Influence of air temperature on the first flowering date of Prunus yedoensis Matsum

Climate change is expected to have a significant effect on the first flowering date (FFD) in plants flowering in early spring. Prunus yedoensis Matsum is a good model plant for analyzing this effect. In this study, we used a degree day model to analyze the effect of air temperatures on the FFDs of P. yedoensis at Wuhan University from a long-time series from 1951 to 2012. First, the starting date (=7 February) is determined according to the lowest correlation coefficient between the FFD and the daily average accumulated degree days (ADD). Second, the base temperature (=−1.2°C) is determined according to the lowest root mean square error (RMSE) between the observed and predicted FFDs based on the mean of 62-year ADDs. Finally, based on this combination of starting date and base temperature, the daily average ADD of every year was calculated. Performing a linear fit of the daily average ADD to year, we find that there is an increasing trend that indicates climate warming from a biological climatic indicator. In addition, we find that the minimum annual temperature also has a significant effect on the FFD of P. yedoensis using the generalized additive model. This study provides a method for analyzing the climate change on the FFD in plants'' flowering in early spring.     

Transmission loss patterns from acoustic harassment and deterrent devices do not always follow geometrical spreading predictions

Acoustic harassment and deterrent devices have become increasingly popular mitigation tools for negotiating the impacts of marine mammals on fisheries. The rationale for their variable effectiveness remains unexplained, but high variability in the surrounding acoustic field may be relevant. In the present study, the sound fields of one acoustic harassment device and three acoustic deterrent devices were measured at three study sites along the Scandinavian coast. Superimposed onto an overall trend of decreasing sound exposure levels with increasing range were large local variations in the sound level for all sources in each of the environments. This variability was likely caused by source directionality, inter-ping source level variation and multipath interference. Rapid and unpredictable variations in the sound level as a function of range deviated from expectations derived from spherical and cylindrical spreading models and conflicted with the classic concept of concentric zones of increasing disturbance with decreasing range. Under such conditions, animals may encounter difficulties when trying to determine the direction to and location of a sound source, which may complicate or jeopardize avoidance responses.     

ADD1/SREBP1c activates the PGC1-α promoter in brown adipocytes

Cold adaptation elicits a paradoxical simultaneous induction of fatty acid synthesis and β-oxidation in brown adipose tissue. We show here that cold exposure coordinately induced liver X receptor α (LXRα), adipocyte determination and differentiation-dependent factor 1 (ADD1)/sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP1c) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α (PGC1α) in brown and inguinal white adipose tissues, but not in epididymal white adipose tissue. Using in vitro models of white and brown adipocytes we demonstrate that β-adrenergic stimulation induced expression of LXRα, ADD1/SREBP1c and PGC1α in cells with a brown-like adipose phenotype. We demonstrate that ADD1/SREBP1c is a powerful inducer of PGC1α expression via a conserved E box in the proximal promoter and that β-adrenergic stimulation led to recruitment of ADD1/SREBP1c to this E box. The ability of ADD1/SREBP1c to activate the PGC1α promoter exhibited a striking cell type dependency, suggesting that additional cell type-restricted factors contribute to ADD1/SREBP1c-mediated activation. In conclusion, our data demonstrate a novel role of ADD1/SREBP1c as a regulator of PGC1α expression in brown adipose tissue.     

Biosynthesis of Succulent Bamboo Shoots of Bambusa balcooa into Phytosterols and Its Biotransformation into ADD

Fermentation of the succulent bamboo shoots of Bambusa balcooa Roxb. resulted in an enrichment of phytosterols from 0.12% to 0.62% dry weight as compared to that of the fresh unfermented samples. The bacterial strains responsible for higher accumulation of phytosterols during fermentation of the bamboo shoots have been isolated and further extraction and purification of the crude phytosterols (isolated from the fermented samples) were done by TLC, UV, NMR, IR and Mass spectral analysis. The isolated phytosterols (β-sitos-terols) were then subjected to microbial transformation which yielded a considerable amount of androsta-1, 4-diene-3,17-dione (ADD) in the incubation mixture in presence of metabolic inhibitors (α, α＇-dipyridyl and sodium arsenate).     

Biosynthesis of Succulent Bamboo Shoots of Bambusa balcooa into Phytosterols and Its Biotransformation into ADD

Fermentation of the succulent bamboo shoots of Bambusa balcooa Roxb. resulted in an enrichment of phytosterols from 0.12% to 0.62% dry weight as compared to that of the fresh unfermented samples. The bacterial strains responsible for higher accumulation of phytosterols during fermentation of the bamboo shoots have been isolated and further extraction and purification of the crude phytosterols (isolated from the fermented samples) were done by TLC, UV, NMR, IR and Mass spectral analysis. The isolated phytosterols (β-sitos-terols) were then subjected to microbial transformation which yielded a considerable amount of androsta-1, 4-diene-3,17-dione (ADD) in the incubation mixture in presence of metabolic inhibitors (α, α'-dipyridyl and sodium arsenate).     

