Global-scale analyses of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi communities emphasize host plant families as the main drivers of diversity. This study aims to test, on Alnus–ECM communities, which fungi are ...said to be ‘host-specific’, to what extent host species, habitat and distance explain their alpha and beta diversity variations, and their specificity.
In France, ECM communities associated with two subgenera and five species of Alnus, were sampled on 165 trees from 39 lowland to subalpine sites. In all, 1178 internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of ECM fungi clustered in 86 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs).
The species richness was low but still variable, and the evenness of communities was lower on organic soils and in Corsica. Similarity between communities was influenced both by host, soil parameters, altitude and longitude, but not by climate and distance. A large majority of ‘specific’ fungi were shared between host species within a subgenus, and showed habitat preferences within the subgenus distribution range.
Our study confirms that Alnus ECM communities are low in diversity, highly conserved at a regional scale, and partly shared between congeneric host species. A large part of alpha and beta diversity variations remained unexplained, and other processes may shape these communities.
Summary
The biogeography of neotropical fungi remains poorly understood. Here, we reconstruct the origins and diversification of neotropical lineages in one of the largest clades of ectomycorrhizal ...fungi in the globally widespread family Russulaceae.
We inferred a supertree of 3285 operational taxonomic units, representing worldwide internal transcribed spacer sequences. We reconstructed biogeographic history and diversification and identified lineages in the Neotropics and adjacent Patagonia.
The ectomycorrhizal Russulaceae have a tropical African origin. The oldest lineages in tropical South America, most with African sister groups, date to the mid‐Eocene, possibly coinciding with a boreotropical migration corridor. There were several transatlantic dispersal events from Africa more recently. Andean and Central American lineages mostly have north‐temperate origins and are associated with North Andean uplift and the general north–south biotic interchange across the Panama isthmus, respectively. Patagonian lineages have Australasian affinities. Diversification rates in tropical South America and other tropical areas are lower than in temperate areas.
Neotropical Russulaceae have multiple biogeographic origins since the mid‐Eocene involving dispersal and co‐migration. Discontinuous distributions of host plants may explain low diversification rates of tropical lowland ectomycorrhizal fungi. Deeply diverging neotropical fungal lineages need to be better documented.
We investigated whether the diversity, endemicity and specificity of alder symbionts could be changed by isolation in a Mediterranean glacial refugium. We studied both ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi and ...nitrogen-fixing actinobacteria associated with alders, and compared their communities in Corsica and on the European continent.
Nodules and root tips were sampled on the three alder species present in Corsica and continental France and Italy. Phylogenies based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and a multilocus sequence analysis approach were used to characterize fungal and Frankia species, respectively. Patterns of diversity, endemism and specialization were compared between hosts and regions for each symbiont community.
In Corsica, communities were not generally richer than on the mainland. The species richness per site depended mainly on host identity: Alnus glutinosa and Alnus cordata hosted richer Frankia and EM communities, respectively. Half of the Frankia species were endemic to Corsica against only 4% of EM species.
Corsica is not a hotspot of diversity for all alder symbionts but sustains an increased frequency of poor-dispersers such as hypogeous fungi. Generalist EM fungi and host-dependent profusely sporulating (Sp+) Frankia were abundantly associated with Corsican A. cordata, a pattern related to a more thermophilic and xerophylic climate and to the co-occurrence with other host trees.
Carers in academia is a young but growing field, which has quickly expanded since the 2000s and has gained new momentum during the Covid‐19 pandemic and the accompanying disruptions of personal and ...professional lives. It is also one which, through its associations with reproductive and women's work, remains relatively marginalised. This article examines the English language research literature on carers in academia. Drawing upon feminist poststructuralist theories, we contend that, because the literature is not ‘out of the discourses’ of care and academic work and, instead, contributes to construct the objects it speaks of, the state of the field is a matter of cognitive and social justice. Following the presentation of the methodological and theoretical frameworks and a discussion of the authorial voices framing the field, we consider the relative in/visibilities of various groups of care/rs. Drawing on a review which identified 158 relevant texts, we find research in the field broadly ignores male, disabled, BME and LGBTQ+ carers, as well as ancillary workers and professional groups other than academics, and forms of care work other than parenting healthy, abled children. We then move to discussing the liminalities of care, noting the absence of studies of care work in academia related to non‐humans and to end of life. We conclude by pointing out the need for further reflexivity in terms of how processes of knowledge production include and exclude in ways that are complex and fluid.
