Search

The authors of the article "SLP-2 interacts with Parkin in mitochondria and prevents mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkin-deficient human iPSC-derived neurons and Drosophila" would like to report the incorrect description of an iPSC line in the paper. Authentication analysis at Coriell Institute for Medical Research (Camden, New Jersey) revealed that the cell line named iPS-HFF in the article was not derived from newborn foreskin fibroblasts (as reported in Table S2) but from cells of a female patient with osteogenesis imperfecta (GM17602/GM17604), carrier of a heterozygous missense mutation (p.G700C; NM_000089) in the COL1A2 gene. Repeated karyotype analysis performed for the line named iPS-HFF showed a normal female karyotype, which means that the male karyotype displayed in Figure S4B is mislabeled and was not derived from iPS-HFF. Differentiated dopaminergic neurons from the line named iPS-HFF were examined for mitochondrial complex I activity (Figure 4A) and mitochondrial morphology (Figure 4B) as one of in total three analyzed control iPSC lines compared to Parkin mutant lines. Importantly, both experiments display robust phenotypes and are replicative analysis of results shown in Parkin knockdown SH-SY5Y cells: Loss-of-Parkin leads to decreased complex I activity (Figure 2B) and an increased amount of fragmented mitochondria (Figure 2D), while overexpression of SLP-2 rescues both phenotypes. This confirms that the analyzed data in Figure 4 are not influenced by the COL1A2 mutation. Furthermore, mutations in the COL1A2 gene have not been associated with neurodegenerative diseases and the symptoms of neurological movement disorders have not been described for osteogenesis imperfecta. Therefore, the fact that this particular cell line is from a diseased individual with osteogenesis imperfecta rather than a healthy control does not alter the interpretation of our results as pertaining to rescue of mitochondrial phenotypes as described in the manuscript. The authors would like to apologize for this mistake.

The resilience of a given species to hunting is conditioned by the effect of potential threats upon the more sensitive periods in its life history, such as when animals are breeding. We investigated the environmental drivers of breeding seasonality in the lowland paca (Cuniculus paca), and the potential impact of hunting on the species. As part of a participative study with hunters in 2 Amazonian sites, we obtained reproductive organs of pacas as well as information on the hunters’ daily wild meat extraction. Using data on rainfall, river water level, and fruiting phenology from the 2 study sites, we applied generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS) to examine the effect of climatic and environmental factors on paca reproduction. Forest fruiting was directly linked to higher pregnancy rates in pacas, and when lactation and weaning of offspring mostly occurred. Hunting was highly seasonal in all studied years and positively correlated with higher levels of river water. The coincidence between hunting patterns and paca reproductive cycles during the wet season resulted in more pregnant females being harvested. In addition to the known slow reproductive rate of pacas, the disproportionate offtake of pregnant females may affect the long-term sustainability of hunting of this species. Reducing hunting during the flooded season may not be feasible because the lowland paca provides most of the wild meat consumed by thousands of rural Amazonians during this period. However, options to offset the negative effects of killing of pregnant females could include the zoning of hunting areas or encouraging hunters to target primarily males. Our results indicate that strategies for the sustainable harvest of pacas and other heavily hunted Amazonian mammals should consider the interaction between the species’ reproductive cycles and hunting by local people in order to enhance conservation and management efforts.

© 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved. The human heart is capable of functioning for decades despite minimal cell turnover or regeneration, suggesting that molecular alterations help sustain heart function with age. However, identification of compensatory remodeling events in the aging heart remains elusive. We present the cardiac proteomes of young and old rhesus monkeys and rats, from which we show that certain age-associated remodeling events within the cardiomyocyte cytoskeleton are highly conserved and beneficial rather than deleterious. Targeted transcriptomic analysis in Drosophila confirmed conservation and implicated vinculin as a unique molecular regulator of cardiac function during aging. Cardiac-restricted vinculin overexpression reinforced the cortical cytoskeleton and enhanced myofilament organization, leading to improved contractility and hemodynamic stress tolerance in healthy and myosindeficient fly hearts. Moreover, cardiac-specific vinculin overexpression increased median life span by more than 150% in flies. A broad array of potential therapeutic targets and regulators of age-associated modifications, specifically for vinculin, are presented. These findings suggest that the heart has molecular mechanisms to sustain performance and promote longevity, which may be assisted by therapeutic intervention to ameliorate the decline of function in aging patient hearts.

The Drosophila melanogaster dorsal vessel, or heart, is a tubular structure comprised of a single layer of contractile cardiomyocytes, pericardial cells that align along each side of the heart wall, supportive alary muscles and, in adults, a layer of ventral longitudinal muscle cells. The contractile fibers house conserved constituents of the muscle cytoarchitecture including densely packed bundles of myofibrils and cytoskeletal/submembranous protein complexes, which interact with homologous components of the extracellular matrix. Here we describe a protocol for the fixation and the fluorescent labeling of particular myocardial elements from the hearts of dissected larvae and semi-intact adult Drosophila. Specifically, we demonstrate the labeling of sarcomeric F-actin and of alpha-actinin in larval hearts. Additionally, we perform labeling of F-actin and alpha-actinin in myosin-GFP expressing adult flies and of alpha-actinin and pericardin, a type IV extracellular matrix collagen, in wild type adult hearts. Particular attention is given to a mounting strategy for semi-intact adult hearts that minimizes handling and optimizes the opportunity for maintaining the integrity of the cardiac tubes and the associated tissues. These preparations are suitable for imaging via fluorescent and confocal microscopy. Overall, this procedure allows for careful and detailed analysis of the structural characteristics of the heart from a powerful genetically tractable model system.

The study deals with the habitat, inter-especific associations, group size and population density of two Ateles species that inhabit the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Data were collected during inventories and transect censuses between january 1997 and february 1999, september — october 2000, august –- september 2002 and January 2003. On the left bank of the Río Samiria, Ateles balzebuth E. Geffroy and Ateles chamek Humboldt share the habitat forming mixed groups. Average group size for A. belzebuth was 5,1 individuals/group and for A. chamek 7,3 individuals/group. Estimated population density for A. belzebuth was 1,02 individuals/km2 and for A. chamek 0,51 individuals/km2 . We discuss and analyze the factors that may have influenced the drastic reduction of both populations. En el presente trabajo se dan a conocer las observaciones sobre el hábitat, las asociaciones inter-específicas, tamaño de grupo y densidad poblacional de las dos especies de Ateles que habitan en la Reserva Nacional Pacaya Samiria. Los datos fueron colectados mediante inventarios y censos por transecto en los periodos de enero de 1997 a febrero de 1999, setiembre -– octubre 2000, agosto -– setiembre, 2002 y enero 2003. En la margen izquierda del Río Samiria, Ateles belzebuth E. Geoffryoy y Ateles chamek Humboldt comparten el hábitat formando grupos mixtos. El tamaño promedio de grupo para A. belzebuth fue 5,1 individuos/grupo y para Ateles chamek 7,3 individuos/grupo. La densidad poblacional estimada para A. belzebuth fue 1,02 individuos/km2 y para A. chamek 0,51 individuos/km2 . Se discuten y analizan los factores que habrían influido para la drástica reducción de ambas poblaciones.