Notch-mediated expansion of human cord blood progenitor cells capable of rapid myeloid reconstitution

Delayed myeloid engraftment after cord blood transplantation (CBT) is thought to result from inadequate numbers of progenitor cells in the graft and is associated with increased early transplant–related morbidity and mortality. New culture strategies that increase the number of cord blood progenitors capable of rapid myeloid engraftment after CBT would allow more widespread use of this stem cell source for transplantation. Here we report the development of a clinically relevant Notch-mediated ex vivo expansion system for human CD34+ cord blood progenitors that results in a marked increase in the absolute number of stem/progenitor cells, including those capable of enhanced repopulation in the marrow of immunodeficient nonobese diabetic–severe combined immunodeficient (NOD-SCID) mice. Furthermore, when cord blood progenitors expanded ex vivo in the presence of Notch ligand were infused in a clinical setting after a myeloablative preparative regimen for stem cell transplantation, the time to neutrophil recovery was substantially shortened. To our knowledge, this is the first instance of rapid engraftment derived from ex vivo expanded stem/progenitor cells in humans

Evolutionary Consequences of Altered Atmospheric Oxygen in Drosophila melanogaster

Twelve replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster, all derived from a common ancestor, were independently evolved for 34+ generations in one of three treatment environments of varying PO2: hypoxia (5.0–10.1 kPa), normoxia (21.3 kPa), and hyperoxia (40.5 kPa). Several traits related to whole animal performance and metabolism were assayed at various stages via “common garden” and reciprocal transplant assays to directly compare evolved and acclimatory differences among treatments. Results clearly demonstrate the evolution of a greater tolerance to acute hypoxia in the hypoxia-evolved populations, consistent with adaptation to this environment. Greater hypoxia tolerance was associated with an increase in citrate synthase activity in fly homogenate when compared to normoxic (control) populations, suggesting an increase in mitochondrial volume density in these populations. In contrast, no direct evidence of increased performance of the hyperoxia-evolved populations was detected, although a significant decrease in the tolerance of these populations to acute hypoxia suggests a cost to adaptation to hyperoxia. Hyperoxia-evolved populations had lower productivity overall (i.e., across treatment environments) and there was no evidence that hypoxia or hyperoxia-evolved populations had greatest productivity or longevity in their respective treatment environments, suggesting that these assays failed to capture the components of fitness relevant to adaptation

Crayfish fossil burrows, a key tool for identification of terrestrial environments in tide-dominated sequence, Upper Eocene, Sirt Basin, Libya

International audienceThe majority of decapod crustaceans are defined as marine organisms. Crayfish are one of the relatively few known exceptions. They are freshwater-environment adapted decapods that build characteristically large, simple and branched cylindrical morphotype traces in fluvial plains. Their burrows bear lots of special features that make them different from other burrows. Consequently, the identification of true crayfish burrows in the sedimentary record is crucial for the interpretation of depositional environment. The studied interval (45 m thick, exposed in the Dur At Talah escarpment southern Sirt Basin; Fig. 1) represents a case-study which is previously believed to be purely tidal. In this interval, the identification of the crayfish burrows provides a reliable tool for distinguishing terrestrial environments. The crayfish burrows of Dur At Talah are characterized by dimensional, morphological, and especially behavioral aspects that combined, cannot be ascribed to another burrow makers. Essential criteria used to attribute these burrows to the crayfish include: Their length (the depth of penetration into the sed- iments), their regularly circular cross-sectional area, the presence of mid-way enlargement chamber along the burrow vertical axis, as well as the subtle preservation of the burrow chimney. More impor- tantly, these morphological features allow the recognition of some of the crayfish diagnostic behavioral habits. Most significant of these is the one deduced from the interaction of the burrow with the seasonal fluctuation of the paleo groundwater level. Supplementary indications that restrict the studied burrows to terrestrial organism include their occurrences within pedogenically altered strata that bear evident features of prolonged emersion. Of these features, mud cracks and burrows that are filled with conti- nental fossil are the clearest. Few horizons with termite fungus comb are also distinguishable. Although other burrows of the classically known thalassinoide morphotypes are common in the studied outcrop, this article focuses essentially on the relatively (several orders of magnitude) larger cylindrical mor- photypes. This study is based on comparing the field data concerning the studied burrows with those morphometrically similar modern and ancient documented cases