Direct Observation of Surface Plasmon Polariton Propagation and Interference by Time-Resolved Imaging in Normal-Incidence Two Photon Photoemission Microscopy

Plasmonics - Time-resolved imaging of the propagation and interference of isolated ultrashort surface plasmon polariton wave packets is demonstrated using two photon photoemission microscopy. The...     

Respiratory Phenomics across Multiple Models of Protein Hyperacylation in Cardiac Mitochondria Reveals a Marginal Impact on Bioenergetics

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Expression in yeast of a cDNA copy of the K2 killer toxin gene

Summary A cDNA copy of the M2 dsRNA encoding the K2 killer toxin ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae was expressed in yeast using the yeastADH1 promoter. This construct produced K2-specific killing and immunity functions. Efficient K2-specific killing was dependent on the action of the KEX2 endopeptidase and the KEX1 carboxypeptidase, while K2-specific immunity was independent of these proteases. Comparison of the K2 toxin sequence with that of the K1 toxin sequence shows that although they share a common processing pathway and are both encoded by cytoplasmic dsRNAs of similar basic structure, the two toxins are very different at the primary sequence level. Site-specific mutagenesis of the cDNA gene establishes that one of the two potential KEX2 cleavage sites is critical for toxin action but not for immunity. Immunity was reduced by an insertion of two amino acids in the hydrophobic amino-terminal region which left toxin activity intact, indicating an independence of toxin action and immunity.     

Modeling multi-sensory feedback control of zebrafish in a flow

Understanding how animals navigate complex environments is a fundamental challenge in biology and a source of inspiration for the design of autonomous systems in engineering. Animal orientation and navigation is a complex process that integrates multiple senses, whose function and contribution are yet to be fully clarified. Here, we propose a data-driven mathematical model of adult zebrafish engaging in counter-flow swimming, an innate behavior known as rheotaxis. Zebrafish locomotion in a two-dimensional fluid flow is described within the finite-dipole model, which consists of a pair of vortices separated by a constant distance. The strength of these vortices is adjusted in real time by the fish to afford orientation and navigation control, in response to of the multi-sensory input from vision, lateral line, and touch. Model parameters for the resulting stochastic differential equations are calibrated through a series of experiments, in which zebrafish swam in a water channel under different illumination conditions. The accuracy of the model is validated through the study of a series of measures of rheotactic behavior, contrasting results of real and in-silico experiments. Our results point at a critical role of hydromechanical feedback during rheotaxis, in the form of a gradient-following strategy.     

Genetic targeting of Card19 is linked to disrupted NINJ1 expression,impaired cell lysis,and increased susceptibility to Yersinia infection

Cell death plays a critical role in inflammatory responses. During pyroptosis, inflammatory caspases cleave Gasdermin D (GSDMD) to release an N-terminal fragment that generates plasma membrane pores that mediate cell lysis and IL-1 cytokine release. Terminal cell lysis and IL-1β release following caspase activation can be uncoupled in certain cell types or in response to particular stimuli, a state termed hyperactivation. However, the factors and mechanisms that regulate terminal cell lysis downstream of GSDMD cleavage remain poorly understood. In the course of studies to define regulation of pyroptosis during Yersinia infection, we identified a line of Card19-deficient mice (Card19^lxcn) whose macrophages were protected from cell lysis and showed reduced apoptosis and pyroptosis, yet had wild-type levels of caspase activation, IL-1 secretion, and GSDMD cleavage. Unexpectedly, CARD19, a mitochondrial CARD-containing protein, was not directly responsible for this, as an independently-generated CRISPR/Cas9 Card19 knockout mouse line (Card19^Null) showed no defect in macrophage cell lysis. Notably, Card19 is located on chromosome 13, immediately adjacent to Ninj1, which was recently found to regulate cell lysis downstream of GSDMD activation. RNA-seq and western blotting revealed that Card19^lxcn BMDMs have significantly reduced NINJ1 expression, and reconstitution of Ninj1 in Card19^lxcn immortalized BMDMs restored their ability to undergo cell lysis in response to caspase-dependent cell death stimuli. Card19^lxcn mice exhibited increased susceptibility to Yersinia infection, whereas independently-generated Card19^Null mice did not, demonstrating that cell lysis itself plays a key role in protection against bacterial infection, and that the increased infection susceptibility of Card19^lxcn mice is attributable to loss of NINJ1. Our findings identify genetic targeting of Card19 being responsible for off-target effects on the adjacent gene Ninj1, disrupting the ability of macrophages to undergo plasma membrane rupture downstream of gasdermin cleavage and impacting host survival and bacterial control during Yersinia infection.     

