Rolling adhesion kinematics of yeast engineered to express selectins

Selectins are cell adhesion molecules that mediate capture of leukocytes on vascular endothelium as an essential component of the inflammatory response. Here we describe a method for yeast surface display of selectins, together with a functional assay that measures rolling adhesion of selectin-expressing yeast on a ligand-coated surface. E-selectin-expressing yeast roll specifically on surfaces bearing sialyl-Lewis-x ligands. Observation of yeast rolling dynamics at various stages of their life cycle indicates that the kinematics of yeast motion depends on the ratio of the bud radius to the parent radius (B/P). Large-budded yeast "walk" across the surface, alternately pivoting about bud and parent. Small-budded yeast "wobble" across the surface, with bud pivoting about parent. Tracking the bud location of budding yeast allows measurement of the angular velocity of the yeast particle. Comparison of translational and angular velocities of budding yeast demonstrates that selectin-expressing cells are rolling rather than slipping across ligand-coated surfaces.     

Tillering in grain sorghum over a wide range of population densities: identification of a common hierarchy for tiller emergence,leaf area development and fertility

Most studies of tiller development have not related the physiological and morphological features of each culm to its subsequent fertility. This introduces problems when trying to account for the effects of tillering on yield in crop models. The objective of this study was to detect the most likely early determinants of tiller fertility in sorghum by identifying hierarchies for emergence, fertility and grain number of tillers over a wide range of assimilate availabilities. Emergence, phenology, leaf area development and dry weight partitioning were quantified weekly for individual tillers and main culms of tillering and uniculm plants grown at one of four densities, from two to 16 plants m(-2). For a given plant in any given density, the same tiller hierarchy applied for emergence of tillers, fertility of the emerged tillers and their subsequent grain number. These results were observed over a range of tiller fertility rates (from 7 to 91%), fertile tiller number per plant at maturity (from 0.2 to 4.7), and tiller contribution to grain yield (from 5 to 78 %). Tiller emergence was most probably related to assimilate supply and light quality. Development, fertility and contribution to yield of a specific tiller were highly dependent on growing conditions at the time of tiller emergence, particularly via early leaf area development of the tiller, which affected its subsequent leaf area accumulation. Assimilate availability in the main culm at the time of tiller emergence was the most likely early determinant of subsequent tiller fertility in this study.     

The domestication of artichoke and cardoon: from Roman times to the genomic age

BACKGROUND: The history of domestication of artichoke and leafy cardoon is not yet fully understood and when and where it occurred remains unknown. Evidence supports the hypothesis that wild cardoon is the wild progenitor of both these crops. Selection for large, non-spiny heads resulted in artichoke and selection for non-spiny, large stalked tender leaves resulted in leafy cardoon. The two crops differ in their reproductive system: artichoke is mostly vegetatively propagated and perennial, while leafy cardoon is seed propagated and mostly grown as an annual plant. Here, new trends in artichoke cultivation are analysed, while the consequences of these tendencies on the conservation of artichoke genetic resources are highlighted. SCOPE: The historical and artistic records, together with recent literature on genetics and biosystematics, are examined with the aim of achieving a better understanding of the present-day knowledge on the domestication of these two crops. CONCLUSIONS: Historical, linguistic and artistic records are consistent with genetic and biosystematic data and indicate that the domestication of artichoke and cardoon diverged at different times and in different places. Apparently, artichoke was domesticated in Roman times, possibly in Sicily, and spread by the Arabs during early Middle Ages. The cardoon was probably domesticated in the western Mediterranean in a later period.     

Organelle motility: running on unleadened

The study of fish and amphibian melanocytes has yielded a wealth of information on the regulation of microtubule- and actin-based motor proteins involved in organelle transport. A new zebrafish mutant provides further insight into how the actions of these motors are coordinated in vivo.     

Using a Label Free Quantitative Proteomics Approach to Identify Changes in Protein Abundance in Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Reports in recent years indicate that the increasing emergence of resistance to drugs be using to TB treatment. The resistance to them severely affects to options for effective treatment. The emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis has increased interest in understanding the mechanism of drug resistance in M. tuberculosis and the development of new therapeutics, diagnostics and vaccines. In this study, a label-free quantitative proteomics approach has been used to analyze proteome of multidrug-resistant and susceptible clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis and identify differences in protein abundance between the two groups. With this approach, we were able to identify a total of 1,583 proteins. The majority of identified proteins have predicted roles in lipid metabolism, intermediary metabolism, cell wall and cell processes. Comparative analysis revealed that 68 proteins identified by at least two peptides showed significant differences of at least twofolds in relative abundance between two groups. In all protein differences, the increase of some considering proteins such as NADH dehydrogenase, probable aldehyde dehydrogenase, cyclopropane mycolic acid synthase 3, probable arabinosyltransferase A, putative lipoprotein, uncharacterized oxidoreductase and six membrane proteins in resistant isolates might be involved in the drug resistance and to be potential diagnostic protein targets. The decrease in abundance of proteins related to secretion system and immunogenicity (ESAT-6-like proteins, ESX-1 secretion system associated proteins, O-antigen export system and MPT63) in the multidrug-resistant strains can be a defensive mechanism undertaken by the resistant cell.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12088-015-0511-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Improvement of fish length estimates for underwater visual census of reef fish biomass

