Multi-locus phylogeny of Pleosporales: a taxonomic, ecological and evolutionary re-evaluation

Five loci, nucSSU, nucLSU rDNA, TEF1, RPB1 and RPB2, are used for analysing 129 pleosporalean taxa representing 59 genera and 15 families in the current classification of Pleosporales. The suborder Pleosporineae is emended to include four families, viz. Didymellaceae, Leptosphaeriaceae, Phaeosphaeriaceae and Pleosporaceae. In addition, two new families are introduced, i.e. Amniculicolaceae and Lentitheciaceae. Pleomassariaceae is treated as a synonym of Melanommataceae, and new circumscriptions of Lophiostomataceae s. str, Massarinaceae and Lophiotrema are proposed. Familial positions of Entodesmium and Setomelanomma in Phaeosphaeriaceae, Neophaeosphaeria in Leptosphaeriaceae, Leptosphaerulina, Macroventuria and Platychora in Didymellaceae, Pleomassaria in Melanommataceae and Bimuria, Didymocrea, Karstenula and Paraphaeosphaeria in Montagnulaceae are clarified. Both ecological and morphological characters show varying degrees of phylogenetic significance. Pleosporales is most likely derived from a saprobic ancestor with fissitunicate asci containing conspicuous ocular chambers and apical rings. Nutritional shifts in Pleosporales likely occured from saprotrophic to hemibiotrophic or biotrophic

Unraveling the complexity of hdl remodeling : On the hunt to restore hdl quality

Altres ajuts: European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)Increasing evidence has cast doubt over the HDL-cholesterol hypothesis. The complexity of the HDL particle and its proven susceptibility to remodel has paved the way for intense molecular investigation. This state-of-the-art review discusses the molecular changes in HDL particles that help to explain the failure of large clinical trials intending to interfere with HDL metabolism, and details the chemical modifications and compositional changes in HDL-forming components, as well as miRNA cargo, that render HDL particles ineffective. Finally, the paper discusses the challenges that need to be overcome to shed a light of hope on HDL-targeted approaches

Interference Effects in Relativistic Deuteron Electrodisintegration

We extend the relativistic plane--wave impulse approximation formalism to incorporate a specific class of relativistic interference effects for use in describing inclusive electrodisintegration of $^2$H. The role of these ``exchange'' terms for the various response functions accessible in parity--conserving and --violating inclusive processes is investigated and shown, especially for the latter, to have important consequences for experiment. An extension to a simple quasi--deuteron model is also considered.Comment: 28 pages (latex), 15 figures available upon request, TRI-PP-93-101 and MIT-CTP#224

RIM1α SUMOylation is required for fast synaptic vesicle exocytosis

The rapid, activity-dependent quantal presynaptic release of neurotransmitter is vital for brain function. The complex process of vesicle priming, fusion, and retrieval is very precisely controlled and requires thespatiotemporal coordination of multiple protein-protein interactions. Here, we show that posttranslational modification of the active zone protein Rab3-interacting molecule 1α (RIM1α) by the small ubiquitin-like modifier 1 (SUMO-1) functions as a molecular switch to direct these interactions and isessential for fast synaptic vesicle exocytosis. RIM1α SUMOylation at lysine residue K502 facilitatesthe clustering of CaV2.1 calcium channels andenhances the Ca2+ influx necessary for vesicular release, whereas non-SUMOylated RIM1α participates in the docking/priming of synaptic vesicles and maintenance of active zone structure. These results demonstrate that SUMOylation of RIM1α is a key determinant of rapid, synchronous neurotransmitter release, and the SUMO-mediated "switching" of RIM1α between binding proteins provides insight into the mechanisms underpinning synaptic function and dysfunction

Phylogeny and systematics of the genus Calonectria

Species of Calonectria are important plant pathogens, several of which have a worldwide distribution. Contemporary taxonomic studies on these fungi have chiefly relied on DNA sequence comparisons of the β-tubulin gene region. Despite many new species being described, there has been no phylogenetic synthesis for the group since the last monographic study almost a decade ago. In the present study, the identity of a large collection of Calonectria isolates from various geographic regions was determined using morphological and DNA sequence comparisons. This resulted in the discovery of seven new species; Ca. densa, Ca. eucalypti, Ca. humicola, Ca. orientalis, Ca. pini, Ca. pseudoscoparia and Ca. sulawesiensis, bringing the total number of currently accepted Calonectria species to 68. A multigene phylogeny was subsequently constructed for all available Calonectria spp., employing seven gene regions, namely actin, β-tubulin, calmodulin, histone H3, the internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 and the 5.8S gene of the ribosomal RNA, 28S large subunit RNA gene and translation elongation 1-alpha. Based on these data 13 phylogenetic groups could be distinguished within the genus Calonectria that correlated with morphological features. Dichotomous and synoptic keys to all Calonectria spp. currently recognised are also provided

Complicated septic shock caused by Achromobacter xylosoxidans bacteremia in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Infections caused by Achromobacter xylosoxidans cause significant morbidity and mortality in debilitated individuals. Eradication of these infections requires prolonged therapy with antimicrobial agents and removal of any infected central venous catheter. The outcome is usually poor in patients with high risk malignancy, septic complications, and/or multi-organ dysfunction