The chromosomal polymorphism of Drosophila subobscura: a microevolutionary weapon to monitor global change

The Palaearctic species Drosophila subobscura recently invaded the west coast of Chile and North America. This invasion helped to corroborate the adaptive value of the rich chromosomal polymorphism of the species, as the same clinal patterns than those observed in the original Palaearctic area were reproduced in the colonized areas in a relatively short period of time. The rapid response of this polymorphism to environmental conditions makes it a good candidate to measure the effect of the global rising of temperatures on the genetic composition of populations. Indeed, the long-term variation of this polymorphism shows a general increase in the frequency of those inversions typical of low latitudes, with a corresponding decrease of those typical of populations closer to the poles. Although the mechanisms underlying these changes are not well understood, the system remains a valid tool to monitor the genetic impact of global warming on natural populations. Heredity ( 2009) 103, 364-367; doi: 10.1038/hdy.2009.86; published online 29 July 200

Nuclear astrophysics with radioactive ions at FAIR

R. Reifarth et al: ; 12 págs.; 9 figs.; Open Access funded by Creative Commons Atribution Licence 3.0 ; Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics VI (NPA6)The nucleosynthesis of elements beyond iron is dominated by neutron captures in the s and r processes. However, 32 stable, proton-rich isotopes cannot be formed during those processes, because they are shielded from the s-process ow and r-process -decay chains. These nuclei are attributed to the p and rp process. For all those processes, current research in nuclear astrophysics addresses the need for more precise reaction data involving radioactive isotopes. Depending on the particular reaction, direct or inverse kinematics, forward or time-reversed direction are investigated to determine or at least to constrain the desired reaction cross sections. The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) will oer unique, unprecedented opportunities to investigate many of the important reactions. The high yield of radioactive isotopes, even far away from the valley of stability, allows the investigation of isotopes involved in processes as exotic as the r or rp processes.This project was supported by the HGF Young Investigators Project VH-NG-327, EMMI, H4F, HGS-HIRe, JINA, NAVI, DFG and ATHENA.Peer Reviewe

Snail1 factor behaves as a therapeutic target in renal fibrosis.

Kidney fibrosis is a devastating disease that leads to organ failure, and no specific treatment is available to preserve organ function. In fibrosis, myofibroblasts accumulate in the interstitium leading to massive deposition of extracellular matrix and organ disfunction. The origin of myofibroblasts is multiple and the contribution of renal epithelial cells after undergoing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is still debated. In a model unable to reactivate the EMT inducer Snail1 upon damage, we show that Snail1 is required in renal epithelial cells for the development of fibrosis. Damage-mediated Snail1 reactivation induces a partial EMT that relays fibrotic and inflammatory signals to the interstitium through the activation of TGF-β and NF-B pathways. Snail1-induced fibrosis can be reverted in vivo and inhibiting Snail1 in a model of obstructive nephropathy highly ameliorates fibrosis. These results reconcile conflicting data on the role of EMT in renal fibrosis and provide avenues for the design of antifibrotic therapies.pre-print8435 K

Remote sensing of lunar aureole with a sky camera: Adding information in the nocturnal retrieval of aerosol properties with GRASP code

The use of sky cameras for nocturnal aerosol characterization is discussed in this study. Two sky cameras are configured to take High Dynamic Range (HDR) images at Granada and Valladolid (Spain). Some properties of the cameras, like effective wavelengths, sky coordinates of each pixel and pixel sensitivity, are characterized. After that, normalized camera radiances at lunar almucantar points (up to 20° in azimuth from the Moon) are obtained at three effective wavelengths from the HDR images. These normalized radiances are compared in different case studies to simulations fed with AERONET aerosol information, giving satisfactory results. The obtained uncertainty of normalized camera radiances is around 10% at 533 nm and 608 nm and 14% for 469 nm. Normalized camera radiances and six spectral aerosol optical depth values (obtained from lunar photometry) are used as input in GRASP code (Generalized Retrieval of Aerosol and Surface Properties) to retrieve aerosol properties for a dust episode over Valladolid. The retrieved aerosol properties (refractive indices, fraction of spherical particles and size distribution parameters) are in agreement with the nearest diurnal AERONET products. The calculated GRASP retrieval at night time shows an increase in coarse mode concentration along the night, while fine mode properties remained constant.This work was supported by the Andalusia Regional Government (project P12-RNM-2409) and by the “Consejería de Educación, Junta de Castilla y León” (project VA100U14).Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and FEDER funds under the projects CGL2013-45410-R, CMT2015-66742-R, CGL2016-81092-R.“Juan de la Cierva-Formación” program (FJCI-2014-22052).European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme through project ACTRIS-2 (grant agreement No 654109)

