Cross-species analysis of LZTR1 loss-of-function mutants demonstrates dependency to RIT1 orthologs

RAS GTPases are highly conserved proteins involved in the regulation of mitogenic signaling. We have previously described a novel Cullin 3 RING E3 ubiquitin ligase complex formed by the substrate adaptor protein LZTR1 that binds, ubiquitinates, and promotes proteasomal degradation of the RAS GTPase RIT1. In addition, others have described that this complex is also responsible for the ubiquitination of canonical RAS GTPases. Here, we have analyzed the phenotypes of LZTR1 loss-of-function mutants in both fruit flies and mice and have demonstrated biochemical dependency on their RIT1 orthologs. Moreover, we show that LZTR1 is haplosufficient in mice and that embryonic lethality of the homozygous null allele can be rescued by deletion of RIT1.

Vegetation of the natural monument “Urochishche Kuzilinka” and its surroundings (Orel region)

The article describes the calciphytic steppe communities located in the territory of the natural monument “Urochische Kuzilinka” and its surroundings (Orel region). The communities were assigned to the association Onosmato simplicissimae–Salvietum nutantis Averinova ass. nov. That unit was included in the sub-union Bupleuro falcati–Gypsophilenion altissimae Averinova 2005 (union Festucion valesiacae Klika 1931, order Festucetalia valesiacae Soó 1947, class Festuco–Brometea Br.-Bl. et Tx. ex Soó 1947) on the basis of a diagnostic species analysis. The new association was characterized. Results of the ordination analysis of leading environmental factors for the described communities are provided.

Bryophyte species and communities on various roofing materials, Estonia

Considering the recent growth of interest in using mosses in creating vegetated green roofs, we set the aim of our study to get an overview of the variety of moss and liverwort species and communities growing spontaneously on roofs. Data were collected from 67 roofs of five different types of materials: fibre cement, bitumen, stone, thatched and steel from Tallinn and rural areas on Hiiumaa Island and in South Estonia. Indicator species analysis, MRPP, cluster analysis and ordination methods (DCA, CCA) were used for data analysis. As a result of this research, generalist bryophytes occurring on all types of roofing materials were studied and bryophyte species characteristics for certain material types were identified. The thatched roofs differed most clearly from the other roof types in their species composition and had the highest species diversity. Stone and fibre cement roofs had similar species composition. The results revealed significant dependence of the composition of the bryophyte flora on roofs on the density of the bryophyte carpet formed over time on the roof and the presence of a tree canopy above the roof. Other important factors were roof relief, the height of the roof from the ground and the indicator of environmental pollution NOx. However, the studied roofs in Tallinn and rural areas did not show significant differences in the species composition of bryophytes. Five communities were delimited: (1) Syntrichia ruralis – Schistidium apocarpum; (2) Orthotrichum speciosum – Bryum argenteum; (3) Brachythecium rutabulum – Hypnum cupressiforme; (4) Ceratodon purpureus – Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus; and (5) Pleurozium schreberi – Dicranum scoparium. The mentioned communities inhabited locations that differed in environmental conditions. The findings of this research can help choose the roofing material and species suitable for a certain location in creating moss greenery on roofs.

Unveiling the Synthesis of Spirocyclic, Tricyclic and Bicyclic Triazolooxazines From Intramolecular [3+2] Azide-alkyne Cycloadditions With a Molecular Electron Density Theory Perspective

The intramolecular [3+2] cycloaddition (32CA) reactions of azido alkynes leading to spirocyclic, tricyclic and bicyclic triazolooxazines has been studied within the molecular electron density theory (MEDT) at the MPWB1K/6-311G(d,p) level. The Electron localization function (ELF) characterizes the azido alkynes as zwitterionic species. Analysis of the Conceptual DFT indices allows classifying the azide moiety as the electrophilic counterpart and the alkyne as the nucleophilic one. These 32CA reactions are under kinetic control with the activation free energies of 23.4 - 26.7 kcal mol-1. Along the reaction path, the pseudoradical center is created initially at C4, consistent with the Parr function analysis, however the sequence of bond formation is controlled by the energetically feasible formation of the six membered oxazine ring. The intermolecular interactions at the TSs were characterized from the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) study and the Non covalent interaction (NCI) gradient isosurfaces.

