Search

Three species of dinophysoid planktonic dinoflagellates are described from the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Amphisolenia sp. aff. brevicauda was collected at 70-m depth in the Ionian Sea. This small species showed a more asymmetric midbody and a proportionally longer neck when compared to the closer relative A. brevicauda. Three individuals of Dinofurcula tricornuta sp. nov. collected at 154-m depth in the Marmara Sea are characterized by three posterior-oriented processes when compared to its congeneric species. This is the first record of the genus Dinofurcula beyond the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Dinophysis profunda sp. nov. collected at 500-m depth in the Ionian Sea is characterized by ovate hypotheca and a serrate crest-like left sulcal list when compared to its close relative D. alata. These findings evidence an undescribed biodiversity in the under-sampled subphotic depths.

Gymnodinium gracile, described from the coasts of Denmark in 1881, is one of the first described unarmored dinoflagellates. Individuals which morphologically fit with the original description were isolated from the English Channel (North‐East Atlantic). The SSU rRNA gene sequences were identical to the sequences identified as Balechina pachydermata and Gymnodinium amphora from the Mediterranean Sea and Brazil. We propose the transfer of Gymnodinium gracile into the genus Balechina as B. gracilis comb. nov. These sequences constitute an independent lineage, clustering with numerous environmental sequences from polar to tropical waters. The widespread distribution, the high plasticity in size, shape and coloration and the difficulties in discerning the fine longitudinal striae have contributed to the description of numerous synonyms: Amphidinium vasculum, Balechina pachydermata (=Gymnodinium pachydermatum), Gymnodinium achromaticum, G. abbreviatum, G. amphora, G. dogielii, G. lohmannii (=G. roseum sensu Lohmann 1908), G. situla and Gyrodinium cuneatum (=G. gracile sensu Pouchet 1885).

La miasis se produce por la infestación con larvas de especies de moscas que afectan los tejidos u órganos de los vertebrados, incluido el ser humano. Puede clasificarse por caracterización entomológica o según el tropismo de las larvas en los tejidos. La miasis intestinal es poco frecuente y de difícil diagnóstico dada su sintomatología inespecífica, p or lo que la única forma de confirmar el caso es mediante la identificación de las larvas expulsadas.Se presenta el primer caso reportado en el departamento de Nariño (Colombia) de miasis intestinal en un niño de seis años residente en la zona urbana del municipio de Policarpa, proveniente de una familia de nivel socioeconómico bajo, sin acceso a un adecuado tratamiento y sin disposición de aguas residuales y con insuficientes condiciones de saneamiento básico. El caso clínico se asoció con diarrea crónica, dolor abdominal y prurito anal, con la posterior expulsión de una larva cuyas características morfológicas correspondían a las de la mosca Eristalis tenax.

Meat quality of Iberian pigs is defined by the combination of their genetic characteristics and the particular production system. To carry out a genetic analysis of the main meat quality traits, we estimated their heritabilities, genetic correlations and the association effects of 32 selected SNPs of 12 candidate genes. A total of ten traits were measured in longissimus dorsi samples from 1,199 Iberian pigs fattened in the traditional free-range system: water holding capacity (thawing, cooking and centrifuge force water losses), instrumental colour (lightness L*, redness a* and yellowness b*), myoglobin content, shear force on cooked meat, and shear force and maximum compression force on dry-cured loin. Estimated heritability values were low to moderate (0.01 to 0.43) being the lowest for L* and the highest for cooking loss. Strong genetic correlations between water holding capacity traits (0.93 to 0.96) and between myoglobin content and a* (0.94) were observed. The association analyses revealed 19 SNPs significantly associated with different traits. Consistent and strong effects were observed between PRKAG3 SNPs (rs319678464G > C and rs330427832C > T), MYH3_rs81437544T > C, CASP3_rs319658214G > T and CTSL_rs332171512A > G and water losses. Also for CAPN1_rs81358667G > A and CASP3_rs319658214G > T and shear force. The SNPs mapping on PRKAG3 showed the highest effects on Minolta colour traits. Genotyping of these SNPs could be useful for the selection of Iberian young boars with similar estimated breeding values for productive traits.

Traditionally, starting inoculants have been applied to improve ensiling of forage used for livestock feed. Here, we aimed to build up a bioinoculant composed of lactic acid-producing and lignocellulolytic bacteria (LB) derived from the Megathyrsus maximus (guinea grass) phyllosphere. For this, the dilution-to-stimulation approach was used, including a sequential modification of the starting culture medium [Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) broth] by addition of plant biomass (PB) and elimination of labile carbon sources. Along 10 growth-dilution steps (T1–T10), slight differences were observed in terms of bacterial diversity and composition. After the sixth subculture, the consortium started to degrade PB, decreasing its growth rate. The co-existence of Enterobacteriales (fast growers and highly abundance), Actinomycetales, Bacillales, and Lactobacillales species was observed at the end of the selection process. However, a significant structural change was noticed when the mixed consortium was cultivated in higher volume (500ml) for 8days, mainly increasing the proportion of Paenibacillaceae populations. Interestingly, Actinomycetales, Bacillales, and Lactobacillales respond positively to a pH decrease (4–5), suggesting a relevant role within a further silage process. Moreover, gene-centric metagenomic analysis showed an increase of (hemi)cellulose-degrading enzymes (HDEs) during the enrichment strategy. Reconstruction of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) revealed that Paenibacillus, Cellulosimicrobium, and Sphingomonas appear as key (hemi)cellulolytic members (harboring endo-glucanases/xylanases, arabinofuranosidases, and esterases), whereas Enterococcus and Cellulosimicrobium have the potential to degrade oligosaccharides, metabolize xylose and might produce lactic acid through the phosphoketolase (PK) pathway. Based on this evidence, we conclude that our innovative top-down strategy enriched a unique bacterial consortium that could be useful in biotechnological applications, including the development/design of a synthetic bioinoculant to improve silage processes.

La infección del sistema nervioso central es un proceso inflamatorio grave, potencialmente mortal, causado principalmente por virus y bacterias. El análisis del líquido cefalorraquídeo ayuda a su diagnóstico; la realización de la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa en el líquido cefalorraquídeo es la técnica elegida para identificar el microorganismo. El objetivo del presente artículo es caracterizar los pacientes con neuroinfección diagnosticada por reacción en cadena de la polimerasa en una clínica en Cali, Colombia. Para ello, se estudiaron 11 pacientes con detección de algún microorganismo por reacción en cadena de la polimerasa en líquido cefalorraquideo, en la Fundación Clínica Infantil Club Noel. Se detectaron: Cytomegalovirus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Herpes simplex virus 1, Herpes simplex virus 2, Human herpesvirus 6, Enterovirus y Neisseria meningitidis. En 8/11 pacientes hubo cambios en la conducta terapéutica después del resultado de la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa. El comportamiento del hemoleucograma, reactantes de fase aguda y análisis del líquido cefalorraquideo fueron concordantes con lo reportado en los textos consultados dependiendo si es de causa viral o bacteriana. En conclusión, el uso de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa ayuda a detectar el agente causal de la neuroinfección y así usar tratamiento antimicrobiano dirigido.

The microbiota regulates immunological development during early human life, with long-term effects on health and disease. Microbial products include short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), formyl peptides (FPs), polysaccharide A (PSA), polyamines (PAs), sphingolipids (SLPs) and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligands. Anti-inflammatory SCFAs are produced by Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Spirochaetes and Verrucomicrobia by undigested-carbohydrate fermentation. Thus, fiber amount and type determine their occurrence. FPs bind receptors from the pattern recognition family, those from commensal bacteria induce a different response than those from pathogens. PSA is a capsular polysaccharide from B. fragilis stimulating immunoregulatory protein expression, promoting IL-2, STAT1 and STAT4 gene expression, affecting cytokine production and response modulation. PAs interact with neonatal immunity, contribute to gut maturation, modulate the gut–brain axis and regulate host immunity. SLPs are composed of a sphingoid attached to a fatty acid. Prokaryotic SLPs are mostly found in anaerobes. SLPs are involved in proliferation, apoptosis and immune regulation as signaling molecules. The AhR is a transcription factor regulating development, reproduction and metabolism. AhR binds many ligands due to its promiscuous binding site. It participates in immune tolerance, involving lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells during early development in exposed humans.

