Acquisition of functions on the outer capsid surface during evolution of double-stranded RNA fungal viruses

Unlike their counterparts in bacterial and higher eukaryotic hosts, most fungal viruses are transmitted intracellularly and lack an extracellular phase. Here we determined the cryo-EM structure at 3.7 Å resolution of Rosellinia necatrix quadrivirus 1 (RnQV1), a fungal double-stranded (ds)RNA virus. RnQV1, the type species of the family Quadriviridae, has a multipartite genome consisting of four monocistronic segments. Whereas most dsRNA virus capsids are based on dimers of a single protein, the ~450-Å-diameter, T = 1 RnQV1 capsid is built of P2 and P4 protein heterodimers, each with more than 1000 residues. Despite a lack of sequence similarity between the two proteins, they have a similar α-helical domain, the structural signature shared with the lineage of the dsRNA bluetongue virus-like viruses. Domain insertions in P2 and P4 preferential sites provide additional functions at the capsid outer surface, probably related to enzyme activity. The P2 insertion has a fold similar to that of gelsolin and profilin, two actin-binding proteins with a function in cytoskeleton metabolism, whereas the P4 insertion suggests protease activity involved in cleavage of the P2 383-residue C-terminal region, absent in the mature viral particle. Our results indicate that the intimate virus-fungus partnership has altered the capsid genome-protective and/or receptor-binding functions. Fungal virus evolution has tended to allocate enzyme activities to the virus capsid outer surface

The effects of spatial survey bias and habitat suitability on predicting the distribution of threatened species living in remote areas

Knowledge of a species’ potential distribution and the suitability of available habitat are fundamental for effective conservation planning and management. However, the quality of information on the distribution of species and their required habitats is highly variable in terms of accuracy and availability across taxa and regions, particularly in tropical landscapes where accessibility is especially challenging. Species distribution models (SDMs) provide predictive tools for addressing gaps for poorly surveyed species, but they rarely consider biases in geographical distribution of records and their consequences. We applied SDMs and variation partitioning analyses to investigate the relative importance of habitat characteristics, human accessibility, and their joint effects in the global distribution of the Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis, a species endemic to the Amazonian flooded savannas of Bolivia. The probability of occurrence was skewed towards more accessible areas, mostly secondary roads. Variability in observed occurrence patterns was mostly accounted for by the pure effect of habitat characteristics (76.2%), indicating that bias in the geographical distribution of occurrences does not invalidate species-habitat relationships derived from niche models. However, observed spatial covariation between land-use at a landscape scale and accessibility (joint contribution: 22.3%) may confound the independent role of land-use in the species distribution. New surveys should prioritise collecting data in more remote (less accessible) areas better distributed with respect to land-use composition at a landscape scale. Our results encourage wider application of partitioning methods to quantify the extent of sampling bias in datasets used in habitat modelling for a better understanding of species-habitat relationships, and add insights into the potential distribution of our study species and opportunities for its conservation

Molecular Characterization of Growth Hormone-producing Tumors in the GC Rat Model of Acromegaly

D.A.C. was supported by the Nicolás Monardes program of the Andalusian Ministry of Health (C-0015-2014) and by a grant from the Andalusian Ministry of Science and Innovation (CTS-7478). A.S-M and A.L.C were supported by grants from the ISCIII-Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación co-funded with Fondos FEDER (PI12/0143 and PI13/02043, respectively) and the Andalusian Regional Government (CTS-444) and a grant from Pfizer Spain. R.L.C. was supported by a grant from Andalusian Ministry of Health (PI0302-2012). R.M.L. was supported by grants from Proyecto de Investigación en Salud (FIS) PI13- 00651 (funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III), CTS-1406, PI-0639-2012, BIO-0139 (funded by Junta de Andalucía) and by Ayuda Merck Serono 2013. J. P. C. was funded by a grant (BFU2013-43282-R) from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. CIBER is an initiative of Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad, Spain. J.F.M.R. is supported by the “Sara Borrell” program from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. R.M. Luque and J.P. Castaño have received grants and lecture fees from Ipsen and Novartis. E. Venegas-Moreno and A. Soto-Moreno received grants and lecture fees from Ipsen, Novartis and Pfizer. A. Leal-Cerro received grants from Novartis and Pfizer. David Cano received a grant from Novartis

Pneumomediastinum from nasal insufflation of cocaine

Chest pain is a common presenting symptom of cocaine users to the emergency department that requires a thorough work up. Pneumomediastinum is an uncommon complication of cocaine abuse that occurs more commonly when cocaine is smoked, but can also occur when cocaine is nasally insufflated. Our case report presents a patient with pneumomediastinum secondary to cocaine insufflation and reviews the necessary diagnostic tests that must be performed to rule out secondary pneumomediastinum, a severe life-threatening condition. Our case is unique, as it is one of a few reported cases of pneumomediastinum occurring after the use of intranasal cocaine

The effect of ultrasound pretreatment on some selected physicochemical properties of black cumin (Nigella Sativa)

Background In the present study, the effects of ultrasound pretreatment parameters including irradiation time and power on the quantity of the extracted phenolic compounds quantity as well as on some selected physicochemical properties of the extracted oils including oil extraction efficiency, acidity and peroxide values, color, and refractive index of the extracted oil of black cumin seeds with the use of cold press have been studied. Methods For each parameter, three different levels (30, 60, and 90 W) for the ultrasound power and (30, 45, and 60 min) and for the ultrasound irradiation time were studied. Each experiment was performed in three replications. Results The achieved results revealed that, with enhancements in the applied ultrasound power, the oil extraction efficiency, acidity value, total phenolic content, peroxide value, and color parameters increased significantly (P 0.05). Conclusions In summary, it could be mentioned that the application of ultrasound pretreatment in the oil extraction might improve the oil extraction efficiency, the extracted oil’s quality, and the extracted phenolic compounds content.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio