The littoral sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) of Guam re-assessed - a diversity curve that still does not asymptote

The Micronesian island of Guam has been an important site for the study of littoral tropical holothuriantaxonomy for almost 200 years. Despite substantial attention by both expeditions and resident taxonomists, new records arestill regularly added to the fauna, demonstrating the challenge of documenting even such large and well-known animals ina small hyper-diverse area. Guam is the type locality of species described by Quoy & Gaimard (1833) and Brandt (1835).A survey of the sea cucumber fauna by Rowe & Doty (1977) led to one of the most used guides for the identification oftropical Pacific sea cucumbers because of the color illustrations of living animals it presented. Focus on echinodermsincluding holothurians continued with numerous new records added in the following decades. Paulay (2003a) summarizedthe fauna last, recording 46-47 species. At this stage the fauna was thought to be well documented. A week-long workshopon holothurian systematics sponsored by the National Science Foundation PEET (Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise inTaxonomy) project in 2010 included a substantial field work component, sampling both during the day and night, withsnorkeling and SCUBA, across a variety of habitats. This survey yielded 40 species, including numerous new records andeven species. Further sampling by Kerr’s lab since the workshop has added additional records. The littoral holothuroidfauna of Guam now comprises 65 species in 17 genera and 7 families. Half of the 19 newly recorded species are the resultof unravelling cryptic species in complexes, the other half are based on new collections. Eleven species are known fromsingle specimens, suggesting that much still remains to be learned about the fauna

Predictors of Renal Outcomes in Sclerotic Class Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody Glomerulonephritis

Background: The prognostic value of the anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated glomerulonephritis (GN) classification has been demonstrated in several cohorts with sclerotic class having the worst renal outcome. Relevant published data on factors predicting outcomes in sclerotic ANCA GN is limited. Methods: Sclerotic ANCA GN patients were recruited from 5 centers worldwide for this retrospective cohort study. We describe the clinical characteristics of this cohort and evaluate predictors of 1-year glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Kidney function at 12 months as measured by Modification of Diet in Renal Disease estimated GFR (eGFR) was modeled by simple and multiple linear regression analyses. We used Cox proportional hazards regression modeling to evaluate ESRD-free survival. Results: Of the 50 patients, 92% were Caucasian and 60% male with a mean age of 61 years. While 72% had renal limited disease, 82% were MPO ANCA positive. Kidney biopsies contained a median of 20 (interquartile range [IQR] 15–34) glomeruli with 96% showing moderate to severe interstitial fibrosis. Overall, 96% of patients received immunosuppressive drug therapy and 16% received plasmapheresis. Treatment response was achieved in all but 1 patient. The median (IQR) eGFR at entry was 14.5 (9–19) mL/min/1.73 m2. Over a median (IQR) follow-up of 33.5 (17–82) months, 26 patients reached ESRD. Ten patients died with 6 of the deaths occurring within the first year of diagnosis. The hazard of progression to ESRD was significantly higher in those with lower GFR at study entry (p = 0.003) and with higher degree of tubular atrophy (p = 0.043). Conclusions: Renal recovery is rare among sclerotic ANCA GN patients requiring dialysis at entry and 12% of patients died in the first year. Entry GFR and tubular atrophy were significant predictors of GFR at 12 months and renal survival in patients with sclerotic class ANCA GN

Recent advances in candidate-gene and whole-genome approaches to the discovery of anthelmintic resistance markers and the description of drug/receptor interactions