SummaryThe genetic diversity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has the potential to impact the virus transmissibility and the escape from natural infection- or vaccine-elicited neutralizing antibodies. Here, representative samples from circulating SARS-CoV-2 in Colombia between January and April 2021, were processed for genome sequencing and lineage determination following the nanopore amplicon ARTIC network protocol and PANGOLIN pipeline. This strategy allowed us to identify the emergence of the B.1.621 lineage, considered a variant of interest (VOI) with the accumulation of several substitutions affecting the Spike protein, including the amino acid changes T95I, Y144T, Y145S and the insertion 146N in the N-terminal domain, R346K, E484K and N501Y in the Receptor-binding Domain (RBD) and P681H1 in the S1/S2 cleavage site of the Spike protein. The rapid increase in frequency and fixation in a relatively short time in Magdalena, Atlántico, Bolivar, Bogotá D.C, and Santander that were near the theoretical herd immunity suggests an epidemiologic impact. Further studies will be required to assess the biological and epidemiologic roles of the substitution pattern found in the B.1.621 lineage.HighlightsMonitoring the emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 in real time is a worldwide priority.Emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 may have high impact biological implications for public healthThe SARS-CoV-2 B.1.621 variant of interest was characterized by several substitutions: T95I, Y144T, Y145S, ins146N, R346K, E484K, N501Y and P681H in spike protein.

The transcriptional factor NF-κB is a nuclear factor involved in both physiological and pathological processes. This factor can control the transcription of more than 400 genes, including cytokines, chemokines, and their modulators, immune and non-immune receptors, proteins involved in antigen presentation and cell adhesion, acute phase and stress response proteins, regulators of apoptosis, growth factors, other transcription factors and their regulators, as well as different enzymes; all these molecules control several biological processes. NF-κB is a tightly regulated molecule that has also been related to apoptosis, cell proliferation, inflammation, and the control of innate and adaptive immune responses during onset of labor, in which it has a crucial role; thus, early activation of this factor may have an adverse effect, by inducing premature termination of pregnancy, with bad outcomes for the mother and the fetus, including product loss. Reviews compiling the different activities of NF-κB have been reported. However, an update regarding NF-κB regulation during pregnancy is lacking. In this work, we aimed to describe the state of the art around NF-κB activity, its regulatory role in pregnancy, and the effect of its dysregulation due to invasion by pathogens like Trichomonas vaginalis and Toxoplasma gondii as examples.

Toxoplasma gondii infection can trigger autoreactivity by different mechanisms. In the case of ocular toxoplasmosis, disruption of the blood-retinal barrier may cause exposure of confined retinal antigens such as recoverin. Besides, cross-reactivity can be induced by molecular mimicry of parasite antigens like HSP70, which shares 76% identity with the human ortholog. Autoreactivity can be a determining factor of clinical manifestations in the eye and in the central nervous system. We performed a prospective observational study to determine the presence of autoantibodies against recoverin and HSP70 by indirect ELISA in the serum of 65 patients with ocular, neuro-ophthalmic and congenital cerebral toxoplasmosis. We found systemic autoantibodies against recoverin and HSP70 in 33.8% and 15.6% of individuals, respectively. The presence of autoantibodies in cases of OT may be related to the severity of clinical manifestations, while in cases with CNS involvement they may have a protective role. Unexpectedly, anti-recoverin antibodies were found in patients with cerebral involvement, without ocular toxoplasmosis; therefore, we analyzed and proved cross-reactivity between recoverin and a brain antigen, hippocalcin, so the immunological phenomenon occurring in one immune-privileged organ (e.g. the central nervous system) could affect the environment of another (egg. the eye).

The genus Tripos, formerly marine species of Ceratium, is the dinoflagellate with the greatest number of species and infraspecific taxa (~800) due to the high morphological intraspecific variability of numerous species. In the past, the species of Tripos were proposed into distinct genera. A re-instatement of this generic split is not justified due the difficulties to circumscribe the basal subgenera Amphiceratium and Archaeceratium, and the polyphyletic character of Biceratium. A new infrageneric classification is proposed. The subgenus Amphiceratium is dismembered after the classification of the sections Inflata and partially Fusiformia into Archaeceratium. The subgenus Tripos (autonym) replaces other names such as Tripoceratium or Orthoceratium. Based on the original descriptions, the records of T. furca and T. lineatus correspond to T. eugrammus and T. furca, respectively, and T. macroceros has been reported as T. contrarius. The names T. belone and T. carriensis have been misapplied for T. pacificus and T. volans, respectively. Tripos arcuatus, T. gracilis, T. inclinatus, T. scapiformis and T. subcontortus are revived to replace T. euarcuatus, T. declinatus, T. horridus, T. longirostrum and T. contortus, respectively. The species T. ramakrishnae and T. fusus var. schuettii were described from individuals infected by endoparasites. Tripos rotundatus comb. nov. is proposed for C. digitatum var. rotundatum. As a result of taxonomic revision, Tripos is restricted to 57 correct species, although the speciation and synonymy is largely incomplete due to lack of studies in the life cycle and molecular data.

The nature of the plankton symbioses between ciliates and diatoms has been investigated from the tropical South Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. The obligate symbioses of the diatoms Chaetoceros dadayi or C. tetrastichon with the tintinnid Eutintinnus spp., and Chaetoceros coarctatus with the peritrich ciliate Vorticella oceanica are the most widespread, and the consortium of Chaetoceros densus and Vorticella sp. have been rediscovered. Facultative symbioses between Eutintinnus lususundae and Chaetoceros peruvianus, Hemiaulus spp., and Thalassionema sp. are less frequent, often containing three or four partners because Hemiaulus can also harbor the diazotrophic cyanobacteria Richelia intracellularis. Another three-partner consortium is the peritrich ciliate Zoothamnium pelagicum, ectobiont bacteria, and the diatom Licmophora sp. The predominantly oligotrophic conditions of tropical seas do not favor the survival of large diatoms, but large species of Coscinodiscus and Palmerina in facultative symbiosis with Pseudovorticella coscinodisci have a competitive advantage over other diatoms (i.e., reduction of sinking speed and diffusive boundary layer). Symbioses allow sessile peritric ciliates to extend their distribution in the pelagic environment, permit boreal-polar related diatoms such as C. coarctatus or Fragilariopsis doliolus to inhabit tropical seas, and help large diatoms to extend their survival under unfavorable conditions.

