bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bt cotton producing Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab does not harm two parasitoids, Cotesia marginiventris and Copidosoma floridanum
Authors: Tian Jun-Ce , Wang Xiang-Ping , Chen Yang , Romeis Jörg , Naranjo Steven E. , Hellmich Richard L. , Wang Ping , Shelton Anthony M.
Published: January 2018

Cabbage looper,Trichoplusia ni(Hübner) is an important lepidopteran pest on many vegetable and greenhouse crops, and some field crops. Although there are no commercial transgenic Bt vegetable or greenhouse crops,T.niis a target of Bollgard II cotton, which produces Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab. We expand on previous work that examined the effect of Bt crops on parasitoids using Bt-resistant lepidopteran populations as hosts. Cry1Ac/Cry2Ab-resistantT.nilarvae were used to eliminate host quality effects and to evaluate the direct effects of Bt cotton on the parasitoidsCopidosoma floridanum(Ashmead) andCotesia marginiventris(Cresson). These tri-trophic studies confirm that Bt cotton had no significant impact on development, success of parasitism, survival and adult longevity ofC.marginiventriswhen using Bt-resistantT.nifed on Bt cotton. Similarly, this Bt cotton had no significant impact on the development, mummy weight and the number of progeny produced byC.floridanum. Our studies verified that lyophilized Bt crop tissue maintained its insecticidal bioactivity when incorporated into an artificial diet, demonstrating that hosts and parasitoids were exposed to active Cry proteins. The egg-larval parasitoidC.floridanum, or similar species that consume their entire host, should be considered useful surrogates in risk assessment of Bt crops to non-target arthropods.
Rare Earth Elements Removal from Water Using Natural Polymers
Authors: Negrea Adina , Gabor Andreea , Davidescu Corneliu Mircea , Ciopec Mihaela , Negrea Petru , Duteanu Narcis , Barbulescu Alina
Published: January 2018

Adsorption of rare earth metals, Eu (III) and Nd (III) was investigated on a new environmental friendly material, thiourea functionalized cellulose. Before usage, the synthesized material was characterized by Fourrier Transform Infrared spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The influence of adsorption parameters (adsorbent dosage, time, temperature and initial metal concentration) on adsorption capacity was investigated. Experimental data were fitted by using the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Simultaneously thermodynamic and equilibrium studies have been carried out using Langmuir, Freundlich and Sips isotherm. Maximum adsorption capacities were reached in 30 minutes at 298 K having the value of 27 mg/g for Eu (III) and 73 mg/g for Nd (III).
Effects on metabolic parameters in young rats born with low birth weight after exposure to a mixture of pesticides
Authors: Svingen Terje , Ramhøj Louise , Mandrup Karen , Christiansen Sofie , Axelstad Marta , Vinggaard Anne Marie , Hass Ulla
Published: January 2018

Pesticide exposure during fetal life can lead to low birth weight and is commonly observed in reproductive toxicology studies. Associations have also been found in low birth weight babies born from pesticide-exposed gardeners. Since low birth weight is also linked to metabolic disorders, it can be speculated that early life exposure to pesticides could increase the risk of becoming obese or developing diabetes later in life. We have analyzed potential long-term effects of gestational and lactational exposure to a low dose mixture of six pesticides that individually can cause low birth weight: Cyromazine, MCPB, Pirimicarb, Quinoclamine, Thiram, and Ziram. Exposed male offspring, who were smaller than controls, displayed some degree of catch-up growth. Insulin and glucagon regulation was not significantly affected, and analyses of liver and pancreas did not reveal obvious histopathological effects. Efforts towards identifying potential biomarkers of metabolic disease-risk did not result in any strong candidates, albeit leptin levels were altered in exposed animals. In fat tissues, the key genes Lep, Nmb and Nmbr were altered in high dosed offspring, and were differentially expressed between sexes. Our results suggest that early-life exposure to pesticides may contribute to the development of metabolic disorders later in life.
Tousled-like kinase 1 is a negative regulator of core transcription factors in murine embryonic stem cells
Authors: Lee Jina , Kim Min Seong , Park Su Hyung , Jang Yeun Kyu
Published: January 2018

Although the differentiation of pluripotent cells in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is often associated with protein kinase-mediated signaling pathways and Tousled-like kinase 1 (Tlk1) is required for development in several species, the role of Tlk1 in ESC function remains unclear. Here, we used mouse ESCs to study the function of Tlk1 in pluripotent cells. The knockdown (KD)-based Tlk1-deficient cells showed that Tlk1 is not essential for ESC self-renewal in an undifferentiated state. However, Tlk1-KD cells formed irregularly shaped embryoid bodies and induced resistance to differentiation cues, indicating their failure to differentiate into an embryoid body. Consistent with their failure to differentiate, Tlk1-KD cells failed to downregulate the expression of undifferentiated cell markers including Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2 during differentiation, suggesting a negative role of Tlk1. Interestingly, Tlk1 overexpression sufficiently downregulated the expression of core pluripotency factors possibly irrespective of its kinase activity, thereby leading to a partial loss of self-renewal ability even in an undifferentiated state. Moreover, Tlk1 overexpression caused severe growth defects and G2/M phase arrest as well as apoptosis. Collectively, our data suggest that Tlk1 negatively regulates the expression of pluripotency factors, thereby contributing to the scheduled differentiation of mouse ESCs.
A ruthenium-based 5-fluorouracil complex with enhanced cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction action in HCT116 cells
Authors: Silva Valdenizia Rodrigues , Corrêa Rodrigo S. , Santos Luciano de Souza , Soares Milena Botelho Pereira , Batista Alzir Azevedo , Bezerra Daniel Pereira
Published: January 2018