Despite a cultural positioning of care at the margins of academia, student parents now represent a significant proportion of the higher education population in England and in other Western countries. ...Research shows that, beyond the diversity of their experiences, time, childcare, financial, and well-being related issues prevail among them. However, extant research concentrates mostly on the experiential level – often alluding to policies, yet rarely focusing on their role in compounding or easing the issues experienced by this group. Using the lens of sociological and feminist theories and drawing on data collected in ten English higher education institutions, this paper addresses this dearth of research. It does argue that, through policies that overall tend to be geared towards child-free students, universities contribute to the marginalisation of student parents within higher education. However, despite the prevalence of such policies, attempts to redefine the student body/ies in more inclusive ways are also identified, suggesting a partial transformation of academic cultures. Through its identification and discussion of various institutional policy approaches to student parents, this paper attempts to further the development of a sociology linking areas of society and of people's lives (in this case, care and academia) which have historically been constructed as separate, and to understand how institutional policies reproduce or challenge this binary.
Abstract
Aims
Oxidized phospholipids and microRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly recognized to play a role in endothelial dysfunction driving atherosclerosis. NRF2 transcription factor is one of the key ...mediators of the effects of oxidized phospholipids, but the gene regulatory mechanisms underlying the process remain obscure. Here, we investigated the genome-wide effects of oxidized phospholipids on transcriptional gene regulation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and aortic endothelial cells with a special focus on miRNAs.
Methods and results
We integrated data from HiC, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, GRO-seq, miRNA-seq, and RNA-seq to provide deeper understanding of the transcriptional mechanisms driven by NRF2 in response to oxidized phospholipids. We demonstrate that presence of NRF2 motif and its binding is more prominent in the vicinity of up-regulated transcripts and transcriptional initiation represents the most likely mechanism of action. We further identified NRF2 as a novel regulator of over 100 endothelial pri-miRNAs. Among these, we characterize two hub miRNAs miR-21-5p and miR-100-5p and demonstrate their opposing roles on mTOR, VEGFA, HIF1A, and MYC expressions. Finally, we provide evidence that the levels of miR-21-5p and miR-100-5p in exosomes are increased upon senescence and exhibit a trend to correlate with the severity of coronary artery disease.
Conclusion
Altogether, our analysis provides an integrative view into the regulation of transcription and miRNA function that could mediate the proatherogenic effects of oxidized phospholipids in endothelial cells.
Graphical Abstract
Idiopathic scoliosis is an evolutive deformity during patient's life. In case of moderate deformity in a well aligned adolescent, it's a big concern to decide when to do the surgery. Objective of ...this work was to evaluate and compare clinical, radiological and surgical data of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis operated in childhood (before 20 years) and those operated adults (after 35 years).
In this retrospective multicenter study, inclusion period extended from 2008 to 2018. Two groups were defined, those operated on before the age of 20 (YAIS), and those operated on after 35 years (OAIS). Demographic, radiographic and surgical data were collected. At follow-up, radiographic data and functional outcomes (VAS, SRS, SF12, Oswestry) were analyzed. Minimum FU was 5 years for young and 2 years for old patients.
YAIS group included 364 patients, and OAIS group, 131 patients. In both groups, deformity was important (mean Cobb 63°). Vertebral osteotomies were significantly more frequent, fusions and length of stays were longer for old than young patients. Main Cobb correction was better in young than old (37 ± 10° vs 2 ± 13°, p = 0.03). Functional outcomes were better for young, operated patients than for operated groups after 35 years (SF12 PCS 50 ± 7 vs 39 ± 6, p = 0.02). The same trends were observed at longer follow-up.
Surgery for idiopathic scoliosis seems to offer a better quality of life and deformity correction when it is performed at adolescence. After 35 years, surgery remains an acceptable therapeutic option, despite higher complication rate.
Mycophiles forage for and pick vast quantities of a wide variety of wild mushroom species. As a result, mushroom intoxications are comparatively frequent in such countries with mycophiles. Thus, ...national governments are forced to release guidelines or enact legislation in order to ensure the safe commerce of wild mushrooms due to food safety concerns. It is in these guidelines and laws that one can observe whether a country is indeed mycophobic or mycophilic. Furthermore, these laws and guidelines provide valuable information on mushroom preferences and on the consumption habits of each country. As such we were interested in the questions as to whether mushroom consumption behaviour was different within Europe, and if it was possible to discover the typical or distinctive culinary preferences of Slavic or Romanic speaking people, people from special geographical regions or from different zones. This work is based on the analysis of edible mushroom lists available in specific guidelines or legislation related to the consumption and commerce of mushrooms in 27 European countries. The overall diversity of edible mushrooms authorised to be commercialised in Europe is very high. However, only 60 out of a total 268 fungal species can be cultivated. This highlights the importance of guidelines or legislation for the safe commerce of wild mushrooms. The species richness and composition of the mushrooms listed for commerce is very heterogeneous within Europe. The consumption behaviour is not only language-family-related, but is strongly influenced by geographical location and neighbouring countries. Indicator species were detected for different European regions; most of them are widespread fungi, and thus prove culture-specific preferences for these mushrooms. Our results highlight tradition and external input such as trade and cultural exchange as strong factors shaping mushroom consumption behaviour.
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