On the vapour trail of an atmospheric imprint in insects

Terrestrial arthropods, at constant risk from desiccation, are highly sensitive to atmospheric temperature and humidity. A physiological marker of these abiotic conditions could highlight phenotypic adaptations, indicate niche partitioning, and predict responses to climate change for a group representing three-quarters of the Earth's animal species. We show that the (18)O composition of insect haemolymph is such a measure, providing a dynamic and quantitatively predictable signal for respiratory gas exchange and inputs from atmospheric humidity. Using American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) under defined experimental conditions, we show that insects respiring at low humidity demonstrate the expected enrichment in the (18)O composition of haemolymph because of evaporation. At high humidity, however, diffusional influx of atmospheric water vapour into the animal forces haemolymph to become depleted in (18)O. Additionally, using cockroaches sampled from natural habitats, we show that the haemolymph (18)O signature is transferred to the organic material of the insect's exoskeleton. Insect cuticle, therefore, exhibits the mean atmospheric conditions surrounding the animals prior to moulting. This discovery will help to define the climatic tolerances of species and their habitat preferences, and offers a means of quantifying the balance between niche partitioning and 'neutral' processes in shaping complex tropical forest communities.     

Sharing the wealth: peroxisome inheritance in budding yeast

Eukaryotic cells have evolved molecular mechanisms to ensure the faithful partitioning of cellular components during cell division. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has to actively deliver about half of its organelles to the growing bud, while retaining the remaining organelles in the mother cell. Until lately, little was known about the inheritance of peroxisomes. Recent studies have identified the peroxisomal proteins Inp1p and Inp2p as two key regulators of peroxisome inheritance that perform antagonistic functions. Inp1p is required for the retention of peroxisomes in mother cells, whereas Inp2p promotes the bud-directed movement of these organelles. Inp1p anchors peroxisomes to the cell cortex by interacting with specific structures lining the cell periphery. On the other hand, Inp2p functions as the peroxisome-specific receptor for the class V myosin, Myo2p, thereby linking peroxisomes to the translocation machinery that propels peroxisome movement. Tight coordination between Inp1p and Inp2p ensures a fair and harmonious spatial segregation of peroxisomes upon cell division.     

Mutation discovery in mice by whole exome sequencing

We report the development and optimization of reagents for in-solution, hybridization-based capture of the mouse exome. By validating this approach in a multiple inbred strains and in novel mutant strains, we show that whole exome sequencing is a robust approach for discovery of putative mutations, irrespective of strain background. We found strong candidate mutations for the majority of mutant exomes sequenced, including new models of orofacial clefting, urogenital dysmorphology, kyphosis and autoimmune hepatitis.     

Interaction between ephrins/Eph receptors and excitatory amino acid receptors: possible relevance in the regulation of synaptic plasticity and in the pathophysiology of neuronal degeneration

There is increasing evidence that Eph receptors and their transmembrane ligands, named ephrins, interact with glutamate receptors in both developing and adult neurons. EphB receptors interact with proteins that regulate the membrane trafficking of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA) receptor subunits, and both ephrins and EphB receptors have been found to co-localize with N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and to positively modulate NMDA receptor function. Moreover, pharmacologic activation of ephrin-Bs amplifies group-I metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling through mechanisms that involve NMDA receptors. The interaction with ionotropic or metabotropic glutamate receptors provides a substrate for the emerging role of ephrins and Eph receptors in the regulation of activity-dependent forms of synaptic plasticity, such as long-term potentiation and long-term depression, which are established electrophysiologic models of associative learning. In addition, these interactions explain the involvement of ephrins/Eph receptors in the regulation of pain threshold and epileptogenesis, as well as their potential implication in processes of neuronal degeneration. This may stimulate the search for new drugs that might modulate excitatory synaptic transmission by interacting with the ephrin/Eph receptor system.     

MDC1 maintains genomic stability by participating in the amplification of ATM-dependent DNA damage signals

MDC1 functions in checkpoint activation and DNA repair following DNA damage. To address the physiological role of MDC1, we disrupted the MDC1 gene in mice. MDC1-/- mice recapitulated many phenotypes of H2AX-/- mice, including growth retardation, male infertility, immune defects, chromosome instability, DNA repair defects, and radiation sensitivity. At the molecular level, H2AX, MDC1, and ATM form a positive feedback loop, with MDC1 directly mediating the interaction between H2AX and ATM. MDC1 binds phosphorylated H2AX through its BRCT domain and ATM through its FHA domain. Through these interactions, MDC1 accumulates activated ATM flanking the sites of DNA damage, facilitating further ATM-dependent phosphorylation of H2AX and the amplification of DNA damage signals. In the absence of MDC1, many downstream ATM signaling events are defective. These results suggest that MDC1, as a signal amplifier of the ATM pathway, is vital in controlling proper DNA damage response and maintaining genomic stability.     

