Background: The goals of laboratory experiences include developing knowledge base, research skills, and scientificcommunication abilities. Objective: The aim was to assess an inquiry-based laboratory activity using t...
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Background: The goals of laboratory experiences include developing knowledge base, research skills, and scientificcommunication abilities. Objective: The aim was to assess an inquiry-based laboratory activity using the model organism caenorhabditis elegans in relation to learning goals. Method: Students in a Biopsychology laboratory course worked in groups to test the effect of various drugs (e.g., nicotine, ethanol, fluoxetine, and melatonin) on c. elegans behavior. The activity included literature review, experimental design, and a final lab report. A cumulative final exam included a synapticcommunication question related to the content of the activity. Results: Students showed better retention of laboratory-related content compared to other topics from the course, as demonstrated through performance on the final exam and were able to replicate previous research demonstrating effects of drug on locomotion. However, students did not improve writing ability compared to performance on a previous American Psychological Association style lab report. conclusion: This study demonstrates that using a student-designed, multi-week laboratory assignment in an undergraduate Biopsychology course supports the growth of psychology knowledge and the development of research skills. Teaching Implications: Instructors should consider using the described laboratory activity for biopsychology or behavioral neuroscience classes or consider similarly designed laboratory formats for other courses in Psychology.
This work evaluated the effects of different carbon/nitrogen (c/N) ratios in the larvae and fry culture of Piaractus orinoquensis in biofloc system on the water quality, proximate analysis and growth performance. The ...
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This work evaluated the effects of different carbon/nitrogen (c/N) ratios in the larvae and fry culture of Piaractus orinoquensis in biofloc system on the water quality, proximate analysis and growth performance. The experiment was conducted in two stages: (a) larval stage from 0 to 12 days post stocking (DPS) and (b) fry stage from 13 to 24 DPS, at a density of 10 larvae/L. Three groups of c/N ratios were evaluated as follows: T1: 10/1 ratio, T2: 15/1 ratio and T3: 20/1 ratio, each treatment with three replicates. Both in the larval and fry culture, total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and nitrite were higher in the T2 and T3 treatments, while the nitrogen removal in T1 treatment was more efficient, resulting less TAN, nitrite and higher nitrate. However, the water quality parameters in all treatments were within the appropriate ranges for fish culture in biofloc. T2 treatment was nutritionally better, presenting higher levels of protein, lipids and energy. In both stages, P. orinoquensis survival and final weight were significantly higher in the T2 treatment. In conclusion, P. orinoquensis larvae and fry culture in biofloc is viable, improving the survival and growth at a c/N ratio of 15/1.
The Jumonji c domain-containing family of histone lysine demethylases (Jumonji KDMs) have emerged as promising cancer therapy targets. These enzymes remove methyl groups from various histone lysines and, in turn, regu...
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The Jumonji c domain-containing family of histone lysine demethylases (Jumonji KDMs) have emerged as promising cancer therapy targets. These enzymes remove methyl groups from various histone lysines and, in turn, regulate processes including chromatin compaction, gene transcription, and DNA repair. Small molecule inhibitors of Jumonji KDMs have shown promise in preclinical studies against non-small cell lung cancer (NScLc) and other cancers. However, how these inhibitors influence cancer therapy responses and/or DNA repair is incompletely understood. In this study, we established cell line and PDX tumor model systems of cisplatin and paclitaxel-resistant NScLc. We showed that resistant cells and tumors express high levels of Jumonji-KDMs. Knockdown of individual KDMs or treatment with a pan-Jumonji KDM inhibitor sensitized the cells and tumors to cisplatin and paclitaxel and blocked NScLc in vivo tumor growth. Mechanistically, we found inhibition of Jumonji-KDMs triggers APc/cdh1-dependent degradation of ctIP and PAF15, two DNA repair proteins that promote repair of cisplatin and paclitaxel-induced DNA lesions. Knockdown of ctIP and PAF15 sensitized resistant cells to cisplatin, indicating their degradation when Jumonji KDMs are inhibited contributes to cisplatin sensitivity. Our results support the idea that Jumonji-KDMs are a targetable barrier to effective therapy responses in NScLc. Inhibition of Jumonji KDMs increases therapy (cisplatin/paclitaxel) sensitivity in NScLccells, at least in part, by promoting APc/cdh1-dependent degradation of ctIP and PAF15.
Plant functional traits play important roles in determining plant responses to environmental change and further shaping community composition, but the role of plant stoichiometry remains poorly understood in regulatin...
