Proteomic analysis of the sponge Aggregation Factor implicates an ancient toolkit for allorecognition and adhesion in animals.

The discovery that sponges (Porifera) can fully regenerate from aggregates of dissociated cells launched them as one of the earliest experimental models to study the evolution of cell adhesion and allorecognition in animals. This process depends on an extracellular glycoprotein complex called the Aggregation Factor (AF), which is composed of proteins thought to be unique to sponges. We used quantitative proteomics to identify additional AF components and interacting proteins in the classical model, , and compared them to proteins involved in cell interactions in Bilateria.

Psychosocial and palliative care in African national cancer control plans: A qualitative study.

Objective: Low and middle income countries of Africa account for a disproportionate amount of the global health burden of cancer. Providing patients access to psychosocial oncology and palliative care through policy structures such as the National Cancer Control Plans (NCCP) is essential to improving the care provided to patients and their families. The first phase of this study sought to determine the extent to which palliative care and psychosocial oncology were integrated in NCCPs in African countries.

Communicating bad news to patients and families in African oncology settings.

Aims: To assess clinicians' self-reported knowledge of current policies in African oncology settings, of their personal communication practices around sharing bad news with patients, and to identify barriers to the sharing of serious news in these settings.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of cancer care providers in African oncology settings (N = 125) was conducted. Factor analysis was used to assess cross-cultural adaptation and uptake of an evidence-based protocol for disclosing bad news to patients with cancer and of providers' perceived barriers to disclosing bad news to patients with cancer.

Tracing the Evolutionary Origin of Desmosomes.

Cadherin-based cell-cell junctions help metazoans form polarized sheets of cells, which are necessary for the development of organs and the compartmentalization of functions. The components of the protein complexes that generate cadherin-based junctions have ancient origins, with conserved elements shared between animals as diverse as sponges and vertebrates. In invertebrates, the formation and function of epithelial sheets depends on classical cadherin-containing adherens junctions, which link actin to the plasma membrane through α-, β- and p120 catenins.

Diverse cell junctions with unique molecular composition in tissues of a sponge (Porifera).

The integrity and organization of animal tissues depend upon specialized protein complexes that mediate adhesion between cells with each other (cadherin-based adherens junctions), and with the extracellular matrix (integrin-based focal adhesions). Reconstructing how and when these cell junctions evolved is central to understanding early tissue evolution in animals. We examined focal adhesion protein homologs in tissues of the freshwater sponge, (phylum Porifera; class Demospongiae).

The significance of sponges for comparative studies of developmental evolution.

Sponges, ctenophores, placozoans, and cnidarians have key evolutionary significance in that they bracket the time interval during which organized animal tissues were first assembled, fundamental cell types originated (e.g., neurons and myocytes), and developmental patterning mechanisms evolved.

Antibiotic-induced changes in the microbiota disrupt redox dynamics in the gut.

How host and microbial factors combine to structure gut microbial communities remains incompletely understood. Redox potential is an important environmental feature affected by both host and microbial actions. We assessed how antibiotics, which can impact host and microbial function, change redox state and how this contributes to post-antibiotic succession.

Analysis of a vinculin homolog in a sponge (phylum Porifera) reveals that vertebrate-like cell adhesions emerged early in animal evolution.

The evolution of cell-adhesion mechanisms in animals facilitated the assembly of organized multicellular tissues. Studies in traditional animal models have revealed two predominant adhesion structures, the adherens junction (AJ) and focal adhesions (FAs), which are involved in the attachment of neighboring cells to each other and to the secreted extracellular matrix (ECM), respectively. The AJ (containing cadherins and catenins) and FAs (comprising integrins, talin, and paxillin) differ in protein composition, but both junctions contain the actin-binding protein vinculin.

Evidence of Signaling and Adhesion Roles for β-Catenin in the Sponge Ephydatia muelleri.

β-Catenin acts as a transcriptional coactivator in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and a cytoplasmic effector in cadherin-based cell adhesion. These functions are ancient within animals, but the earliest steps in β-catenin evolution remain unresolved due to limited data from key lineages-sponges, ctenophores, and placozoans. Previous studies in sponges have characterized β-catenin expression dynamics and used GSK3B antagonists to ectopically activate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway; both approaches rely upon untested assumptions about the conservation of β-catenin function and regulation in sponges.

