DNA barcoding reveals micro-evolutionary changes and river system-level phylogeographic resolution of African silver catfish, Schilbe intermedius (Actinopterygii: Siluriformes: Schilbeidae) from seven populations across different African river systems

Background. Under the tropics, less than 40% of known fishes are identified to species-level. Further, the ongoing global change poses unprecedented threat to biodiversity, and several taxa are likely to go extinct even before they could be described. Traditional ecological theory suggests that species would escape extinction risk posed by global threats (e.g., climate change) only by migrating to new environments. In this study, we hypothesise that micro-evolutionary changes (evolution within species and populations) are also important mechanisms for the survival of Schilbe intermedius in Africa, a continent subjected to uneven distribution of climate severity. Materials and methods. Using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, known as animal DNA barcode, we tested this hypothesis by analysing the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relations between seven populations of S. intermedius across different African river systems. Results. We reveal a clear geographical patterning in genetic variations, with three clear clusters (southern Africa, eastern Africa, and western Africa). In southern Africa, the South African population is distinct from that of Namibia and Botswana. In addition, within Nigerian populations of silver catfish, two sub-clusters emerged from two isolated river systems. We suggest that the phylogeographic pattern within African silver catfish populations mirror the past effects of selection and gene flow, and that the split within Nigerian silver catfish populations might be the result of micro-evolutionary adaptive responses to local selection pressures. Conclusion. We suggest that the strong genetic difference in African silver catfish among geographically isolated river systems might be the result of in situ micro-evolutionary adaptive responses to changing environments, and that DNA barcode has potential beyond species delimitation

Polyphenol profile and pharmaceutical potential of Quercus spp. bark extracts

Targeted profiling of polyphenols in trees may reveal valuable sources of natural compounds with major applications in pharmacology and disease control. The current study targeted the profiling of polyphenols using HPLC-DAD in Quercus robur, Q. macrocarpa and Q. acutissima bark extracts. Free radical scavenging of each extract was investigated using antioxidant assays. Antimicrobial activities against a wide spectrum of bacteria and fungi were explored, as well as anticancer activities against di erent cancer cell lines. The HPLC-DAD analyses revealed the availability of several polyphenols in high amounts, including ellagic acid (in Q. robur) and caffeic acid (in Q. macrocarpa) in all three species. The bioactivity assay revealed high antioxidant activity in Q. robur compared to that of the other species, as well as phenolic standards. The three oak bark extracts showed clear antibacterial activities against most bacteria tested, with the highest antibacterial activities in the extracts of Q. robur. In addition, the three extracts showed higher antibacterial activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Micrococcus flavus, and Escherichia coli compared to that of other bacteria. There were strong antifungal activities against some fungi, such as Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium funiculosum, and Penicillium ochrochloron. There were also noticeable anticancer activities against MCF-7, HeLa, Jurkat, and HT-29 cell lines, with the highest anticancer activity in the extracts of Q. robur. This is the first study that reveals not only novel sources of important polyphenols (e.g., ellagic acid) in Q. robur, Q. macrocarpa and Q. acutissima bark but also their anticancer activities against diverse cancer cell lines

Modulation of immune cells and Th1/Th2 cytokines in insulin-treated type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: The role of the immune system in insulin resistance associated with type 2 diabetes has been suggested. Objectives: We assessed the profile of Th1/Th2 cytokines along with the frequencies of immune cells in insulin-treated type 2 diabetic patients (T2DP). Methods: 45 T2D patients and 43 age-matched healthy subjects were selected. Serum concentrations of T-helper type 1 (Th1) and Th2 cytokines and the frequencies of innate and adaptive immunity cells were assessed. Results: T2DP were hyperglycemic and showed high level of insulin, normal levels of triglycerides and total-cholesterol and without any change in HDL-cholesterol.Compared to healthy subjects, T2DP exhibited significant decreased frequencies of neutrophils, without any change in monocytes, eosinophils and natural killer cells. The percentages of total lymphocytes (CD3+) and CD8+-T-cells decreased whereas those of regulatory T-cells increased without any change in CD4+ T-cells in T2DP. Interestingly, the frequencies of effector CD4+-T and B-cells increased in T2DP. Serum concentrations of IL-2, IFN-\u3b3 and IL-4 decreased while IL-10 significantly enhanced in T2DP, suggesting a differentiation of CD4+T helper cells towards IL-10-producing- Teff-cells in these patients. Conclusion: Insulin-treated type 2 diabetes is associated with anti-inflammatory profile consistent with differentiation of CD4+-Th-cells towards IL-10-producing-Teff-cells, concomitant with increased frequencies of Treg and B-cells, and this may probably offer prevention against certain infections or autoimmune/inflammatory diseases

Molecular basis of permethrin and DDT resistance in an Anopheles funestus population from Benin

