Flora vascular del Parque Futangue, Región de Los Ríos (Chile)

We presented the checklist of the vascular flora of the Futangue Park, a private natural protected area, in the Andean Temperate Region of southern Chile. We recorded 295 species, distributed in 91 families and 165 genera. This park support an important proportion of the flora from temperate forests of southern South America (ca. 40-70%). The 66% of plant species living in the park were native, with an 8% of the flora considered as threatened at national level. A high percentage of endemic species (19%) characterized the flora of the Futangue Park. The species richness was higher than expected based on the knowledge from nearby areas. Also, few and scarce exotic species were found, which also indicates this area is well preserved. Our report contributes to fill the gaps in the knowledge of plant richness and its distribution in the Andes, providing important information for the conservation and management of this and other protected areas.Se presentan los resultados del primer estudio florístico del Parque Futangue, un Área Silvestre Protegida (ASP) de los Bosques Templados del Sur de Sudamérica (BTSS), ubicado en la Cordillera de los Andes (40º 25’ S; 72º 16’ O), próximo al complejo volcánico Puyehue-Cordón del Caulle, Región de Los Ríos. Se identificaron 295 especies, pertenecientes a 91 familias y 165 géneros. Este parque representa una muestra importante de los BTSS (ca. 40-70%). La flora de Futangue se caracteriza por un 66% de las especies de origen nativo, 8% catalogadas con problemas de conservación, con un 19% de especies endémicas de Chile. La riqueza de especies superó lo esperado con respecto a otras áreas silvestres cercanas. La escasa proporción de especies introducidas y la baja cobertura observada de éstas indicarían que Futangue presenta una baja alteración antrópica. Este reporte contribuye a llenar un vacío de registros para la zona y da cuenta de la importancia de mantener actualizado los listados de flora para planes de manejo y conservación en ASP

Decline in Antigenicity of Tumor Markers by Storage Time Using Pathology Sections Cut From Tissue Microarrays.

Sectioning a whole tissue microarrray (TMA block) and storing the sections maximizes the number of sections obtained, but may impair the antigenicity of the stored sections. We have investigated the impact of TMA section storage on antigenicity. First, we reexamined existing TMA data to determine whether antigenicity in stored sections changes over time. Component scores for each marker, based on cellular compartment of staining and score-type, were evaluated separately. Residual components scores adjusted for grade, tumor size, and node positivity, were regressed on the number of days storage to evaluate the effect of storage time. Storage time ranged from 2 to 1897 days, and the mean change in antigenicity per year ranged from -0.88 (95% confidence interval, -1.11 to -0.65) to 0.035 (95% confidence interval, 0.016-0.054). Further analysis showed no significant improvement in the fit of survival models if storage time adjusted scores were included in the models rather than unadjusted scores. We then compared 3 ways of processing TMA sections after cutting-immediate staining, staining after 1 year, and staining after 1 year coated in wax-on the immunohistochemistry results for: progesterone receptor, a routinely used, robust antibody, and MKI67, which is generally considered less robust. The progesterone receptor scores for stored sections were similar to those for unstored sections, whereas the MKI67 scores for stored sections were substantially different to those for unstored sections. Wax coating made little difference to the results. Biomarker antigenicity shows a small decline over time that is unlikely to have an important effect on studies of prognostic biomarkers.We acknowledge the SEARCH team, the National Cancer Registration Service Eastern Office and Information Centre, the Histopathology Core Facility at the CRUK Cambridge Research Institute for immunohistochemical staining and digital image acquisition and the Human Research Tissue Bank, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This work was funded through a programme grant from Cancer Research UK (C490/A10119, C490/A10124 and C490/A16561) and funding from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.This is the final version of the article. It was first published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins at http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PAI.000000000000017

Crecimiento radial de la especie endémica Nothomyrcia fernandeziana (Hook. & Arn.) Kausel y la invasora Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz en la isla Robinson Crusoe, Archipiélago de Juan Fernández, Chile

