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Wu L, Xiang L, Chen Y, Mao H, Meng X, Wang J, Li H, Chen X, Feng J, Xiao J. Three distinct classes of myenteric ganglia in mice and humans: insights from quantitative analyses. PeerJ 2025; 13:e19329. [PMID: 40292108 PMCID: PMC12034244 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.19329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2025] [Indexed: 04/30/2025] Open
Abstract
Background The myenteric plexus primarily consists of the myenteric ganglia, which include enteric neurons, synaptic neuropils, and glial cells. Abnormal myenteric plexus formation can result in gastrointestinal disorders. Comprehensive morphological classification studies of myenteric ganglia remain limited. Methods Whole-mount immunofluorescence staining was used to label myenteric ganglia in colon tissue of mice and children. The ganglionic area and the number of intraganglion neurons were quantified by the K-means clustering algorithm. The guts of embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5) mouse were cultured and immunostained to observe the characteristics of developing myenteric ganglia. Results Myenteric ganglia can be categorized into three groups in the colon tissues of mice and normal children. A similar classification was observed for Tuj1-positive neuronal cell clusters in the midgut of E11.5 mouse. Culture of the E11.5 mouse midgut revealed that the area of post-cultured clusters of developing neurons also fell into three distinct categories, with a noticeable increase compared to pre-culture. Conclusions The myenteric ganglia in mice and humans can be categorized into three groups based on both the ganglionic area and intraganglion neuron count, and distinct classes of myenteric ganglia may be present during early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luyao Wu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Clinical Center of Hirschsprung’s disease and allied disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Lei Xiang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Clinical Center of Hirschsprung’s disease and allied disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Yingjian Chen
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Clinical Center of Hirschsprung’s disease and allied disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Handan Mao
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Clinical Center of Hirschsprung’s disease and allied disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Xinyao Meng
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Clinical Center of Hirschsprung’s disease and allied disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Clinical Center of Hirschsprung’s disease and allied disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Honglin Li
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Nursing Department, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xuyong Chen
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Clinical Center of Hirschsprung’s disease and allied disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiexiong Feng
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Clinical Center of Hirschsprung’s disease and allied disorders, Wuhan, China
| | - Jun Xiao
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Clinical Center of Hirschsprung’s disease and allied disorders, Wuhan, China
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Anderson RP, Mughal S, Wedlake GO. Proterozoic microfossils continue to provide new insights into the rise of complex eukaryotic life. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:240154. [PMID: 39170929 PMCID: PMC11336685 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Eukaryotes have evolved to dominate the biosphere today, accounting for most documented living species and the vast majority of the Earth's biomass. Consequently, understanding how these biologically complex organisms initially diversified in the Proterozoic Eon over 539 million years ago is a foundational question in evolutionary biology. Over the last 70 years, palaeontologists have sought to document the rise of eukaryotes with fossil evidence. However, the delicate and microscopic nature of their sub-cellular features affords early eukaryotes diminished preservation potential. Chemical biomarker signatures of eukaryotes and the genetics of living eukaryotes have emerged as complementary tools for reconstructing eukaryote ancestry. In this review, we argue that exceptionally preserved Proterozoic microfossils are critical to interpreting these complementary tools, providing crucial calibrations to molecular clocks and testing hypotheses of palaeoecology. We highlight recent research on their preservation and biomolecular composition that offers new ways to enhance their utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross P. Anderson
- Museum of Natural History, University of Oxford, OxfordOX1 3PW, UK
- All Souls College, University of Oxford, OxfordOX1 4AL, UK
| | - Sanaa Mughal
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AlbertaT6G 2E3, Canada
| | - George O. Wedlake
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
