Differential gene expression signatures for cell wall integrity found in chitin synthase II (chs2Δ) and myosin II (myo1Δ) deficient cytokinesis mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Myosin II-dependent contraction of the cytokinetic ring and primary septum formation by chitin synthase II are interdependent processes during cytokinesis in <it>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</it>. Hence, null mutants of myosin II <it>(myo1</it>Δ<it>) </it>and chitin synthase II <it>(chs2</it>Δ<it>) </it>share multiple morphological and molecular phenotypes. To understand the nature of their interdependent functions, we will seek to identify genes undergoing transcriptional regulation in <it>chs2</it>Δ strains and to establish a transcription signature profile for comparison with <it>myo1</it>Δ strains.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 467 genes were commonly regulated between <it>myo1Δ </it>and <it>chs2Δ </it>mutant strains (p ≤ 0.01). Common regulated biological process categories identified by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) in both gene expression profiles were: protein biosynthesis, RNA processing, and stress response. Expression of 17/20 genes in the main transcriptional fingerprint for cell wall stress was confirmed in the <it>chs2Δ </it>strain versus 5/20 for the <it>myo1Δ </it>strain. One of these genes, <it>SLT2/MPK1</it>, was up-regulated in both strains and both strains accumulated the hyperphosphorylated form of Slt2p thereby confirming that the <it>PKC1 </it>cell wall integrity pathway (CWIP) was activated by both mutations. The <it>SLT2/MPK1 </it>gene, essential for <it>myo1Δ </it>strains, was not required in the <it>chs2Δ </it>strain.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Comparison of the <it>chs2Δ </it>and <it>myo1</it>Δ gene expression profiles revealed similarities in the biological process categories that respond to the <it>chs2Δ </it>and <it>myo1</it>Δ gene mutations. This supports the view that these mutations affect a common function in cytokinesis. Despite their similarities, these mutants exhibited significant differences in expression of the main transcriptional fingerprint for cell wall stress and their requirement of the CWIP for survival.</p

Validation of microsatellite markers for cytotype discrimination in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon

Brachypodium distachyon (2n = 2x = 10) is a small annual grass species where the existence of three different cytotypes (10, 20 and 30 chromosomes) has long been regarded as a case of autopolyploid series, with x = 5. However, it has been demonstrated that the cytotypes assumed to be polyploids represent two separate Brachypodium species recently named as B. stacei (2n = 2x = 20) and B. hybridum (2n = 4x = 30). The aim of this study was to find a PCR-based alternative approach that could replace standard cytotyping methods (i. e., chromosome counting and flow cytometry) to characterize each of the three Brachypodium species. We have analyzed with four microsatellite (SSR) markers eighty-three Brachypodium distachyon-type lines from varied locations in Spain, including the Balearic and Canary Islands. Within this set of lines, 64, 4 and 15 had 10, 20 and 30 chromosomes, respectively. The surveyed markers produced cytotype-specific SSR profiles. So, a single amplification product was generated in the diploid samples, with non-overlapping allelic ranges between the 2n = 10 and 2n = 20 cytotypes, whereas two bands, one in the size range of each of the diploid cytotypes, were amplified in the 2n = 30 lines. Furthermore, the remarkable size difference obtained with the SSR ALB165 allowed the identification of the Brachypodium species by simple agarose gel electrophoresis

Intercalation and dynamics of hydrated Fe2+ in the vermiculites from Santa Olalla and Ojén

Although the intercalation of Fe3+ into layered phyllosicilicates-especially into smectites-attracted much attention in the past two decades, the information about Fe2+ loaded phyllosilicates is sparse. Here we present an investigation of the Fe2+ exchanged vermiculites from Santa Olalla and Ojén (Andalusia, Spain) by means of Mössbauer spectroscopy. The room temperature Mössbauer spectra are very similar to those of the starting compounds (Na forms) except for a decrease of the contribution of structural Fe3+ and a concomitant increase of the contribution of Fe2+ sites, indicating an internal redox process. The extent of this redox reaction is different for the two vermiculites. Thus, the intercalated Fe2+ acts as an electron mediator from the external medium to the structural Fe3+ ions. A new component attributable to intercalated Fe2+ is practically invisible in the room temperature Mössbauer spectra, but increases strongly and continuously during cooling to 4.2 K, where it is the dominant feature of the Mössbauer patterns. At 4.2 K, its quadruple splitting amounts to 3.31 mm/s, which is in excellent agreement with the quadrupole slitting of Fe2+ coordinated to six water molecules in a highly symmetric octahedral arrangement. The strong decrease of the Mössbauer-Lamb factor of this component with increasing temperature indicates a weak bonding of the Fe 2+ in the interlayer space

A Practical Environment to Apply Model-Driven Web Engineering

The application of a model-driven paradigm in the development of Web Systems has yielded very good research results. Several research groups are defining metamodels, transformations, and tools which offer a suitable environment, known as model-driven Web engineering (MDWE). However, there are very few practical experiences in real Web system developments using real development teams. This chapter presents a practical environment of MDWE based on the use of NDT (navigational development techniques) and Java Web systems, and it provides a practical evaluation of its application within a real project: specialized Diraya.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TIN2007-67843-C06-03Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TIN2007-30391-

Transient Propagation and Scattering of Quasi-Rayleigh Waves in Plates: Quantitative comparison between Pulsed TV-Holography Measurements and FC(Gram) elastodynamic simulations