Anthelmintic resistance has a great impact on livestock production systems worldwide, is an emerging concern in companion animal medicine, and represents a threat to our ongoing ability to control human soil-transmitted helminths. The Consortium for Anthelmintic Resistance and Susceptibility (CARS) provides a forum for scientists to meet and discuss the latest developments in the search for molecular markers of anthelmintic resistance. Such markers are important for detecting drug resistant worm populations, and indicating the likely impact of the resistance on drug efficacy. The molecular basis of resistance is also important for understanding how anthelmintics work, and how drug resistant populations arise. Changes to target receptors, drug efflux and other biological processes can be involved. This paper reports on the CARS group meeting held in August 2013 in Perth, Australia. The latest knowledge on the development of molecular markers for resistance to each of the principal classes of anthelmintics is reviewed. The molecular basis of resistance is best understood for the benzimidazole group of compounds, and we examine recent work to translate this knowledge into useful diagnostics for field use. We examine recent candidate-gene and whole-genome approaches to understanding anthelmintic resistance and identify markers. We also look at drug transporters in terms of providing both useful markers for resistance, as well as opportunities to overcome resistance through the targeting of the transporters themselves with inhibitors. Finally, we describe the tools available for the application of the newest high-throughput sequencing technologies to the study of anthelmintic resistance

Rapid solubility and mineral storage of CO2 in basalt

The long-term security of geologic carbon storage is critical to its success and public acceptance. Much of the security risk associated with geological carbon storage stems from its buoyancy. Gaseous and supercritical CO2 are less dense than formation waters, providing a driving force for it to escape back to the surface. This buoyancy can be eliminated by the dissolution of CO2 into water prior to, or during its injection into the subsurface. The dissolution makes it possible to inject into fractured rocks and further enhance mineral storage of CO2 especially if injected into silicate rocks rich in divalent metal cations such as basalts and ultra-mafic rocks. We have demonstrated the dissolution of CO2 into water during its injection into basalt leading to its geologic solubility storage in less than five minutes and potential geologic mineral storage within few years after injection [1–3]. The storage potential of CO2 within basaltic rocks is enormous. All the carbon released from burning of all fossil fuel on Earth, 5000 GtC, can theoretically be stored in basaltic rocks [4]

The littoral sea cucumber (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) fauna of Guam re-assessed – a diversity curve that still does not asymptote

The Micronesian island of Guam has been an important site for the study of tropical holothuroid taxonomy for almost 200 years. Despite such substantial attention by both expeditions and resident taxonomists, new records are being regularly added to the fauna demonstrating the challenge of documenting the biota of even a small hyper-diverse area. Guam is the type locality of species described by Quoy & Gaimard (1833) and Brandt (1835). A survey of the sea cucumber fauna by Rowe & Doty (1977) led to one of the most used guides for the identification of tropical Pacific sea cucumbers because of the color illustrations of living animals it presented. Focus on echinoderms including holothuroids continued with numerous new records added in the following decades. Paulay (2003) summarized the fauna last, recording 46 species, including 9 new records. At this stage the fauna was thought to be well documented. A week-long workshop on holothuroid systematics sponsered by the NSF PEET project in 2010 included a substantial field work component, sampling both during the day and night, with snorkeling and SCUBA, across a variety of habitats, yielding more than 40 species. 10 of these proved new records for Guam; two proved new to science. Further sampling by Kerr’s lab since the workshop has added two additional species. The holothuroid fauna of Guam thus now comprises 58 species that belong to 17 genera and 7 families. This contribution presents them as an illustrated and briefly annotated checklist

Impact of Ocean Warming and Ocean Acidification on Larval Development and Calcification in the Sea Urchin Tripneustes gratilla

Background: As the oceans simultaneously warm, acidify and increase in P-CO2, prospects for marine biota are of concern. Calcifying species may find it difficult to produce their skeleton because ocean acidification decreases calcium carbonate saturation and accompanying hypercapnia suppresses metabolism. However, this may be buffered by enhanced growth and metabolism due to warming.Methodology/Principal Findings: We examined the interactive effects of near-future ocean warming and increased acidification/P-CO2 on larval development in the tropical sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla. Larvae were reared in multifactorial experiments in flow-through conditions in all combinations of three temperature and three pH/P-CO2 treatments. Experiments were placed in the setting of projected near future conditions for SE Australia, a global change hot spot. Increased acidity/P-CO2 and decreased carbonate mineral saturation significantly reduced larval growth resulting in decreased skeletal length. Increased temperature (+3 degrees C) stimulated growth, producing significantly bigger larvae across all pH/P-CO2 treatments up to a thermal threshold (+6 degrees C). Increased acidity (-0.3-0.5 pH units) and hypercapnia significantly reduced larval calcification. A +3 degrees C warming diminished the negative effects of acidification and hypercapnia on larval growth.Conclusions and Significance: This study of the effects of ocean warming and CO2 driven acidification on development and calcification of marine invertebrate larvae reared in experimental conditions from the outset of development (fertilization) shows the positive and negative effects of these stressors. In simultaneous exposure to stressors the dwarfing effects of acidification were dominant. Reduction in size of sea urchin larvae in a high P-CO2 ocean would likely impair their performance with negative consequent effects for benthic adult populations

