Quantitative contributions of bacteria and of Deinococcus geothermalis to deposits and slimes in paper industry

Deinococcus geothermalis has frequently been isolated from pink colored deposits of paper industry processes. Laboratory studies have shown that D. geothermalis is capable of forming on nonliving surfaces patchy biofilms that are resistant to adverse agents such as extreme pH, desiccation, solubilising detergents and biocides. This study was done to quantitatively assess the role of D. geothermalis as a biofouler in paper industry. Colored deposits were collected from 24 European and North American paper and board machines and the densities of the bacterial 16S rRNA genes and those of the red slime producers D. geothermalis and Meiothermus spp. were measured by QPCR (quantitative real time PCR). D. geothermalis was found at nine machines, usually from splash area deposits, but its contribution was minor, 0.001–1%, to the total bacterial burden of 8.3 to log 10.5 log units per gram wet-weight of the deposits. When D. geothermalis was found in a measurable quantity, Meiothermus spp. also was found, often in bulk quantity (7–100% of the total bacteria). The data are in line with the properties of D. geothermalis known from laboratory biofilm studies, indicating this species is a pioneer coloniser of machine surfaces and may help other bacteria to adhere and grown into biofilms, rather than competing with them.     

Ethylene insensitivity modulates ozone-induced cell death in birch

We have used genotypic variation in birch (Betula pendula Roth) to investigate the roles of ozone (O(3))-induced ethylene (ET), jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid in the regulation of tissue tolerance to O(3). Of these hormones, ET evolution correlated best with O(3)-induced cell death. Disruption of ET perception by transformation of birch with the dominant negative mutant allele etr1-1 of the Arabidopsis ET receptor gene ETR1 or blocking of ET perception with 1-methylcyclopropene reduced but did not completely prevent the O(3)-induced cell death, when inhibition of ET biosynthesis with aminooxyacetic acid completely abolished O(3) lesion formation. This suggests the presence of an ET-signaling-independent but ET biosynthesis-dependent component in the ET-mediated stimulation of cell death in O(3)-exposed birch. Functional ET signaling was required for the O(3) induction of the gene encoding beta-cyanoalanine synthase, which catalyzes detoxification of the cyanide formed during ET biosynthesis. The results suggest that functional ET signaling is required to protect birch from the O(3)-induced cell death and that a decrease in ET sensitivity together with a simultaneous, high ET biosynthesis can potentially cause cell death through a deficient detoxification of cyanide.     

Genetic linkage to chromosome 22q12 for a heavy-smoking quantitative trait in two independent samples

We conducted a genomewide linkage screen of a simple heavy-smoking quantitative trait, the maximum number of cigarettes smoked in a 24-h period, using two independent samples: 289 Australian and 155 Finnish nuclear multiplex families, all of which were of European ancestry and were targeted for DNA analysis by use of probands with a heavy-smoking phenotype. We analyzed the trait, using a regression of identity-by-descent allele sharing on the sum and difference of the trait values for relative pairs. Suggestive linkage was detected on chromosome 22 at 27-29 cM in each sample, with a LOD score of 5.98 at 26.96 cM in the combined sample. After additional markers were used to localize the signal, the LOD score was 5.21 at 25.46 cM. To assess the statistical significance of the LOD score in the combined sample, 1,000 simulated genomewide screens were conducted, resulting in an empirical P value of .006 for the LOD score of 5.21. This linkage signal is driven mainly by the microsatellite marker D22S315 (22.59 cM), which had a single-point LOD score of 5.41 in the combined sample and an empirical P value <.001 from 1,000 simulated genomewide screens. This marker is located within an intron of the gene ADRBK2, encoding the beta-adrenergic receptor kinase 2. Fine mapping of this linkage region may reveal variants contributing to heaviness of smoking, which will lead to a better understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying nicotine dependence.     

