The role of successional stage and small‐scale disturbance for establishment of pioneer grass Corynephorus canescens

Question: Which mechanisms promote the maintenance of the protected pioneer grass Corynephorus canescens in a mosaic landscape? Which are the interactive effects of small‐scale disturbances, successional stage and year‐to‐year variation on early establishment probabilities of C. canescens? Location: Brandenburg, NE Germany. Methods: We measured emergence and survival rates over 3 yr in a sowing‐experiment conducted in three successional stages (C. canescens‐dominated site, ruderal forb site and pioneer forest) under two different regimes of mechanical ground disturbance (disturbed versus undisturbed control). Results: Overall, disturbance led to higher emergence in a humid year and to lower emergence in a very dry year. Apparently, when soil moisture was sufficient, the main factor limiting C. canescens' establishment was competition, while in the dry year, water became the limiting factor. Survival rates were not affected by disturbance. In humid years, C. canescens emerged in higher numbers in open successional stages while in the dry year, emergence rates were higher in late stages, suggesting an important role of late successional stages for the persistence of C. canescens. Conclusions: Our results suggest that small‐scale disturbances can promote germination of C. canescens. However, disturbances should be carefully planned. The optimal strategy for promoting C. canescens is to apply disturbances just before seed dispersal and not during dry years. At the landscape scale, a mosaic of different vegetation types is beneficial for the protected pioneer grass as facilitation by late‐successional species may be an important mechanism for the persistence of C. canescens, especially in dry years.     

Strict cospeciation of devescovinid flagellates and Bacteroidales ectosymbionts in the gut of dry-wood termites (Kalotermitidae)

The surface of many termite gut flagellates is colonized with a dense layer of bacteria, yet little is known about the evolutionary relationships of such ectosymbionts and their hosts. Here we investigated the molecular phylogenies of devescovinid flagellates (Devescovina spp.) and their symbionts from a wide range of dry-wood termites (Kalotermitidae). From species-pure flagellate suspensions isolated with micropipettes, we obtained SSU rRNA gene sequences of symbionts and host. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Devescovina spp. present in many species of Kalotermitidae form a monophyletic group, which includes also the unique devescovinid flagellate Caduceia versatilis. All members of this group were consistently associated with a distinct lineage of Bacteroidales, whose location on the cell surface was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The well-supported congruence of the phylogenies of devescovinids and their ectosymbionts documents a strict cospeciation. In contrast, the endosymbionts of the same flagellates ('Endomicrobia') were clearly polyphyletic and must have been acquired independently by horizontal transfer from other flagellate lineages. Also the Bacteroidales ectosymbionts of Oxymonas flagellates present in several Kalotermitidae belonged to several distantly related lines of descent, underscoring the general perception that the evolutionary history of flagellate-bacteria symbioses in the termite gut is complex.     

High-throughput Universal Probe Salmonella Serotyping (UPSS) by nanoPCR

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar identification is of great importance with respect to outbreak monitoring and case verification. Therefore rapid, sensitive and cost efficient detection of Salmonella spp. is indispensable within microbiology labs. To amalgamate single tube isolate identification with Salmonella typing, we developed the high-throughput Universal Probe Salmonella Serotyping (UPSS) technique based on nano liter PCR. In comparison to the classical approach, where O- and H-antisera are applied, the UPSS relies on specific gene content amplification of Salmonella spp. by a universal TaqMan assay for all markers and identification of the specific amplicon pattern. To enable high-throughput technology we employed a chip format containing 1024 wells loaded by an automated liquid-handling system which allowed us to perform TaqMan PCR reactions in volumes of 100 nL per well. Herein we present proof of principle of the UPSS method by the use of a test panel of 100 previously serotyped Salmonella isolates to successfully verify the usability, accuracy and feasibility of the newly developed UPSS approach. We found that the methodology of the UPSS technology is capable of unequivocally identifying 30 Salmonella serotypes on a single chip within 3 hours but can be highly parallelized by the use of multiple PCR machines. Therefore the UPSS method offers a robust and straightforward molecular alternative for Salmonella detection and typing that saves expensive chemistry and can be easily automated.     

