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Nature Communications Aug 2021The sperm head-to-tail coupling apparatus (HTCA) ensures sperm head-tail integrity while defective HTCA causes acephalic spermatozoa, rendering males infertile. Here, we...
The sperm head-to-tail coupling apparatus (HTCA) ensures sperm head-tail integrity while defective HTCA causes acephalic spermatozoa, rendering males infertile. Here, we show that CENTLEIN is indispensable for HTCA integrity and function, and that inactivation of CENTLEIN in mice leads to sperm decapitation and male sterility. We demonstrate that CENTLEIN directly interacts with both SUN5 and PMFBP1, two proteins localized in the HTCA and related with acephalic spermatozoa syndrome. We find that the absence of Centlein sets SUN5 and PMFBP1 apart, the former close to the sperm head and the latter in the decapitated tail. We show that lack of Sun5 results in CENTLEIN and PMFBP1 left in the decapitated tail, while disruption of Pmfbp1 results in SUN5 and CENTLEIN left on the detached sperm head. These results demonstrate that CENTLEIN cooperating with SUN5 and PMFBP1 participates in the HTCA assembly and integration of sperm head to the tail, indicating that impairments of CENTLEIN might be associated with acephalic spermatozoa syndrome in humans.
Topics: Animals; Cell Cycle Proteins; Cells, Cultured; Cytoskeletal Proteins; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Infertility, Male; Male; Membrane Proteins; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred DBA; Mice, Knockout; Mutation; Protein Binding; Sperm Head; Sperm Tail; Spermatozoa; Teratozoospermia; Mice
PubMed: 34389728
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25227-w -
Genes Nov 2022Petunia is one of the world's most important flowers, and its branch development has long been a source of discussion. MYB transcription factors have been identified as...
Petunia is one of the world's most important flowers, and its branch development has long been a source of discussion. MYB transcription factors have been identified as important plant branching regulators. In this study, 113 R2R3-MYB genes were identified from the petunia genome. genes, closely related to , were expressed at greater levels in axillary buds and roots. Decapitation and 6-BA did not regulate the expression of . PhMYB37 was localized in the nucleus. Heterologous overexpression of promoted shoot branching in transgenic Arabidopsis while silencing of inhibited shoot branching. These results suggest that plays a critical and positive role in petunia shoot branching.
Topics: Petunia; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Plant Proteins; Arabidopsis; Flowers
PubMed: 36360301
DOI: 10.3390/genes13112064 -
The Journal of Experimental Biology Sep 2022Certain animal species utilize electric fields for communication, hunting and spatial orientation. Freshwater planarians move toward the cathode in a static electric...
Certain animal species utilize electric fields for communication, hunting and spatial orientation. Freshwater planarians move toward the cathode in a static electric field (cathodic electrotaxis). This planarian behavior was first described by Raymond Pearl more than a century ago. However, planarian electrotaxis has received little attention since, and the underlying mechanisms and evolutionary significance remain unknown. To close this knowledge gap, we developed an apparatus and scoring metrics for automated quantitative and mechanistic studies of planarian behavior upon exposure to a static electric field. Using this automated setup, we characterized electrotaxis in the planarian Dugesia japonica and found that this species responds to voltage instead of current, in contrast to results from previous studies using other planarian species. Surprisingly, we found differences in electrotaxis ability between small (shorter) and large (longer) planarians. To determine the cause of these differences, we took advantage of the regenerative abilities of planarians and compared electrotaxis in head, tail and trunk fragments of various lengths. We found that tail and trunk fragments electrotaxed, whereas head fragments did not, regardless of size. Based on these data, we hypothesized that signals from the head may interfere with electrotaxis when the head area/body area reached a critical threshold. In support of this hypothesis, we found that (1) smaller intact planarians that cannot electrotax have a relatively larger head-to-body-ratio than large planarians that can electrotax, and (2) the electrotaxis behavior of cut head fragments was negatively correlated with the head-to-body ratio of the fragments. Moreover, we could restore cathodic electrotaxis in head fragments via decapitation, directly demonstrating inhibition of electrotaxis by the head.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Planarians
PubMed: 35924486
DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243972 -
Evolutionary Psychology : An... Oct 2021At the beginning of our era, after a battle on the Ionian Sea, Antony and Cleopatra took their own lives in Egypt, and Augustus was made an by his senators Roman...
