bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The juvenile hormone described in Rhodnius prolixus by Wigglesworth is juvenile hormone III skipped bisepoxide
Authors: Villalobos-Sambucaro Maria Jose , Nouzova Marcela , Ramirez Cesar E. , Eugenia Alzugaray María , Fernandez-Lima Francisco , Ronderos Jorge Rafael , Noriega Fernando G. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractJuvenile hormones (JHs) are sesquiterpenoids synthesized by the corpora allata (CA). They play critical roles during insect development and reproduction. The first JH was described in 1934 as a “metamorphosis inhibitory hormone” in Rhodnius prolixus by Sir Vincent B. Wigglesworth. Remarkably, in spite of the importance of R. prolixus as vectors of Chagas disease and model organisms in insect physiology, the original JH that Wigglesworth described for the kissing-bug R. prolixus remained unidentified. We employed liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to search for the JH homologs present in the hemolymph of fourth instar nymphs of R. prolixus. Wigglesworth’s original JH is the JH III skipped bisepoxide (JHSB3), a homolog identified in other heteropteran species. Changes in the titer of JHSB3 were studied during the 10-day long molting cycle of 4th instar nymph, between a blood meal and the ecdysis to 5th instar. In addition we measured the changes of mRNA levels in the CA for the 13 enzymes of the JH biosynthetic pathway during the molting cycle of 4th instar. Almost 90 years after the first descriptions of the role of JH in insects, this study finally reveals that the specific JH homolog responsible for Wigglesworth’s original observations is JHSB3.
ELISA assay employing epitope-specific monoclonal antibodies to quantify circulating HER2 with potential application in monitoring cancer patients undergoing therapy with trastuzumab
Authors: Agnolon Valentina , Contato Anna , Meneghello Anna , Tagliabue Elda , Toffoli Giuseppe , Gion Massimo , Polo Federico , Fabricio Aline S. C. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractCirculating HER2 extracellular domain (HER2 ECD) levels were proposed as a surrogate for HER2 tissue expression to monitor breast cancer patients for early relapse or responses to standard or HER2-targeted therapies, such as the monoclonal antibody (mAb) trastuzumab. Currently, available commercial ELISA assays for HER2 ECD rely on antibodies recognizing undisclosed or unknown epitopes. In this work, two ELISA assays employing MGR2 and MGR3 epitope-specific mAbs for HER2 ECD were developed and validated, showing good assay precision and linearity of the dose-response signal within the dynamic range of 0.19–12.50 ng mL−1 and detection limits of 0.76 and 0.75 ng mL−1 for the MGR2 and MGR3 assays, respectively. The developed assay showed a good agreement with two widely used commercial kits for HER2 ECD quantification in serum samples from breast cancer patients. A complete characterization of mAb-HER2 ECD interaction was performed by means of surface plasmon resonance using trastuzumab as control for both epitope mapping and kinetics analysis. The epitopes recognized by the two mAbs showed no overlap with trastuzumab, which was confirmed by trastuzumab interference analysis in serum samples. The method showed to be a practical approach to determine HER2 ECD with a high degree of sensitivity, reliability and recovery in samples containing mAbs-based therapies.
Inhibition of IL-1beta improves Glycaemia in a Mouse Model for Gestational Diabetes
Authors: Schulze Friederike , Wehner Josua , Kratschmar Denise V. , Makshana Valmir , Meier Daniel T. , Häuselmann Stéphanie P. , Dalmas Elise , Thienel Constanze , Dror Erez , Wiedemann Sophia J. , Traub Shuyang , Nordmann Thierry M. , Rachid Leila , De Baat Axel , Rohm Theresa V. , Zhao Cheng , Odermatt Alex , Böni-Schnetzler Marianne , Donath Marc Y. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common diseases associated with pregnancy, however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Based on the well documented role of inflammation in type 2 diabetes, the aim was to investigate the role of inflammation in GDM. We established a mouse model for GDM on the basis of its two major risk factors, obesity and aging. In these GDM mice, we observed increased Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) expression in the uterus and the placenta along with elevated circulating IL-1β concentrations compared to normoglycemic pregnant mice. Treatment with an anti-IL-1β antibody improved glucose-tolerance of GDM mice without apparent deleterious effects for the fetus. Finally, IL-1β antagonism showed a tendency for reduced plasma corticosterone concentrations, possibly explaining the metabolic improvement. We conclude that IL-1β is a causal driver of impaired glucose tolerance in GDM.
Denitrification rates in lake sediments of mountains affected by high atmospheric nitrogen deposition
Authors: Palacin-Lizarbe Carlos , Camarero Lluís , Hallin Sara , Jones Christopher M. , Catalan Jordi 
Published: February 2020

