Germinación de gramíneas y arbustos bajo varias condiciones de estrés hídrico y temperatura

Los efectos de varias combinaciones de potencial hídrico y temperatura se determinaron en la germinación de Atriplex lampa Gill. ex Moquin, Larrea divaricata Cav., Leymus erianthus (Phil.) Dubcovsky, Stipa neaei Nees ex Steudel and Poa ligularis Nees ap. Steudel bajo condiciones controladas. La hipótesis puesta a prueba fue que la germinación de las semillas se incrementa a mayores temperaturas y potenciales hídricos en A. lampa, L. divaricata, L. erianthus, S. neaei and P. ligularis, y que el tiempo para alcanzar el 50% de la germinación total es mayor a menores que mayores potenciales hídricos. PEG 2000 se utilizó para imponer las condiciones de estrés hídrico. En general, los resultados obtenidos condujeron a aceptar la hipótesis propuesta.The effects of various temperature combinations and water potentials were determined on the germination of Atriplex lampa Gill. ex Moquin, Larrea divaricata Cav., Leymus erianthus (Phil.) Dubcovsky, Stipa neaei Nees ex Steudel and Poa ligularis Nees ap. Steudel under controlled conditions. The tested hypothesis was that seed germination increases with increasing temperatures and water potentials in A. lampa, L. divaricata, L. erianthus, S. neaei and P. ligularis, and that time to reach 50% of total germination is greater at lower than higher water potentials. PEG 2000 was used to impose water stress conditions. In general, obtained results conducted to accept the posted hyphotesis.Fil: Bonvissuto, Griselda Luz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Patagonia Norte. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria San Carlos de Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Busso, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; Argentin

Personal and collective trans-mythologies: creative attitudes to gender incongruence among transgender individuals

Embedded within the biographies of some transgender people are narratives elements more frequently found in culturally-specific legends settings and the interplay of mythological figures. Individuals who specifically identify as transsexuals (unlike other, non-binary or gender-queer transgender people) sometimes report the wish, the dream, and/or the desire to understand or alleviate their experienced gender incongruence in a surprisingly creative way: through some type of magical transformation. Calling upon recently collected interviews, this study examines those narratives and their use of such elements, noting their reliance on binary gender formations. Through philosophical and cultural-anthropological analyses, we suggest that these fields grant powerful and imaginative personal allowances, opportunities and perceptions to transsexual identifying transgender individuals – magical transformations and justified transpositions to alleviate dysphoria, a surrender of personal responsibility to unseen universal forces, and especially an inherent wisdom gifted during transitional liminality – that neither scientific nor academic evaluations of gender transition can. While these creative allowances are fictive, fantastical, and temporary, they nevertheless articulate a need if not an imperative for understanding, expression and ultimately action on behalf of the transitioning individual. Santrauka Naratyviniai elementai, vis dažniau aptinkami kultūriniu požiūriu specifinių legendų steigiamame fone ir sąveikaujant mitologinėms figūroms, yra įtraukti į kai kurių translyčių žmonių biografijas. Asmenys, kurie specifiniu būdu identifikuoja save kaip transseksualus (skirtingai nei kiti transseksualūs asmenys – nebinarinės lyties ar lytiniai keistuoliai), kartas nuo karto praneša apie norą, svajonę ir / ar troškimą suprasti ar sušvelninti jų patiriamą lytinį neatitikimą stebėtinai kūrybišku būdu – stebuklinga tam tikro pobūdžio transformacija. Remiantis neseniai surinktais interviu, šiame tyrime nagrinėjami tie naratyvai ir jų elementų naudojimas, atkreipiant dėmesį į jų priklausomybę nuo binarinių lyties struktūrų. Pasitelkiant filosofinius ir kultūrinius-antropologinius tyrimus, teigiama, kad šios sritys teikia paveikių ir kūrybiškų asmeninių išlygų, galimybių ir suvokimų individų, save identifikuojančių kaip translyčius, atžvilgiu: stebuklingos transformacijos ir pagrįsti perkėlimai, siekiant sušvelninti disforiją, asmens atsakomybės kapituliavimą universalių dvasinių jėgų akivaizdoje ir ypač prigimtinę išmintį, suteiktą pereinamojo liminalumo, o to neteikia nei moksliniai, nei akademiniai lyties keitimo vertinimai. Nors šios kūrybinės išlygos yra pramanytos, neįtikimos ir laikinos, vis dėlto jos artikuliuoja supratimo, išraiškos ir galiausiai jei ne imperatyvo, tai bent veiksmo pereinančiojo asmens atžvilgiu poreikį. Reikšminiai žodžiai: kūrybinis požiūris, lyties neatitikimas, stebuklinga transformacija, perėjimo ritualas, translyčiai asmenys, transseksualūs asmenys, „netinkamo kūno“ diskursas