Nothomyrcia fernandeziana (Hook. & Arn.) Kausel is an endemic tree species from Robinson Crusoe Island (RC), Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz, is an invasive species introduced in the island since the mid XIX century that compete with endemic species and threatens their conservation. Radial growth patterns can reveal biological strategies of woody plants, such as longevity, shade tolerance and competitive capacity, which are of special relevance for conservation programmes. The objectives of this work were to characterize the tree rings of both species and to study their radial growth patterns, in order to obtain basic knowledge for the conservation of endemic forests in RC. We studied wood anatomy and dendrochronology for stem cross sections of both species in RC, and also of A. chilensis within its natural distribution range in continental Chile. The wood of both species exhibited well-differentiated tree rings. N. fernandeziana showed reduced juvenile growth rates, long-lived trees and high capacity to release its growth (increase greater than 100% of the average ring-width for the 10 years before the event). A. chilensis, by contrast, showed large growth rates during their complete lifespan but reduced longevity, a typical behaviour of a pioneer species, as well as in their natural range. Based on these results, it is suggested to promote the establishment of N. fernandeziana under the canopy of A. chilensis, favouring the gradual replacement of the invasive species by the endemic species in Robinson Crusoe.Nothomyrcia fernandeziana (Hook. & Arn.) Kausel es una especie endémica de los bosques de la isla Robinson Crusoe (RC), Archipiélago de Juan Fernández, Chile. Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz es una especie invasora introducida en la isla a mediados del siglo XIX que compite con las especies endémicas, poniendo en riesgo su conservación. Los patrones de crecimiento radial permiten inferir estrategias biológicas de las plantas leñosas como longevidad, tolerancia a la sombra y capacidad competitiva, características de gran importancia para los programas de conservación. Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron caracterizar los anillos de crecimiento de ambas especies y estudiar sus patrones de crecimiento con el objeto de aportar conocimiento base que contribuya a la conservación de los bosques endémicos de RC. Se realizó el estudio anatómico y dendrocronológico de los anillos de crecimiento en secciones transversales del tronco de ambas especies en RC, así como de A. chilensis en su área de distribución natural en Chile continental. La madera de ambas especies presentó anillos de crecimiento bien diferenciados. N. fernandeziana mostró un crecimiento juvenil reducido, árboles longevos y alta capacidad de liberación del crecimiento (aumento superior al 100% del promedio de los valores de ancho de anillos de los 10 años previos al evento). A. chilensis, sin embargo, presentó una alta tasa de crecimiento durante su ontogenia y escasa longevidad, comportándose como especie pionera en RC al igual que en su área de distribución natural. Sobre la base de estos resultados, se recomienda actuar favoreciendo el establecimiento de N. fernandeziana a la sombra de A. chilensis, propiciando la gradual sustitución de la especie invasora por especies endémicas de RC

Climate and growth of Podocarpus salignus in Valdivia, Chile

Abstract: Little dendroclimatic research has been conducted on species of Podocarpus, in response to inherent difficulties associated with tree-ring differentiation and cross-dating. We sampled complete stem cross sections from a plantation of Podocarpus salignus trees in Valdivia, Chile, near the southern edge of the species' range. We measured earlywood, latewood, and total ring widths avoiding ring wedging, and we calculated the corresponding chronologies. The relationship of these chronologies with maximum temperature, precipitation, and sea level pressure was addressed using correlation and redundancy analyses. All chronologies showed a similar response to climate that was consistent with the cloudy, rainy, and temperate conditions of the study area. That is, warm and dry conditions during previous late springs were beneficial, while warm and rainy winters under low atmospheric pressures were detrimental for growth. The observed climatic responses are in contrast to those of conifers from mountainous areas of southern South America. Limitation of carbohydrates available for growth in the following active season was a possible cause for the observed responses to climate. That is, high winter temperatures may deplete stored carbohydrates by increasing respiration, and a high degree of cloud cover reduces the radiation received by the trees in the active season, which may hamper photosynthesis. Our work highlights the dendroclimatological value of Podocarpus salignus to investigate the influence of climatic variation on tree growth and forest productivity