Molecular characterisation of acanthocephalans from Australian marine teleosts: proposal of a new family,synonymy of another and transfer of taxa between orders

We provide molecular data (cox1, 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA) for 17 acanthocephalan species and 20 host-parasite combinations from Australian marine teleosts collected from off Queensland, Australia. Fourteen of these acanthocephalans are characterised with molecular data for the first time and we provide the first molecular data for a species of each of the genera Heterosentis Van Cleave, 1931, Pyriproboscis Amin, Abdullah & Mhaisen, 2003 and Sclerocollum Schmidt & Paperna, 1978. Using 18S and 28S rDNA sequences, the phylogenetic position of each newly sequenced species is assessed with both single-gene and concatenated 18S+28S maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses. Additional phylogenetic analyses focusing on the genus Rhadinorhynchus Lühe, 1912 and related lineages are included. Our phylogenetic results are broadly consistent with previous analyses, recovering previously identified inconsistencies but also providing new insights and necessitating taxonomic action. We do not find sufficient evidence to recognise the Gymnorhadinorhynchidae Braicovich, Lanfranchi, Farber, Marvaldi, Luque & Timi, 2014 as distinct from the Rhadinorhynchidae Lühe, 1912. The family Gymnorhadinorhynchidae and its sole genus, Gymnorhadinorhynchus Braicovich, Lanfranchi, Farber, Marvaldi, Luque & Timi, 2014, are here recognised as junior synonyms of Rhadinorhynchidae and Rhadinorhynchus, respectively. The two species currently assigned to Gymnorhadinorhynchus are recombined as Rhadinorhynchus decapteri (Braicovich, Lanfranchi, Farber, Marvaldi, Luque & Timi, 2014) n. comb. and Rhadinorhynchus mariserpentis (Steinauer, Garcia-Vedrenne, Weinstein & Kuris, 2019) n. comb. In all of our analyses, Rhadinorhynchus biformis Smales, 2014 is found basal to the Rhadinorhynchidae + Transvenidae Pichelin & Cribb, 2001, thus resulting in a paraphyletic Rhadinorhynchidae. It appears that R. biformis may require a new genus and family; however, morphological data for this species are currently insufficient to adequately distinguish it from related lineages, thus we defer the proposal of any new higher-rank names for this species. Species of the genus Sclerocollum, currently assigned to the Cavisomidae Meyer, 1932, are found nested within the family Transvenidae. We transfer the genus Sclerocollum to the Transvenidae and amend the diagnosis of the family accordingly. The genera Gorgorhynchoides Cable & Linderoth, 1963 and Serrasentis Van Cleave, 1923, currently assigned to the Rhadinorhynchidae, are supported as sister taxa and form a clade in the Polymorphida. We transfer these genera and Golvanorhynchus Noronha, Fabio & Pinto, 1978 to an emended concept of the Isthomosacanthidae Smales, 2012 and transfer this family to the Polymorphida. Lastly, Pyriproboscis heronensis (Pichelin, 1997) Amin, Abdullah & Mhaisen, 2003, currently assigned to the Pomphorhynchidae Yamaguti, 1939, falls under the Polymorphida in our analyses with some support for a sister relationship with the Centrorhynchidae Van Cleave, 1916. As this species clearly does not belong in the Pomphorhynchidae and is morphologically and molecularly distinct from the lineages of the Polymorphida, we propose the Pyriprobosicidae n. fam. to accommodate it.

     

When and where plant‐soil feedback may promote plant coexistence: a meta‐analysis

Plant‐soil feedback (PSF) theory provides a powerful framework for understanding plant dynamics by integrating growth assays into predictions of whether soil communities stabilise plant–plant interactions. However, we lack a comprehensive view of the likelihood of feedback‐driven coexistence, partly because of a failure to analyse pairwise PSF, the metric directly linked to plant species coexistence. Here, we determine the relative importance of plant evolutionary history, traits, and environmental factors for coexistence through PSF using a meta‐analysis of 1038 pairwise PSF measures. Consistent with eco‐evolutionary predictions, feedback is more likely to mediate coexistence for pairs of plant species (1) associating with similar guilds of mycorrhizal fungi, (2) of increasing phylogenetic distance, and (3) interacting with native microbes. We also found evidence for a primary role of pathogens in feedback‐mediated coexistence. By combining results over several independent studies, our results confirm that PSF may play a key role in plant species coexistence, species invasion, and the phylogenetic diversification of plant communities.