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Reuters: Science
	UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The chief U.N. investigator into human rights cases in North Korea said on Wednesday he has appealed to China to support calls to refer Pyongyang's actions to The Hague on suspicion of crimes against humanity.
	Keywords: Nitrosospira investigator

Reuters: Science
	NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. federal prosecutors are trying to determine whether Japanese auto parts maker Takata Corp misled U.S. regulators about the number of defective air bags it sold to automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co Ltd , The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
	Keywords: Sphingomonas regulator

PubMed: nov sp species

An opilioacarid mite in Cretaceous Burmese amber.

Naturwissenschaften. 2014 Sep;101(9):759-63

Authors: Dunlop JA, de Oliveira Bernardi LF

Abstract
A fossil opilioacarid mite (Parasitiformes: Opilioacarida) in Burmese amber is described as ?Opilioacarus groehni sp. nov. This ca. 99 Ma record (Upper Cretaceous: Cenomanian) represents only the third fossil example of this putatively basal mite lineage, the others originating from Eocene Baltic amber (ca. 44-49 Ma). Our new record is not only the oldest record of Opilioacarida, but it is also one of the oldest examples of the entire Parasitiformes clade. The presence of Opilioacarida-potentially Opiloacarus-in the Cretaceous of SE Asia suggests that some modern genus groups were formerly more widely distributed across the northern hemisphere, raising questions about previously suggested Gondwanan origins for these mites.

PMID: 25027588 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Keywords: Opilioacarida, Opilioacarus groehni, Parasitiformes

PubMed: nov sp species

Nitrosospira lacus sp. nov., a psychrotolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacterium from sandy lake sediment.

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2014 Oct 21;

Authors: Urakawa H, Garcia JC, Nielsen JL, Le VQ, Kozlowski JA, Stein LY, Lim CK, Pommerening-Röser A, Martens-Habbena W, Stahl DA, Klotz MG

Abstract
A Gram-negative, spiral chemolithotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacterium, designated APG3T was isolated into pure culture from sandy lake sediment collected from Green Lake, Seattle Washington, USA. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA genes showed that strain APG3T belongs to the cluster 0 Nitrosospira, which is presently not represented by described species, with Nitrosospira multiformis (cluster 3) as its closest validated species (identity of 98.6 %). Strain APG3T grows at 4°C but cannot grow at 35°C, indicating that this bacterium is psychrotolerant. Remarkably, the strain was able to grow at a wide range of pH (pH 5-9), which was greater than the range of studied ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in pure culture. The G+C content of the APG3T genome is 53.5%, which is similar to N. multiformis ATCC25196 (53.9%) but higher than that of N. europaea (50.7%) and N. eutropha (48.5%). The average nucleotide identity (ANI) calculated for the genomes of strain APG3T and N. multiformis was 75.45%, a significantly lower value than 95% ANI, which corresponds to 70% species level cut-off based on DNA-DNA hybridization. Overall polyphasic taxonomy study indicated that strain APG3T represents a new species in the genus Nitrosospira for which the name Nitrosospira lacus sp. nov. is proposed (type strain APG3T = NCIMB 14869T = LMG 27536T = ATCC BAA-2542T).

PMID: 25336720 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Keywords: Nitrosospira europaea, Nitrosospira eutropha, Nitrosospira lacus, Nitrosospira multiformis

PubMed: nov sp species

Thiogranum longum gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel obligately chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacterium of the family Ectothiorhodospiraceae isolated from a hydrothermal field on Suiyo Seamount, and an emended description of the genus Thiohalomonas.

