Sulfolobus islandicus: a model system for evolutionary genomics

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 458-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changyi Zhang ◽  
David J. Krause ◽  
Rachel J. Whitaker

Sulfolobus islandicus has been developed as a model system for combining approaches of evolutionary and molecular biology in Archaea. We describe how the application of this interdisciplinary approach can lead to novel hypotheses derived from patterns of natural variation that can be tested in the laboratory when combined with a diversity of natural variants and versatile genetic markers. We review how this approach has highlighted the importance of recombination as an evolutionary parameter and provided insight into a molecular mechanism of recombination that may be unique in the archaeal domain. We review the development and improvement of the model system S. islandicus that will enable us to study the mechanism and genomic architecture of recombination guided by evolutionary genomic analysis of Nature's ongoing experiments in wild populations.

Author(s):  
Olga Wronikowska ◽  
Maria Zykubek ◽  
Agnieszka Michalak ◽  
Anna Pankowska ◽  
Paulina Kozioł ◽  
...  

AbstractMephedrone is a widely used drug of abuse, exerting its effects by interacting with monoamine transporters. Although this mechanism has been widely studied heretofore, little is known about the involvement of glutamatergic transmission in mephedrone effects. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated glutamatergic involvement in rewarding effects of mephedrone using an interdisciplinary approach including (1) behavioural study on effects of memantine (non-selective NMDA antagonist) on expression of mephedrone-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) in rats; (2) evaluation of glutamate concentrations in the hippocampus of rats following 6 days of mephedrone administration, using in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS); and (3) determination of glutamate levels in the hippocampus of rats treated with mephedrone and subjected to MRS, using ion-exchange chromatography. In the presented research, we confirmed priorly reported mephedrone-induced rewarding effects in the CPP paradigm and showed that memantine (5 mg/kg) was able to reverse the expression of this effect. MRS study showed that subchronic mephedrone administration increased glutamate level in the hippocampus when measured in vivo 24 h (5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg) and 2 weeks (5 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg) after last injection. Ex vivo chromatographic analysis did not show significant changes in hippocampal glutamate concentrations; however, it showed similar results as obtained in the MRS study proving its validity. Taken together, the presented study provides new insight into glutamatergic involvement in rewarding properties of mephedrone.


Author(s):  
Henrik Vinge Karlsson ◽  
Britt Gadesboll Larsen ◽  
Per Sorensen

Danish law establishes a common right of passage on foot along the Danish shoreline, even though beaches are often privately owned. The law also states that coastal protection must not hinder this. Therefore, sand nourishment should be part of every coastal protection scheme against erosion. Sand nourishments can be designed in numerous ways depending on their objectives. As part of the European Interreg project, Building With Nature (BWN), guidelines will be developed by the Danish Coastal Authority (DCA) in end-2020. This abstract presents these guidelines with special focus on the coasts of Denmark. Special emphasis will be on insight into the natural variation of the coasts, as this is vital both when designing effective coastal protection schemes and when evaluating the impact of the nourishment. In this project, the pathway along which sediment is being transported spans from offshore at the outer bar to the coastal cliff. The aim is to be able to determine the along- and cross-shore paths, along which the nourishment sand is transported, the diffusion velocity of the nourishment and the impact on the surrounding coasts. Based on the results of the multiple analysis, the primary objective is to produce guidelines on how to use sand nourishment to counteract erosion in a sustainable and socioeconomic way.Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/nIrFFmH98V8


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J Tully

AbstractDespite their discovery over 25 years ago, the Marine Group IIEuryarchaea(MGII) have remained a difficult group of organisms to study, lacking cultured isolates and genome references. The MGII have been identified in marine samples from around the world and evidence supports a photoheterotrophic lifestyle combining phototrophy via proteorhodopsins with the remineralization of high molecular weight organic matter. Divided between two clades, the MGII have distinct ecological patterns that are not understood based on the limited number of available genomes. Here, I present the comparative genomic analysis of 250 MGII genomes, providing the most detailed view of these mesophilic archaea to-date. This analysis identified 17 distinct subclades including nine subclades that previously lacked reference genomes. The metabolic potential and distribution of the MGII genera revealed distinct roles in the environment, identifying algal-saccharide-degrading coastal subclades, protein-degrading oligotrophic surface ocean subclades, and mesopelagic subclades lacking proteorhodopsins common in all other subclades. This study redefines the MGII and provides an avenue for understanding the role these organisms play in the cycling of organic matter throughout the water column.


PLoS Genetics ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol preprint (2006) ◽  
pp. e210
Author(s):  
Ana Rus ◽  
Ivan Baxter ◽  
Balasubramaniam Muthukumar ◽  
Jeff Gustin ◽  
Brett Lahner ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (17) ◽  
pp. 6675-6689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Lopes ◽  
Cyril Ribeyre ◽  
Alain Nicolas

ABSTRACT Genomes contain tandem repeat blocks that are at risk of expansion or contraction. The mechanisms of destabilization of the human minisatellite CEB1 (arrays of 36- to 43-bp repeats) were investigated in a previously developed model system, in which CEB1-0.6 (14 repeats) and CEB1-1.8 (42 repeats) alleles were inserted into the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. As in human cells, CEB1 is stable in mitotically growing yeast cells but is frequently rearranged in the absence of the Rad27/hFEN1 protein involved in Okazaki fragments maturation. To gain insight into this mode of destabilization, the CEB1-1.8 and CEB1-0.6 human alleles and 47 rearrangements derived from a CEB1-1.8 progenitor in rad27Δ cells were sequenced. A high degree of polymorphism of CEB1 internal repeats was observed, attesting to a large variety of homology-driven rearrangements. Simple deletion, double deletion, and highly complex events were observed. Pedigree analysis showed that all rearrangements, even the most complex, occurred in a single generation and were inherited equally by mother and daughter cells. Finally, the rearrangement frequency was found to increase with array size, and partial complementation of the rad27Δ mutation by hFEN1 demonstrated that the production of novel CEB1 alleles is Rad52 and Rad51 dependent. Instability can be explained by an accumulation of unresolved flap structures during replication, leading to the formation of recombinogenic lesions and faulty repair, best understood by homology-dependent synthesis-strand displacement and annealing.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 567-584
Author(s):  
Clare Sandford-Couch

Taking an interdisciplinary approach the article offers a fresh legal historical understanding of the Fifth Story of the Eighth Day in Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron. Detailed analysis of the tale reveals much about the realities of the administration of justice in fourteenth century Florence and contemporary expectations of those exercising judicial authority. In making apparent the expectation that judges would look and act in a certain manner, the article suggests that Boccaccio’s story can be interpreted as offering an insight into the extent to which public perception of a man’s identity as a judge was dependent upon his appearance and attire.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. e0008373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo T. Hernandes ◽  
Tracy H. Hazen ◽  
Luís F. dos Santos ◽  
Taylor K. S. Richter ◽  
Jane M. Michalski ◽  
...  

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