PeerJ
type: channel
link: https://peerj.com/articles/
description: Articles published in PeerJ
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
publication name: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359
items: Comparative venom gland transcriptomics of Naja kaouthia (monocled cobra) from Malaysia and Thailand: elucidating geographical venom variation and insights into sequence novelty
items: Improving ancient DNA genome assembly
items: Sevoflurane postconditioning protects the myocardium against ischemia/reperfusion injury via activation of the JAK2–STAT3 pathway
items: Structuring effects of chemicals from the sea fan Phyllogorgia dilatata on benthic communities
items: Prioritisation of structural variant calls in cancer genomes
items: Conserved DNA motifs in the type II-A CRISPR leader region
items: Variegated tropical landscapes conserve diverse dung beetle communities
items: Molecular identification and expression patterns of odorant binding protein and chemosensory protein genes in Athetis lepigone (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
items: Influences of ABO blood group, age and gender on plasma coagulation factor VIII, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor and ADAMTS13 levels in a Chinese population
items: Comparative proteomics of Rhizopus delemar ATCC 20344 unravels the role of amino acid catabolism in fumarate accumulation

Comparative venom gland transcriptomics of Naja kaouthia (monocled cobra) from Malaysia and Thailand: elucidating geographical venom variation and insights into sequence novelty
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background The monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia) is a medically important venomous snake in Southeast Asia. Its venom has been shown to vary geographically in relation to venom composition and neurotoxic activity, indicating vast diversity of the toxin genes within the species. To investigate the polygenic trait of the venom and its locale-specific variation, we profiled and compared the venom gland transcriptomes of N. kaouthia from Malaysia (NK-M) and Thailand (NK-T) applying next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. Methods The transcriptomes were sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq platform, assembled and followed by transcript clustering and annotations for gene expression and function. Pairwise or multiple sequence alignments were conducted on the toxin genes expressed. Substitution rates were studied for the major toxins co-expressed in NK-M and NK-T. Results and discussion The toxin transcripts showed high redundancy (41–82% of the total mRNA expression) and comprised 23 gene families expressed in NK-M and NK-T, respectively (22 gene families were co-expressed). Among the venom genes, three-finger toxins (3FTxs) predominated in the expression, with multiple sequences noted. Comparative analysis and selection study revealed that 3FTxs are genetically conserved between the geographical specimens whilst demonstrating distinct differential expression patterns, implying gene up-regulation for selected principal toxins, or alternatively, enhanced transcript degradation or lack of transcription of certain traits. One of the striking features that elucidates the inter-geographical venom variation is the up-regulation of α-neurotoxins (constitutes ∼80.0% of toxin’s fragments per kilobase of exon model per million mapped reads (FPKM)), particularly the long-chain α-elapitoxin-Nk2a (48.3%) in NK-T but only 1.7% was noted in NK-M. Instead, short neurotoxin isoforms were up-regulated in NK-M (46.4%). Another distinct transcriptional pattern observed is the exclusively and ab…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Kae Yi Tan
creator: Choo Hock Tan
creator: Lawan Chanhome
creator: Nget Hong Tan
subject: Genetics
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Toxicology
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3142
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Tan et al.
abstract: Background The monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia) is a medically important venomous snake in Southeast Asia. Its venom has been shown to vary geographically in relation to venom composition and neurotoxic activity, indicating vast diversity of the toxin genes within the species. To investigate the polygenic trait of the venom and its locale-specific variation, we profiled and compared the venom gland transcriptomes of N. kaouthia from Malaysia (NK-M) and Thailand (NK-T) applying next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. Methods The transcriptomes were sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq platform, assembled and followed by transcript clustering and annotations for gene expression and function. Pairwise or multiple sequence alignments were conducted on the toxin genes expressed. Substitution rates were studied for the major toxins co-expressed in NK-M and NK-T. Results and discussion The toxin transcripts showed high redundancy (41–82% of the total mRNA expression) and comprised 23 gene families expressed in NK-M and NK-T, respectively (22 gene families were co-expressed). Among the venom genes, three-finger toxins (3FTxs) predominated in the expression, with multiple sequences noted. Comparative analysis and selection study revealed that 3FTxs are genetically conserved between the geographical specimens whilst demonstrating distinct differential expression patterns, implying gene up-regulation for selected principal toxins, or alternatively, enhanced transcript degradation or lack of transcription of certain traits. One of the striking features that elucidates the inter-geographical venom variation is the up-regulation of α-neurotoxins (constitutes ∼80.0% of toxin’s fragments per kilobase of exon model per million mapped reads (FPKM)), particularly the long-chain α-elapitoxin-Nk2a (48.3%) in NK-T but only 1.7% was noted in NK-M. Instead, short neurotoxin isoforms were up-regulated in NK-M (46.4%). Another distinct transcriptional pattern observed is the exclusively and ab…
bibliographic citation: Tan et al. (2017) Comparative venom gland transcriptomics of Naja kaouthia (monocled cobra) from Malaysia and Thailand: elucidating geographical venom variation and insights into sequence novelty. PeerJ 5:e3142 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3142
date submitted: 2016-10-03
date accepted: 2017-03-03
issued: 2017-04-05
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Tan
  given name: Kae Yi
author list: Agent
  family name: Tan
  given name: Choo Hock
author list: Agent
  family name: Chanhome
  given name: Lawan
author list: Agent
  family name: Tan
  given name: Nget Hong
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3142
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-04-05
copyright: © 2017 Tan et al.
