bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A tachykinin-like neuroendocrine signalling axis couples central serotonin action and nutrient sensing with peripheral lipid metabolism
Authors: Palamiuc Lavinia , Noble Tallie , Witham Emily , Ratanpal Harkaranveer , Vaughan Megan , Srinivasan Supriya 
Published: January 2017

AbstractSerotonin, a central neuromodulator with ancient ties to feeding and metabolism, is a major driver of body fat loss. However, mechanisms by which central serotonin action leads to fat loss remain unknown. Here, we report that the FLP-7 neuropeptide and its cognate receptor, NPR-22, function as the ligand-receptor pair that defines the neuroendocrine axis of serotonergic body fat loss in Caenorhabditis elegans. FLP-7 is secreted as a neuroendocrine peptide in proportion to fluctuations in neural serotonin circuit functions, and its release is regulated from secretory neurons via the nutrient sensor AMPK. FLP-7 acts via the NPR-22/Tachykinin2 receptor in the intestine and drives fat loss via the adipocyte triglyceride lipase ATGL-1. Importantly, this ligand-receptor pair does not alter other serotonin-dependent behaviours including food intake. For global modulators such as serotonin, the use of distinct neuroendocrine peptides for each output may be one means to achieve phenotypic selectivity.
Unravelling raked linear dunes to explain the coexistence of bedforms in complex dunefields
Authors: Lü Ping , Narteau Clément , Dong Zhibao , Rozier Olivier , Courrech du Pont Sylvain 
Published: January 2017

AbstractRaked linear dunes keep a constant orientation for considerable distances with a marked asymmetry between a periodic pattern of semi-crescentic structures on one side and a continuous slope on the other. Here we show that this shape is associated with a steady-state dune type arising from the coexistence of two dune growth mechanisms. Primary ridges elongate in the direction of the resultant sand flux. Semi-crescentic structures result from the development of superimposed dunes growing perpendicularly to the maximum gross bedform-normal transport. In the particular case of raked linear dunes, these two mechanisms produces primary and secondary ridges with similar height but with different orientations, which are oblique to each other. The raked pattern develops preferentially on the leeward side of the primary ridges according to the direction of propagation of the superimposed bedforms. As shown by numerical modelling, raked linear dunes occur where both these oblique orientations and dynamics are met.
Rapid trait evolution drives increased speed and variance in experimental range expansions
Authors: Weiss-Lehman Christopher , Hufbauer Ruth A , Melbourne Brett A 
Published: January 2017

AbstractRange expansions are central to two ecological issues reshaping patterns of global biodiversity: biological invasions and climate change. Traditional theory considers range expansion as the outcome of the demographic processes of birth, death and dispersal, while ignoring the evolutionary implications of such processes. Recent research suggests evolution could also play a critical role in determining expansion speed but controlled experiments are lacking. Here we use flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum) to show experimentally that mean expansion speed and stochastic variation in speed are both increased by rapid evolution of traits at the expansion edge. We find that higher dispersal ability and lower intrinsic growth rates evolve at the expansion edge compared with spatially nonevolving controls. Furthermore, evolution of these traits is variable, leading to enhanced variance in speed among replicate population expansions. Our results demonstrate that evolutionary processes must be considered alongside demographic ones to better understand and predict range expansions.
A generalized model for time-resolved luminescence of localized carriers and applications: Dispersive thermodynamics of localized carriers
Authors: Su Zhicheng , Xu Shijie 
Published: January 2017