During pregnancy, NF-κB plays an important role for embryo implantation and the onset of labor. Regulated IL-6 production, under transcriptional control of NF-κB, is essential for a successful pregnancy outcome and the atypical regulator IκBNS is involved in this process. Previously, we showed that IκBNS negatively regulates IL-6 in uterine tissues during mouse estrous cycle. In this work, we analyzed if IκBNS and IL-6 expression in pregnant mice under physiological or L. monocytogenes-infected conditions would remain as observed in estrous cycle. In the healthy pregnancy IL-6 was highly expressed during implantation/placentation and labor stages but decreased during fetal development and post-partum stages. In contrast, in mice infected before pregnancy, IL-6 expression was not increased in the implantation stage, and its regulator IκBNS increased more in the infected condition rather than in the healthy pregnancy. IκBNS expression was reduced in post-implantation infection, allowing for IL-6 overexpression. The IκBNS-unrelated cytokine IL-36γ, used as inflammatory cytokine marker, was severely increased in the infected uterine tissues. When we analyzed the effect of infection over the fetuses, we found that pre-implantation infection caused the resorption (rejection) of some products, while the post-implantation infection restricted the intrauterine growth of fetuses. The results suggest that in the uterine tissue of pregnant mice the regulatory effect of IκBNS over IL-6 is more evident in an infection status rather than in a healthy condition., Biological sciences; Immunology; Health sciences; Women's health; Reproductive system; IL-6, IKBNS, NFKB, Listeria monocytogenes, Pregnancy.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food for more than two billion people worldwide. Its cultivation demands large amounts of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus (P). Consequently, low availability of these nutrients in the soil has led to the use of chemical fertilizers, generating increases in production costs and environmental damage. Soil host microorganisms known as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) colonize the rhizosphere and facilitate the uptake of nutrients by the plants. In this study, rice seeds inoculated with PGPR were grown for 30 days in an inert substrate and fertilized with modified Hoagland nutrient solution with phosphate rock as a source of P. Treatments were repeated over time, obtaining five isolates which significantly increased plant length by up to 56% and dry weight of stems and roots up to 45% and 169% respectively relative to an uninoculated control. Selected strains showed in vitro tri-calcium phosphate solubilizing activity, mineralizing phytate activity, and phosphate release from rice straw (RS). Based on the above criteria, three isolates (IBUN-02755, -02,704 and -02,724) that contained β propeller phytase (BPP) genes, were selected to evaluate their effect as PGPR in rice seedlings. These were planted in a soil amended with RS under greenhouse conditions. The results showed that selected Bacillus spp. strains significantly increased plant length and dry weight or increased plant phosphate uptake up to two times compared to an un-inoculated control. This suggests that selected strains may have a capacity as PGPR using RS as carbon and a P amendment.

Toxoplasma gondii is the etiological agent of toxoplasmosis. Mother-to-child transmission of this parasite can occur during pregnancy. Newborns with congenital toxoplasmosis may develop central nervous system impairment, with severity ranging from subclinical manifestations to death. A proinflammatory/regulated specific immune profile is crucial in the defense against the parasite; nevertheless, its role in the infected pregnant women and the congenitally infected offspring has been poorly explored, and there is still no consensus about its relation to parasite vertical transmission or to severity and dissemination in the congenitally infected newborns. This work aimed to characterize these relations by means of principal component and principal factor analyses. For this purpose, we determined the specific production of the four immunoglobulin G antibody subclasses, cytokines, and lymphocyte proliferation in the T. gondii–infected pregnant women−10 who transmitted the infection to their offspring and seven who did not—as well as in 11 newborns congenitally infected and grouped according to disease severity (five mild and six moderate/severe) and dissemination (four local and seven disseminated). We found that the immune response of nontransmitter women differed from that of the transmitters, the latter having a stronger proinflammatory response, supporting a previous report. We also found that newborns who developed moderate/severe disease presented higher levels of lymphocyte proliferation, particularly of CD8+ and CD19+ cells, a high proportion of tumor necrosis factor α producers, and reduced expression of the immune modulator transforming growth factor β, as opposed to children who developed mild clinical complications. Our results suggest that a distinctive, not regulated, proinflammatory immune response might favor T. gondii vertical transmission and the development of severe clinical manifestations in congenitally infected newborns.

The morphology and molecular phylogeny of the parasitic dinoflagellates Ichthyodinium chabelardi and Amyloodinium ocellatum was investigated off Brazil (South Atlantic Ocean). This is the first record of Ichthyodinium and the first molecular data of both parasites from the southern hemisphere. I. chabelardi infected the yolk of eggs of wild populations of Argentine anchovy Engraulis anchoita (Engraulidae) and Brazilian sardinella Sardinella brasiliensis (Clupeidae) in different seasons. The small subunit (SSU) rRNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequences were identical and confirmed Ichthyodinium as a host generalist. The new sequences clustered with the type species I. chabelardi from the North Atlantic and environmental sequences from the Pacific Ocean. A second species from the western Pacific remains undescribed. A. ocellatum was isolated from the gills of a cultured cobia Rachycentron canadum after causing mortality. The SSU rRNA gene sequence of the Brazilian isolate was almost identical to those from the northern hemisphere. This suggests a single species with a widespread distribution, although it is uncertain whether the species has a natural pantropical distribution or is the result of artificial distribution due to human-induced fish transport.

Anisakiasis is a global disease caused by consumption of raw or lightly cooked fish parasitised with Anisakis spp. third-stage larvae. Cases in the literature show colocalised anisakiasis and colorectal cancer, and the incidental finding of Anisakis larvae at the tumour site was reported. Data from our group suggested an epidemiological link between previous infection and gastrointestinal cancer. Furthermore, it has recently been reported that Anisakis products lead to inflammation and DNA damage. Based on these facts, the aim was to investigate whether Anisakis antigens are able to induce changes in the proliferation of epithelial cells in vitro or in the expression of serum microRNA (miRNA) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Anisakis complete extract (CE) induced increases in cell proliferation and decreases in apoptosis compared with nontreated cells, which resulted in a significant increase in the absolute number of viable cells at 48 h of exposure (P

Climacodium frauenfeldianum is a planktonic chain-forming diatom able to proliferate in severely oligotrophic waters of tropical seas. In this study, a strain of C. frauenfeldianum, the type of Cli...

Consortia of the peritrich ciliate Vorticella oceanica and the planktonic diatom Chaetoceros coarctactus are reported from the South Atlantic Ocean. The morphologies of the constituent species were similar to their counterparts from other geographical regions, revealing a widespread distribution in tropical waters. Besides, we describe Pseudovorticella coscinodisci sp. nov. that lives on Coscinodiscus wailesii and other pelagic diatoms off Brazil. The zooids were 34-45μm long, and 19-30μm wide with a stalk too short to coil. The cell surface showed a reticulate pellicle with 18-19 and 11-12 rows above and below the aboral ciliary wreath, respectively. In the SSU rDNA phylogeny V. oceanica clustered between the clades of Vorticella and Pseudovorticella/Epicarchesium, and Pseudovorticella coscinodisci sp. nov. clustered as a sister group of Pseudovorticella paracratera and P. sinensis. The V. oceanica-C. coarctactus consortium likely represents an obligate species-specific mutualistic symbiosis as the constituents are not known as free-living forms. In contrast, the diatom hosts are known as free-living forms in the consortia of Pseudovorticella coscinodisci. The new molecular data and species description will be valuable dataset for future research on the diversity and ecological significance of ciliate-diatom epibiotic consortia.

The dinoflagellate genus Cochlodinium is polyphyletic, and several bloom-forming species in this genus, such as Cochlodinium helix and C. convolutum , are in need of reclassification. The molecular data revealed that the polymorphic species Gymnodinium fusus (= Ceratoperidinium falcatum , Gyrodinium caudatum , Gyrodinium falcatum , Gyrodinium sugashimanii , Pseliodinium vaubanii ) is closely related to Cochlodinium helix / C. convolutum . There are significant morphological differences among the type species of Ceratoperidinium , C. margalefii , and the aforementioned species. The recent proposal of the genus Kirithra reinforces the need of the generic split between C. margalefii and Gymnodinium fusus/C. helix/C. convolutum , instead of placing all the species under the genus Ceratoperidinium . Pseliodinium is considered the earliest available generic name, and new combinations of Pseliodinium are proposed for Gymnodinium fusus , Cochlodinium helix and C. pirum (the latter considered co-specific with C. convolutum ) Redefinicion de Ceratoperidinium y Pseliodinium (Ceratoperidiniaceae, Dinophyceae), incluyendo la reasignacion de Gymnodinium fusus , Cochlodinium helix y C. pirum a Pseliodinium El genero de dinoflagelados Cochlodinium es polifiletico, y varias especies formadoras de proliferaciones como Cochlodinium helix y C. convolutum necesitan una reclasificacion. Los datos moleculares muestran que la especie polimorfica Gymnodinium fusus (= Ceratoperidinium falcatum , Gyrodinium caudatum , Gyrodinium falcatum , Gyrodinium sugashimanii , Pseliodinium vaubanii ) esta cercanamente emparentada con Cochlodinium helix / C. convolutum . Hay diferencias significativas en la morfologia entre la especie tipo de Ceratoperidinium , C. margalefii , y las especies mencionadas anteriormente. La reciente propuesta del genero Kirithra refuerza la necesidad de una separacion generica entre C. margalefii y Gymnodinium fusus / C. helix / C. convolutum , en lugar de emplazar todas las especies en el genero Ceratoperidinium . Pseliodinium se considera como el primer nombre generico disponible, y se proponen nuevas combinaciones de Pseliodinium para Gymnodinium fusus , Cochlodinium helix y C. pirum (esta ultima especie considerada conespecifica con C. convolutum ).