AbstractDuring the last decades, atmospheric nitrogen loading in mountain ranges of the Northern Hemisphere has increased substantially, resulting in high nitrate concentrations in many lakes. Yet, how increased nitrogen has affected denitrification, a key process for nitrogen removal, is poorly understood. We measured actual and potential (nitrate and carbon amended) denitrification rates in sediments of several lake types and habitats in the Pyrenees during the ice-free season. Actual denitrification rates ranged from 0 to 9 μmol N2O m−2 h−1 (mean, 1.5 ± 1.6 SD), whereas potential rates were about 10-times higher. The highest actual rates occurred in warmer sediments with more nitrate available in the overlying water. Consequently, littoral habitats showed, on average, 3-fold higher rates than the deep zone. The highest denitrification potentials were found in more productive lakes located at relatively low altitude and small catchments, with warmer sediments, high relative abundance of denitrification nitrite reductase genes, and sulphate-rich waters. We conclude that increased nitrogen deposition has resulted in elevated denitrification rates, but not sufficiently to compensate for the atmospheric nitrogen loading in most of the highly oligotrophic lakes. However, there is potential for high rates, especially in the more productive lakes and landscape features largely govern this.
Decimated little brown bats show potential for adaptive change
Authors: Auteri Giorgia G. , Knowles L. Lacey 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe degree to which species can rapidly adapt is key to survival in the face of climatic and other anthropogenic changes. For little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), whose populations have experienced declines of over 90% because of the introduced fungal pathogen that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS), survival of the species may ultimately depend upon its capacity for adaptive change. Here, we present evidence of selectively driven change (adaptation), despite dramatic nonadaptive genomic shifts (genetic drift) associated with population declines. We compared the genetic makeups of wild survivors versus non-survivors of WNS, and found significant shifts in allele frequencies of genes associated with regulating arousal from hibernation (GABARB1), breakdown of fats (cGMP-PK1), and vocalizations (FOXP2). Changes at these genes are suggestive of evolutionary adaptation, given that WNS causes bats to arouse with unusual frequency from hibernation, contributing to premature depletion of fat reserves. However, whether these putatively adaptive shifts in allele frequencies translate into sufficient increases in survival for the species to rebound in the face of WNS is unknown.
Meta-analysis of honey bee neurogenomic response links Deformed wing virus type A to precocious behavioral maturation
Authors: Traniello Ian M. , Bukhari Syed Abbas , Kevill Jessica , Ahmed Amy Cash , Hamilton Adam R. , Naeger Nicholas L. , Schroeder Declan C. , Robinson Gene E. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractCrop pollination by the western honey bee Apis mellifera is vital to agriculture but threatened by alarmingly high levels of colony mortality, especially in Europe and North America. Colony loss is due, in part, to the high viral loads of Deformed wing virus (DWV), transmitted by the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor, especially throughout the overwintering period of a honey bee colony. Covert DWV infection is commonplace and has been causally linked to precocious foraging, which itself has been linked to colony loss. Taking advantage of four brain transcriptome studies that unexpectedly revealed evidence of covert DWV-A infection, we set out to explore whether this effect is due to DWV-A mimicking naturally occurring changes in brain gene expression that are associated with behavioral maturation. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that brain gene expression profiles of DWV-A infected bees resembled those of foragers, even in individuals that were much younger than typical foragers. In addition, brain transcriptional regulatory network analysis revealed a positive association between DWV-A infection and transcription factors previously associated with honey bee foraging behavior. Surprisingly, single-cell RNA-Sequencing implicated glia, not neurons, in this effect; there are relatively few glial cells in the insect brain and they are rarely associated with behavioral plasticity. Covert DWV-A infection also has been linked to impaired learning, which together with precocious foraging can lead to increased occurrence of infected bees from one colony mistakenly entering another colony, especially under crowded modern apiary conditions. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms by which DWV-A affects honey bee health and colony survival.
Chromosome 19 microRNA cluster enhances cell reprogramming by inhibiting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition
Authors: Mong Ezinne F. , Yang Ying , Akat Kemal M. , Canfield John , VanWye Jeffrey , Lockhart John , Tsibris John C. M. , Schatz Frederick , Lockwood Charles J. , Tuschl Thomas , Kayisli Umit A. , Totary-Jain Hana 
Published: February 2020

