Increased performance of Cirsium arvense from the invasive range

The Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability (EICA) hypothesis suggests that plants from the invasive range should perform better than plants of the same species from the native range. To properly test this, we need to compare growth of plants from the two ranges in a common environment. Ideally, all the natural enemies should be excluded, to make sure that the differences are not due to different response of plants from the two ranges to the natural enemies. We used the above design to examine the difference in growth and reproduction in Cirsium arvense plants from the invasive (North America) and native range (Europe). To account for possible differences within the ranges, we used plants from two regions, separated by at least 1000 km, in each range. Because the higher performance of species from the invasive range can be caused by their higher ability to acquire resources we compared growth of the plants in two different nutrient levels. The results indicate that plants from the invasive range are larger in most size parameters as well as parameters more closely related to fitness. For aboveground biomass, the response of plants from the invasive range to nutrient addition was weaker than that of plants from the native range and the difference between the ranges was stronger in the nutrient poor substrate. The results are in agreement with the EICA hypothesis and suggest that plants from the invasive range have higher ability to use resources and are thus able to perform well also in nutrient poor conditions.     

Large-scale bioreactor production of the herbicide-degrading Aminobacter sp. strain MSH1

The Aminobacter sp. strain MSH1 has potential for pesticide bioremediation because it degrades the herbicide metabolite 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM). Production of the BAM-degrading bacterium using aerobic bioreactor fermentation was investigated. A mineral salt medium limited for carbon and with an element composition similar to the strain was generated. The optimal pH and temperature for strain growth were determined using shaker flasks and verified in bioreactors. Glucose, fructose, and glycerol were suitable carbon sources for MSH1 (μ?=?0.1 h^?1); slower growth was observed on succinate and acetic acid (μ?=?0.01 h^?1). Standard conditions for growth of the MSH1 strain were defined at pH 7 and 25 °C, with glucose as the carbon source. In bioreactors (1 and 5 L), the specific growth rate of MSH1 increased from μ?=?0.1 h^?1 on traditional mineral salt medium to μ?=?0.18 h^?1 on the optimized mineral salt medium. The biomass yield under standard conditions was 0.47 g dry weight biomass/g glucose consumed. An investigation of the catabolic capacity of MSH1 cells harvested in exponential and stationary growth phases showed a degradation activity per cell of about 3?×?10^?9 μg BAM h^?1. Thus, fast, efficient, large-scale production of herbicide-degrading Aminobacter was possible, bringing the use of this bacterium in bioaugmentation field remediation closer to reality.     

The Tau/A152T mutation,a risk factor for frontotemporal‐spectrum disorders,leads to NR2B receptor‐mediated excitotoxicity

We report on a novel transgenic mouse model expressing human full‐length Tau with the Tau mutation A152T (hTau^AT), a risk factor for FTD‐spectrum disorders including PSP and CBD. Brain neurons reveal pathological Tau conformation, hyperphosphorylation, mis‐sorting, aggregation, neuronal degeneration, and progressive loss, most prominently in area CA3 of the hippocampus. The mossy fiber pathway shows enhanced basal synaptic transmission without changes in short‐ or long‐term plasticity. In organotypic hippocampal slices, extracellular glutamate increases early above control levels, followed by a rise in neurotoxicity. These changes are normalized by inhibiting neurotransmitter release or by blocking voltage‐gated sodium channels. CA3 neurons show elevated intracellular calcium during rest and after activity induction which is sensitive to NR2B antagonizing drugs, demonstrating a pivotal role of extrasynaptic NMDA receptors. Slices show pronounced epileptiform activity and axonal sprouting of mossy fibers. Excitotoxic neuronal death is ameliorated by ceftriaxone, which stimulates astrocytic glutamate uptake via the transporter EAAT2/GLT1. In summary, hTau^AT causes excitotoxicity mediated by NR2B‐containing NMDA receptors due to enhanced extracellular glutamate.     

