Phylogenetic diversity of stress signalling pathways in fungi

Background  

Microbes must sense environmental stresses, transduce these signals and mount protective responses to survive in hostile environments. In this study we have tested the hypothesis that fungal stress signalling pathways have evolved rapidly in a niche-specific fashion that is independent of phylogeny. To test this hypothesis we have compared the conservation of stress signalling molecules in diverse fungal species with their stress resistance. These fungi, which include ascomycetes, basidiomycetes and microsporidia, occupy highly divergent niches from saline environments to plant or mammalian hosts.     

Vital role for Plasmodium berghei Kinesin8B in axoneme assembly during male gamete formation and mosquito transmission

Sexual development is an essential phase in the Plasmodium life cycle, where male gametogenesis is an unusual and extraordinarily rapid process. It produces 8 haploid motile microgametes, from a microgametocyte within 15 minutes. Its unique achievement lies in linking the assembly of 8 axonemes in the cytoplasm to the three rounds of intranuclear genome replication, forming motile microgametes, which are expelled in a process called exflagellation. Surprisingly little is known about the actors involved in these processes. We are interested in kinesins, molecular motors that could play potential roles in male gametogenesis. We have undertaken a functional characterization in Plasmodium berghei of kinesin‐8B (PbKIN8B) expressed specifically in male gametocytes and gametes. By generating Pbkin8B‐gfp parasites, we show that PbKIN8B is specifically expressed during male gametogenesis and is associated with the axoneme. We created a ΔPbkin8B knockout cell line and analysed the consequences of the absence of PbKIN8B on male gametogenesis. We show that the ability to produce sexually differentiated gametocytes is not affected in ΔPbkin8B parasites and that the 3 rounds of genome replication occur normally. Nevertheless, the development to free motile microgametes is halted and the life cycle is interrupted in vivo. Ultrastructural analysis revealed that intranuclear mitoses are unaffected whereas cytoplasmic microtubules, although assembled in doublets and elongated, fail to assemble in the normal axonemal ‘9+2' structure and become motile. Absence of a functional axoneme prevented microgamete assembly and release from the microgametocyte, severely reducing infection of the mosquito vector. This is the first functional study of a kinesin involved in male gametogenesis. These results reveal a previously unknown role for PbKIN8B in male gametogenesis, providing new insights into Plasmodium flagellar formation.     

Simple and rapid PCR method for identification of streptococcal species relevant to animal infections based on 23S rDNA sequence

A PCR identification system targeting 23S rDNA sequences for the identification of eight streptococcal species relevant to animal infections (Streptococcus agalactiae, S. bovis, S. canis, S. dysgalactiae, S. equi, S. porcinus, S. suis and S. uberis) was developed. This system consists of two PCR reactions, A and B, in which seven and eight primers, respectively, are used simultaneously, and was designed so that each amplification product indicates a species by its size. A total of 111 cultures, including the type strain of eight species, could be successfully identified and differentiated as individual species, except for the cross reactivity between S. bovis and S. equinus. The developed PCR system can complete the identification procedure for eight streptococcal species through two tube reactions per isolate, and, therefore, might provide a rapid, simple and accurate diagnostic tool for veterinary laboratories.     

Photochemical addition of 2-propanol and of acetone to 2-acetoxy-3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal

Irradiation of a solution of 2-acetoxy-3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal (1) in 1:200 acetone-2-propanol with a high-pressure mercury-lamp gave 4,5,6,8-tetra-O-acetyl-3,7-anhydro-1-deoxy-2-C-methyl-D-glycero-D-gulo-octitol (2) (51.2%), -D-glycero-D-ido-octitol (3) (16.2%), and-D-glycero-D- galacto-octitol (4) (21.0%). The irradiation of 1 in 1:1 acetone-2-propanol gave 5,6,8-tri-O-acetyl-3,7-anhydro-1-deoxy-4-C-(1-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)-2-C-methyl-D-glycero-D-(gluco or manno, etc.)-octitol 2,4,4¹-orthoacetate (17%) and a 2:1:1 mixture of 2, 3, and 4 (64%). Moreover, the irradiation of 1 in 1:9 acetone-tert-butyl alcohol gave 2 (15%), 3 (9%), 4 (7%), and (4S)-4,5,6,8-tetra-O-acetyl-2,4:3,7-dianhydro-1-deoxy-2-C-methyl-D-gluco-octos-4-ulose (14%).     

GMDD: a database of GMO detection methods

Background  

Since more than one hundred events of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been developed and approved for commercialization in global area, the GMO analysis methods are essential for the enforcement of GMO labelling regulations. Protein and nucleic acid-based detection techniques have been developed and utilized for GMOs identification and quantification. However, the information for harmonization and standardization of GMO analysis methods at global level is needed.     

Brazilian essential oils as source for the discovery of new anti-COVID-19 drug: a review guided by in silico study

Phytochemistry Reviews - The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China and its spread worldwide has become one of the biggest health problem due to the lack...     

Influence of Tertiary paleoenvironmental changes on the diversification of South American mammals: a relaxed molecular clock study within xenarthrans

Background  

Comparative genomic data among organisms allow the reconstruction of their phylogenies and evolutionary time scales. Molecular timings have been recently used to suggest that environmental global change have shaped the evolutionary history of diverse terrestrial organisms. Living xenarthrans (armadillos, anteaters and sloths) constitute an ideal model for studying the influence of past environmental changes on species diversification. Indeed, extant xenarthran species are relicts from an evolutionary radiation enhanced by their isolation in South America during the Tertiary era, a period for which major climate variations and tectonic events are relatively well documented.