Search

Aim: Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change. Location: Tropical and subtropical moist forests. Time period: Current. Major taxa studied: Palms (Arecaceae). Methods: We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co-occurring non-palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure. Results: On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long-term climate stability. Life-form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non-tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above-ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work. Conclusions: Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests.

In Amazon forests, the relative contributions of climate, phenology, and disturbance to net ecosystem exchange of carbon (NEE) are not well understood. To partition influences across various timescales, we use a statistical model to represent eddy-covariance-derived NEE in an evergreen eastern Amazon forest as a constant response to changing meteorology and phenology throughout a decade. Our best fit model represented hourly NEE variations as changes due to sunlight, while seasonal variations arose from phenology influencing photosynthesis and from rainfall influencing ecosystem respiration, where phenology was asynchronous with dry-season onset. We compared annual model residuals with biometric forest surveys to estimate impacts of drought disturbance. We found that our simple model represented hourly and monthly variations in NEE well (R 2 Combining double low line 0.81 and 0.59, respectively). Modeled phenology explained 1 % of hourly and 26 % of monthly variations in observed NEE, whereas the remaining modeled variability was due to changes in meteorology. We did not find evidence to support the common assumption that the forest phenology was seasonally light- or water-triggered. Our model simulated annual NEE well, with the exception of 2002, the first year of our data record, which contained 1.2 MgC ha'1 of residual net emissions, because photosynthesis was anomalously low. Because a severe drought occurred in 1998, we hypothesized that this drought caused a persistent, multi-year depression of photosynthesis. Our results suggest drought can have lasting impacts on photosynthesis, possibly via partial damage to still-living trees.

Correction for "Phylogenetic classification of the world's tropical forests, " by J. W. Ferry Slik, Janet Franklin, Víctor Arroyo- Rodríguez, Richard Field, Salomon Aguilar, Nikolay Aguirre, Jorge Ahumada, Shin-Ichiro Aiba, Luciana F. Alves, Anitha K, Andres Avella, Francisco Mora, Gerardo A. Aymard C., Selene B?ez, Patricia Balvanera, Meredith L. Bastian, Jean-François Bastin, Peter J. Bellingham, Eduardo van den Berg, Polyanna da Conceição Bispo, Pascal Boeckx, Katrin Boehning-Gaese, Frans Bongers, Brad Boyle, Fabian Brambach, Francis Q. Brearley, Sandra Brown, Shauna-Lee Chai, Robin L. Chazdon, Shengbin Chen, Phourin Chhang, George Chuyong, Corneille Ewango, Indiana M. Coronado, Jurgi Crist?bal-Azkarate, Heike Culmsee, Kipiro Damas, H. S. Dattaraja, Priya Davidar, Saara J. DeWalt, Hazimah Din, Donald R. Drake, Alvaro Duque, Giselda Durigan, Karl Eichhorn, Eduardo Schmidt Eler, Tsutomu Enoki, Andreas Ensslin, Adand? Belarmain Fandohan, Nina Farwig, Kenneth J. Feeley, Markus Fischer, Olle Forshed, Queila Souza Garcia, Satish Chandra Garkoti, Thomas W. Gillespie, Jean- Francois Gillet, Christelle Gonmadje, Iñigo Granzow-de la Cerda, Daniel M. Griffith, James Grogan, Khalid Rehman Hakeem, David J. Harris, Rhett D. Harrison, Andy Hector, Andreas Hemp, J?rgen Homeier, M. Shah Hussain, Guillermo Ibarra-Manríquez, I. Faridah Hanum, Nobuo Imai, Patrick A. Jansen, Carlos Alfredo Joly, Shijo Joseph, Kuswata Kartawinata, Elizabeth Kearsley, Daniel L. Kelly, Michael Kessler, Timothy J. Killeen, Robert M. Kooyman, Yves Laumonier, Susan G. Laurance, William F. Laurance, Michael J. Lawes, Susan G. Letcher, Jeremy Lindsell, Jon Lovett, Jose Lozada, Xinghui Lu, Anne Mette Lykke, Khairil Bin Mahmud, Ni Putu Diana Mahayani, Asyraf Mansor, Andrew R. Marshall, Emanuel H. Martin, Darley Calderado Leal Matos, Jorge A.Meave, Felipe P. L. Melo, Zhofre Huberto Aguirre Mendoza, Faizah Metali, Vincent P. Medjibe, Jean Paul Metzger, Thiago Metzker, D. Mohandass, Miguel A. Munguía-Rosas, Rodrigo Muñoz, Eddy Nurtjahy, Eddie Lenza de Oliveira, Onrizal, Pia Parolin, Marc Parren, N. Parthasarathy, Ekananda Paudel, Rolando Perez, Eduardo A. P?rez-García, Ulf Pommer, Lourens Poorter, Lan Qi, Maria Teresa F. Piedade, Jos? Roberto Rodrigues Pinto, Axel Dalberg Poulsen, John R. Poulsen, Jennifer S. Powers, Rama Chandra Prasad, Jean-Philippe Puyravaud, Orlando Rangel, Jan Reitsma, Diogo S. B. Rocha, Samir Rolim, Francesco Rovero, Andes Rozak, Kalle Ruokolainen, Ervan Rutishauser, Gemma Rutten, Mohd. NizamMohd. Said, Felipe Z. Saiter, Philippe Saner, Braulio Santos, João Roberto dos Santos, Swapan Kumar Sarker, Christine B. Schmitt, Jochen Schoengart, Mark Schulze, Douglas Sheil, Plinio Sist, Alexandre F. Souza, Wilson Roberto Spironello, Tereza Sposito, Robert Steinmetz, Tariq Stevart, Marcio Seiji Suganuma, Rahayu Sukri, Aisha Sultana, Raman Sukumar, Terry Sunderland, Supriyadi, H. S. Suresh, Eizi Suzuki, Marcelo Tabarelli, Jianwei Tang, Ed V. J. Tanner, Natalia Targhetta, Ida Theilade, Duncan Thomas, Jonathan Timberlake, M?rcio de Morisson Valeriano, Johan van Valkenburg, Tran Van Do, Hoang Van Sam, John H. Vandermeer, Hans Verbeeck, Ole Reidar Vetaas, Victor Adekunle, Simone A. Vieira, Campbell O.Webb, Edward L. Webb, Timothy Whitfeld, Serge Wich, John Williams, Susan Wiser, FlorianWittmann, Xiaobo Yang, C. Yves Adou Yao, Sandra L. Yap, Rakan A. Zahawi, Rahmad Zakaria, and Runguo Zang, which was first published February 5, 2018; 10.1073/pnas.1714977115 (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 115:1837-1842). The authors note that, due to a printer's error, an author name published incorrectly. The author name Lan Qi should instead appear as Lan Qie. The online version has been corrected.