N-glycans of Human Protein C Inhibitor: Tissue-Specific Expression and Function

Protein C inhibitor (PCI) is a serpin type of serine protease inhibitor that is found in many tissues and fluids in human, including blood plasma, seminal plasma and urine. This inhibitor displays an unusually broad protease specificity compared with other serpins. Previous studies have shown that the N-glycan(s) and the NH2-terminus affect some blood-related functions of PCI. In this study, we have for the first time determined the N-glycan profile of seminal plasma PCI, by mass spectrometry. The N-glycan structures differed markedly compared with those of both blood-derived and urinary PCI, providing evidence that the N-glycans of PCI are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. The most abundant structure (m/z 2592.9) had a composition of Fuc3Hex5HexNAc4, consistent with a core fucosylated bi-antennary glycan with terminal Lewisx. A major serine protease in semen, prostate specific antigen (PSA), was used to evaluate the effects of N-glycans and the NH2-terminus on a PCI function related to the reproductive tract. Second-order rate constants for PSA inhibition by PCI were 4.3±0.2 and 4.1±0.5 M−1s−1 for the natural full-length PCI and a form lacking six amino acids at the NH2-terminus, respectively, whereas these constants were 4.8±0.1 and 29±7 M−1s−1 for the corresponding PNGase F-treated forms. The 7–8-fold higher rate constants obtained when both the N-glycans and the NH2-terminus had been removed suggest that these structures jointly affect the rate of PSA inhibition, presumably by together hindering conformational changes of PCI required to bind to the catalytic pocket of PSA

HAMLET Binding to α-Actinin Facilitates Tumor Cell Detachment

Cell adhesion is tightly regulated by specific molecular interactions and detachment from the extracellular matrix modifies proliferation and survival. HAMLET (Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made LEthal to Tumor cells) is a protein-lipid complex with tumoricidal activity that also triggers tumor cell detachment in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that molecular interactions defining detachment are perturbed in cancer cells. To identify such interactions, cell membrane extracts were used in Far-western blots and HAMLET was shown to bind α-actinins; major F-actin cross-linking proteins and focal adhesion constituents. Synthetic peptide mapping revealed that HAMLET binds to the N-terminal actin-binding domain as well as the integrin-binding domain of α-actinin-4. By co-immunoprecipitation of extracts from HAMLET-treated cancer cells, an interaction with α-actinin-1 and -4 was observed. Inhibition of α-actinin-1 and α-actinin-4 expression by siRNA transfection increased detachment, while α-actinin-4-GFP over-expression significantly delayed rounding up and detachment of tumor cells in response to HAMLET. In response to HAMLET, adherent tumor cells rounded up and detached, suggesting a loss of the actin cytoskeletal organization. These changes were accompanied by a reduction in β1 integrin staining and a decrease in FAK and ERK1/2 phosphorylation, consistent with a disruption of integrin-dependent cell adhesion signaling. Detachment per se did not increase cell death during the 22 hour experimental period, regardless of α-actinin-4 and α-actinin-1 expression levels but adherent cells with low α-actinin levels showed increased death in response to HAMLET. The results suggest that the interaction between HAMLET and α-actinins promotes tumor cell detachment. As α-actinins also associate with signaling molecules, cytoplasmic domains of transmembrane receptors and ion channels, additional α-actinin-dependent mechanisms are discussed