We study the scattering of transient, high-frequency, narrow-band quasi-Rayleigh elastic waves by through-thickness holes in aluminum plates, in the framework of ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT) based on full-field optical detection. Sequences of the instantaneous two-dimensional (2-D) out-of-plane displacement scattering maps are measured with a self-developed PTVH system. The corresponding simulated sequences are obtained by means of an FC(Gram) elastodynamic solver introduced recently, which implements a full three-dimensional (3D) vector formulation of the direct linear-elasticity scattering problem. A detailed quantitative comparison between these experimental and numerical sequences, which is presented here for the first time, shows very good agreement both in the amplitude and the phase of the acoustic field in the forward, lateral and backscattering areas. It is thus suggested that the combination of the PTVH system and the FC(Gram) elastodynamic solver provides an effective ultrasonic inspection tool for plate-like structures, with a significant potential for ultrasonic NDT applications.Comment: 46 pages, 16 figures, corresponding author Jos\'e Carlos L\'opez-V\'azquez, [email protected]. Changes: 1st, 4th, 5th paragraphs (intro), 3rd, 4th paragraphs (sec. 4); [59-60] cited only in appendixes; old ref. [52] removed; misprints corrected in the uncertainty of c_L (subsec. 3.1), citation to fig. 10 (sec. 4), size of images (caption fig.15); reference to Lam\'e constants removed in subsec. 3.

Economy and Environmental Problems in the Mexican Coastal States

A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) for environmental and economic variables was performed for 17 Mexican coastal states. The ordination method allowed us to identify three groups, namely hydroelectric energy generation (I), pollution (II) and harbours (III), which were associated to different human activities. Furthermore, CCA is efficient to help us generate hypotheses for future research. It is therefore advised that CCA should be used for routine analyses into economics.Coastal States of Mexico, Canonical Correspondence Analysis, Diversity Index, Economic Development, Environmental Variables.

Influencia de la temperatura en la floración de "quercus" en el Sur de Galicia: Ourense y Vigo, 1994-98

Influencia de la temnperatura en la floración de Quercus en el sur de Galica (Ourense y Vigo, 1994-98). Los requerimientos necesarios para que las plantas sobrevivan a condiciones climáticas adversas son satisfechos mediante el uso de adaptaciones fisiológicas. Así, las plantas leñosas de la zona templada, para prevenir el congelamiento del agua intracelular, ralentizan su crecimiento hasta casi paralizarlo, entrando en un estado fisiológico denominado "dormancia". Muchos autores indican que el final de la fase de dormancia requiere un período de bajas temperaturas seguido de otro con temperaturas más altas. En el momento en el que los acúmulos de frío y de calor son completados, se produce la floración. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer la influencia que un parámetro climático como la temperatura ejerce sobre Quercus en el sur de Galicia, para poder predecir el inicio del período de dormancia, su duración y los consecuentes requerimientos de frío y calor, para que la floración tenga lugar. En este sentido hemos elegido dos zonas con parámetros de temperatura diferentes: una zona con temperaturas suaves, Vigo y otra con temperaturas mas frías, Ourense. El monitorizaje ha sido llevado a cabo mediante el uso de un captador volumétrico tipo Hirst LANZONI VPPS 2000, de recambio semanal. Quercus comienza su período de polinación en el mes de marzo, se inicia durante la primera quincena en Vigo, y unos pocos días más tarde se produce en Ourense. Durante los cuatro años de estudio, para superar el periodo de dormancia Ourense necesitó una media de 778 unidades de frío (Chilling Hours) y Vigo un menor requerimiento con solamente 458 CH. En el caso del acúmulo de calor, Ourense presenta el menor requerimiento con una media de 352 GDD (Growth Degree Days) y Vigo alrededor de 450 GDD

Web Page Retrieval by Combining Evidence

The participation of the REINA Research Group in WebCLEF 2005 focused in the monolingual mixed task. Queries or topics are of two types: named and home pages. For both, we first perform a search by thematic contents; for the same query, we do a search in several elements of information from every page (title, some meta tags, anchor text) and then we combine the results. For queries about home pages, we try to detect using a method based in some keywords and their patterns of use. After, a re-rank of the results of the thematic contents retrieval is performed, based on Page-Rank and Centrality coeficients

CCS and NH_3 Emission Associated with Low-Mass Young Stellar Objects

In this work we present a sensitive and systematic single-dish survey of CCS emission (complemented with ammonia observations) at 1 cm, toward a sample of low- and intermediate-mass young star-forming regions known to harbor water maser emission, made with NASA's 70 m antenna at Robledo de Chavela, Spain. Out of the 40 star-forming regions surveyed in the CCS (2_(1)-1_(0)) line, only six low-mass sources show CCS emission: one transitional object between the prestellar and protostellar Class 0 phase (GF9-2), three Class 0 protostars (L1448-IRS3, L1448C, and B1-IRS), a Class I source (L1251A), and a young T Tauri star (NGC 2071 North). Since CCS is considered an "early-time" (≲10^5 yr) molecule, we explain these results by either proposing a revision of the classification of the age of NGC 2071 North and L1251A, or suggesting the possibility that the particular physical conditions and processes of each source affect the destruction/production of the CCS. No statistically significant relationship was found between the presence of CCS and parameters of the molecular outflows and their driving sources. Nevertheless, we found a significant relationship between the detectability of CCS and the ammonia peak intensity (higher in regions with CCS), but not with its integrated intensity. This tendency may suggest that the narrower ammonia line widths in the less turbulent medium associated with younger cores may compensate for the differences in ammonia peak intensity, rendering differences in integrated intensity negligible. From the CCS detection rate we derive a lifetime of this molecule of ≃(0.7-3) × 10^4 yr in low-mass star-forming regions