Kostas — NUMTs — mtDNA sequences integrated into nuclear DNA. Ongoing research around which nuclear regions are most susceptible to NUMT invasion. Role for AT, including TAT motif? Variability in NUMT size — larger NUMT probably implies more recent inclusion. Nuc Acids Res paper “Mammalian NUMT insertion is non-random”. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22761406/ Debate around whether there is […]
1. Freestyle Belén — flatworms [also note Fasciola hepatica with reduced mitochondria] Kostas — polychaete worms Nereis pelagica and the bivalve Arctica islandica [colder environment -> lower oxygen uptake, effects on lifespan?] [these mitos take up more oxygen when PO2 is higher; cow heart mitos don’t] https://jeb.biologists.org/content/203/21/3355.short Robert — Silene conica (sand corn catchfly) and […]
1. Speaker’s choice: big cells, or sessile single cells Belén — lichen. Fungi with algal symbionts – https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/lichenologist/article/lichen-algae-the-photosynthetic-partners-in-lichen-symbioses/A4808B98986967A742EF0DCFF187A937 Typically single chloroplast with variable morphology; some become flattened against cell wall at cell divisions, some more central. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen . Interesting from our theory’s perspective – should we view these as fixed and exposed to an environment, […]
Week 7: unusually-dividing unicellular organisms Shibani: Chromochloris zofingiensis (Chlorophyceae) Divides by Consecutive Multiple Fission Cell-Cycle under Batch and Continuous Cultivation https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7920477/ – conduct consecutive DNA synthesis and divisions of the nucleus to produce 8 or 16 nuclei before it divides into 8 or 16 daughter cells, respectively. https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/65/10/2585/573549 – green algae – 4-16 daughter cells […]
Sessile Marine Metazoa Oysters https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12915-023-01706-y Only marine animals with a chalky layer in shells Keystone species Can change sex Filter over 2 gallons per hour Cyclic and hypoxic stresses in oysters https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-60261-w Coral reefs Corals often in symbiosis with algae, facilitating nutrient exchange Rising temperature -> loss of symbiosis -> reef bleaching Death of reefs […]
Surprising organisms! Kazeem — Dinoflagellate chromosomes – chromosomes are permanently condensed. No histones, large amount of DNA. 200pg per cell fluorometric measurement, arranged in liquid crystalline rods. Jessica – spoonworms — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonellia_viridis Males live inside the females! Offspring are either absorbed and become male, or remain female themselves. Not dissimilar to anglerfish setup… Robert — […]
Environmental influences on genetics or gene expression Kazeem – environmental influences on gene expression – e.g. Himalayan rabbits, where coat patterns are determined by temperature https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/environmental-influences-on-gene-expression-536/ Also Siamese cats, and numerous influences of temperature on developmental form and process GC content and free energy — https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004763740500120X Bubble formation with temperature less likely with AT-rich sequences […]
Placenta properties and development (and mitochondria?) Kazeem — https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1440-1681.13172Placental mitochondria and reactive oxygen species in the physiology and pathophysiology of pregnancy Two distinct cell layers with different mitochondrial properties Cytotrophoblast differentiation into the syncytiotrophoblast leads to decreased mitochondrial respiration and altered metabolism, including an increase in lactate production.19 The syncytiotrophoblast forms the outer layer of […]