Combination of multifunctionalities into one compound is a rational strategy in medicinal chemical design, and have often been used with metallodrug-based compounds. In the present study, we synthesized a novel ruthenium-based 5-fluorouracil complex [Ru(5-FU)(PPh3)2(bipy)]PF6 (PPh3 = triphenylphosphine; and bipy = 2,2′-bipyridine) with enhanced cytotoxicity in different cancer cells, and assessed its apoptosis induction action in human colon carcinoma HCT116 cells. The complex was characterized by infrared, cyclic voltammetry, molar conductance measurements, elemental analysis, NMR experiments and X-ray crystallographic analysis. In both 2D and 3D cell culture models, the complex presented cytotoxicity to cancer cells more potent than 5-FU. A typical morphology of apoptotic cell death, increased internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, without cell membrane permeability, loss of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, increased phosphatidylserine externalization and caspase-3 activation were observed in complex-treated HCT116 cells. Moreover, the pre-treatment with Z-DEVD-FMK, a caspase-3 inhibitor, reduced the apoptosis induced by the complex, indicating cell death by apoptosis through caspase-dependent and mitochondrial intrinsic pathways. The complex failed to induce reactive oxygen species production and DNA intercalation. In conclusion, the novel complex displays enhanced cytotoxicity to different cancer cells, and is able to induce caspase-mediated apoptosis in HCT116 cells.
Allele-specific repression of Sox2 through the long non-coding RNA Sox2ot
Authors: Messemaker Tobias C. , van Leeuwen Selina M. , van den Berg Patrick R. , ‘t Jong Anke E. J. , Palstra Robert-Jan , Hoeben Rob C. , Semrau Stefan , Mikkers Harald M. M.
Published: January 2018

The transcription factor Sox2 controls the fate of pluripotent stem cells and neural stem cells. This gatekeeper function requires well-regulated Sox2 levels. We postulated that Sox2 regulation is partially controlled by the Sox2 overlapping long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) gene Sox2ot. Here we show that the RNA levels of Sox2ot and Sox2 are inversely correlated during neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Through allele-specific enhanced transcription of Sox2ot in mouse Sox2eGFP knockin ESCs we demonstrate that increased Sox2ot transcriptional activity reduces Sox2 RNA levels in an allele-specific manner. Enhanced Sox2ot transcription, yielding lower Sox2 RNA levels, correlates with a decreased chromatin interaction of the upstream regulatory sequence of Sox2 and the ESC-specific Sox2 super enhancer. Our study indicates that, in addition to previously reported in trans mechanisms, Sox2ot can regulate Sox2 by an allele-specific mechanism, in particular during development.
Blimp-1/PRDM1 is a critical regulator of Type III Interferon responses in mammary epithelial cells
Authors: Elias Salah , Robertson Elizabeth J. , Bikoff Elizabeth K. , Mould Arne W.
Published: January 2018

The transcriptional repressor Blimp-1 originally cloned as a silencer of type I interferon (IFN)-β gene expression controls cell fate decisions in multiple tissue contexts. Conditional inactivation in the mammary gland was recently shown to disrupt epithelial cell architecture. Here we report that Blimp-1 regulates expression of viral defense, IFN signaling and MHC class I pathways, and directly targets the transcriptional activator Stat1. Blimp-1 functional loss in 3D cultures of mammary epithelial cells (MECs) results in accumulation of dsRNA and expression of type III IFN-λ. Cultures treated with IFN lambda similarly display defective lumen formation. These results demonstrate that type III IFN-λ profoundly influences the behavior of MECs and identify Blimp-1 as a critical regulator of IFN signaling cascades.
Chemicals released by male sea cucumber mediate aggregation and spawning behaviours
Authors: Marquet Nathalie , Hubbard Peter C. , da Silva José P. , Afonso João , Canário Adelino V. M.
Published: January 2018

The importance of chemical communication in reproduction has been demonstrated in many marine broadcast spawners. However, little is known about the use of chemical communication by echinoderms, the nature of the compounds involved and their mechanism(s) of action. Here, the hypothesis that the sea cucumberHolothuria arguinensisuses chemical communication for aggregation and spawning was tested. Water conditioned by males, but not females, attracted both males and females; gonad homogenates and coelomic fluid had no effect on attraction. Male spawning water, but not female spawning water, stimulated males and females to release their gametes; the spermatozoa alone did not induce spawning.H.arguinensismale spawning water also induced spawning in the phylogenetically relatedH.mammata. This indicates that males release pheromones together with their gametes that induce spawning in conspecifics and possibly sympatric species. Finally, the male pheromone seems to be a mixture with at least one labile compound (biological activity is lost after four hours at ambient temperature) possibly including phosphatidylcholines. The identification of pheromones in sea cucumbers offers a new ecological perspective and may have practical applications for their aquaculture.
Functional Brain Network Mechanism of Hypersensitivity in Chronic Pain
Authors: Lee UnCheol , Kim Minkyung , Lee KyoungEun , Kaplan Chelsea M. , Clauw Daniel J. , Kim Seunghwan , Mashour George A. , Harris Richard E.
Published: January 2018

