Ethnobotany of Ferocactus histrix and echinocactus platyacanthus (Cactaceae) in the Semiarid Central Mexico: Past,Present and Future

Ferocactus histrix and Echinocactus platyacanthus are two common barrel cacti of the semiarid highlands of Central Mexico. In pre-Columbian times, these plants were sacred, used for sacrifices, food and medicine. Today, these cacti are used in the candy industry, as medicine, as a source of food and water for goats and as ornamental plants. The floral buds and fruits ofF. histrix are consumed by the local people; the latter are sold in local markets. Until recently, the apical indument ofE. platyacanthus was used for padding and weaving. The importance of these species increases with the aridity of the land and its inadequacy for agriculture. Habitat protection and artificial propagation are needed to avoid the extinction of these species.     

Three-dimensional structure of fatty-acid-binding protein from bovine heart

The complex of fatty-acid-binding protein (FABP) from bovine heart (cFABP, pI4.9) with endogenous lipid was crystallized in the presence of ammonium sulfate as precipitant. The needle-shaped crystals belong to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell constants a = 5.262(6) nm, b = 7.631(8) nm, c = 3.945(5) nm and beta = 94.47(9) degrees. A native data set to 0.35 nm resolution was collected using synchrotron radiation and film methods. An initial model for the three-dimensional structure of the protein was constructed based on the crystal structure of the related bovine P2 myelin protein [Jones, T.A., Bergfors, T., Sedzik, J. & Unge, T. (1988) EMBO J. 7, 1597-1604] to which the amino acid sequence of bovine cFABP was adapted. Energy minimizations were carried out under different conditions using both an all-atom and a united-atom force field. The optimized models were used to determine the crystal structure of cFABP by molecular-replacement techniques. The structure was refined by simulated annealing to R = 0.267. As the bound lipid is heterogeneous, it could not be located in the electron-density map and/or the attained resolution was not sufficient. Bovine cFABP is composed of ten antiparallel beta strands forming a beta barrel, and by two alpha helices. The structural features are similar to those of other members of the superfamily of hydrophobic molecule transporters.     

Monoclonal proliferation of Friend murine leukemia virus-transformed myeloblastic cells occurs early in the leukemogenic process.

Integrated Friend murine leukemia virus copies were analyzed by the Southern blotting procedure in myeloblastic cell lines obtained after in vitro infection of long-term mouse bone marrow cultures. Several steps leading to the generation of malignant myeloblastic cells after a long latency period were observed in the evolution of infected cultures. Shortly after infection, a random distribution of integrated provirus copies was observed in the DNA of normally differentiating myeloid cells. In contrast, a distinct pattern of integrated Friend murine leukemia virus copies was evident in the first non-differentiating immature myeloblastic cells appearing in cultures, suggesting a monoclonal origin of these cells. For each cell line, characteristic hybridizing fragments were conserved during the 1-year culture period necessary for the acquisition of tumorigenic properties and were also observed in tumors grafted in vivo. We can conclude that monoclonality is effective very early in the myeloid transformation process, as soon as the precursor cells are blocked in their differentiation.     

Gene-flow in the clouds: landscape genetics of a viviparous,montane grassland toad in the tropics

Anthropogenic habitat alteration often increases fragmentation and isolation, which decreases population sizes and increases extinction risk for species. Extrinsic threats may be buffered or enhanced by intrinsic factors. Within amphibians, the influence of different environmental and intrinsic factors on the population structure is not yet fully understood. Four factors were found to be important for population connectivity: life history traits, recent (anthropogenic) land use history, habitat, and topography, but the direction of their influence differed between studies. Here, we examine the genetic population structure and interpopulation connectivity within the complete distribution of Nimba toads (Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis), a toad from montane tropical West Africa. The Nimba toad is the only known viviparous, matrotrophic (foetuses are nourished during the gestation by their mothers) anuran on Earth. It occurs in three regions, the smallest is situated in disturbed, the largest population in partly disturbed habitat and the third was not yet impacted. We found small, but significant population differentiation, no indication of a recent bottleneck in the smallest population, but an indication of a reduction in population sizes in the more distant past in all three populations and no sex-biased dispersal. Correlations with landscape classifications indicate that high elevations, due to their high humidity levels, are the most important landscape characteristic facilitating dispersal. This underscores desiccation risk as an important landscape characteristic for amphibian population connectivity. We found indication that life-history traits (viviparity), land use history (mining-related activity) and topography (elevation) have an influence on Nimba toad population differentiation and gene-flow.     

