scholarly journals FGF signalling plays similar roles in development and regeneration of the skeleton in the brittle star Amphiura filiformis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Czarkwiani ◽  
David V. Dylus ◽  
Luisana Carballo ◽  
Paola Oliveri
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Skeletal Development ◽  
Signalling Pathway ◽  
Brittle Star ◽  
Differential Analysis ◽  
Regulatory Module ◽  
Amphiura Filiformis ◽  
Fgf Signalling ◽  
First Time

AbstractRegeneration is an adult developmental process considered to be an epiphenomenon of embryonic development. Although several studies have shown that various embryonic genes are expressed during regeneration, there have been no large-scale, direct and functional comparative studies between the development and regeneration of a specific structure in one animal. Here, we use the brittle star Amphiura filiformis to characterise the role of the FGF signalling pathway during skeletal development and regeneration. In both processes, we find the ligands expressed in ectodermal cells flanking underlying mesodermal cells, and the receptors expressed specifically by these skeletogenic cells. Perturbation of FGF but not VEGF signalling during skeletogenesis completely inhibited skeleton formation in both embryogenesis and regeneration, without affecting other key developmental processes like cell migration or proliferation. Transcriptome-wide differential analysis identified a highly similar cohort of skeletogenic differentiation genes downstream of the FGF signalling pathway, whereas upstream transcription factors involved in the initial specification of the skeletogenic lineage where unaffected. Comparison to the sea urchin indicated that many of the affected genes are associated with differentiation. Moreover, several genes showed no homology to a cohort from other species, leading to the discovery of brittle star specific, downstream skeletogenic genes. In conclusion, our results show that the FGF pathway is crucial for skeletogenesis in the brittle star, as it is in other deuterostomes, and for the first time provide evidence for the re-deployment of a gene regulatory module during both regeneration and development.

scholarly journals FGF signalling plays similar roles in development and regeneration of the skeleton in the brittle star Amphiura filiformis

Development ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Czarkwiani ◽  
David V. Dylus ◽  
Luisana Carballo ◽  
Paola Oliveri
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Skeletal Development ◽  
Brittle Star ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Regulatory Module ◽  
Amphiura Filiformis ◽  
Fgf Signalling ◽  
Skeleton Formation

Regeneration as an adult developmental process is in many aspects similar to embryonic development. Although many studies point out similarities and differences, no large-scale, direct and functional comparative analyses between development and regeneration of a specific cell type or structure in one animal exist. Here, we use the brittle star Amphiura filiformis to characterise the role of the FGF signalling pathway during skeletal development in embryos and arm regeneration. In both processes, we find ligands expressed in ectodermal cells flanking underlying skeletal mesenchymal cells, which express the receptors. Perturbation of FGF signalling showed inhibited skeleton formation in both embryogenesis and regeneration, without affecting other key developmental processes. Differential transcriptome analysis finds mostly differentiation genes rather than transcription factors to be downregulated in both contexts. Moreover, comparative gene analysis allowed us to discover brittle star specific, differentiation genes. In conclusion, our results show that the FGF pathway is crucial for skeletogenesis in the brittle star, as in other deuterostomes and provide evidence for the re-deployment of a developmental gene regulatory module during regeneration.

scholarly journals A puzzling homology: a brittle star using a putative cnidarian-type luciferase for bioluminescence

Open Biology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 160300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérôme Delroisse ◽  
Esther Ullrich-Lüter ◽  
Stefanie Blaue ◽  
Olga Ortega-Martinez ◽  
Igor Eeckhaut ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Light Emission ◽  
Brittle Star ◽  
Luciferase Expression ◽  
Amphiura Filiformis ◽  
Selective Forces ◽  
Luciferase Enzyme ◽  
Phylogenomic Analyses ◽  
Functional Shift ◽  
First Time

