The cuticle is a protective layer that coats the primary aerial surfaces of land plants and mediates plant interactions with the environment. It is synthesized by epidermal cells and is composed of a cutin polyester matrix that is embedded and covered with cuticular waxes. Recently, we have discovered a novel regulatory mechanism of cuticular wax biosynthesis that involves the ECERIFERUM7 (CER7) ribonuclease, a core subunit of the exosome. We hypothesized that at the onset of wax production, the CER7 ribonuclease degrades an mRNA specifying a repressor of CER3, a wax biosynthetic gene whose protein product is required for wax formation via the decarbonylation pathway. In the absence of this repressor, CER3 is expressed, leading to wax production. To identify the putative repressor of CER3 and to unravel the mechanism of CER7-mediated regulation of wax production, we performed a screen for suppressors of the cer7 mutant. Our screen resulted in the isolation of components of the RNA-silencing machinery, RNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE1 and SUPPRESSOR OF GENE SILENCING3, implicating RNA silencing in the control of cuticular wax deposition during inflorescence stem development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana).

Sharks fisheries have declined globally due to over‐ and unregulated fishing. As with many collapsed and unmonitored coastal fisheries, information is difficult to obtain, yet it is important to understand the historical changes determining population trends and evaluate the current status of sharks in order to conserve these vulnerable species. Here, we document for the first time the history and general condition of the shark fisheries of Southern China, specifically Hong Kong, and Guangdong, Fujian and Hainan Provinces. This study shows, through the use of historical literature and anecdotal accounts, including fisher interviews, that all known shark fisheries in the region collapsed between the 1970s and the 1990s. Of the 109 species present historically in the South China Sea, only 18 species were recorded in current market surveys, of which all were landed as bycatch and 65% were below the size of sexual maturity. Markets are dominated by smaller species, including the spadenose shark (Scoliodon laticaudus) and the whitespotted bambooshark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum). Marketed large shark species are almost all below the size of sexual maturation, evidence of growth overfishing and a factor in recruitment overfishing. Some species, like the whale (Rhincodon typus) and basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus), are clearly vulnerable to local extinction without intervention. Given the inherent vulnerability of sharks and the overfished states of many sharks, there is clearly an urgent need to formulate impacting conservation and management plans for these rapidly declining species in a region that has the highest demand for shark products globally.

Coral reef monitoring programmes exist in all regions of the world, recording reef attributes such as coral cover, fish biomass and macroalgal cover. Given the cost of such monitoring programs, and the degraded state of many of the world's reefs, understanding how reef monitoring data can be used to shape management decisions for coral reefs is a high priority. However, there is no general guide to understanding the ecological implications of the data in a format that can trigger a management response. We attempt to provide such a guide for interpreting the temporal trends in 41 coral reef monitoring attributes, recorded by seven of the largest reef monitoring programmes. We show that only a small subset of these attributes is required to identify the stressors that have impacted a reef (i.e. provide a diagnosis), as well as to estimate the likely recovery potential (prognosis). Two of the most useful indicators, turf algal canopy height and coral colony growth rate are not commonly measured, and we strongly recommend their inclusion in reef monitoring. The diagnosis and prognosis system that we have developed may help guide management actions and provides a foundation for further development as biological and ecological insights continue to grow.

Background: Brain inhibitory synaptic connections present challenges for molecular identification and imaging. Results: Transgenic mice expressing tagged neuroligin-2 were used to identify associated complexes and image inhibitory synapses in multiple brain regions. Conclusion: Neuroligin-2-associated complexes are enriched in synaptic components, and neuroligin-2 undergoes regulated dynamin-dependent endocytosis and retromer association. Significance: New data and approaches are presented for brain inhibitory synapse proteomics and imaging.

Children and adults prenatally exposed to alcohol show higher rates of mental health problems than unexposed individuals, with depression and anxiety being among the more commonly encountered disorders. Previous studies in rats showed that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can indeed increase depressive- and anxiety-like behavior in adulthood; however, depression and anxiety are often observed in the context of stress and/or a dysregulated stress response system (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis). PAE can dysregulate the HPA axis, resulting in hyperresponsivity to stress. In turn, this may predispose individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol to the adverse effects of stress compared to unexposed individuals. We have shown previously that PAE animals may be more sensitive to the effects of chronic stress on behavior, showing increased anxiety- and depressive-like behavior following chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) exposure. Here, we investigated the independent and interactive effects of PAE and adult CUS on anxiety-like behavior and receptor systems (corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor type 1 [CRHR1], mineralocorticoid receptor [MR], and glucocorticoid receptor [GR]), and underlying stress and emotional regulation, and whether exposure to CUS differentially results in immediate or delayed effects. Adult male and female offspring from PAE, pair-fed (PF), and ad libitum-fed control (C) dams were exposed to either 10 days of CUS or left undisturbed. Behavioral testing began 1 or 14 days post-CUS, and brains were collected following testing. Anxiety-like behaviors were evaluated using the open field, elevated plus maze and dark-light emergence tests. CRHR1, MR, and GR mRNA expression were assessed in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), amygdala, and hippocampal formation, brain areas key to both stress and emotional regulation. We found that PAE differentially increased anxiety-like behavior and altered GR mRNA in males and females compared to their control counterparts. Furthermore, depending on the timing of testing, CUS unmasked alterations in GR and CRHR1 mRNA expression in the mPFC and amygdala in PAE males, and MR mRNA in the hippocampal formation in PAE females compared to their C counterparts. Overall, the changes observed in these receptor systems may underlie the increase in anxiety-like behavior following PAE and CUS exposure in adulthood. That CUS differentially affected brain and behavioral outcome of PAE and C animals, and did so in a sexually-dimorphic manner, has important implications for understanding the etiology of psychopathology in individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol.