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Climate change is influencing some environmental variables in the Southern Ocean (SO) and this will have an effect on the marine biodiversity. Peracarid crustaceans are one of the dominant and most species-rich groups of the SO benthos. To date, our knowledge on the influence of environmental variables in shaping abundance and species composition in the SO’s peracarid assemblages is limited, and with regard to ice coverage it is unknown. The aim of our study was to assess the influence of sea ice coverage, chlorophyll-a, and phytoplankton concentrations on abundance, distribution and assemblage structure of peracarids. In addition, the influence of other physical parameters on peracarid abundance was assessed, including depth, temperature, salinity, sediment type, current velocity, oxygen, iron, nitrate, silicate and phosphate. Peracarids were sampled with an epibenthic sledge (EBS) in different areas of the Atlantic sector of the SO and in the Weddell Sea. Sampling areas were characterized by different regimes of ice coverage (the ice free South Orkney Islands, the seasonally ice-covered Filchner Trough and the Eastern Antarctic Peninsula including the Prince Gustav Channel which was formerly covered by a perennial ice shelf). In total 64766 individuals of peracarids were collected and identified to order level including five orders: Amphipoda, Cumacea, Isopoda, Mysidacea, and Tanaidacea. Amphipoda was the most abundant taxon, representing 32% of the overall abundances, followed by Cumacea (31%), Isopoda (29%), Mysidacea (4%), and Tanaidacea (4%). The Filchner Trough had the highest abundance of peracarids, while the South Orkney Islands showed the lowest abundance compared to other areas. Ice coverage was the main environmental driver shaping the abundance pattern and assemblage structure of peracarids and the latter were positively correlated with ice coverage and chlorophyll-a concentration. We propose that the positive correlation between sea ice and peracarid abundances is likely due to phytoplankton blooms triggered by seasonal sea ice melting, which might increase the food availability for benthos. Variations in ice coverage extent and seasonality due to climate change would strongly influence the abundance and assemblage structure of benthic peracarids.
Background: Plant hormones are well known regulators which balance plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. We investigated the role of abscisic acid (ABA) in resistance of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) against the plant pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.
Results: Exogenous application of ABA prior to inoculation with M. oryzae led to more disease symptoms on barley leaves. This result contrasted the finding that ABA application enhances resistance of barley against the powdery mildew fungus. Microscopic analysis identified diminished penetration resistance as cause for enhanced susceptibility. Consistently, the barley mutant Az34, impaired in ABA biosynthesis, was less susceptible to infection by M. oryzae and displayed elevated penetration resistance as compared to the isogenic wild type cultivar Steptoe. Chemical complementation of Az34 mutant plants by exogenous application of ABA re-established disease severity to the wild type level. The role of ABA in susceptibility of barley against M. oryzae was corroborated by showing that ABA application led to increased disease severity in all barley cultivars under investigation except for the most susceptible cultivar Pallas. Interestingly, endogenous ABA concentrations did not significantly change after infection of barley with M. oryzae.
Conclusion: Our results revealed that elevated ABA levels led to a higher disease severity on barley leaves to M. oryzae. This supports earlier reports on the role of ABA in enhancing susceptibility of rice to the same pathogen and thereby demonstrates a host plant-independent function of this phytohormone in pathogenicity of monocotyledonous plants against M. oryzae.
Aim: The identification of the mechanisms determining spatial variation in biological diversity along elevational gradients is a central objective in ecology and biogeography. Here, we disentangle the direct and indirect effects of abiotic drivers (climatic conditions, and land use) and biotic drivers (vegetation structure and food resources) on functional diversity and composition of bird and bat assemblages along a tropical elevational gradient. Location: Southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, East Africa. Methods: We counted birds and recorded bat sonotypes on 58 plots distributed in near-natural and anthropogenically modified habitats from 700 to 4,600 m above sea level. For the recorded taxa, we compiled functional traits related to movement, foraging and body size from museum specimens and databases. Further, we recorded mean annual temperature, precipitation, vegetation complexity as well as the number of fruits, flowers, and insect biomass as measures of resource availability on each study site. Results: Using path analyses, we found similar responses of bird and bat functional diversity to the variation in abiotic and biotic drivers along the elevational gradient. In contrast, the functional composition of both taxa showed distinct responses to abiotic and biotic drivers. For both groups, direct temperature effects were most important, followed by resource availability, precipitation and vegetation complexity. Main Conclusions: Our findings indicate that physiological and metabolic constraints imposed by temperature and resource availability determine the functional diversity of bird and bat assemblages, whereas the composition of individual functional traits is driven by taxon-specific processes. Our study illustrates that distinct filtering mechanisms can result in similar patterns of functional diversity along broad environmental gradients. Such differences need to be taken into account when it comes to conserving the functional diversity of flying vertebrates on tropical mountains.
During CNS development and adult neurogenesis, immature neurons travel from the germinal zones towards their final destination using cellular substrates for their migration. Classically, radial glia and neuronal axons have been shown to act as physical scaffolds to support neuroblast locomotion in processes known as gliophilic and neurophilic migration, respectively (Hatten, 1999; Marin and Rubenstein, 2003; Rakic, 2003). In adulthood, long distance neuronal migration occurs in a glial-independent manner since radial glia cells differentiate into astrocytes after birth. A series of studies highlight a novel mode of neuronal migration that uses blood vessels as scaffolds, the so-called vasophilic migration. This migration mode allows neuroblast navigation in physiological and also pathological conditions, such as neuronal precursor migration after ischemic stroke or cerebral invasion of glioma tumor cells. Here we review the current knowledge about how vessels pave the path for migrating neurons and how trophic factors derived by glio-vascular structures guide neuronal migration both during physiological as well as pathological processes
Diploid transgenic organisms are either hemi- or homozygous. Genetic assays are, therefore, required to identify the genotype. Our AGameOfClones vector concept uses two clearly distinguishable transformation markers embedded in interweaved, but incompatible Lox site pairs. Cre-mediated recombination leads to hemizygous individuals that carry only one marker. In the following generation, heterozygous descendants are identified by the presence of both markers and produce homozygous progeny that are selected by the lack of one marker. We prove our concept in Tribolium castaneum by systematically creating multiple functional homozygous transgenic lines suitable for long-term fluorescence live imaging. Our approach saves resources and simplifies transgenic organism handling. Since the concept relies on the universal Cre-Lox system, it is expected to work in all diploid model organisms, for example, insects, zebrafish, rodents and plants. With appropriate adaptions, it can be used in knock-out assays to preselect homozygous individuals and thus minimize the number of wasted animals.
A tale of two seasons: The link between seasonal migration and climatic niches in passerine birds
(2020)
The question of whether migratory birds track a specific climatic niche by seasonal movements has important implications for understanding the evolution of migration, the factors affecting species' distributions, and the responses of migrants to climate change. Despite much research, previous studies of bird migration have produced mixed results. However, whether migrants track climate is only one half of the question, the other being why residents remain in the same geographic range year-round. We provide a literature overview and test the hypothesis of seasonal niche tracking by evaluating seasonal climatic niche overlap across 437 migratory and resident species from eight clades of passerine birds. Seasonal climatic niches were based on a new global dataset of breeding and nonbreeding ranges. Overlap between climatic niches was quantified using ordination methods. We compared niche overlap of migratory species to two null expectations, (a) a scenario in which they do not migrate and (b) in comparison with the overlap experienced by closely related resident species, while controlling for breeding location and range size. Partly in accordance with the hypothesis of niche tracking, we found that the overlap of breeding versus nonbreeding climatic conditions in migratory species was greater than the overlap they would experience if they did not migrate. However, this was only true for migrants breeding outside the tropics and only relative to the overlap species would experience if they stayed in the breeding range year-round. In contrast to the hypothesis of niche tracking, migratory species experienced lower seasonal climatic niche overlap than resident species, with significant differences between tropical and nontropical species. Our study suggests that in seasonal nontropical environments migration away from the breeding range may serve to avoid seasonally harsh climate; however, different factors may drive seasonal movements in the climatically more stable tropical regions.
