Living with marginal coral communities: Diversity and host-specificity in coral-associated barnacles in the northern coral distribution limit of the East China Sea

<div><p>Corals and their associated fauna are extremely diverse in tropical waters and form major reefs. In the high-latitude temperate zone, corals living near their distribution limit are considered marginal communities because they are particularly extremely sensitive to environmental and climatic changes. In this study, we examined the diversity and host usage of coral-associated barnacles on Jeju Island, Korea, the northern coral distribution limit in the East China Sea. In this study, only three coral-associated barnacles—from two genera in two subfamilies—were collected. The Pyrgomatinid barnacles <i>Cantellius arcuatus</i> and <i>Cantellius</i> cf. <i>euspinulosum</i> were found only on the corals <i>Montipora millepora</i> and <i>Alveopora japonica</i>, respectively. The Megatrematinid barnacle <i>Pyrgomina oulastreae</i>, relatively a generalist, was found on <i>Psammocora</i> spp. (both <i>profundacella</i> and <i>albopicta</i>) and <i>Oulastrea crispata</i> corals. The host usage of these three barnacles does not overlap. DNA barcode sequences of the <i>C</i>. <i>arcuatus</i> specimens collected in the present study matched those collected in Kochi in Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, suggesting that this species has a wide geographical distribution. <i>C</i>. <i>arcuatus</i> covers a wider host range in Taiwan waters, inhabiting <i>Montipora</i> spp. and <i>Porites</i> spp., which suggests that the host specificity of coral-associated barnacles varies with host availability. <i>C</i>. cf. <i>euspinulosum</i> probably has a very narrow distribution and host usage. The sequences of <i>C</i>. cf. <i>euspinulosum</i> on Jeju Island do not match those of any known sequences of <i>Cantellius</i> barnacles in the Indo-Pacific region. <i>P</i>. <i>oulastreae</i> probably prefers cold water because it has been reported in temperate regions. Coral-associated barnacles in marginal communities have considerably lower diversity than their subtropical and tropical counterparts. When host availability is limited, marginal coral-associated barnacles exhibit higher host specificity than those in subtropical and tropical reef systems.</p></div

Mean K2P distance for concatenated dataset between and within the studied species.

<p>Mean K2P distance for concatenated dataset between and within the studied species.</p

Phylogenetic tree for coral-associated barnacles based on maximum likelihood analysis of the two mitochondrial gene datasets, using <i>A</i>. <i>amphitrite</i> as outgroup.

<p>Bootstrap scores > 80 are presented at the major nodes. The scale bar indicates the number of substitutions per site.</p

Map of Jeju Island, Korea.

<p>Showing the collection sites of coral-associated barnacles used in this study.</p

Coral host usage by barnacles <i>Cantellius arcuatus</i>, <i>C</i>. cf. <i>euspinulosum</i> and <i>Pyrgomina oulastreae</i> in Jeju Island.

<p>Note <i>C</i>. <i>arcuatus</i> and <i>C</i>. cf. <i>euspinulosum</i> were 100% found on the coral <i>Montipora millepora</i> and <i>Alveopora japonica</i> respectively. <i>Pyrgomina oulastreae</i> are found on both <i>Psammocora</i> spp. and <i>Osulastrea crispata</i>. <i>Psammocora</i> spp. include both <i>P</i>. <i>profundacella</i> and <i>P</i>. <i>albopicta</i>.</p

Relative abundance of scleractinian corals in south and west waters of Seop Seom and Beom Seom off of Jeju waters from 30 metres transect surveys.

