The Upper Oligocene of Montgat (Catalan Coastal Ranges, Spain) : new age constrains to the western Mediterranean Basin opening

The Oligocene deposits of Montgat are integrated in a small outcrop made up of Cenozoic and Mesozoic rocks located in the Garraf-Montnegre horst, close to the major Barcelona fault. The Oligocene of Montgat consists of detrital sediments of continental origin mainly deposited in alluvial fan environments; these deposits are folded and affected by thrusts and strike-slip faults. They can be divided in two lithostratigraphic units separated by a minor southwest-directed thrust: (i) the Turó de Montgat Unit composed of litharenites and lithorudites with high contents of quartz, feldspar, plutonic and limestone rock fragments; and (ii) the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit composed of calcilitharenites and calcilithorudites with high contents of dolosparite and dolomicrite rock fragments. The petrological composition of both units indicates that sediments were derived from the erosion of Triassic (Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper facies), Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks (Barremian to Aptian in age). Stratigraphic and petrological data suggest that these units correspond to two coalescent alluvial fans with a source area located northwestwards in the adjoining Collserola and Montnegre inner areas. Micromammal fossils (Archaeomys sp.) found in a mudstone layer of the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit assign a Chattian age (Late Oligocene) to the studied materials. Thus, the Montgat deposits are the youngest dated deposits affected by the contractional deformation that led to the development of the Catalan Intraplate Chain. Taking into account that the oldest syn-rift deposits in the Catalan Coastal Ranges are Aquitanian in age, this allows to precise that the change from a compressive to an extensional regime in this area took place during latest Oligocene-earliest Aquitanian times. This age indicates that the onset of crustal extension related to the opening of the western Mediterranean Basin started in southern France during latest Eocene-early Oligocene and propagated southwestward, affecting the Catalan Coastal Ranges and the northeastern part of the Valencia trough during the latest Chattian-earliest Aquitanian times

PIMEs i finançament: necessitats i alternatives

Postprint (published version

Vers una identitat col·lectiva pluricultural (IDCOL)

Aquest document és fruit d'una recerca promoguda l'any 2019 per l'Escola d'Administració Pública de Catalunya en el marc del programa EAPC motor de recerca. Forma part del projecte pilot dut a terme amb la Secretaria d'Igualtat, Migracions i Ciutadania de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Es presenta tal com va ser lliurat pels autors en la seva versió definitiv

Función biológica y regulación de la ciclina específica de meiosis Rem1 en Schizosaccharomyces Pombe

Esta tesis doctoral consiste en la caracterización de la ciclina meiótica Rem1, de Schizosaccharomyces pombe. En este trabajo se analizó, inicialmente, el patrón de transcripción y expresión de rem1 durante la meiosis observando que el pico de expresión se produce durante la meiosis I, la actividad quinasa del complejo ciclina-Cdk también coincide con la meiosis I. Seguidamente, se determinó que la transcripción del mRNA maduro de rem1 depende de Mei4 a través de las cajas FLEX del promotor de rem1. También se observó la presencia de un RNA "antisense" que se transcribe durante las primeras horas de la meiosis. A continuación, se estudió la función de Rem1 durante la meiosis determinando una función de esta ciclina en la meiosis I. Se observó la toxicidad de Rem1 expresado durante el ciclo mitótico. Posteriormente, se analizaron posibles interacciones genéticas con otras ciclinas meióticas detectando que Rem1 tiene una función redundante con Cig2 durante la fase S meiótica. También se determinó la necesaria presencia de rem1 para conseguir unos niveles de recombinación meiótica intragénica normales, mientras que se requiere para la recombinación intergénica.The main goal of this doctoral thesis is the characterization of the meiotic cyclin Rem1, in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. First of all we analized the transcription and expresion profiles of rem1 during meiosis. We observed the maximum of expresion during meiosi I and the kinase activity of the complex cyclin-Cdk had exactly the same profile. Then, we analized the transcription profile of the mature mRNA of rem1, showing that this transcription depends on Mei4 through the FLEX boxes which are loclized in the rem1 promoter. An antisense RNA was also detected at the begining of the meiosis. We next diceded to study the function of this cyclin. Firstly we observed that overexpression of Rem1 is toxic for the cell during mitotic cell growth. Moreover, a function for Rem1 was observed during meiosis I. Rem1 is also required in order to obtain normal levels of meiotic intragenic recombination, but it is not necesary for the intergenic recombination. Finally, we could detect a genetic interaction betwen Rem1 and the meiotic S phase cyclin, Cig2

A chromatin-dependent mechanism regulates gene expression at the core of the Arabidopsis circadian clock

The mechanisms of circadian clock function in Arabidopsis rely on the complex relationships among core clock components. The current model of the Arabidopsis oscillator comprises a myriad of repressors but the mechanisms responsible for activation remain largely unknown. In our recent studies, we have demonstrated that the rhythms in H3 acetylation (H3ac) and H3K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) are a key mechanism at the positive arm of the oscillator. H3K4me3 rhythmic accumulation is delayed compared to that of H3ac, which opens the possibility for separate roles for each mark. Indeed, the use of inhibitors that block H3K4me3 accumulation was concomitant with increased clock repressor binding, suggesting that H3K4me3 might control the timing from activation to repression. Plants mis-expressing the histone methyltransferase SET DOMAIN GROUP 2 (SDG2/ATXR3) displayed altered H3K4me3 accumulation, oscillator gene expression and clock repressor binding, suggesting that SDG2/ATXR3 is a key component contributing to proper circadian expression.Work in PM lab is supported by grants from the Ramón Areces Foundation, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the EMBO YIP program and from EUROHORCS (European Heads of Research Councils) and the European Science Foundation (ESF) through the EURYI Award.Peer reviewe