Many cellular processes are regulated via pH, and maintaining the pH of different organelles is crucial for cell survival. A pH-sensitive GFP variant, the so-called pHluorin, has proven to be a valuable tool to study the pH of the cytosol, mitochondria and other organelles in vivo. We found that the fluorescence intensity of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)-targeted pHluorin in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was very low and barely showed pH sensitivity, probably due to misfolding in the oxidative environment of the ER. We therefore developed a superfolder variant of pHluorin which enabled us to monitor pH changes in the ER and the cytosol of S. cerevisiae in vivo. The superfolder pHluorin variant is likely to be functional in cells of different organisms as well as in additional compartments that originate from the secretory pathway like the Golgi apparatus and pre-vacuolar compartments, and therefore has a broad range of possible future applications.
The entire chemical modification repertoire of yeast ribosomal RNAs and the enzymes responsible for it have recently been identified. Nonetheless, in most cases the precise roles played by these chemical modifications in ribosome structure, function and regulation remain totally unclear. Previously, we demonstrated that yeast Rrp8 methylates m1A645 of 25S rRNA in yeast. Here, using mung bean nuclease protection assays in combination with quantitative RP-HPLC and primer extension, we report that 25S/28S rRNA of S. pombe, C. albicans and humans also contain a single m1A methylation in the helix 25.1. We characterized nucleomethylin (NML) as a human homolog of yeast Rrp8 and demonstrate that NML catalyzes the m1A1322 methylation of 28S rRNA in humans. Our in vivo structural probing of 25S rRNA, using both DMS and SHAPE, revealed that the loss of the Rrp8-catalyzed m1A modification alters the conformation of domain I of yeast 25S rRNA causing translation initiation defects detectable as halfmers formation, likely because of incompetent loading of 60S on the 43S-preinitiation complex. Quantitative proteomic analysis of the yeast Δrrp8 mutant strain using 2D-DIGE, revealed that loss of m1A645 impacts production of specific set of proteins involved in carbohydrate metabolism, translation and ribosome synthesis. In mouse, NML has been characterized as a metabolic disease-associated gene linked to obesity. Our findings in yeast also point to a role of Rrp8 in primary metabolism. In conclusion, the m1A modification is crucial for maintaining an optimal 60S conformation, which in turn is important for regulating the production of key metabolic enzymes.
A role of the Qв binding protein in the mechanism of cyanobacterial adaptation to light intensity?
(1986)
Growth of the unicellular blue-green alga Anacystis nidulans in media containing sublethal concentrations of DCMU-type inhibitors of photosynthetic electron transport in strong white light gave rise to shade type appearance in this organism, as characterized by an increased ratio of phycocyanin to chlorophyll and reduced ratios, both, of carotenoids to chlorophyll and of total chlorophyll to P700. Shade type in Anacystis was caused neither by phenolic inhibitors tested nor by those known to bind to the cytochrome b6/f-complex. Surprisingly enough, the molar ratio of phycocyanin to chlorophyll in artificially shade adapted Anacystis1 grown in strong white light in the presence of 10-6 м atrazine, was found to increase with temperature for a given light intensity and with light intensity for a given temperature.
Mutants of Anaeystis with a reduced binding capacity for DCMU-type herbicides due to an amino acid exchange in the 32 kDa Qв-binding polypeptide, also called D-1 protein, were ob- served to show shade type appearance in strong light, to respond very little to changes in light intensity and to show a reduced capability to further change their appearance to shade type by binding of competitors of Ob to the 32 kDa polypeptide.
In Anaeystis a concentration of atrazine (10-7 м), ten times lower than the one causing the highest rate of shade adaptation (10-6 м), was shown to induce an optimum in cell density, which in turn resulted in an optimum in light-dependent O2 evolution. Both factors together might be responsible for the so-called greening effect observed in higher plants treated with sublethal concentrations of DCMU-type inhibitors of photosynthetic electron transport.
Molecular phylogenetic studies of Moraea Mill. and the inclusion of Barnardiella Goldblatt, Galaxia Thunb., Gynandriris Parl., Hexaglottis Vent., Homeria Vent. and Roggeveldia Goldblatt in the genus have rendered the existing infrageneric classification, dating from 1976, in need of substantial revision. In particular, subg. Moraea and subg. Vieusseuxia have been shown to be paraphyletic. We propose a new infrageneric classification, based, as far as current data permit, on phylogenetic principles. Monophyletic subgenera and sections are circumscribed based on molecular phylogenies alone or in combination with morphological considerations. We recognize 11 subgenera, 15 sections and three series, arranged as follows in phylogenetic sequence: Plumarieae; Visciramosae (with sect. Multifoliae and sect. Visciramosae); Moraea (with sect. Moraea and sect. Polyphyllae); Galaxia (with ser. Unguiculatae, ser. Eurystigma and ser. Galaxia); Monocephalae; Acaules; Polyanthes (with sect. Serpentinae, sect. Deserticola, sect. Hexaglottis, sect. Gynandriris, sect. Polyanthes and sect. Pseudospicatae); Grandifl orae; Vieusseuxia (with sect. Integres, sect. Vieusseuxia and sect. Villosae); and Homeria (with sect. Stipanthera, sect. Flexuosae, sect. Homeria and sect. Conantherae). Most are moderately to well circumscribed at the morphological level either by floral or vegetative characters, except subg. Moraea, which includes a small number of unspecialized species apparently not linked by any apomorphic features. With over 27 new species described in the past 25 years and another 60 transferred to the genus, Moraea now includes 214 species. We provide a full taxonomic synopsis of the genus.
Neurons collect their inputs from other neurons by sending out arborized dendritic structures. However, the relationship between the shape of dendrites and the precise organization of synaptic inputs in the neural tissue remains unclear. Inputs could be distributed in tight clusters, entirely randomly or else in a regular grid-like manner. Here, we analyze dendritic branching structures using a regularity index R, based on average nearest neighbor distances between branch and termination points, characterizing their spatial distribution. We find that the distributions of these points depend strongly on cell types, indicating possible fundamental differences in synaptic input organization. Moreover, R is independent of cell size and we find that it is only weakly correlated with other branching statistics, suggesting that it might reflect features of dendritic morphology that are not captured by commonly studied branching statistics. We then use morphological models based on optimal wiring principles to study the relation between input distributions and dendritic branching structures. Using our models, we find that branch point distributions correlate more closely with the input distributions while termination points in dendrites are generally spread out more randomly with a close to uniform distribution. We validate these model predictions with connectome data. Finally, we find that in spatial input distributions with increasing regularity, characteristic scaling relationships between branching features are altered significantly. In summary, we conclude that local statistics of input distributions and dendrite morphology depend on each other leading to potentially cell type specific branching features.
A range-wide synthesis and timeline for phylogeographic events in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
(2013)
Background: Many boreo-temperate mammals have a Pleistocene fossil record throughout Eurasia and North America, but only few have a contemporary distribution that spans this large area. Examples of Holarctic-distributed carnivores are the brown bear, grey wolf, and red fox, all three ecological generalists with large dispersal capacity and a high adaptive flexibility. While the two former have been examined extensively across their ranges, no phylogeographic study of the red fox has been conducted across its entire Holarctic range. Moreover, no study included samples from central Asia, leaving a large sampling gap in the middle of the Eurasian landmass.
Results: Here we provide the first mitochondrial DNA sequence data of red foxes from central Asia (Siberia), and new sequences from several European populations. In a range-wide synthesis of 729 red fox mitochondrial control region sequences, including 677 previously published and 52 newly obtained sequences, this manuscript describes the pattern and timing of major phylogeographic events in red foxes, using a Bayesian coalescence approach with multiple fossil tip and root calibration points. In a 335 bp alignment we found in total 175 unique haplotypes. All newly sequenced individuals belonged to the previously described Holarctic lineage. Our analyses confirmed the presence of three Nearctic- and two Japan-restricted lineages that were formed since the Mid/Late Pleistocene.
