Genetic Diversity for Effective Resistance in Wheat Landraces from Ethiopia and Eritrea to Fungal Diseases and Toxic Aluminum Ions.

To reveal genetic diversity for effective resistance to five foliar diseases and toxic aluminum ions, the entire collection of wheat species from the N.I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR) originating from Ethiopia and Eritrea were studied regarding their traits.

Confinement Effects in Droplet Formation on a Solid Particle.

Formation of a droplet around a spherical solid particle in supersaturated vapor is considered. The number and stability of equilibrium solutions in a closed small system are studied in the canonical ensemble in comparison to an open system in the grand canonical ensemble. Depending on the system's parameters, two modes exist in the canonical ensemble: the first one with only one solution and the second one with three solutions; the presence of the third solution is due to confinement.

Margelopsid species search taxonomic home within Corymorphidae and Boreohydridae.

Planktonic lifestyle of polyps in representatives of Margelopsidae are very different from all other species in the hydrozoan clade Aplanulata. Their evolutionary origin and phylogenetic position have been the subject of significant speculation. A recent molecular study based only on COI data placed Margelopsidae as a sister group to all Aplanulata, an unexpected result because margelopsid morphology suggests affiliation with Tubulariidae or Corymorphidae.

The evolutionary history of Brachyury genes in Hydrozoa involves duplications, divergence, and neofunctionalization.

Brachyury, a member of T-box gene family, is widely known for its major role in mesoderm specification in bilaterians. It is also present in non-bilaterian metazoans, such as cnidarians, where it acts as a component of an axial patterning system. In this study, we present a phylogenetic analysis of Brachyury genes within phylum Cnidaria, investigate differential expression and address a functional framework of Brachyury paralogs in hydrozoan Dynamena pumila.

An ancestral Wnt-Brachyury feedback loop in axial patterning and recruitment of mesoderm-determining target genes.

Transcription factors are crucial drivers of cellular differentiation during animal development and often share ancient evolutionary origins. The T-box transcription factor Brachyury plays a pivotal role as an early mesoderm determinant and neural repressor in vertebrates; yet, the ancestral function and key evolutionary transitions of the role of this transcription factor remain obscure. Here, we present a genome-wide target-gene screen using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, an early branching non-bilaterian, and the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, a representative of the sister lineage of chordates.

Sea anemone Frizzled receptors play partially redundant roles in oral-aboral axis patterning.

Canonical Wnt (cWnt) signalling is involved in a plethora of basic developmental processes such as endomesoderm specification, gastrulation and patterning the main body axis. To activate the signal, Wnt ligands form complexes with LRP5/6 and Frizzled receptors, which leads to nuclear translocation of β-catenin and a transcriptional response. In Bilateria, the expression of different Frizzled genes is often partially overlapping, and their functions are known to be redundant in several developmental contexts.

Single-cell transcriptomics identifies conserved regulators of neuroglandular lineages.

Communication in bilaterian nervous systems is mediated by electrical and secreted signals; however, the evolutionary origin and relation of neurons to other secretory cell types has not been elucidated. Here, we use developmental single-cell RNA sequencing in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis, representing an early evolutionary lineage with a simple nervous system. Validated by transgenics, we demonstrate that neurons, stinging cells, and gland cells arise from a common multipotent progenitor population.

Molecular and cellular architecture of the larval sensory organ in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis.

Cnidarians are the only non-bilaterian group to evolve ciliated larvae with an apical sensory organ, which is possibly homologous to the apical organs of bilaterian primary larvae. Here, we generated transcriptomes of the apical tissue in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis and showed that it has a unique neuronal signature. By integrating previously published larval single-cell data with our apical transcriptomes, we discovered that the apical domain comprises a minimum of six distinct cell types.

From apolar gastrula to polarized larva: Embryonic development of a marine hydroid, Dynamena pumila.

Background: In almost all metazoans examined to this respect, the axial patterning system based on canonical Wnt (cWnt) signaling operates throughout the course of development. In most metazoans, gastrulation is polar, and embryos develop morphological landmarks of axial polarity, such as blastopore under control/regulation from cWnt signaling. However, in many cnidarian species, gastrulation is morphologically apolar.

