scholarly journals Lower Vibrio spp. abundances in Zostera marina leaf canopies suggest a novel ecosystem function for temperate seagrass beds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorsten B.H. Reusch ◽  
Philipp R. Schubert ◽  
Silke-Mareike Marten ◽  
Diana Gill ◽  
Rolf Karez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zostera Marina ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Novel Ecosystem ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Societal Relevance ◽  
Counting Data ◽  
Water Ecosystem ◽  
Angiosperm Species ◽  
Sand Flats

Seagrasses, a polyphyletic group of about 60 marine angiosperm species, are the foundation of diverse and functionally important marine habitats along sheltered sedimentary coasts. As a novel ecological function with high societal relevance, a role of the leaf canopy for reducing potentially harmful bacteria has recently been hypothesized. Accordingly, we tested whether or not the abundance of general bacteria and more specifically, those belonging to the genus Vibrio were reduced within temperate Zostera marina (eelgrass) meadows compared to adjacent sand flats and sampled 5 sites in the south-western Baltic Sea using SCUBA. Compared to non-vegetated area, we found an average reduction of 39% for all Vibrio and 63% for the potentially harmful V. vulnificus/cholerae subtype based on robust plate counting data on Vibrio selective agar. The underlying mechanism is currently elusive and clearly merits further study. Our results underline the critical importance of seagrasses in maintaining shallow water ecosystem functioning including water quality and provide further motivation for their protection and restoration.

scholarly journals Lower Vibrio spp. abundances in Zostera marina leaf canopies suggest a novel ecosystem function for temperate seagrass beds

2021 ◽  
Vol 168 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorsten B. H. Reusch ◽  
Philipp R. Schubert ◽  
Silke-Mareike Marten ◽  
Diana Gill ◽  
Rolf Karez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zostera Marina ◽  
Bacterial Load ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Novel Ecosystem ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Societal Relevance ◽  
Counting Data ◽  
Water Ecosystem ◽  
Angiosperm Species

AbstractSeagrasses, a polyphyletic group of about 60 marine angiosperm species, are the foundation of diverse and functionally important marine habitats along sheltered sedimentary coasts. As a novel ecological function with high societal relevance, a role of the seagrass leaf canopy for reducing potentially harmful bacteria has recently been hypothesized in tropical regions, but data for temperate regions are lacking. Here, we tested whether or not the abundance of general bacteria and more specifically, those belonging to the genus Vibrio were reduced within temperate Zostera marina (eelgrass) meadows compared to adjacent sand flats and sampled 5 sites in the south-western Baltic Sea using SCUBA. Compared to non-vegetated area, we found an average reduction of 39% for all Vibrio and 63% for the potentially harmful V. vulnificus/cholerae subtype based on robust plate counting data on Vibrio selective agar. The underlying mechanism of the reduction in bacterial load is currently elusive and clearly merits further study. Our results underline the critical importance of seagrasses in maintaining shallow water ecosystem functioning including water quality and provide further motivation for their protection and restoration.

scholarly journals Benefits under the Sea: The Role of Marine Compounds in Neurodegenerative Disorders

Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Mariano Catanesi ◽  
Giulia Caioni ◽  
Vanessa Castelli ◽  
Elisabetta Benedetti ◽  
Michele d’Angelo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorders ◽  
Extreme Temperature ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Adjuvant Therapies ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Marine Compounds

Marine habitats offer a rich reservoir of new bioactive compounds with great pharmaceutical potential; the variety of these molecules is unique, and its production is favored by the chemical and physical conditions of the sea. It is known that marine organisms can synthesize bioactive molecules to survive from atypical environmental conditions, such as oxidative stress, photodynamic damage, and extreme temperature. Recent evidence proposed a beneficial role of these compounds for human health. In particular, xanthines, bryostatin, and 11-dehydrosinulariolide displayed encouraging neuroprotective effects in neurodegenerative disorders. This review will focus on the most promising marine drugs’ neuroprotective potential for neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. We will describe these marine compounds’ potential as adjuvant therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, based on their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties.

