γ-Tubulin 2 Nucleates Microtubules and Is Downregulated in Mouse Early Embryogenesis

γ-Tubulin is the key protein for microtubule nucleation. Duplication of the γ-tubulin gene occurred several times during evolution, and in mammals γ-tubulin genes encode proteins which share ∼97% sequence identity. Previous analysis of Tubg1 and Tubg2 knock-out mice has suggested that γ-tubulins are not functionally equivalent. Tubg1 knock-out mice died at the blastocyst stage, whereas Tubg2 knock-out mice developed normally and were fertile. It was proposed that γ-tubulin 1 represents ubiquitous γ-tubulin, while γ-tubulin 2 may have some specific functions and cannot substitute for γ-tubulin 1 deficiency in blastocysts. The molecular basis of the suggested functional difference between γ-tubulins remains unknown. Here we show that exogenous γ-tubulin 2 is targeted to centrosomes and interacts with γ-tubulin complex proteins 2 and 4. Depletion of γ-tubulin 1 by RNAi in U2OS cells causes impaired microtubule nucleation and metaphase arrest. Wild-type phenotype in γ-tubulin 1-depleted cells is restored by expression of exogenous mouse or human γ-tubulin 2. Further, we show at both mRNA and protein levels using RT-qPCR and 2D-PAGE, respectively, that in contrast to Tubg1, the Tubg2 expression is dramatically reduced in mouse blastocysts. This indicates that γ-tubulin 2 cannot rescue γ-tubulin 1 deficiency in knock-out blastocysts, owing to its very low amount. The combined data suggest that γ-tubulin 2 is able to nucleate microtubules and substitute for γ-tubulin 1. We propose that mammalian γ-tubulins are functionally redundant with respect to the nucleation activity

Hygroscopic inertia influence on indoor environments : moisture buffering

In recent years great advances have been made, both in terms of regulation and technology, regarding the thermal behavior of buildings. However, a sustainable building, in addition to being energy efficient, must also ensure adequate hygroscopic performance, so as to guarantee adequate indoor air quality and comfort. As well as thermal inertia plays a very important role in the energy demand of buildings, the hygroscopic inertia of their enclosures is a regulating element in the hygroscopic balance of their interior environments, which, when properly used, can regulate the abrupt oscillations of relative humidity inside. In particular, the inner layer of the enclosures of a building interacts with the interior environment adsorbing and desorbing moisture as a function of the relative humidity of the indoor air, and therefore, that damping capacity constitutes an important term on the moisture balance of the spaces. In this paper the influence of the moisture buffering capacity of different materials on inside relative humidity is studied for different climates, ventilation rates and vapor production schemes by numerical simulation.Papers presented at the 13th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Portoroz, Slovenia on 17-19 July 2017 .International centre for heat and mass transfer.American society of thermal and fluids engineers

Detection of alloantigens during preimplantation development and early trophoblast differentiation in the mouse by immunoperoxidase labeling

The expression of antigenic determinants on the mouse embryo has been the subject of a number of investigations in recent years. Identification of these cell surface products of specific genetic loci is important for an understanding of the complex immunological interrelationships now known to exist between the maternal and fetal organisms (1, 2), for their use as markers in the analysis of tissue interactions in embryogenesis, and as indicators of gene activity during differentiation. Earlier studies employing both transplantation and in vitro assays have demonstrated the presence of alloantigenic determinants from the two-cell stage (3-6). However, the mouse strain combinations used in these investigations differed both at the major (H-2) and minor (non-H-2) histocompatibility loci, and recent attempts have been directed towards a more precise characterization of these alloantigens. Immunofluorescence (7, 8), mixed antiglobulin, mixed agglutination (9), cytotoxicity (10), and transplantation (11) tests have all so far failed to detect H-2 alloantigens on the preimplantation embryo. These determinant

An ecosystem health index for a large and variable river basin: Methodology, challenges and continuous improvement in Queensland’s Fitzroy Basin

Flint, N ORCiD: 0000-0003-4331-4109; Jones, CE ORCiD: 0000-0002-1779-6231; Rolfe, JC ORCiD: 0000-0001-7659-7040Report cards are an increasingly popular method for summarising and communicating relative environmental performance and ecosystem health, including in aquatic environments. They are usually underpinned by an Ecosystem Health Index (EHI) that combines various individual indicators to produce an overall ecosystem health “score”. As a result of public water quality concerns, an integrated means of monitoring and reporting on aquatic ecosystem health was needed for the Fitzroy Basin in central Queensland, Australia. The Fitzroy Partnership for River Health was formed to address this need, and developed an EHI and report card for the Basin using existing monitoring data collected from various third parties including regulated companies operations and government. At 142,000 square kilometres, the Fitzroy Basin is the largest catchment draining to the World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef. The Fitzroy Basin provides an example of how to deliver an effective aquatic ecosystem health reporting sys-tem in a large and complex river basin. We describe the methodology used to develop an adaptive EHI for the Fitzroy Basin that addresses variability, complexity and scale issues associated with reporting across large areas. As well, we report how to manage the design and reporting stages given limitations in data collection and scientific understanding

Q fever knowledge, attitudes and vaccination status of Australia's veterinary workforce in 2014

Q fever, caused by Coxiella burnetii, is a serious zoonotic disease in humans with a worldwide distribution. Many species of animals are capable of transmitting C. burnetii, and consequently all veterinary workers are at risk for this disease. An effective Q fever vaccine has been readily available and used in Australia for many years in at-risk groups, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has recently also called for the use of this vaccine among at-risk groups in Europe. Little is known about attitudes towards this vaccine and vaccine uptake in veterinary workers. This study aimed to determine the Q fever vaccination status of veterinarians and veterinary nurses in Australia and to assess and compare the knowledge and attitudes towards Q fever disease and vaccination of each cohort. An online cross-sectional survey performed in 2014 targeted all veterinarians and veterinary nurses in Australia. Responses from 890 veterinarians and 852 veterinary nurses were obtained. Binary, ordinal and multinomial logistic regression were used to make comparisons between the two cohorts. The results showed that 74% of veterinarians had sought vaccination compared to only 29% of veterinary nurses. Barriers to vaccination among those not vaccinated did not differ between cohorts, and included a lack of perceived risk, financial expense, time constraints, and difficulty in finding a vaccine provider. Poor knowledge and awareness of Q fever disease and vaccination were additional and notable barriers for the veterinary nursing cohort, suggesting veterinary clinics and veterinarians may not be meeting their legal responsibility to educate staff about risks and risk prevention. Further evaluation is needed to identify the drivers behind seeking and recommending vaccination so that recommendations can be made to improve vaccine uptake