Resumen Introducción Las recomendaciones internacionales de tratamiento anti-retroviral incluyen pruebas de resistencia para orientar el régimen de tratamiento en cada paciente, lo que no está disponible de forma estable en Ecuador. Objetivo Describir las mutaciones que confieren resistencia a anti-retrovirales en una población de pacientes ecuatorianos. Metodología A partir de muestras de plasma de 101 pacientes con VIH-1 con fallo a la terapia anti-retroviral, 15 niños y 86 adultos, se realizó pirosecuenciación con el GS Junior (Roche) y se analizaron las secuencias con el programa DeepChek. Resultados Las mutaciones más frecuentes fueron M184V/I, K101E/P/H, K103N/S, D30N, M46L/I, I54L/M, V82T/F/A/S/L y L90M en adultos, y F77L, K103N/S, M46L/I, V82T/F/A/S/L y L90M en niños. Se encontró una elevada resistencia a los inhibidores de la transcriptasa reversa (TR) no análogos de nucleósidos en poblaciones minoritarias virales de adultos y niños (34,9 y 70%, respectivamente), en los niños, tanto las poblaciones virales mayoritarias como minoritarias, fueron resistente a inhibidores de proteasa (> 45%). Los pacientes que tuvieron un mayor número de esquemas terapéuticos presentaron mayores niveles de resistencia a los anti-retrovirales. La mayoría de las muestras fueron del subtipo B en la región de la TR y proteasa, y CRF25_cpx en integrasa. Conclusiones Se muestran las mutaciones y la resistencia a antiretrovirales en una población de pacientes ecuatorianos con infección por VIH-1, que permitirán realizar un llamado de alerta a las autoridades de salud sobre la necesidad de realizar estudios de resistencia.

The basket-like skeleton-bearing dinoflagellates have been divided into three genera: the little-known Monaster as having a skeleton with longitudinal ribs in the epitheca, Amphilothus with a dense and geometric skeletal tessellation in the epitheca, and Achradina with characteristics intermediate between the other two genera. Cells of different sizes and morphologies corresponding to these genera co-occurred within the same samples from the Mediterranean Sea and South Atlantic Ocean. During cell division, a bigger daughter cell kept the endoskeleton, while the smaller daughter cell formed a new skeleton, beginning with the formation of the hypotheca. The different degree of maturation of the skeleton explained the great intraspecific variability in skeletal morphology. These forms share a distinctive crest-like apical structure with several internal radiating slits. These evidences indicate that the genus Monaster corresponds to immature cells with incomplete developed endoskeleton in the epitheca; Amphilothus corresponds to the mature cells with more developed epithecal endoskeleton, while Achradina shows intermediate morphologies and it is the most common form in the plankton samples. The genera Achradina , Amphilothus and Monaster correspond to a single species, with the name Monaster rete having priority. Sinonimia de dinoflagelados con endoesqueletos en forma de cesta: Monaster , Amphilothus y Achradina (Amphilothales, Dinophyceae) Los dinoflagelados caracterizados por endoesqueletos en forma de cesta se han agrupado en tres generos: Monaster , poco conocido y con un esqueleto con arcos longitudinales en la epitheca, Amphilothus con el esqueleto de la epiteca densa y geometricamente teselado, y Achradina con caracteristicas intermedias entre los otros dos generos. Celulas de diferentes tamanos y morfologias correspondientes a estos generos coocurren en muestras recolectadas del Mar Mediterraneo y el Oceano Atlantico Sur. Durante la division celular, una de las celulas hija es mas grande y mantiene el esqueleto de la celula madre, mientras que la otra celula hija es mas pequena y crea un nuevo esqueleto, comenzando con la formacion de la hipoteca. El diferente grado de maduracion explica la gran variabilidad en la morfologia del esqueleto que se ha observado. Estas formas comparten una distintiva estructura apical en forma de cresta con varias aberturas radiales. Estas evidencias indican que el genero Monaster corresponde a celulas inmaduras con un endoesqueleto incompletamente desarrollado en la epitheca, Amphilothus corresponde a celulas maduras con el endoesqueleto de la epitheca mas desarrollado, mientras que Achradina es la forma mas frecuente en las muestras de plancton y engloba a celulas con una morfologia intermedia entre los otros dos generos. Estas observaciones sugieren que los generos Achradina, Amphilothus y Monaster corresponden a una sola especie, con prioridad para el nombre Monaster rete .

El tamo de arroz es uno de los residuos agrícolas lignocelulósicos más abundantes en el planeta, luego de los residuos producidos por los cultivos de maíz y trigo, con una producción mundial estimada de 1000 millones de toneladas según estadísticas de la FAO. En el contexto de la agricultura moderna es determinante lograr un manejo ambientalmente sostenible de este recurso mediante su incorporación al suelo, de tal forma que se logre el reciclaje de nutrientes, evitando la incorporación de patógenos al sistema y la inmovilización de elementos como el nitrógeno por la comunidad microbiana. El objetivo de este trabajo consistió en la evaluación de un inoculo microbiano mixto a partir de productos comerciales basados en hongos del género Trichoderma y bacterias aerobias formadoras de endosporas, con potencial degradador del tamo de arroz, así como el empleo de bacterias promotoras de crecimiento vegetal al momento de la siembra, que pudieran aprovechar los nutrientes del proceso de descomposición del tamo de arroz, potenciando su actividad biológica. Los tratamientos fueron evaluados bajo diferentes relaciones C:N del tamo de arroz que favorecieran el proceso de degradación, mediante la adición de nitrógeno inorgánico. Los resultados del trabajo permitieron identificar que la aplicación de una enmienda de nitrógeno a una relación C:N 35 más una dosis adicional de urea al momento de la siembra de las semillas de arroz, fue el tratamiento más adecuado para potenciar el efecto de los microorganismos e incrementar las variables agronómicas obtenidas mediante un esquema de fertilización convencional del cultivo. Rice straw is one of the most abundant lignocellulosic agricultural residues on the world, after residues produced by maize and wheat crops, with an estimated global production of 1000 million tones according to FAO statistics. In the context of modern agriculture, it is essential to achieve an environmentally sustainable management of this resource, through the incorporation of rice straw into the soil, in order to achieve nutrient recycling avoiding the incorporation of pathogens into the system and the losses of nitrogen due to soil microbial biomass immobilization. In this context, the objective of this work consisted in the evaluation of a mixed microbial inoculum with degrading potential of rice straw from commercial products based on the fungus Trichoderma spp. and aerobic endospore forming bacteria. It was also used a plant growth promoting bacteria at the time of planting, in order to take advantage of nutrients released from RS decomposition and improve its biological activity. These microbial treatments, were evaluated at different concentrations of inorganic nitrogen amendments that allowed different levels of rice straw´s C:N ratio, favoring the degradation process. Overall results allowed to identify that the application of a nitrogen amendment to rice straw up to C:N 35, plus an additional dose of urea at the time of rice seeds planting, was the most adequate treatment to potentiate the effect of the microorganisms and to increase or maintain the agronomic variables obtained through a conventional fertilization management of the crop.

