Dispersal polymorphism and physiological condition of males and females in the ant, Formica truncorum

This study deals with dispersal behavior of sexuals and intraspecificvariation in queen numbers. The specific questions are: (1)Is there an association between male and female dispersal behaviorand the number of queens in a colony? (2) Is there an associationbetween individual behavior and physiological condition? (3)Do males and females from monogyne (one queen per colony) andpolygyne (several functional queens per colony) colonies differwith respect to size, weight, and physiological condition? Theresults show that both males and females are more prone to dispersein monogyne than in polygyne colonies. Moreover, males and femalesof both monogyne and polygyne colonies show dispersal polymorphism,suggesting that an increased tendency of reproductive femalesto stay in the maternal colony may cause monogyne colonies toswitch to polygyny. The propensity to disperse is associatedwith the physiological condition of individuals. Larger andheavier females containing more fat and glycogen preferentiallydisperse, whereas smaller ones with less fat and glycogen moreeasily dealate and mate without a previous nuptial flight. Maledispersal correlates positively to larger size and higher levelsof glycogen; fat contents do not increase during maturation.The females produced in monogyne colonies are larger, heavier,and contain more fat and glycogen than those produced in polygynecolonies. The males produced in monogyne colonies have relativelylonger wings and are heavier than those produced in polygynecolonies. However, there are no differences in size and fatcontents between males from monogyne and polygyne colonies.     

Gene-specific markers for the wheat gene Lr34/Yr18/Pm38 which confers resistance to multiple fungal pathogens

The locus Lr34/Yr18/Pm38 confers partial and durable resistance against the devastating fungal pathogens leaf rust, stripe rust, and powdery mildew. In previous studies, this broad-spectrum resistance was shown to be controlled by a single gene which encodes a putative ATP-binding cassette transporter. Alleles of resistant and susceptible cultivars differed by only three sequence polymorphisms and the same resistance haplotype was found in the three independent breeding lineages of Lr34/Yr18/Pm38. Hence, we used these conserved sequence polymorphisms as templates to develop diagnostic molecular markers that will assist selection for durable multi-pathogen resistance in breeding programs. Five allele-specific markers (cssfr1–cssfr5) were developed based on a 3 bp deletion in exon 11 of the Lr34-gene, and one marker (cssfr6) was derived from a single nucleotide polymorphism in exon 12. Validation of reference genotypes, well characterized for the presence or absence of the Lr34/Yr18/Pm38 resistance locus, demonstrated perfect diagnostic values for the newly developed markers. By testing the new markers on a larger set of wheat cultivars, a third Lr34 haplotype, not described so far, was discovered in some European winter wheat and spelt material. Some cultivars with uncertain Lr34 status were re-assessed using the newly derived markers. Unambiguous identification of the Lr34 gene aided by the new markers has revealed that some wheat cultivars incorrectly postulated as having Lr34 may possess as yet uncharacterised loci for adult plant leaf and stripe rust resistance. E. S. Lagudah and S. G. Krattinger contributed equally to the work.     

Obesity‐related Polymorphisms and Their Associations With the Ability to Regulate Fat Oxidation in Obese Europeans: The NUGENOB Study

Both obesity and insulin resistance have been related to low fat oxidation rates, which may be genetically determined. The association between variation in fat oxidation rates among obese subjects and genotype was studied for 42 common single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 26 candidate genes for fat oxidation, insulin resistance, and obesity, including FTO. Energy expenditure (EE) and fat oxidation were measured with indirect calorimetry during fasting and 3 h after a high fat load containing 95 energy% of fat (60% saturated fat, energy content 50% of estimated resting EE) in 722 obese subjects (541 women, 181 men) from 8 European centers. After adjustment for center and gender, ?178 A>C CD36 (rs2232169) (P = 0.02), ?22510 C>G SLC6A14 (women, rs2011162) (P = 0.03), and T690S C>G PCSK1 (rs6235) (P = 0.02) were related to a reduced fat oxidation, whereas 17 C>G SREBF1 (17 C>G) (P = 0.01) was related to increased fat oxidation in the fasting state. The ability to increase fat oxidation after a high fat load was increased in subjects with ?174 G>C IL6 (rs1800795) (P = 0.01). Effect sizes range from 1.1 to 3.1% differences in fat oxidation (expressed as % of EE). FTO rs9939609 was not related to fat oxidation. At the same time, the results are not adjusted for multiple testing, thus none of the associations can be considered statistically significant. The results should therefore only be considered as leads to new hypotheses about effects of specific genetic polymorphisms on fasting and postprandial fat oxidation.     

