Geology-based and ecological processes of divergence between and within species of wingless darkling beetles

Aim: Discerning the relative role of geographical and ecological factors in promoting diversification is central to our understanding of the origin and maintenance of biodiversity. We explore the roles of geology and ecological tolerance in the diversification of a group of wingless beetles with low dispersal potential. Location: Western Mediterranean (Iberian Peninsula and North Africa). Taxon: Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae: Misolampus). Methods: We sequenced nine gene fragments from the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes in all extant Misolampus species to reconstruct their phylogeny, evaluate species boundaries and potential contact zones and estimate divergence times. We modelled species distributions for different time periods to infer ecological preferences and assess the effects of climatic changes since the last interglacial. We used a time-stratified process-based biogeographical model to estimate ancestral areas of origin and the evolution of geographical ranges. Results: The palaeoclimatic model projections show contractions of favourable areas during the last interglacial period and mid-Holocene, and wide stretches of suitable areas during the last glacial maximum. Analyses of ancestral bioclimatic preferences reveal ecological adaptations in isolated lineages within three species. The phylogeny of Misolampus is strongly supported and unveils deep divergences within the six species. Two well-supported clades were recovered, one distributed in North Africa-Balearic Islands and another in the Iberian Peninsula. The divergence between the North African and Iberian clades occurred during the early Miocene. Biogeographical analyses infer an ancestral range including the Iberian, Betic and Rifean Plates, with subsequent splits followed by dispersal events. Main conclusions: Our results favour a dual role of vicariance and dispersal in driving the historical biogeography and diversification of Misolampus since the early Miocene. We also found evidence for incipient speciation events, underscoring the role of tectonic events and adaptation to local climatic conditions in the diversification of the group.Visit of PMP to the Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM) was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain (MICINN-FEDER) through contract BES-2016-077777. This study was supported by the Spanish government (MINECO/MIUC/AEI) and the European Fund for Regional Development (FEDER) under grants CGL2015-66571-P (collecting and Museum visits) and PID2019-110243GB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain) (molecular analyses) to MGP. Support of the publication fee was granted by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)

J Clin Med

In cystic fibrosis (CF), cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) dysfunction leads to digestive disorders that promote intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis enhancing gastrointestinal symptoms. In pancreatic insufficiency CF patients, both intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis, are associated with an increase in the fecal calprotectin (FC) level. However, associations between the FC level, gastrointestinal symptoms, and quality of life (QoL) remain poorly studied. We aimed to assess such associations in pancreatic insufficiency CF children. The FC level was measured in pancreatic insufficiency CF children's stool samples. Children and their parents completed two questionnaires: The Gastrointestinal Symptoms Scales 3.0-PedsQL(TM) and the Quality of Life Pediatric Inventory 4.0-PedsQL(TM). Lower scores indicated worse symptomatology or QoL. Thirty-seven CF children were included. A FC level above 250 µg/g was associated with worse gastrointestinal symptoms and QoL scores. The FC level was inversely correlated with several gastrointestinal scores assessed by children (i.e., Total, "Heart Burn Reflux", "Nausea and Vomiting", and "Gas and Bloating"). Several QoL scores were correlated with gastrointestinal scores. The FC level was weakly associated with clinical parameters. Some gastrointestinal and QoL scores were related to disease severity associated parameters. In CF, the FC level, biomarker previously related to intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis, was associated with worse digestive symptoms and QoL scores

Mutations in the gene encoding the synaptic scaffolding protein SHANK3 are associated with autism spectrum disorders.

