Primate-specific isoform of Nedd4-1 regulates substrate binding via Ser/Thr phosphorylation and 14-3-3 binding.

Nedd4 (Nedd4-1) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in crucial biological processes such as growth factor receptor signaling. While canonical Nedd4-1 comprises a C2-WW-HECT domain architecture, alternative splicing produces non-canonical isoforms that are poorly characterized. Here we characterized Nedd4-1(NE), a primate-specific isoform of Nedd4-1 that contains a large N-terminal Extension (NE) that replaces most of the C2 domain.

Residues of veterinary antibiotics in manures from pig and chicken farms in a context of antimicrobial use reduction by implementation of health and welfare plans.

The use of antibiotics in food-producing animals can induce the presence of residual substances in manure, which are then released into the environment and may contribute to soil and groundwater contamination. During the on-farm implementation of strategies to improve animal health and welfare in chicken and pig farms, the consequences of antibiotic use were evaluated in terms of the occurrence and levels of antibiotic residues in manure. A set of 35 broiler farms from Cyprus, Greece, the Netherlands and 40 pig farms from France and Italy provided a total of 350 manure samples.

Flood damage inspection and risk indexing data for an inventory of bridges in Central Greece.

This dataset is related to the research paper entitled "Bridge-specific flood risk assessment of transport networks using GIS and remotely sensed data" published in the Science of the Total Environment. It provides the information necessary for the reproduction of the case study that was used for the demonstration and validation of the proposed risk assessment framework. The latter integrates indicators for the assessment of hydraulic hazards and bridge vulnerability with a simple and operationally flexible protocol for the interpretation of bridge damage consequences on the serviceability of the transport network and on the affected socio-economic environment.

Analysis of Antimicrobials in Muscle and Drinking Water in Terms of Reducing the Need of Antimicrobial Use by Increasing the Health and Welfare of Pig and Broiler.

Antimicrobial residues may pose harmful effects on the health of consumers. At the same time, an adequate quality of drinking water for animals is one of the important element to ensure animal welfare and food without antibacterials. The presented study is aimed at estimating the residue levels of antibacterial compounds, such as penicillins, cephalosporin, macrolides, tetracyclines, quinolones, sulphonamides, aminoglycosides, diaminopirymidines, pleuromutilines and lincosamides in meat and on-farm drinking water samples using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), as a part of a surveillance system on pig and broiler farms within the project Healthy Livestock.

Development and implementation of a risk assessment tool for broiler farm biosecurity and a health intervention plan in the Netherlands, Greece, and Cyprus.

Preventing pathogens from entering and spreading on farms is the first step in reducing health problems. For this study a BiosEcurity Assessment Tool was developed to identify strengths and weaknesses in biosecurity on broiler farms, which was used as a starting point to formulate tailor-made health plans to improve broiler health and reduce antimicrobial use. Farms were divided into 3 separate areas according to associated biosecurity risk; high disease risk external areas (red zone), medium risk service areas (orange zone), and the clean and highly secure access-restricted green zone.

Bridge-specific flood risk assessment of transport networks using GIS and remotely sensed data.

A novel framework for the expedient assessment of flood risk to transportation networks focused on the response of the most critical and vulnerable infrastructure assets, the bridges, is developed, validated and applied. Building upon the recent French guidelines on scour risk (CEREMA, 2019), this paper delivers a thorough methodology, that incorporates three key, risk parameters: (i) the hydrodynamic loading, a hazard component of equal significance to scour, for the assessment of hazard; (ii) the correlation of select scour indicators with a new index relating to flow velocity, a primary measure of the adverse impacts of flow-structure interaction, enabling a more accurate and automated, assessment of bridge susceptibility to scour; (iii) the use of a new, comprehensive indicator, namely the Indicator of Flood Hazard Intensity (IFHI) which incorporates, in a simple yet efficient way, the key parameters controlling the severity of flood impact on bridges, namely flow velocity, floodwater height, flow obstruction, and sediment type. The framework is implemented for the analysis of flood risk in a case study area, considering an inventory of 117 bridges of diverse construction characteristics, which were affected by a major flood that impacted Greece in September 2020.

Elevated intracellular Na and osmolarity stimulate catalytic activity of the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-2.

Regulation of catalytic activity of E3 ubiquitin ligases is critical for their cellular functions. We identified an unexpected mode of regulation of E3 catalytic activity by ions and osmolarity; enzymatic activity of the HECT family E3 Nedd4-2/Nedd4L is enhanced by increased intracellular Na ([Na]) and by hyperosmolarity. This stimulated activity is mediated by activation of p38-MAPK and is inhibited by WNKs.

Peptide-based sequestration of the adaptor protein Nck1 in pancreatic β cells enhances insulin biogenesis and protects against diabetogenic stresses.

One feature of diabetes is the failure of pancreatic β cells to produce insulin, but the molecular mechanisms leading to this failure remain unclear. Increasing evidence supports a role for protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) in the development and function of healthy pancreatic β cells. Previously, our group identified the adaptor protein Nck1 as a negative regulator of PERK.

PERK leads a hub dictating pancreatic β cell homoeostasis.

In humans, the pathogenesis of diabetes is characterised by two major pancreatic β cell defects: a reduction in β cell mass and the failure of β cells to produce enough insulin. Over the past two decades, multiple studies involving cell cultures, animal models and human subjects have established the importance of the protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) in the adaptive functional capacity of pancreatic β cells during embryonic development and into adulthood. In this review, we will highlight major findings identifying PERK as a crucial player in β cell physiology and in diabetes.