The Pirabas Formation in Brazil has been studied for many years and a great diversity of animal groups (in particular fishes, molluscs and echinoderms) have been described from there, whereas the Bryozoa have scarcely been mentioned. New samples, collected specifically to focus on bryozoans, have shown that the diversity in this formation is higher than previously thought. Here we describe two new species belonging to the cheilostomate genus Hippopleurifera--H. barbosae sp. nov. and H. confusa sp. nov. Both species were collected at Atalaia Beach, northeastern Pará state, which boasts some of the best marine Cenozoic fossil outcrops in Brazil. After accounting for all described species, plus the two new species and four generic reassignments (new combinations) described herein, some 29 Hippopleurifera species are now known. Most of these are fossils from Europe or the USA, but a handful are known from the Recent Mediterranean, Caribbean and Indo-West Pacific.

• MeSH
• Bryozoa anatomy & histology   classification   ultrastructure   MeSH
• Species Specificity MeSH
• Microscopy, Electron, Scanning MeSH
• Fossils anatomy & histology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Geographicals
• Brazil MeSH

• MeSH
• Food Analysis MeSH
• Food Inspection MeSH
• Animal Feed microbiology   standards   MeSH
• Microbiological Techniques standards   MeSH
• Food Microbiology MeSH
• Food standards   MeSH
• Food Chain MeSH
• Publication type
• Guideline MeSH

• Conspectus
• Metrologie. Standardizace
• NML Fields
• mikrobiologie, lékařská mikrobiologie
• zemědělství a potravinářství
• NML Publication type
• brožury

• MeSH
• Biology MeSH
• Clinical Laboratory Techniques MeSH
• Publication type
• Handbook MeSH

• Conspectus
• Biologické vědy
• NML Fields
• biologie

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in defense responses to pathogens in invertebrates. Here we characterize the first TLR isolated from an oligochaete annelid, namely, Eisenia andrei (EaTLR) and show its expression pattern. The full-length EaTLR cDNA consists of 2615 bp encoding a putative protein of 675 amino acids. The predicted amino acid sequence comprises of an extracellular domain containing 31 amino acid signal peptide and seven leucine-rich repeats (LRR), capped with cysteine-rich N- and C-terminal LRRs followed by a transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic Toll/IL-1R domain (TIR). TIR domains of twenty individual earthworms were sequenced and the variability suggesting the presence of a high number of TLR genes in the genome of E. andrei was observed. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the highest similarity of EaTLR with polychaete annelid, Capitella teleta and TLRs of mollusks and echinoderms. Finally, the highest constitutive expression of EaTLR was observed in the digestive tract. Gene expression was significantly increased in coelomocytes of E. andrei after the challenge with Gram-positive bacteria.

• MeSH
• Gene Expression MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Cloning, Molecular methods   MeSH
• Molecular Sequence Data MeSH
• Oligochaeta genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Amino Acid Sequence MeSH
• Base Sequence MeSH
• Sequence Alignment MeSH
• Toll-Like Receptors biosynthesis   genetics   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

Urosporids (Apicomplexa: Urosporidae) are eugregarines that parasitise marine invertebrates, such as annelids, molluscs, nemerteans and echinoderms, inhabiting their coelom and intestine. Urosporids exhibit considerable morphological plasticity, which correlates with their different modes of motility and variations in structure of their cortical zone, according to the localisation within the host. The gregarines Urospora ovalis and U. travisiae from the marine polychaete Travisia forbesii were investigated with an emphasis on their general morphology and phylogenetic position. Solitary ovoid trophozoites and syzygies of U. ovalis were located free in the host coelom and showed metabolic activity, a non-progressive movement with periodic changes of the cell shape. Solitary trophozoites of U. travisiae, attached to the host tissue or free floating in the coelom, were V-shaped. Detached trophozoites demonstrated gliding motility, a progressive movement without observable cell body changes. In both gregarines, the cortex formed numerous epicytic folds, but superfolds appeared exclusively on the surface of U. ovalis during metabolic activity. SSU rDNA sequences obtained from U. ovalis and U. travisiae revealed that they belong to the Lecudinoidea clade; however, they are not affiliated with other coelomic urosporids (Pterospora spp. and Lithocystis spp.), but surprisingly with intestinal lecudinids (Difficilina spp.) parasitising nemerteans.

