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- Altmäe, Signe, 1978-, et al.
(author)
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MicroRNAs miR-30b, miR-30d, and miR-494 Regulate Human Endometrial Receptivity
- 2013
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In: Reproductive Sciences. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1933-7191 .- 1933-7205. ; 20:3, s. 308-317
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as important epigenetic posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression. We aimed to gain more understanding of the complex gene expression regulation of endometrial receptivity by analyzing miRNA signatures of fertile human endometria. We set up to analyze miRNA signatures of receptive (LH + 7, n = 4) versus prereceptive (LH + 2, n = 5) endometrium from healthy fertile women. We found hsa-miR-30b and hsa-miR-30d to be significantly upregulated, and hsa-miR-494 and hsa-miR-923 to be downregulated in receptive endometrium. Three algorithms (miRanda, PicTar, and TargetScan) were used for target gene prediction. Functional analyses of the targets using Ingenuity Pathways Analysis and The Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery indicated roles in transcription, cell proliferation and apoptosis, and significant involvement in several relevant pathways, such as axon guidance, Wnt/β-catenin, ERK/MAPK, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), p53 and leukocyte extravasation. Comparison of predicted miRNA target genes and our previous messenger RNA microarray data resulted in a list of 12 genes, including CAST, CFTR, FGFR2, and LIF that could serve as a panel of genes important for endometrial receptivity. In conclusion, we suggest that a subset of miRNAs and their target genes may play important roles in endometrial receptivity.
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- Álvarez-Buylla, Elena R., et al.
(author)
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B-Function Expression in the Flower Center Underlies the Homeotic Phenotype of Lacandonia schismatica (Triuridaceae)
- 2010
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In: The Plant Cell. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1040-4651 .- 1532-298X. ; 22:11, s. 3543-3559
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spontaneous homeotic transformations have been described in natural populations of both plants and animals, but little is known about the molecular-genetic mechanisms underlying these processes in plants. In the ABC model of floral organ identity in Arabidopsis thaliana, the B- and C-functions are necessary for stamen morphogenesis, and C alone is required for carpel identity. We provide ABC model-based molecular-genetic evidence that explains the unique inside-out homeotic floral organ arrangement of the monocotyledonous mycoheterotroph species Lacandonia schismatica (Triuridaceae) from Mexico. Whereas a quarter million flowering plant species bear central carpels surrounded by stamens, L. schismatica stamens occur in the center of the flower and are surrounded by carpels. The simplest explanation for this is that the B-function is displaced toward the flower center. Our analyses of the spatio-temporal pattern of B- and C-function gene expression are consistent with this hypothesis. The hypothesis is further supported by conservation between the B-function genes of L. schismatica and Arabidopsis, as the former are able to rescue stamens in Arabidopsis transgenic complementation lines, and Ls-AP3 and Ls-PI are able to interact with each other and with the corresponding Arabidopsis B-function proteins in yeast. Thus, relatively simple molecular modifications may underlie important morphological shifts in natural populations of extant plant taxa.
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- Hudson, Lawrence N., et al.
(author)
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The PREDICTS database : a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts
- 2014
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In: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 4:24, s. 4701-4735
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups - including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems - ). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015.
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- Kindlund, Hanna, et al.
(author)
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Microstructure and mechanical properties of : V0.5Mo0.5Nx(111)/Al2O3(0001) thin films
- 2014
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- We report results of growth, microstructure, and mechanical properties of V0.5Mo0.5Nx thin films deposited on Al2O3(0001) substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering. Sputtering is carried out in 5 mTorr Ar/N2 atmospheres and the growth temperatures Ts are varied between 100 and 900 °C. We find that the V0.5Mo0.5Nx/Al2O3(0001) alloy films are 111-oriented NaCl-structure. In-plane and out-of plane lattice parameters are found to decrease with increasing Ts and indicate that all alloy films are strained. V0.5Mo0.5Nx hardnesses and reduced elastic moduli increase with increasing Ts, and vary between 15-23 GPa, and 220-318 GPa, respectively. The wear resistance of the alloy films is also found to increase with increasing Ts. In addition, scanning electron micrographs of indents performed on V0.5Mo0.5Nx films show material pile-up around the indent edges and no evidence of crack arising from nanoindentation experiments. Coefficients of friction acquired at normal forces of 1000 μN are found to be of the order of 0.09.
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- Kindlund, Hanna, et al.
(author)
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V0.5Mo0.5Nx/MgO(001) layers grown at 100-900 °C : composition, nanostructure, and mechanical properties
- 2014
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- V0.5Mo0.5Nx/MgO(001) alloys with the B1-NaCl structure are grown by ultra-highvacuum reactive magnetron sputter deposition in 5 mTorr mixed Ar/N2 atmospheres at temperatures Ts which are varied from 100 and 900 °C. Alloy films grown at Ts ≤ 500 °C are polycrystalline with a strong 002 texture; layers grown at Ts ≤ 700 °C are epitaxial single-crystals. The N/Me ratio x ranges from 0.64±0.05 with Ts = 900 °C to 0.94±0.05 at 700 °C to 1.02±0.05 with Ts = 500 to 100 °C. The N loss at higher growth temperatures leads to a corresponding decrease in the relaxed lattice parameter ao from 4.212 Å with x = 1.02 to 4.175 Å with x = 0.94 to 4.121 Å with x = 0.64. V0.5Mo0.5Nx nanoindentation hardnesses H and elastic moduli E increase with increasing Ts from 17±3 GPa and 274±31 GPa at 100 °C to 26±1 GPa and 303±10 GPa at 900 °C. Films deposited at higher Ts also exhibit enhanced wear resistance. Scanning electron micrographs of nanoindents performed in single-crystal V0.5Mo0.5Nx films and films deposited at 100 and 300 °C reveal no evidence of cracking; instead they exhibit material pile-up around the indents characteristic of plastic flow in ductile materials. Valence band x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses show an enhanced volume density of the shear sensitive d-t2g – d-t2g metallic states in V0.5Mo0.5Nx compared to VN and the density of these orbitals increases with increasing deposition temperature, i.e., the metallic states become more populated with the introduction of N vacancies.
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- Sebastián, Eduardo M., et al.
(author)
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The rover environmental monitoring station ground temperature sensor : A pyrometer for measuring ground temperature on mars
- 2010
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In: Sensors. - : MDPI AG. - 1424-8220. ; 10:10, s. 9211-9231
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We describe the parameters that drive the design and modeling of the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) Ground Temperature Sensor (GTS), an instrument aboard NASA's Mars Science Laboratory, and report preliminary test results. REMS GTS is a lightweight, low-power, and low cost pyrometer for measuring the Martian surface kinematic temperature. The sensor's main feature is its innovative design, based on a simple mechanical structure with no moving parts. It includes an in-flight calibration system that permits sensor recalibration when sensor sensitivity has been degraded by deposition of dust over the optics. This paper provides the first results of a GTS engineering model working in a Martian-like, extreme environment
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