A comparison of the strength of biodiversity effects across multiple functions

In order to predict which ecosystem functions are most at risk from biodiversity loss, meta-analyses have generalised results from biodiversity experiments over different sites and ecosystem types. In contrast, comparing the strength of biodiversity effects across a large number of ecosystem processes measured in a single experiment permits more direct comparisons. Here, we present an analysis of 418 separate measures of 38 ecosystem processes. Overall, 45 % of processes were significantly affected by plant species richness, suggesting that, while diversity affects a large number of processes not all respond to biodiversity. We therefore compared the strength of plant diversity effects between different categories of ecosystem processes, grouping processes according to the year of measurement, their biogeochemical cycle, trophic level and compartment (above- or belowground) and according to whether they were measures of biodiversity or other ecosystem processes, biotic or abiotic and static or dynamic. Overall, and for several individual processes, we found that biodiversity effects became stronger over time. Measures of the carbon cycle were also affected more strongly by plant species richness than were the measures associated with the nitrogen cycle. Further, we found greater plant species richness effects on measures of biodiversity than on other processes. The differential effects of plant diversity on the various types of ecosystem processes indicate that future research and political effort should shift from a general debate about whether biodiversity loss impairs ecosystem functions to focussing on the specific functions of interest and ways to preserve them individually or in combination.     

Peroxisomal cholesterol biosynthesis and Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome

Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS), caused by 7-dehydrocholesterol-reductase (DHCR7) deficiency, shows variable severity independent of DHCR7 genotype. To test whether peroxisomes are involved in alternative cholesterol synthesis, we used [1-(14)C]C24:0 for peroxisomal beta-oxidation to generate [1-(14)C]acetyl-CoA as cholesterol precursor inside peroxisomes. The HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor lovastatin suppressed cholesterol synthesis from [2-(14)C]acetate and [1-(14)C]C8:0 but not from [1-(14)C]C24:0, implicating a peroxisomal, lovastatin-resistant HMG-CoA reductase. In SLOS fibroblasts lacking DHCR7 activity, no cholesterol was formed from [1-(14)C]C24:0-derived [1-(14)C]acetyl-CoA, indicating that the alternative peroxisomal pathway also requires this enzyme. Our results implicate peroxisomes in cholesterol biosynthesis but provide no link to phenotypic variation in SLOS.     

Identification of a Potent Endothelium-Derived Angiogenic Factor

The secretion of angiogenic factors by vascular endothelial cells is one of the key mechanisms of angiogenesis. Here we report on the isolation of a new potent angiogenic factor, diuridine tetraphosphate (Up₄U) from the secretome of human endothelial cells. The angiogenic effect of the endothelial secretome was partially reduced after incubation with alkaline phosphatase and abolished in the presence of suramin. In one fraction, purified to homogeneity by reversed phase and affinity chromatography, Up₄U was identified by MALDI-LIFT-fragment-mass-spectrometry, enzymatic cleavage analysis and retention-time comparison. Beside a strong angiogenic effect on the yolk sac membrane and the developing rat embryo itself, Up₄U increased the proliferation rate of endothelial cells and, in the presence of PDGF, of vascular smooth muscle cells. Up₄U stimulated the migration rate of endothelial cells via P2Y2-receptors, increased the ability of endothelial cells to form capillary-like tubes and acts as a potent inducer of sprouting angiogenesis originating from gel-embedded EC spheroids. Endothelial cells released Up₄U after stimulation with shear stress. Mean total plasma Up₄U concentrations of healthy subjects (N = 6) were sufficient to induce angiogenic and proliferative effects (1.34±0.26 nmol L^-1). In conclusion, Up₄U is a novel strong human endothelium-derived angiogenic factor.     

Targeting of malate synthase 1 to the peroxisomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells depends on growth on oleic acid medium.

The eukaryotic glyoxylate cycle has been previously hypothesized to occur in the peroxisomal compartment, which in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae additionally represents the sole site for fatty acid beta-oxidation. The subcellular location of the key glyoxylate-cycle enzyme malate synthase 1 (Mls1p), an SKL-terminated protein, was examined in yeast cells grown on different carbon sources. Immunoelectron microscopy in combination with cell fractionation showed that Mls1p was abundant in the peroxisomes of cells grown on oleic acid, whereas in ethanol-grown cells Mls1p was primarily cytosolic. This was reinforced using a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-Mls1p reporter, which entered peroxisomes solely in cells grown under oleic acid-medium conditions. Although growth of cells devoid of Mls1p on ethanol or acetate could be fully restored using a cytosolic Mls1p devoid of SKL, this construct could only partially alleviate the requirement for native Mls1p in cells grown on oleic acid. The combined results indicated that Mls1p remained in the cytosol of cells grown on ethanol, and that targeting of Mls1p to the peroxisomes was advantageous to cells grown on oleic acid as a sole carbon source.     