Cnidarian-bilaterian comparison reveals the ancestral regulatory logic of the β-catenin dependent axial patterning.

In animals, body axis patterning is based on the concentration-dependent interpretation of graded morphogen signals, which enables correct positioning of the anatomical structures. The most ancient axis patterning system acting across animal phyla relies on β-catenin signaling, which directs gastrulation, and patterns the main body axis. However, within Bilateria, the patterning logic varies significantly between protostomes and deuterostomes.

Native American ancestry significantly contributes to neuromyelitis optica susceptibility in the admixed Mexican population.

Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) is an autoimmune disease with a higher prevalence in non-European populations. Because the Mexican population resulted from the admixture between mainly Native American and European populations, we used genome-wide microarray, HLA high-resolution typing and AQP4 gene sequencing data to analyze genetic ancestry and to seek genetic variants conferring NMO susceptibility in admixed Mexican patients. A total of 164 Mexican NMO patients and 1,208 controls were included.

Analysis of the Thermal Behavior of Polypropylene-Camphor Mixtures for Understanding the Pathways to Polymeric Membranes via Thermally Induced Phase Separation.

An experimental phase diagram of the isotactic polypropylene-camphor system is constructed using an original optical method. It considerably deviates from the dynamic diagram, which can be obtained using conventional differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and contains an additional boundary line that describes camphor solubility in the polymer. An accurate phase diagram makes it possible to perform a detailed and consistent thermodynamic analysis of the DSC, optical, and scanning electron microscopy data on the cooling of prehomogenized mixtures of different compositions, which leads to the formation of capillary-porous bodies via thermally induced phase separation.

Rapid Evaluation of Platelet Function With T2 Magnetic Resonance.

Objectives: The clinical diagnosis of qualitative platelet disorders (QPDs) based on light transmission aggregometry (LTA) requires significant blood volume, time, and expertise, all of which can be barriers to utilization in some populations and settings. Our objective was to develop a more rapid assay of platelet function by measuring platelet-mediated clot contraction in small volumes (35 µL) of whole blood using T2 magnetic resonance (T2MR).

Methods: We established normal ranges for platelet-mediated clot contraction using T2MR, used these ranges to study patients with known platelet dysfunction, and then evaluated agreement between T2MR and LTA with arachidonic acid, adenosine diphosphate, epinephrine, and thrombin receptor activator peptide.

Polyphosphate/platelet factor 4 complexes can mediate heparin-independent platelet activation in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a thrombotic disorder initiated by antibodies to complexes between platelet factor 4 (PF4) and heparin. The risk of recurrent thromboembolism persists after heparin is cleared and platelet activation leading to release of PF4 has dissipated. We asked whether antigenic complexes between polyphosphates and PF4 released from activated platelets might intensify or sustain the prothrombotic phenotype of HIT.

Language development in rural and urban Russian-speaking children with and without developmental language disorder.

Using a newly developed Assessment of the Development of Russian Language (ORRIA), we investigated differences in language development between rural vs. urban Russian-speaking children (n = 100 with a mean age of 6.75) subdivided into groups with and without developmental language disorders.

Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator (uPA) Promotes Angiogenesis by Attenuating Proline-rich Homeodomain Protein (PRH) Transcription Factor Activity and De-repressing Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Receptor Expression.

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) regulates angiogenesis and vascular permeability through proteolytic degradation of extracellular matrix and intracellular signaling initiated upon its binding to uPAR/CD87 and other cell surface receptors. Here, we describe an additional mechanism by which uPA regulates angiogenesis. Ex vivo VEGF-induced vascular sprouting from Matrigel-embedded aortic rings isolated from uPA knock-out (uPA(-/-)) mice was impaired compared with vessels emanating from wild-type mice.

