Long-term impacts of selective logging on two Amazonian tree species with contrasting ecological and reproductive characteristics: inferences from Eco-gene model simulations

The impact of logging and subsequent recovery after logging is predicted to vary depending on specific life history traits of the logged species. The Eco-gene simulation model was used to evaluate the long-term impacts of selective logging over 300 years on two contrasting Brazilian Amazon tree species, Dipteryx odorata and Jacaranda copaia. D. odorata (Leguminosae), a slow growing climax tree, occurs at very low densities, whereas J. copaia (Bignoniaceae) is a fast growing pioneer tree that occurs at high densities. Microsatellite multilocus genotypes of the pre-logging populations were used as data inputs for the Eco-gene model and post-logging genetic data was used to verify the output from the simulations. Overall, under current Brazilian forest management regulations, there were neither short nor long-term impacts on J. copaia. By contrast, D. odorata cannot be sustainably logged under current regulations, a sustainable scenario was achieved by increasing the minimum cutting diameter at breast height from 50 to 100 cm over 30-year logging cycles. Genetic parameters were only slightly affected by selective logging, with reductions in the numbers of alleles and single genotypes. In the short term, the loss of alleles seen in J. copaia simulations was the same as in real data, whereas fewer alleles were lost in D. odorata simulations than in the field. The different impacts and periods of recovery for each species support the idea that ecological and genetic information are essential at species, ecological guild or reproductive group levels to help derive sustainable management scenarios for tropical forests.     

Targeted Intracellular Delivery of Resveratrol to Glioblastoma Cells Using Apolipoprotein E-Containing Reconstituted HDL as a Nanovehicle

The objective of this study is to transport and deliver resveratrol to intracellular sites using apolipoprotein E3 (apoE3). Reconstituted high-density lipoprotein (rHDL) bearing resveratrol (rHDL/res) was prepared using phospholipids and the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr)-binding domain of apoE3. Biophysical characterization revealed that resveratrol was partitioned into the phospholipid bilayer of discoidal rHDL/res particles (~19 nm diameter). Co-immunoprecipitation studies indicated that the LDLr-binding ability of apoE3 was retained. Cellular uptake of resveratrol to intracellular sites was evaluated in glioblastoma A-172 cells by direct fluorescence using chemically synthesized NBD-labeled resveratrol (res/NBD) embedded in rHDL/res. Competition and inhibition studies indicate that the uptake is by receptor mediated endocytosis via the LDLr, with co-localization of apoE3 and res/NBD in late endosomes/lysosomes. We propose that rHDL provides an ideal hydrophobic milieu to sequester resveratrol and that rHDL containing apoE3 serves as an effective “nanovehicle” to transport and deliver resveratrol to targeted intracellular sites.     

Steroidogenic capabilities of the early mouse embryo

Preimplantation embryos from ICR albino mice were used to determine progesterone and estradiol-17β production during incubation in BMOC-2. Following culture of 40 embryos/culture at either the morula, early blastocyst or late blastocyst stages, progesterone and estradiol-17β contents were 192±27 and 82±22 pg, 289±50 and 147±46 pg and 157±28 and 88±23 pg, respectively, for incubated samples and 306±68 and 89±40 pg, 404±63 and 125±44 pg, and 241±54 and 86±39 pg, respectively for control samples. Although, there were significant stage of development and treatments effects (P<0.05) for progesterone, production of this steroid was not evident. These data suggest that the early preimplantation mouse embryo does not produce progesterone or estradiol-17β in a defined culture system.     

Why species delimitation matters for fungal ecology: Colletotrichum diversity on wild and cultivated cashew in Brazil

Anthracnose is one of the most important plant diseases globally, occurring on a wide range of cultivated and wild host species. This study aimed to identify the Colletotrichum species associated with cashew anthracnose in Brazil, determine their phylogenetic relationships and geographical distribution, and provide some insight into the factors that may be influencing community composition. Colletotrichum isolates collected from symptomatic leaves, stems, inflorescences, and fruit of cultivated and wild cashew, across four Brazilian biomes, were identified as Colletotrichum chrysophilum, Colletotrichum fragariae, Colletotrichum fructicola, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides sensu stricto, Colletotrichum queenslandicum, Colletotrichum siamense and Colletotrichum tropicale. Colletotrichum siamense was the most dominant species. The greatest species richness was associated with cultivated cashew; leaves harbored more species than the other organs; the Atlantic Forest encompassed more species than the other biomes; and Pernambuco was the most species-rich location. However, accounting for the relative abundance of Colletotrichum species and differences in sample size across strata, the interpretation of which community is most diverse depends on how species are delimited. The present study provides valuable information about the Colletotrichum/cashew pathosystem, sheds light on the causal agents identification,and highlights the impact that species delimitation can have on ecological studies of fungi.     

The Effect of Dosing Regimens on the Antimalarial Efficacy of Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine: A Pooled Analysis of Individual Patient Data

Background

Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) is increasingly recommended for antimalarial treatment in many endemic countries; however, concerns have been raised over its potential under dosing in young children. We investigated the influence of different dosing schedules on DP''s clinical efficacy.

Methods and Findings

A systematic search of the literature was conducted to identify all studies published between 1960 and February 2013, in which patients were enrolled and treated with DP. Principal investigators were approached and invited to share individual patient data with the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN). Data were pooled using a standardised methodology. Univariable and multivariable risk factors for parasite recrudescence were identified using a Cox''s regression model with shared frailty across the study sites. Twenty-four published and two unpublished studies (n = 7,072 patients) were included in the analysis. After correcting for reinfection by parasite genotyping, Kaplan–Meier survival estimates were 97.7% (95% CI 97.3%–98.1%) at day 42 and 97.2% (95% CI 96.7%–97.7%) at day 63. Overall 28.6% (979/3,429) of children aged 1 to 5 years received a total dose of piperaquine below 48 mg/kg (the lower limit recommended by WHO); this risk was 2.3–2.9-fold greater compared to that in the other age groups and was associated with reduced efficacy at day 63 (94.4% [95% CI 92.6%–96.2%], p<0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, the mg/kg dose of piperaquine was found to be a significant predictor for recrudescence, the risk increasing by 13% (95% CI 5.0%–21%) for every 5 mg/kg decrease in dose; p = 0.002. In a multivariable model increasing the target minimum total dose of piperaquine in children aged 1 to 5 years old from 48 mg/kg to 59 mg/kg would halve the risk of treatment failure and cure at least 95% of patients; such an increment was not associated with gastrointestinal toxicity in the ten studies in which this could be assessed.

Conclusions

DP demonstrates excellent efficacy in a wide range of transmission settings; however, treatment failure is associated with a lower dose of piperaquine, particularly in young children, suggesting potential for further dose optimisation. Please see later in the article for the Editors'' Summary     

Individual variation evades the Prisoner's Dilemma

Background  

The Prisoner's Dilemma (PD) is a widely used paradigm to study cooperation in evolutionary biology, as well as in fields as diverse as moral philosophy, sociology, economics and politics. Players are typically assumed to have fixed payoffs for adopting certain strategies, which depend only on the strategy played by the opponent. However, fixed payoffs are not realistic in nature. Utility functions and the associated payoffs from pursuing certain strategies vary among members of a population with numerous factors. In biology such factors include size, age, social status and expected life span; in economics they include socio-economic status, personal preference and past experience; and in politics they include ideology, political interests and public support. Thus, no outcome is identical for any two different players.     

