2-D DIGE analysis of UV-C radiation-responsive proteins in globe artichoke leaves

Plants respond to ultraviolet stress inducing a self-defence through the regulation of specific gene family members. The UV acclimation is the result of biochemical and physiological processes, such as enhancement of the antioxidant enzymatic system and accumulation of UV-absorbing phenolic compounds (e.g. flavonoids). Globe artichoke is an attractive species for studying the protein network involved in UV stress response, being characterized by remarkable levels of inducible antioxidants. Proteomic tools can assist the evaluation of the expression patterns of UV-responsive proteins and we applied the difference in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) technology for monitoring the globe artichoke proteome variation at four time points following an acute UV-C exposure. A total of 145 UV-C-modulated proteins were observed and 119 were identified by LC-MS/MS using a ～144,000 customized Compositae protein database, which included about 19,000 globe artichoke unigenes. Proteins were Gene Ontology (GO) categorized, visualized on their pathways and their behaviour was discussed. A predicted protein interaction network was produced and highly connected hub-like proteins were highlighted. Most of the proteins differentially modulated were chloroplast located, involved in photosynthesis, sugar metabolisms, protein folding and abiotic stress. The identification of UV-C-responsive proteins may contribute to shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to UV stress.     

The sweet and bitter sides of galectins in melanoma progression

Melanoma is the leading cause of skin cancer-related deaths, which is due in large part to its aggressive behavior, resistance to therapy, and ability to metastasize to multiple organs such as the lymph nodes, lung, and brain. Melanoma progresses in a stepwise manner from the benign nevus, to radial spreading through the dermis, to a vertical invasive phase, and finally to metastasis. The carbohydrate-binding family of galectins has a strong influence on each phase of melanoma progression through their effects on immune surveillance, angiogenesis, cell migration, tumor cell adhesion, and the cellular response to chemotherapy. Galectins share significant homology in their carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD), which mediates binding to an array of N-glycosylated proteins located on the surface of tumor cells, endothelial cells, T-cells, and to similarly glycosylated extracellular matrix proteins. Galectins are also present within tumor cells where they perform anti-apoptotic functions and enhance intracellular signaling that results in deregulated expression of genes involved in tumor progression. The most extensively studied galectins, galectin-1 and galectin-3, have been shown to have profound effects on melanoma growth and metastasis by influencing many of these biological processes.     

Cancer stem cells and human malignant melanoma

Cancer stem cells (CSC) have been identified in hematological malignancies and several solid cancers. Similar to physiological stem cells, CSC are capable of self-renewal and differentiation and have the potential for indefinite proliferation, a function through which they may cause tumor growth. Although conventional anti-cancer treatments might eradicate most malignant cells in a tumor, they are potentially ineffective against chemoresistant CSC, which may ultimately be responsible for recurrence and progression. Human malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive and drug-resistant cancer. Detection of tumor heterogeneity, undifferentiated molecular signatures, and increased tumorigenicity of melanoma subsets with embryonic-like differentiation plasticity strongly suggest the presence and involvement of malignant melanoma stem cells (MMSC) in the initiation and propagation of this malignancy. Here, we review these findings in the context of functional properties ascribed to melanocyte stem cells and CSC in other cancers. We discuss the association of deregulated signaling pathways, genomic instability, and vasculogenic mimicry phenomena observed in melanoma subpopulations in light of the CSC concept. We propose that a subset of MMSC may be responsible for melanoma therapy-resistance, tumor invasiveness, and neoplastic progression and that targeted abrogation of a MMSC compartment could therefore ultimately lead to stable remissions and perhaps cures of metastatic melanoma.     

Heritability estimates from genomewide relatedness matrices in wild populations: Application to a passerine,using a small sample size

Genomic developments have empowered the investigation of heritability in wild populations directly from genomewide relatedness matrices (GRM). Such GRM‐based approaches can in particular be used to improve or substitute approaches based on social pedigree (PED‐social). However, measuring heritability from GRM in the wild has not been widely applied yet, especially using small samples and in nonmodel species. Here, we estimated heritability for four quantitative traits (tarsus length, wing length, bill length and body mass), using PED‐social, a pedigree corrected by genetic data (PED‐corrected) and a GRM from a small sample (n = 494) of blue tits from natural populations in Corsica genotyped at nearly 50,000 filtered SNPs derived from RAD‐seq. We also measured genetic correlations among traits, and we performed chromosome partitioning. Heritability estimates were slightly higher when using GRM compared to PED‐social, and PED‐corrected yielded intermediate values, suggesting a minor underestimation of heritability in PED‐social due to incorrect pedigree links, including extra‐pair paternity, and to lower information content than the GRM. Genetic correlations among traits were similar between PED‐social and GRM but credible intervals were very large in both cases, suggesting a lack of power for this small data set. Although a positive linear relationship was found between the number of genes per chromosome and the chromosome heritability for tarsus length, chromosome partitioning similarly showed a lack of power for the three other traits. We discuss the usefulness and limitations of the quantitative genetic inferences based on genomic data in small samples from wild populations.     

