| 1. |
- Gonzalez-Arto, Marta, et al.
(författare)
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Melatonin receptors MT1 and MT2 are expressed in spermatozoa from several seasonal and nonseasonal breeder species
- 2016
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Ingår i: Theriogenology. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. - 0093-691X .- 1879-3231. ; 86:8, s. 1958-1968
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Melatonin is a ubiquitous and multipurpose molecule, and one of its roles is to regulate reproduction in some seasonal mammals. Our group has previously reported the variation in the melatonin levels in ram seminal plasma along the year and identified MT1 and MT2 receptors in ram spermatozoa. The objective of this study was to elucidate whether the presence of melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) in the sperm plasma membrane, and melatonin in the seminal plasma is related to seasonal breeding. For this purpose, the presence of melatonin receptors and tseasonal breeder (epididymal spermatozoa); bull as a conventional nonseasonhe levels of melatonin in seminal plasma have been examined in several species: donkey and stallion as long-day breeders; red deer as a wild, short-day, highly al breeder; boar as a seasonal breeder, under management techniques; and dog as possible a seasonal breeder not regulated by melatonin. We have detected measurable levels of melatonin in the seminal plasma of all ejaculated semen samples (from donkey, stallion, boar, bull, and dog). Also, and for the first time, we have demonstrated the presence of MT1 and MT2 melatonin receptors in the spermatozoa of all these species, regardless their type of reproduction or sperm source (ejaculated or epididymal), using indirect immunofluorescence techniques and Western blotting. Our findings suggest that melatonin and melatonin receptors may be universally distributed in the reproductive system of mammals and that the sperm melatonin receptors cells may not be necessarily related with seasonal reproduction. Furthermore, the presence of MT1 at the cytoplasmic droplet in immature ejaculated stallion spermatozoa found in one sample and epididymal red deer spermatozoa suggests that melatonin may be involved in specific functions during spermatogenesis and sperm maturation, like protecting spermatozoa from oxidative damage, this activity being mediated through these receptors. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Frasca, Gianluca, et al.
(författare)
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A kinematic reconstruction of Iberia using intracontinental strike-slip corridors
- 2021
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Ingår i: Terra Nova. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0954-4879 .- 1365-3121. ; 33:6, s. 573-581
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite considerable progress in restoring rifted margins, none of the current kinematic models can restore the Mesozoic motion of the Iberian block in full agreement with the circum-Iberian geology. This conflict requires a revision of the kinematic description at the onset of divergence. The circum-Iberian region has a unique geological dataset that allows calibration and testing of kinematic reconstructions and therefore it is an ideal candidate for testing intracontinental restoration approaches. Here we define intracontinental deforming regions, referred to as strike-slip corridors, based on alignments of Mesozoic rift basins and/or transfer zones bordering rigid continental blocks. We use these strike-slip corridors and data from the southern N-Atlantic and Tethys to define the motion path of the Flemish Cap, Ebro and Iberia continental blocks. The resulting Mesozoic kinematic model for the Iberian block is compatible with recently published data and interpretations describing the Mesozoic circum-Iberian geology. Large-scale intracontinental strike-slip corridors may offer a valid boundary condition for reconstructing continental block motion at the onset of divergence in intracontinental settings.
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| 3. |
- Gustafsson, Mika, et al.
(författare)
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A validated gene regulatory network and GWAS identifies early regulators of T cell-associated diseases
- 2015
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Ingår i: Science Translational Medicine. - : AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE. - 1946-6234 .- 1946-6242. ; 7:313
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Early regulators of disease may increase understanding of disease mechanisms and serve as markers for presymptomatic diagnosis and treatment. However, early regulators are difficult to identify because patients generally present after they are symptomatic. We hypothesized that early regulators of T cell-associated diseases could be found by identifying upstream transcription factors (TFs) in T cell differentiation and by prioritizing hub TFs that were enriched for disease-associated polymorphisms. A gene regulatory network (GRN) was constructed by time series profiling of the transcriptomes and methylomes of human CD4(+) T cells during in vitro differentiation into four helper T cell lineages, in combination with sequence-based TF binding predictions. The TFs GATA3, MAF, and MYB were identified as early regulators and validated by ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing) and small interfering RNA knockdowns. Differential mRNA expression of the TFs and their targets in T cell-associated diseases supports their clinical relevance. To directly test if the TFs were altered early in disease, T cells from patients with two T cell-mediated diseases, multiple sclerosis and seasonal allergic rhinitis, were analyzed. Strikingly, the TFs were differentially expressed during asymptomatic stages of both diseases, whereas their targets showed altered expression during symptomatic stages. This analytical strategy to identify early regulators of disease by combining GRNs with genome-wide association studies may be generally applicable for functional and clinical studies of early disease development.
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| 4. |
- Manatschal, Gianreto, et al.
(författare)
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The role of inheritance in forming rifts and rifted margins and building collisional orogens : a Biscay-Pyrenean perspective
- 2021
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Ingår i: Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France. - : EDP Sciences. - 0037-9409 .- 1777-5817. ; 192
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A long-standing challenge in tectonics is to evaluate the role of inheritance and define the initial conditions of a geodynamic system, which are prerequisites to understand and model its evolution with some accuracy. Here we revisit the concept of "inheritance" by distinguishing "interface shape inheritance", which includes the transient thermal state and gravitational potential energy, and "persisting inheritance", which encompasses long-lasting structural and compositional inheritance. This new approach allows us to investigate, at each stage of a Wilson Cycle, the interplay between inheritance (innate/"genetic code") and the physical processes at play (extension/compression, magmatism etc.). The aim of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework that integrates the role of inheritance in the study of rifts, rifted margins and collisional orogens based on the work done in the OROGEN project, which focuses on the Biscay-Pyrenean system. The Biscay-Pyrenean rift system resulted from a multistage rift evolution that developed over a complex lithosphere pre-structured by the Variscan orogenic cycle. There is a general agreement that the Pyrenean-Cantabrian orogen resulted from the reactivation of an increasingly mature rift system along-strike, ranging from mature rifted margins in the west to an immature and segmented hyperextended rift in the east. However, different models have been proposed to explain the preceding rifting and its influence on the subsequent reactivation. Results from the OROGEN project highlight the sequential reactivation of rift-inherited decoupling horizons and identify the specific role of exhumed mantle, hyperextended and necking domains during compressional reactivation. They also highlight the contrasting fate of rift segment centres versus segment boundaries during convergence, explaining the non-cylindricity of internal parts of collisional orogens. Results from the OROGEN project also suggest that the role of inheritance is more important during the initial stages of collision, which may explain the higher complexity of internal parts of orogenic systems with respect to their external parts. In contrast, when the system involved in the orogeny is more mature, the orogenic evolution is mostly controlled by first-order physical processes as described in the Coulomb Wedge theory, for instance. This may account for the simpler and more continuous architecture of external parts of collisional orogens and may also explain why most numerical models can reproduce mature orogenic architectures with a better accuracy compared to those of initial collisional stages. The new concepts developed from the OROGEN research are now ready to be tested at other orogenic systems that result from the reactivation of rifted margins, such as the Alps, the Colombian cordilleras and the Caribbean, Taiwan, Oman, Zagros or Timor.
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