bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
1-Methyladenine: a starfish oocyte maturation-inducing substance
Authors: Mita Masatoshi
Published: July 2018

1-Methyladenine (1-MeAde) in starfish was the first compound to be identified as an oocyte maturation-inducing substance (MIS) among invertebrates in 1969 by Kanatani and co-workers. In starfish, the ripe ovary contains a huge number of fully grown oocytes of almost equal size. Each oocyte possesses a large nucleus (germinal vesicle, GV), which is arrested in late prophase of the first maturation division. The oocyte is surrounded by a single follicle layer. Such immature oocytes are not fertilisable. Resumption of meiosis in immature oocytes can be induced by 1-MeAde, and the mature oocytes thus become fertilisable (Kanatani et al., 1969; Kanatani, 1985). 1-MeAde is produced by ovarian follicle cells upon stimulation with a gonad-stimulating substance (GSS) released from the radial nerves (Fig. 1).

It has been demonstrated that GSS is a peptide hormone (Kanatani et al., 1971). The action of GSS on 1-MeAde production in follicle cells appears to be mediated by its receptor, G-proteins and adenylyl cyclase (Mita & Nagahama, 1991). These findings suggest that a G-protein coupled (seven transmembrane type) receptor is involved in GSS signal transduction, similarly to the pituitary-gonadal axis in vertebrates.

Thus, using degenerate probes derived from consensus sequences of the mammalian glycoprotein hormone (GTH and TSH) receptors, cDNA was cloned from mRNA of ovaries of Asterina pectinifera. The cDNA showed striking structural homology with members of the glycoprotein hormone receptor family in the transmembrane region, and contained a very large extracellular region. Expression was observed in isolated ovarian follicle cells. Thus, it seems likely that the glycoprotein hormone receptor (GTHR) family gene is related to GSS receptor in ovarian follicle cells. The phylogenic relatedness of the starfish GTHR was also assessed in relation to other vertebrate GTHRs. The analysis showed that the starfish gene diverged before differentiation of the gonadotropin (LH and FSH) and TSH receptors in vertebrates.
Ascidian sperm receptor attached to the vitelline coat during oocyte maturation
Authors: Sawada Hitoshi , Tanaka Etsuko , Abe Yukichi , Takizawa Satoshi , Takahashi Youko , Fujino Junko , Yokosawa Hideyoshi
Published: July 2018

While all ascidians (Urochordata) are hermaphroditic, some, including Halocynthia roretzi (Fuke, 1983) and Ciona intestinalis (Rosati & De Santis, 1978) are strictly self-sterile because of a self–nonself recognition system in the interaction between the sperm and the vitelline coat of the eggs. However, immature oocytes (Fuke & Numakunai, 1996) and acidic-seawater-treated mature oocytes (Morgan, 1939; Kawamura et al., 1991) are self-fertile. It is thought that a putative self–nonself recognition molecule, which is detached or modified by treatment with acidic seawater, may be attached to the vitelline coat during oocyte maturation. Although the existence of a self–nonself recognition system in the fertilisation process is well known, the molecular entity has yet to be conclusively identified. However, there have been several attempts to identify such a molecule in Ciona (Marino et al., 1999). In the present study, we have isolated and analysed a molecule which appears to be responsible for allorecognition in the interaction between sperm and eggs of the ascidian Halocynthia roretzi.

Biologicals. A solitary ascidian Halocynthia roretzi Type C was used in this study. The fertilisation experiment was carried out as described previously (Sawada et al., 1982).

Isolation and N-terminal Sequencing of Hr VC70. Vitelline coats were isolated from immature and mature oocytes of the ascidian by homogenisation and repeated washing with 5× diluted artificial seawater. The isolated vitelline coats were subjected to SDS-PAGE, followed by blotting to a PVDF membrane. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 70 kDa main component (HrVC70) was determined by a protein sequencer.
The role of Src family kinases in starfish egg fertilisation
Authors: Giusti Andrew F. , Foltz Kathy R. , Jaffe Laurinda. A.
Published: July 2018

A common early feature in the activation of all eggs during fertilisation is an increase in the level of intra-cellular free calcium (Ca2+) that, in most species, propagates as a wave across the egg (reviewed in Strieker, 1999). In echinoderms, this Ca2+ release is the result of a signal transduction cascade that requires phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ)-mediated production of inositol trisphosphate (IP3) (Carroll et al., 1997, 1999). PLCγ is most commonly regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation (Rhee & Bae, 1997), indicating that a tyrosine kinase is a likely upstream regulator of PLCγ enzymatic activity at fertilisation. In support of this hypothesis, an increase in tyrosine kinase activity and an increase in tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins at fertilisation has been observed in echinoderm eggs (Satoh & Garbers, 1985; Ciapa & Epel, 1991; Kinsey, 1997). Moreover, the tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein (Shen et al., 1999) and PP1 (Abassi et al., 2000) have been used to show that in sea urchin eggs a tyrosine kinase activity is required for normal Ca2+ release in response to fertilisation.

