The genome sequencing of an albino Western lowland gorilla reveals inbreeding in the wild

Background The only known albino gorilla, named Snowflake, was a male wild born individual from Equatorial Guinea who lived at the Barcelona Zoo for almost 40 years. He was diagnosed with non-syndromic oculocutaneous albinism, i.e. white hair, light eyes, pink skin, photophobia and reduced visual acuity. Despite previous efforts to explain the genetic cause, this is still unknown. Here, we study the genetic cause of his albinism and making use of whole genome sequencing data we find a higher inbreeding coefficient compared to other gorillas. Results We successfully identified the causal genetic variant for Snowflake¿s albinism, a non-synonymous single nucleotide variant located in a transmembrane region of SLC45A2. This transporter is known to be involved in oculocutaneous albinism type 4 (OCA4) in humans. We provide experimental evidence that shows that this amino acid replacement alters the membrane spanning capability of this transmembrane region. Finally, we provide a comprehensive study of genome-wide patterns of autozygogosity revealing that Snowflake¿s parents were related, being this the first report of inbreeding in a wild born Western lowland gorilla. Conclusions In this study we demonstrate how the use of whole genome sequencing can be extended to link genotype and phenotype in non-model organisms and it can be a powerful tool in conservation genetics (e.g., inbreeding and genetic diversity) with the expected decrease in sequencing cost. Keywords: Gorilla; Albinism; Inbreeding; Genome; Conservatio

N-3 PUFA Supplementation Triggers PPAR-α Activation and PPAR-α/NF-κB Interaction: Anti-Inflammatory Implications in Liver Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Dietary supplementation with the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to rats preconditions the liver against ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, with reduction of the enhanced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) functionality occurring in the early phase of IR injury, and recovery of IR-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine response. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that liver preconditioning by n-3 PUFA is exerted through peroxisone proliferator-activated receptor α (PPAR-α) activation and interference with NF-κB activation. For this purpose we evaluated the formation of PPAR-α/NF-κBp65 complexes in relation to changes in PPAR-α activation, IκB-α phosphorylation and serum levels and expression of interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in a model of hepatic IR-injury (1 h of ischemia and 20 h of reperfusion) or sham laparotomy (controls) in male Sprague Dawley rats. Animals were previously supplemented for 7 days with encapsulated fish oil (General Nutrition Corp., Pittsburg, PA) or isovolumetric amounts of saline (controls). Normalization of IR-altered parameters of liver injury (serum transaminases and liver morphology) was achieved by dietary n-3 PUFA supplementation. EPA and DHA suppression of the early IR-induced NF-κB activation was paralleled by generation of PPAR-α/NF-κBp65 complexes, in concomitance with normalization of the IR-induced IκB-α phosphorylation. PPAR-α activation by n-3 PUFA was evidenced by enhancement in the expression of the PPAR-α-regulated Acyl-CoA oxidase (Acox) and Carnitine-Palmitoyl-CoA transferase I (CPT-I) genes. Consistent with these findings, normalization of IR-induced expression and serum levels of NF-κB-controlled cytokines IL-lβ and TNF-α was observed at 20 h of reperfusion. Taken together, these findings point to an antagonistic effect of PPAR-α on NF-κB-controlled transcription of pro-inflammatory mediators. This effect is associated with the formation of PPAR-α/NF-κBp65 complexes and enhanced cytosolic IκB-α stability, as major preconditioning mechanisms induced by n-3 PUFA supplementation against IR liver injury

Nitrosative and Oxidative Stresses Contribute to Post-Ischemic Liver Injury Following Severe Hemorrhagic Shock: The Role of Hypoxemic Resuscitation

Purpose: Hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation is frequently associated with liver ischemia-reperfusion injury. The aim of the study was to investigate whether hypoxemic resuscitation attenuates liver injury. Methods: Anesthetized, mechanically ventilated New Zealand white rabbits were exsanguinated to a mean arterial pressure of 30 mmHg for 60 minutes. Resuscitation under normoxemia (Normox-Res group, n = 16, PaO2 = 95–105 mmHg) or hypoxemia (Hypox-Res group, n = 15, PaO 2 = 35–40 mmHg) followed, modifying the FiO 2. Animals not subjected to shock constituted the sham group (n = 11, PaO 2 = 95–105 mmHg). Indices of the inflammatory, oxidative and nitrosative response were measured and histopathological and immunohistochemical studies of the liver were performed. Results: Normox-Res group animals exhibited increased serum alanine aminotransferase, tumor necrosis factor- alpha, interleukin (IL)-1b and IL-6 levels compared with Hypox-Res and sham groups. Reactive oxygen species generation, malondialdehyde formation and myeloperoxidase activity were all elevated in Normox-Res rabbits compared with Hypox-Res and sham groups. Similarly, endothelial NO synthase and inducible NO synthase mRNA expression was up-regulated and nitrotyrosine immunostaining increased in animals resuscitated normoxemically, indicating a more intense nitrosative stress. Hypox-Res animals demonstrated a less prominent histopathologic injury which was similar to sham animals. Conclusions: Hypoxemic resuscitation prevents liver reperfusion injury through attenuation of the inflammatory respons

Corrosion of copper in tequila at different temperatures

Copper is a key element in developing the taste and aroma of tequila and other alcoholic beverages. During tequila distillation, copper corrodes slightly and builds up in pot stills. The rate of this corrosion reaches a maximum from the combined effects of temperature, oxygen concentration, and pH. The copper content of tequila is regulated to ensure purity. This article describes corrosion testing of copper coupons exposed to tequila at different temperatures

Effect of kinetics and mass transport in an electrochemical reactor for the removal of copper in tequila

The construction and application of a monopolar, packed bed, parallel plate electrochemical flow reactor for removal of Cu+2 ions from "ordinary" (i.e., product of the first distillation of tequila) is presented. The reactor is constructed by nylomaq frameworks to accommodate copper hanks cathodes, separated from graphite anodes by means of polypropylene (Celgard�) membranes. Results of the copper concentration profile in ordinary solutions and pH variation along the reactor are reported. Copper concentration continuously decreases along the reactor reaching a removal efficiency ranging from 82 to 85% for all the inlet concentrations examined. The experimental copper concentration profile fits an exponential decay along the axial reactor coordinate, in agreement with theory for porous flow reactors. An equation deduced from the material balance for a packed bed electrode (i.e., copper hanks), that takes into account a kinetic rate constant and mass transfer coefficient to predict the concentration vs. position along the reactor is also presented. �The Electrochemical Society

Electrochemical removal of chloride from polychlorinated biphenyls in an oil/n-butanol/HCl and an n-propanol/HCl system

We present an exploratory study that seeks to identify new routes for the treatment of transformer dielectric oils contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), through the usage of direct reduction electrochemical methods, employing Pb/PbO2 electrodes. It is possible to prepare a PCB emulsion using tensoactive agents in order to perform a direct PCB reduction effectively. Nevertheless, this procedure has drawbacks. We are focusing this study towards identifying a media capable of dissolving the contaminated oil and conferring it enough conductivity to make the direct reduction of the PCBs possible or to carry out an extraction of the PCBs from the contaminated oil before the electrolysis. To reach this goal, n-butanol as a solubilization agent and n-propanol as an extraction agent added with HCl were selected. The high electrical resistance of the media does not allow a direct reduction of the PCBs. Instead, a selective electrolysis of the PCBs, once extracted from the contaminated oil at Pb/PbO2 electrodes can take place. ©The Electrochemical Society

New method to evaluate optical properties of core-shell nanostructures

We present an exploratory study that seeks to identify new routes for the treatment of transformer dielectric oils contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), through the usage of direct reduction electrochemical methods, employing Pb/PbO2 electrodes. It is possible to prepare a PCB emulsion using tensoactive agents in order to perform a direct PCB reduction effectively. Nevertheless, this procedure has drawbacks. We are focusing this study towards identifying a media capable of dissolving the contaminated oil and conferring it enough conductivity to make the direct reduction of the PCBs possible or to carry out an extraction of the PCBs from the contaminated oil before the electrolysis. To reach this goal, n-butanol as a solubilization agent and n-propanol as an extraction agent added with HCl were selected. The high electrical resistance of the media does not allow a direct reduction of the PCBs. Instead, a selective electrolysis of the PCBs, once extracted from the contaminated oil at Pb/PbO2 electrodes can take place. "The Electrochemical Society.",,,,,,"10.1149/1.3532321",,,"http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12104/41196","http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-79959677611&partnerID=40&md5=5836e6a8befaf2a3a6d038f67af90b33",,,,,,"1",,"ECS Transactions",,"24