Adaptations to fasting in the American mink (Mustela vison): carbohydrate and lipid metabolism

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the actively wintering American mink Mustela vison is strictly dependent on continuous food availability or if it has evolved physiological adaptations to tolerate nutritional scarcity. Fifty farm-bred male minks were divided into a fed control group and four experimental groups fasted for 2, 3, 5 or 7 days. The rate of weight loss was several-fold higher (1.5-3.2% day(-1)) in the mink than recorded previously in larger carnivores utilizing passive wintering strategies. The minks remained normoglycaemic, although their liver glycogen stores and glucose-6-phosphatase activities decreased during fasting. Adipose tissue constituted approximately 36% of their body mass after 7 days of food deprivation. Intra-abdominal fat, especially retroperitoneal but also mesenteric adipose tissue, were the most important fat depots to be hydrolyzed, but the ability of the mink to utilize its body lipids during fasting may be limited. The increased liver size, hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation and increases in the activities of plasma aminotransferases indicated liver dysfunction. Food deprivation also affected the red blood cell indices, and the blood monocyte and lymphocyte counts decreased suggesting immunosuppression during fasting. The results of the present study suggest that the mink has not evolved sophisticated adaptations to wintertime fasting.     

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL2RA gene are associated with age at diagnosis in late-onset Finnish type 1 diabetes subjects

The onset of type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, with as many as half of all cases diagnosed after age 15. Despite this wide distribution in age at diagnosis, most genetic studies focus on cases diagnosed in childhood or during early adulthood. To better understand the genetics of late-onset type 1 diabetes, we collected a Finnish case/control cohort with all cases diagnosed between ages 15 and 40. We genotyped 591 probands and 1,538 control subjects at regions well established as susceptibility loci in early onset type 1 diabetes. These loci were then tested for disease association and age-at-diagnosis effects. Using logistic regression, we found that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the INS, PTPN22, and IFIH1 loci were associated with late-onset disease (OR (95%CI)?=?0.57(0.47–0.69), p?=?2.77?×?10^?9; OR (95%CI)?=?1.50 (1.27–1.78), p?=?3.98?×?10^?6; and OR (95%CI)?=?0.81(0.71–0.93), p?=?0.0028, respectively). In contrast, a disease association was not detected for two SNPs at the IL2RA locus (rs11594656 and rs41295061). Despite this, we did find an independent age-at-diagnosis effect for each IL2RA SNP using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model (p?=?0.003, 0.002, respectively). Taken together, polymorphisms at the IL2RA locus were a major determinant of age at diagnosis in our cohort with an effect at par with the HLA-DQ2/DQ8 genotype as measured by hazard ratios. These findings suggest that the IL2RA locus controls both the susceptibility to disease and its time of occurrence. Thus, we believe the IL2/IL2R axis represents a potential therapeutic target for delaying the onset of disease.     

Bark beetle diversity at different spatial scales

To determine how the scale of observation affects ecological patterns we studied bark beetle (Coleoptera, Scolytidae) diversity in southern Finland. A block covering 160 × 160 m of a forest was delimited in four stands of different site types. Each block was divided into 256 squares (10 × 10 m) in which the occurrence of bark beetle species was recorded. In addition, environmental variables describing site type, trees, and breeding material appropriate for bark beetles were measured. The species presence/absence data were combined at different scales of resolution (10 × 10 m. 20 × 20 m, 40 × 40 m, 80 × 80 m, 160 × 160 m). At the finest scale a recently thinned pine stand showed relatively high diversity compared to other study stands due to a few evenly distributed and abundant species. However, the species diversity increased faster toward larger scales in mature spruce stands with several sporadically distributed species. According to logistic regression analyses, breeding material and site characteristics explained the occurrence of most beetle species. However, these variables did not explain the occurrence of the six most frequent species, probably because the factors regulating their distribution and occurrence operate at larger scales.     

On the induction of tyrosine aminotransferase in rat liver by α-methyl-p-tyrosine

Hepatic tyrosine aminotransferase (l-tyrosine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.5) is known to be induced by α-methyl-p-tyrosine, a well-known catecholamine depletor, in both intact and adrenalectomized rats. The authors have studied this subject further and their results show that α-methyl-p-tyrosine does not influence the activity of tyrosine aminotransferase in the isolated, perfused liver and that hypophysectomy totally abolishes the induction of the enzyme by this agent. The involvement of hypophyseal hormones is discussed.     