In eggs of the starfish Asterina miniata, a Src-type tyrosine kinase has been identified as a potential regulator of PLCγ activity at fertilisation (Giusti et al., 1999a). This kinase exhibits a rapid fertilisation-dependent association specifically with the Src Homology 2 (SH2) domains of PLCγ. Moreover, the timing of this association correlates with an increase in the tyrosine kinase activity bound to the PLCγ SH2 domains, and neither the Src kinase nor the associated kinase activity was observed to associate with the PLCγ SH2 domains after treating eggs with the calcium ionophore A23187 (Giusti et al., 1999a). These data identify an egg Src family kinase as a potential upstream regulator of PLCγ during starfish egg fertilisation.
Acrosome reaction in starfish: signal molecules in the jelly coat and their receptors
Authors: Hoshi Motonori , Nishigaki Takuya , Kawamura Mayu , Ikeda Masako , Gunaratne Jayantha , Ueno Shoichi , Ogiso Manabu , Moriyama Hideaki , Matsumoto Midori
Published: July 2018

Animal eggs are generally encased in one or more extra-cellular coats that protect the egg from biological, chemical and mechanical hazards. These coats contain some essential molecules for sperm to fertilise an appropriate egg, such as the specific ligand for sperm binding and the specific signal for induction of the acrosome reaction. In starfish, the outermost egg coat is a relatively thick gelatinous layer called the jelly coat. When starfish sperm encounter the jelly coat of homologous eggs, they undergo the acrosome reaction within a second or less (Dale et al., 1981; Ikadai & Hoshi, 1981; Sase et al., 1995). We have thus searched the jelly coat for the signal molecule(s) that triggers the acrosome reaction in the starfish, Asterias amurensis. It is known that three components in the jelly coat, namely acrosome reaction-inducing substance (ARIS), Co-ARIS and asterosap, act in concert on homologous spermatozoa to elicit the acrosome reaction immediately and efficiently (Hoshi et al., 1994,1999).

ARIS alone induces the acrosome reaction only in high calcium or high pH seawater. In normal seawater, besides ARIS, either Co-ARIS or asterosap is required for the induction. Without ARIS, no combination of Co-ARIS and asterosap can induce the acrosome reaction in normal, high calcium or high pH seawater. A mixture of ARIS and Co-ARIS increases the intracellular Ca2+ level, whereas asterosap increases the intra-cellular pH (Matsui et al., 1986a, b; Nishigaki et al., 1996). These events are prerequisites for the induction of the acrosome reaction. Indeed, the triad of ARIS, CoARIS and asterosap provides the best conditions for the induction of the acrosome reaction in normal sea-water (Hoshi et al., 1994, 1999).
suREJ proteins: new signalling molecules in sea urchin spermatozoa
Authors: Mengerink Kathryn J. , Moy Gary W. , Vacquier Victor D.
Published: July 2018

InStrongylocentrotus purpuratus, the fucose sulphate polymer (FSP) of egg jelly induces the sperm acrosome reaction (AR; Vacquier & Moy, 1997). Protease treatment of sperm renders the cells insensitive to FSP, indicating that sperm membrane receptors mediate the signal transduction events underlying the AR. Monoclonal antibodies to a 210 kDa membrane glycoprotein induce Ca2+influx into sperm and trigger the AR (Trimmeret al., 1986; Moyet al., 1996). Purified 210 kDa protein binds species-specifically to egg jelly and blocks AR induction by antibody (Podell & Vacquier, 1985; Moyet al., 1996). FSP binds to the 210 kDa protein attached to Sepharose (Vacquier & Moy, 1997). Monoclonal antibodies localise the 210 kDa protein on the plasma membrane over the acrosome and also on the sperm flagellum. The 210 kDa protein has the attributes of a sperm receptor for egg jelly and is henceforth named suREJ1 (Moyet al., 1996). We describe here the three REJ proteins found thus far inS. purpuratussperm.
Gene expression in the endoderm during sea urchin development
Authors: Livingston Brian , David Elizabeth-Sharon , Thurm Cary
Published: July 2018

Understanding how the embryonic germ layers become competent to form their characteristic tissue types is a problem of fundamental importance to developmental biology. Knowledge of how the endodermal layer is first determined and then differentiates has only recently begun to accumulate. In sea urchins, several different signals have been implicated in endoderm formation, beginning as early as the fourth cleavage division and continuing until just prior to invagination of the endoderm. Recent experiments in sea urchin embryos have shown that the activity of glycogen synthase kinase 3-β and entry of β-catenin into the nucleus during cleavage stages is required for mesoderm and endoderm formation (Emily-Fenouilet al., 1998; Loganet al., 1999), implicating the Wnt signalling pathway in this process. Overexpression of β-catenin leads to an exaggeration of endoderm and mesoderm in the embryo at the expense of ectoderm (Wikramanayakeet al., 1998). Since this signal is required for both mesoderm and endoderm, some other signal must be present to differentiate between these two germ layers. Micromeres formed by the fourth cleavage division have the ability to induce endoderm (Ransick & Davidson, 1995). This induction can occur independently of the entry of β-catenin into the nucleus of the cells induced to form endoderm (Loganet al., 1999), indicating micromere induction acts through a different signalling pathway. Final determination of endoderm also requires cell interactions through the late mesenchyme blastula stage, since cells from embryos dissociated prior to that stage fail to develop into endoderm autonomously (Chen & Wessel, 1996). A sea urchin member of the hedgehog family of signalling molecules has been reported to be expressed in the vegetal plate, indicating it also may play a role in endoderm formation.
Characterisation of a 41 kDa collagenase/gelatinase activity expressed in the sea urchin embryo
Authors: Robinson John J. , Mayne Janice
Published: July 2018

Protease activities have been recognised as important elements in controlling the composition of the extracellular matrix. Regulated remodelling of the matrix is required for a number of physiological processes including embryonic development. Excessive and unregulated remodelling has been associated with a number of pathological conditions including the metastatic phenotype of malignant cancer (Kim et al., 1998). We have begun a search for protease activities which utilise components of the sea urchin extracellular matrix as substrates. We have identified and purified a 41 kDa protease which is present in the sea urchin egg and embryo. This species possesses a non-specific gelatin-cleavage activity as well as a collagen cleavage activity which appears to be specific for echinoderm collagen (Mayne & Robinson, 1996, 1999).

