Small-scale Diversity and Succession of Fungi in the Detritusphere of Rye Residues

Transport of litter carbon in the detritusphere might determine fungal abundance and diversity at the small scale. Rye residues were applied to the surface of soil cores with two different water contents and incubated at 10°C for 2 and 12 weeks. Fungal community structure was analysed by constructing clone libraries of 18S rDNA and subsequent sequencing. Litter addition induced fungal succession in the adjacent soil and decreased detectable fungal diversity mainly due to the huge supply of substrates. Ergosterol content and N-acetyl-glucosaminidase activity indicated fungal growth after 2 weeks. Simultaneously, the structure of the fungal community changed, with Mortierellaceae proliferating during the initial phase of litter decomposition. Ergosterol measurements were unable to detect this early fungal growth because Mortierellaceae do not produce ergosterol. In the late phase during decomposition of polymeric substrates, like cellulose and chitin, the fungal community was dominated by Trichocladium asperum. Water content influenced community composition only during the first 2 weeks due to its influence on transport processes in the detritusphere and on competition between fungal species. Our results underline the importance of species identification in understanding decomposition processes in soil.     

A New Approach to Standardize Multicenter Studies: Mobile Lab Technology for the German Environmental Specimen Bank

Technical progress has simplified tasks in lab diagnosis and improved quality of test results. Errors occurring during the pre-analytical phase have more negative impact on the quality of test results than errors encountered during the total analytical process. Different infrastructures of sampling sites can highly influence the quality of samples and therewith of analytical results. Annually the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) collects, characterizes, and stores blood, plasma, and urine samples of 120–150 volunteers each on four different sampling sites in Germany. Overarching goal is to investigate the exposure to environmental pollutants of non-occupational exposed young adults combining human biomonitoring with questionnaire data. We investigated the requirements of the study and the possibility to realize a highly standardized sampling procedure on a mobile platform in order to increase the required quality of the pre-analytical phase. The results lead to the development of a mobile epidemiologic laboratory (epiLab) in the project “Labor der Zukunft” (future’s lab technology). This laboratory includes a 14.7 m² reception area to record medical history and exposure-relevant behavior, a 21.1 m² examination room to record dental fillings and for blood withdrawal, a 15.5 m² biological safety level 2 laboratory to process and analyze samples on site including a 2.8 m² personnel lock and a 3.6 m² cryofacility to immediately freeze samples. Frozen samples can be transferred to their final destination within the vehicle without breaking the cold chain. To our knowledge, we herewith describe for the first time the implementation of a biological safety laboratory (BSL) 2 lab and an epidemiologic unit on a single mobile platform. Since 2013 we have been collecting up to 15.000 individual human samples annually under highly standardized conditions using the mobile laboratory. Characterized and free of alterations they are kept ready for retrospective analyses in their final archive, the German ESB.     

Implications of molecular characters for the phylogeny of the Microbotryaceae (Basidiomycota: Urediniomycetes)

Background  

Anther smuts of the basidiomycetous genus Microbotryum on Caryophyllaceae are important model organisms for many biological disciplines. Members of Microbotryum are most commonly found parasitizing the anthers of host plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, however they can also be found on the anthers of members of the Dipsacaceae, Lamiaceae, Lentibulariaceae, and Portulacaceae. Additionally, some members of Microbotryum can be found infecting other organs of mainly Polygonaceae hosts. Based on ITS nrDNA sequences of members of almost all genera in Microbotryaceae, this study aims to resolve the phylogeny of the anther smuts and their relationship to the other members of the family of plant parasites. A multiple analysis strategy was used to correct for the effects of different equally possible ITS sequence alignments on the phylogenetic outcome, which appears to have been neglected in previous studies.     

Modulation of Internal Estimates of Gravity during and after Prolonged Roll-Tilts

Perceived direction of gravity, as assessed by the subjective visual vertical (SVV), shows roll-angle dependent errors that drift over time and a bias upon return to upright. According to Bayesian observer theory, the estimated direction of gravity is derived from the posterior probability distribution by combining sensory input and prior knowledge about earth-vertical in a statistically optimal fashion. Here we aimed to further characterize the stability of SVV during and after prolonged roll-tilts. Specifically we asked whether the post-tilt bias is related to the drift pattern while roll-tilted. Twenty-nine healthy human subjects (23-56yo) repetitively adjusted a luminous arrow to the SVV over periods of 5min while upright, roll-tilted (±45°, ±90°), and immediately after returning to upright. Significant (p<0.05) drifts (median absolute drift-amplitude: 10°/5min) were found in 71% (±45°) and 78% (±90°) of runs. At ±90° roll-tilt significant increases in absolute adjustment errors were more likely (76%), whereas significant increases (56%) and decreases (44%) were about equally frequent at ±45°. When returning to upright, an initial bias towards the previous roll-position followed by significant exponential decay (median time-constant: 71sec) was noted in 47% of all runs (all subjects pooled). No significant correlations were found between the drift pattern during and immediately after prolonged roll-tilt. We conclude that the SVV is not stable during and after prolonged roll-tilt and that the direction and magnitude of drift are individually distinct and roll-angle-dependent. Likely sensory and central adaptation and random-walk processes contribute to drift while roll-tilted. Lack of correlation between the drift and the post-tilt bias suggests that it is not the inaccuracy of the SVV estimate while tilted that determines post-tilt bias, but rather the previous head-roll orientation relative to gravity. We therefore favor central adaptation, most likely a shift in prior knowledge towards the previous roll orientation, to explain the post-tilt bias.     

Genome Sequence of Paenibacillus alvei DSM 29, a Secondary Invader during European Foulbrood Outbreaks

Paenibacillus alvei is known as a secondary invader during European foulbrood of honeybees. Here, we announce the 6.83-Mb draft genome sequence of P. alvei type strain DSM 29. Putative genes encoding an antimicrobial peptide, a binary toxin, a mosquitocidal toxin, alveolysin, and different polyketides and nonribosomal peptides were identified.     

Proteome analysis of maternal serum samples for trisomy 21 pregnancies using ProteinChip arrays and bioinformatics.

A surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight (SELDI-TOF)-based ProteinChip System was used as a tool for rapid discovery and identification of protein patterns in serum that discriminate between trisomy 21 and unaffected pregnancies. We analyzed 24 serum samples from women carrying a trisomy 21 pregnancy and 32 with an unaffected pregnancy, ranging from 10.0 to 14.0 weeks of gestation. The resulting protein profiles were submitted to a clustering algorithm, a rule extraction, a rating, and a rule base construction step. For the generated combined rule base, the specificity and sensitivity for the prediction of a trisomy 21 pregnancy reach 97% and 91%, respectively.