Soils of tropical forests are important to the global budgets of greenhouse gases. The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is the second largest tropical moist forest area of South America, after the vast Amazonian domain. This study aimed to investigate the emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) fluxes along an altitudinal transect and the relation between these fluxes and other climatic, edaphic and biological variables (temperature, fine roots, litterfall, and soil moisture). Annual means of N2O flux were 3.9 (± 0.4), 1.0 (± 0.1), and 0.9 (± 0.2) ng N cm-2 h-1 at altitudes 100, 400, and 1000 m, respectively. On an annual basis, soils consumed CH4 at all altitudes with annual means of -1.0 (± 0.2), -1.8 (± 0.3), and -1.6 (± 0.1) mg m-2 d-1 at 100 m, 400 m and 1000 m, respectively. Estimated mean annual fluxes of CO2 were 3.5, 3.6, and 3.4 μmol m-2 s-1 at altitudes 100, 400 and 1000 m, respectively. N2O fluxes were significantly influenced by soil moisture and temperature. Soil-atmosphere exchange of CH4 responded to changes in soil moisture. Carbon dioxide emissions were strongly influenced by soil temperature. While the temperature gradient observed at our sites is only an imperfect proxy for climatic warming, our results suggest that an increase in air and soil temperatures may result in increases in decomposition rates and gross inorganic nitrogen fluxes that could support consequent increases in soil N2O and CO2 emissions and soil CH4 consumption.

Tree growth and longevity trade-offs fundamentally shape the terrestrial carbon balance. Yet, we lack a unified understanding of how such trade-offs vary across the world's forests. By mapping life history traits for a wide range of species across the Americas, we reveal considerable variation in life expectancies from 10 centimeters in diameter (ranging from 1.3 to 3195 years) and show that the pace of life for trees can be accurately classified into four demographic functional types. We found emergent patterns in the strength of trade-offs between growth and longevity across a temperature gradient. Furthermore, we show that the diversity of life history traits varies predictably across forest biomes, giving rise to a positive relationship between trait diversity and productivity. Our pan-latitudinal assessment provides new insights into the demographic mechanisms that govern the carbon turnover rate across forest biomes.

Cellular compartmentalization, achieved through membrane-based compartments, is a fundamental aspect of cell biology that contributes to the evolutionary success of cells. While organelles have traditionally been the focus of research, membrane-less organelles (MLOs) are emerging as critical players, exhibiting distinct morphological features and unique molecular compositions. Recent research highlights the pivotal role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in MLOs and their involvement in various cellular processes across different organisms. In the context of cancer, dysregulation of MLO formation, influenced by altered lncRNA expression, impacts chromatin organization, oncogenic transcription, signaling pathways, and telomere lengthening. This review synthesizes the current understanding of lncRNA composition within MLOs, delineating their functions and exploring how their dysregulation contributes to human cancers. Environmental challenges in tumorigenesis, such as nutrient deprivation and hypoxia, induce stress granules, promoting cancer cell survival and progression. Advancements in biochemical techniques, particularly single RNA imaging methods, offer valuable tools for studying RNA functions within live cells. However, detecting low-abundance lncRNAs remains challenging due to their limited expression levels. The correlation between lncRNA expression and pathological conditions, particularly cancer, should be explored, emphasizing the importance of single-cell studies for precise biomarker identification and the development of personalized therapeutic strategies. This article is categorized under: RNA Export and Localization > RNA Localization RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > RNA-Protein Complexes., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Kynurenic acid (KYNA) is an antioxidant degradation product of tryptophan that has been shown to have a variety of cytoprotective, neuroprotective and neuronal signalling properties. However, mammalian transporters and receptors display micromolar binding constants; these are consistent with its typically micromolar tissue concentrations but far above its serum/plasma concentration (normally tens of nanomolar), suggesting large gaps in our knowledge of its transport and mechanisms of action, in that the main influx transporters characterized to date are equilibrative, not concentrative. In addition, it is a substrate of a known anion efflux pump (ABCC4), whose in vivo activity is largely unknown. Exogeneous addition of L-tryptophan or L-kynurenine leads to the production of KYNA but also to that of many other co-metabolites (including some such as 3-hydroxy-L-kynurenine and quinolinic acid that may be toxic). With the exception of chestnut honey, KYNA exists at relatively low levels in natural foodstuffs. However, its bioavailability is reasonable, and as the terminal element of an irreversible reaction of most tryptophan degradation pathways, it might be added exogenously without disturbing upstream metabolism significantly. Many examples, which we review, show that it has valuable bioactivity. Given the above, we review its potential utility as a nutraceutical, finding it significantly worthy of further study and development.

Increases in hydrological extremes, including drought, are expected for Amazon forests. A fundamental challenge for predicting forest responses lies in identifying ecological strategies which underlie such responses. Characterization of species-specific hydraulic strategies for regulating water-use, thought to be arrayed along an 'isohydric-anisohydric' spectrum, is a widely used approach. However, recent studies have questioned the usefulness of this classification scheme, because its metrics are strongly influenced by environments, and hence can lead to divergent classifications even within the same species. Here, we propose an alternative approach positing that individual hydraulic regulation strategies emerge from the interaction of environments with traits. Specifically, we hypothesize that the vertical forest profile represents a key gradient in drought-related environments (atmospheric vapor pressure deficit, soil water availability) that drives divergent tree water-use strategies for coordinated regulation of stomatal conductance (gs) and leaf water potentials (ΨL) with tree rooting depth, a proxy for water availability. Testing this hypothesis in a seasonal eastern Amazon forest in Brazil, we found that hydraulic strategies indeed depend on height-associated environments. Upper canopy trees, experiencing high vapor pressure deficit (VPD), but stable soil water access through deep rooting, exhibited isohydric strategies, defined by little seasonal change in the diurnal pattern of gs and steady seasonal minimum ΨL. In contrast, understory trees, exposed to less variable VPD but highly variable soil water availability, exhibited anisohydric strategies, with fluctuations in diurnal gs that increased in the dry season along with increasing variation in ΨL. Our finding that canopy height structures the coordination between drought-related environmental stressors and hydraulic traits provides a basis for preserving the applicability of the isohydric-to-anisohydric spectrum, which we show here may consistently emerge from environmental context. Our work highlights the importance of understanding how environmental heterogeneity structures forest responses to climate change, providing a mechanistic basis for improving models of tropical ecosystems., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permission@oup.com.)