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2014 Oct 21;

Authors: Mori K, Suzuki KI, Yamaguchi K, Urabe T, Hanada S

Abstract
A novel obligately chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacterial strain, designated strain gps52(T), was isolated from a rock sample collected near the hydrothermal vents of the Suiyo Seamount in the Pacific Ocean. The cells possessed a Gram-negative type cell wall and contained menaquinone-8(H4) and menaquinone-9(H4) as respiratory quinones, and C16:1ω7cis, C16:0, and C18:1ω7cis as major cellular fatty acids. Neither storage compounds nor extensive internal membranes were observed in the cells. Strain gps52T grew using carbon dioxide fixation and oxidation of inorganic sulfur compounds with oxygen as electron acceptor. The optimum growth was observed at 32°C, pH 6.6 and 3% NaCl. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain gps52T belongs to the family Ectothiorhodospiraceae and is different from any other known bacteria, with sequence similarities of less than 93%. Based on phenotypic and phylogenetic findings, the isolate is considered to represent a new genus and species in the family Ectothiorhodospiraceae, and the name Thiogranum longum gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed for strain gps52(T) (=NBRC 101260(T) = DSM 19610(T)).

PMID: 25336721 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Keywords: Ectothiorhodospiraceae, Gammaproteobacteria, Thiogranum longum

PubMed: nov sp species

Parablastomonas arctica gen. nov., sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from high Arctic glacial till.

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2014 Oct 21;

Authors: Ren L, Chang X, Jiang F, Kan W, Qu Z, Qiu X, Fang C, Peng F

Abstract
A pale yellow pigmented, aerobic bacterium, strain M0-2T, was isolated from a till sample. Its taxonomic position was investigated by using a polyphase approach. Cells are Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped and motile. Cells reproduce by budding or asymmetric cell division. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain M0-2T belonged to the family Sphingomonadaceae and was closely related to Novosphingobium species (96.4-92.0%), Blastomonas species (94.6%), Sphingopyxis witflariensis W-50T (94.0%), Sphingosinicella soli KSL-125T (93.6%) and Sphingomonas astaxanthinifaciens TDMA-17T (93.5%). Ubiquinone-10 (Q-10) was the predominant respiratory quinone. The major fatty acids were summed feature 8 (comprising C18:1 ω7c and/or C18:1 ω6c, 31.9%), summed feature 3 (comprising C16:1 ω7c and/or C16:1 ω6c, 19.8%) and C14:0 2-OH (8.9%). Sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine were the major polar lipids. Spermidine was the major polyamine observed in the cell. The genomic DNA G+C content was 47.5 mol%. Based on the phylogenetic relationship, the low DNA G+C content compared with most other genera of the family Sphingomonadaceae and combined with phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data, strain M0-2T is considered to represent a novel species in a new genus in the family Sphingomonadaceae for which the name Parablastomonas arctica gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Parablastomonas arctica gen. nov., sp. nov. is M0-2T (=CCTCC AB 2012968 T = NRRL B-59110T).

PMID: 25336722 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Keywords: Parablastomonas arctica, Proteobacteria, Sphingomonadaceae, Sphingopyxis witflariensis, Sphingosinicella soli

PubMed: nov sp species

Bombella intestini gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel acetic acid bacterium isolated from bumble bee crop.

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2014 Oct 21;

Authors: Li L, Praet J, Borremans W, Nunes OC, Manaia CC, Cleenwerck IM, Meeus I, Smagghe G, De Vuyst L, Vandamme PA