Anaerobic Bioremediation of Groundwater Containing a Mixture of 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane and Chloroethenes

This study investigated the biotransformation pathways of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (1,1,2,2-TeCA) in the presence of chloroethenes (i.e. tetrachloroethene, PCE; trichloroethene, TCE) in anaerobic microcosms constructed with subsurface soil and groundwater from a contaminated site. When amended with yeast extract, lactate, butyrate, or H₂ and acetate, 1,1,2,2-TeCA was initially dechlorinated via both hydrogenolysis to 1,1,2-trichloroethane (1,1,2-TCA) (major pathway) and dichloroelimination to dichloroethenes (DCEs) (minor pathway), with both reactions occurring under sulfidogenic conditions. In the presence of only H₂, the hydrogenolysis of 1,1,2,2-TeCA to 1,1,2-TCA apparently required the presence of acetate to occur. Once formed, 1,1,2-TCA was degraded predominantly via dichloroelimination to vinyl chloride (VC). Ultimately, chloroethanes were converted to chloroethenes (mainly VC and DCEs) which persisted in the microcosms for very long periods along with PCE and TCE originally present in the groundwater. Hydrogenolysis of chloroethenes occurred only after highly reducing methanogenic conditions were established. However, substantial conversion to ethene (ETH) was observed only in microcosms amended with yeast extract (200 mg/l), suggesting that groundwater lacked some nutritional factors which were likely provided to dechlorinating microorganisms by this complex organic substrate. Bioaugmentation with an H₂-utilizing PCE-dechlorinating Dehalococcoides spp. -containing culture resulted in the conversion of 1,1,2,2-TeCA, PCE and TCE to ETH and VC. No chloroethanes accumulated during degradation suggesting that 1,1,2,2-TeCA was degraded through initial dichloroelimination into DCEs and then typical hydrogenolysis into ETH and VC.     

Secretagogue-triggered Transfer of Membrane Proteins from Neuroendocrine Secretory Granules to Synaptic-like Microvesicles

The membrane proteins of all regulated secretory organelles (RSOs) recycle after exocytosis. However, the recycling of those membrane proteins that are targeted to both dense core granules (DCGs) and synaptic-like microvesicles (SLMVs) has not been addressed. Since neuroendocrine cells contain both RSOs, and the recycling routes that lead to either organelle overlap, transfer between the two pools of membrane proteins could occur during recycling. We have previously demonstrated that a chimeric protein containing the cytosolic and transmembrane domains of P-selectin coupled to horseradish peroxidase is targeted to both the DCG and the SLMV in PC12 cells. Using this chimera, we have characterized secretagogue-induced traffic in PC12 cells. After stimulation, this chimeric protein traffics from DCGs to the cell surface, internalizes into transferrin receptor (TFnR)-positive endosomes and thence to a population of secretagogue-responsive SLMVs. We therefore find a secretagogue-dependent rise in levels of HRP within SLMVs. In addition, the levels within SLMVs of the endogenous membrane protein, synaptotagmin, as well as a green fluorescent protein-tagged version of vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP)/synaptobrevin, also show a secretagogue-dependent increase.     

Inhibition of HIV-1 Infection by Human α-Defensin-5, a Natural Antimicrobial Peptide Expressed in the Genital and Intestinal Mucosae

