Assisted gene flow using cryopreserved sperm in critically endangered coral.

Assisted gene flow (AGF) is a conservation intervention to accelerate species adaptation to climate change by importing genetic diversity into at-risk populations. Corals exemplify both the need for AGF and its technical challenges; corals have declined in abundance, suffered pervasive reproductive failures, and struggled to adapt to climate change, yet mature corals cannot be easily moved for breeding, and coral gametes lose viability within hours. Here, we report the successful demonstration of AGF in corals using cryopreserved sperm that was frozen for 2 to 10 y. We fertilized Acropora palmata eggs from the western Caribbean (Curaçao) with cryopreserved sperm from genetically distinct populations in the eastern and central Caribbean (Florida and Puerto Rico, respectively). We then confirmed interpopulation parentage in the Curaçao-Florida offspring using 19,696 single-nucleotide polymorphism markers. Thus, we provide evidence of reproductive compatibility of a Caribbean coral across a recognized barrier to gene flow. The 6-mo survival of AGF offspring was 42%, the highest ever achieved in this species, yielding the largest wildlife population ever raised from cryopreserved material. By breeding a critically endangered coral across its range without moving adults, we show that AGF using cryopreservation is a viable conservation tool to increase genetic diversity in threatened marine populations.

Coral larval settlement induction using tissue-associated and exuded coralline algae metabolites and the identification of putative chemical cues.

Reef-building crustose coralline algae (CCA) are known to facilitate the settlement and metamorphosis of scleractinian coral larvae. In recent decades, CCA coverage has fallen globally and degrading environmental conditions continue to reduce coral survivorship, spurring new restoration interventions to rebuild coral reef health. In this study, naturally produced chemical compounds (metabolites) were collected from two pantropical CCA genera to isolate and classify those that induce coral settlement. In experiments using four ecologically important Caribbean coral species, we demonstrate the applicability of extracted, CCA-derived metabolites to improve larval settlement success in coral breeding and restoration efforts. Tissue-associated CCA metabolites induced settlement of one coral species, Orbicella faveolata, while metabolites exuded by CCA (exometabolites) induced settlement of three species: Acropora palmata, Colpophyllia natans and Orbicella faveolata. In a follow-up experiment, CCA exometabolites fractionated and preserved using two different extraction resins induced the same level of larval settlement as the unfractionated positive control exometabolites. The fractionated CCA exometabolite pools were characterized using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, yielding 145 distinct molecular subnetworks that were statistically defined as CCA-derived and could be classified into 10 broad chemical classes. Identifying these compounds can reveal their natural prevalence in coral reef habitats and facilitate the development of new applications to enhance larval settlement and the survival of coral juveniles.

A double SORLIP1 element is required for high light induction of ELIP genes in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Promoter elements that contribute to high light (HL) induction of the Arabidopsis ELIP1 gene were defined using a transgenic promoter-reporter system. Two adjacent SORLIP1 elements (double SORLIP1, dSL) were found to be essential for HL induction of a GUS reporter gene. The dSL element was also found to be essential for HL induction conferred by the ELIP2 promoter. SORLIP1 elements were enriched in ELIP promoters throughout the plant kingdom, and showed a clade-specific pattern of gain or loss that suggested functionality. In addition, two G-box elements were found to redundantly contribute to HL induction conferred by the ELIP1 promoter.

Efecto antinociceptivo de estriol y Glicina max l. (soya) en ratas ovariectomizadas / Antinociceptive effect of estriol and Glicina max l. (soya) in ovariectomized rats

Objetivo: Demostrar el efecto protector del estriol y Glicina max L. (soya) frente al dolor nociceptivo, en ratas ovariectomizadas. Diseño: Estudio experimental. Lugar: Bioterio de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Material biológico: Ratas hembras albinas Holtzman de 2,5 a 3 meses de edad. Métodos: Las 29 ratas fueron agrupadas aleatoriamente: grupo 1 (n=8), no ovariectomizadas, tratadas con solución salina (0,1 mL/kg); grupo 2 (n=7), ovariectomizadas y tratadas con solución salina (0,1 mL/kg); grupo 3 (n=7), ovariectomizadas y tratadas con estriol (0,2 mg/kg); grupo 4 (n=7), ovariectomizadas y tratadas con Glycine max L. (60 mg/kg). Se realizó una prueba basal de dolor térmico en el hornillo a todos los animales, así como tres días después del tratamiento farmacológico. Principales medidas de resultados: Se usó el porcentaje de eficiencia antinociceptiva máxima (porcentaje EAM). Resultados: Se encontró que el porcentaje EAM fue mayor en el grupo de ratas no ovariectomizadas (1,6 por ciento) que en el grupo de las ovariectomizadas (0,8 por ciento). Por otro lado, el porcentaje EAM en ratas ovariectomizadas con solución salina (0,8 por ciento) fue menor al compararlo con el grupo de las tratadas con estriol (5,8 por ciento); así también, el porcentaje EAM del grupo de ovariectomizadas tratadas con Glicina max L. (4,2 por ciento) fue superior al grupo de ovariectomizadas tratadas con solución salina (0,8 por ciento), pero esta no fue superior a las del grupo tratadas con estriol. Conclusiones: El estriol y la Glicina max L. ejercieron un papel protector frente al dolor nociceptivo térmico en ratas ovariectomizadas.

Objective: To determine the protective effect of estriol and Glycine max L. (soybean) compared to nociceptive pain in ovariectomized rats. Design: Experimental study. Setting: Faculty of Medicine bioterium, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru. Biological material: Holtzman albino female rats 2,5 to 3 months of age. Methods: The 29 rats were grouped randomly: group 1 (n = 8) non ovariectomized rats treated with saline (0.1 mL/kg); group 2 (n = 7) ovariectomized rats treated with saline (0.1 mL / kg); group 3 (n = 7) ovariectomized rats treated with estriol (0.2 mg/kg); group 4 (n = 7) ovariectomized rats treated with Glycine max L. (60 mg/kg). We determined baseline hotplate thermal pain as well as three days after treatment. Main outcome measures: Antinociceptive maximum efficacy (percentage AME). Results: We found that percentage EAM was higher in the non ovariectomized rats group (1.6 per cent) than in the ovariectomized group (0.8 per cent). Furthermore, the percentage of EAM in ovariectomized rats treated with saline (0.8 per cent) compared with the group treated with estriol (5.8 per cent) and also the percentage of EAM in the Glycine max L. group (4.2 per cent) was higher than in the ovariectomized group treated with saline (0.8 per cent) but not higher than the group treated with estriol. Conclusions: Estriol and Glycine max L. have protective role against thermal nociceptive pain in ovariectomized rats.