Conclusions: The phylogeographic history of red foxes is highly similar to that previously described for grey wolves and brown bears, indicating that climatic fluctuations and habitat changes since the Pleistocene had similar effects on these highly mobile generalist species. All three species originally diversified in Eurasia and later colonized North America and Japan. North American lineages persisted through the last glacial maximum south of the ice sheets, meeting more recent colonizers from Beringia during postglacial expansion into the northern Nearctic. Both brown bears and red foxes colonized Japan’s northern island Hokkaido at least three times, all lineages being most closely related to different mainland lineages. Red foxes, grey wolves, and brown bears thus represent an interesting case where species that occupy similar ecological niches also exhibit similar phylogeographic histories.
It is widely acknowledged that biodiversity change is affecting human well-being by altering the supply of Nature's Contributions to People (NCP). Nevertheless, the role of individual species in this relationship remains obscure. In this article, we present a framework that combines the cascade model from ecosystem services research with network theory from community ecology. This allows us to quantitatively link NCP demanded by people to the networks of interacting species that underpin them. We show that this “network cascade” framework can reveal the number, identity and importance of the individual species that drive NCP and of the environmental conditions that support them. This information is highly valuable in demonstrating the importance of biodiversity in supporting human well-being and can help inform the management of biodiversity in social-ecological systems.
Energy-converting hydrogenases (Ech) are ancient, membrane-bound enzymes that use reduced ferredoxin (Fd) as an electron donor to reduce protons to molecular H2. Experiments with whole cells, membranes and vesicle-fractions suggest that proton reduction is coupled to proton translocation across the cytoplasmatic membrane, but this has never been demonstrated with a purified enzyme. To this end, we produced a His-tagged Ech complex in the thermophilic and anaerobic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter kivui. The enzyme could be purified by affinity chromatography from solubilized membranes with full retention of its eight subunits, as well as full retention of physiological activities, i.e., H2-dependent Fd reduction and Fd2--dependent H2 production. We found the purified enzyme contained 34.2 ± 12.2 mol of iron/mol of protein, in accordance with seven predicted [4Fe-4S]-clusters and one [Ni-Fe]-center. The pH and temperature optima were at 7 to 8 and 66 °C, respectively. Notably, we found that the enzymatic activity was inhibited by N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, an agent known to bind ion-translocating glutamates or aspartates buried in the cytoplasmic membrane and thereby inhibiting ion transport. To demonstrate the function of the Ech complex in ion transport, we further established a procedure to incorporate the enzyme complex into liposomes in an active state. We show the enzyme did not require Na+ for activity and did not translocate 22Na+ into the proteoliposomal lumen. In contrast, Ech activity led to the generation of a pH gradient and membrane potential across the proteoliposomal membrane, demonstrating that the Ech complex of T. kivui is a H+-translocating, H+-reducing enzyme.
Ribosome biogenesis in yeast requires 75 small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) and a myriad of cofactors for processing, modification, and folding of the ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs). For the 19 RNA helicases implicated in ribosome synthesis, their sites of action and molecular functions have largely remained unknown. Here, we have used UV cross-linking and analysis of cDNA (CRAC) to reveal the pre-rRNA binding sites of the RNA helicase Rok1, which is involved in early small subunit biogenesis. Several contact sites were identified in the 18S rRNA sequence, which interestingly all cluster in the “foot” region of the small ribosomal subunit. These include a major binding site in the eukaryotic expansion segment ES6, where Rok1 is required for release of the snR30 snoRNA. Rok1 directly contacts snR30 and other snoRNAs required for pre-rRNA processing. Using cross-linking, ligation and sequencing of hybrids (CLASH) we identified several novel pre-rRNA base-pairing sites for the snoRNAs snR30, snR10, U3, and U14, which cluster in the expansion segments of the 18S rRNA. Our data suggest that these snoRNAs bridge interactions between the expansion segments, thereby forming an extensive interaction network that likely promotes pre-rRNA maturation and folding in early pre-ribosomal complexes and establishes long-range rRNA interactions during ribosome synthesis.
Plasmids are one of the most important genetic tools for basic research and biotechnology, as they enable rapid genetic manipulation. Here we present a novel pBBR1-based plasmid for Methylorubrum extorquens, a model methylotroph that is used for the development of C1-based microbial cell factories. To develop a vector with compatibility to the so far mainly used pCM plasmid system, we transferred the pBBR1-based plasmid pMiS1, which showed an extremely low transformation rate and caused a strong growth defect. Isolation of a suppressor mutant with improved growth led to the isolation of the variant pMis1_1B. Its higher transformation rate and less pronounced growth defect phenotype could be shown to be the result of a mutation in the promotor region of the rep gene. Moreover, cotransformation of pMis1_1B and pCM160 was possible, but the resulting transformants showed stronger growth defects in comparison with a single pMis1_1B transformant. Surprisingly, cotransformants carrying pCM160 and a pMis1_1B derivative containing a mCherry reporter construct showed higher fluorescence levels than strains containing only the pMis1_1B-based reporter plasmids or a corresponding pCM160 derivative. Relative plasmid copy number determination experiments confirmed our hypothesis of an increased copy number of pMis1_1B in the strain carrying both plasmids. Despite the slight metabolic burden caused by pMis1_1B, the plasmid strongly expands the genetic toolbox for M. extorquens.
The 5'-terminal cloverleaf (CL)-like RNA structures are essential for the initiation of positive- and negative-strand RNA synthesis of entero- and rhinoviruses. SLD is the cognate RNA ligand of the viral proteinase 3C (3Cpro), which is an indispensable component of the viral replication initiation complex. The structure of an 18mer RNA representing the apical stem and the cGUUAg D-loop of SLD from the first 5'-CL of BEV1 was determined in solution to a root-mean-square deviation (r.m.s.d.) (all heavy atoms) of 0.59 A (PDB 1Z30). The first (antiG) and last (synA) nucleotide of the D-loop forms a novel ‘pseudo base pair’ without direct hydrogen bonds. The backbone conformation and the base-stacking pattern of the cGUUAg-loop, however, are highly similar to that of the coxsackieviral uCACGg D-loop (PDB 1RFR) and of the stable cUUCGg tetraloop (PDB 1F7Y) but surprisingly dissimilar to the structure of a cGUAAg stable tetraloop (PDB 1MSY), even though the cGUUAg BEV D-loop and the cGUAAg tetraloop differ by 1 nt only. Together with the presented binding data, these findings provide independent experimental evidence for our model [O. Ohlenschläger, J. Wöhnert, E. Bucci, S. Seitz, S. Häfner, R. Ramachandran, R. Zell and M. Görlach (2004) Structure, 12, 237–248] that the proteinase 3Cpro recognizes structure rather than sequence.
We solved the crystal structure of a novel type of c-ring isolated from Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4 at 2.5 Å, revealing a cylinder with a tridecameric stoichiometry, a central pore, and an overall shape that is distinct from those reported thus far. Within the groove of two neighboring c-subunits, the conserved glutamate of the outer helix shares the proton with a bound water molecule which itself is coordinated by three other amino acids of outer helices. Although none of the inner helices contributes to ion binding and the glutamate has no other hydrogen bonding partner than the water oxygen, the site remains in a stable, ion-locked conformation that represents the functional state present at the c-ring/membrane interface during rotation. This structure reveals a new, third type of ion coordination in ATP synthases. It appears in the ion binding site of an alkaliphile in which it represents a finely tuned adaptation of the proton affinity during the reaction cycle. Formal Correction: This article has been formally corrected to address the following errors. 1. The images for Figures S2 and S3 were incorrectly switched. The image that appears as Figure S2 should be Figure S3, and the image that appears as Figure S3 should be Figure S2. The figure legends appear in the correct order. Please view the correct... (read formal correction) 2. The images for Figures S2 and S3 were incorrectly switched. The image that appears as Figure S2 should be Figure S3, and the image that appears as Figure S3 should be Figure S2. The figure legends appear in the correct order. Please view the correct... (read formal correction)
A new type of Na+-driven ATP synthase membrane rotor with a two-carboxylate ion-coupling motif
(2013)
Abstract: The anaerobic bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum uses glutamate decarboxylation to generate a transmembrane gradient of Na+. Here, we demonstrate that this ion-motive force is directly coupled to ATP synthesis, via an F1Fo-ATP synthase with a novel Na+ recognition motif, shared by other human pathogens. Molecular modeling and free-energy simulations of the rotary element of the enzyme, the c-ring, indicate Na+ specificity in physiological settings. Consistently, activity measurements showed Na+ stimulation of the enzyme, either membrane-embedded or isolated, and ATP synthesis was sensitive to the Na+ ionophore monensin. Furthermore, Na+ has a protective effect against inhibitors targeting the ion-binding sites, both in the complete ATP synthase and the isolated c-ring. Definitive evidence of Na+ coupling is provided by two identical crystal structures of the c11 ring, solved by X-ray crystallography at 2.2 and 2.6 Å resolution, at pH 5.3 and 8.7, respectively. Na+ ions occupy all binding sites, each coordinated by four amino acids and a water molecule. Intriguingly, two carboxylates instead of one mediate ion binding. Simulations and experiments demonstrate that this motif implies that a proton is concurrently bound to all sites, although Na+ alone drives the rotary mechanism. The structure thus reveals a new mode of ion coupling in ATP synthases and provides a basis for drug-design efforts against this opportunistic pathogen.
