SUMOylation regulates AKT1 activity

Serine threonine kinase AKT has a central role in the cell, controlling survival, proliferation, metabolism and angiogenesis. Deregulation of its activity underlies a wide range of pathological situations, including cancer. Here we show that AKT is post-translationally modified by the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) protein. Interestingly, neither SUMO conjugation nor activation of SUMOylated AKT is regulated by the classical AKT targeting to the cell membrane or by the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway. We demonstrate that SUMO induces the activation of AKT, whereas, conversely, down-modulation of the SUMO machinery diminishes AKT activation and cell proliferation. Furthermore, an AKT SUMOylation mutant shows reduced activation, and decreased anti-apoptotic and pro-tumoral activities in comparison with the wild-type protein. These results identify SUMO as a novel key regulator of AKT phosphorylation and activity

Presence of tsunamis and storms boulders on the rocky shores of the Irta mountain range (el Baix Maestrat; País Valencià; Spain)

La costa de la península Ibèrica té pocs registres d'esdeveniments d'onatge extrem, tsunamis o tempestes. En aquest treball es presenta l'estudi morfomètric de diferents cordons litorals de blocs al llarg de les costes rocoses de la serra d'Irta (País Valencià). L'estudi ha localitzat sis ubicacions amb blocs d’un pes de 1.5 T de mitjana, que es troben a una distància mitjana de la línia de costa de 15.5 m i a una alçada mitjana de 2.3 m sobre el nivell de la mar. Es defineixen les àrees d'arrencada dels blocs, els seus patrons d'imbricació i una adreça predominant cap al 119.5º, coincident amb les direccions dels tsunamis procedents d'Algèria. A cada bloc se li apliquen les equacions de Nott i d’Engel & May per calcular les altures d'onada de tsunamis i tempestes capaços de generar aquests dipòsits, obtenint els valors de sobre elevació (run-up) per remoure cada bloc.The coast of the Iberian Peninsula has few records of extreme wave events, storms or tsunamis. In this work we present the morphometric study of some boulder ridges along the rocky coasts of the Irta mountain range (Valencian Country, East of Spain). The study has located six settings with boulders weighting 1.5 T in average, at an average distance from the coast line of 15.5 m and 2.3 m a.s.l. Boulder quarring areas have been identified, as well as their imbricate pattern, which is oriented to 119.5º. That is coincident with the directions of the tsunamis coming from Algeria. The equations of Nott and Engel & May have been applied to each block to calculate the run-up of tsunamis or storms capable of generating these deposits

Foredune responses to the impact of aggregate extraction in an arid aeolian sedimentary system

Coastal dunes have long suffered the effects of human interventions that have altered the landscape and operation of these ecosystems. Aggregate extractions have been shown to modify the biogeomorphological processes in aeolian sedimentary systems. The impacts associated to aggregate extraction include the reduction of available sediment and changes to the topography and vegetation patterns, thereby altering the sedimentary dynamics and limiting the recovery capacity of the dunefield. The aim of this article is to analyse the environmental effects produced by historical aggregate extraction in the foredune area of an arid aeolian sedimentary system (El Medano, Tenerife, Spain) through a study of the airflow dynamics and spatial distribution of vegetation, sediment and topographic changes. The methodology was designed with two temporal scales: (i) a long-term approach which compares historical sources and current ones; (ii) a short-term approach through experimental data collection to characterize the present functioning. For the latter, a field study was carried out in June 2021, collecting wind speed and direction data at a height of 0.50 m, sediment data (sand sheet thickness, grain size and sorting), and vegetation data (cover and species richness) at 40 sample points. The main results show that when the anthropic stress ceased the foredune did not follow a natural environmental pattern, and that the way it functions at the present time is determined by the changes induced by the aggregate extraction. Changes include alterations to the topography, the creation of a lagoon, and the generation of an aeolian deflation area and flow acceleration zones with the associated sand transport. This research contributes to an understanding of the environmental consequences of aggregate extractions on the foredunes of arid aeolian sedimentary systems and can enable the relevant authorities to make better-informed decisions that help the management of these ecosystems

The tsunami boulders on the rocky coast of the serra d’Irta (el Baix Maestrat): a LIG proposal (Site of Geological Interest)

Els tsunamis provocats pels terratrèmols a Algèria xoquen contra les costes de les illes Balears i de la península Ibèrica. A las costes rocoses de les serres d’Irta s’han identificat 6 àrees amb presència de blocs i cordons de blocs amb característiques sedimentàries pròpies dels fluxos de tsunamis. La ubicació, morfologia, morfometria, orientació i imbricació d’aquests camps de blocs constitueixen un tret geomorfològic característic de l’impacte d’un tsunami contra la costa. Atenent a les seues característiques i singularitat es proposen aquests emplaçaments com a Lloc d’Interès Geològic (LIG), ja que presenten un elevat interès científic, turístic i didàctic com exemples representatius de blocs de tsunamis a las costes rocoses de la Mediterrània occidental associats a esdeveniments d’alta energia.The tsunamis caused by the earthquakes in Algeria hit the coasts of the Balearic Islands and the Iberian Peninsula. On the rocky shores of the Irta mountains, 6 areas have been identified with the presence of boulders and bolulder of boulders with sedimentary characteristics typical of tsunamis flows. The location, morphology, morphometry, orientation and overlapping of these block fields constitute a characteristic geomorphological feature of the impact of a tsunami against the coast. In accordance with these characteristics and singularity, these sites are proposed as a Site of Geological Interest (LIG), as they present a high scientific, tourist and didactic interest as representative examples of tsunami blocks on the rocky coasts of the western Mediterranean associated to high energy events