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Huang Y, Jin XJ, Zhang CY, Li P, Meng HH, Zhang YH. Plastome evolution of Engelhardia facilitates phylogeny of Juglandaceae. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 24:634. [PMID: 38971744 PMCID: PMC11227234 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05293-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Engelhardia (Juglandaceae) is a genus of significant ecological and economic importance, prevalent in the tropics and subtropics of East Asia. Although previous efforts based on multiple molecular markers providing profound insights into species delimitation and phylogeography of Engelhardia, the maternal genome evolution and phylogeny of Engelhardia in Juglandaceae still need to be comprehensively evaluated. In this study, we sequenced plastomes from 14 samples of eight Engelhardia species and the outgroup Rhoiptelea chiliantha, and incorporated published data from 36 Juglandaceae and six outgroup species to test phylogenetic resolution. Moreover, comparative analyses of the plastomes were conducted to investigate the plastomes evolution of Engelhardia and the whole Juglandaceae family. RESULTS The 13 Engelhardia plastomes were highly similar in genome size, gene content, and order. They exhibited a typical quadripartite structure, with lengths from 161,069 bp to 162,336 bp. Three mutation hotspot regions (TrnK-rps16, ndhF-rpl32, and ycf1) could be used as effective molecular markers for further phylogenetic analyses and species identification. Insertion and deletion (InDels) may be an important driving factor for the evolution of plastomes in Juglandoideae and Engelhardioideae. A total of ten codons were identified as the optimal codons in Juglandaceae. The mutation pressure mostly contributed to shaping codon usage. Seventy-eight protein-coding genes in Juglandaceae experienced relaxed purifying selection, only rpl22 and psaI genes showed positive selection (Ka/Ks > 1). Phylogenetic results fully supported Engelhardia as a monophyletic group including two sects and the division of Juglandaceae into three subfamilies. The Engelhardia originated in the Late Cretaceous and diversified in the Late Eocene, and Juglandaceae originated in the Early Cretaceous and differentiated in Middle Cretaceous. The phylogeny and divergence times didn't support rapid radiation occurred in the evolution history of Engelhardia. CONCLUSION Our study fully supported the taxonomic treatment of at the section for Engelhardia species and three subfamilies for Juglandaceae and confirmed the power of phylogenetic resolution using plastome sequences. Moreover, our results also laid the foundation for further studying the course, tempo and mode of plastome evolution of Engelhardia and the whole Juglandaceae family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Huang
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Xin-Jie Jin
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Can-Yu Zhang
- Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan, China
| | - Pan Li
- Laboratory of Systematic & Evolutionary Botany and Biodiversity, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Hong-Hu Meng
- Plant Phylogenetics and Conservation Group, Center for Integrative Conservation & Yunnan Key Laboratory for Conservation of Tropical Rainforests and Asian Elephants, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, 666303, China.
| | - Yong-Hua Zhang
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
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Loron CC. A mathematical description of fossilization. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231827. [PMID: 39021769 PMCID: PMC11251779 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Fossils constitute an inestimable archive of past life on the Earth. However, the stochastic processes driving decay and fossilization and overwhelmingly distorting this archive, are challenging to interpret. Consequently, concepts of exceptional or poor preservation are often subjective or arbitrarily defined. Here, we offer an alternative way to think about fossilization. We propose a mathematical description of decay and fossilization relying on the change in the relative frequency and characteristics of biogenic objects (e.g. atoms, functional groups, molecules, body parts and organisms) within an organism-fossil system. This description partitions taphonomic changes into three categories: gain, loss and alteration of state. Although the changes undergone by organisms through decay, preservation and alteration vary a lot for different organisms under different conditions, we provide a unified formalism which can be applied directly in the comparison of different assemblages, experiments and fossils. Our expression is closely related to George R. Price's famous equation for the change in evolutionary traits and can be adapted to the study of palaeontological systems and many others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corentin C. Loron
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Morton-Hayward AL, Anderson RP, Saupe EE, Larson G, Cosmidis JG. Human brains preserve in diverse environments for at least 12 000 years. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232606. [PMID: 38503334 PMCID: PMC10950470 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The brain is thought to be among the first human organs to decompose after death. The discovery of brains preserved in the archaeological record is therefore regarded as unusual. Although mechanisms such as dehydration, freezing, saponification, and tanning are known to allow for the preservation of the brain on short time scales in association with other soft tissues (≲4000 years), discoveries of older brains, especially in the absence of other soft tissues, are rare. Here, we collated an archive of more than 4400 human brains preserved in the archaeological record across approximately 12 000 years, more than 1300 of which constitute the only soft tissue preserved amongst otherwise skeletonized remains. We found that brains of this type persist on time scales exceeding those preserved by other means, which suggests an unknown mechanism may be responsible for preservation particular to the central nervous system. The untapped archive of preserved ancient brains represents an opportunity for bioarchaeological studies of human evolution, health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra L. Morton-Hayward
