Forest biodiversity in a changing climate: which logic for conservation strategies?

Climate change has direct and indirect impacts on forest ecosystems worldwide. In this context, changing site conditions and altered disturbance regimes as well as forest management responses are challenging the conservation of biodiversity in forests. Climate-induced dynamics and uncertainties related to future forest ecosystem development are calling into question current conservation strategies and concepts. Given the longevity of trees, slow development rates of forest ecosystems and slow migration rates of many forest species, the planning of adaptation measures in response to climate change are especially difficult though highly important for forest biodiversity conservation. This paper introduces a special issue with eight contributions which deal with a variety of aspects of forest biodiversity conservation in the face of climate change. More specifically, the papers address direct impacts of climate change on forest biodiversity, adaptation measures for forest and conservation management, as well as resulting challenges for conservation strategies and concepts. In conclusion, adaptation measures that enhance diversity and provide different options for future action, thereby maintaining ecosystems’ resilience, as well as conservation management operating on a landscape level, are promoted as being beneficial for coping with uncertainties related to climate change. Adaptive management, which constantly reviews conservation goals and measures, and which takes into account both science-based and local ecological knowledge on climate change can be a valuable tool to inform decisions for forest biodiversity conservation.     

Implementation and Evaluation of a Fully Automated Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay on the BD Max Platform to Detect and Differentiate Herpesviridae from Cerebrospinal Fluids

A fully automated multiplex real-time PCR assay—including a sample process control and a plasmid based positive control—for the detection and differentiation of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) from cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) was developed on the BD Max platform. Performance was compared to an established accredited multiplex real time PCR protocol utilizing the easyMAG and the LightCycler 480/II, both very common devices in viral molecular diagnostics. For clinical validation, 123 CSF specimens and 40 reference samples from national interlaboratory comparisons were examined with both methods, resulting in 97.6% and 100% concordance for CSF and reference samples, respectively. Utilizing the BD Max platform revealed sensitivities of 173 (CI 95%, 88–258) copies/ml for HSV1, 171 (CI 95%, 148–194) copies/ml for HSV2 and 84 (CI 95%, 5–163) copies/ml for VZV. Cross reactivity could be excluded by checking 25 common viral, bacterial and fungal human pathogens. Workflow analyses displayed shorter test duration as well as remarkable fewer and easier preparation steps with the potential to reduce error rates occurring when manually assessing patient samples. This protocol allows for a fully automated PCR assay on the BD Max platform for the simultaneously detection of herpesviridae from CSF specimens. Singular or multiple infections due to HSV1, HSV2 and VZV can reliably be differentiated with good sensitivities. Control parameters are included within the assay, thereby rendering its suitability for current quality management requirements.     

Disease Burden of 32 Infectious Diseases in the Netherlands, 2007-2011

BackgroundInfectious disease burden estimates provided by a composite health measure give a balanced view of the true impact of a disease on a population, allowing the relative impact of diseases that differ in severity and mortality to be monitored over time. This article presents the first national disease burden estimates for a comprehensive set of 32 infectious diseases in the Netherlands.ConclusionsFor guiding and supporting public health policy decisions regarding the prioritisation of interventions and preventive measures, estimates of disease burden and the comparison of burden between diseases can be informative. Although the collection of disease-specific parameters and estimation of incidence is a process subject to continuous improvement, the current study established a baseline for assessing the impact of future public health initiatives.     

Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) in Parkinson's Disease: Potential as Trait-, Progression- and Prediction Marker and Confounding Factors

Introduction

Biomarkers indicating trait, progression and prediction of pathology and symptoms in Parkinson''s disease (PD) often lack specificity or reliability. Investigating biomarker variance between individuals and over time and the effect of confounding factors is essential for the evaluation of biomarkers in PD, such as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).

Materials and Methods

IGF-1 serum levels were investigated in up to 8 biannual visits in 37 PD patients and 22 healthy controls (HC) in the longitudinal MODEP study. IGF-1 baseline levels and annual changes in IGF-1 were compared between PD patients and HC while accounting for baseline disease duration (19 early stage: ≤3.5 years; 18 moderate stage: >4 years), age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and common medical factors putatively modulating IGF-1. In addition, associations of baseline IGF-1 with annual changes of motor, cognitive and depressive symptoms and medication dose were investigated.

Results

PD patients in moderate (130±26 ng/mL; p = .004), but not early stages (115±19, p>.1), showed significantly increased baseline IGF-1 levels compared with HC (106±24 ng/mL; p = .017). Age had a significant negative correlation with IGF-1 levels in HC (r = -.47, p = .028) and no correlation in PD patients (r = -.06, p>.1). BMI was negatively correlated in the overall group (r = -.28, p = .034). The annual changes in IGF-1 did not differ significantly between groups and were not correlated with disease duration. Baseline IGF-1 levels were not associated with annual changes of clinical parameters.

Discussion

Elevated IGF-1 in serum might differentiate between patients in moderate PD stages and HC. However, the value of serum IGF-1 as a trait-, progression- and prediction marker in PD is limited as IGF-1 showed large inter- and intraindividual variability and may be modulated by several confounders.     

