Experimental determination of the growth rate of Richtmyer-Meshkov induced turbulent mixing after reshock

The time evolution of the width of the turbulent mixing zone arising from the late development of Richtmyer-Meshkov instability is investigated in this work. This is achieved by means of the analysis of time-resolved Schlieren images obtained with a given set of shock-tube experiments. The post-reshock growth rate of the mixing zone width is found to be nearly insensitive to the development state of the mixing at the time of reshock

Study of the turbulent mixing zone induced by the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability using Laser Doppler Velocimetry and Schlieren visualizations

An experimental study of the compressible mixing generated by the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI) is carried out in a vertical shock tube by means of two-components Laser Doppler Velocimetry (2C-LDV) measurements and Time-resolved Schlieren visualizations. An attempt is made to quantify the RMI-induced air/sulphurhexafluoride (SF6) mixing by measuring turbulence levels inside the mixing zone at a given stage of its development and by extracting the growth rate of the mixing zone from the Schlieren images

When needles look like hay: How to find tissue-specific enhancers in model organism genomes

AbstractA major prerequisite for the investigation of tissue-specific processes is the identification of cis-regulatory elements. No generally applicable technique is available to distinguish them from any other type of genomic non-coding sequence. Therefore, researchers often have to identify these elements by elaborate in vivo screens, testing individual regions until the right one is found.Here, based on many examples from the literature, we summarize how functional enhancers have been isolated from other elements in the genome and how they have been characterized in transgenic animals. Covering computational and experimental studies, we provide an overview of the global properties of cis-regulatory elements, like their specific interactions with promoters and target gene distances. We describe conserved non-coding elements (CNEs) and their internal structure, nucleotide composition, binding site clustering and overlap, with a special focus on developmental enhancers. Conflicting data and unresolved questions on the nature of these elements are highlighted. Our comprehensive overview of the experimental shortcuts that have been found in the different model organism communities and the new field of high-throughput assays should help during the preparation phase of a screen for enhancers. The review is accompanied by a list of general guidelines for such a project

A modular cis-regulatory system controls isoform-specific pitx expression in ascidian stomodæum

AbstractPituitary homeobox (pitx) genes have been identified in vertebrates as critical molecular determinants of various craniofacial ontogenetic processes including pituitary organogenesis. Accordingly, a prominent conserved feature of pitx genes in chordates is their early expression in the anterior neural boundary (ANB) and oral ectoderm, also known as the stomodæum. Here we used the ascidian model species Ciona intestinalis to investigate pitx gene organization and cis-regulatory logic during early stages of oral development. Two distinct Ci-pitx mRNA variants were found to be expressed in mutually exclusive embryonic domains. Ci-pitx and vertebrate pitx2 genes display remarkably similar exon usage and organization, suggesting ancestry of the pitx transcriptional unit and regulation in chordates. We next combined phylogenetic footprinting, transient transgenesis, and confocal imaging methods to study the Ci-pitx cis-regulatory system, with special emphasis on the regulation of isoform-specific ANB/stomodæal expression. Among 10 conserved noncoding sequences (CNSs) interspersed in C. intestinalis and Ciona savignyi pitx loci, we identified two separate cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) that drive ANB/stomodæal expression in complementary spatiotemporal patterns. We discuss the developmental relevance of these data that provide an entry point to investigate the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that position and shape oral structures in chordates

L'archéologie dans le village : des exemples récents du Val-de-Loire

International audienceLes interventions d'archéologie préventive au sein des villages actuels se sont multipliées récemment avec l'essor de la discipline. Elles concernent, par exemple, une quarantaine de communes en région Centre-Val-de-Loire depuis 2010. Il s'agit pour beaucoup d'interventions centrées sur les pôles ecclésiaux (qui développent leurs propres questionnements), plus rarement sur l'habitat et la genèse des formes villageoises médiévales. Souvent caractérisées par de fortes contraintes et de réelles complexités, tant sur le plan administratif et technique que scientifique, ces interventions se rapprochent de la pratique de l'archéologie urbaine. Ces diagnostics, qui donnent rarement lieu à des fouilles, apportent malgré tout une documentation archéologique exploitable. Ces résultats restent malheureusement souvent ignorés ou discrets, car inaccessibles, sauf lorsque ils sont intégrés dans des recherches au long cours par des équipes investies, notamment dans des programmes collectifs centrés sur ces communes, comme à Esvres (37) ou Mougon (37). Loin de vouloir en proposer une synthèse, les trois exemples récents présentés ici sont censés illustrer leurs apports déterminants sur la compréhension de la diversité des formations et des trajectoires des villages. À Bonnée (45), l'agglomération antique évolue progressivement et sans aucun hiatus en un modeste bourg attesté par les sources écrites (1). À Villiers-sur-Loir (41), un habitat aggloméré implanté ex nihilo à la fin du haut Moyen Âge pourrait être les prémices du village en devenir (2). À Joué-lès-Tours (37), l'analyse de l'évolution de son pôle ecclésial sur la longue durée (VII

Synthesis of Macromolecules Containing Phenylalanine and Aliphatic Building Blocks

Aiming at developing efficient interfacial agents for fiber‐reinforced composite materials, macromolecules are designed to have different components able to stick to the fiber and be compatible with the polymer matrix, respectively. Herein, macromolecules are prepared by solid‐phase synthesis considering phenylalanine residues to promote adsorption of the macromolecule on aramid fibers and aliphatic building blocks to interact with a hydrophobic polymer matrix. Using phenylalanine as building block for the preparation of macromolecules by iterative synthesis has been shown to be challenging. Thus, the screening of various parameters for the optimization of the synthesis of these macromolecules is discussed in this communication. A preliminary thermal study by thermal gravimetric analysis is conducted to evaluate their thermal stability

