Ethanol Effects Involve Non-canonical Unfolded Protein Response Activation in Yeast Cells

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a conserved intracellular signaling pathway that controls transcription of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis related genes. Ethanol stress has been recently described as an activator of the UPR response in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but very little is known about the causes of this activation. Although some authors ensure that the UPR is triggered by the unfolded proteins generated by ethanol in the cell, there are studies which demonstrate that protein denaturation occurs at higher ethanol concentrations than those used to trigger the UPR. Here, we studied UPR after ethanol stress by three different approaches and we concluded that unfolded proteins do not accumulate in the ER under. We also ruled out inositol depletion as an alternative mechanism to activate the UPR under ethanol stress discarding that ethanol effects on the cell decreased inositol levels by different methods. All these data suggest that ethanol, at relatively low concentrations, does not cause unfolded proteins in the yeasts and UPR activation is likely due to other unknown mechanism related with a restructuring of ER membrane due to the effect of ethanol.EN was supported by a FPU grant from the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (ref. AP2009-0787). This work was supported by grants AGL2012-39937-C02-01 and AGL2015-67504-C3-1-R from the Spanish Government and FEDER and by grant PROMETEO (project PROMETEOII/2014/042) from Generalitat Valenciana to AQ.Peer reviewe

Ethanol Cellular Defense Induce Unfolded Protein Response in Yeast

Ethanol is a valuable industrial product and a common metabolite used by many cell types. However, this molecule produces high levels of cytotoxicity affecting cellular performance at several levels. In the presence of ethanol, cells must adjust some of their components, such as the membrane lipids to maintain homeostasis. In the case of microorganism as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ethanol is one of the principal products of their metabolism and is the main stress factor during fermentation. Although, many efforts have been made, mechanisms of ethanol tolerance are not fully understood and very little evidence is available to date for specific signaling by ethanol in the cell. This work studied two S. cerevisiae strains, CECT10094, and Temohaya-MI26, isolated from flor wine and agave fermentation (a traditional fermentation from Mexico) respectively, which differ in ethanol tolerance, in order to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the ethanol stress response and the reasons for different ethanol tolerance. The transcriptome was analyzed after ethanol stress and, among others, an increased activation of genes related with the unfolded protein response (UPR) and its transcription factor, Hac1p, was observed in the tolerant strain CECT10094. We observed that this strain also resist more UPR agents than Temohaya-MI26 and the UPR-ethanol stress correlation was corroborated observing growth of 15 more strains and discarding UPR correlation with other stresses as thermal or oxidative stress. Furthermore, higher activation of UPR pathway in the tolerant strain CECT10094 was observed using a UPR mCherry reporter. Finally, we observed UPR activation in response to ethanol stress in other S. cerevisiae ethanol tolerant strains as the wine strains T73 and EC1118. This work demonstrates that the UPR pathway is activated under ethanol stress occurring in a standard fermentation and links this response to an enhanced ethanol tolerance. Thus, our data suggest that there is a room for ethanol tolerance improvement by enhancing UPR response.EN was supported by a FPU grant from the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (ref. AP2009-0787). RP was supported by a JAEDOC postdoctoral program (IATA-CSIC), co-funded by FSE. This work has been supported by grants AGL2012-39937-C02-01 from the Spanish Government, FEDER and Generalitat Valenciana PROMETEOII/2014/042 to AQ. We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).Peer reviewe

Coexistence of Wolbachia with Buchnera aphidicola and a secondary symbiont in the aphid Cinara cedri.

Intracellular symbiosis is very common in the insect world. For the aphid Cinara cedri, we have identified by electron microscopy three symbiotic bacteria that can be characterized by their different sizes, morphologies, and electrodensities. PCR amplification and sequencing of the 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) genes showed that, in addition to harboring Buchnera aphidicola, the primary endosymbiont of aphids, C. cedri harbors a secondary symbiont (S symbiont) that was previously found to be associated with aphids (PASS, or R type) and an alpha-proteobacterium that belongs to the Wolbachia genus. Using in situ hybridization with specific bacterial probes designed for symbiont 16S rDNA sequences, we have shown that Wolbachia was represented by only a few minute bacteria surrounding the S symbionts. Moreover, the observed B. aphidicola and the S symbionts had similar sizes and were housed in separate specific bacterial cells, the bacteriocytes. Interestingly, in contrast to the case for all aphids examined thus far, the S symbionts were shown to occupy a similarly sized or even larger bacteriocyte space than B. aphidicola. These findings, along with the facts that C. cedri harbors the B. aphidicola strain with the smallest bacterial genome and that the S symbionts infect all Cinara spp. analyzed so far, suggest the possibility of bacterial replacement in these species

Cognitive and personality variables as predictors of sexism against women in Spanish adolescents

