Disturbance and Recovery of Salt Marsh Arthropod Communities following BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Oil spills represent a major environmental threat to coastal wetlands, which provide a variety of critical ecosystem services to humanity. The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is a hub of oil and gas exploration activities that historically have impacted intertidal habitats such as salt marsh. Following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we sampled the terrestrial arthropod community and marine invertebrates found in stands of Spartina alterniflora, the most abundant plant in coastal salt marshes. Sampling occurred in 2010 as oil was washing ashore and a year later in 2011. In 2010, intertidal crabs and terrestrial arthropods (insects and spiders) were suppressed by oil exposure even in seemingly unaffected stands of plants; however, Littoraria snails were unaffected. One year later, crab and arthropods had largely recovered. Our work is the first attempt that we know of assessing vulnerability of the salt marsh arthropod community to oil exposure, and it suggests that arthropods are both quite vulnerable to oil exposure and quite resilient, able to recover from exposure within a year if host plants remain healthy

The Interaction of LFA-1 on Mononuclear Cells and ICAM-1 on Tubular Epithelial Cells Accelerates TGF-β1-Induced Renal Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of renal epithelial cells (RTECs) has pivotal roles in the development of renal fibrosis. Although the interaction of lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) on leukocytes and its ligand, intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), plays essential roles in most inflammatory reactions, its pathogenetic role in the EMT of RTECs remains to be clarified. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the interaction of LFA-1 on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and ICAM-1 on HK-2 cells after stimulation with TGF-β1 on the EMT of RTECs. ICAM-1 was highly expressed in HK-2 cells. After TGF-β1 stimulation, the chemokines CCL3 and CXCL12 increased on HK-2 cells. After co-culture of PBMCs and HK-2 cells pre-stimulated with TGF-β1 (0.1 ng/ml) (HK-2-TGF-β1 (0.1)), the expression of the active form of LFA-1 increased on PBMCs; however, total LFA-1 expression did not change. The expression of the active form of LFA-1 on PBMCs did not increase after co-culture with not CCL3 but CXCL12 knockdown HK-2-TGF-β1 (0.1). The expression of epithelial cell junction markers (E-cadherin and occludin) further decreased and that of mesenchymal markers (vimentin and fibronectin) further increased in HK-2-TGF-β1 (0.1) after co-culture with PBMCs for 24 hrs (HK-2-TGF-β1 (0.1)-PBMCs). The phosphorylation of ERK 1/2 but not smad2 and smad3 increased in HK-2-TGF-β1 (0.1)-PBMCs. The snail and slug signaling did not increase HK-2-TGF-β1 (0.1)-PBMCs. Although the migration and invasion of HK-2 cells induced full EMT by a high dose (10.0 ng/ml) and long-term (72–96 hrs) TGF-β1 stimulation increased, that of HK-2-TGF-β1 (0.1)-PBMCs did not increase. These results suggested that HK-2 cells stimulated with TGF-β1 induced conformational activation of LFA-1 on PBMCs by increased CXCL12. Then, the direct interaction of LFA-1 on PBMCs and ICAM-1 on HK-2 cells activated ERK1/2 signaling to accelerate the part of EMT of HK-2 cells induced by TGF-β1

Analysis of conserved microRNAs in floral tissues of sexual and apomictic Boechera species

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Apomixis or asexual seed formation represents a potentially important agronomic trait whose introduction into crop plants could be an effective way to fix and perpetuate a desirable genotype through successive seed generations. However, the gene regulatory pathways underlying apomixis remain unknown. In particular, the potential function of microRNAs, which are known to play crucial roles in many aspects of plant growth and development, remains to be determined with regards to the switch from sexual to apomictic reproduction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using bioinformatics and microarray validation procedures, 51 miRNA families conserved among angiosperms were identified in <it>Boechera</it>. Microarray assay confirmed 15 of the miRNA families that were identified by bioinformatics techniques. 30 cDNA sequences representing 26 miRNAs could fold back into stable pre-miRNAs. 19 of these pre-miRNAs had miRNAs with <it>Boechera</it>-specific nucleotide substitutions (NSs). Analysis of the Gibbs free energy (ΔG) of these pre-miRNA stem-loops with NSs showed that the <it>Boechera</it>-specific miRNA NSs significantly (p ≤ 0.05) enhance the stability of stem-loops. Furthermore, six transcription factors, the Squamosa promoter binding protein like SPL6, SPL11 and SPL15, Myb domain protein 120 (MYB120), RELATED TO AP2.7 DNA binding (RAP2.7, TOE1 RAP2.7) and TCP family transcription factor 10 (TCP10) were found to be expressed in sexual or apomictic ovules. However, only SPL11 showed differential expression with significant (p ≤ 0.05) up-regulation at the megaspore mother cell (MMC) stage of ovule development in apomictic genotypes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study constitutes the first extensive insight into the conservation and expression of microRNAs in <it>Boechera </it>sexual and apomictic species. The miR156/157 target squamosa promoter binding protein-like 11 (SPL11) was found differentially expressed with significant (p ≤ 0.05) up-regulation at the MMC stage of ovule development in apomictic genotypes. The results also demonstrate that nucleotide changes in mature miRNAs significantly (p ≤ 0.05) enhance the thermodynamic stability of pre-miRNA stem-loops.</p

A four-dimensional probabilistic atlas of the human brain

The authors describe the development of a four-dimensional atlas and reference system that includes both macroscopic and microscopic information on structure and function of the human brain in persons between the ages of 18 and 90 years. Given the presumed large but previously unquantified degree of structural and functional variance among normal persons in the human population, the basis for this atlas and reference system is probabilistic. Through the efforts of the International Consortium for Brain Mapping (ICBM), 7,000 subjects will be included in the initial phase of database and atlas development. For each subject, detailed demographic, clinical, behavioral, and imaging information is being collected. In addition, 5,800 subjects will contribute DNA for the purpose of determining genotype-phenotype-behavioral correlations. The process of developing the strategies, algorithms, data collection methods, validation approaches, database structures, and distribution of results is described in this report. Examples of applications of the approach are described for the normal brain in both adults and children as well as in patients with schizophrenia. This project should provide new insights into the relationship between microscopic and macroscopic structure and function in the human brain and should have important implications in basic neuroscience, clinical diagnostics, and cerebral disorders

The restorative role of annexin A1 at the blood–brain barrier

Annexin A1 is a potent anti-inflammatory molecule that has been extensively studied in the peripheral immune system, but has not as yet been exploited as a therapeutic target/agent. In the last decade, we have undertaken the study of this molecule in the central nervous system (CNS), focusing particularly on the primary interface between the peripheral body and CNS: the blood–brain barrier. In this review, we provide an overview of the role of this molecule in the brain, with a particular emphasis on its functions in the endothelium of the blood–brain barrier, and the protective actions the molecule may exert in neuroinflammatory, neurovascular and metabolic disease. We focus on the possible new therapeutic avenues opened up by an increased understanding of the role of annexin A1 in the CNS vasculature, and its potential for repairing blood–brain barrier damage in disease and aging

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion