Trematominae and Artedidraconinae: contrasted mitogenome evolution for two Antarctic radiations

Cellular respiration has been widely studied in Antarctic teleost fishes because of their peculiar adaptations to an extreme environment. In parallel mitochondrial sequence markers have become highly popular for molecular systematics. However, there are few whole mitochondrial genome sequences published, and none available for some of the subfamilies. Here, we present two large mitogenome datasets including most species and multiple sequences for many species of two subfamilies, Trematominae and Artedidraconinae (Duhamel et al. 2014). These include two highly diverse but very different adaptative radiations, with contrasting divergence dates, morphological polymorphism, and habitat dominance. The sampling is based on a well identified, extensive collection resulting from the 2008 CEAMARC survey and the subsequent REVOLTA surveys in Terre Adélie (IPEV), already DNA barcoded and sequenced in previous studies. The mitogenome sequences for these two subfamilies differ in composition, gene order, and relative divergence of mitochondrial markers, with strong, taxon-specific biases like very high C contents in some regions. The gene order change provides a synapomorphy for the subfamily Trematominae and an interesting development in teleost mitogenomes. The complete Artedidraconinae mitogenomes provide a much higher amount of variable sites (approx*30), while previous sequence datasets were plagued by low informativeness (Lecointre et al. 2011). As already established on single mitochondrial genes, intraspecific variability is lower than interspecific variability within each subfamily, however interspecific variability in Artedidraconinae is lower or similar to intraspecific variability in Trematominae. This expanded dataset confirms the unusual evolution of the mitochondrial coded sequences involved in the cellular respiration in Antarctic Nototheniidae, as well as the usefulness of complete mitochondrial genomes for their systematics. The two level multiplexing (Timmermans et al. 2010) and next generation sequencing of long PCR amplicons (following Hinsinger et al. 2015) is efficient to obtain large mitogenomic datasets representative of both inter- and intraspecific variability, key to the understanding of mitochondrial evolution and a step closer to resolving the relationships among these taxa.RECTO (Refugia and Ecosystem Tolerance in the Southern Ocean, BR/154/A1/RECTO

Optically driven micromachines: Progress and prospects

The ability to exert optical torques to rotationally manipulate microparticles has developed from an interesting curiosity to seeing deployment in practical applications. Is the next step to genuine optically-driven micromachines feasible or possible? We review the progress made towards this goal, and future prospects

Insights into metazoan evolution from <i>Alvinella pompejana</i> cDNAs

BackgroundAlvinella pompejana is a representative of Annelids, a key phylum for evo-devo studies that is still poorly studied at the sequence level. A. pompejana inhabits deep-sea hydrothermal vents and is currently known as one of the most thermotolerant Eukaryotes in marine environments, withstanding the largest known chemical and thermal ranges (from 5 to 105°C). This tube-dwelling worm forms dense colonies on the surface of hydrothermal chimneys and can withstand long periods of hypo/anoxia and long phases of exposure to hydrogen sulphides. A. pompejana specifically inhabits chimney walls of hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise. To survive, Alvinella has developed numerous adaptations at the physiological and molecular levels, such as an increase in the thermostability of proteins and protein complexes. It represents an outstanding model organism for studying adaptation to harsh physicochemical conditions and for isolating stable macromolecules resistant to high temperatures.ResultsWe have constructed four full length enriched cDNA libraries to investigate the biology and evolution of this intriguing animal. Analysis of more than 75,000 high quality reads led to the identification of 15,858 transcripts and 9,221 putative protein sequences. Our annotation reveals a good coverage of most animal pathways and networks with a prevalence of transcripts involved in oxidative stress resistance, detoxification, anti-bacterial defence, and heat shock protection. Alvinella proteins seem to show a slow evolutionary rate and a higher similarity with proteins from Vertebrates compared to proteins from Arthropods or Nematodes. Their composition shows enrichment in positively charged amino acids that might contribute to their thermostability. The gene content of Alvinella reveals that an important pool of genes previously considered to be specific to Deuterostomes were in fact already present in the last common ancestor of the Bilaterian animals, but have been secondarily lost in model invertebrates. This pool is enriched in glycoproteins that play a key role in intercellular communication, hormonal regulation and immunity.ConclusionsOur study starts to unravel the gene content and sequence evolution of a deep-sea annelid, revealing key features in eukaryote adaptation to extreme environmental conditions and highlighting the proximity of Annelids and Vertebrates

Eukaryote DIRS1-like retrotransposons: an overview

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>DIRS1-like elements compose one superfamily of tyrosine recombinase-encoding retrotransposons. They have been previously reported in only a few diverse eukaryote species, describing a patchy distribution, and little is known about their origin and dynamics. Recently, we have shown that these retrotransposons are common among decapods, which calls into question the distribution of DIRS1-like retrotransposons among eukaryotes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To determine the distribution of DIRS1-like retrotransposons, we developed a new computational tool, ReDoSt, which allows us to identify well-conserved DIRS1-like elements. By screening 274 completely sequenced genomes, we identified more than 4000 DIRS1-like copies distributed among 30 diverse species which can be clustered into roughly 300 families. While the diversity in most species appears restricted to a low copy number, a few bursts of transposition are strongly suggested in certain species, such as <it>Danio rerio </it>and <it>Saccoglossus kowalevskii</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this study, we report 14 new species and 8 new higher taxa that were not previously known to harbor DIRS1-like retrotransposons. Now reported in 61 species, these elements appear widely distributed among eukaryotes, even if they remain undetected in streptophytes and mammals. Especially in unikonts, a broad range of taxa from Cnidaria to Sauropsida harbors such elements. Both the distribution and the similarities between the DIRS1-like element phylogeny and conventional phylogenies of the host species suggest that DIRS1-like retrotransposons emerged early during the radiation of eukaryotes.</p