Utilización de marcadores ITS e ISSR para la caracterización molecular de cepas híbridas de Pleurotus djamor

Background

Molecular characterisation of wild type Pleurotus species is important for germplasm conservation and its further use for genetic improvement. No molecular studies have been performed with monokaryons used for producing hybrid strains, either with the reconstituted strains obtained by pairing those monokaryons. The molecular characterisation of parental dikaryons, hybrid, and reconstituted strains as well as monokaryotic strains, is therefore of utmost importance.

Triheptanoin protects against status epilepticus‐induced hippocampal mitochondrial dysfunctions,oxidative stress and neuronal degeneration

Triheptanoin, the triglyceride of heptanoate, is anaplerotic (refills deficient tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates) via the propionyl‐CoA carboxylase pathway. It has been shown to be neuroprotective and anticonvulsant in several models of neurological disorders. Here, we investigated the effects of triheptanoin against changes of hippocampal mitochondrial functions, oxidative stress and cell death induced by pilocarpine‐induced status epilepticus (SE ) in mice. Ten days of triheptanoin pre‐treatment did not protect against SE , but it preserved hippocampal mitochondrial functions including state 2, state 3 ADP , state 3 uncoupled respiration, respiration linked to ATP synthesis along with the activities of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex 24 h post‐SE . Triheptanoin prevented the SE ‐induced reductions of hippocampal mitochondrial superoxide dismutase activity and plasma antioxidant status as well as lipid peroxidation. It also reduced neuronal degeneration in hippocampal CA 1 and CA 3 regions 3 days after SE . In addition, heptanoate significantly reduced hydrogen peroxide‐induced cell death in cultured neurons. In situ hybridization localized the enzymes of the propionyl‐CoA carboxylase pathway, specifically Pcc α, Pcc β and methylmalonyl‐CoA mutase to adult mouse hippocampal pyramidal neurons and dentate granule cells, indicating that anaplerosis may occur in neurons. In conclusion, triheptanoin appears to have anaplerotic and antioxidant effects which contribute to its neuroprotective properties.

     

Age-dependent strategies related to lionfish activities in the Mexican Caribbean

Lionfish are successful invasive predators in the Caribbean region and inhabit a large range of habitats. Our study in the Caribbean has focused on the relationships between the biological characteristics of lionfish particularly their size, their activities and use of those different habitats. In this study, we observed a high number of lionfish individuals, focusing on the behavioural activities and biological traits in relation to different habitats and environmental characteristics. We monitored 793 individuals, recording their activities, biological traits, and habitat characteristics. Our results report that lionfish are not solitary, but frequently form groups for many activities. We provide evidence of differences between lionfish habitat use according to activity, and the size of individual fish. Considering the size is correlated with age, coral reefs appear to be the preferred habitat of older individuals, whereas the youngest lionfish use a diversity of habitats, ranging from mangroves to coral reefs. In addition, this study suggests that predation of lionfish is age-dependent strategy, and depends on time and the tone of the environment. Lionfish do not only use the head-down posture to catch prey but also horizontal and head-up postures. The youngest lionfish hunt mainly in dark areas and during the night while the older fish were observed hunting mostly during the day and in clear areas. These new aspects of lionfish ecology and behaviour are discussed in light of their invasive success.     

Association Between Suicide and Environmental Variables in the North of Spain: A 14-Year Analysis

Suicide is a serious public health problem around the world. Since the nineteenth century, the impact of socio-environmental factors on suicide has attracted much public attention, especially in the context of global climate change. We have performed a retrospective correlation study that analyzes the demographic pattern of suicide in Cantabria, a northern coastland region of Spain. Moreover, we have created a multivariable binomial regression model to study the relationship between suicide and environmental factors (atmospheric pollutants and meteorological variables) among January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2013 in the province. During the 14-year study period, there was a suicide annual incidence of 4.9 cases per 100,000 population in Cantabria. The incidence was highest in adults aged 70–74 years old (11.8 per 100,000 population). The most common method group of suicide was hanging, strangulation and suffocation, accounting for 49.3% of all suicide deaths. When correlating suicide and meteorological variables, a statistically significant association was found with the level of cloudiness (p?=?0.007). According to our results, an increase of one eighth of sky cloud-cover correlated to a 7% increase in total deaths by suicide and the association was especially strong during spring.