Author Summary: Essential cellular processes such as biosynthesis, transport, and motility are sustained by the energy released in the hydrolysis of ATP, the universal energy carrier in living cells. Most ATP in the cell is produced by a membrane-bound enzyme, the ATP synthase, through a rotary mechanism that is coupled to the translocation of ions across the membrane. The majority of ATP synthases are energized by transmembrane electrochemical gradients of protons (proton-motive force), but a number of organisms, including some important human pathogens, use gradients of sodium ions instead (sodium-motive force). The ion specificity of ATP synthases is determined by a membrane-embedded sub-complex, the c-ring, which is the smallest known biological rotor. The functional mechanism of the rotor ring and its variations among different organisms are of wide interest, because of this enzyme's impact on metabolism and disease, and because of its potential for nanotechnology applications. Here, we characterize a previously unrecognized type of Na+-driven ATP synthase from the opportunistic human pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum, which is implicated in periodontal diseases. We analyzed this ATP synthase and its rotor ring through a multi-disciplinary approach, combining cell-growth and biochemical assays, X-ray crystallography and computer-simulation methods. Two crystal structures of the membrane rotor were solved, at low and high pH, revealing an atypical ion-recognition motif mediated by two carboxylate side-chains. This motif is shared by other human pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Streptococcus pneumonia, whose ATP synthases are targets of novel antibiotic drugs. The implications of this ion-recognition mode on the mechanism of the ATP synthase and the cellular bioenergetics of F. nucleatum were thus examined. Our results provide the basis for future pharmacological efforts against this important pathogen.
A non-radioactive cell-free assay was developed to quantitatively determine inhibition of plant-type phytoene desaturase by bleaching herbicides. An active desaturase was prepared from an appropriately cloned E. coli transformant. Another E. coli transformant was used to produce the required phytoene. Phytofluene and t-carotene, the products of the desaturase reaction, were either determined by HPLC or optical absorption spectra. Enzyme kinetics and inhibition data for the bleaching tetrazole herbicide WL110547 are presented as an example.
Obligate endoparasitic oomycetes are known to ubiquitously occur in marine and freshwater diatoms, but their diversity is still largely unexplored. Many of these parasitoids are members of the early-diverging oomycete lineages (Miracula, Diatomophthora), others are within the Leptomitales of the Saprolegniomycetes (Ectrogella, Lagenisma) and some have been described in the Peronosporomycetes (Aphanomycopsis, Lagenidium). Even though some species have been recently described and two new genera were introduced (Miracula and Diatomophthora), the phylogeny and taxonomy of most of these organisms remain unresolved. This is contrasted by the high number of sequences from unclassified species, as recently revealed from environmental sequencing, suggesting the presence of several undiscovered species. In this study, a new species of Miracula is reported from a marine centric diatom (Minidiscus sp.) isolated from Skagaströnd harbor in Northwest Iceland. The morphology and life cycle traits of this novel oomycete parasite are described herein, and its taxonomic placement within the genus Miracula is confirmed by molecular phylogeny. As it cannot be assigned to any previously described species, it is introduced as Miracula islandica in this study. The genus Miracula thus contains three described holocarpic species (M. helgolandica, M. islandica, M. moenusica) to which likely additional species will need to be added in the future, considering the presence of several lineages known only from environmental sequencing that clustered within the Miracula clade.
Detailed information on species temperature preferences are needed to measure the effects of global warming on species and communities in European rivers. However, information currently available in the literature on taxon-specific temperature preferences or temperature tolerances is very heterogeneous and therefore not well suited for forecasting purposes. To close this gap, we derived so-called ’central temperature tendencies’ (CTTt values) for benthic invertebrate species. For this end, 547 species and temperature data from regional monitoring programmes in Germany collected at 4249 sites were analysed. Due to the vulnerability of species to high
temperatures, CTTt values were calculated for mean summer temperatures, following a robust approach of calculating a weighted average based on temperature classes. Derived CTTt values correspond well to species temperature preferences as reported in literature as long as the latter were homogeneous in terms of how they were derived and which temperature reference was at focus. Based on taxon-specific CTTt values, a community value, CTTCom, was calculated for each benthic invertebrate sample. CTTCom values were validated by correlation with mean summer water temperatures. As the slope a of the linear regression model between CTTCom values and measured summer temperatures was comparatively low (a = 0.49), a correction function was derived in order to optimise the relation between both. This was crucial, because it is assumed that although CTTt was derived solely from taxa abundances within summer temperature classes, CTTCom not only reflects the effect of (summer) water temperature itself, but also corresponds to a temperature equivalent value, which describes the overall quality of all respiration-relevant aquatic summer habitat conditions that determine the metabolism of respective benthic invertebrates. By comparing this equivalent value with water temperatures measured in the year previous of sampling, statements can be made about the influence of flow conditions and other factors determining oxygen availability.
Thus, CTTCom reflects the mean aerobic scope of the overall benthic invertebrate fauna: the better the respiration conditions for rheophilic species with high oxygen demand, the larger the aerobic scope and the lower CTTCom.
The approach taken in our study is promising and provides a tool to track and even project past, present, and future impacts of global warming on benthic invertebrates in rivers based on measured values of respiratory relevant environmental variables. We encourage all stakeholders in the field of freshwater ecology to test this
Substantial progress in the field of neuroscience has been made from anaesthetized preparations. Ketamine is one of the most used drugs in electrophysiology studies, but how ketamine affects neuronal responses is poorly understood. Here, we used in vivo electrophysiology and computational modelling to study how the auditory cortex of bats responds to vocalisations under anaesthesia and in wakefulness. In wakefulness, acoustic context increases neuronal discrimination of natural sounds. Neuron models predicted that ketamine affects the contextual discrimination of sounds regardless of the type of context heard by the animals (echolocation or communication sounds). However, empirical evidence showed that the predicted effect of ketamine occurs only if the acoustic context consists of low-pitched sounds (e.g., communication calls in bats). Using the empirical data, we updated the naïve models to show that differential effects of ketamine on cortical responses can be mediated by unbalanced changes in the firing rate of feedforward inputs to cortex, and changes in the depression of thalamo-cortical synaptic receptors. Combined, our findings obtained in vivo and in silico reveal the effects and mechanisms by which ketamine affects cortical responses to vocalisations.