Abstract
In the frame of a bumble bee gut microbiota study, acetic acid bacteria (AAB) were isolated using a combination of direct isolation methods and enrichment procedures. MALDI-TOF MS profiling of the isolates and a comparison of these profiles with profiles of established AAB species identified most isolates as Asaia astilbes or as "Commensalibacter intestini", except for two isolates (R-52486 and LMG 28161T) that showed an identical profile. A nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequence of LMG 28161T was determined and showed the highest pairwise similarity to Saccharibacter floricola (96.5 %), which corresponded with genus level divergence in the Acetobacteraceae family. Isolate LMG 28161T was subjected to whole-genome shotgun sequencing; a 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence as well as partial sequences of the housekeeping genes dnaK, groEL and rpoB were extracted for phylogenetic analyses. The data obtained confirmed that this isolate is best classified into a novel genus in the family Acetobacteraceae. Its DNA G+C content was 54.9 mol%. The fatty acid compositions of R-52486 and LMG 28161T were similar to those of established AAB species [with C18:1ω7c (43.3 %) as major component], but the amounts of fatty acids such as C19:0 cyclo ω8c, C14:0 and C14:0 2-OH enabled to differentiate them. The major ubiquinone was Q-10. Both isolates could also be differentiated from the known genera of AAB by means of biochemical characteristics, such as their lack of ability to oxidize ethanol to acetic acid, negligible acid production from melibiose, and notable acid production from D-fructose, sucrose and D-mannitol. In addition, they produced 2-keto-D-gluconic acid, but not 5-keto-D-gluconic acid from D-glucose. Therefore, the name Bombella intestini is proposed for this new taxon, with LMG 28161T (= DSM 28636T) as the type strain.

PMID: 25336723 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Keywords: Acetobacteraceae, Asaia astilbes, Bombella intestini, Saccharibacter floricola

CBD News Headlines
	KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 2014 (IPS) - To mainstream biodiversity concerns into development planning, we must offer a compelling rationale and demonstrate biodiversity's relevance to wealth generation, job creation and general human wellbeing.
	Keywords: Platalea ajaja

CBD News Headlines
	On the morning of July 14, 2002 Qi Qi ate breakfast as he always did.
	Keywords: Acipenser dabryanus, Alligator sinensis, Lipotes vexillifer, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis, Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis, Neophocaena phocaenoides, Psephurus gladius, Rafetus swinhoei

BMC Evolutionary Biology - Latest articles
	Background:The current taxonomy of the African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is primarily based on pelage pattern and geographic distribution, and nine subspecies are currently recognized. Although genetic studies have been conducted, their resolution is low, mainly due to limited sampling. Detailed knowledge about the genetic variation and phylogeography of the South African giraffe (G. c. giraffa) and the Angolan giraffe (G. c. angolensis) is lacking. We investigate genetic variation among giraffe matrilines by increased sampling, with a focus on giraffe key areas in southern Africa.Results:The 1,562 nucleotides long mitochondrial DNA dataset (cytochrome b and partial control region) comprises 138 parsimony informative sites among 161 giraffe individuals from eight populations. We additionally included two okapis as an outgroup. The analyses of the maternally inherited sequences reveal a deep divergence between northern and southern giraffe populations in Africa, and a general pattern of distinct matrilineal clades corresponding to their geographic distribution. Divergence time estimates among giraffe populations place the deepest splits at several hundred thousand years ago.Conclusions:Our increased sampling in southern Africa suggests that the distribution ranges of the Angolan and South African giraffe need to be redefined. Knowledge about the phylogeography and genetic variation of these two maternal lineages is crucial for the development of appropriate management strategies.
	Keywords: Aepyceros melampus petersi, Aepyceros petersi, Alcelaphini, Artiodactyla, Bovidae, Cervus elaphus, Cetartiodactyla, Giraffa camelopardalis, Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis, Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti, Giraffe angolensis, Giraffe giraffa, Giraffidae, Kobus leche, Loxodonta africana, Loxodonta cyclotis, Madoqua damarensis, Mammalia, Muntiacus muntjak, Okapia johnstoni, Oryx beisa, Oryx gazella, Pudu puda, Rangifer tarandus