Background: In previous studies, we demonstrated the downregulation of several miRNAs from the DLK1-DIO3 genomic region in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Due to the large number of miRNAs within this region, the individual contribution of these molecules to PTC development and progression remains unclear., Objective: In this study, we aimed to clarify the contribution of DLK1-DIO3-derived miRNAs to PTC., Methods: We used different computational approaches and in vitro resources to assess the biological processes and signaling pathways potentially modulated by these miRNAs., Results: Our analysis suggests that, out of more than 100 mature miRNAs originated from the DLK1-DIO3 region, a set of 12 miRNAs accounts for most of the impact on PTC development and progression, cooperating to modulate distinct cancer-relevant biological processes, such as cell migration, extracellular matrix remodeling, and signal transduction. The restoration of the expression of one of these miRNAs (miR-485-5p) in a BRAFT199A-positive PTC cell line impaired proliferation and migration, suppressing the expression of GAB2 and RAC1, validated miR-485-5p targets., Conclusions: Overall, our results shed light on the role of the DLK1-DIO3 region, which harbors promising tumor suppressor miRNAs in thyroid cancer, and open prospects for the functional exploration of these miRNAs as therapeutic targets for PTC., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All the following authors declare that there is no financial/personal interest or belief that could affect their objectivity, (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Context: Diet quality is directly related to glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The use of dietary indices can provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between diet quality and clinical outcomes., Objective: The aim was to evaluate the relationship between diet quality, measured using dietary indices, and its impact on improving glycemic control in individuals with T2DM through health interventions., Data Source: This study was conducted using 6 databases, including Web of Science, MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, Bireme, Scopus, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), as well as the gray literature (Google Academic)., Data Extraction: Randomized clinical trials that evaluated the effectiveness of health interventions in adult and older adult individuals with T2DM and presented data on diet quality evaluated using dietary indices and the percentage of glycated hemoglobin (%HbA1c) were included., Data Analysis: A total of 3735 articles were retrieved, 4 of which were included in the study selection stages. The quality indices assessed in the studies were the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010), Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I), and Diet Quality Index-Revised (DQI-R). A reduction in %HbA1c was observed in 2 studies, which correlated with the AHEI and DQI-I scores in the intervention groups. The approach of using food labels to improve diet quality reduced %HbA1c by 0.08% in the intervention group compared with the control group. Only 1 study found no significant association between the DQI-R index and %HbA1c. Additionally, negative correlations were observed between body weight and the AHEI and DQI-I scores., Conclusion: Health interventions improved diet quality, glycemic control, and weight loss in individuals with T2DM., Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO no. CRD42023430036., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as pivotal regulators in cellular biology, dispelling their former perception as 'junk transcripts'. Notably, the DLK1-DIO3 region harbors numerous ncRNAs, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and over 50 microRNA genes. While papillary thyroid cancer showcases a pervasive decrease in DLK1-DIO3-derived ncRNA expression, the precise mechanisms driving this alteration remain elusive. We hypothesized that epigenetic alterations underlie shifts in ncRNA expression during thyroid cancer initiation and progression. This study aimed to elucidate the epigenetic mechanisms governing DLK1-DIO3 region expression in this malignancy. We have combined the analysis of DNA methylation by bisulfite sequencing together with that of histone modifications through ChIP-qPCR to gain insights into the epigenetic contribution to thyroid cancer in cell lines representing malignancies with different genetic backgrounds. Our findings characterize the region's epigenetic signature in thyroid cancer, uncovering distinctive DNA methylation patterns, particularly within CpG islands on the lncRNA MEG3-DMR, which potentially account for its downregulation in tumors. Pharmacological intervention targeting DNA methylation combined with histone deacetylation restored ncRNA expression. These results contribute to the understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms controlling the DLK1-DIO3 region in thyroid cancer, highlighting the combined role of DNA methylation and histone marks in regulating the locus' expression.

The recreational use of cannabis products has risen considerably worldwide over the past decade. As the cannabis legal market grows, a critical challenge has been to make substantiated claims about the benefits and adverse health problems triggered by cannabis exposure. Despite accumulating evidence from animal studies demonstrating the role of cannabinoids on bone metabolism, there are conflicting results in clinical literature regarding their effects on bone health outcomes.We undertook a systematic review to assess the evidence for the safety of cannabis use on bone health. We searched the databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science up to March 2023 for studies evaluating the effect of the recreational use of cannabis on the bone mineral density (BMD) of adults.Among the 2620 studies reviewed, three cross-sectional studies and one randomized controlled trial comprised 4032 participants from 18 to 60 years who met the inclusion criteria. Two studies showed that cannabis exposure decreased BMD, while the other 2 indicated no alteration. Despite the different study designs, the included studies showed a low risk of bias according to the Joanna Briggs Institute tool.Eligible studies present differences in cannabis products, administration routes, and exposure determination. Further longitudinal research is needed to establish multiple clinical predictors associated with potentially negative consequences of cannabis exposure, especially in vulnerable populations such as elderly individuals., (© 2023. International Osteoporosis Foundation and Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation.)

Introduction: Autologous transplantation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) isolated from cryopreserved testicular biopsies obtained before oncological treatment could restore fertility in male childhood cancer survivors. There is a clear necessity for in vitro propagation of the limited SSCs from the testicular biopsy prior to transplantation due to limited numbers of spermatogonia in a cryopreserved testicular biopsy. Still, there is no consensus regarding their optimal culture method. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting primary testicular cell cultures of human and non-human primate origin through use of Pubmed, EMBASE, and Web of Science core collection databases. Of 760 records, we included 42 articles for qualitative and quantitative analysis. To quantify in vitro spermatogonial propagation, spermatogonial colony doubling time (CDT) was calculated, which measures the increase in the number of spermatogonial colonies over time. A generalized linear mixed model analysis was used to assess the statistical effect of various culture conditions on CDT. Results: Our analysis indicates decreased CDTs, indicating faster spermatogonial propagation in cultures with a low culture temperature (32°C); with use of non-cellular matrices; use of StemPro-34 medium instead of DMEM; use of Knockout Serum Replacement; and when omitting additional growth factors in the culture medium. Discussion: The use of various methods and markers to detect the presence of spermatogonia within the reported cultures could result in detection bias, thereby potentially influencing comparability between studies. However, through use of CDT in the quantitative analysis this bias was reduced. Our results provide insight into critical culture conditions to further optimize human spermatogonial propagation in vitro , and effectively propagate and utilize these cells in a future fertility restoration therapy and restore hope of biological fatherhood for childhood cancer survivors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 van Maaren, Alves, van Wely, van Pelt and Mulder.)

