Project description:Peptides were qualitatively characterized in supraoptic nuclei (SON)of dromedary camels by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry. Samples collected in winter and summer were analyzed separately. Qualitative seasonal differences were noted. The presence of the PMCH hormone by detection of a single peptide, Neuropeptide-glutamic acid-isoleucine (EIGDEENSAKFPI-amide), only in winter SON. SCG1- and SCG2- derived peptides were detected in both seasons, but more peptides identified in winter than summer for either of the proteins. Peptides from SCG3 were detected only in winter SON samples. We found evidence of alternative splicing of the tachykinin precursor 1 in dromedary between seasons. In summer, we detected neurokinin A (isoforms 2,4, and 6) as well as peptide DADSSVEKQVALLKALYGLGQISHKMAYE confirming prohormone variant without neurokinin A (dromedary isoforms 3 and 7), while in winter SON we detected peptides supporting prohormone variants with neurokinin A (isoforms 2, 4, 6). Substance P was detected only in winter samples. The MS data supported some of our transcriptomics results.
Project description:Background biology: Global warming has accelerated in recent decades, with the Arctic warming 2–3 times faster than the global average. As a result boreal species are expanding into the Arctic, at a pace reflecting environmental warming. Nevertheless, the poleward expansion of boreal marine species is restricted by their ability to tolerate low water temperatures, and in the case of intertidal species, sub-zero air temperatures during winter. In Greenland, however, the number of days with extreme sub-zero air temperatures has decreased by more than 50% since the 1950’s, suggesting that the low air temperature constraint is weakening. Although boreal intertidal species could potentially benefit from this warmer climate to establish populations in the Arctic, recent work has shown that local intertidal summer air temperatures in Greenland can exceed 36°C. This temperature is above the thermoregulatory capacity of many boreal intertidal species, including the highly abundant blue mussel Mytilus edulis. Therefore will further colonisation of M. edulis in Greenland be inhibited by the increasingly warm summer temperatures. Aim of experiment: Intertidal animals (Greenland blue mussel M. edulis) were sampled in situ on the first warm days of the year from the inner (warmer) and outer (cooler) regions of the Godthåbsfjorden around Nuuk (64°N) to examine the fjord temperature gradient effect. In addition, subtidal M. edulis were also collected and subjected to two acute temperature shocks of 22 and 32°C, which represented common and extreme summer air temperatures for intertidal habitats near Nuuk.
Project description:Among terrestrial ectotherms, hibernation is a common response to extreme cold temperatures and is associated with reduced physiological rates, including immunity. When winter wanes and temperatures increase, so too do vital rates of both ectothermic hosts and their parasites. Due to metabolic scaling, if parasite activity springs back faster than host immune functions then cold seasons and transitions between cold and warm seasons may represent periods of vulnerability for ectothermic hosts. Understanding host regulation of physiological rates at seasonal junctions is a first step toward identifying thermal mismatches between hosts and parasites. Here we show that immune gene expression is responsive to transitions into and out of the cold season in a winter-adapted amphibian, the wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus), and that frogs experienced parasitism by at least two nematode species throughout the entirety of the cold season. In both splenic and skin tissues, we observed a decrease in immune gene expression going from fall to winter, observed no changes between winter and emergence from hibernation, and observed increases in immune gene expression after hibernation ended. At all timepoints, differentially expressed genes from spleens were more highly enriched for immune system processes than those from ventral skin, especially with respect to terms related to adaptive immune processes. Infection with nematode lungworms was also associated with upregulation of immune processes in the spleen. We suggest that rather than being a period of stagnation, during which physiological processes and infection potential cease, the cold season is immunologically dynamic, requiring coordinated regulation of many biological processes, and that the reemergence period may be an important time during which hosts invest in preparatory immunity.
Project description:Winter dormancy is an adaptative mechanism that temperate and boreal trees have developed to protect their meristems against low temperatures. In apple trees (Malus domestica), cold temperatures induce bud dormancy at the end of summer/beginning of the fall. Apple buds stay dormant during winter until they are exposed to a period of cold, after which they can resume growth (budbreak) and initiate flowering in response to warm temperatures in spring. It is well-known that small RNAs modulate temperature responses in many plant species, but however, how small RNAs are involved in genetic networks of temperature-mediated dormancy control in fruit tree species remains unclear. Here, we have made use of a recently developed ARGONAUTE (AGO)-purification technique to isolate small RNAs from apple buds. A small RNA-seq experiment resulted in the identification of small RNAs that change their pattern of expression in apple buds during dormancy.
