Phagotrophy by the picoeukaryotic green alga Micromonas: implications for Arctic Oceans

Photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPE) are recognized as major primary producers and contributors to phytoplankton biomass in oceanic and coastal environments. Molecular surveys indicate a large phylogenetic diversity in the picoeukaryotes, with members of the Prymnesiophyceae and Chrysophyseae tending to be more common in open ocean waters and Prasinophyceae dominating coastal and Arctic waters. In addition to their role as primary producers, PPE have been identified in several studies as mixotrophic and major predators of prokaryotes. Mixotrophy, the combination of photosynthesis and phagotrophy in a single organism, is well established for most photosynthetic lineages. However, green algae, including prasinophytes, were widely considered as a purely photosynthetic group. The prasinophyte Micromonas is perhaps the most common picoeukaryote in coastal and Arctic waters and is one of the relatively few cultured representatives of the picoeukaryotes available for physiological investigations. In this study, we demonstrate phagotrophy by a strain of Micromonas (CCMP2099) isolated from Arctic waters and show that environmental factors (light and nutrient concentration) affect ingestion rates in this mixotroph. In addition, we show size-selective feeding with a preference for smaller particles, and determine P vs I (photosynthesis vs irradiance) responses in different nutrient conditions. If other strains have mixotrophic abilities similar to Micromonas CCMP2099, the widespread distribution and frequently high abundances of Micromonas suggest that these green algae may have significant impact on prokaryote populations in several oceanic regimes.     

Phagotrophy and Two New Structures in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium berghei

Blood collected from rats infected with Plasmodium berghei was centrifuged and the pellet was fixed for 1 hour in 1 per cent buffered OsO₄ with 4.9 per cent sucrose. The material was embedded in n-butyl methacrylate and the resulting blocks sectioned for electron microscopy. The parasites were found to contain, in almost all sections, oval bodies of the same density and structure as the host cytoplasm. Continuity between these bodies and the host cytoplasm was found in a number of electron micrographs, showing that the bodies are formed by invagination of the double plasma membrane of the parasite. In this way the host cell is incorporated by phagotrophy into food vacuoles within the parasite. Hematin, the residue of hemoglobin digestion, was never observed inside the food vacuole but in small vesicles lying around it and sometimes connected with it. The vesicles are pinched off from the food vacuole proper and are the site of hemoglobin digestion. The active double limiting membrane is responsible not only for the formation of food vacuoles but also for the presence of two new structures. One is composed of two to six concentric double wavy membranes originating from the plasma membrane. Since no typical mitochondria were found in P. berghei, it is assumed that the concentric structure performs mitochondrial functions. The other structure appears as a sausage-shaped vacuole surrounded by two membranes of the same thickness, density, and spacing as the limiting membrane of the body. The cytoplasm of the parasite is rich in vesicles of endoplasmic reticulum and Palade's small particles. Its nucleus is of low density and encased in a double membrane. The host cells (reticulocytes) have mitochondria with numerous cristae mitochondriales. In many infected and intact reticulocytes ferritin was found in vacuoles, mitochondria, canaliculi, or scattered in the cytoplasm.     

Phagotrophy and two new structures in the malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei

Blood collected from rats infected with Plasmodium berghei was centrifuged and the pellet was fixed for 1 hour in 1 per cent buffered OsO(4) with 4.9 per cent sucrose. The material was embedded in n-butyl methacrylate and the resulting blocks sectioned for electron microscopy. The parasites were found to contain, in almost all sections, oval bodies of the same density and structure as the host cytoplasm. Continuity between these bodies and the host cytoplasm was found in a number of electron micrographs, showing that the bodies are formed by invagination of the double plasma membrane of the parasite. In this way the host cell is incorporated by phagotrophy into food vacuoles within the parasite. Hematin, the residue of hemoglobin digestion, was never observed inside the food vacuole but in small vesicles lying around it and sometimes connected with it. The vesicles are pinched off from the food vacuole proper and are the site of hemoglobin digestion. The active double limiting membrane is responsible not only for the formation of food vacuoles but also for the presence of two new structures. One is composed of two to six concentric double wavy membranes originating from the plasma membrane. Since no typical mitochondria were found in P. berghei, it is assumed that the concentric structure performs mitochondrial functions. The other structure appears as a sausage-shaped vacuole surrounded by two membranes of the same thickness, density, and spacing as the limiting membrane of the body. The cytoplasm of the parasite is rich in vesicles of endoplasmic reticulum and Palade's small particles. Its nucleus is of low density and encased in a double membrane. The host cells (reticulocytes) have mitochondria with numerous cristae mitochondriales. In many infected and intact reticulocytes ferritin was found in vacuoles, mitochondria, canaliculi, or scattered in the cytoplasm.     

Symbiosis and development: the hologenome concept

All animals and plants establish symbiotic relationships with microorganisms; often the combined genetic information of the diverse microbiota exceeds that of the host. How the genetic wealth of the microbiota affects all aspects of the holobiont's (host plus all of its associated microorganisms) fitness (adaptation, survival, development, growth and reproduction) and evolution is reviewed, using selected coral, insect, squid, plant, and human/mouse published experimental results. The data are discussed within the framework of the hologenome theory of evolution, which demonstrates that changes in environmental parameters, for example, diet, can cause rapid changes in the diverse microbiota, which not only can benefit the holobiont in the short term but also can be transmitted to offspring and lead to long lasting cooperations. As acquired characteristics (microbes) are heritable, consideration of the holobiont as a unit of selection in evolution leads to neo-Lamarckian principles within a Darwinian framework. The potential application of these principles can be seen in the growing fields of prebiotics and probiotics.     