TGF-β1 suppresses IL-6-induced STAT3 activation through regulation of Jak2 expression in prostate epithelial cells

Chronic inflammation plays an important role in the initiation and progression of various human diseases including benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer. Here we show that the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) has prosurvival effects and chronically activates the Jak2/STAT3 signalling pathway in a model of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH-1). We demonstrate that the antiinflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), which also permanently activates its canonical signalling pathway through SMAD proteins in BPH-1 cells, modifies the effects of IL-6 on cell proliferation. Importantly, TGF-β1 inhibits IL-6 signal transduction by decreasing the phosphorylation levels of STAT3. This effect is associated with decreased expression of Jak2 at both mRNA and protein levels. Moreover, we showed that TGF-β1 inhibits IL-6-induced expression of the cancer-associated gene MUC1. These observations demonstrated a novel interaction between TGF-β1 and IL-6 signalling and suggested another mechanism of how defects in TGF-β signalling, frequently associated with prostate pathologies, can contribute to the disruption of tissue homeostasis.     

The Importance of Species Traits for Species Distribution on Oceanic Islands

Understanding species'' ability to colonize new habitats is a key knowledge allowing us to predict species'' survival in the changing landscapes. However, most studies exploring this topic observe distribution of species in landscapes which are under strong human influence being fragmented only recently and ignore the fact that the species distribution in these landscapes is far from equilibrium. Oceanic islands seem more appropriate systems for studying the relationship between species traits and its distribution as they are fragmented without human contribution and as they remained unchanged for a long evolutionary time. In our study we compared the values of dispersal as well as persistence traits among 18 species pairs from the Canary Islands differing in their distribution within the archipelago. The data were analyzed both with and without phylogenetic correction. The results demonstrate that no dispersal trait alone can explain the distribution of the species in the system. They, however, also suggest that species with better dispersal compared to their close relatives are better colonizers. Similarly, abundance of species in the archipelago seems to be an important predictor of species colonization ability only when comparing closely related species. This implies that analyses including phylogenetic correction may provide different insights than analyses without such a correction and both types of analyses should be combined to understand the importance of various plant traits for species colonization ability.     

Distribution and antifungal susceptibility of yeasts isolates from intensive care unit patients

Yeasts frequently colonize non-sterile sites in the body. The aim of the study was to determine distribution in clinical samples and antifungal susceptibility to five antifungals. From January 2013 through June 2015, 800 isolates were obtained from intensive care unit patients. Candida albicans (58.9%), Candida glabrata (20.4%), Candida krusei (8.6%), and Candida parapsilosis (3.6%) were the leading species. Majority of the C. albicans isolates were susceptible to the fluconazole. Elevated voriconazole minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were observed in isolates exhibiting high fluconazole MICs, most frequently in C. glabrata. Isolates with echinocandins MICs suggesting reduced susceptibility were only sporadic cases with the exception of Trichosporon spp. The amphotericin B MICs were slightly higher for some C. krusei.     

Effect of lowered incubation temperatures on nucleic acid and protein synthesis by a mesophilic and a psychrophilic bacterium

The authors studied changes in the synthesis of nucleic acids (RNA, DNA) and protein by a mesophilic strain ofEscherichia coli B and a psychrophilic strain ofPseudomonas fluorescens at a low incubation temperature giving tenfold prolongation of the generation time. It was found that lowering the incubation temperature was followed by an increase in the intracellular nucleic acid content during the lag phase and the phase of accelerated growth, in which maximum nucleic acid (NA) values were reached. As a result, the total NA level in the cell also remained relatively high during further proliferation, when the increase in NA (particularly RNA) slows down at low incubation temperatures. Proteosynthesis, however, fell in the mesophilic culture. The smaller effect of a lowered temperature on DNA biosynthesis was manifested specifically in the lag phase ofEscherichia coli, in which disproportion developed between the amount of DNA (which was synthesized at a relatively higher rate) and RNA; this was afterwards equalized by a temporary break in DNA production. Pronounced differences in the given types of biosynthesis were found only in the mesophilic culture, while at suboptimal temperatures the metabolism of the psychrophilic strain slowed down but no marked changes occurred.