Association mapping of cold‐induced sweetening in potato using historical phenotypic data

In this study, historical phenotypic data from a potato breeding programme were used with an association mapping approach to identify alleles of candidate genes associated with cold‐induced sweetening of potato. Molecular marker analysis was used to determine allelic variation of candidate genes potentially involved in cold‐induced sweetening. Variations in the UDP‐glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase, EC 2.7.7.9) and apoplastic invertase genes (EC 3.2.1.26) were significantly associated with cold‐induced sweetening, and a possible interaction of apoplastic invertase and apoplastic invertase inhibitor was identified. This demonstrates that breeding programme phenotypic data collected over multiple years and environments can be used successfully with pedigree information for association mapping. It also confirms that the UGPase and apoplastic invertase markers are transferable across breeding programmes with distinct germplasm.     

金缕梅科银缕梅属与帕罗堤属的亲缘关系——核糖体DNA ITS序列证据

本文对金缕梅科弗特吉族(Molinadendron和Matudaea除外)的细胞核核糖体DNA ITS片段进行了序列分析,在此基础上对该族的演化关系、尤其是中国特有属银缕梅属的系统位置进行了最简约分支分析。基本结果如下：其一,蚊母族和狭义的弗特吉族均不形成自己的单系分支,因此,支持Endress的处理,即合并两族为广义的弗特吉族;其二,银缕梅属同帕罗堤属有着密切的亲缘关系,支持形态学和解剖学结论;其三,根据该片段核苷酸序列的演化速率推算出的银缕梅属和帕罗堤属间分化时间为晚中新世。此结论大致与化石记录相符。     

A Framework for Development and Communication of Absolute Environmental Sustainability Assessment Methods

An absolute environmental sustainability assessment (AESA) addresses whether a production or consumption activity can be considered environmentally sustainable in an absolute sense. This involves a comparison of its environmental pressure to its allocated environmental carrying capacity. AESA methods have been developed in multiple academic fields, each using their own set of concepts and terms with little communication across the fields. A recent growing interest in using AESA methods for decision support calls for a better common understanding of the constituents of an AESA method and how it can be communicated to scientific peers and to potential users. With this aim, we develop a framework for AESA methods, composed of a succession of four assessment steps and involving six methodological choices that must be made by the method developer or the user. We then use the framework to analyze and compare five selected AESA methods that focus on the release of phosphorus and nitrogen to the environment. In this manner, we show that the framework is able to systematically differentiate AESA methods that initially appear to be similar. Intended users of the framework include (1) method developers communicating new AESA methods to academic peers or potential method users and (2) researchers comparing a group of existing AESA methods and communicating their differences to their peers and to potential users looking for guidance on method selection.     

牛肝菌属卷边组Boletus sect. Appendiculati物种的分子识别

依据牛肝菌属卷边组Boletus sect. Appendiculati内7个物种的核糖体基因rDNA内转录间隔区（internal transcribed spacer,ITS）序列比对,设计5对ITS特异引物,分别用于卷边牛肝菌Boletus appendiculatus与亚卷边牛肝菌B. subappendiculatus、卷边牛肝菌与拟桃红牛肝菌B. pseudoregius、华靛牛肝菌B. roseoflavus与卷边牛肝菌B.?appendiculatus、华靛牛肝菌与华美牛肝菌B. speciosus、拟桃红牛肝菌与华美牛肝菌的相互识别。ITS区段的PCR扩增结果表明,5对ITS特异引物皆成功扩增出可用于辨别这些近缘物种的目的条带。但未能设计出ITS特异引物,以识别华靛牛肝菌与桃红牛肝菌B. regius两个近缘物种。     

John Kendrew and myoglobin: Protein structure determination in the 1950s

The essay reviews John Kendrew's pioneering work on the structure of myoglobin for which he shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1962. It reconstructs the status of protein X‐ray crystallography at the time Kendrew entered the field in 1945, after distinctive service in operational research during the war. It reflects on the choice of sperm whale myoglobin as research material. In particular, it highlights Kendrew's early use of digital electronic computers for crystallographic computations and the marshaling of other tools and approaches that made it possible to solve the structure at increasing resolution. The essay further discusses the role of models in structure resolution and their broader reception. It ends by briefly reviewing Kendrew's other contributions in the formation and institutionalization of molecular biology.