Breeding ecology and behaviour of the last wild oriental Northern Bald Ibises (Geronticus eremita) in Syria

A relict colony of Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita), a critically endangered species, was unexpectedly discovered in Syria in 2002. During six subsequent breeding seasons (2002–2007), the 3, and then 2, breeding pairs of Northern Bald Ibises have shown to be still vital and, when intensively protected, showed a higher average breeding success than that recorded in Morocco, the only other country where these birds still breed in the wild. During the six breeding seasons, a total of 24 chicks fledged and left the breeding area successfully. Between 2004 and 2007, a total of 5 immature ibises have made a return to the colony, separately and later than adults. As a consequence, two recruitment events have taken place (2006 and 2007), partly compensating for the gradual decrease in the number of adults. Breeding adults arrive from migration during the second half of February, separately, and leave together around mid-July. They nest in cavities and ledges of two limestone cliffs of the central Syria desert, located 20 km apart, well protected from the predominant wind. Breeding behaviour and the cycle are described, summarised and compared with data from the wild colonies of Morocco and the colony of Turkey before the extinction. Key threats still in place at the Syrian breeding quarters are human disturbance during settling and incubation, chick depredation by ravens, uncontrolled hunting and habitat degradation. Recommendations on how to enhance the breeding performance and ensure the survival of this colony in the future are given.     

Altered functionality in rhodopsin point mutants associated with retinitis pigmentosa

Point mutations found in rhodopsin associated with the retinal degenerative disease retinitis pigmentosa have been expressed in mammalian COS-1 cells, purified, and characterised. The mutations characterised-most of them for the first time-have been Met44Thr, Gly114Asp, Arg135Leu, Val137Met, and Pro171Leu in the transmembrane domain; Leu328Pro and Ala346Pro in the C-terminal tail of the cytoplasmic domain; and Gly106Trp in the intradiscal domain. Several of these mutations cause misfolding which results in impaired 11-cis-retinal binding. Two of them, Met44Thr and Val137Met, show spectral and structural features similar to those of wild type rhodopsin (Type I mutants) but significantly increased transducin initial activation rates. We propose that, in the case of these mutants, abnormal functioning resulting in faster activation kinetics could also play a role in retinitis pigmentosa by altering the stoichiometric balance of the different proteins involved in the phototransduction biochemical reactions.     

Intracellular CHO Cell Metabolite Profiling Reveals Steady‐State Dependent Metabolic Fingerprints in Perfusion Culture

Perfusion cell culture processes allow the steady‐state culture of mammalian cells at high viable cell density, which is beneficial for overall product yields and homogeneity of product quality in the manufacturing of therapeutic proteins. In this study, the extent of metabolic steady state and the change of the metabolite profile between different steady states of an industrial Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line producing a monoclonal antibody (mAb) was investigated in stirred tank perfusion bioreactors. Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF‐MS) of daily cell extracts revealed more than a hundred peaks, among which 76 metabolites were identified by tandem MS (MS/MS) and high resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT‐ICR) MS. Nucleotide ratios (Uridine (U)‐ratio, nucleotide triphosphate (NTP)‐ratio and energy charge (EC)) and multivariate analysis of all features indicated a consistent metabolite profile for a stable culture performed at 40 × 10⁶ cells/mL over 26 days of culture. Conversely, the reactor was operated continuously so as to reach three distinct steady states one after the other at 20, 60, and 40 × 10⁶ cells/mL. In each case, a stable metabolite profile was achieved after an initial transient phase of approximately three days at constant cell density when varying between these set points. Clear clustering according to cell density was observed by principal component analysis, indicating steady‐state dependent metabolite profiles. In particular, varying levels of nucleotides, nucleotide sugar, and lipid precursors explained most of the variance between the different cell density set points. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:879–890, 2017     

C-type natriuretic peptide regulates endochondral bone growth through p38 MAP kinase-dependent and – independent pathways

Background  

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) has recently been identified as an important anabolic regulator of endochondral bone growth, but the molecular mechanisms mediating its effects are not completely understood.     

Derivation of human embryonic stem cells at the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona

We report here the legislative issues related to embryo research and human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research in Spain and the derivation of nine hESC lines at the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona. You can find the information for obtaining our lines for research purposes at blc@cmrb.eu.     

Metal binding in amyloid β-peptides shows intra- and inter-peptide coordination modes

X-ray absorption spectroscopy data show different metal binding site structures in beta-amyloid peptides according to whether they are complexed with Cu(2+) or Zn(2+) ions. While the geometry around copper is stably consistent with an intra-peptide binding with three metal-coordinated Histidine residues, the zinc coordination mode depends on specific solution conditions. In particular, different sample preparations are seen to lead to different geometries around the absorber that are compatible with either an intra- or an inter-peptide coordination mode. This result reinforces the hypothesis that assigns different physiological roles to the two metals, with zinc favoring peptide aggregation and, as a consequence, plaque formation.     

A Microarray-based Detection System for Genetically Modified (GM) Food Ingredients

A multiplex DNA microarray chip was developed for simultaneous identification of nine genetically modified organisms (GMOs), five plant species and three GMO screening elements, i.e. the 35S promoter, the nos terminator and the nptII gene. The chips also include several controls, such as that for the possible presence of CaMV. The on-chip detection was performed directly with PCR amplified products. Particular emphasis was placed on the reduction of the number of PCR reactions required and on the number of primers present per amplification tube. The targets were biotin labelled and the arrays were detected using a colorimetric methodology. Specificity was provided by specific capture probes designed for each GMO and for the common screening elements. The sensitivity of the assay was tested by experiments carried out in five different laboratories. The limit of detection was lower than 0.3% GMO for all tests and in general around 0.1% for most GMOs. The chip detection system complies with the requirements of current EU regulations and other countries where thresholds are established for the labelling of GMO. Serge Leimanis, Marta Hernández, Sophie Fernández: These authors contributed equally to this paper.