Modern delineation of the Fusarium species using genetic data faces challenges no less complex than those previously encountered, when species descriptions were based exclusively on morphological characteristics. In present study, the taxonomic status of five fungal strains belonging to the F. incarnatum-equiseti species complex, which is a highly heterogeneous group of Fusarium, was clarified. The strains were isolated from wild and cultivated grasses and maintained in the fungal collections for 13–18 years under the epithet F. semitectum (syn. F. incarnatum). More precise identification of these strains as F. weifangense was achieved by combining phylogenetic analysis of fragments of the translation elongation factor 1α gene, the gene encoding RNA polymerase subunit II analyses, and calmodulin gene with morphological description and pathogenicity evaluation. The results of a comparative analysis of the phenotypic characteristics of the strains with those previously reported for this species, which are largely inconsistent. That differences in morphological description may be due to internal polymorphism of taxon, as well as differences in methodological approaches used by different research groups. The analyzed strains caused weak necrosis of wheat leaves inoculated under laboratory conditions, which indicates that F. weifangense is a non-pathogenic fungus. However, the previously demonstrated ability of the F. weifangense strains to produce zearalenone and diacetoxyscirpenol makes it necessary to clarify area and adaptive properties of this fungus.
Extracellular vesicles are important transmitters of oncogenic signals between cancer cells. Despite numerous studies of vesicles from model glioblastoma (GBM) cells, information on the effects of vesicles from GBM patients on the development of model GB cells is lacking. In this study, plasma vesicles from healthy donors (HVs) and GBM patients (GVs) were studied to affect expression of differentiation (GFAP and GLT-1) and stemness (CD9 and CD133) markers and expression and activation of the oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinases EGFR and PDGFRβ in GBM cells (primary GBM011 and model U251 MG cell lines) and rat and human normal astrocytes. GVs reduced GFAP expression in GBM011 cells and stimulated GFAP and CD9 expression in U251 MG cells. GVs increased EGFR and PDGFRβ expression in both GBM cell lines and enhanced EGFR (Y1086) and PDGFRβ (Y751) phosphorylation in U251 MG cells. HVs stimulated CD9 expression in U251 MG cells and PDGFRβ expression in GBM011 cells, but decreased EGFR and PDGFRβ expression in U251 MG cells. Thus, both GVs and HVs influence the GBM phenotype and receptor tyrosine kinase activation.
The paper reports a find of a left lower molar (m1) of a pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus sp.) from Holocene deposits of the Ust-Log-5 rock shelter, which is on the right bank of the Irgina River at the boundary between Perm Krai and Sverdlovsk Oblast. Radiocarbon dating assigns the deposits containing the pipistrelle tooth to the Middle-to-Late Holocene transition. The find of Pipistrellus sp. is of considerable interest for understanding the past distribution history of bats of the genus in the Urals.
The contents of total lipids (TL) and individual lipid classes were studied in the mantle, foot, and hepatopancreas of the freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera from eight northwestern Russian rivers belonging to the White and Barents Sea basins. Tissue specificity of the lipid composition was observed in the studied tissues; i.e., the hepatopancreas had several times higher contents of TL and dominant lipid classes. A predominance of triacylglycerols among energetic lipids in the hepatopancreas was a distinctive feature of pearl mussels from the Lotta, Sredniy Verman, Mashjoki, and Nautsiyoki rivers, whereas cholesterol esters predominated in mussels from the rivers of the Pyaozero water system, which is further south. Furthermore, the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio (an indicator of the structural and functional state of membranes and a marker of temperature adaptation) was the highest in pearl mussels from the Lotta, Sredniy Verman, Mashjoki, and Nautsiyoki rivers. This may be related to corresponding adaptive changes associated with preparation for the winter period, given a more northern location of the rivers. The results of lipid status analysis in pearl mussels from different habitats may be useful for monitoring studies aimed at preserving and restoring populations of the species in the wild.
Circadian rhythm disruption is a risk factor for metabolic and age-associated diseases. The liver is a key target of such desynchronosis. The effect of chronic continuous light exposure and the corrective effect of melatonin on the liver status were investigated in rats. Desynchronosis mediated by melatonin deficiency was shown to induce the formation of a pro-senescent and metabolically dysfunctional liver phenotype. Melatonin administration significantly reduced the severity of the identified disorders and prevented statistically significant deviations in most of the parameters under study. The results, together with previous data on ultrastructural damage to hepatocytes and a negative impact of desynchronosis on lifespan, indicate that chronic continuous light exposure is a significant pro-gerontological factor and that melatonin is an effective agent for correcting the associated disturbances of liver homeostasis.