Syndromic Surveillance for Local Outbreaks of Lower-Respiratory Infections: Would It Work?

Background

Although syndromic surveillance is increasingly used to detect unusual illness, there is a debate whether it is useful for detecting local outbreaks. We evaluated whether syndromic surveillance detects local outbreaks of lower-respiratory infections (LRIs) without swamping true signals by false alarms.

Methods and Findings

Using retrospective hospitalization data, we simulated prospective surveillance for LRI-elevations. Between 1999–2006, a total of 290762 LRIs were included by date of hospitalization and patients place of residence (>80% coverage, 16 million population). Two large outbreaks of Legionnaires disease in the Netherlands were used as positive controls to test whether these outbreaks could have been detected as local LRI elevations. We used a space-time permutation scan statistic to detect LRI clusters. We evaluated how many LRI-clusters were detected in 1999–2006 and assessed likely causes for the cluster-signals by looking for significantly higher proportions of specific hospital discharge diagnoses (e.g. Legionnaires disease) and overlap with regional influenza elevations. We also evaluated whether the number of space-time signals can be reduced by restricting the scan statistic in space or time. In 1999–2006 the scan-statistic detected 35 local LRI clusters, representing on average 5 clusters per year. The known Legionnaires'' disease outbreaks in 1999 and 2006 were detected as LRI-clusters, since cluster-signals were generated with an increased proportion of Legionnaires disease patients (p:<0.0001). 21 other clusters coincided with local influenza and/or respiratory syncytial virus activity, and 1 cluster appeared to be a data artifact. For 11 clusters no likely cause was defined, some possibly representing as yet undetected LRI-outbreaks. With restrictions on time and spatial windows the scan statistic still detected the Legionnaires'' disease outbreaks, without loss of timeliness and with less signals generated in time (up to 42% decline).

Conclusions

To our knowledge this is the first study that systematically evaluates the performance of space-time syndromic surveillance with nationwide high coverage data over a longer period. The results show that syndromic surveillance can detect local LRI-outbreaks in a timely manner, independent of laboratory-based outbreak detection. Furthermore, since comparatively few new clusters per year were observed that would prompt investigation, syndromic hospital-surveillance could be a valuable tool for detection of local LRI-outbreaks.     

Early detection of response to experimental chemotherapeutic Top216 with [18F]FLT and [18F]FDG PET in human ovary cancer xenografts in mice

Background

3′-deoxy-3′-[¹⁸F]fluorothymidine (¹⁸F-FLT) is a tracer used to assess cell proliferation in vivo. The aim of the study was to use ¹⁸F-FLT positron emission tomography (PET) to study treatment responses to a new anti-cancer compound. To do so, we studied early anti-proliferative effects of the experimental chemotherapy Top216 non-invasively by PET.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In vivo uptake of ¹⁸F-FLT in human ovary cancer xenografts in mice (A2780) was studied at various time points after Top216 treatment (50 mg/kg i.v. at 0 and 48 hours) was initiated. Baseline ¹⁸F-FLT scans were made before either Top216 (n = 7–10) or vehicle (n = 5–7) was injected and repeated after 2 and 6 hours and 1 and 5 days of treatment. A parallel study was made with 2′-deoxy-2′-[¹⁸F]fluoro-D-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) (n = 8). Tracer uptake was quantified using small animal PET/CT. Imaging results were validated by tumor volume changes and gene-expression of Ki67 and TK1. Top216 (50 mg/kg 0 and 48 hours) inhibited the growth of the A2780 tumor compared to the control group (P<0.001). ¹⁸F-FLT uptake decreased significantly at 2 hours (−52%; P<0.001), 6 hours (−49%; P = 0.002) and Day 1 (−47%; P<0.001) after Top216 treatment. At Day 5 ¹⁸F-FLT uptake was comparable to uptake in the control group. Uptake of ¹⁸F-FLT was unchanged in the control group during the experiment. In the treatment group, uptake of ¹⁸F-FDG was significantly decreased at 6 hours (−21%; P = 0.003), Day 1 (−29%; P<0.001) and Day 5 (−19%; P = 0.05) compared to baseline.

