Avifauna de un paisaje rural heterogéneo en Risaralda, cordillera Central de Colombia

Although the transformation of natural landscapes and the appearance of agricultural covers negatively affect biodiversity, some heterogeneous rural landscapes offer opportunities for species conservation and can host very diverse ecological communities. Here we present a description of the bird assemblages in an Andean rural landscape in Risaralda, Colombia, and explore the spatial structure of bird diversity in response to geographical distance between localities, and the species richness in the different vegetation types in the landscape. During 5 years (2013-2017) we recorded 309 species, 50 families and 22 orders in 15 localities of subandean rural landscapes between 1600 and 2200 m a. s. l. We found the spatial turnover in species composition is associated with the geographical distance between localities and vegetation cover diversity in each locality, showing a high complementarity between the local mosaic assemblages. Different types of vegetation contributed to beta diversity and increased regional bird richness. We consider that it is important to include rural landscapes in conservation initiatives at regional and national levels.A pesar de que la transformación de los paisajes naturales y la aparición de paisajes agrícolas tienen efectos negativos sobre las especies, algunos paisajes rurales heterogéneos albergan comunidades ecológicas muy diversas. Presentamos una descripción de los ensamblajes locales de aves en el paisaje rural subandino de Risaralda, en Colombia, y exploramos la estructura espacial de la avifauna asociada a la distancia geográfica entre localidades y la riqueza de tipos de vegetación. Durante 5 años (2013-2017) registramos 309 especies, 50 familias y 22 órdenes en 15 localidades ubicadas entre 1600 y 2200 m s. n. m. Encontramos que el ensamblaje de aves presenta un recambio espacial en la composición de especies asociado a la distancia geográfica entre localidades y a la diversidad de tipos de vegetación en cada localidad, que se evidencia en una alta complementariedad entre los ensamblajes de las localidades estudiadas. Los diferentes tipos de vegetación del paisaje hacen un aporte importante a la diversidad beta e incrementan la riqueza regional de aves. Consideramos importante la inclusión de los paisajes rurales dentro de las iniciativas de conservación a escala regional y nacional

Avifauna de un paisaje rural heterogéneo en Risaralda, cordillera Central de Colombia

Although the transformation of natural landscapes and the appearance of agricultural covers negatively affect biodiversity, some heterogeneous rural landscapes offer opportunities for species conservation and can host very diverse ecological communities. Here we present a description of the bird assemblages in an Andean rural landscape in Risaralda, Colombia, and explore the spatial structure of bird diversity in response to geographical distance between localities, and the species richness in the different vegetation types in the landscape. During 5 years (2013-2017) we recorded 309 species, 50 families and 22 orders in 15 localities of subandean rural landscapes between 1600 and 2200 m a. s. l. We found the spatial turnover in species composition is associated with the geographical distance between localities and vegetation cover diversity in each locality, showing a high complementarity between the local mosaic assemblages. Different types of vegetation contributed to beta diversity and increased regional bird richness. We consider that it is important to include rural landscapes in conservation initiatives at regional and national levels.A pesar de que la transformación de los paisajes naturales y la aparición de paisajes agrícolas tienen efectos negativos sobre las especies, algunos paisajes rurales heterogéneos albergan comunidades ecológicas muy diversas. Presentamos una descripción de los ensamblajes locales de aves en el paisaje rural subandino de Risaralda, en Colombia, y exploramos la estructura espacial de la avifauna asociada a la distancia geográfica entre localidades y la riqueza de tipos de vegetación. Durante 5 años (2013-2017) registramos 309 especies, 50 familias y 22 órdenes en 15 localidades ubicadas entre 1600 y 2200 m s. n. m. Encontramos que el ensamblaje de aves presenta un recambio espacial en la composición de especies asociado a la distancia geográfica entre localidades y a la diversidad de tipos de vegetación en cada localidad, que se evidencia en una alta complementariedad entre los ensamblajes de las localidades estudiadas. Los diferentes tipos de vegetación del paisaje hacen un aporte importante a la diversidad beta e incrementan la riqueza regional de aves. Consideramos importante la inclusión de los paisajes rurales dentro de las iniciativas de conservación a escala regional y nacional

