Tracking mite trophic interactions by multiplex PCR

BACKGROUND A thorough knowledge of trophic webs in agroecosystems is essential to achieve successful biological pest control. Phytoseiid mites are the most efficient natural enemies of tetranychid mites, which include several important pests worldwide. Nevertheless, phytoseiids may feed on other food sources including other microarthropods, plants and even other phytoseiids (intraguild predation), which can interfere with biological control services. Molecular gut content analysis is a valuable tool for characterizing trophic interactions, mainly when working on microarthropods such as mites. We have designed new primers for Phytoseiidae, Tetranychidae and Thysanoptera identification and they have been multiplexed in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) together with universal plant primers. Additionally, we have estimated prey DNA detectability success over time (DS50) considering the most probable events in Spanish citrus orchards: the phytoseiid Euseius stipulatus as a predator, the phytoseiid Phytoseiulus persimilis as intraguild prey, and the thrips Frankliniella occidentalis and Anaphothrips obscurus as alternative prey to Tetranychus urticae. RESULTS The designed multiplex PCR allows the identification of phytoseiids (both predator and intraguild prey) and detects alternative food sources mentioned above in the gut of the phytoseiid predator. DS50 for E. stipulatus as the predator were 1.3, 2.3 and 18.7 h post feeding for F. occidentalis, A. obscurus and P. persimilis as prey, respectively. CONCLUSION Tracking of the trophic relationships within the citrus acarofauna, and the unveiling of the role of alternative food sources will pave the way for enhancing T. urticae biological control. This multiplex PCR approach could be applicable for these purposes in similar agroecosystems

Role of tau N-terminal motif in the secretion of human tau by end binding proteins

For unknown reasons, humans appear to be particular susceptible to developing tau pathology leading to neurodegeneration. Transgenic mice are still undoubtedly the most popular and extensively used animal models for studying Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. While these murine models generally overexpress human tau in the mouse brain or specific brain regions, there are differences between endogenous mouse tau and human tau protein. Among them, a main difference between human and mouse tau is the presence of a short motif spanning residues 18 to 28 in the human tau protein that is missing in murine tau, and which could be at least partially responsible for that different susceptibility across species. Here we report novel data using affinity chromatography analysis indicating that the sequence containing human tau residues 18 to 28 acts a binding motif for End Binding proteins and that this interaction could facilitate tau secretion to the extracellular space

Tau Structures

Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that plays an important role in axonal stabilization, neuronal development, and neuronal polarity. In this review, we focus on the primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary tau structures. We describe the structure of tau from its specific residues until its conformation in dimers, oligomers, and larger polymers in physiological and pathological situations

Pacientes españoles con síndrome de hipoventilación central incluidos en el Registro europeo. Datos del 2015

Introducción El síndrome de hipoventilación central congénita (SHCC) es una enfermedad genética muy rara causada por mutaciones en PHOX2B; en 2010 se creó el Consorcio Europeo del Síndrome de Hipoventilación Central, que en 2012 implantó un Registro online de pacientes para optimizar su cuidado. Objetivo Conocer las características y la evolución de los pacientes españoles con SHCC y detectar áreas de mejora. Materiales y método Se analizaron los datos actualizados en diciembre del 2015 de los pacientes españoles del Registro europeo. Resultados Se registró a 38 pacientes, nacidos entre 1987 y 2013, procedentes de 18 hospitales. El 34, 2% eran mayores de 18 años. Han fallecido 3 pacientes. Aportaban estudio del gen PHOX2B 37 (97, 3%), 32 (86, 5%) con mutación. Los genotipos 20/25, 20/26 y 20/27 representaron el 84, 3% de las mutaciones. Las disautonomías fueron más frecuentes y graves en portadores de genotipos con mayores expansiones de polialaninas. El 47% de pacientes asociaba alteraciones oculares, el 16% Hirschsprung, el 13% hipoglucemias y el 5% tumores. Treinta pacientes (79%) debutaron en el periodo neonatal y 8 (21%) posteriormente (inicio/diagnóstico tardío). Ocho niños (21%) recibieron inicialmente ventilación domiciliaria con mascarilla; 5 eran lactantes con comienzo neonatal, 2 de ellos precisaron cambio a traqueostomía tras presentar parada cardiorrespiratoria; ambos tenían mutaciones graves. Han sido decanulados y transferidos a mascarilla el 34, 3% de los pacientes (edad media: 13, 7 años). El 29, 4% de los niños escolarizados precisaron refuerzo educativo. Conclusión La implementación del Registro en España de pacientes con SHCC ha permitido identificar aspectos relevantes para optimizar sus cuidados, tales como la importancia del estudio genético para el diagnóstico y la estimación de gravedad, la frecuencia elevada de alteraciones oculares y de necesidad de refuerzo educativo, y algunas limitaciones de las técnicas ventilatorias. Introduction Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS) is a very rare genetic disease. In 2012 the European Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (EuCHS) Consortium created an online patient registry in order to improve care. Aim To determine the characteristics and outcomes of Spanish patients with CCHS, and detect clinical areas for improvement. Materials and method An assessment was made on the data from Spanish patients in the European Registry, updated on December 2015. Results The Registry contained 38 patients, born between 1987 and 2013, in 18 hospitals. Thirteen (34.2%) were older than 18 years. Three patients had died. Genetic analysis identified PHOX2B mutations in 32 (86.5%) out of 37 patients assessed. The 20/25, 20/26 and 20/27 polyalanine repeat mutations (PARMs) represented 84.3% of all mutations. Longer PARMs had more, as well as more severe, autonomic dysfunctions. Eye diseases were present in 47%, with 16% having Hirschsprung disease, 13% with hypoglycaemia, and 5% with tumours. Thirty patients (79%) required ventilation from the neonatal period onwards, and 8 (21%) later on in life (late onset/presentation). Eight children (21%) were using mask ventilation at the first home discharge. Five of them were infants with neonatal onset, two of them, both having a severe mutation, were switched to tracheostomy after cardiorespiratory arrest at home. Approximately one-third (34.3%) of patients were de-cannulated and switched to mask ventilation at a mean age of 13.7 years. Educational reinforcement was required in 29.4% of children attending school. Conclusion The implementation of the EuCHS Registry in Spain has identified some relevant issues for optimising healthcare, such as the importance of genetic study for diagnosis and assessment of severity, the high frequency of eye disease and educational reinforcement, as well as some limitations in ventilatory techniques