Conclusions/Significance

One injection with Top216 initiated a fast and significant decrease in cell-proliferation assessable by ¹⁸F-FLT after 2 hours. The early reductions in tumor cell proliferation preceded changes in tumor size. Our data indicate that ¹⁸F-FLT PET is promising for the early non-invasive assessment of chemotherapy effects in both drug development and for tailoring therapy in patients.     

In vitro anti-leukemic activity of the ethno-pharmacological plant Scutellaria orientalis ssp. carica endemic to western Turkey

Aim of this studyWithin the genus Scutellaria various species are used in different folk medicines throughout Asia. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) uses S. baicalensis (Labiatae) to treat various inflammatory conditions. The root shows strong anticancer properties in vitro and was suggested for clinical trials against multiple myeloma. Further, S. barbata was successfully tested against metastatic breast cancer in a phase I/II trial. Therefore, we investigated the anti-cancer properties of S. orientalis L. ssp. carica Edmondson, an endemic subspecies from the traditional medicinal plant S. orientalis L. in Turkey, which is used to promote wound healing and to stop haemorrhage.Materials and methodsFreeze-dried plant material was extracted with petroleum ether, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and methanol and the bioactivity of these extracts was analysed by proliferation assay, cell death determination, and by investigating protein expression profiles specific for cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.ResultsThe strongest anti-leukemic activity was shown by the methanol extract, which contained apigenin, baicalein, chrysin, luteolin and wogonin, with an IpC50 of 43 μg/ml (corresponding to 1.3 mg/ml of dried plant material) which correlated with cyclin D1- and Cdc25A suppression and p21 induction. At 132 μg/ml (=4 mg/ml of the drug) this extract caused genotoxic stress indicated by substantial phosphorylation of the core histone H2AX (γ-H2AX) followed by activation of caspase 3 and signature-type cleavage of PARP resulting in a 55% apoptosis rate after 48 hours of treatment.ConclusionsHere, we report for the first time that S. orientalis L. ssp. carica Edmondson exhibited potent anti-leukaemic properties likely through the anti-proliferative effect of baicalein and the genotoxic property of wogonin.     

Planktonic ciliate community structure in shallow lakes of lowland Western Europe

Temperate shallow meso- to eutrophic lakes can exist in one of two alternative states with contrasting foodwebs, referred to as the clear-water and the turbid state. We describe the planktonic ciliate communities of such lakes based on a survey of 66 northwestern European lakes. Ciliates were enumerated and identified to species level according to the quantitative protargol staining technique. Ciliate biomass was on average twice as high in the turbid than in the clear-water lakes. The ciliate communities were dominated by oligotrichs and protostomatids, and no differences in functional composition or α-diversity could be detected between turbid and clear-water lakes, although β-diversity tended to be higher in the latter. At the species level, however, community structure strongly differed between turbid and clear-water lakes, and several indicator species could be identified for the different lake categories. Variation partitioning showed that nutrient status did not explain ciliate community structure independent of the alternative states, while lake area was identified as an additional structuring factor for the ciliate communities. These results stress the importance of the ecosystem structure in shaping ciliate communities in temperate shallow lakes and suggest that nutrient status has little direct effect on ciliate community structure in such lakes.     

