Annual periodicity of fruiting in temperate forests in Yakushima, Japan

Fruiting phenology, assessed by seed fall, in five warm- and cool-temperate forests on Yakushima Island, southern Japan, was studied for two years in one 50 m × 50 m plot and for four years in four 100 m × 50 m plots. The elevation of the plots ranged between 170 and 1200 m a.s.l. Seed fall phenology showed annual periodicity in all five plots. This was clear when assessed by the number of species but became less clear when assessed by the biomass of seed litter. Community-level annual periodicity was based on the prevalence of population-level annual periodicity and interspecific synchronization of the fruiting peak from autumn to winter. Fleshy fruits had peaks of seed fall in a wider range of months than non-fleshy fruits, since it is sometimes beneficial to bear fruit outside the community-level fruiting peaks in order to avoid interspecific competition for animal seed dispersers. No consistent effect of climatic factors on seed fall phenology was detected

The massive star binary fraction in young open clusters - II. NGC 6611 (Eagle Nebula)

Based on a set of over 100 medium- to high-resolution optical spectra collected from 2003 to 2009, we investigate the properties of the O-type star population in NGC6611 in the core of the Eagle Nebula (M16). Using a much more extended data set than previously available, we revise the spectral classification and multiplicity status of the nine O-type stars in our sample. We confirm two suspected binaries and derive the first SB2 orbital solutions for two systems. We further report that two other objects are displaying a composite spectrum, suggesting possible long-period binaries. Our analysis is supported by a set of Monte-Carlo simulations, allowing us to estimate the detection biases of our campaign and showing that the latter do not affect our conclusions. The absolute minimal binary fraction in our sample is f_min=0.44 but could be as high as 0.67 if all the binary candidates are confirmed. As in NGC6231 (see Paper I), up to 75% of the O star population in NGC6611 are found in an O+OB system, thus implicitly excluding random pairing from a classical IMF as a process to describe the companion association in massive binaries. No statistical difference could be further identified in the binary fraction, mass-ratio and period distributions between NGC6231 and NGC6611, despite the difference in age and environment of the two clusters.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS; 15 pages, 17 fi

ProTeus: identifying signatures in protein termini

ProTeus (PROtein TErminUS) is a web-based tool for the identification of short linear signatures in protein termini. It is based on a position-based search method for revealing short signatures in termini of all proteins. The initial step in ProTeus development was to collect all signature groups (SIGs) based on their relative positions at the termini. The initial set of SIGs went through a sequential process of inspection and removal of SIGs, which did not meet the attributed statistical thresholds. The SIGs that were found significant represent protein sets with minimal or no overall sequence similarity besides the similarity found at the termini. These SIGs were archived and are presented at ProTeus. The SIGs are sorted by their strong correspondence to functional annotation from external databases such as GO. ProTeus provides rich search and visualization tools for evaluating the quality of different SIGs. A search option allows the identification of terminal signatures in new sequences. ProTeus (ver 1.2) is available at

CentroidFold: a web server for RNA secondary structure prediction

The CentroidFold web server (http://www.ncrna.org/centroidfold/) is a web application for RNA secondary structure prediction powered by one of the most accurate prediction engine. The server accepts two kinds of sequence data: a single RNA sequence and a multiple alignment of RNA sequences. It responses with a prediction result shown as a popular base-pair notation and a graph representation. PDF version of the graph representation is also available. For a multiple alignment sequence, the server predicts a common secondary structure. Usage of the server is quite simple. You can paste a single RNA sequence (FASTA or plain sequence text) or a multiple alignment (CLUSTAL-W format) into the textarea then click on the ‘execute CentroidFold’ button. The server quickly responses with a prediction result. The major advantage of this server is that it employs our original CentroidFold software as its prediction engine which scores the best accuracy in our benchmark results. Our web server is freely available with no login requirement

Differential expression and accumulation of 14-3-3 paralogs in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and differentiated cells

The 14-3-3 protein family interacts with more than 2000 different proteins in mammals, as a result of its specific phospho-serine/phospho-threonine binding activity. Seven paralogs are strictly conserved in mammalian species. Here, we show that during adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, the level of each 14-3-3 protein paralog is regulated independently. For instance 14-3-3β, γ, and η protein levels are increased compared to untreated cells. In contrast, 14-3-3ε protein levels decreased after differentiation while others remained constant. In silico analysis of the promoter region of each gene showed differences that explain the results obtained at mRNA and protein levels.Fil: Gojanovich, Aldana Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Bustos, Diego Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Uhart, Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; Argentin

The T-cell oncogene Tal2 is a Target of PU.1 and upregulated during osteoclastogenesis

Transcription factors play a crucial role in regulating differentiation processes during human life and are important in disease. The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors Tal1 and Lyl1 play a major role in the regulation of gene expression in the hematopoietic system and are involved in human leukemia. Tal2, which belongs to the same family of transcription factors as Tal1 and Lyl1, is also involved in human leukaemia. However, little is known regarding the expression and regulation of Tal2 in hematopoietic cells. Here we show that Tal2 is expressed in hematopoietic cells of the myeloid lineage. Interestingly, we found that usage of the Tal2 promoter is different in human and mouse cells. Two promoters, hP1 and hP2 drive Tal2 expression in human erythroleukemia K562 cells, however in mouse RAW cells only the mP1 promoter is used. Furthermore, we found that Tal2 expression is upregulated during oesteoclastogenesis. We show that Tal2 is a direct target gene of the myeloid transcription factor PU.1, which is a key transcription factor for osteoclast gene expression. Strikingly, PU.1 binding to the P1 promoter is conserved between mouse and human, but PU.1 binding to P2 was only detected in human K562 cells. Additionally, we provide evidence that Tal2 influences the expression of the osteoclastic differentiation gene TRACP. These findings provide novel insight into the expression control of Tal2 in hematopoietic cells and reveal a function of Tal2 as a regulator of gene expression during osteoclast differentiation

Characterisation and treatability of natural organic matter in groundwaters used for drinking water

Natural organic matter contributes to various potable water issues and is present in relatively high concentrations in Western Australian water supplies. Characterising natural organic matter is important for treatment of these waters, and this Thesis contributes to the body of characterisation studies providing a detailed understanding of the origins, structural features and reactivity of natural organic matter, along with its behaviour in drinking water treatment processes, allowing improved catchment management practices and optimisation of treatment processes