Sunxiuqinia dokdonensis sp. nov., isolated from deep sub-seafloor sediment

A novel facultatively anaerobic strain DH1^T was isolated from deep sub-seafloor sediment at a depth of 900 m below the seafloor off Seo-do (the west part of Dokdo Island) in the East Sea of the Republic of Korea. The new strain was characterized using polyphasic approaches. The isolate was Gram-stain-negative, motile by gliding, non-spore-forming rods, oxidase-negative, and catalase-positive; and formed colonies of orange-red color. The NaCl range for growth was 0.5–7.0% (w/v) and no growth was observed in the absence of NaCl. The isolate grew optimally at 30°C, with 2% (w/v) NaCl and at pH 7. The cell-wall hydrolysates contained ribose as a major sugar. The DNA G+C content was 40.8 mol%. The closest related strains are Sunxiuqinia faeciviva JAM-BA0302^T and Sunxiuqinia elliptica DQHS-4^T (97.9 and 96.3% sequence similarity, respectively). The level of DNA-DNA relatedness between strain DH1^T and S. faeciviva JAM-BA0302^T was around 41% (but only 6% between DH1T and S. elliptica DQHS-4^T). The major cellular fatty acids of the isolate were contained iso-C_15:0 (25.9%), anteiso-C_15:0 (16.7%), and summed feature 9 (comprising C_16:0 3-OH and/or unknown fatty acid of dimethylacetal ECL 17.157; 13.2%). The predominant menaquinone was MK-7. On the basis of polyphasic evidence from this study, the isolate was considered to represent a novel species of the genus Sunxiuqinia, for which the name Sunxiuqinia dokdonensis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is DH1^T (=KCTC 32503^T =CGMCC 1.12676^T =JCM 19380^T).     

Recent climate changes interact with stand structure and management to determine changes in tree carbon stocks in Spanish forests

Most temperate forests are accumulating carbon (C) and may continue to do so in the near future. However, the situation may be different in water‐limited ecosystems, where the potentially positive effects of C and N fertilization and rising temperatures interact with water availability. In this study, we use the extensive network of plots of two consecutive Spanish national forest inventories to identify the factors that determine the spatial variation of the C stock change, growth, and mortality rate of forests in Peninsular Spain (below‐ and aboveground). We fitted general linear models to assess the response of C stock change and its components to the spatial variability of climate (in terms of water availability), forest structure (tree density and C stock), previous forest management, and the recent warming trend. Our results show that undisturbed forests in Peninsular Spain are accumulating C at a rate of ~1.4 Mg C ha^?1 yr^?1, and that forest structural variables are the main determinants of forest growth and C stock change. Water availability was positively related to growth and C accumulation. On the other hand, recent warming has reduced growth rate and C accumulation, especially in wet areas. Spatial variation in mortality (in terms of C loss) was mostly driven by differences in growth rate across plots, and was consistent with ‘natural’, self‐thinning dynamics related to the recent abandonment of forest management over large areas of Spain, with the consequent increase in tree density and competition. Interestingly, the negative effect of warming on forest C accumulation disappears if only managed stands are considered, emphasizing the potential of forest management to mitigate the effects of climate change. However, the effect of forest management was weak and, in some cases, not significant, implying the need of further research on its impact.     

Age-related neural dedifferentiation in the motor system

Recent neuroimaging studies using multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) show that distributed patterns of brain activation elicited by different visual stimuli are less distinctive in older adults than in young adults. However, less is known about the effects of aging on the neural representation of movement. The present study used MVPA to compare the distinctiveness of motor representations in young and older adults. We also investigated the contributions of brain structure to age differences in the distinctiveness of motor representations. We found that neural distinctiveness was reduced in older adults throughout the motor control network. Although aging was also associated with decreased gray matter volume in these regions, age differences in motor distinctiveness remained significant after controlling for gray matter volume. Our results suggest that age-related neural dedifferentiation is not restricted to sensory perception and is instead a more general feature of the aging brain.     

Efficient Protein Expression in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bombyx mori</Emphasis> Larvae of the Strain d17 Highly Sensitive to <Emphasis Type="Italic">B. mori</Emphasis> Nucleopolyhedrovirus

The recombinant protein expression by Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) infecting silkworm larvae or pupae may endow us with a potent system for the production of large eukaryotic proteins. However, the screening of silkworm strains ideally suited to this method has scarcely been conducted. In the present study, we injected recombinant BmNPV containing a reporter gene, luciferase or DsRed, into hemocoel of fifth instar larvae of selected 12 silkworm strains. Among them, the strain d17 is found to be the highest in reporter expression from the intrinsic polyhedrin promoter of Autographa californica NPV or the silkworm actin A3 promoter. These results suggest that the d17 strain is highly permissive for BmNPV replication and is the most likely candidate of a “factory” for large-scale expression using the BmNPV bacmid system.     