A Bayesian approach to single-particle electron cryo-tomography in RELION-4.0

We present a new approach for macromolecular structure determination from multiple particles in electron cryo-tomography (cryo-ET) data sets. Whereas existing subtomogram averaging approaches are based on 3D data models, we propose to optimise a regularised likelihood target that approximates a function of the 2D experimental images. In addition, analogous to Bayesian polishing and contrast transfer function (CTF) refinement in single-particle analysis, we describe the approaches that exploit the increased signal-to-noise ratio in the averaged structure to optimise tilt-series alignments, beam-induced motions of the particles throughout the tilt-series acquisition, defoci of the individual particles, as well as higher-order optical aberrations of the microscope. Implementation of our approaches in the open-source software package RELION aims to facilitate their general use, particularly for those researchers who are already familiar with its single-particle analysis tools. We illustrate for three applications that our approaches allow structure determination from cryo-ET data to resolutions sufficient for de novo atomic modelling.This work was funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Medical Research Council (MC_UP_A025_1013 to SHWS; and MC_UP_1201/16 to JAGB), the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC-CoG-2014, grant 648432, MEMBRANEFUSION to JAGB and ERC StG-2019, grant 852915 CRYTOCOP to GZ); the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant 205321_179041/1 to DC-D), the Max Planck Society (to JAGB) and the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (grant BB/T002670/1 to GZ). TAMB is a recipient of a Sir Henry Dale Fellowship, jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society (202231/Z/16/Z). JZ was partially funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC-ADG-2015, grant 692726, GlobalBioIm to Michael Unser)

Chitosan–Starch–Keratin composites: Improving thermo-mechanical and degradation properties through chemical modification

The lysozyme test shows an improved in the degradability rate, the weight loss of the films at 21 days is reduced from 73 % for chitosan-starch matrix up to 16 % for the composites with 5wt% of quill; but all films show a biodegradable character depending on keratin type and chemical modification. The outstanding properties related to the addition of treated keratin materials show that these natural composites are a remarkable alternative to potentiat-ing chitosan–starch films with sustainable featuresChitosan–starch polymers are reinforced with different keratin materials obtained from chicken feather. Keratin materials are treated with sodium hydroxide; the modified surfaces are rougher in comparison with untreated surfaces, observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy. The results obtained by Differential Scanning Calorimetry show an increase in the endothermic peak related to water evaporation of the films from 92 °C (matrix) up to 102–114 °C (reinforced composites). Glass transition temperature increases from 126 °C in the polymer matrix up to 170–200 °C for the composites. Additionally, the storage modulus in the composites is enhanced up to 1614 % for the composites with modified ground quill, 2522 % for composites with modified long fiber and 3206 % for the composites with modified short fiber. The lysozyme test shows an improved in the degradability rate, the weight loss of the films at 21 days is reduced from 73 % for chitosan-starch matrix up to 16 % for the composites with 5wt% of quill; but all films show a biodegradable character depending on keratin type and chemical modification. The outstanding properties related to the addition of treated keratin materials show that these natural composites are a remarkable alternative to potentiat-ing chitosan–starch films with sustainable featuresUniversidad Autónoma del Estado de México Tecnológico Nacional de México, Instituto Tecnológico de Querétaro Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Tecnológico Nacional de México, Instituto Tecnológico de Celaya Universidad Autónoma de Cd. Juáre

THE CONCISE GUIDE TO PHARMACOLOGY 2021/22: G protein-coupled receptors

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2021/22 is the fifth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews, mostly in tabular format, of the key properties of nearly 1900 human drug targets with an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide constitutes over 500 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point-in-time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/bph.15538. G protein-coupled receptors are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes and transporters. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid-2021, and supersedes data presented in the 2019/20, 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the Nomenclature and Standards Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate

Genetic Sharing with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Diabetes Reveals Novel Bone Mineral Density Loci.

Bone Mineral Density (BMD) is a highly heritable trait, but genome-wide association studies have identified few genetic risk factors. Epidemiological studies suggest associations between BMD and several traits and diseases, but the nature of the suggestive comorbidity is still unknown. We used a novel genetic pleiotropy-informed conditional False Discovery Rate (FDR) method to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BMD by leveraging cardiovascular disease (CVD) associated disorders and metabolic traits. By conditioning on SNPs associated with the CVD-related phenotypes, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, triglycerides and waist hip ratio, we identified 65 novel independent BMD loci (26 with femoral neck BMD and 47 with lumbar spine BMD) at conditional FDR < 0.01. Many of the loci were confirmed in genetic expression studies. Genes validated at the mRNA levels were characteristic for the osteoblast/osteocyte lineage, Wnt signaling pathway and bone metabolism. The results provide new insight into genetic mechanisms of variability in BMD, and a better understanding of the genetic underpinnings of clinical comorbidity

Fine-mapping of prostate cancer susceptibility loci in a large meta-analysis identifies candidate causal variants

Prostate cancer is a polygenic disease with a large heritable component. A number of common, low-penetrance prostate cancer risk loci have been identified through GWAS. Here we apply the Bayesian multivariate variable selection algorithm JAM to fine-map 84 prostate cancer susceptibility loci, using summary data from a large European ancestry meta-analysis. We observe evidence for multiple independent signals at 12 regions and 99 risk signals overall. Only 15 original GWAS tag SNPs remain among the catalogue of candidate variants identified; the remainder are replaced by more likely candidates. Biological annotation of our credible set of variants indicates significant enrichment within promoter and enhancer elements, and transcription factor-binding sites, including AR, ERG and FOXA1. In 40 regions at least one variant is colocalised with an eQTL in prostate cancer tissue. The refined set of candidate variants substantially increase the proportion of familial relative risk explained by these known susceptibility regions, which highlights the importance of fine-mapping studies and has implications for clinical risk profiling. © 2018 The Author(s).Prostate cancer is a polygenic disease with a large heritable component. A number of common, low-penetrance prostate cancer risk loci have been identified through GWAS. Here we apply the Bayesian multivariate variable selection algorithm JAM to fine-map 84 prostate cancer susceptibility loci, using summary data from a large European ancestry meta-analysis. We observe evidence for multiple independent signals at 12 regions and 99 risk signals overall. Only 15 original GWAS tag SNPs remain among the catalogue of candidate variants identified; the remainder are replaced by more likely candidates. Biological annotation of our credible set of variants indicates significant enrichment within promoter and enhancer elements, and transcription factor-binding sites, including AR, ERG and FOXA1. In 40 regions at least one variant is colocalised with an eQTL in prostate cancer tissue. The refined set of candidate variants substantially increase the proportion of familial relative risk explained by these known susceptibility regions, which highlights the importance of fine-mapping studies and has implications for clinical risk profiling. © 2018 The Author(s).Peer reviewe

Germline variation at 8q24 and prostate cancer risk in men of European ancestry

Chromosome 8q24 is a susceptibility locus for multiple cancers, including prostate cancer. Here we combine genetic data across the 8q24 susceptibility region from 71,535 prostate cancer cases and 52,935 controls of European ancestry to define the overall contribution of germline variation at 8q24 to prostate cancer risk. We identify 12 independent risk signals for prostate cancer (p < 4.28 × 10−15), including three risk variants that have yet to be reported. From a polygenic risk score (PRS) model, derived to assess the cumulative effect of risk variants at 8q24, men in the top 1% of the PRS have a 4-fold (95%CI = 3.62–4.40) greater risk compared to the population average. These 12 variants account for ~25% of what can be currently explained of the familial risk of prostate cancer by known genetic risk factors. These findings highlight the overwhelming contribution of germline variation at 8q24 on prostate cancer risk which has implications for population risk stratification

Local hydrological conditions influence tree diversity and composition across the Amazon basin

Tree diversity and composition in Amazonia are known to be strongly determined by the water supplied by precipitation. Nevertheless, within the same climatic regime, water availability is modulated by local topography and soil characteristics (hereafter referred to as local hydrological conditions), varying from saturated and poorly drained to well-drained and potentially dry areas. While these conditions may be expected to influence species distribution, the impacts of local hydrological conditions on tree diversity and composition remain poorly understood at the whole Amazon basin scale. Using a dataset of 443 1-ha non-flooded forest plots distributed across the basin, we investigate how local hydrological conditions influence 1) tree alpha diversity, 2) the community-weighted wood density mean (CWM-wd) – a proxy for hydraulic resistance and 3) tree species composition. We find that the effect of local hydrological conditions on tree diversity depends on climate, being more evident in wetter forests, where diversity increases towards locations with well-drained soils. CWM-wd increased towards better drained soils in Southern and Western Amazonia. Tree species composition changed along local soil hydrological gradients in Central-Eastern, Western and Southern Amazonia, and those changes were correlated with changes in the mean wood density of plots. Our results suggest that local hydrological gradients filter species, influencing the diversity and composition of Amazonian forests. Overall, this study shows that the effect of local hydrological conditions is pervasive, extending over wide Amazonian regions, and reinforces the importance of accounting for local topography and hydrology to better understand the likely response and resilience of forests to increased frequency of extreme climate events and rising temperatures