Evasion of encapsulation by parasitoid correlated with the extent of host hemocyte pathology

The egg and larval stages of the generalist endoparasitoid Campoletis sonorensis Carlson (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), which normally avoid the hemocytic reaction of many Lepidopteran host species, are encapsulated in 40% of Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae. The effect of parasitism on inhibiting the spreading ability of S. frugiperda plasmatocytes in vitro is more pronounced in susceptible larvae which fail to encapsulate the parasitoid than in resistant ones permitting parasitoid development. This suggests that induction of plasmatocyte pathology is relevant to the successful evasion of encapsulation by the parasitoid. Some granular cells disappear from the hemolymph of the parasitized resistant larvae, which implicates their involvement in the encapsulation reaction. Calyx fluid of C. sonorensis injected into host larvae produced effects on host hemocytes identical to natural parasitism. Several mechanism may cooperate to protect the parasitoid from encapsulation. The pathological reactions by the host plasmatocytes is one main manifestation of the immunosuppressive parasitoid effect. Results are discussed in regard to the known effects of C. sonorensis on Heliothis virescens Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larval hemocytes which are totally unable to respond with a successful cellular defense reaction.

---

Résumé L'ichneumonide Campoletis sonorensis Carlson, endoparasitoïde larvaire, se développe dans de nombreuses espèces de Lépidoptères. Son statut de généraliste est dû, notamment, à son aptitude à déjouer les défenses immunitaires de ses hôtes, c.a.d. la formation d'une capsule d'hémocytes autour de l'oeuf ou de la larve parasite. Cependant, chez le noctuide Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith, C. sonorensis est encapsulé dans 40% des larves qu'il parasite. Nous avons étudié la population hémocytaire de deux catégories de larves de S. frugiperda, celles qualifiées de résistantes à C. sonorensis, et qui arrêtent son développement, et celles susceptibles où le parasitoïde échappe à l'encapsulation.Cinq types d'hémocytes ont été identifiés: les prohémocytes (PR), les sphérulocytes (SP), les granulocytes (GR), les plasmatocytes (PL) et les oenocytoïdes (OE). Chez les hôtes susceptibles et résistants, le parasite provoque une baisse identique de la concentration totale des hémocytes dans l'hémolymphe (THC). Par contre, les PLs sont davantage affectés chez les hôtes susceptibles que chez ceux résistants au parasitoïde. Les résultats montrent que, chez les hôtes susceptibles, 1) le nombre des PLs dans l'hémolymphe est davantage diminué, et 2) leur aptitude d'adhérence in vitro est davantage inhibée. Il existe donc une corrélation positive entre le degré de pathologies qui affectent les PLs de l'hôte et l'incapacité de celui-ci à encapsuler le parasitoïde. Ceci tend à démontrer le rôle-clé des PLs dans la réaction immunitaire d'encapsulation chez S. frugiperda, comme chez de nombreux insectes. De plus, ce résultat renforce l'hypothèse selon laquelle C. sonorensis éviterait l'encapsulation en agissant sur les hémocytes de l'hôte, et plus particulièrement sur les PLs. Inversement aux PLs, les GRs sont moins abondants dans l'hémolymphe des hôtes qui encapsulent C. sonorensis. Les GRs pourraient donc participer à la formation de la capsule hémocytaire.Il est possible que plusieurs facteurs contribuent à protéger C. sonorensis de l'encapsulation. Néanmoins, les pathologies affectant les hémocytes des hôtes parasités sont probablement une manifestation majeure de l'effet immunosuppresseur du parasitoïde.Les effets de C. sonorensis sur les hémocytes des larves parasitées peuvent être reproduits chez des larves saines, en leur injectant de venin extrait des glandes du calyx des femelles parasitoïdes. Ces sécrétions provenant de la glande du calyx, et normalement injectées dans l'hôte lors de l'oviposition, sont probablment responsable, au moins en partie, de l'effet immunosuppresseur du parasitoïde.Ces résultats peuvent être comparés à ceux obtenus chez l'hôte Heliothis virescens Fabricius (lépidoptère, noctuide) qui n'encapsule jamais C. sonorensis. Bien que le parasitoïde provoque les mêmes effets pathologiques sur les hémocytes des hôtes de S. frugiperda et d'H. virescens, on constate que l'effet apparait quelques heures après l'oviposition chez H. virescens, contre 48 heures post-oviposition chez S. frugiperda. Ce délai pourrait contribuer à la résistance immunitaire de certaines larves de S. frugiperda, résistantes, à C. sonorensis.

     

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.