BMC Genomics - Latest articles
	Background:Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.), popularly known as "China grass", is one of the oldest crops in China and the second most important fiber crop in terms of area sown. Ramie fiber, extracted from the plant bast, is important in the textile industry. However, the molecular mechanism of ramie fiber development remains unknown.Results:A whole sequencing run was performed on the 454 GS FLX + platform using four separately pooled parts of ramie bast. This generated 1,030,057 reads with an average length of 457 bp. Among the 58,369 unigenes (13,386 contigs and 44,983 isotigs) that were generated through de novo assembly, 780 were differentially expressed. As a result, 13 genes that belong to the cellulose synthase gene family (four), the expansin gene family (three) and the xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/ hydrolase (XTH) gene family (six) were up-regulated in the top part of the bast, which was in contrast to the other three parts. The identification of these 13 concurrently up-regulated unigenes indicated that the early stage (represented by the top part of the bast) might be important for the molecular regulation of ramie fiber development. Further analysis indicated that four of the 13 unigenes from the expansin (two) and XTH (two) families shared a coincident expression pattern during the whole growth season, which implied they were more relevant to ramie fiber development (fiber quality, etc.) during the different seasons than the other genes.Conclusions:To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to characterize ramie fiber development at different developmental stages. The identified transcripts will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in ramie fiber development. Moreover, the identified differentially expressed genes will accelerate molecular research on ramie fiber growth and the breeding of ramie with better fiber yields and quality.
	Keywords: Boehmeria nivea

Slashdot: Science

astroengine writes Scientists have found two families of comets in the developing Beta Pictoris star system, located about 64 million light-years from Earth, including one group that appears to be remnants of a smashed-up protoplanet. The discovery bolsters our theoretical understanding of the violent processes that led to the formation of Earth and the other terrestrial planets in the solar system. "If you look back at the solar system when it was only 22 million years old, you might have seen phenomena that's a like more like what's happening in Beta Pic," astrophysicist Aki Roberge, with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., told Discovery News.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Keywords: Pictoris star

EurekAlert! - Biology
	(Ecological Society of America) In this month's issue of Ecology, invasive seaweed shelters native crustaceans, mature forests store nitrogen in soil, and stream invertebrates aren't eating what we thought they were eating.
	Keywords: Gammarus mucronatus, Gracilaria vermiculophylla

Cell Communication and Signaling - Latest articles
	Background:The rod photoreceptor cGMP-gated cation channel, consisting of three α- and one β subunit, controls ion flow into the rod outer segment (ROS). In addition to the β-subunit, the Cngb1 locus encodes an abundant soluble protein, GARP2 that binds stoichiometrically to rod photoreceptor cGMP phosphodiesterase type 6 (PDE6). To examine the in vivo functional role of GARP2 we generated opsin promoter-driven transgenic mice overexpressing GARP2 three-fold specifically in rod photoreceptors.Results:In the GARP2 overexpressing transgenic mice (tg), the endogenous channel β-subunit, cGMP phosphodiesterase α-subunit, peripherin2/RDS and guanylate cyclase I were present at WT levels and were properly localized within the ROS. While localized properly within ROS, two proteins cGMP phosphodiesterase α-subunit (1.4-fold) and cGMP-gated cation channel α-subunit (1.2-fold) were moderately, but significantly elevated. Normal stratification of all retinal layers was observed, and ROS were stable in numbers but were 19% shorter than WT. Analysis of the photoresponse using electroretinography (ERG) showed that tg mice exhibit no change in sensitivity indicating overall normal rod function, however two parameters of the photoresponse significantly differed from WT responses. Fitting of the rising phase of the ERG a-wave to an accepted model of phototransduction showed a two-fold increase in phototransduction gain in the tg mice. The increase in gain was confirmed in isolated retinal tissue and by suction electrode recordings of individual rod photoreceptor cells. A measure of response recovery, the dominant time constant (τD) was elevated 69% in isolated retina compared to WT, indicating slower shutoff of the photoresponse.Conclusions:GARP2 may participate in regulating visual signal transduction through a previously unappreciated role in regulating phototransduction gain and recovery.
	Keywords: Macaca fascicularis