Acute severe intoxication with an unusual drug: Buflomedil (Loftyl)

Organized by the Belgian Society of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicineinfo:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe

At risk populations : from children to the elderly

Problems/objectives: When considering emergencies in children and elderly people, the risks and consequences are considerably different. For example, the anatomical differences of children have direct consequences on intubation and airway physiology influences breathing, circulation and neurological outcomes. Pharmacotherapy should be adapted for children according to their differences (maturational changes) where drug metabolism and disposition is concerned and for the elderly, to geriatric pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, the existence of poly-medications and the risk of adverse drug reactions. Methodology: Literature review Results: Children respond better to rapid medical care than adults. Hypoxia is dangerous for the child and is responsible for bradycardia and cardiac arrest. Hypoxia can be deleterious for elderly patients because of their fragility, e.g., less metabolic reserves, poor muscular compensation and higher risk of heart failure. Conclusions: It is widely accepted that children require paediatric-specific assessment/treatment equipment and pharmacotherapy. When compared to adults, there is no difference in the Royal College of Physician guidelines for elderly people's reanimation, however, other criteria such as polypathology, co-morbidity, polypharmacy, fragility, risk of delirium, adverse drug reaction, poor outcome and quality of life should be considered

Bursts of retrotransposons and extensive chromosomal repatterning within the Antarctic teleost fish species flock Trematominae

21st International Colloquium on Animal Cytogenetics and Gene Mapping (ICACGM), Naples, ITALY, JUN 07-10, 2014International audienceno abstrac

Lung hyperpermeability and asthma prevalence in schoolchildren: unexpected associations with the attendance at indoor chlorinated swimming pools

Aims: To study whether exposure to nitrogen trichloride in indoor chlorinated pools may affect the respiratory epithelium of children and increase the risk of some lung diseases such as asthma. Methods: In 226 healthy children, serum surfactant associated proteins A and B (SP-A and SP-B), 16 kDa Clara cell protein (CC16), and IgE were measured. Lung specific proteins were measured in the serum of 16 children and 13 adults before and after exposure to NCl(3) in an indoor chlorinated pool. Relations between pool attendance and asthma prevalence were studied in 1881 children. Asthma was screened with the exercise induced bronchoconstriction test (EIB). Results: Pool attendance was the most consistent predictor of lung epithelium permeability. A positive dose-effect relation was found with cumulated pool attendance and serum SP-A and SP-B. Serum IgE was unrelated to pool attendance, but correlated positively with lung hyperpermeability as assessed by serum SP-B. Changes in serum levels of lung proteins were reproduced in children and adults attending an indoor pool. Serum SP-A and SP-B were already significantly increased after one hour on the pool side without swimming. Positive EIB and total asthma prevalence were significantly correlated with cumulated pool attendance indices. Conclusions: Regular attendance at chlorinated pools by young children is associated with an exposure dependent increase in lung epithelium permeability and increase in the risk of developing asthma, especially in association with other risk factors. We therefore postulate that the increasing exposure of children to chlorination products in indoor pools might be an important cause of the rising incidence of childhood asthma and allergic diseases in industrialised countries. Further epidemiological studies should be undertaken to test this hypothesis

Mobilization of retrotransposons as a cause of chromosomal diversification and rapid speciation: the case for the Antarctic teleost genus Trematomus

Abstract Background The importance of transposable elements (TEs) in the genomic remodeling and chromosomal rearrangements that accompany lineage diversification in vertebrates remains the subject of debate. The major impediment to understanding the roles of TEs in genome evolution is the lack of comparative and integrative analyses on complete taxonomic groups. To help overcome this problem, we have focused on the Antarctic teleost genus Trematomus (Notothenioidei: Nototheniidae), as they experienced rapid speciation accompanied by dramatic chromosomal diversity. Here we apply a multi-strategy approach to determine the role of large-scale TE mobilization in chromosomal diversification within Trematomus species. Results Despite the extensive chromosomal rearrangements observed in Trematomus species, our measurements revealed strong interspecific genome size conservation. After identifying the DIRS1, Gypsy and Copia retrotransposon superfamilies in genomes of 13 nototheniid species, we evaluated their diversity, abundance (copy numbers) and chromosomal distribution. Four families of DIRS1, nine of Gypsy, and two of Copia were highly conserved in these genomes; DIRS1 being the most represented within Trematomus genomes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization mapping showed preferential accumulation of DIRS1 in centromeric and pericentromeric regions, both in Trematomus and other nototheniid species, but not in outgroups: species of the Sub-Antarctic notothenioid families Bovichtidae and Eleginopsidae, and the non-notothenioid family Percidae. Conclusions In contrast to the outgroups, High-Antarctic notothenioid species, including the genus Trematomus, were subjected to strong environmental stresses involving repeated bouts of warming above the freezing point of seawater and cooling to sub-zero temperatures on the Antarctic continental shelf during the past 40 millions of years (My). As a consequence of these repetitive environmental changes, including thermal shocks; a breakdown of epigenetic regulation that normally represses TE activity may have led to sequential waves of TE activation within their genomes. The predominance of DIRS1 in Trematomus species, their transposition mechanism, and their strategic location in “hot spots” of insertion on chromosomes are likely to have facilitated nonhomologous recombination, thereby increasing genomic rearrangements. The resulting centric and tandem fusions and fissions would favor the rapid lineage diversification, characteristic of the nototheniid adaptive radiation