The 41 kDa collagenase/ gelatinase was inhibited by EGTA and reactivated by calcium. The calcium-concentration dependence for reactivation indicated an apparent kd of 3.7 mM and was coincident with the binding of 80 moles calcium/mole of protein. These results are interpretable in terms of the high concentration of calcium (10 mM) present in seawater. In addition to calcium, seawater also contains 50 mM magnesium. The substantial amounts of calcium bound to the 41 kDa protease suggest the existence of binding sites with both low affinity and specificity for binding metal ions. To determine whether high concentrations of magnesium could influence the interaction of calcium with the 41 kDa species we used both qualitative and quantitative gelatin-cleavage assays to examine protease activity in the presence of both calcium and magnesium.
What is a juvenile sea urchin? A comparative and phylogenetic survey of post-metamorphic juveniles
Authors: Emlet Richard B.
Published: July 2018

Echinoid development progresses through embryonic and larval stages to metamorphosis and the adult form. Despite vast differences in embryos and larval forms, including bilaterally symmetric echinopluteus larvae, ovoid non-feeding larvae and brooded embryos, all metamorphose into juvenile sea urchins with pentaradial symmetry. The adult sea urchin body plan is initiated as the juvenile rudiment. The rudiment has been called the phylotypic stage for the class Echinoidea, a designation that implies little variation at this midpoint in development (e.g. Raff et al., 1991; Richardson, 1995; Raff, 1996). However, right at metamorphosis (upon eversion of the juvenile rudiment), variations in test symmetry, shape and number of spines, and number of skeletal plates, podia and pedicellariae are present in juveniles. This variation suggests either that there is no phylotypic stage or that such a stage occurs earlier in rudiment formation. To distinguish between these possibilities, I explored the patterns by which the juvenile rudiment is formed as well as the variation among juveniles approximately 1 day after metamorphosis in 19 echinoid taxa covering a broad taxonomic range including cidaroids, diadematids, irregular echinoids (spatangoids and clypeasteroids), arbaciids, temnopleurids, echinometrids and strongylocentrotids. Most of the material for analysis of juveniles was obtained by the author. Additional information was gathered from classical studies of metamorphosis. Data were collected on the number and shape of dorsal pedicellariae, juvenile and adult spines, primary and secondary podia, and juvenile test shape. When possible multiple individuals within a species were examined, revealing no or only minor trait variation. These data were mapped on a well-resolved phylogeny established from adult characters.
Gene expression during echinoderm metamorphosis
Authors: Wray Gregory A.
Published: July 2018

Metamorphosis is a remarkable process in echinoderms, transforming a bilaterally symmetrical planktonic larva into a radially symmetrical benthic adult. This shift in habitat involves functional and anatomical changes in virtually every organ system (Bury, 1895; MacBride, 1914; Okazaki, 1975). Although metamorphosis is a crucial process in echinoderm development, we know relatively little about it. Furthermore, most of what we do know concerns sea urchins, and even less information is available about metamorphosis in other echinoderms. We have examined the expression of regulatory and structural genes during metamorphosis in several different echinoderm species (Lowe & Wray, 1997 and unpublished results). These data, together with those from several recent studies concerning additional genes (reviewed in Wray & Lowe, 2000), are beginning to shed new light on this complex and important process in echinoderm development.

The overt transformation from swimming larva to settled juvenile is quite rapid in echinoderms (Cameron & Hinegardner, 1978), requiring less than half an hour in many species. The complete process of metamorphosis takes much longer, however (Okazaki, 1975; Gosselin & Jangoux, 1998). Extensive preparations begin several days to weeks before settlement (MacBride, 1914; Okazaki, 1975), depending upon the species and upon environmental conditions (Strathmannet al., 1992). During this preparatory phase, initially small populations of ectodermal and mesodermal cells fated to become the adult proliferate, differentiate and undergo complex morphogenetic movements to form the imaginal rudiment (MacBride, 1914; Okazaki, 1975). The rudiment is more complex than the larva in several important ways: it contains a greater number of cell types, it is the first place where true tissues form, and it contains the first well-organised nervous system (Okazaki, 1975; Chia & Burke, 1978).
Phorbol-ester-induced formation of actin filaments and microtubules: role of protein kinase C
Authors: Arai Akio , Nakazawa Tohru
Published: July 2018

Cell division and motility are generated by the cytoskeletal structures contained in networks of actin filaments and microtubules. Among the Ca2+-activated protein kinases, protein kinase C (PKC) can be activated with tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) (Kikkawaet al., 1983), which induces alterations in the cytoskeleton of cultured cells. To study the regulation of the cytoskeleton by PKC, we investigated the formation of actin filaments, microtubules, changes in cell shape and Ca2+signalling after treatment with TPA in unfertilised eggs of the sea urchinHemicentrotus pulcherrimus.

