Symbiosis and horizontal gene transfer promote herbivory in the megadiverse leaf beetles.

Beetles that feed on the nutritionally depauperate and recalcitrant tissues provided by the leaves, stems, and roots of living plants comprise one-quarter of herbivorous insect species. Among the key adaptations for herbivory are plant cell wall-degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) that break down the fastidious polymers in the cell wall and grant access to the nutritious cell content. While largely absent from the non-herbivorous ancestors of beetles, such PCWDEs were occasionally acquired via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) or by the uptake of digestive symbionts.

Internal Morphology and Phylogenetic Position of (Pancrustacea: Rhizocephala), an Enigmatic Parasitic Barnacle.

is an enigmatic parasitic barnacle from the family Mycetomorphidae, known for its unclear phylogenetic position within Rhizocephala. Specimens of were collected from infected shrimps near the South Kuril Islands. Detailed morphological studies were conducted using histological techniques and scanning electron microscopy, and 18S rDNA sequences were used to resolve the phylogenetic position of within Rhizocephala.

Study on Fabrication and Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Chitosan Nanofibers Created from Aqueous Solution with Acetic Acid and Ethanol by the Electrospinning Method.

The development of nanofibers with incorporated biologically active molecules with a targeted mode of action is a current research trend. Potential materials for the development of such systems include poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan (CS) nanofibers, which are traditionally fabricated by the electrospinning of aqueous solutions of these polymers with acetic acid. To improve drug integration, ethanol was added to the binary-solvent system.

PGPB Isolated from Drought-Tolerant Plants Help Wheat Plants to Overcome Osmotic Stress.

The aim of this research was to study the effect of plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) isolated from the drought-tolerant plants camel thorn ( (M.Bieb.) Fisch) and white pigweed ( L.

Transovarial and transstadial transmission of Borrelia valaisiana, the pathogen of Lyme borreliosis, in the sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus L.

In this study, molecular analysis was used to show the possibility of transovarial and transstadial transmission of Borrelia valaisiana in Ixodes ricinus ticks in the natural biotopes of North-Western Russia. Female ticks collected in nature were fed on rabbits; larvae obtained from these females were fed on white mice. Eggs, female ticks after the egg deposition, larvae and nymphs of ticks after overwintering were studied for Borrelia burgdorferi s.

Johann Gottlieb Georgi or Peter Simon Pallas: review regarding the authorship and description of Lacerta taurica (Squamata, Lacertidae).

From the beginning of the 19th century to the present, the authorship of the description of the Balkan wall lizard, Podarcis tauricus (Pallas, 1814) was considered undoubted. Recently, Schmidtler (2022) has been concluded that the description of this species should be attributed to J.G.

Lythria (Microlythria subgen. nov.) venustata Staudinger, 1882 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae): distribution and description of the female, with a brief review of the genus.

The article provides new localities for the little-known species Lythria venustata Staudinger, 1882; a map with all currently known locations is presented. A new subgenus, Microlythria subgen. nov.

Spontaneous formation of different forms of alpha-synuclein fibrils from a recombinant protein.

Alpha-synuclein is a protein, the conformational changes of which lead to the development of such socially significant diseases as Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The methods for differential diagnostics of these diseases based on the use of alpha-synuclein in a non-native conformation obtained from patients as a seed for inducing fibrillogenesis and studying the morphology of the resulting amyloid-like fibrils were described in a number of studies. The authors associate such properties of the seed with the presence of post-translational modifications in the protein obtained from patients.

CRISPR-Based Editing of the Gene.

gene is shown to have numerous diverse functions in plant development, including the regulation of embryo morphogenesis and maturation, hypocotyl elongation, flowering transition, etc. However, the functions of orthologs in different plant species have not been extensively studied. In this study, we obtained a line of , a model leguminous plant, carrying the loss-of-function mutation in the gene, orthologous to , using the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated proteins (CRISPR/Cas9) genome editing system.

Multilevel modeling and control of dynamic systems.

The underlying changes of complex dynamic systems are affected by numerous highly interdependent components with nonlinear interactions and cannot be suitably predicted by merely analyzing their individual parts. Recent technological developments (reducing the size of actuators and sensors, increasing speed and productivity) make it possible to monitor and handle systems on time, even during transient processes. In many practical applications, to effectively study rapidly evolving systems, their structure has to be examined at three levels: Micro-Scale (Short-Term), Meso-Scale (Intermediate-Term), and Macro-Scale (Long-Term).

Proteomic Profiling of Endothelial Cell Secretomes After Exposure to Calciprotein Particles Reveals Downregulation of Basement Membrane Assembly and Increased Release of Soluble CD59.

Calciprotein particles (CPPs) are essential circulating scavengers of excessive Ca and PO ions, representing a vehicle that removes them from the human body and precludes extraskeletal calcification. Having been internalised by endothelial cells (ECs), CPPs induce their dysfunction, which is accompanied by a remarkable molecular reconfiguration, although little is known about this process's extracellular signatures. Here, we applied ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to perform a secretome-wide profiling of the cell culture supernatant from primary human coronary artery ECs (HCAECs) and internal thoracic artery ECs (HITAECs) treated with primary CPPs (CPP-P), secondary CPPs (CPP-S), magnesiprotein particles (MPPs), or Ca/Mg-free Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS) for 24 h.