Megalin in normal tissues and carcinoma cells carries oligo/poly α2,8 deaminoneuraminic acid as a unique posttranslational modification

In rat kidney, megalin, a member of the low density lipoprotein receptor gene family, is the sole glycoprotein which carries oligo/poly 2,8 deaminoneuraminic acid (KDN) as a posttranslational modification. We have investigated immunoprecipitated megalin from rat brain, lung and placenta, mouse yolk sac carcinoma and megalin synthesizing carcinoma cell lines, for presence of this unique glycan structure. Our immunoblot analysis revealed the presence of oligo/poly 2,8 KDN on megalin in all the studied normal tissues and carcinoma cells. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that to be part of oligosaccharides O-glycosidically linked to megalin.     

Sequence-specific and 3'-end selective single-strand DNA binding by the Oxytricha nova telomere end binding protein alpha subunit

Oxytricha nova telomere end binding protein (OnTEBP) specifically recognizes and caps single-strand (T(4)G(4))(2) telomeric DNA at the very 3'-ends of O. nova macronuclear chromosomes. The discovery of proteins homologous to the N-terminal domain of the OnTEBP alpha subunit in Euplotes crassus, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Homo sapiens suggests that related proteins are widely distributed in eukaryotes. Previously reported crystal structures of the ssDNA binding domain of the OnTEBP alpha subunit both uncomplexed and complexed with telomeric ssDNA have suggested specific mechanisms for sequence-specific and 3'-end selective recognition of the single-strand telomeric DNA. We now describe comparative binding studies of ssDNA recognition by the N-terminal domain of the OnTEBP alpha subunit. Addition of nucleotides to the 3'-end of the TTTTGGGG telomere repeat decreases the level of alpha binding by up to 7-fold, revealing a modest specificity for a 3'-terminus relative to an internal DNA binding site. Nucleotide substitutions at specific positions within the t(1)t(2)t(3)T(4)G(5)G(6)G(7)G(8) repeat show that base substitutions at some sites do not substantially decrease the binding affinity (<2-fold for lowercase letters), while substitutions at other sites dramatically reduce the binding affinity (>20-fold decrease for the uppercase bold letter). Comparison of the structural and binding data provides unique insights into the ways in which proteins recognize and bind single-stranded DNA.     

The two biosynthetic routes leading to phosphatidylcholine in yeast produce different sets of molecular species. Evidence for lipid remodeling

Phosphatidylcholine (PC), a major lipid class in the membranes of eukaryotes, is synthesized either via the triple methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) or via the CDP-choline route. To investigate whether the two biosynthetic routes contribute differently to the steady-state profile of PC species, i.e., PC molecules with specific acyl chain compositions, the pools of newly synthesized PC species were monitored by labeling Saccharomyces cerevisiae with deuterated precursors of the two routes, (methyl-D3)-methionine and (D13)-choline, respectively. Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) revealed that the two PC biosynthetic pathways yield different sets of PC species, with the CDP-choline route contributing most to the molecular diversity. Moreover, yeast was shown to be capable of remodeling PC by acyl chain exchange at the sn-1 position of the glycerol backbone. Remodeling was found to be required to generate the steady-state species distribution of PC. This is the first study demonstrating a functional difference between the two biosynthetic routes in yeast.     

Location of O-acetyl substituents in xylo-oligosaccharides obtained from hydrothermally treated Eucalyptus wood

A combination of techniques was used to localise the O-acetyl substituents in xylo-oligosaccharides, which are present in hydrolysates of hydrothermally treated Eucalyptus wood. Reversed-phase (RP)-high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled on-line to both a mass spectrometer and an evaporating light scattering (ELS) detector provided data about the order of elution of the various O-acetylated oligomers. The retention of the oligomers on the column depended on the number and position of the O-acetyl substituents within the xylo-oligosaccharides. One dimensional (1D)- and two dimensional (2D)-(1)H NMR spectroscopy was used to study the structural features of several xylotetramers separated by RP-HPLC, each having one O-acetyl substituent. O-Acetyl migration was proven to have occurred in these xylo-oligosaccharides. Mainly O-acetyl migration within the same xylosyl residue was observed. RP-HPLC-NMR was performed in order to study the structural features of the acetylated oligomers 'on-line' avoiding O-acetyl migration. Finally, the precise location of the 2-O- or 3-O-acetyl substituent in 6 xylotetramers and 4 xylotrimers separated by RP-HPLC was determined.     

ERK 1/2- and JNKs-dependent synthesis of interleukins 6 and 8 by fibroblast-like synoviocytes stimulated with protein I/II,a modulin from oral streptococci,requires focal adhesion kinase

Protein I/II, a pathogen-associated molecular pattern from oral streptococci, is a potent inducer of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 synthesis and release from fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs), cells that are critically involved in joint inflammation. This synthesis implicates ERK 1/2 and JNKs as well as AP-1-binding activity and nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB. The mechanisms by which protein I/II activates MAPKs remain, however, elusive. Because focal adhesion kinase (FAK) was proposed to play a role in signaling to MAPKs, we examined its ability to contribute to the MAPKs-dependent synthesis of IL-6 and IL-8 in response to protein I/II. We used FAK-/- fibroblasts as well as FAK+/+ fibroblasts and FLSs transfected with FRNK, a dominant negative form of FAK. The results demonstrate that IL-6 and IL-8 release in response to protein I/II was strongly inhibited in both protein I/II-stimulated FAK-/- and FRNK-transfected cells. Cytochalasin D, which inhibits protein I/II-induced phosphorylation of FAK (Tyr-397), had no effect either on activation of ERK 1/2 and JNKs or on IL-6 and IL-8 release. Taken together, these results indicate that IL-6 and IL-8 release by protein I/II-activated FLSs is regulated by FAK independently of Tyr-397 phosphorylation.