IUCN guidelines using for assessment of plants from the Red Book of Russian Federation at regional level: a case study for the Republic of Mordovia (Russia)

There are 15 plant species included in the Russian Red Book, which occur in the Republic of Mordovia: Najas tenuissima, Koeleria sclerophylla, Stipa dasyphylla, S. pennata, S. pulcherrima, S. zalesskii, Fritillaria ruthenica, Iris aphylla, Cypripedium calceolus, Cephalanthera rubra, Epipogium aphyllum, Neottianthe cucullata, Orchis militaris, Neotinea ustulata, Thymus cimicinus. Of these, only C. calceolusis included in the Global Red List as Critically Endangered. Threat status for studied species in Mordovia was assessed, and their distribution dynamics in this region throughout 12 years was described. Recent floristic studies, inspections of herbariums and literature were used for searches all provided data. Grid mapping and IUCN criteria were used. Nine taxa were determined as Critically Endangered, three as Endangered, one as Vulnerable, one as Near Threatened and one as Data Deficient. The areas of occupancy and extent of occurrence inMordovia were assessed for each taxon. All studied species should be included in the next edition of the Mordovian Red Book. F. ruthenica, E. aphyllum, N. ustulata, T. cimicinus require additional studies to confirm earlier observations

Extensive molecular tinkering in the evolution of the membrane attachment mode of the Rheb GTPase

Rheb is a conserved and widespread Ras-like GTPase involved in cell growth regulation mediated by the (m)TORC1 kinase complex and implicated in tumourigenesis in humans. Rheb function depends on its association with membranes via prenylated C-terminus, a mechanism shared with many other eukaryotic GTPases. Strikingly, our analysis of a phylogenetically rich sample of Rheb sequences revealed that in multiple lineages this canonical and ancestral membrane attachment mode has been variously altered. The modifications include: (1) accretion to the N-terminus of two different phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate-binding domains, PX in Cryptista (the fusion being the first proposed synapomorphy of this clade), and FYVE in Euglenozoa and the related undescribed flagellate SRT308; (2) acquisition of lipidic modifications of the N-terminal region, namely myristoylation and/or S-palmitoylation in seven different protist lineages; (3) acquisition of S-palmitoylation in the hypervariable C-terminal region of Rheb in apusomonads, convergently to some other Ras family proteins; (4) replacement of the C-terminal prenylation motif with four transmembrane segments in a novel Rheb paralog in the SAR clade; (5) loss of an evident C-terminal membrane attachment mechanism in Tremellomycetes and some Rheb paralogs of Euglenozoa. Rheb evolution is thus surprisingly dynamic and presents a spectacular example of molecular tinkering

Extensive molecular tinkering in the evolution of the membrane attachment mode of the Rheb GTPase

Rheb is a conserved and widespread Ras-like GTPase involved in cell growth regulation mediated by the (m)TORC1 kinase complex and implicated in tumourigenesis in humans. Rheb function depends on its association with membranes via prenylated C-terminus, a mechanism shared with many other eukaryotic GTPases. Strikingly, our analysis of a phylogenetically rich sample of Rheb sequences revealed that in multiple lineages this canonical and ancestral membrane attachment mode has been variously altered. The modifications include: (1) accretion to the N-terminus of two different phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate-binding domains, PX in Cryptista (the fusion being the first proposed synapomorphy of this clade), and FYVE in Euglenozoa and the related undescribed flagellate SRT308; (2) acquisition of lipidic modifications of the N-terminal region, namely myristoylation and/or S-palmitoylation in seven different protist lineages; (3) acquisition of S-palmitoylation in the hypervariable C-terminal region of Rheb in apusomonads, convergently to some other Ras family proteins; (4) replacement of the C-terminal prenylation motif with four transmembrane segments in a novel Rheb paralog in the SAR clade; (5) loss of an evident C-terminal membrane attachment mechanism in Tremellomycetes and some Rheb paralogs of Euglenozoa. Rheb evolution is thus surprisingly dynamic and presents a spectacular example of molecular tinkering

