Site α Is Crucial for Two Routes of IFNγ-Induced MHC Class I Transactivation: The ISRE-Mediated Route and a Novel Pathway Involving CIITA

AbstractThe constitutive and cytokine-induced levels of major histocompatibility (MHC) class I expression are tightly controlled at the transcriptional level. In this study, it is shown that the cis-acting regulatory element site α of the MHC class I promoter is essential for the IFNγ-induced transactivation of MHC class I gene expression through the ISRE. Moreover, it was discovered that the class II transactivator (CIITA), which is itself under the control of the IFNγ induction pathway, strongly transactivates MHC class I gene expression and exerts its activity through site α. Therefore, site α is a crucial regulatory element, mediating the classic route of IFNγ induction via the ISRE as well as a novel route of MHC class I transactivation involving CIITA

Protection and maintenance of permanent pastures

peer reviewedAll farmers receiving direct payments are subject to compulsory cross-compliance which includes standards related to the maintenance and protection of permanent pastures. Questionnaire techniques and spatio-temporal analyses demonstrated that the ratio of permanent pasture area to agricultural land provides a simple tool for monitoring and controlling the protection of permanent pastures at the regional to Member State level. Huge variations in the ratio across Europe were related to the importance of permanent pastures, the interpretation of definitions, sources of information used, differences in calculation, and the presence of protective and/or sensitive zones. Precautionary or complementary measures are in place in most Member States in order to prevent decreases in the ratio. The implementation of GAEC standards related to permanent pastures overlaps with the standard management requirements, national legislation and current agri-environmental programmes. The study advocates the establishment of a comprehensive geo-information platform consisting of a topologically correct inventory of all permanent pasture parcels in a 1:1 geo-referenced relation between IACS and LPIS; ancillary spatially explicit data such as orthophotos, remote sensing images and other thematic geo-databases; and, geodatabases with parcel information compiled for other monitoring purposes such as those within the framework of the Nitrates Directive or 2nd pillar support

Characterization of methane-seep communities in a deep-sea area designated for oil and natural gas exploitation off Trinidad and Tobago

Exploration of the deep ocean (>200 m) is taking on added importance as human development encroaches. Despite increasing oil and natural gas exploration and exploitation, the deep ocean of Trinidad and Tobago is almost entirely unknown. The only scientific team to image the deep seafloor within the Trinidad and Tobago Exclusive Economic Zone was from IFREMER in the 1980s. That exploration led to the discovery of the El Pilar methane seeps and associated chemosynthetic communities on the accretionary prism to the east of Trinidad and Tobago. In 2014, the E/V Nautilus, in collaboration with local scientists, visited two previously sampled as well as two unexplored areas of the El Pilar site between 998 and 1,629 m depth using remotely operated vehicles. Eighty-three megafaunal morphospecies from extensive chemosynthetic communities surrounding active methane seepage were observed at four sites. These communities were dominated by megafaunal invertebrates including mussels (Bathymodiolus childressi), shrimp (Alvinocaris cf. muricola), Lamellibrachia sp. 2 tubeworms, and Pachycara caribbaeum. Adjacent to areas of active seepage was an ecotone of suspension feeders including Haplosclerida sponges, stylasterids and Neovermilia serpulids on authigenic carbonates. Beyond this were large Bathymodiolus shell middens. Finally there was either a zone of sparse octocorals and other non-chemosynthetic species likely benefiting from the carbonate substratum and enriched production within the seep habitat, or sedimented inactive areas. This paper highlights these ecologically significant areas and increases the knowledge of the biodiversity of the Trinidad and Tobago deep ocean. Because methane seepage and chemosynthetic communities are related to the presence of extractable oil and gas resources, development of best practices for the conservation of biodiversity in Trinidad and Tobago waters within the context of energy extraction is critical. Potential impacts on benthic communities during oil and gas activities will likely be long lasting and include physical disturbance during drilling among others. Recommendations for the stewardship of these widespread habitats include: (1) seeking international cooperation; (2) holding wider stakeholder discussions; (3) adopting stringent environmental regulations; and (4) increasing deep-sea research to gather crucial baseline data in order to conduct appropriate marine spatial planning with the creation of marine protected areas.Copyright © 2017 Amon, Gobin, Van Dover, Levin, Marsh and Raineault. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms

Remote sensing, modelling-based hazard and risk assessment, and management of agro-forested ecosystems

Agricultural and forested landscapes cover large areas over many countries; they are a very important natural resource that needs to be managed sustainably for both the environment and the local communities. Food security, population growth, urbanization, and intensive agricultural development are some of the factors that generate increasing demands for water and land resources in the context of global change. Therefore, potential impacts deriving from a changing climate, from more frequent and intense extreme events, and from anthropogenic activities can pose serious threats to economic infrastructure and development in the coming decades and also severely undermine food, fodder, water, and energy security for a growing global population. Significant recent changes in climate and in the hydrological cycle will impact land suitability for agricultural production and forest ecosystems. In particular, we can expect an increase, in some regions, in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather and weather-related events such as heat waves, floods, wind and snowstorms, droughts, etc. (IPCC, 2012; IPCC, 2021). Furthermore, anthropogenic activities can exacerbate consequences of an unbalanced environment, such as water quality degradation, groundwater depletion, land subsidence, erosion, and sedimentation (Delkash et al., 2018; Tarolli and Straffellini, 2020). Therefore, sustainable management and exploitation of first-order agricultural resources and forested areas, e.g. available land with favourable climate, soil, and water, will become even more important in the lives and activities of people. The 10 original papers included in this special issue address several of these aspects. In particular one review paper provides a general introduction to risk assessment for natural hazards, six papers focus on water- and weather-related hazards (four related to agriculture and two related to water quality at river basin scale), two papers address hazard assessment for the insurance sector, and one paper is related to challenges in agriculture–forest frontiers. The presented researches adopt different types of quantitative and qualitative modelling and spatial analysis and use remote sensing data, when relevant