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Skeletal Muscle Repairs the Heart; Gray Wolves Maintain the Food Chain in Winter: Press Release from PLoS Biology
March 08, 2005Heart Repair Gets New Muscle
Some organs in the human body deal with injury better than others. A flesh wound or muscle tear might hurt, but, assuming you are otherwise healthy, both will heal. The prognosis for a heart attack, on the other hand, is not so clear-cut.
It has long been thought that cardiac cells (cardiomyocytes) lack the capacity for self-renewal and repair, impeding the chances of a full recovery from a heart attack. However, recent evidence suggests that the heart might harbor stem cells after all and that such cells can be transformed into cardiomyocytes.
In a new study published in the premier open-access online journal PLoS Biology, Neal Epstein and colleagues report that a special group of cells (called skeletal precursors of cardiomyocytes, or Spoc cells) isolated from the skeletal muscle of adult mice can turn into beating cardiomyocytes in a test tube within days of isolation. When these cells are injected into mice with heart damage, they migrate to the damaged tissue and differentiate into cardiac muscle cells.
Epstein and colleagues argue that Spoc cells are more likely to be precursors to cardiomyocytes than to be some other type of skeletal muscle stem cell. This is based on an absence of protein markers for skeletal muscle cells in Spoc cells, as well as the fact that Spoc-derived cells display spontaneous rhythmic beating and express cardiac markers, whether they are grown in a test tube or have migrated to injured hearts in study mice.
The authors can't say why skeletal muscle would harbor cardiac stem cells, but for now, the Spoc cells provide a valuable tool for studying heart cell differentiation. And with time, they might prove an important resource for developing cell-based therapies for heart disease.
Citation: Winitsky SO, Gopal TV, Hassanzadeh S, Takahashi H, Gryder D, et al. (2005) Adult murine skeletal muscle contains cells that can differentiate into beating cardiomyocytes in vitro. PLoS Biol 3(4): e87.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030087
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-epstein.pdf
Related image for press use: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-epstein.jpg
Caption: Spoc cells can help repair a damaged heart. (Photo: Neal Epstein, et al.)
CONTACT:
Neal Epstein
National Institutes of Health
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
10 Center Drive, 8N112
Bethesda, MD USA 20892
+1-301-496-1211
+1-301-402-1583 (fax)
epsteinn@mail.nih.gov
****************************
Gray Wolves Help Scavengers Ride Out Climate Change
Climate change has already had dramatic effects on individual species, with disruptions in range, reproductive success, and seasonal phenomena like migration. But, in a new study from the open-access online journal PLoS Biology (www.plosbiology.org), Christopher Wilmers and Wayne Getz show that the impact of climate change on many different species in Yellowstone Park can be buffered by a top predator - the reintroduced gray wolf (Canis lupus).
Gray wolves inhabited most of North America until US extirpation campaigns nearly eradicated them by the 1930s. In 1995, the US Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced the persecuted predator into Yellowstone. Wilmers and Getz used data from the past 50 years to establish winter trends and model wolves' impact on the fate of resident scavengers faced with a changing climate. Their models show that wolf kills temper the potentially devastating effects of climate-related carrion shortages on scavengers. Unlike mountain lions and grizzly bears, wolves abandon their prey (usually elk or moose) once sated, leaving much-coveted leftovers for ravens, eagles, coyotes, bears, and other scavengers. Altogether, their modeling studies show that shorter winters without wolves will create intermittent food supplies that no longer track the needs of local scavengers. With or without wolves, late-winter carrion abundance will decline with shorter winters. But wolf kills buffer these shortages, providing meals that could determine whether scavengers will be able to survive and reproduce.
It seems clear that wolves have the potential to provide a safety net for scavengers, extending the time they need to adapt to a changing environment. Thanks to a rebounding wolf population, field researchers can measure the magnitude of this predicted buffer effect. The models described here can guide their efforts and help species adjust to major environmental shifts like climate change. Crucially, Wilmers and Getz's study shows that a robust food chain-including this still embattled top predator-may be even more important as ecological conditions deteriorate.
Citation: Wilmers CC, Getz WM (2005) Gray wolves as climate change buffers in Yellowstone. PLoS Biol 3(4): e92.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030092
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-wilmers.pdf
Related image for press use: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-wilmers.jpg
Caption: Reintroduced wolves do their part: an intact food chain buffers the impact of deteriorating environmental conditions. (Photo: Monty Sloan / www.wolfphotography.com)
CONTACT:
Christopher Wilmers
University of California, Berkeley
201 Wellman Hall
Berkeley, CA USA 94720
+1-510-393-0290
cwilmers@yahoo.com
****************************
THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH ARTICLES WILL ALSO BE PUBLISHED ONLINE:
Light Controls Growth and Development via a Conserved Pathway in the Fungal Kingdom
Two genes controlling light responses - BWC1 and BWC2 - were identified and shown to regulate development and virulence of the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.
