Activity Budgets of Captive Cape Fur Seals (Arctocephalus pusillus) Under a Training Regime

Ethograms and time budgets are crucial for the behavioral assessment of nonhuman animals in zoos, and they serve as references for welfare research. This study was conducted to obtain detailed time budgets of trained Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus) in captivity, to evaluate variations of these patterns, and to determine whether abnormal behaviors had been displayed. Behavioral data for 3 Cape fur seals in the Wroclaw Zoo were collected, and more than 300 observation hours (during a 12-month period) per individual were analyzed. The studied animals exhibited a diversified repertoire of natural behaviors with apparent seasonal and daily patterns, and they did not present stereotypic behaviors. Significant differences of interaction rates between individuals suggest more frequent affiliative interactions among related animals. The absence of stereotypic behaviors, good health of individuals, and the presence of diversified natural behaviors indicated relatively good welfare of Cape fur seals kept in the Wroclaw Zoo.     

Autophagy regulates death of retinal pigment epithelium cells in age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease underlined by the degradation of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, photoreceptors, and choriocapillares, but the exact mechanism of cell death in AMD is not completely clear. This mechanism is important for prevention of and therapeutic intervention in AMD, which is a hardly curable disease. Present reports suggest that both apoptosis and pyroptosis (cell death dependent on caspase-1) as well as necroptosis (regulated necrosis dependent on the proteins RIPK3 and MLKL, caspase-independent) can be involved in the AMD-related death of RPE cells. Autophagy, a cellular clearing system, plays an important role in AMD pathogenesis, and this role is closely associated with the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, a central event for advanced AMD. Autophagy can play a role in apoptosis, pyroptosis, and necroptosis, but its contribution to AMD-specific cell death is not completely clear. Autophagy can be involved in the regulation of proteins important for cellular antioxidative defense, including Nrf2, which can interact with p62/SQSTM, a protein essential for autophagy. As oxidative stress is implicated in AMD pathogenesis, autophagy can contribute to this disease by deregulation of cellular defense against the stress. However, these and other interactions do not explain the mechanisms of RPE cell death in AMD. In this review, we present basic mechanisms of autophagy and its involvement in AMD pathogenesis and try to show a regulatory role of autophagy in RPE cell death. This can result in considering the genes and proteins of autophagy as molecular targets in AMD prevention and therapy.     

Biodegradation of benzo[α]pyrene,toluene, and formaldehyde from the gas phase by a consortium of Rhodococcus erythropolis and Fusarium solani

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important indoor contaminants. Their hydrophobic nature hinders the possibility of biological abatement using biofiltration. Our aim was to establish whether the use of a consortium of Fusarium solani and Rhodococcus erythropolis shows an improved performance (in terms of mineralization rate and extent) towards the degradation of formaldehyde, as a slightly polar VOC; toluene, as hydrophobic VOC; and benzo[α]pyrene (BaP) as PAH at low concentrations compared to a single-species biofilm in serum bottles with vermiculite as solid support to mimic a biofilter and to relate the possible improvements with the surface hydrophobicity and partition coefficient of the biomass at three different temperatures. Results showed that the hydrophobicity of the surface of the biofilms was affected by the hydrophobicity of the carbon source in F. solani but it did not change in R. erythropolis. Similarly, the partition coefficients of toluene and BaP in F. solani biomass (both as pure culture and consortium) show a reduction of up to 38 times compared to its value in water, whereas this reduction was only 1.5 times in presence of R. erythropolis. Despite that increments in the accumulated CO2 and its production rate were found when F. solani or the consortium was used, the mineralization extent of toluene was below 25%. Regarding BaP degradation, the higher CO2 production rates and percent yields were obtained when a consortium of F. solani and R. erythropolis was used, despite a pure culture of R. erythropolis exhibits poor mineralization of BaP.     

Histone H4K20 tri‐methylation at late‐firing origins ensures timely heterochromatin replication

Among other targets, the protein lysine methyltransferase PR‐Set7 induces histone H4 lysine 20 monomethylation (H4K20me1), which is the substrate for further methylation by the Suv4‐20h methyltransferase. Although these enzymes have been implicated in control of replication origins, the specific contribution of H4K20 methylation to DNA replication remains unclear. Here, we show that H4K20 mutation in mammalian cells, unlike in Drosophila, partially impairs S‐phase progression and protects from DNA re‐replication induced by stabilization of PR‐Set7. Using Epstein–Barr virus‐derived episomes, we further demonstrate that conversion of H4K20me1 to higher H4K20me2/3 states by Suv4‐20h is not sufficient to define an efficient origin per se, but rather serves as an enhancer for MCM2‐7 helicase loading and replication activation at defined origins. Consistent with this, we find that Suv4‐20h‐mediated H4K20 tri‐methylation (H4K20me3) is required to sustain the licensing and activity of a subset of ORCA/LRWD1‐associated origins, which ensure proper replication timing of late‐replicating heterochromatin domains. Altogether, these results reveal Suv4‐20h‐mediated H4K20 tri‐methylation as a critical determinant in the selection of active replication initiation sites in heterochromatin regions of mammalian genomes.     

The Arctic mutation alters helix length and type in the 11-28 beta-amyloid peptide monomer-CD, NMR and MD studies in an SDS micelle

The beta-amyloid (Abeta) is the major peptide constituent of neuritic plaques in Alzheimer's disease, and its aggregation is believed to play a central role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Naturally occurring mutations resulting in changes in the Abeta sequence (pos. 21-23) are associated with familial Alzheimer's-like diseases with extensive cerebrovascular pathology. It has been demonstrated that such mutations alter the aggregation ability of Abeta and its neurotoxicity. Among the five mutations at positions 21-23 there is one with distinct clinical characteristics and a potentially distinct pathogenic mechanism-the Arctic (E22G) mutation. We have examined the structures of fragment 11-28 of the native peptide and its E22G variant. This fragment was chosen because it has been shown to be a good model for conformational and aggregation studies as it contains the hydrophobic core responsible for aggregation and the residues critical to alpha-secretase cleavage of APP. The detailed structure of the two peptides was determined using CD, 2D NMR and molecular dynamics techniques under water-SDS micelle conditions. Our studies indicated the existence of partially alpha- and 3(10)-helical conformations in the native and mutated peptide, respectively.     

Short-term thermoregulatory adjustments in a South American anseriform, the black-necked swan (Cygnus melanocoryphus)

Avian bioenergetic studies suggest that, compared with other vertebrates, birds are efficient thermoregulators. However, most avian physiological studies have been performed in species of small body masses (less than 1 kg). In contrast to what might be anticipated, thermoregulatory abilities of large, flying birds are scarcely studied, especially in temperate zones and aquatic systems. In order to determine short-term metabolic adjustment after thermal challenge, we studied the bioenergetics of a South American anseriform, the black-necked swan (Cygnus melanocoryphus). Our results suggest that this swan species exhibits lower resting metabolic rate compared with other anseriforms, and some hetherothermia. In addition, the black-necked swans in our study changed "wet" thermal conductance at different ambient temperatures. At our working Ta range (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 degrees C) calculated values were considerably higher than expected (23%, 26%, 39% and 51% higher than expected, respectively). Our results differ considerably from the only two previous reports in swan species, suggesting that C. melanocoryphus, perhaps due to its temperate distribution, is more sensitive to changes in environmental temperature.