Biosynthesis of Extracellular Polymeric Substances by the Marine Bacterium Saccharophagus degradans under Different Nutritional Conditions

The effect of carbon source, carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio, and limitation in nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe) on extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) synthesis by the marine bacterium Saccharophagus degradans was studied. This strain was able to grow in mineral medium and produce EPS with different efficiency according to the C source used (g EPS/L): glucose or starch (1.5 ± 0.2); galactose, sucrose, or xylose (0.7 ± 0.2); and fructose (0.3 ± 0.1). The C/N ratio (glucose/ammonium) had a significant effect on EPS biosynthesis due to its production rise as the C/N ratio increased from 3 to 100 (0.7 to 2.1 g EPS/L). It was also observed that limitation in nutrients such as N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe also favored EPS biosynthesis. When taking into account both factors (C/N ratio, 100; nutrients limitation, 50%) a positive synergistic effect was noted on EPS production since under these conditions the maximum concentration obtained was 4.12 ± 0.3 g/L after 72 h of culture. The polymer was found to be a polysaccharide of mainly glucose, mannose, and galactose. This is the first report on EPS production by S. degradans which is a new feature of this versatile marine bacterium

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

A new species of Trapania (Nudibranchia: Goniodorididae) from the Pacific coast of Central America

A new marine gastropod species of the genus Trapania Pruvot-Fol, 1931, is described from Cabo Blanco, Puntarenas, Costa Rica and from Islas Secas, Panamá. Trapania inbiolica sp. nov. has a white body with red patches, white rhinophores with sorne liule red patches, yellow appendages with partially red bases. The radula is composed of 28 rows of teeth. Each tooth has a large conical cusp with 21-24 denticlcs. Two or three of those denticles on the inner side of the eusp are smaller than the others. There are also 1-3 small denticles on the outside of the cusp. The jaw elements are very irregularA partir de dos ejemplares recolectados en la costa pacífica de Costa Rica y Panamá, se describe una nueva especie Trapania inbiotica sp. nov., la cual se distingue por tener el cuerpo blanco con manchas rojas y rin6foros blancos con algunas manchas amarillas pequefias. La rádula está compuesta por 28 filas de dientes donde cada diente tiene de 21-25 dentículos y una cúspide cónica y larga situada cerca del lado exterior. Dos o tres de esos dentículos localizados en la parte interna de la cúspide son más pequefios que los otros. También están presentes de 1-3 dentículos en la parte externa de la cúspide. La armadura labial está compuesta por uncinos muy irregulares

Nuevos registros de babosas marinas (Mollusca: Gastropoda) del Parque Nacional Isla del Coco, Costa Rica

The molluscan fauna of Isla del Coco has recently been well documented, but the heterobranch sea slugs, traditionally called “opisthobranchs”, remain poorly known. We report 13 new records, increasing the total to 40 species. Of the 13 newly discovered species, the following species had not been previously recorded along the Pacific Costa Rican mainland: Berthella californica (Dall, 1900), Peltodoris rubra (Bergh, 1905), Dendrodoris albobrunnea Allan, 1933, Doriopsilla cf. spaldingi Valdés & Behrens, 1998, Glaucus cf. marginatus (Reinhardt & Bergh, 1864), and Flabellina sp. Additionally, we report Peltodoris rubra, previously known from the Indo-Pacific, for the first time in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. La fauna de moluscos de la Isla del Coco ha sido bien documentada; sin embargo, los moluscos heterobranquios o babosas marinas (tradicionalmente llamadas opistobranquios) continúan siendo poco conocidos. Aquí agregamos 13 nuevos registros, incrementando el total a 40 especies. De estas 13 especies, las siguientes no han sido reportadas en la costa continental del Pacífico de Costa Rica: Berthella californica (Dall, 1900), Peltodoris rubra (Bergh, 1905), Dendrodoris albobrunnea Allan, 1933, Doriopsilla cf. spaldingi Valdés & Behrens, 1998, Glaucus cf. marginatus (Reinhardt & Bergh, 1864) y Flabellina sp. Informamos por primera vez la presencia de Peltodoris rubra en el Pacífico Tropical Oriental

ERRATUM: Camacho-García, Y.E. - T.M. Gosliner. 2006. A new species of the zephyrinid nudibranch genus Janolus (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) from North America and Costa Rica. Rev. Biol. Trop. 54: 1295-1305.