Previous research on the antecedents of sexism against women have not considered simultaneously the effects of sex, personality, and cognitive variables (need for closure and critical thinking disposition) in relation to sexism. We evaluated whether in adolescence, these indicators could predict sexist attitudes towards women using structural models. The sample comprised 709 Spanish high-school students (mean age = 16.79). 51.5% were female. Sex (being male), need for closure and critical thinking were the most relevant predictors of sexism. The disposition to think critically is as relevant as the motivational dimension of cognition (need for closure) to predict sexism. Multi-group structural models by sex were estimated, and a moderator effect was found between openness to experience and sexism. We suggest future lines of research to disentangle the effects of personality and cognition on sexism and to guide intervention programs to reduce sexist attitudes among adolescents

Nature (Hole or Electron) of Charge-Transfer Ability of Substituted Cyclopyrenylene Hoop-Shaped Compounds

We theoretically investigate here by means of DFT methods how the selective substitution in cyclic organic nanorings composed of pyrene units may promote semiconducting properties, analyzing the energy needed for a hole- or electron-transfer accommodation as a function of the substitution pattern and the system size (i.e., number of pyrene units). We choose to study both [3]Cyclo-2,7-pyrenylene ([3]CPY) and [4]Cyclo-2,7-pyrenylene ([4]CPY) compounds, the latter already synthesized, with substituents other than hydrogen acting in ipso and ortho positions, as well as the effect of the per-substitution. As substituents, we selected a set of electroactive halogen atoms (F, Cl, and Br) and groups (CN) to disclose structure–property relationships allowing thus to anticipate the use of these systems as organic molecular semiconductors.A.J.P.-J. and J.C.S.-G. acknowledge the project AICO/2018/175 from the Regional Government (GVA/FSE). M.M. acknowledges the E2TP-CYTEMA-SANTANDER program. A.N. acknowledges “Consejería de Economía y Conocimiento, Junta de Andalucía” (FQM-337) and “Acción 1-Plan 2017-18” (Universidad de Jaén, Spain)

Psychometric properties on a romantic love myths scale: The case of the myths, fallacies and erroneous beliefs about the ideal of romantic love scale.

Understanding the construct of romantic love is an important task in societies all around the world. However, instruments designed to assess this construct are scarce and most of them were developed more than a decade ago. De la Peña, Ramos, Luzón, and Recio (2011) proposed the Myths, Fallacies and Erroneous Beliefs about the Ideal of Romantic Love Scale. In this current study we provide the psychometric properties of this scale in a representative sample of adolescents. The analytic strategy included both Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. We achieved a best-factor structure using a unidimensional model of romantic beliefs which also had an adequate estimated reliability. In agreement with descriptions in the existing academic literature, the resulting romantic beliefs factor was significantly related to hostile and benevolent sexism, although slightly less so in the latter case. Finally, differential validity was examined using 'gender' and 'having a partner' as independent variables; the differences in romantic beliefs according to these variables also agreed with previous reports in the literature. We provide a thorough discussion of our results and highlight the implications of our findings for clinical practice

Efectos del Sevoflurano tópico en úlceras vasculares. A propósito de un caso

Sevoflurane is a volatile non-flammable liquid, halogenated derivative of ether and used inhaled for induction and maintenance of general anesthesia. Its analgesic, antimicrobial and vasodilator properties have been described in the treatment of chronic venous ulcers. In this article we report a clinical case of the use of topical sevoflurane in our unit, in a patient who presented with venous ulcers without improvement after standard care. Drug instillations were initiated, recording an improvement in basal pain and the state of ulcers.El sevoflurano es un líquido volátil no inflamable, derivado halogenado del éter que se utiliza para inducción y mantenimiento de la anestesia general, por vía inhalatoria. Se han descrito sus propiedades analgésicas, antimicrobianas y vasodilatadoras en el tratamiento de las úlceras venosas crónicas. En el presente artículo reportamos un caso clínico de utilización de sevoflurano tópico en nuestra unidad, en una paciente que presentaba úlceras venosas sin mejoría tras cuidados estándar. Se inician instilaciones del fármaco, registrando una mejoría del dolor basal y del estado de las úlceras

Biogeochemistry of Plane Trees as a Tool to Detect Atmospheric Pollution

The plane tree, which is a valuable tool to detect atmospheric pollution, is one of the most common trees in European cities. Soil and leaf samplings were carried out in Barcelona and its environs (NE Spain) to establish the soil-plant relationship.Dry and ashed leaves and soils were analyzed by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP/OES) at the ACTLABS laboratories in Ontario, Canada. Given that diesel is the main fuel used in vehicles in Europe, we sought to establish the role of diesel in atmospheric pollution. Diesel samples were obtained from service stations and analyzed after preconcentration using ICP/MS at the geochemistry laboratories of the University of Barcelona. The average content of diesel oil shows high values of Pb, Cu, Cr, Ag, Cd and Mn. High values of Pb, Cu, Au, Hg and Sb in leaves and soils were detected downtown and along main roadsoutside the city, whereas low levels of these elements were observed in rural areas

