Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Contact Rates in Female White-Tailed Deer

Abstract: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are important game mammals and potential reservoirs of diseases of domestic livestock; thus, diseases of deer are of great concern to wildlife managers. Contact, either direct or indirect, is necessary for disease transmission, but we know little about the ecological contexts that promote intrasexual contact among deer. Using pair-wise direct contacts estimated from Global Positioning System collar locations and joint utilization distributions (JUDs), we assessed habitats in which contacts occur to test whether direct contact rates among female white-tailed deer in different social groups differs among land-cover types. We also tested whether contact rates differed among seasons, lunar phases, and times of day. We obtained locations from 27 female deer for periods of 0.5–17 months during 2002–2006. We designated any simultaneous pair of locations for 2 deer <25 m apart as a direct contact. For each season, we used compositional analysis to compare land-cover types where 2 deer had contact to available land-cover weighted by their JUD. We used mixed-model logistic regression to test for effects of season, lunar phase, and time of day on contact rates. Contact rates during the gestation season were greater than expected from random use in forest and grassland cover, whereas contact rates during the fawning period were greater in agricultural fields than in other land-cover types. Contact rates were greatest during the rut and lowest in summer. Diel patterns of contact rates varied with season, and contact rates were elevated during full moon compared to other lunar periods. Both spatial and temporal analyses suggest that contact between female deer in different social groups occurs mainly during feeding, which highlights the potential impact of food distribution and habitat on contact rates among deer. By using methods to associate contacts and land-cover, we have created beneficial tools for more elaborate and detailed studies of disease transmission. Our methods can offer information necessary to develop spatially realistic models of disease transmission in deer.     

Superposition of masking releases

We are constantly exposed to a mixture of sounds of which only few are important to consider. In order to improve detectability and to segregate important sounds from less important sounds, the auditory system uses different aspects of natural sound sources. Among these are (a) its specific location and (b) synchronous envelope fluctuations in different frequency regions. Such a comodulation of different frequency bands facilitates the detection of tones in noise, a phenomenon known as comodulation masking release (CMR). Physiological as well as psychoacoustical studies usually investigate only one of these strategies to segregate sounds. Here we present psychoacoustical data on CMR for various virtual locations of the signal by varying its interaural phase difference (IPD). The results indicate that the masking release in conditions with binaural (interaural phase differences) and across-frequency (synchronous envelope fluctuations, i.e. comodulation) cues present is equal to the sum of the masking releases for each of the cues separately. Data and model predictions with a simplified model of the auditory system indicate an independent and serial processing of binaural cues and monaural across-frequency cues, maximizing the benefits from the envelope comparison across frequency and the comparison of fine structure across ears.

Single amino acid substitutions in kappa-conotoxin PVIIA disrupt interaction with the shaker K+ channel

kappa-Conotoxin PVIIA (kappa-PVIIA), a 27-amino acid peptide with three disulfide cross-links, isolated from the venom of Conus purpurascens, is the first conopeptide shown to inhibit the Shaker K(+) channel (Terlau, H., Shon, K., Grilley, M., Stocker, M., Stühmer, W., and Olivera, B. M. (1996) Nature 381, 148-151). Recently, two groups independently determined the solution structure for kappa-PVIIA using NMR; although the structures reported were similar, two mutually exclusive models for the interaction of the peptide with the Shaker channel were proposed. We carried out a structure/function analysis of kappa-PVIIA, with alanine substitutions for all amino acids postulated to be key residues by both groups. Our data are consistent with the critical dyad model developed by Ménez and co-workers (Dauplais, M., Lecoq, A., Song, J. , Cotton, J., Jamin, N., Gilquin, B., Roumestand, C., Vita, C., de Medeiros, C., Rowan, E. G., Harvey, A. L., and Ménez, A. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 4802-4809) for polypeptide antagonists of K(+) channels. In the case of kappa-PVIIA, Lys(7) and Phe(9) are essential for activity as predicted by Savarin et al. (Savarin, P., Guenneugues, M., Gilquin, B., Lamthanh, H., Gasparini, S., Zinn-Justin, S., and Ménez, A. (1998) Biochemistry 37, 5407-5416); these workers also correctly predicted an important role for Lys(25). Thus, although kappa-conotoxin PVIIA has no obvious sequence homology to polypeptide toxins from other venomous animals that interact with voltage-gated K(+) channels, there may be convergent functional features in diverse K(+) channel polypeptide antagonists.     

Ciliary targeting of olfactory CNG channels requires the CNGB1b subunit and the kinesin-2 motor protein, KIF17

Nonmotile cilia on olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) compartmentalize signaling molecules, including odorant receptors and cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels, allowing for efficient, spatially confined responses to sensory stimuli . Little is known about the mechanisms of the ciliary targeting of olfactory CNG channels, composed of three subunits: CNGA2, CNGA4, and CNGB1b . Recent reports suggest that subunit composition of the retinal CNG channel influences localization, leading to disease . However, the mechanistic role of subunits in properly targeting native olfactory CNG channels remains unclear. Here, we show that heteromeric assembly with CNGB1b, containing a critical carboxy-terminal motif (RVxP), is required for ciliary trafficking of olfactory CNG channels. Movement of proteins within the cilia is governed by intraflagellar transport (IFT), a process that facilitates bidirectional movement of cargo along microtubules. Work in C. elegans has established that heterotrimeric and homodimeric kinesin-2 family members play a critical role in anterograde transport . In mammalian systems, the heterotrimeric KIF3a/KIF3b/KAP-3 complex plays a clear role in IFT; however, no role has been established for KIF17, the mammalian homolog of OSM-3 . Here, we demonstrate that KIF17 is required for olfactory CNG channel targeting, providing novel insights into mechanisms of mammalian ciliary transport.     

