REPRODUCTIVE CONFLICT IN BUMBLEBEES AND THE EVOLUTION OF WORKER POLICING

Worker policing (mutual repression of reproduction) in the eusocial Hymenoptera represents a leading example of how coercion can facilitate cooperation. The occurrence of worker policing in “primitively” eusocial species with low mating frequencies, which lack relatedness differences conducive to policing, suggests that separate factors may underlie the origin and maintenance of worker policing. We tested this hypothesis by investigating conflict over male parentage in the primitively eusocial, monandrous bumblebee, Bombus terrestris. Using observations, experiments, and microsatellite genotyping, we found that: (a) worker‐ but not queen‐laid male eggs are nearly all eaten (by queens, reproductive, and nonreproductive workers) soon after being laid, so accounting for low observed frequencies of larval and adult worker‐produced males; (b) queen‐ and worker‐laid male eggs have equal viabilities; (c) workers discriminate between queen‐ and worker‐laid eggs using cues on eggs and egg cells that almost certainly originate from queens. The cooccurrence in B. terrestris of these three key elements of “classical” worker policing as found in the highly eusocial, polyandrous honeybees provides novel support for the hypothesis that worker policing can originate in the absence of relatedness differences maintaining it. Worker policing in B. terrestris almost certainly arose via reproductive competition among workers, that is, as “selfish” policing.     

The effect of aminoglycoside antibiotics on the adventitious regeneration from apricot leaves and selection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">npt</Emphasis>II-transformed leaf tissues

The effect of different concentrations of the aminoglycoside antibiotics, geneticin, paromomycin and streptomycin on adventitious regeneration from leaf explants of apricot was tested to design an alternative procedure for selecting transgenic shoots. Streptomycin and paromomycin reduced shoot regeneration percentage with increasing concentration of antibiotics. Almost a complete inhibition of regeneration was reached when 20M paromomycin was used, although up to 40M streptomycin was necessary to completely inhibit regeneration. Geneticin had a very toxic effect on apricot leaves and regeneration was inhibited at almost all concentrations tested. Addition of kanamycin hastened the development of adventitious buds although silver thiosulfate and not kanamycin was responsible for the observed increase in the consistency of the results from independent experiments. Kanamycin and paromomycin at the concentrations tested improved selection of transformed cells and resulted in a larger number of gfp-expressing regions. Paromomycin at 40 and 25.7M kanamycin improved proliferation of transformed tissues as compared with the other antibiotics used and non-selected controls.     

Schwannomas of the peroneal nerves: Clinical and functional results of surgical treatment

Objectives:Peroneal nerves Schwannomas are rare benign tumors. Literature is still poor of studies about clinical and functional outcomes after surgical treatment. We evaluated the pre-operative presentation of the disease and assessed clinical and functional outcomes after surgery.Methods:We collected all the cases of peroneal nerves’ neurinoma treated surgically between June 2016 and June 2020. We analyzed each patients’ personal data and carried out accurate clinical examinations before and after surgery. MRI was performed both pre-operatively and post-operatively.Results:We reported 9 cases of peroneal nerves schwannomas: five arising from the common peroneal nerve and four arising from the deep or superficial branches alone. Their mean size was 22.6 mm. Each patient showed sensation deficits before surgery; pre-operative MRC score was 4.2. Pre-Operative MSTS and LEFS scores were 23.6 and 64.4. Surgery was successful in each case. No local recurrence nor major complication occurred. Tumor size was significantly associated with both diagnostic delay and development of pre-operative deficits. Surgery was proven to be globally successful: post-operative evaluations highlighted a marked reduction of neurological signs and overall functional limitations.Conclusions:Surgical treatment at early stages of the disease represents a reliable and relatively safe therapeutic option.     

Anatomical and physiological changes of in vitro-propagated Vriesea imperialis (Bromeliaceae) in the function of sucrose and ventilated containers

Abstract

Under in vitro culture conditions, plants may present physiological and anatomical disorders, which can interfere negatively after ex vitro transfer. The aim of this investigation was to analyze the impacts of natural ventilation and sucrose supply on the anatomy and physiology of Vriesea imperialis. Plants previously grown in vitro were transferred to culture medium containing 0, 15, 30 or 45?g L^?1 sucrose. Three different culture container sealing systems were tested: lids with a green filter (81.35 gas exchanges per day), yellow filter (13.09 gas exchanges per day) or lids with a yellow filter covered with three layers of transparent polyvinylchloride (PVC) film (blocking fluent gas exchange). Sucrose concentrations influenced thickness, lignin and suberin deposition of exodermis cell wall. The modifications verified in leaves, such as higher density of stomata and trichome scales, showed that sucrose can induce osmotic stress in the plants. Photomixotrophic conditions, using containers with intermediate rate of gas exchange (yellow filter) and with 15–30?g L^?1 sucrose, produced an improvement in the growth traits and did not induce anatomical and physiological disturbances.     

Different factors affecting human ANP amyloid aggregation and their implications in congestive heart failure

Aims

Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP)-containing amyloid is frequently found in the elderly heart. No data exist regarding ANP aggregation process and its link to pathologies. Our aims were: i) to experimentally prove the presumptive association of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and Isolated Atrial Amyloidosis (IAA); ii) to characterize ANP aggregation, thereby elucidating IAA implication in the CHF pathogenesis.

Methods and Results

A significant prevalence (85%) of IAA was immunohistochemically proven ex vivo in biopsies from CHF patients. We investigated in vitro (using Congo Red, Thioflavin T, SDS-PAGE, transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy) ANP fibrillogenesis, starting from α-ANP as well as the ability of dimeric β-ANP to promote amyloid formation. Different conditions were adopted, including those reproducing β-ANP prevalence in CHF. Our results defined the uncommon rapidity of α-ANP self-assembly at acidic pH supporting the hypothesis that such aggregates constitute the onset of a fibrillization process subsequently proceeding at physiological pH. Interestingly, CHF-like conditions induced the production of the most stable and time-resistant ANP fibrils suggesting that CHF affected people may be prone to develop IAA.

Conclusions

We established a link between IAA and CHF by ex vivo examination and assessed that β-ANP is, in vitro, the seed of ANP fibrils. Our results indicate that β-ANP plays a crucial role in ANP amyloid deposition under physiopathological CHF conditions. Overall, our findings indicate that early IAA-related ANP deposition may occur in CHF and suggest that these latter patients should be monitored for the development of cardiac amyloidosis.     

Antibody responses to NY-ESO-1 in primary breast cancer identify a subtype target for immunotherapy

The highly immunogenic human tumor antigen NY-ESO-1 (ESO) is a target of choice for anti-cancer immune therapy. In this study, we assessed spontaneous antibody (Ab) responses to ESO in a large cohort of patients with primary breast cancer (BC) and addressed the correlation between the presence of anti-ESO Ab, the expression of ESO in the tumors and their characteristics. We found detectable Ab responses to ESO in 1% of the patients. Tumors from patients with circulating Ab to ESO exhibited common characteristics, being mainly hormone receptor (HR)⁻ invasive ductal carcinomas of high grade, including both HER2⁻ and HER2⁺ tumors. In line with these results, we detected ESO expression in 20% of primary HR⁻ BC, including both ESO Ab⁺ and Ab⁻ patients, but not in HR⁺ BC. Interestingly, whereas expression levels in ESO⁺ BC were not significantly different between ESO Ab⁺ and Ab⁻ patients, the former had, in average, significantly higher numbers of tumor-infiltrated lymph nodes, indicating that lymph node invasion may be required for the development of spontaneous anti-tumor immune responses. Thus, the presence of ESO Ab identifies a tumor subtype of HR⁻ (HER2⁻ or HER2⁺) primary BC with frequent ESO expression and, together with the assessment of antigen expression in the tumor, may be instrumental for the selection of patients for whom ESO-based immunotherapy may complement standard therapy.     

Golgi apparatus casein kinase phosphorylates bioactive Ser-6 of bone morphogenetic protein 15 and growth and differentiation factor 9

Bone morphogenetic protein-15 (BMP-15) and growth and differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9) are oocyte-secreted factors that play essential roles in human folliculogenesis and ovulation. Their bioactivity is tightly regulated through phosphorylation, likely to occur within the Golgi apparatus of the secretory pathway. Here we show that Golgi apparatus casein kinase (G-CK) catalyzes the phosphorylation of rhBMP-15 and rhGDF-9. rhBMP-15, in particular, is an excellent substrate for G-CK. In each protein a single residue is phosphorylated by G-CK, corresponding to the serine residue at the sixth position of the mature region of both rhBMP-15 and rhGDF-9, whose phosphorylation is required for biological activity.     

The costal skeleton of Homo antecessor: preliminary results

The Lower Pleistocene TD6 level at the Gran Dolina site in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain) has yielded nine ribs that represent a minimum of three individuals of the species, Homo antecessor. We present a detailed morphological and metric study of these costal elements, including the siding and anatomical position of all of the rib remains. The adult or nearly adult ribs are also metrically compared with other fossil hominins and with modern comparative samples. The costal elements recovered to date from the TD6 level at Gran Dolina can neither confirm nor reject the hypothesis that H. antecessor had a large thorax, similar to that of Neandertals. However, the fragmentary evidence of the H. antecessor thoracic skeleton is not inconsistent with this suggestion based on other skeletal elements, such as clavicles.

Resumen

En el nivel TD6 del Pleistoceno inferior del yacimiento de Gran Dolina, en la Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, España) se han recuperado nueve costillas que pertenecen a un mínimo de tres individuos de la especie Homo antecessor. Presentamos un detallado estudio métrico y morfológico incluyendo el lado y la determinación anatómica. Las costillas pertenecientes a individuos adultos o casi adultos también son comparadas métricamente a muestras modernas de comparación y otros homininos fósiles. Basándonos en el registro de costillas de Homo antecessor recuperado hasta el momento no podemos probar ni refutar la hipótesis de que esta especie presentaba un tórax grande similar al de los Neandertales. Sin embargo, el registro de costillas no es inconsistente con la hipótesis de un tórax grande como sugiere la gran longitud de sus clavículas.