Arecaceae Fossil Fruits from the Paleocene of Patagonia, Argentina

We describe fossil fruits collected from outcrops of the Salamanca Fm. (Paleocene, Danian, 63. 3-61. 9 Ma) at the Estancia Las Violetas locality, Chubut, Argentina that show affinities with members of the Subtribe Attaleinae, Tribe Cocoseae, Subfamily Arecoideae within the Arecaceae. The fossils are preserved as permineralizations, and were examined by longitudinal, tangential and cross-sections, as well as by the application of Computed Tomography Scanning technology (CT Scan). The fruits are ovoid drupes with 3 longitudinal grooves delimiting three valves; displaying apical stigmatic remains and a single apical germination pore. The exocarp and mesocarp are fused and anatomically indistinguishable one from another; they contain longitudinal fibrous bands with brachysclereids. A centrally placed seed occupies the single locule entirely; the seeds are deltoid with a basal hilum and acuminate tip while the endosperm is ruminate. The taxonomic position of the fossils was explored using phylogenetic analyses of molecular sequences combined with morphological data. Along with the suite of morphological characters that points to an affinity with the Subtribe Attaleinae, Tribe Cocoseae, subfamily Arecoideae, the results of the combined phylogenetic analyses confirm the taxonomic placement. This report constitutes the first confirmed record for the Subtribe Attaleinae worldwide and the first record of fossil palm fruits from Argentina.Fil: Futey, Mary K.. Cornell University; Estados UnidosFil: Gandolfo, Maria A.. Cornell University; Estados UnidosFil: Zamaloa, María del Carmen. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; ArgentinaFil: Cúneo, Néstor Rubén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio; ArgentinaFil: Cladera, Gerardo. Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio; Argentin

Using a Robust and Sensitive GFP-Based cGMP Sensor for Real-Time Imaging in Intact Caenorhabditis elegans.

cGMP plays a role in sensory signaling and plasticity by regulating ion channels, phosphodiesterases, and kinases. Studies that primarily used genetic and biochemical tools suggest that cGMP is spatiotemporally regulated in multiple sensory modalities. FRET- and GFP-based cGMP sensors were developed to visualize cGMP in primary cell culture and Caenorhabditis elegans to corroborate these findings. While a FRET-based sensor has been used in an intact animal to visualize cGMP, the requirement of a multiple emission system limits its ability to be used on its own as well as with other fluorophores. Here, we demonstrate that a C. elegans codon-optimized version of the cpEGFP-based cGMP sensor FlincG3 can be used to visualize rapidly changing cGMP levels in living, behaving C. elegans We coexpressed FlincG3 with the blue-light-activated guanylyl cyclases BeCyclOp and bPGC in body wall muscles, and found that the rate of change in FlincG3 fluorescence correlated with the rate of cGMP production by each cyclase. Furthermore, we show that FlincG3 responds to cultivation temperature, NaCl concentration changes, and sodium dodecyl sulfate in the sensory neurons AFD, ASEL/R, and PHB, respectively. Intriguingly, FlincG3 fluorescence in ASEL and ASER decreased in response to a NaCl concentration upstep and downstep, respectively, which is opposite in sign to the coexpressed calcium sensor jRGECO1a and previously published calcium recordings. These results illustrate that FlincG3 can be used to report rapidly changing cGMP levels in an intact animal, and that the reporter can potentially reveal unexpected spatiotemporal landscapes of cGMP in response to stimuli

Using a Robust and Sensitive GFP-Based cGMP Sensor for Real-Time Imaging in Intact Caenorhabditis elegans.

cGMP plays a role in sensory signaling and plasticity by regulating ion channels, phosphodiesterases, and kinases. Studies that primarily used genetic and biochemical tools suggest that cGMP is spatiotemporally regulated in multiple sensory modalities. FRET- and GFP-based cGMP sensors were developed to visualize cGMP in primary cell culture and Caenorhabditis elegans to corroborate these findings. While a FRET-based sensor has been used in an intact animal to visualize cGMP, the requirement of a multiple emission system limits its ability to be used on its own as well as with other fluorophores. Here, we demonstrate that a C. elegans codon-optimized version of the cpEGFP-based cGMP sensor FlincG3 can be used to visualize rapidly changing cGMP levels in living, behaving C. elegans We coexpressed FlincG3 with the blue-light-activated guanylyl cyclases BeCyclOp and bPGC in body wall muscles, and found that the rate of change in FlincG3 fluorescence correlated with the rate of cGMP production by each cyclase. Furthermore, we show that FlincG3 responds to cultivation temperature, NaCl concentration changes, and sodium dodecyl sulfate in the sensory neurons AFD, ASEL/R, and PHB, respectively. Intriguingly, FlincG3 fluorescence in ASEL and ASER decreased in response to a NaCl concentration upstep and downstep, respectively, which is opposite in sign to the coexpressed calcium sensor jRGECO1a and previously published calcium recordings. These results illustrate that FlincG3 can be used to report rapidly changing cGMP levels in an intact animal, and that the reporter can potentially reveal unexpected spatiotemporal landscapes of cGMP in response to stimuli