Mapping global cropland and field size

A new 1 km global IIASA‐IFPRI cropland percentage map for the baseline year 2005 has been developed which integrates a number of individual cropland maps at global to regional to national scales. The individual map products include existing global land cover maps such as GlobCover 2005 and MODIS v.5, regional maps such as AFRICOVER and national maps from mapping agencies and other organizations. The different products are ranked at the national level using crowdsourced data from Geo‐Wiki to create a map that reflects the likelihood of cropland. Calibration with national and subnational crop statistics was then undertaken to distribute the cropland within each country and subnational unit. The new IIASA‐IFPRI cropland product has been validated using very high‐resolution satellite imagery via Geo‐Wiki and has an overall accuracy of 82.4%. It has also been compared with the EarthStat cropland product and shows a lower root mean square error on an independent data set collected from Geo‐Wiki. The first ever global field size map was produced at the same resolution as the IIASA‐IFPRI cropland map based on interpolation of field size data collected via a Geo‐Wiki crowdsourcing campaign. A validation exercise of the global field size map revealed satisfactory agreement with control data, particularly given the relatively modest size of the field size data set used to create the map. Both are critical inputs to global agricultural monitoring in the frame of GEOGLAM and will serve the global land modelling and integrated assessment community, in particular for improving land use models that require baseline cropland information. These products are freely available for downloading from the http://cropland.geo-wiki.org website.     

The photodynamic effect: the comparison of chemiexcitation by luminol and phthalhydrazide

The presence of light, oxygen and photosensitizer (organic dye) is required for the photodynamic effect. Light and photosensitizer are harmless by themselves, but when combined with oxygen, reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be produced. This photodynamic effect is used in photodynamic therapy (PDT); the production of ROS as lethal cytotoxic agents can inactivate tumor cells. However, during PDT, there are many difficulties, so it is not possible to excite the photosensitizer using a laser, a source of light at the wavelengths specific to the photosensitizer (in visible region of the spectrum). Chemiluminescence is the light emission as a result of a chemical reaction. It is possible to use a chemiluminescent mixture to excite the photosensitizer even if the light emission does not conform to the absorption maximum of the photosensitizer. Luciferin and luminol have been used as chemiluminescent compounds (energizers) for the excitation of the photosensitizers. The aim of this work was to compare the chemiexcitation of some selected photosensitizers (e.g. fluorescein, eosin, methylene blue, hypericin and phthalocyanines) by chemiluminescent mixtures containing luminol (high chemiluminescent quantum yield) or phthalhydrazide (low chemiluminescent quantum yield) on some Gram‐positive (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram‐negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli) bacteria and some cell lines (NIH3T3 and MCF7). The efficiency of the chemiexcitation was dependent on the kind of the photosensitizer and on the type of the bacterial strain or cell line and was independent of the energizers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of irradiation on the expression of DNA repair genes studied in human fibroblasts by real-time qPCR using three methods of reference gene validation

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ionizing radiation on gene expression by using for a first time a qPCR platform specifically established for the detection of 94 DNA repair genes but also to test the robustness of these results by using three analytical methods (global pattern recognition, ΔΔCq/Normfinder and ΔΔCq/Genorm). Study was focused on these genes because DNA repair is known primarily to determine the radiation response. Six strains of normal human fibroblasts were exposed to 2 Gy, and changes in gene expression were analyzed 24 h thereafter. A significant change in gene expression was found for only few genes, but the genes detected were mostly different for the three analytical methods used. For GPR, a significant change was found for four genes, in contrast to the eight or nine genes when applying ΔΔCq/Genorm or ΔΔCq/Normfinder, respectively. When using all three methods, a significant change in expression was only seen for GADD45A and PCNA. These data demonstrate that (1) the genes identified to show an altered expression upon irradiation strongly depend on the analytical method applied, and that (2) overall GADD45A and PCNA appear to play a central role in this response, while no significant change is induced for any of the other DNA repair genes tested.     

Dual Labeling of Pseudomonas putida with Fluorescent Proteins for In Situ Monitoring of Conjugal Transfer of the TOL Plasmid

We describe here a dual-labeling technique involving the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the red fluorescent protein (DsRed) for in situ monitoring of horizontal gene transfer via conjugation. A GFPmut3b-tagged derivative of narrow-host-range TOL plasmid (pWWO) was delivered to Pseudomonas putida KT2442, which was chromosomally labeled with dsRed by transposon insertion via biparental mating. Green and red fluorescent proteins were coexpressed in donor P. putida cells. Cells expressing both fluorescent proteins were smaller in size than cells expressing GFP alone. Donors and transconjugants in mixed culture or sludge samples were discriminated on the basis of their fluorescence by using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Conjugal plasmid transfer frequencies on agar surfaces and in sludge microcosms were determined microscopically without cultivation. This method worked well for in situ monitoring of horizontal gene transfer in addition to tracking the fate of microorganisms released into complex environments. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that discusses the coexpression of GFP and DsRed for conjugal gene transfer studies.     

