Remarkably preserved annelid worms from the La Meseta Formation (Eocene), Seymour Island, Antarctica

Abstract: Worm tubes, which exhibit the replaced tube-lining membrane, have been collected from the lowermost Lower Eocene Acantilados Allomember of the La Meseta Formation, Seymour Island, Antarctica. The discovery represents the oldest examples of preservation of the tube-lining membrane of tube-dwelling Polychaeta in the fossil record. A new genus and species, Caprascolex antarcticus , are described. The specimens are preserved as thin coatings of amorphous iron oxide on the inner surface of the moulds interpreted to be the replaced tube-lining membrane. Examination of the rarely described tube-lining mucosoid membrane in extant polychaetes shows that the fossils are nearly identical in morphology and scale to extant forms. These fossils record in remarkable detail the morphology of the tube-lining membrane, which appears to be composed of growth bands formed as the worm constructed the tube. The tube-lining is believed to have been originally preserved as pyrite, with subsequent oxidation to iron oxide. The tube-lining membrane of worm tubes possibly is known from only one other fossil occurrence.     

Method Review: Estimation of Colony Densities of the Army Ant Eciton burchellii in Costa Rica

We evaluated the performance of a method developed to estimate colony densities of the army ant Eciton burchellii , a keystone species, based on raid crossings on trails, in Costa Rica. The method was compared with a census obtained by tracking ant-following birds, and the effect of walking distance and rainfall was evaluated. We found that the method performs well when at least 60 km of trail have been walked (replicated walks are permissible), and when rainfall is avoided.     

Tumor-associated autoantibodies as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers

In the process of tumorigenesis, normal cells are remodeled to cancer cells and protein expression patterns are changed to those of tumor cells. A newly formed tumor microenvironment elicits the immune system and, as a result, a humoral immune response takes place. Although the tumor antigens are undetectable in sera at the early stage of tumorigenesis, the nature of an antibody amplification response to antigens makes tumor-associated autoantibodies as promising early biomarkers in cancer diagnosis. Moreover, the recent development of proteomic techniques that make neo-epitopes of tumor-associated autoantigens discovered concomitantly has opened a new area of ‘immuno-proteomics’, which presents tumor-associated autoantibody signatures and confers information to redefine the process of tumorigenesis. In this article, the strategies recently used to identify and validate serum autoantibodies are outlined and tumor-associated antigens suggested until now as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers in various tumor types are reviewed. Also, the meaning of autoantibody signatures and their clinical utility in personalized medicine are discussed. [BMB Reports 2012; 45(12): 677-685]     

NaHCO3胁迫下硝酸镧对黑麦草幼苗光合机构的保护作用

研究了150 mmol·L^-1NaHCO₃胁迫下,不同浓度硝酸镧对黑麦草幼苗光合作用、叶绿素荧光参数、Mehler反应,以及叶黄素循环的影响.结果表明：低浓度硝酸镧(0.05 mmol·L^-1)叶面喷施处理能显著减小NaHCO₃胁迫下黑麦草叶片净光合速率(P_n)、气孔导度(G_s)、蒸腾速率(T_r)、气孔限制值(L_s)的下降幅度和胞间CO₂浓度(C_i) 的上升幅度,有效缓解NaHCO₃胁迫对叶片PSⅡ光化学猝灭(q_P)、实际光化学效率(Φ_PSⅡ)、依赖光合碳同化电子传递(ETR_p)和依赖Mehler反应电子传递(ETR_m) 的抑制,增强黑麦草叶片中超氧化物歧化酶、过氧化物酶和抗坏血酸过氧化物酶的活性,提高非光化学能量耗散(NPQ)、叶黄素循环库(V+A+Z)和脱环氧化程度(A+Z)/(V+A+Z),从而减轻NaHCO₃胁迫对光合机构的伤害;但高浓度硝酸镧(0.5 mmol·L^-1)对NaHCO₃胁迫伤害的缓解效果不明显.表明适宜浓度的硝酸镧能够缓解NaHCO₃胁迫下非气孔因素引起的黑麦草叶片光合速率下降以及对光化学效率的抑制,并通过促进Mehler反应直接耗散过剩激发能和激活依赖叶黄素循环的热耗散,保护NaHCO₃胁迫引起的过剩光能对光合机构造成的伤害,而Mehler反应加强所产生的活性氧可被抗氧化酶活性的提高所清除.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic measurement of exogenous thiosulfate in urine and plasma