Heterologous expression, characterization and site-directed mutagenesis of cutinase CUTAB1 from Alternaria brassicicola

The cutinase CUTAB1 was cloned from a cutin induced culture of Alternaria brassicicola and heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris under the control of the methanol-inducible AOX1 promoter. From a 400-ml culture, 36 mg of purified recombinant enzyme were obtained. Biochemical characterization revealed highest catalytic activity of the enzyme at 40°C and pH 7-9 using p-nitrophenyl palmitate (p-NPP) as substrate. Among several fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters, glycerol esters and p-nitrophenyl esters tested, CUTAB1 showed highest activity towards tributyrin (3,302 ± 160 U mg⁻¹) and the activity decreased with increase in chain length of the investigated esters. Lowest activity was found for p-NPP. Replacing Leu80, Leu181 and Ile183, respectively, by the smaller alanine in the hydrophobic binding loop of CUTAB1, drastically reduced the overall activity of the enzyme. On the other hand, mutation A84F located in the small helical flap of CUTAB1 significantly increased the activity of the enzyme towards longer chain substrates like p-NPP.     

Soil Type-Dependent Responses to Phenanthrene as Revealed by Determining the Diversity and Abundance of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Ring-Hydroxylating Dioxygenase Genes by Using a Novel PCR Detection System

A novel PCR primer system that targets a wide range of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase (PAH-RHD_α) genes of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was developed and used to study their abundance and diversity in two different soils in response to phenanthrene spiking. The specificities and target ranges of the primers predicted in silico were confirmed experimentally by cloning and sequencing of PAH-RHD_α gene amplicons from soil DNA. Cloning and sequencing showed the dominance of phnAc genes in the contaminated Luvisol. In contrast, high diversity of PAH-RHD_α genes of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was observed in the phenanthrene-spiked Cambisol. Quantitative real-time PCR based on the same primers revealed that 63 days after phenanthrene spiking, PAH-RHD_α genes were 1 order of magnitude more abundant in the Luvisol than in the Cambisol, while they were not detected in both control soils. In conclusion, sequence analysis of the amplicons obtained confirmed the specificity of the novel primer system and revealed a soil type-dependent response of PAH-RHD_α gene-carrying soil bacteria to phenanthrene spiking.Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hydrophobic compounds composed of two or more fused aromatic rings. Although PAHs are ubiquitous in the environment (from natural oil seeps, brush fires, and plant derivatives), anthropogenic activities, such as disposal of coal-processing waste, mining accidents, petroleum wastes, and vehicle exhaust, have drastically increased their occurrence in the environment. The fate of PAHs in soil is of great interest due to their potential for bioaccumulation, persistence, transport, and toxicity. Microbe-driven aerobic degradation of PAHs is well documented (15-17). The diversity of PAH-degrading genes in soils is assumed to be huge, but the extent of diversity and how it is influenced by different soil types or their history and type of pollution are not yet fully explored. Knowledge of the genes coding for dioxygenase enzymes that catalyze the primary step of PAH degradation by incorporating molecular oxygen into the aromatic nucleus is an essential prerequisite to unraveling the contributions of microbial population networks to transformation, assimilation, and degradation of organic chemicals in soil. Recently, the complete genomes of several PAH-degrading bacteria became available and allowed new insights into degradative pathways (6, 18, 36). Organic pollutants also serve as nutrients for those microbes that have the appropriate genetic makeup to utilize them, resulting in their increased metabolic activity and abundance (4, 14). In the last decade, impressive progress was seen in techniques that allow cultivation-independent analysis of microbial communities and thus overcome the most severe limitations in studying microbial communities in natural habitats, namely, that only a rather small portion of microbes are accessible to standard cultivation conditions (1, 29). For more than a decade, cultivation-independent approaches have also been employed to unravel the responses of microbial communities in soils and sediments to PAH pollution. In all these studies, PCR amplification of PAH-degrading gene fragments from nucleic acids directly extracted from environmental samples was used to explore the abundance and diversity of PAH ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase (PAH-RHD_α) genes (4, 8, 9, 13, 14, 22, 34, 37). Despite the known biases of PCR amplification from mixed templates, these techniques allow highly sensitive and specific detection even from minute amounts of nucleic acids. In order to select suitable primer systems, previously published primer systems were analyzed for their ranges of target sequences. The existing primer systems were found to have limitations, as they often target only a rather narrow range of sequences, e.g., nahAc- or phnAc-type sequences (21, 34) or only PAH-RHD_α genes from Gram-negative bacteria (3, 13). In other studies, two-primer systems were used to target PAH-RHD_α genes of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (4, 37). Only one primer system targeting the Rieske gene fragment was described that amplified a small fragment from PAH-RHD_α genes from both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria (24). However, the amplicon size was only 78 bp and the primer might also target genes coding for dioxygenases that attack nonpolar aromatic compounds, such as benzene, toluene, and xylene. Therefore, this work aimed to design an improved primer system that targets PAH-RHD_α genes from both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and provides larger amplicon sizes. The novel primer system was tested in silico and validated by sequencing cloned PAH-RHD_α genes amplified from total-community (TC) DNA and was used in endpoint and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) formats. The primer system was also applied to study the responses of soil microbial communities in two different soils (a Cambisol and a Luvisol representing typical arable soils in Central Europe with different texture compositions) to artificial phenanthrene pollution.     