Pesquisa activa de pacientes con síntomas respiratorios en el Policlínico Municipal Active screening in patients with breathing symptoms in the Municipal Polyclinic

Se realizó una investigación descriptiva y transversal que consistió en una pesquisa activa en 710 pacientes con síntomas respiratorios, pertenecientes al área de salud "Municipal" de Santiago de Cuba durante el año 2006. Se constituyó un equipo multidisciplinario de la Unidad Municipal de Higiene y Epidemiología y del área de salud, el cual trabajó en 210 viviendas seleccionadas por tener antecedentes de tuberculosis. Los principales factores de riesgo identificados para contraer la enfermedad fueron: el hábito de fumar, la edad mayor de 65 años y el alcoholismo, además de las condiciones socioeconómicas desfavorables y el hacinamiento. Setenta personas (9,8 %) tenían síntomas respiratorios de más de 14 días y una fue diagnosticada con la afección. Los resultados del área de salud en la vigilancia especializada, previa a la investigación, fueron deficientes. De los pesquisados, 24 % estaban infectados por Micobacterium tuberculosis, según los resultados de la prueba de tuberculina, y de ellos, 9 % fueron hiperérgicos.<br>A descriptive and cross-sectional investigation was carried out which consisted of an active screening in 710 patients with breathing symptoms, belonging to the "Municipal" health area of Santiago de Cuba during the year 2006. A multidisciplinary team of the Municipal Unit of Hygiene and Epidemiology and of the health area was constituted, which worked in 210 houses selected because they had a history of tuberculosis. The main risk factors identified to develop the disease were: the smoking habit, more than 65 years old and alcoholism, besides the unfavorable socioeconomic conditions and overcrowding. Seventy people (9,8%) had breathing symptoms of more than 14 days and one was diagnosed with the disorder. The results of the health area in the specialized surveillance, previous to the investigation, were poor. Of the screened patients, 24% were infected by Micobacterium tuberculosis, according to the results of the tuberculin test, and of them, 9% were hyperergic

Polyamines interfere with protein ubiquitylation and cause depletion of intracellular amino acids a possible mechanism for cell growth inhibition

Spermidine is a polyamine present in eukaryotes with essential functions in protein synthesis. At high concentrations spermidine and norspermidine inhibit growth by unknown mechanisms. Transcriptomic analysis of the effect of norspermidine on the plant Arabidopsis thaliana indicates upregulation of the response to heat stress and denatured proteins. Accordingly, these polyamines inhibit protein ubiquitylation, both in vivo (in yeast, Arabidopsis, and human Hela cells) and in vitro (with recombinant ubiquitin ligase). This interferes with protein degradation by the proteasome, a situation known to deplete cells of amino acids. Norspermidine treatment of yeast cells induces amino acid depletion, and supplementation of media with amino acids counteracts growth inhibition and cellular amino acid depletion but not inhibition of protein polyubiquitylation

