Wolbachia and Spiroplasma endosymbionts in the Anurida maritima (Collembola) species group

A large proportion of arthropods carry maternally-inherited endosymbiotic bacteria with which they have developed close relationships. Some of these endosymbionts are selfish genetic elements and manipulate their hosts’ reproduction to their own advantage, for example via cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) or male killing. Here we report that the sexually reproducing collembolan Anurida maritima carries two endosymbionts (Wolbachia and Spiroplasma) and provide genome sequences for both bacteria. Phylogenomic analyses indicate that the Wolbachia belong to the A supergroup and that the Spiroplasma are sister to the Citri-Chrysopicola-Mirum lineage. A. maritima is considered a species group and consists of at least two distinct genetic lineages. We show that both lineages carry both endosymbionts. No homologs of the Spiroplasma male-killing gene SpAID were observed within our datasets. Homologs of the male-killing associated wmk and the CI inducing cifA and cifB prophage genes were detected in the Wolbachia genome. Phylogenetic analyses placed the cif genes in the poorly characterised Type V clade. The cifA and cifB gene sequences of the two Anurida lineages are identical. It therefore seems unlikely that the genetic divergence within the species group stems from cifA and cifB induced CI. Laboratory controlled genetic crosses and sex ratio studies will be needed to reveal any potential effect of the two endosymbionts on A. maritima’s reproduction

Cranio-Cerebral Injuries in Victims of Fatal Road Traffic Accident: A 5 year Post-Mortem Study

Background:Victims of vehicular accident sustain different types of injuries, of which, head injury is considered as more fatal than injury to other systems. This study was carried out to know the incidence and pattern of cranio-cerebral injuries in victims of fatal vehicular accidents.Methods: Medico-legal autopsies conducted on victims of vehicular accidents from 01-01-2008 to 31-12-2012 at the Dept. of Forensic Medicine, Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India, were retrospectively analysed.Results:Deaths due to vehicular accidents constituted 69% of the total unnatural deaths. Cranio-cerebral injuries were present in 68.5% of victims of vehicular accident. Combination of skull fracture, intra-cranial haemorrhages and cerebral injury was seen in maximum number of victims (38.2%). If injuries are considered individually, most commonly observed injury was intracranial haemorrhage (90.7%), followed by skull fracture (78.9%). Subarachnoid haemorrhage was the commonest type of intracranial haemorrhage present (78.3%). In the skull vault, linear fracture was the commonest type (49%) and in the base, middle cranial fossa (68.3%) was the most commonly fractured fossa. Among the cerebral injuries, contusion of the brain tissue was the commonest injury seen. Frontal and temporal lobes were the most commonly injured parts of the cerebrum (65.8%).Conclusion:Most of the cranio-cerebral injuries cannot be treated successfully because of their anatomical configuration. But, morbidity and mortality due to vehicular accidents can be reduced by preventing the occurrence of accidents. Therefore, the old saying, “Prevention is better than cure” holds good even here

Designing Empathy Game: Case on Participatory Design Session with children within the Indian context

Empathy games are a promising yet new research avenue that explores how to design empathic game experiences that would help children to understand and address the emotions of other people. Research in this field was primarily done in the USA and there is a research gap in understanding how empathy game design can apply and differ from the contexts of other countries. Our study replicated a study earlier conducted in the USA, aiming to explore the dynamic of the PD process, and identify specifics and challenges for PD methodology related to empathy and game design in the Indian context. We conducted a series of participatory design (PD) sessions with 18 Indian children between 7 and 11 years old. This paper reports our preliminary findings, including the following: (1) it might be challenging for Indian children to discuss and design for empathy and emotions-related topics, (2) using the English language can be a barrier while working with Indian children of 8 years old and younger, (3) cultural context affects roles children play in the design process. This paper contributes insights on identifying areas for further methodological work in PD for the Indian context.Comment: 5 pages, IDC 202

