Transcriptomic profile reveals molecular events associated to focal adhesion and invasion in canine mammary gland tumour cell lines

The prevalence of cancer in animals has increased significantly over the years. Mammary tumours are the most common neoplasia in dogs, in which around 50% are presented in the malignant form. Hence, the development and characterization of in vitro models for the study of canine tumours are important for the improvement of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize cell lines derived from canine mammary gland neoplasias which could be further used for basic and applied oncology research. Samples of canine mammary carcinomas were taken for cell culture and 2 cell lines were established and characterized in terms of cell morphology, tumourigenicity and global gene expression. Both cell lines presented spindle‐shape morphology and shown common malignant features as in vitro invasion potential and expression of epithelial and mesenchymal proteins. Also, we found gene expression patterns between the 2 cell cultures in comparison to the normal mammary gland tissue. Cells from M25 culture showed a higher invasion and in vivo tumourigenic potential, associated to the overexpression of genes involved in focal adhesion and extracellular matrix communication, such as FN1, ITGA8 and THBS2. The phenotypic characterization of these cells along with their global gene expression profile potentially determine new therapeutic targets for mammary tumours.     

Integrating land cover structure and functioning to predict biodiversity patterns: a hierarchical modelling framework designed for ecosystem management

Context

Land-use/land-cover (LU/LC) dynamics is one of the main drivers of global environmental change. In the last years, aerial and satellite imagery have been increasingly used to monitor the spatial extent of changes in LU/LC, deriving relevant biophysical parameters (i.e. primary productivity, climate and habitat structure) that have clear implications in determining spatial and temporal patterns of biodiversity, landscape composition and ecosystem services.

Objectives

An innovative hierarchical modelling framework was developed in order to address the influence of nested attributes of LU/LC on community-based ecological indicators.

Methods

Founded in the principles of the spatially explicit stochastic dynamic methodology (StDM), the proposed methodological advances are supported by the added value of integrating bottom-up interactions between multi-scaled drivers.

Results

The dynamics of biophysical multi-attributes of fine-scale subsystem properties are incorporated to inform dynamic patterns at upper hierarchical levels. Since the most relevant trends associated with LU/LC changes are explicitly modelled within the StDM framework, the ecological indicators’ response can be predicted under different social-economic scenarios and site-specific management actions. A demonstrative application is described to illustrate the framework methodological steps, supporting the theoretic principles previously presented.

Conclusions

We outline the proposed multi-model framework as a promising tool to integrate relevant biophysical information to support ecosystem management and decision-making.

     

Comparison of serological assays for the diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis in animals presenting different clinical manifestations

Three serological methods, indirect fluorescent immunoassay (IFI), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and direct agglutination test (DAT) that are commonly employed in the diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL), have been assessed. A total of 234 domestic dogs, drawn from an area in the municipality of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, endemic for visceral leishmaniasis, were submitted to clinical and parasitological examinations and serological assay. Sera collected from confirmed non-infected dogs (n=20), and from dogs with other parasitic diseases including Trypanosoma cruzi (n=7), Leishmania braziliensis (n=5), Toxoplasma gondii (n=5) and Ehrlichia canis (n=3), were also included in the study. IFI presented a lower sensitivity (72%) than ELISA (95%), although the specificities of these assays were low (52 and 64%, respectively) and both exhibited cross-reactivity with sera from dogs infected with T. cruzi, L. braziliensis and E. canis. In contrast, DAT exhibited a high sensitivity (93%) and a high specificity (95%) and cross-reacted with only one serum sample derived from an E. canis-infected dog. The reproducibilities of the ELISA and DAT assays were excellent, whilst that of IFI was considered to be acceptable. The results produced by ELISA and DAT were in complete agreement, those between ELISA and IFI were at an acceptable level of agreement, whilst the concurrence between the IFI and DAT results were either acceptable or poor depending on the clinical conditions of the group of dogs examined. Since there is no readily accessible method for the diagnosis of CVL that offers 100% specificity and sensitivity, the choice of technique employed must depend on the aim of the investigation.     

Protective activity against oocyst shedding in cats vaccinated with crude rhoptry proteins of the Toxoplasma gondii by the intranasal route

This study evaluated a vaccine made from crude rhoptry proteins of Toxoplasma gondii with Quil-A, which was administered to cats by the intranasal route. Eleven short-hair domestic cats were divided into four groups: G1 (n=3) received three doses (200 microg/dose) of the rhoptry vaccine with Quil-A (20 microg); G2 (n=3) received PBS with Quil-A (20 microg); G3 (n=3) and G4 (n=2) received only PBS. Treatments were administered at days 0, 21, and 42 by the intranasal route. Challenge was done to G1, G2, and G3 animals with 600 cysts of the VEG strain on day 51 (challenge day); G4 animals were unchallenged. The anti-T. gondii IgG and IgA antibody levels from sera were measured by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). At challenge, two animals from G1 revealed antibody levels for both IgG and IgA; oocysts were not detected in feces of these two cats. There were no differences in hematological values between groups throughout the experiment (p>0.10). Preventable fractions were 67% in G1 and 0% in G2 and G3. Comparatively, G1 animals shed 89.3% and 90.8% less oocysts than G3 and G4, respectively. Two out of three cats were protected against T. gondii oocyst shedding when the rhoptry vaccine was administered by the intranasal route. This is the first study using crude rhoptry proteins as vaccine by the intranasal route in cats to evaluate protection against oocysts shedding.     

Herbicide resistance costs: what are we actually measuring and why?

Despite the considerable research efforts invested over the years to measure the fitness costs of herbicide resistance, these have rarely been used to inform a predictive theory about the fate of resistance once the herbicide is discontinued. One reason for this may be the reductive focus on relative fitness of two genotypes as a single measure of differential performance. Although the extent of variation in relative fitness between resistant and susceptible plants has not been assessed consistently, we know enough about plant physiology and ecology not to reduce it to a single fixed value. Research must therefore consider carefully the relevance of the experimental environment, the life stage and the choice of metric when measuring fitness‐related traits. The reason most often given for measuring the cost of resistance, prediction of the impacts of management options on population dynamics, cannot be addressed using arbitrary components of fitness or a fixed value of relative fitness. To inform management options, the measurement of traits that capture the relevant processes and the main causes of their variation are required. With an emphasis on the benefit of field experiments measured over multiple time points and seasons, we highlight examples of studies that have made significant advances in this direction. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

A bioenergetics model of the entire life cycle of the three‐spined stickleback,gasterosteus aculeatus

A whole life‐cycle bioenergetic model based on the dynamic energy budget (DEB) theory was proposed for the three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). To develop this model, experiments on growth and reproduction were performed: adult and juvenile growth, size at first reproduction and amount of eggs spawned by females were monitored under different feeding levels and temperatures. The DEB parameters were estimated, using Bayesian statistics, based on the data produced during these experiments and on other data found in the literature. The model fitted accurately the different data used for the calibration process and, in addition, predicted accurately the data sets used to assess its predictability. Our bioenergetic model of the whole life cycle of the three‐spined stickleback accounting for environmental variations could contribute in many ways to improved ecological assessment: supporting change of scale from individual to populations; developing new biomarkers of exposure and effect; analysing ecotoxicity tests with biology‐based models.