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131 records returned

Environmentally-acquired bacteria influence microbial diversity and natural innate immune responses at gut surfacesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Early-life environment significantly affects both microbial composition of the adult gut and mucosal innate immune function. We observed that a microbiota dominated by lactobacilli may function to maintain mucosal immune homeostasis and limit pathogen colonization. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - November 20, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Imke MulderBettina SchmidtChristopher StokesMarie LewisMick BaileyRustam AminovJames ProsserBhupinder GillJohn PluskeClaus-Dieter MayerCorran MuskDenise Kelly Source Type: journals

Phylogeographic reconstruction of a bacterial species with high levels of lateral gene transferEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We describe an Australian origin for B. pseudomallei, characterized by a single introduction event into Southeast Asia during a recent glacial period, and variable levels of lateral gene transfer within populations. These patterns provide insights into mechanisms of genetic diversification in B. pseudomallei and its closest relatives, and provide a framework for integrating the traditionally separate fields of population genetics and phylogenetics for other bacterial species with high levels of lateral gene transfer. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - November 18, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Talima PearsonPhilip GiffardStephen Beckstrom-SternbergRaymond AuerbachHeidie HornstraApichai TuanyokErin PriceMindy GlassBenjamin LeademJames Beckstrom-SternbergGerard AllanJeffrey FosterDavid WagnerRichard OkinakaSiew Hoon SimOfori PearsonZaining WuJean Source Type: journals

Factors necessary to produce basoapical polarity in human glandular epithelium formed in conventional and high-throughput three-dimensional culture: example of the breast epitheliumEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: These results provide new insights into the role of the basement membrane, and especially collagen IV, in the development of the apical pole, a critical element of the architecture of glandular epithelia. Also, the high-throughput culture method developed in this study should open new avenues for high-content screening of agents that act on mammary tissue homeostasis and thus, on architectural changes involved in cancer development. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - November 16, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Cedric PlachotLesley ChaboubHibret AdissuLei WangAlbert UrazaevJennifer SturgisElikplimi AsemSophie Lelievre Source Type: journals

Predominant membrane localization is an essential feature of the bacterial signal recognition particle receptorEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The exact function of the SRP receptor (SR) in bacteria has so far been enigmatic. Our data show that the bacterial SR is almost exclusively membrane-bound in vivo, indicating that the presence of a soluble SR is probably an artefact of cell fractionation. Thus, co-translational targeting in bacteria does not involve the formation of a soluble SR-signal recognition particle (SRP)-ribosome nascent chain (RNC) intermediate but requires membrane contact of FtsY for efficient SRP-RNC recruitment. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - November 13, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Miryana MirchevaDiana BoyBenjamin WeicheFriederike HuckePeter GraumannHans-Georg Koch Source Type: journals

A genome-wide synthetic dosage lethality screen reveals multiple pathways that require the functioning of ubiquitin-binding proteins Rad23 and Dsk2Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: In conclusion, as proof-of-concept, we show that a synthetic dosage lethality screen, which is based on the toxicity induced by gene overexpression, offers an effective, complementary method to elucidating biological functions of proteolytic pathways. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - November 12, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Chang LiuDewald van DykYue LiBrenda AndrewsHai Rao Source Type: journals

A remarkable diversity of bone-eating worms (Osedax; Siboglinidae; Annelida)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: To help resolve uncertainties about the evolutionary age of Osedax, we suggest that the fossilized bones from Cretaceous marine reptiles and late Oligocene cetaceans be examined for possible trace fossils left by Osedax roots. Regardless of the outcome, the present molecular evidence for strong phylogenetic concordance across five separate genes suggests that the undescribed Osedax lineages comprise evolutionarily significant units that have been separate from one another for many millions of years. These data coupled with ongoing morphological analyses provide a solid foundation for their future descriptions a...
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - November 10, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Robert VrijenhoekShannon JohnsonGreg Rouse Source Type: journals

Massively parallel tag sequencing reveals the complexity of anaerobic marine protistan communitiesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Our data highlight the magnitude of the under-sampled 'protistan gap' in the eukaryotic tree of life. This study illustrates that our current understanding of the ecological complexity of protist communities, and of the global species richness and genome diversity of protists, is severely limited. Even though 454 pyrosequencing is not a panacea, it allows for more comprehensive insights into the diversity of protistan communities, and combined with appropriate statistical tools, enables improved ecological interpretations of the data and projections of global diversity. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - November 3, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Thorsten StoeckAnke BehnkeRichard ChristenLinda Amaral-ZettlerMaria Rodriguez-MoraAndrei ChistoserdovWilliam OrsiVirginia Edgcomb Source Type: journals

The scent of supercolonies: the discovery, synthesis and behavioural verification of ant colony recognition cuesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Overall, our findings reveal the identity of specific chemicals used for colonymate recognition by the invasive Argentine ants. Although the particular chemicals used by other ants may differ, the patterns reported here are likely to be true for ants generally. As almost all invasive ants display widespread unicoloniality in their introduced ranges, our findings are particularly relevant for our understanding of the biology of these damaging invaders. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - October 28, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Miriam BrandtEllen van WilgenburgRobert SulcKenneth SheaNeil Tsutsui Source Type: journals

Genetical genomic determinants of alcohol consumption in rats and humansEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Our results emphasize the importance of the signaling pathways identified using the non-human animal models, rather than single gene products, in identifying factors responsible for complex traits such as alcohol consumption. The results suggest cross-species similarities in pathways that influence predisposition to consume alcohol by rats and humans. The importance of a well-defined phenotype is also illustrated. Our results also suggest that different genetic factors predispose alcohol dependence versus the phenotype of alcohol consumption. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - October 27, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Boris TabakoffLaura SabaMorton PrintzPam FlodmanColin HodgkinsonDavid GoldmanGeorge KoobHeather RichardsonKaterina KechrisRichard BellNorbert HubnerMatthias HeinigMichal PravenecJonathan MangionLucie LegaultMaurice DongierKatherine ConigraveJohn Whitfield Source Type: journals

TonB-dependent transporters and their occurrence in cyanobacteriaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We exemplified on TBDTs the power of CLANS-based classification, which demonstrates its importance for future application in systems biology. In addition, the tentative substrate assignment based on characterized proteins will stimulate the research of TBDTs in different species. For cyanobacteria, the atypical dependence of TBDT gene expression on different nutrition points to a yet unknown regulatory mechanism. In addition, we were able to clarify a hypothesis of the absence of TonB in cyanobacteria by the identification of according sequences. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - October 11, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Oliver MirusSascha StraussKerstin NicolaisenArndt von HaeselerEnrico Schleiff Source Type: journals

Recombination and insertion events involving the botulinum neurotoxin complex genes in Clostridium botulinum types A, B, E and F and Clostridium butyricum type E strainsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The analysis of the genomic sequences representing different strains reveals the presence of insertion sequence (IS) elements and other transposon-associated proteins such as recombinases that could facilitate the horizontal transfer of the bonts; these events, in addition to recombination among the toxin complex genes, have led to the lineages observed today within the neurotoxin-producing clostridia. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - October 4, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Karen HillGang XieBrian FoleyTheresa SmithAmy MunkDavid BruceLeonard SmithThomas BrettinJohn Detter Source Type: journals

Dual control by a single gene of secondary sexual characters and mating preferences in medakaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: This study spotlighted SLa as a novel mate-choice gene in fish. In addition, these results are the first demonstration of a single gene that can pleiotropically and harmoniously change both secondary sexual characters and mating preferences. Although theoretical models have long suggested joint evolution of linked genes on a chromosome, a mutation on a gene-regulatory region (that is, switching on/off of a single gene) might be sufficient to trigger two 'runaway' processes in different directions to promote (sympatric) speciation. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - September 28, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Shoji FukamachiMasato KinoshitaKouichi AizawaShoji OdaAxel MeyerHiroshi Mitani Source Type: journals

c-Myc affects mRNA translation, cell proliferation and progenitor cell function in the mammary glandEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We have demonstrated that c-Myc plays multiple roles in the mouse mammary gland during pregnancy and lactation. c-Myc loss delayed, but did not block proliferation and differentiation in pregnancy. During lactation, lower levels of ribosomal RNAs and proteins were present and translation was generally decreased in mutant glands. Finally, the transplantation studies suggest a role for c-Myc in progenitor cell proliferation and/or survival.See related minireview by Evan et al: http://jbiol.com/content/8/8/77 (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - September 27, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Tina StoelzlePatrick SchwarbAndreas TrumppNancy Hynes Source Type: journals

scribble mutants promote aPKC and JNK-dependent epithelial neoplasia independently of CrumbsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: These results demonstrate distinct aPKC and JNK-dependent pathways through which loss of Scrib promotes tumourigenesis in Drosophila. This is likely to have a direct relevance to the way in which human Scrib can similarly restrain an oncogene-mediated transformation and, more generally, on how the outcome of oncogenic signalling can be profoundly perturbed by defects in apico-basal epithelial cell polarity. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - September 23, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Gregory LeongKaren GouldingNancy AminHelena RichardsonAnthony Brumby Source Type: journals