We investigated the ability to predict production performance in Iberian pigs in an extensive production system from measurements of feed efficiency measured intensively. The second objective of this work was to study the relationship between feed efficiency and meat quality (composition, juiciness, tenderness, color, and subcutaneous fatty acid composition) and if cooked and cured quality properties can be predicted by properties in fresh meat. Thirty Iberian sows received successively a restricted diet of concentrate (P1concentrate) and acorns (P2acorn) intensively and an ad libitum diet of acorns supplemented with a restricted amount of concentrate (P3montanera) extensively. Pigs that were more feed efficient on concentrate were less feed efficient on acorns and had higher body weight gain during the montanera . Improved feed efficiency on acorns reduced the concentration of α-linolenic and linoleic fatty acid composition of subcutaneous fat. Faster body weight gain in montanera resulted in a desirable reduction in cooking loss and a reduction in palmitic acid content in subcutaneous fat, and a potentially undesirable reduction in meat redness. Tenderness in cooked or cured loin was not significantly related to tenderness in the raw product. Cooking loss was positively related to purge and centrifugal drip loss and to color coordinates a*24 and b*24 in raw samples. We conclude that feed efficiency and body weight gain may be improved in the traditional Iberian production system, with a positive effect on cooking loss but potentially resulting in paler meat.

DNA topoisomerase II (TOP2) is a major DNA metabolic enzyme, with important roles in replication, transcription, chromosome segregation and spatial organisation of the genome. TOP2 is the target of a class of anticancer drugs that poison the DNA-TOP2 transient complex to generate TOP2-linked DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The accumulation of DSBs kills tumour cells but can also result in genome instability. The way in which topoisomerase activity contributes to transcription remains unclear. In this work we have investigated how transcription contributes to TOP2-dependent DSB formation, genome instability and cell death. Our results demonstrate that gene transcription is an important source of abortive TOP2 activity. However, transcription does not contribute significantly to apoptosis or cell death promoted by TOP2-induced DSBs. On the contrary: transcription-dependent breaks greatly contribute to deleterious mutations and translocations, and can promote oncogenic rearrangements. Importantly, we show that TOP2-induced genome instability is mediated by mutagenic canonical non-homologous end joining whereas homologous recombination protects cells against these insults. Collectively, these results uncover mechanisms behind deleterious effects of TOP2 abortive activity during transcription, with relevant implications for chemotherapy., Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [BFU2016-76446-P, RYC-2014-16665]; youth employment plan of the Andalusian government and the University of Seville (to J.O.-P.); predoctoral fellowship from the University of Seville [VI PPIT-US to D.R.-C.]. Funding for open access charge: Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation [BFU2016-76446-P].

Copyright © 2019 Gómez-Herreros, DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) are the most cytotoxic lesions of those occurring in the DNA and can lead to cell death or result in genome mutagenesis and chromosomal translocations. Although most of these rearrangements have detrimental effects for cellular survival, single events can provide clonal advantage and result in abnormal cellular proliferation and cancer. The origin and the environment of the DNA break or the repair pathway are key factors that influence the frequency at which these events appear. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie the formation of chromosomal translocations remain unclear. DNA topoisomerases are essential enzymes present in all cellular organisms with critical roles in DNA metabolism and that have been linked to the formation of deleterious DSBs for a long time. DSBs induced by the abortive activity of DNA topoisomerase II (TOP2) are “trending topic” because of their possible role in genome instability and oncogenesis. Furthermore, transcription associated TOP2 activity appears to be one of the most determining causes behind the formation of chromosomal translocations. In this review, the origin of recombinogenic TOP2 breaks and the determinants behind their tendency to translocate will be summarized., FG-H laboratory is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Universities (BFU2016-76446-P, RYC-2014-16665)

New genera of unarmoured dinoflagellates represented by a single or very few species have largely increased in the last two decades. An example is the new genus name Torquentidium H.H. Shin, Z. Li, K.W. Lee & Matsuoka 2019 (Shin et al., Eur. J. Phycol. 54: 249-262) recently proposed for species that were transferred into Pseliodinium in 2018. The SSU- and LSU rRNA gene sequences of the type species of Pseliodinium and Torquentidium only differed by 0.3% and 2%, respectively, and they clustered together as a monophyletic group with high support. Based on these tree topologies and/or the sequence divergences, each dinoflagellate species would be classified in its own genus. The morphological character proposed to distinguish Pseliodinium and Torquentidium is that the cingulum encircled the cell 1 and 1.5 times, respectively. This kind of arbitrary numeric morphometric character, proposed one century ago, is currently considered invalid for the generic split of unarmoured dinoflagellates. For example, Polykrikos geminatum (with ~1.5 cingular turns) clusters between species of Polykrikos (1 turn). Within the Ceratoperidiniaceae, the arrangement of the amphiesmal vesicles in apical structure complex was used for distinction at the genus level (i.e., Kirithra), while this character is identical for Pseliodinium and Torquentidium. For the first time, an unarmoured dinoflagellate genus contains species with smooth cell covering ( T. convolutum, T. helix) and species with longitudinal striae ( T. pirum). However, the original description as Gymnodinium pirum in 1895 erroneously illustrated two distinct species, and since then nobody has ever reported surface markings in T. pirum. The morphological and molecular criteria used for the split of Torquentidium from Pseliodinium are unsupported, contributing to the excessive proliferation of monotypic genera. Torquentidium pirum and T. convolutum are synonyms, and Torquentidium is a superfluous generic name and junior synonym of Pseliodinium.

International audience; The parasitic dinoflagellate Syltodinium listii was investigated from the open waters of the English Channel, southern North Sea and the NW Mediterranean Sea.Syltodinium listii has been unreported since its original description in the North Sea. Cells of S. listii were able to infect copepod eggs of different species, and even nauplii, and after each infection formed up to 32 cells embedded in a mucous envelope. Infection of the same host by more than one dinoflagellate was frequent; although overall, the progeny were reduced in number. Molecular phylogeny based on the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene revealed that S. listii clusters with a group of environmental sequences from the cold North Atlantic region as a sister group of Gymnodinium aureolum. The large subunit ribosomal RNA (LSU rRNA) gene sequences of S. listii from the English Channel and cf. Gyrodinium undulans from the Mediterranean Sea were identical. Thus, we propose Syltodinium undulans comb. nov. for Gyrodinium undulans. The first internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and complete SSU rRNA gene sequences of Dissodinium pseudolunula are provided. The parasitic species of Chytriodinium, Dissodinium and Syltodinium cluster together within the family Chytriodiniaceae, including the free-living species Gymnodinium aureolum, G. corollarium and G. plasticum.

