The Time is Right for an Antarctic Biorepository Network

Antarctica is a central driver of the Earth’s climate and health. The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica serves as a major sink for anthropogenic CO2 and heat (1), and the loss of Antarctic ice sheets contributes significantly to sea level rise and will continue to do so as the loss of ice sheets accelerates, with sufficient water stores to raise sea levels by 58 m (2). Antarctica\u27s marine environment is home to a number of iconic species, and the terrestrial realm harbors a remarkable oasis for life, much of which has yet to be discovered (3). Distinctive oceanographic features of the Southern Ocean—including the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the Antarctic Polar Front, and exceptional depths surrounding the continent—coupled with chronically cold temperatures have fostered the evolution of a vast number of uniquely coldadapted species, many of which are found nowhere else on the Earth (4). The Antarctic marine biota, for example, displays the highest level of species endemism on the Earth (5). However, warming, ocean acidification, pollution, and commercial exploitation threaten the integrity of Antarctic ecosystems (6). Understanding changes in the biota and its capacities for adaptation is imperative for establishing effective policies for mitigating the impacts of climate change and sustaining the Antarctic ecosystems that are vital to global health

Draft genome sequence of strain HIMB100, a cultured representative of the SAR116 clade of marine Alphaproteobacteria

Strain HIMB100 is a planktonic marine bacterium in the class Alphaproteobacteria. This strain is of interest because it is one of the first known isolates from a globally ubiquitous clade of marine bacteria known as SAR116 within the family Rhodospirillaceae. Here we describe preliminary features of the organism, together with the draft genome sequence and annotation. This is the second genome sequence of a member of the SAR116 clade. The 2,458,945 bp genome contains 2,334 protein-coding and 42 RNA genes

Sleep patterns, daytime predation, and the evolution of diurnal sleep site selection in lorisiforms.

Synthesize information on sleep patterns, sleep site use, and daytime predation at sleep sites in lorisiforms of Asia and Africa (10 genera, 36 species), and infer patterns of evolution of sleep site selection. We conducted fieldwork in 12 African and six Asian countries, collecting data on sleep sites, timing of sleep and predation during daytime. We obtained additional information from literature and through correspondence. Using a phylogenetic approach, we established ancestral states of sleep site selection in lorisiforms and traced their evolution. The ancestral lorisiform was a fur-clinger and used dense tangles and branches/forks as sleep sites. Use of tree holes and nests as sleep sites emerged ∼22 Mya (range 17-26 Mya) in Africa, and use of bamboo emerged ∼11 (7-14) Mya in Asia and later in Africa. Fur clinging and some sleep sites (e.g., tree holes, nests, but not bamboo or dense tangles) show strong phylogenetic signal. Nests are used by Galagoides, Paragalago, Galago and Otolemur; tree holes by Galago, Paragalago, Sciurocheirus and Perodicticus; tangles by Nycticebus, Loris, Galagoides, Galago, Euoticus, Otolemur, Perodicticus and Arctocebus; all but Sciurocheirus and Otolemur additionally sleep on branches/forks. Daytime predation may affect sleep site selection and sleep patterns in some species of Nycticebus, Galago, Galagoides, Otolemur and Perodicticus. Most lorisiforms enter their sleep sites around sunrise and leave around sunset; several are active during twilight or, briefly, during daytime. Variations in sleep behavior, sleep patterns and vulnerability to daytime predation provide a window into the variation that was present in sleep in early primates. Overall, lorisiforms use the daytime for sleeping and no species can be classified as cathemeral or polycyclic

Pathways between Primary Production and Fisheries Yields of Large Marine Ecosystems

The shift in marine resource management from a compartmentalized approach of dealing with resources on a species basis to an approach based on management of spatially defined ecosystems requires an accurate accounting of energy flow. The flow of energy from primary production through the food web will ultimately limit upper trophic-level fishery yields. In this work, we examine the relationship between yield and several metrics including net primary production, chlorophyll concentration, particle-export ratio, and the ratio of secondary to primary production. We also evaluate the relationship between yield and two additional rate measures that describe the export of energy from the pelagic food web, particle export flux and mesozooplankton productivity. We found primary production is a poor predictor of global fishery yields for a sample of 52 large marine ecosystems. However, chlorophyll concentration, particle-export ratio, and the ratio of secondary to primary production were positively associated with yields. The latter two measures provide greater mechanistic insight into factors controlling fishery production than chlorophyll concentration alone. Particle export flux and mesozooplankton productivity were also significantly related to yield on a global basis. Collectively, our analyses suggest that factors related to the export of energy from pelagic food webs are critical to defining patterns of fishery yields. Such trophic patterns are associated with temperature and latitude and hence greater yields are associated with colder, high latitude ecosystems

The Somatic Genomic Landscape of Glioblastoma

We describe the landscape of somatic genomic alterations based on multi-dimensional and comprehensive characterization of more than 500 glioblastoma tumors (GBMs). We identify several novel mutated genes as well as complex rearrangements of signature receptors including EGFR and PDGFRA. TERT promoter mutations are shown to correlate with elevated mRNA expression, supporting a role in telomerase reactivation. Correlative analyses confirm that the survival advantage of the proneural subtype is conferred by the G-CIMP phenotype, and MGMT DNA methylation may be a predictive biomarker for treatment response only in classical subtype GBM. Integrative analysis of genomic and proteomic profiles challenges the notion of therapeutic inhibition of a pathway as an alternative to inhibition of the target itself. These data will facilitate the discovery of therapeutic and diagnostic target candidates, the validation of research and clinical observations and the generation of unanticipated hypotheses that can advance our molecular understanding of this lethal cancer

CATION REGULATION AND SURVIVAL OF THE RED ALGA, PORPHYRA PERFORATA, IN DILUTED AND CONCENTRATED SEA WATER

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Multinuclear NMR spectroscopic studies of some organometallic N-substituted anilines

Proton, carbon-13, nitrogen-15, fluorine-19, and silicon-29 NMR chemical shifts and coupling constants are reported for nine N-substituted anilines of the type XC6H4N(H)Y, where X H and F, and Y Si(CH3)3, Ge(CH3)3, Sn(CH3)3, and P(BH3)(CH3)2, and the 15N isotopomer of N-trimethylsilylaniline. Resonances in the natural-abundance carbon-13 NMR spectra for both sets of derivatives are assigned on the basis of additivity relationships, proton-coupled spectra, and relative magnitudes of |J(31P13C)| and |J(19F13C)| coupling constants where appropriate. Carbon-13 and fluorine-19 chemical shifts, and |1J(13C1H)| coupling constants indicate that the P(BH3)(CH3)2 group is substantially electron-withdrawing. © 1992