Citation: Idnurm A, Heitman J (2005) Light controls growth and development via a conserved pathway in the fungal kingdom. PLoS Biol 3(4): e95.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030095
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-heitman.pdf
CONTACT:
Joseph Heitman
Duke University Medical Center
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Research Drive
Durham, NC USA 27710
+1-919-684-2824
+1-919-684-5458 (fax)
heitm001@duke.edu
****************************
Functional Evolution of a cis-Regulatory Module
Analysis of the even-skipped stripe 2 enhancer from four Drosophila species revealed that functional divergence is attributable to differences in activation levels rather than spatiotemporal control of gene expression.
Citation: Ludwig M, Palsson A, Alekseeva E, Bergman C, Janaki N, et al. (2005) Functional evolution of a cis-regulatory module. PLoS Biol 3(4): e93.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030093
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-ludwig.pdf
CONTACT:
Michael Ludwig
University of Chicago
1101 East 57th street
Chicago, IL USA 60637
+1-773-702-1693
mludwig@uchicago.edu
****************************
PGC-1a Deficiency Causes Multi-System Energy Metabolic Derangements: Muscle Dysfunction, Abnormal Weight Control and Hepatic Steatosis
Eliminating the activity of the gene PGC-1a in mice reveals its role in post-natal metabolism and provides a link to obesity and some intriguing differences with another report of this knockout.
Citation: Leone T, Lehman J, Finck B, Schaeffer P, Wende A, et al. (2005) PGC-1a Deficiency causes multi-system energy metabolic derangements: muscle dysfunction, abnormal weight control and hepatic steatosis. PLoS Biol 3(4): e101.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030101
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-kelly.pdf
CONTACT:
Daniel Kelly
Washington University
School of Medicine
660 S. Euclid Ave.
Campus Box 8086
St. Louis, MO USA 63110
+1-314-362-8908
+1-314-362-0186 (fax)
dkelly@im.wustl.edu
****************************
Two Distinct E3 Ubiquitin Ligases Have Complementary Functions in the Regulation of Delta and Serrate Signaling in Drosophila
The Notch pathway is an important mechanism for communication between cells. In this paper, the roles of two related proteins in the Notch pathway are unraveled.
Citation: Le Borgne R, Remaud S, Hamel S, Schweisguth F (2005) Two distinct E3 ubiquitin ligases have complementary functions in the regulation of Delta and Serrate signaling in Drosophila. PLoS Biol 3(4): e96.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030096
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-schweisguth.pdf
CONTACT:
Francois Schweisguth
Ecole Normale Superieure
CNRS UMR 8542
46 rue d'Ulm
Paris, France 75230
+33-1-44-32-39-23
schweisg@wotan.ens.fr
Public Library Of Science
Epstein and colleagues argue that Spoc cells are more likely to be precursors to cardiomyocytes than to be some other type of skeletal muscle stem cell. This is based on an absence of protein markers for skeletal muscle cells in Spoc cells, as well as the fact that Spoc-derived cells display spontaneous rhythmic beating and express cardiac markers, whether they are grown in a test tube or have migrated to injured hearts in study mice.
The authors can't say why skeletal muscle would harbor cardiac stem cells, but for now, the Spoc cells provide a valuable tool for studying heart cell differentiation. And with time, they might prove an important resource for developing cell-based therapies for heart disease.
Citation: Winitsky SO, Gopal TV, Hassanzadeh S, Takahashi H, Gryder D, et al. (2005) Adult murine skeletal muscle contains cells that can differentiate into beating cardiomyocytes in vitro. PLoS Biol 3(4): e87.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030087
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-epstein.pdf
Related image for press use: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-epstein.jpg
Caption: Spoc cells can help repair a damaged heart. (Photo: Neal Epstein, et al.)
CONTACT:
Neal Epstein
National Institutes of Health
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
10 Center Drive, 8N112
Bethesda, MD USA 20892
+1-301-496-1211
+1-301-402-1583 (fax)
epsteinn@mail.nih.gov
****************************
Gray Wolves Help Scavengers Ride Out Climate Change
Climate change has already had dramatic effects on individual species, with disruptions in range, reproductive success, and seasonal phenomena like migration. But, in a new study from the open-access online journal PLoS Biology (www.plosbiology.org), Christopher Wilmers and Wayne Getz show that the impact of climate change on many different species in Yellowstone Park can be buffered by a top predator - the reintroduced gray wolf (Canis lupus).
