| 1. |
- Adori, Csaba, et al.
(författare)
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Critical role of somatostatin receptor 2 in the vulnerability of the central noradrenergic system : new aspects on Alzheimer's disease
- 2015
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Ingår i: Acta Neuropathologica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0001-6322 .- 1432-0533. ; 129:4, s. 541-563
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Alzheimer's disease and other age-related neurodegenerative disorders are associated with deterioration of the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC), a probable trigger for mood and memory dysfunction. LC noradrenergic neurons exhibit particularly high levels of somatostatin binding sites. This is noteworthy since cortical and hypothalamic somatostatin content is reduced in neurodegenerative pathologies. Yet a possible role of a somatostatin signal deficit in the maintenance of noradrenergic projections remains unknown. Here, we deployed tissue microarrays, immunohistochemistry, quantitative morphometry and mRNA profiling in a cohort of Alzheimer's and age-matched control brains in combination with genetic models of somatostatin receptor deficiency to establish causality between defunct somatostatin signalling and noradrenergic neurodegeneration. In Alzheimer's disease, we found significantly reduced somatostatin protein expression in the temporal cortex, with aberrant clustering and bulging of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive afferents. As such, somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) mRNA was highly expressed in the human LC, with its levels significantly decreasing from Braak stages III/IV and onwards, i.e., a process preceding advanced Alzheimer's pathology. The loss of SSTR2 transcripts in the LC neurons appeared selective, since tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine beta-hydroxylase, galanin or galanin receptor 3 mRNAs remained unchanged. We modeled these pathogenic changes in Sstr2 (-/-) mice and, unlike in Sstr1 (-/-) or Sstr4 (-/-) genotypes, they showed selective, global and progressive degeneration of their central noradrenergic projections. However, neuronal perikarya in the LC were found intact until late adulthood (< 8 months) in Sstr2 (-/-) mice. In contrast, the noradrenergic neurons in the superior cervical ganglion lacked SSTR2 and, as expected, the sympathetic innervation of the head region did not show any signs of degeneration. Our results indicate that SSTR2-mediated signaling is integral to the maintenance of central noradrenergic projections at the system level, and that early loss of somatostatin receptor 2 function may be associated with the selective vulnerability of the noradrenergic system in Alzheimer's disease.
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| 2. |
- Daróczi‐Szabó, Márta, et al.
(författare)
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Pending danger : Recent Copper Age lion (Panthera leo L., 1758) finds from Hungary
- 2020
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Ingår i: International journal of osteoarchaeology. - : Wiley. - 1047-482X .- 1099-1212. ; 30, s. 469-481
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lions reached their northernmost distribution in the Carpathian Basin at a time when the climate turned cooler and drier and the complex Late Neolithic settlement network, marked by human populations concentrated on and around tells, disintegrated. A perforated distal phalanx and a calcaneus of lion (Panthera leo L., 1758) from two different Copper Age (5th-4th millennium cal BC) settlements in Hungary contribute to mapping the distribution of Holocene lions in southeast Europe. Previous discoveries of lion bones (representing all parts of the body) have offered evidence of local lion hunting and probable consumption. The new finds also illustrate the cognitive significance of lions and help reconstruct their phenotypic size. The perforated phalanx discussed in this paper represents the large dewclaw of a powerful male, the first ever worked lion bone available in Hungary. The calcaneus offers additional metric information interpreted in light of measurements taken on extant individuals from both Asia and Africa. Inseparable environmental and cultural factors leading to the occurrence and extinction of prehistoric lions in the Carpathian Basin are reviewed in light of these new data.
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| 3. |
- Demangel, Isaline, et al.
(författare)
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Development of early calcareous nannoplankton in the late Triassic (Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria)
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global and Planetary Change. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-8181. ; 193
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Calcareous nannofossils are considered to be the most productive calcifying organisms, but the impact of their emergence on the chemistry of the ocean in the Late Triassic is not understood yet. Evolutionary details of this bio-event are missing due to the scarcity of well-preserved outcrops worldwide. The current study focuses on the calcareous nannofossil assemblage of the middle Norian to lower Rhaetian at Sommeraukogel and Steinbergkogel in the Northern Calcareous Alps (Austria). The sediments were deposited on a topographic high on a deeper shelf at a palaeolatitude around 20–30°N. The steps in the emergence of pelagic calcifiers are documented by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) study. The First Occurrence (FO) of coccolith, not identified at a species level, was recorded in the middle Norian (Alaunian 3). The oldest Crucirhabdus minutus and Archaeozygodiscus koessenensis were observed in the late Norian (Sevatian) and were followed by the FO of Crucirhabdus primulus in the early Rhaetian. These observations suggest a rather slow temporal evolution of the first coccolithophorids, with millions of years from the ancestor C. minutus to C. primulus, and in between the evolution of the new genus A. koessenensis. Diagenetic overprinting of the sedimentary succession has affected the preservation degree of the calcareous nannofossils but not the trend of their quantity in the studied samples, as proven by petrographic studies and trace element signatures of the calcareous sediments. This supports our quantitative estimates of the CaCO3 volume- and palaeo-fluxes due to the export productivity of the calcareous nannofossils, Prinsiosphaera triassica. Our results show the dominance and the increase in abundance of Prinsiosphaera triassica slightly above the Norian/Rhaetian boundary. However, calcareous nannofossils did not reach rock-forming abundances at this time and thus did not significantly influence the geochemical composition of the Western Tethys Ocean.
