Efficient shine- Dalgarno sequence but not translation is necessary for LacZ mRNA stability in Escherichia coli

Journal ArticleThe 5' ends of many bacterial transcripts are important in determining mRNA stability. A series of Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence changes showed that the complementarity of the SD sequence to the anti-SD sequence of 16S rRNA correlates with lacZ mRNA stability in Escherichia coli. Several initiation codon changes showed that an efficient initiation codon is not necessary to maintain lacZ mRNA stability. A stop codon in the 10th codon of lacZ increased mRNA stability. Therefore, ribosomal binding via the SD sequence but not translation of the coding region is necessary to maintain lacZ mRNA stability

Tourist Behavior and Decibel Levels Correlate with Threat Frequency in Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Huangshan, China

Tourism is a common component of management practices directed toward endangered species and habitats, but few studies have explored the potential stressors that may occur to nonhumans as objects of tourism. We examined the impact that tourists have on provisioned, habituated Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana). Data were collected during August 2005 at the Valley of the Wild Monkeys (VWM), Mt. Huangshan, China. From a tourist viewing platform, we measured tourist densities, behaviors (for example, foot, hand, and mouth noises; mimicking monkeys; throwing objects or food), and decibel levels. Frequencies of monkey threats in the provisioning area of their range were recorded. The tourists\u27 collective behaviors correlated with monkey threats (Pearson\u27s correlations; r=0.391, p=0.014), as did decibel levels on the viewing platform (r=0.334, p=0.038). No relationship between tourist density and monkey threats, or between particular tourist behaviors and monkey threats, was significant. Based on these results, we recommend park staff be trained on how to discourage noise often associated with tourists and regulate prohibited tourist behaviors, such as feeding the monkeys. Enforcement of park rules will decrease chances that tourist-monkey interactions at VWM will escalate into situations where injuries occur, as has happened at some other macaque tourism sites. Finally, we suggest the development of tourist education materials

Playing it cool: Characterizing social play, bout termination, and candidate play signals of juvenile and infant Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana)

Play behaviors and signals during playful interactions with juvenile conspecifics are important for both the social and cognitive development of young animals. The social organization of a species can also influence juvenile social play. We examined the relationships among play behaviors, candidate play signals, and play bout termination in Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) during juvenile and infant social play to characterize the species play style. As Tibetan macaques are despotic and live in groups with strict linear dominance hierarchies and infrequent reconciliation, we predicted that play would be at risk of misinterpretation by both the individuals engaged in the play bout and by those watching, possibly leading to injury of the players. Animals living in such societies might need to frequently and clearly signal playful intent to play partners and other group members to avoid aggressive outcomes. We gathered video data on 21 individually-identified juvenile and infant macaques (one month to five years of age) from the Valley of the Wild Monkeys, Mt. Huangshan, China. We used all-occurrence sampling to record play behaviors and candidate play signals based on an ethogram. We predicted that play groups would use multiple candidate play signals in a variety of contexts and in association with the number of audience members in proximity to the players and play bout length. In the 283 playful interactions we scored, juvenile and infant macaques used multiple body and facial candidate play signals. Our data showed that juvenile and infant Tibetan macaques use a versatile repertoire of play behaviors and signals to sustain play

Marked Variation Between Winter and Spring Gut Microbiota in Freeranging Tibetan Macaques (Macaca thibetana)

Variation in the availability and distribution of food resources is a strong selective pressure on wild primates. We explored variation in Tibetan macaque gut microbiota composition during winter and spring seasons. Our results showed that gut microbial composition and diversity varied by season. In winter, the genus Succinivibrio, which promotes the digestion of cellulose and hemicellulose, was significantly increased. In spring, the abundance of the genus Prevotella, which is associated with digestion of carbohydrates and simple sugars, was significantly increased. PICRUSt analysis revealed that the predicted metagenomes related to the glycan biosynthesis and metabolic pathway was significantly increased in winter samples, which would aid in the digestion of glycan extracted from cellulose and hemicellulose. The predicted metagenomes related to carbohydrate and energy metabolic pathways were significantly increased in spring samples, which could facilitate a monkey’s recovery from acute energy loss experienced during winter. We propose that shifts in the composition and function of the gut microbiota provide a buffer against seasonal fluctuations in energy and nutrient intake, thus enabling these primates to adapt to variations in food supply and quality

Transgenic Mice Expressing Lipoprotein Lipase in Adipose Tissue: ABSENCE OF THE PROXIMAL 3′-UNTRANSLATED REGION CAUSES TRANSLATIONAL UPREGULATION

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a key enzyme in lipoprotein and adipocyte metabolism. Defects in LPL can lead to hypertriglyceridemia and the subsequent development of atherosclerosis. The mechanisms of regulation of this enzyme are complex and may occur at multiple levels of gene expression. Because the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) is involved in LPL translational regulation, transgenic mice were generated with adipose tissue expression of an LPL construct either with or without the proximal 3′-UTR and driven by the aP2 promoter. Both transgenic mouse colonies were viable and expressed the transgene, resulting in a 2-fold increase in LPL activity in white adipose tissue. Neither mouse colony exhibited any obvious phenotype in terms of body weight, plasma lipids, glucose, and non-esterified fatty acid levels. In the mice expressing hLPL with an intact 3′-UTR, hLPL mRNA expression approximately paralleled hLPL activity. However in the mice without the proximal 3′-UTR, hLPL mRNA was low in the setting of large amounts of hLPL protein and LPL activity. In previous studies, the 3′-UTR of LPL was critical for the inhibitory effects of constitutively expressed hormones, such as thyroid hormone and catecholamines. Therefore, these data suggest that the absence of the 3′-UTR results in a translationally unrepressed LPL, resulting in a moderate overexpression of adipose LPL activity

