Vegetation of rock crevices of the montane and colline zones in the Pamir-Alai and Tian Shan Mts in Tajikistan (Middle Asia)

The paper presents the results of phytosociological research conducted on the vegetation of rock habitats in the montane and colline zones of the Pamir-Alai Mountains (Tajikistan). During field surveys done in 2010–2013, 122 phytosociological relevés were sampled. Plant species were recorded according to the Braun-Blanquet cover-abundance scale. The vegetation studies were carried out generally in the western Pamir-Alai and south-western Tian Shan Mts, especially in the Zeravshan, Hissar, Hazratishoh, Darvaz, Rushan, Turkestan, Kuramin and Vanch ranges. A synopsis of the rock communities of the montane and colline zones in Tajikistan is proposed. The collected material presents most of the variability among the plant communities of rock crevices and fissures on calcareous as well as acidic substrates in the montane and colline zones in Tajikistan. As a result of field research and numerical analyses, eight associations have been distinguished: Scutellarietum hissaricae, Scutellarietumschugnanicae, Scutellarietum zaprjagaevii, Scutellarietum baldshuanicae, Tylospermetumlignosae, Dionysietum involucratae A. Nowak, M. Nobis, S. Nowak & A. Nobis, 2014, Nanorrhinetum ramosissimi, Campanuletum albertii and the community of Scutellaria adenostegia within new alliance – Caricion koshevnikovii. The main factors determining the species composition of classified associations seem to be the geography of the distribution range, elevation above sea level, rock type and exposition.     

Transgenic pigs designed to express human α-galactosidase to avoid humoral xenograft rejection

The use of animals as a source of organs and tissues for xenotransplantation can overcome the growing shortage of human organ donors. However, the presence of xenoreactive antibodies in humans directed against swine Gal antigen present on the surface of xenograft donor cells leads to the complement activation and immediate xenograft rejection as a consequence of hyperacute reaction. To prevent hyperacute rejection, it is possible to change the swine genome by a human gene modifying the set of donor’s cell surface proteins. The gene construct pGal-GFPBsd containing the human gene encoding α-galactosidase enzyme under the promoter of EF-1α elongation factor ensuring systemic expression was introduced by microinjection into a male pronucleus of the fertilised porcine oocyte. As a result, the founder male pig was obtained with the transgene mapping to chromosome 11p12. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis revealed and the Southern analysis confirmed transgene integration estimating the approximate number of transgene copies as 16. Flow cytometry analysis revealed a reduction in the level of epitope Gal on the cell surface of cells isolated from F0 and F1 transgenic animals. The complement-mediated cytotoxicity assay showed increased viability of the transgenic cells in comparison with the wild-type, which confirmed the protective influence of α-galactosidase expression.     

No cumulative effect of 10 years of elevated [CO2] on perennial plant biomass components in the Mojave Desert

Elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations ([CO₂]) generally increase primary production of terrestrial ecosystems. Production responses to elevated [CO₂] may be particularly large in deserts, but information on their long‐term response is unknown. We evaluated the cumulative effects of elevated [CO₂] on primary production at the Nevada Desert FACE (free‐air carbon dioxide enrichment) Facility. Aboveground and belowground perennial plant biomass was harvested in an intact Mojave Desert ecosystem at the end of a 10‐year elevated [CO₂] experiment. We measured community standing biomass, biomass allocation, canopy cover, leaf area index (LAI), carbon and nitrogen content, and isotopic composition of plant tissues for five to eight dominant species. We provide the first long‐term results of elevated [CO₂] on biomass components of a desert ecosystem and offer information on understudied Mojave Desert species. In contrast to initial expectations, 10 years of elevated [CO₂] had no significant effect on standing biomass, biomass allocation, canopy cover, and C : N ratios of above‐ and belowground components. However, elevated [CO₂] increased short‐term responses, including leaf water‐use efficiency (WUE) as measured by carbon isotope discrimination and increased plot‐level LAI. Standing biomass, biomass allocation, canopy cover, and C : N ratios of above‐ and belowground pools significantly differed among dominant species, but responses to elevated [CO₂] did not vary among species, photosynthetic pathway (C₃ vs. C₄), or growth form (drought‐deciduous shrub vs. evergreen shrub vs. grass). Thus, even though previous and current results occasionally show increased leaf‐level photosynthetic rates, WUE, LAI, and plant growth under elevated [CO₂] during the 10‐year experiment, most responses were in wet years and did not lead to sustained increases in community biomass. We presume that the lack of sustained biomass responses to elevated [CO₂] is explained by inter‐annual differences in water availability. Therefore, the high frequency of low precipitation years may constrain cumulative biomass responses to elevated [CO₂] in desert environments.     