Natural History of MYH7-Related Dilated Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: Variants in myosin heavy chain 7 (MYH7) are responsible for disease in 1% to 5% of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM); however, the clinical characteristics and natural history of MYH7-related DCM are poorly described. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the phenotype and prognosis of MYH7-related DCM. We also evaluated the influence of variant location on phenotypic expression. METHODS: We studied clinical data from 147 individuals with DCM-causing MYH7 variants (47.6% female; 35.6 ± 19.2 years) recruited from 29 international centers. RESULTS: At initial evaluation, 106 (72.1%) patients had DCM (left ventricular ejection fraction: 34.5% ± 11.7%). Median follow-up was 4.5 years (IQR: 1.7-8.0 years), and 23.7% of carriers who were initially phenotype-negative developed DCM. Phenotypic expression by 40 and 60 years was 46% and 88%, respectively, with 18 patients (16%) first diagnosed at <18 years of age. Thirty-six percent of patients with DCM met imaging criteria for LV noncompaction. During follow-up, 28% showed left ventricular reverse remodeling. Incidence of adverse cardiac events among patients with DCM at 5 years was 11.6%, with 5 (4.6%) deaths caused by end-stage heart failure (ESHF) and 5 patients (4.6%) requiring heart transplantation. The major ventricular arrhythmia rate was low (1.0% and 2.1% at 5 years in patients with DCM and in those with LVEF of ≤35%, respectively). ESHF and major ventricular arrhythmia were significantly lower compared with LMNA-related DCM and similar to DCM caused by TTN truncating variants. CONCLUSIONS: MYH7-related DCM is characterized by early age of onset, high phenotypic expression, low left ventricular reverse remodeling, and frequent progression to ESHF. Heart failure complications predominate over ventricular arrhythmias, which are rare

Nanoscale Analysis of the Structure and Composition of Biogenic Calcite Reveals the Biomineral Growth Pattern

The vast majority of calcium carbonate biocrystals differ from inorganic crystals in that they display a patent nanoroughness consisting of lumps of crystalline material (calcite/aragonite) surrounded by amorphous pellicles. Scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM-EELS) was used to map the calcite secreted by a barnacle chemically and structurally with ultrahigh resolution (down to 1 nm). The material is composed of irregular lumps of calcite (up to two hundred nm in diameter) surrounded by relatively continuous cortexes (up to 20 nm thick) of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) and/or nanocalcite plus biomolecules, with a surplus of calcium relative to carbonate. We develop a model by which the separation of the crystalline and amorphous phases takes place upon crystallization of the calcite from a precursor ACC. The organic biomolecules are expelled from the crystal lattice and concentrate in the form of pellicles, where they stabilize minor amounts of ACC/nanocalcite. In this way, we change the previously established conception of biomineral structure and growth.This research was funded by projects PID2020-116660GB-I00 of the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, B-RNM-265-UGR18 and P20-00207 of the Junta de Andalucía, the Unidad Científica de Excelencia UCE-PP2016-05 of the University of Granada (AGC, ABRN), and the Research Group RNM363 of the Junta de Andalucía (AGC). This work has been partly supported by the National Agency for Research under the Program of Future Investment TEMPOS CHROMATEM (Reference No. ANR-10-EQPX-50) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (Grant No. 823717, ESTEEM3).Peer reviewe

The nuclear receptor NOR-1 modulates redox homeostasis in human vascular smooth muscle cells

