The Proteomic Profile of Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy

Hereditary inclusion body myopathy (HIBM) is an adult onset, slowly progressive distal and proximal myopathy. Although the causing gene, GNE, encodes for a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of sialic acid, its primary function in HIBM remains unknown. The goal of this study was to unravel new clues on the biological pathways leading to HIBM by proteomic comparison. Muscle cultures and biopsies were analyzed by two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and the same biopsy extracts by isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ). Proteins that were differentially expressed in all HIBM specimens versus all controls in each analysis were identified by mass spectrometry. The muscle cultures 2-DE analysis yielded 41 such proteins, while the biopsies 2-DE analysis showed 26 differentially expressed proteins. Out of the 400 proteins identified in biopsies by iTRAQ, 41 showed altered expression. In spite of the different nature of specimens (muscle primary cultures versus muscle biopsies) and of the different methods applied (2D gels versus iTRAQ) the differentially expressed proteins identified in each of the three analyses where related mainly to the same pathways, ubiquitination, stress response and mitochondrial processes, but the most robust cluster (30%) was assigned to cytoskeleton and sarcomere organization. Taken together, these findings indicate a possible novel function of GNE in the muscle filamentous apparatus that could be involved in the pathogenesis of HIBM

The Emergence of Fishing Communities in the Eastern Mediterranean region : A survey of Evidence from Pre- and Protohistoric Periods

The present overview deals with the fish remains found at Palaeolithic to Late Bronze Age sites in the Eastern Mediterranean. Attention is focussed on both marine and continental fisheries in Anatolia, the Levant and Mesopotamia. After presenting a detailed inventory of the archaeofaunal data available in the literature, an attempt is made to document diachronic trends in marine exploitation and continental fishing of the region. The use offish in ritual and religious practices is dealt with briefly and attention is also paid to fish as trade items.Une synthèse sur la pêche marine et continentale en Anatolie, au Levant et en Mésopotamie est présentée sur la base de restes de poissons trouvés sur des sites archéologiques allant du Paléolithique au Bronze récent. Un inventaire détaillé des données archéo- fauniques provenant de la littérature est suivi par un essai de mise en évidence des tendances diachroniques dans l'exploitation des eaux marines et continentales de la région. Le rôle du poisson dans les pratiques rituelles et religieuses et le poisson comme produit de commerce sont également abordés.Van Neer Wim, Zohar Irit, Lernau Omri. The Emergence of Fishing Communities in the Eastern Mediterranean region : A survey of Evidence from Pre- and Protohistoric Periods. In: Paléorient, 2005, vol. 31, n°1. Anciennes exploitations des mers et des cours d'eau en Asie du Sud-Ouest. Approches environnementales. pp. 131-157

Opportunism or aquatic specialization? Evidence of freshwater fish exploitation at Ohalo II- A waterlogged Upper Paleolithic site.

Analysis of ca. 17,000 fish remains recovered from the late Upper Paleolithic/early Epi-Paleolithic (LGM; 23,000 BP) waterlogged site of Ohalo II (Rift Valley, Israel) provides new insights into the role of wetland habitats and the fish inhabiting them during the evolution of economic strategies prior to the agricultural evolution. Of the current 19 native fish species in Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), eight species were identified at Ohalo II, belonging to two freshwater families: Cyprinidae (carps) and Cichlidae (St. Peter fish). Employing a large set of quantitative and qualitative criteria (NISP, species richness, diversity, skeletal element representation, fragmentation, color, spatial distribution, etc.), we demonstrate that the inhabitants of Ohalo II used their knowledge of the breeding behavior of different species of fish, for year-round intensive exploitation

Ohalo II fish remains taxonomic composition, species richness and diversity, by studied loci (taxonomic abundance (%) is calculated according to the different taxonomic levels: Family, genus and species, and therefore the total NISP varies).

<p>Ohalo II fish remains taxonomic composition, species richness and diversity, by studied loci (taxonomic abundance (%) is calculated according to the different taxonomic levels: Family, genus and species, and therefore the total NISP varies).</p

Past aquatic environments in the Levant inferred from stable isotope compositions of carbonate and phosphate in fish teeth.

Here we explore the carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of the co-existing carbonate and phosphate fractions of fish tooth enameloid as a tool to reconstruct past aquatic fish environments and harvesting grounds. The enameloid oxygen isotope compositions of the phosphate fraction (δ18OPO4) vary by as much as ~4‰ for migratory marine fish such as gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), predominantly reflecting the different saline habitats it occupies during its life cycle. The offset in enameloid Δ18OCO3-PO4 values of modern marine Sparidae and freshwater Cyprinidae from the Southeast Mediterranean region vary between 8.1 and 11.0‰, similar to values reported for modern sharks. The mean δ13C of modern adult S. aurata and Cyprinus carpio teeth of 0.1±0.4‰ and -6.1±0.7‰, respectively, mainly reflect the difference in δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of the ambient water and dietary carbon sources. The enameloid Δ18OCO3-PO4 and δ13C values of ancient S. aurata (Holocene) and fossil Luciobarbus sp. (Cyprinidae; mid Pleistocene) teeth agree well with those of modern specimens, implying little diagenetic alteration of these tooth samples. Paired δ18OPO4-δ13C data from ancient S. aurata teeth indicate that hypersaline water bodies formed in the Levant region during the Late Holocene from typical Mediterranean coastal water with high evaporation rates and limited carbon input from terrestrial sources. Sparid tooth stable isotopes further suggest that coastal lagoons in the Eastern Mediterranean had already formed by the Early Holocene and were influenced by terrestrial carbon sources. Overall, combined enameloid oxygen and carbon isotope analysis of fish teeth is a powerful tool to infer the hydrologic evolution of aquatic environments and assess past fishing grounds of human populations in antiquity

Frequency (NISP), percentage, and survival index (SI) calculated for cranial and postcranial bones, according to the studied loci at Ohalo II.

<p>Frequency (NISP), percentage, and survival index (SI) calculated for cranial and postcranial bones, according to the studied loci at Ohalo II.</p

Correspondence analysis of taxonomic groups’ relative abundance (%) in the natural accumulation and at Loci 1, 3, 7, and 8.

<p>Correspondence analysis of taxonomic groups’ relative abundance (%) in the natural accumulation and at Loci 1, 3, 7, and 8.</p

Total NISP and relative abundance calculated for fish recovered at Ohalo-II, according to the four taxonomic groups^* and loci.

<p>Total NISP and relative abundance calculated for fish recovered at Ohalo-II, according to the four taxonomic groups^{<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0198747#t003fn001" target="_blank">*</a>} and loci.</p

List of Lake Kinneret and Jordan Rift valley fish, their maximum total length (TL^†), presence at Ohalo II, season of breeding (winter in green and spring-summer in red), and breeding area [49, 52, 53, 83].

<p>List of Lake Kinneret and Jordan Rift valley fish, their maximum total length (TL^{<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0198747#t001fn002" target="_blank">†</a>}), presence at Ohalo II, season of breeding (winter in green and spring-summer in red), and breeding area [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0198747#pone.0198747.ref049" target="_blank">49</a>, <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0198747#pone.0198747.ref052" target="_blank">52</a>, <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0198747#pone.0198747.ref053" target="_blank">53</a>, <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0198747#pone.0198747.ref083" target="_blank">83</a>].</p