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| 4. |
- Demangel, Isaline, et al.
(författare)
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Fate of calcareous nannofossils during the Rhaetian (Late Triassic) : evidence from the Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria
- 2023
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Ingår i: Lethaia. - : Scandinavian University Press / Universitetsforlaget AS. - 0024-1164 .- 1502-3931. ; 56:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Calcareous nannofossils evolved in the global ocean from the Carnian (early Late Triassic) and have contributed to the accumulation of biogenic calcium carbonate in marine sediments since then. Bio-diversification and bio-productivity became more significant in the Rhaetian (Late Triassic), representing an important period to understand the dynamics of calcareous nannofossil evolution. The calcareous nannofossil content of the Zlambach Formation, Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria, was qualitatively and quantitatively investigated using both scanning electron and light microscopy. The nannolith, Prinsiosphaera triassica triassica, dominates the assemblage in most samples and increases slightly in abundance in the lower Rhaetian, followed by a small-scale short-term increase during the middle Rhaetian and reaches rock-forming abundance in the upper Rhaetian. A systematic size decrease is recorded from the lower Rhaetian onwards, possibly due to changes in the palaeo-environment. The abundance of P. triassica triassica is slightly affected by the occurrence of Eoconusphaera hallstattensis and strongly by E. zlambachensis. E. hallstattensis is constrained to a relatively short interval, from the upper Paracochloceras suessi Zone (lower Rhaetian) and disappeared during the lower Vandaites stuerzenbaumi Zone (middle Rhaetian), after the occurrence of a second Eoconusphaeraceae species: E. zlambachensis. The last occurrence of E. hallstattensis comes along with the subspecies Prinsiosphaera triassica crenulata showing characteristic parallel-oriented calcite lamellae. Those three species are suggested as good biostratigraphical markers for the Upper Triassic. The coccolithophorids are present in low abundance, increasing slightly in the middle Rhaetian. After the first record of coccoliths in the middle Norian (Alaunian), the oldest Crucirhabdus minutus and Archaeozygodiscus koessenensis were observed in the upper Norian (Sevatian) and the first occurrence of Crucirhabdus primulus was recorded in the lower Rhaetian. These observations suggest a rather slow temporal diversification of the first coccolithophorids.
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| 5. |
- Jhavar, Sameer, et al.
(författare)
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Integration of ERG gene mapping and gene-expression profiling identifies distinct categories of human prostate cancer
- 2009
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Ingår i: BJU International. - 1464-4096. ; 103:9, s. 1256-1269
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE To integrate the mapping of ERG alterations with the collection of expression microarray (EMA) data, as previous EMA analyses have failed to consider the genetic heterogeneity and complex patterns of ERG alteration frequently found in cancerous prostates. MATERIALS AND METHODS We determined genome-wide expression levels with GeneChip Human Exon 1.0 ST arrays (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA, USA) using RNA prepared from 35 specimens of prostate cancer from 28 prostates. RESULTS The expression profiles showed clustering, in unsupervised hierarchical analyses, into two distinct prostate cancer categories, with one group strongly associated with indicators of poor clinical outcome. The two categories are not tightly linked to ERG status. By analysis of the data we identified a subgroup of cancers lacking ERG rearrangements that showed an outlier pattern of SPINK1 mRNA expression. There was a major distinction between ERG rearranged and non-rearranged cancers that involves the levels of expression of genes linked to exposure to beta-oestradiol, and to retinoic acid. CONCLUSIONS Expression profiling of prostate cancer samples containing single patterns of ERG alterations can provide novel insights into the mechanism of prostate cancer development, and support the view that factors other than ERG status are the major determinants of poor clinical outcome.