Grasslands of Navarre (Spain), focusing on the Festuco-Brometea: classification, hierarchical expert system and characterisation

Aims: To clarify the syntaxonomic position of the grasslands in Navarre, with special focus on the dry grasslands, and to characterise the resulting syntaxonomic units in terms of diagnostic species and ecological conditions. Study area: Navarre (northern Spain). Methods: We sampled 119 plots of 10 m2 following the standardised EDGG methodology and analysed them together with 839 plots of similar size recorded in the 1990. For the classification, we used the modified TWINSPAN algorithm, complemented by the determination of diagnostic species with phi coefficients of association, which led to the creation of an expert system. We conducted these steps in a hierarchical manner for each syntaxonomic rank. We visualised the position of the syntaxa along environmental gradients by means of NMDS. Species richness, and structural and ecological characteristics of the syntaxa were compared by ANOVAs. Results: We could clearly identify five phytosociological classes: Lygeo-Stipetea, Festuco-Brometea, Molinio-Arrhenatheretea, Nardetea strictae, and Elyno-Seslerietea. Within the Festuco-Brometea a xeric and a meso-xeric order could be distinguished, with two alliances each, and eight associations in total: Thymelaeo-Aphyllanthetum, Jurineo-Festucetum, Helianthemo-Koelerietum, Prunello-Plantaginetum, Carduncello-Brachypodietum, Helictotricho-Seslerietum, Calamintho-Seselietum and Carici-Teucrietum.Conclusions: The combination of numerical methods allowed a consistent and more objective classification of grassland types in Navarre than previous approaches. At the association level, we could largely reproduce the units previously described with traditional phytosociological methods. By contrast, at higher syntaxonomic level, our analyses suggest significant modifications. Most importantly, a major part of the units traditionally included in the Festuco-Ononidetea seem to fall within the Festuco-Brometea. We could show that bryophytes and lichens are core elements of these grasslands and particularly the Mediterranean ones of Lygeo-Stipetea, both in terms of biodiversity and of diagnostic species. We conclude that the combination of our different numerical methods is promising for deriving more objective and reproducible delimitations of syntaxa in a hierarchical manner. Taxonomic references: Euro+Med (2006–2021) for vascular plants, Hodges et al. (2020) for bryophytes and The British Lichen Society (2021) for lichens, except for Endocarpon loscosii, Heppia lutosa, Psora saviczii and P. vallesiaca, which follow Nimis and Martellos (2021), and Buellia zoharyi, Fulgensia poeltii, Lichenochora clauzadei and Toninia massata, which follow Llimona et al. (2001). Syntaxonomic reference: Mucina et al. (2016), except for those syntaxa specifically treated here and given with authorities. Abbreviations: ANOVA = analysis of variance; EDGG = Eurasian Dry Grassland Group; NMDS: non-metric multidimensional scaling; TWINSPAN = Two-Way Indicator Species Analysis.

Mammalian Co-methylation Network Analysis of Species Characteristics

The comparative cross-species analysis is a powerful tool to resolve the mysteries of evolution and phenotypic disparities among animals. This is the first network analysis of 10,000 DNA methylome data from 176 mammalian species to identify co-methylation modules that relate to individual (age, sex, tissue type) and species characteristics (e.g. phylogenetic order, maximum lifespan, adult weight). The unexpected correlation between DNA methylation and species were sufficiently strong to allow the construction of phyloepigenetic trees that parallel the phylogenetic tree. Weighted correlation network analysis identified 55 distinct co-methylation modules, i.e. sets of highly correlated CpGs. 31 of these modules are readily interpretable in terms of their relationship to age, maximum lifespan, tissue type etc. An age-related module was perturbed by gold standard anti-aging interventions in mice such as caloric restriction or growth hormone receptor knock outs. Our module-based analysis greatly enhances our biological understanding of age-related changes in DNA methylation across many species.

Metabolomic credentialing of murine carcinogen-induced urothelial cancer

Bladder cancer (BCa) is the most common malignancy of the urinary system with increasing incidence, mortality, and limited treatment options. Therefore, it is imperative to validate preclinical models that faithfully represent BCa cellular, molecular, and metabolic heterogeneity to develop new therapeutics. We performed metabolomic profiling of premalignant and non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) that ensued in the chemical carcinogenesis N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)-nitrosamine (BBN) mouse model. We identified the enriched metabolic signatures that associate with premalignant and NMIBC. We found that enrichment of lipid metabolism is the forerunner of carcinogen-induced premalignant and NMIBC lesions. Cross-species analysis revealed the prognostic value of the enzymes associated with carcinogen-induced enriched metabolic in human disease. To date, this is the first study describing the global metabolomic profiles associated with early premalignant and NMIBC and provide evidence that these metabolomic signatures can be used for prognostication of human disease.

The taxonomy, ecology, leaf anatomy and utilization of Freycinetia macrostachya, Pandanaceae in New Guinea

Freycinetia macrostachya is a Pandanaceae species that was first published by Martelli in 1910. The species occur majority on Coastal Forest in both northern and southern bird’s head Papua until East New Guinea. Many species of Freycinetia have only narrowest distribution and become dying on the open area, It is different to F. macrostachya. This species has ability to live both on primary and secondary forest. Purposed of the study were to obtain delimitation of species concepts, to know the phylogenetic classification of the species and relationship among other New Guinea Freycinetia species, to understanding more about ecological aspect and the ability to live on the extreme habitat, and to know about nutrient contain for developing food product from the species. Method of the study is descriptive method with revision of taxonomy as a step working and phylogenetic analysis using PAUP program with Sararanga as an out group, survey as a research technique to ecological study and it was followed by collected some specimen for anatomy leaf study. Analysis of nutrient content of F. macrostachya bracts, i.e. moisture content, ash, crude fat (soxhlet extraction), and protein (micro kjeldahl), while carbohydrates was determined using by difference method. The result showed that the species has three layers of epidermis tissue compare to other species like F. javanica that only has one layer. This is why the species could be living on the open forest. New Guinea Freycinetia have 4 groups below the genus, the first group name F. macrostachya are belonging to the imbricate leave species, now have about 40 species and the group name was given because of F. macrostachya is an older name of all species in the group. Phylogenetic analysis trees showed that this species become an old species among all New Guinea Freycinetia species. Analysis proximate of bracts show that the carbohydrate inside is about 77 %, it is meaning that we can make many food products from bracts.

Geographic Variation in the Petiole–Lamina Relationship of 325 Eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Woody Species: Analysis in Three Dimensions

The petiole–lamina relationship is central to the functional tradeoff between photosynthetic efficiency and the support/protection cost. Understanding environmental gradients in the relationship and its underlying mechanisms remains a critical challenge for ecologists. We investigated the possible scaling of the petiole–lamina relationships in three dimensions, i.e., petiole length (PL) vs. lamina length (LL), petiole cross sectional area (PCA) vs. lamina area (LA), and petiole mass (PM) vs. lamina mass (LM), for 325 Qinghai–Tibetan woody species, and examined their relation to leaf form, altitude, climate, and vegetation types. Both crossspecies analysis and meta-analysis showed significantly isometric, negatively allometric, and positively allometric scaling of the petiole–lamina relationships in the length, area, and mass dimensions, respectively, reflecting an equal, slower, and faster variation in the petiole than in the lamina in these trait dimensions. Along altitudinal gradients, the effect size of the petiole–lamina relationship decreased in the length and mass dimensions but increased in the area dimension, suggesting the importance of enhancing leaf light-interception and nutrient transport efficiency in the warm zones in petiole development, but enhancing leaf support/protection in the cold zones. The significant additional influences of LA, LM, and LA were observed on the PL–LL, PCA–LA, and PM–LM relationships, respectively, implying that the single-dimension petiole trait is affected simultaneously by multidimensional lamina traits. Relative to simple-leaved species, the presence of petiolule in compound-leaved species can increase both leaf light interception and static gravity loads or dynamic drag forces on the petiole, leading to lower dependence of PL variation on LL variation, but higher biomass allocation to the petiole. Our study highlights the need for multidimension analyses of the petiole–lamina relationships and illustrates the importance of plant functional tradeoffs and the change in the tradeoffs along environmental gradients in determining the relationships.