Genes encoding novel secreted and transmembrane proteins are temporally and spatially regulated during Drosophila melanogaster embryogenesisEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Our data have yielded a list of developmentally regulated D. melanogaster genes and their expression profiles during embryogenesis and provide new information on the spatiotemporal expression patterns of several uncharacterized genes. In particular, we recovered a substantial number of unknown genes encoding putative secreted and transmembrane proteins, suggesting new components of signaling pathways that might be incorporated within the existing regulatory networks controlling D. melanogaster embryogenesis. These genes are also good candidates for additional targeted functional analyses similar to those we co...
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - September 21, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Alejandro ZunigaChristian HodarPatricia HannaFreddy IbanezPablo MorenoRodrigo PulgarLuis PastenesMauricio GonzalezVeronica Cambiazo Source Type: journals

Genetic determinants of mate recognition in Brachionus manjavacas(Rotifera)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Owing to its critical role in mating, the mate recognition pheromone gene will be a useful molecular marker for exploring the mechanisms and rates of selection and the evolution of reproductive isolation and speciation using rotifers as a model system. The phylogenetic variation in the mate recognition pheromone gene can now be studied in conjunction with the large amount of ecological and population genetic data being gathered for the Brachionus plicatilis species complex to understand better the evolutionary drivers of cryptic speciation. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - September 8, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Terry SnellTonya ShearerHilary SmithJulia KubanekKristen GribbleDavid Mark Welch Source Type: journals

Genetic determinants of mate recognition in Brachionus manjavacas (Rotifera)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Owing to its critical role in mating, the mate recognition pheromone gene will be a useful molecular marker for exploring the mechanisms and rates of selection and the evolution of reproductive isolation and speciation using rotifers as a model system. The phylogenetic variation in the mate recognition pheromone gene can now be studied in conjunction with the large amount of ecological and population genetic data being gathered for the Brachionus plicatilis species complex to understand better the evolutionary drivers of cryptic speciation. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - September 8, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Terry SnellTonya ShearerHilary SmithJulia KubanekKristen GribbleDavid Mark Welch Source Type: journals

Receptor oligomerization and beyond: a case study in bone morphogenetic proteinsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Binding of a ligand to a single high affinity receptor chain functioning as anchoring molecule and providing sufficient complex stability allows the subsequent formation of signaling competent complexes. Another receptor of the same subtype, and up to two receptors of the other subtype, can then be recruited. Thus, the resulting receptor arrangement can principally consist of four different receptors, which is consistent with our interaction analysis showing low ligand-receptor specificity within one subtype class. For BMP2, further complexity is added by the fact that heterooligomeric signaling complexes cont...
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - September 6, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Kai HeineckeAxel SeherWerner SchmitzThomas MuellerWalter SebaldJoachim Nickel Source Type: journals

Light-dependent roles of the G-protein subunit GNA1 of Hypocrea jecorina (anamorph Trichoderma reesei)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We conclude that GNA1 transmits a signal the physiological relevance of which is dependent on both the carbon source as well as the light status. The widespread consequences of mutations in GNA1 indicate a broad function of this G subunit in appropriation of intracellular resources to environmental (especially nutritional) conditions. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - September 2, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Christian SeibelGabriela GremelRoberto SilvaAndre SchusterChristian KubicekMonika Schmoll Source Type: journals

Phylogeographic analysis reveals association of tick-borne pathogen, Anaplasma marginale, MSP1a sequences with ecological traits affecting tick vector performanceEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The results reported herein provided the first evidence that the evolution of A. marginale was linked to ecological traits affecting tick vector performance. These results suggested that some A. marginale strains have evolved under conditions that support pathogen biological transmission by R. microplus, under different ecological traits which affect performance of R. microplus populations. The evolution of other A. marginale strains may be linked to transmission by other tick species or to mechanical transmission in regions where R. microplus is currently eradicated. The information derived from this study is...
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - August 31, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Agustin Estrada-PenaVictoria NaranjoKarina Acevedo-WhitehouseAtilio MangoldKatherine KocanJose de la Fuente Source Type: journals

Golgi localisation of GMAP210 requires two distinct cis-membrane binding mechanismsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: We conclude that the Golgi localisation of GMAP210 is the result of the combined action of the two N- and C-terminal domains that recognise different sub-regions of the cis-GA. Based on present and previous data, we propose a model in which GMAP210 would participate in homotypic fusion of cis-cisternae by anchoring the surface of cisternae via its C-terminus and projecting its distal N-terminus to bind the rims or to stabilise tubular structures connecting neighbouring cis-cisternae. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - August 27, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Jesus CardenasSabrina RiveroBruno GoudMichel BornensRosa Rios Source Type: journals

Delta-Opioid receptor activation attenuates oxidative injury in the ischemic rat brainEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: DOR activation attenuates oxidative injury in the brain exposed to ischemia/reperfusion by enhancing antioxidant ability and inhibiting caspase activity, which provides novel insights into the mechanism of DOR neuroprotection. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - August 25, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Yilin YangXiwei XiaYi ZhangQiang WangLu LiGuanghua LuoYing Xia Source Type: journals

Antibiotic treatment leads to the elimination of Wolbachia endosymbionts and sterility in the diplodiploid collembolan Folsomia candidaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Microbial endosymbionts play an obligatory role in the reproduction of their diplodiploid host, most likely one in which the parthenogenetic process is facilitated by Wolbachia. A hitherto unknown level of host-parasite interdependence is thus recorded. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - August 23, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Nathan PikeRachel Kingcombe Source Type: journals

Selective entrainment of the Drosophila circadian clock to daily gradients in environmental temperatureEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The present study systematically examined the entrainment of clock-controlled behavior to daily environmental temperature gradients. As a result, a number of key properties of circadian temperature entrainment were identified. Collectively, these properties represent a circadian temperature entrainment mechanism that is optimized in its ability to detect the time-of-day information encoded in natural environmental temperature profiles. The molecular events synchronized to the daily phases of ascending and descending temperature are expected to play an important role in the mechanism of circadian entrainment to...
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - August 10, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Jake CurrieTadahiro GodaHerman Wijnen Source Type: journals

TBP2 is a substitute for TBP in Xenopus oocyte transcriptionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The expression and transcriptional activity of TBP2 in oocytes show that TBP2 is the predominant initiation factor in oocytes, which is substituted by TBP on a subset of promoters in embryos as a result of proteolytic degradation of TBP2 during meiotic maturation. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - August 2, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Waseem AkhtarGert Jan Veenstra Source Type: journals

Remodeling of the chromatin structure of the facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) locus and upregulation of FSHD-related gene 1 (FRG1) expression during human myogenic differentiationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We propose a model in which the D4Z4 array may play a critical chromatin function as an orchestrator of in cis chromatin loops, thus suggesting that this repeat may play a role in coordinating gene expression. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - July 15, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Beatrice BodegaGabriella Di Capua RamirezFlorian GrasserStefania CheliSilvia BrunelliMarina MoraRaffaella MeneveriAnna MarozziStefan MuellerElena BattaglioliEnrico Ginelli Source Type: journals

Proliferation of Ty3/gypsy-like retrotransposons in hybrid sunflower taxa inferred from phylogenetic dataEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Proliferation of the same retrotransposon major sublineage in each hybrid species indicates that similar dynamics of element derepression and amplification likely occurred in each hybrid taxon during their formation. Temporal estimates of these proliferation events suggest an earlier origin for these hybrid species than previously supposed. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - July 13, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Mark UngererSuzanne StrakoshKaitlin Stimpson Source Type: journals

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)has failed to distinguish between smaller gut regions and larger haemal sinuses in sea urchins (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The sea urchin siphon is a narrow-bore tube that originates near the esophagus stomach junction, runs parallel to the stomach, and finally rejoins the main course of the gut at the beginning of the intestine. Although a siphon is present in most sea urchins, its place is taken by a siphonal groove in the following three major clades (traditionally ranked as families): Cidaridae, Diadematidae, and Pedinidae. The presence of a siphonal groove in the Diadematidae recently became controversial when two publications claimed that such sea urchins actually have a siphon instead and that our previous report to the contrary was bas...
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - July 12, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Nicholas HollandMichael Ghiselin Source Type: journals