Formation of actin filaments and microtubles was induced in the eggs by the TPA treatment. When the eggs were treated with an inactive TPA, 4α-PMA, these cytoskeletal changes did not occur. Moreover, elongation of actin filaments was inhibited by the Ca2+chelating agent BAPTA, but microtubule organisation was unaffected by intracellular Ca2+chelation in the TPA-treated egg. TPA is known to induce alkalisation in sea urchin eggs (Swann & Whitaker, 1985) and when the eggs are treated with TPA in Na+-free seawater, the rise in intracellular pH (pHi) is depressed. However, elongation of actin filaments and microtubules occurred under these conditions. An increase in pHiis considered to be essential for triggering the bundle of actin filaments (Begget al., 1982) and microtubule assembly (Schattenet al., 1992). These results show that actin and microtubule assemblies require activation of PKC, and that the formation of actin and microtubules may be related to the type of PKC isoform: Ca2+-dependent or -independent. Moreover, this mechanism is essentially independent of cytoplasmic alkalisation.
A yolk protein in starfish, Asterias amurensis and Asterina minor
Authors: Yokota Yukio , Yamamoto Noriko , Komatsu Kieko , Kato Koichi H.
Published: July 2018

The starfish is an advantageous organism in which to investigate developmental modes. It is widely known that maternal substances accumulated in the course of oogenesis affect various developmental phenomena. Vitellogen is the most abundant maternal substance in the egg and has been studied in various species including sea urchins. Vitellogen and the vitellogenin gene have been analysed with regard to their relevance to developmental modes in two Heliocidaris species (Byrne et al., 1999) and Japanese sea urchins (Yokota & Amemiya, 1998). In starfish, however, relatively little is known about the yolk and yolk protein.
The Hox genes of the direct-type developing sea urchin Peronella japonica
Authors: Yamaguchi Shoutaro , Hano Yuko , Hayashi Akane , Yamaguchi Masaaki
Published: July 2018

The Hox gene cluster controls spatial patterning mechanisms along the anterior/posterior axis of bilateral metazoans. There exists a co-linearity between the order of the Hox genes in the genome and the spatial order of their domains of expression during development. Echinoderms have pentamerous radial body plans that are different from those of other deuterostomes. Thus expression patterns of echinoderm Hox genes in the adult rudiment might illuminate their evolutionary transformations from bilateral to radial structures. Since Peronella japonica is a direct-type developer that metamorphoses in 3 days without feeding, it provides a good system in which to analyse Hox gene expression in the rudiment.

We PCR-amplified the Hox-type sequences of P. japonica using genome DNA and cDNA prepared from larval RNAs as a template. We used two pairs of degenerated primers that corresponded to the first and third helices of the homeodomain of the Hox genes. As a result we obtained 13 Hox-type sequences, named Pj1–Pj13 in order of their determination. All the sequences were detected by RT-PCR, suggesting that they are being expressed in larvae (Table 1).
Identification of new skeletogenic genes of the sea urchin embryo by use of conserved sequence motifs among theSM50gene family
Authors: Lee Youn-Ho , Kwak Jaeil , Britten Roy J. , Davidson Eric H.
Published: July 2018

Spicule formation in the sea urchin is one of the conspicuous cellular processes occurring in early embryo-genesis, in which stereotyped spicules form through deposition of minerals onto the spicule matrix protein scaffold. This process requires many genes to be functional: the spicule matrix alone needs more than 50 different genes. Until now, however, only a few skeletogenic genes have been known. Recently SM37, a new putative spicule matrix protein gene, was cloned and found to be linked toSM50(Leeet al., 1999). The structure of the new gene raised the possibility of the presence of a gene family involved in skeletogenesis which consists of SM50, SM37 and LSM34 (a homologue ofSM50) (Bensonet al., 1987; Livingstonet al., 1991). Characteristics of the gene family include: (1) skeletongenic mesenchyme-specific expression, (2) onset of gene expression as early as the mesenchyme blastula, (3) presence of glycine, proline and glutamine-rich repeats in the middle of the proteins. Another feature of the family is the presence of conserved sequence motifs at both the amino-terminal and carboxyl-terminal regions of the proteins – SCYR(A/Y)F and PNPXXXRPRM(L/Y)QE, respectively – which we speculate play a role in protein guidance.
Studies on the potential of micromeres to induce archenteron differentiation in embryos of a direct-developing sand dollar,Peronella japonica
Authors: Iijima Minoru , Ishizuka Yasuhiro , Minokawa Takuya , Amemiya Shonan
Published: July 2018

Echinoid embryos of indirect developers comprise three tiers at the 16-cell stage: eight mesomeres, four macromeres and four micromeres. Micromeres differentiate autonomously into skeletogenic mesenchyme cells and induce adjoining macromeres to form a vegetal plate, resulting in archenteron invagination (Ransick & Davidson, 1995). It has been shown that micromeres have the potential to induce archenteron differentiation of presumptive ectoderm (Hörstadius, 1939).

Direct development, in which the larval stages are more or less abbreviated, has evolved in several phylogenetic lineages of echinoids. In most of them, the fourth cleavage of the embryos produces 16 blastomeres of almost the same size (Raff, 1987). Because of their indistinguishability, the inductive potential of vegetal-most blastomeres of direct developers remained to be studied.

