Evolutionary History of the Vertebrate Mitogen Activated Protein Kinases Family

Background: The mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) family pathway is implicated in diverse cellular processes and pathways essential to most organisms. Its evolution is conserved throughout the eukaryotic kingdoms. However, the detailed evolutionary history of the vertebrate MAPK family is largely unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings: The MAPK family members were collected from literatures or by searching the genomes of several vertebrates and invertebrates with the known MAPK sequences as queries. We found that vertebrates had significantly more MAPK family members than invertebrates, and the vertebrate MAPK family originated from 3 progenitors, suggesting that a burst of gene duplication events had occurred after the divergence of vertebrates from invertebrates. Conservation of evolutionary synteny was observed in the vertebrate MAPK subfamilies 4, 6, 7, and 11 to 14. Based on synteny and phylogenetic relationships, MAPK12 appeared to have arisen from a tandem duplication of MAPK11 and the MAPK13-MAPK14 gene unit was from a segmental duplication of the MAPK11-MAPK12 gene unit. Adaptive evolution analyses reveal that purifying selection drove the evolution of MAPK family, implying strong functional constraints of MAPK genes. Intriguingly, however, intron losses were specifically observed in the MAPK4 and MAPK7 genes, but not in their flanking genes, during the evolution from teleosts to amphibians and mammals. The specific occurrence of intron losses in the MAPK4 and MAPK7 subfamilies might be associated with adaptive evolution of the vertebrates by enhancing the gen

Dual-specificity MAP kinase phosphatases in health and disease

Source at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamcr.2018.09.002.It is well established that a family of dual-specificity MAP kinase phosphatases (MKPs) play key roles in the regulated dephosphorylation and inactivation of MAP kinase isoforms in mammalian cells and tissues. MKPs provide a mechanism of spatiotemporal feedback control of these key signalling pathways, but can also mediate crosstalk between distinct MAP kinase cascades and facilitate interactions between MAP kinase pathways and other key signalling modules. As our knowledge of the regulation, substrate specificity and catalytic mechanisms of MKPs has matured, more recent work using genetic models has revealed key physiological functions for MKPs and also uncovered potentially important roles in regulating the pathophysiological outcome of signalling with relevance to human diseases. These include cancer, diabetes, inflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders. It is hoped that this understanding will reveal novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for disease, thus contributing to more effective diagnosis and treatment for these debilitating and often fatal conditions

Diagnosis of suspected hypovitaminosis A using magnetic resonance imaging in African lions (Panthera leo)

Vitamin A deficiency is described in captive lions. Ante mortem diagnosis can either be made by serum analysis or liver biopsy, both of which may be problematic. This study utilised magnetic resonance imaging to identify vitamin A deficiency in lions with relatively mild clinical signs, which could otherwise be attributed to numerous other neurological conditions. Magnetic resonance imaging is a non-invasive, reliable diagnostic tool to demonstrate pathology typically associated with this condition. To accommodate varying lion ages and sizes, a number of cranium and brain measurements were compared with that of the maximum diameter of the occular vitreous humor. Occular ratios of the tentorium cerebelli osseum and occipital bone were most reliable in diagnosing the thickened osseous structures characteristic of hypovitaminosis A. The ratio of maximum : minimum dorsoventral diameter of the C1 spinal cord was also of value

Cambio en azúcares fermentables en la remolacha azucarera almacenada en atmósferas aerobia y anaerobia para la producción de etanol

Los métodos de almacenamiento de largo plazo son necesarios para preservar los azúcares fermentables en la remolacha y permitir el funcionamiento exitoso a lo largo del año en las plantas procesadoras para la obtención de etanol. Se estudió el almacenamiento anaeróbico de la remolacha azucarera como una alternativa al almacenamiento convencional en pilas a la intemperie utilizado actualmente en fábricas de azúcar de remolacha. Los resultados experimentales indican una pérdida de <15% en el total de los azúcares fermentables en la remolacha azucarera almacenada anaeróbicamente durante 14 semanas a 4 °C. Después de 14 semanas de almacenamiento, 99 ± 4% de los azúcares fermentables iniciales fueron preservados en la remolacha almacenada en condiciones aeróbicas a 4 °C. El almacenamiento aeróbico y anaeróbico de remolacha azucarera a 25 ° C conserva 82 ± 9 y 48 ± 11% del contenido de azúcar fermentable, respectivamente. Los azúcares fermentables y etanol en exudados contribuyeron insignificantemente (<3%) para el rendimiento del etanol global de remolacha azucarera después del almacenamiento