Forests are a substantial terrestrial carbon sink, but anthropogenic changes in land use and climate have considerably reduced the scale of this system 1 . Remote-sensing estimates to quantify carbon losses from global forests 2-5 are characterized by considerable uncertainty and we lack a comprehensive ground-sourced evaluation to benchmark these estimates. Here we combine several ground-sourced 6 and satellite-derived approaches 2,7,8 to evaluate the scale of the global forest carbon potential outside agricultural and urban lands. Despite regional variation, the predictions demonstrated remarkable consistency at a global scale, with only a 12% difference between the ground-sourced and satellite-derived estimates. At present, global forest carbon storage is markedly under the natural potential, with a total deficit of 226 Gt (model range = 151-363 Gt) in areas with low human footprint. Most (61%, 139 Gt C) of this potential is in areas with existing forests, in which ecosystem protection can allow forests to recover to maturity. The remaining 39% (87 Gt C) of potential lies in regions in which forests have been removed or fragmented. Although forests cannot be a substitute for emissions reductions, our results support the idea 2,3,9 that the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of diverse forests offer valuable contributions to meeting global climate and biodiversity targets., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Understanding the effects of intensification of Amazon basin hydrological cycling-manifest as increasingly frequent floods and droughts-on water and energy cycles of tropical forests is essential to meeting the challenge of predicting ecosystem responses to climate change, including forest "tipping points". Here, we investigated the impacts of hydrological extremes on forest function using 12+ years of observations (between 2001-2020) of water and energy fluxes from eddy covariance, along with associated ecological dynamics from biometry, at the Tapajós National Forest. Measurements encompass the strong 2015-2016 El Niño drought and La Niña 2008-2009 wet events. We found that the forest responded strongly to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO): Drought reduced water availability for evapotranspiration (ET) leading to large increases in sensible heat fluxes (H). Partitioning ET by an approach that assumes transpiration (T) is proportional to photosynthesis, we found that water stress-induced reductions in canopy conductance (G s ) drove T declines partly compensated by higher evaporation (E). By contrast, the abnormally wet La Niña period gave higher T and lower E, with little change in seasonal ET. Both El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events resulted in changes in forest structure, manifested as lower wet-season leaf area index. However, only during El Niño 2015-2016, we observed a breakdown in the strong meteorological control of transpiration fluxes (via energy availability and atmospheric demand) because of slowing vegetation functions (via shutdown of G s and significant leaf shedding). Drought-reduced T and G s , higher H and E, amplified by feedbacks with higher temperatures and vapor pressure deficits, signaled that forest function had crossed a threshold, from which it recovered slowly, with delay, post-drought. Identifying such tipping point onsets (beyond which future irreversible processes may occur) at local scale is crucial for predicting basin-scale threshold-crossing changes in forest energy and water cycling, leading to slow-down in forest function, potentially resulting in Amazon forests shifting into alternate degraded states., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Understanding what controls global leaf type variation in trees is crucial for comprehending their role in terrestrial ecosystems, including carbon, water and nutrient dynamics. Yet our understanding of the factors influencing forest leaf types remains incomplete, leaving us uncertain about the global proportions of needle-leaved, broadleaved, evergreen and deciduous trees. To address these gaps, we conducted a global, ground-sourced assessment of forest leaf-type variation by integrating forest inventory data with comprehensive leaf form (broadleaf vs needle-leaf) and habit (evergreen vs deciduous) records. We found that global variation in leaf habit is primarily driven by isothermality and soil characteristics, while leaf form is predominantly driven by temperature. Given these relationships, we estimate that 38% of global tree individuals are needle-leaved evergreen, 29% are broadleaved evergreen, 27% are broadleaved deciduous and 5% are needle-leaved deciduous. The aboveground biomass distribution among these tree types is approximately 21% (126.4 Gt), 54% (335.7 Gt), 22% (136.2 Gt) and 3% (18.7 Gt), respectively. We further project that, depending on future emissions pathways, 17-34% of forested areas will experience climate conditions by the end of the century that currently support a different forest type, highlighting the intensification of climatic stress on existing forests. By quantifying the distribution of tree leaf types and their corresponding biomass, and identifying regions where climate change will exert greatest pressure on current leaf types, our results can help improve predictions of future terrestrial ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a transient hyperglycemic state during pregnancy, has varied remarkably over time, resulting in a diversity of prevalence rates. The aim of this systematic literature review was to provide estimates of prevalence rates of GDM in Brazil according to different diagnostic criteria. We identified, reviewed, and extracted data from the scientific literature on studies estimating the prevalence of diabetes in pregnant women living in Brazil. The databases searched were PubMed, LILACS, SciELO, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. We grouped studies by the source of information assessing GDM, patients' age, and criteria used to diagnose GDM. When three or more studies were available in a group, we calculated the pooled prevalence. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) appraisal tool was used to assess the risk of bias. The data were reported according to the 2020 PRISMA recommendations. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO. We identified 1,328 records and selected 21 studies involving 122,635 pregnant women. Studies in adults only, with primary data and laboratory measurements, and using the IADPSG criteria (n = 3) had a GDM prevalence of 18.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 16.0-20.1%) and included 6,243 participants. Estimates of self-reported GDM (n = 3; 10,136 participants of all ages) had a pooled GDM prevalence of 2.1% (95% CI: 1.5-5.2%), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 85.0%, p < 0.01). Studies including adolescents had consistently low prevalences. The prevalence of GDM in Brazil varied, was greater when the IADPSG criteria were applied, and depended on the methods used to obtain the GDM information and the age structure of the sample.

Determining the drivers of non-native plant invasions is critical for managing native ecosystems and limiting the spread of invasive species 1,2 . Tree invasions in particular have been relatively overlooked, even though they have the potential to transform ecosystems and economies 3,4 . Here, leveraging global tree databases 5-7 , we explore how the phylogenetic and functional diversity of native tree communities, human pressure and the environment influence the establishment of non-native tree species and the subsequent invasion severity. We find that anthropogenic factors are key to predicting whether a location is invaded, but that invasion severity is underpinned by native diversity, with higher diversity predicting lower invasion severity. Temperature and precipitation emerge as strong predictors of invasion strategy, with non-native species invading successfully when they are similar to the native community in cold or dry extremes. Yet, despite the influence of these ecological forces in determining invasion strategy, we find evidence that these patterns can be obscured by human activity, with lower ecological signal in areas with higher proximity to shipping ports. Our global perspective of non-native tree invasion highlights that human drivers influence non-native tree presence, and that native phylogenetic and functional diversity have a critical role in the establishment and spread of subsequent invasions., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Malnutrition is recognized as one of the main public health problems in hospitals. The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) has established a global consensus on the criteria for diagnosing malnutrition in adults in hospital settings. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of the GLIM criteria as a tool to identify malnutrition in hospital settings and to compare the prevalence of malnutrition identified by GLIM criteria with that identified by other screening and/or nutrition assessment methods. This was a systematic review. Searches were performed using MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, and Virtual Health Library, based on established descriptors. The included studies were observational and used screening and/or nutrition assessment tools to compare the prevalence of malnutrition and predictive capacity identified by GLIM criteria in patients aged >18 years in hospital settings. Twelve studies were included in this systematic review. A total of 4066 individuals with different pathologies and clinical conditions participated in the included studies. The prevalence of malnutrition, according to the GLIM criteria, ranged from 16% to 80%. In four studies, the prevalence of malnutrition based on GLIM was higher than that based on the other indicators. Six studies that evaluated the predictive ability of GLIM criteria identified satisfactory sensitivity and specificity. Four studies found low to high agreement between GLIM and the other methods. GLIM criteria can identify malnutrition and find a high prevalence and severity of malnutrition in the hospital setting, proving them to be a sensitive and specific instrument, with good agreement between screening and nutrition assessment methods., (© 2023 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.)

Innovations in obtaining products from lignocellulosic biomass have been largely based on the improvement of microorganisms and enzymes capable of degrading these materials. To complete the whole process, microorganisms must be able to ferment the resulting sugars and tolerate high concentrations of product, osmotic pressure, ion toxicity, temperature, toxic compounds from lignocellulose pretreatment, low pH, and oxidative stress. In this work, we engineered laboratory and industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains by combining a gene ( hu ) recovered from a metagenomic approach with different native and synthetic promoters to obtain improved acid and oxidative stress resistance. Laboratorial strains harboring hu gene under the control of the synthetic stress responsive PCCW14v5 showed increased survival rates after 2 h exposure to pH 1.5. The hu gene was also able to significantly enhance the tolerance of the industrial strain to high concentrations of H 2 O 2 when combined with PTEF1, PYGP1 or PYGP1v7 after 3 h exposure., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (©2023PublishedbyElsevierLtd.)

