inferred to be an ancestral character state in core Caryophyllales, with a subsequent increase in the seed number seen in all major clades. Most representatives of the ‘Earlier Diverging’ clade are distinguished in various carpological traits. The organization of the pericarp is diverse in many groups, although fruits with a dry, many-layered pericarp, consisting of sclerenchyma as outer layers and a thin-walled parenchyma below, with seeds occupying a vertical embryo position, are likely ancestral character states in the core Caryophyllales clade. Several carpological peculiarities in fruit and seed structure were discovered in obligate one-seeded Achatocarpaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Nyctaginaceae, Seguieriaceae and Sarcobataceae. The horizontal embryo evolved in only certain groups of Chenopodiaceae. The bar-thickening of endotegmen cells appears to be an additional character typical of core Caryophyllales. The syncarpy-to-lysicarpy paradigm in Caryophyllaceae needs to be reinterpreted.     

Neutral sphingomyelinase 2 deficiency is associated with lung anomalies similar to emphysema

Neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase2) upregulation was recently demonstrated to serve as a molecular link between smoke inhalation and emphysematous changes in lungs. Here we report that nSMase2 deficit impairs lung development in mice. We have shown previously that fragilitas ossium (fro) mice carry a mutation in the Smpd3 gene, rendering nSMase2 catalytically inactive. Analysis of lung phenotype revealed that fro mice have abnormally enlarged alveoli and increased compliance of the respiratory system, similar to morphological and functional manifestations of emphysema. Analysis of sphingolipid content in fro lungs revealed a decreased level of C14:0 ceramide but no significant alterations in the levels of sphingosine or sphingosine-1-phosphate. Altogether, our data suggest that nSMase2 activity and ceramide level are critical for lung development and function. Based on our data, ceramide can no longer be viewed as a lipid solely detrimental to lung function.

     

Identification of inorganic crystal-specific sequences using phage display combinatorial library of short peptides: A feasibility study

The feasibility of using a combinatorial phage display library of decapeptides to identify ligands which can interact with the surface of a crystal was assessed using geological calcium carbonate as a model. Two relatively strong binding clones were identified by ELISA, sequenced and the encoded oligopeptides were prepared by solid phase synthesis and their properties compared with those of casein hydrolysate.     

Components of the GABAergic signaling in the peripheral cholinergic synapses of vertebrates: a review

Amino Acids - Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. Since the 1970s, many studies have focused on the role of GABA in the...     

Efficacy of lorlatinib in lung carcinomas carrying distinct ALK translocation variants: The results of a single-center study

BackgroundLorlatinib is a novel potent ALK inhibitor, with only a few studies reporting the results of its clinical use.MethodsThis study describes the outcomes of lorlatinib treatment for 35 non-small cell lung cancer patients with ALK rearrangements, who had 2 (n = 5), 1 (n = 26) or none (n = 4) prior tyrosine kinase inhibitors and received lorlatinib mainly within the compassionate use program.ResultsObjective tumor response (OR) and disease control (DC) were registered in 15/35 (43%) and 33/35 (94%) patients, respectively; brain metastases were particularly responsive to the treatment (OR: 22/27 (81%); DC: 27/27 (100%)). Median progression free survival (PFS) was estimated to be 21.8 months, and median overall survival (OS) approached to 70.1 months. Only 4 out of 35 patients experienced no adverse effects; two of them were the only subjects who had no clinical benefit from lorlatinib. PFS and OS in the no-adverse-events lorlatinib users were strikingly lower as compared to the remaining patients (1.1 months vs. 23.7 months and 10.5 months vs. not reached, respectively; p < 0.0001 for both comparisons). ALK translocation variants were known for 28 patients; there was no statistical difference between patients with V.1 and V.3 rearrangements with regard to the OS or PFS.ConclusionUse of lorlatinib results in excellent disease outcomes, however caution must be taken for patients experiencing no adverse effects from this drug.     

Mesozooplankton biomass,abundance and community composition in the Ross Sea and the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean

Polar Biology - Due in part to its remote location, the zooplankton of the Ross Sea and adjacent waters is poorly characterized. Very little depth-integrated information exists for this region,...     

Statilia maculata (Thunberg, 1784) – the first invasive praying mantis (Mantodea,Mantidae) in the fauna of Russia

Summary

Recent years have seen an increasing number of alien praying mantis species being introduced and establishing populations across Europe. Here we add to this count, reporting a stable and spreading population of an Asian species, Statilia maculata (Thunberg, 1784), in Krasnodar Krai of Southern Russia. This is the first introduced praying mantis species in the Russian fauna and the first representative of the genus Statilia Stål, 1877 in Europe. We review what is known about biology of this species and provide diagnostic characters to distinguish nymphs, adults and oothecae from native and introduced European species of praying mantis. Our attempts at captive breeding identify humidity as one of the most important factors limiting possible spread of S. maculata. Invasion to neighbouring territories and other countries with a humid subtropical climate remains a very real possibility with an unknown outcome for local ecosystems.