attribution name: Tan et al.

Improving ancient DNA genome assembly
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Most reconstruction methods for genomes of ancient origin that are used today require a closely related reference. In order to identify genomic rearrangements or the deletion of whole genes, de novo assembly has to be used. However, because of inherent problems with ancient DNA, its de novo assembly is highly complicated. In order to tackle the diversity in the length of the input reads, we propose a two-layer approach, where multiple assemblies are generated in the first layer, which are then combined in the second layer. We used this two-layer assembly to generate assemblies for two different ancient samples and compared the results to current de novo assembly approaches. We are able to improve the assembly with respect to the length of the contigs and can resolve more repetitive regions.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Alexander Seitz
creator: Kay Nieselt
subject: Bioinformatics
subject: Paleontology
subject: Computational Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3126
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Seitz and Nieselt
abstract: Most reconstruction methods for genomes of ancient origin that are used today require a closely related reference. In order to identify genomic rearrangements or the deletion of whole genes, de novo assembly has to be used. However, because of inherent problems with ancient DNA, its de novo assembly is highly complicated. In order to tackle the diversity in the length of the input reads, we propose a two-layer approach, where multiple assemblies are generated in the first layer, which are then combined in the second layer. We used this two-layer assembly to generate assemblies for two different ancient samples and compared the results to current de novo assembly approaches. We are able to improve the assembly with respect to the length of the contigs and can resolve more repetitive regions.
bibliographic citation: Seitz et al. (2017) Improving ancient DNA genome assembly. PeerJ 5:e3126 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3126
date submitted: 2016-09-20
date accepted: 2017-02-27
issued: 2017-04-05
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Seitz
  given name: Alexander
author list: Agent
  family name: Nieselt
  given name: Kay
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3126
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-04-05
copyright: ©2017 Seitz and Nieselt
attribution name: Seitz and Nieselt

Sevoflurane postconditioning protects the myocardium against ischemia/reperfusion injury via activation of the JAK2–STAT3 pathway
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Sevoflurane postconditioning (S-post) has similar cardioprotective effects as ischemic preconditioning. However, the underlying mechanism of S-post has not been fully elucidated. Janus kinase signaling transduction/transcription activator (JAK2–STAT3) plays an important role in cardioprotection. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the cardioprotective effects of S-post are associated with activation of the JAK2–STAT3 signal pathway. Methods An adult male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rat model of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury was established using the Langendorff isolated heart perfusion apparatus. At the beginning of reperfusion, 2.4% sevoflurane alone or in combination with AG490 (a JAK2 selective inhibitor) was used as a postconditioning treatment. The cardiac function indicators, myocardial infarct size, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) release, mitochondrial ultrastructure, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation rates, ATP content, protein expression of p-JAK, p-STAT3, Bcl-2 and Bax were measured. Results Compared with the I/R group, S-post significantly increased the expression of p-JAK, p-STAT3 and Bcl-2 and reduced the protein expression of Bax, which markedly decreased the myocardial infarction areas, improved the cardiac function indicators and the mitochondrial ultrastructure, decreased the mitochondrial ROS and increased the ATP content. However, the cardioprotective effects of S-post were abolished by treatment with a JAK2 selective inhibitor (p < 0.05). Conclusion This study demonstrates that the cardioprotective effects of S-post are associated with the activation of JAK2–STAT3. The mechanism may be related to an increased expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 after S-post, which reduced mitochondrial ROS generation and increased mitochondrial ATP content, thereby reducing apoptosis and myocardial infarct size.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Jianjiang Wu
creator: Jin Yu
creator: Peng Xie
creator: Yiliyaer Maimaitili
creator: Jiang Wang
creator: Long Yang
creator: Haiping Ma
creator: Xing Zhang
creator: Yining Yang
creator: Hong Zheng
subject: Anesthesiology and Pain Management
subject: Cardiology
subject: Translational Medicine
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3196
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Wu et al.
