A Comparison of Brain Gene Expression Levels in Domesticated and Wild Animals

Domestication has led to similar changes in morphology and behavior in several animal species, raising the question whether similarities between different domestication events also exist at the molecular level. We used mRNA sequencing to analyze genome-wide gene expression patterns in brain frontal cortex in three pairs of domesticated and wild species (dogs and wolves, pigs and wild boars, and domesticated and wild rabbits). We compared the expression differences with those between domesticated guinea pigs and a distant wild relative (Cavia aperea) as well as between two lines of rats selected for tameness or aggression towards humans. There were few gene expression differences between domesticated and wild dogs, pigs, and rabbits (30–75 genes (less than 1%) of expressed genes were differentially expressed), while guinea pigs and C. aperea differed more strongly. Almost no overlap was found between the genes with differential expression in the different domestication events. In addition, joint analyses of all domesticated and wild samples provided only suggestive evidence for the existence of a small group of genes that changed their expression in a similar fashion in different domesticated species. The most extreme of these shared expression changes include up-regulation in domesticates of SOX6 and PROM1, two modulators of brain development. There was almost no overlap between gene expression in domesticated animals and the tame and aggressive rats. However, two of the genes with the strongest expression differences between the rats (DLL3 and DHDH) were located in a genomic region associated with tameness and aggression, suggesting a role in influencing tameness. In summary, the majority of brain gene expression changes in domesticated animals are specific to the given domestication event, suggesting that the causative variants of behavioral domestication traits may likewise be different.     

Enzyme-Linked Immunofiltration Assay To Estimate Attachment of Thiobacilli to Pyrite

An enzyme-linked immunofiltration assay (ELIFA) has been developed in order to estimate directly and specifically Thiobacillus ferrooxidans attachment on sulfide minerals. This method derives from the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay but is performed on filtration membranes which allow the retention of mineral particles for a subsequent immunoenzymatic reaction in microtiter plates. The polyclonal antiserum used in this study was raised against T. ferrooxidans DSM 583 and recognized cell surface antigens present on bacteria belonging to the genus Thiobacillus. This antiserum and the ELIFA allowed the direct quantification of attached bacteria with high sensitivity (10⁴ bacteria were detected per well of the microtiter plate). The mean value of bacterial attachment has been estimated to be about 10⁵ bacteria mg⁻¹ of pyrite at a particle size of 56 to 65 μm. The geometric coverage ratio of pyrite by T. ferrooxidans ranged from 0.25 to 2.25%. This suggests an attachment of T. ferrooxidans on the pyrite surface to well-defined limited sites with specific electrochemical or surface properties. ELIFA was shown to be compatible with the measurement of variable levels of adhesion. Therefore, this method may be used to establish adhesion isotherms of T. ferrooxidans on various sulfide minerals exhibiting different physicochemical properties in order to understand the mechanisms of bacterial interaction with mineral surfaces.     

Confirmation of the D configuration of the 2-substituted arabinitol 1-phosphate residue in the capsular polysaccharide from Streptococcus pneumoniae Type 17F

The absolute configuration of the 2-substituted arabinitol 1-phosphate residue present in the repeating unit of the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) from Streptococcus pneumoniae Type 17F is confirmed as D, based on a comparison of proton and carbon chemical shifts in a synthetic oligosaccharide and in an oligosaccharide derived from the CPS by degradation.     

Dimer formation of subunit G of the yeast V-ATPase

The G subunit of the vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) is a component of the stalk connecting the V(1) and V(O) sectors of the enzyme and is essential for normal assembly and function. Subunit G (Vma10p) of the yeast V-ATPase was expressed in Escherichia coli as a soluble protein and was purified to homogeneity. The molecular mass of subunit G, determined by Native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, gel filtration analysis and small-angle X-ray scattering, was approximately 28+/-2 kDa, indicating that this protein is dimeric. With a radius of gyration (R(g)) and a maximum size (D(max)) of 2.7+/-0.2 nm and 8.0+/-0.3 nm, respectively, the G-dimer is rather elongated. To understand which region of subunit G is required to mediate dimerization, a G(38-144) form (the carboxyl-terminus) was expressed and purified. G(38-144) is homogeneous, with a molecular mass of approximately 12+/-3 kDa, indicating a monomeric form in solution.     