Phylo-evo-devo: combining phylogenetics with evolutionary developmental biologyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
As a result of the integration of molecular and morphological approaches for the reconstruction of phylogenies, and of the intertwining of developmental and evolutionary biology, further prospects are open for a fruitful interaction between these two fields in what we may call a phylo-evo-devo approach.Wiegmann et al.'s molecular phylogeny of the holometabolous insect orders, recently published in BMC Biology, offers a good opportunity to revisit the inverted positions of wings and halteres in the Diptera and the Strepsiptera in terms of a putative homeotic mutation in the Hox gene Ultrabithorax. The main finding of this p...
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - June 25, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Alessandro Minelli Source Type: journals

Single-copy nuclear genes resolve the phylogeny of the holometabolous insectsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: These findings provide the most complete evolutionary framework for future comparative studies on model organisms and contribute strong evidence for the resolution of the 'Strepsiptera problem', a long-standing and hotly debated issue in insect phylogenetics. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - June 23, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Brian WiegmannMichelle TrautweinJung-Wook KimBrian CasselMatthew BertoneShaun WintertonDavid Yeates Source Type: journals

Coordination of opposing sex-specific and core muscle groups regulates male tail posture during Caenorhabditis elegans male mating behaviorEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that coordination of opposing sex-specific and core muscle groups, through the activity of multiple neurotransmitters, is required for regulation of male tail posture during mating. We have provided a simple model for regulation of male tail posture that provides a foundation for studies of how genes, molecular pathways, and neural circuits contribute to sensory regulation of this motor behavior. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - June 21, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Allyson WhittakerPaul Sternberg Source Type: journals

Microbial modification of host long-distance dispersal capacityEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: This novel finding that particular endosymbionts can influence host dispersal is of broad importance given the extremely widespread occurrence of similar bacteria within arthropod communities. A bacterial phenotype that limits dispersal has the potential not only to reduce gene flow and thus contribute to degrees of reproductive isolation within species, but also to influence species distribution and thus overall community composition. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - June 18, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Sara GoodacreOliver MartinDries BonteLinda HutchingsChris WoolleyKamal IbrahimC.F. George ThomasGodfrey Hewitt Source Type: journals

Hibernation-like state induced by an opioid peptide protects against experimental strokeEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: These results indicate that DADLE protected against necrotic and apoptotic cell death processes associated with ischemia-reperfusion injury. The present study demonstrates that delta opioids are crucially involved in stroke, suggesting that the opioid system is important in the study of brain injury and protection. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - June 16, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Cesar BorlonganTeruo HayashiPeter OeltgenTsung-Ping SuYun Wang Source Type: journals

Early calcium increase triggers the formation of olfactory long-term memory in honeybeesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Altogether our data suggest that during olfactory conditioning Ca2+ is both a necessary and a sufficient signal for the formation of protein-dependent long-term memory. Ca2+ therefore appears to act as a switch between short- and long-term storage of learned information. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - June 15, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Emmanuel PerisseValerie Raymond-DelpechIsabelle NeantYukihisa MatsumotoCatherine LeclercMarc MoreauJean-Christophe Sandoz Source Type: journals

Mutations in many genes affect aggressive behavior in Drosophila melanogasterEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: This study reveals that many more genes than previously suspected affect aggressive behavior, and that these genes have widespread pleiotropic effects. Given the conservation of aggressive behavior among different animal species, these are novel candidate genes for future study in other animals, including humans. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - June 10, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Alexis EdwardsLiesbeth ZwartsAkihiko YamamotoPatrick CallaertsTrudy Mackay Source Type: journals

Candidate chemoreceptor subfamilies differentially expressed in the chemosensory organs of the mollusc AplysiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The novel rhodopsin G-protein coupled receptor-like gene subfamilies identified here do not have closely related identifiable orthologs in other metazoans, suggesting that they arose by a lineage-specific expansion as has been observed in chemosensory receptor families in other bilaterians. These candidate chemosensory receptors are expressed and often restricted to rhinophores and oral tentacles, lending support to the notion that water-borne chemical detection in Aplysia involves species- or lineage-specific families of chemosensory receptors. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - June 4, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Scott CumminsDirk ErpenbeckZhihua ZouCharles ClaudianosLeonid MorozGregg NagleBernard Degnan Source Type: journals