Objetivo: Caracterizar la susceptibilidad bacteriana en la infección urinaria adquirida en la comunidad de la población pediátrica atendida en una institución de Cali-Colombia. Materiales y métodos: Estudio observacional descriptivo, retrospectivo, en niños de 1 mes a 18 años de edad, que consultaron a la Fundación Clínica Infantil Club Noel con una impresión diagnóstica de primer episodio de Infección del Tracto Urinario (ITU) confirmado por urocultivo y que cumple los criterios de inclusión establecidos. Durante el período comprendido entre el 1 de enero a 31 de diciembre de 2015. Resultados: Se evaluaron un total de 196 urocultivos positivos. La ITU de la comunidad en varones, es más frecuente en los menores de 1 año de edad, en comparación con las niñas donde se presenta principalmente entre 1 a 5 años. El microorganismo más comúnmente identificado fue E. coli, seguido de Proteus spp. y finalmente Klebsiella pneumoniae. Los patrones de resistencia fueron: penicilinasa de bajo techo en el 9.1%, Betalactamasa de Espectro Ampliado (BLEA) en el 60.2%, Betalactamasa AmpC en 10,2% y Betalactamasa de Espectro Extendido (BLEE) en 7,1% de los aislamientos. Conclusiones: Se concluye que la primera ITU en niños se presenta con mayor frecuencia en el primer año de vida, mientras que en niñas ese primer episodio ocurre dentro de los primeros 5 años. Respecto a los patrones de resistencia, el patrón AmpC y BLEE se encuentra en el 17.3%, en la población de estudio. La resistencia persiste alta a antibióticos de uso habitual como ampicilina, cefalotina y Trimetoprim- Sulfametoxazol (TMP-SMX).

Introduction. It is believed that only 0.5 % of the area planted worldwide with cocoa is irrigated. Water availability influences the rate of expansion of the tree canopy and thus light interception. Another extremely important factor is pruning, which influences the production of floral sprouts that will give rise to new fruits, influencing productivity. Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of drip irrigation and pruning on the performance, phenology and phytosanitary behavior of cacao trees. Materials and methods. The study was developed between 2015 and 2016 in the Cauca department, Colombia. The six-year-old trees were subjected to two watering layers: L-100 % and L-0 % and two pruning levels: soft and strong. Total number of fruits, number of healthy and sick fruits, kg of wet and dry cocoa, fruit index and seed index, longitudinal and equatorial diameters and incidence of Moniliopthora roreri, Phytophthora palmivora and Monalonion dissimulatum were evaluated. The growth and development curves of the fruit throughout time were built. An experimental design of complete random blocks was used in an arrangement of divide plots. Results. Fruit index varied from 22 (T2) up to 33 fruits (T3), the seed index varied from 0.91 g (T4) to 1.14 g (T2). There were no other significant results for other variables. Conclusion. From a technical and economic point of view an optimal response to the interaction of irrigation with the two levels of pruning was observed because, with a timely application of watering and an adequate pruning management, crop performance can be increased, harvests can be programmed and better quality fruits can be obtained. Resumen Introducción. Se cree que solo el 0,5% de la superficie plantada a nivel mundial con cacao es irrigada. La disponibilidad de agua influye en la tasa de expansión de la copa y, por lo tanto, en la interceptación de la luz. Otro factor de gran importancia es la poda, que influye en la producción de cojines florales que darán origen a frutos, e influirán en la productividad. Objetivo. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto del riego por goteo y la poda en el rendimiento, la fenología y comportamiento fitosanitario del cacao. Materiales y métodos. El estudio se desarrolló entre el año 2015 y el 2016, en el departamento del Cauca, Colombia. Los árboles de seis años de edad fueron sometidos a dos láminas de riego: L-100 % y L-0 %, y dos niveles de poda: suave y fuerte. Se evaluó el total de mazorcas, mazorcas sanas, mazorcas enfermas, kg de cacao húmedo, kg de cacao seco, índice de mazorca y de semilla, diámetro longitudinal y ecuatorial de los frutos, incidencia de Moniliopthora roreri, Phythophthora palmivora y Monalonion dissimulatum. Se construyeron las curvas de crecimiento y desarrollo del fruto en el tiempo. Se utilizó un diseño experimental de bloques completos al azar en un arreglo de parcelas divididas. Resultados. El índice de mazorca varió de 22 (T2) a 33 mazorcas (T3), el índice de semilla varió de 0,91 g (T4) a 1,14 g (T2), para otras variables no se reportaron diferencias significativas. Conclusión. Desde el punto de vista técnico y económico se evidenció respuesta óptima por efecto de la interacción del riego con los dos niveles de poda, ya que con una aplicación oportuna del riego y el manejo adecuado de las podas, puede aumentarse el rendimiento, programar cosechas y obtener mejor calidad de los frutos.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a pathogen that can remain in the stomach of an infected person for their entire life. As a result, this leads to the development of severe gastric diseases such as gastric cancer. In addition, current therapies have several problems including antibiotics resistance. Therefore, new practical options to eliminate this bacterium, and its induced affections, are required to avoid morbidity and mortality worldwide. One strategy in the search for new drugs is to detect compounds that inhibit a limiting step in a central metabolic pathway of the pathogen of interest. In this work, we tested 55 compounds to gain insights into their possible use as new inhibitory drugs of H. pylori glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (HpG6PD) activity. The compounds YGC-1, MGD-1, MGD-2, TDA-1, and JMM-3 with their respective scaffold 1,3-thiazolidine-2,4-dione, 1H-benzimidazole, 1,3-benzoxazole, morpholine, and biphenylcarbonitrile showed the best inhibitory activity (IC50 = 310, 465, 340, 204 and 304 μM, respectively). We then modeled the HpG6PD protein by homology modeling to conduct an in silico study of the chemical compounds and discovers its possible interactions with the HpG6PD enzyme. We found that compounds can be internalized at the NADP+ catalytic binding site. Hence, they probably exert a competitive inhibitory effect with NADP+ and a non-competitive or uncompetitive effect with G6P, that of the compounds binding far from the enzyme’s active site. Based on these findings, the tested compounds inhibiting HpG6PD represent promising novel drug candidates against H. pylori.

Hemidiscus cuneiformis, type of the family Hemidiscaceae, is a diatom with a distinctive semi-circular shape in valve view. A strain of H. cuneiformis was established from the coastal region of the tropical southwestern Atlantic Ocean off Brazil. Cells of this strain showed semi-circular to asymmetrically elliptical valves, indicating morphological plasticity. In the small subunit (SSU) rDNA phylogeny, the type species of Hemidiscus branched between two clades of Actinocyclus, one of which was a sister group, the other in a basal position. Beyond cell shape, there are no significant morphological differences between Hemidiscus and Actinocyclus. We propose the transfer of H. cuneiformis and H. kanayanus into Actinocyclus. The family Hemidiscaceae remains for the genus Actinocyclus.

The dinoflagellate genus Coolia, which contains potentially toxic species, is an important component of epiphytic assemblages in marine ecosystems. The morphology of C. malayensis has been illustrated from strains isolated in Asia and Oceania. In this study, strains of C. malayensis isolated from the Caribbean Sea in Puerto Rico, and for the first time from the South Atlantic Ocean in Brazil, were investigated by light, epifluorescence and scanning electron microscopies. No significant morphological differences between these new strains and other geographically distant strains of C. malayensis were observed. In the LSU rDNA phylogeny, the C. malayensis sequences from Brazil and Puerto Rico branched within the clade of strains from Oceania and Asia. The recently described species C. santacroce branched as a sister group of C. monotis, and C. palmyrensis was basal to the combined group of C. monotis/C. malayensis/C. santacroce. A tentative undescribed species from Florida and New Zealand branched as a sister group of C. malayensis. Our results confirm that C. malayensis showed a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical to subtropical waters, while the type species C. monotis remains endemic for the Mediterranean Sea and the temperate North Atlantic.

