Rab protein evolution and the history of the eukaryotic endomembrane system

Spectacular increases in the quantity of sequence data genome have facilitated major advances in eukaryotic comparative genomics. By exploiting homology with classical model organisms, this makes possible predictions of pathways and cellular functions currently impossible to address in intractable organisms. Echoing realization that core metabolic processes were established very early following evolution of life on earth, it is now emerging that many eukaryotic cellular features, including the endomembrane system, are ancient and organized around near-universal principles. Rab proteins are key mediators of vesicle transport and specificity, and via the presence of multiple paralogues, alterations in interaction specificity and modification of pathways, contribute greatly to the evolution of complexity of membrane transport. Understanding system-level contributions of Rab proteins to evolutionary history provides insight into the multiple processes sculpting cellular transport pathways and the exciting challenges that we face in delving further into the origins of membrane trafficking specificity

Myths of neoconservatism: George W. Bush's "neo-conservative" foreign policy revisited

The objective of this article is to refute the popular and influential view that neoconservatism is the driving force behind US foreign policy under George W. Bush. In fact, neoconservatism — properly understood — has been a marginal influence on a foreign policy, which has been characterized primarily by a different kind of conservative ideology. In order to demonstrate this, the article firstly seeks clearly to define contemporary neoconservatism in the foreign policy context; it then goes on to examine the Bush foreign policy and its key elements. What all this reveals is that US policy has been more driven by nationalist impulses than neoconservative ones. Indeed, those like Stefan Halper and Jonathan Clarke who argue that neoconservatism has been the key component shaping the Bush outlook, not only exaggerate the influence of one particular ideology but underestimate the importance of other key factors determining American policy since 2001

Influence of food resources on the ranging pattern of Northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina)

Food availability may influence primates’ home range size and use. Understanding this relationship may facilitate the design of conservation strategies. We aimed to determine how fruit availability influences the ranging patterns of a group of northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina) living around the visitor center of Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. We predicted that macaques would increase their range during low fruit abundance periods to gather high-quality food and that they would go where there are more fruits or more fruits of particular species. We also predicted that human food, linked to human pre sence, would attract the macaques. We followed the macaques and recorded their diet and movements within their home range. We superimposed a grid on kernels defining the monthly home range surface to compare spatially macaques’ travel and the availability of fruits measured on botanical transects. Our results showed that the macaques increased their monthly home range in March, probably to obtain newly available fruits. During high fruit abundance seasons, they spent more time near particular fruit species. In August and September, although fruits became rare again, macaques kept their home range large, perhaps to find enough fruits as supplies dwindled. Finally, from October to February, they decreased their monthly home range size while consuming human food, a highquality item. In conclusion, the macaques used several ranging strategies according to fruit availability. however, we think that, without human food, macaques would tend to increase their range during low fruit abundance periods, as predicted

Control of SHIV-89.6P-infection of cynomolgus monkeys by HIV-1 Tat protein vaccine

Vaccine strategies aimed at blocking virus entry have so far failed to induce protection against heterologous viruses. Thus, the control of viral infection and the block of disease onset may represent a more achievable goal of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine strategies. Here we show that vaccination of cynomolgus monkeys with a biologically active HIV-1 Tat protein is safe, elicits a broad (humoral and cellular) specific immune response and reduces infection with the highly pathogenic simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)-89.6P to undetectable levels, preventing the CD4+ T-cell decrease. These results may provide new opportunities for the development of a vaccine against AIDS