Bioluminescence relies on the oxidation of a luciferin substrate catalysed by a luciferase enzyme. Luciferins and luciferases are generic terms used to describe a large variety of substrates and enzymes. Whereas luciferins can be shared by phylogenetically distant organisms which feed on organisms producing them, luciferases have been thought to be lineage-specific enzymes. Numerous light emission systems would then have co-emerged independently along the tree of life resulting in a plethora of non-homologous luciferases. Here, we identify for the first time a candidate luciferase of a luminous echinoderm, the ophiuroid Amphiura filiformis . Phylogenomic analyses identified the brittle star predicted luciferase as homologous to the luciferase of the sea pansy Renilla (Cnidaria), contradicting with the traditional viewpoint according to which luciferases would generally be of convergent origins. The similarity between the Renilla and Amphiura luciferases allowed us to detect the latter using anti- Renilla luciferase antibodies. Luciferase expression was specifically localized in the spines which were demonstrated to be the bioluminescent organs in vivo . However, enzymes homologous to the Renilla luciferase but unable to trigger light emission were also identified in non-luminous echinoderms and metazoans. Our findings strongly indicate that those enzymes, belonging to the haloalkane dehalogenase family, might then have been convergently co-opted into luciferases in cnidarians and echinoderms. In these two benthic suspension-feeding species, similar ecological pressures would constitute strong selective forces for the functional shift of these enzymes and the emergence of bioluminescence.

Scheming

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seán Damer
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Housing Policy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Class Structure ◽  
Local Council ◽  
Housing Scheme ◽  
Post War ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Voice ◽  
House Building

This book seeks to explain how the Corporation of Glasgow, in its large-scale council house-building programme in the inter- and post-war years, came to reproduce a hierarchical Victorian class structure. The three tiers of housing scheme which it constructed – Ordinary, Intermediate, and Slum-Clearance – effectively signified First, Second and Third Class. This came about because the Corporation uncritically reproduced the offensive and patriarchal attitudes of the Victorian bourgeoisie towards the working-class. The book shows how this worked out on the ground in Glasgow, and describes the attitudes of both authoritarian housing officials, and council tenants. This is the first time the voice of Glasgow’s council tenants has been heard. The conclusion is that local council housing policy was driven by unapologetic considerations of social class.

scholarly journals Shell-crossing in a ΛCDM Universe

2020 ◽  
Vol 501 (1) ◽  
pp. L71-L75
Author(s):  
Cornelius Rampf ◽  
Oliver Hahn
Keyword(s):  
Dark Matter ◽  
Perturbation Theory ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cold Dark Matter ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Random Initial Data ◽  
Recursion Relations ◽  
Indispensable Tool ◽  
First Time ◽  
Very High

ABSTRACT Perturbation theory is an indispensable tool for studying the cosmic large-scale structure, and establishing its limits is therefore of utmost importance. One crucial limitation of perturbation theory is shell-crossing, which is the instance when cold-dark-matter trajectories intersect for the first time. We investigate Lagrangian perturbation theory (LPT) at very high orders in the vicinity of the first shell-crossing for random initial data in a realistic three-dimensional Universe. For this, we have numerically implemented the all-order recursion relations for the matter trajectories, from which the convergence of the LPT series at shell-crossing is established. Convergence studies performed at large orders reveal the nature of the convergence-limiting singularities. These singularities are not the well-known density singularities at shell-crossing but occur at later times when LPT already ceased to provide physically meaningful results.

scholarly journals Ultrastructural and molecular analysis of the origin and differentiation of cells mediating brittle star skeletal regeneration

BMC Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Piovani ◽  
Anna Czarkwiani ◽  
Cinzia Ferrario ◽  
Michela Sugni ◽  
Paola Oliveri
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Skeletal Development ◽  
Morphological Differentiation ◽  
Brittle Star ◽  
Marker Genes ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Coelomic Cavity ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Skeletal Regeneration

