Thermotolerance of Leaf Discs from Four Isoprene-Emitting Species Is Not Enhanced by Exposure to Exogenous Isoprene

The effects of exogenously supplied isoprene on chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics were examined in leaf discs of four isoprene-emitting plant species, kudzu (Pueraria lobata [Willd.] Ohwi.), velvet bean (Mucuna sp.), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), and pussy willow (Salix discolor Muhl). Isoprene, supplied to the leaves at either 18 μL L⁻¹ in compressed air or 21 μL L⁻¹ in N₂, had no effect on the temperature at which minimal fluorescence exhibited an upward inflection during controlled increases in leaf-disc temperature. During exposure to 1008 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ in an N₂ atmosphere, 21 μL L⁻¹ isoprene had no effect on the thermally induced inflection of steady-state fluorescence. The maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry decreased sharply as leaf-disc temperature was increased; however, this decrease was unaffected by exposure of leaf discs to 21 μL L⁻¹ isoprene. Therefore, there were no discernible effects of isoprene on the occurrence of symptoms of high-temperature damage to thylakoid membranes. Our data do not support the hypothesis that isoprene enhances leaf thermotolerance.     

MOET: a web-based gene set enrichment tool at the Rat Genome Database for multiontology and multispecies analyses

Biological interpretation of a large amount of gene or protein data is complex. Ontology analysis tools are imperative in finding functional similarities through overrepresentation or enrichment of terms associated with the input gene or protein lists. However, most tools are limited by their ability to do ontology-specific and species-limited analyses. Furthermore, some enrichment tools are not updated frequently with recent information from databases, thus giving users inaccurate, outdated or uninformative data. Here, we present MOET or the Multi-Ontology Enrichment Tool (v.1 released in April 2019 and v.2 released in May 2021), an ontology analysis tool leveraging data that the Rat Genome Database (RGD) integrated from in-house expert curation and external databases including the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI), The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), The Gene Ontology Resource, UniProt-GOA, and others. Given a gene or protein list, MOET analysis identifies significantly overrepresented ontology terms using a hypergeometric test and provides nominal and Bonferroni corrected P-values and odds ratios for the overrepresented terms. The results are shown as a downloadable list of terms with and without Bonferroni correction, and a graph of the P-values and number of annotated genes for each term in the list. MOET can be accessed freely from https://rgd.mcw.edu/rgdweb/enrichment/start.html.     

Evaluation of facial cleanliness and environmental improvement activities: Lessons learned from Malawi,Tanzania, and Uganda

The World Health Organization promotes the SAFE (Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvements) strategy for trachoma control and prevention. The F&E components of the strategy focus on promotion of healthy hygiene and sanitation behaviors. In order to monitor F&E activities implemented across villages and schools in Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda, an F&E Monitoring and Evaluation (FEME) framework was developed to track quarterly program outputs and to provide the basis for a pre and post evaluation of the activities. Results showed an increase in knowledge at the school and household levels, and in some cases, an increase in presence of hand/face washing stations. However, this did not always result in a change in trachoma prevention behaviors such as facial cleanliness or keeping compounds free of human feces. The results highlight that the F&E programs were effective in increasing awareness of trachoma prevention but not able to translate that knowledge into changes in behavior during the time between pre and post-surveys. This study also indicates the potential to improve the data collection and survey design and notes that the period of intervention was not long enough to measure significant changes.     

Bat point counts: A novel sampling method shines light on flying bat communities

Emerging technologies based on the detection of electro‐magnetic energy offer promising opportunities for sampling biodiversity. We exploit their potential by showing here how they can be used in bat point counts—a novel method to sample flying bats—to overcome shortcomings of traditional sampling methods, and to maximize sampling coverage and taxonomic resolution of this elusive taxon with minimal sampling bias. We conducted bat point counts with a sampling rig combining a thermal scope to detect bats, an ultrasound recorder to obtain echolocation calls, and a near‐infrared camera to capture bat morphology. We identified bats with a dedicated identification key combining acoustic and morphological features, and compared bat point counts with the standard bat sampling methods of mist‐netting and automated ultrasound recording in three oil palm plantation sites in Indonesia, over nine survey nights. Based on rarefaction and extrapolation sampling curves, bat point counts were similarly effective but more time‐efficient than the established methods for sampling the oil palm species pool in our study. Point counts sampled species that tend to avoid nets and those that are not echolocating, and thus cannot be detected acoustically. We identified some bat sonotypes with near‐infrared imagery, and bat point counts revealed strong sampling biases in previous studies using capture‐based methods, suggesting similar biases in other regions might exist. Our method should be tested in a wider range of habitats and regions to assess its performance. However, while capture‐based methods allow to identify bats with absolute and internal morphometry, and unattended ultrasound recorders can effectively sample echolocating bats, bat point counts are a promising, non‐invasive, and potentially competitive new tool for sampling all flying bats without bias and observing their behavior in the wild.     