Li–Ti Cation Mixing Enhanced Structural and Performance Stability of Li‐Rich Layered Oxide

Li‐rich layered metal oxides are one type of the most promising cathode materials in lithium‐ion batteries but suffer from severe voltage decay during cycling because of the continuous transition metal (TM) migration into the Li layers. A Li‐rich layered metal oxide Li_1.2Ti_0.26Ni_0.18Co_0.18Mn_0.18O₂ (LTR) is hereby designed, in which some of the Ti⁴⁺ cations are intrinsically present in the Li layers. The native Li–Ti cation mixing structure enhances the tolerance for structural distortion and inhibits the migration of the TM ions in the TMO₂ slabs during (de)lithiation. Consequently, LTR exhibits a remarkable cycling stability of 97% capacity retention after 182 cycles, and the average discharge potential drops only 90 mV in 100 cycles. In‐depth studies by electron energy loss spectroscopy and aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy demonstrate the Li–Ti mixing structure. The charge compensation mechanism is uncovered with X‐ray absorption spectroscopy and explained with the density function theory calculations. These results show the superiority of introducing transition metal ions into the Li layers in reinforcing the structural stability of the Li‐rich layered metal oxides. These findings shed light on a possible path to the development of Li‐rich materials with better potential retention and a longer lifespan.     

Acceleration of cyanobacterial dominance in north temperate‐subarctic lakes during the Anthropocene

Increases in atmospheric temperature and nutrients from land are thought to be promoting the expansion of harmful cyanobacteria in lakes worldwide, yet to date there has been no quantitative synthesis of long‐term trends. To test whether cyanobacteria have increased in abundance over the past ~ 200 years and evaluate the relative influence of potential causal mechanisms, we synthesised 108 highly resolved sedimentary time series and 18 decadal‐scale monitoring records from north temperate‐subarctic lakes. We demonstrate that: (1) cyanobacteria have increased significantly since c. 1800 ce , (2) they have increased disproportionately relative to other phytoplankton, and (3) cyanobacteria increased more rapidly post c. 1945 ce . Variation among lakes in the rates of increase was explained best by nutrient concentration (phosphorus and nitrogen), and temperature was of secondary importance. Although cyanobacterial biomass has declined in some managed lakes with reduced nutrient influx, the larger spatio‐temporal scale of sedimentary records show continued increases in cyanobacteria throughout the north temperate‐subarctic regions.     

First-Leaflet Phase Effect on Properties of Phospholipid Bilayer Formed Through Vesicle Adsorption on LB Monolayer

Phospholipid bilayers were formed on mica using the Langmuir–Blodgett technique and liposome fusion, as a model system for biomembranes. Nanometer-scale surface physical properties of the bilayers were quantitatively characterized upon the different phases of the first leaflets. Lower hydration/steric forces on the bilayers were observed at the liquid phase of the first leaflet than at the solid phase. The forces appear to be related to the low mechanical stability of the lipid bilayer, which was affected by the first leaflet phase. The first leaflet phase also influenced the long-range repulsive forces over the second leaflet. Surface forces, measured using a modified probe with an atomic force microscope, showed that lower long-range repulsive forces were also found at the liquid phase of the first leaflet. Force measurements were performed at 300 mM sodium chloride solution so that the effect of the phase on the long-range repulsive forces could be investigated by reducing the effect of the repulsion between the second-leaflet lipid headgroups on the long-range repulsive forces. Forces were analyzed using the Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek theory so that the surface potential and surface charge density of the lipid bilayers were quantitatively acquired for each phase of the first leaflet.     

Therapeutic potential of α,β‐thujone through metabolic reprogramming and caspase‐dependent apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells

The therapeutic potential of α,β‐thujone, a functional compound found in many medicinal plants of the Cupressaceae, Asteraceae, and Lamiaceae families, has been demonstrated, including in inflammation and cancers. However, its pharmacological functions and mechanisms of action in ovarian cancer remain unclear. We investigated the anticancer properties of α,β‐thujone in ES2 and OV90 human ovarian cancer cells and its effect on sensitization to cisplatin. α,β‐thujone inhibited cancer cell proliferation and induced cell death through caspase‐dependent intrinsic apoptotic pathways. Moreover, α,β‐thujone‐mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress was associated with the loss of mitochondrial functions and altered metabolic landscape of ovarian cancer cells. α,β‐Thujone attenuated blood vessel formation in transgenic zebrafish, implying it has significant antiangiogenic potential. In addition, α,β‐thujone sensitized ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin, causing synergistic pharmacological effects. Collectively, our results suggest that α,β‐thujone has therapeutic potential in human ovarian cancer and functions via regulating multiple intracellular stress‐associated metabolic reprogramming and caspase‐dependent apoptotic pathways.