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine - Latest articles
	Background:Ginger leaf (GL) has long been used as a vegetable, tea and herbal medicine. However, its pharmacological properties are still poorly understood. Thus, we performed in vitro studies to evaluate anti-cancer properties of ginger leaf and then elucidate the potential mechanisms involved.Methods:Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. ATF3 expression level was evaluated by Western blot or RT-PCR and ATF3 transcriptional activity was determined using a dual-luciferase assay kit after the transfection of ATF3 promoter constructs. In addition, ATF3-dependent apoptosis was evaluated by Western blot after ATF3 knockdown using ATF3 siRNA.Results:Exposure of GL to human colorectal cancer cells (HCT116, SW480 and LoVo cells) reduced the cell viability and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, GL reduced cell viability in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and HepG-2 cells. ATF3 knockdown attenuated GL-mediated apoptosis. GL increased activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) expressions in both protein and mRNA level and activated ATF3 promoter activity, indicating transcriptional activation of ATF3 gene by GL. In addition, our data showed that GL-responsible sites might be between -318 and -85 region of the ATF3 promoter. We also observed that ERK1/2 inhibition by PD98059 attenuated GL-mediated ATF3 expression but not p38 inhibition by SB203580, indicating ERK1/2 pathway implicated in GL-induced ATF3 activation.Conclusions:These findings suggest that the reduction of cell viability and apoptosis by GL may be a result of ATF3 promoter activation and subsequent increase of ATF3 expression through ERK1/2 activation in human colorectal cancer cells.
	Keywords: Zingiber officinale

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine - Latest articles
	Background:Alkaloids present in plants of the Amaryllidaceae family are secondary metabolites of high biological interest, possessing a wide range of pharmacological activities. In the search for new plant-derived compounds with antimicrobial activities, two alkaloid extracts obtained from bulbs and leaves of Pancratium illyricum L., a plant of the Amarillydaceae family, were tested for their effect on bacterial and yeast growth.Methods:The broth microdilution susceptibility test was applied to study the effect of plant extracts on the growth of reference bacterial strains and Candida albicans reference and clinical isolates strains. Extracts obtained from the different parts of the plant were tested and compared with the pure components identified in the extracts. Since matrix metalloproteinase enzymes play a role in the dissemination process of Candida albicans, the effect of the bulb extract and pure alkaloids on in vitro collagenase activity was tested. Cell viability test was carried out on human embryo lung fibroblasts (HEL 299).Results:Whilst both extracts did not show any inhibitory activity against neither Gram positive nor Gram negative bacteria, a strong antifungal activity was detected, in particular for the bulb extract. All clinical isolates were susceptible to the growth inhibitory activity of the bulb extract, with endpoint IC50 values ranging from 1.22 to 78 mug/mL. The pure alkaloids lycorine and vittatine, identified as components of the extract, were also assayed for their capacity of inhibiting the yeast growth, and lycorine turned very active, with endpoint IC50 values ranging from 0.89 to 28.5 mug/mL. A potent inhibition of the in vitro collagenase activity was found in the presence of the bulb extract, and this effect was much higher than that exerted by the pure alkaloids. Viability of cell lines tested was not affected by the extract.Conclusions:Taken together, results suggest that the extract of Pancratium illyricum may act as antifungal agent both directly on the yeast growth and by altering the tissue invasion process.
	Keywords: Amaryllidaceae, Candida albicans, Pancratium illyricum