abstract: Background Sevoflurane postconditioning (S-post) has similar cardioprotective effects as ischemic preconditioning. However, the underlying mechanism of S-post has not been fully elucidated. Janus kinase signaling transduction/transcription activator (JAK2–STAT3) plays an important role in cardioprotection. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the cardioprotective effects of S-post are associated with activation of the JAK2–STAT3 signal pathway. Methods An adult male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rat model of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury was established using the Langendorff isolated heart perfusion apparatus. At the beginning of reperfusion, 2.4% sevoflurane alone or in combination with AG490 (a JAK2 selective inhibitor) was used as a postconditioning treatment. The cardiac function indicators, myocardial infarct size, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) release, mitochondrial ultrastructure, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation rates, ATP content, protein expression of p-JAK, p-STAT3, Bcl-2 and Bax were measured. Results Compared with the I/R group, S-post significantly increased the expression of p-JAK, p-STAT3 and Bcl-2 and reduced the protein expression of Bax, which markedly decreased the myocardial infarction areas, improved the cardiac function indicators and the mitochondrial ultrastructure, decreased the mitochondrial ROS and increased the ATP content. However, the cardioprotective effects of S-post were abolished by treatment with a JAK2 selective inhibitor (p < 0.05). Conclusion This study demonstrates that the cardioprotective effects of S-post are associated with the activation of JAK2–STAT3. The mechanism may be related to an increased expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 after S-post, which reduced mitochondrial ROS generation and increased mitochondrial ATP content, thereby reducing apoptosis and myocardial infarct size.
bibliographic citation: Wu et al. (2017) Sevoflurane postconditioning protects the myocardium against ischemia/reperfusion injury via activation of the JAK2–STAT3 pathway. PeerJ 5:e3196 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3196
date submitted: 2016-12-21
date accepted: 2017-03-17
issued: 2017-04-04
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Wu
  given name: Jianjiang
author list: Agent
  family name: Yu
  given name: Jin
author list: Agent
  family name: Xie
  given name: Peng
author list: Agent
  family name: Maimaitili
  given name: Yiliyaer
author list: Agent
  family name: Wang
  given name: Jiang
author list: Agent
  family name: Yang
  given name: Long
author list: Agent
  family name: Ma
  given name: Haiping
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhang
  given name: Xing
author list: Agent
  family name: Yang
  given name: Yining
author list: Agent
  family name: Zheng
  given name: Hong
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3196
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-04-04
copyright: © 2017 Wu et al.
attribution name: Wu et al.

Structuring effects of chemicals from the sea fan Phyllogorgia dilatata on benthic communities
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Despite advances in understanding the ecological functions of secondary metabolites from marine organisms, there has been little focus on the influence of chemically-defended species at the community level. Several compounds have been isolated from the gorgonian octocoral Phyllogorgia dilatata, a conspicuous species that forms dense canopies on rocky reefs of northern Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Manipulative experiments were performed to study: (1) the effects of live colonies of P. dilatata (physical presence and chemistry) on recruitment of sympatric benthic organisms; (2) the allelopathic effects of its chemicals on competitors; and (3) chemotactic responses of the non-indigenous brittle star, Ophiothela mirabilis. Early establishment of benthic species was influenced on substrates around live P. dilatata colonies and some effects could be attributed to the gorgonian’s secondary metabolites.In addition, the gorgonian chemicals also exerted an allelopathic effect on the sympatric zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum, and positive chemotaxis upon O. mirabilis. These results indicate multiple ecological roles of a chemically-defended gorgonian on settlement, sympatric competitors, and non-indigenous species.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Felipe V. Ribeiro
creator: Bernardo A.P. da Gama
creator: Renato C. Pereira
subject: Ecology
subject: Marine Biology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3186
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Ribeiro et al.
abstract: Despite advances in understanding the ecological functions of secondary metabolites from marine organisms, there has been little focus on the influence of chemically-defended species at the community level. Several compounds have been isolated from the gorgonian octocoral Phyllogorgia dilatata, a conspicuous species that forms dense canopies on rocky reefs of northern Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Manipulative experiments were performed to study: (1) the effects of live colonies of P. dilatata (physical presence and chemistry) on recruitment of sympatric benthic organisms; (2) the allelopathic effects of its chemicals on competitors; and (3) chemotactic responses of the non-indigenous brittle star, Ophiothela mirabilis. Early establishment of benthic species was influenced on substrates around live P. dilatata colonies and some effects could be attributed to the gorgonian’s secondary metabolites.In addition, the gorgonian chemicals also exerted an allelopathic effect on the sympatric zoanthid Palythoa caribaeorum, and positive chemotaxis upon O. mirabilis. These results indicate multiple ecological roles of a chemically-defended gorgonian on settlement, sympatric competitors, and non-indigenous species.