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic widespread pain condition characterized by augmented multi-modal sensory sensitivity. Although the mechanisms underlying this sensitivity are thought to involve an imbalance in excitatory and inhibitory activity throughout the brain, the underlying neural network properties associated with hypersensitivity to pain stimuli are largely unknown. In network science, explosive synchronization (ES) was introduced as a mechanism of hypersensitivity in diverse biological and physical systems that display explosive and global propagations with small perturbations. We hypothesized that ES may also be a mechanism of the hypersensitivity in FM brains. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed resting state electroencephalogram (EEG) of 10 FM patients. First, we examined theoretically well-known ES conditions within functional brain networks reconstructed from EEG, then tested whether a brain network model with ES conditions identified in the EEG data is sensitive to an external perturbation. We demonstrate for the first time that the FM brain displays characteristics of ES conditions, and that these factors significantly correlate with chronic pain intensity. The simulation data support the conclusion that networks with ES conditions are more sensitive to perturbation compared to non-ES network. The model and empirical data analysis provide convergent evidence that ES may be a network mechanism of FM hypersensitivity.
Pan-genome analysis of the genus Finegoldia identifies two distinct clades, strain-specific heterogeneity, and putative virulence factors
Authors: Brüggemann Holger , Jensen Anders , Nazipi Seven , Aslan Hüsnü , Meyer Rikke Louise , Poehlein Anja , Brzuszkiewicz Elzbieta , Al-Zeer Munir A. , Brinkmann Volker , Söderquist Bo
Published: January 2018

Finegoldia magna, a Gram-positive anaerobic coccus, is an opportunistic pathogen, associated with medical device-related infections.F.magnais the only described species of the genusFinegoldia. We report the analysis of 17 genomes ofFinegoldiaisolates. Phylogenomic analyses showed that theFinegoldiapopulation can be divided into two distinct clades, with an average nucleotide identity of 90.7%. One clade contains strains ofF. magna, whereas the other clade includes more heterogeneous strains, hereafter tentatively named “Finegoldia nericia”. The latter species appears to be more abundant in the human microbiome. Surface structure differences between strains ofF. magnaand“F. nericia” were detected by microscopy. Strain-specific heterogeneity is high and previously identified host-interacting factors are present only in subsets of“F. nericia”andF.magnastrains. However, all genomes encode multiple host factor-binding proteins such as albumin-, collagen-, and immunoglobulin-binding proteins, and two to four copies of CAMP (Christie-Atkins-Munch-Petersen) factors; in accordance, most strains show a positive CAMP reaction for co-hemolysis. Our work sheds new light of the genusFinegoldiaand its ability to bind host components. Future research should explore if the genomic differences identified here affect the potential of differentFinegoldiaspecies and strains to cause opportunistic infections.
Navon’s classical paradigm concerning local and global processing relates systematically to visual object classification performance
Authors: Gerlach Christian , Poirel Nicolas
Published: January 2018

Forty years ago David Navon tried to tackle a central problem in psychology concerning the time course of perceptual processing: Do we first see the details (local level) followed by the overall outlay (global level) or is it rather the other way around? He did this by developing a now classical paradigm involving the presentation of compound stimuli; large letters composed of smaller letters. Despite the usefulness of this paradigm it remains uncertain whether effects found with compound stimuli relate directly to visual object recognition. It does so because compound stimuli are not actual objects but rather formations of elements and because the elements that form the global shape of compound stimuli are not features of the global shape but rather objects in their own right. To examine the relationship between performance on Navon’s paradigm and visual object processing we derived two indexes from Navon’s paradigm that reflect different aspects of the relationship between global and local processing. We find that individual differences on these indexes can explain a considerable amount of variance in two standard object classification paradigms; object decision and superordinate categorization, suggesting that Navon’s paradigm does relate to visual object processing.
Initial evenness determines diversity and cell density dynamics in synthetic microbial ecosystems
Authors: Ehsani Elham , Hernandez-Sanabria Emma , Kerckhof Frederiek-Maarten , Props Ruben , Vilchez-Vargas Ramiro , Vital Marius , Pieper Dietmar H. , Boon Nico
Published: January 2018

The effect of initial evenness on the temporal trajectory of synthetic communities in comprehensive, low-volume microcosm studies remains unknown. We used flow cytometric fingerprinting and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to assess the impact of time on community structure in one hundred synthetic ecosystems of fixed richness but varying initial evenness. Both methodologies uncovered a similar reduction in diversity within synthetic communities of medium and high initial evenness classes. However, the results of amplicon sequencing showed that there were no significant differences between and within the communities in all evenness groups at the end of the experiment. Nevertheless, initial evenness significantly impacted the cell density of the community after five medium transfers. Highly even communities retained the highest cell densities at the end of the experiment. The relative abundances of individual species could be associated to particular evenness groups, suggesting that their presence was dependent on the initial evenness of the synthetic community. Our results reveal that using synthetic communities for testing ecological hypotheses requires prior assessment of initial evenness, as it impacts temporal dynamics.
Olfactory memory is enhanced in mice exposed to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields via Wnt/β-catenin dependent modulation of subventricular zone neurogenesis
Authors: Mastrodonato Alessia , Barbati Saviana Antonella , Leone Lucia , Colussi Claudia , Gironi Katia , Rinaudo Marco , Piacentini Roberto , Denny Christine A. , Grassi Claudio
Published: January 2018

Exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELFEF) influences the expression of key target genes controlling adult neurogenesis and modulates hippocampus-dependent memory. Here, we assayed whether ELFEF stimulation affects olfactory memory by modulating neurogenesis in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricle, and investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms. We found that 30 days after the completion of an ELFEF stimulation protocol (1 mT; 50 Hz; 3.5 h/day for 12 days), mice showed enhanced olfactory memory and increased SVZ neurogenesis. These effects were associated with upregulated expression of mRNAs encoding for key regulators of adult neurogenesis and were mainly dependent on the activation of the Wnt pathway. Indeed, ELFEF stimulation increased Wnt3 mRNA expression and nuclear localization of its downstream target β-catenin. Conversely, inhibition of Wnt3 by Dkk-1 prevented ELFEF-induced upregulation of neurogenic genes and abolished ELFEF’s effects on olfactory memory. Collectively, our findings suggest that ELFEF stimulation increases olfactory memory via enhanced Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the SVZ and point to ELFEF as a promising tool for enhancing SVZ neurogenesis and olfactory function.
Noncontact and instant detection of phosphor temperature in phosphor-converted white LEDs
Authors: Yang Tsung-Hsun , Huang Hsu-Yi , Sun Ching-Cherng , Glorieux Benoît , Lee Xuan-Hao , Yu Yeh-Wei , Chung Te-Yuan
Published: January 2018

Phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (pc-WLEDs) have become a major light source in general lighting. To stabilize the photometric characteristics of pc-WLEDs, much effort has been made to manage the heat dissipation of the LED dies. The thermal problems of the phosphor parts, a critical reliability concern for pc-WLEDs, have recently attracted academic interest. This study proposed a practical approach for measuring phosphor temperature in an operating pc-WLED using a noncontact, instant detection method to remotely monitor the emission spectrum. Conventionally, an infrared camera or thermocouples have been used to measure temperature. An IR camera requires good calibration on the emissivity and is usually blocked by the lens or other components covered on the phosphors. Moreover, a thermocouple requires time to reach the thermal equivalence between the detector and the sample under testing, and this approach is destructive when used for inner detection. Our approach has advantages over the conventional methods because it is noninvasive, noncontact, and instant, and inner detection. The approach is also independent of the peak wavelength of pumping lights, the concentration and thickness of phosphor, and correlated color temperatures.
Haptic shape discrimination and interhemispheric communication
Authors: Dowell Catherine J. , Norman J. Farley , Moment Jackie R. , Shain Lindsey M. , Norman Hideko F. , Phillips Flip , Kappers Astrid M. L.
Published: January 2018

In three experiments participants haptically discriminated object shape using unimanual (single hand explored two objects) and bimanual exploration (both hands were used, but each hand, left or right, explored a separate object). Such haptic exploration (one versus two hands) requires somatosensory processing in either only one or both cerebral hemispheres; previous studies related to the perception of shape/curvature found superior performance for unimanual exploration, indicating that shape comparison is more effective when only one hemisphere is utilized. The current results, obtained for naturally shaped solid objects (bell peppers, Capsicum annuum) and simple cylindrical surfaces demonstrate otherwise: bimanual haptic exploration can be as effective as unimanual exploration, showing that there is no necessary reduction in ability when haptic shape comparison requires interhemispheric communication. We found that while successive bimanual exploration produced high shape discriminability, the participants’ bimanual performance deteriorated for simultaneous shape comparisons. This outcome suggests that either interhemispheric interference or the need to attend to multiple objects simultaneously reduces shape discrimination ability. The current results also reveal a significant effect of age: older adults’ shape discrimination abilities are moderately reduced relative to younger adults, regardless of how objects are manipulated (left hand only, right hand only, or bimanual exploration).
Coherence measure in terms of the Tsallis relative α entropy
Authors: Zhao Haiqing , Yu Chang-shui
Published: January 2018

Coherence is the most fundamental quantum feature of the nonclassical systems. The understanding of coherence within the resource theory has been attracting increasing interest among which the quantification of coherence is an essential ingredient. A satisfactory measure should meet certain standard criteria. It seems that the most crucial criterion should be the strong monotonicity, that is, average coherence doesn’t increase under the (sub-selective) incoherent operations. Recently, the Tsallis relative α entropy has been tried to quantify the coherence. But it was shown to violate the strong monotonicity, even though it can unambiguously distinguish the coherent and the incoherent states with the monotonicity. Here we establish a family of coherence quantifiers which are closely related to the Tsallis relative α entropy. It proves that this family of quantifiers satisfy all the standard criteria and particularly cover several typical coherence measures.
Reevaluation of the Dentary Structures of Caenagnathid Oviraptorosaurs (Dinosauria, Theropoda)
Authors: Wang Shuo , Zhang Qiyue , Yang Rui
Published: January 2018

Among the characters of caenagnathid oviraptorosaurians, the lateral occlusal grooves and ridges on the occlusal surface of the jaw bones often receive special attention. Recent studies demonstrated that ontogenetic edentulism is present in caenagnathids, and therefore the lateral occlusal grooves and ridges are vestigial alveoli and interdental septa, respectively. In the present paper, the dentary structures of caenagnathids were reevaluated based on CT images ofCaenagnathiasiasp. IVPP V20377. Several previously unknown features including crateriform vestigial alveoli, the morphology of the dentary interior hollow space, and the paired blind tubes beneath the dentary symphyseal shelf are recognized. Current lines of evidence suggest different jaw bone morphologies are likely produced by various tooth reduction patterns, which indicates ontogenetic dietary shift, if once presented in caenagnathids andSapeornis, may have been different from the condition seen inLimusaurus. The 3D images of dentary interior spaces suggest that while tooth reduction progresses, the empty alveoli are partially modified into structures accommodating blood vessels that nourish the rhamphotheca, probably representing a functional compensation for the insufficient blood supply in toothed jaw bones.
Physiological effects of short acute UVB treatments in Chenopodium quinoa Willd
Authors: Huarancca Reyes Thais , Scartazza Andrea , Castagna Antonella , Cosio Eric G. , Ranieri Annamaria , Guglielminetti Lorenzo
Published: January 2018