Co-infection and localization of secondary symbionts in two whitefly species

Background  

Whiteflies are cosmopolitan phloem-feeding pests that cause serious damage to many crops worldwide due to direct feeding and vectoring of many plant viruses. The sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) and the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) are two of the most widespread and damaging whitefly species. To complete their unbalanced diet, whiteflies harbor the obligatory bacterium Portiera aleyrodidarum. B. tabaci further harbors a diverse array of secondary symbionts, including Hamiltonella, Arsenophonus, Cardinium, Wolbachia, Rickettsia and Fritschea. T. vaporariorum is only known to harbor P. aleyrodidarum and Arsenophonus. We conducted a study to survey the distribution of whitefly species in Croatia, their infection status by secondary symbionts, and the spatial distribution of these symbionts in the developmental stages of the two whitefly species.     

BCG strain S4-Jena: An early BCG strain is capable to reduce the proliferation of bladder cancer cells by induction of apoptosis

Background  

Intravesical immunotherapy with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin has been established as the most effective adjuvant treatment for high risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). We investigated the differences between the S4-Jena BCG strain and commercially available BCG strains. We tested the genotypic varieties between S4-Jena and other BCG strains and analysed the effect of the BCG strains TICE and S4-Jena on two bladder cancer cell lines.     

Analysis of photosynthetic complexes from a cyanobacterial ycf37 mutant

The Ycf37 protein has been suggested to be involved in the biogenesis and/or stability of the cyanobacterial photosystem I (PSI). With Ycf37 specific antibodies, we analyzed the localization of Ycf37 within the thylakoid membranes of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Inspection of a sucrose gradient profile indicated that small amounts of Ycf37 co-fractionated with monomeric photosynthetic complexes, but not with trimeric PSI. Isolating 3xFLAG epitope-tagged Ycf37 by affinity-tag purification rendered several PSI subunits that specifically co-precipitated with this protein. Blue-native PAGE newly revealed two monomeric PSI complexes (PSI and PSI*) in wild-type thylakoids. The lower amount of PsaK present in PSI* may explain its higher electrophoretic mobility. PSI* was more prominent in high-light grown cells and interestingly proved absent in the Deltaycf37 mutant. PSI* appeared again when the mutant was complemented in trans with the wild-type ycf37 gene. In the Deltaycf37 mutant the amount of trimeric PSI complexes was reduced to about 70% of the wild-type level with no significant changes in photochemical activity and subunit composition of the remaining photosystems. Our results indicate that Ycf37 plays a specific role in the preservation of PSI* and the biogenesis of PSI trimers.     