Research on Podospora anserina unraveled a network of molecular pathways affecting biological aging. In particular, a number of pathways active in the control of mitochondria were identified on different levels. A long-known key process active during aging of P. anserina is the age- related reorganization of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Mechanisms involved in the stabilization of the mtDNA lead to lifespan extension. Another critical issue is to balance mitochondrial levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This is important because ROS are essential signaling molecules, but at increased levels cause molecular damage. At a higher level of the network, mechanisms are active in the repair of damaged compounds. However, if damage passes critical limits, the corresponding pathways are overwhelmed and impaired molecules as well as those present in excess are degraded by specific enzymes or via different forms of autophagy. Subsequently, degraded units need to be replaced by novel functional ones. The corresponding processes are dependent on the availability of intact genetic information. Although a number of different pathways involved in the control of cellular homeostasis were uncovered in the past, certainly many more exist. In addition, the signaling pathways involved in the control and coordination of the underlying pathways are only initially understood. In some cases, like the induction of autophagy, ROS are active. Additionally, sensing and signaling the energetic status of the organism plays a key role. The precise mechanisms involved are elusive and remain to be elucidated.
The anaerobic acetogenic bacterium Acetobacterium woodii employs a novel type of Na+-motive anaerobic respiration, caffeate respiration. However, this respiration is at the thermodynamic limit of energy conservation, and even worse, in the first step, caffeate is activated by caffeyl-CoA synthetase, which hydrolyzes ATP to AMP and pyrophosphate. Here, we have addressed whether or not the energy stored in the anhydride bond of pyrophosphate is conserved by A. woodii. Inverted membrane vesicles of A. woodii have a membrane-bound pyrophosphatase that catalyzes pyrophosphate hydrolysis at a rate of 70–120 milliunits/mg of protein. Pyrophosphatase activity was dependent on the divalent cation Mg2+. In addition, activity was strictly dependent on Na+ with a Km of 1.1 mm. Hydrolysis of pyrophosphate was accompanied by 22Na+ transport into the lumen of the inverted membrane vesicles. Inhibitor studies revealed that 22Na+ transport was primary and electrogenic. Next to the Na+-motive ferredoxin:NAD+ oxidoreductase (Fno or Rnf), the Na+-pyrophosphatase is the second primary Na+-translocating enzyme in A. woodii.
A1AO ATP synthases with a V-type c subunit have only been found in hyperthermophilic archaea which makes bioenergetic analyses impossible due to the instability of liposomes at high temperatures. A search for a potential archaeal A1AO ATP synthase with a V-type c subunit in a mesophilic organism revealed an A1AO ATP synthase cluster in the anaerobic, acetogenic bacterium Eubacterium limosum KIST612. The enzyme was purified to apparent homogeneity from cells grown on methanol to a specific activity of 1.2 U·mg−1 with a yield of 12%. The enzyme contained subunits A, B, C, D, E, F, H, a, and c. Subunit c is predicted to be a typical V-type c subunit with only one ion (Na+)-binding site. Indeed, ATP hydrolysis was strictly Na+-dependent. N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) inhibited ATP hydrolysis, but inhibition was relieved by addition of Na+. Na+ was shown directly to abolish binding of the fluorescence DCCD derivative, NCD-4, to subunit c, demonstrating a competition of Na+ and DCCD/NCD-4 for a common binding site. After incorporation of the A1AO ATP synthase into liposomes, ATP-dependent primary transport of 22Na+ as well as ΔµNa+-driven ATP synthesis could be demonstrated. The Na+ A1AO ATP synthase from E. limosum is the first ATP synthase with a V-type c subunit from a mesophilic organism. This will enable future bioenergetic analysis of these unique ATP synthases.
Peer review of research articles is a core part of our scholarly communication system. In spite of its importance, the status and purpose of peer review is often contested. What is its role in our modern digital research and communications infrastructure? Does it perform to the high standards with which it is generally regarded? Studies of peer review have shown that it is prone to bias and abuse in numerous dimensions, frequently unreliable, and can fail to detect even fraudulent research. With the advent of Web technologies, we are now witnessing a phase of innovation and experimentation in our approaches to peer review. These developments prompted us to examine emerging models of peer review from a range of disciplines and venues, and to ask how they might address some of the issues with our current systems of peer review. We examine the functionality of a range of social Web platforms, and compare these with the traits underlying a viable peer review system: quality control, quantified performance metrics as engagement incentives, and certification and reputation. Ideally, any new systems will demonstrate that they out-perform current models while avoiding as many of the biases of existing systems as possible. We conclude that there is considerable scope for new peer review initiatives to be developed, each with their own potential issues and advantages. We also propose a novel hybrid platform model that, at least partially, resolves many of the technical and social issues associated with peer review, and can potentially disrupt the entire scholarly communication system. Success for any such development relies on reaching a critical threshold of research community engagement with both the process and the platform, and therefore cannot be achieved without a significant change of incentives in research environments.
Volatile organic compounds are secondary metabolites emitted by all organisms, especially by plants and microbes. Their role as aboveground signals has been established for decades. Recent evidence suggests that they might have a non-negligible role belowground and might be involved in root–root and root–microbial/pest interactions. Our aim here was to make a comprehensive review of belowground volatile diversity using a meta-analysis approach. At first we synthesized current literature knowledge on plant root volatiles and classified them in terms of chemical diversity. In a second step, relying on the mVOC database of microbial volatiles, we classified volatiles based on their emitters (bacteria vs. fungi) and their specific ecological niche (i.e., rhizosphere, soil). Our results highlight similarities and differences among root and microbial volatiles and also suggest that some might be niche specific. We further explored the possibility that volatiles might be involved in intra- and inter-specific root–root communication and discuss the ecological implications of such scenario. Overall this work synthesizes current knowledge on the belowground volatilome and the potential signaling role of its constituents. It also highlights that the total diversity of belowground volatiles might be orders of magnitude larger that the few hundreds of compounds described to date.
The haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii contains nearly 2800 small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs). One intergenic sRNA, sRNA132, was chosen for a detailed characterization. A deletion mutant had a growth defect and thus underscored the importance of sRNA132. A microarray analysis identified the transcript of an operon for a phosphate-specific ABC transporter as a putative target of sRNA132. Both the sRNA132 and the operon transcript accumulated under low phosphate concentrations, indicating a positive regulatory role of sRNA132. A kinetic analysis revealed that sRNA132 is essential shortly after the onset of phosphate starvation, while other regulatory processes take over after several hours. Comparison of the transcriptomes of wild-type and the sRNA132 gene deletion mutant 30 min after the onset of phosphate starvation revealed that sRNA132 controls a regulon of about 40 genes. Remarkably, the regulon included a second operon for a phosphate-specific ABC transporter, which also depended on sRNA132 for rapid induction in the absence of phosphate. Competitive growth experiments of the wild-type and ABC transporter operon deletion mutants underscored the importance of both transporters for growth at low phosphate concentrations. Northern blot analyses of four additional members of the sRNA132 regulon verified that all four transcripts depended on sRNA132 for rapid regulation after the onset of phosphate starvation. Importantly, this is the first example for the transient importance of a sRNA for any archaeal and bacterial species. In addition, this study unraveled the first sRNA regulon for haloarchaea.
Network graphs have become a popular tool to represent complex systems composed of many interacting subunits; especially in neuroscience, network graphs are increasingly used to represent and analyze functional interactions between multiple neural sources. Interactions are often reconstructed using pairwise bivariate analyses, overlooking the multivariate nature of interactions: it is neglected that investigating the effect of one source on a target necessitates to take all other sources as potential nuisance variables into account; also combinations of sources may act jointly on a given target. Bivariate analyses produce networks that may contain spurious interactions, which reduce the interpretability of the network and its graph metrics. A truly multivariate reconstruction, however, is computationally intractable because of the combinatorial explosion in the number of potential interactions. Thus, we have to resort to approximative methods to handle the intractability of multivariate interaction reconstruction, and thereby enable the use of networks in neuroscience. Here, we suggest such an approximative approach in the form of an algorithm that extends fast bivariate interaction reconstruction by identifying potentially spurious interactions post-hoc: the algorithm uses interaction delays reconstructed for directed bivariate interactions to tag potentially spurious edges on the basis of their timing signatures in the context of the surrounding network. Such tagged interactions may then be pruned, which produces a statistically conservative network approximation that is guaranteed to contain non-spurious interactions only. We describe the algorithm and present a reference implementation in MATLAB to test the algorithm’s performance on simulated networks as well as networks derived from magnetoencephalographic data. We discuss the algorithm in relation to other approximative multivariate methods and highlight suitable application scenarios. Our approach is a tractable and data-efficient way of reconstructing approximative networks of multivariate interactions. It is preferable if available data are limited or if fully multivariate approaches are computationally infeasible.