This article included an early version of Fig. 1. The correct figure and caption are shown

A new species of the zephyrinid nudibranch genus Janolus (Mollusca: Nudibranchia) from North America and Costa Rica

A new species of zephyrinid nudibranch of the genus Janolus Bergh 1884 is described from the Pacific Coast of North America and Costa Rica. J. anulatus sp. nov. differs from other species of Janolus by its external and internal morphology. J. anulatus has a brown or white body with pink, white, and brown spots, smooth papillae epithelium at the base and papillated in the distal part, unbranched digestive gland ducts, smooth jaws, and smooth rachidian and lateral teeth. The species is compared with other species from the Panamic Province and the Western Atlantic. A new extension range of J. barbarensis is documented

Invertebrate species richness in sandy beaches and rocky coast of Costa Rican North Pacific.

Este estudio resume información publicada sobre las especies de invertebrados reportadas para la zona intermareal de la costa rocosa y las playas de arena del Pacífico Norte de Costa Rica. Además, se presentan datos nuevos sobre la riqueza de especies de la comunidad de invertebrados de varias playas de áreas protegidas o no protegidas muestreadas durante el año 2012. Los resultados indican una amplia variación en el número de especies reportadas, siendo los principales contribuyentes a la fauna los moluscos, crustáceos y poliquetos. El número de especies dependió del grupo faunístico y el esfuerzo de muestreo de los estudios previamente realizados. Teniendo en cuenta, todos los componentes de la comunidad, se encontraron entre 29 a 175 especies en los intermareales rocosos, y de 5 a 15 especies en las playas de arena. El valor promedio de riqueza de especies fue similar entre las áreas protegidas y no protegidas, aunque en ambos casos el rango de valores fue muy amplio. Hay lugares con gran riqueza de especies, sin medidas de protección, que están actualmente expuestos a los impactos del desarrollo de las poblaciones humanas, y es ahí donde urge la gestión de dichos hábitatsThis study summarizes published information on the number of invertebrate species reported for the intertidal zone of rocky coasts and sandy beaches of the North Pacific of Costa Rica. In addition, we present new data on macrofaunal species richness for several locations. There is a wide variation in the number of species reported, with mollusks, crustaceans, and polychaetes as the major contributors. The number of species depends on the faunal group and the sampled effort carried out in the previous studies of the intertidal zones, and during 2012. The data show that, taking into account all components of the community values, a range of 29-172 species were obtained from the rocky intertidal, and 5-15 species for the sandy beaches. We found a similar mean value for species richness between protected and not protected areas, because in both cases the range of values is wide. It is urgent to manage unprotected locations with high species richness that are exposed to impacts from development of human populations. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (Suppl. 4): 63-84. Epub 2014 Diciembre 01

