The possible impacts of nano and microplastics on human health: lessons from experimental models across multiple organs.

The widespread production and use of plastics have resulted in accumulation of plastic debris in the environment, gradually breaking down into smaller particles over time. Nano-plastics (NPs) and microplastics (MPs), defined as particles smaller than 100 nanometers and 5 millimeters, respectively, raise concerns due to their ability to enter the human body through various pathways including ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. Various investigators demonstrated that these particles may produce physical and chemical damage to human cells, tissues, and organs, disrupting cellular processes, triggering inflammation and oxidative stress, and impacting hormone and neurotransmitter balance.

Kidney functions adaptations of professional soccer players in response to an entire game season.

This study investigated the renal function of soccer players after an entire game-season. Thirty-five athletes recruited to play for the Macae Futebol Clube were invited for this study, of which 18 athletes completed the entire game season. Blood and 24-hour urine were collected at the beginning (Pre-Season) and the end of the game season (Post-Season).

Conservation implications of genetic structure in the narrowest endemic quillwort from the Eastern Amazon.

The quillwort is a critically endangered species occurring in a single lake in Serra dos Carajás, Eastern Amazon. Low genetic diversity and small effective population sizes ( ) are expected for narrow endemic species (NES). Conservation biology studies centered in a single species show some limitations, but they are still useful considering the limited time and resources available for protection of species at risk of extinction.

Inhibition of Aedes aegypti DNA topoisomerase II by etoposide: Impact on survival and morphology of larvae and pupae.

DNA topoisomerase II enzymes maintain DNA stability during vital processes, such as genome replication, transcription and chromosomal segregation during mitosis and meiosis. In the present work, we analyzed functional aspects of the DNA topoisomerase II (AeTopII) enzyme of the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Here, we show that AeTopII mRNA is expressed at all stages of mosquito development.

The genetic diversity and population structure of two endemic Amazonian quillwort ( L.) species.

Background: Two endemic lycophyte species and have been recently described in the State of Pará in the Amazon forest located in northern Brazil. L. has survived through three mass extinctions.

A physiologic overview of the organ-specific transcriptome of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus.

To further obtain insights into the Rhipicephalus microplus transcriptome, we used RNA-seq to carry out a study of expression in (i) embryos; (ii) ovaries from partially and fully engorged females; (iii) salivary glands from partially engorged females; (iv) fat body from partially and fully engorged females; and (v) digestive cells from partially, and (vi) fully engorged females. We obtained > 500 million Illumina reads which were assembled de novo, producing > 190,000 contigs, identifying 18,857 coding sequences (CDS). Reads from each library were mapped back into the assembled transcriptome giving a view of gene expression in different tissues.

Rectifying the identities of the males of two Micrathena species (Araneae: Araneidae), with report of the first case of intersexuality in the genus.

Despite extensive taxonomic work on the Neotropical fauna of the spider genus Micrathena Sundevall, for 27 out of 117 (23%) species only the female morphology has been described, and some of the previously hypothesized male-female matches have been proven erroneous. This work provides new insight about sex matching in two species: Micrathena ruschii (Mello-Leitão, 1945) and Micrathena lata Chickering, 1960. For Micrathena ruschii, the male previously hypothesized to belong to this species was collected with females in Itatiaia; we here present morphologically different males, also collected with females, in Macaé, both in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The hallmarks of GSK-3 in morphogenesis and embryonic development metabolism in arthropods.

Several research groups around the world have studied diverse aspects of energy metabolism in arthropod disease vectors, with the aim of discovering potential control targets. As in all oviparous organisms, arthropod embryonic development is characterized by the mobilization of maternally-derived metabolites for the formation of new tissues and organs. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a serine-threonine kinase described as an important regulator of metabolism and development in a wide range of organisms.

Inorganic pyrophosphatase from the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) modulates mitochondrial polyphosphate metabolism.

Polyphosphates (polyPs) have been found in all cell types examined to date and play diverse roles, depending on the cell type. In eukaryotic organisms, polyPs have been mainly investigated in mammalian cells, with few studies on insects. In this study, we investigated mitochondrial polyphosphate metabolism in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum.

Carbohydrate Metabolic Compensation Coupled to High Tolerance to Oxidative Stress in Ticks.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are natural byproducts of metabolism that have toxic effects well documented in mammals. In hematophagous arthropods, however, these processes are not largely understood. Here, we describe that Rhipicephalus microplus ticks and embryonic cell line (BME26) employ an adaptive metabolic compensation mechanism that confers tolerance to hydrogen peroxide (HO) at concentrations too high for others organisms.

Inhibition of energy metabolism by 3-bromopyruvate in the hard tick Rhipicephalus microplus.

The cattle tick R. microplus is the biggest obstacle to livestock rearing in tropical countries. It is responsible for billions of dollars in losses every year, affecting meat and milk production, beef and dairy cattle, and the leather industry.

Hypometabolic strategy and glucose metabolism maintenance of Aedes aegypti egg desiccation.

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is vector of several viruses including yellow fever virus, dengue virus chikungunya virus and Zika virus. One of the major problems involving these diseases transmission is that A. aegypti embryos are resistant to desiccation at the end of embryogenesis, surviving and remaining viable for several months inside the egg.

Molecular and functional characterization of single-box high-mobility group B (HMGB) chromosomal protein from Aedes aegypti.

