Search results for "Vertebrates"
showing 10 items of 440 documents
Conserved synteny of mammalian imprinted genes in chicken, frog, and fish genomes
2006
Conservation of synteny of mammalian imprinted genes between chicken and human suggested that highly conserved gene clusters were selected long before these genes were recruited for genomic imprinting in mammals. Here we have applied in silico mapping of orthologous genes in pipid frog, zebrafish, spotted green and Japanese pufferfish to show considerable conservation of synteny in lower vertebrates. More than 400 million years ago in a common ancestor of teleost fish and tetrapods, ‘preimprinted’ chromosome regions homologous to human 6q25, 7q21, 7q32, 11p15, and 15q11→q12 already contained most present-day mammalian imprinted genes. Interestingly, some imprinted gene orthologues which are…
The serine/threonine kinase 33 is present and expressed in palaeognath birds but has become a unitary pseudogene in neognaths about 100 million years…
2015
Background Serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33) has been shown to be conserved across all major vertebrate classes including reptiles, mammals, amphibians and fish, suggesting its importance within vertebrates. It has been shown to phosphorylate vimentin and might play a role in spermatogenesis and organ ontogenesis. In this study we analyzed the genomic locus and expression of stk33 in the class Aves, using a combination of large scale next generation sequencing data analysis and traditional PCR. Results Within the subclass Palaeognathae we analyzed the white-throated tinamou (Tinamus guttatus), the African ostrich (Struthio camelus) and the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae). For the African os…
Ecological risks of an old wood impregnation mill: application of the triad approach.
2010
Although many studies deal with the distribution and mobility of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) metals in soil, the ecotoxicity of CCA-contaminated soils is rarely studied. The Triad approach was applied to determine the ecological risks posed by a CCA mixture at a decommissioned wood impregnation mill in southern Finland. A combination of (1) chemical analyses; (2) toxicity tests with plants (aquatic: Lemna minor; terrestrial: Lactuca sativa), earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus), and enchytraeids (Enchytraeus albidus) conducted on contaminated soils, their aqueous extracts, and well water collected from the site; and (3) determination of the abundance of enchytraeids and nematodes and the bio…
Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in the Northern Tributaries of the “Iron Gates” Gorge (Danube River)
2014
Abstract The paper presents the structure of the benthonic macro-invertebrates communities in the Berzasca, Sirinia, Liubcova, and Mraconia rivers. The results are based on quantitative benthos samples (95 samples), collected in July 2014 from 19 sampling stations within the study area. In longitudinal profile, the benthonic macro-invertebrate communities of the Sirinia, Liubcova and Berzasca rivers displays relatively large structural variability, while the communities of the Mraconia River displays smaller structural variability. The structure of the benthonic macro-invertebrate communities correlated with the biotope characteristics indicates the good ecological status of the analysed ri…
Ecotoxicity assessment of boreal lake sediments affected by metal mining: Sediment quality triad approach complemented with metal bioavailability and…
2019
Highlights • Ecological risk assessment of metal-contaminated boreal lakes and sediments. • Sediment Quality Triad complemented with bioavailability and body residue studies. • Toxicity studies for natural sediments with several organisms and endpoints • Adverse effects observed. High variation on results between different methods. • Standard toxicity tests not suitable for testing, too low pH hampers the results. There are several methods for studying metal-contaminated freshwater sediments, but more information is needed on which methods to include in ecological risk assessment. In this study, we compliment the traditional Sediment Quality Triad (SQT) approach – including information on c…
Sediment features, macrozoobenthic assemblages and trophic relationships (δ13C and δ15N analysis) following a dystrophic event with anoxia and sulphi…
2007
Macrozoobenthic assemblages and stable carbon (delta C-13) and nitrogen (delta N-15) isotope values of various primary producers (macroalgae and angiosperms) and consumers (macroinvertebrate filter/suspension feeders, deposit feeders, detritivores/omnivores and carnivores and fishes) were studied in the Santa Giusta lagoon (Sardinia, Italy) before (spring) and after (autumn) a dystrophic event which occurred in the summer of 2004. A few days after the dystrophy, the physico-chemical characteristics of sediments and macrozoobenthic assemblages were also investigated. In the latter occasion, high total organic carbon (3.9%) and organic matter (15.9%) contents of surface sediments went togethe…
Uptake of organic xenobiotics by benthic invertebrates from sediment contaminated by the pulp and paper industry
2007
Abstract Uptake of pulp and paper mill-derived pollutants by benthic invertebrates from sediment in Southern Lake Saimaa, eastern Finland, was studied. Two groups of benthic invertebrates (Diptera and Oligochaeta) were analyzed for their concentrations of resin acids (RAs), chlorophenolics (CPs) and β -sitosterol. The samples were collected 1 and 3 km downstream from the mill. In laboratory experiments Chironomus plumosus (a dipteran) and Lumbriculus variegatus (oligochaete) were exposed for 14 d to sediments collected from the same locations. The concentrations of RAs, CPs and β -sitosterol were higher in the areas downstream from the mill than those in the upstream reference area in both …
Ecomorphological inferences in early vertebrates: reconstructing
2017
Our knowledge about the body morphology of many extinct early vertebrates is very limited, especially in regard to their post-thoracic region. The prompt disarticulation of the dermo-skeletal elements due to taphonomic processes and the lack of a well-ossified endoskeleton in a large number of groups hinder the preservation of complete specimens. Previous reconstructions of most early vertebrates known from partial remains have been wholly based on phylogenetically closely related taxa. However, body design of fishes is determined, to a large extent, by their swimming mode and feeding niche, making it possible to recognise different morphological traits that have evolved several times in no…
The germ cell nuclear factor (GCNF)
2005
The germ cell nuclear factor (GCNF), which is also known as RTR (retinoid receptor-related testis-associated receptor) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. As a natural ligand remains to be discovered, GCNF is referred to as an orphan receptor. Owing to GCNF's unique features and its distant relation to any other known nuclear receptor it has been classified as the only member of the subgroup six and designated NR6A1 by the Receptor Nomenclature Committee (Duarte et al., 2002: Nucleic Acids Res 30: 364-368). To date, GCNF has been cloned from distinct vertebrate species, including zebrafish, Xenopus laevis, mouse, rat, and human. Cloning and characterization of the gene, domain …
Spatial analysis of the relationship between mortality from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease and drinking water hardness
2004
Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health Perspectives. Previously published scientific papers have reported a negative correlation between drinking water hardness and cardiovascular mortality. Some ecologic and case-control studies suggest the protective effect of calcium and magnesium concentration in drinking water. In this article we present an analysis of this protective relationship in 538 municipalities of Comunidad Valenciana (Spain) from 1991-1998. We used the Spanish version of the Rapid Inquiry Facility (RIF) developed under the European Environment and Health Information System (EUROHEIS) research project. The strateg…