Transcriptional slippage occurs during elongation at runs of adenine or thymine in Escherichia coli

A run of 11 adenine or thymine residues at the 5' end of an out-of-fram

Ultraviolet Spectroscopy of Asteroid (4) Vesta

We report a comprehensive review of the UV-visible spectrum and rotational lightcurve of Vesta combining new observations by Hubble Space Telescope and Swift Gamma-ray Burst Observatory with archival International Ultraviolet Explorer observations. The geometric albedos of Vesta from 220 nm to 953 nm are derived by carefully comparing these observations from various instruments at different times and observing geometries. Vesta has a rotationally averaged geometric albedo of 0.09 at 250 nm, 0.14 at 300 nm, 0.26 at 373 nm, 0.38 at 673 nm, and 0.30 at 950 nm. The linear spectral slope as measured between 240 and 320 nm in the ultraviolet displays a sharp minimum near a sub-Earth longitude of 20^{\circ}, and maximum in the eastern hemisphere. This is consistent with the longitudinal distribution of the spectral slope in the visible wavelength. The photometric uncertainty in the ultraviolet is ~20%, and in the visible wavelengths it is better than 10%. The amplitude of Vesta's rotational lightcurves is ~10% throughout the range of wavelengths we observed, but is smaller at 950 nm (~6%) near the 1-\mum band center. Contrary to earlier reports, we found no evidence for any difference between the phasing of the ultraviolet and visible/near-infrared lightcurves with respect to sub-Earth longitude. Vesta's average spectrum between 220 and 950 nm can well be described by measured reflectance spectra of fine particle howardite-like materials of basaltic achondrite meteorites. Combining this with the in-phase behavior of the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared lightcurves, and the spectral slopes with respect to the rotational phase, we conclude that there is no global ultraviolet/visible reversal on Vesta. Consequently, this implies a lack of global space weathering on Vesta, as previously inferred from visible-near-infrared data.Comment: 44 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Ambient particulate air pollution induces oxidative stress and alterations of mitochondria and gene expression in brown and white adipose tissues

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prior studies have demonstrated a link between air pollution and metabolic diseases such as type II diabetes. Changes in adipose tissue and its mitochondrial content/function are closely associated with the development of insulin resistance and attendant metabolic complications. We investigated changes in adipose tissue structure and function in brown and white adipose depots in response to chronic ambient air pollutant exposure in a rodent model.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Male ApoE knockout (ApoE^-/-) mice inhaled concentrated fine ambient PM (PM < 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter; PM_2.5) or filtered air (FA) for 6 hours/day, 5 days/week, for 2 months. We examined superoxide production by dihydroethidium staining; inflammatory responses by immunohistochemistry; and changes in white and brown adipocyte-specific gene profiles by real-time PCR and mitochondria by transmission electron microscopy in response to PM_2.5exposure in different adipose depots of ApoE^-/-mice to understand responses to chronic inhalational stimuli.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Exposure to PM_2.5induced an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in brown adipose depots. Additionally, exposure to PM_2.5decreased expression of uncoupling protein 1 in brown adipose tissue as measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Mitochondrial number was significantly reduced in white (WAT) and brown adipose tissues (BAT), while mitochondrial size was also reduced in BAT. In BAT, PM_2.5exposure down-regulated brown adipocyte-specific genes, while white adipocyte-specific genes were differentially up-regulated.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>PM_2.5exposure triggers oxidative stress in BAT, and results in key alterations in mitochondrial gene expression and mitochondrial alterations that are pronounced in BAT. We postulate that exposure to PM_2.5may induce imbalance between white and brown adipose tissue functionality and thereby predispose to metabolic dysfunction.</p

New genetic loci implicated in fasting glucose homeostasis and their impact on type 2 diabetes risk.

Levels of circulating glucose are tightly regulated. To identify new loci influencing glycemic traits, we performed meta-analyses of 21 genome-wide association studies informative for fasting glucose, fasting insulin and indices of beta-cell function (HOMA-B) and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in up to 46,186 nondiabetic participants. Follow-up of 25 loci in up to 76,558 additional subjects identified 16 loci associated with fasting glucose and HOMA-B and two loci associated with fasting insulin and HOMA-IR. These include nine loci newly associated with fasting glucose (in or near ADCY5, MADD, ADRA2A, CRY2, FADS1, GLIS3, SLC2A2, PROX1 and C2CD4B) and one influencing fasting insulin and HOMA-IR (near IGF1). We also demonstrated association of ADCY5, PROX1, GCK, GCKR and DGKB-TMEM195 with type 2 diabetes. Within these loci, likely biological candidate genes influence signal transduction, cell proliferation, development, glucose-sensing and circadian regulation. Our results demonstrate that genetic studies of glycemic traits can identify type 2 diabetes risk loci, as well as loci containing gene variants that are associated with a modest elevation in glucose levels but are not associated with overt diabetes