A single muscle moves a crustacean limb joint rhythmically by acting against a spring containing resilinEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Resilin is progressively bent as a flagellum is abducted and resumes its natural shape when the joint recoils. Other distortions of the exopodites may also contribute to this spring-like action. The joint is therefore controlled by a single abductor muscle operating against a spring in which the elastic properties of resilin play a key role. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - May 29, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Malcolm Burrows Source Type: journals

Heterologous cross-seeding mimics cross-species prion conversion in a yeast modelEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Although the sequence similarity between the S. cerevisiae Q/N-rich prion determinants and the P. methanolica prion domain is low, we find that the chimera containing the prion domain of P. methanolica can occasionally be cross-seeded by [PSI+] to mimic crossing the species barrier, to form the [CHI+PM] prion. Our data suggests that crossing the barrier occurs by a de novo formation of the foreign chimeric prion. Thus, the species barrier appears to be crossed by a heterologous seeding mechanism, wherein the infected prion protein uses the pre-existing seed as an inefficient template. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - May 26, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Namitha VishveshwaraSusan Liebman Source Type: journals

AP-2alpha regulates migration of GN-11 neurons via a specific genetic programme involving the Axl receptor tyrosine kinaseEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: We show that AP-2a plays an essential role in cell movement via the activation of cell-specific genetic programmes. Moreover, we demonstrate that the AP-2a regulated gene Axl is an essential player in GN-11 neuron migration. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - May 22, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Francesca OrsoRichard JagerRaffaele Adolfo CalogeroHubert SchorlePiero SismondiMichele De BortoliDaniela Taverna Source Type: journals

The cAMP-HMGA1-RBP4 system: a novel biochemical pathway for modulating glucose homeostasisEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: These results indicate that HMGA1 is an important modulator of RBP4 gene expression in vivo. Further, they provide evidence for the identification of a novel biochemical pathway involving the cAMP-HMGA1-RBP4 system, whose activation may play a role in glucose homeostasis in both rodents and humans. Elucidating these mechanisms has importance for both fundamental biology and therapeutic implications. Results: We first show that HMGA1 is needed for basal and cAMP-induced retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) gene and protein expression in living cells of both human and mouse origin. Then, by employing the Hmga1-knock...
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - May 21, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Eusebio ChiefariFrancesco PaonessaStefania IiritanoIlaria Le PeraDario PalmieriGiuseppe BrunettiAngelo LupoVittorio ColantuoniDaniela FotiElio GullettaGiovambattista De SarroAlfredo FuscoAntonio Brunetti Source Type: journals

Noisy splicing, more than expression regulation, explains why some exons are subject to nonsense-mediated mRNA decayEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: We conclude that for recently evolved exons the noisy splicing model is the better explanation of their properties, while for ancient exons the nonsense-mediated decay regulated gene expression is a viable explanation. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - May 14, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Zhenguo Zhang, Dedong Xin, Ping Wang, Li Zhou, Landian Hu, Xiangyin Kong and Laurence D Hurst Source Type: journals

Single molecule resolution of the antimicrobial action of quantum dot-labeled sushi peptide on live bacteriaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Recently the hypothesis that many antimicrobial peptides act on internal targets to kill the bacterium has been discussed. Here, we demonstrate that the target sites of Sushi 1 are outer and inner membranes and are not cytosolic. Further, our findings suggest four successive steps of the bactericidal process: 1) Binding, mediated mainly by charged residues in the peptide; 2) Peptide association, as peptide concentration increases evidenced by a change in diffusive behavior; 3) Membrane disruption, during which lipopolysaccharide is not released; and 4) Lysis, by leakage of cytosolic content through large membra...
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - May 11, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Sebastian Leptihn, Jia Yi Har, Jianzhu Chen, Bow Ho, Thorsten Wohland and Jeak Ling Ding Source Type: journals