Anomalías anatómicas en anillos de crecimiento anuales de Austrocedrus chilensis (D. Don) Pic.-Serm. et Bizzarri en el norte de su rango de distribución

Tree-ring anatomical anomalies have received little attention in southern South American trees, however they can contain valuable intra-annual environmental information. This study addressed for the first time the three most frequent treering anomalies recorded in the northern and oldest known Austrocedrus chilensis forest in central Chile (32-35°S). Three anatomic anomalies described were: partially absent rings, intra-annual bands and frost rings. Partially absent rings resulted from cambial inactivity during a complete growing period and require dendrochronological tools to be detected. Intraannual bands are consequence of the abundance-shortage of environmental resources during the growing season and can be detected by examining the undefined late-wood boundaries. Frost rings, are caused by extreme low temperatures and are characterized by collapsed cells in the tree-ring growth. Results indicate that the northern most population exhibited the highest rate of absent rings, while the occurrence of intra-annual bands seems to be rather minor in the study area. Finally, frost rings are registered mainly in the younger trees in all three studied sites. These results suggest the potential for future spatio-temporal studies that examine the frequency of these anatomical anomalies in A. chilensis chronologies along its wide geographical distribution. This will complement the current environmental information recorded by its growth rates.Las anomalías anatómicas en los anillos de crecimiento anuales de los árboles han sido poco estudiadas en el sur de Sudamérica, sin embargo son elementos que pueden proporcionar información intra-anual valiosa para el estudio de eventos ambientales. En el presente estudio se aborda la primera caracterización de este tipo de anomalías presentes en anillos de crecimiento en las poblaciones más septentrionales y longevas de Austrocedrus chilensis en Chile central (32ºS - 35ºS). Las tres anomalías descritas fueron: anillos ausentes, bandas intra-anuales y anillos afectados por congelamiento. Los anillos ausentes resultan de la inactividad cambial durante toda una temporada de crecimiento, detectables mediante técnicas de cofechado dendrocronológico. Las bandas intra-anuales se forman a causa de eventos de escases-abundancia de recursos dentro de un mismo periodo de crecimiento y se reconocen por un límite difuso en la madera tardía hacia ambos bordes de la banda. Por último, los anillos por congelamiento son causados por bajas temperaturas y se presentan en el anillo de crecimiento como una línea de células colapsadas. Los porcentajes de presencia de estas anomalías en cada cronología de ancho de anillos relativos a otros estudios indican que A. chilensis es propicio para el estudio de anillos ausentes particularmente en su población más septentrional. Las bandas intra-anuales muestran un bajo porcentaje de ocurrencia en la zona de estudio. Finalmente, los anillos por congelamiento se presentan principalmente en edades poco avanzadas de los árboles estudiados en los tres sitios analizados. Estos resultados sugieren realizar posteriores estudios espacio-temporales acerca de la frecuencia de anomalías anatómicas en cronologías de A. chilensis a lo largo de su extenso rango de distribución, con el fin de complementar la información ambiental brindada por sus tasas de crecimiento

Characterisation of microRNA expression in post-natal mouse mammary gland development.