Project description:Air pollutants including particulate matter (PM) and chemicals adsorbed onto PM pose a serious threat to human health. In this study, we analyzed the ability of PM to induce diverse gene expression profile modulation after chronic exposure in subjects living in two regions of the Czech Republic differing in levels and sources of the air pollution. We also considered impact of different seasonal conditions on concentrations and compositions of PM. Blood samples of 312 subjects from polluted Ostrava city and 154 controls from Prague city were collected in winter 2009, summer 2009 and winter 2010. The highest concentrations of air pollutants were detected in winter 2010 when the subjects were exposed to: PM of aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 M-BM-5m (70 vs. 44.9 M-BM-5g/m3); benzo[a]pyrene (9.02 vs. 2.56 ng/m3) and benzene (10.2 vs. 5.5 M-BM-5g/m3) in Ostrava and Prague, respectively. Global gene expression analysis of total RNA extracted from leukocytes was performed using whole genome microarrays (Illumina). The expression of selected genes was verified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Despite lower concentrations of air pollutants we found a higher number of differentially expressed genes and affected KEGG pathways in subjects from Prague. In both locations we observed differences between seasons. The qRT-PCR analysis showed a significant decrease in expression of APEX, ATM, FAS, GSTM1, IL1B and RAD21 in subjects from Ostrava, in a comparison of winter 2010 and summer 2009. In Prague, an increase in gene expression was observed for GADD45A and PTGS2. In conclusion, high concentrations of pollutants in Ostrava do not increase the number of differentially expressed genes. This may be explained by adaption of humans to chronic exposure to air pollution. Total RNA was extracted from leukocytes of total of 154 control subjects and 312 subjects exposed to heavy air pollution. The samples were collected in three seasons (winter 2009, summer 2009, winter 2010) with different levels of air pollution. Most of the subjects were sampled repeatedly; however, some of them joined the study in summer 2009 or winter 2010.
Project description:A double cropping system has been commercially adopted in subtropical regions in southern China, where there is abundant sunshine and heat resources. In this viticulture system, the first growing season normally starts as a summer cropping cycle; then, the vine is pruned and forced by hydrogen cyanamide, resulting in a second crop in January of the next year. Due to climate differences between the two growing seasons,the transcriptome varies greatly between summer- and winter- grape berries. In this study, we conducted RNA-seq for two table grape varieties (Vitis vinifera cv. Victoria and V. vinifera cv. Muscat Superior) at three developmental stages (pre-veraison, post-veraison and full maturity).The transcriptome between summer- and winter- grape berries were compared.
Project description:Different fuctional genes have different expression levels in various tissues. Along with the seasons changing, expression level also changes. One-year expression level for functional genes can be indicated by the four seasonal samples and respective time-course change can also be detected. We use microarry chips to study the expression levels for specific genes and explore new functional genes involved in secondary metabolism Samples from four tissues (bud, root, xylem and phloem) were collected in different seasons in one year. April and May were the months in spring for collecting samples. June and July were the months in summer for collecting samples. September and October were the months in autumn for collecting samples. December was the month for collecting samples in winter. RNA from each sample was extracted for hybridization.
Project description:16S rRNA sequence data of of the research due to microbial degradation of microplastics and plant litter in boreal humic lake water in winter and spring seasons
Project description:Epigenetic markers, such as DNA methylation, in sperm plays crucial roles in spermatogenesis and fertilization, and a portion of methylation escape the early embryonic genome-wide DNA demethylation and affect later growth and development of offspring. DNA methylation is influenced by various exogenous factors such as nutrition, temperature, toxicants, and stress. The effects of this cold exposure on the methylation dynamics of bovine sperm remain unexamined. Methylation profiles of sperm, collected from bulls during summer and winter seasons were analyzed by Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing (WGBS). Cold exposure during winter does not have a significant effect on the global methylation level, it altered the methylation levels at certain genomic loci and genes that may impact the maintenance of methylation status of imprinted genes and other loci, which may impact the development and growth of offspring.