动物活体内细胞光操控的研究进展

动物活体环境下单细胞的光操控对于研究细胞的结构和功能,细胞与组织之间的相互作用,以及细胞病变机理、血栓形成机制和肿瘤细胞迁移等生物医学问题具有重要意义。2013年,光镊技术首次应用于活体动物内单细胞的捕获和操控,开辟了活体动物内光学操控新领域。本文就该领域涉及的活体操控技术及近来取得的重要研究进展进行概述,简要分析了实现深度组织内细胞操控所遇到的技术瓶颈并讨论了解决方案。     

Phagotrophy by a flagellate selects for colonial prey: A possible origin of multicellularity

Predation was a powerful selective force promoting increased morphological complexity in a unicellular prey held in constant environmental conditions. The green alga, Chlorella vulgaris, is a well-studied eukaryote, which has retained its normal unicellular form in cultures in our laboratories for thousands of generations. For the experiments reported here, steady-state unicellular C. vulgaris continuous cultures were inoculated with the predator Ochromonas vallescia, a phagotrophic flagellated protist (‘flagellate’). Within less than 100 generations of the prey, a multicellular Chlorella growth form became dominant in the culture (subsequently repeated in other cultures). The prey Chlorella first formed globose clusters of tens to hundreds of cells. After about 10–20 generations in the presence of the phagotroph, eight-celled colonies predominated. These colonies retained the eight-celled form indefinitely in continuous culture and when plated onto agar. These self-replicating, stable colonies were virtually immune to predation by the flagellate, but small enough that each Chlorella cell was exposed directly to the nutrient medium. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Phagotrophy and NH4+ regeneration in a three-member microbial food loop

In a series of batch experiments we compared the efficiencyof nitrogen regeneration of a two- and three-member microbialfood loop consisting of a mixed bacterial assemblage, a small(3–5 µm) heterotrophic flagellate (Paraphysomonassp.), and a large (7–12 µm) heterotrophic flagellate(Paraphysomonas imperforata). In the two-member system the nitrogenregeneration efficiency for NH₄⁺ (R_n) was 41% and the grossgrowth efficiency (GGE) was 57% during active grazing by thesmall flagellate on bacteria. Regeneration of NH₄⁺ continuedduring the stationary phase so that R_n was 75% after 6 daysincubation. When the larger flagellate was introduced at theend of exponential growth of the smaller grazer in the three-membersystem, initially there was rapid regrowth of bacteria, tyingup 15% of the nitrogen originally in the bacteria. The largerflagellate grazed the smaller one with a GGE of 55%. Total nitrogenregeneration efficiency through exponential growth of the largerflagellate was 73%. Because microbial food loops in naturalwaters are far more complicated and with more grazing stepsthan portrayed in this study, we would expect the bulk of nutrientswithin these systems to be recycled with little transfer tohigher trophic levels.     

Meeting report: Symbiosis in Barcelona

The European Congress on Biotechnology brought together the top European and International scientists, biotechnologists, innovators and key biotech policy and decision makers in an unprecedented international meeting. The Congress was established in 1978 by and remains the main activity of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB). Taking place in Barcelona, September 16–19, 2007, the ECB 13 attracted over 1500 leading scientists and other senior participants, over 500 posters and more than a hundred exhibitors, from over 50 countries across Europe and beyond. From over a 150 presentations in 5 and more parallel sessions, only a small fraction can be highlighted in the scope of this short meeting report.     

Symbiosis and Organismal Boundaries

The functional boundaries of organisms may not be exclusiveor discrete. The genomes of organisms include not only stablegenes which replicate faithfully at each division but also transposableelements (jumping genes) and viruses which allow both dynamicvariability within a genome and interspecific genetic interactions.All organisms (with the exception of specially maintained laboratoryorganisms) are in association with other organisms. In closeheterospecific associations (symbioses) there are selectiveadvantages for mechanisms which enable organisms to coordinatetheir activities. In very close, efficient symbioses, mechanismsto share the genetic control of essential, mutually used structures,may have evolved via the activities of movable genetic elements(e.g., transposable elements). Interactions across species boundarieswill include examples on the genetic level, cellular level,and organismal level.     

PML-C与GINS2蛋白相互作用的胞内验证

目的 通过胞内实验验证PML-C与GINS2蛋白之间的相互作用.方法 将诱饵蛋白质粒pGBKT7-PML-C和文库蛋白质粒pACT2-GINS2共转化AH109酵母菌,通过一对一的酵母双杂交技术验证两者在活细胞内的相互作用;构建pCMV-HA-PML-C及pCMV-Myc-GINS2真核表达载体并共转染人胚肾293细胞,利用免疫共沉淀技术验证二者之间的相互作用.结果 pGBKT7-PML-C诱饵蛋白质粒和pACT2-GINS2靶蛋白质粒共转化AH109酵母菌后,可见蓝色阳性克隆生长;pCMV-HA-PML-C及pCMV-Myc-GINS2真核表达载体构建成功,共转染293细胞,抗HA多克隆抗体沉淀与HA-PML-C相互作用的蛋白复合物后,用抗Myc单克隆抗体进行Western印迹检测,可以检测到Myc-GINS2蛋白.结论 利用酵母双杂交和免疫共沉淀技术在胞内验证了PML-C与GINS2间存在相互作用.     

Molecular Adaptations Allow Dynein to Generate Large Collective Forces inside Cells

1. Download : Download high-res image (304KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

Highlights? Ensemble function of motors inside cells measured at single-motor resolution ? Teams of dynein motors can generate large persistent forces, but kinesins cannot ? Dyneins take differentially sized steps to bunch together and share load better ? Against high load, dynein teams catch bond to microtubules and resist detachment