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Transdifferentiation of macrophages into fibroblasts as a result of Schistosoma mansoni infection.
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The possibility of transdifferentiation of macrophages into fibroblasts which could be at the origin of fibrotic tissue in schistosome-infected mice was studied using immunocytochemical techniques. Macrophage cell samples extracted from the peritoneal cavity of schistosome-infected mice were fractionated on a Percoll gradient. The cultures were purified by treatment with a trypsin solution to eliminate any fibroblasts possibly collected along with the macrophages. Immunocytochemical methods were then used to characterize the cells at differentpoints in time. The fibroblastic property of the morphologically transformed cells was confirmed by their positive labeling with the anti-procollagen antibody. However, these cells still possessed the mac-1 and mac-2 antigens which characterize the monomacrophage line.
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A study of peritoneal cells from healthy and Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice with special reference to myofibroblasts arising in culture.
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Adherent, trypsin-resistant, peritoneal cells from mice with chronic schistosomiasis mansoni, and from control mice, were cultivated in vitro up to 20 days. Fibroblasts regularly appeared, about 6 days after seeding, in cultures ofthe manyfold more numerous cells from infected mice, concomitantly with a dramatic increase, detected by autoradiography, in the percentage of DNA-replicating cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage. Peritoneal cells from healthy and from infected mice were fractionated on discontinuous Percoll gradients. Eight cell subsets were harvested in both cases, quantitated, and studied by electron microscopy. Two fractions (2 and 3: 1.041 < densities < 1.060 g/ml) from infected mice were greatly enriched in monoblasts and promonocytes. The cells of the different subsets were seeded separately, trypsin-treated and cultivated in vitro. Cultures of cell fractions 2 and 3 from infected mice contained the majority of the DNA-synthesizing cells and gave regularly rise to fibroblasts. Cultures of the different fractions were used for sequential morphological observations (2-11 days) at the electron microscope level. Early cultures were also used for the ultrastructural detection of the Mac-1 (CD 18/CD11b) surface antigen by gold immunocytochemistry. A few fibroblasts were rarely observed in cultures of fractions 2 and 3 from control mice, while cells with ultrastructural features of myofibroblasts were regularly observed in cultures of the same fractions harvested from mice with chronic schistosomiasis. Fractions 2and 3 from infected mice contained a large number of Mac-1 positive monoblasts. The correlations between the presence of monoblasts, DNA replication in cells ofthe monocyte-macrophage lineage and the appearance of myofibroblasts in culturesof the same fractions derived from infected mice are discussed.
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No RBINS Staff publications
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Microfossils in calculus demonstrate consumption of plants and cooked foods in Neanderthal diets (Shanidar III, Iraq; Spy I and II, Belgium).
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The nature and causes of the disappearance of Neanderthals and their apparent replacement by modern humans are subjects of considerable debate. Many researchers have proposed biologically or technologically mediated dietary differences between the two groups as one of the fundamental causes of Neanderthal disappearance. Some scenarios have focused on the apparent lack of plant foods in Neanderthal diets. Here we report direct evidence for Neanderthalconsumption of a variety of plant foods, in the form of phytoliths and starch grains recovered from dental calculus of Neanderthal skeletons from Shanidar Cave, Iraq, and Spy Cave, Belgium. Some of the plants are typical of recent modern human diets, including date palms (Phoenix spp.), legumes, and grass seeds (Triticeae), whereas others are known to be edible but are not heavily used today. Many of the grass seed starches showed damage that is a distinctive marker of cooking. Our results indicate that in both warm eastern Mediterranean and cold northwestern European climates, and across their latitudinal range, Neanderthalsmade use of the diverse plant foods available in their local environment and transformed them into more easily digestible foodstuffs in part through cooking them, suggesting an overall sophistication in Neanderthal dietary regimes.
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RBINS collections by external author(s)
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Frontal sinuses and human evolution
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The frontal sinuses are cavities inside the frontal bone located at the junction between the face and the cranial vault and close to the brain. Despite a long history of study, understanding of their origin and variation through evolution is limited. This work compares most hominin species’ holotypes and other key individuals with extant hominids. It provides a unique and valuable perspective of the variation in sinuses position, shape, and dimensions based on a simple and reproducible methodology. We also observed a covariation between the size and shape of the sinuses and the underlying frontal lobes in hominin species from at least the appearance of Homo erectus. Our results additionally undermine hypotheses stating that hominin frontal sinuses were directly affected by biomechanical constraints resulting from either chewing or adaptation to climate. Last, we demonstrate their substantial potential for discussions of the evolutionary relationships between hominin species. Variation in frontal sinus shape and dimensions has high potential for phylogenetic discussion when studying human evolution.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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Variation in ecosystem services within biogenic reefs: The role of reef-building species under distinct hydrodynamic conditions
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To enhance the climate resilience of coastlines, measures are being implemented to protect and restore coastal ecosystems, such as biogenic reefs and dunes. These measures, known as Nature-based Solutions (NbS), provide protection against storms, coastal erosion, and flooding. They are also recognised for increasing biodiversity and delivering a range of ecosystem services (ES). This study investigated the ES provided by biogenic reefs composed of two reef-building species (Mytilus edulis and Lanice conchilega) under distinct hydrodynamic conditions. Three ES were assessed at two sites in the Belgian part of the North Sea: (1) coastal protection, (2) carbon sequestration, and (3) water quality regulation. The two sites have different hydrodynamic conditions due to their relative locations in relation to local sandbanks, making one site more exposed and the other more sheltered. The ES were quantified and monetised using in-situ measurements and literature data based on the SUstainable Marine Ecosystem Services (SUMES) model. The results suggest that the provision of ES in biogenic reefs is determined by multiple factors, including environmental conditions (e.g. hydrodynamics) and reefbuilding species. (1) Sediment accumulation was only observed under low hydrodynamic conditions, due to the higher settlement success of M. edulis and the presence of L. conchilega. (2) M. edulis “produces” carbon under both low and high hydrodynamic conditions, due to high respiration and biocalcification rates. However, low hydrodynamic conditions are more conducive to carbon burial, thus enhancing carbon sequestration. (3) M. edulis patches exhibited higher denitrification rates under low hydrodynamic conditions than under high hydrodynamic conditions or in L. conchilega patches, due to divergent macrobenthic functional diversity. In conclusion, the level of ES provision is determined by location and associated environmental conditions, as well as temporal and spatial variation in biogenic reefs and the physiological characteristics of reef builders. Therefore, both aspects need to be carefully considered when planning coastal protection measures and determining the provision of ES. Finally, when implementing NbS along high-energy coastlines, sheltered sites should be prioritised.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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Effects of electromagnetic fields from an alternating current power cable on the embryogenesis of three benthic associated marine species
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The global expansion in offshore renewable energy, primarily through offshore wind, is associated with the proliferation of subsea power cables (SPCs) throughout marine and coastal benthic environments. The transmission of electrical power through these SPCs will introduce electromagnetic fields (EMFs) into the seabed and the adjacent water column, which raises questions regarding the potential impact on benthic fauna, particularly during critical developmental early-life stages for which research considering the effects of both the electric and magnetic components of SPC EMFs is lacking. We conducted an experiment on three benthic egg-laying species, – the elasmobranch Scyliorhinus canicula, the cephalopod Loligo vulgaris, and the cephalopod Sepia officinalis – found in areas under consideration for the routing of SPCs. We exposed the embryos to realistic EMF levels (magnetic field 4–6 μT) recreated in the laboratory using an AC power cable set-up that simulated the EMF conditions, and examined the morphological, physiological, and behavioural responses. Our findings indicate subtle responses to EMF exposure in S. canicula and L. vulgaris with faster growth rates and morphometric differences, but no responses in S. officinalis. Our results highlight the value of a multiple end point approach to determine the potential influence of chronic exposure to EMFs on embryogenesis in benthic fauna and provide a baseline for future studies to build upon. Although our study cannot extrapolate the consequences of individuallevel effects to population-level impacts, it does underscore the necessity of realistic and longer-term studies to assess the potential consequences of EMFs to marine fauna.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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Early Quaternary channel incisions at the base of the Merksplas Formation at the southern margin of the North Sea Basin
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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Characterization of the Miocene successions in the Schoten borehole (southern North Sea Basin, northern Belgium) and regional correlation with the Netherlands
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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Granulometry, carbonate and glauconite content as stratigraphic tools to distinguish the Kiel Member and lower Antwerpen Member (Berchem Formation) in the City of Antwerp area (Belgium)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023
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The Pliocene–Pleistocene transition in the subsurface of the Dutch-Belgian border region: insights from borehole Huijbergen
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023