The 16-cell stage embryos of the direct-developing sand dollar,Peronella japonica, are an exception and produce three tiers, the same as indirect developers. The embryos develop into two-armed pluteus-like larvae and metamorphose within 3 days after fertilisation without feeding. The micromeres of the species had been shown to differentiate into the skeletogenic mesenchyme cells (Amemiya & Arakawa, 1996). In the present study, we investigated the potential of the micromeres to induce or promote archenteron invagination inPeronella japonica.
Morphogenesis of exogut isolated from vegetalised embryo of sea urchin
Authors: Kamata Yasuyuki , Endo Kazuyuki , Nozaki Hiroyuki , Fujiwara Akiko , Yasumasu Ikuo
Published: July 2018

It is well known that sea urchin embryos treated with lithium chloride (LiC1) develop to abnormally into vegetalised embryos, in which differentiation of ectodermal cells is inhibited. When embryos of the sea urchins, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus and Anthocidaris crassispina were treated with 20 mM LiC1 from the 8-cell stage to the corresponding early gastrula stage, they developed to vegetalised embryos with a large exogut 45 h after fertilisation. In these vegetalised embryos, high activity of alkaline phosphatase (AP) was detected histochemically at the end of the exogut where it is attached to the embryo body. High activity of AP is known to be detected specifically in the gut of sea urchin pluteus larvae by the same procedure as used in this study. Hence, we concluded that this part of the exogut is composed of the cells which develop into the cells of the gut in normal development.

When exogut isolated from vegetalised embryos was cultured in the extract obtained from eggs or embryos, the end composed of the cells in which high AP activity was detected, expanded during culture and formed a large spherical structure about 24 h after the initiation of culture. The minimum concentration of extract to cause expansion of isolated exogut was 5 × 103 egg or embryo equivalent/ml ASW (artificial seawater). The extract boiled at 95 °C for 1 h also caused expansion of isolated exogut at the same concentrations as non-boiled extract. On the other hand, the extract obtained from eggs or embryos by chloroform–methanol extraction did not cause any expansion of exogut, but the aqueous phase, heat-dried and dissolved in ASW, induced expansion of isolated exogut.
Ran is associated with chromosomes during starfish oocyte meiosis and embryonic mitoses
Authors: Hinkle Beth , Rolls Melissa M. , Stein Pascal , Rapoport Tom , Terasaki Mark
Published: July 2018

Ran is an abundant small G protein that has a central role in nuclear transport during interphase. Ran function depends on distinct pools of RanGTP in the nucleus and RanGDP in the cytoplasm, which are maintained by compartmentalisation of the nucleotide exchange and GTPase activating proteins for Ran. RCC1 (Regulator of Chromosome Condensation) is the only known guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Ran and is associated with chromatin. RanGAPl together with RanBPl are the primary GTPase activator proteins and are located in the cytoplasm.

Ran function in nuclear transport is clearly inactivated after the nuclear envelope has disassembled during mitosis. There is now evidence that Ran plays a role in organising the spindle. Experiments using well-characterised cell-free extracts from meiotic metaphase II arrestedXenopuseggs suggest that Ran regulates microtubules involved in spindle assembly (Carazo-Salaset al., 1999; Kalabet al., 1999; Ohbaet al., 1999; Wilde & Zheng, 1999). These experiments demonstrate that high levels of RanGTP or GTP-locked forms of Ran result in aster formation and can cause formation of bipolar spindles in the absence of centrosomes or chromosomes. In contrast, reduction of RanGTP blocks centriole- and chromatin-dependent aster formation.
Special Report: WADEM Climate Change Position Statement
Authors: Cuthbertson Joseph , Archer Frank , Robertson Andy
Published: July 2018

The World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM; Madison, Wisconsin USA) is a multi-disciplinary professional association whose mission is the global improvement of prehospital and emergency health care, public health, and disaster health and preparedness. In April 2017, the biennial general meeting of the World Congress for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WCDEM) endorsed the WADEM Climate Change Position Statement, which was subsequently published in Prehospital and Disaster Medicine in July 2017. This special report examines literature used and reviews the process of development of this Position Statement as a product of WADEM.

Cuthbertson J, Archer F, Robertson A. Special report: WADEM climate change position statement. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(4):428–431
Casualties and Public Support for Military Conflict with North Korea
Authors: Rich Timothy S.
Published: July 2018

What explains the American public’s support for military conflict with North Korea? Despite increased rhetoric, few analyses address American public opinion or whether priming the public to consider casualties influences their perceptions. The results of an experimental survey design suggest that mentioning the human cost—even without explicit references to American casualties—reduces support for American military action against North Korea but not broader perceptions of North Korea.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Psychosis and Trauma: Investigating Links between Trauma Severity, Attachment and Outcome
Authors: Spidel Alicia , Daigneault Isabelle , Kealy David , Lecomte Tania
Published: July 2018