International audienceSHANK3 (also known as ProSAP2) regulates the structural organization of dendritic spines and is a binding partner of neuroligins; genes encoding neuroligins are mutated in autism and Asperger syndrome. Here, we report that a mutation of a single copy of SHANK3 on chromosome 22q13 can result in language and/or social communication disorders. These mutations concern only a small number of individuals, but they shed light on one gene dosage-sensitive synaptic pathway that is involved in autism spectrum disorders

Binding of the chemokine CXCL12α to its natural extracellular matrix ligand heparan sulfate enables myoblast adhesion and facilitates cell motility

The chemokine CXCL12α is a potent chemoattractant that guides the migration of muscle precursor cells (myoblasts) during myogenesis and muscle regeneration. To study how the molecular presentation of chemokines influences myoblast adhesion and motility, we designed multifunctional biomimetic surfaces as a tuneable signalling platform that enabled the response of myoblasts to selected extracellular cues to be studied in a well-defined environment. Using this platform, we demonstrate that CXCL12α, when presented by its natural extracellular matrix ligand heparan sulfate (HS), enables the adhesion and spreading of myoblasts and facilitates their active migration. In contrast, myoblasts also adhered and spread on CXCL12α that was quasi-irreversibly surface-bound in the absence of HS, but were essentially immotile. Moreover, co-presentation of the cyclic RGD peptide as integrin ligand along with HS-bound CXCL12α led to enhanced spreading and motility, in a way that indicates cooperation between CXCR4 (the CXCL12α receptor) and integrins (the RGD receptors). Our findings reveal the critical role of HS in CXCL12α induced myoblast adhesion and migration. The biomimetic surfaces developed here hold promise for mechanistic studies of cellular responses to different presentations of biomolecules. They may be broadly applicable for dissecting the signalling pathways underlying receptor cross-talks, and thus may guide the development of novel biomaterials that promote highly specific cellular responses

Multi-Sensor As-Built Models of Complex Industrial Architectures

In the context of increased maintenance operations and generational renewal work, a nuclear owner and operator, like Electricité de France (EDF), is invested in the scaling-up of tools and methods of “as-built virtual reality” for whole buildings and large audiences. In this paper, we first present the state of the art of scanning tools and methods used to represent a very complex architecture. Then, we propose a methodology and assess it in a large experiment carried out on the most complex building of a 1300-megawatt power plant, an 11-floor reactor building. We also present several developments that made possible the acquisition, processing and georeferencing of multiple data sources (1000+ 3D laser scans and RGB panoramic, total-station surveying, 2D floor plans and the 3D reconstruction of CAD as-built models). In addition, we introduce new concepts for user interaction with complex architecture, elaborated during the development of an application that allows a painless exploration of the whole dataset by professionals, unfamiliar with such data types. Finally, we discuss the main feedback items from this large experiment, the remaining issues for the generalization of such large-scale surveys and the future technical and scientific challenges in the field of industrial “virtual reality”

Effects of an experimental terrestrial runoff on the components of the plankton food web in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon

The Mediterranean region is undergoing an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events, resulting in terrestrial runoffs that can affect aquatic environments in coastal regions. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of terrestrial runoff on natural coastal planktonic assemblages. For this purpose, an in situ mesocosm experiment was conducted in May 2021 in the Mediterranean Thau Lagoon. A terrestrial runoff event was simulated in duplicate mesocosms by adding natural forest soil that was left to maturate naturally for two weeks in river water. After the addition of maturated soil, the abundance and diversity within the planktonic food web, from viruses to metazooplankton, were monitored for 18 days. The addition of maturated soil to the terrestrial runoff treatment greatly depressed the light availability in the mesocosms and potentially enhanced flocculation and sedimentation in the mesocosms, resulting in an immediate negative effect on phytoplankton, decreasing the chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration by 70% for 12 days. Afterward, remineralized nutrient in the terrestrial runoff treatment induced a subsequent positive effect on phytoplankton, which resulted in a diatom bloom and an increase in picophytoplankton and cyanobacteria abundance toward the end of the experiment. Overall, the Chl-a concentration was 30% lower in the terrestrial runoff treatment over the 18 days of experiment, whereas bacteria were 15% more abundant than in the control. This suggests that over the course of the experiment, the addition of maturated soil favoured bacteria instead of phytoplankton at the base of the planktonic food web. The addition of the maturated soil was detrimental for all protozooplankton groups and mixotrophic dinoflagellates, but seemed to favour metazooplankton, notably mollusk larvae, copepod nauplii, and rotifers. This implies that in the terrestrial runoff treatment, the preferential pathway for biomass transfer was through the direct consumption of bacteria and/or phytoplankton by metazooplankton. Therefore, in Thau Lagoon, after a terrestrial runoff, the transfer of biomass within the planktonic food web would potentially be more efficient by promoting direct transfer from the base to the top of the food web, subsiding intermediate trophic levels such as protozooplankton

