Environmentally-Driven Variation in the Physiology of a New Caledonian Reef Coral

Given the widespread threats to coral reefs, scientists have lost the opportunity to understand the basic biology of “pristine” corals whose physiologies have not been markedly perturbed by human activity. For instance, high temperature-induced bleaching has been occurring annually since 2014 in New Caledonia. Because most corals cannot withstand repeated years when bleaching occurs, an analysis was undertaken to showcase coral behavior in a period just before the onset of “annual severe bleaching” (ASB; November 2013) such that future generations might know how these corals functioned in their last bleaching-free year. Pocillopora damicornis colonies were sampled across a variety of environmental gradients, and a subset was sampled during both day and night to understand how their molecular biology changes upon cessation of dinoflagellate photosynthesis. Of the 13 environmental parameters tested, sampling time (i.e., light) most significantly affected coral molecular physiology, and expression levels of a number of both host and Symbiodiniaceae genes demonstrated significant diel variation; endosymbiont mRNA expression was more temporally variable than that of their anthozoan hosts. Furthermore, expression of all stress-targeted genes in both eukaryotic compartments of the holobiont was high, even in isolated, uninhabited, federally protected atolls of the country’s far northwest. Whether this degree of sub-cellular stress reflects cumulative climate change impacts or, instead, a stress-hardened phenotype, will be unveiled through assessing the fates of these corals in the wake of increasingly frequent marine heatwaves.

The New Faces and New Places of Geroscience

The field of geroscience is rapidly evolving, as well as expanding worldwide. The Program will highlight new approaches and players in the field. Notably, geroscience was initiated as an effort to improve recognition of the role played by basic aging biology in our efforts to improve the health of older adults. Substantial recognition by multiple players of that role of basic aging biology have resulted in significant interest on the part of clinicians and translational biology practitioners. The program will highlight examples of hand-picked efforts in industry and academia, both in the US and in Europe, and will bring into the same stage researchers interested in the various facets of geroscience, from basic biology, translation, clinical and, ultimately, industry viewpoints.

miRNAs as Therapeutic Tools in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an age-dependent, progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is the most common type of dementia, accounting for 50–70% of all dementia cases. Due to the increasing incidence and corresponding socioeconomic burden of dementia, it has rapidly emerged as a challenge to public health worldwide. The characteristics of AD include the development of extracellular amyloid-beta plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, vascular changes, neuronal inflammation, and progressive brain atrophy. However, the complexity of the biology of AD has hindered progress in elucidating the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of AD, and the development of effective treatments. MicroRNAs (miRNAs, which are endogenous, noncoding RNAs of approximately 22 nucleotides that function as posttranscriptional regulators of various genes) are attracting attention as powerful tools for studying the mechanisms of diseases, as they are involved in several biological processes and diseases, including AD. AD is a multifactorial disease, and several reports have suggested that miRNAs play an important role in the pathological processes of AD. In this review, the basic biology of miRNAs is described, and the function and physiology of miRNAs in the pathological processes of AD are highlighted. In addition, the limitations of current pharmaceutical therapies for the treatment of AD and the development of miRNA-based next-generation therapies are discussed.

Students’ critical thinking skills and academic achievements in basic biology course: correlation-based analysis

Critical thinking has become an important discussion over the last few decades and it is required skills of the 21st century. Critical thinking is thought to play a role in determining student success in education related to their academic achievement. The purpose of this study is to explain the correlation between critical thinking skills and students’ academic achievement in the natural science education department, Universitas Hasyim Asy'ari Tebuireng Jombang. This research is a quantitative research with a correlation method which was conducted in the even semester of 2018/2019. The research sample taken was 57 students who had taken a Basic Biology course. The instrument used in the research is in the form of descriptive questions. Data were analyzed descriptively quantitative with correlation product moment analysis and continued with the ANOVA test. The research results show that there is a correlation between critical thinking skills and students’ academic achievement. The contribution of critical thinking to academic achievement is 66.8% with the regression line equation Y= -37,652 + 30,177 X.

Placental Microbiome: a Paradigm Shift or Flaw in the Methodology?

Rapid development of high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies and bioinformatics methods, together with a substantial reduction of their cost, have provided tremendous opportunities for studying the human microbiome. In recent years, much attention has been paid to studies of the microbiome of the upper reproductive tract of woman and the fetoplacental system, which have traditionally been considered sterile. Obtaining irrefutable evidence of the existence of the placental microbiome would enable us to believe with a high degree of certainty that microorganisms colonize the fetus already in the womb, which would have far-reaching consequences not only for medicine, but also for basic biology. This issue triggered a heated discussion among microbiologists, molecular biologists, obstetricians, and neonatologists. In the past few years, a number of studies have been published, both refuting and confirming the dogma, accepted for many decades, that the placenta and fetus are sterile during a healthy pregnancy. This literature review is a critical analysis of the results of studies into the placental microbiome. It provides arguments both for supporters of the hypothesis of the resident microbiota of the placenta and their opponents. Particular attention is paid to the methodological requirements for molecular studies of biological material with low microbial biomass, compliance with which is crucial for obtaining reliable results.

Angiogenin mediates paternal inflammation-induced metabolic disorders in offspring through sperm tsRNAs

Paternal environmental inputs can influence various phenotypes in offspring, presenting tremendous implications for basic biology and public health and policy. However, which signals function as a nexus to transmit paternal environmental inputs to offspring remains unclear. Here we show that offspring of fathers with inflammation exhibit metabolic disorders including glucose intolerance and obesity. Deletion of a mouse tRNA RNase, Angiogenin (Ang), abolished paternal inflammation-induced metabolic disorders in offspring. Additionally, Ang deletion prevented the inflammation-induced alteration of 5′-tRNA-derived small RNAs (5′-tsRNAs) expression profile in sperm, which might be essential in composing a sperm RNA ‘coding signature’ that is needed for paternal epigenetic memory. Microinjection of sperm 30–40 nt RNA fractions (predominantly 5′-tsRNAs) from inflammatory Ang+/+ males but not Ang–/– males resulted in metabolic disorders in the resultant offspring. Moreover, zygotic injection with synthetic 5′-tsRNAs which increased in inflammatory mouse sperm and decreased by Ang deletion partially resembled paternal inflammation-induced metabolic disorders in offspring. Together, our findings demonstrate that Ang-mediated biogenesis of 5′-tsRNAs in sperm contributes to paternal inflammation-induced metabolic disorders in offspring.

Development of Performance Assessment Instruments Through Practical Learning to Improve Science Process Skills

Basic Biology subjects are integrated between theory and practicum. Practical learning is an essential way that teachers can take to improve students' science process skills, so a valid instrument is needed to measure it. The objective of this study is to produce a valid performance assessment instrument in practical learning; a student worksheet in practical learning; the improvement of science process skills; and teacher response. The type of research is referring to model of 4-D. The subject of research is composed of the students in the odd semester academic year 2021-2022 at SMA Muhammadiyah Langsa. Instruments of research consist of validation sheet, student worksheet, observation sheet, questionnaire. The findings show validity score is 84% (good category); student worksheet in practical learning is 43% (very good category); there is the improvement of students science process skills before and after the practical learning, which shows by N-gain value of 0.64% (high category); and teacher response to developed performance assessment instrument is 83% (very practical category).