ScienceDirect Search: species
	Publication date: April 2015 Source:Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Volume 165 Author(s): Juliana M. Jacob , Patricia G. Corradini , Ermete Antolini , Nathalia Abe Santos , Joelma Perez Ternary Pt–Sn–Ce/C catalysts were prepared by a modified formic acid method, and their activity for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) was compared to that of Pt–Sn/C, Pt–Ce/C and Pt/C catalysts. No bulk alloy formation was detected by XRD analysis. XPS measurements indicated no segregation on the catalyst surface and the presence of Sn(0) and SnO x , Ce2O3 and CeO2 oxides. The onset potential for CH3CH2OH oxidation on Pt–Sn/C and Pt–Sn–Ce/C (60:20:20) catalysts, which have the highest Sn content on the surface, was lower than that of Pt–Sn–Ce/C (70:20:10) and (50:20:30), Pt–Ce/C and Pt/C catalysts. This work highlights the dependence on the potential of the effect of cerium in Pt–Sn–Ce/C catalysts on the EOR activity and on the reaction mechanism. By derivative voltammograms, different reaction pathways at different potentials, involving Sn (at ca. 0.44V vs. RHE), Sn+Ce (at ca. 0.55V vs. RHE) and Ce (at ca. 0.67V vs. RHE) were inferred. The Pt–Sn–Ce/C catalysts were less tolerant to poisoning by ethanol oxidation intermediate species than Pt/C and Pt–Sn/C, but more stable than Pt–Ce/C catalysts. DEFC tests at 90°C indicated that a higher Sn surface content is more effective for ethanol oxidation than the addition of Ce to Pt–Sn/C. Graphical abstract
	Keywords: Brassica napus, Brassica rapa

Christian Science Monitor \| Top Stories
	Nearly 50 years after discovering Deinocheirus mirificus, paleontologists have established a complete picture of the 36-foot-long dinosaur.
	Keywords: Deinocheirus mirificus, Tyrannosaurus rex

MSNBC.com: Science
	Two near-complete skeletons of the bizarre 70-million-year-old creature show it boasted a combination of unorthodox traits.
	Keywords: Deinocheirus mirificus

LiveScience.com
	A shrewlike mammal that lives in the forests of Madagascar is a living fossil of sorts. The creature can hibernate for nine hours straight.
	Keywords: Afrotheria

LiveScience.com
	A shrewlike creature in Madagascar that can hibernate for at least nine months of the year without waking may help reveal how mammals survived the cataclysm that ended the age of dinosaurs, researchers suggest.
	Keywords: Afrotheria

LiveScience.com
	In a remote area of Southeast Asia, drones are fighting a battle — not against terrorists or insurgents, but against infectious disease.
	Keywords: Plasmodium knowlesi

LiveScience.com
	The first animals to have sex were tiny armored fish called microbrachius that copulated some 385 million years ago in a square-dancing type maneuver.
	Keywords: Austroptyctodus gardineri, Placoderms

LiveScience.com
	Sex is older than anyone had ever known. New research reveals that 385 million-year-old fish did the deed — and they may have invented copulation as much as 430 million years ago.
	Keywords: Placoderms

LiveScience.com
	A duck-billed, humpback, ostrichlike dinosaur has been unearthed in Mongolia at a site illegally excavated by poachers.
	Keywords: Deinocheirus mirificus, Tyrannosaurus rex

LiveScience.com
	This highly speculative animation is based upon analysis of a nearly complete Deinocheirus mirificus skeleton. It suggests the dinosaur may have plodded along river bottoms to forage for fish.
	Keywords: Deinocheirus mirificus

LiveScience.com
	A new study of fossil records estimates that the 60-foot-long (18 meters) Megalodon shark went extinct 2.6 million years ago.
	Keywords: Carcharocles megalodon