Background: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most prevalent histotype of thyroid cancer and the presence of BRAFV600E mutation in these tumors is related to the malignancy and prognosis of the disease. In recent years attention has been focused on the role of microRNAs in the biology of PTC cells, especially in their role in the modulation of pathways related to tumorigenesis. DLK1-DIO3-derived miRNAs have been shown to play important roles in tumor context and are globally downregulated in PTC., Methods: Based on a previous in silico target prediction and gene enrichment analysis, we identified miR-495-3p as the candidate with the highest tumor suppressor potential role in PTC among DLK1-DIO3-derived miRNAs. We used bioinformatics and an in vitro model of miR-495-3p overexpression to further understand the influence of this molecule on the tumorigenic processes of PTC., Results: Overexpression of miR-495-3p impaired cell migration and invasion of PTC cells harboring the BRAFV600E mutation and affected the expression of targets predicted in the bioinformatic analysis, such as TGFB2, EREG and CCND1., Conclusion: Overall, our results indicate that the loss of miR-495-3p expression during PTC development might play an important role in its progression., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Alves and Geraldo.)

Critical bone defects are the most difficult challenges in the area of tissue repair. Polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds, associated with hydroxyapatite (HA) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP), are reported to have an enhanced bioactivity. Moreover, the use of electrical stimulation (ES) has overcome the lack of bioelectricity at the bone defect site and compensated the endogenous electrical signals. Such treatments could modulate cells and tissue signaling pathways. However, there is no study investigating the effects of ES and bioceramic composite scaffolds on bone tissue formation, particularly in the view of cell signaling pathway. This study aims to investigate the application of HA/TCP composite scaffolds and ES and their effects on the Wingless-related integration site (Wnt) pathway in critical bone repair. Critical bone defects (25 mm 2 ) were performed in rats, which were divided into four groups: PCL, PCL + ES, HA/TCP and HA/TCP + ES. The scaffolds were grafted at the defect site and applied with the ES application twice a week using 10 µA of current for 5 min. Bone samples were collected for histomorphometry, immunohistochemistry and molecular analysis. At the Wnt canonical pathway, HA/TCP and HA/TCP + ES groups showed higher Wnt1 and β-catenin gene expression levels, especially HA/TCP. Moreover, HA/TCP + ES presented higher Runx2 , Osterix and Bmp-2 levels. At the Wnt non-canonical pathway, HA/TCP group showed higher voltage-gated calcium channel ( Vgcc ), calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, and Wnt5a genes expression, while HA/TCP + ES presented higher protein expression of VGCC and calmodulin (CaM) at the same period. The decrease in sclerostin and osteopontin genes expressions and the lower bone sialoprotein II in the HA/TCP + ES group may be related to the early bone remodeling. This study shows that the use of ES modulated the Wnt pathways and accelerated the osteogenesis with improved tissue maturation.

The latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is one of the most recognized global patterns of species richness exhibited across a wide range of taxa. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed in the past two centuries to explain LDG, but rigorous tests of the drivers of LDGs have been limited by a lack of high-quality global species richness data. Here we produce a high-resolution (0.025° × 0.025°) map of local tree species richness using a global forest inventory database with individual tree information and local biophysical characteristics from ~1.3 million sample plots. We then quantify drivers of local tree species richness patterns across latitudes. Generally, annual mean temperature was a dominant predictor of tree species richness, which is most consistent with the metabolic theory of biodiversity (MTB). However, MTB underestimated LDG in the tropics, where high species richness was also moderated by topographic, soil and anthropogenic factors operating at local scales. Given that local landscape variables operate synergistically with bioclimatic factors in shaping the global LDG pattern, we suggest that MTB be extended to account for co-limitation by subordinate drivers., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of lateral posterior tibial slope (LPTS) and meniscal bone angle (MBA) on primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear risk in an adult population through the LPTS-MBA ratio., Methods: A retrospective case-control study was performed with patients from a tertiary hospital who underwent primary ACL surgery and had preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These subjects were matched by age and sex in a 1:1 ratio to patients who had an MRI without ACL tear. LPTS and MBA were measured on MRI scan. Quantitative data are presented in the median ± interquartile range (IQR). Identification of independent risk factors for primary ACL tear was performed using multivariable logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristics curves detected any variable with strong discriminative capacity., Results: In total, 95 patients with primary ACL tear confirmed on MRI were matched with 95 controls (N = 190). Nearly 80% were male subjects, with a median age of 26 years. In the ACL tear group, the median value of LPTS-MBA ratio was 0.20 (IQR 0.11-0.37) versus 0.12 (IQR 0.08-0.19) in the control group ( P  = .001). LPTS had a median value of 4.20° in the ACL tear group (IQR 2.05-7.35°) and 2.90° in the control group (IQR, 2.05-5.00°) ( P  = .026), whereas MBA was 19° (IQR, 16-24°) versus 26° (IQR, 24-30°) ( P  = .001), respectively. Logistic regression showed that LPTS (odds ratio 1.20, 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.42, P  = .021) and MBA (odds ratio 0.78, 95% confidence interval 0.71-0.85, P  = .001) were independent predictors. The area under the curve (AUC) of LPTS-MBA ratio was 0.69, greater than that of LPTS alone (AUC = 0.61) but lower than that for MBA (AUC = 0.82)., Conclusions: In this study, a reduced MBA was the strongest predictive variable associated with a primary ACL tear. A threshold of 22.35° of MBA was associated with an increased risk of ACL tear, with a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 84%. A cut-off of 0.22 of LPTS-MBA was associated with an increased risk of ACL tear, with a sensitivity of 55% and specificity of 87%., Level of Evidence: Level III, case-control study., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Jaboticaba is a Brazilian berry, which is rich in fibers and bioactive compounds and shows high antioxidant and antiproliferative activities. Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common type of cancer among men and its progression is influenced by androgens and inflammation. Previous studies reported the ability of the jaboticaba to modulate pathways involved in prostate diseases. The main objective of this study was to provide significant data about molecular targets of the jaboticaba peel extract (JPE) and its mechanisms of action in PCa cell lines with different androgenic status (LNCaP and PC-3). The results showed that JPE was able to decrease cell viability in both cell lines. LNCaP showed more sensitivity to JPE exposure, indicating the efficacy of the JPE treatment in terms of androgen responsiveness. JPE showed a distinct hormone dependent effect on the NF-κB signaling, with reduced NF-κB levels for LNCaP and increased NF-κB levels in PC-3 cells. Mechanisms related to cell death by apoptosis were stimulated after the JPE treatment, modulating B-cell lymphoma 2 and BAX for LNCaP and PC-3. Particularly for PC-3, the JPE treatment resulted in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction activation mostly by up regulating pro-inflammatory, pro-angiogenic, immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive genes. Also, a set of genes related to angiogenesis and metastasis were down-regulated by JPE. In conclusion, JPE exerted an antitumor effect on PCa for both cell lines which can be enhanced if androgenic reliance is considered., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed., (Copyright © 2022 Korean Society of Cancer Prevention.)

