A well-kept treasure at depth: precious red coral rediscovered in Atlantic deep coral gardens (SW Portugal) after 300 years

The highly valuable red coral Corallium rubrum is listed in several Mediterranean Conventions for species protection and management since the 1980s. Yet, the lack of data about its Atlantic distribution has hindered its protection there. This culminated in the recent discovery of poaching activities harvesting tens of kg of coral per day from deep rocky reefs off SW Portugal. Red coral was irregularly exploited in Portugal between the 1200s and 1700s, until the fishery collapsed. Its occurrence has not been reported for the last 300 years.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Polymorphous adenocarcinoma of the salivary glands : reappraisal and update

Although relatively rare, polymorphous adenocarcinoma (PAC) is likely the second most common malignancy of the minor salivary glands (MiSG). The diagnosis is mainly based on an incisional biopsy. The optimal treatment comprises wide surgical excision, often with adjuvant radiotherapy. In general, PAC has a good prognosis. Previously, PAC was referred to as polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma (PLGA), but the new WHO classification of salivary gland tumours has also included under the PAC subheading, the so-called cribriform adenocarcinoma of minor salivary glands (CAMSG). This approach raised controversy, predominantly because of possible differences in clinical behaviour. For example, PLGA (PAC, classical variant) only rarely metastasizes, whereas CAMSG often shows metastases to the neck lymph nodes. Given the controversy, this review reappraises the definition, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic work-up, genetics, treatment modalities, and prognosis of PAC of the salivary glands with a particular focus on contrasting differences with CAMSG.Peer reviewe

Amazon tree dominance across forest strata

The forests of Amazonia are among the most biodiverse plant communities on Earth. Given the immediate threats posed by climate and land-use change, an improved understanding of how this extraordinary biodiversity is spatially organized is urgently required to develop effective conservation strategies. Most Amazonian tree species are extremely rare but a few are common across the region. Indeed, just 227 ‘hyperdominant’ species account for >50% of all individuals >10 cm diameter at 1.3 m in height. Yet, the degree to which the phenomenon of hyperdominance is sensitive to tree size, the extent to which the composition of dominant species changes with size class and how evolutionary history constrains tree hyperdominance, all remain unknown. Here, we use a large floristic dataset to show that, while hyperdominance is a universal phenomenon across forest strata, different species dominate the forest understory, midstory and canopy. We further find that, although species belonging to a range of phylogenetically dispersed lineages have become hyperdominant in small size classes, hyperdominants in large size classes are restricted to a few lineages. Our results demonstrate that it is essential to consider all forest strata to understand regional patterns of dominance and composition in Amazonia. More generally, through the lens of 654 hyperdominant species, we outline a tractable pathway for understanding the functioning of half of Amazonian forests across vertical strata and geographical locations

The ArfGEF GBF-1 Is Required for ER Structure, Secretion and Endocytic Transport in C. elegans

Small GTPases of the Sar/Arf family are essential to generate transport containers that mediate communication between organelles of the secretory pathway. Guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEFs) activate the small GTPases and help their anchorage in the membrane. Thus, GEFs in a way temporally and spatially control Sar1/Arf1 GTPase activation. We investigated the role of the ArfGEF GBF-1 in C. elegans oocytes and intestinal epithelial cells. GBF-1 localizes to the cis-Golgi and is part of the t-ER-Golgi elements. GBF-1 is required for secretion and Golgi integrity. In addition, gbf-1(RNAi) causes the ER reticular structure to become dispersed, without destroying ER exit sites (ERES) because the ERES protein SEC-16 was still localized in distinct punctae at t-ER-Golgi units. Moreover, GBF-1 plays a role in receptor-mediated endocytosis in oocytes, without affecting recycling pathways. We find that both the yolk receptor RME-2 and the recycling endosome-associated RAB-11 localize similarly in control and gbf-1(RNAi) oocytes. While RAB5-positive early endosomes appear to be less prominent and the RAB-5 levels are reduced by gbf-1(RNAi) in the intestine, RAB-7-positive late endosomes were more abundant and formed aggregates and tubular structures. Our data suggest a role for GBF-1 in ER structure and endosomal traffic