Background: Although Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may be effective for individuals with psychosis and a history of childhood trauma, little is known about predictors of treatment response among such patients. Aims: The current study examined: (1) whether severity of trauma predicted treatment response, and (2) profiles of patients with regard to their responses to treatment. Method: Fifty participants with psychosis and childhood trauma history were recruited and randomized to take part in either eight sessions of group-based ACT, or to be on a waiting list for the ACT group (i.e. treatment as usual group). The entire sample was used for the first part of the analyses (aim 1), whereas subsequent subsample analyses used only the treatment group (n = 30 for aim 2). Results: It was found that trauma severity did not moderate the effectiveness of ACT on symptom severity, participants’ ability to regulate their emotional reactions, or treatment compliance with regard to help-seeking. In addition, among those receiving ACT, the results revealed three distinct and clinically relevant change profiles. Avoidant attachment style and number of sessions attended were predictive of belonging to the different clusters or profiles. Patients in the profile representing the least amount of clinical change attended an average of two sessions less than those in the other change profiles. Conclusion: ACT offered in a group format appears to be a promising treatment for those with psychosis and history of trauma regardless of trauma severity. Given the brevity of the intervention, patients should be encouraged to attend each session to obtain maximum benefit.
Social care: an essential aspect of mental health rehabilitation services
Authors: Craig T. J.
Published: July 2018

This study is aimed at the importance of social care in rehabilitation. A brief overview of the social care theme is used as the methodology. There is a tension in mental health care between biological and psychological treatments that focus on deficits at the individual level (symptoms, disabilities) and social interventions that try to address local inequalities and barriers in order to improve access for service users to ordinary housing, employment and leisure opportunities. The history of mental health care tells us that social care is often underfunded and too easily dismissed as not the business of health care. But too much emphasis on a health model of individual deficits is a slippery slope to institutionalisation by way of therapeutic nihilism. Rehabilitation services follow the biopsychosocial model but with a shift in emphasis, recognising the vital role played by social interventions in improving the functional outcomes that matter to service users including access to housing, occupation, leisure facilities and the support of family and friends. In conclusion, rehabilitation is framed within a model of personal recovery in which the target of intervention is to boost hope and help the individual find a meaning to life, living well regardless of enduring symptoms.
Positive affektive Reaktionen in Sport und Bewegung durch allgemeine Kompetenzen und spezifische Verhaltenskompetenzen von Trainerinnen und Trainern
Authors: Strauch Ulrich Georg , Wäsche Hagen , Jekauc Darko
Published: July 2018

Zusammenfassung. Affektive Reaktionen bei Sporttreibenden stellen wichtige Determinanten dar, die Aufrechterhaltung von Sport und Bewegung zu fördern und perspektivisch Dropouts bei Trainierenden zu vermeiden. Die Trainerinnen und Trainer eines Sport- oder Bewegungsprogramms haben dabei einen maßgeblichen Einfluss auf die positiven affektiven Reaktionen (PAR) von Trainierenden. Ein entscheidender Aspekt dabei ist, mit welchen Kompetenzen Trainerinnen und Trainer PAR während des Trainings induzieren. Das Ziel dieser Studie ist es, die allgemeinen Kompetenzen und die spezifischen Verhaltenskompetenzen der Trainerinnen und Trainer zu identifizieren, welche mit den wahrgenommenen PAR der Trainierenden in körperlicher Bewegung und Freizeitsport verbunden sind. Um diese Kompetenzen festzustellen, wurden mit 30 Trainerinnen und Trainern aus dem Freizeit- und Breitensport teilstandardisierte Leitfadeninterviews durchgeführt. Es wurden drei allgemeine Kompetenzen für Trainerinnen und Trainer identifiziert. Dabei handelt es sich um die sozial-emotionale Kompetenz, die Kontextsensibilität und die Fachkompetenz. Aus diesen allgemeinen Kompetenzen lassen sich drei spezifische Verhaltenskompetenzen für Trainerinnen und Trainer ableiten: die Motivationskompetenz, die Adaptationskompetenz und die Organisationskompetenz. Diese Kompetenzen wurden in einem Modell zusammengefasst, welches die zentralen Wirkzusammenhänge der Verhaltenskompetenzen hinsichtlich PAR aufzeigt.
Connecting Indonesian Fires and Drought With the Type of El Niño and Phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole During 1979–2016
Authors: Pan Xiaohua , Chin Mian , Ichoku Charles M. , Field Robert D.
Published: July 2018

This study advances the previous understanding of the role of climate variability on Indonesian fire activity, by considering (i) the presence of different types of El Niño and (ii) the interaction between El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). We classify 12 El Niño events during 1979–2016 into Eastern Pacific (EP) and Central Pacific (CP) types (four and eight El Niño events, respectively) and analyze observational data of sea surface temperature, precipitation, drought code, biomass burning carbon emission, visibility, and aerosol optical depth accordingly. We find that more intense and prolonged Indonesian drought and fires occur in the EP type, during which the emitted carbon amounts almost double those in the CP type. By further separating the CP type El Niño according to the phase of the IOD, that is, positive and negative, we show that fire seasons with less burning intensity and shorter duration are predominantly associated with weakly positive or even negative phase of the IOD phenomena. Moreover, fire intensity exhibits geographic diversity: fires are always more intensive in southern Kalimantan than in southern Sumatra in all El Niño events, although it is less dry in the former region. The outcome of this study can be applied to drought early warning, fire management, and air quality forecast in Indonesia and adjacent areas by identifying the type of El Niño and the phase of the IOD in advance.
The Development of a Space Climatology: 1. Solar Wind Magnetosphere Coupling as a Function of Timescale and the Effect of Data Gaps
Authors: Lockwood Mike , Bentley Sarah N. , Owens Mathew J. , Barnard Luke A. , Scott Chris J. , Watt Clare E. , Allanson Oliver
Published: July 2018

