CANNABINOID ENANTIOMER ACTION ON THE CYTOARCHITECTURE

The negative and positive enantiomers of 7-hydroxy- Δ⁶-tetrahydrocannabinol-dimethylheptyl (designated HU-210 and HU-211 respectively) differentially affect undifferentiated and differentiating cultured pheochromocytoma cells (PC-12 cells). In general, cell viability and cell proliferation were suppressed to a much greater extent with HU-210 than with HU-211 in differentiating cells. The effects of these synthetic cannabinoids on the cytoskeleton of PC-12 cells were examined by epifluorescence and confocal microscopy. In both undifferentiated and differentiating PC-12 cells, HU-211 has little effect on the cytoarchitecture whereas HU-210 disrupts the distribution of microtubules and microfilaments. Vacuoles (2–4 μm) were evident in the cytoplasm of HU-210-treated cells but not in the cytoplasm of HU-211-treated cells or in vehicle controls. Tubulin and actin mRNA levels were reduced to 5 and 40 %, respectively (relative to untreated controls) in 10 μmHU-210-treated cells whereas the same concentration of HU-211 reduced tubulin and actin mRNA levels to 90 and 95 %, respectively. A comparison of the effects of the paired enantiomers and Δ¹-THC on the cellular parameters studied reveals that in differentiating cells the action of Δ¹-THC is intermediate between that of HU-210 and HU-211. This study demonstrates that compared to HU-210 and Δ¹-THC the positive enantiomer HU-211 has little cellular activity.     

Subtle direct effects of rising atmospheric CO2 on insect eggs

Ocean acidification is an important consequence of rising levels of atmospheric CO₂. The chemistry of acidification is, however, general and may disturb pH in terrestrial systems. The present study examines the effects of rising CO₂ on insect eggs, which may be vulnerable to acidification because they are small, have (at least initially) poorly developed physiological systems, and support important developmental events. Newly‐laid eggs of the moth Manduca sexta are exposed to levels of CO₂ between 0 and 2200 p.p.m., in air, and effects on yolk pH, total developmental time, and survival are measured. Altered CO₂ has no effect, over several hours, on the pH of egg yolk, suggesting that yolk fluids are well buffered. By contrast, there is a large developmental change in yolk pH. Eggs exposed to eight different levels of CO₂ for the duration of development show a small but significant parabolic response in development time. Eggs develop fastest at intermediate levels of CO₂, between 400 and 1200 p.p.m., and slower at 0, 1600 and 2000 p.p.m. These results suggest that future rises in CO₂ may not have strong direct effects on insect development.     

Short-term variation in the isotopic composition of organic matter allocated from the leaves to the stem of Pinus sylvestris: effects of photosynthetic and postphotosynthetic carbon isotope fractionation

We aimed to quantify the separate effects of photosynthetic and postphotosynthetic carbon isotope discrimination on δ¹³C of the fast‐turn‐over carbon pool (water soluble organic carbon and CO₂ emitted from heterotrophic tissues), including their diel variation, along the pathway of carbon transport from the foliage to the base of the stem. For that purpose, we determined δ¹³C in total and water‐soluble organic matter of the foliage plus δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O in phloem organic matter of twigs and at three heights along the stem of Pinus sylvestris over a nine‐day period, including four measurements per day. These data were related to meteorological and photosynthesis parameters and to the δ¹³C of stem‐emitted CO₂. In the canopy (foliage and twigs), the δ¹³C of soluble organic matter varied diurnally with amplitudes of up to 1.9‰. The greatest ¹³C enrichment was recorded during the night/early morning, indicating a strong influence of starch storage and remobilization on the carbon isotope signatures of sugars exported from the leaves. ¹³C enrichment of soluble organic matter from the leaves to the twig phloem and further on to the phloem of the stem was supposed to be a result of carbon isotope fractionation associated with metabolic processes in the source and sink tissues. CO₂ emitted from the stem was enriched by 2.3–5.2‰ compared with phloem organic matter. When day‐to‐day variation was addressed, water‐soluble leaf δ¹³C and twig phloem δ¹⁸O were strongly influenced by c_i/c_a and stomatal conductance (G_s), respectively. These results show that both photosynthetic and postphotosynthetic carbon isotope fractionation influence δ¹³C of organic matter over time, and over the length of the basipetal transport pathway. Clearly, these influences on the δ¹³C of respired CO₂ must be considered when using the latter for partitioning of ecosystem CO₂ fluxes or when the assessment of δ¹³C in organic matter is applied to estimate environmental effects in c_i/c_a.     

Carbon dynamics during flood events in a lowland river: the importance of anabranches

1. Our objective was to measure the influence of hydrological connection with anabranch channels on the availability of major carbon sources in a lowland, anabranching floodplain river landscape. 2. Results show that anabranch channels are sinks for large quantities of sediment‐associated carbon, facilitated by high rates of sediment deposition, and are sources for dissolved organic carbon (DOC), partly via inundation‐stimulated release from surface sediments and leaf litter. This dual role influences ecological pattern and process at multiple spatial and temporal scales, including within‐flow pulse phase differences in carbon availability and anticlockwise hysteresis in the DOC–discharge relationship. 3. Hydrological connection with anabranch channels in riverine landscapes appears to increase the retention, concentration and diversity of carbon sources over both space and time, changing the timing of carbon transport downstream and shortening the carbon spiral at a landscape scale. 4. In contrast to floodplains, anabranches exchange carbon sources with the river ecosystem during flow pulses below bankfull. They are relatively easy to target for management because they have definable commence‐to‐flow levels and require relatively small amounts of water for connection. However, the type and amount of carbon exchanged between the anabranches and the river channel will vary depending on the frequency, magnitude and duration of flow pulses. 5. Managed, periodic connection of anabranch channels via environmental flows should be considered as an option between large flood events.