bibliographic citation: Ribeiro et al. (2017) Structuring effects of chemicals from the sea fan Phyllogorgia dilatata on benthic communities. PeerJ 5:e3186 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3186
date submitted: 2016-11-14
date accepted: 2017-03-15
issued: 2017-04-04
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Ribeiro
  given name: Felipe V.
author list: Agent
  family name: da Gama
  given name: Bernardo A.P.
author list: Agent
  family name: Pereira
  given name: Renato C.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3186
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-04-04
copyright: ©2017 Ribeiro et al.
attribution name: Ribeiro et al.

Prioritisation of structural variant calls in cancer genomes
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Sensitivity of short read DNA-sequencing for gene fusion detection is improving, but is hampered by the significant amount of noise composed of uninteresting or false positive hits in the data. In this paper we describe a tiered prioritisation approach to extract high impact gene fusion events from existing structural variant calls. Using cell line and patient DNA sequence data we improve the annotation and interpretation of structural variant calls to best highlight likely cancer driving fusions. We also considerably improve on the automated visualisation of the high impact structural variants to highlight the effects of the variants on the resulting transcripts. The resulting framework greatly improves on readily detecting clinically actionable structural variants.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Miika J. Ahdesmäki
creator: Brad A. Chapman
creator: Pablo Cingolani
creator: Oliver Hofmann
creator: Aleksandr Sidoruk
creator: Zhongwu Lai
creator: Gennadii Zakharov
creator: Mikhail Rodichenko
creator: Mikhail Alperovich
creator: David Jenkins
creator: T. Hedley Carr
creator: Daniel Stetson
creator: Brian Dougherty
creator: J. Carl Barrett
creator: Justin H. Johnson
subject: Bioinformatics
subject: Genomics
subject: Oncology
subject: Translational Medicine
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3166
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Ahdesmäki et al.
abstract: Sensitivity of short read DNA-sequencing for gene fusion detection is improving, but is hampered by the significant amount of noise composed of uninteresting or false positive hits in the data. In this paper we describe a tiered prioritisation approach to extract high impact gene fusion events from existing structural variant calls. Using cell line and patient DNA sequence data we improve the annotation and interpretation of structural variant calls to best highlight likely cancer driving fusions. We also considerably improve on the automated visualisation of the high impact structural variants to highlight the effects of the variants on the resulting transcripts. The resulting framework greatly improves on readily detecting clinically actionable structural variants.
bibliographic citation: Ahdesmäki et al. (2017) Prioritisation of structural variant calls in cancer genomes. PeerJ 5:e3166 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3166
date submitted: 2016-11-30
date accepted: 2017-03-09
issued: 2017-04-04
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Ahdesmäki
  given name: Miika J.
author list: Agent
  family name: Chapman
  given name: Brad A.
author list: Agent
  family name: Cingolani
  given name: Pablo
author list: Agent
  family name: Hofmann
  given name: Oliver
author list: Agent
  family name: Sidoruk
  given name: Aleksandr
author list: Agent
  family name: Lai
  given name: Zhongwu
author list: Agent
  family name: Zakharov
  given name: Gennadii
author list: Agent
  family name: Rodichenko
  given name: Mikhail
author list: Agent
  family name: Alperovich
  given name: Mikhail
author list: Agent
  family name: Jenkins
  given name: David
author list: Agent
  family name: Carr
  given name: T. Hedley
author list: Agent
  family name: Stetson
  given name: Daniel
author list: Agent
  family name: Dougherty
  given name: Brian
author list: Agent
  family name: Barrett
  given name: J. Carl
author list: Agent
  family name: Johnson
  given name: Justin H.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3166
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-04-04
copyright: ©2017 Ahdesmäki et al.
attribution name: Ahdesmäki et al.

