Distribution of immunoreactive somatostatin in the primate hypothalamus

Immunocytochemical methods were used to compare the localization of somatostatin (SRIF) in the human and rhesus monkey hypothalamus. The distribution of SRIF-containing cell bodies and fibers is similar in the two species. Perikarya are located predominantly in the periventricular region and to a lesser extent in the ventromedial nucleus. Fibers occur in dense clusters within the periventricular region, ventromedial nucleus, arcuate nucleus, median eminence, and pericommissural area of both species. Analysis of serial sections suggests that fibers originate from cells in the periventricular region, extend ventrally through the ventromedial and arcuate nuclei to terminate around the portal vessels of the infundibular stalk, and thereby participate in the regulation of anterior pituitary function. Somatostatinergic fibers are also found surrounding non-immunoreactive perikarya in the ventromedial nucleus and periventricular region of both primates. This arrangement may support somatostatin's postulated role as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator. The strong similarity between the localization of hypothalamic SRIF in the human and rhesus monkey supports the use of the rhesus monkey as a model for the study of somatostatin as a neuroendocrine regulatory in the human.     

Anterograde trafficking of Toll-like receptors requires the cargo sorting adaptors TMED-2 and 7

Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) play a pivotal role in immunity by recognising conserved structural features of pathogens and initiating the innate immune response. TLR signalling is subject to complex regulation that remains poorly understood. Here we show that two small type I transmembrane receptors, TMED2 and 7, that function as cargo sorting adaptors in the early secretory pathway are required for transport of TLRs from the ER to Golgi. Protein interaction studies reveal that TMED7 interacts with TLR2, TLR4 and TLR5 but not with TLR3 and TLR9. On the other hand, TMED2 interacts with TLR2, TLR4 and TLR3. Dominant negative forms of TMED7 suppress the export of cell surface TLRs from the ER to the Golgi. By contrast TMED2 is required for the ER-export of both plasma membrane and endosomal TLRs. Together, these findings suggest that association of TMED2 and TMED7 with TLRs facilitates anterograde transport from the ER to the Golgi.     

Ex vivo gene transfer in the years to come

Synovial fibroblasts (SFs) have become a major target for ex vivo gene transfer in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but efficient transduction of RA-SFs still is a major problem. The low proliferation rate and heterogeneity of RA-SFs, together with their lack of highly specific surface receptors, have hampered a more extensive application of this technique. Improving transduction protocols with conventional viral vectors, therefore, as well as developing novel strategies, such as alternative target cells, and novel delivery systems constitute a major challenge. Recent progress in this field will lead to the achievement of high transgene expression, and will facilitate the use of gene transfer in human trials.     

Tropical soils degraded by slash‐and‐burn cultivation can be recultivated when amended with ashes and compost

In many tropical regions, slash‐and‐burn agriculture is considered as a driver of deforestation; the forest is converted into agricultural land by cutting and burning the trees. However, the fields are abandoned after few years because of yield decrease and weed invasion. Consequently, new surfaces are regularly cleared from the primary forest. We propose a reclamation strategy for abandoned fields allowing and sustaining re‐cultivation. In the dry region of south‐western Madagascar, we tested, according to a split‐plot design, an alternative selective slash‐and‐burn cultivation technique coupled with compost amendment on 30–year‐old abandoned fields. Corn plants (Zea mays L.) were grown on four different types of soil amendments: no amendment (control), compost, ashes (as in traditional slash‐and‐burn cultivation), and compost + ashes additions. Furthermore, two tree cover treatments were applied: 0% tree cover (as in traditional slash‐and‐burn cultivation) and 50% tree cover (selective slash‐and‐burn). Both corn growth and soil fertility parameters were monitored during the growing season 2015 up to final harvest. The amendment compost + ashes strongly increased corn yield, which was multiplied by 4–5 in comparison with ashes or compost alone, reaching 1.5 t/ha compared to 0.25 and 0.35 t/ha for ashes and compost, respectively. On control plots, yield was negligible as expected on these degraded soils. Structural equation modeling evidenced that compost and ashes were complementary fertilizing pathways promoting soil fertility through positive effects on soil moisture, pH, organic matter, and microbial activity. Concerning the tree cover treatment, yield was reduced on shaded plots (50% tree cover) compared to sunny plots (0% tree cover) for all soil amendments, except ashes. To conclude, our results provide empirical evidence on the potential of recultivating tropical degraded soils with compost and ashes. This would help mitigating deforestation of the primary forest by increasing lifespan of agricultural lands.     

Detection of kappa and delta opioid receptors in skin--outside the nervous system

Opioid receptors (OR) are widely expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). Opioid antinociception might be initiated by activation of OR outside the CNS, indicating targeting of peripheral OR could be useful in the treatment of chronic pain. This study was designed to detect OR in skin tissues of healthy volunteers at both mRNA and protein levels. Skin samples from 10 healthy individuals were investigated. Total isolated RNAs were reverse transcribed, amplified and quantified by real-time PCR. Tissue and skin fibroblast OR protein was detected by immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and immunofluorescence. All skin tissue samples expressed delta- (DOR) and kappa-OR (KOR) mRNAs. Using immunohistochemistry, DOR and KOR were localized in skin fibroblast-like and mononuclear cells. Skin fibroblasts in culture expressed DOR and KOR mRNA. Using immunofluorescence, both DOR and KOR proteins were expressed predominantly on the cell membrane with minor staining in the cytoplasm. We suggest that enhanced expression of DOR and KOR in skin justifies the exploration of selective novel delta and kappa agonists for local pain treatment.     

