Myostatin-2 gene structure and polymorphism of the promoter and first intron in the marine fish Sparus aurata: evidence for DNA duplications and/or translocations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Myostatin (MSTN) is a member of the transforming growth factor-ß superfamily that functions as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle development and growth in mammals. Fish express at least two genes for <it>MSTN</it>: <it>MSTN-1 </it>and <it>MSTN-2</it>. To date, <it>MSTN-2 </it>promoters have been cloned only from salmonids and zebrafish.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we described the cloning and sequence analysis of <it>MSTN-2 </it>gene and its 5' flanking region in the marine fish <it>Sparus aurata </it>(sa<it>MSTN-2</it>). We demonstrate the existence of three alleles of the promoter and three alleles of the first intron. Sequence comparison of the promoter region in the three alleles revealed that although the sequences of the first 1050 bp upstream of the translation start site are almost identical in the three alleles, a substantial sequence divergence is seen further upstream. Careful sequence analysis of the region upstream of the first 1050 bp in the three alleles identified several elements that appear to be repeated in some or all sequences, at different positions. This suggests that the promoter region of sa<it>MSTN-2 </it>has been subjected to various chromosomal rearrangements during the course of evolution, reflecting either insertion or deletion events. Screening of several genomic DNA collections indicated differences in allele frequency, with allele 'b' being the most abundant, followed by allele 'c', whereas allele 'a' is relatively rare. Sequence analysis of sa<it>MSTN-2 </it>gene also revealed polymorphism in the first intron, identifying three alleles. The length difference in alleles '1R' and '2R' of the first intron is due to the presence of one or two copies of a repeated block of approximately 150 bp, located at the 5' end of the first intron. The third allele, '4R', has an additional insertion of 323 bp located 116 bp upstream of the 3' end of the first intron. Analysis of several DNA collections showed that the '2R' allele is the most common, followed by the '4R' allele, whereas the '1R' allele is relatively rare. Progeny analysis of a full-sib family showed a Mendelian mode of inheritance of the two genetic loci. No clear association was found between the two genetic markers and growth rate.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results show for the first time a substantial degree of polymorphism in both the promoter and first intron of <it>MSTN-2 </it>gene in a perciform fish species which points to chromosomal rearrangements that took place during evolution.</p

Socializing in emergencies—A review of the use of social media in emergency situations

AbstractSocial media tools are integrated in most parts of our daily lives, as citizens, netizens, researchers or emergency responders. Lessons learnt from disasters and emergencies that occurred globally in the last few years have shown that social media tools may serve as an integral and significant component of crisis response. Communication is one of the fundamental tools of emergency management. It becomes crucial when there are dozens of agencies and organizations responding to a disaster. Regardless of the type of emergency, whether a terrorist attack, a hurricane or an earthquake, communication lines may be overloaded and cellular networks overwhelmed as too many people attempt to use them to access information. Social scientists have presented that post-disaster active public participation was largely altruistic, including activities such as search and rescue, first aid treatment, victim evacuation, and on-line help. Social media provides opportunities for engaging citizens in the emergency management by both disseminating information to the public and accessing information from them. During emergency events, individuals are exposed to large quantities of information without being aware of their validity or risk of misinformation, but users are usually swift to correct them, thus making the social media “self-regulating”

Proteomic analysis of salt-stressed tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seedlings: effect of genotype and exogenous application of glycinebetaine

An investigation aimed at a better understanding of the molecular adaptation mechanisms of salt stress was carried out in 7-d-old tomato Solanum lycopersicum (L.) Mill cultivars Patio and ‘F144’, using a proteomic approach. Total proteins were extracted from radicles and hypocotyls collected from both non-saline control and salt-stressed seedlings, and separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Liqud chromatography-electron spray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) identified 23 salt stress response proteins, classified into six functional categories. The effect of exogenously applied glycinebetaine (GB) on the salt stress-induced inhibition of growth in tomato seedlings of cultivars Patio and ‘F144’ and on the protein profile was investigated. It was found that GB could alleviate the inhibition of tomato growth induced by salt stress through changing the expression abundance of six proteins in Patio and two proteins in ‘F144’ more than twice compared with salt-stressed seedlings. Furthermore, the interaction analysis based on computational bioinformatics reveals major regulating networks: photosystem II (PSII), Rubisco, and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The results suggest that it is likely that improvement of salt tolerance in tomato might be achieved through the application of exogenous compatible solutes, such as GB. Moreover, quantitative and qualitative analysis of the differentially expressed proteins of tomato under salt stress is an important step towards further elucidation of mechanisms of salt stress resistance

