Etruscodytes nethuns n. gen., n. sp.: the first phreatic water beetle from Italy (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae).

Etruscodytes nethuns, new genus and species of subterranean water beetle, is described from Italy. This phreatic beetle was collected pumping water from a well in Tuscany (Central Italy). It is the third genus of stygobiontic dytiscid beetle from Europe and the first record of a stygobiontic water beetle in Italy. Etruscodytes belongs to the subfamily Hydroporinae as well as the related genus Siettitia Abeille de Perrin, 1904 from France. The new genus shares with Siettitia the lateral stria on the pronotum entire, but differs from it in very wide subsquare head, prosternal process in contact with the lobed anterior projection of metasternum, absence of fusion of the sterna 2 and 3, elytra not completely fused and several other peculiar features

The involvement of cell death and survival in neural tube defects: A distinct role for apoptosis and autophagy?

Neural tube defects (NTDs), such as spina bifida (SB) or exencephaly, are common congenital malformations leading to infant mortality or severe disability. The etiology of NTDs is multifactorial with a strong genetic component. More than 70 NTD mouse models have been reported, suggesting the involvement of distinct pathogenetic mechanisms, including faulty cell death regulation. In this review, we focus on the contribution of functional genomics in elucidating the role of apoptosis and autophagy genes in neurodevelopment. On the basis of compared phenotypical analysis, here we discuss the relative importance of a tuned control of both apoptosome-mediated cell death and basal autophagy for regulating the correct morphogenesis and cell number in developing central nervous system (CNS). The pharmacological modulation of genes involved in these processes may thus represent a novel strategy for interfering with the occurrence of NTDs

Transcriptomic Analysis of Grape (<i>Vitis vinifera</i> L.) Leaves after Exposure to Ultraviolet C Irradiation

<div><p>Background</p><p>Only a small amount of solar ultraviolet C (UV-C) radiation reaches the Earth's surface. This is because of the filtering effects of the stratospheric ozone layer. Artificial UV-C irradiation is used on leaves and fruits to stimulate different biological processes in plants. Grapes are a major fruit crop and are grown in many parts of the world. Research has shown that UV-C irradiation induces the biosynthesis of phenols in grape leaves. However, few studies have analyzed the overall changes in gene expression in grape leaves exposed to UV-C.</p><p>Methodology/Principal Findings</p><p>In the present study, transcriptional responses were investigated in grape (<i>Vitis vinifera</i> L.) leaves before and after exposure to UV-C irradiation (6 W·m⁻² for 10 min) using an Affymetrix <i>Vitis vinifera</i> (Grape) Genome Array (15,700 transcripts). A total of 5274 differentially expressed probe sets were defined, including 3564 (67.58%) probe sets that appeared at both 6 and 12 h after exposure to UV-C irradiation but not before exposure. A total of 468 (8.87%) probe sets and 1242 (23.55%) probe sets were specifically expressed at these times. The probe sets were associated with a large number of important traits and biological pathways, including cell rescue (i.e., antioxidant enzymes), protein fate (i.e., HSPs), primary and secondary metabolism, and transcription factors. Interestingly, some of the genes involved in secondary metabolism, such as stilbene synthase, responded intensely to irradiation. Some of the MYB and WRKY family transcription factors, such as VvMYBPA1, VvMYB14, VvMYB4, WRKY57-like, and WRKY 65, were also strongly up-regulated (about 100 to 200 fold).</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>UV-C irridiation has an important role in some biology processes, especially cell rescue, protein fate, secondary metabolism, and regulation of transcription.These results opened up ways of exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of UV-C irradiation on grape leaves and have great implications for further studies.</p></div