The Influence of Environmental Conditions,Lipid Composition,and Phase Behavior on the Origin of Cell Membranes

At some point in life’s development, membranes formed, providing barriers between the environment and the interior of the ‘cell.’ This paper evaluates the research to date on the prebiotic origin of cell membranes and highlights possible areas of continuing study. A careful review of the literature uncovered unexpected factors that influence membrane evolution. The major stages in primitive membrane formation and the transition to contemporary cell membranes appear to require an exacting relationship between environmental conditions and amphiphile composition and phase behavior. Also, environmental and compositional requirements for individual stages are in some instances incompatible with one another, potentially stultifying the pathway to contemporary membranes. Previous studies in membrane evolution have noted the effects composition and environment have on membrane formation but the crucial dependence and interdependence on these two factors has not been emphasized. This review makes clear the need to focus future investigations away from proof-of-principle studies towards developing a better understanding of the roles that environmental factors and lipid composition and polymorphic phase behavior played in the origin and evolution of cell membranes.     

Two new species of Galipea (Rutaceae, Galipeae) from Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru

Two new species ofGalipea are described and illustrated:Galipea maxima, which is known from the wet forests of Ecuador, and Peru, andGalipea ramiflora, from Bolivia and Peru. Their main diagnostic features are pointed out, and a brief discussion on the relationships of the new taxa to other species ofGalipea is provided.     

A Strategy for Using Weight-of-Evidence Methods in Ecological Risk Assessments

Our review of existing approaches and regulatory uses of weight-of-evidence (WOE) methods suggested the need for a practical strategy for deploying WOE within a predictive ecological risk assessment (ERA). WOE is the process of considering strengths and weaknesses of various pieces of information in order to inform a decision being made among competing alternatives. A predictive ERA uses existing information relating cause and effect to estimate the probability that today's action X will lead to tomorrow's adverse outcome Y. There appears to be no practical guidance for use of WOE in predictive assessments. We therefore propose a strategy for using a WOE approach, within an ERA framework, to weigh and integrate outcomes from various lines of evidence to estimate the probability of an adverse outcome in an assessment endpoint. An ERA framework is necessary to connect the results of an assessment to the management goals of concern to decision-makers and stakeholders. Within that framework, a WOE approach provides a consistent and transparent means of interpreting the myriad types of data and information gathered during a complex ecological assessment. Impediments to application of WOE are discussed, including limited regulatory guidance, limited prior regulatory use, and persistent reliance on threshold-based decision-making.     

HLA-C -35kb Expression SNP Is Associated with Differential Control of β-HPV Infection in Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cases and Controls

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 35 kb upstream of the HLA-C gene is associated with HLA-C expression, and the high expressing genotype (CC) has been associated with HIV-I control. HLA-C is unique among the classical MHC class I molecules for its role in the control of viral infections and recognition of abnormal or missing self. This immunosurveillance is central to the pathogenesis of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), and of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in particular. While sun exposure is a major risk factor for these cancers, cutaneous infections with genus β-HPV have been implicated in the development of SCC. We hypothesized that the high expression HLA-C genotype is associated with β-HPV infections. Therefore, we investigated the association between β-HPV serology and the −35 kb SNP (rs9264942) in a population-based case-control study of 510 SCC cases and 608 controls. Among controls, the high expression −35 kb SNP genotype (CC) reduced the likelihood of positive serology for multiple (≥2) β-HPV infections (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.25–0.97), and β-HPV species 2 infection (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.23–0.79). However, no association with β-HPV status was observed among SCC cases. Our findings suggest that underlying immunogenotype plays an important role in differential control of β-HPV in SCC cases and controls.     

Synergistic computational and experimental proteomics approaches for more accurate detection of active serine hydrolases in yeast

An analysis of the structurally and catalytically diverse serine hydrolase protein family in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteome was undertaken using two independent but complementary, large-scale approaches. The first approach is based on computational analysis of serine hydrolase active site structures; the second utilizes the chemical reactivity of the serine hydrolase active site in complex mixtures. These proteomics approaches share the ability to fractionate the complex proteome into functional subsets. Each method identified a significant number of sequences, but 15 proteins were identified by both methods. Eight of these were unannotated in the Saccharomyces Genome Database at the time of this study and are thus novel serine hydrolase identifications. Three of the previously uncharacterized proteins are members of a eukaryotic serine hydrolase family, designated as Fsh (family of serine hydrolase), identified here for the first time. OVCA2, a potential human tumor suppressor, and DYR-SCHPO, a dihydrofolate reductase from Schizosaccharomyces pombe, are members of this family. Comparing the combined results to results of other proteomic methods showed that only four of the 15 proteins were identified in a recent large-scale, "shotgun" proteomic analysis and eight were identified using a related, but similar, approach (neither identifies function). Only 10 of the 15 were annotated using alternate motif-based computational tools. The results demonstrate the precision derived from combining complementary, function-based approaches to extract biological information from complex proteomes. The chemical proteomics technology indicates that a functional protein is being expressed in the cell, while the computational proteomics technology adds details about the specific type of function and residue that is likely being labeled. The combination of synergistic methods facilitates analysis, enriches true positive results, and increases confidence in novel identifications. This work also highlights the risks inherent in annotation transfer and the use of scoring functions for determination of correct annotations.     

Non-natural glycosphingolipids and structurally simpler analogues bind HIV-1 recombinant Gp120

Interactions of recombinant gp120 (rgp120) with non-natural glycosphingolipids (GSLs) and structurally simpler analogues have been studied using a competitive adhesion assay. Conjugates of cellobiosyl ceramide and melibiosyl ceramide were synthetically prepared as water-soluble GSL analogues. These ligands were screened against a panel of biologically relevant analogues, and the results show that their interactions with rgp120 are comparable to natural cellular receptors. Glycolipid interactions with rgp120 were probed further by the synthesis and testing of structurally simpler analogues that were obtained by reductive amination of lactose, cellobiose, and melibiose with a biotinylated amino ethylene glycol moiety. RGp120 did not recognize conjugates lacking a lipid component. However, palmitoylation of the secondary amino alditols yielded compounds with comparable rgp120 affinity to the natural cellular receptor, galactosyl ceramide (GalCer). Taken together, the SAR showed that both a hydrophobic and a hydrophilic component are required for rgp120 recognition. Moreover, structural variability in the carbohydrate headgroup did not significantly alter rgp120 recognition indicating that this interaction is not highly specific.     

Degradation of functional triose phosphate isomerase protein underlies sugarkill pathology

Triose phosphate isomerase (TPI) deficiency glycolytic enzymopathy is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that remains poorly understood. The disease is caused exclusively by specific missense mutations affecting the TPI protein and clinically features hemolytic anemia, adult-onset neurological impairment, degeneration, and reduced longevity. TPI has a well-characterized role in glycolysis, catalyzing the isomerization of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P); however, little is known mechanistically about the pathogenesis associated with specific recessive mutations that cause progressive neurodegeneration. Here, we describe key aspects of TPI pathogenesis identified using the TPI(sugarkill) mutation, a Drosophila model of human TPI deficiency. Specifically, we demonstrate that the mutant protein is expressed, capable of forming a homodimer, and is functional. However, the mutant protein is degraded by the 20S proteasome core leading to loss-of-function pathogenesis.