Background

α-defensin-5 (HD5) is a key effector of the innate immune system with broad anti-bacterial and anti-viral activities. Specialized epithelial cells secrete HD5 in the genital and gastrointestinal mucosae, two anatomical sites that are critically involved in HIV-1 transmission and pathogenesis. We previously found that human neutrophil defensins (HNP)-1 and -2 inhibit HIV-1 entry by specific bilateral interaction both with the viral envelope and with its primary cellular receptor, CD4. Despite low amino acid identity, human defensin-5 (HD5) shares with HNPs a high degree of structural homology.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Here, we demonstrate that HD5 inhibits HIV-1 infection of primary CD4⁺ T lymphocytes at low micromolar concentration under serum-free and low-ionic-strength conditions similar to those occurring in mucosal fluids. Blockade of HIV-1 infection was observed with both primary and laboratory-adapted strains and was independent of the viral coreceptor-usage phenotype. Similar to HNPs, HD5 inhibits HIV-1 entry into the target cell by interfering with the reciprocal interaction between the external envelope glycoprotein, gp120, and CD4. At high concentrations, HD5 was also found to downmodulate expression of the CXCR4 coreceptor, but not of CCR5. Consistent with its broad spectrum of activity, antibody competition studies showed that HD5 binds to a region overlapping with the CD4- and coreceptor-binding sites of gp120, but not to the V3 loop region, which contains the major determinants of coreceptor-usage specificity.

Conclusion/Significance

These findings provide new insights into the first line of immune defense against HIV-1 at the mucosal level and open new perspectives for the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies.     

Effects of Clostridium perfringens phospholipase C in mammalian cells

Clostridium perfringens phospholipase C (Cp-PLC), the major virulence factor in the pathogenesis of gas gangrene, is a Zn(2+) metalloenzyme with lecithinase and sphingomyelinase activities. Its structure shows an N-terminal domain containing the active site, and a C-terminal Ca(2+) binding domain required for membrane interaction. Although the knowledge of the structure of Cp-PLC and its interaction with aggregated phospholipids has advanced significantly, an understanding of the effects of Cp-PLC in mammalian cells is still incomplete. Cp-PLC binds to artificial bilayers containing cholesterol and sphingomyelin or phosphatidylcholine (PC) and degrades them, but glycoconjugates present in biological membranes influence its binding or positioning toward its substrates. Studies with Cp-PLC variants harboring single amino-acid substitutions have revealed that the active site, the Ca(2+) binding region, and the membrane interacting surface are required for cytotoxic and haemolytic activity. Cp-PLC causes plasma membrane disruption at high concentrations, whereas at low concentrations it perturbs phospholipid metabolism, induces DAG generation, PKC activation, Ca(2+) mobilization, and activates arachidonic acid metabolism. The cellular susceptibility to Cp-PLC depends on the composition of the plasma membrane and the capacity to up-regulate PC synthesis. The composition of the plasma membrane determines whether Cp-PLC can bind and acquire its active conformation, and thus the extent of phospholipid degradation. The capacity of PC synthesis and the availability of precursors determine whether the cell can replace the degraded phospholipids. Whether the perturbations of signal transduction processes caused by Cp-PLC play a role in cytotoxicity is not clear. However, these perturbations in endothelial cells, platelets and neutrophils lead to the uncontrolled production of intercellular mediators and adhesion molecules, which inhibits bacterial clearance and induces thrombotic events, thus favouring bacterial growth and spread in the host tissues.     

Reproductive success of wild Lesser Rheas (Pterocnemia -Rhea- pennata pennata) in north-western Patagonia, Argentina

We studied the reproductive success of a wild Lesser Rhea population (Pterocnemia -Rhea- pennata pennata) during two reproductive seasons (2004/2005 and 2005/2006) in north-western Patagonia, Argentina. The parameters recorded included population and nest density, clutch size, hatching success, chick survival (up to 3 months of age) and percentage of chicks that reached the juvenile stage after the winter. We also estimated the percentage of males that attempted to nest and of those that were successful (those producing at least one chick), daily nest mortality rates (DNMR) at different stages of the nesting cycle and the probability that an egg that has been recently laid will produce a chick. On average, both years pooled, the density of this population of Lesser Rheas was 1.55 ± 0.2 individuals/km² (SE), nest density was 0.17 ± 0.04 per km ² , clutch size was 20.8 ± 6.4 eggs, hatching success was 74.4% ± 11.3, Mayfield’s probability of an egg that will produce a chick was 0.64, chick survival was 65.4% ± 14.5 and percentage of chicks that reached the juvenile stage was 26.3%. Nearly a quarter of Lesser Rhea males in the population attempted to nest during a breeding season, and the DNMR was significantly higher during the laying stage (most nest failures were due to anthropogenic disturbances related to livestock raising activities). Nesting success, hatching success, and chick survival of Lesser Rheas were higher than those of their most closely related species, the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana), whereas the percentage of chicks that reached the juvenile stage was similar due to high winter mortalities of chicks. We suggest that the increase in reproductive effort is a strategy of this species to overcome environmental constraints.