Abstract Background Regeneration is the ability to re-grow body parts or tissues after trauma, and it is widespread across metazoans. Cells involved in regeneration can arise from a pool of undifferentiated proliferative cells or be recruited from pre-existing differentiated tissues. Both mechanisms have been described in different phyla; however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms employed by different animals to restore lost tissues as well as the source of cells involved in regeneration remain largely unknown. Echinoderms are a clade of deuterostome invertebrates that show striking larval and adult regenerative abilities in all extant classes. Here, we use the brittle star Amphiura filiformis to investigate the origin and differentiation of cells involved in skeletal regeneration using a combination of microscopy techniques and molecular markers. Results Our ultrastructural analyses at different regenerative stages identify a population of morphologically undifferentiated cells which appear in close contact with the proliferating epithelium of the regenerating aboral coelomic cavity. These cells express skeletogenic marker genes, such as the transcription factor alx1 and the differentiation genes c-lectin and msp130L, and display a gradient of morphological differentiation from the aboral coelomic cavity towards the epidermis. Cells closer to the epidermis, which are in contact with developing spicules, have the morphology of mature skeletal cells (sclerocytes), and express several skeletogenic transcription factors and differentiation genes. Moreover, as regeneration progresses, sclerocytes show a different combinatorial expression of genes in various skeletal elements. Conclusions We hypothesize that sclerocyte precursors originate from the epithelium of the proliferating aboral coelomic cavity. As these cells migrate towards the epidermis, they differentiate and start secreting spicules. Moreover, our study shows that molecular and cellular processes involved in skeletal regeneration resemble those used during skeletal development, hinting at a possible conservation of developmental programmes during adult regeneration. Finally, we highlight that many genes involved in echinoderm skeletogenesis also play a role in vertebrate skeleton formation, suggesting a possible common origin of the deuterostome endoskeleton pathway.

3.17% efficient Cu2ZnSnS4–BiVO4 integrated tandem cell for standalone overall solar water splitting

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dingwang Huang ◽  
Kang Wang ◽  
Lintao Li ◽  
Kuang Feng ◽  
Na An ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Splitting ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Tandem Cell ◽  
Solar Water ◽  
Solar Water Splitting ◽  
First Time

3.17% efficient Cu2ZnSnS4–BiVO4 integrated tandem cell and a large scale 5 × 5 cm integrated CZTS–BiVO4 tandem device for standalone overall solar water splitting was assembled for the first time.

scholarly journals The SAMI Galaxy Survey: the third and final data release

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott M Croom ◽  
Matt S Owers ◽  
Nicholas Scott ◽  
Henry Poetrodjojo ◽  
Brent Groves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Resolving Power ◽  
Stellar Kinematics ◽  
New Era ◽  
Optical Wavelength ◽  
Astronomical Optics ◽  
Data Release ◽  
Gas Ionization ◽  
Release Data ◽  
First Time

Abstract We have entered a new era where integral-field spectroscopic surveys of galaxies are sufficiently large to adequately sample large-scale structure over a cosmologically significant volume. This was the primary design goal of the SAMI Galaxy Survey. Here, in Data Release 3 (DR3), we release data for the full sample of 3068 unique galaxies observed. This includes the SAMI cluster sample of 888 unique galaxies for the first time. For each galaxy, there are two primary spectral cubes covering the blue (370–570 nm) and red (630–740 nm) optical wavelength ranges at spectral resolving power of R = 1808 and 4304 respectively. For each primary cube, we also provide three spatially binned spectral cubes and a set of standardized aperture spectra. For each galaxy, we include complete 2D maps from parameterized fitting to the emission-line and absorption-line spectral data. These maps provide information on the gas ionization and kinematics, stellar kinematics and populations, and more. All data are available online through Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) Data Central.

scholarly journals A Novel and Efficient High-Yield Method for Preparing Bacterial Ghosts