The impact of chromatin dynamics on plant light responses and circadian clock function

Research on the functional properties of nucleosome structure and composition dynamics has revealed that chromatin-level regulation is an essential component of light signalling and clock function in plants, two processes that rely extensively on transcriptional controls. In particular, several types of histone post-translational modifications and chromatin-bound factors act sequentially or in combination to establish transcriptional patterns and to fine-tune the transcript abundance of a large repertoire of light-responsive genes and clock components. Cytogenetic approaches have also identified light-induced higher-order chromatin changes that dynamically organize the condensation of chromosomal domains into sub-nuclear foci containing silenced repeat elements. In this review, we report recently identified molecular actors that establish chromatin state dynamics in response to light signals such as photoperiod, intensity, and spectral quality. We also highlight the chromatin-dependent mechanisms that contribute to the 24-h circadian gene expression and its impact on plant physiology and development. The commonalities and contrasts of light- and clock-associated chromatin-based mechanisms are discussed, with particular emphasis on their impact on the selective regulation and rapid modulation of responsive genes.This work was supported by a grant from the French National Research Agency (ANR, grant ANR-11 JSV2 003 01) to F.B. Work in the laboratory of P.M. is supported by grants from the Ramón Areces Foundation and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN).Peer reviewe

The Upper Oligocene of Montgat (Catalan Coastal Ranges, Spain): new age constrains to the western Mediterranean Basin opening

The Oligocene deposits of Montgat are integrated in a small outcrop made up of Cenozoic and Mesozoic rocks located in the Garraf-Montnegre horst, close to the major Barcelona fault. The Oligocene of Montgat consists of detrital sediments of continental origin mainly deposited in alluvial fan environments; these deposits are folded and affected by thrusts and strike-slip faults. They can be divided in two lithostratigraphic units separated by a minor southwest-directed thrust: (i) the Turó de Montgat Unit composed of litharenites and lithorudites with high contents of quartz, feldspar, plutonic and limestone rock fragments; and (ii) the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit composed of calcilitharenites and calcilithorudites with high contents of dolosparite and dolomicrite rock fragments. The petrological composition of both units indicates that sediments were derived from the erosion of Triassic (Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper facies), Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks (Barremian to Aptian in age). Stratigraphic and petrological data suggest that these units correspond to two coalescent alluvial fans with a source area located northwestwards in the adjoining Collserola and Montnegre inner areas. Micromammal fossils (Archaeomys sp.) found in a mudstone layer of the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit assign a Chattian age (Late Oligocene) to the studied materials. Thus, the Montgat deposits are the youngest dated deposits affected by the contractional deformation that led to the development of the Catalan Intraplate Chain. Taking into account that the oldest syn-rift deposits in the Catalan Coastal Ranges are Aquitanian in age, this allows to precise that the change from a compressive to an extensional regime in this area took place during latest Oligocene-earliest Aquitanian times. This age indicates that the onset of crustal extension related to the opening of the western Mediterranean Basin started in southern France during latest Eocene-early Oligocene and propagated southwestward, affecting the Catalan Coastal Ranges and the northeastern part of the Valencia trough during the latest Chattian-earliest Aquitanian times

The Upper Oligocene of Montgat (Catalan Coastal Ranges, Spain): new age constrains to the western Mediterranean Basin opening

The Oligocene deposits of Montgat are integrated in a small outcrop made up of Cenozoic and Mesozoic rocks located in the Garraf-Montnegre horst, close to the major Barcelona fault. The Oligocene of Montgat consists of detrital sediments of continental origin mainly deposited in alluvial fan environments; these deposits are folded and affected by thrusts and strike-slip faults. They can be divided in two lithostratigraphic units separated by a minor southwest-directed thrust: (i) the Turó de Montgat Unit composed of litharenites and lithorudites with high contents of quartz, feldspar, plutonic and limestone rock fragments; and (ii) the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit composed of calcilitharenites and calcilithorudites with high contents of dolosparite and dolomicrite rock fragments. The petrological composition of both units indicates that sediments were derived from the erosion of Triassic (Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper facies), Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks (Barremian to Aptian in age). Stratigraphic and petrological data suggest that these units correspond to two coalescent alluvial fans with a source area located northwestwards in the adjoining Collserola and Montnegre inner areas. Micromammal fossils (Archaeomys sp.) found in a mudstone layer of the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit assign a Chattian age (Late Oligocene) to the studied materials. Thus, the Montgat deposits are the youngest dated deposits affected by the contractional deformation that led to the development of the Catalan Intraplate Chain. Taking into account that the oldest syn-rift deposits in the Catalan Coastal Ranges are Aquitanian in age, this allows to precise that the change from a compressive to an extensional regime in this area took place during latest Oligocene-earliest Aquitanian times. This age indicates that the onset of crustal extension related to the opening of the western Mediterranean Basin started in southern France during latest Eocene-early Oligocene and propagated southwestward, affecting the Catalan Coastal Ranges and the northeastern part of the Valencia trough during the latest Chattian-earliest Aquitanian times