High-mobility group B (HMGB) proteins have highly conserved, unique DNA-binding domains, HMG boxes, that can bind non-B-type DNA structures, such as bent, kinked and unwound structures, with high affinity. HMGB proteins also promote DNA bending, looping and unwinding. In this study, we determined the role of the Aedes aegypti single HMG-box domain protein AaHMGB; characterized its structure, spatiotemporal expression levels, subcellular localization, and nucleic acid binding activities; and compared these properties with those of its double-HMG-box counterpart protein, AaHMGB1.

Diabetic rats present higher urinary loss of proteins and lower renal expression of megalin, cubilin, ClC-5, and CFTR.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) occurs in around 40% of those with diabetes. Proteinuria is the main characteristic of DN and develops as a result of increased permeability of the glomerulus capillary wall and/or decreased proximal tubule endocytosis. The goal of this work was to evaluate renal function and the expression of megalin, cubilin, CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator), and ClC-5 in the proximal tubule and renal cortex of rats with type 1 diabetes.

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 is involved in glycogen metabolism control and embryogenesis of Rhodnius prolixus.

Rhodnius prolixus is a blood-feeding insect that transmits Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli to vertebrate hosts. Rhodnius prolixus is also a classical model in insect physiology, and the recent availability of R. prolixus genome has opened new avenues on triatomine research.

Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Evo-Devo) Research in Latin America.

Famous for its blind cavefish and Darwin's finches, Latin America is home to some of the richest biodiversity hotspots of our planet. The Latin American fauna and flora inspired and captivated naturalists from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including such notable pioneers such as Fritz Müller, Florentino Ameghino, and Léon Croizat who made a significant contribution to the study of embryology and evolutionary thinking. But, what are the historical and present contributions of the Latin American scientific community to Evo-Devo? Here, we provide the first comprehensive overview of the Evo-Devo laboratories based in Latin America and describe current lines of research based on endemic species, focusing on body plans and patterning, systematics, physiology, computational modeling approaches, ecology, and domestication.

Genome of Rhodnius prolixus, an insect vector of Chagas disease, reveals unique adaptations to hematophagy and parasite infection.

Rhodnius prolixus not only has served as a model organism for the study of insect physiology, but also is a major vector of Chagas disease, an illness that affects approximately seven million people worldwide. We sequenced the genome of R. prolixus, generated assembled sequences covering 95% of the genome (∼ 702 Mb), including 15,456 putative protein-coding genes, and completed comprehensive genomic analyses of this obligate blood-feeding insect.

small ORFs: A new class of essential genes for development.

Genes that contain small open reading frames (smORFs) constitute a new group of eukaryotic genes and are expected to represent 5% of the Drosophila melanogaster transcribed genes. In this review we provide a historical perspective of their recent discovery, describe their general mechanism and discuss the importance of smORFs for future genomic and transcriptomic studies. Finally, we discuss the biological role of the most studied smORF so far, the Mlpt/Pri/Tal gene in arthropods.

3-acetylpyridine-induced degeneration in the adult ascidian neural complex: Reactive and regenerative changes in glia and blood cells.

Ascidians are interesting neurobiological models because of their evolutionary position as a sister-group of vertebrates and the high regenerative capacity of their central nervous system (CNS). We investigated the degeneration and regeneration of the cerebral ganglion complex of the ascidian Styela plicata following injection of the niacinamide antagonist 3-acetylpyridine (3AP), described as targeting the CNS of several vertebrates. For the analysis and establishment of a new model in ascidians, the ganglion complex was dissected and prepared for transmission electron microscopy (TEM), routine light microscopy (LM), immunohistochemistry and Western blotting, 1 or 10 days after injection of 3AP.

The modulation of the symbiont/host interaction between Wolbachia pipientis and Aedes fluviatilis embryos by glycogen metabolism.

Wolbachia pipientis, a maternally transmitted bacterium that colonizes arthropods, may affect the general aspects of insect physiology, particularly reproduction. Wolbachia is a natural endosymbiont of Aedes fluviatilis, whose effects in embryogenesis and reproduction have not been addressed so far. In this context, we investigated the correlation between glucose metabolism and morphological alterations during A.

Regulation of nitric-oxide production in hemocytes of the ascidian Phallusia nigra.

Nitric oxide (NO) production in ascidians is related to immune responses of blood cells, and also to events such as egg fertilization and notochord regression. However, the signaling pathway for NO generation has been little investigated in this animal model. The present contribution identifies the cells involved in NO production and provides new information about a pathway for NO signaling.

Toll signals regulate dorsal-ventral patterning and anterior-posterior placement of the embryo in the hemipteran Rhodnius prolixus.

Background: Insect embryonic dorso-ventral patterning depends greatly on two pathways: the Toll pathway and the Bone Morphogenetic Protein pathway. While the relative contribution of each pathway has been investigated in holometabolous insects, their role has not been explored in insects with a hemimetabolous type of development. The hemimetabolous insect Rhodnius prolixus, an important vector of Chagas disease in the Americas, develops from an intermediate germ band and displays complex movements during katatrepsis that are not observed in other orders.

The embryogenesis of the tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus: the establishment of a new chelicerate model system.

Chelicerates, which include spiders, ticks, mites, scorpions, and horseshoe crabs, are members of the phylum Arthropoda. In recent years, several molecular experimental studies of chelicerates have examined the embryology of spiders; however, the embryology of other groups, such as ticks (Acari: Parasitiformes), has been largely neglected. Ticks and mites are believed to constitute a monophyletic group, the Acari.