AbstractFor excited carriers or electron-hole coupling pairs (excitons) in disordered crystals, they may localize and broadly distribute within energy space first, and then experience radiative recombination and thermal transfer (i.e., non-radiative recombination via multi-phonon process) processes till they eventually return to their ground states. It has been known for a very long time that the time dynamics of these elementary excitations is energy dependent or dispersive. However, theoretical treatments to the problem are notoriously difficult. Here, we develop an analytical generalized model for temperature dependent time-resolved luminescence, which is capable of giving a quantitative description of dispersive carrier dynamics in a wide temperature range. The two effective luminescence and nonradiative recombination lifetimes of localized elementary excitations were mathematically derived as
$${{\boldsymbol{\tau }}}_{{\boldsymbol{L}}}{\boldsymbol{=}}\frac{{{\boldsymbol{\tau }}}_{{\boldsymbol{r}}}}{{\bf{1}}{\boldsymbol{+}}\tfrac{{{\boldsymbol{\tau }}}_{{\boldsymbol{r}}}}{{{\boldsymbol{\tau }}}_{{\boldsymbol{t}}{\boldsymbol{r}}}}({\bf{1}}{\boldsymbol{-}}{{\boldsymbol{\gamma }}}_{{\boldsymbol{c}}}){{\boldsymbol{e}}}^{({\boldsymbol{E}}{\boldsymbol{-}}{{\boldsymbol{E}}}_{{\boldsymbol{a}}}){\boldsymbol{/}}{{\boldsymbol{k}}}_{{\boldsymbol{B}}}{\boldsymbol{T}}}}$$

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$${{\boldsymbol{\tau }}}_{{\boldsymbol{n}}{\boldsymbol{r}}}{\boldsymbol{=}}\frac{{{\boldsymbol{\tau }}}_{{\boldsymbol{t}}{\boldsymbol{r}}}}{({\bf{1}}{\boldsymbol{-}}{{\boldsymbol{\gamma }}}_{{\boldsymbol{c}}})}{{\boldsymbol{e}}}^{{\boldsymbol{-}}({\boldsymbol{E}}{\boldsymbol{-}}{{\boldsymbol{E}}}_{{\boldsymbol{a}}}){\boldsymbol{/}}{{\boldsymbol{k}}}_{{\boldsymbol{B}}}{\boldsymbol{T}}}$$

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, respectively. The model is successfully applied to quantitatively interpret the time-resolved luminescence data of several material systems, showing its universality and accuracy.
Analysis of carotenogenic genes promoters and WRKY transcription factors in response to salt stress in Dunaliella bardawil
Authors: Liang Ming-Hua , Jiang Jian-Guo 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe unicellular alga Dunaliella bardawil is a highly salt-tolerant organism, capable of accumulating glycerol, glycine betaine and β-carotene under salt stress, and has been considered as an excellent model organism to investigate the molecular mechanisms of salt stress responses. In this study, several carotenogenic genes (DbCRTISO, DbZISO, DbLycE and DbChyB), DbBADH genes involved in glycine betaine synthesis and genes encoding probable WRKY transcription factors from D. bardawil were isolated, and promoters of DbCRTISO and DbChyB were cloned. The promoters of DbPSY, DbLycB, DbGGPS, DbCRTISO and DbChyB contained the salt-regulated element (SRE), GT1GMSCAM4, while the DbGGPS promoter has another SRE, DRECRTCOREAT. All promoters of the carotenogenic genes had light-regulated elements and W-box cis-acting elements. Most WRKY transcription factors can bind to the W-box, and play roles in abiotic stress. qRT-PCR analysis showed that salt stress up-regulated both carotenogenic genes and WRKY transcription factors. In contrast, the transcription levels of DbBADH showed minor changes. In D. bardawil, it appears that carotenoid over-accumulation allows for the long-term adaptation to salt stress, while the rapid modulation of glycine betaine biosynthesis provides an initial response.
Astrocyte-derived tissue Transglutaminase affects fibronectin deposition, but not aggregation, during cuprizone-induced demyelination
Authors: Espitia Pinzon Nathaly , Sanz-Morello Berta , Brevé John J. P. , Bol John G. J. M. , Drukarch Benjamin , Bauer Jan , Baron Wia , van Dam Anne-Marie 
Published: January 2017