Body Fat,Resting and Exercise Blood Pressure and the Angiotensinogen M235T Polymorphism: The Heritage Family Study

RANKINEN, T., JACQUES GAGNON, LOUIS PÉRUSSE, TREVA RICE, ARTHUR s. LEON, JAMES s. SKINNER, JACK H. WILMORE, D. C. RAO, AND CLAUDE BOUCHARD. Body fat, resting and exercise blood pressure and the angiotensinogen M235T polymorphism: the Heritage family study. Obes Res. Objective: The association of resting and exercise blood pressure (BP) and fat mass with the angiotensinogen (AGT) M235T polymorphism was investigated in 522 sedentary Caucasian subjects from 99 families. Research Methods and Procedures: Resting BP was measured on two separate days, three times each day, and the mean of six valid measurements was used. Exercise BP was measured during a cycle ergometer test at a constant power output (50 W). Body composition was derived from underwater weighing and the AGT M235T polymorphism was typed with a polymerase chain reaction-based method. Results: Neither resting nor exercise BP was associated with the AGT genotypes. In mothers, the homozygotes for the T allele showed 8. 8 kg and 7. 1 kg greater (p = 0. 017) age-adjusted body fat mass (FM) than the MM homozygotes and heterozygotes, respectively. Sixty-nine percent of all TT homozygotes were found in the highest FM tertile, whereas only 16% of the MM homozygotes fell in the same tertile (p = 0. 008). Moreover, a significant interaction was seen between FM and T-allele carrier status in women with regard to resting diastolic BP (p = 0. 002). Among women with a FM≥24 kg, carriers of the T allele showed a 6. 3 mmHg higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) than non-carriers whereas no difference was found in women with a FM less than 24 kg. A similar trend toward an interaction term was evident with resting systolic blood pressure (p = 0. 011) and exercise DBP (p = 0. 012). Body fat was not associated with the AGT polymorphism in fathers or in offspring. Discussion: These data suggest that the AGT M235T polymorphism is associated with body fatness in women, and that the relationship between DBP and AGT M235T polymorphism is dependent on FM in middle-aged sedentary normotensive women.     

The peptidoglycan of Mycobacterium abscessus is predominantly cross-linked by L,D-transpeptidases

Few therapeutic alternatives remain for the treatment of infections due to multiresistant Mycobacterium abscessus. Here we show that the peptidoglycans of the "rough" and "smooth" morphotypes contain predominantly 3→3 cross-links generated by l,d-transpeptidases, indicating that these enzymes are attractive targets for the development of efficient drugs.     

Cadmium decontamination and reversal potential of teratological forms of the diatom Planothidium frequentissimum (Bacillariophyceae) after experimental contamination

While the induction of teratology by cadmium (Cd) on diatoms is already known, reversal kinetics are not well documented. This study aims to understand the viability of diatoms exhibiting teratological frustules and their reproduction capacities within a Cd‐impacted population to predict their return to normal diatom forms. We worked on a frequently encountered species in French hydrosystems: Planothidium frequentissimum (Lange‐Bertalot) Round & L. Bukhtiyarova. First, a 21‐d contamination phase highlighted increasing inductionof different teratological types in response to two levels of Cd contamination: 20 and 100 μg · L^?1. The deformity counting indicated that Cd firstly generated striae and mixed teratologies, then affected the central area and the valves. Second, a 28‐d decontamination phase demonstrated the Cd depuration capacity of Planothidium frequentissimum. Cd half‐lives appeared relatively low, ~6 d for the 100 μg · L^?1 condition. Moreover, the decontamination phase showed a decrease in teratology abundances, but a still incomplete recovery after 28 d. Deformations of the striae appeared to be the most sustainable phenotype since they were still significantly higher than in reference cultures at the end of the decontamination phase for both Cd cultures.