A simple technique using reverse-phase ion-pair liquid chromatography for measurement of exogenous thiosulfate is described. Accurate measurement of thiosulfate in plasma and urine was permitted by precolumn derivatization with monobromobimane, a substance that readily yields fluorescent compounds upon reaction with a variety of biologically important nucleophiles including glutathione, cysteine, and sulfite. Using an injection volume of 50 microliters, as little as 0.16 nmol of thiosulfate was reliably measured. The interassay precision of the method was reflected by a coefficient of variation of 7.7% while the coefficient of variation for interassay analysis was 2.6%. Recovery of thiosulfate from plasma was 96.9 +/- 3.2% and greater than 98% from urine. The simplicity, sensitivity, and precision of the method make it ideal for the study of thiosulfate and other important nucleophiles in body fluids.     

Extreme climatic events reduce ocean productivity and larval supply in a tropical reef ecosystem

Increasing ocean temperatures due to global warming are predicted to have negative effects on coral reef fishes. El Niño events are associated with elevated water temperatures at large spatial (1000s of km) and temporal (annual) scales, providing environmental conditions that enable temperature effects on reef fishes to be tested directly. We compared remote sensing data of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies, surface current flow and chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a) concentration with monthly patterns in larval supply of coral reef fishes in nearshore waters around Rangiroa Atoll (French Polynesia) from January 1996 to March 2000. This time included an intense El Niño (April 1997–May 1998) event between two periods of La Niña (January–March 1996 and August 1998–March 2000) conditions. There was a strong relationship between the timing of the El Niño event, current flow, ocean productivity (as measured by Chl‐a) and larval supply. In the warm conditions of the event, there was an increase in the SST anomaly index up to 3.5 °C above mean values and a decrease in the strength of the westward surface current toward the reef. These conditions coincided with low concentrations of Chl‐a (mean: 0.06 mg m^?3, SE ± 0.004) and a 51% decline in larval supply from mean values. Conversely, during strong La Niña conditions when SST anomalies were almost 2 °C below mean values and there was a strong westward surface current, Chl‐a concentration was 150% greater than mean values and larval supply was 249% greater. A lag in larval supply suggested that productivity maybe affecting both the production of larvae by adults and larval survival. Our results suggest that warming temperatures in the world's oceans will have negative effects on the reproduction of reef fishes and survival of their larvae within the plankton, ultimately impacting on the replenishment of benthic populations.     

Synthesis of two trisaccharides related to the triterpenoid saponins isolated from Solanum lycocarpum

Chemical synthesis of two trisaccharides related to the triterpenoid saponins isolated from Solanum lycocarpum from commercially available d-Glc, d-Gal and l-Rha have been achieved by following concise and high-yielding route. The target trisaccharide 1 has been made by following a bis-glycosylation approach that has minimized the protecting group manipulations up to great extent. The trisaccharides have been synthesized in the form of their p-methoxyphenyl (OMP) glycosides to leave the scope for further glycoconjugates formation by the selective removal of the OMP glycoside and trichloroacetimidate chemistry. La(OTf)₃ has been used successfully as the promoter for the NIS mediated activation of thioglycosides.     

Considérations paléobiogéographiques sur les Streptelasmatina (Coelenterata,Rugosa) solitaires du Dévonien des monts Cantabriques (NW de l'Espagne)

The study of numerous fossil solitary forms ofStreptelasmatina (Coelenterata, Rugosa) and some ones belonging to different suborders from the Devonian of the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain), shows the importance of such organisms concerning the relations among the major faunal provinces during the Devonian time.The analysis of the Devonian Rugose coral fauna(from Emsian to Frasnian) lets to establish the paleobiogeographical relations of the Cantabrian genera. Particularly, during the Lower Devonian (Emsian) the relationships between the Eastern of North America and Spain would be closer than it was supposed until now.The evidence on the world distribution of thestudied forms suggest possible migration roads.