INPPO Actions and Recognition as a Driving Force for Progress in Plant Proteomics: Change of Guard,INPPO Update,and Upcoming Activities

The International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) is a non‐profit organization whose members are scientists involved or interested in plant proteomics. Since the publication of the first INPPO highlights in 2012, continued progress on many of the organization's mandates/goals has been achieved. Two major events are emphasized in this second INPPO highlights. First, the change of guard at the top, passing of the baton from Dominique Job, INPPO founding President to Ganesh Kumar Agrawal as the incoming President. Ganesh K. Agrawal, along with Dominique Job and Randeep Rakwal initiated the INPPO. Second, the most recent INPPO achievements and future targets, mainly the organization of first the INPPO World Congress in 2014, tentatively planned for Hamburg (Germany), are mentioned.     

Behavioral responses of satellite tracked Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) to mid-frequency active sonar

The vulnerability of beaked whales (Family: Ziphiidae) to intense sound exposure has led to interest in their behavioral responses to mid-frequency active sonar (MFAS, 3–8 kHz). Here we present satellite-transmitting tag movement and dive behavior records from Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) tagged in advance of naval sonar exercises at the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in the Bahamas. This represents one of the largest samples of beaked whales individually tracked during sonar operations (n = 7). The majority of individuals (five of seven) were displaced 28–68 km after the onset of sonar exposure and returned to the AUTEC range 2–4 days after exercises ended. Modeled sound pressure received levels were available during the tracking of four individuals and three of those individuals showed declines from initial maxima of 145–172 dB re 1 μPa to maxima of 70–150 dB re 1 μPa following displacements. Dive behavior data from tags showed a continuation of deep diving activity consistent with foraging during MFAS exposure periods, but also suggested reductions in time spent on deep dives during initial exposure periods. These data provide new insights into behavioral responses to MFAS and have important implications for modeling the population consequences of disturbance.     

Skin in the game: Epidermal molt as a driver of long-distance migration in whales

Long-distance migration in whales has historically been described as an annual, round-trip movement between high-latitude, summer feeding grounds, and low-latitude, winter breeding areas, but there is no consensus about why whales travel to the tropics to breed. Between January 2009 and February 2016, we satellite-tagged 62 antarctic killer whales (Orcinus orca) of four different ecotypes, of which at least three made short-term (6–8 weeks), long-distance (maximum 11,000 km, round trip), essentially nonstop, migrations to warm waters (SST 20°C–24°C), and back. We previously suggested that antarctic killer whales could conserve body heat in subfreezing (to −1.9°C) waters by reducing blood flow to their skin, but that this might preclude normal (i.e., continuous) epidermal molt, and necessitate periodic trips to warm waters for routine skin maintenance (“skin molt migration,” SMM). In contrast to the century-old “feeding/breeding” migration paradigm, but consistent with a “feeding/molting” hypothesis, the current study provides additional evidence that deferred skin molt could be the main driver of long-distance migration for antarctic killer whales. Furthermore, we argue that for all whales that forage in polar latitudes and migrate to tropical waters, SMM might also allow them to exploit rich prey resources in a physiologically challenging environment and maintain healthy skin.     

Using stable MutS dimers and tetramers to quantitatively analyze DNA mismatch recognition and sliding clamp formation

The process of DNA mismatch repair is initiated when MutS recognizes mismatched DNA bases and starts the repair cascade. The Escherichia coli MutS protein exists in an equilibrium between dimers and tetramers, which has compromised biophysical analysis. To uncouple these states, we have generated stable dimers and tetramers, respectively. These proteins allowed kinetic analysis of DNA recognition and structural analysis of the full-length protein by X-ray crystallography and small angle X-ray scattering. Our structural data reveal that the tetramerization domains are flexible with respect to the body of the protein, resulting in mostly extended structures. Tetrameric MutS has a slow dissociation from DNA, which can be due to occasional bending over and binding DNA in its two binding sites. In contrast, the dimer dissociation is faster, primarily dependent on a combination of the type of mismatch and the flanking sequence. In the presence of ATP, we could distinguish two kinetic groups: DNA sequences where MutS forms sliding clamps and those where sliding clamps are not formed efficiently. Interestingly, this inability to undergo a conformational change rather than mismatch affinity is correlated with mismatch repair.     

Difference and the I/Eye of the Beholder: Revisioning America through Travelogues

Drawing from and modifying elements of visual travelogues, Ellen Spiro's 1993 film Greetings from Out Here and Renee Tajima-Peña's 1996 film My America ( or honk if you love Buddha) explore contemporary Southern gay and Asian-American lives from minority perspectives. In this article I examine the extent to which the filmmakers use travelogue conventions to draw viewers into a trip of discovery about other Americans. I discuss the filmmakers' standpoints and use of narrative, the ways in which they build on American ideology about travel and visual imagery, and the associations Spiro and Tajima-Peña make between tourism and the American road movie genre.     

N-fertilization does not alleviate grass competition induced reduction of growth of African savanna species

Background and aims

Below-ground grass competition limits woody establishment in savannas. N₂-fixing legumes may, however, have a nutritional advantage over broad-leaved species. We hypothesised that broad-leaved non-legume savanna thicket species would be more severely constrained by grass competition for N and consequently respond more to N-fertilization than the legume, Acacia karroo.

Methods

A. karroo and five non-legume thicket species (Maytenus senegalensis, M. heterophylla, Euclea divinorum, Ziziphus mucronata, Schotia brachypetala) were grown together in an irrigated competition experiment with clipped-, unclipped-grass and without grass with/without N-fertilizer. The biomass, foliar nutrient, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N of grasses and woody species were determined.

Results

Growth of both A. karroo and the non-legume species was equally sensitive (c. 90 % reduction) to both clipped- and unclipped-grass competition, regardless of N-fertilization. With grass competition, however, foliar [N] increased and δ¹⁵N decreased in response to N-fertilization. Grass biomass accumulation was also unchanged by fertilisation, despite increases in foliar [N] and decreases in δ¹⁵N.

Conclusions

The N₂-fixation capacity of A. karroo provided no growth advantage over non-legumes. The lack of responsiveness of biomass accumulation by both the woody species and the grasses to N-fertilization, despite evidence that plants accessed the N-fertilizer, indicates limitation by other nutrients.