Transfection of Capsaspora owczarzaki, a close unicellular relative of animals

How animals emerged from their unicellular ancestor remains a major evolutionary question. New genome data from the closest unicellular relatives of animals have provided important insights into the evolution of animal multicellularity. We know that the unicellular ancestor of animals had an unexpectedly complex genetic repertoire, including many genes that are key to animal development and multicellularity. Thus, assessing the function of these genes among unicellular relatives of animals is key to understanding how they were co-opted at the onset of the Metazoa. However, such analyses have been hampered by the lack of genetic tools. Progress has been made in choanoflagellates and teretosporeans, two of the three lineages closely related to animals, whereas no tools are yet available for functional analysis in the third lineage: the filastereans. Importantly, filastereans have a striking repertoire of genes involved in transcriptional regulation and other developmental processes. Here, we describe a reliable transfection method for the filasterean Capsaspora owczarzaki. We also provide a set of constructs for visualising subcellular structures in live cells. These tools convert Capsaspora into a unique experimentally tractable organism to use to investigate the origin and evolution of animal multicellularity.Fil: Parra Acero, Helena. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; EspañaFil: Ros Rocher, Núria. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; EspañaFil: Perez Posada, Alberto. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; EspañaFil: Kożyczkowska, Aleksandra. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; EspañaFil: Sánchez Pons, Núria. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; EspañaFil: Nakata, Azusa. Prefectural University of Hiroshima; JapónFil: Suga, Hiroshi. Prefectural University of Hiroshima; JapónFil: Najle, Sebastián Rodrigo. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Ruiz Trillo, Iñaki. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva; España. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats; España. Universidad de Barcelona; Españ

Relación entre la fuerza prensil y los marcadores de riesgo cardiovascular en jóvenes universitarios

Introduction: cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent a set of alterations that compromise the function of the heart and the different blood vessels that make up the cardiovascular system. Objective: to determine the relationship between prehensile strength and markers of cardiovascular risk in university students. Methods: observational, descriptive and correlational study with 159 apparently healthy university students >18 years of age. Sociodemographic variables were identified with respect to sex and age. Also, we determined the weight, height, abdominal circumference, hip and waist/hip ratio, glucose levels, anxiety, depression, smoking, physical activity and sedentary levels. The Ruffier Dickson test was applied taking into account the values of heart rate, dyspnea and perceived fatigue, pre and post test, and heart rate after 1 minute after the end of the test. Results: this study was attended by 159 participants, (H:35.8% M:64.2%), where we can determine that 33.33 % of men and 50.98 % of women have a perimeter high risk abdominal and 64.91 % men and 95.09 % women a high risk hip circumference. On the other hand, the nutritional status indicates that 4.4 % of the subjects were underweight, 30.2 % were overweight and 17 % were obese. In contrast, 2.52 % of the participants had a blood pressure above the normal cuts at rest according to the AHA, and 35.2 % had fasting glucose levels above 99 mg/dl. Conclusions: there is no significant evidence between prehensile strength and markers of cardiovascular risk in the young adult population.Introducción: las enfermedades cardio-vasculares (ECV) representan un conjunto de alteraciones que comprometen la función del corazón y los diferentes vasos sanguíneos que conforman el sistema cardiovascular. Objetivo: determinar la relación entre la fuerza prensil y los marcadores de riesgo cardiovascular en jóvenes universitarios. Métodos: estudio observacional, descriptivo y correlacional con 159 estudiantes universitarios aparentemente sanos >18 años de edad. Se identificaron variables socio-demográficas respecto al sexo y la edad. También se determinó peso, talla, circunferencia abdominal, cadera y la relación cintura/cadera, niveles de glucosa, ansiedad, depresión, tabaquismo, actividad física y niveles sedentarismo. Se aplicó el test de Ruffier Dickson teniendo en cuenta los valores de frecuencia cardiaca, disnea y fatiga percibida, pre y post test, y frecuencia cardiaca posterior a 1 minuto de finalizar el test. Resultados: participaron 159 participantes, (H:35,8% M: 64,2%), donde se personas, de las que el 33,33 % de los hombres y el 50,98 % de las mujeres tienen un perímetro abdominal de alto riesgo y el 64,91 % de hombres y 95,09 % de mujeres una circunferencia de cadera de alto riesgo. Por otro lado, el estado nutricional indica que el 4,4 % de los sujetos tenía infrapeso, 30,2 % sobrepeso y 17 % obesidad. En contraste, un 2,52 % de los participantes tuvieron una presión arterial por encima de los cortes normales en estado de reposo según la AHA, y 35,2 % tuvieron niveles de glucosa en ayunas por encima de 99 mg/dl. Conclusión: no existe evidencia significativa entre la fuerza prensil y los marcadores de riesgo cardiovascular en población adulta joven

Contrasting signals from multiple markers illuminate population connectivity in a marine fish

