Draft genome sequences of halotolerant Halomonas spp. SpR1 and SpR8, potential plant growth-promoting bacteria associated with Salicornia rhizosphere in a hydrothermal lagoon ecosystem of the Altiplano, Northern Chile.

Halotolerant Halomonas spp. SpR1 and SpR8 are potential plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) isolated from Salicornia rhizosphere in a Chilean Altiplano hydrothermal lagoon. We report draft genomes of Halomonas sp. SpR1 (5.17Mb) and Halomonas sp. SpR8 (4.47 Mb). Both represent potentially novel independent species closely related to Halomonas boliviensis DSM 15516T.

Complete Genome Sequence of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Halotolerant Acinetobacter radioresistens DD78, Isolated from the Aconcagua River Mouth in Central Chile.

Acinetobacter radioresistens strain DD78 (= CCUG 69565) is a soil hydrocarbon-degrading and biosurfactant-producing bacterium isolated from chronically crude oil-polluted soil of the Aconcagua River mouth in Chile. The 3.25-Mb A. radioresistens DD78 genome (41.8% GC content) was completely sequenced, with 4 replicons, 2,970 coding sequences, and 77 tRNAs.

Contribution of cell proliferation to axial elongation in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum.

Most arthropods generate their posterior bodies by adding segments periodically, as the embryo grows, from a posteriorly located region called the segment addition zone. This mode of segmentation is shared with vertebrates and relies on oscillatory mechanisms, where the temporal periodicity of a clock is translated into repetitive spatial patterns. This ordered anterior-to-posterior pattern is achieved at the same time as the tissue elongates, opening the question of the functional coordination between the mechanisms of segmental patterning and posterior growth. The study of these processes in different arthropods has played an important role in unravelling some of the molecular mechanisms of segment formation. However, the behavior of cells during elongation and how cellular processes affect this segmental patterning has been poorly studied. Cell proliferation together with cell rearrangements are presumed to be the major forces driving axis elongation in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. However, there still no strong evidence about the role and distribution of cell proliferation within the embryo. In this study, we propose to address these questions by using whole embryo cultures and pharmacological manipulation. We show that considerable cell proliferation occurs during germband elongation, measured by incorporation of the nucleoside analog of thymidine 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine, EdU. Moreover, proliferating cells appeared to be spread along the elongating embryo with a posterior bias at early segmentation. In addition, when we blocked cell division, treated germbands were always shorter than controls and in some cases not able to fully elongate, even when control embryos already started to retract and leg buds are evident. Finally, we found that the absence of cell proliferation has no apparent effect on segmental patterning, as evidenced by Tc-engrailed (Tc-en) gene expression.

A Tribolium castaneum whole-embryo culture protocol for studying the molecular mechanisms and morphogenetic movements involved in insect development.

The development of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum is more representative of arthropods than the evolutionarily derived fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Thus, Tribolium is becoming an emerging organism model for studying the evolution of the mechanisms that control embryonic development in arthropods. In this regard, diverse genetic and molecular tools are currently available for Tribolium, as well as imaging and embryonic techniques. Recently, we developed a method for culturing embryos in order to study specific stages during Tribolium development. In this report, we present a detailed and "easy-to-follow" protocol for embryo handling and dissection, extending the use of whole-embryo culture to functional analysis by performing in vivo pharmacological manipulations. This experimental accessibility allowed us to study the relevance of microtubules in axis elongation, using nocodazole and taxol drugs to interfere with microtubule networks, followed by length measurement analysis. Additionally, we demonstrated that embryo handling had no effect on the development of Tribolium embryos, and we checked viability after dissection and bisection and during incubation using propidium iodide. The embryo culture protocol we describe here can be applied to study diverse developmental processes in Tribolium. We expect that this protocol can be adapted and applied to other arthropods.