Lethal concentrations of Cymbopogon nardus essential oils and their main component citronellal on Varroa destructor and Apis mellifera.

Varroosis is a disease caused by the mite Varroa destructor, and it is considered one of the biggest threats to honey bee populations globally. Mite control is centered on the use of synthetic acaricides, such as amitraz and flumethrine. However, high usage of these chemicals is associated with a wide variety of undesirable effects on bee colonies, including the development of resistance and persistence of harmful residues of acaricides in hive products used by humans. Botanical extracts have been identified as a potentially suitable organic alternative to synthetic acaricides. Essential oils, such as clove, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and oregano, have been found to exhibit acaricidal activity against V. destructor. The main goal of this work was to assess the bioactivity of the Cymbopogon nardus essential oil from two different locations (Argentina and India), and the activity of its major component the monoterpene citronellal. According to our results, complete essential oil from India is more effective in controlling parasitosis than the isolated citronellal component. The essential oil of C. nardus from Argentina demonstrated promise for the control of varroosis, as well as exhibiting low toxicity against bees (LC50 = 11.84 µL/mL). In addition, this essential oil may avoid the problems caused by synthetic acaricides, such as the emergence of resistance foci in Varroa and residues in hive products. Future research needs to investigate the delivery of volatile essentials oils to target mite populations.

Stabilization of the metaphase spindle by Cdc14 is required for recombinational DNA repair.

Cells are constantly threatened by multiple sources of genotoxic stress that cause DNA damage. To maintain genome integrity, cells have developed a coordinated signalling network called DNA damage response (DDR). While multiple kinases have been thoroughly studied during DDR activation, the role of protein dephosphorylation in the damage response remains elusive. Here, we show that the phosphatase Cdc14 is essential to fulfil recombinational DNA repair in budding yeast. After DNA double-strand break (DSB) generation, Cdc14 is transiently released from the nucleolus and activated. In this state, Cdc14 targets the spindle pole body (SPB) component Spc110 to counterbalance its phosphorylation by cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk). Alterations in the Cdk/Cdc14-dependent phosphorylation status of Spc110, or its inactivation during the induction of a DNA lesion, generate abnormal oscillatory SPB movements that disrupt DSB-SPB interactions. Remarkably, these defects impair DNA repair by homologous recombination indicating that SPB integrity is essential during the repair process. Together, these results show that Cdc14 promotes spindle stability and DSB-SPB tethering during DNA repair, and imply that metaphase spindle maintenance is a critical feature of the repair process.

PP4 phosphatase cooperates in recombinational DNA repair by enhancing double-strand break end resection.

The role of Rad53 in response to a DNA lesion is central for the accurate orchestration of the DNA damage response. Rad53 activation relies on its phosphorylation by Mec1 and its own autophosphorylation in a manner dependent on the adaptor Rad9. While the mechanism behind Rad53 activation has been well documented, less is known about the processes that counteract its activity along the repair of a DNA adduct. Here, we describe that PP4 phosphatase is required to avoid Rad53 hyper-phosphorylation during the repair of a double-strand break, a process that impacts on the phosphorylation status of multiple factors involved in the DNA damage response. PP4-dependent Rad53 dephosphorylation stimulates DNA end resection by relieving the negative effect that Rad9 exerts over the Sgs1/Dna2 exonuclease complex. Consequently, elimination of PP4 activity affects resection and repair by single-strand annealing, defects that are bypassed by reducing Rad53 hyperphosphorylation. These results confirm that Rad53 phosphorylation is controlled by PP4 during the repair of a DNA lesion and demonstrate that the attenuation of its kinase activity during the initial steps of the repair process is essential to efficiently enhance recombinational DNA repair pathways that depend on long-range resection for their success.

Cdc14 phosphatase counteracts Cdk-dependent Dna2 phosphorylation to inhibit resection during recombinational DNA repair.

Cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) stimulates resection of DNA double-strand breaks ends to generate single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) needed for recombinational DNA repair. Here we show in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that lack of the Cdk-counteracting phosphatase Cdc14 produces abnormally extended resected tracts at the DNA break ends, involving the phosphatase in the inhibition of resection. Over-resection in the absence of Cdc14 activity is bypassed when the exonuclease Dna2 is inactivated or when its Cdk consensus sites are mutated, indicating that the phosphatase restrains resection by acting through this nuclease. Accordingly, mitotically activated Cdc14 promotes Dna2 dephosphorylation to exclude it from the DNA lesion. Cdc14-dependent resection inhibition is essential to sustain DNA re-synthesis, thus ensuring the appropriate length, frequency, and distribution of the gene conversion tracts. These results establish a role for Cdc14 in controlling the extent of resection through Dna2 regulation and demonstrate that the accumulation of excessively long ssDNA affects the accurate repair of the broken DNA by homologous recombination.

Genome-wide sequencing analysis of Sgs1, Exo1, Rad51, and Srs2 in DNA repair by homologous recombination.

