Burrowing behaviour in the crayfish, Cambarus diogenes diogenes girard

The crayfish, Cambarus diogenes diogenesGirard (1852), spends most of its life cycle in individually constructed underground burrows. The architectural behavioral patterns and sequences with which adult C. d. diogenes excavate an underground chamber were evaluated. Two motor patterns (Pushing and Carrying) and three burrow stages (shallow depression, angular pit, and burrow with two openings) were identified. During the development of burrowing behaviour in juveniles, a third motor pattern (Fanning) occurred. While the three motor patterns are functional soon after hatching, crayfish may learn to orient the Carrying motor pattern for the most efficient excavation of a stage-3 burrow with two openings. The ground-water level determined the final structure of a burrow.     

Small,odd and old: The mysterious Tarsius pumilus is the most basal Sulawesi tarsier

In this study, we present the first genetic evidence of the phylogenetic position of Tarsius pumilus, the mountain tarsier of Sulawesi, Indonesia. This mysterious primate is the only Eastern tarsier species that occurs exclusively in cloud forests above 1800 m.a.s.l. It exhibits striking morphological peculiarities—most prominently its extremely reduced body size, which led to the common name of ‘pygmy tarsier’. However, our results indicate that T. pumilus is not an aberrant form of a lowland tarsier, but in fact, the most basal of all Sulawesi tarsiers. Applying a Bayesian multi-locus coalescent approach, we dated the divergence between the T. pumilus lineage and the ancestor of all other extant Sulawesi tarsiers to 9.88 Mya. This is as deep as the split between the two other tarsier genera Carlito (Philippine tarsiers) and Cephalopachus (Western tarsiers), and predates further tarsier diversification on Sulawesi by around 7 Myr. The date coincides with the deepening of the marine environment between eastern and western Sulawesi, which likely led to allopatric speciation between T. pumilus or its predecessor in the west and the ancestor of all other Sulawesi tarsiers in the east. As the split preceded the emergence of permanent mountains in western Sulawesi, it is unlikely that the shift to montane habitat has driven the formation of the T. pumilus lineage.     

Regulation of exercise carbohydrate metabolism by estrogen and progesterone in women

To assess the roles of endogenous estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4) in regulating exercise carbohydrate use, we used pharmacological suppression and replacement to create three distinct hormonal environments: baseline (B), with E2 and P4 low; estrogen only (E), with E2 high and P4 low; and estrogen/progesterone (E + P), with E2 and P4 high. Blood glucose uptake (R(d)), total carbohydrate oxidation (CHO(ox)), and estimated muscle glycogen utilization (EMGU) were assessed during 60 min of submaximal exercise by use of stable isotope dilution and indirect calorimetry in eight eumenorrheic women. Compared with B (1.26 +/- 0.04 g/min) and E + P (1.27 +/- 0.04 g/min), CHO(ox) was lower with E (1.05 +/- 0.02 g/min). Glucose R(d) tended to be lower with E and E + P relative to B. EMGU was 25% lower with E than with B or E + P. Plasma free fatty acids (FFA) were inversely related to EMGU (r(2) = 0.49). The data suggest that estrogen lowers CHO(ox) by reducing EMGU and glucose R(d). Progesterone increases EMGU but not glucose R(d). The opposing actions of E(2) and P(4) on EMGU may be mediated by their impact on FFA availability or vice versa.     

Sialic acid inhibits agrin signaling in C2 myotubes

Acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering is an early event in neuromuscular synapse formation that is commonly studied using muscle cell culture. Motor neuron-derived agrin induces the postsynaptic tyrosine phosphorylation of both a muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) and the AChR beta-subunit. These phosphorylation events are required for AChR clustering, suggesting an agrin-driven signaling pathway. Both the phosphorylation events and AChR clustering can also be induced by neuraminidase, an enzyme that cleaves sialic acid from glycoconjugates, suggesting that neuraminidase is able to activate the agrin signaling pathway. A postulated signal for postsynaptic differentiation at sites of nerve-muscle contact during vertebrate development is the enzymatic removal of basal lamina components. We show here that bath-applied sialic acid has an effect directly opposite that of agrin or neuraminidase. Sialic acid not only decreases AChR clustering but also diminishes the tyrosine phosphorylation of MuSK and the AChR beta-subunit signal-transduction events normally driven by agrin. However, sialic acid does not prevent agrin-binding molecules from colocalizing with the decreased number of AChR clusters that do form, suggesting that sialic acid is acting to inhibit the agrin signaling pathway downstream of agrin binding to the muscle cell membrane. We propose a regulatory role for sialic acid in the signal transduction events of neuromuscular synapse formation, in which agrin or neuraminidase can overcome this sialic acid repression, resulting in the clustering of AChRs and other postsynaptic molecules.     

Jun N‐terminal kinase activity is required for invagination but not differentiation of the sea urchin archenteron

Although sea urchin gastrulation is well described at the cellular level, our understanding of the molecular changes that trigger the coordinated cell movements involved is not complete. Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) is a component of the planar cell polarity pathway and is required for cell movements during embryonic development in several animal species. To study the role of JNK in sea urchin gastrulation, embryos were treated with JNK inhibitor SP600125 just prior to gastrulation. The inhibitor had a limited and specific effect, blocking invagination of the archenteron. Embryos treated with 2 μM SP600125 formed normal vegetal plates, but did not undergo invagination to form an archenteron. Other types of cell movements, specifically ingression of the skeletogenic mesenchyme, were not affected, although the development and pattern of the skeleton was abnormal in treated embryos. Pigment cells, derived from nonskeletogenic mesenchyme, were also present in SP600125‐treated embryos. Despite the lack of a visible archenteron in treated embryos, cells at the original vegetal plate expressed several molecular markers for endoderm differentiation. These results demonstrate that JNK activity is required for invagination of the archenteron but not its differentiation, indicating that in this case, morphogenesis and differentiation are under separate regulation. genesis 53:762–769, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Testosterone may increase selective attention to threat in young male macaques