Next-Generation Sequencing Reveals Restriction and Clonotypic Expansion of Treg Cells in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

Objective: Treg cell-mediated suppression of Teff cells is impaired in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA); however, the basis for this dysfunction is incompletely understood. Animal models of autoimmunity and immunodeficiency demonstrate that a diverse Treg cell repertoire is essential to maintain Treg cell function. The present study was undertaken to investigate the Treg and Teff cell repertoires in JIA.

Kinetics and mechanics of clot contraction are governed by the molecular and cellular composition of the blood.

Platelet-driven blood clot contraction (retraction) is thought to promote wound closure and secure hemostasis while preventing vascular occlusion. Notwithstanding its importance, clot contraction remains a poorly understood process, partially because of the lack of methodology to quantify its dynamics and requirements. We used a novel automated optical analyzer to continuously track in vitro changes in the size of contracting clots in whole blood and in variously reconstituted samples.

Atomic description of the immune complex involved in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an autoimmune thrombotic disorder caused by immune complexes containing platelet factor 4 (PF4), antibodies to PF4 and heparin or cellular glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Here we solve the crystal structures of the: (1) PF4 tetramer/fondaparinux complex, (2) PF4 tetramer/KKO-Fab complex (a murine monoclonal HIT-like antibody) and (3) PF4 monomer/RTO-Fab complex (a non-HIT anti-PF4 monoclonal antibody). Fondaparinux binds to the 'closed' end of the PF4 tetramer and stabilizes its conformation.

HLA Class I and II Blocks Are Associated to Susceptibility, Clinical Subtypes and Autoantibodies in Mexican Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) Patients.

Introduction: Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphism studies in Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) have yielded variable results. These studies need to consider the genetic admixture of the studied population. Here we used our previously reported definition of genetic admixture of Mexicans using HLA class I and II DNA blocks to map genetic susceptibility to develop SSc and its complications.

T2 magnetic resonance: a diagnostic platform for studying integrated hemostasis in whole blood--proof of concept.

Background: Existing approaches for measuring hemostasis parameters require multiple platforms, can take hours to provide results, and generally require 1-25 mL of sample. We developed a diagnostic platform that allows comprehensive assessment of hemostatic parameters on a single instrument and provides results within 15 min using 0.04 mL of blood with minimal sample handling.

Clot contraction: compression of erythrocytes into tightly packed polyhedra and redistribution of platelets and fibrin.

Contraction of blood clots is necessary for hemostasis and wound healing and to restore flow past obstructive thrombi, but little is known about the structure of contracted clots or the role of erythrocytes in contraction. We found that contracted blood clots develop a remarkable structure, with a meshwork of fibrin and platelet aggregates on the exterior of the clot and a close-packed, tessellated array of compressed polyhedral erythrocytes within. The same results were obtained after initiation of clotting with various activators and also with clots from reconstituted human blood and mouse blood.

HLA class I and class II conserved extended haplotypes and their fragments or blocks in Mexicans: implications for the study of genetic diversity in admixed populations.

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are highly polymorphic and informative in disease association, transplantation, and population genetics studies with particular importance in the understanding of human population diversity and evolution. The aim of this study was to describe the HLA diversity in Mexican admixed individuals. We studied the polymorphism of MHC class I (HLA-A, -B, -C), and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1) genes using high-resolution sequence based typing (SBT) method and we structured the blocks and conserved extended haplotypes (CEHs) in 234 non-related admixed Mexican individuals (468 haplotypes) by a maximum likelihood method.

Multifunctional roles of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) in cancer stemness and chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is almost always lethal. One of the underlying reasons for this lethality is believed to be the presence of cancer stem cells (CSC), which impart chemoresistance and promote recurrence, but the mechanisms responsible are unclear. Recently the poor prognosis of PDAC has been correlated with increased expression of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA).

Allele-level haplotype frequencies and pairwise linkage disequilibrium for 14 KIR loci in 506 European-American individuals.

The immune responses of natural killer cells are regulated, in part, by killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR). The 16 closely-related genes in the KIR gene system have been diversified by gene duplication and unequal crossing over, thereby generating haplotypes with variation in gene copy number. Allelic variation also contributes to diversity within the complex.