We investigated the morphology and evolutionary relationships of Torodinium spp. and Katodinium glaucum, unarmoured dinoflagellates characterized by a small hyposome. An emended generic description of Torodinium was proposed based on light and scanning electron microscopy. Torodinium exhibited a unique combination of morphological features including a minute hyposome, a long episome with longitudinal ribs and a canal of unknown function on the dextro-lateral side. Unlike any known dinoflagellate both cingulum and sulcus extended in the episome. The apex surface showed ribs that converged in a bill-like projection. The shape of the apical groove was a circular spiral that extended around the apex running in 2.5 turns in an anticlockwise direction. The type species T. teredo was usually longer than T. robustum. The longitudinal outline of T. teredo was linear, with almost parallel margins, a circular transversal section, a relatively large hyposome and a conspicuous bill-like projection. The longitudinal outline of T. robustum was oblong, widened in the middle, with an ellipsoidal transversal section, a small hyposome and a less prominent bill-like projection. Several morphological features of Katodinium glaucum (=Gyrodinium glaucum) resembled Gyrodinium, such as the cingular displacement, longitudinal ribs, trichocysts, rod-shaped and refractile bodies and a capsule that surrounded the spherical nucleus. Distinctive features of K. glaucum were the horseshoeshaped apical groove under a tongue-shaped notch pointed towards the dorsal side, and a bifurcated proximal end of the cingulum. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Torodinium spp. and K. glaucum formed two independent lineages with no close relationships with other known dinoflagellates. The morphology of K. glaucum was distant from the type species of Katodinium. We propose the new genus and combination Lebouridinium glaucum gen. nov., comb. nov. for the species Katodinium glaucum.

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic zoonosis distributed worldwide, caused by the ingestion of contaminated water/food with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. If a pregnant woman is infected with this parasite, it may be transmitted to the fetus and produce ocular, neurological, or systemic damage with variable severity. The strength and profile of mother's immune response have been suggested as important factors involved in vertical transmission rate and severity of clinical outcome in the congenitally infected fetus. The aim of this work was to evaluate a possible relation between the mother's immune response during pregnancy and congenital transmission to the fetus. We obtained peripheral blood from T. gondii infected pregnant woman and tested it for anti T. gondii (IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, and IgA) in serum. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated to analyze the in vitro effect of soluble T. gondii antigens on proliferation and production of cytokines. We found that IgG2-4 and IgA antibodies and lymphocytes proliferation, especially CD4+, CD8+, and CD19+ were positive in a higher proportion of cases in transmitter than in non-transmitter women. Furthermore, IgG2-3 and IgA anti-Toxoplasma antibody levels were higher in those mothers who transmitted the infection than in those who did not. Interestingly, a higher proportion of positive cases to IFN-γ and negatives to the immunoregulatory cytokine TGF-β, were related to T. gondii vertical transmission. Our descriptive results are consistent with the paradoxical previous observations in murine models of congenital toxoplasmosis, which suggest that an increased immune response that protects the mothers from a disseminated or severe disease, and should protect the fetus from infection, is positively related to parasite transmission.

FUS (fused in sarcoma) plays a key role in several steps of RNA metabolism, and dominant mutations in this protein are associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we show that FUS is a component of the cellular response to topoisomerase I (TOP1)–induced DNA breakage; relocalising to the nucleolus in response to RNA polymerase II (Pol II) stalling at sites of TOP1-induced DNA breaks. This relocalisation is rapid and dynamic, reversing following the removal of TOP1-induced breaks and coinciding with the recovery of global transcription. Importantly, FUS relocalisation following TOP1-induced DNA breakage is associated with increased FUS binding at sites of RNA polymerase I transcription in ribosomal DNA and reduced FUS binding at sites of RNA Pol II transcription, suggesting that FUS relocates from sites of stalled RNA Pol II either to regulate pre-mRNA processing during transcriptional stress or to modulate ribosomal RNA biogenesis. Importantly, FUS-mutant patient fibroblasts are hypersensitive to TOP1-induced DNA breakage, highlighting the possible relevance of these findings to neurodegeneration., This work was funded by an MRC project grant to KW Caldecott and M Hafezparast (MR/K01854X/1), and MRC and ERC Programme grants to KW Caldecott (ERC SIDSCA 694996, MR/P010121/1). MI Martinez-Macias was also supported by an European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) Long-Term Fellowship ALTF 751-2013.

The genusCentrodiniumcontains oceanic and predominantly tropical species that have received little attention. Three species ofCentrodiniumwere examined using thecal plate dissociation, scanning electron microscopy, and molecular sequences. The apical horn ofCentrodinium intermediumandC. eminensis formed by the elongation of the fourth apical plate, and a second apical split into two plates. InC. punctatumtwo apical plates (2′ and 4′) almost completely encircle the apical pore plate (Po), while the contact with the plate 1′ in the ventral side is much reduced, and the plate 3′ does not reach the Po. Moreover, its left posterior lateral sulcal plate is longer than its right pair, while reversed in the typicalCentrodiniumspp. The sulcal posterior plate ofC. punctatumis located in the left-ventral side below the plates 1′′′ and 2′′′, while the sulcal posterior plate located in the right face below the plates 4′′′ and 5′′′ in the typicalCentrodiniumspp. Phylogenetic analyses based on the small and large subunit of the rRNA gene showed thatCentrodiniumspp. andAlexandrium affine/A. gaarderaeclustered as a sister clade of theAlexandrium tamarense/catenella/fraterculusgroups. The clade of the subgenusGessnerium, and the clade of the type species ofAlexandrium,A. minutum, with four divergent species, clustered in more basal positions. The polyphyly ofAlexandriumis solved with the split into four genera: (1)Alexandriumsensu stricto for the species of the clade ofA. minutumand four divergent species; (2) the reinstatement of the genusGessneriumfor the species of the clade ofA. monilatum; (3) the reinstatement of genusProtogonyaulaxfor the species of thetamarense/catenella/fraterculusgroups, and (4) the new genusEpisemicolongen. nov. forA. affineandA. gaarderae.New combinations in the generaGessnerium,Protogonyaulax,andEpisemicolonare proposed.

One of the most important determinants of meat quality is the intramuscular fat (IMF) content. The development of high-throughput techniques as RNA-seq allows identifying gene pathways and networks with a differential expression (DE) between groups of animals divergent for a particular trait. The Iberian pig is characterized by having an excellent meat quality and a high content of intramuscular fat. The objectives of the present study were to analyze the longissimus dorsi transcriptome of purebred Iberian pigs divergent for their IMF breeding value to identify differential expressed genes and regulatory factors affecting gene expression. RNA-seq allowed identifying ∼10,000 of the 25,878 annotated genes in the analyzed samples. In addition to this, 42.46% of the identified transcripts corresponded to newly predicted isoforms. Differential expression analyses revealed a total of 221 DE annotated genes and 116 DE new isoforms. Functional analyses identified an enrichment of overexpressed genes involved in lipid metabolism (FASN, SCD, ELOVL6, DGAT2, PLIN1, CIDEC, and ADIPOQ) in animals with a higher content of IMF and an enrichment of overexpressed genes related with myogenesis and adipogenesis (EGR1, EGR2, EGR3, JUNB, FOSB, and SEMA4D) in the animals with a lower content of IMF. In addition to this, potential regulatory elements of these DE genes were identified. Co-expression networks analyses revealed six long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) (ALDBSSCG0000002079, ALDBSSCG0000002093, ALDBSSCG0000003455, ALDBSSCG0000004244, ALDBSSCG0000005525, and ALDBSSCG0000006849) co-expressed with SEMA4D and FOSB genes and one (ALDBSSCG0000004790) with SCD, ELOVL6, DGAT2, PLIN1, and CIDEC. Analyses of the regulatory impact factors (RIFs) revealed 301 transcriptionally regulatory factors involved in expression differences, with five of them involved in adipogenesis (ARID5B, CREB1, VDR, ATF6, and SP1) and other three taking part of myogenesis and development of skeletal muscle (ATF3, KLF11, and MYF6). The results obtained provide relevant insights about the genetic mechanisms underlying IMF content in purebred Iberian pigs and a set of candidate genes and regulatory factors for further identification of polymorphisms susceptible of being incorporated in a selection program.