Recent advances in molecular biology and bioinformatics have helped to unveil striking and previously unrecognized patterns of geographic genetic structure in marine populations. Largely driven by the pressing needs of fisheries management and conservation, studies on marine fish populations have played a pivotal role in testing the efficiency of a range of approaches to explore connectivity and dispersal at sea. Here, we employed nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers and parasitic infestations to examine the nature and patterns of population structure in a warm-temperate coastal marine teleost across major putative biogeographic barriers in the Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Atlantic Ocean. We detected deep genetic divergence between mitochondrial lineages, likely caused by dramatic climatic and geological transformations before and during the Pleistocene. Such long-diverged lineages later came into secondary contact and can now be found in sympatry. More importantly, microsatellite data revealed that these lineages, after millions of years of independent evolution, now interbreed extensively. By combining genetic and parasite data, we were able to identify at least five independent demographic units. While the different genetic and parasite-based methods produce notably contrasting signals and may complicate the reconstruction of connectivity dynamics, we show that by tailoring the correct interpretation to each of the descriptors used, it is possible to achieve a deeper understanding of the micro-evolutionary process and, consequently, resolve population structure

HLA-Driven Convergence of HIV-1 Viral Subtypes B and F Toward the Adaptation to Immune Responses in Human Populations

BACKGROUND: Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte (CTL) response drives the evolution of HIV-1 at a host-level by selecting HLA-restricted escape mutations. Dissecting the dynamics of these escape mutations at a population-level would help to understand how HLA-mediated selection drives the evolution of HIV-1. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We undertook a study of the dynamics of HIV-1 CTL-escape mutations by analyzing through statistical approaches and phylogenetic methods the viral gene gag sequenced in plasma samples collected between the years 1987 and 2006 from 302 drug-naive HIV-positive patients. By applying logistic regression models and after performing correction for multiple test, we identified 22 potential CTL-escape mutations (p-value<0.05; q-value<0.2); 10 of these associations were confirmed in samples biologically independent by a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte-Carlo method. Analyzing their prevalence back in time we found that escape mutations that are the consensus residue in samples collected after 2003 have actually significantly increased in time in one of either B or F subtype until becoming the most frequent residue, while dominating the other viral subtype. Their estimated prevalence in the viral subtype they did not dominate was lower than 30% for the majority of samples collected at the end of the 80's. In addition, when screening the entire viral region, we found that the 75% of positions significantly changing in time (p<0.05) were located within known CTL epitopes. CONCLUSIONS: Across HIV Gag protein, the rise of polymorphisms from independent origin during the last twenty years of epidemic in our setting was related to an association with an HLA allele. The fact that these mutations accumulated in one of either B or F subtypes have also dominated the other subtype shows how this selection might be causing a convergence of viral subtypes to variants which are more likely to evade the immune response of the population where they circulate

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Termite sensitivity to temperature affects global wood decay rates.

Deadwood is a large global carbon store with its store size partially determined by biotic decay. Microbial wood decay rates are known to respond to changing temperature and precipitation. Termites are also important decomposers in the tropics but are less well studied. An understanding of their climate sensitivities is needed to estimate climate change effects on wood carbon pools. Using data from 133 sites spanning six continents, we found that termite wood discovery and consumption were highly sensitive to temperature (with decay increasing >6.8 times per 10°C increase in temperature)-even more so than microbes. Termite decay effects were greatest in tropical seasonal forests, tropical savannas, and subtropical deserts. With tropicalization (i.e., warming shifts to tropical climates), termite wood decay will likely increase as termites access more of Earth's surface

Relación entre la fuerza prensil y los marcadores de riesgo cardiovascular en jóvenes universitarios

