Assessing losses of genetic diversity due to translocation: long-term case histories in Merriam's turkey (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Meleagris gallopavo merriami</Emphasis>)

Translocation is a widely used tool in wildlife management, but populations established as a result of translocations may be subject to a range of genetic problems, including loss of genetic diversity and founder effects. The genetic impact of single translocation events can be difficult to assess because of complex management histories in translocated or source populations. Here we use molecular markers to assess the genetic impact of three well-documented translocation events, each occurring between 42 and 53 years ago and each originating from a native, extant source population that we also included in our study. Comparing translocated populations to their sources, we found genetic evidence of a recent bottleneck in all three translocated populations, including one which is now a very large, productive population. Based on our results, we recommend caution in (1) using short term census data to assess the long term success of a translocation and (2) conducting serial translocations (i.e., using translocated populations as the source for other translocations), which could exacerbate a genetic bottleneck. We also used the data on translocated populations to investigate the relative utility of three bottleneck detection methods. With this dataset, only assessment of the modal allele frequency distribution, described by Luikart etal. [Journal of Heredity, 89, 238–247 (1998)], provided evidence of a bottleneck in the absence of source population data.     

Plant proteome analysis

Proteome analysis is becoming a powerful tool in the functional characterization of plants. Due to the availability of vast nucleotide sequence information and based on the progress achieved in sensitive and rapid protein identification by mass spectrometry, proteome approaches open up new perspectives to analyze the complex functions of model plants and crop species at different levels. In this review, an overview is given on proteome studies performed to analyze whole plants or specific tissues with particular emphasis on important physiological processes such as germination. The chapter on subcellular proteome analysis of plants focuses on the progress achieved for plastids and mitochondria but also mentions the difficulties associated with membrane-bound proteins of these organelles. Separate chapters are dedicated to the challenging analysis of woody plants and to the use of proteome approaches to investigate the interaction of plants with pathogens or with symbiotic organisms. Limitations of current techniques and recent conceptual and technological perspectives for plant proteomics are briefly discussed in the final chapter.     

Proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells causes increased expression of the sodium-dependent multivitamin transporter gene and increased uptake of pantothenic acidopen star

Antigenic or mitogenic stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) causes rapid cell proliferation. PBMC proliferation is associated with increased activities of pantothenic acid-dependent metabolic pathways, suggesting increased demand for pantothenic acid. We sought to determine whether PBMC respond to proliferation by increased cellular uptake of pantothenic acid and, if so, by what mechanism(s) the increased uptake is mediated. Uptake of pantothenic acid into PBMC was mediated by the sodium-dependent multivitamin transporter, SMVT, as judged by sodium dependency of uptake, substrate affinity and specificity, and RT-PCR of PBMC RNA. Proliferating PBMC accumulated two times more [3H]pantothenic acid than quiescent PBMC. Rates of [3H]pantothenic acid uptake paralleled rates of PBMC proliferation, as judged by uptake of [3H]thymidine. The increased uptake of [3H]pantothenic acid into proliferating PBMC was mediated by increased expression of SMVT (as judged by RT-PCR using total RNA from PBMC), leading to an increased number of transporters on the cell surface (as judged by maximal transport rates for pantothenic acid). We conclude that proliferating PBMC increase expression of the gene encoding SMVT to increase uptake of pantothenic acid.     

The Role of Right Inferior Parietal Cortex in Auditory Spatial Attention: A Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study

Behavioral studies support the concept of an auditory spatial attention gradient by demonstrating that attentional benefits progressively diminish as distance increases from an attended location. Damage to the right inferior parietal cortex can induce a rightward attention bias, which implicates this region in the construction of attention gradients. This study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to define attention-related gradients before and after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the right inferior parietal cortex. Subjects (n = 16) listened to noise bursts at five azimuth locations (left to right: -90°, -45°, 0° midline, +45°, +90°) and responded to stimuli at one target location (-90°, +90°, separate blocks). ERPs as a function of non-target location were examined before (baseline) and after 0.9 Hz rTMS. Results showed that ERP attention gradients were observed in three time windows (frontal 230–340, parietal 400–460, frontal 550–750 ms). Significant transient rTMS effects were seen in the first and third windows. The first window had a voltage decrease at the farthest location when attending to either the left or right side. The third window had on overall increase in positivity, but only when attending to the left side. These findings suggest that rTMS induced a small contraction in spatial attention gradients within the first time window. The asymmetric effect of attended location on gradients in the third time window may relate to neglect of the left hemispace after right parietal injury. Together, these results highlight the role of the right inferior parietal cortex in modulating frontal lobe attention network activity.     