Characterizing the normal proteome of human ciliary body

Background

The ciliary body is the circumferential muscular tissue located just behind the iris in the anterior chamber of the eye. It plays a pivotal role in the production of aqueous humor, maintenance of the lens zonules and accommodation by changing the shape of the crystalline lens. The ciliary body is the major target of drugs against glaucoma as its inhibition leads to a drop in intraocular pressure. A molecular study of the ciliary body could provide a better understanding about the pathophysiological processes that occur in glaucoma. Thus far, no large-scale proteomic investigation has been reported for the human ciliary body.

Results

In this study, we have carried out an in-depth LC-MS/MS-based proteomic analysis of normal human ciliary body and have identified 2,815 proteins. We identified a number of proteins that were previously not described in the ciliary body including importin 5 (IPO5), atlastin-2 (ATL2), B-cell receptor associated protein 29 (BCAP29), basigin (BSG), calpain-1 (CAPN1), copine 6 (CPNE6), fibulin 1 (FBLN1) and galectin 1 (LGALS1). We compared the plasma proteome with the ciliary body proteome and found that the large majority of proteins in the ciliary body were also detectable in the plasma while 896 proteins were unique to the ciliary body. We also classified proteins using pathway enrichment analysis and found most of proteins associated with ubiquitin pathway, EIF2 signaling, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis.

Conclusions

More than 95% of the identified proteins have not been previously described in the ciliary body proteome. This is the largest catalogue of proteins reported thus far in the ciliary body that should provide new insights into our understanding of the factors involved in maintaining the secretion of aqueous humor. The identification of these proteins will aid in understanding various eye diseases of the anterior segment such as glaucoma and presbyopia.     

Adaptive Dynamics of Extortion and Compliance

Direct reciprocity is a mechanism for the evolution of cooperation. For the iterated prisoner’s dilemma, a new class of strategies has recently been described, the so-called zero-determinant strategies. Using such a strategy, a player can unilaterally enforce a linear relationship between his own payoff and the co-player’s payoff. In particular the player may act in such a way that it becomes optimal for the co-player to cooperate unconditionally. In this way, a player can manipulate and extort his co-player, thereby ensuring that the own payoff never falls below the co-player’s payoff. However, using a compliant strategy instead, a player can also ensure that his own payoff never exceeds the co-player’s payoff. Here, we use adaptive dynamics to study when evolution leads to extortion and when it leads to compliance. We find a remarkable cyclic dynamics: in sufficiently large populations, extortioners play a transient role, helping the population to move from selfish strategies to compliance. Compliant strategies, however, can be subverted by altruists, which in turn give rise to selfish strategies. Whether cooperative strategies are favored in the long run critically depends on the size of the population; we show that cooperation is most abundant in large populations, in which case average payoffs approach the social optimum. Our results are not restricted to the case of the prisoners dilemma, but can be extended to other social dilemmas, such as the snowdrift game. Iterated social dilemmas in large populations do not lead to the evolution of strategies that aim to dominate their co-player. Instead, generosity succeeds.     

Molecular basis of lateral force spectroscopy nano-diagnostics: computational unbinding of autism related chemokine MCP-1 from IgG antibody

Monocyte-chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), also known as CCL2, is a potent chemoattractant of T cells and monocytes, involved in inflammatory and angio-proliferative brain and retinal diseases. Higher expression of MCP-1 is observed in metastatic tumors. Unusual levels of MCP-1 in the brain may be correlated with autism. Immunochemistry where atomic force microscope (AFM) tips functionalized with appropriate antibodies against MCP-1 are used could in principle support medical diagnostics. Useful signals from single molecule experiments may be generated if interaction forces are large enough. The chemokine-antibody unbinding force depends on a relative motion of the interacting fragments of the complex. In this paper the stability of the medically important MCP-1- immunoglobulin G antibody Fab fragment complex has been studied using steered molecular dynamics (SMD) computer simulations with the aim to model possible arrangements of nano-diagnostics experiments. Using SMD we confirm that molecular recognition in MCP1-IgG is based mainly on six pairs of residues: Glu39A - Arg98H, Lys56A - Asp52H, Asp65A - Arg32L, Asp68A - Arg32L, Thr32A - Glu55L, Gln61A - Tyr33H. The minimum external force required for mechanical dissociation of the complex depends on a direction of the force. The pulling of the MCP-1 antigen in the directions parallel to the antigen-antibody contact plane requires forces about 20 %–40 % lower than in the perpendicular one. Fortunately, these values are large enough that the fast lateral force spectroscopy may be used for effective nano-diagnostics purposes. We show that molecular modeling is a useful tool in planning AFM force spectroscopy experiments.

