Biodiversity of Spongosorites coralliophaga (Stephens, 1915) on coral rubble at two contrasting cold-water coral reef settings

The authors would like to thank Bill Richardson (Master), the crew of the RRS James Cook, Will Handley and the Holland-I ROV team. We also thank all the specialists in taxonomy that provided important help with identification of species: Professor Paul Tyler (ophiuroids), Dr. Tammy Horton (amphipods), Dr. Graham Oliver (bivalves), Dr. Rob van Soest (sponges), Susan Chambers, Peter Garwood, Sue Hamilton, Raimundo Blanco Pérez (polychaetes). Also we would like to thank Val Johnston (University of Aberdeen) for her contribution to cruise preparations and John Polanski (University of Aberdeen) for his help onboard the RRS James Cook. Special thanks to Dr. Alexios P. Lolas (University of Thessaly, Greece) for all the artwork. Funding for the JC073 cruise was provided by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK Ocean Acidification (UKOA) research programme’s Benthic Consortium project (NE/H017305/1 to JMR). JMR acknowledges support from Heriot-Watt University’s Environment and Climate Change theme. GK was funded by a Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) Ph.D. scholarship.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

On the effects of acid pre-treatment on the elemental and isotopic composition of lightly- and heavily-calcified marine invertebrates

Open Access via Springer Compact AgreementPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Statistical Modeling of Variability in Sediment-Water Nutrient and Oxygen Fluxes

Acknowledgments Our thanks to the captain and crew of the research vessel “Temora,” and to our colleagues who have assisted with various aspects of the work at sea and in the laboratory, especially John Dunn and Steve Hay. Thanks also to Doug Webster for his help with the design and realization of the “falling head/constant head” system to measure sediment permeability. Funding This work was co-funded by the Marine Scotland—Science Laboratory Aberdeen, and University of Aberdeen, through the joint Fisheries Research Fund. In addition, the authors acknowledge the support of the MASTS pooling initiative (The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland) in the completion of this study. MASTS is funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Unravelling the versatile feeding and metabolic strategies of the cold-water ecosystem engineer Spongosorites coralliophaga (Stephens, 1915)

Thanks to Bill Richardson (Master) and the crew of the Royal Research Ship “James Cook” during the JC073 “Changing Oceans” expedition, Will Handley and the Holland-I ROV team. Also thanks to Dr Christina Mueller and Dr Evina Gontikaki for their guidance on experimental set-up and sample preparation for stable isotope analysis. Funding for the JC073 cruise was provided by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK Ocean Acidification (UKOA) research programme’s Benthic Consortium project (NE/H017305/1 to J Murray Roberts). Funding for the field work and analytical costs was provided by the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) (Biodiversity Grant to UW, 140 SF10003-10, Deep-Sea Forum Small Grant DSSG4 awarded to GK) and by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (awarded to DvO). GK was funded by a MASTS PhD scholarship. The ATLAS project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 678760 (ATLAS). This output reflects only the author’s views, and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. The funding sources had no involvement in study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, and in the decision to submit the article for publication. The authors would like to thank the two reviewers of the manuscript for their constructive comments.Peer reviewedPostprin

The trophic structure of Spongosorites coralliophaga-coral rubble communities at two northeast Atlantic cold water coral reefs

Funding for the JC073 cruise was provided by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK Ocean Acidification (UKOA) research programme’s Benthic Consortium project (NE/H017305/1 to J Murray Roberts). Funding for analytical costs and field work was provided by the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS) (Biodiversity Grant to Ursula FM Witte, 140 SF10003-10). Georgios Kazanidis was funded by a MASTS PhD scholarship.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effects of common haplotypes of the ileal sodium dependent bile acid transporter gene on the development of sporadic and familial colorectal cancer: A case control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The genetics of sporadic and non-syndromic familial colorectal cancer (CRC) is not well defined. However, genetic factors that promote the development of precursor lesions, i.e. adenomas, might also predispose to CRC. Recently, an association of colorectal adenoma with two variants (c.507C>T;p.L169L and c.511G>T;p.A171S) of the ileal sodium dependent bile acid transporter gene (<it>SLC10A2</it>) has been reported. Here, we reconstructed haplotypes of the <it>SLC10A2 </it>gene locus and tested for association with non-syndromic familial and sporadic CRC compared to 'hyper-normal' controls who displayed no colorectal polyps on screening colonoscopy.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We included 150 patients with sporadic CRC, 93 patients with familial CRC but exclusion of familial adenomatous polyposis and Lynch's syndrome, and 204 'hyper-normal' controls. Haplotype-tagging <it>SLC10A2 </it>gene variants were identified in the Hapmap database and genotyped using PCR-based 5' exonuclease assays with fluorescent dye-labelled probes. Haplotypes were reconstructed using the PHASE algorithm. Association testing was performed with both SNPs and reconstructed haplotypes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Minor allele frequencies of all <it>SLC10A2 </it>polymorphisms are within previously reported ranges, and no deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium are observed. However, we found no association with any of the <it>SLC10A2 </it>haplotypes with sporadic or familial CRC in our samples (all P values > 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Common variants of the <it>SLC10A2 </it>gene are not associated with sporadic or familial CRC. Hence, albeit this gene might be associated with early stages of colorectal neoplasia, it appears not to represent a major risk factor for progression to CRC.</p

