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One-year survey of a single Micronesian reef reveals extraordinarily rich diversity of Symbiodinium types in soritid foraminifera
Recent molecular studies of symbiotic dinoflagellates (genus Symbiodinium) from a wide array of invertebrate hosts have revealed exceptional fine-scale symbiont diversity whose distribution among hosts, regions and environments exhibits significant biogeographic, ecological and evolutionary patterns. Here, similar molecular approaches using the internal transcribed spacer-2 (ITS-2) region were applied to investigate cryptic diversity in Symbiodinium inhabiting soritid foraminifera. Approximately 1,000 soritid specimens were collected and examined during a 12-month period over a 40m depth gradient from a single reef in Guam, Micronesia. Out of 61 ITS-2 types distinguished, 46 were novel. Most types found are specific for soritid hosts, except for three types (C1, C15 and C19) that are common in metazoan hosts. The distribution of these symbionts was compared with the phylotype of their foraminiferal hosts, based on soritid small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences, and three new phylotypes of soritid hosts were identified based on these sequences. Phylogenetic analyses of 645 host-symbiont pairings revealed that most Symbiodinium types associated specifically with a particular foraminiferal host genus or species, and that the genetic diversity of these symbiont types was positively correlated with the genetic diversity found within each of the three host genera. Compared to previous molecular studies of Symbiodinium from other locations worldwide, the diversity reported here is exceptional and suggests that Micronesian coral reefs are home to a remarkably large Symbiodinium assemblag
Generalist dinoflagellate endosymbionts and host genotype diversity detected from mesophotic (67-100 m depths) coral Leptoseris
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mesophotic corals (light-dependent corals in the deepest half of the photic zone at depths of 30 - 150 m) provide a unique opportunity to study the limits of the interactions between corals and endosymbiotic dinoflagellates in the genus <it>Symbiodinium</it>. We sampled <it>Leptoseris </it>spp. in Hawaii via manned submersibles across a depth range of 67 - 100 m. Both the host and <it>Symbiodinium </it>communities were genotyped, using a non-coding region of the mitochondrial ND5 intron (NAD5) and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2), respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Coral colonies harbored endosymbiotic communities dominated by previously identified shallow water <it>Symbiodinium </it>ITS2 types (C1_ AF333515, C1c_ AY239364, C27_ AY239379, and C1b_ AY239363) and exhibited genetic variability at mitochondrial NAD5.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is one of the first studies to examine genetic diversity in corals and their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates sampled at the limits of the depth and light gradients for hermatypic corals. The results reveal that these corals associate with generalist endosymbiont types commonly found in shallow water corals and implies that the composition of the <it>Symbiodinium </it>community (based on ITS2) alone is not responsible for the dominance and broad depth distribution of <it>Leptoseris </it>spp. The level of genetic diversity detected in the coral NAD5 suggests that there is undescribed taxonomic diversity in the genus <it>Leptoseris </it>from Hawaii.</p
Rendimiento de la canal y ganancia de peso en vacas de descarte con inducciĂłn del anestro por vĂas quirĂșrgica versus mecĂĄnica
Orquera, M.L.; Pochon, D.O.; Flores, S.; Konrad, J.L.; Crudeli, G.A.: Rendimiento de la canal y ganancia de peso en vacas de descarte con inducciĂłn de anestro por vĂas quirĂșrgica versus mecĂĄnica.
Rev. vet. 22: 1, 64â67, 2011.
