Hydrolysis of fish oil by hyperactivated rhizomucor miehei lipase immobilized by multipoint anion exchange

Rhizomucor miehei lipase (RML) is greatly hyperactivated (around 20‐ to 25‐fold toward small substrates) in the presence of sucrose laurate. Hyperactivation appears to be an intramolecular process because it is very similar for soluble enzymes and covalently immobilized derivatives. The hyperactivated enzyme was immobilized (in the presence of sucrose laurate) on cyanogen bromide‐activated Sepharose (very mild covalent immobilization through the amino terminal residue), on glyoxyl Sepharose (intense multipoint covalent immobilization through the region with the highest amount of Lys residues), and on different anion exchangers (by multipoint anionic exchange through the region with the highest density of negative charges). Covalent immobilization does not promote the fixation of the hyperactivated enzyme, but immobilization on Sepharose Q retains the hyperactivated enzyme even in the absence of a detergent. The hydrolysis of fish oils by these hyperactivated enzyme derivatives was sevenfold faster than by covalently immobilized derivatives and three and a half times faster than by the enzyme hyperactivated on octyl‐Sepharose. The open structure of the hyperactivated lipase is fairly exposed to the medium, and no steric hindrance should interfere with the hydrolysis of large substrates. These new hyperactivated derivatives seem to be more suitable for hydrolysis of oils by RML immobilized inside porous supports. In addition, the hyperactivated derivatives are fairly stable against heat and organic cosolvents. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2011     

Association between FABP2 Ala54Thr polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk: a HuGE Review and Meta‐Analysis

Many studies have examined the association between the FABP2 (rs1799883) Ala54Thr gene polymorphism and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk (T2DM) in various populations, but their results have been inconsistent. To assess this relationship more precisely, A HuGE review and meta‐analysis were performed. The PubMed and CNKI database was searched for case‐control studies published up to April 2014. Data were extracted and pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Ultimately, 13 studies, comprising 2020 T2DM cases and 2910 controls were included. Overall, for the Thr carriers (Ala/Thr and Thr/Thr) versus the wild‐type homozygotes (Ala/Ala), the pooled OR was 1.18 (95% CI = 1.04–1.34, P = 0.062 for heterogeneity), for Thr/Thr versus Ala/Ala the pooled OR was 1.17 (95% CI = 1.05–1.41 P = 0.087 for heterogeneity). In the stratified analysis by ethnicity, the significantly risks were found among Asians but not Caucasians. This meta‐analysis suggests that the FABP2 (rs1799883) Ala54Thr polymorphisms are associated with increased susceptibility to T2DM risk among Asians but not Caucasians.     

The RAINFOR database: monitoring forest biomass and dynamics

Problem: Data from over 100 permanent sample plots which have been studied for 10–20 years need a suitable system for storage which allows simple data manipulation and retrieval for analysis. Methods: A relational database linking tree records, taxonomic nomenclature and corresponding environmental data has been built in MS Access as part of the RAINFOR project. Conclusion: The database allows flexible and long‐term use of a large amount of data: more than 100 tree plots across Amazonia, incorporating over 80 000 records of individual trees and over 300 000 total records of tree diameter measurements from successive censuses. The database is designed to enable linkages to existing soil, floristic or plant‐trait databases. This database will be a useful tool for exploring the impact of environmental factors on forest structure and dynamics at local to continental scales, and long term changes in forest ecology. As an early example of its potential, we explore the impact of different methodological assumptions on estimates of tropical forest biomass and carbon storage.     

High Rates of Obesity and Chronic Disease Among United Methodist Clergy

We used self‐reported data from United Methodist clergy to assess the prevalence of obesity and having ever been told certain chronic disease diagnoses. Of all actively serving United Methodist clergy in North Carolina (NC) 95% (n = 1726) completed self‐report height and weight items and diagnosis questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). We calculated BMI categories and diagnosis prevalence rates for the clergy and compared them to the NC population using BRFSS data. The obesity rate among clergy aged 35–64 years was 39.7%, 10.3% (95% CI = 8.5%, 12.1%) higher than their NC counterparts. Clergy also reported significantly higher rates of having ever been given diagnoses of diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, angina, and asthma compared to their NC peers. Health interventions that address obesity and chronic disease among clergy are urgently needed.     

