Afforestation for climate change mitigation: Potentials,risks and trade‐offs

Afforestation is considered a cost‐effective and readily available climate change mitigation option. In recent studies afforestation is presented as a major solution to limit climate change. However, estimates of afforestation potential vary widely. Moreover, the risks in global mitigation policy and the negative trade‐offs with food security are often not considered. Here we present a new approach to assess the economic potential of afforestation with the IMAGE 3.0 integrated assessment model framework. In addition, we discuss the role of afforestation in mitigation pathways and the effects of afforestation on the food system under increasingly ambitious climate targets. We show that afforestation has a mitigation potential of 4.9 GtCO₂/year at 200 US$/tCO₂ in 2050 leading to large‐scale application in an SSP2 scenario aiming for 2°C (410 GtCO₂ cumulative up to 2100). Afforestation reduces the overall costs of mitigation policy. However, it may lead to lower mitigation ambition and lock‐in situations in other sectors. Moreover, it bears risks to implementation and permanence as the negative emissions are increasingly located in regions with high investment risks and weak governance, for example in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Afforestation also requires large amounts of land (up to 1,100 Mha) leading to large reductions in agricultural land. The increased competition for land could lead to higher food prices and an increased population at risk of hunger. Our results confirm that afforestation has substantial potential for mitigation. At the same time, we highlight that major risks and trade‐offs are involved. Pathways aiming to limit climate change to 2°C or even 1.5°C need to minimize these risks and trade‐offs in order to achieve mitigation sustainably.     

Flexible docking of peptides to proteins using CABS‐dock

Molecular docking of peptides to proteins can be a useful tool in the exploration of the possible peptide binding sites and poses. CABS‐dock is a method for protein–peptide docking that features significant conformational flexibility of both the peptide and the protein molecules during the peptide search for a binding site. The CABS‐dock has been made available as a web server and a standalone package. The web server is an easy to use tool with a simple web interface. The standalone package is a command‐line program dedicated to professional users. It offers a number of advanced features, analysis tools and support for large‐sized systems. In this article, we outline the current status of the CABS‐dock method, its recent developments, applications, and challenges ahead.     

Crystal structure of Nsp15 endoribonuclease NendoU from SARS‐CoV‐2

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is rapidly spreading around the world. There is no existing vaccine or proven drug to prevent infections and stop virus proliferation. Although this virus is similar to human and animal SARS‐CoVs and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoVs), the detailed information about SARS‐CoV‐2 proteins structures and functions is urgently needed to rapidly develop effective vaccines, antibodies, and antivirals. We applied high‐throughput protein production and structure determination pipeline at the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases to produce SARS‐CoV‐2 proteins and structures. Here we report two high‐resolution crystal structures of endoribonuclease Nsp15/NendoU. We compare these structures with previously reported homologs from SARS and MERS coronaviruses.     

Effects of thermal and oxygen conditions during development on cell size in the common rough woodlice Porcellio scaber

During development, cells may adjust their size to balance between the tissue metabolic demand and the oxygen and resource supply: Small cells may effectively absorb oxygen and nutrients, but the relatively large area of the plasma membrane requires costly maintenance. Consequently, warm and hypoxic environments should favor ectotherms with small cells to meet increased metabolic demand by oxygen supply. To test these predictions, we compared cell size (hindgut epithelium, hepatopancreas B cells, ommatidia) in common rough woodlice (Porcellio scaber) that were developed under four developmental conditions designated by two temperatures (15 or 22°C) and two air O₂ concentrations (10% or 22%). To test whether small‐cell woodlice cope better under increased metabolic demand, the CO₂ production of each woodlouse was measured under cold, normoxic conditions and under warm, hypoxic conditions, and the magnitude of metabolic increase (MMI) was calculated. Cell sizes were highly intercorrelated, indicative of organism‐wide mechanisms of cell cycle control. Cell size differences among woodlice were largely linked with body size changes (larger cells in larger woodlice) and to a lesser degree with oxygen conditions (development of smaller cells under hypoxia), but not with temperature. Developmental conditions did not affect MMI, and contrary to predictions, large woodlice with large cells showed higher MMI than small woodlice with small cells. We also observed complex patterns of sexual difference in the size of hepatopancreatic cells and the size and number of ommatidia, which are indicative of sex differences in reproductive biology. We conclude that existing theories about the adaptiveness of cell size do not satisfactorily explain the patterns in cell size and metabolic performance observed here in P. scaber. Thus, future studies addressing physiological effects of cell size variance should simultaneously consider different organismal elements that can be involved in sustaining the metabolic demands of tissue, such as the characteristics of gas‐exchange organs and O₂‐binding proteins.     