scholarly journals Kindlin-2 mediates mechanotransduction in bone by regulating expression of Sclerostin in osteocytes

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Qin ◽  
Xuekun Fu ◽  
Jing Ma ◽  
Manxia Lin ◽  
Peijun Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Loss ◽  
Mechanical Stimulation ◽  
Fluid Shear Stress ◽  
Weight Bearing ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Long Bones ◽  
Cell Orientation ◽  
Cytoskeleton Organization

AbstractOsteocytes act as mechanosensors in bone; however, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here we report that deleting Kindlin-2 in osteocytes causes severe osteopenia and mechanical property defects in weight-bearing long bones, but not in non-weight-bearing calvariae. Kindlin-2 loss in osteocytes impairs skeletal responses to mechanical stimulation in long bones. Control and cKO mice display similar bone loss induced by unloading. However, unlike control mice, cKO mice fail to restore lost bone after reloading. Osteocyte Kindlin-2 deletion impairs focal adhesion (FA) formation, cytoskeleton organization and cell orientation in vitro and in bone. Fluid shear stress dose-dependently increases Kindlin-2 expression and decreases that of Sclerostin by downregulating Smad2/3 in osteocytes; this latter response is abolished by Kindlin-2 ablation. Kindlin-2-deficient osteocytes express abundant Sclerostin, contributing to bone loss in cKO mice. Collectively, we demonstrate an indispensable novel role of Kindlin-2 in maintaining skeletal responses to mechanical stimulation by inhibiting Sclerostin expression during osteocyte mechanotransduction.

scholarly journals Rspo3 regulates the abnormal differentiation of small intestinal epithelial cells in diabetic state

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ti-Dong Shan ◽  
Han Yue ◽  
Xue-Guo Sun ◽  
Yue-Ping Jiang ◽  
Li Chen
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Bioinformatics Analysis ◽  
Intestinal Epithelial Cells ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Intestinal Epithelial ◽  
Epithelial Stem Cells ◽  
Diabetic State ◽  
Definitive Evidence

Abstract Background The complications caused by diabetes mellitus (DM) are the focus of clinical treatment. However, little is known about diabetic enteropathy (DE) and its potential underlying mechanism. Methods Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) and intestinal epithelial stem cells (IESCs) were harvested from BKS.Cg-Dock7m+/+Leprdb/JNju (DM) mice, and the expression of R-Spondin 3 (Rspo3) was detected by RT-qPCR, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence. The role of Rspo3 in the abnormal differentiation of IECs during DM was confirmed by knockdown experiments. Through miRNA expression profiling, bioinformatics analysis, and RT-qPCR, we further analyzed the differentiation-related miRNAs in the IECs from mice with DM. Results Abnormal differentiation of IECs was observed in the mice with DM. The expression of Rspo3 was upregulated in the IECs from the mice with DM. This phenomenon was associated with Rspo3 overexpression. Additionally, Rspo3 is a major determinant of Lgr5+ stem cell identity in the diabetic state. Microarray analysis, bioinformatics analysis, and luciferase reporter assays revealed that microRNA (miR)-380-5p directly targeted Rspo3. Moreover, miR-380-5p upregulation was observed to attenuate the abnormal differentiation of IECs by regulating Rspo3 expression. Conclusions Together, our results provide definitive evidence of the essential role of Rspo3 in the differentiation of IECs in DM.

scholarly journals Reduction of 3-Deoxyglucosone by Epigallocatechin Gallate Results Partially from an Addition Reaction: The Possible Mechanism of Decreased 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural in Epigallocatechin Gallate-Treated Black Garlic

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (16) ◽  
pp. 4746
Author(s):  
An-Ting Tu ◽  
Jer-An Lin ◽  
Chieh-Hsiu Lee ◽  
Yi-An Chen ◽  
Jung-Tsung Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Product ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
Addition Reaction ◽  
Reaction System ◽  
Epigallocatechin Gallate ◽  
Structural Identification ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Harmful Substance ◽  
Relevant Research

