Atlantic butterflies: a data set of fruit-feeding butterfly communities from the Atlantic forests.

Butterflies are one of the best-known insect groups, and they have been the subject of numerous studies in ecology and evolution, especially in the tropics. Much attention has been given to the fruit-feeding butterfly guild in biodiversity conservation studies, due to the relative ease with which taxa may be identified and specimens sampled using bait traps. However, there remain many uncertainties about the macroecological and biogeographical patterns of butterflies in tropical ecosystems. In the present study, we gathered information about fruit-feeding butterfly species in local communities from the Atlantic Forests of South America. The ATLANTIC BUTTERFLIES data set, which is part of ATLANTIC SERIES data papers, results from a compilation of 145 unpublished inventories and 64 other references, including articles, theses, and book chapters published from 1949 to 2018. In total, the data set contains 7,062 records (presence) of 279 species of fruit-feeding butterflies identified with taxonomic certainty, from 122 study locations. The Satyrini is the tribe with highest number of species (45%) and records (30%), followed by Brassolini, with 13% of species and 12.5% of records. The 10 most common species correspond to 14.2% of all records. This data set represents a major effort to compile inventories of fruit-feeding butterfly communities, filling a knowledge gap about the diversity and distribution of these butterflies in the Atlantic Forest. We hope that the present data set can provide guidelines for future studies and planning of new inventories of fruit-feeding butterflies in this biome. The information presented here also has potential use in studies across a great variety of spatial scales, from local and landscape levels to macroecological research and biogeographical research. We expect that such studies be very important for the better implementation of conservation initiatives, and for understanding the multiple ecological processes that involve fruit-feeding butterflies as biological indicators. No copyright restrictions apply to the use of this data set. Please cite this Data paper when using the current data in publications or teaching events.

Deletion of eIF2ß lysine stretches creates a dominant negative that affects the translation and proliferation in human cell line: A tool for arresting the cell growth.

BACKGROUND: Eukaryote initiation factor 2 subunit ß (eIF2ß) plays a crucial role in regulation protein synthesis, which mediates the interaction of eIF2 with mRNA. eIF2ß contains evolutionarily conserved polylysine stretches in amino-terminal region and a zinc finger motif in the carboxy-terminus. METHODS: The gene eIF2ß was cloned under tetracycline transcription control and the polylysine stretches were deleted by site-directed mutagenesis (eIF2ßΔ3K). The plasmid was transfected into HEK 293 TetR cells. These cells were analyzed for their proliferative and translation capacities as well as cell death rate. Experiments were performed using gene reporter assays, western blotting, flow cytometry, cell sorting, cell proliferation assays and confocal immunofluorescence. RESULTS: eIF2ßΔ3K affected negatively the protein synthesis, cell proliferation and cell survival causing G2 cell cycle arrest and increased cell death, acting in a negative dominant manner against the native protein. Polylysine stretches are also essential for eIF2ß translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, accumulating in the nucleolus and eIF2ßΔ3K did not make this translocation. DISCUSSION: eIF2ß is involved in the protein synthesis process and should act in nuclear processes as well. eIF2ßΔ3K reduces cell proliferation and causes cell death. Since translation control is essential for normal cell function and survival, the development of drugs or molecules that inhibit translation has become of great interest in the scenario of proliferative disorders. In conclusion, our results suggest the dominant negative eIF2ßΔ3K as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of proliferative disorders and that eIF2ß polylysine stretch domains are promising targets for this.

Winter is coming: Diapause in the subtropical swallowtail butterfly Euryades corethrus (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae) is triggered by the shortening of day length and reinforced by low temperatures.

Diapause is modulated by genetic responses to some environmental cues. The most common stimulus to trigger diapause is photoperiod, but temperature and humidity can also be important. Subtropical grasslands insects are overexposed to seasonality and can use diapause as strategy to overcome harsh conditions, avoiding freezing winter temperatures and drought summer conditions. Here, we investigate if photoperiod, temperature, and humidity can induce and terminate dormancy using the model Euryades corethrus, a butterfly from Pampa that diapause as pupae. We hypothesize that photoperiod, temperature, and humidity can induce dormancy; to test the hypothesis, individuals from a stock population were subjected to experiments controlling these three factors. Photoperiod and temperature interactions were also tested. To evaluate if the removal of the harsh factor that induced diapause trigger diapause termination, 50% of dormant pupae in each experiment were exposed to amenable conditions. The results indicated that diapause is mainly induced by short photophases, while temperature and humidity separately do not increase dormancy frequency. Short photoperiods and low temperatures interact with each other, increasing dormancy in experimental populations. The evidences suggest that diapause is trigger by short-day lengths and boosted by low temperatures as winter approaches. The incidence of obligatory summer diapause was not supported, but the occurrence of dormant pupae in high-temperature treatments suggests that high temperatures produce facultative diapause. Regarding diapause termination, the softening of harsh conditions that induced diapause was not sufficient to reverse the dormancy state, suggesting that diapause termination is more complex than previously thought, probably involving internal clocks.

Developing a rapid, efficient and low cost method for rapid DNA extraction from arthropods / Desenvolvimento de um método rápido, eficiente e de baixo custo para extração de DNA de artrópodos

Here, it is presented a rapid and efficient method to obtain good quality DNA from small samples of arthropod tissues generating low quantities of hazardous wastes. This new method was compared with another homemade protocol using phenol and other two commercial kits. The quality of DNA obtained was checked by spectrophotometer and evaluated by an AFLP assay. Low shearing DNA was obtained from all samples and the best readings were observed to DNA recollected with the new method. The AFLP assay indicated that DNA obtained with all methods were suitable for use in molecular biology techniques sensitive to contaminants. However, homemade protocols were more efficient in recollect DNA than commercial kits, without lose any quality of samples. Also, they were less time and fund consuming, with costs ten times cheaper than commercial kits. The quicker, less pollutant and cheaper protocol was the one described here (USD 0.52 per sample).

Aqui, é apresentado um método rápido e eficiente para obtenção de DNA de boa qualidade a partir de pequenas amostras de tecidos de artrópodos, gerando pequenas quantidades de resíduos perigosos. Comparamos a eficiência do método com outro protocolo caseiro utilizando fenol e com dois kits comerciais. A qualidade do DNA obtido foi verificada em espectrofotômetro e avaliada por um ensaio de AFLP. Foi obtido DNA pouco fragmentado a partir de todas as amostras, mas as melhores leituras foram obtidas para o DNA extraído com o novo método. O ensaio de AFLP indicou que os DNAs obtidos estavam adequados para uso em técnicas de biologia molecular sensíveis a contaminantes. Porém, os protocolos caseiros foram mais eficientes em extrair DNA do que kits comerciais, sem perder nenhuma qualidade na pureza das amostras. Além disso, eles foram mais rápidos e baratos, chegando a custar dez vezes menos que os kits comerciais. O protocolo mais rápido, menos poluente e mais barato foi o descrito aqui (USD 0,52 por amostra).