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Plant functional traits play important roles in determining plant responses to environmental change and further shaping community composition, but the role of plant stoichiometry remains poorly understood in regulating community responses to continually increased nitrogen (N) deposition. In this paper, we used a 5-year manipulative experiment with six N addition rates (N-rate) to explore how the N response of different plant functional groups including forbs, grasses, sedges and legumes links to above-ground plant carbon-to-N ratio (c:N, related to N use strategies) in an alpine meadow. We found that plant c:N explained 45.8% and 42.6% of N response variation among functional groups in plant above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) and abundance. Over increasing N-rate, functional groups with higher c:N (grasses and sedges) tended to grow better and have greater abundance, yet those with lower c:N (forbs and legumes) were at risk of loss, subsequently mitigating the N-caused decline in community-level plant c:N. This was mainly due to that functional groups with higher c:N not only possessed higher N use efficiency but also had greater competitiveness for above-ground light due to higher plant height. In addition, we also found that plant c:N differences among functional groups remained relatively constant over N-rate, suggesting that the ability of this trait to indicate functional group-specific N responses was stable. Synthesis. Our results show that the N responses of different herbaceous plants can be well explained by plant c:N. Thus, we suggest the prediction of plant community composition changes under N deposition would be greatly improved by considering this easily measured stoichiometric trait.
While the epithelial cell cortex displays profound asymmetries in protein distribution and morphology along the apico-basal axis, the extent to which the cytoplasm is similarly polarized within epithelial cells remain...
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While the epithelial cell cortex displays profound asymmetries in protein distribution and morphology along the apico-basal axis, the extent to which the cytoplasm is similarly polarized within epithelial cells remains relatively unexplored. We show that cytoplasmic organelles within c. elegans embryonic intestinal cells develop extensive apico-basal polarity at the time they establish cortical asymmetry. Nuclei and conventional endosomes, including early endosomes, late endosomes, and lysosomes, become polarized apically. Lysosome-related gut granules, yolk platelets, and lipid droplets become basally enriched. Removal of par-3 activity does not disrupt organelle positioning, indicating that cytoplasmic apico-basal asymmetry is independent of the PAR polarity pathway. Blocking the apical migration of nuclei leads to the apical positioning of gut granules and yolk platelets, whereas the asymmetric localization of conventional endosomes and lipid droplets is unaltered. This suggests that nuclear positioning organizes some, but not all, cytoplasmic asymmetries in this cell type. We show that gut granules become apically enriched when WHT-2 and WHT-7 function is disrupted, identifying a novel role for ABcG transporters in gut granule positioning during epithelial polarization. Analysis of WHT-2 and WHT-7 ATPase mutants is consistent with a WHT-2/WHT-7 heterodimer acting as a transporter in gut granule positioning. In wht2(-) mutants, the polarized distribution of other organelles is not altered and gut granules do not take on characteristics of conventional endosomes that could have explained their apical mispositioning. During epithelial polarization wht-2(-) gut granules exhibit a loss of the Rab32/38 family member GLO-1 and ectopic expression of GLO-1 is sufficient to rescue the basal positioning of wht-2(-) and wht-7(-) gut granules. Furthermore, depletion of GLO-1 causes the mislocalization of the endolysosomal RAB-7 to gut granules and RAB-7 drives the apical mis
The surrounding environment affects the behavior of an animal. Therefore, long-term observation of an animal's behavior in its natural breeding environment is an effective approach to predict and understand animal...
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The surrounding environment affects the behavior of an animal. Therefore, long-term observation of an animal's behavior in its natural breeding environment is an effective approach to predict and understand animal behavior in greater detail. Spontaneous locomotor activity (SLA), the movement of animals in their breeding environment, is one of the most important behavioral indices for experimental animals. We here established an SLA measurement system using image analyses to obtain basic data from BALB/c mice. To record the movement of the mice, we used an infrared video camera. SLA of mice were calculated by detecting their geometriccenter in each frame. This system could detect the mouse correctly more than 99.999% in all frames. Further, we investigated the effects of habituation, age, and sex on the SLA of BALB/c mice. Three days of habituation were required to decrease the SLA of mice placed in novel cages. The 16- and 32-week-old mice were less active than 4-week-old mice. No significant differences were detected between males and females. We also found that BALB/c and c57BL/6 mice differed in their active and resting rhythms. In conclusion, we developed an SLA measurement system and obtained basic SLA data from BALB/c mice. (c) 2022 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Japanese Pharmacological Society.
We describe a proband evaluated through the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) who presented with microcephaly, developmental delay, and refractory epilepsy with a de novo ***47Thr missense variant in the protein phos...
