Forebrain Ptf1a Is Required for Sexual Differentiation of the Brain

The mammalian brain undergoes sexual differentiation by gonadal hormones during the perinatal critical period. However, the machinery at earlier stages has not been well studied. We found that Ptf1a is expressed in certain neuroepithelial cells and immature neurons around the third ventricle that give rise to various neurons in several hypothalamic nuclei. We show that conditional Ptf1a-deficient mice (Ptf1a cKO) exhibit abnormalities in sex-biased behaviors and reproductive organs in both sexes. Gonadal hormone administration to gonadectomized animals revealed that the abnormal behavior is caused by disorganized sexual development of the knockout brain. Accordingly, expression of sex-biased genes was severely altered in the cKO hypothalamus. In particular, Kiss1, important for sexual differentiation of the brain, was drastically reduced in the cKO hypothalamus, which may contribute to the observed phenotypes in the Ptf1a cKO. These findings suggest that forebrain Ptf1a is one of the earliest regulators for sexual differentiation of the brain

Finding New Enzymes from Bacterial Physiology: A Successful Approach Illustrated by the Detection of Novel Oxidases in Marinomonas mediterranea

The identification and study of marine microorganisms with unique physiological traits can be a very powerful tool discovering novel enzymes of possible biotechnological interest. This approach can complement the enormous amount of data concerning gene diversity in marine environments offered by metagenomic analysis, and can help to place the activities associated with those sequences in the context of microbial cellular metabolism and physiology. Accordingly, the detection and isolation of microorganisms that may be a good source of enzymes is of great importance. Marinomonas mediterranea, for example, has proven to be one such useful microorganism. This Gram-negative marine bacterium was first selected because of the unusually high amounts of melanins synthesized in media containing the amino acid l-tyrosine. The study of its molecular biology has allowed the cloning of several genes encoding oxidases of biotechnological interest, particularly in white and red biotechnology. Characterization of the operon encoding the tyrosinase responsible for melanin synthesis revealed that a second gene in that operon encodes a protein, PpoB2, which is involved in copper transfer to tyrosinase. This finding made PpoB2 the first protein in the COG5486 group to which a physiological role has been assigned. Another enzyme of interest described in M. mediterranea is a multicopper oxidase encoding a membrane-associated enzyme that shows oxidative activity on a wide range of substrates typical of both laccases and tyrosinases. Finally, an enzyme very specific for l-lysine, which oxidises this amino acid in epsilon position and that has received a new EC number (1.4.3.20), has also been described for M. mediterranea. Overall, the studies carried out on this bacterium illustrate the power of exploring the physiology of selected microorganisms to discover novel enzymes of biotechnological relevance

Data from: Microsatellite marker development by multiplex Ion Torrent PGM sequencing: a case study of the endangered Odorrana narina complex of frogs

The endangered Ryukyu tip-nosed frog Odorrana narina and its related species, Odorrana amamiensis, Odorrana supranarina, and Odorrana utsunomiyaorum, belong to the family Ranidae and are endemically distributed in Okinawa (O. narina), Amami and Tokunoshima (O. amamiensis), and Ishigaki and Iriomote (O. supranarina and O. utsunomiyaorum) Islands. Because of varying distribution patterns, this species complex is an intrinsic model for speciation and adaptation. For effective conservation and molecular ecological studies, further genetic information is needed. For rapid, cost-effective development of several microsatellite markers for these and 2 other species, we used next-generation sequencing technology of Ion Torrent PGM™. Distribution patterns of repeat motifs of microsatellite loci in these modern frog species (Neobatrachia) were similarly skewed. We isolated and characterized 20 new microsatellite loci of O. narina and validated cross-amplification in the three-related species. Seventeen, 16, and 13 loci were cross-amplified in O. amamiensis, O. supranarina, and O. utsunomiyaorum, respectively, reflecting close genetic relationships between them. Mean number of alleles and expected heterozygosity of newly isolated loci varied depending on the size of each inhabited island. Our findings suggested the suitability of Ion Torrent PGM™ for microsatellite marker development. The new markers developed for the O. narina complex will be applicable in conservation genetics and molecular ecological studies

Synthesis and Electronic Properties of Length-Defined 9,10-Anthrylene–Butadiynylene Oligomers

Linear π-conjugated oligomers consisting of anthracene and diacetylene units were readily synthesized by a one-pot process that involved desilylation and oxidative coupling from appropriate building units. We were able to isolate length-defined oligomers ranging from 2-mer to 6-mer as stable and soluble solids. The bathochromic shifts in the UV–vis spectra suggested that the π-conjugation was extended with elongation of the linear chain. Cyclic voltammetric measurements showed characteristic reversible oxidation waves that were dependent on the number of anthracene units

Synthesis and Electronic Properties of Length-Defined 9,10-Anthrylene–Butadiynylene Oligomers

Linear π-conjugated oligomers consisting of anthracene and diacetylene units were readily synthesized by a one-pot process that involved desilylation and oxidative coupling from appropriate building units. We were able to isolate length-defined oligomers ranging from 2-mer to 6-mer as stable and soluble solids. The bathochromic shifts in the UV–vis spectra suggested that the π-conjugation was extended with elongation of the linear chain. Cyclic voltammetric measurements showed characteristic reversible oxidation waves that were dependent on the number of anthracene units

Bioarchaeological evidence of decapitation from Pacopampa in the northern Peruvian highlands.

Little is known about the precise date of the emergence of decapitation in a ritual context and the presence of systematic postmortem modification patterns in the ancient Central Andes. The ceremonial complex at Pacopampa in the northern Peruvian highlands provides early osteological evidence of decapitation in six individuals dating to the latter half of the Late-Final Formative Periods (500-50 BC) and to the Early Cajamarca Period (AD 200-450). Based on osteological evidence, and when taken together with archaeological settings and settlement patterns, researchers can be certain that those whose heads were disembodied were not likely to have been involved in organized battles. In addition, the similarities in the cut-mark distribution, direction, and cross-sectional morphology of each individual's remains, as well as the characteristics of selected individuals, imply that the decapitated individuals were carefully prepared using a standardized method and that those who modified the heads may have been professional decapitators. This study offers indisputable bioarchaeological evidence of ritualistic offerings of human skulls and systematic postmortem modification patterns, which is consistent with a contemporaneous iconographic motif of decapitation and extends the chronology of this practice back to the Formative Period in the northern Peruvian highlands

genotypicdata

Genotypic data of Odorrana narina complex in Convert file format (plain text)