Data capturing multiple axes of tree size and shape, such as a tree's stem diameter, height and crown size, underpin a wide range of ecological research-from developing and testing theory on forest structure and dynamics, to estimating forest carbon stocks and their uncertainties, and integrating remote sensing imagery into forest monitoring programmes. However, these data can be surprisingly hard to come by, particularly for certain regions of the world and for specific taxonomic groups, posing a real barrier to progress in these fields. To overcome this challenge, we developed the Tallo database, a collection of 498,838 georeferenced and taxonomically standardized records of individual trees for which stem diameter, height and/or crown radius have been measured. These data were collected at 61,856 globally distributed sites, spanning all major forested and non-forested biomes. The majority of trees in the database are identified to species (88%), and collectively Tallo includes data for 5163 species distributed across 1453 genera and 187 plant families. The database is publicly archived under a CC-BY 4.0 licence and can be access from: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6637599. To demonstrate its value, here we present three case studies that highlight how the Tallo database can be used to address a range of theoretical and applied questions in ecology-from testing the predictions of metabolic scaling theory, to exploring the limits of tree allometric plasticity along environmental gradients and modelling global variation in maximum attainable tree height. In doing so, we provide a key resource for field ecologists, remote sensing researchers and the modelling community working together to better understand the role that trees play in regulating the terrestrial carbon cycle., (© 2022 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This study aimed to develop flavored flours (salty and sweet) from Amazonic pirarucu waste ( Arapaima gigas ), include them in extruded snacks, and evaluate the nutritional, physicochemical, microbiological, and acceptance characteristics of these products. A standard flour was elaborated with pirarucu carcass, which presented 54.42% of protein and 7.24% of lipids, and from this, flavored flours were elaborated (salty and sweet). The standard flour had higher levels of protein, calcium, and phosphorus; and the salted one had higher levels of lipids. The fatty acids present in greater quantities were oleic (average of 32.21%), linolenic (average of 20.74%), and palmitic (average of 17.81%). The flavored flours were better accepted than the standard flour, for all sensory attributes and purchase intention. The snacks with sweet flour, despite better results in the sensory attributes of color, aroma, and flavor, were the ones that presented the lowest content of protein and ash, when compared to those with inclusion of standard flour. It is concluded that the pirarucu waste can be used for producing flavored flours and extruded snacks, with the purpose of improved food products., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest., (© Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2022.)

Streptomyces sp. BRA-346 is an Actinobacteria isolated from the Brazilian endemic tunicate Euherdmania sp. We have reported that this strain produces epoxyketone peptides, as dihydroeponemycin (DHE) and structurally related analogs. This cocktail of epoxyketone peptides inhibits the proteasome chymotrypsin-like activity and shows high cytotoxicity to glioma cells. However, low yields and poor reproducibility of epoxyketone peptides production by BRA-346 under laboratory cultivation have limited the isolation of epoxyketone peptides for additional studies. Here, we evaluated several cultivation methods using different culture media and chemical elicitors to increase the repertoire of peptide epoxyketone production by this bacterium. Furthermore, BRA-346 genome was sequenced, revealing its broad genetic potential, which is mostly hidden under laboratory conditions. By using specific growth conditions, we were able to evidence different classes of secondary metabolites produced by BRA-346. In addition, by combining genome mining with untargeted metabolomics, we could link the metabolites produced by BRA-346 to its genetic capacity and potential regulators. A single biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) was related to the production of the target epoxyketone peptides by BRA-346. The candidate BGC displays conserved biosynthetic enzymes with the reported eponemycin (EPN) and TMC-86A (TMC) BGCs. The core of the putative epoxyketone peptide BGC (ORFs A-L), in which ORF A is a LuxR-like transcription factor, was cloned into a heterologous host. The recombinant organism was capable to produce TMC and EPN natural products, along with the biosynthetic intermediates DH-TMC and DHE, and additional congeners. A phylogenetic analysis of the epn/tmc BGC revealed related BGCs in public databases. Most of them carry a proteasome beta-subunit, however, lacking an assigned specialized metabolite. The retrieved BGCs also display a diversity of regulatory genes and TTA codons, indicating tight regulation of this BGC at the transcription and translational levels. These results demonstrate the plasticity of the epn/tmc BGC of BRA-346 in producing epoxyketone peptides and the feasibility of their production in a heterologous host. This work also highlights the capacity of BRA-346 to tightly regulate its secondary metabolism and shed light on how to awake silent gene clusters of Streptomyces sp. BRA-346 to allow the production of pharmacologically important biosynthetic products., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Domingues Vieira, Niero, de Felício, Giolo Alves, Freitas Bazzano, Sigrist, Costa Furtado, Felix Persinoti, Veras Costa-Lotufo and Barretto Barbosa Trivella.)

Objective: To evaluate the association between some indicators of adiposity and markers of metabolic disorder, evaluate their performance in predicting metabolic syndrome (MetS), and identify their cutoff values among older adults, both in the overall sample and according to sex., Methods: Cross-sectional study in 159 older men and women. MetS was defined according to the harmonized criteria. The assessments included waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), conicity index (C index), lipid accumulation product (LAP), visceral adiposity index (VAI), body mass index (BMI), A body shape index (ABSI), area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity., Results: LAP and WHtR resulted in the largest AUC values (>0.80). In both sexes, the best indicators were LAP, WC, and WHtR. Both LAP and WHtR presented the highest Youden's index values in the overall sample, with cutoff values of approximately 46.9 (sensitivity 75.0%, specificity 76.7%) and 0.56 (sensitivity 79.3%, specificity 69.8%), respectively. When analyzed by sex, BMI, WC, WHtR, and LAP yielded the highest Youden's index values for the prediction of MetS in older women., Conclusion: The indicators LAP, WC, and WHtR performed well in identifying the presence of MetS in older women and could be used to individually or collectively assess and monitor MetS.

Animal models are widely used for studying diabetes in translational research. However, methods for induction of diabetes are conflicting with regards to their efficacy, reproducibility and cost. A comparison of outcomes between the diabetic models is still unknown, especially full-term pregnancy.To understand the comparison, we analyzed the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes at three life-different moments during the neonatal period in Sprague-Dawley female rats: at the first (D1), second (D2) and fifth (D5) day of postnatal life. At adulthood (90 days; D90), the animals were submitted to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for diabetic status confirmation. The diabetic and control rats were mated and sacrificed at full-term pregnancy for different analyses. Group D1 presented a higher mortality percentage after STZ administration than groups D2 and D5. All diabetic groups presented higher blood glucose levels as compared to those of the control group, while group D5 had higher levels of glycemia compared with other groups during OGTT. The diabetic groups showed impaired reproductive outcomes compared with the control group. Group D1 had lower percentages of mated rats and D5 showed a lower percentage of a full-term pregnancy. Besides that, these two groups also showed the highest percentages of inadequate fetal weight. In summary, although all groups fulfill the diagnosis criteria for diabetes in adult life, in our investigation diabetes induced on D5 presents lower costs and higher efficacy and reproducibility for studies involving diabetes-complicated pregnancy.