Introduction: cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent a set of alterations that compromise the function of the heart and the different blood vessels that make up the cardiovascular system. Objective: to determine the relationship between prehensile strength and markers of cardiovascular risk in university students. Methods: observational, descriptive and correlational study with 159 apparently healthy university students >18 years of age. Sociodemographic variables were identified with respect to sex and age. Also, we determined the weight, height, abdominal circumference, hip and waist/hip ratio, glucose levels, anxiety, depression, smoking, physical activity and sedentary levels. The Ruffier Dickson test was applied taking into account the values of heart rate, dyspnea and perceived fatigue, pre and post test, and heart rate after 1 minute after the end of the test. Results: this study was attended by 159 participants, (H:35.8% M:64.2%), where we can determine that 33.33 % of men and 50.98 % of women have a perimeter high risk abdominal and 64.91 % men and 95.09 % women a high risk hip circumference. On the other hand, the nutritional status indicates that 4.4 % of the subjects were underweight, 30.2 % were overweight and 17 % were obese. In contrast, 2.52 % of the participants had a blood pressure above the normal cuts at rest according to the AHA, and 35.2 % had fasting glucose levels above 99 mg/dl. Conclusions: there is no significant evidence between prehensile strength and markers of cardiovascular risk in the young adult population.Introducción: las enfermedades cardio-vasculares (ECV) representan un conjunto de alteraciones que comprometen la función del corazón y los diferentes vasos sanguíneos que conforman el sistema cardiovascular. Objetivo: determinar la relación entre la fuerza prensil y los marcadores de riesgo cardiovascular en jóvenes universitarios. Métodos: estudio observacional, descriptivo y correlacional con 159 estudiantes universitarios aparentemente sanos >18 años de edad. Se identificaron variables socio-demográficas respecto al sexo y la edad. También se determinó peso, talla, circunferencia abdominal, cadera y la relación cintura/cadera, niveles de glucosa, ansiedad, depresión, tabaquismo, actividad física y niveles sedentarismo. Se aplicó el test de Ruffier Dickson teniendo en cuenta los valores de frecuencia cardiaca, disnea y fatiga percibida, pre y post test, y frecuencia cardiaca posterior a 1 minuto de finalizar el test. Resultados: participaron 159 participantes, (H:35,8% M: 64,2%), donde se personas, de las que el 33,33 % de los hombres y el 50,98 % de las mujeres tienen un perímetro abdominal de alto riesgo y el 64,91 % de hombres y 95,09 % de mujeres una circunferencia de cadera de alto riesgo. Por otro lado, el estado nutricional indica que el 4,4 % de los sujetos tenía infrapeso, 30,2 % sobrepeso y 17 % obesidad. En contraste, un 2,52 % de los participantes tuvieron una presión arterial por encima de los cortes normales en estado de reposo según la AHA, y 35,2 % tuvieron niveles de glucosa en ayunas por encima de 99 mg/dl. Conclusión: no existe evidencia significativa entre la fuerza prensil y los marcadores de riesgo cardiovascular en población adulta joven

Assessment of plasma chitotriosidase activity, CCL18/PARC concentration and NP-C suspicion index in the diagnosis of Niemann-Pick disease type C : A prospective observational study

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C) is a rare, autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in either the NPC1 or NPC2 genes. The diagnosis of NP-C remains challenging due to the non-specific, heterogeneous nature of signs/symptoms. This study assessed the utility of plasma chitotriosidase (ChT) and Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 18 (CCL18)/pulmonary and activation-regulated chemokine (PARC) in conjunction with the NP-C suspicion index (NP-C SI) for guiding confirmatory laboratory testing in patients with suspected NP-C. In a prospective observational cohort study, incorporating a retrospective determination of NP-C SI scores, two different diagnostic approaches were applied in two separate groups of unrelated patients from 51 Spanish medical centers (n = 118 in both groups). From Jan 2010 to Apr 2012 (Period 1), patients with ≥2 clinical signs/symptoms of NP-C were considered 'suspected NP-C' cases, and NPC1/NPC2 sequencing, plasma chitotriosidase (ChT), CCL18/PARC and sphingomyelinase levels were assessed. Based on findings in Period 1, plasma ChT and CCL18/PARC, and NP-C SI prediction scores were determined in a second group of patients between May 2012 and Apr 2014 (Period 2), and NPC1 and NPC2 were sequenced only in those with elevated ChT and/or elevated CCL18/PARC and/or NP-C SI ≥70. Filipin staining and 7-ketocholesterol (7-KC) measurements were performed in all patients with NP-C gene mutations, where possible. In total across Periods 1 and 2, 10/236 (4%) patients had a confirmed diagnosis o NP-C based on gene sequencing (5/118 [4.2%] in each Period): all of these patients had two causal NPC1 mutations. Single mutant NPC1 alleles were detected in 8/236 (3%) patients, overall. Positive filipin staining results comprised three classical and five variant biochemical phenotypes. No NPC2 mutations were detected. All patients with NPC1 mutations had high ChT activity, high CCL18/PARC concentrations and/or NP-C SI scores ≥70. Plasma 7-KC was higher than control cut-off values in all patients with two NPC1 mutations, and in the majority of patients with single mutations. Family studies identified three further NP-C patients. This approach may be very useful for laboratories that do not have mass spectrometry facilities and therefore, they cannot use other NP-C biomarkers for diagnosis

Termite sensitivity to temperature affects global wood decay rates

Deadwood is a large global carbon store with its store size partially determined by biotic decay. Microbial wood decay rates are known to respond to changing temperature and precipitation. Termites are also important decomposers in the tropics but are less well studied. An understanding of their climate sensitivities is needed to estimate climate change effects on wood carbon pools. Using data from 133 sites spanning six continents, we found that termite wood discovery and consumption were highly sensitive to temperature (with decay increasing &gt;6.8 times per 10°C increase in temperature)—even more so than microbes. Termite decay effects were greatest in tropical seasonal forests, tropical savannas, and subtropical deserts. With tropicalization (i.e., warming shifts to tropical climates), termite wood decay will likely increase as termites access more of Earth’s surface.</p