Intramembrane proteolysis of GXGD-type aspartyl proteases is slowed by a familial Alzheimer disease-like mutation

More than 150 familial Alzheimer disease (FAD)-associated missense mutations in presenilins (PS1 and PS2), the catalytic subunit of the gamma-secretase complex, cause aberrant amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) production, by increasing the relative production of the highly amyloidogenic 42-amino acid variant. The molecular mechanism behind this pathological activity is unclear, and different possibilities ranging from a gain of function to a loss of function have been discussed. gamma-Secretase, signal peptide peptidase (SPP) and SPP-like proteases (SPPLs) belong to the same family of GXGD-type intramembrane cleaving aspartyl proteases and share several functional similarities. We have introduced the FAD-associated PS1 G384A mutation, which occurs within the highly conserved GXGD motif of PS1 right next to the catalytically critical aspartate residue, into the corresponding GXGD motif of the signal peptide peptidase-like 2b (SPPL2b). Compared with wild-type SPPL2b, mutant SPPL2b slowed intramembrane proteolysis of tumor necrosis factor alpha and caused a relative increase of longer intracellular cleavage products. Because the N termini of the secreted counterparts remain unchanged, the mutation selectively affects the liberation of the intracellular processing products. In vitro experiments demonstrate that the apparent accumulation of longer intracellular cleavage products is the result of slowed sequential intramembrane cleavage. The longer cleavage products are still converted to shorter peptides, however only after prolonged incubation time. This suggests that FAD-associated PS mutation may also result in reduced intramembrane cleavage of beta-amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP). Indeed, in vitro experiments demonstrate slowed intramembrane proteolysis by gamma-secretase containing PS1 with the G384A mutation. As compared with wild-type PS1, the mutation selectively slowed Abeta40 production, whereas Abeta42 generation remained unaffected. Thus, the PS1 G384A mutation causes a selective loss of function by slowing the processing pathway leading to the benign Abeta40.     

Single-crystal EPR study at 95 GHz of the type 2 copper site of the inhibitor-bound quercetin 2,3-dioxygenase

An electron-spin-echo-detected, electron-paramagnetic-resonance study has been performed on the type 2 copper site of quercetin 2,3-dioxygenase from Aspergillus japonicus. In the protein, copper is coordinated by three histidine nitrogens and two sulfurs from the inhibitor diethyldithiocarbamate. A single crystal of the protein was studied at 95 GHz and the complete g-tensor determined. The electron-paramagnetic-resonance data are compatible with two orientations of the principal g-axes in the copper center, one of which is preferred on the basis of an analysis of the copper coordination and the d-orbitals that are involved in the unpaired-electron orbital. For this orientation, the principal z-axis of the g-tensor makes an angle of 19 degrees with the Cu-N(His112) bond and the N of His112 may be considered the axial ligand. The singly occupied molecular orbital contains a linear combination of copper dxy and dyz-orbitals, which are antibonding with atomic orbitals of histidine nitrogens and diethyldithiocarbamate sulfurs. The orientation of the g-tensor for the quercetin 2,3-dioxygenase is compared with that for type 1 copper sites.     

Development of a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for vitellin in the mysid Neomysis integer (Crustacea: Mysidacea)

Mysid crustaceans have been put forward by several regulatory bodies as suitable test organisms to screen and test the potential effects of environmental endocrine disruptors. Despite the well-established use of mysid reproductive endpoints such as fecundity, egg development time, and time to first brood release in standard toxicity testing, little information exists on the hormonal regulation of these processes. Control of vitellogenesis is being studied intensively because yolk is an excellent model for studying mechanisms of hormonal control, and vitellogenesis can be chemically disrupted. Yolk protein or vitellin is a major source of nourishment during embryonic development of ovigorous egg-laying invertebrates. The accumulation of vitellin during oocyte development is vital for the production of viable offspring. In this context, we developed a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for vitellin of the estuarine mysid Neomysis integer. Mysid vitellin was isolated using gel filtration, and the purified vitellin was used to raise polyclonal antibodies. The ELISA was sensitive within a working range of 4 to 500 ng vitellin/mL. Serial dilutions of whole body homogenates from female N. integer and the vitellin standard showed parallel binding curves, validating the specificity of the ELISA. The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were 8.2% and 13.8%, respectively. Mysid vitellin concentrations were determined from ovigorous females and eggs at different developmental stages. The availability of a quantitative mysid vitellin ELISA should stimulate further studies on the basic biology of this process in mysids. Furthermore, it could provide a means to better understand and predict chemically induced reproductive effects in mysids.     

Outdoor photoacclimation of two Chlorella strains characterized by normal and reduced light-harvesting antennas: photosynthetic activity and chlorophyll-protein organization

Journal of Applied Phycology - Photoacclimation of two Chlorella cultures – strain g-120 characterised by a reduced size of light-harvesting antenna complex (LHC) and strain R-117 with full...     

Forensic value of pollen from ornamental indoor plants

Pollen is deposited almost everywhere and can be gathered and analysed. This work is part of a survey dedicated to indoor pollen from a forensic point of view. Ornamental plants were introduced into a private flat. Their influence on the pre-existing pollen assemblages was documented. Results show that ornamental plants can dramatically change the pollen spectra of indoor locations. The severity of this impact strongly varies with different plant taxa. These findings are important for forensic investigations, since such an ‘artificial’ pollen spectrum leaves an unusual trace and could subsequently relate a suspect to a crime scene.