Conservation genetics of American Dipper (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cinclus mexicanus</Emphasis>): the genetic status of a population in severe decline

American Dippers (Cinclus mexicanus) were once known to occur in streams throughout the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming, but now dippers number about 50–75 individuals and reside almost exclusively in a single stream. The recent decline of the American Dipper in the Black Hills of South Dakota is thought to be due to local stream degradation. As a result of the decline of C. mexicanus in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming, the Black Hills population of American Dippers is a candidate for designation as a distinct population segement (DPS) and might warrant protection and special management. One criterion for DPS designation is genetic uniqueness. Here we present the results of a genetic assessment of the Black Hills population of C. mexicanus. Data presented here indicate that the dipper population in the Black Hills is genetically distinct from other sampled populations. Further population sampling will be needed to understand the genetic population structure of C. mexicanus throughout its range. Furthermore, the recent decline in the Black Hills dipper population should be a warning that other populations (and other species) may be experiencing similar declines and that such montane habitats are worthy of special management.     

Endothelial cell junctions

In the course of a freeze-cleave study on intercellular junctions in the regenerating rat liver, we observed an unusual array of intramembranous particles located in regions of contact between endothelial cells lining the hepatic sinusoids. These arrays were characterized by an accumulation of particles which resembled a zonula occludens in their linear deployment but differed in that the contact regions were composed of individual particles which remained separated from each other by regular particle-free intervals.     

Intra-articular CD1c-expressing myeloid dendritic cells from rheumatoid arthritis patients express a unique set of T cell-attracting chemokines and spontaneously induce Th1, Th17 and Th2 cell activity

Introduction

Myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) are potent T cell-activating antigen-presenting cells that have been suggested to play a crucial role in the regulation of immune responses in many disease states, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Despite this, studies that have reported on the capacity of naturally occurring circulating mDCs to regulate T cell activation in RA are still lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the phenotypic and functional properties of naturally occurring CD1c (BDCA-1)⁺ mDCs from synovial fluid (SF) compared to those from peripheral blood (PB) of RA patients.

Methods

CD1c⁺ mDC numbers and expression of costimulatory molecules were assessed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis in SF and PB from RA patients. Ex vivo secretion of 45 inflammatory mediators by mDCs from SF and PB of RA patients was determined by multiplex immunoassay. The capacity of mDCs from SF to activate autologous CD4⁺ T cells was measured.

Results

CD1c⁺ mDC numbers were significantly increased in SF versus PB of RA patients (mean 4.7% vs. 0.6%). mDCs from SF showed increased expression of antigen-presenting (human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II, CD1c) and costimulatory molecules (CD80, CD86 and CD40). Numerous cytokines were equally abundantly produced by mDCs from both PB and SF (including IL-12, IL-23, IL-13, IL-21). SF mDCs secreted higher levels of interferon γ-inducible protein-10 (IP-10), monokine induced by interferon γ (MIG) and, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), but lower macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) levels compared to mDCs from PB. mDCs from SF displayed a strongly increased capacity to induce proliferation of CD4⁺ T cells associated with a strongly augmented IFNγ, IL-17, and IL-4 production.

Conclusions

This study suggests that increased numbers of CD1c⁺ mDCs in SF are involved in the inflammatory cascade intra-articularly by the secretion of specific T cell-attracting chemokines and the activation of self-reactive T cells.     

Retinal homeobox genes and the role of cell proliferation in cavefish eye degeneration

The teleost Astyanax mexicanus exhibits eyed surface dwelling (surface fish) and blind cave dwelling (cavefish) forms. Despite lacking functional eyes as adults, cavefish embryos form eye primordia, which later arrest in development, degenerate and sink into the orbit. We are comparing the expression patterns of various eye regulatory genes during surfacefish and cavefish development to determine the cause of eye degeneration. Here we examine Rx and Chx/Vsx family homeobox genes, which have a major role in cell proliferation in the vertebrate retina. We isolated and sequenced a full-length RxcDNA clone (As-Rx1) and part of a Chx/Vsx(As-Vsx2) gene, which appear to be most closely related to the zebrafish Rx1 and Alx/Vsx2 genes respectively. In situ hybridization shows that these genes have similar but non-identical expression patterns during Astyanax eye development. Expression is first detected in the optic vesicle, then throughout the presumptive retina of the optic cup, and finally in the ciliary marginal zone (CMZ), the region of the growing retina where most new retinoblasts are formed. In addition, As-Rx1 is expressed in the outer nuclear layer (ONL) of the retina, which contains the photoreceptor cells, and As-Vsx2 is expressed in the inner nuclear layer, probably in the bipolar cells. With the exception of reduced As-Rx-1 expression in the ONL, the As-Rx1 and As-Vsx2 expression patterns were unchanged in the developing retina of two different cavefish populations, suggesting that cell proliferation is not inhibited. These results were confirmed by using PCNA and BrdU markers for retinal cell division. We conclude that the CMZ is active in cell proliferation long after eye growth is diminished and is therefore not the major cause of eye degeneration.     