Palabras clave: vaca descarte, dispositivo intrauterino, castraciĂłn quirĂșrgica, ganancia de peso, performance de canal
AcciĂłn tĂłxica del tetratiomolibdato de amonio sobre el tejido testicular en ratas
La acciĂłn tĂłxica del molibdeno, por sĂ mismo o por su interacciĂłn con el metabolismo del cobre, podrĂa ocasionar trastornos sobre diversos tejidos. Con el fin de provocar una deficiencia secundaria de cobre, se procediĂł al agregado de tetratiomolibdato de amonio (TTMo) en la dieta de ratas, para evaluar sus efectos sobre la funciĂłn reproductiva. En rumiantes, la toxicidad del Mo es provocada por la formaciĂłn de tetratiomolibdatos por la microflora ruminal. Con este producto sintetizado in vitro, se pudo reproducir la enfermedad en ratas que, como el resto de los monogĂĄstricos, son particularmente resistentes a la intoxicaciĂłn natural del Mo por carecer del ambiente digestivo adecuado para dicha transformaciĂłn. Para lograr el objetivo propuesto, se valorĂł la respuesta de la testosterona tras el estĂmulo de gonadorrelinas (GnRH) y mediante estudios anatomohistopatolĂłgicos se determinĂł la integridad estructural del tejido testicular. Se utilizaron 40 ratas de sexo macho de la cepa Wistar, de 3 meses de edad; los grupos tratados recibieron durante 120 dĂas dosis de 3 mg de TTMo/100 ml de agua de bebida. En este ensayo de molibdenosis experimental se logrĂł una sintomatologĂa clĂnica y bioquĂmica compatible con una deficiencia secundaria de cobre. Las diferencias entre grupos tratados y testigos en la respuesta de testosterona despuĂ©s de la inyecciĂłn de GnRH, fueron significativas, indicando una funciĂłn endocrina comprometida. Los ejemplares tratados revelaron disminuciĂłn del tamaño testicular, tĂșbulos seminĂferos con fenĂłmenos degenerativos del epitelio germinal, necrosis y desapariciĂłn de espermĂĄtides y espermatozoides. Algunos testĂculos presentaban Ășnicamente espermatogonias y cĂ©lulas de Sertoli con fenĂłmenos de vacuolizaciĂłn citoplasmĂĄtica, picnosis nuclear ycĂ©lulas gigantes fagocĂticas multinucleadas. Las lesiones en el tejido intersticial se caracterizaron por fibrosis leve y depleciĂłn de cĂ©lulas intersticiales de Leydig
Identifying and Characterizing Alternative Molecular Markers for the Symbiotic and Free-Living Dinoflagellate Genus Symbiodinium
Dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium are best known as endosymbionts of corals and other invertebrate as well as protist hosts, but also exist free-living in coastal environments. Despite their importance in marine ecosystems, less than 10 loci have been used to explore phylogenetic relationships in this group, and only the multi-copy nuclear ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) regions 1 and 2 have been used to characterize fine-scale genetic diversity within the nine clades (AâI) that comprise the genus. Here, we describe a three-step molecular approach focused on 1) identifying new candidate genes for phylogenetic analysis of Symbiodinium spp., 2) characterizing the phylogenetic relationship of these candidate genes from DNA samples spanning eight Symbiodinium clades (AâH), and 3) conducting in-depth phylogenetic analyses of candidate genes displaying genetic divergences equal or higher than those within the ITS-2 of Symbiodinium clade C. To this end, we used bioinformatics tools and reciprocal comparisons to identify homologous genes from 55,551 cDNA sequences representing two Symbiodinium and six additional dinoflagellate EST libraries. Of the 84 candidate genes identified, 7 Symbiodinium genes (elf2, coI, coIII, cob, calmodulin, rad24, and actin) were characterized by sequencing 23 DNA samples spanning eight Symbiodinium clades (AâH). Four genes displaying higher rates of genetic divergences than ITS-2 within clade C were selected for in-depth phylogenetic analyses, which revealed that calmodulin has limited taxonomic utility but that coI, rad24, and actin behave predictably with respect to Symbiodinium lineage C and are potential candidates as new markers for this group. The approach for targeting candidate genes described here can serve as a model for future studies aimed at identifying and testing new phylogenetically informative genes for taxa where transcriptomic and genomics data are available
From Parent to Gamete: Vertical Transmission of Symbiodinium (Dinophyceae) ITS2 Sequence Assemblages in the Reef Building Coral Montipora capitata
Parental effects are ubiquitous in nature and in many organisms play a particularly critical role in the transfer of symbionts across generations; however, their influence and relative importance in the marine environment has rarely been considered. Coral reefs are biologically diverse and productive marine ecosystems, whose success is framed by symbiosis between reef-building corals and unicellular dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium. Many corals produce aposymbiotic larvae that are infected by Symbiodinium from the environment (horizontal transmission), which allows for the acquisition of new endosymbionts (different from their parents) each generation. In the remaining species, Symbiodinium are transmitted directly from parent to offspring via eggs (vertical transmission), a mechanism that perpetuates the relationship between some or all of the Symbiodinium diversity found in the parent through multiple generations. Here we examine vertical