Heat sensitivity of photosynthetic electron transport varies during the day due to changes in sugars and osmotic potential

In water-stressed leaves, accumulation of neutral osmotica enhances the heat tolerance of photosynthetic electron transport. There are large diurnal and day-to-day changes in leaf sugar content because of variations in net photosynthetic production, respiration and retranslocation. To test the hypothesis that diurnal and day-to-day variations in leaf sugar content and osmotic potential significantly modify the responses to temperature of photosynthetic electron transport rate, we studied chlorophyll fluorescence rise temperatures (i.e. critical temperatures at break-points in fluorescence versus temperature response curves, corresponding to enhanced damage of PSII centers and detachment of pigment-binding complexes) in the dark at a background of weak far-red light (T(FR)) and under actinic light (T(L)), and responses of foliar photosynthetic electron transport rate to temperature using gas-exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence techniques in the temperate tree Populus tremula L. Sucrose and sorbitol feeding experiments demonstrated strong increases of fluorescence rise temperatures T(FR) and T(L) with decreasing leaf osmotic potential and increasing internal sugar concentration. Similar T(FR) and T(L) changes were observed in response to natural variation in leaf sugar concentration throughout the day. Increases in leaf sugar concentration led to an overall down-regulation of the rate of photosynthetic electron transport (J), but increases in the optimum temperature (Topt) of J. For the entire dataset, Topt varied from 33.8 degrees C to 43 degrees C due to natural variation in sugars and from 33.8 degrees C to 52.6 degrees C in the sugar feeding experiments, underscoring the importance of sugars in modifying the response of J to temperature. However, the correlations between the sugar concentration and fluorescence rise temperature varied between the days. This variation in fluorescence rise temperature was best explained by the average temperature of the preceding 5 or 6 days. In addition, there was a significant year-to-year variation in heat sensitivity of photosynthetic electron transport that was associated with year-to-year differences in endogenous sugar content. Our data demonstrate a diurnal variation in leaf heat tolerance due to changes in sugar concentration, but they also show that this short-term modification in heat tolerance is super-imposed by long-term changes in heat resistance driven by average temperature of preceding days.     

The rhizosphere effect on bacteria antagonistic towards the pathogenic fungus Verticillium differs depending on plant species and site

Rhizobacteria with antagonistic activity towards plant pathogens play an essential role in root growth and plant health and are influenced by plant species in their abundance and composition. To determine the extent of the effect of the plant species and of the site on the abundance and composition of bacteria with antagonistic activity towards Verticillium dahliae, bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of two Verticillium host plants, oilseed rape and strawberry, and from bulk soil were analysed at three different locations in Germany over two growing seasons. A total of 6732 bacterial isolates screened for in vitro antagonism towards Verticillium resulted in 560 active isolates, among which Pseudomonas (77%) and Serratia (6%) were the most dominant genera. The rhizosphere effect on the antagonistic bacterial community was shown by an enhanced proportion of antagonistic isolates, by enrichment of specific amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis types, species and genotypes, and by a reduced diversity in the rhizosphere in comparison to bulk soil. Such an effect was influenced by the plant species and by the site of its cultivation. Altogether, 16S rRNA gene sequencing of 66 isolates resulted in the identification of 22 different species. Antagonists of the genus Serratia were preferentially isolated from oilseed rape rhizosphere, with the exception of one site. For isolates of Pseudomonas and Serratia, plant-specific and site-specific genotypes were found.