Coordination of pollution-related MSFD measures in the Mediterranean - Where we stand now and insights for the future.

Various pollutants keep threatening the environmental status of the Mediterranean Sea, while the Marine Strategy Framework Directive requires that Good Environmental Status needs to be achieved in European Seas by 2020. Previous reviews already established that the ambition levels of national Programmes of Measures (PoMs) are low. This study focuses on the analyses of the levels of coherence and coordination of the proposed PoMs in the Mediterranean, concentrating on nutrient, contaminant, and marine litter pollution, as well as the introduction of non-indigenous species. Coherence and pollinator analyses of the proposed measures of Mediterranean EU Member States (MS) were performed. The results demonstrate that while the current coordination between MS is almost non-existent, several measures are already addressing the same pressures in similar ways and could be easily coordinated on transnational level. Increased coordination and coherence of PoMs in the Mediterranean are vital for achieving good environmental status in future years.

Differences in biological traits composition of benthic assemblages between unimpacted habitats.

There is an implicit requirement under contemporary policy drivers to understand the characteristics of benthic communities under anthropogenically-unimpacted scenarios. We used a trait-based approach on a large dataset from across the European shelf to determine how functional characteristics of unimpacted benthic assemblages vary between different sedimentary habitats. Assemblages in deep, muddy environments unaffected by anthropogenic disturbance show increased proportions of downward conveyors and surface deposit-feeders, while burrowing, diffusive mixing, scavenging and predation traits assume greater numerical proportions in shallower habitats. Deep, coarser sediments are numerically more dominated by sessile, upward conveyors and suspension feeders. In contrast, unimpacted assemblages of coarse sediments in shallower regions are proportionally dominated by the diffusive mixers, burrowers, scavengers and predators. Finally, assemblages of gravelly sediments exhibit a relatively greater numerical dominance of non-bioturbators and asexual reproducers. These findings may be used to form the basis of ranking habitats along a functional sensitivity gradient.

Expression and signalling characteristics of the corticotrophin-releasing hormone receptors during the implantation phase in the human endometrium.

Corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) has been identified in several peripheral tissues, including the female reproductive organs. CRH is expressed in the placenta, myometrium, epithelial endometrium and the endometrial stromal cells at all phases of the menstrual cycle. Similarly, CRH receptors are present in pregnant and non-pregnant myometrium, placenta and endometrium. Putative roles of CRH in the endometrium include involvement in implantation, decidualisation and maintenance of pregnancy. In this study we sought to investigate in detail the CRH receptor repertoire expressed in the human endometrium and their signalling characteristics. Using RT-PCR we were able to demonstrate the expression of CRH receptor 1alpha (CRH-R1alpha) and CRH-R2alpha in the human endometrium. CRH-R1beta was present in 40% of endometrial cDNAs examined. No apparent expression of CRH-R2beta, CRH-R2gamma or any other CRH-R1 splice variants was detected. Chemical cross-linking studies with 125I-ovine CRH revealed that the endometrial CRH receptor has a molecular weight of 45 kDa. Using the non-hydrolysable photoreactive analogue [alpha-32P]GTP-azidoanilide and peptide antisera raised against G-protein alpha-subunits, we then studied coupling of endometrial CRH receptors to G proteins. Treatment of endometrial membranes with human CRH (100 nM) increased the labelling of Gq and Gs, but not Gi or Go. These results were supported by experiments in epithelial cells of the non-pregnant human endometrium in the secretory phase which showed that CRH induced increases in both cAMP and inositol trisphosphate levels. These results suggested that CRH may exert multiple effects in the human endometrium via distinct signalling cascades. These events are possibly mediated via different receptor subtypes.

Human corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor: differences in subtype expression between pregnant and nonpregnant myometria.

There is increasing evidence that CRH, which is the principal neuroregulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis, is also involved in the mechanism of human labor. The human myometrium has been shown to express several high affinity CRH receptors, although the identities of the CRH receptor subtypes have yet to be identified. To investigate further the expression of the CRH receptor in human myometrium, we used RT-PCR, fluorescent in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence to identify and localize the four subtypes, 1 alpha, 1 beta, 2 alpha, and the variant C, of the CRH receptor. Interestingly, the CRH receptor subtypes in myometrium exhibit differential expression patterns; in human pregnant myometrium at term all four receptor-subtypes were expressed, whereas only the 1 alpha- and 1 beta-receptor subtypes were found in the nonpregnant myometrium. This would suggest that CRH, acting via different receptor subtypes, is able to exert different actions on the myometrium in the pregnant state compared to the nonpregnant state. Furthermore, in the pregnant human uterus, CRH receptors were localized in both smooth muscle and fibroblasts. These findings suggest that CRH receptor expression plays an important modulatory role in myometrial and possibly in cervical function.