Structure of Haze Forming Proteins in White Wines: Vitis vinifera Thaumatin-Like Proteins

Grape thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) play roles in plant-pathogen interactions and can cause protein haze in white wine unless removed prior to bottling. Different isoforms of TLPs have different hazing potential and aggregation behavior. Here we present the elucidation of the molecular structures of three grape TLPs that display different hazing potential. The three TLPs have very similar structures despite belonging to two different classes (F2/4JRU is a thaumatin-like protein while I/4L5H and H2/4MBT are VVTL1), and having different unfolding temperatures (56 vs. 62°C), with protein F2/4JRU being heat unstable and forming haze, while I/4L5H does not. These differences in properties are attributable to the conformation of a single loop and the amino acid composition of its flanking regions.     

Breaking dormancy during flood and drought: sublethal growth and physiological responses of three emergent wetland herbs used in bioretention basins

Bioretention basins are man-made topographic depressions designed to collect and retain surface water runoff. In most cases these basins are used to prevent flooding and/or remove environmentally harmful pollutants and sediments from entering natural aquatic systems. To maximize environmental benefits, these systems are often planted with flood-tolerant wetland hydrophytes that are capable of withstanding extended periods of drought. Unfortunately, little is known about how these plants respond to extreme hydrologies while breaking seasonal dormancy. The purpose of this study was to better understand the morphological and physiological responses of three wetland species (Pontederia cordata L., Saururus cernuus L., and Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani C.C. Gmel. Palla) often used in bioretention basins while emerging from dormancy in either flooded or drought conditions. Results indicate that only S. tabernaemontani was affected morphologically by drought with lower leaf area and aboveground biomass. While significant reductions in stomatal surface indices were also observed in drought-treated S. tabernaemontani, all three species had reductions in stomatal conductance (g) when grown in drier soils. Moreover, drought conditions promoted decreases in leaf water potential (Ψ _leaf) for all three species, and reductions in tissue water content (θ) for P. cordata and S. tabernaemontani. Based on the overall morphological and physiological responses, S. cernuus maintained the lowest productivity, and appeared to be the best suited for tolerating sustained soil water deficits. If high plant productivity is desired, however, S. tabernaemontani was able to maintain high plant growth while making necessary modifications that facilitated greater drought-resistance.     

Can general practitioners influence exercise habits? Controlled trial.

A health promotion campaign in the community organised by the general practitioner was evaluated by the use of a questionnaire before and after the campaign, both in the village where the campaign was based and in a control village. There was a general increase in the amount of exercise that people in both villages took. The results showed that having received a questionnaire, and been subject to the campaign, more people took exercise regularly.     

Contemporary habitat discontinuity and historic glacial ice drive genetic divergence in Chilean kelp

Background  

South America's western coastline, extending in a near-straight line across some 35 latitudinal degrees, presents an elegant setting for assessing both contemporary and historic influences on cladogenesis in the marine environment. Southern bull-kelp (Durvillaea antarctica) has a broad distribution along much of the Chilean coast. This species represents an ideal model taxon for studies of coastal marine connectivity and of palaeoclimatic effects, as it grows only on exposed rocky coasts and is absent from beaches and ice-affected shores. We expected that, along the central Chilean coast, D. antarctica would show considerable phylogeographic structure as a consequence of the isolating effects of distance and habitat discontinuities. In contrast, we hypothesised that further south - throughout the region affected by the Patagonian Ice Sheet at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) - D. antarctica would show relatively little genetic structure, reflecting postglacial recolonisation.     

Increased amounts of hybrid (heavy/heavy) DNA in Bloom's syndrome fibroblasts

The nuclear DNA of fibroblasts from patients suffering with Bloom's syndrome, density labeled for less than one round of DNA replication to give heavy/light molecules, was examined for spontaneous amounts of heavy/heavy DNA (hybrid DNA). When compared to normal fibroblasts the Bloom's syndrome cells exhibited a sixfold increase in such DNA.