Animal studies indicate that sex hormones have widespread effects on the brain, cognition and emotion, but findings in humans are inconsistent. Well-controlled studies in nonhuman primates are crucial to resolve these discrepancies. In this study, we examined the effects of testosterone (T) on emotion in male rhesus monkeys. Six young adult males were tested on two emotional tasks during three hormonal conditions in a crossover design: when intact at baseline and when pharmacologically hypogonadal with add-back of T or placebo. The emotional tasks were the Approach–Avoidance task, which tested behavioral responses to three categories of objects (familiar, novel, and negative) and a Social Playback task which tested behavioral responses to scenes of unfamiliar conspecifics engaged in three types of social activities (neutral, positive, or negative). Following a 4-week baseline period, monkeys were treated with Depot Lupron, 200 μg/kg before being randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: Depot Lupron + Testosterone Enanthate (TE, 20 mg/kg) or Depot Lupron + oil vehicle. In each treatment group, monkeys received one injection of Lupron and one injection of TE or one injection of Lupron and one injection of oil at the onset of a 4-week testing period, before crossing over to the alternate treatment for an additional 4 weeks of testing. TE treatment had no effect on behavioral measures in the Approach–Avoidance task. For the Social Playback task, however, TE significantly increased watching time of video clips which depicted fights between unfamiliar conspecifics. The enhancing effect of T on watching time for negative social scenes is consistent with human data suggesting that T decreases aversion or facilitates approach to threatening social stimuli. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms by which T may mediate responsiveness to social threat in male primates.     

Lipoprotein geometry. II. Apoprotein exchange in human plasma high density lipoprotein.

The relationships between the apoproteins of intact human serum high density lipoprotein particles, HDL₂ and HDL₃, have been studied by observing the exchange of radioactively labeled apoproteins between one subclass and the other. This exchange process can be inhibited by chemically crosslinking the apoproteins of either the labeled or unlabeled subclass. These results are consistent with a dynamic relationship between HDL₂ and HDL₃ which appears dependent upon the association and perhaps the conformation of the apoprotein components of the lipoprotein particles.     

Treating dyslipidemia in the elderly

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The treatment of dyslipidemia has been dynamic over the past several years. Of special importance is the impact of recent clinical trial data on management strategies of dyslipidemia in the elderly. People 65 years and older are living longer and are the fastest growing subset of the US population, necessitating more attention to chronic disease conditions that manifest in this age group. This review addresses guidelines of lipid management, discusses data that support their use, and examines the benefits of lipid-lowering therapy in the elderly with attention to the chronic conditions that are common in this population. RECENT FINDINGS: Clinical trials completed since the publication of the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines support the use of lipid-lowering therapy in the elderly population. Lipid-lowering therapy has not only proven to be generally safe in the elderly, but has also proven effective in helping manage the chronic disease conditions that are common in this age group. SUMMARY: The elderly segment of our population continues to grow. Along with this growth in population is a growth in incidence of cardiovascular disease, the metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease, cerebrovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus. There is no known panacea for managing these chronic disease conditions; however, lipid-lowering therapy has been shown to prevent or delay the progression of these diseases and the mortality and morbidity that accompanies them.     

Universal influenza vaccination: the time to act is now

Annual influenza epidemics create a significant public health burden each year in the United States. That influenza continues to pose a public health threat despite being largely preventable through vaccination is indicative of continuing weaknesses in the U.S.'s public health system. Moreover, the burden of annual influenza epidemics and the fragility and instability of the capacity to respond to them underscore the U.S.'s ongoing vulnerability to pandemic influenza and highlights gaps in bioterrorism preparedness and response efforts. This article examines the burden of annual influenza epidemics in the U.S., efforts to combat that burden with vaccination, shortcomings of influenza vaccination efforts, and how those shortcomings exemplify weaknesses in pandemic influenza and bioterrorism preparedness efforts. We make the case for establishing an annual universal influenza vaccination program to assure access to influenza vaccination to anyone who can safely receive vaccination and desires it. Such a program could greatly reduce the annual burden of influenza while advancing and maintaining U.S. pandemic influenza and bioterrorism preparedness and response efforts.     

Interchange of apoprotein components between the human plasma high density lipoprotein subclasses HDL2 and HDL3 in vitro.

The major apoproteins of human high density lipoproteins (HDL) labeled with 125I have been shown to exchange between the two major HDL subclasses HDL2 and HDL3 in vitro. This bidirectional exchange process is inhibited by cross-linking with bifunctional reagents and is apparently dependent upon the formation of collision complexes. This exchange has been demonstrated both when the subclasses of HDL are free in solution and also when one of them is covalently bound to Sepharose. Using system involving Sepharose-bound HDL, it could be shown that not only free apoprotein molecules but subunits consisting of lipid-apoprotein combinations were exchanged between HDL2 and HDL3. The rate of exchange in these processes is significant in the lifetime of the protein particles in vivo equalling approximately 2.5% per h for apoprotein exchange. These experiments suggest that there is a dynamic relationship between HDL2 and HDL3 even though each of them exists alone in vitro as stable separate entities; when they are placed together in solution significant interaction occurs between the particles. Apoprotein exchange occurs between HDL2:HDL2 and HDL3:HDL3 as well as between HDL2 and HDL3 molecules. These data also suggest that the interconversion of HDL2 and HDL3 may be affected by the availability of lipids.