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Target Discovery Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ross P. Anderson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- All Souls College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Erin E. Saupe
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Greger Larson
- Palaeogenomics and Bio-Archaeology Research Network, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Kitanaka R, Tsuboi M, Numata T, Muramiya Y, Yoshida H, Ozaki Y. Visualization and identification of components in a gigantic spherical dolomite concretion by Raman imaging in combination with MCR or CLS methods. Sci Rep 2024; 14:749. [PMID: 38185706 PMCID: PMC10772084 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51147-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The combination of Raman imaging and multivariate curve resolution (MCR) or classical least squares (CLS) has allowed us to explore the distribution and identification of components in a gigantic spherical dolomite concretion. It has been found by the MCR and CLS analyses of imaging data that the concretion contains dolomite, kerogen, anatase, quartz, plagioclase, and carbon materials with considerably large distribution of dolomite. The existence of these components has also been confirmed by the point-by-point analysis of imaging data. The distributions of these components were clearly observed by Raman images. Of note is that the amount of carbon materials is considerably large, and they are buried among the matrix sedimentary grains in the concretion, suggesting that there exist soft tissues with biological origin. Moreover, one of the loading spectra of CLS shows intense bands in the region of 3000-2800 cm-1, and bands at ca. 1658, ca. 1585, 1455, 1323, and 1261 cm-1. These bands indicate the existence of decomposed organic materials in the concretion. Raman imaging of concretions provides direct evidence that concretions are of biological organic origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Kitanaka
- Department of Applied Chemistry for Environment, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1 Gakuen Uegahara, Sanda, Hyogo, 669-1330, Japan
| | - Motohiro Tsuboi
- Department of Applied Chemistry for Environment, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1 Gakuen Uegahara, Sanda, Hyogo, 669-1330, Japan.
| | - Tomoko Numata
- HORIBA, Techno Service Co., Ltd., Chiyoda, Tokyo, 101-0063, Japan
| | - Yusuke Muramiya
- Fukada Geological Institute, 2-13-12 Honkomagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0021, Japan
| | - Hidekazu Yoshida
- Material Research Section, Nagoya University, University Museum, Chikusa, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Yukihiro Ozaki
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Kwansei Gakuin University, 1 Gakuen Uegahara, Sanda, Hyogo, 669-1330, Japan.
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Strullu-Derrien C, Fercoq F, Gèze M, Kenrick P, Martos F, Selosse MA, Benzerara K, Knoll AH. Hapalosiphonacean cyanobacteria (Nostocales) thrived amid emerging embryophytes in an early Devonian (407-million-year-old) landscape. iScience 2023; 26:107338. [PMID: 37520734 PMCID: PMC10382934 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria have a long evolutionary history, well documented in marine rocks. They are also abundant and diverse in terrestrial environments; however, although phylogenies suggest that the group colonized land early in its history, paleontological documentation of this remains limited. The Rhynie chert (407 Ma), our best preserved record of early terrestrial ecosystems, provides an opportunity to illuminate aspects of cyanobacterial diversity and ecology as plants began to radiate across the land surface. We used light microscopy and super-resolution confocal laser scanning microscopy to study a new population of Rhynie cyanobacteria; we also reinvestigated previously described specimens that resemble the new fossils. Our study demonstrates that all are part of a single fossil species belonging to the Hapalosiphonaceae (Nostocales). Along with other Rhynie microfossils, these remains show that the accommodation of morphologically complex cyanobacteria to terrestrial ecosystems transformed by embryophytes was well underway more than 400 million years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Strullu-Derrien
- Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (UMR 7205), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, UA, 75005 Paris, France
- Science Group, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Frédéric Fercoq
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Micro-organismes (MCAM, UMR7245), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Marc Gèze
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Micro-organismes (MCAM, UMR7245), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Paul Kenrick
- Science Group, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Florent Martos
- Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (UMR 7205), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, UA, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Marc-André Selosse
- Institut Systématique Évolution Biodiversité (UMR 7205), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, UA, 75005 Paris, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75005 Paris, France
- Department of Plant Taxonomy and Nature Conservation, University of Gdańsk, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Karim Benzerara
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (UMR 7590), CNRS, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Andrew H. Knoll
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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