Characterization of Molecular Determinants of the Conformational Stability of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor: Leucine 46 Hydrophobic Pocket

Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) is a key mediator of inflammatory responses and innate immunity and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The oligomerization of MIF, more specifically trimer formation, is essential for its keto-enol tautomerase activity and probably mediates several of its interactions and biological activities, including its binding to its receptor CD74 and activation of certain signaling pathways. Therefore, understanding the molecular factors governing the oligomerization of MIF and the role of quaternary structure in modulating its structural stability and multifunctional properties is crucial for understanding the function of MIF in health and disease. Herein, we describe highly conserved intersubunit interactions involving the hydrophobic packing of the side chain of Leu46 onto the β-strand β3 of one monomer within a hydrophobic pocket from the adjacent monomer constituted by residues Arg11, Val14, Phe18, Leu19, Val39, His40, Val41, Val42, and Pro43. To elucidate the structural significance of these intersubunit interactions and their relative contribution to MIF’s trimerization, structural stability and catalytic activity, we generated three point mutations where Leu46 was replaced by glycine (L46G), alanine (L46A) and phenylalanine (L46F), and their structural properties, stability, oligomerization state, and catalytic activity were characterized using a battery of biophysical methods and X-ray crystallography. Our findings provide new insights into the role of the Leu46 hydrophobic pocket in stabilizing the conformational state of MIF in solution. Disrupting the Leu46 hydrophobic interaction perturbs the secondary and tertiary structure of the protein but has no effect on its oligomerization state.     

Brain–gut–adipose-tissue communication pathways at a glance

One of the ‘side effects’ of our modern lifestyle is a range of metabolic diseases: the incidence of obesity, type 2 diabetes and associated cardiovascular diseases has grown to pandemic proportions. This increase, which shows no sign of reversing course, has occurred despite education and new treatment options, and is largely due to a lack of knowledge about the precise pathology and etiology of metabolic disorders. Accumulating evidence suggests that the communication pathways linking the brain, gut and adipose tissue might be promising intervention points for metabolic disorders. To maintain energy homeostasis, the brain must tightly monitor the peripheral energy state. This monitoring is also extremely important for the brain’s survival, because the brain does not store energy but depends solely on a continuous supply of nutrients from the general circulation. Two major groups of metabolic inputs inform the brain about the peripheral energy state: short-term signals produced by the gut system and long-term signals produced by adipose tissue. After central integration of these inputs, the brain generates neuronal and hormonal outputs to balance energy intake with expenditure.Miscommunication between the gut, brain and adipose tissue, or the degradation of input signals once inside the brain, lead to the brain misunderstanding the peripheral energy state. Under certain circumstances, the brain responds to this miscommunication by increasing energy intake and production, eventually causing metabolic disorders. This poster article overviews current knowledge about communication pathways between the brain, gut and adipose tissue, and discusses potential research directions that might lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying metabolic disorders.     

The hypothesis of sympatric speciation as the dominant generator of endemism in a global hotspot of biodiversity

Allopatric or sympatric speciation influence the degree to which closely related species coexist in different manners, altering the patterns of phylogenetic structure and turnover among and between communities. The objective of this study was to examine whether phylogenetic community structure and turnover in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest permit conclusions about the dominant process for the formation of extant angiosperm richness of tree species. Therefore, we analyzed phylogenetic community structure (MPD, MNTD) as well as taxonomic (Jaccard similarity) and phylogenetic turnover (betaMPD, betaMNTD) among and between 49 tree communities distributed among three different habitat types. Mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature in each survey area were estimated. Phylogenetic community structure does not differ between habitat types, although MPD reduces with mean annual temperature. Jaccard similarity decreases and betaMNTD increases with spatial distance and environmental differences between study sites. Spatial distance explains the largest portions of variance in the data, indicating dispersal limitation and the spatial aggregation of recently formed taxa, as betaMNTD is related to more recent evolutionary events. betaMPD, that is related to deep evolutionary splits, shows no spatial or environmental pattern, indicating that older clades are equally distributed across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. While similarity pattern indicates dispersal limitations, the spatial turnover of betaMNTD is consistent with a high degree of sympatric speciation generating extant diversity and endemism in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. More comprehensive approaches are necessary to reduce spatial sampling bias, uncertainties regarding angiosperm diversification patterns and confirm sympatric speciation as the dominant generator for the formation of extant species diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.     

Molecular Evolution of Peptide Ligands with Custom-Tailored Characteristics for Targeting of Glycostructures

As an advanced approach to identify suitable targeting molecules required for various diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, we developed a procedure to devise peptides with customizable features by an iterative computer-assisted optimization strategy. An evolutionary algorithm was utilized to breed peptides in silico and the “fitness” of peptides was determined in an appropriate laboratory in vitro assay. The influence of different evolutional parameters and mechanisms such as mutation rate, crossover probability, gaussian variation and fitness value scaling on the course of this artificial evolutional process was investigated. As a proof of concept peptidic ligands for a model target molecule, the cell surface glycolipid ganglioside G_M1, were identified. Consensus sequences describing local fitness optima were reached from diverse sets of L- and proteolytically stable D lead peptides. Ten rounds of evolutional optimization encompassing a total of just 4400 peptides lead to an increase in affinity of the peptides towards fluorescently labeled ganglioside G_M1 by a factor of 100 for L- and 400 for D-peptides.     

Heterotopic Cervical Heart Transplantation in Mice

The heterotopic cervical heart transplantation in mice is a valuable tool in transplant and cardiovascular research. The cuff technique greatly simplifies this model by avoiding challenging suture anastomoses of small vessels thereby reducing warm ischemia time. In comparison to abdominal graft implantation the cervical model is less invasive and the implanted graft is easily accessible for further follow-up examinations. Anastomoses are performed by pulling the ascending aorta of the graft over the cuff with the recipient’s common carotid artery and by pulling the main pulmonary artery over the cuff with the external jugular vein. Selection of appropriate cuff size and complete mobilization of the vessels are important for successful revascularization. Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury can be minimized by perfusing the graft with a cardioplegic solution and by hypothermia. In this article, we provide technical details for a simplified and improved cuff technique, which should allow surgeons with basic microsurgical skills to perform the procedure with a high success rate.