AbstractDuring implantation, cytotrophoblasts undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as they differentiate into invasive extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs). The primate-specific microRNA cluster on chromosome 19 (C19MC) is exclusively expressed in the placenta, embryonic stem cells and certain cancers however, its role in EMT gene regulation is unknown. In situ hybridization for miR-517a/c, a C19MC cistron microRNA, in first trimester human placentas displayed strong expression in villous trophoblasts and a gradual decrease from proximal to distal cell columns as cytotrophoblasts differentiate into invasive EVTs. To investigate the role of C19MC in the regulation of EMT genes, we employed the CRISPR/dCas9 Synergistic Activation Mediator (SAM) system, which induced robust transcriptional activation of the entire C19MC cistron and resulted in suppression of EMT associated genes. Exposure of human iPSCs to hypoxia or differentiation of iPSCs into either cytotrophoblast-stem-like cells or EVT-like cells under hypoxia reduced C19MC expression and increased EMT genes. Furthermore, transcriptional activation of the C19MC cistron induced the expression of OCT4 and FGF4 and accelerated cellular reprogramming. This study establishes the CRISPR/dCas9 SAM as a powerful tool that enables activation of the entire C19MC cistron and uncovers its novel role in suppressing EMT genes critical for maintaining the epithelial cytotrophoblasts stem cell phenotype.
Si2Ge: A New VII-Type Clathrate with Ultralow Thermal Conductivity and High Thermoelectric Property
Authors: Shen Jinni , Xie Tianzhu , Zhang Longkun , Wang Ping , Fang Zhenxing 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBased on global particle-swarm optimization algorithm and density functional theory methods, we predicted an alloyed Si2Ge compond with body centered tetragonal type VII clathrate (space group I4/mmm) built by a truncated octahedron fromed by six quadrangles and eight hexagons ([4668]). Si2Ge clathrate is 0.06 eV/atom lower than VII Si clathrate and thermally stable up to 1000 K. It has an indirect band gap of 0.23 eV, high p-doping Seebeck coefficient and n-doping electrical conductivity. It owns a low lattice thermal conductivity of 0.28 W/mK at 300 K because of its weak bonding and strong anharmonic interaction of longitudinal acoustic and low-lying optical phonons. The moderate electronic transport properties together with low lattice thermal conductivity results in a high optimal thermoeletric performance value of 2.54 (1.49) at 800 (1000) K in n (p)-doped Si2Ge.
Egg genotyping reveals the possibility of patent Ancylostoma caninum infection in human intestine
Authors: Furtado Luis Fernando Viana , Dias Lucas Teixeira de Oliveira , Rodrigues Thais de Oliveira , Silva Vivian Jordania da , Oliveira Valéria Nayara Gomes Mendes de , Rabelo Élida Mara Leite 
Published: February 2020

AbstractHookworms are intestinal parasites that cause major public health problems, especially in developing countries. To differentiate eggs from different hookworm species, it is necessary to use molecular methodologies, since the eggs are morphologically similar. Here, we performed the molecular identification of single hookworm eggs from six Brazilian states. Of the 634 eggs individually analyzed, 98.1% (622/634) represented Necator americanus, and surprisingly, 1.9% (12/634 eggs from the same patient) represented Ancylostoma caninum. DNA analysis of the A. caninum-positive stool sample revealed no contamination with animal feces. This is the first report of the presence of A. caninum eggs in human feces, which may have a direct implication for the epidemiology of hookworm infection caused by this species. This suggests the need for special attention regarding prophylaxis, as different reservoirs, previously not described, may have great relevance for the spread of A. caninum.
Delegated Regressor, A Robust Approach for Automated Anomaly Detection in the Soil Radon Time Series Data
Authors: Rafique Muhammad , Tareen Aleem Dad Khan , Mir Adil Aslim , Nadeem Malik Sajjad Ahmed , Asim Khawaja M. , Kearfott Kimberlee Jane 
Published: February 2020