<p><i>Psammocora</i> spp. include both <i>P</i>. <i>profundacella</i> and <i>P</i>. <i>albopicta</i>, which are difficult to identify <i>in situ</i> in the field without examining the columellae structure from the coral skeleton. Non-coral surfaces were colonized by soft corals, kelps and sponges.</p

Bioactive Porous Particles as Biological and Physical Stimuli for Bone Regeneration

Even though bony defects can be recovered to their original condition with full functionality, critical-sized bone injuries continue to be a challenge in clinical fields due to deficiencies in the scaffolding matrix and growth factors at the injury region. In this study, we prepared bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2)-loaded porous particles as a bioactive bone graft for accelerated bone regeneration. The porous particles with unique leaf-stacked morphology (LSS particles) were fabricated by a simple cooling procedure of hot polycaprolactone (PCL) solution. The unique leaf-stacked structure in the LSS particles provided a large surface area and complex release path for the sufficient immobilization of BMP-2 and sustained release of BMP-2 for 26 days. The LSS was also recognized as a topographical cue for cell adhesion and differentiation. In in vitro cell culture and in vivo animal study using a canine mandible defect model, BMP-2-immobilized LSS particles provided a favorable environment for osteogenic differentiation of stem cells and bone regeneration. In vitro study suggests a dual stimulus of bone mineral-like (leaf-stacked) structure (a physical cue) and continuously supplied BMP-2 (a biological cue) to be the cause of this improved healing outcome. Thus, LSS particles containing BMP-2 can be a promising bioactive grafting material for effective new bone formation

A Common Variant of <i>NGEF</i> Is Associated with Abdominal Visceral Fat in Korean Men

<div><p>Central adiposity, rather than body mass index (BMI), is a key pathophysiological feature of the development of obesity-related diseases. Although genetic studies by anthropometric measures such as waist circumference have been widely conducted, genetic studies for abdominal fat deposition measured by computed tomography (CT) have been rarely performed. A total of 1,243 participants who were recruited from two health check-up centers were included in this study. We selected four and three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in <i>NGEF</i> and <i>RGS6</i>, respectively, and analyzed the associations between the seven SNPs and central adiposity measured by CT using an additive, dominant, or recessive model. The participants were generally healthy middle-aged men (50.7 ± 5.3 years). In the additive model, the rs11678490 A allele of <i>NGEF</i> was significantly associated with total adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (all <i>P</i> < 0.05). The AA genotype of this SNP in the recessive model showed a more significant association with all adiposity traits, and its association with VAT remained significant even after adjustment for BMI (<i>P</i> = 0.005). In the overall or visceral obesity group analysis, the AA genotype of rs11678490 showed no association with overall obesity (<i>P</i> = 0.148), whereas it was significantly associated with visceral obesity both before (<i>P</i> = 0.010) and after (<i>P</i> = 0.029) adjustment for BMI. In particular, an AA genotype effect was conspicuous between lower and upper groups with 5% extreme VAT phenotypes (OR = 9.59, 95% CI = 1.50–61.31). However, we found no significant association between SNPs of <i>RGS6</i> and central adiposity. We identified a visceral-fat-associated SNP, rs11678490 of <i>NGEF</i>, in Korean men. This study suggests that the genetic background of central adiposity and BMI is different, and that additional efforts should be made to find the unique genetic architecture of intra-abdominal fat accumulation.</p></div

Robust and Multifunctional Nanosheath for Chemical and Biological Nanodevices

The contribution of advanced nanoscale chemical and biological devices to life science has been limited to a small number of nanomaterials, due to the absence of effective surface modification routes. Herein, we demonstrate a polymer-like nanosheath synthesized by nonthermal plasma technology (NPT) that can protect the core nanomaterial from the solution environment and provide a multifunctional platform for chemical and biological nanosensors. For ZnO nanowires (NWs) which are unstable in solution, we demonstrate that this nanosheath makes it possible for ZnO NW field-effect transistors to act as a pH sensor for 24 h and a biosensor for the real-time, label-free detection of liver cancer markers

Recessive model results of rs11678490 for 5% and 10% extreme group of visceral adiposity distribution.

<p>Abbreviations: VAT, visceral adipose tissue; BMI, body mass index; SE, standard error; OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval</p><p>These exact logistic results were adjusted for age and site of recruitment.</p><p>The tested allele is minor allele of each SNP.</p><p>Significant results are indicated in bold (<i>P</i> < 0.05).</p><p>Recessive model results of rs11678490 for 5% and 10% extreme group of visceral adiposity distribution.</p