Egg Recognition and Social Parasitism in Formica Ants

Nests of social insects are an attractive resource in terms of nutrition and shelter and therefore targeted by a variety of pathogens and parasites that harness the resources of a host colony in their own reproductive interests. Colonies of the ants Formica fusca and F. lemani serve as hosts for mound‐building Formica species, the queens of which use host colonies during colony founding. Here, we investigate whether workers of the host species can mitigate the costs imposed on them by invading parasite queens by recognizing and selectively removing eggs laid by these queens. We used behavioural assays, allowing host workers to choose between con‐colonial eggs and eggs laid by the parasite species F. truncorum. We show that workers of both host species discriminate between the two types of eggs in favour of con‐colonial eggs. Moreover, workers of F. fusca rejected more con‐colonial eggs than F. lemani. This higher rate of error in F. fusca may reflect a greater selectivity or a greater difficulty in discriminating between the two egg types. Nevertheless, both host species removed parasite eggs at a similar rate, when these were artificially introduced into the colonies, although some eggs remained after 10 d. In addition, upon receiving parasite eggs, host workers started to lay unfertilized male‐destined eggs within 6 d, thus employing an alternative pathway to gain direct fitness when the resident queen is no longer present and the colony is parasitized.     

Copepods as environmental indicator in lakes: special focus on changes in the proportion of calanoids along nutrient and pH gradients

Copepods are important contributors to the zooplankton community in lakes. Being “sandwiched” between predators and resources, they are sensitive to changes in the environment. It has been proposed that the proportion of calanoids of total copepod abundance or biomass could be a valuable indicator of eutrophication. We investigated relationships between environmental factors and the abundance, biomass and size of calanoid and cyclopoid copepods as well as their proportions in summer in 68 Danish freshwater lakes (587 lake years) with contrasting nutrient levels and pH. When lake pH was?<?6.0, mean lake depth and trophic state were the most important factors and calanoids completely dominated the copepod community. In shallow lakes with a mean depth?<?2.5 m and with pH?>?6.0, the proportion of calanoids in terms of biomass decreased substantially with increasing phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations but stayed around 50% at?>?2.5 m depth irrespective of nutrient level. Time series of the lakes, recovering from eutrophication, confirmed this multi-lake pattern although the trajectory varied from lake to lake. We conclude that the proportion of calanoids in terms of biomass might be a valuable indicator of trophic state in shallow but not deep lakes and only when pH?>?6.

     

Blood Pressure Levels in Male Carriers of Arg82Cys in CD300LG

The genetics of hypertension has been scrutinized in large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with a large number of common genetic variants identified, each exerting subtle effects on disease susceptibility. An amino acid polymorphism, p.Arg82Cys, in CD300LG was recently found to be associated with fasting HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The polymorphism has not been detected in hypertension GWAS potentially due to its low frequency, but CD300LG has been linked to blood pressure as CD300LG knockout mice have changes in blood pressure. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure was obtained in human CD300LG CT-carriers to follow up on these observations.

Methods

Twenty healthy male CD300LG rs72836561 CT-carriers matched for age and BMI with 20 healthy male CC-carriers. Office blood pressure, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and fasting blood samples were evaluated. The clinical study was combined with a genetic-epidemiological study to replicate the association between blood pressure and CD300LG Arg82Cys in 2,637 men and 3,249 women.

Results

CT-carriers had a higher 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure (122 mmHg versus 115; p = 0.01) and diastolic blood pressure (77 mmHg versus 72; p<0.01) compared with CC-carriers. There were no differences in CIMT between the two groups. Metalloproteinase-9 level was higher in CT-carriers than in CC-carriers (P<0.01). However, no association between office blood pressure and CD300LG genotype was detected in the genetic-epidemiological study.

Conclusions

Although 24-hour blood pressure, measured with a sensitive method, in a small sample of CD300LG rs72836561 CT-carriers was higher than in CC-carriers, this did not translate into significant differences in office blood pressure in a larger cohort. This discrepancy which may reflect differences in methodological approach, underlines the importance of performing replication studies in a larger clinical context, but a formal rejection of a relation between blood pressure and CD300LG requires measurement of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure in a larger cohort.