AbstractWe propose a new method based on the idea of delegating regressors for predicting the soil radon gas concentration (SRGC) and anomalies in radon or any other time series data. The proposed method is compared to different traditional boosting e.g., Extreme Gradient Boosting (EGB) and simple regression methods e.g., support vector regressors with linear kernel and radial kernel in terms of accurate predictions. R language has been used for the statistical analysis of radon time series (RTS) data. The results obtained show that the proposed methodology predicts SRGC more accurately when compared to different traditional boosting and regression methods. The best correlation is found between the actual and predicted radon concentration for window size of 2 i.e., two days before and after the start of seismic activities. RTS data was collected from 05 February 2017 to 16 February 2018, including 7 seismic events recorded during the study period. Findings of study show that the proposed methodology predicts the SRGC with more precision, for all the window sizes, by overlapping predicted with the actual radon time series concentrations.
The Proteolytic Fraction From Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis Latex Displays Anti-Inflammatory Effect in A Mouse Model of Acute TNBS-Induced Colitis
Authors: Albuquerque Ronniel Morais , Pizzitola Marina Passos , Araújo e Silva Ana Cândida , Dittz Dalton , Freitas Kátia Michelle , Ferreira Ênio , Salas Carlos Edmundo , Lopes Miriam Teresa Paz 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe proteolytic fraction (P1G10) from Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis, displays gastric protective and healing activities in different skin lesions in mice and human. In an excisional model, this fraction accelerates resolution of lesions and modulates inflammatory mediators. Based on these data, we assessed its anti-inflammatory activity in murine colitis model, induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) adopted by its physiopathological similarity with human colitis. Twenty four hours after colitis induction followed by three days of treatment, P1G10 at 0.3 and 3.0 mg/Kg induced 30% increase in body weight (p < 0.0001) and ~80% reduction in colon macroscopic damage score (p < 0.05) compared to the untreated TNBS-induced colitis group. Histological analyses showed that 0.3 mg/Kg P1G10 reduced the inflammatory profile and tissue damage (47%, p < 0.05) when it was proteolytically active. Compared to TNBS group, 0.3 mg/Kg P1G10 reduced MPO activity (80%, p < 0.01), MCP-1 (47%, p < 0.05) and TNF-α (50%, no significant) and increased IL-10 (330%, p < 0.001) levels in the supernatant of colonic tissue homogenate. P1G10 treatment also reduced COX-2 expression (60%, p < 0.05) and metalloprotease-2 activity (39%, p < 0.05) while increased globet cell density (140%, p < 0.01), that contributes to mucus layer protection in colonic tissue. Taken together, these findings suggest that low doses of active P1G10 promotes lesion resolution, at least in part by its anti-inflammatory activity, in TNBS-colitis model.
Controlled Peptide-Mediated Vesicle Fusion Assessed by Simultaneous Dual-Colour Time-Lapsed Fluorescence Microscopy
Authors: Mora Nestor Lopez , Boyle Aimee L. , Kolck Bart Jan van , Rossen Anouk , Pokorná Šárka , Koukalová Alena , Šachl Radek , Hof Martin , Kros Alexander 
Published: February 2020

AbstractWe have employed a model system, inspired by SNARE proteins, to facilitate membrane fusion between Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (GUVs) and Large Unilamellar Vesicles (LUVs) under physiological conditions. In this system, two synthetic lipopeptide constructs comprising the coiled-coil heterodimer-forming peptides K4, (KIAALKE)4, or E4, (EIAALEK)4, a PEG spacer of variable length, and a cholesterol moiety to anchor the peptides into the liposome membrane replace the natural SNARE proteins. GUVs are functionalized with one of the lipopeptide constructs and the fusion process is triggered by adding LUVs bearing the complementary lipopeptide. Dual-colour time lapse fluorescence microscopy was used to visualize lipid- and content-mixing. Using conventional confocal microscopy, lipid mixing was observed on the lipid bilayer of individual GUVs. In addition to lipid-mixing, content-mixing assays showed a low efficiency due to clustering of K4-functionalized LUVs on the GUVs target membranes. We showed that, through the use of the non-ionic surfactant Tween 20, content-mixing between GUVs and LUVs could be improved, meaning this system has the potential to be employed for drug delivery in biological systems.
An endocannabinoid catabolic enzyme FAAH and its paralogs in an early land plant reveal evolutionary and functional relationship with eukaryotic orthologs
Authors: Haq Imdadul , Kilaru Aruna 
Published: February 2020

