Ectomycorrhizal status of a mature productive black truffle plantation

The truffle-plantation «Los Quejigares» was planted in 1971 by AROTZ-CATESA company. It is a 600 ha plot of Quercus ilexmycorrhizated with Tuber melanosporum at 1,250 m a.s.l. on calcareous soil. This plantation is the largest of the world and one of the eldest truffle-plantations of Spain and it is in full production. Knowledge of the mycorrhizal status of a mature black truffle plantation is significant for the improvement of truffle cultivation. Ectomycorrhizae were studied for knowing T. melanosporum persistence and diversity and abundance of other ectomycorrhizal types. Roots of 16 holmoaks were sampled, 12 trees produce truffle sporocarps and four did not. It was found a mean of about 35% of T. melanosporum ectomycorrhizae in the studied trees, being this significantly higher in the productive trees. Also, 105 more different ectomycorrhizal types were found. In spite of the high number of morphotypes found, it seems that they do not replace T. melanosporum, showing that there is a coexistence between species in the fungal community associated to the roots

Caracterización de ectomicorrizas en encinares productores de trufa negra del noreste de Soria

Black truffle sporocarp production is determined, amongst many other factors, by an optimum mycorrhization degree in the roots of the host-tree. This process is triggered in balance with other fungal species that does not inhibit its sporocarp production. So, there is an ectomycorrhizal fungal community associated with the black truffle sporocarp productive host-trees that runs as any other living beings community, producing a certain fungal biodiversity and establishing connections in dynamic balance that will evolve. The absence of black truffle sporocarps production in some host-trees will be determined by its ectomycorrhiza absence, or because between the fungal community there are one or more species that inhibit this process or displace it. With the aim of study those topics, the ectomycorrhizae present in 23 adult holmoak trees (Quercus ilex subsp. ballota (Desf.) Samp.) of seven Tuber melanosporum Vittad. productive areas in the North-West of Soria (inner Spain) are characterized and quantified. During the spring and the autumn of 1999 and 2000, black truffle productive and non-productive holmoaks were studied following the global method (Verlhac et al., 1990, La truffe guide pratique). Ectomycorrhizal types were characterized following the guidelines of Agerer (1999). Tuber melanosporum, T. aestivum Vittad., T. brumale Vittad., Cenococcum geophylum Fr., Pisolithus arrhizus (Scop.) Rauscher, Cantharellus tubaeformis (Bull.) Fr., Hebeloma cf. sinapizans (Fr.) Sacc., Tomentella galzinii Bourdot, AD type, Cortinarius sp., Hebeloma sp. and Scleroderma sp. and many others Telephorales, Tuberales and Boletales ectomycorrhizal types were found. Tuber melanosporum mycorrhizae are present both in productive and non-productive hosttrees, as it happens for T. aestivum, while T. brumale ectomycorrhizae are only present in nonproductive holmoaks. The rest of identified ectomycorrhizal types are present in productive and non-productive host-trees

Epigenetic modifiers as potential therapeutic targets in diabetic kidney disease

Diabetic kidney disease is one of the fastest growing causes of death worldwide. Epigenetic regulators control gene expression and are potential therapeutic targets. There is functional interventional evidence for a role of DNA methylation and the histone post-translational modifications—histone methylation, acetylation and crotonylation—in the pathogenesis of kidney disease, including diabetic kidney disease. Readers of epigenetic marks, such as bromodomain and extra terminal (BET) proteins, are also therapeutic targets. Thus, the BD2 selective BET inhibitor apabetalone was the first epigenetic regulator to undergo phase-3 clinical trials in diabetic kidney disease with an endpoint of kidney function. The direct therapeutic modulation of epigenetic features is possible through pharmacological modulators of the specific enzymes involved and through the therapeutic use of the required substrates. Of further interest is the characterization of potential indirect effects of nephroprotective drugs on epigenetic regulation. Thus, SGLT2 inhibitors increase the circulating and tissue levels of β-hydroxybutyrate, a molecule that generates a specific histone modification, β-hydroxybutyrylation, which has been associated with the beneficial health effects of fasting. To what extent this impact on epigenetic regulation may underlie or contribute to the so-far unclear molecular mechanisms of cardio-and nephroprotection offered by SGLT2 inhibitors merits further in-depth studies.This research was funded by FIS/FEDER funds (PI15/00298, CP14/00133, PI16/01900, PI18/01386, PI18/0133, PI19/00588, PI19/00815, DTS18/00032, ERA-PerMed-JTC2018 (KIDNEY ATTACK AC18/00064 and PERSTIGAN AC18/00071), ISCIII-RETIC REDinREN RD016/0009), Sociedad Española de Nefrología, FRIAT, Comunidad de Madrid en Biomedicina B2017/BMD- 3686 CIFRA2-CM. Salary support: ISCIII Miguel Servet to ABS and MDS-N, ISCIII Sara Borrell to JM-MM, REDinREN RD016/0009 to MF-B, and MICIU to JG-M

