Air-exposure behavior: a restricted or a common conduct among intertidal hermit crabs?

A new behavior related to shell care was recently reported for the intertidal hermit crab Clibanarius erythropus (Latreille, 1818) in the Gulf of Cádiz (southwestern Europe). It also has been observed in other species of the diogenid genera Clibanarius Dana, 1952, and Calcinus Dana, 1951, however, it has not been described as an active behavior. In the present study, intertidal hermit crabs from different species and localities were sampled to assess if air-exposure is a shell cleaning behavior restricted to some species of intertidal hermit crabs or if it is a more generalized behavior among species inhabiting intertidal habitats. The results revealed that air-exposure is an active behavior in species of Clibanarius and Calcinus, since we observed it also in Clibanarius albidigitus Nobili, 1901, and Calcinus obscurus Stimpson, 1859, from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, although not in other intertidal species studied by us. We found interspecific differences in tolerance to physical stress of emerged hermit crabs. This air-exposure tolerance can be interpreted as a physiological adaptation to desiccation stress and is also related to the shell type they inhabit. Also, we provide additional features and details of the air-exposure behavior, combining observations of the first description in 2015 with our new field observations.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR)UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de Biologí

Genomic phenotype of non-cultured pulmonary fibroblasts in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

AbstractActivated fibroblasts are the central effector cells of the progressive fibrotic process in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Characterizing the genomic phenotype of isolated fibroblasts is essential to understanding IPF pathogenesis. Comparing the genomic phenotype of non-cultured pulmonary fibroblasts from advanced IPF patients' and normal lungs revealed novel genes, biological processes and concomitant pathways previously unreported in IPF fibroblasts. We demonstrate altered expression in proteasomal constituents, ubiquitination-mediators, Wnt, apoptosis and vitamin metabolic pathways and cell cycle regulators, suggestive of loss of cellular homeostasis. Specifically, FBXO32, CXCL14, BDKRB1 and NMNAT1 were up-regulated, while RARA and CDKN2D were down-regulated. Paradoxically, pro-apoptotic inducers TNFSF10, BAX and CASP6 were also found to be increased. This comprehensive description of altered gene expression in isolated IPF fibroblasts underscores the complex biological processes characteristic of IPF and may provide a foundation for future research into this devastating disease