Conserved DNA motifs in the type II-A CRISPR leader region
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats associated (CRISPR-Cas) systems consist of RNA-protein complexes that provide bacteria and archaea with sequence-specific immunity against bacteriophages, plasmids, and other mobile genetic elements. Bacteria and archaea become immune to phage or plasmid infections by inserting short pieces of the intruder DNA (spacer) site-specifically into the leader-repeat junction in a process called adaptation. Previous studies have shown that parts of the leader region, especially the 3′ end of the leader, are indispensable for adaptation. However, a comprehensive analysis of leader ends remains absent. Here, we have analyzed the leader, repeat, and Cas proteins from 167 type II-A CRISPR loci. Our results indicate two distinct conserved DNA motifs at the 3′ leader end: ATTTGAG (noted previously in the CRISPR1 locus of Streptococcus thermophilus DGCC7710) and a newly defined CTRCGAG, associated with the CRISPR3 locus of S. thermophilus DGCC7710. A third group with a very short CG DNA conservation at the 3′ leader end is observed mostly in lactobacilli. Analysis of the repeats and Cas proteins revealed clustering of these CRISPR components that mirrors the leader motif clustering, in agreement with the coevolution of CRISPR-Cas components. Based on our analysis of the type II-A CRISPR loci, we implicate leader end sequences that could confer site-specificity for the adaptation-machinery in the different subsets of type II-A CRISPR loci.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Mason J. Van Orden
creator: Peter Klein
creator: Kesavan Babu
creator: Fares Z. Najar
creator: Rakhi Rajan
subject: Biochemistry
subject: Bioinformatics
subject: Evolutionary Studies
subject: Microbiology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3161
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Van Orden et al.
abstract: The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats associated (CRISPR-Cas) systems consist of RNA-protein complexes that provide bacteria and archaea with sequence-specific immunity against bacteriophages, plasmids, and other mobile genetic elements. Bacteria and archaea become immune to phage or plasmid infections by inserting short pieces of the intruder DNA (spacer) site-specifically into the leader-repeat junction in a process called adaptation. Previous studies have shown that parts of the leader region, especially the 3′ end of the leader, are indispensable for adaptation. However, a comprehensive analysis of leader ends remains absent. Here, we have analyzed the leader, repeat, and Cas proteins from 167 type II-A CRISPR loci. Our results indicate two distinct conserved DNA motifs at the 3′ leader end: ATTTGAG (noted previously in the CRISPR1 locus of Streptococcus thermophilus DGCC7710) and a newly defined CTRCGAG, associated with the CRISPR3 locus of S. thermophilus DGCC7710. A third group with a very short CG DNA conservation at the 3′ leader end is observed mostly in lactobacilli. Analysis of the repeats and Cas proteins revealed clustering of these CRISPR components that mirrors the leader motif clustering, in agreement with the coevolution of CRISPR-Cas components. Based on our analysis of the type II-A CRISPR loci, we implicate leader end sequences that could confer site-specificity for the adaptation-machinery in the different subsets of type II-A CRISPR loci.
bibliographic citation: Van Orden et al. (2017) Conserved DNA motifs in the type II-A CRISPR leader region. PeerJ 5:e3161 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3161
date submitted: 2016-10-17
date accepted: 2017-03-07
issued: 2017-04-04
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Van Orden
  given name: Mason J.
author list: Agent
  family name: Klein
  given name: Peter
author list: Agent
  family name: Babu
  given name: Kesavan
author list: Agent
  family name: Najar
  given name: Fares Z.
author list: Agent
  family name: Rajan
  given name: Rakhi
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3161
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-04-04
copyright: ©2017 Van Orden et al.
attribution name: Van Orden et al.

Variegated tropical landscapes conserve diverse dung beetle communities
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Conserving biodiversity in tropical landscapes is a major challenge to scientists and conservationists. Current rates of deforestation, fragmentation, and land use intensification are producing variegated landscapes with undetermined values for the conservation of biological communities and ecosystem functioning. Here, we investigate the importance of tropical variegated landscapes to biodiversity conservation, using dung beetle as focal taxa. Methods The study was carried out in 12 variegated landscapes where dung beetles were sampled using six pitfall traps, 30 m apart from each other, along a transect in each studied landscape use and cover classes—LUCC (forest fragment and corridor, coffee plantation, and pasture). We baited each pitfall trap with 30 g of human feces and left open for a 48 h period. We also measured three environmental variables reflecting structural differences among the studied classes: canopy cover, local vegetation heterogeneity and soil sand content. Results We collected 52 species and 2,695 individuals of dung beetles. We observed significant differences in the mean species richness, abundance and biomass among classes, with forest fragments presenting the highest values, forest corridors and coffee plantations presenting intermediate values, and pastures the lowest values. Regarding community structure, we also found significant differences among classes. Canopy cover was the only variable explaining variation in dung beetle species richness, abundance, biomass, and community structure. The relative importance of spatial turnover was greater than nestedness-resultant component in all studied landscapes. Discussion This study evaluated the ecological patterns of dung beetle communities in variegated tropical landscapes highlighting the importance of these landscapes for conservation of tropical biodiversity. However, we encourage variegation for the management of landscapes that have already been fragmented or as a complementary…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Cristiane Costa
creator: Victor Hugo F. Oliveira
creator: Rafaella Maciel
creator: Wallace Beiroz
creator: Vanesca Korasaki
creator: Julio Louzada
subject: Agricultural Science
subject: Biodiversity
subject: Conservation Biology
subject: Ecology
subject: Entomology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3125
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Costa et al.