At the beginning of our era, after a battle on the Ionian Sea, Antony and Cleopatra took their own lives in Egypt, and Augustus was made an by his senators Roman emperors had sexual access to those senators' daughters and wives, and to thousands of slaves. But they ran governments with help from their castrated civil servants. And they enforced an Imperial Cult: subjects made sacrifices to the emperor's or procreative spirit; or they got disemboweled by wild animals, or decapitated. Then Constantine moved off from the Tiber to the Bosporus, and Europe was ruled over by a few. Lords covered the countryside with bastards, but passed on estates on to their oldest sons. Daughters and younger sons were put away in the Church, where some became parents, but most were reproductively suppressed: they were or or without a husband, and ἄγαμος or or without a wife. Heretics who objected got burned at the stake. Then the Crusaders expanded Europe to the East, and Columbus went off to the West, and politics, sex and religion became more democratic. Power was more widely distributed; more men and women had families if they wanted them, and monasteries emptied out. The Reformation followed the Roman Church, which had followed the Imperial Cult.
Topics: Catholicism; Christianity; Europe; Female; Humans; Male; Politics; Religion; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 34939448
DOI: 10.1177/14747049211066795 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Jun 2021Decapitation and root cutting can influence plant physiological features, such as height, dry weight, and transpiration rate, which partly determine the success of...
Decapitation and root cutting can influence plant physiological features, such as height, dry weight, and transpiration rate, which partly determine the success of phytoremediation. In this study, the effects of three root cutting intensities (10%, 25%, and 33%), decapitation, and their combination on the phytoremediation efficiency of Celosia argentea were evaluated. Decapitation increased the biomass yield of C. argentea roots and leaves and significantly improved the species' Cd decontamination ability. Root cutting, especially 33% cutting treatment, decreased the root dry weight. The 10% and 25% root cutting treatments increased the leaf biomass yield by 58.6% and 41.4%, respectively, compared with the untreated control, even compensating for the loss of roots, but 33% root cutting decreased the leaf dry weight. Low and moderate root cutting intensity (10% and 25%) increased the leaf Cd content by 33.4% and 24.9%, respectively, and was associated with improved transpiration rate. The highest root and leaf dry weights were observed for the combination of decapitation and 10% root cutting, which increased the biomass yield of underground and aerial parts by 109.9% and 286.2%, respectively. In addition, decapitation offset the negative effects of 33% root cutting on plant growth, indicated by the higher dry weight relative to the control. Decapitated C. argentea accumulated 11.0, 7.5, and 0.7 times more Cd with the 10%, 25%, and 33% root cutting treatments, respectively, compared with the control. The combination of root cutting and decapitation was a practicable and economical method of enhancing the Cd decontamination capacity of C. argentea.
Topics: Biodegradation, Environmental; Biomass; Celosia; Decapitation; Plant Roots; Plants; Soil; Soil Pollutants
PubMed: 33756287
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112162 -
Journal of Cell Science Oct 2022Cilia sense and transduce sensory stimuli, homeostatic cues and developmental signals by orchestrating signaling reactions. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) that bud from...
Cilia sense and transduce sensory stimuli, homeostatic cues and developmental signals by orchestrating signaling reactions. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) that bud from the ciliary membrane have well-studied roles in the disposal of excess ciliary material, most dramatically exemplified by the shedding of micrometer-sized blocks by photoreceptors. Shedding of EVs by cilia also affords cells with a powerful means to shorten cilia. Finally, cilium-derived EVs may enable cell-cell communication in a variety of organisms, ranging from single-cell parasites and algae to nematodes and vertebrates. Mechanistic understanding of EV shedding by cilia is an active area of study, and future progress may open the door to testing the function of ciliary EV shedding in physiological contexts. In this Cell Science at a Glance and the accompanying poster, we discuss the molecular mechanisms that drive the shedding of ciliary material into the extracellular space, the consequences of shedding for the donor cell and the possible roles that ciliary EVs may have in cell non-autonomous contexts.
