Semi-synthesis and proposed structure of platelet-activating factor (P.A.F.): PAF-acether an alkyl ether analog of lysophosphatidylcholine]

We have studied the molecular structure of platelet-activating factor" (P.A.F.), a mediator of inflammation obtained from blood leukocytes, macrophages, and platelets themselves. We have semi-synthetized a substance that possesses all the known physicochemical and biological characteristics of P.A.F. from hog leukocytes. This was performed by successive methylation, hydrogenation, and acetylation of lysophosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogen. We therefore propose the following structure for P.A.F.: 1-0-alkyl-2-acetyl-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine. This molecular structure is not yet described among the numerous substances capable of inducing platelet aggregation and release.     

A new class of anthelmintics effective against drug-resistant nematodes

Anthelmintic resistance in human and animal pathogenic helminths has been spreading in prevalence and severity to a point where multidrug resistance against the three major classes of anthelmintics--the benzimidazoles, imidazothiazoles and macrocyclic lactones--has become a global phenomenon in gastrointestinal nematodes of farm animals. Hence, there is an urgent need for an anthelmintic with a new mode of action. Here we report the discovery of the amino-acetonitrile derivatives (AADs) as a new chemical class of synthetic anthelmintics and describe the development of drug candidates that are efficacious against various species of livestock-pathogenic nematodes. These drug candidates seem to have a novel mode of action involving a unique, nematode-specific clade of acetylcholine receptor subunits. The AADs are well tolerated and of low toxicity to mammals, and overcome existing resistances to the currently available anthelmintics.     

Control of segment number in vertebrate embryos

The vertebrate body axis is subdivided into repeated segments, best exemplified by the vertebrae that derive from embryonic somites. The number of somites is precisely defined for any given species but varies widely from one species to another. To determine the mechanism controlling somite number, we have compared somitogenesis in zebrafish, chicken, mouse and corn snake embryos. Here we present evidence that in all of these species a similar 'clock-and-wavefront' mechanism operates to control somitogenesis; in all of them, somitogenesis is brought to an end through a process in which the presomitic mesoderm, having first increased in size, gradually shrinks until it is exhausted, terminating somite formation. In snake embryos, however, the segmentation clock rate is much faster relative to developmental rate than in other amniotes, leading to a greatly increased number of smaller-sized somites.     

Translational control of intron splicing in eukaryotes

Most eukaryotic genes are interrupted by non-coding introns that must be accurately removed from pre-messenger RNAs to produce translatable mRNAs. Splicing is guided locally by short conserved sequences, but genes typically contain many potential splice sites, and the mechanisms specifying the correct sites remain poorly understood. In most organisms, short introns recognized by the intron definition mechanism cannot be efficiently predicted solely on the basis of sequence motifs. In multicellular eukaryotes, long introns are recognized through exon definition and most genes produce multiple mRNA variants through alternative splicing. The nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway may further shape the observed sets of variants by selectively degrading those containing premature termination codons, which are frequently produced in mammals. Here we show that the tiny introns of the ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia are under strong selective pressure to cause premature termination of mRNA translation in the event of intron retention, and that the same bias is observed among the short introns of plants, fungi and animals. By knocking down the two P. tetraurelia genes encoding UPF1, a protein that is crucial in NMD, we show that the intrinsic efficiency of splicing varies widely among introns and that NMD activity can significantly reduce the fraction of unspliced mRNAs. The results suggest that, independently of alternative splicing, species with large intron numbers universally rely on NMD to compensate for suboptimal splicing efficiency and accuracy.     

Discovery of an aurora on Mars

In the high-latitude regions of Earth, aurorae are the often-spectacular visual manifestation of the interaction between electrically charged particles (electrons, protons or ions) with the neutral upper atmosphere, as they precipitate along magnetic field lines. More generally, auroral emissions in planetary atmospheres "are those that result from the impact of particles other than photoelectrons" (ref. 1). Auroral activity has been found on all four giant planets possessing a magnetic field (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune), as well as on Venus, which has no magnetic field. On the nightside of Venus, atomic O emissions at 130.4 nm and 135.6 nm appear in bright patches of varying sizes and intensities, which are believed to be produced by electrons with energy <300 eV (ref. 7). Here we report the discovery of an aurora in the martian atmosphere, using the ultraviolet spectrometer SPICAM on board Mars Express. It corresponds to a distinct type of aurora not seen before in the Solar System: it is unlike aurorae at Earth and the giant planets, which lie at the foot of the intrinsic magnetic field lines near the magnetic poles, and unlike venusian auroras, which are diffuse, sometimes spreading over the entire disk. Instead, the martian aurora is a highly concentrated and localized emission controlled by magnetic field anomalies in the martian crust.     

Potential geographic distribution niche modeling based on bioclimatic variables of three species of Temnomastax Rehn and Rehn, 1942 (Orthoptera: Eumastacidae)

Predictive modeling of geographic distribution based on ecological niche has become an important tool in ecology. It uses previous information about distribution of species and environmental variations associated with this distribution, restricting to the models the closest prediction of the ecological niche. The eumastacid grasshoppers are distributed mainly in the Neotropical region, and Temnomastacinae is the subfamily with the largest geographic distribution. Little is known about the biology of Eumastacidae, the only data available reporting the association between some grasshopper species and plants of several families. In the Cerrado only Temnomastax is recorded, which has a wide distribution in the central region of Brazil. The aim of this work was to determine the potential geographic distribution of three species of Temnomastax occurring in the Cerrado biome. We used 446 records of occurrence obtained in specialised literature, inventories, museums and photographs, from the following species: Temnomastax hamus, Temnomastax ricardoi and Temnomastax tigris. The niche modeling was generated with the bioclimatic model DOMAIN through DIVA-GIS. The potential geographic distribution of T. hamus is the largest among all Temnomastax species. Temnomastax ricardoi has its potential distribution in the central-north of Mato Grosso do Sul, in regions surrounding the type locality, while T. tigris. exhibits a restricted potential distribution along the carbonate arc of the Corumbá Formation, which outcrops in the region of Serra da Bodoquena and Corumbá, entering the eastern portion of Bolivia.