Monoaminergic modulation of photoreception in ascidian:evidence for a proto-hypothalamo-retinal territory

Background : The retina of craniates/vertebrates has been proposed to derive from a photoreceptor prosencephalic territory in ancestral chordates, but the evolutionary origin of the different cell types making the retina is disputed. Except for photoreceptors, the existence of homologs of retinal cells remains uncertain outside vertebrates. Methods : The expression of genes expressed in the sensory vesicle of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis including those encoding components of the monoaminergic neurotransmission systems, was analyzed by in situ hybridization or in vivo transfection of the corresponding regulatory elements driving fluorescent reporters. Modulation of photic responses by monoamines was studied by electrophysiology combined with pharmacological treatments. Results : We show that many molecular characteristics of dopamine-synthesizing cells located in the vicinity of photoreceptors in the sensory vesicle of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis are similar to those of amacrine dopamine cells of the vertebrate retina. The ascidian dopamine cells share with vertebrate amacrine cells the expression of the key-transcription factor Ptf1a, as well as that of dopamine-synthesizing enzymes. Surprisingly, the ascidian dopamine cells accumulate serotonin via a functional serotonin transporter, as some amacrine cells also do. Moreover, dopamine cells located in the vicinity of the photoreceptors modulate the light-off induced swimming behavior of ascidian larvae by acting on alpha2-like receptors, instead of dopamine receptors, supporting a role in the modulation of the photic response. These cells are located in a territory of the ascidian sensory vesicle expressing genes found both in the retina and the hypothalamus of vertebrates (six3/6, Rx, meis, pax6, visual cycle proteins). Conclusion : We propose that the dopamine cells of the ascidian larva derive from an ancestral multifunctional cell population located in the periventricular, photoreceptive field of the anterior neural tube of chordates, which also gives rise to both anterior hypothalamus and the retina in craniates/vertebrates. It also shows that the existence of multiple cell types associated with photic responses predates the formation of the vertebrate retina

Refining the Ciona intestinalis Model of Central Nervous System Regeneration

BACKGROUND: New, practical models of central nervous system regeneration are required and should provide molecular tools and resources. We focus here on the tunicate Ciona intestinalis, which has the capacity to regenerate nerves and a complete adult central nervous system, a capacity unusual in the chordate phylum. We investigated the timing and sequence of events during nervous system regeneration in this organism. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We developed techniques for reproducible ablations and for imaging live cellular events in tissue explants. Based on live observations of more than 100 regenerating animals, we subdivided the regeneration process into four stages. Regeneration was functional, as shown by the sequential recovery of reflexes that established new criteria for defining regeneration rates. We used transgenic animals and labeled nucleotide analogs to describe in detail the early cellular events at the tip of the regenerating nerves and the first appearance of the new adult ganglion anlage. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The rate of regeneration was found to be negatively correlated with adult size. New neural structures were derived from the anterior and posterior nerve endings. A blastemal structure was implicated in the formation of new neural cells. This work demonstrates that Ciona intestinalis is as a useful system for studies on regeneration of the brain, brain-associated organs and nerves

Ol-insm1b, a SNAG family transcription factor involved in cell cycle arrest during medaka development

AbstractThrough whole-mount in situ hybridisation screen on medaka (Oryzias latipes) brain, Ol-insm1b, a member of the Insm1/Mlt1 subfamily of SNAG-domain containing genes, has been isolated. It is strongly expressed during neurogenesis and pancreas organogenesis, with a pattern that suggests a role in cell cycle exit. Here, we describe Ol-insm1b expression pattern throughout development and in adult brain, and we report on its functional characterisation. Our data point to a previously unravelled role for Ol-insm1b as a down-regulator of cell proliferation during development, as it slows down the cycle without triggering apoptosis. Clonal analysis demonstrates that this effect is cell-autonomous, and, through molecular dissection studies, we demonstrate that it is likely to be non-transcriptional, albeit mediated by zinc-finger domains. Additionally, we report that Ol-insm1b mRNA, when injected in one cell of two-cell stage embryos, exhibits a surprising behaviour: it does not spread uniformly amongst daughter cells but remains cytoplasmically localised in the progeny of the injected blastomere. Our experiments suggest that Insm1 is a negative regulator of cell proliferation, possibly through mechanisms that do not involve modulation of transcription

Trunk lateral cells are neural crest-like cells in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis: Insights into the ancestry and evolution of the neural crest

AbstractNeural crest-like cells (NCLC) that express the HNK-1 antigen and form body pigment cells were previously identified in diverse ascidian species. Here we investigate the embryonic origin, migratory activity, and neural crest related gene expression patterns of NCLC in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. HNK-1 expression first appeared at about the time of larval hatching in dorsal cells of the posterior trunk. In swimming tadpoles, HNK-1 positive cells began to migrate, and after metamorphosis they were localized in the oral and atrial siphons, branchial gill slits, endostyle, and gut. Cleavage arrest experiments showed that NCLC are derived from the A7.6 cells, the precursors of trunk lateral cells (TLC), one of the three types of migratory mesenchymal cells in ascidian embryos. In cleavage arrested embryos, HNK-1 positive TLC were present on the lateral margins of the neural plate and later became localized adjacent to the posterior sensory vesicle, a staging zone for their migration after larval hatching. The Ciona orthologues of seven of sixteen genes that function in the vertebrate neural crest gene regulatory network are expressed in the A7.6/TLC lineage. The vertebrate counterparts of these genes function downstream of neural plate border specification in the regulatory network leading to neural crest development. The results suggest that NCLC and neural crest cells may be homologous cell types originating in the common ancestor of tunicates and vertebrates and support the possibility that a putative regulatory network governing NCLC development was co-opted to produce neural crest cells during vertebrate evolution