Increased ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation due to global change can affect plant growth and metabolism. Here, we evaluated the capacity of quinoa to resist under short acute UVB irradiation. Quinoa was daily exposed for 30 or 60 min to 1.69 W m−2 UVB. The results showed that 30 min exposure in 9 d-course did not cause severe alterations on photosynthetic pigments and flavonoids, but a significant increase of antioxidant capacity was observed. Otherwise, 60 min UVB in 5 d-course reduced almost all these parameters except for an increase in the de-epoxidation of xanthophyll cycle pigments and led to the death of the plants. Further studies of gas exchange and fluorescence measurements showed that 30 min UVB dramatically decrease stomatal conductance, probably associated to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport was also observed, which could be a response to reduce ROS. Otherwise, irreversible damage to the photosynthetic apparatus was found with 60 min UVB probably due to severe ROS overproduction that decompensates the redox balance inducing UVB non-specific signaling. Moreover, 60 min UVB compromised Rubisco carboxylase activity and photosynthetic electron transport. Overall, these data suggest that quinoa modulates different response mechanisms depending on the UVB irradiation dosage.
Chiloscyphenol A derived from Chinese liverworts exerts fungicidal action by eliciting both mitochondrial dysfunction and plasma membrane destruction
Authors: Zheng Sha , Chang Wenqiang , Zhang Ming , Shi Hongzhuo , Lou Hongxiang
Published: January 2018

This study aimed to characterize the antifungal effects of chiloscyphenol A (CA), a natural small molecule isolated from Chinese liverworts, and investigate its mode of action. CA was effective against five tested Candida species with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 8–32 μg/ml and exhibited fungicidal activity against Candida albicans in both the planktonic state and mature biofilms. The in vivo study using Caenorhabditis elegans showed that CA prolonged the survival of C. albicans infected worms. Further investigations revealed that CA resulted in mitochondrial dysfunction as indicated by mtΔψ hyperpolarization, increased ATP production and intracellular ROS accumulation, and aggregated distribution of Tom70. In addition, CA caused perturbation of the cell membrane and increased membrane permeability, as demonstrated by specific staining and confocal microscopic and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations and by calcein-leakage measurements. This conclusion was further confirmed by the decreased cell size of CA-treated cells via three-dimensional contour-plot analysis using flow cytometry. Taken together, these results suggest that CA exerts fungicidal activity by eliciting both mitochondrial dysfunction and plasma membrane destruction in C. albicans. The elucidated mechanism supports the potential application of CA against clinical fungal infections.
Acetaldehyde inhibits retinoic acid biosynthesis to mediate alcohol teratogenicity
Authors: Shabtai Yehuda , Bendelac Liat , Jubran Halim , Hirschberg Joseph , Fainsod Abraham
Published: January 2018

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy induces Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which has been proposed to arise from competitive inhibition of retinoic acid (RA) biosynthesis. We provide biochemical and developmental evidence identifying acetaldehyde as responsible for this inhibition. In the embryo, RA production by RALDH2 (ALDH1A2), the main retinaldehyde dehydrogenase expressed at that stage, is inhibited by ethanol exposure. Pharmacological inhibition of the embryonic alcohol dehydrogenase activity, prevents the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde that in turn functions as a RALDH2 inhibitor. Acetaldehyde-mediated reduction of RA can be rescued by RALDH2 or retinaldehyde supplementation. Enzymatic kinetic analysis of human RALDH2 shows a preference for acetaldehyde as a substrate over retinaldehyde. RA production by hRALDH2 is efficiently inhibited by acetaldehyde but not by ethanol itself. We conclude that acetaldehyde is the teratogenic derivative of ethanol responsible for the reduction in RA signaling and induction of the developmental malformations characteristic of FASD. This competitive mechanism will affect tissues requiring RA signaling when exposed to ethanol throughout life.
High Resolution 31P NMR Spectroscopy Generates a Quantitative Evolution Profile of Phosphorous Translocation in Germinating Sesame Seed
Authors: Cai Honghao , Chuang Wei-Gang , Cui Xiaohong , Cheng Ren-Hao , Chiu Kuohsun , Chen Zhong , Ding Shangwu
Published: January 2018