1961-2005年西藏飞蝗潜在分布的变化

青藏高原是气候变暖的敏感地区, 温度是影响青藏高原昆虫分布的重要因素。作为青藏高原的本地物种的蝗虫, 西藏飞蝗Locusta migratoria tibetensis Chen对高原升温的反应就是获得的有效积温增加, 分布范围扩大。为了准确估计西藏飞蝗发生面积, 以期为西藏飞蝗监测、 预警及控制提供依据, 本研究以1961－2005年90个高原气象站点地面温度资料计算了西藏飞蝗的有效积温(accumulated degree-days, ADD), 建立了1961－2005年有效积温与地理位置的模型; 并根据这些模型利用GIS技术, 计算了各年西藏飞蝗的潜在分布面积(area of potential distribution, APD)。结果表明： 温度升高能明显增加西藏飞蝗获得的有效积温, 西藏飞蝗的分布主要沿高原河谷分布。1961－2005年, 西藏飞蝗平均潜在分布面积为91 081 km², 约占高原面积3%; 次热年1998年西藏飞蝗的潜在分布面积最大, 达142 988 km², 是最冷年1968年的1.9倍。相关分析表明： 西藏飞蝗潜在发生面积与年平均地面温度显著相关。趋势线分析表明： 45年间青藏高原每年平均增温0.0301℃, 而西藏飞蝗潜在发生面积平均每年增加504.38 km², 两者之比为16 756.8, 温度的增加能够引起西藏飞蝗潜在分布面积大幅上升。本文为全球气候变暖对青藏高原生态的影响提供了事例依据。     

Gly460Trp polymorphism of the ADD1 gene and essential hypertension in an Indian population: A meta-analysis on hypertension risk

BACKGROUND:

Essential hypertension is a complex genetic trait. Genetic variant of alpha adducin (ADD1) gene have been implicated as a risk factor for hypertension. Given its clinical significance, we investigated the association between ADD1 Gly460Trp gene polymorphism and essential hypertension in an Indian population. Further, a meta-analysis was carried out to estimate the risk of hypertension.

METHODS:

In the current study, 432 hypertensive cases and 461 healthy controls were genotyped for the Gly460Trp ADD1 gene polymorphism. Genotyping was determined by real time PCR using Taqman assay. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to detect the association between Gly460Trp polymorphism and hypertension.

RESULTS:

No significant association was found in the genotype and allele distribution of Gly460Trp polymorphism with hypertension in our study. A total of 15 case-control studies were included in the meta-analysis. There was no evidence of the association of Gly460Trp polymorphism with hypertension in general or in any of the sub group.

CONCLUSIONS:

We found that the Gly460Trp polymorphism is not a risk factor for essential hypertension in a south Indian Tamilian population. However, the role of ADD1 polymorphism may not be excluded by a negative association study. Further, large and rigorous case-control studies that investigate gene–gene–environment interactions may generate more conclusive claims about the molecular genetics of hypertension.     

A metadynamic approach to understand the recognition mechanism of the histone H3 tail with the ATRXADD domain

The binding affinity between the histone 3 (H3) tail and the ADD domain of ATRX (ATRX_ADD) increases with the subsequent addition of methyl groups on lysine 9 on H3. To improve our understanding of how the difference in methylation state affects binding between H3 and the ATRX_ADD, we adopted a metadynamic approach to explore the recognition mechanism between the two proteins and identify the key intermolecular interactions that mediate this protein-peptide interaction (PPI). The non-methylated H3 peptide is recognized only by the PHD finger of ATRX_ADD while mono-, di-, and trimethylated H3 is recognized by both the PHD and GATA-like zinc finger of the domain. Furthermore, water molecules play an important role in orienting the lysine 9 anchor towards the GATA-like zinc finger, which results in stabilizing the lysine 9 binding pocket on ATRX_ADD. We compared our computational results against experimentally determined NMR and X-ray structures by demonstrating the RMSD, order parameter S² and hydration number of the complex. The metadynamics data provide new insight into roles of water-bridges and the mechanisms through which K9 hydration stabilizes the H3K9me3:ATRX_ADD PPI, providing context for the high affinity demonstrated between this protein and peptide.     

A 1.5 Mb terminal deletion of 12p associated with autism spectrum disorder

We report a patient with a terminal 12p deletion associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This 12p13.33 deletion is 1.5 Mb in size and encompasses 13 genes (B4GALNT3, CCDC77, ERC1, FBXL14, IQSEC3, KDM5A, LINC00942, LOC574538, NINJ2, RAD52, SLC6A12, SLC6A13 and WNK1). All previous cases reported with partial monosomy of 12p13.33 are associated with neurodevelopmental delay, and we suggest that ERC1, which encodes a regulator of neurotransmitter release, is the best gene candidate contributing to this phenotype as well as to the ASD of our patient.