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 420
Author(s):  
Yi Ma ◽  
Liu Cui ◽  
Meng Wang ◽  
Qiuli Sun ◽  
Kaisheng Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Expression System ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Efficient Protection ◽  
Bacterial Ghosts ◽  
Cell Envelopes ◽  
Extracellular Structures ◽  
First Time

Bacterial ghosts (BGs) are empty cell envelopes possessing native extracellular structures without a cytoplasm and genetic materials. BGs are proposed to have significant prospects in biomedical research as vaccines or delivery carriers. The applications of BGs are often limited by inefficient bacterial lysis and a low yield. To solve these problems, we compared the lysis efficiency of the wild-type protein E (EW) from phage ΦX174 and the screened mutant protein E (EM) in the Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) strain. The results show that the lysis efficiency mediated by protein EM was improved. The implementation of the pLysS plasmid allowed nearly 100% lysis efficiency, with a high initial cell density as high as OD600 = 2.0, which was higher compared to the commonly used BG preparation method. The results of Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence indicate that the expression level of protein EM was significantly higher than that of the non-pLysS plasmid. High-quality BGs were observed by SEM and TEM. To verify the applicability of this method in other bacteria, the T7 RNA polymerase expression system was successfully constructed in Salmonella enterica (S. Enterica, SE). A pET vector containing EM and pLysS were introduced to obtain high-quality SE ghosts which could provide efficient protection for humans and animals. This paper describes a novel and commonly used method to produce high-quality BGs on a large scale for the first time.

Offshore Claims and Problems in the North Sea

1965 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Young
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Geneva Convention ◽  
Legal Principles ◽  
The North ◽  
Legal Problems ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Subject ◽  
First Time ◽  
Economic Considerations

The possible presence of very large petroleum and natural gas reserves in the area beneath the North Sea is currently the subject of intense investigation. If confirmed, as seems likely in at least some localities, this occurrence will raise legal problems of considerable interest and complexity. For the North Sea is not merely an oilfield covered by water: for centuries it has been one of the world's major fishery regions and the avenue to and from the world's busiest seaports. Thus all three of the present principal uses of the sea—fishing, navigation, and the exploitation of submarine resources—promise to meet for the first time on a large scale in an area where all are of major importance. The process of reconciling the various interests at stake will provide the first thoroughgoing test of the adequacy and acceptability of the general principles laid down in the 1958 Geneva Convention on the Continental Shelf and should add greatly to the practice and precedents available in this developing branch of the law. In the present article an attempt is made to review some of the geographical and economic considerations involved in the North Sea situation, to note some of the technical and legal developments that have already taken place, and to consider these elements in the light of the various interests and legal principles concerned.

scholarly journals Revealing the constituents of Egypt’s oldest beer using infrared and mass spectrometry

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed A. Farag ◽  
Moamen M. Elmassry ◽  
Masahiro Baba ◽  
Renée Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Beer Brewing ◽  
Chemical Signatures ◽  
Chemical Determination ◽  
Materials Used ◽  
High Level ◽  
Beer Production ◽  
First Time ◽  
Detailed Chemical

Abstract Previous studies have shown that the Ancient Egyptians used malted wheat and barley as the main ingredients in beer brewing, but the chemical determination of the exact recipe is still lacking. To investigate the constituents of ancient beer, we conducted a detailed IR and GC-MS based metabolite analyses targeting volatile and non-volatile metabolites on the residues recovered from the interior of vats in what is currently the world’s oldest (c. 3600 BCE) installation for large-scale beer production located at the major pre-pharaonic political center at Hierakonpolis, Egypt. In addition to distinguishing the chemical signatures of various flavoring agents, such as dates, a significant result of our analysis is the finding, for the first time, of phosphoric acid in high level probably used as a preservative much like in modern beverages. This suggests that the early brewers had acquired the knowledge needed to efficiently produce and preserve large quantities of beer. This study provides the most detailed chemical profile of an ancient beer using modern spectrometric techniques and providing evidence for the likely starting materials used in beer brewing.

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