Open Access Journal; Published online: 20 Nov 2018Background Insecticide resistance in Anopheles mosquitoes is threatening the success of malaria control programmes. In order to implement suitable insecticide resistance management strategies, it is necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms involved. To achieve this, the molecular basis of permethrin and DDT resistance in the principal malaria vector, Anopheles funestus from inland Benin (Kpome), was investigated. Results Here, using a microarray-based genome-wide transcription and qRT-PCR analysis, we showed that metabolic resistance mechanisms through over-expression of cytochrome P450 and glutathione S-transferase genes (GSTs) are a major contributor to DDT and permethrin resistance in Anopheles funestus from Kpome. The GSTe2 gene was the most upregulated detoxification gene in both DDT- [fold-change (FC: 16.0)] and permethrin-resistant (FC: 18.1) mosquitoes suggesting that upregulation of this gene could contribute to DDT resistance and cross-resistance to permethrin. CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b genes that have been previously associated with pyrethroid resistance were also significantly overexpressed with FC 5.4 and 4.8, respectively, in a permethrin resistant population. Noticeably, the GSTs, GSTd1-5 and GSTd3, were more upregulated in DDT-resistant than in permethrin-resistant Anopheles funestus suggesting these genes are more implicated in DDT resistance. The absence of the L1014F or L1014S kdr mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene coupled with the lack of directional selection at the gene further supported that knockdown resistance plays little role in this resistance. Conclusions The major role played by metabolic resistance to pyrethroids in this An. funestus population in Benin suggests that using novel control tools combining the P450 synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO), such as PBO-based bednets, could help manage the growing pyrethroid resistance in this malaria vector in Benin

Comparative phylogenetic methods and the cultural evolution of medicinal plant use

Human life depends on plant biodiversity and the ways in which plants are used are culturally determined. Whilst anthropologists have used phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs) to gain an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the evolution of political, religious, social, and material culture, plant use has been almost entirely neglected. Medicinal plants are of special interest because of their role in maintaining people’s health across the world. PCMs in particular, and cultural evolutionary theory in general, provide a framework in which to study the diversity of medicinal plant applications cross-culturally, and to infer changes in plant use through time. These methods can be applied to single medicinal plants as well as the entire set of plants used by a culture for medicine, and they account for the non-independence of data when testing for floristic, cultural or other drivers of plant use. With cultural, biological, and linguistic diversity under threat, gaining a deeper and broader understanding of the variation of medicinal plant use through time and space is pressing

Plant DNA barcodes and assessment of phylogenetic community structure of a tropical mixed dipterocarp forest in Brunei Darussalam (Borneo)

DNA barcoding is a fast and reliable tool to assess and monitor biodiversity and, via community phylogenetics, to investigate ecological and evolutionary processes that may be responsible for the community structure of forests. In this study, DNA barcodes for the two widely used plastid coding regions rbcL and matK are used to contribute to identification of morphologically undetermined individuals, as well as to investigate phylogenetic structure of tree communities in 70 subplots (10 × 10m) of a 25-ha forest-dynamics plot in Brunei (Borneo, Southeast Asia). The combined matrix (rbcL + matK) comprised 555 haplotypes (from ≥154 genera, 68 families and 25 orders sensu APG, Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, 2016), making a substantial contribution to tree barcode sequences from Southeast Asia. Barcode sequences were used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships using maximum likelihood, both with and without constraining the topology of taxonomic orders to match that proposed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. A third phylogenetic tree was reconstructed using the program Phylomatic to investigate the influence of phylogenetic resolution on results. Detection of non-random patterns of community assembly was determined by net relatedness index (NRI) and nearest taxon index (NTI). In most cases, community assembly was either random or phylogenetically clustered, which likely indicates the importance to community structure of habitat filtering based on phylogenetically correlated traits in determining community structure. Different phylogenetic trees gave similar overall results, but the Phylomatic tree produced greater variation across plots for NRI and NTI values, presumably due to noise introduced by using an unresolved phylogenetic tree. Our results suggest that using a DNA barcode tree has benefits over the traditionally used Phylomatic approach by increasing precision and accuracy and allowing the incorporation of taxonomically unidentified individuals into analyses

Community perceptions, participation, and satisfaction with existing Water Resource Management Plans: a case study of a polluted water system in South Africa

Globally, there has been increased competition and demand between different water uses to find new and innovative approaches towards managing water resources. This has resulted in a dire need for an integrated approach which needs different sectors to achieve future action on water and sustainable development. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to understand community perspectives of the function and management of the highly eutrophic Roodeplaat Dam (RD) and its tributaries. The required data was collected through interviews and surveys in the surrounding communities. The results of the study showed that in terms of community perceptions, more highly educated people tend to qualify the quality of water as very bad and their perceptions on the potential effects of poor water quality were correlated to gender. People's satisfaction level of the current management plan was negatively correlated to employment status. Surprisingly, the community's involvement in the management and use of water resources in the Roodeplaat Catchment Area were correlated to their ethnicity. Some key recommendations from this study included the development of an ongoing community-based water management plan which adopts a bottom-top approach which incorporated community perspectives and opinions into final decision-making process. HIGHLIGHTS Community engagement.; Roodeplaat Dam.; Integrated water resource management; Perceptions.