Expression of wnt and frizzled genes during early sea star development

The Wnt signaling pathway is highly conserved across metazoa and has pleiotropic functions in the development of many animals. Binding of a secreted Wnt ligand to its Frizzled (Fz) receptor activates Dishevelled, which then drives one of three major signaling cascades, canonical (β-catenin), calcium, or planar cell polarity signaling. These pathways have distinct developmental effects and function in different processes in different organisms. Here we report the expression of six wnt and three fz genes during embryogenesis of the sea star, Patiria miniata, as a first step in uncovering the roles of Wnt signaling in the development of this organism. wnt3, wnt4, wnt8, and wnt16 are expressed in nested domains in the endoderm and lateral ectoderm from blastula through late gastrula stages; wnt2 and wnt5 are expressed in the mesoderm and anterior endoderm. Expression of different fz paralogs is detected in the mesoderm; posterior endoderm and ectoderm; and anterior ectoderm. Taken together, this suggests that Wnt signaling can occur throughout most of the embryo and may therefore play multiple roles during sea star development.     

Expression of wnt and frizzled genes during early sea star development

The Wnt signaling pathway is highly conserved across metazoa and has pleiotropic functions in the development of many animals. Binding of a secreted Wnt ligand to its Frizzled (Fz) receptor activates Dishevelled, which then drives one of three major signaling cascades, canonical (β-catenin), calcium, or planar cell polarity signaling. These pathways have distinct developmental effects and function in different processes in different organisms. Here we report the expression of six wnt and three fz genes during embryogenesis of the sea star, Patiria miniata, as a first step in uncovering the roles of Wnt signaling in the development of this organism. wnt3, wnt4, wnt8, and wnt16 are expressed in nested domains in the endoderm and lateral ectoderm from blastula through late gastrula stages; wnt2 and wnt5 are expressed in the mesoderm and anterior endoderm. Expression of different fz paralogs is detected in the mesoderm; posterior endoderm and ectoderm; and anterior ectoderm. Taken together, this suggests that Wnt signaling can occur throughout most of the embryo and may therefore play multiple roles during sea star development.     

Essential oils of Cupressus funebris, Juniperus communis, and J. chinensis (Cupressaceae) as repellents against ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and as toxicants against mosquitoes

Juniperus communis leaf oil, J. chinensis wood oil, and Cupressus funebris wood oil (Cupressaceae) from China were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We identified 104 compounds, representing 66.8-95.5% of the oils. The major components were: α-pinene (27.0%), α-terpinene (14.0%), and linalool (10.9%) for J. communis; cuparene (11.3%) and δ-cadinene (7.8%) for J. chinensis; and α-cedrene (16.9%), cedrol (7.6%), and β-cedrene (5.7%) for C. funebris. The essential oils of C. funebris, J. chinensis, and J. communis were evaluated for repellency against adult yellow fever mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti (L.), host-seeking nymphs of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.), and the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, and for toxicity against Ae. aegypti larvae and adults, all in laboratory bioassays. All the oils were repellent to both species of ticks. The EC(95) values of C. funebris, J. communis, and J. chinensis against A. americanum were 0.426, 0.508, and 0.917 mg oil/cm(2) filter paper, respectively, compared to 0.683 mg deet/cm(2) filter paper. All I. scapularis nymphs were repelled by 0.103 mg oil/cm(2) filter paper of C. funebris oil. At 4 h after application, 0.827 mg oil/cm(2) filter paper, C. funebris and J. chinensis oils repelled ≥80% of A. americanum nymphs. The oils of C. funebris and J. chinensis did not prevent female Ae. aegypti from biting at the highest dosage tested (1.500 mg/cm(2) ). However, the oil of J. communis had a Minimum Effective Dosage (estimate of ED(99) ) for repellency of 0.029 ± 0.018 mg/cm(2) ; this oil was nearly as potent as deet. The oil of J. chinensis showed a mild ability to kill Ae. aegypti larvae, at 80 and 100% at 125 and 250 ppm, respectively.     

Chemical constituents and bioactivities of starfish

Starfish have been the research topic in many chemical and pharmacological laboratories due to their complex secondary metabolites and diverse bioactivities. The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date review on the chemistry and bioactivity of compounds isolated from all kinds of starfish to illustrate the chemodiversity and biological significance of these constituents, along with their geographical distribution where it is discernible.     

