Exogenously applied 20-hydroxyecdysone increases the net photosynthetic rate but does not affect the photosynthetic electron transport or the content of photosynthetic pigments in Tetragonia tetragonioides L.

Phytoecdysteroids are steroid compounds present in many plant species (sometimes in rather large amounts), but their biological role is still far from being clear. We have found that the exogenous application of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) to leaves of Tetragonia tetragonioides L. causes stimulation of its net photosynthetic rate (P _N) but does not positively affect the photosynthetic electron transport or the content of photosynthetic pigments. The increase in P _N was observed shortly after 20E treatment and was statistically significant during the 4th and 6th hours after treatment but not later, which could be perhaps caused by a strictly short-term window of opportunity for ecdysteroids to significantly affect photosynthetic processes. To our knowledge, these results are the first to suggest a new potential biological function of phytoecdysteroids—regulation of photosynthesis.     

Response of Norway spruce root system to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration

Root structure parameters, root biomass and allometric relationships between above- and belowground biomass were investigated in young Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) trees cultivated inside the glass domes with ambient (AC, 375 μmol(CO₂) mol^?1) and elevated (EC, A + 375 μmol(CO₂) mol^?1) atmospheric CO₂ concentrations ([CO₂]). After 8 years of fumigation, a mean EC tree in comparison with AC one exhibited about 37 % higher belowground biomass. The growth of primary root structure was unaffected by elevated [CO₂]; however, the biomass of secondary roots growing on the primary root structure and the biomass of secondary roots growing in the zone between the soil surface and the first primary root ramification were significantly higher in EC comparing with AC treatment about 58 and 70 %, respectively. The finest root’s (diameter up to 1 mm) biomass as well as length and surface area of both primary and secondary root structures showed the highest difference between the treatments; advancing EC to AC by 43 % on average. Therefore, Norway spruce trees cultivated under well-watered and rather nitrogen-poor soil conditions responded to the air elevated [CO₂] environment by the enhancement of the secondary root structure increment, by enlargement of root length and root absorbing area, and also by alternation of root to aboveground organ biomass proportion. Higher root to leaf and root to stem basal area ratios could be beneficial for Norway spruce trees to survive periods with limited soil water availability.     

One-dimensional TRFLP-SSCP is an effective DNA fingerprinting strategy for soil Archaea that is able to simultaneously differentiate broad taxonomic clades based on terminal fragment length polymorphisms and closely related sequences based on single stranded conformation polymorphisms

DNA fingerprinting methods provide a means to rapidly compare microbial assemblages from environmental samples without the need to first cultivate species in the laboratory. The profiles generated by these techniques are able to identify statistically significant temporal and spatial patterns, correlations to environmental gradients, and biological variability to estimate the number of replicates for clone libraries or next generation sequencing (NGS) surveys. Here we describe an improved DNA fingerprinting technique that combines terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (TRFLP) and single stranded conformation polymorphisms (SSCP) so that both can be used to profile a sample simultaneously rather than requiring two sequential steps as in traditional two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis. For the purpose of profiling Archaeal 16S rRNA genes from soil, the dynamic range of this combined 1-D TRFLP-SSCP approach was superior to TRFLP and SSCP. 1-D TRFLP-SSCP was able to distinguish broad taxonomic clades with genetic distances greater than 10%, such as Euryarchaeota and the Thaumarchaeal clades g_Ca. Nitrososphaera (formerly 1.1b) and o_NRP-J (formerly 1.1c) better than SSCP. In addition, 1-D TRFLP-SSCP was able to simultaneously distinguish closely related clades within a genus such as s_SCA1145 and s_SCA1170 better than TRFLP. We also tested the utility of 1-D TRFLP-SSCP fingerprinting of environmental assemblages by comparing this method to the generation of a 16S rRNA clone library of soil Archaea from a restored Tallgrass prairie. This study shows 1-D TRFLP-SSCP fingerprinting provides a rapid and phylogenetically informative screen of Archaeal 16S rRNA genes in soil samples.     

Laser interferometry analysis of ciprofloxacin and ampicillin diffusion from liposomal solutions to water phase

The paper presents experimental investigations of diffusion of antibiotics (ciprofloxacin or ampicillin) into the water phase from mixtures of neutral or negatively charged liposomes, and antibiotic–liposome interactions. Using the laser interferometry technique, the amounts and fluxes of released antibiotics, concentration field evolution, and the velocity of the concentration boundary layer’s “growth” were determined. To avoid the limitations of membranes, a measurement system without the artificial boundary of phases with a free water–solution interface has been proposed. It was found that the diffusion of anionic and neutral liposomes into the water phase was insignificant and mainly the diffusion of antibiotics was measured. Differences in the diffusion kinetics of ciprofloxacin and ampicillin from liposomal solutions to the water phase were observed. Ampicillin diffused more efficiently than ciprofloxacin regardless of the liposomal solution type. Moreover, the amount of ampicillin and ciprofloxacin released from the anionic liposomal phase was higher than that from the neutral one. Our results confirm that ciprofloxacin at neutral pH shows little tendency to bind neutral liposomes. Additionally, it was also observed that ciprofloxacin disrupts negatively charged liposomes as a final effect of antibiotic–lipid interactions.     