The GPS recorder consists of a GPS receiver board, a logging facility, an antenna, a power supply, a DC-DC converter and a casing. Currently, it has a weight of 33 g. The recorder works reliably with a sampling rate of 1/s and with an operation time of about 3 h, providing time-indexed data on geographic positions and ground speed. The data are downloaded when the animal is recaptured. Prototypes were tested on homing pigeons. The records of complete flight paths with surprising details illustrate the potential of this new method that can be used on a variety of medium-sized and large vertebrates.
Aging of biological systems is controlled by various processes which have a potential impact on gene expression. Here we report a genome-wide transcriptome analysis of the fungal aging model Podospora anserina. Total RNA of three individuals of defined age were pooled and analyzed by SuperSAGE (serial analysis of gene expression). A bioinformatics analysis identified different molecular pathways to be affected during aging. While the abundance of transcripts linked to ribosomes and to the proteasome quality control system were found to decrease during aging, those associated with autophagy increase, suggesting that autophagy may act as a compensatory quality control pathway. Transcript profiles associated with the energy metabolism including mitochondrial functions were identified to fluctuate during aging. Comparison of wild-type transcripts, which are continuously down-regulated during aging, with those down-regulated in the long-lived, copper-uptake mutant grisea, validated the relevance of age-related changes in cellular copper metabolism. Overall, we (i) present a unique age-related data set of a longitudinal study of the experimental aging model P. anserina which represents a reference resource for future investigations in a variety of organisms, (ii) suggest autophagy to be a key quality control pathway that becomes active once other pathways fail, and (iii) present testable predictions for subsequent experimental investigations.
BACKGROUND: Acetogenic bacteria are able to use CO2 as terminal electron acceptor of an anaerobic respiration, thereby producing acetate with electrons coming from H2. Due to this feature, acetogens came into focus as platforms to produce biocommodities from waste gases such as H2+CO2 and/or CO. A prerequisite for metabolic engineering is a detailed understanding of the mechanisms of ATP synthesis and electron-transfer reactions to ensure redox homeostasis. Acetogenesis involves the reduction of CO2 to acetate via soluble enzymes and is coupled to energy conservation by a chemiosmotic mechanism. The membrane-bound module, acting as an ion pump, was of special interest for decades and recently, an Rnf complex was shown to couple electron flow from reduced ferredoxin to NAD+ with the export of Na+ in Acetobacterium woodii. However, not all acetogens have rnf genes in their genome. In order to gain further insights into energy conservation of non-Rnf-containing, thermophilic acetogens, we sequenced the genome of Thermoanaerobacter kivui.
RESULTS: The genome of Thermoanaerobacter kivui comprises 2.9 Mbp with a G+C content of 35% and 2,378 protein encoding orfs. Neither autotrophic growth nor acetate formation from H2+CO2 was dependent on Na+ and acetate formation was inhibited by a protonophore, indicating that H+ is used as coupling ion for primary bioenergetics. This is consistent with the finding that the c subunit of the F1FO ATP synthase does not have the conserved Na+ binding motif. A search for potential H+-translocating, membrane-bound protein complexes revealed genes potentially encoding two different proton-reducing, energy-conserving hydrogenases (Ech).
CONCLUSIONS: The thermophilic acetogen T. kivui does not use Na+ but H+ for chemiosmotic ATP synthesis. It does not contain cytochromes and the electrochemical proton gradient is most likely established by an energy-conserving hydrogenase (Ech). Its thermophilic nature and the efficient conversion of H2+CO2 make T. kivui an interesting acetogen to be used for the production of biocommodities in industrial micobiology. Furthermore, our experimental data as well as the increasing number of sequenced genomes of acetogenic bacteria supported the new classification of acetogens into two groups: Rnf- and Ech-containing acetogens.
Species of the genus Blautia are typical inhabitants of the human gut and considered as beneficial gut microbes. However, their role in the gut microbiome and their metabolic features are poorly understood. Blautia schinkii was described as an acetogenic bacterium, characterized by a functional Wood–Ljungdahl pathway (WLP) of acetogenesis from H2 + CO2. Here we report that two relatives, Blautia luti and Blautia wexlerae do not grow on H2 + CO2. Inspection of the genome sequence revealed all genes of the WLP except genes encoding a formate dehydrogenase and an electron-bifurcating hydrogenase. Enzyme assays confirmed this prediction. Accordingly, resting cells neither converted H2 + CO2 nor H2 + HCOOH + CO2 to acetate. Carbon monoxide is an intermediate of the WLP and substrate for many acetogens. Blautia luti and B. wexlerae had an active CO dehydrogenase and resting cells performed acetogenesis from HCOOH + CO2 + CO, demonstrating a functional WLP. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that many Blautia strains as well as other gut acetogens lack formate dehydrogenases and hydrogenases. Thus, the use of formate instead of H2 + CO2 as an interspecies hydrogen and electron carrier seems to be more common in the gut microbiome.
The extraordinary desiccation resistance of the opportunistic human pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii is a key to its survival and spread in medical care units. The accumulation of compatible solute such as glutamate, mannitol and trehalose contributes to the desiccation resistance. Here, we have used osmolarity as a tool to study the response of cells to low water activities and studied the role of a potential inorganic osmolyte, K+, in osmostress response. Growth of A. baumannii was K+-dependent and the K+-dependence increased with the osmolarity of the medium. After an osmotic upshock, cells accumulated K+ and K+ accumulation increased with the salinity of the medium. K+ uptake was reduced in the presence of glycine betaine. The intracellular pools of compatible solutes were dependent on the K+ concentration: mannitol and glutamate concentrations increased with increasing K+ concentrations whereas trehalose was highest at low K+. After osmotic upshock, cells first accumulated K+ followed by synthesis of glutamate; later, mannitol and trehalose synthesis started, accompanied with a decrease of intracellular K+ and glutamate. These experiments demonstrate K+ uptake as a first response to osmostress in A. baumannii and demonstrate a hierarchy in the time-dependent accumulation of K+ and different organic solutes.
A new artificial regulatory system for essential genes in yeast is described. It prevents translation of target mRNAs upon tetracycline (tc) binding to aptamers introduced into their 5'UTRs. Exploiting direct RNA–ligand interaction renders auxiliary protein factors unnecessary. Therefore, our approach is strain independent and not susceptible to interferences by heterologous expressed regulatory proteins. We use a simple PCR-based strategy, which allows easy tagging of any target gene and the level of gene expression can be adjusted due to various tc aptamer-regulated promoters. As proof of concept, five differently expressed genes were targeted, two of which could not be regulated previously. In all cases, adding tc completely prevented growth and, as shown for Nop14p, rapidly abolished de novo protein synthesis providing a powerful tool for conditional regulation of yeast gene expression.
The regulation of cellular copper homeostasis is crucial in biology. Impairments lead to severe dysfunctions and are known to affect aging and development. Previously, a loss-of-function mutation in the gene encoding the copper-sensing and copper-regulated transcription factor GRISEA of the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina was reported to lead to cellular copper depletion and a pleiotropic phenotype with hypopigmentation of the mycelium and the ascospores, affected fertility and increased lifespan by approximately 60% when compared to the wild type. This phenotype is linked to a switch from a copper-dependent standard to an alternative respiration leading to both a reduced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). We performed a genome-wide comparative transcriptome analysis of a wild-type strain and the copper-depleted grisea mutant. We unambiguously assigned 9,700 sequences of the transcriptome in both strains to the more than 10,600 predicted and annotated open reading frames of the P. anserina genome indicating 90% coverage of the transcriptome. 4,752 of the transcripts differed significantly in abundance with 1,156 transcripts differing at least 3-fold. Selected genes were investigated by qRT-PCR analyses. Apart from this general characterization we analyzed the data with special emphasis on molecular pathways related to the grisea mutation taking advantage of the available complete genomic sequence of P. anserina. This analysis verified but also corrected conclusions from earlier data obtained by single gene analysis, identified new candidates of factors as part of the cellular copper homeostasis system including target genes of transcription factor GRISEA, and provides a rich reference source of quantitative data for further in detail investigations. Overall, the present study demonstrates the importance of systems biology approaches also in cases were mutations in single genes are analyzed to explain the underlying mechanisms controlling complex biological processes like aging and development.