Retrovirology - Latest articles
	Background:Plants remain an important source of new drugs, new leads and new chemical entities. Triptolide is a diterpenoid epoxide isolated from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F that possesses a broad range of bioactivities, including anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive and anti-tumor properties. The antiviral activity of triptolide against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has not been reported.Results:In this study, nanomolar concentrations of triptolide were shown to potently inhibit HIV-1 replication in vitro. To identify the step(s) of the HIV-1 replication cycle affected by triptolide, time-of-addition studies, PCR analysis and direct transfection of viral genomic DNA were performed. The results of these experiments indicated that triptolide acts at the stage of viral gene transcription. In addition, a luciferase-based reporter assay that allows quantitative analysis of long terminal repeat (LTR)-driven transcription showed that Tat-induced LTR activation was impaired in the presence of triptolide. Moreover, Western blot analysis of exogenous gene expression (driven by the human elongation factor 1 α subunit promoter) in transiently transfected cells revealed that triptolide specifically reduces the steady-state level of Tat protein, without suppressing global gene expression. Further studies showed that triptolide accelerates Tat protein degradation, which can be rescued by administration of the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Mutation analysis revealed that N-terminal domains of Tat protein and nuclear localization are required for triptolide to reduce steady-state level of Tat.Conclusion:This study suggests for the first time that triptolide exerts its anti-HIV-1 activity by specifically prompting the degradation of the virally encoded Tat protein, which is a novel mechanism of action for an anti-HIV-1 compound. This compound may serve as a starting point for developing a novel HIV-1 therapeutic approach or as a basic research tool for interrogating events during viral replication.
	Keywords: Tripterygium wilfordii

National Geographic News
	Global warming over the past few decades has caused chamois goats in the Italian Alps to get smaller.
	Keywords: Rupicapra rupicapra

National Geographic News
	Bumba lennoni is named for the British rocker but lives in Brazil.
	Keywords: Boa lennoni, Theraphosa blondi

EurekAlert! - Breaking News
	Scientists from the University of Southampton have revealed that feather shafts are made of a multi-layered fibrous composite material, much like carbon fiber, which allows the feather to bend and twist to cope with the stresses of flight.
	Keywords: Cygnus olor, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Perdix perdix

EurekAlert! - Breaking News
	Many different microbes can cause pneumonia, and treatment may be delayed or off target if doctors cannot tell which bug is the culprit. A novel approach -- analyzing a patient's breath for key chemical compounds made by the infecting microbe -- may help detect invasive aspergillosis, a fungal infection that is a leading cause of mortality in patients with compromised immune systems, according to a proof-of-concept study now online in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
	Keywords: Aspergillus fumigatus

ScienceDirect Search: "sp nov"
	Publication date: Available online 23 October 2014 Source:Annales de Paléontologie Author(s): René-Pierre Carriol , Esteban Álvarez-Fernández Sampling in archaeological caves in northern Spain, within levels dated between ca. 23,000 and 3500cal BP, revealed the presence of six species of sessile cirripedes. A new genus and a new species are described in the Lower Magdalenian (ca. 18,000cal BP). Titobustillobalanus tubutubulus gen. nov., sp. nov. is characterised by parietes permeated by a single row of secondary small tubes between primary and secondary inner lamina and a sheath with tubes and cells. For each of the other five species, the current geographic distribution and ecologic data are given. A change of fauna is noticed from the Upper Magdalenian (ca. 14,500cal BP) indicating global warming.
	Keywords: Crustacea, Golfingicola abyssalis

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed
	Hey, Darren, how's it going with that plan to discuss all the fossil crocodylomorph groups? Huh? Well, ha ha, it ain't going so well… goddam life getting in the way of my blogging. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
	Keywords: Crocodylia, Crocodyliformes, Dakosaurus andinensis, Dyrosauridae, Neoceratodus tuberculatus

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed
	The waddling Deinocheirus was almost as big as Tyrannosaurus rex -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
	Keywords: Deinocheirus mirificus, Tyrannosaurus rex

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed
	The bacterium Clostridium scindens, a member of the gut’s microbiome, appears to ward off the hospital-acquired infection C. difficile. Christopher Intagliata reports. -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
	Keywords: Clostridium difficile, Clostridium scindens

EurekAlert! - Breaking News
	Males of great bustard consume small doses of poison with a dual purpose: to eliminate intern parasites and, especially, to look healthier and stronger before females, allowing them to achieve a greater reproductive success. A team of researchers from the Spanish National Research Council has now suggested for the first time that this function of self-medication could be a mechanism of sexual selection. The study results are published in the PLOS ONE journal.
	Keywords: Berberomeloe majalis, Physomeloe corallifer

