scholarly journals Insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying diversified wing venation among insects

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1789) ◽  
pp. 20140264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Shimmi ◽  
Shinya Matsuda ◽  
Masatsugu Hatakeyama

Insect wings are great resources for studying morphological diversities in nature as well as in fossil records. Among them, variation in wing venation is one of the most characteristic features of insect species. Venation is therefore, undeniably a key factor of species-specific functional traits of the wings; however, the mechanism underlying wing vein formation among insects largely remains unexplored. Our knowledge of the genetic basis of wing development is solely restricted to Drosophila melanogaster . A critical step in wing vein development in Drosophila is the activation of the decapentaplegic (Dpp)/bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling pathway during pupal stages. A key mechanism is the directional transport of Dpp from the longitudinal veins into the posterior crossvein by BMP-binding proteins, resulting in redistribution of Dpp that reflects wing vein patterns. Recent works on the sawfly Athalia rosae , of the order Hymenoptera, also suggested that the Dpp transport system is required to specify fore- and hindwing vein patterns. Given that Dpp redistribution via transport is likely to be a key mechanism for establishing wing vein patterns, this raises the interesting possibility that distinct wing vein patterns are generated, based on where Dpp is transported. Experimental evidence in Drosophila suggests that the direction of Dpp transport is regulated by prepatterned positional information. These observations lead to the postulation that Dpp generates diversified insect wing vein patterns through species-specific positional information of its directional transport. Extension of these observations in some winged insects will provide further insights into the mechanisms underlying diversified wing venation among insects.

Development ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 147 (23) ◽  
pp. dev196394
Author(s):  
Tirtha Das Banerjee ◽  
Antónia Monteiro

ABSTRACTHow mechanisms of pattern formation evolve has remained a central research theme in the field of evolutionary and developmental biology. The mechanism of wing vein differentiation in Drosophila is a classic text-book example of pattern formation using a system of positional information, yet very little is known about how species with a different number of veins pattern their wings, and how insect venation patterns evolved. Here, we examine the expression pattern of genes previously implicated in vein differentiation in Drosophila in two butterfly species with more complex venation Bicyclus anynana and Pieris canidia. We also test the function of some of these genes in B. anynana. We identify both conserved as well as new domains of decapentaplegic, engrailed, invected, spalt, optix, wingless, armadillo, blistered and rhomboid gene expression in butterflies, and propose how the simplified venation in Drosophila might have evolved via loss of decapentaplegic, spalt and optix gene expression domains, via silencing of vein-inducing programs at Spalt-expression boundaries, and via changes in expression of vein maintenance genes.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 634
Author(s):  
Anca Ungurianu ◽  
Anca Zanfirescu ◽  
Georgiana Nițulescu ◽  
Denisa Margină

Vitamin E, comprising tocopherols and tocotrienols, is mainly known as an antioxidant. The aim of this review is to summarize the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways linked to inflammation and malignancy modulated by its vitamers. Preclinical reports highlighted a myriad of cellular effects like modulating the synthesis of pro-inflammatory molecules and oxidative stress response, inhibiting the NF-κB pathway, regulating cell cycle, and apoptosis. Furthermore, animal-based models have shown that these molecules affect the activity of various enzymes and signaling pathways, such as MAPK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, JAK/STAT, and NF-κB, acting as the underlying mechanisms of their reported anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and anti-cancer effects. In clinical settings, not all of these were proven, with reports varying considerably. Nonetheless, vitamin E was shown to improve redox and inflammatory status in healthy, diabetic, and metabolic syndrome subjects. The anti-cancer effects were inconsistent, with both pro- and anti-malignant being reported. Regarding its neuroprotective properties, several studies have shown protective effects suggesting vitamin E as a potential prevention and therapeutic (as adjuvant) tool. However, source and dosage greatly influence the observed effects, with bioavailability seemingly a key factor in obtaining the preferred outcome. We conclude that this group of molecules presents exciting potential for the prevention and treatment of diseases with an inflammatory, redox, or malignant component.


1996 ◽  
Vol 93 (12) ◽  
pp. 5842-5847 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Yan ◽  
H. Luo ◽  
J. E. Darnell ◽  
C. R. Dearolf

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingyao Cai ◽  
Min Hu ◽  
Zhiyang Chen ◽  
Zeng Ling

AbstractLiver fibrosis occurs in response to any etiology of chronic liver injury. Lack of appropriate clinical intervention will lead to liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), seriously affecting the quality of life of patients, but the current clinical treatments of liver fibrosis have not been developed yet. Recent studies have shown that hypoxia is a key factor promoting the progression of liver fibrosis. Hypoxia can cause liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis can, in turn, profoundly further deepen the degree of hypoxia. Therefore, exploring the role of hypoxia in liver fibrosis will help to further understand the process of liver fibrosis, and provide the theoretical basis for its diagnosis and treatment, which is of great significance to avoid further deterioration of liver diseases and protect the life and health of patients. This review highlights the recent advances in cellular and molecular mechanisms of hypoxia in developments of liver fibrosis.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
GongXin Yu