Gray wolves inhabited most of North America until US extirpation campaigns nearly eradicated them by the 1930s. In 1995, the US Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced the persecuted predator into Yellowstone. Wilmers and Getz used data from the past 50 years to establish winter trends and model wolves' impact on the fate of resident scavengers faced with a changing climate. Their models show that wolf kills temper the potentially devastating effects of climate-related carrion shortages on scavengers. Unlike mountain lions and grizzly bears, wolves abandon their prey (usually elk or moose) once sated, leaving much-coveted leftovers for ravens, eagles, coyotes, bears, and other scavengers. Altogether, their modeling studies show that shorter winters without wolves will create intermittent food supplies that no longer track the needs of local scavengers. With or without wolves, late-winter carrion abundance will decline with shorter winters. But wolf kills buffer these shortages, providing meals that could determine whether scavengers will be able to survive and reproduce.
It seems clear that wolves have the potential to provide a safety net for scavengers, extending the time they need to adapt to a changing environment. Thanks to a rebounding wolf population, field researchers can measure the magnitude of this predicted buffer effect. The models described here can guide their efforts and help species adjust to major environmental shifts like climate change. Crucially, Wilmers and Getz's study shows that a robust food chain-including this still embattled top predator-may be even more important as ecological conditions deteriorate.
Citation: Wilmers CC, Getz WM (2005) Gray wolves as climate change buffers in Yellowstone. PLoS Biol 3(4): e92.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030092
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-wilmers.pdf
Related image for press use: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-wilmers.jpg
Caption: Reintroduced wolves do their part: an intact food chain buffers the impact of deteriorating environmental conditions. (Photo: Monty Sloan / www.wolfphotography.com)
CONTACT:
Christopher Wilmers
University of California, Berkeley
201 Wellman Hall
Berkeley, CA USA 94720
+1-510-393-0290
cwilmers@yahoo.com
****************************
THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH ARTICLES WILL ALSO BE PUBLISHED ONLINE:
Light Controls Growth and Development via a Conserved Pathway in the Fungal Kingdom
Two genes controlling light responses - BWC1 and BWC2 - were identified and shown to regulate development and virulence of the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.
Citation: Idnurm A, Heitman J (2005) Light controls growth and development via a conserved pathway in the fungal kingdom. PLoS Biol 3(4): e95.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030095
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-heitman.pdf
CONTACT:
Joseph Heitman
Duke University Medical Center
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Research Drive
Durham, NC USA 27710
+1-919-684-2824
+1-919-684-5458 (fax)
heitm001@duke.edu
****************************
Functional Evolution of a cis-Regulatory Module
Analysis of the even-skipped stripe 2 enhancer from four Drosophila species revealed that functional divergence is attributable to differences in activation levels rather than spatiotemporal control of gene expression.
Citation: Ludwig M, Palsson A, Alekseeva E, Bergman C, Janaki N, et al. (2005) Functional evolution of a cis-regulatory module. PLoS Biol 3(4): e93.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030093
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-ludwig.pdf
CONTACT:
Michael Ludwig
University of Chicago
1101 East 57th street
Chicago, IL USA 60637
+1-773-702-1693
mludwig@uchicago.edu
****************************
PGC-1a Deficiency Causes Multi-System Energy Metabolic Derangements: Muscle Dysfunction, Abnormal Weight Control and Hepatic Steatosis
Eliminating the activity of the gene PGC-1a in mice reveals its role in post-natal metabolism and provides a link to obesity and some intriguing differences with another report of this knockout.
Citation: Leone T, Lehman J, Finck B, Schaeffer P, Wende A, et al. (2005) PGC-1a Deficiency causes multi-system energy metabolic derangements: muscle dysfunction, abnormal weight control and hepatic steatosis. PLoS Biol 3(4): e101.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030101
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-kelly.pdf
CONTACT:
Daniel Kelly
Washington University
School of Medicine
660 S. Euclid Ave.
Campus Box 8086
St. Louis, MO USA 63110
+1-314-362-8908
+1-314-362-0186 (fax)
dkelly@im.wustl.edu
****************************
Two Distinct E3 Ubiquitin Ligases Have Complementary Functions in the Regulation of Delta and Serrate Signaling in Drosophila
The Notch pathway is an important mechanism for communication between cells. In this paper, the roles of two related proteins in the Notch pathway are unraveled.
Citation: Le Borgne R, Remaud S, Hamel S, Schweisguth F (2005) Two distinct E3 ubiquitin ligases have complementary functions in the regulation of Delta and Serrate signaling in Drosophila. PLoS Biol 3(4): e96.
The published article will be accessible to your readers at:
http://www.plosbiology.org/plosonline/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0030096
Press-only preview of the article: http://www.plos.org/press/plbi-03-04-schweisguth.pdf
CONTACT:
Francois Schweisguth
Ecole Normale Superieure
CNRS UMR 8542
46 rue d'Ulm
Paris, France 75230
+33-1-44-32-39-23
schweisg@wotan.ens.fr
Public Library Of Science
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