Programmed cell senescence during mammalian embryonic development

Cellular senescence disables proliferation in damaged cells, and it is relevant for cancer and aging. Here, we show that senescence occurs during mammalian embryonic development at multiple locations, including the mesonephros and the endolymphatic sac of the inner ear, which we have analyzed in detail. Mechanistically, senescence in both structures is strictly dependent on p21, but independent of DNA damage, p53, or other cell-cycle inhibitors, and it is regulated by the TGF-beta/SMAD and PI3K/FOXO pathways. Developmentally programmed senescence is followed by macrophage infiltration, clearance of senescent cells, and tissue remodeling. Loss of senescence due to the absence of p21 is partially compensated by apoptosis but still results in detectable developmental abnormalities. Importantly, the mesonephros and endolymphatic sac of human embryos also show evidence of senescence. We conclude that the role of developmentally programmed senescence is to promote tissue remodeling and propose that this is the evolutionary origin of damage-induced senescence

Estudio numérico-experimental de la contaminación en aguas costeras

[ES] En este trabajo se presentan resultados numéricos y experimentales de la dispersión de contaminantes y trazadores en el litoral Mediterráneo. Se han utilizado dos modelos hidrodinámicos para simular la circulación horizontal producida por viento y oleaje en la plataforma y la zona de rompientes, respectivamente. Un modelo 3D de dispersión en "el campo cercano" suministra las condiciones iniciales al modelo 2D de dispersión local en el "campo lejano". Se presentan dos casos de estudio: la dispersión de trazadores en la zona de rompientes (Delta del Ebro) desde el punto de vista numérico y experimental; y la simulación de la dispersión de contaminantes urbanos -bacterias- provenientes del principal emisario submarino de Barcelona, mediante la aplicación de una secuencia de modelos numéricos. La comparación entre los experimentos y los resultados numéricos en la zona de rompientes es buena, mientras que las predicciones de contaminación en litoral cercano al emisario manifestaron la importancia de modelar con precisión los efectos de flotabilidad en el penacho o pluma. Además, se han simulado varias configuraciones de descarga, comprobándose que solo el nuevo emisario permite un grado de dilución acorde con la normativa vigente.El presente trabajo fue realizado como parte de los proyectos de investigación del LIM-UPC en Contaminación costera e Hidrodinámica de la Zona de Rompientes, financiados por el Direcc. Gral. de Medí Ambient de la Generalitat de Catalunya el primero, y conjuntamente por la Dirección Técnica Programa de Clima Marítimo (Ente Público Puertos del Estado -MOPTMA) y el Ministerio de E. y C. (DGICYT) el segundo. Los autores agradecen la colaboración de J.P. Sierra, J. Sospedra, J. Gomez y al personal involucrado en las mediciones de campo. También se agradece al Dr. G. Jirka sus comentarios sobre la dispersión en campo cercano y la disponibilidad del modelo CORMIX, y a EMSSA por la atención en suministrar datos de la planta y emisarios del Besos.Rodríguez, A.; Sánchez-Arcilla Conejo, A.; Bahía, E.; Redondo Apraiz, JM.; Collado, F. (1995). Estudio numérico-experimental de la contaminación en aguas costeras. Ingeniería del Agua. 2(2):53-62. https://doi.org/10.4995/ia.1995.2677SWORD536222Battjes, J. (1975). Modeling of turbulence in the surf zone, Proc. Sympo. on Modeling Techniques, ASCE, 1050-1061.Bravo, J. (1985). Analisis y Evaluación de la Calidad Microbiológica de las Aguas Costeras, Tesis Doctoral, Univ. Aut. de Barcelona, 257 pg.Carreras P. y Menendez A. (1990). Mathematical modelling of pollutant dispersion, Ecological modelling, Elsevier, 52, 29-40.Crickmore M.J. (1972). Tracer tests of eddy diffusion in field and model, Jour. Hyd. Div., ASCE, Vol. 98, no. HY10, 1737-1752.Deguchi I., Sawaragi T. y Ono M. (1992). Longshore current and lateral mixing in the surf zone. Proc. Int.Conf.Coast. Eng., ASCE, 2642-2654.Dean R. y Dalrymple, R. (1984). Water wave mechanics. Prentice-Hall, N. Jersey.Fredsoe J. (1984). The turbulent boundary layer in wave-current motion, Jour. Hyd. Eng., ASCE, Vol. 110, no. 8, 1103-1120.Harris T., Jordan J. McMurray W., Verwey C. y Anderson F. (1963). Mixing in the surf zone, Int.Jour. Air Wat. Poll., Vol. 7, 649-667.Holly F.M. y Usseglio-Polatera J.M. (1984). Dispersion Simulation in Two-Dimensional Tidal Flow, Jour. Hyd. Eng., ASCE, Vol. 110, no. 7(Julio), 905-926.Horikawa K., Lin M. y Sasaki T. (1978). Mixing of heated water discharged in the surf zone, Proc. Int.Conf.Coast.Eng., ASCE, 2563-2583.Jirka, G. (1991). CORMIX: Cornell Mixing Zone Expert System, I.C.E. Short Course on Hydraulics of Sea Outfalls, University of Honk Kong, Diciembre 1991.Mancini, J. (1978). Numerical estimates of coliform mortality rates under various conditions, Journal of water pollution control fed., Noviembre, 2477-2484.Mead C., y Cooper A. (1992). Three-dimensional numerical modelling of coastal hydrodynamics and pollutant dispersal, Proc. 2nd. Int. Conf. Hyd. and Env. Mod. of Coast., Est. and River Waters, Vol. 1, Ashgate Pub., 31-41.Mujeriego, R. (1989). Estudio del saneamiento de las zonas costeras de Cambrils y Vilaseca-Salou, Inf.Sec.Ing.Eng.Amb.}, DEHMA, ETSECCPB, UPC, Barcelona, Septiembre, 152 pg.Nadaoka K. y Hirose F. (1986). Modelling of diffusion coefficient in the surf zone based on physical process of wave breaking, Proc. 33rd Japan Conference Coastal Engineering, 26-30, (en japonés).Ozmidov, R. (1990). Diffusion of contaminants in the ocean, Oceanographie Sciences Library, Vol. 4, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Londres.Redondo J., Rodriguez A., Bahia E., Falqués A., Gracia V., Sánchez-Arcilla A. y Stive M.J.F. (1994). 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P27Kip1 directly represses Sox2 during embryonic stem cell differentiation