The Structure of Isolated Synechococcus Strain WH8102 Carboxysomes as Revealed by Electron Cryotomography

Carboxysomes are organelle-like polyhedral bodies found in cyanobacteria and many chemoautotrophic bacteria that are thought to facilitate carbon fixation. Carboxysomes are bounded by a proteinaceous outer shell and filled with ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), the first enzyme in the CO_2 fixation pathway, but exactly how they enhance carbon fixation is unclear. Here we report the three-dimensional structure of purified carboxysomes from Synechococcus species strain WH8102 as revealed by electron cryotomography. We found that while the sizes of individual carboxysomes in this organism varied from 114 nm to 137 nm, surprisingly, all were approximately icosahedral. There were on average ~250 RuBisCOs per carboxysome, organized into three to four concentric layers. Some models of carboxysome function depend on specific contacts between individual RuBisCOs and the shell, but no evidence of such contacts was found: no systematic patterns of connecting densities or RuBisCO positions against the shell's presumed hexagonal lattice could be discerned, and simulations showed that packing forces alone could account for the layered organization of RuBisCOs

Impact of heat stress on expression pattern of nine rice heat shock factor genes and its traits related to tolerance

65-75Global warming is unusually increasing the earth temperature over the past century at an average rate of 0.07 per decade since 1880. The increased temperature exhibit greater impact on grain yield, approximately 5.18 million tons of rice yields due to heat wave. Heat shock factors (HSF) has major role in regulating heat shock proteins which in turn responsible for survival of plants in heat stress by refolding proteins, maintaining functional confirmation, aiding in host defence mechanism. The aim of this research was to analyse phenological, biochemical changes and key genes highly expressed during heat stress at flowering stage in rice. Expression analysis of nine HSF genes had given a differential expression under heat stress as compared to controlled traits. This study suggested OsHSP26.7 as most responsive gene under heat stress and rice line 159, RRF-127, GP-145-103 and Annada with heat tolerant adaptive mechanisms and better performance under high temperatures and was found to be in correlation with the estimated biochemical traits. This can be taken as a base for heat tolerance response of the crop, which may be useful for further validation studies of the candidate genes for heat tolerance in the rice as well as other crop plants

Inhibition of corrosion of mild steel in simulated oil well water by an aqueous extract of Andrographis paniculata

452-460An aqueous extract of Andrographis paniculata has been used as corrosion inhibitor, in controlling corrosion of mild steel in simulated oil well water (SOWW). Weight loss method reveals that 10 mL of the extract offers 94% inhibition efficiency to mild steel immersed in simulated oil well water (SOWW). The mechanistic aspects of corrosion inhibition have been investigated by electrochemical studies such as polarization study and AC impedance spectra. Polarisation study reveals that the inhibitor system controls the cathodic reaction predominantly as revealed by the shift of the corrosion potential to the cathodic side in presence of the inhibitor system. The corrosion protective nature of the inhibitor is confirmed by the increase in the linear polarization resistance value and decrease in the corrosion current value. The formation of a protective film on the metal surface is confirmed by the AC impedance spectra. This is confirmed by the fact that there is increase in charge transfer resistance value and decrease in double layer capacitance value. The adsorption of the inhibitor molecule obeys Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The protective film has been analyzed FTIR spectra. It confirms that the inhibitor has coordinated with ferrous ion the metal surface through the polar atoms of the inhibitor molecule. The surface morphology of the protective film has been investigated by SEM and AFM. It is observed that in presence of inhibitor the surface of the corroded metal becomes smoother. The Vickers hardness of the metal surface before experimentation and after experimentation has been measured. It is observed that the surface becomes harder in presence of inhibitor than in the absence of inhibitor under the influence of corrosive medium, namely simulated oil well water. The findings have potential application in petroleum industry. The inhibitor extract can be added along with the simulated oil well water in the pipelines made of mild steel

How are the ready and unready states of nickel-iron hydrogenase activated by H 2 ? A density functional theory studyw

