Strategic environmental assessment: assessing the environmental impact of biotechnology

Poverty reduction, Agricultural research, Environmental protection, Genetically modified organisms, Crops, Agricultural biotechnology Research, Investments, Strategic Environmental Assessment,

Analysis for biotechnology innovations using Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA):

" Meeting the food needs of the world's growing population while reducing poverty and protecting the environment is a major global challenge. Genetically modified crops appear to provide a promising option to deal with this challenge. However there is a need to make strategic decisions on how to spend limited agricultural research funds in order to achieve a maximum impact with regard to finding sustainable solutions to end hunger and poverty. In international development institutions, there is growing interest in the potential use of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as part of a research based Environmental Management System (EMS) to promote mainstreaming of environmental considerations in policy development. SEA was developed as an approach to integrate environmental considerations at a policy level, where alternatives environmental policies can be evaluated. In this paper, we propose using SEA in a policy research and priority setting process regarding new technologies, taking the development of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) as an example. We propose that this method would be a useful tool for the international agricultural research centers of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), streamlining business processes, strengthening accountability, sharpening the research agenda it supports, fostering broader partnerships, and increasing the relevance and impact of CGIAR research in achieving international development goals. Currently international law requires only Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) of specific biotechnology projects. The incorporation of environmental considerations only at the level of specific projects precludes the adoption of alternative environmental policies. In this review, we outline an SEA approach currently being considered at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) for use in evaluating biotechnology policies. SEA may be a useful tool to inform the evaluation of biotechnology policies and priorities by taking account of information on the economic, social, and environmental benefits, cost and risks of adopting those policies." Authors' AbstractRisk, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Genetically modified organisms, Living modified organisms,

Security analysis for agroterrorism: applying the threat, vulnerability, consequence framework to developing countries

"We examine access to, use of, and participation in decisions on improved water supply in the Volta basin of Ghana, one of the first countries to introduce a community-based approach to rural water supply on a large scale. While 71 percent of the households interviewed have access to improved water, 43 percent of these continue to use unsafe sources as their main domestic water source. Our results indicate that quality perceptions and opportunity costs play an important role in households' choice of water source. The effect of prices and income levels on this choice differs according to the pricing system used. Given that supply characteristics such as the location and pricing system affect household decisions to use the improved source, households may try to influence these characteristics in their favor during the community decision-making process for the improved source. However, less than 40 percent of the households interviewed participated in decisions on location or technology. We argue that the decision whether to participate depends on three main factors: (i) the household's bargaining power, (ii) the potential benefits from influencing outcomes, and (iii) the cost of participation, (mainly opportunity cost of time). Our results indicate that bargaining power matters In some developing countries the potential exists for agroterrorism to cause widespread disruption through loss of sustenance, income and production. Defense of agriculture may also be problematic because of the lack stability and basic biosecurity infrastructure for the detection and prevention of diseases or invasive species. Currently new methodological approaches for terrorism risk assessments are being actively explored for resource prioritization. One such methodology for risk based allocation of resources is Threat, Vulnerability, and Consequence (TVC) Analysis. A qualitative application of the TVC framework is used to analyze the risk of agroterrorism in developing countries relative to industrialized countries. The analysis suggests that evidence exists to demonstrate general terrorist threats, vulnerability of agriculture and, depending on the country, potentially serious consequences arising from argoterrorism. Where specific threats emerge, action may be needed by the international community to strengthen biosecurity systems in developing countries through: increasing global cooperation, capacity building in monitoring, remediation and risk analysis technologies, and the dissemination of novel technologies for control of pests and diseases." Authors' AbstractCapacity strengthening, Water-supply Management, Agroterrorism, Biosecurity, Risk analysis, resource allocation, Terrorism, Governance,

The Integrin Receptor in Biologically Relevant Bilayers: Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Integrins are heterodimeric (αβ) cell surface receptors that are potential therapeutic targets for a number of diseases. Despite the existence of structural data for all parts of integrins, the structure of the complete integrin receptor is still not available. We have used available structural data to construct a model of the complete integrin receptor in complex with talin F2–F3 domain. It has been shown that the interactions of integrins with their lipid environment are crucial for their function but details of the integrin/lipid interactions remain elusive. In this study an integrin/talin complex was inserted in biologically relevant bilayers that resemble the cell plasma membrane containing zwitterionic and charged phospholipids, cholesterol and sphingolipids to study the dynamics of the integrin receptor and its effect on bilayer structure and dynamics. The results of this study demonstrate the dynamic nature of the integrin receptor and suggest that the presence of the integrin receptor alters the lipid organization between the two leaflets of the bilayer. In particular, our results suggest elevated density of cholesterol and of phosphatidylserine lipids around the integrin/talin complex and a slowing down of lipids in an annulus of ~30 Å around the protein due to interactions between the lipids and the integrin/talin F2–F3 complex. This may in part regulate the interactions of integrins with other related proteins or integrin clustering thus facilitating signal transduction across cell membranes

