Transplantation of human fetal blood stem cells in the osteogenesis imperfecta mouse leads to improvement in multiscale tissue properties.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI or brittle bone disease) is a disorder of connective tissues caused by mutations in the collagen genes. We previously showed that intrauterine transplantation of human blood fetal stem/stromal cells in OI mice (oim) resulted in a significant reduction of bone fracture. This work examines the cellular mechanisms and mechanical bone modifications underlying these therapeutic effects, particularly examining the direct effects of donor collagen expression on bone material properties. In this study, we found an 84% reduction in femoral fractures in transplanted oim mice. Fetal blood stem/stromal cells engrafted in bones, differentiated into mature osteoblasts, expressed osteocalcin, and produced COL1a2 protein, which is absent in oim mice. The presence of normal collagen decreased hydroxyproline content in bones, altered the apatite crystal structure, increased the bone matrix stiffness, and reduced bone brittleness. In conclusion, expression of normal collagen from mature osteoblast of donor origin significantly decreased bone brittleness by improving the mechanical integrity of the bone at the molecular, tissue, and whole bone levels.

Biogeographic characterization of fish communities and associated benthic habitats within the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary: sampling design and implementation of scuba surveys on the coral caps

The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) is located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico approximately 180 km south of Galveston, Texas. The sanctuary’s distance from shore combined with its depth (the coral caps reach to within approximately 17 m of the surface) result in limited exposure of this coral reef ecosystem to natural and human-induced impacts compared to other coral reefs of the western Atlantic. In spite of this, the sanctuary still confronts serious impacts including hurricanes events, recent outbreaks of coral disease, an increase in the frequency of coral bleaching and the massive Diadema antillarum die-off during the mid-1980s. Anthropogenic impacts include large vessel anchoring, commercial and recreational fishing, recreational scuba diving, and oil and gas related activities. The FGBNMS was designated in 1992 to help protect against some of these impacts. Basic monitoring and research efforts have been conducted on the banks since the 1970s. Early on, these efforts focused primarily on describing the benthic communities (corals, sponges) and providing qualitative characterizations of the fish community. Subsequently, more quantitative work has been conducted; however, it has been limited in spatial scope. To complement these efforts, the current study addresses the following two goals put forth by sanctuary management: 1) to develop a sampling design for monitoring benthic fish communities across the coral caps; and 2) to obtain a spatial and quantitative characterization of those communities and their associated habitats.

A point for comparison: the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

A reoccurring goal listed during the creation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is to return the region to a former state. However, limited data is available that describes or characterizes this former condition. Data collected from ecosystems with comparatively limited anthropogenic impacts, can provide invaluable information in suggesting what former states may have looked like. One example is the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary which is located 180 kilometers off the coast of Texas. These relatively isolated and pristine banks are capped by substantial scleractinian coral communities, forming excellent habitat for over 200 species of fish. While fishing is permitted, it is limited by difficulty of access. In 2006, NOAA’s Biogeography Branch, in collaboration with the Sanctuary, initiated the first quantitative assessment of fish resources throughout the diveable portions of the Sanctuary. The sampling design and methodologies employed were identical to those that the Branch has utilized in other more impacted regions of the US Caribbean. Initial analyses reveal that fish density and species richness at the Sanctuary were almost two times greater than that found within the US Caribbean and biomass was approximately six times higher. This was due in large part to the presence of sizeable piscivores of the genera Mycteroperca and Dermatolepis. The Sanctuary is one of few minimally impacted locations remaining within the Tropical Western Atlantic. As such, these findings should be considered when attempting to establish a former state or evaluate effectiveness of an MPA in meeting its management goals.

Status of the coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico: Florida, Flower Garden Banks, Puerto Rico, Navassa and USVI

This chapter covers coral reef areas under the jurisdiction of the USA in the Wider Caribbean: Florida; Flower Garden Banks; Puerto Rico; U.S. Virgin Islands; and Navassa. The following information is condensed from six chapters of The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific Freely Associated States: 2008. Access to the full text of this comprehensive report is available at: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/stateofthereefs.

Effects of blood extraction on horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus)

Horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) are caught by commercial fishermen for use as bait in eel and whelk fisheries (Berkson and Shuster, 1999)—fisheries with an annual economic value of $13 to $17 million (Manion et al.1). Horse-shoe crabs are ecologically important, as well (Walls et al., 2002). Migratory shorebirds rely on horseshoe crab eggs for food as they journey from South American wintering grounds to Arctic breeding grounds (Clark, 1996). Horse-shoe crabs are also essential for public health (Berkson and Shuster, 1999). Biomedical companies bleed horse-shoe crabs to extract a chemical used to detect the presence of endotoxins pathogenic to humans in injectable and implantable medical devices (Novitsky, 1984; Mikkelsen, 1988). Bled horseshoe crabs are returned to the wild, subject to the possibility of postbleeding mortality. Recent concerns of overharvesting have led to conflicts among commercial fishermen, environmentalists acting on behalf of the shorebirds, and biomedical companies (Berkson and Shuster, 1999; Walls et al., 2002).