Phosphorus metabolism and circulation are essential bio-physicochemical processes during development of a plant and have been extensively studied and known to be affected by temperature, humidity, lighting, hormones etc. However, a quantitative description of how various phosphorous species evolve over time has not been reported. In this work, a combined 31P liquid and solid state NMR spectroscopic methodology is employed, supported by a new extraction scheme and data analysis method, to carry out a quantitative investigation of phosphorous circulation in germinating sesame seeds in dark and under illumination with and without adding a growth hormone. The spectra show that only slight changes occur for phosphorous metabolism at the initial stage but a rapid change takes place between 48–96 hours after germination is started. The metabolism is found to be temperature dependent and affected by illumination and hormone. However, neither illumination nor hormone affects the final residual concentration of phytin. Moreover, phytin does not flow out of cotyledon and the phosphorous flowing to other parts of the plant is always in the inorganic form. The overall evolution profile of phytate consumption is found to be a Gaussian decaying function. These findings can be explained with a dynamic model on phytin conversion.
Multifunctional microfluidic chip for optical nanoprobe based RNA detection – application to Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Alves Pedro Urbano , Vinhas Raquel , Fernandes Alexandra R. , Birol Semra Zuhal , Trabzon Levent , Bernacka-Wojcik Iwona , Igreja Rui , Lopes Paulo , Baptista Pedro Viana , Águas Hugo , Fortunato Elvira , Martins Rodrigo
Published: January 2018

Many diseases have their treatment options narrowed and end up being fatal if detected during later stages. As a consequence, point-of-care devices have an increasing importance for routine screening applications in the health sector due to their portability, fast analyses and decreased cost. For that purpose, a multifunctional chip was developed and tested using gold nanoprobes to perform RNA optical detection inside a microfluidic chip without the need of molecular amplification steps. As a proof-of-concept, this device was used for the rapid detection of chronic myeloid leukemia, a hemato-oncological disease that would benefit from early stage diagnostics and screening tests. The chip passively mixed target RNA from samples, gold nanoprobes and saline solution to infer a result from their final colorimetric properties. An optical fiber network was used to evaluate its transmitted spectra inside the chip. Trials provided accurate output results within 3 min, yielding signal-to-noise ratios up to 9 dB. When compared to actual state-of-art screening techniques of chronic myeloid leukemia, these results were, at microscale, at least 10 times faster than the reported detection methods for chronic myeloid leukemia. Concerning point-of-care applications, this work paves the way for other new and more complex versions of optical based genosensors.
Face size biases emotion judgment through eye movement
Authors: Wang Shuo
Published: January 2018

Faces are the most commonly used stimuli to study emotions. Researchers often manipulate the emotion contents and facial features to study emotion judgment, but rarely manipulate low-level stimulus features such as face sizes. Here, I investigated whether a mere difference in face size would cause differences in emotion judgment. Subjects discriminated emotions in fear-happy morphed faces. When subjects viewed larger faces, they had an increased judgment of fear and showed a higher specificity in emotion judgment, compared to when they viewed smaller faces. Concurrent high-resolution eye tracking further provided mechanistic insights: subjects had more fixations onto the eyes when they viewed larger faces whereas they had a wider dispersion of fixations when they viewed smaller faces. The difference in eye movement was present across fixations in serial order but independent of morph level, ambiguity level, or behavioral judgment. Together, this study not only suggested a link between emotion judgment and eye movement, but also showed importance of equalizing stimulus sizes when comparing emotion judgments.
Recognition by host nuclear transport proteins drives disorder-to-order transition in Hendra virus V
Authors: Atkinson Sarah C. , Audsley Michelle D. , Lieu Kim G. , Marsh Glenn A. , Thomas David R. , Heaton Steven M. , Paxman Jason J. , Wagstaff Kylie M. , Buckle Ashley M. , Moseley Gregory W. , Jans David A. , Borg Natalie A.
Published: January 2018

Hendra virus (HeV) is a paramyxovirus that causes lethal disease in humans, for which no vaccine or antiviral agent is available. HeV V protein is central to pathogenesis through its ability to interact with cytoplasmic host proteins, playing key antiviral roles. Here we use immunoprecipitation, siRNA knockdown and confocal laser scanning microscopy to show that HeV V shuttles to and from the nucleus through specific host nuclear transporters. Spectroscopic and small angle X-ray scattering studies reveal HeV V undergoes a disorder-to-order transition upon binding to either importin α/β1 or exportin-1/Ran-GTP, dependent on the V N-terminus. Importantly, we show that specific inhibitors of nuclear transport prevent interaction with host transporters, and reduce HeV infection. These findings emphasize the critical role of host-virus interactions in HeV infection, and potential use of compounds targeting nuclear transport, such as the FDA-approved agent ivermectin, as anti-HeV agents.
Publisher Correction: Anti-AMPA GluA3 antibodies in Frontotemporal dementia: a new molecular target
Authors: Borroni B. , Stanic J. , Verpelli C. , Mellone M. , Bonomi E. , Alberici A. , Bernasconi P. , Culotta L. , Zianni E. , Archetti S. , Manes M. , Gazzina S. , Ghidoni R. , Benussi L. , Stuani C. , Di Luca M. , Sala C. , Buratti E. , Padovani A. , Gardoni F.
Published: January 2018

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML version of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
Transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells on functional recovery and neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury; systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Nakhjavan-Shahraki Babak , Yousefifard Mahmoud , Rahimi-Movaghar Vafa , Baikpour Masoud , Nasirinezhad Farinaz , Safari Saeed , Yaseri Mehdi , Moghadas Jafari Ali , Ghelichkhani Parisa , Tafakhori Abbas , Hosseini Mostafa
Published: January 2018

