Applications of membrane systems in distributed systems

Based on the biological model of cell-to-cell communication proposed by A. Rustom et al. (Science, 2004, 303: 1007—1010), we investigate the possibilities to apply P systems with dynamic channels transporting membrane vesicles for describing processes in distributed systems.     

桂林唐家湾地区上泥盆统桂林组碳酸盐岩微相

广西桂林唐家湾地区上泥盆统桂林组发育8种微相类型,即灰泥岩、球粒-泥粒岩/颗粒岩、生物屑粒泥岩、棘皮-泥粒岩、枝状层孔虫-颗粒岩、层孔虫-棘皮-泥粒岩/颗粒岩、枝状层孔虫-棘度-泥粒岩/漂砾灰岩、鲕粒-球粒泥粒岩/颗粒岩。由于海平面变化及水体盐度变化形成3种沉积旋回类型。桂林组碳酸盐岩是在地形平坦的浅水台地或台隆上沉积的。由于受台盆相间的古地理格局的控制,只出现过短暂的风暴潮高能沉积,并导致生物组合分异度低。     

Genome-wide association scan in women with systemic lupus erythematosus identifies susceptibility variants in ITGAM, PXK, KIAA1542 and other loci

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common systemic autoimmune disease with complex etiology but strong clustering in families (lambda(S) = approximately 30). We performed a genome-wide association scan using 317,501 SNPs in 720 women of European ancestry with SLE and in 2,337 controls, and we genotyped consistently associated SNPs in two additional independent sample sets totaling 1,846 affected women and 1,825 controls. Aside from the expected strong association between SLE and the HLA region on chromosome 6p21 and the previously confirmed non-HLA locus IRF5 on chromosome 7q32, we found evidence of association with replication (1.1 x 10(-7) < P(overall) < 1.6 x 10(-23); odds ratio = 0.82-1.62) in four regions: 16p11.2 (ITGAM), 11p15.5 (KIAA1542), 3p14.3 (PXK) and 1q25.1 (rs10798269). We also found evidence for association (P < 1 x 10(-5)) at FCGR2A, PTPN22 and STAT4, regions previously associated with SLE and other autoimmune diseases, as well as at > or =9 other loci (P < 2 x 10(-7)). Our results show that numerous genes, some with known immune-related functions, predispose to SLE.     

Clusters of iron-rich cells in the upper beak of pigeons are macrophages not magnetosensitive neurons

Understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that mediate magnetosensation in vertebrates is a formidable scientific problem. One hypothesis is that magnetic information is transduced into neuronal impulses by using a magnetite-based magnetoreceptor. Previous studies claim to have identified a magnetic sense system in the pigeon, common to avian species, which consists of magnetite-containing trigeminal afferents located at six specific loci in the rostral subepidermis of the beak. These studies have been widely accepted in the field and heavily relied upon by both behavioural biologists and physicists. Here we show that clusters of iron-rich cells in the rostro-medial upper beak of the pigeon Columbia livia are macrophages, not magnetosensitive neurons. Our systematic characterization of the pigeon upper beak identified iron-rich cells in the stratum laxum of the subepidermis, the basal region of the respiratory epithelium and the apex of feather follicles. Using a three-dimensional blueprint of the pigeon beak created by magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, we mapped the location of iron-rich cells, revealing unexpected variation in their distribution and number--an observation that is inconsistent with a role in magnetic sensation. Ultrastructure analysis of these cells, which are not unique to the beak, showed that their subcellular architecture includes ferritin-like granules, siderosomes, haemosiderin and filopodia, characteristics of iron-rich macrophages. Our conclusion that these cells are macrophages and not magnetosensitive neurons is supported by immunohistological studies showing co-localization with the antigen-presenting molecule major histocompatibility complex class II. Our work necessitates a renewed search for the true magnetite-dependent magnetoreceptor in birds.     

The birth of classical genetics as the junction of two disciplines: Conceptual change as representational change

The birth of classical genetics in the 1910's was the result of the junction of two modes of analysis, corresponding to two disciplines: Mendelism and cytology. The goal of this paper is to shed some light on the change undergone by the science of heredity at the time, and to emphasize the subtlety of the conceptual articulation of Mendelian and cytological hypotheses within classical genetics. As a way to contribute to understanding how the junction of the two disciplines at play gave birth to a new way of studying heredity, my focus will be on the forms of representation used in genetics research at the time. More particularly, I will study the design and development, by Thomas H. Morgan's group, of the technique of linkage mapping, which embodies the integration of the Mendelian and cytological forms of representation. I will show that the design of this technique resulted in a genuine conceptual change, which should be described as a representational change, rather than merely as the introduction of new hypotheses into genetics.     

p38alpha MAP kinase is essential in lung stem and progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation

Stem cell function is central for the maintenance of normal tissue homeostasis. Here we show that deletion of p38alpha mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in adult mice results in increased proliferation and defective differentiation of lung stem and progenitor cells both in vivo and in vitro. We found that p38alpha positively regulates factors such as CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein that are required for lung cell differentiation. In addition, p38alpha controls self-renewal of the lung stem and progenitor cell population by inhibiting proliferation-inducing signals, most notably epidermal growth factor receptor. As a consequence, the inactivation of p38alpha leads to an immature and hyperproliferative lung epithelium that is highly sensitized to K-Ras(G12V)-induced tumorigenesis. Our results indicate that by coordinating proliferation and differentiation signals in lung stem and progenitor cells, p38alpha has a key role in the regulation of lung cell renewal and tumorigenesis.     

The ciliary gene RPGRIP1L is mutated in cerebello-oculo-renal syndrome (Joubert syndrome type B) and Meckel syndrome

Cerebello-oculo-renal syndrome (CORS), also called Joubert syndrome type B, and Meckel (MKS) syndrome belong to the group of developmental autosomal recessive disorders that are associated with primary cilium dysfunction. Using SNP mapping, we identified missense and truncating mutations in RPGRIP1L (KIAA1005) in both CORS and MKS, and we show that inactivation of the mouse ortholog Rpgrip1l (Ftm) recapitulates the cerebral, renal and hepatic defects of CORS and MKS. In addition, we show that RPGRIP1L colocalizes at the basal body and centrosomes with the protein products of both NPHP6 and NPHP4, known genes associated with MKS, CORS and nephronophthisis (a related renal disorder and ciliopathy). In addition, the RPGRIP1L missense mutations found in CORS individuals diminishes the interaction between RPGRIP1L and nephrocystin-4. Our findings show that mutations in RPGRIP1L can cause the multiorgan phenotypic abnormalities found in CORS or MKS, which therefore represent a continuum of the same underlying disorder.     

Trace metals especially Fe+++ as dietary factors for leafhoppers

Summary Some trace metals are required for development and reproduction, and therefore for continuous rearing of the aster leafhopper,Macrosteles fascifrons, on a holidic diet. Requirement for Fe⁺⁺⁺ becomes apparent immediately in the 1st generation; for Cu⁺⁺ and Zn⁺⁺, in the 3rd. The leafhopper has grown normally and continuously for 3 generations in the absence of manganese.We acknowledge the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA, for financial supports.