Intragenic duplication and divergence in the spectrin superfamily of proteins

Many structural, signaling, and adhesion molecules contain tandemly repeated amino acid motifs. The alpha-actinin/spectrin/dystrophin superfamily of F-actin-crosslinking proteins contains an array of triple alpha-helical motifs (spectrin repeats). We present here the complete sequence of the novel beta-spectrin isoform beta(Heavy)- spectrin (beta H). The sequence of beta H supports the origin of alpha- and beta-spectrins from a common ancestor, and we present a novel model for the origin of the spectrins from a homodimeric actin-crosslinking precursor. The pattern of similarity between the spectrin repeat units indicates that they have evolved by a series of nested, nonuniform duplications. Furthermore, the spectrins and dystrophins clearly have common ancestry, yet the repeat unit is of a different length in each family. Together, these observations suggest a dynamic period of increase in repeat number accompanied by homogenization within each array by concerted evolution. However, today, there is greater similarity of homologous repeats between species than there is across repeats within species, suggesting that concerted evolution ceased some time before the arthropod/vertebrate split. We propose a two-phase model for the evolution of the spectrin repeat arrays in which an initial phase of concerted evolution is subsequently retarded as each new protein becomes constrained to a specific length and the repeats diverge at the DNA level. This evolutionary model has general applicability to the origins of the many other proteins that have tandemly repeated motifs.      

Evaluation of the viability and germination of tempisque [<i>Sideroxylon capiri</i> (A.DC.) Pittier Sapotaceae]

The tempisque (Sideroxylon capiri) is a tree native to Mexico used by the rural population for housing construction, poles and hedges, as fuel (wood) and also for fodder and ornamental purposes, among others. It is considered an endangered species. In order to contribute to its preservation and sustainable management, it was considered important to determine the proportion of viable seeds, the loss of viability due to storage period and the germination process by applying pregerminative treatments. We found that freshly collected seeds showed 100% viability, which decreased to 0% after 5 months of storage. According to the cumulative germination significant differences between treatments (p≤0.01) were found. It was observed that seeds can accelerate their time of germination with the previous exposure of 24 h in water at room temperature. The soaking treatment in water for 24 h at room temperature obtained final germination of 55%, while with the control 39% was reached. Soaking in hydrogen peroxide and scarification were the treatments with lower germination percentage (33 and 23%, respectively). To get a higher percentage of germinated seeds in a short time, it is necessary to give a soaking treatment in water for 24 h before sowing.     

Higher‐order assemblies of oligomeric cargo receptor complexes form the membrane scaffold of the Cvt vesicle

Selective autophagy is the mechanism by which large cargos are specifically sequestered for degradation. The structural details of cargo and receptor assembly giving rise to autophagic vesicles remain to be elucidated. We utilize the yeast cytoplasm‐to‐vacuole targeting (Cvt) pathway, a prototype of selective autophagy, together with a multi‐scale analysis approach to study the molecular structure of Cvt vesicles. We report the oligomeric nature of the major Cvt cargo Ape1 with a combined 2.8 Å X‐ray and negative stain EM structure, as well as the secondary cargo Ams1 with a 6.3 Å cryo‐EM structure. We show that the major dodecameric cargo prApe1 exhibits a tendency to form higher‐order chain structures that are broken upon interaction with the receptor Atg19 in vitro. The stoichiometry of these cargo–receptor complexes is key to maintaining the size of the Cvt aggregate in vivo. Using correlative light and electron microscopy, we further visualize key stages of Cvt vesicle biogenesis. Our findings suggest that Atg19 interaction limits Ape1 aggregate size while serving as a vehicle for vacuolar delivery of tetrameric Ams1.