Injuries,Death, and Disability Associated with 11 Years of Conflict in Baghdad,Iraq: A Randomized Household Cluster Survey

Background

The objective of this study was to characterize injuries, deaths, and disabilities arising during 11 years of conflict in Baghdad.

Methods

Using satellite imagery and administrative population estimated size for Baghdad, 30 clusters were selected, proportionate to population size estimates. Interviews were conducted during April and May 2014 in 900 households containing 5148 persons. Details about injuries and disabilities occurring from 2003 through May 2014 and resultant disabilities were recorded.

Findings

There were 553 injuries reported by Baghdad residents, 225 of which were intentional, and 328 unintentional. For intentional injuries, the fatality rate was 39.1% and the disability rate 56.0%. Gunshots where the major cause of injury through 2006 when blasts/explosions became the most common cause and remained so through 2014. Among unintentional injuries, the fatality rate was 7.3% and the disability rate 77.1%. The major cause of unintentional injuries was falls (131) which have increased dramatically since 2008, followed by traffic related injuries (81), which have steadily increased. The proportion of injuries ending in disabilities remained fairly constant through the survey period.

Interpretation

Intentional injuries added substantially to the burden of unintentional injuries for the population. For Baghdad, the phases of the Iraqi conflict are reflected in the patterns of injuries and consequent deaths reported. The scale of injuries during conflict is most certainly under-reported. Difficulties recalling injuries in a survey covering 11 years is a limitation, but it is likely that minor injuries were under-reported more than severe injuries. The in- and out-migration of Baghdad populations likely had effects on the events reported which we could not measure or estimate. Damage to the health infrastructure and the flight of health workers may have contributed to mortality and morbidity. Civilian injuries as well as mortality should be measured during conflicts, though not currently done.     

Plastid proteome prediction for diatoms and other algae with secondary plastids of the red lineage

The plastids of ecologically and economically important algae from phyla such as stramenopiles, dinoflagellates and cryptophytes were acquired via a secondary endosymbiosis and are surrounded by three or four membranes. Nuclear‐encoded plastid‐localized proteins contain N‐terminal bipartite targeting peptides with the conserved amino acid sequence motif ‘ASAFAP’. Here we identify the plastid proteomes of two diatoms, Thalassiosira pseudonana and Phaeodactylum tricornutum, using a customized prediction tool (ASAFind) that identifies nuclear‐encoded plastid proteins in algae with secondary plastids of the red lineage based on the output of SignalP and the identification of conserved ‘ASAFAP’ motifs and transit peptides. We tested ASAFind against a large reference dataset of diatom proteins with experimentally confirmed subcellular localization and found that the tool accurately identified plastid‐localized proteins with both high sensitivity and high specificity. To identify nucleus‐encoded plastid proteins of T. pseudonana and P. tricornutum we generated optimized sets of gene models for both whole genomes, to increase the percentage of full‐length proteins compared with previous assembly model sets. ASAFind applied to these optimized sets revealed that about 8% of the proteins encoded in their nuclear genomes were predicted to be plastid localized and therefore represent the putative plastid proteomes of these algae.     

Stimulus‐dependent dynamics of p53 in single cells

Many biological networks respond to various inputs through a common signaling molecule that triggers distinct cellular outcomes. One potential mechanism for achieving specific input–output relationships is to trigger distinct dynamical patterns in response to different stimuli. Here we focused on the dynamics of p53, a tumor suppressor activated in response to cellular stress. We quantified the dynamics of p53 in individual cells in response to UV and observed a single pulse that increases in amplitude and duration in proportion to the UV dose. This graded response contrasts with the previously described series of fixed pulses in response to γ‐radiation. We further found that while γ‐triggered p53 pulses are excitable, the p53 response to UV is not excitable and depends on continuous signaling from the input‐sensing kinases. Using mathematical modeling and experiments, we identified feedback loops that contribute to specific features of the stimulus‐dependent dynamics of p53, including excitability and input‐duration dependency. Our study shows that different stresses elicit different temporal profiles of p53, suggesting that modulation of p53 dynamics might be used to achieve specificity in this network.