Chimpanzees and humans are closely related but differ in many deadly human diseases and other characteristics in physiology, anatomy, and pathology. In spite of decades of extensive research, crucial questions about the molecular mechanisms behind the differences are yet to be understood. Here I reportExonVar, a novel computational pipeline forExon-based human-chimpanzee comparativeVariant analysis. The objective is to comparatively analyze mutations specifically those that caused the frameshift and nonsense mutations and to assess their scale and potential impacts on human-chimpanzee divergence. Genomewide analysis of human and chimpanzee exons withExonVaridentified a number of species-specific, exon-disrupting mutations in chimpanzees but much fewer in humans. Many were found on genes involved in important biological processes such as T cell lineage development, the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, and antigen induced cell death. A “less-is-more” model was previously established to illustrate the role of the gene inactivation and disruptions during human evolution. Here this analysis suggested a different model where the chimpanzee-specific exon-disrupting mutations may act as additional evolutionary force that drove the human-chimpanzee divergence. Finally, the analysis revealed a number of sequencing errors in the chimpanzee and human genome sequences and further illustrated that they could be corrected without resequencing.


Reproduction ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Bauersachs ◽  
Susanne E Ulbrich ◽  
Karin Gross ◽  
Susanne E M Schmidt ◽  
Heinrich H D Meyer ◽  
...  

The endometrium plays a central role among the reproductive tissues in the context of early embryo–maternal communication and pregnancy. This study investigated transcriptome profiles of endometrium samples from day 18 pregnant vs non-pregnant heifers to get insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in conditioning the endometrium for embryo attachment and implantation. Using a combination of subtracted cDNA libraries and cDNA array hybridisation, 109 mRNAs with at least twofold higher abundance in endometrium of pregnant animals and 70 mRNAs with higher levels in the control group were identified. Among the mRNAs with higher abundance in pregnant animals, at least 41 are already described as induced by interferons. In addition, transcript levels of many new candidate genes involved in the regulation of transcription, cell adhesion, modulation of the maternal immune system and endometrial remodelling were found to be increased. The different expression level was confirmed with real-time PCR for nine genes. Localisation of mRNA expression in the endometrium was shown byin situhybridisation forAGRN,LGALS3BP,LGALS9,USP18,PARP12andBST2. A comparison with similar studies in humans, mice, and revealed species-specific and common molecular markers of uterine receptivity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Costa Dias ◽  
Cecílio Caldeira ◽  
Markus Gastauer ◽  
Silvio Ramos ◽  
Guilherme Oliveira

Abstract BackgroundCanga is the Brazilian term for the savanna-like vegetation harboring several endemic species on iron-rich rocky outcrops, usually considered for mining activities. Parkia platycephala Benth. and Stryphnodendron pulcherrimum (Willd.) Hochr. naturally occur in the cangas of Serra dos Carajás (eastern Amazonia, Brazil) and the surrounding forest, indicating high phenotypic plasticity. The morphological and physiological mechanisms of the plants’ establishment in the canga environment are well studied, but the molecular adaptative responses are still unknown. We aimed to identify molecular mechanisms that allow the establishment of these plants in the canga environment.ResultsPlants were grown in canga and forest substrates collected in the Carajás Mineral Province. RNA was extracted from pooled leaf tissue, and RNA-seq paired-end reads were assembled into representative transcriptomes for P. platycephala and S. pulcherrimum containing 31,728 and 31,311 primary transcripts, respectively. We identified both species-specific and core molecular responses in plants grown in the canga substrate using differential expression analyses. In the species-specific analysis, we identified 1,112 and 838 differentially expressed genes for P. platycephala and S. pulcherrimum, respectively. Enrichment analyses showed unique biological processes and metabolic pathways affected for each species. Comparative differential expression analysis was based on shared single-copy orthologs. The overall pattern of ortholog expression was species-specific. Even so, almost 300 altered genes were identified between plants in canga and forest substrates, responding the same way in both species. The genes were functionally associated with the response to light stimulus and the circadian rhythm pathway.ConclusionsPlants possess species-specific adaptative responses to cope with the substrates. Our results also suggest that plants adapted to both canga and forest environments can adjust the circadian rhythm in a substrate-dependent manner. The circadian clock gene modulation might be a central mechanism regulating the plants’ development in the canga substrate in the studied legume species. The mechanism may be shared as a common mechanism to abiotic stress compensation in other native species.