AbstractAstrogliosis as seen in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) develops into astroglial scarring, which is beneficial because it seals off the site of central nervous system (CNS) damage. However, astroglial scarring also forms an obstacle that inhibits axon outgrowth and (re)myelination in brain lesions. This is possibly an important cause for incomplete remyelination in the CNS of early stage MS patients and for failure in remyelination when the disease progresses. In this study we address whether under demyelinating conditions in vivo, tissue Transglutaminase (TG2), a Ca2+ -dependent enzyme that catalyses posttranslational modification of proteins, contributes to extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and/or aggregation. We used the cuprizone model for de- and remyelination. TG2 immunoreactivity and enzymatic activity time-dependently appeared in astrocytes and ECM, respectively, in the corpus callosum of cuprizone-treated mice. Enhanced presence of soluble monomeric and multimeric fibronectin was detected during demyelination, and fibronectin immunoreactivity was slightly decreased in cuprizone-treated TG2−/− mice. In vitro TG2 overexpression in astrocytes coincided with more, while knock-down of TG2 with less fibronectin production. TG2 contributes, at least partly, to fibronectin production, and may play a role in fibronectin deposition during cuprizone-induced demyelination. Our observations are of interest in understanding the functional implications of TG2 during astrogliosis.
Quantifying mating success of territorial males and sneakers in a bower-building cichlid fish
Authors: Magalhaes I. S. , Smith A. M. , Joyce D. A. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe strategies and traits males evolve to mate with females are incredible in their diversity. Theory on the evolution of secondary sexual characters suggests that evolving any costly trait or strategy will pay off and stabilise in the population if it is advantageous compared to the alternative less costly strategy, but quantifying the relative success of the two can be difficult. In Lake Malawi, Africa, there are >200 species of cichlid fish in which the males form leks and spend several weeks per year building sand-castle “bowers” several times their size. We tested the idea that a less costly “sneaking” strategy could be successful by quantifying the mating success of bower-holding versus non-bower-holding males. We PIT-tagged every fish in a semi-natural experimental set-up and placed tag-readers on the side of bowers to determine which fish held a bower. We then genotyped the eggs removed from females’ mouths to assign paternity of each egg. Broods were fathered by up to 3 different males. Although paternity was mostly assigned to males that held a bower, a small number of males who did not own a bower were more successful than some of those that did, indicating a role for an alternative strategy in these bower builders.
M2 macrophages or IL-33 treatment attenuate ongoing Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
Authors: Piñeros A. R. , Campos L. W. , Fonseca D. M. , Bertolini T. B. , Gembre A. F. , Prado R. Q. , Alves-Filho J. C. , Ramos S. G. , Russo M. , Bonato V. L. D. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe protective effects of mycobacterial infections on lung allergy are well documented. However, the inverse relationship between tuberculosis and type 2 immunity is still elusive. Although type 1 immunity is essential to protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis it might be also detrimental to the host due to the induction of extensive tissue damage. Here, we determined whether lung type 2 immunity induced by allergen sensitization and challenge could affect the outcome of M. tuberculosis infection. We used two different protocols in which sensitization and allergen challenge were performed before or after M. tuberculosis infection. We found an increased resistance to M. tuberculosis only when allergen exposure was given after, but not before infection. Infected mice exposed to allergen exhibited lower bacterial load and cellular infiltrates in the lungs. Enhanced resistance to infection after allergen challenge was associated with increased gene expression of alternatively activated macrophages (M2 macrophages) and IL-33 levels. Accordingly, either adoptive transfer of M2 macrophages or systemic IL-33 treatment was effective in attenuating M. tuberculosis infection. Notably, the enhanced resistance induced by allergen exposure was dependent on IL-33 receptor ST2. Our work indicates that IL-33 might be an alternative therapeutic treatment for severe tuberculosis.
Targeted delivery of an ADP-ribosylating bacterial toxin into cancer cells
Authors: Zahaf N.-I. , Lang A. E. , Kaiser L. , Fichter C. D. , Lassmann S. , McCluskey A. , Augspach A. , Aktories K. , Schmidt G. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe actin cytoskeleton is an attractive target for bacterial toxins. The ADP-ribosyltransferase TccC3 from the insect bacterial pathogenPhotorhabdus luminescencemodifies actin to force its aggregation. We intended to transport the catalytic part of this toxin preferentially into cancer cells using a toxin transporter (Protective antigen, PA) which was redirected to Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFR) or to human EGF receptors 2 (HER2), which are overexpressed in several cancer cells. Protective antigen of anthrax toxin forms a pore through which the two catalytic parts (lethal factor and edema factor) or other proteins can be transported into mammalian cells. Here, we used PA as a double mutant (N682A, D683A; mPA) which cannot bind to the two natural anthrax receptors. Each mutated monomer is fused either to EGF or to an affibody directed against the human EGF receptor 2 (HER2). We established a cellular model system composed of two cell lines representing HER2 overexpressing esophageal adenocarcinomas (EACs) and EGFR overexpressing esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs). We studied the specificity and efficiency of the re-directed anthrax pore for transport of TccC3 toxin and establishedPhotorhabdus luminescenceTccC3 as a toxin suitable for the development of a targeted toxin selectively killing cancer cells.