Lipolysis, proteolysis and sensory characteristics of a Spanish fermented dry-cured meat product (salchichón) with oregano essential oil used as surface mould inhibitor

The superficial antifungal activity of oregano essential oil (OEO) in Spanish fermented dry-cured sausages(“salchichón”), and its effects on lipolysis, proteolysis and sensory characteristics were evaluated. The surfaceapplication of OEO reduced mold contamination on the surface, without significantly affecting the dryingprocess. To evaluate the intensity of lipolysis during the ripening process, the profile and content of free fattyacids were determined. The addition of OEO led to a higher amount of unsaturated fatty acids, but lipolysiswas not greatly affected. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), which wasused to qualitatively assess the proteolytic changes in the sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins during theprocess, pointed to very similar patterns in all the sausages. OEO did not significantly affect the sensoryproperties, but increased hardness, resulting in a better texture. Therefore, a shorter ripening time may benecessary for sausages treated with OEO.[...

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.)products as ingredients for reformulating frankfurters: Effects on quality properties and shelf-life

Several strategies were examined for incorporating chia products (seeds, flour and a coproduct from cold-press oil extraction)in frankfurters. The nutritional composition, technological properties and sensory attributes of the resulting products were studied in relation to the formulation used and, lipid oxidation, pH, residual nitrite level and microbiological properties were evaluated during chilled storage. Application of these chia products (3%)was seen to enhance the nutritional composition of frankfurters, without adversely affecting the technological properties of the final product. In general, although differences were detected in the sensory attributes of the frankfurters reformulated with chia products (most of them when chia coproduct was added), all of them were judged acceptable. Besides the quality aspects, these reformulation strategies had beneficial effects on some technological properties during chilled storage: better resistance to oxidation (controlling the TBARS increase during storage)and lower residual nitrite levels than control (both effects presumably because the chia polyphenols content)and no effect on microbiological safety.This work was financially supported by the grant of Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MEIC-Spain) for the project: AGL2016-75687-C2-2-R (AEI/FEDER, UE).Peer Reviewe

Role of tau N-terminal motif in the secretion of human tau by end binding proteins

For unknown reasons, humans appear to be particular susceptible to developing tau pathology leading to neurodegeneration. Transgenic mice are still undoubtedly the most popular and extensively used animal models for studying Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. While these murine models generally overexpress human tau in the mouse brain or specific brain regions, there are differences between endogenous mouse tau and human tau protein. Among them, a main difference between human and mouse tau is the presence of a short motif spanning residues 18 to 28 in the human tau protein that is missing in murine tau, and which could be at least partially responsible for that different susceptibility across species. Here we report novel data using affinity chromatography analysis indicating that the sequence containing human tau residues 18 to 28 acts a binding motif for End Binding proteins and that this interaction could facilitate tau secretion to the extracellular space

Polyamines interfere with protein ubiquitylation and cause depletion of intracellular amino acids: a possible mechanism for cell growth inhibition

[EN] Spermidine is a polyamine present in eukaryotes with essential functions in protein synthesis. At high concentrations spermidine and norspermidine inhibit growth by unknown mechanisms. Transcriptomic analysis of the effect of norspermidine on the plant Arabidopsis thaliana indicates upregulation of the response to heat stress and denatured proteins. Accordingly, these polyamines inhibit protein ubiquitylation, both in vivo (in yeast, Arabidopsis, and human Hela cells) and in vitro (with recombinant ubiquitin ligase). This interferes with protein degradation by the proteasome, a situation known to deplete cells of amino acids. Norspermidine treatment of yeast cells induces amino acid depletion, and supplementation of media with amino acids counteracts growth inhibition and cellular amino acid depletion but not inhibition of protein polyubiquitylation.This work was supported by grant PROMETEO II 2014/041 from Generalitat Valenciana, Valencia, Spain.Sayas Montañana, EM.; Pérez-Benavente, B.; Manzano, C.; Farràs, R.; Alejandro Martinez, S.; Del Pozo, J.; Ferrando Monleón, AR.... (2019). Polyamines interfere with protein ubiquitylation and cause depletion of intracellular amino acids: a possible mechanism for cell growth inhibition. FEBS Letters. 593(2):209-218. https://doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.13299S2092185932Yoda, H., Fujimura, K., Takahashi, H., Munemura, I., Uchimiya, H., & Sano, H. (2009). Polyamines as a common source of hydrogen peroxide in host- and nonhost hypersensitive response during pathogen infection. 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