Hitchhiking with the Vikings? The anthropogenic bumblebee fauna of Iceland – past and present

The number of bumblebee species found in Iceland has doubled from three to six in 35 years. This paper considers the colonisation of Iceland by bumblebees; updates information on Bombus(Pyrobombus) jonellus (Kirby), B. (Megabombus) hortorum (L.) and B. (Bombus) lucorum (L.); presents findings for two new colonists, B. (Pyrobombus) hypnorum (L.) and B. (Thoracobombus) pascuorum (Scopoli); and considers the arrival of another species, B.(Pyrobombus) pratorum (L.), that may have become established. The context of bumblebee dispersal to remote islands is considered. Many of the restricted number of insect species that have colonised North Atlantic islands have done so in association with man. B. (Bombus) terrestris (L.) has been used as a pollinator in glasshouses in Iceland since 1994, and it may also have become naturalised. Barcoding is needed to check the identity of some specimens. B. jonellus has probably been present for at least several hundred years; genetic studies should help determine whether the timescale for its arrival is compatible with an anthropogenic origin. It is suggested that consideration is given to ways of reducing both unintended introduction of bumblebee species with cargo, and the release and disease risk of those imported intentionally for commercial use.     

Toward interoperable bioscience data

To make full use of research data, the bioscience community needs to adopt technologies and reward mechanisms that support interoperability and promote the growth of an open 'data commoning' culture. Here we describe the prerequisites for data commoning and present an established and growing ecosystem of solutions using the shared 'Investigation-Study-Assay' framework to support that vision.     

Human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons establish region-specific, long-range projections in the adult brain

While the availability of pluripotent stem cells has opened new prospects for generating neural donor cells for nervous system repair, their capability to integrate with adult brain tissue in a structurally relevant way is still largely unresolved. We addressed the potential of human embryonic stem cell-derived long-term self-renewing neuroepithelial stem cells (lt-NES cells) to establish axonal projections after transplantation into the adult rodent brain. Transgenic and species-specific markers were used to trace the innervation pattern established by transplants in the hippocampus and motor cortex. In vitro, lt-NES cells formed a complex axonal network within several weeks after the initiation of differentiation and expressed a composition of surface receptors known to be instrumental in axonal growth and pathfinding. In vivo, these donor cells adopted projection patterns closely mimicking endogenous projections in two different regions of the adult rodent brain. Hippocampal grafts placed in the dentate gyrus projected to both the ipsilateral and contralateral pyramidal cell layers, while axons of donor neurons placed in the motor cortex extended via the external and internal capsule into the cervical spinal cord and via the corpus callosum into the contralateral cortex. Interestingly, acquisition of these region-specific projection profiles was not correlated with the adoption of a regional phenotype. Upon reaching their destination, human axons established ultrastructural correlates of synaptic connections with host neurons. Together, these data indicate that neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells are endowed with a remarkable potential to establish orthotopic long-range projections in the adult mammalian brain.     

A genome-wide association scan of tag SNPs identifies a susceptibility variant for colorectal cancer at 8q24.21

Much of the variation in inherited risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) is probably due to combinations of common low risk variants. We conducted a genome-wide association study of 550,000 tag SNPs in 930 familial colorectal tumor cases and 960 controls. The most strongly associated SNP (P = 1.72 x 10(-7), allelic test) was rs6983267 at 8q24.21. To validate this finding, we genotyped rs6983267 in three additional CRC case-control series (4,361 affected individuals and 3,752 controls; 1,901 affected individuals and 1,079 controls; 1,072 affected individuals and 415 controls) and replicated the association, providing P = 1.27 x 10(-14) (allelic test) overall, with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.27 (95% confidence interval (c.i.): 1.16-1.39) and 1.47 (95% c.i.: 1.34-1.62) for heterozygotes and rare homozygotes, respectively. Analyses based on 1,477 individuals with colorectal adenoma and 2,136 controls suggest that susceptibility to CRC is mediated through development of adenomas (OR = 1.21, 95% c.i.: 1.10-1.34; P = 6.89 x 10(-5)). These data show that common, low-penetrance susceptibility alleles predispose to colorectal neoplasia.     

Mutations in genes encoding ribonuclease H2 subunits cause Aicardi-Goutières syndrome and mimic congenital viral brain infection

Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS) is an autosomal recessive neurological disorder, the clinical and immunological features of which parallel those of congenital viral infection. Here we define the composition of the human ribonuclease H2 enzyme complex and show that AGS can result from mutations in the genes encoding any one of its three subunits. Our findings demonstrate a role for ribonuclease H in human neurological disease and suggest an unanticipated relationship between ribonuclease H2 and the antiviral immune response that warrants further investigation.     

TPX2: of spindle assembly,DNA damage response,and cancer

For more than 15 years, TPX2 has been studied as a factor critical for mitosis and spindle assembly. These functions of TPX2 are attributed to its Ran-regulated microtubule-associated protein properties and to its control of the Aurora A kinase. Overexpressed in cancers, TPX2 is being established as marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of malignancies. During interphase, TPX2 resides preferentially in the nucleus where its function had remained elusive until recently. The latest finding that TPX2 plays a role in amplification of the DNA damage response, combined with the characterization of TPX2 knockout mice, open new perspectives to understand the biology of this protein. This review provides an historic overview of the discovery of TPX2 and summarizes its cytoskeletal and signaling roles with relevance to cancer therapies. Finally, the review aims to reconcile discrepancies between the experimental and pathological effects of TPX2 overexpression and advances new roles for compartmentalized TPX2.     

Deep Geothermal:The‘Moon Landing’ Mission in the Unconventional Energy and Minerals Space

Deep geothermal from the hot crystalline basement has remained an unsolved frontier for the geothermal industry for the past 30 years. This poses the challenge for developing a new un-conventional geom...