Germline variation at 8q24 and prostate cancer risk in men of European ancestry

Chromosome 8q24 is a susceptibility locus for multiple cancers, including prostate cancer. Here we combine genetic data across the 8q24 susceptibility region from 71,535 prostate cancer cases and 52,935 controls of European ancestry to define the overall contribution of germline variation at 8q24 to prostate cancer risk. We identify 12 independent risk signals for prostate cancer (p < 4.28 × 10−15), including three risk variants that have yet to be reported. From a polygenic risk score (PRS) model, derived to assess the cumulative effect of risk variants at 8q24, men in the top 1% of the PRS have a 4-fold (95%CI = 3.62–4.40) greater risk compared to the population average. These 12 variants account for ~25% of what can be currently explained of the familial risk of prostate cancer by known genetic risk factors. These findings highlight the overwhelming contribution of germline variation at 8q24 on prostate cancer risk which has implications for population risk stratification

26th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting (CNS*2017): Part 3 - Meeting Abstracts - Antwerp, Belgium. 15–20 July 2017

This work was produced as part of the activities of FAPESP Research,\ud Disseminations and Innovation Center for Neuromathematics (grant\ud 2013/07699-0, S. Paulo Research Foundation). NLK is supported by a\ud FAPESP postdoctoral fellowship (grant 2016/03855-5). ACR is partially\ud supported by a CNPq fellowship (grant 306251/2014-0)

Die Rolle von Piccolo in der zerebellären Netzwerkorganisation und die Ätiologie der pontozerebellären Hypoplasie Typ 3

Piccolo, a presynaptic active zone protein, is known for its role in the regulated assembly and function of vertebrate synapses. Genetic studies suggest a link to several psychiatric disorders as well as Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia Type 3 (PCH3). A Piccolo knockout rat model was recently generated by means of transposon mutagenesis (Pclogt/gt) [116]. During my doctoral studies, I sought to characterise this rat model. In doing so, I took an exploratory approach by beginning to examine overall changes in brain anatomy, narrowing the focus to the level of the network, synapse and the ultrastructure of the presynaptic terminal in the hope of elucidating some of the mechanisms involved in PCH3. I found that the loss of Piccolo leads to a dramatic reduction in brain size compared to wildtype (Pclowt/wt) animals, attributed to a decrease in the size of the cerebral cortical, cerebellar and pontine regions. Moreover, the maturation of mossy fibre (MF) afferents, expression of the α6 GABAA receptor subunit at mossy fibre-granule cell synapses and the innervation of Purkinje cells by cerebellar climbing fibres are all perturbed in Pclogt/gt cerebella. Ultrastructural and functional studies revealed a reduced size and complexity of MF boutons, with fewer synaptic vesicles and changes in synaptic transmission. These data imply that Piccolo is required for the normal development, maturation and function of neuronal networks formed between the brainstem and cerebellum. Consistently, behavioural studies demonstrated that adult Pclogt/gt rats display impaired motor coordination, despite adequate performance in tasks that reflect muscle strength and locomotion. Together these data suggest that loss of Piccolo function in patients with PCH3 could be involved in many of the observed anatomical and behavioural symptoms, and that the further analysis of these animals could provide fundamental mechanistic insights into this devastating disorder.Piccolo, ein Protein der präsynaptischen aktiven Zone, ist bekannt für seine Rolle im regulierten Aufbau und in der Funktion von Wirbeltier-Synapsen. Genetische Studien deuten auf eine Verbindung zu verschiedenen psychiatrischen Störungen, sowie zur Pontocerebellären Hypoplasie Typ 3 (PCH3) hin. Ein Piccolo-Knockout-Rattenmodell wurde vor Kurzem mittels Transposon-Mutagenese (Pclogt/gt) generiert [116]. Während meiner Doktorarbeit habe ich versucht, dieses Rattenmodell zu charakterisieren. Dabei verfolgte ich einen explorativen Ansatz, indem ich begann, die allgemeinen Veränderungen in der Anatomie des Gehirns zu untersuchen. Hierbei legte ich den Schwerpunkt auf die Ebene des Netzwerks, der Synapse und der Ultrastruktur des präsynaptischen Nervenendes, in der Hoffnung, einige der an PCH3 beteiligten Mechanismen aufzuklären. Fand ich heraus, dass der Verlust von Piccolo zu einer dramatischen Verringerung der Hirngröße im Vergleich zu Wildtyp-Tieren (Pclowt/wt) führt, was auf eine Abnahme der Größe der Hirnrinde, des Kleinhirns und des Pons zurückzuführen ist. Darüber hinaus sind die Reifung der Moosfaser-Afferenzen, die Expression der α6 GABAA-Rezeptor-Untereinheit an den Synapsen zwischen Moosfasern und Körnerzellen und die Innervation der Purkinjezellen durch cerebellare Kletterfasern in Pclogt/gt Cerebella gestört. Ultrastrukturelle und funktionelle Studien ergaben eine reduzierte Größe und Komplexität der Moosfaser-Synapsen, mit weniger synaptischen Vesikeln und Veränderungen in der synaptischen Übertragung. Diese Daten implizieren, dass Piccolo für die normale Entwicklung, Reifung und Funktion der neuronalen Netzwerke, die zwischen Hirnstamm und Kleinhirn gebildet werden, erforderlich ist. Übereinstimmend haben Verhaltensstudien gezeigt, dass erwachsene Pclogt/gt Ratten, trotz adäquater Leistung bei Aufgaben, die Muskelkraft und Fortbewegung widerspiegeln, eine beeinträchtigte motorische Koordination aufweisen. Zusammenfassend deuten diese Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass der Verlust der Funktion von Piccolo bei Patienten mit PCH3 an vielen der beobachteten anatomischen und verhaltensbezogenen Symptome beteiligt sein könnte und dass die weitere Analyse dieser Tiere grundlegende mechanistische Erkenntnisse über diese verheerende Erkrankung liefern könnte

