Inter-monomer electron transfer is too slow to compete with monomeric turnover in bc1 complex

The homodimeric bc₁ complexes are membrane proteins essential in respiration and photosynthesis. The ~ 11 Å distance between the two b_L-hemes of the dimer opens the possibility of electron transfer between them, but contradictory reports make such inter-monomer electron transfer controversial. We have constructed in Rhodobacter sphaeroides a heterodimeric expression system similar to those used before, in which the bc₁ complex can be mutated differentially in the two copies of cyt b to test for inter-monomer electron transfer, but found that genetic recombination by cross-over then occurs to produce wild-type homodimer. Selection pressure under photosynthetic growth always favored the homodimer over heterodimeric variants enforcing inter-monomer electron transfer, showing that the latter are not competitive. These results, together with kinetic analysis of myxothiazol titrations, demonstrate that inter-monomer electron transfer does not occur at rates competitive with monomeric turnover. We examine the results from other groups interpreted as demonstrating rapid inter-monomer electron transfer, conclude that similar mechanisms are likely to be in play, and suggest that such claims might need to be re-examined.     

Contrasting patterns of density‐dependent selection at different life stages can create more than one fast–slow axis of life‐history variation

There has been much recent research interest in the existence of a major axis of life‐history variation along a fast–slow continuum within almost all major taxonomic groups. Eco‐evolutionary models of density‐dependent selection provide a general explanation for such observations of interspecific variation in the "pace of life." One issue, however, is that some large‐bodied long‐lived “slow” species (e.g., trees and large fish) often show an explosive “fast” type of reproduction with many small offspring, and species with “fast” adult life stages can have comparatively “slow” offspring life stages (e.g., mayflies). We attempt to explain such life‐history evolution using the same eco‐evolutionary modeling approach but with two life stages, separating adult reproductive strategies from offspring survival strategies. When the population dynamics in the two life stages are closely linked and affect each other, density‐dependent selection occurs in parallel on both reproduction and survival, producing the usual one‐dimensional fast–slow continuum (e.g., houseflies to blue whales). However, strong density dependence at either the adult reproduction or offspring survival life stage creates quasi‐independent population dynamics, allowing fast‐type reproduction alongside slow‐type survival (e.g., trees and large fish), or the perhaps rarer slow‐type reproduction alongside fast‐type survival (e.g., mayflies—short‐lived adults producing few long‐lived offspring). Therefore, most types of species life histories in nature can potentially be explained via the eco‐evolutionary consequences of density‐dependent selection given the possible separation of demographic effects at different life stages.     

Assessment of papain-induced lung injury in isolated lungs by measurements of aerosol deposition and mixing.

Aerosol bolus inspirations were used to assess lung injury in 15 isolated dog lungs exposed to low (0-375 units) or high doses (600-1,200 units) of papain. Effective air space size (EAD) was determined from aerosol deposition during a 5-s breath hold. Convective mixing was assessed by the spreading of the expired bolus with respect to expired volume, quantified by a coefficient of dispersion (CD) equal to the square root of the difference in the variances of the expired and inspired boluses divided by the volumetric penetration of the bolus. After exposure, CD measured with deeply penetrating boluses increased by an average of 2.5% in the low-exposure group (P greater than 0.05) and 28.0% in the high-exposure group (P less than 0.0001). CD measured with shallowly penetrating boluses decreased by 4.3% (P less than 0.0001) in the low-exposure group and increased by an average of 18.3% in the high-exposure group (P less than 0.05). Papain exposure caused EAD to increase in some lungs and decrease in others. For deep bolus penetrations, EAD changed by an average of -0.8% in the low-exposure group (P greater than 0.05) and +21.1% in the high-exposure group (P greater than 0.05). Both EAD and CD appeared to be sensitive to lung injury. However, changes in EAD were less consistent than those in CD, possibly due to changes caused by lung injury in the regional distribution of inspired aerosol.