Search results for "Vertebrate"
showing 10 items of 830 documents
Low intensity vs. self-guided Internet-delivered psychotherapy for major depression: A multicenter, controlled, randomized study
2013
Abstract Background Major depression will become the second most important cause of disability in 2020. Computerized cognitive-behaviour therapy could be an efficacious and cost-effective option for its treatment. No studies on cost-effectiveness of low intensity vs self-guided psychotherapy has been carried out. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of low intensity vs self-guided psychotherapy for major depression in the Spanish health system. Methods The study is made up of 3 phases: 1.- Development of a computerized cognitive-behaviour therapy for depression tailored to Spanish health system. 2.- Multicenter controlled, randomized study: A sample (N=450 patients) with mild/mod…
Identification of a β-Dystroglycan Immunoreactive Subcompartment in Photoreceptor Terminals
2005
PURPOSE Mutations in the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex (DGC) cause various forms of muscular dystrophy. These diseases are characterized by progressive loss of skeletal muscle tissue and by dysfunctions in the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS deficits include an altered electroretinogram, caused by an impaired synaptic transmission between photoreceptors and their postsynaptic target cells in the outer plexiform layer (OPL). The DGC is concentrated in the OPL but its exact distribution is controversial. Therefore, the precise distribution of beta-dystroglycan, the central component of the DGC, within the OPL of the mature chick retina, was determined. METHODS Double immuno…
p27Kip1participates in the regulation of endoreplication in differentiating chick retinal ganglion cells
2015
Nuclear DNA duplication in the absence of cell division (i.e. endoreplication) leads to somatic polyploidy in eukaryotic cells. In contrast to some invertebrate neurons, whose nuclei may contain up to 200,000-fold the normal haploid DNA amount (C), polyploid neurons in higher vertebrates show only 4C DNA content. To explore the mechanism that prevents extra rounds of DNA synthesis in these latter cells we focused on the chick retina, where a population of tetraploid retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) has been described. We show that differentiating chick RGCs that express the neurotrophic receptors p75 and TrkB while lacking retinoblastoma protein, a feature of tetraploid RGCs, also express p27K…
Retinal neurodegenerative changes in the adult insulin receptor substrate-2 deficient mouse.
2014
Abstract Insulin receptor substrate-2 (Irs2) mediates peripheral insulin action and is essential for retinal health. Previous investigations have reported severe photoreceptor degeneration and abnormal visual function in Irs2-deficient mice. However, molecular changes in the Irs2 − / − mouse retina have not been described. In this study, we examined retinal degenerative changes in neuronal and glial cells of adult (9- and 12-week old) Irs2 − / − mice by immunohistochemistry. 9-week old Irs2 − / − mice showed significant thinning of outer retinal layers, concomitant to Muller and microglial cell activation. Photoreceptor cells displayed different signs of degeneration, such as outer/inner…
SANS (USH1G) expression in developing and mature mammalian retina
2008
AbstractThe human Usher syndrome (USH) is the most common form of combined deaf-blindness. Usher type I (USH1), the most severe form, is characterized by profound congenital deafness, constant vestibular dysfunction and prepubertal-onset of retinitis pigmentosa. Five corresponding genes of the six USH1 genes have been cloned so far. The USH1G gene encodes the SANS (scaffold protein containing ankyrin repeats and SAM domain) protein which consists of protein motifs known to mediate protein–protein interactions. Recent studies indicated SANS function as a scaffold protein in the protein interactome related to USH.Here, we generated specific antibodies for SANS protein expression analyses. Our…
Relationships of gag-pol diversity between Ty3/Gypsy and Retroviridae LTR retroelements and the three kings hypothesis
2008
Abstract Background The origin of vertebrate retroviruses (Retroviridae) is yet to be thoroughly investigated, but due to their similarity and identical gag-pol (and env) genome structure, it is accepted that they evolve from Ty3/Gypsy LTR retroelements the retrotransposons and retroviruses of plants, fungi and animals. These 2 groups of LTR retroelements code for 3 proteins rarely studied due to the high variability – gag polyprotein, protease and GPY/F module. In relation to 3 previously proposed Retroviridae classes I, II and II, investigation of the above proteins conclusively uncovers important insights regarding the ancient history of Ty3/Gypsy and Retroviridae LTR retroelements. Resu…
Biotic recovery after the end-Triassic extinction event: Evidence from marine bivalves of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina
2017
We analyze the Late Triassic extinction and Early Jurassic recovery of bivalve faunas within marine environments in the Atuel River area of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina. Data were collected from a hundred samples with invertebrates in a well-exposed uppermost Triassic to lower Jurassic section in the Neuquén Basin (southern Mendoza Province, Argentina) and allow a high-resolution reconstruction of the local diversity dynamics. The nearly continuous presence of marine stenohaline major taxa such as cnidarians, rhynchonelliform brachiopods, echinoderms and cephalopods indicates normal salinity throughout. All bivalve species were identified, and each occurrence was recorded in meters above th…
The GTP- and Phospholipid-Binding Protein TTD14 Regulates Trafficking of the TRPL Ion Channel in Drosophila Photoreceptor Cells
2015
Recycling of signaling proteins is a common phenomenon in diverse signaling pathways. In photoreceptors of Drosophila, light absorption by rhodopsin triggers a phospholipase Cβ-mediated opening of the ion channels transient receptor potential (TRP) and TRP-like (TRPL) and generates the visual response. The signaling proteins are located in a plasma membrane compartment called rhabdomere. The major rhodopsin (Rh1) and TRP are predominantly localized in the rhabdomere in light and darkness. In contrast, TRPL translocates between the rhabdomeral plasma membrane in the dark and a storage compartment in the cell body in the light, from where it can be recycled to the plasma membrane upon subsequ…
Flash-Floods Influence Macroinvertebrate Communities Distribution in Lotic Ecosystems
2019
Abstract Stream dwelling invertebrate populations are facing an ample array of stressors including the habitat imbalance caused by important floods. In this research we used a novel way to estimate the impact of floods upon the substrate, by utilising a remote variable named “flash-flood potential” (FFP), which accounts for the site slope and the average slope of the upstream catchment. The results showed that certain groups are sensitive to the influence of the FFP whereas other are not. We propose this remote variable as a surrogate for assessing stress imposed by floods and sediment scouring for lotic macroinvertebrates.
Habitat geometry of benthic substrata: effects on arrival and settlement of mobile epifauna
1996
Abstract The effect of substratum complexity on the early stages of colonization by mobile epifauna was assessed through a comparative study based on the architecture of artificial substrata. We conducted field observations over 4 years, on six types of small plastic substrata placed in the low intertidal zone of an exposed rocky shore, for varied immersion periods (1, 2, 4 and 12 wk). The use of artificial substrata allowed us to manipulate independently structural and spatial features of the habitat, such as total area, amount of folds, intercepting area, total volume, and interstitial volume. The invertebrate fauna colonizing over 300 sample units was recorded, and their densities compar…