The objective was to evaluate the behavior ofApis melliferaandTetragonisca angustulabees in pollination tests inBrassica napusat different times of the day, temperature and relative humidity. The experimental design was completely with eight treatments and two pollination tests, repeated in five randomized blocks during seven days of observations for two years, totaling 560 records. During the visits, the following parameters were recorded: collected resources, nectar collection site, time spent on flower, number of flowers visited in one minute, pollen load in the pollen basket and bee contact with anthers and stigma. Data were analyzed using generalized linear models. The number of Africanized andT. angustulabees collecting nectar increased with the passage of time throughout the day and with the decrease of relative humidity. The same was observed for nectar collection in both nectaries. The proportion of bees collecting pollen was higher in the morning hours, as well as when there was an increase in temperature for the two species of bees. Foraging behavior ofA. melliferainB. napuscrop favored its pollination, indifferent of which collected floral resource as they came into contact with anthers and stigma.T. angustulabees performed pollination only during pollen collection. Pollination ofB. napuswas more effective in the warmer hours of the morning, when more of both species of bees carried out pollen collection. Due to its foraging behavior,A. melliferahad greater efficiency for pollination ofB. napus; however, the association with T. angustulamay potentiate the benefits generated for the crop by cross-pollination.

• The development of genomic tools allows for more accurate estimates of genetic relationships between animals (genomic coancestry coefficients) than those obtained with pedigree data (pedigree-based coancestry coefficients) and thus permit better management of genetic diversity. • There are different issues relevant to conservation programs that could benefit from the use of genomic data. These include establishing synthetic ex situ populations, maintaining genetic diversity, preserving original genetic structures, and eliminating exogenous genetic information. The use of dense panels of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in strategies proposed to deal with all these issues improves the general performance of conservation programs in both farm and wild animal populations. © Fernández, Toro, Gómez-Romano, and Villanueva.

We present a palaeoecological study of well-preserved vegetal macroremains in Spain, which age range (10,025–5371 cal yr BP) confers it an outstanding interest, because for the first half of the Holocene, palaeobotanical data are extremely scarce in the Iberian Central System Range. We found, for the first time in the easternmost zone of the Central System Range, macroremains belonging to the genus Pinus; these have specifically been identified as Pinus cf. sylvestris and Pinus gr. sylvestris. These findings provide valuable information on the role of the genus Pinus, regarding the natural character of these pine forests in this relatively unknown region. In the larger wood samples we measured tree rings and cross-dated growth series, which represent a 75% increase in the number of floating fossil chronologies and increase the time span by almost 1750 years, in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Remarkably, this is the first time in Spain and in southern Europe that some of the floating chronologies have been successfully crossdated, creating four composite chronologies. Furthermore, we discuss some palaeoclimatic inferences comparing with different sites in southern Europe and provide new data for best knowing the palaeoecological characteristics of the first half of the Holocene in Spain. Likewise, we found two bones belonging to aurochs (Bos primigenius), one of these also dating from the first half of the Holocene, with Valdojos constituting the only site with this taxon for this period in the Central System Range and surrounding areas.

The dynamic regulation of NF-κB activity in the uterus maintains a favorable environment of cytokines necessary to prepare for pregnancy throughout the estrous cycle. Recently, the mechanisms that directly regulate the NF-κB transcriptional activity in different tissues are of growing interest. IκBNS and BCL-3 are negative nuclear regulators of NF-κB activity that regulate IL-6 and TNF-α transcription, respectively. Both cytokines have been described as important factors in the remodeling of uterus for blastocyst implantation. In this work we analyzed in ICR mice the mRNA expression and protein production profile of IL-6, TNF-α, and their correspondent negative transcription regulators IκBNS or BCL-3 using real-time PCR, western blot and immunochemistry. We found that the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 was oscillatory along the estrous cycle, and its low expression coincided with the presence of BCL-3 and IκBNS, and vice versa, when the presence of the regulators was subtle, the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 was exacerbated. When we compared the production of TNF-α and IL-6 in the different estrous stages relating with diestrus we found that at estrus there is an important increase of the cytokines (p

Pregnancy is a complex process where several physiological pathways interact. The down-regulated inflammatory response and the abundance of anti-inflammatory molecules during gestation may explain the acceptance of the fetus and the lack of immune response against it, even though it is a foreign tissue for the mother. NF-κB is a key regulator of the transcription of inflammatory genes, such as IL-8, IL-1β, TNF-α, or IL-6. Increased NF-κB activity that leads to the production of proinflammatory cytokines may induce obstetric disorders, such as preterm birth or abortion. Low activity of this transcription factor is associated with the beneficial anti-inflammatory environment during fetus development until delivery. Galectin-1 (Gal-1) is a lectin-type glycan-binding protein that is able to down-regulate inflammation. It has been shown that Gal-1 is abundantly expressed at the feto-maternal interface in humans, where it promotes maternal immune tolerance to the fetal semi-allograft. Gal-1 tolerance-promoting mechanisms have been established for adaptive immune cells, such as T cells and dendritic cells. However, the role of this lectin has not been established in non-immune cells at the feto-maternal interface. Here, we determined that Gal-1 is able to block the stimulating effect of LPS on IL-6 in human decidua cells. Our results show that Gal-1 acts by inhibiting the stimulation of the LPS-induced IκBζ expression, an NF-κB regulator involved in IL-6 gene transcription.

The benthic dinoflagellate genus Cabra is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea and the South Atlantic Ocean, with additional records in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Asian coasts. Cabra aremorica is reported for the first time after the original description. However, these records should be considered cautiously because the distinction between Cabra aremorica and C. reticulata is difficult based on routine light microscopy observations. It is uncertain whether there is a high intraspecific morphological variability or several co-occurring undescribed species. Cabra levis , a species recently described, is reported for first time beyond the type locality. Nuevos registros del distintivo genero de dinoflagelado bentonico Cabra (Dinophyceae) El dinoflagelado bentonico del genero Cabra se describe por primera vez en el Mar Mediterraneo y el Oceano Atlantico Sur, con registros adicionales en el Mar Caribe y las costas orientales de Asia. Cabra aremorica se cita por primera vez despues de la descripcion original. Sin embargo, estos registros deben ser considerados con cautela porque la distincion entre Cabra aremorica y C. reticulata es dificil basandose solo en observaciones rutinarias de microscopia optica. No esta claro si existe una alta variabilidad morfologica intra-especifica o si existen varias especies no descritas que coexisten. Cabra levis , una especie recientemente descrita, se describe por primera vez mas alla de su localidad tipo.

The species Amphidinium eludens, as described by Herdman (1922; Proc. Trans. Liverpool Biol. Soc. 36: 18) based on her drawing in fig. 1, has been investigated for the first time by scanning electron microscopy and phylogenetic analysis. The morphological and molecular data reveal that this species is distantly related to other known dinoflagellates. Balech [1956, Rev. Algol., n. ser. 2(1–2): 30] cited Amphidinium eludens Herdman (1922, fig. 1) as the basionym of the type of Adenoides, while he described and illustrated Amphidinium kofoidii Herdman (1922, fig. 2) as Adenoides eludens. As the nomenclatural rules do not allow the change of basionym, we have re-defined the genus Adenoides based on the characteristics of Amphidinium eludens Herdman (1922, fig. 1). The thecal plate formula of Adenoides eludens is Po, 5′, 6″, 0c, 3+s, 5′″, 3p, 1″″. This species lacks a cingulum. The apical pore complex resembles that of peridinioid dinoflagellates, while the absence of a cingular groove is reminiscent o...

Dinoflagellate infections have been reported for different protistan and animal hosts. We report, for the first time, the association between a dinoflagellate parasite and a rotifer host, tentativelySynchaetasp. (Rotifera), collected from the port of Valencia, NW Mediterranean Sea. The rotifer contained a sporangium with 100–200 thecate dinospores that develop synchronically through palintomic sporogenesis. This undescribed dinoflagellate forms a new and divergent fast-evolved lineage that branches among the dinokaryotic dinoflagellates.