Síntesis de ectomicorrizas entre Cistus sp. y las especies del complejo Boletus edulis

En los jarales resultantes de la reiteración de incendios forestales en el oeste de Castilla y León (León, Salamanca y Zamora) es habitual la presencia de fructificaciones de Boletus edulis Bull. La recolección de estos hongos micorrícicos comestibles en los jarales dominados exclusivamente por Cistus ladanifer, supone una oportunidad económica alternativa a los usos tradicionales para zonas con bajos ingresos procedentes del monte. El objetivo de éste trabajo es la obtención de ectomicorrizas de las especies del complejo B. edulis con Cistus sp. bajo condiciones controladas, y las descripciones anatómicas detalladas de las mismas. La identificación de los aislados fúngicos de Boletus aereus Bull., B. edulis, B. reticulatus Schaeff. y B. pinophilus Pilát & Dermek fue confirmada por métodos moleculares. Se han obtenido ectomicorrizas de Boletus aereus, B. edulis y B. reticulatus con Cistus albidus L. y C. ladanifer en condiciones de síntesis en cultivo puro, en un substrato de turbavermiculita estéril y solución nutritiva. Las ectomicorrizas formadas se describieron siguiendo los caracteres anatómicos y morfológicos habituales. Las tres ectomicorrizas son muy similares, de color blanco, con ramificación monopodial-pinnada, manto formado por tres capas plectenquimatosas y con rizomorfos de tipo boletoide

miR-146a is a pivotal regulator of neutrophil extracellular trap formation promoting thrombosis.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) induce a procoagulant response linking inflammation and thrombosis. Low levels of miR-146a, a brake of inflammatory response, are involved in higher risk for cardiovascular events, but the mechanisms explaining how miR-146a exerts its function remain largely undefined. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of miR-146a deficiency in NETosis both, in sterile and non-sterile models in vivo, and to inquire into the underlying mechanism. Two models of inflammation were performed: 1) Ldlr-/- mice transplanted with bone marrow from miR-146a-/- or wild type (WT) were fed high-fat diet, generating an atherosclerosis model; and 2) an acute inflammation model was generated by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (1 mg/Kg) into miR-146a-/- and WT mice. miR-146a deficiency increased NETosis in both models. Accordingly, miR-146a-/- mice showed significant reduced carotid occlusion time and elevated levels of NETs in thrombi following FeCl3-induced thrombosis. Infusion of DNAse I abolished arterial thrombosis in WT and miR-146a-/- mice. Interestingly, miR-146a deficient mice have aged, hyperreactive and pro-inflammatory neutrophils in circulation that are more prone to form NETs independently of the stimulus. Furthermore, we demonstrated that community acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients with reduced miR-146a levels associated with the T variant of the functional rs2431697, presented an increased risk for cardiovascular events due in part to an increased generation of NETs.This work was supported by research grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional “Investing in your future” (PI17/00051 y PI17/01421) (PFIS18/0045: A.M. de los Reyes-García) (CD18/00044: S. Águila), and Fundación Séneca (19873/GERM/15). The CNIC is supported by the ISCIII, the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), and the Fundación Pro CNIC, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505). A.B. Arroyo has a research fellowship from Sociedad Española de Trombosis y Hemostasia (SETH). The MCIU supported A.dM. (predoctoral contract BES-2014-067791).S

Towards evidence-based conservation of subterranean ecosystems

Subterranean ecosystems are among the most widespread environments on Earth, yet we still have poor knowledge of their biodiversity. To raise awareness of subterranean ecosystems, the essential services they provide, and their unique conservation challenges, 2021 and 2022 were designated International Years of Caves and Karst. As these ecosystems have traditionally been overlooked in global conservation agendas and multilateral agreements, a quantitative assessment of solution-based approaches to safeguard subterranean biota and associated habitats is timely. This assessment allows researchers and practitioners to understand the progress made and research needs in subterranean ecology and management. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature focused on subterranean ecosystems globally (terrestrial, freshwater, and saltwater systems), to quantify the available evidence-base for the effectiveness of conservation interventions. We selected 708 publications from the years 1964 to 2021 that discussed, recommended, or implemented 1,954 conservation interventions in subterranean ecosystems. We noted a steep increase in the number of studies from the 2000s while, surprisingly, the proportion of studies quantifying the impact of conservation interventions has steadily and significantly decreased in recent years. The effectiveness of 31% of conservation interventions has been tested statistically. We further highlight that 64% of the reported research occurred in the Palearctic and Nearctic biogeographic regions. Assessments of the effectiveness of conservation interventions were heavily biased towards indirect measures (monitoring and risk assessment), a limited sample of organisms (mostly arthropods and bats), and more accessible systems (terrestrial caves). Our results indicate that most conservation science in the field of subterranean biology does not apply a rigorous quantitative approach, resulting in sparse evidence for the effectiveness of interventions. This raises the important question of how to make conservation efforts more feasible to implement, cost-effective, and long-lasting. Although there is no single remedy, we propose a suite of potential solutions to focus our efforts better towards increasing statistical testing and stress the importance of standardising study reporting to facilitate meta-analytical exercises. We also provide a database summarising the available literature, which will help to build quantitative knowledge about interventions likely to yield the greatest impacts depending upon the subterranean species and habitats of interest. We view this as a starting point to shift away from the widespread tendency of recommending conservation interventions based on anecdotal and expert-based information rather than scientific evidence, without quantitatively testing their effectiveness.Peer reviewe

Search for coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering at a nuclear reactor with CONNIE 2019 data

The Coherent Neutrino-Nucleus Interaction Experiment (CONNIE) is taking data at the Angra 2 nuclear reactor with the aim of detecting the coherent elastic scattering of reactor antineutrinos with silicon nuclei using charge-coupled devices (CCDs). In 2019 the experiment operated with a hardware binning applied to the readout stage, leading to lower levels of readout noise and improving the detection threshold down to 50 eV. The results of the analysis of 2019 data are reported here, corresponding to the detector array of 8 CCDs with a fiducial mass of 36.2 g and a total exposure of 2.2 kg-days. The difference between the reactor-on and reactor-off spectra shows no excess at low energies and yields upper limits at 95% confidence level for the neutrino interaction rates. In the lowest-energy range, 50-180 eV, the expected limit stands at 34 (39) times the standard model prediction, while the observed limit is 66 (75) times the standard model prediction with Sarkis (Chavarria) quenching factors.Comment: 23 pages, 14 figure

Direct Phenotypical and Functional Dysregulation of Primary Human B Cells by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Type 1 In Vitro

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) induces a general dysregulation of immune system. Dysregulation of B cell compartment is generally thought to be induced by HIV-related immune activation and lymphopenia. However, a direct influence of HIV-1 particles on B cells was recently proposed as the third pathway of B cells dysregulation. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We evaluated the direct and specific consequences of HIV-1 contact on activation, survival, proliferation and phenotype of primary B cells in vitro. Moreover, we examined expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) mRNA that is responsible for class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM). Here, we report that changes observed in cellular proliferation, phenotypes and activation of B cells could be caused by direct contact between HIV-1 particles and primary B cells in vitro. Finally, direct HIV-1-derived B cells activation led to the increase of AID mRNA expression and its subsequent CSR function was detected in vitro. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: We showed that HIV-1 could directly induce primary B cells dysregulation triggering phenotypical and functional abilities of B cells in vitro that could explain in some extent early B-cell abnormalities in HIV disease

Lipid profile, cardiovascular disease and mortality in a Mediterranean high-risk population: the ESCARVAL-RISK study

The potential impact of targeting different components of an adverse lipid profile in populations with multiple cardiovascular risk factors is not completely clear. This study aims to assess the association between different components of the standard lipid profile with all cause mortality and hospitalization due to cardiovascular events in a high-risk population. Methods This prospective registry included high risk adults over 30 years old free of cardiovascular disease (2008±2012). Diagnosis of hypertension, dyslipidemia or diabetes mellitus was inclusion criterion. Lipid biomarkers were evaluated. Primary endpoints were all-cause mortality and hospital admission due to coronary heart disease or stroke. We estimated adjusted rate ratios (aRR), absolute risk differences and population attributable risk associated with adverse lipid profiles. Results 51,462 subjects were included with a mean age of 62.6 years (47.6% men). During an average follow-up of 3.2 years, 919 deaths, 1666 hospitalizations for coronary heart disease and 1510 hospitalizations for stroke were recorded. The parameters that showed an increased rate for total mortality, coronary heart disease and stroke hospitalization were, respectively, low HDL-Cholesterol: aRR 1.25, 1.29 and 1.23; high Total/HDL-Cholesterol: aRR 1.22, 1.38 and 1.25; and high Triglycerides/HDL-Cholesterol: aRR 1.21, 1.30, 1.09. The parameters that showed highest population attributable risk (%) were, respectively, low HDL-Cholesterol: 7.70, 11.42, 8.40; high Total/HDL-Cholesterol: 6.55, 12.47, 8.73; and high Triglycerides/ HDL-Cholesterol: 8.94, 15.09, 6.92. Conclusions In a population with cardiovascular risk factors, HDL-cholesterol, Total/HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides/HDL-cholesterol ratios were associated with a higher population attributable risk for cardiovascular disease compared to other common biomarkers