Biological nitrogen fixation is a key process for the maintenance of natural ecosystems productivity. In tropical forests, the contribution of asymbiotic nitrogen fixation (ANF) to the nitrogen (N) input has been underestimated, even though few studies have shown that ANF may be as important as symbiotic nitrogen fixation in such environments. The inputs and abiotic modulators of ANF in the Amazon forest are not completely understood. Here, we determined ANF rates and estimated the N inputs from ANF in the phyllosphere, litter and rhizospheric soil of nine tree species in the Amazon forest over time, including an extreme drought period induced by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Our data showed that ANF rates in the phyllosphere were 2.8- and 17.6-fold higher than in the litter and rhizospheric soil, respectively, and was highly dependent on tree taxon. Sampling time was the major factor modulating ANF in all forest compartments. At the driest period, ANF rates were approximately 1.8-fold and 13.1-fold higher than at periods with higher rainfall, before and after the extreme drought period, respectively. Tree species was a key modulator of ANF in the phyllosphere, as well as N and Vanadium concentrations. Carbon, molybdenum and vanadium concentrations were significant modulators of ANF in the litter. Based on ANF rates at the three sampling times, we estimated that the N input in the Amazon forest through ANF in the phyllosphere, litter and rhizospheric soil, was between 0.459 and 0.714 kg N ha -1  yr -1 . Our results highlight the importance of ANF in the phyllosphere for the N input in the Amazon forest, and suggest that changes in the patterns of ANF driven by large scale climatic events may impact total N inputs and likely alter forest productivity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of the study was to assess whether there are differences in cardiorespiratory fitness between children with and without cystic fibrosis (CF). Ten children with CF attended at a referral center for the treatment of CF and 13 children without CF were evaluated. The average age of the children with CF was 10.40 (3.13) years and those without CF was 9.39 (3.25) years. The children performed the three-minute step test with monitoring of hemodynamic parameters and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) every minute. Oxygen desaturation of 4% during the test occurred in three children with CF and none of the children reached a SatO2 percentage < 75%. After the step test, the findings showed that children with CF presented higher RPE scores during the test ( p = 0.002) when compared to children without CF ( p < 0.001). The RPE was the only parameter that changed during the test and demonstrated that children with cystic fibrosis tired more during the test when compared to children without CF despite the lack of changes in hemodynamic variables.

Metagenomics approaches have been of high relevance for providing enzymes used in diverse industrial applications. In the current study, we have focused on the prospection of protease and glycosyl hydrolase activities from a soil sample by using the lacZα -based plasmid pSEVA232. For this, we used a functional screen based on skimmed milk agar and a pH indicator dye for detection of both enzymes, as previously reported in literature. Although we effectively identified positive clones in the screenings, subsequent experiments revealed that this phenotype was not because of the hydrolytic activity encoded in the metagenomic fragments, but rather due to the insertion of small metagenomic DNA fragments in frame within the coding region of the lacZ gene present in the original vector. Analyses of the thermodynamic stability of mRNA secondary structures indicated that recovering of positive clones was probably due to higher expression levels of the chimeric lacZα-genes in respect to the original from empty vector. We concluded that this method has a higher tendency for recovery false positive clones, when used in combination with a lacZα-based vector. As these vectors are massively used in functional metagenomic screenings, we highlight the importance of reporting boundaries in established metagenomic screenings methodologies.

The antiangiogenic therapy for prostate cancer with Nintedanib, a potent inhibitor of important growth factor receptors, has been proven to delay tumor progression and arrest tumor growth; thus, the aim herein is to evaluate Nintedanib effects on tumor cells, besides angiogenesis and apoptosis processes, metalloproteinases and hypoxia factor in an animal model. Nintedanib promoted growth inhibition and cell death in a dose-dependent manner, showing no tumor selectivity. Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate (TRAMP) were treated with Nintedanib (10 mg/kg/day) in different stages of tumor development and the ventral prostate was examined for protein levels by means of immunohistochemistry and Western blotting and apoptosis evaluation. In vitro antiproliferative activity of Nintedanib was also assessed in nine human tumor cell lines. Early Nintedanib treatment has shown decreased levels of FGF-2, VEGFR-1, MMP-9 and HIF-1α and a significantly increased apoptosis of epithelial cells. Furthermore, late Nintedanib treatment decreased FGF-2, VEGFR-1 and FGFR-3 levels. Importantly, even after treatment discontinuation, treated animals displayed a significant decrease in VEGFR-1 as well as MMP-9. Although Nintedanib treatment in late stages of tumor growth has shown some good results, it is noteworthy that the drug presents the best tissue response when administered in the early stages of disease development. Nintedanib treatment has shown to be a promising approach for prostate cancer therapy, especially in the early stages of the disease, interfering in different carcinogenesis progression pathways.

Bacterial transcription factors (TFs) are key devices for the engineering of complex circuits in many biotechnological applications, yet there are few well-characterized inducer-responsive TFs that could be used in the context of an animal or human host. We have deciphered the inducer recognition mechanism of two AraC/XylS regulators from Pseudomonas putida (BenR and XylS) for creating a novel expression system responsive to acetyl salicylate (i.e., aspirin). Using protein homology modeling and molecular docking with the cognate inducer benzoate and a suite of chemical analogues, we identified the conserved binding pocket of BenR and XylS. By means of site-directed mutagenesis, we identified a single amino acid position required for efficient inducer recognition and transcriptional activation. Whereas this modification in BenR abolishes protein activity, in XylS, it increases the response to several inducers, including acetyl salicylic acid, to levels close to those achieved by the canonical inducer. Moreover, by constructing chimeric proteins with swapped N-terminal domains, we created novel regulators with mixed promoter and inducer recognition profiles. As a result, a collection of engineered TFs was generated with an enhanced response to benzoate, 3-methylbenzoate, 2-methylbenzoate, 4-methylbenzoate, salicylic acid, aspirin, and acetylsalicylic acid molecules for eliciting gene expression in E. coli .

Protein engineering emerged as a powerful approach to generate more robust and efficient biocatalysts for bio-based economy applications, an alternative to ecologically toxic chemistries that rely on petroleum. On the quest for environmentally friendly technologies, sustainable and low-cost resources such as lignocellulosic plant-derived biomass are being used for the production of biofuels and fine chemicals. Since most of the enzymes used in the biorefinery industry act in suboptimal conditions, modification of their catalytic properties through protein rational design and in vitro evolution techniques allows the improvement of enzymatic parameters such as specificity, activity, efficiency, secretability, and stability, leading to better yields in the production lines. This review focuses on the current application of protein engineering techniques for improving the catalytic performance of enzymes used to break down lignocellulosic polymers. We discuss the use of both classical and modern methods reported in the literature in the last five years that allowed the boosting of biocatalysts for biomass degradation.