Spatially resolved transcriptomics reveals innervation-responsive functional clusters in skeletal muscle

Striated muscle is a highly organized structure composed of well-defined anatomical domains with integrated but distinct assignments. So far, the lack of a direct correlation between tissue architecture and gene expression has limited our understanding of how each unit responds to physio-pathologic contexts. Here, we show how the combined use of spatially resolved transcriptomics and immunofluorescence can bridge this gap by enabling the unbiased identification of such domains and the characterization of their response to external perturbations. Using a spatiotemporal analysis, we follow changes in the transcriptome of specific domains in muscle in a model of denervation. Furthermore, our approach enables us to identify the spatial distribution and nerve dependence of atrophic signaling pathway and polyamine metabolism to glycolytic fibers. Indeed, we demonstrate that perturbations of polyamine pathway can affect muscle function. Our dataset serves as a resource for future studies of the mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle homeostasis and innervation

LACK OF AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INHERITED THROMBOPHILIC RISK FACTORS AND IDIOPATIC SUDDEN SENSORINEURAL HEARING LOSS IN ITALIAN PATIENTS

Objectives: We investigated the presence of congenital thrombophilic risk factors in a population of consecutive Italian patients affected by idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Methods: We investigated 48 patients with idiopathic SSNHL for the presence of congenital thrombophilic risk factors. The factor V Leiden G1691A, the prothrombin G20210A allele, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T genotypes were investigated. Allele frequencies and genotype distribution of all factors found in patients were compared to those of 48 healthy subjects of the same ethnic background by Chi2 and odds-ratio analysis. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for allele and genotype frequencies of all thrombophilia variants. Statistical significance was accepted with a p value of less than .05. We also performed the following blood tests: hemacytometric analysis including platelet count, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, protein S, protein C, antithrombin III, and activated protein C resistance. Results: In our series, we did not find an association between SSNHL and abnormal levels of antithrombin III, protein C, protein S, D-dimer, or fibrinogen; activated protein C resistance; or factor V G1691A, prothrombin G20210A, or MTHFR C677T mutations. Conclusions: At present, the few studies regarding genetic polymorphisms of congenital thrombophilic factors in SSNHL are not conclusive. According to our data, factor V G1691A, prothrombin G20210A, and MTHFR C677T variants should be not considered risk factors for SSNHL. Further large prospective studies are needed to provide currently lacking information and to improve our knowledge in the field before we recommend the determination of genetic polymorphism in SSNHL as routine practice

A Dynamic Splicing Program Ensures Proper Synaptic Connections in the Developing Cerebellum

Tight coordination of gene expression in the developing cerebellum is crucial for establishment of neuronal circuits governing motor and cognitive function. However, transcriptional changes alone do not explain all of the switches underlying neuronal differentiation. Here we unveiled a widespread and highly dynamic splicing program that affects synaptic genes in cerebellar neurons. The motifs enriched in modulated exons implicated the splicing factor Sam68 as a regulator of this program. Sam68 controls splicing of exons with weak branchpoints by directly binding near the 3′ splice site and competing with U2AF recruitment. Ablation of Sam68 disrupts splicing regulation of synaptic genes associated with neurodevelopmental diseases and impairs synaptic connections and firing of Purkinje cells, resulting in motor coordination defects, ataxia, and abnormal social behavior. These findings uncover an unexpectedly dynamic splicing regulatory network that shapes the synapse in early life and establishes motor and cognitive circuitry in the developing cerebellum

Gene Expression Profiling of Pancreas Neuroendocrine Tumors with Different Ki67-Based Grades.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) display variable aggressive behavior. A major predictor of survival is tumor grade based on the Ki67 proliferation index. As information on transcriptomic profiles of PanNETs with different tumor grades is limited, we investigated 29 PanNETs (17 G1, 7 G2, 5 G3) for their expression profiles, mutations in 16 PanNET relevant genes and LINE-1 DNA methylation profiles. A total of 3050 genes were differentially expressed between tumors with different grades (p < 0.05): 1279 in G3 vs. G2; 2757 in G3 vs. G1; and 203 in G2 vs. G1. Mutational analysis showed 57 alterations in 11 genes, the most frequent being MEN1 (18/29), DAXX (7/29), ATRX (6/29) and MUTYH (5/29). The presence and type of mutations did not correlate with the specific expression profiles associated with different grades. LINE-1 showed significantly lower methylation in G2/G3 versus G1 tumors (p = 0.007). The expression profiles of matched primaries and metastasis (nodal, hepatic and colorectal wall) of three cases confirmed the role of Ki67 in defining specific expression profiles, which clustered according to tumor grades, independently from anatomic location or patient of origin. Such data call for future exploration of the role of Ki67 in tumor progression, given its involvement in chromosomal stability