Citrullination Accompanies the Development of Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaques.

Background: Citrullination represents a post-translational modification primarily mediated by peptidylarginine deiminase (PADI) 2 and 4 and resulting in the conversion of positively charged peptidylarginine to neutrally charged peptidylcitrulline. Molecular consequences of citrullination include the generation of neoepitopes which provoke the production of autoantibodies implicated in the development of autoimmune diseases. As citrullination initiates, promotes, and is enhanced by aseptic inflammation which plays a pivotal role in atherosclerosis, we proposed that citrullination might accompany the development of atherosclerotic vascular disease.

Instantaneous growth of single monolayers as the origin of spontaneous core-shell InGaN nanowires with bright red photoluminescence.

Increasing the InN content in the InGaN compound is paramount for optoelectronic applications. It has been demonstrated in homogeneous nanowires or deliberately grown nanowire heterostructures. Here, we present spontaneous core-shell InGaN nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Si substrates at 625 °C.

Sperm ultrastructure in two species of Choanomphalus (Hygrophila: Lymnaeoidea: Planorbidae).

Sperm ultrastructure has been successfully used in gastropod taxonomy and here we attempted to identify potential synapomorphies within the Hygrophila, a group of freshwater lung-bearing gastropods, by examining sperm morphology and ultrastructure in two hygrophilan species of the genus Choanomphalus Gerstfeldt, 1859 (Lymnaeoidea: Planorbidae): Ch. riparius (Westerlund, 1865) and Ch. rossmaessleri (A.

Co-Complexes-Based Self-Oscillating Gels Driven by the Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction.

We report the synthesis of novel cobalt complexes-based catalysts designed for the oscillatory Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. For the first time, we introduce cobalt complex-based self-oscillating gels that demonstrate autonomous color oscillations within a BZ reagent solution, functioning without the need for any external stimuli. We created acrylamide-based self-oscillating gels containing immobilized tris(2,2'-bipyridine)cobalt(II) or tris(1,10-phenanthroline)cobalt(II) complexes and gels containing covalently bound (5-acrylamido-1,10-phenanthroline)bis(2,2'-bipyridine)cobalt(II), (5-acrylamido-1,10-phenanthroline)bis(1,10-phenanthroline) cobalt(II), or tris(5-acrylamido-1,10-phenanthroline)cobalt(II) complexes.

Smart photopharmacological agents: LaVO:Eu@vinyl phosphonate combining luminescence imaging and photoswitchable butyrylcholinesterase inhibition.

The combination of photoswitchability and bioactivity in one compound provides interesting opportunities for photopharmacology. Here, we report a hybrid compound that in addition allows for its visual localization. It is the first demonstration of its kind and it even shows high photoswitchability.

Electrochemical platform for detecting Escherichia coli bacteria using machine learning methods.

We present an electrochemical platform designed to reduce time of Escherichia coli bacteria detection from 24 to 48-h to 30 min. The presented approach is based on a system which includes gallium-indium (eGaIn) alloy to provide conductivity and a hydrogel system to preserve bacteria and their metabolic species during the analysis. The work is dedicated to accurate and fast detection of Escherichia coli bacteria in different environments with the supply of machine learning methods.

Rethinking some roots of ecosystem approach in aquatic ecology: between the food cycle and lake metabolism.

The present study provides new insight into the key aspects of the early formative period of the ecosystem concept in aquatic ecology. Raymond Lindeman's trophodynamics is known to be a starting point for the development of the modern concept of ecosystem. The trophodynamic approach in ecology was proposed by Lindeman in his widely cited paper of 1942.

Microbiome and mitogenomics of the chigger mite Pentidionis agamae: potential role as an Orientia vector and associations with divergent clades of Wolbachia and Borrelia.

Background: Trombiculid mites are globally distributed, highly diverse arachnids that largely lack molecular resources such as whole mitogenomes for the elucidation of taxonomic relationships. Trombiculid larvae (chiggers) parasitise vertebrates and can transmit bacteria (Orientia spp.) responsible for scrub typhus, a zoonotic febrile illness.

Proteomic Profiling of Endothelial Cells Exposed to Mitomycin C: Key Proteins and Pathways Underlying Genotoxic Stress-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction.

Mitomycin C (MMC)-induced genotoxic stress can be considered to be a novel trigger of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis-a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. Given the increasing genotoxic load on the human organism, the decryption of the molecular pathways underlying genotoxic stress-induced endothelial dysfunction could improve our understanding of the role of genotoxic stress in atherogenesis. Here, we performed a proteomic profiling of human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) and human internal thoracic endothelial cells (HITAECs) in vitro that were exposed to MMC to identify the biochemical pathways and proteins underlying genotoxic stress-induced endothelial dysfunction.