Tissue-selective regulation of protein homeostasis and unfolded protein response signalling in sporadic ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disorder that affects motor neurons in motor cortex and spinal cord, and the degeneration of both neuronal populations is a critical feature of the disease. Abnormalities in protein homeostasis (proteostasis) are well established in ALS. However, they have been investigated mostly in spinal cord but less so in motor cortex. Herein, we monitored the unfolded protein (UPR) and heat shock response (HSR), two major proteostasis regulatory pathways, in human post-mortem tissue derived from the motor cortex of sporadic ALS (SALS) and compared them to those occurring in spinal cord. Although the UPR was activated in both tissues, specific expression of select UPR target genes, such as PDIs, was observed in motor cortex of SALS cases strongly correlating with oligodendrocyte markers. Moreover, we found that endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) and HSR genes, which were activated predominately in spinal cord, correlated with the expression of neuronal markers. Our results indicate that proteostasis is strongly and selectively activated in SALS motor cortex and spinal cord where subsets of these genes are associated with specific cell type. This study expands our understanding of convergent molecular mechanisms occurring in motor cortex and spinal cord and highlights cell type–specific contributions.     

Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data

Six baleen whale species are found in the temperate western North Atlantic Ocean, with limited information existing on the distribution and movement patterns for most. There is mounting evidence of distributional shifts in many species, including marine mammals, likely because of climate‐driven changes in ocean temperature and circulation. Previous acoustic studies examined the occurrence of minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and North Atlantic right whales (NARW; Eubalaena glacialis). This study assesses the acoustic presence of humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), sei (B. borealis), fin (B. physalus), and blue whales (B. musculus) over a decade, based on daily detections of their vocalizations. Data collected from 2004 to 2014 on 281 bottom‐mounted recorders, totaling 35,033 days, were processed using automated detection software and screened for each species' presence. A published study on NARW acoustics revealed significant changes in occurrence patterns between the periods of 2004–2010 and 2011–2014; therefore, these same time periods were examined here. All four species were present from the Southeast United States to Greenland; humpback whales were also present in the Caribbean. All species occurred throughout all regions in the winter, suggesting that baleen whales are widely distributed during these months. Each of the species showed significant changes in acoustic occurrence after 2010. Similar to NARWs, sei whales had higher acoustic occurrence in mid‐Atlantic regions after 2010. Fin, blue, and sei whales were more frequently detected in the northern latitudes of the study area after 2010. Despite this general northward shift, all four species were detected less on the Scotian Shelf area after 2010, matching documented shifts in prey availability in this region. A decade of acoustic observations have shown important distributional changes over the range of baleen whales, mirroring known climatic shifts and identifying new habitats that will require further protection from anthropogenic threats like fixed fishing gear, shipping, and noise pollution.     

X‐ray crystallographic structure of BshB,the zinc‐dependent deacetylase involved in bacillithiol biosynthesis

Many gram‐positive bacteria produce bacillithiol to aid in the maintenance of redox homeostasis and degradation of toxic compounds, including the antibiotic fosfomycin. Bacillithiol is produced via a three‐enzyme pathway that includes the action of the zinc‐dependent deacetylase BshB. Previous studies identified conserved aspartate and histidine residues within the active site that are involved in metal binding and catalysis, but the enzymatic mechanism is not fully understood. Here we report two X‐ray crystallographic structures of BshB from Bacillus subtilis that provide insight into the BshB catalytic mechanism.     

光氮互作对闽楠幼苗叶片光合生理特性的影响

以5月龄闽楠幼苗为材料,采用4种光照水平(100%、41.3%、14.3%、3.6%自然光)和4种氮素水平(0、0.5、1、2 mol/L纯氮)的双因素盆栽试验,研究光氮互作下闽楠幼苗的光合生理特性,以探讨其对环境适应性的生理机制。结果表明:(1)遮荫和施氮均能显著提高闽楠叶片光合色素含量;在同一氮素水平下,随光照强度下降,闽楠幼苗叶片可溶性糖(SS)、可溶性蛋白(SP)、净光合速率(P_n)、气孔导度(G_s)、最大净光合速率(P_(max))、暗呼吸速率(R_d)、表观量子系数(AQY)均呈先增后降趋势,并在41.3%自然光照水平时最高;而同期叶片胞间CO_2浓度(C_i)、蒸腾速率(T_r)、光饱和点(LSP)、光补偿点(LCP)均呈下降趋势;闽楠幼苗的叶片PSⅡ最大光化学效率(F_v/F_m)和PSⅡ潜在活性(F_v/F_o)则随光照减弱逐渐增加。(2)同一光照水平下,随着氮素施用量增加,闽楠幼苗叶片SS、SP、光合气体交换参数、光响应曲线特征参数总体呈现先升高后降低的趋势,F_v/F_m和F_v/F_o呈先降后增趋势。(3)不同光照和氮素水平之间存在显著的互作效应,隶属函数分析结果以41.3%自然光照、0.5 mol/L纯N处理的效果最优。研究表明,闽楠幼苗为喜光耐荫植物;适宜遮荫和施氮处理组合可显著改善闽楠渗透调节能力,提高光能利用率,促进光合作用进行,而全光照、过度遮荫、缺氮、或过量施氮均不利于闽楠正常生理代谢。     

8,000 years of climate,vegetation, fire and land-use dynamics in the thermo-mediterranean vegetation belt of northern Sardinia (Italy)

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany - Knowledge about the vegetation history of Sardinia, the second largest island of the Mediterranean, is scanty. Here, we present a new sedimentary record...     

Local and landscape responses of biodiversity in calcareous grasslands

Biodiversity and Conservation - Across Europe, calcareous grasslands become increasingly fragmented and their quality deteriorates through abandonment and land use intensification, both affecting...     

会仙喀斯特湿地三种典型植物叶片碳同位素(δ13C)特征及其指示意义

为探讨会仙喀斯特湿地不同生长环境下植物叶片碳(C)、氮(N)、磷(P)、稳定碳同位素(δ~(13)C)特征及其生态学指示意义,该文以挺水植物芦苇、浮水植物水葫芦和沉水植物金鱼藻为研究对象,分析了三种典型不同生活型植物叶片的δ~(13)C特征及种间和微生境的差异,并基于植物碳同位素与碳酸酐酶显著正相关的二端元模型,估算了植物利用光合作用固定的碳酸氢根离子(HCO3-)的碳量。结果表明:(1)三种植物叶片δ~(13)C的变化范围为-28.47‰～-21.69‰,平均值为-24.83‰,不同生活型植物间δ~(13)C存在差异,金鱼藻水葫芦芦苇。(2)植物δ~(13)C值与叶片C、N和P元素含量间呈显著正相关,与C/N、C/P和N/P呈显著负相关关系,与底泥的有机质、速效氮、总氮、速效磷和总磷含量呈显著正相关。(3)会仙喀斯特湿地三种不同生活型植物叶片N/P平均值为10.34,表现出植物受N、P共同影响的特征。(4)δ~(13)C的变化特征,揭示了三种水生植物可能通过增加磷利用效率来促进低水分利用率环境下的碳的合成,通过提高植物水分利用效率的策略来代偿较低的氮素利用效率。(5)芦苇光合作用固定HCO3-碳量为159.60 t·a~(-1)·km~(-2),水葫芦为10.80 t·a~(-1)·km~(-2),金鱼藻为9.24 t·a~(-1)·km~(-2),平均值为59.88 t·a~(-1)·km~(-2)。会仙喀斯特湿地植物的不同生活型、光合作用途径和生长微环境,是影响叶片δ~(13)C变化的主要因素。