Demographic factors, partial social belonging and psychological resources associated with coping

IntroductionThe present study investigates the role of perceived partial social belonging (PPSB) in determining societal and individual resilience and positive and negative coping indicators. It is assumed that most people aspire to belong and be integrated into their society. A sense of only partial belonging is therefore distressing for them.MethodsTwo hypotheses are examined in the current study: (a) A higher level of PPSB will predict a lower level of resilience and a higher level of psychological symptoms. (b) PPSB will mediate the associations between three stress-evoking demographic characteristics (younger age, low income, and gender) and the lower psychological resilience and higher distress associated with these demographic characteristics. These hypotheses were examined using a sample of the Israeli Jewish public (N = 1,502) who responded to an anonymous questionnaire about the investigated issues. The data were collected by an internet panel company possessing a database of more than 65,000 residents, representing the varied components of the Israeli society.ResultsThe findings supported our hypotheses: (a) PPSB negatively predicted societal and individual resilience and hope and positively predicted distress symptoms and sense of danger. (b) PPSB mediated the effects of the investigated demographic variables on these psychological variables.ConclusionThese results are discussed in association with the concept of belonging competencies. Our findings display that being unsure about one’s belonging to a desired social group, has a major role in increasing psychological distress and sense of danger and in reducing hope and both individual and societal resilience

Expanding the MECP2 network using comparative genomics reveals potential therapeutic targets for Rett syndrome

Inactivating mutations in the Methyl-CpG Binding Protein 2 (MECP2) gene are the main cause of Rett syndrome (RTT). Despite extensive research into MECP2 function, no treatments for RTT are currently available. Here, we used an evolutionary genomics approach to construct an unbiased MECP2 gene network, using 1028 eukaryotic genomes to prioritize proteins with strong co-evolutionary signatures with MECP2. Focusing on proteins targeted by FDA-approved drugs led to three promising targets, two of which were previously linked to MECP2 function (IRAK, KEAP1) and one that was not (EPOR). The drugs targeting these three proteins (Pacritinib, DMF, and EPO) were able to rescue different phenotypes of MECP2 inactivation in cultured human neural cell types, and appeared to converge on Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF-κB) signaling in inflammation. This study highlights the potential of comparative genomics to accelerate drug discovery, and yields potential new avenues for the treatment of RTT

Proteome characterization of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) somatic embryos, plantlets and tuberous roots

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Proteomics is increasingly becoming an important tool for the study of many different aspects of plant functions, such as investigating the molecular processes underlying in plant physiology, development, differentiation and their interaction with the environments. To investigate the cassava (<it>Manihot esculenta </it>Crantz) proteome, we extracted proteins from somatic embryos, plantlets and tuberous roots of cultivar SC8 and separated them by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analysis by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) yielded a total of 383 proteins including isoforms, classified into 14 functional groups. The majority of these were carbohydrate and energy metabolism associated proteins (27.2%), followed by those involved in protein biosynthesis (14.4%). Subsequent analysis has revealed that 54, 59, 74 and 102 identified proteins are unique to the somatic embryos, shoots, adventitious roots and tuberous roots, respectively. Some of these proteins may serve as signatures for the physiological and developmental stages of somatic embryos, shoots, adventitious roots and tuberous root. Western blotting results have shown high expression levels of Rubisco in shoots and its absence in the somatic embryos. In addition, high-level expression of α-tubulin was found in tuberous roots, and a low-level one in somatic embryos. This extensive study effectively provides a huge data set of dynamic protein-related information to better understand the molecular basis underlying cassava growth, development, and physiological functions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This work paves the way towards a comprehensive, system-wide analysis of the cassava. Integration with transcriptomics, metabolomics and other large scale "-omics" data with systems biology approaches can open new avenues towards engineering cassava to enhance yields, improve nutritional value and overcome the problem of post-harvest physiological deterioration.</p