Gut-derived peptide hormone receptor expression in the developing mouse hypothalamus

OBJECTIVE: In adult organisms, a number of receptors have been identified which modulate metabolic processes related to peptides derived from the intestinal tract. These receptors play significant roles in glucose homeostasis, food intake and energy balance. Here we assess these classical metabolic receptors and their expression as well as their potential role in early development of hypothalamic neuronal circuits. METHODS: Chow-fed C57BL6/N female mice were mated and hypothalamic tissue was collected from offspring across postnatal development (postnatal day 7–21). Subsequent qPCR and Western Blot analyses were used to determine mRNA and protein changes in gut-derived peptide hormone receptors. Correlations to body weight, blood glucose and circulating leptin levels were analyzed. RESULTS: We describe the gene expression and dynamic protein regulation of key gut-derived peptide hormone receptors in the early postnatal period of the mouse brain. Specifically, we show changes to Gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor (GIPR), glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R), and cholecystokinin receptor 2 (CCK2R) in the developing hypothalamus. The changes to GIPR and InsR seem to be strongly negatively correlated with body weight. CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive analysis underscores the need to understand the roles of maternal-derived circulating gut hormones and their direct effect on offspring brain development

Trizol composition.

ObjectiveIn adult organisms, a number of receptors have been identified which modulate metabolic processes related to peptides derived from the intestinal tract. These receptors play significant roles in glucose homeostasis, food intake and energy balance. Here we assess these classical metabolic receptors and their expression as well as their potential role in early development of hypothalamic neuronal circuits.MethodsChow-fed C57BL6/N female mice were mated and hypothalamic tissue was collected from offspring across postnatal development (postnatal day 7–21). Subsequent qPCR and Western Blot analyses were used to determine mRNA and protein changes in gut-derived peptide hormone receptors. Correlations to body weight, blood glucose and circulating leptin levels were analyzed.ResultsWe describe the gene expression and dynamic protein regulation of key gut-derived peptide hormone receptors in the early postnatal period of the mouse brain. Specifically, we show changes to Gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor (GIPR), glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R), and cholecystokinin receptor 2 (CCK2R) in the developing hypothalamus. The changes to GIPR and InsR seem to be strongly negatively correlated with body weight.ConclusionsThis comprehensive analysis underscores the need to understand the roles of maternal-derived circulating gut hormones and their direct effect on offspring brain development.</div

Protein expression correlations with glucose levels and body weight.

INSR (A), CCK2R (B), GLP1R (C) and GIPR (D) protein expression across development in both sexes correlated with glucose (mg/dL) levels. INSR (E), CCK2R (F), GLP1R (G) and GIPR (H) protein expression across development in both sexes correlated with body weight. Circles (males) or squares (females) represent individual data points, color-coded by age.</p