Sister kinetochore recapture in fission yeast occurs by two distinct mechanisms, both requiring Dam1 and Klp2

In eukaryotic cells, proper formation of the spindle is necessary for successful cell division. We have studied chromosome recapture in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We show by live cell analysis that lost kinetochores interact laterally with intranuclear microtubules (INMs) and that both microtubule depolymerization (end-on pulling) and minus-end-directed movement (microtubule sliding) contribute to chromosome retrieval to the spindle pole body (SPB). We find that the minus-end-directed motor Klp2 colocalizes with the kinetochore during its transport to the SPB and contributes to the effectiveness of retrieval by affecting both end-on pulling and lateral sliding. Furthermore, we provide in vivo evidence that Dam1, a component of the DASH complex, also colocalizes with the kinetochore during its transport and is essential for its retrieval by either of these mechanisms. Finally, we find that the position of the unattached kinetochore correlates with the size and orientation of the INMs, suggesting that chromosome recapture may not be a random process.     

Proteomics of Breast Muscle Tissue Associated with the Phenotypic Expression of Feed Efficiency within a Pedigree Male Broiler Line: I. Highlight on Mitochondria

As feed represents 60 to 70% of the cost of raising an animal to market weight, feed efficiency (the amount of dry weight intake to amount of wet weight gain) remains an important genetic trait in animal agriculture. To gain greater understanding of cellular mechanisms of feed efficiency (FE), shotgun proteomics was conducted using in-gel trypsin digestion and tandem mass spectrometry on breast muscle samples obtained from pedigree male (PedM) broilers exhibiting high feed efficiency (FE) or low FE phenotypes (n = 4 per group). The high FE group had greater body weight gain (P = 0.004) but consumed the same amount of feed (P = 0.30) from 6 to 7 wk resulting in higher FE (P < 0.001). Over 1800 proteins were identified, of which 152 were different (P < 0.05) by at least 1.3 fold and ≤ 15 fold between the high and low FE phenotypes. Data were analyzed for a modified differential expression (DE) metric (Phenotypic Impact Factors or PIF) and interpretation of protein expression data facilitated using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) program. In the entire data set, 228 mitochondrial proteins were identified whose collective expression indicates a higher mitochondrial expression in the high FE phenotype (binomial probability P < 0.00001). Within the top up and down 5% PIF molecules in the dataset, there were 15 mitoproteome proteins up-regulated and only 5 down-regulated in the high FE phenotype. Pathway enrichment analysis also identified mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative phosphorylation as the number 1 and 5 differentially expressed canonical pathways (up-regulated in high FE) in the proteomic dataset. Upstream analysis (based on DE of downstream molecules) predicted that insulin receptor, insulin like growth receptor 1, nuclear factor, erythroid 2-like 2, AMP activated protein kinase (α subunit), progesterone and triiodothyronine would be activated in the high FE phenotype whereas rapamycin independent companion of target of rapamycin, mitogen activated protein kinase 4, and serum response factor would be inhibited in the high FE phenotype. The results provide additional insight into the fundamental molecular landscape of feed efficiency in breast muscle of broilers as well as further support for a role of mitochondria in the phenotypic expression of FE.Funding provided by USDA-NIFA (#2013–01953), Arkansas Biosciences Institute (Little Rock, AR), McMaster Fellowship (AUS to WB) and the Agricultural Experiment Station (Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville).     

Human proximity and habitat fragmentation are key drivers of the rangewide bonobo distribution

Habitat loss and hunting threaten bonobos (Pan paniscus), Endangered (IUCN) great apes endemic to lowland rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Conservation planning requires a current, data-driven, rangewide map of probable bonobo distribution and an understanding of key attributes of areas used by bonobos. We present a rangewide suitability model for bonobos based on a maximum entropy algorithm in which data associated with locations of bonobo nests helped predict suitable conditions across the species’ entire range. We systematically evaluated available biotic and abiotic factors, including a bonobo-specific forest fragmentation layer (forest edge density), and produced a final model revealing the importance of simple threat-based factors in a data poor environment. We confronted the issue of survey bias in presence-only models and devised a novel evaluation approach applicable to other taxa by comparing models built with data from geographically distinct sub-regions that had higher survey effort. The model’s classification accuracy was high (AUC = 0.82). Distance from agriculture and forest edge density best predicted bonobo occurrence with bonobo nests more likely to occur farther from agriculture and in areas of lower edge density. These results suggest that bonobos either avoid areas of higher human activity, fragmented forests, or both, and that humans reduce the effective habitat of bonobos. The model results contribute to an increased understanding of threats to bonobo populations, as well as help identify priority areas for future surveys and determine core bonobo protection areas.