BACKGROUND: The differential expression pattern of microRNAs (miRNAs) during mammary gland development might provide insights into their role in regulating the homeostasis of the mammary epithelium. Our aim was to analyse these regulatory functions by deriving a comprehensive tissue-specific combined miRNA and mRNA expression profile of post-natal mouse mammary gland development.We measured the expression of 318 individual murine miRNAs by bead-based flow-cytometric profiling of whole mouse mammary glands throughout a 16-point developmental time course, including juvenile, puberty, mature virgin, gestation, lactation, and involution stages. In parallel whole-genome mRNA expression data were obtained. RESULTS: One third (n = 102) of all murine miRNAs analysed were detected during mammary gland development. MicroRNAs were represented in seven temporally co-expressed clusters, which were enriched for both miRNAs belonging to the same family and breast cancer-associated miRNAs. Global miRNA and mRNA expression was significantly reduced during lactation and the early stages of involution after weaning. For most detected miRNA families we did not observe systematic changes in the expression of predicted targets. For miRNA families whose targets did show changes, we observed inverse patterns of miRNA and target expression. The data sets are made publicly available and the combined expression profiles represent an important community resource for mammary gland biology research. CONCLUSION: MicroRNAs were expressed in likely co-regulated clusters during mammary gland development. Breast cancer-associated miRNAs were significantly enriched in these clusters. The mechanism and functional consequences of this miRNA co-regulation provide new avenues for research into mammary gland biology and generate candidates for functional validation.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Anatomic anomalies in annual tree-rings of Austrocedrus chilensis (D. Don) Pic.-Serm. et Bizzarri in its northern distribution range

Las anomalías anatómicas en los anillos de crecimiento anuales de los árboles han sido poco estudiadas en el sur de Sudamérica, sin embargo son elementos que pueden proporcionar información intra-anual valiosa para el estudio de eventos ambientales. En el presente estudio abordamos la primera caracterización de este tipo de anomalías presentes en anillos de crecimiento en las poblaciones más septentrionales y longevas de A. chilensis en Chile central (32ºS - 35ºS). Las tres anomalías descritas fueron: anillos ausentes, bandas intra-anuales y anillos afectados por congelamiento. Los anillos ausentes resultan de la inactividad cambial durante toda una temporada de crecimiento, detectables mediante técnicas de cofechado dendrocronológico. Las bandas intra-anuales se forman a causa de eventos de escases-abundancia de recursos dentro de un mismo periodo de crecimiento y se reconocen por un límite difuso en la madera tardía hacia ambos bordes de la banda. Por último, los anillos por congelamiento son causados por bajas temperaturas y se presentan en secciones o a lo largo de todo el anillo de crecimiento como una línea de células colapsadas. Los porcentajes de presencia de estas anomalías en cada cronología de ancho de anillos relativos a otros estudios indican que A. chilensis es propicio para el estudio de anillos ausentes particularmente en su población más septentrional. Las bandas intra-anuales muestran un bajo porcentaje de ocurrencia en la zona de estudio. Finalmente, los anillos por congelamiento se presentan principalmente en edades poco avanzadas de los árboles estudiados en los tres sitios analizados. Estos resultados sugieren realizar posteriores estudios espacio-temporales acerca de la frecuencia de anomalías anatómicas en cronologías de A. chilensis a lo largo de su extenso rango de distribución, con el fin de complementar la información ambiental brindada por sus tasas de crecimiento.Tree-ring anatomical anomalies have received little attention in southern South American trees, however they can contain valuable intra-annual environmental information. This study addressed for the first time the three most frequent tree-ring anomalies recorded in the northern and oldest known Austrocedrus chilensis forest in central Chile (32-35°S). Three anatomic anomalies described were: partially absent rings, intra-annual bands and frost rings. Partially absent rings resulted from cambial inactivity during a complete growing period and require dendrochronological tools to be detected. Intra-annual bands are consequence of the abundance-shortage of environmental resources during the growing season and can be detected by examining the undefined late-wood boundaries. Frost rings, are caused by extreme low temperatures and are characterized by collapsed cells in the tree-ring growth. Results indicate that the northern most population exhibited the highest rate of absent rings, while the occurrence of intra-annual bands seems to be rather minor in the study area. Finally, frost rings are registered mainly in the younger trees in all three studied sites. These results suggest the potential for future spatio-temporal studies that examine the frequency of these anatomical anomalies in A. chilensis chronologies along its wide geographical distribution. This will complement the current environmental information recorded by its growth rates.Fil: Rojas Badilla, Moisés. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Álvarez, Claudio. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Velásquez Álvarez, Gonzalo. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Hadad, Martín Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Laboratorio de Dendrocronología e Historia Ambiental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones de la Geosfera y Biosfera; ArgentinaFil: Quesne, Carlos Le. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Christie, Duncan A.. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile. Universidad de Chile; Chil