Evolution of green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae): a molecular supermatrix approach

We present a time‐calibrated phylogeny of the charismatic green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Previous phylogenetic studies on the family using DNA sequences have suffered from sparse taxon sampling and/or limited amounts of data. Here we combine all available previously published DNA sequence data and add to it new DNA sequences generated for this study. We analysed these data in a supermatrix using Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods and provide a phylogenetic hypothesis for the family that recovers strong support for the monophyly of all subfamilies and resolves relationships among a large proportion of chrysopine genera. Chrysopinae tribes Leucochrysini and Belonopterygini were recovered as monophyletic sister clades, while the species‐rich tribe Chrysopini was rendered paraphyletic by Ankylopterygini. Relationships among the subfamilies were resolved, although with relatively low statistical support, and the topology varied based on the method of analysis. Greatest support was found for Apochrysinae as sister to Nothochrysinae and Chrysopinae, which is in contrast to traditional concepts that place Nothochrysinae as sister to the rest of the family. Divergence estimates suggest that the stem groups to the various subfamilies diverged during the Triassic‐Jurassic, and that stem groups of the chrysopine tribes diverged during the Cretaceous.     

A fast dynamic mode of the EF‐G‐bound ribosome

A key intermediate in translocation is an ‘unlocked state’ of the pre‐translocation ribosome in which the P‐site tRNA adopts the P/E hybrid state, the L1 stalk domain closes and ribosomal subunits adopt a ratcheted configuration. Here, through two‐ and three‐colour smFRET imaging from multiple structural perspectives, EF‐G is shown to accelerate structural and kinetic pathways in the ribosome, leading to this transition. The EF‐G‐bound ribosome remains highly dynamic in nature, wherein, the unlocked state is transiently and reversibly formed. The P/E hybrid state is energetically favoured, but exchange with the classical P/P configuration persists; the L1 stalk adopts a fast dynamic mode characterized by rapid cycles of closure and opening. These data support a model in which P/E hybrid state formation, L1 stalk closure and subunit ratcheting are loosely coupled, independent processes that must converge to achieve the unlocked state. The highly dynamic nature of these motions, and their sensitivity to conformational and compositional changes in the ribosome, suggests that regulating the formation of this intermediate may present an effective avenue for translational control.     

Tyrant flycatchers coming out in the open: phylogeny and ecological radiation of Tyrannidae (Aves, Passeriformes)

Tyrant flycatchers constitute a substantial component of the land bird fauna in all South American habitats. Past interpretations of the morphological and ecological evolution in the group have been hampered by the lack of a well‐resolved hypothesis of their phylogenetic interrelationships. Here, we present a well‐resolved phylogeny based on DNA sequences from three nuclear introns for 128 taxa. Our results confirm much of the overall picture of Tyrannidae relationships, and also identify several novel relationships. The genera Onychorhynchus, Myiobius and Terenotriccus are placed outside Tyrannidae and may be more closely related to Tityridae. Tyrannidae consists of two main lineages. An expanded pipromorphine clade includes flatbills, tody‐tyrants and antpipits, and also Phylloscartes and Pogonotriccus. The spadebills, Neopipo and Tachuris are their closest relatives. The remainder of the tyrant flycatchers forms a well‐supported clade, subdivided in two large subclades, which differ consistently in foraging behaviour, the perch‐gleaning elaeniines and the sallying myiarchines, tyrannines and fluvicolines. A third clade is formed by the genera Myiotriccus, Pyrrhomyias, Hirundinea and three species currently placed in Myiophobus. Ancestral habitat reconstruction and divergence date estimation suggest that early divergence events in Tyrannida took place in a humid forest environment during the Oligocene. Large‐scale diversification in open habitats is confined to the clade consisting of the elaeniines, myiarchines, tyrannines and fluvicolines. This radiation correlates in time to the expansion of semi‐open and open habitats from the mid‐Miocene (c. 15 Mya) onwards. The pipromorphine, elaeniine and myiarchine–tyrannine–fluvicoline clades each employ distinct foraging strategies (upward striking, perch‐gleaning and sallying, respectively), but the degree of diversity in morphology and microhabitat exploitation is markedly different between these clades. While the pipromorphines and elaeniines each are remarkably homogenous in morphology and exploit a restricted range of microhabitats, the myiarchine–tyrannine–fluvicoline clade is more diverse in these respects. This greater ecological diversity, especially as manifested in their success in colonizing a wider spectrum of open habitats, appears to be connected to a greater adaptive flexibility of the search‐and‐sally foraging behaviour.     

Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite markers in the blowflies Lucilia illustris and Lucilia sericata

Thirteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for blowflies for use in studies of genetic differentiation in wild populations of Lucilia illustris, to detect the possible occurrence of bottlenecks and to study changes in genetic variation in laboratory populations of Lucilia sericata following artificial bottlenecks. In this preliminary study it was revealed that heterozygosity was lower than expected in wild populations and genetic variation had been lost in the laboratory population despite being kept at a large size.