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We describe a proband evaluated through the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) who presented with microcephaly, developmental delay, and refractory epilepsy with a de novo ***47Thr missense variant in the protein phosphatase gene, PPP5c. This gene has not previously been associated with a Mendelian disease, and based on the population database, gnomAD, the gene has a low tolerance for loss-of-function variants (pLI = 1, o/e = 0.07). We functionally evaluated the PPP5c variant in c. elegans by knocking the variant into the orthologous gene, pph-5, at the corresponding residue, Ala48Thr. We employed assays in three different biological processes where pph-5 was known to function through opposing the activity of genes, mec-15 and sep-1. We demonstrated that, in contrast to control animals, the pph-5 Ala48Thr variant suppresses the neurite growth phenotype and the GABA signaling defects of mec-15 mutants, and the embryonic lethality of sep-1 mutants. The Ala48Thr variant did not display dominance and behaved similarly to the reference pph-5 null, indicating that the variant is likely a strong hypomorph or complete loss-of-function. We conclude that pph-5 Ala48Thr is damaging in c. elegans. By extension in the proband, PPP5c ***47Thr is likely damaging, the de novo dominant presentation is consistent with haplo-insufficiency, and the PPP5c variant is likely responsible for one or more of the proband's phenotypes.(c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the cc BY-Nc-ND license (http:// ***/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Latrophilins are highly conserved Adhesion GPcRs playing essential roles in the mammalian nervous system and are associated with severe neurological disorders. Recently, it has been shown that murine Latrophilins medi...
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Latrophilins are highly conserved Adhesion GPcRs playing essential roles in the mammalian nervous system and are associated with severe neurological disorders. Recently, it has been shown that murine Latrophilins mediate classical G-protein signals to drive synaptogenesis. However, there is evidence that Latrophilins in the nematode caenorhabditis elegans can also function independently of their seventransmembrane domain and c terminus (trans function). Here, we show that Latrophilin-1 acts in trans to mediate morphogenesis of sensory structures in the c. elegans nervous system. This trans function is physiologically relevant in copulation behavior. Detailed expression and RNA-Seq analyses revealed specific LAT-1-positive neurons and first insights into the genetic network that is modulated by the receptor function. We conclude that 7TM-independent functions of Latrophilins are essential for neuronal physiology, possibly complementing canonical functions via G protein-mediated signaling. (c) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The Fe-doped LiVPO4F/ccathode material was synthesized by a one-step solid-state reaction method. The effects of Fe doping content on the structure and electrochemical performance of LiVPO4F/c were investigated. X-ra...
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The Fe-doped LiVPO4F/ccathode material was synthesized by a one-step solid-state reaction method. The effects of Fe doping content on the structure and electrochemical performance of LiVPO4F/c were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses demonstrated that the appropriate addition of Fe3+ did not destroy the lattice structure of LiVPO4F/c. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the surface of LiVPO4F/c is covered by a carbon film. The decreased grain size of the Fe-doped LiVPO4F/ccould shorten the ion transport path and thus improve the migration rate of lithium ions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the Fe ion exists in the Fe-doped LiVPO4F/c as Fe3+ ion. At the discharge rate of 1 c, the initial discharge capacity and capacity retention rate of the LiV0.98Fe0.02PO4F/c after 500 cycles were 123.5 mAh/g and 88.6%, respectively.
Background The immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MScs) have made them a prospective treatment option for inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Recent studies have found an association between the...
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Background The immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MScs) have made them a prospective treatment option for inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Recent studies have found an association between the immunomodulatory function of MScs and Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Here, we investigated the effect of priming with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as TLR4 ligand or polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:c) as TLR3 ligand on the immunomodulatory function of adipose-derived MScs (ADMScs) in vitro and for the first time in an adjuvant-induced arthritis model (AIA). Methods ADMScs were treated with LPS or poly I:c for 1 h. Splenocyte proliferation in the presence of primed ADMScs was assessed in vitro using an MTT assay. Next, we investigated the therapeutic effect of primed ADMScs in vivo. Male Wistar rats were infused with complete Freund's adjuvant (cFA) to develop arthritis and then intraperitoneally treated with not-primed, poly I:c- or LPS-primed ADMScs. clinical signs, histopathological alteration, and serum and spleen cytokine levels were analyzed. Results Poly I:c-primed ADMScs significantly reduced splenocytes proliferation, while ADMScs primed with LPS increased splenocytes proliferation. Furthermore, poly I:c-primed ADMScs significantly alleviated the clinical and histopathological severity and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines associated with Th17/Th1 such as IL-17 and IFN-gamma. Poly I:c-primed ADMScs also increased cytokines IL-10 and TGF-beta. TNF-alpha and IL-6 Levels were also markedly diminished in the serum of AIA animals treated with poly I:c-primed ADMScs. In contrast, priming ADMScs with LPS significantly reduced the therapeutic effect of ADMScs in AIA animals. conclusion As a result of these findings, poly I:c priming may be a new technique for improving the therapeutic effects of MScs in arthritic disorders.
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