• MeSH
• Apicomplexa classification   cytology   genetics   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Locomotion MeSH
• Microscopy MeSH
• Polychaeta parasitology   MeSH
• DNA, Protozoan chemistry   genetics   MeSH
• DNA, Ribosomal chemistry   genetics   MeSH
• RNA, Ribosomal, 18S genetics   MeSH
• Sequence Analysis, DNA MeSH
• Cluster Analysis MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

The endocrine disruptor Bisphenol A (BPA), a widely employed molecule in plastics, has been shown to affect several biological processes in vertebrates, mostly via binding to nuclear receptors. Neurodevelopmental effects of BPA have been documented in vertebrates and linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, probably because some nuclear receptors are present in the vertebrate brain. Similarly, endocrine disruptors have been shown to affect neurodevelopment in marine invertebrates such as ascidians, mollusks or echinoderms, but whether invertebrate nuclear receptors are involved in the mode-of-action is largely unknown. In this study, we assessed the effect of BPA on larval brain development of the ascidian Phallusia mammillata. We found that BPA is toxic to P. mammillata embryos in a dose-dependent manner (EC50: 11.8μM; LC50: 21μM). Furthermore, micromolar doses of BPA impaired differentiation of the ascidian pigmented cells, by inhibiting otolith movement within the sensory vesicle. We further show that this phenotype is specific to other two bisphenols (BPE and BPF) over a bisphenyl (2,2 DPP). Because in vertebrates the estrogen-related receptor gamma (ERRγ) can bind bisphenols with high affinity but not bisphenyls, we tested whether the ascidian ERR participates in the neurodevelopmental phenotype induced by BPA. Interestingly, P. mammillata ERR is expressed in the larval brain, adjacent to the differentiating otolith. Furthermore, antagonists of vertebrate ERRs also inhibited the otolith movement but not pigmentation. Together our observations suggest that BPA may affect ascidian otolith differentiation by altering Pm-ERR activity whereas otolith pigmentation defects might be due to the known inhibitory effect of bisphenols on tyrosinase enzymatic activity.

• MeSH
• Benzhydryl Compounds chemistry   toxicity   MeSH
• Cell Differentiation drug effects   MeSH
• Water Pollutants, Chemical toxicity   MeSH
• Embryo, Nonmammalian drug effects   MeSH
• Phenols chemistry   toxicity   MeSH
• Larva drug effects   metabolism   MeSH
• Brain cytology   embryology   MeSH
• Organogenesis * drug effects   MeSH
• Otolithic Membrane cytology   drug effects   MeSH
• Pigmentation * drug effects   MeSH
• Cell Movement drug effects   MeSH
• Receptors, Estrogen antagonists & inhibitors   metabolism   MeSH
• Toxicity Tests MeSH
• Urochordata cytology   embryology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

• MeSH
• Antivenins MeSH
• Animals, Poisonous MeSH
• Noxae MeSH
• Toxicology MeSH
• Venoms MeSH

• Conspectus
• Biologické vědy
• NML Fields
• biologie
• toxikologie

The clinical expectations how pathologists should submit lung cancer diagnosis have changed dramatically. Until mid 90-ties a clear separation between small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) was mostly sufficient. With the invention of antiangiogenic treatment a differentiation between squamous and non-squamous NSCLC was requested. When epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation was detected in patients with pulmonary adenocarcinomas and subsequent specific treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) was invented, sub-classification of NSCLC and molecular analysis of the tumor tissue for mutations was asked for. Pathologists no longer submit just a diagnosis, but instead are involved in a multidisciplinary team for lung cancer patient management. After EGFR several other driver genes such as echinoderm microtubule associated protein like 4-AL-Kinase 1 (EML4-ALK1), c-ros oncogene 1, receptor tyrosine kinase (ROS1), discoidin domain receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (DDR2), fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) were discovered, and more to come. Due to new developments in bronchology (EUS, EBUS) the amount of tissue submitted for diagnosis and molecular analysis is decreasing, however, the genes to be analyzed are increasing. Many of these driver gene aberrations are inversions or translocations and thus require FISH analysis. Each of these analyses requires a certain amount of tumor cells or one to two tissue sections from an already limited amount of tissues or cells. In this respect new genetic test systems have been introduced such as next generation sequencing, which enables not only to detect multiple mutations in different genes, but also amplifications and fusion genes. As soon as these methods have been validated for routine molecular analysis this will enable the analysis of multiple genetic changes simultaneously. In this review we will focus on genetic aberrations in NSCLC, resistance to new target therapies, and also to methodological requirements for a meaningful evaluation of lung cancer tissue and cells.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

• MeSH
• Biology MeSH
• Publication type
• Monograph MeSH

• Conspectus
• Obecná biologie
• NML Fields
• biologie