Accuracy and precision are of great importance in the assessment of reef fish biomass when conducting an underwater visual census (UVC). Quantification and subsequent correction of the bias is required in order to standardize the estimates and correct for underwater distortion. To optimize the UVC, the observer should receive length‐measurement training in order to obtain in situ‐measurements that are as accurate and precise as possible. The objective of this study was to quantify the bias of fish length measurements made by divers with and without training in order to enhance reef fish biomass estimates. Adaptation of the diver to estimate fish lengths was analysed as a part of reef fish biomass monitoring in the Karimunjawa National Park, a national marine sanctuary in the Java Sea, Indonesia. Two divers practiced estimating a variety of fish in a natural environment by using styrofoam models attached to strings and sinkers. Analyses showed that by training the diver, his/her accuracy and precision improved substantially. Proving its reliability, an underwater visual census (UVC) becomes a useful and reliable method to assess the biomass of reef fishes.     

Identification,Characterization, and Structure Analysis of the Cyclic di-AMP-binding PII-like Signal Transduction Protein DarA

The cyclic dimeric AMP nucleotide c-di-AMP is an essential second messenger in Bacillus subtilis. We have identified the protein DarA as one of the prominent c-di-AMP receptors in B. subtilis. Crystal structure analysis shows that DarA is highly homologous to P_II signal transducer proteins. In contrast to P_II proteins, the functionally important B- and T-loops are swapped with respect to their size. DarA is a homotrimer that binds three molecules of c-di-AMP, each in a pocket located between two subunits. We demonstrate that DarA is capable to bind c-di-AMP and with lower affinity cyclic GMP-AMP (3′3′-cGAMP) but not c-di-GMP or 2′3′-cGAMP. Consistently the crystal structure shows that within the ligand-binding pocket only one adenine is highly specifically recognized, whereas the pocket for the other adenine appears to be promiscuous. Comparison with a homologous ligand-free DarA structure reveals that c-di-AMP binding is accompanied by conformational changes of both the fold and the position of the B-loop in DarA.     

The shifting influence of drought and heat stress for crops in northeast Australia

Characterization of drought environment types (ETs) has proven useful for breeding crops for drought‐prone regions. Here, we consider how changes in climate and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations will affect drought ET frequencies in sorghum and wheat systems of northeast Australia. We also modify APSIM (the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator) to incorporate extreme heat effects on grain number and weight, and then evaluate changes in the occurrence of heat‐induced yield losses of more than 10%, as well as the co‐occurrence of drought and heat. More than six million simulations spanning representative locations, soil types, management systems, and 33 climate projections led to three key findings. First, the projected frequency of drought decreased slightly for most climate projections for both sorghum and wheat, but for different reasons. In sorghum, warming exacerbated drought stresses by raising the atmospheric vapor pressure deficit and reducing transpiration efficiency (TE), but an increase in TE due to elevated CO₂ more than offset these effects. In wheat, warming reduced drought stress during spring by hastening development through winter and reducing exposure to terminal drought. Elevated CO₂ increased TE but also raised radiation‐use efficiency and overall growth rates and water use, thereby offsetting much of the drought reduction from warming. Second, adding explicit effects of heat on grain number and grain size often switched projected yield impacts from positive to negative. Finally, although average yield losses associated with drought will remain generally higher than that for heat stress for the next half century, the relative importance of heat is steadily growing. This trend, as well as the likely high degree of genetic variability in heat tolerance, suggests that more emphasis on heat tolerance is warranted in breeding programs. At the same time, work on drought tolerance should continue with an emphasis on drought that co‐occurs with extreme heat.     

Sheep prefer clean forage over forage contaminated with military explosives TNT, RDX and HMX

The common military explosives 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNT), 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocane (HMX) are distributed in many military training areas, and are thus encountered by grazing animals. The aim of this study was to examine small ruminant's intake of forage contaminated with explosives. An indoor, experimental setup was used to determine if contamination of forage by these compounds affected intake by sheep. The results clearly demonstrate that contamination by any of the three explosives reduced forage intake in sheep; in order of increasing avoidance: RDX < TNT < HMX. The results are discussed in a risk assessment context.