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of heat-responsive and novel microRNAs in Populus tomentosa

Plant microRNAs have a vital role in various abiotic stress responses by regulating gene expression. Heat stress is one of the most severe abiotic stresses, and affects plant growth and development, even leading to death. To identify heat-responsive miRNAs at the genome-wide level in Populus, Solexa sequencing was employed to sequence two libraries from Populus tomentosa, treated and untreated by heat stress. Sequence analysis identified 134 conserved miRNAs belonging to 30 miRNA families, and 16 novel miRNAs belonging to 14 families. Among these miRNAs, 52 miRNAs from 15 families were responsive to heat stress and most of them were down-regulated. qRT-PCR analysis confirmed that the conserved and novel miRNAs were expressed in P. tomentosa, and revealed similar expression trends to the Solexa sequencing results obtained under heat stress. One hundred and nine targets of the novel miRNAs were predicted. This study opens up a new avenue for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs involvement in the heat stress response of trees.     

Activation of adipogenesis by lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase-generated Δ¹²-PGJ₂ acting through PPARγ-dependent and independent pathways

Trypsin-like serine protease (TLS) plays an important role in many physiological processes including wound healing, phlogosis reaction, blood clotting, regeneration etc. In this paper, a 1216 bp full-length cDNA sequence of TLS including 39 bp 5' UTR and 355 bp 3'UTR coding for a theoretical 273 amino acids protein was cloned from Apostichopus japonicus by means of the RACE technique for the first time. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the gene with a 20 residues N-terminal signal peptide and a conserved C-terminal domain belongs to the trypsin-like serine protease superfamily. His78, Asp130 and Ser223 are the principal residues of the catalytic center. In-situ hybridization (ISH) analysis revealed that the TLS gene was widely distributed in different tissues. The expression patterns during different regeneration stages of the TLS gene in the body wall, intestine and respiratory trees were investigated using real-time quantitative PCR. The results show that there was a remarkable and temporary up-regulation of TLS gene expression in the body wall within 1h and subsequent down-regulation of TLS similar to intestine and respiratory trees. With the recovery of tissues, the expression level of the TLS gene was gradually up-regulated and finally reached normal levels. TLS was regulated during different regeneration stages suggesting that TLS is important in the regeneration process of A. japonicus.     

Origins and close relatives of a semi-domesticated neotropical fruit tree: Chrysophyllum cainito (Sapotaceae)

? Premise of the study: Understanding patterns and processes associated with domestication has implications for crop development and agricultural biodiversity conservation. Semi-domesticated crops provide excellent opportunities to examine the interplay of natural and anthropogenic influences on plant evolution. The domestication process has not been thoroughly examined in many tropical perennial crop species. Chrysophyllum cainito (Sapotaceae), the star apple or caimito, is a semi-domesticated species widely cultivated for its edible fruits. It is known to be native to the neotropics, but the precise geographic origins of wild and cultivated forms are unresolved. ? Methods: We used nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences to infer phylogenetic relationships among C. cainito and close relatives (section Chrysophyllum). We employed phylogeographic approaches using ITS and plastid sequence data to determine geographic origins and center(s) of domestication of caimito. ? Key results: ITS data suggest a close relationship between C. cainito and C. argenteum. Plastid haplotype networks reveal several haplotypes unique to individual taxa but fail to resolve distinct lineages for either C. cainito or C. argenteum. Caimito populations from northern Mesoamerica and the Antilles exhibit a subset of the genetic diversity found in southern Mesoamerica. In Panama, cultivated caimito retains high levels of the diversity seen in wild populations. ? Conclusions: Chrysophyllum cainito is most closely related to a clade containing Central and South American C. argenteum, including subsp. panamense. We hypothesize that caimito is native to southern Mesoamerica and was domesticated from multiple wild populations in Panama. Subsequent migration into northern Mesoamerica and the Antilles was mediated by human cultivation.     

Metabolic characterization of Kloeckera apiculata strains from star fruit fermentation

A total of 37 strains of Kloeckera apiculata was isolated during the spontaneous fermentation of star fruit must. Each strain was differentiated from the others on the basis of its capacity to produce acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, higher alcohols, acetoin and acetic acid. All the strains were characterized by the low production of higher alcohols and the high production of ethyl acetate, whereas consistent differences in the production of acetaldehyde, acetoin and acetic acid served to differentiate star fruit apiculate strains into six different phenotypes, present at different stages of the fermentation process. The metabolic strain diversity found can be interpreted as a natural consequence of environmental conditions, which influenced the frequency and selection of specific apiculate strains. From the biotechnological point of view the different metabolic biotypes represent an important source of strains for potential use as starter cultures for star fruit fermentation.