Low oxygen stimulates proliferation of fibroblasts seeded as single cells

In standard tissue culture conditions (20% oxygen), single human dermal fibroblasts (one cell per well) do not proliferate. We now report that low oxygen tension is a potent stimulus for the proliferation and expansion of human adult and neonatal dermal fibroblasts seeded as single cells. This preferential single-cell proliferation in low oxygen is shown to be also a feature of human lung and dermal rodent fibroblasts, but not of human fibrosarcoma and immortalized 3T3 cells, which proliferate without difficulty in standard oxygen conditions. It is suggested that single-cell proliferation and its dramatic stimulation in low oxygen may represent a fundamental biologic process with an opportunity to better understand mammalian cell growth regulation. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Epidiatomic diatoms: An insight into interaction specificity

Little is known about direct interactions between diatoms. In this study, small diatoms attaching onto larger benthic and motile diatoms were considered. This phenomenon is commonly considered as epiphytism (with diatom epiphytes) although the exact nature of this interaction has not been investigated yet. The question that was addressed here is the specificity of the interaction, simply by observing species associations in their natural environment. A comparison of this special form of epiphytism was carried out between two sites, on a Mediterranean river and one of its tributaries. The results showed both host and epiphyte selection, but with some variability in species associations. This excludes the two alternative hypotheses that (i) large diatoms are a neutral substrate for smaller diatoms and that (ii) the interactions are strictly specific between two species.     

Genetic evidence for the origin of Aedes aegypti,the yellow fever mosquito,in the southwestern Indian Ocean

Aedes aegypti is among the best‐studied mosquitoes due to its critical role as a vector of human pathogens and ease of laboratory rearing. Until now, this species was thought to have originated in continental Africa, and subsequently colonized much of the world following the establishment of global trade routes. However, populations of this mosquito on the islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean (SWIO), where the species occurs with its nearest relatives referred to as the Aegypti Group, have received little study. We re‐evaluated the evolutionary history of Ae. aegypti and these relatives, using three data sets: nucleotide sequence data, 18,489 SNPs and 12 microsatellites. We found that: (a) the Aegypti Group diverged 16 MYA (95% HPD: 7–28 MYA) from its nearest African/Asian ancestor; (b) SWIO populations of Ae. aegypti are basal to continental African populations; (c) after diverging 7 MYA (95% HPD: 4–15 MYA) from its nearest formally described relative (Ae. mascarensis), Ae. aegypti moved to continental Africa less than 85,000 years ago, where it recently (<1,000 years ago) split into two recognized subspecies Ae. aegypti formosus and a human commensal, Ae. aegypti aegypti; (d) the Madagascar samples form a clade more distant from all other Ae. aegypti than the named species Ae. mascarensis, implying that Madagascar may harbour a new cryptic species; and (e) there is evidence of introgression between Ae. mascarensis and Ae. aegypti on Réunion, and between the two subspecies elsewhere in the SWIO, a likely consequence of recent introductions of domestic Ae. aegypti aegypti from Asia.     

Isolation,Characterization and In-Silico Study of Conotoxin Protein from Conus loroisii and Its Anti-cancer Activity

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - The conopeptides are the conotoxin of Conus loroisii have wide applications in drug development. This work emphasizes the isolation and...     

3D strain map of axially loaded mouse tibia: a numerical analysis validated by experimental measurements

A combined experimental/numerical study was performed to calculate the 3D octahedral shear strain map in a mouse tibia loaded axially. This study is motivated by the fact that the bone remodelling analysis, in this in vivo mouse model should be performed at the zone of highest mechanical stimulus to maximise the measured effects. Accordingly, it is proposed that quantification of bone remodelling should be performed at the tibial crest and at the distal diaphysis. The numerical model could also be used to furnish a more subtle analysis as a precise correlation between local strain and local biological response can be obtained with the experimentally validated numerical model.