Association of Genetic Variants at 3q22 with Nephropathy in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and affects about 30% of these patients. We have previously localized a DN locus on chromosome 3q with suggestive linkage in Finnish individuals. Linkage to this region has also been reported earlier by several other groups. To fine map this locus, we conducted a multistage case-control association study in T1DM patients, comprising 1822 cases with nephropathy and 1874 T1DM patients free of nephropathy, from Finland, Iceland, and the British Isles. At the screening stage, we genotyped 3072 tag SNPs, spanning a 28 Mb region, in 234 patients and 215 controls from Finland. SNPs that met the significance threshold of p < 0.01 at this stage were followed up by a series of sample sets. A genetic variant, rs1866813, in the noncoding region at 3q22 was associated with increased risk of DN (overall p = 7.07 × 10⁻⁶, combined odds ratio [OR] of the allele = 1.33). The estimated genotypic ORs of this variant in all Finnish samples suggested a codominant effect, resulting in significant association, with a p value of 4.7 × 10⁻⁵ (OR = 1.38; 95% confidence interval = 1.18–1.62). Additionally, an 11 kb segment flanked by rs62408925 and rs1866813, two strongly correlated variants (r² = 0.95), contains three elements highly conserved across multiple species. Independent replication will clarify the role of the associated variants at 3q22 in influencing the risk of DN.     

Thermovorax subterraneus, gen. nov., sp. nov., a thermophilic hydrogen-producing bacterium isolated from geothermally active underground mine

A thermophilic, rod-shaped, motile, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium strain 70B^T was isolated from a geothermally active underground mine in Japan. The temperature and pH range for growth was 50–81°C (optimum 71°C) and 6.2–9.8 (optimum pH 7–7.5), respectively. Growth occurred in the presence 0–2% NaCl (optimum 1% NaCl). Strain 70B^T could utilize glucose, fructose, mannose, mannitol, pyruvate, cellobiose and tryptone as substrates. Thiosulfate was used as electron acceptor. Major whole-cell fatty acids were iso-C_15:0, C_16:0 DMA (dimethyl acetal), C_16:0 and anteiso-C_15:0. The G+C mol% of the DNA was 44.2%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that the closest relatives of strain 70B^T were Thermosediminibacter oceani DSM 16646^T (94% similarity) and Thermosediminibacter litoriperuensis DSM 16647 (93% similarity). The phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties suggest that strain 70B^T represents a novel species in a new genus, for which the name Thermovorax subterraneus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Thermovorax subterraneus is 70B^T (=DSM 21563 = JCM 15541).     

A phylogenetic circumscription of Polytrichastrum (Polytrichaceae): Reassessment of sporophyte morphology supports molecular phylogeny

Mosses arguably possess the most structurally complex sporangia of any extant land plants, a consequence of being the monosporangiophyte lineage most strongly adapted to terrestrial environments. Morphological and functional variation in the mechanisms that regulate spore release in one of the major classes of mosses, the Polytrichopsida, is largely unexplored, while recent research indicates that the most distinctive structure, the peristome, has evolved independently in the Polytrichopsida and in other mosses. The genus Polytrichastrum was separated from Polytrichum on the basis of such sporangial characters, although the critical features had until recently only been examined using light microscopy, and strong evidence from molecular data indicated that Polytrichastrum as currently circumscribed is polyphyletic. Here we use Bayesian ancestral character state reconstruction in conjunction with extensive scanning electron micrographic studies to elucidate probable morphology at ancestral nodes and define natural taxa. As well as clarifying the structure, evolution, and aspects of development of the peristome-epiphragm complex in this highly prominent group of mosses, the results provide a basis for a revised phylogenetic taxonomy in which the species of Polytrichastrum sect. Aporotheca are recognized once more within Polytrichum.