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Abdullah NA, Radzi SNF, Asri LN, Idris NS, Husin S, Sulaiman A, Khamis S, Sulaiman N, Hazmi IR. Insect community in riparian zones of Sungai Sepetang, Sungai Rembau and Sungai Chukai of Peninsular Malaysia. Biodivers Data J 2019; 7:e35679. [PMID: 31582889 PMCID: PMC6761210 DOI: 10.3897/bdj.7.e35679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Riparian areas hold vast number of flora and fauna with exceptional contributions to the ecosystem. A study was conducted in Sungai Sepetang, Sungai Rembau and Sungai Chukai to identify the insect community in a riparian zone of Peninsular Malaysia. Sampling was conducted in six consecutive months from December 2017 to May 2018 during both day and night using sweep nets. Twenty sampling stations (S1-S20) had been assembled along the riverbanks with an average distance of 200 m between each station. The 17,530 collected insects were from 11 orders and consisted of Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Neuroptera, Orthoptera, Blattodea, Thysanoptera, Mantodea and Odonata. The three most abundant orders were Diptera (33.84%; 5933 individuals), Coleoptera (28.82%; 5053 individuals) and Hemiptera (25.62%: 4491 individuals). The collected insect community consisted of different guilds such as the scavenger, predator, herbivore, pollinator and parasitoid. Sungai Sepetang and Sungai Rembau were dominated by mangrove flora, Sonneratiacaseolaris (Myrtales: Lythraceae), while Sungai Chukai was dominated by Barringtoniaracemosa. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the composition of insects between the three rivers though clustering analysis showed that the insect communities in Sungai Sepetang and Sungai Rembau were 100% similar compared to Sungai Chukai which consisted of a totally different community. There is a significant negative correlation between abundance of insects with salinity and wind speed at Sungai Chukai and Sungai Sepetang.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur-Athirah Abdullah
- Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia.,Center for Insect Systematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center for Insect Systematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Siti Nur Fatehah Radzi
- Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Lailatul-Nadhirah Asri
- Center for Insect Systematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center for Insect Systematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia.,Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Nor Shafikah Idris
- Centre for Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Centre for Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Shahril Husin
- TNB Research Sdn. Bhd, No. 1, Lorong Ayer Hitam, Kawasan Institut Penyelidikan, 43000, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia TNB Research Sdn. Bhd No. 1, Lorong Ayer Hitam, Kawasan Institut Penyelidikan, 43000, Kajang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Azman Sulaiman
- Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia.,Center for Insect Systematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center for Insect Systematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Shamsul Khamis
- Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Norela Sulaiman
- Center for Insect Systematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center for Insect Systematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia.,Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Izfa Riza Hazmi
- Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center of Ecosystem Management and Natural Resources, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia.,Center for Insect Systematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Center for Insect Systematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor Malaysia
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Abstract
Hypothesized 40 years ago, molecular mimicry has been thereafter demonstrated as an extremely common mechanism by which microbes elude immune response and modulate biosynthetic/metabolic pathways of the host. In genetically predisposed persons and under particular conditions, molecular mimicry between microbial and human antigens can turn a defensive immune response into autoimmunity. Such triggering role and its pathogenetic importance have been investigated and demonstrated for many autoimmune diseases. However, this is not the case for autoimmune thyroid disease, which appears relatively neglected by this field of research. Here we review the available literature on the possible role of molecular mimicry as a trigger of autoimmune thyroid disease. Additionally, we present the results of in silico search for amino acid sequence homologies between some microbial proteins and thyroid autoantigens, and the potential pathogenetic relevance of such homologies. Relevance stems from the overlap with known autoepitopes and the occurrence of specific HLA-DR binding motifs. Bioinformatics data published by our group support and explain the triggering role of Borrelia, Yersinia, Clostridium botulinum, Rickettsia prowazekii and Helicobacter pylori. Our new data suggest the potential pathogenic importance of Toxoplasma gondii, some Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, Candida albicans, Treponema pallidum and hepatitis C virus in autoimmune thyroid disease, indicating specific molecular targets for future research. Additionally, the consistency between in silico prediction of cross-reactivity and experimental results shows the reliability and usefulness of bioinformatics tools to precisely identify candidate molecules for in vitro and/or in vivo experiments, or at least narrow down their number.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Benvenga
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine - Endocrinology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
- Master Program on Childhood, Adolescent and Women's Endocrine Health, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
- Interdepartmental Program on Molecular & Clinical Endocrinology and Women's Endocrine Health, University Hospital, Policlinico G. Martino, Messina, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Guarneri
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine - Dermatology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
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Guarneri F, Guarneri C. Molecular mimicry in cutaneous autoimmune diseases. World J Dermatol 2013; 2:36-43. [DOI: 10.5314/wjd.v2.i4.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 09/17/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The emulation of characteristics of a different organism to gain biological advantage is a common phenomenon in nature, described and defined with the term “mimicry” in the second half of the 19th century. In the last decades, mimicry at molecular level has been evidenced as a method used by several pathogen microrganisms to control metabolic functions of infected cells and elude host’s immune system. Because of molecular mimicry, immune reactions against microbial molecules can turn against the mimicked self-molecules in predisposed subjects, leading to autoimmunity. This pathogenic mechanism, which gives a possible explanation for the specific epidemiological and chronological association between some infections and some autoimmune diseases, is well known and verified in many fields of medicine, but not adequately studied in dermatology: experimental data are available only for leprosy, atopic dermatitis, Behçet’s disease, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome and systemic erythematous lupus, while for few other diseases its role is hypothetical or suggested on the basis of single, small experiments or anecdotal reports. An overview of available data and hypotheses about the role of molecular mimicry in autoimmune cutaneous diseases is presented here, together with the perspectives offered by the use of bioinformatics and the personal experience of the author in this field.
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