Endocrinology ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas O. Carpenter ◽  
Kathleen C. Moltz ◽  
Bruce Ellis ◽  
Monica Andreoli ◽  
Thomas L. McCarthy ◽  
...  

Abstract Rickets and osteomalacia are characteristic features of the Hyp mouse model of human X-linked hypophosphatemia. Hyp mice demonstrate elevated circulating osteocalcin levels, as well as altered regulation of osteocalcin by 1,25(OH)2D3. Whether this osteocalcin abnormality is intrinsic to the osteoblast, or mediated by the in vivo milieu, has not been established. We therefore characterized osteocalcin production and its regulation by 1,25(OH)2D3 in primary cultures of murine osteoblasts and examined osteocalcin and its messenger RNA in response to 1,25(OH)2D3 in cultures of Hyp mouse-derived osteoblasts. Cell viability and osteocalcin production are optimal when murine cells are harvested within 36 h of age. Murine primary osteoblast cultures mineralize and produce osteocalcin in a maturation-dependent fashion (as demonstrated in other species), and continuous exposure to 1,25(OH)2D3, beginning at day 9 of culture, inhibits osteoblast differentiation and osteocalcin production and prevents mineralization of the culture. However, in contrast to other species, exposure to 1,25(OH)2D3, added later (days 17–25) in culture, does not stimulate osteocalcin but arrests osteocalcin production at current levels. Ambient media levels of osteocalcin were no different in cultures from Hyp mice and their normal litter mates, and the down-regulatory response to 1,25(OH)2D3 was comparable in cultures from normal and Hyp mice. Furthermore, expression of osteocalcin messenger RNA in murine cultures is reduced with exposure to 1,25(OH)2D3, and there is no difference between normal and Hyp cultures in this response. Thus, primary murine osteoblasts manifest a species-specific effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 on osteocalcin production. Furthermore, the increased serum osteocalcin production seen in intact Hyp mice, and the altered response to 1,25(OH)2D3 in Hyp mice, are not observed in osteoblast cultures derived from the mutant strain. These data indicate that abnormalities of osteocalcin described in intact Hyp mice require factors other than those present in cultured cells.


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (32) ◽  
pp. 16121-16126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Yan Xiong ◽  
Renyi Liu ◽  
Hong-Wei Xue ◽  
Zhenbiao Yang

Grain size is a key factor for determining grain yield in crops and is a target trait for both domestication and breeding, yet the mechanisms underlying the regulation of grain size are largely unclear. Here we show that the grain size and yield of rice (Oryza sativa) is positively regulated by ROP GTPase (Rho-like GTPase from plants), a versatile molecular switch modulating plant growth, development, and responses to the environment. Overexpression of rice OsRac1ROP not only increases cell numbers, resulting in a larger spikelet hull, but also accelerates grain filling rate, causing greater grain width and weight. As a result, OsRac1 overexpression improves grain yield in O. sativa by nearly 16%. In contrast, down-regulation or deletion of OsRac1 causes the opposite effects. RNA-seq and cell cycle analyses suggest that OsRac1 promotes cell division. Interestingly, OsRac1 interacts with and regulates the phosphorylation level of OsMAPK6, which is known to regulate cell division and grain size in rice. Thus, our findings suggest OsRac1 modulates rice grain size and yield by influencing cell division. This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the control of rice grain size and suggests that OsRac1 could serve as a potential target gene for breeding high-yield crops.


2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 618
Author(s):  
Kirill V. Khabudaev ◽  
Darya P. Petrova ◽  
Yekaterina D. Bedoshvili ◽  
Yelena V. Likhoshway ◽  
Mikhail A. Grachev

Microtubules are formed by α- and β-tubulin heterodimers nucleated with γ-tubulin. Tubulins are conserved eukaryotic proteins. Previously, it was shown that microtubules are involved in diatom silica frustule morphogenesis. Diatom frustules are varied, and their morphology is species-specific. Despite the attractiveness of the problem of elucidating the molecular mechanisms of genetically programmed morphogenesis, the structure and evolution of diatom tubulins have not been studied previously. Based on available genomic and transcriptome data, we analyzed the phylogeny of the predicted amino acid sequences of diatom α-, β- and γ-tubulins and identified five groups for α-tubulins, six for β-tubulins and four for γ-tubulins. We identified characteristic amino acids of each of these groups and also analyzed possible posttranslational modification sites of diatom tubulins. According to our results, we assumed what changes occurred in the diatom tubulin structures during their evolution. We also identified which tubulin groups are inherent in large diatom taxa. The similarity between the evolution of diatom tubulins and the evolution of diatoms suggests that molecular changes in α-, β- and γ-tubulins could be one of the factors in the formation of a high morphological diversity of diatoms.


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