There are considerable disagreements on the application of olfactory ensheathing cells (OEC) for spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation. The present meta-analysis was designed to investigate the efficacy of OEC transplantation on motor function recovery and neuropathic pain alleviation in SCI animal models. Accordingly, all related studies were identified and included. Two independent researchers assessed the quality of the articles and summarized them by calculating standardized mean differences (SMD). OEC transplantation was shown to significantly improve functional recovery (SMD = 1.36; 95% confidence interval: 1.05–1.68; p < 0.001). The efficacy of this method was higher in thoracic injuries (SMD = 1.41; 95% confidence interval: 1.08–1.74; p < 0.001) and allogeneic transplants (SMD = 1.53; 95% confidence interval: 1.15–1.90; p < 0.001). OEC transplantation had no considerable effects on the improvement of hyperalgesia (SMD = −0.095; 95% confidence interval: −0.42–0.23; p = 0.57) but when the analyses were limited to studies with follow-up ≥8 weeks, it was associated with increased hyperalgesia (SMD = −0.66; 95% confidence interval: −1.28–0.04; p = 0.04). OEC transplantation did not affect SCI-induced allodynia (SMD = 0.54; 95% confidence interval: −0.80–1.87; p = 0.43). Our findings showed that OEC transplantation can significantly improve motor function post-SCI, but it has no effect on allodynia and might lead to relative aggravation of hyperalgesia.
The effect of maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy on body fat and adipogenesis in rat offspring
Authors: Wen Juan , Hong Qin , Wang Xingyun , Zhu Lijun , Wu Tianqi , Xu Pengfei , Fu Ziyi , You Lianghui , Wang Xing , Ji Chenbo , Guo Xirong
Published: January 2018

To evaluate the effects of maternal vitamin D deficiency on body fat and adipogenesis in offspring rats, and explore the potential mechanism, we constructed a vitamin D deficient rat model and performed metabolic activity evaluation, body fat monitoring, biochemical analysis, adipogenesis assay, methylation microarray and RNA-seq for their offspring rats. We found the weight of vitamin D deficient (VDD) offspring was gradually higher than that of control (CLT) offspring, and the difference was significant since 10 weeks old. When compared with CTL offspring, the 24 h heat production, peak blood glucose, adipose tissue volume and blood lipid indexes were significantly increased in VDD offspring at 14 weeks old. Moreover, a significant increase in proliferation rate and number of lipid droplets for pre-adipocytes was also observed in VDD offspring group. DNA methylation profiling showed that compared to CTL group, 608 promoters and 204 CpG islands were differentially methylated in the VDD group, involving 305 genes. When combined with the results of RNA-seq, 141 genes of the methylated genes were differentially expressed. In conclusion, vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may promote the proliferation and differentiation of pre-adipocytes, which may be associated with methylation alterations of genes, ultimately leading to offspring obesity.
Identification and validation of an 18-gene signature highly-predictive of bladder cancer metastasis
Authors: Wang Beihe , Wan Fangning , Sheng Haoyue , Zhu Yiping , Shi Guohai , Zhang Hailiang , Dai Bo , Shen Yijun , Zhu Yao , Ye Dingwei
Published: January 2018

We found two deviant groups that were unpredictable with clinical models predicting bladder cancer metastasis. The group G consists of patients at high risk of pN+ , but they have pN0. The group P consists of patients at low risk of pN+ , but they have pN+ . We aimed to determine the genetic differences between these two groups. 1603 patients from SEER database were enrolled to build a multivariate model. This model was applied to patients from the TCGA database to distinguish groups G and P. Differentially expressed genes between the two groups were identified. RT-qPCR was used to validate the results in a cohort from FUSCC. Two deviant groups were identified both in the SEER population and the TCGA population. Expression of 183 genes was significantly different between the two groups. 18 genes achieved significant statistical power in predicting lymph node metastasis excluding these two deviant groups. The 18-gene signature outperformed 3 other bladder cancer lymph node prediction tools in 2 external GEO datasets. RT-qPCR results of our own cohort identified NECTIN2 (P = 0.036) as the only gene that could predict metastasis. Our study showed a novel gene screening method and proposed an 18-gene signature highly predictive of bladder cancer metastasis.
Routes to Chaos Induced by a Discontinuous Resetting Process in a Hybrid Spiking Neuron Model
Authors: Nobukawa Sou , Nishimura Haruhiko , Yamanishi Teruya
Published: January 2018

Several hybrid spiking neuron models combining continuous spike generation mechanisms and discontinuous resetting processes following spiking have been proposed. The Izhikevich neuron model, for example, can reproduce many spiking patterns. This model clearly possesses various types of bifurcations and routes to chaos under the effect of a state-dependent jump in the resetting process. In this study, we focus further on the relation between chaotic behaviour and the state-dependent jump, approaching the subject by comparing spiking neuron model versions with and without the resetting process. We first adopt a continuous two-dimensional spiking neuron model in which the orbit in the spiking state does not exhibit divergent behaviour. We then insert the resetting process into the model. An evaluation using the Lyapunov exponent with a saltation matrix and a characteristic multiplier of the Poincar’e map reveals that two types of chaotic behaviour (i.e. bursting chaotic spikes and near-period-two chaotic spikes) are induced by the resetting process. In addition, we confirm that this chaotic bursting state is generated from the periodic spiking state because of the slow- and fast-scale dynamics that arise when jumping to the hyperpolarization and depolarization regions, respectively.
Magnetoelectricity of CoFe2O4 and tetragonal phase BiFeO3 nanocomposites prepared by pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Gao Min , Viswan Ravindranath , Tang Xiao , Leung Chung Ming , Li Jiefang , Viehland D.
Published: January 2018