Homologous recombination is essential to maintain genome stability in response to DNA damage. Here, we have used genome-wide sequencing to quantitatively analyze at nucleotide resolution the dynamics of DNA end resection, re-synthesis, and gene conversion at a double-strand break. Resection initiates asymmetrically in an MRX-independent manner before proceeding steadily in both directions. Sgs1, Exo1, Rad51, and Srs2 differently regulate the rate and symmetry of early and late resection. Exo1 also ensures the coexistence of resection and re-synthesis, while Srs2 guarantees a constant and symmetrical DNA re-polymerization. Gene conversion is MMR independent, spans only a minor fraction of the resected region, and its unidirectionality depends on Srs2. Finally, these repair factors prevent the development of alterations remote from the DNA lesion, such as subtelomeric instability, duplication of genomic regions, and over-replication of Ty elements. Altogether, this approach allows a quantitative analysis and a direct genome-wide visualization of DNA repair by homologous recombination.

Hydrolats from Humulus lupulus and Their Potential Activity as an Organic Control for Varroa destructor.

Varroa destructor is a parasitic mite, which is considered a severe pest for honey bees causing serious losses to beekeeping. Residual hydrolats from steam extraction of hop essential oils, generally considered as a waste product, were tested for their potential use as acaricides on V. destructor. Four hop varieties, namely Cascade, Spalt, Victoria, and Mapuche, showed an interesting performance as feasible products to be used in the beekeeping industry. Some volatile oxidized terpenoids were found in the hydrolats, mainly ß-caryophyllene oxide, ß-linalool, and isogeraniol. These compounds, together with the presence of polyphenols, flavonoids, and saponins, were probably responsible for the promissory LC50 values obtained for mites after hydrolat exposition. Victoria hydrolat was the most toxic for mites (LC50: 16.1 µL/mL), followed by Mapuche (LC50 value equal to 30.1 µL/mL), Spalt (LC50 value equal to 114.3 µL/mL), and finally Cascade (LC50: 117.9 µL/mL). Likewise, Spalt had the highest larval survival, followed by Victoria and Mapuche. Cascade was the variety with the highest larval mortality. In addition, none of the extracts showed mortality higher than 20% in adult bees. The Victoria hydrolat presented the best results, which makes it a good compound with the prospect of an acaricide treatment against V. destructor.

Role of protein phosphatases PP1, PP2A, PP4 and Cdc14 in the DNA damage response.

Maintenance of genome integrity is fundamental for cellular physiology. Our hereditary information encoded in the DNA is intrinsically susceptible to suffer variations, mostly due to the constant presence of endogenous and environmental genotoxic stresses. Genomic insults must be repaired to avoid loss or inappropriate transmission of the genetic information, a situation that could lead to the appearance of developmental anomalies and tumorigenesis. To safeguard our genome, cells have evolved a series of mechanisms collectively known as the DNA damage response (DDR). This surveillance system regulates multiple features of the cellular response, including the detection of the lesion, a transient cell cycle arrest and the restoration of the broken DNA molecule. While the role of multiple kinases in the DDR has been well documented over the last years, the intricate roles of protein dephosphorylation have only recently begun to be addressed. In this review, we have compiled recent information about the function of protein phosphatases PP1, PP2A, PP4 and Cdc14 in the DDR, focusing mainly on their capacity to regulate the DNA damage checkpoint and the repair mechanism encompassed in the restoration of a DNA lesion.

Cdc14 and Chromosome Condensation: Evaluation of the Recruitment of Condensin to Genomic Regions.

Chromosome condensation is an essential morphological event required for successful DNA segregation during mitosis. The high level of genome compaction achieved during this process is attained by the evolutionary conserved condensin complex. Recently, several lines of evidences have demonstrated that the mitotic phosphatase Cdc14 is required to ensure condensin loading onto chromosomes. To date several approaches have been used in order to characterize condensin activity and regulation, however these techniques are time-consuming and require complex equipment. In this chapter we described an easy and reliable protocol to analyze Cdc14-dependent condensin loading onto specific genomic DNA regions by using a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) technique.

Arsenic exposure disrupts the normal function of the FA/BRCA repair pathway.

Chronic arsenic exposure is known to enhance the genotoxicity/carcinogenicity of other DNA-damaging agents by inhibiting DNA repair activities. Interference with nucleotide excision repair and base excision repair are well documented, but interactions with other DNA repair pathways are poorly explored so far. The Fanconi anemia FA/BRCA pathway is a DNA repair mechanism required for maintaining genomic stability and preventing cancer. Here, interactions between arsenic compounds and the FA/BRCA pathway were explored by using isogenic FANCD2(-/-) (FA/BRCA-deficient) and FANCD2(+/+) (FA/BRCA-corrected) human fibroblasts. To study whether arsenic disrupts the normal FA/BRCA function, FANCD2(+/+) cells were preexposed to subtoxic concentrations of the trivalent arsenic compounds methylarsonous acid (MMA(III)) and arsenic trioxide (ATO) for 2 weeks. The cellular response to mitomicin-C, hydroxyurea, or diepoxybutane, typical inducers of the studied pathway, was then evaluated and compared to that of FANCD2(-/-) cells. Our results show that preexposure to the trivalent arsenicals MMA(III) and ATO induces in corrected cells, a cellular FA/BRCA-deficient phenotype characterized by hypersensitivity, enhanced accumulation in the G2/M compartment and increased genomic instability--measured as micronuclei. Overall, our data demonstrate that environmentally relevant arsenic exposures disrupt the normal function of the FA/BRCA activity, supporting a novel source of arsenic co- and carcinogenic effects. This is the first study linking arsenic exposure with the FA/BRCA DNA repair pathway.