abstract: Background Conserving biodiversity in tropical landscapes is a major challenge to scientists and conservationists. Current rates of deforestation, fragmentation, and land use intensification are producing variegated landscapes with undetermined values for the conservation of biological communities and ecosystem functioning. Here, we investigate the importance of tropical variegated landscapes to biodiversity conservation, using dung beetle as focal taxa. Methods The study was carried out in 12 variegated landscapes where dung beetles were sampled using six pitfall traps, 30 m apart from each other, along a transect in each studied landscape use and cover classes—LUCC (forest fragment and corridor, coffee plantation, and pasture). We baited each pitfall trap with 30 g of human feces and left open for a 48 h period. We also measured three environmental variables reflecting structural differences among the studied classes: canopy cover, local vegetation heterogeneity and soil sand content. Results We collected 52 species and 2,695 individuals of dung beetles. We observed significant differences in the mean species richness, abundance and biomass among classes, with forest fragments presenting the highest values, forest corridors and coffee plantations presenting intermediate values, and pastures the lowest values. Regarding community structure, we also found significant differences among classes. Canopy cover was the only variable explaining variation in dung beetle species richness, abundance, biomass, and community structure. The relative importance of spatial turnover was greater than nestedness-resultant component in all studied landscapes. Discussion This study evaluated the ecological patterns of dung beetle communities in variegated tropical landscapes highlighting the importance of these landscapes for conservation of tropical biodiversity. However, we encourage variegation for the management of landscapes that have already been fragmented or as a complementary…
bibliographic citation: Costa et al. (2017) Variegated tropical landscapes conserve diverse dung beetle communities. PeerJ 5:e3125 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3125
date submitted: 2016-08-19
date accepted: 2017-02-27
issued: 2017-04-04
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Costa
  given name: Cristiane
author list: Agent
  family name: Oliveira
  given name: Victor Hugo F.
author list: Agent
  family name: Maciel
  given name: Rafaella
author list: Agent
  family name: Beiroz
  given name: Wallace
author list: Agent
  family name: Korasaki
  given name: Vanesca
author list: Agent
  family name: Louzada
  given name: Julio
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3125
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-04-04
copyright: ©2017 Costa et al.
attribution name: Costa et al.

Molecular identification and expression patterns of odorant binding protein and chemosensory protein genes in Athetis lepigone (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: The olfaction system of insects plays an important role in mediating various physiological behaviors, including locating hosts, avoiding predators, and recognizing mates and oviposition sites. Therefore, some key genes in the system present valuable opportunities as targets for developing novel green pesticides. Athetis lepigone, a noctuid moth can feed on more than 30 different host plants making it a serious polyphagous pest worldwide, and it has become one of the major maize pests in northern China since 2011. However, there are no reports on effective and environmentally friendly pesticides for the control of this pest. In this study, we identified 28 genes encoding putative odorant binding proteins (OBPs) and 20 chemosensory protein (CSPs) genes based on our previous A. lepigone transcriptomic data. A tissue expression investigation and phylogenetic analysis were conducted in an effort to postulate the functions of these genes. Our results show that nearly half (46.4%) of the AlOBPs exhibited antennae-biased expression while many of the AlCSPs were highly abundant in non-antennal tissues. These results will aid in exploring the chemosensory mechanisms of A. lepigone and developing environmentally friendly pesticides against this pest in the future.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Ya-Nan Zhang
creator: Xiu-Yun Zhu
creator: Ji-Fang Ma
creator: Zhi-Ping Dong
creator: Ji-Wei Xu
creator: Ke Kang
creator: Long-Wa Zhang
subject: Entomology
subject: Genomics
subject: Molecular Biology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3157
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Zhang et al.
abstract: The olfaction system of insects plays an important role in mediating various physiological behaviors, including locating hosts, avoiding predators, and recognizing mates and oviposition sites. Therefore, some key genes in the system present valuable opportunities as targets for developing novel green pesticides. Athetis lepigone, a noctuid moth can feed on more than 30 different host plants making it a serious polyphagous pest worldwide, and it has become one of the major maize pests in northern China since 2011. However, there are no reports on effective and environmentally friendly pesticides for the control of this pest. In this study, we identified 28 genes encoding putative odorant binding proteins (OBPs) and 20 chemosensory protein (CSPs) genes based on our previous A. lepigone transcriptomic data. A tissue expression investigation and phylogenetic analysis were conducted in an effort to postulate the functions of these genes. Our results show that nearly half (46.4%) of the AlOBPs exhibited antennae-biased expression while many of the AlCSPs were highly abundant in non-antennal tissues. These results will aid in exploring the chemosensory mechanisms of A. lepigone and developing environmentally friendly pesticides against this pest in the future.