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| 6. |
- Kovács, Zsófia, et al.
(författare)
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New constraints on the evolution of 87Sr/86Sr of seawater during the Upper Triassic
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global and Planetary Change. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-8181. ; 192
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Late Triassic time interval witnessed several important biological turnovers, extinctions and onset of new life forms. Therefore, it is crucial to better constrain the tectonic, climatic and oceanographic framework at this time. The radiogenic strontium isotopic composition (87Sr/86Sr) of seawater, recorded in marine carbonates is sensitive to variations in continental weathering and oceanic spreading rates. This makes it a powerful proxy for palaeo-environmental reconstructions and an excellent global stratigraphic correlation tool of marine sediment records. In this study, we present a new and extended 87Sr/86Sr dataset across the late Norian - Hettangian interval, established from carbonate successions in Austria and Turkey. The well-established biostratigraphy and high sampling resolution allow evaluating changes in the 87Sr/86Sr record with a better time constraint than in previous studies. An exceptionally sharp trend towards unradiogenic values has been observed in the latest Norian and in the early Rhaetian from 0.70800 to 0.70779. Considering Late Triassic climate change, updated tectonic models and actual dating of magmatic events, possible explanations for the observed trend in the 87Sr/86Sr record are: (i) enhanced dissolution of pre-Norian carbonates, (ii) dissolution of widespread Late Triassic evaporites and (iii) tectonic reorganization of sedimentary basins due to the break-up of the supercontinent Pangea. At the very end of the Choristoceras marshi Zone, in the late Rhaetian, the unradiogenic 87Sr/86Sr trend is reversed. This is likely related to environmental changes due to the continental emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province.
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| 7. |
- Kovács, Zsófia, et al.
(författare)
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The Calcium Isotope (δ44/40Ca) Record Through Environmental Changes : Insights From the Late Triassic
- 2022
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Ingår i: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. - 1525-2027. ; 23:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Calcium isotopes (δ44/40Ca) are particularly useful in palaeo-environmental studies due to the key role of carbonate minerals in continental weathering and their formation in seawater. The calcium isotope ratio can provide hints on past changes in the calcium fluxes, environmental shifts, ecological factors and alternatively diagenesis of carbonate rocks. The investigation of the Late Triassic calcium isotope record offers a great opportunity to evaluate such factors in a time interval that witnessed important environmental and ecological turnovers, such as the first appearance of calcareous nannoplankton, ocean acidification and periods of elevated extinction rates. In this study, we present a δ44/40Ca data set from the upper Norian (Upper Triassic) through the lower Hettangian (Lower Jurassic) interval. The isotope records reveal two globally significant signals: a ∼ 0.20‰ decrease through the early Rhaetian (Upper Triassic) and a small, negative (∼0.14‰) excursion corresponding to the emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, at the end of the Triassic. The possible explanations for these signals are changes in the isotopic ratio of the continental calcium influx to the ocean due to the high chemical weathering rate of carbonates and possibly ocean acidification, respectively. The considerable (∼0.15–0.30‰) offset in δ44/40Ca between study areas is likely the combined result of local differences in lithology and early marine diagenesis. The major evolutionary step represented by the first occurrence of calcareous nannoplankton did not have at this time a determining role on the calcium isotopic signature of the marine carbonates.
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| 8. |
- Pálfy, József, et al.