EurekAlert! - Breaking News
	Tropical Storm Ana was being battered by wind shear when NASA's Terra satellite passed overhead and saw the bulk of showers and thunderstorms pushed north and east of the center.
	Keywords: Manoa lyon

EurekAlert! - Breaking News
	Combining a PET scanner with a new chemical tracer that selectively tags specific types of bacteria, Johns Hopkins researchers working with mice report they have devised a way to detect and monitor in real time infections with dangerous Gram-negative bacteria. These increasingly drug-resistant bacteria are responsible for a range of diseases, including fatal pneumonias and various bloodstream or solid-organ infections acquired in and outside the hospital.
	Keywords: Ebola coli, Enterobacteriaceae, Klebsiella, Salmonella

MSNBC.com: Science
	An ancient galaxy blazes with a new surge of starbirth in a newly released infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope
	Keywords: Deinocheirus mirificus

MSNBC.com: Science
	A genetic analysis of the 45,000-year-old bone of a man from Siberia is helping to pinpoint when modern humans and Neanderthals first interbred
	Keywords: Deinocheirus mirificus

MSNBC.com: Science
	Two Russian astronauts wrapped up a speedy, 3 -1/2-hour spacewalk to replace science experiments and jettison two unneeded antenna.
	Keywords: Deinocheirus mirificus

MSNBC.com: Science
	Thursday brings a partial solar eclipse, with the moon passing between the Earth and Sun just enough to take a "bite" out of the star's disc.
	Keywords: Deinocheirus mirificus

Reuters: Science
	GENEVA (Reuters) - At least 4,877 people have died in the world's worst recorded outbreak of Ebola, and at least 9,936 cases of the disease had been recorded as of Oct. 19, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, but the true toll may be three times as much.
	Keywords: Ebola check

Reuters: Science
	OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's capital was jolted on Wednesday by the fatal shooting of a soldier and an attack on the parliament building in which gunshots were fired outside a room where Prime Minister Stephen Harper was speaking.
	Keywords: Ebola check

EurekAlert! - Biology
	(Autism Speaks) Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, has selected two major research projects -- one focused on intestinal bacteria, the other on chronic constipation -- to advance understanding of autism's gut-brain connection. Funding for the studies, each spanning three years, will total more than $2.3 million.
	Keywords: Bacteroides fragilis

EurekAlert! - Breaking News
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	Drawing blood and testing it is standard practice for many medical diagnostics. As a less painful alternative, scientists are developing skin patches that could one day replace the syringe. In the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry, one team reports they have designed and successfully tested, for the first time, a small skin patch that detected malaria proteins in live mice. It could someday be adapted for use in humans to diagnose other diseases, too.
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PubMed: species

Morphologic, cytometric and functional characterization of the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) hemocytes.

Dev Comp Immunol. 2014 May;44(1):50-8

Authors: Castellanos-Martínez S, Prado-Alvarez M, Lobo-da-Cunha A, Azevedo C, Gestal C

Abstract
The hemocytes of Octopus vulgaris were morphologically and functionally characterized. Light and electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), and flow cytometry analyses revealed the existence of two hemocyte populations. Large granulocytes showed U-shaped nucleus, a mean of 11.6 μm±1.2 in diameter with basophilic granules, polysaccharide and lysosomic deposits in the cytoplasm. Small granulocytes measured a mean of 8.1 μm±0.7 in diameter, and have a round nucleus occupying almost the entire cell and few or not granules in the cytoplasm. Flow cytometry analysis showed that large granulocytes are the principal cells that develop phagocytosis of latex beads (rising up to 56%) and ROS after zymosan stimulation. Zymosan induced the highest production of both ROS and NO. This study is the first tread towards understanding the O. vulgaris immune system by applying new tools to provide a most comprehensive morpho-functional study of their hemocytes.

PMID: 24296436 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Keywords: Octopus vulgaris, Octopus vulgaris immune

Graphical abstract