AbstractEndocannabinoids were known to exist only among Animalia but recent report of their occurrence in early land plants prompted us to study its function and metabolism. In mammals, anandamide, as an endocannabinoid ligand, mediates several neurological and physiological processes, which are terminated by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). We identified nine orthologs of FAAH in the moss Physcomitrella patens (PpFAAH1 to PpFAAH9) with amidase signature and catalytic triad. The optimal amidase activity for PpFAAH1 was at 37 °C and pH 8.0, with higher specificity to anandamide. Further, the phylogeny and predicted structural analyses of the nine paralogs revealed that PpFAAH1 to PpFAAH4 were closely related to plant FAAH while PpFAAH6 to PpFAAH9 were to the rat FAAH, categorized based on the membrane binding cap, membrane access channel and substrate binding pocket. We also identified that a true ‘dynamic paddle’ that is responsible for tighter regulation of FAAH is recent in vertebrates and absent or not fully emerged in plants and non-vertebrates. These data reveal evolutionary and functional relationship among eukaryotic FAAH orthologs and features that contribute to versatility and tighter regulation of FAAH. Future studies will utilize FAAH mutants of moss to elucidate the role of anandamide in early land plants.
A Novel Mono-surface Antisymmetric 8Tx/16Rx Coil Array for Parallel Transmit Cardiac MRI in Pigs at 7T
Authors: Elabyad Ibrahim A. , Terekhov Maxim , Lohr David , Stefanescu Maria R. , Baltes Steffen , Schreiber Laura M. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractA novel mono-surface antisymmetric 16-element transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) coil array was designed, simulated, constructed, and tested for cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) in pigs at 7 T. The cardiac array comprised of a mono-surface 16-loops with two central elements arranged anti-symmetrically and flanked by seven elements on either side. The array was configured for parallel transmit (pTx) mode to have an eight channel transmit and 16-channel receive (8Tx/16Rx) coil array. Electromagnetic (EM) simulations, bench-top measurements, phantom, and MRI experiments with two pig cadavers (68 and 46 kg) were performed. Finally, the coil was used in pilot in-vivo measurements with a 60 kg pig. Flip angle (FA), geometry factor (g-factor), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) maps, and high-resolution cardiac images were acquired with an in-plane resolution of 0.6 mm × 0.6 mm (in-vivo) and 0.3 mm × 0.3 mm (ex-vivo). The mean g-factor over the heart was 1.26 (R = 6). Static phase $${B}_{1}^{+}$$

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shimming in a pig body phantom with the optimal phase vectors makes possible to improve the $${B}_{1}^{+}$$

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homogeneity by factor > 2 and transmit efficiency by factor > 3 compared to zero phases (before RF shimming). Parallel imaging performed in the in-vivo measurements demonstrated well preserved diagnostic quality of the resulting images at acceleration factors up to R = 6. The described hardware design can be adapted for arrays optimized for animals and humans with a larger number of elements (32–64) while maintaining good decoupling for various MRI applications at UHF (e.g., cardiac, head, and spine).
Characterization of cereblon-dependent targeted protein degrader by visualizing the spatiotemporal ternary complex formation in cells
Authors: Kaji Tomohiro , Koga Hiroshi , Kuroha Mutsumi , Akimoto Toshihiko , Hayata Kenji 
Published: February 2020

AbstractTargeted protein degradation (TPD) through a proteasome-dependent pathway induced by heterofunctional small molecules is initiated by the formation of a ternary complex with recruited E3 ligases. This complex formation affects the degradation ability of TPD molecules, and thus we tested for visualization of the intracellular dynamics of ternary complex formation. In this study, we applied the fluorescent-based technology detecting protein-protein interaction (Fluoppi) system, in which detectable fluorescent foci are formed when ternary complex formation induced by TPD molecules occurs in cells. We show here that cells coexpressing BRD4 and cereblon (CRBN) tagged with the Fluoppi system formed detectable foci in both live and fixed cells only when treated with BRD4-targeting degraders utilizing CRBN as an E3 ligase in dose- and time-dependent manners. Notably, the maintenance and efficacy of TPD molecule-induced foci formation correlated with the ability to degrade target proteins. Furthermore, we demonstrated that BRD4-targeting and FKBP12F36V-targeting degraders formed ternary complexes mainly in the nucleus and cytoplasm, respectively, suggesting that TPD molecules utilize the proteasome to degrade target proteins in their corresponding localized region. Our results also suggest that the Fluoppi system is a powerful tool for characterizing TPD molecules by visualizing the spatiotemporal formation of ternary complex.