We present a deterministic workflow for genotyping single and double transgenic individuals directly upon nascence that prevents overproduction and reduces wasted animals by two-thirds. In our vector concepts, transgenes are accompanied by two of four clearly distinguishable transformation markers that are embedded in interweaved, but incompatible Lox site pairs. Following Cre-mediated recombination, the genotypes of single and double transgenic individuals were successfully identified by specific marker combinations in 461 scorings.
Here we present a formal description of Biremis panamae Barka, Witkowski et Weisenborn sp. nov., which was isolated from the marine littoral environment of the Pacific Ocean coast of Panama. The description is based on morphology (light and electron microscopy) and the rbcL, psbC and SSU sequences of one clone of this species. The new species is included in Biremis due to its morphological features; i.e. two marginal rows of foramina, chambered striae, and girdle composed of numerous punctate copulae. The new species also possesses a striated valve face which is not seen in most known representatives of marine littoral Biremis species. In this study we also present the relationship of Biremis to other taxa using morphology, DNA sequence data and observations of auxosporulation. Our results based on these three sources point to an evolutionary relationship between Biremis, Neidium and Scoliopleura. The unusual silicified incunabular caps present in them are known otherwise only in Muelleria, which is probably related to the Neidiaceae and Scoliotropidaceae. We also discuss the relationship between Biremis and the recently described Labellicula and Olifantiella.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are constant by-products of aerobic life. In excess, ROS lead to cytotoxic protein aggregates, which are a hallmark of ageing in animals and linked to age-related pathologies in humans. Acylamino acid-releasing enzymes (AARE) are bifunctional serine proteases, acting on oxidized proteins. AARE are found in all domains of life, albeit under different names, such as acylpeptide hydrolase (APEH/ACPH), acylaminoacyl peptidase (AAP), or oxidized protein hydrolase (OPH). In humans, AARE malfunction is associated with age-related pathologies, while their function in plants is less clear. Here, we provide a detailed analysis of AARE genes in the plant lineage and an in-depth analysis of AARE localization and function in the moss Physcomitrella and the angiosperm Arabidopsis. AARE loss-of-function mutants have not been described for any organism so far. We generated and analysed such mutants and describe a connection between AARE function, aggregation of oxidized proteins and plant ageing, including accelerated developmental progression and reduced life span. Our findings complement similar findings in animals and humans, and suggest a unified concept of ageing may exist in different life forms.
Analysis of whole cell lipid extracts of bacteria by means of ultra-performance (UP)LC-MS allows a comprehensive determination of the lipid molecular species present in the respective organism. The data allow conclusions on its metabolic potential as well as the creation of lipid profiles, which visualize the organism's response to changes in internal and external conditions. Herein, we describe: i) a fast reversed phase UPLC-ESI-MS method suitable for detection and determination of individual lipids from whole cell lipid extracts of all polarities ranging from monoacylglycerophosphoethanolamines to TGs; ii) the first overview of a wide range of lipid molecular species in vegetative Myxococcus xanthus DK1622 cells; iii) changes in their relative composition in selected mutants impaired in the biosynthesis of α-hydroxylated FAs, sphingolipids, and ether lipids; and iv) the first report of ceramide phosphoinositols in M. xanthus, a lipid species previously found only in eukaryotes.
Translation is an important step in gene expression. The initiation of translation is phylogenetically diverse, since currently five different initiation mechanisms are known. For bacteria the three initiation factors IF1 – IF3 are described in contrast to archaea and eukaryotes, which contain a considerably higher number of initiation factor genes. As eukaryotes and archaea use a non-overlapping set of initiation mechanisms, orthologous proteins of both domains do not necessarily fulfill the same function. The genome of Haloferax volcanii contains 14 annotated genes that encode (subunits of) initiation factors. To gain a comprehensive overview of the importance of these genes, it was attempted to construct single gene deletion mutants of all genes. In 9 cases single deletion mutants were successfully constructed, showing that the respective genes are not essential. In contrast, the genes encoding initiation factors aIF1, aIF2γ, aIF5A, aIF5B, and aIF6 were found to be essential. Factors aIF1A and aIF2β are encoded by two orthologous genes in H. volcanii. Attempts to generate double mutants failed in both cases, indicating that also these factors are essential. A translatome analysis of one of the single aIF2β deletion mutants revealed that the translational efficiency of the second ortholog was enhanced tenfold and thus the two proteins can replace one another. The phenotypes of the single deletion mutants also revealed that the two aIF1As and aIF2βs have redundant but not identical functions. Remarkably, the gene encoding aIF2α, a subunit of aIF2 involved in initiator tRNA binding, could be deleted. However, the mutant had a severe growth defect under all tested conditions. Conditional depletion mutants were generated for the five essential genes. The phenotypes of deletion mutants and conditional depletion mutants were compared to that of the wild-type under various conditions, and growth characteristics are discussed.
Plants, fungi and algae are important components of global biodiversity and are fundamental to all ecosystems. They are the basis for human well-being, providing food, materials and medicines. Specimens of all three groups of organisms are accommodated in herbaria, where they are commonly referred to as botanical specimens.The large number of specimens in herbaria provides an ample, permanent and continuously improving knowledge base on these organisms and an indispensable source for the analysis of the distribution of species in space and time critical for current and future research relating to global biodiversity. In order to make full use of this resource, a research infrastructure has to be built that grants comprehensive and free access to the information in herbaria and botanical collections in general. This can be achieved through digitization of the botanical objects and associated data.The botanical research community can count on a long-standing tradition of collaboration among institutions and individuals. It agreed on data standards and standard services even before the advent of computerization and information networking, an example being the Index Herbariorum as a global registry of herbaria helping towards the unique identification of specimens cited in the literature.In the spirit of this collaborative history, 51 representatives from 30 institutions advocate to start the digitization of botanical collections with the overall wall-to-wall digitization of the flat objects stored in German herbaria. Germany has 70 herbaria holding almost 23 million specimens according to a national survey carried out in 2019. 87% of these specimens are not yet digitized. Experiences from other countries like France, the Netherlands, Finland, the US and Australia show that herbaria can be comprehensively and cost-efficiently digitized in a relatively short time due to established workflows and protocols for the high-throughput digitization of flat objects.Most of the herbaria are part of a university (34), fewer belong to municipal museums (10) or state museums (8), six herbaria belong to institutions also supported by federal funds such as Leibniz institutes, and four belong to non-governmental organizations. A common data infrastructure must therefore integrate different kinds of institutions.Making full use of the data gained by digitization requires the set-up of a digital infrastructure for storage, archiving, content indexing and networking as well as standardized access for the scientific use of digital objects. A standards-based portfolio of technical components has already been developed and successfully tested by the Biodiversity Informatics Community over the last two decades, comprising among others access protocols, collection databases, portals, tools for semantic enrichment and annotation, international networking, storage and archiving in accordance with international standards. This was achieved through the funding by national and international programs and initiatives, which also paved the road for the German contribution to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).Herbaria constitute a large part of the German botanical collections that also comprise living collections in botanical gardens and seed banks, DNA- and tissue samples, specimens preserved in fluids or on microscope slides and more. Once the herbaria are digitized, these resources can be integrated, adding to the value of the overall research infrastructure. The community has agreed on tasks that are shared between the herbaria, as the German GBIF model already successfully demonstrates.We have compiled nine scientific use cases of immediate societal relevance for an integrated infrastructure of botanical collections. They address accelerated biodiversity discovery and research, biomonitoring and conservation planning, biodiversity modelling, the generation of trait information, automated image recognition by artificial intelligence, automated pathogen detection, contextualization by interlinking objects, enabling provenance research, as well as education, outreach and citizen science.We propose to start this initiative now in order to valorize German botanical collections as a vital part of a worldwide biodiversity data pool.