Proteinase 3 contributes to endothelial dysfunction in an experimental model of sepsis

In sepsis-induced inflammation, polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) contribute to vascular dysfunction. The serine proteases proteinase 3 (PR3) and human leukocyte elastase (HLE) are abundant in PMNs and are released upon degranulation. While HLE’s role in inflammation-induced endothelial dysfunction is well studied, PR3’s role is largely uninvestigated. We hypothesized that PR3, similarly to HLE, contributes to vascular barrier dysfunction in sepsis. Plasma PR3 and HLE concentrations and their leukocyte mRNA levels were measured by ELISA and qPCR, respectively, in sepsis patients and controls. Exogenous PR3 or HLE was applied to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and HUVEC dysfunction was assessed by FITC-dextran permeability and electrical resistance. Both PR3 and HLE protein and mRNA levels were significantly increased in sepsis patients (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.05, respectively). Additionally, each enzyme independently increased HUVEC monolayer FITC-dextran permeability (P < 0.01), and decreased electrical resistance in a time- and dose-dependent manner (P < 0.001), an effect that could be ameliorated by novel treatment with carbon monoxide-releasing molecule 3 (CORM-3). The serine protease PR3, in addition to HLE, lead to vascular dysfunction and increased endothelial permeability, a hallmark pathological consequence of sepsis-induced inflammation. CORMs may offer a new strategy to reduce serine protease-induced vascular dysfunction.     

Multiple Mutations and Overexpression in the CYP51A and B Genes Lead to Decreased Sensitivity of Venturia effusa to Tebuconazole

Multiple demethylation-inhibiting (DMI) fungicides are used to control pecan scab, caused by Venturia effusa. To compare the efficacy of various DMI fungicides on V. effusa, field trials were conducted at multiple locations applying fungicides to individual pecan terminals. In vitro assays were conducted to test the sensitivity of V. effusa isolates from multiple locations to various concentrations of tebuconazole. Both studies confirmed high levels of resistance to tebuconazole. To investigate the mechanism of resistance, two copies of the CYP51 gene, CYP51A and CYP51B, of resistant and sensitive isolates were sequenced and scanned for mutations. In the CYP51A gene, mutation at codon 444 (G444D), and in the CYP51B gene, mutations at codon 357 (G357H) and 177 (I77T/I77L) were found in resistant isolates. Expression analysis of CYP51A and CYP51B revealed enhanced expression in the resistant isolates compared to the sensitive isolates. There were 3.0- and 1.9-fold increases in gene expression in the resistant isolates compared to the sensitive isolates for the CYP51A and CYP51B genes, respectively. Therefore, two potential mechanisms—multiple point mutations and gene over expression in the CYP51 gene of V. effusa isolates—were revealed as likely reasons for the observed resistance in isolates of V. effusa to tebuconazole.     

Separation and quantitative analysis of rat testis histones by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis

A procedure is presented for direct separation and quantitative analysis of histones of rat testis by use of one-dimensional cylindrical gel electrophoresis in acid/urea/polyacrylamide gels at two concentrations of urea. After separation and staining with amido black the histone fractions are determined by extraction of bound dye and spectrophotometric analysis. This method provides a rapid and accurate procedure for determination of microgram amounts of the histone subfractions which are unique to the testis as well as those which are found in somatic cells, and it is particularly useful for determination of molar proportions of the histones.     

Effect of daily oral omeprazole on 24 hour intragastric acidity.

Twenty four hour intragastric acidity was measured in nine patients with duodenal ulcer before and after one week of treatment with oral omeprazole 30 mg daily, a drug that inhibits gastric secretion by inhibition of parietal cell H+K+ adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase). Omeprazole virtually eliminated intragastric acidity in all patients: the median 24 hour intragastric pH rose from 1.4 to 5.3 and the mean hourly hydrogen ion activity fell from 38.50 to 1.95 mmol(mEq)/1 (p less than 0.001). This inhibition of 24 hour intragastric acidity is more profound than that previously reported with either cimetidine 1 g daily or ranitidine 300 mg daily.