Writing in Biology

The Protein BLAST of Bradi1g72430 resulted in matches that covered the majority of the query sequence. The majority of the matches were to SRF7 and SRF6 in various species, and there was a 100% query cover and identity match to the SRF7 protein in B. distachyon. When matches were searched for in the Brachypodium genome, the >90% query cover matches were mostly to SRF7, SRF8, and SRF3 proteins. The rest of the sequences only matched to the protein kinase domain around 400 residues in. The Bradi1g72430 protein sequence search in plant genomes resulted in >90% query cover matches to SRF7 and SRF6 proteins in different species. When searched for in non-plant species, there were only matches to protein kinases.

There were two generally conserved domains shown in BLAST: leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) roughly from residues 40-250 and the kinase domain with an ATP binding site roughly from residues 420-700. When the gene was searched in the European Bioinformatics Institute website, two homologous superfamilies were listed: leucine-rich repeat domain superfamily from residues 38-265 and the protein kinase-like domain superfamily from residues 402-690. Protein kinases modify proteins by adding phosphate groups to them, and LRRs are 20-29 residue-long structures primarily involved in protein-protein interactions.

Another therapy approach described to target the protection functions of the metastatic niche are STAT3 inhibitors. STAT3 is a transcription factor involved in cellular immunity, proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation. In brain metastasis, the STAT3 inhibitor Legasil (Silibinin) reduced the immunosuppressive effect of astrocytes (Priego et al. 2018). Legasil prevents the activation these astrocytes which allows for CD8+ T cells to kill cancerous cells, a function previously suppressed by these cells allowing them to evade the immune response. With this STAT3 inhibitor activity, the protective function of the metastatic niche is eliminated. This therapy is systemic as STAT3 is a transcription factor prevalent throughout the body and inhibiting this transcription factor may affect healthy cells as well as cancerous ones. This treatment may also be better functioning within a more specific treatment targeted at solely tumor cells.  

Metabolism is the chemical process that occurs within living organisms to sustain and maintain life. In simple terms, metabolism is the conversion of food into energy. There are two processes that are involved in metabolism; catabolic and anabolic proccesses. The catabolic process involves breaking down molecules into smaller units that are either oxidized to release energy or used in anabolic reactions. Anabolic reactions are those who take smaller units to create larger molecules. Catabolic reactions are favored and categorized as exergonic reactions as they release energy. Anabolic reactions are unfavorable and are categorized as endergonic as they use up energy. 

The Phytozome locus page for the unknown gene described the product as a leucine-rich repeat protein kinase in the LRR-V subfamily. On the UniProt page, several preliminary predictions were shown: Transmembrane receptor protein serine/threonine kinase activity and ATP binding were listed as functions, and protein phosphorylation was listed as the biological process. The plasma membrane was listed as the cellular location.

    The Nucleotide BLAST searching for DNA-level similarities resulted in one match with more than five exons within the coding region; the mRNA sequence for Brachypodium distachyon protein SRF7 (XM_003558607.4) had 12 exons and was the 12th sequence from the top in the list (Figure 3). There was also a short sequence roughly from bases 4060-4340, within exon 11 of Bradi1g72430, that was present in every match. All observed matches were from monocot plant species, including Oryza sativa Japonica, Brachypodium distachyon, Zea mays, and Triticum aestivum.

Natural selection favors individual birds that achieve the greatest lifetime reproductive success. Finding a prime mate is the first and critical step toward success. Different investments into annual reproductive efforts then add to the diverse life histories of birds. Some birds lay many eggs, whereas, others lay just one. Also, some birds typically live for decades and others for just two or three years. To maximize their contributions to the next generation, individual birds must achieve optimal combinations of variables that affect their lifetime reproduction output.

A new study reports that viruses lying dormant inside the body can be reactivated in space. These viruses have the potential to make the already high-risk environment even more dangerous. The effects of spaceflight on the immune system have been studied for over 20 years. They believe that stressful life situations can cause lowered immunity and can lead to viral reactivating.

One therapy approach described to target both the anchorage and proliferation functions in the metastatic niche are anti-VEGF treatments. This anti-anchorage treatment is helpful in combating metastatic dormancy as it disrupts the niche’s function to enhance mobilization of tumor cells. In breast cancer cells, the anti-VEGF antibody as well as VEGF receptor inhibitor SU1498 were shown to significantly reduce cell adhesion to blood vessels (Shen et al. 2010). As a result, this also inhibits the proliferation of cells in the metastatic niche as blocking cell adhesion to blood vessels does not allow the tumor cells to utilize resources to grow. Although this therapy is appealing, VEGF is a common growth factor in cells throughout the body, making this treatment nonspecific and harmful to other healthy cells as well as cancerous ones.

    In modern society, there exists “the game”. “The game” refers to dating, and the term “the game” was a term that was coined back in 1965, as it was the name of a television show. The term quickly grew and is now commonly popular with young adults when used in reference to dating. Everybody has their own way of “playing the game”, but I would argue that the game does not necessarily exist. To view dating and finding a potential partner as sort of a game with rules that must adamantly be followed, is immature in my opinion. If someone enjoys the other’s company, they will make themselves present and make time to incorporate other people into their lives. There’s no game, there’s just that simple law of attraction that exists. For example, a common “rule” young adults seem to follow, is that if someone replies to your text 12 minutes later, then you should wait 12 minutes before responding. This is a childish method of interacting with others, as it takes something like a response time, and someone’s attraction, and assuming a correlation exists between the two when in reality the two are not in relation via causation. Again, if someone’s attraction is valid, they will make the time to interact. The “game” does not contain any rules, it’s just following the flow of someone’s individual method of expressing attraction.

Based upon Table 1 the influence of grazing on aboveground NPP in a year with average rainfall has a net negative effect compared to NPP without grazing especially in low nutrient areas. There was not much of a difference in high nutrient areas when comparing grazing and no grazing, but there is a significant difference in low nutrient areas. For Table 2 the influence of grazing on NPP has a noticeable decrease in effect for both low and high nutrient fertility areas. The net primary production is clearly positively impacted by areas without grazing. Table 3 shows a negative influence on low nutrient areas where there is grazing. However, there is a positive effect on NPP when there is grazing in high nutrient areas. Overall when comparing the three tables, grazing tends to have a net negative effect on NPP. Even when grazing produces a high NPP value no grazing usually still produces a relatively high NPP. As rainfall increases the NPP tends to increase for the most part across all scenarios. However, when there is less rainfall grazing seems to have more of a negative effect on NPP. The one outlier is when there is low rainfall and grazing in high nutrient sites there is a surprisingly high NPP value.

Ecosystems throughout the globe are under the threat of non-native invaders. The interactions that arise from the interaction between the native species and the introduced species often poses a threat to species that are already endangered. Previous research suggests that species under threat in their native environment undergo resource selection when they are forced to compete with non-native invaders. In a case study of the New England cottontail, native to New England, and its non-native competitor, the eastern cottontail, research reveals that the native plant’s use of specific invasive shrubs depends on the abundance of its competitor. Studies such as the one on the New England cottontail suggests the necessity for assessing the resource selection and interactions among native species and non-native species for successful conservation efforts (Cheeseman et al, 2018).