Similar to chloroplast loci, mitochondrial markers are frequently used for genotyping, phylogenetic studies, and population genetics, as they are easily amplified due to their multiple copies per cell. In a recent study, it was revealed that the chloroplast offers little variation for this purpose in central European populations of beech. Thus, it was the aim of this study to elucidate, if mitochondrial sequences might offer an alternative, or whether they are similarly conserved in central Europe. For this purpose, a circular mitochondrial genome sequence from the more than 300-year-old beech reference individual Bhaga from the German National Park Kellerwald-Edersee was assembled using long and short reads and compared to an individual from the Jamy Nature Reserve in Poland and a recently published mitochondrial genome from eastern Germany. The mitochondrial genome of Bhaga was 504,730 bp, while the mitochondrial genomes of the other two individuals were 15 bases shorter, due to seven indel locations, with four having more bases in Bhaga and three locations having one base less in Bhaga. In addition, 19 SNP locations were found, none of which were inside genes. In these SNP locations, 17 bases were different in Bhaga, as compared to the other two genomes, while 2 SNP locations had the same base in Bhaga and the Polish individual. While these figures are slightly higher than for the chloroplast genome, the comparison confirms the low degree of genetic divergence in organelle DNA of beech in central Europe, suggesting the colonisation from a common gene pool after the Weichsel Glaciation. The mitochondrial genome might have limited use for population studies in central Europe, but once mitochondrial genomes from glacial refugia become available, it might be suitable to pinpoint the origin of migration for the re-colonising beech population.
Aim: Predicting future changes in species richness in response to climate change is one of the key challenges in biogeography and conservation ecology. Stacked species distribution models (S‐SDMs) are a commonly used tool to predict current and future species richness. Macroecological models (MEMs), regression models with species richness as response variable, are a less computationally intensive alternative to S‐SDMs. Here, we aim to compare the results of two model types (S‐SDMS and MEMs), for the first time for more than 14,000 species across multiple taxa globally, and to trace the uncertainty in future predictions back to the input data and modelling approach used.
Location: Global land, excluding Antarctica.
Taxon: Amphibians, birds and mammals.
Methods: We fitted S‐SDMs and MEMs using a consistent set of bioclimatic variables and model algorithms and conducted species richness predictions under current and future conditions. For the latter, we used four general circulation models (GCMs) under two representative concentration pathways (RCP2.6 and RCP6.0). Predicted species richness was compared between S‐SDMs and MEMs and for current conditions also to extent‐of‐occurrence (EOO) species richness patterns. For future predictions, we quantified the variance in predicted species richness patterns explained by the choice of model type, model algorithm and GCM using hierarchical cluster analysis and variance partitioning.
Results: Under current conditions, species richness predictions from MEMs and S‐SDMs were strongly correlated with EOO‐based species richness. However, both model types over‐predicted areas with low and under‐predicted areas with high species richness. Outputs from MEMs and S‐SDMs were also highly correlated among each other under current and future conditions. The variance between future predictions was mostly explained by model type.
Main conclusions: Both model types were able to reproduce EOO‐based patterns in global terrestrial vertebrate richness, but produce less collinear predictions of future species richness. Model type by far contributes to most of the variation in the different future species richness predictions, indicating that the two model types should not be used interchangeably. Nevertheless, both model types have their justification, as MEMs can also include species with a restricted range, whereas S‐SDMs are useful for looking at potential species‐specific responses.
Chloroplasts are difficult to assemble because of the presence of large inverted repeats. At the same time, correct assemblies are important, as chloroplast loci are frequently used for biogeography and population genetics studies. In an attempt to elucidate the orientation of the single-copy regions and to find suitable loci for chloroplast single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based studies, circular chloroplast sequences for the ultra-centenary reference individual of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica), Bhaga, and an additional Polish individual (named Jamy) was obtained based on hybrid assemblies. The chloroplast genome of Bhaga was 158,458 bp, and that of Jamy was 158,462 bp long. Using long-read mapping on the configuration inferred in this study and the one suggested in a previous study, we found an inverted orientation of the small single-copy region. The chloroplast genome of Bhaga and of the individual from Poland both have only two mismatches as well as three and two indels as compared to the previously published genome, respectively. The low divergence suggests low seed dispersal but high pollen dispersal. However, once chloroplast genomes become available from Pleistocene refugia, where a high degree of variation has been reported, they might prove useful for tracing the migration history of Fagus sylvatica in the Holocene.
The European Beech is the dominant climax tree in most regions of Central Europe and valued for its ecological versatility and hardwood timber. Even though a draft genome has been published recently, higher resolution is required for studying aspects of genome architecture and recombination. Here, we present a chromosome-level assembly of the more than 300 year-old reference individual, Bhaga, from the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park (Germany). Its nuclear genome of 541 Mb was resolved into 12 chromosomes varying in length between 28 and 73 Mb. Multiple nuclear insertions of parts of the chloroplast genome were observed, with one region on chromosome 11 spanning more than 2 Mb which fragments up to 54,784 bp long and covering the whole chloroplast genome were inserted randomly. Unlike in Arabidopsis thaliana, ribosomal cistrons are present in Fagus sylvatica only in four major regions, in line with FISH studies. On most assembled chromosomes, telomeric repeats were found at both ends, while centromeric repeats were found to be scattered throughout the genome apart from their main occurrence per chromosome. The genome-wide distribution of SNPs was evaluated using a second individual from Jamy Nature Reserve (Poland). SNPs, repeat elements and duplicated genes were unevenly distributed in the genomes, with one major anomaly on chromosome 4. The genome presented here adds to the available highly resolved plant genomes and we hope it will serve as a valuable basis for future research on genome architecture and for understanding the past and future of European Beech populations in a changing climate.
The Wood-Ljungdahl pathway of anaerobic CO(2) fixation with hydrogen as reductant is considered a candidate for the first life-sustaining pathway on earth because it combines carbon dioxide fixation with the synthesis of ATP via a chemiosmotic mechanism. The acetogenic bacterium Acetobacterium woodii uses an ancient version of the pathway that has only one site to generate the electrochemical ion potential used to drive ATP synthesis, the ferredoxin-fueled, sodium-motive Rnf complex. However, hydrogen-based ferredoxin reduction is endergonic, and how the steep energy barrier is overcome has been an enigma for a long time. We have purified a multimeric [FeFe]-hydrogenase from A. woodii containing four subunits (HydABCD) which is predicted to have one [H]-cluster, three [2Fe2S]-, and six [4Fe4S]-clusters consistent with the experimental determination of 32 mol of Fe and 30 mol of acid-labile sulfur. The enzyme indeed catalyzed hydrogen-based ferredoxin reduction, but required NAD(+) for this reaction. NAD(+) was also reduced but only in the presence of ferredoxin. NAD(+) and ferredoxin reduction both required flavin. Spectroscopic analyses revealed that NAD(+) and ferredoxin reduction are strictly coupled and that they are reduced in a 1:1 stoichiometry. Apparently, the multimeric hydrogenase of A. woodii is a soluble energy-converting hydrogenase that uses electron bifurcation to drive the endergonic ferredoxin reduction by coupling it to the exergonic NAD(+) reduction.
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a major process in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle in which nitrite and ammonium are converted to dinitrogen gas and water through the highly reactive intermediate hydrazine. So far, it is unknown how anammox organisms convert the toxic hydrazine into nitrogen and harvest the extremely low potential electrons (−750 mV) released in this process. We report the crystal structure and cryo electron microscopy structures of the responsible enzyme, hydrazine dehydrogenase, which is a 1.7 MDa multiprotein complex containing an extended electron transfer network of 192 heme groups spanning the entire complex. This unique molecular arrangement suggests a way in which the protein stores and releases the electrons obtained from hydrazine conversion, the final step in the globally important anammox process.