Transcriptome sequencing and delimitation of sympatric Oscarella species (O. carmela and O. pearsei sp. nov) from California, USA.

The homoscleromorph sponge Oscarella carmela, first described from central California, USA is shown to represent two superficially similar but both morphologically and phylogenetically distinct species that are co-distributed. We here describe a new species as Oscarella pearsei, sp. nov.

Injectable Phosphorescence-based Oxygen Biosensors Identify Post Ischemic Reactive Hyperoxia.

Novel injectable biosensors were used to measure interstitial oxygenation before, during, and after transient ischemia. It is well known that reactive hyperemia occurs following a period of ischemia. However, increased blood flow does not necessarily mean increased oxygen tension in the tissue.

Tissue-Integrating Oxygen Sensors: Continuous Tracking of Tissue Hypoxia.

We describe a simple method of tracking oxygen in real-time with injectable, tissue-integrating microsensors. The sensors are small (500 μm × 500 μm × 5 mm), soft, flexible, tissue-like, biocompatible hydrogel s that have been shown to overcome the foreign body response for long-term sensing. The sensors are engineered to change luminescence in the presence of oxygen or other analytes and function for months to years in the body.

Conserved expression of vertebrate microvillar gene homologs in choanocytes of freshwater sponges.

Background: The microvillus is a versatile organelle that serves important functions in disparate animal cell types. However, from a molecular perspective, the microvillus has been well studied in only a few, predominantly vertebrate, contexts. Little is known about how differences in microvillar structure contribute to differences in function, and how these differences evolved.

Preclinical Evaluation of Poly(HEMA-co-acrylamide) Hydrogels Encapsulating Glucose Oxidase and Palladium Benzoporphyrin as Fully Implantable Glucose Sensors.

Background: Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) require percutaneous wire probes to monitor glucose. Sensors based on luminescent hydrogels are being explored as fully implantable alternatives to traditional CGMs. Our previous work investigated hydrogel matrices functionalized with enzymes and oxygen-quenched phosphors, demonstrating sensitivity to glucose, range of response, and biofouling strongly depend on the matrix material.

Eucalyptus obliqua seedling growth in organic vs. mineral soil horizons.

Eucalyptus obliqua, the most widespread timber tree in Tasmania, is a pioneer after fire which can eliminate the organic layer of forest soil, exposing the underlying mineral soil. We compared seedling growth, mycorrhiza formation, and mineral nutrient limitation in organic layer vs. mineral soil.

A grass-fire cycle eliminates an obligate-seeding tree in a tropical savanna.

A grass-fire cycle in Australian tropical savannas has been postulated as driving the regional decline of the obligate-seeding conifer Callitris intratropica and other fire-sensitive components of the regional flora and fauna, due to proliferation of flammable native grasses. We tested the hypothesis that a high-biomass invasive savanna grass drives a positive feedback process where intense fires destroy fire-sensitive trees, and the reduction in canopy cover facilitates further invasion by grass. We undertook an observational and experimental study using, as a model system, a plantation of C.

Deep, dark secrets of melatonin in animal evolution.

Tosches et al. show that melatonin signaling regulates circadian swimming in annelid worms by rhythmically activating cholinergic neurons. This suggests an evolutionary connection between melatonin signaling in invertebrates and sleep regulation in vertebrates.

Facilitated assignment of large protein NMR signals with covariance sequential spectra using spectral derivatives.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of larger proteins are hampered by difficulties in assigning NMR resonances. Human intervention is typically required to identify NMR signals in 3D spectra, and subsequent procedures depend on the accuracy of this so-called peak picking. We present a method that provides sequential connectivities through correlation maps constructed with covariance NMR, bypassing the need for preliminary peak picking.

Nitric oxide-flux dependent bacterial adhesion and viability at fibrinogen-coated surfaces.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an endogenous antibacterial agent produced by immune cells in response to pathogens. Herein, the NO fluxes necessary to reduce bacterial adhesion of different bacteria (, methicillin-resistant , , , , and ) were investigated to ascertain the sensitivity of these bacteria to NO. -nitrosothiol NO donor-modified xerogels were selected as a model NO-release surface due to their extended NO-release kinetics relative to other NO donor systems.