transmission in the Hawaiian coral Montipora capitata by comparing the Symbiodinium ITS2 sequence assemblages in parent colonies and the eggs they produce. Parental effects on sequence assemblages in eggs are explored in the context of the coral genotype, colony morphology, and the environment of parent colonies. Our results indicate that ITS2 sequence assemblages in eggs are generally similar to their parents, and patterns in parental assemblages are different, and reflect environmental conditions, but not colony morphology or coral genotype. We conclude that eggs released by parent colonies during mass spawning events are seeded with different ITS2 sequence assemblages, which encompass phylogenetic variability that may have profound implications for the development, settlement and survival of coral offspring
Influencia de la raza, estaciĂłn del año y etapa de lactaciĂłn sobre el contenido mineral de leche de bĂșfalas
El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la composiciĂłn mineral de la leche de bĂșfala producida en la Provincia de Corrientes, Argentina, asĂ como investigar variaciones atribuibles al estadio de lactaciĂłn, Ă©poca del año y raza. Se trabajĂł con leche de 25 bĂșfalas de razas Murrah, MediterrĂĄnea, Jafarabadi y mestizas Âœ Murrah x Âœ MediterrĂĄnea, de segunda a sĂ©ptima lactaciĂłn, durante 19 meses, totalizando 105 muestras. Los animales pertenecĂan a un tambo localizado en una regiĂłn de clima subtropical hĂșmedo, con precipitaciones anuales de 1.690 mm y temperatura media anual de 22°C. Se obtuvieron valores medios para Ca (1,12 ± 0,40 g.kgâ1), P (0,99 ± 0,32 g.kgâ1), Mg (0,08 ± 0,02 g.kgâ1), K (0,92 ± 0,25 g.kgâ1), Na (0,35 ± 0,11 g.kgâ1), Cu (0,35 ± 0,16 mg.kgâ1), Mn (0,27 ± 0,10 mg.kgâ1), Zn (4,10 ± 1,40 mg.kgâ1) y Fe (1,61 ± 0,61 mg.kgâ1). Estos parĂĄmetros no revelaron diferencias significativas atribuibles a la raza de los animales con excepciĂłn del Mg. La Ă©poca del año afectĂł la composiciĂłn de los minerales, con excepciĂłn de Mg y Zn. Las etapas de lactaciĂłn influenciaron sobre los valores de Ca, P, K y Cu. Los resultados obtenidos indican que el contenido mineral en leche de bĂșfalas resulta considerablemente influenciado por factores regionales
Variation in Symbiodinium ITS2 Sequence Assemblages among Coral Colonies
Endosymbiotic dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium are
fundamentally important to the biology of scleractinian corals, as well as to a
variety of other marine organisms. The genus Symbiodinium is
genetically and functionally diverse and the taxonomic nature of the union
between Symbiodinium and corals is implicated as a key trait
determining the environmental tolerance of the symbiosis. Surprisingly, the
question of how Symbiodinium diversity partitions within a
species across spatial scales of meters to kilometers has received little
attention, but is important to understanding the intrinsic biological scope of a
given coral population and adaptations to the local environment. Here we address
this gap by describing the Symbiodinium ITS2 sequence
assemblages recovered from colonies of the reef building coral Montipora
capitata sampled across KÄne'ohe Bay, Hawai'i. A
total of 52 corals were sampled in a nested design of Coral Colony(Site(Region))
reflecting spatial scales of meters to kilometers. A diversity of
Symbiodinium ITS2 sequences was recovered with the majority
of variance partitioning at the level of the Coral Colony. To confirm this
result, the Symbiodinium ITS2 sequence diversity in six
M. capitata colonies were analyzed in much greater depth
with 35 to 55 clones per colony. The ITS2 sequences and quantitative composition
recovered from these colonies varied significantly, indicating that each coral
hosted a different assemblage of Symbiodinium. The diversity of
Symbiodinium ITS2 sequence assemblages retrieved from
individual colonies of M. capitata here highlights the problems
inherent in interpreting multi-copy and intra-genomically variable molecular
markers, and serves as a context for discussing the utility and biological
relevance of assigning species names based on Symbiodinium ITS2
genotyping
The plant specific CDKB1-CYCB1 complex mediates homologous recombination repair in Arabidopsis
Upon DNA damage, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are typically inhibited to block cell division. In many organisms, however, it has been found that CDK activity is required for DNA repair, especially for homology-dependent repair (HR), resulting in the conundrum how mitotic arrest and repair can be reconciled. Here, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana solves this dilemma by a division of labor strategy. We identify the plant-specific B1-type CDKs (CDKB1s) and the class of B1-type cyclins (CYCB1s) as major regulators of HR in plants. We find that RADIATION SENSITIVE 51 (RAD51), a core mediator of HR, is a substrate of CDKB1-CYCB1 complexes. Conversely, mutants in CDKB1 and CYCB1 fail to recruit RAD51 to damaged DNA. CYCB1; 1 is specifically activated after DNA damage and we show that this activation is directly controlled by SUPPRESSOR OF GAMMA RESPONSE 1 (SOG1), a transcription factor that acts similarly to p53 in animals. Thus, while the major mitotic cell-cycle activity is blocked after DNA damage, CDKB1-CYCB1 complexes are specifically activated to mediate HR
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