Cornea organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Foster James W. , Wahlin Karl , Adams Sheila M. , Birk David E. , Zack Donald J. , Chakravarti Shukti 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe cornea is the transparent outermost surface of the eye, consisting of a stratified epithelium, a collagenous stroma and an innermost single-cell layered endothelium and providing 2/3 of the refractive power of the eye. Multiple diseases of the cornea arise from genetic defects where the ultimate phenotype can be influenced by cross talk between the cell types and the extracellular matrix. Cell culture modeling of diseases can benefit from cornea organoids that include multiple corneal cell types and extracellular matrices. Here we present human iPS cell-derived organoids through sequential rounds of differentiation programs. These organoids share features of the developing cornea, harboring three distinct cell types with expression of key epithelial, stromal and endothelial cell markers. Cornea organoid cultures provide a powerful 3D model system for investigating corneal developmental processes and their disruptions in diseased conditions.
Prognostic Role of the Pretreatment C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio in Solid Cancers: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Li Nan , Tian Guang-Wei , Wang Ying , Zhang Hui , Wang Zi-hui , Li Guang 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) has been shown to play a significant prognostic role in several cancers. We aimed to comprehensively explore the potential role of the CAR as a prognostic indicator in solid cancers. In this meta-analysis, we collected data from 10 studies that examined the association between serum CAR and overall survival in patients with cancer. This meta-analysis included 4592 tumor patients. The eligible studies were found through the PubMed and Web of Science databases updated on 6 Oct 2016. The pooled hazard ratio (2.01, 95% CI: 1.58–2.56, p < 0.001) indicated that high CAR yielded worse survival in different cancers. Subgroup analyses showed a significant association between CAR and prognosis, regardless of the cutoff value, cutoff value selection, treatment method, country, sample size, stage and cancer type. This meta-analysis suggests that CAR may be a potential prognostic marker in solid cancers. However, further large prospective studies should be conducted to explore the critical role of CAR in survival of cancer patients.
Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) fails as an early predictor of contrast induced nephropathy in chronic kidney disease (ANTI-CI-AKI study)
Authors: Ribitsch Werner , Schilcher Gernot , Quehenberger Franz , Pilz Stefan , Portugaller Rupert H. , Truschnig-Wilders Martini , Zweiker Robert , Brodmann Marianne , Stiegler Philipp , Rosenkranz Alexander R. , Pickering John W. , Horina Joerg H. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe aim of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of urinary neutrophil gelatinase- associated lipocalin (uNGAL) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) as an early biomarker for contrast induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) and to investigate whether patients with an uNGAL increase might benefit from an additional intravenous volume expansion with regard to CI-AKI-incidence. We performed a prospective randomized controlled trial in 617 CKD-patients undergoing intra-arterial angiography. Urinary NGAL was measured the day before and 4–6hrs after angiography. In the event of a significant rise of uNGAL patients were randomized either into Group A, who received intravenous saline post procedure or Group B, who did not receive post-procedural i.v. fluids. Ten patients (1.62%) exhibited a significant rise of uNGAL after angiography and were randomized of whom one developed a CI-AKI. In the entire cohort the incidence of CI-AKI was 9.4% (58 patients) resulting in a specificity of 98.4% (95% CI: 97.0–99.3%) and a sensitivity of 1.72% (95% CI: 0.044–9.2%) of uNGAL for the diagnosis of CI-AKI. In this study uNGAL failed to predict CI-AKI and was an inadequate triage tool to guide an early intervention strategy to prevent CI-AKI. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01292317.
Highly Flexible and Transparent Ag Nanowire Electrode Encapsulated with Ultra-Thin Al2O3: Thermal, Ambient, and Mechanical Stabilities
Authors: Hwang Byungil , An Youngseo , Lee Hyangsook , Lee Eunha , Becker Stefan , Kim Yong-Hoon , Kim Hyoungsub 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThere is an increasing demand in the flexible electronics industry for highly robust flexible/transparent conductors that can withstand high temperatures and corrosive environments. In this work, outstanding thermal and ambient stability is demonstrated for a highly transparent Ag nanowire electrode with a low electrical resistivity, by encapsulating it with an ultra-thin Al2O3 film (around 5.3 nm) via low-temperature (100 °C) atomic layer deposition. The Al2O3-encapsulated Ag nanowire (Al2O3/Ag) electrodes are stable even after annealing at 380 °C for 100 min and maintain their electrical and optical properties. The Al2O3 encapsulation layer also effectively blocks the permeation of H2O molecules and thereby enhances the ambient stability to greater than 1,080 h in an atmosphere with a relative humidity of 85% at 85 °C. Results from the cyclic bending test of up to 500,000 cycles (under an effective strain of 2.5%) confirm that the Al2O3/Ag nanowire electrode has a superior mechanical reliability to that of the conventional indium tin oxide film electrode. Moreover, the Al2O3 encapsulation significantly improves the mechanical durability of the Ag nanowire electrode, as confirmed by performing wiping tests using isopropyl alcohol.
Discovering novel phenotypes with automatically inferred dynamic models: a partial melanocyte conversion in Xenopus
Authors: Lobo Daniel , Lobikin Maria , Levin Michael 
Published: January 2017

