38 research outputs found
The distributions of the six species constituting the smooth newt species complex (Lissotriton vulgaris sensu lato and L. montandoni) – an addition to the New Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe
The ‘smooth newt’, the taxon traditionally referred to as Lissotriton vulgaris,
consists of multiple morphologically distinct taxa. Given the uncertainty concerning the
validity and rank of these taxa, L. vulgaris sensu lato has often been treated as a single,
polytypic species. A recent study, driven by genetic data, proposed to recognize five species,
L. graecus, L. kosswigi, L. lantzi, L. schmidtleri and a more restricted L. vulgaris. The
Carpathian newt L. montandoni was confirmed to be a closely related sister species. We
propose to refer to this collective of six Lissotriton species as the smooth newt or Lissotriton
vulgaris species complex. Guided by comprehensive genomic data from throughout the range
of the smooth newt species complex we 1) delineate the distribution ranges, 2) provide a
distribution database, and 3) produce distribution maps according to the format of the New
Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe, for the six constituent species. This allows us to
4) highlight regions where more research is needed to determine the position of contact zones
Viral Bcl2s' transmembrane domain interact with host Bcl2 proteins to control cellular apoptosis
Viral control of programmed cell death relies in part on the expression of viral analogs of the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) protein known as viral Bcl2s (vBcl2s). vBcl2s control apoptosis by interacting with host pro- and anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl2 family. Here, we show that the carboxyl-terminal hydrophobic region of herpesviral and poxviral vBcl2s can operate as transmembrane domains (TMDs) and participate in their homo-oligomerization. Additionally, we show that the viral TMDs mediate interactions with cellular pro- and anti-apoptotic Bcl2 TMDs within the membrane. Furthermore, these intra-membrane interactions among viral and cellular proteins are necessary to control cell death upon an apoptotic stimulus. Therefore, their inhibition represents a new potential therapy against viral infections, which are characterized by short- and long-term deregulation of programmed cell death
Fluctuating asymmetry in Pelophylax ridibundus (Amphibia: Ranidae) as a response to anthropogenic pollution in south Bulgaria
The aim of this study was to investigate the integral indicator for
developmental stability, the fluctuating asymmetry (FA), in the marsh frog
Pelophylax ridibundus populations that inhabit biotopes of different types
(running rivers and still, dam lakes), when exposed to different types of
anthropogenic pollution (domestic sewage pollution and heavy metal pollution)
in south Bulgaria. A total of 920 P. ridibundus individuals were used for FA
analyses over three years (2009-2011). Fluctuating asymmetry was defined by
10 morphological traits, using the index frequency of asymmetric
manifestation of an individual (FAMI). In closed water basins, regardless of
the nature of toxicants, the FA values in P. ridibundus populations were
statistically lower than those in river populations. The FA values were
constantly the highest under conditions of sustained anthropogenic pollution,
with high concentrations of toxicants in rivers with domestic sewage
pollution and heavy-metal pollution. The results provide better opportunities
to use FA in P. ridibundus populations for bioindication and biomonitoring,
and for parallel and independent analyses of the physicochemical assessment
of the environmental condition