Spatial genetic patterns of Octopus vulgaris Mediterranean populations support the hypothesis of a transitional zone across the Siculo-Tunisian Strait

Hydrobiologia - Recent research hypothesised that the Siculo-Tunisian Strait might fit, at least for some species, the picture of a genetic transitional zone instead of a sharp genetic break...     

Antibodies recognizing specific Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis’s MAP3738c protein in type 1 diabetes mellitus children are associated with serum Th1 (CXCL10) chemokine

Recently Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) was associated to type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). In this study we investigated for Map presence in children affected by T1DM compared to healthy children. A pool of 212 sera from T1DM children at onset was compared to sera from 57 healthy children for humoral immune response towards the Map specific protein MAP3738c by ELISA. Serum concentrations of CXCL10 (pro-Th1) and CCL2 (pro-Th2) chemokines were also measured in both sera pool. Results showed that T1DM children had a stronger seropositivity towards MAP3738c protein compared to healthy children. Data highlighted also the correlation between serum activity of T1DM patients towards the specific protein of Map and the increase of CXCL10 concentration if compared to non-diabetic subjects. In conclusion, an immune response to Map in T1DM patients at onset was observed and this may indicate a role of the bacterium in triggering or precipitating the disease.     

Effects of a metalloporphyrinic peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst,ww-85, in a mouse model of spinal cord injury

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of a metalloporphyrinic peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst, ww-85, in the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI) in mice. Spinal cord trauma was induced by the application of vascular clips to the dura via a four-level T5–T8 laminectomy. SCI in mice resulted in severe trauma characterized by oedema, neutrophil infiltration, production of inflammatory mediators, tissue damage and apoptosis. ww-85 treatment (30–300 µg/kg, i.p. 1 h after the SCI) significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner: (1) the degree of spinal cord inflammation and tissue injury, (2) neutrophil infiltration (myeloperoxidase activity), (3) nitrotyrosine formation and PARP activation, (4) pro-inflammatory cytokines expression, (5) NF-κB activation and (6) apoptosis. Moreover, ww-85 significantly ameliorated the recovery of limb function (evaluated by motor recovery score) in a dose-dependent manner. The results demonstrate that ww-85 treatment reduces the development of inflammation and tissue injury associated with spinal cord trauma.     

The phytoplankton of S'Ena Arrubia Lagoon (Centre-Western Sardinia) between 1990 and 1995

Abstract

The phytoplankton study on the S'Ena Arrubia Lagoon started in 1990, after dystrophic events, leading to high fish mortality and consequently great economic losses. This study presents a general picture of the conditions of the lagoon between 1990 and 1995, and reports on the quali-quantitative changes in the phytoplanktonic populations, as well as the trends of temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, algal nutrients and chlorophyll a. The lagoon was characterized by great changes in salinity between years and within the same year, by high nutrient contents and by a phytoplankton trend characterized by sudden intense blooms mostly due to the Chlorophyceae and the Bacillariophyceae. The number of species found, decreased from 1990 to 1994, followed by a slight increase in 1995. The same trend was also found for total density and chlorophyll a.     

Significant Modifications of the Salivary Proteome Potentially Associated with Complications of Down Syndrome Revealed by Top-down Proteomics

People with Down syndrome, a frequent genetic disorder in humans, have increased risk of health problems associated with this condition. One clinical feature of Down syndrome is the increased prevalence and severity of periodontal disease in comparison with the general population. Because saliva plays an important role in maintaining oral health, in the present study the salivary proteome of Down syndrome subjects was investigated to explore modifications with respect to healthy subjects. Whole saliva of 36 Down syndrome subjects, divided in the age groups 10–17 yr and 18–50 yr, was analyzed by a top-down proteomic approach, based on the high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization–MS analysis of the intact proteins and peptides, and the qualitative and quantitative profiles were compared with sex- and age-matched control groups. The results showed the following interesting features: 1) as opposed to controls, in Down syndrome subjects the concentration of the major salivary proteins of gland origin did not increase with age; as a consequence concentration of acidic proline rich proteins and S cystatins were found significantly reduced in older Down syndrome subjects with respect to matched controls; 2) levels of the antimicrobial α-defensins 1 and 2 and histatins 3 and 5 were significantly increased in whole saliva of older Down syndrome subjects with respect to controls; 3) S100A7, S100A8, and S100A12 levels were significantly increased in whole saliva of Down syndrome subjects in comparison with controls. The increased level of S100A7 and S100A12 may be of particular interest as a biomarker of early onset Alzheimer''s disease, which is frequently associated with Down syndrome.Down syndrome (DS)¹ is a frequent genetic disorder in humans characterized by premature aging (1). A clinical feature of people with DS is the increased prevalence and severity of periodontal disease compared with age-matched subjects of similar levels of intellectual impairment and compared with the general population (2). Common conditions observed in DS are marginal gingivitis, acute and subacute necrotizing gingivitis, advanced periodontitis, gingival recession, and pocket formation (3, 4). It is known that saliva plays an important role in maintaining oral and dental health, because of the presence of a variety of antimicrobial peptides mainly derived from gland secretion, oral epithelial cells, and neutrophils (5). Several papers reported that neutrophils and T-lymphocyte function is impaired in people with DS (6–9). However, the salivary secretion of the antimicrobial LL-37 in young individuals with DS was found normal (10). A review of the literature (11, 12) reveals only sporadic and contradictory reports that attempt to explain the role of saliva in the oral health of subjects with DS, and on the whole, information on the biochemical composition of their saliva is scarce. On the basis of the above information, in the present study, we proposed to investigate the salivary proteome of DS subjects by an intact protein-based “top-down” approach. The spectrum of salivary peptides of DS subjects was compared with that of sex and age-matched healthy control groups to determine qualitative and quantitative differences. Interestingly, the results showed that several members of the S100A family, which possess different biological functions, and also described as potential markers of the Alzheimer Disease, were significantly increased in saliva of Down syndrome subjects with respect to controls.     

Evaluating the Impact of Different Sequence Databases on Metaproteome Analysis: Insights from a Lab-Assembled Microbial Mixture

Metaproteomics enables the investigation of the protein repertoire expressed by complex microbial communities. However, to unleash its full potential, refinements in bioinformatic approaches for data analysis are still needed. In this context, sequence databases selection represents a major challenge.This work assessed the impact of different databases in metaproteomic investigations by using a mock microbial mixture including nine diverse bacterial and eukaryotic species, which was subjected to shotgun metaproteomic analysis. Then, both the microbial mixture and the single microorganisms were subjected to next generation sequencing to obtain experimental metagenomic- and genomic-derived databases, which were used along with public databases (namely, NCBI, UniProtKB/SwissProt and UniProtKB/TrEMBL, parsed at different taxonomic levels) to analyze the metaproteomic dataset. First, a quantitative comparison in terms of number and overlap of peptide identifications was carried out among all databases. As a result, only 35% of peptides were common to all database classes; moreover, genus/species-specific databases provided up to 17% more identifications compared to databases with generic taxonomy, while the metagenomic database enabled a slight increment in respect to public databases. Then, database behavior in terms of false discovery rate and peptide degeneracy was critically evaluated. Public databases with generic taxonomy exhibited a markedly different trend compared to the counterparts. Finally, the reliability of taxonomic attribution according to the lowest common ancestor approach (using MEGAN and Unipept software) was assessed. The level of misassignments varied among the different databases, and specific thresholds based on the number of taxon-specific peptides were established to minimize false positives. This study confirms that database selection has a significant impact in metaproteomics, and provides critical indications for improving depth and reliability of metaproteomic results. Specifically, the use of iterative searches and of suitable filters for taxonomic assignments is proposed with the aim of increasing coverage and trustworthiness of metaproteomic data.     

Collective Response of Zebrafish Shoals to a Free-Swimming Robotic Fish

In this work, we explore the feasibility of regulating the collective behavior of zebrafish with a free-swimming robotic fish. The visual cues elicited by the robot are inspired by salient features of attraction in zebrafish and include enhanced coloration, aspect ratio of a fertile female, and carangiform/subcarangiform locomotion. The robot is autonomously controlled with an online multi-target tracking system and swims in circular trajectories in the presence of groups of zebrafish. We investigate the collective response of zebrafish to changes in robot speed, achieved by varying its tail-beat frequency. Our results show that the speed of the robot is a determinant of group cohesion, quantified through zebrafish nearest-neighbor distance, which increases with the speed of the robot until it reaches . We also find that the presence of the robot causes a significant decrease in the group speed, which is not accompanied by an increase in the freezing response of the subjects. Findings of this study are expected to inform the design of experimental protocols that leverage the use of robots to study the zebrafish animal model.     

Evaluating the Potential for the Environmentally Sustainable Control of Foot and Mouth Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa

Strategies to control transboundary diseases have in the past generated unintended negative consequences for both the environment and local human populations. Integrating perspectives from across disciplines, including livestock, veterinary and conservation sectors, is necessary for identifying disease control strategies that optimise environmental goods and services at the wildlife-livestock interface. Prompted by the recent development of a global strategy for the control and elimination of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), this paper seeks insight into the consequences of, and rational options for potential FMD control measures in relation to environmental, conservation and human poverty considerations in Africa. We suggest a more environmentally nuanced process of FMD control that safe-guards the integrity of wild populations and the ecosystem dynamics on which human livelihoods depend while simultaneously improving socio-economic conditions of rural people. In particular, we outline five major issues that need to be considered: 1) improved understanding of the different FMD viral strains and how they circulate between domestic and wildlife populations; 2) an appreciation for the economic value of wildlife for many African countries whose presence might preclude the country from ever achieving an FMD-free status; 3) exploring ways in which livestock production can be improved without compromising wildlife such as implementing commodity-based trading schemes; 4) introducing a participatory approach involving local farmers and the national veterinary services in the control of FMD; and 5) finally the possibility that transfrontier conservation might offer new hope of integrating decision-making at the wildlife-livestock interface.     

The involvement of Medicago truncatula non-specific lipid transfer protein N5 in the control of rhizobial infection

Cysteine-rich proteins seem to play important regulatory roles in Medicago truncatula/Sinorhizobium meliloti symbiosis. In particular, a large family of nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides is crucial for the differentiation of nitrogen-fixing bacteroids. The Medicago truncatula N5 protein (MtN5) is currently the only reported non-specific lipid transfer protein necessary for successful rhizobial symbiosis; in addition, MtN5 shares several characteristics with NCR peptides: a small size, a conserved cysteine-rich motif, an N-terminal signal peptide for secretion and antimicrobial activity. Unlike NCR peptides, MtN5 expression is not restricted to the root nodules and is induced during the early phases of symbiosis in root hairs and nodule primordia. Recently, MtN5 was determined to be involved in the regulation of root tissue invasion; while, it was dispensable for nodule primordia formation. Here, we discuss the hypothesis that MtN5 participates in linking the progression of bacterial invasion with restricting the competence of root hairs for infection.