AbstractProgress in regenerative medicine requires reverse-engineering cellular control networks to infer perturbations with desired systems-level outcomes. Such dynamic models allow phenotypic predictions for novel perturbations to be rapidly assessed in silico. Here, we analyzed a Xenopus model of conversion of melanocytes to a metastatic-like phenotype only previously observed in an all-or-none manner. Prior in vivo genetic and pharmacological experiments showed that individual animals either fully convert or remain normal, at some characteristic frequency after a given perturbation. We developed a Machine Learning method which inferred a model explaining this complex, stochastic all-or-none dataset. We then used this model to ask how a new phenotype could be generated: animals in which only some of the melanocytes converted. Systematically performing in silico perturbations, the model predicted that a combination of altanserin (5HTR2 inhibitor), reserpine (VMAT inhibitor), and VP16-XlCreb1 (constitutively active CREB) would break the all-or-none concordance. Remarkably, applying the predicted combination of three reagents in vivo revealed precisely the expected novel outcome, resulting in partial conversion of melanocytes within individuals. This work demonstrates the capability of automated analysis of dynamic models of signaling networks to discover novel phenotypes and predictively identify specific manipulations that can reach them.
Multilevel interaction of the DnaK/DnaJ(HSP70/HSP40) stress-responsive chaperone machine with the central metabolism
Authors: Anglès Fréderic , Castanié-Cornet Marie-Pierre , Slama Nawel , Dinclaux Mickael , Cirinesi Anne-Marie , Portais Jean-Charles , Létisse Fabien , Genevaux Pierre 
Published: January 2017

AbstractNetworks of molecular chaperones maintain cellular protein homeostasis by acting at nearly every step in the biogenesis of proteins and protein complexes. Herein, we demonstrate that the major chaperone DnaK/HSP70 of the model bacterium Escherichia coli is critical for the proper functioning of the central metabolism and for the cellular response to carbon nutrition changes, either directly or indirectly via the control of the heat-shock response. We identified carbon sources whose utilization was positively or negatively affected by DnaK and isolated several central metabolism genes (among other genes identified in this work) that compensate for the lack of DnaK and/or DnaK/Trigger Factor chaperone functions in vivo. Using carbon sources with specific entry points coupled to NMR analyses of real-time carbon assimilation, metabolic coproducts production and flux rearrangements, we demonstrate that DnaK significantly impacts the hierarchical order of carbon sources utilization, the excretion of main coproducts and the distribution of metabolic fluxes, thus revealing a multilevel interaction of DnaK with the central metabolism.