The nuclear receptor NOR-1 (Neuron-derived Orphan Receptor-1) has recently been involved in vascular remodeling and coronary artery disease, however, to date, only a few NOR-1 target genes have been described. We aimed to identify genes regulated by NOR-1 in human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Lentiviral overexpression of NOR-1 increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) in human VSMC. In accordance, NOR-1 strongly increased NADPH oxidase NOX1 mRNA and protein levels, while NOR-1 silencing significantly reduced NOX1 expression. Luciferase reporter, site-directed mutagenesis and EMSA studies identified two nerve growth factor-induced clone B (NGFI-B)-response elements (NBREs) in NOX1 promoter as essential elements for NOR-1 responsiveness. NOR-1 and NOX1 were co-expressed by VSMC in human atherosclerotic lesions, and NOX1 knockdown counteracted the increased ROS production and cell migration induced by NOR-1 overexpression. NOR-1 also modulated the expression of other enzymes involved in cellular redox status, in particular, upregulated superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) and SOD3 while downregulated SOD2 and NOX4. NOR-1 induced SOD1 and SOD3 transcriptional activity and participated in the modulation of SOD3 by inflammatory stimuli. By contrast, NOR-1 impaired SOD2 transcription antagonizing NFκB signaling. These results indicate that NOR-1 induces NOX1 in human VSMC and participates in the complex gene networks regulating oxidative stress and redox homeostasis in the vasculature.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) [grants SAF2015-64767-R to J.M.G, PI15/01016 to C.R. and SAF2016-80305P to A.B.G.D.] and Fundació La Marató TV3 (20152330) to J.M.G. The study was co-founded by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), a way to make Europe.Peer reviewe

In situ measurements of aerosol optical properties and number size distributions in a coastal region of Norway during the summer of 2008

Abstract. In situ measurements of aerosol optical properties and particle size distributions were made in the summer of 2008 at the ALOMAR station facility (69◦160 N, 16◦ 000 E), located in a rural site in the north of the island of Andøya (Vesterålen archipelago), approximately 300 km north of the Arctic Circle. The extended three-month campaign was part of the POLARCAT Project (Polar Study using Aircraft, Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements and Models, of Climate, Chemistry, Aerosols, and Transport) of the International Polar Year (IPY-2007-2008). Our goal was to characterize the aerosols of this sub-Arctic area, which are frequently transported to the Arctic region. Data from 13 June to 26 August 2008 were available and the statistical data for all instruments were calculated based on the hourly averages. The overall data coverage was approximately 72 %. The hourly mean values of the light-scattering coefficient, σs , and the light-absorption coefficient, σa, at 550 nm were 5.41 Mm−1 (StD = 3.55 Mm−1 ) and 0.40 Mm−1 (StD = 0.27 Mm−1 ), respectively. The scattering/absorption Ångström exponents, αs,a , were used in a detailed analysis of the variations of the spectral shape of σs,a. While αs indicates the presence of two particle sizes corresponding to two types of aerosols, αa indicates only one type of absorbing aerosol particle. αa values greater than 1 were not observed. The single-scattering albedo, ω0 , ranged from 0.62 to 0.99 (mean = 0.91, StD = 0.05), and the relationships between this parameter and the absorption/scattering coefficients and the Ångström exponents are presented. Any absorption value may lead to the lowest values of ω0 , whereas only the lowest scattering values were observed in the lowest range of ω0 . For a given absorption value, lower ω0 were observed for smaller αs. The submicrometer, micrometer and total concentrations of the particles presented hourly mean values of 1277 cm−3 (StD = 1563 cm−3), 1 cm−3 (StD = 1 cm−3) and 2463 cm−3 (StD = 4251 cm−3), respectively, and the modal correlations were also investigated. The optical and microphysical parameters, as well as their relationship with each other, are reported. σs correlated strongly with the number concentration of accumulation mode particles and more strongly with the micrometer fraction of particles, but weak correlations were observed for the Aitken and nucleation modes. The origins and pathways of the air masses were examined, and based on sector classification, a relationship between the air mass origin, the optical parameters and the size distributions was established. The low values of the optical and microphysical parameters indicate that the predominant regional aerosol is mostly clean and the shape of the size distribution is characterized by bimodal median size distributions. However, the relationships between the air mass origins and the parameters studied allow us to describe two characteristic situations: the one of the northern and western air masses, which were predominantly composed of marine aerosols and presented the lowest optical and microphysical values observed, indicating predominantly non-absorbent and coarser particles; and the one of the eastern and southern air masses, in which continental aerosols were predominant and exhibited higher values for all parameters, indicating the presence of smaller absorbent particles. The north-northeastern air masses presented the strongest Aitken mode, indicating more recently formed particles, and the southeastern air masses presented the strongest accumulation mode (however, the southeastern air masses were the least common, accounting for only 3 % of occurrences).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio