Esthesioneuroblastoma is not a member of the primitive peripheral neuroectodermal tumour-Ewing’s group

Esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) is a rare, site-specific, locally aggressive neuronal malignancy so far thought to belong to primitive peripheral neuroectodermal tumour-Ewing's tumour (pPNETs-ETs). Its anatomical location, in addition to morphologic, immunophenotypic and ultrastructural features, suggests its origin in the neuronal or neuroendocrine cells of the olfactory epithelium. However, the cytogenetic and molecular data currently available appear controversial on the presence of the typical translocation t(11;22)(q24;q12) and of trisomy 8, chromosomal changes that characterize the tumours belonging to the pPNETs-ETs. Herein we have analysed five ENB tumour specimens for trisomy 8 by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), for the presence of EWS gene rearrangements by FISH, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot analyses, as well as for the expression of the Ewing sarcoma-associated MIC2 antigen by immunohistochemistry. Neither EWS/FLI-I, EWS/ERG and EWS/FEV fusion genes nor MIC2 expression were found in any tumour, whereas trisomy 8 was found in one case only. Moreover, DNA from three cases analysed by Southern blot did not show EWS gene rearrangements. Our results support the evidence that ENB is not a member of the pPNETs-ETs. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig

The uronic acid content of coccolith-associated polysaccharides provides insight into coccolithogenesis and past climate

Unicellular phytoplanktonic algae (coccolithophores) are among the most prolific producers of calcium carbonate on the planet, with a production of ∼1026 coccoliths per year. During their lith formation, coccolithophores mainly employ coccolith-associated polysaccharides (CAPs) for the regulation of crystal nucleation and growth. These macromolecules interact with the intracellular calcifying compartment (coccolith vesicle) through the charged carboxyl groups of their uronic acid residues. Here we report the isolation of CAPs from modern day coccolithophores and their prehistoric predecessors and we demonstrate that their uronic acid content (UAC) offers a species-specific signature. We also show that there is a correlation between the UAC of CAPs and the internal saturation state of the coccolith vesicle that, for most geologically abundant species, is inextricably linked to carbon availability. These findings suggest that the UAC of CAPs reports on the adaptation of coccolithogenesis to environmental changes and can be used for the estimation of past CO2 concentrations

Whiting–related sediment export along the Middle Miocene carbonate ramp of Great Bahama Bank.

International audienc

Black shale deposition during Toarcian super-greenhouse driven by sea level

One of the most elusive aspects of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (T-OAE) is the paradox between carbon isotopes that indicate intense global primary productivity and organic carbon burial at a global scale, and the delayed expression of anoxia in Europe. During the earliest Toarcian, no black shales were deposited in the European epicontinental seaways, and most organic carbon enrichment of the sediments postdated the end of the overarching positive trend in the carbon isotopes that characterises the T-OAE. In the present study, we have attempted to establish a sequence stratigraphic framework for Early Toarcian deposits recovered from a core drilled in the Paris Basin using a combination of mineralogical (quartz and clay relative abundance) and geochemical (Si, Zr, Ti and Al) measurements. Combined with the evolution in redox sensitive elements (Fe, V and Mo), the data suggest that expression of anoxia was hampered in European epicontinental seas during most of the T-OAE (defined by the positive carbon isotope trend) due to insufficient water depth that prevented stratification of the water column. Only the first stratigraphic occurrence of black shales in Europe corresponds to the "global" event. This interval is characterised by >10% Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content that contains relatively low concentration of molybdenum compared to subsequent black shale horizons. Additionally, this first black shale occurrence is coeval with the record of the major negative Carbon Isotope Excursion (CIE), likely corresponding to a period of transient greenhouse intensification likely due to massive injection of carbon into the atmosphere–ocean system. As a response to enhanced weathering and riverine run-off, increased fresh water supply to the basin may have promoted the development of full anoxic conditions through haline stratification of the water column. In contrast, post T-OAE black shales during the <i>serpentinum</i> and <i>bifrons</i> Zones were restricted to epicontinental seas (higher Mo to TOC ratios) during a period of relative high sea level, and carbon isotopes returning to pre-T-OAE values. Comparing palaeoredox proxies with the inferred sequence stratigraphy for Sancerre suggests that episodes of short-term organic carbon enrichment were primarily driven by third-order sea level changes. These black shales exhibit remarkably well-expressed higher-frequency cyclicities in the oxygen availability in the water column whose nature has still to be determined through cyclostratigraphic analysis

Separation of sedimentary micron-sized particles for palaeoceanography and calcareous nannoplankton biogeochemistry.