A Dynamic Splicing Program Ensures Proper Synaptic Connections in the Developing Cerebellum

Tight coordination of gene expression in the developing cerebellum is crucial for establishment of neuronal circuits governing motor and cognitive function. However, transcriptional changes alone do not explain all of the switches underlying neuronal differentiation. Here we unveiled a widespread and highly dynamic splicing program that affects synaptic genes in cerebellar neurons. The motifs enriched in modulated exons implicated the splicing factor Sam68 as a regulator of this program. Sam68 controls splicing of exons with weak branchpoints by directly binding near the 3′ splice site and competing with U2AF recruitment. Ablation of Sam68 disrupts splicing regulation of synaptic genes associated with neurodevelopmental diseases and impairs synaptic connections and firing of Purkinje cells, resulting in motor coordination defects, ataxia, and abnormal social behavior. These findings uncover an unexpectedly dynamic splicing regulatory network that shapes the synapse in early life and establishes motor and cognitive circuitry in the developing cerebellum

GLI1 and AXIN2 Are Distinctive Markers of Human Calvarial Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis

All skeletal bones house osteogenic stem cell niches, in which mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) provide progenitors for tissue growth and regeneration. They have been widely studied in long bones formed through endochondral ossification. Limited information is available on the composition of the osteogenic niche in flat bones (i.e., skull vault bones) that develop through direct membranous ossification. Craniosynostosis (CS) is a congenital craniofacial defect due to the excessive and premature ossification of skull vault sutures. This study aimed at analysing the expression of GLI1, AXIN2 and THY1 in the context of the human skull vault, using nonsyndromic forms of CS (NCS) as a model to test their functional implication in the aberrant osteogenic process. The expression of selected markers was studied in NCS patients' calvarial bone specimens, to assess the in vivo location of cells, and in MSC isolated thereof. The marker expression profile was analysed during in vitro osteogenic differentiation to validate the functional implication. Our results show that GLI1 and AXIN2 are expressed in periosteal and endosteal locations within the osteogenic niche of human calvarial bones. Their expression is higher in MSC isolated from calvarial bones than in those isolated from long bones and tends to decrease upon osteogenic commitment and differentiation. In particular, AXIN2 expression was lower in cells isolated from prematurely fused sutures than in those derived from patent sutures of NCS patients. This suggests that AXIN2 could reasonably represent a marker for the stem cell population that undergoes depletion during the premature ossification process occurring in CS

Immunohistochemical detection of “ex novo” HLA-DR in tumor cells determines clinical outcome in laryngeal cancer patients

There are controversial results about the role of “ex novo” HLA-DR expression by tumor cells and its correlation with the oncological outcomes. Unfortunately, little is known about HLA-DR expression in laryngeal cancer tumor cells. The main purpose of this retrospective study is to strengthen the usefulness of studying “ex novo” HLA-DR expression on tumor cells from primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) patients and investigate its correlation with clinical outcome. We analyzed HLA-DR expression by immunohistochemical analysis in 56 patients with LSCC. The “ex novo” HLA-DR expression on laryngeal cancer tumor cells, assessing non-neoplastic LSCC – adjacent tissue, and the association of HLA-DR expression (HLA-DR+) with clinical outcomes were investigated. HLA-DR+ tumor cells were detected in 18/56 LSCC patients (32.1%). All specimens of non-neoplastic laryngeal carcinoma-adjacent tissue resulted HLA-DR negative (HLA-DR-). A statistically significant association was observed between HLA-DR + and well differentiated tumors (G1) (p<0.001). The Kaplan-Meier method showed how HLA-DR+ is significantly associated with both a better disease specific survival (HLA-DR+=100% vs. HLA-DR-=77.4%; p=0.047) and a better relapse free survival (HLA-DR+=100% vs. HLA-DR-=72.3%; p=0.021). Cox regression univariate analysis for death of disease confirmed a higher HR for HLA-DR absence on the surface of epithelial tumor cell [HR:37.489; 95% CI:0.750-18730.776; p=0.253] and for high-grade (G3) tumors [HR:18.601; 95% CI:3.613-95.764; p<0.0001]. Our results confirm that MHC class II HLA-DR expression is activated in a sub-set of LSCC patients. Evaluation of HLA-DR expression in LSCC could be useful for prognosis and future approaches towards personalized therapy