Peripheral CD8+ T cell proliferation is prognostic for patients with advanced thoracic malignancies

There is a complex interplay between the immune system and a developing tumor that is manifest in the way that the balance of T cell subsets in the local tumor environment reflects clinical outcome. Tumor infiltration by CD8⁺ T cells and regulatory T cells (Treg) is associated with improved and reduced survival, respectively, in many cancer types. However, little is known of the prognostic value of immunological parameters measured in peripheral blood. In this study, peripheral CD8⁺ T cells and Treg from 43 patients with malignant mesothelioma or advanced non-small-cell lung cancer scheduled to commence palliative chemotherapy were assessed by flow cytometry and evaluated for association with patient survival. Patients had a higher proportion of peripheral Treg, proliferating CD8⁺ T cells and CD8⁺ T cells with an activated effector phenotype compared with age-matched healthy controls. Higher proportions of Treg and proliferating CD8⁺ T cells were both associated with poor survival in univariate analyses (hazard ratio [HR] 3.81, 95 % CI 1.69–8.57; p < 0.01 and HR 2.86, 95 % CI 1.26–6.50; p < 0.05, respectively). CD8⁺ T cell proliferation was independently predictive of reduced survival in multivariate analysis (HR 2.58, 95 % CI 1.01–6.61; p < 0.05). These findings suggest that peripheral CD8⁺ T cell proliferation can be a useful prognostic marker in patients with thoracic malignancies planned for palliative chemotherapy.     

The role of cutaneous feedback for anticipatory grip force adjustments during object movements and externally imposed variation of the direction of gravity

Grip force adjustments to changes of object loading induced by external changes of the direction of gravity during discrete arm movements with a grasped object were analyzed during normal and anesthetized finger sensibility. Two subjects were seated upright in a rotatable chair and rotated backwards into a horizontal position during discrete movements with a hand-held instrumented object. The movement direction varied from vertical to horizontal inducing corresponding changes in the direction of gravity, but the orientation of the movement in relation to the body remained unaffected. During discrete vertical movements a maximum of load force occurs early in upward and late in downward movements; during horizontal movements two load force peaks result from both acceleratory and deceleratory phases of the movement. During performance with normal finger sensibility grip force was modulated in parallel with fluctuations of load force during vertical and horizontal movements. The grip force profile adopted to the varying load force profile during the transition from the vertical to the horizontal position. The maximum grip force occurred at the same time of maximum load force irrespective of the movement plane. During both subjects' first experience of digital anesthesia the object slipped from the grasp during rotation to the horizontal plane. During the following trials with anesthetized fingers subjects substantially increased their grip forces, resulting in elevated force ratios between maximum grip and load force. However, grip force was still modulated with the movement-induced load fluctuations and maximum grip force coincided with maximum load force during vertical and horizontal movements. This implies that the elevated force ratio between maximum grip and load force does not alter the feedforward system of grip force control. Cutaneous afferent information from the grasping digits seems to be important for the economic scaling of the grip force magnitude according to the actual loading conditions and for reactive grip force adjustments in response to load perturbations. However, it plays a subordinate role for the precise anticipatory temporal coupling between grip and load forces during voluntary object manipulation.     

Activation of TRPV4 channel in pancreatic INS-1E beta cells enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion via calcium-dependent mechanisms

Transient receptor potential channel vanilloid type 4 (TRPV4) is a Ca²⁺- and Mg²⁺-permeable cation channel that influences oxidative metabolism and insulin sensitivity. The role of TRPV4 in pancreatic beta cells is largely unknown. Here, we characterize the role of TRPV4 in controlling intracellular Ca²⁺ and insulin secretion in INS-1E beta cells. Osmotic, thermal or pharmacological activation of TRPV4 caused a rapid rise of intracellular Ca²⁺ and enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. In the presence of the TRPV channel blocker ruthenium red (RuR) or after suppression of TRPV4 protein production, TRPV4 activators failed to increase [Ca²⁺]_i and insulin secretion in INS-1E cells.     

Variations and trends of birch pollen seasons during 15 years (1996–2010) in relation to weather conditions in Poznań (western Poland)

Birch (Betula) pollen seasons were examined in relation to meteorological conditions in Poznań (1996–2010). Birch pollen grains were collected using a volumetric spore trap. An alternate biennial cycle of birch pollen season intensity was noticed in Poznań. The main factors influencing birch pollen season intensity were average daily minimum temperatures during the second fortnight of May and the month of June one year before pollination as well as the intensity of the pollen season of the previous year. Most of the pollen grains are recorded during the first week of the season; the number of pollen grains recorded at this time is positively correlated with mean maximum temperature and negatively correlated with daily rainfall. The significant effect of rainfall in reducing the season pollen index was noticed only during weak pollen seasons (season pollen index <?mean). In addition, mean daily maximum temperature during the first two weeks of the birch pollen season markedly influences its duration. No significant trends in duration and intensity of the pollen season were recorded, however, a slight tendency towards early pollination was observed (?0.4 days/year, p?=?0.310).