Reconstructing the annual mass balance of the Echaurren Norte glacier (Central Andes, 33.5° S) using local and regional hydroclimatic data

Despite the great number and variety of glaciers in southern South America, in situ glacier mass-balance records are extremely scarce and glacier–climate relationships are still poorly understood in this region. Here we use the longest (>  35 years) and most complete in situ mass-balance record, available for the Echaurren Norte glacier (ECH) in the Andes at  ∼  33.5° S, to develop a minimal glacier surface mass-balance model that relies on nearby monthly precipitation and air temperature data as forcing. This basic model is able to explain 78 % of the variance in the annual glacier mass- balance record over the 1978–2013 calibration period. An attribution assessment identified precipitation variability as the dominant forcing modulating annual mass balances at ECH, with temperature variations likely playing a secondary role. A regionally averaged series of mean annual streamflow records from both sides of the Andes between  ∼  30 and 37° S is then used to estimate, through simple linear regression, this glacier's annual mass-balance variations since 1909. The reconstruction model captures 68 % of the observed glacier mass-balance variability and shows three periods of sustained positive mass balances embedded in an overall negative trend over the past 105 years. The three periods of sustained positive mass balances (centered in the 1920s–1930s, in the 1980s and in the first decade of the 21st century) coincide with several documented glacier advances in this region. Similar trends observed in other shorter glacier mass-balance series suggest that the Echaurren Norte glacier reconstruction is representative of larger-scale conditions and could be useful for more detailed glaciological, hydrological and climatological assessments in this portion of the Andes

Pathogenic variants in the human m(6)A reader YTHDC2 are associated with primary ovarian insufficiency

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) affects 1% of women and carries significant medical and psychosocial sequelae. Approximately 10% of POI has a defined genetic cause, with most implicated genes relating to biological processes involved in early fetal ovary development and function. Recently, Ythdc2, an RNA helicase and N6-methyladenosine reader, has emerged as a regulator of meiosis in mice. Here, we describe homozygous pathogenic variants in YTHDC2 in 3 women with early-onset POI from 2 families: C. 2567C>G, p.P856R in the helicase-associated (HA2) domain and c.1129G>T, p.E377*. We demonstrated that YTHDC2 is expressed in the developing human fetal ovary and is upregulated in meiotic germ cells, together with related meiosisassociated factors. The p.P856R variant resulted in a less flexible protein that likely disrupted downstream conformational kinetics of the HA2 domain, whereas the p.E377*variant truncated the helicase core. Taken together, our results reveal that YTHDC2 is a key regulator of meiosis in humans and pathogenic variants within this gene are associated with POI

Phylogenetic ctDNA analysis depicts early-stage lung cancer evolution.

The early detection of relapse following primary surgery for non-small-cell lung cancer and the characterization of emerging subclones, which seed metastatic sites, might offer new therapeutic approaches for limiting tumour recurrence. The ability to track the evolutionary dynamics of early-stage lung cancer non-invasively in circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) has not yet been demonstrated. Here we use a tumour-specific phylogenetic approach to profile the ctDNA of the first 100 TRACERx (Tracking Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Evolution Through Therapy (Rx)) study participants, including one patient who was also recruited to the PEACE (Posthumous Evaluation of Advanced Cancer Environment) post-mortem study. We identify independent predictors of ctDNA release and analyse the tumour-volume detection limit. Through blinded profiling of postoperative plasma, we observe evidence of adjuvant chemotherapy resistance and identify patients who are very likely to experience recurrence of their lung cancer. Finally, we show that phylogenetic ctDNA profiling tracks the subclonal nature of lung cancer relapse and metastasis, providing a new approach for ctDNA-driven therapeutic studies