F-actin-based extensions of the head cyst cell adhere to the maturing spermatids to maintain them in a tight bundle and prevent their premature release in Drosophila testisEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Altogether, our data suggests that the head cyst cell adheres to the maturing spermatid heads through F-actin-based extensions, thus maintaining them in a tight bundle. This is likely to regulate mature sperm release into the seminal vesicle. Overall, this process bears resemblance to mammalian spermiation. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - May 5, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Bela S Desai, Seema Shirolikar and Krishanu Ray Source Type: journals

Lateral gene transfer between prokaryotes and multicellular eukaryotes: ongoing and significant?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The expansion of genome sequencing projects has produced accumulating evidence for lateral transfer of genes between prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. However, it remains controversial whether these genes are of functional importance in their recipient host. Nikoh and Nakabachi, in a recent paper in BMC Biology, take a first step and show that two genes of bacterial origin are highly expressed in the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. Active gene expression of transferred genes is supported by three other recent studies. Future studies should reveal whether functional proteins are produced and whether and how these are targe...
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - May 5, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Vera ID Ros and Gregory DD Hurst Source Type: journals

The calcium-sensing receptor regulates parathyroid hormone gene expression in transfected HEK293 cellsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The expression of the calcium receptor is sufficient to confer the regulation of parathyroid hormone gene expression to these heterologous cells. The calcium receptor decreases parathyroid hormone gene expression in these engineered cells through the parathyroid hormone mRNA 3'-UTR cis element and the balanced interactions of the trans-acting factors KSRP and AUF1 with parathyroid hormone mRNA, as in vivo in the parathyroid. This is the first demonstration that the calcium receptor can regulate parathyroid hormone gene expression in heterologous cells. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - April 27, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Hillel Galitzer, Vardit Lavi-Moshayoff, Morris Nechama, Tomer Meir, Justin Silver and Tally Naveh-Many Source Type: journals

Defining behavioral and molecular differences between summer and migratory monarch butterfliesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The results link key behavioral traits with gene expression profiles in brain that differentiate migratory from summer butterflies and thus show that seasonal changes in genomic function help define the migratory state. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - March 31, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Haisun Zhu, Robert J Gegear, Amy Casselman, Sriramana Kanginakudru and Steven M Reppert Source Type: journals

Aphids acquired symbiotic genes via lateral gene transferEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: In this study, we obtained several lines of evidence indicating that aphids acquired genes from bacteria via lateral gene transfer and that these genes are used to maintain the obligately mutualistic bacterium, Buchnera. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - March 10, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Naruo Nikoh and Atsushi Nakabachi Source Type: journals

The relative ages of ectomycorrhizal mushrooms and their plant hosts estimated using Bayesian relaxed molecular clock analysesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The ancestor of the Agaricomycetes could not have been an ECM species because it existed long before any of its potential hosts. Within more derived clades of Agaricomycetes, there have been at least eight independent origins of ECM associations involving angiosperms, and at least six to eight origins of associations with gymnosperms. The first ECM symbioses may have involved Pinaceae, which are older than rosids, but several major clades of Agaricomycetes, such as the Boletales and Russulales, are young enough to have been plesiomorphically associated with either rosids or Pinaceae, suggesting that some conte...
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - March 10, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: David S Hibbett and P Brandon Matheny Source Type: journals

Concerted evolution of male and female display traits in the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalisEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: In this study we used an integrative approach to characterise the male sex pheromone in a moth. Interestingly, the male chemical signal is analogous to the female signal in that structurally similar compounds are being used by both sexes. Hence, in systems where both sexes possess display traits, the pleiotropy of genes generating the traits could influence the evolutionary trajectories of sexual signals and lead to their divergence, with speciation being the ultimate result. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - March 3, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Jean-Marc Lassance and Christer Lofsedt Source Type: journals

Microarray and cDNA sequence analysis of transcription during nerve-dependent limb regenerationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Many new candidate gene sequences were discovered for the first time and these will greatly enable future studies of wound healing, epigenetics, genome stability, and nerve-dependent blastema formation and outgrowth using the axolotl model. (Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Biology - Latest articles - January 13, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: James R Monaghan, Leonard G Epp, Srikrishna Putta, Robert B Page, John A Walker, Chris K Beachy, Wei Zhu, Gerald M Pao, Inder M Verma, Tony Hunter, Susan V Bryant, David M Gardiner, Timothy T Harkins and Stephen R Voss Source Type: journals