RESTRICTED PLEIOTROPY FACILITATES MUTATIONAL EROSION OF MAJOR LIFE‐HISTORY TRAITS

Radical shifts to new natural and human made niches can make some functions unneeded and thus exposed to genetic degeneration. Here we ask not about highly specialized and rarely used functions but those relating to major life‐history traits, rate of growth, and resistance to prolonged starvation. We found that in yeast each of the two traits was visibly impaired by at least several hundred individual gene deletions. There were relatively few deletions affecting negatively both traits and likely none harming one but improving the other. Functional profiles of gene deletions affecting either growth or survival were strikingly different: the first related chiefly to synthesis of macromolecules whereas the second to maintenance and recycling of cellular structures. The observed pattern of gene indispensability corresponds to that of gene induction, providing a rather rare example of agreement between the results of deletion and expression studies. We conclude that transitions to new environments in which the ability to grow at possibly fastest rate or survive under very long starvation become practically unnecessary can result in rapid erosion of these vital functions because they are coded by many genes constituting large mutational targets and because restricted pleiotropy is unlikely to constrain this process.     

Basal metabolic rate is positively correlated with parental investment in laboratory mice

The assimilation capacity (AC) hypothesis for the evolution of endothermy predicts that the maternal basal metabolic rate (BMR) should be positively correlated with the capacity for parental investment. In this study, we provide a unique test of the AC model based on mice from a long-term selection experiment designed to produce divergent levels of BMR. By constructing experimental families with cross-fostered litters, we were able to control for the effect of the mother as well as the type of pup based on the selected lines. We found that mothers with genetically determined high levels of BMR were characterized by higher parental investment capacity, measured as the offspring growth rate. We also found higher food consumption and heavier visceral organs in the females with high BMR. These findings suggested that the high-BMR females have higher energy acquisition abilities. When the effect of the line type of a foster mother was controlled, the pup line type significantly affected the growth rate only in the first week of life, with young from the high-BMR line type growing more rapidly. Our results support the predictions of the AC model.     

Synthesis of novel isothiazolopyridines and their in vitro evaluation against Mycobacterium and Propionibacterium acnes

In this paper we describe synthesis, structures and some physicochemical properties of 20 isothiazolopyridines 8–13 substituted differently into an isothiazole ring as well as their in vitro antibacterial assays against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, Mycobacterium fortuitum PCM 672 and Propionibacterium acnes PCM 2400. Compound 13a was found to be the most active derivative against M. tuberculosis H37Rv, demonstrating 100% growth inhibition of microorganisms in the primary screen (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] 6.25 μg/mL). Nineteen of the prepared compounds were evaluated against M. fortuitum PCM 672 and P. acnes PCM 2400 and only compounds 9 and 12d exhibited excellent activity against individual strains of microorganisms with MIC₉₀ <1 μg/mL. The inhibitory action of the remaining isothiazolopyridines towards the tested strains of the microorganism was low, absent, or a non-linear correlation prohibited accurate determination of MIC values. Unexpectedly, seven of the remaining isothiazolopyridines tested against M. fortuitum and P. acnes stimulated growth of the microorganisms in the range 10–50% or even more (10b) under experimental conditions.     

Biochemical characteristic of biofilm of uropathogenic Escherichia coli Dr+ strains

Urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli are very common health problem in the developed countries. The virulence of the uropathogenic E. coli Dr⁺ IH11128 is determined by Dr fimbriae, which are homopolymeric structures composed of DraE subunits with the DraD protein capping the fiber. In this study, we have analyzed the structural and biochemical properties of biofilms developed by E. coli strains expressing Dr fimbriae with or without the DraD tip subunit and the surface-exposed DraD protein. We have also demonstrated that these E. coli strains form biofilms on an abiotic surface in a nutrient-dependent fashion. We present evidence that Dr fimbriae are necessary during the first stage of bacterial interaction with the abiotic surface. In addition, we reveal that the DraD alone is also sufficient for the initial surface attachment at an even higher level than Dr fimbriae and that chloramphenicol is able to reduce the normal attachment of the analyzed E. coli. The action of chloramphenicol also shows that protein synthesis is required for the early events of biofilm formation. Additionally, we have identified reduced exopolysaccharide coverage in E. coli that express only Dr fimbrial polyadhesins at the cell surface with or without the DraD capping subunit.