The coupling between the tetragonal phase (T-phase) of BiFeO3 (BFO) and CoFe2O4 (CFO) in magnetoelectric heterostructures has been studied. Bilayers of CFO and BFO were deposited on (001) LaAlO3 single crystal substrates by pulsed laser deposition. After 30 min of annealing, the CFO top layer exhibited a T-phase-like structure, developing a platform-like morphology with BFO. Magnetic hysteresis loops exhibited a strong thickness effect of the CFO layer on the coercive field, in particular along the out-of-plane direction. Magnetic force microscopy images revealed that the T-phase CFO platform contained multiple magnetic domains, which could be tuned by applying a tip bias. A combination of shape, strain, and exchange coupling effects are used to explain the observations.
Sweep Dynamics (SD) plots: Computational identification of selective sweeps to monitor the adaptation of influenza A viruses
Authors: Klingen Thorsten R. , Reimering Susanne , Loers Jens , Mooren Kyra , Klawonn Frank , Krey Thomas , Gabriel Gülsah , McHardy Alice C.
Published: January 2018

Monitoring changes in influenza A virus genomes is crucial to understand its rapid evolution and adaptation to changing conditions e.g. establishment within novel host species. Selective sweeps represent a rapid mode of adaptation and are typically observed in human influenza A viruses. We describe Sweep Dynamics (SD) plots, a computational method combining phylogenetic algorithms with statistical techniques to characterize the molecular adaptation of rapidly evolving viruses from longitudinal sequence data. SD plots facilitate the identification of selective sweeps, the time periods in which these occurred and associated changes providing a selective advantage to the virus. We studied the past genome-wide adaptation of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza A (pH1N1) and seasonal H3N2 influenza A (sH3N2) viruses. The pH1N1 influenza virus showed simultaneous amino acid changes in various proteins, particularly in seasons of high pH1N1 activity. Partially, these changes resulted in functional alterations facilitating sustained human-to-human transmission. In the evolution of sH3N2 influenza viruses, we detected changes characterizing vaccine strains, which were occasionally revealed in selective sweeps one season prior to the WHO recommendation. Taken together, SD plots allow monitoring and characterizing the adaptive evolution of influenza A viruses by identifying selective sweeps and their associated signatures.
Auditory Neural Activity in Congenitally Deaf Mice Induced by Infrared Neural Stimulation
Authors: Tan Xiaodong , Jahan Israt , Xu Yingyue , Stock Stuart , Kwan Changyow Claire , Soriano Carmen , Xiao Xianghui , García-Añoveros Jaime , Fritzsch Bernd , Richter Claus-Peter
Published: January 2018

To determine whether responses during infrared neural stimulation (INS) result from the direct interaction with spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs), we tested three genetically modified deaf mouse models: Atoh1-cre; Atoh1
f/f
(Atoh1 conditional knockout, CKO), Atoh1-cre; Atoh1
f/kiNeurog1
(Neurog1 knockin, KI), and the Vglut3 knockout (Vglut3−/−) mice. All animals were exposed to tone bursts and clicks up to 107 dB (re 20 µPa) and to INS, delivered with a 200 µm optical fiber. The wavelength (λ) was 1860 nm, the radiant energy (Q) 0-800 µJ/pulse, and the pulse width (PW) 100–500 µs. No auditory responses to acoustic stimuli could be evoked in any of these animals. INS could not evoke auditory brainstem responses in Atoh1 CKO mice but could in Neurog1 KI and Vglut3−/− mice. X-ray micro-computed tomography of the cochleae showed that responses correlated with the presence of SGNs and hair cells. Results in Neurog1 KI mice do not support a mechanical stimulation through the vibration of the basilar membrane, but cannot rule out the direct activation of the inner hair cells. Results in Vglut3−/− mice, which have no synaptic transmission between inner hair cells and SGNs, suggested that hair cells are not required.
Overexpression of a constitutively active truncated form of OsCDPK1 confers disease resistance by affecting OsPR10a expression in rice
Authors: He Siou-Luan , Jiang Jian-Zhi , Chen Bo-Hong , Kuo Chun-Hsiang , Ho Shin-Lon
Published: January 2018

The rice pathogenesis-related protein OsPR10a was scarcely expressed in OsCDPK1-silenced (Ri-1) rice, which was highly sensitive to pathogen infection. After inoculating the leaves with bacterial blight (Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae; Xoo), we found that the expression of OsPR10a was up- and down-regulated in OEtr-1 (overexpression of the constitutively active truncated form of OsCDPK1) and Ri-1 rice plants, respectively. OsPR10a and OsCDPK1 showed corresponding expression patterns and were up-regulated in response to the jasmonic acid, salicylic acid and Xoo treatments, and OsPR1 and OsPR4 were significantly up-regulated in OEtr-1. These results suggest that OsCDPK1 may be an upstream regulator involved in rice innate immunity and conferred broad-spectrum of disease resistance. Following the Xoo inoculation, the OEtr-1 and Ri-1 seedlings showed enhanced and reduced disease resistance, respectively. The dihybrid rice Ri-1/OsPR10a-Ox not only bypassed the effect of OsCDPK1 silencing on the susceptibility to Xoo but also showed enhanced disease resistance and, consistent with Ri-1 phenotypes, increased plant height and grain size. Our results reveal that OsCDPK1 plays novel key roles in the cross-talk and mediation of the balance between stress response and development and provides a clue for improving grain yield and disease resistance simultaneously in rice.