Different terrestrial space weather indicators (such as geomagnetic indices, transpolar voltage, and ring current particle content) depend on different coupling functions (combinations of near‐Earth solar wind parameters), and previous studies also reported a dependence on the averaging timescale, τ. We study the relationships of the am and SME geomagnetic indices to the power input into the magnetosphere Pα, estimated using the optimum coupling exponent α, for a range of τ between 1 min and 1 year. The effect of missing data is investigated by introducing synthetic gaps into near‐continuous data, and the best method for dealing with them when deriving the coupling function is formally defined. Using Pα, we show that gaps in data recorded before 1995 have introduced considerable errors into coupling functions. From the near‐continuous solar wind data for 1996–2016, we find that α = 0.44 ± 0.02 and no significant evidence that α depends on τ, yielding Pα∝B0.88Vsw1.90(mswNsw)0.23sin4(θ/2), where B is the interplanetary magnetic field, Nsw the solar wind number density, msw its mean ion mass, Vsw its velocity, and θ the interplanetary magnetic field clock angle in the geocentric solar magnetospheric reference frame. Values of Pα that are accurate to within ±5% for 1996–2016 have an availability of 83.8%, and the correlation between Pα and am for these data is shown to be 0.990 (between 0.972 and 0.997 at the 2σ uncertainty level), 0.897 ± 0.004, and 0.790 ± 0.03, for τ of 1 year, 1 day, and 3 hr, respectively, and that between Pα and SME at τ of 1 min is 0.7046 ± 0.0004.
Discovery of a silicate rock-boring organism and macrobioerosion in fresh water
Authors: Bolotov Ivan N. , Aksenova Olga V. , Bakken Torkild , Glasby Christopher J. , Gofarov Mikhail Yu. , Kondakov Alexander V. , Konopleva Ekaterina S. , Lopes-Lima Manuel , Lyubas Artyom A. , Wang Yu , Bychkov Andrey Yu. , Sokolova Agniya M. , Tanmuangpak Kitti , Tumpeesuwan Sakboworn , Vikhrev Ilya V. , Shyu J. Bruce H. , Win Than , Pokrovsky Oleg S.
Published: July 2018

Macrobioerosion is a common process in marine ecosystems. Many types of rock-boring organisms break down hard substrates, particularly carbonate rocks and calcareous structures such as dead corals and shells. In paleontology, the presence of rocks with boreholes and fossil macroboring assemblage members is one of the primary diagnostic features of shallow marine paleo-environments. Here we describe a silicate rock-boring organism and an associated community in submerged siltstone rock outcrops in Kaladan River, Myanmar. The rock-boring musselLignopholas fluminalisis a close relative of the marine piddocks, and its borings belong to the ichnospeciesGastrochaenolites anauchen. The neotectonic uplift of the area leading to gradual decrease of the sea level with subsequent shift from estuarine to freshwater environment was the most likely driver for the origin of this community. Our findings highlight that rocks with macroborings are not an exclusive indicator of marine paleo-ecosystems, but may also reflect freshwater habitats.
Non-integumentary melanosomes can bias reconstructions of the colours of fossil vertebrates
Authors: McNamara Maria E. , Kaye Jonathan S. , Benton Michael J. , Orr Patrick J. , Rossi Valentina , Ito Shosuke , Wakamatsu Kazumasa
Published: July 2018

The soft tissues of many fossil vertebrates preserve evidence of melanosomes—micron-scale organelles that inform on integumentary coloration and communication strategies. In extant vertebrates, however, melanosomes also occur in internal tissues. Hence, fossil melanosomes may not derive solely from the integument and its appendages. Here, by analyzing extant and fossil frogs, we show that non-integumentary melanosomes have high fossilization potential, vastly outnumber those from the skin, and potentially dominate the melanosome films preserved in some fossil vertebrates. Our decay experiments show that non-integumentary melanosomes usually remain in situ provided that carcasses are undisturbed. Micron-scale study of fossils, however, demonstrates that non-integumentary melanosomes can redistribute through parts of the body if carcasses are disturbed by currents. Collectively, these data indicate that fossil melanosomes do not always relate to integumentary coloration. Integumentary and non-integumentary melanosomes can be discriminated using melanosome geometry and distribution. This is essential to accurate reconstructions of the integumentary colours of fossil vertebrates.
Cryopreservation of infectious Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts
Authors: Jaskiewicz Justyna J. , Sandlin Rebecca D. , Swei Anisa A. , Widmer Giovanni , Toner Mehmet , Tzipori Saul
Published: July 2018

Cryptosporidiosis in an enteric infection caused by Cryptosporidium parasites and is a major cause of acute infant diarrhea in the developing world. A major bottleneck to research progress is the lack of methods to cryopreserve Cryptosporidium oocysts, thus requiring routine propagation in laboratory animals. Here, we report a method to cryopreserve C. parvum oocysts by ultra-fast cooling. Cryopreserved oocysts exhibit high viability and robust in vitro excystation, and are infectious to interferon-γ knockout mice. The course of the infection is comparable to what we observe with unfrozen oocysts. Oocyst viability and infectivity is not visibly changed after several weeks of cryogenic storage. Cryopreservation will facilitate the sharing of oocysts from well-characterized isolates and transgenic strains among different laboratories.
The ubiquitin ligase UBR5 suppresses proteostasis collapse in pluripotent stem cells from Huntington’s disease patients
Authors: Koyuncu Seda , Saez Isabel , Lee Hyun Ju , Gutierrez-Garcia Ricardo , Pokrzywa Wojciech , Fatima Azra , Hoppe Thorsten , Vilchez David
Published: July 2018