(författare)
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End-Triassic crisis and “unreefing” led to the demise of the Dachstein carbonate platform : A revised model and evidence from the Transdanubian Range, Hungary
- 2021
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Ingår i: Global and Planetary Change. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-8181. ; 199
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Dachstein platform was an extensive carbonate platform developed on the westernmost shelf of the Neotethys during the Late Triassic, now preserved in various tectonic units disrupted during the Alpine orogeny. Despite being the focus of a multitude of sedimentological, paleontological and other studies, the demise of this platform remains controversial, with contrasting views on the timing and causes of cessation of its growth, the duration of the gap above, which at many places includes the Triassic-Jurassic boundary (TJB), and the depositional environment of overlying strata. Here we present new carbonate sedimentological, stable isotope and cyclostratigraphic data from sections in the Transdanubian Range (Hungary) which capture the termination of uppermost Triassic Dachstein Limestone and the onset of Hettangian (Early Jurassic) sedimentation following a hiatus. Previously, the TJB in the Transdanubian Range was regarded as a textbook case of a tectonically-driven platform drowning event or, alternatively, cessation of carbonate production due to emergence caused by a significant sea level fall at the TJB. However, recognition of global biotic change and environmental perturbations at the TJB calls for an assessment of their possible role in the demise of the Dachstein platform. Oxygen and carbon isotopic composition of bulk carbonates were measured in sections at Kőris-hegy (Bakony Mts.), Tata (Tata Horst), and Vöröshíd (Gerecse Mts.) Paleogeographically, these three sections represent a proximal to distal platform transect. Other sections at Pisznice and Tölgyhát (Gerecse Mts.) yielded additional sedimentological data. The sharp surface separating the Dachstein Limestone from the overlying Jurassic formations carries no or only minimal relief at outcrop scale. Thin section studies reveal small-scale irregularities, stylolites, microborings with ferruginous filling, or a thin clay-rich layer at the TJB, indicative of a submarine, or perhaps polygenetic, hardground. In the first meters of the lowermost Jurassic beds abundant ooids occur, and crinoids become common. In each of the studied sections, an abrupt negative carbon isotope shift is recorded at the TJB, and a gradual rebound to more positive values characterizes the lowermost Jurassic strata. Chemostratigraphy allows correlation with sections elsewhere. In the Transdanubian Range, the initial carbon isotope excursion and at least the first part of the purported main carbon isotope excursion are not preserved due to the gap at the TJB. Combined bio- and cyclostratigraphy of lowermost Jurassic strata permits an astrochronologic duration estimate of the early Hettangian hiatus that was not longer than a few hundreds of thousand years. Our results highlight the role of submarine erosion, perhaps partly related to acidification, and point to an abrupt change in carbonate production related to the end-Triassic extinction of several groups in the platform system. “Unreefing”, the ecological collapse of reefs, led to a regime shift, the transformation of the rimmed platform to a carbonate ramp, with a significant gap in production and preservation of carbonate sediment. This model is not uniformly applicable to Late Triassic platforms as several of them, unlike the Dachstein platform, survived with unrimmed architecture in the Early Jurassic elsewhere on the Neotethyan shelf. However, the model may explain features of the carbonate platform sedimentary record across other events with reef collapse.
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| 9. |
- Urban, Ingrid, et al.
(författare)
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Mid-Norian to Hettangian record and time-specific oolites during the end-Triassic Mass Extinction at Wadi Milaha, Musandam Peninsula, United Arab Emirates
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Asian Earth Sciences: X. - : Elsevier BV. - 2590-0560. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The end-Triassic Mass Extinction (ETME) is generally regarded as a consequence of the environmental changes associated with the emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) and ranks among the ‘big five’ mass extinctions in Earth history. A notable feature of the ETME is a halt in marine carbonate deposition followed by the formation of unusual facies such as carbonate cement fans and oolites in the early aftermath of the event. The ETME time interval has been well studied over the last few decades, in contrast to a few minor extinction events that preceded it, among them the extinctions associated with the Norian-Rhaetian boundary (NRB). This study provides new insights into these extinction events with complete mid-Norian to Hettangian δ18Ocarb and δ13Ccarb record from a key section at Wadi Milaha (Ras Al Khaimah Emirate, United Arab Emirates). Ooids are important proxies for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. The post ETME oolite horizon is documented providing morphological classification as well as a detailed modal analysis of rock components and different types of coated grains. Through a multi-technique approach, we argue for the stability of the carbon cycle across the NRB extinction event and the existence of a hiatus at the TJB (Triassic-Jurassic Boundary) in Wadi Milaha. Our new morphological classification of post-extinction ooids is compatible with a major role for seawater geochemistry with respect to sedimentological processes, by example in the peculiar way ooids diversify and alternate with other kinds of coated grains.
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| 10. |
- Yu, He, et al.
(författare)
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Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population history of European black rats, we first generate a de novo genome assembly of the black rat. We then sequence 67 ancient and three modern black rat mitogenomes, and 36 ancient and three modern nuclear genomes from archaeological sites spanning the 1st-17th centuries CE in Europe and North Africa. Analyses of our newly reported sequences, together with published mitochondrial DNA sequences, confirm that black rats were introduced into the Mediterranean and Europe from Southwest Asia. Genomic analyses of the ancient rats reveal a population turnover in temperate Europe between the 6th and 10th centuries CE, coincident with an archaeologically attested decline in the black rat population. The near disappearance and re-emergence of black rats in Europe may have been the result of the breakdown of the Roman Empire, the First Plague Pandemic, and/or post-Roman climatic cooling. 'Archaeogenetic analysis of black rat remains reveals that this species was introduced into temperate Europe twice, in the Roman and medieval periods. This population turnover was likely associated with multiple historical and environmental factors.'
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