We have explored possible mechanisms for the formation of the catalytically active Ni a -S state of the enzyme, nickel iron hydrogenase, from the Ni * r (ready) or Ni * u (unready) state, by reaction with H 2 , using density functional theory calculations with the BP86 functional in conjunction with a DZVP basis set. We find that for the reaction of the ready state, which is taken to have an -OH bridge, the rate determining step is the cleavage of H 2 at the Ni 3+ centre with a barrier of B15 kcal mol À1 . We take the unready state to have a -OOH bridge, and find that reaction with H 2 to form the Ni r -S state can proceed by two possible routes. One such path has a number of steps involving electron transfer, which is consistent with experiment, as is the calculated barrier of B19 kcal mol À1 . The alternative pathway, with a lower barrier, may not be rate determining. Overall, our predictions give barriers in line with experiment, and allow details of the mechanism to be explored which are inaccessible from experiment

Integrative analysis identifies key molecular signatures underlying neurodevelopmental deficits in fragile X syndrome

BACKGROUND: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by epigenetic silencing of FMR1 and loss of FMRP expression. Efforts to understand the molecular underpinnings of the disease have been largely performed in rodent or nonisogenic settings. A detailed examination of the impact of FMRP loss on cellular processes and neuronal properties in the context of isogenic human neurons remains lacking. METHODS: Using CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas9 to introduce indels in exon 3 of FMR1, we generated an isogenic human pluripotent stem cell model of FXS that shows complete loss of FMRP expression. We generated neuronal cultures and performed genome-wide transcriptome and proteome profiling followed by functional validation of key dysregulated processes. We further analyzed neurodevelopmental and neuronal properties, including neurite length and neuronal activity, using multielectrode arrays and patch clamp electrophysiology. RESULTS: We showed that the transcriptome and proteome profiles of isogenic FMRP-deficient neurons demonstrate perturbations in synaptic transmission, neuron differentiation, cell proliferation and ion transmembrane transporter activity pathways, and autism spectrum disorder-associated gene sets. We uncovered key deficits in FMRP-deficient cells demonstrating abnormal neural rosette formation and neural progenitor cell proliferation. We further showed that FMRP-deficient neurons exhibit a number of additional phenotypic abnormalities, including neurite outgrowth and branching deficits and impaired electrophysiological network activity. These FMRP-deficient related impairments have also been validated in additional FXS patient-derived human-induced pluripotent stem cell neural cells. CONCLUSIONS: Using isogenic human pluripotent stem cells as a model to investigate the pathophysiology of FXS in human neurons, we reveal key neural abnormalities arising from the loss of FMRP.Peer reviewe

Tracing the wider impacts of biomedical research: A literature search to develop a novel citation categorisation technique

There is an increasing need both to understand the translation of biomedical research into improved healthcare and to assess the range of wider impacts from health research such as improved health policies, health practices and healthcare. Conducting such assessments is complex and new methods are being sought. Our new approach involves several steps. First, we developed a qualitative citation analysis technique to apply to biomedical research in order to assess the contribution that individual papers made to further research. Second, using this method, we then proposed to trace the citations to the original research through a series of generations of citing papers. Third, we aimed eventually to assess the wider impacts of the various generations. This article describes our comprehensive literature search to inform the new technique. We searched various databases, specific bibliometrics journals and the bibliographies of key papers. After excluding irrelevant papers we reviewed those remaining for either general or specific details that could inform development of our new technique. Various characteristics of citations were identified that had been found to predict their importance to the citing paper including the citation’s location; number of citation occasions and whether the author(s) of the cited paper were named within the citing paper. We combined these objective characteristics with subjective approaches also identified from the literature search to develop a citation categorisation technique that would allow us to achieve the first of the steps above, i.e., being able routinely to assess the contribution that individual papers make to further research.Medical Research Council as part of the MRC-NIHR Methodology Research Programme, and Professor Martin Buxton