Photoperiod control of birth timing in the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina)

The harbour seal ( Phoca vitulina ) has delayed implantation, precise annual birth timing, and significant latitudinal variation in birth timing. The birth timing patterns of four distinct groups of seals, including colonies of P. v. vitulina and colonies and captive individuals of P. v. richardsi , were examined using population-based photoperiod analysis to assess the role of photoperiod in setting annual birth timing. This analysis simultaneously determined the time, relative to birth, at which photoperiod response was likely to occur and the critical photoperiod.
Despite marked differences in birth timing patterns, a high level of agreement was found among groups for the timing of photoperiod response. The two subspecies, however, demonstrated significantly divergent critical photoperiods. Eastern Atlantic harbour seals were exposed to a common critical photoperiod of 11.7 h/day on the 268th pre-partum day. Wild Pacific harbour seals were exposed to 14.3 h/day on the 283rd pre-partum day. These times corresponded to the estimated occurrence of blastocyst implantation.
Using the above information, three small captive populations were subjected to artificially prolonged photoperiods during the period of embryonic diapause to test whether subsequent birth timing could be delayed. Technical difficulties invalidated results at two sites. At the third and largest colony, the mean pupping date of six individuals was significantly delayed by 10.7days.
The precision and latitudinal variation of annual birth timing in the harbour seal are due to a response to photoperiod which occurs immediately prior to blastocyst implantation. The critical photoperiod, however, is divergent among subspecies and, thus, has probably evolved allowing seasonal adaptation. Similar environmental signalling has been described for California sea lions and northern fur seals and represents the likely timing mechanism for most pinniped species.     

Interleukin-1-β and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Increase Peripheral-Type Benzodiazepine Binding Sites in Cultured Polygonal Astrocytes

Peripheral-type benzodiazepine binding sites (PTBBS) are markedly increased in the injured CNS. Astrocytes appear to be the primary cell type which express increased PTBBS. Because certain cytokines within the injured CNS are potent mitogens for astrocytes, we examined the effects of two such cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), on PTBBS in cultured astrocytes using [3H]Ro 5-4864 as the specific ligand. Purified cultures of either polygonal or process-bearing astrocytes were prepared from neonatal rat cerebral hemispheres. At a concentration of 1.8 nM, specific binding of the radioactive ligand to polygonal astrocytes reached equilibrium within 60 min and was half-maximal by 5-10 min. By contrast, specific binding to process-bearing astrocytes barely exceeded background levels. IL-1 and TNF increased PTBBS within polygonal astrocytes in both dose- and time-dependent manners. At 10-50 ng/ml, IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha elevated [3H]Ro 5-4864 binding in polygonal astrocyte cultures 65 and 87%, respectively, above the level in control cultures. However, no changes in PTBBS were seen within polygonal astrocytes after IL-2 treatment. Scatchard analysis of saturation binding experiments suggested that the increase in PTBBS promoted by TNF was due to an increased number of binding sites present in polygonal astrocytes and not due to an increase in receptor affinity. Binding data suggested that PTBBS within cultures of process-bearing astrocytes were virtually absent irrespective of the treatment. These in vitro data suggest that certain cytokines found in the injured brain may be involved in up-regulating PTBBS within a particular subtype of astrocyte.     

Adaptive variation in sex determination in a crustacean, Gammarus duebeni

In some animals sex is determined after conception by environmental factors (environmental sex determination. ESD). In the amphipod Gammarus duebeni sex is reportedly determined by photoperiod: there is a higher proportion of males in broods reared under long-day than under short-day photoperiods. It has been proposed that this is an adaptive response to seasonal population dynamics. A test of the hypothesis would be to demonstrate changes in the degree to which sex is determined by the environment in populations from different latitudes with different dynamics. This study reports such a test. Environmental response is significantly less strong in a southern population with a long breeding season than in a northern one in which breeding is seasonally restricted. Moreover, the threshold of the ESD cue for male or female determination is not defined when the breeding season is weakly seasonal. There is a broad correlation between latitude (and hence breeding seasonality) and the strength of ESD response across a series of population studies. Similarities between the Gammarus system of sex determination and that of the Atlantic silverside Menidia menidia, a fish with thermal ESD, are discussed.     

A Correspondence between Individual Differences in the Brain's Intrinsic Functional Architecture and the Content and Form of Self-Generated Thoughts

Although neural activity often reflects the processing of external inputs, intrinsic fluctuations in activity have been observed throughout the brain. These may relate to patterns of self-generated thought that can occur while not performing goal-driven tasks. To understand the relationship between self-generated mental activity and intrinsic neural fluctuations, we developed the New York Cognition Questionnaire (NYC-Q) to assess the content and form of an individual''s experiences during the acquisition of resting-state fMRI data. The data were collected as a part of the Nathan Kline Rockland Enhanced sample. We decomposed NYC-Q scores using exploratory factor analysis and found that self-reported thoughts clustered into distinct dimensions of content (future related, past related, positive, negative, and social) and form (words, images, and specificity). We used these components to perform an individual difference analysis exploring how differences in the types of self-generated thoughts relate to whole brain measures of intrinsic brain activity (fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations, regional homogeneity, and degree centrality). We found patterns of self-generated thoughts related to changes that were distributed across a wide range of cortical areas. For example, individuals who reported greater imagery exhibited greater low frequency fluctuations in a region of perigenual cingulate cortex, a region that is known to participate in the so-called default-mode network. We also found certain forms of thought were associated with other areas, such as primary visual cortex, the insula, and the cerebellum. For example, individuals who reported greater future thought exhibited less homogeneous neural fluctuations in a region of lateral occipital cortex, a result that is consistent with the claim that particular types of self-generated thought depend on processes that are decoupled from sensory processes. These data provide evidence that self-generated thought is a heterogeneous category of experience and that studying its content can be helpful in understanding brain dynamics.     

Exposure to Cobalt Causes Transcriptomic and Proteomic Changes in Two Rat Liver Derived Cell Lines

Cobalt is a transition group metal present in trace amounts in the human diet, but in larger doses it can be acutely toxic or cause adverse health effects in chronic exposures. Its use in many industrial processes and alloys worldwide presents opportunities for occupational exposures, including military personnel. While the toxic effects of cobalt have been widely studied, the exact mechanisms of toxicity remain unclear. In order to further elucidate these mechanisms and identify potential biomarkers of exposure or effect, we exposed two rat liver-derived cell lines, H4-II-E-C3 and MH1C1, to two concentrations of cobalt chloride. We examined changes in gene expression using DNA microarrays in both cell lines and examined changes in cytoplasmic protein abundance in MH1C1 cells using mass spectrometry. We chose to closely examine differentially expressed genes and proteins changing in abundance in both cell lines in order to remove cell line specific effects. We identified enriched pathways, networks, and biological functions using commercial bioinformatic tools and manual annotation. Many of the genes, proteins, and pathways modulated by exposure to cobalt appear to be due to an induction of a hypoxic-like response and oxidative stress. Genes that may be differentially expressed due to a hypoxic-like response are involved in Hif-1α signaling, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and other energy metabolism related processes. Gene expression changes linked to oxidative stress are also known to be involved in the NRF2-mediated response, protein degradation, and glutathione production. Using microarray and mass spectrometry analysis, we were able to identify modulated genes and proteins, further elucidate the mechanisms of toxicity of cobalt, and identify biomarkers of exposure and effect in vitro, thus providing targets for focused in vivo studies.