Molecular Architecture of Plant Thylakoids under Physiological and Light Stress Conditions: A Study of Lipid–Light-Harvesting Complex II Model Membranes

In this study, we analyzed multibilayer lipid-protein membranes composed of the photosynthetic light-harvesting complex II (LHCII; isolated from spinach [Spinacia oleracea]) and the plant lipids monogalcatosyldiacylglycerol and digalactosyldiacylglycerol. Two types of pigment-protein complexes were analyzed: those isolated from dark-adapted leaves (LHCII) and those from leaves preilluminated with high-intensity light (LHCII-HL). The LHCII-HL complexes were found to be partially phosphorylated and contained zeaxanthin. The results of the x-ray diffraction, infrared imaging microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy revealed that lipid-LHCII membranes assemble into planar multibilayers, in contrast with the lipid-LHCII-HL membranes, which form less ordered structures. In both systems, the protein formed supramolecular structures. In the case of LHCII-HL, these structures spanned the multibilayer membranes and were perpendicular to the membrane plane, whereas in LHCII, the structures were lamellar and within the plane of the membranes. Lamellar aggregates of LHCII-HL have been shown, by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, to be particularly active in excitation energy quenching. Both types of structures were stabilized by intermolecular hydrogen bonds. We conclude that the formation of trans-layer, rivet-like structures of LHCII is an important determinant underlying the spontaneous formation and stabilization of the thylakoid grana structures, since the lamellar aggregates are well suited to dissipate excess energy upon overexcitation.     

1-Methyl-3-nitropyridine: An Efficient Oxidant of NADH in Non-enzymatic and Enzyme-mediated Processes

It is shown that NADH can be effectively oxidized by 1-methyl-3-nitropyridine in non-enzymatic and enzyme-mediated processes. Mechanistic issues of these reactions are discussed. These processes seem to contribute to the observed cytotoxicity of 1-methyl-3-nitropyridine. A key role of 1-methyl-3-nitropyridinyl radical formed in the enzyme-mediated processes is emphasized.     

Damped sinusoidal function to model acute irradiation in radiotherapy patients

In the paper, we suggest a damped sinusoidal function be used to model a regenerative response of mucosa in time after the radiotherapy treatment. The medical history of 389 RT patients irradiated within the years 1994–2000 at the Radiotherapy Department, Cancer Center, Maria Sk?odowska-Curie Memorial Institute of Oncology, Gliwice, Poland, was taken into account. In the analyzed group of patients, the number of observations of a single patient ranged from 2 to 25 (mean = 8.3, median = 8) with severity determined by use of Dische's scores from 0 to 24 (mean = 7.4, median = 7). Statistical modeling of radiation-induced mucositis was performed for five groups of patients irradiated within the following radiotherapy schedules: CAIR, CB, Manchester, CHA–CHA, and Conventional. All of the regression parameters of the assumed model, i.e. amplitude, damping coefficient, angular frequency, phase of component, and offset, estimated in the analysis were statistically significant (p-value < 0.05) for the radiotherapy schedules. The model was validated using a non-oscillatory function. Following goodness-of-fit statistics, the damped sinusoidal function fits the data better than the non-oscillatory damped function. Model curves for harmonic characteristics with confidence intervals were plotted separately for each of the RT schedules and together in a combined design. The suggested model might be helpful in the numeric evaluation of the RT toxicity in the groups of patients under analysis as it allows for practical comparisons and treatment optimization. A statistical approach is also briefly described in the paper.     

Postsynthetic Transformations of Oligodeoxynucleotides Originated at 6-Methylthio-purine Site

Abstract

New route to oligodeoxynucleotides labeled with fluorescent luminarine was explored. Regioselective oxidation of 6-methylthio-purines to 6-methylsulphoxides reactive toward pyridine was achieved. Upon UV irradiation of 6-pyridinium-purines oligonucleotide cleavage instead of phototransformation to luminarine was observed.