Topics: Animals; Cell Communication; Cilia; Cytoplasmic Vesicles; Extracellular Vesicles; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 36222105
DOI: 10.1242/jcs.246553 -
Turkish Neurosurgery Nov 2021In this study, we investigated the effects of necrostatin-1 (NEC-1) on subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)-induced vasospasm in a rat model.
AIM
In this study, we investigated the effects of necrostatin-1 (NEC-1) on subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)-induced vasospasm in a rat model.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
59 male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into six groups: control (group 1), sham (group 2), decapitation one hour after SAH (group 3), decapitation 48 hours after SAH (group 4), NEC-1 given 15 minutes before SAH and decapitation one hour after SAH (group 5), and NEC-1 given 24 hours after SAH and decapitation 48 hours after SAH (group 6). NEC-1 (1 uq) was administered intracisternally in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (2.6 uq). After decapitation, the cross-sectional areas and wall thicknesses of basilar arteries were determined histopathologically using stereological methods.
RESULTS
NEC-1 administered before SAH had a statistically significant preventive effect on vasospasm following SAH. Arterial wall thicknesses were found to be significantly increased in the SAH without NEC-1 groups but not in the control group, the sham group or the NEC-1 groups.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study show that NEC-1 can prevent vasospasm in rats and has cytoprotective effects. Further studies are needed for the clinical use of this agent.
PubMed: 36066049
DOI: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.35167-21.4 -
Laboratory Animals Oct 2022Rodents are the most widely used species for scientific purposes. A critical pre-requisite of their use, based on utilitarian ethical reasoning, is the provision of a... (Review)
Review
Rodents are the most widely used species for scientific purposes. A critical pre-requisite of their use, based on utilitarian ethical reasoning, is the provision of a humane death when necessary for scientific or welfare grounds. Focussing on the welfare challenges presented by current methods, we critically evaluate the literature, consider emerging methodologies that may have potential for refinement and highlight knowledge gaps for future research. The evidence supports the conclusion that scientists and laboratory personnel should seek to avoid killing laboratory rodents by exposing them to carbon dioxide (CO), unless exploiting its high-throughput advantage. We suggest that stakeholders and policymakers should advocate for the removal of CO from existing guidelines, instead making its use conditionally acceptable with justification for additional rationale for its application. With regards to physical methods such as cervical dislocation, decapitation and concussion, major welfare concerns are based on potential inaccuracy in application and their susceptibility to high failure rates. There is a need for independent quality-controlled training programmes to facilitate optimal success rates and the development of specialist tools to improve outcomes and reliability. Furthermore, we highlight questions surrounding the inconsistent inclusion criteria and acceptability of physical methods in international regulation and/or guidance, demonstrating a lack of cohesion across countries and lack of a comprehensive 'gold standard' methodology. We encourage better review of new data and championing of open access scientific resources to advocate for best practice and enable significant changes to policy and legislation to improve the welfare of laboratory rodents at killing.
Topics: Animals; Animal Welfare; Carbon Dioxide; Rodentia; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 35611553
DOI: 10.1177/00236772221097472 -
Genes Sep 2022Decapitation is an essential agricultural practice and is a typical method for analyzing shoot branching. However, it is unclear exactly how decapitation controls...
Decapitation is an essential agricultural practice and is a typical method for analyzing shoot branching. However, it is unclear exactly how decapitation controls branching. In this study, the decapitation of sunflower plants led to the development of lateral buds, accompanied by a decrease in indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) levels and an increase in cytokinin (CK) levels. Additionally, 82 members of the HabZIP family were discovered and categorized into 9 groups, using phylogenetic and conservative domain analysis. The intron/exon structure and motif compositions of HabZIP members were also investigated. Based on tissue-specific expression and expression analysis following decapitation derived from the transcriptome, several HabZIP members may be involved in controlling decapitation-induced bud outgrowth. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the dynamic variations in hormone levels, in conjunction with particular HabZIP genes, led to the development of axillary buds in sunflowers following decapitation.
Topics: Abscisic Acid; Cytokinins; Decapitation; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Helianthus; Hormones; Phylogeny; Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; Plant Proteins
PubMed: 36292622
DOI: 10.3390/genes13101737