Increase in Fru-2,6-P2 levels results in altered cell division in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

AbstractMitogenic response to growth factors is concomitant with the modulation they exert on the levels of Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2,6-P2), an essential activator of the glycolytic flux. In mammalian cells, decreased Fru-2,6-P2 concentration causes cell cycle delay, whereas high levels of Fru-2,6-P2 sensitize cells to apoptosis. In order to analyze the cell cycle consequences due to changes in Fru-2,6-P2 levels, the bisphosphatase-dead mutant (H258A) of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase enzyme was over-expressed in Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells and the variation in cell phenotype was studied. The results obtained demonstrate that the increase in Fru-2,6-P2 levels results in a defective division of S. pombe, as revealed by an altered multisepted phenotype. The H258A-expressing cells showed impairment of cytokinesis, but normal nuclear division. In order to identify cellular mediators responsible for this effect, we transformed different S. pombe strains and observed that the cytokinetic defect was absent in cells defective for Wee1 kinase function. Therefore, in S. pombe, Wee1 integrates the metabolic signal emerging from changes in Fru-2,6-P2 content, thus coupling metabolism with cell proliferation. As the key regulators of the cell cycle checkpoints are conserved throughout evolution, these results may help to understand the experimental evidences obtained by manipulation of Fru-2,6-P2 levels in mammalian cells

First attempt to assess the viability of bluefin tuna spawning events in offshore cages located in an a priori favourable larval habitat

Publicado

Hip Hop i pedagogia

Xerrada sobre el Hip-Hop com a eina pedagògic

Projected effects of ocean warming on an iconic pelagic fish and its fishery

Increasing sea temperature is a driver of change for many fish traits, particularly for fast-growing epipelagic species with short life spans. With warming, altered spawning phenology and faster growth may produce substantially larger body sizes of the new cohort, affecting fishery productivity. We present an individual-based model (IBM) that predicts the distribution of fish length at catch under observed and projected thermal scenarios, accounting for mortality, temperature-dependent spawning phenology, temperature- and photoperiod- dependent growth. This IBM was demonstrated with Coryphaena hippurus (common dolphinfish), a circumglobally-distributed and highly thermophilic species sustaining commercial and recreational fisheries where it is present. The model projected a 13.2% increase in the average length at catch under marine heatwave conditions compared to the current thermal regime (1995–2005 average). Projections under RCP scenarios 4.5 and 8.5 by the end of the century led to 5.1% and 12.8% increase in average length, respectively. Furthermore, these thermal scenarios affected spawning phenology differently, producing higher variance in body size under RCP 8.5 scenario with respect to marine heatwave conditions. This study highlights how the environmental effects of climate change can alter the distribution of species length at catch.The present paper is part of the CERES project (H2020, EU 678193). Part of the data was obtained from the FAO-Copemed and FAO-Copemed II projects (http://www.faocopemed.org/). This study has been conducted using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information. V. Moltó acknowledges a predoctoral grant funded by the Regional Government of the Balearic Islands and the European Social Fund, A. Ospina Álvarez was supported by H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (746361), and S. Pérez-Mayol salary was founded by PN Project DREAMER (CTM2015-66676-C2-1-R). We also acknowledge Andreina Fenech, Marie Louise Pace, and Roberta Mifsud from the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Malta for the data collection and provision.Peer reviewe

A Global Review on the Biology of the Dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) and Its Fishery in the Mediterranean Sea: Advances in the Last Two Decades

The common dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) is an epipelagic thermophilic species with a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical regions that is characterized by its migratory behavior and fast growth rates. This species is targeted by artisanal small-scale and recreational fisheries in most regions where it is found. This paper updates and analyzes the global scientific knowledge on the biology and ecology of this species, which was last revised at a regional level 20 years ago. This review showed an increase in knowledge about the population structure and regional differences in biological traits, in parallel with a notable lack of mechanistic and even empirical knowledge about the ecology of this species, which hampers a good understanding of the population dynamics and the potential impacts of environmental change. This paper also updates the information about the Mediterranean dolphinfish fishery, where the main four countries that exploit this species deploy 30% of fish aggregation devices (FAD) worldwide. The results suggest, among other effects, some temporal synchronicity in landings across countries, potential interannual stock movement affecting inter-country catches, diverging trends in prices and insufficient quality in the estimates of fishing effort. The authors propose a suite of specific measures to ameliorate this lack of knowledge and to better manage this complex living resource.Vicenç Moltó acknowledges a predoctoral grant funded by the Regional Government of the Balearic Islands and the European Social Fund. This work was partially funded by two FAO Projects: CopeMed phase II “Coordination to Support Fisheries Management in the Western and Central Mediterranean” and MedSudMed “Assessment and Monitoring of the Fishery Resources and the Ecosystems in the Straits of Sicily”, both co-funded by the Spanish and the Italian Ministries of Agriculture, Fishery and Food, and by the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission (DG-MARE). The work was partially supported by project CERES (H2020, EU 678193)

Predicting Response Trajectories during Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Panic Disorder: No Association with the BDNF Gene or Childhood Maltreatment.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and result in low quality of life and a high social and economic cost. The efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders is well established, but a substantial proportion of patients do not respond to this treatment. Understanding which genetic and environmental factors are responsible for this differential response to treatment is a key step towards "personalized medicine". Based on previous research, our objective was to test whether the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and/or childhood maltreatment are associated with response trajectories during exposure-based CBT for panic disorder (PD). METHOD: We used Growth Mixture Modeling to identify latent classes of change (response trajectories) in patients with PD (N = 97) who underwent group manualized exposure-based CBT. We conducted logistic regression to investigate the effect on these trajectories of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and two different types of childhood maltreatment, abuse and neglect. RESULTS: We identified two response trajectories ("high response" and "low response"), and found that they were not significantly associated with either the genetic (BDNF Val66Met polymorphism) or childhood trauma-related variables of interest, nor with an interaction between these variables. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence to support an effect of the BDNF gene or childhood trauma-related variables on CBT outcome in PD. Future studies in this field may benefit from looking at other genotypes or using different (e.g. whole-genome) approaches.This work was supported by a grant from Carlos III Health Institute/Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (www.isciii.es) to MAF (PI12/00273). The authors of this report would also like to thank the support of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity PN 2008-2011 -Carlos III Health Institute/Fondo Europeo de Dessarrollo Regional-(PI1200018; www.mineco.gob.es), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red - Salud Mental-(www.cibersam.es), and the Universities and Research Secretariat, Ministry of the Vice-presidency and of the Economy and Finance of the Catalan Government (2014 SGR 1636; http://universitatsirecerca.gencat.cat/)