Reduced parahippocampal and lateral temporal GABA(A)-[C-11]flumazenil binding in major depression: preliminary results

Purpose: Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been related to both a dysfunctional γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) system and to hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). Although GABA has been suggested to inhibit HPA axis activity, their relationship has never been studied at the level of the central GAB

Comparison of plasma input and reference tissue models for analysing [(11)C]flumazenil studies

A single-tissue compartment model with plasma input is the established method for analysing [(11)C]flumazenil ([(11)C]FMZ) studies. However, arterial cannulation and measurement of metabolites are time-consuming. Therefore, a reference tissue approach is appealing, but this approach has not been fully validated for [(11)C]FMZ. Dynamic [(11)C]FMZ positron emission tomography scans with arterial blood sampling were performed in nine drug-free depressive patients and eight healthy subjects. Regions of interest were defined on co-registered magnetic resonance imaging scans and projected onto dynamic [(11)C]FMZ images. Using a Hill-type metabolite function, single (1T) and reversible two-tissue (2T) compartmental models were compared. Simplified reference tissue model (SRTM) and full reference tissue model (FRTM) were investigated using both pons and (centrum semiovale) white matter as reference tissue. The 2T model provided the best fit in 59% of cases. Two-tissue V(T) values were on average 1.6% higher than 1T V(T) values. Owing to the higher rejection rate of 2T fits (7.3%), the 1T model was selected as plasma input method of choice. SRTM was superior to FRTM, irrespective whether pons or white matter was used as reference tissue. BP(ND) values obtained with SRTM correlated strongly with 1T V(T) (r=0.998 and 0.995 for pons and white matter, respectively). Use of white matter as reference tissue resulted in 5.5% rejected fits, primarily in areas with intermediate receptor density. No fits were rejected using pons as reference tissue. Pons produced 23% higher BP(ND) values than white matter. In conclusion, for most clinical studies, SRTM with pons as reference tissue can be used for quantifying [(11)C]FMZ bindin

The ArfGEF GBF-1 Is Required for ER Structure, Secretion and Endocytic Transport in C. elegans

Small GTPases of the Sar/Arf family are essential to generate transport containers that mediate communication between organelles of the secretory pathway. Guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEFs) activate the small GTPases and help their anchorage in the membrane. Thus, GEFs in a way temporally and spatially control Sar1/Arf1 GTPase activation. We investigated the role of the ArfGEF GBF-1 in C. elegans oocytes and intestinal epithelial cells. GBF-1 localizes to the cis-Golgi and is part of the t-ER-Golgi elements. GBF-1 is required for secretion and Golgi integrity. In addition, gbf-1(RNAi) causes the ER reticular structure to become dispersed, without destroying ER exit sites (ERES) because the ERES protein SEC-16 was still localized in distinct punctae at t-ER-Golgi units. Moreover, GBF-1 plays a role in receptor-mediated endocytosis in oocytes, without affecting recycling pathways. We find that both the yolk receptor RME-2 and the recycling endosome-associated RAB-11 localize similarly in control and gbf-1(RNAi) oocytes. While RAB5-positive early endosomes appear to be less prominent and the RAB-5 levels are reduced by gbf-1(RNAi) in the intestine, RAB-7-positive late endosomes were more abundant and formed aggregates and tubular structures. Our data suggest a role for GBF-1 in ER structure and endosomal traffic