Elicitation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces coelicolor</Emphasis> with dead cells of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus subtilis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Staphylococcus aureus</Emphasis> in a bioreactor increases production of undecylprodigiosin

Since microorganisms normally co-exist with other species in nature, they have developed complex metabolic and physiological responses as a result of such interspecies interactions. We utilized some of these interactions by introducing heat-killed cells of Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus to Streptomyces coelicolor cultures and, as a result, stimulated undecylprodigiosin production. Undecylprodigiosin is not only an antibiotic; it has also been attributed with antitumor activities, but, in a defined medium, pure cultures of S. coelicolor produced only low concentrations. Elicitation with B. subtilis increased the maximum undecylprodigiosin concentration by threefold and S. aureus by fivefold compared with the pure culture of S. coelicolor. Growth and glucose consumption of elicited S. coelicolor, however, remained similar to those observed in the pure culture. Furthermore, another positive outcome of the elicitation with both B. subtilis and S. aureus was the earlier onset of undecylprodigiosin production by 24 h compared with the pure culture of S. coelicolor. This is the first time that such a phenomenon has been seen in 2L bioreactors. Our work supports the use of biotic elicitation in order to enhance the production of secondary metabolites for industrial-scale applications.     

Heterologous expression of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ammopiptanthus mongolicus</Emphasis> late embryogenesis abundant protein gene (<Emphasis Type="Italic">AmLEA</Emphasis>) enhances <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> viability under cold and heat stress

A late embryogenesis abundant protein gene, AmLEA from Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, was introduced into Escherichia coli using the IMPACT™-TWIN system to analyze the possible function of AmLEA under heat and cold stresses. A fusion protein about 38 kD was expressed in E.coli cells harboring pTWIN-LEA after the induction of IPTG by SDS–PAGE analysis and the accumulation of the fusion protein peaked 3 h after IPTG addition when cultured at 37°C. Compared with control cells, the E. coli cells expressing AmLEA fusion protein showed improved chilling and heat resistence, illuminating the protein may play a protective role in cells under stress conditions. These results suggested the natively unstructured protein, similar to other members of LEA proteins, has high capacity for binding water and potential protective function against dehydration or action similar to the cold shock chaperones.     

Effects of Partial Replacement of Corn with Glycerin on Ruminal Fermentation in a Dual-Flow Continuous Culture System

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of partially replacing dry ground corn with glycerin on ruminal fermentation using a dual-flow continuous culture system. Six fermenters (1,223 ± 21 ml) were used in a replicated 3x3 Latin square arrangement with three periods of 10 d each, with 7 d for diet adaptation and 3 d for sample collections. All diets contained 75% concentrate and three dietary glycerin levels (0, 15, and 30% on dry matter basis), totaling six replicates per treatment. Fermenters were fed 72 g of dry matter/d equally divided in two meals/d, at 0800 and 2000 h. Solid and liquid dilution rates were adjusted daily to 5.5 and 11%/h, respectively. On d 8, 9, and 10, samples of 500 ml of solid and liquid digesta effluent were mixed, homogenized, and stored at -20°C. Subsamples of 10 ml were collected and preserved with 0.2 mL of a 50% H₂SO₄ solution for later determination of NH₃-N and volatile fatty acids. Microbial biomass was isolated from fermenters for chemical analysis at the end of each experimental period. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS with α = 0.05. Glycerin levels did not affect apparent digestibility of DM (P _Lin. = 0.13; P _Quad. = 0.40), OM (P _Lin. = 0.72; P _Quad. = 0.15), NDF (P _Lin. = 0.38; P _Quad. = 0.50) and ADF (P _Lin. = 0.91; P _Quad. = 0.18). Also, glycerin inclusion did not affect true digestibility of DM (P _Lin. = 0.35; P _Quad. = 0.48), and OM (P _Lin. = 0.08; P _Quad. = 0.19). Concentrations of propionate (P < 0.01) and total volatile fatty acids (P < 0.01) increased linearly and concentrations of acetate (P < 0.01), butyrate (P = 0.01), iso-valerate (P < 0.01), and total branched-chain volatile fatty acids, as well as the acetate: propionate ratio (P < 0.01) decreased with glycerin inclusion. Linear increases on NH₃-N concentration in digesta effluent (P < 0.01) and on NH₃-N flow (P < 0.01) were observed due to glycerin inclusion in the diets. Crude protein digestibility (P = 0.04) and microbial N flow (P = 0.04) were greater in the control treatment compared with the other treatments and responded quadratically with glycerin inclusion. Furthermore, the inclusion of glycerin linearly decreased (P = 0.02) non-ammonia N flow. Glycerin levels did not affect the flows of total N (P _Lin. = 0.79; P _Quad. = 0.35), and dietary N (P _Lin. = 0.99; P _Quad. = 0.07), as well as microbial efficiency (P _Lin. = 0.09; P _Quad. = 0.07). These results suggest that partially replacing dry ground corn with glycerin may change ruminal fermentation, by increasing total volatile fatty acids, and propionate concentration without affecting microbial efficiency, which may improve glucogenic potential of beef cattle diets.     

Distinguishing Family from Friends

Kinship and friendship are key human relationships. Increasingly, data suggest that people are not less altruistic toward friends than close kin. Some accounts suggest that psychologically we do not distinguish between them; countering this is evidence that kinship provides a unique explanatory factor. Using the Implicit Association Test, we examined how people implicitly think about close friends versus close kin in three contexts. In Experiment 1, we examined generic attitudinal dispositions toward friends and family. In Experiment 2, attitude similarity as a marker of family and friends was examined, and in Experiments 3 and 4, strength of in-group membership for family and friends was examined. Findings show that differences exist in implicit cognitive associations toward family and friends. There is some evidence that people hold more positive general dispositions toward friends, associate attitude similarity more with friends, consider family as more representative of the in-group than friends, but see friends as more in-group than distant kin.     

The Light Chain 1 Subunit of the Microtubule-Associated Protein 1B (MAP1B) Is Responsible for Tiam1 Binding and Rac1 Activation in Neuronal Cells

Microtubule-associated protein 1B (MAP1B) is a neuronal protein involved in the stabilization of microtubules both in the axon and somatodendritic compartments. Acute, genetic inactivation of MAP1B leads to delayed axonal outgrowth, most likely due to changes in the post-translational modification of tubulin subunits, which enhances microtubule polymerization. Furthermore, MAP1B deficiency is accompanied by abnormal actin microfilament polymerization and dramatic changes in the activity of small GTPases controlling the actin cytoskeleton. In this work, we showed that MAP1B interacts with a guanine exchange factor, termed Tiam1, which specifically activates Rac1. These proteins co-segregated in neurons, and interact in both heterologous expression systems and primary neurons. We dissected the molecular domains involved in the MAP1B-Tiam1 interaction, and demonstrated that pleckstrin homology (PH) domains in Tiam1 are responsible for MAP1B binding. Interestingly, only the light chain 1 (LC1) of MAP1B was able to interact with Tiam1. Moreover, it was able to increase the activity of the small GTPase, Rac1. These results suggest that the interaction between Tiam1 and MAP1B, is produced by the binding of LC1 with PH domains in Tiam1. The formation of such a complex impacts on the activation levels of Rac1 confirming a novel function of MAP1B related with the control of small GTPases. These results also support the idea of cross-talk between cytoskeleton compartments inside neuronal cells.     

Magnetic Alignment in Carps: Evidence from the Czech Christmas Fish Market

While magnetoreception in birds has been studied intensively, the literature on magnetoreception in bony fish, and particularly in non-migratory fish, is quite scarce. We examined alignment of common carps (Cyprinus carpio) at traditional Christmas sale in the Czech Republic. The sample comprised measurements of the directional bearings in 14,537 individual fish, distributed among 80 large circular plastic tubs, at 25 localities in the Czech Republic, during 817 sampling sessions, on seven subsequent days in December 2011. We found that carps displayed a statistically highly significant spontaneous preference to align their bodies along the North-South axis. In the absence of any other common orientation cues which could explain this directional preference, we attribute the alignment of the fish to the geomagnetic field lines. It is apparent that the display of magnetic alignment is a simple experimental paradigm of great heuristic potential.     

Spread and population structure of <Emphasis Type=Italic>Cryphonectria parasitica</Emphasis> in a young chestnut orchard in Slovakia

The chestnut blight pathogen Cryphonectria parasitica was studied in a chestnut collection composed of both seedlings and grafts derived from selected Castanea sativa and C. sativa × C. crenata trees located in south-east Slovakia, near village Príbelce on an area of approximately 3.5 ha. The study was conducted during eight years (2003–2010). During this period 133 trees were infected, which represents 59.82% of chestnut trees of all chestnut accessions. Based on the phenotype of the fungus culture and the type of cankers in the field, all isolates were determined to be virulent. No hypovirulent strains were found. No vegetative compatibility (vc) type diversity was observed. More than 130 isolates were analyzed for vc and all were in single vc type, which was identical with EU 12. All isolates assayed for mating type were MAT-1. No perithecia were observed. No significant differences were found between the proportion of cankered and dead cankered trees in seedlings and grafts of hybrid origin (C. sativa × C. crenata) and of C. sativa origin. However, particular seedlings and grafts of hybrid origin seemed to exhibit certain resistance to chestnut blight.     

The mycobiota of landfill leachates in the pretreatment process in a sequencing batch reactor

The paper discusses the dynamics of the accumulation of microscopic fungi, depending on the sludge load (Bx), in activated sludge used for landfill leachate pretreatment. The propagule washout from the sludge into pretreated leachates is determined, including genera and species that may threaten environmental health. An increased accumulation of microscopic fungi in sludge flocs occurred at Bx=0.23−0.45 mg chemical oxygen demand (COD) mg⁻¹ d⁻¹. Microscopic fungi were eluted at the maximal Bx value tested of 1.64 mg COD mg⁻¹ d⁻¹. Both the activated sludge and the leachate runoff from the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) pose health risks to the environment due to the occurrence of fungi such as Aspergillus fumigatus, Purpureocillium lilacinum, Cyberlindnera jadinii (C. utilis), Geotrichum candidum and G. fragrans. Their count is sufficient to cause multi-organ infections in homeothermal animals and in humans.     

Phenotypic and Evolutionary Consequences of Social Behaviours: Interactions among Individuals Affect Direct Genetic Effects

Traditional quantitative genetics assumes that an individual''s phenotype is determined by both genetic and environmental factors. For many animals, part of the environment is social and provided by parents and other interacting partners. When expression of genes in social partners affects trait expression in a focal individual, indirect genetic effects occur. In this study, we explore the effects of indirect genetic effects on the magnitude and range of phenotypic values in a focal individual in a multi-member model analyzing three possible classes of interactions between individuals. We show that social interactions may not only cause indirect genetic effects but can also modify direct genetic effects. Furthermore, we demonstrate that both direct and indirect genetic effects substantially alter the range of phenotypic values, particularly when a focal trait can influence its own expression via interactions with traits in other individuals. We derive a function predicting the relative importance of direct versus indirect genetic effects. Our model reveals that both direct and indirect genetic effects can depend to a large extent on both group size and interaction strength, altering group mean phenotype and variance. This may lead to scenarios where between group variation is much higher than within group variation despite similar underlying genetic properties, potentially affecting the level of selection. Our analysis highlights key properties of indirect genetic effects with important consequences for trait evolution, the level of selection and potentially speciation.     

Effect of Blue Light on Endogenous Isopentenyladenine and Endoreduplication during Photomorphogenesis and De-Etiolation of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Seedlings

Light is one of the most important factor influencing plant growth and development all through their life cycle. One of the well-known light-regulated processes is de-etiolation, i.e. the switch from skotomorphogenesis to photomorphogenesis. The hormones cytokinins (CKs) play an important role during the establishment of photomorphogenesis as exogenous CKs induced photomorphogenesis of dark-grown seedlings. Most of the studies are conducted on the plant model Arabidopsis, but no or few information are available for important crop species, such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). In our study, we analyzed for the first time the endogenous CKs content in tomato hypocotyls during skotomorphogenesis, photomorphogenesis and de-etiolation. For this purpose, two tomato genotypes were used: cv. Rutgers (wild-type; WT) and its corresponding mutant (7B-1) affected in its responses to blue light (BL). Using physiological and molecular approaches, we identified that the skotomorphogenesis is characterized by an endoreduplication-mediated cell expansion, which is inhibited upon BL exposure as seen by the accumulation of trancripts encoding CycD3, key regulators of the cell cycle. Our study showed for the first time that iP (isopentenyladenine) is the CK accumulated in the tomato hypocotyl upon BL exposure, suggesting its specific role in photomorphogenesis. This result was supported by physiological experiments and gene expression data. We propose a common model to explain the role and the relationship between CKs, namely iP, and endoreduplication during de-etiolation and photomorphogenesis.