sandy.beaches.ecology.cvs

The data were taken from 28 sandy beaches of Costa Rica (16 from the Pacific Coast and 12 from the Caribbean). This study aimed to (1) determine the differences of sediment and beach characteristics between both Pacific and Caribbean coasts and the tidal levels; (2) analyze the species richness and abundance of macrofauna considering the coasts, tidal levels, and environmental covariates (sediment and beach characteristics, conservation and urbanization status); (3) determine the influence of environmental (sediment and beach characteristics, conservation and urbanization status) and spatial factors (coasts, beaches, and tidal levels) on the composition similarities of the macrofaunal assemblages. Our data is composed of a matrix containing 224 columns and 140 samples (rows). The first column is a code of each sandy beach; the second column is the sample identity. Column 3 is the name of the sandy beach; column 4 is the coast (Pacific or Caribbean) and column 5 is the level from low tide (I) to high tide (V). Columns 6 and 7 are the geographic coordinates in decimal degrees (latitude and longitude, respectively). Column 8 is the width of the beach in meters and column 9 is the degree of inclination of the beach (slope). The Marine Protected Area status (MPA) is present in the column 10 (1=Protection, 0= non Protection), and the degree of urbanization is indexed in column 11: urbanized with value 3 (in the core of the town: >50% of urbanized area), semi-urbanized with value 2 (in residential areas: 30% of urbanized area), natural with value 1 (outside the core of the town: <30% of urbanized area) and pristine with value 0, as in Villacampa et al. (2017). Columns 12 to 22 contain the percentage of each sediments fraction in microns of the sand in each sample. The column 23 called "Gravel" is the sum of the fractions 4000, 2000, and 1000 µm, the column 24 called "Coarse" is the sum of fractions 850, 710, 500 and 300 µm. The column 25 called "Fine" is the sum of fractions 250, 125, 63, and 0 (less than 63 µm). Columns 26 and 27 are the mean and median grain size in microns. The columns 28, 29 and 30 are the sorting, skewness, and kurtosis of the sediments, measured following the method of Folk and Ward (1957). Column 31 and 32 are the percentage of total organic matter and carbonates in the sediments, respectively, obtained by the loss on ignition method. Column 33 is the salinity of the marine water at the beach locality. Columns 34 to 224 are macrofauna species (> 500 µm) that live in the sediments. The data in each cell of these columns is the abundance of each species in five corers (20.2 cm2 area or 5.07 cm diameter, and 15 cm deep into the sediment). Columns 34 to 126 are marine worms (annelids and sipunculans), columns 127 to 161 have the abundance of the crustaceans, the insects are in columns 162 to 173, mollusks are in the columns 174 to 199, and the following columns present data from several taxonomic groups.Los datos fueron tomados de 28 playas de arena de Costa Rica (16 de la costa del Pacífico y 12 del Caribe). Este estudio tuvo como objetivo (1) determinar las diferencias de sedimentos y características de las playas entre las costas del Pacífico y el Caribe y los niveles de marea; (2) analizar la riqueza de especies y la abundancia de macrofauna teniendo en cuenta las costas, los niveles de mareas y las covariables ambientales (características de los sedimentos y playas, estado de conservación y urbanización); (3) determinar la influencia de los factores ambientales (características de los sedimentos y playas, estado de conservación y urbanización) y espaciales (costas, playas y niveles de marea) en las similitudes de composición de los conjuntos de macrofauna. Nuestros datos se componen de una matriz que contiene 224 columnas y 140 muestras (filas). La primera columna es un código de cada playa de arena; la segunda columna es la identidad de la muestra. La columna 3 es el nombre de la playa de arena; la columna 4 es la costa (Pacífico o Caribe) y la columna 5 es el nivel desde la marea baja (I) hasta la marea alta (V). Las columnas 6 y 7 son las coordenadas geográficas en grados decimales (latitud y longitud, respectivamente). La columna 8 es el ancho de la playa en metros y la columna 9 es el grado de inclinación de la playa (pendiente). El estado del Área Marina Protegida (MPA) está presente en la columna 10 (1 = Protección, 0 = no Protección), y el grado de urbanización está indexado en la columna 11: urbanizado con valor 3 (en el núcleo de la ciudad:> 50 % del área urbanizada), semiurbanizada con valor 2 (en áreas residenciales: 30% del área urbanizada), natural con valor 1 (fuera del núcleo de la ciudad: <30% del área urbanizada) y prístina con valor 0, como en Villacampa et al. (2017). Las columnas 12 a 22 contienen el porcentaje de cada fracción de sedimentos en micrones de arena en cada muestra. La columna 23 llamada "Grava" es la suma de las fracciones 4000, 2000 y 1000 µm, la columna 24 llamada "Gruesa" es la suma de las fracciones 850, 710, 500 y 300 µm. La columna 25 llamada "Fina" es la suma de las fracciones 250, 125, 63 y 0 (menos de 63 µm). Las columnas 26 y 27 son el tamaño de grano medio y mediano en micrones. Las columnas 28, 29 y 30 son la selección, la simetría y la curtosis de los sedimentos, medidos siguiendo el método de Folk and Ward (1957). Las columnas 31 y 32 son el porcentaje de materia orgánica total y carbonatos en los sedimentos, respectivamente, obtenidos por la pérdida en el método de ignición. La columna 33 es la salinidad del agua marina en la localidad de playa. Las columnas 34 a 224 son especies de macrofauna (> 500 µm) que viven en los sedimentos. Los datos en cada celda de estas columnas son la abundancia de cada especie en cinco corers (20.2 cm2 de área o 5.07 cm de diámetro y 15 cm de profundidad en el sedimento). Las columnas 34 a 126 son gusanos marinos (anélidos y sipuncúlidos), las columnas 127 a 161 tienen la abundancia de crustáceos, los insectos están en las columnas 162 a 173, los moluscos están en las columnas 174 a 199, y las siguientes columnas presentan datos de varios grupos taxonómicos.Universidad de Costa Rica/[808-B4-117]/UCR/Costa RicaConsejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología/[Premio TWAS-CONICIT]/CONICIT/Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de BiologíaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR