Analysis of a short tail type in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

The short tail phenotype represents one of the main causes for downgrading of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) at slaughterhouses. Prevalence of short tail is variable and the aetiology is suspected to be multi-factorial. Risk factors have been identified but descriptions of the aetiology and the pathology of the condition are still rare. In the current study, a radiological and histological analysis of short tails has been performed, examining six normal and six downgraded individuals from a slaughterhouse in southern Norway. In the short tail phenotype, vertebral bodies were shifted and bent at the contact zone of adjacent vertebral bodies. Changes either affected the entire spine or were located at the medial caudal-spine. While the internal bone structure of the vertebrae was similar in deformed and non-deformed animals, a lack of intervertebral space apparently caused a shortening of the vertebral column and corresponded to an elevated condition factor in deformed individuals. Histological analysis revealed different degrees of proliferation of cartilaginous tissues, which replaced the intervertebral notochord tissue. The displacement of adjacent vertebral bodies and the development of cartilage in between vertebral bodies suggest mechanical forces as a possible cause for the observed deformations, since mechanically-induced overload and a subsequent direct contact of bones are factors that can stimulate heterotopic cartilage development and pseudoarthrosi

Compressed vertebrae in Atlantic salmon <i>Salmo salar</i>: evidence for metaplastic chondrogenesis as a skeletogenic response late in ontogeny

Anterior/posterior (a/p) compression of the vertebral column, referred to as 'short tails', is a recurring event in farmed Atlantic salmon. Like other skeletal deformities, the problem usually becomes evident in a late life phase, too late for preventive measures, making it difficult to understand the aetiology of the disease. We use structural, radiological, histological, and mineral analyses to study 'short tail' adult salmon and to demonstrate that the study of adult fish can provide important insights into earlier developmental processes. 'Short tails' display a/p compressed vertebrae throughout the spine, except for the first post-cranial vertebrae. The vertebral number is unaltered, but the intervertebral space is reduced and the vertebrae are shorter. Compressed vertebrae are characterized by an unchanged central part, altered vertebral end plates (straight instead of funnel-shaped), an atypical inward bending of the vertebral edges, and structural alterations in the intervertebral tissue. The spongiosa is unaffected. The growth zones of adjacent vertebrae fuse and blend towards the intervertebral space into chondrogenic tissue. This tissue produces different types of cartilage, replacing the notochord. The correspondence in location of intervertebral cartilage and deformed vertebral end plates, and the clearly delimited, unaltered, central vertebral parts suggest that the a/p compression of vertebral bodies is a late developmental disorder that may be related to a metaplastic shift of osteogenic tissue into chondrogenic tissue in the vertebral growth zone. Given the lack of evidence for infections, metabolic disorders and/or genetic disorders, we propose that an altered mechanical load could have caused the transformation of the bone growth zones and the concomitant replacement of the intervertebral (notochord) tissue by cartilaginous tissues in the 'short tails' studied here. This hypothesis is supported by the role that notochord cells are known to play in spine development and in maintaining the structure of the intervertebral disk

Environmental-dependent proline accumulation in plants living on gypsum soils

[EN] Biosynthesis of proline¿or other compatible solutes¿is a conserved response of all organisms to different abiotic stress conditions leading to cellular dehydration. However, the biological relevance of this reaction for plant stress tolerance mechanisms remains largely unknown, since there are very few available data on proline levels in stress-tolerant plants under natural conditions. The aim of this work was to establish the relationship between proline levels and different environmental stress factors in plants living on gypsum soils. During the 2-year study (2009¿2010), soil parameters and climatic data were monitored, and proline contents were determined, in six successive samplings, in ten taxa present in selected experimental plots, three in a gypsum area and one in a semiarid zone, both located in the province of Valencia, in south-east Spain. Mean proline values varied significantly between species; however, seasonal variations within species were in many cases even wider, with the most extreme differences registered in Helianthemum syriacum (almost 30 lmol g-1 of DW in summer 2009, as compared to ca. 0.5 in spring, in one of the plots of the gypsum zone). Higher proline contents in plants were generally observed under lower soil humidity conditions, especially in the 2009 summer sampling preceded by a severe drought period. Our results clearly show a positive correlation between the degree of environmental stress and the proline level in most of the taxa included in this study, supporting a functional role of proline in stress tolerance mechanisms of plants adapted to gypsum. However, the main trigger of proline biosynthesis in this type of habitat, as in arid or semiarid zones, is water deficit, while the component of ¿salt stress¿ due to the presence of gypsum in the soil only plays a secondary role.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project CGL2008-00438/BOS), with contribution from the European Regional Development Fund.Boscaiu, M.; Bautista Carrascosa, I.; Lidón Cerezuela, AL.; Llinares Palacios, JV.; Lull, C.; Donat-Torres, M.; Mayoral García-Berlanga, O.... (2013). Environmental-dependent proline accumulation in plants living on gypsum soils. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum. 35:2193-2204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-013-1256-3S2193220435Alvarado JJ, Ruiz JM, López-Cantarero I, Molero J, Romero L (2000) Nitrogen metabolism in five plant species characteristic of gypsiferous soils. J Plant Physiol 156:612–616Ashraf M, Foolad MR (2007) Roles of glycine betaine and proline in improving plant abiotic stress resistance. Environ Exp Bot 59:206–216Bates LS, Waldren RP, Teare ID (1973) Rapid determination of free proline for water stress studies. Plant Soil 39:205–207Briens M, Larher F (1982) Osmoregulation in halophytic higher plants: a comparative study of soluble carbohydrates, polyols, betaines and free proline. Plant, Cell Environ 5:287–292Burriel F, Hernando V (1947) Nuevo método para determinar el fósforo asimilable en los suelos. Anales de Edafología y Fisiología Vegetal 9:611–622Caballero I, Olano JM, Loidi J, Escudero A (2003) Seed bank structure along a semi-arid gypsum gradient in Central Spain. J Arid Environ 55:287–299Escudero A, Carnes LF, Pérez García F (1997) Seed germination of gypsophytes and gypsovags in semi-arid central Spain. J Arid Environ 36:487–497Escudero A, Somolinos RC, Olano JM, Rubio A (1999) Factors controlling the establishment of Helianthemum squamatum, an endemic gypsophite of semi-arid Spain. J Ecol 87:290–302FAO (1990) Management of gypsiferous soils. FAO Soils Bull 62Ferriol M, Pérez I, Merle H, Boira H (2006) Ecological germination requirements of the aggregate species Teucrium pumilum (Labiatae) endemic to Spain. Plant Soil 284:205–216Flowers TJ, Colmer TD (2008) Salinity tolerance in halophytes. New Phytol 179:945–963Flowers TJ, Troke PF, Yeo AR (1977) The mechanism of salt tolerance in halophytes. Ann Rev Plant Physiol 28:89–121Gil R, Lull C, Boscaiu M, Bautista I, Lidón A, Vicente O (2011) Soluble carbohydrates as osmolytes in several halophytes from a Mediterranean salt marsh. Not Bot Horti Agrobo 39(2):9–17Grigore MN, Boscaiu M, Vicente O (2011) Assessment of the relevance of osmolyte biosynthesis for salt tolerance of halophytes under natural conditions. Eur J Plant Sci Biotech 5:12–19Hare PD, Cress WA, Van Standen J (1998) Dissecting the roles of osmolyte accumulation during stress. Plant Cell Environ 21:535–553Keeney DR, Nelson DW (1982) Nitrogen inorganic forms. In: Page AL et al (eds) Methods of soil analysis, part 2: chemical and microbiological properties. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, pp 643–698Knudsen D, Peterson GA, Pratt PF (1982) Lithium, Sodium and Potassium. In: Page AL et al (eds) Methods of soil analysis, part 2: chemical and microbiological properties. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, pp 225–246Kuo S (1996) Phosphorus. In: Spark DL (ed) Methods of soil analysis: chemical methods, part 3. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, pp 869–919Martens H, Maes T (1989) Multivariate calibration. Wiley, New York, pp 97–108Martínez-Duro E, Ferrandis P, Escudero A, Luzuriaga AL, Herranz JM (2010) Secondary old-field succession in an ecosystem with restrictive soils: does time from abandonment matter? 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CD28null CD4 T-cell expansions in autoimmune disease suggest a link with cytomegalovirus infection

Immunosenescence is thought to contribute to the increase of autoimmune diseases in older people. Immunosenescence is often associated with the presence of an expanded population of CD4 T cells lacking expression of CD28 (CD28null). These highly cytotoxic CD4 T cells were isolated from disease-affected tissues in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, or other chronic inflammatory diseases and their numbers appeared to be linked to disease severity. However, we recently demonstrated that the common herpes virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), not ageing, is the major driver of this subset of cytotoxic T cells. In this review, we discuss how CMV might potentiate and exacerbate autoimmune disease through the expansion of CD28null CD4 T cells

Triglyceride Blisters in Lipid Bilayers: Implications for Lipid Droplet Biogenesis and the Mobile Lipid Signal in Cancer Cell Membranes

Triglycerides have a limited solubility, around 3%, in phosphatidylcholine lipid bilayers. Using millisecond-scale course grained molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the model lipid bilayer can accommodate a higher concentration of triolein (TO) than earlier anticipated, by sequestering triolein molecules to the bilayer center in the form of a disordered, isotropic, mobile neutral lipid aggregate, at least 17 nm in diameter, which forms spontaneously, and remains stable on at least the microsecond time scale. The results give credence to the hotly debated existence of mobile neutral lipid aggregates of unknown function present in malignant cells, and to the early biogenesis of lipid droplets accommodated between the two leaflets of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. The TO aggregates give the bilayer a blister-like appearance, and will hinder the formation of multi-lamellar phases in model, and possibly living membranes. The blisters will result in anomalous membrane probe partitioning, which should be accounted for in the interpretation of probe-related measurements

Environmentally induced changes in antioxidant phenolic compounds levels in wild plants

[EN] Different adverse environmental conditions cause oxidative stress in plants by generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Accordingly, a general response to abiotic stress is the activation of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems. Many phenolic compounds, especially flavonoids, are known antioxidants and efficient ROS scavengers in vitro, but their exact role in plant stress responses in nature is still under debate. The aim of our work is to investigate this role by correlating the degree of environmental stress with phenolic and flavonoid levels in stress-tolerant plants. Total phenolic and antioxidant flavonoid contents were determined in 19 wild species. Meteorological data and plant and soil samples were collected in three successive seasons from four Mediterranean ecosystems: salt marsh, dune, semiarid and gypsum habitats. Changes in phenolic and flavonoid levels were correlated with the environmental conditions of the plants and were found to depend on both the taxonomy and ecology of the investigated species. Despite species-specific differences, principal component analyses of the results established a positive correlation between plant phenolics and several environmental parameters, such as altitude, and those related to water stress: temperature, evapotranspiration, and soil water deficit. The correlation with salt stress was, however, very weak. The joint analysis of all the species showed the lowest phenolic and flavonoid levels in the halophytes from the salt marsh. This finding supports previous data indicating that the halophytes analysed here do not undergo oxidative stress in their natural habitat and therefore do not need to activate antioxidant systems as a defence against salinity.This work has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project CGL2008-00438/BOS), with contribution from the European Regional Development Fund. Thanks to Dr. Rafael Herrera for critical reading of the manuscript.Bautista, I.; Boscaiu, M.; Lidón, A.; Llinares Palacios, JV.; Lull, C.; Donat-Torres, MP.; Mayoral García-Berlanga, O.... (2016). Environmentally induced changes in antioxidant phenolic compounds levels in wild plants. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum. 38(1):1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-015-2025-2S115381Agati G, Biricolti S, Guidi L, Ferrini F, Fini A, Tattini M (2011) The biosynthesis of flavonoids is enhanced similarly by UV radiation and root zone salinity in L. vulgare leaves. 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Nck adapter proteins: functional versatility in T cells

Nck is a ubiquitously expressed adapter protein that is almost exclusively built of one SH2 domain and three SH3 domains. The two isoproteins of Nck are functionally redundant in many aspects and differ in only few amino acids that are mostly located in the linker regions between the interaction modules. Nck proteins connect receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases to the machinery of actin reorganisation. Thereby, Nck regulates activation-dependent processes during cell polarisation and migration and plays a crucial role in the signal transduction of a variety of receptors including for instance PDGF-, HGF-, VEGF- and Ephrin receptors. In most cases, the SH2 domain mediates binding to the phosphorylated receptor or associated phosphoproteins, while SH3 domain interactions lead to the formation of larger protein complexes. In T lymphocytes, Nck plays a pivotal role in the T cell receptor (TCR)-induced reorganisation of the actin cytoskeleton and the formation of the immunological synapse. However, in this context, two different mechanisms and adapter complexes are discussed. In the first scenario, dependent on an activation-induced conformational change in the CD3ε subunits, a direct binding of Nck to components of the TCR/CD3 complex was shown. In the second scenario, Nck is recruited to the TCR complex via phosphorylated Slp76, another central constituent of the membrane proximal activation complex. Over the past years, a large number of putative Nck interactors have been identified in different cellular systems that point to diverse additional functions of the adapter protein, e.g. in the control of gene expression and proliferation

The non-coding transcriptome as a dynamic regulator of cancer metastasis.

Since the discovery of microRNAs, non-coding RNAs (NC-RNAs) have increasingly attracted the attention of cancer investigators. Two classes of NC-RNAs are emerging as putative metastasis-related genes: long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs). LncRNAs orchestrate metastatic progression through several mechanisms, including the interaction with epigenetic effectors, splicing control and generation of microRNA-like molecules. In contrast, snoRNAs have been long considered "housekeeping" genes with no relevant function in cancer. However, recent evidence challenges this assumption, indicating that some snoRNAs are deregulated in cancer cells and may play a specific role in metastasis. Interestingly, snoRNAs and lncRNAs share several mechanisms of action, and might synergize with protein-coding genes to generate a specific cellular phenotype. This evidence suggests that the current paradigm of metastatic progression is incomplete. We propose that NC-RNAs are organized in complex interactive networks which orchestrate cellular phenotypic plasticity. Since plasticity is critical for cancer cell metastasis, we suggest that a molecular interactome composed by both NC-RNAs and proteins orchestrates cancer metastasis. Interestingly, expression of lncRNAs and snoRNAs can be detected in biological fluids, making them potentially useful biomarkers. NC-RNA expression profiles in human neoplasms have been associated with patients' prognosis. SnoRNA and lncRNA silencing in pre-clinical models leads to cancer cell death and/or metastasis prevention, suggesting they can be investigated as novel therapeutic targets. Based on the literature to date, we critically discuss how the NC-RNA interactome can be explored and manipulated to generate more effective diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic strategies for metastatic neoplasms