Extreme genome diversity in the hyper-prevalent parasitic eukaryote Blastocystis

Blastocystis is the most prevalent eukaryotic microbe colonizing the human gut, infecting approximately 1 billion individuals worldwide. Although Blastocystis has been linked to intestinal disorders, its pathogenicity remains controversial because most carriers are asymptomatic. Here, the genome sequence of Blastocystis subtype (ST) 1 is presented and compared to previously published sequences for ST4 and ST7. Despite a conserved core of genes, there is unexpected diversity between these STs in terms of their genome sizes, guanine-cytosine (GC) content, intron numbers, and gene content. ST1 has 6,544 protein-coding genes, which is several hundred more than reported for ST4 and ST7. The percentage of proteins unique to each ST ranges from 6.2% to 20.5%, greatly exceeding the differences observed within parasite genera. Orthologous proteins also display extreme divergence in amino acid sequence identity between STs (i.e., 59%–61%median identity), on par with observations of the most distantly related species pairs of parasite genera. The STs also display substantial variation in gene family distributions and sizes, especially for protein kinase and protease gene families, which could reflect differences in virulence. It remains to be seen to what extent these inter-ST differences persist at the intra-ST level. A full 26% of genes in ST1 have stop codons that are created on the mRNA level by a novel polyadenylation mechanism found only in Blastocystis. Reconstructions of pathways and organellar systems revealed that ST1 has a relatively complete membrane-trafficking system and a near-complete meiotic toolkit, possibly indicating a sexual cycle. Unlike some intestinal protistan parasites, Blastocystis ST1 has near-complete de novo pyrimidine, purine, and thiamine biosynthesis pathways and is unique amongst studied stramenopiles in being able to metabolize ?-glucans rather than ?-glucans. It lacks all genes encoding heme-containing cytochrome P450 proteins. Predictions of the mitochondrion-related organelle (MRO) proteome reveal an expanded repertoire of functions, including lipid, cofactor, and vitamin biosynthesis, as well as proteins that may be involved in regulating mitochondrial morphology and MRO/endoplasmic reticulum (ER) interactions. In sharp contrast, genes for peroxisome-associated functions are absent, suggesting Blastocystis STs lack this organelle. Overall, this study provides an important window into the biology of Blastocystis, showcasing significant differences between STs that can guide future experimental investigations into differences in their virulence and clarifying the roles of these organisms in gut health and disease

Confirmation of Spiraea crenata L. Occurrence in Slovakia = A Spiraea crenata L. szlovákiai előfordulásának megerősítése

Spiraea crenata, a continental Eurasian species with only one known locality in Slovakia is currently assessed by the Slovakian Red Data Book as “critically endangered – probably regionally extinct [CR(PE)]”. The species was discovered by Josef Holub near Svätuše (Východoslovenská nížina lowland, SE Slovakia) in the 1950s, but has not been found for decades despite targeted searches. Two polycormons of the species were recorded in September 2015 near Svätuše, in the vicinity of a quarry, at the margin of shrub vegetation belonging to the association Ligustro-Prunetum R. Tx. 1952 (Berberidion alliance, Crataego-Prunetea class). A csipkés gyöngyvessző (Spiraea crenata) kontinentális eurázsiai elterjedésű faj, amelynek Szlovákiában csupán egyetlen lelőhelye ismert. Josef Holub az 1950-es években találta Svätuše (Bodrogszentes) közelében (Délkelet-Szlovákia területén). A fajt napjainkban a szlovák Vörös Könyv „kritikusan veszélyeztetett – valószínűleg regionálisan kihalt” taxonként tartotta nyilván, mivel a célzott keresések ellenére évtizedekig nem került elő. 2015 szeptemberében két sarjtelepét észleltük a település feletti domboldal peremén, a kőbánya közelében, cserjés növényzet (Ligustro-Prunetum R. Tx. 1952, Berberidion csoport, Crataego-Prunetea osztály) szegélyén