Metabolomics (liver and blood profiling) in a mouse model in response to fasting: a study of hepatic steatosis

A metabolomic approach was applied to a mouse model of starvation-induced hepatic steatosis. After 24 h of fasting it appears that starvation reduced the phospholipids (PL), free cholesterol (FC), and cholesterol esters (CE) content of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). In liver lipid profiles major changes were observed using different techniques. High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC)-measurements of liver-homogenates indicated a significant rise of FC with 192%, triacylglycerols (TG) with 456% and cholesterol esters (CE) with 268% after 24 h of starvation in comparison with the control group. Reversed phase liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry measurements (LC-MS) of liver homogenate indicated that the intensity of Phosphatidylcholine (PC) in the 24-h starvation group dropped to 90% of the value in the control group while the intensity of CE and TG increased to 157% and 331%, respectively, of the control group. Interestingly, a 49:4-TG with an odd number of C atoms appeared during starvation. This unique triacylglycerol has all characteristics of a biomarker for detection of hepatic steatosis. These observations indicate that in mammals liver lipid profiles are a dynamic system which are readily modulated by environmental factors like starvation.     

Effects of α-Tubulin K40 Acetylation and Detyrosination on Kinesin-1 Motility in a Purified System

Long-range transport in cells is achieved primarily through motor-based transport along a network of microtubule tracks. Targeted transport by kinesin motors can be correlated with posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of the tubulin subunits in specific microtubules. To directly examine the influence of specific PTMs on kinesin-1 motility, we generated tubulin subunits that were either enriched in or lacking acetylation of α-tubulin lysine 40 (K40) or detyrosination of the α-tubulin C-terminal tail. We show that K40 acetylation does not result in significant changes in kinesin-1’s landing rate or motility parameters (velocity and run length) across experimental conditions. In contrast, detyrosination causes a moderate increase in kinesin-1’s landing rate. The fact that the effects of detyrosination are dampened by prior K40 acetylation indicates that the combination of PTMs may be an important aspect of the functional output of microtubule heterogeneity. Importantly, our results indicate that the moderate influences that single PTMs have on kinesin-1 in vitro do not explain the strong correlation between specific PTMs and kinesin-1 transport in cells. Thus, additional mechanisms for regulating kinesin-1 transport in cells must be explored in future work.     

Selective inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis by gold salts and phenylbutazone

Gold salts and phenylbutazone selectively inhibit the synthesis of PGF_2α and PGE₂ respectively. Lowered production of one prostaglandin species is accompanied by an increased production of the other. Selective inhibition by these drugs was observed in the presence of adrenaline, reduced glutathione and copper sulphate under conditions when most anti-inflammatory compounds inhibited PGE₂ and PGF_2α syntheses equally. It is postulated that selective inhibitors may have a different mode of action and beneficial effects may be related to the endogenous ratio of PGE to PGF required for normal function.     

Two silicone nontoxic fouling release coatings: Hydrosilation cured PDMS and CaCO3 filled,ethoxysiloxane cured RTV11

Two silicone coatings have been evaluated for barnacle adhesion. One coating is an unfilled hydrosilation cured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) network, while the other is a room temperature vulcanized (RTV), filled, ethoxysiloxane cured PDMS elastomer, RTV11^?. The adhesion strength of one species of barnacle, Balanus eburneus, to the hydrosilation coatings is in the range of 0.37–0.60 kg cm^‐2 while the corresponding range for RTV11 is 0.64–0.90 kg cm^‐2. The easier release of B. eburneus from the hydrosilation cured network compared to RTV11 is discussed in relationship to differences in bulk and surface properties. Preliminary results suggest bulk modulus may be the most important parameter in determining barnacle adhesion strength. In light or mechanical property analysis, a re‐evaluation of surface properties and chemical stability is presented.     

Pore positioning: Current concepts in Pannexin channel trafficking

Pannexins (Panxs) are a multifaceted family of ion and metabolite channels that play key roles in a number of physiological and pathophysiological settings. These single membrane large-pore channels exhibit a variety of tissue, cell type, and subcellular distributions. The lifecycles of Panxs are complex, yet must be understood to accurately target these proteins for future therapeutic use. Here we review the basics of Panx function and localization, and then analyze the recent advances in knowledge regarding Panx trafficking. We examine several intrinsic features of Panxs including specific post-translational modifications, the divergent C-termini, and oligomerization, all of which contribute to Panx anterograde transport pathways. Further, we examine the potential influence of extrinsic factors, such as protein-protein interactions, on Panx trafficking. Finally, we highlight what is currently known with respect to Panx internalization and retrograde transport, and present new data illustrating Panx1 internalization following an activating stimulus.