Reducing uncertainties in the response of tropical forests to global change requires understanding how intra- and interannual climatic variability selects for different species, community functional composition and ecosystem functioning, so that the response to climatic events of differing frequency and severity can be predicted. Here we present an extensive dataset of hydraulic traits of dominant species in two tropical Amazon forests with contrasting precipitation regimes - low seasonality forest (LSF) and high seasonality forest (HSF) - and relate them to community and ecosystem response to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) of 2015. Hydraulic traits indicated higher drought tolerance in the HSF than in the LSF. Despite more intense drought and lower plant water potentials in HSF during the 2015-ENSO, greater xylem embolism resistance maintained similar hydraulic safety margin as in LSF. This likely explains how ecosystem-scale whole-forest canopy conductance at HSF maintained a similar response to atmospheric drought as at LSF, despite their water transport systems operating at different water potentials. Our results indicate that contrasting precipitation regimes (at seasonal and interannual time scales) select for assemblies of hydraulic traits and taxa at the community level, which may have a significant role in modulating forest drought response at ecosystem scales., (© 2019 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2019 New Phytologist Trust.)

Seasonal dynamics in the vertical distribution of leaf area index (LAI) may impact the seasonality of forest productivity in Amazonian forests. However, until recently, fine-scale observations critical to revealing ecological mechanisms underlying these changes have been lacking. To investigate fine-scale variation in leaf area with seasonality and drought we conducted monthly ground-based LiDAR surveys over 4 yr at an Amazon forest site. We analysed temporal changes in vertically structured LAI along axes of both canopy height and light environments. Upper canopy LAI increased during the dry season, whereas lower canopy LAI decreased. The low canopy decrease was driven by highly illuminated leaves of smaller trees in gaps. By contrast, understory LAI increased concurrently with the upper canopy. Hence, tree phenological strategies were stratified by height and light environments. Trends were amplified during a 2015-2016 severe El Niño drought. Leaf area low in the canopy exhibited behaviour consistent with water limitation. Leaf loss from short trees in high light during drought may be associated with strategies to tolerate limited access to deep soil water and stressful leaf environments. Vertically and environmentally structured phenological processes suggest a critical role of canopy structural heterogeneity in seasonal changes in Amazon ecosystem function., (© 2019 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2019 New Phytologist Trust.)

Background: Operational tolerance (OT) is a state of graft functional stability that occurs after at least 1 year of immunosuppressant withdrawal. MicroRNAs ( microRNA ) are small non-coding RNAs that downregulate messenger RNA/protein expression of innumerous molecules and are critical for homeostasis. We investigated whether OT in kidney transplantation displays a differential microRNA profile, which would suggest that microRNAs participate in Operational Tolerance mechanisms, and may reveal potential molecular pathways. Methods: We first compared serum microRNA in OT ( n = 8) with chronic rejection (CR) ( n = 5) and healthy individuals (HI) ( n = 5), using a 768- microRNA qPCR-panel. We used the Thermo Fisher Cloud computing platform to compare the levels of microRNA s in the OT group in relation to the other study groups. We performed validation experiments for miR-885-5p , by q-PCR, in a larger number of study subjects (OT = 8, CR = 12, HI = 12), as individual samples. Results: We detected a differential microRNA profile in OT vs. its opposing clinical outcome-CR-suggesting that microRNAs may integrate transplantation tolerance mechanisms. Some miRNAs were detected at higher levels in OT: miR-885-5p, miR-331-3p , miR-27a-5p vs . CR; others, we found at lower levels: miR-1233-3p, miR-572, miR-638, miR-1260a. Considering highly predicted/experimentally demonstrated targets of these miRNAs, bioinformatics analysis revealed that the granzyme B, and death receptor pathways are dominant, suggesting that cell death regulation integrates transplantation tolerance mechanisms. We confirmed higher miR-885-5p levels in OT vs. CR, and vs. HI, in a larger number of subjects. Conclusions: We propose that epigenetics mechanisms involving microRNAs may integrate human transplantation tolerance mechanisms, and regulate key members of the cell death/survival signaling. miR-885-5p could favor cell survival in OT by diminishing the levels of CRADD/RAIDD and CASP3. Nonetheless, given the nature of any complex phenomenon in humans, only cumulative data will help to determine whether this microRNA differential profile may be related to the cause or consequence of operational tolerance.

When recombinant DNA technology was developed more than 40 years ago, no one could have imagined the impact it would have on both society and the scientific community. In the field of genetic engineering, the most important tool developed was the plasmid vector. This technology has been continuously expanding and undergoing adaptations. Here, we provide a detailed view following the evolution of vectors built throughout the years destined to study microorganisms and their peculiarities, including those whose genomes can only be revealed through metagenomics. We remark how synthetic biology became a turning point in designing these genetic tools to create meaningful innovations. We have placed special focus on the tools for engineering bacteria and fungi (both yeast and filamentous fungi) and those available to construct metagenomic libraries. Based on this overview, future goals would include the development of modular vectors bearing standardized parts and orthogonally designed circuits, a task not fully addressed thus far. Finally, we present some challenges that should be overcome to enable the next generation of vector design and ways to address it., (© 2018 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.)

Beta-glucosidases are key enzymes involved in lignocellulosic biomass degradation for bioethanol production, which complete the final step during cellulose hydrolysis by converting cellobiose into glucose. Currently, industry requires enzymes with improved catalytic performance or tolerance to process-specific parameters. In this sense, metagenomics has become a powerful tool for accessing and exploring the biochemical biodiversity present in different natural environments. Here, we report the identification of a novel β-glucosidase from metagenomic DNA isolated from soil samples enriched with decaying plant matter from a Secondary Atlantic Forest region. For this, we employed a functional screening approach using an optimized and synthetic broad host-range vector for library production. The novel β-glucosidase - named Lfa2 - displays three GH3-family conserved domains and conserved catalytic amino acids D283 and E487. The purified enzyme was most active in pH 5.5 and at 50°C, and showed hydrolytic activity toward several p NP synthetic substrates containing β-glucose, β-galactose, β-xylose, β-fucose, and α-arabinopyranose, as well as toward cellobiose. Lfa2 showed considerable glucose tolerance, exhibiting an IC 50 of 300 mM glucose and 30% of remaining activity in 600 mM glucose. In addition, Lfa2 retained full or slightly enhanced activity in the presence of several metal ions. Further, β-glucosidase activity was increased by 1.7-fold in the presence of 10% (v/v) ethanol, a concentration that can be reached in conventional fermentation processes. Similarly, Lfa2 showed 1.7-fold enhanced activity at high concentrations of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, one of the most important cellulase inhibitors in pretreated sugarcane bagasse hydrolysates. Moreover, the synergistic effect of Lfa2 on Bacillus subtilis GH5-CBM3 endoglucanase activity was demonstrated by the increased production of glucose (1.6-fold). Together, these results indicate that β-glucosidase Lfa2 is a promissory enzyme candidate for utilization in diverse industrial applications, such as cellulosic biomass degradation or flavor enhancement in winemaking and grape processing.