Proteomic profiling of the substantia nigra demonstrates CNDP2 overexpression in Parkinson's disease

Despite decades of intensive investigations, the precise sequence of molecular events and the specific proteins mediating the degenerative process underlying Parkinson's disease (PD) remain unraveled. Proteomic strategies may provide unbiased tools to identify novel candidates and explore original mechanisms involved in PD. Substantia nigra pars compacta (SN) tissue, whose degeneration is the hallmark of PD, was dissected from neuropathologically confirmed PD patients (n=3) and control subjects (n=3), before being submitted to a comparative 2-DE analysis. The present study revealed a subset of neuronal and/or glial proteins that appears to be deregulated in PD and likely to contribute to neurodegeneration. Observed alterations not only consolidate well accepted concepts surrounding PD pathogenesis such as oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction but also point out to novel pathways. Among the latter, cytosolic non specific dipeptidase 2 (CNDP2), a relatively unknown protein not yet reported to be associated with PD pathogenesis, was shown to be increased in the SN of PD patients, as confirmed by Western blot. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated the presence of CNDP2 within the cytoplasm of SN dopaminergic neurons. Altogether, our findings support a key role of CNDP2 in PD neurodegeneration, by mechanisms that could involve oxidative stress, protein aggregation or inflammation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Translational Proteomics.     

Ecology and sociality in a multilevel society: ecological determinants of spatial cohesion in hamadryas baboons

The multilevel society of hamadryas baboons, consisting of troops, bands, clans, and one-male units (OMUs), is commonly perceived to be an effective means of adapting to variable food availability while allowing spatial cohesion in response to predator pressure. The relationship between these variables, however, has never been tested quantitatively. The Filoha site in Awash National Park, Ethiopia is ideally suited to such an investigation as it contains nutrient-dense palm forests in addition to the Acacia scrublands typical of hamadryas distribution elsewhere, allowing comparisons of spatial cohesion across habitat types. Here, we use observations over a 1-year period to examine the relationship between resource availability, perceived predator pressure, and spatial cohesion in a band of wild hamadryas baboons at Filoha. Our results demonstrate that the band was more likely to break into OMUs when foraging in habitats with lower food availability, and that the band fissioned into independent clans more often when preferred resources were not available. Furthermore, the baboons remained in larger aggregations for longer periods of time (i.e., prior to embarking on their daily foraging route) on mornings after predators were heard in the vicinity, and increased cohesion in response to encounters with people who may have been perceived as predators. These results support the notion that hamadryas baboons change their social groupings in response to both food availability and predation risk and that the ability of hamadryas bands to cleave and coalesce in response to changes in these factors underlies the evolution of the hamadryas modular social structure.     

Understanding trends in biological invasions by introduced mammals in southern South America: a review of research and management

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Wealth,fertility and adaptive behaviour in industrial populations

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Restoration and the Origins of Ecology

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The Work of Indebtedness: The Traumatic Present of Late Capitalist Chile

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Unemployment,deindustrialization, and ‘community economy’ in eastern Germany

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