Insects of Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea

Until now the altitudinal factor has not been taken into account to estimate tropical arthropod diversity. The ultimate aim of the terrestrial biodiversity survey "Our Planet Reviewed – Papua New Guinea" was to estimate biological diversity generated by altitudinal turnover of arthropod species. It took place on Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea highest peak (4509 m a.s.l.), and one of the few equatorial mountains outside the Andes left with a continuous undisturbed forest from the sea level all the way to the timber line limit. An unprecedented sampling effort was concentrated over 16 days in 2012 with a semi-simultaneous sampling at eight different elevations (every 500 m from 200 m to 3700 m a.s.l.). Arthropods were collected with various methods: flight interception traps (targeting Coleoptera), Malaise traps (targeting Hymenoptera, Diptera and Hemiptera), Steiner traps (targeting tephritid flies), beating of the understorey vegetation, and insecticide spraying on tree barks (various groups targeted). A botany survey was conducted at each elevation to characterize vegetation. An additional site, Wanang, was sampled according to the same protocol, as replicated lowland site. Our team combined international experts with local postgraduate students, para-ecologists and villagers. Arthropod samples collected during the biotic survey were pre-sorted in Papua New Guinea and forwarded to taxonomists worldwide. The current book presents the first taxonomic results of the biotic survey. Project outputs included not only species discovery, but also direct financial benefits to landowner communities, raised profile of conservation areas, training of paraecologists and postgraduate students, education programmes and, finally, crucial biodiversity information needed for ecological analyses and conservation management

GINIP, a Gαi-Interacting Protein, Functions as a Key Modulator of Peripheral GABAB Receptor-Mediated Analgesia

One feature of neuropathic pain is a reduced GABAergic inhibitory function. Nociceptors have been suggested to play a key role in this process. However, the mechanisms behind nociceptor-mediated modulation of GABA signaling remain to be elucidated. Here we describe the identification of GINIP, a Gαi-interacting protein expressed in two distinct subsets of nonpeptidergic nociceptors. GINIP null mice develop a selective and prolonged mechanical hypersensitivity in models of inflammation and neuropathy. GINIP null mice show impaired responsiveness to GABAB, but not to delta or mu opioid receptor agonist-mediated analgesia specifically in the spared nerve injury (SNI) model. Consistently, GINIP-deficient dorsal root ganglia neurons had lower baclofen-evoked inhibition of high-voltage-activated calcium channels and a defective presynaptic inhibition of lamina IIi interneurons. These results further support the role of unmyelinated C fibers in injury-induced modulation of spinal GABAergic inhibition and identify GINIP as a key modulator of peripherally evoked GABAB-receptors signaling.Functional significance of nociceptive primary sensory neurons diversit