bibliographic citation: Zhang et al. (2017) Molecular identification and expression patterns of odorant binding protein and chemosensory protein genes in Athetis lepigone (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). PeerJ 5:e3157 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3157
date submitted: 2016-11-30
date accepted: 2017-03-07
issued: 2017-03-30
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhang
  given name: Ya-Nan
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhu
  given name: Xiu-Yun
author list: Agent
  family name: Ma
  given name: Ji-Fang
author list: Agent
  family name: Dong
  given name: Zhi-Ping
author list: Agent
  family name: Xu
  given name: Ji-Wei
author list: Agent
  family name: Kang
  given name: Ke
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhang
  given name: Long-Wa
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3157
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-30
copyright: ©2017 Zhang et al.
attribution name: Zhang et al.

Influences of ABO blood group, age and gender on plasma coagulation factor VIII, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor and ADAMTS13 levels in a Chinese population
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background ABO blood group is a hereditary factor of plasma levels of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) and von Willebrand factor (VWF). Age and gender have been shown to influence FVIII, VWF, fibrinogen (Fbg), and ADAMTS13 (A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif, 13). We investigated the effects of ABO type, age, and gender on plasma levels of FVIII, Fbg, VWF, and ADAMTS13 in a Chinese population. Methods A total of 290 healthy volunteers were eligible for this study. ABO blood group was determined by indirect technique. FVIII:C and Fbg were measured by clotting assays. VWF antigen (VWF:Ag), collagen-binding activity (VWF:CBA), and ADAMTS13 antigen were assessed by ELISA, whereas VWF ristocetin cofactor activity (VWF:Rcof) was performed by agglutination of platelets with ristocetin. Results Mean FVIII:C and VWF levels (VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof) were significantly higher in non-O than in O type subjects (p < 0.05 for all comparison). ADAMTS13 antigen decreased with increasing age, whereas the other parameters increased. Other than ADAMTS13 (p < 0.01), no gender-related variations were observed in the other parameters. Moreover, FVIII:C, Fbg, VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof showed significant and positive relationships with age (r = 0.421, 0.445, 0.410, 0.401, and 0.589, resp.; all p < 0.001), whereas a negative relationship was observed for ADAMTS13 antigen (r = 0.306; p = 0.006). Furthermore, FVIII:C were strongly correlated with VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof (r = 0.746, r = 0.746, and r = 0.576, resp.; p < 0.0001). VWF parameters were also strongly correlated with each other (r = 0.0.847 for VWF:Ag and VWF:CBA; r = 0.722 for VWF:Ag and VWF:Rcof; p < 0.0001). Conclusions ABO blood group, age, and gender showed different effects on plasma levels of FVIII:C, Fbg, VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, VWF:Rcof, and ADAMTS13 antigen. These new data on a Chinese population are quite helpful to compare with other ethnic groups.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Zongkui Wang
creator: Miaomiao Dou
creator: Xi Du
creator: Li Ma
creator: Pan Sun
creator: Haijun Cao
creator: Shengliang Ye
creator: Peng Jiang
creator: Fengjuan Liu
creator: Fangzhao Lin
creator: Rong Zhang
creator: Changqing Li
subject: Biochemistry
subject: Global Health
subject: Hematology
subject: Translational Medicine
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3156
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Wang et al.
abstract: Background ABO blood group is a hereditary factor of plasma levels of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) and von Willebrand factor (VWF). Age and gender have been shown to influence FVIII, VWF, fibrinogen (Fbg), and ADAMTS13 (A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motif, 13). We investigated the effects of ABO type, age, and gender on plasma levels of FVIII, Fbg, VWF, and ADAMTS13 in a Chinese population. Methods A total of 290 healthy volunteers were eligible for this study. ABO blood group was determined by indirect technique. FVIII:C and Fbg were measured by clotting assays. VWF antigen (VWF:Ag), collagen-binding activity (VWF:CBA), and ADAMTS13 antigen were assessed by ELISA, whereas VWF ristocetin cofactor activity (VWF:Rcof) was performed by agglutination of platelets with ristocetin. Results Mean FVIII:C and VWF levels (VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof) were significantly higher in non-O than in O type subjects (p < 0.05 for all comparison). ADAMTS13 antigen decreased with increasing age, whereas the other parameters increased. Other than ADAMTS13 (p < 0.01), no gender-related variations were observed in the other parameters. Moreover, FVIII:C, Fbg, VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof showed significant and positive relationships with age (r = 0.421, 0.445, 0.410, 0.401, and 0.589, resp.; all p < 0.001), whereas a negative relationship was observed for ADAMTS13 antigen (r = 0.306; p = 0.006). Furthermore, FVIII:C were strongly correlated with VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, and VWF:Rcof (r = 0.746, r = 0.746, and r = 0.576, resp.; p < 0.0001). VWF parameters were also strongly correlated with each other (r = 0.0.847 for VWF:Ag and VWF:CBA; r = 0.722 for VWF:Ag and VWF:Rcof; p < 0.0001). Conclusions ABO blood group, age, and gender showed different effects on plasma levels of FVIII:C, Fbg, VWF:Ag, VWF:CBA, VWF:Rcof, and ADAMTS13 antigen. These new data on a Chinese population are quite helpful to compare with other ethnic groups.
bibliographic citation: Wang et al. (2017) Influences of ABO blood group, age and gender on plasma coagulation factor VIII, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor and ADAMTS13 levels in a Chinese population. PeerJ 5:e3156 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3156
date submitted: 2017-01-05
date accepted: 2017-03-07
issued: 2017-03-30
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Wang
  given name: Zongkui
author list: Agent
  family name: Dou
  given name: Miaomiao
author list: Agent
  family name: Du
  given name: Xi
author list: Agent
  family name: Ma
  given name: Li
author list: Agent
  family name: Sun
  given name: Pan
author list: Agent
  family name: Cao
  given name: Haijun
author list: Agent
  family name: Ye
  given name: Shengliang
author list: Agent
  family name: Jiang
  given name: Peng
author list: Agent
  family name: Liu
  given name: Fengjuan
author list: Agent
  family name: Lin
  given name: Fangzhao
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhang
  given name: Rong
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Changqing
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3156
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-30
copyright: ©2017 Wang et al.
attribution name: Wang et al.

Comparative proteomics of Rhizopus delemar ATCC 20344 unravels the role of amino acid catabolism in fumarate accumulation
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: The filamentous fungus Rhizopus delemar naturally accumulates relatively high amounts of fumarate. Although the culture conditions that increase fumarate yields are well established, the network underlying the accumulation of fumarate is not yet fully understood. We set out to increase the knowledge about fumarate accumulation in R. delemar. To this end, we combined a transcriptomics and proteomics approach to identify key metabolic pathways involved in fumarate production in R. delemar, and propose that a substantial part of the fumarate accumulated in R. delemar during nitrogen starvation results from the urea cycle due to amino acid catabolism.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Dorett I. Odoni
creator: Juan A. Tamayo-Ramos
creator: Jasper Sloothaak
creator: Ruben G.A. van Heck
creator: Vitor A.P. Martins dos Santos
creator: Leo H. de Graaff
creator: Maria Suarez-Diez
creator: Peter J. Schaap
subject: Biochemistry
subject: Bioinformatics
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Microbiology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.3133
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2017 Odoni et al.
abstract: The filamentous fungus Rhizopus delemar naturally accumulates relatively high amounts of fumarate. Although the culture conditions that increase fumarate yields are well established, the network underlying the accumulation of fumarate is not yet fully understood. We set out to increase the knowledge about fumarate accumulation in R. delemar. To this end, we combined a transcriptomics and proteomics approach to identify key metabolic pathways involved in fumarate production in R. delemar, and propose that a substantial part of the fumarate accumulated in R. delemar during nitrogen starvation results from the urea cycle due to amino acid catabolism.
bibliographic citation: Odoni et al. (2017) Comparative proteomics of Rhizopus delemar ATCC 20344 unravels the role of amino acid catabolism in fumarate accumulation. PeerJ 5:e3133 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3133
date submitted: 2017-01-18
date accepted: 2017-03-01
issued: 2017-03-30
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Odoni
  given name: Dorett I.
author list: Agent
  family name: Tamayo-Ramos
  given name: Juan A.
author list: Agent
  family name: Sloothaak
  given name: Jasper
author list: Agent
  family name: van Heck
  given name: Ruben G.A.
author list: Agent
  family name: Martins dos Santos
  given name: Vitor A.P.
author list: Agent
  family name: de Graaff
  given name: Leo H.
author list: Agent
  family name: Suarez-Diez
  given name: Maria
author list: Agent
  family name: Schaap
  given name: Peter J.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.3133
volume: 5
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2017-03-30
copyright: ©2017 Odoni et al.
attribution name: Odoni et al.

PeerJ
type: Periodical
uri: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359