Dicyema Pax6 and Zic: tool-kit genes in a highly simplified bilaterian

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dicyemid mesozoans (Phylum Dicyemida) are simple (8–40-cell) cephalopod endoparasites. They have neither body cavities nor differentiated organs, such as nervous and gastrointestinal systems. Whether dicyemids are intermediate between Protozoa and Metazoa (as represented by their "Mesozoa" classification) or degenerate species of more complex metazoans is controversial. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies suggested that they are simplified bilaterians belonging to the Lophotrochozoa. We cloned two genes developmentally critical in bilaterian animals (Pax6 and Zic), together with housekeeping genes (actin, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, and ATP synthase beta subunit) from a dicyemid to reveal whether their molecular phylogeny supported the "simplification" hypothesis, and to clarify evolutionary changes in dicyemid gene structure and expression profiles.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Genomic/cDNA sequence analysis showed that 1) the Pax6 molecular phylogeny and Zic intron positions supported the idea of dicyemids as reduced bilaterians; 2) the aa sequences deduced from the five genes were highly divergent; and 3) <it>Dicyema </it>genes contained very short introns of uniform length. In situ hybridization analyses revealed that <it>Zic </it>genes were expressed in hermaphroditic gonads, and <it>Pax6 </it>was expressed weakly throughout the developmental stages of the 2 types of embryo and in the hermaphroditic gonads.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The accelerated evolutionary rates and very short and uniform intron may represent a part of <it>Dicyema </it>genomic features. The presence and expression of the two tool-kit genes (<it>Pax6 </it>and <it>Zic</it>) in <it>Dicyema </it>suggests that they can be very versatile genes even required for the highly reduced bilaterian like <it>Dicyema</it>. Dicyemids may be useful models of evolutionary body plan simplification.</p

CuPc Adsorption on Au(110)-(1 × 2): From a Monomer to a Periodic Chain

Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we study the adsorption of copper-phthalocyanine (CuPc) on the anisotropic Au(110)-(1 × 2) surface as a function of coverage. For the initial adsorption at room temperature, we observe CuPc monomers as well as a molecular chain that forms along the step edge. By STM manipulation, we reveal that the CuPc adsorption is accompanied by surface reconstruction from the initial adsorption stage; the periodicity beneath the monomer and the chain changes locally from (1 × 2) to (1 × 1) and (1 × 3), respectively. This finding highlights that the Au atom mobility of the surface plays an essential role in CuPc adsorption. At higher coverage, we observe the development of CuPc chains along the [110] direction on the terrace with periodicities of (7 × 5) and (5 × 5), and compare the obtained results with those from the previous studies by diffraction methods

Incorporating Soil Surface Erosion Prediction into Forest Road Alignment Optimization

A previous study introduced a forest road design model developed to simultaneously optimize horizontal and vertical alignments of forest roads using a Tabu Search optimization technique and a high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM). In this study, surface erosion prediction was incorporated into the road design model, so that users can optimize horizontal and vertical alignments of forest roads while constrained by maximum allowable sediment delivery from roads to streams. The road alignment optimization model was applied to a part of the Capitol State Forest in western Washington state. The application confirms the potential of the model to determine forest road alignments in a way to reduce total road costs as well as sediment delivery to streams. This paper also discusses the effects of DEM resolution on forest road alignment optimization. The accuracy of generating ground profile and forest road alignments depends on the resolution and accuracy of the DEM. The study results suggest that a 10-m grid DEM might be inappropriate to use for the purpose of road design and alignment optimization due to the lower accuracy in its elevation representation

Frustrated minority spins in GeNi2O4

Recently, two consecutive phase transitions were observed, upon cooling, in an antiferromagnetic spinel GeNi$_2$O$_4$ at $T_{N1}=12.1$ K and $T_{N2}=11.4$ K, respectively \cite{matsuno, crawford}. Using unpolarized and polarized elastic neutron scattering we show that the two transitions are due to the existence of frustrated minority spins in this compound. Upon cooling, at $T_{N1}$ the spins on the \kagome planes order ferromagnetically in the plane and antiferromagnetically between the planes (phase I), leaving the spins on the triangular planes that separate the \kagome planes frustrated and disordered. At the lower $T_{N2}$, the triangular spins also order in the $$ plane (phase II). We also present a scenario involving exchange interactions that qualitatively explains the origin of the two purely magnetic phase transitions

Expression of ZIC family genes in meningiomas and other brain tumors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Zic zinc finger proteins are present in the developing rodent meninges and are required for cell proliferation and differentiation of meningeal progenitors. Although human <it>ZIC </it>genes are known to be molecular markers for medulloblastomas, their expression in meningioma has not been addressed to date.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We examined the mRNA and protein expression of human <it>ZIC1</it>, <it>ZIC2</it>, <it>ZIC3</it>, <it>ZIC4 </it>and <it>ZIC5 </it>genes in meningiomas in comparison to other brain tumors, using RT-PCR, analysis of published microarray data, and immunostaining.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>ZIC1</it>, <it>ZIC2 </it>and <it>ZIC5 </it>transcript levels in meningiomas were higher than those in whole brain or normal dura mater, whereas all five <it>ZIC </it>genes were abundantly expressed in medulloblastomas. The expression level of <it>ZIC1 </it>in public microarray data was greater in meningiomas classified as World Health Organization Grade II (atypical) than those classified as Grade I (benign). Immunoscreening using anti-ZIC antibodies revealed that 23 out of 23 meningioma cases were ZIC1/2/3/5-immunopositive. By comparison, nuclear staining by the anti-ZIC4 antibody was not observed in any meningioma case, but was strongly detected in all four medulloblastomas. ZIC-positive meningiomas included meningothelial, fibrous, transitional, and psammomatous histological subtypes. In normal meninges, ZIC-like immunoreactivities were detected in vimentin-expressing arachnoid cells both in human and mouse.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>ZIC1, ZIC2, and ZIC5 are novel molecular markers for meningiomas whereas <it>ZIC4 </it>expression is highly selective for medulloblastomas. The pattern of <it>ZIC </it>expression in both of these tumor types may reflect the properties of the tissues from which the tumors are derived.</p

Aging, rejuvenation and memory effects in Ising and Heisenberg spin glasses

We have compared aging phenomena in the Fe_{0.5}Mn_{0.5}TiO_3 Ising spin glass and in the CdCr_{1.7}In_{0.3}S_4 Heisenberg-like spin glass by means of low-frequency ac susceptibility measurements. At constant temperature, aging obeys the same `$\omega t$ scaling' in both samples as in other systems. Investigating the effect of temperature variations, we find that the Ising sample exhibits rejuvenation and memory effects which are qualitatively similar to those found in other spin glasses, indicating that the existence of these phenomena does not depend on the dimensionality of the spins. However, systematic temperature cycling experiments on both samples show important quantitative differences. In the Ising sample, the contribution of aging at low temperature to aging at a slightly higher temperature is much larger than expected from thermal slowing down. This is at variance with the behaviour observed until now in other spin glasses, which show the opposite trend of a free-energy barrier growth as the temperature is decreased. We discuss these results in terms of a strongly renormalized microscopic attempt time for thermal activation, and estimate the corresponding values of the barrier exponent $\psi$ introduced in the scaling theories.Comment: 8 pages, including 6 figure