Observation of magnetic order in the double-layer system La2MCu2O6+δ (M=Ca,Sr)

Under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0 (CC-BY).-- et al.Measurements of the spin rotation and depolarization of implanted positive muons have revealed that La2SrCu2O6+δ, La2CaCu2O6+δ, and La1.9Y0.1CaCu2O6+δ, members of the double-layer perovskite family La2MCu2O6+δ (M=Ca,Sr), display magnetic ordering similar to that of La2−xSrxCuO4−y and YBa2Cu3Ox Their magnetic order parameters are remarkably close to those of the other layered cuprates. A superconducting minority phase has been detected in La2CaCu2O6+δ (δ≥0.02), with onset at ∼45 K and accompanied by a change in the muon-spin-precession signals from the majority antiferromagnetic phase, phenomena absent in La2SrCu2O6+δ. This behavior was attributed to mobility and local clustering of intercalated oxygen excess in the layer between the CuO2 planes.This work was supported by NSERC (Canada), DOE Grant No. DE-FG05-88ER45353, the CICYT and the MIDAS project (Spain), and the CEE.Peer Reviewe

Patología de los tumores neuroblásticos: evaluación pronóstica. Experiencia del centro español de referencia de la SEOP para estudios biopatológicos del neuroblastoma (1992-2005)

Antecedentes: Los tumores neuroblásticos son los tumores sólidos extracraneales más frecuentes en la infancia y se caracterizan por una evolución clínica heterogénea que va desde una progresión rápida a una regresión tumoral espontánea. Existen factores pronósticos conocidos que determinan dicha evolución como son la edad, estadiaje, histopatología, estatus de MYCN, ploidía y diversas ganancias y pérdidas cromosómicas. El objetivo del trabajo es describir nuestra experiencia como laboratorio de referencia español para la determinación de estos parámetros pronósticos. Métodos: Material tumoral de pacientes con neuroblastoma, remitido a nuestro laboratorio desde 1992 hasta 2005, ha sido sometido a estudio histopatológico, molecular para determinar la amplificación de MYCN, histoquímico y morfométrico para estudiar la ploidía y se ha introducido la técnica de CGH para el análisis de ganancias y perdidas cromosómicas. Resultados: El seguimiento clínico durante estos años, ha demostrado la importancia pronóstica de la clasificación histológica Internacional Neuroblastoma Pathology Classification (INPC), la relación de un contenido diploide-tetraploide de ADN con el histopronóstico desfavorable, la proporción del 20% de casos con amplificación de MYCN y su carácter pronostico desfavorable, así como la presencia de ganancias y pérdidas cromosómicas como 11q- que confieren mal pronóstico. Conclusiones: Se confirma la necesidad de determinar parámetros morfológicos y genéticos de valor pronóstico con el fin de estratificar la terapéutica apropiada de elección en los pacientes con neuroblastoma.Background: Neuroblastic tumors are the most frequent extracranial solid tumors in childhood, and are characterized by a heterogeneous clinic behavior, ranging from a rapid progression of disease to a spontaneous regression. Prognostic indicators that condition such behavior, such as age, staging, histopathology, MYCN oncogene status, ploidy, and diverse chromosomal losses and gains, have been demonstrated. The aim of present work is to describe our experience as reference laboratory for the determination of these prognostic factors in neuroblastic tumors. Methods: Tumor material from patients with neuroblastoma, submitted to our laboratory from 1992 to 2005 has been analyzed. Histopathology following Internacional Neuroblastoma Pathology Classification (INPC) classification, PCR and FISH for MYCN status, static cytometry for ploidy and CGH for chromosomal gains and losses, were performed. Results: The clinical follow-up has demonstrated the prognostic value of INPC, the relationship between diploid-tetraploid DNA content and unfavorable histology, the existence of 20% MYCN amplified cases showing an unfavorable prognosis as well as the presence of chromosomal gains and losses especially 11q-, that confer unfavorable prognosis. Conclusions: We confirm the importance of determining morphological and genetic prognostic parameters in neuroblastic tumors in order to stratify the patients to receive the correct therapy accordingly.Navarro Fos, Samuel, [email protected] ; Llombart Bosch, Antonio, [email protected] ; Pellin Perez, Antonio, [email protected] ; Burgues Gasion, Octavio, [email protected]; Ruiz Sauri, Amparo, [email protected]; Piqueras Franco, Marta, [email protected] ; Noguera Salva, Rosa, [email protected]