MicroR159 regulation of most conserved targets in Arabidopsis has negligible phenotypic effects

BACKGROUND A current challenge of microRNA (miRNA) research is the identification of biologically relevant miRNA:target gene relationships. In plants, high miRNA:target gene complementarity has enabled accurate target predictions, and slicing of target mRNAs has facilitated target validation through rapid amplification of 5' cDNA ends (5'-RACE) analysis. Together, these approaches have identified more than 20 targets potentially regulated by the deeply conserved miR159 family in Arabidopsis, including eight MYB genes with highly conserved miR159 target sites. However, genetic analysis has revealed the functional specificity of the major family members, miR159a and miR159b is limited to only two targets, MYB33 and MYB65. Here, we examine the functional role of miR159 regulation for the other potential MYB target genes. RESULTS For these target genes, functional analysis failed to identify miR159 regulation that resulted in any major phenotypic impact, either at the morphological or molecular level. This appears to be mainly due to the quiescent nature of the remaining family member, MIR159c. Although its expression overlaps in a temporal and spatial cell-specific manner with a subset of these targets in anthers, the abundance of miR159c is extremely low and concomitantly a mir159c mutant displays no anther defects. Examination of potential miR159c targets with conserved miR159 binding sites found neither their spatial or temporal expression domains appeared miR159 regulated, despite the detection of miR159-guided cleavage products by 5'-RACE. Moreover, expression of a miR159-resistant target (mMYB101) resulted predominantly in plants that are indistinguishable from wild type. Plants that displayed altered morphological phenotypes were found to be ectopically expressing the mMYB101 transgene, and hence were misrepresentative of the in vivo functional role of miR159. CONCLUSIONS This study presents a novel explanation for a paradox common to plant and animal miRNA systems, where among many potential miRNA-target relationships usually only a few appear physiologically relevant. The identification of a quiescent miR159c:target gene regulatory module in anthers provides a likely rationale for the presence of conserved miR159 binding sites in many targets for which miR159 regulation has no obvious functional role. Remnants from the demise of such modules may lead to an overestimation of miRNA regulatory complexity when investigated using bioinformatic, 5'-RACE or transgenic approaches.RSA was funded by an ANU postgraduate scholarship and by a CSIRO Emerging Science Initiative. JL is the recipient of an ANU international student postgraduate scholarship. This research was supported by an Australian Research Council grant DP0773270

Differential Kinetics of Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus Phagocytosis

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to acknowledge Fraser P. Coxon and Ian Ganley for providing LC3-GFP-mCherry BMDMs. M.S.G. was supported by an FEMS research grant and F.L.v.d.V. was supported by ZonMW under the name EURO-CMC frame of E-Rare-2, the ERA-Net for Research on Rare Diseases.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The U(5)-O(6) transition in the Interacting Boson Model and the E(5) critical point symmetry

The relation of the recently proposed E(5) critical point symmetry with the interacting boson model is investigated. The large-N limit of the interacting boson model at the critical point in the transition from U(5) to O(6) is obtained by solving the Richardson equations. It is shown explicitly that this algebraic calculation leads to the same results as the solution of the Bohr differential equation with a $\beta^4$ potential.Comment: Accepted in PR

Nuevo enfoque de desarrollo sostenible en turismo: el geoturismo : Estudio de su aplicación en San Juan, Argentina

En la constante búsqueda a nivel global por alcanzar la sustentabilidad en todas sus dimensiones, aparece como respuesta para el Turismo, el “Geoturismo”. El mismo tiene por objeto aumentar el carácter geográfico, desarrollando y mejorando de manera distintiva a las localidades, reflejando su naturaleza y herencia cultural, así como alentando la diferenciación de mercado y patrimonio cultural. Consustanciada con este enfoque, el presente trabajo realiza un análisis crítico de un mega emprendimiento turístico privado denominado “Pampas del Cura”, emplazado en el Departamento Iglesia-San Juan. El proyecto nace de entender su compromiso socio-ambiental, sentando sus bases en el respeto al medioambiente, por lo que contempla estrategias tecnológicoambientales de utilización y preservación de sus recursos naturales; como así atiende en su totalidad a los aspectos socio-económicos en un marco de equidad y puesta en valor de la comunidad local mediante la generación de empleos y la posibilidad de consolidación de emprendimientos locales.In the constant search globally for achieving sustainability in all its dimensions, "Geotourism" appears as the answer for Tourism. It enhances the geographical character, developing and improving a distinctive way to localities, reflecting its nature and cultural heritage, as well as to encourage market differentiation and cultural heritage. Consubstantial with this approach, this paper makes a critical analysis of a private mega tourism project called "Pampas del Cura", located in Iglesias´s Department -San Juan. The project is to understand its social and environmental commitment, laying its foundations on respect for the environment, which provides technological and environmental preservation and use of natural resources strategies; as well it caters entirely to the socio-economic aspects in a framework of equity and value of the local community through job creation and the possibility of consolidation of local enterprises.Tema 5: Arquitectura ambientalmente consciente.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Nuevo enfoque de desarrollo sostenible en turismo: el geoturismo : Estudio de su aplicación en San Juan, Argentina

En la constante búsqueda a nivel global por alcanzar la sustentabilidad en todas sus dimensiones, aparece como respuesta para el Turismo, el “Geoturismo”. El mismo tiene por objeto aumentar el carácter geográfico, desarrollando y mejorando de manera distintiva a las localidades, reflejando su naturaleza y herencia cultural, así como alentando la diferenciación de mercado y patrimonio cultural. Consustanciada con este enfoque, el presente trabajo realiza un análisis crítico de un mega emprendimiento turístico privado denominado “Pampas del Cura”, emplazado en el Departamento Iglesia-San Juan. El proyecto nace de entender su compromiso socio-ambiental, sentando sus bases en el respeto al medioambiente, por lo que contempla estrategias tecnológicoambientales de utilización y preservación de sus recursos naturales; como así atiende en su totalidad a los aspectos socio-económicos en un marco de equidad y puesta en valor de la comunidad local mediante la generación de empleos y la posibilidad de consolidación de emprendimientos locales.In the constant search globally for achieving sustainability in all its dimensions, "Geotourism" appears as the answer for Tourism. It enhances the geographical character, developing and improving a distinctive way to localities, reflecting its nature and cultural heritage, as well as to encourage market differentiation and cultural heritage. Consubstantial with this approach, this paper makes a critical analysis of a private mega tourism project called "Pampas del Cura", located in Iglesias´s Department -San Juan. The project is to understand its social and environmental commitment, laying its foundations on respect for the environment, which provides technological and environmental preservation and use of natural resources strategies; as well it caters entirely to the socio-economic aspects in a framework of equity and value of the local community through job creation and the possibility of consolidation of local enterprises.Tema 5: Arquitectura ambientalmente consciente.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Phosphorus retention in a lowland Neotropical stream following an eight-year enrichment experiment

Human alteration of the global P cycle has led to widespread P loading in freshwater ecosystems. Much research has been devoted to the capacity of wetlands and lakes to serve as long-term sinks for P inputs from the watershed, but we know much less about the potential of headwater streams to serve in this role. We assessed storage and retention of P in biotic and abiotic compartments after an 8-y experimental P addition to a 1st-order stream in a Neotropical wet forest. Sediment P extractions indicated that nearly all P storage was in the form of Fe- and Al-bound P (∼700 μg P/g dry sediment), similar to nearby naturally high-P streams. At the end of the enrichment, ∼25% of the total P added over the 8-y study was still present in sediments within 200 m of the injection site, consistent with water-column measurements showing sustained levels of high net P uptake throughout the experiment. Sediment P declined to baseline levels (∼100 μg P/g dry sediment) over 4 y after the enrichment ended. Leaf-litter P content increased nearly 2× over background levels during P enrichment and was associated with a 3× increase in microbial respiration rates, although these biotic responses were low compared to nearby naturally high- P streams. Biotic storage accounted for \u3c0.03% of retention of the added P. Our results suggest that the high sorption capacity of these sediments dampened the biotic effects of P loading and altered the timing and quantity of P exported downstream

Periodic vacuum and particles in two dimensions

Different dynamical symmetry breaking patterns are explored for the two dimensional phi4 model with higher order derivative terms. The one-loop saddle point expansion predicts a rather involved phase structure and a new Gaussian critical line. This vacuum structure is corroborated by the Monte Carlo method, as well. Analogies with the structure of solids, the density wave phases and the effects of the quenched impurities are mentioned. The unitarity of the time evolution operator in real time is established by means of the reflection positivity.Comment: Final version, additional references and the proof of reflection positivity added, 41 pages, 16 figure

Mineralization and bone regeneration using a bioactive elastin-like recombinamer membrane

Producción CientíficaIn the field of tissue engineering, the properties of the scaffolds are of crucial importance for the success of the application. Hybrid materials combine properties of the different components that constitute them. In this study hybrid gels of elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) and fibrin were prepared with a range on polymer concentrations and ELR-to-fibrin ratios. The correlation between SEM micrographs, porosity, swelling ratio and rheological properties was discussed and a poroelastic mechanism was suggested to explain the mechanical behavior of the hybrid gels. Applicability as scaffold material for cardiovascular tissue engineering was shown by the realization of cell-laden matrixes which supported the synthesis of collagens as revealed by immunohistochemical analysis. As a proof of concept, a tissue-engineered heart valve was fabricated by injection moulding and cultivated in a bioreactor for 3 weeks under dynamic conditions. Tissue analysis revealed production of collagen I and III, fundamental proteins for cardiovascular constructs.Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación – Ref. VA244U13