A protocol is described for separating sub-20 microm-sized particles contained in sedimentary rocks into size fractions. Geochemical data from manually isolated foraminifera are commonly used in the interpretation of marine palaeoenvironments; problems associated with the isolation of calcareous nannofossils hampers their geochemical exploitation. However, geochemistry performed on calcareous nannofossil monotaxic assemblages should provide more meaningful data sets than those generated from the highly heterogeneous bulk carbonate. This protocol is based on cascade filtering steps, using polycarbonate membranes with well-calibrated pores. Strong ultrasonic treatment can further be applied to selectively reduce the size of particles for greater enrichment. Obtained residues frequently comprise near-monotaxic nannofossil assemblages. The application of this technique, which can be achieved within less than 2 days, has provided distinct fractions of coccoliths, calcareous dinoflagellate shells and also diagenetic monocrystals. This protocol is designed for application in reconstructing the history of water-column physicochemistry and diagenesis. It also has the potential to provide insights into the biogeochemistry of calcareous nannoplankton, including vital effects

Equatorial heat accumulation as a long-term trigger of permanent Antarctic ice sheets during the Cenozoic

Growth of the first permanent Antarctic ice sheets at the Eocene−Oligocene Transition (EOT), ∼33.7 million years ago, indicates a major climate shift within long-term Cenozoic cooling. The driving mechanisms that set the stage for this glaciation event are not well constrained, however, owing to large uncertainties in temperature reconstructions during the Eocene, especially at lower latitudes. To address this deficiency, we used recent developments in coccolith biogeochemistry to reconstruct equatorial Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) and atmospheric pCO2 values from pelagic sequences preceding and spanning the EOT. We found significantly more variability in equatorial SSTs than previously reported, with pronounced cooling from the Early to Middle Eocene and subsequent warming during the Late Eocene. Thus, we show that the Antarctic glaciation at the Eocene−Oligocene boundary was preceded by a period of heat accumulation in the low latitudes, likely focused in a progressively contracting South Atlantic gyre, which contributed to cooling high-latitude austral regions. This prominent redistribution of heat corresponds to the emplacement of a strong meridional temperature gradient that typifies icehouse climate conditions. Our equatorial coccolith-derived geochemical record thus highlights an important period of global climatic and oceanic upheaval, which began 4 million years before the EOT and, superimposed on a long-term pCO2 decline, drove the Earth system toward a glacial tipping point in the Cenozoic

Constraints on the vital effect in coccolithophore and dinoflagellate calcite by oxygen isotopic modification of seawater

In this study, we show that there are independent controls of 18O/16O and 13C/12C fractionation in coccolithophore and dinoflagellate calcite due to the contrasting kinetics of each isotope system. We demonstrate that the direction and magnitude of the oxygen isotope fractionation with respect to equilibrium is related to the balance between calcification rate and the replenishment of the internal pool of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). As such, in fast growing cells, such as those of Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica (forming the so-called "heavy group"), calcification of the internal carbon pool occurs faster than complete isotopic re-adjustment of the internal DIC pool with H2O molecules. Hence, coccoliths reflect the heavy oxygen isotope signature of the CO2 overprinting the whole DIC pool. Conversely, in large and slow growing cells, such as Coccolithus pelagicus ssp. braarudii, complete re-equilibration is achieved due to limited influx of CO2 leading to coccoliths that are precipitated in conditions close to isotopic equilibrium ("equilibrium group"). Species exhibiting the most negative oxygen isotope composition, such as Calcidiscus leptoporus ("light group"), precipitate coccolith under increased pH in the coccolith vesicle, as previously documented by the "carbonate ion effect". We suggest that, for the carbon isotope system, any observed deviation from isotopic equilibrium is only "apparent", as the carbon isotopic composition in coccolith calcite is controlled by a Rayleigh fractionation originating from preferential incorporation of 12C into organic matter. Therefore, species with low PIC/POC ratios as E. huxleyi and G. oceanica are shifted towards positive carbon isotope values as a result of predominant carbon fixation into the organic matter. By contrast, cells with higher PIC/POC as C. braarudii and C. leptoporus maintain, to some extent, the original negative isotopic composition of the CO2. The calcareous dinoflagellate Thoracosphaera heimii exhibits different behaviour for both isotopic systems, in particular with respect to its very negative carbon isotope composition, owing to coeval intra and extracellular biomineralisation in this group. In this study, we also investigate the sensitivity of 18O/16O fractionation to varying ambient oxygen isotope composition of the medium for inorganic, coccolithophore, and dinoflagellate calcite precipitated under controlled laboratory conditions. The varying responses of different taxa to increased oxygen isotope composition of the growth medium may point to a potential bias in sea surface temperature reconstructions that are based on the oxygen isotopic compositions of sedimentary calcite, especially during times of changing seawater oxygen isotopic composition. Overall, this study represent an important step towards establishing a mechanistic understanding of the "vital effect" in coccolith and dinoflagellate calcite, and provides valuable information for interpreting the geochemistry of the calcareous nannofossils in the sedimentary record, at both monospecific and interspecies levels