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is a harmful substance generated during the processing of black garlic. Our previous research demonstrated that impregnation of black garlic with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) could reduce the formation of 5-HMF. However, there is still a lack of relevant research on the mechanism and structural identification of EGCG inhibiting the production of 5-HMF. In this study, an intermediate product of 5-HMF, 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), was found to be decreased in black garlic during the aging process, and impregnation with EGCG for 24 h further reduced the formation of 3-DG by approximately 60% in black garlic compared with that in the untreated control. The aging-mimicking reaction system of 3-DG + EGCG was employed to determine whether the reduction of 3-DG was the underlying mechanism of decreased 5-HMF formation in EGCG-treated black garlic. The results showed that EGCG accelerated the decrease of 3-DG and further attenuated 5-HMF formation, which may be caused by an additional reaction with 3-DG, as evidenced by LC-MS/MS analysis. In conclusion, this study provides new insights regarding the role of EGCG in blocking 5-HMF formation.

scholarly journals Roles of the C-Terminal Amino Acids of Non-Hexameric Helicases: Insights from Escherichia coli UvrD

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1018
Author(s):  
Hiroaki Yokota
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
E Coli ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Terminal Amino

Helicases are nucleic acid-unwinding enzymes that are involved in the maintenance of genome integrity. Several parts of the amino acid sequences of helicases are very similar, and these quite well-conserved amino acid sequences are termed “helicase motifs”. Previous studies by X-ray crystallography and single-molecule measurements have suggested a common underlying mechanism for their function. These studies indicate the role of the helicase motifs in unwinding nucleic acids. In contrast, the sequence and length of the C-terminal amino acids of helicases are highly variable. In this paper, I review past and recent studies that proposed helicase mechanisms and studies that investigated the roles of the C-terminal amino acids on helicase and dimerization activities, primarily on the non-hexermeric Escherichia coli (E. coli) UvrD helicase. Then, I center on my recent study of single-molecule direct visualization of a UvrD mutant lacking the C-terminal 40 amino acids (UvrDΔ40C) used in studies proposing the monomer helicase model. The study demonstrated that multiple UvrDΔ40C molecules jointly participated in DNA unwinding, presumably by forming an oligomer. Thus, the single-molecule observation addressed how the C-terminal amino acids affect the number of helicases bound to DNA, oligomerization, and unwinding activity, which can be applied to other helicases.

Consumers Complain More Fiercely Through Small-Screen Devices: The Role of Spatial Crowding Perception

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-367
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Zhou ◽  
Bin Tian ◽  
Tingting Mo ◽  
Zhuoying Fei
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Data ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Screen Size ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Perception Theory ◽  
Fourth Experiment ◽  
Complaint Behavior ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Small Screen

Previous research has mainly focused on the determinants of consumers’ complaint channel choices. Little attention has been paid to the behavioral consequences of different complaint channels, particularly different complaint devices. Drawing on spatial crowding perception theory, this study finds that in an online complaint context, consumers’ complaint intensity is shaped by complaint devices that differ in screen size. Crowding perception produced by visually restrictive tension mediates the relationship between the screen size of the complaint device and the complaint intensity. The results of secondary data confirm that consumers’ complaint intensity is higher while complaining through a small-screen device (as opposed to a large-screen one). Three scenario-based experiments are conducted to examine the role of perceived spatial crowding in producing a more intense complaint behavior when complaints are submitted through smaller screen devices (as opposed to larger screen devices). The fourth experiment reveals that crowding perception can be lessened by adjusting certain design elements of the interface, ultimately mitigating the intensity of the complaint submitted through a small-screen device. Our research identifies the specific causality and underlying mechanism of the influence of device type on consumers’ postconsumption behavior, thus contributing to clarify some ambiguities in the literature.

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