Simulated terrestrial runoff shifts the metabolic balance of a coastal Mediterranean plankton community towards heterotrophy

Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events in the Mediterranean region, increasing runoffs of terrestrial matter into coastal waters. To evaluate the consequences of terrestrial runoff for plankton key processes, an in situ mesocosm experiment was conducted for 18 d in the spring of 2021 in the coastal Mediterranean Thau Lagoon. Terrestrial runoff was simulated in replicate mesocosms by adding soil from an adjacent oak forest that had matured in water from the main tributary river of the lagoon. Automated high-frequency monitoring of dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a fluorescence, salinity, light, and temperature was combined with manual sampling of organic and inorganic nutrient pools, pH, carbonate chemistry, and maximum quantum yield (Fv:Fm) of photosystem II (PSII). High-frequency data were used to estimate the gross primary production (GPP) of oxygen, community respiration (CR), and phytoplankton growth (μ) and loss (L) rates. During the first half of the experiment (d2–d11), the simulated runoff reduced light availability (−52 %), chlorophyll a concentrations (−70 %), and phytoplankton growth rates (−53 %). However, phytoplankton maintained a certain level of primary production by increasing its photosynthetic efficiency. Meanwhile, the runoff enhanced CR (+53 %), shifting the metabolic status (GPP : CR) of the system toward heterotrophy and increasing the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), potentially switching the direction of the air–sea CO2 exchange. However, during the second part of the experiment (d11–d17), remineralized nutrients boosted phytoplankton growth (+299 %) in the terrestrial runoff treatment but not its loss rates, leading to phytoplankton biomass accumulation and suggesting a mismatch between phytoplankton and its predators. Our study showed that a simulated terrestrial runoff significantly affected key plankton processes, suggesting that climate-change-related increases in runoff frequency and intensity can shift the metabolic balance of Mediterranean coastal lagoons towards heterotrophy

Simulated terrestrial runoff shifts the metabolic balance of a coastal Mediterranean plankton community towards heterotrophy

International audienceClimate change is projected to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall events in the Mediterranean region, increasing runoffs of terrestrial matter into coastal waters. To evaluate the consequences of terrestrial runoff for plankton key processes, an in situ mesocosm experiment was conducted for 18 d in the spring of 2021 in the coastal Mediterranean Thau Lagoon. Terrestrial runoff was simulated in replicate mesocosms by adding soil from an adjacent oak forest that had matured in water from the main tributary river of the lagoon. Automated high-frequency monitoring of dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a fluorescence, salinity, light, and temperature was combined with manual sampling of organic and inorganic nutrient pools, pH, carbonate chemistry, and maximum quantum yield (Fv:Fm) of photosystem II (PSII). High-frequency data were used to estimate the gross primary production (GPP) of oxygen, community respiration (CR), and phytoplankton growth (μ) and loss (L) rates. During the first half of the experiment (d2–d11), the simulated runoff reduced light availability (−52 %), chlorophyll a concentrations (−70 %), and phytoplankton growth rates (−53 %). However, phytoplankton maintained a certain level of primary production by increasing its photosynthetic efficiency. Meanwhile, the runoff enhanced CR (+53 %), shifting the metabolic status (GPP : CR) of the system toward heterotrophy and increasing the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2), potentially switching the direction of the air–sea CO2 exchange. However, during the second part of the experiment (d11–d17), remineralized nutrients boosted phytoplankton growth (+299 %) in the terrestrial runoff treatment but not its loss rates, leading to phytoplankton biomass accumulation and suggesting a mismatch between phytoplankton and its predators. Our study showed that a simulated terrestrial runoff significantly affected key plankton processes, suggesting that climate-change-related increases in runoff frequency and intensity can shift the metabolic balance of Mediterranean coastal lagoons towards heterotrophy