The use of muscle biomarkers for assessing physiological effects of heavy metal pollution in the greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula).

The greater white-toothed shrew Crocidura russula has been used as a sentinel species for estimating environmental risks to human populations. Previous studies in mining areas have focused on the liver of shrews as the primary target of physiological and metabolic changes due to heavy metal pollution. However, populations persist even when detoxification by the liver seems to be compromised and damage is observed.

Genetic variation at the p53 locus of two ecologically divergent Microtus pine voles: identification of molecular markers for species assignment.

The Lusitanian (Microtus lusitanicus) and the Mediterranean (Microtus duodecimcostatus) pine voles are recently diverged sister species endemic of the Iberian Peninsula that can be identified with ecological and morphological characters, but in areas where the 2 species co-occur, species designation may be difficult. Genetic discrimination between M. lusitanicus and M.

Evidence of micro-evolution in Crocidura russula from two abandoned heavy metal mines: potential use of Cytb, CYP1A1, and p53 as gene biomarkers.

Heavy metals accumulated in the environment due to the mining industry may impact on the health of exposed wild animals with consequences at the population level via survival and selection of the most resistant individuals. The detection and quantification of shifts in gene frequencies or in the genetic structure in populations inhabiting polluted sites may be used as early indicators of environmental stress and reveal potential 'candidate gene biomarkers' for environmental health assessment. We had previously observed that specimens of the Greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula) from two heavy metal mines in Southern Portugal (the Aljustrel and the Preguiça mines) carried physiological alterations compared to shrews from an unpolluted site.

Hepatitis delta virus interacts with splicing factor SF3B155 and alters pre-mRNA splicing of cell cycle control genes.

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is the agent responsible for the most severe form of human viral hepatitis. The HDV genome consists of a single-stranded circular RNA molecule that encodes for one single protein, the delta antigen. Given its simplicity, HDV must make use of several host cellular proteins to accomplish its life cycle processes, including transcription, replication, post-transcriptional, and post-translational modifications.

Population effects of heavy metal pollution in wild Algerian mice (Mus spretus).

Heavy metal mining is one of the largest sources of environmental pollution. The analysis of different types of biomarkers in sentinel species living in contaminated areas provides a measure of the degree of the ecological impact of pollution and is thus a valuable tool for human and environmental risk assessments. In previous studies we found that specimens from two populations of the Algerian mice (Mus spretus) living in two abandoned heavy metal mines (Aljustrel and Preguiça, Portugal) had higher body burdens of heavy metals, which led to alterations in enzymatic activities and in haematological, histological and genotoxic parameters, than mice from a nearby reference population.

Telomere-surrounding regions are transcription-permissive 3D nuclear compartments in human cells.

Positioning of genes relative to nuclear heterochromatic compartments is thought to help regulate their transcriptional activity. Given that human subtelomeric regions are rich in highly expressed genes, we asked whether human telomeres are related to transcription-permissive nuclear compartments. To address this question, we investigated in the nuclei of normal human lymphocytes the spatial relations of two constitutively expressed genes (ACTB and RARA) and three nuclear transcripts (ACTB, IL2RA and TCRB) to telomeres and centromeres, as a function of gene activity and transcription levels.

The spatial organization of centromeric heterochromatin during normal human lymphopoiesis: evidence for ontogenically determined spatial patterns.

It is believed that pericentromeric heterochromatin may play a major role in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. We have previously shown that centromeres in human peripheral blood cells aggregate into distinct "myeloid" and "lymphoid" spatial patterns, suggesting that the three-dimensional organization of centromeric heterochromatin in interphase may be ontogenically determined during hematopoietic differentiation. To investigate this possibility, the spatial patterns of association of different centromeres were analyzed in hematopoietic progenitors and compared with those in early-B and early-T cells, mature B and T lymphocytes, and, additionally, mature granulocytes and monocytes.