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) undergo unlimited self-renewal while maintaining their potential to differentiate into post-mitotic cells with an intact proteome. As such, iPSCs suppress the aggregation of polyQ-expanded huntingtin (HTT), the mutant protein underlying Huntington’s disease (HD). Here we show that proteasome activity determines HTT levels, preventing polyQ-expanded aggregation in iPSCs from HD patients (HD-iPSCs). iPSCs exhibit high levels of UBR5, a ubiquitin ligase required for proteasomal degradation of both normal and mutant HTT. Conversely, loss of UBR5 increases HTT levels and triggers polyQ-expanded aggregation in HD-iPSCs. Moreover, UBR5 knockdown hastens polyQ-expanded aggregation and neurotoxicity in invertebrate models. Notably, UBR5 overexpression induces polyubiquitination and degradation of mutant HTT, reducing polyQ-expanded aggregates in HD-cell models. Besides HTT levels, intrinsic enhanced UBR5 expression determines global proteostasis of iPSCs preventing the aggregation of misfolded proteins ensued from normal metabolism. Thus, our findings indicate UBR5 as a modulator of super-vigilant proteostasis of iPSCs.
The conformational wave in capsaicin activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 ion channel
Authors: Yang Fan , Xiao Xian , Lee Bo Hyun , Vu Simon , Yang Wei , Yarov-Yarovoy Vladimir , Zheng Jie
Published: July 2018

The capsaicin receptor TRPV1 has been intensively studied by cryo-electron microscopy and functional tests. However, though the apo and capsaicin-bound structural models are available, the dynamic process of capsaicin activation remains intangible, largely due to the lack of a capsaicin-induced open structural model and the low occupancy of the transition states. Here we report that reducing temperature toward the freezing point substantially increased channel closure events even in the presence of saturating capsaicin. We further used a combination of fluorescent unnatural amino acid (fUAA) incorporation, computational modeling, and rate-equilibrium linear free-energy relationships analysis (Φ-analysis) to derive the fully open capsaicin-bound state model, and reveal how the channel transits from the apo to the open state. We observed that capsaicin initiates a conformational wave that propagates through the S4–S5 linker towards the S6 bundle and finally reaching the selectivity filter. Our study provides a temporal mechanism for capsaicin activation of TRPV1.
Room-temperature pyro-catalytic hydrogen generation of 2D few-layer black phosphorene under cold-hot alternation
Authors: You Huilin , Jia Yanmin , Wu Zheng , Wang Feifei , Huang Haitao , Wang Yu
Published: July 2018

Many 2D few-layer materials show piezoelectric or pyroelectric effects due to the loss-of-inversion symmetry induced by broken structure, although they are not piezoelectric or pyroelectric in the bulk. In this work, we find that the puckered graphene-like 2D few-layer black phosphorene is pyroelectric and shows a pyro-catalytic effect, where the pyroelectric charges generated under ambient cold–hot alternation are utilized for hydrogen evolution and dye molecule decomposition. Under thermal cycling between 15 °C and 65 °C, the 2D few-layer black phosphorene shows a direct hydrogen generation of about 540 μmol per gram of catalyst after 24 thermal cycles and about 99% decomposition of Rhodamine B dye after 5 thermal cycles. This work opens a door for the pyro-catalytic energy harvesting from the cold–hot alternations by a class of 2D few-layer materials.
Publisher Correction: Simulated microgravity attenuates myogenic differentiation via epigenetic regulations
Authors: Furukawa Takuma , Tanimoto Keiji , Fukazawa Takahiro , Imura Takeshi , Kawahara Yumi , Yuge Louis
Published: July 2018

The original version of this Article contained an error in Fig. 4. Fig. 4B was partly cropped, which obscured some of the sequence information. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Differences in hydrolytic enzyme activity accompany natural variation in mature aleurone morphology in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)
Authors: Aubert Matthew K. , Coventry Stewart , Shirley Neil J. , Betts Natalie S. , Würschum Tobias , Burton Rachel A. , Tucker Matthew R.
Published: July 2018

The aleurone is a critical component of the cereal seed and is located at the periphery of the starchy endosperm. During germination, the aleurone is responsible for releasing hydrolytic enzymes that degrade cell wall polysaccharides and starch granules, which is a key requirement for barley malt production. Inter- and intra-species differences in aleurone layer number have been identified in the cereals but the significance of this variation during seed development and germination remains unclear. In this study, natural variation in mature aleurone features was examined in a panel of 33 Hordeum vulgare (barley) genotypes. Differences were identified in the number of aleurone cell layers, the transverse thickness of the aleurone and the proportion of aleurone relative to starchy endosperm. In addition, variation was identified in the activity of hydrolytic enzymes that are associated with germination. Notably, activity of the free fraction of β-amylase (BMY), but not the bound fraction, was increased at grain maturity in barley varieties possessing more aleurone. Laser capture microdissection (LCM) and transcriptional profiling confirmed that HvBMY1 is the most abundant BMY gene in developing grain and accumulates in the aleurone during early stages of grain fill. The results reveal a link between molecular pathways influencing early aleurone development and increased levels of free β-amylase enzyme, potentially highlighting the aleurone as a repository of free β-amylase at grain maturity.