The mechanisms responsible for the transcriptional silencing of pluripotency genes in differentiated cells are poorly understood. We have observed that cells lacking the tumor suppressor p27 can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in the absence of ectopic Sox2. Interestingly, cells and tissues from p27 null mice, including brain, lung, and retina, present an elevated basal expression of Sox2, suggesting that p27 contributes to the repression of Sox2. Furthermore, p27 null iPSCs fail to fully repress Sox2 upon differentiation. Mechanistically, we have found that upon differentiation p27 associates to the SRR2 enhancer of the Sox2 gene together with a p130-E2F4-SIN3A repressive complex. Finally, Sox2 haploinsufficiency genetically rescues some of the phenotypes characteristic of p27 null mice, including gigantism, pituitary hyperplasia, pituitary tumors, and retinal defects. Collectively, these results demonstrate an unprecedented connection between p27 and Sox2 relevant for reprogramming and cancer and for understanding human pathologies associated with p27 germline mutations

IVVI: Intelligent vehicle based on visual information

Human errors are the cause of most traffic accidents, with drivers’ inattention and wrong driving decisions being the two main sources. These errors can be reduced, but not completely eliminated. That is why Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) can reduce the number, danger and severity of traffic accidents. Several ADAS, which nowadays are being researched for Intelligent vehicles, are based on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics technologies. In this article a research platform for the implementation of systems based on computer vision is presented, and different visual perception modules useful for some ADAS such as Line Keeping System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Pedestrian Protector, or Speed Supervisor, are described.This work was supported in part by the Spanish government under CICYT grant TRA2004-07441-C03-01

Regulation of Ebola virus VP40 matrix protein by SUMO

The matrix protein of Ebola virus (EBOV) VP40 regulates viral budding, nucleocapsid recruitment, virus structure and stability, viral genome replication and transcription, and has an intrinsic ability to form virus-like particles. The elucidation of the regulation of VP40 functions is essential to identify mechanisms to inhibit viral replication and spread. Post-translational modifications of proteins with ubiquitin-like family members are common mechanisms for the regulation of host and virus multifunctional proteins. Thus far, no SUMOylation of VP40 has been described. Here we demonstrate that VP40 is modified by SUMO and that SUMO is included into the viral like particles (VLPs). We demonstrate that lysine residue 326 in VP40 is involved in SUMOylation, and by analyzing a mutant in this residue we show that SUMO conjugation regulates the stability of VP40 and the incorporation of SUMO into the VLPs. Our study indicates for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, that EBOV hijacks the cellular SUMOylation system in order to modify its own proteins. Modulation of the VP40-SUMO interaction may represent a novel target for the therapy of Ebola virus infectionWe thank Sergio Gomez-Medina for excellent technical assistance. Funding at the laboratory of CR is provided by BFU-2014-58530. Work at the laboratory of CSM is supported by BFU2013-41249-P. This work was partially funded by the Lebniz Association (Prämie ERC Starting Grant 2013 to CM-F). The Heinrich-Pette-Institute is financed by the German Federal Ministry of Health and the Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg. AEM is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FPI Fellowship). CFC-H is supported by CONACYT. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscriptS